Janie's Story

Jane Noel Olsen was born on Wednesday December 24th at 1:04 pm. She weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long.

On Tuesday night at 6 pm, I checked into the hospital for my induction. I was so nervous but everyone was very nice and before I knew it, my IV was in and we were just waiting. By midnight, I asked for my epidural and I had the sweetest nurse helping me not to move. It was over so quick and I felt so blessed. The epidural was so beautiful! I was able to sleep for about three hours. By Wednesday morning, I was feeling really good and I was progressing. Around 11 am, I was feeling a lot of pressure, and I was dilated to a 6, an hour later, I was dilated to an 8. By this time, the pain med was starting to wear off, so I asked for some more. By the time the doctor came to me, I was a nine, so the nurse asked him to give me something but not too strong so that I wouldn't be numb for the delivery. But by the time I was a ten, I couldn't feel a thing. The nurse came in and got me started pushing, but I was pushing wrong. I couldn't feel how to push and I was pushing the wrong muscles. Finally the nurse told me that I was going to wear myself out by pushing wrong and so the pain meds stopped. Of course, no one knew that Janie was going to be so big. But I felt it all, and I wanted to die. I pushed hard for forty minutes without any medication and the doctor gave me an episiotomy and then reached in and pulled her out. The nurses put her on my chest and I loved looking at her but was so distracted by the pain of the stitches that the doctor was working on. But soon I realized that something wasn't quite right with Janie. She was not crying a lot and the nurses said she had gulped some amniotic fluid on her way out. She was having a hard time breathing. They put her back on my chest for a second then whisked her away. I thought they would bring her back, but they didn't. She was wheezing and wasn't turning pink. They took her to the special care nursery and got her on oxygen. By the time I was able to walk down to the nursery and see her, she was under and oxygen tent and hooked up to several monitors and an IV. I was devastated. She was so small (although huge at the same time) and to see her hooked up to an IV was just heartbreaking. They told us that they had tried to feed her but she had turned blue and was losing her oxygen, thus the need for the IV. They were testing her for pneumonia and other infections and had her on two antibiotics. She needed to stay on the antibiotics for at least 48 hours. We felt the prayers of so many of you as we prayed and waited to see how things would play out.

At 2 am on Christmas day, the nursery nurse came into my room and said that she was well enough to be off of the oxygen. YAY! And things just got better from there. She was very pink by morning and they had started giving her milk and her oxygen levels remained high. On Christmas day, I finally got to hold my little darling. All of her tests were coming back negative and they released both of us last night.

I don't have pictures of me holding her because of the circumstances, but these are her first minutes on earth. I will be posting TONS of pictures in the next few days. We can't tell who she looks more like, me or Jonathan. But she is so beautiful. And her big sister is in love with her. She always wants to be touching her and loves to talk to her.

I feel overwhelmed with the blessings of the Lord! I feel so blessed to have had two Christmas babies in two years. I have felt the Lord's love for me and my family in so many ways these past three days. And I have felt the love and prayers of you, my friends and family. Thank you.

Happy Birthday Janie!

Janie, you're late!

So Janie is officially late now. I really thought I was going to have her on Wednesday night, because I was going through really hard contractions. It hurt so bad it scared me because I realized this was only the beginning. I wanted Jonathan to take me to labor and delivery, I even had my bag packed, but he decided we should time them and they were too inconsistent and eventually stopped. I went to the doctor yesterday, and even though I'm only dilated to a two, I'm 80% effaced and he said I could come anytime. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday and if she isn't here by then, they'll schedule to induce me on Tuesday Dec. 23rd.

An update

With only six days left until my due date, I am only dilated to a one. I was hoping that I was much further along, but the doc says I should plan on being late. With contractions coming on day and night now, I thought I had progressed much further. I have a feeling Janie wants to be a Christmas baby, literally. Thank you for all of your prayers on our behalf. I admit that I am getting more and more nervous the closer it gets, but more antsy for her to come too.

On a Samantha note, I am happy to say that she is officially off the pacifier! It was a struggle for a couple of days and nights, but I think we're there. I kept her pacifiers in the top drawer of her dresser in case I needed to fold, and I was sorely tempted many times, but I knew that if I didn't wean her now, it wouldn't happen for a long time since Janie would have a pacifier. But she did it and I am so proud of her! Now we're working on getting off of formula and on to whole milk.

