Beckett River Comes Home

I am so excited to be able to finally post some pictures of our son Beckett River Van Hee. Our internet has been down for a few days, which was very untimely for such an exciting time in our lives. Beckett was born on 9/17/09 at 12:01am. He was 5 lbs 12 ounces and 18 inches long. He arrived a few weeks early because I developed signs of pre-eclampsia again so the doctors thought it would be safer to have him arrive a little bit early. We started the induction process about 2 and started pitocin at 8pm and he arrived just a few hours later. Todd and I were so excited to meet him. I unfortunately, had a few complications after he was born, which I won't go into on here, but I am doing good now and on the mend. It was a little bit scary for our family that evening, but the medical staff at Kaiser Sunnyside did an excellent job and the next morning I was able to really start to bond with Beckett. He is a very easy going little guy and only cries when he is hungry or needs a diaper change. He is so precious and we all are excited to watch him grow and develop. Meadow is doing great as a big sister and is learning how to be gentle around her little brother. Can't wait to share more pictures in the coming weeks.

Meadow and Daddy with Beckett in the hospital
Going Home Outfit

He is so tiny in his carseat

Getting wheeled out of the hospital. Yheaaaaaaaa we get to go home. We were there from Wednesday to Saturday.

Sleeping on the way home.

Beckett seems to be quite the mix from our families. His eyes are definitely from Todd's mom's side of the family and his nose looks like from the Dubach side and he has dimples. I think these come from my dad. He has really long toes too, which definitely look like Todd's and his brother's.

Sleeping after a good meal.

He likes to sleep on my belly. He probably misses that warm and cozy environment.

Sunday Fun!

Today, Meadow and I got together with our good friends Jen and Maddie. Todd had to work and Tony, Jen's husband, was on a hunting trip so it was a good excuse for us all to hang out. We started out our day with yummy breakfast at the ZigZag cafe and then headed to Little Zig Zag falls to burn some of our energy off after breakfast. It is a nice short half mile hike, which is perfect for toddlers and pregnant people. Jen is 19 weeks pregnant and due in February and I am officially 38 weeks. Here is a picture of all of us.

After the hike, we discovered the playzone at SkiBowl in Government Camp. What an awesome find and it is open during the winter months as well. Meadow and Maddie had such a blast crawling through all the tunnels and going down the slides. Jen was able to help the girls get over some of the challenging obstacles. But after awhile they were able to do everything on their own. We all worked up an appetite so we had a nice lunch enjoying the views at Skibowl. It was a beautiful day on the mountain.

Meadow also officially slept through the night sleeping in her big girl bed last night.

She also had such a busy day that she fell asleep on the way home and finished her nap in the toddler bed. What a great day!!!!!! Good food, great exercise, fun conversation, and some rest and relaxation. You just can't beat that.

Enjoying the last bit of Summer

We had a nice weekend in Brightwood. Temperatures were in the low 90's so we decided to enjoy one of our last dips in the pool. Rita let us have this nice blow up pool, which was great because Meadow and I could both fit in it.

We also got the stethescope out to see if we could hear the baby so Meadow was testing it out. She was so cute listening to her own heart beat.

We also had a great time at the Festival of the Forest at Wildwood park. We listened to fun music and Meadow got to meet Smokey the Bear and Woodsey the Owl. We accidentally left the camera at home, so we apologize for the lack of documentation. It was a very nice relaxing weekend where we mainly stayed around the house and the local area. I got a prenatal massage on Saturday morning, which really helped my achey shoulders and back and I also got to splurge on a yummy cinnamon roll and decaf coffee drink. yummy. We definitely took time to enjoy one of our last weekends as just a family of three.

Oregon State Fair

This past Labor Day, Todd actually had the day off. This is one of the first labor day's he has had off in seven years. The weather was a bit drizzly in the morning, but the forecast said that the sunshine would be out by the afternoon. So, we decided to make the trip to the Oregon State Fair in Salem. It is about an hour and a half from us. We knew that Meadow would love to see all the farm animals.

Due to the weather being a bit cold I put Meadow in her new fall jacket and hat. She also got new rain boots this past weekend because she had grown out of her old one's.
Checking out the cows. I was actually pretty impressed with how big some of these gals were.

Meadow was probably most excited about seeing the pigs. They were funny how they snorted at us.

Slumbering away........

Checking out the bulls with their huge horns. I wonder if this one was checking out my big belly.

Riding a john deere tractor. Unfortunately, this was the only ride Meadow could do because you had to be 36 inches tall to do the kid rides. It kind of worked out in our favor though because even the kid rides were still pretty fast and too old for Meadow. We were also all pretty tired by the time we walked to the ride area.

Having fun digging

It was a great first trip to the fair. It was definitely really busy on the last day, so if we go again we may try to go earlier in the week. We also didn't time things perfectly so we could see some of the different events going on. We caught glimpses of girls roller derby, an acrobat show, and a kid sheep riding contest. Oh the things you can see at the fair.

