Afton Aria

*UPDATED to add pictures!*

December 02, 2014, three weeks before my due date, we welcomed our newest family member into the world. We were completely unprepared, as we were convinced we had at LEAST two weeks to prepare. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming.

The day before Thanksgiving we made a trip to L&D because I was in a lot of pain (thank you, polyhydramnios, sciatica, symphysis pubis disorder [SPD], and hydronephrosis) and just felt so off. We were sent home, having passed all the tests with flying colors. I was told I was about 50% effaced and 1.5 cm dilated. The next day my mom gave me a very relaxing belly massage, and I felt much better. The day after Thanksgiving my belly dropped. I wasn't worried, though. Dropping essentially meant nothing, after all, and many women walk around at 1-3 cm dilated for quite a few weeks before labor starts.

We got home Sunday night and resumed our normal schedules Monday morning. I used Monday to just relax, which meant my destructo boy destroyed the house. I'll clean it tomorrow, I thought.
Tomorrow I'll also pack my hospital bag. And prepare baby's stuff. And finish making our Christmas stockings.  Ha, yeah right.

4:48 Tuesday morning I woke up with a sharp pain in my bladder. I went to the bathroom, then went back to bed. Ten minutes later, another, stronger pain hit my bladder. Almost simultaneously I thought, great, a bladder infection, and shoot, this feels familiar. I went to the bathroom again. Maybe I just didn't empty my bladder enough? It was dark in the bathroom because I was too lazy to turn on the light, but I could still see the dark stain on the toilet paper. Shooooooot. I sat in the bathroom for a while, then I went in the bedroom to grab my phone. I woke Rich up, telling him I was cramping and had bloody show, but it wasn't time to worry so he could go back to sleep.

I went downstairs to try and get some more sleep on the couch, still hoping the contractions would peter out and baby would stay put for another two weeks. Baby couldn't come yet, it was almost finals week!!! By this time it was about 5:45 and I sent a text to my mom telling her what was going on and promising to keep her updated.

About fifteen minutes later the contractions were becoming too intense to sit through, so I went upstairs and got in the shower. It felt good to run the hot water over my back as I braced myself against the shower wall. I filled up the tub and laid down. It was very relaxing and I was able to breathe through the contractions and just float. An hour later I started feeling sick and the water was no longer helping me relax. I got out, and the contractions started coming every couple of minutes, but were still inconsistent and short. But oh my gosh, they hurt. It felt like every nerve in my body was protesting, like I was being ripped apart. I called for Rich, but he didn't hear me.

I hobbled to the door and flung it open, calling for Rich as another contraction hit. I braced myself against the counter, trying not to vomit. It took a few more minutes of calling to wake Rich up (men...*eye roll*), then he finally came in the bathroom just in time for me to collapse against him for another contraction. The hardest part of it all at this point was trying to be quiet so I didn't wake Sage up.

With Rich's help I finally made it to the bed. I laid a towel down and just hugged a pillow. By 7 am I knew that it was no false alarm...it was time to go to the hospital! I remember telling Rich: "If we get there and I'm not at least 4 cm I'm going to murder someone."

Rich called and updated my mom and sister. Luckily Sage woke up just after. Rich got us both dressed and somehow in the car. I have no idea how I made it down the stairs, the contractions were still inconsistent but close together. I had a contraction as soon as I sat in the front seat. If you've never had a contraction while strapped into the car in the most ridiculously uncomfortable position ever, count yourself lucky. I'm pretty sure my moans turned to screams of agony at this point.

In hindsight, I suppose my labor was more painful this time around because I was so worried about upsetting Sage and making sure Sage was okay, and subconsciously trying to keep baby in...37 weeks was much too early for baby's arrival! And Rich's finals were the following week!

