1 Month Old: Whose Child Is He?

My precious little boy is over a month now, and I can tell he's getting bigger and heavier and growing up quickly. A part of me wants him to stay little, because I don't know for sure if he's my last baby or not, but a part of me also wants him to get big so I can see who he turns into. He looks far different than I imagined he would look! I'm still puzzled by his golden-brown, almost blond hair and his big bright blue eyes. Where did he come from? Whose child is he? Brad insists that he looks like me, but I have a hard time seeing that. He definitely looks like he could come from Brad's side of the family. I actually think he looks a lot like Scott did when Scott was born. There are some resemblances between him and Lizzy as well, like their noses and puckered lips. The only "me" I see in David are my overlapping toes, although they're long and skinny like Brad's are. Mine are short and stubby.

Baby David has a wonderful personality. He's generally a calm and peaceful baby. He likes to sleep a lot, and he likes to eat when he's awake. He's not much of a crier. In fact, most of the time he gives warning grunts and squeals, just like I did when I was a baby. He only cries when he's had enough and needs food NOW, or if he wants to be held. As a one-month-old, he loves looking at people's faces and gets bored if he's awake and there's no one to look at. He hasn't given me a social smile yet, but I can tell he's getting close. He wants to interact with me. His eyes get BIG when I talk to him or make noises. He's got such pretty blue eyes.

Halloween Post #3: Yee-haw!

Brad, Lizzy, and I all had a fun time wearing cowboy hats for Halloween this year. We were inspired by Lizzy's love and obsession for horses. She is very much into horses right now. She always looks for horses when we drive in the car together, and she loves watching movies or cartoons with horses in them. Her favorite movie for the longest time was Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Now she enjoys watching Bullseye in the Toy Story movies, and she loves Maximus in Tangled.

We wanted baby David to match our costumes somehow, so I crocheted a horse hat for him so he could be a little colt for Halloween. He looked very cute in brown wearing his hat and little horsey slippers.

Halloween Post #2: The Video Game Geek

Scott has a passion for geeky video games. If he had his way, he would play video games all day every day, so it's a good thing he has school, church, and chores to balance his life a bit. Scott, of course, had to wear a costume that reflected his love for video games this year for Halloween. He dressed up as a test subject from the video game Portal 2. Last year he was a test subject from the first Portal game. He had very little modifications to make to his costume.

Scott's Portal costume from 2010:


Scott's 2011 costume next to the original character, Chell, from Portal 2:


A close-up of Scott's homemade Portal gun:

Halloween Post #1: The Gotham Girl

Emma is a diehard Batman/Gotham Girls fan. She developed a passion for Batman about five years ago while reading comic books and watching Batman the Animated Series with her father. She loves the female characters from Batman the best. Emma decided three years ago that she wanted to be a Batman character for Halloween for the next few years, so she began planning what her costumes would be right then and there. She was Batgirl in 2009, Poison Ivy in 2010, and she plans on being Catwoman in 2012. She wanted to be Harley Quinn for Halloween this year.

Doesn't Emma look fabulous as Harley Quinn?

"I'm crazy about... Well hey, I'm just crazy." - Harley Quinn, Gotham Girls

The Highlight of My Day: October 2011

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in October 2011:

Sat 10/1/11: It's General Conference weekend! I enjoyed listening to conference and cleaning up the living room at the same time. Loralee and her girls came over for dinner tonight and I made taco salad. It was fun watching "The Princess Bride" with the girls.

Sun 10/2/11: We had a big sleepover with the cousins last night. We had a great time watching General Conference in the morning and eating lots of yummy food throughout the day. I finished crocheting a little brown hat for David during the first session of conference. It's very cute. I think I'll add ears and make it into a horse hat.

Mon 10/3/11: I enjoyed Family Home Evening tonight. We talked to Scott and Emma about our plans for when the baby comes. I think the baby is coming very soon!

