Baby's First Roadtrip

Henry is now 2 1/2 weeks old and he has grown quite a bit. He's in the 100th percentile for his weight, height and head size--he now weighs 11.5 lbs, which means he's into 3 month old clothes. He enjoyed his first Christmas, though he didn't seem to care that much about opening presents, since he slept through it. We'll teach him more about being greedy next year.

We spent Christmas morning as a family in Detroit, but Sunday afternoon we drove down to Missouri and surprised my family. Henry was quite a trooper on the 12 hour drive. We got in at about 3:30 in the morning and snuck into my parents' house and slept until they woke up. Everyone was pretty excited to see us there (though I'm pretty sure they mostly cared about Henry).

Henry has barely spent any time not being held since we've gotten here. He's just passed from uncle to grandma to grandpa, with his parents occasionally being allowed to hold him.

 Everyone absolutely adores him, which isn't hard to do considering how adorable he is. In my own unbiased opinion.

He's already growing up a lot and it's fun to see him start to interact a bit with people and visibly notice things around him.

Henry Bernard Fisher

It finally happened! Ben and I have the best Christmas present we could have ever asked for--our son Henry.

We went into the hospital Wednesday. After 36 hours of labor, even though I had completely progressed, he just wasn't coming out. So we went into a c-section.

Finally, Friday morning at 7:19, Henry Bernard was born.  He weighed 10 lbs 7 oz and was 22 inches long.  He is beautiful and healthy and wonderful.

We had a few visitors in the hospital, including my mom and brother Geoff.

They love their new roles as Grandma and Uncle.  It was hard for both of them to leave Henry.

It was amazing how instantly Henry became a part of our family.

We brought him home from the hospital on Sunday. It snowed on his birthday, so we bundled him up nice and warm.

We love having Henry around. He is such a joy to have in our home.

He has such a great little personality and he's quite pleasant.

We especially enjoy watching his expressive faces.  He does some good work with his eyebrows.

Not to mention his long feet already fit in the booties I knit him.

He usually likes to be fully clothed, but every now and then he'll get a little scandalous.

Ever since he's gotten here, it seems we just sleep

and sleep

and sleep.

The best part is, I now get this face to look at every day.

Christmas Time is Here

My mom and brother have been here for the past week helping out as we prepare for Baby. They've been a lot of help, doing chores around the apartment and distracting me. Unfortunately, one certain fetus does not seem to be as excited to see them as they are to see him.

We put up our Christmas tree this week, which is always one of my favorite things to do. We even already have presents under the tree, though none for me. Apparently Ben and Baby are just loved more.

Tonight we go into the hospital again for another induction. Though it will be a different hospital and different doctor than last time. Since I'm already 6 days over, there will be no failure this time. If I am not progressing by early Thursday afternoon, they will perform a c-section.  The doctors are worried that he's big enough that he just won't descend, and a week overdue should be enough to kick-start something if that's a possibility. 

So I've resigned myself to the idea of a c-section. I'm not excited about going into surgery, but we feel like we've done everything we can and that this just might be how he needs to be born. So by Thursday night we should either have a new baby or I will be in labor. Hopefully the next time we post, we'll have some handsome pictures of a very fat little boy (and maybe a name to go along with them).

Movember

Nope, still no baby. And today is now the actual, original due date, so hopefully he'll come soon. My mom and brother are here, so they're going to try to help me jiggle this baby out. And we seem to have the doctor situation figured out, so he can come any time.

For work, Ben participated in Movember. For those of you who are not cultured enough to know what this is, it is a month in which men grow mustaches to raise awareness for prostate cancer and to remind people to donate to the cause. He's been pretty excited about it and has especially loved staring at himself in the mirror.

Week 1--Pubescent Mustache

Week 2--Creepy Pencil Mustache (and mysterious fruit)

Week 3--Mustache Explosion

Week 4--The Final Result

We (meaning I) were worried that the first time the baby meets his daddy would be with a mustache. But as much fun as Ben had with this, November is now gone, and with it, the mustache.

