The Birthday Letters and Rice Crispy Cake

My Lil' O recently turned 3. It's crazy, I know!

A little before his first birthday, I had a friend who I noticed wrote letters for her children on their birthdays each year. I loved the idea, so I made it a tradition in our house.

Each year, on or just after their birthday, I write a special letter to each of my children. I include their achievements from the year, their current favorite things, the special characteristics we love about them, and any extra thoughts I want to include.

Someday, around the time they prepare to leave the nest, I'll give them all the birthday letters as a gift. I hope it will provide them with a special memory of their childhood and a reminder of how far they've come and how strong they are.

Here's O's birthday letter this year:

Dear Oliver,

Happy Birthday my Little Man, you're three years old! This year was pretty big for you, you made lots of changes and started lots of new things!

The biggest change was becoming a big brother, and what a great big brother you are! You've loved Elliott Dan from the moment we found out he was coming. You would hug and kiss my belly and say, "I love Elliott Dan." It was so sweet. Then he came and you were so excited! You've never been jealous or gotten upset about him taking some of my time. You tell me important things you're going to teach him when he gets bigger all the time. I think you're going to be such a great teacher and protector and companion for Elliott!

This year you also learned how to ride a big boy bike with training wheels and go to the bathroom by yourself without diapers. What a big boy you're getting to be. Your Dad and I can hardly believe it! You are learning so much so quickly! You've also memorized the first three Articles of Faith, the ABC's, and you can count to 14. You love the time we spend together learning about all sorts of new things, like the Hubble Telescope. You're like a sponge, you love to soak in all the information you can. You have so many questions about the world that I have a hard time keeping up sometimes!

There are lots of things you love to do. Your favorite right now is building space ships and other things out of Legos. You're a great builder, I love watching you fit the pieces together! You also love riding your bike and reading. Sometimes we sit on the coach and read together for over an hour. You love critters and want to make friends with anything we meet. You still love anything that has to do with trains, your Dad loves it!

We love watching you grow and sharing your love for everything new. We want you to know how much we love you and how much your Savior and Father in Heaven love you. This year you started to bear your testimony on fast Sundays. We encourage you to continue to share your testimony and help it grow. You've helped me strengthen my testimony of the family and the love Christ has for us. I'm so grateful for you in our lives. I love your sweet smile, funny sense of humor, and little freckles. I can't wait to spend another year watching you grow. I love you!

Love,

Your Mom

This year for his birthday, O got to celebrate twice. Once in Idaho with all our family there, and again on his actual birthday after we got back. Both times he really wanted a Thomas the Tank Engine cake. Lil' O is allergic to eggs and doesn't really like cake, but he loves rice crispy treats. So, I decided I could make a fun rice crispy treat cake for his birthday. I, of course, turned to pinterest, where I was a little disappointed in the lack of tips and tutorials on making a rice crispy cake. After getting some great tips from my husband's step-mom, who made a gorgeous rice crispy cake for my brother-in-law's wedding, I dove elbow deep into marshmallows, butter, and rice crispies. 

Here's how each turned out:

Here's how I did it:

First, I came up with a plan for the shape of my cake. The awesome thing about rice crispies is there's no baking, so you can use whatever pan/dish/tupperware is the shape you want. For the first cake, I used a deep fry pan and a springform cake pan.

They were the exact sizes I needed and I liked that they would have different edges when I pressed the treats in. The bottom layer's edge would be rounded while the top layer's would be squared.

For the second cake, I had to get a little more creative so I could have a rounded top on the hill. I used a deep frying pan, a small pot, and a bowl that fit perfectly on the pot when turned upside-down.

To prep the forms I simply lined them with tin foil and coated them with a little butter so the rice crispy treat wouldn't stick.

Next, I gathered my supplies. It took a surprising amount of rice crispies to fill my forms. The first time I had to send my husband running to the store for more of everything, since it took twice the amount of rice crispy treats I was anticipating. For example, the first cake took 5 1/2 batches of rice crispy treats. The second took 3 batches.

Third, I made the rice crispy treats and pressed them into the forms. This was a bit of a process. After the first batch, I got into a rhythm. I would make a batch of rice crispies, pour it into a form, start the next batch of rice crispies, and then go back and press the previous batch down. This would give the first batch a little time to cool before I buttered my hands up and started pressing it in. I was told that pressing the rice crispy treats into the forms tightly is crucial, especially if you're making a layered cake. This makes the layers strong enough to stack.

