Attention Bloggers... I need your help!

So has anyone actually published their blog to one of those books yet???  I think they are called "Blurbs" or something...
I was just wondering what people think of the quality, convience, price... everything really.
I've recently decided to do separate journals for my kids through blogger.  I've decided it is really the best way for me to document their life.  I'm not a scrapbooker, and I hate when my hand cramps up from writing.  I thought it would be fun to journal their lives through blogger and then every year I could do one of those blurb books.
But I want to know what people think of that service.  Is it quality?  Is it easy to figure out?  Is there an easier way to accomplish what I'm trying to accomplish?

Thanks for you help!

Ryder where are you?

My mom has requested some recent pics of Ryder. But when I got on the computer I realized our most recent ones (which really aren't that many) are not on the computer yet. AND.. I don't know where the cord is to put them on the computer.
But I did find these pictures. These were taken 2 days after we got home from Houston. We invited a friend over for dinner that night because he took care of our house for us.
Here are Liam and Arie being their usual goofy selves...

And here they are at about 5 pm... I'm not sure if it was jet-lag, or them just trying to get out of eating Panang...



These are about a month old. I didn't realize that I had dressed all the kids in brown that day. I wanted to take a picture of them and this is what I got! Totally their personalities... well whatever amount of personality Ryder had at the time.

Ryder Zachary Monson

Well here it is... a little bit about our little boy.
I guess I'll start at the beginning of our adventure. For those who don't care about the details of labor, you can just skip down to the pictures. But for our posterity and for those who love L&D specifics read on.
My doctor agreed to induce me at 39 weeks. We put my name on a waiting list to go in on the 20th if there were beds open; and if that didn't work out I would go in on the 21st for sure. The night of the 19th I about had a nervous breakdown from the great uncomfortableness (is that a word???) of being so pregnant. I knew it wasn't for sure that I would get in the next day, but if I didn't get in I had plans of giving myself an at home c-section! At 5:00 am I got a call from some wonderful person at the hospital saying that if I wanted to come in at 7:00 am I could have my baby!!!! I practically screamed YES! I should've tried to go back to sleep for an hour or so but I was so excited at the thought of not being preggers that I just couldn't sleep. I finished packing my bag and Kelly and I got clothes out for the kids and told Grandma that we were leaving. OFF TO THE HOSPITAL!!!!!!!!!!
Got there at 7, they took me to a HUGE delivery room, one nurse stuck me three times attempting to get my IV in (I couldn't get mad at her, my veins run away from needles), Kathy my main nurse stuck me in another spot and luckily my vein stayed, started me on pitocin by 8 am, contracting by 8:10. The contractions went on becoming more frequent and more severe, then 20 minutes later I could hardly feel them and they were hardly happening! So every 30 mintues Nurse Kathy would come in and up the pitocin. This went on for a while. My precious wonderful fabulous sister came to the hospital to hang out with Kelly and I. The only thing I hated about her being there was when she showed up with DONUTS and then she ate them in front of me. I've almost forgiven her.
Dr. Cantu came in around 12 and said she thought she should break my water and hopefully the labor would go quicker. She broke my water - OUCH!!!! Dr. Cantu then told me that if I wanted an epidural that I should go ahead and request it soon because there was a full house and if I waited too long to request it I may not get it in time. I told her I didn't want the epidural to slow me down and she ensured me that all the newest information said the epi's don't slow anyone down. Since I flew all the way the to Texas for an epidural, I had Nurse Kathy put in the request. Ten mintues later the anesthesiologist came in pushing his cart full of tricks! Normally I would've been so excited to see him. But normally you've been contracting for a while and you are already in pain so you don't mind someone jamming a long needle in your spine. But for me at that moment I wasn't uncomfortable at all; so I wasn't really looking forward to the torture I was about to endure. Aside from the "pressure" he told me I would feel, it really went well.
Minutes later I found myself good and numb unable to move myself from the waist down. Nurse Kathy came in and told me to lay on my left side and the she would come in 30 minutes later and roll me to my other side. She said that this should help me dilate a little quicker. At that point I was only a two!!!!
About an hour later Kathy finally made it back in. She said she would check me before rolling me over to the other side. Shockingly I was a 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From a 2 to a 10 in an hour!!!!! She said she would call the doctor and that if I felt the urge to push to try and ignore it until the doc came in. She was right!!! I almost immediately felt the need to push, I didn't know how I was going to wait. Luckily Dr. Cantu came in and got suited up and the fun began!
As soon as the stirrups (or whatever the awful leg holders are called) came out I looked at Jill. I normally don't like having anyone in the room except for Kelly. But Jill definitely helps me relax and she doesn't get all hyper and emotional, so I decided that I wouldn't kick her out. I did try to warn her quickly of all the awful things she may see and I suggested that she may want to stand by my head or something. She didn't seem too concerned.
Right before I started pushing Dr. Cantu asked all of us what we thought the baby would be. Kelly, me, and Nurse Kathy all said that we thought it was a girl.
I started pushing. Between the excitement of finding out the sex of our new baby and the priceless look on Jill's face I have to say that is was the funnest labor I've ever had. The epi was perfect, Jill was hilarious, Nurse Kathy was a dream, Dr. Cantu was AWESOME, and Kelly and I were so nervous. When I knew the baby was out I lifted my head to try and see what I would be raising, and I saw the umbilical cord and then I saw... well... testicles! Dr. Cantu exclaimed "IT'S A BOY!!!!!!"
We were so excited to hear those words. We had a new little boy! They put him on my belly while Kelly cut the cord. He looked so big! Well so much bigger than my other kids were. I was staring at his sweet little face saying over and over in my mind "Wow, thats my boy!" and "Yeah I'm not pregnant anymore!!!!"


