Hanging Out

Things are going pretty well around here. We don't get that much sleep because despite being small Daisy has quite the set of lungs. Luckily at 3 AM our neighbors were up partying so I didn't feel too bad. She makes up for it by sleeping all day and we take advantage of the quiet time.

Rocky still adores her little sister and spends about half of the day trying to poke her in the eyes. She thinks it is really funny to have her dad wrap her up like she is the baby to pose for pictures.

Nothing really happens in this video but it gives an idea of how she looks for those of you who don't get the honor of seeing her in person. I am the mom, but I have to say that I think she is pretty cute with her big-eyed stare.


Also, a big congratulations to Laurie on the arrival of her little Johnathon. He came on Friday and is beautiful. The race is over, but it looks like all of us won.

The Details

Brandon did such a good job getting those pictures up so quickly. I'm not positive that the labor was any kind of record but I am sure that it was intense. I've had a few requests for details so if this kind of thing makes you squeamish feel free to skip this post.
On Tuesday morning I went in for my appointment and after an ultrasound it was clear that my placenta was getting prematurely old and my body was ready to go. I hustled home to pick up Brandon and we headed toward labor and delivery. I was feeling good and pretty excited to get started. I got into the room and they broke my water and started the pitocin. I wondered if I would still qualify for the bronze medal or if this would be considered doping. We watched a cooking show about making Spanish foods, and I said, "I hope that this goes fast."
There was a little incident where my blood pressure went down and all the nurses came running in. It was really just because I had been lying too low on my back and the blood flow was stopped. They had me on oxygen and everything and I felt a little silly once it was over. That killed about 20 minutes. At this time I still hadn't felt any pain.
Then all of a sudden I started getting strong contractions. I told the nurse I was ready for some meds and she checked to see if I had progressed enough. I was at a five so she sent someone to get the doctor. Then I had a couple of quick contractions that were super strong and I heard the nurse say that there wasn't time for any medicine. I told Brandon that I didn't want to go on without pain killer but at that point there wasn't any other choice. In about 6 minutes I went from a 5 to fully dilated. By the time Dr. Cooper arrived I pushed twice and she was born. He figured that I was in full labor for about 30 minutes. Let me tell you though, 30 minutes was enough of an experience for me.
It reminded me of a movie where everything just goes so fast. I had always thought that it would be neat to deliver naturally but I never would have had the guts. Brandon said that it would have been exactly like a movie if I would have given the cliche line "You did this to me." I probably would have said it if I could have talked. Now I'm going to get to the business of enjoying the baby and forgetting the birth so that I will hopefully one day think about having another one.
All the doctors and nurses at the hospital were awesome and we are in love with our little Daisy.

Now we are home enjoying some time together.

Thanks for all the love and support.

Good luck to Laurie if she hasn't already gone. She might be the last to deliver but I am sure she'll be the first one back into shape.

Daisy is here!!!!!

Normally we're opposed to posts that include way too many pictures and videos with gratuitous nothingness in them, but we promised the grandmas some pictures of Daisy and who are we to disappoint.























Here's the facts for all the statisticians out there: she was born at 1:52 p.m.; she weighed 7lbs., 4 oz.; and she is 20 and a half inches long. Marci was a champ through out it all, and I'm pretty sure she set a Peace Health Hospital speed record for the shortest yet most intense labor.

No Baby, but in Other News

For those of you who have been following the baby race a quick update. The gold medal went to Trista who came from behind in a surprising upset. Although she had the latest due date her little Kailyn made an appearance at 11:45 P.M. on the 24th. Heather's little Suzie was born that same night, or I guess I should say, early morning at 3:59 A.M. It couldn't have been a closer finish which boded well with the dramatic spirit of the games.
Laurie and I are still fighting it out for the bronze. I am feeling way too good to be close to delivery and we aren't going to be able to finish this one off before the closing ceremonies. I'm happy with how things are going though, especially because last night I had the best night of sleep I can remember in a long time. I'm sure our little Daisy will come when she is ready.

In the meantime we have been keeping busy.
Brandon has been working his tail off trying to get ahead in his classes so that when our bundle of joy comes right before finals he will be able to stay afloat. Because of the new couch and my strong interest in the Olympics he has mostly been relegated to the bedroom. He looks pretty handsome while studying, especially when he is wearing his skull p.j. pants.
I don't think I can blame everything on the new couch, but since I have been spending extra time there as my abdomen continues to expand he has had to pull a lot of double duty doing his schoolwork and a good share of the housework too. I'm lucky to be married to such a good man.

Rocky has been thinking about starting a career in modeling and has been practicing her sassy face. She is showing off the new shirt that was given as a gift for the baby. Her poor baby sister hasn't even been born and she's already stuck sharing clothes.



The enrichment cooking class was a huge success. There is something really special about a bunch of ladies getting together to joke around and try new foods. We were laughing so hard that I thought I would go into labor then and there. It was such a pleasure to have these awesome women over to our house and I hope that we get to do it again soon. We made tapas, or appetizers from Spain including a garbanzo bean and spinach dip, turkey meatballs, Russian salad, deviled eggs, tortillas, and a fruit braid. It was a ton of fun and I felt pretty good about pulling it all off. It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough.


We also went with the playgroup to the fire station. The guys there were so cute with the kids and Rocky had the best time. The boys were mostly interested in the fire engines, but she was all about the river rescue boat. Once she got in that seat she wanted to stay there all day.