Here's the recipe I used:

Rice Crispy Treats

1/2 c. Butter, cut into a couple pads

1 10oz. pkg. Mini Marshmallows or 40 Large Marshmallows

6 c. Rice Krispy Cereal

1/4 tsp. Vanilla

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is almost melted, add the marshmallows and continue to stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and cereal. Press into pan.

Fourth, I left the treats to set up and cool while I went to find a cake plate. I left my treats for several hours so they were well set-up before I started removing them from the pans. In the meantime I went searching for a cake plate big enough to fit my bottom layer. Thankfully, I was able to find one stashed away in the basement! I cut a piece of wax paper to put between the cake plate and the cake for easier clean-up later.

Fifth, I removed the treats from the pans and assembled the cake. This was a little trickier than I had anticipated. I was grateful for the tip to use tin foil. This allowed me to remove the treats from the forms and set them where I wanted them without getting sticky. I simply removed the tin foil after they were set in place. After I got the first layer on the cake plate, I used a knife to cut around the edge of the wax paper I had set down so it wouldn't show later.

Before I set the second layer on, I wanted something delicious in between. I grabbed the jar of Nutella and slathered it on.

There wasn't quite enough left in the jar to cover the way I wanted, so I also added some frosting.

Here's the assembled cake before I decorated it:

Finally, I decorated it. We're not really lovers of fondant at my house, and I'm not the best frosting maker, so I simply used a couple cans of store-bought frosting. It was fun coming up with a plan for the train tracks and seeing everything turn out. The best part was seeing O's face each morning. He was so excited about his Thomas cakes!

So, next time you have a birthday in your family, try something new and fun and make a rice crispy cake!
Don't forget a serrated knife to dig in!

The Top 5 Things I Learned About Potty-Training

About a year ago we started to potty-train O. He was 2 years old, showing mild interest, and the other moms in our playgroup were talking about it, so I figured it must be time. I hate to get into anything without knowing what to expect, so I jumped online and read every article and blog post I could find on the big PT. I studied up on the "3-Day Method" that comes up on Pinterest all the time and decided that with my obsessive compulsive nature, having a toddler leave little puddles all over the floor for 3 days wasn't gonna fly. I read some other methods and wasn't entirely convinced they were a good fit for us either. I decided to come up with my own method. Of course, because after years of mothers teaching their children how to use the bathroom I was going to come up with something that worked so much better... or something. Right.

He'd had a potty for awhile and he loved it. We picked it up at his first sign of interest, which was, of course, a little early. I love it's versatility though and would recommend it to anyone. It can be used as a little potty chair, the seat can be removed and used as a potty seat on the big toilet, or the lid can be closed and it can be used as a stool.

I made a little chart for him to put stickers on and we got started. I decided that I would have him stay in his diaper until he actually went in the potty a certain number of times, then we would help him pick out some underwear and go from there. I watched him closely and he did get on the potty a couple times throughout the week, so we progressed to the next step and he picked out some underwear. I don't know that I've ever cleaned up so many accidents as that first day in underwear. I didn't dare take him anywhere in them or let him sleep in them, so we were always changing in and out of diapers and underwear. All the veteran moms are now shaking their heads and saying, "Yeah, that was never going to work." I figured this out pretty quick and decided he just wasn't ready.

I decided to wait a couple months until he was a little older and more ready. Meanwhile, we found out we were expecting, so now the pressure was on. I was determined not to have two kids in diapers, because that would be the end of the world, right? Hah! I put aside my fastidious nature in the interest of conquering this potty training mountain and decided we would try the "3-Day Method." After all, I could put up with a little urine everywhere for 3 days, right? At first things were great and I thought it was working. We had quite a few accidents, but also quite a few successes. I was almost considering calling us potty trained when I realized an important detail of our successes: Me. O wasn't actually deciding when to go to the bathroom, I was reminding him every 30 minutes or so and then dragging him in to the bathroom when it seemed as though it had been long enough. If I left it up to him, I would find him standing in a puddle. I was actually the one who was almost potty trained, not O. So we waited again.

The tricky part about my sweet Little Man was that he didn't care if he was wet or stinky. His diaper could be so full of pee it was hanging between his knees and he would be totally unaware. He could clear a room his stench was so bad and he would still fight you about laying down long enough to change it. He just had better things to do, I guess. A couple months before the baby came we were staying at my mom's house and decided to try again. If anyone could help me potty train this kid, it would surely be her. No cigar, he still was just not ready.

