she's here!

Emerson Bailey White made her entrance into the world, into our family, and stole our hearts on Friday April 24, 2009 at 8:40 p.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 5 oz. and "officially" measured 20 inches long (the nurse recorded her length as 18.5 inches because she refused... even after it was suggested several times... to straighten Emerson's leg out of the fetal position. Our official measurement was done by our own resident doctor, a.k.a. poppi, after we got home).


I am pretty sure my doctor realized that changing the plan on me at the last minute was a cruel thing to do. So, at my appointment on Thursday, after determining that things were already progressing on their own he set up to meet us at the hospital the next morning to break my water. I did have contractions through the night, but nothing "organized". So, we were at the hospital at 10 a.m. Friday as scheduled. Even after the doctor broke my water, things progressed slowly. I was BORED out of my mind. I was calling home to have them bring games, magazines, or an iphone- though no one was willing to part with theirs.

About 4 p.m., we started on a low dose of pitocin which finally got things going. I got the epidural about 5:30 p.m., which slowed progress a little. Delivery still seemed a ways off at 8:00 p.m., and Paul was starving so he decided to go out and grab a bite to eat with my brother before everything closed. My mom was there and Gilen was visiting (bringing me a fresh stack of magazines), so I was not alone. While Paul was gone, the nurse came in to adjust the baby's heart monitor. She couldn't find the baby because she was still "too high" and moving around too much- she said. She needed to put an internal monitor on the baby. I mentioned I was feeling a lot of pressure and all though it seemed unlikely, I would say the baby was low and I was just about ready to push. The nurse checked and sure enough, I was right! She paged the nurses station for them to get Dr. Safarik there ASAP. He was at home about 20 minutes away. Gilen called Paul, who was in line to order food, and told him to get back to the hospital. Then all the hustle and bustle broke out- nurses running everywhere trying to get things ready. Paul returned shortly and then we just had to wait for Dr. Safarik to arrive- I had to try really hard not to have the baby before he got there. My family turned into a bunch of comedians, making me laugh, which really didn't help matters.

When Dr. Safarik ran in, we were all ready to go. All it took was 3 easy pushes and Emerson was here! We went from 0 to baby in 10 hours! Quite a contrast to the 24 hours of labor, 3 1/2 hours of pushing, and the use of a vacuum extractor that was employed with Avery! It was even an improvement over the 20 minutes of pushing required with Finley (which at the time I thought was GREAT!). I guess with each child it gets faster and easier! IF there is a next time, we might be in trouble!

We went home Saturday evening- after Paul got done with his golf tournament. Yeah, he played in a golf tournament the day after having a baby, while I sat in the hospital. I agreed to it when we were going to be having the baby on Thursday, we would be home Friday and I would have family in town to help while he played. We still did have family around, so it wasn't that big of a deal. The girls were well taken care of and I was never alone either- my mom kept me in good company. It was just the last few hours that were frustrating. The day before I delivered there was a big baby rush, so the mother baby unit was full after I had Emerson. They kept me upstairs on the labor and delivery floor instead of moving us downstairs. But, Saturday afternoon, the labor and delivery unit was filling up again, so they moved us downstairs to wait until Paul came to get us. Because they knew we were going home, they just put us in a back room and left us to ourselves. I think the nurse checked on us once. I felt like we were just being babysat. That is when I started to resent the fact that Paul was off playing golf. Otherwise, I really would have been fine with it.

Since being home, we have just been getting settled in, trying to get used to 3. The girls are LOVING their new little sister. They want to hold her ALL. THE. TIME. Both Avery and Finley are such good BIG sisters. Avery is such a little mama- telling and showing Finley how to be gentle, how to hold Emerson, and just bossing Finley around (sometimes it gets a little out of control). Finley is my sweet little helper- she gets diapers, throws diapers away, brings me blankets and binkies, always with a smile. They are both so concerned with the baby. It is so very sweet.

Emerson had a rough night the first night we were home, but since has done great. She is nursing like a champ, filling diapers like a champ (which is a completely foreign phenomenon in our house), sleeping well, and just being an overall good baby. Paul is wondering when the shoe is going to drop- when are the sleepless nights going to return?! I think the trial in this is the fact that the other girls are constantly crawling on me, touching the baby, and just wanting more of the attention that has been diverted away from them. It will be a challenge- especially after my mom goes home. But, overall we are adjusting well to our newly expanded little family.

Welcome to the world baby Emerson! We love you!

welcoming spring

It might feel more like summer with the last 4 days in the 90+ degree range, but it really is still spring. With some new found time on my hands (since I won't be induced on Thursday), I decided I would change things up a little bit- something soft and new... like the new little baby who will be here, who knows when exactly, but soon!

1. spring 3. cleared for landing 5. hydrangeas 7. rose in the bouquet 9. petal princess

just a little disheartened

I just got back from my doctor's appointment where I thought we would be setting things up for the impeding induction on Thursday. EVERY. LITTLE. THING I have planned is based on that fact. Family coming (from long distances) to help, the peace of mind I have knowing I would have someone here lined up to stay with the girls while we were at the hospital, my schedule of things to be done before, making it known I would NOT be at church or available for anything this next week as I would be having a baby, not to mention I have my expectations completely pinned on it.... Thursday is THE day.... or, so I thought.

