Week One

Lots of love and snuggles
First Dr. visit: Diagnosed with acid reflux and protein breakdown intolerance. (Same as William, but not as severe and no expensive formula!!!)
Exhaustion
Luke gained an ounce
William drank bright green nail polish.
Bought a trampoline...kids LOVE it!
Went out to dinner..Maynard, party of 6! What the?!
Tired, very tired
Milk came in...ouch!
Signed Mary and Sam up for fall/spring soccer.
Yummy meals and kind gifts from good neighbors and friends.
Grandma came today!
Sleepy
Our amazing neighbor Trudy mowed and trimmed our lawn while we set up the trampoline.
Last minute trip to Target for newborn clothes. 0-3 month don't fit our little peanut yet.
Loving our sweet Luke and the spirit he brought fresh from heaven.

Introducing....

Luke Michael Maynard
7lb. 7.7oz
18 3/4 inches
Born May 22, 2012   4:18pm
Jordan Valley Hospital

The Story:
I went in for my regular weekly appointment last week, and the doctor discovered that my blood sugar count was three times higher than normal. My blood pressure was also higher than normal.  I had been having bad headaches all week and was also getting sick after eating things with sugar.
The doctor was worried about gestational diabetes as well as preeclampsia, so he told me that I could not go past 39 weeks for this pregnancy.  I was bummed, because I didn't want to be induced this time, but I understood the reasoning, so we decided to schedule the induction for the following week, and to hope that baby would come before then.  I was at a 4 at this point and 70% effaced, so there was a good chance of me having him.
I had lots of days of stop and go labor for the next week, but nothing to show for it. So, Tuesday morning, May 22nd, Ben and I showed up at the hospital at 6:30am for the induction.  I had a Jamba juice in my hand. Ben had thoughtfully brought one home for me the night before and put it in the freezer so I could have it that morning. So sweet!

My mom had come the night before (last minute), and the kids were taken care of. I am SO grateful that my mom was able to do this. It once again helped me realize how great it is to live closer to family.  It was a sacrifice for her, and she was so willing to come and help anyway. It meant a lot to all of us.

We got settled in the room, I got the IV over with and then we got the show on the road. We all figured that once I got the pitocin, things would just take off!  Well, it wasn't the case.  They started the pitocin at 8:00 and by noon, I was only at a 7 and just starting to get uncomfortable.  They figured that once the doctor broke my water, things would really go fast, so they told me to get the epidural at that point, in case there wouldn't be time later.  I was TERRIFIED for the epidural, because the last three times it has hurt so badly to get put in. 
The dude came to put it in, and he was amazing! I hardly felt it at all. I actually couldn't believe he had done it right, because it didn't hurt. I was so shocked and so relieved. I think I thanked him about 20 times.
The epidural did its job, and I was pain free the rest of the time. It was so great!
I normally wait too long to get the epidural, and end up in horrible pain for a while before I get the epidural. It was so nice to get it this time, just as the pain was getting bad.
The doctor came and broke my water next, but still, not much happened.  So, the nurse rolled me over on my side. This is what happened with Sam's birth too. One side didn't work, so she put me on my other side and that did it! Bingo...10.
Luke was born after 2 pushes. Yup...2 pushes! I don't take this for granted. Believe me. I pushed for over 2 hours with Mary. 
Words will never describe the first moments of meeting your precious child for the first time. There was a very special feeling in the room and they let me hold him and look at him for a long time before cleaning him up.  I could tell right there that this boy of mine is a sweetheart sent from God.

(the following pictures are from later that evening. The pictures from right after his birth won't download on the computer right now, I will post them asap)

Ben was teary eyed and the adoration on his face was so precious. He just soaked in the moment.

Luke is little and cuddly and adorable. His nickname from me is peanut. He is just a little peanut.

