Westin Enters the World | A Birth Story

Short version of the story:

He's here!

Westin Michael Daetwyler

Born at 1:25 a.m. on November 25th, 2014

9 lbs 1 oz   |   22 inches

32 hours of labor, 4 hours of pushing, then ultimately a c-section.

And now the long version, if you want to stick around for a little while...

(It's pretty detailed, for two reasons: I want to always remember everything about this event.

And, I kind of couldn't get enough of reading other people's birth stories in my twelfth hour, er, ninth month of pregnancy. So I figure I should offer mine to the world as well.)

Here we are at 39 weeks, the last of the belly shots. Westin and I were visiting the doctor twice a week at this point because of one random high blood pressure reading, so we were getting pretty sick of going in for those non-stress tests that he kept passing just fine. To be honest though, I never felt a huge desire for him to just GET HERE like so many 39-weeks pregnant women out there. I was so excited to meet him, and so happy to be done being pregnant soon, but I wasn't wishing away any of our final days as just me and Michael. We went to the Hunger Games premier, ate at Tucano's with a lot of friends, hit up the Cheesecake Factory -- we made the most of that last weekend as just the two of us. Then when Sunday morning rolled around, I could tell things were about to happen.

I stayed home from church that morning because I just felt so off. And maybe I had Michael leave early and come home too -- don't judge me. That afternoon I fell asleep, and woke up at 5pm with my first regular contractions. Braxton Hicks had been around a while, but these were different and so regular. I timed them at 7 minutes apart, and they stayed like that all evening and through the night. I had planned on calling my doctor when they were 5 minutes apart, but that never happened. Instead I spent the night wandering around my house finding different positions and distractions to deal with the intensifying pains. Sometimes I would fall asleep for those sweet 6 minutes between, then the 7th minute brought another painful contraction. I knew Westin was on his way, but I really didn't want to go to the hospital just to be sent home, so I kept waiting and waiting for them to get closer together.

Finally at 6am, after what was easily the longest night of my life, I called the hospital and woke Michael up. Contractions were still 7 minutes apart, but they were getting so much more painful. We took our time packing bags, tidying up, and getting ready to go. I knew they wouldn't let me eat at the hospital so I tried to get some breakfast into my nervous stomach. Before we left for the hospital, I threw up. I could feel that my body was saying, "I don't need anything else to worry about right now, this is baby time." So, we went to the post office (errands wait for no one). And then we went to the hospital. Long drives.

When we arrived at the hospital around 8:30am, they checked me and I was dilated to a 6 and 80% effaced. I was so happy! No going back home for us. We went straight to labor and delivery, and by 12pm I had an epidural and was finally ready to sleep for longer than my 6-minute stretches from the night before. We were feeling great at this point -- I thought I'd be holding my baby by early afternoon.

At 2pm I was dilated to a 7 and 100% effaced, and at 3pm they broke my water to see if things would speed up. Things still progressed slowly -- at 5pm I was at an 8, but Westin had moved down and things were still looking good. By 9pm I was finally to a 10, and more than ready to start pushing. I wanted to meet Westin so badly at this point!

But, it didn't go so smoothly from then on. At that point we learned that Westin was face up, which would make things more difficult. I pushed for two hours and he never moved. They turned off my epidural to see if feeling the contractions more would help with the pushing. But it really just made me throw up and gave Michael a taste of what labors are like in the movies. Poor guy, I look back on that part of the process and feel pretty bad for him. But worse for me :)

My doctor did not like how things were progressing at this point. Well, that's because they weren't progressing. After three hours of pushing he told me, "I don't know the reason this baby isn't coming, but it's obvious that there has to be a reason. We're kind of getting into unknown territory here." I knew he wanted to do a c-section, and I was feeling so heartbroken. I can't describe how fiercely I just wanted to hear my baby cry and have him handed to me like I've imagined my entire life. I've never prayed so hard or worked so physically hard for anything than in those hours of pushing. So, I asked my doctor for one more hour. Westin's heart rate was fine on the monitors and had been the whole time, so he let me have my one last try.