Baby Mama Drama

So still no baby. In fact, we currently have no baby and no doctor. Needless to say, we've been through a lot in the past week.

The doctor that I had transferred to down here turned out to be a nightmare. She wanted us to come in for an induction last week because our baby was measuring large, but she didn't want to answer our questions about why it needed to be done right then. She also made it very clear that after two days of trying, if my body didn't respond (which we were already pretty sure it wouldn't, since my body was not showing any signs of being ready) she would send me to a c-section. We realize that sometimes c-sections are necessary, but we felt like she was being quite premature, and she wasn't really answering any of the questions that we had.

She ended up yelling at us and accusing us of not being considerate of other people's schedules. She also lied to us multiple times. It really just seemed to us like since she was going to be at the hospital for the next few days, she just wanted to get us out of the way.

Anyway, we decided to give an induction a try, and we went in Tuesday night and stayed until Wednesday night. I had no progression but spent the day hooked up to an IV and a bunch of machines. The contractions weren't very fun either.

We felt uncomfortable staying another day but our doctor told us we weren't allowed to leave. We left anyway (with the blessing of the nurse and doctor on staff, who said we shouldn't have been bullied into anything)--we didn't want to be stuck in a position where she'd try to force us into a c-section.

So after dealing with this woman who apparently doesn't believe in parents' rights, we decided that we didn't want her to have anything to do with our baby. We want our son's birth to be a happy moment, and she makes us both feel very insecure and uncomfortable. Plus, if she yells at Ben again while I'm in the middle of labor, I can't be held accountable for what I'll do.

But basically, to make a long story short, we both still feel like we have made the right decisions all along. We just want to give my body a chance to do what it was built to do, plus we've never been fully convinced on the November 21st due date--December 1st seems much more in line with my progression. And if we still end up needing a c-section, at least we'll know we've done all we can.

So now we're just waiting. We are lucky to have great family to support us. Not to mention friends, ward members, and of course, family of family. My mom and brother are coming up this week to help out with everything, too. What's important is that our baby is healthy, showing no signs of stress, and we still have options. Oh, and we didn't have to stay in the hospital on Thanksgiving. Pie makes everything better.

T-minus 7 Days

And counting. With only a week left until my due date, I thought it might be a good idea to document this last little bit. Not that I'm very excited about showing off how I look at the moment (maybe I should have changed out of the sweats....), but I think someday I'll like to look back and see it. Like once I've instantly returned to my pre-pregnancy weight/shape after giving birth. Because that's how it works, right?

I also got a nice video of Baby kicking Mommy. He moves a lot--I think it's him saying he wants to get out. I say let him out now. Though I will miss feeling those kicks. Some of them anyway....

The Sound of Music

With eight days and counting until my due date, we're trying to get everything ready and take advantage of the last bit of baby-free time we have. Ben's been sick the past few days, so that mostly involves hanging out around the house, eating soup and taking naps. In the meantime, I just try to ignore the multiple comments a day I get about how miserable/huge I look (just a little advice--expectant mothers still have feelings).

We did make it to our favorite Eastern Market on Saturday, where we were entertained by this man (who reminds us both of Grandpa Fisher) and his musical abilities.

Since we live on a busy street not far from downtown, it's not uncommon for us to hear traffic and occasionally loud conversations. The performance we witnessed this afternoon was the best that we've seen on the street so far. This woman (or man, we couldn't really tell), walked up and down the street multiple times singing gospel tunes. The sound's not great, but you get the idea.

Halloween and Stuff

For those of you who pay attention to that little widget on the side that counts down until my due date, you will notice that it has magically jumped ahead 10 days. Yep, my due date is now November 21st. Which means only 3 more weeks until the little guy comes. I found a doctor downtown who will take me this late in the game, which means no more 35 minute commutes to the doctor, and no hour long trip to the hospital when I'm in labor. Yay.

On Friday we went to the Detroit Institute of Arts. Ben has been wanting to see the Diego Rivera mural for months, and he was very excited to finally see it.

