Cousin Megan comes to town.

We were lucky enough to have my cousin Megan Myres come stay with us for a week. When I was a teenager, I got to go stay with different aunts and uncles when they had babies. I know I went to stay with John and LaDawn, Robert and Jill, Wes and Annie, and Brian and Denice. Now looking back, I'm not sure how helpful I was (oops). But, as I learned, sometimes just having another person around who can carry a conversation with you was worth it.

 Cora took a minute to warm up, but then she let Megan play with her.

 

 So tiny and yet so big!

 The day after Megan got here we needed to run to the pediatrician to get James on some medicine for his reflux. Having Megan there to keep Cora distracted made the whole trip worth it!

 Cora is such a good helper.

 That Saturday we went to the farmer's market and got some delicious snacks, then we drove up to the Sequoias. Cora ate all the blackberries on the way up.

 It took us FOUR hours to get to General Sherman (as opposed to the usual 1.5). So when we saw the line to take pictures was super long, we decided to forgo it and just take our own.

 

 Next we drove over to Kings Canyon National Park, which makes #7 for us. I definitely prefer Kings Canyon, because it is so much less crowded. 

 Plus they have the General Grant tree, which is the second largest tree in the world AND the nation's Christmas tree.

 The General Grant tree has a giant fire scar on the back. It is pretty impressive.

 

 Cora is such a good big sister.

 Dancing to "We Are the Dinosaurs"

 James loves Megan.

 I love those sleepy smiles! Actually caught one.

 I'm learning how to wear a baby. It is not going as well as I thought.

 Cora loves the painting booth at the children's museum.

 Such a train hoarder. Major eye roll.

 Tried a walk with the babies. It went well for half the time!

 Moana needed the rock n play one day.

 We also went to the zoo one day!

 Oh brother.

 On the way home James had a major meltdown so we pulled over in a not so good part of Fresno in a gas station.

 Luckily we finally got Megan off after a mixup with the airlines. But we were sad to see her go! Thanks for coming Megan, come back any time! 

The story behind James' name.

So, my dad texted us today reminding us that it's Grandpa Murphy's birthday. He would have been 82 today, and in a week is Grandpa Myres' 83rd birthday.

It reminded me that I never explained how we came up with James' name. It's a pretty sweet story. Since the kids are tag teaming me at naptime, why not share it now?

I found out I was pregnant 2 days after Grandpa Murphy's funeral. I am not the type to share my pregnancy immediately, but I wanted to tell my family SO bad. I was so sad at the time, and this was a bright spot in our little Sunny Isles life. We did end up telling my family at Thanksgiving (a month later). I thought that since this pregnancy was so closely timed with Grandpa's death, if we had a boy I wanted to give him a middle name that reminded me of Grandpa. Originally I was thinking "Matthew Sheldon".

When I went in to the ultrasound to determine what we were having, I was so afraid of what I was going to find. I hadn't had an appointment in a long time since we were in the middle of moving, and I was so afraid since I was going by myself that I was going to have bad news. I was praying in my head to just have a healthy alive baby, and I swear I felt my grandpa there. I have no doubt that he was teaching our little baby lots of important things, and that he helped to keep me from being too stressed during that appointment. It reminded me of the quote by elder Holland:

As soon as I found out James was a boy, I was reminded of a story I had shared about our pioneer heritage a few months before. One of the families on my Grandma Myres' side was in the Martin handcart company, that started their trek from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake valley too late in the year. The Martin handcart company was part of the Sweetwater River rescue, which is one of the most powerful stories. They were rescued by 3 18 year old boys, who carried everyone across the river. The man in my family was named James Wignall, and he and his family (including 7 kids!) made it to Salt Lake. I knew I wanted to name him after that ancestor. It helped that James has been my favorite boy name for a long time.

