Welcome little Elizabeth Anne Watters

Well, a new little girl, a perfect little Angel has joined our family. We feel so incredibly blessed for our children. 3 girls and 2 boys ( I dreamed of a family of 3 girls and 2 boys when I was young and wow!) This is her story:

We had set Friday June 19th as induction day. I knew towards the beginning of this pregnancy that I did not want to go to 40 weeks as I did not want to go into labour out on the farm. I was considering moving into Calgary a few weeks before my due date. I did not want bleeding complications ( like last time) out on the farm as well. Baby was also breech until 36 weeks. I believe I felt it turn the evening of my last day of work on May 31. Baby was measuring in the 95th percentile at 36 weeks and so we knew baby was big and would be okay coming before the due date. On Tuesday June 16th, after Chris had his school classes on Zoom, him and I left the farm at 2:00 and drove to Calgary for my 3:20 pm appointment at South Health Campus. It was good to have him at that appointment. She did not do as sweep but checked to see how I was and I was 3 cm and 40 % effaced. No contractions the week before but I had felt uncomfortable and had to pee a lot on the Saturday evening so I think that may have been when I dilated to 3 cm.

We had a beautiful date night on Tuesday evening where we went to a fancy (and expensive) steak restaurant near down town and then we went for a walk in the beautiful Princess Island Park. We had our engagement pictures taken there and it is a favourite park of Chris' as he used to work downtown and would walk there on his lunch breaks.

We stayed in the basement suite of my Michelle's house in Copperfield for 3 days and on Wednesday, I went for several walks around a pond by her house. We went out for supper again at a Thai restaurant and I got some spicy pad thai and some coconut based soup and a pineapple bubble tea (pineapple is supposed to help induce labour too). On Thursday, Chris had his last online teaching day in the basement of Michelle's house and then we went and shopped for bikes for Chris and then went and visited Kamille. I wanted Chris to get a bike for Fathers day but the kind he wanted was all sold out (everyone wants a bike now due to the pandemic and not being able to do other activities). We got some Popeyes Louisiana chicken for Michelle's family for lunch and we went for a walk by Glenmore reservoir (brings me back to walking to work at the Rockyview).

Friday was the big day. I was nervous knowing I was to be induced that day. We went to brunch at Coras at 1030ish and my emotions were getting the best of me as I was not sure if I was supposed to be eating so close to being induced but Chris reassured me the Doctor said I could have brunch. Then we went to memory express to get some things for Chris' computer project and then we went for a walk in the wetland area of Copperfield (which is a lot more finished then when we lived there). It was weird and nerve-wracking but very exciting knowing I was going to be induced and have a baby soon.

We got to South Health Campus a little before 2:00 (my induction appointment was set for 2:00pm). We went through the screening at the front door (which is routine for COVID now) and when we got to the unit they were very busy so they put us in triage and we waited for about half an hour there. I was hooked up to the monitors and things looked good. They found us a room about 2:30 pm and we ended up waiting about 3 hours (I tried to sleep and Chris did sleep) while we waited for someone to come in and get things started. They ended up letting me have supper and then the doctor came in and broke my water at 6:30 pm. I was still at 3 cm so no change in the last few days which makes sense because I was not having regular contractions. My Nurse started a saline locked IV at that time as well. My veins were horrible and she could not do it in two attempts but I know how it feels to miss IVs and I didn't care. It seemed like the end of the world for her which made me feel bad so note to self, do not feel bad when I do not get an IV in. The third IV got in so we were good to go.

Nothing was happening after that. I tried walking around the room (I was not allowed to walk outside of the room like last time due to the virus) and bouncing on the birthing ball while we watched, or rather listened too, The Sound of Music for the next 3 hours. We tried to get some sleep but it was hard to do so for me (not so much for Chris). Since nothing was happening, they started me on the Pitocin drip at about 9:30 pm (I was on the drip last time too). I only got up to 4 units/hour and I think last time it was 7 units per hour. I started having regular contractions within half a hour or so but I would still bounce on the ball, go to the bathroom frequently, talk to the nurse and walk around the room for the next hour and a half. About 1100 the contractions were pretty hard and close together and I was breathing through them while standing and gripping on to the side of the bed and instructing Chris to do hip squeezes (he did a good job). He was also smart and brought a fan and that helped me feel like I was getting more oxygen. At about 11:45, I was getting tired and could not imagine doing this all night long! I asked for an Epidural. The Nurse checked me and said I was a 5-6cm and that was discouraging for me so I wanted that epidural. But then things went quickly. I suddenly felt like I needed to push. My Nurse had just gone on break so another nurse came in and checked me and said I was a 6-7 cm. Then suddenly I really felt like I had to push. The doctor came in and checked me and I was 10 cm! This all happened within about 10 minutes and I was committed - no time for an epidural. They called people in and got the bed set up for pushing. I pushed about 3 - 4 contractions and I sure could feel the burning this time. I was making some weird noises. Baby's shoulder got stuck for 25 seconds and the resident pushed on my belly to pop her out. (They called for back up but did not need anyone thank goodness). And what a relief that was! She was out! She - they said it was a girl! I was so busy concentrating and closing my eyes that I did not realize they had put her on my chest. While they got the placenta out and stitched me up (2nd degree tare yet again), I held baby Elizabeth and tried feeding her. No issues there - she is a good eater. I had originally thought baby was a girl but in the last few months, I was thinking it may be a boy. We love our little Elizabeth! Born at 1217 AM on June 20th - 8 lbs 7 ounces, 19 and 3/4 inches long. Some dark hair and long fingers and toes.

I hardly slept that night. I cuddled and fed baby a lot. The nurse was in constantly pressing on my belly as I was bleeding more than I should. But a second bolus of Pitocin helped with that. Chris slept more than me but he was a big help changing diapers, texting family and cuddling baby so I could try sleeping. I was up to the bathroom quite a bit and showered in the middle of the night. Baby did not have a bath as that is something they have stopped doing in the hospital. Supposedly it is good not to bath a newborn very much.

We slept and cuddled baby throughout the morning. And after the pediatrician came in about 2:30 pm and the hearing test was done, we were allowed to leave the hospital at about 4:30 and we were home by 6:00pm - our shortest stay ever. The kids were excited to see baby Elizabeth. They had a sign that said "Welcome, Bizy Lizzy." Chris and I love Pride and Prejudice and will call her Lizzy from time to time as a nick name.

It is so good to be home with our Little Lizzie. And we are so grateful to Camellia, Mom, Dad and Doug for watching the kids while we were away. We feel so very very blessed in life. Welcome home, baby Lizzie!

The Waiting Game

Well, we are in the midst of playing the waiting game. Waiting for little one to arrive that is. I am super excited! I am also nervous for childbirth... but mostly excited. This pregnancy has gone fast. Probably because I have worked quite a bit during this pregnancy. It is 2:35 in the morning and I can't sleep. Typical for 3rd trimester in pregnancy. I do kick counts and baby is okay. I have been cramping a little bit but not too bad. I had a lot more with Selman the week before he was born. At my 3:20 afternoon appointment when we first came up to Calgary on Tuesday, Dr Mirazo said I was 3 cm dilated and 40% effaced. She also said she may see me before my induction date this Friday June 19 but I am not sure. She didn't do a sweep but I did feel crampy after the appointment while Chris and I went on a walk to Princess Island Park downtown as well as to supper at a Vintage steak house downtown (to celebrate Father's Day this coming Sunday. I also got him a bike helmet for Fathers Day as well as I got some treats for Nathan and my Dad). I love them all very much (even if I don't always understand guys).

We are staying at my friend Michelle's house. She lives in our old Calgary community of Copperfield and her home seems like a second home to me. I used to watch her 2 boys here at this house along with my kids during a couple of summers. I have also slept here a few times when I have worked a few shifts in a row the Rockyview this last year. They have a nice little basement suite. Chris is with me and I am listening to him snore beside. Perhaps that is partly why I am awake too. Chris is still doing 5 online classes a day with his students from Huntsville Elementary school (he has been working there since November after finishing working at Arrowood Hutterite colony) and did that yesterday and will again do so today for the last time as school is almost done. I like to listen to him teach. He is a good teacher and has always done well at teaching me things. It was fun to walk around Princess Island Park Tuesday evening. I went on some walks yesterday around a few ponds in Copperfield and that was fun too. We have been spoiling ourselves on this little getaway and we have eaten out several times including a Thai Food place this evening. We had spicey Pad Thai and coconut soup and bubble tea. Do you think it will help bring on Labour? We talked about our missions and enjoyed the rain falling outside. It was fun.

But I am missing the kids and I feel so lonely tonight even with Chris sleeping beside me. Camellia and Mom are taking good care of them at the farm and they are having fun with their cousins but Caeleb called me in tears this evening as I think he misses us. I miss them so much. I don't think I like getaways longer than one night away from the kids. I miss Caeleb's imagination about Disneyland/Avengersland and how he makes up Disneyland around the house, Elva's warm, caring, motherly heart and seeing her take care of the others and her love for Nana, Mary's spunk, seriousness yet silliness at the same time, and playing barbies with her and Selman's mischievous grin and mommy snuggles with him. I love my children! I want to be a better mother for them. I want them to feel of my love for them. I want them to know how special they each, individually are, and how much potential they each have. They will all go far in life and I hope that they all work hard to achieve their goals. I hope they all seek for spiritual things and put the gospel of Christ and his church first in their lives. Sometimes I feel so alone in teaching them spiritual things but I hope they can feel of my testimony and know how important it is for me to have spiritual nourishment. After all, there is so much more to this life and for the life to come. And by feeding ourselves spiritually, we understand more of the meaning of this life and of the life to come and that knowledge offers peace and hope. Perhaps, I am writing this because I want to work more on my spiritual health. I need to do better at reading the scriptures and Come Follow Me and pondering on spiritual things. Regardless of what others do, I need to be a better example to my children. I am going to try harder to be a better example to my children this summer. I want to make our spiritual health a priority. And I am excited to have a new little Angel, sent straight from Heaven, in our home. Newborn babies can see into Heaven, of that I am sure. They are so wise and know so much (thus is the reason they can not talk and share it all with us) and I am excited to have another sweet little spirit in our home. I feel so very blessed for that. Now to get through the next few days. I can be brave and take it all in stride. So bring it on! Now to rest up. Goodnight then.

