Wednesday, February 02, 2000

We still have not found renters for our house and so we continue to wait to move.  Two single girls came to look at our apartment on Monday night and showed real interest, but we have not heard from them since.  There is another lady who is supposed to be flying in from Arizona this afternoon to look at our house and others, but she has two cats and I am very leary of having cats in my house.  You can never really get that smell and all the hair out once they are gone.  We keep having faith that we will be able to rent soon, but do get frustrated at times.

Once we do move though, you will be in your own room.  I am not sure how you will like that, but I think you will sleep better because we won’t be making noise around you so often.

I have started exercising in the morning while you are still sleeping.  I look forward to being able to take you for walks in the morning when the weather is warmer.  It is amazing how much better my attitude is after I exercise and throughout the rest of the day.  I tape a tv exercise program each day so that if you happen to wake up at that time, I can still exercise later.

Your sleeping habits are becoming even better.  You still go to sleep between 10 and 11 pm, but you now sleep until 5 or 5:30 am.  Yeah!   I go to sleep just as soon as you do and am not quite so tired in the morning when you first wake up.  You have been going right back to sleep after I feed and change you and sleep normally until 8 or 8:30.  Then you go back to sleep about an hour later for usually 3 hours.  You are so wonderful.

Sunday, January 23, 2000

Yesterday was my birthday.  Susan offered to watch you while Daddy and I went out on a date.  We had originally planned to go see a movie and have dinner together, but we were late getting to the restaurant and were not able to make it to the movie.  Instead we went to play miniature golf.  Your dad beat me for the first time.  He was quite pleased with himself.  We played on an outdoor course because the indoor course was packed and so it was rather chilly.  We stopped at the Village Inn afterward for hot chocolate and pie.  It was nice to be together and talk and enjoy each other.  I missed you but I also knew that you were being well taken care of.

 A sweet lady in our ward-Camille Chipman-called on Friday and offered to babysit for us since she saw in the ward bulletin that it was my birthday.  She has five children, her youngest five months old, and all were born via c-section.  I am amazed at the kindness of the people in our ward and will be sad to leave them when we move.  I am also amazed at the kindness of women who are mothers who understand the challenges of motherhood and caring for an infant.  Some days I have felt alone in my experiences, but when I talk to other moms, I am pleasantly surprised to find out that my feelings are normal and characteristic of this time in my life.

Mitch is visiting for the weekend.  He is staying at Susan’s and should be returning to Rexburg tonight, I think.  We dropped him and his friend, Jen, off at her aunt’s house last night and that is why we were running a bit late and missed the movie.  I don’t mind though, because golf gave us a chance to talk.  We had dinner at Brick Oven, which is my favorite Italian restaurant.  I always get the pasta bar because I can put as much sauce on my pasta as I want.  Most places don’t give you enough.

I have had some wonderful moments with you as we sit and rock and talk.  I like to sing to you, and though I am not the greatest singer, you seem to enjoy it most of the time as well.  I usually sing hymns to you and some seem to have an even more special meaning now that I am a mom.  Two in particular come to mind.  The first is “Abide With Me” (Hymn 166).  The last verse reads:

I need thy presence every passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Thru cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I do need him every day.  I could not take care of you if I knew that I was doing this on my own.  I know that there are angels surrounding us throughout the day who help and comfort both of us.

The other song that brought tears to my eyes is one that I would have never correlated with being a mom.  I heard it last Sunday on “The Spoken Word” on tv and was amazed by the message whispered to my heart as I held you in my arms.

I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go

It may not be on a mountain height
Or over the stormy sea,
It may not be at the battle’s front
My Lord will have need of me.
But if, by a still, small voice he calls
To paths that I do not know
I’ll answer dear Lord, with my hand in thine:

I’ll go where you want me to go.

Perhaps today there are loving words
Which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now in the paths of sin
Some wanderer whom I should seek.
O Savior, if thou wilt be my guide,
Tho dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo the message sweet:
I’ll say what you want me to say.

There’s surely somewhere a lowly place
In earth’s harvest fields so wide
Where I may labor through life’s short day
For Jesus, the Crucified.
So trusting my all to thy tender care,
And knowing thou lovest me,
I’ll do thy will with a heart sincere:
I’ll be what you want me to be.

Chorus
I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
Over mountains or plain or sea;
I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what you want me to be.

For me, this song seemed to be such an anthem for motherhood, though it is usually sung at mission farewells.  It is not at work where I can do the most good in this world (It may not be on a mountain height), but within the walls of my own home, teaching you, guiding you, and helping you to know the Savior.  I have had plenty of experience mothering with my own younger brothers as they were born into our family and grew, as well as with Susan’s children.  Even my babysitting experiences helped me (To paths that I do not know), but to be a mom to my own daughter is completely different, and I am learning all of the time.

I feel very confident that I am to stay at home (I’ll go where you want me to go) and be your mom.  Some days I miss the challenge and interaction of working with my peers, but I would miss you more.  “Perhaps today there are loving words, which Jesus would have me speak”.  There are so many children in this world who rarely hear kind words such as “I love you” or who are not taught about Jesus, about life, or even the ABCs.  I feel strongly that I can teach you so much and already you show that you are able to learn.  In fact, when you were two days old, you showed the beginnings of your intelligence capacity.  I stuck out my tongue at you and you did it right back.  I am teaching you the ABCs, 1,2,3,4,5, all about your face and hands, primary songs and church hymns.  Right now you listen with real intent and someday you will surprise me.

I try to read scriptures to you along with other books and if you are not tired and fussy you sit and listen.  When I glance from the words to your face you have a large grin on your face.  You smile so wonderfully and so often and I love it.  And you too.

Wednesday, 19 January, 2000

You have had a nasty rash on your face for the past week.  It started with a few pimples here and there, then moved to your ears, and became progressively worse.  Your ears were so bad that they were quite swollen.  It makes me feel so bad that you have had to experience this and that your face looks so painful.  You have been really good about it though and rub your face and ears with your fist only occasionally.  I took you to the doctor last Friday and he prescribed some cortisone cream for your ears but said not to put it on your face because you could easily rub it into your eyes.  We have just had to let the rash run its course.  Dr. Berry said that it is probably due to the dryness of the air, but I also think that you might be allergic to fabric softener dryer sheets.  I have stopped using them and hope that your rash goes away.

While we were at the doctor’s office, the nurse, Jennifer, weighed you.  I was amazed that you already tip the scales at 12 pounds.  No wonder my back hurts so much all of the time.  You have already gained half your body weight.  You have a double chin and rolls of fat on your legs and arms.  At least you aren’t lacking in food and seem to be healthy.

