the movie party.

For Noah's 7th birthday party, we decided to go with a movie theme. It was fun! Seven CRAZY boys, however, was pretty interesting, but it was fun! Adam brought the projector home from work and the boys {and one poor girl} watched Toy Story 3 on the wall in the front room. A friend has a popcorn maker, so we took full advantage of having a concession stand in our kitchen. We ate hot dogs, nachos, freshly popped popcorn, and plenty of movie candy. Goodness, the free range candy bar was not a good idea!

The boys didn't care much, but my favorite part was the red carpet they walked on as they were walking into our house. None of them really caught on. Oh well. I liked it anyway. The "popcorn" cupcakes were pretty great, too!

It was fun, but will I have another party with a bunch of little boys? I don't know. Maybe not! ;-)

3 months

Has it really been 3 months?? Avila is seriously the best baby. Seriously. She smiles all of the time. Unlike Macie who had a permanent scowl on her face! She likes to be held, but lets me put her down a lot of the time to get things done, or to tend to the many spills and messes of her older siblings! She has giggled quite a few times and loves when Macie blows in her belly. She loves being up in the middle of everything and seeing what is going on. She is very curious already. I really can't get over how good she is! Poor girl has been sick for a while though. She's had this horrible cough and stuffy nose. She's had her first round of antibiotics and is slowly recovering. She currently weighs around 15 pounds, which is still smaller than her siblings, but she's still bigger than most! We can't get enough of this girl!

seven.

Seven years ago, Noah came into this world. Seven years ago, Adam and I became parents for the first time. Seven years ago, the world saw what cute kids we could have. Seven years ago, seems like so long ago. Seven years ago, seems like it just happened. 

I cannot believe Noah is SEVEN. Happy Birthday, little man! We love you oh so very much. Noah is such a good kid. He is the sweetest boy I have ever met. His teacher agrees. He is always concerned about other people and is very sensitive to others feelings. He is the best big brother and best friend. We love Noah so much and am so glad he's part of our family! 

Here's to another great year, Noah Balboa!

Just because

She's cute.

2 months.

Avila is 2 months old. {and was a week ago, but I'm a little slow these days!} I say this with every child, but I can't believe it's already been 2 months, but it seems like she's been here for so long! We have had our fair share of issues, mostly with nursing, so it makes it seem longer! She is really such a good baby. She still sleeps a lot, which I am grateful for! But, she doesn't always sleep on her own. If I hold her she's asleep a good amount of time, but I can't hold her all of the time! I do carry her around in the baby bjorn or sling quite a bit, so I can get some things done. She rarely cries {sadly, usually only when Adam is holding her! He can't nurse her! ;-)}. She absolutely loves to take baths and grins the whole time. She is very very very smiley. She smiled early and hasn't stopped. 

She went in to the doctor for her 2 month check up on the 7th. I was thinking she was big. The doctor weighed her. She was 12 pounds 15 ounces, and I thought that was big. He told me she was above the 90th percentile for weight. She was 24 inches long, too. But, then I went home and looked back at Jacob's weight at 2 months. Any guesses?? SIXTEEN POUNDS FOURTEEN OUNCES!!! And if you can't believe that one, Macie was a whopping EIGHTEEN pounds at 2 months! Macie was FIVE pounds bigger than little Avila! I seriously could not believe it. I haven't been able to get to the box with Noah's baby book to see how big he was, I know he was more like Avila, though. The other two were just giant babies!

I love this baby Avila. She makes me happy. I'm so glad she's here.

{I couldn't find the picture of Noah again, and this collage was made on our other computer, so we don't have the original anymore to add Avila to it. Noah was such an old school baby and his pictures were on FILM and we had to  SCAN it into the computer. Crazy.}

trick-or-treat

We had lots of Halloween festivities this year. The kids got to wear the costumes multiple times. But, when Halloween finally came around we were missing costume pieces! We finally found everything and it was time to go Trick-or-Treating. Jacob did not want to go. He went, but whined the whole time! Macie started in on it too. They both complained that their bags were too heavy. What child complains about too much candy?  They got quite a bit, and did have fun afterall.

smile.

We have smiles!

From day one, Avila has always looked like she was smiling with her eyes. She has this happy look and we love it! She has now started smiling at everyone. The kids love it, I love it, she loves it...it's good.

happy halloween

So, last year I lied. I had blogged that we would be dressed up as The Addam's Family. We're not. At that time I didn't know I would have a seven week old newborn. Or have mastitis and thrush issues. Or have a wedding to travel to. Things just happened...and the costumes just didn't. Sorry to disappoint! Maybe next year! ;-) 

BUT...my kids do look cute anyway! Of course they would, really. They are my kids. Would you expect anything less? Haha. 

