I Did Forget About This Blog...Yet

So much has happened since my last post and we have enjoyed every moment. Islay is 3 weeks old today and I can't believe how fast the time is flying by.

We had a wonderful Christmas full of fun and canceled parties. We were supposed to have a party for Ridgedon's Joy School but with one girl out of town and another one sick we decided to postpone the party. Then our good friends were hosting a Christmas Eve dinner party but their whole family came down with some super fun sickness and their son ended up in the hospital with a fever that wouldn't come down. So, that party was cancelled and we stayed home as a family of 6 and enjoyed the time together.

The family got a Wii for Christmas and Jason and I wanted to make sure it worked so we stayed up WAY too late "testing" the nintendo and you can all rest assured that it works just fine. haha.

Islay spends most of her day being held and she spends maybe an hour total each day not in someones arms. This is in part because I have 3 little people who love to hold and kiss their new sister. I have to admit that I am reluctant to help her grow up. With all the other kids we did lots of tummy time and interaction to help them reach major milestones. But with Islay, I find myself content to let her stay little for as long as possible. I know she will grow up regardless of my efforts but I really don't want her to do it earlier than

The kids are all adjusting as well as can be expected. Dyson is doing just fine and has stepped into the role of big brother to 3 sibblings just fine. Ridge has felt a little displaced I think and has acted out by fighting with Rori. Rori retaliates to Ridge and I have about had it with their fighting. I am working on giving them each individualized attention and today that seemed to help.

We have been enjoying the time we have gotten to spend with Jason while he's been on break and I loathe to see it end. Come Monday school will be in full force for all my men. It will just be us girls at home during the day.

Islay Rae Johnson

I guess it's time for me to update this blog for the month of December and tell you all about the newest member of our family.

Her name is Islay Rae Johnson. You pronounce her name Ice-luh. I know it's a funny spelling but we named her after my dearest friend and that is how she spells it and I'm not going to change it.

Here is her birth story. It may be a little to "honest" for some readers so feel free to not read.

From the beginning our little girl was measuring small. Since we moved to NJ before I could see my doc in UT and we had to wait to see a doc until after our insurance was figured out I didn't get an early ultrasound (which are more reliable for determining due dates.) So we could only go off my LMP date which put me due on the 8th of Dec. My parents bought tickets to come out on the 1st of Dec and were hoping to be here in time for her birth. I talked to my doc in Nov and asked if he would induce me on the 2nd of Dec and he agreed.

As we got closer to the 2nd the doc was less and less convinced of my due date being the 8th and recommended putting off the induction until the 16th. On Nov. 30th I went into the doc and he told me I was only dialated to a 1 but not effaced much at all. He told me he thought I was closer to 36 weeks than 39 weeks and if I went ahead with the induction I had a 20% chance the baby would end up in the NICU. Of course I didn't want to send my baby there but I didn't want to wait until the 16th either. My parents were only going to be in town until the 15th. I asked if I could think about it and call him the next day.

Jas and I went home and I spent the whole night crying. I was so upset. It's really difficult to be told a date when you will get to have your baby and then 2 days before be told it's a no go. I was really torn. I had Jas give me a blessing and I was told to trust my instincts and that I would feel confidence in what I chose. So after many prays, tears and a hot bath Jas and I decided to wait 1 week and do the induction on the 9th instead.

The doc was still not happy with how hard my cervix was so he scheduled me to come in on Wed night to give me something to soften things up. He told me that 1/3 of women who get this drug go into labor on their own and don't need the Pitocin. (I was hoping this would be me.)

They gave me the stuff (I won't even try to spell it) at 8:00pm and then we waited. At first it didn't do anything and I was totally bummed that it didn't seem to be putting me into labor. I'm not sure why but I was expecting instantaneous results, haha. The contractions actually started about an hour after they gave it to me, which isn't bad, and they decided to move me to labor and delivery at midnight. At that time I was a 3 and 60%. Things were looking good and I was doing really good with contractions.

