Chris and Amber Crouch

Oh to be 3 again...

2012-01-16T22:43:00.000-08:00

Today was so much fun! We took Emery to JJ Jump in Hazel Dell, where we go often, but usually I just have to watch her bounce and play alone... today, Chris came w/ and I got to be 3 years old again for a good 15 minutes. :) We jumped, and slid down slides and pushed each other down. It was a blast. There are so many days that I watch my baby girl adopt other moms to play w/ her at these play places because I have London and Cruz w/ me and I'm not able to leave the table. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a tear or two from time to time, wishing it was me playing with her.. but today it was. I loved every second I had climbing up slides and bouncing around w/ her. She is so much fun and has the very best personality of any kid I've ever met. When she's in her element, there is nothing better than her.

We got a little bit of snow today.. nothing to "blog" about, but Emery woke up from her nap to huge snow flakes. "MOM!!! MOM!!! It's a surprise! Its snowing! We can go out in it, and we can make a snow man, and we need to give him a nose yike me and eyes and a bottom!" LOL ooookay honey! Chris, Emery, London and I went out in the snow while Cruz was sleeping and she and daddy made a mini snowman, and she threw snowballs at mommy. It was adorable and so worth the cold. I absolutely adore that kid. She's amazing. Absolutely Amazing.

Blessed

2012-01-08T00:13:00.000-08:00

It's way too late.. I should definitely be sleeping, but my mind is going. A friend from high school lives in Las Vegas w/ her fiancé and 4 daughters. The youngest was diagnosed w/ a heart abnormality very early in pregnancy and it was known that she would have surgeries immediately. I want to say that around 4-6 days after birth she had her first open heart surgery and just had her second yesterday. 2 open heart surgeries in less that 9 months. I don't remember her birthday exactly. She's been posting updates and photos on Facebook and I can't help but feel sick to my stomach. How blessed am I? How incredibly blessed are Chris and I to not only have the three children that we do, but they are all perfectly healthy? How did we get so lucky? I can not begin to imagine what it must feel like to hand your precious baby over to a team of doctors, to be sedated and sawed into. The thought literally makes me sick. I feel for Rachelle and her fiancé more than I can express. As sorry and I am for them though, I wish and pray to never ever know what they are going through. My only ask in this life is for my children to remain as healthy as they are today.

It makes me think about how often I get frustrated w/ my kids. How easily it is for me to sit down and shake my head or raise my voice to Emery... and not that this will change it, because tomorrow morning when I'm exhausted and she's whining for something, I will probably do the same, but I am the luckiest girl I know. My kids are wonderful, amazing, HEALTHY and stole my heart the second I knew I was carrying them. There is nothing like this. Motherhood. Nothing.

Thoughts, hopes and prayers for Rachelle and her family tonight and everything forward. God Bless you Baby Cora.

Poop and stuff...

2012-01-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

So the night before last, I have all 3 in the bath, pulling one out to dry & dress at a time. London is done, I have Cruz on the floor, (who is like trying to dress a rabid animal) and emery starts jumping up & down that she has to poop. I ask her to hold on just a sec til I have his jammies on. She says she can't wait so I let him free and take her to the potty. Explosion. She says shes done so I proceed to "clean up" except she's not done.... My hand (covered w/ a wipe but still) is full. Two babies are trying everything they can to get into the toilet and I'm at a loss. Set the wipe down, move children... Repeat. I had to close them into the master closet (it's in the bathroom) to get the job done due to their determination. Not only did I earn AND treat myself to a handful of oreos, but also a giant coffee in the morning.

Today, Cruz and London had their 9 month well check. Though it was a "well" check, they both have pink eye and London has a bit of a cold. (Emery also has pink eye!) Everything else looked good physically. They are way ahead in mobility than even "to date" 9 month old babies. I wasn't surprised... they keep me running all day long. She was surprised by how many words London has. (Mama, Dada, Dog, Hi and Hot) and how well Cruz can stand. (Only about 5 seconds at a time, but he's very steady.)

London is 14lbs. 15oz and 26 inches tall. 3rd percentile in weight, 5th for height and 5th for head circumference.
Cruz is 15lbs. 13oz. and 26 1/4 inches tall. Under the 3rd percentile for weight, 5th for height and 5th for head. She was a little concerned about his growth. He IS growing, so he's okay, but she really wants him to put on a little more. Eat fattier foods, and more of them. Suggested I add more calories to my diet and drink more water. I was afraid she was going to suggest supplementing w/ a fatty formula, but she didn't. That made me happy. Avocado and butter it is! :)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

Holy cow this year's Christmas was fun. We'd been talking about Santa and Jesus' birthday for months and Emery was stoked. Someone's going to bring me presents... just because? It was a great tool for keeping her on the "good list" because she didn't want to disappoint Santa! :) She had her first school program, where she was a singing sheep. Most adorable thing we'd ever seen!!!

Christmas Eve was here in our new home, w/ Mom and Dad Deccio, my Brother Sean, his wife Lesa, son Devin and his wife, Jennifer. We watched the Seahawks game and had a big crab and ham dinner. It was a blast! London is having some major "mommy don't go!" issues, so cooking, hosting or cleaning up was hard. Devin picked her up once and she fell in love w/ him... it was the only time, but I loved that. After dinner we had a white elephant gift exchange, where everyone brought Starbucks gift cards, :) and then the little kids opened gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. Emery got a new police car like daddy's (from both sets of grandparents) and hasn't stopped talking about it or wanting to drive it since.

Christmas morning, 7am on the dot, E came into our room so excited to look under the tree. We walked her down the stairs, turned on the tree lights & Santa had come! She was in heaven!!! She tore through gifts like she was digging for gold. From one gift to the next. Barbies and cars, rain boots and jewelry box... Admiring each gift and tearing into the next. Watching her was too much fun to even remember that Chris and I had gifts too! Christopher opened his new games, iPhone4 & Wayne Gretsky ornament. I opened up complete new skin care, beautiful boots and the amazing new MacBook Air that I'm typing this on. My Scentsy and photo businesses are growing so fast that he wanted me to have a mobile business computer to store all of my data onto... and to hopefully use for school soon. Dreaming of going back for nursing, once the babies are older and more self sufficient.

Cruz and London opened up new clothes and toys, loving the bows and paper most of all. Their new train was a hit for all. Emery steals it most of the time.

As we get older, we are realizing that these holidays and specials times are so much more fun w/ them. They make everything that we already loved about this life, a trillion times better.

Just before Christmas, Chris and I woke up w/ a sweet case of pinkeye! We went straight to the dr. for drops and were totally impressed that the kids hadn't gotten it! Well Chris got it a second time, and Emery woke up w/ it yesterday. New Years Eve was pretty quiet around here... not many people wanted to hang out w/ us. ;)

Its New Years day, the babies are 9 months old and Emery is almost 3. Cruz is biting everything and chasing the girls. London is trying so hard to mimic my words and get into everything. She tells Cruz "no no" for just about everything... I must say that a lot. THey both say Dada and London's working on Mama. Sounds a little more like NaNa though. They both give kisses on command and STILL DONT SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!

Happy New Year!!!

So the last 9 months!

2011-10-14T22:48:00.001-07:00

So I caught up enough last time, that we're out of the NICU... but here are some photos from that time period anyway. Our beautiful "miniest," her feeding tube and what looked like an enormous bottle, feeding her mommy's milk w/ a 24 cal fortifier to help her gain weight.

