The First Week- A Week of Firsts

So we've had quite the experience as new parents. The first week was full of fun and lots of surprises. On the first night home my mom came to stay with us and stocked our fridge with wonderful dinners and snacks. She only got to stay one day- but we were sure glad she was here to help us out! Thanks Mom!


So after Grandma left we were left to discover parenthood on our own. We found that our little Peewee doesn't much care if he's wrapped up in his blanket as long as he knows we're close by. His favorite spot is undoubtedly on our chests where he lies his head and then curls his legs up and sleeps for hours. We also found that he does quite well when we set him on the couch in the crack between the cushions. Here we decided to join him for a family photo.



On day we were craving some sunshine and I took the little guy outside on the lawn. Of course- he was wonderfully content and loved it!

Honestly- our little boy doesn't complain about much. He hardly ever cries- but he does make some of the cutest noises ever! He's perfectly happy just to be alive and be with us. I could really take a lesson from the sweetie. However- he doesn't love to be put in his carseat.

He doesn't spit up. He doesn't cry much. He doesn't blow out his diapers- true I know that's involuntary. But he does like to pee when I'm in the middle of changing his diaper! This is me giving up on burping him (it's really hard to get him to burp and when he does it's the sweetest quietest burp I've ever heard) and instead playing Squishy Face!


One other thing that we've learned about our little prize is that he loves to suck. He doesn't have to have his bink- though it is nice to have around sometimes. Instead he sucks on his fingers- one, or many, or all of them. He loves to put his hands to his face- so we really have to keep up on cutting his nails!

All in all we are very lucky to have such a good little baby. He's so cute and we love him so much.

Welcoming Polo Warren Afuvai

He finally came! We would like to share with you our pride and joy- Polo Warren Afuvai. Aka- Peewee or P.W. He was born on Sunday July 12 at 11:52 pm. He weighed 7lb 15oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. He is so handsome and all is well.

So the story goes that there were no signs of labor until sacrament meeting started on Sunday when I started having contractions suddenly and only five minutes apart. I waited out the meeting, went home and waited out another two hours. By four o'clock we had made it to the hospital, and I was dilated to 6 cm. Needless to say they gave me an epidural, a STRONG epidural, right away and we waited until almost midnight to greet the cutest baby in the whole world. We're very excited and very exhausted! We love him though!

Jet Skiing for Labor!!

"Jet skiis" and "39 weeks pregnant" are two things I bet you never thought you'd hear in the same sentence- unless that sentence ended in a "Yeah Right!" Well Jake's family is having a little reunion this week and we headed up to Pineview Dam yesterday to join them. We decided to skip out on the camping in a tent thing due to the very frequent bathroom trips in the middle of the night caused by a hefty (7 1/2 lbs) baby sitting on my bladder.

We got up there are soaked up plenty of sun- though we piled on enough sun screen to keep us white as we were when we arrived. We figured sunburns in the delivery room were something we should try to avoid, just so I wouldn't scream, "Don't touch me!" anymore than necessary. We played on the beach, and spent plenty of time in the water! We were joined by some friends for a total of 16 kids and 14 adults! I had made up my mind beforehand that I wouldn't be going out on the jet ski this year due to my Panza (belly). However, Jake's brother Darce said to me, "Grab a life jacket, I'm taking you out there!" And so I did. And so at 39 weeks pregnant I jumped on the back of a jet ski and cruised the dam! I can't say he went much over 35 mph- but it sure was nice to be able to skim the water. It was, after all, a beautiful day and the views were awesome!

And then we headed back to camp for some delicious taco soup, hot dogs, and dutch oven peach cobbler! Sad to say we did come home late last night and slept in our own bed. But you can be sure our little guy will see plenty of camping trips once he gets out here to see us.

Speaking of baby news--- No, the water skimming ride didn't induce labor and the doctor tells me I'll probably have to wait until next week for the big day. But all is well and he's looking healthy!

BABY SHOWER!!

