Day 2 of Sara's Life

Wednesday was a very calm and relaxing day for Sara and I.  Joel got all the kids off to school and then Stefanie graciously watched the younger boys so Joel could come and spend few hours with us at the hospital. He was able to spend about 3 hours with us in the morning before heading home for the after school rush.  He spent the time cuddling with Sara while I slept.  I think all I did this day was sleep and feed Sara.  She and I cuddled all day and it was wonderful.  Wednesday night after scouts was over and all the kids were in bed Joel came back for about an hour to make sure I was doing OK and to cuddle a little more with his new daughter before heading home late that night.  It is difficult when the hospital is about a half hour away but I appreciate all he has done to help make this week run so smoothly.  I know he was torn over wanting to be with us at the hospital and needing to be home with our other children caring for them and helping the routines continue for school and other committments.  He has been absolutely amazing with it all.  I know the kids have really enjoyed having him home this week as well.

Sara Meets the Clan

I have to brag a little about the wonderful children we are so blessed with.  The kids called Joel Tuesday morning while we were in the OR to see if the baby had been born yet so once we were back into recovery Joel stepped out to call them back.  He told them the baby had been born and they were so excited.  He told them they would get to come see her later in the afternoon.  They had survived the night wonderfully as everyone had gone to bed when they were suppoed to and was up and dressed and ready for the school to begin that day.  Sammy and Spring had packed their lunches and Thomas had already prepared dinner (ravioli casserole) for that night.  I felt so blessed and grateful for all their help and their resourcefullness.  We are so very blessed.

 

We emailed a picture of the baby to Sammy and Spring's teachers and they both were able to share the picture with their class.  They loved this. Sammy assured everyone in his class that he was going to be a great big brother because "I have it down.  This is the 4th time I've been a new big brother!"  Joel went home so he would be there when they all got home from school.  They ate dinner and then they got to come and meet Sara.  They were all instantly infatuated with her...even Joshie who has been praying for her to be a brother.  I think his love for her completely won out because we haven't heard a word about that since. 

 

They all wanted their turn to hold her.  Thomas and Spring volunteered to have it go from youngest to oldest.  They didn't mind being last.  I think they figured they would get a longer turn that way!  I love watching each of them as they took Sara so gingerly (well Gideon wasn't so ginger) and hold her.  Love washed over their faces and there was such a special and tender feeling between them.  They are all naturals and I'm so grateful for all the helpers I know I will have at home.  Just as they were getting ready to leave Sara made a rather large explosion and all the kids giggled...then they ALL wanted to be the one to change her diaper.  Joel said they would all get their turn but he was going to do it that time.  They loved watching and they commented on how little Sara's bottom was and how big Gideon's bottom is when they change his diaper.

 

One last, but certainly not least, highlight of our visit with our precious children at the hospital.  I found out that Spring and Thomas had decided to sleep in our room Monday night which was just fine.  They both woke up at 3:00 am and couldn't go back to sleep because they were so excited. They went downstairs and watched "Food Network" and Cartoons.  But the really cool thing is this.  They realized it was Tuesday, which in our home is one of our laundry days.  They wanted to surprise me so they did all our family's laundry from start to finish including folding and putting them away.  They even ironed the white dress shirts before hanging them up.  I think that is the greatest gift they could have given me and Joel because it was one less thing for him to worry about and I know there won't be extra laundry that needs to be done once I get home.  I hope they will someday realize how much of a tender mercy this act of love and kindness was to me. 

Sara Mae's Arrival

Sara Mae Biggs

November 27, 2012 at 6:41 am

7 Pounds, 2 Ounces

20.5 inches long

 

Monday morning I had my normal OB appointment and my induction was set for the following Tuesday, December 3rd.  My doctor also wanted me to have another ultrasound because I was continuing to measure small.  So the little ones and I headed home to get Mary from school and then I fed them lunch.  I called to tell Joel that the induction was set for next week and that I was going in for an ultrasound.  He told me he felt like he needed to be at the ultrasound appointment.  I finished cleaning up from lunch and then loaded the kids into the van and drove out to Akron for the ultrasound (about 25 minutes away).  Joel met us there.  During the ultrasound the Doctor was concerned that the baby had not grown enough since the previous ultrasound, 3 1/2 weeks ago, so he said he would call my doctor and suggest the induction move up to the following day.  Joel headed back to work and I started to head out of the parking garage thinking of all the things I needed to hurry and get done the rest of the afternoon and evening before heading in to have the baby.  At this point it was 2:45.  I hadn't even pulled out onto the street when I had a phone call from my Doctor's office telling me I needed to be back to the hospital by 4:00 for the induction...a little over an hour from now.  I hurried and called Joel and told him we needed to be at the hospital at 4:00.  He thought I meant 4:00 am the next morning.  When I told him "no, in about an hour." he replied to me, "You're kidding me."  I had to convince him I really wasn't joking.  He headed to work to hurry and grab a couple things since he would be out for the week and I continued home making mental checklists the whole way wondering how this was going to work.  Not a great scenario for a person that thrives on order and planning and scheduling.  I hadn't even packed a bag for the hospital yet.

