Brooklyn's Montage

Brooklyn is Born

Are there any lurkers out there?

I'm inspired by a post on another blog. When it comes to the blog world, I have an extensive collection that I check pretty regularly. Most of them are blogs of people that I, at least at one point in time, know personally. For some of these people, their blog, and mine, are the only ways we stay in touch. Some of the blogs I check are from people that I have met online, but still feel like I know them, and they know me. Other blogs? Blogs I have found through other blogs, blogs I found on Google while searching for something else, and blogs listed on the 'Blogger' mainpage. The people that write these blogs don't know me. They don't know that I am reading about sometimes intimate details of their lives, but I feel as though I know them well. In a strange, Internet sort of way, they are my close friends. This makes me wonder: are there any such lurkers out there? As far as I know, I've made this blog fairly hard to find if you don't know it's already here, but I'm wondering if somebody managed to find it anyway? I'm hoping if you're one such blog-reader, you'll comment and let me know. I don't mind if you don't use your name, or if you want to tell me all about yourself. I'm just curious.

Winter at Last

When we woke up this morning, the roads and driveways were completely dry. We had one short spell of snow a couple weeks ago, but as of this morning there was nary a trace to be found. In fact, on Thursday it was almost 60 degrees, and the boys had a wonderful time playing on the playground after Kadon's nap. As Christmas is rapidly approaching, Ammon and the boys had planned to venture out to Target to finish the last of the shopping. When they opened the door to go outside I noticed that it was snowing, but thought nothing of my family bundling into the minivan to go to the store. I happily set to cleaning and organizing my house while the snow continued to fall outside. I continually glanced outside as the snow continued to pile up outside. After two hours this:
is what it looked like from our front door. Over an inch of snow fell in two short hours, and I was starting to get nervous that my boys hadn't returned from the store yet. I tried to convince myself that Ammon is a very capable driver, and that they were simply out shopping and having a good time. However, when Ammon and the boys finally arrived home this:
is what the front end of our minivan looked like. Ammon had been on his way home, and because the roads were so completely iced over, he was unable to stop at the stoplight, and rear ended a car in front of him. Her car sustained minimal damage, but as you can see, our van is slightly worse for the wear. They exchanged car insurance information and phone numbers, and continued on their way. However, the morning wasn't over for poor Ammon. As he rounded the last bend before our house, he saw five cars piled up in the intersection. Every last one of them was stuck, and every last one of them sat warmly in their cars as Ammon and one other gentlemen dug them out and pushed them on their way. After Ammon spent an hour pushing vehicles, he grumpily made his way home only to spend more time on the phone with the insurance company to report the fender bender. We're grateful to have good car insurance, and a kind agent. Although this is a terrible time of year for something like this to happen, especially since we're already short on money because we just moved, we're hoping that it won't be too big an impact on our finances. Hey, at least it's still drivable, right?!

Flu

The flu found our house this week. Poor Kadon came down with it on Saturday night. Ammon and I had been out for the evening enjoying a gift certificate given to us by Jan, when Kadon woke up crying at about 9:30. Ammon went in to settle him back to sleep, when he started throwing up. Ammon yelled for me, and when I arrived in his bedroom I was given the joyful opportunity to hold a towel beneath his mouth in order to catch the huge amounts of vomit he was emitting. Once we got that cleaned up, we dropped exhausted into bed, only to be awoken at about 1:30 to clean up diarrhea from the clean blankets on Kadon's bed. Never have I done so much laundry in the middle of the night as I did this night. Between Kadon being up at least three times between 1:30 and 7, and getting up with Brooklyn at least twice during the night, none of us were up to attending church on Sunday morning. None of us, perhaps, except Jeremy, who had slept through the entire ordeal, bless his heart. By Monday, we were patting ourselves on the back, congratulating ourselves on making it through another illness. Patting ourselves on the back, that is, until Kadon started vomiting again at about 6:30. After cleaning up yet another mess, and doing still more laundry, we again collapsed into bed. By Wednesday night, Ammon had missed half a day of work, and Jeremy spent the night awake with the same glorious combination of vomit and diarrhea. We spent Thursday lazing around the house, and doing several more loads of laundry in an attempt to stay ahead of the towels we had been using to mop up the various messes. Here we are, 10:45 on Friday night, and it appears as though Brooklyn is now coming down with the illness. So far no vomiting from her, and it's almost impossible to identify diarrhea on a strictly breastfed baby, but she does have a very pitiful "I feel yucky" sort of whimper, between her many naps today. I'm hoping we all recover sufficiently to attend the ward Christmas party tomorrow night, but I'm not holding my breath. Holding my nose, yes, but not my breath. Hopefully I can continue to avoid the plague this time around.

Hello out there?

I've been woefully absent yet again. We have all spent the last three weeks throwing ourselves into getting settled into our new home. After six months of feeling like a visitor in someone else's home, it feels so good to have a place of our own again. Our new ward is warm and welcoming, and there is even a nursery for Kadon to attend, a luxury we missed in our small Dayton branch. So far our neighbors seem nice, although we've only met a couple of them. Our apartment is starting to feel more and more like home, and my parents are planning a visit in January or February. Ammon's job is continuing to go well, and the kids are adjusting amazingly well to their new surroundings. I knew we were 'home' when the other day a small child showed up at my front door asking my children to come out and play. Such a small thing, but something I took for granted when we lived in Utah. In our old apartment complex, there was a plethora of children Jeremy's age and older to play with, and he had constant companions when he went outside. In Russ and Mary's neighborhood, this friendship was sorely lacking, as there were no small children nearby. I'm grateful to be settled again. I am finding it an adventure to locate simply things like a grocery store, a library, post office, and fabric store. I'm sure this year here will fly by, and then we'll be starting over again somewhere completely new, but for now, I'm happy to be right where we are.

Family Picture

As always, we're short on time around here. Our move went off successfully, with nary a hitch to be found. We are getting unpacked, and slowly settled. So far, the boys are adjusting well, and when I attended our new ward today I felt welcomed and loved. I had Angela take a family picture of us on Thanksgiving so I had something to stick into Christmas cards, so here's a preview. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and I'll try to find time for a better update later this week.

