The PumpkinTrain

This last Saturday, we went with our whole Bruton family on the Pumpkin Train! Heber Valley Historic Railroad does a special train for Halloween each year, where you can ride the train to the Charleston station and back, then choose your very own pumpkin to take home!

When we arrived, it was right smack dab in the middle of nap time. We were a little nervous about how the kids were going to handle that, but they were all happy and very well behaved the whole time. Except for John, who got quite tired. But we forgive him. :)

First thing the kids wanted to do was go on the Haunted Train car. They each got a sticker (Henry's was a green ghost he called "Blobby.") They had glow sticks for a ring toss and they got to shoot a big spider with a Nerf gun (Henry drilled it!). So obviously not too haunted, but a ton of fun for the kiddos.

We boarded the train just a couple minutes following the haunted train car, and boy, were the kids excited! We all sat together, the kids switching seats every couple of minutes to be with Grandpa and Grandma, Mom or Dad, or a different aunt or uncle. Johnny was really only happy with either me or Daddy, but Uncle Jared sure tried. Henry was happiest when he was with Grandpa, so he spent most of his time on Grandpa's bench by the window. He got really tired about 3/4 of the way through, and cuddled up next to Grandpa with his blankie. I thought for sure he was going to fall asleep, but apparently he was just too excited.

For most of the ride, we just enjoyed the beautiful scenery out our window. The mountains are beautiful right now, and we had PERFECT weather to enjoy the ride with the windows down. The kids liked dancing to Thriller, eating snacks (Allyson especially enjoyed the pumpkin cookies they gave out), and playing musical chairs, as mentioned before.

The highlight of the trip was probably when the engine switched from the front to the rear end of the train at Charleston Station. All the kids leaned their heads out the windows to watch the train and the conductor go by. It was so fun to hear and see their excitement as they watched.

When we got back to the station, we got our pumpkins, attempted to take some photos of the kids and our little family on the caboose (disaster), and then headed back to our cars.

But guess what? Our truck had a flat tire! Derek and Jared got it changed quickly (luckily we had a full sized spare) while Grandpa supervised. After getting that changed, we headed over to Dairy Keen for burgers and French fries. It was so much fun, and we are certainly looking forward to the pumpkin train again next year!

--Jen

St. George with the Schofield Family

This last weekend, Nana and Papa treated us to a vacation in St. George. After a good long drive down (Johnny screamed for about 90 minutes of it), we made it to a really nice town home just a little ways outside of Zion's National Park. Nana and Papa greeted us at the door in Mickey and Minnie Jammies! Which was pretty hilarious.

We spent the next couple of days enjoying time together and the lovely weather in Southern Utah. The first day, we lounged around and relaxed. It was Sam's birthday, and Caleb, Henry, Johnny and I had made her a special sign the day before. Henry was really excited to present it to her on the morning of her birthday! We had cake and ice cream that night, which was delicious. Papa bought trick candles, Bwahaha! It took Sam quite a while to get them all blown out, and even then we needed a bowl of water. Henry really liked the "green ice cream" (mint chocolate chip) he got to have after.

Papa took Henry fishing down at the catch/release pond at the opening of the little town home community, which Henry was pretty excited about. For a few minutes, anyway! At 2, he wasn't really up to sitting and waiting for the fish to bite. But he has talked about fishing with Papa since we got home, so it definitely made an impression!

After fishing, everybody headed down to the pool. It was SO nice! The pool was heated and it wasn't blazing hot, so it was just perfect. Henry loved swimming around with Nana, Daddy, and me, and was particularly interested in a little shark toy that we found at the town house. It was Johnny's first time swimming! He really liked the water, but quickly tired out. He took a good nap on the lounge chair while we continued swimming. Caleb, of course, adored the water and was grinning and splashing around with his mama, too.

After swimming, we went home and napped and enjoyed just chilling around the house. They had a pin ball machine, which everybody enjoyed. Henry wanted to play it all the time, and kept asking to go upstairs to play "that ball game." The older boys played video games, watched football, and we ate delicious food prepared by Nana. That night, Derek, Jeremy, Dallon and I played Lord of the Rings Risk, which was a lot of fun. Derek and I won. YAY!

