Kate, Jude and McKay

Watch us grow

My niece Mykels little guy, born one week after Kate

My other niece Hillary's little guy, born one month after Kate
(on my bday. All 3 born on a thur)

Kate LaVer Balle, Jude Blaine LeCheminant and Mckay Kevin Peterson

and we are anxious to add another boy Balle in June

Random acts of Kateness

  

she pulls the blanket up to her face when she sleeps. 

Sometimes I go in and move it down but she pulls it right back up

kinda scary, right? 

But aren't those legs poking out delicious.

  

I was watching a show on my phone and fell asleep and dropped the phone, but my hand was still kinda up. Mike took a picture cuz looks like Kate was doing the same thing

  

Out for Indian food-first time in a high chair

helping me cook dinner.

You are a happy, happy girl. Your tongue seems to always be hanging out the side of your mouth. You have a fun high pitched squill when you are excited. We have staring contests a lot. You love to watch everyone around you and you make that zerbert (sp) noise out of your mouth a lot. I can not quit kissing your fat cheeks and snuggling your little butt!! I love waking up next to your little body. When you wake up you are all smiles and it is so dang cute. I love to change your clothes and have your little fat legs flop out when I undress you. We love you so much

The 4th and final

These past few weeks have been awesome. But before I get into that I want to say I've enjoyed the past 9 months, the last experience I'll ever have with being pregnant. I actually miss it. I don't feel like I have many talents. I'm not really great at anything specific.  But I have discovered that I'm good at having babies. I told Mike it's probably a good thing we didn't get married at 20 otherwise I don't know how I would stop. This way my age is forcing me to be done.  It doesn't take much at all to get pregnant. My 9 months of it goes so smoothly. I deliver fast and I love my hospital experiences. I just love the whole process and wish I could do it again..... and again..... and again.

This last one has been awesome. 

im so happy and so sad


After I had the baby I had all sorts of feelings and felt like I had so much to say about it all,  but when I sit down to spill it all out I can't really remember what I had to say....

Run down

- I feel like we should have named her Paul Anka in honor of the countless hours I spent watching 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls towards the end of the pregnancy. To be honest, it was an awesome time. I got two UTI's back to back around September. I was soooo tired I couldn't believe it. I actually cried in Walmart because I had to walk from one end of the store to the other. I could hardly get around the house and it was the first time in probably my whole life that I HAD to take a nap every day around 1:00. Later found out it was from being dehydrated during the UTI's, but my point is I watched a lot of Gilmore Girls during that time. And felt justified, because what else do you do when you're too tired. Watch TV right? Kept on watching till baby was born and then finished up mid December. So now when I think back on "the time we had the baby" it's connected with Gilmore Girls. 

- When I had Ivan I went into labor on my own. They induced me with both jack and Emery. This pregnancy I wanted two things; to not be induced and to go quick enough that I could do it unmedicated. Well November arrived and I wasn't progressing fast like I thought I would. I really didn't want to make it to my due date (15th) and thought for sure I wouldn't, but with each passing day I was more annoyed that I wasn't going on my own and I really wanted to be done and so I caved to the idea of being induced. Which was kind of a bummer because starting contractions in the hospital bed would make it easier for me to cave to the epidural as well. Anyway- we scheduled induction for thur the10th. Mikes mom came over wed and we got ourselves all ready. We went to bed that night and I couldn't get to sleep. Finally I dozed about 1:00am and then Emery threw up. Sooo we got up and cleaned that all up and by the time I fell back asleep we had to be up and ready for the 6:00 phone call. 

- we arrived at the hospital about 7:30. About 8:30 they started the pitocin. I started feeling the labor pains. 9:45 they broke my water. Pains started REALLY picking up. We figured I'd work through them as long as I could. They started getting really good and when I couldn't do it anymore I told the nurse I wanted to change my mind about the epidural. She checked me and said, "nope, I think we can have this baby right now." She called the doctor. Doctor came down pretty quick. We pushed some awful 4 or 5 pushes and baby came at 10:50. A phew phrases I remember are, "momma help me,"  "Shhhhhit." " I can't do it" and "I think my butt is going to explode." Luckily it didn't. It was awesome. They brought that sweet baby girl up and we got an hour of skin to skin. Mike was awesome. I thought for sure he would encourage me to  get the epidural once I started feeling pain, but he didn't. He was helpful during the contractions and cheered me on during the birth and expressed how proud of me he was after we did it. 

