Four Weeks??!!

Seriously, where does the time go?

A few things about Ammon at 4 weeks:

• He's a baby. He cries sometimes.
• But, luckily, we've always been able to soothe him by holding him and
• He loves his pacifier. What a blessing!
• He's a pretty good napper.
• He just started sleeping pretty well in his crib.
• He will sleep about 5-6 hours at night, eat, and go back to sleep.
• If I need him to nap, I buckle him in the car seat, set him on top of the dryer, and turn it on. Wah-lah. It's magic.
• Instead of blow-outs, Ammon leaves little poops for me pretty much every diaper change. I'll take it. :)
• He can sleep through anything. In fact, I'm pretty sure that kids playing, vacuums running, and loud noises in general are his thing.
• He's the first of my babies that hasn't had a major pimple break-out. Knock on wood.
• He likes tummy-time more than my other kids did. Maybe because when he gets tired of it he just sets his big head to the side and the rest of his body rolls over. Or he's just the smartest baby ever, right? ;)
• He's got some big brothers and a big sister who adore him.
• Ammon was blessed 2 Sundays ago. Both Joe's parents and my parents were able to come, which was so wonderful! What stuck out: He is going to be a peacemaker in our family, a good example to his brothers and sisters, and he will live his life as a missionary. This last part really stuck out to me, because he has already become a missionary! We have found, and my parents have also commented, that people have never heard of the name "Ammon." We've had many ask us where it came from, and I know that Ammon is going to be explaining his name for the rest of his life. I hope he doesn't mind. :)

And the other kids?

• I just finalized this: Logan and Madison will be attending the Watson Science and Technology Center next year. We received a letter in the mail last fall telling us that Logan's grades and test scores qualified him for the Tech. and Classical schools in Dallas. I went to a meeting to see what it was all about and decided that if Madison could get in then we would send them both to the S&T Center. She went through 2 rounds of testing and was also accepted. What does this mean? Well, besides riding a bus, wearing uniforms, and doing extra homework, they will be in a pretty awesome school program. I'm a little nervous because I've enjoyed having them so close to home, but I think in the long run this will be a great thing for them.
• Logan just finished the 3rd Harry Potter. He's 7. I don't know how I feel about this. He understands it and really likes the series. As an English teacher (well, I have the degree), I never thought I would be for book censoring, but I just don't know that he is old enough to read Harry Potter. We told him he could watch the movies after he read the books, but he will have to wait with movie #4 because it is pg-13. Any thoughts on this topic?
• Madison is such a cute girl. She is just getting into the social scene. She and her little friends have been sending each other cute pictures with notes that go something like this, "Der Vivi, You are my best frend. Lov, Madi."
• Grant failed his last hearing test (he can hear fine, but this one sent tiny air-waves or something, that got stuck in his ear canal and didn't bounce back??? Something like that--it has to do with pressure in his ear). The last test he had he also had pressure in his ears, so now he's on an anti-biotic and allergy medicine to see if that clears it up, but if it doesn't clear up by his next visit then we will talk about what to do next. I am hopeful that this will help to improve his speech even more.

Ammon Douglas McGregor

A friend in our ward is a professional photographer. She offered to take some pictures of him modeling some "clothes" that she needed to take pictures of for one of her clients (a hat and a diaper cover). Of course I said "YES!" Unfortunately, he cried pretty much any time I set him down--we spent over an hour trying. These are the pictures she managed to get in the 5 minutes he didn't cry. :) I like the pictures, but wish that we had gotten some that showed his hair.

Anyway, go to: http://blossomportraitureart.com/viewing

Click on "Portrait Work," Choose Baby McGregor, and the password is mbb01.

Part II: Life Lessons

*Sorry, I'm going to write in a different point of view than Part 1.

I had a pretty easy pregnancy. Experience led me to believe that recovery would not be too bad. And babies are babies... I figured that I knew what I was doing and things would go pretty smoothly with baby #4.

And it would have. Until I found the bugs. Yep. In Madison's hair. On Sunday, during General Conference, two days after we got home from the hospital. I won't go into details, but through all of the trials I have had, this is the one I have had the hardest time with. When Joe lost his job, when my brother died, when things have gotten tough... I've never asked "why," felt like I couldn't do it, or asked for Heavenly Father to just step in and change things/take it away. Until this happened. I felt so upset that I couldn't sit down and rest and enjoy my new baby. I felt like this "thing" couldn't have come at a worse time. I was emotional/hormonal, exhausted and probably somewhat neglectful of my family while I tried to figure out what to do.

I tried to handle it on my own for a few days.... but I was so exhausted from not sleeping (we'd put everyone to bed and then stay up until after midnight trying to get things under control, and of course I was up every other hour feeding the baby, and then I'd have to get up at 6:00 to help get everyone off to school), having a baby, taking care of everyone, and trying to figure out how to get rid of the horrible, horrible practically invisible pests that had invaded our home, that after 2 days I called my mom in the middle of the night and cried to her that I needed help. She had a flight planned for a week later, but she changed all of her plans and flew out the next day to rescue me (and my family from me). Maybe I will have a chance later to go into more detail, but for now I just want to remember the things I have learned from this experience.

1. Heavenly Father has a sense of humor. Remember my (answered) prayers to get Grant to poop on the toilet? To have the baby early, go into labor on my own, and at a convenient time? Yeah...

2. We just finished the book of Mosiah in our family scripture reading. I need to be more like the Nephites and pray to have help getting through my trials instead of complaining that I can't handle it or to just take away my trials.

