Just lazin' around!

It's been a great weekend of just lounging around, sleeping in (for Cole, he's been sleeping until about 8:30 or 9 this weekend!), fun in the snow, and just being together! Adam made Cole a snow fort and took him sledding with the dogs tied to the sled to pull him down the street. Mason is in his usual outfit - diaper and blue blankie. I'm anxious to actually dress him in some of the cute clothes I have for him once he can come out from under his glowing bed! He has another set of labs in the morning and we will hopefully be close to trying it without the lights! He is likely to need a blood transfusion this week though so just be praying that everything will go well with that if need be.

Adam and I have traded off taking little excursions out of the house here and there. We can't really pack up the fam and go anywhere yet. That's okay though, the roads have been bad and it's so cold outside that I'm content to be in my warm house!

Well, it's onto 2009 this week! We've had such a blessed year this year and can't wait to see what the next brings!

Christmas with the Buchers!

Our first and best Christmas present was Mason and the fact that he got to be home for Christmas! What a blessing!!! We had such a fun day! We were going to spend Christmas at Adam's parents but with Mason needing to be in his little light bed, we decided to have it over here. Adam's mom brought all the food and did all the work of getting that ready! Thanks so much!!!

We actually had to go in and semi-wake Cole up. He is usually up between 7-7:30am, but slept until 8:30 Christmas morning. We walked into his room and he immediately woke up. We told him Santa had eaten all his cookies and milk and he'd better go look in the family room. When he ran out there, the presents were all over the family room floor and he couldn't stop smiling!!! It was so cute! He got to open some presents, we had breakfast and then the Bucher gang showed up. We opened presents, munched on lots of good food, played Beyond Balderdash, and lounged around. Then we had a delicious turkey dinner and could hardly get up from the table!

We're so thankful that God sent his son to be born in a simple manger and to live and then die for us. That's the ultimate Christmas gift! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!!!

We did take Mason out from under the lights for a quick Christmas picture!

SOOOOOOOOOO glad to be home!!!!!!!

This past 9 days has been quite a ride! The arrival of Mason Benjamin Bucher came on Sunday, December 14th at 4:01am. We went into the hospital around 2am and I was dilated to 7cm. By the time my epidural was done, I was ready to push and had him about 20 minutes later. Thank goodness for our bodies knowing what to do after the first kid!!!

So he was 8lb 7oz, 19 3/4" long and absolutely beautiful and healthy! We planned on going home the next afternoon but got a call from the pediatrician that afternoon saying they found out that he has an ABO incompatability. This means that he has a difference in his blood type which I made antibodies to and passed him. These antibodies then fight against his red blood cells and cause them to break down and die and turn into bilirubin. A lot of babies get jaundiced in the first few days after birth but because of the increase in his red blood cells dying, his bilirubin went way up really quickly and he was at risk for dangerous side effects if we didn't do anything. So for 2 days in the newborn nursery he was under phototherapy lights. We thought we were going to get to go home and then his bilirubin level went up again. So I was discharged from the hospital and we transfered Mason to pediatrics for closer monitoring. When his levels went up even more the next day, they decided to put him in the NICU and give him some medicine through an IV that would bind to the antibodies and stop breaking down his red blood cells. After 2 doses of that, his bilirubin level started coming down and after 6 days in the NICU we were finally able to bring him home today. We have a "bili bed" that he has to be in most of the time other than to feed and cuddle him a little. Hopefully that will just be for a few days and then we're home free on the bilirubin. They said though that with babies with ABO incompatabilities, a lot of times they will need a blood transfusion at around 4-6 weeks due to their red blood cells dropping faster than other babies. So, we are praying that he will not need that, even though it is a routine in and out of the hospital thing.

God blessed us so much throughout this whole thing. I was able to get a room to stay at the hospital every night so I could feed him and be with him every day. God allowed him to be born at full term when he was at his healthiest and biggest so he didn't have any other health issues to deal with during this. He also took care of Mason and allowed the best doctors and nurses to care for him from day one and we were able to avoid an exchange transfusion (they basically exchange his blood for a donor's). God is so good and answered our prayers the whole way! Thanks to all of you who were praying for us, we appreciate it and know that it helped!