 

I knew Thomas would be home from school by the time I got home.  I drove by Spring and Sammy's school and checked them out 20 minutes early so I could see them before we left for the hospital.  I walked in the house and then told all the kids I was needing to leave really quick to go and have the baby.  The little ones all cheered and Spring and Thomas were super excited but the first thing they both said was, "What can we do right now, Mom, to help?"  Spring went upstairs and started packing my bag for me and Thomas got the younger kids situated with a snack.  I hurried and checked to see what homework they each had and what I needed to sign for the day.  Thomas was going to stay home from school the next day so he could watch the kids for us and we told Mary she got to stay home too because we didn't have anything figured out to pick her up from part-day kindergarten.  We told Sammy and Spring they could decide if they went to school or stayed home.  They both decided to go to school.  I had already made dinner in the morning so I just gave Thomas and Spring directions on how to cook it.  Joel pulled into the garage, Spring loaded my bag into the van, I hugged all our kiddos and we drove off the hospital.  Joshie was really concerned because we were supposed to be having Family Home Evening that night.  Spring assured him they would still do FHE because she was going to make brownies for them to have brownie sundaes.

 

We got to the hospital at 4:05...not too bad!  My previous 2 deliveries were C-Section; however, my doctor was going to let me attempt a VBAC this time.  They slowly started the induction and my body began to progress.  They were slow with the induction to protect the uterus.  Early in the morning I began to push.  Her head would come down with the first push of the contraction but as I would start the second push her head moved back up.  I pushed through 3 contractions and my doctor told me I needed to stop and change to a C-Section.  She was concerned that her head was moving back up while I was pushing.  They prepped me for the C-Section and wheeled me into the OR.  Little Sara Mae came out crying at 6:41 am on Tuesday, November 27th.  She was healthy and strong and the cutest little thing ever.  She has a pouty lower lip that she began sticking out and quivering from the moment she was born.  The nurses joke that she will get anything she wants from her siblings when she uses her cute little lip. 

 

We are so blessed that our Doctor was so observant and decided to move to a c-section.  When they started to cut me open they realized my uterus had already begun to tear open in 2 different directions and I was leaking amniotic fluid into my abdomen.  If I had pushed once more it would have been very likely that Sara and/or myself would not have made it.  How grateful I am for Joel and the priesthood he holds.  Late Monday night as I was in labor I had asked him to give me a blessing in which he blessed me and the baby to be healthy and for my body to be strong.  He also asked a blessing on the doctor to be aware and able to do all that was necessary to bring this new daughter into the world safely.  We are truly blessed!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving began with the traditional "Pie for Breakfast."  This event gets bigger and bigger each year as our children keep inviting more and more friends and neighbors.  This is their very favorite part of Thanksgiving and they would be very content if that is all we did on Thanksgiving day!  In fact they were telling me that I could go into labor and have the baby anytime before "pie for breakfast" as long as Dad was able to be home for it, or I could have the baby anytime after noon when it was over.

 

We were blessed to have over 80 people come and go throughout the morning in our home.  There were friends from church, school, and the neighborhood.  Thomas had both of his school teachers and his piano teacher and their families come as well.  There was a buzz all morning and a house full of people talking, laughing, and spending time enjoying each other's company.  It was absolutely beautiful outside (nearing 60 degrees and bright blue skies) and the kids loved jumping on the trampoline and playing in the back yard.  Joel mentioned that at one point he just stood back and soaked it all in.  From one end of the house to the other there were people just happy and talking and laughing.  There were groups of little kids eating and talking like mini-adults and a backyard full of kids running and laughing.  How blessed we are to have so many wonderful friends that bless our lives and the lives of our children.  When we are so far from family it helps to have these wonderful friends willing to come and share in this tradition.

