Asher is SO well-loved!

Thank You

for coming to meet me
ma-maw and pa-paw

lexi ashlyn, morganne and auntie shelli...not once but TWICE!
uncle scott, westin, shawnee, papa dave
and mimi
for all your hard work here
AND all that you have ahead of you this coming week
with the Big Boys!
we know they're in good hands.
spoiling hands!

p.s. we LOVE the blanket darlybird

The Story of Asher's Arrival
for my sake
you may read if you wish.

it occurred to me on tuesday afternoon that with my previous deliveries, I've always gone into labor in the evening after my last Dr.'s visit before my due date.
my last scheduled Dr.'s visit was on wed., oct. 3 at 10am so we were curious if our luck would hold out and if our baby would arrive on oct. 4.

to our surprise my contractions started strong at 3am wed. morning and were 2-3 min. apart. after an hour I decided to wake micah, call my parents and call our neighbor to come over.
it was more premature than I've acted in the past by far but there were so many more variables this time that we didn't want to take any chances.

it was the perfect day for a baby because it was our babysitting co-op day and beckam was already going to his friend Lily's house for a playdate from 9-12 (while I went to the Dr.) and jaden would be in school from 8-12:45 (wed. is min. day).
our neighbors pick jaden up from school everyday since they have 3 boys at his school so they just took him to school for us also and stayed with beckam until he was picked up by our sweet friend Jaime for his playdate.

we arrived at the hospital at 6am. I was at a 3 but my contractions weren't nearly as intense nor coming as regularly so I was a little worried that they might not want to keep me.
however, I learned the words: "It's my 3rd" work like MAGIC.
when I called to tell them I was coming, I was also sure to tell them that I wanted an epidural.
and I'd already decided that since I'd made up my mind to have one, I wanted to feel as little pain as possible.
so by 7:30 my epidural was placed and unbeknownst to me, I was on my way to HEAVEN!
my contractions had actually stopped completely just before the anesthesiologist came in but nobody seemed to care. they started up again after about half an hour but weren't nearly as intense so they started pitocin.
they chose not to break my water since I was still quite high.

the part that really worried me about the epidural was not being able to feel or move my legs.
I thought I would hate that sensation but let me tell you how mistaken I was!
It was FABULOUS. I've never been more relaxed in my entire life.
I felt so warm and cozy and at peace and I liked the heaviness or weight I felt from being numb.
I loved feeling the pressure of each contraction without experiencing any of the pain!
I could control with the click of my thumb if I wanted more medication.
actually, micah enjoyed that job and in 4 hours, he pushed it twice.

my mom, dad and sandy arrived by 9:30 and we visited until 11:30 when the nurse came in to check me. I was at an 8 and my water was ready to be broken if it could hold out long enough for the Dr. to get there. the nurse was confident that the baby would be born very soon so she sent micah out to get the others.
the Dr. arrived at 11:45 while micah was out debriefing my family.
he broke my water and then told me to go ahead and give him a push with my next contraction.
I thought he was out of his mind. I hadn't felt any pressure. no pain. no indication that I should start pushing. even the nurse said, "you want her start pushing with the next one?"
his reply, "well, unless you want to sit here complete without having a baby."

so I pushed. and he said, "okay, two more just like that and your baby will be here."
still in shock that this was really happening, I asked if somebody could please go get my husband. micah and the gang made it just in time to turn the camera on for those last two pushes. for the 2nd time, I had a baby born with the chord around his neck but he was perfectly fine and never showed any signs of distress.

and for the very first time, I didn't have a single cut or tear, which was the icing on the cake!! WOOO-HOOOO!

it all literally felt like a dream. it is completely amazing and bewildering to me that I experienced all that without any pain. pushing was just so strange because I didn't feel anything and couldn't believe that I was actually making any progress.

it was an awesome experience!

they put asher on my chest as soon as he was born and he didn't leave my arms for a good hour when I realized that his daddy still hadn't held him. after I passed him off, I noticed that my epidural was already wearing off and I could feel my legs again.
I had been so worried that I'd be numb for hours afterwards but
the timing was so perfect that I was able to get right up and walk to the restroom by myself!

I believe that I have the greatest appreciation for the piece of heaven that is an epidural since I've experienced both a fabulous and beautiful unmedicated birth and an unmedicated water birth with pitocin--not quite as glorious.
I'm so grateful for each of these experiences.

