Welcome A!

I suppose I need to write down A's birth story before I forget all the details. I had expected to have a similar experience as I did with B2, but it was quite different.

A was due June 11, 2012. As I had anticipated, I started dilating early. At my 36 week appt, I was already 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. And, as before, I was hoping for an early delivery. I was also hoping not to have two of my boys sharing birthdays, because that was a definite possibility--at 36 weeks, B2's birthday was 6 days away and D's was 3.5 weeks away. We were also moving in to our new house the weekend after my 36 week appt. I asked the doctor if lifting heavy boxes would throw me into labor, but he sadly informed me that at best it would do nothing; at worst, I would get hurt (sore muscles and all). He said the move would have no positive or negative impact on my pregnancy.

The move went well, and I went in two days later for my 37th week appointment hoping for good news. Sadly, I didn't get it--I had made absolutely no progress. For me, that's unusual. I usually dilate 1/2 to 1 cm per week and continually efface, but I hadn't done either. I began to resign myself to the idea that I was probably not going to have another May baby.

By the 38th week appt, I had made a little more progress. I was up to 3 cm dilated and still around 70-75% effaced. With B2's birthday now behind me, I was ready to have this baby quickly before it got too close to D's birthday. The doctor swept my membranes, hoping to throw me into labor. Alas, no luck. I just bled a little for a day or two and had some wonderfully awesome (*cough*) and intense contractions, but stayed pregnant.

At 39 weeks, I was so done being pregnant! D's birthday was now in 4 days, so I had the doctor sweep my membranes again, hoping that I could go into labor, have this baby, and be home before D's birthday.  Again, no luck--just more contractions, but they never got close enough together to go the hospital and would stop by bedtime. I tried walking and cleaning and all sorts of stuff to keep those contractions going, as well as applying essential oils to encourage the contractions, but no luck.

I saw the doctor again on my due date, June 11th. By now, I had been pregnant longer with this baby than with any other (B2 was born at 1:00 a.m. on his due date, and we induced D a week early), so I was getting really sick of being pregnant and ready to snuggle this cute (and likely ginormous) baby. I was also getting a little scared of having a stillborn child. Even though the doctor reassured me that the odds of stillborn didn't go up until at least a week after my due date (and more likely two weeks), I asked to be scheduled for an induction on Friday, June 15th. I didn't want to go a whole weekend without being able to easily (and cheaply) see my doctor in his office instead of having to go to the ER, just in case. I also had the doctor sweep my membranes again, just in case. He (Dr M) mentioned that he was the on-call doctor until 7:00 a.m. the next morning, so he said he hoped to see me before he got off call. I agreed. I didn't really get many contractions that afternoon, and I got sadder and sadder as I watched my due date come to a close.

I was woken up by contractions at 3:45 a.m. The contractions weren't terribly intense, but they were intense enough to wake me up (that hadn't happened before...ever) and seemed to be coming fairly close together. Not wanting to unnecessarily freak out my husband, I went into the living room to time the contractions and see if they were getting closer together, staying the same distance, or growing further apart. Plan failed--B1 felt me get out of bed and within seconds he was out of bed too. We timed a few contractions, and they were lasting about a minute and were coming every 3 minutes. We decided to head to the hospital. After my short labor with B2, we were afraid of having a freeway baby and didn't want to wait any longer. So far during the pregnancy, I hadn't had any contractions this close together (except the occasional 2 or 3 that would be close together but then nothing for hours or days). We packed up the hospital bags, called B1's parents (who were kind enough to wake up in the middle of the night and drive to our house so we didn't have to wake up B2 and D), and we were off to the hospital. My contractions weren't as intense as they were with B2 as we drove, so I was better able to handle B1's crazy driving. :) Just kidding--he did really well, especially with avoiding speeding up and slowing down dramatically.

We got to the hospital around 4:45 a.m., and was immediately checked in. We didn't have to be monitored like I was with D--I guess they figured that since a.) I was technically past my due date, b.) I was already dilated to 3 cm, c.) I had been timing my contractions for nearly an hour, and c.) this wasn't my first pregnancy so I theoretically knew what was real labor, they would accept my word for it. I was taking to the delivery room and got settled in.