Instead of the appointment proceeding as I would have expected, we just listened to the heartbeat, he asked if I was having contractions, and THAT WAS IT. When I asked if I would be coming in for my appointment on Thursday or just meeting him at the hospital, he casually said that he was no longer going out of town so an induction would not be necessary and we would just be waiting for the baby to decide when the time was right. My heart sank (I am pretty sure my face dropped too). I questioned it, but his response was that it would be ideal if I would make it to 39 weeks (which is this Saturday) and he would prefer not to do anything before that. I get that- I of course want to do what is best for the health and safety of the baby, but I am still so disheartened. You don't go changing plans on a hormonal pregnant woman at the end (especially in this crazy 90 degree heat).... that is just cruel! I am just at a loss. I don't know what to do besides cry (it must be the hormones). I guess this will just give me more time to unpack all those boxes that are stacked in my family room?! Now I have to go break the news to all my family that have rearranged their own schedules to be here by Thursday. sigh.

who do you think this is?

Finley and Avery were looking through my old photos and they both kept pointing out "Finley" in all of MY baby pictures. I can really understand their confusion.... the resemblance is uncanny!

flashback to 1983

Yesterday we got the bassinet, the newborn baby clothes, the swing, and all the other baby paraphernalia out of the garage. Along with that, we somehow decided that it would be a good time (just days before having a new baby) to FINALLY (after 2 years of living here) to unpack. We brought 10+ boxes in to sort through?! What?! Yeah, I am not quite sure what we were thinking- I don't believe we were actually thinking at all. Anyway, among the boxes were photo albums. Dangerous. Serious time suck. Paul was taking a walk down memory lane into his mission days. We found some pictures of our early days together- even before we were married. Photos of our first condo that we remodeled. Koa when he was a puppy. I also came across all the albums from my childhood. Avery LOVES to look at pictures, so we were going through some of them this afternoon. As we were looking, I came across this photo of MY 4th birthday party back in 1983....

Does it bear any resemblance to THIS cake at Avery's 4th birthday party last month?!

I did NOT have a clue that I was recreating a similar RAINBOW theme for Avery's 4th birthday as my mom used for mine. I got quite a kick out of that coincidence. Too funny!

playing catch up

It has been FOREVER since I have posted anything on here, so I have had some catching up to do. Because I am super anal, I HAD to date the posts according to when things happened, so they would be in chronological order. So, they are interspersed and kind of hiding within the archives. Here are links to recently updated posts.

finley does dance class

avery at 4- a glimpse

one of our most favorite places

STILL the happiest place on earth

the never ending cold

a quiet easter

are you kidding me?!

just waiting

Now I am up to date on everything on here... I think. Just trying to get caught up in all things before the baby comes... we are just days away now!

just waiting

We are just in waiting mode now... waiting for baby girl #3 to make her entrance. My due date is May 2, but my doctor will be out of town the week leading up to that date. We have decided that if things do not happen on their own by Thursday April 23, we will induce labor. I am starting to have pretty intense contractions already (still nothing consistent), so who knows?!

We are kind of hoping the baby holds tight until next Thursday as everyone who will be coming to help is able to come Wednesday at the earliest (and Paul needs all the time he can get to get things finished up at work). It wouldn't usually be an issue since we have wonderful family here in town, but Grandma Lee had to go out of town at the last minute to help Jodi recover from another shoulder surgery. She would normally be the one we call to help with the girls when we go to the hospital. Without her help, we are at a complete loss. We miss you Grandma! Hope you are feeling better Aunt Jodi- our thoughts and prayers are with you! Fortunately we have wonderful friends that have been helping and have offered to step in if the baby comes earlier than Thursday. I was on the verge of a complete meltdown, but I feel much better having a plan in place for all possible scenarios. Thank you, thank you , thank you!

I am so very ready on one hand, but on the other it seems like there is so little time, yet so much to do. I am in full blown nesting mode- organizing, cleaning, rearranging. I am just afraid I won't have enough time to get it all done! Paul is working like crazy to tie up loose ends at work- he is at the bank until all hours almost every night. There are things I need help with that I can't do myself, such as retrieving the newborn baby clothes, the bassinet, the swing, the bouncy seat and all the gear is still buried in the garage. Hopefully that will be resolved this weekend. It is really a necessity as she will be here by next weekend!

The other pressing issue is that this baby still does not have a name! This is very unsettling to me. We have it narrowed down to a few, but still nothing definite. Here is the short list...
Reese Elizabeth- my only concern is that Reese, being a one syllable name is too short and choppy with White (also one syllable)?!
Harlee Elizabeth- love the family connection (Harvey + Lee = Harlee), but don't like the inevitable references to Harley Davidson
Emerson Bailey- LOVE that it sounds good with my maiden name as a middle name. Both the other girls have middle names that have strong family connections.
Rowan- originally my first choice, but Paul is STILL not budging on this one.
Macey- I want everyone in the family to have their own initials, so this would conflict with that. Also, would it grow up with her?

