Lights

Our sweet baby girl has to be under the lights. Her biliruben levels were up to a 16 today so on the higher end but not dangerous yet. Dr. Firth said she should only need them for a couple of days and we hope that fixes it. They dropped off the bed to our house today and she doesn't love it. She has to be in just a diaper and she can't be bundled up, sad. I did lay a heating pad over her which really seemed to help her be more calm. Hopefully we don't have to do this long and the lights work! Dayton is such a good big brother he got the stool all by himself and put it right by her bed to watch her in the lights. He also kissed her head, gave her a stuffy, and tried to give her a binki. What a sweetheart! He does love Rachel and is patient with mom giving her most of the attention.

Biliruben levels

Rachel's biliruben levels are high. They were Monday morning when we left the hospital and so I got her tested again Tuesday morning at the hospital, still high actually went up a bit. So I have to go again for them to prick and squeeze her heel tomorrow morning :(. Then we will go to Dr. Firth and see what he says. Hopefully they go down because I'm going to be waking her every 2 hours all night (gah!) to help flush her out. That'll make for a tired momma tomorrow, good thing Sue is here to help me all day. But I will do it so the levels go down and we won't need to do the lights. I'll keep u posted.

Sweet Rachel Trudy Chandler

Our angel girl was born Saturday November 26, 2011 at 12:38am. She weighed 8 lb 4 oz and was 20 1/2 in long, healthy girl! She shares a birthday with her Grandma Day and shares her middle name too, Trudy. We love our sweet girl who is very calm and content so far. We are in love with her as is her brother who has seen her 3 times in the hospital. We couldn't be happier! Mom is doing well too. More details on birth story to come later.

Thanksgiving 2011

WE had a great Thanksgiving together filled with family, friends, good food, basketball, and being together. Thank Mom and Dad for always making it great!

Adam and Dayton watching a movie after the big meal!


Uncle Vaughan and Joe shooting hoops after dinner.


Lisa and Cord being together.


Mom, Lisa, and myself working on cleaning up. Well, lets me honest I didn't help much this year, just check out that fat belly. Gee!


Dad with his friend from China, Dow Wey. He is such a sweet man!



Aunt Janette and her son Simon, Vaughan's wife and son.


Nate, Adam and Dayton hanging out together after the big meal.


Boys playing ball. My cousin Jason, Vaughan, and Joe.


Two pregnant girls! Lisa 4 months and me 9 months!


Mom, Lisa and me again! Minus my swollen pregnant face I think we are pretty cute!



How grateful I am to have a wonderful family that is close by and always willing to help. I am blessed with a great husband who I love so much! I am also grateful to have two kids, even though Rachel isn't here yet. I am blessed to know the plan of happiness and have a loving Heavenly Father. I am also thankful for a wonderful ward family, neighborhood, and the community we live in. We have been blessed in so many ways being here in Mendon. Oh, and I am also extremely grateful for Adam and his job so that I can stay home and be a Mom. Things really have worked out well for us. Happy Thanksgiving all!

Marie Callendar's, how I love you!

Yes, for family night this week we bought a chocolate truffle pie and ate half of it as a family. That was our entire family night, well going to the store was the activity, and the lesson was to enjoy the good things in life! Dayton LOVED the pie! He was grabbing handfuls of whip cream off the top and stuffing his whole hand in his mouth. It was so fun to watch him! He kept saying, "Mmmmm tweet!" Yup, buddy this is chocolate! The pie was actually darn good if I say so myself. It hit the spot for me and Adam. I guess it was our warm up for Thanksgiving tomorrow, right?

Very sad

After aerobics, running, jumping, cleaning and doing everything but taking it easy I'm still a 1. My doc will be gone for a week but scheduled my induction for Monday the 28th if she isn't here by then, which I doubt. I just wish he would have listened to reason, my feelings, and concerns instead of following dumb hospital policy. I'm very sad, tired, and upset!

no progress

The title of this post says it all. I made no progress last week and I'm more than bummed about it. I thought for sure I would be at least a 2 with how much pressure I have been feeling but nope. Darn it! I really was ready to cry in the office. Noorda reminded me I am not due for two more weeks, which is true, so I need to keep that in mind. Honestly, I don't care what day she is born. She can come on Thanksgiving day and I would be grateful, what a good present to receive on Thanksgiving. She could come on her due date, although I know Noorda would break my water a week early if I asked, really I don't care what day she is born. However, I do care about these two things...