He didn't cry much after he was born, which concerned me, but the nurses said he was fine. Because he didn't cry much, he wasn't able to clear all of the mucus out of his throat. We had to suction a lot out throughout the day, but he is fine now.
We didn't have a name for Luke, and have felt very strongly that the Lord knew his name and would let us know.  About 30min. after he was born, Ben and I were looking at him and going through our list of names. We said the name Luke, and there was an immediate feeling in the room. I won't go into detail, because it was sacred and personal, but it was very powerful and very real. Ben and I both felt it, and knew for sure that his name would be Luke. It was a very sacred and special moment. 
His middle name is Michael. We got that name from a very close and dear friend of ours from Colorado Springs. Mike and Mel were our neighbors and best friends there.
The rest of the day was full of getting Luke and I taken care of, moved to our room, and settled. I was STARVING, and tired, so I ate and rested while Ben followed Luke around and helped with his bath and check up.



I got a text from my mom showing me what was going on at home while I was having the baby. Thanks to her, my porch now looks like this!!!

 I love it so much. What an awesome surprise! It is adorable and makes me smile every time I look outside.

She came to the hospital that evening after Luke was born. She had the kids bring flowers for me in a cute duck vase, a teddy bear for Luke and yummy treats to the hospital.
She also brought clothes for Luke and a blanket that she made for him. We will be blessing him in it.
I seriously have super mom. She is amazing.

It was another very special moment to see my children meet their newest sibling, and to see my mother meet her newest grandchild. It was very precious.




(William thought the hospital bed was so scary, and then so cool. It was hilarious)

(grandma was a lifesaver, and it was awesome to have her meet Luke just hours after his birth)

Ben stayed around until it got late, and then headed home.
Around the time he left, the nurses discovered that I was bleeding too much. Not a surprise to me, I tend to do that with childbirth.
So, she gave me a shot of some stuff that would make my uterus contract more than it already was.
About an hour later, I was in some serious pain. They gave me two pills of percoset (spelling?) and two mortins. It did nothing. I felt like I was going to die. I had back labor this time around, and it was no different with the after labor contractions. My whole back was contracting along with my abdomen and legs.
I laid in the bed in pain and waited for my next does of drugs, praying for them to work.
Well, I got my next dose of drugs, but they also gave me another dose of the stuff to cause cramping again.
This went on the entire night. I had no relief at all from the pain. I was basically in hard labor all night, and no one could do a thing about it. They had to change my gown twice because I was sweating through it because of the pain. It was horrible!  I ended up calling Ben at 6:00am and just cried and cried and cried. I asked him to come give me a blessing.  I had not slept at all the entire night. I was exhausted, in loads of pain, discouraged and falling apart.
He rushed over and gave me a blessing. Then he talked to the nurses and basically forced them to start helping me more.
They got ahold of my doctor,  set me up on some better pain pills, and stopped the medicine that was causing the cramping. Come to find out, I was only supposed to have one dose of that stuff. They gave me three.
No wonder I was having on giant, extremely painful, all over my body, terrible contraction for 12 hours. Hello!
With Ben by my side regulating everything and taking charge, good pain meds, a blessing from the Lord, and help with Luke from the nursery, I was finally able to fall asleep and get some rest that day.

Ben brought the kids up later that evening. They came with flowers, a balloon, and my favorite treat..chocolate covered cinnamon bears! So sweet!  It was a shorter visit, but it was good to see everyone again.


Luke and I came home yesterday. When we pulled out his cute little outfit to take him home in, it looked HUGE!  I hadn't even thought to buy newborn clothes, I just bought 0-3 month clothes. William hardly even fit into those when we brought him home, so I didn't even think about newborn clothes.  We had a good laugh, and put the outfit on Luke anway. It was way too big, but so adorable and he looked even more cuddly and cute. 

Ben had cleaned out the car, cleaned the house, and brought me another Jamba Juice, because I wasn't able to have the one he previously gave me. No Jambas during labor I guess. :(
He really went above and beyond for me and it really meant to much to me. I am a very lucky girl.
We picked up the other two boys at the sitters and made our way home. It was so fun to look in that back seat and see three boys sittng by eachother. I kept on glancing back over and over again. Sam and William were just staring at Luke and were very excited. At one point William looked at him and said "baby brother." It was adorable and melted our hearts.  Mary got home from school soon after and immediately wanted to hold and feed her newest sibling. She is going to be a great helper. Sam as been very into him.  He asks a lot of questions and is concerned about everything Luke does. It is neat to see him so engaged in his role as oldest brother. He takes it very seriously. In the hospital he told Ben, "you can take care of William and I will take care of Luke." He really meant it too. So cute!

