Mosquito bites

The mosquitoes are think in my neck of the woods right now. Nathan is pretty allergic to them, he swells up huge and then can't stop scratching. He scratches so much that they bleed, scab over, scratches more, and finally leaves a beauty of a scar. I put band-aids over the bites and that seems to keep him from scratching. They are the real band-aids that I bought at Costco that are super sticky and will even hold up through a bath. They work pretty well. Last Monday the kiddos played in the backyard quite a while and when they came in Nathan was eaten alive. Check out this guy. I think we counted over 30 bites. I used one band-aid to cover up multiple bites.

Danielle also managed to get some bites. My kiddos have been so wonderful and have tried to let me get some sleep. Instead of waking me to talk to me, they will write me a note and leave in on the bed beside where I am sleeping. Of course they bump the bed and slam the door shut as they are leaving, but have really good intentions. This is the note that Danielle left for me. I thought it was so cute!

interpretation: " Mom, I have 2 mosquito bites. I want to be happy but my mosquito bites itch."

Figuring Each Other Out

There is a lot of this going on:

And not too much of this:

Resulting in this becoming my new bed:

Gavin has a mind of his own. You would think with Gavin being my 6th baby that I would know what to do? Yah, not this time. Gavin loves to be held. And I really love to hold him. The problem is that I am not comfortable holding him while I am sleeping. I have never had a baby sleep in bed with me, I really worry Evan would roll over on them and if I get sleep deprived enough, I don't trust myself.

 I can do the days and nights mixed up thing. I can be up for hours in the middle of the night enjoying the wake time with a new baby when the house is quiet. After my first baby, I actually looked forward to this alone time with my baby. But Gavin is doing things a little different. And we will adjust, but just not yet.

The first night home with Gavin was a long night. Every time he would fall asleep, I would put him down so I could go to sleep. He would stay asleep for about a minute and then wake up crying. I played his little game until 4:30am. I was so tired. Evan had to leave early that morning for work, so I finally put Gavin in bed with me and we both slept.

The next night was almost a repeat. But instead of staying up until almost morning, I decided to try the recliner in the living room. He slept considerably well, but I did not. I have never been able to sleep in any position other then lying flat. I was too tired and able to get a little sleep in the recliner, which was better than no sleep. And my back started hurting because of the position, but the medicine they gave me in the hospital took care of that. Not an ideal situation at all. The whole time I kept shaking my head wondering what was up. I REALLY am supposed to know how to handle a newborn, right? NOT!

Over the last week I have decided not to hold Gavin while he slept in the day so that he would get used to sleeping while not being held. He sleeps great on his own during the day. It kills me to not snuggle with my little newborn because he is so dang cute. And then night hits and we are back to the same problem: he wants to be held.

And I am too tired and give in. I have figured out how to sleep more comfortably in the recliner, it no longer hurts my back. But what I sucker I am. I love newborns, and this one is in charge.

We have to figure each other out. I have to figure out how to teach this baby to sleep at night on his own. And he has to learn how to do it. Last night Evan got up with Gavin for a few hours and finally brought him back to me so I could feed him. Evan's comment was, "that little baby has a strong will. He sure can arch his back and throw a fit!"

Gavin will fit in nicely with the rest of my children. They all have a very strong will and can throw fits. I just never had one start this early!

As parents, we never quit learning no matter how many children we have.

My Own Superstar

We all know how it is when a new baby is born. It doesn't matter if it is your first or your sixth, having a new baby is just plain hard. I know some have it worse than others. I'm not really sure where mine falls. I think I recover pretty fast and feel good really soon. But a baby is still a lot of work and mine never sleep very well in the beginning. Not a complaint, just it is what it is.  And this time is no exception. My baby is as cute as can be, but he wants to be held all night long to sleep. And I can't do that. I can't get comfortable enough to have him in bed with me. I can't sleep sitting up. What works best is for my baby to sleep in their own bed and me in mine.

Gavin had other plans. The first night I was home from the hospital, he decided that he was not going to sleep. If I laid him down he woke right up. If I held him he woke within 10 minutes. He was up all night crying until 4:30am. Evan had to leave for work that Monday morning at 4:30am, so I finally put Gavin in bed with me and we slept. Finally. I was exhausted, he was exhausted, and we needed some serious sleep.