1. I had an extremely hard time with Dayton. He was a big baby at 8.5 lbs and 98% head. He was stuck for 3 hours, I pushed for 3 hours, and they vacuumed him out anyway. Which was awful! I tore, I was extremely swollen, and my recovery was about a month until I could walk and sit normal. Overall, it was actually pretty miserable. I don't want my labor and recovery to be like that again. There is simply NO reason for it! So my first concern is that at this point keeping her in my tummy is just allowing her to get fatter and fatter to make for another rough delivery. NOT GOOD!

2. As of Wednesday next week Noorda will be out of town until Monday. Yes, for the holiday. I REALLY DON'T want another doctor to deliver Rachel. My experience with doctors in general in Cache Valley have not been so great. Especially with some of the other OB's. If I don't deliver before he leaves the chances of me going into labor by Monday the 28th are pretty high since Dayton was 4 days early. I am not up for delivering with another doctor. I trust Noorda, I know him, I know he did a good job with Dayton, and I would just feel so much calmer about the whole thing if he was there.

So, those are my two concerns. I go back Tuesday morning, before he leaves for the holiday. I am praying that I have dilated more. If I have moved I REALLY think he will break my water or something because he knows how I feel and he also knows he will be gone. I just NEED to progress. So this weekend we have tried many things like squats, walking, etc. No caster oil though, I refuse to do that! So we will see where I am at in two more days. I will keep "trying" to dilate, ha!

And, on a happy note last night we had our big family Thanksgiving dinner with my Grandparents and all my cousins. The food was so good! It was nice to visit with family and we are happy that we got an early Thanksgiving meal just in case we miss real Thanksgiving. :)

38 week comparison...

38 weeks with Rachel




38 weeks with Dayton


Am I bigger now or then? Can you tell?

My appointment is tomorrow and I am praying I have made good progress. I just simply can't stand being pregnant any longer. The last month is so hard! I know why God made it that way, so we would be willing to go through labor, but it doesn't make it any easier. On top of that, Dayton has had a terrible cold for a week now. I finally took him to the doctor and he said it's just the cold going around now has a bad long lasting cough with it. Boo! His cough has been keeping him up at night for the past week and it just won't go away. That means I am not only big, pregnant, uncomfortable, but really not sleeping. The sad news is that today I woke up just feeling awful, I think I got his cold. Blah! So my sweet husband took the day off so I could stay home and rest in hopes that I will get better faster so I'm not sick during delivery which is hopefully soon. :) Adam just left to take Dayton to my Mom's for 3 hours so he could at least put in some time at the office since he has no vacation left after our cruise this summer. How grateful I am to my sweet Mother who is always willing to help even when she has a hundred other things to do. I don't know what I would do without her close by. I'll update tomorrow or maybe not, maybe I'll be posting baby girl pictures next?

Thankful

This is going to be short even though I have hundreds of things to be thankful for this time of year. I really can't think of much except having this baby girl and my family right now. I just wanted to say that I have been so blessed to be pregnant again, even though at this point it stinks, and to be a mom again. I've been blessed with a great husband and little son. I'm grateful for them every day. I'm thankful for the gospel and knowledge I have that we can be together forever and that Heavenly Father loves us. I'm thankful for my sweet family and our girl who is on her way. My heart is filled with love for her already! Happy thanksgiving to all in a week!

Fun with Grandparents

Dayton had a fun weekend with his Grandparents who so kindly tended him for us while we were in Park City. He loved g-ma Sue reading to him. He cried when he had to go to bed, since she came Thursday night, he threw a fit really. He likes her a lot! He had pillow fights and played trains at g-ma and g-pa Day's house. He had a good time! Thanks to our parents, we love you!

Park City Retreat

Adam's work took the whole firm to Park City again this year. They have an all day meeting on Friday and then we get the rest of the weekend to spend together. It is always at a super nice place, this year we stayed at The Sky. Pictures of the room below, notice the water for the tub comes out of the ceiling. Also we had our own private hot tub to enjoy! Fun!







