Simon

Simon. When we found out I was  pregnant with Simon, Bridgette was seven, we thought we were not going to have anymore children although there was always a feeling that we weren't done. We were nervous, I was not prepared physically, we were not sure if we were up to having a newborn. There were also the questions,"What if it is a boy?", "Will he have disabilities?" During the pregnancy I had everything planned for an easy return home after a worry free regular delivery we would slip back into our routine. The ultrasounds showed Simon was fine, however at about 36 weeks I started to go into pre-eclampsia, a few days later Simon was born after a hurried c-section and from there my best laid plans went awry! Simon had trouble breathing immediately and hours later his lung collapsed, and then the other was threatening to do the same, he was airlifted to Children's Hospital. The next 48 hours were traumatic. He had several chest tubes and was on a ventilator, he was very sick. He was supposed to stay in the NICU for a month but his recovery went so well he was home in two weeks. I remember the nurses telling me Simon was feisty, he was a fighter, they said even under the highest doses of sedation he would still be kicking his legs. He stayed true to form upon returning home!

Simon was cute, very cute! He was thin everywhere except for his chubby cheeks. He cried a lot, he was cranky but he laughed easily. I remember the first time he laughed he was only 2 months old, Bridgette was trying to put a shoe on his little foot and he laughed out loud, it was bizarre and so wonderful at the same time. He was curious about the world and had to be in on the action. He especially loved Rick, he still does, they are best friends. Rick sat by his bed those first few days in the NICU while I was recovering in a hospital a half hour away. Rick would read to him and hold his hand, I think they developed a bond that will last forever.

Simon also has a knack for getting into trouble. From the time he could get around he began to torment his siblings. He fell down the stairs when he was just barely one and broke his arm, he was in a cast for 6 weeks, that was fun! He choked on a nut and them aspirated it (I know, he should not have had a nut) whereupon he had to have a delicate surgery to remove it from the lung. He is sick often, poor guy. He has breathing problems especially when he is sick but he recovers and is back to living at full speed. He was given a toy lawn mower by a friend when he had just turned one and he loves it. Even on super hot days you will see him out mowing the lawn behind his Dad or Ricky and Ammon. He loves to work and copy what all the big kids are doing.

Simon is tenacious, perhaps the most strong willed person I have ever known, and I have known some doozies! He loves anything on wheels, especially motor bikes. He loves anything to do with space. Simon is a natural with animals, he thinks they are fun. He loves to learn, especially learning the hard way! He loves his friends and would rather be playing with them than doing almost anything else. We love Simon, he requires a lot of patience some days but he is always ready to give hugs and make someone laugh. We look forward to the next 20 years, he is going to do some great things, I just hope we can keep up!

Here he is showing his handsome face. The other is a photo from the Science center, he's blasting off!

Bridgette

Bridgette. She came a couple of weeks early and after a long and grueling labor she emerged beautiful and chubby. She was lovely to look at and loved to be held. She was feisty from the beginning to. When she wasn't being held she was screaming. The boys didn't know what to think of her. The first time they saw me change her nappy they were horrified, "Mum, she's broken, she doesn't have a (fill in blank), you have to take her back to the baby store!". That's when I explained what a girl was. Ammon was less impressed with her as the days went on and wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, "Are we done babysitting yet, can we take her back to her home?" Eventually they warmed to her, about seven years later!

Bridgette loved to be busy, she was constantly creating something. She loves other children. We moved to Minot Air Force base when she was a baby. A family moved into the adjoining duplex with little children and Bridgette loved to play with them in the summer. We had a little swing set and by the time she was three she could swing herself for an hour at a time. Bridgette was non stop and bored easily, winters in North Dakota were not easy on any of us but especially Bridgette. We did adapt though. Bridgette was out playing in below zero temps with her brothers a lot of those winter days, she loved sledding and making snow angels. She loved dresses and shoes and jewelry, she was a real girl, I unfortunately was a bit a of tomboy so I did not always understand her needs! She had a pink nightie with a flowing skirt she loved from about 18 months old and she had to wear it everyday. She wore it over her clothes every day and then when we went out she wore it over her coat, it was stretched to the max. That went on for about a year, she also wore a full petticoat with a full skirt over her clothes for a long time as well, it was a great look with snow boots! We had many a battle. I knew early on this was a determined soul who had come to our family!

Bridgette has mellowed quite a lot as far as the screaming goes, that eventually died down at about 5 years old! Of course she loves school. Loves her friends and teachers. She is kind and helpful. She loves art and is adamant she will be an art teacher when she grows up. Bridgette has tried many activities, right now it's violin. She also does a Korean form of martial arts with her Dad and brothers called Kuk Sool Won, she is a natural. A lot of things come naturally to Bridgette but not always the ability to stick with it, she's getting better though. This weekend she performed in the Shakespeare play "Romeo and Juliet", she was sad at breakfast this morning because she knew there would be no more play practice after school. I knew she was thinking about what she could do next. I get a little scared when I see that face, her Dad gets it a lot.

The past few years have been challenging for Bridgette. She was the "baby" and the only girl for the first seven, nearly eight years of her life then came along Simon and Rachel and she became an instant "middle child". It's a big change but nobody was happier about having some more kids in the house than Bridgette. She was an outsider to Ricky and Ammon. I remember when Bridgette was about six years old she came to me crying about some injustice that  had occurred that involved her brothers. Ricky and Ammon had finally allowed Bridgette to enter their elaborate imaginary world where they have an exclusive super hero team called Team K. Apparently Bridgette had been left in charge of headquarters while the boys went on a mission, she had been tricked by their evil nemesis and allowed him to enter the headquarters whereupon he destroyed it! When the boys returned she was immediately thrown off the team. It would be several months before she was allowed back in, those were rough months! Her relationship has improved rapidly since the last two children came along, to the boys Bridgette is a regular kid now compared to two grumpy toddlers!

Here is a couple of photos. One is from Halloween 2011, she loves to be photgraphed. I would too if I looked like her! She is still lovely inside and out.