Captured Moments

In no particular order... some of the pictures that put a smile on my face from the end of December to the beginning of February

"Every baby needs a white blanket for his blessing," is what my friend, Kristin said when she brought over this beautiful blanket that she made for Luke. Thank you so much for all of the time spent. I love it.

Completely content in my friend Leah's arms

. This kid is all boy. His 3 favorite things right now are his Superman shirt and hat and of course...his sword. Always tucked safely in his shirt-ready to use at a moments notice.

Throw in his Buzz Lightyear gun and he is in heaven!

One of the many notes Kate taped up for Luke on his cradle. She ADORES him.

On our way home from Target after purchasing the helmet...it was tough to get the thing off without him waking up!

Bag Ladies... At least they have an imagination, right?? They came up with this one on their own. Can you tell I like Target??

Luke at 1 1/2 months old

First pair of jeans a few weeks later

I think he likes them!

QT

Luke will always have a fan

What a Difference

January 4, 2011 --Luke's original due date.

We had to celebrate Luke on the day he was supposed to be born. It was so strange... it seemed like he had been with us for so long when January 4th rolled around. The kids wanted to make a birthday cake for him...notice the "K" is smeared? Yes, I believe they both have evidence of frosting on their faces...

You've gotta see this though. I was shocked as I looked back on the pictures that we've been taking over the past couple of months. Look at Luke during his bath. This was taken on December 27th-- 1 month and a day after he was born...And here he is on February 28th-- 2 months later!!!

I don't think I can call him a preemie anymore!!! In fact, as I type this, Luke has already been in for his 14 week check up. When I took him out of the carseat and the pediatrician took one look at him, he just started laughing. "Um, I don't think you need to be supplementing your milk anymore!" Yeah, I stopped that a LONG time ago. Haha!

Let's Just Add to the Chaos Because We Can

I believe that kids instinctively know when you are unable to intervene...like when I sit down to nurse Luke or am on the phone with the insurance lady and it doesn't appear that I'll be getting off any time soon. This was one of those moments. I had given Kate her art lesson on texture and she was supposed to replicate Van Gogh's Sunflowers using paint to create her masterpiece. It was decent outside, so of course the art project moved outdoors to cut down on the cleanup at the kitchen table. Jake wanted to join in, so I got them all set up and then went inside and called our insurance to discuss some bills...

Yes, this is what I found as I peered out the backdoor while still talking to the lady on the phone.

What do you do?! I finally was able to get off the phone and of course Luke woke up and was crying...

There was no way they were coming in the house like that! It was starting to get a little chilly. I did the only thing I could think of in a hurry. Yes, it was January (but we live in CA), I made them strip down to their skinnies and I squirted the hose right at those kids until they were decent to enter the house. It was cold water and boy were they screaming! But you know what? They haven't done it since :) I had a warm bath waiting for them as soon as they got in the house. I'm not THAT mean.

OUTNUMBERED...

AND FEELING IT!!! This kind of sums up why I haven't been blogging as of late :) I almost completely threw in the towel because I figured I just didn't have time to do this anymore...not that Luke is a hard baby...he is actually one of the most peaceful babies ever and just loves to snuggle... it's the turn of events with numero dos while recovering and trying to homeschool numero uno that almost did us in. But I realized I blog more than I write in my journal, so this needs to continue!

There's really no other way to put it. Jake has been SOMETHING ELSE! When we finally returned from Luke's great arrival, Jake suddenly for the very first time in his life, started waking up and coming into our room 5-6 times a night... refusing to take his naps, he turned into something of a wild creature, and really blew us all out of the water. Thankfully there were no hard feelings towards his little brother... let me just give you a couple of examples...

1. One evening while putting dinner on the table, I called to the kids to come sit down and eat. It took a few calls to get Jake to come on over and when he finally did, he had his sword stuck in the back of his shirt with a scrunched up nose and a hand on a hip and exclaimed, "This bad Lamanite is NOT hungry!" Don't know what a Lamanite is? Let me know. I'll get you a copy of The Book of Mormon-- another testament of Jesus Christ.... it'll change your life.
2. How 'bout when I found him with scissors cutting up a perfectly good book. When I looked at him, he said with a smile, "I'm cutting the book."
3. Or what about when he pooped in his diaper and instead of coming to tell me so I could change him, he decided it'd be more fun to run around naked in his room... you can imagine how fun that was to clean up.
4. Speaking of diapers, when we told him he's a big boy now and shouldn't need diapers anymore his reply was, 'I'm not a big boy. I'm widdle. I'll poop in the potty when I'm older." Clearly if you can say that, you are ready.