Through all this Cole has had a week between grandma's houses and being home a few nights with Adam. He has faired wonderfully and we are so excited to be able to be home with him and get back to being a normal family! And to be able to be home for Christmas is such a blessing! We are looking forward to the holidays and just enjoying being a family of 4! We hope you enjoy these pictures and have a wonderful Christmas!

at right: Mason in his "suitcase" phototherapy bed.

2 words...

NO BABY!

I wake up everyday thinking maybe it's the day but so far, each has left me with my extremely large abdomen! Cole keeps saying "Saturday", we'll see. I really don't want to go to work tomorrow so maybe something will happen within the next 12 hours or so! Keep ya posted!

Big brother haircut!

Cole got a new haircut tonight. Instead of the usual one length for the whole head, Adam decided to do a "fade". We told Cole it was his new big brother haircut. He didn't cry as much as usual either so he is definitely becoming such a big boy! Maybe the bribe of a gumdrop from our gumdrop tree and some chocolate ice cream helped:-)

Here's a pic of him helping me wrap Christmas presents this afternoon too. He thought he was an elf:-)

Ready and waiting!

Yes, I'm still pregnant! I have been quite impatient the past 2 weeks and realized that I just need to relax and let Mason come when he's ready. I haven't gone as far as drinking casteroil or trying to induce labor myself in any way, but they have crossed my mind:-) I've just been spending the time getting last minute things ready, decorating for Christmas, and trying not to be jealous of my friend Renee who just had her baby (3 weeks early I might add:-)! I had a cold last week and now that I'm over it am so glad that I didn't go into labor while sick and today Adam was hunting, my mom was at their cabin in McCall, as was my doctor. So I'm also glad it didn't happen today! Tonight would be alright though!

I'm enjoying my time with Cole and Adam though. Cole and I hit the Winterland Parade down Mainstreet in Meridian this morning. It was his first parade and he thought it was pretty cool! I hadn't told him that they throw candy and he thought that was great, even though half of the people giving out candy passed him over. They must have thought he was too little!

Anyways, just thought I'd update everyone. I do still have 10 days until my due date so I need to just chill! On the other hand, Cole was born a week early, so it could be any time! Our family is starting to guess dates but we don't have any money on it like we did with Cole. My doctor (Auntie Fay) won last time with Cole so everyone probably gave up on betting this time:-)

Hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season! I'll keep you "posted"!

We celebrated Christmas with my family at Thanksgiving because that is my side of the family's holiday this year and Missy & Jason and Casey & Kim were in town. Just thought I'd throw in a pic of my parents in their Christmas hats!

Thanksgiving!

I'm a little hesitant to use my camera right now because it is all charged and ready for the new baby's arrival and I know as soon as I take it out to use it the battery will get all used up, I'll misplace it, and then forget it on our way to the hospital. I wanted to post anyways and feel like I have a good reason!
We had a really good sermon today on praise and thanksgiving to God! It talked about how praise is not a product of our outside circumstances but comes from the inside and is a choice. The second point was that a thankful heart should be focused on how good God is, not how things are going around us. There were ten reasons given for a thankful heart and I'd like to share them and let you know why I'm thankful this year for each one!
1. He forgives all my sins! (Psalms 103:2, 12)
- Well, what can I say, I'm a sinner and it's awsome to know my sins have been wiped away.
2. He heals my diseases.
- Adam's dad was completely healed of viral encephalitis that came on so quickly and suddenly and could have taken his life or left him with long term side-effects.
3. He redeems my life from the pit. (Psalms 103:4)
- When I'm overcome with fear or worry about things out of my control, he offers me peace that I can't find anywhere else.
4. He crowns me with love.
- He continually teaches me about unconditional love and slowly I'm grasping it and trying to live my life by showing that.
5. He satisfies my desire with good things. (Psalms 103:5)
- I have an absolutely incredible husband and son and can't wait to meet my second son! That's about as good as it gets!
6. He renews my youth.
- He give me the energy every day to take care of Cole:-)
7. He works for the oppressed. (Psalms 103:6)
- Adam's brother is out of work right now, with a new home and a baby on the way. God is giving them peace as they trust Him. It's awsome to see how we can learn to see things in a way most of the world can't because we have a loving Savior!
8. He gives me a foundation to stand on. (Psalms 103:7-8)
- He is the only things we can cling to and feel safe with in the world right now. The economy is scary and jobs are insecure but I know that my foundation is solid!
9. He doesn't treat me like I deserve. (Psalms 103:9-11)
- There are plenty of times that I get too busy to spend time daily with God and He is always there, waiting for me with open arms, never forsaking me!
10. He is a great Father to me. (Psalms 103:13-22)
- I'm so thankful for my dad here on earth and how great he is. God has just given me a glimpse through that of how great a Father he is and He always provides what I need, even when I don't know what that is.

