Leo really likes to hold Bea, even if she cries!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Can't Complain
If there is only one thing I've learned as a mother to young children, it is that you DON'T complain when they sleep from midnight to 7:30am. But, it does make for a sore mom waking up. 'Cause if there's another thing I've learned its that you try to sleep when the baby sleeps!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Beatrix: A Birth Story
It was a dark and stormy night as we drove to the hospital, but that is near the end of the story, so I'll back up several hours.
On Monday morning, I had some intense sporadic micro-contractions. They were so short like 20 seconds long. About 5pm, I was having more contractions, and instructed the children that they should pack some clothes for sleeping at their friends' houses that night - that brought much excitement and anticipation from them! I called Ryan home from work and at 6pm we ate dinner and started timing contractions. They were 20-50 seconds long and 8-10 minutes apart for an hour then they changed to 50-75 seconds long and 23-26 minutes apart for the next two hours. We decided not to take the kids to friend's houses. By 11pm, the contractions had completely stopped and I went to sleep. At 2:20 am I awakened with a painful round ligament cramp and a contraction. Since I had downloaded a contraction timer app for my Kindle earlier in the evening (I totally recommend it!), I decided I would monitor them by myself and let Ryan get some more sleep. At 3:20 am, with the contractions 6-8 minutes apart, I woke up Ryan and convinced him that this was the real thing. At 3:30, I called our across-the-street neighbor, Anne Carroll Darger, and she came right over to sleep in the house with the kids and get them off to school in the morning. Ryan took this picture and we left for the hospital.
It was raining lightly as Ryan drove. He called the hospital to notify them we were on our way and to alert my midwife to meet us there. I continued to track contractions on my Kindle, thinking it was quite humorous that the app has you push a button titled "Stop Contraction" when the contraction subsides, if only. Ryan used cruise control on the freeway, to keep his speed under the limit so we wouldn't have a repeat of Hyrum's birth story. We passed a clock about a mile away from the hospital that was blinking 4:04. We parked in the "Expectant Mother" parking spot, Ryan got the bags, umbrella and me. I had 3 contractions on the way to the door. Then I got on a wheelchair and Ryan wheeled me to labor and delivery. According to my hospital record, I was admitted at 4:15 am. Before I could leave the wheelchair and change into the hospital gown, I had a contraction and I felt like I needed to push. We told that to the nurse and she had me climb right into the bed to check my cervix. Then she called out to the hall, "I need assistance, she needs to push and she's fully dilated!" My midwife wasn't there yet. In the next contraction, my water broke as I was pushing. During the lull between contractions, the nurse was worried that Beatrix' heart rate was dropping, so she put an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth. Then the next contraction came with me pushing out her head and the rest of the body came sliding out. 4:28 am. I felt like it was over before it even began, even though the contractions I had been having were very strong.
After Beatrix was born and the afterbirth and all the extra nurses and on-call doctor (who didn't make it in for the actual birth) left the room Ryan put my labor and delivery relaxation CD in the player and we listened to wonderful peaceful music for the next 73 minutes. Then they came in to measure Beatrix. 8 lbs 1.2 oz, 21 inches long, 14.5 inch head circumference, 13.5 inch chest circumference.
On Monday morning, I had some intense sporadic micro-contractions. They were so short like 20 seconds long. About 5pm, I was having more contractions, and instructed the children that they should pack some clothes for sleeping at their friends' houses that night - that brought much excitement and anticipation from them! I called Ryan home from work and at 6pm we ate dinner and started timing contractions. They were 20-50 seconds long and 8-10 minutes apart for an hour then they changed to 50-75 seconds long and 23-26 minutes apart for the next two hours. We decided not to take the kids to friend's houses. By 11pm, the contractions had completely stopped and I went to sleep. At 2:20 am I awakened with a painful round ligament cramp and a contraction. Since I had downloaded a contraction timer app for my Kindle earlier in the evening (I totally recommend it!), I decided I would monitor them by myself and let Ryan get some more sleep. At 3:20 am, with the contractions 6-8 minutes apart, I woke up Ryan and convinced him that this was the real thing. At 3:30, I called our across-the-street neighbor, Anne Carroll Darger, and she came right over to sleep in the house with the kids and get them off to school in the morning. Ryan took this picture and we left for the hospital.