Its amazing to look back and see just how teeny he really was, in his swing. One of his earliest favorites.

It didn't take much for Emery to love them. Understanding boundaries was hard for her at first... who am I kidding, its still hard, but its out of love. She always wants to be hugging or kissing or holding them. She has a very kind heart, who doesn't always know her own strength.

I'm having a hard time remembering... but I feel like Emery and I colored eggs while London was in the NICU. Maybe not. She may have been home already, but either way it was a gorgeous day and I LOVED the mommy/E time. I had been missing her so much. We colored a dozen eggs, writing our names on them and putting stickers on. They were perfect for our Easter egg hunt.
One of my favorite photos. She really is the best big sister.

Just before Easter 2011 we decided that it was time for Emery to have a big girl bed. No more crib rail. We converted her crib to a toddler bed to get her ready for the real thing, and took her to the store to pick out new bedding. This is what she came home w/.

Our beautiful, silly and perfect 2 year old. (playing her horrific water recorders that Uncle Rowie got her for Christmas. I'll get him back one day.)

London came home just before Easter 2011, w/ a mild cold that she'd brought home from the NICU. We were worried about people holding, touching or even breathing near her, in fear that she'd get really sick and have to go back. Because of that, we had Easter at our house in Washougal, as to not take her out in the cold to travel.

Mom and Dad Deccio, my brother Sean and his family, brother Ryan and his family and some work and family friends gathered for Easter brunch. Chris and I were so paranoid, we had hand sanitizer at every corner, and if someone was a smoker, they weren't allowed to touch her. We were SO afraid that she'd get sick and we'd lose her to the NICU once again. We were finally a family unit and the thought of breaking that was awful. Thankfully, everyone understood and kept their distance. Emery and Ali had a blast finding eggs and candy. Their friend Jack helped and ate his fair share. I can't wait for next year, when I'll put a few dollars in a special egg for her to find. She knows all about money and how special it is to save. :)

After brunch and hunt and Mimosa's, our friends went home and family started filtering out. We were alone and back to figuring out this life as 5. It was and is, very different and much harder than 3.

Just a few more photos from Easter until the 4th:

We'd decided that the house in Washougal was on a beautiful piece of property, and we LOVED our neighbors, but we were not in love w/ the house and hated being so far from everything. We thought that since we were there, we might as well take advantage and have a great 4th of July party on the property while we were still there. (That house was a lease option that we opted out of in the end, due to distance.) We invited our good friends and our families, and had a blast! We had slip and slides for the little kids... and HUGE ones for the BIG kids. :) Trampoline, bounce house, water guns, balloons... it was so much fun. For everyone. Emery had a ton of her friends to play w/, and the babes were so much bigger and stronger. One of the best 4th of July's that I can remember. Kids make every holiday so much more fun.

We also celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary, July 9th. :) Such a fun night.

August was SOOOO busy. I was lucky enough to be asked to share in the day of two brides. My friend and our old roommate, Kara, got married August 20th, 2011. I was a bridesmaid and Emery was a flower girl. Word to the wise, if you'd like to have a serious wedding.. don't ask a 2 year old to be your flower girl. It didn't go well.. :) In her defense, it was the hottest day of the year.. we were outside all day w/o much water or food. She didn't have a nap and was being primped or having her picture taken for almost 9 hours. When it was finally time for the ceremony she was done. Not only did she sit down and throw rocks, but she was the first one in the wedding cake. :) Oh the memories. HAHA.

One week later, I was a bridesmaid again, but this time to my oldest and one of my best friends, Julie Gilley (Nishida.) The wedding was in Selah, Wa. on her parents farm, and it was gorgeous. One of the best days and nights of our summer. So happy for them.

Once August came, we were for sure leaving our Washougal house, and started looking for our "home." We were looking mostly in Brush Prairie/Hockinson area because of the school district and closeness to town. I found a house I loved on 2.5 acres but Chris wasn't sold. He thought it was too small for the 5 of us and that we would outgrow it. He found a house he loved in Battle Ground, but I thought it was too far. We were trying to avoid the commute. Finding a house w/ the land or yard we wanted, in the area we wanted, w/ the square footage we wanted was really tough. We were looking and shopping and touring like crazy. Everything we thought was a sure thing, wasn't. Some time in September, Chris got a test message from another SWAT guy w/ a listing attached. That guy lived in a County neighborhood that Chris had always wanted to live in. When we got the text, he laughed because there'd been a house he had passed indefinite times, dreaming to live in... he said "Wouldn't it be funny if it was that house?" He opened it... and it was. We scheduled a tour, and made an offer. Our first offer was SIGNIFICANTLY lower than the asking price so we thought for sure they would shoot it down. They didn't... we got an email from our agent and we were in... JUST KIDDING. They read our offer wrong. They literally misread a 0 for a 1. I wish I were kidding. So, back to the beginning we were. Do we offer 10K more? How much do we want this house? We were going to have to tear out all of the carpet, flooring, change the kitchen and bathroom... was it worth it? It was. 10K more it was. Offer accepted and here we are. October 26th 2011, we moved all of our things by ourselves and my amazing cousin, Chad. Without him, we would have been screwed. The three of us, moved everything we owned, from the boonies, to our new and wonderful home in Battle Ground.

The next day, one of my best friends drove over w/ her daughter, so hang w/ us for the weekend. We had only been in the house a number of hours, so boxes were everywhere, but it was so nice to have them. Emery'd been going through a bit of a rough stage, so Ruby had to toughen up quickly. The girls painted pumpkins and made cupcakes and the weekend was over. I hated watching them drive away. Halloween came next, and celebrating it in our new home, made it even more special.

As we unpacked, Emery grew to love the new place. So excited about decorating her new room and how big her play room was. She had room to play and run for hours on end. A few weeks passed and we tore all of the flooring out and replaced all of the blue carpet w/ new neutral carpet and pergo w/ new dark laminate. It's like a new house!!!

Today, Cruz and London are crawling around like crazy. They are hilarious. Cruz is always laughing. I joke that he's my little stoner. He is seriously always laughing! He's extremely dramatic as well. If he's upset, you will know it, and the neighbors might too. He doesn't sleep very well at night, still... but is the most amazing snuggler. When he smiles, the world smiles, and when you hold him, you never want to let go.

London is a spitfire. She's quick and feisty like her sister. She's very curious and doesn't let anything stop her. She started crawling at 6 months (which would have been 5 months, had she been born on time.) Standing at 7 months, and cruising the furniture at 7.5 months. I thought for sure I was going to have an 8 month walker... she hasn't started walking yet, but she's pushing things around and stands for a few seconds at a time w/o holding on. She's climbed the stairs after her sister, like it was nothing. I can't take my eyes off of her.

They are amazing together. They play together. Laugh at each other. Cry together.. its crazy. They love each other.