Saturday, our second day, we got up at a not too early hour and headed in to Zion's National Park for some hiking. We decided to hike to the Emerald Pools, as it was an easy hike, and we had 3 kiddos to lug about. It was PERFECT weather for hiking. Overcast, not too hot, and absolutely beautiful. Henry even got out of the tummy pack and hiked for a while! He was very proud of himself for that.

When we reached the upper pool, Caleb was stripped to his diaper and crawled around happy as can be. He LOVED it! Henry scampered around, too, and even fell in the water. We were so proud of him for not freaking out when his shorts got all wet! He just wanted to have fun. He loved eating the trail mix that Nana had packed for us, and munched and munched with Uncle Dallon while I fed John. One of the funniest moments on the trip was on the hike back to the shuttle bus. Henry spotted a man standing up on a big rock and he (quite loudly) said "Jump down, sir!"

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 It really was a great hike--just perfect for us that day. When we got home, Papa, Greg, Derek, Jeremy, and Chelsey went golfing, while the rest of us stayed home and had naps, read, and watched T.V. That evening, we watched more football and lounged about. Some of us (including Henry) watched Hotel Transylvania, too.

Sunday, we got up and got ready in time to attend Sacrament Meeting at the local ward before heading back up to Provo.

It was a really fun weekend! I wish we could do it again; it was so nice to be able to just relax, get away from everything at home, and spend time together in a beautiful place.

--Jen

Brothers

I love watching Henry and John interact. As John gets more responsive and active, Henry finds him a lot more interesting. But even more than that, John LOVES watching Henry. On Friday, I had Johnny on the love sack taking pictures of him in a new outfit (Thanks Aimee and Jonathan!), and Henry wanted to get up next to him. And then he said "My want to read to Johnny." So, he grabbed one of his books (his London book! Perfect) and climbed back onto the love sack (with his Blankie, of course) and began reading to John. It was just so unbelievably sweet. John looked up at the pictures, cooed at them a little, and watched Henry while he read. These little moments, these sweet brotherly moments, are what I live for every day. I can't wait to watch as their bond strengthens and their relationship deepens.

Hastening His Work

Yesterday, Sunday, we had a special regional conference for church. 235 Stakes participated in the meeting, via satellite or (the lucky few thousand people) in the Marriott Center at BYU. There were some fantastic talks, all of them made me think about things I can do to improve my life and my home. Since then, however, one concept has kept coming back to me: Hastening the Work.

Elder Hallstrom gave a wonderful talk about how the Lord is hastening His work in our day. He spoke of Missionary Work, Temple Work, Family History Work, and Teaching in the church. All of these things have surely fulfilled the Lord's command to hasten His work among His people. But I feel that Elder Hallstrom missed something. Perhaps it was because he wanted to focus on other things, perhaps because there wasn't enough time to address everything. Either way, I have felt that I needed to write about one other way the Lord wants us to assist in hastening His work.

When Derek and I knelt across the altar in the Provo, Utah Temple on Friday, July 10, 2009, we were hastening God's work among His children. Every day we read our scriptures, pray together, fast together, go to church, and try to share our testimonies, we hasten His work. When we welcomed Henry into our family in 2013 and John into our arms just a few months ago, we were Hastening God's work. Every time we pull out the Nursery manual and have a Family Home Evening lesson full of giggles, running around and "Henry, are you listening?" we are hastening His work. Whenever we sing "I am a Child of God," "I Love to See the Temple," even "Popcorn Popping" with our boys, we are hastening His work.

But how, you may ask, is that hastening God's work? Well, here is what I understand of that statement: God is hastening His work to bring more souls into the fold of Zion. To seal more families together across generations so that we may be welcomed into the Celestial Kingdom and enjoy eternal life, the greatest of all God's gifts. And central to that plan, to that hastening, is the concept of families. Families who work together and play together. Families who worship together and learn together.

