Around 4 AM on Saturday, September 27th, I started having intense contractions. I went downstairs to the basement tub to see if I could get myself to relax, but they kept getting worse and longer. They were less than four minutes apart, lasting wayyyy longer than a minute, and it was going on for over an hour. I learned throughout this process contractions really should only last a minute or so, but these pains on Saturday were different. Long, and very painful, sometimes not stopping for several minutes, pausing for a short time and then continuing. We called my friend Anna, and she came over in a jiffy to watch the boys until Grandma and Grandpa arrived. When we got to the hospital, we were quickly admitted. They struggled to get an IV in place, which was odd. Usually a good nurse has no issues with my large veins. Once the IV specialists came up and got it started, they gave me fluids. As I got more hydrated, the contractions slowed some. I was still experiencing very consistent contractions, but I wasn't progressing in other ways, so determined to go home. We got burgers on our way home and spent the rest of the day walking outside and trying to get the baby to move down and come! The boys even joined me in my curb walking. Grandma and Grandpa were so kind and stayed with us, and bought us pizza for dinner. Contractions continued through the night and I spent some time walking, but was also able to sleep which was definitely an answer prayer.
Sunday morning I continued to walk and was grateful to attend the Primary Program. Jay did participate and actually said his part! He said it quietly, stayed up on the stand for about one song until his crackers were gone, and then we brought him down to the bench. He lasted several minutes longer than last year, we'll take it! We loved having Grandma and Grandpa with us the rest of the day, and we said goodbye that evening hoping we'd see them again soon - VERY SOON.
And, our hopes came true because Monday morning my water broke. I thought it did, but went along my merry way and went to the chiropractor, dropped Jay off and school, etc. I called my doctor eventually, and they told me to go in and get checked. Katie Dahl came and stayed with the boys until Grandma and Grandpa could get here. The hospital confirmed my water had broken, so it was baby time! Labor didn't want to start, so we had a great date night, including dinner and played Fall of Rome. We went to bed early and they started pitocin around 1 AM. They slowly increased the amount of pitocin throughout the night. Finally contractions were regular and powerful by about 4 o'clock in the morning. They were able to give me a portable monitor to keep tabs on the baby, and we walked and bounced on a ball, etc. We also started to watch the second half of Wicked. We had to pause a few times, but it kept my mind off the pain. We tried to play Qwixx after that, but I lost focus quickly and we never finished. Around 9 AM, I thought, I can't do this much longer unless I am progressing. We did some stretches with the nurse, and I think it got the baby to shift and move. I spent an hour pushing, squeezing the life out of Matthew's arms. FINALLY, around 11:50 am on September 30th, Lee Delbert Blaylock, was born! I delivered him on my hands and knees, which was an experience, to say the least. The whole delivery room was full of women cheering me on every time I pushed. Matthew was my rock and I am so grateful he was there. The OB told everyone she delivered a toddler, and Lee was famous during our stay. He weighed in at 10lbs 6oz and was measured 22 inches long. The length may have been exaggerated because the four day appointment was a little shorter, but we'll take it! He's so cute and we love him! The boys and Grandma and Grandpa came to visit that evening right before bedtime. I was exhausted, but it was so great to see them.
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| A basketball or a baby? |
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| Lee! |
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| Jay stood off to the side for a while, he wasn't sure what to do with Dad holding onto this baby. |
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| Grandpa and Grandma get to meet Lee, it was extra special getting to share the name with Grandma. |
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| Grandpa and Lee |
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| Hugh, Lee, and Grandpa |
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| Hugh attempting to hold Lee |
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| Me, Jay, Lee, Hugh, and Dad - Jay has gloves on by choice, he LOVES gloves |
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| 4 boys who have my heart! |
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| The stool was definitely the favorite thing in the hospital room. |
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| Hugh pushing Matthew |
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| Jay pushing Hugh, with a Daddy safety net |
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| Hugh's turn to push Jay |
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| Daddy giving the fast rides |
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| Dad and Lee |
Wednesday we got to come home and it was so good to sit on our own couch, sleep in our own bed, and not have doctors interrupting sleep. The boys LOVED their time with Grandpa and Grandma and we were sad to see them go. We are so blessed to have them close by and to have their help. Matthew assumed all household responsibilities for the next week, including getting up early with the boys, cooking breakfast, getting Jay to school and home, etc. I basically took care of Lee, sleeping when he did. Newborn life is intense. So much waking up through the night and day, it's hard to keep things straight. Lee has been a wonderful baby. He's eaten well from day one and been a decent sleeper. We all love him and feel so blessed he's part of our family. He was born on Grandpa Delbert Eddington's 95th birthday, and is named after his wife, Vera, whose middle name was Lee and Delbert after Grandpa Eddington.
