Basketball and Babies

Every summer, I coach for one week at a basketball camp for kids K-8th grade and I referee and keep score clock for another week at a team camp for high school aged kids. This year I knew it would be a bit different with children in tow. The first week of camp, I coached with Ryder strapped on me in the front pack and we hired a high school girl to babysit Lexi and her cousin Macie. After one day of working the Team Camp, we all realized three kids under three was too much for me to handle while keeping score clock at a game, so I ended up staying at my parents' house for the week with the kids. All in all, it was a great and exhausting time with family.

Alexis and Macie had a blast
 playing in the gyms together...

 They also did a lot of Disney movie watching...

 

They snacked on A LOT of cereal...

 They spent a lot of time outside...

Some of that time was spent getting into mischief...

  

This guy spent most of the time being super cute and charming his grandparents... 

The three cousins enjoyed their time together...

Even though Ryder's face here doesn't show it...

 I am so grateful to live close enough to family to visit often, but I can tell you what, taking care of a 2 1/2 month old, 1 1/2 year old, and 2 1/2 year old is  EXHAUSTING. Good thing they are cute :)

Ryder at 2 Months Old

Ryder at 2 Months: This post is a couple weeks late, life sure is busy with two kids under two! Our 16 lb,  24.5 inch long, "little" boy is growing daily. Early on, he was incredibly fussy and seemed to have colic. After supplementing with formula over the past month, he is much more content which makes Mommy and Daddy much more content! Ryder has begun smiling and cooing when we talk with him and he tracks us very well. He still is not much of a fan of tummy time, but is demonstrating quite a bit of head control when he is held by someone. Ryder wakes up around midnight, 3am, and 5am to eat still. I have a feeling he will outgrow his bassinet soon and be forced into the crib and therefore forced into sharing a room with Alexis. Ryder is into size 6 month clothes and is comfortably wearing size 3 diapers (the same size as his sister).

And... Another Road Trip!

I might be crazy to be traveling so much and so often after having a little one, but I think that since we moved back from Idaho we are eager to spend time with family when we can. This past weekend we traveled up north to attend my cousin Janell's graduation from Graduate School and for a surprise birthday party for our sister in law Nikki. The surprise was a success and our kiddos got to spend time with grandparents and aunts and uncles again.

With the Graduate!

Greg and his dad keeping an eye out for the birthday girl

The birthday girl/expectant mommy celebrating with a Virgin Strawberry Margarita

My babies with their grandmas and Uncle Brandon photo bombing

With Grandpa and Grandma Teune

4 Generations of Marlows

Greg's grandparents' home is filled with gorgeous antiques and beautiful furniture. I couldn't resist capturing our precious girl hanging out and exploring their home.

 We are so thankful that God had plans to bring us back to Oregon at this time in our lives. How special to have family within driving distance so our children can really know their grandparents and other relatives.

Road Trip!

Two weekends ago we took a road trip to Tillamook to visit Greg's mom and family as well as attend a bridal shower for his sister. Alexis had a blast at Nana and Papa's and Ryder got a lot of snuggle time in with loved ones.

I had some anxiety about the long drive (it only ended up being two hours) because I didn't want a screaming baby in the backseat or to have to stop on the side of the road to nurse. With coffee in hand, we started our drive and both of our children decided to sleep the whole way there. Praise the Lord!

Riding Cooper around Nana and Papa's house

Snuggling with Uncle Brandon

Getting into trouble in Nana's bathroom

Spending time with Great Grandma

It was a great day spent with family. The ride home went well until the last 45 minutes when a little boy decided to scream bloody murder the rest of the drive home. But it was nothing a pit stop at Burgerville and listening to the Blazers beat the Rockets couldn't fix.

Ryder at 1 Month Old

 Ryder at 1 Month: Our 12lb "little" guy has had quite the month! He had a thrush infection in his mouth and needed medication which wasn't much fun, but he has been very healthy ever since. Ryder has a very strong set of lungs and uses them to cry and scream often, especially when we are in the car (not a lot of fun for anyone). He grew out of newborn diapers within his first week of life and is now wearing size 1 as well as 0-3 month onesies and 3 month sleepers. Alexis has been adjusting well to life as a big sister. She didn't want to be left out of the photo shoot, which I imagine will happen each month. She doesn't seem to be too jealous or bothered by little brother. I think the sweetest thing  so far in this first month is that she has found out how to say her own version of his name, "Rydee". It seriously melts my heart to hear her say his name!

18 Months Old

On April 8th, 3 days after becoming a big sister, Alexis turned a year and a half old! As if the age itself doesn't make her seem more grown up, looking at her in comparison to a newborn proves that she is not my baby anymore... not sure how I feel about that :( We had some professional photos taken of her to capture her in her "18 month-ness".

