Just about two years later

A lot has happened in the past couple years.  For instance, this little beauty went from a pretty little chunker to a beautiful little lady.

        

                    
The boys grew into men

        

 
Instead of killing myself in an attempt to recap our last two years, I will tell you what we are doing now...

Nathan is doing great at work. Moving up and enjoying what he does.  I am so thankful to God that He has a job that allows me to be home with my kids.  We are so blessed.

I am staying home with my three and watching another girl 5 days a week.  We homeschool and are learning how to play together nicely right now.  :) She is a wonderful addition to our group and we are thankful for her every day.

Ezekiel is growing up way too fast.  He is tall enough to reach the kitchen faucet and if he struggles he finds a chair and gets the job done.  He loves helping, tickling, snuggling and making inventions.

Isaiah is learning how to express his imagination through story telling.  He told us an adorable story at the dinner table about two friends who were fighting off a thumb...  he was using his one hand for the whole story.  We love seeing his free thinking.

Zariyah is our little spitfire.  Extremely beautiful with an attitude. She is sweet and loves to hug and kiss and snuggle, but also loves her independence.  She can be demanding and can through fits with the best of them, but she is learning boundaries and keeps us laughing almost constantly.  She is a little warrior too... she is constantly instigating attack style play with her brothers... growling like a tiger and chasing until she can catch them and give them a tickle.  Apparently she is pretty good at tickling too... based on the belly laugh and begging for mercy that Zeke was expressing the other day. :)

We are Expecting our 4th baby on July 4th! We are so excited and looking forward to our journey with another little life.

Keep checking back because this blog will soon be more active.

Blessings


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Isaiah Tumau is 1!!!

Isaiah Tumau Allen

June 30, 2011, 3:37 am

8lbs 2oz, 20 1/4 inches long

Birth Story

Dear Isaiah,

Every day I am amazed by you, by your appearance, our blond hair, blue eyed boy! Then by personality. You are CRAZY! I love your attitude. You are always up for a laugh. Always trying to get others to laugh. You make the most amazing crazy faces... Like your famous scrunchy face which I really hope you keep forever! You are sweet and considerate. You love playing, you love people, you love to explore! I was amazed when you were six months old and were completely mesmerized by a car wheel, the way you looked at it and touched it and watched the effect of your hand make the wheel go around. You are always trying to figure out how things work. Your mind seems to be racing all the time. Now, you try to mimic the syllables we use while talking to you! Dog, duck, dad and cat all sound similar. Isaiah, you are such a gift. God provided the perfect son for your dad and I and the perfect little brother for Zeke. I love the way you look up to Zeke and want to play with him or attack him whenever he allows it. You are great at bringing him out of his shell and being a great friend to him. I love watching the bro's play together! Thank you Isaiah for the blessing that you are. I am utterly amazed by you. I can't wait to see the things you learn and the ways you develop this year. I'm so thankful that you are here. I can't imagine life without you!

Boyz

It's catch up time again!

With all the cold weather lately, we've been practicing the art of bundling up. Isaiah is super cozy!

Isaiah is getting in some quality Dad time.

Two of my handsome men opening their first Christmas gift together.

The cutest thing ever... Little babies falling asleep all by themselves. :)

Peek-a-boo!

The last day the farmers market was open in 2010.

Aren't they cute!

This had to be documented... Isaiah can suck his toes.

It's pretty stinking cute.

One of those wonderful times when your baby actually wants to snuggle with you. Man, I love those moments!

Best Buds!

Since November, we've been busy getting ready for Christmas. We've done lots of baking... We got all of our shopping done relatively early and Ezekiel made his first Gingerbread House! He loved it!

Ezekiel has been growing and changing. He's wearing 4T shirts and pants now and is officially 2 and a half! He is talking in sentences and has a really great sense of humor. He's totally a sponge now so we have to be super aware of what we or anyone else says around him... it will be repeated. He talks constantly! He likes to practice his alphabet and numbers. He will sit down with me and ask: "Mom, what game should we play?" or he'll say to his dad when he comes home from work: "I'm so glad you're home Dad. I'm so glad you're home." When I come out of my room wearing something I haven't worn in a while or something new he says: "I love your outfit Mom! I love your outfit!" He is such a sweetheart! He's pretty much 100% potty trained... We still help him every time, but accidents are few and far between. I'm so thankful that he is a thoughtful quick learner. Zeke loves to help his brother too... sometimes. He is having some issues with jealousy and has been learning about feelings... I'm trying to help him understand that other people have feelings just like Zeke does so he needs to be sensitive to that. I think it's kind of a hard lesson, but he's catching on slowly.

