We're Moving!

Just blog addresses, don't worry! Fooled you didn't I?

It's been five wonderful years here at ezrachronicles. I am printing these five years of our life documentation into a nice blog book and we are moving on to the next step in the blog-sphere. 

So join me in our newest adventure over at www.theprairieperks.blogspot.ca 

Don't forget to change the address in your favorites!

PS- I've had almost 24,000 page views. So thanks for reading :)

Meeting Philip

Larisa

Alan

Auntie

Becca

Grandma

Family Photos

Philip is back up to 5 pounds, 9 ounces! He had gone down to 5lb, 1.5oz before we left the hospital but he is making a turn around :). Breast feeding is at times excruciating (not pain wise but my patience is tested) but we are pushing through; Philip takes a long time to eat and has a tendency to suck on his tongue while I nurse. I trust that with patience and my experience, it will get better with time and practice. 

The boys love their new brother. We've had a few incidences of nasty attitude or behaviour in the last week or so but overall I think they are doing phenomenally well with all the changes. The hardest part for me so far (aside from nursing) has been not being able to spend as much time with my older boys. I miss them! Soon though I will heal and Philip will eat faster and all will settle into our new normal.

Rob is amazing. I wish I could express how deeply I mean that. What a good man he is. 

Also, my mom is here! Hooray! So nice to have so much help and support! Thanks for coming! 

The First Few Days as the Five of Us

Who needs  a thumb?

Mommy and Me

Silas and Philip

Ezra and Philip

Look at that face!

I'm a Big Brother!

Big brother twice!

Snuggling Daddy

Cozy with Mama

Look! I can see!

Philip Robert

We welcomed our newest addition at 10:53 AM on Tuesday, January 14. Philip Robert was born healthy via scheduled cesarean measuring 19.5", weighing 5lbs, 13oz. He was 37 weeks, 4 days gestation. 

Our first few days were filled with short bursts of sleep (he is a very sleepy boy), and struggling to breast feed. Philip did not know how to properly suck or latch and therefore lost more weight than is healthy in the first few days of life outside the womb. Him and I have been working very hard at nursing and he gets better with every feed. He is on the up swing as far as weight goes, but he did go down to 5lb, 1.5oz. We left this hospital with him at 5lb, 4oz. 

Ezra and Silas love their new brother. Silas keeps saying, "I love my baby so so much!" and asking, "Where'd my baby go?". Ezra's first question to me this morning upon waking was, "How's Philip doing mom?". They love holding him and talking to him and giving him kisses.

We came home yesterday (Saturday the 18th) and have been settling in well. It is so nice to be able to have some sort of routine again (particularly one that does not include being woken up for temperature checks or the housekeeping staff). My sister Allison took care of the boys for us while Rob and I both stayed in hospital, and she left this morning. Now my mom is here helping out while I (try to) take it easy and recover. 

Here are a few pictures for you and I will post many more in the days to come so keep checking!

In recovery

Getting measured

Getting weighed

Snuggles with Daddy

Meeting his biggest brother.

Kisses from Silas

Snuggles from Auntie Ally

Philip, Auntie and Mama

Mom and Dad and Baby

Our first family photo

All the boys

Learning about and looking at the new baby

Mom trying to wake baby up!

Baby Update

I had this lengthy post written yesterday and it disappeared. And I don't want to re-write it. So here's the short version:

Baby's U/S on Monday was perfect. Womb health, Doppler, heart rate all great. 

Placenta has several "lakes". This is a place where blood pools and rests. Causes are unknown but do not in and of themselves mean anything. Just notable.

I will have another ultrasound Monday afternoon. Just because.  

My belly is 36cm 

I've gained 24.5lbs 

Baby has a lot of hiccups (which is annoying but means he's exercising his diaphragm and lungs).

I am excited to meet the baby!

OB says we are good to go for the 14th, most likely between 11am and 1pm.

Auntie Ally comes midnight on Friday! 

Grandma is coming on the 19! 

The end. Sorry I'm lame but I am grumpy about losing all my articulate words and it is 6AM. 

But the blog demanded an update so an update it got! 

Take care all. 

36 weeks (and counting!)

I was supposed to have an ultrasound and a prenatal appointment today but they postponed them due to the snowstorm. In reality, it wasn't a real snowstorm until several hours after my appointment times but the people in this province are big wusses when it comes to winter. So. No baby news until Monday afternoon. He's moving a lot though so that is good :). 

Here's my 36 week photo. We have 11 days to go! 

Dates with Mom

I've been trying to make the boys feel special to me before I have a cesarean and won't be available to them like they'll want. I still want to take Silas on a solo date but it hasn't happened yet :). Here's a few pics from Tim Horton's and Montana's. I love spending time with these boys- they are really enjoyable and always so grateful for a treat. 

I am going to try to make Mommy Dates a regular thing. It's easy to get stuck in a stay-at-home, don't-do-much, spending-all-your-time-with-your-kids-but-never-spending-any-time-with-them routine. 

He LOVES his hot chockit. 

Looks like a grown up warming his hands! 

We went out for supper when daddy was away for work. 

A very exciting experience for us all. 

Silas would only wear the antlers for a photo. He was not impressed. 

Christmas Week 2013

We have had a VERY fun and relaxing week at home together. Rob hasn't been in to work and it is a very different pace and type of work for him to be doing so much at home. I have felt very spoiled by how much he's been doing and how much time he and I have had. 

It is always sad for us to miss out on family celebrations at Christmas but we do the best we can with what we've got. Skype helps, and so does the fact that Christmas is actually about Christ and not our families. If Christmas is about family maybe we love our families more than Jesus. 

We had Christmas parties and brunches, a candle light service (where Silas had a little nap on the floor), a fun Christmas Eve opening gifts, Christmas morning playing the Santa game, and a huge delicious supper with just the four of us, celebrating Jesus' birthday on the 25th. 

We took very little photos this week, but that's ok. Here they are, in a very random order. 

Playing with the world's greatest toy for the first time. 

We found the toy a home and it continues to be world's best. 

The only good photo from Christmas morning. 

Busytown Mysteries has a game! This was Christmas Eve. 

Our small group from church had a Christmas party last Saturday and we had a lovely ham dinner, Minute-to-Win-It Christmas Edition Games and a carol sing. Ezra was moving the Christmas balls from one string to another without using his fingers. The grown-ups weren't allowed to use their hands. We played a few other games I can tell you about sometime if you're interested. It was a very fun night. 

This is our birthday cake for Jesus. 

They're both looking AND smiling! Miraculous.