1 Week Old

Despite keeping us up past our bedtime, Ava is the perfect baby. We don't get to see those eyes much, so of course I had to snap a picture to prove that they exist!

Ava's Visitors

Ava had some very special visitors, and I was not very good at taking pictures with everyone, but we appreciate everyone coming and visiting her. We really appreciate it. The first night home from the hospital we were waiting for Chad's brother Trevor and his wife Shanna to come so we were sitting in the front room with Jeanna talking. Chad looked out the window and said, "your dad is here." What??? I ran around back and sure enough my parents had made the drive here. It was a great surprise and meant a lot to me. They were in Boise at my sister's State Tennis Meet, and when she was finished, they hopped in the car and came to visit their newest granddaughter. They only stayed until Saturday afternoon, but it was sure nice having them here.

Last Day of School

Claire was very excited for her last day of school. Mostly because they were having a Teddy Bear Picnic and she could hardly wait to eat lunch at school. She is also very excited to be a first grader, and to be able to spend more time at school. I have to confess that I am excited about that part too! She loved walking or riding with her friend Cassidy and her mom to school each day - Jodi was my lifesaver because I could have never done that every day. She is looking forward to her summer vacation, and hopefully it will be a fun one.

Claire with her Kindergarten friends Cassidy, Cossette and Elise

Labor and Delivery

Well, it has been a week since Ava made her surprise appearance into the world, so I think now I can talk about her delivery. I figured since it was my fourth child, she would just, "slide right out," as Chad said the morning I went into labor. I did not think however that she would come a day early (or 5 for that matter). I was seriously unprepared. Luckily the day before she came I was very productive, and I finished Claire's room, moved the boys into their freshly painted room, and was ready to work on the baby room over the weekend. I did not however have any blankets out or washed, have any clothes ready, or have a bag packed at all. I guess that is all part of this crazy story, so here goes.

So the morning of May 20th, I woke up at about 5:30, and couldn't go back to sleep. I was having contractions like normal, but didn't think anything of them. I was just getting ready to get up and finish sewing blankets for the baby when I felt this weird pop, that kinda shuddered my whole body. Nothing happened, so I laid there for a few more minutes, and figured that it was nothing. Well, I was wrong. When I stood up I'm sure the gasp out of my mouth woke Chad up and I just stood there and said, "ummmm." Chad looked up and asked me what was going on. I told him I thought that my water had just broke. In his surprised voice he said, "really!" I ran to the bathroom, and was pretty sure that is what happened. Well, I couldn't just sit around anymore, plus I had preschool that day, so I ran downstairs and made all my copies for preschool, and got everything ready. I wasn't having contractions that bad yet, so I got everything ready for my sister to take over, and then came back upstairs. That is when the real gush of water came, and Chad was in full swing. I was taking my time, so I packed a bag, took a shower, and got ready. I figured since I was finally going to have a baby during the day, I would at least look good. Chad called his mom, and she was here in no time. By 7:00 they were pushing me out the door. I figured I could stay home longer, but I really didn't need my kids to see me in labor, so we were off. We had called our neighbor to come and help Chad give me a blessing, but apparently Chad and Darik got their messages crossed because we were waiting at home, and he was headed to the hospital - thanks for you help Darik.

Once we got to the hospital, I waited for the midwife, and she told me I was only a 3, but I was moving quickly, so she decided to let us stay. I progressed quickly and by 9:30ish I was ready to push. They were sure this baby was coming quickly. However the baby had other plans. I was stuck at a 9 1/2 for forever, and with the way the baby was positioned, I wouldn't progress any more. It was lovely!! I just continued to push, and seriously tried every labor position possible, but nothing was happening. They finally figured that she was turned transverse (which means sideways), and there wasn't much they could do. They started an IV and gave me some pit to possibly help the labor go faster. I was sooooo ready for drugs by hour 3 of pushing, and I signed the forms. Of course it always takes a few minutes, so by the time the lady got in there to give me something, I was able to finally get the baby out. I told Chad he cursed me that morning by telling me the baby would "slide out." However, we were very relieved to have a healthy baby. She had a serious cone head for the first few days, but the caps always cover that up. She has been such a good baby. She has a very nice temperament, and seems to be very mellow. After she was born she hardly cried, and just laid in Chad's arms for an hour wide awake. She is such a blessing, and we are so grateful to have her in our family.
So much for getting ready and looking good! I don't know how women go through labor and then look fantastic. I need to learn their secret!

