Miracles

MIRACLE

1

: an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs

2

: an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment

No matter how you define the word, I have seen many miracles in my life. Some big, some small, but when you experience a miracle you don't think about the size for they are always perfectly sized for your needs. They don't always come when you expect them, but they come when they are best for you. 

Such as our recent house-buying adventure...actually maybe I should start just a little further back with Sam's birth. 


For most of the month before Sam was born I had "false labor". Contractions would start and go on for hours and then eventually just fizzle out. I was worn out and ready to have my baby. I was tired of my body "teasing" me. Every time I would think labor was starting I would get so excited. Then it would stop and I would be so sad and frustrated. I would pray to Heavenly Father to please let it happen, please let me meet my baby boy that day. Heavenly Father kept telling me that all would be well,  that my baby would be well, and that his timing was the perfect timing. I would feel comforted but still frustrated. Of course the Lord was right. His timing is perfect. I have to believe that he meant for Sam and I to have that moment alone. Every other time, Lars was home, or could hurry home. Every other time my neighbor, who is a midwife, was home. Every other time was perfect according to me, at the time. I kept joking that when I finally went into labor that the baby would come with a bang, that I wouldn't have anytime. Everyone laughed at me and told me that was wishful thinking, that I would have plenty of time. When the time really came, it was nothing like I had planned for or expected. 
Of course I've already written about the experience but this post is more about miracles and in this instance, trusting in the Lords timing and plan for each of us. I never ever thought I would have a baby all alone at home. I never thought I would go to my due date, as I never had before, and especially since I had been having contractions for 3 weeks. When the time actually came it was subtle at first and then BANG! Sam was making his arrival. And yet, it was perfect. Contraction on top of contraction, to the point that when i tried to call Lars i could barely talk, not because of pain necessarily but when your stomach muscles are being squeezed that hard you just can't talk. It really wasn't the worst pain I've ever been in, but it is the most intense sensations. I never felt panicky at all. I remember wishing for it to slow down, praying out loud "Please let this slow down enough for Rebecca and Lars to get here"
I think it was by the next contraction that I knew that wasn't going to happen. I gave myself over to the Lord, putting Sam and I in his hands. And that is exactly where we belong. He guided us through perfectly. And as I sat there looking down at my baby, him looking back at me, just the two of us, I knew he was right. His timing is perfect. I am very selfish with my babies.I love to hold them all the time, I hate "sharing" them, so having those moments with Sam just to myself is so precious to me. So the miracle of Sam's birth, the lesson I take away, is that the Lord's time is the perfect time.

Yet, I didn't really learn it the first time around I guess because shortly after Sam was born we decided to rent out our house and buy a house that suited our family's needs better. Thus began that longest few months of my life. We put an offer on a house and things were progressing fairly quickly, until we began to run into roadblock after roadblock. Each time the roadblocks were cleared and things worked out much better than they would have otherwise. The Lord knows our needs. There were several times that we were so close to closing on the house and something would happen to delay it. It was almost deja vu like. I was back to crying to the Lord, telling him I couldn't wait one more minute. Wait I did and things worked out perfectly, much better than my own plans. In fact the roadblocks brought about miracles that wouldn't have come about otherwise. 


There are everyday miracles as well. Things that maybe don't scream divine intervention as much as extraordinary events. Then there are the things that are absolutely ordinary events but in their quiet way scream that there is a divine purpose to life, and there is more beyond this life. Sometimes you have to watch for the miracles and sometimes you'd have to be extremely stubborn not to realize you have witnessed a miracle. What is amazing to me is that often those with the least recognize miracles in their life more than those with much more of this worlds goods. Maybe because they aren't taking for granted things we feel are essentials that really are extras.

This is the season of miracles, or so it is often called. I think we see it that way because we are looking for and are more open to them. Then there is the fact that there are more people bringing about miracles for others as they try to help those with less. I think that is Christ's gift to us. To give us a time where our efforts are more concentrated, more sincere, and more gratefully received. It is a time when we can refocus. It is when we can give him a gift my serving others around us as he would have us do.

Miracles, they happen on a daily basis. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small. Hopefully we can recognize each one and thank our Father in Heaven for them all.

My oh my, how time does fly

Well, here we are. December. Hard to imagine that it is almost 2012. I remember when the year 2000 sounded so far and distant. When it seemed that by the time we got here we would be living like the Jetsons. Yet here we are, and though many amazing advances have been made in so many areas, I still don't have a robot maid. :)

So here is what's been happening in our lives. We rented out our house in Salt Lake City. Put an offer on a short sale, and lived with Lars' brother for 3 months. (An adventure in and of itself, though I am grateful for their generosity) And now here I am. In my new home that I love so much.

The great windstorm of 2011 has come and gone, hopefully for good. We lost a tree from our backyard in Salt Lake City. Thankfully our guardian angels must have been on duty because we were extremely blessed to have sustained no damage to our or our neighbors house.
I had just pulled up out back, I was coming over to do some work at the house. I was about to pull into the parking behind the house when I happened to glance over and thought "Something looks weird about the house" It took me about a millisecond to realize that I could see the house far too clearly. Then I began to panic, sure that there was a large whole in the house. These were the thoughts running through my head as I ran around to the front of the house to check out what damage had been done. "Oh my goodness, this is awful. I can't believe this! Crap! There is a big whole in the house and then we won't be able to rent it out and we will lose both houses and end up on the streets!"
Not dramatic at all. As I rounded the front of the house I stopped in my tracks. "No way", I breathed. The tree had damaged absolutely nothing. Not the fence, not the electrical wires, and most importantly, not the houses. I was stunned. I sent up a quick prayer of gratitude and continued to walk around not quite able to believe that not a single thing had been damaged.

The ironic thing is that the winds by our new home were much stronger, most damage done in Utah by this storm was in our city and the one next to it. And yet I lose my tree in Salt Lake.

So I am grateful. Grateful for small, and big, miracles. We've seen so many, and during this storm we saw and heard of so many. And now we have something to talk about at our upcoming neighborhood emergency preparedness meeting. Though I must say, the way the neighborhoods banned together to help clean up afterward was inspiring and was a great way to kick off the Christmas season. People helping their neighbors and even strangers. Isn't that what it really is about. I'm not grateful for the tragedies but I am grateful for the outpouring of kindness, love, and helpfulness after them. May we carry that through the season and beyond.

