You know you're a nerd when...

You have to turn down 8-bit Christmas to tell your husband that, if he really wants to, he can change the channel from Battlestar Galactica (which you are currently watching) to play Modern Warfare 2.

This actually happened today.

Wow, Megan.

Swine Flue Vaccine (A How-To)

Reed and I are officially vaccinated!

It required some extra effort on my part, but the whole ordeal was a little less heinous than I thought it was going to be.

I've had a couple people ask me how to get vaccinated, and I actually had a hard time figuring it out myself. Lots of different websites give conflicting info.

When I finally tracked a health department official down on the phone, they told me to come to the Health and Justice Building in Provo, Monday morning starting at 8:00am. You have to stand in this hideously long line, but it actually moves fairly quickly. It took me 30 min.

When you get to the front, you get a voucher -- you can get up to 6, so if you need more, take a friend with you. You can choose which day (Tuesday or Thursday) and which time (I think they do them by the hour--I got 3 for 10:00am and 3 for 2:00pm). I can't remember the earliest time (I know they had a 9:00am time slot), but I think the latest time was 3:00-4:00pm time slot. I could be wrong.

They told me that they typically run out of vouchers before noon, so get there early. The Health and Justice Building is located on University Ave and 200 South. You'll want to park over on 200 South, because that's where the line starts. Wear a jacket, because you'll be outside for about 15 minutes.

Then, just come during your time slot (to the same building), and get your shot. There is another line, which moves quickly again. When you get to the front, you can request the shot or the nasalMist, depending on your health conditions. I got the shot.

The shot did NOT hurt, did NOT cost anything, and did NOT make me sick.

If you have a baby, 6 months or older, you can vaccinate him or her. Pregnant women who get vaccinated have to get the shot, not the nasalMist.

Take care, everyone! I hope you are all well and safe!

Halloween!

Reed and I went as a Greek God and Goddess this year, and baby Cal was a Jack-o-lantern!

Elder Ryan Richey

Ryan has officially entered the Missionary Training Center! We are so excited for him!

30 Pounds of Apples

Okay, I need some help. This week, my sister-in-law Diana and I found a little apple orchard in Sandy. It was tiny and quaint -- so cute. Well, we ended up picking 30 pounds of Golden Delicious apples, which are now sitting in a huge box on my counter.

I have already made 3 recipes, and I have barely put a dent in the apple stash.

What are some things I could do? Should I make applesauce? Should I try to make apple pie filling and store it in jars? I could really use some suggestions.

In the meantime, I thought I'd post the recipes I used, with some notes, for other apple-enthusiasts.

Apple Cake

This was SUPER yummy, but I really like raisins and nuts, so you'll have to decide if it sounds like you'll like it. I used toasted pecans, and I baked it in a 9" round pan. I was hoping to make a bundt, but there actually wasn't that much batter when the ingredients were mixed. Next time I make this, I will probably double it and bake it in a bundt pan. It would make a really good holiday breakfast for a my family (10-13 people) if doubled (or maybe tripled).

Apple Coffee Cake

This one was more popular with my taste-testers (aka a bunch of Reed's friend who were over for a Windows 7 release party), and I think it's because there were no nuts or raisins. (The recipe calls for nuts, but I left them out because I was already making a recipe with pecans.) Again, I baked it in a 9" round, because again, there was less batter than I expected. When fully baked, the center was very thin, and it smooshed a little bit when I turned it out onto a plate for serving. I would definitely double this recipe next time.

That said, it was very moist and yummy. Next time, I will double it, make it in a square 8x8 pan, add some kind of crumble topping on top, and serve it in squares right from the pan. Again, it'd make a cute breakfast for Christmas morning or something.

Oatmeal Apple Crisp

This recipe was a winner, but I guess it's kind of hard to go wrong with apple crisp. I only had 1/8 Cup of butter left ( after all the crazy baking), but the recipe still turned out just fine. Again, I will double, triple, or even quadruple this recipe next time, depending on the situation. It just did not make very much: maybe enough for about 5-6 portions with a scoop of ice cream, so great for a smaller party.

Goodbye, Ryan :(

Well, it's official. My little brother is entering the MTC a week from today, marking the start of a two year mission for our church. He'll be serving the people of Tegucigalpa, Honduras -- speaking Spanish. This is already shaping up to be a wonderful experience for our whole family, but it will be so strange not having him around. He is such a comic, vibrant part of our family dynamic. We will definitely feel his absence, but I could not be happier for the way he has chosen to spend his life -- trying his best to follow the Lord, and serving other people. Where did my little baby brother go?

So I'm writing a book...

