Sisters

I have been unable to blog for months due to computer issues on our desktop and I finally found an app I like to blog with on my iPad. Yay!

I just wanted to post this video of my two little gals and their blossoming friendship. One which, I hope will last a lifetime! I hope they can be the sisters to each other that I never had. We are thoroughly enjoying Ashlynn and her happy, curious, and bright nature. The girls have already started wrestling and Ashlynn gets tossed around quite a bit but she just grabs onto Kayla's hair and doesn't let go. Needless to say they are good for each other!

Kayla Quotes

Every day is entertaining and pretty much delightful when you have a little person around who's learning the intricacies of language. Below are some statements made by my blossoming little girl during the past week or so.

"You're my little sweetheart" (talking to her dad)

"Thanks. You saved my life." (to kraig, after he helped her)

Me: 'Ashlynn has a dirty diaper.'
Mikayla: 'Yeah, babies do that.'

Every time we're about to step out the door: 'LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!'

"My question is...where's my quesadilla?"

Me to Kraig: 'She has such a cute personality.'
Mikayla: 'I not a personality - I a GIRL!'

Competition

Is life a competition? Most people would say no to that question, but many people act like it's necessary to compare children, spouses, looks, homes, parenting styles, salaries, etc. It's natural to compare ourselves with others that seem to be in the same boat. But if we get in the habit of continually comparing and competing, it seems like usually one of two things will happen: We'll become prideful or become envious.

Neither one are too pleasant.

And it's a waste of time. Because every family, every individual, and every situation is unique. You can't compare apples to oranges.

I just had to get that off my chest.

Ashlynn Eve Cramer

I fell off the face of blogging world for a while....I guess the more you put something off, the more daunting it becomes because it just piles up. Here's an attempt to give an update of our lives since #2 joined our family. (If you just want pictures scroll down)

THE DELIVERY STORY
Went into labor at 4am after a week of false labor (had the doc sweep my membranes on Monday to get things going). Got to the hospital about 8am, dialated to a 3 1/2. Got an epidural around 11am ...it stopped working on my left side of my body around 1pm. They kept upping the dosage (since I asked for a light one) but nothing worked. Around 4pm I was at 7cm and in a lot of pain on my left side. I had been at a 7 for 3 hours and wasn't progressing, so they were talking about a C-section. They were trying to get the epidural to work on my left side so they could operate! Finally they figured out that the needle had probably got dislodged so they fixed the placement and then I had relief on my left side for about an hour. About 5pm I started feeling an intense burning on my previous C-section scar, and the nurse could actually feel a little limb (probably an arm) that was pushing against it! A little concerning....but poor baby, her heart rate was declining every time I contracted, and she was probably stressed out and pushing against me to try to fight back!

Soon we decided that she was coming down the wrong way (turned out it was sideways)and under distress, so prepped for a C-section. I went into the OR this time much calmer, with more energy, and more optimistic than last time. Everything was fine until they pulled her out. They barely showed me half of her body and then whisked her away. I was listening for the cry. It didn't come. All I heard was rhythmic counting... what sounded to me like CPR. No one told me what was happening. I knew something was wrong. And that's when all I could do was pray. Kraig was frozen, watching the events unfold. After 90 seconds we heard a cry. I just remember relief and gratitude and exhaustion filling me as I asked to see her fully for the first time. Truly God has been watching out for our little Ashlynn. She was a 0 on the Apgar scale 1 minute after birth. At 5 minutes she was an 8. They said that is pretty unusual. Since she bounced back so quickly they said that she wasn't without oxygen for too long, and we shouldn't worry. So far her development is excellent - right on track.

These last 8 weeks have been overall, very happy ones. Ashlynn means 'dream'. I call her my dream baby. The delivery wasn't too 'dreamy', but now that she's here she is a little angel - a GREAT sleeper and very content! She's been sleeping 5 or more hours since about 3 weeks, and lately it's about 8. It's great!

Mikayla has LOVED having a baby in the house. She has a natural maternal instinct. I keep waiting for her to start acting jealous or throw tantrums or stop sleeping well, but so far so good! I'm sure at times she won't appreciate having a little sister when she's older, but for now she just gets a kick out of every aspect. She tries to have little conversations with her, tickle her toes, gives her eskimo kisses....it is a sweet picture for a parent to witness.

Autumn 2010

This Fall has been so fun, and beautiful, and warm - we have thoroughly enjoyed it. Here's a list of some things that have been going on in our family since September.

