Sam I Am.

Samuel Jacob Freeman

Ready to head home!
One minute old!


Our little baby boy is here!
After much deliberation he was named Samuel Jacob Freeman
Born Feb 23, 2009 at 9:46 am
8.2 lbs 20 inches long
Perfect as can be!


Meeting our big sister.
First family picture!
He looks a lot like Dad... and Mom... and Kate too.


More details.....
For a couple of weeks I had been having contractions. They usually started up around 7:00 in the evening and would slow down around 10:00 pm. Last Thursday they started around 4:00 pm and continued and got stronger, when they had been about 3-4 minutes apart for about two hours, this was around midnight we headed to the hospital, only to be told to go home that we were not close. I was sure they were wrong since this was not the first time I was going through labor and I thought I knew what to expect. But we headed home and I was able to fall asleep and my contractions eventually went away around 4:00 in the morning. I continued to have contractions all weekend, but not consistent really. Sunday was a slower day in that department. We went to church, dinner at my parents and then came home and went to bed around 11:00. At around 12:30 I woke up, my water had broken. I poked Jake and we hurried to get things ready to go. It really was one of the only days I haven't made sure everything was packed before we headed to bed, mostly because I had not gone to bed having contractions. My mom came over to watch Kate and we left for American Fork. Still only having slow contractions.

We arrived at the hospital around 1:30 or so. My contractions were starting to get stronger by now but still not consistent at all. So far this labor was completely not like Kate's. First of all my water broke which was a whole new experience, and with Kate my contractions were perfectly spaced and measured. I felt like a first time mother. I kept distracted with foot rubs and eating ice until around 4:30 am when I asked for my epidural. Things went a little slowly for some time so they added some pitocin and I got to an 8 quickly, so then the pitocin was stopped. A nurse came back to check me 30 minutes later and said " oh you are having a baby now". She grabbed other nurses and Dr. Ollerton and everyone was rushing around. At my next contraction I pushed for about two or three minutes and he was out. It was amazing how fast it went. Almost too fast to experience it. He cried for a little while, but was happily in my arms soon.

We stayed at the hospital until this afternoon. We were there less time than with Kate, but it was such great time. Maybe because he was born in the morning, or maybe because he is such a good eater, or maybe because I am less anxious and worried, but we were able to rest and the whole time at the hospital seemed leisurely. We were able to nap both days for two hours and got several hours of sleep at night. I felt ready to go home before even 24 hours was up but we had to wait a little while for some tests and things. I am doing really well, up and about, happy to be back home and with Kate. Samuel is a sleepy kid who is great at eating and we couldn't be happier. Kate is excited about the new baby and likes to help with him and hold him for a minute, but she threw a major tantrum this evening when she had to go to bed. It will be interesting to see how things go the next day or so as we adjust.

We feel so blessed so have a beautiful family of four all healthy and happy home together!

Seeking Friend for Help With Hair Identity

My hair is having an identity crisis- Maybe you can help!
As you can see since my first pregnancy when my hair started going brown my hair has had some what of a multiple personality disorder. It has been every combination of short, long, brown, blonde, straight and curly.

The problem: though I would like to have my short very blonde hair all the time, I don't seem to have the time and money it requires to visit the salon for a cut and color every six to eight weeks. My attempt to simlify my hair life by letting it be long and brown has proven unsuccessful- in that I don't feel like myself, look like myself and most my family and friends agree it is just not as good a look for me. Plus in the end I have found it to be just as much work. I have just come to the same conclusion as Rod Stewart- Blondes really do have more fun.
















The solution: I am seeking a new friend. This friend needs to work or have worked in the business of hair, live within a 25 mile radius of me and be willing to cut and color my hair every six to eight weeks free of charge. In exchange they will recieve- well my friendship, appreciation and I would also be willing to watch their children for the day in exchange during which this new said friend of mine would be free to run errands, clean their house or just sip Diet Coke and take a nap on their couch. I know it sounds like I am just posting this for laughs, a little comic relief as I await the arrival or my stubborn son who is yet to make an apperance, but I am serious. Going once, Going Twice.... any takers?

Valentine

Valentine Kate. She will likely be loosing her cover girl position on this blog for a short time with our soon to be exciting arrival so we will leave you with this picture of darling her.

Really Ready!

If there is one thing I have learned about pregnancy and babies is that you can't really plan anything. But it sure would be a nice day to have a baby. I feel prepared and ready today. Everything is in order at our house. My car even has a full tank of gas. I couldn't be more ready. My body doesn't want to grow one more inch, and I am mostly sure that I will stop throwing up once I am not pregnant anymore, although after 38 weeks of throwing up sometimes I think it is a normal part of life. ugggg.


The nursery is all put together. It turned out rather cute if I don't say so myself. Jake says it is too much red for a boys room- because red is a girl color- strange ideas. I had received a few quilts and blankets all blue and red, then I found a bunch of red and blue stripped pillows and baskets on sale at Wal-mart of all places. They even had sheets that matched for super cheap- which I sewed into coordinating curtains. This nursery took a lot less time and money than Kate's- and I think that was a wise choice. I remember staying up until 2:00 am one night anxious to finish sewing all the curtains, pillows and blankets for her room.
We have stocked a closet full of boys clothes. Goodbye to everything pink and purple with flowers and butterflies, hello to reds, blues, yellows, robots, monkeys and dogs. It is a fun change.
The changing table has a months worth of diapers, wipes, lotions, as well as more blue hats, socks and t-shirts.
Our bags are packed- sitting in our room. I actually packed last week when I had some false labor, since we have taken things out, but they could easily be replaced in a moments notice. The bags are still sitting in the corner of our room. Kate's bag even has an hour by hour schedule for whomever ends up watching her. Several friends are on alert awaiting our middle of the night call.
My house has been deep cleaned and at the moment as you can see if rather spotless. There is not even one piece of laundry to be done. I just know when I go into labor, I will not want to leave the house until it is at least reasonably looking. Silly, but it will just make coming home that much easier.

All we need now is to settle on a name and get me walking up a mountain for a spicy food picnic. With my luck, it will happen another day, when I haven't showered yet, my house is a mess, and I have piles of laundry to be done and no bags packed.

She's Mine!

It is amazing to me how much like me Kate is. She looks a lot like me, Jake as well, but her expressions and mannerisms are all learned from me. Jake calls Kate- Junior sometimes, because she is a little jr crystal. Lately two things have made her genetic connection to me even more apparent. The first is her love for ice. Sometimes she calls it gregre and I have no idea why, buy she often asks for it by either name, goes to the fridge and points up. Sometimes she will want some juice with it, sometimes not. She likes to get her cup of ice, sit on the couch and wants me to do the same. The second is her love for cleaning. Today I actually bribed her with it uninentionally. I asked her to "clean up" her color crayons. She got all exctied, nodding saying "okay cleaning". She wasn't excited to clean up the crayons- what she thought I was saying we would do is clean with a spray bottle and rag. So she hurrily cleaned her crayons up and went to the closet where the cleaning supplies are kept. I gave her her spray bottle of "cleaner" which is really water and a rag and away she went spraying and wiping down the fridge, glass sliding door and cupboards. After she was done she asked if she could "seep" with a broom. It is amazing what she has learned the last little while just by watching me.