Spencer's Birth Story...and this is how it really happened.

I can't believe it's been over a year since I've been on here.  It will probably be another year before I am again.  I've realized I don't think I'm entirely cut out for blogging.  But I want to share our birth story of having Spencer and this is the best venue.  So here is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Really...it actually happened this way :)

I should probably start with a little background on our family.  After Orie's experience and everything he learned at chiropractic school, we have become very much in favor of keeping birth as natural as it possibly can be.  We feel like it's the right thing to do for our family.  I also believe that every women needs to do what she feels is best for her birth.

Aiden, our first, was born with a midwife in a birthing center and was a great experience.  We knew we wanted to use a midwife again and decided that for round two we would have a home birth.  We also didn't really have another option if we wanted a midwife as there aren't any in Northwest Arkansas who deliver in hospitals and there are no birthing centers.  So home birth it was.

We became pregnant with Spencer in February of last year and then about midsummer we started looking for a home to buy (we were renting at the time).  We were really hoping to find a home and get moved in before Spencer came so he could be born in our own home, not a rental.  We looked a ton, made an offer and it fell through right when we thought we had hit our deadline of "it's not going to happen before the birth".  That same day it fell through, Orie found a beautiful home online.  We both saw it that day, made an offer the next, had it accepted the next day and moved in 3 weeks later (after bumping up our close date a week).  Really, it was that fast.  And I was 38 weeks pregnant.  Yikes.  But with a ton of help from AMAZING friends we got into our home and within a week everything was unpacked and we just had pictures to hang on the wall.  My mom is the one to thank for most of that.  She is amazing.  Beyond amazing.

So here is my big confession.  As most women know who have been pregnant, your brain goes out the window.  It seriously seems to stop functioning at times.  Especially your memory.  In the quick process of moving I forgot to do one VERY important thing.  I forgot to switch the water over to our names.

And we were planning on having a water birth...a WATER birth.

Yep.

That bad.

So on November 19th I went to use the restroom (for about the 100th time) at about 5pm.  I flushed.  I turned on the sink to wash my hands and nothing came out.  Nothing. Came. Out.

Panic.  PANIC.  PANIC!!!

I called the utilities and they had just closed.  Oh no.  I called Orie at work and burst into tears.  I was freaking out that I would go in labor.  He came home, we talked, we prayed, we decided it would be okay for the night for us to stay there (I was preparing to go stay at his parent's house, just in case).  So we headed to dinner, since we had no water to cook anything, and then we're going to head to Walmart after to grab some gallons of water to get through the night till we could get the water on in the morning.  I was all nerves.  It's still making me nervous as I'm typing this.

We headed to Red Robin, had a nice dinner, headed to the car and as I climbed into the car I had a contraction.  Here is where I would insert an expletive if I was a cursing person.  But I'm not.  I almost was at that moment.  I sat there in total denial.  Looked at the clock.  7:30pm  So we headed to Walmart while I sat trying to convince myself that this was not really happening.  False labor.  For sure.  We stopped at the gas station.  Parked.  Contraction.  7:36.  6 minutes.  6 MINUTES?!?!?  We got gas, went and parked at Walmart.  Contraction. 7:42.  6 minutes.  And then I knew it was really happening.  I completely broke down.  I just knew we would have to go to his parents to have this baby.  I mean, how can you have a baby without running water???  But seriously, who wants to have a baby at their in-laws??  I don't care how close you are.  It's just not okay.  But I wasn't seeing a way out of this one.

We headed home as quickly as possible with me still contracting every 6 minutes.  And I'm being honest here, I had NOTHING leading up to that first contraction.  It was the same way with my first.  Absolutely no warning.  We got inside and Orie quickly put Aiden to bed.  What an angel.  He went right to sleep without a peep.  He slept through everything that followed.  A tender mercy from the Lord.  I called my mom and told her to hit the road and head down (she's 35 minutes north of us-too far to go to have the baby there, which would have been much more favorable, but close enough we wanted her to come to stay with Aiden while we headed to Orie's parents house).  I balled as I told her that we had no running water but had bought some at the store to get her through the night with Aiden while we were gone.  I then called my midwife and explained what was going on.  Lucy is amazing.  She didn't even hesitate, just went with it and said she was on her way.  At this point I went and settled into our room to work through contractions while we waited for my mom to come.  I was still every 6 minutes and expected to be laboring a while longer (my first birth was 4 1/2 hours). It was about 8:30 at this point.

