MOVED

Well, yesterday we made the trip (or the majority of it) to Washington. It's official...we are done with school! The past ten days have been crazy with packing and getting everything ready to go and traveling, so I am completely behind on posts. I think some things will just have to go unposted, although I have a lot of things I would like to catch up on. Hayden had a fever for 3 days before we left, so packing and getting ready to go was not a fun experience for any of us. Dax was trying to finish up a 20 page paper and a final and get his thesis finalized, and so I struggled packing alone with the kids for the better part of a week. Hayden was sick so I didn't dare ask anyone to watch him. We got everything done in perfect timing though, and we appreciate all of the help we received in moving and cleaning! We had great weather for the mountainous parts of our trip which we are grateful for. I had never driven longer than 7 hours before this trip, so 13 painstaking hours made for a L-O-N-G day. I didn't get to use cruise control even once, which gave me a greater appreciation for all of the times that Dax drove all the way to Washington in the blazer without it. Hayden was in the U-haul with Dax, so it was just Kyra and I in the car. We feel blessed to have made it safely. The one thing we will miss about Utah: family and friends. More than a few tears have been shed over all of our family and friends that we won't get to see nearly as often. This is a very bittersweet transition.

Happy Birthday Dax!

Today is Dax's birthday. I was just thinking about all of the reasons that I am grateful for Dax and decided I should write at least a few of them down:

-Dax is the most giving person I know. He would give the shirt right off of his back if he thought someone needed it.

-He is a great husband. He thinks of both little and big things to do for me to make me feel special. He sincerely thinks I can do anything I set my mind to and I appreciate his confidence in me.

-He is a great father. Our kids are so lucky to have him for their father. He is so patient with them, and takes individual time for them. Hayden thinks his dad is the best, and wants to follow right along with whatever Dax is doing.

-He leads out in our home. He has always been amazing at taking responsibility for having family home evening, scripture study, prayer, family council, etc.

-He is so organized. This is probably why he makes such a good engineer. Everything has a system, everything has a pattern. This is one quality of his I'm really striving to acquire for myself.

-He works hard to do well at everything he undertakes. He never wants to let anyone down and is always good on his word.

-He has a great sense of humor. He can always brighten my day. He also humors me by doing activities that I love that he doesn't (watching chick flicks, jogging with me occasionally, etc)

-He is so good with people. People are just naturally drawn to him because of his character. He makes everyone feel important and valued. He will not talk bad about anyone (well...except maybe President Obama and a few other choice politicians) :)

-He wants to make all of my dreams come true, even if they wouldn't otherwise be very important to him

-He is absolutely dreamy...tall, dark, and handsome!

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Happy Birthday honey, I love you and am so glad that I'm the one married to you!

Good Haircuts

Today I was just thinking about how grateful I am for GOOD haircuts. Two haircuts ago I had what I thought was a great haircut. I had not had my hair above my shoulders for over 7 years, and so I was really nervous about getting over a foot chopped off. I got a very slight A line with lots of layers put in and I really liked it. However, it started growing out and getting to that awkward phase where it flips out on its own. I decided that although I liked the cut, I wanted something that I could pull back easily. So a couple of weeks ago I went in to the same girl who gave me the great haircut, and told her what I was thinking. 40 minutes later I am holding back tears and telling her how awful my hair looks. The front was so choppy, and she spent 20 minutes gradually taking it shorter and shorter. Finally she realized that nothing but time was going to fix it. I wont even post pictures of it because I'm trying to avoid too many pictures until it grows out. I have to put a bobby pin in it AT ALL TIMES. The girl said she wouldn't charge me for the cut, but because I had a discount I told her I wanted free products instead. We walked over to the products and she offered me the most expensive product she had put in my hair. I told her I would like that product and the other product she put in my hair. She told me to choose one, and I told her I really would like both of them (kindly). We stood in silence for a minute and then she told me I could take both of them. So I suppose my consolation is 30 dollars worth of free products. I'll take a good haircut over free products any day.

