Barty: one month

Things have been pretty busy lately. Having 3 kids. Doctor's appointments and minor surgeries. Family in town: helping people move, reunions, baby blessings, swimming, hanging out... I will try and get all the fun things we have been up to, on the blog as soon as I can. To start off, here are some slightly random pictures of Bart at one month. It's technically a day before he was one month, but I don't think he changed too much in that one day. ;)

I always think he looks so precious sleeping on his tummy. This picture reminds me of Lady and the Tramp, when Darling is showing Lady the baby in the bassinet. Love it!

Back in UT

Well, we made it to UT. We are pretty much all settled in, except that we are all fighting this awful cold/flu. It is never fun to have to take care of kids when you have a fever and chills and are just plain tired. A big thanks to Nate who, as always, is picking up where I am slacking off. He's been helping a ton with the boys and I was able to get a little extra sleep today. Hopefully we are coming to the end of it.

Little Barty is still just as sweet and precious and tiny as ever.

A little over a week ago he weighed 7 lbs 3 oz, which is still so tiny. But I can tell he is gaining weight and starting to fill out a little.

With the time change, he is now waking 2 times a night, but he has been going right back to sleep after each feeding, which my other kids never did, so that is very nice.

Asher and Sayer are doing great with all the changes. They both love their little baby brother and tell everyone they meet about him. Sayer LOVES to hold him.

He always says "I hold it" and then sits on the chair and asks for the pillow to lay him on. Then he gives him kisses and looks at his little hands and feet. It's so sweet. Asher loves to hold him too. My favorite thing with Asher is that he always calls Bart, "Bartlett". It sounds so cute, I can't even explain, but I love it. Both boys seem to be embracing their big brother roles and seem so much older. Instead of trying to stay the baby, it seems like Sayer is just trying to be more of big kid like Asher. He wants to do everything that Asher does and gets really sad when he is left out. They both love the house and being able to play in the backyard. We got them both scooters as kind of a "baby gift" and they are loving them. Especially Asher, who rides like a pro and loves to go fast. Sayer had some accidents from going too fast and lack of control, so he is very reserved on it now, but still likes to keep trying.

Anyway... so there's a little update from us. Hopefully there will be more posts coming soon. It is amazing the things I can get done now that I am feeling better! :)

Mother-Daughter trip: NYC

**This post is from back in March, I kept waiting to post until I got some more pictures, but I just wanted to get it on here**

The last couple weeks have been pretty busy around here. On Friday the 26th of March, my mom and 4 out of 5 sisters came to NYC. Aside from all the rain, I'd say we had a pretty delightful time.

Their trip was full of lots of shopping, a little sight seeing (although really, not much), eating delicious food and seeing lots of great shows. On Sunday night, we ate at the most delicious mexican restaurant called Rosa Mexicano. Guacamole and carne asada tacos were both to die for!! A little pricey, but definitely recommend. Thanks mom! We also met our cousin Christian for an early dinner at Alice's Tea Cup,

Ash, Morgan

Mom, Christian, Lex

which I had gone to a couple weeks earlier with some girlfriends, and loved. Yummy food, tons of tea choices (herbal included), delicious scones, and an adorable atmosphere, finished off with mis-matched tea cups and saucers. It was also SO great to catch up with Christian! We also hit up Crumbs which is always divine.

On Saturday night, they all saw In the Heights, which they enjoyed, I believe. I had already seen it and didn't want to spend the money again.

Sunday afternoon, we sinned and saw Chicago.

Ash, Hailey, Jill, Lex, Morgan, Mom

We decided to embrace the raciness and repent later. We didn't mean for the raciness to take place on the Sabbath, in place of Sunday School and Relief Society, that's just the way the tickets for everything worked out. I am a big fan of the music for Chicago, and just couldn't resist experiencing it on Broadway. The costumes most definitely left almost nothing to the imagination, but the music and acting did not disappoint. Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child played Roxy. She of course has an amazing voice, and did some nice acting. I have to say though, she is a little awkward to watch move. She has really long, super skinny legs, and just does not move well. You can tell she is not a dancer, especially in comparison with the amazing dancers in the rest of the cast. So Chicago was great, even though I guess I can't recommend it! ;)

Monday night we saw Promises, Promises starring Kristen Chenoweth and Sean Hayes (Jack on Will & Grace). It had just opened on Saturday night, and let me tell you: it. was. dee-lightful!!! Sean Hayes stole the show with his lovable character, humor, and all around amazing talent. Kristen was of course amazing and adorable as well, but I have to say, if I were to pick one of them to win a Tony, it would be Sean. It is a revival musical from the 60s I believe, so some of the music was a little dated, but there were also some serious gems, like "I say a little prayer", "turkey lurkey time" and "I'll never fall in love again". I LOVED this show. Definitely recommend!!

