He is risen, He is risen indeed!!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead - 1 Peter 1:3

Happy Blessed Easter!
- Love the Mathews

Professional Easter egg hunter

So you say you've got Easter eggs to find? We'll I've got the perfect Easter egg hunter for you. She's got lots of experience and you only need to pay her in candy and a few quarters here and there!

Reagan has had quite the Easter egg hunting season this year. She's filled her quota (basket) 5 times this April and has come away with a full piggy bank and a mound of candy (that daddy & mommy will be rationing out).

Hunt #1

- Cousin Alex & Max's birthday party. Her first real hunt! She quickly picked up on the rules and had a basket full in no time.

Hunt #2
- Great Granny & Great Papa's farm. She was off and running from the word go!

Hunt #3
- St. Paul's Church. The big kids intimidated her a little bit but once she saw all the eggs she was as happy as could be!

Hunt #4
- Great Aunt Linda and Great Uncle Kent's for the Michel family Easter. Reagan and her cousin Kaylin were the only egg hunting aged kiddos around and they had a blast!

Hunt #5
- Nana and Papa's after Easter church services. She was the solo egg hunter and I think got a little tired of all the adults telling here where to look for eggs. Every time she found one she'd say "Ta Da!" Next year her and Kinley will have to compete for eggs!

Sisters

I never had a sister. I have a pretty awesome little brother. But no sister. So when we found out we were having another little girl I got pretty excited about getting to raise sisters. And a little nervous too.

During my pregnancy I would try and imagine how Reagan would react to her baby sister. I prayed there would be minimal jealousy and that my two girls would have a close bond. And I'm happy to report that everything is going great so far!

It started in the hospital when Reagan got to meet her baby sister for the first time. She was so proud! Every nurse on the floor was told that SHE was the big sister and Kinley was HER sister! She wanted nothing more than to look Kinley over from head to toe and kiss her.

Then when we got home she was so eager to help me with Kinley's diaper changes. Although that phase ended when Kinley pooped, yes pooped, all over Reagan when mommy was too slow with the new diaper! Sorry Reagan - I'm sure we'll be telling that story for years to come!

As the months have continued to pass Reagan's love for her sister has only grown. She will tell us that she loves Kinley. She will give her kisses and share her favorite toys with her. If McKinley is playing on the floor Reagan will spend at least a few moments with her until her 2 year old attention span gets the best of her! Reagan helps us with McKinley's baths and will hand us a burp cloth when one is needed, which is all the time! I could go on and on. Joel and I often marvel about how easy the transition from one to two children was because of the lack of jealousy on Reagan's part. We feel so blessed to get to raise sisters and pray that they will remain close - even through the dreaded teenage years! Thankfully those years are still far enough away for us to hopefully set a good foundation for their sisterly bond to grow upon. I'll leave with a few more sister pictures - enjoy!

Matching Big Sister/Little Sister Shirts

Sharing Mommy's lap

Matching Christmas jammies!

Hanging out in Kinley's bed.

First bath time together!

Sleeping forehead to forehead in mommy & daddy's bed.

2010 In Review

I'm not a sentimental person. I'm just not. I'll blame that on my mom - thanks mom! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the moment while it is happening and enjoy recalling those memories but I'm not the type that has every single detail filled out in Reagan's baby book. And in all truth I think the farthest I got was filling out her name, birthday, weight, etc. That being said one of my 2011 resolutions was to document our lives better. And seeing as that it is now April I'm a little behind. No time like the present right? I figure the best way to catch up to now is to review the highlights of 2010 month by month. So let's take a little tour of what's been going on in the Mathews' lives since my last post, which as you can see, was January 2010. oops.

February
- Found out we were expecting a new little love in October. Oh and here is a tiny bit of my sentimental side coming out - the day I found out was Tuesday, February 9th. Oh, and going way back, the day I found out I was pregnant with Reagan was Monday, July 7th. But I digress...

March
- Reagan turned one!! March 6th. What a surreal day that was. My heart was torn between excitement of seeing her grow and learn and wanting her to be my little bitty newborn again.

April
- I accepted a new position with my company - a subcontract administrator position. Which is just a fancy way to say Buyer. I buy the thousands of machine spare parts to keep the machines running to make ammunition to support our troops. Working for this cause is very rewarding to me and I'm thankful to have found a great job so close to home.

