welcome to the world briggs - part II

Briggs William Harrison

February 16, 2019

9:39am

8lbs 20inches

**read part I here**

I had been having contractions since week 20 and like I said before, the whole third trimester I was in a lot of pain. I was convinced that I would have this baby early. I had her check me the last week and I was still only dilated at a 1. thank goodness I have c-sections because my body just does not know how to go into labor correctly. another reason why I'm grateful I have c-sections is I can plan around it. the last week of pregnancy I cleaned, organized, and got everything ready for my mom, Justin, and substitute ms. heather. the day before I delivered, some of my best friends came over and helped me clean my house top to bottom, while another watched my kids. that was so nice to have a clean house for a whole 4 hours! did not take long for the boys to desecrate the bathroom. my mom drove in that afternoon amidst a week long storm in Utah, which was another blessing. I couldn't do this without her or Justin. they are my rocks. that night we had one last party as a family of 5 and watched 'Charlie and the chocolate factory' and ate too much candy to celebrate Landon finishing the book.

we checked into Summerlin hospital bright and early Saturday morning at 5:30am and I was already hungry. sadly my surgery got pushed back two hours, which in the end was better for my nerves. my mom and mother in law were able to come in the pre-op area [despite being told several times only one person would be allowed there with me] and I was able to get the anesthesiologists on board with my mom being in the room with me. again, this was a far shot and some of the night nurses were being real brats and getting my hopes down, but in the end I won! nothing like a pregnant woman on a mission! once we got the ok, we ran down the hallway [really, we ran. all of a sudden they were in a huge rush and even had me leave my mom and Justin behind while they got changed] into the OR. by now I had a better delivery nurse who was pretty amazing at keeping my mind off of the impending doom. and despite the nurses' warnings, the anesthesiologist was super nice and put my mind at ease, despite that terrible spinal block. my mom and Justin finally came into the room and they were off and running. the surgery is pretty terrible and scary so this time I just kept my eyes closed the whole time. that, plus a blessing from my husband the night before, really helped put my mind at ease. granted, I was still terrified but it was doable. you still feel a ton of pressure, tugging, and pulling throughout the whole thing. I remember the first thing Justin said when he came in the room was that it smelled like Fritos. he meant the smell of my flesh being burnt and cut open smelled like chips. and not even that great of chips. when I would open my eyes a bit, I would see Justin or my mom peeking up over the veil they keep on my side so they saw a lot more of the procedure then they're done before. when my dr got to the uterus, she said she could see briggs through it peeking up at her sunny side up. griffin was positioned a weird way in the womb so someone literally had to climb on top of me and push down on my belly to get him out [like their butt was in my unknowing face]. this time they had to use a vacuum which was definitely not pleasant. they got him out and he didn't cry. it took a little bit for them to get him to but even then, he was quiet. he had swallowed some fluid so they had to use a deep suctioning tube to clear out his airway. they cleaned him off a bit [and didn't let Justin cut the cord, which made me quite angry] and then let me do skin to skin. I was pretty exhausted and out of it at this point so I didn't hold him long because I was scared I would drop him. then Justin followed the nurses out of the room to go get briggs' breathing checked out. 

my mom then took over holding my hand and reassuring me. I know I've said this before but this was the biggest blessing. when Justin leaves me and I'm all alone for those 20-30 minutes while they stitch me up, is the hardest time of my life. luckily though she was there to calm and take care of me. my dr took all of my Fallopian tubes and not just a section like they normally do- because I want zero chances of another boy! after they stitched me all up, I was wheeled to the post-op recovery room for 2 hours while I got monitored. this is usually when I first hold my baby, see his first bath,  and nurse him. because he was having some trouble breathing, Justin was with him in the nursery and I was alone with my mother and mother in law. looking back I am pretty grateful for that alone time. it allowed me to rest without the guilt but still, I wish I had my baby. after the two hours, we still didn't have any answer about briggs and his breathing. turns out they had trouble contacting the on-call pediatrician and even the chief of pediatrics to ok the x-rays. I didn't get to hold briggs until 2pm when they brought me back to my room.

 nursing is always a challenge for me. Landon I tried for 6 months to nurse, failed miserably [I was starving him-oops!] and then gave him formula [best day of my life, let me tell you. that mom guilt is real but so not necessary. FED is BEST!]. porter I visited different specialists, endured through some months of pain, but ended up getting him to latch and nurse. griffin was about the same. so I'm enduring a few weeks of pain but it's worth it to breastfeed. I really do love it, even if it is an inconvenience sometimes.

