Here We Go Again!

We are so excited to have another kidlet on its way! This has already been a brand new adventure in a lot of ways. I was never sick with Porter and that is most definitely not the case with this bundle of joy. I have been sick since week 4 and even at week 17 I still struggle, and pretty much most aspects of this pregnancy are extremely different, from what I feel like eating, to energy level. What is the same is Lovenox: I am back on those lovely daily injections to treat my Factor V Leiden blood condition. I still don't like them, and they still hurt, but they are much better than getting another clot/pulmonary embolism again, especially while being pregnant. Porter has no clue what is going on, but we are working on being soft and while he only uses a pacifier at nap time and bedtime, we will be working him off of that pretty soon too.

Apparently, we are also super good with the timing of our babies: last go around we weren't sure if JD would be 5 1/2 hours away when Porter was born or not, as JD had a 6 week rotation in Ashland Oregon and I had to stay in Portland to work. Things worked out and Porter came 2 days after JD was back in town. This time baby is due May 21st, since I am high risk being on such a fun medication my Dr wanted me to have the baby on May 14th, but JD graduates May 16th and has preliminary work that week for graduation up in Portland-I know-the irony since we now live 15 minutes from Ashland. We just figure things worked out last time and they will do so again, and at least we can make sure we are in the same city just in case things get exciting.

Things are going well and so far appointments have been right on track which is happy. So that is our exciting news!

Lassen Volcanic National Park

When we were debating on what to do for Labor Day, I happened across Lassen National Volcanic Park. JD and I had never heard of it before, but we love National Parks so decided that the 3 hour drive to get there would be more than worth it.  We had a blast in volcano land. It is kind of weird to think about living on a volcano chain. Mt Lassen is an active volcano but the stretch goes all the way up to British Columbia, so the peaks that we have enjoyed since moving to Oregon including: Crater Lake, Mt St Helens, Mt Jefferson, Mt Hood, Mt Rainier, etc are all volcanos, and a lot of them are active ones too. Kind of neat, the more we learn about these peaks, the more we are able to notice the changes in geography and landscape created by these volcanic cones.

Lassen last erupted in 1915, and it is a beautiful park. We enjoyed walking around Manzanita Lake, seeing the "Hot Rock"-a two ton piece of lava that was tossed from the volcano over 3 miles and was still warm when the photographer took a picture of it back in 1915. We hiked Bumpass Hell, a mini Yellowstone of sorts complete with sulpher air, geysers, mud pots, and fumeroles. We were able to enjoy a gorgeous day and views of the different peaks as we hiked and spent time together as a family. It was also a hot and sunny day. I had brought along 6 waterbottles filled with ice water as well as 5 large gatorades and we drank everything except one Gatorade during this little day trip.

On our way back home we also stopped by Burney Falls, a California State Park that was beautiful! It felt so good to hike down to the level of the falls, the canyon was shaded and the water cooled everything down, complete with a nice breeze through the canyon we were able to cool off, a welcome relief after hiking around in 95-ish degree heat all day.

It was a really fun day, I absolutely love doing things like this with my family. There is something about hiking and being together that is just plain awesome.

 

Temple Trip

With such factors as having a newborn, feeding, recovery, and the temple being closed for cleaning we haven't been able to go for over a month, until today.  We brought Porter with us and took turns doing initiatories and it felt so good to be back in the temple!  When I was done they asked if I would like to do more names, I had replied that I would like to but I had a baby waiting in the parking lot.  The worker looked at me funny and said well then I absolutely must go.  It wasn't until I was changing that I realized she could have taken it in a way that I had left my baby alone in a car to come to the temple, which would have explained the look I had received.  While JD was taking his turn I had fun feeding Porter in the driver's seat of the car and then walking around the temple grounds.  The Portland Temple is set in among a ton of trees and the grounds are beautiful and peaceful.  It was really fun taking more time to enjoy the grounds and watch all the brides and grooms coming out of the temple after getting married.  It was a really nice, peaceful, and happy morning.  I am so grateful for the blessings of the temple, the promises that are made there, and for my eternal family.