Thanks to all the wonderful women who came and hosted my very first baby shower. The treats were so yummy and the gifts were more than I deserved. This little guy sure is getting a lot of love already!

Grandma Rohrer and Aunt Ethnee

Grandma Afuvai

The women who put this all together and threw it for me- Aunt Lene and Aunt Mara

The three adopted Aunties- Amy, Kara, and Rach

The diaper cake Aunt Cathy sent up- and the monkey that watched over all the treats!

Thanks everyone! And thanks to all of those who could not make it here but who sent gifts or expressed their love, concern, and excitement! We love you all!

What Does That Mean?

I've really been asking my doctor this question A LOT lately. He'll give me a measurement... 1 1/2 and 50% and I'm looking at him thinking- "does he think I have ESP?" Or he'll say, "Doesn't look like I'll need to intervene this week" and I'm staring at him wondering why he would say something like that! Obviously- this is my first baby and his Millionth or something! He's such a great Doc though that he laughs at me and then calmly explains what he is trying to say. Thanks Dr. Bierer! Basically- the general idea is that our little boy just loves where he's at. We hit 37 weeks today but there's no sign of his descent. Kind of grateful really as we're both pretty nervous and scared. And no- my hospital bag is not packed yet! I still lack the Butterfinger candy bars and a few other things- close to my crispety crunchety peanut buttery bar in importance :).

Baby Update

So I tried to get my ultrasound pics on here but it didn't work very well. Just in case you were wondering- the baby is doing great! He has the chubbiest cheeks in the whole world and he weighed 5 pounds last week. No sign of early delivery so right now we're still looking at another 5 weeks. Although we are getting a little anxious and I'm determined to have our hospital bags packed by this weekend! Oh and I finally bought something for the little guy- a pack of socks and a red and white striped onesie in case he's born before July 4th! Any helpful hints on products or tricks are greatly appreciated!

Memorial Day Weekend- The Stinky Man Trip

So I'm fresh out of pictures. I accidentally transferred all my pictures to my sister-in-law's computer and haven't yet retrieved them. But I thought I should write a little about our trip- seeing as how it may be the last trip as a childless couple!!

Who said 8 months pregnant is no time to go camping? Not me! So we headed up to West Yellowstone, Montana and found ourselves fishing peacefully on the Madison River. The first night the temperature was a reported 26* and everyone but us slept in the heated trailer. But we were toasty and warm in our brand new sleeping bag! It was great to wake up and feel the dew on the outside of the bag and then look inside and see that we didn't even need to wear socks to bed!

And then river was beautiful and fresh and freezing cold! We bought our licenses and fished the day away! Jake stuck to the usual fly fishing which I wish I could have done. But I was warned by two of the stinky men on the trip that the river was pretty violent- both of them had already fallen in earlier that week! And they said they were definitely NOT ready to deliver a baby in the river- seeing as how the nearest hospital must have been 100 miles away! So I sat on the river bank with my father-in-law and fished from a chair. Although I did buy a pair of cheap knee-high boots and stepped into the water a few times! And though Jake and I weren't out there long enough to catch anything- the rest of the "stinky man" gang filled the freezer with rainbow trout!

The next day was filled with lounging at the camp as seven nieces and nephews played jump rope, threw the football, and discovered nature all around our campsite. Then before we headed out we made our way over to Wade Lake where the water was much warmer and some of the kids even stripped down to their skivys and jumped in! Of course- they got a dollar for it! (The pictures would be so useful here!) We even had a naked two-year-old test the waters!

And then Jake and I headed home with our tiny car packed to the brim with probably 1000 extra pounds- no exaggeration! Plenty of Big Hunk bars jerky made for a wild weekend! And we made the whole trip on just two tanks of gas! What a trip!

Your Due Date is WHEN?