we had a miserable stay at the hospital. almost every person I talked to said they hated Summerlin but a different one wasn't an option. it was just a couple things that really soured the experience- a few nurses, the fact that they didn't put a baby low-jack on briggs [which they should have done the second he was born. we asked two different nurses to finally get it after he was 24 hours old. apparently they ran out, which I think that's something you shouldn't be able to run out of], our toilet leaked and then didn't even flush after having a maintenance worker come. they never got my food order right and after I had checked out and was waiting for Justin to bring the car to the hospital, a hospital worker came and demanded we paid the co-pay right then or we couldn't leave. [we had tried to pay it beforehand and even asked when it was due. we were told we'd be sent a bill]. plus, I know this is pretty petty but at centennial hospital I always got a nice steak dinner and delicious cake [which I had enjoyed for 3 babies]. Summerlin promised a nothing bundt cake- but then I had to ask over 15 times to get and by then, it was a matter of principle. if they were demanding my co-pay before I could leave, then I was going to demand my nothing bundt cake. I know, petty.

briggs is now a week old and is such a sweet baby. his brothers all adore him and fight constantly about who gets to hold him first. they're very good about washing hands before touching him and are constantly loving on him and talking to him. I've had a harder time healing and been in more pain this time [maybe because they took out my tubes] but I think it's more likely because I've been doing too much. I am a go-er and a do-er. it's hard for me to sit back and let dishes pile up or a floor left unswept. he loves to sleep in his carseat and is a binkie-aholic. he came out wanting to suck and hasn't stopped. he doesn't eat much so I have an abundance of milk and often wake up soaking wet. I just love that little squishy boy. I'm so glad we were blessed to have another child. sometimes I feel selfish and overly blessed because I have four healthy, beautiful children while some can't conceive or others have health trials. I've tried to slow down and enjoy these moments more. he is such a great baby and I love him to bits.

anyone is welcome to come visit, just be advised that I'll make you clean a bathroom or two.

welcome to the world briggs - part I

I know,  I know I haven't written in forever but I need to document briggs' birth story and this way my sister can read it. I know my masses of fans have just been devastated not to hear from me on the regular but alas, life gets in the way. and by life I mean my laptop bit the dust and so if I want to blog, I have to do it on my desktop and that desktop isn't conveniently located on my lap in front of the boob tube.

anyways I'll start from the beginning. we also knew we wanted four kids but needed a longer break after porter and griffin [they were too close for comfort i.e. 18 months]. I can't remember exactly when I went off birth control but it was a leap of faith because I also had to stop taking a specific anti-depressant [one that had been working so well for me] and go back to one that had some side-effects I didn't love. it took over 12 months to get pregnant so at that point I saw my OB-GYN who diagnosed me with PCOS. Not that big of a deal but it would mean I'd have to take some fertility drugs to get pregnant and then be on birth control *FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!! not great news. we thought and prayed over the matter and I just couldn't handle fertility drugs and all of their side effects so I distinctly got the prompting that we were done having kids. I felt at peace with the decision. my mom and Justin were sad but I felt good- 3 boys were perfect. I think maybe two days later I found out I was pregnant.

I had bought a spoon that says "SURPRISE! WE'RE PREGNANT" when I was still in the hospital after having griffin [again, I knew I would have another kid and it was on sale]. I am the worst secret keeper in the world so it was hard not to show it to Justin for 3 years but I finally had the chance to surprise him. I tried feeding a dinner that night that required a spoon- didn't work. so I gave him a dessert that needed a spoon- he declined. so I started eating it in front of him and then offered him a bite with the spoon and that's when he saw the message. now, I have this recorded on video but I promised him I'd never let it see the light of day. he immediately got up and called me a liar. he insisted that I had my friend Meghan pee on it [she had just gotten pregnant a few months earlier]. he just would not believe me. he left the house, went and bought a new test, and had me pee on the stick in front of him. even though, he thought I had somehow rigged it. it was hilarious.