We went to the wrong entrance at the hospital, so a nice man wheeled me to the correct wing and up to labor and delivery while Rich parked and got Sage out. He kept trying to talk to me, I think my moaning scared the poor man. The labor ward was pretty empty. I remember thinking it was odd just seeing the nurses standing around looking bored. They got me in the room at about 8:10 am and tried to help me into a gown while also asking the admitting questions. Rich made it to the room with a very confused looking Sage. My mom and sister weren't there yet to watch him. Rich helped answer questions as I focused on breathing and trying not to kick the nurse who was trying to place the IV. She was not nice...I still have nerve damage in one hand from that. I remember the nurses asking if we knew gender, who we wanted to announce gender, who we wanted to cut the cord, and if I wanted baby on my chest for skin contact right away. They even wrote it on a white board so everyone was on the same page.

My nurse, Aubrey, was a godsend. She held my hand, stroked my hair, and softly coached me through breathing deeply. I know she was all over the place getting things ready, but somehow she was always right there when I needed her. The other nurses offered to take Sage because he was getting pretty worried and scared at this point because I kept crying out. I'm told he had a blast with them, and they fed him graham crackers and juice, so he probably found his new best friends.

Anyway, they asked if I wanted an epidural and I said I didn't know. Then another contraction hit and I begged for one. They checked me and said I was 8-9 cm with a bulging bag, they didn't think the anesthesiologist would make it in time. Secretly, I hoped he didn't, but as long as I held out for the hope that relief was coming, I could make it. Probably.

My doctor, Dr. Kirkman, made it just in time, about 8:30 am. He checked me and said it was go time! My water hadn't broken at this point and the baby hadn't engaged at all because I had so much extra fluid. Dr. Kirkman told me he was going to break my water and baby would be there soon. It was the sweetest relief to have my water break. I felt very little pain after that, just a sudden release of pressure and a LOT of warm, gushing fluid. I almost laughed at how much there was, though. I think my belly deflated about four inches immediately...I could suddenly see my feet!

I felt the urge to push and they counted me through it. I was not done after ten seconds, though. I followed my body and pushed as long as I needed to and when my body told me to. 4 or 5 pushes later, Dr. Kirkman said the head was out. He had me pause for a second then push the rest out. At 8:52 am held baby up for us to see and everyone waited for Rich to announce the gender. It took him some coaxing, I think he was a little shocked. He finally grinned and said, "It's a girl! We have a girl!"

My baby girl was put on my stomach and her cord was cut. They pulled my gown down and tucked her under my tank top, where she went from protesting about the injustice of birth to contentedly sucking her two middle fingers. She was so warm and cheesy and tiny!

Ignore my double chin...apparently my face swells double in size during childbirth. I'm still wearing my tank top and non-nursing bra, there wasn't time to change out of them. It was tricky getting her under my tank, but she was pretty content!

My mom came in the room just as I was birthing the placenta and being stitched up. We were all happy and laughing as my doctor was telling us how he nearly didn't make it in time. She told Rich that he was supposed to tell me to cross my legs so she could make it in time. We told her it was a girl, and she said "I knew it!"

Rich said, "We're naming her Afton, right?"

I held baby Afton and tried to nurse her a bit. It was hard getting her to latch, she was so sleepy and she didn't seem to have a rooting reflex. About an hour after she was born, they took her to be weighed and cleaned. We were all shocked when she was weighed. 7 lbs 2 oz! Where was she storing that weight?? She scored 8 & 9 on her Apgars. I was shivering and trying to keep warm, and while they were piling more blankets on me I heard them talking about how she had a c-section head and breech baby hips because her legs were froggied over her chest. Rich passed my sweet girl back to me to try nursing again.

Aubrey came in to transfer us to the maternity ward. I felt great, I thought getting up would be a cinch. I always forget how hard it is to move with no abdominal muscles. We got wheeled up to the room and settled in. Rich was head over heels in love instantly. He didn't want to put her down. He had a class to go to and a presentation to participate in, but he was so attached to baby girl he decided to skip it all so he could snuggle with her more. It was really sweet. Sage didn't know what to think of her at first, but he warmed up to her and gave her lots of kisses.

This birth experience was very healing for me in every way. I am so fortunate to have such a great support system and such wonderful people in my life. I am infinitely grateful for my beautiful children and wonderful husband, my family is my everything.

September!

Are we halfway through September already? Where did August go???

