Ace's Birth Story

Learning from past mistakes and writing this down the day after Ace was born. We decided on Ace's first name just a few weeks before he was born, but we didn't regularly use it pre-birth like we did with our other boys, so we are still getting used to it. 

This was my hardest pregnancy, and I was on bedrest for two months during the first trimester because I couldn't keep down food. I had migraines and dizziness and couldn't drive myself to weekly Doctor appointments. I had a really bad doctor for the first two months until we switched practices. I lost 18 pounds. I was on medication for nausea and heartburn the entire pregnancy. My immune system was repressed and I got sick with additional illnesses on a monthly basis. Throughout the pregnancy, I prayed every day that Ace would stay healthy and safe and not come earlier than the induction date. I was terrified of miscarrying him or having him be born prematurely.

So it was a tender mercy that Ace was born on May 1, which is the day we scheduled his induction. I had been planning on May 1 for months and months, even though we couldn't "officially" schedule it until I was 36 weeks along. We arranged for my mom to come out 10 days before his due date (May 6) just in case he was as early as his brother Jack. But Ace stayed in my belly just like I prayed. It was so weird going to the hospital without being in labor! We had to arrive by 5am Monday morning, and I barely slept the night before because I was so anxious and excited. 

We were able to have everything prepped for our other two kids the night before, and have the car packed just like we were going on a trip. How odd to be able to actually be totally ready the night before a birth! It brought such a great peace of mind. We got to the hospital on time, parked the car, and checked in. After they monitored me and Ace for about a half hour, I was able to get hooked up to pitocin and IV fluids to start labor. I very much wanted an epidural again (I had one with Dash, but Jack came to quick), but we had to wait at least an hour to make sure I was stable and had enough liquid for the injection. Even though I was on the lowest dose of pitocin, within an hour I was having regular, painful contractions. Thankfully our nurse was able to speed up the epidural process and I got one just in time. It had kicked in almost fully (with the exception of one part of my right side) by the time I had to push. The nurse said I was in "active" labor for a little over an hour before Ace was born at 8:53am.

Ace cried for 30 minutes straight after he was born, which was a blessing because I knew that meant he had nice strong lungs and was healthy and well. He had a head full of hair and was perfect. We did skin to skin for almost an hour before they weighed him. Matt was there for the entire time, with the exception of when I got the epidural and they said no visitors were allowed for that part. Matt was supportive in helping me breathe through contractions and through the three rounds of pushing. 

After such a hard pregnancy, I got the best birthing experience I could have asked for. It was scheduled, quick, and medicated. We were able to prepare for everything in advance, and I had the peace of mind knowing my other kids were taken care of. 

Rhetorically, Rebekah

Dear Dash: 5 Years

Dear Dash,

You are five years old now! You can't wait to grow another year older already. Your birthday party was much anticipated- you had been planning it for about 11 months. You got to invite 5 friends (and their family) to come. We did an Avengers theme, even though you haven't ever seen any of the Avengers movies. I guess that goes to show how powerful marketing and superheroes are in kid's lives.

You can read! We read before and after school every day. I read you a book, and then you read me a book. We have been going to the library for story time almost ever Saturday so we can get more beginning reader books for you. You love storytime and the crafts they do each week.

You love your 4k class, and your teacher Ms. Flora. You have truly excelled this year. You have been a great friend. When a new boy started in your class in November, you took him under your wing and showed him everything in the class. Your teachers said that you have helped this boy feel right at home. You have a big heart and are constantly inviting people over to our house or begging to go to friend's houses. You hug all of your classmates and enthusiastically tell them, "I'm five!"

You did soccer for the first half of 4k, and then we decided to branch out and have you try gymnastics. You have had so much fun! However, what you really want to do is Karate. You are counting down the days until you can start kindergarten.

You like to do math. You are constantly trying to count things or add things together. You want to know how old you will be in each year of school. You try to figure out Jack's age in relation to yours as you plan your future.

You love to win. We started doing game night with you once a week to help you practice being a good sport.

Rhetorically, Rebekah

Jack's Birth Story

I wish I had written this down right after Jack was born, but better late than never! Jack's 1st Birthday is today!

Jack was 9 days early: he was due on October 22. I was supposed to work up until his due date. I didn't expect an early baby since Dash was late. But my official "Order of Protection" from Court started on October 15, just in case. I had a normal Friday at work, and fully expected to return the following Monday for my last week before "Maternity Leave." However, I had kept my case notes continually updated in case the baby came early. 

