Halloween 2008

Halloween felt very long this year. We had our ward Trunk or Treat party the weekend before Halloween. Then, Avery's school had a costume parade last Thursday. The excitement of dressing the kids in their costumes had worn off by the time Halloween finally arrived. I must say, they did look pretty cute. Sarah wore Avery's old candy corn costume. I made Avery a tutu, bought the leotard, and threw together the rest of her ballerina costume together. Spencer did not get too dressed up. I bought a cute little onesie that said "Baby's first Halloween" and a cute little pumpkin hat. He spit up all over it before I could take any pictures. I'll have to dress him up again and post his cute little outfit. Spencer and I stayed home and handed out candy while Mark and the girls trick or treated. It was a fantastic first Halloween in our new home. I look forward to many more here.

My Handsome Boy

I am incredibly grateful for this good little boy that I have. I listen to him hiccup and watch him explore the world with his eyes and wonder what he will be like when he grows up. Right now, in the background, the girls are screaming and fighting. How long will I have until my sweet, calm baby is participating in all the craziness?

I can't believe it's been a week

Time goes by so quickly but feels so slow sometimes. Little Spencer is already a week old and I enjoy every precious moment with him. I am officially on my own during the day with three kids since Wednesday night. My mom was a huge help and I was able to survive those first days just sleeping, eating and taking care of baby. What a treat! It's over now and I am adjusting pretty well. I do have to battle with the baby blues every now and then. It is amazing how many tears one can shed because of hormones.

Avery started school this week and is loving it. I cannot believe she is growing up so quickly.



I am enjoying being able to spend those few hours that Avery is gone with Sarah. She is such an interesting and independent little girl.

The girls love their baby brother but I am super paranoid about them squashing him. He is just so small.

Spencer Abram Rhodes

So, because I always like to hear everyone's labor and delivery stories, I am going to share mine.

I went to the doctor on Tuesday last week and she informed me I was dilated to 4cm but because I was only 37 weeks, we had to just wait and see what happened. The doctor also told me she was scheduled to leave town on Friday and wouldn't be back for weeks. This concerned me because she was willing to do a VBAC and some of the other doctors are not so willing. I wanted her to deliver my baby. She told me to come back later in the week if I wanted her to check me again. I decided Thursday morning to make an appointment to have her check again. She checked me at 2pm and I was dilated to 5cm almost 6cm. You can imagine my relief when she said she would not send me home. I checked into the hospital at 2:30. Mark hurried home from his appointment which was 85 miles away. The doctor broke my water at 6pm. She was going to start me on Pitocin but never needed to. I got my epidural which only worked for a little while. I don't have much luck with epidurals I guess. I was having lots of pain and started pushing about 8pm. Spencer must have been really ready to come because he was down the birth canal in 8 pushes--15 minutes. Honestly, I thought I was going to die, but when he was born, it was well worth all the pain.




I am still in shock that I pushed a 9 lb baby out. I asked my mom how she did it 4 times. She is amazing. Mom has been here since last Friday and it has been wonderful. I've been able to spend guiltless days locked in my room with the baby. I don't have to cook or clean or take care of the girls. It's wonderful!

He's finally here!

Spencer Abram Rhodes was born October 9th. He weighed 9lbs 8oz and was 22 1/4 inches long. I didn't even have to have a C-Section! He is beautiful and I will post pictures as soon as I can.

In the quiet of the morning

Lately, my internal alarm has been going off at random times. Some mornings, I am wide awake at 2am or 3am. On the good days, I can actually sleep until 5 or 6am. My mom is like this too. I can pretty much be assured she is up and going early in the morning if I need to chat with her.

Anyway, I could lie in bed and hope I fall back to sleep but I choose to get up and try to be semi-productive while the kids and husband are still sleeping. Because I like to check my email and read blogs, I have had to make a rule for myself. I am not allowed to even turn on the computer until I have read my scriptures. The lack of distraction and abundance of silence is the perfect atmosphere. I have come to love and appreciate the precious time I have in the wee hours of the morning. It makes getting up not seem so terrible.

37 Weeks and Counting!

Well, I finally made it! I am considered full term and no one will do anything to stop my labor at this point. Of course I am saying "full speed ahead" to this little one. Obviously, I have my reservations and fears about having a third child but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Mostly, I just don't want to be pregnant anymore. Now, I haven't spent too much time complaining about being pregnant (Mark may disagree), but this one has really taken a toll on me. My complete lack of energy is almost unbearable. It doesn't help that most nights I can't get comfortable enough to sleep. I look forward to the return of my energy. My poor little girls are suffering from their sedentary lifestyles. Am I really willing to do this one more time?