Dan's New Hobby

One thing I love about my man is his ability to learn new things. If he's curious about it, he will learn all he can about it! In fact, I love this wonderful ability of his so much that when I'm interested in something, I ask him to do the research for me...lol. I know this irritates him sometimes but he's just so good at it!

While I've been pregnant he has been interested in skateboarding. My kids also have wanted to learn, so Dan bought them all skateboards. These were the cheap kind from Walmart and according to the kids they didn't go very fast....so Dan started researching different kinds of boards. Carving boards, cruising boards, etc. He found a couple he liked, bought one off KSL (his fav website). He wasn't too happy with that one so he got a new one. He didn't like that one so he changed a few things and gave it to Hailey, who is really good at boarding! I love to watch her! What girl do you know of that loves to skateboard? Well, in his research he found sites where people would make their own presses and he began to find out how to make the board he wanted. So over many Saturdays, he created these two skateboards, one for himself and another for Hailey. He also upgraded the other kids skateboards and will wants to make one for each of them and of course....for me! lol! I can't wait! After some trial and error, these boards turned out awesome! I loved watching them cruise up and down the street! I'm so proud of him!

Our New Arrival

JANUARY 11, 2010 (1/11/10)

@

3:41 p.m.

RUTH LEAH

6 lb. 15 oz. 19 inches

was welcomed into our family!

Monday morning at 2:30 a.m. I woke to my water breaking, but only slightly. I couldn't sleep and waited to make sure. I only had occasional contractions, so I decided to take it easy at home and see if they would increase. They didn't so as the kids left for school at 8:00 a.m. Dan and I decided to go into the hospital. My Mom met us there shortly after. For some reason, my body just doesn't contract on it's own, either that or it doesn't need much to have a baby. They put me on Pitocin around 1:30 p.m. (my doc was unavailable until then, so I decided to wait). There are 20 levels of pitocin that they can give you and they started me at a level 1 and immediately the contractions increased. Within an hour I was dilated to a 6, they upped the pit to a level 2 and by 3:00 the doctor was there and ready. I was at an 8 by 3:15 and by 3:41 she was here! It was so quick! I was very nervous to have her natural. I had my last two kids (Rachel and Joe) without any pain medication. I knew I could do it again, but was very nervous I would remember how. I could not believe how easy it was! Ruth was a breeze! The contractions were very manageable until the very last 2 contractions before she came. My first reaction was where is my baby with all the dark hair?! She looked so much like Hailey when she was born. Blonde! She doesn't have as much hair as the others but what she does have is mostly in the back. She is adorable! I was so excited! I was also surprised by her birth weight. She was 3 weeks early and I knew she would be at least 6 pounds but almost 7 was great!

The hospital stay was very short as we both were healthy and ready to come home. I love the feeling after giving birth. I can walk around and sleep normal and feel so good to have the weight of the baby gone! The kids were so excited to see her! They all took turns holding her, it was like a swarm of flies, they just couldn't get enough. They have been such good kids! They hold her and are careful about washing hands. They are so happy to have her here. I love it that they all understand what is happening. When having my first 4 kids, they were all so young that Hailey was pretty much the only one who knew what was happening. This has been so wonderful! I also can't express enough appreciation to my Mom. She has saved me this week! She took the week off work to be with me and the kids. She's made breakfast, lunch and dinner, had sleepovers downstairs with the kids, taken Joe for a haircut, done the grocery shopping, etc.... I am so blessed to have her! Shawn took Joe a couple of times this week and hung out with him while I was in the hospital and again Dan and I were so appreciative. Having my parents in an apartment downstairs has been one of the BEST things we have ever done!

I'm also grateful to my wonderful husband. Dan has been an amazing help as well. It was nice for him to have a few days off to be with me in the hospital and help get all my laundry done. He is a good man!

I have to give a HUGE thank you to my sister-in-laws. Traci gave us some baby things to use, as well as Stephanie gave us clothes to use. I had nothing, if you can believe it! I got rid of it all! I thought Joe was our last ;) I am so grateful to them for let us borrow these things Ruthie will need. You guys are the BEST!

I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and amazing friends!

Enjoy the pics!

Roo at 5 days old, a little jaundice.

Abby changing her diaper...cute!

Flowers....I LOVE FLOWERS! They are my fav thing after having a baby, so beautiful, especially this time of year when it's so yucky outside. Dan's parents gave these to me! Thank you, I love them!

These are from Dan's work (Flat Iron)
These are from my wonderful ABBA girls...AKA Angie ;) Love ya woman!

Goals for a Better Me.

