If you had told me ten years ago that someday I would love running so much that I would miss it when I couldn't go, I would have thought you were CRAZY!! But I truly love how running feels.
And I went tonight. Yay! Grateful for good friends who got me out of the house and running. And of course the awesome man who holds down the fort so I can go. He really is the best. I love him lots.
Planning a race Labor Day weekend...
Monday, July 29, 2013
Life!! Whew!!
I have been terrible at responding to texts, e-mails and phone calls lately.
The last 3 weeks have been much busier than expected, and to keep up I've focused all spare time on my little family. They need me most. I promise I'll catch up to the rest of you soon. :)
I can't believe Anderson is already 3 weeks! It has literally flown by!
We had Standards Night when Anders was 5 days old. It was an amazing night, and I know the girls got a lot out of it, I know I did! Girls camp is coming up, and we've been having fun planning and preparing! I love love love the Young Women. I will be released the Sunday following Girl's Camp, and I will miss spending so much time with them.
Jared's grandfather who lived in Pocatello passed away last Sunday morning. He was in the hospital at the same time as I was, then went to a care and rehab center for a couple of weeks before passing away. He is who Jared (John) is named after as well as Anderson (John). He is an amazing man, and we are lucky to have him as part of our family. This past week has been filled with lots of family time, as all of John's children and grandchildren traveled to be with Jared's Grandma and with each other. He loves when everyone gets together, and I'm sure he was there, too.
We survived a little flu bug the first part of last week. It was short, but miserable. For a couple of hours, I really wasn't sure I would survive it, but I pulled through. :) Luckily, Anders seemed unaffected by it.
Our house in Twin Falls needed new tenants this week, too. So I spent several days taking phone calls, texts, e-mails, etc. We had over 70 calls!! We held an open house Saturday and found some great applicants. It was actually difficult to decide, and we feel very blessed.
Sunday morning, I received a phone call and was asked to be to church early to meet with the 1st counselor in the Bishopric. I literally laughed when he asked if I could come 20 minutes early. Not very nice of me, I know, but with no husband on Sunday mornings, I just cross my fingers that no one has a melt down, diaper blow out or a missing shoe as we head out the door. We did get there in time, and it wasn't even that crazy. A result of many tender mercies that occurred that morning. Anyway, I was called, sustained and set apart as 1st Counselor in the Primary. However, I will continue as 2nd Counselor in Young Women's for the next 3 weeks until Girl's Camp is over.
Anderson is SO sweet. He just kind of goes with the flow. Day 4 of his life, he slept a 5 hour stretch at night. He consistently does that at least once a night, so I am usually only up with him twice at the most. Friday night he slept from 10:30pm to 6:30am. His circumcision is healed, and umbilical cord has fallen off, and he had his first "real" bath yesterday. He LOVED it. Curled up in the warm water and acted like he could have stayed all day. All 3 of the other kids screamed for months when they took baths, so it was fun that he enjoyed it so much! His eyes are still blue-ish, but I keep expecting them to start changing since all of our kids have such dark brown eyes. He loves being held, but also loves to stretch out, and sleeps best with his arms and legs sprawled. He doesn't like to be held facing in, but out looking around.
He is so loved. The kids can't help but caress his face or arms or kiss him when they walk past. He just sleeps through it, though! I have to admit that I do the same thing to him. :) He came when he did to help so many in the family who needed a tangible piece of heaven to hold, and I'm glad Heavenly Father trusted him with us.
I promise I'll post more pictures soon!
The last 3 weeks have been much busier than expected, and to keep up I've focused all spare time on my little family. They need me most. I promise I'll catch up to the rest of you soon. :)
I can't believe Anderson is already 3 weeks! It has literally flown by!
We had Standards Night when Anders was 5 days old. It was an amazing night, and I know the girls got a lot out of it, I know I did! Girls camp is coming up, and we've been having fun planning and preparing! I love love love the Young Women. I will be released the Sunday following Girl's Camp, and I will miss spending so much time with them.
Jared's grandfather who lived in Pocatello passed away last Sunday morning. He was in the hospital at the same time as I was, then went to a care and rehab center for a couple of weeks before passing away. He is who Jared (John) is named after as well as Anderson (John). He is an amazing man, and we are lucky to have him as part of our family. This past week has been filled with lots of family time, as all of John's children and grandchildren traveled to be with Jared's Grandma and with each other. He loves when everyone gets together, and I'm sure he was there, too.
