Parker's blessing

We blessed Parker on Nov. 6th in my parents ward. Michael was really nervous but he did a really great job. We had a lot of family there to support us and Danny and Brieghann representing for the Lainhart side. It was nice to see everyone and spend time with the family. It is amazing to have my children blessing in the church and to have a worthy husband who can do it.

Baka Parker

"Hi baka Paker, Hi baka Parker!" This is what Logan is constantly saying to Parker. He is trying to say "baby Parker" but it comes out as "baka Parker" it's pretty cute actually. He loves her so much. The first few days of her life he wasn't really sure about her and was getting pretty jealous that I was spending so much time with her. Now he loves to help, he throws her diapers in the trash, gives her her binkie, and makes sure we all know when she is crying. He is going to be a great big brother. She has been in our lives for 3 weeks and it has been amazing. I feel like she has always been a part of out family and that she makes our family complete (for now.) I couldn't have asked for a better newborn, she is so mellow and easy just like Logan was. I think my parents were secretly hoping that I would get a hellion child like I was but so far they are both great. She only wakes up once a night to nurse then goes straight back to sleep. The only thing that is hard for me is that I still feel very sleep deprived which leaves me with almost no energy for the rest of the day. And of course my 2 yr old is a ball of energy which makes things a little difficult. The first few weeks were hard for me though. The c-section was harder to recover from then last time so I was in a lot of pain. I broke out in this horrible, itchy rash due to the pain killers I was taking so I had to stop taking them and deal with the pain. Then I got a bad cold that lasted for about a week, and lastly I got about 75 (not really, but still) cold sores on my bottom lip due to all the stress I was under. Fortunately most of all that crap has gone away and I m on my way to being back to normal. I love my kids so much and am so grateful to be a mother.

Potty Training

I've been putting off potty training for months, I kept telling myself that he wasn't ready yet but really I was just to lazy to put in the effort. My mom bought me this book a few months back called Potty Training in One Day, so I finally decided to try it. Basically you sit with your child for hours and hours and do nothing but teach him how to use the potty. It took us about 3 hours of sitting in the kitchen with lots of treats until he finally started to get the hang of it. He had a few accidents that day but not as bad as I thought it would be. It's been 3 days and since then he has been doing great. He had one accident yesterday and none today so far. He even will tell me sometimes when he has to go. Although I will not let him out of my sight and am constantly asking him if he needs to go potty. The only downfall has been that he still has yet to go #2 since we have started. So it has been 3 days and he is holding it in because I think he is afraid to go on the potty and doesn't want to go in his underwear. So we are working on it. I am glad he is making such good progress and I am hoping within the next few weeks he will be fully potty trained. Don't know what took me so long, it will be so nice to only have 1 kid in diapers!!!

Parker Michelle Lainhart

SHE'S HERE!!!!

Parker Michelle Lainhart

October 5th, 2011

7lbs 13oz, 20 3/4 in long

tons of dark dark hair

blue eyes(so far)

big "Van Dusen" cheeks

tiny ball of cuteness!!

My sweet little princess has arrived and she is perfect! She is so adorable and honestly just as mellow as Logan was when he was born. She hardly ever cries and she is great at nursing. She wakes up probably twice a night and then goes right back to sleep. Logan is not interested in her at all and is pretty jealous of all the attention she getting, but I am sure with time he will love her as much as we do. The c-section went great although recovery isn't exactly easy. We were in the hospital for 2 days and then we headed down to my moms house so she could help me recover and help out with Logan.. My mom was able to pick up Logan and take him to her house while we were in the hospital which was really helpful. We can't believe that we are now a family of 4 and are feeling so blessed that we have 2 beautiful, healthy children. We are excited to start this new chapter in our lives!

Happy Anniversary!!!

3 years and still going strong. Don't get me wrong we have definitely had our share of ups and downs but I would never change the experiences and the memories that we have shared together. Michael has blessed me with the most amazing son anyone could ask for and a beautiful daughter to be joining our family tomorrow. He makes me laugh, smile, and feel beautiful just the way that I am. He is such a good father and it brings me so much joy to see how much Logan loves him. He has exceeded my expectations in many ways and is becoming the man that I knew he could always be. Before we got married many people were skeptical wondering if I was making the right decision and if he would be able to do the things that he has promised me. Of course when you are making a huge decision in your life you always have worries and doubts but as the years have gone by I am 100% confident that I made the right decision to marry him. In 3 years we have both changed for the better and have had the opportunity to learn and grow together. I know there will be many more rough times in our marriage but I also know that we can get through them. Thank you Michael for all that you do for me and our family. I love you more than words can describe.

