Thumb sucking

This past Tuesday, the guy found his thumb. He is so adorable sucking on it, but one day I might be upset that he likes it so much. So might he when the orthodontist asks, "Did you suck your thumb as a child?"

Gingerbread Men

.... and women. We have had a lot of fun the last 2 weekends making and decorating gingerbread men and sharing them with various friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Jared wanted to make them (and both times he did; I just cut and decorated) because of an Ondricek family tradition he grew up doing. His family always makes gingerbread men at the beginning of December and then wraps them in a long strand of plastic wrap, each one separated by a bow. They drape the long strand of plastic wrap with all the gingerbread over the front door, inside their home. When a visitor comes by, they cut off one cookie in the plastic wrap for the visitor to take home with them. That is a beautiful family tradition we have begun to adopt. Thanks Mom and Dad O.! That embodies the family memories and friendly giving that makes December special. I love the goodness of that tradition, both good tasting and good spirited. :)

Thanks to the Perry's for joining us. They are so much fun!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving yesterday! Jared, the guy and I had the privilege of spending it with the Ondricek side of the family, getting to know some folks we don't know very well. It was a neat day of food, family, photos, and football! I especially enjoyed looking through Ondricek family photo albums and learning some family history.

Below: S's shirt says "Baby's First Thanksgiving"

The Ondricek clan we enjoyed: Jared's aunts, uncle, cousin, gma, and us!

The clever turkey my visiting teacher made for me.

S's Thanksgiving art project. Those are his tiny fingertips that he used as paint brushes.

New favorite toy

S loves this toy. He recognizes and smiles at himself. He talks to himself and reaches up at the toys. It makes changing time more fun for him. Thanks, Dara, for giving it to us!

First Snow

It snowed last week. I was so excited to take S out for pictures of his first snow experience. I enjoyed it, but it will be more fun when he knows what to do with snow one day. :)

Thanks, Stephanie, for getting out so early in the morning and taking pictures of us! We love you.

Thank you, Marcia and Kye, for lending us the cozy hat and gloves! I was thinking of Kye when he was this size. He grew up so fast!

So handsome.

Our little house. That top window is ours. We live in a tiny attic, but it has been so good to us.

Like Father Like Son

I love this onesie. It is true. I hoped and hoped my whole pregnancy that our little boy would look like his daddy and be as good looking as him. Be careful what you wish for.

Roll over, boy!

I sound like an idiot mother, but to my credit this "Parentese" language we speak to babies is actually very good for their development. We tend to use a higher pitch, many more facial expressions, and much more inflection in our voices. The short, simple phrases spoken help baby learn to communicate. (Parents As Teachers handout)

Anyway, he's been rolling over like this since he was 5 days old. Seriously. My mom put him on his tummy and he rolled over several times. Thanks for challenging him early on, mom! We're so proud of his growing set of skills.

Halloween

S and I celebrated Halloween this year at two different parties in two different costumes:

Super Woman, Spiderman, and Jackie Kennedy at the Ward Halloween Party.

The Super-est man in MY life! This Superman costume is actually a kid costume, but my friend bought it for her husband to wear and so she cut off the feet and tried to make it work for a grown man. The crotch didn't work out the way she hoped even after trying to sew in more fabric. Consequently, the shorts were necessary to not embarrass everyone in the room. I love that the belt is so high, the abs at his chest, and the pecks at his collar bone. :) He was so supportive of me asking him to wear this. The theme was famous couples and we HAD to match.

Thanks for the costumes, Michelle!

Super hero powers run in the family.

Me and S at the Social Work Department party. Thanks for the costume, Jenn!

Brittany loves S. I think she's my friend just so she can see him. :) Just kidding. Thank goodness for good friends like her.

Future Missionary

At first I thought I might dress S up as a "Future Missionary" for Halloween so we borrowed this adorable suit from Dri (and Thomas) Marshall. Thanks Dri!! He wore it to church and he is so handsome.

Homemade Baby Gym

Thanks to the Parents As Teacher program, we got this idea to create a make-shift baby gym for S. He sometimes reaches up for the toys, like they say he should, to develop his motor skills to the next level. Mostly, he eats his hands instead of reaching with them. :)

Thanks, mom and Jenn for providing the toys!!

Also, he talks a lot these days. It's a little awkward in church and quiet meetings when he talks so much and so loudly, but I don't want to discourage it yet. He's such a good learner!

Rexburg is such a funny place

So I was walking home from class just a few minutes ago and I realized that something was different. Apparently we are now depending on tax dollars to tell us to look both ways before crossing the street - even in a crosswalk.