I also weighed myself while at the doctors and was pleasantly surprised to see that I have lost all of the weight I gained while pregnant and hope to be able to continue losing weight over the next couple of months as you continue to nurse.

You are getting more of a routine.  Most nights you go to bed around 10 or 10:30 and sleep until about 3 or 3:30.  Some days you wake up a bit earlier, and others, like this morning, later—4:30 am.  Then I can usually count on you waking up between 6 and 7.  We have started giving you a bath before you go to bed and it works wonders at calming you and helping you to sleep, and sleep longer.  I usually run a tub full of water and get in and Daddy hands you to me.  You love the water.  You haven’t learned yet to splash, but I am sure that too will come.

You have started to notice more things.  We have some colorful rings that you haven’t bothered much with until today.  This morning you were batting them with your hands.  It is fun to see the changes happening.

Friday, 07 January, 2000

This morning I dressed you in the same sleeper outfit that we brought you home from the hospital in and it is fitting so much better.  You are obviously growing and your cheeks are getting pudgier all the time.

The past month of life with you has had its ups and downs.  Sometimes you are a perfect little angel and sleep wonderfully through the day and night and the next day you simply refuse to go to sleep whatsoever.  You do seem to be getting onto a schedule at night though which is wonderful for me.  You have been going to sleep around 10 pm, waking up between 2 and 3 am, going back to sleep without any fuss and sleeping till 6 or 6:30 am.  I still get tired, but it’s not as bad as it was.

When we first brought you home, you woke up so much more during the day and night, and I finally figured out that you were cold.  So now you wear heavier jammies and sleep in a different bed where the sides are completely enclosed.  I was grateful that it was a rather easy solution.

Yesterday, I took you to Aunt Susan’s so that I could get a bit of exercise.  Everyone there loves you and will gladly sit and hold you for hours.  Karra, who is 10, hopes that she can babysit you in the future.

Thursday, 6 January, 2000

The nurses got me out of bed later in the day on the 12th. It hurt immensely, but I found it to be key in my recovery. The longer I stayed in bed, the more stiff and sore I became. I tried to walk around the hospital floor a couple of times a day thereafter. We began to have visitors on the 12th. Susan and her family, Kevin and Candace, and my visiting teacher, Nancy Henderson.

 I had a shower on the 13th and it felt wonderful.  There was a bench in the shower that I sat on while Chris helped me.   I just let the hot water pour over me.  I eventually got out of the shower but it was a slow process.

You slept wonderfully the first two nights of your life and then the third night you had it pretty rough.  I would feed you, you would sleep for a little while and then you were awake and crying.  The nurse kept bringing you to me, and I was so exhausted.  Chris slept at the hospital for the first three nights and didn’t get much sleep either on the third night.  I finally convinced him to go home around 4 am so that he could get a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep.  We finally gave you some formula in a bottle and you went to sleep.  You must have been so hungry, and I just didn’t have enough milk yet to satisfy you.

We stayed in the hospital until Tuesday night, December 14th, around 8 or 9 pm.  We could have stayed until 3 in the morning, but that didn’t seem like a great idea.  The clothes that I had brought for you were much too big, but we bundled you up and took you home regardless.

Wednesday, 22 December, 1999

The past couple of weeks have been rather eventful for all of us in the Kline household.  I had originally planned to work until Thursday, December 9th however on Monday the 6th I was feeling very nauseated at work and had diarrhea, I left work early and that ended up being my last day.

I had a doctor’s appointment on the 6th at 4:30 pm and the unfortunate news was that I wasn’t dilated at all and my cervix was not effaced.  Disappointing to say the least.  I hadn’t really had any contractions though some cramping.  Dr. Woodmansee set up an appointment for a non-stress test on Friday the 10th at the hospital to make sure that everything was all right with me and you.

For the rest of the week, I pretty much rested on the couch.  I decided that it was a good idea for me to be home (especially now that I am sooooo tired).

I went to the hospital for the non-stress test (NST) on Friday morning at 9 am fully expecting that I would spend the rest of the day running errands and walking at the mall.  The test results, however, were rather questionable and the perinatologist who looked at the test immediately called my doctor.  My amniotic fluid was low and your heart rate went down during a contraction (I didn’t know that I was even having them).  Dr. Woodmansee was out of town for the entire weekend and so his associate, Dr. Berry, was contacted.  He talked with the technician who did the test and then asked to speak with me.  He basically recommended that I be admitted to the hospital immediately for induction.  I was definitely not expecting this.  Dr. Woodmansee had talked about inducing me on the 14th but Dr. Berry said it would be risky for us to wait.

So, I was checked in to room 515 in labor and delivery and a small pill was inserted next to my cervix to stimulate its softening and encourage dilation.  That was around 10 am.  I called Chris as soon as I was in the room to let him know what was happening.  I was kind of scared since I was not prepared for this to happen today.  We both decided it was just as well for him to stay at work for awhile since all I would be doing at the hospital was lying in bed.  I didn’t have my hospital bag or anything at all with me except a magazine I had brought to read during the non-stress test. 

I watched tv for all of the morning and into the afternoon.  There wasn’t that great of a selection but it helped to pass the time.  Another pill was inserted about 3 pm and Chris arrived close to that time as well.  By then I was beginning to have some contractions that felt a lot like cramps--it was a pain that I couldn’t really escape from no matter how I moved.  Unfortunately I was not dilating though my cervix had begun to thin some.

Chris was a great distraction from the pain and helped me by softly massaging my hand.  As the day progressed the contractions became more uncomfortable.  Another pill was inserted next to my cervix around 7 pm and thankfully that was the last.  I was having some pretty good contractions at this point but still no dilation.

I had not eaten since breakfast and was only allowed ice chips.  I was so hungry.  I asked if I could have something to eat and the nurses said they would call Dr. Berry and ask.  I had also been confined to bed with all the wires attached to me and was only able to get up to go to the bathroom.  That was a pain since I had to unhook everything.  Dr. Berry relented to me being out of bed to walk around for 20 minutes and no more.  He didn’t want me to be off of the monitors for any extended period of time without being able to keep track of your heart rate.  The contractions were still pretty intense but it felt good to get off of my side and stretch a bit.

After pestering the nurses for food for most of the afternoon, Chris finally brought me some pineapple, grapes and yogurt.  It tasted wonderful.  He also went and got me some ginger ale from Macey’s to help with my upset stomach.  Unfortunately for him I think I only took two or three sips and then took the Pepto Bismol the nurse had offered me previously.

My day nurse was probably in her late 50s and was not all that sociable, but when the night shift came on, Monica was my nurse, and she was great.

