Ella's birth story Part 1 (5 months later!)

May 11, 2012 It's a GIRL! Can you believe I actually went into labor on my own? I haven't done that since I had Dallin! Today was one of the ONLY days I didn't want to have the baby, because it's Mia's birthday. Unfortunately, this little girl was determined to share her sister's birthday. Mia seems OK with it for now. We'll see how she feels in years to come... I woke up at 4:00 to some pretty strong contractions. I was having to breathe through them, but they were about 8 minutes apart, and I have had several nights where I would have them for an hour or two and then they would quit. I thought this was the same deal. At 4:30, the contractions were intense enough to get me out of bed. I started cleaning my bathroom and doing some laundry to try and get my mind off of them. They were still 6-7 minutes apart and only lasting about 30 seconds. I decided that in case this was really it, I better get a bag packed. (Nothing like procrastination!) Kirt was up with me and he could hardly contain his excitement. I kept telling him it was probably false labor, so he shouldn't get his hopes up. I wasn't even sure we were going to go in to the hospital because I did NOT want to be sent home. By 5:30, things were progressing FAST. My contractions got super intense, longer, and were only 5 minutes apart. I was still hesitant to go in though, because I DID NOT want to be sent home! At 6:00, I told Kirt to call him mom. NOW. The contractions moved from 5 minutes apart, to 2-3 minutes apart and I could hardly stand the pain. I was convinced this was it. I couldn't believe it was moving so fast! We left for the hospital before she even got there. I was in the "moaning through contractions" phase at this point and kept telling Kirt to drive faster, but not get pulled over! (haha) When we walked into the hospital, Dr. Lunt was sitting at the desk, charting. How lucky! He could tell we were there for the real deal and was great about getting us into a room fast so he could check me. He did, and I was dilated to a SEVEN! WHAT?? No way. I was NOT going back to "au natural". I wanted an epidural! He told me we had to get an IV in, get a bag of fluids into me and THEN I could have the epidural. I almost cried. I couldn't wait! It hurt so much. (I kept thinking "HOW in the world did I do this natural three times???) They moved me to a labor and delivery room, put an IV in (I hate that part!), and started the fluids. The anesthesiologist showed up and I told him I was NOT happy about having to wait for all that fluid to get in before I could have the epidural. He said, "WHAT? Nah. We don't have to wait. Let's get started!" I told him I loved him. More than my husband. (OK, looking back I probably shouldn't have said that, but at that very moment, it was completely true.) Dr. Lunt stood there, squeezing the bag of fluids to get it into me faster and the anesthesiologist got started too. Before I knew it, my pain was on it's way down. HOORAY! At 8:45, Dr. Lunt checked me again and said I was an 8+. He said he needed to leave to do an emergency procedure at the other hospital for a few minutes, so he was not going to break my water. I was OK with that since I was comfortable. Hurry up and wait! My mom left to go to work for awhile and we said we would call her when it was time for her to come back. My little sis' Callie showed up and we chatted for a few minutes. I told her I wished I looked better for the birth and asked if she would do my makeup. She agreed, so I got a facial while I was IN labor! Loved it. :) I felt much better after she was done too. At 9:50 Dr. Lunt was back and broke my water. Kirt called my mom to tell her to get there quick since it wouldn't be long! I started pushing at 10:00. After pushing through 4 good contractions, little Ella slipped into her daddy's hands at 10:10am! She weighed in at 8 lbs. 14 oz. and was 21 inches long. She was a chunky little thing!

Pregnancy documentation

So far, I'm not sure there is any proof that I am pregnant on this blog. Yeah, I know I put pics of when we announced it back in October, but I haven't really allowed pictures of me on the blog or FB to document the whole deal. I guess I should do that before the next week passes by since this is definitely the last time I am planning on being pregnant. Things I love about being pregnant: * feeling the baby move * knowing the baby is safe and cared * bossing everyone else around to pick stuff up because I'm "too big" * watching my belly move at night as I lay in bed * having the older kids be excited about a new sibling * Emme kissing my belly and saying, "Baby! Mommy's baby!" * having a good excuse to get a pedicure * anticipation of the arrival Things I don't love about being pregnant: * cankles (although this time they aren't too bad!) * sciatic nerve pain * having to pee every 30 minutes (feels like every 30 seconds!) * heartburn * lack of sleep in late pregnancy I can't believe this baby will be here in about a week. Every time I am this close to delivery, I get really emotional because I realize my family is, once again, about to change forever and while it's a great thing, I worry about each of my children. How will each of them handle the change? Will they feel less loved? I worry about the strain it will cause on our marriage and relationship. (Because let's face it--6 kids is a lot of kids!) I worry about the delivery going well. What if the baby has a birth defect? What if something happens to the baby before or during the delivery? I'm sure these are all very normal thoughts and worries, but I wanted to get them jotted down before I forget. It's amazing how much you forget from pregnancy to pregnancy. In some ways this feels like my first pregnancy all over again, but let's face it. I'm no spring chicken! I am 14 years older than when I did this the first time, and I can most definitely feel that! Lucky for me, I have great kids and a fantastic hubby that help out so much here at home. We'll keep you posted!

