Hello everyone! I know I have been MIA on this blog since Kolton was born, and things are just now starting to feel normal. After having Kolton I didn't really take any time off of work and after a couple of months everything finally caught up to me and I was pretty overwhelmed. Now that things have settled down and Kolton is more independant (he should be he's almost one!) and I am all caught up on things from work, I can blog. It helps that now I have my own computer that I can get on when the kids are asleep (Kolton sleeps in the office). So, enough talk, here are Halloween pictures! Austen was a devil...haha...so fitting. And Kolton was an angel...also fitting. :) They were so cute!
So I realize that we were slow to tell everyone a name...we still had to figure that out at the hospital. But Kolton Michael Chan is the name we chose. I also realize that we are slow to put up more pictures. I apologize. Hopefully this weekend I can get some good pics and put some together to show everyone. He is sleeping well but is a noisy little guy! Breathing and grunting and all that good stuff. Hopefully in the next week or so I can predict him a little bit more as far as his night time feedings. Austen just loves him and I have to make sure he doesn't mawl him. He just wants to hold him and kiss him and lay on top of him and squoosh his cheeks together. But he is learning fast what he can and can't do to a new baby! So things are going great! Stay tuned!
So there we were partying at the Chan Parent's home in Kent with everyone. Real good food with everyone at the house. I (Michael) was making ox tail soup and looking forward to stuffing myself silly. All of a sudden, I look over at Amanda and she's giving me that crazed look. So I had to go over to see what was going on. Those dreaded words...."I'm having contractions"! Dreaded only because it's two weeks early, and I was so looking forward to a nice big bowl of soup! Amanda wanted to hold off for as long as she could, and she made it until after the countdown at midnight (which is another hilarious story in itself). So at 12:10 AM on January 1, 2009, we left the Kent house and headed to the hospital, stopping at the house to pick up some necessary supplies. We got to the hospital and she was dilated to a 4 already, which was a relief because they won't admit you until you are at least a 4. By the time that I had gone back down to park the car and bring up the rest of the bags, Amanda was out of the triage and into a birthing suite. I could tell which one she was in by following the pre-epidural screams. Finally, around 2:00 AM, Amanda got the much asked for epidural. She finally hit the magical number, 10 cm, at around 4:15 or so, and began the final "push" to the promised land. At 4:43 AM, the baby was crowning and the nurse began to call for the OB on duty. "Hurry, the baby is coming!" But it was too late, the little guy came out on his own without any more pushing. 4:46 AM...welcome to the world Baby Chan number 2...all 6 lbs and 20 inches of you!
So I went into my doctor's appointment for a regular check up last Thursday, and I guess my stomach measured the same as two weeks prior. So she told me to go get an ultrasound just to make sure the baby was still growing and that there was enough fluid around the baby. I went in that afternoon and found out that the baby was growing fine, but the fluid in my uterus was a little low. The normal range is 10-20 and my fluid was measuring at a 9. Not that low, so I thought that as long as it didn't go lower I would be fine with just five weeks to go.
I was a little surprised on Friday when the doctor's office called and said that I had to be on bed rest this weekend while drinking lots and lots of water. They think that my fluids were low due to dehydration which was probably worse because I was sick this last week too. So between my bed and the couch, I have been the laziest I have ever been in my life and it is driving me crazy! I go back in tomorrow for another ultrasound to see if the fluid amount has gone up at all and hopefully it has. I don't know if I can take much more of this! But I guess I should be a little grateful for the down time, with this second little guy coming, I'm not sure when I will get another chance to just lay around and do nothing!
One of Mike's patients works for a modeling agency for children. She saw Austen at the clinic a week ago and said we should send her some pictures and she would try and get him into a fashion show this past Friday. She was able to get him in, and the show was this last Friday. It was a charity event to benefit a children's diabetes organization. The Dapper Baby was the company putting most if not all of it on and it was clothes that they sell that they had the children model. Austen was wearing a cashmere sweater and some velvet pants...quite expensive I might add. It was a lot of waiting for a five minute showcase, but he was so adorable! They spiked his hair all cute (I never do anything to his hair, even when he has bed head) and he just ran around the hotel with all of the other kids. When it was time for the show I think all the kids were ready to go home. And who knows, maybe this is Austen's big break! Watch out male models, Austen coming through! There are more pics on the side panel if you want to see more!
When we put Austen to sleep at night, he always snuggles with this bear the Mike gave me when we were dating. He would carry that bear around everywhere with him if we let him. However one night after reading some books before bed, he not only grabbed his bear, but he would not let go of one of his books. So I put him in the crib with both the bear and book thinking I would just go in later and take it out of the crib. This is what Mike and I found...so cute:)
So Mike's dad has been sick for a while now and he has his ups and downs and he has kind of been having a down few months. He pretty much goes from home to the hospital or to dialysis, and then home again. He hardly gets out and it can get pretty repetitive and boring. So we all decided to go on a little family get away to Sunset Beach on the Washington Coast. We thought it might cheer him up and show him he can still do a lot! It was such a great idea. While the trip to the coast was hard for him, it was great to be there with all of the family and for him to see his grandchildren all weekend. It was fun for all of us to spend some time together, play some mah-jong, fly some kites and ride bikes on the beach. It was a really nice weekend too. We were really lucky with that. The kids could go play on the beach in the sand and run around forever. Meals were one of my favorite times. The table in the house we rented was big enough for all of us to sit together. We all took turns cooking a meal and boy was the food good! It is definitely something that we have to do more often.
