New Baby Boy!!!

So our new baby boy Jordan James (JJ) is now just over a week old.

Here's the story of last Sunday:

So I wake up on Sunday morning (May 2-my due date!) at 4am with quite painful contractions...I'm very excited because I'm thinking, maybe I'll have a baby by lunchtime! For the past week I had been SO ready to have this baby, very uncomfortable and exhausted. By 8am my contractions had slowed down and weren't very regular. By 10am they had completely stopped, so I was disappointed. I continued to have random ones throughout the day, everytime one came I got excited and would start timing, but then I wouldn't have one for a while again. Finally around 3pm they started up again and were quite intense...they continued for a couple of hours to get stronger, closer together and longer. By 5 30pm I had gone from happy I was in labour to focusing more on the pain! We got in to the hospital around 6pm, I was only dilated to 3cm so I was disappointed because I felt like I was further along!

Me a couple of hours before delivery

An hour and a half later my waters broke and I got an epidural...finally! 2 hours later I was ready to push! I pushed about 20 minutes and JJ was here...it was such a relief. With Oliver I was pushing for 2 and a half hours.....it was tough! So this time it almost felt easy! My whole labour experience this time was really enjoyable.

JJ weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 inches long, bigger than Oliver, which I could tell by the way I carried him. He nursed about minutes after he was born, he already knew what to do! I was really happy about that too because nursing was a struggle with Oli for a while. We stayed in the hospital for a couple of days and came home Tuesday afternoon with a new happy, healthy baby.

Introducing: Jordan James Oblad

Our little family

This week has been interesting, I'm so glad my mum has been here helping with Oliver....otherwise I don't know what I would have done! JJ is a really good baby, his days are switched with nights right now so he's not very good at sleeping at night! I had to take him in to the hospital every day to get his bilirubin levels checked, on Friday he had gotten so high that we had to get the bili lights (again-same thing with Oliver). Basically its a little suitcase with lights in it that are supposed to help cure the jaundice, I've no idea how it works scientifically, something to do with red blood cells. Anyway, it's hard to keep them in the suitcase, only taking them out for feeding and changing. He especially didn't want to be in there at night, so we had a few sleepless nights this weekend! Yesterday morning I took him in for another check and he's low risk now so I'm glad he only had to be under the lights for a few days!

My mum leaves on Tuesday so I'm nervous for it to be just me and the boys but I'm really happy and loving being at home with my little ones!

BYU Alum 2010!

Us at Graduation dinner, 4 days from my due date!

So....Tim and I both graduated! It has been a long time coming and I am so relieved. I have LOVED being in school, but trying to juggle our schedules, work, and studies whilst raising Oliver has been a HUGE challenge. When I got pregnant I considered the fact that I might not be able to graduate, because Oliver's needs would automatically have to come first, and since Tim needed to stay in school for the future, it would have been my responsibility to quit! We considered day care but quickly decided against it: too expensive, and we wanted to look after Oli ourselves. We arranged our class and work schedules so we could switch Oli in between us throughout the day, it worked pretty well our first 2 semesters as he was quite little and would sleep a lot in the push chair on campus. Arranging our schedules to fit exactly with each others: not easy! I also had to ask a LOT of people for help and so many of my friends helped me out during the day on campus with watching Oliver while I was in class.

Our second year with Oli and last year of school was a lot more of a challenge. Partly because I was also pregnant, and because Oli was bigger and wanted to run around and be a toddler, not be strapped in his push chair all day! It was difficult and tiring and to keep him entertained on campus and I felt bad for him but somehow we got through! We were really fortunate because I was able to stay full time the whole time instead of having to take less classes, which meant I wouldn't have graduated the same time as Tim. We were also fortunate in that Oliver has always been really good, and a great sleeper, his 12 hours at night gave us time to study and kept us sane during the day! We've all also been really healthy which could have presented huge challenges, in that every time Oli gt sick one of us had to miss class to stay home with him. I even managed to be able to do BYU Singers this last year, something I didn't think I'd be able to do after having Oliver.

So, we're done! The days of dragging Oliver around on campus between classes and trying to quickly study during his naps are over. I'm so grateful I was able to graduate and have a beautiful little boy and another one on the way! So I guess my message is: if you are determined and want something bad enough, willing to sacrifice, and ask for help, then you can do anything! Cheesy but true......

