We have called an audible!!

Since we found out we were having a boy, we have struggled with names. We either can't agree or the name is so common when he goes to school they will have to put a number behind the name to tell the kids a part. So we settled on a handful of names. Included in this list were the following: Fordham, Porter, Carter, and Cash. After his birth we couldn't come up with a name. I think too many people kept asking and we couldn't decide. So after everyone left we started discussing it. The nurses kept asking have you picked a name yet. Finally we chose Fordham Paul Schofield. We filled out all the paper work, but when we got home, we just couldn't call him by his name. We referred to him as the baby, the only person who called him Fordham, was Claire. So after much deliberation we have called an audible and changed his name to Carter Paul Schofield. We feel this is a good call. Now he is referred to as Carter as well as Chunky Monkey. Love this little guy and his name too.

He is a month old!!!

I am obviously not a good blogger, but thought I would try to write our little man's birth story. I was induced on August 16th, the second day of first grade for Mackenzie. My mom and dad were here the week before helping out. My mom came up to the hospital to witness the birth and my dad stayed home with the girls, which meant that if Claire had a stinky diaper my dad was going to have to change it ( which he only does in emergencies, and this would count as an emergency).

Marshal and I had to be at the hospital at 5:00 am, which is way to early for a pregnant lady. So we left as the girls slept soundly.

We arrived at the hospital got signed in and were sent to our room. I got dressed in the beautiful hospital gown, and then the poking and prodding began. After 3 attempts the nurse was finally able to get an IV in, which meant the pitocin could be administered. I put on my headphones and listened to hymns for a couple of hours. My mom came up shortly after that and we sat and waited. The contractions started to get really painful, so I asked for the epidural. BIG MISTAKE!!! I was given the epidural, at the same time my doctor had a free minute to break my water. He left without doing that. That was not good. So I had some relief for about 30 minutes before my entire right side became not so numb. Weirdest sensation ever feeling everything on the right side and not on the left. I hated it. My head started to hurt really bad, through all of this and they had to keep bringing me heating packs for the extreme pain in the base of my head and neck. That continued until the doctor came back.

At about 1:00 Dr. Hannah came in and broke my water. The contractions slowed down, so they upped my pitocin and within about 1 hour later I started to feel extreme pain. A nurse came in and said I was only a 6 and still had a while. About 20 minutes later my nurse came in and I was an 8 and within 15-20 minutes I felt the need to push. The nurse came back in and paged the doctor to let him know to come quickly. We had to wait a while. As we are waiting our little man was ready to come, but I was told not to push so I didn't. Finally he comes in about 20 minutes later and within 3 pushes our little guy was here. He had a full head of hair and weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz and was 20.5 inches long. He was big and he was 2 weeks early. I am so glad we didn't wait two more weeks. He came out screaming. It was awesome and surreal.

Then it was time to take the epidural out. I sat up they removed the epidural and I about passed out from pain. I apparently had a spinal headache. The nurse immediately brings me a soda and says to drink it and keep drinking it. She called in the anesthesiologist to do a blood patch. By this time the girls had come up, but I was in so much pain, I don't remember much from after they removed my epidural until the blood patch was done. All I know is every time I would sit up the pain would shoot through my neck and head so I laid flat for a long time. The anesthesiologist came in and they needed to draw blood. However, they had a hard time getting my IV in, they had an even harder time getting blood from me. After about 10 sticks they finally got some blood for the blood patch. They did the blood patch and I actually felt a lot better. I was able to hold our little man and attempted feeding him. The headache was ok. I had a few friends come visit me while Marshal ran home to get some things and help get the kids in bed.

Marshal came back for the night. Sometime in the middle of the night the blood patch stopped working. I had to start calling the nurse for pain meds. I was asking for them every 2-4 hours, finally she asked where the pain was and I said my head. She called the doctor, who wanted the anesthesiologist to come do another blood patch, but after my previous experience there was no way. I begged to go home the day after I delivered. I would rather be miserable in my own bed than a hospital bed. By the time we got home I thought I might die from pain. Instead of stopping to pick up the girls I made Marshal bring me straight home.

Marshal had to take the role of mom and dad for the next week. I was in so much pain I could barely move. I couldn't stand up for any amount of time, and I could barely hold our little man. By Saturday after his birthday, we went back to the hospital and had a second blood patch. This one took. Within about 24 hours I could stand and sit, without falling over in pain.

