Oh so today is Father's Day?

So, last week I wrapped Corey's Father's Day present.

Forced him to have a little photo shoot with the baby.

Although, you can tell he didn't need too much convincing.

Then let him open his present.

Then my mom informed us we were a week early.

What?

I have been in zombie land.

It's this really fun place where new moms get to visit.

I'm just barely starting to feel like a normal human being again.

But in honor of Father's Day, be it this week, or last....

I wanted to do a little post for my husband.

The Father of my child. Children if you count the dog.

Let's be honest. We totally count her.

 So let's start with the hospital.

Corey's favorite three words in the hospital were...

"Is that normal?"

To which each nurse and doctor would reply, yes.

I loved all the questions Corey had for the staff.

"My baby keeps jerking her arms up in these quick fast motions."

"Is that normal?"

Yes. That's normal. It's just her nervous system getting used to things.


 

One thing I'm pretty thankful for is Corey's family here in Minnesota.

I was especially grateful when his brother and family showed up at the hospital with Subway.

I was STARVING.

Then another sister in law showed up with her girls and some books for baby girl.

We are hoping she likes to read.

Mostly I am grateful for Corey's parents.

Betty and Virgil.

I am thankful for this son of theirs and the way they raised him.

It was pretty special that they were able to be around for Corey's first days as a father.

They found him just as amusing as I did.

My mother in law and Sister in law and her girls held Hazel in the hospital while I had my first bath. 

Yes I had to wait 24 hours for a bath. 

I was so relieved that they were there to love on Hazel while I relaxed.

Also Corey's father told me he used to go in their rooms to check if they were breathing.

I don't think he has any idea how normal that made me feel.

I constantly check to make sure she's breathing.

At least I did in the beginning. 

Now quite a bit of the new mom anxiety has hit the road.

Thank heavens.

 

How appropriate that on Father's Day Corey has earned the title "the Hazel Whisperer".

I had no idea of Corey's capacity to love.

It's amazing how much love he has for our little family.

And that makes me really thankful.
 
 

 



When the home care nurse came on Sunday the 3rd, Corey had lots of questions for her.

Um Betty and I also had a couple questions.....

One of which was;

"Is it normal for her to be rolling over already?"

Turns out it is. Only because she was such a little button.

Once she fattens up it won't be so easy for her to roll her chunky body over.

Not going to lie though, Betty and I thought she was freakishly strong.

Hazel had her first spit up when the nurse was here.

Corey jumped up and shouted, "What do we do?!?!"

After we told him to grab a burp cloth, we all got a pretty good laugh over his reaction.








Corey was really sweet when we got home from the hospital.

He wanted to make sure everything was put away and the house was clean.

Him and his mother spent at least an hour cleaning the bath tub.

Just the tub.

I was so thankful for that.

Our apartment tub grosses us out so it was nice to be able to relax knowing they scrubbed it.

Not to mention the rest of our house that they cleaned and organized while I snoozed.

Then Corey wanted to make sure we had plenty of food. 

Poor Virg had to go the grocery store with him while he 'bargain shopped'.  

Not an easy task.

 

I had so much anxiety when we first got home from the hospital.

It was a relief to know that Corey was all over it.

If I wasn't holding Hazel then Corey was. Or one of his parents was.

And as obsessive as that is, it was exactly what I needed to get through the first couple of days.

For that I am eternally grateful for all 3 of them.

As I sit here and type this post my baby is screaming.

Sca-ream-ing.

But not to worry.

All is well.

Her Dad is holding her.

And she could not be in better hands.

His ability to calm her kind of makes me jealous.

Before Hazel was here I would tell Corey about girls and their dads.

I told him how he will be her first boyfriend.

And her hero.

I told him how Hazel will choose someone to marry based on what kind of husband and Father her own dad was.

I think if she makes those life choices based on her own father then everything will be alright.

Because he is a good husband.

And he is a rockstar dad.



 

As a side note, this was Corey's Father's Day present.

He's been asking for one pretty much since we found out we were expecting.

All his dreams came true.

Now if she would just gain 2 pounds so he could start using it.

Post edit:

I just want to say how thankful I am for my own father. I am blessed to have two.

I'm thankful for my Dad and his example. I'm grateful for his testimony, and his ability to love all of us the same. Or so he claims.

I'm thankful for the conversation I had with him on Friday. You know the one I speak of Dad. I needed to hear what you said. I'm grateful for your words.

I'm thankful for John. I'm so grateful for his example also and for his ability to love me as his own daughter. I'm also grateful for John's testimony. I'm thankful for his talents and the way that he shares them with everyone he meets.

I love them both and I am blessed to be their daughter.

Dear Button,

My dear, sweet, precious, little button,


I can not believe you are here. I can not believe we can hold you in our arms and actually love on you. You arrived Thursday May 31st at 5:37 pm. I will never be able to look at that time on the clock again without thinking of you and when you entered the world.

