Two Weeks

Canyon had his two week check up yesterday. He is doing good and everything checked out fine. He is the little porker however, weighing 10 lbs 2 oz. They measured him at 21 inches. He didn't have to get any shots this time around so it was a quick and painless trip. Emerson however got jabbed three times. He had his two year appointment on the same day. He weighed nearly 22 lbs and was just over 33 inches tall. His weight is still quiet low but he is slowly moving up the charts.

Canyon and the Cow

Here are some photos of Canyon from Saturday that I took in the studio. It was really warm inside the studio so Canyon was asleep for most of the time. He got the cudly cow from some friends and I thought it would be a great prop for taking photos. He is such a sweet little sleepy head.

Camping with Daddy

This weekend was the father and sons campout for our church. Emerson and Stephen took Thomas and Jefferson with them and Sarah came and had a sleepover with Canyon and myself. We just ate junk food and watched movies. It sounds like the campout was a good time. The weather was beautiful and really warm (which is much better than last year). Emerson apparantely loves hot dogs now. They played 500. Emerson and Stephen played their own version of Rook that night. They both fell asleep playing cards and Stephen said he kept waking up in the middle of the night with Rook cards stuck to him. The next day they woke up early and ate some really yummy pancakes made by Bro. Butikofer and an egg dish by Bro. Frakes. After a fireside that did some more playing and headed back home. They were all very exhausted and a bit on the stinky side. I think they had a good time though, especially Emerson who wasn't old enough last year to really appreciate it.

Allergies

Emerson has had a really runny nose and other allergy symptoms recently. After a couple of days of it we took him to the doctor and they confirmed that he is allergic to something. They don't know exactly what it is. They said it could be our dogs or it could be seasonal allergies. He is too young for them to test to find out what it is that he is allergic to so they gave us some medicine to give him and said that if he is still having symptoms after July then it is probably the dogs. So now we just have to wait and see what the fate of our little puppies will be come July/August. Emerson doesn't seem to be phased by his allergies - still full of life and way more energy then you know how to contain.

A Name!

A name, a name, he finally has a name!

We would like to officially introduce everyone to:

Canyon Thomas Chatterton

Born on the 8th of May 2010

9 lbs. 3 oz. 20 1/2 inches.

Crazy Fingers

Yesterday Emerson was playing with the pieces to the game trouble and sticking them on his fingers. He had a lot of fun with them running around chasing Stephen, trying to tickle us and taping them on the table. It was like they were a part of him, drinking out of gatorade bottles like nothing was different and trying to pick things up with them on. What a goofy kid.

First Photo Shoot

Yesterday we went outside and took a couple of pictures of baby chatterton. He did very well for his first photo shoot without any protesting.

Tiny Toes

Yesterday I took some pictures of baby chatterton and kept taking pictures of his tiny toes. They are so cute and small. He is such a sweet little boy and we are very excited to have him as a part of our family.

Storknesting Day 19

We were up most of the night since the baby was born so late. The doctors and nurses taking different messurements and weights of the baby as well as checking on our vitals. There were no complications and we were both doing good. Things finally settled down around 4 am. I slept until 7am and was given some breakfast. And then we continued to nap on and off until around 9 or 10. We had asked to be released as soon as they could so that we could go home and after they had checked on both myself and they baby they said we would get released that afternoon. Later that afternoon Stephen went and picked up Emerson so that he could meet his new baby brother. He had fallen asleep along the way and wasn't too impressed at first that he had been woken up. We did however manage to get a couple pictures of him and his baby brother before leaving the hospital.

They had made an appointment for the baby before we left the hospital for the next afternoon so we decided to go back to the hotel for our last night of storknesting. Emerson warmed up by then and decided that he wanted to hold the baby (with a little support of course). He did very well and was surprisingly sweet and gentle.

We spent the rest of the night enjoying our first moments together as a family of four.

