Luke's baby blessing

I need to be better at documenting because my memory is broken. Luke was blessed on April 12, 2015 by his dad. We had SO much support for this perfect day. My sister, Kara, and her family drove clear from Denver. My brother and Kaci brought their baby even though germs are a big concern for her this early. We had aunts and uncles, friends and grandparents travel in and love on Luke. The blessing was perfect. Luke wore the same outfit Jordan was blessed in and was wrapped in blankets from his Great Grandma and grandma. They were both hand made with love. Jordan said all the perfect words, but to be honest I should have written this earlier because I don't remember much. He is always so good with blessings. I had asked him before what he was going to say and he said, "I don't know. I'm going to follow the Spirit." Even when I bear my testimony I'm practicing in my mind what I will say! That is why Jordan is my favorite. He is really in tune with the Spirit and promptings just flow for him. We followed the meeting with a lunch in the park near our home. The food everyone brought was fabulous and the weather was beautiful.

I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the plan of happiness. To me, the biggest part of that is families. We are so blessed to have to gospel and to be able to have a family that is sealed to us for EVER. FOREVER! Luke is really my brother and I get to be his mom in this life. I get to witness his sweet spirit grow. I get to teach him right and wrong and I have a testimony that if Jordan and I are faithful to the covenants that we have made, our family will be valiant. Every child deserves to be born to loving parents and I am so thankful that I have been given the opportunity to be a mom. Luke is going to be an amazing child of God. I know it. I can feel it in his spirit. He is already so observant. I look forward to so many things, but mostly I look forward to watching his testimony develop.

Below is the handsome boy. Is it sad that I am a little excited for him to start drooling so I can put him in his bandana bibs I made him?

Birth Story

2/16/2015- Luke’s birth story

Today I am attempting to write about a huge day, the day I had my first son, Luke. Pregnancy was coming to an end and I was very anxious to meet our son. The week before we had an awful scare with Preslie coming into the world. Preslie is my brother’s first child and they had some very serious complications with her. I had been crying all week because of the terrifying experiences they had to face. I had been having major anxiety about not going into labor naturally. My Dr. has a 1 week over limit, and I was scheduled to be induced on that day. I was ready to argue about that and get him to let me wait two weeks after my due date. Lucky for me, I didn’t need to have that conversation. On Sunday morning (2/15/15) I felt like I was leaking. I had major anxiety about my water breaking at church, and I was also not feeling very well. Jordan assured me that we could leave church if I got uncomfortable. I made it through the passing of the sacrament, and we decided to leave.

We hung out around the house for the rest of the day. By 10pm I knew I was in labor. I got ready for bed with J and tried to get some sleep. The contractions were very painful on my back. I could not sleep through them. It is hard to describe how they felt. During the contraction, I was very miserable. In between I felt just fine. I could not lay down for the contractions, so I went down stairs on the couch so Jordan could get some sleep. I made it to 1am by myself, but began to get very scared to be doing it alone. I woke Jordan and asked him to be with me. The only thing comfortable was my yoga ball, so I brought it upstairs to wait for the bathtub to fill. The bath did help, but I was still in a lot of pain. Jordan sat in the bathroom with me and read his book about Vikings. I told him to go back to sleep, but he had too much excitement for that. At 4:30 I decided we should eat breakfast and go to the hospital. We made it to the hospital at 5am and the nurse put us in a triage room. We were told I was dilated to a 3.5 and if I made progress in an hour, I’d be admitted. It was very hard to lay in the bed with the monitors on. I tried at one time to get up and sit on the ball we brought, but the monitors stopped working. I was having a very difficult time during my contractions that were about 3 minutes apart. Finally at about 7 we were admitted and I asked for an epidural right away. I got an IV and about 30 minutes later the guy was there to put me out of my misery.