The tree as seen from the back parking area

It is amazing that wind can do this

It took down some lighting we had in the backyard but still no damage. 

Look at that, the fence is amazingly not crushed. 

Curse you Pinterest

So I have discovered pinterest. Check it out if you haven't ever heard of it...but beware, it is addicting.
I have found so many ideas I just don't know where to begin. I have tried some of the recipes I've found though and I'm so happy to have yet another source for new recipes. Thank goodness for my iPhone! I don't have to waste hours on my computer, I can look at pinterest while I wait for kids to get out of school, at the drs office, while in line at the grocery store, etc. What did I ever ever do without my loverly iPhone?! Thank you Steve Jobs, may you rest in peace knowing you have made my life, and countless others, more fulfilled because of our iPhones; you should have a direct ticket into heaven. (I'm not even joking)

Okay, so I have some random thoughts. When I lay in bed at night, as I try to fall asleep, I don't usually think about normal things, like bills. I usually have the odd and, like I said before, random thoughts. Such as this beauty.

I'm laying down, Lars is snoring already, Sam is snuggled in my arms. I'm thinking about all the fun times we have as a family, how much I enjoy watching my kids play. Lilli has just learned to ride a two wheeler, no training wheels. I should be photographing this moment, but instead I want to run along side of her, cheering her on. My thought goes something like this, "Should I be taking more pictures/videos of my kids? What will I do someday when I don't have those?" Then I think "That's just silly, I will have my kids, I will have my memories" This leads to my anxiety laden thought, "What if I don't have my memories, what if I get dementia or Alzheimer's?" So my question is this: When all is said and done, when I am nearing the end of my life, or even just when my kids are grown, will I be sad if I don't have pictures depicting each and every event and moment of our lives? Or will I be happy I enjoyed being involved in those events rather than on the sidelines taking pictures, always behind the camera? I'm not saying I don't love photos and capturing moments and memories, but what if I don't get every vacation, every cake, every moment? Will I feel I missed out on something or will I feel I captured it more fully by participating instead of photographing? I realize it isn't always an either or thing, you can have both...to an extent. As I have had more kids and as the older ones have started to grow up a little, I find myself taking less pictures of every event. I take some spontaneous pictures here or there, and of course Christmas, Disneyland, and the like. But not as many and not as often. There is just too much to see, do, and enjoy to stop and take a picture every time. I don't know, I haven't decided though. Maybe I'll start taking more pictures, maybe I'll take less. I'll have to mull it over a little more. When all is said and done, I can't take them with me, and once a moment has passed, it has passed and I can't do anything about it if I haven't taken a picture, I just have to be happy with the moments wether or not I have a photo of it.
Yup, that was how it went. And eventually I fell asleep and dreamt I was taking pictures. Such is the stuff of late night musings.

There are more midnight random thoughts I could share, but I think I have rambled enough for one post. ;)

We are getting so close to getting our new house!!! And may I say once again, I L-O-V-E my iPhone! (I started this post last week and am just getting around to finishing it.) I don't know how I could have done all I needed to do, such as sending, finding, signing paperwork, without my iPhone and the internet. Ok, I know it can, and I have before, be done but it is so much better this way.

Can't wait to move into my house so I can start doing some of my Pinterests! :)

I think I may move to Disneyland

Car breakdowns, Dr appointments, parent teacher conferences (and somebody's first, and last, F), good news, waiting, and new tires. If it wasn't for the good news thrown in I probably wouldn't be blogging right now, I'd be in Disneyland (debt be DA...nged!) 

So, my car had started making a scraping sound whenever I would brake. I told Lars and he got on in right away, or at least within a few days. The problem started though, when he thought it was the front brakes and not the back. He bought all the parts to fix the front and spent a few hours working on it, only to find that the front brakes were in great condition. Time for a new plan. Lars planned on fixing the car a couple days later since he had parent teacher conferences for his own students and then we had parent teacher conferences for our kids the day after that. Sadly, the car had other plans for us. I had dropped kids off at school as usual. First the Jr high kids and then off to the elementary school where, since we aren't living at our new house yet so we commute, we wait 30 minutes until school starts. Today I had to leave right away and get back to the Jr high, often I spend the first part of the morning in Lilli's class helping out. Today, however, 7th grade parents had a SEOP presentation to attend. So I headed back down the hill to BJH. Went to the presentation, learned...well, not a lot. Went back to the car and decided to nurse Sam before running some more errands and getting Lilli from kindergarten. After a few relaxing minutes of nursing I put Sam into his car seat, move up to the front, start the car, check behind me and start backing out when...CLUNK! There was a horrible noise and the car shook. I was sure I had backed into something but since I was looking behind me I was quite confused. I quickly pulled back into the parking spot, nearly hyperventilating and absolutely trembling. I shakily get out of the car and make sure I was right and nothing was there. I was, of course, (haha) right. I got back in the car and took a few long deep breaths to try to get my adrenaline levels back to normal. Once I could no longer hear my heart beating loudly in my head my thoughts turned to the only logical explanation of what had happened. My once easy brake repair had just turned into a complicated expensive job. Plus I was stuck at the Jr high with only an hour before I needed to pick up Lilli. I finally got ahold of Lars and told him about our problem, then I called my childhood hero, the person I can always count on, my Grandpa. He drove 20 minutes to come to my rescue. We went and waited for Lilli to get out and took care of a few phone calls Grandpa needed me to make (address changes for bills etc.) Then we got lunch and went back to the car so I could go exchange the brake parts and see what else I might need. When we got to the car my heart sank even lower, there was fluid leaking from the back...brake fluid...A LOT of it. I took a picture and sent it to Lars. (I love technology!) Then I went to Auto Zone in Bountiful. There I met the most helpful guys around. They listened to my woes, helped me figure out the right parts, and commiserated with me. Then they helped me carry my rear brakes and rotors to the car. I seriously love these guys and just want to bake them cookies or something. If any of you out this way ever need car parts go see these guys, it was a bright spot in an otherwise cloudy morning. (Figuratively speaking. Literally speaking it was far too hot for a late September day) To finish up the story, Lars was able to fix it and it didn't cost nearly as much as feared. We only had to buy one additional part, a rear caliper. (Whatever that does)

On to the good news...the bank counter-offered on the house and it is within the price range we had decided on for ourselves!! We are getting close now. Fingers crossed and prayers being said that the loan goes through quickly so we can close and move in! Any and all prayers, chants, finger-crossing, or whatever you do for good luck would be greatly appreciated. :-)

Poor Lilli had to get 7 cavities filled. She, unfortunately, has inherited the Andersen teeth. She did so amazing though! She was so good and laid there so quiet and let them do the work without complaint. Afterwards though she was quite upset, she HATED the feeling of being numb. I definitely felt for her, I dread that feeling when I need work done too. She has vowed to brush her teeth "Lots during the day, every day" so she doesn't have as many cavities next time.

