This is what Heaven feels like:

I cannot even begin to describe how in love I am with this little family of mine. The last 6 weeks have been amazing. Nix is amazing. He is a such a sweet baby and I literally can't get enough of him. Ava loves him and she is such a good helper. The best part of my day comes when Nix is asleep on my chest and Ava comes and snuggles us and we all take a nap together. I have never felt more content than when I am holding both of my babies. Here is a little glimpse of heaven in our home:

Our Nixon is Here

Nixon Chad Talbot is finally home! He was born on March 30 at 7:08 p.m. weighing 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 inches long. I was in labor for 12 hours, but only had to push for 8 minutes so everything went well. I'll give more details in a later post, but I just wanted to put some pictures up. He is a really amazing baby! He sleeps great, eats great and is so calm. He has brought such an incredible spirit with him in our home. We feel so blessed and grateful Nixon picked us. Ava loves having a baby around and is such a good helper. We are all getting adjusted to new schedules and routines, but we are happy and healthy and tired. But it's the kind of exhaustion that feels rewarding and peaceful. Here is our baby boy:

Just waiting to dilate..

Four Days

In four days I get to hold my baby and give him tiny kisses.
In four days I will be a little nervous for labor and delivery.
In four days I will not have heartburn or be consuming Tums by the bottle.
In four days Ava gets to meet her little brother and hold his baby hands.
In four days Chad will finally have his little BYU friend who he will take to all the games while Ava and I go shopping.
In four days I will be able to sleep in whatever position I want to.
In four days I will be able to actually sit up to get out of bed instead of rolling out of bed.
In four days I will not have to go to the bathroom every ten minutes.
In four days I will be a little intimidated and overwhelmed with all of the new worries an infant brings with him.
In four days my rib and back pain will be gone.
In four days I will feel a sense of accomplishment over the past year.
But most importantly, in four days my baby boy will be here- making everything in the world seem right and having a family that I know is a forever family.

Hurry home Baby Boy.

Passing the time...

Every morning I wake up wondering if today will be the day I get to meet my little baby boy. My water broke with Ava just before 39 weeks, so I'm constantly waiting for my water to break wherever I go. I know that that's ridiculous, but being so close to the end, it's all I think about. Ava and I spend our days working on our checklists that I make daily just to pretty much pass the time. (And who doesn't like checklists..especially mine which entail showering, making my bed, brushing my teeth, etc. - simple every-day things that I put on the list just because I like to check them off.. In fact, some days I put things on my checklist that I've already done, just because I like to mark it off) Anyway, on my checklist the other day was to paint my toe nails. Ava and I usually paint our nails about once a week. This little mommy/daughter tradition has been getting more difficult each week with my inability to reach my feet. So this week we included Chad. He was such a good sport. I just love him. He did a really good job and it makes me smile to see him do things just to make me happy. Thanks love!

Awful Winter

Ava has been sick -literally- all winter. For some reason, she would get over one bug just to get something else. This last week was so sad. She lost a lot of weight from throwing up so much. It was heartbreaking to watch. One night Chad and I were lying in bed watching a show with Ava around 7:30 and Ava got out of bed and walked into her room. She brought in her pillow and some blankets, put them at the foot of our bed and tucked herself in. She was asleep within 60 seconds. She was so tired. This is how you know you have a sick little girl. It was so sad. She likes to sleep in her own bed so for her to come bring her bed to our room, tuck herself in and fall asleep so fast, we knew she was not feeling well. She slept in the next morning til 9:30. All I have to say is that I am SO sick of winter and Ava being sick constantly. I hope since it's feeling more Spring-like outside, things are going to calm down with us taking Ava to insta-care with 104 degree fevers that last for a week. Keep your fingers crossed.

Blessed

So let me just take a minute and tell you how much reality has set in over the last 24 hours. I went to the doctor yesterday and I am dilated to a 1 and we scheduled to be induced March 30th if he doesn't come sooner. I have made my list of things to get done before he gets here. I have been reviewing my books on labor and delivery. His room is almost ready. His clothes are washed and put away. And physically, I am exhausted and so done being pregnant. It's so funny how I've been so wrapped up in checking things off my to-do list that the reality of having another baby has gotten lost in the chaos. It has been almost overwhelming to stop and think about the magnitude of having a baby - the responsibility of the Lord's trust to raise His son the way He would want me to. Chad and I feel so incredibly blessed to be given a baby and know it is not something to be taken lightly. Nothing in my entire life has made me as happy as I have been with being a mom to Ava. I can't even imagine how much joy another baby will bring into our home. I feel so lucky and truly happy.

The Treehouse

The other day Corinne and I decided to go to the Treehouse since we'd never been before. The regular admission prices are reasonable, but if you wait to go until after 4:00, it's only $3 for children and $1 for adults. For $4 for both of us, this was well worth the trip! I loved not having to worry about her breaking anything or making a mess because it was made for kids and it was ok if they made a mess. I loved it. One of my favorite features was in the bathroom- they had a little sink and a little toilet, just Ava's size. It was brilliant! I loved it all. Needless to say, we will be returning soon. P.S.- note that Ava is in her pajamas. She is still in that phase where she won't wear clothes. How long does this phase last??

St. George with my Honey

A few weeks ago Chad and I decided we should take a little weekend getaway to St. George before our little baby boy arrives. (In 21 days, but who's counting...?) It was so much fun to just be with Chad for the entire weekend without any distractions. Our room was so nice! It was huge- I should have taken more pictures. We had a lot planned, but it ended up raining the entire time. So we did a little shopping, a lot of eating, and a lot of relaxing. Our friends Leslie and Morgan live in St. George, so we went to lunch with them, did some pedicures (the girls) and the boys watched some basketball. We tried this restaurant called Haven that was FABULOUS!!! Oh my- it was so good I was practically licking my plate clean. For dessert we ordered fried oreos with a chocolate shake. Wow. Seriously- wow. I would recommend Haven to anyone visiting the St. George area! When it came time to go home, there was this massive blizzard the whole way home. We had to pull over in Beaver and wait for it to clear up a bit. I was hoping winter was over after a mild-weathered weekend in St. George. Rain or shine, I had a blast with my hubby. He is so cute and I love falling in love with him all over again.