Thumper

Griffin has this funny little "habit". Every now and then his right leg will start shaking. It is the cutest thing and so funny. I decided that his nickname will be Thumper. Ironically my nickname in high school from my soccer team was "Thumper" thanks to a little pre-game dance I used to do. I had totally forgotten about it until I nicknamed my son the same thing.

I am so grateful for wonderful friends and neighbors

I truly feel blessed to live in the ward and neighborhood we live in. My baby is 12 days old now and even yesterday we were still getting things brought to our house. I have never had so many friends bring me goodies or just stop by to see how I am doing. It has really been a blessing and humbling to me, and it has really helped my recovery so much to just know that so many people care and are there to help if I need it.
This recovery has been a little harder for me. The birth of our little Griffin was very stressful both emotionally and physically for me. He was turned sideways and then my blood pressure dropped right before delivery which made his heartrate drop and scare us all. I was on oxygen and having a hard time breathing. Because our darling boy was so big that they brought in the forceps and she explained that if she didn't get a hold of him just right with them she could break his neck. Luckily they didn't use the forceps, but I did have to have a very big episiotomy and a lot of stitches. In addition to that, when my doctor broke my water they discovered that he had had a bowel movement, so they didn't want him to cry when he came out and they had the respiratory team in the delivery room and passed him off to them immediately after delivery. We also had a herd of BYU students in the room the whole time, two of which started crying, saying how beautiful it was, while I was struggling to breath. I told my husband that I would rather have a C-Section than be threatened with forceps and vacuums for my baby again.
I am sure other mom's have gone through similar things, but for me it was a stressful situation, but a great relief and wonderful feeling to see and hear that our baby was okay and healthy.
Anyway, the point I was making was that I have been exhausted up until lately and I have very much appreciated the wonderful people who have thought of me and just made me feel very loved and cared about. I promise to get Thank You cards out soon, but I have never had to write so many, but I am grateful to have to. I am so happy that the Lord led us here and has kept us here so long. We live in a wonderful place surrounded by wonderful people!

I have an 11 year old - seriously?

I know it was a few days ago, but the feeling is still lingering. I can't believe that my "baby" girl is 11 years old and next year she will be going into Young Women's. Talk about scary. Thank heavens she will still have another year after that before she is in Junior High (or middle school). She had a great birthday though. We got her a bike that I could ride (which is so wierd) and a digital camera, which went great with the scrapbooking stuff from my bro and sister in law, which she loves. She was thrilled with my parents for getting her "presents that Mom and Dad would never get". Haha. Of course she had to give us all a fashion show with the new clothes she got. I think the best thing was her Daddy taking her out to play Laser Tag. She had so much fun shooting teenage boys and then a group of 10-12 year old boys! She did pretty great, but why wouldn't she, she is my daughter!!!!

There is something about a sleeping baby

I love to just sit and watch my beautiful baby sleep. It is so sweet and he just looks so peaceful. He is so beautiful and perfect and I can't get enough of him!
Brayden came in the other day and I was just sitting there watching Griffin sleep. Brayden asked me what I was doing and I said, "just watching your brother sleep." Brayden watched with me for a minute and then asked, "are you bored?" Ha ha. I guess it's a mom thing.

Soccer Season is officially over

I thouroughly enjoyed watching my kids play soccer this year. Brayden is so adorable and is just so happy to play! He loves playing sports and is a really good sport himself. Gavin had a great year, scored and played awesome as goalie! Faith has gotten so much better this season and is really getting into the games, scoring and using a lot of great skills. She can't wait to start indoor soccer.

Did I mention the kids are thrilled to have a new baby brother!!!

Griffin Michael Ward

Our beautiful stubborn baby boy was born on October 7, 2010 at 2:44 pm. He weighed 9 lbs 7 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long, making him our biggest, and yet shortest baby so far. He is a joy to have around and everyone wants to hold him all day long. His Daddy has a very hard time putting him down. It's amazing how having a baby brings the spirit so strong into your home. Everyone talks softer and can't help but smile when they are around him. We are so happy he is part of our family. I feel so very blessed to be a mother.
Yes, I am still recovering, but I appreciate all the help my husband is and the wonderful people in our ward. Thank you all.