The big move

We've made the big move from Kirksville, Missouri to Clinton, Utah. The week we moved was one of little sleep. Adrian took his DO step 1 test on June 17th in St. Louis. After his test he picked my parents up at he airport at midnight and drove the 3 hours home. Having my parents help us move was a lifesaver, we could not have done it without them. They helped us pack boxes, clean the house and load the truck. At 2 am on June 20th we hit the road for our big move. My dad started out in the huge moving truck by himself while the rest of us dashed off to the Kansas City airport 3 hours away. My mom flew with me and kids and Adrian met up with my dad and they towed the car behind the moving truck. They set out on a marathon drive of about 20 hours nonstop. My mom, the kids and I landed in Salt Lake at 8 am and headed to our new house in Clinton. We were not impressed at the first walk through of the house and we ended up cleaning the whole house, including the carpets that first day. Adrian and my dad made it to Clinton that night at 11pm. The next few days we painted walls, got a fridge and a washer/dryer, and got a lot unpacked. The neighborhood is nice with a lot of families and kids about. The house is 4 level home, just like the one we left in Kirksville, this new house is bigger though, with a 2 car garage and big fenced in back yard. The new ward seems nice with a bunch of young families like ourselves. We think we'll enjoy it here and we already love being so close to family.  It took Levi a couple days to adjust to the new home. For a few days he kept saying "bye bye new house", wanting to go back to our old one. Both the boys did okay on the plane ride. They both had their moments where they were throwing fits, but it went better than we expected. Levi loved to look out the window during takeoff and landing. He was totally still and all he could say was "wow" as we were taking off. He stills talks about how he rode in an airplane high up in the clouds. As we've settled in Adrian started his rotations today at Davis Hospital doing internal medicine. This is suppose to be the toughest rotation and he gets 2 months of it right off the bat. He is super excited though to be out in the clinical field and not studying in the library every day. I am trying to finish unpacking and am desperately looking for a nursing job that will take me on just the weekends. I think I may just call my old job and ask if I can come back, it's only 20 minutes away. 

 Inside the moving truck. Levi would help push boxes from the back of the truck to the front.

No more couch, so we had to rest on cushions or the floor.

I did not think Levi would sleep without a bed because he has never fallen asleep anywhere but in bed or the the carseat. But he surprised me when I found him snoozing on the floor.

One last family photo in front of our Kirksville home. 

Levi in our new home, happy to be back on routine.

Stormy Weather

The whole time we've lived here in the Midwest there has been abnormal weather for this area. Last summer was abnormally dry. All the lawns died and even our little pine tree in the front yard bit the dust. (They don't have sprinklers here, there's no need for them). This spring has been the opposite. I was told it has been twice as wet as normal. It seems like we've had storms at least four days a week since the beginning of April. Thunderstorms here are not like the storms I experienced in Utah. These storms are loud and fierce. They shake the house and are literally thunderous. There was a tornado warning the second week we lived in Kirksville. A tornado warning means there is an actual tornado on the ground. I will never forget the look of the sky that day, so mean and fierce looking, I've never seen anything like it.  We've been lucky to not have any other tornadoes. Today however, I was pretty sure there was a tornado raging outside my home. I woke up from a nap due to things blowing around and hitting the house. The power was out so I had no way to check to see if there was a tornado warning. (You can't hear the sirens at our house when it's stormy) It was really scary. I called Adrian and he told me the tornado siren at the school had gone off, so I yanked the kids from their naps and hurried downstairs. Needless to say it was just straight line winds. I will not miss the storms of the Midwest. Levi even gets scared of the loud thunder and pounding rain. He spent the night in bed with us a few days ago. There's just something that makes me anxious knowing there is a possibility of a tornado with these storms. Only 3 more weeks until our move back to Utah!!

Here's a link of some video of the storm damage today. I live only a couple blocks from the damaged businesses and church.

May 30, 2013 Storm

Here's a photo the news crew got today. I'm no weather man, but that looks like a tornado to me. I probably would have peed my pants if I saw this.

The next phase

Our two years in Kirksville have come to an end. We move from Missouri in less than a month. Adrian has completed his first two years of medical school. It has been the hardest two years of his life. He has worked harder and sacrificed more than he ever has before. We have enjoyed our time in Kirksville. We both have learned a lot and made friends we will miss. Levi lately has been naming two of his friends over and over to me and telling me he likes them and wants them to come play. I feel a little sad knowing that he won't understand when we leave that they can't come play anymore. 

Adrian passed all his classes. It is a great accomplishment for someone to pass medical school. He sacrificed so much to make it happen. He told me no one has any idea how hard medical school is unless you are in it.  He has been going full speed for two years and I am so proud of him.

The next phase of our lives takes us back to Utah. To Clinton to be exact. We have the opportunity for Adrian to do his 3rd and 4th year rotations mainly in Davis County. We already have a house lined up and we are excited for the opportunities that area will bring us. I am especially excited to go back to the familiar Layton/Ogden area we spent time in before. I will have to find work there. I'm hoping I can find a nursing job for just once a week. The higher cost of Utah living is the main reason I will need to work, but I think it will be good to keep up on my nursing skills and keep my mind stimulated. 