Haircut

I got my hair cut last week. I mean, I really, really, got my hair cut. Above, I posted a before shot, taken several weeks ago (as you should be able to tell, by my burgeoning belly). My hair was the longest it had probably ever been, reaching somewhere near the center of my back. The problem with having hair this long is that it takes absolutely forever to blow dry, hardly holds a curl, and causes headaches when I try to put the whole mess up in a ponytail. Angela has a stylist that she has raved about, so when I decided it was time to at least trim my tresses, I called up this stylist to make an appointment. Many women spend years searching for a stylist who will look you straight in the face and say 'This is what you should do with your hair' based on lifestyle, face shape, and hair type. Luckily, this woman is 'that' kind of stylist. As soon as I sat down in her chair, she informed me that my current style wasn't very flattering, and recommended a drastically shorter 'sexy, swing-y' style, as she called it. With misgivings, I gave in, sure that Ammon wouldn't be pleased when he saw my much-shorter style that evening. Jennifer, the stylist, gathered my long hair at the nape of my neck, and proceeded to cut directly across the bottom. I glanced backward at the huge handful of hair she was placing in the garbage, and felt all blood drain directly from my face, settling somewhere in the vicinity of my kneecaps. After a quick wash, and many more snips of the scissors, this is what we ended up with. Although I was very nervous about it, I think it turned out well, and even Ammon grudgingly agreed "I guess it's kind of sexy".

Moving Forward

Well, as most of you know, we're currently living with Ammon's parents, and have been since we moved here in early July. Once he finally got a job in October, the plan was to stay here long enough to pay off some serious debt and save up a small nest egg, which would have us living here into the middle of January. I had researched apartments online, and based on a recommendation from Jan (Ammon's semi-adopted sister in law, who lives in the area) had decided on an apartment complex, researched the cost, and picked out the floor plan we'd be interested in. In the interest of having everything in line for our move in January, I called early this week to see if this apartment complex anticipated having an apartment that we could use available in January. They said that they did, but if we signed a lease this month instead of waiting until January, the rent for the EXACT SAME UNIT would be $110 less for the length of the lease. Also, the security deposit in November is only $150, and we were thinking it would be several hundred. Well, I was really excited, but didn't think Ammon would go for moving so soon, since it would mean we couldn't pay off the credit card as fast.
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, he agreed to move right away! I set the wheels in motion yesterday by driving down to see the apartment (which isn't a palace, but for the length of a 12 month lease, and the price, it will do) fill out the application, and set a moving date. As long as nothing falls through in the meantime, which I'm trying to prepare myself for, we'll be moving on Friday after Thanksgiving. That will give Ammon Saturday and Sunday to help me unpack before he has to get back to the grind. Mary and I spent today sorting things, since we have stocked up on a LOT of food storage since we have been here, and won't have room for it all. We've sorted out what is going and what is not, and next week we will start sorting furniture and boxes, since this apartment is fairly small and we won't have room for all of our belongings. I'm incredibly excited, and ridiculously giddy to think about getting all of our things out of storage and feel like we're really making our own way. This move to Ohio just got a whole lot more permanent!!

Fall in Ohio

I have been remiss in posting photos lately, so even though this post will be kind of a cop-out as far as text, here are the photos I have been promising. Enjoy!!

Our small city branch hosted a Halloween party and chili cookoff the Saturday before Halloween. Ammon was chosen as the judge for the chili cookoff, and even though I offered numerous threats, promises, and pleadings, I still failed to win the contest.

This picture really doesn't mean anything, other than to show that my kid is just darn cute, even if he has his mouth full of breadstick.

Kadon as Merlin. I made his cloak myself, something I'm very proud of!! The stick in his hands is meant to be his wand.

The kids on Beggars Night, on Angela's front porch.

This is one of the days I took the kids to the park. It was freezing cold even in the middle of the day, but they still had a great time and I couldn't resist getting a photo of them on this enormous tree stump.

Brotherly Love

A few days ago, I laid Brooklyn on the bathroom floor while I took a quick shower. After I finished cleaning myself and getting dressed, she seemed fairly content, so I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity to get the beds made and do some general cleanup in the bedrooms. After several minutes of cleaning, I noticed that there was disturbingly little noise from the bathroom, and that Kadon had disappeared. I nervously stepped around the corner, preparing myself to witness Kadon either mauling his sister or getting into trouble. What I saw was much sweeter, and much calmer. As you can see by the photo below, Kadon was laying on the floor next to his sister, with his arm protectively around her. As I watched, she spit out her pacifier and started to fuss, to which Kadon responded by gently putting her pacifier back in her mouth and putting his arm around her once again. Sometimes my children amaze me with their gentleness and love for one another when they think no one is watching.

Brrr

That's right, brrr. BRRRRRRRR. Autumn has officially set in here in southwestern Ohio. The fall colors are in their glory, there is a thick blanket of leaves on every surface, and the air has that certain bite to it. I find it ironic, now that I'm finally feeling up to more physical activity, that the temperature has taken a drastic drop. Now that my burgeoning belly has been emptied, my gruesome incision (seriously, it's about six inches, pretty nasty) has healed, and I'm even getting a reasonable amount of sleep (a 4 week old who routinely sleep 8 hours? How'd I get so lucky?!), now that I'm finally feeling like a normal person, the weather turns cold enough to make me think twice about venturing outside. However, in the spirit of perseverance, I forced myself to take the kids to the park today. I got some glorious pictures of the fall colors, and some cute pictures of the kids to boot. They had a marvelous time running around the playground, and after I added two extra blankets, socks, and a hat to their sister, she had a nice nap in her car seat. I even got a little bit of reading done between sessions of pushing them on the swing. Little boys can't get enough of being pushed on the swing, but what else is there to do on a lazy autumn day?