On Tuesday morning, we packed up and headed to Penn Station to catch a bus (in the pouring rain, I might add) to Washington DC to meet up with Whit and continue on with our Mother-Daughter trip.

One and a half weeks

Little Barty is about a week and a half old now, and is just about the sweetest thing you have ever seen. He's a very mellow little guy so far and doesn't cry much. You know he must be really in pain or mad about something if he really gets going. This is a welcome change from Sayer who cried for about an hour at every feeding. When he's awake and not eating, he basically just sits there and looks around. He has the softest, most kissable cheeks. I love them. I love to just hold him and look at him and snuggle him. I really just can't get enough of him and his precious-ness. Nate has been so great to take the kids to park, and since his parents have been here, taking them to the zoo and toys r us. It has been really nice for me to have time to spend with Bart, without the boys running around like crazy children, which we definitely still have our fair share of. But I am trying to savor the quiet moments while I have them.

In the last week, Bart has had his first (and second) baths (in which he immediately went poo both times), had his first outings to the park, his first subway ride (tucked safely away in the ergo so as not to breath or be touched by anything nasty), met neighbors and friends and nana and papa. He has also been so nice to his mommy with his awesome eating skills, as well as only waking up once a night, which is fabulous. I just hope he keeps it up.

We have been busy packing up and saying goodbye to friends. We are moving to UT for the summer, and then are coming back for in the fall for what we think will be our last year in the city. :( So here are some precious pictures of the little dude, to hold you over until we are settled in UT.

Right after I took this picture, he pooed in the towel

He loves to snuggle with nana! (and nana loves to snuggle with him!!)

Isn't he precious?? I love him.

Swim lessons

Kay, so this is a random post. We are going to be in Utah for the summer, and I am wanting to put the boys in swimming lessons while we are there. I would love to find someone that does one on one lessons with the kids, I know a lot of people do this out of their homes. I am just wondering if anyone knows of anyone that does this. Or I would also be interested in swim lessons at rec centers or something if I can't find someone who does them privately. Anyway, just thought I'd ask. If you know of anything, if you could email me at morganpryde@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Introducing...

Bartlett Christopher Olson
(Bart)

6 lbs 3 oz 19 ¾ inches

Born at 11:39 pm (same time as Asher)
4/27/10

During my routine checkup on Tuesday, my dr checked me and said I was at a 4+. After hearing my labor histories and how I was a little anxious about this one, and then on top of that, I needed to be there in plenty of time to get a round of the group B antibiotics, she told me she wanted me to go home and get my stuff and head to the hospital. This was actually a blessing to me, as I really have been worried about how I would know I was in labor, and making it to the hospital on time, so it was really nice to have my dr just tell me that I needed to go.

So this labor was VERY different from the other two. First of all, I learned that I can have consistent contractions that are 2-3 minutes apart for hours. Not painful, just pressure, and if my dr hadn’t told me to go, I probably never would have noticed them being so regular. We checked in around 4:45 pm, it took a long time to get checked in and to get things going with the antibiotics and such. I think they moved me to my room around 8:00pm and just kept monitoring me… contractions still the same. Nate was getting a little bored, not being used to things going so slowly. I thought it was kinda nice though. I was really able to relax and get used to the idea that we were gonna have another kid soon, and I even finished reading my book.

