First Outing

We went to the park for Dash's first outing when he was almost 2 weeks old (well, technically it was Pei Wei when he was 5 days old, but this is the 1st documented outing... with just me and all three kids).  The kids were so excited to push him in the stroller and they wanted to keep lifting up the cover so they could see him.  It was kind of a windy day, so we had to keep it on him the whole time, but I was feeling pretty proud that I made it out of my house and took my other kids to do something fun.  

I love how sweet and magical life is for a 4 year old.  She tried to pick every single one in the grass, so she could make lots of wishes!

And look, they did this for each other all on their own.  I didn't even have to ask.  Sometimes they surprise me and actually play together and are nice to each other at the same time.

Big brother, Big sister

Jeter and Jerzi were pretty excited for me to have the baby.  But they really had no idea what it was going to be like to have one actually in our home.  I thought they were going to love him to death, maul him like crazy, and smother him with kisses.

Instead, they would come and look at him, then run away fast.

I asked them to come and hold him, and they kept saying no.  

They didn't dare to kiss him either.

It made me kinda sad that they weren't just totally in love with him. I tried and tried to get them excited about him and want to be around him. but they only wanted to look at him from a distance.

Then we finally got them to hold him when Dash was one and a half weeks old.  There may have been some bribing involved.

They were both pretty proud that they were actually holding him.

Jeter's 1st time holding Dash

Jerzi's 1st time holding Dash

Now they're both totally obsessed! 

They fight over who gets to sit by him in the car, or who his bouncer is the closest to when we're eating dinner.  They race in to get the best view when I change his diaper.  And they're smothering him with hugs and kisses nonstop.  

I'm super happy that they love him,

 but now I kinda wish they would love him from a distance again.

Our Little Valentine

After a long, drawn out stay in the hospital, we got to bring home our sweet baby boy.

Dash Jay McArthur

Born February 12, 2014 at 2:57 p.m.

He weighed 8 lbs and 14 oz., and was 20 inches long.

(Yep, we little people like to grow 'em big.)

(Ok, we don't like to, we just do.)

We went in on Tuesday night, thinking I was going in to get induced that night, but that was a dirty trick.  We really went in to just lay there and miss a whole night's sleep before the baby came.  Cuz who needs sleep before they're about to not get a full night's sleep for months?

The Birth Story (feel free to skip): 

They finally started me on pitocin at 5 or 6 the next morning. I wasn't really feeling the contractions.  I was at a 3 or 4 and they told me to let them know when I was ready for that amazing little drug, the epidural.  I waited for awhile and started to feel contractions, but they weren't hurting at all.  Then I started getting worried that I was gonna miss my window of getting it, so I just told them I was ready.  I hate when that huge ol' needle drives into my back and I feel the cold medicine run through my body. But man, after that was in my body for about 5 minutes, my body and mind just relaxed so much I slept for the rest of the time until they woke me up to check me.  I guess I was at a 10 and it was time to push. Epidurals are the greatest thing ever!!!

The doctor came in and took one look and said, "This is gonna be a piece of cake.  One big push and he'll be out."

"Ok, sounds like a great plan to me."

I pushed and he didn't come.  :(

But I pushed through 3 more contractions, and then the doctor says put your hands down here.  I   had no clue why, I was thinking maybe the baby's head was crowning or something.  Anyways, I hesitantly put my hands down between my legs and next thing I know, I'm pulling my little baby out of my body.  It was the weirdest, creepiest, amazing thing ever.  I don't know how to describe it. It was kind of surreal.  He wasn't crying.  I held my slimy little baby for a minute, then they took him and cleaned him off.  They tried to give him back to me, but I was getting weaker by the second, and couldn't hold onto him.  His body temperature was low so they tried to get him warmed up.  In the mean time, they gave me some juice and crackers to try and get me some energy.  I started feeling sicker.  Pretty soon, I was puking and so weak and tired I didn't have the energy to hold Dash or to talk to people.

My mom was staying with my kids and she brought them up to the hospital right after I had the baby. I don't really remember anything about them coming except that they came and peeked over the little bed that the baby was in to get warm, and that was it.  Had took them out to get some food and I just slept and puked while the nurses took care of my sweet little cold baby.

After awhile, we both got better, and then me and Had spent the rest of the day/night just enjoying being with our sweet little babe.  The next day we got our stuff gathered up, all ready to check out and they wouldn't let us leave. Turns out the babies here have to stay in the hospital for 48 hours.  So torch!  So we waited and begged to leave, and waited some more.  

While we were there just hangin out, one of our friends also had her baby.  He was born the day after Dash was. In case you can't tell, that's our monster baby on the right.  

Everyone kept talking about how big his feet and hands were.  His foot wouldn't even fit on the inkpad or in the space for the footprint!  

We ended up coming in to the hospital on Tuesday and didn't get to go home until Friday! Ughh!!!

We got to bring him home on Valentine's Day.

We are so in love!!!

A Good Egg

Had is awesome!  When I was so big and pregnant, it was hard for me to bend over long enough to paint my toes.  And I really wanted to have my toes painted before I had the baby, so he painted them for me.  He even did them cute for Valentine's day.  What a good egg.  

And for my family's viewing pleasure, here's the pic.

Goodbye Work Truck!

This little bad boy has been with us for 10 years!  

I remember the day Had drove it for the first time.  

We were engaged.  I was out for a run, running down Rexburg's mainstreet, when all the sudden I hear a car honk, super close to me.  It kind of startled me, so I tried to use my peripheral vision to sneakily see who it was, without letting them know that I thought that car honk was for me. I saw a little green honda civic out of the corner of my eye.  I didn't know anyone that drove a car like that, so I immediately turned my neck and eyes straight forward and kept running, pretending I didn't hear it. They honked again, and I ignored it and kept running.  Then they sped up, passed me, and rolled down the window, and I got super embarrassed.  I still wouldn't look at them.  I hate when people yell stuff or pay attention to me as I am running.  Then the car pulled over.  I wanted to turn around and run the other way, so I didn't have to see them.  I didn't, but felt so nervous to pass by them.  Then all the sudden, I see this cute boy stick his head out the window to talk to me and it turned out to be Had.  Whew! Me, him, and his friend that was with him in the car all had a good laugh at how I reacted to the car honk.  Anyway, the rest of the story is history. 

It has been a good little "work truck", as Had calls it.  He has been so nice and has always drove this little gem to work, and school, and all over the place, while I get to drive the nicer, newer cars.  I have driven 4 new cars in the last 10 years, while he has cruised around in this the whole time.

When Had got a job and signed the contract to be a podiatrist here in Katy, we celebrated, by getting him this new car!  So exciting!!!