Since I had driven my car to the hospital and Chris had his there as well, he called his brother Kevin to help him transport my car home.  While they were gone, Monica brought me some supper.  Again, it was so wonderful.  I had instant mashed potatoes, squash, juice, and pudding but left the chicken fried steak.

Susan and your cousin Jenna dropped by on their way to the grocery store to bring their video camera for us to use.  I remember that my contractions were really intense at this point and Susan was great at helping me relax through them.

Monica was somewhat concerned about your heart rate in relation to my contractions since it wasn’t responding the way it should.  She called Dr. Berry and he dropped by around 10 or 11 pm.  At this point, I was only a little more than 1 cm dilated though my contractions were pretty strong.  There was no need to start the pitocin (a contraction enhancing drug) but my lack of progress was a concern.

Dr. Berry let me have an epidural at this time and the anesthesiologist was there in no time.  It was not the most comfortable procedure, but I felt so much better afterward.  My body basically was numb from my chest down to my toes.  I still had some movement, which was good.

Chris and I tried to sleep at this point. Around 1 am I felt my water break.  I had Chris call the nurse.  When they arrived, I had leaked all over the floor and my bedding.  Monica and another nurse set about to clean me up.  Unfortunately, there was meconium in the fluid that meant you had already had your first bowel movement.  This is also a rather serious situation because it is likely that the meconium is ingested into your lungs.  An IV of amniotic-like fluid was inserted into my uterus to keep the levels up.  More tubes were attached to me and you to more accurately chart your heart rate and my contractions.  A catheter was inserted in to my bladder, which thankfully removed the need to urinate.  Thank heavens for an epidural since I didn’t feel any of these insertions, but would have been in a lot of pain if I had.

After being cleaned up, I remember just falling asleep again when Dr. Berry, Monica and another doctor came in to my room.  It was about 2:30 am on Saturday morning.  Dr. Berry and Dr. Wold, a surgeon, had been looking at the printout of my contractions with your heart rate and were extremely concerned.  You were showing signs of distress.  They kindly explained the problem and suggested that we need to get you out as soon as possible, and a cesarean was the only way.  We agreed and preparations began.  The anesthesiologist returned to increase the dosage of my epidural for the surgery.

I, however, began to experience shock.  I had not been prepared to have a baby today in the first place, and now I was going in to surgery.  As I look back on this day, I have realized since then that I was not really fully aware of the seriousness of our situation.  The fact that I was admitted soon after my non-stress test was just the beginning.  The doctors and nurses were great about not causing me undue alarm, but were carefully monitoring our progress, or lack thereof, the entire day.  Thus the need for surgery came as somewhat of a surprise and shock to both Chris and I.

Can I stop and tell you how much I love your father and the wonderful man that he is?  Though he wasn’t feeling the pain, I knew his heart was breaking for me watching me experience your birth.  I remember, as I was being prepared for surgery and feeling rather scared, that he was right by my side holding my hand.  I asked him for a blessing and he in turn asked the nurse if there was someone who could help him and who had consecrated oil (his vial had broken off his key chain the week previous).  Within minutes, another man appeared in our room to assist with the blessing.  I looked up at your father and saw tears rolling down his cheeks.  I quickly looked away knowing that if I didn’t, I, too, would be crying. 

The blessing was pronounced upon my head, and I was told that I would be at peace, that my feelings of shock would subside, and that this experience would have a positive outcome.  Similar to the time this last summer when I went in to shock after seeing Angela fall down the stairs when we were in Canada, I again felt my body relax and become calm.  I still had the shivers and felt cold, but no longer worried about the next couple of minutes.

Chris put on a white jumpsuit for the surgery as well as a mask, hair net and booties.  I wish that I could have had a picture of him.  The surgical suite was just down the hall from my room and I was quickly wheeled in.

I still had enough movement in my legs to help the nurses transfer me from my bed to the operating table.  Once there, I remember that Monica shaved my tummy where the incision was to be made and applied betadine, I think, to sterilize me.  I also remember watching her in the reflection of the lights tying my legs together with towels or something. 

The anesthesiologist stood by my head and placed warmed-up IV bags on either side of my head.  They felt so wonderful as I was still shaking (a normal reaction to an epidural).  Then I heard Dr. Berry ask me if I could feel him pinching me.  I said no.  Chris stood up to watch and said that I was already cut open.  I couldn’t believe it had happened so fast.  As the doctors cut through to my uterus, I heard them both say “Oh my” and the first thing that popped out was your umbilical cord.  That was the problem (or at least one of them).  It was on top of your head and if I had gone through with a normal delivery it would have been the first thing to come through the birth canal.  And then I still probably would have had to have a c-section.  The contractions would have squeezed off the flow of blood through the umbilical cord within a matter of minutes, leaving you without any blood. 

Within minutes you were pulled out of my tummy.  You didn’t cry right away as I strained to listen for you but were quickly whisked away to an adjoining room by a neonatologist to have your lungs vacuumed to remove all traces of the meconium.   Chris looked at me as if asking me if I wanted him to stay.  I told him to go with you and he was able to video tape your first moments of life.  Finally I heard you cry.  The first thing the nurses said was how beautiful you were.

I lay on the operating table, somewhat out of it, when Christopher walked up beside me holding you in his arms.  You were wrapped up in a tight little bundle with a little cap on your head.  Chris put your face next to mine, and I kissed you.  I couldn’t do much more since my hands were tied down as well.

Things get a little blurry here for me, but I do remember still being in the operating room where the doctors removed the placenta and began to stitch me up.  Their conversation, ironically enough, was about Dr. Woodmansee and where he was.  I guess he was in Chicago baptizing a girl whom he had met the year previous on a cruise.  Supposedly there was some love interest there as well.  The doctors joked with the one nurse who was single and why she didn’t just ask Dr. Woodmansee to marry her.   The doctors also clarified your time of birth.  The surgery was started at 3:10 am and Amy Christine Kline was born at 3:16 am.

In no time at all, I was back in room 515 for recovery and observation.  I think I was there for about 45 minutes to an hour.  My blood pressure was taken every couple of minutes.  Everything seemed to be fine.

Since I was doing quite well, I was transferred down one floor to the maternity floor, room 432, and it was there that I first held you in my arms.  I had already been awake for so long that I wasn’t about to go to sleep without seeing you first.  It was about 5 am.  You were completely cleaned up and the nurses had bathed you, combed your hair, curled it and stuck a purple bow on your head.

I may have been somewhat out of things still but I did know that I was so in love with you and your beautiful little face.  Your dad and I sat and looked at you and marveled at the miracle of your life.  Because you didn’t have to come out of the birth canal, your head was perfectly shaped, not oblong as some baby’s heads are.

