Baby Asher came to town!!!

-Labor & Delivery

You really don't have to read all of this. It's mostly for my own journaling purposes. I'm writing about this now because I started the draft and became very busy with Baby Asher. Staying up nights nursing is hard to transition to at first, and Baby Asher takes up all of my time now :).

We went in Monday morning, the 5th of November, at 7 am for my scheduled induction, but we were waiting for Dr. Bunten to arrive for a bit. We didn't actually get going until around 8 am. They inserted a tablet in me to get me going, saying that they would use pitocin if necessary later on. Thankfully, my water broke before any of that was necessary. I felt a small, warm trickle. At first, I didn't realize it was my water that had broken, but I didn't think it could be anything else by the way I felt after thinking about it. The nurse didn't think it was anything, but I knew it was too much vaginal discharge to be nothing. I labored without an epidural for most of the day. They gave me an epidural around 4 pm. Around 5:30 pm, they checked how much I was dilated and were shocked to discover that I had already dilated to about a ten! This really got Scott and I excited! We had thought we were going to have a few hours to nap, but apparently Baby Asher had different plans. The nurse told me that when I felt the urge to push to let them know. She said they didn't want to have me push when it didn't feel natural, so it surprised Scott and I when Dr. Bunten came in and told me to do a few practice pushes. Apparently, they weren't for practice because she had me start pushing there and then. That was another surprise for Scott and me. Again, we thought we were going to get a respite, and again we were excited to find out otherwise.

I was pushing for much longer than Dr. Bunten had hoped. Part of that was because Asher's head was sunny-side-up, his head is big, and my epidural wore off part-way through which caused me to take more breaks than I would have otherwise. They told me to push this little button for an extra boost of the epidural, but it didn't work. They had to have someone come in to fix it. Dr. Bunten started talking about the need to do a c-section, use forceps, or suction. At that point, I started pushing like a mad women. There was no way she was going to use forceps on my baby's head! I have a bit of a paranoia for such things. Dr Bunten was like, "That's right! Prove me wrong! Good job!" We started to see his head come out. Everyone was saying good job, but I was crying that at the end of my pushes he was going back in. Dr. Bunten made a small incision that finally turned the tide, and out came Baby Asher! He was eight pounds, eight ounces. At that point, I finally realized my reward was here. During labor, Scott had been trying to remind me of that, but I was too busy giving him a dead, zombie, woman-in-labor-pains look. My beautiful baby boy was here! I immediately started cooing at him. It sounds cliche, but you really don't realize how much you are going to love this little person until you see him. His umbilical cord was kind of short; at first, I was holding him on my lower abdomen. The doctors and nurses said he was peeing when he came out, lol.

After they took him away to clean him up and do all of the logistics, I was feeling very light-headed. They gave me some oxygen, and Scott held Baby Asher at first. He took to fatherhood like a fish to water. He's wanted to be a Dad forever. : ) I was sad that I couldn't hold my baby at first, but they helped me nurse him for the first time lying down even though I was feeling woozy. I had thrown up during a lot of my labor. There was even one time when I threw up all over myself, and they had to change my sheets and nightgown. Scott turned away just for a moment to wash something off, but it was enough time for disaster, lol. It's so crazy how anything goes during labor. Stuff that would embarrass you normally totally doesn't matter anymore!

Because I had a bit of a fever right before I had Asher, they monitored his temperature the first few days in case he had contracted an infection. His temperature was a bit low at first, but he was fine. We are so grateful to have a beautiful, healthy boy! He is such a handsome, little guy. Asher was born with syndactyly on his right hand. His middle fingers on his right hand are fused together. This basically means that the webbing on his hand didn't separate in the womb. Luckily, a one-time, surgical procedure can take care of this, and it won't affect his development at all. He will probably have the procedure when he is around a year-and-a-half. This is the best time for optimal results/healing. It also allows for more skin to grown in order to avoid doing more skin grafts. We are grateful that he will be just fine. I can't tell you how much my love has increased for this joyous, little bundle in the last few weeks. I'm holding him right now as he sleeps; he looks so peaceful. I love it when he smiles in his sleep. He's so beautiful!

