3 weeks old

Matilda is now 3 weeks old and already getting too big. She already has grown out of most of her newborn size clothes. It makes me so sad how fast they grow up. She is more awake lately and will smile and coo at me. Sometimes I will catch her just staring right at me and as soon as I look at her she gives me a big smile. She is so sweet and much more mellow then her sister was. We are so happy to have this sweet spirit in our family.

I thought I should post some pictures of Matilda where you can actually see her face. My brother Zach and I tried our hand at amateur photography. He was the photographer and I was the art director. Or at least that is what we were claiming.

I have taken some pretty cute pictures of Avery and Matilda but they are on my cell phone. I will have to work on getting those uploaded or taking some with the camera.

Matilda's Home Birth

Matilda Elaine arrived on Monday November 23rd at 8:44 pm. She weighed 7lb 15oz and was 19 inches long (I only make short babies I guess).

Here is the birth story. As a warning to the readers this is more for me then anyone else so it is really long and detailed.

Birth Story:
On Sunday night I went to bed sure I was going to just be pregnant forever. I had been having a few contractions here and there but never anything strong or regular. Despite being 5 days overdue, I still wasn't feeling overwhelmed. I just figured she was planning the perfect time to make her entrance into the world.

Avery had a cold and was feeling pretty lousy all night. So I had a pretty restless sleep. Around 6am Aves was fussing and I was trying to comfort her back to sleep. I started feeling some contractions but they were so mild that I didn't think anything of it. However, at 7:30 Andy was leaving for work and the contractions were still coming pretty regular so I began to think this could be it. I let Andy know what was going on and he responded with a high five and then reluctantly left for work. I sat with Avery all morning while she just watched TV and I timed contractions. They were still very mild and about 15-20 minutes apart.

I went about my day as usual and tried to get last minute things ready for the birth. Since the contractions had not stopped, I was sure this was it but I still didn't want to announce that I was in labor until they got stronger. Around 2 my mom and I went out for a relaxing lunch. Afterwards my mom came with me while I ran some errands. The contractions started getting closer together while we out but still were not painful.

Once we got home we decided to take a walk to see if that would help things progress. While on the walk the contractions were coming closer and closer together and picking up in intensity. Rachel and her kids met us back at the house and we just sat around and talked for a while.

At 530 Rachel suggested that I call my midwife, Pam, to let her know what was going on. I was starting to have to concentrate through the contractions and they were about 7-10 minutes apart. Pam said she would get her things ready to go and check back with in another hour or two. During this time my dad got home from work and then immediately left for the gym. We apparently forgot to tell him I was in labor. Rachel decided to leave and take her kids home but wanted me to call her when things picked up so she could come back. My dad got home from the gym around 6 and to his surprise found me in labor. By that time things were noticeably different. The contractions were strong but still not hard.

Everything went really fast from here on out. I was not sure of the time frame but after talking with everyone about it I think we figured it out. I was sitting with Andy watching TV and breathing through contractions while my dad was timing them on his laptop. They were about 3-5 minutes apart. Around 630 I had my dad give me a blessing that the birth would go smoothly. He had to time it perfectly so that it was in between contractions because the worst position for me to be in was sitting. I spent the majority of active labor on my knees because that is what felt best.

After a couple hard contractions, I decided I needed to try something else. So I walked what seemed like a mile across the house to my parents bath tub. Around 7pm, my dad called the midwife to tell her to come over. She was shocked we didn't call sooner and rushed over. While in the tub i began to vocalize through the contractions. It is something I had heard and read about but never thought I would do. I was really surprised at how much it actually helped me focus through the contractions. It gave me something to do other then focus on the pain. Pam arrived at 740. She came in to the bathroom and checked me. To my shock she told me I was almost complete. Shortly after Pam got there Rachel and the apprentice midwife arrived.

It seemed like an eternity to me but it was only another hour till she was born. At some point my water broke and I felt the baby moving down. Pam told me I could try pushing. It was really weird to do something other than breathe through the contractions but once I started pushing it gave me a new purpose which I enjoyed. Pam checked me again to make sure I was complete and found that there was still a little lip of the cervix. She said I could continue to push and she could hold it out of the way. After trying that for 2 contractions Pam thought it would best to breathe through a couple more contractions and see if the cervix would move. This seemed impossible but I knew I needed to try. The pushing contractions were a lot more intense and really hard to get through. I was only able to breathe through 2 more contractions before I HAD to push.