Tue 10/4/11: The baby decided to join our family today almost 2 weeks early. Things didn't turn out the way we had planned, but we are indeed blessed to have Baby David arrive when he did. Welcome to the world, Little D!

Wed 10/5/11: I held David for the first time today. It was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. I will treasure the memory forever. David, your mama loves you with all her heart! You are so precious to me.

Thu 10/6/11: No more breathing tubes for David! David will be in the NICU for the next few days at the very least, but he is doing better every day! I got to hold him tonight again. We tried breastfeeding, but all he wanted to do was sleep on Mama's nice warm skin, which was very sweet. He loves his mama. I got to feed him two bottles of my expressed milk instead.

Fri 10/7/11: Lizzy and Marilyn came to visit us in the hospital again this morning. We planned it better, and Lizzy got to stay with us longer than yesterday, which made everyone happier. Baby David nursed for the first time tonight! He did a wonderful job!

Sat 10/8/11: My baby loves to nurse! That makes me so happy! I was discharged today, which made me feel all sorts of emotions, mainly happy to be home with Lizzy again and sad to leave David behind. Now that I'm nursing David I feel a stronger tug to be with him. I think about him constantly.

Sun 10/9/11: I was able to sleep in my bed tonight! Last night I was in too much pain to lie down on my bed so I slept on the couch. It was nice being in bed with my husband again.

Mon 10/10/11: Brad took care of Lizzy while I visited David in the NICU by myself this morning. Lizzy was so happy to see me when I met her and her daddy in the hospital lobby. She screamed out "Mommy!" from the floor above and made everyone around me laugh.

Tue 10/11/11: David's white blood cell count was too high for him to come home today, which made us sad. But we were happy visiting with him tonight. He looks so nice not wearing his oxygen tubes anymore. They moved him into a room with a window, too.

Wed 10/12/11: Best nursing session this morning! David did fantastic! By the end he looked like a little drunk leprechaun in my lap. I loved it! He looked so cute!

Thu 10/13/11: Baby David might be coming home tomorrow! Crossing my fingers...

Fri 10/14/11: The best news ever! David came home from the NICU today! His numbers were perfect! Lizzy was so happy to meet her little brother for the first time. She wanted to mother him and love him over and over again.

Sat 10/15/11: I have been blessed with another easy-going baby! He woke up only once during the night. He likes to sleep a lot, and he eats about every four hours. He's such a sweetie.

Sun 10/16/11: The Bruce-Clan came to see David tonight.

Mon 10/17/11: It was so nice hearing the pediatrician say that David looked "perfect" at his two week check-up. I like hearing the word "perfect." That was exactly what I wanted to hear.

Tue 10/18/11: I took a nice short walk with Brad this evening to get out of the house and get some mild exercise while spending time with my hubby. It was a good way to combat the "baby blues." I love my husband. He's so loveable and supportive.

Wed 10/19/11: David's cold went away! Yay! He just had it for one night. Lizzy, on the other hand, can't seem to get rid of her cold. Maybe it's because she does things like walk barefoot outside in 40 degree weather, or take a cold bath with all her clothes on. She did both of those today.

Thu 10/20/11: Brad's dad came back from South America today. We had KFC for dinner tonight. Yum!

Fri 10/21/11: Bradley was my highlight tonight. I love being Brad's wife more than anything else in this world. He always goes out of his way to make sure I'm taken care of and that I feel loved. He makes me feel sexy and beautiful, even though I'm recovering from childbirth and I feel sluggish and icky most of the time. He truly is wonderful.

Sat 10/22/11: My mother flew in from Long Beach to see Baby David today and tomorrow. She treated me and my family to dinner at Hires tonight, which was yummy. It was David's first time at a restaurant. He wasn't so sure he liked it.

Sun 10/23/11: I loved watching Lizzy interact with my mother today. She loved playing with Grandma Whitcomb outside in the backyard. They spent hours playing ball, Ring-Around-The-Rosie, and going up and down the slide.