We survived a little flu bug the first part of last week. It was short, but miserable. For a couple of hours, I really wasn't sure I would survive it, but I pulled through. :) Luckily, Anders seemed unaffected by it.
Our house in Twin Falls needed new tenants this week, too. So I spent several days taking phone calls, texts, e-mails, etc. We had over 70 calls!! We held an open house Saturday and found some great applicants. It was actually difficult to decide, and we feel very blessed.
Sunday morning, I received a phone call and was asked to be to church early to meet with the 1st counselor in the Bishopric. I literally laughed when he asked if I could come 20 minutes early. Not very nice of me, I know, but with no husband on Sunday mornings, I just cross my fingers that no one has a melt down, diaper blow out or a missing shoe as we head out the door. We did get there in time, and it wasn't even that crazy. A result of many tender mercies that occurred that morning. Anyway, I was called, sustained and set apart as 1st Counselor in the Primary. However, I will continue as 2nd Counselor in Young Women's for the next 3 weeks until Girl's Camp is over.
Anderson is SO sweet. He just kind of goes with the flow. Day 4 of his life, he slept a 5 hour stretch at night. He consistently does that at least once a night, so I am usually only up with him twice at the most. Friday night he slept from 10:30pm to 6:30am. His circumcision is healed, and umbilical cord has fallen off, and he had his first "real" bath yesterday. He LOVED it. Curled up in the warm water and acted like he could have stayed all day. All 3 of the other kids screamed for months when they took baths, so it was fun that he enjoyed it so much! His eyes are still blue-ish, but I keep expecting them to start changing since all of our kids have such dark brown eyes. He loves being held, but also loves to stretch out, and sleeps best with his arms and legs sprawled. He doesn't like to be held facing in, but out looking around.
He is so loved. The kids can't help but caress his face or arms or kiss him when they walk past. He just sleeps through it, though! I have to admit that I do the same thing to him. :) He came when he did to help so many in the family who needed a tangible piece of heaven to hold, and I'm glad Heavenly Father trusted him with us.
I promise I'll post more pictures soon!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Brightening my day
This boy cracks us up. All day. Every day. He is always striking some kind of pose or doing something else to get a laugh.
Reflections
When I have a new baby, I am forced to take the time to sit down. Slow down. Think.
It is good for me to take a hard look at myself and to become better.
After what seems like a VERY long time, I finished the entire standard works a couple of minutes ago. That feels like one of the biggest accomplishments I have ever done because it is a goal I have worked on for so long. Pretty excited!
I love my husband. Seriously, as I listen to him read stories to the kids every night at bedtime, followed by telling them a fairy tale, my heart melts. Or watch him take each child for a turn on the lawn mower so they get some one on one time. Or when he holds a crying child, wipes away their tears and makes them better. Or plays catch with them. He takes the TIME to SHOW them how much he loves them. He is constantly trying to make himself better, and it inspires me, too. He would (and does!) do anything for me. He shows me everyday how much I mean to him.
I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who is so patient and understanding. He knows me and wants me to reach the goals I set for myself and my family. If it is important to me, it is important to Him.
Emma. She is growing up so quickly. She is a little mother in that she is always looking for ways to help and serve others. She is aware of other's needs and can bring a smile or calm to anyone just by being her. She is an example to me of overcoming through hard work as she has worked on her speech and practices her testimony and her talk before sharing. She also depends on the Spirit to help her.
Maddie. So service-oriented lately. And such a hard worker. She is the first to have her bed made and get dressed every morning. I don't have to remind her to take care care of her dishes. Her sense of humor and stubbornness keep me on my toes. She is so strong and independent.
Briggs. That boy finds so much JOY in life. He brings smiling and laughter into our home non-stop. He is so full of energy, and yet so tender hearted and sweet. He makes me appreciate the little things that surround us. Bugs and dirt and cool rocks, but also kisses and hugs and wrestling.
Anderson. Didn't know what we were missing out on until he joined our family. He is so sweet and patient. He has helped us slow down and prioritize. He has brought us closer together as a family. He makes us all be better. We love him.
I am blessed. Blessed to have the children/husband I do. Blessed to have my parents and Jared's parents, along with our siblings. Blessed to live where we do, with such great neighbors, friends and an amazing ward. Blessed to have the gospel.
It is good for me to take a hard look at myself and to become better.