B1 and I had discussed prior the plan of me going all natural with this delivery. With B2 and D, I had had IV painkillers (Demerol, I believe) during the labor. Both boys seemed to struggle a very tiny bit as well--B2 struggled during delivery, when his oxygen dropped and I had to put on oxygen mask, and D after delivery when he couldn't clear the fluid out of his lungs. While I don't know all the research to know if these are even known risk factors for IV painkillers and delivery, I felt that I needed to not do any painkillers this time and see if it made a difference. We explained that we did not want any painkillers to the nurse, but she still said I had to have an IV inserted and taped off due to hospital policy. It happened so fast, and I was not happy about it after the fact. I found out later that we could have avoided that if we had signed a waiver, and I wish we had been more forceful with the nurse. Oh well...notes for me for next time.

With B2, I was only in the hospital for about 3 hours before he was born--I was being monitored for an hour, at which point I was at least 5 cm dilated and moved to the labor room. I then went from a 5 to a 10 in another hour, at which point my water was broken and I started to push. He was born an hour later. So, I was hoping for another quick delivery (though hopefully much less pushing). But, sadly, I went at the normal rate--I was dilating about a cm per hour. Thankfully, my contractions were not intense for most of that time. I would describe them as uncomfortable--I would have to stop talking and focus on breathing, but other than that the time passed fairly easily, although slowly. We joked with Dr. M, who stopped in every hour or so, that he must be the only OB at the doctors' office who knows how to sweep membranes, because the other two OBs had not been successful. He kept me laughing whenever he came in. At 7:00 a.m. Dr M went home, and Dr. L came in! Dr. L was the same OB who delivered B2, and the reason why we returned to that practice for this pregnancy.

Around 9:00 a.m. the contractions started getting worse--they were more intense and painful, and seemed to be even closer together. I was checked, and still only around 7 cm. I feared that I would have another 3 hours of painful contractions, and was starting to doubt my decision to go natural. Brian and I talked, and we figured we would wait a little longer to see how much more I could handle. At 9:30 a.m., I asked the nurse to check me and I was still around 7.5 cm. I broke down and asked for the painkillers at this point, only to be told no--she said at this point I could go so quickly that it's not advised to have painkillers injected.. The contractions right after being checked were so intense that I quickly moved to the stage of thinking, "I can't do this!" After one or two contractions, I felt my body start pushing the baby. The nurse had mentioned that my OB had left the hospital to go to his office (it's just on the other side of the parking lot), so B1 quickly summoned the nurse and told her that my body was pushing and we needed the doctor back. By this point, it's now around 9:45 a.m. The nurse checked me again, and I was nearly at 10 cm. She summoned the doctor, and I started pushing. I was shocked that my body was pushing this baby out, because as of yet my water still hadn't broken. I didn't know it was possible to start delivering the baby while he was still enclosed in the amniotic sac. I guess I didn't pay enough attention in my birthing class when I was pregnant with B1. My water finally broke a few pushes before the baby's head came out. So, I had my first "spontaneous rupture." As with B1, there was meconium in the amniotic fluid, but I guess that's what I get for having full-term babies (and another reason I'm terrified of going past my due date).

I imagine the rest is fairly typical of labor--I pushed, screamed some, insisted I couldn't deliver this baby, and tried to convince the doctor that the baby's head wasn't going to fit, while he tried to convince me that there was plenty of room. Ha! You're going to tell the pregnant lady who is feeling every cm of her baby's head burning its way out that there's more room??? And then, suddenly, the head pops out, the body quickly follows, and all is right with the world.