Living life in a Pandemic

These last few months have been a bit crazy. At the end of January, my friend Lindsey who is teaching in China, told me about a virus that had shut down China. Schools had shut down there and she was off work indefinitely. The Coronavirus, or Covid-19, started in China but I never expected it to have such an impact on the world. It sure has. The weekend of March 14 and 15th, things began to change in Canada. The first cases of the virus were hitting Canada, Church was cancelled and then on Sunday we found out that in class school throughout provincial schools was cancelled indefinitely. Social distancing became a new and big concept for all of us. I will always remember the date because Pie Day was on the Saturday (March 14) and I made a cookie pie for Chris to take to school for his students and I was about to make more for him on the Sunday but then we heard the news and got the email from the school and the cookie pie was never needed. I was not scheduled to work the next week which worked out very well so I thought up a school schedule for the kids that Sunday night and we followed it for the week. I really enjoyed that first week with the kids. We kept pretty good to our schedule, we read more than we ever have, we went outside, we watched science and math youtube videos and did not have other screen time until 4:00 pm. It was a busy week but it went well and I enjoyed it. It only took Champion school that first week to get everything up and running online through google classroom. I was very impressed with how fast Champion got organized and how they started their online school. It has been great to keep a schedule. Since then, Monday to Thursday (and the odd Friday - following the usual 4 day week schedule), Elva has L.A at 9:00, Caeleb has L.A at 9:30, Elva has Math at 10:30 and Caeleb has Math at 1100. Each class in 30 minutes and online with the teacher and the other students. The kids also have one to one time with their teacher once or twice a week which is about 30 minutes as well. They have become experts on muting and unmuting themselves in class as well as joining the class videos after I sign them in. Mary, who started Champion preschool in November, was unable to continue with preschool as they cancelled it. But their preschool teacher is such a sweetheart and still reads to them online on Wednesdays at 1230 as well as sends them art projects to do every week. I think the online school has been very good for Caeleb and Elva. But it is not without its difficulties. The homework is hard to get done. They get an assignment in Math and L.A almost every school day and I have to be the bad mom and nag them to get their homework done. Chris has not been much of a help with this even with me nagging him to help and I feel very much alone. They almost never had homework before this and so this has definitely been a learning curve. Caeleb does pretty good getting things done with minimal help if I remind him several times to get it done but Elva is finding reading and writing hard and it is hard to sit down and get homework done. So that is a big struggle in our lives right now. But I am very proud of my kids and how well they have done with adapting to online school and with social distancing. They do well being at home. We have tried to get out once a week for a drive to Vulcan or Claresholm to go for ice-cream or a hamburger.

While a lot of people's lives have become more relaxed in the last few months due to being stuck at home, I feel like my life has become busier. It is true that we do not have to rush out the door for church on Sundays and I am not taking Elva to her dance class on Thursdays or Caeleb to his piano lessons on Wednesdays (though we did continue his piano on facetime every Wednesday till the end of May and it went pretty well). And we did not get to do baseball in Champion this spring. But life is still busy. Not only do I have to help the kids with homework and keep them busy at home, there has been more opportunity for me to work in Claresholm. I ended up dropping my Rockyview shifts (I may go back casual to Rockyview after Maternity leave depending on our finances) that I had scheduled due to my Claresholm manager not wanting me to pick up in both places (due to the risk of spreading the virus between sites). However, they have needed a Screening Nurse in Claresholm so I picked up 5 screening nurse shifts. I also picked up other shifts in Claresholm and have been working 12-14 shifts in Claresholm. I also had to find a different babysitter for the kids as their previous babysitter did not want to watch them during this pandemic. I was lucky that a Junior High school student neighbor who is a member of our church loved the idea of watching our kids when needed and we have paid her. I think lots of working families have used older students to help with childcare. Mom has also been a big help in watching the kids when I have had appointments. Thanks Mom! Chris had to go into his school like usual for the first few weeks but has since been working from home except on Mondays and the occasional Friday or so. And when he has worked from home, I would leave for work at 2:00 pm for my evening shifts so he would watch the kids afterwards and we would not need childcare for those days.

I have also still needed to make my trips into the city for OB appointments for baby. A couple of times, I have worked the evening before, then Mom has watched the kids while I have driven into Calgary for my appointment and then I would go to work in Claresholm after for another evening shift. Busy times! Work has been busy but my last days were Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31st and now I am playing the waiting game until baby comes. I am feeling a tired and big and have some cramping but feel like I will hold on till induction date on June 19th. I am taking 18 months off of work and I am excited for that. I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom (and like I have said several times - the work and home life balancing act is hard for me) and this will give me a bigger and longer taste of less complicated stay at home Mom life. In a way I will miss my job and helping my patients and I will forever feel that this job in Claresholm was sent straight to me from my Heavenly Father. He knew what I needed and what we needed as a family and it has been a huge huge blessing. We also feel very blessed as Chris has got a job at the middle school in Claresholm for next year teaching Science and Math for grade 7 and 8. It is temporary and not quite full time but we feel like it is the Lord guiding him in the right direction and that he is making steps towards a full time permanent position somewhere near our home. I believe in Chris and know that he is a great teacher. He has taught me so many things from Astronomy to lessons from the scriptures. These days, I love to sit at the bottom of the stairs and listen to him as he teachers his classes online in his office.

I will be induced on June 19th ( a week before due date) as I don't want to go into labour out on the farm and baby is measuring big. On my June 3rd ultrasound, baby was in the 95th percentile measuring 7 lbs 11 ounces. I have big babies, what can I say. I was breech and could feel the babies hard head move from side to side at that top of my abdomen for weeks on end - a weird feeling and I was always afraid to hurt the babies head whenever I pressed up against something. Then the evening after my last day of work (36 weeks), I felt some big movements and the baby must have turned head down because at the ultrasound on the Wednesday June 3rd, baby was head down. I have had 5 ultrasounds this pregnancy due to being part of a study for pre-eclampsia that I signed up for. I have been deemed low risk but have continued till the end with the study. We were going to have to deliver at Peter Lougheed due to South Health Campus becoming a Covid hospital but that has changed in recent weeks as the number of covid cases begin to lessen. It would have been interesting to deliver at Peter Lougheed as then we would have delivered at all the Adult hospitals in Calgary - Rockyview, Foothills, South Health Campus, Peter lougheed. But we love South Health Campus and it is closer to home so we don't mind this change at all. It is hard being pregnant with up and down emotions, aches and pains, tiredness and anxiety. But I love it all the same. I will enjoy each baby kick and movement and feel blessed for this opportunity once again.

The Covid restrictions are starting to ease off a bit as daily new cases fall in the province and we are allowed to gather in small groups. The kids and I went to Camellia and Doug's this weekend (Friday to Sunday morning) as well as Last Thursday and Friday before my last 2 days of work (Saturday and Sunday). We rode horses, had hot dog roasts, watched Fuller House on Netflix and the kids played well with each other. We sure love going to their beautiful home and seeing the Mountains and we enjoy talking and laughing and having fun with the cousins. We did not get to see them during the beginning of the Pandemic (except for meeting them at the church parking lot in Claresholm for a social distant Easter egg hunt before I went to work on Easter Monday). Now that we get to see them more, it is a real treat. We feel so blessed to have them in our lives.

Well, it is Monday morning now as I finish this and I best get Oh Canada, the Lords prayer (they do those two things in morning assembly at Champion school and so we carry on with it) and Scripture Study done with the kids before their classes start at 9:00. Until later then.

A Good Day

Today was a good day. It wasn't without its' struggles. But it was a good day because I was able to be at home with all my kids all day. It was a bit of a battle trying to keep the kids away from the TV and video games and "Marios" (as Selman calls it) but we did a lot of house work and had a lot of time together. Caeleb vacuumed and help me put away the laundry and Elva helped Mary clean her room and they all played with Selman while I puttered around and tidied the house. Selman helped me sweep the floor (such a big helper - te he he). We all made cookies together. We all went outside and the kids jumped on the Trampoline while I played with Laddy. It was beautiful out, Wet, Mucky, but beautiful - and no wind. And we had a movie night together and watched Goofy Movie 2 while we ate chicken nuggets and popcorn in the living room. And Selman thought it was a fun idea to have a popcorn fight.

I want to be a better Mom. I have had some good talks with Caeleb and Elva in the last couple of days. I want to be there for them and I don't feel like I have been there for them lately. Almost for the last year really, as I have worked quite a bit out of the home and the work/mom balance has always been hard for me. Even when I am not working, I feel like I am recovering from shift work or anticipating another shift. It is hard to work evening shifts as I feel guilty when I am not around them and I am not so sure Chris has the same standards as we when it comes to structure and spiritual care in the kids lives. It is hard to work Sundays as I love my Sundays to go to church with my family and be with them all day. I gave a talk in church last Sunday about putting important things first and it is causing me to think about how I can help my children grow spiritually, mentally, emotionally, socially and with all their many talents. I want them to feel of the hope that the gospel can bring. I want the Spirit with me and in our home. I want for all of us to develop a personal relationship with our Savior. I have been anxious lately - mostly about the pregnancy as per usual - but also about being the Mom that my children need. I want to be there for them at the crossroads in their lives (it was so good to be waiting for them at home after school yesterday, it seems like that does not happen enough), to be a friend, a confident, and a Mother that they can rely on and come too about any issue they may have. I am grateful that my mother was at the crossroads in my life. I am far from perfect but I love my children very much. I hope they know that.

I hope that Chris and I can make the right decisions with work and finances and that Chris can be provided with the right opportunities so that we can have a simple but good, balanced life, centered in the gospel.

