Tuggle Smile

This 6 week old chunky monkey has been cooing and talking like crazy and showing off her fabulously goofy Tuggle smile. 

Happy One Month Birthday!

Happy one month birthday to this little princess. It is amazing to think that she has only been here for a few weeks, she fits so perfectly into our family. Lillian is an incredibly content and calm baby. She is happy and she enjoys her siblings and all of their hugs and kisses. She is a great eater and will sleep for a little over four hours at night between feedings. We think she is practically perfect in every way. Love her to the moon and back. 

Happy Lillian!

Luckiest Girl in the World

These four amazing little people got to meet the luckiest girl in the world, their baby sister Lillian! 

Lillian will not want for laps to be held on...

And some pretty good toddler bear hugs!

36+ Weeks Pregnant with Miss Lillian Mae

Miss Coffman

This has to be one of my all time favorite pictures of Emme. Her school was doing a community day and the kids were supposed to dress up like their favorite community servant and without a second thought Emme informed me that she needed to dress up as a teacher. Love her! If she does grow up to be a teacher, any kid would be lucky to have her. 

30 Weeks with Miss Lily Mae

First Day of School

Elijah had his first day of second grade on Monday. He loves school and had a great first couple of days. He has several

kids in his class from last year and he knows everyone else just because it is a small school and he is a social kid. :) His class only has 13 kids, a few of which were in his advanced program classes last year, and will be again this year.  Elijah loves taking the bus this year and has promised me that he will take care of Emme for me. 

Emme started all day kindergarten this morning. She was beyond excited! She wanted to take the bus this morning and insisted on having hot lunch today like the "big kids get to have." Her teacher seems fabulous and I think they will get along well. Emme's good friend from last year is in her class again this year, along with several other kids from last year as well. Emme's class only has 14 kids which is very nice and small. It is weird having her gone all day, but I know she will love being in school a full day. 

Everything is Going to be Alright!

Firstly, I feel that I need to start out this post by saying that Little Baby Girl is 100% healthy and perfect in every way.
A few weeks ago I had my 20week ultrasound where we got the exciting news that we would be welcoming a little girl in November. Our whole family was excited and feeling very content with the ultrasound as a whole. Several days after the ultrasound my Doctor called and told us that they had detected some mild swelling on the baby's brain, and that the swelling was a sign of one or more chromosomal abnormalities. Boom! The stress that I had already been feeling towards this pregnancy had in an instant become multiplied a hundred times, no a million times.
The nurse helped me set up an appointment at the University of Iowa for a Level 2 ultrasound that would be attended by a Geneticist, a neonatal neurologist and a GP doctor. After the ultrasound I had an appointment where we would discuss the immediate care that the baby would need at birth and then the continual care that they would need throughout their life.
The 10 days of waiting for my appointment were really hard on me. I could only imagine the worst case scenario, and the thought of my baby having a life filled with suffering or pain was truly shattering. We didn't tell the kids anything because we wanted to have all of the information before we concerned them about anything. On Sunday night it was Emme's turn to say family prayer, and in her perfect way she made me feel a thousand times better. She began her prayer by thanking Heavenly Father for the new baby and then asked that He would bless that the new baby would be healthy. Kids really are amazing!
On Tuesday, I went into my appointment and I was a little surprised when the Geneticist wanted to meet with me before the ultrasound to discuss what would be seen on the ultrasound and what to expect overall from this appointment. She sat me down, got her tissue box positioned in front of me and informed me that after going over the previous ultrasound results that they had decided that the baby did indeed have Down's Syndrome. She paused and waited for what I assume was an emotional break down from me. Instead, I felt... relief...huge relief! After looking into the other chromosomal abnormalities that the baby could have had, Down's Syndrome was a huge relief. People with Down's are as a whole very healthy, especially if there is no heart defect. All of the other possibilities that the baby could have had would have guaranteed a life (short or long) filled with operations and surgeries and hospital stays.
Obviously surprised by my response the Geneticist asked "Elizabeth, you do understand what Down's Syndrome is?" I told her that yes, I did know what Down's Syndrome was and that the only concern I had was the baby's heart and that I wanted to make sure that during the upcoming ultrasound, the heart health would be a priority. She assured me that yes, that of course would be evaluated in the ultrasound. I said alright then, let's go ahead with the ultrasound then and get everything done, "everything's going to be alright."
The ultrasound technician came in and started out the ultrasound by remeasuring all of the ventricles in the brain. She stopped. Did all of the measurements again and then said "well, I can't say anything officially, but all of the swelling is gone. I mean completely gone. What was measuring as a 10 is now well within the normal range of around 7. I am going to call for the doctors now instead of waiting until the end." While we waited for them to come in, she went through all of the other standard measurements for Down's Syndrome, especially those that had come back as "soft markers" for it in the previous ultrasound. Once they came in she went over all of the measurements and again did a quick version of the ultrasound for the doctors to see. They huddled together for a minute and then came back to the chair to let me know their findings. "Elizabeth, we can't explain it, but all of the swelling has disappeared and the brain seems to have corrected itself on its own. All of the previous measurements are now invalid and everything is measuring exactly perfect for a 100% healthy baby girl." They all shook my hand and mumbled about how pleased they were to give me the happy news and how they just couldn't explain the changes.
I got all cleaned up and got my shirt all situated and the ultrasound technician again told me how glad she was for me and said that the baby's profile and facial features were truly the prettiest that she had ever seen. She shook my hand and sent me back out to the front counter to get all checked out.
As I was driving home, everything that had happened in the last several hours hit me. How amazing! Heavenly Father truly knows each of us, even/especially my little baby still growing inside of me. Miracles happen! Heavenly Father will always give us what we need and what can handle.  Heavenly Father knew that our family needed this unplanned little baby. He knew more than us how much this little girl would bless and strength us before she was even born. As trying as this pregnancy has been, for me especially, I know that in the end I will be stronger and that I hopefully will be able to appreciate this beautiful little gift more and more everyday. I know that even if this baby had been born with any of the possible chromosomal defects, that it would have been alright. "Everything will be alright," has been a very recurring sentence in our house the past five months. And I know that because Heavenly Father loves us and knows us, that He will help us and that with His help, "everything will be alright."