Sometimes, I look back on my day and think "what did I accomplish today?" Well, I played trains. I played cars. I talked to a plastic snake (heaven help me). I helped Henry stack up blocks and knock them over about 50 times. I rocked Johnny to sleep when he was tired. I colored a picture with Henry, drawing green triangles and purple squares. I sang songs. I changed what felt like a million diapers. I wiped noses, I dried tears. I kissed my boys on their foreheads before they went to sleep, and snuck in kisses even after they were asleep. At the end of day, when teeth are brushed, jammies on, I've finally picked up all the toys, and all is quiet, it doesn't seem like I did much. But all of this, all those noses and bums that were wiped, all those kisses and laughs, all those blocks and crayons, were part of hastening God's work.

Now, perhaps you think  "you're just saying that to make yourself feel better since you didn't serve a mission, you don't index for three hours a day, and you don't go to the temple every week." Maybe that is so. Perhaps I am just saying it to make myself feel better, but I believe it to be true.

I know that God is happy with my decision to be a mother. I know He is pleased with my efforts to teach my children about His plan and about His son, Jesus Christ. I believe that He looks at our little family, cuddled up on the love sack reading stories and is grateful that we are doing what we can to start His children on the path to eternal life. I know He is pleased that we are trying to have FHE every week, even when it is a fiasco half the time. I know that my work as a mother is part of the hastening of His work.

As the world turns away from the traditional family and many are scorned for having children so young, or so many, I look to the Prophet and to the Scriptures, God's word, and am reminded that I am doing His work as a mother in Zion. Hasten is a word that imply's hurrying, it implies a quickening of pace. I'm not sure that what I do is quick or that it is hurrying His work along. But I know that Jesus Christ looks after the One. I know that Heavenly Father looks at my two boys, my two perfect boys, and sees them as His Children. He looks at them and the work I put in every day to talk of Christ and to preach of Christ and knows that I am trying to hasten His work in my own home. Perhaps this process is slow, letter by letter, Book of Mormon story by Book of Mormon story, but it is good. It is good work. It is hard work, but it is good.

When I peeked in and saw my two sleeping boys tonight, I saw my life's work: the life's work that is ahead of me. I pray that I will be equal to the task of raising these boys to be great priesthood holders, just as their father is. I hope that I can teach them to be kind, hard working, charitable, polite. I pray that Derek and I will be able to teach them the doctrines of the gospel and instill their hearts a testimony of Jesus Christ, just as our parents did for us. For that is my part, at least right now, in hastening God's work. His glorious work, of "bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life" of His children, including the two boys that He has placed in my care and, hopefully, the children yet to come.

Now, when I look back on today, I remember each time I tried to teach Henry to share, to be kind, to be polite, to help others, and to remember Jesus. In other words, I look back on my day and remember every moment I participated in the Hastening of God's Work. And I look forward to doing it again tomorrow.

Utah's Hogle Zoo

Mommy: We finally used our Zoo passes that Sam, Greg, & Caleb got us for Christmas last year. We were so excited to take Henry and John! We went on a nice warm day, without too much heat, and had a great time just the 4 of us. Henry had so much fun. In this post, Henry and I collaborated. My words will be in normal font, Henry's in Italics. :)

Mommy and Daddy took us to the Zoo on Saturday! I was really excited, because I remembered playing with the big ball and going on the train when I went with Nana and Papa for my birthday. I was also really excited to get drinks out of the Lion drink things!
Yes, Derek and I both remember the Lion drinking fountains from our childhood, and we have photos of us getting drinks out of them, as well. Henry was really excited about them (there are 2) and wanted to get lots of drinks.

As soon as we got there, Mommy had to feed Johnny. Again. Babies have to eat lots of times. 
While I fed Johnny, Derek and Henry explored the monkey house. Then we sat and ate some of our lunch. Or rather Derek and I ate some grapes, and Henry had some Pringles. After that, we got everybody loaded up and went to see the elephants. We were so sad to hear that we had just BARELY missed them swimming in their pool, but they did come over right by us to eat!
I liked watching the baby elephant eat her hay. She used her nose to put it in her mouth! That's silly. 

Next, we went to see the seals and the polar bear. The seals were swimming in their pool, and went right by me! I was really excited to see them swim by. The polar bear walked right by me, too! Daddy liked seeing the Grizzly Bears. They were outside playing in they fountain (Mommy's note: Henry uses they for their, me for my, and other things like that. I'm trying not to edit what he says about the zoo, so sorry if you get confused.) I wanted to see the polar bear some more, but there was lots of peoples in there. So, Mommy and Daddy said we could go see something else. 

