December 28th - Part 2 (aka Lila's Birthday)

I don't imagine celebrating your birthday at the hospital is what every 4 year old dreams of. Or sharing your birthday with your little brother for the rest of your life, for that matter. However, neither of those happened to me.

 They happened to this wonderful girl:)

We had her birthday all planned out. Lila asked for french toast and sausage for breakfast then cheeseburgers for lunch. Food is very important on birthdays in my book. Anyway, she also asked for an  Ariel cake for dessert. We had presents and party hats all ready to go. So I was torn when we left for the hospital, knowing we wouldn't be there in the morning when she woke up. When I woke my mom up to tell her we were leaving I asked her to make the birthday breakfast and take extra care of Lila. My mom is good at that. So Lila had her favorite breakfast and Chris brought her a special lunch with balloons. Then after nap time everyone came to the hospital to eat cake. What a day. Lila said she had a great birthday and that's all that matters.

There's so much to be said about Lila. She's beautiful, very thoughtful, loving, a lot of fun to be around, a great helper and incredibly smart. I can't believe my baby girl is 4. She has won our hearts a million times over. I'm so grateful and proud of the person she's become and I know she will only get better with age. That's just how she is. Always looking to learn more and do better. I admire her for that and for so many other things. I love how affectionate she is. She is constantly giving hugs and expressing her love to those she cherishes. She has always told me I'm beautiful and that touches my heart every time. I love her eagerness to learn. She loves teaching her brothers what she's learned too. I love her prayers. She takes notices of the details in life and gives thanks for each of them. Her innocence and sincerity compel me to be the same way. There are just so many wonderful things about her. She is my treasure.

Lila had her 4 year checkup and she is 39.75 inches tall and weighs 30 lb.

Here's pics from the birthday fun:

 Happy Birthday Lila!

December 28th - Part 1 (aka Graham's Birth Story)

You know when you expect for something to happen and then it doesn't, you start to think its never going to happen? Yeah, that's how I felt at the end of this pregnancy. This being my 4th pregnancy, I had something to compare it to. Calvin came 1 week early and Emmett came 2 weeks early. I had it in my head baby #4 was coming early. I got more and more anxious every day that went by and no sign of contractions. I went to bed every night wondering if this is going to be the night. Christmas went by and nothing. Then it happened. On Lila's birthday of all days. The night before I didn't feel anything. Chris and I were woken up by a screaming Calvin at 1:30am. At that time I felt a contraction. Then another and another. I told Chris and we watched the clock for 1 more. When I felt like I was in enough pain, I told Chris we were going to the hospital. We were in the car at 3am headed to the hospital. I was admitted after they checked me and I was dilated to 5cm. I told them right away I wanted an epidural, but of course I had to wait for blood work and paper work to be done. Chris and I had yet to agree on a name at that point. We talked about it a little while we waited but still hadn't settled on a name. At 5:30am I finally received the epidural. It seemed to work right away but then all of a sudden it didn't. I told the nurse I was still feeling pain on my lower left abdomen. They couldn't figure out why at first and then they checked me again and I was already in transition. Things happened too quickly for it to work completely. My legs were numb but my abdomen was not. I could feel the baby moving down and further down. Then he reached the point where I was numb and it was all good. I had to push 3 or 4 times and he was out. He was screaming very loudly and I felt immediate relief. Relief I was no longer pregnant. Relief he was healthy. Relief the labor and delivery was over and the pain subsided for a moment. Man, it was painful but thank goodness it all happened so fast. It wasn't until after baby was cleaned up and I was holding him that Chris asked me what I wanted to name him. I said, Graham, of course. Chris said, ok, Graham it is. Just like that he had a name.

Graham Hyrum Johnson, born on Saturday, December 28, 2013 at 6:45am. He weighed 7lb 4oz and was 20.5 inches long. He is so adorable and we all love him dearly.

Here's pics from the big day.

Welcome to the family, Graham:)

Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas. From the start of Christmas season all the way to the end, we had a blast. Lila and Calvin are at fun ages. They understand about baby Jesus and that we celebrate his birth. While also looking forward to Santa bringing them presents. We all love picking out the tree and decorating it. Making and decorating cookies is a tradition, too. Chris and I were able to attend an amazing Christmas concert. We definitely will be going again next year. Our ward Christmas party was fun with a 'Polar Express' theme. The kids wore pajamas and were given a train ticket. They asked to watch 'Polar Express' all week long leading up to the party so they were familiar with it. We also managed to watch plenty other Christmas movies. Some were watched over and over again:) Christmas morning was great as the kids opened stockings and presents. My parents and brother, Scott were here as well. Having them here made it extra special. Yes, it was the most wonderful time of the year.

Here's pics from the month of December: