Introducing

Samuel Fielding

April 15, 2010

6:26 am

7 pounds 15 ounces

21 and 1/2 inches

35.5 cm head circumference

Mom had some complications with the epidural and is just now starting to feel like maybe she might survive. Samuel is a miracle and absolutely perfect.

Sometimes, as a mother, I am brilliant

How do you keep your four children from fighting over the eggs in the Easter Egg Hunt? Mind you, they vary in age from 12 to 2, but all still want to participate.

You assign them a color and they can only hunt for their designated color. Woohoo! Problem solved!

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

I have known for four months now that this baby I am carrying is a boy.

I have no idea what we are going to name him.

Nothing feels right. There are lots of boy names out there that I like, but none of them seem right to me.

I know that a person makes his/her name and that once we decide it will suit him, but I need some help on this one.

Do you have any ideas? I will even send you a little something if we pick the name you suggest. You can list as many as you would like.

As a side note, I see my doctor today (she has been gone for the last few weeks) and so hopefully I will have more of my questions answered regarding this baby's head size.

Update: I have seen my doctor and I still have no answers about how the baby's head will fit through my pelvis, but she did feel certain that we were not dealing with hydrocephaly...which is a huge relief. I will have another ultrasound next week so that we can get new measurements for size.

Found this in Anne's backpack

Dear Anne,

How are you? You are very nice to me. What is your favorite center? What is your favorite color? You are sooooo smart, pretty and cute. You are nice.

Love,

Ryan

Taken in September 2009

If I were a betting (wo)man

I would bet that this baby makes his appearance on April 16th.

I am obsessive when it comes to recording my pregnancies. I can tell you my weight gain, fundal height, blood pressure and any other pertinent information from every visit from all of my children. I know...obsessive.

On the bright side, I can also tell you my pattern for preparing to have a baby and I am thinking that April 16th around 5:00pm sounds like a good time...and no this does not include an induction. My sister informed me that I was just setting myself up to feel frustrated and she may be right, but I still think it will be that day. (As a side note, this prediction hinges on my having an OB appointment on the 15th...won't know my appointment date until tomorrow though.)

Anyone else have a prediction? BTW, I am officially due on April 30th.

Update: After seeing my doctor today, I would like to withdraw my previous prediction. I know...cheesy, but considering my bodies current state it looks like April 22nd or 23rd will be more likely. I can still hope for the 16th though...right?

Spring break at home...or...What to do with 4 stir crazy children

1. Spend the day at the YMCA. The pools and slides are way fun!



Straws make the BEST play-things

Anne bumped her head, but then got the royal treatment with an ice pack and everything

Photo courtesy of Michael...aren't my kids cute?

2. Pretend to "sleep" in the bed while mom rearranges all of the bedrooms

3. Go to see "How to Train Your Dragon"...definitely would recommend this one

4. Eat out together at your favorite restaurant. Ours has Mickey Mouse pancakes and Strawberry Crepes to die for...sorry, no pictures of this one.

5. Dye Easter Eggs

6. Watch General Conference while cuddling with dad

Someone...I'm Not Naming Any Names...Is Nesting

Woowee, I'm on a roll.



In the last couple weeks I have:

Moved James into Michael's room
Removed Michael's Queen Bed and replaced it with a new twin one
Moved Anne's upstairs room into James' old downstairs room...thanks for your help with the furniture Anna
Moved Philip into Anne's old room
Set up the nursery in Philip's old room
Sorted through and organized all of our baby boy clothes
Purchased enough Huggies diapers to last us for at least six months for around $3 a pack...thanks to my crazy mad couponing skills. :)



I still need to:


Paint Anne's room...not sure if I will get to this
Paint Philip's room...or this
Wash car seat and bouncy seat covers
Purchase Nursing Bras
Teach Philip how to go to bed without being rocked to sleep...he's been my baby for so long...
Get this VERY large headed baby to come out of me.
Purchase a new outfit and blankie for the new little one...every baby deserves at least one new outfit, right?
Decide on a name that Matt and I both agree on...not sure if we can do this one before he's here.

