Christmas Letter 2011 (whew! Just in time :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Our family grew in 2011 as we welcomed Thomas Walter Johnson in February. He is a happy, snuggly, on-the-go kid. Tommy waves vigorously when he sees daddy walk toward the door for work and is a master escape artist and wiggle worm when it comes to diaper changes. He loves to pull Kleenex out of the box and wrestle with mommy and daddy. Isaac is 2 ½ this week and gives us a run for our money! This place would be pretty dull without him. He loves music, doing things himself, playing with cousins and friends, and helping mommy bake in the kitchen. He has an amazing imagination and is talking up a storm!

Walt is now working with the 11 year old Scouts as assistant scout master as well as teaching Sunday School for the 16-17 year olds. He still works as an electrical engineer for ImSAR in Springville and really enjoys the work environment and people there. He is carrying on his dad’s tradition of telling bedtime stories to the boys, and a personal engineering project in the evenings is satisfying his need to be creative.

Julie is still working with the 10-11 year old Activity Days girls at church and playing the piano for the ward choir. Motherhood is her favorite adventure ever, and boy is it a ride! (warning: Motherhood has been known to cause brain lapses such as buying FOUR nutmegs because you keep forgetting you already bought one, and throwing the dirty whites into the toilet instead of the laundry hamper. Oops.)

We have faith in Jesus Christ and are especially mindful of and grateful for him as we celebrate his birth. We know he lives and is the Savior of the world.

We think of you and hope this update finds you happy and at peace.

Love, The Johnsons (Walt, Julie, Isaac, Thomas)

Seeing the lights at Temple Square


Isaac loves to conduct music. We had people over the other night and when we started singing Christmas songs Isaac pulled out this plant stand, put a book on it, and started leading the music. He has good rhythm too! :)


Showing off the handprint/footprint reindeer he made


Helping Daddy Hang Christmas Lights. He ran around with one Sunday shoe on and no pants for almost an hour outside. Brrrr!


Making Muddy Buddies


Thomas on Veteran's Day. What a cutie! Apparently I need to take more pictures of Thomas. :)

First Snow

It took half the snow in our yard to pull off this snowman. :) We can't wait for a big storm!

Halloween :)

The little monster.


My boys at Walt's work. They do trick-or-treating every year for the kids.


Isaac licked the frosting beater for Walt's birthday cake:

My life in threes

These two pictures pretty much describe my life right now.

:)



The nutmeg I bought next to the nutmeg I forgot I'd already bought next to the nutmeg I forgot I bought before that.

We went camping with my family in September. Isaac had a ball running around. Except for the time he fell face first in the dirt right after getting wet at the water spout....




Isaac found Daddy's razor and sliced the edge of his finger off. Sad day. But he was sure proud of his owie for weeks after!





Thomas's first Oreo.




Spontaneous family picture after church.




My handsome husband right before major oral surgery a few weeks ago. (Warning: the next picture may be frightening to small children. When it came up on the screen, Isaac said, "Not that one! Not that one!") :)




Two days later. One week of liquid food. Five weeks of soft foods. Wow! He's a trooper.

My Boys

Today's journal entry about my boys. Thought I'd share. My blog has mostly become updates on my boys. That's the most fun thing for me right now!

Isaac is a singer. His favorite songs right now are Choose the Right, Praise to the Man, and I Love to See the Temple. He sings a LOT at home, which I love. A few weeks ago after church he walked up on the stand in the chapel to where the chorister stands, faced the empty room, and started singing “Love at Home”. So cute. We’ve been checking out library books recently, and he loves that. Some of his favorite books right now include Clip Clop, Freight Train, The Snowy Day, and Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever. And of course anything with trucks. We go to the transportation shelf in the children’s department and check out lots of books about fire trucks, dump trucks, tractors, tow trucks, etc. Isaac has been really obedient lately and is getting better at waiting and accepting when things aren’t the way he wants them. He has started saying Thank You more without being reminded. He’s good about helping to clean up messes when he makes them. A couple weeks ago he spontaneously stopped taking naps. Although if he gets to bed late he may take one the next day, and he often falls asleep in the car. Now I have to figure out how to get more sleep and energy because that means I can’t take naps anymore either! The other day he said, “Isaac get married in temple.” It’s neat to know that he’s catching on to the things we talk about and starting to establish them as values for himself. I have so much fun with Isaac!