Oscar goes in tomorrow for dental work, thank goodness he has matured a bit since he was Lilli's age. He was AWFUL to take to the dentist. 

Last but certainly not least is....Samuel the Great! Sam had his four month check up. He is off the charts in height (or length, depending on how you look at it) and 90 something in weight. Official stats are:

28 inches long

16.8 pounds

He is doing perfect, which we already knew, but it is nice to have the Dr agree. 

Sam's various nicknames as of this moment are (In order of most used to least used, or newest)

Stink

Agent stink

Champ

Sammy boo (That one is Lilli)

Little man

Agent S

Stinkaroo

Perhaps you've noticed a theme amongst most of those. Sam is a champion farter. It's true. He is truly amazing. And it makes him so darn happy. ;-)

So I think I covered most of our news for now. I have more to say but Lars keeps giving me dirty looks for clacking away on the keyboard as he tries to sleep so I shall sign off for now.

Until next time, remember to cross your fingers, eyes, toes and nose that we get into our house soon.

I'd appreciate it, THANKS! :)

Dang computers

Well I had written this wonderful eloquent post earlier today. Then as I tried to publish it my internet crashed and didn't save anything. So you'll just have to my word for it that it was a clever, witty, and, as mentioned above, eloquent post.

That being said, here is a quick recap of the lost post.

Oscar turned 14, he is an awesome and talented kid. LOVE HIM!
Emma turned 13, she is amazing and organized, I envy that trait. LOVE HER!
Sam is turning 4 months and is a TANK! Will post 4 months stats after his checkup next week.

We live in Bountiful, UT and really love it. Still waiting for our house...dang short sales take so stinking long!

That's about it for now. I'll write an actual post soon, I hope. Check out my food blog to see what I've been up to in the kitchen. (Promise it is always yummy!)

Wooooosh

Summer is gone. It didn't feel like the slow lazy days of summer. It FLEW right on by! And as the seasons change and we transition to school and fall, our family is experiencing many transitions and changes. We have rented out the house that we had put so much blood, sweat, and tears into. It was simply time for a change for our family. My grandpa has been living with us since last August/September. We love having him with us but in our house he just had one little room to himself. That along with the simple and clear feeling that there was a house out there waiting for our family, put I motion our search for a new home that better suits our current family situation. Well, we have found the home and now are waiting, relying on the generosity of family as our house rented faster than our new house can close. We have moved from Salt lake City to Bountiful. We have uprooted the kids and transplanted them hoping to see them flourish and yet fearing they would wilt slightly from the move and changes. Happily they have thrived! They all have wonderful schools and teachers that seem to be an incredible fit for their personalities. Oscar and Emma were worried about moving from their small charter school to a bigger Jr High but the administration and faculty at this school are amazingly kind and helpful. I told the kids they are so lucky because they have what seems to be the nicest school counselor available, I remember thinking that it was a requirement for school counselors to be grumpy and unhelpful when I was a kid.
Overall we are so happy with our decision, we are just crossing our fingers, toes, eyes, legs, and arms that the buying of our new home goes quickly and smoothly. If any of you out there want to join in by crossing your fingers and maybe sending up a prayer or two on our behalf, we wouldn't mind at all.

Sam, my sweet "little" baby is now 3 months old! How?! I don't get it ;) He weighs about 16 1/2 lbs and is a smiling cutie! He brings a wonderful spirit to our family with his sweetness and we all just love him more than words can express. He fits in our family perfectly.

Lilli has started kindergarten. She loves it and I'm doing ok with it so far. Next year though she'll leave me full day and that will be even harder. Her teacher is wonderful and fun though, and I know Lilli is going to have a great year.

Henry is in 5th grade and has an AMAZING teacher!! I am so happy, it is exactly what he needs!

Oscar turned 14! Aaaaahhhh!!!!! How is that possible. He is an amazing kid, um teenager I mean. He is so talented in art and music. He also has a fun sense of humor. Love him and hope we made his birthday special.

Emma's birthday is in 2 weeks! I'll write more about her then.

The kids have all been so great about the move. They are being so patient and doing well despite having to mesh two families and lifestyles into one home.

That's about it for us right now. Hopefully now that Sam is a little bigger and on more of a predictable schedule I can find a minute here and there to blog a bit. I'll add pics soon!

6 weeks

So it is July already. Summer is quickly passing us by. Sam is 6 weeks old! September will soon be here and Oscar will turn 14 and Emma will be 13!
Life is good. The kids are all doing well and Sam is growing like a weed. He was 12 lbs at 4 weeks old and probably has gained quite a few oz since then. He is awake more and more and the kids are just waiting for him to start "doing things". ;) I tell them not to try to make him grow up too fast, let Mama enjoy the newborn phase as long as possible. He is a cutie and I'm afraid he really is going to try to catch up to the other kids. At 3 weeks old he started rolling over every time we put him on his stomach for the oh-so-important tummy time that drs go on and on about. BUT I can't keep him on his stomach! He rolls over every time after a minute or so. When he isn't rolling over he looks like he is already trying to crawl away. We'll see what happens when he can actually control his body a little more.
Not a lot else is happening. Oscar just got back from Scout camp. It turned out to be an expensive trip for us as he lost his glasses and the filling from a tooth fell out. So add two more things to the "need to be paid" list.
Emma just left this morning for her first girls camp. She was nervous and a little sad about leaving us for a week but I know she is going to have a great time. Thankfully last night one of our niece-in-laws (haha), Stephanie, was telling Emma how much fun this particular camp is and how you just make tons of friends etc. It helped Emma feel so much better. Thank you Stephanie, I am in your debt for helping my sweet girl! Sadly we will be gone on our trip to San Francisco when Emma gets back so I won't be here to pick her up and greet her. :( I wish they hadn't changed the dates of her camp! Oh well, not a lot I can do about that now. I hope she has an amazing time and can't wait to see her next week when I get back!
Henry is too young for any overnighters with scouts still but he does get to stay at his cousins for almost a week while we are in San Francisco. He is very excited about that.
It's safe to say the kids have had a pretty good summer so far.
We went camping with some of our good friends this past weekend. We had a blast and the kids were in heaven being able to play with their best friends. We adults had a good time chatting and watching the kids get very very dirty. Summer isn't complete without at least one camping trip. (I'll get some pictures up soon) Sam did great on the campout. Thankfully we have our pop up tent trailer. It is the best. Really is the perfect combination of camping and comfort.