The epidural was a piece of cake to get put in. I felt pressure, but no pain as it went in. It was pretty scary afterward though.  My blood pressure dropped, as did my heart rate and Luke’s. There were people trying to give me meds to help the blood pressure, a nurse trying to ultrasound Luke because our heart rates were the same and they were worried that his wasn’t beating. I did some puking, and the dr’s did their job and everything stabilized. That was the point that I told Jordan to tell my mom to come right away. After that I was able to rest. I don’t remember falling asleep, but I did lay there, not talking, on oxygen, for a good hour before they checked me and told me I hadn’t made much progress, so they gave me pitocin. That kicked in quick and the next time I was checked I was almost ready to push. My mom got here at this point and was so helpful. She held my hand and reassured me in ways I didn’t know I needed. One hour later I was pushing! My epidural was literally perfect for labor. I could feel all the pressure, but none of the pain. I could lift my own legs and feel when my contractions were coming. I pushed with all my might. The nurse had told me all along that Luke’s head was “right there.” She gave me false hope that I would only need to push a few minutes. It ended up taking about an hour. Other than being exhausted from earlier labor, this part wasn’t bad. Luke’s massive head wasn't budging so the Dr. decided to do an epiotomy to help him out. After that, I also got a nice 3rd degree tear. A few contractions later he was out. It felt like a squirmy fish once his head popped out. The next thing I remember I was holding him on my chest and the Dr. was giving me a billion stitches. Luke’s hair looked a little red, and I think I offended a red hair nurse. I remember saying, “But I don’t even know any red heads.” haha. Luke’s hair is not red, it was just the gunk from labor confusing us.

Jordan took Luke to get his first bath. J asked many questions to make sure our baby was healthy and strong. I was wheeled into recovery. I remember feeling so exhausted. I really have never felt that tired. It was great to have my mom by my side while Jordan was with Luke. The delivery of our baby was so perfect! We were over the moon to have him here safe and sound. I was able to walk quickly after I got to the room and we began the road to recovery!

The aftermath:

Since Luke's birth there have been so many emotions! We are both still recovering from the event of labor. I am forcing myself to take it easy for 6 weeks. I really do think I need that time. The thing that has been the most difficult for me is all the emotions. I said many times to my mom that, "I should have eaten my placenta." lol. I had read and had friends tell me that helps with your emotions. I have decided, though, that these hormones and emotions are what make women amazing at what they do. Yes, the crying, worrying and anxiety are part of what I have been going through, but I am also experiencing a HUGE amount of concern, love and empathy for this little being. I realized that the emotions that come with being a woman are a huge blessing. I have already began to get over my fear and anxiety, but the love and care have only grown. We are so happy to be a family of 3!

I'm pregnant, but don't feel "pregnant."

Have you ever gone through something and been shocked at how completely normal it is? You get married and life seems the same. You grow a baby and you also feel the same. It isn't that logically I thought going through pregnancy would be something that came with different thoughts and feelings, I am just constantly amazed at how normal it is. It is really cool to me that our bodies and minds are so good at adapting to change. 

I had a FANTASTIC baby shower last Saturday. So many good friends and family came to support me. My friend Sarah and her mom Mely did so much work to make it a special day for me. There were printed pictures from my Maternity shoot, yummy food, cute decorations and Sarah even recorded everyone as they shared a blessing they hope I receive. I had such a great time and am thankful for all the people in my life who make it so fun!

 Below is a picture of the gift my friend Tori gave me (left) and my guest bath (right). They were both things that made my day. The plumbing issue has been going on for over a months and I finally, stubbornly, finished it. The shower/bath did not put out any cold water. We didn't notice when we first bought the house because the water heater was turned down so low that you had to have it all the way to hot to even get warm water, which was great in the summer, but not quite warm enough in the winter. When J was sick I decided to shower here to avoid his sick germs in our master bath. I scorched my back side pretty bad and realized we had a problem. I researched and googled to find out that we needed to replace the cartridge. I followed all the right steps, but the old cartridge was STUCK. I kept trying for weeks, while many people kept telling me I might need a plumber to help. I was frustrated because I felt like I KNEW how to fix it, but it wasn't working. Finally, after my dad tried his luck at pulling it out and the darn thing started badly leaking, I called a plumber, defeated. The funny thing is he showed up and had never seen any cartridge so stuck. It took him hours to get it out. He tried pulling, melting (which set off all our smoke alarms, lovely) and using a strong lubricant to get it out. Finally I mentioned that my dad and I were planning on drilling a long screw into the stuck cartridge in hopes that the pressure would break up some build up and give us leverage to pull it out, if we hadn't called a plumber. The guy was out of ideas and energy, so he tried it. It worked! So you see I am smarter than a plumber:) Our shower now works and the plumber was very nice and didn't charge me much at all. I was really worried that the hours he spent would equate to $$$$. I think he felt bad that he made a pregnant woman go and shut off the water line in the basement over 20 times. I got my workout for the day.

