A lot has happened . . .

Since I last posted we have been back to Rexburg twice. The first time we went 2 weeks before my due date intending to have the baby sometime while we were there. We didn't anticipate going into labor within 48 hours of arriving! We got in on a Friday night and Sunday during Relief Society (our first meeting, they do things backwards in Rexburg) the contractions started. By the time we got home they were 5-7 min. apart and lasting just over a minute. Matt said that at 7 p.m. he is either heading back to Provo or taking me to the hospital; we went to the hospital. Turns out I was the 3rd high risk pregnancy to walk in the doors of the hospital that night. I was contracting real good but the baby wasn't engaging so it was the longest labor of my life! It lasted more than 12 hours which was incredibly frustrating because I usually have a baby within a few hours of arriving at the hospital. Finally, the doctor worked his magic and I was at a 10 but the baby was posterior, talk about pain! He was able to suction her head and turn her a bit, enough to relieve some pain and she came right out. I only pushed for about 15 min. She came out at 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 19 in. Even though she's my 2nd largest baby she seems so tiny! She's 4 weeks today and she's a good baby. We named her Evelyn Marie and call her Evie (pronounced: E-vee).

The day I got home from the hospital my dad took out Aidan's stitches! Again I want to praise him for his bravery. He was so good and stood there so still. Some were small and harder to get out but Aidan was dang tough! He proudly showed just about everyone who walked in the door his stitches which we are keeping in a Ziploc bag. Here's a pic of his scar. It is a lot smaller than the one he would've had if we hadn't gotten him stitched.

I guess you can't really see the scar but that's okay! It's just a testimony to how good it was to get the stitches!

The day before I went into labor I attended a Children's and Young Adult Lit. Conference at BYU-I. Lois Lowry was the keynote speaker and it was awesome to hear her speak and then attend a Q&A session. She has a wonderful sense of humor and shares some of the same values I do in regards to appropriate literature, for instance, just because the main character of a book is 6 years old doesn't suggest the material is appropriate for a 6 year old. A terrible misconception I have ran into. She made some good points about knowing your audience when you write and speak. It was a wonderful day (thanks DeLynn for going with me) and I am sure it contributed to my early labor. All the walking around etc.

I won't post pictures of the baby but if you email me I would be happy to send some to you. In all honesty, she looks just like her siblings; primarily Jay and Katie.