Baby Ross Comes to Join the Fam

Wow - what a roller coaster!  Baby Ross is now a whole week old!  I'm amazed I've survived!  Last Thursday I was scheduled to be induced.  However, my doctor called and told me that labor and delivery was packed and that we'd just schedule it for the next day.  I was bummed, but resigned to just deal with it.  After relaxing on the couch for a while I got up to make one of my many runs to the loo, upon which, after standing up to go, I felt that burst of my water breaking!  Seems as though when someone tells Ross what to do, he does the opposite!  When he found out he couldn't come till the next day he decided "Like heck I will!"  I called Steve who had just left for school, and he had to just turn around and come back (not before asking me if I had just wet my pants though).  We got to the hospital around 2 that afternoon and I was in labor all by myself - no inducing needed!  My blood pressure had been high however so they kept checking on me to see if they needed to put me on magnesium sulphate.  Thankfully, after the epidural (my best friend) it got under control.  I was going really fast.  I got to 7 cm within about 6-7 hours after my water breaking.  And then...I stayed at 7 cm...for five hours.  I ended up having a c-section unfortunately.  Little Ross was sunny side up and tilted weird so he couldn't make it through properly.  i didn't realize how out of it you feel having a c-section.  I just wanted to go to sleep the whole time and stop shivering!  Things went smoothly - though Steve was a little too excited to watch the c-section.  I wanted to smack him when he was happily putting on his uniform.  He was a good support though.  He held my hand like a good husband should.  Ross Charles White was born at 1:30 AM Friday morning, March 18th, 2011.  He is the most beautiful boy - 8lbs. 10 oz!  20 inches long and with a head of hair!  He looks just like Steve when he was born.  He was perfectly healthy and still is now a week later!  After the surgery, my blood pressure went back up - they had to put me on the horrible magnesium sulphate which made me feel like a weak slug the whole time.  The hospital stay was amazing - the nurses were wonderful, the room comfortable, and the food was incredible!  It was like a cruise - anything we wanted and it was all delicious.  We stayed 4 days and my first day home was a bit traumatizing.  I was so exhausted that first night.  Each day gets better though - or maybe I'm just getting more used to being tired.  
I look at little Ross and just want to cry sometimes because he is so beautiful and perfect.  He is the sweetest little thing I have ever seen in my life.  His grandparents - on both sides of our family - adore him to death.  He will be spoiled rotten for sure.  He already is!  Anyway - we finally got our little man and have a cute little family.  I've never been so happy in my life.  Each day just gets better. :)

First family pic - I am out of it!

8lbs. 10 oz!  big baby

Perfect baby Ross

Steve's baby picture - Ross looks just like him!

My cute boys

Arguing over who's big toe Ross got.  Steve's on the left, my dad's on the right.

First bath - wahoo!

First time family meets Ross. :)

Ross is a ton of fun to have.  He doesn't like his feet being cold ( just like mom ), he loves to just lay and observe everything around him.  When he sneezes, he sneezes at least 4 times in a row. He gets the hiccups a lot, and he loves to snuggle.  He is the greatest blessing to our family!  We love getting to know him. :)

Weddings

So one of my all time favorite companions from the mish got married over the weekend.  It was incredibly weird to think that we were companions 5 years ago...it makes me feel so old.  I have a feeling that the more time passes, the older I'm going to feel.  I was having a conversation the other day with a friend about how I always feel like I'm 17 and still so immature, but then when I run into high school kids who are actually 17 - I feel ancient!  How does time pass so quickly?  Anyway, so my dear Sister Sheenabean James got married to a sweet guy named Jamar.  She was my greenie in Wales.  I had just come from BEING a greenie too.  We both learned a lot together and had a great time livin' it up in Barry.  I just adore her.  It was a beautiful sealing.  She was glowing and so happy.  It brought back that glowy feel I felt when I got married.  It was also fun, because she was sealed in the same room Steve and I were sealed.  I just love sealings!  They are one of the most beautiful experiences to have in this life.  I got to see my mission president too, who I haven't seen since I was a missionary IN England.  Again - time goes by so very fast. 

Sister James (or Knox I should say) and I at her wedding dinner.  She's so happy!  I'm due two days later in this pic.

Me, Sister James, and another FAVE companion Sister Cotter (Casey) who served with my in Nottingham - we had the craziest adventures together!

Steve's awesome acceptance to Pacific University!  Wahoo!  We've got a grad student on our hands now.

Playing the Waiting Game...