Oh what a night!

Sami's birthday party was so much fun last night, I couldn't wait to blog about it! It started out with homemade pizza, root beer, and salad. The perfect meal in our opinion. And then the cake came out. Sami has never had cake before. She wasn't sure about it at first, but then realized it was really, really good. She had two cakes, one that I made and one from her Grandma. (Thanks Trish!).




And thanks Uncle Wayne, for playing "peek-a-boo" with her when she was eating her cake. I had mentioned earlier that Sami loves this game, but she covers her ears instead of her eyes when she plays. So Wayne decided that it was time to get messy, and helped out by playing with her. It really was funny.

After a quick bath, it was time for presents. She got so many nice gifts: clothes, books, and toys. Thank you so much to all of you who sent and brought presents. Here are just a few of them:

Grandma Olsen brought Sami a Vtech Nursery Farm, a huge hit for Sami and Julia.
And our dear friends MaryAnne, Dave, and Becca sent Sami a board book and a beautiful dress. The beautiful bow on the wrapping paper was almost a present in itself for Sami. Thanks you guys, she is going to look gorgeous in her new dress while she looks at her book in church on Sunday. And now a word about me...I know, I look huge! Jonathan's favorite saying is "tick, tock, when's she going to pop?"

We had so much fun with all our friends and family! I know Sami had a great birthday. And now I just get to sit back and watch her play with her new toys. :)

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA!

We can hardly believe that our Sami girl is already a year old! What a great year it has been! She has blessed our lives in every way possible and it seems hard to remember life without her. Her sweet smile and contagious laugh brighten our lives every day. She is the joy of our lives and we know how blessed and fortunate we are to have her.

She has taught me so many lessons. She loves life and can't wait to start the day. She is learning how to walk, and even though she knows she is going to fall, she keeps going and gets up with every fall, ready to try again. She has also taught me about Heavenly Father's love for each of us. While we can't imagine loving anyone more than we love Sami, we know that Heavenly Father loves each of us more perfectly than we love her. There isn't a battle I wouldn't be willing to fight for Samantha, and I worry about her and pray for her, and I marvel that Heavenly Father loves us all so much more than we can possibly love each other, as much as that is. I want to be a better person and a better mom for Samantha, and that's a gift she gives me everyday.


Samantha, thank you for coming to our home! You will always be our special angel girl. You have done more for us than you will ever know. We love you so much!


Happy Birthday Samantha!

Thanksgiving with family

It was so nice to spend our Thanksgiving with family! Jonathan is doing an internal medicine rotation and was scheduled to work from 7 am to 10 pm on Thanksgiving. Sami and I were going to visit him at the hospital and we were going to eat together in the cafeteria and then the next day I was going to cook a turkey dinner just for us. But when the chief resident learned we were coming to see Jonathan, he just gave him the afternoon off. What a treat!! So we all went to Jonathan's mom house for a delicious dinner. It was so fun to have all the Olsen cousins together! What a cute bunch.


I have been so thankful for so many things this year: the Gospel, our health, good friends, and especially for family. I am overwhelmed with gratitude when I think that this time last year, we didn't have any children, and now I am preparing for our second! So I am thankful for our little family, but also our extended families: our parents, brothers and sisters, and their kids. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Thank you Jonathan!

I don't know what I would do without Jonathan. He helps me so much around the house. He comes home and starts picking up the toys on the floor that I have a hard time reaching. He gives Sami her bath and then helps me with whatever I need. I love this picture because you can see how hard Jonathan is concentrating on combing her hair. Love you J! (By the way, Sami loves getting her hair combed and even tries to comb her own hair!)



And this is a picture I took of Sami this morning. She was wiggling when I was doing her hair. Good thing the side ponytail is back.

Filling Your Ark

I wanted to tell everyone about a really neat blog that I was introduced to today at church. It's all about food storage and has some great tips and links. http://www.fillingyourark.blogspot.com/.

