Full House!

...Or full apartment rather! Ever since we moved here, I always thought our living room was a nice big size for us... but for 34 people?? Yes, 34! That's 26 adults and 8 children. We had a big sunday party after church to celebrate Avery's blessing at our place. I had hoped for nice weather so we could utilize an outdoor picnic area at our complex if necessary, but alas, the temp dropped drastically and even came some heavy snow just in time for the big day! The good news is that it was nice and cozy inside our little place and we got to test our capacity to the max. Thanks to all our friends who brought extra chairs... bless you! We had a great time! Take a look at the pics below. (By the way, I'll post a pic of Avery in her dress once I get a shot of her close up... I neglected to do that yesterday... bad mama!) 

Jessica, Kristy, Briley, Brian & Mark

A glimpse of the party

Kaitlyn & Jessica

Briley and Carson with their new cousin, Avery!

She's a snorter!

Haha! Is it mean to video your child crying? She's just so funny... listen to her snort! She's been snorting since she was born. We can blackmail her with this when she starts dating (poor child!). We sure love her.

Poor Baby's Bottom!

I could use a little advice on this one. Whenever her little bum gets all sore and red (like right now), I'm not really sure which product I should use and how/when to use them. I have: baby powder, baby oil, vaseline, generic diaper rash cream, baby lotion, and I think that's it. I've heard of something called "butt paste" that works really well, but never tried it. I'm sort of in a panic because her bottom is just so red! Would the powder make her bottom chaff more, or is it good at this time to keep her dry? If I use the rash cream, how often? The cream doesn't seem to be making it any better so I have a feeling I should get a better brand or something? It looks like it could even be making it worse so I hope she's not allergic. Or perhaps I'm changing her diaper too often or not enough? Too often means I'm wiping her bottom a lot and maybe the wipes are irritating her. But is it better to wipe anyway than leave any urine to soak in? Ah, I just don't know. Any advice??

One Month!

(above) Avery at one and a half weeks

(above) Avery at one month

She sure is 'a growin'! It's crazy how a whole month just passed us by, and I'm sure time will only go by faster and faster. Her face is fuller and her eyes are more "aware." I like how she's beginning to react to the sound of my voice and actually look my way. She's enjoying her baths more (not so fussy) and she must be going through a growth spurt big time because she is eating more often than before... she could probably be hooked up to her mom and eat constantly all day and night long (not so much fun for mom though). It's hard to get sunlight in this apartment because I've gotta keep the blinds closed 3/4 of the day with her eating like she does! Oh well... I'm glad I've got a growing and happy baby. She's a precious little girl! Today I put her in a two-piece outfit for the first time. Cute, cute! We're going to go on another walk in the sunshine later today... talk about a fresh rejuvenator! 

Gorgeous Weather!

Who would have expected temperatures in the 50's and 60's in February and March... especially in Utah! Shouldn't it be snowing or something? Avery and I sure are happy for the spring-time weather because we've been able to get out and go on walks very often. I'm glad my baby can get some SUNSHINE!! (and Mee too!) Yay for nice weather!!!

She's here!

The story of Avery Marie Olsen:

Wednesday, February 18th:

4:00 p.m. 'Tis the baby's due date and I've been having very mild but regular contractions ever since this afternoon (anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes apart). This is exciting, but does not necessarily mean that baby's on her way just yet. I decided to go to the temple as planned because this will be my last chance fo

r a while. I was hoping someone would ask "when is your baby due?" just so I could smile real big and say "today!" However, that would probably have freaked out some people and I'd have gotten some serious looks for trying

 to do a session on my due date. My experience at the temple was awesome and I'm glad I went. 

8:30 p.m. Brian and I settle down to dinner. I was experiencing some small amounts of watery discharge which is unusual, so we thought that perhaps my water had broken at a high spot. (We learned this from our lamaze class!) After mulling over the idea and second guessing myself, we decided it'd just be best to go to the hospital to check... But only after I finished making my orange rolls and having a 

taste. We took our time and even stopped at walmart on the way.

10:30 p.m. We arrive at the hospital and sure enough, my water had broken! That means we're here to stay; no leaving until after the baby arrives. That was an interesting thought to consider. Since we only have a 24-hour window to deliver the baby once the water is broken and I was only at 1.5 cm dilated, the doctor wanted me to be induced with small amounts of pitocin, increasing every half-hour.

Thursday, February 19th:

12:00 a.m. After all the paper work and setting up, they begin the pitocin (this is where the labor truly begins in my eyes). It wasn't so bad at first, but by 2:00 a.m. (in two hours), I had dilated all the way to 6 cm! Needless to say, I was super fidgety and nothing I tried soothed the constant pain. I don't even know how to describe it! So...

2:00 a.m. On with the epidural! I asked the nurse, "when is too early to get that epidural?" She said that since I'm on pitocin, the epidural won't slow anything down. Ok then, let's go! What a relief!! I had once considered doing this first one all natural, but that was out of the question by this point. My anesthesiologist was awesome with the epidural; I could even still move my legs on my own; just no contraction pains. Cool! I was able to just relax until time to push.

4:30 a.m. Pushing time. This is when I get to gloat a little because it only took me 30 minutes to push! Go momma! Just a small episiotomy was done to get her out sooner, but no tearing. They said the cord was around her neck twice so this caused a drop in her heart rate during pushing. I didn't realize this until after she was here.

4:57 a.m. Happy Birthday, Avery! She made it! She was beautiful and healthy. A good eater, even! 7 pounds, 6 ounces. 20 inches long.

The Countdown...

Eight Days to go! OH YEAH! (Give or take a few.) I'm usually not big on countdowns, but when you're THIS close, who can resist?? So far I've gained about 35 pounds and my big belly measures at 39.5 inches around. I thought pregnancy would feel strange and unusual, but surprisingly, it just kinda grows on ya like it ain't no thing. Soon enough, you look like this and still feel like a normal person. I also thought by this point in the pregnancy I would feel nervous or apprehensive, but that's not true either. All I say now is: Bring it on, baby!