The last 4 months

This post is mostly pictures of Aubrey because she has changed so much in the last four months.  She has started to giggle, but she is quite picky about when and who she laughs for.  Usually it’s when she is playing by herself.  She rolled over once the week of Thanksgiving, but we are still waiting for it to happen again.  She loves to spit and blow bubbles and will go to anybody as long as they give her attention.  She is a pretty content baby, but makes sure you know when she is not happy.  It looks like she will be a thumb sucker.  She was recently found her toes, but hasn’t quite figured out where they came from or what to do with them.  She has slept through the night since she was 2 months old and hopefully that will continue.  She has always been a very sleepy baby.  Here a bunch of pictures so you can enjoy Aubrey as much as we do.

My sister took some newborn pictures, but Aubrey slept the whole time.

 1 month old

 First smile caught with camera

 Brr it was a cold day for running errands.

 2 months old

 Daddy loves my Monkey hat and jammies.  He makes me wear them all the time.

 Halloween Costumes

 Pretty in purple, and wet from blowing bubbles

 Pumpkin picking with cousins

 3 months old

 She gives me the eyebrow many times a day.

 4 months old

 

Thanksgiving turkey

   

 All ready for Christmas

 First visit with Santa

She loves sitting in the Bumbo and watching

Introducing Aubrey Lynn

Here is some of the story leading up to meeting our little girl.  I had to find a new doctor 5 weeks before my due date in a place I had never been to.  I went from a female doctor in an all female OBGYN women’s center to a small clinic with only male family doctors, which is the only clinic in the county.  I don’t have a preference whether my doctor is a man or woman, but the change was a total opposite.  I first made an appointment with the only OBGYN in Nephi because there wasn’t one in Delta, but found out he didn’t take my insurance.  I called the clinic and asked for any doctor that was accepting new patients.  I wanted to get into him as soon as I could because I didn’t know how the end of my pregnancy would go.  I only had 3 appointments with this doctor so we got to know each other pretty quick.  Each week, he would say, “Let’s make an appointment for next week, but I don’t think you will make it that far.” Or “You will probably have her this weekend, but I will be at Youth Conference.”  And each week I would return feeling quite uncomfortable and anxious.  It was hard to know I was full term, but nothing was happening.

At my 40 week appointment, my doctor asked if I wanted to be induced and I was fine with it because I really didn’t want to wait any longer.  Lots of people have said that contractions are much worse when you are induced, but I didn’t have anything to compare it to.  We were scheduled to be at the hospital at 5:00 Monday morning, Aug 6, so they could start the Pitocin.  That meant getting up at 4:00 to have a good breakfast since it would be the only time I could eat that day and leaving by 4:30.  That was the beginning of the sleep deprived nights.  Once I was settled in, I tried to get a little sleep with all the monitors attached, but it didn’t happen.  Bob slept quite soundly for a few hours until he was needed.

The doctor came in about 7:30 when my contractions were starting to get intense.  He said he would order the epidural, even though I was still managing pretty well.  The nurses kept commenting that I was smiling the whole time, unlike most women, but it was really my coping strategy for dealing with emotion.  My fake calm self comes out when I have to share my feelings, give a talk, or deal with pain.  The doctor and anesthesiologist came in about 9:00, soon after my water broke, and found out that I was too far along to get an epidural.   You should have seen the big fake smile on my face then pretending that I was ok with it.

About an hour later, 9:56 AM, Aubrey was born, with a little help from the suction cup.  She was 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 inches long.  She had lots of dark hair.  She also has quite the set of lungs, which she is continually using.  She had her days and nights mixed up the first couple weeks, but now she sleeps pretty soundly, only waking up once or twice.  I had a lot of time to myself during that time because she was asleep all day and I really had to adjust once she needed my attention during the day.  

Here is a bunch of pictures taken during her first month.  We are excited for what the future will bring.

It is quite difficult to keep a blog up when I don’t have internet.  Since the last post, here are some things that happened, not including baby because she gets her own post.  Bob graduated with his Masters Degree.  He started a tradition of eating a full rack of ribs after each semester and his parents were generous enough to give into him.  Here he is with Wilbur, the Famous Daves mascot.  We thought it was a little gruesome for Bob to have a picture taken with a pig and then eat its cousin.

We started praying that he would find a job in May because my subbing income definitely did not cover our needs and it was going to end with the school year.  The last week of May, he had two interviews, one in Montpelier and one in Delta.  The Central Utah Counseling Center called and offered him a job on May 31.  Our prayer was answered.  Bob didn’t start work until the middle of July because he had to wait for his background check to clear.  Bob is now the main social worker for Millard County.  He is enjoying it most of the time, but it can get overwhelming.

Neither of us had any obligations for a month and a half and we enjoyed sleeping in and having lazy days.  Bob tried to get in lots of fishing because he knew opportunities would be slim with work and a baby in the future.  We made some trips to Utah to see family.  On one trip we went to the zoo with Bob’s family because his sister and family were in town from Wyoming.  I have had a pretty easy pregnancy with my main complaint was that my feet looked and felt like water balloons, so I thought I could handle it.  Now I know to never take an eight month pregnant woman to the zoo.  At one point I had to sit and rest with my feet up and a woman walked past and said, “It’s worth it, I promise.”  I never thought I would be that pregnant woman that looked that miserable.  I enjoyed the zoo and the company, but I came home very tired and grumpy.

We are now renting a trailer in Fool Creek, which is about 25 miles east of Delta.  It is not a town, just a cluster of houses.  Our landlords are a couple in their eighties that have lived there their whole married life.  They are very friendly and have taken us under their wing.  Before Aubrey was born I spent most days unpacking and organizing.  I think I organized the baby room every week just for fun.  I also took trips “to town” to find internet and do shopping.  Most days were highlighted with a trip to Oak City, 8 miles away, to check the mail.

