Nate

Here is a cute photo of Nate. He is such a good baby! He only cries when he's hungry or if he pees on his own face. He has successfully caused diaper changing drama three times. The kind of drama that ends up in a washer full of messy pillows, clothes, sheets, and blankets. It is pretty comical. But look at that face... he can pee and poop all he wants with a face like that.

Two boys

This morning, I was sitting on the couch looking at my new beautiful son when my other beautiful son came to talk. He patted his little brother on the head, put his blanket on him, whispered in his ear, talked to him, and kissed him three trillion times.

As I got up to eat a scrumptious breakfast that my hubby made for me I mentioned to him that I didn't know what people were talking about when they said it was such a big step to have two kids instead of one. I think these were my exact words, "having two is fun".

While I still think this is true, I have to say that after making that comment the morning changed. Nathan struggled with his next feeding which made him fussy. Jeff seemed to react to a sad brother and started wailing and was inconsolable. It seemed my entire blissful morning was completely shattered.

But, after a good feeding for Nate and a long nap for Jeff, the blissfulness of two came back. It is wonderful! I know there will be frustrating times when two will seem really tough, but I also know that there will be many sweet moments when I can look at my boys (Scott included) and be thankful for how lucky I am to be sealed to them forever. As I sit here writing this, I can't believe how I could have stepped into such a wonderful situation. Saying "yes" to Scott has made my life incredible.

I just have to add this, because I feel when you feel grateful you should express it. Scott was and has been incredible through this whole delivery/recovery experience. He was my rock during the delivery. He was the perfect support team all by himself. I could never have done it without him. All week he has been cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, and waking up in the middle of the night to take care of Nathan and up in the early morning to take care of Jeff... I could tell you more and more, but I don't want to brag too much. :) Lets just say Scott is my hero, and I get to have him be my hero forever.

So, now that the pregnancy posts are over, you get some fun post-pregnancy posts. :)

Big Brother

Jeff is enamoured with his new brother. He is gentle and loves to give him kisses. He knows it is his baby and says it over and over again. Scott and I were both surprised because we didn't know if he really understood that he was getting a new buddy.

This is the first kiss from big brother to little brother. We caught it on camera by some stroke of luck. I'm sure there will be many more kisses between these two who are fast becoming best friends. :)

Here is my cute niece Katie, who is here in New Jersey with us playing nanny... without much pay. :) She is holding down the fort with Jeff back home and is doing a splendid job at it too. She is so awesome to come out here and help us. We also have lots of plans for her while she is here. All of which involve having fun!!

Oh yeah, the official name is Nathan Klyn Goddard!!!

Baby Boy Arrival

Well, we had our baby boy this morning. Here are all the details...

1:00 a.m. I woke up to a contraction, but I wasn't sure.

1:30 a.m. I nudged Scott, I nudged Scott a little harder, and he did wake up eventually. :)

2:30 a.m. We called the doctor to tell him that I had been having contractions for an hour, four minutes apart.

3:00 a.m. We got to the hospital. I was dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced.

5:00 a.m. I got my first epidural.

5: 15 a.m. My water broke.

6:00 a.m. I got my second epidural because the first didn't quite work.

6:47 a.m. Our little boy joined us after I pushed for 17 minutes.

He is:

20 1/2 inches long

8 lbs 9 oz

healthy

blessed with a full head of hair (thanks Scott)

So, there are all the details I can think of so far. Scott was an incredible coach. I could have never done it without him. Really, he was incredible. He could coach labor and delivery with the best of them. I almost forgot, as soon as the baby was born he peed all over the doctor. I think that means he will either be a Doctor or a Lawyer. Either way, it was pretty comical. :)

We will try to keep the blog posted. Thanks for all the support and prayers from our family and friends. We feel very blessed!

Tummy Talk

People have begged and pleaded for this photo... so here it is. :) Okay, so maybe begged and pleaded is an overstatement, but nonetheless you get a glam shot of me at more than nine months pregnant. I haven't seen myself from this angle really, so it is probably as much a shock to me as it is to you. I

can't believe how big I am. It must be the black shirt against the white wall. But then... isn't black the slimming color. Oh man... I guess I will just have to face the music and realize that I am just big. As a side note to some who have not seen me in a while. This pregnancy not only added an enormous bump to be front side, but also turned my hair more red and curly too. Pregnancy does weird stuff.

