Welcome, Dallin!

It's been an embarrassingly long time since I've done journaling of any sort, so I figure it's better to just pick up and go forward instead of dwelling on my ever growing list of imperfections.  But before my memory fades too much, I need to recount a few important events of this past year, most notably, the birth of little Dallin.

I've known for a couple years that a little boy was still meant to join our family, and I knew his name would be Dallin.  I thought when we got pregnant with Audrey that she was him, but of course when we found out she was girl, I knew that our family would not be complete until he was here.  We had originally talked about starting to try to get pregnant some time this year, a process that usually includes a lot of medication and patience, but once again, I was reminded that I am not in charge of my life, but God is.  In January, I started getting sick and having strange symptoms, prompting Jarom to ask me to take the Lasagna Test.  I don't have many food aversions while pregnant, but for some reason, I don't like lasagna.  Something about the tomato sauce and cheese that does not sit will with me, when I otherwise adore lasagna.  So sure enough, I made lasagna, and had a hard time!  So that night, in disbelief, I took a pregnancy test and sure enough, was pregnant.

Since it was such a surprise, I had no idea how far along I was, so I went to the doctor for an ultrasound, expecting to be maybe 6-7 weeks along, and was expecting to see a little gummy bear.  But as soon as the baby showed up on the screen, I could see little arms and legs flailing around and I knew that I was much farther along than I first guessed, more like 11 weeks at that point!  A few weeks later, I had a Shirodkar cerclage placed and we were well under way.

The pregnancy itself was pretty awful.  With the more invasive cerclage, I was in a lot more pain than usual, plus Audrey was still very (VERY) young and I was doing my best to keep up with her and the older kids.  I was a frequent visitor to the ER including a very expensive and not very fun ambulance ride.

At 35 weeks and 5 days, Sunday, August 5, 2012, I was having another hard day.  I stayed home from church and rested while Jarom took the kids.  After church, we went to Michele's for dinner with the family, and as soon as she saw me, Michele suggested I turn right around and get to the hospital.  I didn't eat anything in case I would deliver, even though Michele made a yummy cake for the August birthdays. Since Dallin was due August 28th, it was pretty certain that he would be born at least some time in the month, we sang to Gevin and Baby Hatch (not knowing that it would turn out to be his birthday!).  After everyone was done eating, Gennelyn followed us home to watch the kids so I could get my things, then Jarom took me to the hospital.

Within an hour of arriving, I was in the OR being prepped for my c-section.  The way the light was positioned, I was able to see the procedure and watched, fascinated, as my sweet little baby boy was born.  Even a month early, he was still 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 21 inches long.  He was adorable and had the sweetest cry!

The kids were so excited to meet their new little brother, ESPECIALLY Isaac!  He loved his brother from the first moment he laid eyes on him, if not sooner, and is still the best big brother a kiddo could ever hope to have.

Dallin is nearly four months old now and is such a good baby!  He has a very calm demeanor and is just happy to be there.  He eats constantly and poops all the time, and I adore him.  Here are his monthly pics: