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!

New Pictures

I finally got the kids some new pictures - pick your favorite mom!! I have not been very good at keeping up with pictures because it seems like the only place you can go around here is Wal-Mart or Sears, and by the time you get what you really want, it costs you an arm and a leg. My friend told me about a girl she knows in Idaho Falls that just has a little studio in her house, and the price was very reasonabl!! She did a great job, and got the perfect pictures. I am so happy!! The kids were great, and I'm sure we will be visiting her again. If anyone else is interested, just let me know. She did all 3 of my kids for $70.00 and gave us the disc so we can make our own copies.




All photos by LM Photography

What have we been up to???

Yes I know my blogging has been rather sad lately, but I am all caught up (I think). But I thought I'd fill everyone in on what we have been up to.

Claire has finally learned how to ride her bike. HALELUJAH!! We told her yesterday that she couldn't ride her friends anymore, and she was off. She is doing great, but still needs quite a bit of practice. Owen has been busy with soccer, which means we have all been busy with soccer. We seem to be running from one place to another, but I'm not really sure what we are always doing. Grant has finally learned to have a little bit of independence, and has loved being outside this past week. Yesterday he looked so big in his ball cap walking around. It almost made me cry, but I should be happy because he needs to grow up fast with another one coming soon. I hope the warm weather doesn't go away, but I'm afraid that it will be gone soon.

As for me, I have been busy with work, and taking care of everyone. I had to work at the ticket office the last two weekends, but I am now done until football season starts in the fall. I have been taking care of a family who has seem to come down with some kind of stomach flu, and have washed a million blankets!! I am sooo sick of laundry. I finally finished all of it on Friday, but it returned in a furry today after kids throwing up all weekend. I am hoping that we get over this soon, and now Chad has told me that he isn't feeling well. On the bright side that means that I don't have to cook dinner. :-) I am due in 5 weeks, which means nothing really, but I am soooo ready for this baby to come. My body does not like being pregnant this time, and it is probably quite the site to see me get up in the evenings. I'm sure it is funny!! I'm just praying I don't have to be pregnant any longer than necessary.

Chad has been busy working on the basement, and has accomplished quite a lot. He has the recessed lighting in, and all the sheetrock up in Claire's room. Hopefully I will be able to paint it some time next week, so we can get the carpet ordered, and move Claire down there. I am still trying to get her to not wet the bed, but have decided that is a task I might not every complete. I'm debating about going back to pull-ups or getting a bed wetting alarm. We will see what happens.

So I really didn't fall off the face of the earth, but I just got a little behind. I will try to keep everything updated a little quicker!!

Monster Trucks

Saturday was a big day for Owen it was MONSTER TRUCKS!! He has been so excited for this for quite a long time. I think Chad was just as excited, but I don't think he would admit it. I had to work all day, and sell tickets, so Chad brought all the kids down to show them the trucks before it started, and then he came back with Owen and his dad for the show. The boys had a great time, and Owen can't wait to go again next year. I had a fun day in the ticket office, my favorite phrase was "that is all the seats you have left!!" Seriously people it is the day of the show, and probably the biggest show put on at the Holt Arena. We actually sold out this year, and people were not that happy. It was really sad for me to watch all the kids with their dads have to be turned away because if they are anything like my son, they were really looking forward to this.