A month later and everything is more normal. I feel so bad about that first week of his life. I don't remember much about that week. I don't remember what my girls did or said. I don't remember if they were excited or jealous or any of that. I don't remember Kenzie's first week of First Grade. Did she have fun each day? Was she nervous or scared? Did she like her teacher? Talk about Mom guilt. I have it. I know it wasn't my fault, but if I ever have another child and that is a big IF, I will not have an epidural. The pain from a failed epidural was worse than any pain of labor and I don't remember the feelings of that first euphoric week with a new born.

I am so glad he is here and after a month. I can say the girls love him. They want to hold him. They help when it is diaper changing time. They want to burp him and pick out his clothes, and they are all trying to adjust to a new normal. This has by far been the biggest and greatest transition I have experienced as a mother. Trying to balance 4 kids has been a lot harder than any of the others. But it is all worth as I sit and look at this beautiful little boy. I always knew there would be a boy in our family and I love to sit and stare at him. He does add so much to our family already. We are so very blessed to have this addition in our family.

The story of his name will come later. Stay tuned for more, and I promise it won't be a month before I post it.

Before this baby comes!

Now might be the time to document some of the amazing things my little ones are up to, because once this baby comes, it might be a while before another post is made. It's not like I blog all that much anyway. So where to begin....

Mackenzie is 6 going on 16 and is a great big sister most of the time. When she wants to be, she is a great helper. We have struggled a little this summer with being kind and listening and obeying. Granted a lot has been asked of her, since I am large and pregnant and extremely hot and have had many moments of having to lay in bed and not do much because on top of being pregnant I have kidney stones. She loves to read and write. She loves to play with her sisters and make up games. She even likes to make lunch for her and her sisters. The other day, Claire was crying for juice and Kenzie went and got her a cup and poured her a drink of juice. It brought tears to my eyes. Is my child really old enough to handle such a task? She also likes to organize things, she did not get this from her mother. The other day she took out all of the clothes from her dresser, folded them and then put them back in the drawers according to color. I love her quirkiness.

Kathryn is definitely a middle child. When Kenzie is at school or a friends house she plays wonderfully with Claire. She will cuddle with me and just knows how to sit and be still. She is so excited to start preschool this Fall. She has a smile that could move mountains. She loves people. She is good at making people feel good about themselves. She helps Claire get dressed and put away her shoes. She likes to avoid work, when possible, but then out of the blue she will surprise us and we will find her cleaning the toy room by herself. At night we have found Claire and Kate sleeping together in the same bed, because Claire was scared and needed Kate. She loves to cut and paste things. She is going to be my crafty one. She also loves to write. She has learned to write almost all of her letters. She also loves to sing and dance. She is a happy girl who loves to giggle and absolutely loves her daddy. She is growing up so fast.

Claire is our little "pig pen". She was given this nickname by a friend, because no matter how clean she is when we leave the house or get out of the bath, within 5 minutes it looks like she hasn't bathed in days. She is coy and mischievous. She likes to hide things. Her favorite game is to take something she is not supposed to have and run and hide, until you find her and take it away from her. She climbs on everything. She has no fear. She is a fish. She loves to swim and would stay in the pool all day if we let her. She swims with those water wings and doesn't want any adults to help her. She jumps off the side of the pool and doesn't want you to catch her. She likes to sneak treats and eat them as fast as she can. My favorite part about that is she always leaves evidence around her mouth. We have tried to potty train, but this mommy doesn't have the energy so after this baby is born that will be our focus. She loves to cuddle, and will come into our room in the middle of the night and try to sneak into bed with us, but I just can't sleep if someone is touching me, so she usually gets moved to the floor. She is going to hate having to share the spotlight with this baby boy.

Baby boy has yet to be given a name. We can't decide on a name. It is a topic we discuss daily in our home. We have a few we like, but I'm not sharing them here, because then someone might make a comment about the name and change my opinion. I figure when he comes in the next two weeks, we'll just know what his name is. He is a big boy. He has been measuring big since our first ultrasound. I have gained the most weight with this little guy, and he is a mover. I can't wait for him to get here. I can't wait for the girls to have a little brother. I have been very blessed to be pregnant. As I think back to all of the struggles we had getting pregnant with Mackenzie and thinking that if we didn't have anymore it would be ok, and now here we are about to be the parents of four children. I am amazed and excited, but I will say I will be glad to not be pregnant.

