2012 Paiser Family Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas Family and Friends!  Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to this year:

We welcomed Luke Michael Paiser to our family on July 1^st!  He is such a sweet, content baby and brings so much joy to our family.  He is 5 ½ months now and is happy 95% of the time!  God truly sent us an angel baby!  Lately he loves playing with his feet, jumping in his johnny jumper, growling, watching anything and everything Drew does, and smiling at everyone. 

Drew is 4 ½ and a ball of energy!  He has grown so much this past year physically and socially.  He struggles with anxiety when he’s in large groups or in new situations.  With some therapy and help from mom and dad to try new things, he has come such a long way.  He has become very brave and we are so proud of him.  He is so good at making new friends, volunteering in primary, going to the doctor and dentist, and he recently performed in his preschool Halloween program without a hitch!  These were things that terrified him 1 year ago and now he is so brave and much more confident.  Drew loves to play.  Two of his favorite playmates are his Dad and his best friend Spencer.  He loves to play with and dress up as Spiderman, play in the snow, go swimming, play with Transformers (he knows the whole theme song), and take care of animals.  He is a very tender and thoughtful boy.  He is such a good big brother and loves to make Luke smile and laugh. 

I have so enjoyed being a mom to 2 boys now!  I really struggled with depression after having Drew, but had such a positive experience this time around.  It is so nice to be able to enjoy being a mom.  I continue to enjoy playing trombone with the Salt Lake Symphonic Winds.  We rehearse once a week and play several concerts throughout the year.  It is nice to get out and make music with such a fun group of people.  We live in such a great neighborhood and I am so blessed to have such a great group of girlfriends.  We get together with our kids for play dates quite often and once a month, we have girls’ night and let our hair down!   It is so fun to socialize with other moms in similar situations. 

Matt works at L-3 Communications in Salt Lake as a manufacturing process engineer.  He is such a good, hard worker, and then comes home to play with 2 of his biggest fans, Drew and Luke.  5:00 pm is the magical hour when we hear the garage door open and Dad walk through the door.  Drew runs to meet him while yelling, “Daaaaaad’s hoooome!”  followed by, “Did you bring me home a treat?!”  Matt is such a wonderful dad and husband.  He was recently released as 11 yr. old scout leader and is now working with the young men.  He is very talented at working with youth and making them feel comfortable.  This year we took a “staycation” to Park City.  We drove to and hiked around Mirror Lake, rode the Alpine Slide and had fun swimming at the pool at our hotel.  Drew has been begging us to go to Disneyland, so we are saving up for next summer!  Drew is so excited and loves doing chores so he can earn money for Disneyland.  We love being parents to these delightful boys and feel extremely blessed, especially this time of year. 

Love,

Matt, Katie, Drew and Luke

Luke Michael Paiser

Our little Luke is 4 months old!

 This first picture is my favorite.  I can just imagine him saying, "Well hello ladies."

We love this little guy so much!  He has added so much to our family.  He is such a pleasant, happy, calm and easy-going baby.  Everything about him has been really easy.

I've never told my birth story, so I guess I'll write it down for posterity's sake.  I started having contractions Sunday morning at 1:00 am and then they stopped.  I was pretty discouraged because I was already 3 days overdue and was set to be induced the next day, which I was a little nervous about.  Matt and I went for a walk at about 10:00 am and contractions started picking up again.  By about noon, I was having strong, consistent contractions.  They were getting more and more painful, but I was able to breathe through them.  We decided to go to the hospital at 4:00 pm (I did NOT want to have another baby naturally!).  When we got to the hospital, the nurse got me all set up with an IV and such and checked how far dilated I was.  At that point I was 4 cm so I asked for an epidural.  I felt that I had my "badge of honor" by delivering Drew naturally (which took 23 hours, plus he was posterior!  I just had to toot my own horn!), so I just really wanted to enjoy this delivery and be relaxed.  Dr. Silver was my anesthesiologist and he was AMAZING!  I told him I was pretty nervous about the epidural (those horror stories of being paralyzed do not help!), so he was extremely patient with me and explained in detail everything he was doing.  Once the epidural was in, I felt better, but not great.  Dr. Silver came back, gave me some more medicine, and even stayed with us for 20 minutes to make sure I was ok.  He even sat with Matt on the couch and talked about engineering.  He was so kind to us.  And let me just say epidurals are God's most amazing gift to women!!!  I felt so wonderful after I had it.  I don't know why I put myself through such misery with Drew's birth when I had the option of the most wonderful drug on earth!  Note to self: don't try to be a hero.  Get the epidural!  So, by 6:00 pm, the epidural was in place and I was at a 6-7.  My OB, Dr. Boheen, broke my water and started a tiny amount of pitocin.  It was so fun to see the strong contractions come one after another and not feel a thing.  Matt and I kept looking at each other in awe that it could be so easy.  The pitocin was working a little too well because I started bleeding.  They decided to stop the pitocin and by this point I was 8 cm.  The nurse left for a minute and I looked at Matt and said, "I think I'm feeling a little pressure."  I told him to go get the nurse.  She checked me and said, "Wow, that was fast!  You are ready to push."  Wahoo!  Dr. Boheen got all suited up and after 2 pushes, Luke Michael Paiser was born on July 1, 2012 at 9:37 pm weighing 8 lbs. 9 oz. 20 1/2 inches long.  The nurse immediately placed him on my chest and I felt an overpowering, instant love and bond for this beautiful baby.  After Drew was born, there were some complications with his HR, so the NICU was right there to check him out.  Plus, I was so exhausted from the back labor, pushing, and suctioning, that we just didn't get the same bonding that Luke and I did.  I was so grateful to have such a wonderful experience this time around and just enjoy my sweet little baby.  I nursed him soon after delivery and then was wheeled to our room to recover.  Matt and I were completely smitten with Luke right away.  He made the cutest little sighs and grunts. We went home on July 3 and got to enjoy adjusting to our new family of 4.  (As a side note, one other thing I did differently this time around was to have Luke go to the nursery at night.  When Drew was born, I kept him with me at all times and got absolutely no sleep.  This time I was able to get some rest and the nurses would bring him to me when he was hungry.  So worth it!)