Getting Ready

This past weekend we had quite a bit of rain for labor day weekend. I actually didn't mind and enjoyed the cooler temperatures and the chance to get some more work done on the nursery. In between some of our to do lists, Todd went up mt biking on Mt. Hood. Liz, Meadow and I dropped JD and Todd off at Timberline Lodge and then we picked them up below Government Camp. Liz and I did a short walk around part of Enid Lake and were shocked by how quick the guys were. They made it to where we were walking in 23 minutes. It is a pretty steep downhill, so they can go pretty fast. The whole ride only took 53 minutes.

They guys in their gear
Later on that evening we had a little date night to go out for JD's 31st birthday. It was a fun night and nice to go to a unique and fun restaurant called Mybrother's crawfish. Here is my pregnant belly at 37 weeks.

While working on the nursery this past weekend, we set up Meadow's toddler bed to see if she would like to sleep in it. She has been camping out on the floor for some of her naps and she even has at bedtime. So, we figureed why not? The transition has been a little bit rocky, but she has slept part of the past few nights in it. Doesn't she look like such a big girl? This is a bed we are borrowing from Todd's sister's neighbor. It really fits right in with her room.

Once we get a few more things done in the nursery, I will post some pictures.

First Trip to the Dentist

Just had to share these pictures from Meadow's first visit to the dentist. She did an absolutely amazing job and I couldn't have been more proud. I was actually the only one near tears. I just couldn't believe how grown up she is getting. We had hyped up the visit and talked about how fun it was going to be for the dentist to look at her teeth. She also knew we were going out to lunch with dad afterwards, which is always a fun treat. The dental clinic is right across from where Todd works. The hygenist did such a great job of interacting with her and making her feel comfortable. She loved to wear the cool sunglasses and especially loved the prizes she got at the end.
The hygenist showed her the tools she was going to use and she gave them special kid friendly names for fun.

I think she also loved sitting in the big chair

She let the hygenist check out all her teeth and let the dentist count them all with her. The dentist said her teeth look great and there is lots of great spacing so it will be easier to clean her teeth. She let the hygenist clean her teeth and also let me paint flouride on her teeth. What a trooper. The staff said that she was the most well behaved 2 year old they had ever seen at an appointment. Now that makes you feel good as a parent.

I was so relieved that her teeth look great. She has been doing a little better with brushing and letting us brush, but it is always a challenge to get in the back. We will be back to the dentist in another six months. I am so glad we started this early so she can get used to the dentist's office.

Baby Esther Arrives

I just had to write a quick note for those who have been wondering if my friend Heidi had her baby. Esther arrived yesterday morning about 6:45 after only a 2 and a half hour labor. Heidi had been having mild symptoms for a few weeks, but nothing really seemed to be moving forward. Esther was a week over due and weighed in at 10 pounds and 21 and a half inches long. She was really enjoying being in the womb and growing so well. Heidi and Dave, the proud parents, were happy that they had their son stay with Heidi's parents the night before or they may have not made it to the hospital on time. I had the honor of seeing this little one yesterday after she was about six hours old. I had a midwife appointment in Clackamas when I got the call that she had been born.

My appointment went well and I am measuring right at what I should be. So, for all those who think I look huge, nope just got a normal sized baby in there packed into a 4'10 inch package. I have weekly appointments from here on out just to make sure my blood pressure stays normal and everything is progressing well. I shouldn't be too worried about getting pre-eclampsia again, but it is in the back of my mind. It would be amazing to not go through the experience of being induced again. That just didn't work well for me and my body.

Timothy Lake Camping Trip

We had another great year camping at Timothy Lake with the Wubbena's and friends a few weekends ago. The weather was perfect and we had plenty of sunshine. It was also nice that it wasn't too hot. We all got some relaxing in along with some nice walks along the lake.

Hope really liked this tree to help her stand up. She is walking a few steps at a time now. Won't be long till she is chasing the boys and Meadow.
There were 14 adults and 18 kids on the trip. Every family had their own site, so it was nice to be able to come together at the Wubbena's campfire, but also have lots of space for the kids to play and roam.

Kids working hard digging and playing in the water. Meadow insisted on wearing her wet suit with the swimsuit on top. She did seem to stay pretty warm all day. Pretty smart girl.

Taking the kayaks for a spin. This was probably my last kayak trip for a little while. It was getting a bit hard to get out of the kayak. Thankfully, Todd is a great help, otherwise I probably would still be sitting in the kayak as we speak.

Meadow in her dirt glory. She absolutely loves camping and being in the outdoors. I am so glad she has such a good time.

Getting an airplane ride from Jaiden

Hope getting one from Parker

Tonia and Hope enjoying their juice boxes. Tonia's is a little bit more fun. It is a single serving of boxed wine.

We watched the boys go down on the alpine slide and of course had to enjoy the view of the mountain while we were there.

Summer Fun

On some of the hot days this summer we headed over to Ghanny and B-Pom's pool to cool off. It is sad that the evenings are getting so cool and the days not quite as warm. We are going to miss the pool when they close it up for the year.


We also have enjoyed spending time with Heidi and Jonah this summer. Heidi was due on August 24th. She is still waiting for her daughter to arrive. Hopefully sometime today. Maybe she just really wanted a September birthday. I am hopeful, that Baby Boy Van Hee will arrive sometime in September. The official due date is the 28th, but my first guess is October 2nd. I just don't know how he will have any room left by that point.