At 6:30am Taneal came in and woke me up because it was time to start getting ready for school. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I could hardly move! I told Taneal I just could not do it. She said I really needed to get up because Spencer had wet out of his pull-up and needed a bath. I had breakfast to cook, hair to be done, lunches to be packed, and a wet boy to bathe and I just could not do any of it. Gavin was finally sleeping. Finally not crying.

 I told Taneal I just couldn't do it. I didn't care if they missed school. I didn't care if Spencer had to walk around the house wet. I also knew I couldn't take the girls to school tardy because I would not be able to walk them into the school to check them it. It was more then I could do so I apologized to Taneal, shut my door and went back to sleep.

At 7:55 my eyes popped open and I realized I needed to get out of bed and check on my crew. I remembered that Spencer needed a bath. I realized that the girls were going to have to miss school. There was no way I could get them ready in time and load all 6 kids in the car in a matter of minutes. I stepped out of my room and Taneal was in the bathroom curling her hair. I explained that she was going to have to miss school because we didn't have time to do all the things needing done, we needed to be leaving right now. She said she already showered Spencer, fed all the kids, packed the school lunches, and all the needed to be done was both Camie and Danielle's hair thrown into ponytails. My jaw literally dropped. My 10-year-old had done an amazing thing for me. My eyes teared up with gratitude for my superstar that lives within the walls of my own home that helped me out so much. I quickly did the ponytails, loaded all the kiddos in the car, and drove them to school. The whole time I was thinking how Taneal saved me. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter who stepped up and helped me without even being asked.

She is amazing. She is wonderful. She is my superstar. Thanks Taneal.

The Team

This delivery was exceptional. First, I went into labor all on my own. I wanted to go on my own, but was so tired of being pregnant and sick that I welcomed an induction. I was disappointed in myself that I was willing to give up a natural labor for an induction, but I was ready to be done being pregnant. So, I scheduled that induction which was cancelled because the hospital was too full and I ended up going into labor on my own just a few short hours after I was supposed to be at the hospital for the induction. Yeah me!

Because I don't like to get epidurals, I chose to deliver with a midwife. And can I tell you she was amazing! Because she works in a practice with a bunch of doctors, they require her to work during business hours like they do so if you go into labor during those hours, she isn't able to be there with you throughout your labor. With Nathan she was able to be there the entire time. With Gavin, she had to be across the street seeing patients. This problem became minimal because of the nurse who was there to help deliver Gavin. I have a friend at church that is a labor and delivery nurse and I asked her if she was willing to help me deliver Gavin. Ruth set her schedule so that she could be there for the induction, so she was already working when I went in. She was wonderful. I felt bad that she was cleaning up after me, getting me my drinks, etc. But it was so nice to have a nurse who knew me, had my interest at heart, and was my friend. She was so helpful, stayed with me throughout the entire labor and delivery, talked me through all those painful contractions, and made me feel so comfortable in any way possible. She was wonderful. She used to work alongside with my midwife, Chantal, when my midwife was a labor and delivery nurse. They are friends, knew how to work well together, and during the delivery I felt that I was in a room full of my closest friends. The only ones in the room were Evan, Chantal, Ruth, and me. The room felt so close, so personal, and not just a hospital room with a medical procedure being performed. It was a great team and a wonderful experience.

These are the Moments

Here is my little guy. There is nothing sweeter than a newborn. I LOVE their first cry. I LOVE the way they feel when they are first placed in your arms. And I can't get over their eyes. They are so big and beautiful and searching. The first few minutes of a baby's life are the most wonderful and precious, ones that make the whole nine months of pregnancy all worth it.

Gavin's birth was wonderful. Holding him in my arms for that first time was something I never want to forget. And all these days that have followed, as tired as I may be, are all worth it because I get to snuggle with this little bundle that has brought me so much happiness. The only sad part is knowing that he will quickly grow and the newborn stage is so short. I could just hold Gavin all day and never tire of it. Night might be a little different story, but during the day it is sure sweet to cuddle with him.