Tommy is eating lots of solid foods now. He loves mashed potatoes, spaghetti, bread, Cheerios, pureed apricots and peaches, bananas, pureed peas and carrots. He really gets around scooting and is especially fond of knocking over garbage cans in order to ransack their contents and find some treasure to maul. He loves to sit and knock over block towers as fast as I can build them. He LOVES Isaac and is most easily entertained by him. It’s easy to know when he’s tired because he starts saying “Mmmm! Mmmm! Mmmm!” constantly. Can also mean messy diaper or hungry. He is starting into size 4 diapers this week. Just one size below Isaac! Big boy. Of course Isaac is about ready for size 6. All Thomas needs in order to smile is for someone to look at him. He LOVES attention. He can sit up on his own for several minutes at a time and is starting to get up on all fours and do some rocking back and forth – the precursor to crawling. He’s a bit finicky about sleeping through the night lately. He often likes to wake up and have a midnight snack. Or two. I guess he takes after his daddy that way.  At least he can hold his own bottle, so I sometimes just give it to him to feed himself, and I go back to bed. Walt gave Tommy his third (or fourth?) haircut last night. He has a lot of hair for our family, and he is really an adorable baby. I’m so happy to have my little boy. Mommy loves Tommy!

Yes Ma'am!

My good friend Crystal enthusiastically requested pictures to go with the updates below, and really, can I say no to that? Twist my rubber arm. :) So here are some pics of my favorite boys:

Updates on the boys

Thomas update. Thomas is 6.5 months now and growing like a weed! At his 6 month appointment a couple weeks ago he was in the 93rd percentile for length. Most of the clothes that fit him are 12 month size. Tommy is a mover! He rolls easily from side to side and can scoot himself across a room to get a toy. He sits in his walker and walks himself to the garbage can to knock it over and see what’s inside. Sacrament meeting often feels like a bit of a circus because he is not one to sit still. He’s constantly reaching for things, squirming around to see something, etc. He's hands on! We introduced him to some solids in the past couple months, and right now he’s eating baby cereals mixed with fruit and sometimes pasta or a rice dish ground up in the baby grinder. He can sometimes get a Cheerio to his mouth. Thomas takes a nap in the morning about 3 hours after waking up, and then again in the afternoon about 3 hours after the first nap ends. He and Isaac sleep in the same room and go to bed around 8:00-8:30. He sleeps through the night and is in the crib now. Tommy is a happy baby. He smiles readily and is always looking for someone to play with. It is easy to make him laugh, and that laugh is so contagious! He is healthy and happy, and we LOVE LOVE LOVE him!!

Isaac update. Isaac turned 2 at the end of June and is so much fun. He talks in full sentences of 5-6 words now and enjoys making his brother laugh. He LOVES trucks, tractors, cranes, etc. One of our neighbors keeps a big rig behind their house, and we always have to walk past at least once on our walks to see it. Isaac’s favorite movie is Bambi. It used to be Winnie the Pooh, but a couple months ago he made the switch. He likes to have me read him stories and sing and play songs from the Primary Songbook at the piano. He knows all but a couple of the words to the first verses of Choose the Right and Love at Home and is often heard singing. If he could have his way we would go to the store every day. His favorite store is Maceys Grocery Store because they give away cookies at the bakery and balloons at the cash registers. When we pull into the parking lot of the store he says, “Cookie please!” We moved Isaac to a toddler bed a week or so ago, and he seems to like it. He does get up after we put him down, but we just put a doorknob cover on the inside of the door after he gets up the first time. Isaac was a big baby, but he has averaged out and is now typical in height and weight for his age. His head is still big, so he wears Daddy’s sun hat outside since the other hats are too small for him. Right now he is in a clingy phase, not wanting to be left with babysitters or at nursery at church, so Mommy has gotten to know the nursery leaders well. Isaac loves to be carried and held, and he ADORES his green fleece blanket that Aunt Tamara made. There is a specific corner of it that he likes to find, then he folds the edge of the blanket around his finger close to that corner, puts his two fingers in his mouth, and rubs the blanket on his top lip. It’s his comfort position. He is definitely a Daddy’s boy and has been known to wake up the neighbors in the morning with his somewhat hysterical and teary “I WANT MY DADDY!!!” as Walt drives off to work. He is a sweet boy, and we can’t imagine life without him.