Here's for a good next two years!!

Malachi's 2nd month

Our littlest guy is almost 10 weeks. 

At 2 months he is:

12.6 lbs

23 1/4" long

He weighs exactly what Levi did at 3 months, so he is a bit bigger than Levi was.

He is starting to smile!! He will smile if you look at him and give him any attention. It's just the cutest thing and a big reward for his parents.

He's still got all his hair and his dark blue eyes. We'll see how long either of those last :)

He's pretty content as long as he's not hungry. 

He can focus his eyes on things and loves to look at the ceiling fan if it's on.

He sleeps really well at night only getting up once to eat. Every now and then he will eat twice a night still, but that's not the norm. He did have symptoms of reflux for a couple weeks and even slept in the rocker upright for those weeks. But it seems to have resolved. Not sure if it was my diet or he was sick.

Malachi is so lucky to have a brother who is so good to him. Levi shares his toys and gives him so many kisses and hugs a day. Levi also likes Malachi to be in the rocker and have Malachi watch him shoot hoops.

He smiles and kicks with excitement when we talk to him. He is also starting to coo and babble a lot.

We think he the cutest babe ever.

Levi turned 2

We've got a big boy in this house. Levi is now officially two and runs around like he owns the house!

His stats:

Ht: 2' 8"

Wt: 25.8 lbs

He is developing so well. He can communicate anything he wants and is starting to say 3 word sentences.

He is my big helper around the house and especially loves to mop and wash windows. He is also a great helper with Malachi. He loves to help me bathe Malachi, mainly to just splash in the water. 

Levi likes to build towers just to knock them down (what boy doesn't). It was really hard for him to leave this water bottle tower alone long enough to take a picture. He also loves to roll around in piles of things, like clean or dirty clothes, water bottles, diapers, basically anything he can put in a pile and hop on.

Such a handsome boy.

He got a basketball hoop for his birthday, which he loves. He did not like it at first and just kept shaking his head no and saying "no". But in no time it is all he plays with now.

He loves to have someone to play with, but he must always have this ball! He gets extremely frustrated when he misses the hoop. He screams and cries and sometimes pushes his hoop over. We're working on anger management at this house. He also gets upset any time a prayer is said. Not sure how that one started, but he moans and whines every time.

 Here's the birthday boy cheesing it for the camera.

Levi has perfected his bike riding skills. He zooms all about and loves to ride it up and down the entire street. He also loves to zip down the driveway way too fast for my comfort. I cringe every time he goes down. He needs a helmet just for my comfort.

Perfect modeling pose :)

The very first thing Levi asks to do every morning before he's even out of his crib is to lay next to Malachi. They have such good brotherly love. Levi was meant to be a big brother. He is so sweet and kind to Malachi. He will give Malachi kisses and hugs all day long.

Levi likes to have Malachi sit in the rocker and watch him shoot hoops. He'll push Malachi around in the rocker until he's in the perfect viewing position.

Malachi kicks his legs and moves his arms when he's laying flat and sometimes he hits Levi. Levi will let me know that Malachi hit or kicked him, but Levi never seems to mind, he's more amused by it. In this pic Levi put his leg over Malachi to stop him from kicking.

Levi is quite the artist. He will wear down an entire piece of chalk in one go!! He must be into purple and pink because those are the colors he always chooses. His favorite animal is a fish. When I ask him what I should draw, the answer is always fish, nemo or dory. 

He's also really been into nursery rhymes lately. His favorite is The Wheels on the Bus. As I sing the ABC's he will repeat each letter after me. When we get to the letter U he always says Levi for it. Or as he says his name -vi, as in violin.

He is also finding a bit more independence lately. He can now open the fridge and helps himself to anything in there. There has been multiple times when I'm feeding Malachi  and Levi will drag an entire gallon of milk to me, and then go fetch his cup. He can also turn door knobs and go into most rooms when the door is shut.

He's also caused some mischief. He's been really into ripping books lately. He loves to read books, but I've had to take half his books away so they don't end up shredded. He has also taken his diaper off and peed on the floor and in bed. He knows when he needs to go, I just haven't had the time to potty train him yet.

Levi is an awesome storyteller. He has a great memory and repeat the same story of events for weeks. 

Levi also loves Adrian to sing to him as he goes to bed. His most requested song is Old McDonald and the most frequent animal on the farm is a hissing bat.

Levi has grown and matured so much. He is such a joy to have in our family and we experience so much love and joy through him. We love being his parents :)

Flying Solo

So I've been flying solo for about a month now with these two kiddos. We've got a good routine down and everyday seems much the same. We haven't had a lot of warm weather here yet so we're still stuck inside. I think the hardest part is Levi getting bored at home. Adrian takes the car early in the morning so we're stuck inside and at home everyday.

Malachi is growing so fast. I think he is bigger than Levi was at this age. I'm working hard to get him on a schedule as far as eating every 2-3 hours and not snacking every hour. It's going well. I get up 1-2 times with him at night and I myself am getting about 6 hours of sleep a night. Malachi is such a good content baby. As long as his tummy's full he has nothing to complain about. He's already in his 0-3 month clothes, which all happen to be summer clothes so hopefully this weather gets warm soon. 