Friday after his meetings we hit the outlets for about 2 hours. It was fun to shop for Adam, I like dressing him nice. I also got a few cute things that I am looking forward to wearing in about 6 weeks when I'm thinner. :) We hit Cafe Rio for dinner which was yummy. Then we soaked in the hot tub and stayed up til midnight talking to the other two couples that shared our suite with us. It was nice to just chill!

Saturday we slept in, shopped for about another 2 hours, then headed back to the room to cook a frozen pizza and have salad for lunch. Yes, we saved some good money by bringing our own breakfast and lunch food. All we had to go out for was dinner. Then we went on the roof with some of the other couples at the firm and sat in the hot tub, in the snow. Yes, we are crazy! Later that night we hit Butchers for dinner. I got the halibut and Adam got a steak. It was a pricey place, $40 a plate, but it did not disappoint! Plus, we all used a two for one coupon. I was happy with our meal and service. After dinner we hit the Chocolate Factory, yum! I really wanted a caramel apple and I got it, plus some toffee. Oh, and did I mention that we went back later with some of the other couples and Adam got icecream? Ya, we had a sweet tooth but it was so good!


We left Sunday morning around 9am to get home in time for church with my family. We were not going to make it to our ward so we went with Mom and Dad. It was good to see Dayton again, poor kid has a cold, and nice to be home. Anyway, thanks Allred Jackson for giving us a great getaway together before this baby comes. The firm really is a great place to work.

And the baby news is...

I'm 37 weeks, full term!
I've felt tons better this week, no contractions for 48 hours like last week.
Dr. said I'm still a 1cm, no change from last week.
Probably because I haven't been in severe pain because of contractions.
Bummer!
My 38 week appointment is next Friday. Noorda said he is on call next weekend.
If I've changed some we can probably get this moving, he thinks.
Over a month ago he told me if I was dilating he'd break my water 21 or 22 cause my brother is leaving.
IF, he said....
Here is to praying I'm more than a 1cm by then.
Plus I'd like Noorda to deliver her and he is going to be out of town over Thanksgiving which is only 1 week away from her due date.


I feel...
Excited that she could be here in a week and a half!
Bummed that I'm still a measly 1.
Nervous about pushing, last time sucked!
Hopeful she will be smaller than D as I'm measuring smaller.
Glad that with only 3 weeks left I've gained 15 lbs less than I did on round 1.
Blessed to have/get to be a mother again!

37 weeks

Yup, I'm now officially considered full term. Well, as of tomorrow I guess! I have my appointment tomorrow so I will update with details and progress then. As of now I had a few minutes to post a picture of my belly. Isn't it out there? It's funny because I know I'm big because EVERYONE comments on it but then seeing a picture of myself is a whole new reality. It is a miracle that my body is made to "bounce back" after this much stretching. I am doing good, just ready, and still debating on the name. We thought for sure Rachel which we both love but we don't know about a middle name if she gets one at all. We will see...

Until tomorrow.

This is the night we've waited for...

That's right, family night! I am so grateful for our family night tonight. It was just perfect and we got to spend lots of time together. It started by us going to early dine at 4pm at Texas Road House, one of our favorite places. It was enjoyable, hit the spot, and Dayton was amazingly well behaved. We normally don't take him to restaurants because he doesn't eat a thing, wants to run around and make new friends with everyone there, and grabs at all the drinks and things he can't have. Not today though, it was a breathe of fresh air. He colored, he ate two whole rolls (wow!), he said please and thank you, he drank his water without spilling it, he stayed in his booster seat, and there were no tears just smiles and loud talking. It was awesome!


Once we got home around 5:30pm it was getting dark so we decided to go for a walk before it was too dark. Well, after our family walk around the neighborhood we were still feeling good so we grabbed the dogs and went about another mile or so. It was freezing by then, around 6pm, and dark. Darn daylight savings! Dayton loved the walk, I got some exercise in my day to help with the pregnancy weight, and the dogs got a good walking too.



After our second walk we were so cold so we took a nice warm bath in our jetted tub. I love that thing this time of year and especially while pregnant. Around 7:15pm we started a movie all snugly and warm inside together. Yeah! You can bet it will be an early bedtime tonight. How nice it was to spend so much time together tonight and be a family. It won't be long until our family has grown. Maybe that is why I am feeling so grateful for every second I get with the "old us" before the "new us" arrives. :)

Dayton Boy!