Fall and Christmas 2019

Well, I really need to record our Watters family Fall and Christmas before I forget everything that happened. As is, this will just be a quickish overview of the last several Months. September is birthday Month in our house. Caeleb and Chris had their birthdays on September 14 which fell on a Saturday. We had about 8 boys from Caelebs class at school to celebrate with us. Caeleb's birthday was "Gravity Falls" themed and the boys played pin the something on something? from the Gravity Falls series and they had a piñata in the attic. The kids brought a toonie instead of gifts and we got Caeleb a couple of Gravity Falls books and items. It was a bit windy and chilly but we roasted Hot dogs outside at Nana and Papas and we had cake there as well. The boys took turns playing Lazer tag as we borrowed some from Lazer guns from Camellia and Doug. I picked up and dropped off many of the boys in Champion and after the drop off I had to continue on to Claresholm to work an evening shift. Mary's birthday was on September 19th and it was a beautiful day for a hotdog roast and Watermelon Barbie cake. She got a Barbie house - lucky girl. We wheeled it out from where it had been in the Quonset and she was excited for that.

Halloween was fun as usual. We had a Primary Autumm party on the Tuesday October 29th. It wasn't so much Halloween related but was focused on Old Fashioned Autumm activities - a Harvest Hoedown. The kids did wear there costumes. The games included bobbing for apples (sanitary version), shadow puppets, marble games, pumpkin carving. We had a pretty good turn out of kids from the community and this was great since our primary is so small and our community is so small. I would say it was a success and we hope to have another primary event that we can invite kids from the community in the Spring. Thursday was Halloween and the school had a carnival and then we went trick or treating from 6:00 to almost 9:00 hitting about 13 houses on and around the Alston road. We have to talk with all our neighbors and that is why it takes so long. Such is life in the Alston country community and I don't mind one bit. Caeleb and Elva dressed up as characters from Gravity Falls, Mary was violet from the Incredibles.

Chris and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on Friday October 25th (we were married on the 24th). Wow, we have been married for 10 years. I feel blessed to have such a great man who puts up with me when I struggle. I want to have an eternity more of years with him by my side. After Chris was done at work, we headed to Camellia and Dougs to drop the kids off so we could spent the night at Glacier Suites in Waterton. We had a small delay as Mary had an allergic reaction and broke out in hives all over her face and so we took her to Emerg in Fort Mecleod. But she was okay and we made it to our Hotel by about 6:00. We had a lovely supper and breakfast at the posh little restaurant in the hotel. We walked around Waterton to the Waterfall (It was cold and rainy/flurries) and we enjoyed our fireplace and little hot tub in our hotel room. The next day we went to the Remmington Carraige Museum in Cardston. We were about the only ones there and it was our first time back since we had our family dinner and wedding pictures there 10 years ago. We did a session at the Temple and then ate a a quaint buffet in Cardston before going back to Camellia and Dougs. We got up early Sunday morning and travelled back to Champion for church. It was the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary.

Elva turned 7 on December 3rd. Crazy to think she will be baptized in a year. We had a Frozen 2 themed birthday. She got a watermelon type game and a spy kit and we went and saw Frozen 2 in theaters the day after her birthday. I thought it was a great movie with wonderful music and a good message. Santa also sent us a dog the day before her birthday as an early Christmas gift. The kids call him Dasher but us adults mostly call him Laddy as we always have had and always need a Laddy on the farm.

We were spoiled this Christmas. The kids wanted and got a Nintendo Switch ($400) and the Mario Kart game and Zelda for it. I wanted and got a TV for Christmas as we have not had one since being married (We have always used our computer) and I want to have movie nights as a family and Chris spent a lot of money making sure it was high quality stuff (I would have got a cheap TV on kijiji myself). But Chris is an all or nothing type of guy and that is okay. We balance each other out. We got the Disney + streaming system and have been having a lot of family movie nights this snowy winter. I picked up several shifts over the holidays and worked New Years Eve (I made it home just in time to count down but Selman was crying so I lied down with him instead - then got up and watched part of a movie if I remember correctly).

I have been working 12-14 shifts a month on average lately which isn't too bad but I do need to stop working my 2-4 shifts a month at the Rockyview soon as the drive is getting to be too much. My goal is to work 8-10 shifts a month until my youngest is a teenager and then work more (maybe someday I can work as a Nurse Clinician as it is Monday to Friday day shifts) until Chris retires or until I am about 60 years old. Yah, I have pretty exact goals and I know situations arise that call for adaptations (like last summer when I worked almost full time and Chris was a stay at home Dad). But, I do know the value of a Mom in the home and it has always been a struggle for me to balance Mom and Work life so it would be better if I work a bit less right now in my life. I pray that we can budget and make it work.

We are expecting again! When we were at the Temple for our Anniversary, we both felt that we may not be done yet and low and behold, about a week later I started feeling sick and I knew exactly what that meant. I told Chris, "I bet you I am pregnant" and I was. We are excited to add one more to our family and we are due June 26. I have been sick as usual but the sickness mostly subsided around 15 weeks and although I am still feeling really tired (low Iron levels causing that) and very emotional, I am doing well and have been feeling baby kick. I had my 18 week ultrasound but we decided not to find out what the baby is. It will be a surprise but I think it will be a girl. We feel so blessed that we can raise these kids out on the farm surrounded by wide open spaces and a little town school to go to.

I love my Mom and Dad

Yesterday evening, I got to run across the yard to Mom and Dads to help with a few things. I grew up in that home and it still feels like home. I had the best childhood there and I feel the spirit there. I was able to visit with Mom and Dad and tuck Dad into bed with his "two feather pillow" as he calls it. I remember when he tucked me into bed and Camellia and I would "blow out the lights" while Dad would switch the light switch off. I remember on cold winter nights after skating lessons, Mom would have the blankets turned down and have a hot wheat bag there to warm up our cold toes. It was great to watch Mom and Dad interact last night. I hope Chris and I can have a strong relationship, like they have, through thick and thin. I felt so happy as I ran back through the snowy cold yard to our house - a contrast from how discouraged I was the day before. Life is full of its ups and downs but tonight was a simple yet wonderful up and I will cherish moments like these.

I know I need to update, but...

I know it is time to update the blog about birthdays, Autumn, Anniversary and Christmas but I am emotionally exhausted right now ( at 9:25 at night) and the rest of my family are asleep so I think I may go join them. It was a good Christmas but I worked 7 out of the 16 days that the kids and Chris had off and for some reason if felt like work took up most of my time after Christmas. So nothing was done around the house. But we did get down to Camellia and Doug's house for a few days after Christmas so that was fun. And we went to the neighbors skating party on New Years Day and we went tubing behind the neighbors quad on another day so we had fun. Nothing else really got down over the holidays - just a bunch of video gaming for Chris and the kids (we got a Nintendo Switch for Christmas) and Movie watching (Finished the Avengers series). I just wanted to vent my feelings right now. Most of the shifts that I work are evenings and I have been struggling to find balance between home life and work. I get to bed at 1:00 in the morning and wake up tired at 6:45 to get the kids and Chris off to school. I only work 12-14 shifts a month in total but it feels like too much for me and I often feel like a failure as a Mom. I feel like I have always had to be the one to focus on and make up the difference financially, spiritually, emotionally, etc in the last 10 years and at times I feel so overwhelmed and so alone and inadequate. I want to do well with scripture study and try to do so with the kids before they go to school as well as do Come Follow Me after school on the days that I don't work. I have not been feeling physically well since the beginning of November and have not been cooking balanced meals for my family or exercising, or leading my family well in scripture study and such. And I have been quick to get upset. And I have noticed that Selman's teeth are not doing well and neither are Caelebs. I know this post is negative and perhaps I should not vent here but I do know that it is good to talk things out and right now, I feel like this computer is who I can "talk" (write) too. I need to write it out and by doing so, write the positive as well and some possible solutions. I know that I need to have more faith in life even though through the last 10 years I have struggled to have faith in certain things (not spiritual things - more like family things). But I do have my New Years goals and one is to demonstrate more faith. I am going to quit my job at the Rockyview (I will continue my 2 day a week at the Mental Health Hospital in Claresholm). I have been there for more than 10 years and through all the struggles, anxieties and tears that I have had while working there, I have also met amazing people and had many amazing experiences and it has helped me grow so much. I only pick up 2-4 shifts a month now at the Rockyview but I find that I am starting to fall asleep on the 1.5 hour drives there and back and it takes a lot of my time and energy away from my family. It will be an act of faith to give up that job as job security is not a sure thing with Healthcare and Teaching at this time in Alberta but I know I need to have that little bit of faith. I know we will be blessed. I also want to keep a spiritual/scripture journal as I read my scriptures (I want to be more spiritually in tune). I want to make my home a Heaven on Earth by keeping it clean, tidy and simple (and having soft beautiful music playing at times). I want to keep a Veggie box in the fridge so that my family can get healthy options to eat. I want to keep on top of my Laundry (I was starting to do well at this before I started feeling sick). I want to keep electronics out of bedrooms. And I want to start eating a modified Ketoish diet with some cheat days. I want to do better with Family Home Evening and Scripture study (scriptures before school and Come Follow Me after school). I want to be a better Mother - I want to listen more to my kids and just be there for them and be in tuned to them. I want to just hold them more and not to be rushed when around them (except that is hard when getting them out the door for school and church). I hope those other goals with help with that last goal. Well, those are my goals. It will be a good year! I will think positive now and believe that it will be the best one yet!. I am listening to a pretty song by One Voice Childrens Choir called "I'm not Broken" right now and it is making me feel better. I have been so blessed in life.