I took this week off of work to actually have some time to get more ready for this baby to come.  I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the last few weeks so I was looking forward to some down time.  I won't lie - it has been nice in some ways - and totally not in others!  Having more time on my hands means more time to realize how ridiculously pregnant I am and how this baby still isn't showing any signs of coming.  I was almost surprised when on Monday I wasn't going into labor - it just made sense now that I actually felt ready for Rosco to come that he would mind his mom...obviously he could care less what his mom wants right now...this gives me that eery feeling we're going to have a little independent rebel on our hands...just like his dad!  Ah - those ones are the fun ones though aren't they.  They make life interesting.  

I haven't minded people asking me how I'm feeling or when the baby's due up until about a week ago when I got all this time to dwell on the fact that he's still not here.  I am so grateful to be pregnant and have a healthy little baby growing inside me...but I won't lie - the questions and comments are starting to wear on me.  If I'm told I'm quite huge or asked if I'm carrying multiples one more time, I may just go haywire!  Haha - I do feel like a ticking time bomb though, wondering what my body will actually feel like when the time finally comes.  I've managed to get all the baby stuff put together, the clothes washed, the bags packed - we'll just have to wait until his royal highness decides to make an entrance.  I just have to say - the waiting game is one of the worst games ever invented!

The Cedar Chest

My gorgeous cedar chest

This is dedicated to my amazing, thoughtful, sweet, romantic husband Steve.  For my birthday he had a friend of ours make me a cedar chest.  That in and of itself is a great present, but the part that made it so special was the reason he gave it to me.  I've come to find that Steve is sentimental about anything to do with family - which makes him an even greater husband.  He values making memories, traditions, and taking time to be with family.  So, in getting me this cedar chest, it came with his own memories of his parents' cedar chest and all the treasures he would find when he would open it up and see the things they would place in there with the smell of cedar.  Now we have our own cedar chest to place our own memories and savored things in.  He wants our children to love the treasures they find from our lives when they open it up just like he did when he was young.  I must say, I have the best husband in the entire world.

Week of Events

We have had quite the week of events.  Steve and I just realized we have eaten out four times.  Cafe Rio, Barry's, Applebee's, and Joe Vera's!  It's like we got our tax return orjavascript:void(0) something - haha.  We have spent that money about 15 different ways in our minds.  Steve was allowed to buy a Starcraft game because of it, and I'm itching for a kitchen aid or sewing machine (yes - I'm going domestic!)  We also would love to go to Hawaii with our neighbors, the Dille's, get a Wii, a new TV, new car, the works.  So far, however, it has stayed in the bank.  
I finished up my substitute plans for the next four weeks which felt amazing, handled Dr. Seuss week (since it was his birthday), saw my sister's play, went to a really fun baby shower Steve's Aunt Mary gave me, and survived Steve leaving to Oregon for his interview for Pacific University.  He did really well with his interview.  He had some amazing answers for some of their curve balls and they were quite impressed with him.  We found out on Friday and are thrilled that he has been accepted there!  We have one more school to hear back from, but I think we're feeling that Oregon is the place for us.  Wahoo!  We'll soon have the for sure on what we are doing this fall. 

Our Anne!  Wow - that belly of mine is ready to pop!

We went to my sister, Rachel's play of The Diary of Anne Frank on Monday.  She played the role of Anne and did an amazing job.  It was exciting for her to get a lead role her senior year.  I had no idea how into acting and drama she was until I found out she was going to be in this play.  It was fun to watch her and see her shine.  I can't believe she's 18 and graduating this May.  She's supposed to stay 7 years old in my mind. 
Our friends, the Dilles, came with us to the play and we had delicious scones from Barry's afterwards.  We adore the Dilles and they are moving up in the world and moving into a nice house in Spanish Fork, leaving us apartment dwellers in the dust!  We made them promise that they couldn't make any new friends though; so, we'll see how long that lasts.

We've got an array of poses.  Jordan - the psycho clown, Maren - Miss America, Steve - GQing it, and me - the beached whale! :)

Now that it's the weekend, I've washed the baby clothes and organized things for the baby room more, I'm ready for this little boy to make his entrance in the world!  My parents keep thinking every time I call them it's to tell them I'm at the hospital.  I sure wish that were the case.  I don't think there's any more room for this boy to grow.  I'm hoping for a storm to hurry up the process.  We even ate Mexican food tonight to try and spice him out!  He seems content to come when he darn well wants to.  It's got to be any day now.  My hips can't get any wider or sorer!  It's such a blessing that he's coming.  We've been praying for him to come to us for a long time.  It's amazing how Heavenly Father does things in His own way and time.