Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Jacob Phoenix

After 5 days the kid finally has a name. It was tough, you guys. We went through at least 10 baby name books, and online baby name sites, and we even went through the dictionary. If I had my way he would've been named Riven Jacob as soon as he was born, but Mike was not into that. I understand where he's coming from though. If he had his way the boy would be named Dallin, and I so wasn't into that. Anyway, here he is. Little Jacob. And here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.


He loves sucking on his hand. It's really cute.





And here's a cute one of Vessel with his new bike riding gear!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Learning how to live life with two children....

Thursday the 24th I went in for another NST (non stress test) to make sure the baby was doing all right. His heartbeat was good and he was still very active. But my doctor gave me the schpeel about the risks and complications that can occur from being overdue. (Yeah, after realizing that still birth was one of them, it pretty much scared the crap out of me.) I was 9 days overdue at that point and figured I might as well just bite the bullet. So the next day I got induced. It would've been nice if nature had just taken it's course and I began labor on my own, but in the end, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Here I am getting ready for them to hook me up to some pitocin.
The contractions were actually pretty bearable until the doctor broke my water. Then they became really intense and I just didn't have the mental or physical energy to deal with that kind of pain. I was suffering from a cold, I got zero sleep the night before, and hadn't eaten since the previous day. So I decided to get an epidural this time. I must say, it was a godsend for me. It wasn't like what I expected at all. I guess that just proves you gotta try something before you judge it. Anyway, I was able to sleep through my contractions. I was at 3 cm and within about an hour and a half I was at a 10 and ready to push. After 3 contractions of pushing, the little man child was born. I am going to spare you the blood and gore pictures. Nobody wants to see my baby all covered in blood and fluid, except maybe me, right? :)

Here I am in all my post pregnancy glory with the kiddo.


And here's my baby daddy.

And proud big brother holding the baby for the first time.


Here is the kiddo enjoying the heat lamp while he gets his first sponge bath.

Uh, can I have a little privacy?

Getting his hur did.

Mike with his new little friend.
Time to go home!
Stats-
Name: N/A as of now
Weight: 8 lb. 12 oz.
Length: 20 3/4 in.
Hair: Brown
Eye: Muddy blue
Born: 6/25/10 12:01 pm

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Big Day

Tomorrow I'm getting induced. Please pray for me. If you don't pray, please send good vibes and well wishes my way. Or at least wish me luck. :)

Friday, June 18, 2010

I don't have the energy to think of a cool title for this post

Hi, dear readers. Are you there?
'Cause I'm not. Well, mentally I'm not here. But most people would say that's all part of being pregnant. Perhaps. Maybe I'm just a little bit stressed. A little bit hormonal. And a tad on the crazy side lately. Not to mention irritable. I really can't say I know what's going on for sure, but I hope it passes soon. Like, right now. :)
On a bright note, my house is absolutely immaculate. Top to bottom, everything is in order and everything is clean. Now, if I didn't live with two other people, it might stay that way. :) Okay, okay, Mike and Vessie aren't slobs. I just have obsessive compulsive disorder. Maybe not full blown. But, yeah, I'd venture to say I'm mildly OCD. Just throwin' that out there in case anyone wants to know some juicy detail about ME.
So what's been going on with me these days you ask? Well, let me tell you. It's been rainy, cold and wet for the past...uhm....I dunno, two weeks or so it seems. We didn't get much of a spring and at this point it doesn't look like we'll have much of a summer either. Lo and behold, do my eyes deceive me? Is the sun actually showing it's cowardly face now? It's about time. The thing about the rain (besides being a bit depressing) is that it's hindered Mike and me from getting any real yard work accomplished lately. It's raining any time Mike has a little free time to work outside. It's definitely a bummer. He did get the retaining wall built. And was able to put stone tile around the fire pit a couple weekends ago. (Although, he still needs to do the grout.) We also got our front door replaced. But as far as other projects go, the sod hasn't been laid, the path hasn't been made, and the garden...well, I don't know if we'll have a garden this year after all. It's very sad to me. I think it's just too late in the year to plant anything now. So much has been going on that some things have just fallen by the wayside. Hopefully some good weather comes our way soon so we can actually make a dent in our projects.
What else? Well, I'm overdue. Just by three days, so it's not too bad yet. I'm just getting impatient I guess. I saw a woman from our ward yesterday while I was shopping and she told me she was 3 weeks overdue with one of her children! Is that even possible? Although, I think they must've had her due date wrong, her comment did not comfort me in the least.
We still haven't come up with a name for the baby. It's been a constant battle this entire pregnancy. Mike really likes the name Dallin. He even liked that name back when I was pregnant with Vessel. I am not a big fan of that name. Believe me, I've really tried to like it, but for some reason I just can't. My top choice for a name at this point is Riven. I think it looks and sounds awesome. The literal word comes from "rive" meaning to split or be ripped apart by force. Kind of unusual for a name, and yet I LOVE IT. It's the only name I've really liked this whole 9 months. Mike doesn't seem to care for it much, unfortunately. I wish we could come up with a name we both like that also has special meaning to us. I also tend to lean towards names that are unique. Vessel fits perfectly into that category. I'm sure if we named our 2nd son Riven, he'd be the only one in his class with that name. I told Mike that if I had to get a cesarean section, it would be cool to name the baby Riven. Because he would quite literally be riven from my body. Eh, eh? I said if that's what it takes for me to be able to use that name, then BRING ON THE KNIVES, baby!!! Yeah, I'm gross. So, uh... anyway, one name that Mike and I have recently started to like is the name Ember. I've toyed with the name a bit and also like Embry. However, everyone we've mentioned those names to think they are a bit feminine. AGH! I shouldn't care what anyone else thinks, but I'll admit, I kinda do. Psh. I don't know what's going on this kid's birth certificate. Last time, Mike and I knew for awhile that our son's name would be Vessel. There was comfort in having that already established before he was even born. One last thing to worry about, ya know?
I can't think of much else that's going on right now. Just kind of waiting and wondering what this next week holds for us. I'll keep you all posted.

