Thursday, June 30, 2011

DeKalb Day o' Fun


The hospital I had Rhett at sponsored a day of 'health' activities so the boys, Ari & Nana went & loaded up on free stuff...hot dogs (emphasis on the healthy here!), string cheese, drink, a toothbrush, toothpaste, stickers, little toys, a free bike helmet for each!! and...because they went to every station & got their paper-thing signed both Jaydon & Ari were won a $50 certificate for a BICYCLE from Wal-mart! Jyson felt pretty sad until I told him I didn't think Ari needed a bike as badly as he does...I call this one a tithing blessing because they both really were in need of new bikes! Hooray for DeKalb Memorial!

Cubscout Twilight Camp

Monday, June 27, 2011

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Celebrations of all sorts

Just can't get enough of this morning hair
As with all joyful events, we celebrate with food! Father's Day request: Jambalaya (a.k.a. meat & more meat--we don't get a lot of that around here :), banana bread & his 'dessert' frozen mangos! He's still going strong with his "no sugar for a year" goal! We love this guy, he's happy & crazy & helpful and oh-so-funny! He keeps this family on the upside, we'd be lost without him!

Another celebration was Nana's b-day. Her meal request was the "French Dinner" we had growing up...[of course] French bread, crackers, different kinds of cheeses, fruits, yogurt. Yum. Also added in was chicken salad, green salad, her favorite limeade & for dessert she got her own Baskin & Robbins "Turtle Pie." Because of the boys' cubscout camp "Family Night" & the babe's arrival we stretched her b-day festivities out for 3 days...she was a good sport about it & we sure love her fun personality, selflessness & the time she's willing to spend with us!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Going Home!

After his first bath we were all ready to go home!


Tony doesn't sleep well at the hospital... :)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Our Little Rhett

I've been asked by several, including Tony, "Why in the world do you want to give birth naturally?!" Because of those questions I started to dig deep to figure out exactly why this was so important to me. Since I came pretty close to doing it naturally last time (not really on purpose) I knew the pain is incredibly intense, but I was sooo close. There are lots fewer "what ifs" health-risk-wise doing it naturally of course, & that was a big motivation--for my baby to come into this world as safely as possible. And then the midwife said my recovery would likely be so much quicker without one, so there was that. But it was more. It went deeper. I wanted to fully experience child-birth in all of its raw beauty (and yes, pain). Our bodies are made to do this incredible feat, and thanks to modern technology it's so much safer than say, back in pioneer-women times when there was no choice. Am I crazy? I asked myself that question a lot. I vascillated back and forth. I knew that either way I wanted to be committed because otherwise I knew I'd 'give in' when the pain hit. Don't get me wrong, I'm not totally against pain meds, I had 2 great epidurals with the boys & Ari, but both times I came away feeling like I personally had been cheated. Like I missed out on something incredible. This time around it became a lot more spiritual in nature as well. I like to be in control, and I DON'T like pain, so putting this totally in His hands became my way of coming closer to Him & personally sacrificing my will to His. This may not make sense to some & having been on the other side, I get it. But I also became more committed and determined with each day, feeling like, with His help, I could do it. And...with the help of Him, Tony, the midwife & a short labor, we did!

