Grand Canyon

So Dave finally had both of his days off this week - I think it was the first time he's had them both off since Tess was born so we decided to take advantage of it. Tuesday we hung out around the house but Wednesday Dave got another swamp cooler put in (thanks Brandon!) and I cleaned the house and then we headed off to the North Rim. It wasn't nearly as far as I thought it would be and it was so fun to get to just take off and go somewhere that most people only get to see on vacation - if ever!

The whole fam - I was laughing when we had pictures taken of the four of us because it is so windy near the rim I could never see the person taking the picture. I had a feeling they would look something like this.

We had to have proof that Tess made the trip out to Bright Angel point at 5 weeks old! People thought we were crazy but seriously, Logan had more of a chance of running off the cliff than Tess did in her stroller! Luckily we all made it back alive although I was questionable there for a minute after packing Logan up a steep hill on my back - in flip flops.

Cutest. Things. Ever.

Dave's coworkers chipped in and had these made for Tessa when they got their shirts made this season. The front and back of both of them are just like her dads. Her first, and hopefully not last, fire clothes!

Thanks guys!

Month 1 - Tessa's Arrival

Ok girl, you are going to get monthly letters too - at least until the two of you turn my brain even further into mush, which may be as soon as next month. I'm going to recap how you arrived for my memory's sake - so I can remind you later when you think that I never do anything for you that I did, at one time, do something for you. This will be long, but my memory is crap now so if I want to remember details later, this has got to be thorough...



I went to my doctor's appointment on Thursday, May 28. I just knew I was going to be at a 3 when he checked me. I even told Bre, my favorite nurse, that no matter what, Dr. Gatherum was not to tell me I was at a one, even if I was. If I was at a one, he had to call it a 2 minus just so I didn't have to hear the word one. Sure enough though, your mother was right (I always am, but I'm sure you've figured that one out), I was a 3 and 75% effaced. I was absolutely certain I was going to have you the next day and told Dr. Gatherum that I hoped he didn't have plans for the weekend because I'd be seeing him again soon. I went and got cookies for the office on my way back, pretty much celebrating my last day at AP&P and I bragged to all the girls that I was a 3 and would have this baby tomorrow - I mean come on, that's how it was with Logan and the second baby comes faster right? Yeah, I even had contractions at work that day that were pretty regular, about 5 minutes apart. The beginning of the end had come, and as I left work that night I told the girls I'd be very surprised if I was back at work on Monday.



Fast forward through a lot of walking, eating pineapple (I'm convinced it helped!), lots more walking, an email to my boss saying I'd be in after all, etc... to Monday morning.


Apparently you wanted to be a June baby because no matter how much walking I did that weekend you waited until 12:30 a.m. on June 1 to decide you were ready to get this show on the road. I woke up after being asleep for about 2 hours and yeah, I quit peeing the bed a long time ago so I had a feeling it was something different. I sat up in bed and didn't quite know what to do next, so I sent your dad a text that said something like "Hope you're ready, I think my water just broke." I tried to wake up your grandma but she wasn't budging so I went to the bathroom and came back out and yelled her name a little louder and the games began. She jumped up and started running around, we informed your grandpa he would be driving to Cedar instead of heading to bed, and I called your dad. Good thing I did too because he slept through the text. He was a little foggy when he answered and I wasn't quite sure he understood what was going on but I kept him on long enough to make sure he was at least out of bed before I hung up.


Grandpa and I got on our way to Cedar and by this time the contractions were just starting to get painful. As we left town we saw a car burning on the side of the road on Main Street in Hurricane. Random? Yeah. In an effort to try to ease grandpa's anxiety I told him "See the things you miss when you're at home sleeping at 12:30 in the morning?" It might have worked for a minute or two but then when he asked how I was doing and I told him my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and we still had a 40 minute drive ahead of us the anxiety level went up again.


