Jacob, 8 weeks

More Brotherly Love

National Tournament #2

Joshua’s entrance fee to a National Wrestling Tournament… $36

Gas to make the 12-hour round trip drive… $240

Admission price for Mom and Dad to watch the tournament… $42

Taking home a 2-foot trophy from a National Wrestling Tournament… PRICELESS!

 

We entered Joshua into his second national wrestling tournament. The venue was 6 hours away, but luckily my parents live nearby so we were able to visit them as well. They even offered to watch four of our six children (we took Jacob with us because he’s still exclusively breastfed and we took Joshua for obvious reasons) and that was very helpful.

The tournament was huge, as we expected. Admission was $12 per person and $30 for a coaches pass that would allow Rick on the floor. There was tons of security, bag searches, and “bouncers” that stopped people from going down on the floor without coaches passes. The arena was huge!

Because it was a national event, there were kids from all the surrounding states. We were worried when we first saw the brackets. Joshua was up against a really tough kid in his very first match. This kid is one of the toughest in our entire region. During his 3-year wrestling career, he has never, ever lost a match. Until today, that is…

Joshua worked hard and beat this kid. He was so excited and we were so proud of him! He beat that same kid a second time later on as well. Joshua only lost one match (barely) so he ended up taking third place. He was so excited and ended up with an awesome trophy.

We browsed the tournament items that were for sale- shirts, hoodies, hat, blankets, singlets, and so on. Joshua really liked a big fleece blanket with the tournament logo on it. When he realized that the tournament shirt had his name on it, he wanted that as well. He even offered to “help pay for both” with the dollar that I’d given him earlier. I ended up buying him both because I couldn’t no to my sweet boy after he’d worked so hard.

It was a great day and Joshua declared that this was his favorite tournament so far.

Sweet Jacob

There is something extra special about Jacob. He has such a peaceful feeling about him. He makes everything around him feel calm and sweet and serene. He has such a valiant spirit, I can feel it already. Precious Jacob fits into our family so neatly and so perfectly. He was meant to join us long before I knew that he would. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father blessed us with this incredible individual. I am excited to see all the amazing things that Jacob will do as he grows. I can’t get enough of this sweet, sweet baby boy!

Another Gold

Joshua had another wrestling tournament today. As usual, I spent yesterday preparing (which, combined with Brenna’s Christmas choir concert, made the evening busy) and got up at 5am this morning so that we could leave on time. The tournament was very large- at the last minute their numbers swelled to nearly 500 kids from around the state. They divided the kids up into smaller groups though so that was nice. It was run pretty well too so we were done by 12:30, which is pretty early as far as wrestling tournaments go!

Joshua pinned his way through the tournament and took home the GOLD MEDAL. He pinned every kid quickly and efficiently and easily, no match was even close. Josh got many compliments from coaches and dads about his wrestling performance. The team coach said he “did everything perfectly” and the assistant coach said his last match was “spectacular.” We are so proud of our studly little wrestler!

The kids and I enjoyed ourselves in the bleachers as well. Maddie had a great time cheering for Josh and making up her own darling little cheers. She was so completely cute! She wants to be a cheerleader and I think she’ll be a great one. She has a bouncy, fun personality, lots of enthusiasm, and she’s gorgeous with those big brown eyes!

Brenna made several new friends and reconnected with a few old friends as well, just as she does at every tournament. Braden spent the entire tournament being a puppy. He was panting and barking and he kept licking my jeans. Asher was exhausted after a very late night last night and a very early morning this morning. He nodded off in his stroller and slept for most of the tournament, with his soft blanket tucked around him and cookie crumbs still on his face. Little Jake was as easy as he always is. He slept, nursed, and gazed around at the busy gym. It’s a good thing Jacob is so easy going and “portable” because he’s been attending sporting events since his earliest days… and I am sure he’ll continue to attend until he’s involved in these events himself.

We had a great day. I’m glad Joshua loves wrestling so much. I’m glad that the rest of the family has fun attending his wrestling tournaments. Wrestling truly is a major family effort and so far we are all enjoying it.

  

Christmas Choir Concert 2009

Brenna sings in a nearby children’s choir. She spent two years in the “young singers” group (ages 4-7). This fall the choir director moved her into the audition only Children’s Choir (ages 8-12, even though Brenna is only 7). The director is amazing, Brenna has learned a lot and made many friends, and she absolutely loves to sing. Being a part of the choir has been a wonderful experience for her.

Tonight was the Christmas concert. Brenna has been really looking forward to this and has been counting down the days for the past few months. Unfortunately, Rick couldn’t get time off work in order to attend. I left four of the kids with our cousins for the evening and took Jacob along with me to the concert. I really missed having the entire family there as we usually do, but I still enjoyed the beautiful music. These children are all so talented and their director has done a great job shaping that talent into something truly magical.