Noah wanted to go as a Ninja. Macie originally wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake. But, then someone else said they were going to be Strawberry Shortcake. That didn't work for her. So, she decided to be a Superhero Heart Princess Ballerina...complete with crown, mask, cape and tutu! Jacob was Peter Pan. He makes a perfect Peter Pan. And, little Avila, she's a strawberry. What else? Her name is Avila and she was born on the Central Coast...where the best, biggest, juiciest strawberries are grown. She is getting plumper everyday...it was perfect. {and I already had the costume...i bought it on mega clearance before I was even pregnant with JACOB!}And, Adam and I? Yeah we were boring this year. No dressing up. I guess we do have a few hours before the trick-or-treating. Who am I kidding? We don't have time to come up with a costume!

Halloween is quite the holiday in our house. The kids dress up everyday anyway, but Halloween is even better. My kids love anything Halloween. They love the stores where everything is scary. They are weird, I know, but they love it. I never really decorated for holidays. But, now that they are getting older and so much more into the holidays, we have to. They begged me to do it! And, it makes everything that much more fun! 

Happy Halloween! Are you trick-or-treating tonight?

Superman.

Following in his brother's footsteps, Jacob is always in character. And you better be sure you call him by the right name that fits the character, just to avoid drama! Tonight he was Superman.

When we got back from Erin's wedding on Saturday, we thought it was perfect timing to get Jake to sleep in his own bed...and not ours. And, now we have an extra bed. My mom had found a Toy Story comforter on sale and brought it to him. He was overjoyed to have a Woody and Buzz bed. And to our surprise, he went right to sleep, along with Noah. That in itself is amazing, he's usually a little night owl, and stays up way too late. For four nights he was perfect. Tonight was more difficult.

He had taken a little nap a little too late. After putting him to bed several times, Adam went to check on him, and found our little Superman asleep on the stairs.

Contrary to what he thought, superheros do get tired.

one month

I can't believe it has already been an entire month since Avila joined our family. She really just belongs here with us! 

She really is a good baby. We've had our share of problems with nursing, but it will get better. She's gaining weight like a champ and is already well past 9 pounds. She even has had a few nights where she has slept FOUR whole hours in a row! 

Her brothers and sister adore her. Noah only likes to hold her when she's awake, though. He kind of thinks babies are boring. I had to explain to him that things will get better! Jacob is always kissing her. Macie is her second momma. She always wants to hold her and help her...although, sometimes she wants to help too much. She wants to be able to tote her around like she does her dolls. But, that will be a while, I'm sure.

We love our little Avila girl. She is changing everyday. We're still trying to decide who she looks like. I think Macie, others think Jacob. Who do you think??

the first coo.

Avila cooed for the first time this morning. She had just had her bath, and pretty happy about it. She looked up at me, smiled, and cooed. It was short, and just once. But, it was the sweetest thing. It's moments like that, that reassure me that being a mother was the best thing I have ever done! It's tough sometimes, but then those little moments make everything so well worth it.

the name.

We had the hardest time naming our fourth child. I had my names. Adam had his names. And, neither one of us liked the other persons names. We even bought a baby name book. I looked at every name in the book and made a list. Adam did the same thing, and even out of like 20,000 names, we had no matches! It was a little ridiculous. 

We like the idea of family names, but couldn't agree on any. We like different names, but not like spelling different, or add a 'y' different, but names that aren't as common. It was getting tough. And then we went to the rodeo. I know, we aren't rodeo people. We were shocked, too! I would never actually pay to go, but free tickets? Sure, we'll go! ;-) The program book was full of advertisements. As I was looking through it I saw an ad for Avila Beach. The one next to it was for some Christensen place around here. And I liked it. Avila Christensen. I ran it by Adam, and he liked it too.. We just knew that was the name! 

For those who don't live here, we live close to Avila Beach. It's the best beach around, and we love going there. And we especially love going to Avila Valley Barn. And to clarify, it is a short a sound, short i sound. There is something about Avila that we have always loved. And, since we move around a lot and are never sure where we'll be going next, we will always have something to "take" with us from this area.

 It may be a different. non traditional name, but we love it.

blessing day.

Avila was blessed yesterday. It was a beautiful blessing. And I actually heard it this time. {Unlike Jacob's blessing.} And, little Avila looked pretty darn adorable! She was so good, and didn't make a peep. The words which were said in the blessing were amazing. I'm very grateful for a husband who holds the Priesthood, and who is able to follow the direction on the Spirit. Adam is a great daddy.

