Echo's Blessing

To all those interested:

Echo will be blessed in our ward here in Boise on July 3rd at 1:30 pm. If you are interested in attending let me know!

On June 6, 1981

The number 1 song on the billboard charts was Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes.

The movie Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams was taking in the biggest numbers at the box office.

Famous actor Johnny Pacar was born. Okay, so he must not be THAT famous, because I've never heard of him.

The world was still in mourning over the death of Bob Marley less than a month earlier.

And most importantly my absolute most favorite person on earth was born.

Happy 30th Birthday, Love of My Life.

Ever wonder how a mother of four spends her day?

Here's how I've spent mine since all my helpers left:

• Changing a billion diapers.
• Cleaning mustard colored poop out of every single outfit Echo wears.
• Nodding off while the kids watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
• Nursing a very hungry baby every 2 seconds.
• Washing at least one batch of laundry.
• Dishes, Dishes, and more Dishes!
• Constantly saying to children, "I'm feeding Echo, can you do it yourself?" followed by, "well then you have to wait until I'm done." because they almost never want to do whatever it is themselves.
• Begging Dexter to be a "peacemaker" and bribing him with jelly beans.
• Staring at my increasingly messy house and wishing I had the energy to clean it (or the money for a maid).
• Making lame meals that barely alleviate hunger.
• Falling asleep on the couch while Scott and I watch King of the Hill or Futurama. Sorry babe.

Here's to hoping this is just the transition stage from being a mother or three to a mother of four. Things will get easier with time.....right? Is it terrible that I'm dreading summer just a little because I know the boys will drive me crazy? Just a little, I swear.

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day we headed over to Morris Hill Cemetery here in Boise. It is a huge old cemetery and we enjoy checking out all the headstones.

Don't look at the dork in front, but the awesome cemetery in the background. I love old cemeteries with raised headstones. So cool. (the mosoleum, if that's what its called, in the background is for someone who received the medal of honor in 1908)

Ivy leans on a headstone (we told the kids not to step on them, she decided sitting and leaning was okay).

The boys are admiring some headstones with pictures

Grandma was impressed by how good the pictures look because they are from around 1915

Grandma and the boys

Dex, Corbin, and Ives looking through the military headstones.

Our first family photo, too bad you can't see Echo. She's hiding in the sling. The last name on this headstone was Jensen (Scott's grandparent's last name), we couldn't find a Brunson one.

Grandma and kids (minus Echo)

It feels like I'm on Vacation....Almost!

I have been a mother of four for 10 days now. Its not so bad......I have had lots of help. Maxine and Regin (or if you are Dexter, Regin and the other Regin) were simply angels in our house. They did all the cleaning while they were here, played with the kids non-stop, took them to school with me, even babysat while I took Echo to the doctor. It was so wonderful having them here. I wish I could keep them. Seriously. I want them to move in. Sorry I cried when you left guys. I'm a teensy bit hormonal. Plus I love you both. You understand right? I miss you like crazy.

The night before I blubbered at the front door as Max and Regin successfully escaped the chaos, Marde came into town. She is a whirlwind of fun and joy for our kids. They all adore her and couldn't wait to get started on all of her "projects". We've had fun going to Costco and eating free samples, to the Mall and riding the escalator, to the park to swing, and right now she has Scott and the boys at Walmart, and I'm sure she'll find a way to make that exciting as well. She lets me nap, she loves holding the baby and changing her diaper, and she loves putting the boys to bed (even if she has to lock one of them in the closet for a few minutes while he throws the mother of all tantrums). She's a great help too. I wish I could keep her as well. I'm sure I'll cry when she leaves too. Because I just had a baby and that's what I do.

In other news, Echo is doing great. She's a champion nurser and wants to eat all the time. I can barely keep up with her. If it weren't for all this nursing, I really would feel like I am on vacation. There is a silver lining though. I already lost all the weight I gained during the pregnancy, plus 5 extra pounds. Awesome. Also, I feel great most of the time, like I didn't even have a baby. I just get tired, and a headache seems to pop up at some point everyday. Not a big one, but still very annoying.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who prayed for us when things got scary at the end, and thanks to everyone who brought us meals and stuff. You guys are awesome. And of course, a big thank you to Russell, Collette, Maxine, Regin, and Marde for stepping up to do lots of babysitting and helping out. And last but not least, thanks to Mark and Ross for lending us your women!!

And now, because what would my blog post be without pictures, here are some pictures!!

Aunt Max holds her new niece. Sorry I didn't get pics of Regin, I only got video of her. What was I thinking.

Ivy is now OBSESSED with her new baby sister. She showers her with kisses, and loves when she is awake and looking toward her.

Corbin also likes to hold her now. He can even keep her calm sometimes.

Daddy takes a shot at nursing! Just kidding, he's just keeping Echo out of the sun.