My epidural began to wear off so I asked for some pain medication.  I think they gave me a shot of demerol in my hip, but it didn’t seem to do much for the pain.  After that, I asked for pills, percoset, and they worked very well.  I stayed on them every three hours for the next couple of days.  I had a 5 to 6 inch incision in my stomach that was closed by about 15 staples.  Wow, the pain was amazing.

Things get a little fuzzy for me here and I don't remember all of the details so well.  I know that I slept some, but I also remember calling my parents.  They were thrilled by your arrival but shocked that I had had a cesarean.  They could hear your cute little baby sounds.  We called the rest of our family throughout the day, but I don’t remember much of it.

Friday, December 03, 1999

We had our first big snow of the season last night.  I woke up quite a few times during the night and could hear the wind howling outside.  The roads weren’t too bad this morning until I got on to some of the secondary roads.  There is such an extreme between the overly cautious drivers and the crazy drivers.  I do my best to be a careful driver, but I worry about all the dingbats driving around me who don’t know what they are doing.

Thursday, December 02, 1999

Less than a week now if you were to actually come on your due date.  I am still at work and trying to get as much done as possible.  My department had a surprise lunch for me yesterday which was so thoughtful.  They gave you some very cute gifts.  We’ll have to take lots of pictures so that you can see all of the cute clothes that you now have.

I went to my doctor’s appointment on Monday and found out pretty much what I expected to hear.  No dilation yet, but my cervix has started to soften or efface.  That’s progress in my mind because it all has to happen.  I don’t really count on you coming early because I don’t feel much happening.  Every once in a while I feel twinges and cramping, but I think I have yet to experience a contraction.  You dropped further down into my pelvis about two weeks ago.  It is rather obvious, especially to those who haven’t seen me for awhile.

We put up your cradle over Thanksgiving as well as the Christmas Tree.  I think we are mostly ready for you.

Thanksgiving was pretty quiet for us.  On Thursday, we went over to Aunt Maureen’s for dinner.  Brad came as well.  We each provided a part of the dinner so it wasn’t so much work for one person.  After dinner I stayed at Maureen’s to rest and Chris, Brad, and Maureen went to the new James Bond movie, “The World is not Enough.”  Brad stayed at our house that night and went shopping with us on Friday.  We bought a La-Z-Boy recliner rocker at RC Willey in anticipation of your arrival.  It arrived on Saturday morning and our living room is rather crowded now with the new chair and the Christmas tree.  The chair is rather comfy for me, but I don’t like to sit on it right now in fear of my water breaking all over it.

Friday, November 12, 1999

My doctor’s appointment turned out a bit differently than I had planned.  I didn’t have to wait at all for one thing.  I was waiting by the bathroom because I have to give a urine sample every time I go, and the nurse, Joy, saw me and said we might as well weigh me and take my blood pressure while I was waiting.  After that, Dr. Woodmansee came right in.  A big change over last week.  You are growing right on schedule.  Dr. Berry told me I would come in weekly from now on, but Dr. Woodmansee said I didn’t need to come back for two weeks.  And he didn’t check my cervix, but said he would do it next time.  I suppose with first-time moms, a doctor knows that they are more likely to be overdue than early or even right on time.  Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, it will be about 2 ½ weeks before our next appointment, and by then, it will be just a little more than a week away from my due date.

I slept a lot better last night, but by the time Friday rolls around, I am more than ready for the weekend.  I still do a lot at home on Saturday, but the change is important for me.

I told my Manager that I would work until December 9th—I am planning on being overdue—and I just hope that I have the energy to make it.  Mornings are getting more difficult, and I am wiped out before I even leave the house.

The weather for November is unseasonable yet wonderful.  We have been up in the 60 and 70s for the past couple of weeks.  I would love it if it lasted until Christmas, then it can snow all it wants because you and I will just stay home and have a party all our own.

We bought your stroller and car seat last night.  We have been waiting for this particular style to come in for a couple of weeks now.  It is actually a gift from Grandma Ball, Aunt Lori and Great Grandma Greve and is one of the few baby purchases that Christopher has been excited about and interested in.

Speaking of Christopher, he is enjoying his new job.  He has been working at Novell now for two weeks and is able to work around his schedule at school.  Right now he is working hard to take all of the Novell certification tests.  He has to have these completed before he can actually do his job, which is customer support on the phone.  He passed the first two this week, but I am not sure how many more he has yet to take.

Thursday, November 11, 1999

Am I ever tired today!  I didn’t get a great sleep last night, and I don’t think it will improve all that much in the next couple of weeks.  I suppose there is something to being too big to get comfortable.  I was hoping to work until the first week of next month, but I am not sure that I can make it.

I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon.  Dr. Woodmansee will check to see if I have dilated or effaced at all.  I can’t imagine that I have at this point since we still have about four weeks to go.  Even if I have, it still wouldn’t be an indication that I would be delivering early.  As nice as that would be, I don’t want to get my hopes up.

Chris’ car is in the shop right now.  It has been overheating lately and we are hoping that it is not an expensive fix.  Cars can be so expensive.  We try to take good care of both our cars, but sometimes they just have parts that wear out.

You must have hiccups right now because I can feel this rhythmical movement coming from your living quarters.  It feels kind of weird, sort of like a muscle spasm I guess.

Monday, 8 November, 1999

Wow!  One month to go.  It seems forever in getting here, but at the same time, I am not sure that I am ready.

Chris and I spent most of the day on Saturday cleaning house and getting the yard ready for winter.  We were both pretty worn out after such a busy day, but it always feels good to accomplish so much.  I would suppose that Saturday is the busiest day of the week for me, and I am always grateful for the rest I can have on Sunday.  I am also grateful that we both have been taught how to work and that we work so well together.

Chris just received a new calling.  I don’t believe that either of us are all that excited about it.  He is the new assistant scout master.  After having my dad be the scout master for years and years and years, I guess I have grown a little biased against the program.  It takes a lot of time away from your family.

When I went to our doctor’s appointment last Wednesday with Dr. Berry, I was kept waiting for over 1 ½ hours.  I was not impressed by that and went home in a rather grumpy mood.  I actually would have liked Dr. Berry a whole lot more if the circumstances had been different, but even so I would feel comfortable with him delivering you if Dr. Woodmansee wasn’t available.  It wasn’t really his fault that I had to wait so long. My bad mood however was a combination of a hectic day at work and probably hormones.  Chris mind you wasn’t too pleased.  You are growing right on schedule and I now will visit the doctor once a week until I deliver.

Last weekend (Oct. 29-Nov. 1) with Grandma Andrews and Chris’ Dad went pretty well.  Chris and I were both worn out physically and mentally by the time Monday rolled around.  I suppose it was because we didn’t get a chance to relax much and always felt the need to be entertaining.  The weather was wonderful the entire time which made for perfect conditions at the football game on the Saturday.  We won!

