Introducing the newest member of the family

We have a new little adventure in our home! - and boy, did he decide to start things out with a sudden bang. Ellie took about 12-13 hours to get to us once labor started - quick for a first baby, but not that amazingly fast. Our little Kent took less than 3 hours from my first contraction; he came too fast for us to even get out of the triage room at the hospital before delivering. But more on that soon; isn't our little boy just the cutest thing ever?!:

And Ellie is such a good big sister! This is when I found her "reading" to him:

But now a quick recap of the birth for anyone who's interested (and this is the only birth story I'll post): I awoke with my first contraction at 3:18 AM and everything seemed to be going at a normal speed at first. But, we arrived at the hospital at 5:25 AM with me seriously starting to panic because I was feeling the baby very low and contractions were getting to be literally on top of one another. I went into full panic mode when they said I was fully dilated with baby at a +2 position already and they started wheeling equipment into the triage room - that's when I realized I wasn't getting an epidural. The doctor (who had to rush there from home) was holding him at 6 AM on the dot after something like 4 pushes (remember, we walked in at 5:25). I didn't know contractions could go from 5 minutes to 2 minutes to 1 minute apart in one car ride.

Giving birth naturally was not an experience I was planning on, and NOT one I hope to repeat! Being able to feel everything does cause some anxiety when you've torn during delivery before. But it was actually worse after the delivery itself, because I had some retained placenta and that ended up being more painful. At least it all happened quickly! And, can I just say this is the 2nd fantastic experience we've had with Intermountain Healthcare in general and Orem Community Hospital specifically - the nurses and doctor were all so amazingly on top of things and sooooo patient with a panicky mom-to-be who was laboring much more quickly than they usually have to deal with! They did a great job of re-focusing me during the delivery, and everyone was so good to me afterward as well. Kent has been so sweet with me and with our little boy, and our ward has spoiled me rotten with meals and a welcome basket. :-)

A few hours after the delivery it was determined the bleeding and pain I was having were from some retained placenta and I needed a D&C. I felt soooo much better after that procedure was done. Since then, everything has been pretty much normal. "Normal" does include the same baby blues, bleeding umbilical cord stub that came off early, and repetitive bilirubin checks that we had to deal with after Ellie - yay for jaundice and raging hormones - but thankfully all those things have turned out to be mild again compared to what they could be, and we have been blessed beyond measure! Our little boy is such an easy, mild baby, with the most adorable smiles in his sleep, and we are so looking forward to getting to know him better as he grows up in our home!

PS: Yes, I'm aware there are some of you I know who have given birth much faster than 3 hours - and believe me, I fully intend to pick your brains the next chance I get so that I feel a little more prepared with the next baby! Consider yourselves warned :-)

September

More catch-up to do! First of all, for anyone who hasn't heard, we are expecting Baby Nelson #2 at the end of January - a boy! He'll be named Kent after his Daddy and his Grandpa.

12 weeks:

18 weeks:

22 1/2 weeks (today):

Kent has also finished school and we're in job-hunting mode. In the meantime, we're living in Springville. 

Ellie's keeping us on our toes too. She'll be 2 1/2 next month and she's a little ball of energy with an independent/ stubborn streak a mile wide. She is also very affectionate, sweet-natured, (usually) happy, and VERY girly! Her favorite things in the world are clothes, shoes, phones, purses, and her baby doll. She gave us a (small) scare a couple of weeks ago with our first ER experience as parents - let's just say that when your arms are wrapped up in a towel after bathtime and you trip on the bathroom rug, it's hard to catch yourself before going face-first into the tile floor. She was such a good sport for the stitches though! She loved the hospital bed and the fact that we got to watch TV while we were waiting. Because it was on her chin and she's only 2, they sedated her for the stitches, which was strange to watch - but I have to admit, it was pretty funny watching her come out of sedation once everything else was done. :-)

And here's some catch-up from over the last 3 months:

Independence Day:

Pioneer Day:

August. Believe it or not, she fell asleep like this:

And September:

Hello Again.

So, my last blog entry was one year ago today. I'm sorry. So a quick pictorial catch-up is in order. I promise I'll get more details out in the near future. Right now the only new thing is the fact that potty-training is in full swing! (... and it's not as scary as I thought it would be!) Just for anyone who wanted to know.

So, over the last year, we have:

The Fourth of July in Provo:

Pioneer Day (the 24th of July here in Utah):

August:

October:

April of this year:
Easter:

this is what happens when someone hoards her toys in the oven:

and in case you can't tell in these next two, she's asleep:

More coming soon with more recent information. :-)

Summertime and the Livin' is ... About the Same as Always

(with a bunch of pictures)

It's been a fun and busy summer here, complete with both a new niece and a (soon-to-be) new brother-in-law. So, I guess not so much the same as always. But most days are just filled with trips to the playground punctuated by housework, or something along those lines.

Sooo ... pictures from Lauren's wedding one of these days very soon! But, for now, I'm feeling lazy. So this entry is pretty much a picture dump/ catch-up. Ready ... go.

Ellie and her cousin Hardison way back on Easter morning, while the adults laid out Easter eggs for each other (hidden in the house) and for the kids (carefully "hidden" on the floor):

 Ellie in her adorable swimsuit, with some of the neighbors:

 If at first you don't succeed in reaching the keyboard ... stand on a toy:

 Ellie "helping" mommy sew (she slung the measuring tape around her neck all by herself):

 Grandma with the new little niece/ cousin Emily:

 Shopping with Grandma while she was visiting to see the new baby:

 With Grandpa at Aunt Lauren's bridal shower:

Ellie and her cousin Hardison playing:

 Ellie asleep at Aunt Brittany's apartment. Mom and I thought this was cute because, as I walked in with Ellie and laid her down, even though she was still very much asleep she said "Daddy, Daddy." Which tells you whose little princess she is. :-)

 Ellie at the big-kid playground in Riverton at the Browers' open house. She loved going up the stairs and down the big curling slide with me:

 Lunchtime gets messy around here:

 One of the highlights of every day is welcoming Daddy home:

 and, this one's just me ... I "hiked" Bridal Veil Falls last Saturday with some girls from Relief Society. No, not the straight-up hike ... the 15 minute nature walk hike :-)

Beautiful, right? 

Happy summer! Cheers!