AN AWESOME BABY GIFT

Some good friends of ours bought us a Moby for Aden's birth. It took me a while to figure out, but I am really starting to love this wrap.

It's great for newborns up to 35 lbs. and sure beats my old snugglie and even any slings I've tried in the past. There are so many ways to wear it. The thing I love most about it is that I feel like Aden is completely secure without holding him at all, like I always felt the need to do with everything else. Anyway, just thought I'd put a plug in for this product. The link to find them is below.

http://www.mobywrap.com/t-mobywrap.aspx

MISC. PICTURES FROM GRANDMA'S CAMERA

This is a little blurry, but I still love it!

This sand castle was the start of a half-days worth of playtime!

Joel in the sunflower patch...unfortunately they aren't getting all that tall!

Evan riding with Grandma. She hasn't ridden in about 30 years she said, but it all came back to her!

Myah and her pet duck, "Waddles".

The kids enjoying the trampoline. It now sits in a pile waiting to be put back together (if we have all the parts!) after blowing through the hay field from a bad storm! :(

SHARING SOME MORE ADEN PICTURES

Grandma K. was here for the past week. She left on Monday, so we are officially on our own with normal life with 4 kids. Thankfully, other than being a little tired, I feel good! Grandma entertained the kids for the past week by taking them swimming, to the museum, playing in the sandbox, horse-back riding with them, along with keeping my house cleaned and laundry caught up. Wish I could have her full time, but I can't. Thankfully we will see her again and all our family on a trip we are planning in September back to Michigan.

While she was here, she had her camera in hand 24/7, I think. She took well over 200 pictures! I was very thankful for that as well as she captured things that I always think, "oh I wish I had my camera!" and never take the time to get it. She also just captured some great ones of our house projects and animals, of which I don't take many pictures of anymore. So, thanks mom!

Aden's first fishing trip to Cheesy Lake in Red Lodge -- 11 days old.

A double baby shower given by our church this past Sunday. Baby Ever is 1 month old and Aden is 11 days. What a blessing!! I feel so loved by our church body. Ever's mom is my good friend, Ananda. I'm so thankful for her!!

Myah loving on Aden before bedtime.



Joel's getting the hang of this baby thing, too!




Doing what he does best!




Grandma K. with Aden.

Sleeping again!

ADEN'S BIRTH STORY

God carried us through his delivery, and we are so thankful! He literally is my "sunshine behind the clouds" that I experienced over a year ago with our miscarriage. My mom kept telling me during that difficult time that "The sun is always shining behind the clouds!", and I knew she was right, but it seemed the sunshine was so far away for many many months.



I went to my doctor's appointment Wed., the 9th. I was dialated to 2, but had a very unsettled feeling in my spirit. I had been struggling for a few days prior, just very antsy, and I think it was more than just the "end of pregnancy/ready to be done" feeling. I told Evan I just wanted him out and to know that he was okay. I think his kidney issue had a part in my uneasiness as well.



I shared some of these thoughts with my doctor and she was on-call that day and would be off for the next week. So pretty much, if I wanted her to deliver, she would induce me that day, else I probably wouldn't have had her to deliver. She has been with me through 4 pregnancies now and knows me pretty well. Evan & I really thought about it and decided we just wanted Aden here. It solved the worry of whether or not I could make it to the hospital in Billings coming from home due to quicker deliveries, but I was still so nervous about this decision. Through the whole pregnancy I had planned to just go into labor naturally and let things happen as it did. I had been induced with Kiana for different reasons, and everything went well, but I had made my mind up not to go that route, so I wasn't sure why I gave in this time.