Finally, a couple weeks shy of his 3rd birthday, he started to admit to us when he was stinky and needed to be changed. Hallelujah! We tried potty training one more time before his Dad went back to school and it worked like a dream. Until this point I had decided potty training was the hardest part of parenting, but I changed my mind after he finally started going by himself.

Here he is with his "Potty Prize."

Here are the top 5 lessons I learned through all this:

#5- They need an example. Before we potty trained O, I insisted on my privacy in the bathroom. It was my 5 lone minutes to recollect myself throughout the day and I was not going to give that up! Little ones need an example though, so I had to unlock the door for a couple months while he learned how to use the potty. It really did help him learn and get excited about being like Mom and Dad.

#4- Don't be afraid to use incentives. Do I usually let my toddler chow down on candy regularly or run around covered in temporary tattoos of the Ninja Turtles? No, but if it means he'll be excited to go potty, then by all means have at it. It's only for a week or two and then you can return to the no-candy regimen. Use whatever seems to motivate your toddler. Maybe it's stickers or balloons, awesome, get a bag and they'll get practicing.

#3- Use their want for independence. Toddlers are in that frustrating stage where they want to do things on their own, but just don't seem to be big enough. This is something you want them to be able to do on their own, so play that up! They'll love how "big" they feel when they can go by themselves and get rid of their diapers.

#2- Be excited. No one wants to learn to do something that's boring and mundane, so we have to make it seem exciting. Cheer them on, do a little dance when they finally go, give them a high-five when they remember to use soap. Make it exciting and fun so they'll want to go.

#1- They have to be ready. As my story illustrates, the hardest lesson for me was knowing when he was actually ready. If they're not ready, it's going to be really hard. Sometimes the difference of a couple months is huge. So don't be afraid to wait. So what if they're a little older, everyone learns eventually.

Hopefully, these lessons that took me a year to learn will come in handy for you! Do you have any lessons you learned while potty training your child? Post them in the comments! I'd love to hear them since I'll be going through this again in a few short years!

10 Stay-At-Home Date Night Ideas

   

When my husband and I were dating it seemed like the endless flirting and gitty feelings would go on forever. While I still think my husband is a regular Don Juan and we have a great relationship, everyday life dulls our excitement for one another sometimes. It happens to everyone. You get out of bed in the morning and you each have your own agenda for the day.

Exhibit A: I try to scramble into the shower before Kirra wakes up while Eric jets off to the gym for a couple of hours. When he gets back I am busy bathing Kirra and making the bed before I start making his lunch for him to take to work. He gets in the shower and gets ready for work and in no time at all he is out the door for the day and I am beginning the to-do list at the house. Of course we have a kiss goodbye but thats about all the morning has time for.

I love my husband and we have so much fun together that it is really hard to see our relationship go from careless single dating to the doldrums of married life. But guess what? I'm here to tell you that there is hope! Of course everyday life has to continue. Eric still has to go to work to provide for our family. I still have to do the laundry and dirty dishes. However, we can take time-out for our relationship and bask in those fresh lovey-dovey feelings that we enjoyed during our responsibility-free single lives.

Welcome to my cherished list of at-home dates. As many of your know, Eric and I have Kirra our 9 month old beauty box. She is a sweetheart and we love her to pieces but the fact is that you can't have a night out all of the time when you have kids. Babysitters are great but I have found that Eric and I need more "us" time than once a week. As a solution we have created a few dates that we can have after Kirra goes to bed. That way we can enjoy one another without ever leaving home. (Note: I feel it IS important to leave the house and get out together as well). The thing I love about at-home dates is that they can be multiple times during the week if you like!

Some of my dates are more romantic than others because everyone knows that sometimes you want to be romantic and sometimes you just want to have fun being silly and interacting with your spouse. So I suggest selecting the date depending on your mood and that of your spouse.

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The at Home Date List

1. Build a Fort- This is one of my favorites because it really brings out the inner child in both of you. We always use blankets draped over furniture but there are many ways to create a fort. Once our fort is made we either eat dinner in there, watch a movie, play a game, reminisce, or just snuggle!

2. Have a War- This can exist in so many forms. We have had pillow wars, tickle wars, pinching wars, water wars, and our new favorite-- Nerf wars. I recently purchased two Boom guns with tons of bullets and now we just keep them out and randomly one of us declares war. Also, They are super inexpensive and totally worth the initial investment.