I was kneeling by my bed, timing contractions, when I went from 6 minutes apart to 2.  Yes.  2.  I yelled to Orie.  I knew at this point there was no way we were going to his parents.  We weren't going anywhere.

We had no water.

Oh, remember that part where I said we were planning to have a water birth?  Yep, you can laugh now.

So there was the birthing tub, blown up and leaning against the wall as I labored in our room.  I know, I'm laughing too.

Orie called Lucy and told her we had just gone from 6 minutes apart to 2.  She said she was on her way and would hurry and that we should just stay put.  Come to find out later she did 90 all the way down the freeway to her house.  Thank you Heavenly Father for keeping all the cops away from the road that night.

About 10 minutes later, with no one at our house yet, I suddenly felt the need to push.  I mean really really push.  I yelled to Orie, "grab a towel, you're going to catch this baby!"

And bless my amazing husband, without even a look of panic he just grabbed a towel and was ready to catch our little guy.  I pushed a few times.  He crowned.

And then Lucy came running through the door like an angel from Heaven.  With a reassuring hand on my shoulder she checked where we were, and said, "you're doing great!  Let's have a baby!"

So a little more pushing and at 9:00pm out came our dear little Spencer.  Perfectly healthy, crying and adorable.  Orie caught him and then into my arms and into our lives he came.  It's amazing the love that fills the air when a little child is welcomed into the world.  You almost feel like you can touch it.  You sit there holding this perfect little person and knowing that he was just in the presence of our Heavenly Father before coming into your arms is a holy experience.

My midwife and her wonderful two apprentices, Dana and Kim, then jumped into action.  Water was boiled to make a bath for baby and me, sheets were changed out, snacks and juice were brought for me, and I was soon snuggled up in a fresh bed with my fresh little baby.

I can't say enough how grateful I am for Lucy, Dana and Kim.  They never said a word or made one single complaint about our water situation.  They just made it work.  It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about how wonderful they were.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping that night be truly amazing and helping me forget about the extenuating circumstances.  What a blessing you are to me.

By midnight the crew all headed home and Orie and I climbed into bed with our little Spencer, looking forward to the morning and introducing him to Aiden.

Morning came, Aiden came into our room and climbed into bed as usual.  He found a big surprise this time!

And with kisses and hugs we became a family of four in that morning sunlight.

PS...Orie went first thing that morning to the utilities company and by 10am we had water.  Just in case you were worried :)

I think it's time for a post...

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted.  Can I claim total busy-ness and a lot going on as a good excuse?  Probably not, but I'll take what I can get!

The past few months have been a total whirlwind.  In December we packed up our little apartment in Dallas and moved home to Arkansas.  WAHOO!!!  We rented a nice little duplex in Rogers and are loving all the space.  3 bedrooms, 2 BATHROOMS (we've only had one since we've been married), and a garage.  Glorious!  A garage!  I'm feeling very spoiled.  I think that's okay.

Orie started his observation (we'll call it an internship for clarity's sake) with a chiropractor in Fayetteville.  He learned a lot.  He got bored really fast.  Orie doesn't do well not being able to just move ahead and get things going.  So fortunately he finished up there the first week of April.  Then we headed back to Dallas for the big day...GRADUATION!!!  3 years of a lot of hard work and Orie finally got to walk across that stage and become an official Doctor of Chiropractic.  I cried.  A lot.  Aiden just kept looking at me like I was a weirdo.  But I was just so proud of my amazing hubby...who can blame me?

So now we are back home, Orie has started practicing in his father's office (for which we are VERY grateful), and it feels like life is actually starting for us.  It's exciting.  And a little scary.  But the Lord has been watching over us (very closely at times) and I know He will continue to lead us and direct our path.  I feel so very blessed and am grateful to be where we are today.

Thank you to all of our dear friends who have been with us along the way.  Thank you for your support, encouragement, and for being there through some very difficult times.  We couldn't have made it through without you and I know the Lord places people in our lives at different times who are there for a special purpose.  You know who you are and we love you dearly :)  I just hope we were able to help those around as much as we were helped.

And now we move forward and one of my favorite scriptures comes to mind...

"Be strong and of a good courage...be not afraid, neither be though dismayed...for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever though goest." Joshua 1:9

Week Two: How to get healthy one week at a time

So is everyone spending more time in the bathroom?  Hope so!!  Keep up the water drinking!

Okay, are you ready for the next challenge?  Here goes...