But then we kept coming back to the issue of the middle name. I even went back and forth on the first name a few times. Shortly afterwards we found out about Grandpa Myres' cancer, which just seemed so unfair. (It still does.) When I went to Utah in April, Grandpa Myres really wanted to know the name. We didn't have one yet, but I promised that he would be the first to know when we settled on one. A week after we got back, I found out they were putting him on hospice. Normally I wouldn't want to announce a name before the baby is born, because I don't want to announce it then change it. But I knew Grandpa would really want to know! So one night Brandon and I decided to hash it out.

Since James is the only kid we're planning to have while my parents are on a mission, I also wanted to do something to honor that. It was hard to pick a name that represented just one person. So ultimately, we thought giving him the middle name "Murphy" would be a good way to represent everything that was happening at the time. While I had always wanted to name each of our kids after a grandparent or other ancestor, I like the overarching name of Murphy. Next time we have a boy, we'll find another overarching theme name.

I was glad I came up with that, because I called Grandpa and had a quick phone call with him. He kept saying "wow, James Murphy Giullian. James Murphy Giullian!" And that was the last time I talked to him. I had wanted to call him later that month to tell him Cora thought Grandpa Giullian was him, but I missed my chance. So at least I don't need to regret not telling him James' name.

So, there we go. James for his pioneer ancestry, and Murphy for the great grandpas he'll never meet in this life and for the grandparents he'll only get to meet once before he turns 2. For the people I miss most!

Quarterly Report- 2 years 3 months

Holy cow, time is just flying by.

Cora turned 2 3 months ago, and every time I think about how much she's grown since the last update I am just amazed.

Cora is a chatterbox. It's been interesting, because since she has started talking more and expanding her vocabulary she also babbles more. When she is on FaceTime her language is almost indistinguishable, but I know that she talks so much. She is able to follow simple directions. Right now we are working on teaching her to tell us when she can't finish a task we asked her. It would eliminate a lot of stress, especially when it seems like she just isn't responding.

Her memory is uncanny. She is obsessed with "Moana" right now. Whenever we watch a movie, I try to divert her from a scary or unpleasant moment. She then repeats whatever I said EVERY time we watch that movie. If you make her a promise, she won't let you forget it. One time, we t old her she could have a treat at Walmart. We pulled into the parking lot (not even a Walmart we frequent often) and she immediately said "Treat?"

She picks up on emotions so easily. It makes me have to rethink how I interact in front of and with her. If she hears one of us raise our voices, not even in an angry way, then she gets worked up.

She is SUCH a good big sister. She keeps checking on baby James, and likes to keep tabs on him. She seems to be adjusting well to her new role, which gives me hope that she won't hold it against me that she doesn't have all that one on one time anymore.

She is the nicest kid when it comes to other 2 year olds. She does not hit or fight with other kids, and when they hit or fight with her then she comes to me. It makes me crazy, but I want to teach her to always be kind. And not to hit them back (like I sometimes want).

We sure love our Cora Faye! She is the sweetest 2 year old I know.

How we are adjusting.

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks since little James joined our family. He is sure sweet and cute.

 James is growing and growing. He wants to nurse NON STOP. I swear I don't remember Cora being this hungry all the time. At first I was worried that he wasn't getting enough, but he is totally content. And between his 2 pediatrician appointments (5 days apart) he gained 12 ounces. So he's obviously growing. His head is too big for newborn size clothes so he's swimming in his 0-3 month clothes. He loves to sleep, but at night he only wants to sleep when held. He's starting to be a little more alert, which is so adorable. And last night we heard him sleep laughing,which I can't wait to hear for real.

 Cora seems to be adjusting ok. She loves James, at least. Her frustration and anger seems to be taken out on me, which is frustrating but ok. Right now it's a lot of shows, playing games on Grandma's Kindle when she was here (as shown above), and me learning that if she isn't hurting anything that I don't need to say "no" all the time. I'm trying to be better about letting go of control.

 Chilling by the pool at 3 days old.

(I got ready just for this picture on 4th of July... he hides the belly well.)

