The Best Mother's Day Present...EVER!

So, the evening of Cinco de Mayo my membranes released (water broke) and the next day at 4pm Claire Leinani Sekaquaptewa was born. We immediately fell in love with all 5lbs. 10oz. and 18 inches of her. She was perfect and beautiful, club feet and all! I was planning on being at school that Friday morning, but after laboring all night at home, I checked into the hospital around 7am and the rest is history! She decided she wanted to come 5 weeks early.

This baby girl is enamored with her daddy, loves snuggling with momma, and knows exactly how to play the "cute" card. She is loved by so many people but most of all by her momma and daddy. She makes momma's heart melt when she reaches for and grabs my finger during nursing time and she's a trooper with her casts on her feet. We love this baby and can't believe how much our lives have changed in the last 4 weeks. WOW! She's already 4 weeks old.

This is a great shot of her feet.

It was really nice not to have to worry about work, though I did think about my students every once in a while and hoped they were happy and well.

Mine and Kory's lives have completely changed....We wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

32 weeks

Updates? Really? You want updates? I haven't posted in so long. I want to post pictures, but have been having problems with posting them here. So, I suppose my updates won't be quite as exciting with just words.

Obviously, my belly is getting bigger and bigger. I've hit 32 weeks and am starting to actually feel pregnant. It's harder to put my shoes on, stand up after sitting too long, and other "pregnant" things. Kory and I are getting so excited to meet baby girl. She still doesn't have a first name, but her middle name will be Leinani, after her great-grandmother (Lynne's mother). I figured it would be appropriate because Kory's grandmother had a Liver transplant and some health issues she was able to overcome. Since our baby girl will likely have club feet when she is born, and I know she will be strong and able to overcome this trial so early in her life, Leinani works perfectly. The next step is to decide her first name. I think it's just going to have to wait until she is born.

Kory and I have been exploring "hypnobirthing." It's amazing and I am learning so much about giving birth and why women shouldn't have to feel pain during labor. I'll save my soap box about this whole thing for another post, but ever since I've gone to these classes, I wonder why our society is so backwards about the whole childbirth process. It's unreal!

We've just been keeping busy with work and school and preparing for baby. I feel like I still have so much more to do in order to feel ready for the baby to be part of our family. That's about all for now.

hope, right?

Well, I think blogger just became my official not-best-friend. I am trying to post pictures and they are only showing up as HTML before I save and publish. After I publish it's fine, but since I am not HTML savvy I don't know what to do.

That's it for my ranting. If anyone can help that would be fabulous.

We are getting settled in our new home and loving being homeowners. The hardest part is knowing where to put everything. I am about to go crazy over all the boxes and unpacked things in the two extra bedrooms. Kory doesn't know what to do about it so he hasn't been much help in that area. Part of my craziness is probably contributed to the pregnancy, but still, I don't understand how anyone can just leave boxes unpacked like that. I mean, it's bad. We can't even use those rooms, but I don't know what to do. *sigh* Maybe I should hire a professional organizer. Seriously, it really does make me crazy and Kory brushing it off makes me even more crazy. I can't describe how it feels, but I don't like (AT ALL!!) having our house unsettled, unorganized, and not unpacked.

On the fun side of things, we're having a baby girl. We were very surprised but love our little munchkin. On the regular ultrasound, she was showing club feet so we were sent for a "better" ultrasound at the hospital and it's confirmed that she will have club feet when she is born. There's nothing we can do about it right now. I do have questions and concerns (like commuting to Primary Children's Hospital every time she needs her casts changed) and since it's my first baby, I probably have more than usual. Banking on faith and wisdom, I'm sure we'll get through this.