I know, it's hard to take a statement like that seriously. Even I roll my eyes when I hear my myself saying it. It's like, "right. You and every other liberal arts major with a political/social/environmental agenda."

Oh, but I'm writing fiction!

"Right, you and every other liberal arts major who thinks they're writing the great American novel." :)

I don't know why we wait for the green light when it comes to fulfilling a lifelong goal. Growing up, I've told countless people that I want to be a writer. I guess it's the "Grand Narrative" that psychologists talk about. But now, I'm actually trying to do it. That's a very scary step for me.

Because telling people, "I'm going to be a writer someday" is very different than showing them your writing and saying, "Well, here it is!"

Regardless of how scared I feel, however, I'm doing it. I'm writing a book. And I have 15 chapters so far...

My talk on Sunday

There is a story in my family which we call the Miracle of the Quail.

My little sister, Hannah, has always been very in touch with nature. To say that she is a hippie is an understatement. A few years ago, my mom discovered that Hannah had been growing corn out of lego buckets in her room. and she’s been that way since the beginning. I’m not sure when our family first realized that Hannah’s feelings about plants and animals were more intense than other little girls who like making daisy chains, or who want a kitty. For instance, several years ago, there was a mouse loose in our house. Hannah, who was 7 at the time, went online and found googledoc blueprints for a humane mouse trap, and then spent 2 hours constructing it from raw materials.

While, I might add, my other siblings and I laughed like Laman and Lemuel while Nephi was building a ship.

She caught the mouse 5 minutes after the contraption was complete.

Later, when my dad accidentally killed the mouse, Hannah went on a hunger strike.

Hopefully this gives you a glimpse into the magnitude of Hannah’s feelings toward nature.

One evening, Hannah found a baby quail outside, cold and soaking wet. She put it in a shoebox and brought it inside, where she began stroking it with a towel in an attempt to dry the baby bird. Despite Hannah’s considerable efforts, the baby quail declined in health, and at around 10pm, my father, an accomplished doctor, pronounced the quail dead. Even noting that rigor mortis had completely set in.

He tried to console my little sister, but after several protests along the lines of “he doth not stink,” my dad left Hannah with her dead bird and went to bed.

When he awoke the next morning, much to his surprise, Hannah sat with the quail, which was now fluffy, cheeping, and very much alive.

When my dad asked what had happened to the quail, my sister answered, “I prayed to Heavenly Father.”

My dad was stunned, and said, “Did you ask Heavenly Father to bring the quail back to life?”

Hannah looked at him and said, “obviously.”

At first, the rest of us tried to explain away what had happened. Maybe the quail had just been sleeping with its eyes open. Or maybe quails are like possums, and have a “play dead” defense. It was my father, the one who had pronounced the quail dead, who then chastised us all for being slow to believe.

And it’s true: if the Lord answered the prayer of Joseph Smith, and if he touched the stones when the Brother of Jared asked for light, then who am I to say the He wouldn’t answer my sister’s sincere prayer of faith. We now call this incident the Miracle of the Quail.

I have learned a great lesson from this miracle. And yes, I say “miracle,” because I believe that something miraculous happened that night. I really do think that God brought that animal back to life because my little sister prayed. I believe he saved the quail to show Hannah that He heard her prayers, that he loved her.

It amazes me that with so many thousands of people in this world, God knows exactly what it is that we need personally. He knows the precise way to speak to us, individually, uniquely—He knows the perfect, specific way to communicate to each of us that He loves us.

God is infinitely invested in our relationship with him. God didn’t necessarily need to save the quail, but He did…and does endlessly and immensely, love and cherish Hannah.

In General Conference this past week, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught,

God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.

No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!

Our Father in Heaven has given us, His children, much more than any mortal mind can comprehend. Under His direction the Great Jehovah created this wondrous world we live in. God the Father watches over us, fills our hearts with breathtaking joy, brightens our darkest hours with blessed peace, distills upon our minds precious truths, shepherds us through times of distress, rejoices when we rejoice, and answers our righteous petitions.

He offers to His children the promise of a glorious and infinite existence and has provided a way for us to progress in knowledge and glory until we receive a fulness of joy. He has promised us all that He has.

I want to stop a moment and try to emphasize this point.

Why did the Savior do this? I think, we often take the Plan of Salvation for granted, but LOOK at it for a moment. There was no reason to save us. Heavenly Father didn’t NEED us.

Before this life, we didn’t have bodies. There was a point where we weren’t even spirits. God found us, whatever we were – intelligences, pieces of space – and created us spiritually. Once we were spirits, he created this earth for us, gave us bodies, agency, life. Then promised that His beloved, Only begotten Son, would die for us, so that we could become perfect. Often, rulers are threatened by anyone else gaining power. They oppress to receive glory, to retain their high status. But Heavenly Father was so anxious to take us – who were essentially nothing – and make us pure and powerful, like Him.

