More pics of our BABY!

Here's Cooper covering her mouth while she yawns:And stroking her face:

The Full Story

Hey everyone, sorry about the suspense. I didn't keep you waiting out of selfishness... no, more like preoccupation with me beautiful new baby girl! Every spare minute I just love to sit and stare at her, and stroke her face and her abundance of hair (who knew she'd have a head full of wild hair?!!!).

Anyway, so here's how it went down:

Annie threw me a baby shower on Saturday Dec. 1. Poor Annie planned the whole thing and then when it came down to the day she had the flu! She perservered anyway and still hosted a beautiful shower, wich provided me and Leila with lots of wonderful things to start our lives together. This picture is of me at the baby shower, mere hours before I started having contractions! Ahh the bliss! Saturday night after the shower I didn't feel so well... and around 10:30 I found out why... I had the flu too! Coincidentally so did Jesse, so we stayed up all night together barfing and stuff... how romantic :)

We stayed home from everything on Sunday, and just as the nausea was dissapating, my contractions, which had previously been random and painless, started coming slightly harder and more frequent. How wonderful that she waited to come until I was dehydrated and all sick-y lookin' and Jesse was too weak to help coach me through labor (not to mention gimpy and wheelchair ridden). So my labor progressed throughout the day on Sunday and as the night came I knew that this was no false labor, as the contractions were getting harder and closer together. I tried going to bed that night, hoping that maybe I could get a little rest before I had to go to the hospital. No such luck. It seems that laying down made them all the worse.

I made Jesse stay in bed and try to get some rest while I watched some BYU Christmas special reruns on TV and tried to breath through my contractions myself. At my last doctor's appointment a week previous to this I had been dialated to 2 cm, so I was hoping to get quite a ways past that by the time I got to the hospital. I called Annie (who, if you remember, was also recovering from the flu) who came right over at 11:30 at night to help coach me through my contractions so Jesse could sleep (I don't think all sister's are as great as mine!). She rubbed my back in just the right place with just the right pressure, and made it so I could get through another hour at home. I came to a realization that I needed to make a decision. Do I try and go the natural route again? Do I go to the hospital and risk them sending me home because I wasn't progressing enough? (I couldn't bear the thought! That would be too horrific for me to handle, if I was in so much pain and they just sent me home!!)

I made the decision around 1:00 am to go into the hospital and get and epidural as soon as they would let me. None if this natural stuff, I was tired, in lots of pain, and neither me, nor my birthing coach were in any shape to go through this without some serious pain meds.

On the way to the hospital I wavered back and forth between being extremely grateful for my warm car (it was rainy and cold) and the warm hospital that would soon put me out of pain, and agonizing over whether they would just turn me around and send me right back home. Between contractions I cried to Jesse telling him to not let them send me back home.

After an hour of observation at the hospital I had only gone from a 3 to a 4. I was sure they would make me go home, but miracle of miracles... they called my doctor and he said I could stay! I told them I would like my epidural right away please and they rushed to make my room ready. As we were waiting, the bed next to us became occupied by an extremely "excited" pregnant girl who was having a hard time controlling her "excitement" about her contractions. It was just like in the movies! You know how they're all screaming and hyperventilating and stuff... I felt so bad for her! The nurses would poke their heads around the curtain and mouth "I'm sorry!" to me every so often. I didn't mind so much, I was just glad I wasn't her!

By 3:30 I had my epidural, and it took effect by 4:00. My mom arrived with Spencer in tow (I'm not sure why he wanted to come... but he did make all the nurses laugh). He was so excited he was almost bouncing off the walls... even the anesthesiologist offered to chemically sedate him.

