"I like him. We should keep him"

That was Crew's first impression of his new brother! Phew! I'm glad he kind of likes him. I will do a little post on our Christmas but let me start with this sweet boy. Most of the day Saturday I was feeling a little bit off. You would think I would know what it feels like to go into labor but I was induced with Crew so this was a very new experience for us! Matt of course, came down with the flu Saturday night and after he spent some quality time with the toilet, a friend came and gave him a blessing about 10:30. By 1 am I knew I was having contractions but tried to sleep through them since they weren't very strong or consistent. By 4 I couldn't sleep anymore. At 4:15, which is 5:15 Arizona time, I called and woke my poor mother and asked if she could be on the 8:00 flight to Burbank. I woke Matt up at 6 and Crew must of sensed the excitement because he was up a few minutes later. We spent some time together that morning and talked with Crew more about what was going to happen. We had talked about it so much but it was crazy that this was the real thing. We dropped Crew off at our neighbors about 7:45 and headed down to the hospital. This was very emotional for me but somehow Crew didn't catch on to his mama's emotions. We got to the hospital and after being checked and monitored, I was admitted. It took a while for me to dilate but once my water broke I went from a 5 to a 10 in less than 30 minutes. Next thing we knew, Graham made his entrance into the world. He is perfect little guy and we are so excited to have him in our family.

Right when he came out I couldn't believe how much he looked like Crew! Maybe a little more hair.

Graham's hands were purple for so long after he came out! I think he has bad circulation like his mama. Luckily he shouldn't have vein problems from pregnancy!

I feel like Matt and I look so hammered in these pics since we didn't get much sleep and Matt was still a little off from his flu bug. Graham and I had to stay in the hospital until Tuesday morning and I was so anxious to get out! I missed my Crewboy so much but he did well with grandma. Matt stayed home the second night and made a couple visits too but he needed his mom. Here is our happy reunion Tuesday morning when he met us outside the hospital. I was totally crying but so happy to have all my boys together!

So far Crew has done pretty well with Graham. He did tell me babies cry a lot. For the most part, Crew doesn't really notice Graham except for little moments. But he has been testing mom and dad a little bit lately during this whole transition phase.

Crew showing his brother how to play baseballHere are a few more pics of our sweet baby boy. He also sleeps a lot, this is a big world for such a little guy.



We feel so blessed to have our too sweet boys. I am very grateful for modern medicine, the love and support of family, and the blessings Heavenly Father has given this family. We truly feel blessed!

A Late Christmas Present...Early

Graham David Allen
12/27/2009 at 4:13 pm
6 lb 11 oz, 19.5 inches

Shannon went into labor Saturday night (about 2 weeks before the Jan. 5th due date). Lynnette flew out Sunday morning to watch Crew after we went to the hospital. Labor was slow. Delivery was quick. Both Shannon and our little boy performed like seasoned veterans! Everyone is doing fantastic!

More details to come as soon as Shannon gets a hold of the computer!

Pre-Christmas Visit

My mom called us towards the end of last week and asked if she could come visit us for a few days since we couldn't go home for Christmas. We said "heck yes!" so after Matt finished his last final Tuesday morning, we went to the airport and picked up grandma. It was so much fun having her here! We grabbed lunch and headed to the Arboretum to spend the afternoon. It was fun for Crew and I to show Matt and mom our awesome Arboretum. Here is a family pic inside the stick maze.

Crew would really live here if he could!

It was such a beautiful day and fall colors are still hanging around so we had to take more pictures.

So thrilled to be with his grandma!
Isn't this a beautiful scene!

We stopped by Costco on our way home then had a mellow night since we were all spent from our afternoon outing. Mom and I wrapped presents and it was so nice to just hang out together. I am really going to miss that part this Christmas.

Wednesday morning, mom and I took Crew for a stroller ride while Matt got to enjoy some well deserved surfing. We all got home and cleaned up then stopped for a few pics by this perfect fall scene. Crew is giving his brother a hug while we try to get a decent family picture.

Here is the closet one we got. Not very good but pretty background.

From there we drove out to Newport. Our first stop was Fashion Island for a ride on the merry-go-round, fountains, and dinner. I love how little he still looks here considering how big he is now!Then it was time for the Christmas boat parade. We met up with our friends the Ciracs and took the ferry over to Balboa Island. The houses over there were completely decked out! It was so much fun!

Someone wasn't in a picture mood that night but check out the penguins behind them.

One of the boats in the parade. It was really fun to see all the boats!

Crew and Grandma watching the parade

The Allens and the Ciracs

Our little festive group. Thanks Allie for inviting us to this fun event!

Thursday morning my mom watched Crew for us while Matt and I went to a doctor's appointment. When we came home, I was so surprised to see my dad had flown out to spend the day with us too! It was such a great day to spend with my parents. We walked over to a fun little restaurant to have lunch and enjoy a beautiful day, stopping in some of the fun stores along Mission street. Then we went to Lacy Park to enjoy the rest of our time together. Crew was showing off some of his cool tricks for his grand parents.
This is a terrible picture of most of us but funny since we were experimenting with the timer.

