Pippa's Birth Story

I had my 39 week appointment on Thursday July 18^th and was dilated to 2 cm.  Friday was a regular day although I really wanted to make sure the house was all clean and things were in order.  I was washing dishes at 6:30 that night when I started leaking.  I was thinking hey maybe my water broke and then started stressing out about all the things I still wanted to get done before the baby was born.  I called L&D and they said it might just be watery discharge and to see how long it takes to soak through a pad.  If it was saturated after an hour then my water had probably broke.  I went about my evening, which included finishing up an important step in a project at work so that my boss could take it over if I did go into labor.  My stressing caused a headache so when I got done I crashed in bed.  I woke up at 3:00 am pretty wet, no contractions and a headache.  I called L&D again and they said since I was not having contractions I could wait until morning to come in.  It was kind of a rough night after that but I did get some sleep and woke up at 7:00 am headache free.  I gently tapped Greg and told him we needed to go to the hospital.  I have never seen him jump out of bed so quickly!  We got ourselves and Emmett ready, packed the hospital bag (thankfully I had a list made of everything we needed) and called our friends the Datwyler’s to see if Emmett could go to their house until my mom was able to get him.  Thankfully they were home and I didn’t have to worry about him while we were at the hospital.  By 8:15 am we were on our way to the hospital.  In the car my water broke the rest of the way and then I knew it was real.  We were having this baby today!  When they checked me at the hospital at about 8:45 am I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  I was still not having contractions so they said depending on how long my labor was they would start me on an antibiotic.  I got all situated, hooked up to the monitors and was ready to get this labor going.  I started to have contractions around 9:15 am and was having them fairly steady.  At 9:45 they started me on a very low pitocin drip to kick start things a little more.  I really wanted to have a natural birth but was a little nervous because the only relaxation technique I had practiced was deep breathing and everyone I talked to said it could not be done without a handful of various techniques and a doula to coach me through.  My contractions were pretty bearable.  When they would come I would close my eyes, relax my whole body, and just focus on breathing.  By 11:00 am they were getting more intense and each time I needed Greg to rub my face or hand to help me get through it relaxed.  By 11:30 am I have having contraction about every 2 to 3 minutes and dilated to 6 cm.  Greg and I passed the time talking and watching the contraction and heart rate monitors.  At 1:00 they checked me again as I was starting to feel more pressure with each contraction.  I was dilated to 7 cm.  About 10 minutes later the contractions started to get a lot more intense.  It took a lot more focus with each contraction to relax my body and I killed Greg’s fingers a couple of times.  Not long after that I got up to use the restroom and had to stay there a while because I could not make it back from the intense contractions.  I told Greg to call the nurses because with each contraction I felt like I had to push.  The nurses rushed in the room and told me they needed to get me back to the bed to check me.  I was thinking “yup back to the bed would be great, let me just stop these contraction real quick to get there”.  I was dilated to 8 almost 9 cm and the pain of not pushing was so intense.  The nurse had to help me gain control and tell me how to breath.  They called the doctor who thankfully showed up very quickly and said I could start to push.  Oh glorious day I thought, until I started pushing.  Oh my goodness was pushing the most painful experience of my life!  Pushing through the first contraction hurt a little and I let out a little scream but then the contraction ended and I got to rest a little.  The nurse told me on the next one to try and not scream because it would let out the air I needed to hold in to push.  I kept apologizing saying I was trying to not be dramatic and I would focus harder on pushing.  The second contraction was more painful and I told the doctor he better get the baby out soon because there was no way I could push much longer.  The doctor told me he thought 2 more contractions with good pushing and the baby would be born.  Pushing through the third contraction I tried to push really hard.  I screamed quite a bit and the nurses kept reminding me to focus on the pushing.  I kept apologizing saying I was not doing a very good job and was probably scaring all the other moms in labor.  Everyone just laughed and reassured me I was doing a great job.  Fourth contraction I pushed really hard with a lot of pain and screaming and thankfully Pippa was born.  I was so relieved I just about cried!   They cleaned her off on my stomach and I kept saying I love you baby.  It was definitely worth the pain to have her here.  Pippa was born July 20^th at 1:46 pm weighing 7lbs 2oz and was 19.5in long.  I didn’t know any of those stats until a while later because I was just so tired from pushing and the fact that she was healthy was good enough for me.  I didn’t tear at all so there was no stitching up to be done.  The only thing that needed to be done was clean the baby poop off.  Pippa pooped all over me when they set her on my stomach so I was pretty messy.

