December Fun

Wow! Another month has gone by and it has sure been a busy one...I just don't know where to begin!

Christmas Tree- We went with the Seamons Family to go and cut our tree, a family tradition. We even got Crew all decked out in his new snowpants and coat. He actually was pretty happy in his "Ralphie" outfit!







Goose Hunting! (Pictures to come- thank you Marcee for watching Crew so I could get some fresh air- it was wonderful!)

Jed and Marcee's graduation from BYU-I and Crew's first swim!




Christmas!


We started cereal! I can't believe he is 4 months old!


We are so grateful for all of our many blessings and the wonderful year which we have had. We are truly blessed and recognize the miracles that have happend in our life. The trials we have gone through have made us stronger, including laying on a couch for a 1/3 of the year! Our miracle baby has completed our family, and has filled a spot in our hearts we didn't know we had. It is amazing how such a little person can bring such a huge spirit into your home. We are grateful for all of our friends and family and the huge support system they are to us. We couldn't have made it without you!

Time to get caught up!

Yet again, the time has gotten away from us! The last couple of months have seemed to come and go and now the holidays are here and in full swing. I have seemed to have gotten back into my old routine of a full, busy schedule, so life feels somewhat back to normal. Here are some of the highlights of the last couple of months.

Hunting! It was a little hard to watch these hunting months to go by without being able to participate...it's been many years since I haven't gotten a least one big game animal in a season. This year I got to stay home and hear about all the adventures and stories- but I'm not complaining- I'll be back next year. No elk this year for Austin, but he did get his deer out behind our house. This area is only open for two points on the general tag, but we won't complain. It's not everyday you can make it work like this. It was too easy to be called hunting. There's quite a story to our adventures this fall....this is what we saw one morning in our yard, two days before the season opened, eating my grass and tress...remember, we can only shoot two points!

I know this wasn't the same criminal, but I just want them to leave my trees alone!!

A few days later, while Crew was down for a nap, there was another herd of 4 does and 2 TWO POINTS that walked right behind my back door. I could have shot a deer during nap time, but somebody had my gun with them in their pickup instead of leaving it at home and carrying HIS gun. I won't name any names, but I think he learned his lesson....

Here's one of the many Super Saturday projects I did for different wards throughout October and November. We had some fun projects! Photo blocks, pan etching, a gospel ABC quiet book, tiles, boards....if you can't tell, this is where most of my time went to!

Crew first started to show us a small smile around 6 weeks old. After that, for quite awhile, Austin was the only one that could get a smile out of this kid. Now of course, he's smiling, giggling, laughing, and making all kinds of fun sounds which absolutely makes my day! Those moments are the joys of motherhood!

First starting to smile with Dad.

Smiling like a pro!

Yeah for a fun adult (+Crew) weekend in McCall. Some friend's found an awesome cabin to rent for the weekend, so the Excursion was packed and we were off! It was good to get away and enjoy a relaxing weekend after the busy, harvest season.

At Crew's two month appointment he had doubled his birth weight (already!) and continues to be a healthy, growing boy! Here's a picture of him in his blessing outfit a few days after turning two months old. We blessed him November 1st and want to thank all of our family that came to support us. Austin did a wonderful job and gave a beautiful blessing to our special boy!

Crew's Pictures

I had Crew's newborn pictures taken when he was 11 days old. We had an amazing photographer and I can't brag enough about her. Laura Farris works out of her home and is the most patient and detail oriented person I have ever met- but it shows in her work- I am so excited about the pictures we got. It was hard to pick a few to post on here! Enjoy!

Princess Jenna

Between the baby and wedding, my little sister was feeling a little neglected and forgotten about, but she soon found out that her day was coming! Jenna was voted as the sophomore homecoming princess for Jerome last week...so we headed down Friday night for the half-time show of the football game to watch the royalty be presented. Seeing Jenna all dressed up was fun- and out of the norm....we had to all convince her she couldn't wear her boots with her dress. She protested, but after seeing how far she had to walk in heels and in front of SO MANY people, we really should have let her! We are so proud of Jenna for the great example and good friend she is to those around her. She is always so full of fun and laughs - we love you Jen!

It was interesting being back in J-town for a football game. Lot's of good memories for both Jed and I. We saw a lot of teachers and faculty we hasn't seen for awhile. Jed couldn't believe he used to play in front of such a crowd. Our "small town spouses" were a little amazed by the scene. I think Austin realized it isn't the norm to be able to pull up to the football field in your pickup to watch the game...it's a luxury! :)

Mr. and Mrs. Jed Seamons

The day after we got released from the hospital, my brother Jed and his fiance Marcee were married in the Twin Falls Temple. We were so, so grateful that we were able to make it and share their day with them. It was a beautiful and hot September day, but we enjoyed seeing so much family and meeting Marcee's family as well. The reception turned out beautiful - it was amazing to see how everything came together so well. Not bad for planning everything from the couch and using online shopping! Marcee's dad built all of the barnwood decor- including the arch, fence, and trellis'...they turned out amazing! The best part is that I got to keep these and add them to my wedding decor - yeah! We are so excited to have Marcee apart of our family - we are feeling so complete now with our new sister-in-law and our beautiful baby Crew.... Life is Good!!

Pictures from the reception. Everything turned out beautiful!

Crew Allen Merrick

Our baby is here!

