She is growing: Reyen at 7 & 8 weeks

People at church comment that Reyen is so little and ask if she is growing. Personally I know she is because her body is filling out. Her checks are more chubby and legs aren't as wrinkly. Reyen is smiling! It's not a smirk or half smile but a real one and I love it. I've yet to capture it on camera but I will.

I caught Reyen sneezing. She is getting so long. At her 8 week checkup she measured 23 inches long and 8 lbs 15 1/2 ounces. So she has gained 2 pounds since she has been born. I was so happy to hear that she is gaining weight. The doctor checked her out and everything was good. She is taking probiotics daily to help her poop. She is doing really good with that. The doc was impressed that Reyen was so strong on her legs. I was concerned that she was still little but the doctor told me everything was good and Reyen was just going to be tall and skinny.

Reyen loves the outdoors. We don't go out so much when she is awake because she is always closing her eyes. Evening are what Reyen likes the most. She is always looking up to the sky. I think she remembers heaven a lot still. We have talks about what it was like there.

I have to say Reyen is definitely a favorite in our house. I swear she is the only baby who has been kissed a gazillion times. Now that the kids are in school they don't get to hold Reyen much. It's cute to hear them say "I haven't gotten to hold her today". She is very loved around here.

Camden likes to get down on the same level as Reyen. It's kind of awkward for him to hold her but doesn't he look like a proud big brother?

Some of my favorite kids. My 3 year old and 2 month old.

Our 24th fo July

Our 24th of July started out like any day. We watched the big parade in Salt Lake on tv. With Mike being out of town we didn't do much. The kids were taking turns cooking dinner and loving it. That night Kaden cooked hot dogs and beans. After dinner the three younger boys went outside to play. At 6:30 Camden came in the house holding his right arm and crying. All I got out of the story at the time was Camden fell out of the truck by himself. As the night wore on Camden slowly told me more and I figured it out. The boys were playing hide and seek. Camden had climbed in the bed of the truck to count and had fallen out on his way down. No one saw the fall but Camden says he fell on the rocks so my guess was he climbed over the side. The minute I saw his elbow I knew something was wrong. It didn't look right.  As I started to examine his arm I noticed his bone poking out in his arm. It did not look good. It looked gross. Trying to stay calm we said a prayer as a family and got busy. I didn't know who to call except for Mike. Being in Colorado he couldn't help much but he called his parents who lived 20 minutes away. They dropped everything to help me out. I am so grateful to them for all they did for me that night. I left the older kids at home and went searching for an instacare with Camden and Reyen. Grandpa went to our house to watch the kids and Grandma met up with me. I tried a few instacares close by but when they were all closed I had to call my insurance and find more places. Needless to say, we ended up at Lone Peak Hospital Emergency room because everything was closed. By this time Camden had calmed down but was in a lot of pain. He wouldn't talk to anyone at the hospital except for me. Grandma took Reyen. She fed and changed her. They took some x-rays and the doctor concluded that he wouldn't touch it and was referring us to Primary Children's Hospital. I asked if there was another hospital that could take him but the Dr said there was no one specialized to work on Camden. My guess was that it was because Camden was little. So off we went to another hospital.

Camden had a great time getting rides in wheelchairs at both hospitals. The nurse who helped us out to the car let Camden keep a pillow for his arm. He was very quiet seeing all the people around.

We headed to Primary children's with all the paperwork in toe and waited. Kathy was a big help. She helped me not freak out and took care of Reyen. There were other kids there with injuries from falling out a two story window to falling down the stairs. Waiting was what we did most of. They made Camden do more x-rays because the first hospital didn't do the right angles. Camden didn't like that. After the x-rays they said he fractured his ulna and radius. If you look at the x-ray you can see the bones are not touching like they are suppose to. The main concern was the elbow. They said a specialist was going to work on him and they didn't know until they tried to put the elbow back in place if it was bad enough that Camden would need surgery. When they told me that I got really worried. I prayed that Camden wouldn't need the surgery. By this time it was around 1am.

These pictures are when they put the IV in Camden's arm. When we found out what was going to happen the Dr said we might as well get the IV in at the beginning with medicine. The guy who did it was so nice, he told Camden what he was doing in boy terms. Camden was really scared through the whole thing. He only made a few sounds and that was it. He was very concerned about what was now on his hand. Through it all Camden did awesome. He let them work.

We had to wait until the surgeon was able to come down and that was about a half hour. When they are getting ready to work on Camden they brought in so much equipment. They also had what seemed like 10 people crammed in this little room all for Camden.  We were given the choice to stay or leave. We left the room just as they were putting Camden to sleep. There was no way I was going to watch. Even though I knew Camden wouldn't feel anything for some reason I thought it would still be painful. Kathy watched and took these pictures. I just prayed everything would be okay. I was relieved when Kathy told me they were putting a cast on his arm. That was a good sign. The doc said things looked good and the elbow went back in. They took more x-rays and even though it didn't go back together perfectly as Camden grows it would be fine. I was so happy to hear that. We stayed awhile longer waiting for Camden to wake up.  We got all packed up and headed home after that. It was around 3:30am when we pulled in the driveway. I am so grateful for wonderful in-laws who helped me so much.