We got to the hospital about 8:00pm & I was dilated to 6 (I guess all that yuckiness/contractions was/were doing something after all)! Since that was where my will started to crumble with both other labors I was encouraged. They had to start my antibiotics right away because I was Strep B positive (again), but it was happening so fast, I just wasn't sure we had the needed 4 hours for it to get into my system so I was a bit worried about that. The pain was definitely getting intense, but with my concentrated breathing, the birthing ball & Tony pressing on my pain points in my back it was doable. We had talked & prepared quite a bit together & I knew if this was going to work, I needed his full support. I had it, and he. was. amazing. Patient, didn't freak out about anything & was immediately responsive & willing to do anything I needed. I moved to the shower, on the ball & that was my sweet spot. First off, I had music going & it helped much more than I thought it would. I chose some piano pieces off iTunes & added some of my favorite Mindy Gledhill songs (highly recommend). She has such a soothing voice & I felt like they might be just what I needed. They were. In fact, in between the contractions I was humming & singing her songs to keep me calm & focused. Also, the lights were down low & I used lots of vocalization (something I previously did NOT think was 'me' or something I would use, but it helped immensely). Then the midwife showed up & she provided the other crucial element--someone who had been through this before, knew what signs to look for & could see that light at the end of the tunnel & propel me toward it. Tony provided the perfect, unflagging emotional & physical support I needed. There were a few times I just didn't know if I could keep doing it & I made the mistake of thinking about the utter relief I felt after getting the epidurals the other times, but then something changed. I feel like God intervened for me & changed my frame of mind. Suddenly I no longer thought about whether or not I could do it, I just focused on doing it, one contraction at a time. That made all the difference. The midwife stepped out to get me some juice & as soon as she left, I knew something was happening. I didn't get that 'overwhelming urge' to push per se, but maybe that's just because I've never felt that particular sensation before. Either way, it was incredible & exciting & scary. My baby was so close & telling myself that (out loud even) helped me keep my mind where it needed to be. I moved to the birthing stool & entered a whole new realm of pain. However, this time it was welcome pain. More progressive, the-end-is-in-sight pain. For some reason the pushing took longer than I thought (maybe just because this time I could feel all that was going on!), but really it only lasted about 30 minutes. When they told me the baby's head was crowning it did feel pretty "fiery," but I had blissful rest from the contractions. In fact, at one point I just wanted to do nothing because it felt so much better than when the contractions were so intense. Eventually some major pain kicked in again & 'convinced' me to keep on pushing. They had me reach down & feel his head (another thing I didn't think I would do!) & when I felt it the 2nd time & could feel how much more head had come out, wow, that was just what I needed. As I really bore down I surprised myself one more time & yelled (?) vocalized (?) through the last pushes. I didn't feel out of control, but the noise just naturally came out & I wasn't fighting it. One more push & then I heard his beautiful cry. At 10:33pm on June 13th, an hour & a half from his 'due' date (2 1/2 hrs from when we got to the hospital) little Rhett was finally here! I simply cannot describe the joy, relief, and total thrill of that moment. Knowing I had done it, and that Tony was there with me. Immediately I was handed mr. miracle himself & kept whispering, "oh, baby, little baby, you're here!" A true, personal miracle that I was blessed to be part of.

Tony is holding my "stay focused" cards that have scriptures & quotes I hoped would help me remember why I wanted to go for a natural birth & give me strength. I read them a lot leading up to the birth, but then just thought about a few of my favorites in the middle of the intensity--it really helped me focus!

Here he is, Rhett Moroni Dayton (Rhett for Tony's brother, Brett & Moroni of course is a BOM name, but also a family name on the Dayton side!), in all his slumbering glory at 7 lbs, 4 oz...my miracle in the flesh! Look closely & you can see his little freckle/birth mark on his forehead...a first for our family. There is also a hint of a dimple by his mouth, that would be fun too!

Our incredible midwife whom we love and adore & are hoping to adopt someday :)
The whole crew the next day (The boys love hospitals...rare t.v. watching, being treated by Nana at the hospital cafeteria & of course, cute new siblings...what could be better?)!

Ari loved the discovery that his bed was on wheels...I actually wish we could take this bed home with us, she can't reach into it unless she's standing on something, that would be handy to have with this munchkin around.

The three brotherly musketeers.

Our Nana. Another true hero in human/mother form. She has done SO much while she's been here & we are so very very grateful!

"Honey, I think maybe you should come home early...maybe?"

I sent my Mom & boys off to their cubscout Twilight Camp, ate/fed Ari cereal for dinner (NOTHING else sounded good!) & started realizing fully that my contractions were getting more intense (I had been having contractions all through the night & day but they were very irregular, not too intense & was also nauseous & feeling yucky). I wasn't thrilled thinking that I hadn't had a good night's rest & also, I was all alone! My Mom tried to tell me she didn't want to leave me, but I had insisted. So, at that point I called Tony even though I still wasn't totally sure it was the 'real' thing but he left immediately anyway. Then I called my Mom & she left to come home as well.

Me, breathing through a contraction while finishing up Rhett's first journal entry.



Within 30 minutes of Tony getting home (about 6pm) my contractions were five minutes apart & about 30 seconds long. I called the midwife a bit later & she said to come in when the contractions were 60 seconds long. About 30 min. after that, it was time to go! It seemed to all be happening so fast!

Sechler's Pickles field trip





Down the road, not too far we have a pickle factory! Since they give free tours & free samples we thought it would be a fun thing to do with Nana whilst waiting for baby boy to arrive. I think the smell did it for me...I experienced a lot of contractions while there & wasn't feeling too well, but it was a fun thing to do!

Park fun with the Nana






My little bro Devin goes to BYU-Idaho & his face is on the new poster for the Men's Choir. We're so proud...


This shows the new shirts Nana brought for the boys that change color in the sun!

The last awards assembly


Jaydon & Jyson both received awards for their state testing scores & from the art teacher. Jaydon also received an award for music. Wow! Good thing I asked last-minute if I should be there! I'm so grateful I can stay home & be able to just drop everything for something like this. I love my boys so much & am so proud of them for doing their best in school!

