My Sweet Brian

Brian stayed by my side the entire time, other then going to get some chips and zingers. They smelled so good, and he quickly got me some when I could eat again. :)
He was so sweet to be with me and was such a huge support. I am so grateful for him & his love for me and our little family. It was so nice & relaxing being in the hospital with him. They brought in a cot so he could stay with my at nights. He didn't get much sleep, but was so good with Landon and I. I love him so much!


The proud new Daddy.

Landon's Birth Story

On Sunday night (the 6th) at about 11:00 I started having some light contractions in my back. I figured they were just Braxton hicks since I have had some the last month. I went to sleep until 3:00 and then they were strong enough that I couldn't really sleep. They weren't really painful, just felt kind of uncomfortable. I was awake from 3:00-5:30 and then Hallie & Brian woke up. Brian got ready to go to work and I told him I felt we should call the doctor just to make sure. The doctor said they were contractions and to come in if they got any closer than 10 minutes apart and to come into the hospital to be checked. I had always had contractions in my stomach, not my back, so this was all new to me. We packed the kids up to stay at my parents, waited for Morgan to get out of school, and then ran some errands. We dropped the kids off at my parents around 11:30 and got to the hospital around 12:00. We checked in like it was a hotel & they soon strapped me to the bed to monitor me & check me. I was only a 1 and only 70% effaced so my chances of staying didn't look too good unless I moved quickly along within the next hour. We stayed for a little while and then after checking me again, the nurse called the doctor who said I could go home. I was honestly fine with it either way. I had a lot of things to get done & keep me occupied for the week, and Brian had a lot to do at work as well as get overtime hours before the baby was born. We also planned on going to In 'n' Out for lunch. The nurse came back in after I was dressed and said, "The baby's heart rate dropped a little bit and the doctor wants to see it before we send you home, so just wait and eat some cookies & juice while you wait." She left for about 1/2 hour and came back and said, " You're staying!" The baby's heart beat was fine, but the doctor didn't want to put the baby in any stress and felt that it would be safer to go ahead and induce me and monitor the baby. They soon induced me & we waited and waited and waited for my body to do something. They gave me an epidural when I was a 2. I looked at the guy giving me the epidural (I can't spell what their called) like he was my best friend. He was here to relieve me of any pain I would feel the rest of the time. I didn't know he would soon turn into my enemy (just kidding) :) He gave me the epidural which hurt of course because of the big needle, but somehow he managed to get it in a blood vessel causing my left leg to feel as though it had been electrocuted 3 times throughout my leg. The epidural was in wrong and so he had to break the news to me that he needed to do it again, only this time he forgot to mention that a needle would be going in my back or that I would feel a poke. It completly caught me off guard, and hurt so bad! I think due to the lack of sleep & food and the pain I started to cry. He said, "oh, did I make you cry?" Poor Brian just had to hold my hands and watch as the guy tried to make things better. Once again the electric pain shot through only this time in my right leg and twice. I was definatly done with this doctor! (Sorry about so much detail, but hey, this is for Landon's sake) :) I felt much better after the doctor was done and I could relax and the epidural worked wonderful! Finally after being at a 2-3 all afternoon I got to a 5 around 12:00. Brian had fallen asleep from exhaustion and looked so comfortable on the couch with his head on the armrest and his long legs hanging over the edge, but I was glad he was able to sleep some. I told the nurses that once I got to 5 I would quickly get to a 10. Sure enough by 12:30 - 12:45 I was at a 10. I pushed for 14 minutes & Landon came out. The delivering doctor is wonderful!!!!! He is the same one that delivered Hallie is Brian and I both really like him. Landon was born at 1:03 weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 21 inches long. He was our smallest, but longest baby. He is so much like Brian! He has his eyes, body, hands, & feet, and I love it! I am so grateful that all went well and that he is so healthy. He is such a sweet little guy and has a sweet peaceful personality, much like his Daddy. I am so glad he is here.

Oh Christmas Tree...

For FHE on Monday night we decorated the Christmas Tree. The kids were so excited, and kept pulling things out of the boxes and putting them on the tree. The finished product is beautiful! There is no order as to where the ornaments were placed, and there are no ornaments on the top of the tree, and to Brian and I, it's perfect! The kids had so much fun decorating the tree.
Hallie loved the lights and kept dancing around the tree while pulling off all the ornaments. She would go and stand by the tree and look at me with this huge grin.
Jackson loved putting all the white balls on the tree and loved standing on his tippy-toes to show us how high he could put the ornament. He was in charge of the white balls, Morgan was in charge of the red balls, so on the right side of the tree is all white thanks to Jackson, and on the left side, there are clusters of red balls thanks to Morgan's expertise. :)
Morgan did great at placing the berries & red balls on the tree. She loved being organized, and even made some patterns using the red balls.

