Wes Gregory is ONE

Wes Gregory has exited the month counting era! My baby is officially one year old today. May of last year was such a crazy one. We up and left our home in Michigan a week after he was born. In the first year of Wes's life he has lived in 3 houses, 3 different cities, travelled to Brazil, Oregon, Alberta and Montana. May 18th 2017 will always be a happy memory for our family. Wes has a very special spirit and brings such peace to our home. He is a go with the flow little dude. He is easy to love and one of my life's personal evidences that God exists and loves me.

Wes updates at 1 year:

-He smiles at everyone (he smiles with his whole face and likes to show off his adorable dimples)

-He shares a similar personality and demeanor with his Daddy. He is as close as you can get to a mini Alex (or so I've been told). They both are the 3rd child, boys, blonde, bald, happy, easy, sweet, funny and FOREVER MINE.

-He does NOT play strange. Quite the contrary in fact.. he wanders away from us without a second thought or worry

-He waves and watching him use all his concentration to do it is simply adorable

-He dances when music plays or when asked

-He shakes his head no (it's done so dramatically and when he gets really into it, his eyes roll around because he starts to get dizzy haha)

-He nods his whole body when you ask him to say yes. He squats and stands to mimic the up and down motion of nodding. We love how he attempts everything whether he does it right or not.

-he babbles dada all day. I don't know why any mom is in a rush for their child to learn to say "mama". I get complete satisfaction anytime my children start their sentence with Dad. I know it sounds absurd, but Dad has legs too. SHOCKER! I know. 

-Roars on command

-He plays peek a boo any chance he gets

-He blows kisses

-His laugh sounds a lot like Jade's did at his age. He doesn't laugh as easily though. I live for his smiles to burst into laughs. Those moments are better than pay cheques (translation: paychecks) folks! He laughs most when you tickle him or pretend to drop him.

-He is a happy boy and doesn't require much to be content with his life.  

-If Wes had a super power it would be easily be the power to sleep like a pro. From the beginning he has been our best sleeper. We are unsure if we are just getting better at this parenting thing or if we should give Wes some credit. It's likely a combination of both factors. As a newborn he would wake up to feed and go right back to sleep. We could always count on him sleeping better and for longer stretches each and every night. He quickly arrived at the glorious "sleeping through the night" status and is the ideal baby of every mama's dreams.  Fun fact: He has slept in a pack n play in our hallway for most of his life.

-Despite being a pro night sleeper, he hardly naps during the day. It's been happening for months and is completely foreign to me because even his older siblings still nap every day. He doesn't behave like he needs a nap which is also crazy to me.

-His bedtime is 7 PM (like his brother and sister)

-His first trick was clapping

-He likes to repeat sounds although most of the time he says Dad no matter what word you throw at him

-He walks with a walker. He has the saddest face when the walker reaches the wall and can't go any further. He will be a walker in the next couple months for sure. Fun stuff ahead!

-He has a signature scrunchy face that we love. Jade has to tell me every time he does it.

-He turns into an escape artist when you try to put clothes on or off of him, or change his diaper. I have to lay my leg on his tummy to successfully pin him down long enough to change his diaper.

-Last summer Wes was just a newborn but watching him explore outside has been fun to watch this year now that he is alert and aware of his surroundings. He beams from ear to ear when he is outside and loves to watch out the window as cars drive by throughout the day.

-He moves cars all around our house and it makes him look like a toddler when he does it.

-This boy has always taken power naps on the floor sporadically every couple of days. It's probably due to the fact that he doesn't nap everyday like a normal baby and it eventually catches up to him every few days. We have plenty of pictures to document this habit.

-He is our blondest and baldest baby yet. An unfortunate combo that is forcing me to learn patience

-He started crawling at 8 1/2 months

-He is smart, observant, determined and that makes him a fast learner. 

-He has a sense of humor and tries to tease and be silly

-He loves and trusts Jade

-He is starting to like Leo and even enjoys the odd wrestling match with him

-He loves baths when we get around to it haha

-He eats anything we give him. Excluding plain eggs. We discovered he is allergic or at least sensitive to plain eggs as of now. We were told eggs sensitivities are common in babies and that they usually grow out of the sensitivity by age 2. We will reintroduce raw eggs to him in a year and see. 