Happy Halloween

Tonight is the annual 'Beggars Night' here in Ohio. The tradition of going around and trick or treating has been a little bit altered here. Rather than sending out the children to universally beg for candy door to door on October 31st, this area sets forth a set evening and time for the various suburbs surrounding us. The week before the appointed evening, the dates and times are published in the newspaper. Both in our neighborhood, and the neighborhood of Ammon's sister Angela, tonight is the night. We opted, rather than trick-or-treat in our decidedly down-scale neighborhood, to take the children to Angela's part of town, where we figured the pickings to be slightly more friendly. The kids had a great time going door to door with their Dad, something they've never actually done. In this day and age, the only 'trick-or-treating' our kids have done is at the annual ward trunk-or-treat. Our branch even hosted a trunk-or-treat on Saturday night, so our kids are well versed in the practice. I was pleased that it was warmer than normal this year, so even though I had brought the kids big winter coats to stick over their costumes, they were completely unnecessary. Luckily, an alert mother had purchased warm clothing to integrate with their costumes, so the extra warmth wasn't needed. What were the little urchins this year, you ask? Jeremy opted to be King Arthur from "Quest for Camelot", so in keeping with the theme, Kadon dressed up as Merlin. I am proud to say that I actually sewed their costumes from scratch, and will post pictures as soon as possible. We briefly considered dressing Brooklyn up as a princess to complete the trio, but since she spent the majority of the evening sleeping in my arms at Angela's house, I'm glad we didn't go to the trouble. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday, and I hope to see pictures of all the cute kids out there soon! Happy Halloween, everyone!

Pictures

On Friday we took the kids to JCPenney to get their pictures taken, and they turned out breathtakingly beautiful. I ordered several prints, and can't wait to get my hands on them and put them in frames around the house. Brooklyn did incredibly well for this photo shoot, especially considering that we had driven over an hour to get to the mall and she was starving. I stayed very close to her, ready to put the pacifier in and then quickly take it out so the photographer could quickly snap a picture before she started screaming. The dress she is wearing is comically large on her, but we were able to make it fit a little bit better by overlapping the the opening in the back and pinning it, because our tiny little girl has nothing to wear! I'm glad that the boys were so well behaved, and that these pictures turned out so well.

Harvest Festival

On Saturday we took Alisha to a Harvest Festival. We knew nothing about it, other than the short blurb advertising it in the local newspaper, but we set out on Saturday morning intent on enjoying ourselves. In deference to the confusing Eastern tradition of naming roads instead of numbering them, along with refusing to align roads in any sort of straight fashion, I 'Mapquested' the directions before we left home. Funny what a difference a '.' will make. We followed my directions perfectly. South from our house, a right turn, a left, another right. At one point we were instructed to go .3 meals down Richmond Rd. in search of Union. After following Richmond Rd. for what was surely longer than .3 miles, we turned around, assuming we had simply overlooked the road. After 'missing' it again (we couldn't possibly have gotten faulty directions, I got them from Mapquest!) we traveled down the stretch for a third time. Disgruntled and frustrated, we finally headed for home, disappointed to be missing out on what had promised to be a fun afternoon. Upon arriving back at the house, I again Mapquested the address, ceding to the fact that I could possibly have written the directions down wrong. The problem? The '.' in .3 was actually supposed to be Richmond Rd. then 3, not Richmond Rd .3. Slight problem when you're in unfamiliar territory. Chagrined, I announced the difficulty to Ammon and Alisha, and we set out once again for the festival. Once we finally found it, the kids had a marvelous time climbing on tractors, taking a hayride with Mom, and checking out a 500 year old Bur Oak tree. I'm glad that Alisha was able to visit, and hope she enjoyed her stay!

Ammon and the kids checking out the Boy Scouts selling TrailsEnd popcorn. The hefty price tag scared them away pretty effectively.
Kadon on a good ol' fashioned John Deere. Longtime readers to this blog will appreciate the throwback to another picture posted on my blog some time ago.
Jeremy astride an antique tractor.
500 year old Bur Oak Tree. Recorded as the oldest tree in Montgomery county.

Victoria and the boys on the hayride. My face looks kind of funny in this picture, but I was having a good hair day, so deal with it!

Forbidden Fruit

Why is it that forbidden food tastes so much better? As I write this, I just finished a sugar cookie. A sugar cookie with a healthy dollop of vanilla frosting, which I colored orange yesterday in the spirit of Halloween. The kids are also having a snack, although theirs is decidedly less interesting than mine. I gave each of them a piece of bread and sent them to watch cartoons so I could sneak my treat in peace. It's not that I don't want the kids to have a sugar cookie, it's that they will insist on frosting, and that is what I'm opposed to. You see, if I give them orange frosting, then it will end up all over their clothes. It will end up on their faces, their fingers, and everywhere in between. Yesterday, Kadon even managed to get orange frosting in his hair. Seriously, how do you manage to eat a cookie, and smear it in your hair? I know, I know, I'm the mother of a two-year-old, and I shouldn't ask. That being said, I chose to sneak my cookie today, rather than eat it in the open and be obligated to share with them. I'm sure I won't get away with this forever, and quite frankly, that's an awful lot of cookies for me to eat the entire batch, even by stealth. However, I'd rather wait until a little bit closer to the appointed hour of their bath tonight. At least that way their Dad will be the one cleaning orange frosting out of curly blond hair.

On a brighter note, my friend Alisha arrives the day after tomorrow. She actually leaves Utah late tomorrow night, where she will fly to New York and spend 8 harrowing hours in a layover. She arrives here in Columbus about 12 hours after her expedition begins. I may even give her a cookie with orange frosting for her trouble.

Brooklyn

I promised my father the other day that I would take some video of his newest granddaughter to post on my blog, as I am aware that photos are an unworthy testament to her cuteness. As promised, I shot the video this afternoon, and was awarded with a surprise at the end--I think you'll find it enjoyable, and if you don't, it should at least be humorous. If it's neither? Well, you probably shouldn't be reading this blog, then. Enjoy!