Again, there was no reason to do this. Nothing we had ever done made us worthy or deserving of this act.

One of my favorite scriptures comes from Third Nephi, Chapter 11. It uses an interesting word: Hosanna. Do you know what Hosanna means? It means save us.

Verses 15, 16 and 17 -- This is when Christ has come to the people of the Americas, after he has atoned for their sins and saved them – saved all of us.

Think of what this means! Think of what had led up to this point! The prophets throughout the ages had written about this day, and the people who were there when the Savior came knew those prophecies, and they knew it was He of whom the prophets had testified. And they knew what that meant:

15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and ^adid feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

16 And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying:

17 Hosanna! – [save us!] …Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did ^aworship him.

“He offers to His children the promise of a glorious and infinite existence and has provided a way for us to progress in knowledge and glory until we receive a fulness of joy. He has promised us all that He has.” – President Uchtdorf

How could we not follow a being who loves us so infinitely? How can we not endeavor to keep his commandments?

In Matthew, chapter 10, God says:

6 go

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven ^ais at hand.

28 And ^afear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather ^bfear him which is able to ^cdestroy both ^dsoul and body in ^ehell.

29 Are not two ^asparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very ^ahairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more ^avalue than many ^bsparrows.

If God notices the fall of the sparrow, and the life of a quail, and the prayer of my 7-year-old sister, He will notice all of our falls, our lives, and our prayers. This is my sincere testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Happy Fall!

My Aunt Heather sent Cal this adorable pumpkin hat (which she made) in the mail yesterday. I love it!

Shots

Like I said in an earlier post -- taking your baby for shots is hard. This time, Cal had to have 5 vaccinations, which meant getting poked with three needles.

I felt so guilty, that before the nurse came in, when Cal and I were alone in the exam room, I actually talked out loud to him, saying, "Someday, when you see this in your life playback in Heaven, you are going to know that your mommy did NOT want to do this to you."

When they stuck him the first time, he got this really confused look on his face for a second, and then screamed bloody, stinking murder!

At least he's not old enough to be mad at me, right?

Bath Time

I think it's so funny how much Cal likes baths! I don't know, maybe he feels like he's back in my tummy, warm and safe. Whatever it is, he loves it!

Labor Day Weekend

During Labor Day weekend, my family drove up for Cal's baby blessing in church. It was so fun to see my brothers and sisters. The blessing was wonderful -- Reed offered it, and my Dad, my brother Ryan, my father-in-law Richard, and my brothers-in law Scott and Chris helped.

In the sacrament meeting that followed, many of my family members got up and spoke. It was wonderful to hear my mom, my brother, my sister, and my mother-in-law publicly expressing gratitude for what Christ has done for us.

Events like this just make me reflect on what an incredible family I have. My parents have worked so hard, and sacrificed so much, in order to give my siblings and I comfortable, happy lives. We are each so fortunate and blessed because of our parents.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Ryan, who is leaving for a two-year mission to Honduras on Oct 28th.

Rachel, who turned 16 the same day Cal was blessed.

Marky, with his broken arm.

Cal Pride

Cal was born in NorCal, and in keeping with that fact, our friends, the Liddicoats, bought Cal this baby outfit from Berkeley!

Thank you, Esther and Dave! :)

He wears it with pride -- the only problem is, he was delivered at Stanford. He's a man with torn loyalties...

Family Photo

We took this photo after church on Sunday, after Cal's baby blessing. With Ryan leaving on a mission soon, we probably won't have too many photos together after Oct 28th!

A Very Good Dad

This morning, I was eating breakfast, groggy and tired from a difficult night with Cal. All of a sudden, I look up, and Reed and baby are cuddling and talking to each other. Cal was relaxed and happy -- I could just tell he loves being with his dad.

Reed, you are doing a wonderful job as a dad and as a husband. Cal and I love you!

Pictures of Cal

Heel Pricks, etc

It is very hard to let the doctor give your baby shots. Today, Cal needed his second PKU test, which meant getting his heel pricked with a needle. Poor little guy! When the nurse pricked him, he let out this little wail -- so upset! It only lasted for a few seconds, but it just broke my heart.

Next month, he has to get shots. I don't know if I can do this.

This kinda sums it up

I love being a mom, and I love my little baby.

Quotes from Childbirth

At the request of my Aunt Heather, I've decided to flesh out Cal's birth story with memorable quotes from the event.

"So....I'm having a baby."