I had decided to have this baby without the epidural and so far I was doing really good. They got me set up in L and D and I settled in for the night. The contractions kept coming (as they do during labor) and my mom, Jason and I were enjoying Stardust on the computer. I was mostly listening to it but I did get to see a couple of scenes in between my awesome breathing. After a few hours of being in L and D I asked Jason if he would check me to see how things were going since my labor with Rori only lasted 4 hours. He did and said I was close to a 5. I labored a little longer then I suggested they go get a nurse to check me so that they would know how I was progressing. By this time the contractions were getting pretty intense and I was pretty sure transition labor was just around the corner. I didn't want to get to delivery and not have the hospital staff ready. So my nurse Kate (who was A Ma Zing!!) come and checked me and said I was about a 7 and called for the doc on call, Dr. Tah come check. He agreed that I was a 7 and called my doc, Dr. Kierce to come in. It was just after 3:00 am when they called him.

It seemed like FOREVER before Dr. Kierce arrived. I had started transition labor just after they called him and it was bad. I had to keep reminding myself that to relax and breath. I never took any child birth classes but I can see why people do. It probably would have helped a ton if I had some specific techniques. But as it was, I didn't and I did the best I could.

Dr. Kierce got there and checked me. He said I was at a 9 and had about another hour. HA! He obviously didn't believe me when I said I dialate fast in the end. He, of course, ended up being wrong as I delivered Islay about 15 min later.

After he checked me the contractions started getting really bad and my breathing wasn't helping me get through them. The nurse suggested I try tightening my abs a little and bearing down just a little. If any of you have had natural child birth you will know what I am talking about when I say there is no such thing as pushing " a little bit." Once I started pushing I wasn't able to stop. With each contraction the urge to push grew more and more intense and the only way for me to get through the pain was to push.

Jason had been sitting on the end of my bed being very supportive but he was supposed to be delivering this baby so I finally told him to go get ready. He got up and went to scrub in. While he was scrubbing in I was in the middle of pushing "a little" and I just kept yelling "I can't stop pushing!" There was also a lot of yelling. I can say that my epidural labors were much quieter. When I think back on my labor with Islay and all the noise I made it is kind of embarrassing.

Anyway, so while Jas was washing his hands in his doctor like fashion, I was screaming that I was going to die and I can't stop pushing. I could feel the baby crowning and I thought for sure I was tearing. I'm sure I sounded kind of whinny to the nurses but I was really worried about tearing (I wasn't numb at all and I didn't want stitches without an epidural. haha)

I seemed to have been chanting the same 3 sentences over and over again.

On the last contraction I heard the nurse say "This is it" The doc say "Amanda, you have to calm down." (I was a bit crazy. haha) and then it happened. I felt my water break, the baby slide out and the most intense pain I have ever felt in my life all at nearly the same time. Dr. Kierce caught the baby and she was born. Jason watched the delivery as he was putting his arms in his gown :( It is something I still feel very guilty about. If I had waited longer before I started pushing, or if I had told him to get ready sooner, or if... the list goes on and on. If I could change one thing about Islay's delivery that would be it. But other than that one thing her delivery was wonderful.

She was born at 4:28am weighing 6lbs 14oz, 19inch long and absolutely perfect. She looks so much like her siblings and has a head full of dark hair. She is such a good baby. She is so content. She does what we call the Wind Up and Give Up and that pretty much describes her when she is unhappy. She really doesn't cry.

We love her already!

I am so proud of myself for doing this labor naturally. I have nothing negative to say about the epidural or anyone who gets one. I don't think they are weak or wimpy. I just really wanted to experience a natural labor. Some people call me crazy and maybe they are right but I will say my recovery this time has been awesome. And like I said, I'm really proud of myself. I never asked for the epidural. I never had to be reminded how much I wanted to do it on my own. There was one point where I said I quit but I was just saying it. I knew it was too late for the drugs and I had no intention of having them anyway. I wanted to do it this way, and I did. I accomplished something that few women have and I am so proud of myself for it.