What did your mom always tell you growing up when you were having dinner?  Yep, you guessed it.  "Eat your veggies!".  Well, mom was right!  Vegetables are a crucial part of our diet and most people don't get nearly enough.  They are PACKED with important vitamins and minerals that we need to function at a healthy level.  Another part about eating veggies though is that eating them raw is the most nutritious way to take them in.  Once you cook anything it begins to break down the nutrients.  Cooked is good, raw is best!

So here is the challenge for the week (I can hear you all groaning!):

Add one, yes I'm only asking one, serving of RAW veggies to your food intake each day.  A salad, a handful of carrots, some sugar snap peas (yum!), broccoli...whatever you want it to be.  Just chomp down a handful and you are good to go.

Here's a tip-have a small salad with your lunch or if you have errands to run throw some veggies in a baggie and eat them while you drive around.  It's that easy! Another great way is to throw some kale or spinach into a smoothie each morning.  Sounds gross, I know, but it's actually really good!  Throw in some frozen berries, your veggies, a little juice and water.  Blend well and go!  Just keep your fruit/veggie ratio to at least 40% veggie.  Oh, and make sure your juice is a good quality-no added sugars or high fructose corn syrup!

Good luck this week!!!!

And PS...if you have a hard time getting your kiddos to eat veggies, the smoothies are awesome for that!  I feed Aiden a smoothie every morning and he LOVES them.  He goes nuts as soon as he sees me start making it.  Try it out!

Real Joy

I was at the gym this morning and there was a commercial on TV for Sears.  It showed families wrapping and giving each other gifts for Christmas.  At the end it put the words on the screen "Real Joy".  That got me thinking.   I know that I have experienced "real joy" in my life.  Kneeling in the temple with my husband as we were sealed together for time and all eternity.  The first time I held Aiden and looked at this chubby little face.  Feeling our Savior's love for me when I read the scriptures.  Being with my family as we gather from all across the country.  And even all the little things too.  Aiden wrapping his arms around my neck and giving me kisses.  Going for a walk with my family on a beautiful evening.  Sitting around the dinner table with good friends, just eating, laughing, and talking.  All of that is "real joy" too.

So how is it that "real joy" has now been equated with giving your wife a treadmill for Christmas?  Or Uncle So-and-So the Kinect Zumba game?  Why when we walk into Walmart the week after Halloween are we bombarded with pictures of glowing faced children receiving gift cards or the latest rock and roll Elmo doll?  

Don't get me wrong, I completely recognize that it is a lot of fun and brings a lot of happiness to give gifts.  Even our Savior received gifts.  But it just made me sad to see something so special as "joy" degraded to receiving a drill for Christmas.  

Not to sound cliche, but let's remember the real reason for the season.
It's not that flashy new Light Sabre.
It's Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who makes REAL JOY possible.

Big

I really can't believe how big Aiden is now.  I was uploading pictures from my camera and was looking back at older stuff and it was just earlier this year that he was a butterball rolling around on the floor.  And now he's a little boy.  Where has time gone??

Yummy...

So growing up my mom always made the most AMAZING Pot Roast.  Nothing takes me home more than a roast cooking in the crock pot, yummy rolls, and my family sitting around the table.  BUT..my mom's recipe has always had dairy in it and since my family and I have gone dairy free (milk allergy) I have been searching high and low for a good recipe.  I have tried many and none were that great.  So yesterday I decided to wing it.  I read a bunch of recipes, took what I wanted from them, threw it all in the crock pot and hit go...

And 10 hours later, voila!  AMAZING!  Seriously delicious stuff.  And I am one happy camper that I have a recipe now!  So in honor of my wonderful discovery, I am going to share my recipe.  Try it out-it's delish!

Chuck roast (you want about 1/2 lb. per person-more if you have a big eater)
4 large yukon gold potatoes
1 lb. baby carrotts
1/2 large onion

Sauce:
1 1/4 c Beef Stock
1/3 cup Red Cooking Wine
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Dice potatoes and slice onions.  Mix all veggies in crock pot. Pour sauce over veggies.  Generously salt and pepper the roast, patting the seasoning into it.  Place on top of veggies and cook for 10 hours.  The time you spend cooking your roast is CRITICAL.  You need at least 9 hours to have it tender and falling apart.  Any less and you will have a tough roast.

After roast is done remove roast to cutting board and "slice" (it will mostly just fall apart into chunks-that's what makes it good!).  Spoon veggies out with slotted spoon onto serving platter and top with roast.