We made it to Cedar about 1:30 and after fighting with grandpa over whether I needed a wheelchair or not we walked in the ER entrance and down the hall to labor and delivery. By the time I got in and settled and checked I was at a 5 and 80% effaced - not nearly as close as I thought I'd be. The cute nurse told me I needed to get 2 rounds of antibiotics in through my IV before you could come and that would take 4 hours so I needed to at least keep you in for that long. I agreed and she asked me about the epidural. I said I definitely wanted one and she informed me that the anesthesiologist was about 20-30 minutes away and to keep that in mind when deciding when I would want it. About ten minutes later she asked again if I wanted it. I didn't want to be a wimp but I told her to get that man on his way - the contractions weren't making me want to die yet, but I remembered how good it felt when I stopped feeling them.


Your dad got there at 2:30 and grandpa promptly left the room - I'm pretty sure he was relieved that he had completed his duties at that point. He had gotten me to the hospital without having to deliver a baby - mission accomplished. About that time the epidural man got there and they made your dad sit down so he didn't fall down. It's a good thing the pregnant woman can't see what they are doing back there because if they make grown men sit down and the big needle isn't even going into their back, then I don't want to see it either. A few minutes later I could feel things starting to get numb and my pain level went from a 7 to a 5 and I smiled and thanked the epidural man as he walked out of the room.


Then...the nurse had me shift to one side and propped me up on a pillow and that's when things went downhill. Apparently propping you up on one side is supposed to help things, but if you get the wrong side then it hurts like hell. I grabbed your dad's hand and told the nurse it was not feeling right and my pain level was now at an 8 - not supposed to happen. I kept squeezing your dad's hand waiting for epidural man to come back or them to knock me over the head with an IV stand - ANYTHING to make the horrible pain go away. The cute nurse was just about to call the epidural man back in but told your dad to press my magic pain button and then propped me on the other side and seriously like magic the pain went away. Oh my goodness girl, how I love epidurals. I hope you grow up to be strong but let me tell you - those drugs are a blessing. In fact, I should sew a cape for that anesthesiologist with a big E on it and suggest he wear it when administering an epidural and introduce himself as Epidural Man. Point being, I am sure that pushing a baby out naturally is a very amazing experience, but I don't think pushing a baby out unnaturally is any less amazing because I don't want to kill myself before that time actually comes.

At this point my favorite part of having a baby, with the exception of actually seeing the baby, begins. The nurses and everyone else leave and I get to have some quality time with your dad. I am comfortable, although shaking uncontrollably with my teeth chattering, but we get to talk uninterrupted for a while and it is nice. I was supposed to be trying to sleep but I was a little wired and although your dad was trying to get me to sleep we kept on talking. Talking about what your brother would think, and what gender you were going to be, and what we would name you.


At 5:30 a.m. or so they came in and got my second round of antibiotics going and told me they would take about 45 minutes to go through so if we were ready, we'd be having a baby in an hour or so. I think at this point I was at an 8 or 9. The nurses changed shift at 6 a.m. so the new set of nurses came in about 6:20 and saw that I was at a 10 and we were ready to go. They broke down the bed and got everything ready and Dr. Gatherum came in about 6:30. I started pushing quite soon after and after pushing through 2 contractions and a "little grunt" there you were, less than 5 minutes later. You were easy! I was so excited when Dr. Gatherum announced you were a girl. When I saw your face when he first held you up you looked so much like Logan I thought for sure you were a boy. I had told everyone I wanted a boy so Logan could have a buddy but when the time actually came I was thrilled you were a girl. Your dad cut the cord and they gave you to me and honest to goodness, the first thing I noticed as you were screaming at me was that you were tongue-tied. Poor little thing your tonge was seriously attached all the way to the tip. You calmed down pretty quick and they let me hold you for a few minutes before taking you over to weigh and measure you.


After feeding you for a bit the nurses let the wolves in and all four grandparents and Logan were there to see you. Logan wasn't quite sure what to do at first and didn't want to come sit with us but pretty soon he was on the bed with us pushing the buttons. They took you and gave you a bath and the pediatrician checked you out and clipped your tongue right there in the hospital so we wouldn't have to worry about another tongue fiasco like Logan's. We had to stay an extra day because of your jaundice but so far eating hospital food for an extra day has been my only complaint with you. I didn't even taken any Ibuprofen at the hospital the second day until they told me I probably should even if the pain wasn't too bad. Oh, that and the fact that you did a number on my bladder - but I won't go into details on that here, or anywhere.