So welcome to the world and welcome to our family

Islay Rae Johnson. We love you!

Way Behind

Oh my, I have really let this blog become something of joke. I have managed to update it once a month (if that) and then the post is mostly just an overview of what has been going on during my writing absence.
Which pretty much sums up all my journal writing attempts. haha.
So here we go with an attempt to sum up (again) what has been going on and hopefully I'll do better about keeping this blog up to date (although I wouldn't count on it since I'm due to have our baby in 4 weeks)

To update everyone on the baby I will say that I am due on the 8th of Dec. but I am scheduled to be induced on the 2nd of Dec instead. My parents come in early on the 1st so we are going to help this little one get here. I am really excited about this since my induction with Rori made my labor last 4 hours. Who wouldn't want to sign up for a 4 hour labor?
I have spent that last few months as a permanent resident of the hospital's antenatal testing area. I have had more ultrasounds with this pregnancy than I had with all my other kids combined, x10!
At first they were worried because she was measuring 2 weeks small for her age and so I went in every 2-4 weeks to have a growth check done to make sure she was growing properly. She stayed consistently 2 weeks small until 3 weeks ago when she had a sudden growth spurt. So I get to go in again today to check and see how she is doing. I'm hoping this is the last time since delivery is just around the corner.
In addition to growth checks they checked my fluid levels and decided that I am "low" on amniotic fluid. I was told at the hospital that the range is from 10-20 and I was at 10.7. I have never had any problems with my fluid levels so this info kind of had me nervous. They wanted me come back in after a week of rest and increased fluids, for a fluid check. So I did. My fluid levels didn't change. The people at the hospital told me I "needed" to come back in every week for a fluid check and to hook me up to the monitors to check the baby! I can't take my kids with me to the hospital and I was seriously running out of friends to abuse for babysitters since I was going in nearly every week to the hospital (between the heart issues, growth check and fluid checks) It was getting a little ridiculous in my opinion. So I asked my doc about my levels and he said he wouldn't worry unless I was under 5 or over 25. So I skipped my last fluid check (it was the same day as Dyson's school Halloween parade and I didn't want to miss that anyway) and told my doc last time that I wasn't going back for any more of them. haha. He agreed.
So after a several months of pointless hospital visits and stressing about if this baby was going to actually be born when my parents were here I have some peace of mind to know that everything seems to be going great and I won't have to go past my due date!

Jason in the middle of his OB/GYN rotation and is really enjoying it, besides that fact that there are too many students in this rotation. He has spent the last 3 weeks doing ob/gyn surgeries and really likes it. His call schedule hasn't been too bad either. He has gotten to work with my OB since my OB is the head of the OB department at the hospital and he has agreed to let Jason deliver this little girl! I am super excited about that. Jason has 3 more weeks on this rotation and then he starts Psych. (which is the most relaxed of the core rotations. He only has to be there from 9-2, or something like that, and there is no call!) Which will make our life pretty nice.

Dyson has a new found love of art. Up until now if he was supposed to color for school it consisted of one color over the whole picture, and it was obvious that it was done as quickly as possible. Needless to say, coloring was not his thing. But I have had 2 talks with his current teacher to discuss the mural that was drawn all over his desk! He likes to draw and color. He prefers to not use crayons however. He loves markers and colored pencils. I think he would really like paints too if I let him use them. ( I really don't want to clean up that mess) He is getting better at reading, writing and math everyday. I have parent teacher conferences today so I will get a little better insight as to how he is coping in the class and what I can do to help him. He seems to be adapting well to this new school and the thought of maybe moving at the end of the school year is becoming less and less appealing. I would really like for him to have some kind of stability. He has lived in 6 different house/apartments in his 6 years. But our life is anything but predictable at this point so all I can do is hope that he will continue to adapt to each new situation.