I have always tried to have some food storage, but I have been feeling lately that I need to do more. I used a lot of our food storage before we moved to AZ so I wouldn't have to pack it, so it's time to replenish, plus some. I know that the Lord will bless our family as we try to follow the prophet the best we can. So I am going to cut back on some things in order to get more food storage. I found this blog very helpful and inspiring, and I hope you enjoy it!

Tag

Tagged by Suzanne

8 Favorite TV shows:
The Biggest Loser (Love this show! I usually watch it while I eat ice cream :) )
Cook's Illustrated: Test Kitchen
Andy Griffeth Show
Monk
Martha Stewart
Family Feud
Oprah
(Sorry, I can only think of seven)


8 Things I did Yesterday:
Took Sami for a walk
Went to a few yard sales
Made dinner: tacos
Went to Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond with Sami
Spent time with Jonathan, just talking
Played with Samantha
Cleaned the kitchen
Took a nap


8 Things I look forward to:
Jonathan's graduation (May 15th, 2010)
Birth of Janie
My mom coming for 2 1/2 weeks in January and my dad coming for a week
Samantha's first birthday
Christmas with my two sweet daughters and Jonathan, who gets 2 weeks off !!
When Sami can tell me what she wants with her words
Student loans being paid off
Being able to wear clothes that aren't designed for pregnant people


8 Favorite Restaurants:
Red Lobster (I get chicken)
In and Out
Burger Supreme (in Provo, UT)
Gyros Place
Sweet Tomatoes
Subway
Quiznos
BBQ place in NC (can't remember the name, and too lazy to look it up, but it's good!)


8 Things on my Wishlist:
A new knife block
Food Storage for a year for my whole family
Enough money to buy plane tickets to see my family and friends whenever I wanted
That Jonathan didn't ever have to work the night shift or Sundays at the hospitals
A minivan
A new author that I haven't discovered yet that keeps me on the edge of my seat
Endless energy to get all the things done that I want to get done
To wear my pre-pregnancy clothes within a few months after delivery

8 People to Tag: Anyone who reads this and wants to do it. I was thinking of : Lisa, Mindy, Katherine, Heather, Liz, Melanie, Patti, Ruth

Practicing her walk

On Sunday, Sami learned that she could use the garbage can as a push toy for walking. We were amazed that she learned that on her own. But the garbage can?! Yuckos. So yesterday morning we went to Once Upon A Child, a fabulous second hand store for children's stuff (thanks Suzanne!) and found her a real push toy that's fun and not filled with germs. By afternoon, she had learned to use it on her own and was busy "walking" around the house.

We can't believe how fast she's growing up. This weekend I was washing her old clothes, getting them ready for Janie, and I couldn't get over how fast she's changed. This time last year, we were getting ready for her. Which reminds me that November is National Adoption Month. YEAH FOR ADOPTION!!!

Milestones

Today I am officially 34 weeks pregnant. I can't believe that Janie will be here in about six weeks. We are so grateful to Heavenly Father that this has been a healthy and easy pregnancy.

Also, Arizona Prop 102 PASSED last night! Prop 102 is essentially the same as Prop 8 in California. It bans same-sex marriage and changes the AZ constitution to reflect that. We were so excited and grateful that it passed!

Jonathan and I voted through a mail in ballot. It was one of the smartest things we've ever done because we had time to research all the candidates and propositions. And I didn't have to stand in line with my sweet 11 month old. And since I didn't have to wait in line, I was able to babysit Julia so my friend Suzanne could stand in line to vote. The girls had so much fun together and played so well together. The toy kitchen was the hot spot for play.

I took this picture a couple of days ago but I had to throw it in because it's so cute. Sami has really taken to Care Bears lately. Jonathan bought her a yellow Care Bear for Christmas last year and it sings the ABCs. And I found a pink Care Bear at a yard sale and Sami loves both of her bears. I loved Care Bears as a kid so I'm glad they're back and Sami likes them now.

The cutest litte doctor!

We had our ward Halloween party on Friday. We all dressed as doctors, it was a fun, easy, and cheap costume choice. We would have never gone as doctors in Kirksville because it would have been too cheesy since half the town was in medicine, but not here. We got lots of compliments since we all matched. Sami loved her costume and kept her hat on most of the night. She's the cutest little doctor we've ever seen!

