3 weeks

He hasn't lost his hair yet. I'm crossing my fingers.
His first trip to Joel's school. Grandma Wright went home...
I love this belly shot. He's growing. I don't usually take them every week to get weighed. I just check their tummy and their legs and watch them get chubby!

Spencer is 3 weeks old and as a gift to us, specifically me, he slept a huge chunk of the night. I felt so rested that after I fed him and got him settled back in his bed, I couldn't return to sleep. Why do things like that happen?
He has been more awake and alert this past week. I love his expressions. He has a really strong neck and if you don't watch out, sometimes you can get bonked by his bopping head.
My mom went home two days ago. She extended her stay twice and was so much help! We are surviving without her, even though we didn't think we would. There must be people praying for us. I really miss having extra trusting hands to hold the baby when I need a break. The kids like to hold him but their attention span doesn't last as long as my needs.
We are in the middle of moving. I'm feeling a little bit nuts. We took the first loads tonight and my awesome ward helped clean the place a bit so we could start moving things in. Baby blessing this weekend.

From the birth

Here's a few pictures from the birth. My face really shows exactly how I felt.

Brynn's first day of school picture. She's so grown up.

Feeling much relieved to be done with that whole process and holding our little man.

He didn't cry right at birth. They plopped him on my tummy and he just hung out. After a few minutes, the nurses took him to weigh him and do all their stuff, then he let them have it. This picture is mid-scream. He's got lungs.

After his bath at the hospital later that first night, finally clean. Now we could see his real hair color. So pretty.

A week flown by

Spencer is growing! In two weeks since birth, he's gained his birth weight back, plus some. He now weighs 9 lb 8 oz and is 22 inches long. Despite feeding issues, he is getting enough to keep him happy and help him grow. He really likes to sleep on his tummy. I know that it is a no-no in the medical world. It's hard to not, he's been sleeping 5 hour stretches at night when we do and he does better during the day. What would you do if you were his mom? I was paranoid about it but he's never alone while sleeping.

Spencer has great hair. We really hope he doesn't go bald. It's light and so nice with some red hi-lights. He's got a nice amount in the back and I want it to stay.

Macy loves to dress up. This particular day, she and Brynn were playing together and they had a little photo shoot.

I had to take a picture because we got him dressed. It's been beautiful and warm and we always have him covered up so he usually hangs out in a onesie, night and day. So adorable.

Spencer's first week

The kids are so excited to have Spencer in our family. I've been pumping so they've been able to help feed and they love it.

Grandma has been a lifesaver. She takes the baby during the night and wakes me up when it's time to feed him. She is a saint.

I can't believe how busy it is to have a baby. It's been interesting with the kids going to school and having to be on someone else's schedule again. I sit around most of the day but I'm busy. I'm wondering how I'll do it when my mom leaves. I know other people do it just fine and we'll manage. We'll need lots of prayers. I wish Stan had a month off of work.
We sure love having this little guy in our family.

Breastfeeding

I'm pretty sure that most of my readers are female so this post shouldn't offend anyone.
I have a love/hate relationship with breastfeeding. I've always had trouble with it. Mastitis twice and almost a 3rd time but I felt it coming and got my prescription in time to stop it before it got out of hand. I always have cracked and bleeding nipples at the beginning. I know this is the best and healthiest for baby but why is something so natural, so unnatural for me? Spencer seems to have a smaller mouth and I can't get him to latch properly. I found a nice pump and bought it for a good price and so I'm pumping around the clock to let myself heal before we call in some help from a nurse to re-establish the nursing relationship. The other thing that I find frustrating is that I get advice from friends who have similar problems and they recommend what has worked for them. Then I talk to a public health nurse and they strongly discourage the same tactic that has helped my friends. Particularly I'm talking about nipple shields. Does anyone know what is wrong with them and why they are highly discouraged my some health professionals, but lifesavers for breastfeeding mothers who want to continue to breastfeed without bleeding at every feeding? Anyone have any advice about the subject?
Even with the little challenges that come with a newborn, this is a time in life like no other. Newborn babies are so sweet and I feel so blessed to have this new little guy in our family. What a long journey it has been for us for him to finally arrive. The Lord knows what He's doing and what I need. It is always interesting how it plays out.

