Grayson!

Okay lets just be honest here....
#1- I think I enjoy buying props and little hats for pictures just a tad too much... I just can't resist myself! When I find a killer deal on these things I can't pass them up!
#2- I think I need another faux floor and backdrop so that all of my pictures stop looking the same!

I have been having so much fun taking pictures of the kids. Minus Asher since he wont let me take any of him unless they are candid. I think newborn/infant/toddler pictures are so cute. I only wish Grayson would let me capture a smile here or there. Anytime I put a camera in his face he stops smiling and when I take it away he starts up again.   I need Paul to be there behind me making goofy faces and noises so I can capture that sweet smile of his! I can't get over how big and chunky this cute boy is!!!!

Model Morgan

Photography for the past few years has been something I have really enjoyed playing around with. For my birthday this year my parents bought me this faux floor, I treated myself to a backdrop and Paul built be a backdrop stand. I wanted to be able to take cute pictures of my kids in a studio like setting, and also be able to take pictures of my etsy items so that they look way better and more professional up on the site. Here are some pictures of Morgan modeling the headbands I make. I can not believe how big she is getting and how absolutely beautiful she is. I know I am her mom and am biased to thinking so, but I really do think this girl has beauty to her. Inside and out. It has been so fun to be able to use her as my model and to see her get all excited for me to take her pictures. She loves to get  dressed up in her rompers, but on the "baby headbands" and pick the poses she wants to do.

While writing this Morgan says "Mom that picture right there with me sitting is SOO cute"

Asher was being so funny and wanted to be in the pictures but tends to get a little camera shy. I still for some reason though it was adorable of the two of them.

The one of Asher kissing Morgan on the cheek has got to be one of my favorites! It is so sweet and melts my heart. These two kids are the best of friends!

Surprise! I have a name

I know you all have been wondering why I haven't mentioned the baby's name in any of the previous posts, but that is because up until one week after he was born he was known as baby. Paul and I were quite the procrastinators and didn't come up with a name before he was born, nor did we have any ideas really. All of the ones I seemed to like he didn't and vice versa. The names Paul had mentioned that he liked before hand were Dylan, Mason, and Connor. I decided that I liked the name Ryker Tanner. A friend told me that Ryker means Richard in dutch which just seems so appropriate since my Dad and Brandon's names are Richard and the R in Tanners name stood for that. I thought it would be a cool way to honor their names without having to actually use the name Richard. Anywho, neither of us agreed on any of those 4 names. So baby boy was born and I was really hoping to have a name picked out by the time we left the hospital. Well to be honest I don't think we really even discussed it while we were there. When we got home Paul was working really really long hours that week and so we literally  had about 15 min to discuss names that we had though of throughout the day. Sad thing is Paul was too busy working to think of any and I was too busy taking care of 3 little ones to be able to sit down on the computer to look any up. Finally one night Paul suggested the name Blaine. I wasn't opposed to it, but it wasn't my favorite. For a few days I thought that maybe that is what his name would be. I was hoping for the name Grayson since I thought it was a cute and unique name but Paul wasn't in favor. So Long story short if the hospital would have called on Monday to ask what we were going to name him this little boys name would have been BLAINE CONNOR HOLGATE.... However Monday I found some time to look up names and came across the name Sterling and Paul said he liked that one for a middle name so we were pretty convinced it was going to be Blaine Sterling. Well that night around 11pm when Paul got home from work I asked can we please name him Grayson Sterling and to my surprise he agreed. I still don't know if its because he gave in or because he actually likes the name. SO there you have it. Our little boy was finally named 7 days after being born and his official name is GRAYSON STERLING HOLGATE. All I have to say is I will never go without naming my kids before they are born. It was so stressful and every time I would look  at him and then think of a name I would just think to myself that he didn't look like a this or a that. So now 3 months later we just need to bless our little boy!

Newborn Pictures!

About a week before I was due to be induced with the baby I saw on facebook that a photographer was looking for newborn models that were no more than 2 weeks old. OI thought I would jump on the opportunity to get some free newborn photos done and I told her that I would love to have my child be a model if she was still looking for some. Luckily she responded back and said that she was still looking for some and to let her know when the baby was born so that we could set up a time to do a shoot.

We set up to do the photo shoot on a Saturday when he was 5 days old. I was a little worried that his skin wasn't going to be good since he had the newborn acne but luckily to my surprise it was all cleared up that morning and unfortunately came back the next day. The photographer came to our house and set things up in Morgans room since hers has the best natural light available. The baby did really well during the session. He did however poop three different times and peed on me once. I guess that's what happens when you take pictures of a nakey baby and have them out of their diapers for an hour.

Here is the baby after the pictures were all over passed out on the floor. After seeing a newborn photo shoot done it totally makes me want to get all of the fun things so I can take cute pics of my kids. I seriously want to get a couple of those vinyl floors.

Here are the end results from the shoot. I am pleased with how they turned out. The ones with him wearing the little bear hat are my favorite ones. They are so cute!

Thank you Carlee from Hello Baby! Photography for doing this wonderful shoot for us!

Morgan & Asher meeting baby brother!

The morning after the baby was born my parents brought the kids in to meet their new baby brother. They were so excited to meet him and Morgan wanted to hold him right away. Asher was a little reserved at first just wanting to look at him but then he warmed up and wanted to hold him as well. Its so strange how they were nervous to be around me since I was in a hospital bed.

A very proud big sister!

I find it hilarious that Asher has a binky in his mouth and is trying to give the baby one! Lets just say I am way behind on my blogging and I now 7 weeks later am constantly finding Asher putting the binky in the baby's mouth when he is "whinnin or cryin". It is so cute how Asher says it. "Mom baby cryin!" or "Mom baby whinnin!" and then he runs over and puts a binky in his mouth. He is a very thoughtful older brother!