 I have been so worried about his tummy handling the formula.  All of my ther kids have had weeks and sometimes months of crying and crying and crying because of protein breakdown issues, acid refulx and somach problems.  Ben and I just hold our breath every time we feed Luke and wait for the puking and screaming. 
So far, he seems to be doing really well. I hesitate to say all is well, because he is still so new, but we have hope and we were SO grateful last night when all we had to do was feed him, change him, burp him, and then put him back to bed. He didn't scream all night, and he actually slept between feedings.
This is so foreign to us, but we are more than grateful. I am almost elated to be honest, but I have yet to feel like we are home free. I am very very grateful though.
Luke is an absolute sweetheart, and we can't get enough of him. He is fresh from heaven, and has a special spirit around him. He looks the most like Mary did as an infant, but he has features of all of the kids.
They are loving having him home and have been very good with him. We have moved every time we have had a baby, and I keep thinking that there is some big stressful thing I need to be doing, but then I realize that we are here and not going anywhere, and it is such a relief and feels so good. It is really nice to just keep things how they are and to just try to let things flow.
We are taking things a day at a time, and trying to just keep things calm and slow. I have been blessed with  feelings of comfort and peace, and I am not a panicked as I thought I would be. Ben has helped to much and having a more quiet week has been great too.

My milk came in today, and of course, that kills, but this time around the lactation specialist at the hospital gave me a wrap to wear. She was amazing. She didn't lecture me or make me feel guilty for nt being able to breast feed. She didn't even ask questions. She just gave me this wrap and told me it will make this week much easier and it will ease the pain. She also gave me some other sugestions to keep the milk from producing more. She was right about the wrap helping.  It still hurts, but not nearly as badly as last time.  I am so grateful for people like her who don't judge, who just figure that I have a good reason,  and who try to help. 

I feel so blessed and grateful for the past few days, and I have felt the Lord near me, Luke and my family.

Welcome to the world sweet Luke...we love you so much and are glad you are here.

Whose Timing?

A few days ago, I went in for my routine weekly OB appointment.
I had been having really bad headaches for a few days, and I had also noticed that my
extreme sensitivity to sugar that I had at the beginning of the pregnancy had made a quick return.

At my appointment, they found that my blood sugar levels were 3 times over the normal limit, and that my blood pressure, which is always really good, was pretty high as well.  That explained my symptoms.

The baby seemed fine, but my OB is concerned that I have had gestational diabetes (that came on after I tested  negative for it at 28 weeks).  That, in turn, made him a little concerned for the baby.  Among some other concerns, sugar in the baby's blood at birth, is not a good thing.

So, my OB said that I could either be induced that very night, or I could go to 39 weeks (one week later) and then be induced. He said that the baby would be fine either way, but that he wouldn't feel comfortable letting me go past that.
I have really wanted to just go into labor on my own, so I was pretty bummed, but then the doctor decided to see if I had "progressed" at all.

To all of our amazement, I am already at a 4!  Everything else is all ready to go too.  My OB said that he couldn't believe I wasn't in labor at that moment.  He decided to let me get to 39 weeks, and give things a chance to come on their own, because my body is so ready anyway.

We scheduled the induction for Tuesday morning, May 22nd (when I will be 39 weeks), but the doctor said he doubts I will make it to then.

If I could pick my timing of when the baby would come...he would come on his own this weekend. After Mary's state gymnastics meet on Friday and after the busy week we are having. That would be awesome.

If  it were the kids timing, he would come tonight, so they could play at the neighbors all day tomorrow.

If it were the doctor's timing, it would be on Tuesday, when the induction is scheduled.

After 24 hours of contractions and cramping yesterday,  among some other "labor signs" I got my hopes up, but I also got worried about finishing out this busy week and the timing of everything.  I began to panic a little.

Ben gave me a wonderful blessing, and it reminded me that the Lord is very aware of my timing, the timing of my family, and the best timing for our baby, and He will work it all out.  Ben also said some neat things about our baby. It was a very special blessing, and I felt so much peace and assurance.

The contractions are still coming today, and I am getting more and more sore, but they are still all over the place, so I think I still have some time. 

So, as is always the case, and I will completely accept it, the timing will be the Lords. I just need to have faith.