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| One day old! |
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| I had to take the infant insert out to fit Lee in the carseat. |
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| Matthew, Me, and Lee headed home! |
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| We arrived home! |
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| Lee got his first sticker from a therapist. The boys usually shared with me, now Lee gets them. |
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| Hope meets Lee! |
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| Aunt Katey and Lee |
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| Jay and Lee |
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| Sugar and spice Hugh |
Our first weekend with Lee home was General Conference. What a gift! We got to stay home and enjoy our little guy with wonderful messages from church leaders. Katey took Jay and Hugh on Saturday and it was amazing to have some time to nap, rest, and have some peace and quiet. The Merrill clan came between evening sessions to drop the boys off and enjoyed meeting Lee for the first time.
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| Jay and Hugh loving the time at Aunt Katey's house! |
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| Matthew and Lee loving being home |
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| Tia and Lee |
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| Kade and Lee |
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| Kylee and Lee |
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| Super Dad - with Jay and Hugh snuggling during Conference |
Oma and Papa arrived when Lee was a week old. They stayed for about a week and helped keep all the things running as Matthew returned to work. They were here for all the therapist visits, school drop offs, pick ups, errands, cooking, and cleaning. They cuddled Lee so I could sleep, and cuddled the boys when I couldn't. Hugh even got to go to Hobby Lobby with them one morning, which he thought as the BEST! He even put on his "Hobby Lobby shoes" which were his blue tennis shoes. They are different from his "work boots" (aka cowboy boots). He comes up with the funniest things! We all loved having Oma and Papa visit and they returned to Arizona early to go help Kara run her household. Alli got sick, very sick and was in the hospital. Since Lee's been born, Alli has been in and out of the hospital, eventually diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. We've all been praying and fasting for her, and she has received many miracles of healing. She still has a ways to go, but the progress she's made is remarkable! We were sad to see Oma and Papa go, but we knew they were more needed at Kara's so we were happy to share.
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| Jay and Hugh trying out Lee's tub |
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| Oma meets Lee! |
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| The boys were very excited to have Oma and Papa! |
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| Time to read books |
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| This hat is one of my very favorites. |
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| Hugh carried this football to and from school pickup |
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| These are Hugh's "Hobby Lobby" shoes |
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| Story time with Oma! |
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| I managed one day of pick up while Oma and Papa took Roxy to a birthday lunch. I thought it was a huge win to get all three boys there and back. |
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| Cool vibes from Jay |
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| Roxy and Lee |
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| Allen and Lee |
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| Betty Jane and Lee |
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| Aunt Lindsay! |
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| Uncle Jack! |
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| Papa went up to Jay after naptime, they both fell back asleep shortly after this |
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| Jay loved giving Oma and Papa BOTH hugs! |
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| Papa hugs are the best! |
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| Go go go Cougars! |
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| When you snuggle with Oma you get to postpone bedtime for a few extra minutes. |
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| Bye bye Oma! |
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| Bye Bye Papa! |
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| We waved goodbye from the steps, it was sad to see them go! |
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| We loved the crunchy fall leaves! |
Matthew proceeded to take the next two weeks mostly off work. He told KPMG he was leaving and they put up a big stink. They pushed on him, made him feel like he was making a huge mistake, and tried to pull out all the stops they could to get him to rethink. We were already committed to TaxOps, and we weren't going back. Once they realized that, the partners never talked to Matthew again. I think they realized they were losing a great worker and a people leader, and they were scared. Scared of losing other people because Matthew was leaving. It's hard when people criticize your already hard choices, so it led to a few very hard days. Matthew handled it all well and we enjoyed two weeks together of paternity leave. He continued to run every morning drop off, and I slowly worked up to getting Lee ready on time, and out to do school pick up. The weather was beautiful and being able to take my newborn outside was a new gift! When Jay and Hugh came, it was always way too cold to go for walks, etc.
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Matthew heading out to ship his laptop goodbye!
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| Fresh carrots from my garden! |
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| Lee and I enjoying porch time |
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| Baby socks, not very useful because they always fall off! |
Steph, Michael, and Kenzie came to visit one morning and meet Lee while they were in town. We loved seeing them! Steph brought us dinner, which as soooo kind of her and it was delicious. Michael said he loved holding Lee and could do it all day. Then, Lee pooped, and Michael quickly handed him off, it was very funny. Kenzie and Michael were so sweet playing with Hugh, and Steph read him a book, so he was in heaven!
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| Kenzie and Lee |
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| Michael and Lee |
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| Hugh enjoying story time from Aunt Steph |
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| Aunt Steph finally got a turn! |
We took a short outing to the Wheelers house. The Wheelers were Jay's primary teachers for most of this year and they've been so good to him. They invited us over to ride their go-karts, but unfortunately they wouldn't start up. Matthew ended up mostly driving the lawn mower around and pulling them in the trailer, which they did love! The boys also loved playing with the pool table in the basement. Sister Wheeler and I stayed inside with Lee and she cuddled him the entire time, which was very sweet. They shared ice cream treats with us, then we came home.
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| Daddy pulling Jay and Hugh |
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| Hugh |
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| Little Lee |
Halloween was a holiday the boys were so excited for! We couldn't take Lee to our trunk or treat for the ward, so we tried to hit only the trunk or treating at the end. Unfortunately, the party was running long, it was near bedtime, and no one was handing out candy when we drove in. One nice brother was in the midst of setting up his trunk and the boys trick or treated with him and were THRILLED to get their one piece of candy! They had no idea they should have gone to every car and I think they thought it was the best night ever. Matthew went to Jay's class party and I stayed home with the other boys. On Halloween evening, we started just as the sun was setting to avoid the cold as much as possible. Lee fell asleep on our way to Anna and Ethan Jackson's house, which was our first stop. We parked at their house, dropped off Lee asleep in his seat, and took Hugh and Jay on foot around their block. The boys got loaded with candy and were so excited when we got home and they searched through their loot. It is so fun to see the holidays through their eyes!
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| Jay and Hugh soooo excited about all the candy |
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| I grew these three pumpkins in my garden! |
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| Lee dressed up as a monster ;) |
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| Matthew and Jay at the school Halloween party |
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| Jay with his classmates |
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| Jay trying out vampire teeth, he thought it was so funny! |
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| Hugh feeding Lee, they love trying to help |
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| Laundry basket shenanigans with Hugh and Jay |
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| Hugh tried his hardest to push Jay, but couldn't quite get the basket to move |
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| Cooperative play between these two is growing and I love it. |
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| Happy 1 month to Lee!! |
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| Cheesers - the phrase we say for every photo |
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| When I feed Lee, everyone jumps onto the couch to join |
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| Is Lee happy? - Can I hold him? |
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| Baby stretches are my favorite |
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| Hope and Hugh being little riding buddies |
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| Hope and Hugh wearing our fun masks |
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| Hope and Hugh |
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| Daddy having time to read books is the best! |
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| Jay doing the Heisman pose |
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| Coach Dad worked really hard to get Jay to do the pose the right way! |
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| Hugh the Astronaut, Jay the BYU Football Player, and Dad, the Football Coach |
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| Lee, our little Brother Bear |
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| Jay giving me a little foot massage to "help me feel better" |
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| Hugh, so tickled to pick the pumpkin |
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| Family harvest time! |
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| Jay did amazing climbing this at a new park! |
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| Jay and Hugh riding on the teeter totter with me |
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| Lee learning what the fresh air feels like, with brother Jay looking over him |
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| Dad, Hugh, and Jay at the butterfly park |
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| Hugh's poses are so funny! He's got spunk! |
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| Hey, Mom! |
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| Jay smashed his head on his bed during naptime, I think we escaped an ER visit by a very thin layer of skin. Poor kiddo was so sad! |
Trying to divide my time between all three boys has been hard. Hard to feed Lee around the clock, and give time and space to the other two, but we're figuring it out. Jay and Hugh love to hold Lee. They love looking at him and giving him kisses. It's sweet to see the brotherly love. I am excited to see how they grow together and build relationships throughout life! The gift of Lee is a miracle. Every life is a miracle and we are so grateful for Heavenly Father's trust in us with another one of his precious sons.
Here are a bunch of other photos from the month:
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| Building legos together in the basement is a new found fun hobby for us all |
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| Superheroes and Dad |
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| Dad, Lee, Jay, and Hugh - 4 men in a bed |
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| Do you think Lee's 3D ultrasound looks like him? |
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| More story time with Dad and Hugh |
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| We were so cold this day at the park, but the boys loved it and Matthew was a champ |
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| When Jay decides to work on his LiteBrite, he does an amazing job. He decided this rug was a good place to do it. |
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| Smiley Lee, we sure love him! |
