Around our house today....

Alden is learning about computers and how they work....



Lucy is feeling sick with a fever. The Tylenol has finally kicked in and she is now moving around and finally eating something.


And the littlest man is sleeping... surprise, surprise (it's not nighttime so he is zoned out!)


And Susie - you asked to see the picture Regan told you about....
I'm a bit embarrassed to show it...
you'll see why in a second.
Regan took the two oldest on a walk on Sunday and they stopped at the playground. Lucy was standing by the teeter-todder and Alden didn't realize she was so close, and he got on it.... so her face met the board rather hard.
After Regan took the picture, she asked to see it and then started to laugh cause she looked so funny. When she saw it today she told me that her face was funny and covered in blood. And that she got in on her sweater. That was what made her sad, not the pain.

About me

Some things I have learned about myself lately.

1. It's come to my attention that people *gasp* don't think of us as a young couple. When did that happen?? I'm not one of those people who has ever worried about getting older. You can ask me how old I am. I don't mind. Even when I'm older. Ask me. I don't care. While driving home from church I asked Regan when we made that trek into the middle aged crowd. Cause we are both 30 now (well Regan is next week) or cause we now have 3 kids. He said probably both.

2. Quite a few people have asked me how it is with three kids. And I've been thinking about it this week. Since I am really starting to go stir crazy just sitting around at home breastfeeding all day. I like to get things done. I get it from my mom. I need a to do list every day. I need to accomplish things. So I've gone out of the house with the kids (and been chastised by a few older ladies about having such a small baby out of the house already). And almost every time has been a bit of a gong show. And you know what, it's not Alden. He's been so good and helpful. And it's not Eli. He's sleeping away. It's that tricky little two year old daughter of mine who likes things her own way. So I don't know if it is the three kids that is hard, or the fact that I still have a two year old who hasn't grown out of her tough stage.

3. I've had two kids before this. But I forgot how much time breastfeeding takes. How it seems for the first while that that is all you do. I've always enjoyed breastfeeding and it has always come quite easily to me. (Which I am very grateful for) but I just forgot the time. I've taken to reading books while I feed Eli. I'm finished two (one Jodi Picoulit and one David Baldacci). And halfway thru another one. (The Historian). And the amount of diapers we go thru around here each day is amazing. Between Eli and Lucy - I spent a lot of time wiping bums. :)

And since a post without pictures, here are some newly scanned pages.

Eli and Lucy

Some new pictures of little Eli.






And a few of you asked about Lucy's ER experience.

The night before little Eli decided he wanted to stay up til 1am.... so in the morning I was a little groggy.... anyway I was downstairs and Lucy was upstairs by herself. She came down eventually and ran upstairs to change Eli and found a bottle of Tylenol 3's open and spread all over the floor.

I asked her how many she ate and she said none..... so I thought I'd just watch her and see what she did. Fast forward an hour and she pukes twice. But she still says she didn't eat any pills and that she feels great.
I really needed to go to the grocery store and she had stopped puking, so we went. Got things into my cart at the store and she pukes all over them. And some lady was absolutely disgusted with me. She rolled her eyes and was like "well okay then"

Lucy starts getting really sleepy in the van. Red eyes. Staring into space. Come home (quickly) call my FIL and he says I should call poison control just to be safe. They tell me to go the ER.

So Lucy, Eli and I spent 6 hours being "observed" and having her blood taken waiting for results. The amounts were so low that they sent us home.

The classic Lucy part of the day?? She sat perfectly still while they took her blood. The nurses commented on how she did better than some adults. But then had a great big freak out at the hospital cause she wanted to stay (since she got to lay on a warm bed and watch tv all day.) That is my girl.

Happy and thankful.

We're happy.
Happy and thankful.

For Heather, who took lovely pictures of Eli. Who brought a huge basket full of books, magazines, diapers, chocolate treats, outfits and a wonderful dinner.

For Andrea who hosted a baby pool and sent lovely gifts from the lovely kind ladies at Scraptivity who sent wonderful gifts both scrapbooking stuff and cute outfits for Eli.

For Crystal, who is as generous as her daughter Heather, sending baby gifts and books for both Alden and Lucy too.

For the Pilling family, mailing a Nova Scotia shirt for Eli and stickers for the other two.

For dinner every night for a week brought from Karen, Stephanie, Heather, Kim, Phil & Lisa.

For my neighbors who have been checking on me and letting my big kids play at their houses. (Especially on days when we have an 5 hour ER visit from Lucy finding the Tylenol 3 with Codine.)

For a weekend with most of my whole family in Radium. Where everyone else went to the pool and had fun and I slept, read and held Eli.

Many times I think people are way to kind to me. Way more than I deserve.
I am extremely grateful.
Grateful for Alden and Regan.
And grateful for these two.

