Update On Us

How have we been doing with the kids and a new baby, you ask. Well here is a quick run down for all of you who have been wondering.

Paul: He LOVES his little sister and would often come in to see her while we were upstairs recovering from the birth. Paul is a big help as he loves to bring things to me and often volunteers to bring things. He does miss his mommy alot, but enjoys being able to have daddy home more. Paul is growing so fast and is constantly wanting to do school and read.

Peter: He also loves his sister although not as much as Paul does. Peter would also like to come and see me while we were upstairs. He loves to look at his sister and touch her. Peter does not seem to miss me as much as Paul does, but I think he does notice that I am not around as much as I use to be. Peter loves to go outside and play and often we have a hard time bringing him back in for lunch or naps. He also is developing a love for learning and will often sit with Paul to do school.

Stella: Stella noticed that there was a new one in the house and she does not like it. She will often cry at auntie when auntie holds baby Fay. Stella also noticed that mommy does not have time for her as much. I have been spending time with her by rocking her to sleep or holding her in my lap while I am down stairs. She is almost to the point of walking around the house and she loves to climb on things. Stella is definitely determined to do things and she loves to play with her brothers.

Mommy and Daddy: Besides not getting enough sleep at night, we are doing pretty good. Fay keeps me up alot at night, so I end up having to sleep during the day. I am not use to sleeping during the day and this is a huge adjustment as I miss seeing my other kids. Joshua has been a great help in taking care of the other 3 kids so that I can get my rest and focus on Fay. Joshua has been working half days at the shop and my sister helps me the other half. I still have to be careful to not over do it.

Fay: She is growing everyday and now she looks like a baby instead of a new born. At first she was not getting enough to eat, so we had to switch to me pumping and giving her a bottle. Fay has really taken off and gained quite a bit of weight and filled out. She still sleeps alot, but the time is coming when she will be awake and needing more attention. After Fay was born, she lost alot of weight- she weighted 6 lbs. 9 ozs. at birth and then she went down to 5 lbs. 13 ozs. Otherwise she is doing great. Please pray that she will continue to gain weight and that we will get the nursing thing down.

Auntie Mar: She has really been a great help to me and I don't know what I would do without her. Auntie Mar has taken on the task of 3 kids- which is not an easy task to take on, even for me. She has made sure that I get the rest that I need, cleans the house, makes meals, and even serves me by bringing things up stairs when I need them so that I don't have to travel them that much. I am VERY thankful for my sister, she has been a life saver. She does not have the kids all day as Joshua comes home in the afternoons so she does get some time off.

Grandpa and Grandma: My parents have also been very supportive since I had Fay. My mom has been a great help in the mornings and nights after work. If I have trouble with Fay at night, I know that I can wake my mom and she will help me get Fay to sleep. My mom also has been very good at keeping the boys occupied. She and my dad will often work outside in the yard over the weekend and they will take the boys outside to work with them. They are also planning a trip to go to Iowa and Wisconsin over the 4th of July to visit with family. Otherwise they have been busy at the shop.

We would appreciate your prayers for all of us and as we make adjustments to having a new little one in our home.

The Many Faces Of Fay Estelle

Stella Eats A Sandwich

Stella has really enjoyed eating other foods. She loves to eat what everyone else is eating, especially sandwiches.

Fay's Birth Story

The day before Fay's birth, I was busy with trying to get things done while Joshua was home. We had no idea that Fay was going to be born the next day. My parents were going to switch cars with us, so I was busy with cleaning out our car and getting it ready. I also went to Walmart to get some things "just in case" I went into labor that week. If I would have known that I was going to go into labor, I would have taken a nap as all our children have come at night. Anyways, about 8:30 or 9:00 pm I started to have some light contractions, but I was not totally sure if they were contractions. They slow progressed and got harder, but not closer together. About 11:00 pm I was still able to talk through them even though they were harder and not more than 6 mins apart. Well this reminded me of Peter's labor and that I was farther along and even waited too long before giving birth to him. So I called our midwife and told her that I thought she should get over here if nothing more than to check me. I had a contraction while on the phone and told her so, but that I was able to still speak. We woke up my parents and they helped us get their room ready for the birth. I am so grateful for them letting us use their room as it has a connected bathroom and it make it so much easier. My parents also helped out with the birthing tub (getting it ready) and taking care of the kids all night. When the midwife came over and checked me, I was 6 to 7 cm dilated. My labor was short with Fay being only 6 hours, but the contractions were very hard. She was born on June 19- Father's Day at 3:47 am. She is so cute and very petite in size. We feel very blessed that God decided to add her to our family.