We're all settled in to our most recent apartment here in Logan, and we're definitely celebrating the fact that this is our last winter in Logan, ever! No offense towards those who love this little city...

Rich is still adjusting to being in school, he's got that lovely "senioritis" bug that makes it so hard to want to do anything school-related. But he's workin' through it, he's a champ! He's excited for his capstone project this year, he gets to participate in a project designing a new type of hybrid longboard. Which, if you know Rich, is pretty much a dream come true! He's also preparing to take the FE exam this fall, which is the big final engineering exam he has to take in order to get his degree. Needless to say, prayers and positive thoughts would be much appreciated there!

As for me, I'm taking this year off of school and just focusing on chasing after our little munchkin, which is indeed a full time job! Sage is very inquisitive and curious, he wants to be everywhere and see and explore everything, and he is fast. He could give Speedy Gonzales a run for his money...literally. He's a very intense little boy! He now says "Hi" regularly, but that's about it as far as speaking goes. He does say "dad" often, and still refuses to say "mom." Ah, well, c'est la vie.

Rich and Sage are quite the pair. Sage is Rich's mini-me in so many ways, from their social habits to their food preferences, they are so much alike it is almost uncanny! Sage has a hard time saying goodbye to Rich in the mornings. This morning he saw Rich getting ready to leave, so he grabbed his shoes and took them to Rich so he could go with him. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time, Sage would shadow Rich all day long if he could. He's definitely a daddy's boy!

Welllll, it's been quite a while since I've updated, hasn't it! What a crazy summer it has been! Rich is working for Dish One, originally as a head technician for the Seattle area, but now just regular tech. We had to find a new home for our husky pup, Zoey, because we couldn't bring her with us on this unprecedented job. It was heartbreaking saying goodbye to her, but she's in a nice home now with another sweet puppy and a loving family. We're hoping to one day try again with another fur baby, hopefully when we have a stable income and a house with a yard.
We're currently living in Vancouver, Washington, a mere half mile from the first place I ever lived, and a short walk away from my very first elementary school! We also got to reconnect with my brothers after over four years of separation, which is a huge blessing and a great experience.
We started the summer out in Kent, Washington, about 25 minutes outside of Seattle. It was a gorgeous area, nice and cool! We shared an apartment with my sister, who was the Seattle area administrator for Dish One. It was great being able to have her around, we did a lot of exploring on the trail behind our apartments, went to the local farmer's market (where we spent Sage's first birthday), hiking, and just generally enjoying it.
Dish One ended up shutting down the area because it wasn't producing enough jobs. All the guys on Rich's team transferred to another company, and Rich transferred down to the Portland area as a regular technician under another head tech.
Rich is much happier down here, though he misses his friends on his Seattle team. It's a lot less pressure and stress when you're not in charge! He only has about 2 1/2 weeks left, and then we move back to Utah. We're all ready for this job to be over - it's far too much work for Rich with far too little payoff - but we're definitely not ready to leave beautiful Washington and Oregon and go back to Utah!
We spent our second anniversary at Multnomah Falls in Oregon, which is an absolutely lovely view and hike. Although the humidity was pretty overwhelming while also wearing a toddler on my back. Whew!
This summer has been a rollercoaster emotionally and quite the adventure! We're excited to see family again, we've really missed everyone! And we're very, VERY excited for Rich to start his last year of school!

The Newest Adventure Begins...

So, most of you have probably already heard the news, especially if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram....

Surprise!!!!

Okay, just kidding. Had you fooled, didn't I? But I just couldn't resist. I don't even know whose pee stick that is...I got the picture from Google.
But we really do have a new family member!
We brought home a new baby last Wednesday.
She has big brown eyes, a happy disposition, loves to cuddle, and sleeps like a log.
She also has fur...lots of fur.

Zoey is an 11 week old Siberian husky puppy. She's our fur baby, and fits in to our little family so well!

It was love at first sight for Sage and I. We had originally gone to the shelter because we were bored. Sage loves to look at the animals, especially the dogs. It was a nice day and we didn't want to go home, so we decided to take a trip to see the dogs and cats. Then, at the last kennel, we saw this little sweetie pie...

