Asa Bowen

We are completely smitten with this sweet boy. Our kids have been talking about adding another baby to the family since Vivi was a baby. Tanner and I didn't tell anyone about the pregnancy for a really long time. My parents were going to be leaving on their mission to Botswana and I knew my mom would struggle more with going if she knew I was having a baby. It was getting to the point where the kids were asking if I "had a baby in my tummy" and I knew we were going to need to tell them. They were so excited when we told them there was a reason why mom had been "more lazy" than usual...I had multiple children tell me that during my first trimester, little dears. 

For the longest time, Tanner had been talking about us having another boy, but throughout the first trimester I was convinced we were having a girl because I felt nauseous a lot which is how I had felt with my other girls. Everyone was really excited when we found out about baby brother. Austin let me know that "it was a good thing we were having a boy otherwise I'd have to have at least two more babies to even things out." It's amazing how my children are convinced they have a say in how many children we will have. 

I felt like this was such a long pregnancy. Probably because there were so many people anxiously awaiting his arrival. For the first time in a pregnancy, I kept thinking that this baby would come early, which is not the right frame of mind to have. My doctor was concerned with the size of the baby because my other boys were so big, so he set an induction date for the day after my due date. I was convinced that I would go into labor on my own so I wasn't too worried. Tanner kept telling me every day that as soon as I was having contractions to let him know. He also kept saying, "today would be a good day to have a baby." And then it was the day before my induction...and despite all my best efforts, I was showing no signs of labor. After a lot of prayer, we felt like I should still move forward with the induction. 

We headed out early Thursday morning. I was able to have a young woman from church come to watch the kids, I was so grateful for her willingness to come and help. After arriving at the hospital I was checked and had not dilated at all...I felt really devastated about it all and had the thought that we should just go home. But we decided to try some medication that would hopefully help me to dilate. We had to wait five hours for it to fully work. I decided to read my scriptures and read some great verses talking all about how the Lord can bring us peace. It brought me so much comfort. Tanner and Bethany went and got breakfast and explored Pella for a while and I took a nap. After the wait I was checked again and my body had not progressed at all. I was feeling really discouraged and decided that we should just go home and thankfully the doctor was on board with that. It was really disheartening to leave without a baby in my arms, but I felt peace in what we were doing, and was grateful that the baby was doing well.  

 I felt a lot of frustration and wondered why we felt good about going in if it just ended in us going home. But after talking to our kids about how I was able to receive comfort through scripture study and prayer, I realized that maybe it had to happen that way so I could have a teaching moment with my children.  

Leaving the hospital...wah, wah, waaah

 

 We stayed really busy on Saturday going to a church activity, and then to the swimming pool. The kids had a lot of fun showing dad all the cool things they have learned this summer at the pool. Bethany stayed with the kids on Sunday so Tanner and I could pick Amanda up at the airport. Her flight was delayed so we went to a Hyvee and looked at all their fancy cheeses. We're cool like that. 

I spent a lot of time praying about whether I should go in on Tuesday to try to be induced again. I kept feeling peace about going in. I told Tanner I felt a mixture of peace and dread, which is a funny combination of feelings. But we headed to the hospital Tuesday night after Tanner got done with work. This time I was given a medication that had to work all night long. Bethany slept on the little hospital couch and Tanner was on the floor. I was cramping all night so needless to say, none of us got much sleep. 

I was checked first thing in the morning and was just dilated enough for a foley ball to be placed. I was able to pull that out pretty quickly and started to have mild contractions. We passed the time playing card games and visiting. 

The doctor broke my water around 12. I had so much fluid, even more than I had with Vivi. My stomach went down so much. I told Tanner and Bethany that I didn't think this baby would be too big, probably 9 pounds. The nurses were great with helping me try different positions to help the baby get engaged. I was started on Pitocin shortly after that. My contractions started to come more consistently and were getting uncomfortable. I got to the point where I was wanting to give up, which I knew meant I was in transition. I was so exhausted by this point that in between contractions I was almost dozing off, even while standing up. I ate a popsicle hoping it would give me some energy and it seemed to help. I started to have Tanner put pressure on my back through contractions while I leaned on a table. The nurses kept offering to check me but I didn't want that. I was afraid they would say that I wasn't dilated enough and that would have been really discouraging. 