 I do believe I have hit the nesting stage. I have always been a big organizer, but lately the urge to get things done is pretty intense. Sunday I made 6 pair of baby leggings in about an hour and a half. It was so fun! I was going to write a tutorial, but I kind of just wing it every time. That is definitely one of my weaknesses. Here is a link of a tutorial that is very similar to how I made them, and much better written than I could do. I used old clothes and lined up the bottoms with seams so there was less sewing and a little more of a finished look. I also like to use my double needle once in a while, because that makes them look more finished also. This project made me decide that I need a serger. I should have thought of it before Christmas!

 After all that rambling, here are two recent bump pictures, 35 and 36 weeks along. I am feeling great for the most part. I am a little uncomfortable, having a lot of braxton hicks, and sleep is getting less easy. We are getting so excited for this little guy to come out. Yesterday Jordan told me, "I miss him. Can we go to the hospital and get him out?" It is hard to explain how you can miss someone you have never met, but it is possible. I told Jordan he had to wait, but he wasn't very happy about that. It will be another 3-6 weeks before this guy is ready. I also accidentally saw my weight as a nurse entered it into her computer. Man, that is depressing! Jordan had to console me with ice cream over that one. I am doing my best at suppressing that bit of information

Fitting in

Do you ever feel like you don't fit in? Lately I don't fit in my jeans, my shoes or my gym. haha. Jordan and I recently started going to Golds Gym. In January his work bought us gym memberships there and we put them on hold while we still had our Rec Center pass. Goodness there is a huge difference between the two gyms! We love that Golds is so close. I even finished before Jordan this morning, because my belly gave me strict instructions to stop, so I walked home. It was very nice. What isn't nice is that no one there wears clothes. If they do, they are painted on. Also, who has the energy to do their hair and make up before a 6 am workout? I find it pretty silly. It makes me very uncomfortable, but I think I will get used to it. It is funny that as the days go on I have started to have thoughts about wearing tank tops or booty shorts to work out in. Nobody wants to see my pregnant body like that. If you wear shorts and tank tops to the gym, please don't feel like I am judging you! Everyone should work out in what they feel comfortable in. I just decided a long time ago that I can work out in pants and a T-shirt and that makes me feel most comfortable. I need to remind myself that it isn't always good to fit in. I don't need to show off my newly acquired cleavage just because every one around me is. Below are some pictures of me not fitting in my jeans anymore:) This baby is actively taking up as much space as possible. I am constantly hungry and my lungs are angry that they don't have room to expand like they used to.

October update

Life has been going by so fast! We are in love with the Fall.

This month I got a new co-worker. Usually that isn't exciting news, but in my office there are 6 people and I was the youngest by 20+ years before Madison got hired. It has been so fun to have someone to talk to when we aren't busy explaining that not all rice from China is contaminated. Stupid Dr. Oz. Your advice makes many people irrational. Work is a joy and I look forward to going most days:)

Jordan's job is equally great. He is still doing double duty because his promotion hasn't gone through. He is a supervisor and an "undercover manager" :) He does a lot of managerial work because there is so much that needs to be done, but he is waiting for the title and pay raise. Hopefully by Christmas. Who knows! He is liking his classes, but his Physiology teacher sure knows how to write tough tests. He is a smart cookie and I'm sure he will pass, if not he will take it again from a more reasonable teacher.



We sure love Ragnar, Jordan's parents bird. He sings to us, nuzzles us and even lets us pet him without biting once in a while. He also poops, which is his major defect.

The pregnancy is going great! I am blessed to have an easier pregnancy. I am not in the hospital or taking any prescriptions. Complaining is still an often occurrence, however, and Jordan puts up with it:) Pregnancy just isn't fun sometimes! Our little man is growing very well. Our Dr. has given us plenty of stress with some "abnormalities" that showed up on the ultrasound. Most of them are cleared up, but others will take 6 weeks to see if there is any progress. I am confident that everything will be great and our technology is so good now that they see things they can't explain and are obligated to check them out. I am not allowing myself to worry, but I have had TMJ ever since so maybe I am clenching my jaw and stressing in my sleep, haha. Jordan just jokes that I must be clenching my jaw to make sure I don't sleep with my mouth open. (I have a pet peeve of people who have there mouth just hanging open all the time.)