I had always heard stories about people saying what a spiritual experience birth is, and I had felt kinda like a horrible person because the delivery had been such horrible experiences for me in the past. But, this time, I had had that spirtual experience. As soon as A's head was out, I felt an outpouring of peace, happiness, love, and so many other positive emotions that I don't even have words for. All thoughts of pain, frustration, and so on that I had just had were instantly gone, and all I could think about was this sweet baby in front of me, and he was the most perfect thing I had ever seen. I know it's probably silly and can't be proven scientifically, but I honestly think not having painkillers with this delivery made a huge difference. Now, I'm not saying that you can't have a similar wonderful experience with IV painkillers or epidurals, but for me the experience was so much better without the medications.

Little Strider, as he was known in the womb, was born at 10:20 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces. I was shocked that he was so little. B2 was 6 ounces heavier and born one day earlier, so I was expecting at least an 8 pound baby. We moved into the recovery room, and within a few hours I was ready to go home, except we didn't have a name for the baby. B1 and I spent most of that day talking about it, and decided on A. Both his first name and nickname both have references to Lord of the Rings. The middle name was in a dream that B1 had, and we both liked it. It's a big name for a little guy, so we mainly call him by his initials.

My recovery was very fast and easy. I didn't have any pain medication in the hospital (to the shock of the nurses--they didn't seem to know what to do with me since I didn't need helping peeing and I didn't need drugs), and I didn't have an episiotomy or tear when delivery. Within a few hours, I felt almost as good as new (though it still hurt a bit to sit), and we pushed to be discharged the following morning. We were discharged about 26 hours after A was born.

So, overall, this birth was a wonderful experience. Yes, there was pain and frustration and fatigue, but mostly I remember the wonderful feelings associated with snuggling this cute, adorable baby. A was already sleeping 4-5 hours at a time in the hospital, and would sleep best at night, so I have been able to do fairly well on his sleep schedule. He hasn't grown as quickly as my other boys, which makes me both happy (because he stays a little boy for just a bit longer) and scared (because I'm worried he's not eating enough). I am thrilled that I get to stay at home with him and I don't have to leave him with a babysitter 5 days a week. I'm glad that I didn't stay on maternity leave for the full 12 weeks with my other boys, because it just would have been too heart-wrenching to come back after that. So I am just loving being able to cuddle A all day, every day. I may even indulge him a bit too much by holding him for his afternoon naps and letting him sleep in our bed after his 4:30 a.m. feeding, but I know he won't stay little for long.

A was blessed on Sunday, July 15th. Rinz and J came in to town from AR, and my parents, E, and K were in town from CA. We were sorely missed B1's sister C1, her husband B, and their kids, but other than that all of A's immediate and close extended family were there! Thank you to all who came--you made it the perfect day!

What a week!

Wow, what a week!! It seems like months have passed instead of only a few days.

Last weekend the (little) boys and I flew out to Arkansas to visit my sister. She lives in a small town about a hour and a half outside of Little Rock. I must admit, I was expecting some small, almost hick-ish, town, full of overalls and people I can't understand. I joked with her that I almost brought my passport to visit her foreign city. I was actually surprised to see how large it was, and the accents were (mostly) quite easy to understand. It took us nearly 11 hours of flight and drive time and two airplanes to get us there. We left around 7:30 a.m. Mountain time on Thursday, and arrived at her house at 7:30 p.m. Central time. B2 and D were just THRILLED to be with their Aunt Rinz and Uncle J again. B2 would fearfully ask me every few hours if we had to go home the next day, and was so happy to hear that the answer was no. In the Little Rock airport, once D heard that we were done flying and that Rinz was going to pick us up, he started running through the terminal to see her. I couldn't keep up! He was just so excited, and confirmed that it IS possible for him to walk faster than he does 99% of the time when I'm in a hurry.

On Friday we went and met Rinz's co-workers. She works for a paving company, and I thought for sure that this is where I'd meet the rednecks--after all, what do you picture when you think of truckers and construction workers from Arkansas? Not only were they not rednecks, they were hilarious! We were there for probably a half hour, during which time B2 and D took turns putting on a football helmet and ramming each other, and B2 played football down the hall with one of bosses. We also met some friends of Rinz's. That evening I got to watch them coach their club volleyball team. They are coaching 8th grade girls, so it was definitely not the same as watching Rinz's college team play, or even the club team she was on as a senior. But, sadly, those girls probably would have beat our Relief Society volleyball team. That night they had a really cool thunder/lightening storm. It reminded me of my days in Nauvoo, IL. I laid in bed with the blinds pulled all the way up, watching the lightening completely light up their backyard, and trying not to let myself get freaked out by the potential horror-story scenery. Part of me was glad when it was over so I could put my blinds back down...

