Austin David

Our sweet baby boy is sleeping away in his swing through the chaos of his older siblings. Although it's been less than two weeks since he arrived I feel like he has always been a part of the family. It's a great feeling. I want to get his story written down before I start forgetting the details.

By about 38 weeks I was starting to get really uncomfortable. I felt like the baby was so so low but at the same time he was constantly digging into my ribs. Good sleep was a lot harder to come by and I was getting grumpy. My poor family had to put up with a lot, bless their hearts. My doctor was worried about the size of the baby, can't imagine why, and I began to stress a little as well. I really didn't want to be induced but I also had moments of panic thinking about having a baby bigger than 11 pounds (I was measuring pretty big). After voicing my concerns one afternoon Tanner gave me a blessing that brought a lot of comfort. I am so grateful for a husband who is a worthy Priesthood holder. I then felt that it would all be ok.

Around 38 weeks...so ready for the baby. 

I had a doctors appointment on the 23rd, four days before my due date, and I was only dilated to 2 cm. I decided to let the doctor strip my membranes and we also decided that if the baby hadn't come by the 28th then I would be induced. As I went to leave the doctor asked me if I wanted to be induced that day. He said there was room and we could start within the hour. I called Tanner but I felt so unsure that we decided the best thing would be to wait.

I started having contractions that night but they weren't ever consistent. They started again Christmas Eve night. They were pretty consistent and about ten minutes apart. I called Brittany who left a movie and came right away. But by the time Brittany had gotten there the contractions had stopped. Brittany stayed for several hours just to see if my contractions would start again but they never did. We did have a nice time visiting with her and I was happy to get to spend some time with family on Christmas Eve.

I had contractions off and on all through the night but nothing consistent. By Christmas morning they were gone. We were able to enjoy all of Christmas day with no contractions. The next day my contractions started up as I was making dinner. I didn't pay too much attention to them but they started to become consistent again. We decided to call Brittany again and she came right over; my sister is a gem.

We headed to the hospital around 8:00 at night. I was afraid the whole time that my labor was going to stop. We got to the hospital and I was at five cm so they let me stay. The doctor on call was so great. He had done his residency in Minnesota and apparently had delivered a lot of babies naturally. He let me go without an IV and was very supportive of my choices.

I labored for several hours but wasn't progressing much which is unusual for me. The nurse asked if I wanted the doctor to break my water in hopes that would help me progress. I was really hesitant to do that because I knew it would make labor that much harder. I decided to wait and right after that decision I got out of bed and my water broke. Just a little ironic.

Just as I feared, labor got a lot harder. I usually am able to stay calm during contractions but it was getting harder and harder. Tanner was so great and tried to help me through each contraction. The nurse checked me several times and I was staying at 8 cm. By that point I was having contractions right on top of each other. We kept trying different positions to try to help the baby move down. This lasted over an hour, with Chet I only felt that pain for about ten minutes so I was starting to get discouraged.

Finally the nurse told me I was at a 9 and that I could try to push a little. I was all for that. After the first push the nurse told me to wait for the doctor. I told her in not so polite terms that I was not going to stop pushing; I was getting that baby out! I remember hearing the nurse tell the doctor to come in the room now. He asked "should I gown up?" and the nurse said, "Yes! Gown up!".

I pushed for less than five minutes and at 12:55 am on the 27th the baby was there, the boy had to be born on his due date. He was 10 lbs 2 oz and 21 in. I can't think of a better feeling than the one that comes when your precious baby is placed on your chest for the first time. He was so beautiful and I fell in love right away. Apparently he was posterior and that is what slowed my labor down. Austin's face was pretty bruised and they were worried at first that he wasn't getting enough oxygen until they realized that it was just the bruising. Those poor babies go through trauma to get here too.

 So tired but so so happy

 Meeting brother

We are all so happy to have this sweet boy in our home. It is neat to see the love Mariah and Chet already have for him. He is such a mild baby and he rarely cries, here's hoping that lasts. I am so grateful for all of the blessings that came with this birth. It helps me to see that our Father in Heaven is aware of our needs and desires. Despite my fears, I was able to have my baby boy on my terms and everything went so well. What a blessing that is!

We love you so dearly Austin boy and can't wait to see you learn and grow. Welcome to the family!

Christmas

Christmas with toddlers is just magical. I tried to make the whole month a time to focus on the birth of the Savior. Each week I checked out Christmas books from the library and we talked about that first Christmas night a lot. Nothing makes you feel better as a parent than knowing that you're children are getting it. One day while playing with their toy Nativity Mariah held the angel up in the air and said, "I bring you good tidings of great joy!" with such enthusiasm. It made me so happy.

Anxiously anticipating the birth of our own baby also helped bring such a sweet spirit to our home.

The library had a little Christmas party where the kids got to do some crafts and meet Santa.

 This is the best photo I could get of Chet showing off his creations.

Mariah was so excited to see Santa. When he came into the room her whole face lit up and she would have ran right to him if there hadn't been so many kids in the room. Chet on the other hand...not buying it. He wouldn't even get close enough for a picture. But he was excited about the coloring book and stickers that they gave him. 

Last year one of the gifts we got from Grandma and Grandpa Crossley was the book The Sparkle Box. Whenever we served someone I wrote it on a piece of paper and put it in the box as a gift to the Savior. It was really neat to see how much Tanner serves others. He really is a gem. 

Tanner did a Pharm elective so that he could be home the weeks before Christmas. I was so thankful for the extra help. We decided our big gifts to the kids would be some DIY projects. We got a desk that Tanner's mom had for her kids and refinished that. And Tanner made a beautiful rocking horse with the help of a friend.

Our ward had a Christmas party as well. Everyone wore their pajamas and we had Breakfast for dinner. Santa and Mrs. Claus came and he was the best Santa I have ever seen. You could just tell he was a good guy so I thought Chet might warm up to him better, or at least Mrs. Claus. Here's a little series of photos that show how it all went down.

 "I'll just take the candy cane and leave thank you."

 "Wait for the picture Chet!"

 Not happy...

"But I'll do a fake smile to pacify you all."

Christmas Eve we had planned to go down to Salt Lake for Shepherds night with Tanner's family but I had contractions off and on so we thought it would be best to stay home. I was really bummed because I love Shepherd's night and wanted Mariah and Chet to get to do that this year.

Christmas morning was wonderful. Mariah and Chet slept in until eight (probably the last time that will happen on Christmas morning). It was fun to see how excited they were to go through their stockings and open their gifts.

By the time we were done opening presents my contractions had stopped. The weather was beautiful so at the last minute we decided to head down to Salt Lake for some family time. I'm so glad we did. It was wonderful being surrounded by family on Christmas day and Mariah and Chet got to have fun with their cousins. Family really is everything.

I am so grateful for the Christmas season and the spirit it brings.