When Gray and I got married, we wanted some time together just the two of us, so I was on birth control pills for a while. But as I'd never been very regular, I thought getting pregnant might not come as easily for us, so after a year or so, we went off birth control and just figured we'd let it happen if it was meant to be. It wasn't, at least not immediately. After another year or so, we were wanting to start a family and started looking into some fertility treatments. Luckily we didn't need too much ... Clomid and progesterone. And we were pregnant!
(1) Landon ~ 09/07/1995
We'd been living in a duplex in Midvale, and as the pregnancy plans weren't panning out, we decided to buy a house. Grayson jokingly predicted "as soon as we can't afford a baby, we'll get pregnant" and sure enough, that's what happened! I had been going to Alta View Hospital for doctor visits, but switched to Jordan Valley, which was much closer to the new West Jordan home on Courtney Court. Spring of 1995 we moved into the new house. It was a hard move for me, as I was about four or five months pregnant. The pregnancy went pretty smoothly though. Some morning sickness here and there.
I had been working for AT&T (on the phones/customer service) but didn't care for the hours and switched employers, becoming an administrative assistant for a financial planner at Granite Credit Union. The AT&T job had actually provided the health insurance for Gray and I. Paying for continuing (Cobra) was more financially feasible that insurance through my new work or Grayson's job. It was great insurance and paid for almost everything with the pregnancy, birth and delivery.
One thing I remember from the pregnancy was going in for the ultrasound. Grayson didn't want to find out the sex, but we were still anxious to "see" our baby for the first time. But when we arrived at the office ... I'd gotten the dates mixed up, and my appointment had been the day before! They weren't able to fit us in that day, and we had to make another appointment in a week or so. I was feeling stupid about it, and was upset, and on the way home (Gray and I had driven separately, he headed back to work I was heading home then to work) I felt sick. I had to pull over, open the door, and I threw up on the side of the road.
This was before mobile phones, so I was a bit anxious about being able to contact Grayson when it was time (he was working for McMullin Homes and was on the go all day to various worksites). I remember we got a pager (provided by the insurance) but we ended up not needing it. The due date came and went, and we decided to be induced.
We checked into the hospital early in the morning. Things went pretty smoothly. Pitocin to start contractions, and I was given the epidural quite early, I don't know that things had even really become uncomfortable yet. But things progressed pretty slowly. I was fine with having additional people for the delivery, so in addition to Grayson, my mom, Gray's mom, my sister Wendy and my SIL Sandy (a midwife, she was interested in seeing a hospital birth) were all in attendance. I remember that my doctor had another patient in labor the same time as me, and they actually had another monitor in the room showing HER vitals (and mine in hers) so that he could watch both of us, regardless of which room he was in. It was a bit of a race to see who would deliver first. I can't remember who "won" though. It was evening by the time things were happening. I remember "Friends" had been on, and it was moving to "Seinfeld". It was Thursday "Must See TV".
There was pushing, and then he was out. It was a boy. But he wasn't really crying like a newborn should. My mom told me that Sandy looked at her with a very worried expression. They let us see him and have a little cuddle, but then they whisked him away to the NICU. He was 7 pounds 11 ounces, and he was quite large compared to the other little baby in the NICU. Landon had swallowed some amniotic fluid, and had pneumonia, and was in the hospital for a few days. Nursing did NOT go well, and he needed to be bottle fed, but I pumped, so other than a few formula feedings, he had breastmilk. At home, I'd get up in the night to feed him and have to warm up a bottle, get him back to sleep, and then pump, and by the time I was done and back to sleep it was time to do it again. I kept trying to get him to nurse, and finally he did, and I didn't dare give him a bottle again. I had a freezer full of milk (and was still needing to pump as I was producing more than he needed for a while until my body adjusted).
(2) Callahan ~ 02/21/1999
In between Landon and Callahan, we had a miscarriage. It was a fluke that I even took a test and knew I was pregnant at all. It happened very early on. We hadn't been trying, but not long after that, we were. I never felt like I was missing a baby, just that Callahan had been delayed.
I was with my same doctor, Dr. Hull, over at the OB offices at Jordan Valley. Grayson had been unhappy with his work (K&B) and decided to walk away and look for work elsewhere. It was a little scary, especially being pregnant and all, but we had a little money set aside and it wasn't long before he found a new job (Hamlet Homes). During this time, Gray also started exercising and eating better and lost quite a bit of weight ... right as I was getting bigger! During this time, I was tending a little girl (Landon's age) and sewing/crafting for a booth at The Quilted Bear boutique.