I highly recommend at least giving this one a try. We have so much fun hiding from each other and making barricades. The first Nerf war we had was after Kirra went to bed so we had to be really quiet as we ran around the house shooting each other. We turned out all of the lights except one above the stairs so that it was  pretty dark. The next morning I took a picture of the table Eric upturned in his desperate attempt to shield himself form my relentless Nerf bullets. ;)

3. Play Board Games- Now don't immediately skip over this idea. Have you actually tried this before? It can be pretty fun playing with just the two of you. Eric and I have a few cards games and one board game that we really like. Of course there is the classic Uno and endless possibilities with a traditional deck of cards. We also enjoy Tenzi which was given to us as a gift from Eric's grandparents. There are a lot of variations that are possible with that game. The board game that we own is called Balderdash. We have played this one together and it is entertaining because the idea of the game is to make up your own definition of words and make it sound legitimate in order to convince your opponent (your spouse) that it is correct. 

4. Romantic Bubble Bath- A normal bath can be spruced into a date by adding and subtracting a few things in a couple of minutes. First of all I remove all "unromantic" items from my bathtub/shower. 

Then add some romantic items like candles and petals. Next, fill the tub with hot water and bubbles. If you love bath salts then go ahead and throw some of those in there too! 

Turn off the overhead bathroom light so that the area is ascetically pleasing and wall-ah! This is a date that can be set up in minutes, enjoyed in the evening after work, or after the kids go to bed. It is a great date for relaxing.

5. Create a Movie Story- Pick a random movie. This movie doesn't even have to look like it's gonna be good. Mute the T.V. and take turns making up the dialogue and the character's lines. Eric and I always go in the comical direction with this. It is really fun laughing at what your partner makes up and creating an outrageous story.

6. Cook Together- Choose something that you and your partner both want to eat. Then, find a recipe and cook together! This can happen almost every night of the week if you want! Just make dinner side by side. Eric and I usually divide and conquer, one of us cuts everything up while the other is cooking. This date is fun because it gives you something to do together while you talk and joke around. In order to make this a more exciting date, choose a recipe that is more complicated than you would usually try and take a stab at it. 

7. Start a Project Together- One of the funnest dates Eric and I have ever had at home is sanding our kitchen table together. In our first apartment Eric's dad gave us a kitchen table. Eric and I decided that we had big plans to turn this table into something amazing. Of course we didn't have any power tools or anything so we bought a couple sheets of sanding paper at the hardware store and we went to work. It turns out that sanding an entire kitchen table and four chairs by hand takes a lot longer then one date, so this date went on for many moons... 

(Eventually we borrowed a power sander)

But it was ok because we talked and got covered in sawdust together on more then one occasion. There is something about working towards a goal together that is fun and romantic. The amount of project possibilities are endless. I would definitely suggest choosing something that you and your partner are both really passionate about so that you are always excited to be working on it together.

Finished Product!

8. Go to Another Country for the Night- Pick a country and pretend that you are there for the night. Make something for dinner or dessert that originates from the country and try to find something in your wardrobe that resembles attire from the country as well. 

Eric and I love being adventurous with food so this is a good one for us. We love asian cuisine and we have fun using asian dining ware when we want to have an asian date night at home. 

9. Movie Night- The tried and true movie night. This is a classic that in my opinion, too many couples fall back on. Movie night can be fun if you don't abuse it. When every date night is movie night then watching movies will no longer feel like a date. I'm just warning you. 

Now, if your going to do movie date night, do it right. Pop some popcorn, get some candy and some beverages out and make the couch taco. Are you kidding me? You don't know what a couch taco is? Oh my goodness you need this is your life. ;) First of all, position your couch in the optimal viewing position to the T.V. now take the other coach, love seat, or chair in your living room and positional it facing the other couch. 

This should create a huge laying platform in front of the T.V. The couch taco is comfortable for everyone and is the perfect cuddle situation! Now enjoy the movie and each other's company.

10. Star Gazing- The title of this date pretty much says it all. Just look at the stars together. Eric and I like to have competitions to see who can see the first/most shooting stars. If the baby or kids are sleeping just take the baby monitor out on the porch with you and relax. In the winter we take hot cocoa out with us. On one occasion we took turns asking each other questions while we looked at the sky. I think experiences like this are important in a relationship. Awing over the wonder of things much bigger than us really brings out deep conversation. It is beautiful to share one's inner most thoughts with the one you love. And being trusted with their thoughts and feelings gives you something to share and protect as a couple, bringing you closer.  So this date is definitely a deep one. 

