Happy 4th Birthday Tate!!!

I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of Tate for his birthday! He has always given me a run for my money and keeps me on my toes never a dull moment with him around! And I wouldn't change andy thing about him. He was about a month old I think in this one.

I have always loved this one of me and him. We were in Californa for a wedding and this was at the dinner the night be for the wedding. He was about 3 or 4 months old.

His was at a year.

I love the tear. He was eating this cake and mammaw was taking pictures and he didn't want us to take pictures he was afraid we were going to take his cake. He was sad that I made him face the camera.

Our Tater with his Darth Tater.

Tate with this cousins Bryce and Braden. They were born within 4 moths of each other.

THis is Tate at 2 yrs. he was at the zoo.

Here is Tate at 3 at Halloween

Happy Birthday Cupcake as his daddy calls him!

7 weeks

He is such a sweet little guy. He just does not like to be naked and he has a super gassy tummy. He loves to hold hands when he is nursing.

He was being really fussy but I still wanted to get a few pictures of him since it has been awhile. I just wish I would have put on make up so I looked better.

I had my mom get this bunny hat for him but it is now getting to small. I guess we will have to do all our Easter pics this week!

Chase wanted to hug us the entire time we were doing pictures so he got to while Kooper ate.

I love this Easter basket. If only he would have been happy or asleep.

Jocelyn even tried to calm him down. It didn't work either.

Thank you mom for doing the pictures. And sorry it was so much work. Hopefully we can try again on Friday!

Always something new!

One of the many great things in my life is the fact that there is NEVER a dull moment.... I mean NEVER! The kids are busy being kids.

Kooper has started rolling over. I know what you are all thinking wow already. He rolled the first time at 5 weeks and 4 days old. What the freak are my boys trying to prove? Ok I get it they hit the ground running. I am afraid the next one may just walk out of me. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about Chase was crawling, hands and knees crawling, by 6 months and Tate was at 4 months. Kooper is already holding his head really well too. I can't believe how well he holds his head. I guess Heavenly Father wanted him to have a fighting chance in our house so he made him small but mighty! Kooper also is now in newborn size clothes! yeah no more preemie clothes! Most of the newborn are still to big but the preemie ones are way to small.

Chase has just started sleeping in a big boy bed. He gets Tates old car bed. He spends most of the night on the floor but he is out growing the pack n play so it was time. He has been getting into EVERYTHING! The stools at my house spend most of the time upside down so he can't climb on to the counters. But he has found he can use so many things as a step stool.

Tate is back to his normal running, jumping, climbing, sister bugging self. I am so glad that it turned out just to be a cold in his muscles. We were really worried. He is doing so much better with his speech. Others may not notice it yet but we do. He spends most of his days being told to leave Kooper alone he loves him to much most days.

Jocelyn is so excited to be going back to school on Mon. and even more excited for daddy to be going to the zoo with her class this week. Her and Joseph have turned my living room in to a Art Museum. They set up a table and chairs as the studio and then hang all there pieces of art work all over the living room. I think it is great that they are so creative. I have also found the best thing in the WHOLE WORLD for Jocelyn it is color wonders things. NO more paint on the walls or markers on her skin. I just wish they were cheaper!

Bryan has been playing Mr Mom lately since I have been so sick. And he is so glad to have to go back to work. I love it when he does because it reminds him how I "do" work. He was also selected to be on a jury and luckily he only has to do it for a few days. He said it is really hard to sit there as long as he has too. He has trouble sitting though church I can't imagine him sitting for longer than that.

I have been busy taking care of every one. I gave hair cuts today and my hair cuts are getting better still not perfect but better than they were. I have been trying to get the house in some kind of order. I am going to slowly but surly get it in order. I have also been working on losing weight. I am hoping to lose about 15 pounds over the next few months. I am only a few pounds from my lowest be for I started gaining while I was pregnant which was lower than before I got pregnant this time. The Wii fit has been a huge blessing for me in working out.

I am sorry there is no pictures but mom will be doing some for me this week. SO keeping checking for those!

When it rains it pours at my house....

SO last Monday Jocelyn was running a fever and not feeling so hot so we kept her home from school she ended up missing the whole week. We ended up going to Twilight Peds that night since her fever got up to 103.5 and rising and nothing we did was helping. Turned out she had Flu B, Croup and a nasty head cold to boot. Well it was only a mader of time be for we have all started coming down with it. All but Bryan. Luckily Kooper only has a mild head cold and the Dr. said to watch to make sure that his temp doesn't higher than 101.5. AARRGGGG and to top it off I got sick starting Saturday and got really sick and ran a high fever yesterday. Luckily Bryan was home since it was Sunday and I sleep all day. I didn't even get out of bed until 3pm he would bring me Kooper when he needed to eat. I woke up today for the first time in a REALLY long time not tired.

