Where has December gone?

This has been the fastest month of my life! I honestly can't believe Christmas is over and Lucy is a month old. The time has gone by so quickly and I have wanted to update my blog so many times but the demands of a newborn have taken precedence. Right now Lucy is sleeping, the boys are sledding with their cousins and the house is quiet so I am taking advantage of the time I have!

Lucy is such a sweet baby. I have enjoyed this month with her so much. So many times I have looked into her eyes and had such an overwhelming sense of familiarity. I have known this little girl for a long time and there is no doubt in my mind that she is mine. Having a baby in the house has also reminded me of how much I love my boys. Now that my time is pretty much monopolized by Lucy, I have to find different ways to let the boys know they are special which only makes me love them more. I snapped this picture just a few minutes ago...isn't she sweet?

This week has been really fun. All of my siblings are in town and it has been pretty much a non-stop party. I think this is the first time we have all been together for at least a year and a half. It has been noisy and crazy but lots of fun. This picture is all of the Pett girls together on Monday at my parents' house.
My parents are seriously the best. They love having all the kids together and love us so much! They always have the kitchen stocked with good food for us and welcome our friends into their home as well. On Christmas Eve we had the 1st Annual Pett Family Talent Show. We had funny talents as well as "real" talents. Noah sang the Dreidel song (he secretly wishes he was Jewish), Curtis showed off his building skills, Sam played his guitar, I played a really bad impromptu duet with my sis Suzanne (we hadn't even practiced) nephew Taylor did magic tricks, neice Isabelle played Jingle Bells on the piano. Then the jokesters: Amy and Mat sang and did a little dance to "I think we're alone now", David and Marina did a hilarious take on a SNL skit, and my parents...well, let me just show you some pictures of my parents' talent: You've seen the "Go elf yourself" website? They did a live version of it. It was HILARIOUS. We were all howling with laughter. Oh, they kill me.

Much to the dismay off all the children except Isabelle, we ended the night with the nativity story. They were all really cute and it was the perfect way to end the evening.

Christmas was also very fun. Curtis woke up at 7:00 and was very excited to see the Lego crane that Santa left for him. He then ran and woke up Noah exclaiming that Santa had come. We spent the next 3 hours at home, opening presents and playing with the new toys. Sam's parents came over for a brief visit and then we headed to my parents' house. My parents gave all the grandkids Disney pillowcases and autograph books giving us clues to their gift to all of us...We are going to Disneyland in March! The kids were not very excited at first but I don't think they really understood what was going on. Later as we all talked about it they started to get excited and now can't wait for March!

The rest of the week has been filled with more family activities and playing with Christmas gifts...oh, that reminds me, I have to compliment Sam on his great purchases this year. I told him I wanted a "dressy casual" coat and a new sweater and he did great! He hates buying me clothes because I usually take them back but this time I am only taking one sweater back because I have one already that is very similar. But the coat and other 2 sweaters are perfect.
Today I have spent quietly at home trying to clean things up and get back to normal around here. I havent' completed too many projects but at least have done 2 loads of laundry and put some of the Christmas mess away. My cousin John's 11 year old daughter Olivia is here now, holding Lucy so I can get some more stuff done.

It has been a fabulous week and we will cap it off with a celebration with Sam's family tomorrow...guess I should finish the gift shopping!!!

Here She Is!

Here she is at 3 hours old

Miss Lucy Ann made her arrival into the world last Monday, November 26th at 11:39 pm. I think I took the cake this year for giving my mom the best birthday present...an iPOD doesn't really beat having your granddaughter born on your birthday!

I started the day by going to see my midwife at 9:30. I was dilated to a 2 but the baby's head was still very high. My midwife sent us home saying she would consult the OBGYN that she works with and schedule a c-section for Wednesday as we had planned. By the time she called me at 2:30 to give me the time for Wednesday, I had been having strong contractions for over an hour. By about 4:00 we called my dad to ask him to come get the kids and the boys and I packed their stuff for their sleep-over. Sam and I had decided we would go to the hospital when the contractions were 4 minutes apart consistently. By 5:00 they were about 6 minutes apart and by 6:00 they had pretty much skipped the 4 minute mark and jumped to 3 minutes. Sam was very concerned about my water breaking in the car so in between contractions he put a garbage bag and a thick towel on the front seat. We loaded everything in the car and were on our way. We pulled up in front of the hospital and Sam went to get a wheelchair. He loaded me in and then pushed me about a foot when I decided I couldn't handle the bumpy ride. I got out of the wheelchair just as I was having a contraction and knelt down by a nearby bench so Sam could rub my back just as a group of employees was leaving the hospital. A very concerned man asked if we needed him to get a nurse and Sam said "No, we're just having a baby". Not knowing Sam's sense of humor, he thankfully ran in and got a nurse who knew who I was because my midwife had just called to let them know I was coming. I pushed the wheelchair into Labor and Delivery while Sam parked the car and then they got us all settled in our room. We were assigned a great nurse, Candie, and about 7:15 my midwife Danielle showed up. She quickly thanked me for getting her out of a speeding ticket (she was going about 90 mph since she lives in Park City and knew I was progressing quickly). She checked me and I was 10 centimeters dilated!!! Unfortunately, the baby's head was still very high. She called the OB, Dr. Watts to come in since we knew that c-section was still a possibility. He checked and they decided to break my water to see if she would come down when my water broke. I pushed for awhile until I could no longer handle it. The contractions were about a minute and a half apart, leaving me no time to rest so I consented to the epidural. Almost immediately after the epidural, my blood pressure dropped really low and so did the baby's heartbeat. They lowered my head and gave me oxygen to help the baby's heart rate came up. They also gave me some medication to help my blood pressure. By 11:00 Sam was starving so he left for the cafeteria. Danielle did another check and still the baby's head was very high. Dr Watts also checked and then the three of us made the decision to do a c-section. Since Danielle was aware that I had such a long labor with Noah which ended in a c-section, she didn't want me to go through that again and neither did I. So, I called Sam and said "come back now" just as he was picking up a tray in the cafeteria. He ran back and I told him the plan and he called my mom and sister Amy. They wheeled me into the OR at 11:15 and by 11:39 little Lucy was born. She weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz and was 21 inches long. As soon as she was born, they cleaned her up and handed her to Sam. He brought her over to me so I could see her and he was able to hold her the entire time they stitched me up. He was also able to carry her down the hall to the awaiting arms of her Nana and Aunt. It was about 12:30 by the time I got back to my room so as soon as I saw my mom I said "Happy Birthday!" and she was so excited to hear that Lucy was born before midnight. I was really shaky from the epidural so I wasn't able to hold Lucy for a little while but as soon as I could, I tried to nurse her and she happily and easily latched on. What a reward for all the discomfort and stress!

