Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Introducing........Lillie Kate Belnap




Born on July 20th, 2007
at 6:26 am
weighing in at 7 lbs. 12oz.
and 20 inches long!





Named after my Grandma Lillie Maxfield Sorenson who passed away shortly after my Mom and Dad were married and whom I never had the chance to meet. I envision her being the final one, before our Heavenly Father, to say good-bye and send her on her way as she began her earthly mission!




Precious, Little, Perfect!


So the long anticipated story of the arrival of Lillie Kate is now entering the blogging world. To give you an idea of how life has been, I started blogging this when Lillie was 11 days old and she is now 4 weeks old today and I'm finally finishing it! At this point in my life I think I'm going to accept the fact that I'll never scrapbook my children's lives, get caught up with putting pictures in an album, or even write down the little sentiments that life with children can bring. Here's to all the "someday's" that are going to have to happen in another stage of life. (Maybe the empty nest stage?) Anyway, here is our story:


Lillie Kate was scheduled to arrive via C-section on a beautiful July 19th morning. We were so on top of things and our morning was going so smoothly. (I had really prepared myself mentally for this big day). We said our goodbye's to Grandma and took off for the hospital to welcome our little one into the world. Well, to our surprise there was no room at the "inn". There must have been something in the water because all the rooms were full! (I now have a deeper understanding and appreciation for what Mary must have felt!) Aaaaaahhhhhh! What! Go home and wait? So we left the hospital and headed for home. I mean really, what could we do? There was no room. Right! I really surprised myself at how well I handled the news.


The day seemed to drag on as we waited for the phone to ring. This was stressful for several reasons: First, my doctor was on his call shift that would end at 7 am the following morning, after which he was headed for a vacation. And, second, my husband is a medical resident and only had a couple of choice days off to be with me in the hospital. Third, I now had to fast the entire rest of the day until I knew when they could fit me in. (Okay, so I was allowed to eat breakfast, and then start fasting.)


By 4 o' clock we knew we wouldn't be able to get in that night, and I knew my window of opportunity with my doctor was closing. Luckily, at 10 pm we called the hospital and they asked if we could be there at 3:30 am. Yeah! We tried to get some sleep, and our second trip to the hospital was now in the dark of the early morning, but I was just excited to finally be on our way. (So much for the scheduled C-section.)



When we arrived at the hospital we still had to wait around. There were a lot of laboring mom's, two of which were expecting twins, and only one Anesthesiologist on the floor. Finally at 5:30, my doctor came in and told us he was going to make this happen and that we wouldn't be waiting much longer. We had a little window of opportunity and before we knew it we were wisked away by the Anesthesiologist, prepped for surgery (Spinal Blocks are definitely the way to go!) and before we knew it, our sweet little girl was here! And she was perfect and healthy! Our faith was strengthened as we saw our prayers and fasting had been answered! And, with the exception of having to be put under the warmer for a few hours to keep her temperature up, Lillie was with us the whole time during recovery and our stay in the hospital!


Recovery has been faster than my first two. I think by the third time my body just knows what it's going to go through and has accepted it. I mostly contribute it to having my amazing mother in town to help out, along with my niece Brinlee, who the kids absolutely adored, and after that Brian's mother, also an amazing woman. Thank you so much Mom's. We couldn't have done it without you. We love you sooooo much!


So life with three little one's has been pretty exciting. I haven't ventured out much on my own with all of them. I'll have to slowly work into that. Brooklyn and Isaac adore their little sister and can't get enough of her. Brooklyn loves to pick out her clothes and help me dress her, and calls Lillie's little elastic hair bands, her crowns. (She's now her little princess sister) When Lillie is fussing, my favorite thing that Brooklyn says is, "Chill, Lil". And Isaac is the cutest big brother. He is so gentle and tender with her. The first thing that Isaac asks for when he wakes up in the morning and after naps is "Where's Baby?" He loves to hold her and put her binky in and is always saying, "So Cute!"


Well we are so happy to have our adorable and absolutely healthy baby girl in our family. She has brought into our home an added sweet and loving spirit that only new babies fresh from our Heavenly Father's loving arms can bring. Our family feels so blessed and very grateful for the opportunity to nurture and love her. Thank you to all of our amazing family and friends for your love and support during such a wonderful time in our family's life. We love you all!!

...........Stay tuned for more in the life of the Belnap Family.








Last pregnant pose (or so we thought)
Real one was in the dark!






When we were sent home to wait, we stopped at McD's( I must have been really hungry) for a yummy mcgriddle. After this the all day torture fast began!




Proud Mommy and Daddy!






Dr. Jordan on his 23rd hour of call! Great surgeon and great guy!

She has Isaac's hidden pinky toe! Holding Daddy's hand. Precious!

Cuddling little sister for 1st time. Isaac's "kisses" (Yum, she tastes delicious!)

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

So Much to Blog, So Little Time!!

What happened to June!! Where does the time go? Boy, do I have a lot of catching up to do! Things are getting a little crazy around here. Only 32 hours and counting until our baby girl arrives! Aaaahhhhhh!!! I can't believe it! I have been so busy with baby preparation and keeping up with normal everyday things that I have not taken the time to blog. (And I finally got my husband to download our recent pictures. I know, I know, I need to learn. How hard can it be, Right?) Well, here are the Belnap Family Highlights for the month of June. Hang in there. You may be feeling a little Belnap overload by the time you get to the end. Enjoy!!


Striking a pose in our coordinating outfits. Did not dress everyone this way on purpose! I must have really been loving red that day. After all, it is my most favorite color!


It's a pure joy to hear my children laughing together. One night in the tub they were blowing bubbles with their cups, singing songs, and laughing hysterically at each other. You have to cherish these kind of moments!


Brooklyn's Preschool Graduation!!!
The first of many graduations to come!! This year we participated in a co-op preschool with a group of our friends from church. Brooklyn really enjoyed it and always looked forward to preschool days! Graduation was a hit and the kids were adorable in their tassled caps. We had such a great group of kids. (we'll miss many of you next year!)


Happy Father's Day!!
What could be better than cute homemade cards from your little ones, a yummy ColdStone Icecream Cake, and two incredible kids that think your the greatest dad in the whole world!!

It's A Baby Shower!
A great friend of mine hosted a baby shower for me and another friend in the ward who was due a few weeks before me. We had such a fun time and loved getting spoiled. Thanks Jill! (That's Jill with me on the left, and with me on the right, doing a fabulous job of hiding our large tummy's, is Stacy who had an adorable little boy 2 weeks ago. She's also now a mother of three and a turbo mom!)
Well, I must have reached my limit in blog space because it is not allowing me to add any more photos. Maybe it's my computer telling me to go to bed, because it's 1 am and I have to get up at 6 to.................(imagine a drumroll)............pick my mom up at the airport. YEAH!!!! I can't wait. She flies in around 8 and is bringing my 11 yr old niece, Brinlee with her. They get to stay with us for 10 whole days!!! Brooklyn is so excited to have someone to play Barbie's with!! And, there is nothing like having your mom come to take care of you.
So....Blog ya later!