Happy Birthday Porter!

We are so happy to have a healthy and happy Baby Porter Dee Speth here at last!  Things definitely went in an odd order from what I anticipated in getting him here.  We went in to the hospital late Sunday night to start the Cervadil to get me ready for Pitocin the next day.  From the time that I had seen my doctor on Monday to going in on Sunday I had been having some very fun contractions but they had all but gone away on Saturday and Sunday.  The doctor had emphasized multiple times how important it was that I sleep that night for when they would start the Pitocin in 12 hours if everything was looking good.  Problem was: I could not sleep. I hated the monitors with a passion.  I had lovely SED's on my legs to keep circulation going and not clot and they were hot, uncomfortable, and sweaty.  My usual night time contractions were already present, and any time I moved they lost the baby's heart rate.  So what was supposed to be a night full of sleep didn't really happen.  I started getting a little concerned about my situation, I was supposed to be sleeping but I wasn't comfortable and I hurt.  I negotiated to not have to wear the SCD's and the nice nurse gave me a half dose of pain medication that I was hoping more for the sleepiness effect so that I could get more rest and ignore the contractions and the monitors.  I was able to sleep, but not for as long as I was hoping.  I woke up to more contractions.  The nurse gave me another half dose to help me fall asleep again, only this time it didn't really do much, she explained that I was having coupled contractions, two different contractions that were back to back with a shorter break in between, and that was probably why I was having a hard time.  So I was just awake. 

The nurses changed shifts around 6 am and I was still just awake wanting to sleep before meeting with my doctor at 10.  I asked if I could have another half dose and the new nurse said I couldn't have one but that she would check to see where I was at.  I was shocked when she did her check and said, "well my dear, you are dilated past a 6, you are ready for an epidural if you want it."  I was kind of shocked, I was just trying to sleep but at the mention of epidural I was thinking that didn't sound like such a bad idea.  So I got the epidural and I was finally able to get in that nap I had been waiting for.

Pretty much the rest of the experience was amazing.  It was a really calm and peaceful morning waiting for Porter to be ready to pop out.  I just kind of went with the flow the rest of the afternoon.  JD and I were able to hang out and talk and watch those contractions come and go on the screen-that was fun.  My nurse came to check my progress after a while and instead of a number we heard a small gasp and were told that he had a lot of hair, she left for a minute and then came back to say that it was time to push and so I pushed.  About 40 minutes later I was told that the baby's heart rate was dropping and that we needed to get him out.  It only took hearing my nurse reserving a spot in the NICU to get me to push like crazy, contraction pressure or not, to get him out.  So 4 pushes, an episiotomy and tear, and vacuum assist later (about 3 minutes) our little guy was here and in my arms and not going anywhere.  He cried a little bit, but it wasn't long before his big eyes were open and he was looking up at me with a look that pretty much said, "what just happened mom?" 

JD and I got to spend about 2 hours with Porter before they even took him away from me to do his check and get him all cleaned up. I was able to cuddle our sweet boy and feed him and hold him while the world went on around me, JD, and Porter. Everyone was guessing around 8 1/2 pounds for weight and they were all very wrong when they put him on the scale and we saw a whopping 9 pounds 4 ounces on the screen.  The assistant nurse measured Porter's length and said he was 23 inches long, my Nurse Candace didn't believe her and remeasured and sure enough he was really 23 inches long.  I wasn't so surprised since I had his feet stuck high up in my diaphragm constantly kicking to the point of discomfort for over the past 3 months.  So we have ourselves a very long and 'skinny' baby. 

Things have been going really well, Porter is a sleepy baby, I'm recovering, and JD is already back in school.  What adventure we have in store!