I think that brings you up to baby, so wait a few days, or months which seems to be my habit, I will introduce you to our little bundle of joy.

Bahama Mama

Can I use this nickname if I was on the island for less than 8 hours? We had a great and very full spring break, which is not normal for our peaceful, routine lives. Last summer, we won a free cruise to the Bahamas. We were planning on waiting until Bob was done with school, but we realized I would be too far along in my pregnancy to go during the summer and after the baby was out of the question. My brother and his wife gave us their air miles for Christmas, so the cruise and airfare were free. This was the only way we would get to go because money is so tight right now. We also got 2 free hotel nights if we went to a time share presentation, we still haven't decided if it was worth it or not.

Last Friday we drove to Utah and spent Friday and Saturday with my parents and sister. The best shopping was in her closet. I now have lots of stretchy skirts for the summer. We also went to the temple, which we try to do every month, but the Boise temple is closed and the nearest if Twin Falls two hours away. It is a big change to have to go that far and plan a whole day around going. It was nice to be back at the Logan Temple. It has been our temple for many years.

Very early Sunday morning, we went to the airport to fly to LA and then across the country to Miami. We were in business class, which means we will never be satisfied with coach again. We were served breakfast, provided Samsung Galaxies to watch movies on, and I was awoken from my nap to the smell of freshly baked cookies. I usually have an extremely strong bladder, but with all the free drinks and baby, I had my first chance plus many more chances to use the airplane toilet.

Neither of us felt comfortable driving in Miami so we took shuttles back and forth and all over the place. It was nice not to have to drive, but not so nice on the wallet. We finally reached our hotel at 6 that night, ate at the buffet (which was good it was included because I wouldn't have paid for it), and went to bed. The next morning we were up early for our 2 hour presentation, which took all day after the shuttle ride and 4 hour "no pressure" chat. The heat, hunger, and the "not taking no for an answer" lady made me quite grumpy. This is us at the condo that we were supposed to buy, but I think a picture is good enough. Finally we took another 90 minute shuttle ride to the port. After a fairly quick check in we were able to sit and not have to worry about anything for a while. We roamed the ship which was 9 decks high, Bob checking all the locations and quality of food. This is the view from the 7th deck across the port looking at West Palm Beach I think.

There was this nifty couch down the hall from our cabin. It looks a lot comfier than our bed.

We spent the rest of the day lounging in the sun and eating. Here we are trying to take a picture of ourselves, we got giggly after many failed attempts.
In the morning we woke up in the Port of Grand Bahama Island. We went on a glass bottom boat tour. Here is some of the scenery.

They took us to a ship wreck where reef sharks live. The guide hung a fish head from the side to entice them. The shark swam a few time around us looking and then grabbed the fish and the line that the guide was holding and was off for his lunch. Pretty exciting.


After the boat, we spent a few hours basking in the sun and splashing in the water. Imagine a cute pregnant picture of my wavy beach hair blowing in the wind and my swimming suit not bulging at the seams. This never happens so here is the best shot.


Here is Bob's second favorite past time, which usually happens after his first, buffets.

That night we headed back to Florida. After checking out and waiting an hour for the shuttle the next morning we spent the day at the hotel trying to recover from our sunburns and overeating. Thursday morning we waited some more for the shuttle to the airport and then 4 more hours for the plane. Our first flight was cancelled and we had to wait an extra hour. Finally back on the plane, cramped in coach with no cookies or movies, we made it to Dallas and then on back to Salt Lake with a group of returning missionaries. We spent the next three days with family. We don't have tv in our apartment so we were glad to be able to watch all the sessions. I really enjoyed Saturday morning. There were many talks about children. I am so excited to be a mom and raise a family. I also liked the talks on how simple the Gospel is and how we don't need to make it more complicated.

We are glad we were able to go on this trip because we probably won't do it again for awhile. Now we focus on getting Bob graduated, finding a job and having a baby.

Baby Update

Wow it has been a long time since a post. Since then we have had lots of things going on. We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families in Utah, which was great. We have such wonderful and loving families, some times it is hard to not see them every week like we used to. We had told our parents that I was pregnant, and my sister because she asks me every time she sees me and I can't lie, and we announced to the rest of the family on Christmas. Bob's mom gave us a pair of baby pjs with all the other grandkids. It caught most of the family by surprise.

I have been lucky to have very little morning sickness, just a few days of nausea and no desire to eat. I am now 19 weeks. I can't believe it's almost half way over. My pants have been tight for a couple of weeks, but I have been too lazy to hem up the maternity pants I bought. I think I am finally looking pregnant. For awhile, I just couldn't suck in my fat like I used to. At the first ultrasound, the doctor the baby was very wiggly. I have felt it everyday for the past week. We find out whether it is a girl or boy next Friday.

Bob has been very busy with school. His classes didn't start until the middle of January so he had a long time to sit and it was hard for him to get back in the routine. Most of his assignments are due in the next couple weeks and he is really feeling the pressure. He also needs to get it done before spring break because we are heading to the Bahamas. We need to get in gear and figure out things we can and can't take, which clothes still fit, and what we want to do. Neither of us are travelers and this is a big trip for us.

I have been substituting all year, which was not my first choice, but I have gotten used to it. Then in February I got a call from a principal wanting to hire me for a 3 month aide job. The teachers had recommended me from subbing, so I guess it does pay off. I have been working all day for the past month, working with small groups of students who are below benchmark in reading and fluency. It has been nice to go to the same place everyday and see the same kids. I have 11 groups to get ready each day, but most are following a direct instruction program that is easy to plan for. I will probably go back to subbing for the last month of school, unless I need some time to get ready for baby. Well, hopefully I will do better at updates in the future.