How did Stella Get her Groove Back??

Stella?!....are you out there? Inquiring minds would REALLY like to know how to get said "groove" back. Especially after adding another family member into the mix (can I get an amen from all my fellow new moms).

Pasynne will be two weeks old tomorrow & I would also like to know how time goes by so slowly during pregnancy and so fast after?!...hmmm...Anyway-life has been good. Too good. Matt had paternity leave for 10 days after Pasynne's arrival & has left me with a lot to live up to! Here is a small list of the things he accomplished while home:

• kids remained well fed and dressed
• bathed children on a regular basis
• laundry CAUGHT UP
• kitchen & front room cleaned daily
• dealt with puking child at 2am, changed sheets, washed and cleaned "nasty" ones
• put up with hormonal wife

The list goes on, but I was blown away at how much effort he put in & felt like he went above and beyond his "call of duty" (hehehe). In addition to that we were treated to the Mormon standard Meals on Wheels which consisted of 3 delicious dinners & desserts from friends in the ward. We were spoiled even further to have 2 more nights of meals from friends who wanted to help out.

So in a nutshell I have been spoiled! I haven't cooked a real meal in over 2 weeks (lets be honest, I stopped cooking long before my due date) and all other household chores have been done while I sat on the couch nursing or napping. I am a firm believer of us Mom's having a time to relax, but I really don't know how I'm gonna get my groove back!? I haven't worn anything other than scrubs, a T-shirt, and socks for the past couple of days and you know what? I LIKE IT! So, until Stella decides to show up...you can find me on the couch.

Anticipation

The big day has come & gone and I can't believe how crazy it is to wait nine months in anticipation then all of a sudden she's here! I'm not going to blog the complete "birth story" in this post, but I'm sure it will eventually end up here. I'll tell you about some of the basic things that went on & hopefully not give too much detail for anyone who doesn't want to hear about it! hehehe

I started having contractions around 5:20 am the night before & didn't decide that I was actually in labor until about 9:00 am. Matt had just gotten to work when I called & told him it was "go time". One of our friends came to take the kids for us & we were off. We arrived at the hospital at about 10:30 and I was already dialated to a 4. It was such a relief to know that we could head to a delivery room. (you have to be at least 4 cm dialated before they will admit you-we got to our room at about 11:00)

I was planning on getting an epidural when I felt like I didn't want to deal with the pain anymore & actually ended up spending the best 30 minutes of the labor (11-11:30) in a hot bath before finally requesting one. The tub was seriously AWESOME & I was able to breath through the contractions so well that it almost felt like I wasn't in labor anymore. When I decided to get out I realized very quickly that I had been sorely MISTAKEN!! My midwife checked me & I was now 90% effaced & 5 cm dialated. The epidural kicked in around 1:10 and life was GOOD! I was so tired already & planned on getting in a good 45 minutes of nap time before the big event. My nurse mentioned that based on how my labor had been moving she guessed the baby would come by 2:30 or 3. Matt headed off to find some lunch & I chatted with the nurse a little until the contractions were starting to feel very different.

The nurse left to go get my midwife & while they were gone I started having the very distinct feeling that I needed to push. I was alone though, so I did my best not to, but man that was hard! They came back in & I explained my feelings to the midwife & she said it would be ok for me to push a little. "HA! push a little?" I thought to myself. I gave it a go & felt like my body would sneak in a little more "umph" at the end of each one of my pushes & I was concerned I was pushing too hard. Meanwhile Matt was still out finding something to eat! The nurse was going to try and track him down when he all of a sudden came through the door-phew! My midwife came to check things out & put my mind at ease about all the pushing when all of a sudden my water finally broke! (weird feeling BTW) After that it was like-GAME ON!-my midwife checked me & said that I could go ahead and really push. I had pushed once when I heard her say, "ok, now stop pushing for me." I REALLY hate when they say that! My epidural was long worn off & I wanted nothing more than to keep pushing......skipping a few details.....I got the ok to push again & she was here! (1:45) She was perfect & crying and they put her right on me, for skin to skin contact, and I just held her while they tried to wipe as much "goo" off as they could.