And so began that final hour of pushing, at midnight. We tried all sorts of positions, giving it one last effort. I worked so, so hard. It still makes me cry to think about how badly I wanted it to just work how I had always pictured. But by 1am we all knew that this needed to be a c-section. There was no frantic rush or hurried prep -- Westin's heart rate was still looking good, so it was just a calm change in procedure. I wish I would have learned more about c-sections beforehand so that I didn't have to listen to the resident explain all the risks to me right before having one with pretty uneducated ears. I just never thought that would be the route we'd go. But I'm so grateful I live at a time when my baby was still able to be de safely delivered, even if it wasn't how I anticipated.

After laboring Sunday night and all of Monday, I was so incredibly exhausted as they wheeled me into the operating room. I was no longer an active participant in this process, and my mind and body collapsed. I even fell asleep when they were stitching me up. They whisked Westin away to the NICU right when he was born because when they broke my water there was meconium there, so they wanted to check for respiratory issues. I slept for four hours, then they brought him into our room to meet him for the first time. What a precious little soul! That was an emotional time. I can't really describe how odd it felt to work so hard to get my body to do something, something I knew in me was so natural and right, and then just not have it happen. It felt so surreal that he was there in the world, there in my arms -- it was like I couldn't physically believe that he was really there. But I'm so glad he is here, safe and healthy, no matter what route he took.

When they brought him into our room we learned that he was 9 pounds 1 oz... we never saw that coming. Where in the hell me was that baby? I just don't know. But he was healthy and big and pink, and so stinkin' cute. Also, during my c-section they saw that I have a platypelloid (translation: odd-shaped and inconvenient for babies) pelvis. So that, combined with his size, and his face-up position, meant he would have just never come out. Westin's head was so bruised, as well as the backs of both of his arms. Being stuck that long could not have been easy.

We brought Westin home on Thanksgiving Day. So fitting, right? We are so grateful for that little man. It's crazy how special a newborn baby's presence is and how it fills your home. We really love him.

This transition hasn't been all rainbows though, obviously. But in the big picture, it is so wonderful. When I look at this whole new phase of life with an eternal perspective, I just can't believe that I have actually met one of my sweet, dear children. He's here, and we get to spend life getting to know his personality and helping him grow and learn. I am just so grateful he is ours.

Welcome to the family and the world, little Westin! 

We plan on having a good, good life with you.

The Sweetest Baby Shower + A Pregnancy Update

A couple weeks ago this baby and I felt so, so loved. My friends threw a library shower for #babydae and it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me! They had it planned down to the details and full of my favorite things. Friends that know each other well are just priceless. I love them!

These invitations. SO cute, right? It's still on my fridge even though the party is long over. I love looking at that cute card. And my fridge version doesn't have those ugly black boxes - those are just there to protect my sweet friends from the crazies who read my blog. So, stay away from my friends, crazies. 

The whole shower was book themed - decorations with cute children's books, word games and "Name that Character", even all the food had a book tied to it. Maybe it's hard to read all those signs in the picture below, but they're all adorable. "Very Hungry Caterpillar" fruit kabobs, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and milk, Book Worms... so cute, right?

Those blocks and the rest of this set up on the mantle was so adorable. I think I took ten pictures of it at different times throughout the morning, even though they all looked the same each time. I just couldn't get over how cute it was and kept snapping shots. 

My Indiana friends feel like family. I love them so much! These four years in Indianapolis are really shaped by the friends we've made and the memories we'll always share with them. I love them all - so many different people helped make such a fun day for me and this baby boy, and I appreciated it so much! And we came home with the cutest little library of books, and I'll always love remembering the friend that gave each of them to me when I read their favorite books to my kids.

Plus, I can even put those books on my new (Craigslisted, of course) bookshelf, once I get around to finishing it... This week I found myself suddenly repainting the dresser in my nursery and refinishing the bookshelf I'd already painted, heavy under the influence of the nesting drug. I couldn't deny my two-toned furniture cravings any longer, I suppose. Also, I remember saying that my nursery would be done in my second trimester so that I wouldn't have to worry about big projects when I was far along. Annnd now these are real time scenes from my nursery:

Yikes. Don't judge, people, I've got big plans to tie this half of a room together before baby time comes in who knows how many days. I'm just moving a little slower over here and Michael's school keeps scheduling tests despite our pregnant state, so that's rude of them. 