They took him away and cleaned him up and then my mom came in. Momo got to see him for awhile and Aunt Jill held him too.




The best part of the experience was when Grandma and GG came with Liam and Arie. I was so excited for the kids to meet their new baby brother. They came in the room and they looked so cute! They climbed up in my bed and couldn't wait to see their little brother. They were so cute and gentle with him and it was really sweet. I just kept imaging how close they would hopefully one day be.




While we were at the hospital we had lots of friends and family that came to visit.




(Sorry that we didn't get pictures of everyone).
Liam and Arie also had the fun opportunity to add their hand prints to the hospital wall. It is a really cute program the hospital has to include the older siblings of the new babies. The kids get to put the hand prints on the wall with their names and the name of their new baby. Liam did a great job with his hand prints and writing his own name. He then requested that Kelly write the word "Batman" next to his hand prints as well. Arie's were slightly more sloppy. But they both had so much fun making their mark on our special occasion.



So now we had Liam, Arie, and .... well we didn't know. From the beginning of the pregnancy Kelly and I both thought we were having a girl. We never agreed on any boy names and so we gave up discussing them. About a month before I had Ryder I started thinking that it could maybe be a boy. I gave a little bit more thought to boys names. Then the whole week before I delivered I went back to thinking it was a girl. We finally agreed on a girls name and gave up on the boy name thing.
The morning that I delivered, after the hospital called me, Kelly suggested the name Ryder. I don't think he knows why that named popped in his head. We talked about the name about a total of five minutes but then we just didn't bring it up again because we thought we were having a girl.
Well out came a boy with all his parts and we starting to think that Ryder would be the name. When Liam and Arie showed up at the hospital Liam asked what the baby's name would be. We said that maybe it would be Ryder, and from that moment on Liam would tell everyone he had a brother named Baby Ryder. So then we knew... it was Ryder for sure.
And I already wrote about how we got the name Zachary. So now we are blessed to have Ryder Zachary Monson in our home. He is so good and such an easy baby. His disposition reminds me a lot of Liam as a baby. He is very easy going, only cries when we change his diaper. Even at night, he grunts when he's hungry and after he's fed he passes out again. I realize he's only two weeks old, but so far so good.
A his two week appt he weighed 8 lbs 4.5 ozs. My little boy is already growing up! It makes me so sad.
So Ryder - we want you to know that we love you so much and everyday we love you more and more. I can't even remember what it was like to not have you. We know as parents we are far from perfect, and I'm sure you will be disappointed a million times, but hopefully you will always know how much you are loved. Liam and Arie may pick on you and give you a hard time, but know that one day they will be your best friends. Welcome to our family little guy!

