Elkins Reunion

We are in charge of the Elkins reunion this year with Mike's sister Ronda. We are really excited to have a reservation at the SUU mountain center. Just thought I would post a few of the details for the family to look at.

M went to Klondike

M went to Klondike a few weeks ago with our Riverton ward. It was so kind of them to invite him! They just sent us pictures, so I thought I would post them here so we don't lose them.

She is Finally Here!

I know, I know, no parent should ever wish for a baby born before 37 weeks. However, having two very healthy at 35 weeks makes going past that torture. Somehow, we made it to 38 weeks! I am so grateful that we did, because things have not gone completely smoothly.

Yesterday morning we saw my doctor at 8 am. By 8:30 we were checking in at Labor and Delivery. I was contracting (every 10 minutes or so) and dilated to a 5+. Hooray! Finally we knew we were not going home.

I continued to contract, and around 10:45 am the doctor broke my water. At that point I was a 6. At 12:09 (the nurse checked the charting for me) the doc checked me again and said I was a 7 and having regular contractions every 8 minutes. Doc said he was going to get lunch, but planned to see us within the hour.

Well, that is when things went wild. Instead of returning to the sitting position I had been laboring in I rolled onto my side. The contractions started rolling back to back, the pain was off the charts and I felt  everything change. The nurse started calling for the staff for delivery as I shrieked my way through each intense pain. My volume was so high the nurse couldn't get her pager to register calls.

I told her the baby was coming, fortunately she believed me, and started to push. She was amazing, she encouraged, unwrapped the cord from the baby's neck, and managed to keep me from giving up all within a couple of minutes! Fortunately, I was loud enough that the charge nurse also came running, and helped us get her out. Poor Dr. Smith walked back in the room just as the final push forced her out. Time of delivery? 12:29 p.m.

Yeah, that is the way we do it... Our poor little sweetie came quite blue with a fist against her face. A little oxygen and chest tapping got her back on track, but her face is still very bruised.

We got her back from the nursery an hour after delivery, and thought we were good to go. However, then her blood sugar began to drop.We tried a bottle, but it wasn't enough. She has been in the nursery since  about 6:30 last night. They stabilized her blood sugar with an IV, which she hates. She was so tired she slept all night, but has been nursing well today.

Because of the bruising the checked her bilirubin this afternoon, and started her on lights tonight. We aren't doing anything the easy way this time, but we are so grateful she is ok. These minor trials will hopefully be over soon, and we will all be on our way home. It has given me new found respect for friends and family who have had NICU babies- this is hard, but we have an end in sight.

Love you all! Hope you are well, and finding joy in your corner of the world! We are so blessed!

The kids are looking forward to holding our sweetie soon, even Stormond.

35 Weeks!

We are so lucky to have made 35 weeks again this pregnancy. There are lots of milestones in pregnancy, but for our family 35 weeks is a magic number. Both C and M were born in the 35th week with no complications and were able to come home right away.

We have been to Labor and Delivery 2 times so far: 31 weeks 3 days ( right after my last final) and 33 weeks 6 days. Both times they helped stop my labor, but now we are in the clear to deliver if we get started again.

We went in and were checked yesterday, I was 2.5 cm and 80% effaced. The baby is getting really vocal about each contraction I have. She is not enjoying being squeezed. We keep telling her there is a way to stop it, but so far no luck!

The kids are all well. Hopefully C is going back to school full-time on the 20th. S is still keeping us all on our toes, he thinks naps should be a thing of the past- but he,definitely still needs one each day.

M turned 12 and receive the Aaronic priesthood last month. It is so hard to be a December birthday, especially when mom has to spend the day flat in bed! He was a trooper, helping make his own cake from scratch!

C said it was only fair because I was too sick while pregnant with S to make her 12 year-old cake, so she made her own too. What a fine tradition!

We are so proud of the older kids and the way they are stepping up to help with S, making dinner, and even helping grandma.

Grandma is slowing down a lot the last few months. We hope she will continue to be healthy, but her heart is really having a tough time lately.

Love you all. More pictures soon!

