One Fish Two Fish

instagraming.

Not to my surprise, life is crazy busy with 4 babes running around the house.  Don't get me wrong, its great....but boy is it bananas. 

My DSLR gets used a lot less these days and my trusty cell phone gets used a lot more.  I'm grateful for any way I can capture simple moments throughout the day, even if it isn't a beautifully edited picture.  After all, it isn't about the quality...its about the memory.

So with that said, here is what my camera phone has captured lately.

the Bjorklund kids' new ride

cuddles from sister

junior ridge to river ready

bandaids. sisters. flip flops.

swing

post nap case of the grumpies

books for the babe

froyo date

ready for nap

hello

potty training complete

cry baby

night night

sun bathing

the baby

catching some rays

hot tub party

testing the waters

art

art x2

sprinkler time

 undies

multi tasking

naked cowboy

Mason's Story

**All of the pictures in this post (other than the cell phone snaps) were taken by my wonderul friend Mary with MKC Photography.  You can view Mason's delivery slide show by clicking here.**

Ive been sitting here, in this room, for several minutes.  Screen blank, cursor blinking, and my delivery room playlist playing in my ears.  My stomach begins to knot as I think about how to share this special day.  How to put into words every emotion felt the day Mason was born.  I guess there is no better way than to just dive right in...emotions and all.

March 28th 2012- This is how I looked.  I sent a text to Jodee who was on her way over for the induction of Mason the next morning.  Along with the picture the text said something like "just warning you this is what I look like."  She hadn't seen me in a week or two and something happened in those two weeks.  When I say "something" I mean by stomach doubled, tripled, or quadrupled in size.  Her text responded "Holy Smokes!" I have never been one to have a big belly and although this little guy was measuring a bit big, so did both his sisters and his brother, none of which turned out to be big at all, so I took this information with a grain of salt. It  was a belly filled the sweetest baby boy I already knew so well but had never held in my arms or looked into his precious eyes.

I was drained emotionally and physically.  I had had consistent contractions for a week now and thought that I was in labor several times.  Never did I imagine I would have made it to 39 weeks and my induction date which was my dream.  I longed for a controlled labor, something I had never had. I had been on partial bed rest over the last week to discourage my body from going into labor naturally as my doctor was as concerned as I was about not making it to the hospital before delivery.  With my history of rapid labor I held out very little hope that I would make it to 39 weeks, but I did. I made it. 

It was so close I could feel it yet it felt so sureal.

The morning of the 29th my alarm rang at 5:30am.  The sound of rain drops fell steadly on our metal roof.  Surprisingly I had gotten a decent night sleep. My MIL (mother-in-law) had come over the night before to help with the kiddos.  So grateful for her and her help.  Brian and I got ready to leave in silence, too anxious to talk.  I woke up each of the kiddos to tell them goodbye. Saying goodbye to them knowing what was ahead and what changes they would experience was bitter sweet.  I hugged and kissed each of them and lingered a moment with each, hiding my anxiety and attempting to mask my shaky voice when I told them how big I loved them. They were going to be blessed with the sweetest of brothers but their roles in our family would once again shift.  This change is always emotional and at times very challenging. 

After our goodbyes we got into the car and headed to the hopsital.

We arrived at the hospital just a few minutes before 7:00am.  We walked in hand in hand.  we checked into room #2213 and were greeted by a nurse with a thick german accent who was frantically working to get things set up and seemed a bit scattered.  She quickly shuffled me into the bathroom  to get changed into a hospital gown and collected all my stats.  It was really time.

Shorty after we arrived my best friend Jodee arrived.  She had been playing the "when is she going to go into labor?" game for a few weeks now, making several trips over the mountains from Seattle to be closer to me in the last weeks.  Everyone deserves a friends so wonderful. Shortly after she arrived others began to trickle in.  My incredible friend Mary who photographed the delivery, my mom, and eventually my dad. 

Things were off to a slow start as I had to receive 4 hours of an antibiotic before we could fully commit to the induction process.  It was a wonderful distraction to be in a room filled with two of my greatest girlfriends and my family.  It felt special knowing that everyone was so excited to meet our baby and each one of them loved him already. 

I got to catch up on a little trashy gossip and we all impatiently waited...and waited.

I was having regular contractions and an induction drip during this process which included pitocin.  The contractions were bearable.  I would chat with my friends and family and as a contraction would begin I would silently grasp the railing of the bed and hold on for dear life, then picking up the conversation wherever it left off when it was complete. 

I knew I wanted an epidural this go around.  I had anesthesia free deliveries with both Colton and Adysen and knowing this was my last I wanted to be mentally present and aware, which I knew I couldn't do laboring naturally. My contractions were becoming intense but nothing incredibly painful.  Knowing I have a history of a short window of opportunity I decided it was time to get the epidural before I lost my chance.