I forgot to mention that the epidural only took effect on one side of my body, and I could still feel contractions on one side... it was kind of odd, but way better than feeling all of the contraction. I layed on my side and that seemed to help. The anesthesiologist had to come back every few hours and re-inject the powerful stuff into my epidural line (he told me it was the same stuff they use when people get a c-section... crazy!). There wasn't anything exciting after that until it was time to push a few hours later. The heavy medication the guy put in my epidural had worn off by then and I could feel completely EVERYTHING. The Doctor was on his way so the nurses were telling me not to push.. and as I tried to breath through clenched teeth I yelled "WHY?!!" Even though I knew perfectly well why, I just wanted to be difficult. I think I had earned the right by then. The Doctor raced in at full speed and they finally let me start pushing. (Even though I had kind of cheated and had been pushing anyway, I had been pretending to breath through the contractions) It only took about 5 contractions but it was most definately the hardest thing I have ever done. I could put up some video of me screaming and telling the nurses I can't do it... but I don't want to scare any of you (seriously, even spencer's excitement had died down and he was in the corner with a pillow over his head). But then, all of a sudden, there she was:

There were a few interesting things that happened after that... first of all she weighed exactly the same as Cooper... wierd... and second, the Doctor totally got sudged in the face when my placenta came out... he looked up at me blinking with all sorts of amniotic fluid dripping from his face and said "Well that's never happened to me before."
Also... can you believe all that hair?!!!

Yup, She's Here!

Hi friends, lots of details and stories to follow, but for now here's some pics:

Tragedy

This one's a real humdinger guys. So, you know how I'm 5 weeks away from my due date? Jesse completely tore his achilles tendon playing flag football, he goes in for surgery on Monday to re-attatch it, and after that he can't bear any weight on it for 6 weeks! I feel really bad for him, don't get me wrong... when he moves the wrong way it really hurts him and it's really hard for him to do even the simplest of things (we went and got him a wheelchair today). I just think the timing is bad, that's all. Talk about stress!
On the humorous side, Cooper tries to imitate how Jesse hobbles around on his crutches... I'll have to try and video it, it's hilarious!

Baby Update

All of you can clearly see how far along I am, so I won't comment on that part. All the other stuff is pretty boring and uneventful... it doesn't get exciting till I start having contractions and stuff (funny how pain makes things exciting)! I'm measuring perfectly, gaining a little more weight than I should, but the Doctor says that's fine. The baby likes to wiggle the most when I'm exhausted from the day and just want to put my feet up and relax. Just when I get a nice glass of ice water and have a little moment to myself, my belly seems to erupt with unbounded energy. She shifts from one side to the other, she pushes on my hips and ribs at the same time trying to rearrange my bone structure. Her favorite thing to do lately is to punch (or kick) in one spot incessantly until it feels like I'm going to get a bruise! I hate to think what that will translate into when she comes out!
Cooper doesn't really understand that a baby is coming to his house to stay, for good. He likes to pick up all the baby stuff and say "lala!", but I don't think he has any idea who "lala" is. He does, however, realize that mom is more tired and can't pick him up as much. It infuriates him to no end, and sends him running to daddy for sympathy. Oh, he said the cutest thing today! He held out a bite of pasta to Jesse and said: "bite mine daddy?". What a sweetheart!
Anyway, I hope that update will suffice until I can get Jesse to take some more belly pictures. Only 5 more weeks... yipee!

Skunk on a trike

Sorry I haven't updated for almost an entire month. To make up for it, here are some way cute pictures from Halloween and surrounding events:
Halloween went relatively well, Cooper stayed in his skunk costume for the duration of the ordeal (long enough for us to snap pictures and take him to a few houses). Later on at Mom's house, a scary crawling head made him cry and since no cow was handy, he had to make due with the bow-tie on his costume. We also Carved Pumpkins the day before Halloween. Cooper is a little dubious about getting his hands dirty (sometimes he stops me, mid-meal, to wipe off his hands) so I ended up doing most of the cleaning out. Curiously he has no problem digging around in sand and rocks, or even putting said articles in his mouth. (side note: isn't my belly HUGE?!!)And here's my mom's version of scary:Here also is Robin Hood, Cinderella, a skunk, a pirate, and in back we have Kiki. (or, Cohen, Elyza, Cooper, Cash, and in back, Maddie):

And Counting

So I went to the doctor on Tuesday and I'm measuring exactly how I should be. Blood pressure fine, everything fine.... here's hoping for another healthy pregnancy and delivery! It seems like such a miracle to me, seriously, of all the things that could go wrong and don't. To have one perfect, healthy baby (with a good temperament too!) is miracle enough, but to have another healthy pregnancy the second time around is just an awe inspiring peek into the divine powers our bodies possess. Also, to feel all the wiggles and hiccups the second time around is just as fun and exciting as the first. I think it's because they are slightly more feminine wiggles and hiccups :)

I'm currently trying to piece a quilt together for Leila (with my new sewing machine, Hoorah!), and Cooper has taken quite a liking to the silky material, even though, as this video shows, I am trying to convince him it's Leila's:

We also went to the marathon last weekend with my parents, to their "spot" at mile 7 in Veyo. I didn't get any very good pictures, but The Spectrum did! Check out Jesse and Cooper here.