Big D

Another birthday gone by for this kid! Can you believe the crazy rate at which he is growing up? Fourteen? Who can believe he is fourteen? Here are a few fun facts about Dallin this year:

*is in 8th grade and almost never does homework
*is in his 3rd year of concert band and 1st year of Jazz band at PVMS and LOVES it
*is neck and neck with me in height -- we often argue about who is taller ;)
*his shoe size is 11 (Kirt wears a 10)
*he loves Emme with a passion (and she him!)
*his dog Ruby loves him so much that she often mopes around if he's late coming home from school or is out of town on a scout campout
*has been on the HIGH HONOR ROLL every quarter this year! (GPA 3.9)
* decided to go back to glasses this year and looks devilishly handsome!
*he is MOST helpful with tending, housework and laundry, as long as I attach computer time to the deal :)

Favorite Food: Omlets
Favorite Treat: Reeses PB Cups
Favorite Activity: Video Games
Friends: Kelson, Paris, Leighton, Preston, J.P.
Favorite Book: Inheritance
Favorite Movie: Psych (TV series)
What I am good at: reading, math, art, trumpet, piano, video games
What I am not good at: sports
If I could meet a famous person who would it be: George Lucas
When I grow up I want to be: Math Professor at Princeton
If you could change anything about yourself what would it be: my attitude and thinking before I speak
What I like best about myself: I'm awesome at way more things than I am not awesome at.
My goals: graduate high school and college, go on a mission, get married in the temple and have 3 kids
What would you be sad if you lost: my family, my dog, my intellect
If I had one wish what would it be: To have "the force" :)

He loves Spanish Flan, so Kirt made it for his "cake" this year. Happy birthday, Dal. We love you!

My birthday man!

I love this man. Love him. If I were to die today, he could carry on the whole sha-bang without missing a beat. Really. I know you are probably scoffing, but I often tell him he is a much better wife than I am! He does laundry, cleans toilets, washes dishes, you name it. Not only is he great help around the house, he treats me better than I deserve. ALWAYS.

He had a birthday last week and turned 38 years old! I love that he is in his late 30's and I'm still in my early 30's. :)There are so many words to describe him, but these were my choices this year:
1. handsome
2. loving
3. kind
4. loyal
5. humble
6. obedient
7. friendly
8. complimentary
9. trustworthy
10.courageous
11. easy going
12. helpful
13. outgoing
14. happy
15. studious
16. spiritual
17. cheerful
18. hard working
19. willing
20. repentant
21. wise
22. faithful
23. protective
24. encouraging
25. compassionate
26. brave
27. funny
28. unselfish
29. honest
30. peacemaker
31. righteous
32. playful
33. energetic
34. powerful
35. wonderful
36. musical
37. passionate
38. perfect...well, perfect for ME! Love you, babe. More than ever!

SURPRISE!!!

I took a trip to San Antonio with two of my best girlfriends from high school back in September. This is a shot I took of them after I told them a secret that they were NOT expecting:



About a month later, on Halloween, we told our families the secret too. The kids found out along with Kirt's parents. Yes. We were accused of lying.







Expecting baby #7 (remember, we lost baby #2 at 20 weeks) was definitely a surprise to everyone, but everyone is very excited. Especially me. :)

Nursery Girl

Emme's first day of nursery at church was a couple of months ago and she is LOVING it. I did manage to snap a picture of my big girl that day!

This child came to our family as the 5th child for a reason. She LOVES friends. When the kids leave for school, she screams...in sadness. When we pick them from the bus stop after school, she screams...for joy. She is one social creature. Oh, and did I mention that she is BUSY? B.U.S.Y. She makes all of us laugh on a daily basis. She keeps the kids humble and she keeps Kirt and I young. She's a gift. For sure.

Eight is GREAT!

Noah turned 8 years old today! I can't believe it. As I read my journal entry from the day he was born, I was reflecting on how he was such a wonderful baby. He was easy going, happy and just loved life from the get-go. Those traits have remained with him. He's such an easy going kid and loves simple things. He is very excited to be baptized in a couple of weeks. When we went to his baptismal interview with the bishop(pic above), he said, "I sure hope I pass, because I will be so sad if I can't get baptized." So cute! He loves doing what is right and he is STILL a major home-body. I'm OK with that...for now. :)

Here are a few of his favorites this year:

Favorite Food: mashed potatoes and gravy
Favorite Treat: Cinnamon Rolls
Favorite Activity: Laser Mania
Friends: Donny, Ian, Gideon, Dalton, Ben
Favorite Book: Star Wars
Favorite Movie: X-men (cartoons)
What I am good at: playing with my cars
What I am not good at: running for more than 5 minutes
If I could meet a famous person who would it be: Bruno Mars
When I grow up I want to be: Professional Football Player (NFL)
If you could change anything about yourself what would it be: to stop punching my brothers
What I like best about myself: I'm nice to others
My goals: play more with my friends and less video games
What would you be sad if you lost: DSi
If I had one wish what would it be: To be more nice to my brothers and sisters

Here he is with his requested cake made completely from doughnuts. :)