By 12:00 my antibiotic was finished and the doctor had come in to break my water. Through my epidural I could feel an immediate change in my contractions.  More intense and closer together...making progress.  When he broke my water I was at a 5.  I had made 1cm of progress while I had been at the hospital, the other 4cm had come in the weeks leading up to d-day.

Sometime around 12:45 I felt a change.  I was slowly losing control.  My back was aching terribly and my breathing became heavier.  I was hesitant to request to be checked, all I really wanted to know is if my epidural was working still.

Little did I know that I was in transition.  Jodee went into the hallway and searched for the nurse.  Later she told me that when she found the nurse she let her know that "I was ready to push."  Amazing how your closest of friends can know you better than you know yourself.   She was right. It was time.  It was all happening so fast and all I wanted was to savor it and be present.

The nurse came rushing in wanting to check me and catheterize me.  She pushed everyone out of the room other than Brian.  I am still not quite sure why.  Nerves maybe.  Sure enough, I was ready, and he was coming.  She paged the doctor who came sprinting down the hall, lunch in hand, passing Jodee who was waiting to hear from the nurse.

Realized the nurse wasn't going to call my crew back to the room I asked Brian to. Everyone trickled back into the room for the big moment.

I began pushing around 1:00 with tears in my eyes.  Overwhemed knowing I was moments away from meeting Mason.

My mom sat on the couch, my dad listened by the door from behind the curtain, Mary behind me, Jodee holding one leg and Brian holding another. 

I was surrounded by people who loved me.  It felt special, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

I closed my eyes....

push...

gasp for air...

push...push...

My husband was such a rock.  so supportive, so loving.  Counting....

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1....you are doing great Car..."

I would hear quiet words of encouragement from Mary between the clicking of her camera as it captured these final moments.

Jodee would calmy rub my leg between contractions and fill my spirit with worlds of affirmation.

push....push....pain......push....push....gasp for air

It was time.....a few final pushes and our boy would be here....

push...push...gasp for air...push

...close eyes....

almost there...then the mood in the room changed. 

I felt tention and nevouness...the air thickened...my eyes remained closed. What is going on? Voices sound franctic and louder. 

I hear "PUSH! PUSH CAR!" and feel Dr. Pitts standing up and it feels as though he is yanking and cork screwing the baby out of me. His shoulder were stuck.

It's time to work...get this baby out.

......PUSH!!......PUSH!!

I pushed....and pushed...the doctor pulled and twisted....

...and at 1:29pm I watched the sweetest baby come out of me and be layed on my chest.  My heart immediate swelled with love.  He was beautiful. I loved him instantly.

 He woke up slowly and didn't cry. The nurse scooped him off of my chest and took him over to the warming bed where he began to scream vigorously.  He was healthy and I couldn't wait to have him in my arms.

As he was being wrapped up so we could have a proper introduction I remember hearing rumbles of him being big.  Rumbles of needing size 1 diapers and not newborn diapers. rumbles. All I knew was that I wanted my baby in my arms.  I was so in love.

9lbs. 14.5 oz of perfection.  God is so good and we have been blessed beyond belief.

Mason Connor: The final piece to our family's puzzle and he is ours.

 

 

 

week 6.

Mason- It is hard to believe you have been with us for 6 weeks now.  It feels like you have always been here.  You have adjusted to life in our crazy family just perfectly and we love you gobs and gobs. 

- I am sorry to say that you are known for your weight.  People just can't believe you are 6 weeks old.  Seeing that you are the size of a 3 month old, I can't really blame them.  You are officially moving into 6 month clothing and are in size two diapers.  In my eyes are are just perfect and my little peanut.  After all, how big can 14 lbs really be? Its 14 lbs after all. 

- You have a love/hate relationship going on with your binkie.  You love it when it will stay in your mouth, but the minute it pops out you get upset...and fast.  Once you get upset you lose your ability to get that darn thing back in and that is understandably frustrating.  Darn that binkie.

- Your tummy hurts which means you can be a bit fussy.  We are working on a good regimen for your reflux medicine but you seem to be uncomfortable a lot of the time.  I'm sorry your belly is aching. 

-You love to smile at me first thing in the morning and there just isn't a better way for me to start my day.  Thank you for the sweetest of "good mornings"

-You scream like no other every time we are in the car.  If you could lay low on the cry-fest every passenger in our swagger wagon would so greatly appreciate it.  You see, every time you cry your sister Kaitlyn starts crying too, as she is so worried about you.  Please give it a rest already cause you are going to be spending a lot of time in that car seat.

-your sisters love to take care of you.  They love you so.  Thank you for being patient with them when they hold you slightly awkwardly. 

