The Days of Change

While I was pregnant, Paul and I tried to imagine what it would be like having two children. We knew life would be different, but I guess it's like they always say "You never know until you have walked in their shoes". Well, we are walking...running actually! Life is definitely different having 2 children! When one is finally settled down, the other gets fussy. Landon is really a great big brother and he likes to help take care of Elle. He will help me hold her bottle and he likes to put her pacifier back in her mouth. He also likes to share his toys, but in a 'toddler' way (banging his books down next to her or showing off his dinosaurs to her by banging them near her and yelling "ROARRRR"). We have to be very careful in making sure he does not accidentally hurt her. That in itself is a full time job! We know Landon is just trying to play with her or help, but being a toddler has it's ways of being a bit rough. :) He is beginning to hit the so called 'terrible 2's', along side being a bit jealous of his new sister and it is presenting itself to be a HUGE challenge. However, he is the most happy and loving little boy. Paul and I know that this is just a phase and he is also going through a huge change with the addition of his new little sister. Elle is a very good baby. She is learning that the day time is 'day time' and that night time is 'night time'. Taking care of a newborn is definitely harder when you have a toddler running around though!

On top of all of these changes, we had a huge scare a week after Elle was born. We had to rush Landon to the Children's Hospital in Jacksonville because he was struggling to breath. We were told he may have pnemonia and after a lot of testing we were told Landon has allergies and was having an asthma attack. It lasted for about 10 hours and we were in the hospital for a sleepless 2 days. It was the scariest 2 days of both of our lives and something we will never forget. Thank goodness Landon will never remember it. On top of being just plain tired from taking care of a newborn, healing from having a baby, and getting adjusted to our new lives, we were emotionally exhausted. Landon was so brave and such a trooper. The doctors and nurses took good care of him and we were so thankful for all of our family members and friends' prayers. God answered all of our prayers and Landon woke up the next morning in the hospital as if nothing ever happened. He was eating like a champ, running, and growling like a dinosaur, and better than ever! He even escaped from our hospital room and ran out into the hallway with his little hospital gown open in the back showing his diaper, laughing his head off as we chased him down. We were so thankful and it was a HUGE blessing from God that his breathing was restored and that we had a diagnosis. We are now just on the lookout for triggers of his allergies and continue to pray that he will not have another asthma attack.

Paul and I were so thankful to have the help from our family and friends. Gma was so great in coming straight over to take care of Elle so that Paul and I could take Landon to the hospital and stay the night at the hospital with Landon. Elle was a good girl for her and didn't keep her up too much at night! :) Gpa took care of the dogs for us, which was a huge help because it's tough to walk both of them and take care of Elle. So, that was awesome. Then the night we returned from the hospital with Landon, Gma took Elle for the night again, so that Paul and I could get some good rest. And I know for me personally, it was the first night in about 4 months that I slept straight through without any interuptions (pregnancy uncomforts, baby on the bladder, newborn feedings, etc). A few days later, Nana came to town for a great visit! It was so nice to spend time with her, and Paul and I got a nice break in the mornings. Anne took a few feedings at night and (this was the best part)...let us sleep in! It was wonderful...I don't think we have slept in like that since before Landon was born. She also made us some very yummy dinners and helped us give the house a nice face lift! Landon also had a lot of fun entertaining Nana! On top of all of the help from Landon and Elle's wonderful grandparents, so many of our friends made us dinners to help us get through the first few nights after we came home from the hospital. And of course, the amazing amount of prayers, phone calls and text messages that were sent to us by family and friends who were not able to be with us in Florida during Landon's big scare in the hospital. It was all a huge blessing!

Paul and I feel very blessed to have two beautiful and healthy children, and such great support from family and friends. Yet again, God has shown His wonderful grace and we are so very thankful. Enjoy the latest pictures!

Downtown Fernandina for a walk after brunch. We love the double stroller!

I love getting my kisses from Landon. He is such a lovey bear.

Poppy taking some time to bond with his new baby granddaughter. I have a picture like this of me and my Dad when I was a newborn and it looks just like this...minus the beard! :)

Gma feeding baby Elle and Landon being a goof ball chewing on his squeaky alligator!