At this point I was feeling really defeated. I was tired and just wanted to be done but didn't want to do the work anymore. Luckily with in the next few contractions I pushed with my body, the head descended and she was born. I looked down into the water and saw her sweet face looking back at me. I pulled her up to my chest and just held her in amazement and relief. The cord was around her neck when she came out so she was kind of blue. But she was breathing perfectly.

The funny thing is that no one saw her actually being born. I was on my knees so no one was able to see her head come out. It was a very modest birth. I also didn't have a single tear! All in all it was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. I could not have asked for a more peaceful and gentle birth. My whole support team was amazing as well. Andy was more then I ever expected and exactly what I needed.

Here are some pictures of right after she was born. Avery was being so sweet, she just kept saying "oh, so cute!" and "she likes me, Mommy!"

The midwife is doing the newborn exam and weighing her.

Pregnancy Update and Pics of Aves

So I will start by saying yes I am still pregnant. That is for all the curious minds out there. You know who you are! I am now 391/2 weeks pregnant. My official due date is this coming Wednesday. I have not been having any pre labor and as far as I can tell no signs of anything happening. I am predicting this little one will come around the 25th. But she is always welcome sooner ;)! I am still feeling pretty good physically. However, the end is always hard thinking any day could be "the day" and examining every single twinge I feel wondering if that was anything. I am just saying it can really drive a person mad. So as of now I am trying to practice patience and enjoy the little bit of time left with just Avery.

Since I never did do a Halloween post her are some pictures of the night. Thanks again to Rachel for hosting all the festivities. The kids had a blast and the next day Avery woke up saying she wanted to go trick or treating. Unfortunately she has to wait a whole entire year.

Here she is getting excited to go.

The kids showing off their costumes.

Scarlett and Avery playing nice together (a rare sight).

Don't mind the 37 week pregnant lady in the picture. FYI that's the only belly shot I am going to be posting so get your fill now.

Collecting candy!

Home Visit

I am now 36 weeks pregnant which meant it was time for the home visit with my miwife. I have been curious about this allusive home visit pretty much since I deided on a home birth. My curiousity grew as I would ask my midwife a question and she would respond by saying "oh I won't cover that till the "home visit". I thought what possibly goes on at this appointment. There is no way we cover every possible concern from the pregnancy.

So last Saturday was the day and I have to say it was kind of a let down. While I suppose the information was useful, it wasn't worth all the hype I had given it. My midwife just went over the ins and outs of what to expect during labor and after. All information that I have read elsewhere and learned from Avery's birth. She also had me do the Group B Strep swap. I was able to do it myself which is always nice.

By far the best part of the visit was that my mom sat in on the whole thing (about 3 hours long). I was happy to include her because she has been apprehensive about the home birth since I brought up the idea. And I think now that it will be in her house she is even more nervous, lol. But being able to meet the midwife and see how she does things really put my mom at ease. I am sure she will still be nervous during the actual labor but at least now she feels more confident in the whole process.

Now I am just ready for this little one to make her debut. I realize that I still have about a month left maybe longer but I can't help getting excited to finally meet her. To be honest we are actually not even close to ready yet. So hopefully she stays put a while longer.

Cousin Time

One of the best parts about being in Arizona is that Avery gets to spend time with her cousins or tuzzies as she calls them. We love having them so close and being able to see them on a regular basis. Even though Scarlett and Avery have a hard time together, they still always want to see each other. If you ask either of them they will say they love each other and are best friends. But that doesn't stop them from screaming violently the next second. I think it is a 2 year old thing.

This picture is a perfect depiction of their relationship. Scarlett is happy and carefree while Avery looks really concerned about sitting so close together.

We love you guys!

So I am officially the worst blogger ever! But I will attempt this blogging thing again and see how it works. Here is a little update.

Shortly after my last post in April my computer crashed and left us disconnected from the world. Then in June Andy got offered a job in Arizona and so in a matter of weeks we packed everything and moved down to Phoenix. We are now living with my parents which has been a big adjustment for us but I finally feel like things are starting to settle down a bit.

I am now 34 1/2 weeks pregnant (with another girl) which means I only have a short time of feeling settled before the new addition. Also my little brother gets home from his mission a week after my due date and will be living here at my parents. So in a matter of weeks we will have not only another baby but my brother as well. I suppose we will just be one big happy family.

Anyway here are some recent pictures of Avery. We are currently in the process of potty training and right now the only way she will for sure go on the potty is if she has no clothes on. So around the house she is almost always bare bottomed.

This may look like she is blowing kisses but don't be fooled. She has discovered spitting and does this thing where she spits into her hand. Really disgusting!

WTF?!!