I barely fit into Jonathan's biggest scrubs. I chose to wear J's old lab coat that came down to my knees, so I could cover up in front and back.
Jonathan represented the Elder's Quorum in the pie eating contest and HE WON! He won a gift certificate to Cold Stone Ice Cream, yumm-o! Too bad he was sick the rest of the night. After the pie eating contest, we did the trunk-or-treat. One little boy, about 3 years old, came over to us then turned around to his mom and started crying saying "shots first, then candy?" She laughed and said, "no, they just want to give you candy." It was sad and funny at the same time, we never guessed that our costumes would be traumatic for some kids.

We're so glad when Daddy comes home!

Samantha loves it when Jonathan comes home, he's the perfect entertainer. This video proves that I'm not very good at recording, but we love Sami's laugh and wanted to share it. Jonathan is running backing and forth and she thinks it's hilarious.

On the farm with friends

This past Saturday was the perfect day to visit a farm. For the first time since we've been in AZ, the temperature was less than 90 degrees, it was heavenly. We had been looking forward to visiting this dairy farm all week, especially because we were going with our friends Colby, Suzanne, and their daughter Julia. We had a blast! After the farm, we went to Costco and had hot dogs and soda. Then the boys took the girls home and Suzanne and I went to a consignment sale. It was such a fun day!

Sami on the tractor:
Here we are with our friends Suzanne and Julia. Sami and Julia loved the cow and she (or he) gave each of them a kiss.
Notice that I am wearing a sweater around my waist. I listened to the weather man on Friday night and he said to make sure we had jackets for any outdoor activity since it was going to be "cool and breezy." It was in the high eighties, and I felt foolish for packing a coat for Sami. I am learning that "cool" in AZ is not the same as cool in other parts of the US.
Feeding the goats:
Jonathan and Sami with the horse:
These were the weirdest looking chickens I have ever seen. Sami thought so too:

Our Monday Morning

When I woke up this morning, I realized to my delight that it was 7 am and that I woke up without Sami's help. In fact, I didn't hear any sounds coming from her room. I went to check on her and found her sitting up in her crib playing with her blanket. She was so excited to see me and when I picked her up, I realized she was wet all over. Not only was she soaked, but so was her bedding. She LOVES to drink water, so yesterday I let her keep her sippy cup on the floor and anytime she wanted a drink, she just crawled over to her cup and helped herself. Turns out she drank a lot of water, too much for her diaper to handle through the night. So I changed her, and then the bedding, then I gave her a bath. Since it's Monday, my laundry day, most of her play clothes are dirty. So I found these pants in the drawer and decided they were perfect for play. Well, not so perfect since they're already too small but she looks so cute in them I decided to leave them on for the day. This is what I found during her morning nap:

Sami, you keep my smiling all the time! Thanks for the fun times you give me all day long.

We Love Food!

Food is one of our favorite things! Sami has learned how fun food is, and she gets a facial every morning when she eats her yobaby yogurt. After yogurt, we eat cheerios, and they sometimes end up in funny places.
We also like play food. Last week I got out Sami's kitchen and play food and cleaned them up but so far she just likes to chew on the plastic food. And some of them do look good enough to eat (like the donut in Sami's hand).
So all this talk about food reminds me of our yummy Family Home Evening treat that Sami and I made for Jonathan this week. Jonathan has had a favorite brownie recipe since he was kid and I just got the recipe from his mom. It is sooooo easy and it turns out chewy and yummy.


Easy Brownies
1 1/2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. and 2 Tbls. cocoa
1 tsp. salt
1 c. oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. nuts (optional)

Whisk wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

The Nightly Bath

When we were in Kirksville, Sami had some bad bouts of eczema. I think the weather was just so extreme that is was hard on her. So we put a humidifier in her room, changed her soaps, and only gave her baths two or three times a week. Her skin did get better and we haven't had any problems for a while. I took her to her new doctor a couple of weeks ago, and she said that new research has just come out saying that babies with eczema should get a bath every day because it helps them to have clean skin. That was great news for us because Sami loves her bath. Not to mention that she gets very messy now that she's eating table food. So every night Jonathan gives Sami a bath. They get to spend that time together and it helps me because I am having a hard time bending over the tub these days.