We found a T-Rex at the zoo! Mommy said he was a nice T-Rex and that I could go say hi to him. 
It was fun seeing the dinosaurs at the zoo, they are special until the end of September. To be honest, Henry was less excited about them than we thought he would be, because he was too distracted with all the animals. Which is just great!

Derek and I both shared a favorite part this time: the leopard. When we arrived at his enclosure, he was pacing right in front of the window. There was a handful of kids right at the window, squealing and giggling any time he went by. Of course when they did that, he came right at them! It was pretty awesome. John was pretty captivated, and Henry loved squealing along with the other kids, and thought the "big kitty" was cool, too.
Mommy said that big kitty was saying hi to me! I think so, too. 

After the big kitty (the tiger and lions were sleeping), we went on the train! I helped Daddy buy the tickets, and then we all sat together. We rode by the giraffes and zebras! I liked riding on the train. 
Johnny, on the other hand, did NOT like the train very much. While he didn't scream, he cried just a little bit. It was very squeaky, and he is quite sensitive to noises like that. Poor little thing. He was glad when it was over, I think!

Our last animal stop before we left was the small animals, which includes the reptiles. Ew. I tried to be excited for Henry, though, because he has decided to be very fascinated by snakes, much to my horror.
I saw lots of nakes! Some big nakes and some mean nakes. 

After that, we went to the splash pad area so I could feed Johnny again before we got in the car to go home. Henry and Daddy played in the water for a bit, and then we headed to the shop. Where one of my nightmares came true.
Mommy and Daddy let me get a nake to bring home!
Yes, I did. A rubber snake lives at my house now. Here's what happened: I went in with Johnny to find postcards and maybe a small animal. Henry had just told us his favorite part was the polar bear and the elephants, so I was looking for a little plastic polar bear for him to play with at home. Unfortunately, the only ones I could find were really expensive, so I kept looking around. I took too long, and Henry and Daddy came in to find me. Henry found these MASSIVE stuffed animal snakes that he really liked. They cost more than I wanted to spend, so I convinced him to find something else.  Well, I saw some other polar bear toys out of the corner of my eye and headed towards them. Much to my dismay and horror (yes, horror is the only word really) the rubber snakes were in a basket just below the polar bears. And guess who spotted them before I could run away. "My have one of those nakes, Daddy?" (yes, he knows already who to ask). "Pwease Daddy?" Derek gave me that look. That look of "I know you hate this and you want to scream and cry, but I'm not going to say no so you better figure out how you're going to deny your child something he really wants." Yes, that look. And then the snake started talking to me, via Henry of course. "My go home with Henry? Ok." I couldn't talk him out of it. I tried to show him the polar bear, the elephant, the otter. Nope. "Nake, Mommy?" By now, he knew that we had decided to let him bring one toy home, so he had us (ok, me) in his clutches.

Finally, I caved. I made him choose a bright green, not so realistic snake to take home. He was SO excited. He carried it up to the register and it talked to him the whole way. "Hi Henry, Hi Mommy, Hi Daddy, Hi Johnny," it said. "My going home with you!"

I'm glad he was so happy about it, really. But it is, ugh. Gross. I HATE snakes. All shapes, sizes, dimensions, and materials. Yes, I hate rubber snakes, too.

But, I have to admit, he is cute with it. On the way home, the snake said: "My happy!"
"Why are you happy, Mr. Snake?" Daddy said.
"Cause my with Henry. My happy!"


Sigh....so it begins.......

--Little Brute and Jen

Middle of September

It's the middle of September, and Instagram just informed me that Johnny is now 14 weeks. Wow. Can you believe that? And my Henry is 2 years and 7 months on Tuesday. Yikes--I'm getting old. The boys have been doing and changing so much lately, I thought I'd get a few things written down.

