1 Month

One Month Old

11 lbs. 13 oz (at three weeks)

23 inches long (at three weeks)

My baby boy is growing up way too fast!  I wish any of my months of pregnancy had gone half as fast as this last month has gone... :)

At one month old, Johnny is already outgrown a good deal of his 3 month clothes!  He rolls onto his side whenever he's on the floor, and loves to watch the commotion of our household unfold around him.  He eats like a champ, except at night when he mostly sleeps.  We are loving that arrangement!

He's obviously growing like a weed!  I usually like to note the percentile his growth is on the standard growth curve.  Unfortunately, he's off the curve for his age group!  Not a big surprise.  :)  In fact, the nurse at our pediatrician's office, upon seeing Johnny said, "Oh!  This must be the monster baby everyone's been talking about!"  

We took Johnny to Utah to see the family when he was just three weeks old, and the kid traveled like a champ!  He is such a good baby.  And he gets cuter every day.  I know there is something special about having a little boy, cause I am just in love with this little guy!  I'm already mourning the day he doesn't need me anymore.  But for now, he's all mine and I'm enjoying every minute of it.  Love you, Johnny!

To my Sophie, on her birthday...

Happy second birthday, Sophie-kins!

Wow, you're two years old already!  This last year has gone by so quickly, with so many huge changes.  It literally seems like yesterday that you were just a year old, barely walking and still my baby.  Now you never stop moving, and you're already a big sister!

It was two years ago, to the time that I'm writing this post, that you were born.  The last month of my pregnancy with you was so difficult for me.  I was huge and uncomfortable, and it was still so hot outside!  We had planned your c-section, but I had high hopes for you to come early.  But alas, you did not!  And now that I know more, I think you would have been content inside me for a while longer.  :)  Finally, the morning came and we went to the hospital where we waited for what seemed like forever for them to take me back to the OR.  I was SO excited to meet you!  I made a special request to my OB that I get to see you as soon as you were born.  I didn't get to see Claire until she was all cleaned up, but Dr. Thorpe was good enough to lower my curtain so I could peek at you while you were fresh from my womb.  You were so big!  But I could tell from the minute I saw you how beautiful you were.  Your Daddy and I were surprised to learn how big you were!  My healthy little girl was finally here!  I had to wait an agonizing three hours to get to hold you, but when they finally put you in my arms, I was able to see how truly beautiful you were.  I spent as much time as I could those first few days just holding you and looking at you.  I would love to do the same now, if you'd just hold still... :)

You have always been so energetic.  Which was quite the change from our experience with Claire.  But with that energy comes a love for life that is truly contagious.  You make your Dad and I laugh every day, and you keep your sister on her toes!  

1 Year Old

The last year has been incredible for our family, and you've grown so much during that time.  Your Daddy always says, "That Sophie is such a sweetheart.".  And he's right.  You're always quick to give hugs and kisses for no reason, and you're always loving after you get in trouble.  :)  You've spent this last year idolizing and imitating EVERYTHING that Claire does, and let me tell you, you're a quick learner!  Never have I known a child to be more determined and intelligent at the same time.  You figure out a way to get into anything you want.  Baby-proofing the house has taken on a whole new meaning with you around, Anne-kins!

Two Years Old


You are such a beautiful little girl!  Everyone at church loves you, and family members fight over who gets to play with you first.  Your Dad and I love your big beautiful brown eyes, but we especially love your beautiful curly hair!  While we were at Aunt Rachel's funeral, we saw a picture of her when she was your age, and you two looked identical!  We weren't positive it wasn't a picture of you.  Aunt Rachel grew up to be so beautiful, we're nervous to see how beautiful you're going to be.  :)

Sophie, you are such a joy in my life!  You're also one of my biggest frustrations! :)  But I love when you run into my room in the morning and say "Hey Mama, Hey!", and I think it's secretly cute how bossy you are to everyone ("It's my turn...OKAY!)  You have so much personality in that little body of yours.  I love how much you love Johnny, and how you are always concerned about where he is and whether or not he has his binky.  You couldn't make your Daddy and I happier.  We feel so privileged to be your parents, and recognize the trust Heavenly Father put in us when he sent you to our family.  We love you, Sweetheart, and  can't wait for this next year of adventures.  Happy Birthday, Sophie!

Johnny's Blessing

It's such a wonderful day when you bless your baby.  Danny had a business trip in Utah during the third week of September, so instead of leaving me at home with the kids, he took us all with him!  We figured there wasn't going to be a better opportunity to bless Johnny.  Due to some scheduling conflicts, we ended up getting to do it at Grandma and Grandpa Call's house.  What an awesome experience that was!  I think I might be doing my future blessings at home as well.  The Spirit was so strong, and it was considerably less stressful!

