6 Weeks Old

My baby girl is 6 weeks old today! I can't believe that six weeks have flown by already. As of last Friday she was 11 pounds 9 ounces, 24 inches long! Big girl!

Chaille is an incredible baby! She is sleeping well, getting up just one time in the night usually between 3:30 and 4:00. She is very mild mannered and easy to care for. She likes to fall asleep on her own anymore, which is both good and bad. It's great for the long run, but yet I can't rock her to sleep.

She is just starting to smile, but it is mostly a sort of content look that she gets. It is so fun to see how she is changing so quickly and how her personality emerges. She has some cute little noises and some pouty cries. It's funny how she kind of "tattles" on her brothers by whimpering when they get in her face. She's a princess and a drama queen already!

I'm so in love with sweet Chaille Jo!

Yay!

Our DSL is here, and in just playing on it for a few minutes, I LOVE IT!



We had some really poor connection speeds if anything before, so this is nice.



As soon as I get pictures uploaded from Avery's birthday and some other recent stuff, I will post more. For now, it is Nolan's naptime, and Chaille is on my lap. More soon!

Soon

Since we have moved, our broadband internet connection has been extremely unpredictable! Most of the time we have zero signal and if we do get some it is slower than even dial-up. I've done most of my entries on my phone, but can't add pictures this way.

That being said... Tuesday we are getting DSL! Hopefully after that you will see posts more often and pictures included. I'm excited because I've missed being able to blog about the day to day things that happen in our lives!

Summer Days

So, it isn't officially summer yet, but we have been enjoying the "summer" we've had so far! Things are settling in nicely for our family. Steve has finally gotten past his month of busy work days and we have enjoyed having him home for a five day weekend this week! Avery has just one more week of tball and then celebrates his sixth birthday next weekend. Silas is growing and changing so fast and enjoyed fishing with dad and Avery this week. And they camped out for the first time this season last night. They were so excited! Nolan is growing so much too. And he amazes me at how good he is. For a sixteen month old you cannot believe how much he does and knows! Chaille is one month old today. She is growing very well despite some reflux issues. I've had to start adding cereal to her milk to thicken it in attempt to help her keep it down. I just started today but she's done well so far. I hope this will continue as she has been uncomfortable lately. It has gotten progressively worse. Let's hope this is all it takes!

Adapting

Life is good at the Frye home! Everyone has adapted well to life with "baby sister" here. We are slowly getting back to our routine. Thankfully every afternoon I have been getting a couple hours where both Nolan and Chaille (or "Shea" as the older boys call her) are both napping. I've actually been able to get some housework accomplished too!

We have been utilizing the fact that we live in town to the fullest! We frequent the park and enjoy walks to the post office, store, and grandma and grandpa's. It is great to have options right here in town and to be able to get away without driving! And it makes life easier on me when we don't have to load into and out of the van.

Avery's birthday is quickly approaching and I can't believe he will be six! Six years ago our world became changed in a way we never could have imagined. We became parents and learned just how deeply love can grow. And now... We feel blessed to have four children and each other to love and share the precious moments in life! And Avery is so excited to be celebrated again! He LOVES BIRTHDAYS!!!

Well, baby girl is waking. Iust thought I would check in while I had a minute. Back soon I hope!

Chaille JoAnne

Our Baby Girl has arrived! My scheduled induction went as well as we could have asked, and we are blessed with another healthy, beautiful baby to love! And loved she is! Chaille has received more big brother kisses than you could imagine, the majority of which have come from Nolan. The boys have been nothing but smitten with their baby sister, and upon watching them interact, you would never know she hasn't been around forever. I am thankful for that!

Chaille was born on Wednesday, May 13th at 3:28 p.m. She weighed 8 lb. 13 oz. and was 22 inches long. She has beautiful black hair and very dark blue/brown eyes. Her complexion is much like Silas and Nolan's (just like their daddy!) She's very easy going so far and is sleeping for 3 hour stretches even at night. And, for once, I have a baby who doesn't have to be held all night in order to sleep! Yay!

If you want spared the details of my induction and labor, go ahead and skip to the pictures! Otherwise, read on...

We got to the hospital at 6:45 in the morning. The nurse that came in was only there temporarily, as our labor nurse, Hilary, was scheduled to come in at 8. They got me admitted, drew my bloodwork, and at 8:30 they started the antibiotic. From then until 11:30 things were boring! I had some contractions about every 4 minutes on my own, but I wasn't progressing at all. Then, at 11:30 they broke my water and started pitocin. I was at a 3 at that time and baby was still way high. The contractions came hard after this and at 12:30 I got my epidural. I must say that I only got a little relief from it this time. I was given a re-dose at 2:00 because I was having pain in my upper back. Things quickly progressed and by shortly after 3, I was in a lot of pain. I was checked and told I was almost complete. They left, but I told Steve to go get the nurse because with every contraction, I could feel her descend! The doctor comes in and calmly tells me to "give him a couple minutes..." Yeah right! Within that time she just about showed him she was boss! She quickly let us know that she had healthy lungs too! And recovery from labor went quickly and smoothly for us both. Praise God for this blessing!!

Ok, here are the promised pictures:

TOMORROW!!!

I can't believe how time flies! Tomorrow is Chaille's induction. Wow! And we just had Nolan's 15 month check-up and shots this morning. My baby is getting big and tomorrow I will have two babies! I'm sure Chaille will make Nolan seem so big. And I can't even imagine how Avery and Silas will seem like little men in comparison to a baby!

