Welcome Baby Jake!

Jacob Reed Andrews was born at 6:59 a.m. on Thursday, April 25th. He weighed 7 lb. 11 oz. and was 19.25 inches long. He has 10 long fingers and 10  long toes and a cute little nose. He is perfect!

His arrival was a little earlier than expected... I was scheduled to be induced (like with all my other kids) on Friday the 26th, but when I saw my doctor on Wednesday he wanted to get things moving and stripped my membranes. This has never worked for me before, so I didn't put much stock in it and continued my crazy pace to get things done. That night as I was doing chores I realized I was having contractions that were making my back hurt. I told Mike this might be real, but we went to bed to see if we could get some rest after a long day.

Well I didn't ever get to sleep and contractions got closer and closer. By 2 a.m. I couldn't wait any longer and called my sister to come over. By 2:30 I was in a lot of pain and Mike raced us to the hospital (I think we made it in about 8 minutes to Orem!). I pretty much barged in and told them to get me an epidural immediately! Upon arrival I was dilated to an 8, but was just under the threshold to still get an epidural, so I was finally able to get some rest. My doctor thought I'd have the baby within a few minutes, but my progress stopped and I remained at a 9 for 3 hours. The nap was nice until they gave me a little bit of pitocin to get me going again, and my epidural started wearing off and the ripping back pain began again! The anesthesiologist tried to redose me multiple times, but I never went numb again, and they think it's because baby was posterior. This discovery explained why the baby was taking to long to come, and hurting so much!

I was ready to just get things over with, but the doctor had given up on me and went to AF hospital to deliver another baby. Somehow I was able to wait until he made it back and finally delivered a healthy baby boy! The immense relief and miracle of life overwhelmed me, and reduced us both to tears. Mike was such a support and strength to me. Child birth is a harrowing experience, but it's all worth it when you hold that precious little person!   

Baby Jake worked his lungs well at first, but he calmed right down in the baby warmer. We think he looks like and Andrews baby for sure, but maybe a little more like Ella than the others.
  

Dana was a superhero and got all the kids up, fed, dressed, and ready to come down to visit their new baby brother/cousin. They were so excited!!!

Everyone couldn't wait for their turn to hold him. Tyler thinks he's awesome, and wants to touch and kiss him a lot. 

First family photo! 

We had many other visitors in the hospital. Grandma Osmond spent many hours soaking up this new little spirit, fresh from heaven. Rebecca and Korinne came, but we forgot to take a picture! Rachel brought Tessa, who didn't want to put him down!

Grandma Marcia and Grandpa Randy came and brought the kiddos again for another round. They loved seeing his eyes open!

Mike and I spent a quiet night in the hospital, catching up on sleep. It was heavenly to have that time to ourselves to spend with our little guy.... but I am always ready to get home. 

Around lunch time we got checked out and took Baby Jake home to the family!

Grandma worked hard on setting up a fun lunch party to celebrate his arrival!

Since then we have just been passing him around, loving on him every chance we get.

I can't believe we have four kiddos. They are all so precious and I feel incredibly blessed. 

While they headed off to church today I got to have a sweet little nap date with this slice of heaven!

Putting Together the Playset

We have reached a big milestone at the Andrews household.... we have a playset! It's the stuff dreams are made of, at least for the 4- and 6-year-old residents. They still can't believe we really have swings and monkey bars in our own back yard!
  

I must say, it was quite the undertaking. It came in a compact looking crate, but once we started unpacking, there were a million pieces!

 The girls thought it was quite the adventure to help unload.

We laid out a bunch of weed barrier underneath it, to keep the dirt down until we can purchase the playground mulch to go over that.

The first screw put in place!

After awhile the girls got bored and started playing Jake and the Neverland Pirates in the boxes.

Maddie's requirement was the monkey bars. She thought she could get some practice while it was still on the ground.

Mike got some good balancing practice once they were up in the air!

After about 4 hours, we were ready for the first swing!

Pure delight!

Some great neighbors came to the rescue after dinner and helped Mike into the evening. Finally, about 11 pm and nine hours from the start, we had our final product! This isn't the clearest picture, but here is the site of many fun times ahead!

Ballerinas

We have had a strong ballet theme going on around here recently. Maddie was reading a book called "Ballet School" about a young girl who starts dancing on pointe, so after her own ballet class I dug out my old pair of pointe shoes and let her try them on. You can see the wonder written all over her face!

 

Ella was pretty excited about them too. They are both preparing their dances for the Cinderella ballet coming up in June, when they get to dance on stage with real ballerinas!

I rode the wave and got out my old dance scrapbook and showed them pictures of myself when I started dancing on pointe shoes. My first ballet on pointe was called Pandora's Box.

I wasn't anything great, but one year I did make the cut to be in the Waltz of the Flowers in the Nutcracker with the local ballet company. We were stars for a night!

Maddie has also been preparing hard for a presentation to become certified in her level by the Royal Academy of Dance. Her teacher is one of just a few that teach the RAD program, which originates in England. In fact, her teacher is native to England and has danced for the queen!  (Incidentally, she is due with a baby the same day as I am.)
 

Today was the day of their exam. I wasn't sure about paying the certification fees and putting pressure on a 6 year old to perform perfectly, but it actually turned out to be such a positive experience, and I love the foundation of rhythm and musicality she has gained.

Miss Carrie gave them each a flower for doing a great job. Yay for ballet!