Saturday night Tate started saying that behind his knees hurt. We didn't think to much of it since we had just asked him to eat his dinner and some thing always hurts if he is trying to get out of some thing, not that it ever works, but he woke up yesterday screaming that he couldn't walk and again today. Behind his knees hurt so bad Bryan had to carry him around the house all day. Tate didn't ask Bryan just couldn't watch him be in so much pain. I took him to the Dr. today and he has no idea what it could be but we ran a bunch of blood work to see if they could figure it out. The are testing for infection but there is no swelling or fever. I think they are also testing for arthritis and Muscular dystrophy. But we are at a real loss of what it could be any ideas? We are supost to get the blood work back tomorrow or the next day. I just feel so bad since he can't put weight on it and when he does he walks really funny. Hopefully we find out quickly so we know how to treat him.

Prayers for Eli

My 3 almost 4 year old nephew Eli, Bryan's sister Amy's son, is in the hospital because his appendix burst. The infection had spread to much to be able to do surgery yesterday. He will be in the hospital on IV's for about a week and then he will go home, pending all goes according to plan, and be on a IV at home for about 4 or 5 weeks and then have the surgery to remove the ruptured appendix. I am asking to please keep Eli and his family in your prayers so that all will go according to plan so that his body will respond well to the antibiotics and that he will be able to come home as soon as possible. Thanks for the prayers!

Kooper is 4 weeks on his 1 month birthday!

I can't believe that he is already 1 month and it just so happens that he is also 4 weeks old today. I think that it is kinda fun that it worked out that way! Mom hasn't been able to do pictures for a while since we have been sick. Well every one but Jocelyn and Kooper. I am so grateful that Kooper has not been sick. SO Kooper is not so crazy about the flash from the studio lights and bugs his eyes when it flashes. So I guess we are going to need to get some sleeping baby pictures which is proving to be easier said than done. But at least mom love taking pictures so it's not a big deal.

I love how his forehead wrinkles just like his daddy's does.

I looks so much cooler from this angle that from above where I could see.

I love this one it is my favorite one from yesterday. It looks just like him. So sweet and he is even starting to get alittle bit chubby I love it!

How has Kooper changed in the last month? He is now starting to look around when he hears familiar voices. He screams if he needs to have his diaper changed. He wants a pacifier but can't seem to keep on in his mouth. He likes to be held when he sleeps during the day... mom likes to hold him all day long so it works.... he won't be small very long. He is such a sweet little guy.

How is every one adapting to Kooper?

Chase loves him so much he does not like to share him with any one besides mom. He tells every one else that hold him that it is his baby. and he has decided that he only really wants to hold him when he is laying down next to him.

Tate says he is every ones baby. He shares him well. I have only seen a few guys turn to such mush when they hold a baby. Tate jut melts it is so sweet. He loves him so much. He has even learned how to be soft.

Jocelyn loves to hold him while I do things so Chase leaves him alone. She has also discovered that she can pick him put when they are both on the couch.... it freaks me out but she is very careful. She has learned that a new baby is allot of work and is a huge help with things for me.

Bryan loves him to death but was happy to go back to work. He said my job is way harder than his. He said managing the guys at work is hard but they don't have to be feed and have their diapers changed and don't cry when they need things and you don't understand what they are saying. He has been so much help this time around. he is changing the to older boys diapers and making meals and even helping some at night. I have never had him help at night since all the kids have been breastfeed and there is not a lot he can do and he has to get up and go to work. But I do appreciate when he gets up and is just there for the moral support when Kooper won't sleep.

I am adjusting to not getting any sleep and having sick kids and I am slowly getting enough energy to do all the things that I finally feel like doing that I haven't been able to do since the end of October like, cleaning, laundry, cleaning I still have have not got to the point that I want to do dishes but when Bryan does such a great job why would I want to. I love Kooper so much and am so in love with him and just sit and hold him as much as I can because in no time he will be crawling, walking and running and not want to be held.

Kooper's birth story

Ok so I thought that it was time that I shared our whole story of why Kooper came so early and the long story of what happened. I will try to make it as short as possible it was a 36 hour journey. Sorry this is so long but I am long winded... Like my mamma!