 

But, let me tell you the story of the dress. The dreaded dress. I had a dress in my head for months. I dreamed about this dress. So, in June, I made this dress. It didn't turn out quite like I had envisioned. I'm no seamstress, and I messed up. I found a tutorial online for another one. So, I made it. I didn't like it either. In Adam's words, it was like a "Mexican Fiesta dress". I decided to try one more time and make another one. Yes, three dresses for the same occasion. 

What I didn't plan on, however, was getting Mastitis. {which, is another post in itself!} I was so sick. I was tired. I didn't want to do anything, and so the poor dress got put off. And then Saturday came. I went to the fabric store, got the fabric for the third dress, and thought it would be fine. I knew I wanted to make it like the first dress I made, and it was an easy dress, I had this. Until I cut it wrong, and messed up. I went to the fabric store again for more fabric. I came home, was confident about it, and sewed the dress. When I was about done, I looked at it, and it didn't look quite right. It was now like 11 PM, and I was already tired, and still sick from the Mastitis. I had messed up yet again. I was so frustrated. And, of course, it was too late to do anything about it! I was so upset. So, the first dress I made started to look better to me! Carol fixed the hem, and it I added a gray tulle layer to the bottom layer, and it was perfect. It was just what I wanted it to look like...almost. But, it was fine! And then finally, we were able to go to bed. If I would have just been content with the first one I made I could have saved so much time and money. Oh well. You live and learn, right??

student of the month

Have I mentioned that Macie loves Kindergarten? She loves everything about it. She loves her friends, her homework, her backpack, and especially her teacher. On her birthday, she received the Student of the Month award. The principal came to her classroom to present the award to her because of her hard work and enthusiasm. She was the first one of the year. She didn't really know what was going on, but I am very proud of her. She is working really hard and learning so much already! Way to go, Macie!

Macie turns five.

Macie has been so excited for her birthday. Her birthday party plans change every day. She makes "lists" of what needs to get done, and what she wants. It's quite humorous. But, since the baby was born so close to her birthday, and since last years party was so intense, we decided to do it low key this year. {This coming week, she is having a little surprise birthday party with only five of her friends. We're just going to do simple ice cream and cake, it'll be short and sweet, and we'll call it good!} Since it was a school day, I decided to make cake pops for her class. Sometimes I should just be smacked and told that I'm crazy, because I think I am! Why would making 30 cake pops a week after giving birth be a good idea? I made the pops, but then ran out of the candy coating at 10 PM. Stores with the stuff didn't open until 9, and I had to have them at her class for recess at 10. I did it. We got there, I nursed while I was doing it...it was interesting, but it was worth it.

We did celebrate her birthday on her birthday with a little Kai Lan party, as per her request. My mom gave her some lanterns for her to cut out and hang up, and we hung up other lanterns on the ceiling, had orange chicken and dumplings for dinner, opened presents and finished off with a pink cake with sprinkles. She loved it. And, she got everything on her list! 

I can't believe she is already five. I remember when she was Avila's size so well. And now she's such a grown up girl with a mind of her own. She is very mature for her age {sometimes that goes to our advantage, but most of the time not!}, she's very confident, and just a good girl! Here's to another good year, Macie! Have fun being FIVE!

one week.

{technically she was one week on the 14th, but we're still adjusting to this new life of ours!}

How crazy is it that Adam and I are parents of FOUR children? They are the four best children, however...and the cutest, too.;-) It was a crazy first week with a newborn at home again. We came home from the hospital on the 8th. After being in there for so long, it was time to leave and get some fresh air and just be out of the hospital! Since we were discharged when Avila was 24 hours old, they had us make an appointment with her regular pediatrician the following day. She was born at the hospital in San Luis Obispo, so our doctor didn't see her in the hospital. When we took her into her appointment, she was already back to her birth weight! She really only lost a few ounces in the hospital anyway.