Camping and Other Pics

We took the boys camping a couple weeks ago to our favorite spot in the mountains. Our first camping trip as a family of four. I was a little worried about how we would all sleep being in a tent together and Isaac sleeping on the ground (vs. the crib) for the first time. But luckily the river provided the perfect white noise, and we all slept well. Isaac didn't get out of his sleeping bag once, we were all warm enough, and aside from a brief raccoon squabble right outside our tent, it was a peaceful night with a beautiful full moon. After breakfast and packing up the next morning we took a stroll along the boardwalks and hiking paths at Cascade Springs. We can't wait to go again!










Chocolate covered frozen bananas.


The aftermath.



Celebrating Pioneer Day at the Park. Petting zoo and old time fire truck. Cool!





I love this picture of my grandpa holding Thomas

Five Years

Walt and I celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary last week by going on the same date we went on the night we got engaged. After dropping the boys off at Grandma and Grandpa's house (thank you!) we drove to the Bountiful Temple and did sealings. Then we ate dinner at The Roof restaurant overlooking Temple Square. We figure we can afford to eat there every five years. We had SUCH a fun night together just really reveling in each other's company,smiling and laughing a lot, and feeling so grateful for the experiences and love we've shared together.

Isaac is absolutely so much fun lately. He has really caught on to songs and sings the same ones over and over. He gets better all the time and can sing most of the words to a number of songs now. You know, as much as I would prefer a little more variety, there are much worse things to have in your head all day than sweet, fun children's songs.

Here are a few recent pictures of the boys:

Cousin Piano Trio.



Isaac's favorite way to sit on the couch. :)



Thomas: 4 months old this week! He is such a FUN baby! And LONG! His past two check-ups he has measured in at the 99th percentile for length.

Asking Jane

Walt's cousin recently blogged about a Motherhood Blog she follows called Asking Jane. I followed the link and found myself sitting for an hour reading the posts and feeling so peaceful and happy. I told Walt about it, and he asked, "Did it make you want to have more children?" Yes, it did, actually. I loved it and wanted to pass it on.

Not a House Party (.com)

For LDS singles ages 26-35, here's a great opportunity to provide service while getting to know new people. It sounds like a really fun, unique way for singles to connect, and the setting is beautiful!

http://www.notahouseparty.com/http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Lately

At the cemetery visiting my mom's grave on Mothers Day


Isaac helping our neighbor mow the lawn. He was on cloud 9!


Isaac loves it when I put Tommy in the crib with him :)


Bowling with the Johnsons


Thomas with Grandpa Johnson


Easter Sunday - visiting the cemetery where Walt's mom is buried


Thomas's Baby Blessing - Easter Sunday, April 24th

Thomas

Last week was Thomas's two month checkup. He weighed in at 12 lb. 8 oz. and measured 24 1/2 inches long. That puts him in the 95th percentile for length. He has a little eczema (which should be easily cured with the right kind of lotion) and goopy eyes like Isaac did, but otherwise is very healthy and is on target for other milestones. Thomas sleeps well and eats well. He takes a great morning nap and then catnaps all afternoon, which is a little tricky for me because when he's awake he wants to be held and played with. It means I often get very little done in the afternoon. But I also get a lot of one-on-one time with him while Isaac takes his afternoon nap, so that is a bonus. We've started bathing the boys together in the big tub. We just place the baby bath inside the bathtub, and Isaac LOVES it. He loves to help wash Thomas with the sponge. As a side note, Isaac has also caught on to how we burp Thomas after he eats, so he has taken to coming up behind us, patting our backs, and saying "burp!". We often humor him with a fake burp, which we may regret at some point, but it makes us all laugh.

Thomas likes tummy time. He also likes to sit on my lap while I play the piano or type on the computer, and he loves watching Isaac play. His hair has lightened a little bit but is still brown, and his eyes, which we all thought were going to be brown, have decided to be blue. We are having Thomas blessed on Easter Sunday, April 24th, and are looking forward to several members of Walt's family traveling here for the occasion as well as my extended family coming for an open house before church.

We sure love this little guy. It's hard to imagine our life before him. So glad you're ours, Thomas!

Isaac

I love being the mom of two little boys!!! Lots of people told me how hard it would be at first, but I've been relieved to find that it's also a LOT of fun! Thomas has had three nights in a row of 7-10 hours of sleep, then eating briefly and going back down for 2-3 hours. It's a beautiful thing.