They had all kinds of Halloween activities at the museum that night. We tapped into our inner spookiness and decorated these sugar skulls. You might be surprised to find out who decorated which one....

There was also a show with acrobats doing all kinds of crazy, flexible things on ropes and bars that make a round, pregnant woman like me who's about to tip over while sitting on the floor feel slightly ashamed.

Then of course, we carved pumpkins at home. We had a contest and voted, but it was a draw (though Ben claims I can't vote for myself and I claim the baby and I count for two votes--and he votes for me). This one's a little more obvious as to who did which one when you know that Ben has become obsessed with mustaches lately.

De-Troit

We have been in our new apartment for a few days now, and we love it. We found a place in downtown Detroit, minutes from Ben's work. It's a good location, and we think we're going to like it here--for the next year at least. So far, we also really enjoy our branch--it's small, eccentric, and very friendly.

Unpacking has been slow.... With Ben working all day and me being the only one home to unpack, it's slow goings. Plus we still have a few important things to get, like couches. But we're slowly making it a cozier place to live.

I did clear out one corner of the spare room to prepare for the baby. It's not much, and there's boxes on the other side of the room, but it makes me feel accomplished. And a bit like a mother (10 points if you can find the Boise State memorabilia in this picture).

To break in our apartment, on Monday night we had a lovely cheese and fruit plate. Ben has been wanting to do a cheese of the month. We got Brie, which isn't super exciting, and we've had it before, but the Brie that we found was just too creamy-looking to pass up. It definitely lived up to the expectations.

We're still trying to get more updates on the baby situation. My doctors are having me come back in tomorrow to re-assess the due date. So hopefully I'll have some updates on that soon--they seem to be dragging their feet about giving us any kind of information.  But we're definitely excited to have him, no matter when he comes!

Our Little Fatty

We had another ultrasound today, since I switched doctors mid-pregnancy.  It was fun seeing the little guy again, though laying on your back for that long is a lot harder at 34 weeks than it is at 20. Partway through the exam, the tech said it looks more like he's due mid-November instead of early December. But at the end, she told us he weighs a whopping 7 lbs 9 ounces and according to his measurements is due October 27th.

She did say that the calculations can be off by a pound either way, but that's still a pretty big kid. I think there's no way he's coming in October--not only am I still carrying high, but I just call it a mother's intuition.  I hope I don't get proven wrong--one week is just not very far away.  Though I personally would be surprised if we made it all the way to Thanksgiving.  We're still going to plan on a December 1st due date until my doctors tell me otherwise (I meet with them again next week)

We got some great pictures of him-- here's a profile of him eating his fist. We got to see him yawn and put his fist in his mouth.  He has a huge mouth--he got that from his father.

Here's a nice shot of his squishy face. He's looking right at the camera and you can see the shadows of his eyes and his nose and lips. Not to mention those pinch-y cheeks.

Trips and Stuff

It always seems like nothing happens for a long time, and then all of a sudden there are three or four things to report on.  Maybe it's just me procrastinating a post. But this might be another lone one....

Last week, Ben's sister Lora got married in Logan, UT. We flew out for the event, which was beautiful, and we're excited to have Will in the family.  I'm mostly excited not to be the new one anymore.  It was also nice to get to see the whole family, even though it had only been a little over a month since we had seen the Utah Fishers (and Battys).

On our way out to Utah, we spent a couple of days in Chicago for Ben's work. I went out to Rockford and stayed with my Aunt Mariah for those few days.  This is my cousin Spencer, who's 3, and he and I are the "bookends" of the grandchildren.  We were watching Cars, hence the grin on his face.

The timing worked out that my mom was up there as well, so it was nice to get to see her and be spoiled by the excited grandmother-to-be.  Of course, that did mean that Ben and I had to spend about 48 hours apart....

In other good news, this week we were finally able to find an apartment! It's taken what feels like forever, with a lot of searching and even more waiting--owners in Detroit are notoriously bad at responding or making decisions of any kind. But we found a cute place with a great manager who actually responds, and we're moving in next weekend. But I'll talk more about that later.