Brenna looked so gorgeous in her white choir robe. I couldn’t help but get emotional as I watched my precious first-baby-turned-big-girl up on stage. She was beautiful and radiant. She looked so grown up and so little at the same time. I had a little flash suddenly, an image in my mind. I could picture Brenna as a beautiful teenager, with her curly hair and her bright smile and that familiar dimple still in her cheek. I could see her singing, babysitting, driving. Imagining her as a teenager took my breathe away and made me a little emotional as well. I know that time is only a few years away. She is growing up so rapidly and is becoming such an incredible young lady. It’s sad and beautiful all at once.

The performance was inspiring. Brenna had a solo (which was actually a group part with two other girls) and sang it beautifully. I was so proud of my gorgeous, precious, incredible Brenna! She is an amazing little girl and I am so thankful for her. Seven years after her birth and I still am amazed by the miracle that she is!

  

Jacob, Six Weeks

It’s time to sit and nurse my sweet Jacob. And since I’m sitting anyway I’m going to take the time in the midst of yet another whirlwind day to quickly record a little bit about our darling six-week-old!

Jacob continues to be a complete joy. He is the easiest little baby, always content and rarely fussing at all. He has the sweetest little temperament and really just radiates a feeling of peace and contentment. Jacob is smiling socially now. It’s not frequent, but the smiles are there and I love each and every one! He is so bright-eyed and alert as well, constantly taking in his surroundings. He has the biggest, darkest eyes and somehow they seem wise and inquisitive already. They are so deep and dark now that I wonder if they’ll be brown.

Jacob’s a good nurser with a hearty appetite and a self-set 3-hour schedule. His initial latch is still wrong (and so painful!), but after a few tries he gets it. I’m pretty sore though. After five previous babies, this is the first time that breastfeeding has been this painful for me! We’re working on the latch and pushing forward anyway. I want to nurse this little guy for at least a year so I am happy to work through temporary problems now.

In other big news, Jacob slept for 5 hours straight last night! It was a first for our cute baby boy. Of course, I didn’t really take advantage of him being asleep- I was up frequently checking on him. It’s always a bit of an adjustment when a new baby begins to sleep longer at night.

Jacob is still a tiny little thing. He still only weighs 7.5 pounds on our scale (and it’s usually very accurate). Right now he seems to be following Braden’s slow growth pattern, but I am still waiting for a great big growth spurt from him. It could come any time! Come on, chunky thighs!!

The older kids continue to adore their big brother. Our children have never dealt with jealousy or sadness or displacement when a new baby has been born. I’m glad that trend has continued. Everyone has easily adjusted to having a new baby and they are all completely in love with Jacob. Brenna is incredibly helpful and responsible and loves taking care of Jacob. I trust her so much and I am so glad to have a happy little “babysitter” who’s eager to lend a hand. Madalyn always wants to hold Jacob and has nicknamed him “Jake-ster.” Braden constantly tells me, “I think Jake really loves me, Mom!” Even little Asher can’t get enough of his baby brother. He’s always eager for a hug and a kiss and he gets so excited when he sees Jacob.

Life with six precious kids is incredible! I’m so busy and so blessed. I am happier than I’ve ever been. It’s an amazing feeling to be this happy and this content. I love it!

Happy Camper

First National Tournament

It’s no secret that Joshua loves wrestling. He is totally devoted to the sport and is truly passionate about it. He’s also a good little wrestler. 

Joshua wrestled in a non-competitive recreational league when he was four and five, and started wrestling competitively just before he turned six last spring. It was a huge step up to go from a rec league to actually competing, but Joshua was up for the challenge and proved to be a great wrestler.

After just three months of competitive wrestling in the 2009 Freestyle/Greco season (last spring) and one month so far of competitive wrestling in the 2009 Folkstyle season (which we’re currently in the midst of), Joshua has already amassed an impressive collection of 19 medals and 4 trophies. He usually places first or second at state tournaments. He’s currently ranked #3 out of our entire state in his age division. (Rankings are based on points gathered through tournament wins and are totaled over the combination of the fall and spring seasons. Because Joshua only wrestled in the spring last year, he earned his points in half the time that everyone else did. He still managed to climb the ranks to #3!) At the Freestyle/Greco State Championships last April, Joshua took Gold in Greco along with the Outstanding Wrestler Award for his age group and took Bronze for Freestyle. That’s all pretty impressive for a six-year-old with just one season under his belt!

Joshua has done so well at state tournaments (Can I say it again? Ranked #3 in our state, the State Champion for Greco, and a bronze medalist for Freestyle!!) that we began to wonder how he’d do at national tournaments. We sat down with Josh and explained that state champion wrestlers would travel from all around the country to attend these national tournaments. The wrestlers would be tougher than he’d ever wrestled, the brackets would be larger than he’d even been in, he’d have more matches and harder matches than ever before. Of course, Joshua was eager to try.

Then, just one week before his first national tournament, Joshua got sick. He was violently sick, he lost 5 pounds, and he ended up in the hospital due to severe dehydration. Josh really wanted to wrestle at a local tournament just days later. We were hesitant because he’d been so sick, but finally agreed. Joshua won first place and brought home the gold medal, in spite of his very recent illness.

We were pretty sure that we’d keep him out of the national tournament though, because he was so weakened from being sick and because the competition would be so fierce. This national tournament would be particularly hard because Joshua would have to wrestle in the 7-8 year old group even though he was only six years old. Friends on his wrestling team told us that most boys his age who went were “two and done,” meaning that they lost their first two matches and were out.

Joshua insisted that he wanted to try anyway. He told us he knew he might not win or even place in the top six, but that would be okay with him. We explained how hard it would be, but it did not change his mind. “I like a challenge,” he kept insisting. We explained that they were awarding trophies for 1st-3rd and medals for 4th-6th, which meant that MOST kids would go home without anything at all and he might leave a tournament empty-handed for the first time ever. Josh said that was okay.

Finally, we agreed. After missing two straight weeks of practice (due to Thanksgiving and being sick) and after being so sick that he was hospitalized just a week earlier, Joshua entered his first national tournament. We were a little nervous for our boy.

I had a busy day on Friday as we prepared for the tournament. I cleaned, packed, ran errands, changed the oil in the van, had the tires changed, took Brenna to gymnastics, and then took all the kids to weigh ins. I took them by myself, in the dark, through an unfamiliar, winding mountain pass. We drove an hour away to the tournament venue for weigh ins and then drove home again.

The next morning, I was up at 5am. When Rick got home at 7am, we left. We made the hour drive again.

I expected this tournament to be big because it was a national event, but it was even larger than I’d imagined. The arena was huge. There were over 500 wrestlers there, and nearly 80 in Joshua’s age group. They’d come from 9 different states and most were state champs or placers in their home states.

We were there for 10 hours. It was a good thing that I was prepared to spend the day there- I had plenty of drinks, snacks, toys, coloring books, and so on.

Joshua was up against a tough kid right off the bat- the 8-year-old state champion from a neighboring state who ended up taking 1st place that night. Josh did well against such a strong competitor, but he still lost by a few points. Then Joshua surprised us by PINNING the rest of the kids in his bracket! The competition was so steep that we did not expect that. Josh was thrilled and so were we!

Joshua ended up wrestling in the finals for 3rd and 4th place. He wrestled the kid who’s ranked #1 in our state. Josh has pinned him several times in the past so we felt pretty confident that he could win and take home a 3rd place trophy. Unfortunately Josh was pretty tired by that point. His head was obviously not in the match. He didn’t look like he was really even trying and he seemed so out of it. He lost by just a few points.

Joshua was bitterly disappointed because he didn’t get a trophy. We told him it was okay to be sad, but to also remember how well he had done. He’d come to his first national tournament just a week after being sick, he was up against older kids with more experience, who were state champions themselves. We were told by several parents on our team to expect him to be “two and done” at this tournament because it was so, so competitive. And, in spite of all of that, Josh took fourth place!! We told him that we were proud of him and he should be proud of himself too.

Josh couldn’t be consoled by our words, but he did cheer up when he took his place on the stand and an enormous 4th place medal was placed around his neck.

We gave the team coach and his kids a ride home in our 12-passenger van. We went out to dinner as a family afterwards. It was a good day and we are so proud of our tough little guy!

  

Itty Bitty Cutie Pie

I can’t believe that this little guy is already four weeks old!! It’s crazy that one month can feel like both an instant and a lifetime all at once! And how fitting that Jacob’s 4-week birthday and his first Thanksgiving fall on the same day– this precious child has given us so much to be thankful for!

Jacob continues to be the sweetest, easiest newborn. He is so much fun and he’s so completely adored by all of us! He seems very, very close to smiling and I am eagerly awaiting that first social smile! Jacob is still tiny and skinny (still wearing preemie clothes). I am sure that he’ll lose his skrawny newborn look soon though. It won’t be long before he’s an adorable roly-poly two-month-old!

Jacob has had his first cold this week. He’s been stuffy and congested, but thankfully his lungs have been clear and he’s been eating well. Jacob and I haven’t been getting much sleep because his tiny nose is so stuffy, but last night was easier and he seems to be through the worst of it today. He also has a yeast infection, but with nystatin cream it is clearing up quickly.

I am so thankful for my sweet, precious 4-week-old son. It seems extra special to have a tiny newborn on Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for!

And, seriously, isn’t Jacob so just completely adorable?!