Tanner began to feel my pelvis opening with each contraction and knew that I was close to pushing. I also knew that I was close but still didn't want to tell the nurses. He tried to encourage me to get on the bed and be checked but I kept saying no. Finally he just told me to get on the bed and went to get the nurses. Almost immediately after laying down I began to push. The nurse ran in telling me not to push and like any good laboring woman, I completely ignored her and kept pushing. Tanner was looking for gloves but couldn't find any so after a few pushes the nurse delivered the baby. I felt peace knowing that Tanner was watching her like a hawk to make sure everything went well. 

Our sweet boy was born with the cord wrapped around his neck and body several times and with a knot in the cord. Like Tanner said, "he was doing jumping rope in there."

There is nothing like the euphoria you feel when your baby is placed on your chest. I feel so close to heaven in those moments.  

I am so grateful for Tanner and the support he gave me through this labor. No one else I'd rather have.

Look, he found the gloves. 

It was so neat having Bethany there too. She helped make the day go by faster and is going to be a great midwife some day.

Tanner has always loved the name Asa, which means healer in Hebrew. Anson Bowen Call is my great grandfather and we have loved learning about his life as a family. Asa Bowen seemed like the perfect fit for this little boy. And my prediction was right, he was "just" 9 pounds. Now that may seem big to most people but when you hear that Chet was 11 pounds and Austin was 10, 9 pounds doesn't seem so big after all. 

I had to laugh when Tanner came to pick me up in the same shirt that I had picked out over a week before to wear home from the hospital. Maybe that was a sign from Caleb that he was looking over us. 

Amanda captured this perfect moment of the kids meeting their new brother for the first time. 

I was really nervous about how Vivi would be with her brother, considering she isn't very gentle with the dog but so far she has done great. 

He is so loved, the only conflict we've seemed to have lately is who gets to hold Asa next. 

I was so grateful for Amanda coming to help. I felt so much peace knowing she was at home with my kids. It is such a blessing to have others love your children. Bethany made a delicious berry cheesecake to celebrate Asa's birth. I can't think of a better way to welcome him home. 

Posters the kids made for Asa

There were so many Spirit filling moments leading up to Asa's birth. My mom has a friend named Beauty in Botswana who asked if she could pray for anyone in my mom's family. My mom mentioned me and Beauty said a very heartfelt prayer. A few days later she was with my mom again and told her that while she was working, she heard children playing and one of them said the name Ashley. She immediately stopped what she was doing and said another prayer for me and my baby. I thought it was so special to know that someone on the other side of the world that I didn't even know was praying for me. I believe so strongly in the power of prayer and felt so many prayers sustaining me in the days leading up to and on Asa's birth. 

There's nothing quite like the sweet spirit a new baby brings. We sure love our little Asa.

July

July went by in a flash...We had such a wonderful month. 

We started out the month celebrating Terron and Benson's birthdays and baptisms. They are birthday twins and it was so fun that they were able to be baptized together on their birthday. Even though Tanner was on call he was able to come down for the baptism before heading back home. 

The kids and I drove home that night in a rainstorm and enjoyed watching the lightening and the frogs hop across the road. 

We had Grandma and Grandpa, Natalie and Heather come up the night of the 3rd. They went with Tanner and the big kids to watch the fireworks. 

They had fun with Tessa and Tiffany while watching the fireworks

Brittany came up with her kids the next day and we spent the day playing on the slip and slide. 

Vivi went down for a nap right as the slip and slide was set up so I promised her she would get to play in the water when she woke up. By the time she woke up everything had been cleaned up, but Aunt Nattie helped me keep my promise by filling the pool back up. Porter and Jack had to join in on the water play. 