I seem to have spread the "bad haircut germs" because my sister, sister-in-law, and several friends all seem to have received disappointing haircuts shortly after I got mine. Thank goodness that hair grows back!!

Self Conscious

Nothing makes you feel more self conscious than the honesty of a child.

The other day I was talking with Dax about getting new jeans (all of my jeans besides one pair I've had for 7+ years) because they are all so thin and saggy and I used the phrase"saggy jeans." Hayden caught on to it and said, "Mommy have saggy jeans." We laughed at how funny it sounded coming from him. Now he keeps saying, "Mommy have saggy jeans" when I wear my jeans.

With all of the stress I had a couple of weeks ago with preparing food for a large crowd, reading Dax's thesis, spending my first days alone with 2 kids, leaving Hayden for the first time over several nights, getting to the airport, making a late night flight/drive to my parents house, worrying about Dax's interviews, and stressing about which job to take and the specifics of that job, my face began to break out like I was a teenager. One day shortly after we were back from our trip I was sitting on the couch with Hayden. All of the sudden it dawns on him that I have spots all over my face. Our conversation went like this:

Hayden: Mommy have 'owies' (as he starts to point to all of them)

Me: Yeah Hayden mommy has lots of owies

Hayden: Mommy wash it off!

Me: I wish I could wash it off bud

Hayden: (with a concerned look) I kiss it ALL better

If only it was that simple. The sweet thing is that he really believes that when I kiss his scratches, bruises, scrapes, and bonks that they really do get all better.

And the winner is...

Moses Lake, Washington! Dax and I are both excited to go back to the same area as our roots. We enjoy the climate in Washington, and will enjoy being close to our families. So in just over a month we will be packing up and officially leaving school FOR GOOD (unless for some crazy reason Dax wants to do a PhD some day, but I highly doubt it). We are so excited to be moving on with the next adventure of our lives: permanence in an area, a home, a salary, and growing our little family!

Uncle Kase's Idea

Enough said.

Blessing Day

On Sunday Dax blessed Kyra. It was such a sweet blessing. Kyra looked so beautiful in the dress that Grandma Jensen made for her. Thanks Sarah for the headband and bow, they completed the look perfectly!

We didn’t get Dax in any pictures besides a couple of just our family because he ended up leaving before the meeting was even over to catch a flight. We had a good get-together though, and my soup turned out wonderfully!

Our cute little family

Four generation picture

The cake my mom made

With Grandma and Grandpa Christensen. Notice Hayden's shirt says "My parents are exhausted." That couldn't be more true than during this past week. Luckily it's all about over.

Just a cute picture of my baby girl.

Trick or Treat!

This year for Halloween Hayden was Elmo. To be honest I'm not a big Elmo fan, but we were in Ross and Hayden spotted the costume. He wanted to be Elmo so badly, and I didn't have a better idea, so Elmo it was.

Hayden got to go to a party for all of the nursery children in our stake. They had face painting, a cake walk (they gave out little bags of candy though), music, balloons, a bean bag toss, and donuts. Hayden had a great time, and even warmed up to getting a basketball painted on his face at the end. A little boy followed him around the whole time saying, "Elmo!"

Look at those LONG THICK eyelashes!



Hayden's best friend Anna was Boo from Monster's Inc.



Our pumpkin. When asked what kind of face we should give him Hayden didn't hesitate to say a happy face. All Dax's handy work. Thanks for the pumpkin Makala!




Hayden loved going trick or treating. We didn't go to too many houses, but plenty enough for him to get more candy than a 2 year old should consume in a month. He loved it.

That cute dimple smile was totally worth the $10 we spent on the costume.

Breads of Fall

One thing I love about fall is all of the different types of yummy bread that for some reason taste better to me because of the season. Maybe I just have more of an appetite for them.

Dax requested I make some breads for the people who attend the defense of his thesis TODAY (maybe an incentive for the professors to be nice to him?), so I've been baking up a storm. Cranberry orange, zucchini nut, and pumpkin chocolate chip were my three breads of choice this time around. Because I was making so much bread I have spread it out over a couple of days so they won't taste as fresh as I love them, but hopefully they will be good all the same.