WHATS IN A NAME????

Ryder Zachary Monson is our newest little guy. Zachary is my brothers name and he is so excited to have his nephew named after him. We were stuck on a middle name not really knowing what to do. Kel went to his parents house to help with the kids in the morning and after he left the birth certificate girl ( no idea what her title is) came by and said she needed the paperwork in as hour. I called Kel and told him that we needed to come up with somethingand quick. A little later Kelly called me and said "What do you think?" We both knew we wanted to use a family name but we haven't really agreed on the family names that we like. I wanted to suggest my brother's name but I didn't want to assume that he should be named after my family. I suggested it nonchalantly and Kel said "Good that is what I was thinking too."
So now Uncle Zach has a lot to live up to! :) We love Zach and we know Ryder will love carrying his name.
Pictures to come tomorrow.... I PROMISE!

ITS A.....

BOY!!!!!!!!! Yes yes we had a healthy robust little boy today. he was born at 3:43 pm, 7 lbs 10 ozs, 20 3/4 inches long. He has chubby cheeks and meaty hands and he is soooooo sweet. We've also been told by the NICU nurses that he is the loudest in the nursery... why does that not surprise me?
We haven't decided on the full name yet, but we know his first name will be Ryder. We had never thought about this name before, but at 5 am after I got called to go in Kelly suggested it. We were both pretty convinced that we were having a girl so I honestly didn't think about it. But the more and more I said it the more it seemed to be the right name for our newest Monson. Liam and Arie came up to visit and Liam immediately took to the name Ryder as well. So I think we have a first name. Middle name is another story - we have NO idea what that will be. Hopefully by tomorrow we will have one though.
Kel and I are still being lazy but as soon as we put the pics on our computer I will put them on the blog with more details about our big day.
All I can say is I'm so happy to have another sweeet little baby to love on. And seeing Liam and Arie with him for the first time was a really sweet and priceless moment.

in the hospital...

Well I'm FINALLY in the hospital!!!!!!! Got a call at 5 this morning telling me they had a bed for me. I've never been so excited to get a call tht early before. Right now I'm just eating ice chips and waitingfor the pitocin to start working its magic.

We'll keep you posted.....

Baby Update...

Well as of now I'm scheduled to be induced on the 21st. I didn't really want to be induced this time but right now it sounds soooooooooooo appealing! But to be honest - I think I can induce this labor on my own. Never before with my other pregnancies have I had such a desire to walk, have sex, drink castrol oil, all tricks that supposedly work. Only problem... Kelly is still in GUAM! I want this baby out but I don't want to have the baby without him here. I need him in the delivery room and it would break his heart to miss out on our big surprise. But the minute he gets here I will attempt to get this baby out! In fact I may try walking home from the airport just to see if I can make something happen HAHA!
I've been reading online about all the things women experience when they are about to go into labor. I have never experienced these things because I have always been induced and my body never had those "signs" of labor. But I have to say A LOT of those things are happening to me and it is a little freaky. Normally I would be thrilled, but I'm so afraid of having this baby without Kelly. I try to only let myself have 1-2 projects a day. If I do more than that then the contractions start and literally feel like the baby is falling out of me! I tried to talk to Kelly yesterday about all the early labor signs I'm experiencing but once I mentioned the words mucous plug he got mad and wanted to immediately end our conversation! HAHA It was sooooo funny.
So Kelly will be here in about 5 days and I will be induced in 8. We'll see how that schedule ends up working out. My doctors appt. is Friday and I will be really interested to see what she says. Maybe Kel will be able to jump on the plane sooner and we can get this show on the road!
Wish us luck!!!!!
Only 8 more days till we know if we've been blessed with a HE or a SHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!