 Alexis at 18 Months: We have noticed in the last 6 months or so that Alexis is a very strong willed child.

She knows what she wants, and more importantly to what she doesn't want. She is a very happy girl for the most part and loves to give hugs and kisses. She enjoys watching Sesame Street, particularly Elmo's World. Alexis likes to drink from Mommy's Starbucks water cup. No matter how many cups of her own that she has available, she wants Mommy's. Whenever she hears a sound outside of our door she yells, "Daddy!" and runs to the door. Sometimes she will take Mommy or Daddy's keys and walk to the door and try to put the keys into the door handle while saying, "bye bye!" She knows how to turn on the TV as well as Daddy's PlayStation console (she knows this is how to get Netflix started). Alexis also loves to video chat on the phone with anyone, but gets especially excited when we get a call from her cousin Macie. Alexis likes to unload the silverware from the dish washer and hand it to me to put away. She helps Mommy do laundry by sitting on top of the dryer and throwing items into the washer, then later Mommy hands her items from the washer to put into the dryer. She is a great helper!

Words Alexis can say: yeah, no, uh oh, Elmo, Macie, Mommy, Daddy, Nanny(Nana), please, thank you, no thank you, all done, more, up, down, sorry, hot, hush, dog, yummy, ball, baby, hi , bye, eyes, nose, head, toes.

Favorite foods/snacks: strawberries, apple slices, grapes, animal crackers (or any type of cracker), fruit snacks, hot dogs, cheese quesadillas, macaroni and cheese, Puffs, yogurt melts, yogurt, and Cheerios.

Favorite books: anything with Elmo, Goodnight Moon, and Eric Carle books.

Favorite songs: Jesus Loves Me, The Wheels on the Bus, Sesame Street theme song, any song with Elmo. 

Mommy wants to remember...

• When I go into Alexis' room in the morning or after a nap, she is almost always standing up in her crib with a big grin on her face and she greets me with a "Hi!" 
• Sometimes she will come over to me, lean in, and give me a hug and a kiss "just because". 
• When we read books at bedtime she has started chanting "hush" until I give in and read her Goodnight Moon... "the quiet old lady who was whispering hush". 
• She still has a difficult time with separation from us when we drop her at the nursery for church or when I am at Mom's group during the week. However, I'm told it only takes her minutes to calm down and she always enjoys herself. 

We sure love our sweet girl. Is 2 years old really less than 6 months away?!

Ryder Allen Teune

After waiting 41 weeks for our little man to arrive, he finally came into the world. Here is his birth story...

I had been uncomfortable for a few weeks before the birth and was very anxious to go into labor. I even thought I was in labor a couple of times, but nothing happened. Around 4am on Saturday, April 5th I woke up to what felt like contractions, however with having experienced what I thought were contractions during the previous weeks I was paranoid that I would "cry wolf" about going into labor. By 4:30am I knew it was the real deal so I woke Greg up to let him know (and can I just add that he had stayed up until 3:30am playing video games online with his brothers!) At 5am we called our parents to let them know I was in labor and I got in the shower to wash my hair and shave my legs, because all you moms know it was probably going to be a while before I could shave again. I was only in the shower for a couple of minutes when I realized things were progressing very quickly.

Our friend Sara came over to stay with Alexis until my parents came through to pick her up, and Greg, my sister Brittney, and I began the 45 minute drive to Springfield. While laboring in the car was not ideal, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. We arrived at the birth center just before 7am and delivered our baby boy at 9:45am.

Labor was intense, to say the least. We wanted a natural birth like we had with Alexis, so pain medication/epidurals were not and option. I had terrible lower back pain the whole time and I wanted to throw in the towel several times (as if I had the choice). But seriously, I had moments throughout labor where I thought, "maybe they will need to rush me to the hospital to cut him out so I won't have to keep pushing..." Amazing what the pain of labor can do to a person. I was hooked up to oxygen for a while because I could not inhale through the contractions. The pain was so bad I could not get a breath in. Our midwife told us that baby boy was not turning, which caused me to have such painful back labor. With each push I gave, our midwife tried to help turn him. Unfortunately he did not cooperate and would later be born "sunny side up".

After laboring for an hour in the tub and another hour or so on the bed, our midwife suggested I move to the birthing stool and let gravity help things along. After my first push on the stool she asked if I wanted to reach down and feel his head, which I did, but all I could think was "we could see Alexis' head for three hours before she was finally born. I can NOT do this for another three hours!" Thank goodness that was not the case with our little man, after about five minutes on the birthing stool and a few good, solid pushes, he was born! I cannot even begin to describe the relief I felt when I pulled him up to my chest and into my arms.

Ryder Allen Teune was born on Saturday, April 5th 2014. He weighed in at 9lbs 6oz, 21 and 3/4 inches long, with a head circumference of 15 inches.