When they came in at around 9:40pm, I was still at a 4+, which was kind of annoying, but then they broke my water. After about and hour and 20 minutes or so, the contractions were getting really bad and I had to actually work through them, which I was not used to. I told them I was starting to feel a lot more pressure and they checked and I was at a 7. I was not very happy about that, thinking that I was further along. About a half hour later, I told Nate that maybe I wanted to get an epidural, as the contractions were getting pretty unbearable, but they weren’t on top of each other or anything, so I thought maybe I still had a while. I decided I’d wait a bit more, and then sure enough, a few minutes later, it was time to push. Oh that dreaded feeling. I hate it. I was dreading it the whole time. Then of course they tell you not to push, and all I can do is push and tell them to hurry. I didn’t push for long, although in the moment, it felt like it was taking forever. I think I pushed for 10 minutes or maybe less, and then it was FINALLY over. I know it really isn’t that long, but it hurt. This whole labor was so much more painful than Sayer’s. I couldn’t help but just rejoice and tell everyone how glad I was that it was over. So yeah, instead of being the quickest and easiest like you would expect, my third labor was the longest and hardest one of all. I guess I got to experience what a normal labor is like this time around. But to be honest, it was a blessing. Nate had just finished with his last class, which was the last thing we were waiting on before we wanted him to come, and it is 2 weeks before we are moving, which is the amount of time I wanted to have him big enough to fly and to get the house all packed up, etc, and I didn't have to worry about having the baby in a cab. All good things.

Anyway, we are home now and everyone is doing well. Asher and Sayer couldn't be more thrilled to have a new baby brother. All they want to do is hold him and kiss him and touch him. Bart is such a sweet little thing so far. He is a great nurser which has been a wonderful change from the other 2, I just hope he keeps it up.

I also just have to brag about my wonderful friends and neighbors, who completely took over things with the boys from the second they found out I was on my way to the hospital. I knew they were in good hands and were having fun, so it was nice to not have to worry too much about them. I came home to them cleaning my apt and dinners taken care of through the weekend. I am so blessed to have such amazing friends!!

The view from my room. Looking south from 59th street, on west side

These beautiful flowers were brought by my dear friends and neighbors

First cab ride

Boys meeting baby Barty for the first time

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Easter

We had a nice little Easter Sunday. The kids woke up and got their Easter buckets...

filled with chocolate bunnies and then they each got a little ball, which they were very excited about. I got them each little baby birdies that Asher is obsessed with, but gave them to them the evening before. Don't worry that we have already left the soccer ball at a park, who knows which one. :( I hate that. Then we had a little egg hunt in the house which was pretty fun. Since we didn't have church, we just hung out and watched conference for a bit. I also did a little Easter lesson for the boys, which was very interesting. It's always challenging to teach about what we are celebrating at Easter without things getting to graphic. But I definitely think Asher took away some new knowledge, and that is all that matters.

Boys in their new Easter outfits. Thanks Grandma Lisa!

Then around noon, Sayer was in serious need of a nap, so down he went, while Asher and I headed over to my neighbor's church, which is just down the street. They were having a little egg hunt for the kids and she invited us. Asher was SOOO excited, but was also very good at waiting patiently for his turn to look for eggs.

Asher and Addi waiting patiently

He had so much fun looking for eggs, and just ran as fast as he could around the courtyard, picking up eggs. My favorite thing was how he passed tons of eggs to get to eggs that he saw further away. Silly kid.

Asher and Addi exploring their loot

Such a handsome little man!

Later in the evening, we got together with our neighbors (same ones from the egg hunt) and had a little potluck in the courtyard next door. We brought pork roast, garlic mashed potatoes, homemade rolls (dinner and cinnamon!) and asparagus. They brought a beef roast, yummy salad and something else I can't remember. It was all delicious, and so fun to be with friends on such a special day.

Guess who's a big boy?!

Sayer!!

Last Thursday I started Sayer on the 3 Day Potty Training. He was showing that he was really ready, and I did not want to wait until I had 3 kids to do it. It was a terrible, and exhausting 3 days. He did not catch on as fast as Asher did, which was very frustrating. Although he was amazing at holding his pee, which made for hardly any accidents, but less chances to practice. He was basically afraid to sit on the potty, so getting him to sit long enough to do his business was very hard. Then, instead of telling me, he would just whine and hold himself. But, by the end of the 3 days, or at least by the beginning of the 4th day, he was doing SO much better and I was feeling a little more comfortable leaving the house with him. It took him a couple more days to get the #2 business, but he is practically a pro now. He still won't sit on a real potty which is annoying, hopefully he will get there soon.