 8 pounds, 8 ounces

Grandma Robyn holding baby Asher.

 Grandma and Grandpa Dyer holding baby Asher!

 Out little batman burrito! Scott loved that I crocheted the edges of this batman blanket!

 Asher's first bath! We just had his second bath a few days ago, and he loved it! It relaxed him so much he pooped like six times in the bath tub and peed twice, lol. I guess we know what to do when he's constipated. :)

Promised Pictures!!! (Nesting Continued)

Nesting Time!!!

Home Sweet Home!!! We love our duplex!

 Scott said he loved the shot of the garbage can, lol. 

Mom loved the tall trees in our backyard. I guess Washingtonians kind of take all the trees for granted :).

 Pictures right before having Asher!!! I'm scheduled to be induced Monday (11/5/12)!!!

Mom came out this last Thursday (11/1/12) to take care of her little girl. First-time Grandma! She couldn't be more excited!

Latest Projects for Super Saturday! Harvest Time! Crafty Wafty :)

Home Sweet Home: Nested!!!

Yesterday, October 29th, marked the passing of Baby Asher's due date. Yikes! I can't believe we are finally here. Crazy! In a way, it's a good thing that he didn't decide to come early or right on time because we have been unpacking like crazy since Tuesday, October 23rd. I've been trying to ignore my nesting instincts for so long that when moving time finally came in my 39th week, my condition totally didn't hold me back. I went into overdrive! I probably pushed myself too hard. I tried to be careful about not carrying things that were too heavy, but I was on my feet unpacking and organizing for a few days straight, which resulted in really swollen feet. I know that was not the smartest thing in the world, but it was so worth it! Everything feels homey and ready for baby, which feels so good! We love our new, little home.

Thanks to Rachel, Scott's sister, we found a lovely duplex for the same price as the little two-bedroom apartments we were looking at. We love it! Front and back yard, garage, utility room with laundry hook-ups etc. We couldn't be more happy with it. It was a little frustrating getting into it because the landlord does construction for a living, so navigating contracts and moving times wasn't negotiated very professionally since he only works out duplex contracts every few years. We didn't know when we were going to move until a day before we signed the contract, payed the first month's rent, and payed the deposit. The landlord refurbished the whole duplex, so that was another reason the moving date kept getting pushed back. The original promised move-in date was September 29th, so you can imagine our frustration when he said it wouldn't be ready until October 27th. I told him it was fine, but that we were a little concerned considering our baby was due just a few days later. I get the feeling that this little push on my part is the reason he finished refurbishing a bit early. Thank heavens!

Despite the frustrations of working out the logistics of moving, our landlords are really good, Christian people. He did an excellent job on refurbishing. We have new floors in the living room, kitchen, and hallway; new carpeting in the bedrooms; new Sherwin Williams paint (which Scott was impressed with considering he works there); and the insulation is excellent. I guess the landlord installed a lot of energy efficient things that makes the duplex retain heat really well. We barely have to turn the heat on at all, and it keeps the place nice and warm. Anyway, not to blab on and on. We are really grateful for the blessing of having a home ready for Baby Asher. Moving and having a baby in the same  month made me think of Jessica Clark, who told me never to move and have a baby so close together when we were helping them move after they had Thomas. Lol, I guess sometimes it can't be helped. :)

Anyway, the nest is filled and ready just in time! We will see how late I am and whether or not I'll have to be induced. I can definitely tell that this baby is ready to come out. Man alive, I've definitely gotten to the peak of pregnancy discomfort between swollen feet, angry stretch marks that itch like crazy, aching pelvis/legs from a very low baby. Seriously, it feels like I have a bowling ball between my legs as I waddle around, lol. I can't wait to enjoy the product of all of this. The sacrifice is very cathartic though. It brings motherhood to a whole new perspective, diminishing the petty pursuits of vanity to be replaced with the wholesome, selfless attitude of motherhood.