I will admit that I am really huge right now, but I hope that this picture isn't completely accurate. I mean, we've all had photos from un -inspired angles, but this one makes me look like I'm about the same size as the engine. Brandon says that it is okay to be huge because I'm so close to baby time but that makes me fear that the picture is more true than I want to believe.

The odds were definitely in Rocky's favor being the girl among all these cute little boys. But even though she was all decked out in her mini skirt and boots they were all more interested in the helmets and gear. It was okay though because, as the great-granddaughter of a former fire chief she was focused on the business of the station. We took a long time examining the ambulance and she promised me that if she ever rides in one it will be as an EMT, not as a patient.

The Race is On

I know it isn´t very flattering, but this is what 38 weeks looks like.
The bonus is that our new couch is in the background and I´m counting on it making the next two weeks more comfortable. I only wish that we had bought it about 9 months ago.

There are 4 of us that are friends that could go into labor at any moment and the race is definitely on. Heather has a jump on the rest of us because her due date is only 2 days away. I think she has already basically sealed up the gold medal but Laurie, Trista and I are in a tight race to make the podium. I figure that if I come in 4th I´ll be in the same boat that Prefontaine was during the Munich Olympics. He gave it his best, but it just wasn´t meant to be.

It´s okay because the playgroup is going to the fire station on Friday and Rocky really doesn´t want to miss it. The best case scenario would be if I went into labor on Saturday afternoon after Brandon and I teach the cooking class for the Spanish Branch Relief Society meeting.

Good luck to us all.

Bonus Picture

Picture Update

I really don't have time right now to be working on this blog because it will probably mean that we are late to church but I know if I miss this pocket of time I will never get these pictures up. Those of you who have ever made it through a day of church with a toddler will understand that after it is over there isn't energy left for blogging. But, the day is still relatively young and I'm feeling pretty chipper so I thought I'd better take advantage of the 15 minutes I've got now.

In preparation for the new baby I have been trying to focus a lot of time appreciating Rocky. We have spent a lot of time together, just the two of us, while Brandon has been dutifully working on his degree. She has brought an unbelievable amount of joy and happiness into my life and she makes every day fun.




Since we've gotten out the baby toys she has re-united with some of her old pals. She almost seems to enjoy the playful puppy and busy bee more than she did when she was little. Hopefully she'll let the new baby have a turn in the bouncer sometime.




She loves her Valentine that came from Oma and still gets it out every day.


Her new bed is perfect size.


What a blessing it is to have such a sweet and fun little girl.

Sugar-Induced Energy

It feels like I have so many things to say, but when I get the chance to use the computer I'm always too tired to get the words out. Thanks to a little bit of Valentine candy (okay, probably a lot) it is almost 8:30 and I'm still awake.

This leads me to my first item of business. The pregnancy.

I am a little over 36 weeks and going strong...and by strong I mean, of course, getting huge. For the most part I feel really good. With the exception of some heartburn the only thing that has really been bothering me is that when I get up in the morning my right hip doesn't work. It seems like it pops out of socket or something and I have to hop around for about 20 minutes. Then it just goes back to normal. I wonder if Brandon thinks I'm faking it like a little kid wearing a sling trying to get attention. At night when I move my whole body pops and creaks like an old house. I try to keep limber by checking out the prenatal yoga videos as the library and Rocky really likes to participate. I twist myself up into strange stretches and I see her little smiling face peeking around my belly. She isn't really that great at making all of the poses, but she gets really into the final part when you just lie down and relax. I don't blame her, that's the part I like too.
I have been having a hard time coming to the reality that we are going to have another baby around here. Sometimes I just think of pregnancy as a state of being instead of a state of preparation. It is easy for me to forget that the jabs I get from the inside are a little person. Last night, after a stream of terrible, bizarre, and unexplainable dreams I finally had a good one where the baby was born and I just got to hold her. I think it turned the switch in my mind and I'm getting really excited to get to know her.

Until then I've got my Rocky to keep me entertained. She is certainly going through some developmental changes. Although she is still a very good little girl, she has started becoming more opinionated and has little tantrums. She watches me until she knows I am too busy to stop her before she gets into things that she knows she shouldn't.
I'm glad that she is so smart and observant, but it is a little scary too.

On the other hand, she can be absolutely adorable and loving. It is amazing to watch a child grow and learn. She dances, sings, and jabbers all day long. She loves reading books and looking at pictures of animals. Her face is so expressive and she has figured out how to make us laugh by wiggling her eyebrows and scrunching up her nose.

For those of you who don't get to see her regularly, here is a quick catch-up.

Here she is modeling a hat that I made and showing off her unique thumb-sucking style.


The pickle princess.

As far as I can tell pickles are her favorite food. She will say pickle over and over until it sounds like she is making an animal sound. Her crown was a playgroup craft and she wanted to wear it all day. After a couple of hours she took it off and removed all the hearts and put it back on with only the stars. First I was impressed that she recognized the difference and was so consistent. I thought she must be a genius. Then she started to put all the hearts into her mouth to eat them and I decided that genius might not exactly be true. By that time all the pickles were gone so what other choice did she have?


She loves reclining in the baby's car seat. It makes her look like a giant.

It is amazing how kids zone out when they are in front of the TV. She loves to watch Sesame Street and I can take a shower and get ready and she won't even move. Part of me feels guilty that I use the screen as a babysitter, but the other part of me thinks that the show is a gift from heaven.

Rocky and Chloe are as tight as ever. When they sit on the couch they sit as close as they possibly can. Rocky may look like she's connected to a Huka, but she's really playing the whistle along with her boom box. She thinks it is best if she makes as much noise as possible when Chloe is trying to read.