A great 3 Generations picture with Nana!

Gpa holding his 2nd granddaughter. He looks like a pro!

Landon, Paul and Lee having a nice brunch together! Thank you Gpa!!

Hello sweet baby Elle! She is keeping her eyes open more and more, and starting to concentrate on our faces. She is such a good baby!

Sleeping in her pack 'n' play downstairs...this is when we like Landon to play with his lawn mower toy and make a lot of noise so she doesn't sleep all day long!! :) But, she is so beautiful and peaceful looking in her sleep.

The proud big brother hanging out with his sister!

This picture is priceless because Landon brought over a chair next to his and said "Nana sit". He wanted to sit and watch his movie with her. It was so cute! (Notice Nana's chair...compared to Landon haha, he saves the best chair for him...we will need to teach him some manners in the near future and how to treat a lady). :)

Nana and Gma posing for a picture with the kiddos. Landon was hard to keep still, he wanted to take off on his little bike!

Nana with her two grandbabies. (And the porch is in the background...see the next picture for the new and improved look!)

A freshly painted new bench, new blinds, and some fun new and recycled beachy accents! Thank you for all of your advice and help Anne! You are the home-makeover queen!!

We are so excited for the rest of our family to meet Elle soon! We will be making a visit to Maryland this summer, but come to Florida for a visit!! wooohoooo! We would love that!

1 Week Old!

Paul and I cannot believe that Elle is one week old today. When the clock hit 11:49am it was hard to believe that a week has gone by already. It's been a very tiring and healing week. I am getting back on my feet again and we are getting Elle on more of a consistent schedule. Our first night home was pretty tough (and that's putting it nicely). Elle did not want to sleep anywhere but in our arms. And we will not allow ourselves to fall asleep with her in bed with us, so we were up pretty much all night long with her. Paul was up with her for a straight 3-4 hours in the beginning of the night and I took the second shift and was up from about 2:30am to 6:30am...she finally fell asleep then. So, it was a difficult first night home. Landon woke up around 7:00am and was as ready as he could be to start the day. The second night was a little bit better, and now she is only waking up about two to three times a night! She is a very good baby. Landon is surprising us every day. He truly is an amazing big brother. He loves her so much already and is now calling her 'my baby Elle'. In the morning when he wakes up, he says hi to us (it's really cute...he says 'Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy! very excitedly) and then says "wer myy babeee". Paul and I are learning so much about being the parents of two beautiful babes and we feel so blessed every day. Speaking of Paul...he is the most wonderful Daddy. His love for his two babies just pours out of him. I am so blessed to have such a great husband and father of my children. (It's crazy to say 'my children'...2 babies...wow!).

She can sleep in any position! Haha, it's too cute!

Elle's first bath at home!


I love just staring at her. She is so beautiful and so sweet.

Such a sweet face.

Taking a snooze. This picture looks just like one of my baby pictures. I was born with a lot of dark hair too...except mine stuck straight up!


Landon loves to blow kisses to his sister. He loves her already!

We love this picture. When we first put her in this swing, he sat next to her the entire time in his chair. He likes having a little baby in the house.

Daddy and Elle spending some nice quality time together...oh and Bohdi too!

The Big Bro! He impresses us each day as a new big brother.

Landon hanging out on the back porch in his AWESOME Terps outfit...dinosaurs in hand! Thanks Aunt Lauren!! GO TERPS!!

Kathryn Elle Magnuson

February 16th has always been a nice day for me, but this year it was absolutely the best birthday of my life. Kathryn Elle was born in to the world at 11:49am! On the 15th, I had a check-up and my Doctor told me that I was not going to last much longer and that the next day I was going to need to be induced. Well, the next day just happened to be my birthday! So, I went home from the appointment filled with so much excitement and the need to get the last minute things finished for Elle's arrival. That night, Paul and I hardly slept and woke up around 4am to call the hospital to let them know we were on our way. When we arrived at the hospital, they got me hooked up to everything and it became the waiting game for Paul and I. We read and watched the news and finally around 7am, the Doctor came in to the room and told me that he was going to break my water around 10am. Labor pains lasted about 40 minutes before I received an epidural and then about an hour later Elle was born! I delivered Landon in 5 and a half hours and Elle in just under 2 hours...so, it may be tough to get to the hospital with the 3rd baby (in a few years). :) It was a wonderful experience and the nurses were so nice. Paul and I just couldn't believe that we were the parents of two children and we just couldn't wait for Landon to come to the hospital to meet her! We love our family and are so blessed!

