Our Valentines Day

Our Valentines Day started out with Aunty Shayna stopping by to surprise Ethan with a chocolate heart on a stick. He thought this was pretty amazing and had no problems polishing it off.  I was left with a sticky toddler and the cutest chocolate face.

We then headed to Adventures on Wonderland for a play date with some friends.

Ethan had a good play.  I have quite an active little man on my hands...

My mom saids I was exactly the same way...

Ethan loved climbing up the slides but this blocked others from going down...

He also enjoyed destroying other kids Lego towers...

He kept me on my toes...

Personally I think it is far more effective to let kids work it out on their own...

If Ethan gets knocked over by another kid once or twice...

I am sure he would think twice before blocking the slide
or destroying their Lego tower...

It is difficult to teach him at this stage because he doesn't really get it yet...

No means "yes this is fun" to Ethan right now!

Ethan with Noah

Toddy chilling

Then we came home and made Valentine cookies...

I was planning on doing heart shaped cookies
but the cookie dough was too soft..

So we did easy pesy circles and dipped them in chocolate.

The plan was to make Valentines for Ethan's little friends on our street.

We put the cookies in the bag and attached a Valentine to it!
I put the cards on the kitchen floor for Ethan to personalize...
I let him use a marker...However I think he marked up my floor more!
Luckily it came off the tile with no problems.

 Around 6:30pm Nate was still not home from work so Ethan and I went outside to deliver the Valentines we made to his friends.  I put Toddy in a wrap nestled in my jacket...Ethan didn't have an afternoon nap so I wasn't too sure how this was going to go...I asked Ethan "Do you want to go and give your friends a Valentine?  Ethan replied "um ya"...So I put the Valentines in a bag...got Ethan's boots and coat on and...just as we were about to go Ethan put his finger in the closet door as I was getting a hat out...Poor little man...The door pinched his finger a bit...This accident combined with no nap led to some pretty impressive tears...We had a good little cuddle...but this made me even more worried about delivering the Valentines...I wanted it to be fun for Ethan and not lead to a meltdown.

After I got Ethan settled down he still wanted to go outside and deliver Valentines...So off we went...My hands were full to say the least!

The first house we stopped at a few doors down went really well...Ethan had an excited look as I told him to knock on the door...He gave me a big smile and knocked on the door.  Then he handed the Valentine to his friends mom when she answered...then off he ran into the house when he saw his friend Case in the background...So cute!

Since the first house went so well off we went to another friends place...This is when our little outing took a little bit of a turn...I gave Ethan two baggies (as this house had two of Ethan's friends)...Then I said "ok honey do you want to knock on this door"...Ethan said "ya" and ran up to the door and knocked...When our neighbour opened her door Ethan went to hand the baggy to her and slipped and fell...This led to the baggy bursting open sending cookies flying and Ethan started crying...Actually he was screaming...He was not a happy little man. So this ended our little outing...As I scooped my tired little guy up in my arms and headed back to our house...We put the other Valentines in our neighbours mailboxes before returning home.

Once home it became extremely evident that Ethan was not going to be able to stay awake for our Valentines meal with Nathan...So I fed Ethan...Actually he fell asleep in his highchair...He is so precious!

Best Valentines gift ever for my toddler...
He loved playing with this balloon!

Nate worked late...I had dinner waiting when he got home...



We had Nate's favorite slow cook beef from M&M's with sweet potato fries...
And chocolate covered strawberries for dessert!

This is what was left from the chocolate covered strawberries I made...
It was my first time making these...
They definitely don't look too pretty but they were sooooo yummy!
I will have to work at the presentation I guess!

  

MY VALENTINE

Todds Baby Blessing

Nathan and I decided to have little Toddy blessed in a more intimate setting

at Dad Hofstetter's home with many of our family members in attendance.

We named Todd after Nathan's brother who passed away as a young man

from a car accident leaving behind his loving wife

Annette and two young boys Tyler and Jonah.

Nates brother Todd Smith Hofstetter

Since Annette and the boys were coming down for a visit

we thought it would be special to have Tyler participate in Todds baby blessing. 

 (We are so proud of Tyler because he is leaving for his mission this

Wednesday to serve for two years in the Calgary Alberta mission field.)

Nathan gave a beautiful blessing to our son!

Not a lot of dry eyes in the room!

The spirit was strong and Nates brother Todd and his moms

presence was strongly felt!

I included a few pictures of his blessing day below!

Nathan gave the blessing with Dad and Tyler standing with him.

