One Week Old

I love having a new baby in the house.
They bring such peace and love.

Oliver's birth story is much different from the other boys.
Without going into too many details, I'll tell you this:
My water broke at 1:00 a.m.,
we were at the hospital at 2:00
My epidural went in somewhat last minute
and only lasted about 20 minutes.
The anesthesiologist rushed in to give me more medicine,
but I still felt A LOT more than I bargained for
(which I guess I shouldn't complain,
since I was trying to go without one in the first place).
Oliver was born at 3:50 a.m.
The fastest labor I've ever had.

The past week, I've learned a few things
having a baby in the house again

1. Baby cheeks are meant to be kissed again, and again, and again.
2. Not being able to kiss your baby's cheeks because you are sick is torture.

3. Bringing home a newborn baby does not guarantee peace and calm in the home - especially with a 5 and 3 year old around.

4. Having a wonderful, helpful sister is a great asset to have when your mom is in Africa and can't come to help.

5. A baby can dirty a full load of laundry in one week.

6. Dumbo is a tear-jerker.

7. Prayer brings tremendous peace to a post-pregnancy, worrisome, emotional heart.

8. Staying up late is not as fun as it used to be (and not worth it) when you're getting up with a newborn and three other kids.

9. The little kids who you thought were so tiny and petite aren't so tiny and petite when compared to a newborn.

10. I have the best husband in the world - who takes great care of me and all our boys. (wait, I already knew that...)

11. I really, really love babies...

Oliver Jacob Hunt

Stephanie wanted me to post pictures and stats for her blog. I will spare her regular readers the 5,000 word story of his birth and let her ramble on about our unforgettable day.

Ollie is 6 lbs 10 oz, 20 inches long and was born 8/17/09 at 3:50 a.m. He has a small mop of hair on his head as you can see in the pictures. He is very quiet and active.

Mom is doing well. They should be coming home tomorrow and I'm sure there will soon be better pictures and better descriptions of our day. Thanks to our friends and family that have helped us today. It has been appreciated beyond compare.

(I do want it pointed out that I could have vengefully posted a picture of mom right after the delivery to counter the post of me and my mammoth gut at the swimming pool in her last post. However, I have taken the high road by refraining and instead whining like a little girl about it. That's what real men do.)

Three proud brothers

Ollie grinning at his mom



20 inches and almost 7 lbs of baby

15 minutes old already with more hair than his dad

What's new in Vernal, you ask??

Well, let me tell you:

Porter got a new bike.

After spending some (paid) hours pulling weeds in the front yard,

Porter earned enough money for a new bike.

He picked it out at Wal-Mart,

and proudly walked it through the store.

He spends about every waking moment he can

outside with the neighbor kids riding and racing. As a result, Port's old bike got the training wheels put back on

and passed to Zach.

So I guess you could say

Zach got a new bike, too.

(quite the upgrade from the tricycle he'd been riding)

He wanted to try riding without the training wheels

but doesn't quite have the balance idea yet.

So the training wheels went back on...

doesn't slow him down though -

he keeps up with the other boys just fine.

Next, we got a membership to the Community Center in town

and they have a climbing wall.

Porter had been asking to try it

so last Wednesday we headed down there,

got Porter all harnessed up

and let him give it a go.

He made it to the top the first time!!

We were very impressed.

He scaled it a couple more times with no problems.

Even Rhett gave it a try -Then when we went again yesterday,

Zach gave it a climb.

He did a great job;

however, he gets a little nervous when he gets too high.

He and Rhett have a bet to see who can get to the top first.

I've been challenged,

But I need to lose a little belly weight first... :)

After climbing the wall,

we enjoy the huge indoor pool the Community Center has.

Andrew's a bit timid in the water,

but finally mastered this cool dinosaur slide.

He rotates between the slide,

and sitting out wrapped in a towel, warming up.

Next,

In our goal to take in all of Vernal's "culture"

and become true Vernal-ians

we headed to the Uintah County Fair to see the Demolition Derby.

Boy, was it a blast!

As each set of cars would come out to compete,

we would each pick our favorite to win.

We had a great time yelling and cheering them on

as they drove around in the dirt

and crashed into each other.

In between rounds were tug-of-war competitions

and a beard contest...

(nothing like small town amusement, huh?)

We dined on "fair food" of fried twinkies and fried oreos

(I highly recommend the non-fried versions)

And what derby is complete without a few car fires?

Thank goodness for the fire department...

Lastly, for those who have been reading this post

waiting for a particular announcement,

Here it is:

I HAVE NOT had the baby yet.

Which is something new to me - to be pregnant this long.

Although, to pass the time

and in an attempt to not go crazy with waiting,

I have made a few new projects -

Some embroidery things for the walls

lots of cleaning out and organizing

and have some other projects in line

to help pass the time...

waiting...

Overdue!!!

Well, almost...



I know you're looking at my baby ticker and thinking,
"she's got two weeks left"
but for someone who's never been pregnant past 37 weeks
it's way past time to have this baby.
And it's amost a curse to have had my others early
because now I wonder everyday,
Is today the day??

We got back from our Hunt family vacation in Flaming Gorge yesterday
This is one of the few pictures I took:

There's not many things to take pictures of
when you're sitting back at camp... all the time.
But we had a blast anyways.
The boys loved being on the boat and
Porter was in the water every chance he could
Rhett learned he needs to start working out before we go
if he wants an easy time getting up on his ski.
Zach tried out the tube.
Andrew and I did take a short turn on the waverunner
and it was nice to be out on the water
even for a minute.

We had a bit of rough weather -
crazy wind the first night (which kept us all up)
a nasty rain storm on Thursday.
Other than that, it was kind-of clear, but cooler than normal.
We always leave with the sadness that it's over
but the excitement of going again next year.
We have it quite cushy that we are now only 1 hour away
And can go anytime we want...

Now it's time to get the boys ready for school.
I register them later this week
Zach starts kindergarten and Porter, second grade
And hopefully I'll be having a baby...