My Christmas Finds

While I was shopping with the girls I found these cute hats and mittens at Old Navy. The kids were so excited to wear them, and can't wait for the snow!

Nuttall Girls Day Nov.28th

I told Karen for Christmas, that all I really wanted was for all of us girls to have a girls day without any kids. We had such a fun time!!! We first met at Brittany's house and went and met Janelle at Pottery Barn in Salt Lake. We browsed the store for a while & then went and looked at Pottery Barn kids and the rest of Trolley Square. We then had a yummy lunch at the Bistro ( I think that's what it was called). While we were sitting waiting, the waitress walked up to us and asked Brittany & Janelle if she could see their ID's. We all looked at her like she was crazy and Brittany said, "But I'm over 21!" I immediatly started thinking "Am I older than 21?" Right then Brittany said, "I'm 27!" I then remembered that I too was 27. :) I guess I didn't get asked because I'm pregnant & obviously Karen and I looked like the responsible adults. :) We were laughing about it, and I don't think the waitress thought we were too funny- we did though.
We moved on and stopped at Old Navy and got some great deals on items for Christmas. We then moved on to Target where we had way too much fun. I think we were in there for over 2 hours. We found some great gifts there as well, and Janelle treated us all to a Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks. It was yummy and perfect on a cool day.
We then tried on hats to see which fit the best. I think Janelle and Brittany were going for the "Russian" look while Karen & I were sporting a more "Swiss" look. :)

We then got a little carried away when Brittany found these cozy adorable sleepers. Obviously we had to try them on to make sure they were warm. We just laughed and laughed as we dressed, especially me as I tried to fit my pregnant body into one. It actually fit, although I would NEVER wear one because of how hot they were. We were hoping they had big enough sizes to get all the guys some for Christmas, but unfortunatly they didn't. They did have some really cool boy ones though that lit up in the dark. I wish Brian could wear a size 14 in Boys. He would have loved that Christmas present along with the kids on Christmas Eve. ;)

Season of Peace

I had so many things to do this past week before the baby came. Wash the baby clothes, finish last minute details on Christmas gifts, organize the kids rooms, make Christmas candy, baby shower for a friend, ward Christmas party, update my blog for the past 2 weeks, and so on and so on. Needless to say I was trying to keep myself busy so the week would go by fast. We had planned for me to me induced (if the baby hadn't come yet) on December 15th (my actual due date) However, that was obviously not in the plans of Heavenly Father or Landon. :) I'll blog more later & do a catch up of all the pictures from his birth as well as the previous weeks, but for now I wanted to express my feelings at this time of year, especially with the birth of a sweet new baby boy.
I've told Brian I just want to relax & enjoy the season with our family. I do have a lot to finish, and I've been trying to decide which has the highest priority, & how to place "resting for myself" as a priority. Today I was sweetly reminded as I read one of my friends blogs about what this season is really about. As I read her blog, I thought about our Savior Jesus Christ, but especially about his Mother Mary. How blessed am I to be able to have a baby boy in a hospital, where it is warm and there are warm blankets & beds and a little bed to lay my baby in. How blessed am I to be able to go to a clean hospital where they welcome me and give me a place to stay, food to eat, & even a bed for Brian, until the baby and I are ready to go. How blessed am I to be able to drive to the hospital instead of riding on a donkey in the cold. I feel so blessed. I see my own love for my sweet new son, and I can only imagine the love that Mary felt for her child... The Son of God! I think every Mother wonders what their child will face in life, their joys & laugther, as well as pain and sorrow. As I recieved the epidural the 2nd time (yes that's right... I'll explain later) I prayed that none of my children would ever have to feel such physical pain. I think of Mary, and how she must have prayed for her own sweet Son that he wouldn't have to experience pain, but knowing who He was, she must of had a glimpse of the life he would live & the joy, as well as the pain he would endure. I admire her even more for the pure woman that she was & the strength that she had. I am sure that on that sacred night so long ago, that even though there may have been discomfort and pain, there was also joy, strength, and sweet peace.
I have felt such sweet peace these last couple of days that Landon has been home with us. He is such a good and sweet little baby & fills our home with so much love. He has been such a gentle reminder of what the season is all about, our Savior... the Prince of Peace.

Here are the pictures of the "glowing mother" that didn't make it on to the first post. Just a rookie mistake.