The only other update I can think of is my online job at tutor.com that started mid-September, which Janae Robinson referenced me to. Thank you! I'm an online tutor for English, Essay Writing, and Career help. It's a perfect job for a stay-at-home mom because you can work as little as five hours or as much as 30 per week. It's basically up to you how much you want to make. The other nice aspect is that you can schedule your own hours any time of day, or you can just act as a floating tutor and put yourself as available when you have a spare moment. I haven't been working a ton of hours with everything that's coming up, but I'm planning on working more once we get into a routine in our new home with our new baby, boy.

I will be adding pictures in my next post that should have been included here. My camera finally decided to go kaput  so I need to take pics with Scott's phone when he gets home today. I'm also excited to have Kayleigh Alberts (Scott's cousin, Jordan's wife) come and take pictures of Baby Asher. Doctor's appointment today. Hopefully, we'll have a better idea of when this baby is coming. Love to all! We will post pics and send a text of Baby Asher when he decides to come.

Catch up on Summer Events

I'm a little behind on things, so here's a summary of events.

• July 18-22, 2012 Sunriver Reunion!

-We stayed in two, big houses in this fun resort town. We spent our time walking around the mall, visiting goodies (a notorious candy and ice cream shop), playing family games, and performing skits. We even saw deer and some racoons in the back yard! All the kids had a lot of fun swimming at the pool and in the river near by.

-Right before the reunion, I went in for a routine glucose test. I do not have gestational diabetes, but I did find out that I've become slightly anemic from pregnancy and my platelets are a bit low. That explains why I've been so tired! I've started to load up on leafy greens, and I've been taking iron pills.

• July 26 Flight to SLC

-I flew to SLC to stay with my Mom, Patrice, and Alan in Preston, ID at my grandparents house while my Mom prepared for the wedding. It was a really long three weeks away from Scott. I wish it were possible to be with the people we love all at the same time, but Scott needed to work. Plus, we didn't have the money to fly me back and forth a lot. But it was nice to see my family and help with the wedding.

• July 28 Hale Reunion at Uncle Nathan's Ranch in Grace, Grandma Louise's 75th Birthday Celebration

• August 10th Naomi's (a family friend) Sealing and Reception at the Bountiful Temple

• August 11th Becca's Endowment at the Logan Temple

-http://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/endowment?lang=eng&letter=e

-http://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/seal-sealing?lang=eng

-Becca's endowment was a very special experience. Mom and Dad were married in the Logan, UT temple, so it was neat for Becca to be endowed there! I've included a link explaining a little more about what endowments and sealings are.

• August 18th Alan's Sealing at the SLC temple and Reception at the Wight House

-It was amazing to see Alan and Becca get sealed for time and all eternity! I've seen Alan yearning for his eternal companion the last couple of years, and I'm so happy that he's finally found his love! It was a pretty hot day, but at least it didn't rain. There were about 180 weddings that day in the SLC temple. Crazy! When Scott and I got married, I think there were only about half that much. Becca looked beautiful. I'll post pics of them later.

• August 19th-20th Moving Our Stuff from Idaho

-Scott and I left our stuff in Rexburg, ID when we graduated in December while we were figuring things out. We decided to take advantage of being near Rexburg during the wedding to move our stuff where we are now living in Vancouver, WA near Scott's family. Sunday we took the Salt Lake Express up to Rexburg, ID and relaxed in the AmericInn. The next morning we hired movers to load up our u-haul and drove 11-12 hours to Vancouver, Washington.

-We had a brief set back with the u-haul though. We were just about to walk across the street to rent out our u-haul after eating breakfast when the u-haul company called us and said that our truck was at a different store across town. Of course, they didn't know that Scott and I were without transportation. So for the first time in my life, I became a hitch hiker, lol. We were walking along while I stuck my thumb out. I have to say it was one of the stranger things I've done especially while waddling along being pregnant. But hey, who can resist a pregnant woman in her seventh month? We ended up getting a ride from a nice, elderly gentlemen who simply laughed at us when we opened the door. 