I've never been a huge fan of New Years Resolutions. I feel that goals should be set and maintained all year. Also, it's hard to keep some of these goals up all year. For instance, when Hailey was a baby I decided to read the Book of Mormon. My goal was to read it in 3 months. I tried with all my might, but it took about 6 months. However, this last year I've felt pretty blah. Maybe it's being pregnant, I don't know, but setting goals and meeting them just hasn't happened for me and it's discouraging. So, in thinking about this upcoming year, I've decided on a few goals that shouldn't be hard to maintain and will help significantly.

Goal #1 Get baby Ruth Here :) I can't be effective at anything until this little one is here! I need my body back!

Goal #2 Help kids learn how to teach a FHE lesson. We made a commitment when Abby was a baby to have FHE every Monday and to be honest, we've not missed one week since then...9 years! But many of our family nights are mediocre at best. The kids are great at reading stories from the friend (nothing is wrong with this), but Hailey and Abby are old enough to teach a lesson, asking questions, preparing a subject. Joe and Ray need to learn the scriptures and would benefit from using pictures from the Gospel Art Kit to memorize scripture stories and re-tell them to all of us. I'm really excited to see how this one goes.

Goal #3 Finish studying Preach My Gospel. I started studying this manual a few years ago. In all of our packing and moving, I had packed this manual. I found it the other day and was reading through all of my notes. Wow, was I really this in tune with the spirit at one point?! The notes written in there were amazing! I studied about half of it. I'm going to review my notes and then finish it. What an amazing manual, not just for missionaries but for all members of the church.

Goal #4 Attend the temple monthly. This one will be tough for me. I love the temple, don't get me wrong. I don't know why it's a struggle, but it is.

Goal #5 Take Care of My Body. This isn't just about losing weight. I love to exercise, I love to eat. The two can work together if I do it right. This year I have to do it, not just sort of do it.


This is all I came up with, most are spiritual but frankly, I need a BIG spiritual uplift. Here's to hoping 2010 is a better year!

Merry Christmas...IT'S A...

GIRL!!!!!!!

We decided to do a family gift this year...The kids got a Wii! There was a lot of screaming!

Dan's new Disc and Belt Sander. He's a happy boy.

Kids new PJ's. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Johnson!

HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS!

34 weeks...

Look at that belly! Holy cow! I am getting so excited and impatient for this little one to arrive! I also can't wait to let everyone know what this baby is! Dan and I finally decided how we would tell the kids what we are having Christmas Morning. I will fill you in on all the details Christmas Day, so stay tuned ;) It's getting very difficult to keep this a secret as it's becoming so real! I want to refer to what this baby is all the time, and have to make a huge effort to NOT say he or she.

Since getting over the terrible cough I had a month ago, things have gotten so much better! I still fight getting good sleep. I usually get insomnia in the last couple of months before baby comes. I average 2-4 hours of sleep each night. If I sleep during the day, it gets worse, so I walk around with bags under my eyes and everyone asks if I'm okay. The crazy thing is I feel pretty good. It's so weird. I miss exercise the most. I miss being able to move quickly, to run or take stairs two at a time. That probably seems weird, but this moving slow business is for the birds. My left hip gives out if I get up too quickly, lol! I feel like an old woman! I am totally in love with carbs right now! Any kind of bread, pasta, rice, you name it, I love it! It's been difficult for me to love meat during this pregnancy. My favorite thing right now is not chocolate and not the packaged stuff...I have to make my own :) 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa in a large glass, rice milk (yes seems weird, but I love it), a pinch of cinnamon, and 7-8 drops of stevia. It's so yummy!

This baby is a mover. None of my kids moved as much as this one! The most active time is during the night, although it moves a lot during the day as well, especially from 9 to 11 and then again in the afternoon a bunch. If you push on my tummy, then he/she pushes back. The last visit I had with the doc, this baby was breech. I know that he/she has turned a few times since then. I'm very worried about have a c-section. I've never had one, and am desperately praying that I don't. So keep us in your prayers, please?!

My next visit is on New Years Eve. My doc is nervous about how quickly my babies come, so I will be almost 36 weeks and I'm interested to know if I will be dilated, and how much. Usually I'm at least dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced. Crazy, I know. I am very curious to know if this one will be different. I've exercised regularly and watched my weight over the last 5 years, where I didn't do much of that with the other kids. I know that I have carried this baby differently as well. As much as I would love to have this baby now, I also don't want to deal with my water breaking 5 weeks early as it did with Hailey. She was 5 pounds and that was scary! I hope this little one stays in there for at least another 3-4 weeks, if not to term.

Well, next post Christmas Day... stay tuned!