Preschool Graduation...Sammy Style

If there is one thing I have learned from my children, it is to let things be. Sure, it would be great to always have the kid that loves to perform and will readily do whatever you want them to in front of a crowd, but I have learned not to sweat it if they don't.

I am a grown adult, and I still get very uncomfortable being the center of attention or performing. So how can I blame my kids for not enjoying it either.

Sam had preschool graduation this week. They had a cute little program all set up with songs and small parts for each kid.
 




Here is Sam's chair.
 



Here is Sam.
 


At first I was upset that Sam wouldn't participate, but then I realized that we were really celebrating that he did so well in preschool, not that he can sing a song in front of the parents. 
I thought about how much he grew this year during preschool...from not wanting to go, not participating, and crying, to hopping in the car and even carpooling to preschool. He learned things, made friends, and participated. He ended up having a great year.

For my soft -hearted, all boy, sweet Sammy, it was awesome! I am very proud of him.
 

 So, even if preschool graduations, school programs, and even some sports games are spent with Sammy on the sidelines, I have learned to not sweat it, because for him, just being there is enough.  He has his own timeline, and if I don't push it, I always end up learning that his time is way better than mine, and he does great with whatever it is, when he decides he is ready.

Just The Beginning

Side Note: In case you didn't see it in my past post, the blog has to be public while I am making a blog book. Once the book is done, it will be private again. If you don't have an invite, but want one, please email me or comment and send me your email.  Thanks!


I have a deep love of sports and of being active.  There isn't much I love more than to see my kids running around and playing outside, riding bikes, exploring nature, learning new things, and getting fresh air.

I love the smell of "outside" on my kids, and the black ring around the bathtub that follows a day of playing in the dirt.  From the beginning, I knew that if we could, we would have our kids in sports. We have decided to let them try a bunch of different things, and see if they really take to anything.

We are in the "trying lots of sports" phase, and even though the schedule can get a little doubled up sometimes, or a little hectic, I wouldn't trade it.

This week was full of sport practices, games and meets. It was so much fun! My mom came up again this weekend to support Mary at her gymnastics meet.  It was so nice of her, and reminded us again how blessed we are to finally live close enough to be able to share these special times with family.

I get so nervous at her meets. I almost can't even watch when it is Mary's turn to do an event. Her State Meet is the week I am due, and I hope I don't end up going into labor from nerves! Thank goodness my mom was there this time to video, so that the video wouldn't be all shaky.

Mary did phenomenal!  She did the best I have ever seen her do on every event!  Her coach messed up and put the mat on the wrong side of the beam, so they had to interrupt Mary's routine to replace the mat. The judges slammed Mary's score for it, otherwise, her scores were all her personal best.

 
 
She came away with 1st place on bars, 1st place on vault (out of every age division), and she placed 3rd All Around!  Mary's team also took first place! They were very excited, because it meant 15. minutes of free time at their next practice. ;)     It was a very fun meet.

 

 

Above: Mary and her best gymnastics buddy, Morgan, after the meet.

After the meet, we all zoomed over to join Ben and William in watching Sam's soccer game.  Sam has improved so much in the sport, and is beginning to figure it all out. His team (Orange Thunder) has improved as a whole, and are learning about passing and team work. It is adorable to see these kids out there in their huge soccer shorts and tiny shoes, running all over.  Sam laughs when he kicks the ball and asks for a break about every 3 minutes.  He is so cute to watch.

 
 
Sam also had his first baseball game this week. Last year it took 4 games just to get him to stand on the field. He never wore the hat, and wore the shirt the last few games.

This game, he wore the hat, and actually played most of the game!  We will work on the shirt later. He is a good little player when he decides he wants to do it. He is a great hitter, but has yet to enjoy the outfield.  We will see how he progresses as the season goes on.  It is his first time being pitched too, instead of using the T, and he is doing really well!

 

 




 William is a great sport (no pun intended...hehe) and is anxiously awaiting his turn to do it all. Until then, he just enjoys the parks that surround the sports fields.

After the sports stuff, we met up at a restaurant and celebrated. Yummy! Then it was shopping time.  My mom, brother and sister-in law went to Ikea, and then we all went to Tai Pan...my FAVORITE home decor store. We were there until closing, and came away with our heads ready to explode with home decor ideas.

