Brooks meets the family

 On Friday morning, Grammy & Papa brought Marie and Bennett to the hospital to meet their new little brother. They both were very anxious to hold him and they took several turns. 

Both Bennett and Marie commented on how little Brooks was and all the cute little noises he was making. 

They enjoyed watching him get his first bath, too.

Our hospital stay was 2 days. Unfortunately during those 2 days I was struggling with the flu on top of recovering from having a baby. 

I had great care at the hospital but left on Saturday still feeling sick. We were anxious to get home to Marie and Bennett and our own bed. 

 

 Andy also began to feel sick along with Bennett and Marie.

So, as we all tried to settle in together at home with a new little guy to welcome, we all dealt with fevers and chills, aches and sleepless nights. Not exactly an easy way to transition with a new baby in the house. 

Gus and Maya were very welcoming to Brooks. 

They smelled him,  kissed him, and are still getting used to all his new noises. 

We were visited by family members on Saturday and spent Sunday as a new family of 5. 

Brooks Richard's Arrival

 Following an OB appointment on Wednesday, December 17th, it was decided that due to my continued high blood pressures and few other concerns, induction at 36 weeks was necessary to keep me and the baby safe. That was a scary evening for us filled with more preparation, organizing of Andy's work schedule, organizing care for Marie & Bennett, and many prayers that the baby would be healthy at delivery due to his premature age. 

Thankfully Andy remained calm while my mind wandered.

Thursday morning, December 18th, Andy brought Marie to school and then we were off to the clinic to check my blood pressure one last time. It continued to be high while I was dealing with blurred vision and headaches. At that time the doctor sent me straight over to St. Luke's Hospital for induction to begin. 

Through medication and breaking of my water, my induction began.  During check-in, it was discovered I was running a fever and I was beginning to cough. This was just another factor which made this labor and delivery process very different from the other two.

During labor, the baby was active with a nice strong heartbeat. Things were moving slowly until the evening when I dilated from 5 cm to 10 cm in a matter of 10 minutes. Two epidurals were started during the labor process but both stopped working.  It was clear that this was going to be a natural delivery. At about 8:45 I knew it was time to push! We called the doctor and we waited for her arrival...the longest 10 minutes of my life. I was ready to have this baby!

Brooks Richard was born at 9:24 p.m. on December 18, 2014.

7 lb. 14 oz. and 20.5" long

The NICU team was in place for Brooks because he was born prematurely. 

 He was born at 36 weeks gestation age.

He did not cry immediately and needed some oxygen to assist him in the first few minutes. But, before long he was screaming and moving around showing how nice and strong he really was. 

After all his tests it was noticed that he was having a bit of trouble regulating his temperature and blood sugar levels so this was checked over and over as the next few days went on. 

He started nursing well but did need to be supplemented for a few days to assist with his blood sugar levels.

 

 We are so thankful that after the past few weeks of concerns, we have a strong and healthy baby boy.

He is content and truly a joy in our lives. 

Welcome to the family Brooks!

Holy Cross Christmas Program

Monday night was Marie's Christmas Program. 

Once again Papa, Grammy, and Grandma Nel made the trip over to watch one of their grandchildren.

Unfortunately the weather was a little snowy and icy but everyone stayed safe all the way home thankfully.

Marie was very happy to see them and so was Bennett.

Marie's class sang 3 songs to kick off the show.

She had been talking about this program for a long time and practiced very hard in her music class during the week.  

Marie is absolutely loving her school experience this year and we are so thankful for her teacher and class. It will be very difficult for me to say goodbye to this school when we move this summer. 

Marie has always been anxious to be away from me during the day and this is the first time where she runs into her school room and barely looks back to say goodbye.

 Bennett was a proud supporter of his sister - cheering and clapping loudly at the end of each song. 

He enjoyed the time alone in the seats with his grandparents, too. 

We ended our night with a few treats from Grammy and snowflakes falling down as we drove home looking at Christmas lights.

Preparation

With Christmas and a new baby boy right around the corner, every minute of every day seems to be filled with preparing for something.

Whether it's wrapping, baking, shopping, washing, folding, organizing, or putting together - it all has to get done around the same time!

Thankfully we have such great helpers at this house.

Andy has been very busy with work as he prepares for some time off in January. However, as soon as he has a few hours off, he is ready to check another item off our list.

 In between work this weekend, we managed to get our cookies baked and frosted, as well as prepare many other goodies. 

 We all put on old aprons that have been passed down to us and got to work.

Marie wins the most helpful award.

 

 Andy wins the award for putting the most frosting on each individual cookie.

 Bennett wins the award for eating the most frosting while actually completing the least amount of cookies.

 And Mom just wins an award for fitting into an apron this far along in the pregnancy!

We also managed to squeeze in some fun surprises for the kids. 