- I love giving birth. This time was such a bitter sweet experience. I'm so glad we did it, even though we probably should have a couple years ago, and at the same time I'm so sad I'll never do it again. My nurse and doctor were awesome. They deliver thousands of babies and won't remember mine, but I felt such a connection to them during labor. It was fun to feel that. I love staying in the hospital and being in that bed with a tiny newborn and nurses taking such good care of you. Mike and I had a nice little dinner date, just the two of us, with the hospital food. It was fun to have the kids come and visit and love on their new little sister. Ivan was just infatuated with her. He wanted to sleep at the hospital with me. He would stay almost all day and hold her. It was so fun to have a little newborn again. I love looking down at their little heads while they nurse. It's so cute when they stretch and squirm or when they tuck their legs in tight and their arms stretch above their head. 

(i'm going back to reprint this year. This page wasn't in it before. It looks like I just stopped writing there)

Nine and Five

Ivan, Ivan, Ivan are you really 9? 

This is a good year for you. You seem to have really grown into yourself and seem more comfortable in your skin. I don't mean literally, because you still seem to have issues with how clothes feel and fit. I can probably count on one hand the times you've worn regular "hard" pants in the past 9 years. It's only soft shorts for you my friend. That's ok, I have really grown too and have come to terms with it. If you didn't play so hard and get so sweaty and stinky I would let you wear the same thing everyday like you want to.
You are doing awesome in school and you love your teacher (Mr Mortenson).  Last year we had an "off to school you go" ritual. When I dropped you off you leaned over for a kiss, hug and then knuckles. When you got out you would walk a few steps and then turn around and blow me a kiss. EVERYTIME. Without fail. We don't do that this year. Kind of a bummer. However in exchange for that we are having better mornings. Seems like maybe that ritual was because I sent you off crying more last year, after arguing over the fact that it's not my fault you have to go to school. We've had very few arguments this year so we must not need the ritual.

You love a bowl of cereal before bed. You still ask every night if you can sleep in our bed.You are awesome with baby Kate. You are constantly saying how cute she is. She'll be so smart after listening to her big brother read to her.

 You are still pretty much all sports, play and no business! Anything that interferes with "play" is greeted with resistance. A common question you ask is, "how much time will I have left to play." Unfortunately your life is filling up with other things, but trust me, you still have plenty of play time. You are lucky to have sooo many friends in your neighborhood, but your bestest friends are still  Micah and Charlie. Also Sawyer and Will (from school). We are in scouts together and I enjoy that. You finished up basketball this winter now soccer and baseball are going on.

You got a ski day this winter and did AWESOME. Hope you can get one more in. We'll see. 

face swap

I'm so sorry, but you take after your mom in a lot of ways.

Happy birthday to you and Emery this month

Emery girl- you are growing up too, too fast. Kindergarten next year? What, what? 

You are a pretty articulate little gal, better than your mamma. Your creative side has really come out this year with play dough creations, painting, drawing, baking and other wild concoctions.  You're good at trying new foods. You're the only child who knows how to clean your room. You are always filling purses to the brim and making piles of things or "organizing" things.  

Every-time we go someplace you have to collect of bunch of random things that drive me nuts, clutter the van and make for extra clean up from wherever we are headed. Dad's good to play house with you and your play name is usually Ballerina Princess Pink Rose. 

You started tumbling and have great cartwheels and back bends. You are still loving dance class.

 

You can't keep your hands off Kate

For the first while after baby came you would tell her, "you know those nursies used to be mine." or when you would hold her you would say, "are you looking for nursies?" You would also pat her and say, "there's no worries to cry."

 You go through spells where you like to sleep all over the place; in the crib, in the boys room on the floor, on the couch, under your bed. You are a lot better than the boys at going to bed on your own. You like to get the skin under my arm and pinch it. I don't know if I've documented that in a previous post, but it is still going on and I HATE IT and you say, "I just love your pinchy arms."  I may not love it, but I sure do love you.