We had almost all our family present.  Jeff and Jami and their family came from Colorado for the event, which was so much fun!  We were only missing Robbie and Kris, as well as Heather, Baron, and Roman.  My Dad and Ruth Ann weren't able to attend either, but considering how big our families are getting, we were pleased with the turnout!  I'm even sure Rachel was there, though we missed her being on our side of the veil. 

It was a big day for Johnny.  He started the day with his first real bath!  Before now, due to his healing umbilical cord and then circumcision, he's only had sponge baths.  He quite enjoys being in the warm water!  Can you blame him?

Daddy did the honors...

There are few things in this world that are better than a freshly bathed and lotioned baby wrapped in a towel.

Once everyone was ready, we headed over to the Call's house.  Then it was time for Johnny to don his spiffy white tux!  This was Mama's favorite part, aside from the blessing itself, of course. :)

Danny did a wonderful job blessing his son.  It was so awesome to see the number of excellent Priesthood holders that my son will have as examples and mentors to learn from and follow as he grows.  

Every family event needs food.  We had quite the delicious spread, too!  Though I was remiss to photograph our bounteous feast.  Words will have to do.  Uncle Matt smoked a pork roast for us, and we had the most delicious BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches.  We had fruit and fruit dip, of course,  and Grandma Call made three incredible pasta salads using fresh ingredients from her garden.  Yum!  We finished off the meal with a scrumptious chocolate cake in Johnny's honor.  We all ate our fill...and then some...

I have a few family pictures from the event, but Aunt Susie took the best pictures, as she's our newest photographer in the family!  I'll post those later.  But for now, this was the best I could do:

Johnny and Great Grandma Call

I'm so grateful for my husband and my children.  I can't believe this family we've made in just four short years.  I love having the gospel as the cornerstone of our family, and am grateful for the ordinances and covenants that protect us and provide so much comfort in our lives.  It was a wonderful day full of family.  And those are my favorite days.

Life with Johnny

The first few weeks with Johnny at home have been awesome!  He's such a wonderful little guy.  He eats great, sleeps great, and rarely poops through his clothes!  Really, what more can you ask from a newborn?  He's definitely been a Mama's boy, which is just fine with me.  I love my son!

Here are my handsome men before Johnny's big debut for the ward.  I've literally waited years to get matching ties for Danny and our son.  Totally worth it!

The girls just can't get enough of their baby brother.  If he's on the floor, they are.  If he's in the swing, they're trying to swing him.  I worry for Johnny's safety a good deal of the time, but to be honest, I think he loves the attention!  And it's obvious how much he loves his sisters.  His eyes literally light up when they get right in his face... :)

We have a picture of Claire and Danny that is almost identical to this one.  Even though Johnny is as big as most three month olds, he still curls up like a newborn.  

I love seeing Danny cuddle with our kids.  I couldn't have chosen a better Daddy for my kids if I had searched the whole world over.

And this picture shows just how handsome my Johnny-boy is.  Thanks, Aunt Jami, for the totally rad outfit!

There's Really No Place Like Home

It was so wonderful to finally be home!  Danny, Johnny, and I were greeted with a clean and quiet house.  Grandma Candy had gotten everything cleaned up and the girls down for naps before we got home.  My clean and organized and quiet house was a sight for sore eyes (and ears, too!)

But it wasn't quiet for long...

After Johnny worked out the change in his surroundings, the girls were up and SO excited to see me and Johnny!  Claire immediately asked to "take care of Baby Johnny", which when translated means she wants to hold him. :)

Sophie did her part to help with her little brother, too...

We spent the next day or so just getting used to being home.  I had a lot of healing to do, and we were all still trying to recover from that 24 hours of labor!  So, we mostly just spent time loving the baby and talking over the whole experience.

Claire spent an inordinate amount of time playing games on Grandma Candy's phone.  But she was kind enough to show Johnny how the matching game works!  What a good big sister...

Sophie just wanted to be as close to Baby Johnny as she could.  She might literally love her little brother to death!  It's so cute...and a little scary. :)

And speaking of a little scary, Johnny was able to turn himself on to his side all by himself at four days old!  That is SO not normal for a newborn!  This little guy is a strong one.

All too soon, Monday came along, and Grandma Candy had to go home.  This was a hard goodbye!  Both my Mom and I were a little disappointed, because we had been looking forward to spending a whole week together at home after Johnny was born.  But with my hospital stay, we only got to be at home together for a day and a half.  We did spend a decent amount of time together at the hospital, just the two of us (and Johnny), and the girls loved the time they got with just Grandma Candy.  So, I suppose it worked out alright in the end.  It was still awful hard to have her go home.  Something about having a baby makes you want your own Mom around...

After Grandma Candy went home, Aunt Kris came and stayed with us for a while to help me adjust to being on my own.  The girls loved having her around, and she was a great help to me as I continued to heal.