-your brother loves you dearly even though he hasn't learned to show you yet.  Im sorry that when he loves on you he is so rough.  I am sorry that he flops his two year old self down on you to give you a hug.  he doesn't realize he is squishing you.  I am sorry that he shoves your binkie in your mouth so aggressively.  He is trying to help, I promise.  The other day in the car he looked over at you and said "Mason is just sittin' there mama.  I love him mama.  I love you Massy boy" You are going to be the best of friends, I just know it.

We love you sweet boy.  You make our family complete.

 

amongst chaos

stripes on the booty

big boy

this little piggie

my what big eyes you have

exploring

mr. go with the flow.

Colton is probably one of the most flexible and easy to please two year olds on the block.  He is easy going and is happy doing pretty much anything as long as he is moving.  He is one busy boy but oddly enough he is the best traveler we have ever had.  He soaks in the scenery and tells us about eveything he sees. 

We spent the weekend in Seattle with the Smith's.  I'm thinking  the girls have the best friends in the world as they were invited on a overnight trip to Great Wolf Lodge with their besties Ainslee and Ashlee.  How awesome is that?! We zipped over the Seattle on Saturday morning to drop the girls off at the Smiths and get some socializing in ourselves.  The drive home without the girls was oddly quiet and Colton soaked up the extra attention while baby brother snoozed.  As we started down a big hill in Ballard Colton said "I love it, weeeeee!" "I love the hills!" That was a first for us...and I don't think there is easier entertainment in Seattle than drivin' down some hills. 

Thank you sweet boy for being so "go with the flow" and finding such happiness in the every day. I would give anything to see the world through your eyes for a day, cause it seems pretty awesome from where you're standing. 

When we got home he helped Bri outside with the yard.  He was happy digging, riding his balance bike, playing in the sandbox,  and got to help water around the yard.  When I came outside I found him watering the plants with his undies and rain boots (a favorite combo of his these days). He looked up and said "just waterin' mama!" Oh, how I love you so Colt. I am so grateful God trusted me to be your mama.

2.

Some big changes happened in the B fam in the month of March mainly welcoming our fourth babe, Mason on the 29th.  Since then we have spent most of our time finding our groove as a family of 6.  So far it seems to be like what many of my friends have told me.  There is one babe, two babes, and more than two babes.  Adding the  fourth babe to the clan hasn't turned our world upside down, just slowed it down a  bit.  We are all so in love with our newest addition. 

I have a lot of catching up to do on  the ol' blog, but for  today I would like to focus on Colton.  He celebrated his birthday on the 23rd of March.  I can hardly believe that our sweet boy is 2.  Getting some 2 year old pictures of Colton took some work this time.   I had to settle for rain boots and undies in the orchard.  I quickly found that he worked  strictly for mini M&M's and holding a stick makes mommy clicking the camera bearable. 

Colton- you have brought so much joy and laughter to our life.  You can communicate like no other 2 year old I have ever met, starting from the moment you wake up in the morning. You melt my heart when you hop on my lap and say 'let's snuggle'.

You love construction equipment, motorcycles, wind machines, hiking, your balance bike and doing whatever your dad is doing. 

although we do not see it on a regular basis, you have learned the art of a good tantrum, usually in the form of words or screaming.  Sometimes you even send yourself to time out after you yell or scream saying "Colty needs a time-out."

you are sensitive and easy going.

you can eat all day long.  Some of your favorite things to eat are: apple slices, fruit snacks, dried fruit, water melon  and cashews.

you love to play with your big sisters and you spend a lot of time trying to make them laugh. They have a lot of patience with their 'little brother' and you have a lot of patience for the extra help they give you when you don't want it.  

Adysen was the first person you ever said "I love you" to.

Happy second birthday sweet boy.  You have added so much joy to our family.   We love you oodles and oodles.  I can't wait to see what this next year brings for you. 

7.

Happy Birthday Lou-Lou.  Seven years ago today we were blessed with our first miracle.  You came into the world and forever changed the lives of two newlywed college students.  I admire your compassion, spirit, and kindness.  I often wish I could see the world through your eyes.  You are smart, loving, and adventurous.  You have a passion for dancing, chasing boys, reading, and friendship.  You love to be outside exploring, collecting treasures, and letting your imagination run wild. You have a heart of gold, patience of a saint, and your smile lights up a room. I am so proud of you and so honored to be your mama. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you.  We love you forever and a day.

7 Year Old Interview:

Best part of your day- going to ice cream at Doanes and playing at the park

Favorite food - cherries

Favorite book- Charlotte's Web

Favorite show - Jesse

Best buddy - Ainslee

Best boy buddy - Koren

When I grow up I want to be...- a coffee shop worker

Best part about being 7 - being a big sister to baby M

what does it feel like to be 7- it feels like I am growing up, like I am growing.