A crazy day....

So today started like any other Saturday, Tim got up with Oli at 8, letting me sleep in. At 9am he comes in to wake me up and I could tell something was wrong. He said something didn't feel right and was clutching his lower back, 5 minutes later he was doubled over in excruciating pain, unable to talk and almost passing out. Kidney stone! So I took him to the emergency room, luckily Cicily (Tim's sister) could come straight over to stay here with Oli, I think we woke her up actually...thanks Cic!

So we get to the hospital and check Tim in, they take him straight to get an X-ray and the Doctor confirmed Tim's diagnosis of Kidney stones! We spent the next 5 hours there, Tim writhing in pain most of the time, the nurses giving him the most painkillers they could...it's really hard to watch Tim in that much pain, I felt totally helpless. Although, in the back of my head I was thinking....this will be me in a month so I can't feel too bad!!! I ran off to take a test on campus...and when I got back Tim was worse so they did a CT scan...found a stone, not too big luckily, so they sent Tim home with some good painkillers.

I got to my last concert ever (at 3pm) literally as they were going on stage, completely flustered and exhausted, having not had a shower or done my hair...but it went really well and I'm glad I was able to stand for an hour an a half and sing, it gets a little tough this far along! (I'm pretty sure my ankles have swelled up twice their normal size from all the standing)!

Kymee and Brett, our friends, took Oli while I was at my concert so Tim could try and rest (thank goodness for great friends! And tonight we drove to Salt Lake to see my brother (Russ) and his wife and kids who flew in this afternoon. I just got home, and its 9:30pm, completely exhausted, but happy this day is over and Oli has gone straight to sleep! Tim is doing a lot better, still a bit sore and very tired.

I actually feel a lot better after writing about today....

Another Update!!!

Well, after what seemed like forever we have finally heard from all of the schools! So we have narrowed it down to Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, MO (where Tim has been offered a 5yr PhD program in Clinical Psychology) or Texas Tech (5-yr human development PhD). Tim had an interview with Virginia Tech and is also waiting to hear from them about a second interview!

We're visiting Texas Tech in April for an open day where Tim can meet the faculty and learn a little more about the program. I'm really looking forward to visiting, to see if it's a place I would like to spend the next 5 years! I'll be 37 weeks, so hopefully I don't go into labour in Texas, or worse, on the plane!

Tim and I both have 3 and a half weeks left of school! It's so exciting. I will be sad to graduate and be done because I've loved studying music at BYU, and I've especially loved being in the performing ensembles. But alas, it's time to move on! Plus, having one toddler in school has been hard enough. I'm excited to graduate so I can concentrate on being a mummy to my two cute little boys.

We have to let the prospective schools know our decision by April 15th, so we've got a few weeks left to decide where to start our new adventure! We'll probably live in Provo for a few months after the new baby comes and then move June/July time.

Grad School Update

Tim found out this week that he got into Texas Tech for grad school! The course is a 5-year PhD in Human Development which would begin this fall (he's also applying to Clinical Psych but we haven't heard from them yet). Tim also applied to Purdue, Virginia Tech, and Nova Southeastern (in Florida). We should be hearing from everyone in the next few weeks.....then we'll decide where to go! He also has an interview in March to a professional institute of clinical psychology in Springfield, MO for a 5-year clinical psych program. Any insights on anyone who has been to/lived in Springfield?

Tim's first choice of school was probably BYU, but I'm really glad we're not staying. Another 5 years in Provo would be difficult for me, I'm ready to leave and have an adventure.....hopefully move somewhere closer to England! I think Tim is excited too at the prospect of moving. So now his first choice is probably Texas Tech, the housing is very cheap and everyone one we talk to raves about living in TX! TT is in Lubbock, which I've heard is kind of a small college town...again anyone lived there and have any insights? As for me, I've never been to any of these states so I've really no idea where I would prefer to live. Just on geography, of course Virginia Tech would be my first choice. Only one plane ride away from D.C to London...would be a dream come true! And plus Virginia is beautiful and a climate I'm more used to (not this winter i guess). The only thing is the housing and living costs are probably a lot more than other places we have applied.

Once we've found out all the places he is interviewing and gets in I'll need a lot of feedback on different places to go since we've never lived in any of these places...it's going to be a tough decision!