Coming Home & Meeting Big Sister

We were released from the hospital around 6:00 on Sunday. My parents met us at the house with "Big Sister" Addison. Addison was real cute and kept pointing at McKenna saying "Baby". She also loved poking and patting on her little sister aka live baby doll.

I don't feel she really understands what is going on...yet. Right now Addison is receiving the same amount of attention she always has, just some of the roles have changed. Brian has stayed home with me all week long and has been super helpful in getting Addison ready for school, playing, feeding, etc. The real test will come when Brian goes back to work. My parents and Staci have also been a huge help.

I know it will be a love / hate relationship for awhile between Addison and McKenna. I also know that it will be hard at time to balance the two girls since they are in such different stages of life. My top goal is to make sure both girls are equally loved by Brian and I and I know we will make it happen.

McKenna Noelle Betzen - The Birth Story

McKenna Noelle Betzen

Born Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 8:57 am

7 Pounds, 4 Ounces

18.75 inches long

After the Christmas Eve service we came home and ate Chicken a la King, Happy Birthday Jesus cake and read the Christmas story. After we put Addison down, we started getting ready for bed. I have been sleeping in the upstairs guest bedroom every couple of nights so Brian and I can get decent rest (rolling over with my belly is quite the task). When I got in bed I heard Addison start crying, so I got up to go see what was going on and my water broke. I yelled downstairs to Brian that my water broke and he asked me if I was sure I did not just pee myself (love my husband). I told him I was sure, so he came up and helped me to the bathroom and got a panicked Addison from her crib. We called my parents to come get Addison, finished packing for the hospital and we were on our way to bring our precious daughter into this world.

I got checked into the hospital and around midnight my doctor came into talk to me about my options since I was not in active labor. We decided to hold off on the pitocin so I could get some rest, so I took two Ambien. They pretty much knocked me out until 5:00 when I started hurting. I got a shot of pain medicine. At 6:00 we decided to go ahead and start the epidural and pitocin. Everything was administered by 6:30 and I went back to sleep. Around 8:15am the nurse came in because McKenna's heart rate fell off the monitor, she had a hard time finding it and when she would it would fall off again. The head nurse came in and said they needed to internally check for her heart rate. When she checked me she said that I was ready to push! I had felt a little pressure, but being only 2 hours since the pitocin started I just thought I had a weaker epidural. The called the doctor in and two and a half pushes later McKenna Noelle entered into this world.

This labor and delivery was easier that Addison and I did not think that was possible! I am also so thankful that my doctor got to deliver McKenna.

Our hospital stay was short and sweet, we actually got released a day early. It was so nice being in the comfort of our own home.

My Ding Dang 40 Week Appointment

Let me start of by saying I am very thankful and feel blessed to have carried precious McKenna to her due date. I guess my frustration comes from the vast majority of my friends who delivered baby #2 1-3 weeks early, so I just had it in my mind I would already be holding my baby by now! This is just a perfect example of God being in control, not me. What I am most bummed about is the longer this baby is in my belly, the less likely it will be that I attend my brothers wedding.

My doctors appointment went great, McKenna's heart rate was 137 and I measured at 39cm. My blood pressure was 90/50 and progressed a little bit more. Physically I feel I can carry this baby for a few more weeks, it is all the other stuff that makes me want to have her NOW!

My next appointment is on Monday at 2:00, they will do a stress test on the baby and will discuss our options. I hoping I will not have to go to this appointment.

FYI-At Addison's 40 week appointment, I had a scheduled induction / c-section because I was not progressing at all (zero was my lucky number). I had Addison two days later. I know God has the perfect day set for McKenna's birth, I am just praying for patience and acceptance for whatever that date is.

My New Cleaning Lady

Having a toddler who is throwing food off the table when she is "all done" means a lot of sweeping and mopping for mommy. Addison is also in this cute mocking stage and wants to do everything that I do. Combine the two and you get a child who wants to help clean.

We had Christmas with the Kuhn's a few nights ago, and when Tania asked what she could get Addison I told her a mop and broom. Addison loves to sweep and mop, but the adult sized tools are a bit much for her to handle (they are only 3 times her size).

The Kuhn's got her this super fun cleaning cart complete with a mop, broom, vacuum (that works), dust pan, detergent and a spray bottle. She loves it! Please know that I am not breaking any child labor laws... turns out it is just a fun to sweep something into the dust pan as it is to take the dust pan and wave it around to put everything back on the floor.

Here's to creating some good cleaning habits!

Christmas with Family

With McKenna being due on Christmas Eve and all the busyness associated with that, our goal this Christmas season was to celebrate Christmas "early" with each of our families. We celebrated with Brian's family over the Thanksgiving and on Thursday night we celebrated with my family.. my dad, Vicki, Rachel, Shane, Ashton & Alex. Unfortunately John & Stephanie we not able to attend, they are busy in Waco finishing up the semester and getting ready for their wedding on December 31st. We initially had the dinner scheduled for December 11th, but we were all struck with the stomach plaque that week and had to postpone.

GG & Grandpa put up a fun, child friendly tree with shatterproof ornaments. Addison was in awe of the tree and kept gently touching the ornaments and said "pretty". Kind of makes me wish I put up a tree this year because she is a lot better with it than I thought she would be. Oh dwell, I will take advantage of the 50% off after Christmas sale and stock up on shatterproof ornaments for next year. The twins... Alex & Ashton or is it Ashton & Alex... I can never tell them apart unless I physically see them in person. I love their hats and outfits! Addison had fun opening gifts, she was blessed with a Violet doll (Brian loved it because it came with a USB cable and you can program it), a dancing & singing frog, doll, doll gear and much much more. GG gave the girls a voice recorded "The Very First Christmas" book, it is something the girls will treasure for years to come. GG personalized the book and Addison lights up every time the book says her name.

Here is Addison shaking with the frog...

Addison was also very interesting in the gifts Ashton & Alex got...

The fun really started when it came time to eat. Of course, the kids got to eat first. Here is everyone in the line-up getting their tummies full. It was great listening to all the different sound effects made to get the kids to open their mouth for food.

After the kids ate, then the adults sat down for a delicious meal of smoked ham, veggies, salad and potatoes. Dessert was yummy as well with apple pie and cup cakes. It was pure joy getting together with my family, next Christmas will be even more fun with all 4 Grandchildren, 12 months and up... they will be all over the place!

There once was a girl...

Addison's Grandmommy gave her a cd of about 50 nursery rhymes... there is one that describes our daughter perfectly...

There once was a girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good, she was really really good.

But when she was bad she was horrid.

I love Addison with all my heart. We are blessed to have a sweet, loving daughter 95% of the time. I will say the remaining 5% can take a toll on everyone's sanity. Granted the "horrid" behavior is usually justified by teething, being tired, hungry or unable to communicate, but it is a very, very difficult thing. It also does not help that she is LOUD (wonder where she gets that) and that we have hard wood and tile flooring that helps spread the sound throughout the house.

Photos With Santa

On Wednesday we went to the "Holiday Party" at Addison's school. We had fun hanging out with other parents and looking at all the artwork Addison completed over the last month. Santa was there, so we decided to take this opportunity to have the annual Santa photo. Since we did not get a good shot, I will give you the timeline of the 30 seconds she sat in his lap.

Checking Santa out... not too sure about him...

"Please hurry and take the picture and no I will not smile"

Getting distressed...Enough is ENOUGH!

Here is a picture of Addison with Santa from last year in Salado. I love the old fashioned look, too bad he was not in Salado this year. I am also amazed at how much Addison's hair has grown over the year.

39 Weeks....

Had my 39 week appointment today. The good news is that McKenna is doing great and my body is handling the final days of pregnancy very well. My blood pressure was 100/60, McKenna's heartbeat was strong at 136 and I measured 38cm. My body is progressing naturally, which also makes me happy. It still looks like we are going to have a Christmas baby, I know I could have her anytime but sometime next week is the most likely scenario. I really wanted to have her this week for personal reasons only. Physically this pregnancy has been a breeze and I could carry her for a few more weeks if necessary. Next week is Christmas and I really want to be home with Addison on Christmas day (still might be, but who knows) and the week after is my brother's wedding. Today I thought we can celebrate Jesus' birthday any day, she will not know the difference. The only big bummer is not being able to be at my brother's wedding. Not saying it wont happen, but the longer McKenna is in my belly the less likely it will be, especially with the wedding being in Salado. God is in control and has the perfect date set for McKenna's birth. I just have to be patient and not try to take things in my own control and sent an induction date, haha. I am starting to like the idea of McKenna being born the same day as our Savior! So stay tuned... my 40 week appointment is set for the 23rd.

Toddler Full Body Kickball

Addison loves playing outside, one of her favorite games is kickball... She is fully capable of kicking the ball herself, but what is even more fun is full body kickball!

Here she is going in for the kick...

and the BAMMM... she kicks the ball to Mommy. She laughs the entire time! Just another fun day at the Betzen house!

And in case you were wondering... Balls are not easy to climb on...

And they do not make good chairs...

Addison is ready!

Well, to push her little sister around in a stroller that is.... Addison loves pushing things lately. McKenna's big sister gift to Addison is a toy stroller she can push her babies and stuffed animals in. Addison has been so obsessed with babies as well. I think the teachers at her school, Sunday school class, MOPS group, friends, family and of course Brian and I are working on teaching her "gentle touch" and "love the baby". It is really cute and she is really a lot more gentle. The true test will come in a few weeks with little sister arrives! I think Addison is going to be a sweet Big Sister!

Deep Conversations & Sock Wars

Can someone please translate what she is trying to say? We have the same conversation many times a day, sometimes she even points the finger at us!

FYI... Brian is the one throwing socks at her, another bad habit we will have to break at a later date.

3rd Annual Salado Stroll

On Saturday, we went with Tania, Kimball and Barbi to the Salado Stroll. This is the third year we have all gone and it is a fun tradition.

First stop is eating at the Stagecoach Inn. If you have never been, I highly recommend it. The food is great and the waitresses are unique. They recite the menu by memory and only say it once. It is a good thing the menu never changes and since we have done this for several years, we already know what we are going to eat. I will say this year we had the nicest waitress to date.