Oh yeah, with all this tummy talk, I almost forgot to say that I went to the doctor today and he told me I am dilated to 3 cm and am 50% effaced. It made me happy. The best part, I haven't felt anything. Nothing like progress without pain. :)

These are a few pictures of Jeff and his beloved measuring tape. He doesn't leave home without it. He doesn't go to bed without it either. He has had it in his little paws for the past two weeks and the only time I can pry it out of his fingers is to give him a bath. (I don't want it to rust). I'm not sure which he is more attached to, his tape measure, or his blanket his Grandma Goddard made for him.

Jeff loves the missionaries. Here is a fun video of him sharing a piece of cake with one of our favorite Elders serving in the ward. Elder Rodriguez is awesome, he is from Brazil and has only been a member for a few years. He is the hardest working missionary and will knock doors all day long because he knows how much people need the gospel from his own changes. He and Jeff have a special bond. They better if he will share his cake with Jeff.

This is a video of Jeff being a little Brett (my little brother who is on a mission in Belize). He is measuring stuff with Karen (my landlord) and then has to take a phone call on his cell. If any of you know my little brother... this is him to the "T". He is a farmer who spends most of his earnings paying his cell phone bill each month. It just cracks me up. Those farmer genes are strong.

I have started going to the grocery store on Saturday mornings at about 7:30. This way, I can get there before it gets too crazy with Saturday shoppers and I can go without Jeff thus avoiding the huge bumper car shopping cart that is all but impossible to maneuver without taking out a few cute grandmas.

Last week was the first week and it was great! This week... was not so great. The problem really doesn't have anything to do with grocery shopping at all. It has to do with me.

It all started in the dairy isle. I decided to get a bunch of the single serving cups of yogurt instead of a one of the big cartons. There was one fatality as I was putting them in my cart. The employee who had to clean up the mess kind of glared at me as he scooped up all the strawberry yogurt from the floor. It was like in slow motion watching the yogurt slip out of my hands onto the floor.

Then, as I was leaving the store somehow my grape tomato packages slipped out of my cart and spilled all over the floor too. Okay, so now in one morning I have successfully dropped two things on the floor. You would think I had filled my dropping quota... not so.

At home, I was emptying the dishwasher and dropped one our plates to its shattering death on our tile floor. I almost started to scream because I was so tired of dropping things. Scott quickly made me feel better by explaining that I am pregnant and it isn't my fault.

So, along with getting a baby within the next week or so, I am really excited to get back my ability to hold onto things and stop dropping everything and anything that gets into my hands. Hopefully this transition takes place before I hold the baby for the first time.

Just in case any of you are skeptical about it not being my fault... the paragraph below is from BabyCenter.com which is as reliable as The Bible. :)

Is it normal to feel clumsy during pregnancy?

Yes. Many women feel ungainly when they're pregnant, particularly in their last few months.Clumsiness comes as no surprise when you consider what your body's going through: You're carrying more weight, your center of gravity has shifted with your growing uterus, and hormonal changes can cause your joints to loosen, including those in your fingers and toes. You'll get your balance and dexterity back after you give birth.In the meantime, protect yourself by remembering that you're not at the top of your game when it comes to muscle control and coordination. Try not to put yourself in situations where you have a high risk of falling — like climbing a ladder or standing on a chair to change a light bulb.Put your high heels away for now and wear stable, comfortable shoes. Take special care when walking on wet, icy, or uneven surfaces and when going up or down steep steps. Take it slow and use handrails whenever possible.

It's amazing that a kid can go from this...

To this...

In as little as a year and a half.

I am continually amazed by the human body and all that it can do. I remember sitting in my anatomy and physiology class in college and just being completely in awe at what the body is capable of... in fact, I was so in awe that I pretty much didn't understand 50% of it. Incredibly, I still passed the class. As I think about having another baby and all that takes place to make that possible, it just gets even more magnificent. It is another testimony to me that there is a God. We are created by him in His image. It really is amazing!