So another coworker asked me the other day, "When are you due?" I proceeded to tell her my due date- July 14th. And she promptly responded... "July! How much bigger are you gonna get?!"
Wow, I really was feeling pretty good about myself up til then. And of course, she must be right because I put on my pants this morning and well... they're MUCH tighter than they were two weeks ago. And let's not mention what the doctor's scale said. Let's not even go there!
But our little boy, yet to be named, is doing well and weighed in at 3 lb 2 oz yesterday. We're so excited. He's coming right along as we just completed 30 weeks! He's definitely growing bigger and longer and I can feel him moving around all the time. Let's just hope he settles down when he comes out to see us!

And yeah- this is how I feel!

A Few Good Women

So I was sitting in the doctor's office yesterday, reading the WebMD magazine. In there was an article about Salma Hayek, a gorgeous Latina actress. You may know her as producer of Ugly Betty, Alec Baldwin's girlfriend on the show 30 Rock, or more recently the Academy Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. But here are some of the things that I read that impressed me even more about this beautiful woman of our time. Last fall she made a trip to Sierra Leone working with UNICEF to help provide vaccinations for tetanus to mothers and children. The magazine reads...


[Take the now much-publicized story of her putting a tiny newborn boy to her breast. Only a week old, he had been born into poverty-stricken conditions in a remote area of Sierra Leone. “He was so skinny,” Hayek recalls. “His mother had lost her milk, probably because of malnutrition.” So Hayek, with the mother’s approval, instinctively did what almost any nursing mother would feel compelled to do. She fed him. “You should have seen his face!” she says. “He just lit up. He became alive. I mean, how could I not feed him? I was in the field, my daughter wasn’t with me, I was either going to throw away the milk or feed this baby.”]

Concerning a film Hayek cancelled...
They said, ‘You can really move yourself as an actress with this role and go to a really dark place.’ I said, I don’t want to go there! Maybe I’ll change my mind later, but right now, I want easy movies that I can take my child along to. I want uplifting movies for the world.”

On Working Out
Pilates "appeals to me because I’m lying down!”


About Healthy Habits
"I like to indulge, I love food."

“I never got into drugs … I never went through that phase, never found them appealing."

On Life and Beauty
"I’m joyful. I try to find joy in life, and I don’t take myself too seriously." That includes no plastic surgery, she insists. “None of that. No peelings, either, I’ve not started that craze. Or tanning booths. What you see is what you get. I’ve been lucky … maybe when the face starts falling apart, I’ll change my mind, but for now I think I’m fine. I think people who do things to their face age faster, I really do. And I’m lazy, so this suits me -- I don’t like a lot of maintenance, and now I really don’t have time for it!”

Against the World's Opinion
"The best thing you can ever do for your child in your lifetime is to breastfeed.”

It's so nice to have such great role models in our society when the world is so crazy! And she's such a hottie too! GO SALMA!

"Whoa, You're gettin' BIG!"

Of course my coworker told me that she meant "cute big" when the only response I could come up with was a quiet, "Thanks." I should have said something like, "Yeah well I made brain today! What have you done?" Or "Yeah the doctor said there's twins in there, and I'm ready to go any minute. So stay outta my way!"

On the up side of things is my belly button, my belly, my appetite, and my sleep. My belly button has slowly been turning its way up and out, peeking through my shirts. My belly continues to stay high and in the way of everything. I made sure to paint my toes and shave my legs this week- seeing as how I may not get another opportunity! Of course I want to eat everything in sight. And my former Gung-ho Gym attitude has sharply turned to kick my feet up and put my head down and sleep as much as possible.

That should all be just fine now that school is out! Hoorah! But I thought this cartoon depicted my 29 weeks of pregnancy very well.

Women ARE Perfect- Almost

So my very smart husband knows more than I could ever hope to know. It's great though- cuz he's a good teacher. He recently taught me that 28 is a "perfect number." Among other things, all the factors of 28 add up to equal 28. That is 1,2,4,7,14. They are the only factors of 28 and they all add up to 28. So cool. Apparently there are very few numbers like that.
Any way- so a woman's "monthly" cycle is really based on 28 days right? Just like the phases of the moon. Our cycle is "perfect." I'm already closer to perfection than I thought!

