Introducing!

Baby Rome is finally here!(In fact he's a whole week old now!) He's such a wonderful little thing and each day with him makes me wonder how we ever managed without him.
On Tuesday, May 17, I went in for my 38 week appointment. The previous week I had been dilated to a 3 plus but my measurements had been small and so my Doctor thought it would be better to wait for another week to see if he could grow a little more before coming out. I had a baby shower on the 14th that I was so worried I would miss and I was also working Friday and Saturday on the ambulance. (this was pretty exciting especially on Friday when we got called to a chest pain in Parowan and I started having contractions on the way. I didn't tell my partner, Marc, because I thought he would leave me on the side of the road. Haha! The patient did good, which was fortunate for both of us because I think 1 round of CPR would have done the trick for me.) Every day that week, I thought he was definitely coming but I had planned with my cousin Annie who is the best labor and delivery nurse ever that she was going to be my nurse and I wanted her to for sure be there so I worked really hard at doing nothing all week to make it to Tuesday when she'd be working.
At my 38 week appointment, I had lost 2 pounds, the measurements weren't any better and I was dilated to a 4 plus so Dr. Gatherum sent me to labor and delivery to have the baby. They had already had a busy morning at labor and delivery and they didn't have a room available for about an hour so I sat in the waiting room and waited for David to come. When the room was ready, Annie took us back and told us the plan. She did an awesome job of taking care of any nervousness I had. The plan was to start the IV and get some fluids infusing, get my epidural, have the Doctor come to break my water, use some positioning to get the baby to turn so that he wasn't a posterior delivery like the girls were, then have the baby.
While the IV fluid was infusing, Dr. Gatherum called to ask Annie if she wanted him to come and break my water. She told him he was not allowed to do anything until I got the epidural because she thought I was going to progress fast. Thanks Annie! As soon as I had my epidural placed, Dr. Gatherum came in and broke my water. We never had to start pitocin or augment my labor at all because 10 minutes later, I had dilated to a 7. Annie had me lay sort of on my side leaning on my stomach to get Rome to turn, which he did without any problem in about 45 minutes.
Annie kept asking me if I felt like I needed to push. It seems like my epidural was pretty strong because I never felt that sensation this time and had to be told when to start pushing. I probably pushed for like 5 minutes or less before he was out and in our arms. The entire labor and delivery lasted about an hour and a half. It was so much fun to see him for the first time and to see his red fuzzy hair! He was 6pounds 15.8 oz so they round up to 7 lbs, and 19 inches long, which makes him shorter and fatter than his sisters were at birth. He was grunting a lot after he was born which raised some concern that he was having some breathing distress. He kept it up for several hours and everyone was saying that he was just singing. After unbundling him during a feeding, he stopped grunting and went right to sleep.
The girlies came to meet him not long after he was born and Mckinley was so sweet with him and excited that he was here. In the pictures above, she was singing songs to him. It was so cute. She asked the Doctor when we could feed him "some mashy baby food." Dolce was interested in her brother but had a less gentle approach and so her love had to be more restricted. She climbed into his hospital bassinet and layed down and has since been reminding us that she is still our baby too.
The days events weren't finished yet however. A couple of months before, Annie had asked us to participate in training for a code pink, or stolen baby at the hospital. So, after the pediatrician had been in to check Rome and make sure he was doing good, my cousin Lizzy came for a visit. We carefully placed Rome into a backpack and then Lizzy snuck him out of the hospital. The training seemed to go well, and the staff members acted appropriately and hopefully were able to practice the necessary steps that would need to be taken in a real code pink.
We are having so much fun with our new little boy. I think it's safe to say that boys are just as much fun as girls. We love our Baby Rome so much. We can't believe we are so lucky!

Thanks So Much!

These beautiful girls threw the most wonderful baby shower for me a few days ago! Everything was so perfect! It was a blue elephant theme and brunch was served and games were played. The food was so good and fresh and I felt so lucky to have this support group of women who were there to show me that they already love my baby boy.
These aren't easy times for anyone that I know. And all during this pregnancy, it has really been a strength to me when friends and family have let me know in one way or another that they have been thinking about me and our family. Whether it has been through phone calls, messages, meals, treats left at the door or just your friendship. I have received quite a few gifts during this time that will always be special to me because they have been made with loving hands. Thank you so much! As I thought of these gifts and looked around the room at each person at the baby shower, it occurred to me that all of these ladies had made a sacrifice for me and my baby and I feel so grateful. None of these sacrifices have come with any expectation of repayment. How could I? I truly have been showered with love. Thank you all so much! Special thanks to Brooke, Kerin, and Michelle for providing the shower to help me realize how lucky I am!

Amelia Bedelia would be so proud!

Some of my favorite books from around the 2nd grade era were the books about Amelia Bedelia. Everything she did was so ridiculous and funny, and amazingly, no matter how much of a mess she got herself into, everything magically worked out for her. She was also a wonderful cook, and could always patch things up with just about anyone or anything with her culinary treats.
Almost every year around Easter, I have memories of going on a picnic. It's always fun to pick a fun location and pack the food. My Mother has always tried to bring something homemade for the picnic and this reminds me of Amelia Bedelia because in one of her books, she pulls a lemon meringue pie out of a picnic basket while camping. Haha!
This year, Mckinley was so excited for us to go on a picnic, but the weather has been so cold that I thought the right day would never come. It caught us off guard when it did. I made some tuna fish sandwiches, we mixed up kool aid, and brought some cookies and chips to the park. We ate on a blanket and enjoyed the day and the sunshine.
I made these folding picnic placemats for Easter, and really like how they turned out. You can pack all your utensils and a plate and roll it up into a cute little bundle. There is even a little slot for a napkin and a straw. Amelia Bedelia, these are for you.

Thinking Blue Thoughts

If it's possible for 9 months to sneak up on anyone, I'd say it definitely has on me. I can't believe it's almost time for our little boy to come! I'm so excited. I still need to pack a hospital bag but... At the back of my mind for the whole pregnancy have been little flickers of thought about this new little person that I'll get to meet soon. I wonder all the time what he will be like, his temperament and personality, will he have red hair like his dad(or no hair, like the girls) I can't wait to see him for the first time after we have been together already for 9 months. It feels like this will be almost like having my first baby because he is a boy and I've been thinking about how different boys are from girls. Today as I'm at work away from everything at home, I'm taking the time to bring some of these little thoughts forward. I love him already. Come soon, Little Boy!

Easter Parade!

Wow, I'm posting this late. Happy Easter! I have been wanting to post pictures of these cute little princesses wearing their Easter bests. However, on Easter Sunday, Dolce woke up with the throw up flu...again! And so she stayed home from church that day and didn't get to wear her new dress. Then, last Friday, she had another seizure and we were worried about tiring her out too much and so I still don't have a picture of my beautiful Easter girls in their dresses. I loved the cheeriness of yellow for both dresses this year, and after watching the royal wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate, I think it was a lovely choice. If yellow is good enough for the Queen of England, it should be perfect for my little Angels too! Haha! I am at the end of my pregnancy, and wanted a cute skirt to wear on Easter Sunday. I knew just the one I wanted and was so excited. But then when I tried on the cute skirt, I felt so ugly and huge, that I decided against buying it, and opted to make this one instead. We also had an Easter Egg hunt and the girls loved finding all the little surprises. Dolce was so funny, eating as she went from treat to treat. We love this tradition. There will still be some pictures coming of Dolce wearing her pretty Easter Dress. She's been a sick girl and we haven't had her outside much after her seizure, but things are warming up and she is finally beginning to get better and put on some much needed weight. We will keep you posted.