A quick Summary of Summer

Life has been crazy busy for me for the past 6 months and so I will try and update my blog little by little. This will be a quick summary of Summer 2019 and then off to bed as it is 11:11 pm and I work tomorrow evening. Since coming back from Disneyland in April, I have been working a lot - Mostly at Claresholm Mental health hospital but also at Rockyview. Working about full time for May and June (thank goodness Chris was done school the middle of April and was around to watch the kids). Then 17 shifts in July, 16 in August and 15 in September. Elva had her kindergarten graduation the end of June. The kids did a week of swimming lessons in July. Camellia and her kids joined us during that time for Mom's birthday and for swimming lessons. Caeleb and Elva are great swimmers and Mary is learning and Selman seems to like the water. I could not go swimming as much this summer due to work and also due to the fact that Selman will not just sleep in his car seat and sleep by the side of the pool while I take the others swimming (like last year). We love Champion pool though! We also were not able to get to Library club as much as last year due to my work but we went as often as wel could and the kids enjoyed it! I worked on my birthday but Chris and the kids drove me to work at 5:00 in the morning and then they went to kids day at the stampede grounds and picked me up after work for supper at the Chinook Mall food court and then I went clothes shopping with Selman while Chris took the kids to see Toy story 4. My friend Lindsey came for a visit the middle of July and then Eric and Rachel came for a few days the week before we went out to Victoria. We spent July 29th to August 6th in Victoria. We did not rush around doing things but we simply hung out with family, had some games nights and went to the beach a few times and it was wonderful!. Chris dropped me off in Calgary on the way back and I worked 3 days in a row at the Rockyview. I missed my family during that time but enjoyed some catch up time at the Gainor's house after work, working on renewing my CARNA licence for the year. Chicken killing day was on August 15th and the kids did great helping with that. about 44 chickens were done. The Nelsons came for that. We got a couple of camping days in the end of August. We were the only ones camping in the Champion campground the first night and then one other on the second night. We went swimming in the Champion pool on its last day August 28th and then the town had an activity including a pizza supper, big bumper balls (I tried it and it was so much fun) and a bouncy castle at the school on the 29th. School started on September 3 (Caeleb in grade 4 and Elva in grade 1 and Mary in Nana preschool) and Chris got a temporary teaching job at the Arrowood Hutterite Colony a few weeks into September. It is not his first choice of a teaching job but we feel sooo blessed that he has a job (takes a lot of stress off of me to provide) and he is doing a fantastic job! I love the Fall time and I am hoping work slows down a little more for me ( I would prefer 12 shifts a month) and that I can focus more on my role as a wife and mother at home. The work/home balance has been a struggle for me all throughout my married life but we are coping well. Life is good! I feel happy and content this evening. But, it is 11:45 pm now and a busy day tomorrow once again so I best be getting to bed. Goodnight.

Summer Swimming

We had our first family swimming day of the season. Last year we made the most out of our family pass to the Champion pool. We were there 3-4 days every week over the summer.

It is funny that a few years ago, we couldn't take Caeleb to a splash park, let alone a swimming pool, without causing him a panic attack. Our first attempt at enrolling him in swimming lessons when were were living in Calgary ended in failure, without his even getting wet. However, since we started doing lessons and family swims in Champion he has become quite comfortable in the water. Now he will jump off the diving board without any hesitation.

Elva and Mary both take straight to the water. Elva is eager to follow Caeleb's example, but still needs a little extra help. Mary loves to splash around the shallow end, doing her own thing.

For Selman, this is a new experience. Last year, he just watched from his chair on the side of the pool. This year he is in the pool with everyone else. While he was reluctant to get in the water at first, once he was in and free to splash how he wanted, it became clear that he liked it. More tears were made getting out than getting in.

We are looking forward to another summer filled with sunny-wet days.

Faith of a Father

This will be a very quick post but I just want to record here (so I remember) how much I love my Father and how much I admire his strong faith. Even though he has his physical struggles (he just broke his back a month ago) and mind struggles, his faith remains as strong as ever. Yesterday, someone in our family was really sick. Dad, being in a back brace and unable to stand for long, gave this person a blessing while they were both sitting. It was a short but powerful blessing. And I felt the spirit so strong. And the blessing helped. It really did. Dad has a close relationship with his Savior and Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for his example and I always want to remember and follow this example of having a simple yet powerful faith. Thank you Dad! I love you so much!

Disneyland!

We had the adventure of a lifetime a few weeks ago. Chris finished his last day of student teaching on Thursday April 19th. What a crazy 3 years it has been but we have done it! I have spent the last 3 years saving little by little for a graduation trip for our family to Disneyland. Caeleb and Elva have been asking to go pretty much since Chris and I went almost 5 years ago and so they got tickets for Christmas this last year. However, we told them we were going in August.

We went down to Camellia and Doug's house on Thursday Evening and we told the kids that we were going to visit the Nelsons. On Friday morning, we woke the kids up about 6:00 and they were able to check out their little Easter bags full of good road trip treats. Then the Watters and the Nelsons loaded up into 2 vehicles and off we went. We told the kids were going to visit some other cousins.

The 12 hours drive went pretty smoothly with kids switching vehicles back and forth and talking on the walky-talkies between vehicles. We arrived in Ogden at Aunt Marilyn's and Uncle Gord's house about 8:00 pm. It was so good to visit with them and with Heather and Brooklyn too. They both have such nice houses too and we were grateful for their hospitality. Saturday morning we woke up to a yummy breakfast prepared by Aunt Marilyn and then we went to Heather's house for a Easter Egg hunt. How fun! They really made the morning wonderful!

Then we went to Temple Square in SLC with Heather, Brooklyn and Aunt Marilyn and had a special time showing the kids the Temple, Christ statue, and Conference center. It was special to spend Easter Saturday at such a Holy place. We left SLC about 3:00 pm and headed to Las Vegas where we drove by the lights of the strip and arrived at our hotel about 10:00 pm. The next morning we went to a 0900 Sacrament meeting in Las Vegas and we had a picnic by the church and a fun little "reveal" as we told the kids that our next leg of the trip would be Disneyland! They were surprised and giddy with excitement.

Traffic was a bit crazy headed down to Anaheim from Las Vegas but we made it there around 5:00 in the afternoon. After settling into the hotel, we walked the 20 minutes to Downtown Disney and you can eat restaurant on the other side of Disneyland. We did a lot of walking during our 4 days at Disneyland. Both Camellia and I bought the same cheap purple stroller to hold their Porter and our Mary. I held Selman in a front baby backpack and we also had a hiking backpack that he and Evelyn took turns in and Camellia had a sling for Evelyn. The bigger kids did great with all the walking that we did but I did carry Elva at times when her feet got tired and I did put Caeleb on my shoulders for the California Adventure Water show one night.

Doug and Chris did an amazing job with the Disney App on their phones getting us plenty of fast passes so that we could go on as many rides as possible. We were at Disneyland at 07:45 on Monday morning and we started the day with Splash Mountain for the older kids and Winnie the Pooh for the younger kids. I think Splash mountain was a bit much for the older kids as they did not want to go on it again but Camellia and I had a blast and I made a point of going on it again on Thursday evening by myself. The we all went on the Haunted house ride and then Pirates of the Caribbean. Then the kids had a blast on Thunder Mountain railroad and we made our way over to Fantasyland and Space Mountain. We saw a parade that day and it was special as Cinderella saw that Elva was wearing a Cinderella dress/PJ and she blew a kiss to her and Elva's eyes just lite up. We went on most of the rides during our time in Disneyland and California adventure. Chris and I worked great together packing so much into our 2 days at Disneyland and 2 days at California adventure (Disney on day one, than California adventure, then California adventure and then Disney). And we only lost Mary once when she wandered off into a busy crowd. But don't worry, we found her a few minutes later as we had written our cell number on the kids' arms and we got a call from someone really quick. We saw the play Frozen which Mary loved. We went on the Cars ride several times. We saw the Color show at California Adventure. The last evening was magical as we watched Fantasmic at Disneyland and we saw the fireworks. And we ended the evening with Caeleb's favourite ride - Space Mountain.

We went for a Swim on Friday morning at the hotel and after leaving at 1100, we drove back to Utah and stayed at Chris' uncles house on Friday Evening (we got there at about 12:30 in the morning). We had a good visit with his cousins on Sunday morning and then we went to visit his Aunt Jan and then to Aunt Marilyn's house for pizza and a visit and bed. We got up about 6:00 Sunday morning and drove home. We were home about 9:00 in the evening.

I have been working almost ever since. Almost full time actually. 20 days in May. Maybe more in June. Most of those shifts were at Claresholm Mental Health and Addictions and a few at the Rockyview. I have been so blessed to be loving both places. Chris has been at home with the kids and trying to write his resume as well. He is being Mr. Mom while I head off most days to bring home the bacon. I am a traditional person and it isn't how I envisioned our life but I love my husband and I love my family and I will do what I can to provide for our family. And I really feel like we will grow stronger for every experience we have in our marriage if we let ourselves grown from them. Chris has supper on the table when I come home most evenings, he is up with the kids at night, he puts up with me when I have had a bad day or am overtired. He is such a great guy and I am blessed to have him in my life. I feel blessed for my family and that we live on the farm. I feel blessed to have a wonderful job to be able to provide for my family until Chris gets a teaching job. We went to his convocation last Tuesday and he looked so handsome in his cap and gown. I am so proud of him and all the hard work he has put into becoming a teacher. I know he will make an amazing teacher because he teaches me things everyday.

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Dear Chris

Dear Chris, I want to let you know how much I love you. I am grateful for all you do for our family. You are such a good Dad and take such good care of the kids! I think it is amazing that you did all that shopping on Wednesday with the 4 kids by yourself while I was at work. I could not have done that! I would have stopped half way. And you even took the time to stop by the Rockyview hospital to visit me at work. Thank you! I think it is amazing that you have graduated with 2 degrees while raising a family. I am not sure I could have done that. My heart was touched watching you help with the baby chicks the last few days. I know you are not so much an animal fan but I am grateful that you are becoming a farm boy in your own way. Thank you for making our Disney trip amazing! Thank you for forgiving me when I get upset. Right now, as you lay asleep in bed, I am feeling a little lost, confused and alone as I know that we are so different and that we are often on different pages (or maybe we are on the same page but completely interpret the page differently - who knows), but at least we are in this book of life together. Just want you to know that I love you. Love Katherine

Work Adventures

So, I am scheduled to go back to the Rockyview in March with an orientation day on the 20th and then stating on the 27th. I knew I would get anxious going back to work as I always do after Maternity leave and so I was proactive by going to the Doctors on January 8th (I did all the kids and my yearly physicals that day so it was a crazy appointment!) and I asked her for something that could help me with my anxiety as well as post partum depression. Yes, I believe I have it, and no, I don't think there is anything wrong by taking something for it. She started me on Zoloft and my goodness, I really believe it is working. I feel happier these days, and less anxious. I can feel more excitement about life instead of just going through the daily motions. Yeah for medical technology!