Summer Baby Mania

So I am finding out that almost everyone I know is pregnant right now! It's such a fun time full of excitement! There are four of us in my Spanish branch. I'm first, four days ahead of my sweet visiting teacher, a month ahead of my favorite Relief Society teacher, and two months ahead of my dearest friend in the branch. Then there is also a total of four here at work, though I 'm not sure where I fall in the line-up. My friend in Texas who I served under in my first Young Women's Presidency is also just a couple weeks ahead of me.

And most exciting of all- my best friend Amy called me a couple of weeks ago and told me she was pregnant too! My other best friend, Kara, and I are going to have so much fun being aunties to Amy and Jeff's little one!

And speaking of being an Aunty- Shae and Cathy had their baby in December and Scott and Rene had theirs last month- and I can't wait to meet my new nephew and niece! I know our little boy is going to have some awesome cousins to play with!

So congrats to all the recent and soon-to-be mommies and daddies out there. It's so exciting to see the love and joy that these little ones bring. We are all very blessed!

Busy Busy Bee

This last week has been crazy! Valentine's Day came around and we finally got to welcome our niece Adelaide! (Ethnee calls her Baby Lemonade) We're so happy Scott and Rene made it to the end in tact and in love! ;)


And so then we stayed in on Valentine's night and watched the Cosby show and cooked dinner together. Monday was our 2nd Anniversary! It still feels like the beginning! We celebrated with a fancy dinner out and then utilized our Plantearium memberships (Geek cards) for a free IMAX show about life under the sea!


And then yesterday was Shae's 34th birthday! Although we weren't down there with him- we hope he had an awesome birthday with his family. Happy Birthday Big Brother! And now Mom gets to go to Washington to meet Baby Lemonade and we are still waiting for our chance to meet Mr. Conley! Hopefully we get to meet them both sometime soon!


In the meantime we are anxiously awaiting our own little baby boy trying to figure out where in the world we're going to put our crib- and oh yeah- where are we going to get a crib!!! The doctors and books all say I should be able to feel him move any day now- but perhaps it is due to the extra pounds, which are compliments of my peanut butter chocolate kick, that are masking the movement! Cravings have gone in cycles so far from lemons- to peanut butter and chocolate (which was easily satisfied by peanut butter bars, Oh Henry's, and Nutty Bars), to grapefruit (which has turned out to be ongoing), to anything sugar, and now anything fruity!!! An occasional hot dog and an entire box of ginger lemon cookies which I found at Costco can also hold me over!



So all in all- Happy Birthday to Adelaide, Happy Valentine's Day, Happy Anniversary to us, and Happy Birthday to Shae!

We're Having A...

Well if this bet were taken in Vegas we would have too many winners for anyone to be happy about their winnings! Almost everyone said that we were going to have a boy- and we are!!! Last time we went to the doctor, our little boy was sure to let his privates flash the camera. Unfortunately- we didn't get a picture of that. This time he was much more modest, unfortunately, and the picture we got looks like- well I don't know what it looks like. Cathy could tell us- but since she doesn't live by us I had to trust my doctor and let everyone know that a little Afuvai boy is on his way.

My Child is Exactly Like Me... Except For

This great little site sends me weekly emails of Pregnancy Tips and things to be thinking of at my particluar point in this pregnancy. So today I got to read an article about what kinds of traits are passed down through our genes. It really got me thinking about the Nature vs. Nurture idea and why we end up the way we do.


My parents like to eat their bread or cake in a bowl of milk- and I hate it!! I got my dad's huge feet and long legs. And I'm more like my mom now than I ever would have thought! Everything from my love of jazz music to my intellect and hot temper are all passed down- or at least strongly influenced by my parents.

All except for my green eyes, that is!



But I am looking forward to watching my children and seeing them grow into little mini-Nessas and mini-Jakes. Of course- I expect them to have some characteristics that are uniquely theirs- I just hope they're things like a mild temper or great artistic talent- things I surely DO NOT have!!

Aren't we glad we didn't turn out like our parents? Well I have news for us all- we DID turn out like our parents- and we're stinkin' awesome!

