Presenting...

James Edward Thatcher

The kids came by to see our little James (I have to use the name so I can get used to it!)
Jesse and Grace adored him, but Dylan did not want much to do with him.They are going to be such good little helpers. How fun it will be to have a baby in the house again.

He's here...

but he doesn't have a name yet...will let you know as soon as we know!

Baby Boy Thatcher
January 30, 2009
2:39am
6lbs 5oz, 19"
Our runtiest one yet!

The pics aren't the best...Danny took them! I will get some cuter pics as soon as they bring him back from getting poked, prodded and cleaned. He's so sweet and tiny, we just love him!
So, here's the story. I woke up yesterday morning knowing that something wasn't quite right and sent Danny off to work letting him know not to be surprised if he had to come home early. I had irregular contractions all day and was trying to get some last minute things done, but by the early afternoon I just wasn't feeling good at all. I was feeling dizzy, had a headache and a low-grade fever...I didn't think that was normal, so I called my Dr. and he just said to keep hydrated, rest and come see him in the morning if I was still not feeling well. We didn't make it that far! I started having regular contractions around 6:45pm and so we decided to take the kids to a friends' house and head to the hospital.
When we got there they were really concerned about the baby because his heart rate was really high (190-210) and it was because I had a 101.8 degree temperature. They gave me lots of IV fluids and his heart rate stabilized and my fever came down (turns out I had an UTI, so they gave me some antibiotics as well.)
After much weeping and wailing, I finally got an epidural around midnight. It took the anesthesiologist a long time and a few tries to get it in and then it only killed my left side, so he had to take another long time to get it in and it was just the ticket! Life was so much better! It turns out that I have the hardest back that he has ever worked on. Yippee!...he said that I will likely be pretty bruised up today, but he didn't give me a wet tap like last time...phew!
With the epidural in place, I was a much happier camper...all of you that go without, my hat's off to you...I just couldn't do it!
At about 2:15am, I was complete and began to push and he was born 24 minutes later. I didn't remember how much work it was to push, I was really tired, I don't know how you gals push for much longer than 20 minutes!
Well, I am so glad that he is here with all his fingers, toes, etc and I am so glad to not be pregnant anymore!! Will post some more pictures later today.
I wish that I could sleep now, I've been up for nearly 24 hours, but I'm just not sleepy. Besides, who can sleep in a hospital anyway!
PS...the nurses and the Dr. were great and made it such a good experience. I deserve it after the last one!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Jess!

Yesterday my oldest child turned 7. Where has the time gone? I'm not even going to ask if I am old enough the have a 7-year-old because I know that I'm way old enough!!! I still don't feel grown up enough, though!
Anyway...this post is about Jesse, not me. We kept it pretty low-key and just had our good friends, the Hatches over for cake. Jesse ordered a chocolate ice cream cake, so I made the attempt and amazingly it turned out pretty well. I also let Jesse custom design the decoration. Here's what he came up with:Just in case you can't tell, it is a robot holding a wallet and going to a candy store. The cake turned out pretty close to the original. And we are just going to pretend that Jesse decorated the cake all by himself, especially the writing!
Here are the presents that he got:Isn't he so handsome?
And now the obligatory blowing out the candles, etc!It was really a no-frills birthday, but he seemed happy about it and that's all that matters. We love you, Jess, and are so glad that Heavenly Father sent you to our family.

Bonus shots:Jesse got this pirate set from our friends and Dylan quickly adopted it and has been running around saying "I, pirate. I, Capin Hook. Arrrrr!" He's a crazy kid!

For just one week...

Well, I did okay last week. I slipped up a few times and yelled at the kids, but all in all I did pretty well. As for the scripture studying...I did really good the first part of the week, but then I got sick and that threw me off (and up! hahaha)
So this week I am going to continue to refine my goals from last week and I am also adding one more. I have struggled going back and forth between doing a marathon laundry day or doing a load or two a day. I couldn't decide which way I liked better, plus I could never get through the process of a load a day. I would do okay for a couple of days and then it would pile up and I'd have to do the marathon. So for just one week I am going to do a load or two a day and see how it goes. I already got up and washed my one load for today, I just have to go fold it now along with baking a cake for Jesse's birthday today, making a dish for our lunch group and continue my preparations for Baby 2009. I'm tired already, maybe I'll just stay right here and waste time playing. But, no, I feel like the baby knows that we're not quite ready for him, so he won't come until I get my act together!
So that is what I am going to do for just one week! Thanks for the encouragement and advice last week...keep it coming!

