Life with 2!

Well, it definitely hasn't been boring here at the Boss household! Jeff and I are still in the process of getting down our night time routine with the girls, however, we are loving every minute (even the sleepless ones,lol). Jeff takes care of Sophia for the most part because I still am unable to lift her, and I take care of Peyton, because let's face it, I'm the only one that has what she needs right now! Sophia is continuing to do fabulous with Peyton and is really gentle and loving towards her little sister, which just makes me and Jeff's job as parents that much easier. Sophia has also become quite the character lately and has Jeff and I cracking up from laughter everyday! Peyton is growing fast and eating good! She is now well over her birth weight at 8 lbs. 2 oz. She is such an easy baby and sleeps most of the day and is even pretty good for us at night. Some nights she'll only wake up twice, giving me and Jeff the chance to catch up on our sleep. Peyton makes so many funny facial expressions while she sleeps and even laughs and talks to herself when she's chillin' in her car seat. Unlike Sophia, Peyton loves her binky and is usually sucking on it, if she isn't nursing. Though she was born with lots of dark brown hair, Jeff and I have noticed it lighting over the last few days and she even has some golden brown and auburn highlights.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with two kids. I knew it would be busy, but I find myself enjoying the moments even more than I had thought I would. I look at Sophia and love how interactive, silly and verbal she is at this age, and then I look at Peyton and love how snuggly, sweet and needy she is at her age. I am enjoying different things with each of them.

I feel so incredibly blessed beyond words and am loving having my two girls at home with me! I especially love the fact that I get to stay at home and enjoy everyday with them and watch them grow up together!

Early Arrival...

As with everything in life, I have learned that no matter how much you plan, life takes it's own course and you just have to go with the flow. This was very much the case on Sunday. Early Sunday morning at 3:30 a.m. I began having contractions. These were the kind that took my breath away and made me feel a bit nauseous. I was hesitant about waking up Jeff, just because I wasn't sure if they were going to progress into anything or just stop. I got up, changed positions a few times and took deep breaths and waited. Well, after about a half hour, they slowly stopped and back to sleep I went. The moment I woke up that morning at around 6:30 a.m. to get ready to go with Jeff to pick up Sophia, the contractions began once again. Only this time they were much lower and much stronger. I called the hospital just to let them know and see what they wanted me to do. They said it would be best if I came in just to get checked and see if I had dilated at all. If any cervical changes had occurred, they were going to have to do an emergency c-section. So Jeff hurried up and got ready. By the time we were in the car and headed to Kaiser Hospital in Sunnyside, my contractions had increased in strength and were getting closer and closer together. They quickly put me in a room to monitor my contractions and after about 45 minutes checked my cervix, only to find out I was already at 3 cm and progressing quite quickly. They immediately called a surgeon, drew some blood, and began all the paperwork for an emergency c-section. By the time I was wheeled up to the surgery room, my contractions were so intense I could barely stand. As I came upon the room where I was to have my c-section, two double doors opened and I walked into a bright, cold room with about 5 or 6 doctors all dressed in scrubs staring at me. As soon as I walked in they quickly grabbed me, sat me up on the table and began prepping me for a spinal tap. At this point my contractions were 3 min apart and getting almost unbearable. Not having Jeff in there with me while they were getting me ready for the c-section was probably the scariest part! Especially when they told me that I needed to hold still when they were doing the spinal tap, even if I was going through a contraction(ahhhh!) As I sat there, praying, "Lord, please let my next contraction hold off until they finish with the shot". The Lord heard my prayer, and I was able to get the shot, lie back on the table and get positioned before I felt my last very contraction. As I laid there feeling my body slowly go numb, Jeff was finally able to come in and sit next to my head and hold my hand while they proceeded with the c-section. I immediately relaxed the moment I saw him and felt his hand rubbing my head. After they told me I might feel a little pressure, it was only minutes (but seemed like seconds) before Jeff stood up and looked over the blue curtain and called out, "it's a girl!" The moment I heard her cry and saw her little face, I was in love! She was more beautiful than I could have even imagined! Once they cleaned her off and got her stable, they brought her over to me and I was able to kiss her on the head. I couldn't wait to hold her in my arms!







Peyton Olivia Boss came into this world on Sunday Feb.7th at 11:23 a.m. weighing 7 lbs. 8 oz. with a full head of dark brown hair. She is such a sweet and relaxed little girl and already loves to snuggle. Sophia is such a proud big sister and holds Peyton all the time. She even helps me change her diaper! She'll go grab me a diaper for Peyton and get me a wipe. She is such a great little helper! I look at my girls and am so in love! They are such precious little angels and I couldn't imagine life without them! Jeff and I are so thankful for our girls and can't wait to take them to the park together, go for family trips to the beach and give them baths together! Oh, what fun we are going to have with two!!!

Our Growing Family...