-Spoken by me, mid-contraction, after we waited politely at the L&D desk for literally 7 minutes before even one of the ten chatty nurses behind it helped us.

"I'll give you the only birthing class you'll ever need in five words: Give me the epidural now. Let's practice. Scream it till you mean it."

-My Aunt Heather, who turned out to be 100% right.

"It's about first impressions."

-Spoken by me, to my Aunt (a doctor), after she told me it didn't matter if I cleaned myself before the OB came in for the first time.

"Are you sure you don't want one? They have inspirational messages inside!"

-Me, to every person who walked through the door, about Dove milk chocolate promises.

"Brooks, you must be very popular."

-Me to the anesthesiologist.

"Don't tell me not to live! Just sit and putter!"

-Me when the nurses kept telling me not to push.

"What an awkward maneuver to have named after you."

-Me, on the infamous McRobert's maneuver.

"Melissa, I'm gonna need you to man up and push harder."

-Me, to my sweet nurse Melissa, who held my leg, after three unsuccessful pushes. 

"You've literally got one more centimeter! I see his entire head!"

"Does he have hair?"

"Um...about like Reed."

-Exchange between me and my Aunt Heather (also one of the lucky two chosen to help me during McRobert's maneuver).

"I think you exaggerated how hard that was going to be."

-Me, to my mom, just after Cal's birth (now repeated by my mother to every person either of us have ever known)

Cal's Birth

Disclaimer: due to the fact that I count this blog as my journal (to excuse myself from not keeping a real one), this post may be very long and detailed. The  extra info is more for me -- sorry if it's hard to get through: I want to remember the little things, and this is where I write that stuff down.

The last time I blogged (sorry it's been a while!), Cal was still inside of me! That's crazy to think about. In my last post, I was having contractions and waiting to see where things were going. I know I'm going to make so many women mad by saying this, but delivering a baby was not as hard as I thought it would be. I would even go so far as to say it was easy. Here's how the whole thing played out:

So Monday morning, I woke up with contraction pain -- it felt like really bad cramps, and it came and went every 8 minutes or so. I rolled over in bed and told Reed (who was still kinda sleeping), "Hey, I think I'm having contractions." It was a really interesting situation, because yes, labor has started, and that's super important, and it means that something VERY exciting is about to happen, but then you think about it, and there's really nothing to do for about 6 hours (that is, if you're lucky and it happens 6 hours later, which it did NOT for me).

The whole day was marked by that feeling: the feeling that something exciting was happening, why are we all so calm...that kind of thing. Reed dropped me off at Heather's house, and we told her I was having contractions, and we were all pretty excited, but once again, it was like, "Well, cool...uh...call me in 6 hours." Reed and Heather went to their jobs, and I stayed home and watched "Bones" and "Law and Order" on Heather's DVR (not bad, right?), called my mom and Rosemary and gave them a heads up, talked to my sister and Diana, etc. When I told my mom, she said, "Okay great, I'll get in the car and drive up right now." I think that's when it hit me -- oh wow, this is really happening. 

My mom ended up getting a flight up to Palo Alto. Her place got in around 8:00pm, so that's where the day started to aim, if that makes sense. I labored all day, with contractions getting stronger and closer together, and I just thought, "I'll hold out until my mom gets here, and then we'll go to the hospital." It's hard to know when to go! Mom'll know -- that's a very good life motto.

When my mom got here, we got in the car and drove to Labor and Delivery at Stanford hospital, and the nurse at the desk (who never even LOOKED at me -- cranky!) sent me to a hospital room. I was in a good amount of pain by this time. I got dressed in a hospital gown and everything (the whole time, I was thinking, "Are you guys sure I belong here yet?), and a nurse came in and checked my cervix. 

1.5 centimeters. Are you kidding me? There was nothing to do but go home. This was hard on me -- it was like being fired or something. Very disappointing. We all went home to Heather's house (it was about 9:30pm), and we immediately sent Reed to bed. Heather, my mom and I stayed up talking for a while, and then Heather went to bed as well (Heather and Reed have jobs!).

At 3:00am, Reed woke up and came out to the front room to see how I was doing. I was still awake -- my mom was dozing in one of the chairs, but I was wired! The three of us decided to go back to the hospital (it had been 6 hours now -- surely I had to have progressed!). The same cranky nurse was working the desk, I gave her my info, and she put me in the hospital room, gave me a hospital gown, etc. 

Still 1.5 centimeters. I can't really describe what it feels like to be told, your baby's not really coming, just go home. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but it was really, REALLY hard to hear that. You're just so tired of being pregnant and huge, and you've been waiting so long to meet your little baby, and you're overly-emotional and anxious, and worried about the delivery, and on and on and on...and then someone says, "Just kidding! Not really!" It's hard. For me, that was actually the hardest part about the whole experience.