Emery is creeping on her 3rd birthday. So incredibly bitter/sweet. I feel a little bit like I've missed her 3rd year. Its been so busy and I'm pulled in so many directions, that she often gets much less of me than I want to give her, and what she does get is a bit frazzled. She is a very bright little girl, who needs constant challenge. She's going to preschool at Firm Foundation Christian School, right across from our neighborhood in Battle Ground. She loves it! She started the school year at a preschool in Washougal and when we moved, we really wanted her at FFCS. They gave her a 2 week trial, being that they'd never accepted a child under 3 before, and decided to keep her at the end of her 2 weeks. Her teacher tells me that she's adapting well and keeps up wonderfully w/ the older kids. She runs out every tuesday and thursday from her class, into our arms and tells us about her day. She can't wait to show us what she's got in her back pack. It's hard for me to throw any of her things away because she's so proud of them, and I'm so proud of her.

The past year has been tough on her. She got two new siblings that won't leave. She's had to learn to share me, when she was used to my life revolving around her. She's moved twice, started school, moved schools, changed teachers and friends. She's growing and learning and fighting. We're working on her frustrations, pushing other kids, sharing... all the normal 2-3 year old things, but all in all, she's the light of our life. If we've had a rough day and I'm excited for her bed time... a little bit of time passes and I usually want to wake her up because I miss her. Parenthood is funny. Its hard. Its trying. Its frustrating. It's exhausting. But it's amazing, and nothing in this world could ever be as rewarding. Having three kids under 3 has been quite the ride... but God knew how much we wanted these babies. They're here, all at once, and we're so grateful!

We just booked a surprise 3rd birthday trip to Great Wolf Lodge for Emery on Feb 9th. We are sooo excited! I can't wait to see the look on her face when we walk in and she sees all the things she gets to spend the weekend doing. Not very many things are all about her these days, and I can't wait for a whole weekend to be. She deserves that and so much more!

Until next time to write about Christmas! It was sooo much fun! :)

And another year passes...

2011-06-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

I swear I'm going to get better at this. There's just no TIME. I've been praying for more hours in the day, but it hasn't been answered yet. I'll get back to you on that. ;)

The last year went by so fast. Our baby girl is not so much a baby anymore. Some photos of the last 16 months:

February 2010

She loves to swing!

I'm having a hard time remembering when, (no idea why my sentences are underlined right now.) but I started watching our God Daughter, Briley, a couple days a week, which Emery LOVED. They played together so well. The first thing she would say when she woke up was "Bribey?"

March 2010

Her first Easter Egg coloring experience.

We spent Easter 2010 at my brother Ryan's, in Hillsboro, Or. w/ the Deccio family. Emery and her cousin Ali had a mini Easter egg hunt in the house, (it was raining outside.. who'da guessed?) and searched for their baskets. My mom made her traditional brunch, and Emery put the food away! We all laughed as she shoveled it in. :) She looked so beautiful.

April 2010, Emery and I took a trip to LA to visit Auntie Makize and Auntie Denielle. Mommy's two bestest friends. Makize was expecting her first baby, and I was so excited to see her and her baby bump! We were only there for the weekend, and it was sad to leave, but wonderful spending time w/ great friends. Emery's flights were pretty perfect. She's a great flyer.

We had a really fun summer. Emery started swimming lessons at 6 months and we met some great friends there. We took boating trips and had bbq's. Here are some photos from those. :)

Emery's friend Tabor. Once E stopped beating him up, they became great friends.

Swimming lessons w/ Daddy. She LOVES the water.

Every parents greatest fear... Chucky Cheese. ;) Emery's first time, w/ her cousin, Carson.

Some time on the River...

June 2010. We spent father's day at my brother Ryan's house again, after hanging at home w/ the three of us. Emery made daddy a yard stone {that later broke. :(} w/ her hand prints and jewels. It was precious.

Chris and his buddy's went on their annual hiking trip... But it was a little colder than they'd anticipated! :)

July 2010. 17 months. Look at that face!

We spent 4th of July w/ our friends, Vanessa and Ben. (Tabor's parents.) Emery LOVED the fireworks. Daddy showed her how they worked and she stayed up way past her bed time watching them blow up.After the 4th, we took a family trip to Salt Lake, to see Chris' parents and surprise his brother, Brandon. Again, Emery flew wonderfully, and the trip was perfect. While we were there, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary by spending the day in Park City and then seeing a movie while E hung out w/ her Grandma and Grandpa. She met a new friend, Addison, across the street, learned frizbee golf, swam in Grandma's pool, went to the zoo, the aquarium and had a blast at the park up the road. It was a great trip!

Just before our trip, we'd decided we'd like to try for another baby, so we visited our dr. for a little bit of help... hoping that it wouldn't take as much as it did for E. She gave us a trial run of 200mg of Clomid (The highest they'll give you) and if that didn't work, we'd visit the specialist again for more shots. I'll never forget going to work, around August 16th, planning on going wake boarding w/ some friends later that day, and deciding to take a test just in case. It had only been our first round of Clomid since E and we'd been "off" a few times, so we thought it was a "no go" this time around. Tests are free at work, so why not check? I went potty, nothing happened, I set it down to fix my hair and started to walk out, realizing I'd left the test out. I went to throw it away and saw the faintest second line. I thought for sure it was a mistake because it had taken so long to show. I went and got a medical assistant friend to look at it.. She smiled and said "You're pregnant!" Still in denial, I got another test. The exact same thing happened. The line was so faint and took so long to show, that I wasn't completely convinced. I took them home to surprise Christopher anyway. :) If I was pregnant, I'd only be a little over 3 weeks, so maybe that was why the faint line... but why would it show so soon at all? My Dr. confirmed w/ a blood test. We were having another baby!! We were so excited! We told a handfull of friends and our parents that we were expecting baby number 2, and all were just as elated. We do make pretty cute kids! Some time around Sept 6th, I went in to check for a heart beat. I'd been really sick and was eager to see this little bean that had been the culprit. Chris was meeting me there from work, and I was called in for ultrasound prior to his arrival. As the ultrasound tech started, and ran the doppler over my belly, I immediately saw two sacks. I've seen enough ultrasounds at work to know what I'm looking at, and my heart started to race. Had she done something weird w/ the screen? Was she doubling images or mirroring them? Was I just distracted by Emery dumping her animal crackers on the floor? She went back over and this time I saw two little tiny babies. My heart was in my throat. "Are there two?" She smiled. "Yup!" "No, no, I mean two BABIES?" "Yup!" Still smiling. Just then, the door opened and in walked Chris. "Everything okay?" I must have looked like I'd seen a ghost. "Yup.... Count them." He looked like I was speaking Chinese. "What?" "Look at the screen. Count them. There are two!" "Twins?" He sat down and w/ a fearful smile and just said "We have to move!"

We left the ultrasound after finding both heart beats and measuring the little stinkers and went straight in to my doctors office. We were worried. Would they be okay? Would they grow to be full term in my 100lb frame? Would I be on bed rest at 5 months? She assured us that everything would be fine. That I would be huge, uncomfortable, and they would most likely be a little earlier than usual, but I could do this.

When we left the office, we were pretty quiet. Taking it all in, I guess. After sending a mass "OMG" text to family and friends, I called my mom in tears. I was so overwhelmed. I couldn't grasp the fact that TWO babies were going to fit in my belly and grow properly. Chris' friends took him out for drinks.

As the weeks went on, I was sicker and sicker. I felt like I was on a deep sea fishing boat, 24/7. The nausea was so bad, food sounded terrible and I wasn't gaining much weight. My Dr. had me drinking protein drinks. We moved to Washougal the end of October to a much bigger house and rented our other one out. The housing market wouldn't allow us to sell, so we found renters on Craiglist. Chris' dad was able to take vacation from work, to visit, help us move, and spend Halloween w/ Emery. We went out to Battle Ground where they'd opened all the businesses on Main to trick or treaters, and had a blast w/ our little cow.

