America: Land of the Free

Turns out joining the land of the free is pretty costly. For those of you who don't know, Ryan was born in Canada. He's lived here since he was a small child, but never actually became a legal citizen. About a year ago this finally caught up to him and it was time to make it legal. Here's what we had to work with:

• Has lived here over twenty years


• An American mother


• An American child


• An American wife


• Served in the American military


• Has paid taxes timely every year

Now, one might think all these things combined would make for an easy process. One would be wrong. It, in fact, became very complicated and very drawn out. Also, very costly. Because the laws change so much, the application we thought would be applicable, was not. So, do they have you just fill out a different set of papers? No, of course not. You have to start all over. Which means paying the $750 fee again.

So we applied, we paid, we waited. We applied again, paid again, and waited. then we waited some more. And then when we thought it was almost done, we got a letter telling us to wait a while longer. But last Thursday, miracle of all miracles, the letter came! Our application had been approved! Ryan was still at work so Oaklee and I decided to do something special. We sent Ryan this picture without any words:

Oaklee was really into it, as you can see. Ryan called me and was SOOO excited. We sent the picture out to our family to tell them the good news. Only about half of them understood at first but they eventually all caught on. The next day Ryan and I went in and he signed all the papers and was given his certificate.

Also, just so you know, when you become an American citizen you get a little welcome packet with a letter from Obama, a little American flag, and a copy of the Constitution. Special.

So! Ryan can now be allowed to have a driver's license again and as soon as we get him a passport we will be able to go visit his Canada family. He hasn't been up to see them since he turned 18. It was a very exciting day at the Webster home.

In other Webster news. Oaklee won't stop growing. She's getting so big! And I'm pretty sure she gets more adorable every day. On Saturday Ryan had to work so Oaklee and I hung out in our PJ's all day being lazy. This is Oaklee in our bed watching me do my hair. Is she not the cutest thing ever?

Oaklee LOVES playing wither her daddy. Last night he was singing to her and she was cracking up. She's a clever little thing though and is a master at not letting me get pictures of her smiling on camera. You can almost see this smile if her hand weren't in the way.



This is her mesmerized by daddy's crazy made up songs.

And then being all worn out from playing. It's a hard job.

Also, note to self. When putting Oaklee in the corner of the couch, ALWAYS interrupt Ryan's xbox game to make sure he knows she's there. Otherwise she might get a daddy on top of her. Talk about a wake up call.

Catch up!

I have been a big, huge slacker with the blog for the last month. I was too busy enjoying my weeks home alone with the baby. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and I am now back in reality, aka: work. I started back yesterday, and leaving Oaklee was horrible. I was hoping today would be easier. No such luck. But we found an amazing lady to watch her while I'm at work, so I am at least comforted in the fact that she is in good hands, even if they aren't my hands. The last two months have been crazy for our family and so much has happened. The three posts after this are to try to get you caught up.

Oaklee is doing so well since she got home from the hospital and growing like a bad weed. The day after she got home from the hospital, at a month old, she was in the 2 % for weight. At her two month check up she had jumped up to the 27 %! She's a giant baby now, weighing in at just under 10 pounds. She's getting much more alert and loves to see what's going on around her. We had one blessed night where she slept through the night, but that has yet to be repeated. She does pretty good though, about every 3 hours. Since I started back at work, daddy takes one of the night feedings, so really I get a pretty good nights rest.

Even though it's only been just over two months it feels like Oaklee has been with us forever. She's our little angel and we can't imagine our family without her. Also, side note: She's freaking cute. Here are some pictures documenting her growth since she's been home:

This is 4 days after she came home to us,

at about 1 month old.

For the first two weeks home she only fit in

premie clothes, which are a lot harder

to find than you would think.

This is at 1 1/2 months. She finally fit

into newborn size clothes!

This is just last week at two months old.

Still in newborn clothes, the 0-3 months

are still pretty big on her. But she's a giant

compared to when she was born!

As you can probably see from this picture, our little Oaklee is not very lady like. Not only does she nap spread eagle, but she can out-fart and out-burp her dad. It's cute now. 15 years from now, it won't be so cute.