On Saturday we went to a park to let the boys run around and get out some wiggles. It was rather cold, and some parts completely soaked from the previous night's storm, so we didn't stay too long. We ended up just hanging out the rest of the day at Rinz and J's house. Once the boys went to bed, Rinz and J and I stayed up late playing games. It's the simple times like those that make me really miss my sister. I think she felt a little bad that we spent so much time lounging around her house, but I personally loved it. I got to relax, I didn't have to worry about my kids destroying stuff (too much, though D did seem intent on touching every single thing in Rinz's house), and I got to just hang out with my sis. Good times!

Sunday we went to church with Rinz. B2 was pretty depressed all morning when he realized that we would be going home that day, though I was surprised that he didn't cry at all. Anyway, I was a little worried about my boys in church, because we have a VERY VERY loud congregation since we have so many young children in our ward. So, I was worried that my kids would either be really loud, or it would just seem that way because everyone else was quiet. Sure enough, during a very quiet part of the service after taking a drink of water, D smacked his lips and said, "Ah!" I heard quiet chuckles all around, and was glad that a.) most people found it funny, and b.) that's the worst he said. Well, sure enough, a few minutes later he picked up his Tigger stuffed animal and in his cute little voice said, "Bun cheeks, bun cheeks, bun cheeks!" I closed my eyes hoping that no one else would understand what he was saying, but when I opened them I found that the shoulders of the people in front of me were shaking with laughter, and I internally groaned--of course everyone would understand that!! Thankfully, that pretty much WAS the worst that he said, and we had an enjoyable meeting. We left immediately after that, had some lunch, and drove to the airport. We then spent the rest of Super Bowl Sunday on airplanes and in airports, with me trying desperately to herd my children, two suitcases, two car seats, two stuffed animals, a diaper bag, my purse, and my ginormous self through the crowded and unfamiliar terminals. And, unfortunately, I had two children who were not terribly excited about putting more distance between them and their beloved aunt and uncle, which only added to the  difficulties. But, we made it back without injuries or beatings, so I consider the trip a success. But that doesn't mean I'm doing it again any time soon, at least not without another adult to help me.

Once back from Arkansas, we tried to get back into our normal routine. Things were relatively back to normal until Wednesday, when we got a call from a neighbor. She had had her condo on the market for about five months, and out of the blue got two offers that were involved in a bidding war. She knew that the buyer that would most likely lose really wanted a bottom floor unit in our complex, and knew that B1 and I had kicked around the idea of putting our condo back on the market in the spring. She wanted to know if we were already working with an agent and, if not, if her agent could give us a call. I said yes, but didn't really expect it to amount to much.

The next day I got a call from her agent around 12:30, and she said that the buyer was still interested and when we could be ready to show. I told her all the things we had wanted to do before we listed it (paint, decorate, fix some stuff up, clean, de-clutter, etc.), and said that I could have it in good show-ready condition, if not in staged condition, in about a week. She said she'd talk to the buyer's agent and call me back. She called me back at 1:00 and said the buyer wanted to walk through at 5:00 that night. I explained that the house was messy (I hadn't even done the dishes from the night before), and that there were some large items I wanted to remove to make the rooms look better. I said I'd do my best, and asked if she could come early and let me know if I would be doing more harm than good by showing it in its current state. She agreed. I called B1 and let him know, called my in-laws and asked them to watch the kids so I could clean, put out a plea on Facebook for help cleaning, and called my sister Beez and asked for her help. B1 ended up getting off work early, my father-in-law loaned us his truck (and offered space in his basement) to move extra items out, and the neighbor who sent us her Realtor with a buyer and my sister came and helped clean. It was nuts--we got the house super clean, removed a queen bed and dresser and quite a few boxes and bags of extra items and odds and ends, and walked out the door promptly at 5:00 p.m. as the buyer's agent was pulling up. I never could have done that if not for Beez, B1, my mother- and father-in-law, Beth (the neighbor), and Erin (another neighbor who watched Beth's daughter so Beth could help). You guys are awesome!! We were afraid that this guy would see our condo in its quickly-cleaned state after seeing Beth's show-ready condo and not want it, but he made us an offer late that night which we accepted on Friday.