That about covers us for now, I doubt I'll find the time to post again until after our trip. Until then friends...enjoy the summer!

Andersen's new groove

I know I've a been a little scarce this past month, having a new baby will do that. We are finding our groove and learning Sam's routine. :)
In reality we haven't been doing much but feeding Sam, changing Sam, and holding Sam...and we LOVE it. When it comes to a blog though those things don't make for very exciting posts as we are doing basically the same thing over and over. We are learning how to venture out of the house though so Summer can now begin for us. My kids may not love it as much since that means I may actually get them up before noon at this point. (Mean Mom, I know)
Sam is doing great! He weighs 11 lbs 3 oz now so he is gaining about 1 lb a week thus far. He is just a little porker, he loves to eat. (The bigger kids have noticed this as well as every time they ask to hold him he is either eating or getting ready to eat.)
In a couple weeks we get to go to San Francisco. I'm really excited about this as I have never been there. I, of course, have a list of things I want to see and places to visit. I have to visit this fortune cookie factory. I LOVE fortune cookies and I think it will be fun to see them made and eat some fresh fortune cookies!

Oops, time to feed Sam again. I'll have to try to post more about our upcoming trip later, between feedings. :)

Sam-I-Am

My sister took some pictures the other day. They turned out so cute; of course, how could they not given the main subject. :)

These are just a couple of the pictures. We really need a family photo with Sam so hopefully I can get my sister or my friend, Ian, to come take some pictures soon. (Ian took our last family photos, which was 2 years ago. WOW, time really does fly!)

I can't believe a week has passed since Sam was born. It seems like such a short amount of time and yet I have a hard time imagining that there was a time he wasn't with us. We are just so happy he is a part of our family. 

Due Date Baby!

Samuel Champney Andersen finally made his arrival, Saturday May 28th, 2011. We are so happy he is here and are all so in love with him, he is such a happy addition to our family.

Saturday morning I saw my midwife at 10am for a checkup. I was dilated 3 cm and was 70% thinned out. (If that doesn't make sense to you then  you've never had a baby and probably shouldn't ask too many questions until you do.) ;)
I got home about 10:45am and was having some cramping but that is normal after an internal check. No contractions or anything.
I ran over to my friend's house to buy a piece of pottery for a gift for my wonderful midwife. That was just about 11:00 because he was going to a funeral and his wife said he would only be at the studio until 11:15 at the latest. I came home, was still cramping a bit but nothing different than my contractions/cramping that I'd been having over the last month. Lars left to pick up his Mom to go to said funeral at about 11:45. After he left I put on a show that I had wanted to finish and lay down on my bed. I ended up dozing off and was awakened a few times by contractions, as well as kids. The contractions were a little different so I thought that MAYBE I was finally going into labor for real. (I had several false alarms throughout the preceding weeks so I didn't get too excited yet) Lilli came in at one point and wanted to watch a show on my computer. I put it on for her and went back to sleep for a few more minutes. That is when I noticed that my contractions were coming pretty regularly. This had to have been only about 12:45. I decided to get up and move around and see if they kept coming. They did and were actually fairly strong. I decided to take a warm bath and see if that stopped them (which it often does if it is false or pre-labor) or if they increased or strengthened. I told Lilli I'd be in the tub if she needed anything. Once in the tub the contractions really increased in strength and were only about 1-2 minutes apart. I thought for sure this was false labor because of how quickly they had gone from irregular to close, fast, strong contractions. I had been through this before. But they continued to grow in strength with each contraction. I felt like I should call my midwife and tell her to come as I thought I was at least starting real labor. I called her, according to my cell phone, at 1:34 and she said she'd get ready and head over. (She had been napping as she had assisted in a delivery the night before.) I called Lars and by this time my contractions were so close together that all I could say was "Come home right now, I'm having contractions!" No sooner had I hung up then I felt I needed to push. I thought "That isn't possible. I just started having contractions an hour ago, I can't be ready to push!" It was a relentless feeling though and my body took over and I started to push. My water broke and I needed to push again and his head crowned. One more urge to push and he was out! Less than four hours after seeing my midwife and being barely dilated I delivered my sweet boy by myself in the bathtub, at 1:51pm. (as close as we can tell from the phone calls. ;} )
He was perfect. I held him to my chest and rubbed his back and he started crying right away. I picked up my towel and covered him up and just stared in awe at my darling little baby. I couldn't believe it. I called my midwife and announced
"Ummmm, I have a baby!"
"What?! I'm just getting in my car now to drive over to your house!"
She asked a few questions to make sure we were stable and I got off the phone so I could focus on my sweet little boy. Lars arrived home at about that point and helped me to our room.
Now, to give a little other info to get a bigger picture of what was happening at my house during this time. While I was having a baby most of the kids were downstairs, as was Grandpa. Lilli, as I said, was watching a show in my room. At one point I heard her fighting with Oscar and Oscar knocked on the bathroom door to ask me something. I remember clearly saying "I can't talk right now go downstairs!" Must have been something in my voice because he listened ;)
Right about the moment the baby made his entrance into the world Lilli started knocking on the bathroom door. Then she heard the baby cry. "Hey Mom! How is the baby crying??" (We had discussed how babies can't cry inside mom's belly)
"Well, because he's out." I said.
"Let me in, let me see, let me in!" She kept saying over and over. Enter Lars and we are back to where I was a second ago.
My midwife arrived about 15 minutes later. She cut the cord etc., cleaned us up, and examined us. She stayed around for a few hours to make sure we were well and stable and then she left us to rest and get to know our sweet little baby.