Blessing Day

Last Sunday our little Oaklee got blessed by her daddy. I'll admit to you I was extremely nervous about this day. I knew Ryan would do a good job, but I also knew how nervous he was about it. Because we still don't want Oaklee around hoards of people, instead of doing it in church we had it at my mom's house. My parents beautiful back yard was the perfect setting. Surrounded by our family Oaklee was given a perfect blessing. Now, I know what you are thinking, I'm bias in thinking it's perfect. And you know what, you are right. But it really was amazing. The spirit was so strong. I am so proud of Ryan and so grateful I have a husband who is worthy to bless our baby. We were lucky to have Ryan's brother Corry, and his wife Steph here, down from Canada. I'm so glad they got to meet Oaklee and that Corry could be part of the blessing. The only thing that could have made the day any better is if Kara, Perry, and Pete could have been there. They were missed! Here are a few pictures from the big day:

This picture cracks me up. Her face is hilarious.

It is misleading though because it is honestly the only time all

day that she cried. She was an angle during the blessing,

didn't make a peep.

The three of us. :)


Beautiful baby of mine! The dress was made
for Oaklee by a lady I work with.

Big Sister/Little Sister

From the day Ryan and I found out we were pregnant we were both SO excited for Bentley to become a big sister. Then when we found out we were having a girl and our excitement grew. Not that Bentley wouldn't have loved a brother, but for those of you who don't know her, Bentley is THE most girly girl ever. Everything is about princesses. So we couldn't wait for her to get to share this with her little sister. When Bentley finally got to meet Oaklee she didn't disappoint in her excitement. She was the cutest big sister ever. Anytime I did anything Bentley was right there, always saying the same thing, "Please I can help?" She helped change diapers, helped rock her to sleep, played with her, helped feed her, and would even pat along with me when it was time to burp. On one night she was so sure she was big enough to babysit that Ryan and I left her with Oaklee in the living room for about 10 minutes while she babysat. I've never seen anyone so proud of herself. The time Bentley was here was amazing, but as always, it reminded us of how much we miss with her, and how much of her sister's life she's going to miss. I'm grateful for the time they got to spend together though, and I know they already share a strong bond. I can't wait for them to get to play again! Here are some pictures:

Bentley's favorite day, we got both the girls princess outfits.

Oaklee only lasted about 10 minutes in her itchy dress but

Bentley spent the entire day as Belle.

This was at aunt Kara's birthday party.


The first time Bentley met her little sister.
I don't know how many times she told me
how cute Oaklee was. At least once every hour
for the entire week she was here.

Oaklee's Cousins

Our little Oaklee is a lucky girl, she has some pretty awesome cousins. Namely 3 of the cutest boys ever created, Pete, Parker, and Hunter. Little Pete has abandoned us for the east coast, but before he went he was SOO cute with Oaklee. He loved to try to hold her and help feed her. A clear sign he's ready for a sibling (HINT Kara). The boys on my side are just as cute with her. Hunter is a little hesitant, but will hold her if he is sitting on someones lap. He'll watch her for a minute and then be done. Parker, on the other hand, is in love with Oaklee. He'll hold her for hours. Feed her, burp her, and has even changed a diaper. Not what you would expect out of an 8 year old who is obsessed with football. But I should have known, when I was pregnant he would be the first to come rub my belly and talk to the baby. I love that Oaklee has such good cousin's around her. I know all three of them will be like big brothers to her. Here's some of my favorite pictures with the boys:

Here with Parker Man after Oaklee attended her first football game.

Parker's team won!

Here with Hunties at the football game.


The first time Hunter held Oaklee.

The first time Parker held her.

Pete being such a stud.

Children weren't allowed in the NICU so Oaklee didn't get to meet any of her cousin's until she was almost a month old. That was one thing I was most excited about her finally coming home, so that she could meet the three boys who are sure to be her favorite boys for at least the next 12 years, until she figures out boys you aren't related to are fun also. :)

Change of Plans

As most of you probably know by now, my last post was clearly incorrectly titled. It should have said "One More Day". It's been a very crazy couple of weeks. And it has not gone even a little bit as I imagined it would. But I guess that's parenthood for you so I should get used to it. I won't go into too much detail, but here's how it happened:

On Wednesday the 29th I was at work, just like a normal day and Ryan called to see how my morning was going. In the course of our conversation I mentioned that I needed to get his boss' number because Ryan usually left his phone in his work truck during the day, so that way I would be able to get ahold of him when the time came. He said he would give it to me that night when we got home. Right as we hung up I felt sometihng, looked down, and there was a nice wet spot on my chair. I immediately called Ryan back and told him I thought my water broke. Because we had just been talking about it he was sure I was joking. It took a good minute and a half to convince him I was serious, I think he finally heard the slight panic in my voice. He told me to call the doctor. By then I was positive my water had broken and my doctor told me to head to the hospital, we were having a baby. So I told my boss I needed to leave, hopped in my car and headed up to LDS Hospital. Looking back now I see that driving myself maybe wasn't the smartest decision I've ever made. But I made it there, and Ryan got there about the same time. So we checked in and it all went very quickly after that.