They hooked me up to the monitors in the birth center and I was having contractions 3 minutes apart already. I don't think they would have put me into labor that day, but my body was definitely starting to work. My blood pressure went from "very good" in the doctor's office to "Do you always have high blood pressure?" in the birth center. Things started happening very quickly. Around 4-5 pm, Aden's heartrate kept dropping with every contraction. This made me very nervous and I could tell was starting to alarm my nurse as well, though she never admitted it to me! :) I kept having Evan read me his heartrate so I knew where it was at. I was starting to worry they would call a c-section. Why couldn't I get past 8 cm??? I was frustrated. My doctor came in and said we need to get this baby out. She knew I really didn't want the recovery of a c-section, and I voiced it to her once again. So, at 8 cm, I started pushing. It was intense for about 15-20 minutes, but we made progress quickly and were able to deliver him safely. The cord was wrapped twice around his neck, which was the cause for the dropped heartrate. Had I not had my doctor that day, I am certain Aden's birth would have ended up in c-section due to the cord regardless of induction or not.



Meanwhile, my pastor had come by to visit before things got intense. He was outside my door the whole time praying! Thank God for faithful people, and I know there was more than him that day praying! I talked to him today and he told me he heard Aden's first cry upon coming into this world. I know God was in control the whole day -- from my doctor's appointment to a healthy birth. I think he knew we needed to have him here.



As far as his kidney issue, Aden is missing his right kidney, but his left one is functioning perfectly normal. A person only needs 1/3 of a kidney to survive, so Aden has more than he needs! No surgery is needed, praise God!

He is eating, pooping and sleeping like every newborn. He is already 8 lbs. 14 oz. at 13 days old, so he is growing good. We are so thankful and blessed to have another little person in our home. God is so good!

ANNOUNCING....

ADEN JUDAH!

Born: 6:06 pm MST July 9, 2008

7 lbs. 13 oz.

20 in. long

FARM LIFE

Just had to share these pictures from this past weekend. We got 2 pigs -- Myah was successful in catching one at the rodeo on the 4th and we bought one from another kid who couldn't keep theirs. "Patty" and "Link" are now in our corrals living a pretty happy life for the next several months.

Myah digging a mudbath for the pigs.

Joel and Noodles checking out the pigs.

Kiana filling the mudbath.

Already happily eating scraps!

The last of the haybales are off the field!

A 1930's SUPERIOR WIFE!

106 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

I passed as superior, even though I don't darn socks! This is pretty hilarious!

HAPPY 4th!

This picture was taken when Derrell and Erika were here visiting. I just had to share it! Thanks to Grandma Peggy for the festive t-shirts!

Tomorrow we are off to a very hot (101* predicted!) day at the Hardin rodeo. It's usually about 5-6 hours long, but the kids look forward to it all year long. This year there won't be any sheep to ride, but they are hoping to catch a pig and participate in some of the other activities. It's a fun small town activity that I don't think we've missed since we've moved here. We'll see how it goes! I'm not sure we're going to make it through the whole thing, but we'll try. We also enjoy the fireworks here in town every year. For being a small town, it's not a bad show. Now that we live in our new place, we should be able to see them from home if we want, but there's something about being AT the fireworks, too.

Whatever your festivities, enjoy your day!

JUST WAITING!

Baby countdown is on. My doctor is predicting this weekend sometime, but I'm still not getting my hopes up for that. I've had several bouts of contractions, only to have them go away, and sleeping is getting extremely uncomfortable now. (The really hot spicy homemade salsa from a friend we ate last night probably didn't help that any!) I do think we have officially settled on a name, and that's always a good feeling. My bags are packed, but the carseat still sits unassembled in our bedroom. It's been washed, but just needs the straps put back together. I have baby clothes washed, though he probably won't wear any of them with all this heat! I've never had a summer baby before, so that part of it is all new to me. Diapers and onesies will probably be the bulk of his wardrobe the first month at least. My doctor has been calling this a "firecracker baby" and not just b/c it's around the 4th. She's predicting that when he decides to make his entrance, he will go off like a fire work and come very quickly.

Now watch...I'll probably be overdue and have 15 hours of labor!!!! HA!