Baby Brielle

On July 18th, Mckay and I woke up early and headed to the hospital to have Baby #4. It is always a day filled with different emotions from excitement to nerves and everything in between. Our other kids were well taken care of by grandma, but I always tend to worry about how each and every member of the family is going to adjust with the new arrival.

Let the fun begin. When the nurse was hooking me up to the IV, I was doing just fine for the most part. I don't really watch every step of the process, I just know that whatever she is doing hurts a little. This time I remember asking her a few questions and then out of no where I started feeling really lightheaded and funny. I mentioned this to Mckay so that he was aware but apparently he thought I was joking- even when my eyes were rolling and it was hard to keep them from shutting, the room seemed really bright, and I felt like I was beginning to sweat, I also remember feeling like I was going to faint. There are a few things that I can't remember though. I guess my sweetheart was tapping me in the face telling me to knock it off (Like I would really tease him about this), when I asked where the nurse was after she had left the room a while ago, then he knew I was serious. I think she had found a great vein in my arm but with the nerves or an empty stomach I guess as she was putting in the IV it disappeared and she had to do another one. It felt really weird and it was an interesting start to our day. My arm is all bruised now and at the time it had a huge bump. After all of the IV fun, they started up the PIT and broke my water. I was already at a 3 since my last appointment, but because I had Group B Strep, I have to get an antibiotic for the baby. I think the total dosage that they want you to have takes around 4 hours, and this all happened around 7:30 AM. I thought things were going to go pretty fast once they broke my water. Anyway contractions started right up and they were coming hard, fast, and pretty regular. After doing that for quite a while I got an epidural. By this point I was now at a 7, so I thought we were going to relax for a little while before it was time to have a baby. There was a little trouble with my blood pressure and it seemed like not long later, I noticed that the baby's heart rate monitor was not sounding anymore either. So in an effort to save the nurse from coming back in I tried to move it around a little to get it back on the monitor. I failed and the nurse came in and said she better check me again to see if the baby was too low to get a rate. I am always so glad to have him by my side, holding my hand in times of need. For the most part things went pretty smoothly and quickly. When we couldn't get the baby's heart rate on the monitor the nurse came in and checked me once again and I was told not to move or cough because the baby's head was right there. She got the Dr on his way and a few pushes later...

Brielle Marie Swensen
Weight: 7 pounds 13 ounces
Height: 21 1/2 inches (Although at the Dr she was 19 1/2) Head: 13 1/2 inches

Born at 10:50 AM July 18, 2011

Getting all checked out. I was not able to get all of the antibiotic because, just like we thought things went too fast after breaking my water. The doctor wanted to have us stay there for 48 hours to keep an eye on Brielle, but after a few persuasions from Mckay they let us go home the next day, if we brought her in for a check up in the morning and watched her at home. She is just fine and everything turned out great with our new bundle of JOY! Ready to move to the recovery room. After we got settled in the new room, my mom brought the anxious kids in to meet their new Sister! Brielle was busy with the nurses so the other kids opened a small gift for being good while they waited.McKenzie got Holly Shiftwell (The Purple CAR) Payton got Finn McMissileAnd Taylor was well pleased with the new McQueenThen the nurse brought Brielle in and then kids were so tender and excited to meet her.Pure love Precious momentsSo sweet Sisters at last! Family TimeBrielle with my MOM-thank you so much for taking such great care of the other kids while we were tied up. They sure had a great time!!Our new FAMILY! Taylor's cute little smile- he loves her already!The proud parents.

Payton is such a BIG helper with Brielle.

Sleepy Baby GIRL!

Our gift from Heaven.

Getting all ready to go HOME!

Another little Girl to love and to hold.

Kisses from Daddy!

Yawning

Beautiful little Brielle

She looks so tiny in her car seat.

Precious

Payton the protector.

Kenzie already has big plans of dress up, and other sisterly activities with her new DoLL!