Mon 10/24/11: Brad and I watched the first episode of "Once Upon a Time" tonight. It's been such a long time since Brad and I have sat down together to watch a show. I liked it.

Tue 10/25/11: Tonight was David's first trip to the library with his family. He did super well! I enjoyed getting out of the house and doing something "normal" again.

Wed 10/26/11: We wore our costumes tonight for the ward Halloween party. Emma dressed up as Harley Quinn, Scott dressed up as a Portal 2 test subject, Brad, Lizzy, and I dressed up as cowboys, and David was a baby foal.

Thu 10/27/11: Lizzy and I watched "Kiki's Delivery Service" tonight. It was Lizzy's first time and she loved it.

Fri 10/28/11: Brad and I watched the documentary "Buck" tonight. An excellent film! I wouldn't mind owning it.

Sat 10/29/11: We went to Temple Square this morning for family pictures. In the evening we had dinner with the Bruce-Clan and watched "Buck" for the second time.

Sun 10/30/11: I enjoyed watching Scott and Emma carve pumpkins tonight. They both created their own designs. Emma chose to make a cat face for her pumpkin, and Scott chose make a "creeper" face on his (from the video game Minecraft).

Mon 10/31/11: We had fun going trick-or-treating and having dinner with the cousins. Loralee made a spooktacular Halloween feast featuring spiders, eyeballs, worms, slime punch, and snake. The chips and guts (homemade salsa and guacamole) were yummy, too!

David's Hospital Pics

David's Birth Story

38 Weeks Pregnant, Tuesday, October 4, 2011: The beginning of the morning started off as most mornings do. Brad and Scott got ready to leave for work and school, and we all gathered together in the girls' room for family prayer. As Brad was just about to leave, I told him I had been feeling painful contractions since I woke up that morning, and that I might end up calling him from work if it looked like I might be in real labor. I kissed Brad goodbye and then sat on the edge of my bed. Within moments I felt a large contraction, and then something I did not expect-- a tiny gush of water.

I rushed to the bathroom wondering if I had wet myself. Nothing like that had happened to me before. Instinct told me I was leaking amniotic fluid, but I did not want to jump to that conclusion yet. I stuck a pad in my underwear and went back to my regular morning activities. A few minutes passed and I felt another little trickle. I called Brad and told him to come home.

Brad came home and immediately began getting to work packing things and organizing things. I called my doctor and they told me to come in if I suspected that my water broke. I was planning on waiting until my contractions became more intense before leaving for the hospital, but since I tested positive with Strep-B, I needed to be admitted into Labor and Delivery as soon as possible. We spent the next hour or so preparing to leave and making arrangements for the children. Meanwhile, my contractions were beginning to become more regular-- about every 3 to 5 minutes. I went to take a shower right before we left and that's where I knew without any doubt that my water broke, because it began trickling down my leg full force as I stepped into the shower.

We were immediately admitted when we arrived at the hospital. My labor and delivery nurse, Corene, began monitoring me and baby David to make sure we were progressing okay. Corene confirmed that I had indeed broken my water and I was about 3 cm dilated. She was not pleased, however, with how David was progressing. David's heartbeat was not normal, and I had not felt any movement from him since early that morning. Corene notified my doctor immediately. Dr. Kaelberer arrived at my room, checked our progress, and concluded that I needed an emergency C-section. Before I knew it, I was being whisked away in my bed out of my room and into the hallway.

Everything happened in a blur, but I was not scared or worried. I remained calm. For some reason I knew everything was going to be okay, even though all of my expectations and plans were changing right before my eyes. I only began to get emotional when I realized that having a C-section would mean I would end up being away from Lizzy longer than I had planned, and that broke my heart.

The surgery itself went very well-- far better than I expected. Even when the doctor told me I would feel pressure and tugging, I did not feel a thing. I felt as if I was floating on a little cloud, high up in the air, far away from everything sharp and pointy down below. The surgery was very relaxing, actually, even though it was under very stressful circumstances. I'm sure all the drugs they pumped into me was what made me feel so relaxed.