Here are a few of the pictures of the first moments in this little guy's life. It is amazing how much I love him. How much I love each of my children, and how much I will miss the day when my family is complete and the little ones won't keep coming. But for now I cherish each moment I get to spend with Gavin, and love to watch my other children hold him and love him. They are all a wonderful blessing and I am so happy to have each and every one of them in my life. Happy to have had these moments with each one of them.

Our New Family

Gavin has been so much fun to welcome into our family. The kids are in love with him, they love to hold him, burp him, and get him dressed. Nathan even thinks Gavin is great, which is better then I hoped for. He was quite mad at me, but never at the baby. Here are some of the hopsital photos of welcoming Gavin to the family.

Gavin James

Gavin is here! He was born at 11:23am weighing 7 pounds 7 ounces and is 20 inches long. He is a beautiful baby and very content. Pictures will follow.

I was supposed to be induced on Thursday morning but got a phone call from the hospital at around 4am saying they were too full and probably would not be able to get me in that day. I was so disappointed and could not get back to sleep. Well, around 6:30 I started having contraction that really hurt. They started about 8 minutes apart. They quickly got closer and closer until they were hitting every 4 minutes. They were very painful, but I was hesitant to go to the hospital because they had me scheduled for an induction that couldn't happen and would probably think I was making up the contraction story in hopes to be admitted. I decided to go ahead and go in. Evan had they day off from work and with the call from the hospital, he had hopes of a restful day. I had to coax him out of the bathtub and let him know I would be much more comfortable at the hospital. It was probably nothing, but could we please go soon anyway. He reluctantly got out of his nice warm bath, got dressed and came downstairs and jumped on the computer. My dad had come into town the night before to help with the kids while I was at the hospital. I debated asking my dad to take me since Evan was in no rush. I finally convinced Evan we needed to go NOW and so we went.

I got to the nurses station and you could see the look on their faces as I waddled to the counter. They were busy and here comes another mom that they had no bed to put her in. I told them I was scheduled for an induction but I thought I might be in labor on my own. They nicely smiled at me and asked my name, which baby number this was for me. I told them baby 6 and they got a more serious look on their faces. When I told them the contractions were 4 minutes apart they gave me a little more credibility. And then I had a pretty good contraction right in front of them. They immediately brought out the wheel chair, took me to triage, and admitted me. I was so excited to still be able to have my baby, not to have to be induced, and to get around the cancellation of the induction.

I must say this was my best labor. I had a good friend from church who was a fantastic nurse. I also had a great midwife help deliver. The bad contractions and stuff was really only bad for about 20 minutes. And it was a pretty intense 20 minutes. Gavin came out with two surprise pushes and I have enjoyed watching him ever since. He is so sweet, so beautiful, and I am in love.

Today is the Day

Today is the day I get to open my present, my long awaited gift. I have been looking forward to this day for 9 months now. And it is finally here! More details to follow!

Delayed

I guess my post from yesterday was a little premature. The hospital called this morning and said they were too full for me to come in today. Who knows when I'll have this baby. I had my mind set on today for almost two weeks. And I didn't sleep a wink last night excited with anticipation. Today is going to be a really long day.

Full Term

I'm sure you are done hearing about this 9 month pregnancy. I know I am done feeling this 9 month pregnancy. This is the most pregnant I have ever been. I never thought I would make it this far, I figured I would have had this baby over a week ago. But here I am as big as I have ever been, as pregnant as I have ever been, and as happy as I have ever been that this day may very well be the last day of pregnancy.Here I am 9 months pregnant. I don't think this picture gives me justice as to just how big I am. I have had so many comments like, "are you sure there aren't twins in there?" to "man, you've got have some serious stretch marks!" None of the comments bothered me, I quite agreed with their assessment. I have been fortunate in the stretch mark area, I have one very small one. I should have a million. And as I think about this being the last day of being pregnant, I get a little smile. I don't think I will miss the compression hose. I don't think I will miss the heart burn. Probably won't miss the fatigue, although I will still be tired with a newborn, just in an entirely different way. Definitely won't miss throwing up and too many lazy days on the couch. And I know I won't miss not being able to bend over to pick something up off the floor.

I think the only part that I will miss is feeling life inside me. I love to feel the baby move, even if the kicks wake me up several times in the middle of the night. Even if the movement makes me sprint to the bathroom. I feel very fortunate to have this baby part of me.