Mike took Austen to our ward father-son camp-out this year! It was my first night without either one of them home with me! It was a little weird. But I guess Austen loved it! I knew he would. He loves being in the outdoors where there are no boundaries and he can just explore everything around him. He loves the water too...and even went in the cold river to throw rocks. At one point he lost his balance and fell in the water, and he didn't even care. As you can tell from the pics, it is not a warm morning. He just sat in he water and kept throwing rocks while he was soaking wet from the waist down...hehe. Crazy boy!
Check the boy out! Surfing at 13 months without a handle! OK....dad helped a little, but he looks pretty good!
Last Saturday we had a birthday party for Austen. He turned 1 year old on Monday. Oh how the time flies! I didn't want anything too over the top because I wanted to enjoy the party too. All in all, the birthday party turned out real well. We didn't have too much or too little food, and even though it was not warm outside, it didn't rain. I thought that the house would be too crowded with the weather not being the warmest, but there was room for everyone. We were able to see some friends we had not seen in a while and we were happy to be able to share Austen's first birthday with family and friends.
Austen is great at getting into things. He always gets into the recycle and chews on things like pop cans and yogurt containers, I was doing the dishes and I turned around because I thought I saw him bending into the box and when I turned around he was sitting in the box! It was so funny...he was just chompin away at the yogurt container. We kept him in his PJ's until just before the party for things just like this that would make his outfit all dirty.
Gift time! He wanted to just eat the paper once he wripped it off!
He loves this little car from his Aunt Kimberly and Uncle Jon. It's a tow truck from the movie "Cars" and it talks and drives across the floor on it's own. He just chases it around the house! 
When it came to the cake Austen was due for a nap. He cried until I put the cake in front of him and then it was time to explore what was in front of him. He was more interested in the gooey frosting than in eating the actual cake. Then he was just getting bored so he rested his arms on the cake and got it all over his arms. We knew it was over when he rubbed his eyes from being so tired. Bath time!! Oh, and the best birthday gift of the day? A shirt from Mike and I to Austen. It says "Big Brother: AKA In charge" Thhaaaaaaaaats right! We are pregnant again! We couldn't believe it either, but I'm due in January. Some days I'm not sure if I'm ready for two kids, but we are excited. I try and remind myself I have 7 months to prepare!
Okay, I know I have been slacking on updates BIG TIME so here are some quick pics to update you guys on the past three months, and then I'll get to the current stuff! We went to California at the end of March over Eater because my brother was having his second son's baby blessing. While we were there we were able to see some good friends we had not seen in a long time. For some reason there are no pictures of this trip except for our lunch with Grandma Lowe. We went out for lunch and she just LOVED Austen. How could you not?
This is just a messy faced boy after he hit the spoon I was feeding him with and knocked food all over...and then rubbed his face with his hands. I can't believe how big he is getting!
Bath time! He took baths a lot better then than he does now, he is just too squirmy to sit in the tub for more than 30 seconds. It doesn't matter what toys are in there...he wants to get out and run around naked. But at ten months, baths were great:)
The bookshelf is the first place he goes in the office, and he pulls out books and throws them on the floor.
Austen is standing all on his own! Yay! (he is walking now so this is not as exciting...but back then this was our daily entertainment!)
These pics are from my neice's wedding in April. Doesn't he look so handsome? If he does not have a big on...almost at all times, the shirt he is wearing is soaked in a half an hour tops. Some days we go through three bibs! When does the drool stop!
He was dancing to the music it was so cute. He is all ready for bed and still groovin with his cousin Jessyca! She loves Austen so much she never leaves him alone! Playmate for life!I have to give a little update on Austen to those of you who are not close enough to see him. As you can see in the Easter picture he is adorable, and he is a happy little kid. What you can't see, is his mischief side. He loves crawling and moving everywhere, especially to things that he can grab onto to so he can pull himself up. Most of the time it's fun to watch. But it also creates problems. Bonked heads and bruises.
He has pretty good balance, but still has had four bruises on his face and forehead in the past month. Falling is pretty much the norm now, the poor little kid can take a beating (from the floor and chairs, not us). I am now having problems trying to change his clothes and his diaper. He wont lay still and always has to look over the edge of the changing table at who knows what...the floor maybe? He now has an interest in cords, so lamp cords or computer cords are exciting. I can just imagine a floor lamp falling over on top of him if I'm not paying attention. He gets into everything and it's even getting harder at church. He wont sit still! He wants to jump and move around the whole sacrament meeting! Going from Mike to me, to Mike and then to me again like he can't make up his mind. I gets tiring. He is always a happy boy though, that is one of the many things I am grateful for. I guess curiosity takes over from here on out, can't wait for the walking to start! Any advice is welcome :)
I might be biased, but you have to agree that this has got to be the cutest kid that you have ever seen!