Isaiah is sitting very well on his own now. He still throw's himself forward or back sometimes, but mostly he sits very well. He does not like being on his belly... Sometimes he surprises me by being ok with it, but most of the time he starts crying if he rolls onto his belly. It's pretty tough at night because he starts tossing and turning and wakes himself up by ending up on his belly. He is getting better and better dexterity. I'm always pretty impressed at how good he is at getting a hold on things. We got him a walker a while back and he's pretty much mastered it already. He loves having the freedom to move around the room as he pleases, however, with that mobility, we have to re-childproof the house because he can suddenly get into things... Isaiah has a wonderful little personality. He has bright blue eyes and loves to smile at everyone. He loves being with his mama and is good at showing love to people. He gives the sweetest hugs! I absolutely love being his mom and I love seeing how much he looks up to his big brother. It's amazing how much he loves being around Zeke and trying to keep up with him. It's going to be fun this summer when they can actually chase each other around.

Nathan and I are doing great. We are learning more and more about each other and how to run a family. Nathan is a great husband, dad, protecter, provider and friend. I'm so thankful for him everyday.

Selfish Parenting

Isaiah is 20 weeks old today or close to 5 months... He still has bright blue eyes and has such a sweet personality. He's funny, loves to laugh and smile and loves getting his mama's attention! These days when we put him on his back he starts playing with his feet. It's pretty cute. He's getting better at sitting.... he isn't nearly ready to do it on his own, but he wants to and his muscles are developing. =)

He still hasn't rolled from back to front, but I think it's because he doesn't like being on his stomach. He's very good at rolling from front to back and does lots of baby crunches. Isaiah is very vocal. He likes to compete with Zeke for noise levels and attention. I think both boys have been dealing with jealousy issues...

I've realized during the past week and a half why I haven't potty trained Zeke yet. The reason is that I can no longer change his diaper when it's convenient for me. I can't make him last just a little longer at the grocery store or take a little longer on our walks in the stroller or go for a long run. I also hate cleaning up that kind of mess so why would I want to initiate that kind of mess happening in my house for a week plus???

Well, I finally broke down and tried it. A week ago last Monday we started potty training Ezekiel and he is doing amazing! The first 3 days were a mental hell for me trying to read the signs and figure out what Zeke's own personal pee dance looked like, but now we're a pretty good team. Zeke isn't fully trained yet, but he's pretty great at going potty on the toilet. I feel sane again and now I don't have to change a 2 year old's diapers. I think that is pretty awesome. Way to go ZEKE!!
In other news, Nathan and I are participating in a 30 day diet that is supposed to help your body heal from processed foods and so much more. The reason I wanted to do the diet was because I felt like we were too focused on the carbs or grains in our diet and not focused enough on veggies and foods that were good for us. Now we have seven days left. I've lost 15 lbs and I'm pretty sure that my mental function has improved. Nathan and I actually have the energy to have a conversation after the boys are in bed. My cravings for sugary foods have decreased and I've realized that it isn't impossible to make meals every day. I think this diet has shown me that I'm more capable than I thought I was and I've made some pretty awesome foods. Now I'm nervous for Thanksgiving which is the first day off the diet. I don't want those 15 lbs to reappear in the first day! Zeke has been on the diet with us, but not so strictly... We haven't had any bread in the house for the past 23 days so yesterday Zeke came up to me with his shoes and said "We better get going to the restaurant so we can buy some bread. We better get going!!" It was so cute! So I broke down and bought a loaf of bread for Zeke. He's pretty happy. Thankfully though, on this diet, Zeke has discovered that he absolutely loves broccoli, fresh bell peppers and cucumbers. =)

Nathan and I just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! I'm so thankful that I have such a wonderful partner in my life. God has blessed us in our marriage and with 2 amazing little boys and we couldn't be happier.

Seahawks Win!!!

Our littlest fan encourages the Seahawks to beat the Bears 23-20.

Isaiah Tumau Allen

Isaiah Tumau Allen

June 30, 2010

3:37 am

8lbs 2oz

20 1/4 inches long

15 inch head!!!

Isaiah's birth story:

At around 4pm on the 29th I had my first painful contraction just after loading Ezekiel into the car to get some groceries for dinner and some last minute supplies for after the baby was born. The pain wasn't too bad so I continued to the store. Once there, I was trying to find some Witch Hazel and then got frustrated because the contractions were getting more painful and were pretty close together. I called Nate and told him I needed some witch hazel and asked him to pick it up on his way home from work because I was beside myself and needed to go home. He agreed, but by the time I paid for my groceries and was loaded in the car, I was in tears. So, I called Nate back and told him to forget the witch hazel and that I was coming to pick him up at the office.