Ridge. There is so much to say about this little man. One of the funnier things that we have been experiencing with him is how he says his "R" sounds. For the longest time (actually, since he started talking) he has had a hard time saying his Rs. He said his name as Widgedon and his sister was Wowi. We have been working with him on saying it the right way for a long time and he just couldn't seem to get it. He could say the R sound but if he tried to connect it to word he would use the W sound. It was kind of frustrating but we figured it would all come in time. We were right. One day he came into the kitchen where I was cooking dinner and told me his name was Ridgedon! I was so excited and all during dinner he was telling us words that started with the R sound. Jas and I were so proud of him. The funny part comes in when one night we were eating dinner and Ridge was trying to tell Rori that her dinner wasn't hot it was just warm but he couldn't do it. He kept trying but he didn't want to use the W sound and he ended up telling her that dinner was rarm. haha. Even now he has a hard time with words that have a W and an R in the word. His speech is always a work, or as Ridge would say "a rork" in progress. haha. Gotta love him!

Rori might as well be velcroed to my leg. Whenever her dad is not around all she wants is for me to hold her, snuggle her, sit with her and read to her. Of course it's super cute and I LOVE it, but it does make getting any kind of house work done impossible. Between the 2 of us we have been sick for 2 weeks and I think her being sick has added to her need for momma love. But she seems to be feeling better and the needyness hasn't subsided. Of course, as soon as her dad walks in the door mom doesn't even exist. haha. Which makes it possible for me to do some house cleaning and cooking but Jason doesn't spend much time at home, and when he's on call (like he was last night) it makes for a long day for me with my growth attached. haha.
I have really loved our one on one time when Ridge and D are both in school. We have so much fun. The way she constructs her sentences is too funny and we laugh the whole time. She talks like Yoda and she tries to talk like a grown up. I just can't get enough of her.

We didn't really do much for Halloween this year unless you count having a Joy School Halloween party and attending the ward Fall Festival. We didn't trick or treat since it was on Sunday, Jason was on call, and Rori was sick with a fever. We stayed home, had a relaxing evening and I sent the kids to bed early.

We are planning on having some friends over to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and I am excited about planning it. I have 3 weeks to get all my Christmas shopping done, plan Thanksgiving, and get things organized for miss Islay to join our family. Sometimes it seems like the list is overwhelming and I don't have enough time, but being busy will help the time pass. And since the last month of pregnancy seems to last FOR-E-VER I'm grateful for the distractions. The only thing that seems to be on the down side is that my morning sickness seems to have returned! How rude is that? I have been nauseous for a week now and I can't figure out what to do about it.
So Rori and I spend a lot of time laying down snuggling until dad comes home, and other than the fact that the house is a perpetual mess, I don't mind the snuggle and rest time.

So there is my life in a blog post. Hopefully I can get some pics up soon and hopefully I'll be better about keeping up.

A month gone by

I feel like I just updated this blog but that was about a month ago! Where does the time go?
We are back in the swing of things here with Jason back and the hospital, Dyson in 1st grade (gone all day :( and Ridge in Joy school 2 mornings a week. It seems that so much has happened in the last few weeks and the time has flown by.
Dyson is loving being in school all day and is making tons of friends. But I'm not surprised. He has always been so outgoing and friendly. He is like his mother in that respect. I never had a hard time making friends. He is doing excellent in reading and math and I am impressed with him every day.
Ridge has only been to school 2 days but is really liking it. For the first time he is one of the older kids in the group and I think he likes being a leader for the others. He is one of two 4 yr olds and the rest are 3.
Rori is CRAZY! There are so many different words I could use to describe her but that one seems to sum it up pretty good. She is talking more and more clearly and you would think that would help her communicate better but we are still struggling with her crying and whining for every little thing. It is seriously driving me nuts.
Rori is my big helper. She doesn't really like playing with her brothers (they play games she doesn't understand) but she loves to help me clean and cook. She will follow me around all day! I love it. Of course she changes focus to her dad as soon as he walks through the door. haha.

