Newborn Photos

When Brig was 6 days old we had newborn photos taken by the talented Mandi Nuttall. She was amazing to work with, and I'm so pleased with how she captured our sweet guy. To see a sampling of the photos, visit www.nuttallphotography.com and scroll down to the post entitled Newborn: Sleeping Little Angel

Happy Fourth!

This year's 4th festivities started on the 3rd. We woke up early to see the hot air balloons. We didn't get out the door as quickly as we would have liked to, so we missed seeing the balloons go from flat to full (that's my favorite part). It was still worth the early morning!

It was very bright where we were sitting to wait for the balloons to come back, so Darin was the hero and blocked the sun for us. And here is our family in all our early morning glory:After we had a bite to eat we headed home for much needed naps (although the kids forgot they were tired once their friends came knocking). I snoozed on the rocking chair with Brig and David while the other boys played and Liv headed to Lagoon with our neighbors Lily and Julie.

At around 5:00 that evening Warren remembered that he was tired. (Notice my neighbors' dishes washed and ready to return. We were fed very well the week after Brighams' arrival!)

Saturday morning we slept in, made cookies, then headed to my parents' house for lunch. After that Darin went golfing with the golfers in my family and I took the kids swimming. I was so grateful for my sisters and nieces and nephews who watched my kids in the pool while I sat in the shade with Brig. The swimmers and the golfers finished at about the same time, and we met up for a barbecue. Fireworks were a no-no this year in my parents' area, so we went to a park to do our fireworks. Brig slept peacefully in Darin's arms at my parent's house while I took the other kids to the park.

There were a lot of people there, and it was a fun atmosphere. When it got dark we started our little fireworks show, complete with a stuntman:

We did sparklers

and Aunt Camille provided glow in the dark swords (they were a hit!)

After dark, the fun community atmosphere took a scary turn for a few minutes. All the boys were running around the field throwing their swords in the air and sword fighting. I kept counting the swords to make sure everyone was accounted for. At one point we were short two glowing swords. My heart sank a little as I realized the two missing swords belonged to Oliver and David--the two littlest cousins in attendance. Heidi (Oliver's mom) and I began our search, and after a few minutes of not finding them, aunts, uncles, and cousins joined our search party. I was heartsick as I heard so many people yelling their names. Just as I was about to have a nervous breakdown, and just as the first tears fell I heard my brother yell to me that he had found them happily sword fighting. Relief doesn't begin to describe my emotion. I was profoundly grateful and hugged him close.

We went back to my parents' house to watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks, then chatted until traffic died down. We had a great day!

Thanks for noticing

Yesterday the neighborhood gang came to see if Warren could play. Olivia took Brig to the door to show him off to the friends. One friend (bless his little heart) looked from the baby to my stomach a few times (clearly confused) then asked, "Are you having another baby?"

I thought that perhaps my ample (milk-filled) chest would make my tummy at least appear smaller, but I was obviously mistaken.

On the bright side, this has spared me any heartache that might have occurred if I had begun browsing my closet in search for the next smaller size a bit prematurely. It is obviously not the time for that--so thank you, dear sweet neighbor boy. Thank you.

He has a special glow...and a tail

When the pediatrician came to check on Brigham Friday morning he said that Brig had a slight case of jaundice. He recommended that we take a biliblanket home with us. When he found out we weren't checking out until evening, he said he wanted Brig under the lights at the hospital to give it a jump start (the hospital lights are much more powerful than the biliblanket). Friday was a lonely day. He was under the lights all day except for feedings. I went down to the nursery a few times to see him. He looked so sweet with his goggles and looked comfy.


I was grateful that his case wasn't severe enough to have to keep him in the suitcase at home. It would have been torture not to be able to hold him! He has had the biliblanket since Friday night. It is slightly annoying to have him tethered to a machine, but much better than the alternative. Here is a glimpse of his special glow (the light is on a pad that stays on his back and connects to his "tail"--the cord)


Here are some more photos from his first few days:

Getting ready to go home:

Evidence of his calming effect:

Brig's birth story

Here is Brigham's birth story according to his mom.

Tuesday night Darin and I went on a date. We went out to eat, then shopping for some baby stuff. It was so much fun to have so much alone time with him. Getting ready for bed I was so excited knowing that this was really happening in the morning. I didn't sleep well because of the anticipation. At 3:00 am I was awaken with a few strong contractions. They continued for the next couple of hours, and I woke up for good at 5:00 am to get my mind off of things. At 5:30 Darin called the hospital and that's when we found out that there were no rooms available for elective inductions. I was fine about it at this point, especially since I was contracting on my own.

The morning went on, and I went about business as usual. Contractions continued all throughout the day, but were very sporadic (anywhere between 5-15 minutes apart) and never fell into a consistent pattern. I thought for sure it was a repeat of Sunday's false alarm, so I continued to wait for word from the hospital. The doctor called me at about 1:00 pm to tell me that if I wanted to come to a different hospital they could fit me in, but my insurance didn't cover that hospital so it was more waiting. I tried to nap, but the contractions were still strong enough that I had to get up to breathe through them (still not consistent at all). The 3:45 phone call (that told me not to come in unless I was in labor) did me in. I was so tired and emotional. I had gone as far as I thought I could go, and now I was being asked to go a little bit further. I missed my kids. I called my sister where my kids were staying and told her the update through tears. She asked if I was still having contractions and I said 'yes'. She encouraged me to just go get checked to see if the contractions were doing anything. I was hesitant. My other sister called and strongly encouraged me to go to the hospital. My parents, who were on their way to Las Vegas, called and strongly encouraged me to go to the hospital. I finally decided we should go, but was hesitant, knowing that if I hadn't made progress that I would have to be institutionalized for insanity.