Anyways, although I am happier and much less anxious, I have been anticipating going back to work. It is an hour and a half drive from the farm to the Rockyview and I can not continue that forever. I was talking to a neighbor in February at Tuesday playgroup in Champion and she stated that another neighbor had just retired from being the director at the Claresholm Center for Mental Health and Addictions. I drove to his place and talked to him about the facility and he gave me a number to call to talk to the new director. I called him and went and got a tour of the facility the next week and then did a shadow day on February 14th to see how I might like working there. I have also been busy updating my resume and looking for jobs on line as well. Then on February 27th, I went for an interview and after doing a 5 or so page interview test, I got a casual position right then and there. What a blessing! I think I did good on my interview. I acted confident and knowledgeable. I had to do my CPR the next day at that same facility and this last week I have spent Monday to Friday (even after dealing with Caeleb and Selman throwing up all Thursday night) doing in class orientation with the Nurse Educator at the facility. It has been like Boom, Boom, Boom, one things after another and I am feeling a bit swamped by this nursing career change. I have never done Mental Health before but I am very interested in it and I feel like I have dealt a lot with Mental Health on acute medicine at the Rockyview. I am a little nervous with this learning curve (especially since learning more about Mental Health nursing these last 5 days) but I feel like Heavenly Father will help me as I try and provide for my family. Ideally, Chris will get a full time job as a teacher this Fall, but until then, we will focus on me working lots this summer while he watches the kids. Until then, I have to find someone to watch the kids while I do orientation and Chris does his student teaching. Camellia, Amy Flitton and Mom and Dad helped me this last week but it is still a daunting task trying to organize child care along with starting a new job. I can totally understand why a Mom's place is in the home to raise the kids while the Dad provides. It keeps life simple and balanced and a simple balanced life is key to feeling the spirit in the home. I have always believed that.     I pray it all works out. Sometimes, I lack faith and insight into what I should do. But I am trying my best to do what is right and I know the Lord will provide for our family. Now that I am working in Claresholm (and I love the 35 minute drive with no traffic by the way), I need to decide what I should do with Rockyview. I love my 0.42 FTE position there and I feel like we need the Dental benefits that come with it (Caeleb has some cavities that need some attention). But I don't want the commute. Maybe I will just hold onto it until the end of the Summer. It will be a busy Spring and Summer! We knew that there would be changes that needed to be made and challenges that needed to be addressed when moving to the farm but we moved with good intentions and I need to trust that as long as I do my part, the Lord will provide.

Well, I best be getting back to bed. It is 2:22 am now. It will be a low key Saturday, recovering from the stomach flu. I am feeling much better now and I hope no one else in the family gets it. I hope to get lots of Laundry done as well as clean the house for Sunday. Life really is good you know. We will figure this all out!

New House, Christmas 2018 and the Start of a New Year

Well, it is about time I update this blog. Life is so good! The first weekend in December we went down to Camellia and Dougs and went up to the mountains to get a tree. This is a tradition that I love and we have not done this since the first Christmas Chris and I were married so I was super excited to do this again. I hope to go at least every other year. We had a hot dog roast and rode the snowmobiles and I haven't had a thrill like that in a while.

We were into the brick house the beginning of second weekend in December. Chris and I started moving furniture in on the Friday and then I took a quick trip down to Cardston for our ward Temple day on Saturday. It was a scary drive as the roads were icy but I made it back in time for date night with Chris to the Brandly's for crazy rook. Out of the 30 people there I was the worst player but oh well, I have to be a good sport about it. Our neighbor Lilly watched the kids and Mom and Dad watched Selman.

We had our Smith family Christmas party the 3rd weekend in December, on Friday December 15th and the Champion ward Christmas party on December 16th and then a yummy Smith Turkey dinner at the brick house on the Sunday before Camellia and Doug and family went home. It was lovely spending time with family. I love my Smith family so much. And how wonderful to be able to live in Grandma Smith's house. Someone needs to love and take care of that place and we certainly do love this place.

Thursday December 20th was the kids last day of school before Christmas break. They had a Turkey dinner at the Champion Hall and then class party's so of course they wanted to go to school that day. We picked them up around 3:30 and headed to Calgary and then on through a blizzard at Banff and on to Golden where we stayed in a hotel that night. We got up in the morning, had breakfast, swam in the hotel pool and continued on to the Ferry's and then to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Victoria. I must say, our kids are very good travelers. But guess who was the best traveler this trip. Selman! And this was his first time. I think he only cried once and not for long! It helped to have a big stash of rice crackers to hand to him.

We had a great 2 weeks in Victoria. We had a yummy Turkey Christmas eve supper with the Watters family (except Kurt and Miranda - we missed them). It is so good to be around family! Christmas day was simple. The kids got a few gifts but we have been saving for Disneyland for the past few years and Santa got them Disney tickets which we plan to do to celebrate when Chris graduates. Caeleb got a Harry Potter Griffindor house and Harry Potter wand and the girls got a horse stable and some Spirit show horses to go in it. Grandma and Grandpa got the kids their traditional Christmas tree ornament made by Grandma and some clothes and treats. Nana and Papa got them skates. Chris gave me some puzzles and I gave him and his dad a Gift certificate to the keg to go out for a meal together. Elva ended up getting the flu this Christmas (like she did last Christmas) and woke up quite ill on boxing day so she stay home with Grandma instead of coming with us to Aunt Mary's house in Nanaimo for a visit. It is tradition to do this every boxing day in the Watters family. We took her to the doctors a couple of days after that and she got some antibiotics for an ear infection. Selman also got the flu this holiday and we spent several nights rocking him and trying to get him to settle.

We had a girls luncheon one day (missed Miranda for that one as well) and the boys were able to get out for supper one day. We had Kurt and Miranda come over on New Years eve and we played a game we got for Christmas called code names Disney version. We also watched the Emporers New Groove and Flight of the Navigator and Caeleb almost made it till midnight.

We were able to get to the beach a couple of times this trip and I sure love going to the beach with the kids. The smell and sound of the ocean is very therapeutic. We left on Thursday January 3rd and ended up staying at a hotel in Salmon Arm as the weather was not good and the highway was closed around Revelstoke and Chris and I both had the flu. So we had nice relaxing baths in the hotel room and we went for supper in the Restaurant there and we went to bed early. It was a nice little vacation even if we not feeling the greatest.

Chris went back to school Monday January 7th and was in Calgary for 6 weeks (came home for the weekends of course). It was a very busy and stressful time for him but he did well in his classes and even got a $1000 scholarship for doing well. We are grateful for the Wiggs for letting him stay there again even though he paid them $750 to do so. I think I did okay single Momming it for that time. I was able to stay on top of most things and I think I am getting better at not letting it show to the kids when I am stressed out. And I won't lie, it is stressful being a mom sometimes. Trying to get kids to do their chores, and get off to the bus on time and brush hair and clean up and not fight and go to bed. It is not easy but it is making me stronger! I can feel it.

I took the kids to Calgary on a Saturday the beginning of February to get the door fixed on the van and for the kids friend Sebastian's baptism. It was a special moment for his family. Elva was also able to meet up with an old friend from Copperfield school. Elva and Ellie played at Tommy K play for a while and it was so good to be able to reconnect with old friends that day!

Chris had February 18-22 off of school but he was busy writing lesson plans and going to teachers convention in Lethbridge on the Thursday and Friday of that week. We did go skating in Vulcan for family day on that Monday and Chris and I did get to go to the temple on the Thursday while Camellia watched the kids. While I was visiting Camellia, it was bitterly cold out, so we took the kids swimming in the inside pool in Waterton. It was lots of fun!

Oh, guess who finally started crawling. Thursday February 22 at the Nelson home was the day! Camellia saw him crawl first. We think he was trying to get to baby Evelyn so he could claw her face off. All it takes is something to motivate you right !! Selman really is the sweetest baby though. He hardly cries - everyone says he is so good. He loves to cuddle and be held. And since crawling, (and even before as he was doing the mystery turning baby moves to get places for the longest time) he is starting starting to get into cupboads and things. He is such a sweet little boy. He has an adorable smile!

So, for the Month of February Camellia and I did a Whole 30 food challenge where we did not eat grains, legumes, milk products or sugars and artificial sweeteners. We pretty much lived on almond and raisins, fruits, veggies and meat. We didn't even have sweets for Valentines day. I lost about 5 pounds (but have since probably gained it back) and I felt so good doing this so I think we will try again every year or more even.

It has been a Cold Winter! The longest stretch of extreme cold that we have seen in my life time I believe. In January, the main floor of the brick house was hard to heat and it would not get much past 14 degrees. But then we turned the boiler heat up and it hasn't been a problem since. Though we do need to save for new windows. As for water, it has fozen on us several times but as long as we leave a trickle of water on constantly, we have water. We are adjusting well to farm life.

Last Friday March 3rd, I took the kids (Well, Mary stayed with Nana and Papa) to Lethbridge to get their passports as we are preparing for a family vacation in April to celebrate Chris being done school. Stay tuned for more on that at a future time. I wanted to do something with the kids and took them to see Wreck in Ralf 2 at the movie mill. It was really cute. Then on Sunday March 3rd, after Stake Conference, Elva had her Kindergarten supper. Us moms worked hard that Saturday and Sunday pulling this off. Normally, I would not do this sort of thing on a Sunday but we need to support our private Kindergarten and I felt totally fine helping with it. It was $20 for supper and then there was an auction. The kids also sang a song about Dr. Suess and they did a really good job. They each said what they wanted to be when they grew up and Elva said "A Nurse like my Mom." Awwww. What a special little girl. There are 8 kids in the Champion kindergarten class and since it is privately funded, we have to have fund raisers and meetings every month or so to plan them. It is busy but we have a great Mom President of the Kindergarten association and other great Mom members. Between fundraising and some government funding, we only pay $200 a year per kid and that isn't bad.

Well, it is 1:43 in the morning. We have been sick with the stomach flu the last day (Caeleb, Selman and I so far) and so I had a nap today and feel awake right now. I will go to bed soon but will post this and then post a little about my new adventures in the life of being a working Mom.