Screaming, they placed you on my chest and I knew things would never again be the same. I knew then, that my heart would forever be yours.

I often wondered, as I felt you moving inside of me, what your sweet face would look like. Would you resemble me? Or would you look like your dad? Would I recognize you? The first time I held you I had my answer. There you were kicking and screaming and I knew your face immediately. It had been engraved in my heart all along and I felt like I'd known you for eternity. You were destined to be my baby girl and I was made to be your mother.

There are things I never want to forget about that day so I want to jot them down.

I was often terrified of your Father's ability to be an attentive birth partner. Let me tell you something, he was amazing. You will learn that about your Dad. He always comes through when things get tough, and he will always be someone you want fighting for your cause. He is determined, turns out so are you. I know where you get that from. He whispered words of encouragement when I thought the pain would never end. And he held my hand and reminded of how much I loved him. I am so grateful we were able to create such a beautiful being together. We were able to create you. And he rubbed my arm, cheered me on,  and together we brought you in to this world. Side by side. Let it not be forgotten I did most of the work :) and I was so glad he didn't pass out. He also told me I was a total  rock star.  I love thinking about how much you will love him when you get older and understand things a little better. He is a keeper.

It all happened so fast, and slow at the same time. I remember when they put you on my chest I looked at the 2 nurses and the 2 doctors. Dr. Fischer (my doctor) was there but it was the resident who delivered you while she oversaw things. Actually for some of it she sat on the chair and watched Real Housewives of New York City ( a show you are never allowed to watch). I remember looking at the 4 of them and thanking them through sobs. I thanked them for helping you get here safely.

Then I looked at your Dad. And Hazel, I never want to forget the look on his face. I knew right then you had stolen his heart. And I was absolutely okay with that. I want to remember forever the look in his eyes as he wiped the tears away with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. Then he kissed me on the cheek and told me good job while he rubbed my head. 

Then they weighed you and announced that you weighed 6lbs and 3.1ounces! And 20 inches long! We were so excited, you see, they were worried about you being very small. They even did a special ultrasound a couple of weeks before and estimated that you weighed around 4lbs 11ounces.  We were so glad you were bigger than that.

We never stopped praying in the hospital. Your father and I. We thanked Heavenly Father that you had gotten here safely. We thanked him for the spirit you brought with you. You have such a sweet spirit about you. I just know you are going to be a special girl.

 

Family came to visit in the hospital and family that couldn't visit sent you things. And we skyped some of those who were far away! You are so loved already. Your Aunt Natalie wrote you a special card that I read to you the night you were born. She's pretty special too. All of your family thinks you are pretty neat. Grandpa Virg thought it was pretty cute how you would bring your hands up to your face and hide behind them. You are lucky to have so many people who cherish you. Don't ever forget that. 

That Saturday morning they came in and told us you had failed your hearing screening and you had jaundice. Both not very serious things but they sound horrifying to first time parents. No one told us until later that it's perfectly normal for newborns to fail their hearing screening the 1st and sometimes 2nd time. So we prayed some more. We prayed that you would pass the next time and we prayed that you we would be able to take you home with a billy blanket instead of leaving you overnight in the hospital under the 'tanning bed' lights. They took you away from us to do some more testing and together your Dad and I had a nice good cry. And we prayed some more. Don't worry you passed your hearing screening the second time. And you came home with that rotten billy blanket, but truth be told it could've been worse and hey, we got to bring you home! I swear your Dad was NOT leaving that hospital without you. Even if it meant he slept in the parking lot.

Hazel, I haven't stopped praying since I got admitted to the hospital early that Thursday morning. I want you to know you are a daughter of a God who loves you so very much. And he will answer your prayers. Don't ever stop praying. Don't ever stop talking to him and thanking him for your blessings. We are so blessed.

Your Grandma Lulu flew in on Saturday the 9th and she is pretty much obsessed with you. She says you resemble me when I was a baby. We will all be sad when she leaves. She has bought us groceries, baked, cooked, cleaned, changed diapers, done laundry. I really haven't done anything but feed you since she got here. We are lucky to have her. I never realized how much I treasured my mother until I became one myself. 

We got rid of the billy blanket on Tuesday the 12th and I'm almost positive you did a little happy dance jig with your long legs.

Well baby girl, it is getting late and I have a feeling I won't be getting much sleep tonight. I just wanted to document some of my favorite moments from the past couple of weeks. We are so happy you are here. It seems like you've been here all along, and we are so thankful for you. I wanted to tell you what peace you bring to our home, even with the crying and late night feedings and the messy diapers we wouldn't trade you for anything.

You, my dear, are our greatest treasure.

Love Always,
Your Mother

The Gloomy Day

So While the temperature in Minnesota wasn't horrific today...