 I am so tired. Thanks to not needing any stitches or anything my physical recovery has been awesome. I feel like I could run a 5k right now. But, the hard part is knowing that I'm still less than 2 weeks out from giving birth so I need to rest. I have some big plans for when I get cleared to exercise, running wise.

When Cora was born, I was SO anxious. I cried every time I fell asleep because I was so sure she was going to get hurt or die. I would tear apart our bed in my sleep thinking she was being smothered by the blankets. Luckily, I haven't done either of those once this time! Your babies are not going to automatically die if they aren't sleeping in their beds right away, and knowing that we have had one kid survive the newborn and infant stage has made us both more confident as parents.

I feel so thin and svelte this time. I was SO big in the belly region that now I feel like I should weigh 100 pounds. So it's good to see these pictures and remember that I'm not 100 pounds, but I'm not fat. I'm just recovering from having a baby and need to give myself time!

(Plus, look at how cute Cora is!)

The hardest parts have been the sheer exhaustion, feeling like I'm not balanced, and having my family far away. I'm trying my best to give both the kids the attention they need. James' attention needs are pretty easy, but Cora's are harder. It's also hard to know that unless we go out to Ecuador my parents won't get to meet James until he turns TWO (the day before their mission is up). Luckily, Brandon has FMLA time off that he can take any time between March and James' first birthday. So we are going to try to go out in April or May for a little bit.

Brandon has been the MVP this whole time. Two emotional girls and a newborn makes for a tiring house. He has been taking care of Cora in the morning while getting ready for work, while I'm trying my best to get out of bed. Then he comes home and plays with Cora while James and I sleep on the couch. (Noticing a trend here?) In turn, I avoid waking him up at night. When Cora was born I had no problem having him wake up. But this time we need a parent to be awake for Cora and Brandon needs to be an effective PA at work. So we've come up with this arrangement. Cora gets her play time with Dad, and I get a break.

We have been so blessed by nice people in our ward. It's so appreciated! Dinners on dinners, and tons of offers to watch Cora. Which we may take later on, but right now the best thing is to keep her with me. She'll freak out if she leaves.

Overall, the transition has been ok. We're just trying to be patient with each other and ourselves, and we know the exhausted stage WILL end!

The Reign of King James

Welcome to the world, James Murphy Giullian. Born June 30 2017 at 8:05 AM.

And what a week it was.

So to back up, as mentioned in my previous post I had a host of issues going on. When I posted last I was preparing myself for a C section because he was folded up horizontally under my ribs. Which hurt SO bad. I had weekly ultrasounds and nonstress tests to track his growth and to make sure his heart was doing well. On the 21st (at 38 weeks) I found out he HAD flipped to the proper position! It was nothing short of miraculous. I was also getting a little worried because he had grown 2 pounds in a week. Normally they grow half a pound a week at that point, so I was thinking he was going to be a monster child. That plus the fact that I knew I was going to have a quick labor and kept telling my doctor that as soon as my water broke all you-know-what would break loose so it would be better to get induced earlier to avoid having a parking lot baby meant I was pretty stressed out.

Thanks to my diabetes, we scheduled an induction for the 29th. I wanted to go a day earlier, but the office staff would NOT cooperate with me. (Which is irritating because I liked this doctor.) So once I realized they weren't going to work with me, I decided to take myself off of bedrest and just go have fun. What's the worst that can happen, I need to go to the hospital?

So we went about our week having fun (which is for another post), and Wednesday night I was so sad thinking about how I wouldn't see Cora in the morning before we went to the hospital.

Well, I called at 5:45 AM to make sure they had room for me... and they didn't. They said to call back at 10. So after a little bit of raging, we went to toddler jump at the trampoline park. I got a call at 9:40 from the hospital, and jumped to answer it hoping it was them saying to come in now. NOPE. They said to come back at 6 PM. I just about cried. The nurse even apologized to me.

So, after that we decided to go to the Sequoias. Brandon said "Yeah you could even hike Moro Rock"... which got my wheels turning.

