a long tale of our newborn

It all started with the laundry. I bought some padding for our baby's bed that ended up having a very strong odor. Not wanting my newborn to be sleeping on such a strong smelling bed, I took the padding off and threw all of the sheets and blankets in the wash that now smelt like the potent padding. As I closed the lid I thought my water broke. I was scheduled to be induced the next day. For some odd reason I keep going into labor when I'm supposed to be induced- awesome! We called the doctor, they said it sounded like my water had broke and to go to the hospital. We quickly packed all our bags, got our sleeping little Joseph out of his bed, headed to Mike's cousin's to drop Joseph off (it is now about 11PM) and went to the hospital. The drive seemed to take forever! The whole night I had contractions and didn't get much sleep. They didn't want to start me on platosin until the morning so I could get some rest. At least Mike got some rest! Finally at 5:19PM we had adorable Andrew! I seriously felt like giving up several times during the birthing process, and once they announced his stats I felt a little more justified. He weighed 10 pounds 7.6 ounces, and was 23 1/2 inches long! They almost ran out of measuring tape. This long little guy definitely did not get my height for genes!

Welcome newest addition!

Joseph holding his new little brother

Andrew was born Wednesday, and we intended on bringing him home Friday. Thursday night our nurse kept checking Andrew's breathing, and as it seemed faster than it should, she called the doctor. He wanted an x-ray of his chest, a blood sample and a blood culture to be taken to determine if he had an infection. His x-ray showed his lungs to be a little hazy which could have indicated baby pneumonia, or could have been nothing at all. His white blood count was high, which was an indication of an infection. And just like that, they whisked my baby off to the NICU to start him on antibiotics as precaution to him having an infection. Initially they told us they had to have him there for at least 48 hours to give the blood culture time to grow anything if there was an infection. After 24 hours nothing had grown which was a very good sign. 48 hours still nothing had grown. I just wanted to take my baby home! Talking with different doctors they would give me different answers or tell me different information. After a day or two at the NICU we were told Andrew would have to be there for 7-10 days! He needed to be on the antibiotics for an infection that wasn't appearing to exist! I was very frustrated. Mike needed to go back to work and had been running back and forth between the hospital and home with Joseph. Fortunately my mom was coming in town to help out. She was coming to help with the baby, but ended up being Joseph's best friend. My mom would drive back and forth between the hospital and home, which was not a quick drive. It allowed me to spend time with my precious baby in the NICU, and still play a little bit of the roll of a mommy to my toddler. In the end, we were discharged a day early (YEAH!) because nothing ever grew in the blood culture. We were blessed in may ways during our stay at the hospital: The hospital let me stay there for FREE while Andrew was in the NICU. The nurses were so great and kind to work with. Talking to the right doctor makes a HUGE difference in how they convey the situation and make you feel about things. Andrew's breathing slowed down, his white blood count went down, and he was able to get treatment for his bilirubin he ended up developing while in the NICU. We received many dinners from members of my church which was incredibly helpful while I was still staying at the hospital. We received many prayers that Andrew would be alright, and that I would be alright as well. We are so blessed for all the help we received, and for the beautiful healthy baby we were able to bring home.

Pictures at the hospital. Lately I've been getting a lot of this when I say,
"Joseph, smile for the camera!"

my little champ during a difficult time

Andrew's quarters in the NICU. They gave him this special crib because he was too large for the others and his arms and legs would kick the sides.

Andrew with his little monitors on. This is what I look like living in the hospital for a week.

Joseph enjoying some chocolate cake with Grandma and Mommy in the hospital cafeteria while waiting for Andrew to be discharged

Yeah! Andrew is finally discharged and in his car seat ready to go home! First touch of sunlight!

Joseph with his best friend Grandma. Anytime she left the room he would call her name and ask "Where's Gama?"

Identifying the parts on Andrew's face for him

2 Week Old Picture!

Andrew with Grandma Wilson. So blessed to have both Grandma's help! And time for Joseph to get to know them both better.

Adorable Birthday cake my mother-in-law got to celebrate Andrew's birth. Joseph loved blowing out the candle. We've been practicing for his birthday.

And lastly a picture of two of my handsomes after they went to the St. Patrick's Day parade. Love them!

Moooooo!

Here is a video of our cute little guy, soon to be big brother!

the holidays make me happy!

it's been awhile, so here are many pictures and few words to explain.
back in the beginning of November we were lucky to have the wonderful and beautiful Elizabeth come and visit us from BYU. it was a great excuse for us to head down and see more of the city which we had been meaning to do. unfortunately it happened to be the same day as some race so traffic was crazy and we weren't able to do as many activities as we hoped. we did however make it to Navy Pier and were able to get a little taste of Chicago and experience why it is called "the windy city."