Of course, we just had to play with her. And the rest is history.

Sage meeting Zoey at the shelter for the first time.

Rich took a little longer, but he finally came around. Especially when he discovered how cuddly she is. He's still getting used to her...he hasn't had many good experiences with animals, and wasn't looking forward to the responsibility. But he likes her, I can tell. 

Zoey is pretty active, much like Sage. She plays hard and sleeps hard, too. 

She is not house trained yet, but we're working on it. She is doing surprisingly well. She sleeps in an old pack & play next to our bed at night while we're waiting for her kennel to arrive, and she does pretty well at staying quiet most of the night, but wakes relatively early. When she wakes up, usually about 5:45 AM, Sage decides it's time to get up, too. I should probably start going to bed earlier than midnight...

People have called me a crazy lady for taking on this rambunctious little girl in addition to our High Needs little boy. I will admit, I never get a second to breathe anymore. I thought it was bad with Sage climbing all over me when I pee, but now I've got Sage and Zoey at my feet, begging for my attention during this time. I've tried shutting the door, but when I do I get to listen to whining and crying, pounding and scratching, and two little paws and two little hands reaching for me in the gap between the floor and the door. 

Whenever I open the fridge, it's almost guaranteed that both Zoey and Sage will come running (or crawling, in Sage's case). They try to swap food sometimes, which is hilarious and frustrating all at once. 

Sage is figuring out how to play with Zo, and Zoey is still learning not to mouth Sage or nip at his feet when he crawls. 

Sometimes it's hard to remember she's a dog, not a human baby. She sure acts like one some times! Either that, or Sage just acts so much like a puppy that I'm used to it...

Well, there's not much else to say...enjoy these pictures of our adorable new family member! She's asleep in most of them...it's hard to get a good picture when she's awake, because she's always moving!

This is an hour or so after we brought her home...she found Sage's blankets.

Nap time!

Zoey likes to sleep on the shelf below the coffee table. She's gonna be so frustrated when she can't fit there anymore...

Log baby [:

Snuggling with Eeyore. Look at that smile!

2014

Sage is officially seven months today, weee! Hooray for us, we've kept a tiny human being alive for seven whole months! I don't have a picture, though, because the little stinker broke my phone, and I lost my camera somewhere...Don't worry, though, he's still as cute as ever.
So, here's where we're at:
Sage is almost crawling, sometimes he does this army crawl/scoot thing, but most of the time he just gets stuck on his hands and toes and then faceplants into the floor. He got a LeapFrog MyPal's dog named Scout for Christmas, and he loves it (along with all the other wonderful toys he was given). He doesn't like to sleep unless Scout and his turtle Tinker are right next to him. He loves stuffed animals, the other day in the store he wanted to give all the Valentines Day animals kisses. Every. Single. One.
We think he's getting tooth #3, and oh boy it's so much worse than the bottom two!
We've started sleep training and so far it's going alright. The first night he slept a four hour stretch then five and a half hour stretch, which was fantastic. The next night he was up every 45 mins - 2 hours wanting to be held and nurse (courtesy of the teething, I'm guessing). On the third night he slept over 10 hours. I didn't, though, because I was up every hour and a half making sure he was still alive. I'm not afraid to admit I was pretty paranoid. The past couple nights have been pretty rough, and he just lays there and calls for me (sounds like crying but it's not really) until I finally go get him. Hopefully this tooth will pop through and we'll all get some rest soon.
Rich had a great winter break. He got to play lots of games with his siblings and cousins, which made him one happy little nerd. He's apprehensive about his workload this semester, but he's excited that it will be his last difficult semester ever. Next year he will be taking mostly technical classes, so no more of these intensely difficult physics, dynamics, and math-based classes. Yay! We still don't know where he will be interning over the summer, but Rich has high hopes for some great sounding places.
Well that's about it. Life has been pretty busy but news-less. We're happy to say good-bye to 2013 and are all looking forward to an amazing 2014!
Okay, I lied. Here are some pictures from Christmas 2013.

6 Months

I'm behind, it's about time for an update! Our monkey turned six months old on the 7th of this month. I can't believe it has been six months!

