Peter

This is the front yard of our house. My mom likes to plant wild flower at the front corner of our yard. Peter is fond of climbing the fence that we have there.

Stella's Stats

When Stella was first born she....
Weighted: 8lbs. 11 ozs.
Body Measured: 21 3/4 inches long
Head Measured: 14"

When Stella was 13 days old she....
Weighted: 9 lbs. 4.5 ozs.
Head Measured: 14 5/8"
she gained 10 ozs. in 7 days, 1.42 ozs. in 7 days

When Stella was 3 weeks old she....
Weighted: 10 ozs. 10 1/2 ozs.
Body Measured: 23 1/4 inches long
Head Measured: 15 1/8"
she gained 22 ozs. in 14 days, 1.57 ozs. a day

This is a big adjustment for me as I am use to having small kids that gain weight slowly. Paul and Peter were both this way. I am just glad to have a healthy baby.

Fussy Baby

The other day I decided not to take a nap so that I could get some work done. Well, that was a big mistake. Both Peter and Stella were fussy that day. Stella was so fussy that she hardly slept and it was hard to get anything done and to take care of the boys. My mom came home and suggested that I put her on her stomach and give her her baby doll. She looked so cute that I had to take her picture.

Our Father's Day

We had a wonderful father's day, very relaxing. That morning we opened the presents after we ate breakfast and then went to church. The day was hot and humid, so when we got home from church my mom filled the kid's pool and Joshua and the boys had fun splashing with her. My mom also barbecued on the grill and we all ate together. Then everyone, except my sister took a nap. After the naps we all stayed home and spent time together as a family. I love days that we do that. It seems like we are all so busy running around doing different things that we don't get to spend much time together as a family. The boys love it being summer as they can stay outside later and play outside. I hope that you all had a very special father's day. Enjoy the pictures and movies!!

Stella's Little Lamb

We have a little stuffed animal that is a lamb that Stella likes to look at. She is so cute as she likes to touch it and look at the bright bow on the Lamb. Stella is getting to be so big.

An Outing At The Zoo

Today we adventured out to go to one of our favorite place- the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Our season passes are almost up and we were thinking about renewing them for another year, but we weren't sure how Stella would do. She has been a very easy going baby, but we weren't sure how things would work out with a stroller, eating, and if she would sleep while we were there. Stella did perfectly and slept the whole time while we were there. There was alot of people at the zoo, but its so big that we don't have to worry about huge crowds of people. The boys love being able to go to the zoo and look at all the animals. They were able to feed the giraffe's and ride the train that was there. The nice thing is that the rides and feeding the giraffe's is not expensive. We had a great time at the zoo.

Happy Father's Day

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Father's Day. None of us would be where we are if it wasn't for our father's. Father's play such a special role in our lives, just like our heavenly father. God has given us all special father's. So to all the father's out there, May God bless you and the special job that God has given you to do. May you have a very blessed day.

Update On Us

Here is what we have all been up to:

Joshua and Amy: Joshua has been busy with the shop and giving attention to his 3 kids. He has been helping Amy with Stella when she is up for half of the night and also letting her get naps. Amy is enjoying her little girl and enjoying how content she is so that she can get some things done. Her family has been very helpful with the transition to adjusting to the new baby. They both are enjoying their new family of 5.

Stella: She is growing like a weed. Stella weighted 9 lbs. 4 ozs. at the last check-up. She is so cubby and cute. It is so much fun holding her and having Stella look up at you with her big eyes. She is such a blessing and we are so grateful for being able to be her parents and to take care of her.

Paul and Peter: They have been enjoying having a little sister. Paul loves to get things for me and tells me to be careful of his little sister. Peter is still adjusting as he is no longer the baby of the family. I am having to find time to spend with him to help him with the adjustments. Paul and Peter keep us very busy as they are active and having a new little one also. They have also been a joy to take care of.

Auntie Mar: She has been such a big help since Stella was born. I don't know what I would do without all the help, especially since I need to recover from the birth. She is still cleaning and cooking dinner for the family (one less thing to worry about). Auntie Mar goes to the shop while we all nap and helps out there until we are up from our naps. She has been a great blessing to me.

Grandpa and Grandma Steed: They are mostly busy with the shop and also with grandkids. They both have been enjoying getting to be part of the kids lives and have been a big help for Joshua and I. This weekend they are going on a retreat, which I am excited about because this is one of the first times that they have gotten away over night by themselves.

We are planning on making a trip to Iowa to see my dad's side of the family. This is going to be our first family vacation (not including the trip out to Colorado). We will be leaving around the 4th of July. Thank you for all your prayers and keeping in contact with us.

Wide Awake

Finally, some pictures of her awake. I have had a hard time getting these pictures because I never had my camera close or the timing was not right. Enjoy the pictures.

Pretty In Pink

I am having so much fun dressing Stella. It is hard to pick an outfit for her to wear every day they are all so cute!

