Olive 1 week old

A live in maid...

what a nice thought!! Not to demote my dear mother to "maid" status, but truly she was an amazing help when she was here. Having live in help made the transition so much fun from 1 to 2 little ones. (Well, I guess I am still transitioning and haven't hit reality yet?) She arrived the day after Olive arrived, her timing couldn't have been more perfect. She guessed that our little pea might arrive about a week early, and also that I might go into labor if a storm hit. Well, she was right on with both of her predictions. We had so much fun while she was here and Caroline loved singing each day with grandma and her Mo Tab voice. I have missed that. Our days were spent at our cozy little apartment and she just let me have time to tend to Olive, and also get some one on one time with Caroline. Whenever I set a dish down, I would turn around and magically, it was washed. Somehow the bathroom sink was a bit cleaner one morning, and the kitchen floor was swept, laundry was folded.
During these two weeks my dear hubby was working his brain overtime and getting through finals. He was at school a lot and it was nice to have company at night! It was also great to have my knitting teacher in front of me rather than on the phone in Utah. I told my dad that I was going to hold her hostage and that she wasn't coming home, he laughed and thought I was joking, well I wasn't. Yet, she is back in Utah and we just want to say a big THANK YOU!!! We love you so much!
Luckily Adam is done with finals...Yea Babe!!! so he is home until the second week in January. Having neither of us working is a pretty sweet deal because we have almost a month to spend as a family. No work, no school, just time for holiday festivities and family bonding. Everyday Caroline says, "Let's have a family day!" and everyday that is what we do.

A wish come true

Caroline's Christmas wish that she made on Friday night for a baby sister came true early Sunday morning when our precious Olive Mary Beckstrom arrived one week early!


Olive arrived at 1:02 am Sunday, December 6th. She weighs 6 pounds 9 ounces and is 18.5 inches long. It was an extra special arrival date because it was also my dad's birthday. She is absolutely perfect and we are relieved to have her snuggled safe in our arms. The labor and delivery was smooth and quite quick, more details to come soon. Adam was the best support and coach, so calm and helpful throughout the entire process. We were sad that we couldn't bring Caroline to the hospital to meet her new baby sister, but the new rules in place to prevent H1N1 are a blessing. She loved looking at pictures at home with Adam and she keeps saying, "She is very, very, very, very cute!" It's nice to be home all together again. Just as it was a perfect gift for my dad's birthday, we couldn't ask for a more miraculous and memorable Christmas gift.

Action packed

This week has been a very busy, but fulfilling one. We have been packin' in all we can before we will be hanging out at home for a while. The weather has been unseasonably gorgeous, 66 degrees yesterday, and so it's been nice to be outside a bit.
On Monday it rained all day, but we took a drive to go to a museum in Dover. The museum was closed, but I was really ok with that because the drive was so festive. We drove past several antique shops, quaint New England homes, and beautiful churches. There were fresh pine wreaths with red bows hanging on the church doors and many of the homes, it was a scene out of a movie. Melanie and I stopped, with the kids mind you, at one of the antique shops and I scored an amazing vintage highchair for free! I already have one that two of my darling friends from out here gave me. Melanie said, "Oh, so you are a highchair collector." Yes, I am strange, I guess I have a thing for them.
For playgroup this week we got a tour of the fire station. The kids loved it and Caroline loved pretending to drive the fire engine so much that I thought she was going to break off the window wiper device.




Today we remade a little Winegar family tradition and made some festive sugar cookies. We didn't have Caroline's cousins there, Liam frosting his cookie to the table because he can't get enough of it, but it was so fun to make them with her. We played Frank Sinatra's "J-I-N-G-L-E Bells" in the background and got flour everywhere. The best part is we are saving some for my mom to try because she flies in Monday!! Hooray, we can't wait to have her here. She will be here almost 2 weeks and we hope to have an exciting new arrival come during that time. I feel guilty because I still feel really good and I am sleeping well too. I think I am going to be overdue. We are fine with that because it means our little peanut is packing on ounces and that Adam could be done with finals. He finishes the 17th, GOOD LUCK BABE!

Grateful, contented, satisfied

It was a very satisfying Thanksgiving indeed. The time spent with our little family cuddling on the couch, watching a movie together, cooking together, and just being made for a perfect day. Time spent with Adam is like a refreshing day at the beach. We are grateful that we get to add another special spirit to our family any day and that she is kicking and nudging all the time.

 

I am also grateful that I had sunglasses on during the Christmas parade because the tears were flowing. Seeing Caroline's excitement during the parade may have been the most festive thing I will see all season.

We enjoyed being with close friends who are like family for our feast. It's incredible how close we've become to friends out here only after a few months. It's makes the pang of missing family traditions at home not so painful.

Once upon a dream...

I am overwhelmed by the joy that I feel from being a mother. It's amazing to be fascinated by every move that this little delightful person makes. I want to tell everyone about everything she does, such as how she guzzles down her yogurt and looks at me with a yogurt mustache and smiles saying, "That is pretty dewishes (delicious) mom!" Moments like that happen countless times throughout the day. Times when I think my heart can't possibly grow any bigger and hold any more love because it's already bursting, it still grows. And still grows more.
Tonight after dinner we were all enjoying some ice cream together on the couch. Caroline had assigned us all crowns to wear as we dined on our royal treat. When we had finished, she got up and walked over to the chair and started to lie down. Then she said, "Kiss me," and covered her eyes by draping her arm over them. Adam replied, "Oh, are you a princess?" Keeping her eyes covered she nodded her head.
So Adam, or Prince Charming, gave Caroline a kiss and she sat up and smiled. (I was crying by this time because I was laughing so hard!) She gave her prince the biggest hug. Then she put on her hat and stated, "I'll put my hat on now for true love's kiss."
She reclined, yet again, and waited patiently for true love's kiss. When she sat up again, she took Adam to our room and started singing, "I know you I walked with you once upon a dream.." It's just not hard to see why these little ones have us smitten.