-He now drinks cold homo milk (whole milk for my American people) from a bottle 3 times a day. We are switching his bottle to a sippy cup this week. Wish us luck!

-He has thick blonde lashes

-He has 4 teeth (two up, two down). He seems bothered by the teething process but hasn't been unreasonable.

-He loves to crawl back and forth in our play tunnel

-He likes his carseat and travels like a champion. His whole life, he has been content tagging along majorly from his carseat on our daily adventures catered towards his big brother and sister.

-He has never been a soother (binky) baby but when he finds one at a play date or when we babysit, he is pretty happy with himself.

-He loves balls

-Wes is an explorer and often closes his fingers in drawers

-He is a fast little guy. Especially when you open the baby gate or front door

-Every night at family prayer, he crawls over to us and kneels just like the rest of us. It's so cute. 

-He tolerates cuddles and kisses like a saint

Nicknames from his first year: Wessy, Wessy Dessy, Bubbeeza, Slobber lips, Wesdoly, Gubbers, Ba koopa, Wes Express, Baby Wes doctor

I am thankful for my husband- Happy Thanksgiving

Back in May Alex graduated law school with a dual JD degree (both Canadian and American) at the University of Windsor and the University of Detroit Mercy. We are all extremely proud of Alex's hard work and accomplishments. Alex never grew up dreaming to one day be a lawyer. He never would have even dreamed of planning out a career that would involve additional years of schooling after his bachelors in finance degree. Alex did however grow up, dreading school, work and any attention coming in his direction. School and work were both just obstacles in his way of playing soccer full time. I still remember a story told by one of his church youth leaders while growing up. Apparently Alex had come to the youth activity and in conversation mentioned that he had got an A on his exam that day. His leader asked him what he did differently on the exam to do so well that time. Alex simply responded, "I studied". When Alex values something and decides to set a goal I'm always confident that he will succeed. Ever since the day Alex and I were sealed in the temple and started our eternal family, I have witnessed a fierce diligence and drive develop in my husband. He started questioning and researching facets in several occupations. He had a major desire to put his career path on lock down. During this time, he eventually shadowed my dad at his law firm. I still remember the day he told me he wanted to study for the LSAT and see if that's something he could pursue and excel at. I tried my very best to remain calm and to push him in neither direction. I just wanted my husband to have sole ownership over his choice in career and educational pursuits so that he could better find joy in his work long term. I supported him while he studied for the LSAT and celebrated with him when he got the exact score he had hoped for. Before I knew it, we were packing our life and heading to Michigan so Alex could start law school. We had two babies in law school which also means two difficult pregnancies and Alex was still able to get the grades he needed to keep his scholarships. We were blessed to get an amazing articling job in Peace River Alberta upon graduation. It feels like a dream to be back in Alberta and we feel confident in our future here. Alex took the US bar exam at the end of the summer and we recently got his score back. He passed! He is officially a lawyer in the US and currently a "baby lawyer" in Canada until he finishes his articling year and makes it official. When I look back on all that has happened for us to be where we are right now, I can't help but see God's hand in every moment along the way. God is real. He loves me more than I deserve. Today and everyday I am grateful for God's plan of happiness. We are here for a reason. That reason is surrounded by His love and grace. May we all keep trying harder everyday to be more like His son and give credit where credit is due. God is in everything good. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Birth Story of Wes Gregory Stevens