I'll just leave you with this bonus shot of me at 35 weeks in what I am usually wearing within five minutes of getting home from work. It looks like I'm going to be the proud mom of a basketball.

Fall Break in Utah

We have been looking forward to our Fall Break in Utah for a while now. Michael's little sister Rachel was married last Friday in the Salt Lake LDS temple, and Michael had two glorious days off of school, so we were so excited to take one last trip to see our families before this baby comes.

We made it to Salt Lake late last Wednesday night after a series of crazy events... this trip just came at a busy time and we were not prepared for it. Usually I just stay up as late as necessary the night before a trip and get all ready to go, but I feel like I have 40% of my regular energy level and 7 hours of sleep (or attempting to sleep) is my minimum requirement these days. So, I did what I could to get ready but we ended up not being able to pack until after work/school the day our flight left. Michael was with a patient that afternoon and the appointment went long, so suddenly we found ourselves getting home with 15 minutes to pack and leave for the airport. It was a scramble. When we got to the airport I realized I forgot my temple recommend, which I needed to go to the wedding, so our friend Brian rushed to our house after dropping us off to find it. Then we realized Michael didn't have his wallet, so he couldn't even check in. He called Brian to tell him to get that too, but then found it a couple minutes later deep in his backpack. When I was about to go through security, Brian called and said my recommend wasn't where I said it was - so I searched and searched again...and found it in my wallet. We felt like we were losing our minds. Poor Brian, thank goodness for patient friends.

Then I went through security and had way too intimate of an experience with the security guard since I can't go through the x-ray machines in my current pregnant state. That was, weird. We rushed to our gate and suddenly the straps on my bag broke and I almost dropped Rachel's very breakable wedding present. I would have been so sad! Then we were finally on that plane, one of those hurry-up-and-wait feelings, and a little way into the flight I got out my water bottle for a drink. That air pressure, though. Suddenly my water bottle was like Old Faithful, and water sprayed the ceiling and our nice neighbors in front of us and soaked me. It took me way too long to stop it from happening, too - I was too shocked, and just stared at that spraying fountain in front of me. Then I told Michael that my water broke. On the bright side, I was happy to be soaked... I am almost always hot these days!

After all that craziness, we made it to Salt Lake City and met up with Michael's family. On Thursday we hiked Ensign Peak and I just soaked up those mountain views. Mountains are so incredibly beautiful and comforting to me. It's crazy how much I miss the feeling of getting up high on a mountain and getting a good view of what's around me.

Doesn't Rachel look beautiful? Michael's sisters are so gorgeous, inside and out. It was so fun to celebrate with her on her wedding day. Spencer is a lucky guy, and Rachel lucked out too. They are both so great.

Our little baby hit 32 weeks just before the wedding, growing every day! I think he loved his first trip to Utah. I love being at weddings with Michael and remembering our own wedding day. I love him!

Our baby boy has two cousins following close behind him - me and two of Michael's sisters are due in November, then December, then January. We were quite a sight climbing Ensign Peak together, especially considering that we somehow all followed the kids up the steep side of the mountain rather than the actual trail for the last part of the hike. 

My nephew Ben. He entertained me during the reception with all his tricks and jokes, which are many. I just love having nieces and nephews, and they all LOVE having an Uncle Michael. He is constantly surrounded by kiddos whenever we are with either of our families. He would rather play on a playground than sit and chat any day, so it's a win for everyone.

After all the wedding festivities we spent Saturday with my family in Lehi at my brother's house. They have a sweet new little boy, Jonas, that we hadn't met yet so we were so happy we could have a quick visit with them. 

I'm considering just borrowing my brother's family for my Christmas card this year. I mean, look at that picture above. We're even spontaneously and perfectly framed by foam swords. With the dog, too. Picture perfect.

One of Jenny's friends was so nice to snap a picture of us all together on Sunday morning before Michael and I flew back to Indiana. It's hard to get a current family picture these days - this one will already be outdated once our little man joins us next month! But I love having pictures of all our different stages, even though once we have a new member of the family we can't really imagine life before or without them.

