Santa Baby

Our first Christmas Tradition

Christmas 2006. Me and my loves first Christmas together. For some reason I had always wanted to sleep underneath a Christmas tree. So nestled in our tiny little first apartment we pulled out all our blankets and pillows which wasn't too many and made a relatively comfortable little bed under our first Christmas tree and snuggled the night away and talked about how we would make that a tradition with our kids (as I felt our first sweet baby kicking away at my belly). However, sadly we didn't make it a tradition....until now. We missed our 2nd and 3rd Christmases but this year, our 4th Christmas season together we slept underneath the tree with our 3 beautiful babies. It was so fun to watch them stare at the shining lights as they laid there on their belly's with their little chin resting in their little hands.

future mommies

Her pretty little head

No matter what Raya's hair looks like this every morning and then within 2 or 3 hours after I comb it and do it, it looks like this again (and this doesn't even do it justice).

She also had this phase where everything edible was also used as a scalp treatment. This is applesauce, but chocolate pudding was also a favorite.

She thinks she's a super model

With her "relly" (Cindrella) glass slippers and everything.
This is my favorite, Raya came over and started copying all the poses Eyla was doing for me.

Sharing is Caring

The other day I was vacuuming and I turned around and saw this. Eyla was sharing Emma (her baby) and Polly (her pink bear, dressed in her baby's clothes) with Rockwell.

She was so proud of herself.

The sharing must be inspired by the Care Bears movie they recently checked out from the library. As they fry their eyes out of their heads by sitting about 3 inches away from the screen they just can't get enough of those lovable bears.

I am thankful for....

alot of things. But most of all this guy!

And these three angels.

Thanksgiving

Here are some pictures of the girls enjoying their feast.

and Rockwell who always looks like he just ate a huge feast :).

Halloween

My little sparkle fairies.

Lazy spooky ghost

Raya dug right in and loved it

Eyla thought it was nasty

Until she got a knife :) Perry supervised very closely

Lately...

Rockwell. Growing so fast. I weighed him this morning on our home scale and it probably isn't right on but I know it is close because he is growing crazy fast... 9 lbs already!!

Snuggle time with Eyla.

Kisses from Raya.

They love playdough, we go through it like crazy because we play with it for hours everyday and it dries out pretty fast, but this is one of their favorite things, making jewelry and crowns out of it.

Movie night.

Frosting Halloween sugar cookies with their best pals Natty and Rylie.

I had to leave early to teach a class at a Relief Society thing one Saturday morning. Perry let them pick out their own outfits. Raya got it down but Eyla just picks out her two favorite peices and doesn't care if they match (I usually let them pick out their own outfits just with a little supervision). My favorite part is that he didn't even attempt Eyla's hair and it's still in the day befores ponytail thats why it's crazy but he did throw the clip in Rayas hair. When I got home and they were chasing him around and they looked so cute I had to get some pictures. He is the best dad I love him.

Rockwell

So this is Rockwell Perry Myers. He was born September 28 at 6:30 pm. 6.1 lbs and 18 1/2 inches long. Totally perfect and sweet. I'm almost certain he will look much like his father which makes him the second handsomest man on the planet.
He had kinda a rough start coming into the world. Labor and delivery was great it was about 6 hours long and go me I did it all natural. But for some reason Rockwell had to be in the tiny percentage of term babies that don't develop surfactant in their lungs on time. Surfactant is the lubricant that keeps them from sticking together when we exhale. I was lucky enough to hold him for about thirty seconds while they cut the cord etc. then they took him away to wash him and thats when they discovered he wasn't breathing well and he was off to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). Which ended up being his home for the first 8 days of his life and the longest most emotionally straining of mine.

This is the CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) thing. When they figured the surfactant thing was the problem this is what he had to wear for a day, they explained that is was like driving down the road with your head out the window it just keeps air flowing into the lungs so they never colapse and in his case stick together.

Finally off the CPAP and just a regular nasal canula that did the same thing just not as intensive as the CPAP and made it wasy easier to hold him and see him.

Just chillin with mom and dad. He loved being held and his stats would be great when we were holding him.

Getting to know daddy, you can see how painfully bad we needed sleep.

Just hanging out and getting precious skin to skin time.

About day 4 his bilirubin was high (but what to you expect being in a dark room 24/7 so he was under the bili-lights for jaundice, it was so funny he looked like he was at the tanning salon with his eye protection and everything.

Just so you get an idea of what I had to stare at for 8 days, I'm amazed I'm still sane. I can't imagine how hard it would be for those who have had their babies in the NICU for weeks.

Finally home and meeting his sisters for the first time.

I'm so grateful that he is here and well. We are all learning how to work together. Eyla can't get enough of him and wants to hold him every chance she can. Raya is still trying to figure him out. It was really hard for them for me to be gone so much for 8 days and even harder for me to have to leave them. We are still trying to make up mommy time now that I am back and work little Rockwell into our daily routine. But it's way easier than I expected it would be.

Raya and the Potty

Raya loves the potty, she thinks she is potty trained. Every time Eyla goes she tags along and I have to put her on the potty too. And I am not complaining because if she is this excited about becoming potty trained it is making my life easier. About half of the time she actually goes and if she does she gets a treat. The other day I heard some banging around in the bathroom and this is what I found. I had no idea that she could climb up on the toilet herself, but there she was not only with shorts still on but also her tutu. I just had to get a picture.

Curlers

After baths on Saturday night we had some extra time before bed so we did curlers. They both loved getting them in and thought they looked so pretty with curlers in their hair. However, Eyla couldn't peel her eyes off 101 Dalmations long enough for a picture. When I was putting them to bed Raya couldn't sleep because they were hurting her but she wouldn't let me take them out, such a girl, the sacrifices we make for beauty. Finally she was so tired she didn't fight me anymore and I took them out so she could sleep comfortably. That is why her hair didn't turn out curly just big and fluffy, but it was so dang cute anyway.
Typical Eyla cheese smile and Raya's sass face when their daddy asks them smile for the camera

These pictures were taken after church and naps so their hair is all a little flat and crazy but still so pretty.

I'm Watching You

Lucky

I'm in love with my best friend. Happy 3rd Anniversary to us.