But even with this new development, I realized that it wasn't every crosswalk on my way home. It was only in the ones near campus - NOT in the residential area. So it seems that it isn't necessarily little kids that need this reminder, but the big kids. The ones who are too distracted by texting, listening to their iPods, or playing a game on their smartphones. (I wish I had a smartphone :( Maybe Christmas?) I think the saddest part about this is that it might actually improve the conditions around here. I'll leave you to your own conclusions.

Smiles

Our guy has been smiling and responding to our smiles for a couple weeks now. He is such a joyful child and spreads that joy wherever he goes. I love both his dimpled chin and double chin in this video.

God sure knew what he was doing when he planned to send us these sweet little people. Children are to be taught, loved and enjoyed.

Ode to the ATM

Last weekend we went to Utah to attend perhaps my last Arizona Tempe Mission reunion. We have enjoyed living close to the Mormon Mecca where we can attend these reunions regularly, but will be moving at the end of the year.

Attending the reunion reminded me of the delightful intoxication of loving and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. President Buttars, the leader I served with for almost the entire 18 months in AZ, had me laughing and crying all in the same 30 minutes. He rejuvenated my enthusiasm to live the rigorous and Spirit-saturated lifestyle I used to. President Craig, my leader for 6 weeks, returned from AZ recently and reported back on how the mission continued after we left. It sounds like we are still the "Greatest Mission in the World." :)

In fact, at every transfer meeting - and at the reunion - we sang the hymn "Called to Serve" with a third verse added. The words are: (we sang "Casa Grande" like gringos so that it rhymes...)

Called to preach the gospel to our neighbors,

Giving Christ the glory He deserves.

Called to teach the truth and restoration

in the areas where we serve:

Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, Yuma, Buckeye, Casa Grande

Queen Creek, and White Mountain

And with Chandler here we stand.

Go-o-o-o Hard Work is our motto

And our banner is unfurled.

Arizona Tempe Mission,

Greatest Mission in the World!

Arizona Tempe Mission,

Greatest Mission in the World!

It never fails, even over three years after I've returned, I still cry as we slowly repeat "Arizona Tempe Mission, Greatest Mission in the World!" Those 18 months were the best 18 months of my life to that point, and still remain some of the most special up until today. I thank God for that privileged life I lived in AZ and for the people I met there.

He's growing, I'm shrinking

One week ago our guy weighed nine pounds, 4 ounces. He is getting so big! We love his double chin, little rolls on his legs, and he even had a little man boob roll. We are so proud of him. Isn't he handsome?

We signed up for a program called Parents as Teachers. An educator comes to our home once a month to discuss the developmental stage Stu is in and how to maximize his learning during that time. We learned his eyes are changing and developing very rapidly. We made the little "book" of black and white images to simulate his eyes and maximize their development. He loves to look at it.

We put him on his tummy every day so he can develop his muscles and spine, and he rolls over a lot.

More of the guy

These are some recent pictures of our little man. We love him and have to take turns holding him because we both want to hold him all the time. Don't worry; he has his own quiet time too. :)

I love this little outfit. He is so cute in it! It's already cold enough here for these warm clothes! Thanks to Jenn for the clothes and Kendra for the little shoes. He's so grateful for them, he's smiling for you.

Someone representing the City of Rexburg came to our house and delivered a welcome packet and these "keys to the city of Rexburg" for S, the newest member of the community. This community is very personal and friendly. So, here are our keys: papa bear, mama bear, and now baby bear has his own.
I really love my boys. Aren't they so handsome?

S's Birth

I have been busy lately. Mostly, I don't want to do anything (including blog) other than hold and stare at S. However, assuming we have at least one follower of our new family blog, I think I'll contribute now.

S is now 3 and a half weeks old. He's already gained at least a pound and getting into a bit of a routine with naps and such. We are very pleased.

My version of S's birth is only a little different than Jared's recollection. I remember really enjoying the hours in the warm bath at home. The water worked miracles in relieving me of the little pressure I felt. Thank heaven for Jared and his patience in boiling more hot water for the tub. Our hot water heater could not keep up with our leaky bath tub drain.

Throughout the night my contractions were not consistent, but I learned from my sister Malea's experience that that doesn't mean this isn't the real deal. I knew S would come that day, so the inconsistency of the birthing waves didn't matter.

Speaking of "birthing waves" Jared mentioned we used Hypnobabies to prepare us for a medication-free birth. "Birthing waves" is what we learned to call "contractions" in order to create a more positive experience. We attended a six-week course and practiced the techniques the months leading up to the birth. The idea behind the techniques (that were very successful for us) is that the birthing mom can use the power of her mind (and lots of practice) to enter a state of self-hypnosis and deep relaxation in order to block and numb the pain. I practiced the relaxation techniques in class, at home, on the dentist's chair, during Braxton-hicks, nausea, and charlie horses. It helped me relax, shut down my pain, and enjoy S's beautiful birth.