Family is everything to me. Sometimes this blog is full of things we're doing or places we're visiting or any other random but happy part of life. But in the end, this is all that matters to me. Michael and I are both so lucky to have wonderful, loving families. We are so lucky to now each be a part of both of our families. I believe that the entire reason I am on this earth is to do what it is I need to do so that I can be with my family forever, including with my Heavenly parents. I believe making it to that point comes from trying to be like Jesus Christ, and following His plan. If you want to know more about what I believe about families, you can read THIS, or watch THIS, or ask me anytime. 

Thank you, Daetwylers and Miners, for our fun weekend together! We love you!

You Gotta Regatta

We met Michael's parents and his little sister Rachel down in Louisville last weekend to go to the temple with them. It's so fun to meet family down there, and we magically hit no traffic on a Friday afternoon and made it to Louisville in record time. Those bridges can be brutal.

We all made a late night drive back up to Indianapolis together after that so we could go to the IUPUI Regatta the next morning. Michael was in this canoe race last year and it was a blast, so I was excited to watch him again. The school puts on the race and teams sign up in male, female, or co-ed categories. The dental school always sponsors a few teams, and for some reason one of those teams seems to win it every year. Those dental students just have competition in their veins.

Michael rowed down the canal with his friend Derek, and then their friends Brian and Garrett rowed back the other way. They all go to dental school with him, and their team was named the FluoRiders. Good stuff.

They almost made it to the finals, but not quite - next year for sure! We had fun cheering them on and walking around the booths and listening to the live music there that day. I even ran along the canal to keep up with them during their race, which was a sight to see. This bump sure takes away whatever grace I once had. The canal is such a fun spot in Indy's downtown, I love being there. The race was pretty entertaining - a surprising number of teams flipped their canoes over, had collisions, or found themselves going backwards. We were loving it.

We love it so much when family comes to visit! Rachel is getting married this week and we are SO excited for her, and for even more family time :) Fall is just shaping up to be a party this year.

Cedar to Indy

My sweet parents visited Indianapolis last week, and it was so fun to show them around! I loved taking a few days off work just to show them our city and spend time with them. They are just a good time.

We spent our first day up at the Indiana Museum of Art, and the grounds around called the 100-Acre Woods. My dad just couldn't get over how green everything is here and how much stuff there is just growing. All on its own. We are from the desert, you know. Sprinkler systems are a must out there. Don't you love that bench by the lake on the museum grounds? They have so many of those fun and illogical seating arrangements. I love it.

We checked out the rock garden and some other outdoor art sculptures, before spending a few hours inside the museum as well. They loved my favorite display, modern design furniture. That museum is so great, and I loved walking my parents through my favorite parts.

When Michael got home from school we all headed out to Anderson Orchard. I've been itching for some raspberries and I knew it was getting pretty dangerously late in the season... but I had homemade jam hopes and a strong desire to get a homemade candle at the orchard that would make my house smell like fall. We picked 5 pounds of raspberries in no time, even with Michael's eat three, pick one system.

My dad got a little distracted and just got way too into it, honestly. He was far off down the row before we knew it, and we tried to tell him 3 times that we were done and heading back. Finally we just went back to the orchard store and assumed he'd follow. He showed up about 10 minutes later and said, "Where were you guys? I thought you were still right by me - I just asked a group of strangers if we could be done yet, because I thought they were you." I love my dad's ability to just relax and stop focusing on what's going on around him... we have countless stories from that sweet trait :)

This 7-month bump had a good time with the parents too, even though it slightly slowed us down. There are a few moments here and there that I just wish someone would hold me upside down because then I think I'd feel better. Joys of someone sitting on top of your bladder... But really, I am feeling pretty darn good these days. Those 18 weeks of nausea and then two weeks of sciatic nerve pinching has just left me grateful for what I'm feeling these days - no complaints! Although I forget sometimes that I look like this now. I walk by store windows and do complete double takes. It's crazy what my body is doing pretty much all on its own, you know?

We had to fit in some Indiana wildlife - which means visiting the zoo, and making my mom tolerate my cat. The Indianapolis Zoo is such a good time. I love the dolphin shows and new orangutan exhibit, and they had a penguin who was pretty much high on life that day. He didn't stop jumping around or torpedoing through the water for about 10 whole minutes, and we just cracked up. My mom did not warm up much to my cat... obviously. A love of animals skipped her generation, and she just doesn't understand that part of me and my grandma. I tried to get her to hold that little Kitty the whole time she was here, and all I got were eye rolls. I love you, mom :) And I love my cat.

