Evie Jean Grossnickle

Our sweet baby girl, Evie Jean, was born on her due date at home, February 14th 2015 at 8:03pm. She weighs 7lbs 4 oz. and measures 20'' long.

It was a long day. The days leading up to my due date, I would get a couple moments of cramping, but nothing that stayed consistent. I woke up to contractions about 5 minutes apart and started to time them shortly after that. Around 9am I knew today was the day. I texted my midwife to tell her what was going on and informed friends and family the day had finally come. Because we had the flu sweep our house days before, I had to find someone who already had the flu, watch Brody and Laeunabelle so we wouldn't infect any other families. Sarah and Stuart were willing to help, and came to pick them up after Leelu woke from her nap. My Mom and sister Cassie came shortly after Ellie and Jasmine around 12:30. Once everyone was there and the kids were gone, things started to slow down. My contractions were less frequent going from 3-5 minutes apart, to about 9 minutes apart. I think I was getting performance anxiety because of all the people now waiting on me. With my last labor, I did most of the laboring alone and progressed fairly quickly that way. In efforts to start over, Tim and I tried to take a nap since laying down is what started the contractions before. We sent my Mom and my sister home till I got closer, since it was a longer ways off than I was expecting. Ellie gave me some cotton root bark to help bring on the contractions as well as using the breast pump for a few minutes and rubbing Clary sage oil on my abdomen and ankles. That started to get things going again, bringing my contractions back to 3-5 minutes apart lasting about a minute each. At this point, I hadn't been checked to see how far along I was, so at about 5pm Ellie checked me and I was at 6cm. Yay, we were getting somewhere! I was having a hard time being patient. I tried different positions, but the most comfortable was sitting on the exercise ball. Evie was in prime position and couldn't descend any further down, her head was right there, my cervix just needed to get out of the way. I was being very impatient the whole time. I had another dose of the cotton root bark. We all watched one of the most beautiful sunsets we've had all year. At about 6:20, I was at 8cm and the contractions were getting a little more intense. I took frequent trips to the bathroom, each time bringing on at least two contractions. My mom and sister were back at this point, but stayed out in the living room. Finally, during my last trip to the bathroom, my water broke which took me by surprise, and I knew I needed to get off that toilet now. I started to walk out of the bathroom and immediately had to throw up. The toilet was now too far away so into the shower I went. At this point, I knew I wasn't going to make it any further and the baby was going to be born here. We have a teak wood bench where I rested my arms, knelt on the tile and started to push. It all was happening too fast and very intensely. She was immediately crowning and out in a minute. The pain caught me off gaurd and it was hard to keep my cool and focus. Both Ellie and Tim caught her as Tim exclaimed "It's a girl!". She came out with her hand by her face, the cord pinning it under her chin and twice more around her neck. I was in shock, and couldn't hold her for a few minutes. I felt like I couldn't move, which was fine because they had to untangle her anyway. I got the shakes as I stood up and turned to sit down and deliver the placenta. She was so beautiful and tiny, despite the bruising on her face from the speed of the delivery. I got her to latch on for a little bit before I took a shower and the after pains kicked in. Ellie helped push out the clots, which hurt quite a bit but was necessary. Evie makes the cutest little noises and has already made our family so happy. Brody and Laeunabelle came home this morning and were so happy to see her and comment on all her little features. Brody wanted to see her feet, He looked at her toes and said "oh look at her big toe, it's so little". They both love looking at her and touching her gently. She has got some great older siblings. When I asked Brody what Evie's second name should be he said "hm....Evie.........Cute." 
We love our new addition.

Laeunabelle is 2!

I have been wanting to keep up on this tradition of writing my children letters on their birthdays of what I love and learned about them so far in their lives. I haven't kept up on it as much as I like but I'm sure they will forgive me for the times I do remember.

