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!)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, July 11, 2011
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!
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!
Friday, June 24, 2011
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. :)
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. :)
Monday, June 6, 2011
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. :)
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.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
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.
 |
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
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| Soon after being born 8 lbs 13 oz 22 1/2 in |
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| Sweet Sam at 2 days old |
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| An awake moment. I just love this little guy! |
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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.
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.
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