Soon enough, our house was empty of guests, and we were left to try to figure out this new life of ours.  I walked into our bedroom on Saturday morning to see this wonderful sight, and I knew we were going to make it after all...

Johnny has made such an impression on our home already.  He is such a strong baby boy, both of body and spirit.  He is incredibly content during the day, and has slept an average of 7 hours a night since he came home from the hospital!  The only tough thing is finding something for him to wear.  He's completely skipped most 0-3 month clothes!

All in all, this has been one of the most incredible experiences of our life.  Danny and I have been so blessed by our incredible children, and the incredible ways that they've come to us.  It's humbling to know that the Lord trusts us to raise these strong spirits, and put them on the path to return to their Heavenly Father.  We didn't get much time with just the two of us after we got married, but we wouldn't trade it for the world.  Parenting has been, and continues to be, the ultimate experience!

The first few days...

Whoever said that a mother gets to rest in the hospital after the baby is born was lying. :)  After finally getting to sleep at almost five in the morning, it was a short and frequently interrupted night (or morning?).  Nurses came in every 30 minutes or so to check on my vitals, and to take Johnny's blood sugar levels.  I think I tried to sleep until about 8:00 or so, at which point I decided it was a lost cause.  I called my Mom to see how she had slept and to let her know that visiting hours began at 10:00, and that she HAD to see this cute grandbaby as soon as possible!

Can I just reiterate how wonderful it was to have my Mom here for all of this?!  While my Mom stayed with me and cuddled Johnny, Danny went to pick up the girls from the Tolman's house where they had spent the night.  He returned to the hospital with Claire and Sophie so they could meet their new little brother.  I'll always remember how slowly Claire and Sophie walked into my room; not sure what to expect in this weird place.  But as soon as they saw me, they yelled "Mama!", and then headed right to the baby!  At long last...Baby Johnny was here!

And we were finally all together as a family.

It was so nice to be together again.  Both my Mom and Danny and the girls brought flowers for me, which I just loved!  I know it sounds silly, but it helped to make the room feel like my space.  Plus, I just love getting flowers!

The first 36 hours or so were pretty rough for me.  I was feeling the effects of the workout I had done during labor the day before, and my legs, back, shoulders, and arms were incredibly sore!  But, I got up and walking around as soon as I was able.  I felt like things were going pretty good for the first day after surgery.  But that night and the next morning were pretty brutal.  Jerry and Jeannie Dunn came over to help Danny give me a blessing, and of course that always helps.  I continued to make progress, and Danny and my Mom took turns staying with me or the girls, and running between our house and the hospital.

Johnny and I entertained a few friends that came by to visit, including Ali and Beth (who also brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers that I didn't photograph...Sorry Beth!).

And Danny had some good bonding time with his son, doing what Dad's do best...

Before we knew it, it was time to come home.  And not a moment too soon!  My hospital bed may as well have been a block of cement, and I was so uncomfortable I wasn't able to sleep anymore.  The hospital also had a lot of deliveries the day I was discharged, and had I not left then my private room would have become semi-private!  After 3 1/2 days of wearing hospital gowns and hospital t-shirts, it was time to get dressed and greet the outside world.

After we were dressed, I had to bid farewell to my two favorite friends...

We got Johnny buckled up in his carseat...

Took the standard "leaving the hospital" pic...

And took our son home at long last!

Here's Johnny!

John Roger Call

August 25, 2010

1:35 am

11 lbs 0 oz

22 1/4 inches long
Head circumference: 14 7/8 inches

We arrived at the hospital just after midnight.  Ali had called ahead and let the admitting nurse know that we were on our way, and why we were coming.  Danny, Beth, my Mom, and I headed to the hospital before Ali and Gretchen.  They stayed behind to pack up their gear and get the paperwork organized.

The ride to the hospital was a long one for me.  I was at peace with my decision to transfer to the hospital, knowing a c-section awaited me.  But contracting like I was while sitting in a moving vehicle was not as comfortable as it sounds!  I remember slipping into dreams between contractions, with my head resting on my mother's shoulder.  Once we arrived, Danny parked by the door and went to get me a wheelchair.  I remember gingerly getting in the wheelchair and then getting a monster of a contraction.  I was making some serious birthing noises, when out walked a young girl.  Needless to say, she tried not to look, but couldn't help herself.  I would have smiled to myself if I could have!

After I was done moaning like a wildebeest, we entered the Women's and Infant's Pavilion at the Antelope Valley Hospital.  Danny went in to fill out the paperwork while I labored in the hallway (seriously, people!) before they sent me to triage.  Once there, a nurse came in to ask all the same questions they asked in admitting and get me hooked up to the fetal monitor and an IV.  It was after that that we met my doctor, and things got interesting...

