Michael James Fosburg is Here!

Okay seriously, isn't he so adorable?

I'm so excited to announce the birth of our third son, Michael James on July 12th, 2016 at 1332.  He weighed an amazing 10lbs. 6oz. and was 22.5in long.  He was so long he almost couldn't fit the measuring tool for infants!  Cracks me up!

 The very last pre-baby pregnant me picture!

I can't believe he's finally here!  We were totally shocked to be pregnant at all, and then to travel all the way to Washington State to have him, and then traveling all the way back home; it has been quite an adventure to get him here.

I was so grateful to have a wonderful OB here with Dr. Zahra Alamooti, and then to get Dr. Brown at Valley OBGYN was amazing.  Fantastic doctors for a girl having her sixth little one!  Dr. Zahra did an ultrasound at every visit so I literally watched Michael grow from his first appearance. And Dr. Brown was so kind and funny and he actually listened to my concerns and my opinions.  Between the two of them Michael and I were very well taken care of the entire time!

What else do you do when waiting to get started?

Dr. Brown even let me choose the induction date, the earliest date possible, of course!  We arrived at 6am and by 9am we were getting my lovely epidural.  Unfortunately, things always go a little wonky for me.  Chris laughs that it seems to be just the way things are in my life.  The epidural eventually was wonderful, but some major pain was had when the needle went a bit too close to a nerve on my left side.  Thankfully, it was short lived.  The part they forget to tell you when  you get that shot is that labor has to be regular first.  So it's not like you skip the whole thing.  I had forgotten how much I hate contractions.  Anyway, it wasn't too long before my little big guy showed up.

Proud papa for the sixth time!

When he came everyone was super surprised by how big he was!  He actually got stuck, not just shoulders like normal kids, but his chest too.  He was so much bigger than anyone, but Chris and I, had expected.  He was so big he came out purple!  He also came silently.  Not so good.  You could feel the tension, it was not good.  It took a good few seconds before he finally cried and even then it wasn't very loud.  Made everybody so nervous.  It was a really surreal experience for me because usually I'm so out of it by the time my little ones show up that i don't usually remember any of the first few minutes of their lives.  This time I remember everything.  He was so amazing and so fun to hold after imagining what he'd look like for 10 months.  He's a cutie.  Totally a Fosburg: black hair, blue eyes, long fingernails, and totally cute button nose, just like his siblings.

My last hospital/birth picture.  I so love my Michael James!

It was only a little while before visitors began to come for a peek at our new son.  Both the Fosburgs and the Morris' came to see us.  It was so nice to have them be there so quickly.  It was a major departure from the first five.  I was always a bit high strung when it came to the hospital part of having my kids so I always waited a while to let anyone come.  Several of my kids were born too far away from family for it to even be possible.  Michael should have been born in country, but our insurance doesn't cover that here, so I got to be around my family for the birth of my last child.  Such a neat unlooked for blessing!

Nana and her newest grandson look so good together!

Grama is soo happy! Even Grampa is super excited.

The best part of the whole things was later that day a photographer came in and took pictures of the three of us right there in our room at my feet. She was so kind and asked my input on all the poses and types of pictures.  It was such a nice service, especially since newborn pix were high on my list of necessary activities.  So I went to the hospital very uncomfortable and pregnant and came home less than 48 hrs later with an adorable newborn and adorable photographs.  For a multitasking mama, it was quite the event!

And then it was quiet.  My kids were safe, my baby was happy, my husband was exhausted; we all rested.

Vaughn Madsen Fosburg

He is here!  He is here!  He is here!

I am so excited to announce to the whole world the birth of my second son, Vaughn, or V for short.

He was born exactly 11 days after Evie's birthday on Sunday night, the 20th of May 2012.

That evening was the same as all the rest, though I was a bit uncomfortable.  But, hey, I was pregnant, when wasn't I uncomfortable?  Anyway, I apparently had real contractions beginning by 6pm, they stopped at 8 until 9pm, and by 10pm we were in the hospital.  By 10:30pm I was told I couldn't have my epidural.  I was not happy, but it was a little late to be complaining because by 10:57pm my little boy was finally here!

he is such a cutie - actually that applies to both my boys!

 ohhhh, how she loves "our" baby - see the little giggle?

 she's still getting used to the idea that she's NOT the baby anymore

At 7lbs. 11oz. and 20 1/2 in long, with lots of soft black hair, and beautiful blue eyes.  He is so sweet and such a good baby.  He is already sleeping up to 5hrs at a time and gained a pound and an inch or so.  So he is growing well.

so handsome - love the dark hair - hope it stays!

The kids have enjoyed him as an addition to our family.  Evie loves everything baby anyway.  Joseph LOVES having a brother and I have to admit, I like having another boy in the house too.  Lizzy is so cute and really owning the big sister title this time around.  Ally is the one that I was a bit worried about since she's been the baby for the last year.  She had a hard time at the beginning trying to understand what she could touch and where she could sit.  She has done an amazing job!  She touches V with such tenderness and in such a sweet way that I think she has accepted our littlest one.

