Life as usual...

Nothing out of the ordinary has been going on with us lately. We've been adjusting to life as a family of 5 and are finding it is a great number! Kade is getting bigger and changing all the time. Cole and Mason are both loving being brothers to Kade and dote on him any chance they get. Cole has "taught" Kade how to roll a ball and give knuckles. He's such a good oldest brother!

I took Kade in for a check up this week because I noticed his belly button popping out when he cries, sneezes, or coughs. They said he has an umbillical hernia which should go away in the next few months without any problems. They also checked his weight and he weighed in at 10lb 12oz. He's really filling out in the face and starting to get some little rolls on his legs. We're waiting for him to start smiling on command but he's still only giving us those quick half asleep smiles. He's so adorable and I love him to death!!!

Mason is into singing and dancing. He loves to sing Twinkle, Twinkle and ABC's. He asks me to sing to him a lot before his nap and bedtime. He loves to play ball and run and jump. He calls his youngest brother "Baby Kade" and loves to hold him. After about 2 minutes of holding him he says, "Baby Kade fussy", even though he is perfectly happy, and I know that is my cue to take him back. He likes to hit and kick people so we are working on that. He also has a great set of mean looks that he will give anyone who he decides to be mad at, we can't help but laugh at them!

Cole is really into writing and reading. He wrote me his birthday list today (his birthday is in September) and he gave me a recipe for Carrot and Potato Stew. On St. Patrick's day he wrote me a note about a Leprekon (?) spelled LAFRKUN. You can see it sounds similar:-) He also wrote me a thank you note spelling it FACU. It's so fun to see him sounding things out and he is so good at writing. He is also reading a lot of 3 and 4 letter words by sounding out each letter. What a smartie!!! He loves to boss Mason around, be the leader, have the biggest piece of everything, and help me and Adam with whatever we are doing. He's lots of fun and growing up very fast!

I'm going to be going back to work in a couple weeks and am dreading it. I feel like Kade is still so little and am having a hard time thinking about leaving him. At least it will only be in the evenings and Adam will be home most of that time. I love that I only have to do 2 evenings a week though and that I have a job that I enjoy. Hopefully I can jump back into it without having forgotten too much:-) Life is seeming pretty normal again and I'm loving being a mom of 3 boys! It's wild and crazy but so much fun!

Due Date...

So yesterday was my actual due date for Kade. It's weird to think about actually having just had him yesterday instead of 2 1/2 weeks ago. I'm very thankful that he was born when he was. Not only was I absolutely sick of being pregnant, but he would have been more likely in the 9lb range rather than his tiny little 8 lb weight:-)

Already it feels like he's been a part of our family forever and we're getting in the swing of having 3 kids. I thought I'd post some more up to date pictures since he's already changing so fast and all the pictures I've posted are hospital/newborn pics.
What a great dad! Reading, "The Saggy Baggy Elephant."
Third baby to use the cradle Grandpa made!

New take on a "bear" bottom!

Cole taking a nap with his baby. Doesn't he look so big!

My Aunt Kathy made me this sweatshirt when I was a baby so I passed it on to Kade.

Sweet baby

Not liking bathtime yet. Cried till he turned purple and started holding his breath.

Mason love being a big brother!

My 3 boys!

Oldest brother and lovin' it!

Great Grandpa Johnson

Granny

Papa

Grandma

Grandpa

Kade's Wild Adventures

So our 3rd boy has arrived and I'd better get a blog post done before he is 6 months old! Today is his 2 week birthday and I can't believe how fast that time has already past!

Proud Daddy

Our nurse Bridgette was great.

The BEST doctor ever!

The weigh in...

Don't mind what I look like, I just gave birth:-)

Kade Phillip Bucher arrived a little unexpectedly on Sunday February 6th at 10:51pm. We were all set for an induction the following Friday and I had my week planned. Get groceries, clean house, change sheets, take boys to Chuck E. Cheese, etc. Well, my best laid plans usually don't work out so I should have known better. I worked an 8 hour day shift on Sunday and then came home to get the fam together to go to a Super Bowl party at Keith and Michelles. Instead, I found myself in the bathroom telling Cole to go get Adam, I was pretty sure my water had broken. We scurried around throwing clothes in bags for the boys and Adam (I was actually ahead of the game in that area) and then we jumped in the car to meet Adam's parents at a gas station to take the boys. Never mind that my house was a disaster, with no food in the cupboards or fridge.