A Virtual Baby Shower

Technology is crazy neat.  My mom and Erin were able to put together a long distance "virtual" baby shower that included family and a few friends and it turned out pretty good.  It was really fun getting to see some far away friends that I haven't been able to see in a long time.  Some statistics include: all 4 time zones were represented.  Attendees included the states of Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, Virginia, Texas, and California.  It has felt a bit like Harry Potter the past few days at my house. It started with one package and then they started multiplying.  Packages from Amazon.com, Target.com, and Walmart have been arriving via all sorts of ways and at all different times: FexEx, USPS, UPS, while I am at work, after work, and late night delivery-sometimes all three times in one day.  I am grateful for good long term friends and family and leaders who have done so much for me.  I'm also getting pretty excited to put the outfits, gowns, swaddle blankets, bumbos, books etc to good use even the diapers, wipes, and Bordeaux's butt paste to be honest though I am sure that attitude will change soon enough......but not yet. ;)

Four Years

Four years together we have been

and boy oh boy I can not help but to grin,

Oh the things we have done, the places we've been shown,

What adventures we've had, and my how our love has grown!

 

To National Parks we have gone to explore

Geysers, dolphins, cactus, gigantic trees, and oh so much more.

We have been to many temples and seen many a great site,
Lived in two states and worked hard with all our might.

We have earned some degrees,
Worked a job here and there.
We have had fun callings with kids
Teaching things like sharing and prayer.
 

We have a cute kiddo coming on his way,

Our family is growing and at the very least we must say,

What a blessing it is what a gift we've been given,

To be sealed and to love and to know what in life is worth livin.

So while four years is really quite neat, and we have had so much fun,
Each day is a blessing as we enjoy the long run.
So sweetheart, I thank you for making this journey a treat.
The two of us together is what makes life complete.

We're having a baby!

Annual Scrapbooking Adventure

I enjoy scrapbooking but I don't do it very often, nor do I do very much of it when I do.  Typically I will do an annual summary of pages each year in November/December.  Problem is this year between flying home for Christmas and work obligations, I never did get to putting together the pages.  This Conference weekend seemed like a great opportunity to mess up the living room and get these pages done.  I do a set for my family (which is then color copied for the Clarke and Hewlett Grandparent books), and I do the full year summary in addition to the summary pages for myself and JD for the Speths, finally I do our own personal set.  I use the same pictures for each set though each one has a different amount of space allowed and arrangements to be figured out.  I really enjoyed doing this before, in between, and after sessions in addition to during the musical numbers of Conference.  It was fun to have a reminder of what happened last year and see the different things that my family has accomplished.  I am super excited to give the Speth's their pages in May when they come to visit, better late than never.

Family Photos

Nothing like a family picture in the middle of a blizzard featuring horizontal snow.

Utah

Reunited and it feels so good :) After a car ride, train, plane, and another car ride we are Utah, with sunshine, low temperatures and lack of snow.

 

Utah!

Head Bonks

I witnessed a terrible accident this week involving my sister where she used her head as a battering ram to open our front door. The end result was two skinned knees and a large goose egg on top of her head. She was acting a little weird afterwards and no one else was home so I got to spend the day with a sister that didn't know whether to cry in pain or laugh out loud at the absurd event that led to her battle wounds. I put neosporin on her knees, and found some ice for her head and knees, and kept an eye on her until my mom got home.
I love being a big sister to incredible and crazy sisters and a reserved little brother. They are all amazing and I love them a ton. Em is moving to Casper this week and I am going to miss her like crazy but I am so excited for her to have some new adventures, as long as those adventures don't include opening doors with your head.

Sleepover

We did our New Year's Eve festivities a day early this year. Sye and Jake came to sleep over. We played games and had a good time. I am not very patient with games that take as long as Monopoly or Risk and I gave prior warning. Instead, I created my mission to take over where I would want to live which lead me on the adventure of taking over the northern portion of Middle Earth. Once statisfied that the Shire was fully secured from bothersome trolls and orcs, I was done.

Merry Christmas

We had a very merry and busy Christmas this year which involved going to three family gatherings and two gatherings on Christmas Eve. It was fun being with those families though and enjoying the food and presents as well. Some events included me getting a new camera, JD playing 4 Way Chess with his family, playing Christmas Deal or No Deal, Christmas at my home ward with my whole family, and various meals at different locations. We hope you had a happy day too!