Natural birth was certainly a painful, humbling, amazing experience.  I am so grateful I was able to have a natural birth.  I have a renewed respect for all women before modern medicine.  I am also grateful I was able to do it my way without having to do some of the crazy hippie relaxation techniques I read about or with a doula in the room.  I just wanted to share the experience of Pippa’s birth with family and not a stranger coaching me on what to do.  The deep breathing worked so well for me to get through the contractions.  I didn’t get up and move around but just sat relaxed in bed and made it to the end!  I was in labor for 4.5 hours and only had to push for 4 contractions.  It was an amazing and quick birth and I am thankful I was able to experience it naturally.               

Old house, new house

Reasons I hate the house we live in ( you may think hate is a strong word but let me concinvce you otherwise)
1.  There is no door to the back yard nor do we have a garage door opener.  Letting Cyris out for potty time is very inconvinent,
2.  The wood floor in the whole house are just the floor boards that  use to be covered in carpet.  They are uneven, have giant cracks between them making them hard to sweep and even harder to mop (cannot get water in the cracks).  They also give us splinters lately.
3.  The drain the the furnace room floor plugged causing a flood in the basement.  Mold was growing on top of the water and it smelled TERRIBLE!!  It took our land lords 2 weeks to get it properly clean up because they did not want to hire out the clean up job.  Greg had to take a day off work and we escaped to my moms house.  Unfortunatly Greg had to return home to work and some how put up with the awful smell until it was cleaned.  Our landlords never saw the mess and didn't really believe us when we told them about how terrible it was.
4.  The connection to our washer is not set up very well (another do it yourself project by the land lords) and it flooded our bedroom.  Some water soaked through the floor and dripped from the ceiling and wall downstairs.  Greg and I thought they would want some giant fans to dry out the walls but they are under some illusion that mold does not grow here and were not concerned.  Apparently this has happened before. 
5.  The dishwsher had been having problems.  At first the landlords said they would be up in 2 weeks to fix it then heard nothing from them.
6.  The heating element in the oven broke.  Thankfully I have a smart husband and he found a way to fix it after a couple of days.
7.  The house is 80 years old so heating it is a beast!  We still have to wear jackets and socks, and use blankets and a space heater to not be cold.   
8.  It just smells werid.  The smells come and go and being pregnant makes them even worse.

I CANNOT WAIT TO MOVE INTO MY BRAND NEW HOUSE!!!  The appliances will work, I can feel confident that my floors are clean, and it won't smell weird!!

Our house should be done at the end of May.  The foundation is already poured.  It sits on an acre lot and the house is just over 2800 sq ft, 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.  We are having the basement finished so there will be 2 guess rooms if anyone wants to visit the great state of Idaho.  Every night I fall asleep thinking of all the wonderful memories we will make it our house.  Just 4 more months and we will be there!!     

Minor Christmas Stuff and Organ Pictures

Here is the beautiful organ.  Needs a little work still but that will have to wait

 The top piece needs to get the mirror fixed but you can see where it will go and amazingly enough it is not super heavy.  And that is not just a lie to get people to help move it.

 

Our cute little Emmett giving us almost no attention because there was a Grandma and new toys.  Not that we expect more on his last Christmas as the only child.

At least Cyris was excited to play with us and get his new toys.  he was so excited he couldn't hold still and managed to get in trouble for getting in all of the pictures for a while.

