Fun with play dough

Here is Jacob loving the play dough I made for him this morning.  He liked watching me roll "scary snakes" which he then proceeded to throw around like they were really scary snakes.  Apparently he knows that snakes make a hissing sound, too, so that was fun.  

Stacking is so fun!

From the mouths of babes

The top 4 things Rebecca has said in her 7 days on earth. "Please, do not touch me. I won't touch you, so you don't touch me. We all keep to ourselves, and we all keep happy."

"I really dont know what this kid is all excited about. It is like he has never had his picture taken before. Maybe no one ever wanted to take a picture of him because of his crazy hair."

"This picture taking process is really interfering with my nap time. Can we move things along here?"

"The first thing I do when this stump falls off is enter a swimming suit competition."

Little Toes

So, Jacob is slowly but surely growing interested in Rebecca. He has touched her a little bit, and it is pretty funny to see him and her together. They share a room, and in the night when she is crying her heart out, he sleeps. When I go in there to get her, he wakes up, and just laughs at me. Last night I looked right at him up close in the middle of the night, and he was just beaming, as if to say, "This is the best thing in my life. I never knew I was allowed to wake up before it was morning!" Several times when we are carrying her, he reaches out from his crib and hands a little stuffed star he has, his gift to his little sister. Here he is, finally consenting to touch her. Still just looking at this stage. You may want to mute this one, as Rebecca was just about due for a feeding.

Rebecca Lea Hoopes

So, we had a baby. Following is a lengthy description of the event (for those who care to know), followed by some pictures in no particular order (for those with a mere passing interest in what went on):

Headed to the Hospital

At about 4:30 Friday morning, Stacey woke me up and told me that she was in labor. She was. We got all ready, called someone from the ward to come watch Jacob, and left for the hospital. The girl who came, Tisha, came so quickly, we were very impressed. We would soon find out how good that was. After she arrived, we went to the hospital. On the way, Stacey called the hospital to tell them we were coming. She had some difficulties telling them all about herself (her personal information and such) while she was having contractions, but, she did it.

Pre-Birth

We got to the hospital, parked, and went in. They had Stacey fill out some paperwork, and we went into a room. She was checked, and was at a 10, and so the baby was REALLY coming. Stacey had not determined if she wanted an epidural, but, she didn’t really get a choice. At 5:14, they put a monitor on the baby, and her heart was having some problems, so they got a little nervous. They had Stacey push, and the baby was not doing well. The doctor had arrived, and they were getting ready to push her out to the OR to cut the baby out. But, the doctor, Doctor Mozurkewich, told them to try a bit longer, and within two pushes, the baby came out.

Birth

As I saw the head coming out, it was all grey and squished—nothing like Jacob’s head (as I remember it). I noticed the baby’s color changing slightly, they took it over to a little table, and started sucking water out. The grey color started to change, a little crying started to happen. As she laid on the table, she became more and more pink. The baby scored a 2 on the APGAR at birth, so, things were not looking good. But, she progressed quickly, and at 5 minutes, was a 9. After she lay there for a bit, she was weighed, and came in at 8 pounds, 15 ounces. In the mean time, Stacey was dealing with the afterbirth. All was going fairly well. I had held the baby a bit, and asked if Stacey could hold it. They said yes, and were about to put a diaper on, but, I asked if Stacey could just hold our little girl without a diaper. There is something about never having worn clothes that is special to me. It is the first part of the Fall that a normal baby is subject to, and it usually does not take more than a couple minutes. Our little girl lasted almost a half hour without being subject to such a thing. While good and all, clothes really are something very odd, and I thought it would be good if Stacey could hold this little girl prior to her having been clothed in any way. So, Stacey held her. Stacey had a little bit of a time getting her bleeding under control, but after several pills and a shot, she stopped with her bleeding, and was content to just sit there and watch us with the baby.