It was raining lightly as Ryan drove. He called the hospital to notify them we were on our way and to alert my midwife to meet us there. I continued to track contractions on my Kindle, thinking it was quite humorous that the app has you push a button titled "Stop Contraction" when the contraction subsides, if only. Ryan used cruise control on the freeway, to keep his speed under the limit so we wouldn't have a repeat of Hyrum's birth story. We passed a clock about a mile away from the hospital that was blinking 4:04. We parked in the "Expectant Mother" parking spot, Ryan got the bags, umbrella and me. I had 3 contractions on the way to the door. Then I got on a wheelchair and Ryan wheeled me to labor and delivery. According to my hospital record, I was admitted at 4:15 am. Before I could leave the wheelchair and change into the hospital gown, I had a contraction and I felt like I needed to push. We told that to the nurse and she had me climb right into the bed to check my cervix. Then she called out to the hall, "I need assistance, she needs to push and she's fully dilated!" My midwife wasn't there yet. In the next contraction, my water broke as I was pushing. During the lull between contractions, the nurse was worried that Beatrix' heart rate was dropping, so she put an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth. Then the next contraction came with me pushing out her head and the rest of the body came sliding out. 4:28 am. I felt like it was over before it even began, even though the contractions I had been having were very strong.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Intruder on the blog ( ALL ABOUT BEATRIX!!!)
Isn't she the cutest thing?Well, I certainly think so!
Here are some pictures of the newest addition to the Gibby Family!
( That would be Beatrix, for those of you who don't know)
A long yawn is ever so good when you were born at 4:28 in the morning.
No, we will not be (officially) calling her Trixy.
Her nickname will be (most likely) B.
Baby Stats: Weight: 8lbs, 1.2oz Born 3 days before due date Cranial circumference: 14.125 inches Length Head to toe: 21 inches Chest Circumference: 16 inches
The mighty foot. She has extra vitamin W, for toes so long you can play the piano with them. (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)
By the way, I am the intruder on the blog, not Beatrix, because I am not Malauna! Bwah ha ha ha!
Guess in the comments who I am! (Plus, comment on how cute Beatrix is)
Monday, December 3, 2012
Memories of Grandpa Bateman
Late Friday night (November 30) I received a text message from my mom saying that her dad was in the ICU at the Davis Hospital (Utah) suffering from a brain aneurysm and that he wasn't expected to live long. I didn't know what a brain aneurysm was so I looked it up with some help from Google. It is where a blood vessel bursts in the brain. Theodore Wylie Clay Bateman died about 12:45am on Sunday, December 2, 2012. He was 86 years old. He was proceeded in death by his wife of 51 years, Georgie Gay, and 2 daughters Launi and Gayla. He has 11 living children and I don't even know the number of grand children or great-grand children. Lots and lots.
April 15, 1985
Throughout my childhood, my grandparents lived in Upstate New York. I lived near them until I was 4, when my family moved to Utah. When I was about to turn 8, we learned that they were coming west on a trip and would be in Mesa, Arizona at my Aunt Teddie's house on my birthday. Our family made a plan to be there as well and we had a big family reunion, including me getting baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I asked my grandpa to baptize me.
When I was 12, I got to go to New York for the summer to live with my grandparents, along with my little brother, Conan, and cousin Lonny. We drove from Utah to New York with us kids sitting/rolling around in the back of my grandparent's Nissan truck. No seats, no seat belts, it did have a shell to protect us from the elements. When we crossed the boarder from Canada back to the USA, a border guard opened the window hatch and asked our situation. I replied that we were driving with our grandparents to their home in New York and pointing to the boys said, "He's my brother and he's my cousin." The guard closed the hatch and we continued on. Grandpa was the branch president and interviewed me (after talking to my bishop on the phone) for a temple recommend so I could go to the Washington, DC temple with the youth in the stake to do Baptisms for the Dead. That was my first time going to the temple, visiting Washington, DC and staying at a Marriott Hotel. I remember going to the Hill Cummorah Pageant (multiple times) that summer and one night complaining to my grandpa about the mosquitoes biting me. He told me that he grew his arm hairs long so that the mosquitoes would get trapped in the hairs so he could easily kill them before they bit him.
I was so proud of my grandparents when they went on their first mission. They served in Lima Peru. I remember that at their missionary farewell, someone asked all of the grandchildren to stand up if they were planning to serve a mission. I stood up proudly. I wanted to be like them. Their second mission was to Costa Rica. After they returned from that mission (1994), I got to drive across the country with my dad, brothers, Conan and Cortney, Cortney's friend Marty and cousin Lonny to help them put up sheet rock in their home to make it tighter from the New York winters. Really, I was there to help Grandma cook for these hungry workers.