Hmmmm.... the list continues but that's good for now. We are down to him only getting up usually once a night now (the baby is already sleeping through the night, so something is backwards there!) But he's getting more rest 9and so are we) so things are looking up!

Just the other day we were going to Target to pick up some baseball mitts and helmets and bats for the the kids. I was explaining the difference between baseball and softball to Jake. Later that day, Jake decided to share this new info with one of his friend's mom. He began by telling her what we bought and then with this cutest expression he said, "Yeah, GIRLS play softball." I asked him what boys play and he said, "LOUD BALL!!!" Gotta love it.

Tiny Little Moments at Home

Kate mentioned the other day, "Mom, you know what I want for Christmas? Luke and my Mommy and Daddy and Jakers. That's all I want." I'd have to agree. Wrap a bow around our little Luke and he is our perfect gift. How blessed we feel to have him home in time to celebrate another's birth...our Savior, Jesus Christ. Here are a few moments at home:

Do you think he's getting enough love???

We Didn't Forget About Them...

Oh yeah! Our other kids :) Kate loves sleepovers, and boy did she get her fill! She and Jake spent their first night at their cousins and then moved over to Momo and BG's house to be spoiled for the next 2 1/2 weeks. Bubble baths, movies, toys, cookies, treats and more treats...hugs and kisses from Momo and BG! They loved it.



Can you tell??

THANK YOU Mom and Dad for helping us so much during this time. We had loving babysitters, 3 meals a day, laundry service and a cozy home to stay in while we went through this emotional ride in the NICU. We have felt and continue to feel such an outpouring of love from all of our family and friends. Thank you for all of your prayers, support and service!!!

Kate's first time holding Luke. She hates to let him go. She's attached to his hip if that's possible!

Jake's first time really seeing Luke. He came once into the NICU while I was there. He looked at Luke and said, "Does he walk? Does he talk?" Then I handed Luke back to the nurse and Jake got a quiver in his voice and said, "Why is she taking him away from us?" It broke my heart. He has been protective ever since and doesn't like people he doesn't recognize to hold Luke.

Luke is better than any baby doll you can buy at the store...Kate is in love. So are we :)

IV's, Wires, and Amazing Nurses

I never knew how hard it would be to change a baby in an isolet or feed one with so many wires and iv's attached to him...we got pretty good at it...after I was released from the hospital, we were back 3x a day to hold and feed and check on Little Luke. We celebrated the day he was able to regulate his temperature well enough to be in an open air crib!



We absolutely loved the nurses in the NICU and knew each of them by name. They made it the most pleasant experience possible. Julie (what a coincidence) was one our favorites. She loved Luke and took such good care of him. We were so grateful for all of the nurses and doctors who helped him gain enough strength to come home.

Sunday night, December 12th, we got a surprise call from one of the nurses. We could take Luke home. They gave us special permission to bring in the kids (the rule is 2 at a time) so we could take our first family photo.

I couldn't have been happier to get the little guy into his carseat and take him home ot my parents house where we would stay for a few more days, just to make sure he was stable.

A Thanksgiving Suprise

My official due date was supposed to be January 4, 2011. The day before Thanksgiving I went in for a normal checkup and everything looked good except for the fact that I had gained a whopping 15 pounds in the last 2 weeks. Yes, you read that right-- I was so swollen I barely recognized myself. Joe wondered if I could get any bigger... Thank you, honey. Just a huge baby? A possibility... As I was about to leave, my doctor asked me how the baby's movement was. Actually, I had noticed that it had decreased in the last week...but I had been really busy, so maybe I just wasn't paying attention. He wanted to do a non-stress test on the baby, so I went ahead and did it and then left. I figured he'd call me if something didn't look good. I got the call while I was driving home. "I don't like the looks of that test." He told me to count the baby's kicks after dinner that night. He needed to kick at least 5x within an hour after eating. I was sick... I was scared... I knew something wasn't quite right. I got the 5 kicks but then felt nothing until 4AM. The doctor told me if I had any doubt, to go to the hospital. I went the day after Thanksgiving and never left. Apparently the baby's tracing was no good. His heartbeat was strong, but he was not moving inside of me. The hospital is about 40 minutes away from us. I love it there. I delivered Kate and Jake there and really wanted to stick with them even though we had moved to Pleasanton. My mom happened to call while I was in the hospital getting checked and I told her where I was, but she didn't need to come down, because I was doing fine. I really was calm, and there was a part of me that really believed they would check me and send me home. Then my doctor arrived and a Stanford perinatologist. When they said this was serious, I began to shake and I wished I had told her to come down (they are only 10 minutes from El Camino Hospital). I didn't want to be alone. I was terrified. I called Joe and told him he needed to get the kids to my sisters house because I wasn't leaving. The next thing I knew, they were wheeling me into another room to do more tests...as the nurse and I turned the corner, there sat my mom, dad, and Chris--I wasn't alone. I cried as my mom explained that she had a feeling they needed to get in the car and come down to the hospital immediately. I cried even more when Joe arrived. I could face whatever was coming with my family by my side.