Well, the nurse actually took it one awful step further and told me I wasn't really in labor. She said I was dehydrated. I almost started crying, and when she left the room, my mom said, "Totally bogus!" If given the choice, I think I trust the woman who's had 6 kids over the uptight nurse.

The other thing that was frustrating about not progressing, was that I knew my body wouldn't do it by itself. My mom always needed pitocin in order for her labors to go anywhere, and I knew it would be the same for me -- I'd already been in labor for almost 24 hours, and it was going nowhere. However, the nurse (the same one who said I was dehydrated) said that they wouldn't use pitocin to induce delivery until I was past due -- which would have been 2 weeks later! Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry.

This is where my mom stepped in. With her really kind "mom voice," she asked the nurse if we could speak to the doctor on call, and then pled my case using her own childbirth history. The nurse surprised us -- she stepped out to call the doctor, and then came back into the room and asked if I wanted to be induced at 8:00pm that night (this was at 3:30am on Tuesday). Hallelujah.

We went home [again], but this time I felt much more hopeful, because I knew I would be helped along in my labor at some point. It was also good to be able to sleep most of the morning, so that I'd have energy for delivery.

Well, Reed got up and went to work (he didn't want to go in, but there was nothing to do at home but wait), and so did Heather. After my mom and I woke up later, we passed the afternoon at Michael's, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, etc. I was having really strong contractions at this point -- 8 out of 10. When we were in Michael's, a man was helping us frame an old photo of my great grandparents (a present for Heather for helping us out so much over the summer), and I kept having to grit my teeth and breathe hard, and we finally told him, "Oh don't worry, she's just in labor." Good times.

We brought Chipotle home for the four of us, and then took Winnie pups to dog group at 6:30pm (I went, too). It was pretty funny, because the dog owners (many of whom I know by now) would ask, "So remind me, when's the baby due?" and I'd say, "Oh, about an hour." Then they'd laugh, and I'd say, "No, really."

It was so good to go back to the hospital knowing that I'd be induced (I guess it wasn't true induction -- I mean, I was in labor, just not progressing). At about 9:oopm, I was in my hospital gown, in my hospital bed, in my hospital room, ready to have the baby! An added bonus was that I was 3cm this time. (I was still very happy to be getting pitocin, though!)

[Enter] a never-ending stream of people needing to poke me with needles, check my blood pressure, measure my cervix, take my temperature, time my pulse, etc. I was proud of myself for being brave about the needles, though. 

Next, a wonderful man named Brooks came in a gave me an epidural. The epidural wasn't as creepy as I thought it would be. Everyone always describes this huge needle that someone jabs in your back like a steak knife... in reality, it's a plastic tube about the width of a hair that goes right under the skin. NOT SCARY. They just use the needle to insert the tube, and then the needle is removed. It didn't even hurt -- the only part that hurt was the novacaine they use first, to numb the skin. That just stung a bit. Then all pain stopped. Yay for modern medicine!!! :)

I was hooked up to pitocin (there were all sorts of bags of liquid hanging from the IV thing), and was all set!

For the next hour or so, the four of us (Reed, my Mom, Aunt Heather and I) just hung out and watched Law and Order. Then they went home, the nurse turned off the lights, Reed fell asleep on the little couch/bed by the window, and even I napped for a few hours. 

There was one point in the night where the epidural wasn't working -- that hurt like WHOA. I pushed my call button like a nutcase, and tried to use a polite voice when the nurse came in, but I probably just had this huge frantic smile on my face. I was like, "HEY IS BROOKS STILL HERE??? OH GREAT COOL COULD YOU SEND HIM IN??? THANKS! HEY BROOKS HOW YA DOIN YEAH SOMETHING'S WRONG!!! " He came and fixed whatever was wrong, and I went back to "better living through chemistry," as Heather says.

We had a really, REALLY sweet nurse named Melissa. She woke me up at about 2:00am (Wednesday morning) and told me I was at 9cm -- crazy because I wasn't feeling any pain whatsoever. Reed woke up (he is very cute when he's that groggy), and we talked about how we were going to have a baby in literally a few hours! I know that sounds cheesy, but it really was such a crazy, exciting feeling!

So around this time, my epidural started wearing off. I wasn't really in pain, but I could feel pressure with each contraction. (Little did I know, that is actually the ideal state for delivery, because you can feel enough to push, but nothing hurts). So I called the nurse and told her, and she said she'd call Brooks.