Henry:

• Henry is still quite obsessed with his "bwankie." he wants to take it everywhere, and as soon as he gets hurt or upset he says he "needs bwankie." It's the only consequence that makes a difference when he's being naughty (which is quite rare. Usually just when he's harassing the cat.)
• Speaking of the cat, Henry does still love Rowena, but I have to tell him several times a day to leave kitty alone. 
• Henry, unfortunately, as discovered that he likes rubber snakes. Grandpa and Grandma have two at their house, and he found them in the toy box once. Every time we've gone out there since, it's the first thing he looks for. He wants to carry them all over and has even requested to have them in bed. So, snakes nap with him and go to bed with him. (EW!!!) Unfortunately, he and Daddy convinced me to let him get a rubber snake at the zoo this week, so now we have a lime green monstrosity at our house, too. At this moment, he is in his bed cuddled up with his bwankie clutching "Mr. Snake." It sort of makes me want to freak out, but he loves it so much....oh well. 
• Henry is learning his letters and is doing really well. He loves to watch the Leap Fog "The Letter Factory," and has learned the sounds of all the letters. He often points them out to me on signs when we are out and about, particularly the letters H, W, S, and M. Come to think of it, it was "The Letter Factory" that got him excited about snakes--for the letter S, a snake comes to teach the S letters their sound. "Ssssss!" For a while, Henry wanted me to rewind it and let him watch the "nake one" over and over again. 
• He likes watching sports with his Daddy. Any sport, really, he enjoys. 
• We played kickball with the family (my siblings and Nana and Papa) over Labor Day Weekend, and asks to play kickball almost every day now. 
• He's still a picky eater, which is rather frustrating. He does like to dip chips in chili, and asks for "chips and chiwee" almost every day for lunch. 
• Two funny stories about silly phrases: Uncle Greg was talking about a toy that Caleb has that tells what each body part is and what color it is. He said "Blue Ear" and Henry just started laughing uncontrollably. Seriously, for almost 30 minutes he was laughing hysterically and saying "blue ear!" Now, whenever we say it, he laughs. 
• The other thing that makes him laugh is "Banana peel." Derek was getting him out of the car at Old Navy a week or so ago, and almost slipped on a banana peel. Henry thought that was hilarious, and now laughs when you say "banana peel" to him. 
• He still likes to vacuum a lot, and reminds me most days. 
• Henry likes to play "nicken" (kitchen) in Nana's play house. He's recently started pretending that some of his other toys are food or drinks. He likes to "cook dinner" for me in the playhouse, and we are often out there for an hour or two. 
• Henry still loves watering flowers and mowing the lawn. 
• He also really enjoys sitting on the deck chairs and "watching the trees grow." Several times a day, he will inform me that he wants to go outside and sit on "his deck." He takes his blanket, spreads it out on his chair, and will just sit and look around for a while. He loves it when Derek or I join him, of course, but he will sit out there peacefully for ten to fifteen minutes at least once a day. 

John:

• He LOVES to laugh and smile. Particularly at his Daddy. After he eats, he just wants to talk to me or to Daddy and smile and smile. 
• He's also recently discovered chewing on his hands. Or his blankie. He gets pretty excited when he can get one or the other into his mouth. Sometimes, it looks like he's going to be a thumb sucker, but mostly he likes to chew on it. 
• John also loves to blow spit bubbles. As soon as I wipe his chin and mouth, he starts gurgling and blowing bubbles again. 
• After John eats, he expects to be able to lay down somewhere and stretch. He gets quite frustrated if he isn't in a position to kick his legs and wiggle around a lot. 
• John also really likes to lay under the little jungle thing and look at the lights, as well as listen to the jungle noises. 
• He loves to watch Rowena, and often laughs at her. 
• His favorite thing, however, is watching Henry. When Henry laughs, he will grin and laugh, too. Sometimes, when he can see Henry playing or Henry comes up close to him, he will just grin and laugh. 
• Unlike Henry, John has loved his baths from day 1. He relaxes and chills in his chair (we have a bath chair that he uses and takes a bath in the sink). I love giving him baths, because he really just enjoys it. We've put him in the bath with Henry a couple of times, and he really likes that. Henry tolerates it, but now will ask take a bath "by me-self" sometimes. 
• John has gotten pretty good at holding his head up, but he still wobbles quite a bit. He actually likes tummy time, but instead of trying to hold is head up, will just snuggle down and get cozy. I think he'll be a stomach sleeper when he's strong enough to roll over on his own. 

