Thanksgiving #3

I am so grateful for my three kids. Motherhood has higher highs and lower lows than I ever expected. I'm sure they will get higher and lower as my babies get bigger.

Lulu has surprised everyone the past few months by exploding with personality, screams and opinions. She was soft spoken and gentle until one day she woke up and decided she was going to stand up for herself. She is still quite generous even though she likes to push people's buttons with "mine" and "no" and tantrums here and there. She loves being a new big sister and is more concerned for Baby Jo's welfare than her mother even, always giving the baby toys and blankets and patting her head or poking her face as much as she can. She is petite as anything, in the 4th percentile for weight and 88th for height. She is also quite clumsy but very tough, not giving in to tears very easily. She is happy in the morning and has a smile like sunshine.




Baby Jo is still introducing herself but she cries very little, sleeps a lot, is a good eater and still loves to cuddle. We've gotten a few little grins out of her but we're still not sure if she was smiling at us or just at some amusing thought inside her head. I am so grateful to have her in our family.



I am so grateful for Baylub, for being first and being so patient as we test and learn our parenting skills with him. I pray almost every night that he will be blessed with a forgiving heart just in case we really screw up. He is very good natured though and I doubt will hold anything against us. He is a great older brother, helping Lulu learn how to wrestle and sharing his toys most of the time. He listens to his parents pretty well for a three year old and loves his daddy. He is definitely outnumbered in our house with lots of girls surrounding him. He is learning how to be gentle with them.


Whenever I think of friends or family who have chosen to not have children of their own for whatever reason, I feel deep down that they are missing the greatest purpose and joy that this world has to offer. People may disagree, but my kids have convinced me that they are the center of the universe and provide my with happiness and joy beyond description. I am grateful for them.

Thanksgiving #2

I am thankful for Adam. He is the best in every possible way.

He is a generous husband...



a very good dad...



and has a great sense of humor.



Out of all the blessings I can count, I have to count him every time. He has made me so happy.

Thanksgiving #1

Many people use this time of year to list what they are thankful for on their blogs and I am following suit. So, during this beautiful Thanksgiving week, I would like to post what I am grateful for.

I am grateful for my religion




and most specifically , for my Savior, Jesus Christ.




As life goes on, things just seem to get more complicated and the problems more difficult. I get caught up worrying about the future: jobs, raising kids, finances, etc. I have at times been so overwhelmed I have felt complete despair and wondered how God can allow some things to happen. I've pondered lately the role of faith in my life and I now realize that without a feeling of determined faith in my Savior as well as continued obedience to his teachings I would shrivel up spiritually and emotionally. I would easily become hopeless and bitter. I recently heard a quote to the effect of God gives us trials to make us better, not bitter. I know for myself that without my testimony and the blessings that the gospel brings, I could not become a better person. I would lack the eternal perspective the temple brings into my life, I would lack the strong family heritage I have around me that inspires me and shows me the correct choices I need to make. I would lack the Spirit that comforts me and gives me that hope when I most need it. I just don't know how people make it in this life without the Savior. I am so grateful for Him and for His atonement that makes all important things possible.

I've mentioned them before but, here are my two favorite songs about Jesus Christ that lift my spirits every time I listen to them. (don't mind that the second one has some Spanish translations)

Carol Of Joy
Green leaves all fallen, withered and dry; Brief sunset fading, dim winter sky. Lengthening shadows,Dark closing in…
Then, through the stillness, carols begin!

Oh fallen world, to you is the song– Death holds you fast and night tarries long.
Jesus is born, your curse to destroy! Sweet to your ears, a carol of Joy!

Pale moon ascending, solemn and slow; Cold barren hillside, shrouded in snow; Deep, empty valley veiled by the night; Hear angel music–hopeful and bright!

Oh fearful world, to you is the song– Peace with your God, and pardon for wrong! Tidings for sinners, burdened and bound–
A carol of joy! A Saviour is found!

