Asher Scott Boyce

Asher Scott Boyce made his debut August 21 weighing in at 7 lbs. 14 oz and was 20 inches long. 

Pretty soon after having Wyatt, I got the sense that we were not done having kids and that the next one didn't want to wait to long to come to our family. It was actually stressing me out a little bit because I don't enjoy being pregnant. My sickness and grouchiness affect everyone around me. but in August, right before Wyatt's 1st birthday, I got the strongest confirmation that one more baby was excitedly waiting to come to us. I looked at Aaron and he said, "We are having another baby, huh?" Yes, sir, we are. 

Ella that year for Christmas had asked Santa for a baby sister. I thought it kind of amazing that she would ask for a baby. I don't think that she had heard our discussions about having another one. And timing was great, since I already knew that we were pregnant. So Santa sent her a note letting her know that we were expecting, but that we didn't know if it was a girl or a boy.

                                         

Needless to say, she was not happy to find out we were having a boy.

So far, I have had all my babies on a Friday. I figured this baby would be no different. I went into labor around midnight on Friday August 21st. I had a new OB this time around and he told me to call him as soon as I thought I was in labor. I had been having a lot of braxton hicks with this pregnancy, but I had a feeling that these contractions were legit. I called the Dr. around 4 in the morning. He told me to go ahead and get down to the hospital. I was in labor, but hadn't really progressed in the allotted hour they give you. The Dr. was already at the hospital, so I got to stay. They got me all settled into my room and it was go time. 

 My last hospital experience with Wyatt was not the best, so I was little nervous that we would have a repeat of that, even though I changed Dr.s and hospitals. Thankfully everything went pretty smoothly. It took a little longer to start really dilating this time. I always end up getting pitocin so they started me on that. I was able to get an epidural before things started getting too painful. And my epidural was fantastic this time. 

At about 11:30 the nurse came in to check me and I was still at about 5. She left, and all of a sudden I started to feel a lot of pain/pressure. I called her back in and she gave me the epidural button to push that allows you an extra dose of medicine every 15 minutes. Everything was already pretty numb, so I am pretty sure that the epidural was working, but I still felt a lot of pain. And then I hit a big contraction and my water broke. I have never had my water break on its own before. The Dr.s have always done if for me. And then the pain/pressure got a lot worse. I called the nurse back in to let her know that my water had broken and that the pain was still there. She wasn't all the concerned about it. I asked when she planned to check me again, and she said she would be back around 1:30 to check. I also asked her when she planned to call the Dr. his office is about 20 minutes away, so she said we would try and time it just right and HOPEFULLY he would make it...umm...hopefully? 

So we are about an hour away from her coming back to check on me. As she was walking out the door, I got the strongest feeling that she needed to come right back and check me. I was feeling every contraction and even with the epidural they were intense. 

And as she walked out the door, it was like a heavenly light lit up the very spot where the Dr. had just walked in. It may have been the fact that I hadn't slept all night, but I promise you, he was wearing a halo. He walked right in, asked how I was doing, and upon hearing that I was feeling a lot of pressure, proceeded to check me. And would you know, it was at a 10! So in a matter of 45 min, I went from a 5 to a 10. After everything was set up, I pushed a few times and the baby was out. 12:58 pm was his official delivery time. And to think the nurse still had another 32 minutes before she was going to check me. 

We thought for sure this would be another big baby for us. His head and belly were measuring big, so the Dr. had me expecting another 9 lb baby. But my little pipsqueak came in a 7 lbs 14 oz. 

I really felt this baby's spirit so strong this time around. I knew that he was happy and joyful and so excited to be a part of our crazy family. So as I was researching names, I came across the name Asher. It means happy and blessed. I couldn't think of a better name for this one. He truly has been a blessing to us and he really is so happy. We are completely in love with this kid.

I also need to give a huge shout out to this amazing woman.

                                            
Kim and my dad flew in two days after I got home from the hospital. The night that Kim arrived, I started to have a fever and didn't feel very well. I always get UTI's after I have babies and knew this was what was going on. My Dr. called in a prescription and Kim ran to the store to pick it up. She did all my grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, all while I laid on the couch for 4 days trying to recuperate. This was by far my worst UTI. And then on top of that, I was having terrible migraines. One more medicine for that, and I was good. It is amazing how getting rid of a terrible headache can make you feel so much better. I seriously would not have survived those days without her! So thanks, Kim!!! My kids have the best grandmas!
                                   Not my baby, but that is my daughter. A picture of Aaron's mom who always comes and helps us a ton too!! I am so grateful to have such an amazing mother-in-law.

And we got a dog, Ella earns a scholarship, Ty starts Kindergarten, and Wyatt is crazy!

Aaron and I have always talked about how someday, we would get a dog. We just didn't realize that someday meant when I was 4 months pregnant with baby #4. I have a pretty solid relationship with my Dad's wife Kim. I had let her know that we were thinking about trying to get pregnant. So when my dad brought up the idea of breeding their dog, Gypsy, so we could have one of her puppies, Kim mentioned that it might not be the right timing for us since I might soon be pregnant. My dad's response, "But Ty needs a dog." So...we got a puppy.