In 1997, they invited all of their family to come to New York in the summer to celebrate their 50th Wedding anniversary. They were married on November 5, 1947, but we celebrated a few months early (better weather in July for people sleeping in tents on their property).
The next year they moved to West Point, Utah to be closer to family, as most of their children lived there and in the western US and needed some help with Grandma's Parkinson's disease care.
Grandpa came to visit me in Provo, UT a few days after my daughter, Sabrina, was born in April 1999 with his sister Billie. He commented that it didn't look like Sabrina had the 'Bateman cowlick'. After Grandma died in August 1999, Grandpa moved back to New York and married Harriet.
In July 2001, I orchestrated a trip with my in-laws to fly to New York to see the city (and Auntie Lulu and Uncle Tony), drive to Kirtland, OH, Niagara Falls, and Palmyra to see the sights of the Restoration of the Gospel. We got to spend some time with Grandpa and Harriet - at the Palmyra Temple, at their home and on a tour of the Johnston home near Mendon, NY where Brigham Young first heard the gospel preached.
After a few years, Grandpa and Harriet moved to West Point, UT to again be closer to family. He turned 80 on May 9, 2006 and had a big party to celebrate on May 13. It was at this party that I learned that my grandpa had graduated from Beauty School. I flew from Boise to Salt Lake with my son Roderic, so I could sing with my sisters "You Are My Sunshine" and "Side By Side". Ryan and Sabrina drove down after her soccer game that day. The next day Kierra Ludlow was blessed in church and Grandpa was caught taking a nap in a fairly comfortable office desk chair.
In April of 2011, we celebrated Grandpa's 85th birthday at the Senior Center in West Point. My Aunt Luella orchestrated the whole thing. This picture contains only a fraction of his posterity.
I've got a great story that he told me in 2009 on my blog here. And then there was the time that he had to contact the records department of the church to let them know he wasn't dead yet so he could continue to log into lds.org and do family history research. And he loved to go out to his garden with salt shaker in hand to eat fresh cucumber.
Throughout my childhood, my grandparents lived in Upstate New York. I lived near them until I was 4, when my family moved to Utah. When I was about to turn 8, we learned that they were coming west on a trip and would be in Mesa, Arizona at my Aunt Teddie's house on my birthday. Our family made a plan to be there as well and we had a big family reunion, including me getting baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I asked my grandpa to baptize me.
When I was 12, I got to go to New York for the summer to live with my grandparents, along with my little brother, Conan, and cousin Lonny. We drove from Utah to New York with us kids sitting/rolling around in the back of my grandparent's Nissan truck. No seats, no seat belts, it did have a shell to protect us from the elements. When we crossed the boarder from Canada back to the USA, a border guard opened the window hatch and asked our situation. I replied that we were driving with our grandparents to their home in New York and pointing to the boys said, "He's my brother and he's my cousin." The guard closed the hatch and we continued on. Grandpa was the branch president and interviewed me (after talking to my bishop on the phone) for a temple recommend so I could go to the Washington, DC temple with the youth in the stake to do Baptisms for the Dead. That was my first time going to the temple, visiting Washington, DC and staying at a Marriott Hotel. I remember going to the Hill Cummorah Pageant (multiple times) that summer and one night complaining to my grandpa about the mosquitoes biting me. He told me that he grew his arm hairs long so that the mosquitoes would get trapped in the hairs so he could easily kill them before they bit him.
The next year they moved to West Point, Utah to be closer to family, as most of their children lived there and in the western US and needed some help with Grandma's Parkinson's disease care.
I've got a great story that he told me in 2009 on my blog here. And then there was the time that he had to contact the records department of the church to let them know he wasn't dead yet so he could continue to log into lds.org and do family history research. And he loved to go out to his garden with salt shaker in hand to eat fresh cucumber.
Friday, November 30, 2012
She put what in her mouth?
In the photo of the ultrasound, the dark circle is her eye socket. Her fist, holding the umbilical cord, is located right under the word FACE and is in her mouth. We're at week 39, so if this pregnancy finishes like the other 4 (which is what I'm expecting), anytime this week we'll get to welcome her!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Boise Idaho Temple
Last July, our temple closed for renovations. Oh how I've missed it. I've written about it here. The temple is right next to the interstate, quite a sight - especially at night when the lights are on. But during the construction phase the exterior lights were off. I was so happy to see them turn on again at the beginning of October!
