our baby story

This year, we got an early Christmas present and had an extra reason to be grateful for at the Thanksgiving table. Nine months in the making and he is beautiful! He was 7 lbs and 3 oz., measuring 18 1/2 inches. We like to call him "peanut" or "tiny tim" because he really is just a tiny little thing. He is the smallest baby to date... the "runt of the litter," so to speak. We barely got settled into our new place and three days later, I was ready to have him! So amidst dozens of unpacked boxes, I managed to throw together a few overnight bags for myself and the kids... and offer several silent prayers for poor Mark who had to squeeze in his duties as labor coach/support extraordinaire while having two big exams and a research paper due. And the poor guy had to commute back and forth between campus, home, my parents house, and the hospital. That's a lot of driving...Ogden, Salt Lake, Orem, and American Fork. You know the saying...when it rains, it pours. But now we have a beautiful, healthy little boy to enjoy and to love, love, & love.
Some highlights from the birth...
...an amazing, and inspiring view of the Mt. Timpanogos Temple from the window of my delivery room
...an exceptional labor/delivery nurse...if you deliver @ the AF Hospital, I hope you get Pamela...she was a GREAT nurse! My favorite part was that after bonding thru the whole labor experience she came and gave me a big hug and congratulated me on doing a natural birth (I'm getting the feeling that not too many of those happen around here...) and then said, "See you in a couple of years for baby#5!" I assured her that I would be back ;)
...delivering the baby naturally again...totally worth it, although I have to admit, with this natural birth, I was soooo exhausted...must have been a result of all the energy I spent cleaning up and unpacking boxes all day with 3 little ones running around and Mark at school...all while waiting for my labor to progress
...having meals prepared and served to me...you'd think I was on vacation!!! this was a real treat, and the food was NOT bad at all!
...and I totally forgot to snap a picture of Mark holding little Tadashi after he was born...but if I would have taken one, you would have seen Mark wearing a mask...on top of everything else, Mark was sick with a cold and had to put on the signature I'm-sick-so-I'm wearing-a-mask mask.