To be honest, I was so discouraged by the end of the 3 days, that I was considering putting him back in diapers. Crazy, I know. Especially because he loves his undies and I don't think he would want to go back. He gets so excited after he goes, and announces it to everyone, it's the cutest thing. I was just getting nervous about it being so close to the baby's due date, and I didn't know if things would be good enough by then. But he is doing great, and the few accidents he has had, have been away from home, which I think is acceptable.

So anyway, YAY for Sayer for being such a big boy!!
(and he does seem so big all of the sudden)

He sure does look adorable in his big boy undies!!

Sayer's par-tay

We had a joint birthday party with Sayer's friend Truman who is just a week younger than him. They're in our ward, so we figured we'd be inviting most of the same people anyway, so just did one big bash. Liz and I each made a soup, she brought fruits and veggies, I made homemade rolls and we each made a cake. Truman has a Lightening McQueen cake,

and I made Elmo pops, which I was SO proud of, for Sayer.

We didn't do much besides eat, talk and let the kids play. It was a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone who came and made it a special day for the little guys.

Here is some video of Sayer jammin' on the harmonica, opening his presents and singing happy birthday at his party. Please ignore my annoying voice throughout.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sayer's 2nd birthday

Don't worry that this post is almost a month old. I started it a couple days after his birthday (March 2nd) but haven't had time or desire to blog until now. Oh well.

We planned a joint party with Sayer's friend Truman for Saturday evening, so we didn't do much for the actual day of his birthday. Nate did pick up a little cake from the corner grocery store so that we could sing and celebrate just the four of us. It wasn't a very good cake, but the kids sure enjoyed it...

Don't mind his red, girl's turtleneck. He borrowed it from his little neighbor friend.

Oh, our little Sayer. What to say about him. He is a charmer, that is for sure. He is really starting to turn into a two year old... tantrums and all. He is getting so much more social with his friends and gets really sad when he is left out of playdates. My favorite thing is that he is talking so much more since we got rid of his binky. His pronunciation of words is so cute, and a lot times, Nate and I are the only ones that know what he is saying. But he is very good at saying everyone's names. Sometimes he will go through the whole list of everyone that he knows. He starts with Asher and Mommy and Daddy and continues on with all of our neighbors and their moms. It's pretty adorable.

He loves to read books. I am not able to sit down much these days, because when I do, Sayer will undoubtedly end up in my lap with a bunch of books. I love it most of the time, but it makes it very hard to get anything done, or just be able to relax for a minute. But I LOVE that he loves books. I was a little worried about that, as I didn't read to him much as a baby, and when I tried to when he was a little older, he wasn't into it at all. When he did get into books, he did it all on his own.

Sayer is getting into trains and trucks and loves Elmo, even though he has never really seen Sesame Street. But we have a lot of Elmo books, so that explains it. He loves to play with his big brother and learns so much about pretending and creative play from him. That is, until he gets physically or emotionally hurt. They have good days and bad with how they get along. He is getting more independent and is wanting to do things, like get dressed, by himself. "I do it" he says. He's not quite coordinated enough to get stuff completely on by himself, but he's getting there. He loves playing with friends and feels like such a big boy when he gets to go somewhere by himself. He has been going to a little preschool co-op in our building. The kids are all different ages, so it's nothing too formal. Sometimes I am teaching Asher's preschool, so Sayer gets picked up by my neighbor Debbie, who he absolutely loves, and goes all by himself like such a big boy. Everyone tells me he does such a good job without me there and gets involved with all the fun things they do.

Sayer is about 10 times better at listening and sharing than Asher was at this age. Not saying he's a better child or anything, but it was such a shock to me when I asked him to do something, and he actually did it. Asher never would have done that. With Sayer getting bigger, I am seeing a lot more clearly how strong-willed Asher really is.

We love our little Sayer so much!! He really is such a little sweetheart. He loves to snuggle and give hugs and kisses. He is a huge charmer and knows just how to get people smiling. He always acts shy around new people at first, but it's not long before he is climbing into their laps and snuggling with them. I have to admit, that this little guy really tugs at my heart strings. I just think he is so cute in every way, and just can't get enough of him. I also adore his precious little curls.

Nate told me the other day something that he remembered from Sayer's baby blessing that always stood out to him. It was that he would be a peacemaker in our family. I can definitely see that, and I hope he will be. Heaven knows we will need at least one!! ;)

Happy Birthday Sayer! We are SO happy that you are in our family!!