Happy 5th Birthday Embry Elizabeth!

Happy Birthday Emme! Emme is a spunky, creative little girl who ALWAYS has a song (of her own creation) to sing. Emme gives the best hugs! Every time she hugs you, you can just feel her giving you all of her love and warmth. She is a great big sister and is super excited for the new baby to be born. Emme is a helper and always looks out for her younger siblings. Emme is a daddy's girl 100% and she dotes on him and always takes care of him. Emme loves Primary and she says the most thoughtful and special prayers at family prayer. Emme is excited to start all day kindergarten this school year, she really wants to eat hot lunches like Elijah and the other big kids at school. We love Emme and are so very grateful to have her in our family.  

22 Weeks!

Baby Girl #3!

 

We are so excited to say we will be welcoming another girl right before Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Dustin!

Happy Birthday Dustin! The kids and I are so blessed to have you. You are a jokester, a tease, a wrestler, a tosser, a snuggler, a hugger and the best daddy and husband any of us could ask for. I am so glad that you came into this world 37(!) years ago! It just wouldn't be the same without you. Love you!

The Tiniest of Blessings

When I found out that I was pregnant again...for the fifth time...I will admit that I was devastated. This wasn't what I had planned, at all! How was I going to tell Dustin? We were done. We were finally getting out of the baby phase. I was so over being pregnant and breastfeeding. Ugh! 

When I told Dustin about the baby I was very upset. I expected him to be mad or upset. I thought for sure he would blame me for this unfortunate thing. Instead, he took my hand and said it would be "alright." He handled it amazingly well, far better than myself. And he was right, things were alright. We starting to make some of the necessary plans to solve some problems that this new baby had created. We were going. We kept telling ourselves that by the time the baby came we would be excited. Who doesn't love a baby right? I was sad though. I felt guilty that I wasn't excited this time. 

Then at my 12 week appointment everything changed. I went in thinking, "hurry up, get this all done before my little two stop behaving." I was in a hurry. I was inconvienced by this appointment. The doctor came in and had me lay back to check the baby's heartbeat. She couldn't find one. My heart stopped. Once again, I told myself things would be "alright." I don't think I breathed the whole five minutes it took to get the ultrasound machine turned on and the cold jelly on my belly. Then, there it was. That amazing, wiggly, flip-flopping little person. Tiny and perfect with a strong heartbeat. In that moment I realized how much I did not want that baby to go away. It was a part of me now, and I loved it. I loved the love that had made it. I loved that it would be another little mini version of Dustin. I knew right then that if I could love it the tiniest bit as much as I loved its daddy or its siblings, then it would a lucky baby. I would be lucky and blessed to experience that kind of love again. 

I am still working on being excited. But seeing and hearing the kids excitement is helping. And in a strange way I feel like this baby has made me feel closer to Dustin. This whole experience has reminded me how lucky I am to have Dustin and the kids. 

 I know this is a personal post. I felt like I needed to get it out. And I know some people think that we are "crazy for having another baby!" But I wanted to put it out there that although this baby was far from planned, it is loved. And by November, we will be excited and anxiously awaiting their arrival. I know that our family will be blessed to have this new person as a part of it. 