I just can't believe how big my sweet boy is! He is 20 months and loving life! I observe him play and watch the wheels turn in his head and I am so amazed by his brightness. He is pleasant and well tempered! He always has been, except when he had ear infections. Dayton is really into building things right now like train tracks, chunky Lego's, or towers with blocks. He also loves toy cars, riding his bike, playing with his tractor, and riding on the lawn mower. Pretty much anything that says "vroom vroom" or go's he is excited about. He is talking TONS! He must learn 5 new words a day, every day! Seriously, his vocabulary is huge. I am amazed by what he can say and what he remembers. Today he learned some colors while building his Lego's he can say, "wed, gween, boo, and ellow." Also, just this Saturday we went to the grocery store and saw a boy in our ward working there, his name is Matt. Yesterday at church Matt was sitting right behind our bench and Dayton (with no promptings) pointed to him and clear as day said, "Matt!" His whole family was amazed and giggled. Dayton repeated his name every time he stood on the bench and looked backward. Smart kid! We saw Matt once at the grocery store and not only did he recognize him but remembered his name too! He loves baby dolls, maybe because I talk to him about our baby a lot. He likes to wrap them in blankets, hold them, bounce them, and kiss them. He is so cute and soft with his baby dolls. He is also good with our baby, well my tummy, he kisses it all the time.



He is also getting very independent. He wants to put his own shoes on, brush his own teeth, feed himself, and recently has learned to pull down his own pants too. Now that takes some coordination, I was surprised he could do it!



I know I talk about Dayton a lot but I am happy to! I love him more than I could have ever imagined I would before he was born. I am so glad he is a part of our family. I know he is going to be an awesome big brother really soon. We love you buddy!

Winnie the Pooh

Dayton loves Winnie the Pooh! He watches at least one Pooh Bear movie a day usually during breakfast but sometimes after his nap too. He has a large pooh bear stuffed animal that he sleeps with and the other day we found these darling figures at the dollar store, score! I bought all four of them and he has LOVED them! The other day I found him tucking them all into bed. So sweet and so creative!

Snowflakes keep falling on my head!

Friday night we had our first snowfall of the year! Yeah! I am so happy it waited until after Halloween this year but I am glad the snow is here now. It gets me feeling ready for Thanksgiving in 3 weeks, crazy, and Christmas in two months. Dayton played in the snow last year a few times but I think was too little to remember. He let him look at it out our window in the morning and he thought it was pretty cool. He said, "wide noo" or "white snow." So we bundled him up and put his boots on, which by the way the boots are now a favorite at our house, and let him help Adam feed the dogs. Then they stayed out for almost an hour just playing in it and shoveling snow. Dayton had a blast until he was too tired and I assume cold, then he just broke down and cried as if to say, "I'm done!" So we brought him in and got him unbundled and he took a long nap. Adam said it was so funny because he really couldn't walk well in all his snow clothes and if he fell Adam had to help him up. I remember that feeling as a little kid though. Later on Saturday we made a trip to DI and got him some better gloves which I think will help him stay warmer the next time we play in the snow.

Getting dressed, boots and all!




Heading out for the first time! He was going slow and checking it out.





Walking in the snow, cool! Dad and Dayton headed out to feed the dogs!




We hope the snow stays for now. We are grateful for the moisture and the fun it brings.

Reading

Dayton love being read to! He always has now that I think about it. Every day all on his own he will go get some books and bring them to me to read to him. He loves animal books, truck books, and train books. He is such a smart kid! He will sit through 4 or 5 real picture books from the library, not small board books, easily! I am so glad he loves being read to. I know it has really helped his vocabulary as well. Just last night he said, "bear, moose, and alligator," while we were reading a zoo book. Wow, those are hard words for a 20 month old. I hope his love for reading and learning grows and grows. Here are some fun pictures of Adam reading to Dayton before bed.





Funny Note:
The other night Adam was walking around and Dayton all of a sudden started pushing him around by his bum. It was like he was trying to take him somewhere or needed something so Adam let him but it was so funny! Kids do the funniest things!