we didn't tell the kids or family/friends for a while. I am always terrified of miscarrying [even though I've been incredibly blessed not to ever had a miscarriage] and didn't want to jinx it. I can't remember how we told the kids... maybe it'll come to me. I told my family when I was up in Utah in July. we were eating chili and I slipped my dad the spoon. he looked at it several times during the meal, looked at me, and didn't say anything. it was killing me. eventually his looks started getting more intense and he showed my mom the spoon. well, she's blind so it took a while for it to sink in but it did. that was fun, especially considering I had just told her not too long ago that I was done trying and we had decided not to do fertility treatments.

my pregnancy was similar to my others. miserable and long, but I tried to enjoy it as much as I could. when you know it's your last of something, you try to savor the moments instead of just complaining. plus we had a busy summer of traveling and swimming. I didn't tell my best friends until I was in my second trimester and we announced it online once we knew the sex. of course we wanted a girl but honestly, after trying four times, it just wasn't in the cards. I was really sick the first few weeks and slept a lot. well, I slept a lot the whole time. my whole appetite changed and I hardly ate any meat or meals. even slurpees were gross to me [can you imagine the horror?!]. I still continued to work out pretty regularly which was needed for my sanity and to keep my depression at bay [remember I had to be on the drugs I didn't like? I couldn't wait to give birth so I could go back]. I hadn't planned on giving birth during a school year but thankfully my wonderful friend heather had offered to sub for me and she is a phenomenal teacher, so that was one less thing to worry about. third trimester was beyond miserable. I couldn't walk a few feet without being in intense back pain. sleeping was even miserable. my snoring hit an all-time terrible. let's just say we were all ready for me to not be pregnant anymore.

because of Justin's new job and insurance, we had to have a new dr. deliver briggs and I had to deliver at a different hospital. my OB was one of my soccer kid's parents I had known for a while and she was so accommodating with my needs/wants. specifically having my baby on a 16th, which happened to be a three day weekend. everyone just assumes that since this is my fourth c-section, I would be okay with the surgery but I always get so terrified. it is very painful and scary. I get horrible anxiety the weeks leading up to the surgery and just bawl the whole time. during griffin's birth, the anesthesiologist wanted to sedate me because I was having such a hard time. sometime during briggs' pregnancy I had heard that people sometimes were able to have a second person in the surgery room during their c-sections. once I heard about this I just knew I had to fight to have it happen. my dr was totally ok with it but she said it was ultimately up to the anesthesiologist and that couldn't be decided until the day of.

**to be continued**

kid update: porter the four-nado

age: 4

poundage: 48lbs

what porter loves: snuggles. as my mother put it "you don't need a girl, you have one!". he is so affectionate and physically needy, it's a struggle most days. a blessing and a curse. it's my favorite thing about him except when he's losing his cool and can't figure life out. he loves treats but has recently started being ok with fruit smoothies, salad, and apples. otherwise, he is not a healthy eater. he LOVES ninjago and watches it almost every day during quiet time. he loves to be outside and legos for days. his love is most likely fueled by his older brother's obsession. poor middle children just kind of get jipped on some things. he loves caring for things. he has a couple of stuffed animal dogs that he loves and adores. and talks about. he'll often tell me that one of his puppies is too shy to come to school.

what porter hates: people [like his brother]. he likes to stay at home and is pretty selective on who he wants to be with. landon is constantly asking for friends over and porter hardly does. he hates sharing more then anything in the world [wonder where he gets that from?]. he will always tell me that something is REALLY REALLY SPECIAL to him. in that same vein, he's taken birthday privileges to the max. 'i get to go in first because I'M the birthday boy". that a million times during the day. dude HATES butter with every fiber of his being. granted, he loves it when there is butter on things and he doesn't realize it [noodles, toast, waffles] but if he senses it on there, he will NOT touch it. and crust. he's not a big bread fan either but he will not deal with crust.

what porter can do: ride a bike. we had an old bike that didn't work well so he got a new* bike for christmas and it has made all the difference. it still just looks so weird seeing my pooh bear up on a bike like a big kid! when did that happen? poor guy is so neglected. he is actually a smart kid and knows a lot of his letters. he's doing better on writing his name. he knows our address and phone number [sometimes]. he can wipe his booty ok-ish. he's really good at playing by himself, which is great because he doesn't have a lot of friends. at least not ones that are independent of his brother. he says that kellan is his best friend but that's probably not true.