Luke is such a joy.  He is a very calm and content baby.  He loves watching his big brother, and I can hardly wait for them to play together.  Drew is such a good big brother to Luke.  He loves to touch his head and talk sweetly to him.  He loves to get in the crib with Luke when he wakes up and make him smile.  There have been a few moments of jealousy, but Drew has adjusted very well.  Especially considering he had mom and dad to himself for 4 years.  Drew's anxiety has also improved immensely.  He has grown leaps and bounds.  When he went back to preschool this fall, Mrs. Young was so impressed with how much Drew has improved.  We are so proud of him.  We love our boys so much!

Family Pictures 2012

I love my boys so much.  Drew is the funnest and sweetest boy ever.  He is going to be such a great big brother.  Today, he randomly came up to me and kissed my belly.  Drew graduated from preschool today (although he has one more year before Kindergarten), and we couldn't be more proud.  He struggles with anxiety and was pretty scared to go on stage and sing.  Matt and I talked to him for a while and said a prayer.  He was such a brave boy (with the help of the honorary preschool graduate: Matt!) and went up with all the other kids and sang.  We are so proud of you Drew!  You can do hard things!!  P.S. Matt, you looked really cute up there with all of the 3 and 4 year-olds!!  The boys and I are so lucky to have you.

 So handsome, just like his daddy.

Reminiscing

Tonight I was looking at pictures, just so in awe of how fast time has gone. My baby is almost 4 years old. I wish I could describe how much I love Drew. It is an overwhelming feeling in my heart that fills me and makes me want to hold him forever. Every night at bedtime I ask him, "How did I get so lucky to be your mom?" I am so grateful God blessed me with this little boy. I knew he was special from the moment I felt him kicking me inside my belly. Loving Drew gives me a glimpse of the love Heavenly Father has for each of us. It is unconditional. I've loved watching Drew grow and develop through each stage, but my heart breaks a little at the same time. Time is going too fast. We are so excited to have another little boy. But if I'm completely honest, I'm a little scared how I'll be able to love another baby. I guess I didn't know how to love Drew before he was born either. I never knew I could love someone so much. Here are some of my favorite pictures to help me remember my little boy. P.S. The other night I was tucking Drew in for bed and said, "Goodnight my little one." He looked up at me so sweetly and said, "Goodnight my big one." Ha!!!

Sleeping with one eye open!

One of the few times he was happy in his car seat.

Surprise!

All ready for church.

First Steps

Baby Boy

We are having a baby boy!! I am about 20 weeks along, so he will be due the end of June or beginning of July. We are all so excited. Drew was a little bummed at first because he was hoping for a sister, but once we told him he could teach his little brother all the cool things he knows, and sleep in bunk beds, and play "Spider Man" (you just run around webbing things and getting the bad guys), he got really excited. He is going to be such a good big brother. It will definitely be an adjustment for all of us since these little boys will be over 4 years apart. Drew will adjust to sharing attention from mom and dad. Matt and I will adjust to sleep deprivation and poopy diapers, among other things! Although it will be an adjustment, we are very excited and very blessed. I am going to be outnumbered with all of these boys in the house, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I would love to have a girl, but quite frankly, I'm a little scared of them! All I know is boys! We were visiting Emmy and Aaron and their new baby, Ella this past weekend. I changed baby Ella's diaper and was glad that we are having a boy! Girls have so many folds!! Is that too graphic? Anyway, I feel that our family is the way that it should be and feel immense gratitude. I am hopeful that I will be able to enjoy the baby stage this time around. With Drew's colic and my post-partum depression and all the changes that happened for us all at once last time, it was the hardest time I've ever gone through. If PPD and colic happen again, I feel better prepared and know how to get help right away. This little boy is moving more and more. It is so amazing to feel life inside of me. We can't wait to meet this little man.