The kids have loved playing four square volleyball and were especially thrilled when even the adults came out to play. 

I made our flag cake and we sang Happy Birthday to America. 

Eliza and Vivi enjoying Aunt Heather's shoes

Austin really wanted to make jello jigglers, so Grandma helped him with that. 

Later that week, we were able to do the much anticipated trip to the Bishop's pond. The kids always have a blast playing on the kayaks, paddle boat, and other floaties. Chet even got to do some fishing and was able to catch two fish. One got flipped out of the boat, but the Bishop helped him fillet the other one and he fried it up at home.

Mariah had fun jumping through the tire tube. 

Eliza and Vivi had a blast and were so comfortable in the water. Vivi was especially excited with the princess floaty that was just her size. 

So so happy about his fish

Tanner and I working on our tans...actually just trying to recharge enough to get the kids packed up and home. We love the Vander Martins and are so grateful for their friendship. 

Tanner was able to go on some bike rides throughout the month. He had to take an obligatory corn picture, it's July in Iowa after all. 

We went to Nauvoo so we could watch the cousins in the pageants. I was able to survive the heat without getting too grumpy. 

The boys had run off with cousins so Tanner and the girls had a photo shoot. I knew any extra layers on in that heat and humidity might ruin the fragile balance that was my mood so I sat out this time. 

We've never done the oxcart ride and were lucky enough to take a short little ride before they had to stop because of work that they had to do in the yard. The kids had fun learning what the difference is between a cow and an oxen and they all managed to pet them without getting jabbed with a horn. 

We learned that oxen are a lot slower than horses when we followed up the ox cart ride with a wagon ride for the umpteenth time. Never gets old though. We all love those draft horses. 

The first night we were there, Tanner ran into a friend from medical school. They ended up staying the night in the same hotel as us so Tanner had to get a photo. 

Vivi and Eliza were insistent on doing the Maypole and really wanted to do it with no help. I had to be sneakily helping Vivi the whole time and she was pretty annoyed with me but we got through it without any tears so I'll call it a success. I then took the two of them on a handcart ride and Eliza was disappointed that I didn't run like some of the teenage boys she saw...In my advanced pregnant state I was pretty proud of what I did, but you can't please everyone. Then we watched a puppet show and the kids all got to pick out a sock puppet. Mariah tried her hand at learning the highland fling and also learned some square dancing. 

The Hilton cousins came up the first night of pageant to watch with us. 

The next day we went to several shows with the cousins and went to the bootmaker's shop and a few other sights. Then we headed to where the cousins were staying and the kids swam in the pool while I persuaded Vivi to take a nap. She was a little put out about not swimming but was much happier that night. And I was happy to be in an air conditioned room for a while. 

It was so wonderful to watch the two pageants with family in them! The first night we were in the back so it was harder to see and the kids weren't as engaged, but the next night we saved seats right in the front and our kids were so excited to see their cousins throughout the show. Nauvoo is such an amazing place, there are so many amazing things to see and do and it's all free! We are so lucky to be so close. 

I really love this picture, just a little snapshot into our life where we all look happy...That's what I want to remember. 

Four square Volleyball was played almost nightly. 

We said bye to most of the cousins as they headed home from pageant. But Bethany stayed! Here she made pretzels with the kids while I napped. She was such an amazing help around the house. I was telling Tanner how I usually start to get pretty grumpy towards the end of my pregnancies but hadn't this time...and then I realized it was because of Bethany and all she did to help around the house. I was so spoiled. 

Vivi in one of her daily getups: swimsuit, snowboots, and a bandaid without an owie. 

And this is how we usually find her at night...looks comfy. 

At the end of the month Aunt Mandy came to help with the baby! The kids were so excited to have her here. On Monday night we had a campfire for FHE and everyone ate way too many marshmallows. 

Chet built the fire all by himself and was feeling pretty proud. 

Eliza was in charge of the treat and took her job very seriously. 

Here I am walking around the property trying to convince my body to go into labor...but no luck.

We had such a full and eventful month with lots of family and good times.