I remember hearing David cry for the first time. It seemed surreal. Was that really my baby? Was that person making that noise really my child? A huge smile came to my face as I realized that it was him and that he was alive and seemed well. Brad was told to go see him. My heart screamed out go, go, go! I wanted him to take as many pictures and videos as he could since I couldn't see anything behind the blue curtain. Then I waited. I waited and waited and waited. Why wasn't David crying again? I heard a little bit of commotion, but I could not tell what was going on exactly. Then I heard him cry again. It was a weak cry, but it was still a cry. Brad told me he weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and he measured 21 inches long. He was born at 12:40 pm on Tuesday, October 4, 2011.

I later found out that David had stopped breathing while the nurses were attending him and had grown pale and limp. I am so glad I did not know that at the time!

The second half of the surgery seemed to take a very long time. The nurses were working on David the entire time a few yards away from me, though I could not see what they were doing. I did hear the nurses say that David would not stop peeing and pooping on them. Hearing that made me smile. When it was time for me to leave the room, they brought David to me. He was all bundled up in several blankets, with only his face showing. I noticed that he had very round cheeks and cute puckered up lips. I heard one of the nurses say, “I think he has his daddy's coloring.” I was a little loopy and tried to kiss his face, but I was wearing an oxygen mask so all I did was bonk him on his face. Instead of kissing him I petted his checks with my fingers. His skin was so soft and perfect.

After being wheeled back into the labor and delivery room, I found myself alone and shaking. I was freezing cold. It took Brad a while to come see me again. He told me David was having a hard time breathing on his own. I remember feeling a little worried and sad, but at the same time I was not too concerned. After all, Lizzy had a little trouble breathing after she was born, too, but she was fine and normal within an hour. I had expected the same thing to happen with David as well. I did not realize how serious the situation truly was until later.

Over the space of the next few hours, we learned just how serious little David's condition was. Not only was he having trouble breathing and needed assistance, but he also had hyperglycemia and did not have enough glucose in his blood. Later we found out that he had an infection as well; a mystery infection that he caught somehow before he was born. Little David was very sick and was battling for his life. If my water had not broken, or if I had refused to have the C-section and insisted on a natural birth, little David would have most likely died.

My heart was aching to see David after being wheeled into the maternity ward. I was told he would not be leaving the NICU during my stay at the hospital, so in order to see him I would have to visit the NICU on the first floor. I wanted to see him so badly, but I had a mild fever the first few hours after my C-section, and I was prohibited from seeing David until my temperature returned to normal. As soon as the fever was gone, the nurses let me go downstairs to the NICU with Brad to see our little son. It was around11:00 pm at night-- so almost 12 hours since he had been born. He looked so sad and helpless in this little bed covered with wires and tubes around him. I remember reaching in to touch his perfect little feet. His skin was so light and pale, and his eyebrows and eyelashes were completely blond. His hair was a golden-brown color. I told Brad, “He doesn't look anything like me!” We sang “Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers” to him, and “All the Pretty Little Horses.” I choked up during the songs and was not able to finish them.

Holding David for the first time was an experience I will never forget as long as I live. Brad and I went to see David the following night. I did not expect to be given the chance to hold Baby David since he looked so poorly the day before, so it took me by surprise when the nurse told me I could hold him. The nurse handed me David and I held him Kangaroo style, skin on skin on my bare chest (this is called Kangaroo Care). I remember breaking into tears and sobbing with Brad as I held David in my arms for the first time. David was so tiny and sweet. I felt so much love for him and all I wanted was for him to get better quickly, so I could take him home and hold him all the time.