Get his bassinet out of the deep recesses of our closet under the stairs and wash the bedding for the bassinet

Try to enjoy the end of this pregnancy

Update: I wrote this post last night and this morning I decided that I was going to go purchase the baby's outfit and some nursing bras. So, I got up earlier than usual and readied myself (had a shower and got dressed) for some shopping. And now I am ex.haus.ted. No desire whatsoever to take my 2 year old with me to run errands. I haven't even done my hair or put on my makeup yet. Who would have guessed that I could run out of steam so quickly?

(I think that Anne's leg ache at 2:00am and Philip's disorientation at 5:00am as well as my two additional trips to the bathroom may have something to do with it.)

Cruise Extravaganza: Part 3

Day 4: Roatan, Honduras

This was our favorite day of our cruise. We got off the ship first thing in the morning with Mike and Cassie and headed over to Sante Wellness Centre. It is a spa owned by a couple from San Francisco. It is also their personal home and it is located on a tiny island just off the coast of Roatan. The grounds are gorgeous, as is the home itself. Once we arrived we had the owner take us out to the reef that is just offshore and we snorkeled our way back to the beach. The reef was absolutely beautiful and we loved seeing its pristine condition. We then relaxed in their hottub and enjoyed the beautiful beach until it was time for our massages. Matt and I both received massages and we loved them. After our treatments, we came outside to see that the rain had poured down during our massages. No worries though because the home had a beautiful covered deck. We were then served fresh grilled shrimp, rice and salad.


Such a beautiful and relaxing day.

Day 5: Cozumel, Mexico

We tried out a National park called Chankanaab while we were in Cozumel. Our friends were able to swim with the dolphins there, but I couldn't participate due to my pregnant state. Oh well.

It is funny to look back on this picture because I thought I looked huge at the time and now I am so. much. bigger.

Day 6: At Sea

It was really windy the whole day and so our plan to lounge in the sun on deck was a bust. Brian cracked me up with his comment that he "didn't know we were on a cruise to Alaska."

Enjoying the minute of sunshine.

All dressed up for our fancy dinner at the Crown Grille. So delicious and definitely worth the cover charge.

Day 7: Princess Cays, Bahamas

This day was the perfect end to our relaxing cruise. The sun was out, there was a free BBQ on the beach provided by Princess, and the water was refreshing. Don't know how, but I don't have any pictures of Matt and I on this day. So, here's one with me and Anna instead. Love her.

Have I mentioned that I love cruising???

He Lives

I know through personal revelation that He does.

He loves me too.

This video only takes two minutes. I hope you enjoy it.

He Lives

Happy Easter Everyone!

All the Nursery Needs is the Baby

The crib is up in the nursery and Philip has been moved into Anne's old room. I love setting up cribs in preparation for a new baby. It makes it all seem so real to me. Also, it doesn't hurt when you LOVE your new bedding and painted striped room. :)









Soon these frames will be filled with new baby fingers and toes. I can't wait to meet our little (or big) guy.

We think we'll name him Bruiser

I had an ultrasound last week to check the size of our baby boy. Turns out I am not imagining things...this kid is huge. Well, at least his head is huge. He is currently measuring off of the charts for his gestational age. At 34 weeks, his head measured 35.84cm. My boys heads were only 35.5cm at birth...full term. If he continues on this growth pattern then his head will be around 39cm at birth.

Oh boy!!! What ever am I going to do???

My regular doctor has been out of town the past few weeks, but I will be able to see her next week at my appointment. Until then, the doctors have informed me that I will need to consider "other methods of delivery". This may make me selfish, but I do not want a C-Section for my very last baby, nor do I want to be torn apart down yonder.

Please pray for an early delivery.

Said head.
He was sucking on his arm (top left of the picture) during the ultrasound...soooo cute!