After plenty of tests, the doctors looked at me and said, "Do you have any questions about C-sections?" What?!!! Yes! I wasn't planning on a C-section, let alone having my baby 6 weeks early! From there, it was really a whirlwind. Before I knew it, we were in the operating room and I was having an emergency C-section.

LUKE MICHAEL BERRYHILL was born on November 26th at 4:08PM. He was 5 pounds and 18.75 inches long. He came out silent and once again, I panicked for those long seconds that felt like years, until I heard a scream. I saw his little face for only a moment and then Joe rushed out with him as he was taken to the NICU.

My sweet little baby boy was apparently trying to help me when he was in utero. My placenta wasn't the healthiest and Luke was doing his best to try and clot the bleeding that was going on inside of me. He was using up all of his energy, platelets, WBC, and bone marrow to try and fix me. As a result he was barely getting the oxygen he needed to survive and didn't have any reserves to rely on.

So he spent 2 1/2 weeks here. I don't think I've ever been on an emotional roller coaster ride quite like this one. It's one I hope we never have to experience again.

Welcome Home!!!

Joe's youngest brother, David, returned home a week before Thanksgiving. He had been serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for 2 years up in Washington. He could email and write letters once a week, but we weren't aloud to visit him or talk to him on the phone, except for Christmas and Mother's Day. You can tell that Mom was overjoyed to embrace her baby!


It was hard to wait your turn for a hug!!!

We Love You David!!!

Of course, we had to celebrate after such an exciting moment in the Sacramento Airport! We hit a yogurt shop that happened to be open late on a Tuesday night and briefly caught up before everyone headed back to their homes. What a great night!

"I'm Not a Big Boy... I'm Wittle!!!"

Yes, but we need you to be a big boy so we can transition you out of the crib well before your brother arrives!!!!
So, we put together a toddler bed for Jake and he couldn't wait to get into it. This was his first night... He got special treatment while Kate read a bedtime story to him...

I snuggled him in, sang him a song and even when he looked up and said, "Rock me, Mommy," I rocked him for a little bit. He was set. This was going to be great!

Ten minutes later, I hear sobbing about how he doesn't like his big boy bed and he wants to sleep in his "wittle bed." It only seemed to get worse. Naps were a complete joke. This is what I found one day after peaking in to check on him. His room was completely destroyed. A broken lamp, all of his clothes pulled out of the drawers...wipes and diapers scattered everywhere... and Jakers is sacked out on his beanbag.

I know it takes time, but how much time?? No one is sleeping because of this little guys new found freedom of a big boy bed. He comes flying around the corner at 10PM with this "I just broke out of jail" smile and is rearing to go. The funny thing is, the bags are so big under his eyes, that he could trip on them! I have to admit, I loved the crib. I was in control... now I'm afraid, that is no longer.

The Grand Prize

No...I'm not kidding. A few days after the contest, about the time Joe comes home from work, the doorbell rang. The kids came tearing down the hall to see who had come to visit. "Who is it?!!" No answer. Again... "Who IS IT?!!" Still, nothing. I told them to go ahead and open the door and there she stood--all alone on the front step-- Kate shrieked with glee, while I saw Jake immediately coil up and with wide eyes, slowly back his way around the corner, into the kitchen saying, "No, no, no".
The next thing we hear is Joe's laughter from around the corner. Yes, this giraffe was the grand prize for the pumpkin decorating contest. If I had known, maybe I wouldn't have tried so hard :) The kids love her now... they've named her Spotty. Joe suggested to his colleagues that she could be the traveling giraffe, taking turns in each of the homes with children. They all laughed at him and ever-so-kindly responded-- "No way-- she's all yours." Nice.