Reigning for a month....

Happy One Month Birthday to our sweet little boy! This my friends is Kingston in comparison to a bread box (you have all heard the saying, "is it smaller than a breadbox"). In this case, Kingston is about the same size.

Some things we love about you at one month old:

- you love to snuggle!

-bath time is a joyful occasion. You are so happy and relaxed and love to have warm water poured on your body

-how sometimes your hair looks red in the right light

-that you love to be swaddled and that this may be the key to getting you to sleep through the night

-you are so patient when you want to eat. You coax and will give one good yell to let us know it's time

- mommy and daddy finally figured out that aggressively pointing "it" down means we don't have to change your outfit three times in one day

-any contrast in light (the TV, the shutters, the fan) encourage you to make the "oooooo" face that is so darling

You have found your chuckle when you are sleeping, love to be touched and held and have already made life so much more interesting. Your sister is coming around to how lovely you are and everyone that meets you falls in love with you. We are surely smitten and can't wait to see how your personality develops over the next few months. All hail the King.

This has got to be the Good Life

Having two kids is significantly more difficult that I had previously imagined. I didn't expect it to be all together "easy" but this week was a trial by fire for sure. This whole week was me planning how I was going to make it out of the house by 8:15 AM on Friday for Kingston's appointment? It was accomplished- barely. We woke up that morning to Mckinley's usual routine of not wanting to get dressed, Cory had found and demolished a used pad from the garbage, I packed the diaper bag the night before and forgot wipes and we couldn't find the Sleeping Beauty doll that has to be in Mc's purse for her to leave the house. I had mascara on, a bra and my hair was combed so I chalk that one up to success.

Kingston almost weighs 9 lbs. and was in the 73%ile for height. It is already apparent that he has a little different temperament than his sister. We don't have to use the wipe warmer to get through a bum change, he loves his bath but on the downside, where Mc liked to roll solo for tummy time or to sit in her bouncer, he LOVES to be held. He likes his car seat as long as it's moving and has the sweetest smile.


Mckinley is still NOT adjusting. The saddest part is that anyone that comes to visit and spends even a moment focusing on her, is automatically someone who should be taking her home- away from this awful place! She hit the baby this week, broke all the eggs while relocating them in the fridge and peed on her bedroom floor. She has had fleeting moments where she will ask to give the baby a kiss or to help feed him but she loses interest quickly. She still has her shining moments where she wants to snuggle, says, "I wuv you" and is tantrum free and these are the moments that make it almost possible to make it through the week without losing it :)



Out of sheer independence- this is how her flip flops usually end up on her feet.


And the Mr. I love that Kingston's arms are crossed in the picture. My two boys.

The "King" has entered the building

The Birth- Arrived at the hospital @ 9:00. Induced 11:00. Epidural by 11:30. Three pushes. Our son arrived @ 4:21 pm weighing 8 lbs. 4 ozs. 20 inches long. Crying. Bright eyed and Perfect.

The Name- Kingston Grant Williamson. We had always liked Kingston and had Mc been a boy, it would have been her name. We knew Grant would be the middle name after Mark's dad. We have been asked quite a few times what we will call him for short. For now, we are sticking to "Little Man" and will go from there. It suits him and it is darling to hear Mc say it.

The Difference- Having a baby in Utah has been so different than when Mc was born. For one, Kingston was definitely not the only baby born the day he arrived (unlike Mc). We are surrounded by family and have so many people anxious to come and meet our little boy. We are truly blessed with so many supportive friends and family (both here and AZ) and have been overwhelmed by everyone's willingness to help with Mc, bring in dinners and daily check ins.

The "Queen" is dethroned- The most typical question lately, "how is Mckinley doing with her little brother?" We had poop smeared in the closet on Saturday, a monumental tantrum about putting on her pajamas for the past few nights and when we went to get pictures yesterday, she wanted nothing to do with him. She does ask every morning, "where is my baby brother" and I think the real reason she is asking is to make sure that he didn't magically disappear in the night. She says he is "so cute" and gently touches his head occasionally but overall, she is still in denial.

The mom- being a mother of two has been a trip thus far. My life is now run in shifts and I feel that sometimes, Mc's schedule for eating, sleeping, playing is a little disrupted/forgotten by me trying to figure out the baby's schedule. Recovery has been a little more painful than I remember with Mc and I feel way more tired but I also, am just enjoying the baby rather than the logistics that come along with a newborn.

The dad- Mark is truly the best teammate in raising children. He never complains about changing a poopy bum, getting Mc dressed, waking up in the night and rarely takes time for himself. He lets me sleep, take an extra long shower and just patiently does his parental duties. As I type, he is crashed out on the couch even though he wanted to be out working on his motorcycle.

THE STAR- What a perfect little bundle. He is an excellent eater- already up to 3 ozs. Loves to be awake from 3-4 am. And has the most beautiful dark eyes. This little man has already brought so much joy to our home.

We are truly blessed and can't wait to see the joys and challenges that await in raising two children!

Chill-axin'

It really does suck

Each day as I get closer to having a newborn, I remember some of things that as a new mom with Mc, I was terrified to do.