So the million dollar question, or at least the one everyone is asking, was I scared? In short, no.
There was a moment in which I realized that this was really happening, I remember praying for things to slow down a little so Rebecca, my midwife, could make it to my house. A moment later I just knew that wasn't going to happen and I told myself over and over "I can do anything" I knew it would all be fine. I had been through this 4 other times at any rate.
It wasn't scary and it never entered my mind to call 911, which I'm told by most people that they would have. It wasn't a medical emergency and like I said, I just knew everything was going to work out just fine. I caught my baby myself and now I know I can do anything.  :) It was a wonderful and special moment in my life; unforgettable, unique, and private. I couldn't be happier. Lars says he is glad he wasn't there as he probably would've freaked out, I have more confidence in him though. I think he would have done just fine. Either way we are all happy with the end result, a happy and healthy baby and Mama.

The funniest thing is that once my midwife was there we told Lilli to go tell Grandpa that Sam was here. She did and we heard Henry scoff at her "Lilli, we all know Sam isn't here yet." She yelled at him that yes he is and that he is in mom's room. Henry came upstairs and as he walked by my room said "Pshhh, Lilli is trying to trick us that Sam is here." We all started laughing and told him to come look. He couldn't believe it and went to tell Grandpa that Sam really was here. :-) It is moments like this that make home-birth so amazing and wonderful.

I had envisioned a different birth. I had planned on hanging out at the house and watching Little Women with Rebecca (We had started to watch when I was in labor with Lilli) Then I was going to get in the birthing pool we had set up. I would labor there for awhile and have a calm water birth. Sam had other ideas. So, no, it wasn't quite as I planned but it turned out wonderful. The Lord knows us, he knows what experiences we can handle, and though I never thought that was something I could do, he was with me every moment, I was never really alone. We feel so blessed in our home right now. The Lord really does work in mysterious ways, and I am in awe at how well he knows each of us and how you really can feel "carried" when you need it most.
So nobody should be in awe of me, just our Father in Heaven and his love for us.  We are all capable of more than we think, and when we feel we are at the edge, he carries us.

Welcome to the world Sam, you have quite a story to tell already

Soon after being born
8 lbs 13 oz
22 1/2 in

Sweet Sam at 2 days old

An awake moment. I just love this little guy!

Where oh where can my baby be

Just a few days till the official due date and no baby yet. I know he has to come out eventually but I'd rather sooner than later. I'm trying to just take it in stride, trying to just be patient but it isn't easy.

So that is all really, I'm off to cook a ton of cookies to console my big pregnant self :)
If you are hungry stop by tonight for cookies.

No news isn't always good news

I have no news of baby yet; that is NOT good news to me. As I mentioned before, I am not patient.  I am impatiently awaiting the arrival of my little boy, the kids are anxiously awaiting and asking daily when he is coming out. BUT I am trying to enjoy day to day life and be happy. Happy that I've had a healthy pregnancy. Happy that my little boy is still doing so well inside. Happy that the kids are so excited for their new little brother. Happy to be a mom. And yet...I'm bigger than I've ever been, my belly has never measured at 40 weeks before. I'm more swollen than ever before. I am more achy than ever before (probably due to the being bigger thing.) and yet this little guy is determined to stay in longer than any of the kids before him. It could happen at any moment, or in a week. AND I HATE the unknown!

Come out come out little guy! We are ready to welcome you into our family!

While we wait...

Until I have stats on the newest Andersen I thought I'd give some comparison stats of the other kids 

Oscar
Born 10 days before due date
 7 lbs 14 oz

Emma
Born 13 days before due date
 7 lbs 3 oz

Henry
Born 7 days before due day
 8 lbs 5 oz

Lilli
Born 18 days before due date
8 lbs even

This baby is coming soon. There are only 11 days until my due date. We shall see when he decides to make his arrival, and hopefully he isn't the biggest ;)

A pregnancy in pictures

Ready or not...I'm ready

I know I have nothing to complain about. I'm only 37 1/2 weeks. I haven't even hit my due date; BUT I am so very ready to meet this little baby! I am not a patient person when it comes to waiting for things. For example, if I decide I want a haircut I want to do it right then (Which has led to many hair disasters because I couldn't wait to go to a good hairstylist.) :)
So now that it is "okay" for the baby to come I want him to come. I want to hold him, and look at his cute little face. I want to hear his cries and rock him to sleep. I want to watch his older brothers and sisters hold him and marvel at the little miracle that babies are. I AM READY!! But he is happy and comfy in his snug home, I'm sending an eviction notice though, "Baby, it is time to come out and meet the world!"

I promise, I didn't pray for patience or anything, but it seems the Lord is trying to teach me patience. It doesn't help that my feet are so huge that my skin burns from being stretched so tight or that my belly measures 2 weeks ahead of schedule and that makes me slightly afraid of how big he may be. (Please little guy, come out before you hit 9 lbs!!!!)

Mostly though, I just want to hold this little baby. I mean that is the point of getting pregnant, to have a baby and I am more than ready to have this baby.

Everybody chant with me tonight... "Baby today is a good day for a birthday!" ;)

I've never been this big with any of the other kids. My belly is HUGE!

Hopefully next time I post (which will be soon) will be about his Birth Day.

MAY

It is May! The countdown is only 3 weeks and 4 days till my due date! This baby is coming soon!!!

Lilli has her birthday on Saturday. I can't believe she will be 5. Where did those 5 years go? She is such a sweet girl and we are so happy to have her in our family. We all love her so much. The kids fight over who gets to play with her. (The fighting isn't so great but the love for her is awesome) :)

I may have mentioned it in my last post but Lilli is convinced that the baby will be born on her birthday. I highly doubt it as that is the very first day he will be considered full term but stranger things have happened. We shall see. (I wouldn't mind)

Henry just celebrated his 10th birthday. He was going to have a birthday party but then we found out the his one and only true love, Selena Gomez, is coming to Salt Lake in concert he decided to wait and see the show instead. He is so cute about his crush on her. Can't believe my happy little baby is now 10. He is creative, inventive, and a wonderful part of our family.