Any thoughts or suggestions? We might just have to wait to meet her!

are you kidding me?!

On Tuesday, in the crazy wind we have been experiencing, a tree fell on our neighbors power line. The weight of the tree pulled the power pole away from our house, snapping all of our lines OFF of our house. We had live wires on the ground in our front yard! Kind of scary!

I had JUST gotten Finley down for a nap, Avery snuggled on the couch for a rest, sat down for the first time all day when I heard the crash. I peeked outside, but didn't see anything alarming from my vantage point, but then the fire department came and evacuated us! I had to wake up Finley- the horror- and go take refuge at the neighbors house across the street.

It was taking forever for PG&E to get out there to shut the power off, so we were just stuck. The firemen wouldn't even let me, in my "condition" go back into the house to grab my keys or purse, but when Paul showed up they let him in... apparently HE is expendable?! When we got the keys, we drove the van to safety (it was getting pelted by flying shingles- we have several good sized scratches on the van to show for it!) and took Paul back to work and walked around downtown for what felt like HOURS (as I was already tired- we all were). We went to mutual at the church and then got home when it was dark... still no power. That wasn't too surprising, but I was still hoping?! We broke out candles and flashlights and all turned in early to bed.

I was dreading another day without power and interruption to our routine (and loss of what little time I have left to get ready for baby). Fortunately, PG&E worked diligently through the night and the power was on when we woke up. Hallelujah!

It is all quite humerous now, but I thought I was going to go crazy... it was just the icing on the cake after a long stressful week/string of events. It also was an eye opening experience to show us just how UNPREPARED we are. We HAVE most of the things we need for an emergency, just not all in the same place and ready to go. We really need to work on that!

a quiet easter

We were on the mend from the never-ending cold/flu attack, Paul had been working until midnight every night all week, he also had to prepare a talk for church, and I have been feeling very, very pregnant.... so, we went low key on easter this year.

We did go to an easter egg hunt at the Jones house on Saturday. I took the girls by myself while Paul finished up his talk. Avery was stuck like glue to my side and Finley could care less about finding eggs- she just wanted to play in the sand and with the water toys in the fountain, but it was fun to get out. Gilen put on a great activity!

We did not do a egg hunt at the house, but the bunny did come and leave baskets for the girls- he went with a spring, gardening, flower theme. He must have known we are in the process of starting our landscaping (FINALLY!!). Garden tools, the cutest kid sized garden gloves (which were Finley's favorite thing- she calls them her "glubs"... I get a little giggle out of it every time she says it), a couple of books, Barbie Thumbelina toys, and the corresponding DVD rounded out the loot.

Paul gave a great talk at church (or so I hear- Finley got restless and LOUD right when he started speaking, so I had to take her out). After church, we managed to take get a few pictures of the girls in their easter outfits (in spite of the crazy wind). Then we went to Grandma Lee and Pa's for dinner and Grandma's famous fudge eggs.

It was a quiet but good day. A day, a season to reflect on the sacrifice of the Savior. HERE is a wonderful talk given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in General Conference on the subject.

the never-ending cold

We have been out of commission here for a few weeks. Avery missed a week of school, we stayed home from church, we were basically cooped up at home for what felt like FOREVER! Avery started to come down with a nasty cold at Disneyland, which was not the best timing. She was uncomfortable and more irritable than usual, but still able to have a little bit of fun. On the drive home however, things went from bad to worse. The cold took over completely. All in all, it took about 2 weeks for the cold/flu to run its course. Four of those days were ABSOLUTELY miserable because Avery (like her dad) is an unsufferable patient. Whiny, demanding, cranky. Avery for a few days refused to wipe her own nose or move from her position on the couch. She demanded that I get up and wipe it for her every 30 seconds or so. There was at least one day in there that I thought I was going to lose my mind. With Paul home for reinforcement, we finally got her to wipe her own nose (after several excessive tantrums ending each time with Avery crying herself to sleep on her bed), which helped my outlook on life tremendously. I am sure a few trees were sacrificed in the process, as she went through boxes of tissues daily, but at least my sanity was saved. Some of the symptoms lingered- the cough, but her spirits renewed after the fever broke for good. I think she still has some residual congestion because she seems to be having a hard time hearing- everything is "what"- even if I am just a few feet away... or, "I can't hear, turn it up please" when I can hear the tv from the back room. I took her to the doctor, but he didn't seem too concerned. We will see what happens. Hopefully it is short-lived.

Finley came down with the same thing- fever, stuffy/runny nose, and horrible cough just about the time Avery was on the mend. As opposed to Avery, Finley just wanted to snuggle and sleep- much, much easier. I got the stuffy nose and cough, which was not so fun added on top of the normal aches and pains during the last few weeks of pregnancy. Fortunately (for us all) Paul stayed healthy- he was the only one of us not to get the nasty bug.

We are FINALLY all feeling better and back to our happy, healthy selves...

just in time to welcome a new baby into our family!