Bedtime Battles

Here is a little snid bit of my life as a Mom. I am awake. It is 2:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. I was literally just kicked out of bed by 2 little feet. Mary has already fallen out of bed twice tonight and so I moved to the end of the bed with Selman and where little feet can kick me. Parenting is not for the faint of heart and being a single mom can be extra hard (Chris has 4 more weeks living in Calgary going to the the University of Calgary). I have not trained my kids to be the best of sleepers. Mom fail for me. Mary wakes up most nights crying for up to an hour (she has been doing that since she was 23 months old and I weaned her - she has some good weeks but bad weeks too when she wakes up most nights), Elva and Caeleb have bad dreams and wake up at times calling for me or joining me it bed or I join them, and I have not even tried to get Selman to sleep away from me (I am dreading going back to work and being away from Selman and all the kids for that matter - but we will survive). I was painting a dresser in the girls room today so I let them sleep with me tonight and Caeleb slept on the floor by my bed just because. The kids took forever to get to sleep. Just getting them to the bedroom took about 45 minutes.  Caeleb and Elva (mostly Elva) were talking, Mary climbing all over me, Selman fussing. I often have Mary sleep on one arm and Selman on the other and then I look up to the ceiling and can't move. I sing songs and say "Shhhh!"over and over. (Pause in story as I hear a crying Selman..............he is now in my arms as I type). We put Disney piano music on every night for the kids to go to sleep with. It has become routine and I remember when we first moved into Middleton's house next door and did not have the internet, I had to call Chris and have him play the music through the phone from our Copperfield house. Oh, what we do for our kids. But as the country music says "Let them be little, because they're only that way for a while, let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle, let them be little" (I love that song), as well as the song "Your gonna miss this." And I am sure I will miss this stage someday. Don't get me wrong, I do love being a Mom! And I do chuckle at all these little experiences I have had. So for now, I will cuddle my baby Selman and let him drink, and I will soon crawl back into the foot of the bed with 3 little ones surrounding me and 1 on the floor beside me. And I will try to stay away from the wet spot on the bed from a leaky Mary diaper. I don't want to wake her up to change her and the bed sheets and I don't have the energy for that right now anyways. I am pretty good at sleeping on a little sliver of bed. Oh, change of topic before I go. Camellia put highlights in my hair today. Mom said I was getting some grays and she suggested I do that. Chris has a lot of grays and I don't see the shame in getting gray hair but whatever. Camellia says the highlights look good. And it is so good to have her and her kids come and visit for a few days. We have a blast talking! Thanks for being such a wonderful sister Camellia. Until later then.

Fall - My Favourite time of Year - Birthdays, Baptism, Appendicitis and more

Fall really is my favourite time of year. I love the crisp air, the leaves changing colors, star gazing on cold dark nights, Halloween and Thanksgiving. It has been a good Fall. It did snow in September but cleared up a couple of weeks later and now at November 4th, we have no snow and it got up to 11 yesterday so we are enjoying this weather.

Caeleb and Elva went back to school Tuesday September 6th and they have been enjoying it. Caeleb is in grade 3 and Elva is in Kindergarten. We wanted her to have a full Kindergarten year here in Champion - it being a great kindergarten with only 8 kids and 2 teachers (I love the student to teacher ratio).
September is birthday month. LouAnn and Gary came out September 13 to celebrate Chris and Caeleb's birthday on the 14th as well as Caeleb's baptism on the 16th. We celebrated Mary's birthday on Saturday September 15th (her birthday is on the 19th but we wanted Chris to be around for it. On Friday, the Nelson family, Nathan, the grandparents and us went to supper at the Chinese food Buffet in Champion. On Saturday, I took Chris, his parents, Mary and Selman to the temple (They did a session while I look the little ones to a park and the library), and then we went to Waterton and back home so Chris could do some homework. Saturday was stake conference and then Supper at our place (Middletons) and then to Caeleb's baptism at 5:00. I am so proud of my little boy who has made the decision to follow Christ's example in being baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost. It is a challenging world out there and I know that as we strive to live with purpose in life by following Christ's example, we will receive an eternal happiness, the kind that doesn't go away.
Monday was LouAnn's birthday and we had watermelon cake and hung out at home. I hope she had a good relaxing day, resting and playing with her grandchildren. Chris had to go back to school that morning and I am getting used to single momming life. LouAnn and Gary left early early Wednesday morning. Caeleb went to bed Tuesday night with a fever and stomach pain. He woke up, threw up a couple of times and was in a lot of pain around 2:00 in the morning, tossing and turning in bed. He wanted to go to the hospital as the pain was not going away and he could not sleep or walk even. I called mom to come over and watch the girls as Gary and LouAnn had just left and I took Caeleb and Selman into Vulcan at 4:00 in the morning. They did blood work and his Nuetrophil count was up so the Doctor suspected Appendicitis (I had a thought that it was that) and he was sent in an ambulance up to the Children's hospital in Calgary while Selman and I followed in the van. Not thinking, I had worn pants with a huge rip in the crotch area so I ended up borrowing hospital pants and wearing them for the next 1.5 days. After an ultrasound and some humming and hawing among the doctors, it was decided that he had appendicitis and we signed up for a study that randomly selected him for either surgery or an antibiotic trial. But he was selected for surgery and he had it at 7:30 that night. Chris was able to miss classes and be at the hospital with us. It was my first time sending a child into surgery and was a little nerve wracking waiting that 1.5 hours to see him again but he came out of it with flying colors and it was a good thing that they took his appendix out as it definitely was appendicitis (is what the surgeon said). Selman and I spent the night in day surgery with a drowsy Caeleb and we were sent home the next day at 1100. He did wonderfully and his recovery was so quick!

For Caeleb's birthday, he wanted warhammer models and to take some friends to the movies so I took him and 2 friends to see Smallfoot Friday September 29th. I thought it was a cute movie and the boys had fun quoting the movie and laughing on the way home.

Chris has been very busy with school and there were a couple weekends were he had an extra course so he could not come home. I have felt like a single mom throughout September and October and I feel very grateful for the help my parents have given me. We have missed Daddy but I have felt busy raising 4 kids and time has gone fast. I love being a mom!!

Nathan and Chris were home for Thanksgiving and we had a lovely turkey dinner at Mom and Dad's house. Our next big family dinner will most likely be at the brick house so we cherished that yummy meal at Mom and Dads. I have had so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. A wonderful, close-knit family, a free country to live in, a good job, a husband who is working hard in school, a beautiful old home to restore and live in and keep in the family. We have been blessed.

Halloween was last Wednesday and Caeleb was Dash and Elva was Violet from the Incredibles movies. Mary was a princess (she wants to dress as a princess every day really) and Selman was the frog Prince. They all looked adorable. We took neighbors Amy and Annabelle in the Van with us and Selman stayed with Mom and Dad. We went to 13 houses and it took 3 hours to do so between driving, visiting, the kids singing lollipop at the houses and getting house tours (te he he). The weather was nice, though it went from light to dark so quickly and we had a blast. It was hard getting Elva up and to school the next day as she was so tired but she did it. Oh, the Saturday before Halloween we went to the Champion Hall Halloween party and dance and it was so much fun. About 50 kids there and my kids had a great time dancing and participating in the games. I love small town living and supporting the community.

An update on the kids. Caeleb has lost 4 teeth now (his upper 2 are out now and it is so cute) and Elva has lost 2 teeth. Caeleb is doing above average at reading comprehension and he was not doing great at it a year ago so it just goes to show that things click at different times in life. He is a good student, doing a lot better at his printing this year and he loves to learn and write books (he is always writing books). He also loves Harry Potter now and just went through stint with Big Foot fascination. Elva is a leader in her kindergarten class - being the oldest - and I think she is a bit of a class clown as she is a funny little girl. She makes me laugh. All my kids do! I do love Elva's sense of humor though. Mary is almost graduated from potty training school. It has been a long slow process starting on and off in the summer but it clicked about a week ago and she has been doing great since the start of November. She loves to talk and voice her opinion. And she loves to play barbies and dollies (she got a doll for her birthday). If I am sitting and feeding Selman, she always says, "lets play barbies" and she brings the dolls to me and we play from the chair. She and Elva love to play polly pockets and so do I. All my kids have great imaginations. They learn it from me I think. Selman started sitting really well 2 weeks ago (mid October). He babbles on and on (lately saying Dadadadada - I don't think he knows what it means though) and he is now loving solid foods. We started feeding him right at 6 months old but he did not seem to like it at first. He loves yogurt! But who wouldn't really. He also likes rice cereal and meaty baby food but is not a fan of avocado or bananas yet (crazy little boy - the rest of us love Avocados).
Mary and Selman and I go to the Champion Legion on Tuesday and Thursdays at 1000 for Play group and Time for Rhymes. It really breaks up our week and I love having a bit of a schedule. We also go to the Champion Library one Friday a month for Winter library club.

Well, Chris is home now for the rest of the semester. Oh, how I have missed him. He starts his student teaching tomorrow at the Nanton Elementary school and he will commute the 30 minutes from home every week day and that is not a bad drive for country living. We are so grateful to have him back in our lives more.
And now, I am starting to look forward to the Christmas season and am itching to listen to Christmas music - but I will hold off for now (though Mom, Camellia and I did make our Christmas turtles a few weeks ago and I had to listen to some then). Lets get through Remembrance day first. I am a huge fan of Remembrance day and feel it so important to remember all those who have fought and died for our freedom. I feel so blessed to live in this free Country and on the farm that I grew up on. Life is good!

Simple Summer Days 2018

Wow, another Summer has come and gone. It was a simple summer. I liked it that way. We stayed close to home for most of it. We got to know Champion really well. Monday and Thursday mornings from 1000-1200 was Summer reading program at the Champion Library and I think we only missed 2 of them. They made a lot of crafts! We would stay in Champion after as I would pack a lunch and then we would ride bikes and go swimming when it opened at 2:00. We went swimming 3-5 days a week at the Champion pool and would stay in the pool 2 hours at a time playing and laughing and never wanting to leave. The water felt so nice on those hot days and we had a couple weeks of pretty hot weather (middle 30s). Caeleb and Elva have got to be pretty good swimmers this summer. Caeleb did 2 weeks of swimming lessons this year so he is getting really good. After we went to their place for Mountain View Canada day celebrations, The Nelsons joined us the first week in July for swimming lessons and we spent the Thursday night camping at the Champion campground. It was fun but sadly the only camping we did this summer as Chris worked from July 2 right up to the start of school (and is still working 5-10 hours a week while at school) and he has been so busy. What a blessing it has been that he could get hired back on with his old IT company. He worked from home and only had to go into the city on average 1 day a week. He was working in the city the day I took the kids to BMO kids day at the stampede. He dropped me off at the grounds and I braved it with the 4 kids by myself while he went downtown to work. We had a fun day. We got free pancake breakfast and we went to the dog show and the kids really liked that. It was busy and I almost lost Mary in the crowds a few times but we survived and I would do it again. After the movie we went to Max and Sebastian's house (our good friends) for a few hours and I watched all the kids while their parents worked and then we went to a movie (the Incredibles 2). We did not get home until 10:30 pm or so and Chris had to go back to Calgary the next morning early but it was a good day and we had fun!

Camellia and Doug had there little girl on Friday July 20. She was breech and had to be turned before being induced. It was a long day for them but little Evelyn arrived safely. We spent Saturday July 21st going to Lethbridge to visit them and then to Granum for a stake activity. We swam in the lake there, visited other members, ate lunch and supper too that was provided by the Stake. It was fun getting to know some other ladies in Claresholm that have young kids. The kids and I went over to the Claresholm spray park a couple of days this summer and we met up with some of those ladies one of the days. We also tried the Vulcan spray park and the Coaldale Spray park early August ( With Camellia and Amanda and their kids).

Another thing we did this summer was learn to ride bikes. We practiced really hard the first few weeks of July but it clicked for both kids one day when Caeleb's friend Dominic showed him how to ride his bike. We took the bikes to Vulcan one day to ride around the path by the golf coarse but we pretty much kept bike riding to the farm and Champion. We need to get Chris a bike!

Jared and Landon came the second week in August. We went swimming in Champion, to Little Bow beach for a ward party and to Drumheller for about the hottest day of the year (It was high 30s, maybe touched 40?). Chris was able to join us for that so that was wonderful.

Chris and I took a quick Saturday trip to visit Camellia and Doug and so we could go to see the play Newsies in Cardston August 18th. We came back the same night as we had church duties the next day (I am now the second councilor in the primary and there are only 5 kids - but I love our little primary). Newsies was really well done and I sure love to see live theater. We also saw my child friend Gillian at the Nelsons house that day and it was fun to catch up.

Saturday August 25th was the last day the Champion pool was open for the year and so we went to swim as a family of coarse and then we went to the Champion Chinese food buffet after (It is great that the restaurant is open again). The lifeguards let us keep a few floaty toys which was fun and we will save them for more swimming adventures next year.

We Spent Labour Day weekend at Camellia and Doug's place as little Evelyn was blessed that Sunday. We always love to go visit Camellia and Doug at their beautiful paradise home by the mountains and we love their family very much.

Well, that is what I remember of Summer 2018 (I am writing this November 4 in the basement of the brick house as the internet has been set up there and now they have heat there too so it is comfortable). Since we have been living at Micky Middleton's house, we don't have the internet there and it is hard for me to spend time updating my blog. But that will soon change. With a few timeline delays, we are now set to move into our house the end of November (I hope). We are getting so excited and the house is looking great. As for having no internet for the last 5 months, I think everyone should go for a time with no internet in their homes. It is good to live without being so dependent on it at every moment.


Well, I will end this post and continue on with a post about the Fall. But before I do, I want you to know that I am loving the simple life living in the country and I enjoyed our simple summer.

New Beginnings

Well, a lot more has happened since I last wrote. Selman will be 4 months old tomorrow. He smiles and even giggles (it took him a while to smile but has been doing quite a bit for the last 6 weeks now). He loves his cuddles and he is starting to be able to lie down on a blanket, kick his legs and be content for about 30 – 45 minutes at a time. He is also discovering his hands and is looking at them quite a bit these days. I wouldn’t exactly say he was a content baby from day one. I feel that from the start he has wanted to be held constantly, but that is lessening a lot more now. His Brother and Sisters love to hold him and play with him and they are a big help for me. Right now he is lying on the floor and cooing away like there is no tomorrow. His little squeaky cooing talk is so adorable.

The BIG news of the last few months is that we have sold our home and we are fixing up the Brick home (Grandma Smith's home) on my parents property. We have talked about this dream of mine since the start of our marriage but it became a reality this last year when Mom and Dad found a good local contractor in November and we decided to make this dream come to life. Someone needs to live in that beautiful 100 year old home and we are lucky enough to be the ones. Chris can work part time from home with his old IT company and he will find a future teaching job in the area. I will keep my 2 day a week job at Rockyview hospital after maternity leave until I find a part time nursing job closer to the farm. Everything seems to be coming together for this Big Change and I know there is a reason for it. We are excited to raise our family on the family farm. We feel so blessed!

Chris started his student teaching in Vulcan on Monday March 19^th. Mom took care of Mary that week. I watched all the kids for the first few days that next week (starting March 26) by myself as the kids were off of school then for spring break (we even went sledding that week – I have been feeling so good) and then we came to the farm for the weekend to watch General Conference. I was surprised how well I did by myself with the kids. The next week, Chris was on his spring break so we spent that week painting and getting the house ready to sell. It is hard work getting a house ready to sell.

Chris’ parents came out to our Copperfield home the first weekend in April and stayed for a couple of weeks while Chris was doing his last 2 weeks of student teaching in Vulcan. They were such a big help to me. Gary helped me paint the basement and he cooked some delicious meals (his famous meat loaf) and LouAnn was the official baby holder and snuggled that Selman from dawn until evening and in the night too. I enjoyed our 3:00 in the morning conversations when both Mary and Selman woke up crying. I am so grateful for all the help that my parents and Chris’ parents have given to us! Sunday April 15^th was Selman’s baby blessing. He was blessed to be a leader in his family and I think that he will be. I can see by looking into his baby blue eyes that he is full of wisdom and goodness. After the blessing and the rest of church we went to Gainor’s house for pulled pork on a bun and salads and dessert. Thanks to Gainors for hosting the event. Their house is a lot bigger than our Copperfield home (and we were trying to keep our Copperfield home in selling condition). Gainors were there of course, Sister Snow came (she is the lady we have become friends with by driving her to and from church), and Aunt Brenda and Uncle Gord and Todd came too. It is so good to have family get togethers. Family is so important. Chris left that evening to start his last week for student teaching. He came back the Thursday evening for the Copperfield school family dance. Chris’ parents left early Friday the 20^th of April and then the kids and I drove Chris down to Vulcan for his last day of student teaching and to show Caeleb and Elva around Champion school. I went to the Friday night Time our for Women that evening with Selman, Mom and Camellia (thanks for the ticket Camellia). It was very spiritually uplifting. Saturday, our family drove back up to Calgary and Chris and I worked hard for the next few days getting the house ready for carpet cleaning on Monday and real estate pictures on Tuesday. Our house was posted on the real estate website the morning of Thursday April 26. We had about 4 showings the first weekend and then I left on the Monday with the girls and baby Selman to stay at the farm so that Elva could start school in Champion on Tuesday May 1^st. Caeleb didn’t start in Champion until May 15^th as he had a week long living well field trip he wanted to go to in Copperfield and Chris was able to go with him all those days.

We got an offer after about 10 showings – less than 2 weeks on the market. What a blessing as we thought it would take several months. It is a buyers market and the average is about 45 days to sell. After a few little hiccups and another stressful week, the final contract was signed with a closing date of June 1 at noon. That did not make for a lot of time to get things packed and ready but we did it. I spent most of the time at the farm with the kids while Chris packed. Nathan helped pack and clean (Thank you Nathan!) and he moved to his new home in Ranchlands on June 1. He has lived with us for the last 7 years and we will miss him (he is Mary’s best buddy) but change is good and it was time to move on. He is a great Uncle and we hope he stays close friends with his nieces and nephews.

For Mothers Day the boys sent Mom, Camellia and I to Banff for 2 nights at a resort place. We are so spoiled and had a lot of fun. We went to lake Louise and hiked half way around the lake, we ate at Boston pizza and had Chinese food, we walked around town and talked and talked. I love my girls getaways! Thanks boys. Meanwhile they took the kids swimming and to Chucky Cheese so the kids had a blast too.

We were so lucky to have Middletons let us stay in Micky’s old house and to just pay utilities (we are only about ½ km from the brick home that is still being fixed up and should be ready in September) and we moved most of our stuff on Monday May 21^st. Our Mahogany ward friends were so helpful as we loaded the moving van that day. We are going to miss that ward. Our new ward helped us unload that day and we are excited for new adventures with the kind people of our new ward and our kind neighbors on our road.

On May 26^th, we headed to Fort Mcleod to do the Wilderness run. This year, I jogged 10 kms (a very slow jog) and Mom and Chris walked it. I was trying to prepare for it but between having a new baby and moving preparation, I did not have a lot of time to prepare. But I did jog the whole thing and I plan on doing even better next year.

Caeleb and Elva have been adapting well to their new school. There is only about 100 students from Preschool to grade 9 but the big kids help the little kids and there seems to be a unity within the school that I love. I love small schools. Caeleb and Elva like their teachers and have been making new friends. They have had many adventures already from swimming every school day in June at the pool across the street from the school, a field trip for Caeleb to camp Chestermere to go kayaking, bottle rockets and sling shots (Chris was able to go), a Zoo trip for Elva with her Kindergarten (I went along with Mary and Selman and we got to see the new Panda exhibit), 2 track and field days for Caeleb (he does well with long distance running). The kids also did T - ball and coach pitch this year organized by volunteers from the community. There was a practice on about 6 Wednesdays during May and June and 2 tournaments - one in Champion and 1 in Milo. This is the first sport Caeleb and Elva have done - well,  I guess they did Soccer for a couple of weeks a few years ago and Elva did ballet for half a year. They really enjoyed it and we had fun watching them. The last day of school for Elva was Thursday June 21 and for Caeleb was Wednesday June 27. We picked Caeleb up from school a little early that day, went to Lethbridge to order our Kitchen for the brick home and then travelled on to Mountain View to visit the Nelson family for a few days. Nathan came and joined us there as well. Our family went to Waterton for the day and was it ever a beautiful day. No wind and not too hot or cold. Perfect! It was interesting to see all the burned out places in Waterton but it really is as beautiful as ever. Friday was spent with Chris and Doug putting the brick on the Nelson fireplace. They were really focused, spent all day doing it, and did a great job. We celebrated Canada day on Saturday as July first was Sunday. Mountain View had a talent show, games and beef on a bun. Mom and Dad joined us for that. We came back Saturday afternoon so that Chris could go up to a games night with some buddies in Calgary.