We were also lucky enough to find out what we were having around that time. A little boy and a little girl. Perfect. Just as my morning/afternoon/evening/middle of the night sickness started to slow down, my belly started to pop. Around 15 weeks, I could finally see signs of pregnancy. Around 21/22 weeks, I started having terrible pain in my back. I was sent to physical and massage therapy, but it only got worse as the weeks went on. Once my belly popped,I grew very quickly. It was as if over night, I gained 30 lbs.
Christmas in the new house was awesome! Emery had a huge playroom to fill w/ toys. She woke up to her very own wooden train table, and opened many many more presents. This would be her last Christmas as an only child after all.

February hit and Emery turned 2!!! She was beautiful as ever, and exceptionally intelligent. She finally went from the 10th percentile in weight, to the 25th and a wopping 24lbs. and 60th in height at 35 inches. We had a small, Strawberry Shortcake birthday party at our house and surprised her w/ a giant trampoline. (Her big present from Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa Crouch and Grandma and Grandpa Deccio.) On her actual birthday, she woke up to candles in her pancakes and a trip to Omsi. She'd designed her own birthday shirt to wear all day, w/ a giant 2 on the back. Later that day, she baked and decorated cupcakes with her good friends.I only worked one more week after that, because my ankles and calves were so swollen, I could hardly walk on them.
My back was so bad that I was almost in tears every night, and my ribs were starting to separate. Sleeping was just about non-existant because of back and leg pain, and if I tried to move from one side to the other, my groin tissue would slightly tear. The pain was getting to me. The girls at work threw me a baby shower, and gave me wonderful gifts.They are very good to me.
While all of this was going on, Emery was definitely becoming her own little personality. One who loves makeup,
but likes to wear a hard hat... a girl who loves to play w/ power tools,but while she's wearing dress up shoes. She's amazing, and wonderful, and hilarious./div>

We went back and forth on baby names for months. Dominic and Amelia. Cruz and Easton. Dominic and Easton. Cruz and Amelia...but for some reason I loved the name London. I read it in a book and couldn't get it off my mind. After weeks of talking him into it, Chris finally agreed and we were set on Cruz Barrick and London Gabrielle.

Emery was really grasping the fact that mommy had 2 babies in her belly, and that they'd be home w/ us soon. To prepare, she almost always carried her twin dolls around the house.. to her, all babies come in two's.

March came, and I was having doctors appts at least once a week, sometimes 2 or 3. They measured them to check growth and breathing, and hooked me up to NST's weekly, to listen to their heart beats and check contractions.. which I was having quite frequently at this point. I was sent for an ultrasound on my left leg, because it was swelling so much more than my right, they wanted to check for blood clots. Negative. Just very, very bad swelling. March 24th, I went in for routine checks, trying to hide my misery, and my blood pressure was just a tiny bit high. Dr. sent me for some blood work and then home. She called me frantically that night, that I was to go straight to the hospital the next morning and to be on bed rest for the rest of the night. My platelet levels were very low. I spent the night in L&D. My first ever away from Emery. The tears were welling as she and Christopher walked out of my room for the night. It was a very lonely few hours.

I had more blood work in the morning but after rising and falling, they sent me home to be on bed rest for 2 more days. The two most painful yet. I was sure my stomach was going to split. I'll never forget curling into a ball on the opposite side of the ottoman so that I could cry without Emery seeing me. We spent those days explaining to her that the babies were coming soon and what an amazing big sister she was going to be.

Sunday, March 27th, I went back in, my platelets had dropped even lower and my liver didn't look good... some explanation of my right quadrant pain. It was time to meet these babies. I was 35 weeks and 3 days.
I was much more nervous this time for my C-section. W/ Emery, I was so exhausted that I really didn't care how they got her out, as long as they did! This time, I was fully awake and about to sliced in half. My parents came to stay in the waiting room w/ Emery and Chris got ready. The doctors wheeled me into my operating room and the needle lady started working on my back... only to hit a nerve AT LEAST 8 TIMES. No, I'm not kidding. I was sure she was going to paralyze me. My dr gave her one more shot and finally I was going numb. We were on our way...

What felt like 3 minutes later, I could feel them pulling London up and all of a sudden I felt like a sumo wrestler had been lifted off of my lungs. I looked at Chris and said "I can breathe!" She was 4lbs 9oz and 18 inches long.She cried immediately and that gave me tears. Cruz scooted down, and waited his turn. 5lbs 4oz and 18 1/4 inches long.
He had a harder time breathing at first, but then did everything perfectly. I was able to hold him first after being stitched up, while they worked on London, who'd slowed her breathing and seemed very cold. When I finally got them both in my arms, I was in complete awe and disbelief that they had just been taken from my belly. I was in love all over again. They were perfect. All that pain suddenly didn't seem so bad.

The babies spent the night in the NICU due to low blood sugar and body temperature. A few friends and family members came to visit and once I could fake standing long enough to convince a nurse I was fine, I could go see them. Savannah wheeled me in, and I just wanted to run away w/ them. I stared at them forever...trying to figure out exactly who they looked like. Examining every little feature. Looking at Cruz' adorable curls and London's teeny tiny nose. *sigh* They were so tiny, and so beautiful.

After gawking for as long as I felt able, Savannah wheeled me back in, and I tried to rest for the night. As soon as it was light enough outside, I asked to be wheeled back in to see my babies. They were bright eyed and warm, so I asked if I could PLEASE have them back in my room. They brought them in a little while later, and life felt so much better. Emery was able to hold her brother and sister. People were able to visit. It was feeling much more normal.

My platelets weren't getting better as quickly as they'd like, so I stayed an extra few days. London hadn't been holding her body temperature, and wasn't eating well, so she'd been monitored much more closely. It was decision time to be able to keep her w/ me or go to the NICU for closer care.. Daddy's birthday came, March 31st and the Pediatrician came in to tell us whether or not she would be able to go home w/ us when we were discharged. I was praying he'd give us good news. What a wonderful birthday present! But... she'd lost above the allowed 10% of birth weight and could not hold her body temperature. To the NICU she went, for a feeding tube and warming bed.

I was discharged and went home just long enough to take a shower and snuggle E. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving one of our babies at the hospital, so I went back w/ Cruz, to stay the night in the NICU. I'd already quit taking my pain medication so that I could drive and just in case they were making London too sleepy to eat, and was in a lot of pain. I hadn't slept and was so delirious at this point, that when the doctor asked me London's name, I kept telling her it was Emery. I did this for the first couple nights, and then Chris and I would trade off nights so that we could get a little bit of rest and Emery could have both of us at home. We were exhausted. At home, Emery and Cruz were getting to know eachother.. Finally, we agreed that we were burning our candles at both ends. We were so incredibly blessed by all of our friends, who brought dinners and/or checked in.. we needed to rest and enjoy what we had at home, and trust that London's nights in the NICU were okay with the nursing staff.
I'd call every morning to see how the night had gone, and FINALLY the doctor said she'd gained enough to be sent home. We were ecstatic. Finally our family would be complete.

So, I'm a little caught up now. I have 6 more months to catch up on, but at least I have finally filled this much in. Until next time!......