Baby Ava

We are happy to welcome our newest addition to our family. Ava Jean Clayson was born 5 days early!! Which basically means that I had nothing ready because I was sure that I had 2 more weeks!
May 20, 2010
12:18 p.m.
7 pounds, 10 ounces
21 inches long

Happy 4th Birthday Owen!

Owen was so excited for his birthday this year. He had the opportunity this year to start going to his friend's birthday parties, so he was sure that he was also having a party. I had not planned the same way he did. He kept asking me all day who was coming to his party, and I told him it was just going to be Claire, Grant and mommy and daddy. He did not think that was the greatest plan. So, at the last minute we invited his cousin Lilly and her family over for pizza - his choice, and then his friend Issac and his family, Ellie and her dad, and Anjie and Makinlee over for cake and ice cream. He was in heaven! Everyone that came through the door he would hug and say, "thank you for coming to my party." It was so cute. Thank you everyone for coming, you made his day. He was happy with all his presents, and was very excited to get a new bike from mom and dad. He loves riding it, and is very good about always wearing his helmet. He had a great day, and has now informed me that since his birthday is over, the baby can now come. He is very serious about that, so we will see what happens.

Spring Dance Recital

Claire loves dance so much. I was so sad to hear that her dance teacher was retiring. She taught her so much, and finally gave her the confidence to finish something to the end. I am now on the search for another small dance company, so hopefully I will find one for next fall. Claire was so excited for her dance recital. She performed two dances this time, one tap, and one ballet. She could hardly wait to wear her new white dress. She has been begging me for weeks, so when it was finally time she was so happy. I was a little paranoid at dress rehearsal because I really didn't need a dirty white dress. She did a great job, and really came a long way from the beginning of the year. Her class knew their dances quite well, and had so much fun. Thank you for coming Grandma and Grandpa, you made her day! I am so proud of you Claire!

Statistics

No, I am not taking a stats class, but I have been thinking about things we have bought this past month with a family of 5, and it seriously is crazy to me. I was telling Chad, and he couldn't believe it so I thought this might be something I might want to remember especially when our family becomes a family of 6 very soon.

Over the past month I have bought:
*10 new pairs of shoes - Owen seriously had size 8 tennis shoes that I just got after Christmas. He kept telling me he needed new ones, and once his finally didn't velcro anymore I agreeded. He went to a size 11. Oops, I guess they were to small. I suppose the church shoes we bought around the same time will be to small soon.
*5 different kinds of paint, plus my sister-in-law gave us a can for Claire's room. I get a little paint happy sometimes - I actually just scrubbed the walls in the hallway and decided that they needed a fresh coat. Then of course the boys cannot go into Claire's purple room, so it needed to be painted blue, and the baby cannot have a blue wall in her room - you get the picture. Hopefully it will all be finished by the time the baby comes.
*We have filled 5 different prescriptions just in the last 2 weeks.
*We have bought countless gallons of milk.
*Everyone now is all set for spring/summer - if it ever comes.
*Batteries - who knows how many.

So this might not mean much to any of you, but I just couldn't believe what new seasons bring into households with children. I remember when I got to buy myself things - that will happen again someday!!

A Big Change!

I have wanted to post about this for a long time, but Chad didn't want the news to get around that he was going to make a big change. We didn't want him to lose his job before he actually quit. Yes, he quit his job, and is going to be going back to school full time. I think we are crazy to do this with 4 kids, but it is the right thing to do. He has been taking a math class this last semester, and did awesome. For someone who has been out of school for so long it was a good way to ease him back into it. He will be taking some classes this summer, and then be full time in the fall. He is going to major in Mechanical Engineering, and I think it will be a field that he loves. Sadly he already has a degree, so there is no free money, but somehow it will all work out. On Monday he gave his boss his two week notice, but after many talks with his boss, he will still be working a few hours each day, and he also has landed an evening job. So, I will be a single mom, but we will definetly enjoy the time we get to all be together more! So for the time being the finances will be tight, but hopefully in 2-3 years I will be able to have a husband who loves what he does instead of doing something just to provide for his family.