I am grateful for my sweet blessings and I am making a promise that next summer, my kids will have more fun and not be plopped in front of the TV because it is too hot for this mommy to go anywhere. My guilt has been bad, because we haven't had any really fun adventures this summer, but I pray daily that my little ones understand that this summer was all about growing a healthy baby and spending time inside together, learning to use our imaginations and serving each other.

In the next couple of weeks I hope to be posting a picture of two of baby boy Schofield, with his amazing sisters. Until then wish me luck.

I turned 30!?!

I realize my birthday was actually in April, but turning 30 is a right of passage, so I thought I should attempt to blog about it. I was not looking forward to turning 30. Being pregnant and 30 was scary for me. So many people told me that being pregnant and 30 is harder than being in your 20s and being pregnant. I thought it doesn't matter, but it sort of does. I realize I am more tired, more run down and not as energetic. Now I could attribute that to being 30 or the fact that I have 3 small children that are my full time job at this time.

Anyway, I wasn't looking forward to 30, and I told Marshal I did not want any party, I just wanted to relax. So he surprised me by planning a get away to Chicago with our best friends the Bruce's. Nana and Papa took the kids for a few days and we flew to Chicago, where I received a massage, manicure and pedicure to relax. We went to great restaurants and saw the Blue Man Group and walked around the city. It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend my 30th birthday. I am so grateful for a husband who knows how to plan a fun get away.

30 isn't so bad after all.

Girl's Camp

For anyone who knows me, they know I LOVE GIRL'S CAMP!!!!! This year after finding out I was pregnant with our 4th child, which happens to be a boy, I received a call from the Stake asking if I would accept the assignment of Assistant Stake Camp Director. I was so excited I didn't sleep that night. I couldn't wait to get started. At the time the assignment was extended, no one knew I was expecting except our family. Looking a head a would be 30 weeks pregnant at the time of Girl's Camp, no big deal. I was too excited to worry about that small detail. In the past 5 years I have gone to Girl's Camp on a ward level 3 times and I have been pregnant for 2 of those years. I must say it has become the norm.

As a side note, while I am pregnant I have serious kidney issues. The doctor doesn't know why but with all 4 pregnancies I have been on antibiotics for the majority of the pregnancy due to bladder and kidney infections. In fact with 2 of my pregnancies I have ended up in the hospital for a few nights to receive antibiotics. With this being said, we were all a little worried about me being in the summer heat 30 weeks pregnant, but the Lord truly sustained me through the whole week. I was truly blessed with strength and health, and I know with all my heart the Lord was protecting me through it all.

The Lord's protection was evident throughout all of camp. Small and big miracles were abundant. The first night a severe weather watch was out on our area. The priesthood went and pulled all of the girls up to the lodge just to be safe. The promptings to move them were truly inspired. The storm itself wasn't too bad. A little bit of rain with some lightening and thunder, but I've been through much worse. After the storm passed a few of the leaders went out to see if there was damage to the campsites. Boy was there ever. A serious straight line wind knocked a tree over, which landed on a tent, that would have had YW in it. Each ward had lost at least one if not two tents and canopies were torn a part. As we stood looking at the tree on top of the tent, the tears started to flow. The Lord had truly protected us, by prompting those priesthood holders to move those YW. I am so grateful for that experience, because it strengthened my testimony of being in tune with the spirit and following it's promptings.

It was a fun, very tiring week. I had my share of tears through the week, as I missed my girls and my husband. The YCL's were amazing and I am grateful I was able to get to know so many of them better. In our Stake we had 42 YCL's and next year we are expecting about 60. I love to see how many amazing YW we have in our stake. It is amazing to see and hear 200 YW and leaders sing songs, hanging out together and just being in one amazing place. Our theme this year was "Protector's of Virtue", it was a great theme and each ward got to be warriors fighting to protect Virtue and our values. I loved Girl's Camp it will always hold a special place in my heart.

It's been awhile!!

Since my last post we have announced the coming of a baby boy to this house of crazy girls. This pregnancy has been different in many ways. At first I was shocked I was pregnant. It wasn't in our plans, but it was definitely in the Lord's. I am so grateful he knows what I need when I need it. I thought for sure this little one would be the baby sister, and got an even greater shock when we had the ultrasound and discovered it was a boy. I am usually pretty good at holding it together and not crying in public, but I actually started crying when the sweet ultrasound tech said it's a boy. I couldn't believe it. I still look at the pictures at least once a day. Kenzie is excited about it, but Kate is over the moon to be getting a brother. Claire likes to kiss my tummy and say hi to the baby.