The labor and delivery went much more smoothly than I had hoped. Not that I would want to do it every day, but it wasn't as bad as I had prepared myself for. What I had not prepared myself for was what came after she was delivered.

Little Oaklee came out, took one big breath, and then promptly decided breathing wasn't for her and stopped. Those next five minutes were the most terrifying of my life as I watched them take my baby away and preform CPR on her tiny little body. As more and more nurses came into the room I tried to stay calm, but I knew it was bad when no one would make eye contact with me. They eventually had to intibate and before I knew it they were taking her away to the NICU. Ryan went with Oaklee and soon it was just me and my sisters in the room.

The next two hours are a bit of a blur. I know I pissed off more than one nurse demanding they let me go see the baby, but they refused to let me go until the epidural wore off. Once I was finally there, this is the perfect little baby I saw:

The next few days were a battle to get her breathing like she should. She handled it like a champ though and was soon right on track. Since that first week though she's struggled with eating. So, here we are, 16 days later and still in the NICU. She has good days and bad days, and I'll admit it as been a lot harder on me than I would have imagined. But she's a fighter and she tries so hard. One of these days eating will click for her and then we will finally get to have our little baby home with us. She already has such a funny little personality. She makes me laugh all the time. She loves having her hands up in her face, and as a result she pulls out her feeding tube ALL the time. The nurses try to get mad at her for doing it but she just stares at you like, "What? I'm just a baby, you should have put it in better." She has a beautiful little smile that I can't get enough of. She falls asleep with her mouth wide open all the time and it makes her look so much like her daddy that I can't help but laugh. She loves hearing her daddy's voice, she always reacts to it. She's also the best little cuddle buddy ever. I sit for hours just holding her and read a book. I can't wait until we can cuddle at our own house.

I came down with a cold yesterday (Ryan tells me it's y own fault for not getting any rest). So today I'm banned from the NICU and I'm missing my little girl like crazy. I want to say thanks to everyone who kept us in their prayers, and if you have a few more to get her eating I would appreciate it!

Here are her official stats:

Oaklee Webster, born Wednesday, June 29th. 5 lbs 9 oz, 18 inches long. Here's a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure. :)

Ryan and I as the fun was all beginning.

Beautiful Oaklee the next day, when I first got to hold her.

Proud Daddy holding her for the first time.













Poor girl with all her wires and tubes.

Beautiful baby.

Always with her hands up by her face.

SO freaking cute.

One More Month

That's right, one month from today our baby girl is due. SO crazy. It will hit me at random times that I'm really going to be a mom and it's very bizarre. There's going to be this little person who I'm expected to keep alive and make into a functioning member of society. Let's just say it's a good thing my mom is only 10 minutes away.

We are getting really excited though. Ryan especially, he can't wait. We still have not picked a name. Who knew it would be so hard? We have some ideas, so I guess we'll wait and see which one fits. I've decided that she is going to be just as crazy as her dad (not surprising really). I swear this child never sleeps. I feel her kicking all day long and I get woken up all night long from more kicks. She must be busy with some karate training program or something. My poor ribs have taken quite the beating. In all honesty though, it is pretty amazing to feel her kick. I'm hoping sometime in the next four weeks she gets the hiccups. She hasn't had them yet and I hear it is the craziest feeling. Anyone have any thoughts on how to give an unborn child hiccups?

Bentley's Birthday!!!

June 11 was a big day! Miss Bentley turned FOUR! She's so old. We got to have her for a whole week for her birthday and it could not have been more fun. We basically spent the entire week celebrating. We wanted to make it extra special because it's the last time we'll have her where it will be just the three of us. Unfortunately, because I'm super smart, I somehow managed to lose two-thirds of the pictures we took. I'm really upset about this. Almost all of the birthday party pictures were lost. At the end of the post I'll put up the few pictures that survived on the camera and the few that I got on my phone. I wish I had more!

