I know that the post earlier this week was only a small taste of what we all wanted regarding our fabulous new arrival! So, I’m going to add some more!

Carter Dallin Monson was born on Monday morning at 8:23 AM. I feel like it was a pretty reasonable labor experience. I started having contractions at about 10:00 the night before and I only pushed for about 20 minutes. Although, I must confess that I was surprised by how painful contractions were. I slept through most of labor last time, and I just assumed that the contractions didn’t really start hurting until you were around a 7 or 8. I was wrong. I was writhing (more or less) in pain when I was only at a 4.  I have been sufficiently humbled by this past labor experience and will be much less likely to roll my eyes at labor horror stories.

Anyway, when he was born he weighed 6 lbs 10 oz, and was 19.3 inches long!

Carter’s name was chosen before Josh and I even met. Josh’s mission president in France was President Carter, and Josh felt so much respect and admiration for him and his wife that he decided to name his first son after them! Dallin is a name that I have liked for a long time, and one which we both agreed was a good, solid name, and sounded nice between Carter and Monson.

You may be wondering how Fay is handling all this new-brother-business. She is doing great!  She loves saying “Baby Carter” and stroking his head saying “good girl” (she learned that because of Grandma and Grandpa’s dog, Boo). We let her know that in Carter’s case, she would do better to say “good boy;” but it is so cute to hear her say it that I don’t push the issue too much.  She is a little disappointed each time she realizes that he can’t go play at the park with her, or ride in her toy car; but she gets over it, and really does just love him.

 

 

As for me: I am doing well! I came home from the hospital on Tuesday (about 30 hours after Carter was born) and have been doing my best to take it easy.  Mother had to leave on Wednesday morning, and so Wednesday and Thursday were rough (especially since I had to take BOTH kids to the pediatrician–Mother called it baptism by fire). But Mom (Josh’s mom) got here on Friday night and is already making my life easier!  Also, my neighbors have been so great and so helpful (watching Fay on Thursday morning so I could recover from a sleepless night with Carter). I am so blessed to have good mothers and good neighbors!

 

We absolutely love being a family of four!  We are now assured of our capacity to create adorable children of both genders! Another beautiful thing I have learned this week is how bringing a new baby into the family has increased my love exponentially for both Josh and Fay!  It seems that you just can’t add something so beautiful to life without it making the rest even more beautiful!  We are so grateful for the amazing blessings that Heavenly Father has given us! 

 

 

 

So…Once upon a time, we thought that we were going to have a baby by now.  A week ago Wednesday (April 9), I went in for my routine check up and my doctor told me that I was 75% effaced and dilated to 3 cm.  She told me that I should make an appointment for the following week, but that she really didn’t expect to see me.  I was SO excited! I called the moms and told them that we were very likely to have a baby very soon!  So, Mother–whose time is limited because of her upcoming trip to India–came to Chapel Hill! She arrived late Thursday night, and we anticipated the baby coming that weekend!  Well, we STILL have no baby. But we are loving having Grandmother here (Fay especially)! Something that Fay has been anticipating for the past two months is her Grandmas coming and pushing her on the “baby swing”. Every time we go to the park, she talks about how they will come and push her “high”!  That was the first thing we did when she got here!

Another thing Fay has loved doing is reading with Grandmother.  Unlike Mommy (who can barely lay down in her own bed), Grandmother lays in bed with Fay before her naps and reads her stories!  That makes it even cooler than just regular stories!

On Tuesday of this past week, we went to Duke Gardens for a picnic dinner. After eating, we walked around the gardens (Fay actually mostly ran) and enjoyed all the spring colors! There are some stairs with a little ledge-y type thing on the side, which Mother said she helped many a toddler to climb. Fay had to be added to the list!It was basically adorable!  Sorry for the crazy light in this picture. This is Fay playing in the box from the Pack n Play. She requested that Grandmother join her, and of course they had a ton of fun!  I love this picture because they both have the exact same expression on their faces!

Josh and I have also been spoiled by Mother being here. We have gone on all sorts of dates and walks together! I got to go to the temple on Wednesday! And we are eating like royalty! We are still enjoying having Mother here and look forward to her staying until next Wednesday! We just hope that we have a baby before she has to go home.

As an update: this past Wednesday I went to my appointment and was still 75% effaced, but now dilated to 3.5 cm. I must confess I was very underwhelmed by that news.  I am trying with all my might to stay positive, and failing most of the time. I’m very grateful to Josh and Mother for their patience with me.

I am the type of person who needs a lot of sleep. I’ve been like that since I was a brand new baby. Mother tells me that I slept through the night from the day I came home from the hospital (I’m so good to her).  But nothing has changed over the past 23.7 years, and being pregnant makes me need even more sleep.  Fortunately for me (and Fay) I have the world’s most wonderful husband. Every morning when Fay wakes up (between 6:00 and 7:00), Josh gets up and closes the door to our room and plays with Fay until I wake up or 8:00 when he has to get ready to go to school. Sometimes I wake up to the sound of their playing; but usually I sleep like the rock I have always been.

The other morning was a load of fun!

When I came out of the bedroom, Fay was wearing and eating this fruit loop necklace that Josh helped her make. She was also wearing her Minnie Mouse tutu-dress over her Sophia tutu-pajamas with another t-shirt on top!  Oh yeah, and they had built a blanket fort over the table!

Fay has a good life! She can thank me for it because I made sure she has the world’s best daddy!

Just under 16 years ago (that is a long time!), I made my very first covenants! I promised Heavenly Father that I would take care of His children who needed help and love; I promised that I would always remember Him; and I promised to do my very best every single day to be like Him and His Son.

Just under 3 years ago, I made more covenants.  I promised again that I would take care of Heavenly Father’s children, but even to a greater degree; I promised that I would dress modestly all the time; I promised that I would do everything I could every single day to use the blessings that Heavenly Father has given me to further His work and build His Kingdom on the earth!  I also promised that I would love Josh forever and ever and be as good to him as I possibly could be. (Best Covenant Ever!!!!!)

I don’t know an eloquent way to say this, so I’m just going to say it straight.  I know that those covenants I have made are the most important things I have ever done in my life.  I know that because of them, and as I stay faithful to them, I can have Eternal, exquisite joy! And I know that “eternal” means today just as much as it means 16 million years from now.  If I keep the covenants that I have made with my Heavenly Father and my Savior with all my might, I can have the best possible life this earth has to offer me–because, after all, it is Heavenly Father who is in charge of what the earth offers me anyway.

That’s all.

 

Also, Fay. I realized a few days ago (probably for the 38th time) that everything I ever wanted in a toddler girl is personified in Fay!  She is beautiful, smart, happy, and hilarious! (She’s just like her daddy!)  Here are some little gems from this past week!

This is Fay playing with some playdough type stuff she got from Grandma.  Look at that face!!!!!!!!  She loves it and calls it “snowman” because she knows we can build snowmen out of it.  She also really likes it when I make her a little Minnie Mouse out of it.

From Grandmother, Fay got some Sophia the First pajamas. She loves them! When I got them out of the dryer this week, she grabbed them and tried to put them on. That was as far as the tutu made it. 🙂

This happened just this morning!  Fay and I came in from playing outside, and I asked her to put her sweater in her drawer (she has a small chest of drawers in her closet).  Perhaps it was because she couldn’t get her closet open, or perhaps it was because these are the first drawers that she saw; but I came into her room to find her sweater stuffed into her little play drawers.  She is such a good girl; and I am so proud of her!

Incidentally, I’m also 37 weeks pregnant today.  I am officially giving Baby Kid permission to come whenever he likes… I may or may not be okay with today. 🙂