This last week has been spent in swimming lessons for the kids with the Nelsons joining us for the week. Monday was Moms birthday and we had a parmesan chicken dinner and cake for dessert, Mom got a birthday calendar, and we sent off a floating lantern which the kids loved. Camellia and I got our hair cut in Vulcan on Wednesday and Thursday we camped in town and spent the afternoon learning to ride bikes, going to the store for a treat, to the library, swimming, playing with cousins and town friends, making smores and enjoying this lovely little town. After the last swimming lesson on Friday, we met Mom and Dad at little bow for a picnic and  early afternoon swim. While the first part of this week has been cooler and rainy, the last couple of days have been hot and dry. Today is a low key day. Chris has been working hard all last week doing IT stuff for his old employer (it is a blessing that he has this part time job), so we are spending the day catching up on house chores and relaxing.

Welcome Baby Selman - March 10 2018

Baby Selman has arrived and we are loving every minute with him! We love family names and so Selman is after my Selman side of the family (I am excited to tell him about his Great Grandma and Grandpa Selman) and Gary is after Chris' dad. Here is his story...

I had my 39 weeks and 2 days doctors appointment on Thursday morning March 8th with Dr. Fahey (she was Elva and Mary's OB as well). My visiting teacher took Mary and Elva had an all day field trip at the Leighton art center. I had been feeling stressed with Chris needing to do finals and assignments and get ready to start his practicum on March 19th in Vulcan which would put him an hour away and living at the farm if the baby came late (due date was Tuesday March 13th but I was thinking he would come later and my tentative overdue induction date had been set for Friday March 23rd). I talked to Dr. Fahey about my stresses and we had a good talk and even a good laugh (it is fun to talk to her). But after another sweep (my 4th one) at the end of the appointment, she looked at me seriously and said that I looked like I felt there was something wrong with baby and that I could be induced the next day if I wanted too. I said I would think about it and left her office feeling caught off guard and confused about that sudden comment. That confusion turned into anxiety throughout the afternoon and evening and I decided I would go to labour and delivery triage the next morning just to make sure baby was okay and to get a second opinion of things.

So the next morning, my friend Laura watched Mary while Elva and Caeleb were in school and I went to triage for a non-stress test at 9:00. Baby looked fine and the doctor on call eased my fears and did yet another sweep (my 5th one in the last 2 weeks). She said my waters were bulging and that maybe she would see me that evening. I naturally thought my water would break that day. I went home and Chris let me get an hour nap in the afternoon. I had contractions on and off about every 15-30 minutes for most of the day and evening. I fell asleep with the kids at 8:30 pm and then went to my bed around 9:30. At 10:30 pm, a contraction woke me up so I felt like "maybe things are starting to happen." I tried to sleep for the next few hours but was not able to get much rest. At about 12:30 am, I felt a little gush of something and went to the bathroom to check it out. Low and behold, quite a bit of blood and a big red clot. "Oh, darn." I knew what bleeding could mean as much of my pregnancy with Elva was with a chronic placental abruption. So I quickly woke up Chris saying "we need to get to the hospital now!" Thank goodness for Nathan watching the kids! Thank you Nathan!! I got my hospital bag but could not quickly find my purse so we left it. Chris was running around the house like a chicken with its head cut off getting his things together and I was like "hurry up!" We would have ran red lights but luckily the 5 minute drive to the hospital was mostly green lights. Chris hurried me up to the 7th floor in a wheelchair as I was still bleeding and they got us in right away in triage. They hooked me up to the monitor and baby was okay (sigh of relief). The Nurse started IV fluids and Dr. Wilson saw me soon after. He checked and I was 3.5 - 4 cm dialated. He was not sure if it was a placental abruption but they kept me on the monitor to make sure baby was okay. I was still having regular contractions about 8 minutes apart so after we were reassured for some time about baby, Chris and I got up and started walking around the unit to see if we could get labour going faster. The bleeding had almost stopped at that point. They found me a room and moved me there at about 2:30 am. I tried sleeping the rest of the night but I was still have contractions about every 8 minutes apart for 30 seconds (I was timing them) and I could not sleep well. They were not very intense but they kept me up. Dr. Wilson came in at 8:00 in the morning and told us that he was not going to send me home due to my history of bleeding and the fact that I was due the coming Tuesday. He wanted to induce me so he broke my water (Labour and Delivery is the messiest, wettest unit in a hospital I tell you) and then I was allowed to order breakfast and get up and walk for a while (just wasn't allowed to walk off the unit). My Nurse hooked me up to a Pitocin drip at 9:15 (2cc/hr) and then I was on continuous baby heart monitoring after that. She upped the Pitocin drip every 30 minutes by 2 cc until I was at about 7 cc/hr (I guess the limit is about 11 cc/hr for most inductions but I did not need that). They do have a portable baby monitor so Chris and I walked around the unit some more. We walked around the unit about 8 times in total during my stay. The contractions got stronger and stronger and by about 1030 I had to stop to breath through them while walking. I bounced on the birthing ball for a while and then found the most comfortable position was leaning against the bed while standing and gripping on to the rails of the bed. Chris spent from that time forward fanning me with a book to help me feel like I was getting more air. I did not want to get into bed as I had found it paralyzed me in a way when I was in labour with Mary and I could not cope well with her labour. Chris called my church friend/Doula Leiah at about 11:00 as I was needing extra support by then (I had wanted a Doula to help me for this labour and I was lucky to find one in my ward). Leiah was there at about 1130 and she took charge and did hip squeezes as the contractions came. The hip squeezes really helped. The contractions were really intense at that point and there was not much of a break in between them. I was quietly moaning through them. The doctor wanted to check me at 1200 and I really did not want her too as I was scared that I had not dilated more (I had been slow dilating with Mary and it had been discouraging) but I let her check and I was super happy when she said I was "a good 7 cm". I could have done a dance I was so happy (okay, maybe not do a dance at that point). I decided to take a shower after that which was kind of awkward with everyone watching (well, it was Leiah, Chris and the Nurse though it seemed like more people were in the bathroom than that - my memory is hazy about some things as I was in la la land with pain at that point). I was needing help to get into the shower while hooked up to the IV and baby monitor and having contractions but heck, I am a nurse, I don't get embarrassed anymore. To be honest, the shower did not help but it helped pass the time for about 5 minutes and it was a change of scenery. When I got out, I leaned against the bed for another couple of contractions and then felt like I could not hold myself up any longer and I felt like I might fall down. Leiah says that wobbly legs is a sign of transitioning to 10 cm so that must have been it. I did not want to get into bed but really did not have an option at that point so I ended up kneeling in bed facing the head of the bed and holding on to the rails. A few minutes later, about 1225, I felt I had to push. Actually I really felt like I had to have a bowel movement and maybe push my rectum out in the process (a little graphic I know).
Dr. Zachariason and resident were called in and I had to turn around in bed which was hard and I was dreading that as I did not want to be on my back. I remember asking if baby was coming as I just really felt I had to go to the bathroom at that point. I don't think I was that loud but I was definitely making some weird noises. 3 contractions with pushes later and Baby Selman was born. They immediately put him on my chest and it took a couple of minutes for him to give a good cry but no one was worried and he did well. When he was coming out they said he looked like he had a lot of hair (but not nearly as much as Mary). The nurse said he was a big boy and he weighed in at 8 lbs 6 ounces but that really did not seem a lot compared to Mary. What a handsome little boy he is! I had a 2nd degree tare like I did with Caeleb and Mary and so I was stitched up after the placenta was delivered. They did such a good job and I have not felt it since (with Caeleb it was a different story - so pokey and uncomfortable). Things went so well and I feel so blessed that I was really only in active labour for about 2.5 hours. The doctor did say after the placenta was delivered that she thought it was an abruption that caused the bleeding. But baby was never affected by it and it turned out so well. I did bleed quite a bit after and the doctor had to clean things out by hand (which was a weird experience but not nearly as painful as they said it would be and I did not need the fentanyl and laughing gas they offered me). The Doctor and Nurse said I was tough but that part really wasn't that bad. My hemoglobin only went down to 100 and I believe that my healing has been so fast due to the interventions that the doctor took. We stayed in the hospital until 1:00 Sunday afternoon. Mom, Dad and Camellia brought the kids to visit baby Selman on Saturday afternoon and they were immediately smitten by him. Chris stayed overnight with me. The rooms are so big and new and comfortable and it is nice to have a bed for a partner. We came home to supper provided by Camellia, Mom and a lady in our ward. We were also brought supper Monday to Friday by families in the ward. We are so grateful for all that has been done for us. I have felt so wonderful ever since baby has been born. Just tired of coarse as Selman is not the greatest sleeper (none of my kids have been great sleepers) but otherwise I feel really really good. In fact, I went to church yesterday with Caeleb, Elva and Mary to teach Chris' primary lesson while he stayed home with baby Selman (he does good with taking a bottle and with nursing). I also took Caeleb, Elva and their friend Sydney to the play Annie on Saturday while Chris watched Mary and Selman. Paul and Kamille's daughter Kyndal was in the play and she did great! Mom and Dad took the girls for half of last week - Thank you so much! I had Monday and Tuesday just baby Selman and me while Caeleb and Chris were at school. Wednesday - Sunday have been busy with the 4 kids but Mom and Dad took Mary again yesterday (Sunday) evening and will have her until Friday. Chris is down at the farm as well for Student teaching in Vulcan. I really feel so blessed to have baby Selman here safe and sound. I know I write a lot but I feel like every unique experience of when Heavenly Father sends a child to a family is a miracle and an amazing blessing and I want to remember everything about this experience. We feel so blessed to have Selman Gary Watters in our family.