Gwendolyn Marie

~Gwen~

January 21, 2012

Eric's News!

Eric had some exciting news this week! Last Wednesday he interviewed at BYU for their Executive MBA Program. He felt that the interview went well and we figured it would be a couple of weeks before we heard anything from them. He got to work Monday morning and had an email waiting for him from BYU. He was accepted into their program! 

All his hard work paid off and we are grateful that he will have this opportunity to expand his horizons. We are not quite sure how we feel about being students again, especially with 3 kids, but it will all be worth it!

3 Weeks Old

Yesterday little Gwen turned 3 weeks old. We can't believe how much she has changed in 3 weeks! Her cry is louder, she cries tears now, she looks for noises, she makes funny faces, she squeaks and grunts like crazy, and she would eat all day if I let her. Eric and I were talking the other night about how it feels like she's always been with us. We are so grateful she is part of our family!

I love her little elf ears! Adam loves when she makes any kind of noise, even a sneeze. He often says, "Listen Mommy, she's making noise like a human!" The kids just love her to pieces! They are dying for her to play with them.

All About Me Interviews

I am a bit behind with life. I wanted to do these interviews with the kids at the beginning of the year, but I decided to have a baby instead:) We got around to it last night and we video taped the kids giving us their answers. They were pretty funny, so I am glad we did!

Adam

What is your name? Adam Richard Nielson

How old are you? 5

What color is your hair? Blonde

What color are your eyes? Green

What is your favorite food? Cinnamon Rolls

What is your favorite song? I Am a Child of God

What is your favorite treat? Candy-banana laffy taffy

What is your favorite color? Green

What is your favorite animal? Cheetah

What is your favorite book? My children's encyclopedia and Crash Course

What is your favorite store? Walmart-cause they have Hot Wheels

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Going out with daddy to Provo Beach Resort 

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Helping around the house

What is your favorite movie? Cars 2

What is your favorite TV show? Curious George

Who are your friends? Gavin, Treyvon, and Anni

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play football

What is your favorite thing to play inside? race cars

What is your favorite toy? Hot wheels-El Super Fasto!

Poor Tess has a bad cold and got her hair stuck in a tent zipper last night...hence the look. She looked pretty crazy last night, but she had us all laughing with her silly jokes during dinner.

Tessa

What is your name? Tessa Ann Nielson Marie

How old are you? 3

What color is your hair? Red

What color are your eyes? Blue

What is your favorite food? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

What is your favorite song? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

What is your favorite treat? Chocolate

What is your favorite color? Red

What is your favorite animal? Giraffe and cats

What is your favorite book? Little Einsteins

What is your favorite store? Macey's-cause they have ice cream and candy (samples are at Costco)

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Hug him and play dolls and go to Costco

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Be Mommy's helper

What is your favorite movie? Princess Songs

What is your favorite TV show? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Who are your friends? Gabby and Zeke

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play soccer, smell flowers, and ride my scooter

What is your favorite thing to play inside? Play pretend, dolls, and kitty cats

What is your favorite toy? My doll kitty cat

Tessa's Art

Tessa's first self portrait. 

She only asked for help with her pigtails and she was so proud of how she drew her hands. She's going to be a good little artist! 

Two Weeks Old

I can't believe how fast 2 weeks have gone by! Little Gwen is growing like a weed. She had her 2 week check up today. She now weighs 7 lbs 2 1/2 oz and is 19 1/2 inches long. So, she is gaining weight like crazy and has grown an inch since she was born! Not terribly surprising news seeing how she eats non stop all day long! Other than being constantly hungry, she is perfect and adored by her brother and sister.

We tried sizing up the kids. It was a difficult task, but it showed us how big Adam and Tessa are and how  little Gwen is.

 Tessa is still striking her princess pose

 The other night Gwen found her thumb and went to town sucking on it. I was grateful for the break!

She loves to snuggle on chests! It feels so good to have a baby to snuggle again.

Who do I look like?

Everyone is trying to figure out who Gwen looks like. Each of these pictures were taken within the first hour or so of each kids birth. What do you think?

 Adam

 Tessa

Gwen

Gwen's Bath

On Sunday we gave Gwen her first bath at home. Adam and Tessa were so excited to watch and "help".

Before we bathed her, we checked her weight. She didn't lose a lot in the hospital and by Sunday she was back up to 6 lbs 7 1/2 oz.

 I love Tessa's crazy eyes in this picture!

Gwen hardly cried through her bath. Adam tells everyone, "She didn't really like washing her bottom, but she was really relaxed when we washed her hair."

 Adam has been so happy to see her with her eyes open. Every time he came to the hospital she was asleep and he was so anxious to see the color of her eyes. He was convinced she was nocturnal.

 I had to put these pictures on to compare. This dress is newborn size. Gwen wore it at 5 days old. Tessa (in the bottom picture) wore it at 3 months old.

Hospital Stay Days 2 & 3

On Wednesday we decided to play dress up. She looks so pretty in pink!

 Adam and Tessa came back for another visit!

 We had more visitors over the next 2 days. My Mom came and spent the mornings with me while Eric went home and got Adam off to school. Mamma would pick Adam up from school, then bring the kids by to visit, and then watched them in the afternoons. My sister Katy spent the nights with them. We had so much help from everyone and we so appreciated it!

 Gwen and Uncle Ryan

 Gwen and Uncle Alex

 Gwen and Uncle Andrew

With her Bampa:)

Our other visitors included Katy, Uncle Ben, Livvy, Mindee, Kara, Maggie, Eliza, John, and Jodi.

My nurses during they day were less than helpful, but my nurses at night were amazing! My nurse the last 2 nights was Dina and she was fabulous! She took such good care of us, I can't even begin to write enough good things about her. She will never see this, but I just had to express how grateful I am for her kindness. She was one awesome nurse!!

On Friday we loaded everything up and once they plucked the staples out of my tummy, we brought our beautiful baby girl home. Our lives are forever changed, and for that, we are thankful! We feel so blessed to have 3 healthy and happy kids! We couldn't ask for anything more.