Raiding His Closet...

So I'm quickly learning that none of my clothes fit me any more and the new clothes I bought to go with the belly seem to have gone missing- somewhere in my mess of a brain and house! I can't find anything to wear in the mornings.
Now you all know that I love to be comfortable- I mean REALLY comfortable. I'll wear Jake's shorts to the store and his T-shirts around the house- why suck it in if you don't have to right?!! But Jake has this nice black ribbed sweater in his closet and guess what- that's what I wore this morning!! Of course- it fits great! All I had to do was put my hair up in a cute bun, add some make-up and earrings so that I didn't look too mannish, and I was on my way!!
I guess what I really learned today is...
1. I should locate my cute pregnant belly tops
2. Mens' clothes are way more comfortable than womens'
3. A little make-up and a cute pair of earrings go a loooong way!

My Back Aches, My Belt's Too Tight, My Hips Shake from Left to Right!

Left! Right! Left Right Left! So I think whoever made up that song must have been pregnant at the time. Back Pains, big bellies, and loose joints not mention some of the strange sciatic nerve issues going on, the nausea and puking, the strange sensitivity to smells, tastes or textures, the lack of energy... And the list goes on. Props to my mom, my grandmothers, my sisters, and all the women who have endured these temporary (though they seem eternal) pains to bring life and joy to our home on earth! It'll all be worth it some day right?

Christmas Toys, Joys, and it's Back to the Grind

Well since I let everyone else do the picture taking this year I don't have one single picture to post on my blog of the holiday happenings. I can say though that the time spent with all our family and friends was the most joyous of it all. We got to join both of our families in Christmas parties, attend our neice Elauna's first dance recital, play games all kinds of games from Partini to Nerts to shooting video games, eat plenty of delicious food cooked up by hands of loving family members or restaurant chefs ;), watch children run, scream, crawl on Jake's head and pee their pants. Hey- it gave us something to look forward to in the future with our own little terror. It was, all in all, a joyful season of crazy snow, laughter, surprises, and love.
With Jake's money from being a football coach we were able to give each other an awesome gift. I bought him the I-pod he's been wanting. I must say that it's the coolest little gadget I've ever seen!! And he gave me a new Bosch kitchen mixer!! We both love our new toys and are reveling in reggae music and homemade rolls and crepes straight from yours truly!!!
We are so blessed to have had such an amazing Christmas season filled with the people we love. We got to see all my family except for Shae who is sharing the joy of his newest baby boy with his awesome wife and little girl! We miss you guys!! We also got to spend time with Jake's family who are definitely a riot- especially during the holiday season. Now it's over and everyone's back at home and back to the grind. Good luck everybody. We love you all!!

From 2 down to 1

Well y'all- we went to the doctor looking to see what other horrors he could give us for our first pregnancy experience. It turns out that we will only be having one baby this time. The other little angel didn't quite make it so its sibling is going to have to bring us double the joy. Good news though- our baby is healthy and its heart is beating and it looks just like an alien button- whatever that looks like :) Thanks to everyone for being so supportive and excited for us. We're on our way to one really big adventure!

Soon to be FOUR!

Well everyone-- we finally have some BIG NEWS! We are pregnant with twins! What we like to call "Just the Two of Us" will soon be updated to "Just the Four of Us." We suspected about two weeks ago that we were pregnant and so we went in to see the doc. Well he decided to do an ultrasound for- cuz we were in such a state of shock. Good doctor :) And guess what he found- two little black dots! Well for those of you who've seen an ultrasound- that's not normal. That's double the blessing though right!! So now we are worried with how many diapers these little things are going to need- and how we may need to use bottles more often than we though. Oh wait maybe not- Mommy's got Gillespie in her!
So we are about 6 weeks along right now which means those little things have heartbeats! We're due right around July 14th or 15th but they say that twins usually come about 4 weeks early so look for our news around June 16th or 17th!!!! Gonna share with Auntie Ethnee! We love you all! Glad we could share with you!