Isaac is a great big brother. He shares toys and sippy cups with Thomas (places them in Thomas's swing or on his stomach) and will often squat down by him and say "Hi Baby!" When Thomas cries for any reason Isaac is very concerned that "baby is sad" and wants me to take care of it. If I put Isaac in the car before Thomas, he gets worried that I've forgotten the baby and sometimes starts to cry.

I have to remind myself that Isaac is only 21 months. He's a little big for his age and so verbal that I sometimes expect too much of him and feel like I'm disciplining more than I should. The biggest challenge of motherhood for me so far is trying to figure out appropriate expectations for behavior, be consistent, and recognize when I've done too much or not enough. I assume I'm not alone in this. Overall we have a great time together. Isaac and I have a ritual that goes as follows:

Mommy: "Hey, are you my favorite Isaac?"
Isaac: "Uh huh!"
Mommy: "Am I your favorite mommy?"
Isaac: "Uh huh!"
Mommy: "We're each other's favorite!"

Several times throughout the day Isaac will say "Momma?" just to hear me say, "Yes?". He'll smile and go on doing whatever he was doing. Just checking in, I guess. Some of Isaac's favorite foods are hot dogs, yogurt, raisins, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs. He'll go get the frying pan out of the drawer and bring it to me saying, "Eggs? Please? Okay!" Sometimes he asks me to sit down and play the piano. On a couple of the more intense pieces he'll say, "Wow!" at the loud parts. He is obsessed with trucks! Especially Daddy's truck. If they are having male bonding time, Walt will take Isaac out to the truck in the garage and they'll be there for 15-20 minutes while Isaac turns on the lights, honks the horn, pulls down the visor, opens the glove box. And then there is the inevitable tantrum when it's time to come in. He could sit out there all day and be happy. Songs are a favorite thing, too. We'll sing "We Are A Happy Family" and I'll pause to let him fill in the name of someone. Daddy, Nanna, and Grandpa are favorite choices, but he also thinks it's hilarious to say Jocelyn (his cousin) over and over and over. Yesterday he said, "Blanket", and I informed him that unfortunately the blanket couldn't love him back. Good thing he didn't understand what I was saying - his little heart would have been broken! I'll keep those thoughts to myself from now on. :) He's also picking up on some of the expressions I use. He'll say, "Wow! Dump Truck! Cool." Or "Awesome!" This is such a fun age, and I'm loving it!


Daddy was in charge of dishing up dessert. Mommy is not so generous. But look at that smile! :)


Post-dessert blackmail picture. Pirate? Cowboy? Joker? You decide.



Taking a spin in Nanna Julz's antique baby buggy.

Invitation

Isaac was invited to his first birthday party. The little boy next door is turning 3. I'm excited to go! What is a good $5-ish present for a 3 year old boy?

Week 2

How Do You Even Make it Out of the House With Two Tiny Kids?

That's the question I've been pondering for the last week. Hmmm. Is it even possible? I'd love to make it to the grocery store, but just thinking about taking Isaac (19 months) and Thomas (almost 2 weeks) out at the same time by myself makes me want to take a nap. Meanwhile, I'm having lots of fun with them at home, but someday I'll have to get out and about. So if you have any tips for me, please share!

Isaac walked frontward down the steps this week, which was a fun milestone. I love being at home to see these firsts. I cheered him on, and he was so proud of himself. When he got down, he climbed right back up and did it again. He's also started using longer strings of words, and his most common phrase right now is, "there it is!" for when he finds someone or something he's looking for. He likes to smile and make faces at himself in the mirror, and he has a funny, contagious laugh. His personality is really starting to come out! It's so fun! (when he's not throwing a tantrum)

Thomas outgrew his newborn diapers at one week old and graduated to size 1. He is sleeping 4-5 hour stretches at night, which is so nice. He's a great baby, and Isaac doesn't seem to mind him. I'm tired but not exhausted. My grandma was here for several days helping out while Walt was out of town. She fixed meals, did all the dishes and laundry, and helped watch Isaac so I could rest. It was wonderful!