Storknesting Day 18

Today started off in the usual way, breakfast, reading, and drawing. Stephen and I took turns doing some more reading and blowing bubbles while we got ready for the day. Emerson and I hung out a lot, trying to give Stephen some time to work on school. Around 4.30 I told him that I might be having contractions. After a couple more came I decided that it must indeed be contractions. With Emerson my water broke first and then I started having contractions so we didn't really know how long it would be before the baby came. We made arrangements to drop Emerson off at some friends after we had eaten dinner. After dinner my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. When my contractions were about 3 minutes apart we decided to go to the hospital. When we got there they hooked me up to some monitors to check and see how everything was going. At that point I was dialated to a 7. After giving them some information they let me off the monitors so I could move around. The contractions were getting stronger and the doctor suggested that I sit on a birthing ball to help with the pain and the progress. That definetly did the trick. Once I got on the ball my contractions got very intense. It was not long after that before I was back on the bed ready for the time to push. When it actually came down to the pushing it did not take very long before the baby came. I could tell that he was bigger then all of our guesses. Stephen said 7 lbs 6 oz and I said 8 lbs 1 oz. Try 9 lbs 3 oz! 20 1/2 inches long and born at 10.49 that night. We are very excited about his arrival after all the anticipation that storknesting has brought.

Storknesting Day 17

Stephen didn't get a little baby boy for his birthday, had already received his birthday present (the basketball hoop), was tired of pizza (which is rare for Stephen but we had just had it on Monday for Emerson's birthday), and was without a proper cake because our hotel doesn't have any cake pans. Not a very exciting 26th birthday. But it is difficult when you are away from your house waiting for a baby to be born that seems quite content staying inside his mother's tummy. We did however have a yummy breakfast of pancakes, sausage, strawberries, and whip cream. It was actually more of a brunch by the time we ate it. Stephen worked on stuff for his online class which is another sad thing to have to do on your birthday. Emerson decided that we should have another bubble party for Stephen's birthday, so we went back to Mildenhall to pick up some more bubbles. While we were there Emerson had his first shop lifting experience. He had found a football and was walking around the store holding on to it. When we went to pay for our stuff he started walking out the door ready to take it home with him. We went after him and got him to put the ball back with the promise that he could hold his bubbles after we had paid for them. Then we went home and had our bubble party, ate some cheese tortillas, and thought about names for the puppies. We currently have paired up a couple possibilities: Piper and Paisley, Maple and Honey, and Tiger and Lilly. Later on in the evening we watched a movie and ate some dinner. Then after the movie we made Stephen's birthday banana cream pie and sang to him. Emerson was a big helper and brought Stephen his unlit birthday pie.


And then when we started singing Emerson kept smiling (I think he thought we were singing to him). He then helped Stephen blow his candles out and wished Stephen a 'happy birthday' at least 5 or 6 times. We played with Emerson's new ball that he got yesterday. (We decided that since he didn't already have that kind of a ball that we didn't have a good reason not to get it.) Emerson likes how it gets stuck in the net and you then have to hit it out. Emerson went to bed early, Stephen did some more school work, and I did some scrapbooking.

Storknesting Day 16 - New Arrivals

This morning we had to set an alarm to make sure that we didn't sleep in because I had an early doctors appointment. It's a good thing because we were all a bit tired. We did however get up and get ready for the day with enough time to get to the appointment. It was helpful that Emerson slept in this morning so we were able to get ready and not worry about getting Emerson ready. He woke up when we put him in the stroller and was surprisingly content to be in their with his blanket while we made our way to the hospital. It was a little chilly outside but looked like it might turn out to be a nice day. My appointment was a little longer then normal. I was pushed back a little because they were already behind schedule and then when they did finally get to me we had to stop halfway through the appointment and switch rooms. The baby was really active and gave the nurse a really hard time when she was trying to get his heart tones. I thought it was really funny but I think the nurse was getting a little impatient. They checked to see if there had been any progress but things seem to be moving slowly. They said that the cervix has effaced only 40% and that I am dilated to a 2 maybe 3. I think they were expecting more since I was due on Monday. We're not to worried though because with Emerson I was probably less than that at the last appointment I had before he was born. And the time span between appointment and delivery was 4 or 5 days. But anyways we have another appointment scheduled for Monday (if he doesn't arrive before that). If we have that appointment they will check a couple things out and determine when we need to schedule and induction. So hopefully he comes before Monday and if not then hopefully the idea of an induction will scare him to come out before the actual date. Besides the fact that he hasn't come everything is going really well. After the appointment we went back to the room and played with some bubbles. And then after a few phone calls we went for a ride to go and look at some puppies. We decided that they were cute and took two girls. We dropped them of at some friends (no pets allowed in the hotel) and then went back to the hotel. They seem like very sweet little girls and we are excited about our new additions. Hopefully they won't have to be babysat for too much longer. We haven't decided on names yet but we know that the tan one is crazy and the brindle is a sweetie. After a quick look some possibilities are Abby, Belle, Chloe, Honey, Maple and Piper. We know that the puppies aren't the 'new arrivals' that most of you were expecting and hope that you are not too disappointed that we were talking about dogs and not a baby!

