Noah Dale Fieber

10 lbs 4 oz

22.5 inches

Now that he is almost two weeks old, I figured that I should talk about his birth story.  We had hoped to do a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarian) with Noah but the condition was that I had to go into labor on my own by March 4th.  We waited and waited with contractions that never became regular.  March 4th came and we headed in to do another c-section early in the morning.  I was a little disappointed but happy to be able to meet him finally!  The epidural went in great and soon we were headed back to get that baby out.  He was out within 15 minutes of getting in the operating room and let out a good scream to let me know he was ready to go :).  I couldn't believe that he was 10 lbs 4 oz!  I thought for sure he would be around 9 but never imagined passing 10!  He had a few breathing problems at first because there was a lot of fluid in his lungs.  They put him on a CPAP machine for about 6 hours and then I finally got to hold him!  

I learned later that Heavenly Father was really looking out for me with this delivery.  Apparently the weight of little Noah and other factors caused my uterus to become thinner than usual.  The doctors were pretty surprised about it and told me multiple times that it was a blessing that I had not tried a VBAC.  If I had the most likely ending would have been a uterine rupture which would have meant no more kids or the worst case scenario could have been bleeding out.  I am so grateful that the Lord knows what he's doing even when I have my "plan".     

 We weren't sure what we wanted to name him at first and were mulling over about four names (Noah, Thomas, Luke and Jackson).  After we finally got him out of the NICU, we spent a couple of hours together and decided on Noah.  His middle name is Dale, my dad's name, and I love it!  It fits him perfectly and we are enjoying his "littleness".

 He is a pretty chill baby and loves to eat, poop and sleep.  He really only cries, so far, when he's hungry or naked.  Diaper and clothes changes are a riot to watch :).  You'd think he was being shoved into a tub of ice water sometimes.

Steven loved seeing him at the hospital and wanted to hold him and give him kisses while telling us each of his body parts!  Now that we are home, there is some adjusting going on but he seems to be more frustrated with me rather than Noah.  He is such a sweet boy and he's learning with me!  Being a mom of a newborn and a toddler is definitely not a piece of cake but it's getting better and we're revamping our old routine everyday.  I'm enjoying my boys and still can't believe I have two kids... holy cow!  

 Here are some cute newborn pictures for your viewing pleasure!

 Look at those chubby cheeks and those fat rolls!

 My two boys posing nicely for the camera!  I wish it would have turned out that simply :).

36 Weeks and too close:)

There is nothing like thinking that your water has broke at 36 weeks and having the nurse tell you to go into Labor and Delivery to get checked out.  You realize all of the things that you haven't done, like take a picture of you pregnant, so here was what he hoped wouldn't be our last picture before having this baby boy.  I was at school and had felt a trickle and wetness for about two hours after lunch.  I asked the office ladies if any of them had ever had their water break and they told me I should probably call the nurse.  I called the doctor's office during afternoon recess and told them what was up.  The nurse told me that she thought my water must have broken and that would explain the trickle and wetness.  I asked her what I should do and she told me to go to Labor and Delivery.  I asked her if I could wait until school was over in an hour and a half and she told me "No.  Go to Labor and Delivery right now."  I went to the office and let them know and then began scrambling to get things organized for the sub that they were going to call.  I kept thinking, "This can't be happening... did my water really break or did my bladder just lose control?"
I met Adam at the house and we headed down to the hospital.  They did a couple of tests and monitored for contractions.  I told the nurse that I really just wanted to go home and not have a baby today because there were too many things I needed to get done before he came.  She told me that she would do her best, but if my water had broken, I would be having that baby today.  One test came back questionable so they did another test.  I was having my normal Braxton Hicks contractions and was grateful that nothing appeared to be getting more serious.  She came back in about 5 minutes later and told us that the test came back negative!  What a relief, but quite embarrassing.  I really didn't want to seem like one of those pregnant ladies that think they're going into labor all the time.  The main reason I went to L&D was because the nurses told me that if my water had broken my risk for infection was greatly increased and I figured that being embarrassed was better than saving face and possibly complicating things with the baby.
This pregnancy has definitely been different from the first and this was my second trip to L&D in the past three weeks.  Three weeks ago I was rear ended on my way home from work and that sent me into false labor for about 5 hours at the hospital.  This kid just needs to stay comfy for the next few weeks while I play catch up with house cleaning and sub plans:).  Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about meeting this new little boy, but I can definitely wait another four weeks!

Christmas 2012

We had so much fun this Christmas celebrating with family and just spending time together!  Steven was a lot more interested in opening presents this year and has loved playing with some of the toys we got him!  I took him to SantaFly at Thanksgiving Point and had some cute pictures taken that I think capture his personality to a "T".  He was deathly afraid of the real Santa, so I got to dress up and play Santa in the pictures (ingenious idea if you ask me:).  Adam is finishing his last semester before graduating with a Bachelor's in Nursing and we are so excited!  

Celebrating Dutch Christmas with my mom's side of the family and Steven loved his new Adidas outfit from Grandma and Grandpa Tate!  He had lots of fun running around with his cousins and second cousins in the kids room.  I'm so glad that we live close enough to celebrate Dutch Christmas with my family!  It is one of the highlights of the season and a rich tradition!

 Steven got some bean bag letters and a basket from Aunt Brooke and Uncle Scott.  He and his cousin Duncan had a blast taking all of the bean bags out and then running around the house with the empty baskets on their heads!  It was really fun to see them playing together and how excited they were to see each other!

 We headed up to Idaho to stay with our friends, the Dutchers, in a cabin at Island Park.  Steven got to get all dressed up in his snow gear and play outside in the snow!  He also loved taking a little ride on the snowmobiles.  I've never been on a snowmobile before so it was a first for both of us.