Here are Tania and Addison inside the restaurant, please note the delightful wall paper and matching curtains...

After we eat, we go strolling down main street, visiting all the shops. I love all the lights and decorations...

They have a lot of street food vendors and musicians...

Addison tried to get a random street musician to read her some books...

We took our first horse drawn carriage down main street. Brian was very concerned about smelling horse butt, so we sat in the back. Turns out the carriage is powered by a generator, and the fumes from that overpowered the horse smell, haha. The carriage ride was a lot of fun. Tania, Kimball, Maya and Barbi on the carriage ride...

Addison was exhausted but had so much fun! We look forward to next year when McKenna can join us!

Domain Christmas Tree Lighting

The Domain is one of my favorite places to be... I love the food, atmosphere, shops (even though it feels like forever since I have worn normal sized clothes) and Staci (my SIL) lives there. This year we decided to attend the annual Christmas tree lighting. Brian, Addison and I got there early so we could get a good parking spot. We hung out with Staci and walked around. Addison had a lot of fun riding on Brian's shoulders, she had the best view! When the time was near, we got a close spot near the tree and stayed there for over an hour waiting! The place was PACKED! They had a fun concert before the tree lighting and fireworks afterwards. Overall it was a good show. Addison enjoyed the fireworks as well.

I am really glad we went! Next year we plan on watching the fireworks from Staci's apartment.

38 Week Doctors Appointment

Today was my 38 week doctors appointment, it was a little bit different than normal but I will get into later. McKenna is doing great, her heart rate was 137 and my belly measured right at 37cm. I showed a little more progress, but nothing too exciting. Maybe we will have a baby next week, but who knows. Addison had a stomach virus on Monday and I got it last night. I will spare the details but will say it was the sickest I have ever felt. I was really worried about McKenna because movements were down (she is awake more during the day). So today at my appointment I told Dr. Solomon everything that had been going on. He decided to give me two liters of fluids and anti-nausea medication via an iv. I am starting to feel better, but now Brian is feeling sick. My parents are watching Addison tonight so we can rest. The good news is that McKenna is ok, everything else in manageable. Turns out the body is pretty amazing and will make sure the baby has everything she needs and I get the left overs, haha.

Pops Doing Addison's Hair

Pretty cute... It was really sweet when I walked out of my room and saw Pops doing her hair. Out of respect I will not mention how long the pig tails lasted, haha.

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving this year was divided into two days. On Thanksgiving Day, we went over to my parents house for some family food, fun and fellowship. It was great having the entire family together! The traditional Thanksgiving meal was served and it was super yummy! We also celebrated my parents 10th wedding anniversary! Her is a picture of the proud grandparents with all their grandchildren! Brian's parents drove in from Hereford on Thursday, so Friday we had our family Thanksgiving meal. The most exiting thing about the meal was Brian smoked his first turkey and it tasted great! Here is Brian "preparing" the turkey... The finished product... During the rest of visit with Pops & Grandmommy, we celebrated Christmas, went to Inner Space Caverns and went to dinner at Pappadeaux with my parents. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving and I know Addison had a lot of fun spending time with both sides of our families. We cherish everytime we can all get together.

Christmas Decorations

One of my favorite things about our new house is the mantel! I think I am more of a simple person when it comes to decorating and although I love "things" I don't have much displayed around the house. I knew the mantel would be a fun way to display my style! Tania, my best friend / decorator for fun decorated the mantel for my birthday. I love what she did. I don't really have a decorating bone in my body, so when it came time to decorate for Christmas, I went to Tania for some guidelines. She said do blue, green, gold and silver theme. So over Thanksgiving Staci and I went to Hobby Lobby and Target and I think we did a really good job! I will say I was a bit overwhelmed at Hobby Lobby until we figured out the direction we wanted to go. It was nice taking advantage of their 40% off sale! We also made the wreath! All the wreaths we found were too traditional, so we bought a "undressed" wreath and decorated it with green, silver, blue and gold glitter ornaments and lights! It was fun doing this project with Staci. McKenna's stocking came in as well, which made the mantel complete! We wrapped the staircase in garland and put gold and silver accents throughout. It looks so wonderful!

We decided not to put up Christmas tree this year because all of our ornaments are sentimental. I could do a tree with the shatterproof ornaments, but we decided not to mess with it. We do have a small 12" tree in our kitchen that will just have to do. We did put a few festive items in the game room and did a centerpiece in the dining room as well.

That makes our decorations complete! Simple, but festive!

Giddy Up... Giddy Up... Lets GO!

About 32 years ago my Grandmother (Memother) gave me a rocking horse and was passed down to my brother & cousins... below is a picture of me riding on it.

My Aunt brought the rocking horse on Thanksgiving and Addison loved it! So much fun! Then Cousin Alex wanted to join in on the fun... I love Addison's "Excuse Me, Back up off my horse" face... yes, we are working on sharing. The rocking horse is currently undergoing minor repairs and will be delivered to our game room soon. I love the fact that the twins, McKenna and John's future kids will all get to play on a toy my family all enjoyed many, many years ago.