Laeunabelle Rose,

   My sweet Leelu, Luna, Laeuna. I love your name and how perfectly it fits you. You are such a doll and sweet girl. You are friendly to everyone. I don't think I can even name one person you have shied away from. You are quick to cuddle with people you feel safe with, which is just about everyone. You make everyone happy and feel your love. I have people coming up to me, telling me how wonderful you are; They instantly fall in love with you and wonder if it's possible for you to get any sweeter. You are such a ham and like to make people laugh with all the cute faces you make. If you have the attention of others, you do this cute shoulder shrug thing. Your smile is infectious. Every time I turn on the vacuum, you come into the room and start spinning in circles; Every time. You are such a good dancer, and really know how to move your body to the music and can clap on beat for a little bit; Better than any 2 year old I know. You have been picking out and looking through books a lot lately. Especially the touchy-feely books, colors and shapes, and farm books. You like to play with Brody and help clean up toys when we are doing it together. 

   You are a little bit of a dare devil, You love to wrestle with Daddy and Brody and keep up with how rough they can get.  I saw you headlock Brody and take him down to the wrestling mat; both of you laughing. Three times you have climbed off(fallen) of a surface that was over your head; with no fear and recovering without assistance.

   You have been talking so much and so clearly, especially within the last couple months your vocabulary has really taken off. 

I recorded on December 17th some things you were saying but even now are so much clearer.

"Bwobee" shortly turned into "ba-wodee" which you will call from across the house

"tank que" thank you and "peas"

"gaga" cracker

"nummy" yummy

"daowk" milk but now it's "miwk"

"nahnah" turned into "naP" with a hard P

You tap you "Bieber" (Diaper) and say "peepoop""beep boop"

"sis" for Sirius and you yell for her to come but sounds like "sis! dum!"

You can say water very clearly

When we warm up your milk, we count down to when it's done. You now count 1 and 2 and hold up the number 2 on your fingers.

you can ask for "seawil" cereal for breakfast but still won't eat much by yourself

you really like baths and showers and can say both clearly

you like cutie "owench" (oranges)

Yours and Brody's favorite bath toy is a plastic "shawrk" shark which you persist to use as a cup. so gross

When we give high fives and fist pumps, you make the blow up sound as you pull your hand away. You like to experiment with sounds and clicks you can make with your mouth and throat. The  squeals and screams are my least favorite right now. You are quick to copy cat and can repeat back words pretty accurately. You are learning so quickly. In the mornings, you'll come into my bed and lay down next to me and insist on getting under the blankets. When you cuddle, you still like to tuck your arms in front of your chest and wiggle into place. Clothes, in your opinion, are optional.

You are so loved and adored my sweet princess

News

There are many things floating around in my mind I have been meaning to write down. So I preface this post with a warning of disorganization.