On Thursday I had to work part of the day so Bentley and Ryan got some daddy - daughter time. Then in the afternoon we picked up my nephews, Parker and Hunter, and headed to Boondocks. I forgot the camera there and only got one picture on my phone, I wish I had gotten more. We went bowling, did the race carts, bumper boats, played all the video games, and spent forever in the jungle gym thing. We had to drag the kids away when it was time for dinner. Then Thursday night Ryan did a camp out with Bentley and the boys in my parents back yard. There is a fire pit that's surrounded by trees so it was just like real camping, except with plumbing 50 yards away. This big, ol' pregnant lady wasn't about to sleep on the ground outside, so Ryan was left to fend for himself with the kids. They all had such a fun time.

Friday Grandma Julie and Bapa took Bentley and the boys to see Kung Fu Panda 2 and then we spent the rest of the night playing at Grandma Dixie's with Pete!

Saturday was the big day! We opened our presents at home and Ryan made me and the birthday girl a big breakfast. Then we headed to her Princess Pool Party! My aunt Cheryl kindly let us use her pool. We had a BBQ, swam, had a princess castle pinata, a Tangled cake, and opened lots of presents! After the party we headed to Grandma Dixie's house where Bentley played with Pete and a bunch of her new presents and then got to have a sleepover!

Sunday was a pretty relaxing day. We had church in the afternoon and I happened to be substituting in the sunbeam class that Bentley would go to, so we had a ton of fun. Then we went up and spent time with both the Grandparents. It's a good thing they live 4 houses apart, it made us seeing everyone a lot easier.

Monday we rented a bounce house which was a HUGE success. Again, hardly any pictures of this survived which I'm way bummed about. Bentley had SOOO much fun playing with her three cousins and a few other kids. After ten hours of play I'd say we got our money's worth. After a big dinner with both sets of grandparents, we headed out to spend her last night at Lagoon. Pete wasn't a huge fan, but Bentley loved it. She had been asking to go every time we drove past to get from our house to the grandparents, so she was thrilled to finally get there. We only got to spend a few hours there so when she's here in August I think I will send her and Ryan there for a whole day.

As you can see it was a busy week! It couldn't have been better (well, minus all the pictures being lost). I can't wait till she comes again in August and gets to meet her little sister! This was the first time I think she really understood it and she would talk to my belly all the time and tell anyone new we met that I had her sister in my tummy. Love that girl so freaking much!

Here are the pictures that made it:

Parker and Bentley at Boondocks.

Bentley showing off one of her new outfits.

The birthday girl! In her new birthday

outfit and her pin that said 'Birthday Princess"

Opening some one of her presents from me and Ryan.

Rockin her new birthday shades.

Her Tangled birthday cake.

We had gone the day before and picked

it out together, she was so excited.

Grandma Dixie and aunt Kara drew

her birthday pictures on the driveway.

Bentley and Pete playing.

Pete in the bounce house.

You can't tell but this is

Bentley in the bounce house.

Pete's first ride at Lagoon. Soon after

he started screaming.

Bentley on the swings.

Some whale ride, I don't know the name,

but she loved it.

Bentley and Daddy on some dragon ride.

This one went really fast and she looked horrified

but she kept telling Ryan it was so fun.

Bentley with Grandma Dixie.

Bentley and Daddy on a ride with water,

they got soaked.

I'd like you all to know that I am even more sure now that Ryan is a keeper. He made our anniversary so good! I woke up to breakfast in bed and the sweetest card ever. Then we headed out and went shooting with my family which was so much fun. Here are a few pictures:

Lindsay lookin like a pro.

Parker Man and Ryan

Parker with his Bapa. He was so freaking

cute learning how to shoot. I just love that kid.

Haley

This is the only picture of me, despite the fact that I look miserable

I really was having fun. And I did shoot a lot. I also got worn out

really easily and was not smart enough to bring a chair for

my poor pregnant back.

For the first time Ryan out-shot me. I'm inclined to believe it's because my balance is off what with the big ol' child inside of me, but that could just be me making excuses for losing. Either way we will be going again after the baby is born to see if I can't reclaim my position as the better shot.

After shooting we went to my aunts pool to cool off. It was nice and relaxing. Then Ryan took me to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner, my favorite! It was so yummy. All in all it was an amazing day, thanks baby! Happy anniversary!

And the good news keeps coming, Bentley will be here in 8 hours and I can't freaking wait! We get her for a week for her birthday and it is going to be so much fun. Bentley will be FOUR and she has a table full of presents wrapped in Disney princess paper waiting for her. Tons of pictures to come.....