Adam's crown was a lovely feather headdress that Caroline and I made yesterday for the Thanksgiving season
Waiting patiently for 'true love's kiss'

(The filming starts with her saying "the look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam...")

Still cookin'

Like I said before, if this little baby was on the timeline that Caroline was on, she would be here. We are glad she is happy where she is and packin' on some more ounces. I am very nervous for labor because I didn't have any time to think about it last time! Here is how it went with Caroline for those of you that don't know.
I had just arrived back from lunch and went back to the operating room I was working in that day. I was helping with a heart surgery and was trying to be very attentive. Well, that's embarrassing I thought...hmmm, I must have peed my pants a little. This wasn't a big surprise as sneezing and pregnancy brings on little problems like that. I continued on helping out with the case. Then I had a feeling to page my doctor, which I did. Fifteen minutes went by...no response. So, I called Labor and Delivery and said, "Hi, this is really dumb, but I am 36 weeks along and I know I just peed my pants, but thought I should call to make sure I didn't need to do anything. I'm not having any contractions."

They responded and said, "Looks like you're done. Come in to the hospital."
Me: "I am here."
L&D: "Call your husband."
Me: "He is here, we work in the operating room."
L&D: "See you in a minute."

I voice-paged Adam with a shaky voice that was trying to hold back all the emotion that was flooding in. I was whisked away upstairs and when it was confirmed my water had broken, we were nervous but so excited.
So, as I went to bed last night I thought, this could be it. I am sure I will be thinking that everyday now. I do love this anticipation. A family of four, that has a sweet little ring to it.

Study Dad

Adam has two nicknames that Caroline calls him regularly, Babe Dad and more recently, Study Dad. Both are very appropriate names and we still smile and chuckle every time she says one of them. Since daddy is 'Study Dad' a lot, Caroline likes to "go to daddy's school" when we are home playing. She will put shoes on, say, "Mommy, I need a bow," grab her backpack (which is a little cardboard book holder with a handle)and then go to the door and say, "Bye, see ya, I love you!"
Here are some times when it's just good 'ol Babe Dad spending time with his little girl.
Spending time with family, the Kofford's, up in Hanover, Vermont. We love being so close to them, but hope that visits become more frequent.

Caroline and baby Chase, as she calls him

Every Friday we get to meet dad for lunch at White Park

Note: She wears the orange paper crown every day and the tutu. She twirls all day, sighs very deeply and sweetly says, "It's a wonderful dream come true" or "It's the most beautiful gown"

As requested by many, here are some belly pics. 35 weeks along this week, so if this little peanut is on a timeline like Caroline, in 1 week she would be here. So from our past experience, I have a bag packed and ready for me and for Caroline, in case she is early. We are hoping that she wants to stay cozy, right where she is for a little longer. I am a little nervous to experience the last month of pregnancy since I missed out on that last time. So far, no complaints, I feel really good.

Trick or Treat

Halloween was a great way to ring in this holiday season. I found it very funny that when I went to buy Halloween candy 2 days before Halloween, the entire section that had Halloween candy before, then had Christmas candy. One holiday at a time please! Having Caroline so excited for Halloween made it so memorable for Adam and I. I thought I loved holidays, birthdays, etc. before, but having a child has made it that much more enriching.
We had our ward trunk or treat Friday night and Caroline was a doctor/nurse, Adam was a doctor, and I was a patient. Caroline had her own name badge, which she loved. My costume wasn't very flattering (which wasn't surprising, it was a patient gown) and I realized that for sure when some of the girls in my Activity Days group came and said, "Is your belly really THAT BIG?" I loved saying, "Yes, we have a new little baby coming so soon!" When we were going through the family costume parade and voting, in the microphone Caroline introduced our costume by saying, "Push mommy, push." We don't know where she got that, but loved her creative title for our costume.
I especially loved Adam's costume because seeing him in scrubs reminds me of the first day we met. I was smitten...and still am.



This picture looks like we are at a cheesy portrait studio, but no, it's just the ward gym.

We went Trick or Treating on Auburn Street Halloween night. It was like a scene straight out of a movie. Lots of people everywhere, but not so many that you couldn't enjoy yourself. The homes on Auburn Street are beautiful and classy and I love to look at them. One home has served ice cream on Halloween for years so we were able to enjoy a sherbet cone on our candy journey. It hit the spot.
Caroline was able to show our Utah spirit that night, although we were not in Utah for the game. We were pleasantly surprised when some people would yell out, "Yea Utah" or "Utah Utes". Here she is with Avi and Eden (the darling witches) and cute Juliet.

Halley took this picture, but I had to post it because I can't get a good picture of this busy absolutely darling little Levi! I adore this kid and so does Caroline. If you say his name she scrunches her face, tilts her head and in a high voice says, "Oh Levi, he's so cute!"

Andrea W. Beckstrom, APRN

Caroline and I just wanted to say how proud we are of our mommy! Andrea passed her Certification Exam to be fully licensed as an Adult and Family Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (APRN). After working for more than a year in Salt Lake City to fulfill her intern requirement, and spending many hours studying during Caroline's naps here in New Hampshire, Andrea passed her test with flying colors. We love you honey and we are so proud of you!!!