I had a few mild contractions on the way to the hospital but nothing to get worked up about. I had to tie my coat around my waste though on our way in because my pants were soaked down to my knees and I was praying I wouldn't see anyone I knew. They checked me and said that yes, my water had broken (no kidding) and I was between a 4 and 5cm dilated. Not bad for minimal pain and agony:-) After about an hour though, I was only about 5cm and Auntie Fay thought some pitocin would help speed things along. Not really wanting a long drawn out labor, I agreed and we got that going. I was asked if I wanted an epidural and I decided to wait and see how things went, since at the moment they seemed to be going pretty well. Adam and Auntie Fay watched the Super Bowl as I laid there having more painful contractions thinking, "If these get any worse, the game is done!". Before I knew it my contractions were extremely painful and I was getting ready to push. Okay, bad decision before hand because now it was too late for the epidural. Oh why didn't I get it before?!? After what seemed like an eternity of excruciatingly painful contractions and pushing, it was all worth it. Kade was placed on my stomach and I got to see and hold my baby for the first time. Such an amazing miracle and blessing! He weighed in at 7lb 15.8oz (which basically equals out to 8lbs.) and was 20 1/2 inches long. His head was 14cm which though they said was good size, was small in comparison to our other round headed babies.

After getting him wrapped up and a short bout with the NICU nurses making sure he was breathing okay, we got to take him upstairs with us. At about 3am our nurse came in and said that Kade was going to be moved down to the NICU. His bilirubin levels had started going up already and with our history of isoimmunization with Mason, he would be best cared for there. So we loaded me into a wheelchair and headed down to see our baby and talk to the doctor. Of course he was under phototherapy by the time we got down there and we found out that we wouldn't be able to hold him and I wouldn't be able to feed him at all until his bilirubin levels were under control. I was so thankful for the time I had to hold and feed him in the labor room. He was going to get some IVIG, an immunoglobulin that Mason had also gotten, and they were starting him on IV fluids to keep him hydrated and give him nutrition. This routine went on for the next 3 days and his bilirubin started to even out. Then, in the middle of the night on Wednesday night, they came to let me know that his bilirubin level was up to a dangerous level and they needed to do an exchange transfusion. This is where the neonatologist takes syringe-fulls of blood out of the baby and replaces them with donor blood. It takes about 2 hours and is supposed to greatly decrease the amount of harmful antibodies and bilirubin, making it much easier for the baby to manage the bilirubin level on their own. The first doctor did about half of the process and then his umbilical cord IV stopped working very well and they had to stop. Later that day they put a new line in his umbillical cord and finished with almost twice the volume they had already done that day. By the end of that day, his bilirubin level had gone way down and everyone was breathing easier. The next day it continued to drop and they decided to take the phototherapy away and see how he did. The best part about that was that I could hold and feed him for the first time since in 5 days! He did marvelously and his bilirubin levels came down even further with every lab draw. After we weaned him off the IV fluids and made sure he was nursing okay, they let us come home on Monday afternoon. We didn't have to do phototherapy at home and we don't even have to do follow-up labs unless we feel like there is a problem.

It has been so wonderful to be home and be back with my boys and hubby! The boys absolutely love holding and talking to Kade. Cole is such a helper and gets me diapers or burp rags when I need them. Mason love to bounce him in the bouncer and almost catapolted Kade right out of it one time. He means well but needs a very close eye kept on him! We've been adjusting to live as a family of 5 and are counting our blessings! God has taken such incredible care of us and I'm so thankful that we can have comfort and peace, knowing that He is in control of all situations. We had people praying for us throughout the whole hospital stay and God even woke people to pray in the middle of the night when Kade was getting ready to have his exchange transfusion. He provided me with a room at the hospital every single night so that I could be close to our baby and take care of him. Although having a baby in the NICU is very trying, it is so worth it to have him home and healthy now. We had such incredible nurses and doctors caring for him and are blown away by the things they are able to do for babies now. Our families dropped everything and helped take care of our boys and us and we are so thankful to them and thankful that we live close to them!

A week of being home does wonders to make things start seeming normal again. Before we know it it will all seem like a distant memory and we'll just be enjoying our baby boy! I'm looking forward to the time to come and watching him grow!!!

Updates...

I haven't posted lately because our computer is totally down and out. Jenny and Chad loaned us their laptop while Chad is rebuilding our computer for us and I can't download pictures from my camera to this computer. I thought, well, I just need to post and add pics later. So here's what the last month has been like at our house.

We spent New Years Eve at my parents house for a little party. Played some games, ate some food, chit chatted a lot. Everyone made it up to midnight, including the kids. Amazingly they did so well and just played but then crashed on the way home. Even though we all looked like a bunch of zombies sitting on the couch waiting for the countdown, the point was that we made it! We then spent the middle part of New Years Day at a really cool hotsprings just outside of Emmett. It's called Roy's Rocksprings and we went with Adam's family. It was lots of fun and everyone enjoyed the 98 degree pool, despite the 20 degree weather outside:-) I'm thinking about that for Cole's birthday party next year.