That is really about it at our house. I just wanted to post briefly about the kids birthdays and to celebrate the fact that it is MAY!

Before I forget (again)

Here is the baby quilt I made for our new little guy.

Turned out pretty darn good. (I'm not really bragging, it is more surprise than boasting) :)

Here comes the son...

Just about 4 weeks left till our baby boy arrives. I have reached the end of pregnancy woes. I start to get impatient to hold my baby, my ankles and feet swell and hurt, and I don't get more than a few hours of sleep at a time at night (Preparation for when baby gets up every couple hours when he makes his arrival I suppose) 

I can still find joy in feeling my little one moving and watching my belly jump and roll. There are many humorous situations that come with the largeness of the pregnant belly and lack of stomach muscles. It is fun to lay with my stomach to Lars' back and have the baby keep Lars awake too by constantly kicking his daddy. ;) So what if I can't fit into any of my shoes right? :)

I am grateful and feel so blessed for the lack of complications I enjoy during pregnancy. Sure I feel tired a lot and sick at the beginning but I haven't had to deal with any major problems. I'm not one of those poor ladies that ends up hospitalized because they can't keep anything down. I don't have high blood pressure, I haven't ever had gestational diabetes, and thus far my labors and deliveries have gone smoothly and with relatively little pain. 

So it could be 2 weeks or so till baby comes if he follows his siblings patterns. 2 WEEKS! Wow! That is so close and yet there are moments when it feels oh so far away. How can a week look like a month on the calendar and then fly by in reality? (Pregnancy, thats how.) 

Lilli is anxiously awaiting her baby brother. She wants him to come on her birthday which is his first technical "full term" date. (I will be 37 weeks at that point) She talks to him through my belly button (naturally) and tells him to come on May 7th. It is cute but I think in the end she'll be happier if they are at least a couple days apart. 

So don't expect tons of posts from me until the baby is born. Sitting at the computer for too long makes my fat feet even fatter. ;) (Plus I have pregnancy induced carpal tunnel in both hands and my fingers go numb if I type too much.)

Also I am so stinking busy taking naps when I can in between trying to scrub the house. (Only slightly kidding...about the scrubbing anyhow. LOL)

I will for sure post pics of the new baby once comes! Until then Happy Spring everyone!

APRIL

So happy it is April. Not only is a great month in general but this means I am due to have the baby NEXT month! So great to be able to say that! 

It is also a birthday month at our house. Today is Lars birthday. I took him to dinner on Friday, made him a great breakfast this morning, and the dessert he asks for every year for tonight. (It is a meringue crust with chocolate pudding inside. It really is good.)

My birthday is in 3 days and Henry turns 10 in a couple weeks. Like I said it is a great month, so many special days. :)

As implied above we are getting close to our newest little one's arrival. I'm very excited as well as stressed. I feel like I need to deep clean my whole house but he will come no matter what state my home is in and life will go on and we will be just fine. Mostly I am just excited and can't wait for the next few weeks to pass so he will be full term and ready to arrive when he is ready. (Plus I'm not sure I can get much bigger, seriously, when you are short there just isn't much room for things to grow.) But I am waddling along and trying to just enjoy every kick and wiggle while he is still growing inside. He is in all likelihood the last for us (not gonna commit to saying he is because we thought Lilli would be too.) so I try to remember that this could be the last time I experience any of this, which is a little sad for me. But I am also a very impatient person so I also can't wait for him to be in my arms. 

I know a lot of this is a repeat of things I've said in my most recent posts but it is what's on my mind of course. Time will of course pass and I'll just try to enjoy every moment. 

Happenings

Here's whats been happening in our lives lately. :)

I had an appointment with my midwife on Monday. The baby is still head down which is such a relief for me. Lilli was stubborn when she was on the inside (Ok she still can be a little) ;) Anyhow, she did not want to turn head down. They finally had to turn her manually at 37 weeks. Apparently having her head in my ribs was just so dang comfy...for her. Anyhow, that is an experience I do not want to repeat! I have given birth without drugs 3 times and nothing compares to having them turn Lilli. Obviously I made it through just fine and if I had to I would have this one turned as well, it is much preferable to a C-section.
At any rate, so far this little one likes to be head down and we will just hope and pray he stays that way until he makes his arrival. (Which is coming up so fast, just about 9 weeks to go!!) Everything else looks great with the baby and I so we'll just keep on growing for another little while.

The next bit of news is so exciting and an answer to my prayers, literally. We found our missing hard drive!! All my pictures from the last 10 years or so are not lost as we had feared! So happy, seriously words cannot describe.

Last weekend, my dear wonderful friend Melissa was in town with her girls. It was so wonderful to spend time with her and the kids all had a great time playing together. I don't actually have any photos of the time they spent here but the memories are stored and that is what counts. :) Living in a state I didn't grow up in at all has one major disadvantage, I don't get to see my friends from teenage years. When people I know talk about how they got together with all their high school friends I do feel a little jealous, or sad or something. I think it makes it so my kids forget that I was young because they don't often get to see me with people from my past. To them life for me started when I became a mom because that is all they see evidence of. Anyhow, it is always so wonderful to me to reconnect with my past and most especially with Melissa. It was a short visit but still very nice. Hopefully we can see each other again soon.

I have also made a little more progress with my quilt. I basted it together so now all that needs to be done  is the quilting of the layers and the binding. I will post pictures as soon as it is finished.

On a side note, if anyone is interested in a rabbit we have one we need to get rid of. He is attacking our other male rabbit trying to fight over our female and so he is having to stay caged which I hate. So if you are interested.... :)

I guess that's about it right now. I'm sure I'll think of something interesting to write soon, but wether or not I actually get on and write it is a whole other thing. We shall see.

March...time marches on

Time does keep marching on, sometimes faster than it seems I can keep up with. Everyday I'm sure I'm doing to get a million things done and often I only get a few or other things come up that take priority. And yet time keeps on going. March has been like this for me. I really thought this month would drag but here we are half way through it and I am down to close to 10 weeks till my due date. With how quickly time is going he'll be here before we know it. (And we can't wait, love this little guy so much already!)