I have to tell you that in between pushing, I calmly and casually said,
"epidurals should be mandatory!"
(I've never been able to say anything in between pushes before let alone, calmly and casually)

and I like how one dr. put it:
"you're like the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland: your legs and body disappear and you're just left with your smile!"

my mom made it back to pick up the boys by 1:30 and they got to meet their new baby that evening. jaden is a very proud and involved big brother. beckam is less interested but stops by for a hug and kiss periodically.
The Boyswe had LOTS of surprise visitors in the hospital!
jenny and jeremy happened to be 45 min. away at a work meeting and she just happened to call an hour after the delivery to say that she was totally tricked by my previous blog post and really thought the baby had arrived and couldn't believe it had been 5 days and she hadn't heard from me--but then realized that it was just the trampoline.
so micah then got to give her the news for real and she ended up getting to meet him when he was one day old.
then 2 minutes after saying goodbye to my sister on the phone because she had to "run into the kids school" she walked into my hospital room with all three of her girls and my niece Demi, Janie's daughter (we missed you Janie but hope to see you soon). they just came for the day but it was such a fun surprise and when we got home, she had prepared a delicious dinner and brightened our bedroom with this beautiful arrangement:

asher is so pleasant. he hasn't given us any trouble so far. he's a great sleeper and eater and we're all just getting along beautifully. doing this for the third time is so nice and comfortable.

the boys left today for bakersfield with my mom for the week.
jaden starts his two week break from school on monday so the timing was great.
they were so excited to go and we're glad they'll be so well entertained while we catch up on rest and gear up for this new phase!

Announcing......

Asher

John-Patrick
Nilsson

October 3, 2007
12:05 pm

7 lbs. 7 oz.
20 1/2 inches

John Patrick Smith III

Meet the
Newest Member of
Our Family:

just in time for the next addition.

Thank You
Grandma Doris!

jaden was our first casualty, which resulted in two loose teeth.
luckily he should be close to loosing them soon anyway.
he decided to tackle beckam
just as beckam was raising his head up--
don't you hate it when that happens?
and I'm sure the bounce made it worse.

in selecting a firm,
its family-friendliness was a major factor.
we wanted the culture of the firm to be a good fit.

well tonight we attended our second baby shower since we've been acquainted with them and guess who it was for?
ME,
little old me!

it was an office-wide, family affair, which jaden was SO excited about since he's always wanted to go to a baby shower and finally got his chance!

I was so impressed with their support--
everyone from the support staff to the partners were there!
we received so many nice and thoughtful gifts.

this moby wrap, which I LOVE was the "office gift"--
this is still puzzling to me since everyone in the office also contributed their own personal gift as well.

(I LOVE this daddy--we are so dang LUCKY and he's cute, too!)

now we're anxiously awaiting to see who the winner of the office
"baby arrival and stats" pool
will be and rumor has it, the winner splits the pool with the baby,
though the main partner promised a scholarship fund if he wins.

and look what arrived today!!

so very adorable ms. jess!!!

you too can have a customized
diaper/wipe wallet and changing pad from
jump up and down
(just click above)

I am so amazed at the incredible talents of my friends and family.
I have such an appreciation for them!!

I'd like to present to you the newest addition:

jump up and down

I'm SO in LOVE with her bags!
maybe one day I'll own one.
oh and don't miss the "sold" items.
my very own diaper/wipe wallet and changing pad has already been ordered.
can you even believe the cuteness?

have you checked out the others websites?
the links are on my sidebar under
"my friends and their cool stuff you can buy"

so far I've been able to get out of weekly dr. visits since I drive 45 min. each way to the office and I have no risk factors but today that came to an end.

as the doc was feeling the position of the baby with a perplexed look on his face, he commented that he was head down but not very low yet. on previous appointments, he's been head down and quite low. hmmmmmmm.
then as the dr. moved his hands around to the top of my belly,
his perplexed look was explained:
"Oh, here is his head. your baby is breech."
he had me feel the rock hard mound that was his head just off to the right side of my belly. he then proceeded to push on his head to maneuver him back into position, which is a procedure I've always feared but thankfully, there was no pain involved. he must have been in the perfect position as he wasn't completely breech nor transverse but more at a 45 degree angle and rotated around nicely. the doc also said there must be plenty of fluid or it wouldn't have been so easy.

so my plea to you--
use whatever powers you possess to help this baby stay put!
a c-section at this point in my child bearing doesn't sound very appealing.

