Soft & cuddly...& saving Ryan???

We are coming up on the three week mark of having baby Collin in our lives. There have been good nights, there have been bad ones--generally because of Ryan, not Collin, who wakes up thirsty or hungry or wet and does it incredibly grumpy so as to wake Jason, Collin & myself along with him. There have been good days which include fun trips to birthday parties, sprinklers on trampolines and sacred nap time but there have been bad ones, like getting escorted from Michael's Craft Store because of Ryan's tantrums or being asked 3 times at the grocery store if I "need some assistance" AGAIN because of Ryan's tantrums or better yet, him head-butting me in the face, giving me a bloody lip in front of my friend's bishop (thus saving Ryan's short little life but also being an extremely embarrassing incident)! Why he did this you ask? Just another tantrum!

And so we find that having three kids isn't all that tough--having Ryan is tough! I don't think I've prayed for patience more in my life. I find myself asking for clarity on how to handle this kid at 3am 20 times in one week. And so amidst it all, I addictively sniff Collin's head (that sweet new baby smell) and mutter "serenity now" while donning earplugs to drown out the ensuing war raging around me. I cuddle the baby because it keeps my hands busy (so I can't do permanent damage to my "strong willed" 2 year old). And I pray while changing diapers that this phase passes quickly--that it is a phase and not a personality trait--and that he makes it to his 3rd birthday (in September) because the time is ticking rapidly on his short little clock of chance after chance after chance. Collin is already the salve for all the bad, frustrating, out of control things in my life because even at 4am he is snuggly & smells good & makes everything all better. Thank goodness for new babies (if only they could stay like that A LOT LONGER than a few months!) There would be a lot more peace on this earth if they did :)

There & Back Again by Bilbo Baggins...

What a week! Collin Tidwell arrived Thursday evening (7/8/10)--he weighed 8lb 12oz and was 22" long with tons of dark hair and beautiful skin--lets hope it lasts! He is the perfect little boy, sleeps/eats/poops, rarely cries (I think I've heard him twice) and just slept from 2am until almost 7am this morning!

Getting him here was quite the adventure--hence the title of this post. We had a missed epidural stick, another attempt that poked through causing a "not quite numb in the right places" result & spinal headaches after. Then the first solution for the incapacitating headaches didn't take so I was back in the hospital less than 24 hours after discharge trying the blood patch procedure again--needless to say 4 epidurals in 4 days wasn't my idea of "feeling better after the baby was born". However...we have felt very blessed in many other ways. Our friends, family & ward have been incredibly helpful, the recovery process has been amazingly quick with almost no "post baby hormone" issues, grandma is here taking care of us all--what more could we ask for? The Lord has truly inspired those around us to help when we needed it most and Collin is healthy and happy. I'm sure more photos will come in the next week but here are a few quick shots to satisfy the grandmas/grandpas and out of towners DYING to see the little guy.