New Year... Literally!

2010-02-25T20:28:00.000-08:00

I wanted to write these things down, before I forget them... and if I have them on here I will be able to go back and view it when I finally get to that SCRAP BOOK I've been meaning to do. UGH. Time just goes so fast.
So much I want to write down, but I don't know where to start. I feel like I don't write enough things down and I'm starting to forget! How does that happen? It literally makes me get tears, knowing I was there for every milestone and every moment of the last year.. but somehow it feels like I've missed it!

SO! E had her first birthday! She's a big 1 year old now! I can't believe it. The birthday party itself, was a kid's paradise... for every kid but E. She's got really bad stranger anxiety and gets really freaked out (like her mommy) in a crowded room. Needless to say, there were more tears than expected for the birthday girl, but "cake time" was priceless. As guests started to filter out, she was much more relaxed and had a great time!

Her actual birthday was a few days later, and we spent it as a family, at the zoo. The day was perfect. Sun was shining and all the animals were out. Emery LOVES the zoo. If she could scratch past the glass, she would love to touch each of the animals. She's a hugger! Also, in honor of her "Big Girl" status and the concurring of her dairy allergy, she had her first ice cream cone! LOVED IT!

At her one year check up, she weighed in at 18lbs 2oz and stands 29" tall. 10th percentile for weight and 50th for height. She's been walking for two months and running for close to one. The doctor put her in the 15-16 month speech-ability category. We were pretty proud of that. She repeats A LOT and puts 2 words together. Favorite being: All Done. Thank you. And Sit Down. She's a complete book worm! Knowing that I ask her to "sit down" to read a story, after bringing me a book, she immediately says "Sit down" and then does it. Its adorable!!!

She's a bit of a "mommy's girl" these days... I'm not complaining. I know there will be a day where she's hates me, or at least dislikes me... so I'll take all the "mommy's girl" days I can get. She loves to watch me put makeup on, and brushes her face w/ the brushes. She combs my hair, and sits in my lap to read stories.
She's a daddy lover too! She loves to snuggle him in bed and watch him shave. She feels very helpful when she hands him the things he needs while getting ready for work. She's very curious. I love that. Her brain is always soaking things in. She watches everything!
Awe, our baby is a year old already...
She is everything we have wanted for so long... she's here, she's ours, and she's growing so fast!

Just a tad late...

2010-01-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

I think its been about 6 months since I updated our blog... Where to begin?

Well in the last 6 or so months, we've been very busy w/ our growing baby girl.
AUGUST
Her 6 month photos...

SEPTEMBER
Early September, Chris' parents were able to come out for a quick visit! It was Chris Sr.'s first time meeting E, so it was a wonderful time. Emery was able to snuggle w/ her Grandma and Grandpa Crouch for a few good days.
Mid month, some friends offered up their beach house to us for the weekend, so we took a short family trip to Seaside where the weather was GORGEOUS. Emery was able to really touch the sand for the first time... she just wanted to eat it.

September was big for us. In August I gave my "extended" notice to my office, and my last day was the 3rd of September. Being completely gone didn't last very long. I go back to train new employees and pop in about once a week to clean up their medical records inbox and anything else that might be behind. :) What can I say? THey need me! :)
After cutting my hours to nearly nothing, and being able to stay home w/ our peanut.. I took in our friends' daughter on Wednesdays for Emery to play w/. They have a blast together.

And Emery took her first trip to the zoo!

7 month photo:

OCTOBER
Emery started swimming lessons!!!

Went to her first Pumpkin Patch!!!

And had her very first Halloween!!! Our little lady bug trick or treated w/ some friends (in our arms :) and fell asleep in her Halloween Jammies.

8 Month Photos:

NOVEMBER
We started getting ready for the holidays! :) We had our first Thanksgiving as a family!

Emery tried feeding herself w/ a spoon! :)

And she and I a lot of mommy/daughter time.

9 Months:

DECEMBER
The 5th started w/ a Happy 27th birthday to me! We spent the morning and afternoon up in the mountains playing in the snow!

Followed by a nice date night! Woo hoo! :) Christopher surprised me w/ an iPhone, which I completely adore, and a movie! Best birthday in years!!!

We decorated for Christmas... :)

And had the most amazing 1st Christmas as a family!!!

The new year has begun and we are just getting settled. Emery will be 1 year old before we know it. She's walking, saying quite a few words, and getting just a little bit of attitude! :) We are loving our life!!! To a fantastic 2010!!!

The Crouchs*

Time is flying!!!

2009-08-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 2 months since I updated our blog. A lot has happened in that time! We've been very busy w/ work, trips and of course Emery.
Since our last post, Emery has grown so much. Here's just the jist of our last 2 months.

June 2009

She's swung in her first swing.

Touched her toes to the Oregon Coast sand for the first time and LOVED it!!

July 2009

July was busy for us. We left Vancouver for California, July 2nd. We were lucky enough to stay w/ Chris' Aunt Kim and Uncle Ron. E got to meet a lot of family for the first time and we had a blast playing card games and reuniting w/ everyone.

Emery was able to meet her Great Grandma Carole Crouch.

Grandma had a hard time accepting the fact that she's a girl, being that there are so many boys on the Crouch side, but she never forgot how old she was! :)
Our good friends Makize and Ash got married on the 4th! Our first excuse to have somewhat of a date night! :)

It was the most beautiful wedding!!!

To have a little bit of family/alone time, we headed up to the Santa Monica Pier on our last day in California.

E dipped her toes in the ocean for the first time!!!

When we got home, we started Emery on rice cereal and formula suppliments due to her slow weight gain. She wasn't a big fan of cereal. :)
But she looked so cute eating it!!!

July 10th, we had her ears pierced! Don't worry she didnt scream or freak out. There were tears but they were mostly mine and she was a trooper. 10 seconds of crying and she was over it. Look how pretty she is!

Her 5 month photo.

In latest news, she has cut her first tooth! It's the bottom right/center. She's a biter now! She bites my shoulder, my cheeks and hands. Anything she can bite, she will. She's also mastering the art of sitting up all by herself. YAY!
I still set a boppy behind her most of the time just in case, but she doesn't really need it anymore. She's growing so fast! :(

August 2009

We all went swimming the other day for her first time!! She LOVED the pool and the little floaty we borrowed from our nephew, Carson.

So far we are loving summer. We just got through a pretty big heatwave, which most people hated but I have to say, I loved. (I think I'm part lizard.) I try to hold on to summer as much as I can.

Chris' parents are coming to visit in a couple weeks and we could not be more excited. Emery will finally be able to meet her Grandpa Chris. We can't wait!!!

And the biggest news we have right now, is that I have officially given my extended notice to my work. As of early to mid September, I will no longer hold my position, and will only fill in for vacations or emergency coverage issues. I will now be staying home full time w/ Emery and working again more w/ Photography. I am so blessed to have a husband who works so hard for us to have this luxury and to be able to snuggle my baby girl every day, all day. :)

Until next time....
The Crouch Fam*

Happy 4 month birthday Emery Faith!!!

2009-06-07T16:00:00.001-07:00

E will be 4 months old on the 9th. It doesn't seem possible that it's been that long since the busy night of her arrival. Chris and I were at lunch the other night, staring at her and reminiscing the thoughts going through each of our heads and she was about to be born. He revealed the anxiety he had as he waited in that little room, all alone as they prepped me for surgery. We both agreed that a huge weight was quickly lifted from our shoulders as they pulled her out, perfectly healthy and crying.