May
- We traveled to Omaha and Lincoln, NE to see Emily, Caleb's fiance, graduate from UNL. Her family was so gracious while we were up there - thanks Becky and Paul! We took a side trip to the Omaha zoo with Grandma E and Grandpa C which was really fun. Reagan had a blast! A return trip has already been planned for 2011.

June
- Found out our house would be filled with more PINK! Yes, another girl was joining our household. We didn't have to work hard to pick a name - McKinley Marie. McKinley to keep with our "theme" of respectable presidents and Marie after Michelle's paternal grandmother's middle name and Joel's maternal grandmother's middle name.

July
- Joel and I celebrated 4 awesome years of marriage on July 1st. I'm continually thankful to the Lord for placing such a loving man in my life to lead our family.
- At the end of July Emily and Caleb got hitched!! It was a fabulous weekend to celebrate the two lovebirds' marriage. Emily - I hope you know what a great addition to the Mathews' family you are! Reagan especially adores you - Auntie Em!

August
- I'll chalk August 8th, 2010 up as the scariest day of my life. I'm sure Joel would agree. At 30 weeks pregnant I went into labor and began to dilate. You can read in more detail about the experience in McKinley's birth story post. By the grace of God my labor was stopped and after 3 days in the hospital I was sent home on strict bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. Life sure took on a new form from that point. My parents were so amazing during this time. They completely rearranged their lives to help pick up Reagan from daycare, cook meals for us, and keep up the housework. Joel and I can never fully express what a blessing they were to us. Thank you mom and dad, we love you.

September
- More bed rest.
- September 6th was a milestone for my (new) pregnancy. 34 weeks. McKinley's lungs were developed enough that should she have been born her struggle would not have been as great.
- We made it to 35 weeks, then 36, and 37 weeks! Praise the Lord, I was full term.

October
- McKinley Marie Mathews entered our lives on October 4th, 2010 at 11:09 in the morning. She weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 19.5 inches long. No other words can describe that day other than relief. She was here and she was healthy. Joel and I are so thankful to those of you who kept us in your thoughts and prayers for those 8 long weeks. I have no doubt the Lord granted our prayers.
- The rest of the month was spent learning how to function as a family of four. And considering that McKinley is the best baby in the world, yes I'm biased, it wasn't too hard.

November
- November 15th was a bummer of a day. I had to go back to work. This was not the plan. I was supposed to take off from the time she was born until after the first of the year. I was not supposed to go into pre-term labor and have to use up some of my leave. This was a hard pill to swallow. Looking back I can see how the Lord was working to teach me that I'm not in control and He knows exactly what is "supposed" to happen.

December
- Sunday, December 19th, McKinley was baptized into the Lord's family surrounded by our family and friends. Her sponsors are Caleb and Emily and we're so glad you'll be a spiritual presence in her life.
- We celebrated Christmas with Joel's family the same weekend as McKinley's baptism and it was a wonderful time. We missed the Texas Mathews' though!
- The rest of the month was a joyous time with multiple Christmas celebrations. Including a visit from my brother Ryan and his wife Danielle. It was super great to see them as it has almost been an entire year. Reagan had so much fun with you two, we wish we could see you more!It was such a complete feeling to be a family of four this Christmas. I'm already looking forward to next Christmas when both girls will understand a bit better and interact more. I envision wrapping paper covering our entire living room!

I hope you've enjoyed this quick retrospective view of 2010 as much as I had fun remembering and reminiscing!

McKinley Marie Mathews 10.4.10

I finally had some time to sit down and write out McKinley's birth story before I forgot. Here it is:

August 8th, 2010 - The first time I went into labor

Sunday morning, August 8th was bright and hot. Joel, Reagan, and I went to church like any typical Sunday. We took this picture before hand. I was 29 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