Now we are in the Open House phase - until November 10. Last Friday I got to take the tour twice - in the morning with my husband and children and in the afternoon with a friend from chorus and her children. Can I just say how beautiful it is!
The Entry, with 2 Carl Bloch paintings (there are many of his paintings throughout the temple).
The Baptismal Font, with stained glass
and murals depicting Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery being baptized and confirmed.
The Sealing Room, with eternity mirrors.
Sabrina says this is the most beautiful room in the entire temple.
The Celestial Room
On the 26th of October, Sabrina and 3 of her friends (the Mad for Music String Serenaders Quartet) had the opportunity to play at the open house in the reception hall. The had weekly practices for a month before hand to prepare 30 minutes of church and classical music. We invited Ryan's parents to come and tour the temple and hear them play, so that day Ryan, Roderic and Hyrum got to tour the temple as well. Leo was really sad when he learned that he missed going to the temple with them (it was during nap time). Just imagine his exuberance at being able to go to the temple the next week! "I going temple? Hurray!" complete with jumping.
The cultural celebration will be held on November 17 in the Taco Bell Arena on BSU campus and the temple will be dedicated by President Monson on November 18. The temple will reopen on November 20 and I have plans to go twice that week because there is no school for the children so Sabrina will be able to babysit for me! My goal is to attend the temple at least 3 times before Beatrix is born.
Monday, November 5, 2012
We're Expecting! It's a Girl! We're Entering the Weekly appointment phase!
I have not yet officially announced my pregnancy on the blog, which is pretty funny, since we started telling people very early in this pregnancy (we told our children during week 6). Now I'm 35.5 weeks along. I took Leo with me to my first appointment and recorded the baby's heartbeat on my digital voice recorder. He would say, "Baby? No! Choo-Choo!" whenever we listened to it.
To do something different this pregnancy, Ryan convinced me that we should have an ultrasound at 20 weeks and find out the sex of our baby. It took a lot of convincing. At the ultrasound appointment, the technician was looking all over and took lots of pictures of the baby's parts. Very unceremoniously she said, "And you're sure you want to find out the sex?" "Yes," we replied. "It's a girl," she said and kept moving on. It was not as exciting as finding out when the baby is born and they put him or her in your arms, for sure. Ryan, being the engineer, asked, "How often are you right?" To which she replied, "I've been wrong 3 times and those were all at the beginning of my 11 year career." So we're pretty confident that we're having a girl. Sabrina, Roderic and Hyrum are all so very excited to have a little sister. Leo is still coming to grips that it's a baby and not a train.
With this being my 6th pregnancy, my body remembered very early on what a pregnant woman is supposed to look like and my belly popped out at about week 12, forcing me into maternity clothes. I was also very tired early on, taking naps daily. In fact, that was the clue that had me convinced I should take a pregnancy test. Every day during spring break, I got so tired about 2pm I just had to fall asleep. I've been sleeping a lot (and yet still not enough!).
So, the anticipated due date is December 7, which is a short 4.5 weeks away. I can hardly believe it. Roderic was born on the due date and the rest have come 2 or 3 days before, so we're expecting that again. Yes, we have a name picked out. Beatrix Beryl. No, we don't have a boys name picked out so that ultrasound tech better be right!
To do something different this pregnancy, Ryan convinced me that we should have an ultrasound at 20 weeks and find out the sex of our baby. It took a lot of convincing. At the ultrasound appointment, the technician was looking all over and took lots of pictures of the baby's parts. Very unceremoniously she said, "And you're sure you want to find out the sex?" "Yes," we replied. "It's a girl," she said and kept moving on. It was not as exciting as finding out when the baby is born and they put him or her in your arms, for sure. Ryan, being the engineer, asked, "How often are you right?" To which she replied, "I've been wrong 3 times and those were all at the beginning of my 11 year career." So we're pretty confident that we're having a girl. Sabrina, Roderic and Hyrum are all so very excited to have a little sister. Leo is still coming to grips that it's a baby and not a train.
With this being my 6th pregnancy, my body remembered very early on what a pregnant woman is supposed to look like and my belly popped out at about week 12, forcing me into maternity clothes. I was also very tired early on, taking naps daily. In fact, that was the clue that had me convinced I should take a pregnancy test. Every day during spring break, I got so tired about 2pm I just had to fall asleep. I've been sleeping a lot (and yet still not enough!).
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