The next hour was spent much differently than I expected. I was able to keep Pasynne with me as they worked and worked to get my placenta to deliver. I won't go into detail, but I lost a lot of blood, had to have an ultrasound, experienced my first "manual uterine sweep", got a shot in my leg to encourage contractions, and got pooped & peed on several times while nursing Pasynne.Pasynne Evelyn Brown

8lbs 13 oz 19 1/2 in

Wednesday August 18, 2010

1:45 pm University of Colorado Hospital

Trinity was super excited to hold her and actually cried when it was time to go home.Brinley was also anxious to hold her baby sister and had the biggest grin as soon as Dad placed baby on her lap.Dad and his girlsGrayden was pretty tired and had no interest in seeing the baby until we put her right next to him. Then he wanted to kiss, hug, and even tried to lay on her belly. It was so sweet! "Baby Durl" he would say. The next day a few of Matt's soldiers made a surprise visit & gave Matt the chance to show off his newest princess.One of them gave us some pink cigars & the kids thought it was awesome that they were a huge piece of gum!!I love the time I get to spend with each child while staying at the hospital. The first few nights when they actually open their eyes and look around is so priceless.I threw together this blanket the day before as I waited impatiently for her to arrive, but I didn't get the edges quite finished. Matt saw it at home and brought it to the hospital for me not knowing it wasn't done yet, but I used it anyway because I thought it was so sweet of him.Miss Pasynne has lots of black hair just like all of her siblings did, but I'm pretty sure she has the most. I love being able to play around with it & Matt warned her that, "this is only the beginning".A good friend of ours took the three kids so that Matt could come and pick us up from the hospital to go home. We ended up being there a lot longer than we planned & was so glad that the kids didn't have to be there to wait with us. Matt got Pasynne all ready to go & helped me get all my stuff together too. Matt and the kids picked out and bought a going home outfit for her. Complete with a super soft blanket! It fit her so well & she was just the cutest little summertime girl in it.

We have been home since Friday evening & so far she is doing really well. Her sleeping pattern is all over the place, but she is a great nurser and puts up with all the poking and prodding of the other kids pretty well. We have to keep an eye on her for jaundice because she was right on the border line while we were at the hospital. I am hoping that it will clear up soon, and until then she can enjoy her sun-tanned look! :) We are so lucky to have been blessed with another healthy baby & love having such a sweet new spirit in our home.

PS. You pronounce her name pAce+N or Payson for all you Utahn's :)

It's go time!

I just noticed that the "baby ticker" on my blog says, "It's go time!". I don't think that anyone has told the baby. I'll be sure to let her know ASAP & we'll see how she feels about it. :)

Little Bits of Lately

Trinity has officially learned to ride a bike with NO training wheels YAY!!!

She practiced & practiced riding on the short grass just outside of our house. It was perfect because if she fell it didn't hurt & She really learned how to ride steadily.

These pics are from her second day riding & it was so funny because she would look at the ground & not in front of her. (such concentration on her face!!) We are so proud of her (she's pretty proud too) and fully admit that we as parents did pretty much nothing to help her learn. yikes!

Brinley has really taken a step up in the role of "big sister" & 6 weeks being without Trin as head honcho has given her a chance to shine. Her newest accomplishment is vacuuming. She loves that she can do it herself, even though the vacuum weighs as much as she does. Brinley has also been an awesome helper to clean up, help with Grayden, & is excited to prove how much help she will be when the baby sister arrives.
Grayden all of a sudden grew up into a toddler & unfortunately is also growing out of his daily 2 hour nap. :( I know he still needs them & if the mood around the house is right he still gets a 45 minute to an hour nap in there.
I couldn't believe he actually fell asleep like this!
We also got a new horse & the kids are working diligently to get him broken in so that they can all ride together.

Its a work in progress...

At least this horse knows how to help them break the fall.

*This poor old horse feels sorta like he's been put out to pasture since his last football injury. A dislocated shoulder ended his semi-pro football playing season early. (I'm secretly smiling)
And...last but not least; here are a few of the dreaded belly shots that so many people always want to see. (The lighting in the kitchen was horrible, so ignore my pasty white skin in the first one)


Yes, I am still pregnant & doing fine. Monday the 16th is supposed to be the "big day" however, my Midwife told me yesterday that as long as the baby is fine they will let me go past my due date up to 12 days!! Yikes-I hope the baby wasn't listening to that!!