Sleepless Nights

2 am. That's what time I finally got out of bed last night and came downstairs, giving in to the fact that attaining any sleep was highly unlikely. That's right, we have experienced our very first truly horrendous night. We made the mistake of letting Brooklyn sleep too much during the early evening hours, and at bedtime I paid a high price. Brooklyn was restless much of the evening, and no amount of nursing, snuggling, or pacifying her could convince her to settle into a sound sleep. Thankfully, Mary was kind enough to take the boys to the park this morning, allowing me to sleep for a couple hours this morning. I've been very grateful for her help this week. I've healed rather rapidly, much faster than I expected. I had anticipated several weeks of restricted activity, but at 1 weeks postpartum, and only 4 days out of the hospital, I'm feeling *almost* back to normal. I'm not technically allowed to drive yet, and certainly doing any heavy lifting is out of the question, but I haven't taken anything for pain in almost two days, and that's a wonderful feeling. I have so enjoyed being home with my three kids, and being able to spend lots of quality time with them. So far the boys are handling the transition beautifully, doting on their little sister and being helpful to me. Jeremy has fully stepped into the 'big brother' role that he wears so well and been wonderful to help me get things from around the house, help Kadon with whatever he can, and generally be really good natured. Kadon, who I had feared would react badly to a small invader, has instead reacted with a great love for his little sister. He is constantly wanting to know where she is, why she is crying, and if he can hold her. He regularly plants tiny kisses on her forehead, and is interested in everything she does. Of course, he is convinced that she eats from my belly, and should be able to sleep in his bed, not mine, and occasionally his 'loves' and more like mauling, but it's been wonderful.

What Little Girls are Made Of

Brooklyn Celeste Fellows was born via cesarean section on Thursday, October 4th at 11:18 am. She weighed a tiny 5 lbs 1 ounce and was 19 inches long. She is terrifically healthy, happy, and doing well. I have recovered at a much faster rate than either of the boys, and am so glad to be home. I will try to post more as soon as I can, but for now the baby is sleeping, the boys are occupied, and I'm exhausted. Hugs to you all!!

Last Belly Shot

Alright folks, here is one last belly shot for your viewing pleasure. I am 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant today. My surgery is scheduled for 10:30 am tomorrow morning, and I have to check into the hospital at 7:30 am. Ammon will be posting pictures of Brooklyn as soon as possible, but in the meantime, any prayers or positive thoughts you could spare for our family tomorrow morning would be greatly appreciated. I have definitely started to feel apprehensive about all the pain I know I'm going to be in this time tomorrow, and Ammon and I are both nervous about what kind of affect this change is going to have on the boys. All nervousness aside, we still can't wait to meet our little girl in the morning!

Squirrels

I wish I had taken my camera to the park with me today. After Kadon's afternoon siesta, I decided it was a great opportunity for the kids and I to get some of that quality time I keep vowing I'm going to give them before this baby comes. That in mind, I loaded the kids up into Mary's car (our van being in Cincinnati with Ammon) and set off for the bank. After depositing some money, we made one more pit stop at Wendy's for an afternoon snack of fries and lemonade, then made our way to our favorite park. We sat happily at one of the picnic tables eating our afternoon snack, and then the boys set out to run themselves ragged on the playground equipment. After about an hour of playing, I noticed a squirrel venturing unusually close to me underneath the picnic table. Suddenly, an idea struck! I quickly unearthed some uneaten french fries from the depths of the Wendy's bag and threw one on the ground. Just as the children approached, breathless from chasing each other around the playground, the wary squirrel snatched the proffered french fry from the ground, and proceeded to nibble at it in an entirely cute manner. As you can imagine, my children were fascinated with the prospect of feeding the omnipresent squirrels, and I had a great time trying to teach the kids the fine art of throwing the french fry 'just so', so that the squirrels would not be frightened by the approach, but instead enticed to pick it up and eat it. I'm sure my kids are going to move on to wanting to feed the squirrels in the yard next, an event that I will do my best to discourage. Feeding squirrels at the local park is one thing, teaching them to expect food from our home is entirely another.

In other news, Ammon has now completed his second full day at Ethicon Endo-Surgery. Yesterday he returned home fully an hour before I had thought to expect him, so our rush hour fears were pleasantly lifted. His boss, in viewing his necessary commute, has agreed to let Ammon take only a 30 minute lunch, allowing him to leave at 4:30 instead of the usual 5pm. This allowed Ammon to skip the worst of the Cincinnati traffic, and arrive here in very reasonable time. Tomorrow will be his last day of work this week, as we are headed to the hospital on Thursday to deliver Brooklyn. I plan to take one more belly shot to post in farewell tomorrow afternoon, along with finishing the last-minute details of bringing a life into this world. We finally have the bulk of preparation finished, having set up the bassinet this weekend, and mostly packing my hospital bag. The infant swing is set up in the living room, awaiting only the arrival of a tiny body to rock to sleep. The changing table sits waiting in the dining room, stocked with diapers, spare clothes, and bath supplies. It seems so strange to think that the age old tradition of having babies has been reduced to a surgical schedule, but I can't wait to meet our little girl in a mere 42 hours!

A Day at the Hospital

First of all, let me apologize for being woefully absent around here the last week or so. I have actually had a couple of people call and ask if I was still alive, and if all was well, because it has been so long since I updated. My only defense? Apparently there is a certain amount of preparation involved in getting ready for a baby. There are tiny little baby clothes and blankets to be washed, folded, and put away. There are new covers for various items to be made (my Boppy pillow and changing table have a whole new look--thanks Mary!) There are diapers and lotion and pacifiers to buy. In short, I have spent the last week thinking of things to do to get ready for Brooklyn's safe arrival, which is scheduled for the 4th of October.

Yesterday I went in for my regularly scheduled pre-operative/prenatal appointment at 10:10 in the morning. I mentioned to my doctor during that appointment that on Wednesday evening Kadon had jumped on my stomach, and although I hadn't noticed any drainage-meaning my water hadn't broken-nor any bleeding, I had noticed a significant decrease in her movements on Thursday. For a baby that doesn't move a lot to begin with, it was disconcerting to notice a marked decrease. The doctor was concerned, and immediately ordered a non-stress test to be completed in his office. Basically the NST consists of being hooked up to a fetal heart rate monitor for about 20 minutes, with a button that I push every time I feel a movement. After 30 minutes of this machine, the doctor was not pleased with several sharp drops in her heart rate, and informed me that this is a sign that there is a low amount of amniotic fluid surrounding her. A low amount of amniotic fluid could be a sign that being inside my womb is not the best place for her to be, which would necessitate her birth immediately. The best way to measure the amount of amniotic fluid is to perform an ultrasound, which was completed in his office.