But what is even more exciting is when I deliver. When I get to meet this newest member of my family, to see those wide open eyes looking around as he comes into this world. There is nothing that can top the delivery of a baby. And I love that Evan can experience this with me. I am humbled that I am so fortunate to be blessed with amazing children who I love so dearly, and to be blessed with so many. 14 years ago when I married the man of my dreams, I never imagined that he would be the father to all 6 of my children, that we would even have close to that many. We hoped for a few, but never dreamed we would be able to have so many. Our first baby took four years to come to us. The doctors told us we would never be able to have children. I'm so glad they were wrong. And although I am not any good at being pregnant, I know that I have been blessed. I am grateful. And I am excited that today is the last day of my pregnancy.

Privacy

I'm not talking about the loss of privacy when you are having a baby. I'm not talking about private conversations. I'm talking about good 'ol fashioned privacy in the shower. It has been 10 years! And this morning, as I am showering with my gynormous belly, my little 4-yr-old boy who has an amazing memory, stands at the glass shower door with his scriptures in hand and wants me to tell him the story behind the picture he is holding up. I know we are supposed to seize the moments when such learning opportunities are on us, but it was 6:45am, I couldn't hardly understand his specific questions over the hum of the shower, I was completely void of all privacy (and I know Spencer will remember what he saw), I was tired and I just wanted to take a shower by myself, and I had an early doctor's appointment making this shower imperitave! Is five minutes too much to ask? I little privacy? Just while I am showering? Do I really need to seize the teaching opportunity while I am showering? Well, I asked for privacy from him I think a good ten times but to no avail. Usually he will give it to me, but not this morning. And then Danielle joins me in the bathroom. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Followed by Camie. And then Taneal, who screams and immediately leaves. Nathan was still sleeping or he not only would have been watching me in the shower, but would have joined me in the shower. And in a few short days I will have another beautiful child to add to the mix. It will be at least another five years before I can shower privately. And usually I don't mind, but this morning was one of those mornings, that I wanted to keep the sight of my huge belly to myself and not have that image ingrained on my little boy's mind for the rest of his life. Good times!

Primary Presentation

Sunday was the children's presentation to the congregation at church. And I must say, it was the best presentation ever, almost completely flawless. The children sang beautifully and from their heart, they spoke their parts clearly, and the spirit was so strong. We even ended on time.

Let me back up a little. Last December I was part of the Primary Presidency of a very large ward that was bursting at the seams and needing split. But, I still had the drive of gettiing things done. I was asked to put together a calendar for the upcoming year. One of the items was the scheduling of this children's presentation. It is supposed to be done in the last quarter of the year. I looked and looked at the calendar and just could not get it to work. General Conference the first Sunday in October, Stake Conference the 3rd Sunday in October. Halloween the last Sunday in October. Then Thanksgiving and Christmas. I went ahead and scheduled it for Spetmeber 12th because I felt that was a great day and it fit. Well, then the ward split the first week of January. There went all those plans. And then I was called back into the Primary. So, I pulled out my already done calendar, dusted it off, and it still felt like a great calendar that should be followed. A few weeks later I found out I was expecting. Yah, the due date of Spetember 21, 9 days after the program. That meant I would be having the program and would deliver a baby the following week. Then, in July I lost both of my counselors. I had just finished writing the program because I had this nagging feeling that it needed to be done by June 30th. I was so glad that I had. Fortunately I got two absolutely wonderful counselors who stepped right in and helped so much and took over many of the responsibilities. I was sure that I would not be able to be at the program because I would be home with a new baby. And Sunday I took a seat and enjoyed the program, wanting to hug each child as they performed perfectly.

And what was even better to this whole story is who was in attandance at the program. We had a special sharing time the week before and gave the children each two invitations to hand out to teachers, friends, and neighbors. We roll-played and really talked about how we should invite others to share what we have been doing in Primary. I think many of the invitations were handed out because of the sheer number of people in attendance. We had school teachers there, school staff, so many neighbors, and friends that had not been to church in years. And the spirit was so strong in the meeting. Those children taught the gospel to us through their words and through song and we were spiritually fed.