Earth wrapped in sorrow, lift up your eyes! Thrill to the chorus filling the skies! Look up sad hearted–witness God’s love! Join in the carol swelling above!
Oh friendless world, to you is the song! All Heaven’s joy to you may belong! You who are lonely, laden, forlorn– Oh fallen world!Oh friendless world!
To you, A Saviour is born!

Text by Eileen Berry.

Baby Jo

Check this out...



In this picture: Baylub, 2 yrs., Lulu, 1 yr., and Baby Jo, 0 yrs. (5 days to be exact)

Three kids two and under. What a cute bunch, huh?

Because I had a really positive though unexpected experience delivering Lulu without anesthesia, I thought I would try for it again. Only this time I would be more prepared. So I went in with the attitude that if things went quickly as they did with Lulu, I would forgo the epidural but if it was going to take 10 hours of hard labor, I would opt for the pain killers.

Luckily, things went much the same way they did last time. We went in to be induced at 6:30 am, started the pitocin at about 8, things were slow and mild until about 2 pm when I was dilated to a 4, the pain got intense but she was born at 3:05 so it was most definitely manageable. The only really difficult part I felt was that Jo was face up and had the chord wrapped around her neck twice (SCARY) which made pushing a lot harder than my previous experiences.




Here are some things that I learned this time around that might be helpful to others out there.

- If the mother has a cold, don't be worried. The baby will most likely not get it and in fact will be stronger because she immediately gets the antibodies to fight the cold from the mom if she nurses. (I was stressing about this cold for days!)

- Mental tricks and physical preparation (like practicing relaxing your body) make a huge difference during labor. I practiced very little and inconsistently and doubted that it would help very much but it did. The pain this time compared to last time was significantly less.

- Those exercise balls, or labor balls are INCREDIBLE during labor. When I sat down, it released so much tension in my legs and allowed me to rotate my back and hips during a contraction helping to release a lot of the tension.

- Adam rubbed my legs and my back pretty constantly for the last hour. That also helped out immensely. It seemed to me that half of the pain I felt was from my body tensing up fighting the pain from the contraction. Things like rubbing and focusing to release the tension lessened the pain significantly.

- Not finding out what you are having really is so much fun. I kind of forgot to find out the gender when she was born because I was so distressed by her being face up and the chord around her neck. When Adam told me it was a girl (and we had both been SO convinced that it was a boy) I thought for sure he was just joking around with me until he said it again. It was quite exciting.

- Because of this year's swine flu problems, most hospitals have strict visitation rules. If you have the option, I would try and go to a smaller hospital or one where the delivery rooms are on the ground floor. I had been so sad about not being able to see Baylub and Lulu after the baby was born and for them not being able to see the baby. The nurse mentioned that people were having children come to the windows of the room to see their new sibling.





It was so cute! They both were so excited about the baby and waved hello to me. I couldn't see them for a few days so it was nice see both of them even if it was through a window.

We are both still doing well. Our little family is desperately trying to adjust to our new positions; Lulu is no longer the baby and Baylub now has to be even more independent. Adam and I are now outnumbered and must learn how to divide our attention between three now. It will take a little time but we will find our rhythm.




Baby Jo's first bath.

It's a Girl!

Josephine Marolyn was born 7 lb 5 oz at 3:05. She is named after two of her great-grandmothers.






More info forth coming. We love her and are so happy she is here.

Halloween

Beauty and the Beast. The second I put their costumes on they started dancing together and asked me to sing the song from the movie. It was cute.




The beast is just a lion costume with a purple cape, felt horns and navy blue shorts. And thanks so much AGAIN to the amazing Jessica for sewing pretty much the whole Belle dress. We hit the mall with some friends...




And visited two sets of great grandparents with cute cousins.




We were going to trick or treat at least a few houses, but everyone was so tired we just came home and had baths and went to bed.

Adam and I tried to go out for one last date after the festivities and before a newborn invades our schedule. Time alone with Adam gets more and more precious the older we get and the more kids come into our lives. I love our kids but I also LOVE date night!