Mr. Sunshine made no appearance.

It was a super gloomy day.

Kind of depressing.

I almost had to take a prozac.

Then I remembered I don't have a prescription for prozac and to top it off I'm with child.

BUT- I had the next best thing to an anti-depressant.

Pictures of my sister Rachel just sitting on my external.....

Waiting to be edited.

My parents and 2 baby sisters were in AZ same time as me last month.

Lucky me.

So Natalie got Rachel all dolled up.

And we took her out for some photos.

The end result.

Natalie captured the images while I posed and styled Rachel.

This was fun for me to play "assistant" and be more hands on with the subject.

I can get grabby ya know.

Somehow during the shoot we decided;

Rachel's sweater wasn't working.

So I literally gave her the shirt off my back.

Sister of the year.

I stood in the pecan groves with my gross pregnant self hanging out of Rachel's sweater.

My appearance was borderline offensive.

But Rachel looked great.

Her hair wasn't working.

So Natalie jazzed it up with this messy bun.

Sometimes you just gotta make some changes.

So enjoy these gorgeous photos of one of my baby sisters who isn't so baby anymore.

Remember these gems were captured by Natalie and edited by yours truly.

Yeah we make a great team.

I've heard it before.

Just a few jots about Rachel:

She is the best sister.

She is obedient.

She is a Champion. No, seriously she is a reigning State Champ.

She is accepting.

She is love. Rachel has this ability to unconditionally love everyone she meets. 

She is encouraging.

She is beautiful, in every aspect.

She is totally cray cray but we love her just the way she is.

We love you baby Seester!!

The One Time I Wasn't a Pushover

I often wonder what kind of mother I'll be.

I wonder if I see a someone on the playground picking on my kid if I'll be able to teach them how to stand up for themselves,

Or teach them how to walk away.

I was always a "scare-dy cat".

I made friends with the mean girls at school to insure they weren't my enemies.

(Probably the best advise my Mother ever gave me.)

Don't get me wrong I didn't hang out with them on weekends but I slapped them 5 every time I passed them in school.

It paid of too when Taylor Ryan saved me in the Nathan Hale girls' bathroom.

I swear I was about to get pounded by a 250 pound Mexican girl*.

(I was in the 5th grade BTW)

Until Taylor stepped in. "Let her go guys, she's cool."

Phew.

Fast forward to last summer in the pool.

I was swimming with 2 of my nieces and nephew in our community pool.

And some little brat who was probably 5, kept stealing our pool toys.

It was seriously obnoxious and her mom was nowhere to be found.

I told Kylee(8), Kalyn(4) and Koltyn(2) that we should just ignore her and keep playing.

Well she kept stealing Kalyn's toy.

Kylee looked at me waiting for me to respond.

Of course I didn't.

The eternal peacemaker that I am I just got our other toys and gave them to my nieces and nephew.

After the little bully kept stealing those toys, Kylee had finally had enough.

"Hey! Those are our pool toys. Stop taking them from my sister it's not nice."

I felt like such a loser.

I promised myself I would not be that person ever again.

December 22, 2011.

In Kayenta, Arizona.

At the Burger King playland.

Meet my niece Rylie....

It was her 3rd birthday.

And she was having a blast playing with all the big kids in the play land.

We were on our way to Utah to spend Christmas with our family,

And we stopped for lunch and to give her a break from the car ride.

Hey, It was her birthday, she deserved it.

She was trying to conquer the jungle gym stairs but her legs simply were not long enough. 

She needed help.

Her Dad was getting our food. Her Mom was holding her baby brother.

So Aunt Krystle stepped in.

I am not small. But Rylie needed help.

So I lodged myself on the first step and began to assist her.

First step. Done. Second step.....just about there.....

And then I hear this voice.

Monotonous.

Yelling....

"MOVE. MOVE. MOVE."

I give Rylie a shove up the 3rd and final step and hear it again.....

"MOVE. MOVE. MOVE."

Then it occurs to me that these commands are directed towards me.

I look down and what do you know.

The meanest looking Indian kid* is looking me right in the eye.

And he is yelling at me.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"

And then something inside me snapped. 

And I yelled.

"I'll move when I'm ready!!!"

"Can't you see that I'm helping a little girl!?!?!? Are you freaking kidding me?"

I then moved and he proceeded to race up the steps.....

No apology. Nothing. 

I ducked, stepping through the net curtains and my Sister Natalie was standing there holding her baby.

With her mouth hanging open.

And then we cracked up laughing.

Natalie later proclaimed that she was pretty proud of me.

"I heard you say you'd move when you were ready. I thought good for Krystle standing up for herself. And then you just kept on going at him. It was awesome."

So as it turns out. 

I think I'll teach my kids how to stand up for themselves.

No one likes a scare-dy cat.