 

We encouraged people to take some pie home with them this year so we weren't left with quite as many leftovers as we have been in the past; however, we still had so much left.  Our kids didn't mind too much.  We had a relaxing rest of the day and enjoyed a quiet, well as quiet as possible in our home, dinner.  The kids wanted to spend most of the day outside playing football, basketball, tag, and hide-and-seek.  They came in for dinner and went out again and played until well past dark.  So glad they did because today the temperatures have drastically dropped and snow is expected by evening.

 

I have so very much to be thankful for:  My parents, siblings, Joel, our children, the opportunity to stay home with our children each day, temple covenants that give us the opportunity to be eternally united with our families, and the knowledge and testimony of God's love for each of us individually.   What an abundant life I have.

Day of Baking

It was wonderful to have the kids home from school today.  We set about getting ready for Thanksgiving today so we could get as much baking and prep done today as possible. We have our traditional pie for breakfast tomorrow morning and the kids have invited so many people to this!  We were doing a quick count and we know of about 80 people that will probably be here sometime in the morning.  It should be fun.

 

So, we all started first thing this morning and we were in the kitchen baking all day long.  So grateful for children that enjoy helping and are very capable in the kitchen as well.  Here is what we made today:

 

2 Nut Pies

3 Pumpkin Cake Rolls

Turtle Cheesecake

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake

Key Lime Pie

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes (Now we just have to warm them in the crockpot tomorrow!)

Blueberry Cream Cheese Jello Salad for tomorrow's dinner

 

It was a fun filled day and all the kids were helping at some point.  Thomas didn't leave the kitchen at all.  I didn't do any of the mashed potatoes.  Spring helped him cut up the potatoes but he did the rest on his own.  He was my right hand today.  Spring went between helping us bake and reading.  Sammy, Joshie, and Gideon were outside playing most of the day and came in to help at different times...especially when there was a beater to lick!  Mary liked helping make the pumpkin cake rolls. 

 

Now I am tired and looking forward to going to bed before a crazy and fun morning of pie!

Updated Pictures of our Boys

Since all of our boys have birthdays that fall between the end of September and the middle of December I took all of them last week to get their new pictures taken. I figured I might as well do it all at once so it was only one trip.  The hardest part was making sure all 4 had their hair combed and clean faces at the same time! Well, Thomas is pretty good about taking care of that but the others need some help!

Testimony through Music

A few months ago Thomas was preparing for a violin/piano duet in Sacrament Meeting of an arrangment of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief."  He was going to play the violin part and needed some help with a section of it.  He took the music to his orchestra teacher who helped him with this section.  She then asked him if he would be willing to perform it sometime at school if the music teacher would accompany him.  Well, of course Thomas didn't need any encouragement to agree to this.

 

They asked him to perform this piece at the Veteran's Day Assembly last Friday at school.  This is an all school assembly (5th and 6th) graders.  Students invite Veterans they know to come and be honored in this event.  The mayor and other city representatives also come.  They have slideshows, musical tributes, speeches to honor the veterans, as well as a keynote speaker which is usually a local Veteran.  I went to the assembly so I could be there when Thomas performed his piece.  Now, as is customary with Thomas he just takes care of things.  He had told me he was going to perform this and I would ask him every few days if he had been practicing and if he was ready and he, of course, was. 

 

Prior to his turn to perform there had been numerous musical pieces performed from the school choir, local musicians, and even the brother of a soldier from our town that was recently killed in Afghanistan.  During these performances the students were rather well behaved but there was a lot of background noise and whispering.  Following the performances the audience would clap and cheer loudly.  When it was Thomas' turn to perform his piece he first came to the microphone and stated that he wanted to give a brief history of the piece of music he was going to play.  Now, I became a little nervous because he had not told me this before and I know the principal at his school is very against any mention of God or religion at school.  I later found out that he had asked his music teacher about 5 minutes earlier if he could introduce the song and she told him he could as long as he kept it general.  This is what he said (as I try to paraphrase):

 

In the 1800's there was a man that was persecuted for his beliefs.  He was a good man and never harmed another person but people were not accepting of his beliefs.  He was ridiculed, spit upon, mocked, and even tarred and feathered throughout his life.  Even with all of this he never backed down from his beliefs or changed who he was.  This song we will be playing was sung hours before his eventual martyrdom.  This song reminds us that all the large and small acts of service that we give to others each day is they way we serve and honor the One who gave the ultimate sacrifice.  As you listen to this piece I would like us to remember with gratitude the service our Veterans and current soldiers give to each of us.