Big brother Ethan

Grandma with Todd

The Hofstetter Boys

Annette with Nathan and baby Todd

I love Todds chubby cheeks

Todd with Mommy later on at home

Introducing Todd Joseph Hofstetter

Today is Sunday Jan 22nd and it has been 18 days since I gave birth to our second son Todd Joseph Hofstetter. I just put Ethan to bed and baby Todd is sleeping away in his swing while listening to some soothing music. I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to catch up on some blogging. These days it is becoming more difficult to find free time to do things that don't involve taking care of my boys...I am doing really good if my house is presentable, the dogs are fed, laundry is not a mile high and I get a shower...I have discovered that life with a newborn and a very busy 18 month old is crazy...I have to admit that my secret to staying sane is baby proofing the house! Prior to baby Todds arrival I had more time and energy to attend to Ethan but now with a hungry little peanut that likes to be held a lot I have discovered some loop holes in my baby proofing around the house that I need to fix that would make my life a lot easier...Ethan knows exactly what he shouldn't be doing or touching and goes right for it!

For instance today Ethan somehow managed to get out of his crib...I heard a big bang this morning and there was Ethan in the hallway outside my door...He managed to pull it off without getting hurt (I don't know how). Nate and I figured he used the bumper pads for leverage...so off they came today. Ethan is way too young to do the bed thing yet...We actually just bought a twin car bed for him last week and have it in his future room but I am hoping he can stay in the crib a little longer. Getting him to sleep in a bed would be absolutely crazy and time consuming right now and with a newborn wanting to eat around the clock I just don't think it will work...Luckily during his two naps today there were no loud bangs or escapes.

So the main reason for this post is to get my labor story down. I did this for Ethan and it has been fun to look back on this special day in our lives. So here is the story of how Todd made his grand appearance. I would like to note that little Toddy is wrapped in my housecoat right now. Todd got a little fussy in his swing so we had a bath together and now he is sleeping in my housecoat making those sweet newborn sounds. Watching Todd sleep and feeling his little heartbeat and furnace of a body is making me really sleepy so I think I will save this post and finish it tomorrow....

Ok so I am back now...Today is Tuesday Jan 24th! Here is my labor and delivery story!

It all started on Tuesday January 3rd...I had a midwife appointment in the morning...I would like to point out that I was thrilled to have made it past the holiday season...So at my appointment I was ready for baby to finally come! My due date was January 4th and since I went the day before my due date with Ethan I was fully expecting baby to come anytime. At my appointment my midwife checked me and said I was 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced...She stretch my cervix to 4cm with the check with my permission. After this was done I felt cramps all day...Later into the evening my contractions started to feel a little different. I mentioned this to Nathan as he left for a night shift. I told him I would call if I started labor. I went to bed around 10:30pm and noticed that my contractions were coming every 10 mins...I kept watching for an hour and by 11:30pm they were coming every 6-7 mins. This is when I got out of bed because I couldn't sleep and into a warm bath. I debated if I should call Nathan home but still was not certain that it was the "real thing." While in the bath I continued to have contractions every 6 mins and they started to get more painful. I called Nate around midnight and said, "I am pretty sure I am in labor, I think you should come home." Nate sounded excited on the phone and said he was on his way. I also called Shayna and mom to give them an update and they told me they were on their way over too. It was really funny because Nate was home so quick...It felt like just a couple of minutes and there he was walking through the front door. I was relieved to see him as my contractions really started to get closer together...It was happening so fast and I was getting quite uncomfortable. Shayna and Mom were pulling up just as Nate arrived.

We were all excited...Actually I remember being a little scared about the pain I would soon be facing. I remember Nate talking me down and reassuring me that I could do it. I remember having Nate massage my lower back when I had a contraction...I remember eating a grape Popsicle (that I ended up seeing again...haha). I remember packing a hospital bag with the help of my mom and having another shower for comfort. I remember trying to decide with Nate when we should call the midwife as I had a fast labor with Ethan. I also remember Nate calling the Campbell’s to have Emma and Avery come over so they could watch Ethan while we went to the hospital.

Around 1:45am we called the midwives and they were here just after 2am...They checked me and I was 7cm and fully effaced with bulging membranes. My contractions were really strong at this point and I felt a lot of pressure in my butt...I knew this baby was coming fast. The midwives said we could have the baby at home but neither Nate and I were comfortable with this so off we all raced to the hospital...We left the house at 2:30am...Another brutal ride to the hospital...However this time we only had to go down the street to Victoria Hospital as St Joseph's Hospital no longer has a labor and delivery unit. Nate was the last car out of the driveway as the midwives and Shayna were parked behind us...however he was the first to the hospital...I seriously thought the baby was coming in the car and made some pretty interesting sounds. I actually had the sensation to push with one contraction in the car and said "this baby is coming"...I think this worried Nate because he went through a red light and raced very quickly to the hospital. Nate pulled right up to the parking spots outside the front doors...I remember seeing my midwife booking it from her car across the parking lot and into the lobby asking loudly for a wheelchair (Beth knew the baby was coming quick and wanted to get me to a room asap)...I remember running to catch up to Beth after I finished a contraction outside and saying no to the wheelchair. I remember Beth being shocked to see me run and making a funny comment about that being a first for her.  I remember Beth making me sit in the wheelchair which was probably a good thing as the labor and delivery unit was a little further then I thought.