When I took some pictures Camden wanted a picture of his cool socks from the hospital. He didn't want to wash them when they got dirty and no one could use his hospital pillow. 

We were instructed to go back the following week and get a hard cast.  They took more x-rays and were told things looked good and to come back in a month to see if the elbow has healed the correct way. If it has Camden will get a smaller cast for just his arm. If not Camden will have to have surgery. We are praying he heals right.

Camden picked a black cast. It has worked out great because you can't see dirt. We were told he could swim but no dirt and sand. There was no way Camden would stay away from the dirt so when he wants to play we put a grocery bag over his arm. It makes us both happy.

I hope some day Camden starts caring more about how he wears his clothes. He loves his cast and is doing a lot with his arm. He is getting good at eating with his left hand. I've always wanted a kid who was left handed but never in this way. I'm so grateful Camden was brave through all of this and things have turned out good. This is something I don't want to go through again but my mother-in-law reminded me that I have boys and this is just the beginning.

Sunday evenings and Reyen at 6 weeks

We have noticed that Reyen loves to be outside. She doesn't like the sun but opens her eyes in the shade. She is getting really good at holding her own head up.

Hard at work.

Reyen is not a newborn anymore. She is getting really long and her cheeks are filling out. She still has some rolls but not like when she was born. She is getting so long her 0-3 onesies won't stretch much longer.

This little guy is the light of the party. Here Camden is in his black cast. These pictures I took of him and Reyen are a normal occurrence. I am constantly telling Camden to scoot back because he's too close. He just wants to be with her. 

There is a 3 1/2 year difference between these two and I hope they can be this close as they grow up together. Reyen does love to watch the boys. I wonder what she is thinking about all of them some times.

I have noticed that I don't have a lot of pictures of my babies and me. I guess I'm making up with Reyen.

Elliot came down with a fever and had it for 9 days.  We took him to the doctor on day 8 and were told it can last up to ten days. He felt fine when he had medicine but was a wreck when it wore off. He has had to stay home from church because this virus wouldn't go away.

I have to document Mike's hair. He cut the sides short and left the top long. It is the first time he has done that and his hair has gotten really long and wavy. I think it comes from the Wertz side. The boys get a kick out of it when Mike styles his hair different ways. Most of the time he plays it safe.

Sundays the kids are suppose to take a day off from the trampoline and playing in the dirt. That way they will stay clean, right?. Not so. Since the kids don't play with toys they have fun running around. Except now they are sweaty and stinky. I love them anyways.:)

This young man steals my heart every time he smiles at me. 

Elsie is signing her name for the camera only I stopped taking pictures after L. She is growing up too fast. What a beautiful girl she is becoming. I just wish she'd love her brothers as much as the boys she talks about.

Elsie is attempting to show me her stinky feet. She thought it was quite funny. I just love her expression. Her feet really do stink up a room. Something she laughs at. I wish I had her pride when I was young. You've got to own it if it's yours.

Pictures from Mike's phone: Reyen's birth and Rylan's arm

These are some pictures Mike got with his camera. I haven't even seen some of these. This one of the nurses sucking Reyen was really scary for me because she was my first child that didn't scream right after being born. She was in good hands

Here is my doctor and the kid's doctor ever since I moved to Utah 11 1/2 years ago. Dr Gina Cox. We call her Dr Gina because we are kind of related. She is my sister-in-laws sister. We see her at some birthday parties. We love Dr Gina and she has taken good care of us. She made it too late to deliver Reyen but just in time to meet and check her out. This is only my second baby she hasn't delivered. 

My first meeting and falling in love with Reyen.  

Since I had Reyen in the night by the time she was to be bathed I was up and about. When the nurse asked if I wanted Reyen to have a bow after her bath in my mind I thought "why, it's a boy". Then I realized that I did have a girl and she can wear those things. It didn't stay on very long but it looked so cute on her.

My mom was here when Reyen was born. That night Reyen was born, having my mom there to take care of the kids was the greatest relief to me. Of all that I could worry about it was what were we going to do with the kids. In the past we would drop the kids off at Mike's parents on the way to the hospital. I also didn't want to disrupt their schedules of school so it was a great blessing to have my mom there at that time.

Rylan didn't want to hold Reyen for the first time but you would have never guessed that he is always asking to hold her 6 weeks later.

This is Mike's picture of Reyen's face. She has his nose.

I forget when this picture was taken. Me and my girls.

This picture of Mike and Reyen is my favorite. I have a similar picture of Mike and Elsie when she was born. If I recall Elsie was more chubbier than Reyen.

Mike had pictures of Rylan at the hospital when he got stitched up on Memorial day. He got to watch a lot of tv that day.

Rylan now has quite a mark on his arm. The scar will be there for him to tell his kids all about him building great grandpa's house.