One memorable moment of the pregnancy was when I passed out at church, during the sacrament. I could feel it coming on and knew I needed to lay down, but thought I could last until the sacrament was over. I guess I couldn't. We were sitting in the very back, so having several men carry me out of the chapel wasn't even noticed by everyone. I started to come to as my feet were hitting the chapel doors, and I felt a little like it was a scene from ER, but then I wasn't sure what Brother Adams was doing there! The paramedics were called, but after a quick check, we just decided to have me go home and rest. I had a few more issues feeling faint during the pregnancy, but was always able to lay down before passing out again.
I got the date correct for the ultrasound this time, and this time I wanted to find out the sex of the baby. We weren't surprised when it was another boy, and he wasn't shy about showing off. Everything progressed pretty smoothly with the pregnancy. The hardest part is the glucose test for gestational diabetes. I just can't drink the stuff. I'd actually gone into this test having taken some steps to improve the experience (recommendations from a nurse friend). I chilled the drink, I got a lemon-lime instead of the orange, I took the lid off early to let the carbonation escape ... I actually went into it fairly optimistic, and then gagged and threw up in the kitchen sink with a worried little Landon looking on. I remember him asking "are you okay mommy?" We jokingly called our bump "Biff".
It was still two weeks before the due date. Pammy had wanted to take little Landon for a sleep-over for the weekend, but I wanted to spend this last one-on-one time with him before the new baby came. Landon was a little sick, and I was having some cramps ... I think Grayson bailed and went to sleep in Landon's bed (as Landon was in with us). It was a Sunday morning, I remember I called Mom just to chat and mentioned the stomach pains, and she asked "could they be contractions?" and honestly I hadn't even considered that. Thinking about them, they WERE coming at fairly regular intervals. I still wondered if it was just Braxton Hicks, but then I heard a pop and felt a warm gush. My water had broken! Okay then! Mom happened to call to check in (they had gone to church, and she called from the phone there, pre-cellphone era) and I let her know what was happening. They were able to come out, and Dad took care of Landon while we headed to the hospital.
At this point the contractions were coming harder. They checked us in, and were waiting for fluid to pool to make sure it was amniotic fluid, and not something else, but we were waiting for a bit and it was getting pretty painful. Mom told Grayson "you go find a nurse or someone to at least CHECK her!" and he did, and I was at an 8 or 9 and the birth was pretty imminent and everyone started scrambling! Surprisingly, I was still able to get an epidural (it seems like with my sister Wendy they said "sorry, it's too late!) My doctor wasn't able to make it, so we got the on call doctor. Pammy and the girls hadn't quite made it either. They were rushing in, asking which room we were in and the nurse said "do you hear that baby crying? That's the room." They got there just after delivery as they were cleaning him up.
Even though it was two weeks early, at 8 pounds 10 ounces, "premature" wasn't even mentioned! Callahan had good color and lungs, and there really wasn't any concern like there had been with Landon. He also nursed easily and was just a chunky angel baby. He nursed until he was 10 months old, and then he just quit. Cold turkey. I had no idea why, and then I had the though "what if I'm pregnant?" And I was ...
(3) Keaton ~ 08/31/2000
We hadn't been on any type of birth control ... we didn't think it was necessary, as I was still nursing, and hadn't had a period and we'd had to "work" at the last to pregnancies. We'd have to rethink that policy! I was pretty overwhelmed at the thought of another baby so soon. As far as the pregnancy, I did have a few of my dizzy spells. Church really seemed to bring them on (maybe the type of seats or something?) but little Callahan was such a good little boy, I could hurry and hand him off to a friend and lay down. At this point Grayson was in the Bishopric, but the Petersons, an older couple always sat with me and the boys to help out. I actually felt pretty good during the pregnancy, and we even hit the beach and went camping during the summer, until my doctor reminded me of the early arrival of baby #2 and suggested we stay closer to home near the end.
I'd had to switch doctors. Dr. Hull had been in an accident. Just a backyard trampoline, but he was paralyzed. My new doctor was a woman, Kathleen Langer, and I liked her a lot. She found an alternative to the nasty glucose drink ... a king-sized Snickers bar. It was actually a little hard to down in a limited time frame and without anything to wash it down after. Still very preferable though!