So world, welcome the last of the kids to our family!  We love you Vaughn!

Welcome to the newest Fosburg family member!

Okay, so no, we didn't disappear! The day after the last post I was induced at the hospital. I know you're all anxious for the "report", but honestly, today is the first I've felt good enough to stay awake during "rest time."

So, our beautiful new baby girl, Alexandra Hope, was born on Tuesday, 15 February 2011, at 3:45pm ET. She was a whopping 8lbs. 14oz. and 22 in long. Yes, I'm sure and no, I have no idea where she was hiding. I do have some explanations now though as to why I was so uncomfortable the last month! Pregnancy and I usually have an unhappy relationship, but this was incredible.

It was also the first pain-free labor and delivery I had experienced. I was so relieved! Afterwards I was even more relieved! Can't believe Heavenly Father seriously thought that large a baby was coming from this small a body without help! Good thing the epidural worked this time. I've actually had it all four times, but something always happened before to make the epidural pointless. Thank goodness things worked out this time. It was a slightly strange experience though - to go from serious hatred of having babies to sleeping through the contractions to get to the pushing part. It was so odd, but I can totally see how other women end up in church the first Sunday after delivering their children. I could too, it was easy!

The hospital stay was fine, but I have to confess, I missed my little ones at home by the second day. We had so many wonderful friends stay with our kids during those few days and even more brought dinners that week. It was such a relief to know my kids were taken care of and later, that I didn't have to worry about what my family was going to eat for dinner.

It's amazing how stressful meal time can be when all you want to do is crawl into bed and stay there forever. (Eventually the epidural had to wear off!) Having a baby is still pretty hard on a body, though my back pain probably had more to do with trying to correct itself after hauling a 9lbs child for the last while. (Still working on that too).

Coming home

For those of you interested, no I never did gain any major weight, but I was super proud to have gained all that I originally lost! I got all the way to 136lbs before I delivered. That means that I gained about 25lbs during the pregnancy. That's a decent and healthy gain. Now if I could just not lose so much at the beginning, women of the world might start to like me again. At this point, I only weigh about 118lbs, which does not look fantastic on me. Everyone is so envious of the little body, but all I see is all the bones that I shouldn't be able to see. I also easily notice all the muscle mass I've lost. I can hardly lift Joseph now and he only weighs 25lbs. Seriously, how sad is that? So, as soon as I get the go ahead, I'm headed to the gym to get my muscles back. I like the flat stomach, but I'll take a little shaplier body if it means I can play with my kids more.

Anyway, enough about me, onto the KIDS!

Evelynn: loves having another baby doll in the house. Lizzy is getting too big for Evie to pretend she's a baby so Ally came at the right time for her. She's such a great help for me. I'm just learning how to do things with four and she's been so good at offering to hold Ally or to feed her. She loves it and can't get enough of her. This little one has been showered with blown hugs and kisses since Evie first laid eyes on her.

Joseph: didn't really seem to care all that much. He's interested, but in a disinterested kind of way. He notices her and gives her kisses whenever Evie does and at night after family prayer, but that's about as far as it goes. He likes to look at her, but doesn't really care one way or the other.

Elizabeth: unlike her brother, definately notices there's another child at home. She's not as thrilled as Evie either. Lizzy has gotten really clingy and in general, is not totally happy to not have all mom and dad's attention. She loves to look at Ally and has even tried to touch her, playing with the little feet. It makes her giggle when Ally pulls them away. She gets the little grin with the dimple whenever she's sitting next to a parent holding the baby. We feel that eventually she'll be really close to her sister and as long as we spend a little extra time with the two of them together, Lizzy will see that we love and adore all our children. We'll keep you posted on that one.

Alexandra: holy cow! What a different little girl. She's a total mix of the other kids and brand new at the same time. She sleeps up to 4hrs at a time and eats like a champ. (We tried breastfeeding, but it was a total failure.) With others being able to help feed her, we all get the chance to be close to the baby. She is growing really well too. My first child to start on the growth charts!!! She lost about a pound in the first couple of days (normal) and has been steadily climbing back to her birthwieght. Unlike the other Fosburg kids, she might actually make her birthweight by the end of her first month. She is so content most of the time and in the opposite vein of Lizzy's banshee wail, Ally's cry is much deeper and quieter. I don't mind getting up at 3am to feed her because I don't have a headache already from hearing her cry. It's a fantastic improvement for a mom of four little ones. Ally seems to fit so well into the mix.