The next few days went by slowly and painfully. Baby David continued to get stronger and healthier every day, but it was still a fight for him, and we had disappointments and scares along the way. After I was discharged, Brad and I had to figure out the endless juggling act of spending time with the kids at home and seeing baby David at the hospital. We spent a lot of time driving to the NICU and back home again after I was discharged, and I spent a lot of hours pumping milk . David spent a total of 10 days in the NICU. He came home on October 14, 2011. We are thrilled to have him home with us.

I love you so much, David! We are so happy to have you in our family.

Love always,

Your Mama

David Has Arrived!

Baby David arrived on October 4th, 2011.
He weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and he's 21 inches long.

The Highlight of My Day: September 2011

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in September 2011:

Thu 9/1/11: Today was another day at Court for Brad. I went with him this time, and so did Brad's dad. Things are headed in the right direction. We're hopeful things can get better and the litigation can end soon.

Fri 9/2/11: Lizzy cut her hair for the first time today. I was very sad to see her perfect little locks of light brown hair lying on the bathroom floor. Evil scissors! But at least she only has the attention span of a two-year-old and didn't get very far. Plus, no one would be able to notice it unless I point it out. One advantage for having curly hair.

Sat 9/3/11: We went to the storage unit today, and I began another project of sorting through baby clothes and organizing DI piles. I got done a lot of good work today. I'm excited that baby David will be joining our family soon!

Sun 9/4/11: Lizzy, as always, does the cutest things in church every Sunday. I love how she tries to sing out of the hymn books, how she gets excited when the sacrament is passed, and how she always wants to participate in prayer time. She loves the routine of going to church.

Mon 9/5/11: We went to the Harman's for our last pool party of the year! The weather was overcast and the water was cold, but we still had a blast. Lizzy learned to kick her legs while sitting in her floating seat to get places. It helped her stay warmer longer, too.

Tue 9/6/11: I bought some children books from the library tonight for only $1.00 total. That was nice! Lizzy, as usual, had a wonderful time at the library. It's one of her favorite places.

Wed 9/7/11: I made yummy homemade zucchini bread tonight and it made my kitchen smell like Christmas. Mmm Mmm!

Thu 9/8/11: I went to see my OBGYN today. We are now down to once-a-week appointments. Can't believe how quickly time is flying!

Fri 9/9/11: It was a nice and busy Friday night! I made beef stew for dinner tonight and everyone liked it. Emma's friend, Makenna spent the night with Emma. Scott earned the right to play video games again, so he had a fun evening on the laptop. We all went to Brad's volleyball game to watch him play.

Sat 9/10/11: Brad and I got done a LOT of chores today. My room is ready for baby stuff now. I can't help but feel relieved!

Sun 9/11/11: Today I feel overwhelmingly blessed to be married to my wonderful husband. I guess that's what happens when two of the lessons I heard in church were on marriage. My husband is my best friend and I love him with all my heart.

Mon 9/12/11: I can't believe I'm 35 weeks pregnant now! Wow, has the time flown by! I feel very good for being so far along in my pregnancy. My hips give me grief on occasion, and I still battle fatigue at times, but overall I feel pretty good.

Tue 9/13/11: I made Shepherd's Pie for dinner tonight. It's definitely a family favorite. Emma had to go back for seconds.

Wed 9/14/11: Scott taught Lizzy to say "Emma is crazy" today, and in return Emma taught Lizzy to say "Scott is weird." Silly siblings!

Thu 9/15/11: We all had dinner tonight at Wendy's before Emma's therapy appointment. The location we went to had some free candy, balloons, and free frosty coupons, which we were not expecting. Lizzy loved her balloon the best.

Fri 9/16/11: My OBGYN told me I am already a cm dilated and the baby's head is nice and low. Not too much longer now! Exactly one month until my due date!

Sat 9/17/11: We took Lizzy to a petting zoo at the library today. There were cute tiny horses there as well as a baby lama and a few pygmy goats. We also officially introduced Lizzy to Pixar's Ratatouille today. She loved it! I enjoyed watching it, too, although it made me really hungry.