And back to the night of S's birth...
Once my water broke at home and we went to the hospital, things moved pretty quickly. I remember just sitting or laying down once we got to the delivery room. I kept my eyes closed most of the time and Jared (being the birth coach) talked me through it as I focused. He was the most outstanding help and the hero of the day. Thank you, Jared, for taking it seriously and being my hero!

The next hour felt like 20 minutes, and then 25 minutes pushing felt like 5. It was fast. I asked them to run the water for the jacuzzi, but I didn't have the time to use it. I couldn't feel the needle in my arm (see Jared's story), or any other intense pain. The entire experience was simply uncomfortable, but never really painful. Even pushing him out was exciting because I knew I would get to meet our son. Due to the rapid pace, S's heart beat slowed and the midwife asked me to slow down the pushing. Although the urge to push is so involuntary, I was very grateful for the Hypnobabies techniques that prepared me to be able to slow down the pushing and protect S.

Once I pushed him out, my mom almost missed it. She went into the hall to get a mirror so I could see S. Silly me for asking for the mirror; once I opened my eyes, I realized I am blind without my glasses on and couldn't see a thing anyway! Note to self: next time wear my contacts.

The midwife said, "Amanda, reach down and grab your baby." It took her several times saying that for me to move. My body didn't move as fast as my mind. He was a little, beautiful cone-head and I was in love with him. I felt awe, joy, exhaustion, and uncertainty at once. I later thought to myself "that was wonderful and I would do that again and again!"

Big news! S is here!

Let me tell you a story. It's a story about how "Amanda and I" became "Amanda, S and I." Lets start on Monday, August 9. We took this picture since Amanda was due on Wednesday.


BUT, nothing happened on Wednesday, so on Friday we played a board game with Grandma Bev instead.

Then, at 1:30 am Amanda started having contractions and woke me up at 2:30 to time them. So I made cupcakes for the nurses while Amanda took a bath. But there wasn't much hot water, so in between mixing and making the homemade frosting, I boiled water to add to the bath and kept track of her contractions in a journal.


Amanda was feeling sick the whole time as well. She was throwing up and couldn't keep any water down. Turns out she might have had the flu from a baby shower she went to just the day before. This is unconfirmed as of this writing. Then we called Amanda's mom - Grandma Bev - at 6:00 and she came over soon after. We are very lucky to have friends who live across the street who let her stay at their house while they were away. Then the water broke around 6:30 and it was a mad scramble to get the car ready to go to the hospital! We got to Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg at 7:00 and they let us right in since we had preregistered. Oh, and interspersed with these events I would occasionally read Hypnobabies scripts to Amanda to help her body relax. Maybe she will explain that better in a later post, but suffice it to say, it really worked for us.

A lot happened once we were in the labor and delivery room. They checked Amanda and she was at about 5cm. Then, while the relaxation music was playing and I was reading the Hypnobabies stuff to her during contractions, the midwife asked if she could put a saline lock in Amanda's wrist in case she needed medication - even though we expressed in our printed birth plan that had been reviewed by the nurses and midwife that we were going to have a natural birth. We agreed because we say things in the heat of the moment that we wouldn't otherwise. It was only in for a few minutes when Amanda had to move and the needle actually bent sideways, so they took it out to be nice :)

Around 8:00 they said Amanda could get in the jacuzzi if she wanted and we agreed, so they went to fill it up. But at 8:15 our little boy decided he had had it, and wanted to come out. And at 8:40 that's exactly what he did. And what a cute little guy he is too. He's the one on the left.


He was healthy, happy, and pretty quiet. He weighed 7 lb. 1 oz. and was 18 3/4 inches long (even though I still think it should be 18 3/4 inches TALL).

And the rest is pretty much a regular hospital experience. We didn't have a name picked out for him because we wanted to see him first. We had a list of names we liked but we wanted to see what he looked like. We agreed on his full name, S.L. Ondricek. I wanted to add "the eighth," but Amanda wouldn't let me. The nurses did all their screenings, he passed with flying colors and he eats, sleeps, and poops like a champ. Oh, and the hospital has the best bacon cheeseburger I have had in quite a while. Maybe I was just delirious, or maybe I'll go back next time I'm in the mood for fast food. I spent the night at the hospital with Amanda on a chair/bed (which wasn't designed with comfort in mind) and they had us watch some cheesy video about infant CPR which tried to mix useful knowledge with a workout video from the 80's. The last thing that is worth mentioning is that when I went out to get the car-seat I wrestled with it for 15 minutes and couldn't get it out of the base so I took the whole thing inside. Then I figured it out on the elevator ride back. Oh well, you win some you lose some. We're home now, mom and baby are doing great and I'll post some more pictures below. That's all folks, enjoy the pictures!