Friday night, I went to bed expecting to wake up a few times to go to the bathroom. The first time I got up, around 2am, I felt a pop and water broke. It was more like a trickle, not the gush that most people talk about. Since it was so little, I came back out of the bathroom and said, "Matt?" When he asked what was wrong, I said, "I think my water broke." Matt immediately went from groggy to alert. "You think your water broke? What happened?"

Since I hadn't started contracting, we decided to call the doctor and to see what we should do. After getting the answering service and being transferred to the doctor, she said we could come in or wait until the contractions were regular. I wanted to stay in the hospital as little as possible, so we opted to stay home. However, 20 minutes later I was having regular contractions and we called the answering service who transferred us to the doctor who said we could go to the hospital. We also called our friends, the Frosts, to come over and stay with Dash. The wait time to get a hold of the doctor and for our friends to come over seemed like an eternity, but it was really only 10 minutes. I was using my exercise ball to get in different positions to handle the pain.

The hospital was 20 minutes away, and at one point I was punching the ceiling and loudly counting to try to handle each contraction. I didn't really practice breathing exercises or plan on pain management because I fully expected to get an epidural when we got to the hospital. Once Matt parked, I ran ahead into the hospital before the next contraction hit. After doubling over in the entryway, we made it to the elevator. Once we got to the fourth floor another contraction hit and I was doubled over in pain again. In the haze of pain, I took the wrong turn down the hall and ended up in some random room calling out for Matt and/or any nurse to come help me.

After begging for an epidural, the nurses said they needed to check my dilation. That's when everyone realized Jack was crowning. There would be no time for an epidural and I panicked. I was not ready for this. It was supposed to be like last time where I had no feeling in my lower half and was doing great. Instead, I was screaming in pain until the nurses told me to calm down (ha!) because the screaming was not helping. They told me that birth was an "out of body" experience and that I should try to focus on a calming place in my mind. There were palm leaves painted on the ceiling, so I tried to imagine the beach but my concentration wasn't very good.  The Doctor didn't show up until right at this point. Matt was holding both of my hands that I squeezed with each push. I was shaking so bad two nurses had to hold my legs because I couldn't keep them in the braces. I also had another nurse talking me through each contraction, which I was very grateful for. They told me with each push I was closer to not feeling pain, which was great motivation.

A half hour after we got the hospital, Jack was born early on Saturday morning, October 13. It's hard to describe the release of pressure I felt when he came out. I was soaked in sweat, and they immediately put him on my belly. When I asked to have him higher (because my belly hurt from all the pushing), they said they couldn't because the umbilical cord was extremely short. When they asked me his name, I said "Jackson" which is the name Matt and I had agreed upon only a few weeks earlier.

Jack had so much hair!! It was blonde and beautiful. It was so nice to have him on my chest once they cut him loose. I stayed in the delivery room for an extra two hours while they stitched me up and got the shaking and bleeding under control.

It's hard to believe how incredibly fast Jack came. By early morning we were calling family, friends, and coworkers to let them know. We stayed in the hospital for one night (Saturday night) and were released Sunday afternoon. Our only visitors were the Bishop and his family. Matt's dad came down from NC on Saturday to stay with Dash. Our sweet neighbors bought us dinner when we came home on Sunday.

My mom flew out less than a week later to help us with Jack. We were so glad she could rearrange her flights to come out earlier, because we really needed the support!

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

To My Twenties

I turned 30 yesterday. It's crazy that I'm entering a new decade. It seemed like my 20s were going to last forever. And looking back, I did a lot in those ten years.

Places Lived:
Washington, DC
Utah
Dominican Republic
California
South Carolina

Major Life Events:
Graduated with BA
Got Married
Had Baby #1
Graduated with JD
Bought a house
Passed the Bar
Got my first salaried job
Had Baby #2

Bucket List Items Completed:
Got my Temple Endowments
Dyed my hair (blonde and then red)
Graduated from BYU (twice!)
Opened an Etsy shop
Lived outside of Utah
Learned a foreign language
Started a blog
Published a Book


Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Dear Dash: Four Years

Dear Dash,

This has been a year of joy for you. Every night, we talked about things that made us happy. You loved this tradition. Common themes were spending time with mommy and daddy, movies you saw, food you ate, etc.