Chris and his dad worked together on networking our new house, while Grandma Andrews was more than happy to watch tv and retire to bed early along with my schedule.

We had a big pre-Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday after church.  Kevin and Candace came as well as Becky and her boyfriend/ ”unofficial fiance” Kyle.  It was especially a lot of work for me, but everyone enjoyed themselves.

Chris’ Mom will be coming in two weeks.  Fortunately she already has made a lot of plans with Kevin and Becky so we won’t have to do quite as much.  She and Chris are going to the football game on Saturday afternoon and probably we will do something together later in the evening.

We were able to get a lot of Christmas shopping done this weekend.  I feel the need to have things done early.  Who knows if you will come early, but even if you don’t, it will be nice to have things taken care of.

I am not sleeping all that well at night.  I usually have to get up at least three or four times just to go to the bathroom.  It is usually about every two hours.  My hands and legs are rather swollen as I have been retaining water lately.  I never realized how much that could or would hurt, that along with the loosening of my joints.  I still get up early in the morning to walk and that seems to help a bit.  I have been fortunate to have the weather be so good for so long.

Thursday, October 28, 1999

It looks as though Fall is on its way.  The sky is overcast, and we are supposed to get rain later on today.  I was hoping it would stay nice through the weekend for the football game so that Grandma Andrews wouldn’t have to sit outside for four hours in nasty weather.  Hopefully it will clear up some for Saturday.

My stomach is getting bigger and bigger all of the time.  I think that you are already head down and you seem to like to stick your foot into my ribs.  I imagine you are experiencing pretty cramped quarters in there.  I try not to walk with that pregnant waddle, but by the time evening rolls around, my body is feeling pretty tired and sore.

I hope to be able to get some Christmas shopping done this weekend while everyone is at the football game.  I would like to get it done and out of the way now so that I won’t have to worry about it not getting taken care of.

Our next doctor’s appointment is on November 3rd with Dr. Berry.  He is Dr. Woodmansee’s associate.  Dr. Woodmansee will be out of the office next week, and I thought it would be a good idea to meet Dr. Berry just in case Dr. Woodmansee is not available when I go into labor.

Our house is coming along quite nicely.  We like to check the progress regularly.  This week they finished putting in the windows, are getting ready to shingle, and are installing the wiring for electricity and phone.  Chris is networking our unit and so special wire will be required for the computer and the phone.  The plumbing should also be put in this week as well.  Next week they will insulate the walls and then put up sheetrock.  They still tell us we won’t be able to move in until the latter part of February, but last time they moved up our move-in date three weeks.  It is exciting to see things take shape in such a physical way.

Friday, October 22, 1999

Hi there!  We are enjoying some wonderful Fall weather this weekend.  I would be just as happy if it were to continue throughout the winter, but I doubt that will happen.

Christopher got the job he was hoping for at Novell.  He will start on November 1st.  We are so excited, because it means that he will have great benefits to cover all of us, we can afford our new house, and I can stay home with you.  There have been so many miracles in our life since we found out you would be joining our family.  We can’t help but acknowledge the Lord’s hand in our lives.  We felt so impressed to buy a new home way back in June, but wondered how it would all happen financially.  Now everything seems to be fitting so neatly into place. 

The countdown to your b-day is on.  Dr. Woodmansee’s due date for you is December 8, five days earlier than previously thought.  You will be here at least by the 15th because he won’t let me go over a week overdue.  Still I hope that you come a bit early.  It would make it nicer for your dad and his finals.

Grandpa Kline has offered to give Chris two flight passes to go to Portland on the 18th for Kevin’s wedding.  That is, if everything works out all right and you arrive in a timely manner.  Chris doesn’t know yet, because I asked Grandpa Kline secretly and hope to be able to surprise Chris.  Even if Chris just went for the day, you and I would be all right.

Last Saturday, Chris and I spent most of the day at the hospital at a prenatal class.  We learned a lot but your dad thought it wasn’t quite so exciting a way to celebrate his birthday.

Thursday, 7 October, 1999

Wow!  It has been a long time since I wrote, but I am happy to say that positive things have happened within the past month.  I confronted those in the company with decision-making ability and suggested that they consider me for a position as Order Processing Manager instead of as the receptionist.  It was temporarily being filled by the administrative assistant to the president.  With this position, I would still be able to keep my previous wage as well as my benefits. 

Well, they gave me a chance.  And now I have been in the Order Processing Manager position for about three weeks and feel that I am doing a great job.  I am still learning but that comes with most any job of this magnitude.  Basically I am responsible for four different areas: Data Entry, the Mail room, Research, and the Receptionist.  In the past couple of weeks, I have conducted performance reviews, hired three people and taken care of problems as they occur.  I suppose I had some reservations as to my abilities when I came into the position, but I do enjoy it a lot now and my staff seems to respond well to my direction.

Friday, September 10, 1999

A lot of frustrating things have been happening at work lately.  A couple of months ago, my position as the Coordinator of the bimonthly magazine "I Love Remembering..." at D.O.T.S. was discontinued.  Those of us working on the magazine were assured that we would all still have our positions within the company.  That is not to be.  I have been demoted now with a great reduction in pay and the loss of benefits.  I am now the receptionist.  To say the least, it has been very humbling for me as well as depressing.  Chris tries so hard to help me stay positive, but some days are harder than others.

Wednesday, September 01, 1999

Speaking of our new house, things are moving along nicely.  We have paid about $3000 toward our down payment.  Most of that is work that Chris has traded with our real estate agent.  We are meeting with the bank today to check on pre-approval for a loan.  The forms for the foundation have been poured in the last couple of days.  They tell us that it should be ready around the middle of February.  It would be lovely if it was before you arrived, but that is very unlikely.

Chris and Erik, our next-door neighbor, have put things in motion for their business.  They sent a proposal to John Dester, the owner of Georgetown Development (the company that builds the townhomes that we live in), and are waiting for a response.  They hope to do wiring for high-speed internet connections and access in the Georgetown properties as well as head office.  We are praying that John accepts the proposal because it would then pay for our closing costs on our townhome.

Chris started back to school on Monday.  He has been dreading this semester for awhile simply because he has 16.5 credits and 90% of those are classes for the Masters of Business Administration core.  He will be working around 24 hours a week as well.  But now that he is a couple of days into his classes, he is much more confident that everything will go smoothly.  He still has hopes, or maybe I should say, recognizes the need for a full-time job in the new year when I am no longer working, but isn’t pushing too hard right now.  Probably in November or the first of December he will concentrate more intently on finding a full-time position.