 

More Christmas stuff will come if I feel up to it later

Family Letter 2012

We hope this letter finds your family happy and in good holiday cheer!  The Pearce Family has had a very exciting year from being employed, to moving, and enjoying some family vacations. 

Greg spent the beginning of the year taking care of Emmett as the stay at home dad and applying to jobs.  In May he was offered a full time position as a mechanical design engineer with AMET.  The company makes automated welding systems and Greg spends his time designing the machines and testing them in the shop.  He is our handyman around the house and will soon be the proud owner and musician of a 19^th century pipe organ.

I finished my last semester of graduate school and successfully defended my thesis in May.  Over the summer I finished up my final edits, published my thesis and (finally) graduated in September.  I was offered a part time position as a hydrogeologist for the Tucson branch of Golder Associates.  The company is an environmental consulting company and I do groundwater modeling for them.  It is the perfect job and I am enjoying being a stay at home mom and trying to be the perfect 50s house wife. 

Emmett is our happy, goofy guy.  He turned two in October.  He learns new things every day and keeps us all on our toes.  He loves going to the library for story/craft time and to see the fish tank.  He has fun at play groups with our friends and is learning how to share.  His favorite things to do at home are to color, paint, and anything with music. I believe we have a future musician in the family so we found a fun music class that he will start in January.  Emmett is also obsessed with Spongebob thanks to his Grandma Koontz and Aunt Gemma. 

Cyris is our fluffy, lovable pooch.  He just loves to be with us and finally understands that Emmett can be fun to play with.  He and Emmett play chase and tug of war and Cyris is so nice to let Emmett climb all over him. 

Greg’s job moved our family to Rexburg, Idaho in May.  We love the Idaho Falls area and being close to Yellowstone and the Tetons.  We have spent two Pearce Family weekends in Island Park and to Yellowstone already as well as a whirlwind fourteen hour day with our friends to Yellowstone, the Tetons and home through Jackson Hole.  We also enjoyed a ten day Koontz Family vacation to Pennsylvania and Washington DC.  In PA we had fun visiting the Koontz relatives, eating my Grandmas amazing food, and learning our family history.  DC was awesome!  Emmett loved riding the metro and watching them come and go at the station.  We were able to go to a few of the Smithsonian museums and see the sights of the Capital.  We need to plan a second vacation there as we barely scratched the surface of things to do in DC.  To top off our exciting year we found out we are adding a new little monster to the bunch at the end of July.  We could not be more excited!

We hope as we celebrate the holiday season we can remember our Savior and all he has done for each of us.  In return I hope we can all be a little kinder and selflessly serve those around us.  Happy holidays and merry end of the world.  If the world happens not to end may 2013 be a wonderful year for your family!

                                                                       

                                                                        The Pearce Family  

   

        

Who knows what is going on!!!

It started the middle of July.  The right side of my throat on the inside would randomly feel like there was a massive lump on that side.  It didn't hurt but was very uncomfortable and annoying.  By the middle of August it would hurt really bad when it happened.  This is because I was not getting tonsil stones.  Your tonsils have pits in them based on how badly they have been ravaged by viruses like strep.  Mucus collects in the pits creating little pockets of infection.  Kind of yucky, I know.  Unfortunately the pain of these started when we were on our big family trip to DC/PA so it was hard to enjoy the eating part of the vacation because my throat did not feel good.  When we got back from our vacation there were 4 big fires right around our home causing it to constantly be smoky.  My families allergies went wacky and we all had a hard time for a while.  This is when my ear decided to join my throat in making me feel terrible.  My right ear started out being plugged.  I could tell the fluid was not draining from my ear.  I constantly had the feeling like there was water in my ear like when you get out of the shower.  The pressure would built up in my ear and cause a lot of pain and a head ache.  The pain has now moved to my left ear and my ears feel like I am continually driving up a mountain and they will not pop.  Not only does this make my ears hurt and give me a head ache but it gives me vertigo and a disconnected feeling.  Sights and sounds are over stimulating, my ears are constantly ringing and I feel claustrophobic.  Everyday is just about getting through the day without going crazy.  I have been to the doctor 5 times now.  I have been on 2 antibiotics, had nose sprays, and 2 types of steroids.  The only thing so far that has made a little bit of difference is the ammoxicilan for strep I got Wednesday.  My throat feel slightly better and my ears drained a little.  Today at my appointment with the specilist we went over all the possible things that are wrong but nothing fits exactly and the question is is my throat causeing my ears to hurt, are my ears causing my throat to hurt or are they separate?  After getting afrin/lidicain sprayed up my nose so I could have a camera shoved up there and down my throat here is the list of what could be wrong:
1. Have a problem with my tonsils.  I have all the symptoms of needing my tonsils removed but on physical examination they look fine.
2.  I need tubs in my ears.  Once again I have the symptoms of needing them but on physical examination there is no fluid in my ears and there is no pressure diffrence on either side of my ear drum.
3.  I have acid reflux which can cause throat problems without the burning sensation
4.  My jaw pops really bad.  This may be because I clench it when I sleep putting pressure on my ears and causing my headaches and throat to hurt.