How dare you people think such rude things of me. I know you're thinking to your self "wasn't Wes born months ago?", "Why are we just seeing his birth blog now?" or, "Man I bet Tiff is overwhelmed with 3 kids and can't get her life together." Yeah but I guess if I'm honest with myself..you're right. My life right now is ultra crazy. A week after Wes was born, our family packed up and moved from our home in Detroit Michigan. We traveled across the country to spend our summer at my family's cabin in Bigfork Montana while Alex studied for the US bar exam. It was a long week of traveling but thanks to Niz (Alex's little sister), caffeine and the Moana soundtrack, we made it the 23 hours to Montana. We spent a beautiful 6 weeks in Montana. Alex's entire family came to stay while we were there to attend Wes' baby blessing. We will always cherish all the great memories made in Montana this summer. At the end of July, we ventured over to Oregon where Alex was to take the bar exam. We spent a few weeks there and our kids were spoiled with attention from Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Niz. Alex took the bar exam (bye student life--forever!!) and then we finally made our way to Peace River Alberta for Alex's law articles all before Wes was 3 months. This boy has really spoiled us with his sweet nature and sleeping habits. But it didn't start out that way in the beginning. Wes pulled a fast one on me, literally..and forced me into an all natural birth. Don't mind me, I'll just be cringing over here as I revisit the details of Wes' birthday..

I had an induction date scheduled and arrived in the Dearborn Michigan OB triage at 6:50 PM May 18th for initial registration and monitoring. At 7:30 PM the nurse checked and I was 4 cm dilated (which wasn't news to me as I had been this dilated for weeks. OUCH), head low, cervix very soft and still waiting for a room. At 7:40  PM we got into our room and were just waiting on our nurse Anna. Our nurse got approval from our doctor to do a "natural induction" which is basically to break my water instead of inducing with pitocin and to see if my body would just kick into action. At 7:55 PM they put my IV port in. At 8:10 PM they broke my water. At 8:25 PM the nurse came in and told us that I was contracting every three minutes and I was surprised because I wasn't feeling the contractions too strongly yet. Not even a minute later I was feeling the contractions VERY strong. At 8:30 PM they hooked up my IV fluid. I then asked for an epidural. I looked at Alex in between contractions and through tears told him that I was scared that I wasn't gonna get an epidural in time. I asked him to pray that I would. He paused, held my hand and told me that he felt like I was right and to prep myself for the real thing. I knew it was true but I couldn't accept it fully. Every contraction was SO REAL. I could literally feel him exiting my body and the pain was extreme misery. The anesthesiologist was next door, giving another woman her epidural (yay for her--sarcasm intended) and I was told she would be in as soon as she could (Mmmmhm..big eye roll). I knew I was only a few contractions away from having to push. At 9:25 PM, a few contractions later the anesthesiology came in. I told my nurse that I needed to push very soon. She asked if I wanted her to check how dilated I was or if i just wanted to get the epidural as fast as possible. Her body language told me, I was a goner but I was too scared for her to check if I was dilated because deep down I knew I was fully dilated. I held back the urge to push as much as I could and begged for the epidural. I could hardly sit up for the epidural because I felt as though I was sitting on the baby's head (which I probably was--slrry not sorry Wes). They put the needle in and before they could even hook me up to the pump, I laid back and finally accepted that it was too late. He was coming. It all happened so fast. I waited for an epidural that was seconds too late. I started pushing at 9:35 PM. At 9:40 PM, a few contractions later Wes Gregory Stevens was born! 6 lbs. 1 oz. 19 inches.

It took us until the next day to commit to a name. We were deciding between Wes, Russ, Huck and Pete. We did however feel confident in his middle name being Gregory. We know a wonderful Gregory who my kids adore and like to call Grandpa. Alex's dad is a strong link in the Steven's family chain. He inspires me to be diligent, loving and Christ centered. Blessings come to generations that do so, and I'm so blessed to have married a man that was taught these principals. Alex and I couldn't decide on his first name and the deliberations were intense and long. Alex wanted Wes while I was leaning towards Russ. We both ended up committing to Wes, some more confident about the choice than others. haha When we think of WES' name we like to think of our big move back WESt and how it took place only a week after he was born.

Even with how great my recovery was, I would still never choose natural labor. Just sayin'. I was very thankful it was all so fast (an hour and half to be exact from when they broke my water). Thank goodness for that. The little guy has been making up for it ever since though. He is as sweet as they come. I can't say enough good things about him. Brother and sister are smitten with him and we are finally getting into a rhythm that I feel is sustainable. So we are all gonna make it okay and survive so..God is good and life is beautiful. Thanks to everyone who has made it this far in the post. I wish you all could meet sweet Wes Gregory. He's as sweet as sugar and as cute as can be. 