After dinner at a restaurant (always a big deal for them), the boys spent an hour in Scheels doing what they love while Marie was surprised with a big sister gift of a mani/pedi at the mall with mom. She loved her time away from the boys and is looking forward to this alone time with Mom whenever she can get it.

 

When we got home the kids opened up their Christmas 2014 ornaments. 

Bennett received a Husker helmet while Marie opened up her horse ornament.

They were both very excited with their new ornaments!

Although this was a busy weekend it was spent with family which is just how we like it.

Bennett's Christmas Spectacular

This past week was Bennett's daycare program - Christmas Spectacular.

He had been practicing every night with us while we would prepare supper and he seemed pretty excited for his chance to perform even if he wasn't excited to get dressed up.

This was Marie's first year of sitting in the audience. She was not made for the audience...she was made for the stage. She decided it was a good idea to be dressed up too which made for the perfect chance for a few photos with our Christmas Tree.

As far as the actual performance goes...well let theses pictures tell the story.

 He sat, he stared, he smiled, and he clapped.
But not a sound did he make!

 Marie was reunited with her long-time love/friend, Trey. They go to different schools now but still talk about each other to their parents. He is such a nice boy.

 There was also a special visit from Santa Claus.
The kids climbed right up and asked for a unicorn (Marie) and presents (Bennett).
Grammy, Papa, and Grandma Nel came for the show, too.
They are very dedicated Grandparents.

Next week is Marie's program...stay tuned!

Deck the Halls

 We decided to go to a Christmas Tree Farm this year and cut down our own tree.

This is a first for us and we were all very excited!

We were blessed with a beautiful day for the adventure.

 We took our map and saw and rode out on a wagon to the rows and rows of trees.

One was too small, one was too big, one was lopsided, but finally we found just the tree we wanted.

 Andy had the honors of cutting down the tree while Bennett and Marie supervised.

While we were getting our tree loaded and paid for, the kids enjoyed hot cocoa and cookies inside the little shop as well as a warm-up by the fire.

The tree looks beautiful in our living room and it was a great experience. 

Who knows, maybe this tradition will continue on...

Mueting Thanksgiving

On Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving with the Mueting side of the family.

The kids were very excited to see their Aunts and Uncles for some serious play time. 

As soon as we entered the house they were off!

 

Bennett and Uncle Nathan were inseparable. When I asked Bennett why he was always with Uncle Nathan he said, "I'm always with Uncle Nathan because I love him!"

 Marie loves the undivided attention from her Aunts. 

 After dinner we participated in the annual turkey bowling tradition. Both kids were in on the action this year.

 

 Marie was still upset the next day that she didn't take home the coveted medal.

On Friday morning the boys enjoyed a successful hunt followed by the Nebraska/Iowa football game.

We came home Friday night and we all slept in on Saturday morning. 

It was a great Thanksgiving week to see all our family!

Pirates and Princesses

We surprised the kids with a night out to the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City for the Disney Junior Pirates and Princesses Show. 

Marie was very excited for the start of the show and remembered being there for other shows in the past 2 years. 

This was Bennett's first show at the Orpheum.

He was very quiet taking it all in and not saying much about the experience. 

Finally, during a fight scene in the Pirate show where Hook is being chased by Peter Pan, Bennett jumped off his seat and screamed, "Get 'em, Get em!!!!"

Following the show we went out to eat at one of our favorite places.

It was a great night out as a family!

Thanksgiving #1

On Saturday after Marie's final t-ball game, we packed up and drove to Sheldon for the Van Beek Thanksgiving.

The kids were so anxious to see everyone and play, play, play!

The meal was delicious, the house was loud and full of people, the games were rowdy, tummies were stuffed, and the kids were exhausted. 

Due to above fun NO pictures were taken!!! I felt terrible at the end of the night but honestly I was just having too much fun to stop and take a photo. Plus, we tend to not see our kids at the Van Beek gatherings because all the grand-kids are playing so hard together down in the basement...they usually come upstairs all sweaty and looking for more snacks and drinks before running back down.

 

Due to Andy's need for more hunting early Sunday morning, we randomly decided to stay overnight in Sheldon even though we were not prepared. 

The kids were so happy they got to stay overnight instead of drive back to Sioux City after the celebration. 

In the morning, we stayed in our jammies while helping Grandma Nel start her Christmas decorating. 

The night before we had taken down all her decorations from the attic while enjoying a trip down memory lane.  My mom saved a lot from our childhood and it is really fun to look through at favorite toys, books, and even diaries.

While Andy was up in the attic he found the Lincoln Logs.  He enjoyed helping the kids set a few cabins up before bed Thanksgiving night. 

Before leaving for home on Sunday, we enjoyed Thanksgiving meal leftovers (the best part) for lunch. 

We had a wonderful first Thanksgiving celebration and look forward to more later this week!