Afterbirth

Interestingly, here, they do not take the baby out of the room to do anything. It is very possible to have stayed at the hospital the whole time without mother or baby leaving the room. So, after the baby was bathed and such, we hung out. People periodically came in to check on us, but, not nearly so often as they did in Provo. We felt simultaneously abandoned and like we had a lot of privacy. We spent the day calling family and looking at our cute little daughter. Up till then, she did not have a name. About 2:00, my Uncle Doug, who is serving a mission here in Ann Arbor with his wife (who is out of town attending to some duties), came and visited. It was so good to have family right in the area that could come and hang out with us. We chatted with him for a while. Also, throughout the day, Stacey made some phone calls finalizing her master’s thesis submission. At about 2:00 AM the night before, she had submitted the final copy to the BYU library so they could print it, and that needed a few phone calls to be done with.

Home for the Night

After a full day of hanging out, I went and fetched Jacob, and went home. I had some time to think, and so I did so. We were so blessed to have someone come to take care of Jacob who was so fast. Given how quickly the birth went, had we not had that, we could have had a baby in the car. And, if we would have had a baby in the car, I am not sure we would still have a viable baby. Likewise, had I been at school when the baby came, and Stacey would have waited for me to come home to go to the hospital with her (as we had planned on doing), we would have had a baby at our house and, likewise, might not have a viable baby right now. Likewise, we were so blessed that the doctor decided to give Stacey one last chance to push the baby out, instead of cutting the baby out of her. Had that happened, Stacey would (as do all women) have had a much harder next couple weeks as she recovered from a major operation as well as having a new baby to take care of.

Naming the baby

So, in the morning, I took Jacob to the hospital so he could meet his new little sister. By that time we had finalized a name, Rebecca Lea Hoopes. We really liked the name Rebecca, and so chose that as a first name. Stacey’s middle name is Lea, after her great grandmother Norma Lea. Norma was named Lea because her family came from Kentucky and moved to Idaho. Her mother was very afraid that her children would forget their southern roots, and so named her daughters names related to the south, Virginia, and Norma Lea. Lea comes from Robert E. Lee, the venerable southern general. So, Rebecca is named after Stacey who is named after Norma who is named after Robert E. Lee. So, now you know.

Jacob and Rebecca

In any event, Jacob went to the hospital, and just loved riding in the little cart they have for kids to ride in. We got to the room, and Jacob did not seem terribly impressed with the little wrapped package that Stacey was holding. But, after we had been there for about a half hour, I think he realized there was something different about that package, as his mom and dad seemed to pay inadvertent attention to that package. He became curious, and kept on looking at Rebecca. I think now he realizes now that Rebecca is a little person. It was very cute.

After the First Visit

After that visit, Jacob and I went back home, I worked on some homework, and then we went and picked up Stacey’s mom, Tracey. Tracey came from Virginia, and with her, we went back to the hospital. Jacob continued to figure out what Rebecca was all about, and Tracey enjoyed holding her newest and most favorite little granddaughter. Up until that time, Rebecca had not successfully passed her hearing screen, and we were supposed to come back in a couple weeks to get it retested. But, we decided to try again, and she passed. So, that is very good. In light of her hearing deficient family, she will go in six months for another try, but, for now, she can hear. After spending a bit more time at the hospital, we went home. It was good to have my whole family in my house, to have Tracey there to help, and to have all safe and well. We were so blessed to have everything work out.

Little Rebecca in her blanket her Aunt Tess made for her. Dad and daughter. Grandma explains important things about babies to little Jacob, like, "Because she cries and opens her mouth does not mean you should put things in." Grandma and Rebecca. Mom and daughter. The family picture. This one took several times to get, as we took it with a timer. In several Jacob had his mouth open, as is his custom, but, we got this one that was alright. Little Jacob examining his new sister, wondering what she is all about. Jacob, again examining that little package that is Mom is holding so tightly. Stacey and Rebecca, before Rebecca had ever even worn a diaper. Dad and daughter. Great Uncle Doug and little Rebecca. The new member of the family, before Jacob came to join us. Fresh out of the womb. Really fresh out of the womb.