Stressed and Blessed

STRESSED:

Lately I have been feeling a lot of stress about all the upcoming changes in my life. I am worried about Logan and how he will react to another baby. He is literally my best friend and I don't want him to feel like we've replaced him. I am worried about whether or not to have a c-section again or to try a v-back. The annoying thing about military insurance is that I have to see the doctors that they tell me to see not who I want to see. So since we have been living on base I have seen 3 different doctors and have been told 3 different things about how and when I will be having this baby. I know ultimately it is my decision but I want to make sure that I am doing what is right for this baby and for my future children. It sucks living here because we have no friends and no family close by, so if I go into labor I pretty much have no one to call to watch Logan while I am in the hospital. Sure there are ladies in the ward that are willing to help but I don't know most of them so it's hard to think about living my son with someone I don't really know. I really want my mom to be there when I have her but my dad is having surgery on October 3rd which is really close to my due date, so the possibilities of her being able to make it here are really slim. I'm stressed about money and making sure that we get our bills covered every month. Mike works about 10 hours a day and hardly makes enough money to get us by every month. There are a lot of things going on that make me worried and stressed and sometimes I don't think I can handle it.

BLESSED:

With all this stress I still feel truly blessed. I am blessed to have a husband that has a job and is willing to do whatever it takes to take care of our family. I am blessed that my family is healthy and happy and growing. I am grateful to have the gospel that is constant and always there as a source to turn to. I am lucky to have such wonderful family members. My family and Mike's family have always been there for us willing to help us out whenever we need something. I am blessed to have 2 siblings serving missions that are great examples to me and my family. I am blessed to have found a job doing something I love (coaching gymnastics) that is willing to wait for me to have the baby and recover before I start working. I am thankful for a place to live, food on my table, and clothes on my back. I know that life gives us lots of trials and plenty of stress but I also know that I can get through these things when I reflect on the blessings that I have and when I turn to my Savior for help.

Update....

We've been a busy family lately. I am glad to say that my hubby is back with us and it is wonderful. We have moved to Lemoore, CA and are still trying to get settled. We have been here for about 3 weeks and were living in a hotel for the first week while we waited for housing on base to open up. finally we got into a really nice house and we love it. It is a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bathroom house with a garage and a backyard. The only drawback is that we are still waiting for all our stuff to be moved here from Idaho Falls. The tell us that it should arrive sometime between August 15th and 22nd. So we have been sleeping on a air mattress and living off of the few things that we had packed in or cars. So far life on base is pretty good. Everything you could ever need or want is on base, gas station, grocery store, bowling ally, movie theater, shopping center, pools, and schools. There is a park literally right outside our back yard and a swimming pool across the street. We take Logan to the pool almost every other day. Mikes squadron is still deployed and is supposed to be back sometime in September. So he hasn't done much working since we've been here which has been nice because we've been able to spend time together. Once his squadron gets back who knows what his hours will be. Mr. Logan is the joy and love of my life. He is literally my best friend and I love spending my days with him. He is getting so smart and it amazes me what he has learned. He can say prayers all by himself and is starting to combine 2 or 3 words together. He is still super obsessed with cars and loves watching movies. He is a great kid for the most part and is very easy to handle. As his 2 yr birthday approaches I am getting sad to watch my sweet little boy grow up. It makes me sad that he is not my baby anymore and that he doesn't need me as much as he used to. I am getting nervous about the upcoming arrival of our baby girl and am scared about how he will react to the new family member. I don't want him to be left out and feel like I'm not his anymore. It is going to be difficult to make special time to spend with him but I am going to make that a priority. Just the overall thought of having 2 children scares me to death not to mention the newborn stage again. I will most likely be having her on October 3rd because they do c-sections on Mondays so...a little less that 2 months left to go and I am so anxious to meet her. I'm getting bigger and bigger and more uncomfortable as the days go by. My dad is still completely without hearing and is now patiently waiting to hear when he will be able to have cochlear implant surgery. It makes me really sad for both my mom and dad that they have to go through this. My dad has the most amazing, addictive personality and it seems like with the loss of his hearing he is not the same person. He can't hear my son say "Grandpa" or my mom say " I love you." I am heart broken for both of them and I am just hoping and praying for the best. All in all things are changing and I never know what life will bring us. I am just grateful for health and happiness. Until next time...