After my doctor evaluated the results of the ultrasound, he assured me that while there was technically a good amount of fluid surrounding her, he was still unsettled about the results of my NST, and wanted me to head up to Labor and Delivery for at least 2 more hours of monitoring. I had handled myself pretty well up until this point, but hearing him tell me not to eat or drink anything on my way up to the 7th floor stopped my heart. The only reason for me not to eat anything is because there are plans for surgery a week early. I quickly placed a couple of phone calls to Mary, who was watching Jeremy and Kadon, and Angela, my sister-in-law, informing them of the situation. I had no way to contact Ammon at this point because he started his new job yesterday and was in Cincinnati for training. I also didn't see any reason to disturb him unless the final decision was to deliver our daughter immediately. My hope was that if they did decide to do the c-section right away, they would at least give me enough time to contact my husband and give him the 1 hour to drive to the hospital where I was.

Scared, nervous, and full of apprehension, I made my way upstairs. I was quickly hooked up to a very similar monitor that measured the fetal heart rate, and gave a complete obstetric and medical history to the admitting nurse. About an hour and a half later, to my great surprise, I looked up to see Ammon walking into my hospital room. Later, when I had time to settle down and figure out what had happened, I realized that Ammon must have been leaving Cincinnati at the exact same time I was being admitted to the hospital. I felt incredibly blessed that through a series of completely unrelated events, he was home about 4 hours sooner than we had expected, and was able to be there for me nearly the entire time I was in the hospital. After several hours of monitoring, I was sent down to radiology for yet another ultrasound. I received what is called a biophysical profile, although I'm not really sure what that is. The technician took many more measurements of the heart rate; which had apparently ceased to do the startling drops that it had been doing in my doctors office; more measurements of the fluid levels, and sent me back to labor and delivery. After another hour waiting for the doctor to read the results, we were thankfully discharged. I have to say, I have never been so grateful to leave labor and delivery in my life. I know that technically Brooklyn is full term, but I truly feel in my heart that it is not her time yet. I have felt all through this pregnancy that Brooklyn is going to be small, and I know that she could certainly benefit from remaining inside my womb for 6 more days. Yesterday was a terrifying reminder that babies don't always come when you plan, they don't always wait until everything is set up 'just so'. It also made me grateful for quality medical care and doctors who check all angles instead of just assuming that everything is fine. For now, Brooklyn is safely inside me, where she will remain for another few days.

Brothers

I couldn't resist posting this photo. It's my boys at their copycat best. It never fails to amaze the lengths to which they will go in attempting to copy each other, all the while telling each other 'leave me alone!'. Lately, we have been battling the 'He's touching me!' battle, especially in the car. These two brothers, who are both the best of friends and the worst of enemies, battle nearly every time we get into the car to go somewhere. I'm actually looking forward to next week when I will install Brooklyn's car seat. The plan from the beginning was to move Kadon back to the furthest bench, and leave Jeremy and Brooklyn together on the shorter middle bench. At the time, we patted ourselves on the back for coming up with an arrangement that would allow Jeremy to be able to assist his young sister during long car trips. However, we did not foresee the added bonus of separating our battling brothers. Hopefully it will be at least a couple of years before Jeremy and Brooklyn get into the same type of arguments. I have suddenly reached an understanding of the reasons that my parents seemed to walk around with a perpetual headache when my siblings and I were younger. Amidst the constant shouts of 'He's touching me!' to 'He hit me!' to 'Make him stop!', it's no wonder they simply wanted to crawl into a dark room and hide.

Almost 36 week belly

Probably only one more belly shot to go! This was taken at 35 weeks, 4 day, which is probably about 3 weeks from D-day around here. I'm getting really excited to see our little one, and have started having lots of dreams and daydreams about having her here, so I hope to get our surgery date soon. I'm enjoying the few things I've done to get the house ready for her arrival, and plan on doing more later this week. I'll keep everyone posted on an exact surgery date.

Success

You guys, I am so brimming full of gratitude/excitement/happiness I can hardly express myself, so bear with me. Last week Ammon interviewed for yet another programming job in Cincinnati. This job seemed perfect to us, and to him, and he felt that the interview went really well, but we didn't dare get our hopes up. They said they would contact him by the middle of this week, so when Wednesday, then Thursday crept by with nary a word, we figured he hadn't gotten it. Fast forward to this morning at about 11:00--I was upstairs after having showered, making the bed. DH was outside with the kids playing frisbee, when the phone rang. I looked expectantly at the caller ID, and lo and behold it was DH's prospective employer. I yelled his name (he couldn't hear me) grabbed the phone off the base, and took off at a sprint (well, as much as I CAN sprint at this point) to get to him. He grabbed the phone from my hand and went inside to take the call. Guys, I couldn't even bring myself to follow him. I simply sat down in the chair outside the front door and stared blankly at my children playing on the lawn. After what seemed like an eternity, I can hear Ammon yelling from inside the house, as he was walking toward the front door. He stepped out on the patio, looked at me, and said "I got the job". I felt like my heart stopped and the world stood still for a minute. I looked at him and said "You what?" He repeated himself, and I immediately started to cry. This job pays $35,000 a year to start, which in this area is more than enough to buy a reasonably priced house and start dreaming about the future. I am so grateful that we have stayed strong through this ordeal, been uplifting to each other, and had the good sense to realize that although the last two+ months have been difficult, it's a rare chance to be able to spend so much time together. I truly feel as though the Lord has had a plan for us all along, and I'm so grateful that Ammon has been able to be around for the last weeks of my pregnancy, making my life infinitely easier. We've managed just fine financially up until the last couple of weeks, and just as things were beginning to reach a head--this job falls into our laps. Never say that the Lord doesn't have a plan, no matter how dismal things seem. Today, our prayers have been answered.

Useless Information

Today, I have some totally useless information for you to partake of. Enjoy.


The tip of an elephant's truck is so sensitive and flexible that it can pick up a pin.


When George Washington was president, there were only 350 federal employees.


Ethiopia means 'the land of sunburned faces' in Greek.


