Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Lucas is One Week Old

Today, Lucas Henry is one week old. Honestly, this has been one of the best weeks of my life. It has been amazing to Dan and I to live a completely different experience than the births of our first children. To sum it up, the births of the triplets was in many ways a traumatic experience. Lucas's was peaceful. Both were joyful times in our lives and exciting in their own ways.

The kids are adjusting pretty well to having Lucas here. All of them have learned the word "baby" but haven't said "Lucas" yet. David loves to say,"BABYYYY!" whenever he sees Lucas or even just remembers he is around here somewhere. He likes to rub his hair and practice being gentle. We have to remind him a lot because he gets excited. Aria was very curious about Lucas and likes to touch him too. She wants to give him hugs, but she is also easily distracted by other things to play with too. Levi doesn't acknowledge Lucas very much. He was a little interested to see what we had brought through the door after being gone for four days. He really only came over to Lucas after he heard the baby start to fuss. I think he thought it was a new toy that makes noise and wanted to figure out how it worked. He giggled few times. When we didn't hand Lucas over to play with, he went back to what he was doing before.

We have had a nice routine going now that we're home. Unfortunately, that may all change when my dad leaves on Thursday. He has been such a big help around here. Dad is basically taking care of David, Aria and Levi while I concentrate on Lucas. I am able to "help" with the kids, but I am handicapped by my inability to lift anything. I never even considered having a second c-section because I knew that would make it impossible to take care of my own toddlers for 6 long weeks. Well, I guess it was not in the plan, so now we are going with the flow. Tonight I was left alone with them for 10 mintues and ended up having to lay Lucas on the floor behind a baby-gate quick to confort a fallen Aria after having just taken care of another crisis with Levi. It was quite overwhelming.

Lucas is spoiling us. He cried while being weighed at a breast-feeding consultation I had today and it seemed like a very unfamiliar sound! We don't hear him cry very much. We are keeping to a good feeding schedule and it seems to work for him. He'll start to squeak if he wants to eat, but I initate most feedings. He doesn't like being cold while changing clothes. The most I have heard from him was when he had his first bath. He was pretty cold and uncomfortable then. Otherwise, he is as quiet as a mouse in this house of chaos. Last night he went 5 hours between feedings and I got a good stretch of sleep. Nighttimes have been decent so far. I feel like I am in newborn heaven. This is all I could have dreamed for for adding another child to our family. Lucas is a precious little miracle and a huge blessing. Here are some more pictures from the week:









I caught David, Aria and Levi all standing with their hands behind their backs while staring at the TV. I don't know where they got this because Dan and I don't stand like this that we know of. Toooo cute!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

18 Months!!

Happy 18 Months David, Aria and Levi!! We love you soooo much! You bring abundant JOY in to our lives and you are an answer to years worth of prayer!

Lucas Henry Nebelsick

On Tuesday, November 24th, Lucas Henry Nebelsick officially joined our family. He has been a child of ours and a presence in our lives for 9 months now, but we finally got to meet him! Our 3rd son is absolutely precious and we are so in love!

Lucas was born at 1:02pm, weighing 8 lbs. 6 oz. and was 21 inches long. I would love to journal a better entry about the day. I have so many thoughts about his birth and our child-raising experiences. I don't have time tonight. Lucas is swaddled up beside me on the couch right now. It is midnight and time for us to get to bed! Everyone else is! So, here are some pictures from the first days:

David, Aria and Levi on Grandma's lap. She has been here all week and took over for us while we were in the hospital. What a Grandma!


The kids on Dan's lap the morning of Lucas's birthday.


Me, the morning of:


Right before going in for surgery:


It's a boy!! He's here!


He's beautiful!


Grandma meeting Lucas:


Mommy getting to know her son in recovery:


Daddy rocking his baby boy. He did this a LOT the first few days.


Lots more pictures of our son:









The "bouquet" we received in the hospital from the Oedekovens! It was SOOOOO delicious! And gorgeous! Thank you Matt, Molly, Georgie and Elsie!!

Friday, October 30, 2009

35 Week Comparison

May, 2008 - 34 weeks, 5 days


October, 2009 - 35 weeks, 1 day


That is the difference between three babies and only one!

Halloween Parade

We participated in our first Rock Rapids Halloween Parade. We borrowed the cutest costumes from our friends, the Oedekovens. David went as Winnie the Pooh, Levi as Tigger, and Aria as Piglet. Matt and Molly's daughter, Elsie, was Eeyore. In my humble opinion, they were the HIT of the parade. We had our awesome "Choo Choo Wagon" with a 4th seat hooked on for Elsie. Here are some pictures from our evening:

David, Aria, Levi


We added in Elsie:


Note Levi's joy!


It was COLD out!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

June

June was a great start to a busy summer! The kids had just turned one and were really starting to blossom. I have a variety of pictures from many June adventures and some fun at-home, every day moments.


This is the morning of June 2nd and the kids had just indulged in their first double chocolate chip muffin. They thoroughly enjoyed their "breakfast cake", as I like to call it.





The kids like to climb on or in anything they can. Here is Levi in the toybox... before David decided he really needed to shut the lid and I had to intervene.


Aria got a new hair-do! I was trying to get a good picture of her "Pebbles" ponytail and then....