I'm both excited and nervous for tomorrow. I'm so ready to meet our little angel but I am also aware that the transition will be something that will take time. I know God will take care of us! That is my true saving grace! I'm also very sentimental about the fact that Nolan will be sort of "forced" to grow up and no longer will he be the "baby" of the family. While I trust that all will work out well, it is only natural to have some concerns.

Nolan was 26.5 pounds and 34 inches tall at his check-up. He is off the charts for his height and in the 75th percentile for weight. He is surely big for his age. And the doctor was amazed at his vocabulary. He's something else! I'm so proud of him!

Avery and Silas told the nurses all about tomorrow and Avery insists that he hopes the baby comes out a boy. He also said that he loves the soft "texture" of baby skin and when babies have hair! I love how he can express himself so well! And his vocabulary still blows me away. Silas is excited that the baby is a girl and he keeps kissing my belly at every opportunity! My boys are too sweet!

Well I must go for now. I've got to tie up some loose ends before tomorrow while the boys are napping. I will be back soon with pictures of a new baby!!!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Home

Today makes the third day that the boys and I have spent at home. We did walk to the park on Tuesday, but we haven't driven anywhere. It has been very enjoyable and we love our new "home!" The boys have made friends with the neighbors who are 10, 6, and 3, and they LOVE when they get to play together. It has been fun for me that we don't have to go anywhere for them to have playmates either! I'm thinking we may save money on gas this summer now that we live "in town."

It has been nice to have some down time this week. I have enjoyed being able to relax and watch the kids play and reflect on how life is about to change for us. I have tried to savor these last few days where Nolan is the "baby" before his world is flipped upside down. I pray that he (and his brothers too) will adjust well, but until Chaille arrives we just don't know.

Speaking of Nolan, boy oh boy is he growing up! He's talking up a storm. Yesterday after breakfast he asked "I be excused?" And on our walk Tuesday he heard a dog barking and asked "where puppy at?" Granted these phrases were recognizable by me, but he's really changing so fast. He wants to be like his big brothers so much! I hope that down the road this will make things like potty training easier!

Well, I must be accomplishing something while he naps and the older boys are busy playing. Just 6 days until my scheduled induction.... if she doesn't decide to come on her own before then :)

T-Ball

Avery has enjoyed his first two T-Ball games! He loves the uniform, he loves the fans, and he loves to play! We have been really impressed at how well he pays attention to what is going on during the game. He's recently began watching the Reds with Steve in the evenings, and he is learning a lot about the rules and such of baseball. He's such a sponge anyway, but he is picking up both the mental and the physical aspect of the game VERY well!

For those of you who have never attended a beginner's league T-Ball game, I highly recommend it. It is both hilarious and entertaining! You could see a winning "AFV" moment at any time! :) At the first game, we decided that Avery's team will likely win the most cordial team award because the fielders talked to EVERY runner that occupied a base. Makes me wonder what 5 year old chat about while playing T-Ball???

Here are some pictures of our boy in action:

And here is what his brothers do while he is busy on the field:

Thus begins our lives as "bleacher" parents. I asked Steve if he wanted me to start logging the hours and he told me no. He said that it would make us sick someday if we actually knew that number. I'm looking forward to it! Both sets of our parents logged years in the stands and now it is our turn!

If you need me anytime in the next 20 years or so, I'll be proudly supporting my children from the stands of the local ballpark, gymnasium, or whatever sports venue is required!

Progress

Well, I've been slow to update, but we've been busy, of course! The house is coming along and looking better with each completed project. We've been staying here since Friday of last week, and it is starting to feel more and more like home. There is still much to do, and no matter when you may come visit, you are sure to find a project in progress. Here are some pictures from yesterday (and I didn't even straighten before I took them, sorry...)

The dining room. I love this area and sitting as a family eating with few distractions in this room!

The kitchen (with the temporary satellite cable running through, one of our many projects :)

The Family room from the kitchen. It was nap time and Avery was lying on the couch!

The messy Family room from the front door.

On other fronts... it has been one busy week for us. After moving all weekend, we have been trying to settle in. Steve was the lead instructor for a ropes course this week, and that has kept him busy from early morning until late evenings. And... I started having contractions on Sunday, that became very painful and regular on Monday night. We went to labor and delivery where they confirmed that, yes, I was having contractions every 3 to 5 minutes. But, they were not causing any progression into active labor, so I was sent home. They sent me with no pain meds, and nothing to stop the contractions. I've slowly started feeling better this week, but the contractions are still painful, just irregular. On a positive note, if I have not had Chaille by May 13th, they will be inducing labor! So, should I remain uncomfortable, it will only be for 12 more days :) I think I can handle it! And I pray that it isn't as miserable for those next 12 days as this week has been. Here is a picture of Chaille and I at 37 weeks:

I don't know if I can grow much more!!! She's definitely a big girl already!

The boys are doing AWESOME! They have adjusted to the move VERY well! And they have enjoyed it too, as there are new things to do now that we live in town. They find it exciting to walk to the post office or to the park. And, they love it that they are closer to both sets of grandparents! Avery starts his TBall season tomorrow with his first game! He's so excited to belong to a team and can't wait to "verse" other teams (his term for competition.) I'll have to update with pictures of him playing in his uniform after his game (which may end up rained out if the weather does what they are predicting!) Nonetheless, I'll add pictures of him when we do finally play!

I'll be back with more updates on this busy family soon! And I greatly look forward to settling in as the summer progresses!!!