Kevin and Candace are still getting married on December 18th.  Both Kevin and Grandma Ball, Chris’ Mom, have asked if Chris will be flying out to Portland for the wedding.  We know for sure that I won’t be attending, but I know that they would like him to be there if possible.  Since we don’t know exactly when you will arrive, it is difficult to make those kind of plans this far in advance and last-minute plane tickets would be so high priced.  So unfortunately, Chris probably won’t be going. 

Grandma Ball is coming to visit in November from the 19th to the 22nd.  Actually, for her birthday last April, Chris said that he would take her to a BYU football game if she wanted to fly out.  So that is what she is coming for.  The game that weekend is the last of the season with BYU playing its rival the University of Utah.

Tuesday, August 24, 1999

We are back from our holiday, sad to say.  It was so nice to be away.  Chris and I left on Thursday, August 12, around 3:30 pm.  He had dropped me off at work in the morning so that he could just pick me up from work and be on our way.  We had originally thought that we would drive to Idaho Falls and stop for the night.  We stopped for at least an hour to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant—Eduardo’s—in downtown Pocatello and even then it was still plenty light by the time we got to Idaho Falls.  So we kept going figuring we could get at least to Dillon, Montana by 9:30 or 10:00 pm.  Unfortunately, all of the hotels and motels in Dillon were completely booked.  Next stop, Butte, Montana.  All of the hotels there were booked as well except for a dumpy little place called “Skookums” with a lovely bar called “Snookums”.  Since it was so late already, we had little choice but to stay.  Neither of us were thrilled by the room we had and even chose not to shower in the morning because everything felt so unclean.  Needless to say, we quickly ate some breakfast I had packed and then left rather early.  We drove around Butte for awhile and then headed for Missoula.

Missoula was only a couple of hours away and we arrived in time to spend a little time walking around the downtown and then enjoyed a picnic lunch next to a river and the Holiday Inn.  The weather was perfect and we lay on the grass for awhile since we were in no hurry to go.  We had reservations at a Bed and Breakfast in Polson, Montana that night and were not able to check in until after 4 pm.  Since it was only a couple of hours further, we were leisurely taking our time.  Neither Chris nor I had been in this part of Montana and it proved to be a rather beautiful trip through the mountains.

A slight rain was coming down when we arrived in Polson around 3:00.  We stopped first at Wal-Mart to find some sweat pants for Chris, but believe it or not, they didn’t have any.  In an attempt to pass the time before our 4 pm check-in, we decided to check out Polson.  It is a rather small community on the Southern end of Flat Head Lake with very little to see.  We decided to try and check-in early at the Swan Hill Bed and Breakfast.  No problem.  The homeowners, Larry and Sharon, were very hospitable.  We found their site on the internet and loved it because of its beauty, but mostly for the indoor swimming pool and sauna.  We checked in to the Mackinac room, wandered around the house a bit and then headed off for dinner—Pizza Hut.  Not my favorite, but the selections were few and it is something I know Chris really likes.  We thought we would look at a few of the shops around town but everything was closed by 5:30 or 6 pm.  The swimming pool back at Swan Hill was our most intriguing option at that point so we headed back.  The water was kind of chilly even at 80 degrees, but after Chris pulled me in and I began to move around, I warmed up.  Chris also turned on the sauna and soon headed toward it to steam himself for awhile.  I stepped in for a bit after spending about 45 minutes in the pool, but it was way too hot for you and me.

We took advantage of the opportunity of sleeping in, since breakfast wasn’t served until 8:30 am.  Everybody else staying at the B&B was already up, showered and dressed.  Chris and I just climbed out of bed, threw on some clothes and went for breakfast.  One of the other couples staying at Swan Hill, Jack and Mary Atkinson, knew Chris’ dad.  In fact, Jack is a Southwest pilot and was hired at the same time as Grandpa Kline.  Mary is a flight attendant.  Small world huh?  We talked with them for most of the breakfast and truly wished that we could have stayed longer.

We broke the cardinal swimming rule of waiting for one hour before swimming after a meal and jumped in the pool again.  We had to check out by 11:00 am so we wanted to take advantage of the pool as much as possible.  We had just enough time to shower and get dressed and were on our way again by 11:00.  Our road on this day, Saturday, August 14, would take us through Kalispell, where we stopped for lunch at Wendy’s, and then into Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.  I hadn’t been to the park since I was really little, but I did remember the narrow road of Logan’s Pass.  It is a skinny two-lane road on the side of the mountain with a sheer drop off on one side.  Kind of unnerving.  We stopped at the visitor’s center at the top of the pass and hiked up a trail toward the glacier, but I am afraid it was almost too much for my pregnant body and I was soon out of breath.  I knew that Chris wanted to hike as far as possible so I went as far as I could.  It was less than 50 degrees at the glacier—much colder than the hot weather we have been used to.

On our way out of the park, which was downhill all the way, we spotted a black bear.  Chris was hoping to see a grizzly, but no such luck.  We were almost into Alberta and my excitement at being home was beginning to build.  We went through the border at Peigen/Carway without any difficulty at all, (Yeah!) and pulled into my parent’s circular driveway in Stirling around 6:30 pm.  Mom and Dad rushed out to hug us.  Chris and I were stiff and sore from sitting for so long and it felt good to finally reach our destination, though we truly enjoyed the leisurely amount of time we were able to spend traveling.  I hugged Mom and Dad and immediately went for the bathroom—I do that a lot.  Mitch was in the kitchen making a taco dinner for us.  What a sweetie.

Our week at home was filled with shopping, excursions, and lazy time.  Sunday was truly a day of rest.  We went to church from 1 to 4 pm and then relaxed for the rest of the day.  Mid-morning Monday Mom, Dad, Chris and I headed off in the direction of Lethbridge with a picnic lunch.  We stopped again at Wal-Mart to find some sweat pants for Chris, and lo and behold, this store had some.  We stopped at a few more stores but Dad was anxious to do some sightseeing.  We knew that we would be back for shopping later in the week so off we drove toward Fort McLeod.  They have a fort/museum there as well as the musical Royal Canadian Mounted Police horse ride.  The ride was at three so we headed off to have lunch in a picnic area.  As usual for Southern Alberta, the wind blew and blew but we enjoyed ourselves regardless.  We arrived back at the fort in time for the presentation and were even able to stay in our car and watch.  It was mostly choreographed movements of seven horses and riders.  The riders wore the uniforms of the RCMP but were actually young kids.  I have driven past the fort many times with my family on the way to Grandma Great’s house but we had never stopped to watch the horses before.