Jonathan always plays with her hair when she gets out of the tub. He calls it her "wild woman" look. But look at those eyes, have you ever seen prettier eyes?!
And I feel bad about this, but I had to post the picture because it's so funny. I had the camera on the wrong setting and the flash was on. Sorry Sami, Mommy will try not to blind you next time. But thanks for being a good sport.

So much for my Christmas surprise...

Jonathan has been wanting Rock Band for a long time. Ever since the first time he played it at our friend's house in Kirksville, he's been talking about it. The whole kit is about $200, and there was no way we could justify the purchase. But I had this plan on how I could save up the money so I could get it for him for Christmas. Of course part of my plan included that it went on sale after Thanksgiving, but I knew he would love it.

But my plan was foiled on Friday. He got a refund check from his insurance company that we weren't expecting. When he opened it up, he said he was going to use it to buy Rock Band. I reminded him that it would only cover half of the set, and how was he going to come up with the rest? Where there's a will, there's a way. He went to Craig's list and found several used Rock Band sets for under a $100. He bought it yesterday afternoon from a guy who's wife was making him sell it (hmmm....) and so Jonathan got his Rock Band practically brand new for half price.

So then I told Jonathan about my Christmas plans. He thought that was sweet, but not sweet enough for him to put away his new purchase until Christmas. So we compromised. He gets the game and the drums right now and he'll get the guitar and the microphone for Christmas. So much for my surprise. Oh well.

Fun Times

Jonathan's dad, Larry, came from Utah this past weekend. He brought fun gifts for Sami, along with some delicious Utah peaches. He came for our nephew Andrew's blessing, and it was fun to see him again.
Andrew's blessing was so special. I love these little spirits that come to earth and join our families. After church, we all got together for a luncheon. Sami's cousins adore her, and she feels the same about them. They keep her entertained for hours (literally 2 hours this particular afternoon) which is such a treat for me because I just sit and watch and talk to the adults around me. Thanks Mackenzie, Cooper, and Sidney! These are just a few of Sami's cute cousins, and we are so grateful that she gets to know her family.
And finally, a picture of me. Becca and Heather have been reminding me that I haven't posted pictures of myself in a while. It's because I feel huge. I love that I am pregnant, and it's such an easy pregnancy, I just get a little camera shy. But I am grateful that they reminded me to take pictures of myself because I know I would regret it later if I didn't. So here I am at 26 weeks:

Our Busy Week

Jonathan started his clinical rotations this week. He leaves at 6 am and comes home at 6 pm. He is doing Ob/Gyn and really likes it. The clinic he is rotating at is 50 miles away (hence the early leave time) and the clientele only speak Spanish. He is getting really good at Spanish, of course his Portugese background helps out a lot. It's a big adjustment for Sami and I to not have Jonathan around all the time. We really miss him. You can tell he's humoring me in this picture. I wanted a picture for the blog on his first day of "work."

And my cute Sami girl is getting so big. She loves to brush her teeth. Okay, so she actually just chews on the bristles, but I am glad that she enjoys her new toothbrush.

She's a crawler!!

This time last week, Sami could not crawl, but she sure was trying hard. By Monday she was taking little crawls once in a while. I filmed this on Wednesday. She is doing so good now. She is not as fast as she would like, but she can get herself where she wants to be. I am so happy for her. It must be so rewarding to finally be able to move on your own after months of waiting for people to pick you up or move you.

Testing Day

Jonathan left early this morning to take the USMLE (MD Board Exams). He was really nervous, but I know he'll do great! It will be so nice when they're over, he's been studying for them since March. I won't know what to do without him sitting at the kitchen table studying.

But today is also special because it's Becca's birthday! Happy 23!! Hope your day is full of happiness and yummy food! We love you.

All Personality

I got out my camera this morning to take a picture of Sami's eating tarp. It's actually a vinyl tablecloth that we put under her chair so when she spills things off of her tray, I don't freak out about the carpet. But as you can see, Samantha started making the funniest faces so I had to post more than one.

And while I am posting the funny things Samantha does, I thought I would throw in a sleeping pose. Babies can sleep in amazing positions. If you can't tell by the picture, Sami's backside is elevated while her head is on the mattress. But I love the hair sticking out on top of her head. She is the funniest little girl!