 

He and his music teacher performed the song during which time you could hear a pin drop in the gymnasium.  There were  no longer whisperings among the students, movement of people in the gym ceased, and the Spirit could undoubtedly be felt.  I am sure most didn't know what exactly they were feeling or didn't attribute it to the Spirit of Christ but that is most certainly what it was.  And, the most amazing thing was that as the song ended, not one person clapped...not one person cheered...a solemn moment of reverence hung in that large gymnasium filled with middle school students and citizens of the community.  Thomas was able to allow the Spirit to testify of peace and the love of our Father in Heaven to hundreds that day.  I don't think he even begins to understand the powerful missionary he is when he shares his love for music and his testimony with everyone.  He is an example to me of not being ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It made me think of the scripture, Romans 1:16, when Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of salvation to all that believe.

Our Family Politician

Being elected to Student Council and being a 4th grader gave Spring the opportunity to run for Student Council President.  She was looking forward to this after being Vice-President last year.  She is such a hard working and independent girl that she went through the entire process on her own. She would tell me what was due when and what was going on but she didn't want any help with her speech or poster.  She did a great job preparing for the election.  Last Friday all 7 Presidential candidates presented their speeches to the 3rd and 4th graders of the school.  I was able to go and listen to her give her speech.  Then I came home and waited for her day to end so I could find out the results of the election.

 

I met her at the busstop Friday afternoon and I knew as I saw her walk off the bus that she had not won this year.  She walked over to me trying to be brave but her face gave it away.  I put my arm around her and she started to cry.  "Not this year, huh Spring?"  She shook her head and just let me hold her for a few minutes. I assured her she had done a great job and I was so proud of all her hard work.  As we walked toward the house, with my arm around her, we talked about all the things she learned through the process, all the responsibility she had taken upon herself to prepare for this process, and how even when we don't get the outcome we desire there are good things that come from it too.  By the time we got home from the busstop she was all smiles and ready for the weekend.  I think she had just been trying to be brave and hold her emotions at school.  When she got home she could just let it out and then she was fine.  I know it was hard for her to not win but I am grateful she was able to get over it and look forward to other fun opportunities she will have being a part of Student Council.  These life lessons our children have to go through are sometimes harder on me than on them, I think!

Happy Birthday, Sammy!

The last week of October seems to be nothing but party after party at our home especially with the way Ohio celebrates Halloween on so many different days, Ward Trunk or Treat, School Halloween parties not being held on Halloween, Gideon's birthday, and Sammy's birthday...all in 6 days!  It is crazy but the kids sure love it.  I'm just exhausted by the end of it all.

 

Sammy had great plans for his birthday this year.  He took in pumpkin chocolate chip mini muffins for his class at school.  He wanted regular pizza for dinner as well, not homemade because we have that all the time.  I convinced him to do take and bake from Aldi instead of just frozen pizza!  Then he wanted to have Texas Sheet Cake for dessert with a big "7" cut out for him just like Spring did on her 7th birthday.  I loved taking him to choose his birthday balloon and a balloon for all his siblings.  He was very excited to come home and hand out everyone's balloon. At dinner he wanted to serve everyone else first.  Then came the excitement of opening his presents...Knex from Grandma and Grandpa Powell which he has been playing with all weekend.  Thomas likes this gift too!  And he got walkie talkies from the family.  His eyes got so big when he saw them.  He and all the kids have had fun with them and it is hilarious to listen to him say things like, "what's your 20?" and "over and out", and "Dad, do you read me?"  I think Joel secretly wanted walkie talkies too and has been enjoying them with Sammy!  Sammy took a walkie talkie with him to piano lessons on Saturday and was ecstatic to find out he could talk to us at our house when he was at his piano teacher's house.  He called us on them to tell us he was done with lessons and ready to be picked up.

 

I just realized that Sammy is the age that Spring was when we moved to Ohio. I sometimes struggle realizing how old he is becoming and I find myself having to consciously remind myself that he is old enough to do things that at first I don't think of.  This time next year he will be ready to be baptized and join Cub Scouts!  He is our fun loving, high energy, ready to tease and smile, and laugh kid.  He keeps me grounded and daily reminds me to find joy in the simple things of life.  This weekend he has been very excited to show us all his "muscle bump."  He pulls his sleeve up and flexes his arm to show us his bicep muscle which he calls his "muscle bump."  He told us, "I can't believe it...I finally have my first ever muscle bump!"  He wanted everyone to check and see if we had muscle bumps and couldn't believe his eyes when saw that we all did.  He said, "I guess we're just the muscle bump family!"  He's awesome.  I love this kid and I love his energy...well most of the time I do.  At least when I take the time to appreciate it instead of being exhausted by it!