Happy Halloween

Here's hoping I actually get this posted in the next week or so...
Had a test for school today, so the kids got to watch S on their day off school. Lucky them! He has had a bad cold, so they are lucky he is such a happy guy. Even when he feels horrible he is sweet and cuddly!

Our excitement for the day is visiting Mor-Mor, trick-or-treating at Dad's office, and then M is going trick-or-treating with friends while C goes to a Hunger Games Marathon, I don't think she will make it through both movies, the Mono is still reeking havoc with her fatigue level.

I wanted to add pictures, but they are still only on the camera. Here is the post anyway...

Owl hat for C

I made this for C while I was on bed rest for S. Just posting it for a friend to see...

Change, Change, and More Change...

Life is always in flux. You never know what will be around the next corner. With the baby coming in just a few months we had a few changes we knew we needed to make, but we also added a detail for the mental health of the family.

Meet our new dog Dotty:

She joined our family in September. We were headed to do chores at the house in Riverton and Mike saw the Humane Society truck. We followed it to the PetCo in the District and found our delightful new addition. She is part German Shorthair Pointer, about a year old, well trained and very happy. She just wants to be right at your feet or chasing whatever you will throw for her. We have been very surprised that she (usually) does not take food from S, keeps her nose off the table (unless she doesn’t think you are looking) and follows basic commands. She is crate trained and house trained, so I could not ask for more. The only downfall she has is that in her exuberance to be in the middle of life she frequently knocks S on his behind. He is learning to stand back a little, but he loves her so much he doesn’t seem to mind.

Grandma is also enjoying getting to know the dog, she keeps telling us her fur is like velvet, and she would love to keep her company when we are not home, but 40 pounds of dog is a little intimidating to let through the door when you are not sure on your feet.

I wish she were a little smaller, so that she could be a lap dog for Grandma, but I think S would destroy a small dog. We keep chanting, “I will hug you, and kiss you, and call you ‘George’.” Dotty is so sweet she even lets S sit on her back. When she get tired of it she just stands up and moves. He is one lucky little boy, she has not snapped at him even when I feel like he deserved it.

We also added a minivan to our life. We were very fortunate to have some stock for Mike to sell as he changed jobs and we were able to pick up a “new to us” 2004 Toyota Sienna. It drives great, has more bells and whistles than we even knew were possible, and will hold all of us after the baby is born. We felt very blessed to find it, as we were both done with car shopping. It takes a toll on your nerves to try and buy a car cash, because everyone wants to finance you, and pressure you to buy higher than you want. We found a great dealer we are willing to work with again, because they were honest, understood that we were not financing, and were great to us. They are called Atlas Motors, and they are on State Street in Murray if anyone is looking for a used vehicle.

I was going to say that is it, but Mike started a new job last month too. He is really happy, and that is making a world of difference! It is so nice to have him come home feeling like he accomplished something, and to see him rising to new challenges.

C has had mono for a few weeks now, so we are looking for alternate school options for her. Hopefully by the end of next week we will have a plan in place, because going and picking up homework that has no instructions with it is getting old. She has a great attitude, and seems to be relieved that we can try a different option. She is missing school like crazy, but every time we talk about going for half a day the next day she has a fever.

The Lord is truly blessing our lives, we see it daily in the small miracles that keep us going. My 

schooling is going well, I will turn in all of my immunizations and such next week, and have orientation for the Nursing program in November. I know the journey we are about to embark on will be difficult for all of us, but that it is extremely important for the future of our family.

I keep reflecting on the fact that I didn’t go to nursing school when C & M were small because I wanted to be home with them. I feel bad that S and baby #4 get to be the kids that miss out on me being home all of the time with them. S seems very resilient, he loves being on the go, so going to a sitter is a great adventure for him. I hope the new baby will be as happy about it. Hopefully I will figure out how to be a “stay-at-home-mom”/student at some point, but really I know there is no way to do everything. So, please feel free to drop by and see us, but don’t judge if my house is not put together and perfect. That is the easiest area to let go, so that I can hug my baby and read him a book before I start my next paper J