Newborn and family photos

Welcome to our family William Graham Pierce!

August 10, 2016 at 8:03 am Will joined our family! He is healthy and weighed in at 7.2 pounds and is  20.75 inches long!

We are so incredibly grateful to our Father in Heaven for this miracle boy! I am especially grateful that for how hard my pregnancy was, I was able to make it full term without major complications! 

Having a planned surgery day was much easier than what I went through with Cameron. 

I walked into the OR, had my spinal block, and before you know it, Will was here, healthy, and crying! My OB said- "Cherish! I don't think I have ever said this to anyone before- but this darling baby looks just like Cameron!!" They peeked him around the curtain, and sure enough! Will was a spitting image of his brother right at first! My handsome boy! It was so nice- that he was healthy, and that the hospital has come out with some new policies allowing moms with some extra precautions to hold their babies skin to skin in the OR! I got to cuddle and hold Will while they finished my surgery! It was total heaven to snuggle my brand new baby!

Something interesting and extremely rare- maybe 5 births per year at my hospital- that was noted is that the cord was completely knotted! Will was a very active baby, up until the last 2 weeks he was still turning head up then down then up then down!! My doctor remarked it was amazing that the cord was so strong and healthy, because sometimes those knots can cause some scary complications! Will was completely unaffected thankfully, so like I said, it was something interesting that happened!

Once we got settled into our room, Dan went to pick Cameron up from Grandpa and Grandma to come and meet his brother. 

I was not prepared for the amount of love that Cameron's 3 year old heart could hold for this baby. I knew he would want to hold and love him, but I assumed it would last 2 minutes and he would be on to the next thing. 

Well, let me tell you- if he had his way, no one else would ever have a turn holding HIS baby- HIS brother. That first day, every time a new nurse or aide came in, he would exclaim- "This is MY baby! This is MY brother!!" He is just so proud, and so in love, and so sweet! It just melts my heart!

Grandpa and Grandma came up a while later and met Will too!! 

Cameron has continued to love Will every moment. I worried a little- but I didn't need to. He has been a little extra sensitive, but not jealous or upset at all. He is so protective and loving!! He was so proud to have him home!!

Last Day of Preschool for the 2015-2016 school year!

Cameron has loved school. I am so so glad I decided to put him in an early start class, and get him used to it before baby brother comes. He had an amazing teacher- He LOVED her. She made school so nice for him, left a lasting good impression of school. He is excited to be there and loves activities. He has taken up more interest in reading, pretending, and drawing pictures. I pray that he will always love learning and love school!!! 

Thank you so much to Ms. Kath- Kathrene Livingston- his teacher. She is someone who loves teaching, and loves those little kiddos!!! 

Mesmerized by beauty

Dan and I had a hard time finding a fun and witty show to watch after downton abbey ended. We finally settled on Mr. Selfridge- another really good masterpiece classic on PBS. 

One evening this week, we were watching an episode, and one of the characters caught Cam's eye. 

I got up and went into the kitchen for a drink or something, and Dan called me and motioned me to watch Cameron. 

He was inching closer and closer to the TV just fixated on this character- a strong female character named Kitty Hawkins. 

I said to Cameron, "Is she a pretty lady?" 

He looked at me, and said, "uh-huh" and went back to watching her. 

Next thing we know, he is leaning on the TV kissing her!!! 

Dan and I died!! I don't know how he already knows to kiss pretty girls, but it was the cutest thing ever!! 

Age three is a bittersweet thing. Either extremely sweet and entertaining, or extremely difficult and tiresome. I am so grateful that for the most part, Cameron is a sweet and accepting kid- with a small stubborn and independent streak!! 

Three year pics and our big announcement!

That's right! This awesome guy is going to be the best big brother ever! Baby due August 2016!

I might be a little biased, but Cam is so photogenic! He is one happy kiddo!! We sure love him!

What!? I write a blog!? Cam is three!!!

I have failed epically over the last year and a half to keep updated!!! It is one of my resolutions to pick this writing back up- after all, I can count it as journaling and family history, right!?

Rather than be overwhelmed with catching up, I am just going to start where we are!

This past week, Cameron turned 3!!! I cannot believe how fast this last year went by- heavens how fast life is going by! Kids certainly speed things up!!

On his birthday, I took him on a date- we went to lunch at noodles, went and watched Kung Fu Panda 3, and got balloons! Then, after daddy got home from work, he took us to get dinner at texas roadhouse! Cameron sat on the saddle and he was so excited about that! 

We had a little party for him Saturday, and we went to the fire station! That was a huge hit- this little guy could not contain himself!!! He was so excited- I am pretty sure he made the fire men's day! When we left, he said, "Bye Fire Truck!!" and the chief said- "I am pretty sure I just heard him say bye to the fire truck- that is awesome! I do that at the end of every shift!!" 

Cameron has grown so much- and he is so much fun right now! He talks so much- and goes to preschool, and just enjoys life! 

Here is his 3 year interview! 

When I first started the conversation with him, it went like this:

How old are you?  Two!! No you are three now! Oh! Three

What makes you happy? Playing games, toys, and Iron Man

(my notes are in italics)

What is your favorite toy? Giraffe What about Iron Man and Woody? Oh and Iron Man and Woody

What is your favorite stuffed animal? Giraffe

What is your favorite real animal? Giraffe’s are the best!

What is your favorite thing to sleep with?  Giraffe, Blankie, and Baby.

What is your favorite color? I don’t know. He usually says Blue, and has his teacher at preschool convinced it is orange.

What is your favorite fruit?  Cantaloupe and Bananas

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Noodles- What about pancakes, waffles, muffins, or cereals? Noodles!

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Noodles!!

What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner? Chickens

What is your favorite drink? Apple Juice

What is your favorite dessert? I-ca-scream (He is pretty severely lactose intolerant, so he gets a vegan option or sorbet)

What is a food that you don’t like? Tomatoes

What is your favorite thing to do?  Play. Play What?  Play guys! He loves the preskool characters- he has 3 iron mans!

What is your favorite TV show?  Neighbor! Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

What is your favorite movie? Woody! Do you have more? Baymax, Minions, and Giraffe! Giraffe meaning the Madagascar movies.

What is your favorite song? Burn, Funk You Up, Sad Song, Sugar. (Burn-Ellie Goulding; Uptown Funk-Bruno Marz ft. Mark Ronson; Hello-Adele; Sugar-Maroon 5)

At Bedtime, we sing Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, ABC’s, and Mother, Tell Me the Story

 Who is your favorite person on Earth?  Coles (Nicole Jessop) and Liam (one of Nicole’s daycare kids), Brae and Addi too, Grandma, and Uncle Ben.

Who is your best friend? Gavin.

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump!

What is your favorite book? Truck Stuck and Giraffe. My stuck truck and Giraffe’s Can’t Dance

What do you want to be when you grow up? Fire man!!! Drive Fire Truck!