Vegas With Babies.

We took the babies to Vegas for a mini family vacation.  This was Bentley's 2nd time and Scarlett's 1st.  Andy and I always have so much fun there, with or without kids.  The first time we took Bentley, he was 4 months old and we spent the entire day in a cabana at the pool and my parents came out to watch him at night, which was SO nice! It was only a matter of time that we'd be back with 2 little ones in tow♥

Memory Lane-Bentley 4 months old in LV

The drive to Vegas now takes us about 4 hours from San Diego. It was pretty uneventful, which is great, because I was a little concerned with how the babies would handle being strapped in for such a long period of time. We did make one stop at Starbucks along the way and I HAD to snap this picture of Andy squeezed in between both car seats with the kids and his coffee:) (My Dad was in the front seat;)

My parents joined us again this time and offered to babysit one of the nights while we went out. We had dinner and drinks at Rice & Co., and tried our luck at the tables/slots afterwards♥

Pomegranate Martinis (my fave)

I sadly cannot remember the last time I stayed up past midnight, but I did it this night! Apparently, my body is so used to the current lack of sleep that it didn't phase me in the slightest.  I was up and ready to start our day at 6am the next morning!
Now, aside from the early morning wake-up calls, the only tough part about bringing babies on a vacation is the nap schedule.  Especially with a toddler who NEEDS that nap in order to survive! So we didn't exactly do everything we had planned, but we were able to get ourselves to the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, which we really wanted to see. Bentley thoroughly enjoyed this part of the trip:)

And of course, Scarlett slept through the whole thing:(

Komodo Dragon, these things are enormous!

♥

Touching a stingray

I can literally stare at jellyfish all day, they are quite relaxing to watch

Mom, Dad and Scarlett

We also attempted to go to the pool, but naps and feedings squashed that idea.  But of course I didn't forget to snap a pic of my little girl in her first bathing suit♥

We did have a very exciting moment when we saw that Scarlett had grabbed the toy lion in front of her, pulled it in tight, and started chewing its ear.  This is the second time she's reached a new milestone while we're on vacation (grabbing an object) I'll take it as a sign that we need to be going out of town more frequently this year;)

The drive home was perfect.  Scarlett and Bentley both slept for 3 hours straight.  We made one stop for smoothies and to stretch our legs and then we were back on the rode! Until next time:)

♥, The Happy Wife

Bentley Allen

My full of energy, full of life, full of love, 22 month old baby boy.  This little one gave me high blood pressure while I was pregnant with him, and has been known to raise it on occasion since;-) 

Bentley was my experimental child.  I had no idea, like most, what I was getting myself into with the first born.  And needless to say, was a little bit blindsided!  The pregnancy itself was wonderful.  I never wanted it to end, I absolutly enjoyed being pregnant.  Even though this was considered a high risk pregnancy, you'd never know it.  I was diagnosed with hypertension right around 9 weeks along and was immediatly put on medication. I was also ordered to see the perinatologist regularly.  But this just meant I'd be able to see my precious little boy through ultrasound that much more! I went in for visits just about every month where they'd take his measurements and listen to his heartbeat.  The ultrasounds were amazing, every one of them were in 4D and being able to watch him grow and wiggle around in there was so special for Andy and I.

We knew that with the risk of preeclampsia, it was not safe for me to go beyond my due date.  Each day past 40 weeks would increase my risks and I would need to be induced if he was late.  I was perfectly fine with this, I just wanted my baby to be OK.  My Dr. ended up sending me to the hospital for induction on May 4th, the day before my due date.  I was thrilled to know that this was a sure thing.  I'd be induced, I would opt out of an epidural, labor would progress quickly and then BAM! a baby. But I couldn't have been more wrong!  My entire labor lasted 42 hours. The pain of it was so shockingly bad, I can't even explain.  I made it about 22 hours and 5 cm dilated without an epidural, and it was not pretty.  I had completely lost control in a situation where the number one rule of thumb is to remain in control and "stay focused". In the midst of crying, screaming and vomiting, I was able to sign the papers and somehow hold perfectly still for someone to slide a needle into my spine.  This is me before the horrific labor pains set in.

