Christmas

We celebrated our first Christmas as a family on Sunday with the Smith's, Huggin's, and Christ's. Everyone decided to post-pone our Christmas until Sunday so Tyler and I could have some time to recoup after being in the hospital. We were really grateful for that and feeling much better by Sunday. Unfortunately, Gina and Brendan ended up not feeling well on Sunday, so they weren't able to make it to our house for Christmas. We had a nice time and were really glad that Tyler was here for this Christmas.
Here's our BEST Christmas gift :-)


Ethan was so sweet to Tyler and kept giving him kisses all night.

Grandma and Grandpa Smith


Grandpa Huggins and Uncle Jason

Blaze got a new toy in his stocking. Ethan had just as much fun playing with it as Blaze did.

Grandma Huggins and Blaze

Labor & Delivery

We went into the hospital at midnight on Monday morning for my scheduled induction. They started me on some medication to make me go into labor soon after we arrived. I was in labor for about 11 hours when the doctors became concerned because Tyler's heartrate would drop after some of the contractions. This continued on and off for a few hours when the doctors finally decided it would be better to deliver Tyler by C-Section rather than to risk things going badly as the labor and delivery continued on naturally. So we went into the opperating room and by that point I was so worn out I could hardly keep my eyes open. That didn't last too long though, when they began cutting and tugging on my tummy I woke right up! Tyler was delivered in 15 minutes, it went by so fast. When they took Tyler out, he wasn't breathing and it was so scary not to hear him cry right away. The doctor had to recesitate him using an oxygen bag. It was such a relief when I finally got to hear him cry. Because he was so small, he had low blood sugar and had to be taken to the nursery soon after he was born. It was hard not being around him so soon after his birth. We did get him back later that first night though and he has been doing much better ever since.

We got to bring Tyler home yesterday and it has been such a neat experience. We've only had him for a couple of days so far and already we are noticing changes in him. He is opening his eyes more now, eating more, and making cute little faces. We have been blessed with such a sweet, healthy boy, we couldn't have asked for anything more!

Baby Tyler

Successful!!!

Tyler is here. Laura delivered by C - Section. Tyler came out at 4lbs 12oz and 18 inches long, born at exact 11:00am. Pictures to follow soon.

Monday is the BIG day!!!

I have my miners hat with lights, a catchers mit and a bunch of paper towels! I'm ready for TYLER!! Pictures will be on the way soon!!!!

We Have A Date!

Well, I can hardly believe it but little Tyler is going to be here soon! I went to see the doctor yesterday and they scheduled my induction for Sunday night. So we should have baby Tyler in our arms on Monday. My dad's birthday is also on Monday, so that makes the day even more special!

Batman

I went out and purchased the best Batman movie that has ever come out. The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray is great, action packed from start to finish, you won't be disappointed. I suggest you purchase the movie as well and add it to your collection.

NFC West Champs

Jason and I went to the Arizona Cardinals game on Sunday at the University of Phoenix Staduim. We had pretty good seats, I don't think there is a bad seat in the entire staduim. It's pretty cool when you can be standing at the bathroom door and still see the game. Beer at the staduim was $9 to $11 each! It was nice to be at the game with the Cardinals winning the NFC West game, it has been a long time coming. Then we had to go back to our wives!!!

The Big Day is Almost Here!

We could have a new addition to our family any day now! On Friday, we had our weekly doctor's appointment and another ultrasound to check up on Tyler's growth. According to the ultrasound, Tyler is still on the small side. He weighs 4lbs 5oz which is 1lb more than 4 weeks ago at our last check up. The doctor is concerned that he just isn't putting on as much weight as he is supposed to (he's in the 3rd percentile for his age), so they are going to continue to monitor him twice a week and we are going in for another ultrasound on Thursday. The doctor said he is "hoping" to keep Tyler in for another week and a half to two weeks but if he shows any kind of distress at our appointments or if they notice anything worrisome on the next ultrasound, they will deliver him right then. They believe he has intrauterine growth restriction, which means he isn't getting enough nutrients from the placenta, so they feel he would be better off outside the womb. We always knew it was a possibility that he would come early but that really brought this all into reality when we talked with the doctor. I am now scrambling to get everything ready to go. I can't wait for him to be here, but we are praying he can hold off coming for two more weeks so he has more time to fully develop.

Neal Hard At Work!!

If you wanted to know what I do at Roskamp Arizona Management and Development as the Director of Environmental Services, then just look at the pictures. We (directors and managers)had to put on a show for the residnets in the lobby and this is the crazy show. My staff had to wrap me as a Christmas gift, which turned out to be a big box wrapped in Christmas paper. The box had toilet flappers hanging from the sides along with Christmas balls, a toilet seat with the lid up for me to put my head through, and a flush knob in the front just like a real toilet. Beleive it or not, I actually won first place out of all the directors and managers.