*new to him; it was landon's old bike. he got the new one. poor porter.

what we're working on: getting stronger on the bike, more letters and numbers, we've started on 'teaching your child to read in 100 easy lessons'. not digging in his underwear: so freakin' gross. controlling his emotions. he is easily angered and lashes out by hitting or biting. sleeping through the night dry.

what we're looking forward to: preschool! a different preschool then me next year. i've got him signed up with someone close by [a plus] and who will teach him when i'm teaching [a double plus] and who has some church friends/neighbor/family members who can help with carpooling [i'll give you a senior citizens discount because this is legit AAA plus stuff].

kid update: landon is 6!

landon loo

poundage: 54

grade: 1st

what landon loves: legos, nerd guns and other weapons, star wars, playing outside, soccer and other sports, playing on the ipad, pokemon and power rangers [even though i have since banned that show],     creating spaces [like building forts or making workspaces. he loves having a special place of his own], taking charge and leading the way. he loves friends [tanner and riley are his best friends] and always wants to be on the go. he loves getting the mail but doesn't really cherish the letters he gets. he loves face timing his cousins in arizona. cheese pizza and maple donuts. costumes and dressing up, although he doesn't do it as much as he used to.

what landon hates: homework, especially writing, not hitting his brothers [he loves being the authoritarian around the house and punishing his brothers when they don't follow the rules]. he doesn't like doing chores but he always does them. smiling for pictures with his teeth.

what landon can do: ride a bike without training wheels, reads pretty well, soccer superstar, helps me around the house, starting to do "tricks" on his bike and scooter [ie. closing his eyes or lifting up one hand], get ready by himself 100%. swim and dive to the bottom of the pool.

what we're working on: letting us be the bosses and not himself, controlling his temper, especially his violence. better attitude about homework. tying his shoes. math and reading chapter books. handwriting.

landon is seriously the sweetest kid. he is a great first child and loves to help me out. he can usually follow instructions pretty well and is pretty independent. he's sweet enough to hold my hand and give me lip kisses in public still. when he sees me sad or crying, he'll give me a hug. he's sensitive to the spirit and will often talk about heavenly father and will be the first one to tell us we need to pray for help [usually when something is lost]. he is so full of energy and life. my friend noted that landon must be my favorite child because i usually throw him the better of the parties [so true]. he is my favorite in that regard. he is the most fun to shop for and talk to. he is so interesting and notices a lot around him. he has a tender heart and is a good friend and brother [except when he pummels them to the ground, which is often]. this is such a great age for landon. i hope he always stays this sweet and kind. don't grow up baby bear. but if you have to, promise you'll always love on me this much.

landon's birthday interview: 6

age: 6
weight: i dont KNOW!
favorite color: red and green
favorite movie: the lego ninjago movie [which he saw last night]
favorite food: crepes and ravilois
best friend: tanner and riley
favorite tv show: lego ninjago and pokemon
favorite book: pokemon
favorite toy: star wars legos
favorite place to visit: legoland
favorite thing to do with daddy: go watch a movie [which is what they did last night]
favorite thing to do with mommy: go swimming
favorite animal: solgaleo [a ground type pokemon]
favorite sport: soccer
when i grow up, i'm going to be: a security guard
favorite person: riley
favorite song: we will rock you [by queen]
favorite drink: sprite
what are you really good at: soccer and building legos
where do you want to go on vacation: florida
what would you do if you had $1,000: buy lego sets
favorite flavor of ice cream: chocolate and vanilla
favorite treat: sour stuff
who is your hero: daddy
favorite scripture story: the strippling warriors 
what do you want to do before your next birthday: go to gravady [we've been promising him that we'll go but it hasn't worked out yet. sadly this is what he said last year too. i promise we've taken him this year but we don't go as often as we used to]. 

5th birthday
4th birthday

toddler update: griffy goo is turning 2!