We just love this cute, happy kid!
But it wouldn't be an Austen and Mason get together without a little Mason instigated cry!
I was tagged by Andrea, so here are my answers!
A. The rules of the of game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names and then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and that they should read your blog.
10 years ago.....
1998....I was a 14 years old and was a freshman at Renton High School! I just finished my first season of varsity volleyball and was playing on the Freshman team for basketball, and then on the varsity team for softball. I was still quite a tom boy in the sense that I did not wear makeup and jeans and a t-shirt were my everyday attire. Oh, and I can't forget that big puffy coat I wore everyday. I still did not have braces so my teeth were a little (a lot) crooked but still was able to make a lot of friends. I hung out with Chantelle, Katie, Jessica, and Magda for lunch in the cafiteria everyday where some pretty crazy stuff went on. You just never know at Renton. And just for fun, I'll mention that while I was a freshman in high school, Mike was home from his mission and in Chiropractic school. :)
5 things to do on my list today....
1. Feed Austen breakfast, lunch and dinner.
2. Update my blog:)
3. Go into work (yuck!)
4. Get my binder from the church because I forgot it on Sunday!
5. Play some volleyball!
Snacks I enjoy....
I love chips, fruit, celery and peanut butter, candy/chocolate, cookies (especially the ones that Lisa makes), ice cream (vanilla or rocky road), potstickers, egg tarts, pinapple buns, taro milkshake, cereal, almond soup, and salmon cranberry sandwiches.
What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire....
Tear down my house and build a new one.
Pay off everything that we owe money on, and help family members get out of financial situations.
Travel through Europe again for a couple of months, go to Samoa, New Zealand, and Africa.
Go on a few shoping sprees.
Buy a horse and hire someone to take care of it.
Buy Mike a viper, or whatever his dream car is at the time. Pay for my parents to go on a mission and another one after that, and as many as they want.
3 of my bad habits....
1. Sleeping in.
2. Biting my nails.
3. Watching Law and Order
5 places I have lived
1. Seattle, Washington
2. Provo, Utah
3. Bellevue, Washington
4. Hopefully France for a few years when we are old!
5. ?
5 jobs that I have had....
1. Family Fun Center- cashier
2. Corporate Moving Co.- mover and packer
3. BYU Vending- inventory
4. Firstech, LLC- desk stuff
5. Back and Neck Pain Centers- front desk, billing, and bookkeeping
5 things people don't know about me
1. I hate being wet- getting out of the shower, after swimming...etc. (usually)
2. My hands and feet are always cold
3. I'm legally blind...contact prescription is -11.0 in my left eye, and -11.5 in my right!
4. I can make myself cry pretty well.
5. I used to pretend I was in ballet like my bestfriends growing up, and I would run around the lawn like I was in a production...when in reality, I was just a little tom boy...:)
I am tagging Lisa H, Kristy W, Michelle B, Kimberly L, Megan B!
Here are some random pictures of Austen. He is getting so big! He is up in crawling position and up on his hands and toes in push up position! My strong little man. He crawls army style, and has two teeth on the bottom. He claps his hands and jumps up and down when you hold him, and can pick up cheerioes with his pincer grasp! He always cries when Mason does, and he is all over the place now. Mike and I just LOVE HIM!
We had Grandma give Austen a bath when we were over there for lunch one day. He is a little big for this sink, but he kept himself occupied while she washed him. Anything and everything near his mouth ends up inside of it.
He looks like he is thinking..."Can I help you?"
Smile son! Everyone is watching you bathe!
So Austen is just so dang cute! This is one of his cute little outfits he wears to church with his brown little shoes. Of course he kicks those off pretty easy but we still put them on his feet anyways. Do you like how his hair is long and hangs over his ears?...I gave him a little trim a little later.
This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago. Almost six months and as handsome as ever! I am surprised at the clothes he fits into. I don't have him wear things because I think they look too big on the hanger. When he puts them on they are perfect! Mike put him in this outfit for church and it's so cute! How could I have passed it up? I have to remember putting them in an outfit while it is still a little big allows him to wear it more before he grows out of it. I'm still learning.
So he couldn't take his eyes off of the camera, which made it a little hard to feed him because he wouldn't look at the spoon. In fact, I can't feed him in the bumbo chair at all. Everything distracts him and he won't sit still. I have to hold him on my lap with his arms in lock down so he doesn't try and grab the spoon or the bowl. 
The drool caught in action!! It's so funny to see him try and to suck the food...and in the process push it out of his mouth with his tongue. He has come a long way from the first feeding.
You could tell when he was done, because he would close his eyes and shiver like he was eating the most disgusting thing in the world! I started using formula with the cereal after this, so I didn't waste any of my precious own!
The drool caught in action!! It's so funny to see him try and to suck the food...and in the process push it out of his mouth with his tongue. He has come a long way from the first feeding.
You could tell when he was done, because he would close his eyes and shiver like he was eating the most disgusting thing in the world! I started using formula with the cereal after this, so I didn't waste any of my precious own!
It's Me!
Stay and Chill a bit.....