Spencer's Home, so we went Camping!

Hey all! Spencer FINALLY got home on the 26th. My buddy is now home safe, sound, and a little wierd - but I expected that part.

So, you'd expect that since every person in my family missed him terribly that we'd all be at the airport, signs and goodies in hand, a half hour early to welcome our boy home. Not so! Not only were ALL of us late, but his plane was early! No sooner had my parents burst through the automatic doors of the airport, Spencer came bounding in from the plane through the opposite set of automatic doors! OUCH! The rest of us brothers and sisters (if you could still call us that after this shameless display) were, in the mean time, racing down the Boulevard at full speed, hearing reports that his plane had landed and he was already in the airport! Jesse dropped me off at the doors, knowing my extreme excitement to see my little bro. and I ran, no, waddled quickly, into the airport so see all sorts of people hugging my brother who were nowhere nearly as related to him, or as excited to see him as I was. I waited patiently as he was finishing an embrace with some other stranger and then I hugged him as only I can, while he was nervously mumbling "Is this allowed?"

"Of course it is!" I yelped, "I'm your favorite sister!"

By this time Jesse had parked the car and was now entering the airport with my Cooper in his arms. This added momentum to my excitement, for my Cooper had not met his "unkie spunkie" before! Cooper took little interest in this kid with which his mother was so enamored. He promptly took the opportunity to run rampant through the airport with his fellow cousins (Cash is newly added to this group, only just learning to walk). As the excitement died down, pictures were snapped, and hugs were given all around, we noticed a few key family members were still missing: Alan, who we knew was out on a fire. Chris and Shawn, who were in Phoenix, but would be seeing Spencer the next day. And... ANNIE! Where could she be? Questioning eyes turned to Dave who could only shrug and say that when he called her she said she was on her way. We stood and socialized a while longer until Spencer announced that he was ready to eat the feast of Chile Verde mom had prepared and waiting at the house. We all agreed it was time to leave and made our way out to our respective cars. As I was climbing in to mine, I saw a familiar white Camry approaching. Annie! "Hey!" I called, "What took you so long?"

"I was sleeping!" Came the reply.

So Elder Syphus was welcomed at the airport in a fashion that could only be pulled off by the Syphus family as a whole...luckily, there was an understanding, as we were only welcoming one of our own.

We all left for the Grand Canyon the next morning and set up camp on the beautiful north rim next to North Timp Point. We passed the 3 days 4-wheeling, pulling down dead trees, and taking pictures of the view. Here are some of my favorites:

Labor Day, Swingset, Tractors, and Rodeo

I have been taking a slight break from blogging, simply due to procrastination. Anyway, to catch you all up: For Labor Day we went to Veyo Pool with both the Callahan and Syphus families. What a perfect place to take little kids! We reserved a picnic sight down by the creek, and those who didn't want to swim could sit in the shade and watch the little kids play in the Creek. We had Kristie Lee staying in town with us and she, with Amanda and Annie caught a bucket full of craw-dads! Cooper played in the pool with his cousins, but by far his favorite thing to do was to throw rocks into the creek and eat mud (He's a boy, go figure!). Jesse mostly played in the pool with Sam, Nikki, Candice, and Flint and enjoyed the pool's awesome array of grilled and fried foods despite my efforts to pack healthy alternatives. Ah well, maybe next year. I dipped into the pool to play with Cooper, who is surprisingly clingy when in the water. We played with Grandma and Grandpa Syphus who couldn't resist a chance to play in the pool with their many grandchildren. We spent most of our time down by the creek, sitting back in the shade and watching the kids fight over sand toys and rocks... ahhh, isn't that what Labor day is made for?