griffy goo bear

age: 2

poundage: 30lbs

teethage: all there but wonky as all heck. his teeth are going to cost me justin a fortune! no 2 year old molars yet but i bet those are on their way

what griffin loves: mama! he's not as snuggly as porter but he is very territorial of me and doesn't like to share. whenever he can't find me, he'll wander the house calling for me. he loves daddy but he's a far second. he loves landon and will often tattle on porter. he's very much like landon. he's talking so much which is funny because at his first birthday, he hardly talked at all. he's a very vocal kid. he loves bread and yogurt. for breakfast, he usually begs me for 'roll' and then asks for butter on it. he loves lucky charms, even though he only had it once but still asks for it daily. he loves smoothies/slurpees. he loves his blankies and stuffed animals [esp the fox] and HAS to go to bed with a million of them. never enough. and the thing he loves second only to mommy, BALLS! he LOVES balls. specifically basketball but he loves all balls. he's got a pretty good shot too. that's why he's getting a sport's themed party. he is constantly throwing and catching. it's adorable. he loves 'goodnight moon' but sadly i lost my copy so i'm getting him another for his birthday. like most boys, he loves being outside and riding his big brother's bikes.

what griffin hates: brushing his teeth. it is a HUGE fight every single night [yeah you read that right. i don't brush his teeth in the morning. i just can't handle that battle two times a day]. he's a big scardy cat and is scared of a lot of things [daddy, dogs, cats, landon sometimes]. poopy diaper changes. he cries out "gross! oww" the whole time. he has had diarrhea since the day he was born. seriously, he always has the poops. i've had him tested for allergies and nothing. so he always has a tushy rash. and poops like 4x a day. it's rough. he doesn't like to be scared or held unless it's his idea to be held. he really is scared of a lot of things.

what griffin can do & 
say: he can climb and is really into jumping off things these days. couches or particularly in the pool. he likes to help me unload the dishwasher. he can say most animal names and sounds, except he insists that flamingos are really peacocks and cannot be swayed from that decision. he can find his own shoes which is a lot more helpful then you'd think.
say: roll [bread], stop it! daddy scary [justin loves to tease and scare him. and now landon loves to as well]. fishy. 'pedo [torpedo toy for the pool]. baby lyla [he LOVES baby lyla]. he loves saying names and knows a lot of them pretty well. he just recently started saying his name but only says "griff". i guess i need to start calling him his whole name. he mimics super well and will usually repeat whatever i asked him to. of course his favorite words are "NO!" and "STOP IT!". he loves "we will rock you" by QUEEN and "popcorn popping" but he won't sing the songs by himself, he wants people to join in.

what he's working on: sentences, putting on his shoes now that he can retrieve them. not making as many messes. no biting brothers and mommy [i am 3/3 in the biting department]. potty training- when i ask him if he wants to pee on the potty, he adamantly tells me no. not screaming. following instruction. moving into a big boy bed but i'm in no hurry.

what we're looking forward to: school beginning and fun times. fall and sweater weather. santa!

kid update: pooh bear

mini-justin

porter

age: 3 1/2


what porter can do: he is becoming quite the big boy! he gets dressed by himself [often backwards but hey, he does it himself!], he's learned how to buckle his own seatbelt. he is potty trained but still has pee accidents often because he gets lazy. he doesn't nap but will fall asleep in the car sometimes. he can count to 15 no problem which is better then landon did at this age. he can recognize some letters and is really excited to learn. too bad his mom is so lazy. he is also starting to write his name which is fun. he loves to sing and can sing a lot of songs, although he is very shy about it. porter is usually the first one to tell us that "accidents happen" or "no more yelling". which is ironic because he fights quite often with his brothers. he is pretty good at patterns and plays really well independently. his new thing is, "mom, i have a question to tell you" and then he tells us a statement. sometimes he'll tell me, "don't forget your favorite pooh bear!".

what porter loves: he likes counting and can do it pretty well for a three year old. he loves puzzles, reading, and playing outside. some of his favorite shows are dino trucks, animal mechanical, and nexo knights. poor kid doesn't have much that's his own interests because his brother is pretty dominant. he likes his teddy bear and beanie bag puppy. he loves his treats and snacks, not so much his meals. he loves his brothers [as soon as we pull away from dropping landon off at school, he says "i miss landon"] but his daddy and mommy are #1. daddy is his favorite but only because he indulges porter. porter and justin are quite similar. he loves to ask me questions and most of the time they're nonsense or don't make sense. usually when we're driving. i'm glad he is inquizitive but it sure takes a toll on you. he loves snuggles and is a very affectionate little guy. he knows his age and will usually only give me 3 kisses because he's 3 years old. he's recently acquired his own friends. granted, they are his brother's friend's brothers. he tells me his best friend is ryan and kellan. he only likes me to sing ONE song at bed time but lots of snuggles. he has a sensitive soul and doesn't like it when people say mean things to him or exclude him.