My contractions got the best of me by this point, and it was also time for my family to head back home.  We said our goodbye's and parted ways. My family all crashed that night, but crashed happy.

Another weekend well spent, and just the beginning of many, many, many more sports filled days.  Bring it.

Surprise!

I just got back from the OB.
My due date was moved up a week to May 28th! The doctor said he will be surprised if I make it that far.  The odds of having this little guy on mine and Williams Birthday are out of the question now. Because William was so big, the doctor won't let me go that far over ( a week overdue), in case this baby is big too.  I am so relieved!
I have learned through past pregnancies, that this all needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but in the 9th month, moving the due date up a week is awesome!  Memorial weekend sounds great to me.
Ready or not...

Daddy's Boy

William is a very loving boy. He loves Mary. He loves Sam. He loves his mommy. And he really, really, really, really loves his daddy.


Mary and Sam never really had a parent that they wanted to be with more than the other.

William is a different story. Of course, he loves his mommy. He is happy at home with me, and we have lots of fun together. But there is just something about Ben that he absolutely adores.  I personally don't mind the attatchment, but it can make for some very sad mornings.

William is getting much better, but just a month or so ago, when Ben would leave for work, William would run to the door and bang on it, yelling for his daddy. Then he would cry and cry, and he would not let me help him. It was incredibly sad. On the mornings when Ben is gone before William can see him, William is very grumpy for a few hours. He needs his dose of daddy hugs to start the day right I guess.

We have now taught him to say goodby, give daddy a hug and then say "love you."  I also let him watch Ben out the window and they wave to eachother. This seems to give William the "closure" he needs to let Ben go to work each day.

For nap time, William loves to be sung to. Guess what song he ALWAYS asks for.  Yup, "I love daddy." And I have to sing it over and over and over and over again.

Throughout the day William will ask where Ben is. I will tell him that he is at work and will be home soon. William always gets a little sad face and says, "ok." It is really sad.

William also has a 6th sense of when Ben will be arriving home from work. It is crazy!  Ben doesn't get home at exactly the same time every day, so I don't know how William knows, but he does.  William will go running to the front room, climb up on the piano, look out the window and start yelling, "Daddy!"

He gets all excited and starts laughing.  Without fail, Ben will pull up a few minutes later.  Then William will start cheering, climb off the piano and blast out the door. He runs to the car and bangs on the door until Ben opens it and gives William a hug.  William just grins and grins. It is adorable.

On nights when William isn't wanting to go to bed, I will try everything. Singing, rubbing his legs, talking to him, ect.  Nothing works. Then Ben will come in, lay William down on his chest, and William will snuggle in and go right to sleep.  Amazing.
 
William laughs and has fun with me. But when he is wrestling with Ben, or playing with him, or sitting on his lap, he has a special little gleam in his eye. Daddy is his hero.

Of course, Ben loves each of our children the same, and adores and spends time with each one. I am sure that Williams extra attatchment to him pulls on the heart strings a little more, and they have a very sweet relationship, but Ben is a great daddy to each of our children.

William just loves his daddy, and it is pretty darn adorable.

Summer Has Begun

Warm weather, sunshine, and lots of playing outside. Hooray!  The inside toys have remained on the shelves, the bikes, scooters, chalk, and water guns are out, and my kids are already getting tan and their blonde hair is bleaching to white. I love this time of year.

And of course, this will be the first of many bumps and bruises. I am just hoping we have the worst over with now. In order to top this...well, lets just not go there.
I can honestly say, I have NEVER seen a goose egg this big. Poor Sammy was in a lot
of pain for a while.  He bailed off of Mary's bike and hit head first on the sidewalk.
Now the bruise is turning all sorts of amazing colors.

Summer wouldn't be summer without the scrapes and scars to show for it. Hugs for Sam.

Out With The Old....

And in with the new.

Our good ol' Subaru Legacy finally decided it had almost enough.  We decided to sell it before it really bit the dust.  We had lots of good times in it. And Ben became a pro at squishing every possible thing in it in order for us to be able to take it on trips.  My fondest memory is when we went camping this summer. The kids had camping gear under their feet, in their laps and behind them. The trunk was more than full. And I had gear around my feet and the camping stove on my lap.  But hey....Ben's company paid for the gas...so we made it work.