I'm optimistic. he has 3 weeks to get situated.
but it looks like I'll be making the drive for the next two weeks to check his status.

beckam enjoying our favorite breakfast

fresh:
strawberries
raspberries
kiwi
mango
firm red grapes
banana

mixed with:
nonfat french vanilla yogurt
(Trader Joe's French Village or Brown Cow are our favs)
and
french vanilla granola
(the best I've found is from the bulk bins at your local health food store)

here are some post hair cut pictures.

still cute (after beckam's 2nd trip and 2nd "stylist"), but definitely SHORT
and definitely not what I asked them to do.
and here is a letter jaden dictated to me to a soldier in Iraq
(don't mind my grammatical/spelling errors--it was late)
and here is the picture

this started out as a picture of a soldier who was going to be shooting at a bad guy but when I suggested that he draw a happy picture instead, this is what he did.
in case you can't make out what it says:
"Summer Vacation. Joy filled the air."
the soldier is on a boat in the ocean and the sea life can be seen below.
the black crab is my favorite. can you make it out?
tentacles coming up from the top with claws on either side.
he wanted the soldier to know that the age written on the paper was not a mistake and that the picture was actually done by a 5 year old (since it was so good).
he also wanted to be sure that soldiers turned their letters over when they finished reading them...to be sure his picture would be seen.
and he hoped that the soldier would be getting other letters from his/her mom and dad, aunts and uncles, etc.

Good-Bye Hair

Someone, please tell me why I never anticipate the frustration and disappointment that inevitably results upon leaving the hair place after the boys have gotten hair cuts?!
Because it happens every single time!
And for third time now, I've had to go back to have them FIX their mistakes!!! I definitely put off getting their hair cut but I'm always confident that "this" time will be different.

I am just completely flabergasted at how incompetent "professionals" are--in any profession! I learned that lesson while planning my wedding in an unfamiliar town. Just because they claim they're a "professional" photographer, florist, stinking HAIR STYLIST, doesn't mean squat!! Can anyone relate to my rant?!

Do I not speak clearly enough, do they think they're supposed to do the exact opposite of what I ask? Wait, not only do they do the opposite but the cuts are pathetic and totally uneven. I understand that my kids have stick straight hair but don't they teach you how to cut that kind of hair in school? Or is it just that stylists who work at Great Clips and the like, work "there" for a good reason?! (no offense intended but I am speaking from A LOT of experience)! When I say I want to keep the length but just trim it up a little and take off A LITTLE of the bulk, why oh why do they proceed to perform a complete whack job on my children?!!!! And no shelf or bowl cut but BLENDED does not mean get out your clippers and make a bowl on top of my sons head!!!! Jaden's hair can take most of what they dish out because it's so thick but little B's is so fine and once upon a time he had the most adorable do...no longer the case my friends. I mean, he's still adorable but I mourn the loss of the shag.

My sister is the only person who gets it but unfortunately, they need cuts more often than we see her. Oh and don't think that it's the boys fault because they can't sit still! Oh no, they were both PERFECT angels and sat so nicely that I treated them to ice cream afterwards--before we went back for them to fix Beckam's cut, who is so used to this that he didn't even utter a single protest about having to go back. I considered coming home and shaving it all off but I couldn't bare the thought of just throwing $15 down the drain.

I'll post pictures and they won't look bad to you, it's just NOT WHAT I ASKED FOR! and that's very frustrating.

I must find a real stylist, who understands how to cut very straight, boy hair while still keeping it long-ish. aaaargh.

Labor Day in Santa Cruz

but thankfully not mine.

today, we went to pre-register at the hospital
and as we walked through L&D, I was so grateful today wasn't my "labor day."
5 weeks is soon enough.
here are some 35 week pictures.
interestingly, I don't feel as big as I look and the pictures are shocking to me but I suppose they don't lie (right dad?).
while in Santa Cruz, we hit the beach in all its 68 degree glory!!
it was wonderful.
the waves were impressive. I've NEVER seen so many surfers in the water at once!
It's such a GREAT town!
and last but not least, we finally found a "new-to-Jaden" bike!

Jaden earned a new bike in June but we've been having a hard time finding "the one."
At a bike shop on saturday, Micah and Jaden found a Specialized Hot Rock for $300, which was obviously not in the price range we were looking but it was a good gage for what we wanted (or maybe more accurately, what dad wanted). Jaden was a little apprehensive because it didn't have a foot break.
Well, before they even returned from the bike shop, just what do you suppose I found on Craig's List?!
You guessed it--The bike...for $40...with the foot break no less!! Used of course and an older model but Jaden's never been one to be nit-picky,THANKFULLY. I'm afraid we don't have it so easy with the younger one.

we are very excited and it's in great shape.
check it out:

and it just so happens to match his helmet perfectly
(like he cares).
don't ask about his outfit. he likes it.

and we can't leave out the little brother.
he loves speeding down this driveway on his "hog", into ours.
man, we're lucky.
what a great day.