This week just turned out crazy. Sunday night at dinner Grandpa  suddenly got up and said he was feeling cold and went into his room where he has a small space heater to keep his room extra toasty. I went to check on him a bit later and he had a fever and chills. He usually only gets this when he has pneumonia, but that usually starts out with a simple cold or cough and then he gets the fever later. This time however he hadn't been sick at all leading up to this so we took a wait and see approach thinking it must be some other bug. Monday he thought he felt a little better but was still battling a fever and weakness. Tuesday morning he was convinced he was on the mend but by the afternoon he was feeling just awful. Shortly before dinner I talked to him about going to the hospital and he readily agreed. I had a meeting at church so Lars decided to take him so I could still go to my meeting. So the kids and I headed off to church and Lars and Gramps headed to over to the VA hospital. They confirmed pneumonia and decided to keep him at least overnight.
Then my dishwasher decided not to work. Perfect and such good timing. So add to the mix pregnant hormones and you had me, one overwhelmed woman. But again time keeps on moving and here we are Thursday evening. Grandpa is back home and feeling much better thanks to the modern miracle of antibiotics, Lars has fixed the dishwasher for half the price the repairman wanted, and I am feeling much happier. (It is amazing how much a broken dishwasher can reek havoc when you are so used to having one!)

So for the moment life is a bit more calm. March will keep on marching and blossom into April and before you know it we will have celebrated three April birthdays, one May birthday and the baby will be here. I'm sure I'll face another "crisis" or two before then, and I am starting to get the nesting bug. (Meaning that I realize the baby is coming soon and it will be a long time before I can really clean my house once he comes so I NEED to do it now.) The kids may not be too happy with me over the next 7-10 weeks. Chores, chores, and more chores! (I should have an evil laugh after that but I've never been very good at evil laughs. Oh well.)

On a very happy note, one of my dearest friends is coming into town this weekend with some of her kids. It will be a fun weekend full of chatting and playing! It doesn't get much better than that.

That's about it for the moment at the Andersen home. Monday is full of appointments. Henry has a dr appt, I have an appt with my midwife, and we have an appt to get our taxes done. (That will be such a relief) I might have something more to update then.

Love is...

...probably not what you think. But to me, at this moment, this is love, true bliss.

That's right! My Thin Mints came! You couldn't find a happier pregnant girl anywhere at this second. :)

Each bite is worth every cent (Or dollar if you want to keep it real.) 

They are just what I need to cheer me up on a day like this.

March...why do you have to keep this up? Let it be spring, PLEASE!

At least I can enjoy a few (ahem, sleeves) thin mints with hot chocolate tonight since it is snowy. I'll get to enjoy my frozen thin mints a little later. ;)

Where did this thing come from

Seriously just popped out! ;)

27 weeks. I swear this shirt was much looser 2 weeks ago! :)

I think my belly has grown upwards all it can, it will be straight out from here. Soon I will be as many inches out as I am tall. ;) But come on, who doesn't love a big belly? 

Getting there

I am 27 weeks now, which means 13 weeks left until my due date. (Though I anticipate/hope to go a little early since I have with all my other kids but who knows.) Also I am officially in my 3rd trimester! The last leg of this exciting journey and a step closer to the next exciting journey (Actually having another baby!) :)

People ask me if I am ready and the answer is yes and no. I am enjoying this pregnancy and as it is most likely the last I will be kind of sad to see it end. I am anxious to have the baby here and hold him and snuggle him. I'm not "ready" as far as things go but they are just things and I have all I truly need. I am not worried about "having" another kid. I don't think it will be that much of a change to go from 4 to 5 kids. 3 to 4 wasn't that big of a transition either. (2 to 3 kids that was a transition) ;)
So I am ready for the baby but I'm okay with finishing out this pregnancy and waiting for his time to arrive. I will just try to enjoy every second I can of the pregnancy and then do the same with the baby once he is born. (Lilli on the other hand isn't so patient and simply can't wait until he comes.)

So though I'm happy with being pregnant, I am counting down the weeks and days until I get to hold my sweet new little one in my arms. And like I said...we are getting there.

One of my loves

Maybe I have mentioned this before, I'm not sure and don't plan on reading all my blog posts right now to find out. I love love love The Beatles! I love that their music seems to have such diversity. When you compare songs like Honey Pie (Not wild version), Girl, and I Will to songs such as Helter Skelter (not a favorite of mine), What Goes On, Wild Honey Pie, I Want you, and Come Together. They just all seem such different stylings. It's part of what I love.
There are just so many wonderful, musically genius, iconic songs. Is there anyone out there that doesn't love at least 5 Beatles songs? Seriously, if you don't speak up. (In all honesty though you probably just need some couch time listening to some of the best of The Beatles to come around.)

I have to go now, my Beatles playlist and my housecleaning await me. :)

(IF you don't think you like The Beatles ask me for my favorite songs, I'm sure you'll find at least a couple that you'll LOVE)

Gotta love normal

So at my appointment on Monday I had to have a battery of blood tests common at this stage of pregnancy. I also get the extra blood taken out for my thyroid check. My midwife emailed me last night to let me know that everything is well in the normal range! So happy! One of the tests is a glucose test as some women develop diabetes during pregnancy. (It goes away after usually.) Anyhow I am so happy that my levels were completely normal and I can continue to eat S'mores ;)

When it comes to pregnancy you can't ask for better than normal.

Growing and quilting

The growing ;) 26 weeks at this point

The quilting....Duck Duck Goose

Lilli was very helpful in deciding where all the pieces should go. Not necessarily how
I would have done it but baby won't care and it made big sister very proud and happy! :)

The finished top- now to actually quilt it

99

Just celebrating some pregnancy milestones :)
I officially have less than 100 days till my due date and only 14 weeks to go! In one week I'll be in my third trimester and on the last leg of this pregnancy. Baby is doing great, kicking like crazy and obviously growing (as indicated by my every growing belly!)
I'll post pictures of both my growing belly and also of the quilt I'm working on for the baby, it is so cute!

