Let Freedom Ring

Coleman just participated in a fun kindergarten program where they sang patriotic songs and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

Poor Coleman was yawning through the whole program, and I kept thinking, "Who is that boys mother, and why doesn't she let her son get more sleep?!?"
But he did a great job singing and doing hand actions anyway, even though he looked so, so tired.
His cute teacher Mrs. Walker has been at our school for so many years that some of the kids in her class have parents that were her students. Coleman loves her!
Sophia slept through the whole thing (which is why she is in her car seat... I usually don't like to carry that bucket around, but I couldn't bring myself to wake her up to get her out and put her in the sling, which I am still getting used to maneuvering).

On the way home we told Coleman we wanted to take him to get a treat--he said that he would pick something and save it for later because he felt sick! No wonder he was yawning! He slept the afternoon away and was all better the next morning.

I'm so proud of Coleman! He's done great this year in kindergarten and loves learning.

I made it!

After eight months of injecting this into my body twice a day, I am thrilled to say that

I am done!

(If anyone knows someone who uses this and could use some 80 mg/mL syringes, I ended up with a few extra... they are fully sealed so they'd be safe to pass along. I was very blessed in the early days with some medication from some friends and would love to pay it forward!)

Brothers

S"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero."
--Marc Brown

Sisters

"A sister is worth a thousand friends."
--Author Unknown

Glee!

Did you LOVE the return of Glee last night?

We had to laugh at Sophia's reaction to the episode, when she appeared to be plugging her ear.

It Always Comes Full Circle

So on Sunday I got a new calling... which I'm really excited about.... I get to be an Activity Days Leader for the 8 year old girls in our ward which for now includes my sweet Liv!

I had to laugh when the coordinator came over to my house to do a quick orientation... she handed me my binder... and I immediately recognized it as one I made over four years ago when I was the Primary president. Good thing I made it cute, huh?

(A short aside, I think it should be part of the Church handbook--or at the very least an unwritten yet well-understood rule that is followed by all Church leaders--that women with new babies shouldn't be given callings or "opportunities to serve" until their babies are at least six weeks old, but maybe that's just me?)

Welcome Little One

Dear Sophia Madelynn,

We are so glad you have arrived safely to our family. We had a long hard night before you were born, but you were so good and waited until the 18th of March to come (I knew that you didn't want to share your birthday with the leprechauns!). They started Pitocin the night before around 7 pm and by 3 the next morning I was still only dilated to a 3! I was very frustrated and felt like I wasn't going to make it. Dad kept encouraging me though and told me he knew that I could do it, that I was strong and was doing a great job. The monitors didn't work when we got up to walk around or when I wanted to get in the tub or sit on the ball... I was sure that would help so the contractions didn't hurt so much. The doctor and nurses needed to make sure your heartbeat was good, so I stayed in bed all night. By 4 in the morning I started having my own contractions and they finally turned off the Pitocin... then I started to dilate more quickly which was a good thing... I was pretty sure we were headed for a Cesarean birth... so I was very grateful that my body was getting ready for you to come. By 8 in the morning I had a really strong desire to push and even though I wasn't quite dilated to a 10, the doctor came in and got everything ready. You were anxious to come, and it didn't take many contractions of pushing to get you out, even though your head was turned the wrong way. When they gave you to me, I was so grateful to see that you were healthy. Dad and I were thrilled that you were finally here!

Olivia and Coleman came to visit you soon after you were born... they were so excited to finally meet you. They have been praying for you since they found out we were going to have another baby. Even before then, they prayed that Heavenly Father would send another baby to our family.... so you are an answer to their prayers (and ours!).

You are now a week old, and I am still in awe at the journey that it took for you to get here. Many years ago Dad and I went on a Pioneer Trek with the youth in our ward. We went to Martin's Cove and pulled handcarts, and each of us got to learn about someone in one of the handcart companies. I learned about my grandmother, six generations back, named Sophia Mason Crook who crossed the plains with the Willie Handcart company. She was 65 years old when she crossed--her husband had died before she left England so she went alone with one of her children. Her toes were frozen and had to be amputated... but she made it to the Salt Lake Valley. She was strong and faithful and committed to the gospel. I felt such a strong connection to Sophia during that Trek and I knew that if we were able to ever have another baby, we would name her Sophia or him Mason after her. After four years of trying to have a baby, it looked like we weren't going to be able to have any more. There were times that I was devastated and heartbroken about it, but I had finally come to feel peace with the way our family was. We had been blessed with two wonderful children and it felt like we were going to be okay the way we were.

In July of 2009 we held a reunion for the Crook family. Again I felt a strong connection to Sophia Mason Crook and was so grateful for the chance that I'd had to "get to know" her during the Trek. I felt a little sick that day, but didn't think much of it until a couple of weeks later, on July 24th--Pioneer Day--when I took a pregnancy test and found out that I was pregnant with you! It seemed so fitting to find out on Pioneer Day. I felt that you were going to be a girl and that your name would be Sophia... even though Dad wasn't sure he was ready to commit to anything until he met you.

When I was only 11 weeks along I had a pulmonary embolism and it was such a scary experience, mostly because we weren't sure how it would affect you. I took two shots of medicine each day so I wouldn't have another clot. They weren't fun, but it was worth it. Because of the high risk, we got to see a perinatologist every 6-8 weeks to make sure that you were growing and developing, which was a good comfort.

I was surprised when I went for an ultrasound at 12 weeks and they told me you were going to be a boy! It didn't feel right, but the perinatologist was certain she could see boy parts. I thought it was too early to tell, and she said that there was a chance she was wrong, but she was pretty sure. I spent the next 8 weeks getting used to the idea that you would be Mason instead of Sophia. Coleman was so excited to have a little brother--he knew you would be a great video game partner. When we had an ultrasound at 20 weeks though the nurse and perinatologist were very apologetic and explained that they had been wrong, and now they were absolutely certain that you were a girl. It was such a relief to me and just felt right. Coleman got used to the idea of having a sister (who still might be a great video-game partner) and Olivia was thrilled at the idea of having a baby sister.

After you were born they asked us what your name was... I looked at Dad and he nodded and answered "Sophia" which has been your name all along! We decided to give you the middle name of Madelynn after both of your grandmothers... my mom was named Madeline after her grandmother and Dad's mom's middle name is Lynn, so we combined the two for your middle name. I love that you are named after three women that are strong, determined, and faithful. They are great examples to me and I hope that you will learn from them as well.

In the last seven days I have learned that you are persistent, trusting, patient, vocal, peaceful, and determined. I know that in the next days, weeks, months, and years we will learn a lot more about each other. I am so glad that you came to our family... we love you!

Love,
Mom