Rachel's 7th Birthday

Every year I tell the kids their story. I had a doctors appointment in the late afternoon December 11th. I was 37, almost 38 weeks along. The doctor was already delivering a baby and so the nurse checked me. I was dilated to a 6! I couldn't believe it! She was worried about a prolapse cord, because Rachels head moved from her hand and that could cause the cord to come out first. Dan was working across the street from our doctors office, so he met me there and we went to the hospital together. My Mom took the other kids. I was very excited! For some reason my body doesn't contract steadily on it's own, but I manage to dilate easily...lucky me ;) Rachel was born just after 10:00 p.m. It took about 4 hours to have her. She was my first baby natural, with no pain meds. It was tough! I was sold though. It was so much easier to recover afterwards. I hate not being able to control my own body. Rachel weighed 6 lb's 7 oz. She had blonde hair and super big blue (later green) eyes. She is such a sweet girl! She is so feisty but super sweet! I love her sweet spirit! Happy Birthday Rachel...We Love You!

Being Thankful at 30 Weeks!

For those of you who had the privilege of reading my rant, I'm sorry! I am changing it ;) Who wants to read a blog that is depressing, not I! I am 30 weeks along in my pregnancy. I technically have 10 weeks left. I have never gone to my due date. Hailey was 5 weeks early, Abby was 3 weeks early, Rachel was 2 weeks early and Joe was 1 week early. Everyone teases me that this one will go to it's due date. I don't think so. This pregnancy feels a lot like it did with Abby. With Hailey and Abby, my water broke. With Rachel and Joe, I had my babies natural. I'm always dilated to a 4,5, or 6 when checked at 36 weeks. We'll see how this one goes. It's been a rough couple of weeks...had a horrible cold/cough and no energy. I'm keeping in perspective the fact that I'm happy this cold is before baby and not after baby. I'm anxious to feel more like myself. I'm very happy I'm on the home stretch, what's a couple of more months, especially when Christmas is on the horizon! These next 4-5 weeks will fly by!

Well...to move on to a more positive note...the things I'm enjoying right now ;) (My Thanksgiving Grateful List)

Kids are off track, this is a good thing actually. I have lots of little helpers. I can't tell you how many times Hailey takes out the garbage. Abby is a great at cleaning bathrooms. My kids really are awesome! I just love them to death! They have been pretty patient with me and I'm grateful to them for that.

Dan is awesome! He is blessed to hear me whine constantly. He just listens. Poor guy. He put up our Christmas lights this year and put up our insanely easy to put up artificial Christmas Tree. I appreciate him so much!

Although I hate pregnancy, the one thing I do love and marvel at is the fact that I have a baby in me that weighs approx. 3 lbs. That's amazing! I love to feel him/her move. I love it that I only have a couple of months to go and that I'm not in the beginning stage. I'm nervous to deliver this one, it's been 5 years. It's crazy what you forget in that time. I'm also so very excited to have this baby! I can't wait!

I'm grateful that my husband has a great job! I'm so grateful for him and the time he spends supporting us!

I'm so grateful for online shopping, it makes life so much easier!

I'm grateful to my awesome Mom who helps with the kids and makes life so much easier!

I'm grateful for Shawn, who makes me laugh, understands my love for video games, likes to hang out with his old, huge sister and helps me bring in groceries and put them away. He's the best!

I'm grateful for all of my family in general and that I live near most of them. I miss Dan's family and wish we could see them more often. I miss the old days when we would get together and play games.

I'm grateful for my wonderful friends! Just to mention a few...Tricia, I can always go months without talking to her and we just pick up where we left off! I love it that age doesn't matter, she older than I and I always enjoy hearing her words of wisdom. Melba, my GBFF (gym best friend forever) for making exercise/lifting one of the most fun things I've ever done! I can't wait to get back! Rayna, my old college buddy, who introduced me to some good country music to which I would never have been a fan of. Mark and Trish, my game buddies. Nicole, my visiting teaching buddy, mia maid buddy, jewelry buddy, and healthy food fanatic. Chi-Wen, how I miss my old friend from Portland/Taiwan. I miss her cooking, her smile, her constant stream of compliments and always positive attitude and her love for the Lord. I've never met a person, not of my faith that is more honest and true. She is my Mom's age and I love how age has no relevance when it comes to friendship. The list goes on...I'm very blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life!

I am so grateful for my Savior. I'm grateful for my eternal family!

I truly am blessed! Thanksgiving was a great day! It was pretty crazy when the family all got together around 5 p.m. for dinner, but it's always fun to see my brothers and to visit and laugh with them. They are such good guys!

I hope Thanksgiving was wonderful for all of you! Bring on Christmas!!!