Rebecca Lea Hoopes

This morning at 5:31, Stacey and I (and Jacob, although he was asleep) welcomed the newest member of our family into the extra-uterine world. Rebecca was 8 pounds 15 ounces, was 20.25 inches, and was very quick in coming. It took about 25 minutes from the time we parked at the hospital before Rebecca was here. We are so grateful to have a healthy little daughter. Keep posted for more pictures and updates. In an act of silliness, I forgot to bring the camera cord for our camera, so all our pictures are being held hostage on the camera.

Pay it Forward winners

Okay - the winners are as follows:

1. Erin M
2. Sara R
3. Sarah N (who posted on Facebook)
4. Myrna H (who though she does not have a blog deserves something homemade, I make exceptions for truly remarkable people, what can I say?)
5. Trina A

Many thanks to my husband and son for attempting to play, thus making it seem like more of a competition than it really was. :) And I probably won't take all year to get something to you all, by the way. Just giving myself some cushion room in the event that life gets crazy. I suspect it might about any day now...yes, we're still waiting for our little daughter to join us ex utero. I'm sure she'll be darling!

Playing with our only child (for now)

Here is Jacob and Mom and Dad playing. Fun.

Paying it Forward, as they say...

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make for you!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. (This gives me plenty of time!)
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a cd of songs recorded by me (even better if Jeff were on there too). It may be a self portrait or maybe even some creation I haven't yet dreamed up. I may bake you something and mail it to you, though that may be best reserved for the locals. It may not be big or impressive. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! But lets be honest here. This is me and I will likely do something amazing. So come on, sign up!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. But I probably will not do something strange, since I at least try to live under the guise that I am slightly normal. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to post this same information on their blog and leave a comment telling me they did will win a lovely homemade gift by me! Let's keep the chain of love going around!!

A Poem for the day

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore-- And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

-Langston Hughes

Great Post

Here is a great post on Greg Mankiws Blog. Mankiw is a economist at Harvard, has a couple very used and famous undergraduate textbooks, and unlike many economists, leans slightly to the right. In any event, this is a great post he wrote, unbiased, true, and good.

Some recent happenings

Here are some recent happenings in our lives, in no particular order. Jacob has been having some problems hearing, so, we have been to several doctors to see about this. For now, he is getting tubes in his ears to drain some fluid out (I also had this done as a little child) and they will see what is happening from there. Interestingly, it is difficult to get an exact and precise hearing test on a toddler, so, while he is drugged for the tubes, they do a hearing test. Stacey and I went to a showing of the singing group "Sweet Honey in the Rock". The music was good, the political message was repulsive. We took a trip to Ohio, and while there we had a litte picnic with David, Megan, their kids, and my mom (who was visiting from ID). Here is Stacey, hanging out with Ben and Emily. Jacob has also been working hard on learning tricks. Watch him go.

Busy Week

We have all had a fairly busy week, and I thought I'd just give a quick update to keep anyone informed who cares to be informed.

Jeff: spent lots of time reading papers for class and presentations and research, rode his bike to school a few times this week (admirable given the chilly morning/evening temperatures and wind chill), tried out his new iPod shuffle and appreciates that it is not as bulky as the iPod he usually totes to listen to all those books he posts about. He also has the exciting newly-given assignment to set up chairs in the overflow area of the chapel at church before our 9 AM Sunday meetings. Last week it took him about 17 minutes by himself. I think after a few weeks he'll have it down to under 5 minutes. He's that amazing, folks.

Jacob: mastered the Discovery Toys pegboard at the audiologist's office on Thursday, can usually answer correctly when asked "Where is Baby Sister?" by pointing at my (huge) belly, consistently makes a sound for what a cow says as of today, he smiled a lot this week, he took extra and unexpected naps a couple times, and did a lot of dancing with me to some songs on some CDs of children's songs I got for Christmas. We learned that he thinks waltzes like "Did You Ever See a Lassie?" are very, very funny. Probably because his mommy is a dancing maniac.