After the epidural, I was finally able to relax and concentrate on the amazing task at hand:)  Then finally, after another 20 hours or so of labor, I was exhausted and starving but ready to go!! I'm pretty sure my excitement is what got me through the delivery because I had zero energy at this point.  Shortly there-after, we became parents.  Our preciously plump and adorable little boy was finally here!! May 6, 2010, Bentley Allen, 8 lbs. 4 ounces of love♥

At this point I just wanted to enjoy my little bundle.  This was such a new and exciting learning experience and it was not easy by any means.  I struggled to find confidence as a new Mother, it was very scary at times, not knowing how to make my little one feel better when he was upset and crying.  I recall many times reaching out to my older sister for help, as she has 4 of her own.  This involved some very late night phone calls, but she was always there for me. For that, I thank her.  I firmly believe that Bentley's adorable personality and smile is what got us through the tough times and made it all worth while:)

2 months

3 months

5 months

Today, our little Bentley is 22 months old. He is now a big brother to little sister Scarlett, and an amazing one at that.  He truly loves his sister and you can see that in the gentle way he touches her face or hand, the kisses he gives her and the "baby" voice he makes when talking to her♥  His vocabulary includes, but is not limited to the following- Hi, bye,  ball, bless you, cat, dog, poo poo, thank you, apple (bopple), momma, eye, daddy, uh oh, choo choo, icky, nana (banana), and a few others that only Andy or I can decipher:)  He can point out his nose, eyes, ears, mouth, hair, feet, hands and belly button. He is so smart and learns incredibly fast, is full of energy one minute and a super cuddle bug the next.  I am so in love with this little man its ridiculous.  I get such great joy out of watching him learn and grow and look forward to what the coming years have in store for us♥

22 months♥

Scarlett Grace

I always knew that I was destined to have a baby girl one day.  Maybe because I am one of three girls, or maybe just the simple fact that I wanted to purchase every ridiculously frilly outfit and hair bow I had ever encountered and dress her up in them.  Either way, that day came for me on November 19, 2011. Now I must say, I do have a pretty decent Motherly intuition.  I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Scarlett was going to be a girl.  I also had an overwhelming feeling that she would not be a December baby as expected, but that this little girl was going to be arriving incredibly early. 

The majority of this pregnancy was amazing.  I felt great, only gained about 32 lbs. I didn't have any symptoms of morning sickness, no crazy cravings, and had a good amount of energy to keep up with Bentley.  And thankfully, my blood pressure was not an issue this time around.

The week that Scarlett was actually born I went in to see the Dr. about some excruciating pain in my abdomen.  Thinking I was having contractions and expecting to be told I was 3 cm dilated already, was actually not the case at all. Not only was I NOT dilated but I was told that I had suffered an umbilical hernia!  This was the cause of all the pain, and nothing could be done about it until after I had the baby!  I went home from this appointment in complete despair, I hadn't been able to pick up my baby boy in a week.  Sleeping, walking, driving, sitting and standing were all painful. I just couldn't imagine dealing with this constant pain and discomfort for 4 more weeks, and on top of that, was now in fear over the idea of having to give natural birth with a hernia.  I had even contemplated a scheduled cesarean.  But this is how I know God is watching over me because miraculously, 2 days later, my water broke! It was very strange how I had an overwhelming urge to put the bassinet together, pack my hospital bag and put Bentley down an hour before his bedtime that evening, hence the motherly intuition I spoke of.

Let me just say that the labor and delivery were a breeze compared to my son.  And no surprise here, but labor pains are far worse than any hernia for man or woman!  So I was quickly able to forget about that issue and focus on bringing my little girl into this world.  After about 25 minutes of pushing, our baby was here, on my chest as beautiful and content as can be. With a perfectly round head and sweet little cry. I immediately teared up and had a sudden rush of excitement and joy run through my body.

This little girl completes our family.  Bentley has a little sister to look after , and she would have a big brother to protect her.  Andy and I had gone back and forth on names but the minute we laid eyes on her, we knew her name would be Scarlett. All 6 lbs. 2 ounces of her.

She was jaundiced at first and dropped down to 5 lbs 10 ounces, but quickly regained her health. Such a strong little one♥

Today, Scarlett is 3 months old. The time seems to go by much quicker with the second child.  I try so hard to cherish every last moment.  She has quite the personality already.  She smiles all the time and poses perfectly for the camera, possibly because everyday is a photo shoot in our home:)  She laughs when you tickle her and "talks" up a storm.  Still waking up 2-3 times a night to nurse, which is to be expected, so no complaints here! She loves seeing all three of our faces and is truly a beauty. She reminds me so much of Bentley at this point.  I look forward to reaching new milestones with her and every day I am thankful for the family God has blessed me with.