Heading to the hospital at 5am!

Last belly photo before heading to the hospital!

Getting cleaned up and weighed!

She just got her first bath! Daddy didn't leave her side the entire time

First time holding her after she got cleaned up and swaddled by the nurses!

Landon warmed up to her nicely and he is now a very proud big brother! He loves to rub her head and say 'my baby'. He also blows her kisses.

We were trying to get Landon to hold Elle and he wanted to run around the hospital room. But, Elle's eyes are nice and wide open here! Chunky little round face! :)

Mr. Landon wanted to get cozy on my hospital bed. He liked playing with the TV remote.

Looking at his baby sister thinking, she and I are going to be best friends one day! Well, maybe he was thinking..."She better not eat my dinosaur like Bohdi does". haha

First time holding both of the kids together!

Paul is an amazing Daddy. His love for her was radiating throughout the room!

6lb 13 oz and 20 inches long! She's a little peanut!

First family photo!

GOD IS GOOD!

Times to Remember

Ok, so here was another one of those moments when I had to run and grab my camera! We were out front re-potting our aloe plants, and the pups were hanging out and enjoying the fresh air. Landon was helping us put dirt in the pots and being a great helper. Then he decided to go over and give the pups some love and this is what I found...I had to run in and grab the camera! Enjoy!

I LOVE this one!

Paul couldn't resist, so he joined in on the love!! Giving the pups a hug!

Bohdi and Beyah love to hang out with us in the front yard. I love our family! Hurry up and join us Elle!!!

These 3 are the best of friends! Beyah 'The Princess' has come a long way and she is now really great with Landon! Of course as you can see, Bohdi lets Landon sit on him and do whatever to him haha!

Fun times with Daddy!

The Princess!

Our Marley dog, Bohdi!

Only 10 Days Left!

Well, we are making progress! Elle will be here for sure in 10 days. We have made one trip to the hospital and it turned out to be false labor. I of course, am hoping she comes before the 18th because of my 'comfort' level haha, but either way we are just about ready! Our hospital bags are packed and her cute little room is pretty much complete! We have been talking about Elle a lot and Landon loves to touch my belly and say "my baby". It will be interesting to see his reaction when he actually see's "his baby". Sometimes he points at his tummy and says baby which is super cute, so we'll see! A real baby will be a lot different haha! Landon is going to be a wonderful big brother and Mommy and Daddy's number one helper! Paul and I are both overwhelmed with excitement for her arrival and to see Landon be a big brother!

This is a 3D picture of Elle. It is very difficult to make out at first, but here are some tips for viewing it: it is a side profile picture and she is looking to your left. The round dot is her eye socket, and she is sucking her thumb. Look for the profile of the nose, lips and chin and then you may be able to see it better. Sorry about the flash!

We are ready to meet our sweet baby girl!

Perfect size changing table dresser! Her room is very small, so we had to measure everything before we ordered it. It has turned out great!

I look at this and think about all the times we will be rocking her to sleep. Just need to get a cushion for the rocking chair and put up a shelf for her pictures and nick nacks!

We are really happy with the crib. It's fun to have white furniture with pink accents. :)

Well, here I am...10 days to go. I am very ready to lay on my stomach again! Someone told me to go dig a hole at the beach in the sand and then lie on my stomach! haha I think I just might!

Come on out Elle! We are ready for you!!!

Taking a break from playing with his toys...snuggled up next to Bohdi

These 2 are best buds. Landon is going to be the BEST big brother! He is such a huggy bear!

When Mommy has cravings, everyone benefits! I had a craving for cupcakes, so I made them of course. This is a picture of Landon enjoying a cupcake...notice the icing on his nose! :)

PS. I am taking FULL advantage of cravings these last few days! :) I just hope I will be able to stop after Elle is born haha!

Bohdi and Beyah are ready to meet Elle too!