what porter hates: waiting turns or sharing, like most kids. he doesn't like when i force him to eat things. he RARELY eats dinner because of this. he hates getting his teeth brushed but he's getting better. he doesn't like it when i have to help him with things. he is as slow as molassess and is always the last one with his shoes on, out the door, or buckled in his carseat. that being said, he sometimes tells me when he's taking too long buckeling his seatbelt,  "am i wasting your time mom?" that just breaks me heart. i keep telling him, "you're the reason i have time! you're not wasting it" but he doesn't quite understand what he's saying or what i'm saying back. i don't know where he heard that because i for sure never have told him he's wasting my time but still, the things kids pick up.

what we're working on: not being the last one ready, eating food, especially fruits and vegetables. i seriously have to force him to eat one piece of fruit a day [that isn't applesaue]. learning letter names and sounds. writing his name. not chewing on his nails. sleeping through the night without a diaper [i have to sneak it on him once he's asleep]. pedaling a bike and learning how to swim.

what we're looking forward to: preschool with mommy in the fall, summer vacations, and lots of 'nuggles and treats.

kid update: landon can read!

landon

age: 5 1/2

poundage: too heavy to go on my piggy back rides but light enough for horsey rides...barely

at STEAM club

what landon can do: read! and he reads pretty well. we've soared through a few BOB book sets and he can even read some normal, longer books from the library. i was so proud when he read "go dog go" all by himself in one sitting. that book is long! he really loves books and his favorite day is library day- when i bring home books i picked out for him from the library [sadly his school doesn't have one but we go enough that that was not a big deal for me]. he loves going to STEAM club at the library weekly and is my future engineer. he can brush his teeth and wipe his booty...but not enough that it can go unsupervised. he can now use a tablet and remote basically by himself. he's still not very proficient and i'm very proud of that!  he is pretty amazing at soccer and i can accurately tell you that he is our best player. he's aggressive, fast, and does well on offense and defense. he's also doing very well at school. behaviorally, he's always doing great. his work is usually done accurately and quickly. i've got zero school complaints. and he likes writing letters to people...but only if they promise to send him a $1 back. he has got a memory like an elephant! for reals, he'll wake up and instantly remind me what we were talking about before. he'll remind me of promises made eons ago or ideas mentioned. that's turned out to be pretty terrible because sometimes adults around him make empty promises or plant ideas that they never plan on fulfilling. he's a persistent little dude.

he thought i wouldn't recognize him
with his "hair done"

what landon loves: he loves loves loves legos and usually will choose to do that over anything else. except when he wants to play nerf guns. he is so helpful and a wonderful big brother...except when he teases them. his new obsession is nexo knight legos and also ninjago legos. he's got the entrepreneurial spirit in him and is always looking for ways to earn money. he doesn't always do a good job at chores but he tries. he loves crepes and he likes treats well enough but never overindulgence and often leaves some leftover. he loves playing with his boy friends and playing make believe, although the costumes have fallen a bit by the wayside. he loves playing games or doing activities one on one with me or justin [i'm still his favorite]. he loves sundays because he gets to play on daddy's tablet for an hour. landon loves being read to and just talking one on one. he's not the best singer but he loves music.

what landon hates: eggs [like me] so i don't force it. he is pretty much a wonderful eater and will eat even the worst meals [to him] enough to get a treat/be done. he doesn't enjoy being at home too long or doing laundry. he hates the dentist and acts like a baby there. so much so it surprises me. landon is really a terrific kid who is obedient, helpful, and funny. so on those rare occasions when he throws a fit or does something so uncharacteristic [or fitting for a 5 year old] i am flabbergasted. he really is an awesome first child.

what we're working on: taking off his training wheels, learning how to tie his shoes, wiping unassisted, handwriting [although he is above the curve in his classroom], reading, and not teasing his brothers. but let's face it; that's justin's favorite past time so it's inevitable that it gets passed on.

what we're looking forward to: spring break in arizona, visiting legoland water park with daddy once carson is done, summer swim lessons, his nexo knight birthday party, summer camp with mommy, and not going to school all day.

baby update: go go griffin-dor

poundage: 28ish... i really should weigh my kids and make this more accurate but i'm much too lazy.

teethage: 12 but he has some budding through, poor booger boy.

what the baby can say: mama, dada, ball, show [i know right? face palm], book, shoes, milk, water.