She pulled herself up to stand for the very first time, on camera! I was so proud!



On June 4th, we were invited over to a barbeque at our friends', the Oedekovens. We helped them break in a new grill and the steak was fabulous. Then the kids had a ball on all of their outdoor toys.

Here is Molly giving David, Elsie (Oedekoven) and Levi a ride around the yard.


Levi is loving it!


Aria soon got in on the fun and sat with Elsie.


Here is David, Aria and Levi on the teeter-totter.


I have given up on worrying about my kids when they are sent flying 18 feet in the air. I guess if I don't trust Dan with them, who do I trust? They love it! Here is Levi's flight, then Aria's.



On the 5th of June, I loaded up the kids for one of my crazy Gillette trips. I knew we hadn't been there since April and wouldn't be going again until late July, so I packed them up and headed out! It was still fairly easy to do since I was only 15 weeks pregnant at the time. Here are some pictures of the kids while at Grandma and Grandpa Rigsby's house:

One of my favorite pictures of all three kids from this summer. They had figured out how to chase any adult down the hall and attack until someone got through into a bedroom. If there is only one adult, one would almost always get through initially because you can only grab one or two at a time. There was a playpen set up in my parents room, so they all got put in their during one such adventure. They happened to be thrilled!


Aria chasing Grandpa down the hall.

Levi chasing Grandpa down the hall.

And here is David working his walking magic down the hall. He started walking in June and mastered the skill throughout the month. This was only about a month after Aria started crawling! She has always taken her own sweet time...


Here are some socks that Grandpa just had to have David try on... what do you think, Dan? (Dan is a Vikings fan. I grew up in a Bronco household!)


Aria trying to get the camera, as usual.


Levi and Grandpa.


We had some fun playdates with Rylan, my friend Kenzie's daughter. She gets along best with David because he seems closer to her maturity. And he's just so social! At first, I don't think she knew what to do about all the kids her size but they all warmed up to each other quickly.

Here are the girls, looking like they could be chatting it up! Oh, what fun they will have in years to come. When I knew I was having two boys and a girl, I prayed for Kenzie to have a girl so mine wouldn't have to be alone. It worked out so well, especially since I know Kenzie kind of wanted a girl and loves dressing up Rylan in adorable outfits. So fun for all!


This was our best shot for a group picture.


My little Curious George, Levi.


Awwww, David and Rylan's first kiss. So innocent and sweet. (Which may or may not have been, but definitely was encouraged by their mothers. Ha. :D)


Aria playing.


Due to the cuteness portrayed by my son, Levi, I had to include this picture. Just ignore the unsightly Momma.


Here we are back at home, later in June. They were still mostly kept in our back livingroom/playroom. We baby-proofed all of the main floor, except the kitchen, not long after this. Here is Levi standing at the gate.


Aria had a habit for a while of making this face. I don't know if she thought it was a prettier smile, or she was just protecting her eyes from the flash. Either way, it made me laugh every time!


David's hair was starting to get in to his eyes already.


June 20th, we had a small hometown parade for Heritage Days. There isn't much that goes on in town for the 4th of July, but Heritage Days is a lot of fun! We loaded up the kids in the triple stroller and walked downtown. The parade hadn't started when we got there and were trying to find a place to set up chairs. We were quite the sight for most people, I believe because all of a sudden I heard "YAY NEBELSICK'S!" and clapping on the opposite side of the street. We knew we were being watched, but it was very obvious we made a great pre-parade show. At that moment, we were the parade! Here is us in our seats:





David and I after I fed him a chocolate popsicle. They loved all the parade goodies! The didn't always appreciate the big load trucks with obnoxious horns.


The end of June brought the wedding of Dan's brother Ben to the beautiful Maggie. The kids and I went to the Nebelsick house for a few extra days of visiting before the big event. Levi like playing with the TV buttons.


Here is Aria hanging out with her Great-Grandma Nebelsick.

This girl loves her accessories!


The whole Nebelsick family at Ben and Maggie's wedding!


David is all dressed up for the wedding and ready to explore the church!


Aria in her pretty dress from Grandma Nebelsick.


Dan and I at the wedding.

Aria all tuckered out after a long day. My aunt Marie drove from Sioux falls to watch the kids during the ceremony. She braved the three of them in the camper!! They were tired.


Dan and the boys at the reception, already in pajamas! They didn't last long at the party and fell asleep on the way home.


A typical lazy summer morning at the Nebelsick house. They were all drinking their bottles.




Later in the day, David worked on developing his climbing skills.



Ahhh, finally made it!


Aria in a matching outfit with a delightful neighbor girl who helped us this summer. Taylor was great with the kids.



Ok! So, I made it through June! I have pictures loaded up for more installments of our summer and fall, but they are missing the witty (ha) narration from yours truly. I am laid up in bed with the flu, so hopefully they will be coming soon! We would appreciate your prayers for our health and Dan's sanity. He has taken over the entire household and is doing an awesome job. I get breakfast/lunch/dinner brought to me and anything else I need. He even carried the recliner and TV up to our room to make me comfortable. The only problem is when I leave the room and Dan sends me staight back in because we know if everyone gets what I have, our lives will be miserable. We want the baby to be safe and me to get better SOON! We have a wonderful family in Christ surrounding us and taking care of us also. Thank you to everyone!!!