We went downtown on Saturday to watch Michael do a practice run for his canoe race on the canal, and then rented this bike contraption after. We were cracking up the whole time on this thing. Isn't it hilarious? There are two steering wheels in the front, but only the one on the left actually functions. But I couldn't ride up there and NOT steer my side, it just felt too weird. So my dad and Michael just kept laughing at how I thought I was contributing to where we were going. Also, our bell didn't work, so I felt bad every time we kind of crept up behind someone... it's kind of a terrifying sight to have this suddenly up next to you along the canal. No casualties though.

We drove up north one day to see the progress on the Indianapolis LDS temple. It's about 40 minutes north of our house, and should be opening next Spring. It looks really similar to the Louisville, Kentucky temple, which is our closest right now.

We did a day trip down to Columbus, Indiana while they were here because I really love that city. Here is the post I wrote about the architecture tour we took down there. I tried to recreate it for my parents via online audio recordings and random bits and pieces from my memory, but I'm not sure they got the full experience... We stopped at Zaharako's as well, the old ice cream parlor and museum. That city seems like such a good community. I think I'm just partial to cities with populations between 30,000-50,000 because growing up in Cedar City, Utah was just perfect.

And then suddenly, it was already time for them to go. How do fun plans come and go so fast? Their time here flew by. I felt lucky to have a week with them before we have some major life changes over here. I felt extra spoiled to have them here for my birthday. Between having them here and Michael surprising me with the complete set of hardcover Harry Potter books, I was just the happiest birthday girl ever. Oh, and Michael made me the world's best cake thanks to Becca's recipe, and her coaching. I love the people in my life so much!

And I especially love my parents. They are such sweet, good people. So glad I have them forever!

Michael's Roots

We drove deep into West Virginia over Labor Day weekend and met Michael's parents and his sister Katie in a little place called Marlinton. We added five to their population of 1,054. Six if you count Katie's dog Evie who came along, which we should, because he is so great.

This little town is where Michael's dad would come visit his grandparents when he grew up. He and Michael's mom would also drive down here during their spring breaks while they were living in upstate New York going to medical school.

We stayed in a pre-Civil War cabin, and we felt so far away from the world. My phone didn't work for three days and I loved it. Though I did admittedly borrow Michael's working phone for a quick phone call to my sister, because, sisters. The details in the cabin were so much fun - the headboard of our bed was an old fireplace mantle.

We all brought our bikes and spent time on the Greenbrier River Trail, which runs for 78 miles through West Virginia. We did not ride all of those miles though... but we did 24 of them on Saturday and felt pretty good about that. Michael and I didn't get there until late Friday night (dental school commitments... lame), so we missed Friday's ride. But Saturday along the Greenbrier River was beautiful.

Michael and his parents did a little swimming right here after we ate lunch by the river. Katie and I supervised and ate delicious treats from Michael's mom. Isn't it gorgeous? We love our Indianapolis life, but I am always amazed at how much I just literally soak in views like this when I can get them. I need mountains. And when I can't get them, I'll take hills. But when I can't get either, I'm ok with Indiana's thunderstorms. 

On Sunday we went to a Presbyterian church in Helvetia, West Virginia. This is where the Daetwylers first settled from Switzerland, and it is still a very Swiss and very tiny town. It was so fun to meet people there who knew the Daetwyler name, and walk through cemeteries to find the gravestones of some of Michael's family. I wasn't the best at taking pictures that weekend since I only take them with my phone, and I didn't think to carry it around when it had no service. Whoops! 

We loved meeting family down there for the weekend and seeing such a beautiful place. It feels good to find your roots.

Growing

And so we reach 25 weeks. Sounds pretty substantial. Who am I kidding, looks pretty substantial. I gotta say, I did not expect to be rocking this much of a bump already. I received my first "are you sure it's only one baby in there?" comment, and then proceeded to almost cry before I realized that insensitive people are not deserving of my hormonal tears. I'm saving those for my Redbox night with The Fault in Our Stars. I also received my first, "You must be due soon!" comment, to which I said Thanksgiving, to which the kind stranger looked surprised and sympathetic. Lucky for her I was feeling particularly cheerful at this time, with a long pre-baby to do list on my mind, so I told her I felt like it was going to get here before I knew it. Then she looked at me with kind eyes which also seemed to say, "Girl, you have no idea where this is going, do you."

