3 months!

Lucy turned 3 months old yesterday! I had planned on blogging yesterday but Lucy was on a sleep strike and was very fussy so I spent most of the day trying to get her settled. She has changed so much! The outfit she is wearing in this picture is the outfit she wore home from the hospital...it was so baggy and big then and now it barely fits! She is such a happy baby, as you can see in the picture. She smiles and laughs a lot, especially at her brothers. She has her moments of grumpiness and I wish she slept through the night but I wouldn't trade the last 3 months for anything. You know, for 5 and a half years it was our little family of 4 and it felt complete, and for those 5 years it was complete, but now I honestly can not imagine our family without little Luce. She has brought a tenderness into our home that wasn't here before. The boys love her and help me tremendously with her. Here is a scene I caught the other day... Both boys were singing to her and giving her toys and loving her. So sweet!
Yesterday we took our new stroller out for a test drive. The weather was beautiful, the best we've had for months so I walked to school to pick up the boys. The kids fought over who got to push the stroller home so we had to switch at every corner. Lucy enjoyed the ride and slept the whole way! I'm so glad the weather is warming up so we both can have a change of scenery and get some fresh air!
Snug as a bug!

I did a little photo shoot with Lucy in her blessing dress the other day. I think she stuck her tongue out in every shot! These are two of my favorites...don't you just want to eat her up?

Last week we had Parent/teacher conferences. Both boys got awesome reports and are doing very well. Curtis still has motion problems (meaning he is in perpetual motion and can't sit still) but is doing great academically. He was even dismissed from Speech Therapy because he has made so much progress and no longer needs it! Noah's teacher said he is very bright and is a smart thinker. He has such a love for learning and is always testing our knowledge by giving Sam and me math problems. I feel very blessed to be the mom of these 3 kids!

Special Day

Saturday was such a special day for our family. Curtis was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Lucy then received her name and blessing. Sam did a great job with all the ordinances...he had a busy day! If Curtis had had his way, Sam would have given the talks and prayers at the baptismal service as well. I'm so grateful for a husband who is a righteous priesthood holder and can perform these special ordinances for our children.
Curtis was very excited about the baptism. We got to the church early and he had to check the water to make sure it was warm. Then he changed into his white clothes. When he came out of the dressing room, my parents and siblings had arrived and he got very shy all of a sudden but then warmed up and made his appearance. When he came out of the water he let out a big gasp. I guess the water was not quite as warm as he had expected! Later that day we were at the store and he and Noah were running around. I called them back to me and Curtis said "I was just about to come back because the Holy Ghost told me to!" How sweet is that?
He was also excited to share this special day with his sister. He loves little Lucy so much and is so cute with her.

Lucy slept through the whole service, staying nice and warm in several different loving arms. She woke up just as Sam started to bless her but still remained content through the blessing. She looked so beautiful in her new blessing dress that my talented mom made. My mom had some leftover material from my wedding dress (that she also made) and used it to make Lucy's sweet little dress. Lucy also wore little booties that were mine when I was a baby. I can't wait for the day that I can give both the dress and the booties to her for her own baby!(OK, maybe I can wait...I don't want that to happen too fast!)I need to take a better picture of her in her dress so you can see how beautiful it is!
We had so many friends and family attend the baptism/blessing and we felt such an overwhelming amount of love and support. We both had our parents present and all of our siblings except for my brother David and his wife Marina and little Katya who live in San Diego (we missed you guys but looking forward to seeing you next month!!).
Several people commented to me that they haven't ever seen that much support at a baptism in our stake. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful family and friends! I couldn't be more grateful!


Our special day was also the funeral of our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley. What a great, inspiring man he was. I had three or four opportunities to be in his presence and every time was moved by the Spirit he carried. I'm so grateful to have been a part of the Church during his time as the prophet and to learn from him. As we were watching his funeral, Sam mentioned that the world was a little darker because he was no longer on it but I said it was just the opposite. The world is brighter because of the example he left for each of us. President Hinckley will be greatly missed but we are looking forward to seeing the growth and changes that started with his influence.

Sweet Silence

So, I am obviously not the best blogger since my last entry was a month ago yesterday! Oh well!

Right now it is 9:51 and everyone in my house (except me, obviously) has been asleep for at least an hour. Did you hear that? EVERYONE!!!! That is unheard of! It is so quiet! My kitchen is clean, my bathroom is clean, the laundry is folded and I just put another in the dryer. What's a girl to do? How about Blog!!!

Today I took Lucy in for her 2 month appointment. I really can not believe this little girl has been with us for 2 months...it really has gone so quickly. She has gained exactly 3 pounds since birth and grown 2 inches. 37% for weight, 44% for height. She has met all the milestones that a 2 month old should meet. Her little neck muscles are so strong and she is holding her head up really well. She is also so smiley! I love it! She smiles so big that she lets out a little giggle.



I'm not the best photographer but I think I captured her sweet smile in these photos.
Unfortunately, she had shots today so we haven't seen that smile very much. I'm sure it will be back tomorrow.

This weekend is really special for our family. Curtis turns 8 on Friday and will be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Saturday. We decided to have Lucy blessed the same day so family doesn't have to travel two days in a row. Curtis is very excited to be baptized and also to share this special day with his baby sister. I honestly don't know how Curtis can be 8! I feel like it was just a few years ago that HE was my 2 month old. It makes me realize how important it is for me to make the most of everyday with these kids because they won't stay little forever and before I know it, they will be at college, on missions, married and having their own children!

Before I sign off, I just want to send a shout out to my dear friend Karen. Happy Birthday Karen! I hope this year is even better than last! Love you!

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!!!