I love that Heavenly Father has poured His blessing upon the children of the ward. I love that I have been able to be an instrument in His hands. And I loved watching the program on Sunday and knowing that there was no way, with all the complications of me feeling so sick for so long, getting a new presidency, having the program earlier in the year, etc., that any of this could have happened without direct intervention from the Lord. He is real. He is very active in our lives. And he blesses us. Miracles do happen. And he loves me enough to have given me the opportunity to be there and watch all this come to pass.

As I reread this post, I wish I had a better ability to write. I know what I want to say, I just don't know how to say it. Please look past my inability to write.

No Clothes

Why does this little boy refuse to wear clothes? As soon as I get him dressed in the morning, he rips the clothes right off. It doesn't matter how many time I get him dressed, he is almost immediately naked again. He will keep his diaper on, thankfully. There is one exception to the no clothes, and that is his scooby Doo pajamas. He LOVES them. When I am folding laundry, and he sees the pajamas, he grabs them and in a very excited voice lets me know he wants them on right now.


I remember before I had children and I would go to someones house and they would come to the door and a little toddler would also come and wrap their arms around their mom's legs. And they would only be in a diaper! I remember thinking why couldn't that mom take 1 minute and get that toddler dressed? And if the child wouldn't keep the clothes on, well, give them a good spanking and let them know what was what. I was never going to let my kids run around in just their diaper.

Obviously I didn't have children when I thought those thoughts. Now that I am a parent, I really do like to have my children dressed. I do get them dressed every day. And I try to keep them dressed throughout the day. But spanking them? Absolutely not. I can't believe I used to think that was the solution to all children problems. Children always make you eat your words (and thoughts). At least that is the case with me. So I guess I should be grateful, once again, for children like Nathan who humble me and make me eat my words while he prances around the house in his little Tarzan diaper.

Back in School

Taneal asked me yesterday if she could stay home from school today. She had been studying for a science test and there was a lot of new information to learn. The teacher said it should be review. Taneal was feeling quite overwhelmed. I asked her if the reason she wanted to stay home was because she wanted to get out of taking the test. She told me it was not the reason, okay maybe a little part of the reason. I told her I would not let her stay home to get out of taking a test. She was to the begging point. She told me if I let her stay home she would clean the entire house for me. This was getting a little tempting. But, I stood my ground and sent a very emotional Taneal off to school today. I helped her study for the test, she will do fine. She didn't think so. Oh, how I love that girl!

Camie's Sewing Project

I think Camie is the most like me of all my children. She loves crafts. I think she has a natural gift for it, she really is good (I just have the desire to be good, not the natural talent). This summer she decided she wanted to sew some clothes for her 18 inch doll. Of course I knew what that entailed and that meant a lot of work for me to which I wasn't feeling at all up to it. So, I gave her things to do if she wanted to sew, like finding the patterns for the doll and making sure all the pieces had been put away properly. She found the patterns but all the pieces had not been put away properly. So then I told her that if Hobby Lobby was having a sale on patterns, we would immediately go and let her choose out a few. Of course I knew Hobby Lobby doesn't have sales on their patterns very often, so we would not be going. I jumped online to show her that there was not a sale . . . and guess what? Pattens were on sale for $.99. I was stuck. We loaded all the kids up in the car and headed to Hobby Lobby for patterns. It actually made me laugh because here I was trying to get out of sewing lessons and I guess it was meant to be because Hobby Lobby seriously never has pattern sales but maybe twice a year.

Camie picked out several patterns. When we got home I quickly explained how to know which pattern pieces were needed for which outfit. Camie understood and was able to find and cut out the pieces. She then selected the fabric and cut out the pieces on the fabric. I was amazed. That girl has talent! I then got out the sewing machine and Camie did all the sewing. I helped her match up pieces and pin them, but she did all the sewing, and she did really well. When she finished the shrug for the doll, it was too tight around one arm because she messed up a little on the sewing. So, she picked it out and resewed it and and it fixed the problem. I am just amazed at Camie's ability. She made a shirt where she learned how to gather. She made a pair of jeans, and a shrug. And she did a great job and really enjoyed doing it. Way to go, Camie!