Storknesting Day 15

This morning we got up and did the usual: breakfast, showers, and reading. Then we went to the commissary to pick up a few things. When we got back it was time for the Jazz game. Stephen and Emerson watched the Jazz game while I made a few snacks and did some scrapbooking. During and after the basketball game we played with some bubbles. While playing we made a late lunch/early dinner. After some food we headed back to huntingdon for Stephen's softball practice. Emerson and I ran around and tossed the football during Stephen's practice. Then Stephen and Emerson dropped me off at the church for an activity. It was a very nice evening and activity. After it finished I socialized with the other ladies until Stephen and Emerson came back. While they were waiting for me they went back to the house and played some basketball outside. We came back to Lakenheath and finished up the night. We have an appointment tomorrow so we will see if progress is continuing.

Storknesting Day 14

Today we slept in a little bit and started the day off with the normal things: breakfast, getting ready for the day, reading. Emerson and Stephen played bball and gator golf. Then we got a couple of things together and headed back down to the house. Before going to the house we went to Mildenhall to pick up Stephen's birthday present. A basketball hoop to put outside. We got it a couple days early but that was because we won't have room after the baby comes. So after a lot of rearranging we managed to get the basketball hoop into the car and then came back home to set it up. It took a while to put together but we were successful and the boys enjoyed a little basketball after the work was all done. Emerson wanted to shoot it but every time Stephen lifted him up Emerson would get nervous because he was up so high.

After a little playing we went to the base to check our mail and get some dinner. Then Emerson and I dropped Stephen off at the church and we went back home and packed the car. We then went back to the church and hung out with the young women, while Stephen did some work. The young women were having a car boot sale (garage/lawn sale) and we picked up a double camping chair for Emerson and the baby. Stephen thought that the plush giraffe print was a little much but Emerson insisted. After we were all done we went back to Lakenheath. Emerson fell asleep within the first 15 minutes. Stephen has predicted the baby to come tomorrow so we all went to sleep with hopeful anticipation.

Storknesting Day 13

Emerson slept in his own bed all night again. It was fantastic! He got up around 6.30 and cuddled in bed with me until around 8. Stephen was already awake by then. Apparently his sleep wasn't as fantastic. After reading some books we ate some breakfast. Emerson was anxious to take a bath so he could splash at everyone who was in the room with him. After he was done and got dressed we sang him happy birthday and gave him some birthday tickles. Then we played some gator golf. His form is getting pretty good and as long as he is standing in the right place he can hit some pretty good shots. (The pictures of him playing are of him making it into the gator's mouth.) We're thinking we might have the next Tiger Woods.

Later on in the morning we headed to Mildenhall to return yet another BBQ. When we got this one home every piece that Stephen pulled out of the box was dented or scratched or damaged. We decided to give up on getting a new BBQ and instead got a couple extra pieces for our travel grill as well as some camping things. We also bought some bubbles for Emerson. When we got back to the room Stephen and Emerson watched the Jazz game while I tried to do a little scrapbooking. Emerson wasn't too happy that I wasn't hanging out with them so the scrapbooking didn't work out so well. After the basketball game we had a party with the bubbles we had bought. Emerson absolutely loved it. He chased them, popped them, caught them and even blew a couple of his own.

For dinner we went to the pizza place on base. After pizza we played with some more bubbles before putting Emerson to sleep. I was then able to do some scrapbooking and Stephen tried to plan out some fun things to do when his brother Joseph comes for the summer. It is now almost 11 and we haven't had any signs that the baby is coming so it looks like Emerson's special day will not have to be shared with his little brother.