After what seems like a VERY long time, I finished the entire standard works a couple of minutes ago. That feels like one of the biggest accomplishments I have ever done because it is a goal I have worked on for so long. Pretty excited!
I love my husband. Seriously, as I listen to him read stories to the kids every night at bedtime, followed by telling them a fairy tale, my heart melts. Or watch him take each child for a turn on the lawn mower so they get some one on one time. Or when he holds a crying child, wipes away their tears and makes them better. Or plays catch with them. He takes the TIME to SHOW them how much he loves them. He is constantly trying to make himself better, and it inspires me, too. He would (and does!) do anything for me. He shows me everyday how much I mean to him.
I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who is so patient and understanding. He knows me and wants me to reach the goals I set for myself and my family. If it is important to me, it is important to Him.
Emma. She is growing up so quickly. She is a little mother in that she is always looking for ways to help and serve others. She is aware of other's needs and can bring a smile or calm to anyone just by being her. She is an example to me of overcoming through hard work as she has worked on her speech and practices her testimony and her talk before sharing. She also depends on the Spirit to help her.
Maddie. So service-oriented lately. And such a hard worker. She is the first to have her bed made and get dressed every morning. I don't have to remind her to take care care of her dishes. Her sense of humor and stubbornness keep me on my toes. She is so strong and independent.
Briggs. That boy finds so much JOY in life. He brings smiling and laughter into our home non-stop. He is so full of energy, and yet so tender hearted and sweet. He makes me appreciate the little things that surround us. Bugs and dirt and cool rocks, but also kisses and hugs and wrestling.
Anderson. Didn't know what we were missing out on until he joined our family. He is so sweet and patient. He has helped us slow down and prioritize. He has brought us closer together as a family. He makes us all be better. We love him.
I am blessed. Blessed to have the children/husband I do. Blessed to have my parents and Jared's parents, along with our siblings. Blessed to live where we do, with such great neighbors, friends and an amazing ward. Blessed to have the gospel.
Friday, July 12, 2013
1 Week Old!?!
I know it is cliche... but time FLIES! I just typed "1 week old" and couldn't believe it. Anderson is changing so much so fast. Seriously, I feel like everyday he is a little bit different.
He has been having more alert times, and it is fun to watch him try to communicate with me. He is determined to smile and talk and I feel like if I blink he'll be crawling.
The first time he was really awake and alert. Also, look at the HANDS! So big!
One of my favorite faces. He wrinkles up his forehead and looks at me like he thinks we're crazy. :)
He has loved having his hands out and moving from day 1. He also loves stretching out more than any of our other babies have at so young.
Receding hairline?! ;)
Don't let it deceive you, though! He has LOTS of DARK hair in the back.
Sisterly love. This is not unusual. They can't get enough of him and are so soft and sweet with him.
Maddie loves "taking her turn". It looks to me like he doesn't mind it, either. :)
I am overwhelmed with gratitude for family and friends this week. We are so blessed! They have made this transition this week so easy and simple, and allowed Anders and I to relax and figure each other out.
He is a very content baby. He likes his hands out and moving, but for the night I swaddle him much tighter, and that seem to be ok with him, too.
His hands and feet are big. He was the same length as Briggs was, but nearly a whole pound less, so I think when he fills out he'll be tall and big.
He eats every 3 hours, but occasionally goes for longer periods, hoping to get those longer times happening during the night! :) He eats, gets his diaper changed, and goes back to sleep during the night.
He sleeps right through all of the jostling, loud noise and love that comes from Briggs. Briggs loves to kiss, shake his hand, high five him and touch the foreheads together. None of that is as gentle as I would like, but it is as gentle as Briggs gets, and we're happy he loves him so much.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Anderson John Daniels
The contractions stayed about the same, with some contractions being a little more intense, but never really progressing. After we put Briggs down for a nap, we had our neighbor come over and watch the kids while we went to the hospital to get things checked out.
It was a CRAZY day at the hospital. Every room was full, so we were thrown into a triage room with other women. We never even saw an actual Dr. because it was so crazy. They put me on the monitor, watched the contractions(many of which were pretty intense, even on monitor), but said they same things about them that I had, that they weren't really progressing. So we went home and waited to see if they would intensify.
I went to Young Women's that night, timing contractions along the way. No change.
Went to bed, woke up a couple of times, but contractions were pretty much the same. Went for my walk Wednesday morning, amid lots more contractions. Wednesday all day they were the same, but I told Jared to go to work, and let him know if anything changed. My mom came to hang out with the kids and I, in case I needed to go in.