We also crammed everything in it for a week long trip to McCall. That was amazing. I wasn't too thrilled that time, because the 9 hour trip, smashed in the car, was complete with me having a fever and chills because of strep throat. Being squished didn't help.

We have had many a trip with snow skis crammed along the sides of the doors, or a dog pooping in the back seat. We have had a flat tire, run out of gas, had a hit and run that smashed the front door in, fun family trips, and many miles of memories made with this car.

Needless to say, it was time to say goodbye. Ben put plenty of miles on it for work, and for snow skiing, and it served us well.

The picture above obviously isn't the actual car we had, but it looked exactly like that. We were very blessed and sold it quickly, before I could get a picture. In fact, Ben just called me one day from work and said, "hey, can you come get me, I sold the car to this guy, and I need a ride home."  Imagine my shock!

Luckily, we sold it on a Friday, so we had the weekend to find a new car, before I had to somehow get the kids to and from everywhere they need to be without a car.  We were blessed again, and found what we were looking for that weekend.

Another Subaru Legacy (can you tell what kind of car we like), but the newer model. It looks exactly like the picture above...and it is awesome!  It is bigger, quieter, way more comfortable, and has some cool perks to it. It is Ben's work car, but I still get to drive it a lot here and there.  Of course, it won't fit all of us, once the baby is here, but that is what the pathfinder is for.

We are grateful that we  have vehicles, and that we were able to replace the old Subaru when we needed to. Here's to more memories in the new car!

p.s.  You have probably noticed that the blog has been made public. I am making a blog book right now, and it has to be public for me to make it. Once the book is done, I will go private again.  If you didn't get an invite, let me know. I still have some spots available.  

Deja Vous

This past weekend was almost the exact duplicate of the same weekend a year ago.
You know, the crazy weekend where we crammed as much in as possible...the following link will take you there.
big-day

Unfortunately, this time, I didn't get any pictures.  We have on camera, but about 5 places it needed to be. I chose to video Mary's meet this time instead of taking still shots, and Ben couldn't get pictures of Sam's game and watch William at the same time. Maybe next time.

The weekend was very fun and packed full.

Friday night, my mom, sister, brother, sister-in law, and nephew arrived.
Saturday morning, they got up early to run the Thanksgiving Point 1/2 marathon.
It was a first for my sister and sister-in-law, and a second time for my mom.
They left the house around 5:30am.

Mary and I left the house at 6:30 for her gymnastics meet.  Pretty early for Mary.

Around 10:30am, Ben, Sam and William  headed out to Sam's soccer game.

After the game, Ben took the boys to get some car stuff figured out.

Busy morning!

We all met up around 1:00 and headed to Olive Garden to celebrate everyone's accomplishments, and to celebrate my mom's Birthday. (same place as last year)

Mary was not there, because she was at a Birthday party. (same as last year)

After the yummy food, my mom and siblings headed to Ikea, and my family and I crashed at home. I also made my mom the BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER! I got the recipe from a friend here, and it was truly amazing!

We all congregated once more for cake and presents for my mom.  

After that it was some help from my mom with yard work and advice, and then movies and bedtime.

We had a great and very full weekend. And some of it will be repeated again in a few days.  My family is coming back up again to see Mary's gymnastics meet, and to get some more stuff at Ikea.   Good times!

Since I didn't get any pictures, I will just give you a quick rundown on how the kiddos did this past weekend.

Sam scored his first goal at his soccer game! He got the ball away from the huge pack of children that normally follow the ball around, and then kicked it into the goal. Ben said that Sam was so excited and that he grinned and laughed and ran to Ben for a hug and a high five.  I would have loved to see his little face light up.  I am so happy for him. We all are. Way to go Sam!

Mary did well at her meet. We got lost on the way there, and she was tired, so she was a bit flustered, but she still did great and earned a spot in the all-around again. Her high score was on bars this time. The competition was very tough, and so were the judges, so we were proud of her for holding her own and earning a spot on the podium. Her team took 2nd and were thrilled!

It was a very fun and full weekend. Just the way we like it.

So there you have it.  I won't be surprised  if this agenda repeats itself again next year.  I hope it does.