- Movies (saw almost one a week, Incredibles II in theaters)
- Obsessed with Characters (limit 2 a day)
- Favorite shows: Daniel Tiger, Bubble Guppies, PJ Masks, Super Why
- Favorite books: Berenstain Bears
- Favorite toys: PlayMags, Cars, Hot Wheels, Legos, Stuffed Animals
- Finished potty training (minus nighttime)
- New activities: mini golf, bowling, trampoline park, bore testimony (with help from a visitor)
- Church: last year of nursery, did singing time
- Places visited: Beach (North Myrtle, Folly, Isle of Palms), apple picking, Ft. Bragg (2 times), Charlotte, Winston Salem
- Games: got better at puzzles, good at old maid and go fish
- Education: started to sound out and read words, started 3K with Ms. Connie and Ms. Fay
- Mannerisms: likes to mimic accents, likes to come out of his room twice at night
- Birthday this year was a big deal. Most presents and attention since grandparents were in town. Much more anticipated.
- Favorite Xmas gifts: incredibles stuffed dash, lego helicopter
- Got a new bed!! And new decorations for his room.
- Became a big brother. Interactions with jack**
-

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Dear Dash: Singing Time

Since you miss the cut-off to go to Primary by 4 days, we negotiated with the President and you get to go to Singing Time this year! You still do an hour and a half in nursery, and then Dad or I take you to singing time. You have always loved music, and last year we would try to do singing time as a family on Sunday afternoons. Within the last few months you have shown more interest in singing on your own, and we love it!

Our parent hearts burst when we hear you participating in singing time. This month we've been working in "I Am a Child of God" and you have been diligently learning all the verses. We love hearing you earnestly sing with the other children.

Side note on your memorization skills: you have so many song lyrics memorized! And we were so impressed with how quickly you've memorized our family scripture, Hebrews 12: 1-2.


Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Dear Dash: Potty Training

Dear Dash,

When you were around 22 months, you showed interest in going potty. We excitedly pulled our our mini potty for you to sit on and you successfully peed in it! You would go once a day on your potty for about a month. Then you stopped caring. We figured it was a little early for you to potty train anyway, so we let it go.

Then, the April after you turned two years old, we decided to try again. We took advantage of the fact that we would have to sit for hours to watch General Conference over the weekend. We did the 3 days naked method where you were just naked and sitting on your little potty most of the time. You did great! You earned lots of treats and really seemed to understand what was going on. We bought more prizes- like mini construction vehicles and sesame street characters for you to earn. You earned them all in two weeks. We invested in more training pants, step-stools so you could sit on the big potty, and candy prizes. You were doing so great until the prizes ran out. Then you stopped caring again. We battled it out until we hit almost the month mark from starting potty training, and I gave up. You just weren't ready. Looking back I wish we hadn't tried, but once you were back in diapers you felt better.

Then you went through a poop smearing stage and we had to duct tape your diapers shut. So we weren't going to let you have any opportunity to take those off by trying to potty train again. When you went to preschool, they tried a little bit with you but you just didn't seem to care.

I wanted to hold off potty training until you were 3 1/2, but Daddy wanted to try again after you turned 3. We had continually been inviting you to sit on the potty (especially when we knew when you were pooping). Whenever you pooped, you always wanted "pribacy" so you would go to the reading room or your bedroom and play by yourself for 10-15 minutes. It was like the one time Daddy and I could get things done so we honestly didn't try that hard to dissuade you from taking your breaks.

Anyway, you showed interest in wearing underwear about a week after your third birthday, so I jumped on the chance. And you did great! The nice thing about potty training again was that we already had everything. We stuck to just giving you small treats every time you went. The only extra thing we bought was more underwear (you chose PJ Max underwear and you've only seen the show once). It's been over a week now and the process has been so much easier in contrast. Yes, you've had a few accidents, but for the most part you are really good about going on the potty. We have you stand for the most part, and putting cheerios in the toilet for target practice was fun for a few days. Then you insisted you could aim without them so we haven't used them since. You also have taken more initiative in dressing yourself (pulling up/down your underwear and pants, putting your socks on, etc).

Surprisingly, you also seem to have night time potty trained. You've only had two wet diapers since starting potty training. We're still hanging onto our remaining diapers just in case, but we didn't expect that to happen so soon! You were so proud when we returned a box of pull-ups to Sam's Club because you were a "big kid" and didn't need them anymore.

I just want to say, thanks for making it easy this time round. It was probably my fault anyway for jumping the gun last April. But once you were ready, it was a breeze. I'm so happy with how responsible you've been to let us know when you need to go. You've also done great as we've run errands and visited places, like the zoo. I couldn't be prouder of you! 

Rhetorically,
Rebekah