Wes' Extended Family Christmas Party

On December 19 we attended the extended family Christmas Party for Wes' side of the family. It is good to see family that we often don't get a chance to get together with often. The company is wonderful, the food is delicious, and the prizes are fun as well. Our family didn't walk away with any prizes this year, but we were just happy to visit and have fun.
Erica and Adelle playing Chess.

My special girls :)

The girls received littlest pet shop toys from Grandma Ellen and they were super excited!

Wes with his parents.

This is the very last photo taken of me pregnant. I ended up going into labor in the wee hours of the morning after this party took place. It is amazing to think that my little Violet was just hanging out in there. Even though it is more work I am so grateful she is now on the outside!

Christmas

Christmas was very different this year, but we enjoyed it immensely. Wes parents and sister came by Christmas Eve bearing gifts! We visited with them for a little while until dinner arrived from a ward member. The dinners from our ward were so greatly appreciated!!!! Grandma and Grandpa let the girls open one gift early. They gave each of the girls, including Violet, brand new pajamas. I only got a picture of Adelle in her new threads though. Violet hanging out in her chair. She still hadn't mastered sleeping unless someone was holding her. We have now worked it out though. She LOVES to be swaddled and she loves sleeping in her little chair. In time, I'd like to transition her to the crib or the bassinet.

Santa came, even though Violet and I were sleeping the living room. He brought puppets for each of the girls and candy for everyone. Violet didn't get candy, but she did get new Christmas socks.

Lydia and Adelle wanted me to take a picture of them in their new outfits from Wes' parents.

This is how Violet spent most of the day..dozing in mommy's arms.

My blue eyed Adelle :)

Lydia playing her new PlayStation game.

It was a pretty quiet day. Wes' mom stopped by briefly to deliver a few gifts from extended family. Wes' brother and sister-in-law stopped by in the evening to see Violet and to give the girls gifts.

The next day my step-mom stopped by to visits and to give gifts. The girls got new, oriental pajamas.

Wes got a statue of Abraham Lincoln.

Julie picked up this great Alice in Wonderland Doll for Violet's room.

Grandma Julie with out little bundled girl.

Julie's mom enjoyed visiting with everyone.

I was so glad that I was home for the holidays and that Violet was with us. It was a wonderful Christmas. Everyone was so generous as well. They gave us such wonderful gifts ranging from games, cash, and even season passes to Lagoon which I'm sure we will be enjoying this upcoming year. The most wonderful gift of course is our new little baby! She really is so mild and sweet and we are really enjoying getting to know her better.

Short Birth Story

I've had a few requests to post Violet's birth story and since everyone here is still fighting over who is going to hold her I have a little time to share something small.

I had a hard time sleeping Saturday night into Sunday morning. I was contracting and they were strong enough to wake me every few hours. It was funny that I started contracting then since we had gone to our last scheduled event on Saturday evening. My calendar was now empty. Sunday morning when I woke up the contractions were still going. I decided not to go to church so I could keep an eye on things.

The contractions were coming pretty regularly about every four minutes. I wanted to make sure things kept going so I even did some waking around the house. I also rested and they didn't stop. Suddenly I was pretty tired so I laid down for a nap. They appeared to subside so I thought I must be in false labor. I woke up from my nap though and they started up regular again. They were 2 -3 minutes apart when I was up and walking and 4-5 minutes apart when sitting down. We decided to head into the hospital.

The girls were dropped off at grandma's and I was admitted into the hospital about 3:00 in the afternoon. I had been a 2 at my doctor's appointment on Friday. They had given me the chance to be induced that night, but I stayed strong and Wes and I decided to go on a date instead. When I was checked on Sunday I was a 3.

My contractions kept going regular and I ended up going to a 4 and my cervix continued to efface. They decided to keep me and broke my water. I knew they couldn't send me home from there. Things were slower than we thought they would go though and about 12:30 AM they gave me a little bit of pitocin because my contractions were slowing a bit. I was a little nervous but I wanted labor to progress.

Things picked up again and contractions started to get pretty strong. I still didn't want an epidural though. It got harder to breath through contractions, but Wes was a super support and helped me through. I started feeling a lot of pressure. The nurse checked me and I was almost an 8. I went from an 8 to a 10 in about 4 contractions.

The on call doctor arrived and in just a few pushes Violet arrived very healthy and well. I was surprised she had so much hair. She was pink right away and we had some time to spend together before they cleaned her up. She took to breastfeeding really well. I did have a small tear and was stitched.

Labor took longer than expected, but I was glad everything went well and that I was able to go natural. It has allowed me to be up and about right away. My doctor said we could be released today (about 36 hours after birth) which has been great! You just don't rest well in a hospital and I knew the girls were missing me. I am sore and somewhat tired but I am doing great.