Thomas Walter Johnson

STATS:
February 8, 2011
1:11 a.m.
8 lbs. 10 oz.
22 inches long
brown hair

Thomas is here! Monday, February 7th, around 9:45pm I started feeling slight pains. By 10:15 I was having contractions 1-2 minutes apart and getting pretty painful. By 10:30 we realized we needed to get to the hospital! We called my friend and neighbor, Amy, who came to stay the night at the house with Isaac, and Walt and I rushed to get the hospital bag ready. We arrived at the hospital around 11:30pm. The epidural team came in and got me going on that, but it wasn't providing any relief at first. Turns out I was already dilated to a 10 and was told I'd be lucky to get any relief from the epidural since I progressed so fast before it could take effect. But thankfully the last 20 minutes or so it kicked in and I didn't feel a thing. The doctor even arrived just in time for me to push this little guy out, which took around 10 minutes (compared to 2 1/2 hours of pushing with Isaac). Yay! Everyone is doing great, and we're so happy to have little Tommy here!

Here is a link to a few pictures that a lady at the hospital took:

http://www.utahportraits.com/hospital/index.php?action=view&BabyID=020811twj

Natural Induction

So today marks the end of three days overdue. In those three days I've received quite a few suggestions as to how I could naturally induce labor. I thought it would be fun to recap the best ones:

*"Eat pasta, and you'll go into the labor the next day for sure!"
*Drink castor oil (yikes! this is a big no-no!)
*Stand on your head
*Walk around the block with one leg on the sidewalk and one on the street
*Ride one of those zero gravity roller coaster rides
*Throw up
*And my all time favorite: drive a tractor across the rows of a plowed field :)


Any other suggestions?

Just Hanging Out

Literally! Hanging way out and waiting for baby to decide to come. One woman in my ward facebooked me this message, which made me laugh: "As the saying goes, Julie, when the apple is ripe, it will fall."

Actually it was nice to be able to get the car in this morning for Safety and Emissions testing and an alignment that needed to be done by the end of February. Much easier to do that with baby inside! And Isaac is just getting over the last of his cold, so another day or two to be fully recovered is great. The doctor had me schedule an appointment to be induced next Wednesday if we still have no baby. I would really like to avoid that and have things happen naturally, so here's praying and crossing my fingers that this apple ripens in the next 5 days! :)

#1 - Watching life unfold

You know the saying, "You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can't count the apples in a seed"? Well, that's what I've been thinking about lately with Isaac and this new little one we're expecting any day. It is fun to wonder what they'll like and be involved in, what kind of career they'll choose, what kind of girl they'll marry, and to realize that my influence and their influence is potentially infinite, through generations without end. I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I just am excited to watch the little guy's life unfold a step and a time. And I can't wait to teach him the gospel of Jesus Christ, which gives meaning to all of our experiences and is the way to be truly happy. I'm so grateful for my role as a mother to teach these things to my son, and I can't wait!

#2 - What will he look like?!

I can't wait to find out what this little guy looks like!! I can only picture Isaac in my head, so I wonder what our combination of genes will produce this time around. Walt and his siblings all have strong resemblance. It's very easy to tell they're siblings. Mine not so much. What do you look like, little guy?

#3 - Up for a challenge

I'm looking forward to the challenge of managing two young boys. Everyone tells me that the first 6-12 months are really hard, and then it is great because they can play with each other. I'm a little nervous but also excited to figure out how to enjoy it and make it work for us. Growing up I really liked having a plan and sticking to it and knowing what was going to happen. Going on a mission, working in the schools, getting married, and having a child have helped me be much more flexible and easy-going. I like that, and I have a feeling that many more of my rough edges are about to be smoothed. I'm up for the challenge! If any of you have suggestions about how to stay sane and enjoy those first months with two young children, please feel free to share!!

#4 - Light

For those who might just be tuning in to the countdown, I'm doing a Top 10 List (in no particular order) of things I'm looking forward to with this new baby coming. I started ten days before my due date. Now on with #4: Light.

This one has a dual meaning for me. First, Isaac is getting heavy, and getting him into his carseat takes a little heave-ho these days. He's healthy and growing and just as he should be. I'm looking forward to having a little tiny baby that in comparison will be light as a feather and so easy to carry around and lift into the carseat. I still can't believe I'm at this point with baby #2 when I distinctly remember just barely being at this point with Isaac - anticipating the birth any day.

The second and more significant meaning for me of Light refers to the connection newborns and small children seem to have to Heaven. The way they sometimes stare at what seems to be nothing, and you wonder if they're seeing things that you can't see or being instructed or calmed by heavenly beings. I remember several times when Isaac would suddenly calm down and just stare off, and I wondered if my mom could possibly have been comforting him or if he was calmed by a little remaining memory of his recent life in Heaven. I probably won't know this for sure until the next life, but in the meantime it is comforting to know that these little ones are sent to us straight from the presence of God. No one has been there more recently. And the light they bring refocuses our vision on our eternal goals.

p.s. Be sure to vote on the poll at the right-hand side of our blog! Will this little guy be early, on-time, or late? Share your guess!