Layton 1/2 Marathon and our finished kitchen

The 2011 Layton 1/2 Marathon!! The Full Marathon started on Antelope Island and the 1/2 started on the causeway. It was freezing cold and we had to wait an extra 30 minutes to start because they didn't have enough buses show up to drive us out to the starting line. Matt and I huddled next to a group of people standing by a huge generator. We probably got a little tipsy from the fumes, but at least we stayed somewhat warm!

Wahoo! We were so proud of ourselves! We finished 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes. It was so fun to see our parents and especially Drew there cheering us on! Overall, it was a wonderful experience. It was so fun to have a goal to work towards together as a couple. We had a lot of time to talk, especially on the long runs. It was so nice to have your best friend there to support you. We're thinking about doing the Top of Utah Marathon next year in Logan. Go us!!

Here is the way our kitchen used to look like...

And here is our kitchen now...

We opened up the doorway

We did the demo, tiled the floor, had recessed lighting put in, painted, got new cabinets, and got new appliances. I love all the extra cupboard space! The flow is so much better by taking out the peninsula and putting in an island. I LOVE my new kitchen!

Slacker

Bodie Island Lighthouse, NC

I love my family!! Katie, Matt, Drew, Sammy, Mom, Christie, Crystal, David

My grown-up preschooler

I love looking at family and friends' blogs, but at the same time, I hate feeling guilty for not updating mine for the past 4 months!! I really don't have an excuse, it's just that my blog has kind of become like my journal. I get excited to report what has been going on in my life at first, and then lose interest and feel guilty for how long I've neglected to write. So, I resolve to throw the guilt out the window and enjoy blogging when I darn-well feel like it! Maybe if I don't feel guilty, I will start to enjoy it again.

Here's what we've been up to this summer:

We went to the great state of North Carolina to visit my brother David and his wife Crystal. My mom, sister, Christie, and brother-in-law, Sammy came too. It was fun to have a mini family reunion and especially fun to enjoy the beauties of NC and the beach. (We stayed a week on the Outer Banks where Hurricane Irene hit recently. It was strange to see places that we visited affected by the hurricane on TV.) One thing that I realized about my family this summer is that everyone is at different stages of their lives and they all define relationships differently. I've always wanted to be close to my siblings, but I need to be able to accept whatever stage that person is at and cultivate the relationship as best as I can. I love my family and I want to love them unconditionally. I am grateful for the family I've been given.

Matt and I have been training for a half marathon. I've always wanted to run a marathon just to say I did it. I knew that I was no where near in shape enough to run 26 miles, so I made a compromise. I thought I'd start with a half marathon since 13 seems much more attainable. Matt jumped on the bandwagon and we decided to train together. When we started out, I honestly didn't think it would be too hard. (I ran cross country after all! Even though I'm in denial that it was 10 years ago!!) Suffice it to say training was really hard for me in the beginning. I didn't know how on earth I'd be able to run 13 when I could barely run 3! After a few weeks of training, things started to feel better. Three miles feels really easy now. We just ran 8 today and it felt totally doable. It's been really fulfilling to work towards a goal with Matt. It reminds us that we can do hard things if we put our minds to it. We have 5 more weeks of training. Go us!!

Drew started preschool a few days ago!! I can't believe how big my baby is!! He has been so excited to go to preschool. Every morning for the past few weeks, he would wake up and ask me, "Is today the day I go to school?" He just goes 2 days a week for 2 hours, but I think I'm really going to miss him. He's been my little buddy for the past 3 1/2 years. The other day he asked me, "Mom, what are you going to do when I'm at school?" I told him I would be doing chores and thinking about him. But it did get me thinking. I have the itch to do something more with my degree. Since Drew was born, I've put my degree on a shelf, but Drew is growing up and I want to better myself and contribute to my community. I want to start teaching private lessons again. I've also thought about contacting the local music teachers to see if there is anything I would be of use to them. I've also thought about going back to get my teaching certificate. These are just thoughts that are mulling around in my mind. I definitely want to start teaching again. I feel like I'm not using the talents that God has given me right now and that makes me sad. Here's to new goals!!