Thanksgiving

Susan and Graham came to Warren for Thanksgiving this year.  We have spent 4 out of 5 Thanksgivings together, which is so much fun!  We have been in NY and MD and now MI for our Thanksgiving celebrations.  

Susan and her kitchen helpers.

Graham helping as well.

Thanking God that his Aunt Susan is here!

Love!

We had wonderful food and great company yesterday.  The only think missing was the Macy's day parade which didn't show here on our NBC channel!

Thanks for coming to visit and help Susan and Graham!  We love you guys!

Grandparents visit

Thanks so much for coming and all the wonderful food and help you provided!  Can't wait to see you again in a few weeks.

My First Bath

The other night Justin and the kids go the opportunity to give Eric his first bath.  He did not like it not one little bit!  He WAILED from the moment his little hinney hit the water until he was dressed.  Caroline and Will covered their ears.  They don't like it when Eric cries and thank goodness he isn't a crier.

Justin had great helpers when they weren't covering their ears.

Exercising my lungs!

Check out the color of my hair!

All that crying wore him out and he slept pretty good after that bath!

One week old (yesterday)

So I had every intention to do this yesterday but it just didn't happen!  Eric is now a week old.  THe week has been better than I ever expected it to be (just one issue, but more in another post about that).  Justin is home helping until next Thursday!  It has been wonderful and even though I am feeling very good and like I could cook and do things I told Justin I'm just not going to.  I'm going to milk this for a little while longer since I won't have an excuse like this ever again!!  So I have enjoyed my week of relaxing and cuddling with my new baby.  I even got a new vacuum out of the deal after Justin vacuumed and realized it wasn't a very good vacuum!

After a week I can say that Eric is a content, easy going, cute as a button little fella.  I can't complain at all about his sleeping (he sleeps a lot) and most times it is in 4-5 hour chunks.  CAroline and Will are doing pretty good at adjusting as well.  Caroline wants to feed, hold, burp as much as she can and is really a great helper.  Will doesn't have much interest in holding him but will give him a kiss and so far has been really gentle.

Story time the other night.   Our bed is quickly getting small!

Here are some pictures that Justin took right after Eric was born.

After I fedd him the first time he slept for 8 straight hours!!  

Hi everyone!

First time holding him.

Welcome Eric

As you can tell by the new family picture on the blog baby Eric finally made his arrival!!

 Eric Riis (pronounced reese, it's Justin's mom's maiden name) Redfern born Friday Nov. 5 weighed 7lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long!!
Thursday morning felt like any other morning and I was busy getting breakfast and lunches made.  Will and I dropped Caroline off at school and then I dropped Will off.  I went to the commissary and did the grocery shopping.  I came home and took the dog for a walk around the block before going to pick up Will.  Will and I had lunch and i think took a nap (don't remember now!).  Then we went to get Caroline and it was when we were picking her up that I had a "real" contraction not a braxton-hicks.  We walked the dog again and I fixed dinner.  I had another real contraction at dinner.  I didn't have another contraction until the kids bedtime which was about an hour and a half after dinner.  I had maybe 2 more contractions before we went to bed at 1030.  After that they started coming every hour then by 12 every 15 minutes and starting at 1 every 5 minutes.  I wasn't able to fall asleep but at 125 am I woke Justin up saying the contractions are every 5 minutes but I don't want to go yet.  He insisted that we go since it would take Todd (who was coming to watch the kids) 20 minutes to get to our house and then another 20 to get to the hospital.  So while we were waiting for Todd to get here and between contractions I packed Caroline's lunch for school.
We got to the hospital at 2:10 am.  I had a contraction just as we were parking and then again when we got in the hospital after walking around to the ER entrance and then again once we were upstairs.  I refused a wheelchair since I knew walking would hopefully speed things up.  We got signed in and they put the monitors on me and checked me out.  I was dilated to 5cm and got to stay.  The doctor wanted them to break my water and then things moved pretty quick.  I was having severe back labor this time (didn't with the other 2) and it was awful.  I did get some pain medicine in my IV but no epidural.  Every time the doctor checked me I was farther along.  Then i had to push.  I pushed during 3 contractions, maybe 7 minutes the nurse later told me, and Eric made his appearance!  So we got to the hospital at 210 and he was born at 535.  Not too bad and he was by far easier than Will but not as easy as Caroline.

I'm going home!!  We only spent 1 night at the hospital.

My babies!  They love him so.

Welcome to our family Eric!  We love you so very much!

Halloween

Saturday Justin and I had fun carving our pumpkins.  He cleaned them out and then I got to carve Caroline's pumpkin.  Caroline doesn't like the smell of pumpkin guts and it would actually make her gag!!

Jesse from Toy Story and Obi Wan from Star  Wars.  He was going to be Yoda but had a slight change of mind while getting dressed.

Our pumpkins.  I had a pattern to follow and Justin tried to make Yoda free-hand.  Not to shabby on his part!