P.S. The baby birds that were in the little nest on our porch have now embarked on their journey away from the nest and mama bird's protection. They grow up so fast. *sniff, sniff*

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Anniversaries

This time of year holds many memories since June marks the anniversary of several life events for me.

1 year since getting called as the Primary President
2 years since moving to Montana
2 years since graduating from U of U
3 years since I started this blog
4 years since my mom passed away
6 years since we moved to Japan
7 years since I graduated from BYU-I
10 years since I graduated high school
And this will be the month our new little one is born.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Randomosity: Pregnancy Version

The good, the bad, and the terribly hideous

* Swollen feet

* Swollen ankles

* Swollen fingers (they look like sausages people!)

* Aches and pains (majorly)

* Comments from strangers (e.g. "Wow! You're big!", "You must be having a huge baby!", "Have a nice day, and congratulations!", "You look miserable!", "You look like you're ready to pop!", etc. etc.)

* Napping everyday

* Waddling

* Getting up to pee more times in the night than I'd like to (more than any normal person would like to, I'm sure.)

* Underestimating my ability to fit through tight spaces

* Lacking energy

* Inability to see my feet

* Bending over is a joke

* No comfortable sleep positions

* Anxiety (biggest fear right now: baby's head will be too big to fit through me and I'll have to have a Cesarean section.)

* Late night punches and kicks from the little man

* Feeling like I could drink gallons and gallons of ice water

* No names picked out yet (no, babe, we cannot name our son Jack Bauer Bates."

* Nothing fits (yikes)

* 3 more weeks *sigh*

* Best part about pregnancy:

Sunday, May 23, 2010

New Baby Day Camp

We found out that the hospital offered a class to help siblings-to-be learn about newborns and what it will be like to have a new brother or sister in their home. Our friends told us about it so we signed up with them. Even though we've been talking to him about the new baby for some time now, we thought it would be helpful for Vessel to take this class. They watched a movie, read a book, and got to hold a life-like baby.

They got to learn how to change a diaper. Here is Vessel taking the "dirty" diaper off the baby.

Here he is taken back by the fact that this baby has no penis. We had to emphasize (yet again) that girl babies (and adult girls, too) do not have penises. Not that he has to worry about that, since we're having another boy. But it was funny to hear him so concerned about it.

With a clean diaper on baby, he then learned how to wrap the baby up in a blanket.



Ta-da! And here he is holding the baby. So cute. They tried to teach the kids how to hold the head and neck and made sure they understood the importance of having a grown-up present when they wanted to hold their new sibling.

The kids all got nifty little back-packs to take home as a souvenir.

Then they got to take a hike up to the maternity ward and see where their moms will be having the baby. They got to play with the remote control bed and see an actual newborn baby.

Here I am with my friend Jenny. We are due a week apart. It has been fun to be pregnant together. Good times!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Anxiety

So, I've been getting pretty nervous about this new baby. Not so much about having a new child in the house. I'm actually really excited about that part. The thing is, I'm nervous about the labor and delivery part. In fact, I'm pretty dang scared. Having a baby was one of the most frightening things I've ever gone through. And now I am going to do it all over again! I went "all natural" with Vessel (no pain meds, drugs, or epidural) and I survived and I reached my goal. But that's not to say it didn't hurt like hell. And I have a pretty high threshold for pain. Even to this day, just thinking about the pain again makes me all shaky. I even started crying to my doctor the other day. I don't have anxiety about anything else other than the pain. Now most of you might say, "Just get an epidural then!" Well, I have thought about it. But to be honest, that scares me too. I'd like to go all natural again if possible. So does anyone have any tips they could give me on how to cope with the pain? Any suggestions that might help me?