In Indiana, there is a town named Santa Claus.


When W.C. Fields was caught looking through a Bible, he called it 'looking for loopholes'.


Professional boxing gloves weigh 8 ounces.


A Shrimp's heart is in it's head.


Princess Diana was the first royal bride not to use the word 'obey' in her marriage vows.


It would take seven billion particles of fog to fill a teaspoon.


Virginia Woolf wrote all her books standing up.


Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital.


Mexico's east coast is sinking into the sea at a rate of one or two centimeters per year.



There. Don't you feel smarter now?

Goofy Hats and Funny Faces

In keeping with our designated 'craft time' every morning, yesterday the kids made paper hats out of newspaper. Actually, to be more accurate, I made paper hats out of newspaper, and the kids had a ball decorating them with stickers, markers, and chenille wire. I especially love the funny face that Kadon is trying to copy in this photo, I think it's absolutely hysterical (not to mention a great shot of the pearly whites! Who needs a dentist, anyway?!)

As a side note, I went back to the doctor today for my 35 week appointment, and I have been anxious over my possible due date change for nothing. The doctor I saw today was perfectly willing to let my original earlier due date stand, and also is hoping to perform my c-section much earlier than I had hoped for. He likes to deliver about 10 days to 1 week early, so Brooklyn should be making her arrival sometime between the 3rd and the 8th. That' s right folks, only about 3-4 weeks! As yet I still haven't gotten anything ready, but I am going to start the sorting and setting up process tomorrow and will have an exact date and time for my section by the end of the week. I can't believe it's almost time to be done, these last 9 months have FLOWN by!!

It's a plane!

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to attend the Dayton RC Airplane show. I have never attended an RC airplane show before, and only a military air show once, so I really had no idea what to expect. Uncertainty aside, we loaded up Russ and the kids, made arrangements to meet Angela and her family, and set out for the show. Our first mistake? Not taking any foldable chairs. When they say 'air show', what they actually mean is a bunch of guys standing in front of the airstrip flying their RC planes. These RC airplanes are not your normal planes, they cost several thousand dollars and are capable of maneuvers most aircraft could only dream of. They vary in size from the small, to the obscenely huge, as you can see in the second picture up above. There are as many as five or six planes flying at a time, and the best part of the show is watching the different stunts they pull off. For an almost 8 month pregnant woman, standing is not a lot of fun. I ended up sitting on the ground next to the stroller while everybody else wandered around taking in the various booths. At one point a kind woman offered her husbands chair to me, but by then I was settled on the ground and didn't want to get up. We spent several pleasant moments discussing pregnancy, children, and airplanes, and I was grateful for her kindness.

Our second mistake? Not bringing any cold water with us. This, my friends, is out of character for me. I'm normally the water queen. I loathe among almost all other things the feeling of being thirsty, so I normally am over prepared with ice cold water for everybody that will be with me. This time, Russ took pity on our group and purchased several bottles of Sprite and Powerade to quench our thirst.

Mistakes aside, it was a really great opportunity. As you can see from the first picture, the kids had a great time watching the planes fly, and it even spawned a craft project for us last Friday. The kids each chose a piece of construction paper, then colored it and put stickers on it. After their artwork was completed, Ammon folded them into sleek airplanes, and they had a great time chasing each other around the yard with them.

Welcome, Elliette!

My newest niece was born this afternoon. Ammon's sister, Lisa, has been having intermittent contractions for several weeks, and early this morning they finally turned into the real thing. About 10 hours after arriving at the hospital, a 7 pound 4 ounce, 18 inch long little girl was born. They've chosen to name her Elliette (I'm not sure of a middle name) and I can't wait to see her! I'm told the labor and delivery went well, and Grandma is thrilled with the newest grandbaby. Just five more weeks until our own liftoff, but it's nice that Mary is finally going to be able to come home from Florida to finish helping me get ready for our delivery. Congratulations, Lisa!! Give that little girl a hug and kiss for us all!!

Hope?

Another job interview, more prayers, but finally some hope? Ammon interviewed for another web developer position in Cincinnati this week. It is with a large subsidiary company of Johnson and Johnson based just north of Cincinnati in the lovely Blue Ash area. Apparently, this company is launching a new customer service website, and are looking for a team of people not only to design, program, and launch the website, but for the same people to also then be involved in the customer service and troubleshooting aspect of the website. This sort of position is right up Ammon's alley, with all the programming and customer service he has done in the past. He truly feels that this interview is the best interview that he has ever had, so it's very difficult not to get our hopes up. They promised to contact him by the middle of next week, so if you could spare any positive thoughts or prayers in the meantime, they would be greatly appreciated in our direction.


In other news, today is the annual Dayton Popcorn Festival. That's right, folks. The great city of Dayton devotes and entire weekend to the celebration of the Fellows' favorite snack: POPCORN! We are planning on attending the festival this afternoon with Ammon's Dad, and though our meager funds will probably not allow us to buy much (if anything), I'm sure the tantalizing aroma will send us running for the air popper this evening. I can't say that I'm looking forward to walking around for several hours this afternoon, what with a 5 pound baby resting in my pelvis and all, but I am looking forward to the festivities, and getting out with my family. I'll try and get some pictures and get them posted this week.

Getting Ready

I bought a baby monitor tonight. I know it doesn't exactly rank high on the 'really important and exciting things to do' scale, but it's yet another reminder that it's almost time for Brooklyn to be born. Unless my due date changes when I visit my doctor in another week and a half, I am 34 weeks and 1 day today. That means I have roughly 5 to 5 1/2 weeks of pregnancy left. This is both a thrilling and terrifying thought. Admittedly, lately the thoughts have become less terrifying and more thrilling, but it's still a lot to think about. It's been nearly exactly 1 year since we first decided to bring another child into our home, and here we are almost to complete that goal. It's been a crazy, busy, mostly satisfying year, and I can think of no better capstone than to have our daughter complete the cycle. I suppose in a way I am going to miss carrying this little girl inside my womb. I'm going to miss our daily communions, the kicks and jabs that no one else feels but me. I won't miss the swollen ankles, aching back, or morning sickness, but I will miss feeling her hiccups and her twitches, and hearing her heartbeat when I go to the doctor. At this stage, very little has been prepared for her arrival. I don't have my hospital bag lovingly packed with the essentials, I haven't laundered the first clothing that she will wear and placed in neatly in drawers. I haven't unearthed the car seat, bassinet, baby swing, and flannel receiving blankets. In some ways, being forced into a scheduled c-section by my uncooperative body is a blessing. Although I dread the thought of the actual surgery and ensuing recovery, it is nice to know exactly how much time I have to prepare. I know that barring an emergency, I have plenty of time to launder the frothy pink gowns and blankets that will be indispensable this time in two months. For now, however, I'm going to enjoy the fact that my little one is safe and snug inside my body, for at least a few more weeks.