No. I don't. First time, people, how's a girl to know how big or how miserable it's possible to get? But let me tell you that the right side of my body has upped its game, probably because I publicly humiliated it a few weeks ago. I just called it out on its crap, and that pinched-nerve craziness went away after another week. Walking is totally doable again, hallelujah. Plus, I think I look significantly smaller when I'm not limping, so I've at least got that going for me now.

We took our Activity Day girls exploring around the grounds of the Indiana Museum of Art. Can you handle how perfect this little sign is that we found? The invasive human in me is so busy. I'm getting used to feeling him move (dance?) around in there, and I'm even starting to like it. To date, I am the only person I've met who didn't like that feeling when it started happening, so I'm not sure what that means. Scrooge of a mom. But now I realize that I really do miss the feeling when he goes a few hours without having a party in there.

These days are full of an array of emotions. Excitement to meet this baby. Worries about big change. Motivation to finish projects. Doubts about why I surround myself with such projects. Gratitude for a life inside me. Fear about becoming someone's parent. Wonderment about what my family will grow to be like. Sometimes I feel so ready to hold my baby boy, other times I wonder why Michael and I are adding another life to this already great duo that we have going on. I'm just being honest here, guys - I have a lot of feelings.

But I don't doubt that every single one of those feelings are normal, and felt before by so many, and just part of this only partially lit road that Michael and I are heading down together. It's all ok, you know? Even if it's a lot.

Let's do this, third trimester.

Summer Rewind: June with Family

It feels like summer is coming to an early close over here. School has started again, vacations are over, and it feels like an early transition out of our summer break. It went by crazy fast for me. I can't believe that our time in Utah and Florida was back in June! So here's a quick rewind of those happy two weeks.

We flew into Las Vegas, met immediately by that dry desert heat. I forget what a difference the humidity makes out here. We walked around the Bellagio with Ali and Matthias, grabbed In & Out, and drove a late drive into sweet Cedar City, Utah. It had been almost two years since I'd been there, I'm ashamed to say. That little city has such a place in my heart! It was truly the perfect place to grow up, and I love it. I could hardly wait to fill my first day home with red rock. Enter Bryce Canyon:

Doesn't that beautiful place just speak to your soul? I was in heaven. My parents drove down a full backseat of Ali, Matthias, Michael and me + baby, and we hiked and ate lunch down there. That first trimester was just ending for me, so I was feeling a little better at this point, too. Not as good as when 18 weeks rolled around though - that was the magic number over here.

Check out this little friend we made. Michael held up my iPhone and took pictures of him as he took a step closer, and closer, and closer, and closer - until this guy was just inches away and still patiently waiting for food. When Michael put my phone back in his pocket, a package of chips crinkled. This guy perked right up, just waiting for payment. It was adorable. I am such a sucker for animals, you guys. Look at that face?

Also a sucker for nieces and nephews. How I love these kiddos! Logan and Jenny drove down from Lehi for the weekend and went to Zion with us that Monday. We took a walk to where the Narrows end, and played in the water. We had so much fun with my whole family being together! I loved when Jaren was playing around with some rocks near a ditch and suddenly yelled, "Uh, Michael...we've got a problem!" And we all look over, and his "rearranging" of materials has caused a total flood over the sidewalk that people are passing him on. It was hilarious - he loves his uncle Michael so much.

Megan came by to visit! Here we have no baby, tiny baby, and baby who came out just a few days later. Little Andrew is adorable - I'm glad he stayed put so Megan could go to dinner and a movie with us that night, though!

This picture is dear to me. I think my sister snapped it while we were walking to church on Sunday morning. This is Kitty Lane, a paved sidewalk that magically runs in the middle of the block from my road to the road that my church is on, three blocks away. It's a perfect path that I've walked countless times in life, going to the Cedar City 7th Ward. I love this shot of Michael and me walking with my parents to church that day.