I just felt like sharing about how much there is to be thankful for. I've been so blessed in my life and I know it is because God is so good, not because of the things I've done or because I deserve it in anyway. As you enter this week of Thanksgiving, take a look at your life, I'm sure it'll open your eyes to how much you have to give thanks to God for! Happy Thanksgiving!

Bike riding!

We have had some beautiful fall days lately and Cole and I are trying to make the most of them! We got out his little bike and went for a ride. I would have loved to pull out my bike, but the thought of sitting on that tiny bike seat and trying to get my legs to come up close enough to my stomach to peddle just isn't appealing right now:-)

Cole still can't quite reach the peddles enough to where the motion is effective so he uses his feet to "run" himself along. He had so much fun and then decided pushing was just as fun too so he did that for a while. He thought it was especially fun to chase me with the bike! Good thing his legs are short because I might not have been able to get away otherwise.

Hope everyone is having a happy fall! We're enjoying it while waiting for Mason to join us! Can't wait!!!

Weekend Getaway!

As our days are getting shorter until the 4th member of our family arrives, we are trying to make the most of any time we might have as a couple. My parents were nice enough to volunteer to watch Cole this weekend while Adam and I went up to McCall and used their cabin for a couple of days. It was HEAVEN!!! We basically never got out of our sweats other than for a dip in the hot tub (not too long for me!) or our dinner out at The Mill in McCall (great prime rib!). We watched movies, read books/magazines, ate meals that took next to no preparation, and just had a great time being together!
We thought we'd be sleeping in every morning but after having to get up around 7am routinely, it's hard to sleep past that. Plus, it makes more sense for me to get up than to lay in bed tossing and turning with a back ache as Mason tries to find a comfortable position in my tummy:-) Oh well, it was awsome to just get up and sit by the fire with a nice cup of hot chocolate!

We definitely need to get a steady date night going and do a weekend away every now and then. I have such a great hubby and it's so nice to spend time alone with him! I don't ever want to just take for granted the fact that he's always there and not let him know how much I love and appreciate him!
I'll be so happy to see my little boy this evening when my parents drop him off though! He was defnitely missed. Dinners were oddly quiet, the car ride to and from the cabin also lacked the activity of a busy 2 year old in the back seat, and just seeing his cheerful little face in the morning was missed! I'm sure by the time we put him to bed tonight, it'll seem like this weekend is a distant memory but it was great! Thanks mom and dad for watching our busy boy! I'm sure you're ready for a break!!!

Halloween!

We had a little bat running around our house Friday! We started off the day with Cole getting a flu shot. Because he was so brave and good, we got to start trick or treating early! We stopped by Papa's office (my dad) first. The only piece of candy he could find was an old peppermint from some restaraunt! Luckily one of the other guys at work came to the rescue with a couple pieces of candy:-) Then we went to Granny's (my mom). After that we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa's (Adam's parents) house and walked down to their neighbors house. Cole thought it was great to ring everyone's doorbell! When we were at my mom's I said, "Okay, now when she opens the door, say Trick or Treat!". So when my mom opened the door Cole said, "I have a poopie diaper!". Not quite what I was hoping for but sure enough, he was right!

Anyways, we ate dinner that night and then took Cole on his first real neighborhood trick or treating. He loved seeing all the other kids dressed up and thought it was great that every house gave him some candy! He doesn't get candy very much so it was a special treat to be able to eat a few pieces that night! I had a blast taking him around to a few houses but I think Cole liked opening our door the best! Everytime someone rang our doorbell, he would scream and run to the door, it was so cute!

Hope everyone else had a fun Halloween too!!!

High Valley

We went for a quick over night trip to High Valley so Adam could help his dad on the cabin yesterday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and along with getting some work done on the cabin, Cole had a blast hiking, 4-wheeling with Grandma, and just playing in general! And I got a little relaxation while Adam's mom took Cole on a couple of 4-wheeler rides and hikes! He got a little time fishing with Grandpa (even though there wasn't a fish to be found) and helping skip the bag of "skippin' rocks" he had given Adam's dad for Father's Day. We had a great time and the cabin is looking great! We're definitely going to have years of memories there!