Monday Feb. 2nd 2008

10am Mom drove me to my 35 week appointment since Kooper had dropped the Friday before and I could no longer lift my feet there was no way I could drive... and I had been having high blood pressure head aches. Bryan had to work so we had all the kids but Tate who was at school so mom stayed in the car with the kids while I ran in my appointments never take more than a few minutes. Well they took my blood pressure and I told the nurse that it had been high all weekend and that I was kinda concerned and she acted like it was no big deal and asked me to pee in the cup which normally I go on my way out which I thought was weird but didn't think much of it but later made since because what she didn't tell me was my blood pressure was scary high. Well the Dr came in and did my Strep B test and checked to see if I had started dilating yet... and as he was checking he said "Oh good" I thought that was weird so I questioned it and he said I was dilated to a 2-3 and 70% effaced and then he told me that we were going to be having the baby that night or tomorrow... I was in shock. He said that I need to go to the hospital because my blood pressure was high and I had started spilling protein in to my urine.... I was preaclamtic. I asked if I could get the kids off to school and get Tate off the bus and find a sitter and go pack a bad and get the car seat ready. I wasn't ready to go.He told me no some one else would have to do all of that for me and then he showed me how high my blood pressure was it was 160/106 and that is really high for me. So I called Bryan to see if he could find some one to cover his store since his boss was still out of town because he had gone to the Super Bowl. So we went straight to the hospital and Bryan, his Mom and my Grandpa's wife all came down to split up the kids and take care of things.

So I went to in to be checked out and to have labs drawn. Then the Dr came over at lunch to let me know what the game plan was and while he was I asked if he would help Bryan give me a blessing since I was so freaked out.

1:20pm I was moved over to Labor and Delivery and hooked up to and IV.

2:15pm they started my Potosin and nothing really changed.

10pm the Dr decided to turn off the potosin and told me to eat, since all I had eaten all day was a small bowl of cereal at 9am, I took a shower and got a little sleep.

Tuesday Feb. 3rd 2008

At 5am they started the Potosine back up and we were just hoping that things would start working. I was just miserable.

12:30pm they Dr came and broke my water and I had moved to a 3+ and was now 80% effaced.

2:45pm I decided I didn't want to feel the contractions any more since they are getting really strong since my water got broke and I got my epidural. Then I was able to get some rest.

Bryan took lots of naps and Mom took lots of pictures. They stayed with me the whole time. I really appreciated that.

6pm-ish My Father in law and Bryan's little Brother Adam brought the kids down to us since I hadn't seen them since 10:30 the day before and poor Tate had no Idea what was going on since he was at school but was happy to be with Grandma Rookhuyzen.

We all made guesses of when he would come and how much he would weigh. Adam who is 15 guessed that he would be like 48 pounds. I told him that I wasn't having a baby hippo and that Jocelyn didn't even weigh that much. We all laughed really hard so he changed his guess to like 5 pounds 42 ounces and we all got another good laugh!

Mom was won for she was 15minutes off on time and Ashly was 1 oz off on his weight.

While the kids were there they loved my glowing finger.

Chase enjoyed watching TV.

Jocelyn was so happy to see me. But not as Happy as I was to see them. I really needed that I felt so much better after they were there.

8pm the Nurse checked me again and I was only to a 4 and 80% I was getting so frustrated. I was so done and ready for Kooper just to be here. But when the nurse checked me she felt to see how Kooper was faced since the potosine was turned really high and it wasn't doing any thing. She decided he was turned funny and so she turned me to see if that would help and guess what.... It did!

9:20 pm I had Bryan started telling me when I was having contractions because I could feel them but not. But I was starting to feel allot of pressure with the contractions. So we called the nurse to come check me. She came and and checked and I was 8-9 and 95% effaced. YEAH!! The Dr had just told her to turn the potosine off again for a bit but she went and called him and told him that she wasn't that he needed to come down now. He said that his family had just kneeled for family prayer and he got up and left before prayer he didn't want to miss it. The nurse decided to turn the potosine off since the Dr wasn't there and i was feeling him move down and I was started to feel the urge to push. But My contraction stoped after the Dr got there and we started pushing so they had to turn it back on.

10:15pm Kooper Benjamin Rookhuyzen was born. 5 pounds 9 ounces and 18 inches long. We were so grateful that he was breathing all on this own with no problems. The Dr and Nurses had told us there was a really good chance he would have to be taken out right away to give him oxygen but after such a long labor they told me that was the best thing we could have done for the baby it helped his lungs developed. Heavenly Father gives equal blessing for our trials. And what a huge blessing for a huge trial. I defiantly felt blessed.

All in all every thing went smooth for him being born at 35 weeks and we only had to say in the hospital for 36 hours after he was born. I was so glad to go home and be in my own bed after being in the hospital for 4 days and the kids were happy to finally have me home.

I am so grateful to EVERY ONE who helped Mom, Bryan's Mom, Dad and sister, Grandma Bethsy and any one else I may have missed. I am thankful all the yummy meals that were we got and all the prayers. I know that Heavenly Father was really watching over us though all this I just hope that I learned every thing I needed to this pregnancy and delivery so the next one I wont have the same trials since the whole pregnancy was a trial but what a great blessing I was given in return. He has such a sweet spirit and fits so perfectly into our home.