The kids spent the night at Jared's parents house on Wednesday night, so Jared and I went for a long walk.
I went for another walk early Thursday morning like normal, except I took Molly with me. She helped me make the walk a little more intense and bumpy. Contractions continued, 6 minutes apart while sitting, 3 minutes apart while walking. It was very weird. They were not painful contractions, every once in a while they would make me catch my breath, but they were pretty much slow, steady and calm.
It finally dawned on me that this was a little like my labor with Briggs, and it turned out that Briggs had been posterior. So once I put that together, it at least made sense. I also knew it might not happen completely on its own.
So we took our time getting ready and went the hospital. We stopped to visit Jared's grandpa who had been at the hospital for 2 weeks. He was having a rough morning, so we ended up staying there for a couple of hours before heading into labor and delivery.
The nurse checked me and I was a 4, contractions were steady but still not doing much. She asked me what I wanted to do, and I told her my theory about being posterior, and that I go REALLY fast once I do go, and that the other kids were situated at Grandma's, so I was good with going ahead and having this baby! She checked with the Dr. and he came in and agreed that we were ready to have this baby.
They admitted me and we began the process. Lots of paperwork and prep. They did an ultrasound and he was posterior. They started me on pitocin and the contractions started to move closer together and pick up in intensity. The Dr. wanted to break my water, but I told him once they broke my water, they would literally just catch my baby, and I wanted to have my epidural in place first.
When the anesthesiologist came, I was a 6. He needed to know where my pain was on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest. I said it was a 2, and he gave me a hard time about even doing an epidural.
The epidural went well, and then it was time for shift change at 5pm. Our good friend Randee was my nurse then- so nice to have someone we knew! She and the Dr. broke my water around 5:45.
Anderson still hadn't flipped, so she reminded me the technique of rolling on one side for a few minutes and then the other until he flipped.
Once he flipped, I was a 10 and ready to have him. I tried to wait patiently for the Dr. to come in, but he almost didn't make it. In one contraction(2 pushes), he was here at 6:45pm!
Jared was happy to announce it was a boy since he had been telling me that for 9 months. :)
He was 7 lbs., 2 oz. and 20 in. long. Our smallest baby. But his hands and feet are HUGE. He was given a 9 on the APGAR, which they rarely give. He started nursing right away and hasn't slowed down since!
He is such a sweetheart and so patient with us and especially with the kids. We are loving having him here!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Waiting Game
I went to my weekly check-up this morning, not sure what to expect.
I have felt an urgency for this baby to get here, I assume baby is impatient and wants to be here NOW for some reason. But at my last appointment, my measurement was smaller than it should have been, and I started to wonder if having the baby early was a good idea or not
My Dr. is out of town, and I saw the Nurse Practitioner today. She measured me and my measurement was perfect(just over 37), heartbeat was great(160), etc.
She also checked me and I'm dilated to a 3 and 50% effaced! I was happy to know that something was being done by all the contractions I've been having sporadically lately.
So this baby could be arriving anytime. Literally. Or it could be a few days. I think a pedicure may be in order?
The veil has felt very thin lately. I can feel the baby in our home, and I'm grateful for this sweet, calming spirit. What a perfect addition to our family. I know our kids can feel it, too, and they gravitate toward that peace.
I am 37.5 weeks, due July 19th, just waiting to see what happens... and SUPER excited to hold this little one in my arms!!
I have felt an urgency for this baby to get here, I assume baby is impatient and wants to be here NOW for some reason. But at my last appointment, my measurement was smaller than it should have been, and I started to wonder if having the baby early was a good idea or not
My Dr. is out of town, and I saw the Nurse Practitioner today. She measured me and my measurement was perfect(just over 37), heartbeat was great(160), etc.
She also checked me and I'm dilated to a 3 and 50% effaced! I was happy to know that something was being done by all the contractions I've been having sporadically lately.
So this baby could be arriving anytime. Literally. Or it could be a few days. I think a pedicure may be in order?
The veil has felt very thin lately. I can feel the baby in our home, and I'm grateful for this sweet, calming spirit. What a perfect addition to our family. I know our kids can feel it, too, and they gravitate toward that peace.
I am 37.5 weeks, due July 19th, just waiting to see what happens... and SUPER excited to hold this little one in my arms!!
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