Why I Have Boys

And you also find out interesting things when you have sons, like

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.

When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh," it's already too late.

8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.

11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12.) Super glue is forever.

13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15.) VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20.) The fire department in Austin , TX has a 5-minute response time.

21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

Ultrasound

I had my 33 week ultrasound today to check and see if our little girl is actually growing. The doctors both in Utah and in Ohio have been concerned about the amount of weight I have lost, and chose to do another ultrasound at this point in order to check on Brooklyn's growth. After checking all the measurements, she is measuring slightly small but not drastically so, so I'm not sure if my Obstetrician is going to choose to change my due date or not. I go back to the doctor on the 11th of September to evaluate the results of this scan. No matter the results, everything (other than her small size--which again isn't drastic) looks wonderful, all the body parts are right where they should be and functioning correctly, and she is still very much a girl. It was great to get another shot at our girl, and be able to 'see' one more time before she arrives.

33 Weeks

Here I am in all my enormous 33 week glory. I had Ammon capture this picture this morning, and although I don't think it's terribly flattering, I suppose I'm probably not going to be happy with any photos taken of my at this point. Although I am aware that I feel enormous and ungainly, it's unsettling to see proof of this in photos. At any rate, as this is planned to be our last pregnancy, I still want to immortalize it on film. Tomorrow I go in for another ultrasound to determine if Brooklyn is growing on schedule, as I have still been losing weight due to my severe morning sickness. With both the boys I had put on at least a few pounds by this point in my pregnancy, but this time I haven't managed to do even that, so the doctor is concerned about sufficient growth of our baby. I feel confident that everything is fine and that she is growing (it feels like she's growing!!) but I will post more information as soon as I have it. If nothing else, it's a great opportunity to get another look at our little one before her arrival in a few weeks!

Surprise!

I wasn't expecting much for my birthday this year. Knowing our finances, the time Ammon had available, and the resources that he had at his fingertips, I didn't expect a big celebration. In the weeks leading up to my birthday, I only made on request: a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. In the days leading up to my birthday I had lost most hope even for that, chalking it up to Ammon's 'male forgetfulness'. How wrong I was.
The Sunday of my birthday dawned bright and hot. The morning consisted of the normal scramble to get the children ready for church, the toy bag packed, and scriptures located. I managed to force down something small for breakfast, and then we attended church. After church Kadon and Mommy took a nap, after which we planned to go over to Angela's house for Sunday dinner. The invitation had been made on a whim a few days beforehand, and I was positive that nothing 'funny' was going on. How wrong I was.
When we arrived at Angela's house, Angela was standing out on the front porch, which I thought was a little odd. Secondly, when we walked into the house there were streamers and balloons festooning the living room. Again, I'm still not convinced that there is anything going on, but the living room, despite the festive decorations, is strangely empty and quiet. As I rounded the corner into the rest of the house, people began streaming out of the kitchen. Angela's entire family, along with the terHorst family from Cincinnati had all gathered together for a birthday meal. The menu consisted of my favorite cornell chicken, funeral potatoes, and a fabulous fruit salad (of which I ate mounds and mounds). After dinner? You guessed it. A very large carrot cake. Nothing like a surprise party and carrot cake to make a girl feel special, loved, and appreciated. Thanks guys!!

Ohio Rain

Some of you may have noticed in recent national news that parts of Ohio are struggling under the worst flood conditions in 100 years. Luckily, the parts of Ohio that are submersed are much farther north than where we are, and have the unfortunate luck to be experiencing the notorious lake affect. Lake Erie, which is located directly north of Ohio, causes massive snowfall in the winter, and torrential rains during the other times of year. In fact, one of the jobs that Ammon has applied for would move us to Cleveland, which is on the banks of Lake Erie. Even though this is a wonderful job with a great salary, I do not desire a position that would bring us closer to the lake. On that note, I am going to attempt to catch up on the photos that I have taken this summer and neglected to post on my blog. The next few days will probably be somewhat of a mish-mash of images and probably a few videos, but the selection for today is a rainstorm that I recorded the second weekend we were here. It was a Sunday afternoon, and Kadon was ill. We had left church early to come home and put both Kadon and myself down for a nap. I awoke to Ammon coming into our bedroom and opening the curtains to our window which overlook the street running in front of the house. Once this initial shock from the sheer amount of water I was witnessing, I ran down the stairs to capture it with my camera. I know the video doesn't quite do it justice, but know that this particular storm was the first of several of that severity that I have experienced since moving here. They say we're in a drought, but if this is the eastern version of drought, sign me up. I shudder to think what the spring rain season will bring.

Happy Birthday

Tomorrow is my birthday, so we are celebrating today instead of trying to fit everything into a Sunday afternoon after church. Angela, the wonderful sister-in-law that she is, has offered to watch the kids for several hours today so that Ammon and I can go out on a 'day date'. Since the choice of activities is completely up to me, I chose to go the the Dayton Art Institute, go out for lunch, then browse the local mall for a couple hours before picking up the kids. I have really been looking forward to today all week, so I hope it turns out to be as fun as I'm anticipating. Ammon and I have spent a ton of time together in the last month, but very little of it has been one-on-one without either the children or Mary and Russ around, so this afternoon is a much needed treat.
Today, I'm also feeling really grateful for my family. The kids have been such angels for the last couple of days, playing nicely together, not whining, and being extra sweet and cuddly. It reminds me of the angelic spirits they truly are, just wandering through this life looking for guidance. I am so glad that we have been blessed to have them in our lives, because everything they do brings such joy and satisfaction. I need days like yesterday and today to remind me that it's all worthwhile when I'm stuck in the trenches and the diapers and messes are never ending. I'm so grateful for these beautiful spirits that have been entrusted to us, I just hope that we don't manage to screw them up too terribly before they move on from us.