We are now home and getting adjusted. I am healing really well and feel good and am very glad that the boys are in school so that I am able to rest when Lucy sleeps during the day. Her dad is smitten with her and the boys think she is the cutest thing ever. I am so in love with this little perfect angel and so happy and blessed that she is in our family!!!

40 weeks

Ugh, 40 weeks. I had an appt. today with my midwife and things are not progressing. This baby's head is still floating above the birth canal and I'm still not dilated. Despite all the contractions I've been having, nothing is happening. IF I don't go into labor by Monday (which coincidentally is my Mom's B-day) I will go back for another appt. If the baby's head is still not in the birth canal, we will schedule a C-section for Wednesday. These were not the things I was hoping to hear today and I had a little breakdown while talking to my midwife. She said she still has 90% hope that everything will be fine and I'll go into labor naturally. But we have to be prepared. Also, she doesn't want to do an induction just to have me go through several hours of labor (like the 26 with Noah) and then have a C-section. And, I totally agree with her there. So, the plan is to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and wait and see.

Last month I told you about the boys' pre-school teacher, Kellie. She sent me an email today with a link to a short video. Check it out here http://www.imagehiker.com/Videography/Client/shannon_galloday.html. She is one amazing woman!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Self Expression

Today's high was 71 degrees...in November! It was beautiful! Of course, our huge trees had given us another crop of giant leaves so we all went outside to get them raked. Of course, the pile grew quickly and Noah was buried in a matter of seconds. Curtis decided just jumping wasn't going to cut it. Here's a quick video clip (this is my first video attempt so cross your fingers!)

Noah drew faces on the leaf bags and then took the marker to the leaves and made little love notes for Sam and me. I love that he has such a thirst for learning and finds creative ways to express himself.

Last night, I was helping Noah with homework and Curtis was unloading the dishwasher. He started singing the Primary song "Love is Spoken Here". I was enjoying this sweet moment. Noah joined in and when they got to the part that says "With father and mother leading the way, teaching me how to trust and obey" Noah sang "with father and mother leading the way, TEACHING ME HOW TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES". I about died laughing! And he thought he was such the comedian! These boys keep my life interesting!

In BabyWatch news...yesterday I had a burst of energy. I swept, mopped, raked leaves, dusted, Sam and I took a walk at Gateway and I had several contractions. I thought for sure that labor would start last night but no such luck! I woke up this morning still very pregnant and MAD! Only one contraction so far today. But, I'm going to try to be positive and get some little projects done today. I just have to remind myself that no one has been pregnant forever, even if it seems like it!!!

Thankful...

...for my cute boys and handsome husband who love me unconditionally.
...for my sister who took my boys to Build-a-bear so their baby sister won't be without a teddy bear. (one of Noah's main concerns)
...for my mom and dad (and Amy) who spent a Saturday off at my house cleaning and helping us prepare for baby.
...for wonderful friends and family who threw a sweet baby shower for me (complete with Sonic ice in the punch...how thoughtful was that?).
...that I am starting to have contractions so I can meet this baby girl soon!

38 weeks

Yes, today I have been pregnant for 38 weeks. I had an appointment with my midwife this morning and was really hoping that some labor progress was being made but, no. Nothing is happening yet. That's OK, we still have 2 weeks to go but I have been extra tired and emotional the last few days so it wasn't what I wanted to hear. I met my sis, Amy, for lunch at Chipotle's and when she walked in I started crying. Why? I don't know. Luckily it only lasted a second and I was fine. I also had a little breakdown on Sam the other day, freaking out about childbirth and saying let's just schedule a c-section. He talked me down and reminded me I didn't want to do that again. I've been pretty level-headed this pregnancy, not a lot of emotional tidal waves but this last week has gotten to me. This emotional state also is why there is no photo...just couldn't handle it today.
We have been very busy getting the house ready to bring this little one home and have had some great help from my parents and Amy. I appreciate them so much because with Sam gone so much, we wouldn't even have this house close to ready! I've still got a few odds and ends to wrap up but when don't I?
I have some other family news I've been meaning to post about but I definitely need pictures for that so I will try to get in gear tomorrow and snap a few pics so I can tell some cute stories of the boys and their shenanigans.
It is 8:42 pm and my house has been silent for the last 30 minutes. I think I will take the boys' lead and go to bed early...maybe I'll be able to make it through tomorrow without crying!

Great Way to start UEA

7:12 AM. Why? Why must my children get up this early without any prompting from me or an alarm clock, on a day they don't have to go to school? Yesterday I had to practically drag them out of bed at 8:00 to get ready for church but today...7:12 AM.
By 9:15 Noah was bawling his eyes out(for about 10 min.) because I wouldn't let him have Fresca until lunchtime. Mean Mom.
It's gonna be a long day.