We got home and called G&G Allen to have them head to Bellingham to be with Zeke. I didn't want Zeke to be sad or worried about me as I anticipated the contractions would become more painful. Thankfully Abby was able to come over early to take Zeke to her house where he would be spending the night. We were really glad to have Zeke taken care of. We were then able to take the time to finalize some cleaning, cooked a yummy dinner, and set up a peaceful environment. Through this time I continued to labor. To try and add some helpful distraction we listened to a comedy CD, which was hilarious, but laughter isn't easy during a contraction. Around this time we started to time contractions so we'd have info to give my Midwife. They were consistently between 3-5 minutes apart lasting from 45 seconds to a minute each. Finally when I was becoming more vocal through them, we decided to call my Midwife. When I talked to her she said that she thought it was probably false labor because they started out so close together and weren't consistent enough. I was frustrated because but carried on. then at about 9pm we called her again to give an update and she said she would meet us at the birthing center at 10:50. We got there and my contractions completely stopped. I was 1 centimeter dilated and my cervix was still long and hard. I was so disappointed and frustrated. So many hours of painful contractions that did absolutely nothing.

We went home and I took some Tylenol PM and cried through every contraction (they started up again) because they were painful and unhelpful and I was feeling like they were pointless. Nate and I talked for a while, he encouraged me a lot and then prayed for me out loud for quite a while. I fell asleep at about 12:30 am. At 2:04 am I woke up with a contraction that I had to moan through. Nate woke up startled by my sounds asked if I was OK and then we both went back to sleep. I had 4 in a row where I was able to fall asleep in between them. then at 2:36 I couldn't lay down through them anymore. I got up on the bed on my hands and knees and asked Nate to push on my hips. It was intense!!! I was still frustrated, thinking that it was all for nothing, but I was in control of my emotions the whole time and very coherent through all the contractions and between them. After having a couple contractions on the bed, I decided to stand up and walk around just to see if they would stop if I positioned myself differently. They didn't stop. As soon as I walked into the hall from my bedroom, I felt pressure and needed to use the bathroom immediately. I went through a few contractions on the toilet and then asked Nate to call the midwife. We both felt strange calling her since she had sent us home just a few hours before because of false labor and no progression. Finally I convinced Nate that he should call because this was different and she was welcome to tell us that we are still in false labor if she wants, but I needed her to know what I was going through. I stood up and had a few contractions while holding onto the sink while Nate was on the phone with the midwife. I heard her ask if I was feeling the urge to push. I answered that yes, I did feel a slight urge, but nothing really bad at all. She told Nate that she needed some time, but could probably meet us at the birthing center in an hour... This was about 3 am. I moved to the living room, folded a yoga mat in half and knelt on it with my elbows on the couch so I could rest easier between the contractions. By this time, the contractions were extremely powerful and I didn't want Nate touching me anymore. He tried rubbing my back during a contraction (he's so sweet), but I told him he can't touch gentle, he has to press hard if he's going to touch at all. At 3:15 my water broke.... That was the point when I was convinced it wasn't false anymore... This baby was coming. Nathan called the midwife back to let her know that my water broke and she not to try to meet her at the birthing center, but that she was coming to our house and she was calling a midwife that lived closer to see if she could get here a little sooner. I continued laboring. In between contractions Nathan and I were really at peace. We were overwhelmed with love for each other, kissing and hugging and snuggling together. Suddenly felt this crazy urge to push. I wasn't sure if I should go ahead and do it or wait... Nate and I were the only ones at the house at the time. Our midwife called us back to see how things were going (while she was driving) and that's when I told Nate I had the urge. My body was pushing on it's own so I couldn't really stop what was happening. Nate suddenly told the midwife that he could see the head and then he told me to go ahead and push him out. Our midwife was on speaker phone during the pushing. I think I pushed once through a contraction and out he came. Nate choked back tears and said Shaloma here is your son as he passed him between my legs to my arms. I turned around and sat on the floor holding him close to my chest. He was so perfect, but he didn't cry, he was gurgling every once in a while... the midwife told us to rub his back so we did at his color was getting better and better. About 5 minutes later Ann came in (she was my midwife for Zeke's birth). It was amazing seeing her. She was like an angel walking in. She got us a blanket for Isaiah and then our doula walked in and then about 5 minutes later, right after the after birth showed up my midwife Winni came in. She took over and helped me start to breast feed. Then everyone helped me up and we went to the bed where my midwife sutured me up (I had a slight tear with probably 10 stitches or something. no where near as bad as last time). I fed Isaiah for about an hour before she wanted to do her mobility testing, weight and measurements. Even though this was an unplanned unassisted birth, it was the absolutely best possible birthing scenario for Nathan and I. We were so at peace, so full of love. We knew that God was with us from the start and now we have an absolutely perfect little family. I'm so thankful for all 3 of my guys.

Isaiah means: God is salvation in Hebrew

Tumau means: To stand up or to stand firm in Samoan