Right now I am starting with number 4 and will work on eliminating that this weekend.  I have noticed today that my jaw is really tight so I will be taking a lot of mortin, using a heating pad on my jaw 3 times a day and sleeping with a mouth guard.  I will stay on antibiotics for a couple of weeks to get rid of any virus in my throat.  I also need to take Prilosic OTC to see about the acid reflux thing.  If after the weekend my ears have not improved I will be getting tubs in my ears next week.  If after a month my throat has not improved I will be getting my tonsils removed.  Talk about a bunch of who knows what is going on!!  I hope to feel better soon.  Of the two problems I would like my ears to be better so I can enjoy my days more.  I am trying to stay positive and know that some people have it worse and I still have lots of things that are wonderful even if I do not feel good.

To end on a positive note here is my cute Emmy!!  I love this little boy so much!      

25 Things you maybe did not know about me

1.  I grew up in the Air Force.  I was born in Provo then moved to England, South Dakota, Wyoming, Panama, Germany, and South Dakota again where I graduated High School.
2.  I have a fear of driving.  This has held me back  from a lot of things.  I have driven to Mendon twice by myself since moving to Rexburg though! 
3.  I wanted to study meteorology but the program was at the University of Utah and I could not live in a big city due to my fear of driving.  With this I settled on the Geology program at Utah State University.
4.  I cannot sit on a toilet seat unless it has been cloroxed prior to me sitting on it or knowing I was the last to sit on it.  Ridiculous I know!  I am a professional at squatting and hovering.
5.  I don't like BYU or BYU-I.  Greg and I enjoy making fun of these schools and wonder why on earth anyone would go to them.  We plan on disowning our children if they choose to attend them.
6.  That being said I applied to BYU with the purpose of being accepted and rejecting them.  It was awesome!
7.  My favorite place is a quait little town in France called Saint Paul De Vence.
8.  If I went back to school I would become a dietitian.  Although I do not plan on going back, it is just one of those in retorspect thoughts.
9.  My first date with Greg was on October 19, 2006, we became official January 21, 2007, we were engaged on June 20, 2007 and married in the Logan temple on October 19, 2007.
10.  I cannot swallow pills.  
11.  Cyris is one my chlidren.  Yes I am one of those crazy dog people.
12.  Within the next year or two I plan on getting another goldendoodle, a girlfriend for Cyris.
13.  I have a bacholor degree in Geology and a masters degree in Applied Environmental Geoscience.
14.  I work as a hydrogeologist doing groundwater modeling for the Tucson office of Golder Associates, an environmental consulting agency.
15.  I think babies should be breastfeed.  I cringe when I see babies drinking formula.  I know I should not judge but I do. 
16.  My favorite ice cream is cinnamon ice cream tied with brown bread ice cream.
17.  Chocolate is a necessity.  Candy is no good if it does not contain chocolate.
18.  I love to read.  Prepare to be ignored when I pick up a book because I cannot put it down.
19.  I do Irish Step dancing.  I plan on receiving my teaching certification and opening a dance school.
20.  My favorite music is Celtic music.
21.  I want to go to Antartica someday.
22.  I plan on having the rest of my babies naturally and unless really medically necessary I will not be induced.  With Emmett's birth I feel like I missed out not going into labor on my own and although there is nothing wrong epidurals I want to be super mom!
23.  I do not watch or listen to horror stories.  I am too easily petrified.  In August Em and I were visiting my mom and my aunts came to visit.  Someone told a freaky story about the Devil and 3am.  That night Emmett woke up screaming and he would not stop.  It just so happened to be around 3am.  I was so petrified that Em and I slept with my mom in her bed.
24.  The best part of the year is Fall and Winter.  I love the cooler weather and beautiful colors of fall and I love the snow and holidays of winter. 
25.   I believe I grew up in the wrong time period.  I should have been born to high society during the early 1800s.