Personal Summaries

The craziness has begun. My family has had the tradition of adding to a personal summary book since I was just little. This involves a few pages summarizing the year in pictures and written word. Some questions we answer are our favorite movie and book of the year, what we are doing at home, work, school, and church, the best and worst things of the year, and goals for the coming year. The first Christmas we were married our gift to JD's parents was starting this tradition with them. While I love the summaries, I now have to do one for my mom/grandparents Clarke/grandparents Hewlett, the Speth family, and my personal book. I am solely an annual scrapbooker for this tradition, so this time of year the living room is a mess and it is not surprising to find scraps of paper everywhere or to step on a brad that escaped its container. Thus far the Hewlett pages are done, just two more sets to go.

Christmas Spirit

What a crazy week JD and I have had, between work parties, work, wrapping up stuff for Christmas, and other activities it has gone by in a whirlwind. The culmination of all the crazy was Sunday. We woke up early and went down to the Motab Christmas Concert. Martin was nice enough to register for tickets down in San Antonio and he not only received and hand delivered them at Thanksgiving, but the tickets were amazing we were on the floor at the very front right next to where President Monson came in. The program was great and we ended up seeing the whole concert minus 3 songs, can't complain about that.
It was also caroling tonight with friends from high school. We had almost everyone there, and those we were in far away lands were definately missed. Tara was nice enough to open up her home and accompany all of the songs. Doing the math, I believe that this was year number 8 for this tradition.
We gave our last lesson to the kids in our primary class today which was kind of sad, they have been a great class and a lot of fun too. We watched the Nativity and had treats and talked about remembering Christ this time of year.
All of these things have helped to make it really feel like Christmas. It feels like we have been caught up in work and school and applications and big decisions so doing things that focus on family, friends, and the Savior has been wonderful....and exhausting.

Music and the Spoken Word

My family attended Music and the Spoken word with my grandma this morning to celebrate her 70th birthday. It was fun going down the Conference Center and enjoying the program that consisted of all Christmas music. After the program we had brunch and cupcakes at the grandma's house to celebrate. I am grateful for all of the opportunities we have around us to enjoy so many different things such as the Motab Broadcast. We will be back down there in two weeks for the Christmas concert.

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving was fun this year. I started out the day at Ogden Regional Medical Center for the Thanksgiving Day run with Aimee, and Lara, Sam, and Andrew. It was a fun event that hundreds of people come to every year. This was the 26th annual run, admission is nonperishable food items that you place directly into Salvation Army trucks. JD and I went to both families this year. My grandpa came to the Hewlett feast where we learned all kinds of Thanksgiving trivia such as: turkeys can run up to 55 miles per hour if threatened, turkeys pardoned by the President live out the rest of their days in the happiest place on earth: Disneyland, Thanksgiving was started in 1863 by president Abraham Lincoln, and the largest pumpkin pie ever made weighed 2,020 pounds. We then went to the Miner Thanksgiving. With the family being so large, they set up tables in a church and passed the different food items around the table. It was kind of fun waving to people across the gym. We finished out the day at both of our families houses once more, this time for pie and watching a movie. It was a fun, but busy day. It is weird to think that we probably won't be here next year.

Waterfall Canyon

Christie was nice enough to come on yet another fall hike with me yesterday. Waterfall Canyon was beautiful. The leaves were on along the entire trail. Chris is fun to hike with because she is crazy. Ever since her rock climbing class she has the need to plaster herself to all rock faces. This hike was momentous because the last time I went up Waterfall, I had a blood clot and didn't know it. I had to stop a bazillion times to catch my breath and slow down my heart rate and couldn't figure out what was wrong and why I felt so crappy until 6 weeks later when I was in the hospital and it all suddenly made sense. Yesterday the only main stops were to take pictures and I was super surprised when we were suddenly at the base of the waterfall. Fun times.

Zombie 5K 2011

It is that time of year again, time for the Living Dead 5K. It was fun as usual though much different than last year as in a couple thousand more participants different. This brought some confusion and chaos with it. We are attempting to be zombies in the picture to the left, I think I have the undead stare down.

Four Way Chess

"It is not just a battle anymore.....It is war!"

It also takes about 2 1/2 hours to finish.