We recently acquired an old swing set from a neighbor of my parents. It didn't look like much at first because it was all rusty and in pieces, but Jesse sanded it down and painted it fire-engine red and now it's a beauty! Cooper had a ball setting it up, but he's still not quite sure how to use it. He'll sit on my lap for a while and swing, but when it comes to swinging by himself, he'd rather hop off and play in the sand. Curse that sandbox! It's constantly undermining my efforts to produce a well rounded child!

Also something to note, Cooper's uncle Flint has just finished his last 2 weeks of leave before his deployment with the Marines to Iraq. We will be praying every day for him to return safely!

While he was here, he helped Kevin and Jesse rip out some stumps in the Callahan's backyard. They rented a tractor for a few hours and had the kind of fun that only grown men can have with a tractor.

So this weekend was the annual St. George Rodeo, and we decided to venture out and see how Cooper would like it. Turns out he loved it! The parade, the horses, the sheep, everything! He was so good the entire time (almost 4 hours), and when he got tired he just fell asleep in Jesse's lap.What a good boy! He also learned how to put his hand over his heart for the flag and national anthem... I can't tell you what a proud little mom I was! And for all of you Pregnancy Junkies out there ( I know who you are!), here's a picture of my growing belly at 26 weeks:

Mom's b-day

I love this time of year when it starts to cool off and all of the school supplies are dirt cheap (I can't resist the 50 cent packages of crayons and markers!). We've finished out our summer quietly enough, with Jesse just working and my belly getting bigger every day (I think we've settled on the name Leila). Cooper has been increasing his vocabulary and dexterity at a rapid pace. He now runs everywhere he goes, and says "kake you" when he is given things (so polite!). He has even learned to fold his arms and bow his head for prayer time... but we have to make the prayers short or else he starts giggling and poking our eyes.
I hold to the belief that he will be a musical prodigy as well as an all-American athlete... but we'll see.... I think he just likes performing in general.

We recently celebrated my mom's 50th birthday, and me, Annie, and Dad planned a surprise party for her. Just a simple family party, but it was fun. Shawn came into town from Phoenix and brought Kaylee and Crew, I think it was great for my mom to see all her grandkids there. I love how easy it is to make her happy. Here she is holding Crew (Chris and Shawn's).

Happy 50th Mom!

Alaska

I've been home from Alaska for about a week now, but I know it was just going to be a monster to blog... so I kept procrastinating... anyway.. enough of that, here's Alaska:

The scenery was spectacular! It was like all he mountains we had ever seen but 10x bigger! It was rainy the first few days we were there. But we didn't mind, since, you know, we live in a desert and never get rain. We flew into Anchorage, drove 3 hours down to Ninilchik and that's where we stayed in this cabin:

So much for roughing it eh?

Some Halibut we caught:

Here's my 50 lb. king salmon (though, I did get tired so Ben and Jesse had to help me reel it in):

The first thing I reeled in was a sting-ray (we threw him back):

And here's Jesse hiking inside a glacier:

Here's all my family on the trip (from L to R: Ben, Kevin, Jesse, Dave, Chris, and Sam):

And all the shop guys that came (from L to R: Mike, Mike T., Kevin, Jesse, Chris O'connor, Eric Miller, Sam, and Eric)

Me and Jesse on the Halibut boat (ain't we cute?)

The Prettiest little Girl/Fetus/ultrasound you'll ever see!

Hey everyone! The word is in! Our newest addition that will be here in 21 short weeks is a little girl! As you can see, she has my beautiful profile:And here she is sucking her thumb... we're not sure where she picked that up, we specifically told her not to hang around with that kind of riff-raff:

Here also, are her respective hand and foot. Sadly, this young one does not share the same lucky draw as her brother Cooper, for his name was picked long before he was conceived. She shall remain our dear little Joaquina until a suitable name presents itself.

I'm convinced that since our little Cooper is almost a precise clone of his father, this little girl will be a dutiful copy of her mother... namely, me. I guess time only will tell.

Here now, is a picture of Cooper losing his baby curls to whiles of a scissor wielding lady:

And here he is enjoying his Spaghetti, which seems to be his favorite for the season. And enjoy it he does.