To make gravy, pour juices from the crock pot into saucepan and turn on high.  In small bowl or cup add 2 tbsp. flour to about 1/2 cup water and whisk together.  Whisk the flour mixture into the saucepan and continuously stir until well incorporated.  Let bubble, continuously stirring for another minute or two.  Add salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.  Serve!

Next time I will take a picture!  Enjoy!

Week One: How to get healthy one week at a time

I've been thinking a lot lately about everything I've learned from my husband and on my own about nutrition and how to get to a healthier point in my life.  Not just healthy as in not being sick, but healthy as in really feeling good, energetic, clear minded and taking care of my body the way it's meant to be taken care of, as the temple of my spirit.  Our bodies are an incredible creation, created after the image of our Father in Heaven.  They are a gift in this life, and we will be reunited with them in the next.  Knowing this, I have a firm testimony that we should take care of our bodies as best we know how.  Now I will be the first to admit that I don't do everything right, currently I'm still working on getting better at exercising.  One area I'm really proud of though is the way my family eats.  We are doing a lot of things right and I can feel a big difference.  So, I decided that I want to share what I've learned.  Most people when I start talking about all we do get overwhelmed and think it would be too hard to get where we are.  But what I always say is that it's been almost a 2 year process...changing one small thing at a time.  It was not an immediate switch.  So if you decide to follow my blog and want to try some things out, I'm going to give one task a week for you to work on.  Some things I'm already doing, some I'll be giving as a challenge to myself as well.  Some weeks will be pretty easy and others will be more challenging.  The biggest thing is to remember that even if you mess up, don't give up.  Just keep going and it'll get easier, I promise!

So (drumroll please), here is your challenge for week one:

As soon as you wake up in the morning drink 20 ounces of water before you eat or drink anything else. 

Yes you heard me, 20!

My tip: Buy a cheap big cup at the store, fill it before you go to bed and put it next to your bed.  As soon as you get up it's right there and you can chug it down!  I usually drink half, then make my bed, and then drink the other half.  If you don't make your bed...not sure what to tell you :)

Why?  Water is a critical part of our diet and most people are not getting enough. It helps flush waste out of our body, will give us more energy, and provide important minerals and other nutrients to our bodies.

And just a heads up...yes, you WILL be going to the restroom a lot more, but as your body grows accustomed to the added water you won't have to go as much.  So just be prepared for more bathroom breaks!

Have a great week!

A little (lot) belated, but still important

So after reading my dear friend Jenny's birth story, I realized that I never shared my own birth story.  It's amazing how almost a year and a half later you can still remember things clearly but the emotions have faded to a point where it actually seems possible to go through it again.  Crazy.  

Here is my story...

To really tell my story we have to start at the beginning.  I decided early on that I wanted to go the natural route. I also decided that instead of a hospital birth I wanted to have a midwife and deliver in a birth center.  Orie and I did some research and picked our midwife, Cherie, and absolutely loved her!  

Side story.  We found out the beginning of October 2009 that we were expecting.  About 2 weeks later I woke up in the middle of the night with my husband having a seizure next to me.  It was terrifying.  Being newly pregnant and hormonal it just made things worse.  Over the next 8 months of our pregnancy we spent our time hopping between different doctors, neurologists and chiropractors trying to find out why Orie was having seizures.  We also spent a lot of times on our knees in prayer and in the temple.  Through a miracle we were led to an amazing chiropractor in Austin who found the source of the problem, helped correct it, and Orie had his last seizure about 3 weeks before Aiden was born.  What a blessing!  Although it was a very difficult experience and made for a stressful pregnancy, we are both grateful for the lessons we learned and for how much stronger our marriage is.

Okay back to the real story.  So on June 10th I was running some errands (our due date was June 21st).  I had absolutely zero signs of labor however at 2pm as I was walking out of Target I had my first contraction.  At 3pm I texted Orie and told him to get home immediately.  My contractions were already 5 minutes apart.  By 4pm we were headed to the birth center and I was 4 minutes apart and they kept getting closer on the way.  We got stuck in Dallas rush hour and so I went through transition in the car.  I don't recommend that.  

When we got to the birth center at 4:45 I was already 9 1/2 centimeters and at 5pm I started pushing (yes, just 3 hours after my very first contraction!).  Things seemed to go well at first but after an hour we weren't making any progress.  My labor had progressed so rapidly that my body hadn't had time to relax and prepare itself for delivery.  So after a lot of intense pushing, an episiotomy, and vacuum extraction, we welcomed our little Aiden Matthew into the world at 6:30pm.  He was perfect!  