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Every good thing in life takes time and care to keep it great. Relationships are the same way. Dating is important because it keeps couples close. For me, I know that I have the best guy on the planet and I would never want us to drift apart. We have so much fun together and have become so close that I think we are starting to think alike! I can't believe how perfect love is. Don't get me wrong, life doesn't have to be perfect in order for one to have a perfect love. In fact, I have noticed with Eric and I that it is usually when life is the furthest from perfect that we are closest. On that note, I'm going to say, enjoy your special person and find an evening soon that you can have your date night. :)

         

                

 

(Just look at that cutie, of course I want a date night with him.) :)

DIY Canvas Wall Art

I'll be the first to admit I'm not great at interior decorating.

Each time we move, I leave the decorating to the very end of the moving-in to-do list, because I'm just not that comfortable with it. When I do get around to doing it, I usually start with the kitchen and living room and go from there. This way the areas that are frequented by guests are at least done, even if the rest of the house is a little sparse.

When we moved into our current house and O had his own room, I made a goal to decorate his room so it would be a special space just for him. I started with a couple ideas and then didn't get around to them. So, it was one of my summer goals to get the boy's room ready. It was a huge help when my grandmother decided to make matching quilts for the boys and my other grandmother decided to make a matching wall hanging. They're super cute and I'm so excited to use them! This got me going and I finally made myself sit down and work on the canvas wall art I had been planning for so long.

I knew I wanted to do the boy's room in planes, trains, and automobiles, since O loves anything that moves. So I dug out a neat old calendar I had saved from the first year we were married. It was a vintage inspired Lionel Trains calendar. I decided it would make a cool collage for their room.

I love up-cycling things and using supplies I already have, so I pulled out what I needed and made a plan.

Even if you don't have all of these items on hand, this is an affordable project. Especially since almost all of these items can be used again for future projects! I love adding new supplies to my craft bin, don't you?

Here's a list of what I used:

 Acrylic Paint- We usually use either Apple Barrel or Folk Art

Modge Podge

Paint Brush- Just an affordable pack with good reviews would be great for this project

Canvases

Calendar

 The only thing I had to grab was a couple canvases in the size I wanted. For the space I'm trying to fill I needed 11x14in. canvases. I grabbed mine in a two-pack at Hobby Lobby for a great deal and then got home and found out they were pretty warped. I've since learned from a reliable source that this is not uncommon for this particular product. I would suggest getting a little higher-quality canvases. However, if you're on a tight budget, like me, then here is how my dad and I fixed them:

 That's right... toothpicks! Just put one in each of the warped corners and pound them in until it flattens out the canvas. So simple and no one will ever know!

With my canvases flattened out, I was ready to get started.

First, I gave each of the canvases a base coat of paint. This way I didn't have to cover every inch of canvas if I didn't want to. This also gives the sides a finished look.

Side note on the paint: My mom is a genius with acrylic, she uses it all the time. When I went to start this project I noticed we didn't have much black left in the Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint bottle. I mentioned going to grab a fresh bottle and she said, "I picked up a quart since I'm always running out of black." I ran downstairs to the craft room to find it and couldn't because she keeps it with the cans of house paint. What?! Is that the same thing? If it's acrylic indoor paint it totally is! This saves you from having to buy a million of the little bottles for bigger projects. Plus, she found out that you can get what's called a "trial can" at your local hardware store for an even better deal. They offer them for people who want to try a color before deciding what they want. They're the perfect size for craft projects!

While this was drying, I opened up the calendar and started cutting out anything I thought would look nice in a collage. For this project I thought the cut edges would look nice, but ripping the paper would also have been an option.

After I had all the pieces I wanted cut out, I began arranging them on the canvases. I felt as though this was going to be the hardest part. Fortunately for me, little Elliott got hungry just as I started this and my brother's friend who works at Hobby Lobby took over while I fed him. When I came back she had the cut-outs all arranged and I loved them!

All that was left was for me to trim the edges and Modge Podge the pieces down. I used a pencil to mark where the edges of the canvas were on the pictures and then I cut them to fit. Finally, I began Modge Podging everything down. 

I wish I had looked up some tips before I started this part of the project. I only Modge Podge often enough to not remember what I learned from the previous project, haha! This time I learned that you should adhere the picture to the canvas, smooth out all the bubbles, and let it dry before applying a top coat. This is a little tricky when doing a collage due to all the layers, but when I did this as best I could on the second canvas, it was easier to keep things from bubbling. Also, the bubbles flattened out a lot as it dried, which was a huge relief!

Here are the finished products:

I'm very happy with my first collage project and I can't wait to see them up in my boy's room!