Levi is such a good big brother. He is constantly giving Malachi hugs and kisses. Which I am jealous of because Levi never hugs me and I only get blown kisses. But I'll take what I can get!! Levi is good at sharing his toys with Malachi and used to try to share his snacks, but I think now he's heard me say enough times that Malachi only eats milk so he doesn't share food anymore. When Levi wants me to put Malachi down and play with him he'll tell me "baby night night". I think it's cute. Every now and then Levi will try to hit Malachi but I'm usually there to stop it. Levi did roll Malachi off the couch once and clawed his face up another time, but he is usually so good. 

Adrian is studying hard for his upcoming boards in June. His life doesn't vary too much. I feel really good health wise. I have had mastitis 3 times, but I'm good now and hopefully can prevent another infection in the future. I am having a hard time keeping up with all the housework, but that's mainly because when Malachi sleeps I choose to play with Levi instead of clean.

Time is going fast and we're looking for a place to live in Utah. Adrian will be doing most of his rotations just north of Salt Lake so we're looking for a house in the Layton area. I'm excited to be going back to the Layton/Ogden area where we lived before. I wasn't too fond of the idea of living in a big polluted busy city like the Salt Lake area. And maybe it's not that bad there, but I'm just more excited to  be going back to a familiar place.

These next pictures go way back before Malachi was born that I haven't posted yet.

Levi loves his books. He has started ripping out pages lately and even tearing entire books in half, all while I'm distracted with the baby.

Levi loves to play with Adrian's swim caps.

Levi wearing my dad's glasses while he was here. We could tell they made his sight funny by the way he walked while wearing them.

Levi ended up breaking the frame of his sunglasses and my dad's glasses as well.

Levi has loved fish for quite some time. When my parents came they brought the movie Finding Nemo, which he loves. He latched on to these Nemo fruit snacks at the store and wouldn't let go.

Malachi at one week.

Malachi at 2 weeks.

Levi likes to lay next to Malachi :)

1 Month

Love me those cute baby moments!! I know they won't last.

Malachi's Birthday

Malachi Jacob Tinajero joined our family this past week.

March 12, 2013 at 7:08pm

7 lbs 4oz

19.5 inches

The delivery was quick with no complications.

We're so happy to have such a sweet spirit join our family.

His entire face was bruised.

Just after getting all washed up.

Here is Levi holding Malachi for the first time. Levi had been a little sick so Malachi is few days old here.

Malachi slept all day long for the first few days and even had to be woken to eat. We finally caught a picture with his eyes open.

Love my boys!!

Already found his fingers!

Levi is adjusting to having someone to share the attention with. 

My parents came to help me with the new babe! So glad they were here to help.

Malachi is such a good baby. The only time he ever cries is when he's hungry. He eats well. His weight dropped down to 6 lbs 10 oz when we left the hospital and today he weighed 7 lbs 6 oz, surpassing his birthweight at just 6 days old.

He sleeps well at night, waking about every 2.5-3 hours to eat.

We've been blessed with such a healthy baby. Our only concern is that he failed his hearing screening in his right ear. We'll have it checked again in a week or two. We've been told it could just be mucous or gunk in his ear so not to worry too much.

Malachi's Birth Story:

I had a Dr appointment on the 11th and hadn't dilated any more than I had already been for two weeks. That was a bit discouraging. My parents had driven out to Missouri to help with the new babe and had been here for almost a week already so I felt like I needed to do something to get this babe here. I did not want to be put on pitocin and induced so I opted for a jump-start into labor. I had two rounds of the medicine Cytotec. It was put on my cervix to help soften it and help me progress into labor more naturally than pitocin would. I was also told the Cytotec would not do anything unless I was close to going into labor anyway. So I had one dose of Cytotec on the 11th and I could tell my contractions were more intense after, not painful, but stronger. I had another dose the next morning (the 12th). I was sent home that morning  dilated to a 5 being told I would probably go into labor by the the next day. Throughout the day of the 12th my contractions increased in intensity and beame painful. By 3:00 that afternoon I was way uncomfortable and had to start breathing through contractions which were 3 min apart. Adrian went to play racquetball at 4:00 and by the time he got home at 5:00 we headed out the door to the hospital.

I was checked in and dilated to an 8 when I arrived. My contractions were painful, but I was able to breathe through them and felt totally pain free in between.  I had an intrathecal for anesthesia at 6:00. The anesthesia made the contractions completely pain free and I still had total control and movement of my legs, it was great. Malachi was headdown but turned to my right. The Dr tried to manually turn him, but his heartrate dropped so the doc had me lay on my right side for about 20 min with an oxygen mask on. I all of a sudden felt a ton of pressure in my bottom indicating Malachi had turned and I was ready to push. I pushed about 5 times max and he was here at 7:08 pm!! It was such a good experience. Everyone in the delivery room was talking and joking the whole time. I was not exhausted at all like I was with Levi, it was just so fast.