Because of the stress of the labor he was having some trouble breathing right.  After an hour he still hadn't calmed down to normal levels so the midwife made the decision to call the hospital next door and have him transferred to the NICU.  Although Orie and I wanted the best for Aiden, we just felt that this was not the right thing for him.  Orie gave him a priesthood blessing and by the time the NICU team had arrived Aiden's breathing had returned to normal.  We had been told though that once the NICU team was called they were required to take Aiden no matter what.  The team examined Aiden and said he was completely fine but they had to take him.  Orie and I prayed that Aiden could stay with us.  After a few phone calls to the hospital the team gave us the okay to keep him!  What a blessing!  The midwife said that in her 17 years at the birth center they had never seen the NICU team leave a baby once they were called.  We were so grateful and truly humbled that the Lord had answered our prayers, healed Aiden, and made it possible for him to stay with us.  

So the following morning (very early) we packed up our new little miracle and took him home to start our life together!  It has been such a joy to have Aiden in our family.  We love him SO much!

3 years...1,095 days...26,280 hours...1,576,800 minutes...94,608,000 seconds. However you count it, every moment has been wonderful!

Orie and I just celebrated our third anniversary and I am SO grateful to be married to such a wonderful man.  He is my very best friend and an amazing husband.  It's amazing to look back and realize how much we've done in just 3 years.  Orie finished at the UofA, I left my job at Walmart, we moved to Texas, Orie has gone through almost 2 1/2 years of Chiropractic school, I worked for a year, we went through a major health scare, we had Aiden, we just celebrated Aiden's first birthday, and now our time is coming to a close in Texas and we are getting ready to move home to Arkansas in December.  Wow!  Even though some of it has been really tough-Orie's 9 months of seizures was no walk in the park-it has all helped us grow and strengthen our marriage.  I have been so amazed at the strength that comes from going at life together, as partners, equally yoked.  Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he created man and woman and brought us together in marriage.  And he went beyond that and provided a way for us to be sealed together in the temple not just for our time here on earth but for eternity.  And I am so grateful that Orie is my husband now and for eternity.  I love you Orie!!!!

My good little eater...

Aiden is so funny.  His favorite thing to do is to play in the fridge.  He loves to pull everything out.  And he loves to try stuff.  So far he has pulled out and eaten (or attempted to eat): apples, big tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cantelope, avocado, potatoes, nectarines, and a red bell pepper.  Here is the bell pepper.  And yes, he actually ate those chunks.  I guess he's just trying to figure out what to do with his 14 teeth :)

Aiden is 1!!

Wow I can't believe that a year has gone by since my favorite little guy came into the world.  

Aiden you have brought me so much joy and light up our lives.  Your daddy and I love you so much and can't wait to watch you keep growing and learning.  You are the most wonderful little boy!!

His cake...homemade and super yummy!

Not quite sure about this.  We never gave him sweets before his birthday so this was a totally new experience!

He kept picking off the little balls of icing around the edge and eating them.  So we cut a slice out for him to actually get some cake.  Lol :)

Now he's getting into it!

Toys!!

We love you Aiden!!

Presenting the future Elder Quinn!

I want to be a missionary now...

I don't want to wait until I'm grown!

I want to share the gospel while I'm young,

For I have a testimony of my own!

It's been forever...

So I haven't blogged in a while...mostly because I'm totally embarrassed to follow up on my last post.  I totally botched it.  No follow thru.  I admit it.  But there is a small glimmer of hope.  I have been working out, not as much as a wanted, and I have lost a few pounds.  Yay!  I'm still working on it, and I'll get where I want to be.

Moving on from that sad story.  Here is what we've been up to!  First off was a trip to the zoo.  We had so much fun that day.  Aiden's favorite thing was the fountain in the children's area.  

It felt great on a pretty warm day!

Picnic!

Orie was at his Applied Kinesiology seminar all weekend so Aiden and I went down and met up with him for his lunch break on Saturday.  Couldn't possibly ask for better weather that day-it was gorgeous!  And Aiden was looking so cute.  I couldn't help but take tons of pictures.  I know you want to see them all.  Who wouldn't want to look at pics of such a cute boy?  :)

My little escape artist!

Went in to get my little man from his nap earlier and this is what I found.

I really have no idea how he managed this...but I'm impressed with his new skills! :)