These last couple of months have been a time of reflection for me. I think about how am I really going to handle 4 instead of 3. I think about how different it will be to have a boy instead of a girl. That is foreign to me. I have had my usual kidney issues this time around, but have found peace and comfort in the scriptures and in General Conference talks. Through all of this I have learned to count my blessings as well. I am relatively healthy and have a supportive family that help take care of me and encourage me on my bad days. I have great friends who listen to the promptings of the spirit and stop by or call on days where things aren't going so well. I think we all have moments in our life where we need to stop and just be still and this pregnancy has given me that opportunity. I am grateful for that. All the pain and medicine is worth it, because I know that I am learning and growing through this experience. Only about 15 more weeks, and the opportunities to sit and reflect will be fewer and maybe a little more chaotic, but I am grateful for this time to reflect and think of the wonderful blessings in my life.

The Worst Christmas/Month Ever Part 2

I feel like I need to start this edition with some wonderful things. Here are some positives from our worst Christmas ever. My kids were so sick that they wanted to go to bed on Christmas Eve. They stayed in pajamas for most of the week, so I didn't have nearly as much laundry. I got to spend time with my family. Marshal was home for most of the sickness, so I didn't have to do it alone. My mom and dad were there to help and convince my oldest to take her medicine, so I didn't have to fight her every time. I got a Snuggie for Christmas, which I must admit is the best present ever. And Kenzie didn't have to miss tons of school because of her being sick. I hope the 3 of you who read this, will see I did find the silver lining.

So, where we left off; We got home Sunday night and the first thing Monday morning I called the doctor to get them in, since we were still running 101.5 temps. We get there and I ask him to check for strep throat, and bronchitis and any other sickness. He just says I am going to test for the flu. Sure enough it comes back positive for Flu A, which for anyone wondering it is the same strain that is H1N1. We are then stuck at home until all symptoms are gone. Marshal and Claire were put on Tamiflu, and I decided I didn't want to spend the money on it for me. So after 5 days of fever, we settle down for the 5 more days of expected illness.

By Wednesday night Kenzie is waking me up screaming because her ear hurts. I call Thursday morning and we go in and what do you know, Kenzie's ear drum has burst and Kate has double ear infections. We are put on antibiotics and finally by Friday we are fever free and acting more normal. We go to church Sunday. I walk into nursery and I'm not feeling to well and the other leaders told me I should go home. I get home and take my temperature and discover I now have a 102 fever. It's my turn.

For 4 days I am miserable and grateful that Marshal is willing to get Kenzie up ready for school and out the door so I can sleep in. I am very grateful for Nick Jr. and kids who will sit and watch it while I sleep for hours at a time. I am grateful for Claire's 3 hour naps.

The next week, Kenzie feels better except she is a little backed up. After a week of no bowel movement we start with some pediatric laxatives. While feeding Kenzie her 3 pills, Claire has climbed on the counter and eaten 5 of them. I call poison control and the guys just laughs at me and says that should be some fun diapers. Yeah, thanks for that. I woke up every 2 hours to check diapers and see if Kenzie needed to go yet. Still no poop. By 6 in the morning Claire is waking me up saying Mom, Poop. Of course she was right. That was one crappy day. Kenzie still had not used the bathroom, so my next attempt is a suppository, and that didn't work either. Thanks Beth for your help with that. I finally call the doctor and they tell me to use miralax, which I did for 2 days morning and night. She stayed home from school, because I didn't want that to kick in while at school, because the mess would not have been pretty. Finally after about 9 days, she went and went and went.

Now we are all healthy and I can be thankful for that, and that Claire and Marshal have stayed healthy so far. I'm also thankful that this happened over a holiday because we got to spend a lot of time together as a family. I am also thankful for a few of my wonderful friends stopping by with Vanilla Dr. Peppers to get me through the rough days. I'm grateful for a good neighbor who brought over the most amazing chicken noodle soup mixture that everyone ate. I'm also thankful for the little cooking I had to do, because no was in the mood to eat. I'm grateful for what is to come and that the new year is a time for new beginnings and better attitudes and better health hopefully, but even if not the most healthful, at least filled with the blessings of love and family to pick you up when things are rough. So even through the Worst Christmas Ever, there are blessings beyond measure surrounding our family. I love the opportunity to look back on this Christmas in the years to come and laugh about how absolutely miserable it was.