I realize I've been bad about posting pictures of myself lately.  People are very surprised to find out that I still have seven weeks left, and we're often asked if we're having twins. Almost every time I meet another pregnant woman, not only am I bigger than her, but she is usually due before me.

Such was the case in our birthing class today.  The class was very educational; we learned a lot about when will happen, how to know when to go to the hospital, helpful breathing, etc.  I admit, it was a bit emotional for me to watch videos of women huffing in pain, knowing I'll soon be doing the same thing.  But we're so excited for our baby to come--I'm getting very impatient for him to get here.

But back on track.... I've decided not only to post a couple of pictures, but also a nice video of me doing DDR.  Our date last night included going to this arcade with antique games (in addition to a few more recent ones)--it was a pretty cool place.

This was an old moving picture machine that played the Phantom of the Opera when you spun the wheel.

I don't even remember what this guy did, but we did find out that Ben is a flirty lover while I am amorous and like oatmeal, whatever that means....

Domestic Canadians

Being a stay-at-home mom when you're not quite a mom yet allows quite a bit of time for projects. In fact, having projects to work on is part of what helps keep me sane during the day.

For my birthday, I received money to buy myself a sewing machine, which is something I've been wanting for awhile.  This week, I finally bought one, and I love it.  I even got a sewing box and a few other things to go along with it.

I thought I should keep my first project simple, since it's been a few years since I've used a sewing machine and I wanted a chance to get familiar with this new one. Burp cloths seemed simple enough, and here was the result (I thought my mom would particularly appreciate the I Love Grandma ones, since this is her first grandchild).

I've actually gotten into a lot of different kinds of arts lately, especially drawing and painting. Here's another baby project I did awhile back:

That's right, this is now one of those blogs where the writer posts all kinds of fancy schmancy homemaker-type projects she's done, with the secret hopes of receiving admiration from all her readers.  Just wait until the baby's born and you get 15 pictures of him taking a bath.

On a side note, yesterday I was listening to one of the radio stations I've found since moving here, and I guess I had never really paid attention to the commercials.  Maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised when they started talking about Ontario elections, web addresses that end in ".ca" and things to do in Windsor, Ontario.  I even heard them say "zed."  Crazy Canadians.

Birthday Bronco Market Week

We have now been in Detroit for almost a month, and we are still looking for a place to live. We have now set our sights on the downtown area. We've been apartment hunting for awhile--we really like the convenience and atmosphere of living downtown (for anyone who's thinking, oh no, downtown Detroit?! Don't worry, it's actually quite nice).

Ben's birthday was this week, and we did a lot to celebrate. Not only was there ice cream cake, but we got to go to a Boise State football game!

They played (and won) in Toledo, OH which is about an hour from where we live. The people there were really nice, and we found a tasty chili dog stand.  We were not, however, impressed with the town itself--it's pretty sketchy. One guy at the game, upon finding out that we live in Detroit, said, "I'm sorry" (which is not an uncommon reaction, almost always from people who have never actually been to Detroit). Ben and I both thought, sorry man, if you're from this town, you have no room to make fun of anywhere else. No offense, Toledo.

This morning in the midst of our downtown apartment hunting, we went to the famous Eastern Market, which is a 43 acre farmer's market in the city.  It was awesome. They have all kinds of produce, flowers, bread, honey.... the list goes on. And we loved it there--we plan on going every week if we do end up living downtown.

Part of the market is located on this intersection, which we thought appropriate to document. Don't worry, the E stands for Esquire.

New Car!

We've been in Michigan for almost a week now and we're already getting into our groove. Ben's first day of work was yesterday, and it went well. The first little while at a job is always a bit dull, with all of the HR info and training that goes on. But he thinks it will be a good fit.

I'm also getting into my routine--I spent yesterday cleaning, organizing, doing laundry, etc. All those typical housewife things. I've got a long to-do list, so I should be able to keep busy.

This weekend we bought our first car. It's beautiful and we love driving it. Next step: buying a house. We really like the area and we have a few places in mind that we'd like to live. We're both anxious to start looking.

