Our Thackeray Family Reunion

This weekend we went to a family reunion in Washington at a beach house on the Puget Sound. The location was beautiful.

It was not very safe though. The rocky beach below the un-fenced beach house was open to small curious children which happened at one point in our stay. Madeline took off with her cousin Lucas down a trail. If you're wondering "where was Christiana?" I was in the back with my husband's family practicing a song and had asked someone to watch over the children... This obviously wasn't taken seriously. It was probably one of the scariest moments of my life as a parent. Madeline is only two, but because she is so tall people think she is older than she is and that she can understand directions and whatnot. She's just a toddler. And especially in those years, toddlers 6 months older than her can be leaps and bounds ahead developmentally. Toddlers abilities range from month-to-month since they learn so much. Sarah, my sister-in-law, found them walking on the rocks next to the water and totally saved their lives. It's a good thing that the house wasn't directly on the Sound or who knows what could have happened. I'm so grateful God kept them safe. It's times like that which remind me that we are totally in God's hands.

On the way there we drove to the Salt Lake airport and took a plane from there. I made Madeline some activities to play with while in transit.

This is a pom-pom push intended to improve fine motor skills. You take some of those craft pom poms and then push them through a hole in the top of a container (like an old formula bin or oatmeal container. I used a nesquick container). Maddy spent about ten minutes doing this. 

These are gel stickers from the dollar tree. I had never exposed them to her before, and they were a huge hit! She spent about 40 minutes sticking them to the plane window and table. 

This was also a hit. It's pipe cleaners and pony beads. She stringed the beads through and after I made them into quick bracelets. She LOVED this for about 30 minutes and then she started throwing the beads on the ground... but then the plane ride was over and we prepared for landing.  

I was a bit surprised about how well the plane ride went. Both Faye and Madeline were well-behaved and we weren't that family--the one that everyone hates because their child is screaming their head off the whole time. Everyone thought Faye was so cute and tiny, and they thought it was amazing that we were traveling with a 7-week-old. Madeline loved pulling around the pully-backpack I painted for her. She had to have it just like Mama and Papa.

We got to my in-laws house after about an hour drive, but it was so much fun seeing the house they are renovating. It is a MESS, but it is going to be such a great and perfect grandparent house when it is finished. It's in the middle of a huge cookie-cutter community where all the houses look very much the same, but their house is super old and is on at least an acre of land with a barn house, a garden area, and a gated area for a horse or cow.

Then the next day we made the 4 hour drive to Puget Sound. I hate driving that much.

Anyways, it was nice getting to know the Thackeray side of the family since I had never met most of them. It was also nice seeing the whole family together, and the food was awesome! There were bags and bags of homemade cookies of all different kinds. I can't tell you how many I ate. I lost count after 10.

Here are some pictures of our weekend (most photos courtesy of Brian Thackeray and his new awesome camera):

The clouds on the way to Portland airport. 

Madeline slept the whole flight home. Yay! She wasn't grouchy at all. 

Two sleeping beauties. :)

I am going to brag about how awesome my husband is. I only got 2 hours of sleep the night we went home because Faye decided to be up all night long. This man carried everything in the airport while I scuddled through barley able to keep my eyes open. He had gone on a run up the Sound and got huge blisters on his feet and he still sacrificed for me. How can I not be in love with Marcus? 

Use the term special needs rather than handicap! Handicap is derogatory. 

The Russian Olympic team for something at the SLC airport. 

 

Faye is a belly sleeper.

My cuties on the way to OR.

Guilty. I am eating a cookie.

This is Marcus and his nasty sweaty shirt after he went running. 

Aunt Anne and Aunt Nancy cuddling Faye.

Grandma cuddle time.

The 18 and under-s marched around doing a parade on 4th of July. 

Most of the family. 

More grandma cuddles.

This pic is cute! Two of the dogs, my in-laws and aunt anne and Marcus' cousin Justin.

I think this is such a sweet picture of my mother and father-in-law. 

We were actually ready for this photo. My hair and make up are not done yet. 

Marcus playing against his Dad in the horseshoe tournament. It was an intense game. The whole tournament was a success and everyone had a blast participating and watching. 

Mother and son. Precious. 

My little dog that EVERYONE loved. They kept saying he was such a good dog--which he is. 

So cute. Sampson and Aunt Sarah.

Overall it was a great weekend being able to see everyone. Now we just have to prepare for the crazy next few weeks. Our yard sale is this Saturday, Tyler will be here next Monday, and then finals, graduation, and the BIG move!

*Snap*

I just want to write about a few things that have been on my mind and happening lately.

1. Breastfeeding. It is difficult for me. It hurts still. It is nice to be so needed but regardless of whether I breastfeed or not my daughter(s) still need me. I feel like breastfeeding is not all it is cracked up to be, and you don't have to agree with me. I just don't like it. My goal is to get to 3 months. My production is good, so I know I can handle this, I just don't like it. Sorry if I offended anyone.

2. Mom visited for about two weeks and just left on Friday. I miss her already. I wish we could have family closer. We have my brothers-in-law close and last month we were able to see Anna and her family once a week, but I miss my side of the family. I really do. I haven't seen Melanie in 3 years since David's funeral which was a sucky occasion to see people at. Here are some photos of me and Mel.