Next stop.  Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump about a half an hour away.  This area is now a museum built into the side of a hill where Indians used to drive buffalo over the side of the cliff—thus the name.  We probably spent an hour and a half going through the museum and then headed back home.

Chris and I had originally planned to go out to dinner for our two-year anniversary today (August 16) but I was so pooped by the time we got home, we opted to stay put.

Dallin and Donna and Angela were on their way home today (Monday) as well.  They had wanted to surprise Mom, but as usual, she figured out that they were coming.  They planned to take the trip in two days since they were bringing two cars.  Dallin was driving their old Honda, a Canadian car, home to sell it and Donna drove their newer Honda.  Incidentally, we are now very much a Honda family.  Mom and Dad have a white one, plus Brad’s old gray one.  We brought our dark blue Accord and we have a white Prelude, and Dallin and Donna have a newer maroon-colored Accord plus the older gold one.  Mom started getting nervous around 9 and 10 pm when Dallin hadn’t called.  He said that they would when they stopped for the night.  Dallin’s older car hasn’t been so reliable and Mom was worried about them.  So much so that she fasted on Sunday that they would make it home without any problems.  We all went to bed with no phone call from them and when I woke up in the morning, I heard the distinctive noises of Angela.  They had arrived around 2 am and without waking anyone, they got the extra key from under the deck and let themselves in.  Mom didn’t even know they were home till she checked their room in the morning.  Angela took some time in warming up to everybody, but by the end of the week she wasn’t giving us too many crusty looks anymore.  She will be two in December.

Mitch was working all week long, but we convinced him to take Tuesday afternoon off and come to Writing-On-Stone with us.  Another picnic lunch into the cooler—hotdogs this time—and we were off.  Writing-On-Stone is a Provincial Park surrounded by amazing rock formations called hoodoos.  When we were kids, Mom and Dad took us for picnics to Writing-On-Stone at least once a summer and often we had ward campouts there.  I remember spending hours climbing on the rocks.  We were always warned about rattle snakes, but never saw one.  The Milk River also winds through the park making for great swimming and sunbathing with its sandy beach.

We had lunch and then spent time at the beach watching Chris and Angela play in the water.  Angela loves the water even when it is quite chilly.  She played along the shore in the sand and water for hours while we sat on the beach, some of us under a large umbrella watching her and all the other kids.  After awhile, Dad, Mitch and Chris went exploring in the hoodoos.  We slowly dispersed back to the car, especially after Donna took Angela out of the water, and headed back home.

Wednesday was another big day for us.  We went to Waterton Park, about two hours away.  And yes, another picnic lunch.  Waterton is a small tourist town with overnight campsites nestled within the Rocky Mountains and surrounded by Waterton Lake.  It is beautiful.  As we drove into the park, another black bear (not a grizzly as Chris was still hoping for) ran across the road in front of us.  Lots of people must have been watching the bear’s progress for awhile because the skinny two-lane road was lined with cars and two park rangers stood at the side of the road, more to protect the bear from any intervention from tourists than anything.  We planned our trips well as we again arrived in time for lunch.  Our first stop, however, was at Cameron Falls to show Chris how breathtaking it was.  He snapped a couple of pictures, but unfortunately there were people fishing at the bottom of the falls and they got in the way of a nice clean shot.  We drove around for about five minutes looking for a lunch spot and found a camp kitchen next to the lake.  The water from the lake is from a glacier, and I thought it was really cold, but that didn’t stop Chris and Angela from wading in it.  We rested in the shade of a big tree, enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery surrounding us.

Angela wasn’t anxious to leave the water, but Dallin buckled her into her car seat and we headed up to Cameron Lake, approximately 15 minutes from the Waterton town site.  Fortunately Angela fell asleep along the way.  Mom stayed in the car to be with Angela and work on her crafts while the rest of walked along the paths surrounding the lake.  We got split up from Dad and waited for him for about a half an hour, but that just gave Angela more time to sleep.  When she did wake up she wasn’t all that happy so we decided to make only one more stop and then head home.

The Prince of Wales Hotel is an internationally recognized landmark in the park that I had been telling Chris about prior to our arrival.  It is mega expensive to stay at but fun to tour.  The views from the area are spectacular.  More pictures and then we left.  As we made our way out of the park, more cars were again lined up along the sides of the road.  This time we see a momma bear with three cubs meandering across a hill.  We may not have seen a grizzly, but how often do you go on vacation and get to see six bears?

Thursday we stayed home and rested for part of the day.  Yeah!  These excursions were beginning to take a toll on all of us and everyone was happier not to be cooped up in a car.  Chris and I watched videos and played video games.  If I remember correctly, Dallin, Donna, Mitch, Chris and I went to Lethbridge for a couple of hours in the afternoon to shop while Mom and Dad stayed home with Angela.  That evening, Mitch, was being ordained as an Elder and so Mom was busy earlier in the day making desserts and tidying the house.  She had invited Eldon (Mom’s brother) and Pat, Marilyn (Mom’s sister) and Calvin, and Granny (Mom’s mom) to come, plus the bishopric attended and a member of the high council.  It is amazing that Mitch has grown up so fast.  I remember when we brought him home from the hospital as a baby.  Time flies.  We picked up pizzas on the way home and hurried to eat before everyone arrived for the ordination.

Mitch had his wisdom teeth removed on Friday.  Everybody went in to Lethbridge, but in three different cars.  Dad took the suburban and a small trailer to pick up some sand for work.  Chris and I drove in later in order to pick Mitch up from the dentists and drop him off with Dad who would then take him home.  Mom went with Dallin and Donna and Angela.  After dropping a very drowsy Mitch off with Dad and sending them on their way home, the rest of us went to the mall to shop and then to my favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch—Hong Kong Gardens.  It was just as good as I remember.  We stopped at Zellers for one more shopping stop and then Chris and I went to a matinee—Notting Hill.

