A New Beginning

It has been a long time since I've posted anything. So much has happened (which is part of why I haven't posted), that I have to just recap the past several months:

• Ava's arm healed nicely. The ortho guys recommended she avoid contact sports. I informed them that walking is a contact sport for her.
• Blake & Ava both had birthdays....he is 5, she is 2....this kinda blows my mind.
• We spent a week with my family at Christmas & missed out on the crazy snowfall in Lubbock. (There was still enough on the ground when we got home to make a snowman.)
• We took all 3 kids to Disneyland. For a week. Yes, we are crazy. And, yes, it was incredible! :)
• Jack has learned to sit, crawl, stand, & feed himself some solids. And gotten 2 teeth!

We are in such a period of transition. Jack is soooo close to walking. Ava is soooo close to being potty-trained (despite what a certain Sunday School teacher might say after her experience on Sunday). Blake is gearing up for kindergarten....he may pop with excitement before August. All 3 of them are growing so much & so fast.

Danny & I are dealing with our jobs & all of the challenges they bring. I may have an 8-5 job with some really fun points, it's been very hard for me to be away from the bedside as a nurse. I miss my patients & families (as weary as they can make a person sometimes). But, I'm getting to do alot of things that are building me into a better nurse.

Perhaps I will become a more regular poster, but perhaps I'll just use this as a place to ramble. Time will tell....

Firsts...

Some parents chronicle 1st steps, 1st smiles, and other typical milestones.

Me, I like 1st emergency medical intervention...

On Thursday night, as I was feeding Jack, Miss Ava started monkeying around. As she climbed on the chair, I gently told her, "Ava, get down." Which she did. And then she got right back up again.

Up. And down. Up.

And.......bam! Backwards fall off the arm of the chair onto the floor. Screaming ensued.

Knowing our diva, I figured if I could calm her & get some food, all would be well. Not so this time.

So, we loaded up and headed off to our local, friendly ER. After a very brief wait, we were shown back to a room where we waited. Luckily Mommy NP (from pre-school) was working that night & checked Ava out head to toe. X-rays were ordered & completed.

Then we met Dr. Broken Bones. He decided that we needed to splint Ava's arm because she has a teensy little fracture in her humerus right by the elbow. So, her arm is wrapped from armpit to wrist for the next 2 weeks. Then, we see where we're at!



It slowed her down for a day-ish. Other than climbing, though, she's pretty much back to her usual feisty self.

Are We Crazy?

Before you answer.....read further:

A couple of weeks ago we realized we hadn't taken Jack to get any pictures done. Poor little guy was already falling victim to 3rd child syndrome! So, armed with adorable coordinating outfits and a gift certificate to the photo place, off we went.

We made sure everyone was fed/clean & had toys to play with while we waited. Everyone did well during the wait.

We started off the session with individual portraits. Here's what we ended up with:

Cute, yes?

Then there were the group photos.....

Then, it all went downhill.....here it is in photos. I think they speak for themselves:

I said a quiet blessing for our photographer. Let's just say it will be awhile (maybe years) before we go for family pictures again.

Being a Mom

There are some things that make you a mother. The first time you hold your first baby. The sweet smiles your newborn gives you with his toothless mouth. The innocent open-mouth kisses your toddler gives you.

Then, there are the things that make you a MOM. Sharing any and every meal/snack with your children. Using your own spit to clean their face or hands. Sleeping on a corner of the bed because 2 of your 3 children are in your bed.

This weekend I engaged in a "mom" activity. I bought a mini-van. And, I have to say, it's nice to have room for all of us. Of course, convincing Blake that we don't need to watch a movie every time we get in the car may take a while.....but it's so worth it!

Aahh...

There's nothing like:




a boisterous ACLS class with friends (one of whom has "accidentally" charged the training defibrillator before),



relaxing pedicures with co-workers,




and a yummy margarita to kick off a weekend.





Now if only the kiddos would sleep in tomorrow. One can dream!

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho....

It's off to work I go!

I head back to work on Monday, after exactly 6 weeks off. I'm torn because while I enjoy the freedom to take a nap, I REALLY miss the adult interaction. So, as an attempt to potentially give myself a complete breakdown, I get back one week before our trauma survey (like an audit) hits. Let's just say it's going to be a very busy 1st 2 weeks back.

On another note, we're keeping our fingers crossed that the new childcare situation works out. Although we were delighted with our babysitter, when she was offered a job that included benefits (and her husband had been out of work for a few months), she understandingly jumped at it. It happened to coincide with my return to work. After some fast searching, we have found a small center that we are excited about. Jack will be the youngest baby in his room & should receive lots of cuddling. Ava will be in the toddler room, along with our sitter's daughter & another kid from there.

The next few weeks are going to be hectic as we try to get our routines back in order. But, I think I'm officially ready! Now if only I could take a nap at work.......

The New Addition

Though it's taken a little while to get the pictures up....our little guy is here!

Here's Jack Ira Holwerda:



Born March 15, 2009 at 6:39pm. 7lbs 5oz, 19 inches

We had a fairly fast labor that ended in an incredible, unmedicated delivery. Danny was awesome & supported me the whole time.


Here's all 3 of our little darlin's together. How sweet are they?



We are so thrilled that Jack is here & can't wait to see how he grows & changes!