She changes so much every single day. She no longer has any of her newborn characteristics. She doesn't roll up into a little ball on our chests anymore to just sleep. She's wide eyed and bushy-tailed for many more hours during the day, than asleep. She's rolling from her back to her tummy and from her tummy to her back, and I accidentally realized she scoots on her back now. (I left her on her play mat for no longer than 5 minutes and when I came back into the room, she was about 3-4 feet from where I'd left her. Little sneaker!) She's sitting up very well in her bumbo seat, building her core muscles to eventually sit on her own. She thinks my sneezing is hilarious and I can't help but laugh at her new loud and ADORABLE laugh. Patty cake and tickles are so much more fun these days. :)

We went up to Mt. St. Helens for Memorial day, just the three of us. It was a gorgeous day, w/ wonderful scenery. Found quite a few new camping prospects for this summer! :)

Work is going well. I've been back for a month now, and the days are getting better. Leaving hasn't gotten any easier but trusting that she's in good hands and doing just fine w/o me, is.

Chris' championship game is tonight at 8:25 at Mt. View Ice Arena. Root for the Vipers! :) It's been a few years since they've won the "Cone" and they have a great chance. #77 is the cutest! :)

Not much else has been going on... our days are just that much better w/ E.

Love,
The Crouches*

3 Months old... where is the time going?

2009-05-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

So I forget once in a while to write on here... Life is going so quickly right now. I sometimes forget to blow my nose.

Well Easter was so much fun. My mom spent all morning cooking as usual.. w/ my brother, Ryan's, help. After church, we went out to Hillsboro to Rowie's, since he has the biggest table, and were greeted by my parents, Rowie, Nici, Sean, Lesa, Devin, his girlfriend Jennifer, Ashlee and Ali. Everyone had a great brunch (while I ate a bowl of fruit.. dang dairy.) The family time was really fun, and E was adorable as usual.

Emery is changing so much every day. She went from looking exactly like me, to looking just like her daddy, to being a complete combination. W/ those big beautiful eyes, its hard for her daddy to deny her. :) Though if they're closed, she's a spitting image of her mommy. We're pretty lucky.

She is desperately trying to get a giggle out. She smiles so hard, she has to turn her head, and gets out the cutest little squeeks. I know a laugh is coming.. and I'm trying every day to get it. :) She's playing more and more w/ her hanging toys. She talks and talks to the hanging sun she has on her little play gym. Once in a while she gets mad that he won't talk back. We laugh. I just put together her excersaucer and now that she can hold her head up, she sits in there listening to the music it plays. She doesn't reach for the toys yet, but if you play w/ them in front of her, you can get those beautiful smiles we love so much.

I can't believe how quickly she's growing out of her clothes now. She is now wearing the 0-3 months size, which is still little for her age, but I swear she just hit a growth spurt. She was sleeping 12 hours a night, which yes was amazing!!! (Though I still woke up about every 3 to make sure she was okay.) but recently started waking up around 4am again, very hungry. She's changed her own bedtime from 9pm to between 7:30 and 8. She just can't stay awake any later.

May 10th, we had her dedicated. Mother's day. It was the best day. She was so beautiful in her little flowery dress and headband (that sort of resembled a sweat band when I look back at pictures) and big bright eyes. Our friend Danny dedicated her, along w/ a few other babies and we followed that w/ a beach trip.

E's first trip to seaside was a little cold and very windy so she didn't get to dip her toes in the sand like I was hoping for. Daddy just carried her along the beach in her baby bjorn, and kept her snuggled up while Abby ran the extra few pounds off that she's gained lately. :)
Chris' work dog, Haulf, has some sort of a spinal/nerve injury that has him on "bed rest" for 6 weeks. After, he may end up having surgery and the recovery for that may be up to 3 months. He's enjoying his off time, but Chris really misses his partner. We're crossing our fingers, that after resting for the allotted time, he'll be good to go. Cross yours too, will ya?

I went back to work Monday, May 4th. I'm only working 3 days a week and the adult time is nice... but I miss my family like crazy while I'm there. It's nice to feel welcome, as I did on my first day back. The girls knew how hard it was for me, and I appreciate them very much. The drive home on monday evenings feels like it takes forever, because all I want to do it kiss my husband and hold my baby girl.

Speaking of babies... she's calling. I better go. Hope you're having a great week!
Love,
The Crouchs*

2 months old!

2009-04-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

Well Happy Easter everybody!!! We are doing great. Chris just celebrated his 31st birthday, which I may have mentioned in our last post. We went up to Canada last weekend for the Vipers' tournament and to celebrate his big day. The guys won the championship against the Canadians and were SOO very happy to come home w/ that news. With all the games and boy time, Chris still found daddy time, and E sure loved that. :) Carson was a big boy cousin and helped take care of her while we were there.. and she loved watching Daddy and Uncle Jared play.

Emery had her two month check up and I didn't love it. She had to have three shots, w/ 5 different vaccines. It's possible that I cried harder than she did, but don't tell anyone. It's a terrible thing to watch some stranger stick your baby w/ a big ol' needle and not show any remorse. How do they sleep at night?
I took her back to the doctor earlier this week because of a weird rash she's had on her face and terrible gas pains she's been getting. I've had a strange feeling that she may be lactose intolerant and her doc thought it was a possibility as well. (There goes my cryptonyte..icecream) She suggested going on a completely dairy free diet for 2 weeks to make sure its not more than an intolerance, and may be an allergy to milk proteins, so yours truly is on a... peanut butter and noodles diet for the next week and a half. It does seem to be helping her tummy though and her face looks great. I think after next week I was re-introduce dairy little by little to see what it is exactly I have to stay away from, and then maybe I can actually eat! :) I certainly miss cheese the most!

Hope everyone is w/ their families for Easter. Have a wonderful day and stay dry. We will be at my brother Ryan's w/ the whole family, hopefully watching Alexandra hunt for Easter Eggs. Emery will watch very closely to scout out where they're hiding them for next years hunt. :)a href="http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/bb138/tertlover/?action=view¤t=IMG_8031.jpg" target="_blank">

Love,
The Crouchs*

6 weeks and counting...

2009-03-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

These weeks are flying by. Emery looks nothing like a newborn anymore and is now an infant. She's so smiley and happy and fun to snuggle. She's working so very hard at controlling her neck, but once in a while still flops around. Her hair has turned from brown, to a medium blonde but her eyes have stayed the same Navy Blue they were when she was born. She loves morning time, and has established a pretty good schedule. She pooped in the bathtub the other night for the first time. That was fantastic. :) We were almost done too. I had to run her from her bathtub to the kitchen sink to start all over... then of course bleach out the sink, her tub and the big bathtub. Awesome!
I had my first glass of wine in almost a year! I had only half of a half a glass & felt a little funny. lol I'm also very happy to say, I am now able to get in the hot tub again. Man, I missed that!
Abby is coming around a little more, but still very jealous of this new addition. If I have the baby and Abby needs to go outside, she still comes to me, even if Chris is obviously not doing anything. We think its cute, but I'm still hoping that she will get more comfy w/ having a sister.

