Pawleys Island 2009

We just returned from a week at Pawleys Island and we had the best vacation. We were blessed with beautiful weather each day and got to spend lots of time with our family. Everett was so excited to play with his cousins, he thought they were simply the best. Rollin loved the beach too, although we could not bring him down very long each day (only about an hour) because it was just too hot in the sun for that little man. Everett loved the ocean, he would run into the waves not having a care in the world, it never scared him. He slept like a champ too, wish I could say the same for Rollin :) He wanted to see mommy every hour in the middle of the night it seemed. The 9 hour car trip was not that bad either, so overall a wonderful trip. I hope the boys love going there each year and want to continue the tradition with their own kids someday. Here are some pictures from our trip.

New Family Pictures!

Transportation Junkie

Everett is absolutely OBSESSED with trucks, buses and airplanes. He of course is our first experience with having a little boy, but I think his love for these things surpasses his peers. When we are driving and see a truck or bus or plane, he will hoot and holler and point his finger. When we are at the park and a plane flies overhead (which is ALL the time since our close proximity to National Airport), he will stop whatever he is doing, and point to the sky and try to get all the kids attention to look as well (they of course are not interested and ignore him)-- it is possibly the cutest thing to date that he does and we love it. I need to get a video of him doing it and post it soon! Love that kids.

One Month Birthday!

We can hardly believe that five weeks ago Rollin was born and became such an important member of our family. Rollin is doing excellent, he is such a good baby- so content (unless he is HUNGRY!) and so far a great sleeper! Everett is adjusting so well to life as a big brother, he loves Rollin, gives him kisses and hugs all the time, but sometimes will give him a bite or two when he is feeling jealous :) I am having such fun being at home with the boys, thankfully my mom was here for a month helping me. This past week was my first week "alone" with the boys and it was not nearly as hard as I had thought! Of course we have our moments when both boys are having their meltdowns at the same time, but overall, we are having a great time. We go to the park each day, for long walks, and read lots of stories and generally just spend lots of time together. I love it, I hope they do too.

Rollin had his one month appointment and his stats were 9 lbs, 3 oz., 22 inches and head size of 14 3/4. That put him at 50% for weight, 80% for height and 15% for head size.

Happy Father's Day!

Ben, thank you for all that you do and all that you are for our family. Our boys are so lucky and we truly love you and all the hard work you do does not go unnoticed. You are the world's best dad-- we love you! Mandy, Everett and Rollin

Rollin's First Two Weeks at Home!

Rollin is adjusting nicely to life at home with his family. He is eating like a champ and is the best baby in the world. He rarely cries and if he does he is very easily consoled. The only rough patch we are having is nighttime! We forgot what it was like to have a newborn that has his days and nights confused :) He generally gets up a few times a night, but nursing and then burping and getting him back to sleep seems to take hours! Needless to say, we are very tired. Thank goodness my mom was here for two and a half weeks to help us out. She did all the laundry, dishes, cleaning and most importantly entertaining Everett. Everyday they had so much fun together, whether it was going to the park, the farm, on wagon rides and eating her yummy meals. We have ben fortunate enough to get out and about with him a few times, to dinner and lunch or for walks. Abby came to visit as well and we had a great time. We are really enjoying being a family of four. Here are a few pictures from our first two weeks!

Welcome Rollin!

We are very excited about the arrival of our newest son, Rollin Vincent at 12:28 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3rd. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 10 oz, 21 inches long and head size of 12 3/4 inches. He has blond hair and is as cute as a button. We had a second c-section scheduled for noon on June 3rd, but around 1 a.m. the night before I went into labor! Well, I did not know it was labor because I have never felt contractions before. I woke up with extreme cramping and suffered through fairly regular contractions until 5:30 a.m., when I finally woke up Ben and we went to the hospital. The ride to the hospital was very painful and right when we checked in I ran to the bathroom to throw up! They quickly hydrated me (I had been unable to drink anything because of the scheduled surgery, so I was very dehydrated). My doctor came in around 6:30 a.m. and said they wanted to keep the surgery as scheduled since all the players would be there. Much to my dismay, I had to wait another few hours (they seemed long!) and tried to sleep a bit, but really just sat there and talked with Ben. I was very worried about the c-section this time since I had a fairly bad experience with Everett (the epidural did not work). Well, this time it was MUCH better. The recovery was hard for about six hours or so, but I quickly started to feel better and now at three days post surgery, I only have very minor pain and feel great.

When they took Rollin, the doctors remarked that he was coming June 3rd no matter what, he was fully engaged and ready to head down the birth canal, so he was glad to get out of there! He cried (but not as much as Everett) as they washed him off. They took me to recovery and let Rollin and Ben go with me (a new procedure at the hospital, with Everett I did not see him for hours), so although I could not hold him right away due to the pain, he was right beside me and that was very special.

The last few days have been good, we have been enjoying him so much and taking this time at the hospital to really spend some quality quiet time with Rollin before we head home to Everett. Everett loves his baby brother and comes by the hospital each day, but admittedly does not like it here very much because there are no toys and no where to run around.

We had the good fortune to have my sisters, parents and adorable Lucette and Violet here for the birth and for a few days after. It was so special they all made the trip to see Rollin and spend time with Everett. Everett LOVES his cousins and he thought it was so special to play with them and get spoiled by Grammy and Pap Pap. Also, Everett is IN LOVE with Pap Pap, we have never seen anything like it. If Pap Pap is in the room, Everett has eyes for no other, he is always wanting to be held by Pap Pap, loved by Pap Pap and playing with Pap Pap, it is so cute.

So we are now a family of four and could not be happier! Here are some pictures of our newest addition that we love so much. More updates to come as he grows older and stronger.

Lots of love, The Scandlens (Ben, Mandy, Everett and Rollin)