what griffin loves: his mama! he's not quite as attached to me as he has been but i'm still #1 in his book. he loves milk, raisins/craisins, books, balls, little legos [even though he's not supposed to play with these, he is CONSTANTLY trying to get at them]. climbing onto high structures [esp tables], being outside, treats. he loves to steal our PVC pipe sliding door jam. like constantly trying to grab at it. he loves froggy [our gym grandma] and mema. he loves playing with his brothers and mimicking what they're doing. he LOVES the bath and loves laying on his tummy. his blankies- he'll carry around ALL or none of them. and he has like 5 in his bed right now.

what griffin hates: brushing his teeth, missing out on the fun, waiting his turn, not seeing up high, not sitting at the counter, not getting picked up.

what griffin can do: climb, play with other kids, clean up, starting to hold a crayon and color on things. he can feed himself pretty well. he can run and climb on the playground by himself [with a hovering mom]. he goes to nursery [a perk of having a mom in the presidency who knows when there's a change of regime who wouldn't notice a 16 month old...] and does awesome at it. i think going to the kids gym since he was 2 1/2 months old helped a lot. poor griffin. he can play duck duck goose, go grab his shoes, or other things. he's starting to identify and respond to instruction which is fun.

what we're working on: listening, playing well with his brothers, words. he's not too interested in baby sign or maybe i just wasn't as diligent in teaching it as i was before.

what we're looking forward to: i guess it should be nursery but that one is covered... grandma shell coming into town. going to arizona and meeting our new niece.

he recently had a bad bout of ditherer which was so disgusting. one night he pooped in the bathtub. twice. i even got it on camera. although he can be quite a stinker, he is totally my favorite right now. he loves to mimic his brother [chasing them, growling/screaming like they do, wrestling]. he is so cute and funny. it makes me so sad because i missed this time in porter's life because i was 9 months pregnant and then had a newborn. explains a lot about how porter is. either way, i love griffin and i'm loving this stage in his life right now. griffi-bear, you are my sweet little baby bear! go go griffindor!

*and for some reason he thinks undies go on heads. i can't figure out why but i completely support it.

lego my eggo

i've had several people ask me about legoland- what i'd recommend and what worked for us. not that i needed some incentive to blog about our trip but i sure feel like a celebrity with some inside knowledge. having been to legoland for two whole days, i'm basically an expert.

we've wanted to go to legoland for a while but wanted to wait until our boys were older. since justin was going to carson city, we knew we wanted to go on a family vacation somewhere and had planted a bug in our father in law's ear that we were saving up to go. well, my father in law is quite generous and loves to surprise us and he sure did! he found season passes at costco for $100! what a steal. as luck would have it, legoland's slow time is the first of january so we planned a trip, complete with a lowest-price of the year stay at the legoland hotel. note, in the summer it averages $450/night. we paid $150 + $30 resort fee/taxes. kind of steep for a hotel but it was a once in a year splurge and it ended up being so worth it.

the legoland hotel is so close to the theme park's entrance; like ridiculously close. the park itself is weirdly located in a residential area and not close off the freeway. i didn't really see any hotels nearby so staying so nearby the park was nice, considering the weather was predicted to be raining cats and dogs the days we were there. during the off-season, legoland is closed tuesday-thursday. we decided to stay sunday-tuesday; go to the park two days and the seaquarium/swim tuesday before we left. that helped keep our hotel cost lost. the park is about 5 hours away so we left sunday morning about 5am while it was pouring. i was quite anxious driving [well, sitting shot gun] through all the rain and sometimes snow. thankfully the kids slept until barstow; where griffin threw up milk before we stopped for breakfast. after cleaning up the kids and enduring several hours of screaming fits of who gets to hold the ipad, we finally made it.