My most recent photo of us. Thanks Skype!

This is one of the best ones! Love my sisters. 

A cheesy bathroom selfie. Our skins look great and smooth!

We pretty much did everything together.

3. I keep in touch with my dearest friends Caroline, Racheal, and Melanie (also my twin) through a thread on Facebook. We just decided that we are kinda like the girls in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants except that we wouldn't fit into the same pair of jeans because, for instance, I need a 34 inch inseam and Racheal needs a short inseam...not to mention she is a 0 (I think the smallest of us all) and I am a 12. That is a lot of inches inbetween! haha. Anyways, I am excited about what we have recently decided--we are going to have a traveling journal. It will be fun to get something in the mail from all the girls. We are each going to make an entry and then mail it to each other and when we get it back we'll have three entries to read. It sounds fun to us.

4. Packing. I don't think it will actually get done until we have our yard sale in a few weeks. And then we'll have two weeks to pack. Tyler, my little brother, is coming to help and live with us until Marcus gets back from boot camp. So, he'll be with us for a while. It will be awesome and we will make memories.

5. Madeline is definitely a toddler. She has her sweet moments but then she has her terror moments and it is so difficult to deal with. Also some children get quiet when they are tired, but Maddy turns into a hyper hurricane. Marcus and I have been talking about moving her bedtime to around 8pm, but she gets so hyper much sooner. Especially on Sundays. I hate late church. It's hard to get home at 5 o'clock to eat dinner after not having a nap/quiet time all day. We will have it figured out soon, but so much is about to change anyways I don't think changing the time will work right now.

6. Buying a house. This is often on my mind since we are starting the process. Any advice on what to look for? We are getting a VA loan so it has to fall under those qualifications (which I don't know what those are yet).

7. Marcus graduates and we walk in commencement in exactly one month! *snap* That went by quickly!

8. I am 99% sure Faye has reflux. Poor girl. I have to sit her up right after she eats without putting pressure on her tummy. But she loves sleeping on her tummy.

Labor and Delivery: Faye's Birth Story

Marcus and I went to bed around 10pm. I was tossing and turning all night. Suddenly I was wide awake staring at the ceiling and then checking the time on my phone--2:54. It was only 2:54 in the morning. Why was I awake and why was I energized? Two minutes later I felt a gush of water and I knew it was time. The baby was coming! I quickly called Zach and Sabrina to come straight over to be here for Madeline when she woke up in the morning. I went to the bathroom because I had a huge urge to pee and I tried calling the hospital to let them know we were headed their way so a room would be ready for me, but I could not think coherently. The adrenaline had already started and the contractions were getting worse by the minute. Marcus had to find the number for me. I had everything I needed in the car already, I just needed to put on some dry clothes and when Zach and Sabrina got here we ran out the door. It was 3am so there was absolutely no traffic (a plus to going into labor in the early morning). 

When we got to the hospital they let us right in and I told them they needed to call the anesthesiologist right away since I progress extremely quickly, and I needed (and had been given orders from my doctor who wanted me to stay relaxed during birth so that my heart rate wouldn't kill me) an epidural. They got an IV in me and started filling out paper work while my contractions got worse and worse. They checked me and I was already at a 7. Twenty minutes later the heaven-sent medicine angel was there. They checked me again and I was at an 8 which means this baby was going to be here any time. My contractions, at this point, were a ten and I wanted to push. But in order to get any medication I needed to sit at the edge of the bed very still. My nurse, Faye, and Marcus were great at coaching me through the contractions by helping me focus on breathing. Faye said that it helps to verbalize while you breath--kinda like a moaning sound. She was totally right. It helped a lot. It was still painful, but it made it bearable. The procedure that the anesthesiologist was doing is what they call a "spinal block" and works much faster than an epidural, and consequently it also wears off faster which really wasn't going to be a problem for me. In total I think I had about 3 contractions that were at a 10 and then the meds started working. I was having a heavenly experience for the first time. After about 5 more minutes my doctor said it was time to push! I pushed 3 times and our little girl was born.  My labor (if not counting preterm labor) was a little over an hour. This time around I had a magical experience with my new daughter. Unlike my birthing experience with Madeline, my body did not go into shock and I did not almost faint. They placed her on my chest right after and I couldn't believe she was here. I knew she would come this week, but it still feels like I wasn't prepared enough. She was beautiful and so tiny weighing in at 6 pounds 6 ounces and 19 inches long. They let me bond with her for an hour before taking her to the NICU where she had a routine and mandatory stay for at least six hours because she was not yet considered full term. She was doing well breathing and eating though and I think this was because we had been given the steroids to help her lung development in the weeks prior. While I took a nap Marcus went to stay with our new baby.

It took us all day to come up with a name. We decided on Faye Nichole Thackeray. The name Faye had been popping up all over the place plus we learned that the meaning of it is confidence, trust, and belief. I thought it was a perfect name for a girl with a mission in this life. Before Faye came into my life, I didn't think I could love another child as much as I love Madeline, but having one child made my heart bigger with a greater capacity to love. Faye is supposed to be in our family, and it is complete for now.  

This is actually a photo of Maddy, They look almost identical!