Thursday, September 24, 2009

Impossible

How could you see this and not fall in love instantly? I find it to be rather impossible...

Thoughts...

I was just looking at some of my blog posts of the past and remembered this one. This is where we thought that we had lost E and just found out that we hadn't. I remember being scared that after announcing it to EVERYONE, something would still happen and we would lose our little baby.

I can't even express the joy that I have that this did not happen. This little guy is such a miracle in our lives and I can't even tell you how many times Mike and I have expressed that we are soooo glad that we didn't lose Ethan when we thought we did.

Heavenly Father has blessed us so much. I may be an emotional roller coaster and find myself tearing up just thinking of what a little miracle we have been experiencing for the past week and a 1/2.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Great Grandprents

Mike and I have been trying to get E over to meet great-grandparents. Trust me, not as easy a feat as I thought it would be. On Sunday, we made it over to Grandma Winnies house. She is Mike's grandma, and she was so excited to see E! We were going to try to see Grandpa Jack the same day, but ran out of time (mostly because I tend to be ready for bed by 7 or 8.)Monday, I was going to stop by Grandpa Jack's after the doctor, but E was so traumatized from his PKU test, I decided to put it off...well today was the day! Grandpa Jack was so cute with E and told me that he knows that Grandma Proctor would approve.I am just a little sad that none of my grandparents are alive to see E, but I know that because of eternal family units, there will be lots of time with them (and they probably took time with him before he came too.)

On a little side note, look how cute this little guy is with E. M loves his little cousin E.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Too Fast

My baby is already growing too fast! We went to the Dr. yesterday for his 1 week checkup. He is thriving! He has already gained his birth weight back (plus an ounce,) which they say normally takes 2 weeks, and he is now 22 inches long! I have already used 1 full week of my maternity leave (so sad!) and think that time is flying by way too quickly.

E is starting to sleep more at night (at least until last night when he was awake for 3 hours and just couldn't settle down.) This makes me happy because I am getting more sleep and don't feel so sleep deprived. Gosh, why does time have to go so quickly? I wish he could stay little forever, but I also know that I will enjoy watching him grow and see the new things he will be able to do as he starts to explore this big new world he is in.

Friday, September 18, 2009

The last few days....

The last few days have been crazy, much more than I thought they would be. Who knew that bringing home a little baby would be so much work? (I know, every mother is thinking, "yeah, coulda told you that")

Wednesday morning, we found out that E had a high biliruben count, which meant that he got to be under lights at the hospital. It was a good thing that I had been planning on being there Wednesday until Mike got off work, because he spent ALL day under the lights. The only time he was off them was when they brought him to me to feed. I tried going to the nursery in the morning to be with him, but it was too hard when he started to fuss and I couldn't pick him up.

By the evening, his counts had come down enough that we didn't need to have the lights, at that time, so home we came. We had to go back to the hospital by the next morning though to get another biliruben test, only to find out his counts had gone back up, and yes, he needed to be under the lights. So, yesterday and today, he has spent most of his time in this little suitcase looking contraption, vegging out under some blue lights. I hope this doesn't turn him into a sun worshiper later in life. While it has been hard to not just be able to sit and cuddle with my little guy (it has been really hard for Mike too) we know that it is worth it. We want him to be better, and to good news is that he gets to come off the lights! We just have to keep him on until tomorrow morning.

This little guy has his days and nights mixed up. He is up every 2 hours to eat in the night, and thinks he can go 3-4 hours at a stretch during the day. This does not bode well for the amount of sleep that mommy gets. I find myself waking him up during the day to eat, and hoping that he will sleep just a bit longer between feedings at night. I find myself falling asleep if I am put on hold during a phone call, and wouldn't be surprised if soon, I couldn't tell you up from down, yet, I have to say, this is the best thing I have ever done in my life. I am enjoying every minute of it, and have even found myself praying for a poopy diaper (weird, I know, but it worked and he had one.) The things you find yourself wanting as a new mom, just to make sure that everything is working as it should.

Gosh, I love being a mom. I love sitting and cuddling with my little guy, watching him gaze up at me with his big eyes. I love feeling how soft his hair is. I love feeling how soft his skin is, and watching his fingers curl around mine. I love watching his daddy melt whenever he holds him and know that he already has his daddy wrapped around his little finger. Yeah, being a mom is fun.

Momma loves me, this I know.

Chillin' with mom.
Escaping the hospital!

What is the deal, why are we still here?
Just hanging out under the lights.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

E has arrived!!

E made his appearance Monday night at 8:10 PM. He came in at 8 lbs 5 oz (kinda big, eh?) and 20 1/2 inches long (I am thinking that he got his length from his daddy.) I wanted him to have a lot of hair, after all, I have had enough heart burn, and that is how the old wives tale goes. Sure enough, he has a head full. He is the talk of the nursery for how much hair he has!

Here are a few pictures. Once I get home and am hurting a bit less, I will take more pictures, I promise.
E's first head shot. He wasn't too happy.
E and his proud daddy. Mike quickly fell in love!
Here is E the next morning. Can you believe the hair? He is just the cutest (although I may be a bit biased, but I don't think so.)