Elizabeth, Mike, Lindsay and cute little Everette in carrier

family photo!

our little guy with his cousins he loves living by

first time on a carousel. he didn't do much to show any joy while we were on it, but once we got off he kept walking back to it for another ride.

for thanksgiving this year we were very lucky to go to Disney World with Mike's family. we didn't pull out the camera very much, so there aren't too many pictures, but here is a few. thanks so much for a great time Brad and Mari-Lynn!

Joseph in the sand pit loving to help other children fill their buckets. such a helpful little man

on another carousel with Daddy! he is loving these

strutting his mouse ears

here we are at the happiest place on earth! (but if you ask my opinion California is better because you don't have to deal with the humidity. that's just me putting in a plug for California :) )

Christmas time! we found a great and cheap place to go for the "Polar Express" experience. it was perfect for Joseph. he met Santa, got a little Christmas bell, rode on a little train, and got hot chocolate. we also met up with the Starks which always makes activities even more fun.

Joseph loving playing by the lights on display

all bundled up!

happy, happy, happy! such a happy boy

but not so happy with Santa. he kept saying "no" and was reaching for me to take him

we headed to Minnesota for Christmas this year and had a great time. Joseph got very little sleep with all the excitement of having so many cousins around to play with. he did not want to miss out on the party!

cute by the tree

playing with one of his new puzzles

we went on a "sleigh" ride, which ended up being a "hay" ride due to the lack of snow. i was not complaining! it was a lot of fun. Joseph kept saying "neigh" when he saw the horses. he loved it! i was also glad how well Joseph did with all the traveling. I have such a wonderful family!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Life sure has gotten busier in the last few months. Here are some highlights;

- I started work at Deloitte in August and have been enjoying what they are having me do.
- I received my last two passing scores for the CPA exam which is a nice obstacle to have done already.
- We've had various visitors here in Chicago. My parents came down for our nephew Everett's baby blessing and we recently had Marie's sister Michelle come through on her trip across the country.
- And in case you haven't heard, Marie is 20 weeks pregnant with another baby boy!

Last night we had our ward Halloween party and we had one of the cutest lions in the history of Halloween. I don't think he understands the whole Halloween concept but he does know one thing... he likes candy. He wouldn't let go of his candy pal for dinner time. Here are some pictures from the Halloween party and other pictures since our last post. Happy Halloween everybody!

Helping dad carve the pumpkin

Picking out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch

Summer Happenings

I could give you about a dozen reasons (some really good ones too) about why we haven't updated our blog in almost 3 months, instead I'll just try hitting some highlights over that time.

On June 4th our little boy turned 1! It's crazy how quickly he is growing up.

The Birthday Boy!

Marie threw quite the party.

Celebrating Joseph's birthday/ Parents' anniversary at Sundance.

We also went to the midwest in June for almost 3 weeks. We had a great Munson family reunion in Appleton, WI. We found a house in Chicago during that time and spent a week at my parent's in Minnesota.

Celebrating Father's Day in Minnesota.

Our trip included lots of swimming and fun.

Perhaps the most important thing we did this summer, is move out to Chicago. We have now been living in our new townhouse for three weeks and can't believe how big it is compared to our old apartment. I start work on Monday and we have had a great time getting to know the area and spending some time together as a family these last few weeks. We promise to post some pictures of our new place soon.

Swimming Lessons

We want to give a special thank you to my sister Elizabeth, for giving Joseph a great Christmas gift this year. She offered to pay for Joseph's swimming lessons which we waited to do till this month. For four weeks now Joseph and I have gone swimming together at the Provo Rec Center every Tuesday and Thursday night. It's good to know that he actually likes water since our first swimming experience last year was pretty traumatic.

Here are some pictures of our little guy swimming with me and there's even a special surprise for Elizabeth at the end. Thanks again for the great gift Bessers!

Here was Joseph's first time swimming last year when he was only about a month old. He's come a long way since then.

The little guy was so excited on the first day of swimming lessons.

Having fun at swimming lessons.

And here is one of Joseph newly found activities. He loves to rip up toilet paper, paper towels, napkins or tissues, sound familiar Bessers?

love this little man

now that Joseph is crawling everywhere, pulling himself up, opening drawers, taking steps all by himself, this kid is getting into everything! i love the fact that he is so smart with figuring out how to open things. here is the little guy under the sink.

a typical tongue sticking out picture

no hands, look at me

this year was Joseph's first Easter! he had a blast! Mike's parents were in town for graduation, so we were lucky to head to Thanksgiving point with them and the Starks, and Aunt Lauren! He absolutely loved walking around holding his basket.

Good thing he has such a fast daddy to help him quickly get to the field and get some eggs! he was ecstatic about those eggs!

He ended up falling asleep on the car ride home from being so tuckered out, and look at what he is holding onto! A treasured egg!

for Easter Sunday, Joseph wore his adorable suit that Mike's aunt and uncle gave us. thanks Paul and Ann! Look at those sleepy eyes! that's what 8 am church will do to you!

here he is with his Easter basket

look what he found inside! more precious eggs! and for him there was nothing inside because the egg itself was loved.