In the next five days our little family of 3 will grow to 4! Monday is the BIG day and we are getting more and more excited as it draws near. This little one is a tease just like it's big sister, Sophia, was when it came to the last two weeks of my pregnancy. Last night at 1:30 a.m. I had contractions for about a half an hour wondering if they were going to increase in intensity and we would have to go into the hospital. Just as in the case with my first, after about a half an hour the contractions stopped and back to sleep I went. I went through this three times with Sophia before we actually went in to the hospital. With Sophia I was wanting to go into labor early, one, because it was my first and I was so anxious and two, because honestly I was excited to experience the whole contraction/labor process. This time around however, I am hoping the baby holds off until Monday so that Jeff can be in the room with me and so that I can go into the surgery with a relaxed state of mind because I am already having a bit of anxiety over the idea of them cutting me open, and not being able to do anything for myself for a few weeks. I have wonderful friends and family that are taking time off of work to help us out for a few weeks after and have offered to bring us meals and cook dinner for us. We are surrounded with so many wonderful people and seriously could not do it without the love and support of each of them! We love you all and can't wait to introduce the newest little member of the Boss family to you all very soon! My sister in law, Katie, took these sweet maternity pictures of our family hanging out at home, just recently and I just loved them and had to share them with you!

GREAT NEWS!

After finding out a few months back that Kaiser had put an age restriction on visitors, due to the swine flu outbreak, I was so incredibly sad to have to accept the fact that Sophia would not be able to be a part of this long anticipated day! I almost cried the moment I found out I would have to leave my sweet little girl for three days while I sat in the hospital with the newest little member of our family. I stressed over it for quite some time, and then finally began to accept the fact that I couldn't change it and I knew she was going to be well taken care of by both grandparents, and I could see her the moment we left the hospital. Well.... GREAT news! I called the labor and delivery department yesterday because I had heard that they also had a limited number of visitors that you could have in your room at one time and I wanted to get all the facts straight. They told me that there is indeed only a certain amount of people (5 including the spouse) that can be in the room to visit at one time, but what I didn't expect to hear was that Sophia can now come up to the room to see us! I was so thrilled when I heard this! It is so important to me that Sophia be a part of this whole experience and get to see her little sister or brother in the hospital right after I deliver. I had planned on making her a "Big Sister" shirt no matter what, but now I'm so excited because she can actually wear it up to the hospital to come see her little sister or brother! Here's how it turned out:) I can't believe it's only a week away!!!

About to POP!

My tummy at 38 weeks

I can't believe how fast the past 8 1/2 months have flown by and in a little over a week we will be welcoming our second child into this world! I look at my stomach and feel like I'm going to POP! I seriously don't think my stomach can stretch anymore, lol. And I'm beginning to waddle! I have to admit I am both relieved, yet nervous at the same time about having a c-section with this one and have no idea what to expect. I do like the thought, however, of going into the hospital and being able to meet our little one in about a hour's time, and not have to be nervous about the birthing process like I was with Sophia. I find myself thinking what she (or he) will look like or how their personality will be.

Sophia has been such a big help to me lately and I know she will want to be involved once the baby comes home. She comes to me and says, "mom, baby-boop-boop" (which means, mom my baby pooped in her diaper and she needs a clean one), and goes and grabs a diaper and baby wipe and pretends to wipe and change her baby's diaper. She also wraps her baby dolls up in her blankets and rocks them and pats their back. I love seeing her being so nurturing to her dolls. I just hope when we bring the baby home, she realizes it's not one of her dolls, lol.

Jeff and I are so excited to have another child and we find ourselves talking about it at night in bed and wondering what it's going to be like to have two kids. We are excited, nervous, anxious, and curious all at the same time. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband to experience this whole journey with. He has been so good to me and will rub my back or bring me home special treats that I'm craving. He also helps so much with Sophia and asks me if he can do anything to take the load off of me. It's such a wonderful experience when you have the love of your life to share it with! I can't wait for what the next few weeks will bring!

God's Good Timing...

I was reading in a Max Lucado devotional the other day and came across a topic that I myself, and many people I know and love are wanting to know the answer to, "When God, when?" When will we have enough money, when will I be healed, when will I be worry-free? I admit, I have a "patience" problem. And the problem being, I have no patience. After having Sophia, I have learned much patience and have felt my trust in the Lord grow because of this. I am slowly learning to let go of control and any agenda I thought I had planned. The funny thing is, I was never in control to begin with. I think the reason the thought of losing control scares me so much is that to let go of control one has to be vulnerable. I have never liked the thought of being vulnerable. I have always been guarded and a "do-it-yourselfer". But I have realized that many times in my life no matter how hard I try to change my circumstances, or make things go away, I simply cannot. I am going through this valley for a reason, and though I may feel that the Lord is not answering me or hearing my cry, He promised that we will never weather the storm alone ("I will be with you always" Matt 28:20) and though He may not come rescue us from our trials, He is right there alongside us and will reveal His purpose and plan to us in His perfect timing.