Johnny's Birth Story

Once again, I have Dr. Harrison to thank for starting my labor. On Wednesday, June 3, I had my 36 week appointment. Since I've been having so much pain, she checked my cervix--I was 70% effaced and around 2 cm (+) dilated. I left the office feeling like progress would continue and then spent the rest of the day fighting the increasing pain of what I felt was labor.

Corinne and her family were here visiting from Texas, and we spent the day outside helping Nana get ready for the garden show. We painted birdhouses, cleaned up the yard, decorated the play house, and even took a trip to the DI where we found treasures to enhance the cuteness of said playhouse. All the while, I kept having these terrible pains, cramps, really. I told my Mom and Corinne I felt like baby was coming that day.

A little nervous, but mostly excited, I tried to take it a little easy, but not so easy that my labor stopped. Imagine my disappointment when, that evening, I suddenly felt really good with no more labor. We had dinner and did the bedtime routine with Henry as usual. I went to bed a little sad but fine with not having the baby before he's full term.

Around 3:30 am, I awoke with a terrible pain in my abdomen and back. I took a few deep breaths and it went away, and I fell back asleep. Just ten minutes later, the pain was back. This cycle continued for about an hour. I tried to keep track of the times, hoping for more sleep for both Derek and me,  but I knew this was labor: he's coming!

Finally, at 5:00 I woke Derek up and told him I was in labor. We tracked the contractions for about twenty minutes, and we both realized that I better get to the hospital: contractions every five minutes for about a minute? Yeah, get out the door Mama!

I went upstairs to my parent's house (we're renting the apartment in the basement) and told my mom we were leaving for the hospital. She came down and spent the rest of the early morning in our bed so she could take care of Henry.

Before we left, I went quietly into Henry's room and kissed him on the head. Little did he know that his whole world was about to change, all while he slept peacefully in bed. It was hard, leaving him like that. I'm excited for him to have a brother and for all that that entails, but at the same time, I am worried for all the changes he will go through. As we left our house, I said a quick prayer for my Henry boy.

We got in the car and headed to Timpanogos Regional Medical Center in Orem, laughing as we both realized we prefer traffic at 5:30 am: no other cars to deal with! I was really struggling with the pain of my contractions, and watched as the minutes ticked by. Like clockwork, every five minutes the pain racked my abdomen and back with a vengeance. I forgot how painful contractions are! Thank goodness for that, cause I'm not sure I would do it over and over again. Good thing the reward is awesome.

We checked in at the hospital just a few minutes before six. It was quiet and peaceful in the Women's Center. Derek took his spot in the chair next to me while the nurse got the monitors hooked up to my belly and we listened to the steady heartbeat of our baby boy for the next couple of hours. Derek texted his parents and our siblings once we were sure they weren't going to send me home (I wasn't worried. I knew this was happening) and then got a bit of sleep, which he desperately need. I closed my eyes and rested between contractions, which was sort of a joke since they were coming exactly five minutes apart still.

Dr. Harrison arrived around 7:30 and checked me. Yep, almost all the way effaced and 4 dilated. She guessed I'd go to a 7 and then all the way within the next couple of hours, especially if I got my epidural.

The same with my labor with Henry, I requested the epidural after we'd been in the hospital about 3 hours, around 8. I was pleased that Dr. Jones, the anesthesiologist, was able to get to me so quickly, as he arrived just about 10 minutes after I asked for it. The process was quick and easy, and within just a few minutes I felt the delightful numbing of my lower body.

And then suddenly, it wasn't so delightful. While I could still wiggle my left foot and toes, my right leg was completely numb. So numb that it began aching. It hurt so badly, and I felt a bit panicked that I couldn't feel anything (which is weird, since it hurt. I can't explain it.) I asked Derek to grab my toes to help me calm down. He scooted his chair to the end of my bed, and spent the next three hours grabbing my foot every couple of minutes while he read The Wright Brothers.