We've been enjoying a low key January so far. No trips anywhere, not too many plans, etc. My parents were kind enough to take our boys for the whole weekend a couple weeks ago and let us have a kid free couple of days before baby boy number 3 arrives! We went to PF Changs for dinner, went to a movie, rented a movie, ran errands without kids to pack in and out, and went out to breakfast! Yeah, it was so relaxing!!! We'd forgotten what it was like to get up at whatever time we wanted, go sit in the hot tub by ourselves, and to not have to think of anyone but ourselves for a little while. We adore our kids and it was fun to get them back and hear about their fun weekend with Granny and Papa but we had a very nice time alone:-) The kids got an invitation and got to fill out a questionaire about their favorite things prior to their special weekend. They got to go see a movie and then went to Chuck E. Cheese's. They did lots of crafts, including sun catchers for Cole. Cole got to bring his BB gun and shoot it with Papa and Mason got to help Papa feed the mules. They really did not want it to end. Hopefully it won't be the last:-)

We've joined in the wintertime illnesses with coughs lasting for weeks and Mason having Bronchitis. Thankfully that is all on the mend and we're getting back to normal. Last night both boys slept all night which was a blessing, I've really been praying for that! Mason has been sick and hasn't slept all night in a while. Cole usually sleeps like a champ so that's great. Now that both boys are in the same room, its a little nerve racking when one wakes up crying or something but they've done great and I think they like sharing a room.

I'm now almost 35 weeks along. I had an ultrasound yesterday with Dr. Koszalka and things looked good. As anxious as I am to be done with pregnancy, it is definitely too early to have him. I'm anticipating he'll have a stay in the NICU due to all the antibody issues, so we don't need any premature issues as well. We're just taking it week by week and seeing what the ultrasounds show. They have gone up a little but are still at the non-anemic level. The last growth measurements we had (about 3-4 weeks ago) showed that this little boy was already around 5lb. 7oz. and that he has a big, chubby tummy. So even though now is a little early, I wouldn't mind him being a little early and not coming out a 12 pounder or something. I feel like my belly is huge and it must be because I'm getting really tired of hearing comments about how I must be due any day and, "what, it isn't twins?" or watching people's eyes get huge when they look at me. Oh well, I know he's nice and healthy:-) I'm having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions which are uncomfortable but not painful and his knees are really giving my ribs a hard time. He's been head down for quite a while now and has been getting the hiccups at least once a day. We still don't have a name, I'm starting to think we really will be picking at delivery. I'd love for the boys to get used to a name but Adam just isn't ready to decide on one. I have a regular OB appointment with Auntie Fay this afternoon so I'm hoping that everything looks good there too. Mostly that I haven't gained much weight!

That's our last few weeks in a nutshell. I'll be adding pics soon. I'm really hoping our new computer will be done prior to baby so that I can get baby pictures on here as soon as able when he's born. We'll keep you updated on our next few weeks, they are going to bring lots of excitement!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday to Mason!

Yesterday was Mason's 2nd birthday. We had a fun little birthday party for him on Sunday afternoon with our families so the actual day of his birthday was fairly low key. He got up and snuggled with us for a little bit. Then he got to have his birthday breakfast, blueberry pancakes, eggs, and little smokies with hot chocolate to drink! He is such a sweet boy and makes our lives so much more joyful! We had his 2 year check up today and here are his stats.

Weight: 31 lbs

Height: 35 inches
Everything checked out good and healthy.

His favorite words/sayings:
No, "I know it", "I don't know either", Cole, yells Mom and Dad very loudly from his bed every morning, Gananna (bananna), apple juice, please (as he still signs it), "thank-you, thank-you, thank-you", bless you (if you sneeze or cough).

His favorite activities:
Playing with Cole (mostly chasing around the kitchen and living room loop), building towers with blocks, climbing on anything and everything, taking baths, going in the hot tub, playing with trucks/cars, got a plasma car from Grandma and Grandpa for his birthday and loves it!

He is getting ready to move into a room with Cole, we'll keep you posted on that:-) Still not potty trained but has sat on the potty a few times with success and thinks it's really cool. Not sure I'm ready to start that endeavor before the baby comes!

Mason, we love your sweet smile and contagious laugh. Your mischevious ways keep us on our toes and make us laugh! In two short years we can't imagine life without you and are so blessed to have you as our son! We love you TONS!!!

Baby Boy #3

29 week profile - his little hand is up by his mouth.

I've been meaning to take some belly pics and put some ultrasound pics up so I'm finally doing that. About a month ago he looked to be about 1 1/2 weeks bigger than scheduled and was about 2lb 5 oz. I'm expecting another big boy so I wasn't surpised. Mason up'd Cole's weight by 6 oz. so this little guy may try to top that. I'd rather not reach the 9 lb. range but we'll see. Still no name figured out but we'll get it figured out at some point:-) So far he looks great and is healthy and that's an answer to our prayers! We can't wait to meet him in a couple of months!

No question, it's a boy!

20 weeks leg and foot

20 weeks - fingers

20 weeks - profile

25 weeks - ear

25 weeks growth chart - everything looks good, just big!

28 weeksThey are kissing me, not eating my belly:-)

29 weeks!