1) the first fingernail trim- you all remember. Those little, pale, over the tip, nails that have been growing for nine long months and undoubtedly will leave a huge scratch somewhere



2) The first bath- are they too cold? too wet? what do I do if they poop in the tub (and she did)?



3) The booger sucker...using the bulb syringe to rid your child up the built up gunk in their teensie nostrils



NEVER FEAR...problem number threee has been solved! A product that's tag line is "looks weird, works wonderfully" is definitely a product for me! For $14.95, I can now SUCK (literally) the minuscule bowgies from your sweet child's nose.

Really- I pity the man that had to test this contraption prior to putting it on the market. A clean nostril is a happy nostril but this is insane.

We are down to 11 days before my due date. I had my last appointment on Friday. I am almost dilated to a 2 and still 25% effaced. What that means is I have not changed in a week. I am a little worried that I will go over with this one too (6 days with Mc) but as I have mentioned, we still have plenty to do before he gets here.

Still unsure of the name. Mc has decided that she wants to be carried everywhere. I ate 3 creamies in a row yesterday. Time. for. a. baby.

Would you care to know?

JOYS :
1-The love of my life. Mr Williamson. He emits patience, manliness and I am so glad to have him
2-Seeing Mc so excited about new things- the way her eyes lit up when she first saw a rainbow tonight ("Mckinley's rainbow")
3-Our baby boy. Nothing is more fun than thinking of what he will look like (4 more weeks people!!!)

FEARS:
1-Waking up one day and feeling like I haven't accomplished what I want to
2-Dying in the shower- weird,I know.
3-Scary movies. I just don't get why you would pay money to have nightmares. Not my cup of tea.

GOALS:
1-To be a better, more patient and playful mom
2-Learn to sew.
3-To own either a MASSIVE music selection or a salt water fish tank (the big expensive ones with fish that cost more than a small car)

OBSESSIONS:
1- A good deal. Whether that be at a yard sale, on KSL or a coupon it lures me in.
2-Office Supplies- pens, markers, post its, notebooks.
3- Cardigans. Gray cardigans, yellow cardigans, I am no respecter. I think I have a real problem when summer comes.

RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME:
1- I have a fake tooth that I can remove. SHOCKING!
2-I was once on an episode of "Touched by an Angel". That is my epitome of fame. I sacrificed my UEA to catch a glimpse of Roma Downey and the ever ornery Della Reese.
3- I own every season of the Golden Girls on DVD (a yard sale find) "thank you for being a friend"

And for making it through those facts that may or may not help you sleep easier, me @ 36 weeks. FYI, at this point I was still taking pictures of my belly au natural- for your sake, it will remain covered now, and forever. I had my Dr's appointment today and I am 25% effaced and a "fingertip" dilated. This is huge considering neither of these things happened with Mc until I was in the hospital for 24 hours. I feel big, and tired and am starting to swell (yep, blame ALL the roundness of my face on the pregnancy!). Still plenty to be done before he gets here but I also want to sit back and enjoy it.

Sandy Eggo and the Happs

I didn't want to rush to post something because you could miss Mark's guest post about his recent proposition at the 7-11. If you missed it, worth the read. Anyway...it has almost been three weeks since we took our little getaway. It was awesome! The weather was wonderful, the food divine and the time with just Mark and I was much needed. We filled everyday with plenty to do and as a 9 month pregnant lady, I was grateful to come back to the hotel to get a nap. We did get to stay in a hotel with a celebrity- Brian Setzer (from the one and only Brian Setzer Orchestra). He may be "B" list but, we rode in the elevator with him and exchanged niceties. We also had our usual luck of being sandwiched in between TWO bachelorette parties on Friday night- we are ALWAYS those people.

Mark and I quite enjoy asking the locals about where to eat-they know what is good and cheap. We scored pretty much every night for dinner (had my first sampling of Lobster mashed potatoes).We also found a tasty little breakfast place called Brian's that we hit twice it was so good.

We saw the San Diego Temple (never mind how large I am in the picture) and chatted with the sister missionaries, the aquarium (they had this sweet room that was right off the ocean like they had build around it), two contemporary art museums (both weird and filled with crap that may or may not be construed as art depending on who you ask), La Jolla Cove (watched the lazy sea lions), saw an excellent play called "Mix Tape" (about the 80's in all it's glory), shopped, slept, toured old Town San Diego, the Mormon Battalion museum (another picture where my grandeur in status is hard not to notice) and just relaxed.

It was interesting being pregnant and walking around. I didn't see many other women in my "condition" and it seemed to be a good conversation starter at most places. I was given free candy pretty much everywhere and let me just tell you about how awkward it was walking around the Gas Lamp Quarter on Cinco De Mayo- my guess, lots of people assumed I was drinking for two.

We were happy to come home. We missed Mc a lot. I think she enjoyed spending time @ Mimi and Grandma Mary Ann's (thanks a million) but she was ready to go home when we got there. She talked non-stop in the car on the way home, telling us about her adventures and fun times while we were gone.

35 weeks pregnant! Can you believe that?!?! I started my two week appointments this week and will have my first exam next week. We did the hospital tour this week too. I can already tell it is going to be a WAY different experience delivering a baby in Utah. We are excited for him to come but still have SO much to do. I am just getting anxious to see his little face and can't wait to snuggle him.