Prego Friends!

It's been so fun during this pregnancy to have a couple of my closest friends going through pregnancy at the same time. My friend Stephanie (she was one of my college roommates and one of my best friends!) is due about 12 days before me. Renee, another really good friend of mine is due about 8 days after me! It was an answer to prayer that they both got pregnant and such a blessing to me that to have them go through all this with me! It makes it so much more fun! (Plus, both are having boys too!)

Last week I threw Stephanie a baby shower. It was so much fun and at the end we realized we had taken no pictures! So we hurried and snapped a couple just to have for the record books. Here's a picture of Steph and I together ... 8 months pregnant!!!

Finally, a birthday party!

After postponing Cole's birthday party until Grandpa (Adam's dad) got better, we had a hard time finding a night that worked for everyone in our families to be there. Finally we were able to come up with a time and Cole had his two year birthday party last night! It was so much fun! We had pizza and he had his Grandpa and Grandma, Granny and Papa, Great Grandpa Johnson, Uncle Neil, Aunt Jenny, Uncle Chad, and cousin Troy there. He thought it was the greatest to be the center of the excitement, especially when we sang Happy Birthday!

Of course he was COMPLETELY spoiled! He got a 50's Diner kitchen which he loved! He loves to take people's orders and ask "what you want?" and "how much money?". He also is now completely set up for hunting, fishing, and camping! He got his own tent (which he wanted Grandma in with him), gun, fishing pole, binoculars, compass, and telescope. He's thrilled! It was hard to get him to keep opening presents after he opened one and started playing with it! He's already making very good use out of his new birthday toys and we are having so much fun playing with him!

He also had an ice cream cake (his dad's choice) and wanted a caterpillar on it. They never turn out the way the picture looks:-) Oh well, it tasted good and Cole got to blow out the candle which is what he talked about all day!

Carving Pumpkins:-)

My parents have a very nice pumpkin patch this year and I thought it would be fun to carve pumpkins last night. We had our friends, the Childers over, and went and picked out pumpkins and then carved them at our house. It was lots of fun and they turned out really cute! Adam helped Cole make one with a "mad face", which is what Cole said he wanted. Mine was kind of a creepy happy face, they never turn out exactly as I planned! Renee did a cute happy face and Brad and Brock did the biggest pumpkin as a "scarry face". We also roasted marshmallows over our new firepit (still in the works) and made smores. Even with it sprinkling the last part of the evening, it was a really nice night! I love fall!!!

September!

Well, I don't have anything really exciting to blog about but felt like it was time I posted something. September is almost to an end and I for one am thankful! With the end of September comes the end of archery elk hunting. Not that I have anything against that in itself, but I'm ready to have my husband home again! Being a hunting widow is fun the first weekend, maybe even the second! But now that it's closing in on the 4th weekend without my hubby, I'm truly feeling like a widow! Cole and I have lots of fun together, playing and going on walks, and having fun breakfasts, but one of my favorite things is a nice Saturday morning, waking up next to Adam with no particular plans for the day, Cole getting up, we all have a nice hearty breakfast instead of a bowl of cereal, and then just do whatever we feel like doing! Maybe next weekend! Oh wait, of course Adam mentioned that duck season begins in October!!! I DON'T THINK SO!

Okay, so my attitude needs a little adjustment but I'm working on it!

Once October hits, I think my attitude will be better! It'll only be 2 more months until our new little guy arrives, my birthday is in October, and the weather will hopefully allow me to wear pants and a long sleeved shirt without sweating by afternoon! (my summer maternity clothes are no longer fun!) I truly love fall and can't wait to see the leaves start changing, feel nice crisp mornings and evenings, and maybe even bake an apple or pumpkin pie! I think I'm going to try an pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin this year!

Anyways, I thought I'd include a couple pictures for fun. One is of Cole being super spoiled and getting his breakfast on his new birthday beanbag chair and the other is a prego pic to show you the belly at 7 months pregnant! Hopefully by Monday I'll have some pictures of a nice elk to show you as well!

COLE TURNS 2 YEARS OLD!!!