Mini Jumper

My mom found this jumper at a yard sale. Its great for the boys to get exercise when the weather makes it hard for them to get outside. I am so looking forward to them using it during the winter months when we cannot get outside.

Stella's Birth Story

Joshua and I were so excited to find out that we were expecting again. Peter was getting big so fast and we missed not having a baby around (although we knew that it would be alot of work having 3 kids). We were also very excited about having this one by our first child born in Colorado Springs and with a midwife (midwife's are half the price here as in California). As soon as we learned that we were expecting our third, we began making plans. I was sick for the first 3 1/2 months of the pregnancy to where I could not eat anything, so I had a feeling that this one might be a girl. It was hard taking care of the boys at this time, but I had lots of help. As time went on, Joshua and I decided to find out what the gender of the baby was going to be. I wanted to know if the baby was going to be a girl so that I could prepare for a girl (since I was already for a boy). We had an ultrasound done and the baby looked like a girl, but we never got a good look. A few weeks after we had another one done, but the same thing. So we started to tell people that we thought we were having a girl. We were so excited!!! Imagine a girl after two boys (of course I would have been happy if the baby would have been a boy). Time went on and I continued to get bigger and bigger. I started to measure really big during my last month (1 or 2 cms bigger). My midwife did not think that I was going to last until my due date (June 5). I honestly did not think so either- Paul came 3 days early and Peter 3 weeks. May came and all the birthdays with it, soon it was Joshua's birthday. As much as I would have liked the baby to be born on Joshua's birthday, I wanted the baby to have a birthday of their own. As May approached I was starting to feel very heavy and ready for the baby to come. Towards the end of May, I started to feel some contractions that were light and not very intense. This happened every once in awhile for some time. When I was being checked by the midwife, I was already dilated 3 cms. I wanted this baby to be born in June and God seemed to agree with me on this one. One day when we had just visited the midwife, I had learned that I was starting to lose water from the sack surrounding the baby. Now I know that does not mean labor right away, but soon I would be having this baby. Joshua wanted to take me out to eat and then we came home to let my mom go back to work (she was watching the boys while we were at the midwife's). At 3:00 pm, I started to have some consistent contractions, but nothing too serious. They gradually increased in pain and consistency as time went by. I was keeping the midwife up to date on how I was doing and trying to get some sleep that night, just in case if I had the baby. Joshua and my mom were making preparations just in case as well. We were going to have the baby in my parents room because I was going to have a water birth and the tub could fit in their bathroom and therefore keep the mess down. About 12:30 am the midwife started her way over to our house for the birth. I labored on the bed for awhile while they (Joshua and the midwife) got the tub ready. It started to get intense where I needed Joshua around 1:00 am. There was such a relief when I got in the tub, but it did not last long as it was almost time to have our baby. The water did not help for the last stages (but I don't think anything would help). Soon it was time to push and she came out at 2:52 am. I could not believe that I finally had my little girl. Joshua and I were so tired that we dosed alot when the midwife was checking Stella out. About 6:00 that morning, Joshua, Stella, and I slept after a long night. We were very blessed with a safe delivery and a healthy baby girl.

Working With Daddy

The boys had fun on Joshua's day off building ramps and working with wood. I showed the movies of Paul making ramps for his scooter to my mom and she said that Joshua should build some ramps and show Paul how to ride his scooter over them. The boys loved to do the sander with Joshua until Peter's finger accidentally touched the sander (ouch). Paul had fun playing with Joshua on the ramp until it was time to come in.The boys working the sander with Daddy.

Stella Ann

These pictures were taken the afternoon that she was born.

Big Brothers

I have been so pleased about how the boys have taken having another baby around the house. I was not sure if they would be jealous of her or not. Paul has been such a big help as he loves to get diapers and blankets for her. He also likes to sit by her and watch her and pat her. Peter is still alittle young to be a big help, but he does love to watch her as well. The boys missed me alot while I spent the first two days recovering. I will be glad when I can get back to a normal schedule again.

Our Newest Arrival

We are pleased to announce that
Stella Ann Blevins
was born June 2, 2010
at 2:52 am
weighing 8 lbs. 11 oz.
21 3/4 inches long

We are both doing fine and would
appreciate your prayers. There will
be pictures and more to come.

Motorcycles

Paul had fun playing outside the other day with the scooters and tricycles (he calls them motorcycles). It was a nice hot day and I was glad to be able to get the kids out and some energy out of them. Peter started to pull out some wood and Paul did the same. Then Paul did something that amazed me. He put the pieces of wood father apart and pretended that his motorcycle was jumping over the pieces of wood. It still amazes me how much kids learn and figure out even when you don't show them how. Paul also got some smaller pieces of blocks of wood and put them under some other boards and made little ramps to jump off of. Here are some pictures and movies of both Paul and Peter.