Crew and Grandma playing in the leaves

This boy truly enjoyed having his grandma and grandpa here so much! After we dropped them off at the airport tonight he kept begging us to go back and pick them up again. He wanted them to come back to his house tonight! Who wouldn't love these two!

Thank you so much mom and dad for coming out and spending some time with us! I love you so much and my big boy keeps telling me to hurry and get brother out so you can come back again really soon! You guys are the greatest!

P.S. For those of you who are wondering what you did to get taken off the Christmas card list this year, don't worry! We are foregoing Christmas cards this year since we will be sending birth announcements very soon! So just know we still love you and love getting all your cards and will be sending you our family update soon!

P.S.S. This baby should be here in less than three weeks since my doctor wants to induce me if I haven't had him by 39 weeks because of my lovely veins in my right leg! My due date was Jan 5th so this baby may be here in 2009! I will keep you updated.

12 Days of Giveaways

After weeks of constant computer checking, finally getting to sign up and actually receiving a confirming phone call, Matt was able to get two standby tickets to Day 5 of the 12 Days of Giveaways show on Ellen. Honestly, to give all the details of this process are crazy. But Matt's name was one of the lucky names chosen to get tickets. Acting in sync with the selfless spirit of Christmas, I let my sister Maren accompany Matt to this exciting event. What a crazy couple of days we had!
Maren and the boys drove up Monday afternoon and it was pouring and freezing cold! We still needed to get out and enjoy some of the fun holiday things around town so Monday night Maren and I took the boys to the Americana for the snow and to see Santa. They do a little snow storm (soap bubbles) every night but it felt cold enough to be real snow that night! The kids loved it though!

Crew and Carson were especially excited to be together since Crew doesn't get to go to Grandma's house for Christmas.

Those poor red noses. I actually bought Crew a big coat at Old Navy that night because it was so freezing!

The next morning Matt and Maren were up at 4:30 to go wait in line for their standby tickets. Since Matt was the one who actually won the tickets, he had to be one of the ones going. Luckily it just happened to be his reading day! They froze, studied and tried to keep busy until about 8 when they got their tickets. They came back home about 9 and so Maren and I took the boys to the zoo for a little bit. Here they are enjoying the leaves.

Maren and Matt left about 12:30 to go back to the studio leaving me with three crazy boys! The boys were pretty good considering Parker didn't really nap and they were all a little tired to begin with. By 5:30 pm I was pretty beat. We had been to the park, played all kinds of games, so the only thing left was this! They actually really enjoyed the couch torn up! It helped me survive the last hour or so. You have to love the capes!

Maren and Matt had a great time and were able to get into the show! Perhaps one of my favorite stories about their day was being told they were the cutest couple in the audience! They did both look pretty dang cute! Anyway, they won some really fun stuff and when they got home a little before 7, the boys were bathed, fed, and pretty much ready for bed. Not bad for this worn out prego lady! I must say that even though we were all totally pooped, it was totally worth it! Maren and the boys left the next morning and Crew took a three hour nap! Thanks Maren for coming up and Merry Christmas!

The Little Things

Tonight after Matt got home, he and Crew were dancing to a Weezer's Christmas Song when Crew suddenly stopped and said "Dad, I really love you!" Then he hugged Matt's legs and said "I haven't seen you for so long!" They then resumed dancing and life went on. Crew will frequently do things like this and I love how it makes me stop and appreciate his simple, honest, mind and heart. I am so grateful for a son who teaches me just as much if not more than I teach him.

Keeping Busy

With my energy level starting to drop, I have been trying to find fun things for Crew to do that don't require me to do so much. Tuesday was free day at the Arboretum again so I took Crew and let him roam the grounds. He loved it of course!

Crew loves the stick maze there and happily running and hiding for an hour easy. I love these eyes and can't get enough of those sweet freckles. I just want to kiss them every chance I get!

The stick maze

The next day, I thought I would try to be one of those fun and festive moms so we made an apple turkey. Considering my lack of creativity, we did pretty well with what we had on hand!

Crew enjoyed this activity especially when he could sneak a marshmallow or fruit snack for himself!

Crew has also been very into forts lately. He calls them his caves. So my house is frequently being turned upside down but it sure makes this little guy happy.

After playing inside the cave for a little while we usually turn on some music and dance (or jump around like a crazy man) to the music. He loves this!

I think we are all realizing how close brother is getting! Crew and I talk about him often and I have began preparing him for the big day. I must say I am more worried about Crew than anything. With the flu season right now, kids are not allowed to come into the hospital so I won't be able to see him for a couple days or introduce him to his new brother for a few days and that makes me so sad to think about! I am way too attached to this boy!

So I am trying to make the most of every last minute I have with just the two of us. Less than 7 weeks to go!