Field Day Festivities









Proof of the Father & Son excitement :)





Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Purely for Journaling Purposes

One week to go (humor & believe with me that I am NOT going to go over my due date) & here's how I've been spending the time:
Monday May 30 (Memorial Day): After Tony doing tons of homework for his online class & playing at the Go-Kart place I have some rockin' real contractions at 2am...five minutes apart...for almost an hour. After which I couldn't go back to sleep for another 3 hours thinking things like "Who am I going to call at 2am if this is the real thing?" See, I hadn't set up any back-ups, counting on my Mom being here for it.
Tuesday: I call a friend in Woodburn to set up 'emergency measures,' & both insurances to make sure we don't have to pre-authorize or something. I pack my bag more completely & start making more lists...
Wednesday: Make & bring dinner for a friend to the re-run of pack meeting that was cancelled last week. By the end of all the fun I'm feeling more contractions & a wave of exhaustion. On the up side...the entire lobby of fabulous ward women waiting for their scouts offered to take the kids if need be :) Grocery shopping is cancelled for the night due to my fear of going into labor in the pickle aisle (ever heard the water-breaks-woman-smashes-pickles-in-aisle-to-cover-it story?)
Thursday: Make dinner & go to RS meeting that night to learn more awesome tips for preparedness/frugalness. Call bishopric member to find out how far away the father/son campout is & to get a phone # of someone for 'in case.' Decide to brave the grocery store considering our dire refrigerator state. Walk like a snail, only a few contractions. Good, good.
Friday: Go to midwife appt. She tells me I'm only about a 2, but my body is definitely in 'gearing up mode.' Also that the baby seems to be closer to the 6 lb mark than the 7...give or take a half pound :) However, I do have another week to go, I'd like baby to bulk up a bit more (just not me). I"m relieved with the news & am SO glad the boys can go to the Father/Son. Pick up the tent/sleeping bags we were able to borrow. Try to get to the storage unit to get the last of the baby supplies, but no such luck. While Tony is frantically doing homework (he had Fri off, but has to work Sat) I make/pack tinfoil dinners, banana boats, pickles, saltines, water for later consumption & get the boys to pack their stuff. Funny, Tony looks around once they're there & sees that he & one other family are the only ones with 'real' camping food...unless Subway counts. They don't sleep much, but have a great time & bring home 2 frogs...uh, minus the one that mysteriously disappeared on the car ride home.
Saturday: After hosing down & discovering the children under the grime we trundle off to a b-day party in the 94 degree heat (with 1000% humidity). The boys have fun jumping in the bouncy house they rented, but get WAY more enjoyment out of the tadpoles they catch & get to bring home. Oh, & frog #2 somehow escapes in their yard. Secretly I am not so sad. Tony & I sneak away for a date! We went out to eat at Arby's, see the movie "Soul Surfer" at the cheap theater & my favorite...DeBrand's Chocolates! I got the most amazing dessert...their special ice-cream with their tart raspberry syrup, dark chocolate syrup all in a dark chocolate bowl. So delicious--Tony was such a good sport cuz' all he had was water (no sugar for a year goal!).
Sunday: Go visiting teaching. Eat leftovers for dinner. Have FHE. The role plays were the best...the boys get to pretend to be us & we them as we try to understand each other (& why Mom n' Dad are pulling out their hair lately)
Monday: Go visiting teaching to 2 more. Drop dinner off to another friend & try not to be too jealous that she's already had her baby :) Try to take a nap twice. No luck. Phone rings. Children loud. Boys find a toad. He's in one of my empty wheat buckets & hasn't escaped as yet. Good thing Tony decided to take a break from his homework (his first class is over this Wed.) & clean up the dinner/dishes. I am so very grateful.
Tuesday: Go to the boys' Field Day, but leave after an hour due to Ari wanting to just be right in the middle of every single race & her need for her morning "na-night."

Guess I'll fill in the blanks for the rest of the week later on, but at this point I'm feeling pretty good about making it until my Mom comes this Friday night. Thanks Mom, we're all excited to see you & get this show on the road!

Note: I am adding a bit about the last few days here to keep it easy for me to follow when I put it in my blog book later :)
Wednesday: Finish counting the Campbell's Soup labels (about 2,000 in all, wow!) for the school in the nick of time...school is out on Friday :) Go to scouts...grind some wheat using another friend's grinder (my day is coming to get a grinder...someday)...go home.
Thursday: Clean & get ready for Nana Cobia to come
Friday: Boys are out of school! Have a family movie night & watch the old "Tron" together. Go to get Nana from the airport at 10:00pm. She made it!
Saturday: Do house stuff in the morning, Nana takes all 3 kiddos to the park so I can do some work on a project. We all go to "Once Upon a Child" & Wal-mart & have an incredible true-to-life experience to really welcome Nana. Boys think 'tag' is appropriate up & down the aisles & Ari is absolutely done with the store experience...5 minutes into it.
Sunday: Go to church of course!