News

I have to confess, when we were having the ultrasound yesterday to check on the baby and all my internal organs, we cracked. The lady told us to turn our heads if we didn't want to know what the baby was. I looked at Chad, he looked at me, we shrugged our shoulders and looked at the screen. So, here is the BIG NEWS. We are have a GIRL!! Yes, we were both a little excited. I was honestly shocked because I was sure that it was another boy. So now my head is racing with things like washing pink things, and making matching skirts for baby and sister. Yes, it is pathetic. Now I have so much to do, I just wish my body would cooperate. I told Claire on the phone last night, and she was the first in the family to find out. She screamed a happy screamed and yelled to everyone that it was a baby girl. She is very excited. Hopefully the excitement will last when the baby is actually here. So here in the Clayson household we are dreaming in pink, and hoping she doesn't make her appearance into the world to soon.

Update: I went to the doctor today, and they basically did nothing. They told me to just keep taking the pain pills, and I might have to grin and bear it for 3+ weeks. I'm not sure how I feel about that, so tomorrow I am going to a chiropractor/naturpath to see if he can find anything. Here's hoping. I did however last until 5:30 without taking a pain pill, but I am starting to regret waiting so long.

Our night at the ER

Sounds lovely huh! Well, that is where Chad and I were last night. All day yesterday I just wasn't feeling right. I was nauseous, and felt like I was having cramps. I knew it wasn't labor. So Chad made sure I got a nap, and I still went out shopping with Claire and felt OK. However when it was time to go to bed everything went downhill. I had a sharp pain in my lower right side, so I finally just got out of bed and decided that I needed to try to sleep on the couch. That didn't work. I was downstairs throwing up, and in so much pain. I finally got Chad up to give me a blessing, and then sent him back to bed. I tried to fall asleep, but I just couldn't. Finally I couldn't handle the pain anymore and around 2:00 I woke him up again. I had him call the midwives for me. She told me that it was probably my gall bladder and there was nothing they could do. She told me to get in a warm bath, and the pain should subside after a few hours. My problem was that it had already been a few hours of serious pain, but I did what she said. When that didn't work to well, I asked Chad to call her to get me some pain medicine. I always thought I was pretty tough. But seriously this pain was way worse than labor! When he went to call her he saw taht she had left a message saying that it could be my appendix and that maybe we should go to the hospital to get it checked out.

Once we got there I was immediately sent to Labor and Delivery (thanks Emma for coming to watch the kids.). They hooked me up to a few monitors, and I kept trying to tell them I knew I wasn't in labor. Then they sent me back down to the ER to get checked. The wonderful nurse gave me some pain killers, and I could finally relax. It was quickly determined that it wasn't a kidney stone, and the blood work didn't show anything out of the ordinary. They did an ultrasound and the baby looks great. All my organs look great, except they couldn't see my appendix. After all of the tests they sent me back up to labor and delivery where they monitored the baby again, and then sent me home. My midwife is pretty sure it's my gall bladder, but it checked out fine. They did send me home with some lovely pain pills, so that is helping. I go back in tomorrow to the doctor, and we will see what they say. I'm hoping everything works out and this baby doesn't have to come early. 3 weeks isn't to early, but I'm not ready at all.

Claire

I realized that I haven't posted anything about my sweet Claire for a little while. Especially since she has turned 6. Here are some fun facts about Claire.
- She is turning into a big helper (when she wants to be), and is estatic for her new baby to come so she can help with it.
-She is stubborn!! If there is something she wants, she will do it regardless. Therefore Claire and I butt heads all the time.
-She loves Kindergarten, and her teachers. I think she is slowly learning that school is a lot of work. However getting her to do homework is not my favorite task.
- She is very social, and would say that her best friends are Cosette and Cassidy who she is constantly playing with.
- She still wets the bed which drives her mother crazy. She also sucks her thumb and bites her nails - all of which drives her mother crazy.
- She is very picky about her clothes. She actually put on an outfit the other day and told that it just wasn't a good outfit. I thought that was pretty funny. She still favors wearing skirts and tights all day, but we are working on wearing pants more often.
- She still loves princesses, and will dress up to play princesses and barbies.
- Her favorite foods are pizza, mac and cheese, sandwiches and spaghetti.
- She loves dance, and is loving her dance class this year. I am very proud of how far she has come from the beginning of the year.
- She loves music, and recently discovered Hannah Montana!
- She is a joy to have in our family, and is constantly keeping us on our toes. I am so proud of all of her accomplishments in life, and look forward to seeing what she does with all of her energy in the future.

We love you Claire!