1. We went to the first BYU game of the season. Luckily we won that one but have been pretty disappointed with these 'young' players in games since. They're just fun to watch with Kraig - he gets just a LITTLE excited.


2.Mikayla learned how to pedal her tricycle. We were almost as excited for her as she was (it meant no more uncomfortable bending down to help her with my belly in the way). Now she always says, "Watch me! I so fast!"

3. We went to LA to have a beach party with the Cramers the weekend after labor day. It was lots of fun! The kids loved the sand and flying kites and the fire pit. It was really nice to see the big happy Cramer clan.






4. We decided to set up Mikayla in her toddler bed. She LOVED it right from the beginning - especially how she could get in and out herself, have free access to her blankies, and feel like a big kid. She has slept really well in it. Sometimes after we put her to bed we hear her playing around in the dark, but she always manages to make her way to her bed and cover herself up.



- It was really funny, last night Kraig was working late in the basement installing new plumbing, right under Mikayla's room. She was supposed to be going to sleep, but she discovered that she could hear/see her daddy through the heater vent, and for about 20 minutes was calling, "DAAAAADDDEEEEEEEEEE! What you doing?!? DAAAAADDDEEEEE!" She finally went to sleep around 10:30!


5. Our basement remodeling is in the works. SLOW. But it's started. We hope to be done by next summer.

6. We have been enjoying the warm weather. Still lots of trips to the park, and we just went to the zoo. Riding the train was one of the highlights.



Another highlight - meeting her new boyfriend.


7. Mikayla has discovered the magic of building forts. We set a big one up in our living room last week, but then had to clean it up. After she woke up and found her 'fork' gone, she was so sad we set up a little one in her room. That day, needless to say, she was a little excited about it and when I put her down for her nap she wouldn't stay in her bed. I came back later to check on her and found this.

8.We had a really fun Halloween! I got a little more crafty than normal with some decorations, and Mikayla absolutely loved her Tigger costume. She wanted to sleep in it. On Sunday we put her in a little shirt and home made Halloween skirt (courtesy of my friend Bethany) and she was so excited to go to church. She was such a happy little delight today.




9. We are excited to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas here in our home. I am getting pretty BIG and it prob wouldn't be too wise to take off for CO or CA at Thanksgiving when I'm 34 weeks or Christmas when I'm at 38!

The First Two Years in 24 photos

My baby is now a little girl...two years old!
We have thoroughly enjoyed each stage though, and she continues to challenge us and delight us each day!
For the first year of her life, I made it a point to take a photo on each month mark, in the same dress (until she outgrew one and had to wear another), with the same teddy bear. The bear didn't always make it in the picture though! After a year I stopped, but each picture is about a month older than the first. Put the curser on the bottom of the photo for the age in months. Enjoy!

I can't believe this...

First of all, I couldn't believe I was pregnant. I was kind of dreading it a little, and haven't been in a hurry to tell people, so if you haven't heard that may be why.
Now I'm over the shock and feeling excited. Now I can't believe we're having another GIRL! Kraig was 90% sure it was a boy (how he came up with that statistic I don't know), I was about 70% sure, and everyone else seemed to agree with our prediction. It just doesn't seem like the Cramer or the Williamson way to have more than one girl! I guess it's payback time for all the years of macho-ism, wrestling, and body functions I had to put up with. Although Mikayla still gives us plenty of the latter two. She cracks up when she burps and I can't lay on the floor without her trying to tackle me.
Anyway, I'm due mid-January and feeling great. I had a rough month of May with morning sickness, allergies, and insomnia, and bouts of intense anxiety over labor and the newborn stage. Thank goodness that is over for now, and I am ready to deal with whatever my lot may be this time. I am going to try for a VBAC if everything is in ideal condition for one, and if I end up with another C-section, at least I tried. The most important thing is to have a healthy baby. Mikayla had 0 problems even if I did, and that is such a blessing.
Most of my excitement of having two girls together comes from the fact that Mikayla will have a sister, and although I'm sure they'll fight, they will get to grow up together and be close, if not always, then probably when they're adults. I really envy my friends who have this. Also, I don't have to go and buy a whole new baby wardrobe, and all those cute girl clothes won't go to waste!
Kraig is excited too - he loves little girls - but he is getting a little nervous that he won't ever get a son, since we probably won't have more than 3 or 4 kids! I would love to have a boy sometime too. We'll see what Heavenly Father has in store for our family.