Baby Talk

It is 4:47pm and 8 days postpartum.  I unloaded the dishwasher today and started a load of laundry (I'll have Tony finish it later).  I'm pretty proud of myself.  It's been a long week plus one day.  Maybe writing about it will help...

At 1am on the 19th of April I woke up and realized that my little baby had finally decided they were on their way.  I woke Tony up at about 1:30.  We got ready to go to the hospital, which meant getting dressed and feeding Tony while I said, "We need to go NOW!" every time a contraction came.  We arrived at Banner Gateway at 3am.  I'll spare you the gruesome details about labor and delivery.  Just know that after a couple of hours I decided I wasn't as tough as my mom, I didn't have to prove anything to anyone, and I got an epidural.  Best decision ever.  It gave Tony and I a chance to sleep for a little while.  We were grateful.

Labor and delivery went faster for me than it does for most first-timers.  Hyrum Joseph was born at 10:39am.  He was 8 pounds, 1 ounce, 20.5 inches long.  Tony was supposed to announce to everyone whether it was a boy or girl, but Hyrum decided that he wanted Mom to say, so he hid from Dad and I said, "It's a boy! It's a boy!"  And that's that.

We didn't have a name for our little boy.  It didn't take us long, however, to decide that he was a Hyrum Joseph.  We want him to live an honorable and virtuous life, like Hyrum and Joseph Smith.  Tony thinks he even has the mild and gentle temperament that Hyrum is often said to have had.

We have been blessed with a perfect baby.  Perfectly unperfect but perfect all the same [if that makes any sense].  He is so handsome and so sweet.  He hardly fusses, except for when he's frustrated with breastfeeding, and he calms quickly and easily.  We love to hold him and kiss him and love him.  We love reading scriptures with him and praying with him.  On Monday we had our first Family Home Evening lesson with Hyrum.  Dad taught us about gaining a testimony.  We love being a family and we're especially grateful that Tony and I were married in the temple so that Hyrum is sealed to us for time and all eternity.

I [aka: Jeri Lin, Mom] have had some major adjusting to do.  I have a new found appreciation for my mom and every other mom in the world.  Being a mom is really hard.  I also know that's it's supposed to be hard and it's ok that it's hard.  Besides the lack of sleep that has worn me out, my aching back, and my disheveled appearance, I have struggled with what I deem a "major case of the baby blues."  I have good days and bad days and really bad days.  I cry a lot, sometimes with a reason, sometimes not.  It took a week for my appetite to be mostly normal.  It's been kinda rough, but it has helped me gain a greater testimony of the Priesthood.  I love my husband more than I ever have.  My mom is the best mom ever.  That's all.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures of Hyrum.  Enjoy him.  We do.

 

Aunt Jeri Lin & Uncle Tony

I could be an AUNT for the first time EVER at ANY moment.  Baby Jacie Lynn is on her way!  Tony has conceded that his little sister Whitney, who has beaten him at pretty much everything, is going to have the privilege of first grandbaby.  We did all the coaxing and sweet-talking we could, but Baby Brown has decided not to steal Jacie Lynn's glory.  I'm still hoping that I can go into labor within the next couple of hours, that way they can at least share the same birthday, but I think that's unlikely.  Besides, my fortune cookie said, "This week your lucky day is Saturday. Enjoy the fun."  I GUESS I can wait until Saturday...if I HAVE to.

Aside from all that excitement, Tony brought me home some of the Olive Garden Andes chocolate mints from work yesterday.  I ate them.  They were delightful.  They made my heart sing.  And then they were gone.

I'm totally excited for the day when we can try out our JEEP jogging stroller.  It's pretty sweet.  Thanks Dr. Brown, again.  [By the way, we still don't know what our children will call Dr. Brown.  Dr. Brown, perhaps?]

That's about all of my random thoughts for this afternoon, besides that I want my baby so that I can hold it and kiss it and love it!

Tootaloo!

Hit the Brakes!

Literally, that's what happens when you hit week 37.  For a solid 8 months, you're just cruisin' along, enjoying pregnancy, and then SCREECH! I hope you were wearing your seat belt.

It's really unfortunate that due dates are "approximations."  The fact that I could have Baby tonight or 3 weeks from now is a pretty terrible thought.  When you're officially 37 weeks, you start saying "any day" when people ask when the baby will come, but let me tell ya.  After 6 days of "any day," it seems like "any day" is never.

"You're dilated to a two?!  I had my baby the next day when I found out I was a two!!"
"I was stuck at a two for a month."
"Wow!  I think you've dropped.  I'm sure you'll have that baby this weekend!" 
"You've always carried that baby really low."
"Have you been having contractions?"
"Eat this lemon cupcake.  It'll put you into labor."

Come on guys...

A day or so ago I was driving home from work and I had this crazy  thought.

I'm going to be a MOM. 

Weird.  I don't think I fully comprehend that concept.  I don't think I really understand what it means to be a mom. It'll be really neat to figure it out.

Until then...I'll just keep swimming through peanut butter, because that's about how it feels to wait for a baby to arrive.