First Food

We tried the rice cereal out on Luke a couple of weeks ago. He actually enjoyed it. His digestive system did not.

 It plugged him up so I held off a few days and tried again. Same result. So, it's down with the rice cereal. I think we will be trying out some veggies here soon.

I do love messy baby faces. :)

A Joyous Occasion

We had Luke blessed on June 10th in Malad. We decided on our home town because it was most convenient for everyone.

I was determined to have at least one child that did not cry during their blessing. Porter screamed bloody murder. I didn't hear one word of his blessing and, to this day, it still makes me sad. Cameron didn't start crying until the end of his. Luckily, I could still hear what was being said. So, with Luke, I did something that would probably get me in trouble with a pediatrician. I put a couple drops of agave nectar on Luke's binky. It totally worked! Sometimes, you just have to break the rules.

                                                   He looked so handsome in his outfit!

Pictures with mom and dad.

Our family

It was a perfect day! I'm so thankful for my boys, my loving husband and that they are mine forever.

The Unexpected Part 2. NICU

I'm sure most women don't expect they will ever have a baby in the NICU. I know I never did.

Shortly after Luke was cleaned up and they gave him back to me, I knew something was wrong. He kept moaning. I looked at John and told him something wasn't right. When the nurse came back she could hear Luke. It was clear by the look on her face that she was concerned. His chest was contracting and he was having difficulty breathing.

They took him and a few hours later he was admitted to the NICU. It was later that evening when I finally got to go see him. It was a sad sight. All the tubes and monitors where overwhelming and I couldn't stay long. I handled it surprisingly well, due to prayer and priesthood blessings. It was almost 48 hours before I finally got to hold him again!

The nurses were amazing! We had two imparticular that we just loved. Both of them told us that they requested taking care of Luke. Talking with them was effortless and they always put me at ease when I came to see him. They made a little sign for the room he was in.

Porter and Cameron were so excited to see their baby brother! They could only see him through glass and that was hard for Porter. He was pretty worried about Luke.

Luke was in the NICU for 6 days. I did the hotel stay at the hospital. Even though we only live five minutes away, I couldn't bring myself to leave while he was still there. His lungs recovered well. He never had any setbacks in that area. It was so good to finally bring him home!!

Expect the Unexpected. Lukes Arrival! Part1

You all know I was so done being pregnant. I was certain my new boy would come early. However, not 3 weeks early!

It started at 5:30 AM on March 27th. I had just used the bathroom and went back to bed. A few minutes later I thought, "Wow, my bladder is weaker than I thought." I was totally peeing my pants. Or so I thought. The minute I stood up, I knew this was different. My water broke. I stood in the bathroom with a million thoughts running through my mind. My bag isn't packed. Who should I call first? He's coming too early! I had so much planned for the coming week! There's still stuff that needs to get done! I think you get the picture.

I called John. He had just arrived at work when I phoned. I told him to come home fast. But not too fast for I didn't want him to die in a car accident and leave me alone with three boys. Worry much?

My mom was up next. The first thing I said to her was, "What's it like when your water breaks?" I KNEW this was what had happened but I was still in shock and somewhat in denial, even as liquid dripped down my legs.

As luck would have it, my sister, Hilary, was in Logan. She had come the day before with one of her friends and they stayed in a hotel that night. My mom called her and they came right over so John and I could head to the hospital. Such a blessing!

We arrived at the hospital around 7 AM. It was quite obvious my water broke. I had a sudden gush walking into the hospital. "John, it won't stop! I can't make it stop! Crap." I started to laugh. I was laughing all the way to my delivery room. I'm sure the nurses thought I was a basket case.

And, then, we waited. And waited some more. I was bored. I tried reading but after realizing I had gone over the same paragraph multiple times, I gave up. The monitor was showing contractions coming 2-5 minutes apart. I was feeling them but wasn't in any pain.

Finally, around noon, things started picking up. Contractions were getting uncomfortable. An hour later I was starting to wish for pain relief. Why, again, did I choose to do this natural?! Oh, yeah. Recovery. So much faster! I had to keep reminding myself of this.

At 2 PM I wanted him out. They called in a nurse to help me with my breathing. I had been doing well on my own until that point but, somehow, I lost focus and started to hyperventilate.  And the weirdest thing happened. My arms went numb. My hands looked like someone who had severe arthritis. It freaked me out and I still have no idea why it happened. John was on one side, the nurse on the other. Both rubbing my arms and hands and reassuring me I was doing good. My doctor finally arrived, I pushed four times and my baby boy entered the world at 2:30 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and was 19 inches long.

John, cutting the cord.

First time with mom

Getting cleaned up

More of the story to come....