That night, Chris and I were playing video games down in the basement when I suddenly saw Angela tumble down the deck stairs outside.  I immediately yelled, “She just fell down the stairs!” and raced up the stairs, through the kitchen and living room, and out on to the deck to make sure she was okay.  I figured by the time I got there surely someone would have found her, but she was still there hanging on to the stairs, face down, and crying for all she was worth.  I ran down the stairs and reached for her, thinking that my pregnant tummy wouldn’t let me bend over far enough to reach her.  I grabbed her arm and waist, hoping nothing was broken, and pulled her to me.  By the time I carried her back into the living room, everybody had gathered around.  I handed Angela to Dallin and tried to catch my breath and keep from crying.  Angela was fine physically though scared to death.  I, however, had to sit in the chair because my heart was just racing and the adrenalin running through my body was not subsiding.  I should have recognized the signs of shock setting in, but didn’t.  I got out of the chair to go lay downstairs on the couch.  My body was shaking and still my heart was racing.  As I lay down on the couch, my body went into complete shock.  I was hyperventilating, crying, shaking and basically scaring everyone around me.  Mom and Chris took over trying to help me calm down but I just couldn’t.  I am not sure how much time had passed, but I felt Dad and Chris consecrate my head with oil and then lay their hands on my head.  In the middle of Chris’ prayer my body suddenly relaxed and my breathing returned to normal.  Throughout the entire ordeal, I continually thought, “Please don’t let this harm my baby,” and was relieved when you began to move around afterward.
Mom kind of took over the situation in helping me to relax, but all I cared about was having Chris by my side.  I think beyond the physical and emotional shock of seeing Angela fall down the stairs and then racing to help her, it was also a shock to me to realize that bad things were going to happen to my own children and there was nothing I could do to stop them from happening.  My heart aches when bad things happen to people who don’t deserve them.

Mom told me after I calmed down that Mitch stood behind us in the family room watching me go through the shock with tears running down his face.  I always have known that I have thoughtful and sensitive brothers, but I guess it takes moments such as these for it to touch my heart more deeply.

I was able to relax for the rest of the evening and fell asleep as Chris and I watched a movie.  I was still pretty exhausted on Saturday but mostly recovered.  We didn’t go anywhere on Saturday (yeah) and I was able to get things packed and ready to go.  Mom and I worked on a lot of baby things and hemmed Chris’ temple pants.

As far as baby clothes for you, you are set for at least the first couple of months of your life.  Mom sent me home with so many outfits and sleepers.  Lots of them are from garage sales, but they looked great.  As we packed everything in the car Sunday morning, we could not have taken any more.  We had a baby cradle, suitcases, food storage, some frozen vegetables and fruit, pillows and so much more.  When we take our first road trip with you, I imagine that our car will be equally packed just with your things.

The drive home took us all day Sunday.  We left around 9:30 am from Stirling and arrived in Provo about 10:15 pm.  We stopped for lunch and dinner along the way plus the necessary bathroom stops.  Both Chris and I were pooped by the time we fell into bed.  We both had Monday off and just spent the day unpacking, cleaning house a bit, getting groceries and relaxing.  We also looked at light fixtures at the Lighting Design store for our new house.  I am so glad that I didn't go right back to work on Monday.

Thursday, August 12, 1999

Vacation Day!  Yeah!  Your dad is coming to pick me up at three so we can be on our way.  He dropped me off early this morning because he had a final at eight to be to.  He is so happy to be finished another semester.

We went to our doctor’s appointment yesterday and you are growing nicely.  And the great thing is that I had gained only 5 pounds in the last six weeks.  Another Yeah!  I was relieved to find out that Dr. Woodmansee is not planning to be away during Christmas.  That’s a relief.  He also said that he only lets his patients go one week overdue.  That means that you should be here no later than December 20th. 

 The ultrasound determined that the placenta is close to my cervix so that is something we will have to be careful of.  Normally, though, it shouldn’t cause any problems.

We are moving forward on our plans to purchase a new home.  Chris is working with the real estate agent and trading services with him.  Chris sets him up with a computer, software, and training, and the in-kind money from that goes toward our closing costs and possible down payment.   Chris also plans to work with the builder and install internet lines, with the money from that also going toward our home.  We feel that we are so blessed.  A lot will be happening in our lives in the next couple of months—wonderful things—and we are so looking forward to all of them.

Our family and parents are also helping out a lot with some of the “big purchase” items.  Grandpa Kline is giving you a crib and changing table/dresser, Grandma and Grandpa Rice will be sending a cradle back with us this next week, and Grandma and Grandpa Ball, Aunt Lori, and Great Grandma Greve will all chip in for a stroller and car seat.  Plus none of them can resist buying baby clothes and other fun stuff.  My sister and I just went through her baby girl clothes and those too will give you a great start.  Again, we are so blessed.

Larry Kline’s mother, Grandma Andrews, called us about a week and a half ago to see if she could come visit in October.  We were surprised, but will be more than happy to have her.  Dad Kline will probably also come at the same time—around October 30th—and go to a football game with Chris.  I was thinking that this might be a good time to have a baby shower since my sister, Susan, has been wanting me to suggest a time to have one.

Friday, August 06, 1999

Hi Sweetie!  It is a beautiful day outside, and I am stuck in my office for three more hours.  I have very little to do and am rather bored.

We are excited for our vacation next week.  Dallin and Donna and Angela will be there for most of the time as well.  Dallin has major exams on Monday and Tuesday (Aug. 9 and 10) this next week and they are looking for some relaxing time away as well.  Brad also called and said that he might fly home for a couple of days.  Mom and Dad only know that Chris and I are coming so it will be a big surprise for them to have such a full house.

We have a doctor’s appointment next Wednesday the 11th.  It will have been about six weeks since our last checkup and in that time you have grown a lot.  Normally we go for checkups every four weeks, but Dr. Woodmansee has been on vacation again.

There shouldn’t be any concern over your activity level.  I feel you kicking and moving around many times throughout the day.  Your dad is able to feel your tiny kicks much more now.  When I wake him up in the morning or when he comes in to pray with me at night he usually asks how his little girl is doing and is she moving.  Those are some of the wonderful times that we spend together.  We love to lay together and feel your kicking.  We look forward to your arrival and know that it will change our lives dramatically, but you have already become so much of our lives, thoughts, and prayers.

Tuesday, August 3, 1999

You are becoming more active every day.  Your awake times are more predictable.  You are especially active when I get home from work in the afternoon.  Probably because you have been cramped as I sit all day long, and when I lay down on the couch, you’re more free to move about.  I love being able to lay down and watch you kicking my stomach.  I first noticed your movements last Thursday and have been telling your dad ever since that I can see you moving.  He doesn’t seem quite convinced because you just won’t move when he is watching.  Perhaps you are showing a bit of stubbornness already.  I guess you come by it honestly since both of us have a tendency to be stubborn at times.

We spent Saturday in Salt Lake with Grandpa Kline.  Chris told him the happy news about you being a girl.  He is so excited.  He, too, said that it is just as fun to spoil a little girl as a boy.  And you will be spoiled.  We went shopping for baby things for a couple of hours.  I think we have picked out a crib for you.  I can’t imagine that you will care much about what it looks like, but it is pretty as well as sturdy.  It should last through a couple of children.

On our way home from Salt Lake, we stopped at a Carter’s outlet, a baby clothes store, and bought a few things for you.  Your dad tries to pretend that he doesn’t enjoy all the shopping stuff, but he slipped once and said that he was having fun.