After church I ran some errands and shopped at a baby/children's consignment sale. I noticed that I was having some cramping and lots of pressure while standing in line to check out. When I got home we at lunch and the cramping continued. Joel left for an hour to go work with a football player he'd been training all summer. While he was gone the cramping got very intense and I was so relieved when he arrived back home. He took over watching Reagan and I laid on the couch and tried to nap. The nap didn't happen because the cramping was beginning to hurt and starting to mimic the early labor pains that I experienced with Reagan. I called the Dr. and they said to come in to be monitored. My mom and dad rushed over to be with Reagan. I remember feeling so anxious about the situation when we left that I didn't really say a proper mommy goodbye to Reagan. I thought we'd go get monitored for an hour or so and then be back at our house in time for dinner. Little did we know.... We were taken straight to triage and I was put on the monitor right away and it was obvious I was having regular contractions. The nurse checked me for any dilation and was shocked to discover I was already at a 3, which was not good since I had 10 more weeks to go before my due date. Then everything went into crazy speed - I was moved to a antepartum room (different from a labor and delivery room, but still in the same hallway), they started an IV of magnesium sulfate - a drug that is a smooth muscle relaxant - to help stop the contractions, pumped me full of antibiotics to ward off any infection(s), and gave me the first of two betamethasone shots- a steroid to help develop McKinley's lungs more rapidly than normal since baby's lungs are the last organ to fully develop in utero. Things were a big blurr after that. My mom, dad, and Reagan showed up. The nurses and doctors were concerned that the contractions were not easing up as they should since I was on the IV drip. I had a detailed ultrasound performed where they measured Kinley at 3 lbs 3 oz, which was actually in the 90% for her gestational age, a very good thing should she have been delivered. The NICU charge nurse came to speak with us about what would happen should my labor not be able to be stopped and McKinley would be delivered that night. That is when it hit me that they thought I was going to deliver her, 10 weeks early, the most scary moment of my life by far. As a last resort they upped my IV dosage and turned me on my side and the contractions spaced out and eased in intensity. Everyone around seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Mom and dad took Reagan home and that was another hard moment on me because I didn't say a proper goodbye when we left the house - I was upset with myself that it could have been the last time I was at home with her as my only child and I didn't give her the attention she needed. Joel was amazing during this whole time. So supportive even though he later admitted he was just as terrified. I was monitored all night and the contractions were still coming but increasingly spaced out. The next morning, Monday, August 9th, my doctor arrived and discussed our new course of my pregnancy as I was now considered high risk. The entire day on Monday I was kept on the IV with only bathroom privileges and then confined to bed in a reclined position. By Monday night the contractions were still hanging around and would come in spurts depending on my activity level. They continued the IV through the night. Tuesday morning, August 10th, they switched me to an oral version of the IV medicine, procardia. I was able to take a very short shower and move a round a little bit more, but still strict bed rest. They treated Tuesday like a trial run for when I was released to go home so the nurses pretty much left us alone. Apparently I passed the test because I got to go home Wednesday morning to strict bed rest - limited trips up and down the stairs, 5 min showers, and limited bathroom trips the rest of the time I was to lie on my left side on the couch or bed. My doctor's new goal for my pregnancy was 34 weeks. When we made it to 34 weeks the next goal was 35 weeks. At 35 weeks they took me off the oral medicine - McKinley's lungs were fully developed at this point due to the two steroid shots I received and the rest of her body was fully developed enough that her main struggles, should she have been born 5 weeks early, would have been learning to feed, maintaining her body temperature, and gaining weight. Then 36 weeks came and went, then 37 weeks. We made it! Full term! At our 37 week appointment my doctor discussed inducing me at 39 weeks if I had not delivered by then. We all got a good laugh at the thought of having to induce after working so hard for 7 weeks to keep her inside! And as it turns out we didn't have to wait too much longer.......

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 - the second time I went into labor

