Christmas 2013

We had a fun Christmas this year.  Calvin gave us a blowout, lots of smiles, and 7 straight hours of sleep.  He is such a good baby.  Mark got me an opal pendant and some clothes.  I got Mark a Nexus 7 tablet.  Our car broke down on Sunday night, so we will also be getting a new car in the next couple weeks (we are not excited to have to be making a car payment though).  Here are some pictures.

Here is Calvin all bundled up to go to Steph's house on Christmas Eve.

Great Grandma Hulse got Calvin this tiger.  He likes it.

Grammy Jo got Calvin a fun book for Christmas.

This is the first smile I've captured on camera.

Merry Christmas!

Sushi and White Elephants

Mark likes to experiment with cooking.  A couple of weeks ago, he made some sushi.  The first roll was really big and fell apart.  After making a few revisions, this is what he ended up with. 

It was really tasty (and that's from someone who isn't a sushi fan).  I look forward to his next experiment.


A different happening in our family is that we got a "Mr. Bean emergency diaper" in a white elephant game.  So, of course we had to take pictures of C in the diaper.  He's such a cutie in it. 

New Jammies

When I saw these Christmas Jammies at the store, I knew that Calvin needed them.  He looks so darn cute in them.  Also, we introduced him to the binky and he seems to like it.  Enjoy a couple of pictures. 

Two Weeks

My little buddy is two weeks old today.  We have been having an adventure trying to figure everything out together.  I think we are slowly getting an idea of how everything is supposed to work.  Several times a day, I tell Mark how much I love our baby.  He is such a sweetheart and I love watching him grow.  He is already growing fast.  We love our little boy!

Calvin James Arrives!

Our precious baby arrived a week ago.  I looked forward to the happy event with much anticipation.  The day before he arrived, we met with our OB to discuss our options as we were two days past due date.  Our doctor was leaving town on Monday morning and wanted to induce us.  We decided to wait and see because we were anxious to not be induced.  After we left the doctor's office, we stopped at my sister's house, then came home and went on a walk.  We worked on a little sewing project together and then decided to go to bed.  I jumped on the bed for a few minutes and then got in the shower.  That's when the contractions started.  This was around 11 pm.  At midnight, I decided it was time to go to the hospital.  Mark had fallen asleep at 11:30.  He was groggy at first, but eventually the excitement kicked in.  After getting dressed and gathering all the stuff we needed, we headed off to the hospital.  We checked in about 1 am.

Our nurse checked our progress and told us we were dilated to a 6.  She inserted a heparin lock into my right hand and gave me some fluids.  I felt really nauseated and threw up.  After getting samples and monitoring the baby for awhile, I was allowed get into the Jacuzzi.  I spent an hour and a half in the Jacuzzi and threw up again while in there.  After heading back to my room and climbing back into the bed, my water broke.  The nurse checked me again and dilation was 8 cm.  The monitors were put back on and labor became more intense.  After awhile, I really had to use the restroom.  We took the monitors off and headed into the bathroom.  I felt the urge to push.  Mark went and got the nurse, and she called the doctor and let everyone know to come to our room.  I remember her exact words were, "Room 9 is dilated to 9 plus and is feeling pushy."  After everyone that was needed was there, pushing started.  I would estimate that I pushed for about 45 minutes before Calvin was born.  When he came out, he peed all over the doctor.  Mark got to cut the cord and then Calvin was handed to me. 

As soon as I saw Calvin, I was in love.  He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  He was born at 4:46 am on November 23, 2013.  He weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long.  I have loved snuggling with him and getting to know him this week.  I am so grateful to be his mommy. 

This birth was almost everything I wanted (it would have been perfect, except I had a couple of tears).  I know that I wouldn't have been able to have this wonderful experience without the help of my amazing sweetheart.  Mark was the perfect birth coach.  He helped me through each contraction and helped me to stay focused when I started to freak out.  I love my husband very much, and I feel so blessed to have gone through this experience with him.

And now for some pictures.

Waiting

This little baby of ours isn't "due" until tomorrow, but I feel like we've been waiting forever for him to come out and meet us.  I feel like all I've been doing for the past several months is sitting around and waiting for this little guy to come.  Now that it's down to the last few days, I'm getting pretty anxious. 

A Work of Art

I got a cross stitch kit of Greg Olsen's "Light of the World" painting for Christmas of 2009.  I worked on it during summers and holiday breaks because I was always too busy during school.  I finally finished it this September.  That is a little over three and a half years.  After putting so much time and effort into this 11 x 13 picture that is almost continuous stitching, I decided to get it framed.  Without further ado, here are pictures of the finished, framed product that I spent 3 1/2 years of my life working on.

If you want to see it in person, it is now hanging in my living room. 

Also, a shout out goes to my mother for teaching me how to cross stitch when I was a young girl.  She fostered my love of the craft and has always supported me in my favorite hobby.  Happy Birthday today!!!

My Birthday

My birthday was last Friday.  It was great.  Mark had the day off and we both got to sleep in together (as opposed to me sleeping in by myself...).  My former roommate Kim Allred came and picked me up for lunch.  We went to a little Mexican restaurant in Logan and had a good time catching up.  Then we had a little excitement in the parking lot when Kim and another driver backed into each other.  There was hardly any damage, but we had to wait for the police to come and check it because the other guy wanted to get a police report.  So a police officer came and assessed the damage and then just told us the insurance companies would have to sort it out.  It was my first ever car accident.  Luckily for me, it was barely a fender bender and I wasn't driving.  Interestingly, there was another car accident at the same time in the same parking lot, and I saw two other accidents that day. 