 

A mother's thoughts the day before baby #3

Little man, I can't even describe how connected I feel to you. You have been my constant companion for 9 months now. You and me have already been through a lot together. We've been through, nausea, a blood infection, cravings, aversions, pains, anemia, sleepless nights, conversations, walks, airplane rides, and everything in-between. 

We call you our little radish because of the crazy amounts of radishes I eat on a daily basis (talk about low iron). You love Mcchickens from Mcdonalds and gave me the blessing of being able to tolerate water this pregnancy (no coke this time!- yay!). 

You are by far my strongest and biggest baby yet! I have gained the most with you, feel you the strongest and have never been told you are "small" by doctors like I have been told with my other two pregnancies. I can't wait to see what you can accomplish in the outside world! Thank you for making me stronger, more patient,  and more humble than ever (I am more aware now of all the things I can ask for help with and also the things I need to let go of). You have not been easy to grow, but I can promise that I have grown along with you this last year!  Cheers to making each other better and striving to be better each day! 

You have the invaluable blessing of having a dad that you can trust, learn from, and want to emulate. He knows just as much as anybody else in this world how difficult life can be, but chooses to rise above and turns to God always. If you desire to be a man of God, I pray that you watch your father closely and learn from him. As you do so, you will not find perfection, but you will undoubtedly find strength and power in a man who is persistently happy to follow a righteous path of worthy living. I pray that you will choose to follow the righteous examples of your earthly and Heavenly Father. 

I want you to know more than anything else how much our Father in Heaven loves you! As I have prayed, grown and carried you these last months, I have felt His love for you on levels I can't even describe. I know He is watching over you and wants you to be happy. I know He has big plans for your life here on earth and I promise that if you actively search out God and grow a relationship with him, that you will find happiness and you will never be alone.

As your dad and I prepare for your arrival tomorrow, we are anxious, excited, but mostly grateful for your soon to be permanent role in our lives.  We don't know what we are going to name you, how your siblings will welcome you, where and if you will sleep and in general what changes you will introduce to our family but we are thrilled to find out and love you forever! Welcome to the Stevens family!

Let the games begin..Leo is TWO!

Our Leo is TWO years old! For months now when people ask me how old Leo is, it has been so hard not to say he was two. He is growing up so fast and has acted, talked and insisted he has been two for a while now. Two years ago on April 14th, we were on our way to meet a sweet boy that would change our lives and family dynamic forever.  We are so lucky to have Leo in our family. He is loved by all of us so very much, especially by his big sister. I am grateful everyday for their bond, friendship and loyalty to each other. Let me describe Leo for those of you who don't have the pleasure of knowing him.. Leo is determined to do everything his sister does. Yet he puts his own "Leo/boy" twist on everything he attempts. If Jade is playing princess dress-up, you better bet Leo will demand to put on some high heels but he doesn't plan on participating unless he can bring a boyish contribution to the fun. He doesn't copy Jade's story line and instantly transforms the high heels into monster claws and chases the family mercilessly around the house. Dresses become ghosts, necklaces become weapons, unicorns become furocious and tea parties become water fights. Leo is as sweet as they come. He is polite, snuggly, obedient, giggly and happy. But don't you leave him out of ANYTHING. Shrill screams burst out of this kid like streaming fireworks on their way to combustion if he thinks just maybe he is being wronged, left out, or slowed down. 

The boy can EAT! He is never satisfied with just one avocado, banana, sandwich or snack. Concluding his last bite, you can always count on a persistent slowly amplified song of "mo please mo mo mo" following you around the house.

He loves to lift, carry, flip, push and rearrange furniture. I'm always surprised with how much he can lift and carry. 

He has this odd inside joke with himself where he picks a task whether it be chasing Jade, eating, cleaning, climbing or walking, and attempts to do it with his eyes closed. It isn't uncommon to see him just walking around the house with his eyes closed giggling to himself as he runs into things and trips all over the place. It's a strange yet entertaining hobby that is probably one of my "Leo favorites".