So many asked me about having a fourth child. Quite a few were surprised at my willingness to have another so quickly and a number were shocked into silence at the very thought of my wanting a fifth while still carrying the fourth. But I found to my great delight and according to my expectations (that rarely happens does it?) that I have never and still don't ever regret having another. Ally is a wonderful addition to our family already. She balances out Elizabeth so well and makes Evelynn the happiest of big sisters. I think, in time, even Joseph will really like her. She seems to be that calm child, the easy going one, the relaxed one. Thank goodness! I'm so glad that Chris and I as a couple planned on a large family. They make me so happy.

Daddy's third little girl!

Hearing others comment on how good my kids are or how beautiful my family is or hearing others tell Chris how lucky he is just make me want to burst with happiness. I've never felt that way about any other undertaking in my whole life. I hate being so tired or having to sacrifice other things in life to be a mom, but I know there's nothing else to compare with the fulfillment I feel at the end of a long day when all my kids are sleeping soundly, my home is picked up (notice I didn't say clean - I'm not super woman!), my husband is relaxing on the couch after dinner and I'm just enjoying the free time. I'm so glad I didn't listen to the voices of the world that told me motherhood wasn't as amazing at it is. They were right though, it's so much better and harder and more exciting and more difficult. There's no way anyone who has not been a parent should get to voice an opinion on being one. It's so much more of everything than you can imagine.

Well, that's my plug for parenthood. It takes a lot of work, but it's so worth more than anything else you can do. I'm just really blessed to have a good husband, great family support, and the gospel of Jesus Christ to lead me and guide me in this endeavor. It's way too hard to do alone.

Hope you all are well and thank you so much for all your well-wishes and happy prayers. We have felt so loved by you all.

All done, here she comes!!!

Okay, so our last couple of days without Chris were relatively uneventful, which turned out to be a really good thing! We hurried to finish some projects in the house like unpacking another couple of boxes, removing more mini-blinds (you wouldn't believe how much this owner loved those things), putting up shades, adding curtains, etc. Evie and JC helped the day before and the day of cleaning and preparing for Daddy's birthday.

Then all of a sudden BCOT was over and we went to pick up Chris. Yes, I got lost, there's a reason he drives, but we got there, if a little late. Evie fell asleep on the way there, but popped awake at Daddy's appearance in the window. She got a giant daddy hug and a kiss. Then he walked to the other side where little Joseph couldn't contain the excitement. His whole body almost shook with joy. It was adorable! I of course, got my big hug and kiss and then, heaven be praised, he jumped in the driver's seat and got us home!

Upon arrival, we promptly had a birthday for Chris. His 31st you know. Evie and I had made cupcakes earlier that day and we had several presents wrapped and ready for him to enjoy. It was a lot of fun and yes, the kids scarfed those cupcakes right before bed. Who says were strict?

Then mom and dad spent the evening relaxing on the couch playing his new video game, Assassin's Creed 2. It was a good night.

Little did we know that someone else was dying to say hello as well. Less than 24hrs later, our little Elizabeth decided it was time to come to our family. Yes, she was 2wks early. Definately, yes, we were super unprepared (not even a camera with us). And yes, I was finally okay with both of those things by the time she was born. Labor and delivery totalled a whopping 3 1/2 hrs. I'm not sure what the deal with that was, but so far she has been predictably unpredictable in that way. Again, who needs an epidural? So far, no matter the planning, I haven't had a pain free delivery yet. I'm wishing!

My Beautiful Baby Girl!

Anyway, Elizabeth Yasmin Fosburg was born on 10 Dec 2009 at exactly 8pm. She was 6lbs. 2oz. (I know - smaller than Evie) and 19in. long. She had the skinniest legs and arms with very long fingers and hair that while very dark brown was covered in blonde highlights. So many of the nurses wished for hair like hers and here she was born with it. As I said before, she is defying all pre-experience expectations.

This week we have had the first inclinations of what our family

might be like with three little ones. One word describes it all: HECTIC! Lizzy is only awake when the other two are asleep and everyone has gotten a cold, except the baby. JC and Evie love Lizzy like crazy and it's hard to keep their hands off her. Her eyes tend to be open a lot more than I remember the other two's being at this early age. She is very aware and seems to like her siblings as much as they like her. JC loves to touch her head and after a little practice is able to be really soft. He also loves her pacifiers and runs away with them frequently. Evie of course, is ever the mother and loves to help out in anyway she can. So far she hasn't had a chance to hold the baby (remember we're all sick), but she is doing well trying to be patient.

Other than the fact that Chris has been home a week and so has Lizzy, our lives have been pretty much the same. Chris is thankfully helping complete some of the larger projects I've been waiting to get done and my house is finally starting to really come together. We're even trying to decorate for Christmas. I know it's only a week away, but we've been a bit distracted.

In the end, our family has grown by one, Chris is home (literally at home) until after Christmas, I'm learning to parent three children, and somewhere in there someone's head hits a pillow for a little while each night. We are doing well, feeling blessed, and learning a lot.

Thanks for all the prayers, phone calls, gifts, and love. We appreciate all the support!