Crew was born Thursday, August 27th at 1:59 pm. He weighed 5 lbs. 11 oz. and was 19 inches long. My water broke around 2:30 am that morning- after Austin had just taken 2 Tylenol PM's because he couldn't sleep...what a fun drive for him to Boise! After being admitted and still having no contractions, we started Pitocin around 7 am, had an epidural (the BEST thing ever!) around 9 am, and was fully dilated around noon. We started pushing around 12:30 pm and finally got him here at 1:59. I was exhausted. The last few moments before his debut got a little tense- his heart rate dropped and he was just not coming very smoothly- they called in the vacuum to help him out on the next contraction, but somehow (with the help of a great team) they got him out. Things got a little interesting after this- Crew came out very blue, but they got him breathing very quickly, they realized he was breathing way too fast and was not adjusting to life very well. NICU was called in 4 minutes after he was born, they arrived at 7 min., and Dad and Crew were off to the NICU about 15 min. after he was born. Not very fun for Mom, but I knew he was in good hands. 3 hours later I finally got to hold my baby and we were told that he had suffered Respiratory Distress Syndrome. He was basically breathing too fast, and they had him regulated before I even got to the NICU. He never had to have oxygen, and has been great ever since. After that we had a few glucose problems, which lead to a jaundice problem, which lead to Crew being "fake baked" for two days under the lights. We were finally released Wednesday to come home- a very long awaited day! 6 days in the NICU was more than enough for me. The stress of being there was hard, but as Austin and I looked around us, we realized how lucky and fortunate we were to have a healthy baby boy that would only be there a few days. It was quite the experience and some of the things we saw would break your heart.

Crew has truly turned into our miracle baby. The doctors are absolutely amazed that we made it to 37 weeks, a number no one thought was possible. And I can’t believe I made it on the couch for 16 weeks!! He was worth every minute and we are just so happy to be home. We are completely in love with our little boy!

Happy Birthday Austin!

This is a few days overdue, but last week was Austin's birthday. I felt bad because there just wasn't much I could do from the couch to help him have a special day. About a month ago I had been planning ahead and trying to figure out what to get him for his birthday, thinking we didn't know where I would be or what the baby situation would be, and I wanted to make sure he had something to know how much I appreciate him! His birthday gift turned out to be a Traeger Grill, after my dad informed him it's the BEST thing in the world. I was a little skeptical, but it turned out he was right! Austin ended up getting it before his birthday, but I'm glad- I've been eating some delicious meals! This electric grill/smoker has made the best steaks, potatoes, asparagus, even pizza! We love it! It uses flavored pellets to add a great flavor, and because it's electric, it keeps a nice even temperature- nothing burned or under cooked! With these hot summer days Austin has been cooking dinner almost every night on it, so no mess in the kitchen. One less thing for him to clean! Maybe that's why he's liking this so much...

As for his actual birth"day", it was not that great of a day, which made me feel bad. We ended up not having any water at the house all day (pump problems in the well), but luckily Austin and his dad got it fixed by the end of the day, the end of a very HOT day. Poor Austin was exhausted- thank you Carol for dinner that night, it was delicious and very much appreciated. Luckily Austin did get some fun in on Saturday. He met my dad in Fairfield and they had a great day of motorcycle riding at one of our favorite places. It was a great break for Austin and I'm glad he was able to get away, even if it was for just a few hours. He deserved it! Yesterday we had a family dinner to celebrate Austin's birthday (of course the Trager was put to good use)...thank you to all our family for coming to be with us. It was good to see the Seamons and Merrick families, and enjoy some great food. Thanks everyone for your help- I couldn't have done it without you!

I am so grateful for my husband- he's the most kind hearted person I know and works so hard to support our family. He always amazes me with all of his talents and abilities! I appreciate all that he's doing for me and the baby right now- he never thinks of himself and has put our needs first. We couldn't have made it this far without him! We are now 32 weeks along and doing pretty good. We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! We are both so excited to meet this little guy and bring him home!

Warning: This is an UPDATE!

Yes, we are alive. Yes, I have been absolutely horrible about keeping things updated. And yes, we have news to share! Our biggest surprise to all is that we are expecting a baby boy on September 16th (our 4 year wedding anniversary!) Austin and I are so excited, it has been such a long, difficult, and emotional road, but we are getting so close! The other part of this is that I am on complete bedrest until the baby comes. When I was 20 weeks along I had a surgery to put in a cervical cerclage and was ordered to bed. So, here I've sat for the last 8 weeks (I know, I've had plenty of time to update). We still are not out of those scary weeks yet, but things have remained stable, and with that, we feel like we can finally share with everyone are exciting news. We have been told to be prepared for an early delivery sometime this summer, but just thank Heavenly Father for each week I get to lay here and keep him in the oven! :) We are going to make it- I knew I married a great guy, but this has just been another testifying experience! Austin is keeping up with the yardwork, garden, house, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and oh, WORK! This has been quite the humbling, patience building experience of my life- all I can say is thank goodness for labtops and wireless internet and amazing family and friends! Honestly though, this experience makes you so grateful for the simple things, and the things you just take for granted in everyday life.

Other family news is that my brother Jed is getting married! Jed met Marcee Coleman at school in Rexburg, where they shared many different classes together. She is from Mud Lake and will become part of our family on September 3rd in the Twin Falls Temple. We are excited that Jed has found someone that likes to join us in all of our fun, bad habits! We hope that we will be able to be with Jed this day--we will have to see what this kid has in mind!