The doctor (who shall remain nameless) came in and introduced himself with his arms folded across his chest. He immediately asked me where my midwife was.  I told him that she was on her way.  He asked me what she had told me that made me think it was okay to attempt a VBAC at home after two cesareans.  I told him that it was MY decision, and that I still felt that it was the right one.  (Bear in mind this conversation is happening while I'm lying on a triage bed in labor.)  He proceeded to tell me that he felt compelled to let me know that there was a good chance that I was going to lose my uterus, possibly my baby, and that at the very least he would probably have to deliver a "bad baby", and that this wasn't fair to him because now HE was the delivering physician that would have to deliver a "bad baby" even though if I were his patient he NEVER would have let me do something like this.  I calmly (as I could) pointed out that ACOG had just revised their position on VBACS, changing the guidelines to include VBACS for double-section mothers.  He shook his head and emphatically stated that that would never happen.  ( For any that are curious, check out ACOG's July newsletter on their website for the press release! :) )  

Words don't do the atmosphere in that triage room justice.  He was just so hostile.  Beth and Danny did a great job NOT saying anything back to him, and I decided it was best to concentrate on my continuing labor than fight with this obstinate obstetrician.  His parting remark was "I guess I'll have to take it upon myself to re-educate your midwives as to what is an acceptable amount of risk".  I looked up at Beth, and she leaned down and whispered to me that she would go and intercept Ali before she met with this doctor, to make sure she was prepared.  I was left in that triage room with Danny and a broken heart.  I prayed that Heavenly Father would keep Ali from getting hurt.  I pleaded to know why things were going so awry.  And I prayed that the pain would be a little more bearable until I was able to get my spinal block.  

Danny and I were in that triage room for at least an hour before they were ready for me, and wheeled me down to the OR.  I said goodbye to Danny in the hall when they took him to another room to be dressed for the surgery.  Then I met my anesthesiologist, who was an answer to my prayers.  He was such a kind person, and I was honest and told him how nervous I was to have this doctor do my surgery.  I told him that I was pretty sure he was mad at me, and asked Akosh (that was the anesthesiologist's first name, since I couldn't pronounce his last name) to make sure the doctor was nice to me.  He promised that everything would be fine, and agreed to talk to me until Danny got in the room.  He'll never know how much I needed a kind soul at that moment, and I am so grateful that he was there.

The spinal block wasn't bad at all, and the wave of relief from the contractions was heavenly!  Before I knew it, Danny was at my right side, and they were beginning the cesarean I had tried so hard to avoid.  It didn't matter though, because I knew that I was going to finally meet my son!  It only took about 10 minutes once they started cutting before I felt the tell-tale tugging that I know is the birth of my child.  And then I heard it...the strongest cry I have ever heard!  I heard it almost immediately once he was taken out of me.  And I knew he was perfect and healthy and strong!  Everyone in the room commented on how big he was, and rushed him over to the scale.  All I heard was "5000 grams!", and Danny telling me that our Johnny was 11 lbs.  Eleven pounds!

I listened to my son scream at his new world while his Daddy talked in a soothing tone, saying hi and telling him it was alright.  I closed my eyes and said a quick "thank you" to my Heavenly Father before I started shaking uncontrollably from the spinal block.  Then came the vomiting.  But after that was all done, a pediatric nurse came to my left side and held my son to my face to I could see him and kiss him.  That was one of the most precious moments of my life.

He was here!  Danny left with Johnny to the recovery room to finish his measurements and tests and such, while they cleaned me out and stitched me back together.  After about 20 minutes, I was wheeled into the same recovery room and they gave me some more drugs to stop the shaking while I watched them finish up with Johnny.  Then, about 30 minutes after he was born, I was able to hold my son and nurse him.  This was such an answer to many heartfelt prayers.  I had to wait anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to see my girls after they were born.  I hated that part.

After I fed Johnny, they took the three of us to the room that would be our home for the next 3 1/2 days.  I was happy to learn that the Women's and Infant's Pavilion didn't have a functioning nursery for healthy newborns.  They stay in the same room as the parents.  Danny had a cot to sleep on, so the three of us were able to be together the whole time.  It wasn't the same as home would have been, but it was close...and definitely SO much better than it was in the past.  Danny and our nurse got Johnny bathed in our room while I dozed in and out of consciousness in my bed.

Once he was all clean and smelling good, I nursed him again before we all crashed.  I remember looking at the clock before closing my eyes...it was 4:35 am.  It had been 27 hours and 15 minutes since I had first started timing contractions.  What an incredible day (and then some!) it had been.  The birth of my first son was nothing like I had planned it to be.  And it wasn't what I had worked for.  But in the end I had a perfect, beautiful, strong baby boy.  And that's what was important.