8 things

1. Check out my generous, sweet, kind, friend Heather's cute picture of Eli. Good eh?? I'm excited to see the other ones she did. :)

2. Lucy has decided that she likes to sit on my lap while I breastfeed. Yes it is totally annoying. She has to poke at me parts and say "mom what is that, let me see it." She's a tiny bit emotional lately too.

3. Got a new calling at church. And I am TOTALLY excited about it. Enrichment Leader. (this explains what it is) I'm super excited to get classes and groups going. My dream calling.

4. Regan delivered his first baby all by himself (well the doctor was there). Which is pretty cool.

5. I'd love to be doing some scrapbooking. But my basement is waaaay to cold to take little Eli down too. So it's just gonna have to wait..... hopefully soon! Here are some creations from the July kit (I made just days before Eli was born)





6. Alden is still so delighted to have Eli around. It is sooooo cute. HE loves to hold him, sing to him, help me give him a bath.


7. This weekend we get to go with all my family to Radium Hot Springs for a reunion of sorts. Should be lots of fun. My kiddos ask each morning how many days are left until the cousin weekend.

8. Little Eli in his Sunday outfit.

In His first ten days

In His first ten days, Eli:
• slept for 8 hours on his first night and hasn't done longer than 3.5 since then
• rode in the car and/or van for over 920 km
• met every aunt, uncle and cousin in the Steed family
• attended a wedding for his Uncle Pete and Aunt Gabrielle
• was held by various people at a wedding reception
• was babysat for the first time by some cousins
• was changed at least 60 times (probably more)
• got a brand new outfit for the wedding
• slept in a crib and two laundry baskets
• had his first bath at grandma steed's house
• was sang to multiple times by Alden (including one prompt to performance around midnight in the dark)
• was given multiple baby gifts
• was held by his big brother many, many times (and a few times by his big sister)
• snuggled and snuggled and snuggled with many people
• threw up three times
• had an exploding poop all over his mom, the couch, and a coloring book (good thing we have leather couches!)
• was offered cheerios (to go with his milk) by his older sister multiple times
• used a borrowed car seat for his first ride home
• got seen by two different health nurses - one in Lethbridge and one in Calgary
• started out at 8 pounds 14 ounces, dropped to 8 pounds 3 ounces and back up to 8 pounds 10.5 ounces
• went to church and was ooohhh and aaahhed about by multiple older ladies
• celebrated grandma steed's birthday
• was seen by two different doctors
• was videoed by grandpa the first time his brother and sister met him
• listened to books read by his mom with his big brother and sister
• was completely surrounded by love







Thanks for all the well wishes!
If I'm looking for comments on here, looks like I should have a baby more often. :)

Introducing.....

Eli Davis Steed.
June 28, 2008
8:59pm
8 pounds 14 ounces


The kids now out number us. :)
And we couldn't be happier.


Friday night we decided to drive down to Raymond so that Regan could run the yearly Harlan 10km Race in Raymond. (Part of the July 1st celebrations) We hummed and hawed about going, and decided the worst thing that could happen is that we'd go into labour down there. So we grabbed two sleepers and two diapers to take with us, kind of just in case.
Saturday morning Regan got up and ran the race (got second in his category). And me and the kiddos watched him come in.

Alden loved cheering for the racers. :) Visited with people, played at the playground, etc. Went home to the inlaws for lunch and stuff.

Contractions had been here and there. But nothing substantial. I decided we should go for a walk to see if things would get going. So we walked over to visit SIL and walked back to the inlaws.
Contractions here and there. While sitting on the couch in the living room (Regan was up studying for his exam tomorrow) I was trying to listen to my FIL as he was talking to me about pictures for the wedding... but was feeling contractions again. But closer and stronger. He stops talking, looks at me "Rhonda, are you in labour?"
me: "Um maybe"
So we started timing them. And they were close. Around 3-4 minutes. So FIL says, "You need to decide now, are you having this baby in Raymond or Lethbridge."

Now there are only two drs in Raymond who deliver babies. One is my FIL. I picked Lethbridge (they have epidurals there!) FIL goes upstairs and says to Regan "Do you know your wife is in labour?" FIL calls in to see which OB GYN is on call in Lethbridge, finds out, knows him, so he calls him and tells him his daugther in law is down from Calgary and in labour, could he deliver the baby.

So we get moving along fairly quickly. As contractions are close together. Probably our quickest trip to Lethbridge from Raymond! We get into the hospital and get settled. Give all the info and they check me and I'm at 4.5 - 5. They ask if I want an epidural (yes, yes, yes). So then things start slowing down. Get the magic needle, things slow down more. To about 7 minutes apart.
Dr comes in and says "So you don't want grandpa to deliver the baby?"
At 7:45pm the dr comes back and breaks my water.
At 8:59 he was born after about 10 minutes of pushing.

And I am still surprised that they said boy. I was expecting a girl. No real reason. Just was. But we are super happy to have little Eli here. And yes. I felt a million times better as soon as he was out. No more heart burn. I was hungry and didn't feel sick. Just hungry.

Some pictures of him freshly out.