Dinner

I lacked the energy and motivation tonight to come up with a well organized and thought-out meal.
and so this is what happened.
(oh, and I don't typically make dual dinners. the kids eat what we eat or at least a version of it. but exceptions are fun, too).
I finally made my way into the kitchen and decided to make my favorite Plutos salad for the third night in a row along with Trader's Joe's most scrumptious cornbread. because that's what sounded good. and for the kids: french toast with morning star breakfast patties and fresh strawberries.
and everyone was happy.
especially micah and I with our salad.
(this is supposed to read, "especially me and micah with our salad" or "micah and me..." isn't it? but I can't bring myself to write that).

in case you're interested, the salad includes:
fresh spinach leaves
mixed with hearts of romaine
sliced beats
garbanzo beans
Gorgonzola crumbles
raisins. lots of them.
persian-style cucumbers
strawberries
slivered almonds
tossed with a combination of
Balsamic/Gorgonzola vinegarette
YUM!
and all the ingredients can be found at Trader Joe's.
my favorite grocer.

Big Sur

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

but don't think you can get down to the beach--it's just to look at.
(and it's very clear that if you have to be rescued trying, you will be fined.
reminded me of my dad telling me as a child that if I rode my bike out of the circle of our cul-de-sac and got hit by a car, I'd get a spanking before going to the hospital).

Limekiln State Park

if you live in CA and have never been, you really should go!
Big Sur is SO beautiful.
but going when you're 32 weeks pregnant probably isn't the BEST time.
trying to sleep is pretty annoying with a pregnancy bladder but other than that,
it was FABULOUS!

The boys were in heaven and totally in their element.
we're glad we live so close and in the non-summer months, it's much easier to get reservations.
There is a beutiful creek flowing through the campground into the ocean
so you get to cross a lot of logs on the hike up to the waterfall
(my balance was also a little compromised--
there were no incidents but I felt a little wobbly with my extra weight up front)
having hannah with us was a dream.
that extra body and set of eyes was so much help with 5 kids!
THANK YOU HANNAH!
the adults even got Sat. night out once we returned from camping.
she will be missed!!
Micah testing his skills trying to get to the upper pool of the waterfall.
going up wasn't near as intimidating as the way back downThe Faithful Limekiln Campers
Our Family.I'll have to post some better pregnancy pictures soon.

Please remember that this is the work of

Team Scott and Shelli, who did all of this in 2 days--
we cannot take any credit for their skills
nor can we adequately express our gratitude for their care and kindness!
(and be advised that if you ask me to come over to help you decorate, you would be sorely disappointed with my ability--numerous friends have made such flattering requests but this talent my friends is not genetic)

The Master
The Blue Bathroom
(and I mean BLUE)

Charger Found!!

So here are some pictures of the house

(though it's very hard to capture the rooms in segments):

The guest room

The Living/Dining Rooms
a few more later...

"You're Grounded!"

an account by micah:

I learned tonight that it may still be too early to start "grounding" Jaden; or at least to use words like that without a more precise definition . . .

After receiving a plate of cookies from a neighbor a few days ago, Beckam and I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies for all FOUR of our neighbors (that's right, there are only four neighbors on our cul-de-sac). While out delivering and visiting, Jaden and Beckam were slowly overcome with wildness. Nothing terrible, just not what we wanted our first impression to be.

For example, Jaden started playing the piano without asking first; He and Beckam were literally running crazy around another backyard; and Beckam began throwing fistfuls of little rocks from their gravel bed.

In re-telling it, it doesn't sound so bad, but it really was embarrassing. I suppose the impression they left must not have been too bad since both offered to watch the kids anytime and for them to come back to play whenever (or perhaps they were just being gracious).

So anyway, upon returning home I told them that their behavior was unacceptable and that if it happpened again they would be "grounded." I elaborated by explaining that the neighbor boy couldn't come over (which he has pretty much every day since we moved in), that he couldn't watch any movies or have any other privileges.

All of a sudden, he ran off to his bedroom, jumped under the covers (covering his head) crying great heaving sobs.

When I went in to talk to him, he managed to get out: "You said you'd ground me. You're not supposed to ground people unless they do really, really bad things like stealing." He wondered if being grounded meant that he would never ever be able to play with Daniel again for his whole life. He was sure if he were to be grounded it would kill him because he wouldn't be able to drink water and you die without drinking water.