#5 - Baby Smells

I'm looking forward to all the smells that come with a new baby. The milky smells, the spit-up smells, the baby powder fresh smells. I love to just snuggle a baby close and inhale it all. And if I remember right, the diapers are basically odorless until solids are introduced, so that's an un-smell I'm looking forward to! :)

#6 - Let's Be Honest

Pregnancy is a wonder. I love feeling this life inside me and seeing how my body is so amazingly adaptable - who knew skin could stretch this much?! I'm so grateful for the ability to be pregnant. But let's be honest. It will be kind of nice to be able to roll over again and lose the TUMS and only have to get up once in the night to pee. :)

#7 - A few new things

So having two boys is great because we have boy stuff already. But because the seasons they're born in are different (Isaac was the end of June), I got to go buy a few new things so this little guy will have warm newborn outfits. I can't wait to dress him in them! We also broke down and bought a new Pack and Play. Our old one is a much appreciated hand-me-down. It has been very functional but heavy and has about 12 pieces to put together. So we got a new one with a bassinet and changing table, and we rearranged the house a little so Walt's office is now a baby room for as long as we want it to be. We also bought a Phil and Ted's stroller that is a single stroller, double stroller, and jogging stroller all in one (this makes me want to jump up and down and clap my hands)! It's so fun to have some new things, and I can't wait to use them!

#8 - Just Looking

I look forward to holding the little guy and just looking at him. You know, those first days when they're sleeping so much (during the day!). Their eyes roll around and are partly open when they sleep and their mouths pucker up so cute or start sucking when there's nothing there to suck on, or they smile in their sleep or yawn. Or they just look at you while you look at them. And you're both good to sit there just looking.

#9 - Brothers and playmates

I'm sooo excited to have two boys close together. I hope they become great friends and playmates. Isaac is pretty good about entertaining himself and playing by himself for stretches of time, but he LOVES it when other kids come over, and I think he'll really enjoy having someone else to play with at home once the little guy can interact with him a bit.

Top Ten List - #10

I thought it would be fun to make a top ten list of things I'm looking forward to with this baby coming. These will not be in any particular order of importance or anything. There are 10 days until my due date, so one for each day. If I deliver early my list will just be shorter.

No signs at all of baby being ready to come yet, which is fine. Isaac has been really sick this week with a high fever and strep throat. He has antibiotics for it now, but he's been dizzy and unable to walk without falling over since Wednesday. Poor kid! Last night his fever broke, which I am so relieved about, but he's still dizzy. So if the baby waits to come until we are free and clear of the sickies, that would be great!

Without further ado....#10 Mr. Personality

I'm so excited to get to know this little personality and see how he's different from and like Isaac. I've always heard moms say that their kids are very different from each other and come with their own personalities, and now I'll get to experience it first hand. Sounds so fun to me!

Blessings

We're down to two weeks 'til the due date. Yay!

Last Friday we had Walt's holiday work dinner. They decided to have it in January instead of December so it wouldn't be one more thing to fit in over the holidays. It was a nice dinner and lots of fun to sit with Walt's co-workers and get to know them better. One of the other wives is due five days before me, and she asked me where I was going to deliver. When I told her Utah Valley in Provo, she looked at me funny and said, "You know they're not covered under our insurance, don't you?" I was stumped. They must be! They're the biggest hospital around, and our doctor who is covered by our insurance delivers there. But we have different insurance now than we had with Isaac, and it had not occurred to me that certain hospitals are in-network and others aren't, just like doctors. So I went home and called the insurance company, and sure enough! It would have cost us thousands of dollars more to go there, and we were less than three weeks from the due date!

I felt so blessed that we just "happened" to have that conversation at a critical point. It saved us a lot of money and stress. So now we're registered at an in-network hospital just slightly further away, and we took a tour of labor and delivery for Family Home Evening this week. I'm SOOOO excited for this little guy to arrive!

Spread the Word

Some good friends of ours in Missouri are hoping to adopt and have just had their profile posted online. They will be wonderful parents, and we are so happy for them. Please spread the word! You can see their profile HERE.