We are having Kyra blessed on Sunday so much of my family, and the little of Dax's that is in Utah, are coming to our ward. We are lucky enough to have my grandparents and parents be here for it! It is a big deal for my grandparents to come, because I think they stopped going to great grandchildren events a long time ago. I think the count is somewhere around 40 for great grandchildren. They just barely had another grandchild, so they will be having great grandchildren for decades to come. What a great legacy!

It is tradition to have a family get-together after an event like this, so I made extra bread for it and am attempting a minestrone soup as well. Luckily the rest of the meal has been delegated, because I don't know if I could feed:

Grandma & Grandpa Christensen
Mom & Dad
Brandon & Kim +6
Josh & Lauren +3
Nicole
Krystal & Ben
Paul

Unfortunately Dax has to leave right after Sacrament meeting to fly to Houston, but I am excited to get together with everyone. One of the biggest things I will miss about Utah is being close to many of my siblings. They are some of my best friends.

Decisions, Decisions

We are in major decision making mode around our house. Dax finishes school in December, and we are in the process of applying to jobs. We have a job offer in Flagstaff, AZ, Dax is being flown to Houston, TX the first week of November for a final interview, and he has a phone interview with a company in Moses Lake, WA on Tuesday. Who knows what else will pop up in the next couple of weeks...Dax has applied to several other companies as well. The hard thing is when a company wants you to respond to their offer before you get an offer from another company that you are interested in as well. We have yet to find our dream: perfect location, perfect salary and perfect job all rolled into one. Does it exist? I'd like to think so. Flagstaff is the perfect job, Houston is the perfect salary, and eastern Washington is our roots, so for us it is about as close as it gets to the perfect location. The crazy thing is all of the decision making will be over within about 3 or 4 weeks. Right now everything seems so up in the air, it seems crazy that our next home will be determined in a few short weeks. Wish us luck, and divine guidance, we'll need it!

Welcome Baby Turner!

My sister Krystal had her precious baby boy yesterday in the early afternoon. He weighed 8 lb 5 oz and was 21 inches long. After much debate they decided to name him Ethen Scott Turner. We got to go visit last night, and he really is such a precious baby. She had a long, exhausting labor (she had to push for nearly 2 hours...I'll take the pain and push for 4 minutes), and she had a fever towards the end and Ethen ended up passing meconium before he came out. He ended up having to be put in the NICU for antibiotics. We are glad that both mommy and baby are doing well now. Great job Krystal and CONGRATULATIONS TURNER FAMILY!

Cutest Kids Ever

I know I am completely biased (as is every mother), but I think I have the cutest kids I've ever seen.

Lately Hayden loves to have pictures taken while holding Kyra, and I'm happy to oblige.


This was just before church on Sunday. This is the first time we have tried to comb Hayden's hair in a year, literally. Originally Dax didn't want to use gel to try and do Hayden's hair so I stopped trying to do anything with it because it sticks up on top. Dax used gel this time and it stayed...for about 25 minutes. By the time we got to church you could still see the part, but his hair was sticking up again.


I got the dice out for us to have fun rolling them, but Hayden had other plans. I went to the bathroom and came out to discover he'd stacked all 5 dice ALL ON HIS OWN. He was pretty excited, and I was impressed with his fine motor skills.


This is not a staged photo. I went back to our room to put some things away and when I came back I found Hayden beside Kyra just like this.

This is the only time I've caught a smile on camera. Not the best photo, but such a cute smile. She is as sweet as her smile, she slept 7 hours last night!

Rotary Park

One Sunday we decided to take a drive down through Springville and up against the mountain. The fall leaves are so beautiful there, and it isn't as crowded as Provo Canyon. We discovered this huge park on our drive and stopped to play for awhile. We liked it so much that we have been back a couple of times since. We call it our mountain park. There is tons of open space and we rarely see other people around. Dax loves how secluded it is, and everything else about it, and I think if we had lots of money he would build a house right on the spot.