I Can't Wait...

*To be able to see my feet again.*To be able to walk up my stairs without causing heart palpitations.*To be able to chase my 2-year-old as he takes off down the street without feeling like my legs are going to spontaneously disconnect from my hip sockets (or wishing that they would...ouch!)*To be able to cut my toenails, put on socks, etc without fighting a beach ball.

*To be able to sit comfortably on the couch to watch a movie without this little creature's body parts lodging in my ribs.
*To have a waist again.
*I could go on and on...
But mostly I can't wait to hold one of these again.And I wish I could take a picture like that!

Side note: One thing that I have to be thankful for in this pregnancy...No Fred Flintstone feet!
(First pic is of my feet a few weeks before Dylan was born, the second was just today!)

What's worse than being sick to your stomach?

Being 8+ months pregnant and sick to your stomach...UGH! Thanks, Danny for bringing this bug home!

For just one week...

Okay, I'm going to do it! A fellow blogger over at My Ice Cream Diary has started a good thing. Instead of making the often doomed-from-the-start new year's resolutions, she has resolved to do something for "Just one week" figuring that setting a small goal for just 7 days is easier to accomplish than that whole year thing. I thought it was a great idea and thought that I would jump on board...there are several things that I need to change and this seemed like a lot less pressure and a lot more do-able than resolutions. But, I was dragging my feet, not wanting to commit to anything because, as you know, I'm having a baby here in a few weeks and thought that anything I try to accomplish at this point will be quickly tossed out the window once junior arrives...so why bother. Well, I can wait no longer...there are 2 things that I just need to get something started with and it can't wait until "that perfect moment" in time, because it will never happen. So here goes.

For just one week...

1. I am going to go to bed by 10pm so that I have a half hour to read my scriptures before I turn in for the night. My spirit really needs this, it has been neglected for too long now.

2. I am not going to yell at my kids for a whole week.

These are going to be hard for me to accomplish, #2 being the most difficult by far, but I can't put these two all important things off anymore. Wish me luck and any words of advice or motivation will be gladly welcomed.
I'll report how it went next week!

PS...if you want to join me, just leave me a comment and let me know so I can root you on, too!

Some things we've been up to...

We spent New Year's eve with some friends and rang in the new year with New York (we were done by 10pm!) I didn't get any pics, but we had a fun time.
New Year's day brought the traditional "put Christmas away" day. We got done pretty quickly and had the rest of the day to play.
Day after New Year's it was a beautiful day, so we decided to head to the zoo. The animals were mostly all out enjoying the day as much as we did. We have a really fun zoo here, it's big enough to have lots to do, but small enough that it can be done in a few hours.School started back up for Jess on the 6th, giving us all a little break from his constant pestering. We love that kid, but are not loving this new phase of his existence. Any hints on how to minimize the effects of this phase of boyhood?
Grace got back together with her Sugar 'n' Spice Club. We had a birthday party on Thursday. All the girls, except for Grace, have their birthdays in January. We decorated crowns and cupcakes and had a grand ol' time.Dylan decided to do a little redecorating the other day. I guess he decided that the living room couch did not have enough color, so he took it upon himself to rectify the situation. I happen to agree with him, but we have different ideas of how to go about it. I would just add some throw pillows (which I did) but, Dylan's technique included a bright blue crayon!This picture does not do it justice! Luckily with some upholstery cleaner and a little elbow grease, we took care of the problem. Lucky kid, I may have had to trade him for a new one!
Finally, I got a new calling. I am the new choir director for the ward. I am excited about it. The toughest part will be finding a good time for practice, it has been rough getting people out, so I am hoping that we can get something going. We have 4 wards that meet in our building, so practicing right before or after church is not an option. We'll make something work!
So, what have you been up to lately?

A year in review 2008

In 2008, we:

Started out the year on the beach in CA. 70 degrees and beautiful!Turned 6Celebrated Easter (and tried to get a decent family shot-try being the operative word!)Got a "Master" daddy!Went to "The Happiest Place on Earth"Hiked the Y before leaving "Happy Valley"Moved from our neighborhood and fun friends

Got derailed

Got back on track

Got a new "State" of mind and being!

Found out about #4

Lost a beloved grandmaLost a good friendLost a tooth (or two!)Turned 2Chased some balloonsTurned 5Became superheroesPlayed at our favorite beachAnd had our first Christmas away from familyWow! What a year! I hope that your year was just as fun and exciting...Can't wait to see what 2009 holds (I'm guessing not nearly as crazy!)