Once in the room I started pushing with the contractions because it felt a little better doing that...Within a few minutes I got on the bed and did a big push, as Beth nicked my waters...Apparently I got her shirt soaked and Nate got some fluid on his one hand (opps)...I remember looking at him as he was freaking out a little about it as he asked Shayna very urgently for a towel...He was a little grossed out I think...I remember hearing my sister laughing at him. After the water broke I couldn't hold the baby in and with the next push out came baby Toddy...It was soooooo intense and scary as I thought I was going to rip in half...I remember my midwife saying only a little push...and since I use to work as a  labor and delivery nurse I knew that I needed to get control and slowly ease the baby out...This is important because when the baby comes quick the skin doesn't have time to stretch and can sometimes cause really large tears. It was harder then I thought to resist my natural urge to push hard but I went into a zone and pushed a little at a time...Apparently I was making really funny sounds and almost singing at one point...How embarrassing!!...I remember that my mom (who worked an afternoon shift and at that point had been up for 24 hours) got a little dizzy with all the excitement and seeing me in pain that she had to sit down.
Once our baby's head was out I had instant relief with a natural high...Todds little body was placed on my chest and he started crying right away. I remember being surprised at how tiny his perfect little body looked. Since I viewed Ethan as my little baby it just shocked me to see how little Todd was in comparison to Ethan. It is hard to believe Ethan was once that little. Without a doubt I had instant love for this precious little miracle...I felt so happy and relieved that Todd was healthy and that the pain was over. It was so nice to share this experience with my loving husband, mother and sister. It was so amazing to cuddle and cradle Todd in my arms right after he came out and not feel rushed to hand him over to anyone...I put him to the breast to feed and he latched on right away. It was awesome...Such a beautiful experience.

Nate left the room as the placenta came out and Shayna and mom cut the cord this time. Nathan wanted nothing to do with it! At Ethan's birth my midwife did a show and tell of the placenta and Nathan was a little traumatized by this apparently and on our birth plan he requested to be warned when the placenta would make an entranced so he could boot it out of there...He is so funny!

Todd Joseph Hofstetter was named after our two older brothers. We were excited to tell everyone the name as we kept it a secret this time! Todd was 7lbs and 21 inches and was born at 3:02am. Nathan brought Ethan to the hospital with my nieces Emma and Avery just after 1pm for a visit...My family including my brother, Markus, and Jessica came for a visit around 2pm and an hour later I was discharged home. It was a blur but just an amazing experience. Easier the second time I must say!!!

Toddy...10 minutes old!

Ethan meeting Todd and giving him a hug...So precious!

First Bath! He cried during most of it...He loves baths now though!

Family Shot!

Todd with Emma my niece

Todd with my brother Joe and niece Jessica

Proud Pops and Grandma

Snug as a bug...Off to home!

Will it happen tonight???

I wanted to do a quick post prior to going to sleep because there is a chance our baby will be coming very soon!  I had a midwife apt today and I am 3-4cm dilated, 75% effaced and she stretched me so I am quite crampy right now and my contractions are starting to feel different. Tomorrow is my actual due date so baby may be coming anytime! The waiting game is on!!  Nate and I are really excited to meet our brand new little guy!  I think Ethan is too...Today when I went into his bedroom in the morning I asked him "where is the baby?...Can you give baby a kiss!"  Ethan smiled, lifted my shirt and gave my belly the cutest little smooch!  Ethan is going to be such an awesome big brother.  It is strange because part of me was slightly sad cuddling with Ethan at bedtime tonight thinking that this may be the last time it is just him and I! I know that sounds a little silly but I always struggle a bit with change...Change is exciting but it also represents the passage of time which is sometimes overwhelming.  Our threesome is going to be expanding so soon and even though things will change I know it will be for the better and will add so much happiness to our lives.
Thoughts I have right now:

- Need to pack a bag for the hospital
-Am I starting labor????
-I should get some sleep
-I wonder what our new baby is going to look like?
-I can't wait to see what Ethan thinks of the baby?
-Will I make it to the hospital!!! (I had a super fast labor with Ethan...Had a dream this week that Nathan had to deliver the baby at home!!! Yikes!)
-I am sooooo glad I made it past the holiday season and that my baby will have a January birthday!
-I love my family and feel very blessed to have Ethan and soon to be baby #2
-I hope labor and delivery isn't as painful as the first time
-I pray that our baby is healthy and arrives safely

Well if it doesn't happen tonight I might have a chance to post some more thoughts!  I just want to always remember how happy and excited I am feeling about the arrival of our second baby!  Ethan has been the greatest joy to Nathan and I and we are thrilled and honored to be parents to another little man!

Me and my boys!  (One is in the belly)...Being a mom is so amazing!

Soon to be big brother