Provo Canyon

On Saturday our little family went with my sisters Nicole and Krystal up Provo Canyon for a walk and a picnic. We had a good time, and it was so beautiful. I will be sad when it gets colder and it gets harder to get outside.

Hayden loved playing 'pooh sticks' with Aunt Nicole. She said on Winnie the Pooh they throw sticks off one side of a bridge and then run to the other and watch the sticks float by. Obviously I didn't watch Winnie the Pooh enough to see this because it was new to me.


It took us about an hour and a half to make it the 2 miles to the park where we had lunch, because Hayden wanted to run up every hill, cross every bridge, and explore everything on the way. He fell asleep quickly on the way back so our walk back only took 30 minutes. :)

Aunt Nicole was gracious enough to run up the hills with Hayden.



I got some funny looks from people and I didn't really understand why until I saw this picture. You really can look pregnant in a lopsided way while wearing a wrap (hence the weird looks until people got up close).

My Favorite Accessory

No...it isn't a pair of earrings, a bracelet, necklace, headband, pin, handbag, scarf, hat, or ring. What is it? This:






Pure comfort, pure genius. I love it. My new found way to a happy baby (and Hayden because now we can go for walks outside) and a productive mommy. Mine is in navy blue. Thank you Sleepy Wrap!

Oh Boy, He's 2!

Hayden turned 2 yesterday. He was opening up his presents at exactly the time he was born (7:57 am) and Dax and I were in amazement at where the two years has gone.

A few things about Hayden:

-He is so sweet. Once I was crying (courtesy of crazy hormones post-partum) and he came to me and said, "Mommy sad" and gave me a big hug.

-He has always been an easy child. He slept through the night before he was 2 months old, RARELY cried, and as soon as he could smile was always, and is, the happiest little guy.

-He is VERY active. He could run around outside on endless energy all day.

-He is such a good eater. He is willing to try anything before saying, "No like it." He even likes REALLY spicy foods and salsas.

-He is becoming so helpful with Kyra. He tries to give her a pacifier, stuffed animals, and loves to help "burp soft."

-He is so big. 36 inches tall and 31.6 lbs as measured at his 2 year appointment.

-He is very social. He loves meeting and playing with new kids at the park, especially those that are older than he is.

-He knows his alphabet and most of the letter sounds. He also is pretty good with colors and counting. He has so many words and will talk your ear off if he feels comfortable with you (he is more quiet in new situations/places). He knows our last name and when I ask him our names he says, "Daddy Wells, Mommy Wells, Haynen(occasionally he will pronounce the D) Wells, and baby Kya (rarely does he say the R) Wells.

-A few of his loves include: reading books, being outside, playing in forts, "big guy" tools, fast cars, trucks, balls, water, bikes, and the movie Cars (one of the few he has actually seen, but he asks for "Lightning McQueen car" often).

Hayden got these pajamas and puppet from his aunt Taneil. When I asked him what he wanted to name the dog and suggested common names (Fido, Sparky, Spot, etc.) he said its name was "Puppy Dog Wells." And so it is. The new sippy cup was also a birthday present, but he found it early. I had to find a sippy without a real spout because he wants to feel like he is drinking like a big person, and always wants the lid off of his sippy cups with spouts. LOTS of spills.

For his birthday Hayden received a tool set, Lightning McQueen shirt, new jeans, and some new plates from us. From Grandma Jensen he got 3 wood puzzles.

He was so excited for his own tools. He is always asking for "Daddy's tools."

I made a large baseball cake and then baseball cupcakes. I made sugar cookies that look like mitts to put under the cupcakes to make it look like a ball in a mitt. I had to buy a 101 piece cookie cutter set (only 10 dollars at Wal-mart) in order to get the hand for the baseball mitt, so I ended up writing 'Happy Birthday Hayden' out of the letters as well. Not the best work, but Hayden recognized it as a baseball cake on his own, which is all that matters. Side note: The frosting NEVER turned red with food coloring, although I added 60 drops to 1/5 of a batch and the instructions said 50 drops should do an entire batch...dark pink was the best we got.