Michigan, here we come!

Our lives have been very hectic the past couple of weeks, so there are quite a few exciting things that need updating on (I don't think that's grammatically correct, but it will have to do).

First of all, Ben graduated! It was an exciting day and a great ceremony-- 45 minutes from start to finish. Quite a bit of our family was able to attend, including all of our parents. Ben was pretty excited, despite the fact that other life events have tended to overshadow his graduation. I can definitely sympathize there.

It's such a relief to have that chapter of our lives closed. Of course, there's still grad school, but luckily we have a bit of a break from school before we have to deal with that.

We were able to spend the following week with my family. My mom came out for education week, which I attended with her since I had finished working. My dad stayed with us for the weekend because Geoff got the Melchizedek priesthood. Geoff also stayed with us that week because he was in between apartments. Needless to say, it was a full house.

We packed up our moving truck on Saturday and officially said goodbye to Provo. It was a long day, and we were sore and exhausted afterwards--we didn't get done packing and cleaning until about 1 in the morning.

We've been staying with Ben's brother and sister-in-law, Russell and Kim, for the past few days. We're flying to Michigan tonight, which we are both excited about. Yet we still agree that it just feels like we're on vacation. Ben's work starts on Monday, so we'll have some time to get settled and find a car.

We'll be staying with another of Ben's brothers and sisters-in-law, Nathan and Rachel, until we find a house. Which will probably be a couple of months. I'm still hoping we can close on something before the baby comes. We'll be sure to post updates on how Ben's doing at work and how our search is going and what it's like being "Michiganders."

Gigantic Canyon

Ben has been wanting to see the Grand Canyon for quite some time now. We figured since we're moving soon, we should take advantage of the opportunity to see it while we live so close. So Friday, we packed up the car with all of our camping gear and a ton of food and headed for Arizona.

About 20 minutes into our drive, we took an impromptu stop near Santaquin for a place called Red Barn. We saw a billboard that claimed amazing ice cream, so we immediately pulled over and got some. It lived up to the advertisements.



We drove down to Mt. Carmel, right outside Orderville (the combined population of which is probably less than 600), where we camped for the night. We were both a bit surprised when we got there to realize the camping ground we had made our reservations at was little more than a parking lot. Apparently this is common for southern Utah, because those are the only types of camping sites we saw along the way.

We had a nice evening there, with tasty tin foil dinners and peach cobbler. Ben also became friendly with the Australian-German man camping next to us.

Saturday morning, we drove down to Kanab, where we had breakfast, and then continued on to Grand Canyon National Park. We had heard about all of the wildlife in the park, but were pleasantly surprised to find this road block right after we entered the park boundaries.



We went to the North Rim, which is less crowded than the South Rim--not to mention 2 hours closer. It was a beautiful day and did not feel crowded at all. We first went on the Bright Angel Point hike, which is really more of a walk, that juts out into the canyon, with steep drops on both sides. I had to struggle a bit with my intense fear of heights, but the view was beautiful.

I know it looks like I'm ignoring the canyon, but the view extended on both sides of the trail.



We then picnicked at a spot with a great view of the canyon. Ben, of course, took a nap.

The next, and last, hike that we did was the North Kaibab Trail, which took us into the canyon. This is probably the most popular, or at least most famous trail. It goes all the way down into the canyon, and a lot of people hike down on donkeys (I was often quite jealous of those people).

We just did the first leg of the hike, which took us to the Supai Tunnel, and was only a little over 2 miles each way. Keep in mind that this trail is going straight down into a canyon, so it often felt like longer to a certain pregnant lady....

If anyone takes this hike, we highly suggest walking through the tunnel and not just stopping at the water fountain before it. The view on the other side of the tunnel is amazing.



After this hike, we drove back to Kanab, where we spent the night. We drove back Sunday and made another impromptu side trip when we decided to drive through Zion's National Park. The drive was amazing, it put us right up next to the giant rock formations--pictures just don't do them justice.



There are a couple of tunnels that we went through on this road. It was a beautiful drive and a great end to the trip.