We then sat in shock as we realized what this all meant--in less than 24 hours, we went from maybe thinking about considering the possibility of selling our condo to almost-definitely moving (assuming the contract goes through smoothly). After nearly 7 years, we will be selling our condo, moving out of our wonderful ward and away from so many friends, and going to live who knows where. It's horribly depressing and super exciting, all at the same time. After all the complaining we've I've done about our HOA and the restrictions and blah blah blah, I'm seriously going to miss this place. It's been a great home for us, and we know we made the right decision to move there in the first place.

Yesterday we went and found a home that we are really excited about, and have our first offer of our new buying season in. I know, it seems crazy that we're bidding on the first home we walked through, but keep in mind that we really started home shopping a year and a half ago when we put our condo on the market last time, and haven't really stopped. We kept watching the MLS, getting sad at homes we loved going under contract and secretly hoping that some homes would stay on the market until we would be ready to buy again. Plus, the one we saw is a little bit of a fixer-upper, but has so much potential and has just about EVERYTHING we want: a big backyard (bonus: it's already almost completely fenced in), cold storage in the basement for all my food storage, a garage, a decent-sized kitchen, a pretty porch, and a good neighborhood. But, we know we are going to be one of many offers made on this place, and we also know we won't hear anything for at least another week (if we can survive the anticipation). On the one hand, we think it too good to be true that we would buy the first house we find that we really love, but on the other hand a week ago we would have never thought it possible to sell our unlisted condo within 24 hours. So, we will just have to see. We are going to keep looking at other houses as they become available and hope we find something quickly, as we will most likely be moving in with my in-laws until we find a house. While I so appreciate our in-laws taking us in, I know it's in both our and their best interest that we don't stay too long. :)

So, that's our week. Sheesh! Absolutely crazy, but at least it's a good crazy.

California Trip

This last weekend we made a little family trip to California to see my parents and my brother and sister-in-law. It's one thing I love about being a pilot's wife--I get to go see my parents pretty much whenever I can break away from work. We flew in Friday morning. That day, the girls went and got a pedicure (I still had nail polish on from my last pedicure, which was before my sister's wedding...7 months ago). After that, K dyed and cut my hair. I went brown again, and she did a fantastic job as always.

On Saturday, we went to Griffiths Park. I think my parents took me when I was a baby, but I have no memory of the place. It was a blast! We started off with the world's fastest carousel--okay, maybe not, but I did get a bit sea-sick on it, not to mention the music was really loud. It was supposed to be a really old carousel; the music was powered by an actual pipe organ or something like that.

After we went on the carousel, we then took B2 on a pony ride. My boy is so fearless -- he LOVED the ponies! Grandpa bought him 2 tickets, so he got to ride the pony around the course 4 times. He kept yelling at the pony "Let's go pony!" to make him go faster.

After the pony rides, we went over to the miniature train that takes a little loop around the park. Grandpa bought B2 this little pinwheel, and B2 LOVED making it spin. He almost missed most of the train ride because he was watching those wheels move. As a side note, great job on the colors Dad -- Go Cougars!

Well, that pretty much sums up the trip. It was so great being in 70 degree weather in January, seeing my family, and having a break from the day-to-day grind. I guess it's time to start planning our next trip to California!!

My life is a pendulum

I have decided that my life is a pendulum. Sometimes, the pendulum is swinging slowly, so we don't really have any ups and downs. Life is pretty consistent. Then, other days (like right now) it swings in big swoops, so we have some awesome days followed by horrible days.