Balentines day

We had a fun valentines day. I got all the kids a little treat and I even woke up early to make a nice big breakfast. French toast, fried potatoes, bacon.  It was a yummy way to start the day.
When I picked up Lilli from school she was so excited to show off all her valentines. "Look Mom! Look at my Balentines!"  I tried to correct her and tell her it was Valentines- with a V. "No it's not! It is Balentines! B-B-B-B...like Ballet!" She was too cute and proud of herself I just couldn't correct her again. ;)

For dinner I made Curry chicken, Rice, and Naan (And Indian bread). I also made danish meatballs as most of the kids don't like curry. It was a multicultural meal. :) I rounded the meal off with strawberry cupcakes and German chocolate cake. Check out my food blog for recipes if you are interested.

Lars brought me flowers (Sunflowers!) so that made it a truly happy day for me.

Baking blog

I'm going to be entering the daring bakers challenge. I decided to make a separate blog for my food posts to go along with it.

Come take a look and drool a little.

It's that time again

It is time once again for the big T word...taxes. I think I am actually slightly more prepared this year. (See my posts from 2009 and 2010) For once I feel mostly ready. Lars has a couple business things to get done before we can actually get our taxes done but for the most part we are ready! Unfortunately our tax man is unwell this year so we have to go to a colleague of his this go round. That just seems strange as Lowell has done our taxes for about 14 years now. Maybe it is 13 but either way I trust the guy and feel comfortable with him doing our taxes. I'm sure everything will be just fine and it isn't as though our taxes are all that complicated but it is still slightly unnerving for me. Oh well...as the song says "Que sera sera...what will be will be." (But I'm still keeping my fingers and toes crossed, just in case.)

On another note- I watched a great movie with a wonderful friend today. Eat, Pray, Love
Who has seen this? I loved it! It was sweet and the ending was perfect. Julia Roberts was fantastic and plus there are tons of scenes with Italian men and their fabulous accents. {Have I ever mentioned I'm a sucker for accents- obviously it was Lars' danish/utah accent that pulled me to him ;) }
This movie is full of wonderful accents and foreign languages as well as beautiful scenery from many of those places. The story was good and...well basically if you like chick flicks then this is one you shouldn't miss! To top it all off I enjoyed the company of a good friend who doesn't judge me if I get a little misty-eyed during the movie. :)  The movie was followed by some good conversation and that made the afternoon just perfect. Thanks for a fun afternoon Tiffini!

Now I am enjoying a quiet house and as soon as I'm done eating my bowl of cereal and typing this I may actually clean up the house while they are all at the movies(No promises but I do have good intentions)
I am going to take a nap ;)

Something delicious and also a failure

So I wanted to share one of our family's favorite recipes. It is meatloaf. My kids LOVE it. When I was a kid I remember meatloaf being the meal to dread, but from the first time I made it for my kids they all LOVED it (Well except for Lilli but she doesn't like anything so I really don't take it personally)
It is funny that they all love it so much because other than meatloaf most of them won't really eat ground beef at all. When it is other dishes they usually eat around it. Explain that one. ;) So here is the recipe for the BEST meatloaf ever. The sauce is a MUST. We usually eat it with rice, it is oh so delicious!

Meatloaf*

2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup finely crushed saltines
1/2 cup chopped onion**
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rubbed or ground sage
Dash pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef

Sauce***
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add milk, saltines, onion, salt, sage, and pepper. Add beef and mix well. Shape into an 8 1/2 in x 4 1/2 in loaf in an ungreased shallow baking pan. Combine sause ingredients and spread 3/4 cup over meatloaf. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour (I usually check it with a meat thermometer until it is at 170 degrees in the middle of the loaf.


* I usually double the recipe so we have a loaf leftover. you can freeze it but we like to leave it in the fridge for leftovers for the week. The kids love to take it to school and I love it the next day for lunch.
** I substitute onion powder here, my family doesn't like chunks of onions
***I ALWAYS double the sauce even if we don't make two loaves, if I make two loaves I triple it. We all love the sauce SO much, so it never goes to waste. 


Well, since I'm posting something wonderful I thought I'd post one of my failures as well. I don't know if it is from being tired or having pregnant/mommy brain but here's what happened. I was making rolls the other day. Rolls that I have made a billion times before. They are light and delicious and buttery. What is not to love about them?
I threw the ingredients into my bread machine and then when it was time went to take the dough out and it had not risen AT ALL! How is this possible...I wondered. And then it hit me. I forgot the yeast! Of all the things I did that day, that was surely the silliest. How could I forget the yeast? There was no way to save it, so we didn't have rolls for dinner. Somehow we survived without them, but it wasn't easy.

Here is the recipe for the rolls that usually turn out so well.

Butter rolls-

6-7 oz of milk (Use closer to 6 oz if it is humid out, use closer to 7 if it is dry. Seriously that makes a difference.)
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp active dry yeast.

I put it in my bread machine pan in the order listed and put it on the dough setting. When time is up shape as desired and let rise for 20-30 mins. Bake for 20 mins at 350 degrees.
DON'T forget the yeast and ENJOY!

Last day

Thank goodness...it is the last day of January! This month has dragged on. Maybe it is all the smoggy days we've had. The other day you could hardly even see the mountains, it was absolutely disgusting. I know winter isn't over but we are a step closer to it by moving into February. Plus, there are only 28 days in this month so it shouldn't drag quite as much.
I guess January is usually like this. December is such a busy month that it just zooms by but then you get into the new year and things slow down, which is really nice at first. After awhile though it feels as though time has truly come to a halt and begins to just crawl. I know part of it is being pregnant. It is only natural that I am looking forward to May so the months in between are going to feel much slower. I have a million projects I should be working on to keep me busy but everyday life gets in the way most of the time. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind everyday life, that's what its all about really.
Lilli has been wanting a lot of attention lately. I think cabin fever is just setting in. I want to eat all kinds of junk food and Lilli wants me to entertain her every moment of the day. We have tons of fun but it does make it hard to get the stuff on "my list" done. There will always be time for my list, however she won't always be 4 and want me to play with her, I usually choose to play.

So I am really looking forward to February. I am hoping to make it a productive month and hopefully March will be here before we know it. MARCH, so close to Spring!

So farewell to January, maybe next year I'll spend January in California! I think it would help the month feel a little bit sunnier! ;)