After that sweet time in Cedar City, we drove up North for some more fun in Provo/Lehi/Midway. That Y on the mountain was so fun to see again! We hadn't been on BYU campus since Michael's graduation, the day before our wedding two years ago. It has already changed significantly, and our BYU Creamery lunch and walk around campus had us feeling sufficiently nostalgic. Also, please look at that Mexican food. My goodness, how I miss Mexican food. That's the biggest downside of all my time spent on the East coast or in the Midwest - no good Mexican food anywhere. I've looked. And looked and looked. Cheese enchiladas are inexplicably my favorite food of all time - I know, they're just melted cheese. That's the point.

My sweet mom and sisters threw me such a happy baby shower while I was visiting. This meant so much to me -- that room was full of so many people that I love! Aunts and cousins, and so many sweet friends I haven't seen in way too long. I'm so grateful for Ali, Jenny and my mom for doing that for me while I was visiting. Even though Baby D was just a newly announced tiny guy, they knew it was then or never for a Utah celebration.

Do you think we look like sisters? We have literally heard both, "Wow, you are twins!" and "Wow, you look nothing alike!" multiple times in our lives. Leaves us confused, but we love each other and our sisterness runs very deep.

I smiled the whole night - having family around and friends from my DC group, Jerusalem group, old roommates, coworkers ... I just loved everyone there so much! It was a blast. The wonderful night wasn't even tainted by a random return of "morning" sickness while I was driving Jenny and my mom home to Lehi, so that's saying something. I also just want to point out that I can safely drive and throw up at the same time, although that's probably too much information. Still, I was impressed with myself.

These sweet missionary friends of mine! Kindal left for Wisconsin just before I got married, and Kendra left for Texas just after that. I missed them so much, and then our move to Indiana has prolonged our reunions even more. It was brutal! These friends will always mean so much to me. They are just beautiful, in and out.

Our last weekend in Utah was my mom's family reunion, which is probably the best weekend to be in Utah out of the whole year. Camping with all the cousins, good food, brisk Utah nights, volleyball, games around the fire -- just all sorts of good things. I was soaking it all in... it has been far too long since my whole family had been to an Eliason reunion together. I camped with Michael and Ali that night and we were all significantly shocked at how FREEZING we were after a few hours. I kind of loved it. You don't get to be freezing during an Indiana summer, ever.

On our way out of town, my cousin invited us to stop by the hospital where she is an x-ray tech. She gave us our first glimpse at our baby boy, and that's when we found out it actually was a boy in there! It was shocking to me. Literally, I was just stunned by the news more than anything else. I was SURE there was a girl in there! She must be coming next? But oh man, it was fun to see him sucking his thumb already and just being a baby. We told my parents that the baby was too shy and we couldn't tell the gender after, but then we stopped for shaved ice and Michael and I both got half pink and half blue snow cones. Then we pointed at our blue sides until my parents picked up on it and realized another grandson was headed their way! Two in 2014, not bad.

Then we said some sad goodbyes, and my parents drove us down to Las Vegas for our flight out to Florida. We felt pretty spoiled to leave one family vacation for another - timing just combined our fun this year into two glorious family-filled weeks.

We met most of Michael's family in Cape San Blas, and has so much fun just being on the beach with them all week. Those days in Florida are perfect. Beach time, pool time, movies, games, good food, horrible cell phone service. It makes for such a fun week that I kept wishing I could slow down.

We told all of Michael's family that week that Baby D was actually a boy. We weren't supposed to find out until mid-July, so it was fun to already have the news and surprise them. The pressure is off now - Michael has all sisters, and so does his dad, so we've already done our job to carry on this name. 

Seriously though, I'm still so surprised it's a boy! Just kidding... I've come to terms with it. I think.

We drove back up to Indiana with Michael's parents, and stopped to eat lunch at a place that plays live music in Nashville. There are such talented singers and songwriters all over that city, and we felt spoiled to be able to listen to that good music and eat Cajun food. It was a fun last stop on our trips.

Family vacations are the best, right? It's so hard to get to the other side of one after you've looked forward to that spot on the calendar for so long. Plus, Michael was gone the last two weeks of June doing back to back externships, so we got back into reality hard and fast. But I'm so grateful for those two weeks we had with family and friends in places we love. That was our refueling stop for the year. Summer has been good to us.