We went to get checked and the nurse said, "You're at a 7". I was in shock! It was definitely not a typical "what to expect when you're in labor" story. The contractions were still 5-15 minutes apart. I knew then that I had a quick decision to make. I have been geared up to do this with no medication for this whole pregnancy, and now it was time to decide for sure. A little disclaimer here: I am not anti-epidural. I have had two very successful births with epidurals, and they were happy experiences. I do not have a "soap box" attitude about this. This was purely a case of conquering fears for me. My two experiences of natural (meaning un-medicated) childbirth were accidental and somewhat intense, and I wanted to prove to myself that my body could do this on purpose, and without fear. I knew that I didn't have much longer, so I decided to go for it without an epidural. Our nurse was heaven-sent! She was wonderfully supportive and kind. The doctor came in to check me, and said that I was more like a 6 instead of the 7 that the first nurse initially said. He broke my water, started pitocin to get things more regular, then left. It took every ounce of concentration I had to make it through the contractions after the water was broken and the pitocin started. The intensity increased, and after a while I began to doubt my decision. I was listening to relaxing music, had heating pads on my lower back, and Darin massaged my arm and head during every contraction. I was handling it o.k. and felt a lot of pressure, so I asked to be checked again. Still at a 6. Another half hour went by and the pressure increased to the point that my concentration was easily broken and I began to thrash around the bed in order to find a comfortable position. Darin's support was just what I needed. He kept saying "You're doing great. You can totally do this". I asked to be checked again. Still at a 6. I knew I needed to change positions in order to stay in control, so I asked for the birthing ball (exercise ball). I also felt like I needed to empty my bladder, so Darin helped me to the bathroom while the nurse went to get the ball. I sat on the toilet for about 30 seconds, trying to relax enough to let my bladder do it's thing. It was then that I realized that it wasn't my bladder that needed to be emptied. It was my uterus. He was coming! I looked at Darin and said, "He's coming." Darin went out and pushed the nurse button. She came in and said, "You can make it to the bed, right?" I said, "Yes", and made my way to the bed to be checked again. I still had doubts in the back of my head, knowing that I was only a 6 one minute before, but I was glad I listened to my instincts because when she checked me she nodded and said, "We're ready". Apparently walking to the bathroom and sitting in the squat position for a few seconds provided the gravity he needed to be ready to come. She paged the Dr. and got the room ready. The doctor came within 2 minutes, and baby Brigham made his quick appearance within 2 contractions. I was so relieved to finally have him here!!! Darin went with the baby over to get cleaned up, and while I was getting stitched up I looked over to see my perfect little boy. That moment has always been so surreal to me. I was incredibly grateful to have him here and healthy. My fear of childbirth is gone. Even with how quickly the actual birth happened, it wasn't scary or intense. I couldn't have done it without the support I received from Darin and the nurse. It was the perfect team to keep me in control.

My sweet boy was worth every emotional moment, every false alarm, every stretch mark, every sleepless night, and all the uncertainty. I knew he would be. Sometimes the end of pregnancy can mess with a girl's head! He is such a calm baby, and the perfect addition to our family.

Two hours after his birth the other kids came to meet him. I will never forget that evening. I had been missing them, and it was so good to see our family all together. I think this has been emotional for them as well. After I told them that he was for sure coming on Sunday, I'm sure this has been the longest week ever--one of waiting and wondering. One of the most tender moments happened with our Warren. Darin picked him up and gave him a big hug. Warren gave a long, strong hug and I saw his face reflected in the mirror. He looked sad, and when Darin put him down I asked him if he was sad. He started to cry and said, "I'm crying about the baby". I assumed it was something to do with a sibling not letting him hold Brig, but he shook his head 'no'. I said, "Are you just happy that he's here?" He nodded "yes" and ran to me and hugged me while he cried. It was such a sweet moment, and I realized how emotional this must have been for them.

Brig is such a sweet, calm baby and we are very grateful to have him here.

Long awaited baby Briggy

This is a follow up to the update from yesterday.

Yes, baby Briggy is truly here. He is healthy and so cute. His sister and brothers love him to death. They each had to have probably 10 turns holding him last night. And I have to admit so did I.

I gave the statistical report last night so I will just post a few pictures.

Baby Briggy right after he was born

Briggy with his brothers and sister

Our Family

No Room in the Inn

It's a busy baby day. We called the hospital early this morning and they said I was 5th on the list. They said they would call in a couple of hours to tell us when to come in. That was 10 hours ago.

**Update (3:45pm) I just got a call from the doctor. He said if I go into labor on my own to come on in. Otherwise, they are still too full to induce me today.

****New Update. (12:19am) We have a new baby boy, Brigham. He was born at 7:21pm. He weighs 8lbs 9oz and is 21in long. He is healthy and super cute. Deanne did a wonderful job and is the toughest woman I know. She is a little tired but doing great.

So you are probably wondering what happened after we were told that there was no room in the inn. Well we were a little discouraged after the news. But with a little coaxing from Deanne's parents we decided that it would be a good idea to go to the Hospital to have Deanne checked. She had been having strong contractions for about 13 hrs today we decided that it would be good to check and see how things were looking.

On arriving at the hospital at 5:30pm the nurse checked Deanne and she was at a 7. She was admitted and the Dr. called. He came broke her water and gave her a little pitosin. With Deanne's history of quick happenings after her water is broken she decided to go with her original plan and have the baby without an epidural. The baby was born at 7:21pm.

We are so thankful and blessed that all went well and that Deanne and baby Brigham are safe and healthy.