Stacey: I spent a couple days feeling ill this week and think I got some stomach bug that came and went a couple times. In my desire to follow the good example of my friend Brit from my freshman year at BYU, however, I did manage to prepare many things for the freezer that will come in handy after the baby gets here in a few weeks. I didn't prepare quite as much as Brit did last summer, but I'll look forward to having some of these things:

• around 90 Italian meatballs
• chicken stir fry
• chicken/broccoli casserole
• lasagna
• 2 batches of hamburger pie
• tacos
• pork loin cut into roasts and 'chops' for easy crock pot or stovetop cooking
• cooked several more pounds of ground beef to have on hand

I also worked on my master's project for what I hope will be the final time. It is time to be done. That is all I will say about that.

Two Quotes from Two Prophets

I'm posting these quotes on here for no other reason except that I feel like I should. I was reading President Monson's talk "Finding Joy in the Journey" and enjoyed this paragraph as much as I did when he first said it during General Conference in October.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

It reminded me of another quote that I like, from President McKay:

[The] ability and willingness properly to rear children, the gift to love, and eagerness … to express it in soul development, make motherhood the noblest office or calling in the world. She who can paint a masterpiece or write a book that will influence millions deserves the admiration and the plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come, … deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God (Gospel Ideals [1954], 453–54).

I guess on some days it's good to have a healthy dose of perspective and be reminded that what I'm trying to do, with the Lord's help, really is important and that it's a blessing that I've been given the opportunity to be a mother. For good measure, here's a We're-Almost-a-Family-of-Four picture taken last October. Now there are only 6.5 weeks to go!

Days of Plenty

Today I came across a blog of someone that left our ward here in Michigan shortly before we got here (her husband was also an accounting student), and learned a little bit of a tragedy that happened last Spring when her almost two year-old niece died as a result of choking on a little bite of an apple. There is a lot that went through my mind as I read about this sweet little girl and how her parents have been strengthened by their faith in God and eternal families, but I guess I could sum my own emotions up and just say that when Jacob wakes up from his nap today I'm going to play with him, tickle him, read to him, learn from him, and love him just a little bit more. In the words of a beautiful song from the musical Little Women, sung by Mrs. March to her daughter Jo after Beth's passing: I want days of plenty.

Days of Plenty

I never dreamed of this sorrow,

I never thought I'd have reason to lament,

I hoped I'd never know heartbreak,

How I wish I could change the way things went!

I wanted nothing but goodness,

I wanted reason to prevail,

Not this bare emptiness.

I wanted Days of Plenty.

But I refused to feel tragic,

I am aching for more than pain and grief.

There has got to be meaning,

Most of all when a life has been so brief.

I have got to learn something,

How can I give her any less?

I want life to go on.

I want Days of Plenty.

You have to Believe,

There is reason for Hope.

You have to Believe

That the answers will come.

You can't let this defeat you.

I won't let this defeat you.

You must fight to keep her there,

Within you!

So Believe that she matters!

And Believe that she always will!

She will always be with you!

She'll be part of the days you've yet to feel!

She will live in your bounty!

She will live as you carry on your life!

So carry on,

Full of Hope,

She'll be there,

For all your Days of Plenty

Picture tag

My cousin Becci tagged me...

This picture comes to us from the folder entitled simply "Honeymoon."  This is a lovely picture of the Potomac River, and it was taken the day after our wedding from the balcony of our room at the Watergate Hotel (yes, that Watergate) to show what a spectacular view we had of the river from our room.  Awfully murky that summer, wouldn't you say?  

I now tag Erin the Sister, Britt W. the Far-Away Friend, Aunt Dee and my cousin Mindy.  

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer 2) Select the 4th picture in the folder 3) Explain the picture 4) Tag 4 people to do the same