Monday, April 5, 2010

Feeling quite happy indeed (or, don't rock the boat)

I am eating a S'mores Pop Tart as I type this. I must say, I've missed these things. I don't think I've had one since my college days before I got hitched. In high school I used to think S'mores Pop Tarts were the best breakfast pastry ever invented. I don't know if I feel that way anymore, but this one is definitely hitting the spot. I'm sure I'll regret all the junkfood I've been consuming whilst being pregnant when the time comes to start losing all the baby weight. But right now, I figure, I'm fat already, so who cares? I sure don't. :) In fact, this past weekend I did some scrapbooking (highlight of my life) and found my pictures from the first round of pregnancy. I guess I look about the same this far along as I did back then. I think in the belly region, at least. Everywhere else on my body is bigger than last time, unfortunately. But at least the protruding tummy looks about the same, instead of what I had originally thought. Anyway, this wasn't intended to be a post about pregnancy. I just digress.

So, life has been pretty good lately. Maybe that's just easy to say because I had an exceptionally great weekend. Mike had Friday off because of the Easter holiday. Hooray for Good Friday! So Thursday felt like Friday and we watched movies all night and just hung out. Friday we had a leisurely morning and made the traditional cottage cheese pancakes that we usually make on Saturday. But since it felt like Saturday, why not make 'em, right? Mr. V. was sick though. He put himself to bed like an hour and a half after waking up from his nightlong sleep. His eyes were drooping like a little basset hound all through breakfast. I could tell he wasn't feeling quite himself. He pretty much slept all day. He was running a fever, had some chest congestion, and didn't have an appetite. Mike and I worked in the yard all day while Vessel slept. We finally took out the chain link fence and those horrid bright orange iron post things that stuck up out of the ground. It took a great deal of effort and time, but it's done. The next big project is getting the wretched stumps/roots out of the ground. Blasted things. We'll probably end up renting a mini backhoe or something. I'm sure Mike will love operating some heavy machinery. I just don't know if I'm going to enjoy forking out the money for it. Once we get that done, it's going to be easy peasy lemon squeezy. Till up the soil, rake it, plant a garden, make a rock path, plant some sod... Mostly easy stuff. The real issue is going to be the moolah.
Saturday, the boy was still feeling quite sick. Still had a fever, but wasn't very cranky. We watched General Conference which was pretty dang sweet. I had been praying all week to find answers to some questions and G.C. delivered. Amazing the way the Lord works, eh? I loved how Elder Anderson said that the speakers aren't assigned topics and they don't collaborate with each other on their talks. They are just inspired to speak on specific things and "Viola!" It felt like many of the talks were made just for me.
Sunday we had a great Easter. Conference, again, was a big part of the day. Vessel's fever broke the night before so he was feeling better. After the conference sessions I made the boys leave the house so I could hide some eggs in an attempt to have some Easter fun. I made it into a little scavenger hunt and Vessel had to find clues that led him to his Easter basket which contained some new spring outfits and some sugar-laden goodness. I also got a little basket of candy and a shirt for Mike. I didn't come from a religious family, so in my house growing up, Easter was not so much about the Savior and the resurrection as it was about the Easter bunny and gifts and candy. Mike didn't have that growing up. So we decided we'd compromise and make sure to focus on Jesus Christ, specifically, but also add some fun stuff too (like coloring eggs and other traditional Easter stuff.) We definitely agreed not to tell Vessel about the Easter bunny. I mean, Santa Claus is more believable than a big rabbit thing that hides eggs, am I right? It's just lame to us, so we decided to forgo it. No offense to you parents who do the Easter bunny thing. Just not for us, I guess.
Below, you'll find some pictures of the boys on their scavenger hunt and some egg coloring fun. Also, gotta love the egg salad sandwiches which inevitably ensue from the egg coloring madness. We didn't boil too many this year, though, since I figured they'd just go to waste.
Anyway, things are going well. I feel like I had more time to spend with my boys. It was nice to have a quiet weekend with just us as a family. Very relaxing. Even though the boy child was sick, it was still nice. Of course, I don't want Vessel to be sick, but in a strange way, I kind of enjoyed how still and quiet he was. I loved holding him and laying close to him and just stroking his hair and cuddling. He very rarely lets me to that stuff to him when he's completely himself. Maybe I should've gone into nursing.
Okay, I need to wrap this up. Hope all is going well for my readers (like all 2 of you :))
Enjoy the pics!


Finding a clue!

"Happy Easter! Here is your clue: you'll find an egg where you take a poo."


Another clue in the bathtub.

Under the sheet on mama's bed.

Finding one on the organ pedals.


Looking, looking for the next egg clue.







Friday, March 26, 2010