Actually, what happened was: all of a sudden, in this dark hospital room, one of the machines started beeping -- like a warning beep -- and I whispered to Reed to wake up and look at the computer monitor. We couldn't figure out what it was, but I said, "I bet it's my epidural. I think it is wearing off." -- and sure enough, when Melissa came back, she said, "Oh, you're out of pain medicine."

That was sort of a theme of the last part of delivery. I felt like I just knew what was happening, even when the doctors or nurses told me differently.

For example, Brooks ended up not being able to come right away, and at about 2:30am, I called the nurse in again. Earlier, when she had told me I was 9cm, I had asked her if I should call my mom so she could get to the hospital in time, and Melissa had told me, "Oh, you've got plenty of time, it'll probably be 2 hours from now." Something about how I was feeling told me it was NOT going to be that long, but I said okay! Well, when she came in at 2:30, I said, "Hey, Brooks hasn't come, but that's okay. I think I want to start pushing."

She said, "Don't push yet. I'll call Dr. Hong's nurse." 

That's when I called my mom. I told her, "Hey, I'm not sure when they think this is going to happen, but I KNOW this is going to happen very soon."

So the other nurse came in and checked my cervix at 2:45am, and was like, "Oh, um...just a second," and then got on the intercom and said, "I need the OB in here immediately."

30 seconds later, all sorts of nurses were in the room, but the OB (Dr. Hong) wasn't there yet. They were all trying to act calm, but I could tell they were rushing as fast as they could to put gloves on and what not. They broke down the bed, and I got into that oh-so-famous position with my feet on the stirrups, and then my mom and Heather arrived (that was at 2:54am).

A minute later, Dr. Hong comes in, and starts putting on gloves and an apron and everything, and the nurses are like, "Don't push! Don't push!" and I'm thinking, "Well then put your gloves on faster!"

Then, there's this REALLY awkward, super-flattering maneuver (which is named after somebody) where two people push against your legs while you push. Very cute. I pushed through 4 contractions, and the baby was out (this was at 3:04am -- 9 minutes after my mom  and my Aunt Heather got there)!

It was so crazy when they put baby on my chest for the first time, right after he had come out. Apparently, Dr Hong was stitching me up from where I'd torn a little, but I didn't even know! I was pain-free and totally focused on baby Cal. He was blue and warm and had this look on his face like, "What the heck just happened!?!" I remember his little arms and legs were shaking and his little head was right up next to my cheek. I will never forget what that felt like on my skin! He gave a little cry at one point -- more like a little shriek of protest, and I just looked at my mom with this shocked expression. This was MY baby!

The OB clamped the cord (they asked Reed if he wanted to, but we had talked about how he DIDN'T have to, and he said the doctor could do it...he might get grossed out. I was totally fine with that). I was really proud of Reed. He wasn't queezy or anything, at any point during the whole ordeal. Maybe because it happened so fast, but really, he did great!

The nurses took Cal over to the little warming table where they weighed him and cleaned him off, and Reed was right there looking on. Reed was such a good dad from minute one -- wanting to see, to hold the baby, to be involved. It was wonderful to watch. My Aunt Heather was snapping pictures of baby, and I just kept looking at my mom in total, happy disbelief. Baby Cal gave a few more sudden little cries from the table -- I couldn't see him from where I was, so it was just crazy to hear him every few minutes or so, like "Leave me alone!"

Then they brought him back to me, and we just snuggled! Reed took a turn holding him, then my Aunt and my mom gave Cal some lovin'. I was wheeled to the recovery room, Reed went with Cal to the nursery to give him a little bath, and then they both came back in about an hour. Mom and Heather went home to sleep.

In the hospital room, I snuggled with Cal, and Reed was passed out in a recliner next to my bed (the poor guy was SOOOOO tired -- I felt great). At about 7am, I called Heather and asked if one of them could come and relieve Reed so that he could go home and sleep (he looked awful). not only did Heather come, but she brought me a banana-chocolate smoothie from Starbucks (which I downed in about 4 minutes)!

My mom took the afternoon shift, and then Reed came back and stayed with me for the evening. However, we all sent him home for the night to sleep because he had to give a presentation for the Execs at Apple the next day, which would determine if he gets a job or not. Crazy how these two huge events came on almost the same day! So I spent that first night (the night after the birth) alone with Baby Cal. It was such a special moment, just the two of us -- the nurses let him sleep in the bed with me, and he was just so warm and pink and tiny! 

It was even better the next night, because Reed stayed in the hospital with me, and it was just the three of us -- Mom, Dad and Baby. I will never forget that time -- it was honestly just magical. I don't know how to describe it. I still needed a LOT of help from nurses and medicine and everything -- it was very hard to move around, and I almost fainted the first time I stood up to use the bathroom. But even with all that, the time in the hospital, with Reed and baby, was something I will treasure my whole life. It was such a wonderful experience. 