Baby Elliott: A Birth Story

A couple weeks ago we welcomed our little Elliott into the world. It was a beautiful experience, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to share it with you!

Elliott's birth story has a beginning in O's birth story. When I had O I didn't progress after having regular contractions, so I eventually had a Cesarean Section. When I found I was pregnant again, I had two choices: elect for another C-Section, or attempt a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean(VBAC). After a lot of research, discussion, thought, and prayer, I decided to try the VBAC under certain conditions. I wanted Elliott's safety above all, so I didn't want to push too hard for the VBAC. My doctor and I discussed things and decided it would be safest if I went into labor on my own. I decided Elliott's due date would be a good cut off day for me. I realize this limited my chances for a successful VBAC, but it also limited the chances for an unsuccessful VBAC or emergency C-Section. Since unsuccessful VBACs and emergency C-Sections are much harder on both baby and mom, I was more worried about avoiding these two situations than being able to say I'd had a vaginal birth.

Here I am at almost 32 weeks.

At 32 weeks along I went in for a check-up and baby Elliott was already head-down. I thought this was great and could heighten my chances for getting to VBAC.
At 36 weeks along he was still head-down and I was 70% effaced. I was really excited about this since that's as far as I got with O. I never dilated, I only effaced 70%. I figured this would give plenty of time for my body to begin to dilate. If I could dilate a little, then the doctor could strip my membranes at 39 weeks and that could help my body go into labor on it's own.
I did several things to help get labor going over the next few weeks. I walked and jumped on the trampoline and continued my daily squats and yoga, but nothing happened. I never dilated or even effaced past that first 70%. I had sets of contractions several times, but my body never progressed.

The night before we went in for the C-Section.

My C-Section was scheduled for 7am June 8. They called me the day before and asked me to be there at 5am. I'm not a morning person, so I wasn't exactly thrilled to be getting up that early, but I set my alarm for 4:30am and Mike and I made it there by 5. Since I'd been having contractions off and on for a couple days I asked the nurse to check me one more time, just in case I had started to progress. She hooked me up to the monitor, but there weren't any contractions and I hadn't progressed any more. Part of me was disappointed and part of me was relieved. I still occasionally fight the thought that it's frustrating my body is unable to perform one of the important tasks it was created for. I try to replace these thoughts with gratitude it can build a healthy baby, what an incredible miracle, and appreciation for the advances in medicine that bring my sweet little ones into the world. If these were still pioneer days, my babies and I probably wouldn't be alive.

 I was a little relieved to be going into familiar territory with the C-Section. I prepped for surgery and my doctor showed up to check on us and meet my husband. He left to get ready and they wheeled me into the operating room. I had the same anesthesiologist that I had with O and he got the spinal block right in. Then Mike and my doctor came in and we got started. I love to know what's going on so I feel more involved, so Mike and the anesthesiologist gave me the play-by-play. Before long they had everything open and pulled out his head. The first thing the doctor said was, "Wow, he's big!" They finished pulling him out and the doctor brought him right around to show us. My first thought was very similar to the doctor's, I thought, "He's huge and he looks nothing like O!" They cleaned him up and took his APGARs. He was 9-10, such a healthy boy! Mike brought him around to me so I could stroke his little head while they started to stitch me up. He's so sweet, his little chubby cheeks are my favorite!

Mike took him to the nursery to be dressed and weighed while they finished sewing me up. Afterward they asked if I would rather go to the recovery room or straight to my room. I wanted to see my parents meet our little guy, so I asked to recover in my own room.
After they wheeled me in, Mike came in with our little Elliott. He weighed 8lbs. 8oz. and was 21 in. long. We haven't had an 8lb. baby in my immediate family before, so he's so big to us!

After my parent's held him and we took some pictures, I rested for a little while until my sister brought Little O to meet his brother. I was so excited for him to meet Elliott, and it was such a sweet moment! He loved Elliott as soon as he saw him. He kept saying, "He's so cute! I love his little feet!"

Little O holding Elliott for the first time.

 We got O a special new shirt for the big day. I wanted him to be excited and not feel neglected. Mike and my mom and sister made sure he had a very fun time while I was at the hospital.

Dada and Big Brother with Little Brother.

Aunt Lindsay holding Elliott for the first time.

Miss Kirra and Elliott were obviously besties from the start! ;)

Aunt Sarah and Elliott

Uncle Austin and Elliott

It was such a great day. We were very grateful for our doctors and nurses, they were fantastic! I feel so blessed to have our little Elliott here happy and healthy. Who could ask for more?