3. I need to make sure that I am aware/spiritually in-tune with the needs of others around me. I was too afraid to ask anyone in our ward for help--even if it was meals, which would have really helped out those first few days.

4. It's ok to ask for help. As soon as my Beehive advisor found out what was going on a few days later (she called Joe to see if she could pick up Grant, and he told her a little about what was going on), she called the compassionate service lady to arrange meals, and then she and a few other sisters in the ward came over to help clean my house, which was a disaster from trying to wash 30 loads of clothes/sheets/blankets, bag up toys, vacuum furniture daily, etc.

5. It's not necessarily the service (which was wonderful), but knowing that there are people who care about you and are happy to help. I was at the point where I felt like I had to hide from the world--I didn't want to open the curtains or answer the phone. These wonderful women helped to make me feel human again.

6. Parents are awesome. It was so, so wonderful to have my mom here to help me, to support me, and to know that she loves us and was willing to change her plans (and so many people needed her that week, too) to take care of me/my family.

7. I need to be less selfish and more selfless. My mother flew out about a week later to meet my father in AZ, where they picked up my grandmother and drove back the next day to see us. My grandmother has Alzheimer's and some other health issues and needs a lot of help right now. My mother was very sweet and tender with her, and I could just see/feel the love they had for each other. I have recommitted to being more tender with my children and husband and really trying each day to show through my actions how much I care for and love them.

8. A little mess is o.k. If you know me, I HATE clutter and mess. Well, my house is a mess right now. And while I don't love the mess, I've been ok with it. I hope to slowly, over the next few weeks, get things back to normal. In the meantime, there are much more important things to take care of... like reading with Grant, and helping the kids with their homework, and taking a nap so that I am emotionally o.k.

9. Lice... there I said it... is not the end of the world. Or any other trial that we have. We get through it, because we have to and there is no other option. Everyone I've told has shared with me their own experiences with lice, and they all say it's not a big deal. Well, I am glad to hear that it's not uncommon, or that we aren't going to be labeled as "that family," but it is sure a lot of work and a PAIN!! But we did it, we survived, and I have learned a lot through this experience. Oh... and it sure helps to have a sense of humor while you are getting through those trials.

Well, until next time....

p.s. pictures and blessing details to come...

A Story. Part I.

Once upon a time there was a woman who was pregnant with her fourth child, a boy.

One day she woke her husband, told him her water had broken, and together they prepared lunches and made plans for their three other children. The oldest two would go to school, and the youngest, a 3-year old, would spend the day with his nursery teacher. The father's mother, Lola, would come the next day.

The baby was born at 12:39 p.m. (The mother decided, for the first time, to try an epidural.... but that is a story for a different day.) He was a hefty 8 lb 13 oz. and 20 inches long, and had plenty of hair. After counting fingers and toes, the mother nursed the baby, and then sent him off with the nurses to get his first bath and needle pokes. When it took longer for him to return (they said an hour), the mother got worried and frustrated. After several inquiries, she discovered that he was taking longer than expected to warm up. When they finally brought the baby back to the mother, he would not wake up to eat. The nurses became concerned with his fast breathing, and the sounds he made while breathing. So they took him away and wouldn't let the mother nurse him. After many hours, countless inquiries, and some tears, the mother learned that her child had had some X-rays and blood tests that raised some concerns; the dr.'s believed that the baby boy could have Strep B (the mother had only received antibiotics for 3 1/2 hours instead of 4). They whisked the baby to the NICU, and let the mother and father visit every few hours. 3 days of antibiotics later, the baby passed all his tests and was able to come home to his family.

The baby's name is Ammon. It was not originally on the list his father and mother made (those names were Ezra Benjamin or Chase Benjamin). But on day 3, in the middle of the night (the hospital was very, very loud at night, so the mother could not sleep), the mother knew that her baby looked like Ammon. When she suggested the name to the father (who had previously turned down the name "Ammon"), he said that seconds before she shared the name, he knew what she would say, and that it was the right name. The mother and father decided that Douglas would be a wonderful way to honor the mother's father and deceased brother; so that baby's name became Ammon Douglas.

To Our Dental Friends (Pt. II)

Because so many of our Cleveland friends are graduating or have recently graduated, from dental school, I'd like to make a brief recommendation: Call Nate Williams.

Nate Williams is an accountant/financial adviser specializing in the dental profession. His firm serves only dentists by providing a full array of financial needs, from full-service practice and personal accounting, strategic comprehensive financial planning, practice acquisitions or transitions, to investment management. His company, Symmetric Wealth Management, is based out of Oregon, but represents clients throughout the country.

Nate is a graduate of BYU's illustrious accounting program, he worked for one of the "Big 4" accounting firms, and then he became intimately familiar with the dental profession while working for Cain Watters & Associates, the nation's largest (and most expensive) dental-oriented accounting firm.

I met Nate accidentally almost two years ago (my real estate agent was in his ward at the time). Since then I've had the pleasure to refer friends to Nate, and work directly with him on several transactions (as many may know, I'm trying to develop a dental-oriented law practice myself). I don't know that I've worked with a more intelligent, honest, and professional person. I couldn't recommend him more highly.

I'd encourage those graduating or contemplating transitioning from their current situation to give Nate a call. Here's his website: http://symmetricwealth.com/Symmetric_Wealth/Welcome.html

(And just to be clear: I get no referral fee from Nate, nor has he "approved" this message. I simply think everyone should give him a call.)