We had cake and ice cream. Those in attendance: Aunt Krystal and Uncle Ben, Uncle Paul, Uncle Kase and his girlfriend Brielle (who Hayden likes more than Kase), Daddy's cousin Kirk Taylor, and friends Anna Craig and her brother Luke and her parents Catherine and Dehn.


Anna is Hayden's best friend. Whenever we talk about friends, Hayden always talks about Anna. For his birthday she gave him a Lightning McQueen race car (in Dinoco blue) that you shake and then races up to 20 ft and says things like "Speed, I am speed." I am sure the batteries will be dead in a few days, he loves it so much.

When Brielle was over one day she and Hayden discovered that the arm rest on the couch can serve as a horse. Brielle bought him a cowboy hat for his birthday so that he can be a true cowboy when he rides the couch. :)

Happy Birthday Hayden, WE LOVE YOU!

1 Month

Kyra is growing so quickly. She is now over one month old. Her cheeks are filling out nicely and her little wrinkles are disappearing and being replaced by fat (and soon to be fat wrinkles I'm sure).

A few things about Kyra:

-She lets you know quickly if she wants to be changed, burped, fed, or held. Such a change from Hayden, who only ever fussed when he was hungry.

-She grunts a lot of the time she isn't sleeping, and sometimes even in her sleep (which is why she has spent only 1 night of her life sleeping in our room)

-She smiled for the first time on Oct. 4th. It was more like a series of smiles and I loved it.

-She has so many cute clothes to wear; thanks Makala, Taneil, and Haley for the borrowed clothing and my mother for the box of clothing

-Her face is JUST LIKE Hayden's. I mean it, besides the hair, their faces could be identical twins.

-She has long feet. She can't wear newborn socks because where the heel is supposed to fit sits at the middle of her foot.

-Her hair sticks straight up on top for the first 2 days after she's had a bath

-She goes for 5-5 1/2 hours without a feeding at night

-She melts my heart when she just stares at me

-She is BEAUTIFUL

Sad Truths

The intent of this post is for me to document things that have/are happening right now so that maybe in the future I can look back on that past and feel good about where I am in the present! The added bonus is that the world gets to be clued in to my current weaknesses and shortcomings. :)

Sad truths:

-I realized the other day that it had been 5 days since Kyra had a bath, 5 days since Hayden had a bath, and 3 days since I'd showered...Dax was grateful when I declared it Bath Day. I should probably schedule those in on the calendar to make sure they happen frequently enough. Sad that I need to schedule personal hygiene, I know.

-My bathroom has not been deep cleaned in over 3 weeks. That is my project tomorrow during nap time...

-I have applied makeup 2 out of the last 8 days (the same goes for doing my hair). I know many women who can get away without makeup and look great, but I am not one of them. I feel "put together" when I have a little make up on.

-I have vacuumed my house once in the last 2 weeks. This wouldn't be a big deal, except we have "utility" carpet that does not allow for objects to hide in it. You see every little speck on this carpet. I normally have to vacuum it once every 3 or 4 days to keep it looking presentable.

My realization the other day was that I just have to get used to getting about 6 hours of sleep a night for the next 25+ years. Normally I can't function well without at least a solid 7 1/2. My sister-in-law Taneil gave me some good advice: You just have to find a new normal. She wasn't referring to sleep of course, she was referring to letting some things go. However, I can't let everything go, and it seems that if I nap while the kids are napping that I don't get anything done during the day.

Goodbye restful 8 hours...see you when my kids are grown.

Adjusting to 2

We are still alive...although sometimes I feel like we are just barely hanging on. :) We love having Kyra and she is so sweet. Despite the lack of sleep I love this stage in a baby's life. The really hard thing we are struggling with right now is helping Hayden adjust to life with a baby sister. I couldn't have imagined how hard it would be on him. I guess when you have mom and dad to yourself for nearly 2 years and then all of a sudden a little squishy thing comes in and steals your time it has got to throw your world upside-down. Hayden has always been such a sweetheart, so it has been hard having him act out in ways that I never had to deal with before. Telling him NOT to do something is just fuel to his fire to make him want to do it...whether it is taking things out of the fridge (how do you keep them out??), trying to pick up Kyra, throwing things, slamming the door, etc. I'm hoping that this phase goes by quickly because either my house will fall apart soon or I will. He still can be so sweet, but those times are getting to be the exception instead of the rule.