He's joined our family!

Our baby boy was born on Wednesday, Sept 14 at 6:33 p.m. I was 8 days overdue and grateful to be induced. The labor was much faster and different than the other ones. To say our family is excited to have him here is a great understatement. He is the sweetest baby and we are all happy that he is safely here and healthy. We named him Spencer James.

First day home with the kiddos.


The kids came and visited a couple of hours after he was born.
Baby and grandma Wright. The pictures of the first day were on Stan's phone.
Stan had a fun and quick photo session with the kids in our living room. This is one of our favorites! We are so grateful for this little miracle in our lives. Now we all want time to stand still.

Back to school

The kids enjoy playing on the shed. We don't have a treehouse so we let them. So far, nobody has fallen off. Brynn jumps off sometimes.
This was the only picture I got on Joel's first day of school. Today is his 2nd day. He is loving it. He and Brynn are at separate schools this year. Stan took Brynn to her school so I didn't get a picture of her. Macy and I are trying to adjust to the quiet house without Brynn and Joel around. I think she really likes it, other than being a little lonely.
Here is a lovely shot of me at 39 weeks. The last days or weeks, depending on what it is, seem so long! I have felt really well since the baby finally turned the right way, until today. I hope that is a sign that the end is soon!
Here's a cute shot of Macy. Last week she learned how to ride a two-wheeler. I told Stan to take pictures but I'm not sure where they are. She learned to ride in about five minutes and has been great ever since. She is confident and skilled. We are very impressed.

Backyard campout

Stan is such a great dad! We had a campfire and roasted hotdogs in our backyard and Stan slept out with them. He was nice to understand that everyone would be happier the next day if I slept in my own bed, in the house. Notice Macy already asleep. She is so good to go to sleep when she's tired, which is anytime after 7, usually.


And here is the growing baby boy at 36 weeks. Currently he is breech and HUGE! I had an ultrasound yesterday and was sad to find out that he is already over 7 1/2 pounds. Bigger than Brynn at 5 days over due. Here comes another 10 pounder. I'm actually smaller than I was with Macy and people have asked me if I'm measuring small. I think I look big but I also have to carry it around night and day. I'm still hoping for a miracle, being that I don't have to carry all the way to my due date. We'll see what happens...
This is our latest family picture that my sister-in-law took at the Wright family reunion at the end of June.
We have been enjoying some beautiful summer weather, finally. I hope it lasts all month!

My brother is getting married on my birthday!

Joel is 7

Joel had a birthday this week. We enjoyed playing Monopoly, one of his favorite games, with Whitney and Blake. I love how easy the kids are to please. Joel couldn't think of any presents that he wanted. My kids don't have a lot so it's not that they are overly spoiled, I guess just content with what they do have. I hope it always stays this way forever. I'm learning from them what is really most important. To them, the most important things are spending time together, making memories.
Some things about Joel:
-He is an amazing piano player. He can play by ear. He also reads music. Recently Stan found a simplified version of some of the songs from the movie "How to Train Your Dragon." He adapted one for Joel to learn and he's mastered it. I played a harder version and he watched me and has since learned the whole first page. He is constantly at the piano in between his other tasks. He puts in hours each day playing around on the piano and going through all the songs he has learned. He plays the piano just like a boy, loud and with a lot of gusto. Sometimes I wish we had a music room with a door. The floors we have echo and there isn't a place in the house you can do and not hear it loud and clear.
-Joel is a hard worker. He takes responsibility for tasks given him and gets them done. He doesn't waste a lot of time moping about things. What a blessing.
-He loves board games and he is very good at them. He has a quick mind for computing numbers and figuring things out.
-Just recently he is showing more interest in paying attention at church and can report what he is learning in his primary class. I'm sure this next year will bring change as he approaches age 8, and prepares to be baptized.
-He loves animals and many science things. Every time we go to the library he comes home with a stack of books about animals in various parts of the world.
We love Joel and we are so happy that he is in our family. He adds a unique dimension to our home.