Favorite thing to do - playing chase

Favorite thing to play - chase, because I get to run really fast.

Favorite color- blue

Favorite song - 'Imma Be'

I dont like - when I get hurt.

What makes you mad - When people hit me.

What makes you happy- When I get to do fun things, like play with my friends.

Favorite sport/activity - dance and soccer

 

 

in the moment.

There is nothing better than capturing a moment.  On Friday as I was folding and putting away some laundry I could hear Adysen in the nursery reading to Colton.  I continued on with my folding.  I grabbed a pile of blankets and headed for the kid's room to put them away in their closet.  As I passed the nursery my eyes caught the sweetest of interactions between Ady and Colt.  Staying out of sight, I listened to my girl read the same book over and over to her brother talking in detail about each page, each animal sound, and thoroughly described everything in the sweetest of five year old voices.  He was mesmerized and she was so proud of herself and her ability to capture the attention of her very busy brother.  I took a chance and ran downstairs to crab my camera.  I sat on the floor in the hallway taking pictures of them and they were so caught up in their interactions that they didn't even noticed. These are the moments that remind to stop what I am doing, put down the laundry, and pay attention to the sweetest of miracles that are happening around me every minute of the day. love. 

 

in B&W

Things I don't want to forget about my almost 7 year old:

The way your smile has transformed as your permanent teeth have grown in over the past few months.  You are beautiful!

The way your nose scrunches when you laugh.  I hope this never goes away.

park time.

Things are always more exciting when dad is around. Bri has a way of making the simplest of tasks fun.  Taking apart a ceiling fan- super awesome with dad.  Burning cardboard - couldn't be for exciting. Sweeping out the shop - better than Disneyland.  How do dads do it? I've gotta know the trick.

Having him home for an extra day this weekend made for some pretty fun times.  Today when the sun decided to shine we decided to forgo the "fun" of doing chores around the house with dad and head to the park.  

 I have learned that the only way I can get Colton to stop moving long enough to look into the camera is by asking "Where is the spider Colton? Is it in the camera?"  Wonder how long this trick will work?

"There it is mama!"

monkeying around.

contemplating...

everything is more fun with your tongue out!

collecting treasures down by the water.

pure joy.

...and clearly it is time to make our exit for nap time!

 

growing pains.

5 weeks.  That is the maximum amount of time I have to wait to meet this little bundle of sweetness.  How can this amount of time feel so close, yet so far away?  This third trimester stuff is the pits. 

I have many friends who have struggled to get pregnant or stay pregnant.  So I have reminded myself throughout this pregnancy how incredibly lucky I am that I have carried 4 beautiful babes with minimal complications.  My body gets to experience growing pains that not every women gets to experience. For that I am forever grateful.  This babe wasn't supposed to make it through the first trimester but here we are 5 weeks away from my due date.  He is a miracle of miracles.  Again, incredibly grateful and I feel so undeserving of this precious boy. 

With that said, there was some point this week that I lost my ability to be positive and threw myself the biggest pitty party.  I could no longer ingnore my boobs sitting on my stomach and my stomach sitting on my thighs every time I sit down.  Now that is a triple threat no one wants.  I could no longer ignore my cheeks that get in the way of my vision every time I smile.  I always gain within the reccomended amount of weight, always.  My face likes to ignore this fact and hold every ounce of water possible.  My many day and night trips to the bathroom have tripled this week, and why do I have to cross my legs every time I sneeze or laugh to avoid...well...the inevitable?  I am up to 5 pillows to get comfortable at night and my poor husband has a mere sliver of our king sized bed left to sleep on.  Dislike. Insomnia- how many hours can you really be awake in the middle of the night looking online at random blogs and pintresting before it gets old? There are days when I realize I am walking like a cowgirl who has worked one too many hours in the 'ol saddle.  All I am missing are the wranglers, hat, oversized belt, and the occasional 'yeehawww!!' Not attractive. Pregnancy brain....nothing I can say will do it justice. I have lost my ankles and my belly button . They are playing a great game of hide and seek, but the problem is, I'm not.  And if I could get directions to the quickest exit off of the hormone roller coaster that would be fabulous. 

I, like every other mommy, love my babies to the moon and back.  When you hold your babe for the first time and your eyes meet his every moment of discomfort fades into the background never to be thought of again. Is it worth it? Absolutely without a doubt. 

The end of the road is coming, and then my family of 6 will be on a whole new journey.  My goal is to get back to the basics and see the end of this pregnancy as beautiful, amongst all the 'ugly' aspects, but I guarantee I will have my moments, my hours, and even my days when I feel like I am going to break.  I am okay with that. These growing pains too shall pass and tomorrow is a new day.