 Christmas Eve 2012-- attempt at a family picture before we become a family of 4:)

 Steven was quite upset that he wasn't in the nativity and that "Mary" got to ride the donkey, AKA Grandpa Fieber, on Christmas Eve and decided to get on the donkey himself.

 Ready to play in the snow!  I love that little Tiger Hat and am so sad that it is getting too small.

 Christmas Morning

 Steven was so excited about his Big Truck and Adam couldn't open it up fast enough!

 You can see his annoyance in his little face while waiting for the Big Truck:)

Don't be shocked... We have an update!

     So really I must blame my lack of posts on two things.  Adam didn't want to announce that we were expecting again until we knew if it was a boy or girl and this pregnancy has been much harder than Steven's.  I was pretty much sick from day one and had no motivation to do hardly anything.  This coupled with the fact that I had to work really hard to keep myself from posting anything that would resemble a clue to a new baby, made for no blog posts.  I'm going to attempt to catch up on our summer adventures and post some pictures for your enjoyment.

     So here is a cute picture of our upcoming little addition!  Like I said before, this pregnancy was so much harder and I was sick a lot!  I was convinced that it might be a girl and so were most of the people that knew about it.  Yet, it is another little boy and future wrestling buddy for Steven and I'm starting to believe my mother-in-law's prediction that I will have a house full of boys just like her. :)  I'm excited to have another boy and to see them grow up and be best friends!  Even though it wasn't a girl, I think I can justify a few new outfits for this one without going to overboard.  Adam is excited to add another team member to his future paintball/golf team!  Steve obviously has no idea what is coming but he is obsessed with babies and wants to touch them and play in their car seats as much as he can.  We are due on March 2nd and they will let me try to do a VBAC up until March 8th.  If we haven't gone into labor by then, it will for sure be another c-section.

     We noticed that Steven's eyes were deviating shortly after his first birthday and went to the doctor.  He is definitely far-sighted and now has cute glasses that make everyone who meets him swoon about how cute he is!  He's been a trooper about wearing them and keeping them on, but he has still broken them 5 times.  Luckily we have an awesome warranty for another 6 months and they repair them for free every time!

Here he is cheesing it up for the camera but seriously, the glasses only add to his adorableness!

This was one of the last picture we have in Adam's old house in Evanston.  His parents sold their house and are now almost done building their house in Kaysville.  It is so nice to have them a little closer than before!  

This is my little man and I just can't get enough of him most days!  He is learning and growing so much everyday and I'm excited to be home more next year and not work as much!  

We met Adam's family at the Zoo on Labor Day and Steven loved eating Grandma's popcorn and hanging out with his cousin Duncan!

In other news.....
New life changes for this year included:

• Baby #2 is a boy!
• I'm tenured!!!!!!!!!
• Adam started as an RN on the 5th floor Telemetry Unit at UVRMC and is finishing his last year of nursing school!!  
• Adam put in our sprinkler system in August and has decided that it is not something he would ever want to repeat.  LOL
• We celebrated 5 years of marriage in October:)
• Steven started going to nursery!  

Steven's First Birthday Bash

I guess I'd better get some pictures up for posterity :).  We had Steven's birthday party the day before his actual birthday since it fell on a Sunday.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins came for some great food and wonderful weather!  Steven didn't mind all of the attention and got a lot of fun presents to play with and use.  At first we didn't know if we were going to get into a pavilion but it all worked out and we had plenty of room to celebrate!  We had Cheetah Chip Dip, Hungry Hippo Dip for Veggies, Jungle Juice, Gorilla Grapes, as well as Monkey and Tiger Cupcakes!  Here are some of the pictures from his party!

He's still alive...phew:)

Considering that our child has made it to a year... I guess my parenting skills are not all that bad!  (insert sarcastic laugh here)  I love the picture up above because it captures his personality so much!  He is such a stinker and sweetheart all at the same time!  We had his party (pictures to come) last Saturday and it was so fun to celebrate with good family:).  Steven's current stats are:

Height: 32 inches                    Weight: 24 lbs 7 oz                Head: 99% as usual

Here are some of the fun things he's accomplished over the past month:

• Letting go of things and walking on his own
• Feeding himself with whatever he can get his hands on
• Initiating peek-a-boo
• Putting things inside of other things
• Throwing his toys down the stairs
• Climbing onto whatever is available
• Playing patty cake
• Babbling and pointed at things all the time

I still find it hard to believe that it's been a year but he keeps learning everyday and it's amazing to watch as it happens.  He has stolen our hearts and we love him so much!  Can't wait to spend another year together and have the summer to play around!  

11 Months and First Haircut!

Steven is almost one year old and I can't believe it! He is growing bigger and getting smarter each day! He also continues to steal our hearts each day! He has gotten 4 more teeth on top (for a total of 6) and has learned how to walk. He still prefers to crawl because it is so much faster but is getting more and more confident with walking places. He has added, "dah" for dog, and "wha" for what to his vocabulary, as well as tons of other babble words that I don't know the meaning of. He is starting to climb on everything, even pulling boxes, etc. over so that he can stand on them to get what he wants! :) He has also figured out that throwing things over the gate and down the stairs is a really fun past time.

Our good friend, Brookie Bedwell, gave Steven his first haircut today! He was very interested in what was going on and was a good sport throughout the whole thing! I can't believe we cut his hair but it was getting pretty long on top and in the back. He looks so cute and we can now do some more cute hair do's.

Getting his hair cut

All done and smiling with mom!

Cute new do for the boy!