We had found out it was another boy. He was due September 5 ... which had also been Landon's due date. On August 30th, the day before Keaton came, Grayson had a really bad Meniere's attack. One of his worst. He was super sick that night, but had recovered enough to go to work the next day. I had a doctor's appointment and had a neighbor watching the two little boys. I had been feeling some twinges, and I was actually far enough along that my doctor asked "do you want to walk over to admitting right now?" but I said I hadn't really made plans for the little boys longer than an hour, and preferred to be home until I felt further along. As I left, she said "see you later! Today!" I got home, collected the boys, and called a teenage gal in the ward that I'd had my eye on for babysitting and had her "on call". I let Grayson know, and he headed home. It was Grandpa Norman's birthday, and Mom&Dad were heading to lunch with them and I told them it would probably be today, but still a few hours away. I was home for a few hours before the contractions started to be closer together and getting painful, so we headed to the hospital. I remember Gary Peterson (the one who sat with us during Sacrament meeting, and had come over last night to give Gray a blessing) saw us driving down the street and waved us over to chat, to check on Gray ... and the chatting went on a little longer than I was wanting. In labor here! We gotta go!
We got checked in, my doctor was there checking to see if I'd come in yet. They checked me, and I was an 8, and the nurse joked "how do you feel about a natural birth?" I was able to get the epidural and have it kick in, although it took the anesthesiologist a couple of tries, and even though I didn't feel cold, I was shaking. My folks were the first to make it there, followed shortly by Pam, Courtney (welcome to the family Courtney! She'd just married in earlier in August) and Olivia. The birth was easy, I think I only had to push a few times before Keaton popped out. Same weight as Landon (7 pounds 11 ounces) and the longest of the three boys, at 20 1/2 inches.
Keaton was a good baby, and the transition to three kids wasn't as hard as one might expect (the kids outnumbering the parents at this point). Ironically, whenever we went somewhere, Callahan would fall asleep, while baby Keaton wouldn't (you'd think the baby would sleep the most). We had to transition Callahan a little early from his bottle he's left laying around (as he'd stopped nursing at 10months) when little Keaton got a hold of it, and had a reaction to the milk. Keaton had a few allergic reactions, we had to watch what he ate and drank to monitor that (eggs, pasta, even steak?) He seemed to outgrow most (although he had a nut allergy later in life). He was a happy baby who got along with his brothers. He liked the family bed, and would stroke mommy's silky jammies, and kick daddy during the night.
We enjoyed life with three boys, enough that Grayson said "should we have another?" and without even really trying ... we were pregnant again.
(4) Cooper 08/28/2003
While Cooper's conception was easy, the pregnancy was harder. I feel a little guilty when I say it was difficult, because compared to some women, who have to be on bed rest or what not, it wasn't that bad ... but it was the worst thus far. Enough that we thought this baby might be a girl, with how different it felt. The ultrasound revealed another boy though. While I never actually passed out, like I did when pregnant with Callahan, I came close several time. Again, I could recognize the signs, and had just enough time to get into a safe position laying down. Sitting seemed to be the primary culprit, and after some close calls at church, and while driving, I didn't didn't dare go out much. I'd open up the curtains to let the light in, as I felt some depression coming on. I'd have pins and needles in my legs which would drive me crazy, and there were times when I was so uncomfortable I couldn't sleep, for days at a time, which would leave me emotionally on edge. I was ready to have this baby out of me! My SIL Amy was scheduled for a c-section of Aug27, and we were scheduled to be induced then too. The hospital called and said "don't come, we're full" so we waited until the next morning, but were still told there was no room. It was a little frustrating as Grayson had taken off work and we'd made arrangements for my dad to watch the kids while my mom came to the hospital. It was a waiting game. In the afternoon we got the call that we could come in ... but they were still full, so I was put into a recovery room to start, double booked with another pregnant patient. At this point I really regretted coming in and wished I'd just waited longer at home for things to happen on their own. We finally were able to move into a birthing room, which was more comfortable for me, my mom and Gray. They broke my water around 4:00 and the contractions started coming hard and painful and the anesthesiologist was backed up, so I had to wait a while and was pretty miserable (or just a wimp). Finally the guy arrived (Grayson said he recognized him, the same anesthesiologist from the other three births, I didn't really care what he looked like) and the epidural made me sick to my stomach and I threw up over and over. Finally I was feeling a bit better, and not feeling the painful contractions. Alicia came in the evening, as well as Pammy, Ana and Olivia. Around 9:00 it was finally time. The baby was posterior, which made it a little harder. I had to push a LOT, but we finally got our little guy. He was a good crier (like Callahan) and weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces (like Callahan). It was late when everyone left and Gray and Grandma returned to the house to relieve Grandpa there with the three boys, and apparently half the neighborhood had been there late as well. We stayed in the hospital on Friday, and returned home on Saturday. The grandparents were gone, and Gray left to run some errands, and I was a little overwhelmed being home alone with the new baby, the three boys, and several neighborhood friends. With my pre-birth depression, my doctor had been fairly concerned about post-partum depression, but that wasn't really an issue. I did struggle some with painful nursing/mastitis, which finally resolved.