Trudging On

Ammon had another interview for a job near here this week. It's odd, because the company that is actually looking for employees hired an entirely different firm to recruit for them, handling all the advertising, interviewing, and skills testing required. For the past several days Ammon has been taking online tests for this recruiter, attempting to showcase the skills that he has and further broaden his knowledge. He's been doing a lot of studying, and I had to dig out several of his textbooks, so it's eerily as though he's back in school again. Yesterday Ammon drove to Cincinnati for an interview with this recruiting company, and although he isn't terribly optimistic that he'll get the job he actually interviewed for, the recruited seemed very interesting in continuing to help Ammon search for employment with one of their other clients. We're very hopeful that this is possibly the connection we've been waiting on, as it seem promising that this recruiting company has ties to several different companies ranging all the way from Northern Kentucky to Central Ohio. The recruiter's eyes lit up when Ammon explained that we are highly motivated to find employment and are willing to relocate to any of these areas. For now, we are still in waiting mode, but it feels good to at least feel as though we have some promising leads.

Guilty?

A quick note today, as I'm feeling guilty that I haven't updated in a while. Ammon received some feedback on one of the jobs he applied for in Cincinnati, but so far it's only been nibbles and nothing substantial. We're still praying mightily that something will turn up soon, as it is getting more and more difficult for Ammon to continually be out of work and out of sorts around the house. The heat and humidity did finally let up some yesterday, and Ammon was able to get more yardwork done, and we even went to the local farmers market today, which was a lot of fun. The children have continued to improve in their behavior, becoming more recognizable as the children we know and love. This move has been really difficult on them, and they have manifested it (as most children do) in minor misbehavior and attitude problems. We're all grateful that the most difficult part seems to be over with, and the kids are adjusting well. In baby news, I finally got into a doctor this week, and although the doctor that I saw had terrible bedside manner and I have no intention of ever seeing him again, there are other doctors in the practice that have come highly recommended, and it feels good to have one more hurdle out of the way. I am going to be scheduling a tour of the hospital I will be delivering at sometime in the coming weeks so that we have an idea what we are getting ourselves into. All in all, despite the job situation, life has been good to us and we are grateful for the chance to be spending a lot of time together. I'm grateful for a savings account that hasn't yet run out, and for a husband that is diligent in finding things to do around the house rather than sit around and bemoan his unemployed status. There is very little in our lives to complain about at this point.

Unemployed--still

Well, Ammon is still in the ranks of the unemployed. He has filled out countless applications, pasted his resume over and over again, and still hasn't had a single interested contact. He vows that if he doesn't get something solid soon he's going to take a job trucking, but I'm really hoping it doesn't come down to that. Trucking is a hard profession, and even though it pays fairly well I'm not sure that the benefits outweigh the cost. The kids and I don't operate well when Ammon isn't around to make us all laugh, so even though that makes us really wimpy, I'm hoping that he finds a job soon so he doesn't have to go on the road for long stretches of time.
Other than that, things are going well today. It appears as though we will be taking it easy on the yardwork this week because there is a heat advisory in effect until at least tomorrow morning. As I was reading the newspaper this morning over breakfast, I warned Ammon that the yardwork he was planning on today should perhaps wait, but he scoffed at the heat advisory, and said he wasn't silly enough to go out and get dehydrated and overheated. Fast forward to an hour later--Ammon comes into the house, simply dripping in sweat and weak from exhaustion. It's not simply that it is hot outside today, the humidity is very high and makes the temperature 'feel' over 100 degrees. Not exactly optimal for exertion out of doors. Anyway, maybe later we'll try and take the kids back to the outdoor water park, and this time we'll ALL get in to help relieve the discomfort.

Nearly 30 Weeks

I'm doing a quick post tonight because it's getting late and my bedroom is calling-never enough rest for a pregnant woman. Anyway, this photo was taken yesterday, so I was exactly 29 weeks and 3 days along. I'm starting to get big enough to be uncomfortable, and every day I look down and the floor is farther and farther away. I'm grateful today for central air and a husband and children that are willing to help out, because I've definitely not been at my best for a while now. Only ten more weeks of this, right?

Water Park

On Monday night we took the kids and met Angela and her family at a local water park. This park is run and maintained by the city, and is free to the public. Dayton has such a wonderful park system, we have now been to several of the metro parks and they're all absolutely beautiful. This particular park has a large fenced in area that is full of different water activities, and is swarming with kids on any given day. We are planning to go back to this park this afternoon because it is forecasted to be beastly hot until about Saturday. I think it's great that in a city where so many people are struggling and there is a major job depression, the people in charge of parks and recreation still insure that there are nice places for everybody to frequent.

Belly Shot and Baby Shower

Here is my most recent belly shot, taken about three days after we arrived here. I was about 25 weeks pregnant at this point, which in my opinion is a nice pregnant size. You're big enough to show, but not so big that your belly gets in the way of everything. I know I'm due for another belly shot, so I'll get it taken in the next couple of days and post it on here.
As a surprise for Lisa and I, who is also pregnant and due a month before me, the women of the family got together and threw us a surprise baby shower at a lovely tea shoppe outside Dayton. We'd been planning to get lunch at this tea shoppe for months as just 'the girls' of the family, but apparently a baby shower was in the works as well. It was a lot of fun, and after the shower and lunch, we ended up going shopping. One of the stores that we went to was a secondhand clothing store for children, similar to 'Kid to Kid' in Utah. Every member of the family, expectant mothers included, went a little bit nuts in the store buying up even more cutesy girl clothing. When all was said and done, Lisa and I had quite a stack of clothing to transfer into our vehicles to return home with. Brooklyn received so much clothing that I had a hard time not feeling indecently guilty as I was going through it later that night, but the fun time I had with the women of the family will not be one that I will forget for a very long time.