So our little baby boy is now 2 years old! I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. He is such a joy in our lives and has made us laugh, cry, and love him more than we ever thought possible! God truly blessed us with this incredible son and we are so thankful!

I started the day by going in and singing him happy birthday! (unfortunately I video'd it and I think my voice sounded like I've smoked a pack a day for 20 years:-) Anyways, he had the cutest smile on his face like, really, it's my birthday?. Adam was hunting so the two of ate German pancakes while he got to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, his favorite cartoon! Then we went to church and when we got home Adam was home.

We were planning on doing a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's that evening but Adam's dad got sick and had to go to the hospital so we post-poned the party for another day and Cole got to go over to Granny and Papa's (my parents) house while Adam and I were in the ER with his family. Not the way any of us would have chosen to spend the day, especially Adam's dad! After his dad was admitted to the ICU we went and got Cole from my parents and did a little birthday present opening party with the 3 of us at home!

He was thrilled to open his presents! He got a new gun so now he can "hunt daddy elk and hunt a big deer" with Adam! He also got a keyboard so he can play us some tunes and a t-ball set! Of course Adam set is up right in our family room and Cole whacked the ball acrossed the room, luckily missing the tv, windows, or any decorations that aren't t-ball proof! He was so happy and it was so much fun to watch his face light up as he opened each present! He is truly the joy of our lives! And we'll get to celebrate again when we have his birthday party sometime in the next couple weeks!

Labor Day Camping!

I'm a little late on getting my Labor Day Weekend post but thought it'd still be okay. We went up near the Stanley area for a weekend of camping and archery hunting for Elk. Though not much was seen or heard in the way of elk, we had a great time camping and being with Adam's family. Cole loved finding our "camping bot" (camping spot) and digging up as much dark, fine dirt from around the fire pit as possible and getting completely caked in it! We saw a few animals in passing, including elk and deer, and heard a pack of wolves one night. The weather was nice and cool too which was nice. Getting snowed on while we were packing up to come home wasn't as nice though:-) I'm definitely ready for fall though, I'm getting tired of my 2 pairs of maternity shorts!

Cole's new room!

We moved Cole into his brand new bedroom on Sunday night. He has done absolutely great! I got some great bunk beds and he helped me move all his toys and clothes into his new room. He was really excited to sleep on his bunk bed and even climbed up the ladder to the top bunk once before we decided the ladder needed to be put away for another time:-) He hasn't gotten up at all yet! (It might have something to do with the rails we put along the whole open side of the bed:-) We're planning to remove one of them in the next couple of weeks once he's used to the bed. We'll see what happens then! We've still got a little while before the new baby comes in Dec. but thought it'd be good to get him used to a new room. This morning we went in his old room and he saw his crib and said, "I want to sleep in this bed.". He knows a baby is in Mommy's tummy but I don't think he has a clue that it means a baby will be coming and sleeping in our house, in his old bed, and will take up a lot of our attention! He'll be such a good big brother though and we can't wait!!!

Cabin fun!

We went up to my parent's cabin last weekend for a Bunn family get-together (my mom's side of the family). It was tons of fun! We floated the river on air mattresses, played croquet, fished, watched movies, played games, and did lots of relaxing! Cole actually went up a couple of days before Adam and I with my mom. It was the first time he'd spent the night away from both Adam and I and he hardly knew we weren't there! He spent time with lot of second cousins, finding bugs and frogs with Papa, and getting spoiled by Granny! It was a really nice couple of days to just relax, get my hair done, and be able to run errands without getting him in and out of the car but I was definitely ready to see my boy!

My mom has lots of fun toys up there for the kids and Cole found her elephant mask collection so he had to try it on along with Adam and Uncle Casey. Jason, Missy's hubby, caught his first fish on a fly rod so he was pretty excited! It was great to be able to be there, enjoying family!

Applesauce

My parents fruit trees are loaded this year and we had fun the other day picking apricots and apples. Not knowing what all to do with the fruit when I got home, I started looking for apricot recipes on the internet. I made an apricot pie, dried apricots, and some apricot turnovers that Adam really loved because I only got one of them:-) I also made some apple turnovers (Cole helped me roll out the dough) and decided to make a batch of applesauce to freeze. Cole got up from his nap just as I was getting the apples peeled. He loves helping and doing things himself and my apple peeler-corer-slicer was perfect for him! He was soooooooo excited! Here's a little video to show you what a good helper he is!