I am sharing this story that is close to my heart because I think it accurately displays God's heart and how much He loves us.

After my mom remarried a wonderful man, and me and my brother were a bit older, they decided they wanted to try to have kids together. Excited like every married couple is when they decide they want to have more kids, they had high hopes and many expectations. Well, as the months passed and no little pink lines appeared on the pregnancy tests, they started to get concerned. They bought fertility tests, fertility medications and my mom was constantly charting her temperature and such to predict ovulation. As the years went on I saw my parent's excitement dwindle and doubt set in. My mom even had surgery and both my parents underwent many tests. Except for a little scar tissue from her previous pregnancies, they couldn't find anything wrong with my mom or dad. Frustrated and defeated they began to think maybe they just weren't meant to have kids together. I remember praying to God every night asking Him and begging Him to let my parents have a baby because I knew that was the only thing they wanted more then anything. After 7 or so years of trying and many tears, they learned of invitro. They decided to check it out and set up a meeting with a doctor. The fact that nothing was physically wrong with my mom or dad, led the doctors to believe that the egg and sperm were just having problems meeting so the egg could be fertilized. My parents decided this would be there last attempt and if this didn't work, then maybe they were meant to adopt rather then have their own biologically. After the first session, they put four fertilized eggs in my mom and said they would have her come back to see if any of the eggs implanted and if she were pregnant. I remember the night before her doctor appointment, my dad was so excited he couldn't wait and begged my mom to take a pregnancy test. I was thirteen at the time and was so excited about the thought of having a little brother or sister! My mom ended up taking the test, and when she came out with a negative test, we were all pretty bummed. However, the next morning when she came back from the doctors she had wonderful news to tell us! She was in fact pregnant! I couldn't believe it! After so many years of trying, they had finally be blessed with a baby and I was going to be a big sister. They had also told her at her appointment that because they had put four eggs in, they would have her come back in a month to see if there was more than one baby. They checked her HCG levels and they were pretty low, so they said there probably wasn't more than one, but they would have her come back for a follow up appointment just as procedure. That afternoon my brother, Shawn, and I got home from school and my mom and dad were no where to be found. We were so anxious to know the results! On the fridge they had left the ultrasound photo hanging in clear view. It was almost comical because no matter how long or how hard we stared at that picture, we could not figure out the results. I was 13 at the time and my brother was 17. We had never seen one of these things before. The picture revealed a dark area (my mom's stomach), and three oval shaped white spots. When they finally got home, we ran up to them asking what they found out and what the ultrasound picture showed. They smiled and looked at each other and then at us and said, "we're having triplets!" My jaw dropped to the floor and I felt like I was dreaming! First we didn't even think she was pregnant, then the doctors tell us there's probably only one baby, and now I am going to be the big sister of triplets!? As we look back now, we realize how perfect the Lord's timing is and His plan for our family all along. Though we thought He wasn't hearing our cry, He was just preparing our family for the three blessings He was going to give to us. When I prayed for one baby and asked, "Lord why can't my parents have a baby?" He wasn't ignoring our prayers, nor was He saying no to their desire for another child. Rather He was preparing our family for the multiple babies He was going to bless us with.

God was in control and knew all along what was best for our family. Had my parents become pregnant with triplets sooner, they would have not been able to afford the enormous medical bills. The triplets were 3 months early and had to be in the hospital for 2 months. For each baby, it cost 1,000's of dollars a day to have them in the NICU. Our entire extended family joined together and prayed daily for the triplets to grow strong and healthy. My parents also had so much help and support from family and friends at this time in their lives and my mom was able to take all the time she needed off of work to rest and heal and my dad had some money saved up just because that helped pay the medical bills. I was also at the age where I could really help my parents and would take night shifts so that they could try to get some sleep.

My 11 year old sister Cassidy (one of the triplets)

My two 11 year old brothers, Cole and Cameron

When my parents first began trying to get pregnant, they never thought they'd see the light at the end of the tunnel. But now we all look back and see that the Lord was in control and paving the way for His numerous blessings He was going to give to our family the entire time. And my parents had to be patient for almost 8 years! Don't lose hope! Our God is a good God and He knows our needs and the desires of our heart. He is always in control and wants to bless us. We just have to let go of the reins and hand them over to Him.

I love how Max Lucado puts it:

"Though you hear nothing, he is speaking. Though you see nothing, he is acting. With God there are no accidents. Every incident is intended to bring us closer to him."

ON SALE NOW!

I have just recently added some new original designs to my Etsy store Glass Cocoon as my high end line. These designs include higher end elements such as Sterling Silver, 14k Gold fill, silk, freshwater pearls, and swarovski crystal. They are high quality and carefully designed pieces. Be sure to check them out and let me know what you think! Click the link on the right to go directly to my store.

I also extended my shipping special through January 31st! Purchase one item and the shipping on the second item is FREE! You only pay $2.00 for both!