Oddly enough, the second time I went into labor was a Sunday too. I stayed home from church since I was still on modified bed rest. When Joel and Reagan returned we had lunch and loaded up the car to run a few errands and go see the Wall That Heals - a small traveling replica of the Vietnam Veteran's memorial located in D.C. It was very neat. Very somber, but very neat. While we were at the memorial I started to have some non-time able contractions. By the time we returned home in the early afternoon from our errands the contractions were coming in regular waves. I also felt Kinley's activity level go way down which was a bit alarming. I decided it was time to head to the hospital for a labor check and to check on Kinley's decrease in movement. My mom and dad came to watch Reagan and this time I made sure to say a proper mommy good-bye. In the car on the way to the hospital Kinley decided to have a little party in my belly and I relaxed a bit after feeling her movement increase. However, by the time we got to the hospital my contractions had spaced out again. We decided to head across the street to the mall and do some walking to see if the contractions would start back up. Three trips around the mall and I told Joel it was time to head over to the hospital as the contractions had picked up again. Walking into the labor and delivery floor felt so much better this time - if I was in truly in labor we'd get to leave with a full term baby and not a preemie! As luck would have it, the same nurse that was with me in August was our triage nurse again and I was so thankful. She was also the nurse who taught our labor and delivery class when we were pregnant with Reagan so we were very comfortable with her. I got settled into our triage room and hooked to all the monitors and checked for dilation - I was at a 6!! But I wasn't having regular labor contractions. The nurse left to consult with the on call doctor and I thought for sure they would send us home since I wasn't truly in labor. However, to our surprise they decided that with my history of fast labor (only 6 hours with Reagan) and the fact that I was so dilated already that they would keep me overnight and let our normal OB, Dr. Trout, make the call in the morning. That was unless I were to deliver that night. Joel ran home and grabbed our things - I was so happy that since about the 35 week mark I had everything packed and a list of last minute things to pack taped to our bathroom mirror. It was my form of nesting while on bed rest I suppose. We settled in for the night and what a long night it was. I continued to have random but increasingly stronger contractions all night. I didn't sleep much because I wondered all night if they would keep me in the morning and I'd get to meet my second daughter or if they would send me home for more waiting.

Monday, October 4th , 2010 - It's baby day!!

I was awake at 6 a.m. I knew Dr. Trout would make her rounds at about 7 so I was preparing my speech. The "Please don't send me home, I want to have this baby today" speech. 7 a.m. rolled around - no Dr. Trout. Then came 7:30 and still no Dr. Trout. Finally a little after 8 a.m. Dr. Trout walked in the door and said the most glorious words I'd heard in 8 long weeks "It's baby day!!" I told her I didn't even get to use my speech and we all got a good laugh. Time seemed to speed up once she broke my water a little after 8:30. My nurse, who turned out to be a good high school friend from my brother's class, was such a blessing that day. She certainly has the gift of nursing and made everything go so smoothly. I was given pitocin to get my contractions to become labor-like. Shortly after that I was given my epidural which was a comical experience thanks to the jolly epidural guy and the two residents he was teaching. The epidural was awesome except for what they call a "window of pain" which is where a small area does not respond to the medicine and the pain in concentrated in that one area. After two booster epidural doses I was blissfully numb from the waist down. We spent a little while just hanging out and completing paperwork etc. Apparently McKinley's heart rate was not being picked up like it should have been on the monitor. Our nurse wanted to place a scalp monitor on her head to better track her heart rate. When she went to do this she realized I was complete and it was time to push! Yay, it was finally baby time! I was so ready to meet our newest daughter. I pushed for 15 minutes and 3 hours after they broke my water, McKinley Marie Mathews came into this world at 11:09 a.m. She had the cord wrapped around her neck one time, which explains the dips in her heart rate, and once that was removed she let out a sweet little cry. They placed her on my chest and it was love at first sight - I was a mommy for the second time and it was awesome. I had so many emotions from the last 8 weeks running through my mind that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry from joy or relief or thankfulness. She was here and she was healthy. Our prayers had been answered. We spent the rest of the morning getting to know our newest little girl and anticipating introducing her to Reagan. My mom brought Reagan up after lunch and Joel brought her back to see us. It was as sweet of a moment as I had been imagining for the past 9 months. We were officially a family of four! Reagan wanted nothing more than to give her little sister a kiss and to proudly tell us she was the big sister. My heart was so full at this moment, I'm sure it is a feeling I will never be able to forget or recreate. The afternoon and evening was spent introducing McKinley to our family and friends who had prayed for her safe arrival as much as we had. As Joel and I were settling in for the night we reflected on the past 9 months and mostly over the past 8 weeks, it was such a wonderful feeling feeling knowing our family was complete and healthy all thanks to our wonderful God. We are so blessed and forever grateful to Him.

McKinley Marie Mathews 10.4.10 - 11:09 a.m. - 7 lbs 5 oz - 19.5 in