One thing I felt quite frustrating, was all the "gloom and doom" from the nurses. Our baby was born almost a month early, and it seemed that every nurse that came in talked to me about my premie baby. He could spend time in the NICU, he might have problems, he might struggle with breathing, etc. etc. I was starting to feel panicked and it was quite stressful. They had a NICU specialist come in, even, and let me know that if baby had any issues, he would be taken straight to the NICU. It was hard for me to relax, thinking about that, but (luckily) they finally started leaving me alone and I got some sleep.

At 10:30, I felt a sudden bit of pressure. "Um, Derek?" I said. He looked up at me. "I think I can feel the baby's head."

"Oh?" he said in his usual (somewhat annoying) calm. "Call the nurse."

Karlie came in, a bit dubious I think, and checked me. She put her hand up between my legs and suddenly I felt the baby completely turn over. I gasped, and Karlie said "That's his head! Cross your legs, Jen! We need to get Dr. Harrison here right away."

So I did. I crossed my legs, trying to hold our little baby inside. Our little baby who was in a big hurry to get here.

Dr. Harrison arrived at about 11, and the other nurses came in to help us (they never told me their names, but I was a bit preoccupied anyway). Derek wrote down all the predictions for his weight and length, while I was prepped for delivery. I still couldn't feel my legs at all, so the nurses propped them up on the stirrups for me, and I braced myself to push. Derek held my hand and stood up by my head.

"You ready for this?" I said.

"Well, no going back now." He smiled.

"Ok Jennifer, let's push with this next contraction," Dr. Harrison instructed me.

I felt the pressure and began mimicking what I thought would be pushing. "Go, go, go, push, push, push!" She said. Apparently what I did worked, because she said, "he's right here, just a few more I think." Derek said some words of encouragement that I can't remember, but I do remember that it was more than the 3 or 4 words he said during Henry's birth (that was one of our goals, for Derek to actually talk to me during labor. :D).

I breathed for a few minutes, then: "here we go." I pushed again, "Oh wow, there's his hair!" I pushed for the whole contraction. "He's almost there. One more contraction, I think." We waited for about ten seconds. "I think he's ready. Let's just push, Jen."

So I did. I pushed without the contraction, and within just a minute, Dr. Harrison pulled my very purple and screaming little boy out of me. She cut the umbilical cord and held him up for me to see. At first, I thought "uh, are you sure that's a baby?" But the color quickly flushed through his face and I saw just how beautiful he was. He was wiped off quickly, a diaper and a hat put on him, and weighed and measured him: 6 pounds 6 ounces, 19 inches long. And then I was holding him, clutching him to my breast as he cried, looking for anything familiar.

It felt so strange, being in that moment again. It felt like deja vu, but at the same time completely new. Dr. Harrison delivered the placenta, stitched me up (just a few stitches this time! It was only a first degree tear) and then we were left alone for a while, just the three of us. I kept looking at this little person, this little boy that had joined our family. I felt overwhelmed, not sure if I was ready to be a mommy to two. But as he calmed down and looked up into my eyes, I felt so grateful to have him. I knew he and Henry needed each other, for one reason or many that I don't know yet, but I am sure of. His warm skin against mine felt so nice as we bonded for the next half an hour.

Quite by surprise, however, I heard my Mom's voice in the hallway. And my beautiful little Henry came in to the room holding her hand. I was so pleased to see them, so glad that Henry would be one of the first to meet his little brother.

But the whole hospital situation overwhelmed him. I was still had an IV, there were lots of machines and things in the delivery room, and he wasn't comfortable with the situation at all. I was crushed that he didn't want to sit with me, but I understood that it was a lot for a two-year-old to take in all at once.

Henry looked at our little baby as his Daddy held him up so he could see, and proudly told me that he had brought me "dellow flowies." I admired the yellow mums out loud.

"He picked them out," my mom said. "First ones he saw and they were definitely the ones he wanted to get you." She had also brought me some pink flowers, and they were set up on the table next to me. This whole time, our baby was still against my skin, listening to the voices of his family as they wafted around the room.

My Dad arrived shortly after that, and Derek held baby for just a few minutes before handing him to my mom to see. Tom and Cindy walked in just moments later, and it was a bit busy and a bit noisy all at once.