Can you believe this? These pictures are taken from the warmth of inside my house. I was too scared to venture out into the cold for better pictures. It looks like the middle of winter outside but it is actually the middle of April! Birds are supposed to be chirping, flowers blooming and all the other spring crap. Instead we are stuck in a snow storm. I am so frustrated with the cold weather. The snow needs to melt and not come back until I say so. I am ready for the hot summer sun and long days laying by the pool. Hey a girl can dream, right? This better be the last snow storm of the season or I am going to lose it! Just needed to vent. Thanks for listening.

Happy Easter!

We had a fun Easter Sunday. It was finally somewhat warm weather outside after days of cold rain. Adrienne came over for dinner and her boyfriend came over a little later. I guess he was too good to eat dinner with us. Its always fun to have Age over. She is very entertaining. Andy made a delicious Mexican dinner, very traditional for Easter, with homemade salsa and guacamole and awesome burritos. Andy loves to show off his cooking skills in front of Age because she gives a lot of praise. So its always a challenge to him to try and create something new and exciting that she will love and tell her mom about. Its funny how Andy is way better friends with Melanie's family then mine.

Anyway, after dinner we watched some Flight of the Concords with Age and her boyfriend. I love that show! Avery was really funny with Brent (the boyfriend). She LOVED him and kept trying to show off in front of him. It was really weird because she is usually super shy and nervous about strange men that she doesn't know (a good quality to have). But she had no problems with Brent and would not leave him alone all night. It was cute.

Now to the pictures of Avery and the new addition to our family, the kitty, since I have not posted in a while.

Here is Avery in her Easter dress.

This is our kitty, Pablo. Avery named her.

Avery attacking Pablo.

The devilish smile of success after harassing the cat.

I just like these pictures. Avery is stopping to smell the flowers.

This is at Staci's house. Scarlett and Avery are so cute at this little table with the baby doll in the middle.

The Cookie Cutter experience

Avery got her first hair cut. And as always I forgot to bring the camera so I don't have any pictures of the actual event. A friend of ours has a daughter Avery's age and we have been talking about getting their hair cut for a long time now. So she found a place that specifically does kids cuts and made appointments for Avery and Lily at the same time. Avery surprising did really well. She was able to pick out a movie to watch and so she sat their the whole time just watching the tv and playing with the steering wheel of the little car she was sitting in. The hardest part of the whole experience was leaving because Avery was having too much fun playing on the slide they had there.

Before

After

Avery's best pose

The funniest part to me was the girl cutting Avery's hair wanted to style it she put moose and hair spray in it and then even blow dried it. She was also giving me tips on how to do Avery's hair and saying that I just need to scrunch it every morning while blow drying it and that will keep it curly. As if I blow dry Avery's hair every morning or something. I didn't notice till we got home but she totally gave Avery a Utah girl hair style, its kinda funny. But of course Avery looks adorable, as always, with her new hair cut. And it looks a lot better today without the crazy style.

A much needed update!

So I think I have proved I am the worst blogger ever seeing as it has taken me four months to finally post something new. Part of the reason I never update is because I am terrible at remembering to bring our camera with us. So I will update everyone on the past four months of our lives with only one picture.

• We had a fun filled Canadian Thanksgiving. They celebrate Thanksgiving in October so our friends got together for an early feast.
• Andy had a birthday! He turned 27.
• Avery was Minnie mouse for Halloween. This is one time I actually had the camera.
• We planned a move to Arizona and then it fell through. :(
• We had a very quaint and relaxing American Thanksgiving by ourselves. It was actually a perfect weekend and we had a lot of fun.
• The first snow of the season. With that came a lot of frustration because my car's balding tires constantly slip and slide and get stuck in the snowy mess. Grrr!
• An unexpected and exciting pregnancy which resulted in a miscarriage. :(
• We celebrated our 3 year anniversary!
• To Andy's demise, Stargate Atlantis (his favorite tv show) went off air. This was a very big deal to Andy and thus needed to be included.
• Took a trip to Arizona for the holidays and for Jeff and Andrea's wedding. We had so much fun with our family and Avery had a blast with her cousins.
• We didn't celebrate the New Year. I'm not against celebrating 2010 and actually New Years is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. However, Avery and I flew back to Utah on December 31st and after our busy and fun filled trip to Arizona we were all so tired that we ended up going to sleep at 8:30. But I enjoyed the much needed rest and ended up sleeping till noon the next day.
• Avery got sick with pneumonia. It was scary but she got over it quickly. I think it was a result of her playing all day and into the night at Grandma's house. But I think she would say it was worth it.
• Avery has started talking a lot more lately.

And that brings us to February and we are officially updated.