** I am not prejudice. Bullies come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

The Trip That Changed Everything.........

I've been thinking a lot about my trip to Moab. I'd like to use this particular post to just jot down a few things I loved about the trip, and things I realized because of this trip.


- The drive up with Natalie and David.


- I loved Rylie's temper tantrum 40 minutes in to the trip. For heaven sakes it was her 3rd birthday and she was spending it on the road strapped in to a seat. I can't wait to tease her about it when she's 16. 


- Pulling over on the side of the road. swinging open the van door and David holding Rylie out over a pile of snow while she pinched a loaf. Yep, It was 22 degrees. She is a sport.


- Natalie coaching David the whole time...."David what you gotta do is keep her feet on the ledge and hold her hands. My mom used to do it to us all the time."


- Learning how to stand up for myself (and Rylie) in the play land at Burger King. Turns out I think I'm going to do just fine as a mom. (This little ditty deserves it's own extra post later this week.)


- Getting out of hiking ALL the way to Delicate Arch because I'm pregnant. Yep I milked it. I don't care if Natalie did the hike 7 months pregnant with Jude last March. Good for her.


- Listening to Corey talk about said hike in bed later on.... "Krystle, I might as well have hiked Everest today. That is what it felt like. I'll never do it again." I tried telling him, but to no avail.


- I also found out Corey made David carry my camera bag on the way up even though David had a horrible head cold and sore throat. Maybe that is why Corey declared last night that he considers David the 'MVP' of the trip?


-Also Jude having an explosion in his diaper, on my watch, while everyone else was out conquering Delicate Arch.


- My Dad and Gordon announcing that they took a vote and declared Rachel the funniest sibling. Um, that did not bode well with Natalie or myself. Dad pretty much spent the rest of the trip trying to make it up to us......


- Rachel informing us (Natalie and I) that she is going to be a stay at home mom but she will not be doing any cleaning. That lead to an interesting conversation between the three of us. That conversation lead to Rachel picking up a rag and helping us clean out the fridge. A big "YOU ARE WELCOME" to Rachel's future husband.


- Emily Bennett-Garrett. Annabelle's American Girl doll. Featured in the family photo above. Enough said.


- Watching Annabelle open up "Coconut"...... Emily's small white fluffy dog. I freaking tell you, hands down, the best thing I've ever seen. Her reaction was priceless. Tears in eyes, heart palpitating, hands shaking amazingness. You would have thought she was just crowned Miss Universe. I will act it out, in person, for anyone that asks.....


- Corey reading to our baby (still in my tummy) for the first time. Freaking awesome. I may or may not have shed a couple tears. We are having a baby.I still can't believe it.


- Speaking of unborn babes... Nicole and Chris announcing the gender of theirs! My parents unwrapped a small gift signed from the baby and inside was blue tissue paper. They were so sneaky!! Baby Hansen is a boy!!!


- Watching Nicole conquer at Just Dance 3. I loved watching that perfectly petite baby belly while she shook her groove thing :)


- Airsoft war. 


- Going to church on Sunday with the whole family...


- Corey (in sacrament) dodging Jude's drool like it was poop. Seriously bro? Better get used to it, your going to be wiping a lot more then drool off your shirt.


- Annabelle bringing Emily Bennett-Garrett to church. Along with the doll's crutches, and woven basket bed carrier. And of course 'Coconut'.


- My Dad standing up to speak (he serves as Bishop in his ward) and Rylie saying, "Abelle that's your dad, Abelle that's your dad." Over and over again. 


- Corey leaning over while dad was speaking and whispering very sincerely, "He's kind of a big deal isn't he?" To which I responded, "Corey, all of the Garrett's are a big deal."


- I will forever be grateful for the things My Dad said over the pulpit that Christmas morning. The kind things he said about his own children. And the thoughtful things he said about the men we chose to marry.


- Eating with my family.


- Laughing with my family.


- Praying with my family.


- I've always been grateful for my siblings. On this trip though I realized something else. I think I can speak for all of my siblings when I say that we just really want the best for each other. We truly enjoy each other's company and genuinely like the people that each of us have become.


- The letter that my parents gave to Corey and I as we said goodbye at the airport. I cherish the special things that they said to us as individuals and as a couple.


- Hugging my sister Nicole goodbye at the curb. We never know when the next time we will see each other will be. As I hugged her I said (while crying), "Next time I see you, you will be a mom." To which she replied, "So will you." I wish we lived closer so we could experience this pregnancy thing together.I am so grateful to be able to go through this with her. She got me through a lot of really sick days in the beginning :) knowing that they would pass and things would get better. She was a good coach. Sometimes that's just what you need in a sister.


So many great things happened on this trip. I know I'll press 'publish post' and then think of 5 other things that should be added to the list. Oh well...... I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and wonderful new year. I'm hoping to be able to blog more this year!