the hotel held our luggage and actually had a room available several hours before check in. the legoland hotel itself is quite kid friendly. in the lobby there's a lego pit for the kids to play in while parent's check in. then there's a huge indoor pirate ship and legos near the cafe for kids to play inside. that's also where they host several night activities like lego building competition, storytimes, etc. they offer two restaurants; BRICKS, a buffet style restaurant [where they host a free breakfast each morning. super delicious and a wide variety] and skyline restaurant which was actually super yummy and had some cool lego sculptures/figurines. we chose a pirate themed room. the boys had a bunk bed in their own room and we set up griffin's pack and play in there. not only did they have their own TV but our room also had a treasure chest. after doing a hotel scavenger hunt for the combination, they opened the chest to find their own lego mixel packets and some chocolate coins. every night we were there. they also had a box of legos to play with in our rooms, plus free juice boxes/waterbottles for us. honestly, i felt like $180 a night for all these amenities was a steal. $450/night? not so much. oh- i didn't mention the best part of the hotel. the elevator turns into a disco party once the door closes. that was so fun! we briefly swam in the pool which was nice and heated. since the park closes at 5pm, it would be nice to go for a dip before dinner [assuming it's not pouring rain like it was for us].

legoland itself is not disneyland so don't expect it to. they don't move people through the rides as quickly, things are not as coordinated as well, and the desserts are severely subpar. still, it was better then disneyland in some ways. landon is 5 and could ride every single ride. that says a lot right there. the rides aren't made for adults and there aren't adults walking around there without kids. that by itself makes it less populated. porter, at 3, could only do half the rides [with an adult] and griffin couldn't do as many rides as he could have at disneyland. another great thing about legoland is that they have alternative activities near the big kid rides for the younger kids to do while they wait. like a sandpit, enclosed ball area or jungle gym. they also have waiting areas with legos in the lines for kids themselves- all enclosed. that was genius right there. there are a ton of lego figurines to look at but we didn't spend much time on that, or the several carnival games. my boy's favorite areas were ninjago ride [griffin could go on] and costersaurus roller coaster [porter could go on with an adult]. other favorites include: the 4D movies [lego movie spin-off and nexo-knights. they also have a friends one but sadly my boys weren't interested in that], the characters [not as plentiful as disneyland but a good amount], and the race car track [where landon won 1st place!].

our time there was seriously so much fun. because of the predicted storms, the crowds were away. it would sprinkle off and on but it was pretty clear. there were just two times we had to head inside to avoid the rain but even then, it wasn't that bad. legoland has a surprisingly amount of inside activities, more so then disneyland. probably because it focuses more on construction. movies, race car building, game stations, lego factory tour, build your own figurine, etc. that worked out for us but i think in the summertime when it's more crowded, it would be hard to get into those places. with the crowd level almost non-existent, we rode every single ride several times. in fact, on the coastersaurus we rode it 10 times in a row. without stopping. can't get better then that! plus no line for characters. the souvenirs are crazy expensive of course. i bought a legoman flashlight at christmastime for $10; $15 at the park. i bought some sets on clearance at target beforehand and got some shirts from walmart for $1. so definitely prepare.

i wish we could have checked out the water feature rides or the water park but it's the price we paid for going when we go was worth it. we'll definitely be going back in the warmer months so let me know whose going with me!

we went to the aquarium the last day at the last few hours of the day. it didn't take longer then an hour. it's small but nice. there's a fun passport activity that allows kids to get a fun headband at the end. there's a touching pool that my kids were too scared to do.

a couple of tips: 

legoland doesn't allow for outside food. not that disneyland does but i felt more comfortable sneaking in food there. there's just not empty tables in secluded places to eat at. i still brought in several snacks and lunchables. that held us over until dinner + snacks inside the park. [apple fries = not worth the hype. same with nutella rice krispies. i do wish i would have tried the chocolate dip and churros]. that being said, they didn't scour my bags when they did security checks so you really can.

although under 3 get in free, i wouldn't go until at least two of your kids are over 3. that plus the height requirement is needed for some rides. babies going to disneyland for free which is a score because they can still go on a lot but not so much at legoland.

you really need two adults if you have little or more then one kids. i don't think i could take landon and porter by myself, just because of the logistics of rides. landon couldn't go on many without an adult.

bring some figurines to trade with park employees. they have way better ones with cool accessories. you can trade it as many times as you want!

ask for badges on rides/attractions. they're free and fun souvenirs! we got some at the aquarium, ninjago, and carousel, to name a few.

legoland does rider swap just like disneyland does for parents with small children.

download the legoland app for deals on merchandise and food when you're within the park.

at disneyland, the professional photographers will scan your card and save all your character/ride pictures in one place that you can look at online after. legoland has wristbands that you can't access after you leave the park so make sure you look before you leave. i kind of regret not doing this.

go with extremely low expectations and just do as much as you can! then you can be pleasantly surprised.