We have been greatly blessed with a new addition to our growing family. Laeunabelle Rose Grossnickle was born February 3rd, 2013. She is so incredibly beautiful, I can't help but tear up when I look at her. She was born in the comfort of our home at 10:09pm, weighing 7lbs 13oz, and measuring 20.5 inches long with the help of our wonderful midwife Ellie. It was such a wonderful experience and we were all in our own beds by midnight. It was super bowl Sunday (keeping with the "holiday" tradition of birthdays). I stayed home from church because of an awful virus I had caught. Coughing and drained, Tim decided to take Brody to our friend Stuart's house to give me a quiet house to sleep in. Around 5pm or so, my napping was interrupted by some waves of tummy pain. I didn't think I was having contractions but I decided to text my midwife anyway to ask her advice. I thought because I was sick, I was probably just dehydrated and constipated, causing my discomfort. She advised me to try to get them to stop by taking an Epsom salt bath and drinking lots of water.  My contractions didn't stop and were consistently 3-5 mins. apart and lasting about 30-60 seconds, gradually getting slightly more uncomfortable. After sitting in the tub for maybe 40 mins, I felt the need to go to the bathroom, plus the tub water was cooling down. The whole time I'm texting my midwife back and forth. Finally she asks me if she can call me while I'm having a contraction to get a better read on where I am at. I still was in denial that I was in labor. We talked on the phone for about 5 minutes. I had two contractions that I could still talk through but by the end of our conversation, I asked her to go ahead and start the hour drive it would take for her to get here. Meanwhile, my Mother had texted me to check on how I was doing since she was at my sister Melanie's house helping with the twins. I told her what was going on but to not worry or come over. She was convinced before I was that I was in labor and offered to come over at any moment. Both my mother and midwife freaked out that I was at home by myself. I explained why Tim was away and they demanded I tell him to come home NOW. My mother showed up first and began timing my contractions with an app on my phone. They were about 3 minutes apart and lasting a minute each time, getting more intense. I couldn't walk through them any more or talk much. My midwife, her assistants Erin and Sahara, and Tim all showed up at the same time. She checked my cervices and I had been dilated to 7-8cm. That's when I knew it was really happening, and I was going to be holding my baby girl soon. My father came and helped Tim give me a blessing between contractions. It was perfect but cut short by another contraction. Brody went to bed shortly after they got home, after saying "Mommy ouchies". I labored most of it by myself because it was only and hour and a half after everyone got here that Leelu was born. In the time everyone was home, I had a moment of uncertainty. I had to refocus my thoughts because I was starting to get scared that I couldn't do it. I knew when that thought came to my mind that it would be over soon but I needed to pull myself together. Keep in mind, I am sick as a dog, coughing during contractions. During the majority of the pregnancy, I had some sharp pains I would describe as "someone scratching at my cervices from the inside". My midwife said that's from the baby having their hands by their head or sucking their thumb. It's very uncomfortable. So between contractions, there was still this sharp pain that persisted and it was messing with my mind over matter tolerance. Eventually I calmed my mind by reminding myself that I could do this and to surrender to my body because it knew what it was doing. I didn't need to think about it. At that point I was much quieter, and going through transition. I knew exactly when she began to crown, and knew it was about to get a lot more intense, but it was almost over and none of this pain was going to matter in a few short moments.  She decided to come out with her hand tucked under her chin after pushing for about 15 minutes. She was in my arms immediately and began nursing right away. It was such a wonderful moment. My labor took about 5 hours and I am so thankful for that.

The next morning Brody met her and has wanted to hold her and give her kisses ever since. He is such a good big brother. So helpful. There are moments when he wants more of my attention but he is good at being patient. He is able to communicate better and has the cutest voice. We have been working on the ABC's song and I catch him practicing the tune. He is getting closer and it's so sweet to hear. His potty training is getting better now since Leelus' been born. He tells me when he needs to go by exclaiming "potty" or "poop" (I'm sure he will love me for posting this when he is older). He is so sweet and thoughtful. One day I was sitting on my bed with tears running down my face. He came into the room and said "crying". He then left to the kitchen, got on a bar stool to grab the tissue box. He brought the box to me, took out a tissue and wiped my cheek for me. It was the cutest gesture. These are some of his most current phrases and word interpretations.

"Ohpet" for Open it.
"Loberts" for Lobster
"duh.....bul.......u" Three syllables said distinctly slow for W
"Fyder" for his Pacifier
"Chocrit" for Chocolate, although he says it correctly now
"Seerwis" for Sirius. He also calls for her to come
When at IHop, our waitress came to our table and addresses Brody by asking how he was doing. He replies by tapping the table and saying "...(gibberish)...water...(gibberish)..." requesting she get him some water.
"Thankoo" for Thank you. When you tell him You're welcome, he then tells you "You're wecom"
"Lowgurt" for Yogurt. He asks for this or "chocrit sirweeoh" for "beckfasth"
"boonce" for spoon
"nax" for snacks
I asked him the other day if he could say adorable, it came out "a dumbldor"

There are many more I can't think of right now

Better late than never...

 I haven't posted in a long time and I'll start with the not so great parts just to get it out of the way. This past mothers day marked my third miscarriage in 7 months. It has been hard to make sense of it, but I have just come to the conclusion it must not be time yet. I need to focus on getting myself healthy. Through all of these constant ups and downs with my hormones and immune system, I have been spiraling into bad habits. I know the Lord knows me, and knows I could be better. He has a lesson to teach me and you bet I'm gonna learn it. I have to stop myself from feeling bitter towards the many people around me having babies. I am happy for them.

Which brings me to my wonderful, not a baby anymore, son that gives me great joy. Damon Brody Grossnickle turned 2 on May 31st, 2012. I have written a little letter to him trying to round up his cuteness to reflect on.