 

Luna has been such a good dog. She potty trained really fast and is super affectionate. And she is so great with the kids, especially Wyatt. We have had friends watch her for us when we travel and they never want to give her back. I take that as a good sign that we got a keeper. 

Ella earned a dance scholarship last year from her dance studio. I absolutely love watching her dance. Even though she is only 7, she is so graceful.  This video is of her spring recital. She had a couple of solos in this one. We are so proud of her.

She is still dancing and she loves it. Her teachers are fantastic and she has some serious talent. 

She was also entered into a western art show. Only 600 or so kids were entered out of 50,000. Our little artist in the making.

She is always an amazing big sister. Wyatt adores her. He always want her to tuck him in to bed and if Aaron and I don't give him what he wants, he turns directly to Ella and asks for it. 

Ty started kindergarten this year and is doing great. He got the same teacher Ella had and we love her. He is so smart. Apparently he got my dad and brother's photographic memory. So once he learns something, it just sticks. He loves figuring out how things work, taking apart flashlights to see how you put them back together. Ty also loves playing with Asher. He has so much fun with little babies and is super sweet with them. 

And then there is Wyatt! I feel like you have to spend a couple days with Wyatt to truly appreciate his range of emotions. He can make you want to scream and pull your hair out one minute and make you laugh hysterically the next. He has certainly tried my patience more than the other kids, but he is our comedic relief and I wouldn't have him any other way, (okay, maybe a little less stubborn would be nice.) He is certainly the life of the party. When he is upset, he melts into the floor. He just slowly sinks down till he is laying flat on the floor like a lifeless fish. He talks all the time, and we understand him most of it. He loves to laugh at himself and loves playing basketball. Our family would not be complete with out him. 

This Christmas, at Kim's family party, they had an ugly sweater contest. And Wyatt thought that he was a part of it. This is a video of him standing at the front showing off his sweater...

                                 

Unexpected Miracles

This is my theme for last year. I know that I have been horrible at updating my blog. With the birth of a new baby, I figured it was time to write again.

This past Christmas I got a charm bracelet from my dad's amazing wife, Kim. This is what the charm means:

I love how it states, "sometimes the biggest blessings come from the smallest packages." This has been my life for the past year.

Right before Christmas of last year, I lost a very close and dear aunt to childbirth. It was completely unexpected and still doesn't feel real. My Aunt Jan was more like an older sister to me. We are only 9 years apart and she was the closest link I had to my mom's family. We would talk often and I would constantly go to her for advice, especially when I was pregnant with Ella. We had babies just a few months apart. I had called her on her birthday this last year and she didn't answer. She promptly texted me back to let me know that she was in labor and would call me when things settled down. I was calling to let her know that I was pregnant. I never got to have that conversation with her.

I had a rough start to this pregnancy. Emotions were high with the loss of Jan and I was so miserably sick. At this point, the small blessings began to come . I remember lying in bed one day, just in tears, because it was another day that Ty and Wyatt would spend watching TV. I just couldn't get out of bed or entertain them. As I was feeling sorry for this sweet Ty boy and how lame his day was going to be, I got a text from a friend inviting him over to play. She knew I was pregnant and wasn't feeling well. That small gesture was a huge answer to my prayers--that my sickness would not hinder my children. This happened a lot through out my pregnancy, where people would step in to take my kids, or drop off random dinners. The kindness and thoughtfulness of others astounds me.

And then Aaron started going through some personal and work trials. We were doing okay, but Aaron's goals and his work were not lining up. He was getting frustrated with how things were playing out and it really humbled him and brought him to his knees. A lot of soul searching took place. But I never questioned what our future would hold. I knew that we were bringing this amazing, joyful spirit into our home and that everything would be okay once that baby got here. It always seems to work out that way for us. And through out the whole experience, blessings poured down on us. It took awhile for things to turn around at work, but they did. Our relationship was strengthened  leaps and bounds.

As my pregnancy progressed, I started to feel a little better. It ended up being my best pregnancy (one where I wasn't nauseous every minute of the day, only half). And I know that I had some heavenly angels on the other side, pleading with our Heavenly Father to cut me some slack this time around. And He did. Those two women whom I call mom and sister/aunt were with me the entire time.

Then the baby came. What a blessing Asher has been to our family. I will write more about his birth story in another post. But blessings abound in that story too. Every day I see a prayer answered and feel the spirit testify to me that I am loved. That my family is loved. That there is so much more than just life on earth. I wish those on the other side were here with me on earth, but I know that they are still there. They watch over us and protect us. Heavenly Father allows hard things happen in our lives. But not once have I ever felt that He stopped loving me. So for those of you out there who need to hear it, know that you are loved. Unexpected miracles happen all the time!