The nurse was so nice and offered the kids a Popsicle to snack on before they left. I was kinda sad that the kids didn't get to stay long since Morgan had to get back to the house in time for the bus to pick her up for school. I always miss my kids tons when I am away from them.

Here comes baby!

                       Monday May 21st 2012- The story of Baby Boy Holgates Delivery
I was scheduled to be induced a week early with the baby since he was measuring big. Whats new?! I was scheduled to be induced Monday morning at 3am. That was the most ideal time but I sure was okay with it. Just meant that I wasn't going to have a middle of the night baby. At my last appointment with the OB which was the Wednesday before the doc told me to call labor and delivery Sunday night to make sure that they could take me in the morning. So, Sunday night at 5:30 I went ahead and called the hospital. They had said that they were full and that I wouldn't be getting in at 3 but to go ahead and set my alarm for 2:45 and call them then to see where things were standing. Honestly I was bummed and worried that the same thing was going to happen that happened with Asher where I didn't get in the next day and just had to wait around for them to call and tell me when to come in. Well at about 10:00pm the hospital called and told me to go ahead and not set my alarm and go ahead and get a good nights rest since I wouldn't be getting in, but if I hadn't heard from them by 7am to go ahead and call them between 7-8am. I tried to get to bed at a decent hour, but seriously how can you possibly get a good nights rest when you know you are going in the next day to have a baby! I woke up at 7 and went and ate a bowl of cereal. I decided to go ahead and call the hospital at 7:30 and to my disappointment they said that I wouldn't be getting in, in the morning and that they didn't have a time frame as to when I could get in and that I should go throughout my day with my normal daily routine. Luckily I got an Etsy order right after I got off the phone with the hospital so I went ahead and got ready for the day and went to the post office to ship the package, then went to target to get some lip gloss. Once I got home we ate some pizza for lunch and just waited around. I wanted to take a nap since I was exhausted but I was too worried I would fall asleep and not hear my phone ring if the hospital called. Finally at 4:20; 13.5 hours past my scheduled induction time, the hospital called to say that I could come in! We called Pauls mom so she could come over and watch the kids and I went and scrambled our things together and touched up my hair and make-up. We arrived at the hospital about 5:30. Here is my last belly shot before birth in the hospital parking lot. I wish I could have gotten a better one but Paul wasn't in photographer mood. By the way, Where are my boobs?! I only see a belly there!

So after we registered at the hospital we were taken back to labor and delivery room 5. I was kinda sad it wasn't room 2 since I delivered both Morgan and Asher in there. At around 5 :50 the nurse checked me to see where I was at and she said I was a 2-2.5 cm and 70% effaced. I was bummed that I hadn't progressed any since my last appointment at the Dr's since I was a 2 cm there. And I was 75% effaced at my last appointment so I was a little confused at to why she said I was only 70%. Anywho, the doctor came in, asked where I was and when she told him he said he was going to re-check. He stretched me to 3 and broke my water. I have to say that was pretty uncomfortable since he was having a hard time popping my bag. He said it was just rolling around and couldn't get a good hook on it. Finally he was able to break it and at 5:55 they started my pitocin.

When I was induced with Asher right after the Dr broke my water my contractions came on full force and were so painful. This time around I wasn't feeling any of my contractions until about 7:20pm. Once I started to feel them though they got painful fast. They were all in my pelvis again like they were with Asher and coming every 2 minutes lasting 45 seconds each. At 8:00 I went ahead and told the nurse I was ready for my epidural. Can I just say I have never sweat so much in my life! I literally had sweat dripping down my back as the anesthesiologist was giving me my epidural. Haha she was a funny lady. She kept saying wow do you work out, because you have a really nice back!. I have never received a compliment like that before, but hey I will take it! The nurse and anesthesiologist had to keep reminding me I was sweating so much because my body was working very hard. They finished my epidural at 8:30 and I was completely pain free! It was perfect. The nurse came back in at 8:50 to check me again and I was only dilated to a 4.5cm. I  was kinda disappointed in my progress and was sure I was going to be in labor all night at this rate. I mean I had been in labor for almost 2 hours and only progressed 1.5cm. I decided that I was going to go ahead and try and get some rest.

At 9:19 the nurse came in and said I needed to turn on my side and put on some oxygen since the babys heart rate was dropping. She said this tends to happen once the baby moves down the birth canal. She decided to check me again and to both of our surprise I was dilated to a 9.5 and said I was ready to go. She called my Dr to come in, and I called my friend Jamielyn who was coming to take pictures for us. Everything from that point started to go really fast. They started setting things up right away, and no "practice pushes" were necessary. I asked the nurse if we could hold off me starting to push until jamielyn got there and she said the baby was coming whether I pushed him out or not.

I began to push and thankfully after my first push Jamielyn arrived to our room. she walked over to the right side of my bed, got out her camera just in time for the baby to arrive. The baby had the chord wrapped around his neck and then his hand was up against his face. Because of that the Dr was having difficulties getting to the chord to cut it.

After 3.75 hours of labor and 2.5 pushes Baby Boy Holgate was born at 9:48pm.

He weighed a whopping 8 lbs 12oz. So far Asher has been my smallest baby. Looks like even having my babies early, I will probably never have a baby under 8 pounds!

Everything went so well with the labor and delivery and we were blessed with such a beautiful little boy! We love him so much and are so grateful that he is a part of our family! Its amazing to me each time how much you can instantly love a little being and once they are here you can't imagine how life was without them there. Im so grateful that Heavenly Father intrusted us to be this sweet little boys parents!