Once upon a time I wondered how it was possible for a house to be entirely messy and have every dish be dirty and in the sink...I no longer wonder. The days fly past me and before I know it the kids are asleep, it is 10 PM, and the last thing I'm thinking about is cleaning up. Lucky for me Dax has been extra helpful so at least our house has some semblance of a floor, and only just a hint of order. A season to everything I suppose. I am just trying to enjoy this time, because I am sure before I know it we will be in the next phase of life.









I've tried to stay out of pictures lately because to be honest there are days that I don't get out of pajamas or sweatpants, to say the least of thinking about washing my face and applying makeup. However, Dax and I went to dinner with a company the other day so I decided I should snag a picture with Kyra while I looked somewhat decent. It also just happened to be 3 weeks to the day since she was born.

1 Week

Kyra (the y makes a long i sound, just so you know) is now over a week old! The first week both sadly and gratefully goes by very quickly. She is getting to be such a good nurser, which is a relief considering all of the problems Hayden and I had when starting out. She was weighed yesterday at 8 days old and weighed 7 lbs 12 oz (+7 oz from birth weight)! I don't think she really cares to be swaddled, which is interesting. She is just so precious and beautiful, we are in awe with her.

Hayden is learning to adjust to having a little sister. In general he really is very sweet to her, and most of his acting up is revolving around throwing things and being extra emotional. Dax really has been so great to spend extra one-on-one time with Hayden, and Hayden just loves him. Hayden always tries to copy everything Dax does, it is so cute.

Dax really has been my lifesaver. He has done so many things for both me and the kids. I am so thankful for his help, and thankful that we get to share this experience together. I love him so much.

I am recovering well, and am amazed by how good I feel at times. We all went to the park the other day for an hour and a half, and I ended up still feeling so good that we went to a stake BBQ afterward for an hour. Today I am a little more tired, but am still feeling really well.

We are so thankful for all of the good friends and family who have been so kind and thoughtful to us during the past week and a half. We are blessed by all of you.

Mother

My Mother:

Is truly the most amazing person I have ever known. I remember a couple of days after I had Hayden, and she told me to go lay down for a nap. When I woke up a little while later, she had made dinner, plus a meal to put in the freezer, had taken care of my child, had made an apple pie, and had cleaned up. I realized right then and there that I would never be the kind of woman my mother is. She is probably the most effective person there is. If she has something to get done, she can get it done like no one else.

My mother held us together for the first week of both of my children's lives. Ironically, Hayden came 2 days before his due date and that just happened to be the day my mother was coming into town to help out. This time around she just happened to schedule her flight to help us two days before my due date again, and again I had my baby that day. :) After having Hayden I realized the value of her help, and trust me, lots of prayers were offered asking that this baby be ready to come to us by the time she got here, because I knew I needed every day of help she could offer.

While here my mother:
-cleaned my house top to bottom
-took care of Hayden
-took Kyra in the middle of the night after I fed her
-drove me to every place we needed to go (store, doctor, etc)
-cleaned my house top to bottom...in less than 3 hours! (why does it take me an entire day??)
-did my laundry...I'm sure at least 10 loads
-organized my room
-prepared, served, and cleaned up every meal we ate
-made and froze 4 meals for us
-left 2 meals in the fridge (a stew I just had to throw on the crock pot, and enchiladas I just had to pop in the oven)
-was my emotional crutch through the first week of pain and adjustment (burning stitches, cramps, nursing soreness)
-ran on less than 5 hours of sleep constantly
-a million more things I'm sure I didn't notice