You sleep better than Logan did, and you eat half as much but are still filling out well. You've been an easy child so far, but I know this is only the very very beginning. I look at you and I can tell we will have our WW III fights - it's just my style and probably will be yours too. I was absolutely 100% right when I wrote in Logan's letter that while I couldn't imagine loving another baby as much as I loved him, that I would surely love you as much when you came into the world. It is absolutely amazing to me how quickly it happened - the minute they placed you on my chest I loved you just as much while continuing to love Logan as much as ever. I'm not sure he understands this yet, so do me a favor and go give your big brother a big hug and tell him you love him and then punch him on the arm - he most likely deserves both.

Love you sis,
Mom





















My you are a pretty thing.

Day 22

It is day 22 of me being a stay at home mom. Is it absolutely fabulous to not dread every day knowing it brings me closer to having to go back to work?

Yes.

I remember being home with Logan and every new landmark, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, etc., meant I was that much closer to leaving him every day. I am SO thankful for this opportunity to try out being a SAHM - for however long I get to have it.

BUT, it is not without its, um, not so finer points? I feel like all I do all day is run behind Logan picking up his stuff so I don't want to lock myself the bathroom and cry because of the clutter OR hold Tess while she struggles to learn how to poop without screaming for 10 minutes beforehand.

Here's a stillshot of my day - and I can only stay "still"shot because Logan finally took a nap today!

(click to enlarge my friends...)














No worries, the only thing still on the floor now is the cute baby but my tornado should be awake again in an hour...

DOC - AP&P

So this last Thursday was my last official day with the Department of Corrections Adult Probation and Parole. I started there almost three years ago when Dave and I were moving back to Cedar after spending our first summer working for the Forest Service in Panguitch. When my boss called me to set up the interview she said she was calling from AP&P and I honestly had no clue what she was talking about and couldn't remember even applying for the job! Then during my interview one of the questions they asked went kind of like this:

"Would you mind taking urine samples for drug tests?"

Now, it was probably just my nervousness but I assumed they meant would I mind taking a drug test which of course the answer to that was no. Turns out after I got the job that the question meant, would I mind watching others give urine samples for drug tests. Yeah, eye opener.

It's been a crazy 2 years and 9 months and I wouldn't give up the experiences I had there for anything. I started at the front window and while I was there I made an offender cry my first day on the job (she was crazy anyway), watched countless women pee, listened to innumerable sob stories from offenders, and got over my fear of answering phones.

When I moved from the front window I was able to move into a position where I edited and sent every report that went anywhere from our office. Reports that went to the court and to the Board of Pardons went through me first and I took a lot of pride knowing that I was doing my best to make our office look professional.

Last February I got the Agent Assistant job which has by far been my favorite position. I was able to work more closely with the agents making sure they had what they needed from court and helping them with reports. I was able to spend up to 3 days a week in court and I gained a new appreciation um, knowledge of how the system works um, functions. I think every single person in our country should be required to attend at least one full law & motion and sentencing day in a local courthouse. It is incredibly entertaining at times, but more importantly I think it would open the eyes of the average citizen.

DOC is an interesting family, we work with a lot of scumbags, and then there are the offenders... ;) Seriously though I "worked" with a lot of people through email that I never met who were very helpful, but I had to post this email so I won't forget it in the years to come...

I was irritated to receive this email in the first place because I had put a note in the computer on this guy that I had sent his packet out the day before...

Anonymous Clerical Staff from up North: Could you have the ^ fill out his PSI packet and send it up to us as soon as you can?
Me: It's in the mail. (I'm not usually this rude, but I was bugged.)
Anonymouse Clerical Staff from up North: Okay so it is getting sent up here?

I didn't write back. If you can't figure out that "It's in the mail" means the same thing as "it's getting sent up" then you don't deserve a response. Then she CALLED me and asked if it was getting sent up to them. Seriously, the offenders aren't the only people who are short a brain cell or two.

