Super Capes

Every couple of months the kids remember how cool their capes from Aunt Amanda are. For a couple of days in a row they wear them a lot and talk about how strong they are. The funniest thing is seeing them wear them at the pool with nothing but a bathing suit and a cape. I guess that is kind of like what superman does.

What's in a name?

Dewey's Pregnancy

We decided to name our little guy Dewey Emerson. I know Donna, my bestie from Virginia, is going to kill me! She wanted me to have the babies name set in stone months ago. And we kept changing our minds. We were settle on Dewey Dane for the longest time but changed our minds one last time. Dewey Emerson  feels even more right.

Heber & Hannah's Pregnancy

Olive's Pregnancy

 Dewey is Talmage's great grandfather's middle name. I know what your thinking, "Dewey? ...Dewey Decimal System ...Huey, Dewey and Louie". Well that is what I was thinking when I first heard it. I wasn't crazy about it at first but let's just say I warmed up to it quickly. One night when I was tucking Heber in, he told me he loved me, I leaned down to hug him and he proclaimed, "We should name our baby Dewey!" The next day he was naming all his toys "Dewey". The next day I heard him say over and over "I should name this toy... what was that name again... oh, yeah, Dewey!"  (I found out later that Talmage had prepped Heber to do all of this and apparently it worked). I love the name Dewey now!
Emerson is Talmage's grandpa's middle name. I have always liked the name Emerson and it has been our "name list" since the twins. But shied away from it at first because it is too long and EmerSON HanSEN sounded like too many SON and SENS. But it just feels right.
Talmage feels a little guilty with so much of the name being influenced by his side, even though I was the one who proposed Emerson. He promised me that the next _____  kid(s) will have a name from my side.

Baby to Be

I am so excited for this little one to come! Talmage and his (the baby's) siblings are too. The twins keep asking if he is coming now. We all wonder what he'll look like. Talmage and I have a hard time imaging him as a blonde, like Heber was.

Baby Heber, One Week

I keep thinking of him with darker hair, like Hannah and Olive.

Baby Hannah, One Week

I wonder if he is going to be a chunky baby like Olive was. She was over nine pounds. I love chubby babies!  

Baby Olive, A Couple of Days Old

I am so excited to see how this little guy is going to look! And what his little personality will be like. He seems to wiggle a lot. I wonder if that means he is going to be an active or high strung little guy.

Pregnancy Update

 

I made it to 37 weeks! 37 weeks is considered term. 40 is considered full term. The midwives would have had me go to the hospital if the baby was preterm, anything before 36 weeks. So now I can have this  baby at home when ever he is good and ready to come.

I was having Braxton Hicks last week. They were 10-15 minutes apart for a couple of days. Then I woke up in the middle of the night with them three minutes apart. They weren't strong enough to bring on labor.. I saw the midwives the next day around noon, I was having them two minutes apart by then. They gave me some herbs to calm things down a bit so that I could go a little farther in this pregnancy. They also told me to rest a little more until I reached 37 weeks. I took the herbs that day and the next. I still have Braxton Hick but they aren't as close together.

I am so excited for this little one to come and just keep reminding myself to be patient.  I know he'll come when he is good and ready. I still could go three to five more weeks. I'll take other herbs to help my body prepare for labor probably in the next week.
I feel prepared and ready. I have read and reread Ina May's "Guide to Childbirth" and I feel mentally prepared. I feel like I have prepared well physically by exercising regularly and eating healthy. This pregnancy has some how been the easiest of all my pregnancies. I consider myself very blessed that my midwives were willing to take on a V-BAC even when they don't normally do so. They have been so helpful and nurturing. It has made all the difference to me.

Heber's Trophy

Heber and his trophy

Heber finished baseball a couple of weeks ago and was especially looking forward to gettingg a trophy. He had seen some other kids get one early because they weren't able to come to the last game.

Heber ready to go to sleep with his trophy

He brought it to church with him to show to his friends and class. He begged me to let him take it to the pool. And yes, he even sleeps with it.

Happy Independence Day

Heber, Hannah and their friend Annie

Concentrating on lighting a sparkler

 We went to a fourth of July breakfast with our ward at the church. We spent the evening with some friends. Their kids age match up with ours so it was especially fun for the kids. We went swimming, had a BBQ and went to see fireworks.. The fireworks were getting long and late so we ended up leaving early. We came home to a broken AC, so it was a sleepless night for all. But it wasn't crazy hot, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. But late and restless nights make for a good nap time and time to do a blog post.
A couple months ago I told Hannah that the baby would come sometime after The Fourth of July. I forgot that I told her that. But she remembered and kept asking if the baby was coming now.

Annual Air Force Duty

It's summertime which means my annual Air Force duty is likely to take me away for a couple of weeks. This year I spent two weeks at Vandenberg AFB, CA. It's about an hour north of Santa Barbara which is a couple of hours north of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it's not close enough to drive so I had to do it without my sweet wife and kids. Fortunately, I won't be going back there for duty any more but will be much closer and able to bring my family with me.

The flights always have these magazines in each seat. They're fun to look at. Some of the things are actually kind of neat. Others are just weird.

The Math clock reminded me of something my friend Zak Price might like. He's a nerdy engineer at Virginia Tech and can appreciate this sort of thing.

Instantly thought of my dad—lover of bikes and video cameras

Jana, in light of her recent literature review. Commas save lives.

I appreciate how well they try to sell this old-fashioned type writer as if it's something great.

"Want to get that special someone's attention? Or perhaps you want to spice up your marriage? Then discover the simple solution to slouching and stress."

So this one gets the premier inventors corner spot. Am I missing something? Aren't these just paper towels? "No. Their Sani Squares!"

"This guy used to be just another unhappy, old bald guy. But now, thanks to Flair Hair, he's his team's most stylish fan!"

"Don't let the sounds of nature ruin yours or anyone else's hike. Take control with the Solar Miracle Portable Charging Speaker."

This one actually looks kind of fun.

Back to Air Force stuff, a lot happened over the two weeks. I feel like I'm expected to get done in two weeks what takes full-time airman several months to complete. I got to shoot and qualify the M-4 rifle. There is a new procedure which makes shooting much more realistic and fun. I completed some Self-Aid Buddy Care training which I can see using on my kids before anyone else. Lots of job specific training. It was tough being away from family but very productive from a work (and school, which I'm getting closer to completing) standpoint.

Our commander, Lt. Col. Joganich was on his way out. For his second to last day he wanted to do a Ruck March on base. I'm so glad I got to make this one. I'll let the pictures do the talking.