Violet is AMAZING! She is VERY easygoing at this point and I really hope it continues. She rarely cries! I am so happy to have this special addition to our family and I'm looking forward to the time ahead to get to know her even more. I love how soft she is and how wonderful she smells. I love being her mommy! I am especially glad she made her entrance before Christmas and I'm looking forward to spending time with my family this holiday season.

Guess Who's Here!

Violet arrived Monday, December 21st at 3:47 AM! She was 7 lbs 13 oz, 20.5 inches long. We are all so excited she is here!!

Funny Things

So Wes said to me this morning "Well the baby can come now". He has been sick and is feeling much better this morning. I burst out laughing and said "I'll get right on that". I love that man.

Waiting Stand By

So I have decided that pregnancy is like planning a big, giant vacation. You put a lot of time, effort, money and energy into planning the BIG EVENT. You are excited and can't wait to get to your destination. You pack your bags, you make arrangements with relatives to watch the kids, you schedule time off work, and you even buy some new gadgets. The only bad thing is you are flying stand by. The airline knows you will be leaving, but you just have to wait for your time. It could be tonight or it could be 2 weeks from now. You just don't know. It may not be convenient either. It may be the middle of the night when you are suddenly called to go on your flight. It could be during a freak snowstorm. You just have to try and be ready for every possibility.

So while I am waiting "stand by" I have decided to take advantage of my solo time. Last night I watched two chick flicks. It was great. One of them was actually completely uninterrupted. I figure these "alone" times are not going to last much longer so really I should enjoy them. Besides, I figure if I'm not focusing on "when am I leaving" then the wait time will be much more pleasant :)

I do know that my time will not be later than Dec 28. That probably will be the more painful way though, so really I am fine to be on "stand by" and hope that something naturally opens on its own.

13 Days Left!

This picture was taken last Saturday. No it isn't the most flattering in the world, but hey I was sweaty and tired after putting up the tree all day. I figure I should have some pictures of my ever progressing belly. I was 27 weeks and 4 days here.

Well if you can believe it I only have 13 days until my estimated due date. It is amazing that I am actually nearing the end! It is questionable at this point when Violet will make her grand debut. I realized the other day that Lydia was actually 6 days late! Adelle I think was on time or 1 day early, but that was after they had tried to induce me at 39 weeks without success. I figure that had to help me go into labor on my own when I did. When I got checked out 6 days ago at my doctor's office she said my cervix was still pretty hard and that I was dialated to a 1. I honesltly wasn't expecting much because I was still 2 1/2 weeks out. Violet is head down though, which is good. I do get bouts of contractions that can get pretty uncomfortable and last for a couple of hours, but I find if I lay down or change the way I'm sitting they will stop, which is a sure sign of "false labor".

I did have an interesting thing happen on Sunday. I am pretty sure I lost my mucus plug. Ladies and gentelmen if you don't know what this is, don't try and figure it out. All I can say is gross and really too much information! It may have had something to do with getting an internal exam this last Thursday. It set me thinking "Is she coming soon". Alas, she still isn't here though. Honestly that is okay though. I was hit pretty hard with a cold that my girls have had. I am super congested and I don't even now how I would breath during labor. Day by day, I seem to be getting better though which is encouraging. I really want to be better. I am just praying that Wes doesn't get it.

Violet is still pretty active and enjoys moving about, which can be painful at times because she is getting so big. It is reassuring though to feel her movements and know that she is doing well.

My hospital bag is in my trunk just in case. With Lydia and Adelle I was admitted straight after doctor appointments and I'd rather be prepared. The girls have even packed overnight bags just in case she comes during the night.

Wes and I have decided that we don't want Violet coming in 2010. If we wait until 2010 we will end up paying $450 more (since we will have to restart the deductible on our insurance) and we will miss out on the tax break. I am going to speak to my doctor about an induction date the last week in December just in case I go over. As much as I am really not a fan of induction, the downside is too great. I still have some natural induction methods that I can try though once we get closer to the due date.

I am trying to get things squared away at work and with my church callings so I won't be worried about things while I am on leave. I am planning on taking a full 3 months off, despite my boss' best efforts to have me take off less time. I am really looking foward to the leave and the the opportunity which I will have to spend with my new baby and Lydia and Adelle.

I have decided that pregnancy has been made to be so long and difficult (especially near the end) so as women we won't mind going through all of the pain and stress of labor. When it comes down to it, we really just want to move onto the next stage of our life and enjoy our new little one. I can't wait!! Have I said that already? Well I guess I can wait, but I am eagerly anticipating my baby's arrival!

Deck the Halls!

Last Saturday we decided to set out on a Grand Adventure to find a real Christmas Tree. In years past we have always used an old, fake one that we have. It was Wes' idea to have the fresh tree this year, and I thought "why not". Now we didn't set out into the wilderness like the Griswolds because, let's face it, it isn't very practical for our family. Wes and the girls had checked out a little, local lot down the street the night before, but most of the tress were too big. We have a very compact living room. We decided to check out Lowe's. It took some searching but we were able to find a tree that would just barely fit in our living room. It is super plush too :)

As we were out searching it started to snow, which made the experience all the more fun!

Lowe's was great enough to trim the bottom of the tree and to put it in netting for an easier drive home. The girls were SO EXCITED!

Wes managed to strap the tree to the top of the car and we made our way home in the slippery snow.

Once the tree was in the living room I started putting on the lights. I ended up running out since the tree is so much fuller than our fake one and we all headed out the door to the local Wal-Mart. The drive was a little scary thanks to the snow and the crowds were massive, but we made it back!

After a few glitches with our BRAND NEW lights, we finally got the tree all set up and decorated. Wes kept mumbling "never buy durable goods at Wal-Mart". The girls really enjoyed putting on the ornaments. Wes and I were super exhausted!

Wes still managed to put up the garland.

I managed to get a little bit of garland outside and the wreath, which has quickly become a home to the neighborhood birds.

We can gladly say though, that the house is all decorated! The fresh tree is beautiful and makes the house smell WONDERFUL! Now if only I could find the energy to wrap the girls presents!

Violet's New Room

This weekend Violet's room really came together. Pretty much everything is ready except I am planning on putting some white, vinyl lettering on the pink wall that says "Curiouser and Curiouser". I'm not sure what will happen as far as the teapot lamp either. One of the walls has been painted pink.

Most of the crib bedding is done.

The pictures have been hung.

My little white rabbit has been placed on the dresser next to a white rabbit framed picture.

The dresser is stocked with clean clothes, diapers and wipes.

There are many cute outfits hanging in the closet, a new bouncer seat, and a baby bath tub. I purchased a few things from amazon and I'm just waiting on one more delivery this week. We are pretty much set for my little girl to come. I have even packed my hospital bag. I am 37 weeks tomorrow which is when babies are no longer considered premature. I have been cramping and contracting quite a bit today, but it is hard to say at this point whether it will lead to something real or if it is just my body practicing. It will be great to meet my little girl soon though, whenever she comes, and it is nice to feel prepared to some degree.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. It was pretty low key and comfortable. On Thanksgiving Day Lydia went with her dad and in the evening Wes, Adelle and I headed over to Wes' parents home. It was good to see them, to hang out and to enjoy wonderful food. Adelle loved seeing her aunt Erica and Wes and I really enjoyed chatting with everyone. I haven't been so great at taking pictures recently, so unfortunately I don't have any.

Sunday we headed over to my parents home to enjoy another Thanksgiving dinner. Lydia was able to join us for that one. The girls loved hanging around the newly decorated Christmas tree. My father has a wonderful Christmas Village that he places around the tree every year. Adelle looked through every window to see what was inside. The girls also loved playing with their young cousin Cedric. There is nothing like spending time with family.

At each gathering we dropped of Christmas present since we won't know how December is going to shape up.

Here are a few of the things I am thankful for.

-My wonderful, loving family; immediate and extended.
-My loving husband who is my best friend and love of my life.
-My two beautiful girls who really are so wonderful most of the time :)
-My little, unborn child that I can't wait to meet.
-A cozy little home to take care of and to have as my own.
-A loving Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.
-Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints.
-A wonderful job that allows me to work from home 4 days a week.
-My health and the opportunity to live and learn every day.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My Little Baby Shower

This past Saturday my wonderful step-mom and sister threw me a baby shower. They are so generous and wonderful. I love them! We started out with lunch and then after lunch we all sat down and decorated white onesies.

It was so great to see old friends and other women that I have come to love!

The grandmas didn't want to decorate a little onesie, but they enjoyed watching everyone else's creations. I wish we would have gotten some pictures of the finished products!

Julie not only decorated with cute pink ornaments and beads, but also with LOTS of baby clothes! Violet will be stylin' when she's born! My step-mom LOVES to shop! I am looking forward to capturing Violet in some of these amazing outfits!

Everyone got to take home soap from bath and body works. There were a few other prizes as well. There was a drawing for anyone that brought a package of diapers. My good friend Michelle who is due a few days after me won a wonderfully, soft blanket. There were card making kits that were given out to the people who made the best onesies. Lydia and my 12 year old cousin Christina were the judges.

Everyone was super generous and I am so grateful for their gifts. We got one of the most important items that we were needing, a car seat!! I had fun unpacking the gifts once I got home and setting up Violets room a little bit more.

Thank you so much Sarah and Julie for hosting the shower and thank you everyone who came!!! It was fun to be with you, to enjoy your company, and to have a special day for my little Violet!!!