My mother is the most selfless person I have ever met. I am amazed by how much she constantly gives to her children...even as adults. She had 10 children without drugs (the first 4 in 4 years...can you imagine a 3, 2, and 1 year-old, and a baby!?!), and worked for 35 years to get us all raised. My mother is also the most talented person I have ever met. She is a baker/cake decorator (owned a bakery for a while, and now has a baker's kitchen in her basement), and is very artistic. She was valedictorian of her high school and voted 'most likely to succeed.' I'm sure the world looks at her life and thinks that she wasted a lot of good talent, but I don't think you can have any greater success than being a great mother. She succeeded in my book, and if she doesn't qualify for sainthood, NO ONE should. She is what every person should get to think of when they hear the word 'mother.' I am so grateful that she is my mother and for her lifetime of giving and love.

I hope that I can give to my family even a portion of what my mother gave, and gives, to hers.

She's Here!

Name: Kyra Renee Wells
Born: September 2, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM
Stats: 7 lbs 5 oz, 19 1/2 inches

Our BEAUTIFUL little girl decided to join our family on Thursday! I woke up in the morning with contractions, but nothing very intense. After an hour I told Dax today might be the day, so just in case we got things ready. At 9 I still didn't know if I was in labor so Hayden and I walked Dax to school, and I told him that I'd call him if I decided it was the real thing (he loaded our things in the car just in case). I came home and went walking with my sister, but half a mile from home I decided we should head back and call Dax. I called him and told him we should go get checked out and then at least I would know either way. I wanted to know if it was real labor soon because Dax had an interview scheduled for 3 o'clock in Salt Lake, and my mom was scheduled to fly in that day, but wasn't going to come if I hadn't had the baby. So I left my sister Krystal with Hayden and went and picked Dax up from school. My contractions were getting more intense, but I was still worried about being sent home with false labor.

We got to the hospital a little after 11. When I walked up to the nurses' station there were 6 nurses sitting there, and one said, "How can I help you?" I told her that I thought I was in labor, and there was dead silence as all of the nurses just sat and looked at one another for a second, as if hoping someone would say, "Are you sure?" However, they took me into a room and the nurse checked me and I was dilated to a 5, but because I still hadn't had a really painful contraction they said they may have to call my doctor and just monitor me for a while. In the meantime the nurse tried to find a vein to start an IV, with no luck for 10 minutes. She finally called in another nurse who is really good at starting IVs, and she didn't have any luck either. They each left me with a sore arm and bruises. I asked them if I could just go without the IV, since I am not a big needle fan in the first place, and it was obviously not working out. They decided to call in the anesthesiologist to get an IV going on me. He was nice enough to give me a shot in the arm before he put the needle in, after seeing the result of the other 2 attempts. He got the IV in, but left me with a nasty bruise. He offered to give me an epidural, and I said, "Look at my arms. I don't need someone like you fishing around in my back too." I then realized that was probably the wrong thing to say, and said I knew that he did really good work and I appreciated him getting the IV started for me. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings.

The nurse decided to check me again, that way she would know exactly what to do with me. When she checked me I was 8 cm dilated, which surprised all of us. She called my doctor, and we waited the 20 minutes for him arrive and break my water. He told me he'd stick around until I delivered, just to send for him when I felt I needed to push. 2 contractions later I needed to push, but they made me wait for 2 contractions until they could get the doctor in there. Two contractions (and the pushes with them) and she was here! It really only felt unbearable for the last 6 contractions. I felt totally in control until then. Deep breathing was definitely my go-to coping mechanism. Don't ask how loud I was screaming for the last minute though. For a split second while I was pushing I thought, "I wonder how far down the hall they can hear this."

When I first saw her I couldn't believe how much black hair she has! Everything is going well so far. Hayden didn't have any interest in her at the hospital, but has taken to her since we came home. After seeing Hayden run around the hospital room I remember how much I love the tiny stage, when you can hold and cuddle them all day long. :)

A couple of hours before going to the hospital


The IV bruise




Soon after coming home


Family of 4!


Getting cleaned up


Right after she was born