Did you notice my small bowl of ice cream waiting to be eaten?? OH YEA, bring on the cookies'n cream!! (I can't promise that the chips will be left alone for long either. hehehee)

Sir?

I am using the computer at the library while Brin looks at a few books. There are some older kids running around in the children's section. (kids that are WAY too old to be playing here-in my ornery 9 month pregnant opinion) I hear one of the boys say, "Um, Sir?"

I look up from the computer and realize he is talking to ME!

Are you serious? He has got to be 7 or 8? OK maybe he is 5 or 6, but still. I am in a bright pink shirt, long dangly earrings, big HUGE pregnant belly, & chin length hair...Sir?

It took me a few seconds to even realize he was asking me a question. I answered him and sat in a stupor of thought for a few minutes afterward.

Sheesh...gender confusion-that just made my day. hmpf!

Kindy-garten in July

That's right folks, Trinity started Kindergarten on July 6th and is almost done with her first rotation of year round school! I had a lot of concerns about how she would handle being in school & tried my best to prep her for it as it approached. She seemed to have no reservations about the idea & when the big day came there were both ups and downs.

Here are some tid-bits about Trinity's school and how the first 5 weeks of school have gone...

• The school only offers full day Kindergarten (that is an 8 hour day from bus pick up to bus drop off)
• Trinity eats school lunch& takes a snack for later in the day since lunch is at 10:45 am!
• Our neighbors above us and to the side of us also attend the same school
• Trinity was upset the first Friday & met with the school nurse because she wanted to go home early & "not ever go back to school". Reason: "I don't want to have to raise my hand and say-'Here' " Remedy: I helped her write a letter to the teacher about her worries & she drew a picture at the bottom. Problem Solved-Phew!
• Day 2 Trinity decided she did NOT want to ride the bus & I had to push her up the stairs of the bus
• Day 3 She refused to get on & I drove her to school
• Day 4 Dad took her to the bus stop and "helped" her onto the bus
• Day 5 Everyone woke up late & Dad drove her to school
• Day 6 Things at the bus stop were looking good-until the bus came. She screamed, kicked, cried, & Mom (who was 8 months pregnant) picked her up and put her on the top step of the bus. The bus driver had to get out of her seat and restrain Trinity while Mom "ran away" from the bus stop. (awesome)
• Bus issues have been resolved as long as Trinity has a picture colored, EVERY DAY, ready to give to Miss Cody (her bus driver) I am SO thankful for such an awesome lady!

I can look back now and laugh at the drama of the first couple of weeks. I am keeping my fingers crossed that when the second rotation starts, after having a few weeks off, that she won't have any issues getting back into a good bus routine.
I tried my best to get some pics of the first day, but she was so nervous/excited she wouldn't hold still long enough to even look at me and smile!I literally followed her around with the camera trying to get some sort of "happy" expression.One of the highlights was when a lady bug landed on her friend's bag.When the bus pulled up she was almost beside herself with anxiety.Luckily her friend was as confident as ever and insisted that they be "bus buddies"
Notice that there is still no sign of a real smile...I'll post pics of the arrival home & we'll keep looking for that elusive smile.

We Moved

Every time I sit down to blog I get overwhelmed at how far behind I've gotten. I know I don't have to include everything that is (and has been) going on with us, but it seems weird to just skip over everything!! So, I'll start back a ways and see how well I do.

We Moved!

Yup, back over Memorial Day weekend we packed up all of our stuff and moved from our third floor apt to a ground level apt with the exact same floor plan. Having been in our new place for a while makes me wonder why I ever wanted to live on the third floor! ALL those stairs...uh, it makes me tired just thinking about it!

Matt had access to a whole bunch of boxes from work & the kids had SO much fun using them as tunnels, houses, cars, and pretty much anything else they could think of. Trinity kept asking us if she could sleep in her box & one night we finally let her! Ha ha

P.S. The pregnancy is still going well & tomorrow is the 2 week countdown mark-bring on the baby!!