My new toy

Is it okay to tell you about something new I got? Something I am so giddy about? Something I have dreamed about getting for years and have just resisted? Something that can take an exhausted pregnancy day that began with tears and frustration and then be suddenly 180 turned around by a UPS delivery? I know when my friends get cool new toys, they keep it to themselves. Maybe I should, BUT I AM SO EXCITED I WANT TO SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS!

I got a digital SLR camera.

Do you know what this means? It means I can take very cool pictures. I love to take pictures but get so frustrated at the lag time, the time from when I push the take picture button until the time the camera actually takes the picture. I have missed so many good pictures because of this. So many of my pictures are blurred. And now, those problems are a thing of the past. Now I can get really good pictures, I can even take my kids pictures that can be hung up on the wall. I know a little bit about photo editing software, so I can play around there, too. I started taking some pictures as soon as the battery was charged, and I am so pleased with the beginning results. And I will practice, learn, practice some more, and get really good. I am so excited. I can even take good swim team pictures now. And all those holiday pictures will now be good. Oh, and birthday pictures, too. Yes, the roller skating pictures as well. The posibilities are endless. Can you tell I am excited?

Pregnant and Floating

Today we went swimming. I didn't want to go because I look like a beached whale. I am out growing my maternity clothes. I have 3 weeks or less left. I am tired. My bones ache. The baby kicks hard enough to wake me at night. It LOVES my bladder. I love feeling the baby move inside me, I am excited to greet this little one into my family. But right now I am too tired to do just about anything. Swimming included. Nathan is a crazy, fearless boy at the pool and fast. Evan offered to take all the kiddos swimming and I felt I had to go if Nathan went, Evan isn't used to chasing that little boy at the pool and I feared for the safety of that little guy. So I went. As long as Nathan was in Evan's arms, I felt he was safe. After 20 minutes or so Evan got used to Nathan's sporadic movements and was watching him just fine. So, I decided to float. I was curious how it would feel. Ahhhh! It was so nice. The pressure off my legs. The weight off my back. Floating and feeling free. It was nice. I wondered if I might accidentally fall asleep.

And then we came home. Taneal informed me I looked weird floating. She said she expected to see a little bit of my belly sticking out of the water, but not a HUGE belly that looked like a basketball. She said my belly was the only thing sticking out of the water. I guess I looked quite the sight. But I don't care. The pregnant and floating feeling was wonderful. I want to go and do it again.

*Don't worry, this isn't a picture of me. I still sport full swimming suit coverage.

Is It Soon?

I think I might be nesting. I don't think I have nested before. Most of my projects are done. My shopping lists are complete. I have the car seat cleaned. All the clothes are washed and folded and put in their drawers. I filled the diaper baskets with newborn diapers last night. I bought me new pajamas yesterday. I finally broke down and bought bassinet sheets so I wouldn't have to tuck a blanket around the mattress. I figured I didn't really need to buy anything else for the baby, I could at least get one thing. I also got some of my favorite newborn socks that actually stay on. I have made several meals and put them in the freezer. I made them so that Taneal could take them out of the freezer, put rice in the rice cooker and add a vegetable, all without my help. I cleaned out all the closets, organized all the drawers. Of course nothing stays done in my house for very long with 7 people living here. I even dusted the ceiling fans. All the laundry is folded and put away. Last night I packed my hospital bag. Today on my list is to clean the bathrooms and get the house vacuumed just in case the baby decides to come in the next few days. I think I would wait if I wasn't so pregnant. I am really tired, so tired that I find myself emotional because I just don't have enough energy to do anything. But I wade through the emotions and lack of energy and still get things done, because what if the baby decided to come tonight. I need to be ready. I think it's called nesting. Maybe that means the baby will come soon.

Way too pregnant

Today I was sitting at the computer desk working on a project. Spencer came over to me and asked me to get the markers down for him that were on a shelf he couldn't quite reach. I leaned to reach them and lost my balance in the chair and the chair fell over on it's side with me in it. I am so very pregnant and tried to stop the fall but couldn't. I laid on the floor for a few seconds to see if I was okay or if I had managed to make myself go into labor.  My poor little Spencer, my 4-year-old was staring at me. He asked me if I was okay and I told him I was fine. He then said, "okay, 'cause you really freaked me out there!"