 So this is where you learn just how much of an instigator Brandon really is. He knows my stubbornness and he totally manipulated it. Which was hilarious. When we got to the parking lot he said "No Camille, you should stay in the car." I thought that was a terrible idea, since I had no idea how long they would be gone. So I said I would just start walking and I had no problem turning back if I felt too tired. No need to be life flighted out of the national park because I had a baby on top of the rock. THEN, when we got to about here:

 I said I would probably stop just to not get overtired. Brandon said "Oh come on you can do it! How awesome would that be to tell the baby you hiked Moro Rock the day you went in to have him?"

So I did. In flip flops, no less (no other shoes fit me).

 (Look at that red hair!)

 I stayed in the car when they went to see the General Sherman, because that hike is tiring and I really didn't want to have to name my baby Tecumseh because he was born in front of the tree. Plus I was feeling some contractions and figured it would be better to stop.

A few hours after we got back we FINALLY got admitted. Thank goodness!

(Oh and don't worry, Cora was fine at home. Testing the baby gear)

 As far as being induced went, that was a pretty smooth ride. I think the hike really helped, because they didn't even have to do anything to get labor started. And, just like last time, THANK GOODNESS for epidurals! I even slept throughout the night, which was funny when I would see the monitors and they were going crazy with contractions. The only alarming thing was that I saw the needle to put the epidural in... I just hope I forget how big it was before our next kid comes. It was like a pipe.

At about 6, I started feeling again so I called the nurse. I told them "if you just break my water I can have this baby", but instead they rammed me full of more epidural. Which is why I look so ridiculously high in the next few pictures.

At 7:30, the doctor came in and said it was time. Funny side note- Brandon had never met him and he's a pretty small doctor and Brandon said later "He had the smallest hands I've ever seen. I thought, 'Are you sure you can catch my baby with those?'" haha.

And I was right, all you-know-what did break loose when my water broke! I TOLD THEM SO. The funny thing was that I fell asleep between contractions. Apparently that isn't common... but I think it was the drugs. The doctor said "well, not a lot of hair!" And we were like "yep sounds about right." Then he said "Wow, big head!" And we were like "Yep, sounds about right!" Thanks Murphy genes!

And at 8:05, our little lovey was born. (See how I couldn't even open my eyes?)

 The spirit in the room was overwhelming. I've been wondering the whole pregnancy how on earth I could love another baby as much as I love Cora because I love her SO MUCH. She's my buddy! But as soon as I saw him I knew it wasn't even an issue. Brandon and I were overcome almost to the point of tears (not surprising for me, but surprising for him).

 The quote I used to describe it is a line from "Dear Theodosia" from the musical Hamilton, "Look at my son! Pride is not the word I'm looking for, there is so much more in me now". He's so sweet and cute!

 The real question was how big was he? They were estimating 9 pounds the day before, and I was just praying they were overshooting it. But I knew he was bigger than Cora. And he was 8 pounds 7 ounces! A full pound and 4 ounces bigger than Cora. Amazing since I didn't have any trauma from delivery.

 And look at that fuzz! It looks exactly like Cora's did, so we aren't sure what that means for his hair color.

 The first time he opened his eyes, he was giving me a look as I was eating a cookie. Sorry kid, I earned it.

 I missed Cora SO much in the hospital. And she missed me. So we FaceTimed and this was what I got hahaha..

James had a little bit of a hard time keeping his blood sugar up so we had to give him some formula the first few days... Cora was more than willing to help.

 "I big helper"

 Very concerned about the bath.

 We busted out after only a day. I was so anxious to get home with Cora... and it isn't like we were sleeping in the hospital anyway.

 TWO KIDS in the back seat now!

 We love him so much! Cora loves saying "Hi Buddy!" And "Come here lovey" to him. I'm exhausted but loving it. I love the newborn stage, the spirit is so strong. So is the delirium, but it's worth it.

(Baby blanket courtesy of Ecuador)