Avila is a pretty good baby, really. She rarely cries and only does to eat. She's a nursing champ. She eats about every 2-3 hours. At night, however, she has a marathon nursing session. At about 9 she will nurse. And then burp. And then nurse. And then burp. And then nurse. It usually lasts until around midnight! I watch all of her signs...she grunts, sucks on her hands, and opens her mouth searching for her food! So, I just nurse her. She doesn't spit up, either, so she's just hungry! Something has to fill up that big belly of hers! After that she'll sleep until around 3, and then after the feeding, the burping, and the changing, it's about 4. And then around 6 she'll wake up again to nurse. But, then my alarm goes off at 6:40 to get Noah and Macie up and ready for school. So about 5 hours of sleep. Seriously, it's awful. I'm slowly adjusting. Luckily, Jacob will watch a movie while I take a little nap in the morning. With everything to do around the house, the messes to clean up, and the other three to take care of, I'm pretty exhausted at the end of the day, but the day doesn't end until midnight! We've had a lot of help so far, but I'm sure we'll be able to do it! And on our own.

five

Five years ago we welcomed our first daughter into the world, and we were smitten. We loved her so much. Now five years later, we are still smitten by her, and love her even more!

Happy Birthday, Macie!

Avila Maren

I promise to get more pictures up of this girl! She really is perfect. We love her so much already. She is a pretty good baby. And the kids love her. Jacob especially...thank goodness. She is perfectly round, and an eating champ! She is back up to, and probably has exceeded her birthweight already, and she's only 3 days old! We are so blessed to have her a part of our family!

day three.

And so midnight came and went, now it was the 7th. I was so frustrated. My contractions were getting more and more intense. I was about ready to ask for the epidural. Seriously, I was sure this was it! And then all of the sudden, the pain stopped. The contractions didn't. But they weren't near as intense. I had the nurse check me again...nothing. I really didn't know what to think or to do. I was in tears. Seriously, how could I labor this long and not have a baby. No one really knew why nothing would work. They just kept saying, "We are doing something unnatural for the body." Yeah, did they realize I was already overdue, and having contractions...it wasn't unnatural, it was unnatural to have a baby inside forever! So, after I had my little tantrum, I fell asleep.

When I woke up to have the nurse check me, I was FINALLY a 2. Yes, only a 2, but hey, it was something. But, since the contractions were regular, they didn't start me on pitocin right a way. And then...finally...the pain started coming with the contractions. And it didn't stop. It got worse. I was so happy. I haven't ever been so excited to feel pain as I was that morning. I almost got giddy everytime I would grip the side of the bed! Sick, I know...but hey, after that long in a hospital gown with no baby, I was ready. Very, very ready. 

The pain was getting so bad, that I was ready for an epidural. I was only a two, but it was time. There was a c-section scheduled at 7:30, but the way nice anesthesiologist squeezed me in before. It went in smoothly, it was perfect. And then the pain went away, and I was perfect. Finally, things were happening. I was checked at around noon. AND I WAS A SIX! A SIX! I was so excited. Finally, my body decided to do something. So, we waited for my water to break. The doctors, midwives, and nurses were sure that my water would have to break. I had a lot of it, and it needed to go somewhere. Nothing. The nurse came back about an hour later and I was a nine. But, my water still hadn't broken. The midwife got there and checked me. I was fully dilated and ready, but that dang water still was intact, and her head still hadn't dropped. 

It was finally time, and I was still waiting. It was very frustrating. The decided to poke a small hole in the bag of water to slowly break it and let the baby's head drop. The water broke, but her head still wasn't coming down. I started pushing. But then things took an unexpected turn. As her head dropped, so did her heartrate. The midwife very firmly told me, "You HAVE to push, she has to come out now." I looked over at the monitor, and the numbers that had just been reading 156 was now in the low 60s. I panicked. Every one did. There were nurses rushing around calling to get the doctor in with the vacuum to get her out. So I just started pushing. And pushing with all I had, and seconds later she was out! 

She just lay there for a few seconds, "stunned" is how they described. Apparently the umbilical cord was around her neck, preventing her from dropping like normal, and then when she finally did, the cord tightened, causing the sudden heartrate drop. But, she finally started whimpering, and it was the best noise I had ever heard! My baby girl was finally here. And she was perfect. Her head was perfectly round. I overhead the nurses say she looked like a c-section baby because of her perfectly round head that never really was in the birth canal. 

And finally, our family of five became a family of six!

day two.

I woke up the next morning, after having more painful contractions 3-4 more minutes apart all night long. I was hopeful. I was checked. Barely a one. I was devastated. So, I was started on pitocin. But since my contractions were already regular and pretty close together, I had to have a very low dose. All day long I was on pitocin. Just sitting in the hospital room with my kids at home, worrying about everything from unfolded laundry to where I was going to send my kids. At the end of the day, around 6, they checked me again. I had to have dilated more, it was impossible not to after having so many contractions. However, nothing. No change. So, it was decided that since I was already a week and two days over due, and since I was already having painful contractions, they would do another cervidil. To see if that made any difference. At this point, Adam would not be sharing a birthday with his daughter!