Our favorite Leo quotes, words and moments: Up until about two weeks ago Leo was consistently calling water "Waz". It was kind of our favorite to have him hand us his empty cup and emphatically say WAZ WAZ WAZ!

Leo has THE CUTEST "amen" you'll ever hear. It's so enthusiastic that we can't help but giggle every time.

He either calls his sister Jade or sissy and we love that he knows her by both.

When Daddy leaves for school or work, you will hear Leo from his bedroom whimper "Daddy gone". It is SO sad but also very telling about how much he adores his Daddy. He has the opposite reaction when he hears Daddy drive into the driveway. He exclaims "Daddy home"!  Squeels and hoorays always follow and the wrestling begins immediately when Dad opens the door.  

Our favorite qualities about Leo: sweet, gentle, curious, persistent, silly, obedient, observant, happy, enthusiastic, playful, hard working, independent and boy boy boy!!

Some of his favorite things: JADE (but really..he is a wreck without her- Preschool on Tuesday's are ROUGH), books, learning, spiderman, batman, bananas, cookies, outside, puppies, babies, snuggling, baths, making messes, avocados, corn on the cob, growling and other sound effects, running, hiding, slides, wrestling with Daddy, Aladdin, watching Daddy play the guitar, music, dancing, meat, oatmeal, lotion, sanitizer, jumping off of varying household objects, praying, singing, being tickled and tickling others, vitamins, brushing his teeth and sitting on his baby brother- OUCH!

Some of his dislikes: haircuts, getting dressed, watching Daddy leave, trees, baby gates, star wars masks, being left out, Moana, waiting for food, the sun in his eyes(he will scream like a vampire exposed to the sun), dirty hands and coming in from outside.

We love our Leo and can't wait to see him fulfill the big brother role! This year Leo has grown so much! He took his first steps, started talking small sentences and almost has the same shoe size as his big sister! Happy birthday to our Little Lee, bad boy, lion boy,  Ee-oh, brudder and Monster Leo!

4 years in the making {Jade turns 4}

Jade Marie how are you 4 years old?! Four years ago, you made me a Mom. A title I hold very dear and sacred. You are just so fiercely fun loving and we are so blessed to have you in our family! This year we have seen you grow so much, not only in size but also maturity.

As your 4th birthday was approaching, your Dad and I sat down and talked about all the wonderful things about you. We are in awe at who you have become and are still becoming. We narrowed down our endless list of beautiful qualities that you possess to our most favorite ones.

1. You are a true friend. Something in you values people and people value you right back. You are drawn to people, laughter, fun and bonding. I want to remind you that this is a very powerful tool that Heavenly Father gave to you to develop and use for good! You see people for the good in them and are kind to everyone around you and this is something our world needs more of. You are constantly reminding me that life is about being happy and enjoying the journey.

2. You are spunky. Spunk bursts out of your every pore. You are hilarious and creative and together it always makes for a good laugh. You like to make people laugh and it isn't hard for you to do.

3. You are resilient. As our oldest child. you have been through the most change and endured all our first time parent mistakes. You have always rolled with the punches and remained your giggly, silly, and smart self. May you always accept change and create success out of the ups and downs of life.


Some funny/cute things I have recorded you saying this year:

"Mom, Leo isn't choosing the right and it makes me sad."

After opening a Christmas present..."It's what I wished for! Thank you!"

"Chocolate isn't healthy for our bodies....but sometimes it is"

"Mom I like cutie oranges because me and Leo are cuties. So it's a match."

While staring at a boy at the park with braces.. "Why does he have a necklace on his teeth?"

"I don't want another brother I want a gihhhhl"

"Leo is my best friend."

"This is how I do"

"Everyday I grow bigger and bigger. Soon i'm gonna be an adult! Adults can drive!"

"Mom say please nicely and I won't cry"

"Mom go in your room and get some rest, i'll watch Leo and make sure he doesn't get dead"

On the way to the hospital because I was having a painful false labour.. "Mom, it's okay. Take a big breathe like this (takes a dramatic big breathe). You aren't going to die. It's gonna be okay."

