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!