Daddy's Girl and Family News

This was taken during one of Violet's "wakeful" periods. She is wide awake for about 1-2 hours a day. The rest is spent eating, sleeping, etc. The girls still absolutely love her and think she is the sweetest thing ever. She is still sleeping in her bouncy seat and still loves being swaddled. One night she actually slept 8 hours straight! She usually will get up once or twice in the night though. I would eventually like to transition her to the bassinett or crib, but right now she really prefers the bouncy seat and I haven't found the energy at night to really stick to it. Violet was two weeks old yesterday and she has her two week appointment later today. Hopefully everything will go well.

Other news on the home front:

Wes is AMAZING! Our heater broke on New Year's Eve. He and his dad found a temporary solution to allow us to still get heat until the problem was fixed. Wes was able to buy a new part today for the furnace and fixed it all by himself! He really is so awesome!!

The girls have started back school again. They were a big help during the break. They washed dishes, swept floors, cleaned toilets. I really appreciated them. They still of course found time to watch movies, play games, and to cause some general mischief. Adelle decided to break into a Science Kit that Santa had given the girls. She managed to get some paint on the playroom carpet and to make a general mess. She felt SUPER GUILTY which was most of her punishment. She is too much like me. The paint really didn't come off too much. Instead of a dark green it is now a light green more dispersed in the carpet fibers.

Lydia is growing up more and more every day. She is becoming more conscious of her self image and friends are becoming more important in her life. I hope this next phase goes smoothly and that she will still find mom fun and cool.

I am recovering well except I recently tweaked my shoulder. It is an old injury but I am just trying to use it less. I have started "wearing" Violet more (on my right side of course) which has allowed me to feel somewhat useful again. I managed to get the dishes done, sweep the floor, and to get a roast in the crock pot. I should be careful not to overdue it though.

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.