I reassured him that being grounded doesn't mean you can't eat and drink, only that you lose fun privileges like watching movies or playing with friends.

His response: It would be impossible to drink water or eat if Iwas buried in the ground.----OHH, my poor little man! How could he possibly imagine that we would literally GROUND him as a means of disciplining!?

He had a preconceived notion of what grounding was, despite my best efforts to further elaborate on what "grounding" really is (kind of like a time-out that lasts all day). Then I even told him that he needn't worry about it because he wouldn't be grounded until he was older and that his good decisions would prevent him from getting grounded anyway.

He seemed okay and so I finished putting them to bed.

Shortly, I heard the sobs again so I went back in. He was STILL crying about the threat of being grounded. He said, "If I do it just one more time I'll be grounded - I don't even get any chances?" After discussing it a little more he asked:
"So do people that do really bad things like stealing get grounded and put in the ground?"

So the point is, be careful using terms that may have literal connotations to a five-year-old.

We Are Alive

And Well!!

Sadly, in the last month between extended vacations to Bakersfield and the move, we can't find our camera charger, hopefully it's just temporarily misplaced but I have no pictures to post as a result. But after a month, an update is in order pictures or not!

First and foremost, Micah finished the BAR!! We'll know November 16 (Jaden's birthday), if he passed, although Adam claims to have already received a call from the Bar Assoc. to say a congratulations is in order.

We are now not only living in our new place but after only 9 short days are feeling quite settled thanks to the 15 members of my family that so kindly came to help us. We are loving the space and were able to pack 13 people in here overnight--the other two weren't so brave.

My mom and 14 year old nephew, Shawn were such troopers--they came two days before we moved to help us and stayed with us for 3 days after. They didn't stop working until their heads hit the pillow each night. My dad and Sandy were also so kind to come the day we moved in to deliver some new furniture we needed to fill our living room and were also a great help. Scott, Shelli and all 4 kids plus Grandma Doris as a bonus surprise, also came to deliver yet more stuff--washer/dryer, refrigerator (since the house came with one, I now have TWO, one in the garage. VERY exciting!), dressers, etc. I'm a very lucky girl, Scott and Shell wasted no time getting the decor in place, which included at least 5 trips to various stores for new stuff.
YOU will have to come visit to experience the coziness for yourself. I'm severely lacking in the creative/decorating dept. and my sister is truly gifted and also extremely thoughtful.kind.generous and I'm so grateful for Team Scott and Shelli in my life!!!
They relieve so much stress and make things beautiful. Even down to how she situated the furniture--ways I would have never even considered. sad but true.

About the house, we have three bedrooms, 2 baths and a good size living room along with a two car garage--washer and dryer inside and a huge (unlandscaped. who cares.) backyard. Micah is only 2 miles from his office, we're 5 min. from the beach AND only three blocks from Jaden's school--what more could a girl ask for?! We're HAPPY!

Jaden has already started school. Originally we weren't supposed to move until Aug. 6 but when we came to find our housing and found the school he would be attending, we realized they have year round school here and it started Aug. 6! So we up'd our move date to the 2nd--exactly one week after Micah finished the Bar. It's been crazy busy to say the least but with all the help we've had, it's been amazingly smooth and low-stress. Jaden is happy at his new school even though it's all day kindergarten, 8-2, which makes me so grateful that he had last year to prepare! He's starting off this year in a good place. He was excited about hot lunch for the first 3 days until he realized that cafeteria food wasn't all that delicious, except maybe Pizza Wednesdays!

The fam. left last Sunday and on Wed. we were able to welcome our first visitors, The Kearns, BYU-Hawaii friends from Utah. We enjoyed a fabulous visit with them and have spent the last three days showing off this beautiful new area we get to call home. I'm even really enjoying the weather!! I thought I'd freeze but it's proving to be a pregnant girls dream starting out around 60 degrees in the morning and reaching the low 70's by afternoon some days. Luckily, we live in the sunbelt so we get the most sunshine in the area!

Oh yeah, I am still pregnant. I have to keep reminding myself--the third one is a little different. I'm only 8 weeks away and hope to find a doctor this coming week. I'm feeling very good (except a nasty cold or something that's been hanging on for almost a month now) and looking forward to getting things ready for the arrival of this little guy since I've done nothing so far. I had such a lovely baby shower before I left that's made me more anxious to get things in order.

All right. I think that sums it up. Please send camera charger vibes our way so you don't have to suffer through so much writing in the future and can just enjoy a picture journal.