In other news, Chris and Jared had the opportunity to play hockey at the Coliseum after the WinterHawks. It was very exciting to see their teams play in such a large arena. I know Christopher was in heaven.
Chris is about to turn 31!!! I can't believe it. :) We're taking a family trip up to Vancouver BC on the 3rd for a hockey tournament and to celebrate his bday. I'm so excited to take E on a lil vacation. Jared and Savannah are obviously coming as well, so it will be a great time. I'm sure pictures to follow! :)

Well anyway, this is our news. Hope your happy and healthy!
The Crouch's*

One month old already...

2009-03-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday E was one month old. By far the fastest month of our lives. She is growing so quickly and changing every day. She smiled at me this morning after a long staring contest and lots of talking. She's always smiling, but never at anything in particular. This morning was real.. she smiled as if to say "mommy, you can stop w/ the dorky talk now."
She had a mini photo shoot yesterday to celebrate her 4 weeks. Her tights were a little big.. Chris said they looked like old lady nylons that hang off their legs. (We both used to sell shoes for a living.. this is a real visual for us.)

So far, she LOVES taking baths w/ mommy. She loves napping w/ daddy. And Abby still hasn't accepted that she's here to stay. Emery is growing like a weed, officially out of all her preemie clothes and even one Newborn. She still has all her lil baby acne, and I do my very best not to pick at it.
She's a very good baby, and yes we're still in heaven. This is the best time of our life and it just gets better.

The Crouch's*

2 week appointment!

2009-02-24T20:58:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!!! Emery had her 2 week check up yesterday, and shocked us! She's grown 1/4 of an inch and gained 10 oz. since we left the hospital! She is now 6 lbs, 11 oz. We were thrilled to hear that she's putting on weight, since she is still in preemie clothing. She no longer has any jaundice and looks to be completely healthy. We loved hearing that!!!

She still sleeping very well and eating all the time. She loves her new swing and adorable laying w/ daddy. By far her favorite spot, is right there on daddy's chest.

We had a mini photoshoot yesterday, where Abby was NOT pleased. She's not too fond of Miss Emery quite yet, and I'm sure was cursing me in Dog, the entire time.

Chris goes back to work next week, and Emery and I are not excited about it. Its been very nice to all be home as a family for the passed few weeks. We've been very spoiled.
Well I better get back to my peanut. XOXO Have a great week!
The Crouchs*

8 days old!!!

2009-02-17T20:04:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it. Our peanut is 8 days old already. If the days keep going this fast, we're in a world of hurt.
She is completely precious and absolutely gorgeous. We're so in love and happier than we ever thought we could be. She's gained an ounce since leaving the hospital, according to our last hospital appt, but we'll see Monday when she goes in for her two week check up.
Tonight she was the cutest little bug in the world in her bathtub. She loves the warm water and scoots down in it so her cheeks get wet. I thought it might bother her ears, but she doesn't seem to care. Lovely enough, getting out and all wrapped up in her giraffe towel :) she thought it would be a good time to pee all over her mommy. :) Back in the bath tub she went. (W/ a smile, I kid you not!)
Anyway, We're all doing great. I'm feeling much better and we're sleeping really well. Chris is an amazing daddy and is already wrapped completely around this little girl's finger.
Have a great week! :) I know we will!!! :)

Our life has just begun....

2009-02-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

Well good Friday to all of you! We are so veerrrryyy please to announce that our precious gift has arrived. She was a healthy 6lbs 8oz and 19 in long. She has light brown hair, olive skin and blue eyes. She has mommy's nose, lips, earlobes and dimples, w/ daddy's adorable cheeks, eyes, hair and feet! lol

Emery Faith was born Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 7:18pm @ Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital in Vancouver.... after Amber was admitted Saturday, Feb 7th due to low amniotic fluid. We started a pitocin induction Saturday afternoon around 3:15, which was shut down sometime after midnight due to lack of response. Pitocin was started again Sunday morning at 6:15 and again discontinued sometime around 9:30pm that evening for the same reason. Docs then tried another induction drug called Cervidel in hopes of some dilation, w/ very little response and later tried Measo. tablets w/ the same effect, paired again w/ pitocin. After a very long and painful 3 days, the doctor gave us the choice to end the merry-go-round w/ a C Section, or try for a few more hours, w/ no guarantee of any progression. We were exhausted by then and ready to meet out daughter. C section it was.

After being prepped both physically and mentally, the doctors began their magic and w/in the hour, we were proud new parents, w/ the prettiest little girl we'd ever seen. We can only imagine what was going through her little head.

I can definitely say that I wouldn't recommend or suggest an induction or a C Section as my method of delivery, to ANYONE.. The recovery has been a little more painful than I'd originally anticipated, but looking into Emery's eyes makes every pain and stich worth that and more!!!

Christopher is the very best daddy I could ever ask for, for our daughter. He is completely in love, which makes me that much more in love w/ him. The way he looks at her, absolutely melts my heart. I truly feel like the most blessed woman on earth, and I can't wait to share our miracle family w/ all of you!!!

Happy Friday everyone. Love the Crouch;s*

4 more weeks!!!

2009-01-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!!! I hope your week is wonderful. We are EEEAARRRGGGERLY awaiting Miss Emery's arrival. We only have 4 weeks until she's due, which means she could really be here any time. I have her bag packed w/ way more than I'm sure I need to bring her home, but I didn't want to forget anything, or have to have Chris come home to get anything. (I'm sure he will anyway. :)

We had some maternity photos done at 34 weeks, by a man named Shawn St. Peter. He's a wonderful photographer based here in Vancouver. You can visit his site @ www.shawnstpeter.com We were very happy w/ him and the completion of our photos. Here are a few.

I honestly can not wait to see the look on Chris' face, the moment he holds his baby girl. I think that is what I'm looking forward to most of all. I just want to see his face. I honestly think that will be the very best moment of my life....

Have a great week! Hopefully the next time I write, we will either be exceptionally close, or bringing home our precious gift!
Love,
The Crouchs*

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

How was everyone's Christmas and New Year? We got soooo much snow here! We almost beat records I think... I know my office was closed for the week, as were most others downtown. The freeways are crap now because of people using chains, and for days there were just abandoned cars on the sides of the roads because people felt safer just walking.. or they got stuck. lol

The snow made it hard on Christmas eve since my fam lives in Hillsboro and I live here in the Couve, but we made it over there just in time for din. After everyone ventured out and slid around, no one felt much like gaming or doing much other than relaxing. Christmas morning was great though. We didn't have to go outside, we could just watch the snow fall and laugh as the dogs wondered what was under their toes. Chris and I were like little kids waiting for Santa. We couldn't wait to get up, so by 7 am we were eating breakfast and opening presents. Santa was sure good to me!

And not so bad to Christopher! And even Abby got a new baby... which she murdered later.

There's a fun new restaurant on 192nd called Tommy O's. Its got a fun atmosphere and at least for New Years, had live music. We reserved a table there for dinner, which was fantastic by the way, and headed to some friends house for poker later. (I kicked booty by the way.. in case anyone was wondering who won! :) Chris and I brought in yet another New Year, together and so happy about it.

We just have a couple more weeks everybody before the newest Crouch is here!!! I was having big contractions yesterday that went away in the afternoon and came back after cleaning the house last night. Just in case, I started packing her hospital bag, more to make sure I don't forget anything, but also so I'm not running around aimlessly when I need to get things together... Now watch, I'll get all ready, and it will be WEEEEKS! lol Just my luck. :)

I hope everyone is enjoying the New Year so far! We love you!!!
The Crouchs*

Been a while...