Bits

On Easter Sunday Stan and I watched the sunrise from the beach next to our condo in Hawaii. As we watched the sky slowly brighten, I couldn't help but think of Elder Bednar's talk from this last conference. He talked about how revelation is often received in short and undiscernable bits of light that gradually stream into our lives. I loved this talk and I recognize that this is how I most often get revelation. As we have struggled and struggled with homeschool, mostly it's just been me, I've wondered and researched and prayed about what is best for our family. I would say that I'm pretty proactive in finding out different methods of doing homeschool. However, I was really stuck on something in particular because it felt right. The families that I talked to concurred that it was hard and that's just the way it is. They also mentioned how much their relationships have been strengthened with God and with their children as a result of all this struggle. This all sounds great, right? It does and that is why I stuck with it as long as I have. However, I finally realized, with lots of patient encouragement from Stan, that our family needed to do things a little differently. As I felt like I was banging my head against a wall and not receiving direction and answers to my prayers, a ray of light appeared. I realized that as I started listening to Stan and his perception of what I needed, the answers have started to come and it is so exciting! I was ready to give up homeschool altogether but didn't feel good about sending the kids back to school and they really don't want to go back. So, thanks to a wonderful husband and help from the Lord, we are finding a new path, one that will be right for our family.

Maybe the last Hawaii post

We got fried on our last day there at this great Waimae Beach. Stan was protecting his head. We both are still peeling from this day. It was the most relaxing day though.
Same beach. We had some good size waves to swim in.
Behind me is a tree that is near Waikiki Beach. The branches seem to grow down like vines and form roots. It was the craziest thing.
Same tree concept at the Pearl Harbor Memorial. This one looks like a fort. Good bye Hawaii! It was so much fun.

Hawaii Part 5-Luau

Cheesy picture of us that we took ourselves.
Food from the buffet at the luau included roasted pig, chicken, chicken long rice (clear noodle things), poi, salmon and some other fish, and the purple roll is a taro roll. That was my favorite item of the meal. It tastes like a regular bun, it's just made from taro, which turns purple when it is cooked.
A delicious pina colada smoothie served in this fresh pineapple

Celebrating Womanhood

Today is Mother's Day. I was reading something this morning that Sheri Dew said about the influence of all women. There are women in this life who won't have the opportunity to have children of their own. I am not one of them but I really appreciate the influence that all righteous women can have. Sheri Dew talked several times about our divine role as women and it included motherhood, whether or not you have your own children. I have a wonderful mother and I get to be a mother now, but there are many women in my life who have influenced me who are not my mother in the physical sense. This is a testimony to Sis. Dew's statement and ideas that we are ALL mothers. I hope that all women feel honored and special today, regardless of their circumstances. I'm grateful for all the mothers in my life who have given of themselves to help me in so many ways.

Hawaii Part 4-more PCC

This is the plaque underneath the fire hydrant from the next picture. If you click on the picture you can probably read it. I'm impressed with the dedication of these early Saints who were willing to heed the "call to Zion"


Fiji has some interesting stories of practices that used to take place. This is a picture of the King's house. His is the big bed and the best wife slept on the floor next to him. The king's house had 4 doors. One was specifically for him and if anyone entered through that door, they were killed. Also, if the king died the best wife was also killed to go with him. When they built the king's house, the three best soldiers were buried alive underneath the home so they could protect it, or something like that. Being mediocre in this culture would have been advantageous if you wanted to live.

Hawaii Part 3- PCC

Making poi (poy) This tastes very plain but I mixed it with some meat at the luau and it was just great.
canoe ride, our canoe pusher was from Fiji and knew Ryan, Stan's brother, we wrote his name down
Beke, our tour guide. She was from Mongolia. We were happy to upgrade our tickets so she could guide us around and help us manage our time. She was great. We had a family in our group from Calgary and a couple from Colorado. They were all very friendly and fun to be with.
The Polynesian Cultural Center was a favorite spot for us. I loved learning about all the cultures. More to come...