Last night was an awesome day. B2 was in the best mood I've seen him in for a long time. He exclaimed as soon as my key hit the lock, "Yay, mommy's home!" It pretty much got better from there. He ate his dinner without too much prodding, he helped me make bread (and only spilled the flour a little), he was happy and (somewhat) obedient...It was nice. It was like having my two-year-old back again. I almost didn't want him to go to bed because it was such a good night.

And then, along comes today. Every Tuesday at my company I have a meeting from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. At 9:00, a coworker interrupts the meeting with my cell phone, saying that it's an emergency and my husband is trying to reach me. I immediately panic as I call B1 back. He sounds close to tears, saying that B2 decided to put push pins in D's crib (while D is still in it, of course), then runs to his dad and said, "Daddy, D is dead!" B1 freaked out, ran to D and discovered (thankfully) that D was not dead, but was surrounded by push pins. He still hadn't gotten over the shock of what B2 said when he called, which is why his emotions were so close to the surface. Well, B1 took D to the doctor for an X-ray to make sure D hadn't swallowed one of those push pins. They are on their way back from the hospital to the pediatrician's office to have the X-ray read, but it looks okay.

I guess we need to re-baby-proof the house. I don't even know where B2 got push pins...

So, does this mean we're due for another good night, or will this downward swing last longer?

Christmas letter

Merry Christmas!

Christmas letter text:
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December 2009

Dear friends and family,

Well, once again, I have procrastinated this year’s Christmas card, so you are all getting it through email instead of the actual mail. I would be happy to print copies of the picture for anyone would like it.

2009 has gone much faster than expected. I am sure that we have hit the point in our lives where time seems to continually speed up, but it still takes us by surprise every year.

B1’s life has been pretty consistent this year. He is still working at [airline company], and is still the Employment Specialist in our ward. This calling has been a great blessing for him, if for no other reason than it helps him be grateful for his job while he’s parking airplanes in negative-degree temperatures.

This year has been a little more eventful for me. I had planned on quitting my job when our son was born, but with the unstable economy and fear of Brian losing his job, I am still working full-time. But, I am happy to be at such a wonderful company. In June my baby sister was married the day before B1 and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. In August I lost my grandpa, and I miss him dearly. This month I launched my own business (mymommyshelpers.blogspot.com). 2009 has brought me some happy and some sad events, and I anxiously (and nervously) await what 2010 has in store for me.

B2 is still growing like a weed. He consistently ranks in the 90th-plus percentiles for height and weight. Despite being white, he might be able to play football for BYU after all. This year B2 has become potty trained, which has been the source of much happiness and much frustration for him (and his parents). He absolutely adores his younger brother, and loves his new babysitters Colby and Kristy (and their kids, of course) and his nursery leaders. B2 is now three years old, so he will be starting Primary next month. I think B1 and I got a few gray hairs once we realized our kid would be in Primary, but we’re excited to see him participate in the sacrament meeting programs. His favorite Primary song right now is Follow The Prophet, and he knows the first three verses. He also likes to regularly inject lines from the song into every day conversation, such as a few weeks ago when he was saying goodbye to his dad and told him sternly, “Dad, don’t go astray.” Of course, we’d rather he repeat Primary songs than what his mom and dad say.

This year we welcomed D.S. to our family. D was born in June, and is the happiest baby you’ve ever met. He is just becoming mobile by turning his body and rolling to get where he wants to go, and is trying so hard to scoot. He has the cutest smile you’ll ever see, and you’ll see it often. He hardly ever cries. Of course, I think the reason why he’s the best baby is because his first word was Mama. In fact, he still hasn’t said Dada, though Brian tries hard, and regularly, to get D to expand his vocabulary.

This time of year reminds us that we are truly blessed. We have wonderful children and extended family, dear friends, a home, and jobs. We hope that this Christmas season finds you happy and able to see the best in your life!

Love,
B1, S, B2, and D