-Besides this little adventure, everything went smoothly. We dropped off our old love seat at Alan and Becca's new apartment, made a trip to the bank, and I got to purchase a few blankets for Baby Asher from Porter's Craft store that I absolutely love. I have no idea where else to find these blankets, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy a few. They come in a package with the blanket pre-sewn and punched all around the edge to allow for a beautifully crocheted edge. I just finished one of them. I'll have to post a few pictures of all the blankets I've made. My nesting urge may have caused me to go a little overboard, lol.

• The Latest News

-Everything is going great with Scott's work at Sherwin Williams. He just interviewed with a recruiter this week, and he should be getting a call soon from the next man up. So if all goes well, he should be getting into the MTP (Management Training Program) soon. This will allow us to move out of his parent's house. They have been so kind to have us! When we were moving our stuff into Rachel (Scott's sister) and Dave's basement, which they have lovingly let us do for the next month, Rachel told us about a really promising duplex near their neighborhood. It has a garage and backyard for the same price as the two-bedroom apartments we were looking at, so we're pretty interested. Anyway, if all goes well, we should be able have a little home ready for baby Asher before he comes along. Keep us in your prayers!

-Pregnancy has treated me relatively well. I've had trouble with my tail bone the last few weeks. It was bruised about ten years ago when I was tubing down the bear river, but it never really bothered me that much before now. It's just really aggravated from all that extra pressure I guess. Luckily, allergy season has passed, so I don't have to deal with horrible allergy symptoms anymore. I could only take one pill of the not-so-strong stuff once a day which hardly did anything for me. I basically had to stay inside all the time to get any relief. Also, the topical acne medication, which is safe during pregnancy versus oral pills, I got about a month ago has tamed my pregnancy breakouts. I hardly have to apply it anymore. I don't have any stretch marks......yet, but a lot could happen in the next two months, lol. I can't believe I'm going to get even bigger! Arghhh! But this little man is worth it. I am looking forward to being done though. As I've said before, I will have been pregnant for a year by the time we have Baby Asher because of our previous miscarriage. Even though my body has gone through a lot of hormonal ups and downs, I feel so blessed to have a healthy, little guy kicking around! It feels so much more real than it ever did before. I can't believe that we will be parents in the next few months! Should I feel nervous? Where is this all-consuming calm coming from? I'm not even scared of labor pain! I used to be terrified of the idea all growing up, but now all my motherly instincts must be kicking in. Or I'm just ready to have this little guy out of me, lol. Anyway, this was a really long blog post. Hopefully, I will be able to keep up with things better from now on.

4th of July Festivities!

Here's how our 4th of July Festivities went this year:


-Fireworks at the Prices the night before

Marzee's parents invited us all out to their neighborhood block party. Everyone was dancing in the streets, and the grand finale of the whole party ended with a bang, amazing professional fireworks, courtesy of the neighborhood pulling their funds together (free for us :)). They were a bit too close for my ears. I kept my ears plugged the whole time.

The most momentous thing about this night for us was that Scott was able to feel the baby kick for the first time. He's been wanting to feel him kick for so long that I had stopped telling him sometimes when Asher was kicking. It just disappointed him when he couldn't share in the joy, so it really made me happy that Scott could finally feel him. Now, he is constantly asking me, "How's baby doing?" It makes me laugh that he likes how pregnancy is changing my body. He says he can't wait until I'm bursting and waddling. He says I'm cute, and I think it's cute that he likes my pregnant figure even though I'm looking forward to having my body back to myself :). My visiting teacher was surprised when I made this comment until I mentioned our miscarriage. This has been my year-long pregnancy :).

-Hike in the morning with Jon and Rick Dyers while everyone else was swimming at the Mays

This Eaglecreek hike was gorgeous. I love how green and lush it is here. It ended with a beautiful creek and waterfall to greet us.

-Barbecue in Mom and Dad Dyer's backyard

The flag made of fruit kabobs was a simple, fun idea I found on pinterest, which I'm becoming more addicted to every day. Baby James sported his cute little 4th outfit, which said "Baby's First 4th". So adorable!

-Adorable baby birds in Mom Dyer's front porch, fuscia plant

This is just a random July note. I was going to try to get a pic with their beaks up, but they have already grown up and flown away since yesterday.