13.5 Weeks!

 

13.5 weeks and yes, I am huge already. The doctor has reassured me that for my fifth baby I am well within the normal range for this stage (and that there is indeed only one baby!). I guess the saying "you show faster with each baby," is true. I feel really good though. I haven't had any morning sickness to complain about and overall I am not a whole lot more tired than I was before being pregnant. The kids are very excited about the baby. Emme especially likes to "hug" and talk to the baby through mom's belly.  

Life is Full of Surprises!

Baby #5 arriving just in time for Thanksgiving. Proof that miracles and surprises still happen! 

Happy 3rd Birthday Gideon Aaron!

Happy 3rd Birthday Gideon Aaron!

 

 

We are so grateful for our handsome, silly and hot tempered little Giderman! He has brought so much love and cuddliness to our family! We would be lost without him!

 

Gideon has grown leaps and bounds in the last few months. Gideon is talking nonstop and very clearly. He has a funny little personality and loves to wrestle and play rough with his siblings. Gideon is potty trained! Yay! He doesn't even need help, he does everything himself! He loves to wear his Mickey Mouse underwear.

 

Gideon is such a happy little man. He loves his naps still ("yes"!) Gideon is obsessed with chicken nuggets and asks everyday if he gets to have some for lunch or dinner. He is a fun little shopping buddy for Mom and he enjoys our adventures together. Gideon loves Choo-Choos, so much that he even wakes every night/morning around 3am when the one a few miles from our house sets off its whistle.

Happy Birthday Gideon! We love you more than words can say!

 

 

 

Happy 1st Birthday Evelyn Marie!

Happy 1st Birthday Evelyn! We love you so much little "Ezzy Ezzers!"

 

 

Evelyn is a fun,

 

giggly, happy little princess that loves to sing and dance!

 

Evelyn gets more and more independent everyday. She loves being a "big kid" and she loves whenever her brothers and sister let her play with them. 

 

Evelyn loves to play outside. She loves to swing on the swing set and color chalk pictures with Emme. She has every one of her siblings wrapped around her little finger! They will all do anything she wants to make her happy. Evelyn is super snuggly and loves to give kisses and big hugs.

Our Littlest Soccer Player

Happy 11 Months Evelyn Marie!

Happy 11 Month Birthday Evelyn!

Evelyn is a very sure footed walker now and is always on the go. I could barely get these two pictures of her. :) Evelyn is very independent and enjoys playing by herself as well as with her siblings or the puppy. Evelyn very much has her own opinion of when and how things should be done. Evelyn can definitely hold her own in wrestle matches and loves to be tossed in the air by her daddy.

Evelyn is a very calm baby and really only cries when she has a good reason for it, but is quickly comforted. She has loved playing outside the last few days and really enjoys swinging. She says Mama, Dada and "lijah" (much to the delight of her brother and the dismay of her sister.) Evelyn has all of a sudden decided that she is a big kid and prefers sippy cups and solid foods over mommy. She goes into her crib awake now for naps and bed time and seems to enjoy being there with her blankie and baby doll, until she falls asleep. Evelyn loves giving hugs and kisses and she is a great little snuggler. Love you Evelyn! Happy 11 month birthday!   

Frozen Dance!

Emme's school held a Frozen dance for all of the 4K and kindergarten students. Dustin was lucky enough to get to go with his little mini me and Emme got to show off her "handsome Daddy to alls her many friends." They both had a great time. 

10 Months!

Evelyn is a happy, opinionated little baby. She is very determined to do things herself. Evelyn is taking a couple steps at a time and can stand for a bit by herself, of course not for a picture though. Evelyn loves her brothers and sister and has all of them wrapped around her little finger. She has said Dada a few times and we all think we have heard her say "lijah." Evelyn for the most part is content to just be. She is good at entertaining herself, but she also loves when her siblings or the puppy want to play with her. We love our little "Ezzy Ezelyn." 

Sweet Little Valentines

Happy 7th Birthday Elijah!

Happy 7th birthday Elijah! The last seven years have been a blast! Elijah is a giving, loving and compassionate boy. He is a great big brother and all three of his siblings completely adore him. Elijah is smart and creative. He is involved in several exceptional student programs at school and he is very friendly and outgoing with the other kids. At conference his teacher said that all of the other kids are drawn to him and that he is never lacking for playmates or project partners.  Elijah gives the best hugs and he is a warm little snuggler. He is always willing to help and he will do things that need to be done without even having to be asked. Happy birthday Elijah! We love you so very much!

Happy 9 Months Evelyn!

How is Evelyn nine months old? It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. It has been so much fun watching Evelyn grow from a cute little smiley baby into a crawling, almost walking little lady. Everyday is an adventure, we never know what she has picked up or learned just in a day. I love seeing her interact with her siblings. She has a different and special relationship with each one of them. We are so grateful for and so in love with our spunky little "Ezelyn."