As for me and baby. I am doing pretty good over all with only a few complaints really. I have been having sciatic nerve pain (which is no fun at all) and I also have excruciating pain due to my hips spreading. I can't walk hardly at all and I have a difficult time changing from a laying to sitting or sitting to standing position. I waddle like I'm 45 weeks pregnant but I'm only 28! Not good.

Baby girl is growing steadily. In the beginning we were a little worried about her size since she was measuring 2 weeks small. I have been having ultrasounds every couple of weeks to monitor her growth and she is looking good. Still 2 weeks small but she is growing at a steady rate. I am scheduled to have Fetal Echocardiogram to examine her heart for a possible heart defect.
On an early ultrasound her heart showed signs of a possible Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) which is basically a whole in the heart between the left and right ventricle. It is the most common heart defect and usually doesn't require treatment. They commonly close on their own but it surgery is needed it is pretty simple. The doc isn't too worried about her and there have been many prayers on her behalf that Jason and I feel really confident that all will be well with our little one.
My biggest concern is that if she does in fact have a VSD it can make nursing more difficult since the baby can get tired really easily. I use nursing to help lose the weight (and I'm going to need a lot of help this time around) and if she gets too tired and isn't a good nurser that is not a good thing for me. (leave it to me to be selfish when it comes the health of my baby. oh well)

Jason is doing his pediatric rotation right now and has been enjoying his time there. He was on the patient floors working with adolescents for the first week and now he is in the newborn nursery and ER. He is learning so much and his Attendings have been really awesome.

NJ is growing on us and I am really looking forward to the Fall. It is my favorite season and I have been told that Fall in Jersey is amazing. So I'm hoping to add another thing on my small, but growing list of things I like about NJ.

If any of you find yourself back east or you want to plan a trip out here feel free to come and stay. We aren't far from NY and would love to see you!

proof is in the picture

Our little family has been growing up and our kids are getting older by the day. It's been a while since I've posted some pics so here are photos of our summer adventures.

We've been listening to music

We made a trip to the beach

Played at the park with friends



Dyson had a birthday

We went to the zoo

Ridge had a birthday

Climbed on all the toys at another park

Learned how to climb up a twisty slide




We went to a parade for the 4th of July

Mom had a birthday dinner

We spent some time at the Sprayground

And we even started potty training.

And have been getting cuter and cuter every day!

The Results

We had our ultrasound last week and found out our little nugget is a GIRL!! We are really excited and it was an interesting ultrasound. Eventually I'll post about it but right now we'll just say we know what we are having and are super excited!!

What will it be?

So after dealing with nearly every obstacle known to man I finally have a date for my ultrasound. Most people have their scan done between 18 and 20 weeks. However, since my life has been anything but normal or predictable lately I am having mine at 22 weeks. It has been an extremely frustrating process to get everything figured out and set but I'm glad to have it done, finally.

So the big day is this Friday at 10:15. That is when we will hopefully find out the gender of our little nugget. I get asked all the time if I want a boy or a girl and to answer that question for all of you who aren't close enough to ask the answer is, I really don't care.
I know lots of people say that and whenever I heard it I always thought in the back of my mind "yeah right!" But now that it's me in the hot seat I can honestly say that I will be equally excited either way.

That being said there are some significant social benefits to it being a girl. Right now Rori has 2 older brothers who she tries to play with but they are less than patient with her and they don't like to share their toys with her. And they don't want to play with her toys, since they are girly, and so she never really has to share. It would be nice for her to have a younger sister so she could learn how to share her toys (and her dad) with someone younger than her.
But having another little bundle of boy would be absolutely perfect too. I wouldn't accomplish the same things socially as a girl would but I have a name already picked out for a boy and there is something about the bond between a mother and son. I don't know if it's because I had a boy first and so my first feelings of loving a baby were towards a boy or if it's just the way I am, but I really do have a special place for those little men in my life.

So in a couple of days I'll be off to find out if we are going pink or blue. I've added a poll on the sidebar so be sure to cast your vote. The voting ends on Friday at 11:30ish my time. And I'll post the results as soon as I get home.