5 Weeks Old

I can't imagine that there's ever been another family who has enjoyed a baby more.

I've heard that having a new baby gives you the same feelings as being in love. I'm pretty sure it's true.

She's got the softest cheeks; I can't get enough of kissing them.

She's such a happy, good-natured baby . . . except when she's not. She's been smiling since she was just 2 days old.

The best part of all is that she's a sleeper. She slept through the night for the first time before she was even 2 weeks old. She doesn't always sleep through the night but will usually sleep for at least 5 hours at a time. And she takes a good 3 hour nap every day.

What an angel!

A Game of TAG

Copy, Paste, Fill in the blank

• I am well-rested (Leah usually sleeps well at night)
• I know pie crust
• I want to hold my new nephew
• I have a lot of gray hair (almost the entire front of my head)
• I wish I could pause time for just a little while - it's going too fast
• I hate my kids' homework
• I miss having a new-ish car
• I fear . . . can't even write it "out loud" because it would tempt fate
• I feel squishy
• I hear Steve practicing DDR so he can attempt to beat me when I'm up to it again
• I smell like spit-up
• I crave a turkey sandwich
• I search for Leah's lost bracelet :-(
• I wonder if Leah will get ear infections as much as my other girls did (please, no)
• I regret my impatience with my kids
• I love my family
• I care about how my towels and sheets are folded
• I always wait and watch for kids to make it inside when I drop them off at home
• I am going to Cali for Christmas
• I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ
• I dance to tease Sam (he tells me to stop)
• I sing You Are My Sunshine to my babies (all 6 of them)
• I fight my weight
• I write detailed to-do lists
• I lose rent checks (the rule now is that I have to put them on the refrigerator the moment they are in my hand - no setting them down ANYWHERE ELSE)
• I win at Boggle when I play with my husband and children, but never with my sister-in-law
• I never plan to be pregnant again. Yippee!
• I listen as long as you make sure you have my usually fragmented attention before you start talking
• I am scared of loud, strong wind (because of seeing Darby O'Gill and the Little People when I was a little girl)
• I need to clean my bedroom (pigpen catch-all room)
• I hope my kids stay as kind and good as they are now
  

I tag: Anna, Matt, Sarah and Kate

The Best Big Brother

Sam is proving to be such a good big brother. Although he is emotionally traumatized, between whining and crying jags, he asks me all the time if he can "hold it" (eventually, he'll learn to call Leah "her"). Apparently, he doesn't realize that his new baby sister is the reason he has been so out of sorts. He thinks she is so cute and loves her little toes and the funny faces she makes. He only gets upset when Steve holds her. He says (whines), "Daaaaaad, don't do that. Mom holds baby Leah." He loves his new baby.

He'll even pull up his shirt and ask, "Baby Leah want Sam milk?" He's a natural nurturer.

Is it just my imagination, or does she look a little worried?

Jackrabbit Feet

Leah's feet are hilarious.

Have you ever seen such long, skinny feet on a baby?!? The bandaid makes them look deceptively short, but notice that her heel sticks out past the bandaid. That makes her feet almost as long as her shins.

* I measured; her feet are 3 1/4 inches long, and her shins, from ankle to knee, are 3 3/4 inches long (yes, Ashly, I am a nerd).

Pretty Girl

Leah, 1 day old, and so pretty!

Announcing . . .

Leah Jayne was born this afternoon on her daddy's birthday at 3:49. She is beautiful! She weighs 7 lbs, 6 oz (my 2nd biggest baby) and is 20 inches long. The labor and delivery were about as good as they can get, just over 2 1/2 hours from start to finish, and my epidural worked this time!

Martha guessed 3:47 for her delivery time and 7 lbs 6 oz for her weight, so she wins. Very impressive, Nana. The prize is getting to stay at my house for a few days and take care of 5 children - congratulations!

What's Up Doc?

We've had a lot of fun with our garden this year. But I think the most fun the kids have had was with trying to catch the bunny that kept burrowing under the fence.

Sarah asked me if she and Abby could keep the bunny if they caught it. As if they're gonna be able to catch a rabbit. So I told them sure (see what a nice mom I am?) as I laughed inside.

They put hours and hours into building and baiting bunny traps. Then one rainy day, Sarah came running into the house yelling, "I HAD MY HANDS ON IT!!! I HAD MY HANDS ON ITS LEGS AND IT GOT AWAY!!! The poor thing is wet and cold."

Lesson learned: be very careful what you promise your kids!

I sure hope they scared it away permanently. The last thing I need right now is a new pet in the house.