After giving a homeless women some food and explaining to Jade that she doesn't have a house and sleeps outside.. "Mom, we can build her a house right?"

"Leo you're breaking my heart because you aren't listening to me."

"Mom my crack (a splinter in her toe) healed. Heavenly Father did it."

After telling Jade to not unbuckle her carseat while we are driving because a police officer might see and get us in trouble (Yes I use scare tactics).. "Okay i'll just close my eyes and the police officer won't see me"

"I'm gonna marry Leo in the temple"

"I'm holding Leo's hand like Daddy holds your hand."

"Mom your belly is BIG, I like it."

"My brother that's in your belly kicked me. He needs a time out."

After explaining to Jade that it is raining and so we can't go to the park until the afternoon.. "Mom it's okay i'm not going to cry."

"The baby in your belly is gonna get bigger and bigger and then it's gonna pop! Don't worry, it will only hurt a little bit. Not much."

Click to see Jade's birthday interview

Some pictures of Jade's magical unicorn ballerina birthday party!

Happy 4th Birthday Jade Marie!

Patent Pending

A girl can never forget the moment she sees two lines, +, or the expensive unmistakeable word PREGNANT appear on her pregnancy test. Emotions explode in a chaotic fashion. For some women, their emotions include (in no particular order):

Overwhelmed

Fear

Happiness

Relief

Shock

Guilt

Pride

Anxiety

Panic

Peace

Weighted

Courage

Power

Confusion

Lost

Gratitude

Love

Hope

Paralyzation

Loneliness

Regret

Shame

Eagerness

Humiliation

Self-consciousness

Excitement

Disconnect

Blindside

Robotic

Obsessiveness

Astonishment

Determination

If you're thinking, "Wow that's a pretty comprehensive list." Then let me tell you that a very important one was left out..

JUSTIFIED

Confused? You won't be in a second..

The alarm goes off (my husband reminds me for the nth time of the dwindling time left before we have to leave for church).

I fly around the house like every other Sunday morning, trying not to forget anything important that needs to be done before we can leave for church.

Roast in the oven. Check.

Feed the kids breakfast. Alex handled it. Awesome.

Slap on some makeup. Check.

Get dressed. Check.

Get the kids dressed. Again, thank you Alex.

Grab my Primary binder. Check.

Run a brush through Jade's hair. Check.

Grease up Leo's hair. Check.

Make sure everyone has their shoes on. Check.

And we are off, just like any other Sunday. 

A friendly church member gives Leo chocolate and Leo drools brown all over Alex's dress shirt. Normal.

Alex runs home to soak the stain and get a new shirt on. He accidentally locks the car and house keys inside the house. 

He calls me at church to tell me what happened. 

Next thing I know, I'm crying tears that can't be stopped. 

Alex calls me back to tell me that he got into the house through a window and is on his way back and all is well. 

I expect my eyes to dry up and to move on with the rest of church but instead the flow of my tears increase tenfold. Friends are stopping me in the hallway and bathroom to ask me what is wrong and I can't find an alone place to get myself together. 

I can't tell them what is wrong, because NOTHING is wrong. 

Then ah ha!! It all makes sense.

In all of my pregnancies thus far (3/3), I experience a complete out-of-body, who is this Tiffany person, studies should be conducted, water-works, red blotchy, make up smeared faced, always in public, cringeworthy moment. This moment, my friends, is more reliable and accurate than any store bought or doctor performed pregnancy test. This is my body's personal pregnancy test invention.

And this is how I find out that I am bringing another child into this world. 

Before any tangible evidence and tests are available to me, I already know that I am 100% PREGNANT! Patent pending folks!

I then wait the required few weeks before I can take a pregnancy test. When I see those already predicted two lines appear, I feel all the emotions over again but this time I also feel JUSTIFIED. 

We are VERY excited to bring a 3rd child into our family and I know a lot of you have some questions for me. Let me see if I can answer some of them. Yes I'm sick again, yes Alex is in his last year of law school and we are very busy, yes this was planned, but most of all YES we are oh so EXCITED and HAPPY! We find out the gender this weekend! Can't wait to see how the scales tip in our currently "even Stevens" family!