Monday, September 7, 2009

More Pictures!

Yesterday, I was chastised for not taking more pregnant pictures of myself (I know, I really should, and knowing that my time is coming to an end, I really should have taken more.) Today, while we were at Temple Square, I decided to have Amanda take a picture of Mike and I. I think it turned out really cute, so thanks Amanda!I also decided to take pictures of my feet. I have been talking about how swollen my feet have been. Really, sometimes it gets so bad that the flip flops I wear make indents into my feet. I haven't been able to wear regular shoes for weeks (and trust me, I have tried, it is just too miserable.) I decided to take a picture of my "sausages" as Mike likes to refer to them so that I can remember them. They are really bad because of all the walking I did today, but you can see the indents from my flip flops. If you look closely, you can even see the perma lines I am forming where my toes meet my feet. How sad is that? I really want my feet back. On the positive side, I can now look back and realize that I did not have Kankles before, I did have ankles before. It is just good to be able to remember that.

A funny thing happened on Saturday night. Mike and I were taking a quick walk and our neighbors dog was out. This dog, whenever it is out, has a tendency to go after Jake. It did not prove any different this night. Either Jake, or this neighbor dog, ran into the back of my calf as they were running in circles around me, and it HURT! I could not believe how badly it hurt, not anything that I expected, that is for sure! When we got home, I had an ugly bruise on my calf (below actually where I had been hit,) and another, lighter one where I got hit (you can barely see it to the bottom left of the darker bruise.) This is from a dog!

Labor Day Fun

Mike has been asking me what we were going to do for Labor Day, specifically, Monday. Finally, yesterday, I told him that I had been avoiding making plans because I had hoped to be somewhere else, unable to make plans, such as a hospital? Or coming home with a new little bundle of joy? Obviously, it wasn't happening.

Playing in the fountain at the KSL 5 Studio

Mike suggested hiking Stewart Falls. I thought it sounded fun, and as I know it isn't too strenuous of a hike, and fairly short, I was game. (the short was for the benefit if I did happen to really go into labor it wouldn't seem too far to get back to the car and drive down the canyon.) We invited Mike's sister Amanda and her family to go with us. The plan was set, secretly I was hoping to have to call and cancel, but still looking forward to going. I know, kinda confusing.Miles playing Hide-&-Seek at the Temple

Well, this morning, Amanda called expressing her concern for actually going through with the hike. She suggested that we do something slightly safer, such as the zoo, This is the Place, or Temple Square. We decided to do Temple Square (can't beat free) and going to eat somewhere up in SLC. We called and asked Mike's parents if they wanted to go, and we set off.Four cute little boys (can't wait for their cousin to join them.)

We converged upon the Sandy Trax station and had fun watching the boys, who were so excited to be on the train. Miles was especially fun to watch as he insisted on standing whenever the train started or stopped. I think he liked the feeling of almost falling, but knowing that somebody had his back to keep him upright. When we got to downtown, we decided to find somewhere to eat first, since it was almost noon. We decided the Gateway sounded like a good plan and so walked from Temple Square up to the Gateway. We found a most awesome deal at Costa Vida (anyone going to the Gateway should pick up their map and find the coupon inside for a free entre with the purchase of another and 2 drinks. SWEET!) Plus, they gave us a free desert for doing a call in survey while we were there. Yumm, their key lime was DELISH!Cute little Jack (Not so little anymore)

We decided to head over to the CLARK (I keep calling it by the old name of Hansen) Planetarium to see if we could do anything without paying. FYI, you can do LOTS without paying. We spent a lot of time wandering around inside and playing with little displays. You gotta love the Lunar and Martian landscapes that you can wander in, and the weather station. It was fun!Tait, Blake, and Miles on the Martian Landscape
Tait, Blake, and Miles on the Lunar Landscape

We finally headed back to Temple Square, where we wandered, took some pictures, watched The Restoration, and decided we had been walking for most of 4 hours! We quickly decided that we were tired, and it was time to go home. Overall though, it was a blast and I am glad that we didn't have to unexpectedly cancel due to another "labor" day. While we are anxious for that event to happen, I am glad that we got to enjoy the full weekend with family and fun.After a long day, this is what tired boys do.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Beautiful Quilt

My friend, Molly, made the most beautiful quilt for Ethan. She forgot to take a picture of it for her records, and I have taken a long time to take a picture of it for her, but I finally did this morning. I decided that I would post the pictures here so that people could see how talented she is!

Molly and I used to sit next to each other at work (until they made her department move to another building.) She would bring in quilts that she was working on, and I would bring in baby blankets that I was crocheting. We made the trade back then, she would make me a baby quilt when I had a baby if I made her a crocheted baby blanket.

When I found out that Ethan was a boy, Molly took me fabric shopping, and she went to work. Honestly, I think I am going to have to make her multiple baby blanets! The quilt is gorgeous, and I love it! Thanks Molly!