The ultrasounds were fun and technology just amazes me. They were looking inside her brain and measuring her head, finding all of her internal organs...it was so cool. I could have sat there all day and watched baby. She was so cute!! The sonographer tried to get a good face shot but baby only wanted to give us a profile picture. We even tried bugging her and pushing on my belly, but she wouldn't budge! :) Already a little stinker, but I still can't wait to meet her in June! She is currently being spoiled by grandma (my mom) and by Auntie Kali (Kory's sister). I think this girl is set on clothing for a while.

The part I am enjoying the most about pregnancy is feeling her move. It's such an unusual feeling, yet so fun. It makes me more anxious to meet her.

Things are going well, just a little bit crazy. Maybe one day it will all calm down. One can hope, right?

Is it real?

Well, it's been snowing ALL day, my kids were actually not as wound up as i thought they would be, and Kory and I live in our new master bedroom and the kitchen. We're waiting for carpet to be put in everywhere else. Don't get me started on THAT fiasco.

Our new house is GREAT! That's an understatement. We love it...a lot! I think every day since we have officially been sleeping there I have said at least once, "Kory, our master bedroom is so HUGE!" That's because it is. We have so much space in there it's almost ridiculous. Don't forget about the two walk-in closets. :) Though, I have to use the closet in what we're calling "baby's room" because my closet doesn't have carpet (see above paragraph). So, I am totally looking forward to a vacation in Oregon. Moving the week before Christmas break at school, in the middle of the week is not my idea of a good time. Throw pregnancy tiredness on top of that and you have one exhausted woman! Thankfully, I haven't been sick with the pregnancy, at all!

Speaking of pregnancy, I don't believe it's real yet. I've seen the baby on an ultrasound, but that was wayyyyyy back when I was only 6 weeks and the babe looked more like a lima bean than a real human. I have, however, heard the heartbeat 3 times. Yay! It just doesn't seem real and probably won't seem real until we know for sure the gender of this little tot. Kory so badly wants a boy; I'll be excited either way.

Sorry for so much rambling and no pictures. I'll have the "after" pictures of the house whenver the carpet gets done. Until then, Happy Christmas!

Change

Among all the big changes in my life (house, baby) one other change that seems kind of big to me is that I was released from my calling as the Primary chorister. :( So very sad! I had that calling for almost 2 years and enjoyed it...a lot. It was kind of weird to go to Sunday School and Relief Society and be around...*GULP*...adults! Two hours of adults. It's been a while since that has happened. I secretly missed the Primary children and couldn't help but let my mind wander into the Primary room and join the kids.

At the end of church, as the RS women were filing out of the room, Bastien (one of the primary children) came up to me and said: "When are you going to come and sing with us again?" Ohhhhhh, melt! AND, he was wearing an ugly tie (long story). Bastien is one of those kids you wonder about what will happen when they are teenagers and even adults, but dang that child is good during singing time and for that, I love and adore him! He has a couple of behavior disorders that don't really help his reputation among other kids but he has a good heart. I'm really glad to know that I influenced, at the least, him enough to have him miss me. :)

After that "melt" moment, I saw Katie (our Primary secretary) in the hall and she said: "Oooohhhhhhh, we missed you today! Ashley didn't show up so I was up there trying to lead the songs and didn't know what I was doing. We were going to come and get you, but we thought it wouldn't be fair." I assured her that it would have been JUST fine and said that I missed them too. *sigh* I suppose I just need to grow up and get over it! But really, how can I when the people and the kids are just so fantastic? It will be hard to go to a new ward.

That's all.

I suppose I should update with something...

The house is being worked on. Paint first, then flooring, then moving in...finally!! It will probably be beginning of December when we move. I should have taken pictures of the house all taped up and ready to be painted from top floor to the basement.

First grade is crazy, and good. I can't believe that it's nearly Thanksgiving. Time has flown by since school started up again.

We're having baby in June. Thought you might want to know! ;)

Our house

Pictures of our house, which technically isn't ours yet, but we love it and can't wait to transform it!








Our friends came with us to help light the furnace. That's their little girl running around. She's my "niece" and so much fun!