Taylor loves to touch her and tells me to be SOFT when I am taking care of her needs. He also likes to come up to her and say "HEY SWEETIE"!-After over hearing his dad say that previously, now it has stuck.

All of our KIDS! I feel so blessed with these 4 wonderful kids. They really have been making this new chapter in our lives pretty easy this far, although I am sure we will have our moments! They already love their new SisTeR so much and want to help her all the time.

It sure is hard getting a good picture of everyone looking and staying still all at once. LIFE IS GREAT!!

Splish Splash

This weekend has been SUPER busy as we have been playing non-stop and having fun at the Bryson Family Reunion. I didn't have my camera most of the time but I did get some shots at Roaring Springs. Mckay and I have been there before but this was the kids' first time there and they had a BLAST! Payton, as usual, was such a fish and has hardly any fears. McKenzie was more careful and scared to try new things. Taylor loved swimming and playing in the water. So it seemed like we had 3 different kids with 3 different skill levels and it was really hard counting heads all day but worth the fun as well.

The BOYS having a good time.
Taylor loved swimming with his daddy and was all smiles!
In the lazy river soaking up the sun.

I think this was Payton's favorite thing there.

Kenzie looking cute!

Taylor loved the water.

Happy little guy.

Kenzie and dad, going down the slide.

Payton's turn Taylor and dad on the slide.

It was a fun family day in the sun!

Birthday Girl

This week we celebrated McKenzie's Birthday too! After having Payton's party, she was well prepared for her own special day. Since Mckay had to work, we told Kenzie that she could pick a place to eat and we would take her out for lunch (well the whole family). At first she was saying Taco BeLL, but after more thought, and perhaps a little persuasion from her older brother she settled on McDonald's. We never buy the kids their own Happy Meals, so this time we splurged and got Payton and McKenzie their own and Taylor could have cared less, at least for now. They were also giving away free mini smoothies and Payton said, "It must be a special day at McDonald's!" Needless to say the kids had a great time and even played for a long time on the Playhouse. Then the rest of the day she spent playing and anticipating Daddy coming home from work so she could open her presents and have cake and ice cream.

Ready to open her presents!

Her new Tinker Bell Flashlight!

Kenzie really likes Tangled and has had her eye on the dress as well as the doll for quite a while now. So when she was opening the Rapunzel Doll she said, "What about the DRESS!" She was sure happy to see that she got both! Kenzie has also been loving to do puzzles so she got a Tangled puzzle.

Now on to the sweet stuff! I tell you we have way too much cake in the month of July.

Smiling with her brothers.

These kids are usually play so well together, I love the bond they each have with one another.

Our PRINCESS, eating cake and ice cream.

Just a few fun things about my little McKenzie:

*She loves each of her family members and can't wait to meet her little sister any day.

*She gets so worried if someone is being left out or left behind (She will cry like she has been offended as well).

*She absolutely loves to dress up...needless to say that means she loves to go to church (then she can wear a dress that spins, which leads me to my next thing.

*She has a dress test before she decides that it is good enough to wear to church. After putting the dress on it must spin enough for her approval, also then she will even take it a step further and climb up on her bed to jump off and if that dress puffs up when she jumps, IT IS A GREAT DRESS, and she is delighted to wear it! (Only on occasion can I get her to give in on those guidelines.)

*She is a great eater and will try anything for her Daddy, and he on the other hand would do anything for HER!

*I often find her feeling her hair against her back to see just how long it is getting.

*She loves to help cook dinner with me, it is some fun GIRL time.

*Kenzie loves to do puzzles, color, read books, play games, and learn. She is a pretty smart little girl!

*She loves to spend time next to her daddy and will often look at me in an effort to rub it in with those Big BROWN eyes... when he dotes on her and not me. I play it up like it is a big deal, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I want her to know that she is his little Princess and that she is truly loved by both her parents as well as her siblings. She has even cried when Mckay returns to work after a fun-filled weekend and claims to have enough money to pay for the house so that he doesn't have to go to work anymore!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENZIE GIRL!