Summer with the Pearces

July
Over the 4th of July we spent a few days at our Sister-in-law Heather's cabin in Island Park.  I am not sure why we do not have any picture.  The most amazing thing that happened there was that we managed to get Cyris in the water and he liked it (after a while)!!  He even played fetch in the water like a real dog!!

Our friends Mike, Whitney and Macaroni Hardin visited in the middle of July and we had fun weekend.  We went on a whirl wind day driving through Yellowstone and home through the Tetons and Jackson Hole, went to Jefferson Lake, and reminisced about our collage days (haha that makes us sound old).  Emmett was in his car seat for the better part of 14 hours when we went to Yellowstone and he only lost it right before we stoped in Jackson for dinner.  Basically Em is awesome!

 Whitney helped toughen up Em's outfit even more

Em the sous chef baking a cake for the Hardin's arrival

August

 There is an awesome carousel in Rexburg.

  Maybe Emmett with agree that it is awesome next year.

We went on a 10 day Koontz family vacation to Bedford PA and Washington DC.  It was so fun to hang out with my famliy and go on a little adventure.  

 

 Emmett and Pappy enjoying some swing time

 Our traditional corn husking party.  Even Em got in the action.

 We ate, and ate, and ate all my grandma's wonderful food

 We helped bake rolls and sugar cookies

 Thanks for the fun time grandma!!

 In DC we went to the National Archives and had a tour before the archives opened.  It was awesome to be in the gallery with the Constitution and the Deceleration of Independence with no one in the way!

 We went to the Air and Space Museum

 The Natural History Museum

 Walked along the Mall

 And one of the days ate at Fado's, the most wonderful pub in existence!

After our fun vacation it was back to our daily routine, but with a toddler it is certainly never boring!

 Thankfully carrots can be rinsed off

 This little boy LOVES bacon!

 Best Buds!

 Mom's sous chef

 Emmett thought Cyris was board so he brought him all of his toys

 Em's sunglasses finally came in the mail and he loves them so much he has to wear them around the house.  Em and daddy are expert block builders,

 as well as best buds

 oh have I mentioned that these two are also best buds :)

September

The most exciting news, I am officially graduated!  I finished up the last edit and turned my thesis in to be bound!

Emmett's big accomplishment, potty training!!  We have moved on to wearing underwear!  He loves it!  His motivation to sitting on the potty is his potty watch which plays a little song when it is time, and M&Ms.  He gets some when he sits on the potty.  Today was our best day yet!  He would start to pee and just make his undies slightly damp then stop and run to get me.  He would then sit on the potty and finish peeing!!  There was only 1 accident I had to clean up off the floor in the 4 hours he was in undies!  He even kept 1 pair of undies dry for 1.5 hours.  His record for most undies was 3 pairs in under 30 minutes.  Today when it was time to put a diaper back on for naptime he was very angry and still wanted to wear his undies!  We are excited about getting out of diaper and into undies!

 Well there you have it.  Our summer in one post!