Sun 9/18/11: Scott was sustained and ordained a Teacher in church today. We celebrated Scott's birthday in the evening with our extended family members. Brad made two birthday cakes. It was nice spending time with Brad's family.

Mon 9/19/11: I made my fabulous homemade chili for dinner tonight. Emma, of course, was thrilled. She loves my homemade chili.

Tue 9/20/11: Today Lizzy saw me covering my face with my hands. I think she thought I was feeling sad, because she came up to me and said in her very soothing 2-year-old voice, "It's okay, Mommy. Papa is come home." She thought I was sad because Brad was at work. It was so cute! It made me laugh.

Wed 9/21/11: I hate to say it, but I thoroughly enjoyed having a dog-free day today without Miko. I'm grateful we were able to find a good home for her yesterday. Plus it's nice having the extra $200 in the savings account.

Thu 9/22/11: Emmy got stung by a yellow jacket today. Poor girl. She's fine, though. I enjoyed spending some extra time with her.

Fri 9/23/11: I was in and out of my doctor's appointment within 20 minutes! It was a record!

Sat 9/24/11: We went to the DI and I found more baby clothes... we went to Sam's Club and stocked up on groceries... we took Lizzy to the park so she could get some one-on-one time... and we bought a baby bathtub from off a KSL ad. We're getting ready for Baby David to come!

Sun 9/25/11: Full-term today! I'm 37 weeks! Sister Thompson announced in Relief Society that I only had three weeks left. Made me laugh. ;)

Mon 9/26/11: Today is my Mama's birthday. I called her up this morning to wish her a Happy Birthday, and to have Lizzy sing to her. First Lizzy was too shy to sing, but by the end of the conversation she was brave enough and sang to Grandma. Lizzy is such a sweetie!

Tue 9/27/11: Bradley brought me home another Milky Way candy bite from work today. He is such a sweet and thoughtful husband. Makes me happy every time!

Wed 9/28/11: I had plenty of energy for shopping today! I definitely have more motivation and stamina that I did weeks previously, and I'm beginning to "nest" like crazy.

Thu 9/29/11: Lizzy had fun flirting with my doctor today and making everyone at the practice smile. She's such a friendly little gal. We stopped by the park on the way home and Lizzy had a great time playing on the play equipment, looking at the ducks, throwing rocks in the pond, and watching the dogs at the dog park. I love spending time with my daughter.

Fri 9/30/11: Spending some alone time with my hubby was definitely the highlight of my day. I'm so blessed to be married to such a wonderful guy. He makes me so happy.

Scott Turned 14!

The boy keeps growing up more and more! I bought Scott a men's t-shirt the other day, thinking it would be too big for him and he would have to grow into it. He put it on and it fit like a glove. Since when did he turn into a man? And he's not even done growing yet!

Anyway, this is what Scott has to say about himself this year, which is almost exactly what he said about himself last year:

Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Food: Pepperoni Pizza
Favorite Movies: All the Star Wars movies
Favorite Authors: Erin Hunter and Avi
Favorite Animals: Rats and bunnies
Favorite Superhero: SPIDER-MAN!
Favorite Video Games: Spider-man, Portal, Team Fortress 2
Favorite Song: Spider-man theme song
Activities and Hobbies: Video games, LEGOs, and action figures
Goals for the next year: Being better in math and science
I would describe myself as: Smart, geeky, and funny

I think Scott has definitely figured out what he likes and what he doesn't like. No more drastic changes every year. I'm proud of the young man he has become and for the man he's changing into. I completely agree with his statement that he is smart, geeky, and funny. He is witty, good at chess, and has a great sense of humor. He is also kind, introverted, gentle, obedient, and helpful. I love watching him interact with his sisters. He is such a good older brother. He makes our family laugh and joke around. He makes his baby sister giggle with glee. He's extremely talented and artistic. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for him.

Happy Birthday, Scott-Man!