One More Hazard of a 6th Pregnancy

I have a very tall desk in my office so that I can stand while I work. I also have a very tall chair with a short narrow chair for a foot rest for when I need to sit. This usually works great. Except when I'm 9 months pregnant. Now, when I sit, my belly gets in the way and pushes my legs apart. If I'm sitting on the tall chair with my feet on the narrow foot rest, that means my legs want to fall apart as far as they can. With my very, very loose ligaments, this is a problem. It gets uncomfortable very quickly. So I complained to Steve about it.

Do I look uncomfortable now?

His solution . . .

He grabbed a cord and tied my legs together. Works great. And could have multiple uses.

I'm Sure Everybody Wants to Know . . .

I found this pregnancy list on Jessica's blog where I sometimes lurk, and I loved it . . . also had to steal it and make it my own. I love hearing about other people's pregnancy difficulties. It always helps me to know I'm not the only one in misery.

Following are some lists regarding my current gestational state (picture from 1 week ago):

What is uncomfortable / annoying, from the bottom up:

1. Swollen ankles and feet that have deep flip flop ridges in them (the only shoes I can wear now). On the plus side, the kids sure enjoy poking their fingers into my fat feet and watching them pit.

2. Legs that feel like they are going to tear off every time I lift them off the floor (very loose ligaments)

3. In addition to frequent Braxton Hicks, I have frequent false labor meaning painful contractions every 2-3 minutes that last up to four hours. This happens at least 1-2 times per week and has been going on for the past 14 weeks.

4. Nausea that has not been horrible, but is ever present.

5. Vomitting a couple of times a week first thing in the morning


Why I'm excited to have this baby:

1. See above list

2. She's my last (Again. Abby was my previous last, but this time I'm pretty sure.)

3. I have another chance to have an epidural that works (cross your fingers for me)


Names we're considering:

1. Leah (for my mother-in-law, Liahona)

2. that's about it


What I wear:

1. 3 different but similar dresses that were big and cheap. After a couple more weeks, they will go straight to DI

2. My nightgown as often as possible


Stuff I do while I'm pregnant that everyone tells you not to do:

1. I don't do anything I'm not supposed to do, especially any heavy housework!!! That's what kids are for.


Weight Gain during all my pregnancies:

1. Anna: 20 lbs

2. Matt: 25 lbs

3. Sarah: 12 lbs (I had gallstones and was nauseous the whole pregnancy, thus the low weight gain)

4. Abby: 20 lbs

5. Sam: 27 lbs

6. Currently: 2 lbs, all in my feet (Yes, she is growing and measures as she should, but the doctors raised my thyroid dose at the beginning of the pregnancy, and that seems to have made a big difference. That and the ever present nausea)


What I'm looking forward to most about not being pregnant:

1. Being able to walk/move/sit/lie down without pain

2. No more vomitting

3. Eating a turkey sandwich

4. Being able to move faster than my grandma on her walker

5. Being able to catch Sam when he runs from me

6. Getting more sleep, even though I'll be getting up in the night with a new baby!!!


LABOR . . . bring it on!!!

Peaches

Right now is one of my favorite times of year because of . . .

THIS

We are so lucky to live just down the street from a peach orchard where you can buy an apple box size box of peaches for just $14. And they are SO GOOD!!! This time of year, we live on peaches.

Tonight, I'm making . . .

THIS

I've never made peach cobbler before, but when I found this recipe and saw that it has 5 stars out of over 400 reviews, I figured it's gotta be good.

And see what my cousin and I did last weekend? It took ALL DAY, and we are so proud of ourselves.

My mom suggested making peach butter for neighbor gifts to give at Christmas time. So I got my cousin, Liz, to come down for the weekend so we could do it together. It's very easy, although it takes some time. You just wash your peaches, then cut them in half and throw them in a big pan or crockpot on low heat, skins, pits and all. After they've cooked enough to be simmering in their own juices, you put them through a food processer and chop them to a somewhat coarse but spreadable texture. Remove the pits as you go. Then you combine 4 cups of peach pulp with 3 cups of sugar and 1 Tbsp of white vinegar. Put it on the stove on low heat and cook it down until it's a consistency like jam or jelly when it's cool. This is the part that takes so much time, and you have to be very careful not to burn it. We just set the timer for every 10 minutes, and then Liz would go stir the pots (it's a lot easier for her to get up and move than it is for me right now). We made peach butter from sunup to sundown and ended up with 48 half pint jars and 10 pint jars.

Now, the neighbor gifts are mostly done, and my food storage has grown. Wow, I feel like a true Utah Mormon.

UPDATE: Anna made the peach cobbler, and it was very yummy! Too bad it's gone already - next time we're doubling it.