After Kim dropped me off, Mark and I went to Michaels.  I have been working on a cross stitch of Greg Olsen's painting "Light of the World" for almost four years.  It is finally finished, and after all the work I put into it, I wanted to get it professionally framed.  We went with some coupons, but it ended up being pretty expensive anyway.  When we get it back, I'll be sure to post a picture of the completed project.

We went out to dinner at Angie's, (where the locals eat).  It was pretty fun and delicious.  After dinner, we stopped at home and grabbed our swimming suits and headed over the mountains to Crystal Hot Springs.  It was kind of chilly that night, so it was fun to be in the hot water.  It was awesome to go swimming with my pregnant belly being so big.  Since I've gotten into my third trimester, I get severe pain in my pubic bone after I do a lot of swing dancing.  I had been dancing the three nights before my birthday, and it hurt really bad just to walk around.  With the water helping me hold up my big belly my pubic bone didn't hurt at all.  The freedom from the pain was amazing.  When they were closing, I didn't want to get out of the water.

Mark made me a tatting pin because I've been tatting up a storm lately (hair clips and bookmarks).  A tatting pin is like half a crotchet hook at the end of a long necklace.  He was so excited to give it to me he wanted me to stay up until midnight the night before my birthday.  He's such a cutie.  I had a great day on Friday.  It's weird to think that on my next birthday I will have a child.  I'm looking forward to it though.

Swing Team

As many of you know, Mark and I met swing dancing.  We still dance, and with the beginning of the school year, we are coaching a team again.  Mark was coaching a team when we met, and has been ever since.  This will be the fifth team he has coached, and my third.  Last year, we coached the competition team for USU (Swingcopation), and our team took 2nd place at the Intercollegiate Swing Battle.  Because of my pregnancy and the pending new life of parenthood, we decided to step down and coach the performing team (Swing Set) again.  After a summer of completely nothing to do, it is refreshing for me to have some responsibility.  This year, however, coaching feels really different.  Several of my dancers are freshman, and I don't really have too much in common with them.  I am 5 years older than them, graduated, married, and about to have a kid.  Regardless of these differences in life, I am quite excited to be teaching again and to see what we can get out of these dancers.  Even though dancing hurts my big, pregnant belly, I'm excited to actually be doing something with my life again. 

Bianca has an Announcement!

Bianca would like to share the gender of her new sibling.  I just couldn't choose which picture I like the most, so enjoy!

2 Years Down, Eternity to Go

On Sunday, Mark and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary.  It's pretty crazy to think that we have already been married for that long.  It only feels like it's been a couple of months.  We spent the day together on Thursday and bought me a couple pairs of maternity pants and a few shirts (Wahoo for $2 shirts at D.I.).  Then we headed up to the mountains that night.  We got to the huckleberry campground late and we were lucky that Mark's sister had set up a tent for her boys a day early because we didn't have to set our tent up in the dark.  We spent some time huckleberry picking on Friday and just hanging out with Mark's siblings and their kids.  On Saturday we spent a lot of time picking huckleberries.  We ended up with two and a half gallons!! Plus, the huckleberries were huge this year.  It was great pickings.  Perhaps we'll have to donate some berries to an ice cream maker...   Mark gave me a necklace for our anniversary.  A couple of weeks ago I had to take my wedding ring off because of swelling from the heat and the baby.  He got me a beautiful chain to wear my wedding ring on so that I can still have it with me. 

Sorry for the rambling.  I am truly blessed in my marriage.  I could not have chosen a better partner.  Mark is so perfect for me.  I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us this third year of marriage. 

Worried Momma

This mother-to-be is a worry-wort.  Among other things, I worry about how I'm going to take care of this baby in a tiny apartment that isn't heated well.  I worry about how we're going to pay all the medical bills that this delivery is going to bring.  I worry about how we'll afford the basic things that a baby needs.  It really stresses me out.  It makes me feel like "I've made a huge mistake."  But I had a little inspiration come to me the other night.  Starting the Book of Mormon over again, I finally got to chapter 3.  You all know the famous, scripture mastery verse "Go and Do."  I got past that part, and read about how when Laman got chased off he and Lemuel wanted to go home. Nephi in effect said they were going to stay and keep the Lord's commandments.  Then I reread the go and do verse (1 Nephi 3:7) and was struck with a thought.  Having this baby is a commandment.  We are commanded to multiply and replenish the earth.  Reading Nephi's testimony that the Lord will help us to fulfill His commandments gave me the comfort I needed to realize the everything will be ok.  At this moment, I cannot see how everything will work out. But I know that I am in the Lord's care, and so I know it will all work out.

Feeling Lonely

With no job and only my dog to keep me company for 13 hours straight, I am feeling really lonely.  I have some happy news that I found out yesterday.  If you would like to know, I would like you to contact me.  Call me, text me, email me, chat with me on Facebook...  I just need to know that the people I love care about me. 

Baby Lindsay is doing well!

We went to our first checkup yesterday and got to see the baby.  We only got to see a couple of things, but it was exciting.  We saw the spine, a leg bone, and the top of the head.  We saw and heard the heart beating, and even saw a little kick.  Our baby measured a little longer than 12 cm.  Heart rate was 142 beats per minute.  We get to check all the anatomy in three weeks.  Sorry for the bad picture quality.  Can't wait to share from our next visit. The due date is November 20, but it could be earlier.

Graduation Day!!

Yesterday I graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry.  I am so grateful to have finally achieved this lifelong goal.  I have learned several things over the last five years.  I am grateful to my wonderful husband Mark for supporting me financially and emotionally for the last three years.  I am so blessed to be where I am today. 

Here I am after convocation.  Mark got me some roses.

This is me with my favorite professor, Andy Anderson.

I gave Mark my stole of gratitude because of all he did for me.  P.S. Doesn't he look foxy? P.P.S. There are three Lindsays in this photo!