Then and Now. Oh, and thanks Aunt Danielle for the suit!

He's got so much personality, and he's such a busy little boy it's hard to keep up with him, especially during finals! He has almost figured out how to roll over from front to back, but we're not quite there yet. But he's pulling himself up onto things, so there's that. He's also started dancing to any tune he hears, it's pretty amusing. 

Sage is very much a little Richard. We joke around and say he's already engineer-minded, because he always seems to find the laziest way to play with his toys.

Sage's favorite foods are crackers and avocado. He won't eat anything pureed, it has to be mashed but still chunky, or in pieces so he can feed himself. He likes to test out those little teeth of his!

Rich is in the middle of his finals week, and he is exhausted! He has been pulling all-nighters trying to study for his exams, and since Sage has decided he doesn't want to sleep ever again (and we thought he didn't like sleeping before...oh boy), and is up every 1 1/2-2 hours at night, when Rich finally does get to sleep it's short lived. Poor guy. But he's working hard and doing well, and he's still an amazing father and husband.

We all had a great time going to Oklahoma for the Thanksgiving Holiday, although I'm pretty sure Ben and Danielle were ready to get rid of us after over a week, since we all got sick and overstayed our welcome...we also got everyone else sick, so that was fun (sorry again, guys!). It was great seeing everyone, and watching Sage meet his cousins, especially the ones closest to his age.  I'm still not entirely confident that Garrett and Sage will get along well, they are completely opposite personalities! But I suppose only time will tell. Sage did fairly well for the trip, although towards the end (both ways) he was definitely done with that car seat. I don't blame him, I was done being in the car too!

In other news, we're attempting to grow an avocado tree from the pit. We should know in a month or so if it's working. We don't actually expect fruit, but our house needs some foliage! I'll keep you posted on whether or not we were successful. 

Well, I think that's all the news I have! Logan is depressingly cold, but that's nothing new. We hope you all have an amazing December!

Halloween Adventures

I'm not going to lie, last Halloween was insanely dull. Rich studied all night while I laid around on my newly pregnant stomach, sick and miserable. We didn't dress up, we didn't go out, and we didn't even have any trick-or-treaters come to the door. Boring, boring, boring.
This year was much better, although we still didn't have any trick-or-treaters. But that's alright, we didn't have any candy to pass out this year, anyway! Instead, we stayed in and had a game night with some friends.
We also carved pumpkins:

Rich's pumpkin. When I asked him why he decided to do Jack, he said, "Because he's the pumpkin king. Duh." Of course, how silly of me!

Sage's pumpkin. He didn't actually carve it, of course, but we dedicated it to him. That's a pacifier in it's mouth, in case you couldn't tell. Mine is slightly visible behind his...I was carving a really cool bat, but I didn't have a chance to finish it, so it kinda wilted on me.

We made roasted pumpkin seeds, which turned out to be a pretty big hit.

We had a monster hat from another outfit and a Halloween shirt for Sage. The little stinker didn't want to keep his hat on at first.

Sage is almost 5 months old now. He is daddy's little buddy. Rich can make him giggle so hard, just by making faces at him. It's very fun to see them interact! Sage is pretty much sitting up by himself, very smiley, still loves peekaboo, and is so wiggly it's hard to get a non-blurry picture. He has tried cereal and peas, and loved them at first. Now he's bored with them, and just wants to munch on the spoon. He loves eating his toes and dancing, too!

We hadn't planned on dressing up, as we weren't going anywhere and both had a ton of studying to do. But last minute I felt bad that Sage didn't have a costume for his first Halloween (not that he cares), so I found an old shirt and whipped up a hat (based on the movie How to Train Your Dragon) for him to wear. He didn't want his picture taken, so I kept getting blurry and grumpy-looking pictures.

The ears on the hat are stuffed, so they're rather floppy. They're pointier than they look in this picture. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, especially since it's my first time working with a really thin, stretchy fabric.

But I did manage to get a semi-decent one, although the previous picture is a better view of his hat.

Well, that's our Halloween story! We all hope everyone had a safe, happy Halloween!