Welcoming Landon

 Landon Mark Baker was born at 5:21 p.m. on August 22. Looking back on this just reminds me all over again how blessed I am to have this little guy!  He safely came into our home healthy and perfect.. It was too good to be true.  What a miracle!

This was a milestone picture for me.  I worried the whole pregnancy that I wasn't going to make it full term.  My first goal was to make it through the first trimester, then to 24 weeks, then to 27 weeks, and this one was 30 weeks.  I made it to the 3s!!!

 

 This was my last and final shot at 36 weeks and 5 days.  That night I went into labor.

At my 36 week check the doctor told me I was dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced!  He said if I was at a 4 in a week he would keep me and break my water and that was if I made it to the next week! Luckily Mark had come with me to that appointment and I will never forget the look of surprise on his face!  It was hilarious. :) If I made it to the next week, Lucy's birthday would be the next day. We talked about waiting another day but decided to keep it so they could have separate birthdays.  We were surprised again the very next night after the appointment. I couldn't sleep because of a stuffy nose (a cold when you already have a stuffy pregnant nose is the worst by the way).  I was trying to sleep on the couch with my head elevated when I started getting strong and frequent contractions around midnight. I finally started timing them and they were every 2-3 minutes for 4 hours straight.  I didn't want to take Lucy to the neighbors in the middle of the night so I just waited since they weren't painful.  I got in the shower,  got ready to go, and the next thing I knew, I wasn't feeling them anymore.   I called my doctor when he opened at 8 and he told me to come right in.  I dropped Lucy off with my kind friend Marcia and we were on our way.  This time when I was checked I was at a 6 and totally effaced. Dr. Gatherum said the baby was really low which I also noticed in the mirror.

Ready to start with my trusty Tums. 

 

 The doctor broke my water and the labor moved really fast.  I was in so much pain and wanted the epidural but it was taking so long!  You would have thought the nurses and anesthesiologist would know with as many pregnant ladies as they treat that no one likes slow pokes when you are waiting for pain relief! I was almost at an eight by the time I got it. I was at a 10 by 2 or 3 p.m. but the worst part came during the pushing.  I didn't think I could take the pressure anymore when Landon arrived!

He was such a little guy!  5 1b. 12 oz. and 18 inches long.  We thought he looked a lot like Lucy and I was in love with his cry.

Getting that little boy was one of the best days of my life.

I got really baby hungry when he arrived.  When I went to the nursery to see him the first time I was shocked by his cuteness.  I was so proud and kept thinking, "Is that my baby???? He is so so cute!"

 

 It was so fun seeing my two favorite people walk in that morning and see that Mark had done her hair and gotten her dressed.  I was so impressed that nothing was even on backwards this time! :) 
Lucy was so afraid of me when she came in. She seemed to be having a lot of fun with Mark but wouldn't come near me very easily.  It was pretty funny.  She wouldn't touch the "scary bed" and she stills talks about how I wore the "dress" in the hospital.  It must have been pretty traumatic for her. :)

 

She was so cute when she saw and held Landon for the first time.  She tried to put his binky in his mouth, put a blanket on him, patted his body, and giggled when he moved his arm.  After her turn was over she kept asking to hold baby brother.  After I showed her another baby girl in the NICU she said,"please can I hold baby sister?"  What the best comment was though was when I started nursing Landon, Lucy started to lift up her shirt and say, "Please can I feed baby brother?"

 

I love this little face! 

It was a great moment when I got to take this little face home with me.

 

First Baths

I decided I wanted ten kids after Landon came (before the sleepless nights went on and on of course.:)) Mark and I agreed that we could feel his righteous, diligent, and very sweet spirit after he was born.  I think he is going to do some great things.

Cedar Summer Fun with the Thalmans

I lived it up for the last time as a mom of one two weeks before Landon came when Katie and her kids came for some summer fun.  I was a little nervous however because while she was driving to my house I was at my 34 week check and was told I was already dilating.  My doctor told me to go on light bed rest. I was not going to let the fun pass me by so we tried to have some "relaxed" fun. Here we are at storytime at the Frontier Homestead State Park where we learned how to spin wool into yarn, wash clothes pioneer style, and took a stagecoach ride.

 

  

I also got to sport my awesome tan line from weeding at the Cedar pool.  

 

The rest of the fun included water fun in St. George, movies, and snowcones.  What more could you ask for? :)  It was such a great time to have them come.  I am very grateful I got to live it up one last time before my life changed with a new baby.

Caldwell Family Reunion 2013

 

 Our family is getting to the point in size that this last year's family trip was referred to as our family reunion--sad but true. The weekend of the 24th of July was reserved in 2013 for the Caldwell side.  While sometimes the plans got a little confusing with so many of us, it was such a fun weekend!  Judd and Katie were nice enough to kick off the fun by bringing a boat to Deer Creek.  We had fun waterskiing (well not me), tubing, playing in the mud and water, and enjoying each other.

The next day we had a BBQ and took a stroll around beautiful Mirror Lake.

 

Swimming and lunch at a park in Kamas were highlights of the weekend as well as spending the day in Park City having another picnic and doing some outlet shopping.

 

My favorite parts of the weekend were when we played Guesstures at the cabin and when I got to watch Lucy and Hannah's silliness as they jumped on the bed.  Mark's favorite was showing the stars to some of the family with his telescope at the cabin.  Oh how I love being back in Utah so we can get in on fun like this again!