"So, his name?" Tom asked.

I looked at Derek. "John Wellington Bruton." I said. Yes, that's it, I thought, looking over at the little bundle in my Mom's arms.

It wasn't long before Henry discovered the foaming hand sanitizer, which he decided was amazing and that he needed to have some every 90 seconds or so. He made sure everyone had some, then went back again and again to make sure his own hands were clean.

Cindy had a turn holding baby, and then the tired hit me. I think everyone noticed, because it was just a minute or two later that everyone was saying their good-byes and "we'll be back later."

It was quiet again, and just the three of us. I already missed Henry, and wished that he could have stayed with us. I felt a little hole in my heart without him there, wishing our family of four could be together for a while.

But the quiet was nice. Derek handed our Little John back to me and I kissed his cheek. "Well, Daddy," I said. "Now we are four."






The next 48 hours rushed by in a quiet sort of way. Both sets of grandparents came to visit, each with enough time to hold our Little John, but not too long. Derek and I both agreed that Henry needed to have Daddy at home, particularly at night, so John and I spent a lot of time together just the two of us. While I missed Derek, it was quite relaxing to just worry about me and Little John. It also forced me to get out of bed a bit more, which was good and I believe helped in my postpartum recovery. Johnny and I watched HGTV, we read 101 Dalmations, and cuddled. Lots of cuddling.

But it wasn't all relaxing and bliss. Since Johnny was a LPT (Late Pre-Term), they were keeping a close eye on him. One of the things they checked was his blood sugar, to make sure that his body handled it correctly after he ate. Unfortunately, he failed the first couple of tests. That meant for at least 36 hours, he had to have his little heel poked and squeezed for a blood test. By the end of the first day, both of his heels were bruised and swollen. One of his hands had an IV in it, so they could draw blood that way if need be. He kept getting it caught on his shirt and his blanket, which I know was painful for him. Every three hours, a nurse would come in to make sure I had fed him and then poke my little baby. It seemed that his  cries got worse with each poke, and I was starting to feel annoyed. He passed each test after failing the first one, and I just wanted them to leave him alone. But by our second night, he was given the all clear and no more pokes. They FINALLY took the IV out (which they didn't ever end up using. Another Mama Bear moment, as I demanded they take it out). I was so grateful that he could finally rest and his feet could recover.

Another thing that happened since Johnny was an LPT, was a carseat test. He had to sit in his carseat for 90 minutes, observed by the nurses, to make sure his oxygen levels didn't go down. Apparently, LPTs sometimes struggled with getting enough oxygen if they are in carseats for a while, because of the position they are in. Luckily, Johnny passed. Whew.

Henry came by again our second day, which was nice. I was able to get out of bed and sit on the rocking chair, and he actually sat in my lap and helped me feed Little John. I think he was a little more comfortable without me being all hooked up to IVs and things, so he could see me better. He enjoyed the hand sanitzer again, and liked eating the crackers that the nurse brought for me. One thing I found quite funny, was that Henry thought that I was at work. He referred to the hospital as "my office." He was also quite proud of the "Big Brother" bracelet that he received at the front desk the first time he came to see us, and showed it to me several times.

While I desperately missed Derek and Henry during those hours I was in the hospital, I was very grateful for the one on one time with Johnny. I think it helped with our bonding, that I was able to hold him so much. We had a lot of skin to skin time as we got to know each other.

On Saturday morning, Derek and Henry arrived ready to bring me home. Henry was so excited and said "ready come home, Mommy?" as soon as they walked in the door. He wanted me to come right then, but we still had a few things to do to get ready. We got Johnny dressed in his new outfit, I had some lunch, and we got all of my things together. And then suddenly, the nurse was there, helping us check out. We walked out to the car, the four of us, and we were on our way home.

We were welcomed home with a sign made by Nana and Aunt Chels, as well as some beautiful flowers from the Brutons and another bouquet from some of my co-workers. It was so nice to be home, but all that was enough for me--I was already tired and actually missing the peace and quiet of the hospital. But with my three boys around me, I knew that things would get better. I was so grateful to have my Henry and my Derek back with me. Our little family of 4 was all together.