Napping with Daddy. It is impossible for him to stay awake when a sleeping baby is nearby.

She looks like she's waving. Really she was scrunching up to scream for some food.

I swear we didn't pose her! She fell asleep like that, all by herself. She looks like a doll!

Echo LOVED her warm bath. Not a single tear shed. Don't worry, we were careful not to get her gross little belly button wet. Ps..yes, its herniated, just like the boys. Must be hereditary.

Oh man, isn't she precious?!

A Winner and A Birth Story

So the person who guessed the date correctly, oddly enough, was Scott (the baby is his prize), and the closest on the weight (since no one guessed right on) was my sister, Maxine with 6 lbs 10 oz. Congrats Max, I'll figure out some sort of spiffy prize.

Anyway, here is the story you've all been waiting for:

I was scheduled to be induced Wednesday the 18th at 7am because the doctor was concerned about the baby's health. Tuesday night Scott and I took the kids to Russell and Collette's house so they could babysit for us until my sister arrived from SLC. After we had dropped them off we ate dinner, and went home. We had just laid down in bed at midnight and were talking when I felt a gush. I wasn't sure it was my water and tried to sleep. An hour later I felt another gush, but I was still unconvinced. I gave up on sleeping then and went through some last minute preparations for the hospital, and watched some tv. As the hours went on I felt more and more gushes and finally became convinced that my water had indeed broken. It was already getting so close to the time we were supposed to check in at the hospital, and I wasn't having any contractions, so we decided to just wait it out.

We showed up at 7, told the receptionist lady about the water, and she scolded me for not having come in earlier. I got feisty with her, and we were finally shown a room and set up with pitocin. The doctor showed up at 8 to break my water, and I informed her that it was already broken. She didn't believe me and attempted to re-break the bag. It didn't work. She said she'd come back in a half hour and try again. Scott and I laughed because she thought I was crazy.

Contractions got hard and crazy very fast, but I worked through them. Probably around eleven I had to use the restroom, so I stood up to walk over and of course, lots of water gushed to the floor, and the nurse finally realized that my water really was broken. As I came out of the bathroom I was shaking uncontrollably, and the nurse told me I was going through transition. She called my doc telling her she'd better come soon, as another doc checked my progress and declared that I was dilated to a 7, it was a painful exam and I started to cry. Just then I heard my doc ask the nurse over the phone about my water, to which she replied, "yes, it appears it is broken afterall." Scott and I looked at each other and just laughed, even though I was struggling a little bit.

My doctor showed up a short time later, and she and the resident doctor said I could push, so I did, only to be told to stop because there was still a small rim of cervix in the way. I had to wait an excruciating 10 minutes or so for the rim to go away. It was hard, I was trying not to lose it. Finally they said it was gone and I could push, and it hurt. I screamed. A LOT. I panicked over the amount of pain. The only way to lose the pain, was to push the baby out. So I did. She popped out at 11:58, the pain stopped and so did the screaming. The doctors proclaimed with joy, "its a girl!" and laid her on my chest. I didn't have a tear or need an episiotomy, and instantly felt better.

Scott said, "No way, I can't believe it!" a few times and looked so happy. I was happy too. Happy it was over, and happy to have another baby girl. The baby was beautiful and perfect and weighed in at 6 lbs 9 oz, and was 19 1/2 inches long. We named her Echo, because it is an uncommon name that we both loved, and gave her the middle name of Marita because it is a combination of our mom's names (Marde + Dawnita = Marita).

She is very happy and easy-going, but constantly rooting for milk. I feel like I nursed her non-stop in the hospital. We were able to check out of the hospital thursday afternoon, and went home to our sweet kids who welcomed baby Echo with open arms. Ivy is suffering through only minor bouts of jealousy. My milk came in at lightning speed, and I am struggling with the pain that comes with it.

I am so happy to have this sweet, content little baby home with us, and that she came out completely healthy despite the threat of the ICP. That, by the way, is supposed to clear up for me in the next few weeks. So yes, I'm still itchy, but not for much longer.

Thank you everyone for all the prayers and positive thoughts, we couldn't have done it without you! Here are a couple of pictures for your enjoyment.

Scott loves his new baby!

I love this picture

In the carseat, ready to go

Dexter is the only one of the kids really interested in holding the baby. He's so sweet with her.

You can't really see it in the picture very well, but I had little purple broken capillaries all over my face from the pushing. That had never happened before. Weird.

Its a boy!!

Just kidding, its a girl! Fooled ya! Echo Marita Brunson entered the world this morning at 11:58, and made us the proud parents of two boys and two girls. We couldn't be happier! I don't know who won the guessing game, and I'm not in the mood to write out the birth story yet, but be on the lookout in the next couple of days. In the meantime, let these adorable pictures keep you happy til then.