Welcome, Baby Cal! 6 pounds, 10 ounces. Born at 3:04am on July 15th 2009! We waited a long time for you, and we we loved you before you even got here! Welcome to our family!

Is this labor?

I woke up this morning experiencing contractions! They come every 7 minutes, and hurt, but they're not excruciating or anything. I took a walk this morning, and now I'm afraid they might be getting weaker. Please, little baby. Just come!

Latest (and Probably Final) Baby Bump Photo :)

Three weeks to go! My skin is inflamed, I'm having Braxton-Hicks contractions, and I can no longer sleep comfortably -- any minute now!!!   :)  We're excited to have you here, baby Cal!

Babysitting

Is that what I'm supposed to call it, now that I'm an adult?

Anyway, this past week, I told my friend I would watch her kids while she and the hubby went on a date.

Everything was going great -- I put the two little kids down, and the house was clean, and all of a sudden, I look up, and the two oldest kids Hyrum(8) and Savannah(10) are watching a TV show about ghosts. I made them change the channel, but the damage was already done.

During teeth brushing, the conversation went something like this...PS -- both of the kids speak with Aussie accents.

Hyrum: Ah ghosts ree-ool?

Me: No

Savannah: Yes they ah! What about ayn-jools???

Me: Angels aren't ghosts. 

Hyrum: ah the ghosts gang teh come through the wools?

Me: No

Savannah: Ayn-jools kin come through wools!

Me: If an angel ever comes through the wall, it will be because Heavenly Father sent them to help you with something.

Hyrum: But ah theh bad ayn-jools???

Savannah: Well, theh's like, Satan.

Hyrum: Is Satan gang teh come through the wools???

Me: Satan is not coming! Everyone calm down.

Savannah: He kin come and poot bad thoughts inya head!

Me: Well, uh...yes he can, but you can tell him to go away, and God will help you.

Hyrum: Oim steel sked!

Me: Do you want Savannah to sleep in your room tonight?

Hyrum: Nohr!!! She'll tell me chainsaw stoories!!

(I look at Savannah, confused)

Savannah: One time, in ah house in Yoo-taw, we went to this haunted house, and theh was thees goy with a chainsaw, and he was sawring body pawts in HOFF!!!

Hyrum: NOOOOOOOOOHR!!!

Me: No more chainsaw stories!

Savannah: Wot? Even Issac wint, and he's jist a baby! Hyrum, dent you remembah?

Me: Hey kids! I think I hear your parents! Run to your beds and pretend you're asleep.

End of conversation. Didn't hear another word. Both kids fell asleep.

Second Ultrasound

I am now 35 weeks pregnant. Where has the time gone?

On Tuesday, we had another ultrasound. Since we've switched clinics, they wanted to re-check everything, so that they could have their own results. It was bonus for me, because Reed and I got to see the baby again!

It's crazy now, because everything has developed -- fingernails, toes, eyelashes, organs, lips...  he could be born now and he wouldn't even be considered a premie. He's just chillin' inside me, putting on weight, and waiting till he's good and ready to come out.

The ultrasound lasted a long time -- I was in there for probably 45 minutes. Reed got to watch the screen the whole time, and the nurse let us both take a look at certain points, like when she checked the heart. It is so incredible to see a little heart beating on the screen.

Besides getting to see the baby, it was comforting to know that everything is looking perfect and healthy. No placenta previa...which they were concerned about earlier on.

I can't believe this little boy will be here in a month!

Swanton Ranch

In my mind, there are sort of two types of activities. Some activities, you try to plan, and things just don't quite go the way you want it, so you just try to have a good attitude and laugh about it later. Then, there are the rare, magical activities where the stars align and everything is just amazing! Wednesday, I had one of those activities -- it just turned out so wonderfully!

My friend Esther and I took her kids to an ocean-side farm to pick strawberries. It was so beautiful! I just had to post some pictures, because the view was unreal!

Above are Ess and her kids in the strawberry patch at Swanton Ranch. We had a stunning view of the ocean the whole time, and the strawberries were so delicious! The weather report said rain, and we were thinking of bailing, but it was gorgeous. There was a cool breeze and sunshine and big puffy clouds. And the people at the ranch were so nice -- good thing, because we had to take little Isaac back into the store to pay, and he was COVERED in berry juice...it was clear that he had done nothing but eat strawberries, but we didn't have to pay extra :)

Next, we drove through Davenport (population: 3...according to what we saw!), a tiny, cute little surfer town with maybe 15 wooden houses. This super friendly old surfer man told us where to eat (2 options), and we took the kids in and bought burgers and fries and hot dogs, but not before they all got nervous and said, in their Aussie accents, "Meegun, I think we're in a BAH!" (A Bar). I assured them that we weren't going to buy any beer -- they are such good little kids! They warmed up when they saw the bakery section...