To my friends at AP&P who read my blog and laugh (you know who you are), I don't lie when I say I will miss you guys. There are people in that office that I hope I will continue to be friends with for years to come. The agents there became my big brothers and my good friends. The girls up front were my sounding board and probably listened to a lot more of my problems than they ever wanted to. I'll miss you guys as well as the offenders, they can be pretty good comic relief when you need it most. It will probably take a long time before I quit checking the Iron County Bookings page and looking at the court calendars to see who is doing what. Thanks for putting up with me through two pregnancies and a lot of whining - I enjoyed most every minute of it and will miss you all!

24 Months - Happy Terrible Twos!

Two years ago at this time I was having contractions and... just kidding. I won't go into details about how you came into the world again this year - I tend to believe I would eventually scar you for life if I keep bringing it up.

I don't know how good this newsletter will be today, seeing as how I am at home and will be more interrupted than I would if I was at work. That's one perk of having your new sister here - I get to stay home with you every day now! I'm glad to be home with you even if every time someone comes over you ask if you can go home with them - I'm trying not to take it personally and that you are, in fact, not sick of me already.

This last month had quite a few laughs and I was smart enough to put them in the 'draft' section of my text messages on my phone so I would remember them - I'm brain dead because of you remember? I got pregnancy brain with you and never got it back. So the first one I have in my phone was a night when we were here in Kanab with your dad before Tessa was born. You were playing with your tape measure and you couldn't get the tape to wind back up. You tried for about 20 seconds or so before you stopped, looked at it , threw it to the floor in front of you and said "Damn it tape measure!" Holy cow kid I didn't think I was going to catch my breath I was laughing so hard. I looked right at your dad and he knew he would have been in trouble if I hadn't been about to fall on the floor. You are the spitting image of him. And even if you might not think that right now in your life (assuming you eventually read this nonsense years down the road), that is a VERY good thing.

We've had some thunderstorms this month and you have informed us that you are scared of the "Thumber". I'll add this to the list of things that you are afraid of at the moment along with toads, car baths (automatic car washes), and scarecrows.

We went for a walk the last weekend we were in Kanab before Tessa was born trying to get her to come a little early and you walked the whole way which was pretty impressive. It would have been more impressive if we had gone for a walk longer than just around the block but hey, I was big and fat and not that into walking. Your dad asked you if your feet were tired and you answered "no (big surprise), shoes are tired". I look forward to your teenage years.

If you make it that far that is, I just took my tweezers away from you because you were trying to stick them in an electrical outlet. If you are reading this and are over the age of 10 I think I deserve a medal for keeping you alive. And as of today I'm 1/5 of the way there. I sent your dad a text this morning that said:

Our boy is two. Do you know how fast the next sixteen years will go? Holy cow.

You are in your terrible twos, there is no doubt about it in my mind but you are still a great kid. The tantrums in public are still minimal, you "love" your sister too much, and you still ask for milk and cuddles every night. It might get annoying to me at times now but I am thankful for these things and all the other silly/funny/irritating/cute things you do and I hope I remember how soon they will go from being annoying toddler behavior to being full on obnoxious behavior from a teenage boy. You might feel a little left out at times now that you have a sibling, but little sister aside - you are still my best little boy and just like I expected would happen I don't love you less now that she's here - I love you more.

Happy Birthday Chubs,
Mom

And just to reminisce a little...

She's Here!

Well, after a somewhat tense drive to Cedar in the middle of the night (thanks dad!) and just a few easy hours of labor (except for the 15 minutes or so the epidural wasn't working AT ALL, thanks Dave!), Tessa Lindsay Veater arrived. Except for the bout of jaundice that seems to be pretty much typical she is doing exceptionally well and I wonder why I was ever so worried or stressed with Logan - she is EASY! My recovery has been great too, I already feel about 98% back to normal (I shouldn't say that too soon though...I'm enjoying Dave's help). Logan is doing pretty well, just a few minor fits that Dave and I think are related to his world being invaded.

As I type both kids are sleeping and Dave is on his way to pick up dinner from the Mexican restaurant - we are doing pretty well! I will post a few pictures now and will post again soon. Thanks to everyone who brought gifts/meals/best wishes to us - we greatly appreciate everything you've done and continue to do for our family!

Getting ready for the lights at the hospital.

Enjoying her in-home tanning bed.