The bigger boys loved their baby brother and were good little helpers. Cooper was a momma's boy, especially as he got a little older. I ended up working (mostly from home, a project with Creating Keepsakes/IMP) and it was hard to leave him when I had meetings, as he wasn't really a bottle boy. I'd learned my lesson with the other boys, and had made several blanket "auggies" that I'd switch out (although he still managed to have a favorite). As he got a little older, unlike other kids, he never crawled. He did this super cute bum scoot, and would wear out the seat of his pants. But because he wasn't crawling, he wouldn't approach furniture in the same way, and would also never pull himself up into a standing position, so this slowed down his walking a lot. He was over 18-months before he walked.
(5) Colton 12/20/2005
Surprise! I think there had been a time in the early in the year when birth control just hadn't been at the top of the list. So ... guess what. I remember taking the test and not being very happy about seeing the little double line. And in bed that night, and Grayson, sensing something was a bit off, asked "how are you?" and I replied "pregnant" ... after the last pregnancy being harder, and Cooper being a bit more challenging a child, I was quite stressed about another pregnancy, another baby. Happily, this pregnancy was quite easy, although I never would have PLANNED a December baby! I had to switch doctors, as the insurance plan had changed. We had to change hospitals too. I didn't like this doctor as much, as Cottonwood Hospital was further away (Jordan Valley is practically next door). But we took a little tour of the birthing area beforehand, and it was really nice. The due date WAS Christmas, and as we were counting down, I had a couple nights were I would wake to painful tightening in my tummy, but it didn't continue. Still, I figured I should make some preparations. I packed a bag, and talked to our main babysitter Nicole, who lived next door. She told me she'd try to stay available, and that I could even call her in the middle of the night. I had to call her in the middle of the night. On Tuesday, Dec20, I woke to cramping pain about 2:20am.. I got up and walked around, and started to time the contractions. The contractions were 30-40 seconds long, happening every 3-4 minutes, so ... time to head in. I was able to get a hold of Nicole and she came over to stay with the kids as Gray and I hit the snowy roads to make the trek to the hospital. Things had happened so quickly with Callahan and Keaton, so we also called the parents and they headed out too. The roads weren't great, but at least there isn't traffic at that hour! I was at an 8, but they were able to get me an epidural quickly, and like with Cooper's delivery, it caused a drop in blood pressure which made me nauseous. Then ... the contractions slowed, and I had to be given Pitocen to get things going again. It wasn't until after 9:00 in the morning when our yet unnamed 9 pound 6 ounce little lump of Christmas coal arrived. We named him Colton.
I remember Grayson brought the boys, and Cooper was sleepy and Gray laid him in the hospital bassinet. He filled that right up! Clay and Courtney stopped by with their little baby girl born a couple months earlier. Newborn Colton was bigger than Addie!
We had our Christmas celebrations. There was a lot of sickness going around. Cooper had a fever, and I had a bad cough, then fever and chills. The baby felt warm too, and I took his temp; it was over 100. We ran him to the Kid'sCare, and they said he needed to go to Primary Children's Hospital. We were able to get a hold of our older babysitter Ashlee to come stay with the boys (it was 10 at night). They got us right in, they took urine (Colton offered some up freely, along with some poop), blood, a chest x-ray and they even did a lumbar puncture. My poor little baby! I was asked questions, "does he usually ...." or "is this normal ..." What is usual/normal with a baby I've only had in my arms for eight days? We were admitted, there was a little cot for a parent and a crib for the baby. Baby Colton was hooked up to monitors to have a constant read on his heart rate and breathing. Ironically, he never really seemed sick. I was sick. My folks couldn't come visit (we were there for a few days) because they were sick. Pam was sick. Even our pediatrician was sick. At home, Landon and Callahan were sick ... Keaton seemed to avoid the bug. We'd gone into the hospital on Dec28 and stayed through New Years Day (new insurance deductible!)
After that, it was pretty smooth sailing. Colton was a good and easy baby. We did end up back in the ER a year and a half later, with an allergic reaction (nuts/peanuts), and that was something he'd have to watch out for (not life threatening, but still good to avoid). He crawled and walked on a normal timeline, and I wondered if he'd beat Cooper on potty training (they did end up finishing up with diapers around the same time). Fast forward 16 years ... and Colton DID beat Cooper to getting his driver's license.
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