We are looking forward to the holidays. We are spending Thanksgiving in Fillmore and Christmas in Orem. It is such a fun season! I just wish our roads were heated and I didn't hyperventilate at the thought of driving on icy roads. I guess I can test out my hypnobirthing skills on my daily winter drives.

As my most loyal customer always tells me, "Christ the Lord Jesus is your savior and I hope you have a blessed day!" He is a reverend, and when he isn't arguing with me he is a real pleasure.

You can spend your whole life learning, and still be an idiot.

I absolutely love to learn! My job is fantastic because I learn all day long. I have realized lately that even though you have a degree, even a PhD, and still have so much to learn. I know that what the scriptures say is true, in that the learning we do in this life will benefit us greatly in the next. Sometimes, though, it is hard to be motivated to keep going!

Health is one of those subjects that is quite subjective. You can find endless opinions about Vitamin D alone. (I know this because I have been studying about that since 10 this morning.) There is no way I will ever know it all. NOBODY DOES! The key is to admit you are clueless, study the best you can, check your resources, and realize that God never intended us to know it all in this life. I KNOW that we have all the tools we need in the scriptures. When I get flustered and wonder if I need to check my D 25 OH levels every week to assure I'm not going to be experiencing 100 things related to D-3 deficiency......I take a breath and remember that God told us to do everything in moderation. I am aware of my health and proactively seek to improve it. I do not need to spend all my energy coming up with a diet and exercise plan, I need to listen to my body and the ques it gives me. If I am lacking D-3 I would probably crave milk, sunshine and salmon. Our bodies are so magnificent. I for one am going to pray extra long today expressing gratitude that my body is perfect. It doesn't belong in a magazine, but it is doing a killer job and growing a baby. Millions of things are going on right now to help me to survive and I don't have to be an expert in any of those things for them to happen. 

It is a miracle. Life is a miracle. 

Life Lately

Life is busy and even though I sit at a computer for 8 hours a day at work, I rarely succeed at this blog business.

Pregnancy is going wonderfully. I do have constant headaches, every day. By the evening they usually get so bad that I say curse words when I stand up. Usually only in my head. I suspect that they come from my naturally low blood pressure which is even lower with this little baby growing. There is little I can do about that. I do crave salty things, especially chips, like a crazy person. I often give in to those cravings. Today it was spicy cheez-its.

We found out that our baby is coming with boy parts! It was a great experience. We had an ultrasound at 8:30am. We got in really quick. The woman was having a hard time getting the little guy to uncross his legs, but after a minute or so she started calling it a him. Jordan lit up and told her, "You keep saying his. Are you keeping something from me?" She laughed and claimed she didn't know yet. 30 seconds later she said just kidding, I knew it was a boy! And she showed us a clear shot of his parts. Jordan shot a fist in the air and gave a happy shout. I was just happy to see a heart beat and two kicking legs. I forgot to count the arms, but I am pretty sure there were two of those, too.

I found out Sunday that Jordan is completely serious about the names he has been suggesting. Let us just say we are on different pages name wise. I am on the "Mac, Samuel, Reuben" page and he is on the "Ragnar, Raphael, Gabriel" page. Somehow we will meet in the middle and I will try to be more open to suggestions that aren't my own.

There are many happy things going on. I have felt a lot more rested this week. Maybe that is because I sleep 10 hours each night, and more like 12 on weekends. BUT during my awake time I have felt very energetic. As long as I take my Unisom and B6 I don't have any of the queezies and my sisters gave me the best stash of maternity clothes. I am trying to buy a few things here and there to build up the stock for Kara's next pregnancy. Hopefully soon because she makes great babies.

I am praying for more months of complication free pregnancy. Extra prayers are always welcome!

Funny convo with J to end the post:

Jamie:Give me a score prediction for the BYU game tonight.

Jordan: Who do they play?

Jamie: Houston Cougars

Jordan: 34-10

Jamie: I'm stealing it.

Jordan: WHAT?!

Jamie: We have to make predictions at work.

Jordan: I put a patent on that.

Jamie: Too late. I wrote it down on the sheet.

Jordan: How do you sleep with yourself at night?

Jamie: With one knee poked at you to protect my side.