Brody, you are such a wonderful boy. Your smile makes me laugh it gives me so much joy. You have many expressions you can pull with your face, you are a natural comedian. It becomes hard to find you when you sneak outside and shut the door behind yourself. I have to keep all the outside doors lock; but even then I can still loose you in the house. You learn so quickly. Though I can't always understand you, you have so much to say. The first night we tried a toddler bed, you woke up at 2 am, let Sirius out of her room, and opened our bedroom door chatting up a storm. When Daddy took you back to bed, you kept talking and giggling as you settled back in, finding Bear and flipping your pacifier under your nose, and fell asleep. You have such great dexterity and agility. You have become better at jumping with both feel off the ground, and you can clime up to the top step on the ladder, and back down all by yourself with such sturdy confidence. Your sweet spirit has taught me a lot and keeps me in check. Before each meal, you pull up your chair, buckle yourself in, and fold your arms so reverently for prayer. You like to drink out of a cups or water bottles rather than sippy cups; although you make a mess of whatever you didn't hydrate with. Playing in water is one of the many times you light up with joy, you have so much fun. Other than playing in water, anything with wheels has your attention. You ride around the house on your tricycle, shuffling your feet. You are so close to learning how to petal. You are learning what your body can do and what it needs so well. When you show me you are tired, you will lay down with out a fuss, usually. You are so smart. You are constantly pointing to things and I can't wait till I know what you are saying. Your voice is so sweet to listen to. The way your interact with our dog Sirius is so fun to watch. She loves you very much and likes to show you often by playing with you and licking your face. When you start to get tired of her, you put your elbow in front of your face to make her stop, sometimes it works. Sometimes when I have music on, and I'm dancing around, you try to join me by running in circles trying to turn or kick. You can do and be anything. You are more than capable of accomplish all your hearts desires. Daddy and I will be here every step of the way cheering you on. We love you so much and feel so blessed that heavenly father trusted you with us and that you chose to be in our family.

Dance Team State 2011

State is finally over. We had an awesome show and an awesome performance. I'm so proud of my girls.


"Life's Interruptions"

http://www.osaa.tv/events/16832

I'm a blogging failer

Yep, We are still alive. This time of year is my busiest as far as dance team. Our state competition is March 16th and 17th at the memorial coliseum. I have been really involved this year with designing the show, choreographing, etc. So it's kind of a big deal for me.

Brody is doing great. I am so blessed to have him. I know not all babies are this "easy", but I'm glad the Lord knows me to bless me with him. He is such an angel. He hardly ever cries where I'm not sure what he's saying. He goes down for bed and naps without a fuss unless I misunderstand him. He has become a lot more talkative which has been really fun for Tim and I. He can say "mum" and "Dadada" and I'm just going to keep thinking he means us because it makes me feel good :)

He loves baths. That is father son time and they both love it. Tim will be getting the water ready and Brody will look at the tub and get so excited and will try and leap out of my arms. He gets the goofiest grin on his face when he realizes whats happening. He will kick and splash a little, and then relax on Daddy till he's all pruney. It's so cute

Brody is 9 months now and figured out crawling this past Sunday the 6th. He is so excited now that he has figured out a more efficiant way to get around. Monday night he was so exsausted practicing his new skill he slept all night. He's got 6 teeth with two more coming in on top.

Tim has a new job! He is doing what he is good at and enjoys doing. He is working with a brother in our ward who is a maintenance contractor. He's only working a couple days a week while the gentleman builds his company back up. With in 6 months or so, Tim will be running his own crew and have a flexible schedule to help Brody and Me. The brother from our ward is really impressed with Tim and his techniques. There is at least one thing a week Tim has saved time and money on by doing it a little differently, and fixes the problem with a better outcome. He is so talented and I'm grateful I have such a handy husband that enjoys being handy.

Brody Eyes

Since Brody was born, Tim and I have been curious about what color his eyes will be. We started taking close up pictures to try and capture their progression. I think he is set on a color now and it's been fun to watch them change.

Green it is!