2008-12-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I've written on here. I keep forgetting. So much for keeping fam updated huh? :)

I had my 26th birthday last weekend. Chris took me to Skamania Lodge, where we spent friday night and most of the next morning. Its so gorgeous there! I love being close to the river.

Chris left for Utah Monday morning and will be home Wednesday. I miss him!!! It makes me happy that he was able to visit his family though. We hate it that they are so far from us.

Christmas is coming fast and I can't wait. I love Christmas. I love having family together. I love eating. :) I love getting little things for Chris that I know he really wanted but wouldn't get himself. I love that as soon as Christmas is over, January will be here and hopefully go fast so we can meet our little girl!!!

We are officially 2/3 of the way there. I'm 30 weeks today and I can't wait. She's already measuring 3lbs... which is a little frightening considering she has 2 months to pack on the LBs. :) I can't wait to see her little face. Her cheeks are already chubby (I checked via ultrasound today when we had a patient w/ a fetal demise [still birth]) and her legs are long. (just like her daddy) We are planning to have our maternity photos done Jan. 3rd and I can't wait for those either. So much to look forward to right now. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!!!

Her room is complete, w/ the exception of a valance and mobile that we will get later. Her bed is awaiting her and everything is all put away. We have almost everything we need at this point.. just little things now. (My work is buying the carseat/stroller we really want. How wonderful is that?)

Anyway, enough of my banter... I hope everyone is having a fantastic week. :)

Love,

The Crouch's*

Almost Halloween

2008-10-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hope you guys have all had a great week! Tomorrow is finally friday. This week seemed to go a little slower than all the rest. Work has been dragging!!!

The belly is getting big and our little peanut is more and more wiggly. I LOVE IT! She's always moving and makes me laugh all the time. She's measuring just a tiny bit small so we're going to check her growth again (via ultrasound) in a couple weeks just to make sure she's growing at the same rate, even if she's still small. (As long as she's healthy, small is okay w/ me. I have to push her out!) We are getting more and more excited to meet her. I know she's just gorgeous and can only imagine what she will look like. We are both blue/green eyed, so I think that is inevitable.. and we both have naturally curly hair, so I'll be surprised if she doesn't. I hope she has my coloring and Chris' sense of humor.

Her room has been painted and all the knobs have been changed on her dresser to match her chandelier. Very shabby chic in there! :) We're about the hang the letters on her wall to spell her name, and my mom bought her a pretty wall stencil I need to put up. My home shower is next weekend. November 8th and my cousin has been sweet enough to want to throw me another one in Kennewick so that my dad's side of the family can go and not have to drive so far.

Chris will want me to mention he scored a 67 on the golf course today. He and Tiger really need to get together! Hockey has started again, and he's recently taken up instructing. His little mini me's are anywhere from 6 to probably 10. Its ADORABLE to watch!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween and weekend. Be safe!!!

Waiting for dinner :)

2008-10-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!!! So its monday and I thought I'd blog a little while I wait for dinner to be ready. We had a great weekend. I am just now finishing the end of a terrible cold, so I'm glad to be out of bed and back to work. (weird I know!) Chris and Jared had an awesome hockey game last night. They ended in a loss but it was a great game to watch! Go Vipers! :)

We haven't finished painting Emery's room yet, but we're about to. We bought all the paint and tape and can't wait to finish it. We did buy some letters to put her name on her wall and glass knobs for her dresser to make it a lil more girly. :)

I am officially showing and look pregnant. I love it actually. Its nice to feel like there is a reason I've gained all this weight! She is moving around like crazy now and I'm so happy to be able to feel her. It makes me smile all day long. The girls at work fought over who was going to feel her today, and that made me laugh. I have a feeling she's going to be a wild baby! Can't imagine where she's getting that from!?! (Crouch's!!!) ;)

Anyway, we love to you guys and hope you're having a fantastic week!!!

Thursday night update

2008-09-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

I've been having trouble posting things on here... I'm not blogger savvy I guess, so I'm trying to just get some pictures up. I don't think anyone really reads this anyway, so I'm sure you're not missing much.

Last weekend we went up to Multnomah Falls to "hike" the mountain.. I didn't make it too far. Hey an extra 12 lbs can really pull you down! Dang gravity! We did get to see some gorgeous sites though and remember how pretty Oregon is, even when its raining.

The belly has popped!

2008-09-16T18:24:00.001-07:00

So as of a few days ago, I no longer look like I've eaten too many burritos (well I still might) but actually have a little baby bump!

I dont have any pictures of her room yet, but here are a few so you can see our adorable little peanut!

In other news... Our other daughter... Abigail, our dog.. is much too smart for her own good. I thought this was funny enough to share..
We have recently bought her her own bed, to get her used to not sleeping w/ us anymore. Not going as well as we planned. She'll sleep on it until she knows we're asleep and then in between us she comes. Well Chris is out of town for a few days, so when she jumped up beside me at 5 am this morning, I didn't fight her. The coziness was nice... well when my alarm went off at 6, she jumped off the bed as fast and she could and back onto her bed, as if I would never know! I laughed so hard.
Hope you're having a great week!

Well... so here we are!

2008-09-11T18:41:00.001-07:00

Okay, so we realize it is so very hard to email everyone all the time, and most of you are computer savvy, so we thought this was a great way to keep everyone updated, without the forwards of photos and emails, w/ the possibility of leaving someone out. Now you can visit our blog any time you want, to get updates of our super exciting life (HEHE) and pics of things a changin. :)

So as most of you know, and to others this may be news... we are officially pregnant. (Well I am.. anyway. :) We are expecting a little girl in February and COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED!!! Her name will be Emery Faith. Emery because we found it, loved it, and didn't know anyone else who had it. Faith because its taken us years of praying and hoping for her little preciousness to exist.

I am 17 weeks right now (4 months for those who are mathmatically challenged) and just barely beginning to maaybe get a little belly. Here is the rest of our update! :)

People have already started touching my tummy, as if they can't help it, and I've just realized how awkward that is. Before I was showing, they would start off w/ "Oh how cute, you're starting to get that little pooch!" Let me just tell you... that's not flattering. In reality at those times, I had either just eaten, or if you really must know, may have had some gas. Also during that time, if you were eating anything, I would most likely want to fight you for it. I couldn't help it.

Those things have slowed down. I'm a little less tired; much less nauseated, haven't threatened anyone over food in a while. ;)

Her room design has begun. We've (now when I say we, I actually mean Chris and our friend Jeff) torn out all of the molding in her room to replace it w/ new, more updated block molding. We've put up crown molding and primered her walls, that are otherwise bare right now. We just bought her furniture, and once in a while we catch ourselves looking in just to stare at it. Just waiting to put our little gift inside!

We went to babies r us on labor day to get our registry out of the way. Chris designated himself the scanner, which I found more than adorable. Its very possibly that we went overboard, but it was just so fun. Sorry... okay, we're not! :)

We have another ultrasound on the 24th to measure all of her organs. Make sure she's as perfect as she already is in our hearts. We're so excited.

Thank you for enjoying this time w/ us. We hope you'll check in from time to time to see updates! :)