After that, it was onward to the beach for lunch and exploring! Little Isaac took to the sand like a crawdad! Look how sandy he is -- he totally loved it!

Esther and I just couldn't believe that the day turned out so well -- everything was perfect. Those kinds of days a few and far between...and are always blessings.

Bath Time

This is just a little taste of Winnie's PBSD (Post-Bath Stress Disorder).

Enjoy...

Adam's Mission Farewell

This weekend, Reed and I drove down to Fresno to celebrate my cousin's departure on a two-year mission for our church. He is going to the Czech Republic, and we won't see him for a while...but don't worry -- I know a thing or two about sending packages to missionaries!

Meat Day

I hate Meat Day.

As you already know, this summer, we are sub-letting a place in Palo Alto while Reed does his internship.

The people who live here belong to several community agriculture groups, and while they're gone, we are in charge of receiving drop-offs, and distributing to the various members. We don't take it around (thank HEAVENS) -- the members come pick it up.

Veggie days and fruit days (each once a week) aren't too bad. I have to take out, and fold up and take in, tons of boxes from the garage, and buckets and checklists, but I don't have to be at home. I just leave the stuff out during the day.

Meat days are different.

Meat Days....are awful.

The first Tuesday of every month, we get a meat delivery -- literally hundreds of pounds of meat. And I'm talkin' funky meat, like ground goat.

The meat man is always late, which means that for about an hour, I have to answer the door every five minutes and explain to people that their meat is not here yet.

Then the meat man finally comes.

Then, I have to call everyone who came earlier, and arrange a time that they can come pick up their meat.

Hold on...the doorbell just rang...I have to go dig someone's meat out of the freezer. brb.

Okay back.

Meat Day also means that Reed and I have to start the day by finding the cats in the garage and moving them to the upstairs bathroom where they can't get outside. (The meat man has to open the garage door). The cat thing is a difficult process.

It also means that I can't leave the house all day.

Plus, the garage door is broken, so I had to push it up manually, and then hold it up while the meat man put the meat into the freezer in the garage.

All this for ground goat???

I HATE Meat Day.

Puppy Sitting :)

On Tuesday, I got to puppy-sit three cute dogs! It was non-stop wildness and fun. Think of how cute ONE puppy is when it's playing or on a walk or something, and then multiply that by three, and that was how cute my day was.

Look at these puppies! The grey one is named Phineas, Winnie is in the middle, and then on the right is Beckett.

Honestly, they look small, but I think they could probably pull a dog sled with their combined forward thrust. Gosh, when they all see something they want, and go for it at the same time, good luck!

Phineas is such a love! He is very adventurous -- he's like the kid who always wants to get into something mischievous...and all the other kids follow him and get in trouble, too. I love his shaggy little face: I think it makes him look like Einstein. He is very brave and very sweet. I love his black vest that he wears -- it's a harness for his leash, but I think it makes him look like a spy, which totally suits him.

Winnie just wants to be where the party is. She has such a happy, adventurous little personality. Beckett followed the two of them, but I think he was a little nervous (he had never been to Winnie's house before, and he had never met either of the other two dogs).

This picture totally describes Beckett. He is so sweet, but he has a hard time standing up for himself sometimes. Here, Winnie started eating out of is bowl, and he just looked up at me like, "Do something!"

Notable events from the day:

Dust Buster Terror: I was cleaning up my aunt's kitchen, and was using the dust-buster to clean the floor, when suddenly I realized that all three puppies were standing, tense and fixated, watching the dust-buster's every move. Turns out, vacuum animosity is a universal dog trait.

Once I realized it was scaring them, I turned the dust-buster off and put it on the counter, because I am kind to animals.

Reed, however, thought it was way to fun to pass up. He started chasing the dogs around the kitchen, and man they were freaking out. Scampering puppies everywhere. Beckett got so scared that at one point, in desperation, he cleared the doggie gate separating him from the living room, where my grandma was sitting with her broken shoulder, and jumped up on her seat for protection, which started her screaming for help.

After we rescued Grandma, we realized that poor Phineas had been so scared he had tinkled. I cleaned it up.

Later, when debating which puppy cleared the gate (I thought it was Phineas), my grandma said, "Oh whatever, it was some HUGE animal," which sent Aunt Heather and I into hysterical laughter.

The biggest of these puppies is probably 12 pounds, soaking wet.