Our Father's Day

Our Father's Day was very relaxing and low key (seeing how I just had Fay). Joshua, Fay, and I all slept in while my parents took care of Stella and the boys. Joshua did go down and play with Paul, Peter, and Stella while Fay and I rested in the room. Usually we make a big meal for all of us to enjoy and eat as a family, but this year I ate in my room and the boys served me. It was nice to be pampered, but it felt weird being Father's Day. It also felt weird being away from the family and not helping out with anything. After dinner Joshua brought up Stella, Paul, and Peter up and we spent time as a family together and opened up the gifts that the kids got Joshua. Then they went back down stairs. I was able to spend some time with each of the kids separately during the day which was very nice as I missed all of them. Joshua said that I gave him the best present of all- little Fay. I am so glad that Joshua is my husband and that we get to share this life together. Here are some pictures of our day.

Fay Estelle Is Here!

We are pleased to announce the arrival of our newest little blessing

Fay Estelle Blevins
June 19, 2011
6 lbs. 9 ozs.
20 1/4 inches



Mommy and baby are doing fine. More to come.

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. May God bless you all day and always. Have a blessed day with your families.

Stella

Joshua and Kids

37 Weeks

I am now 38 weeks, but things have been so crazy as we are getting ready for the birth of the baby and Stella somehow got in contact with the measles. We are doing okay, just staying home and have to see if the boys are going to get it. Please pray for us (it won't affect my pregnancy).

The Boy's First Camping Trip

The other weekend some friends of ours were going camping and my parents, sister, and the boys went up to check out the site. We are interested in finding different places that we can take the boys up to for day trips and eventually overnight. Joshua, Stella, and I stayed home and did some things around the house in preparation for the new baby. The boys were really excited about being able to go, even though they did not totally get the concept of camping. My parents said that they were not too sure about the whole camping thing, but soon they were playing around and having fun. It was overcast and the sun would peek out every once in awhile, but that did not stop my boys from playing in the water in a stream nearby. I think that they have inherited my mom's love of water. They roasted hot dogs over the camp fire and even had smores. The boys were very tired and dirty!!! My parents left around 3 or 4 in the afternoon because we had church the next day and the boys slept in the car. I am sure that we will be having more day camping trips to come!

The Boys' Room

This is a mural that Joshua has been working on in the boy's room. He hand drew it and then painted it in. It took a long time to paint as we don't have much time with the kids. Joshua's dad gave us the propeller and since it is an airplane theme in Paul and Peter's room, we thought we would put the propeller in there. I think it turned out really great!

Stella's Birthday Party

We had Stella's birthday party this last Saturday. I chose to do a princess tea party, so that meant alot of work for me in food preparation. Since I am 8 months pregnant and not wanting to over do it, my mom stayed home and helped me one of the days. We were able to get alot done. I just had small things to do after that. On Saturday, Joshua helped me decorate for the party and do odd and ends of things. Our friends from church came over and helped us celebrate. They were the only ones that came, but we had a great time with just their family and we were so grateful that they did come. The kids played in the backyard and then we played a couple of games before heading back out and hitting the pinata that my parents found at a garage sale. My boy's have never done that before and they had so much fun and thought it was great. I am sure that we will be doing those again soon. Then everyone enjoyed all the tea party foods outside as it was a beautiful day. We let the kids play outside again before bringing them inside to do the craft that I had prepared. They were able to color and decorate frames that were shaped as crowns. Soon we did the cake and then they left since we will be going to church tomorrow. Stella did great, but did get overwhelmed alittle. We had a great time celebrating Stella's birthday and fellowshiping.

Stella's 1st Birthday Pictures

To view Stella's 1st birthday pictures click here.

Stella's Birthday

For Stella's birthday we spent the morning together as a family. We opened up presents while the kids ate breakfast. Stella was interested, but she did not fully understand the concept of opening them. She did enjoy looking at each present. Then everyone had to go to work, so it was just Auntie Mar, the kids, and me. We had a very nice day and was able to go outside and play. We are going to have a princess tea party for Stella on Saturday to celebrate her 1st birthday.

Happy 1st Birthday, Stella!

I can't believe that my sweet little Stella is turning one! It seems like I just had her. This year has gone by so fast with all that has been happening. I can't wait to see what happens next year. I am so blessed to have my sweet baby girl. Happy Birthday Stella Boo, missy prissy, baby boo. I love you.