thanks again to all those who came! much love.

an all american blessing

"hi"

mommy & baby
daddy & baby
all of the Leo Harker's
grandpa leo & baby leo
our family

braden blessed our beautiful baby boy on the fourth of july. it was absolutely perfect. why? because we are a-mir-e-kan. we would like to thank all of our wonderful family who traveled near and far to support our family on this occasion. and also all those who were supporting us in your hearts from a distance.

if you noticed, leo is wrapped up in a blanket on the group shots. that is because right before braden blessed him, he exploded all over his adorable blessing outfit.... of course. this was only the second time he had ever leaked outside of diaper and OF COURSE it had to be this day and all over his white blessing outfit. bummer. and mom was not prepared with a back up outfit in the diaper bag. so he was a naked little baby wrapped up in a tiny blanket. haha. oh well, things like this make life memorable.

because he pooped all over his blessing outfit on the day of, we got out all the stains (when i say "we" i mean my mom- thanks mom!) and had a little photo shoot a couple of days later. gotta love that patriotic back drop. he is so cute.

leo really is such a great baby. he is going through his crying phase right now but it's really not that bad. his routine is eat, burp, diaper change, smiling happy time, crying, and sleep. last night was his first night in his crib. leo did great but mommy... well i didn't like it. i think he will be back in the bassinet tonight. i missed him too much. he was all alone in that big room. he needs to be with us for a little longer, he's not even 2 months yet. so anyways there is my justification.
he is getting big way too fast. he is smiling so much now and sometimes he will let out a little giggle. for whatever reason he is always so happy in his bedroom, specifically his changing table. we place him on the changing table and an automatic smile pops on his face- so cute.

leo is a perfect completion to our happy family. i love love love my leo.

un mes.

leo has reached the age of one month. WOW time flies. i cannot believe we have been a family of three for one month already! leo is such a good baby boy. we got really lucky. he is so adorable and lovable. i am pretty sure that brady and i have transitioned to leo's schedule now. but he is constantly changing so he is hard to keep up with. these are somethings we have learned about this new boy in our life so far:

leo's likes:
- snuggling with mommy & daddy
- being swaddled really tight
- his soothie
- falling asleep while eating
- falling asleep listening to the heart beat on mommy or daddy's chest
- mommy's singing
- making silly faces
- his tongue
- peeing on mommy, daddy, and himself
- car rides
- mommy and daddy's kisses
- his swing
- his vibrating baby bouncer



leo's dislikes:
- when his soothie falls out of his mouth
- getting his diaper changed
- when mommy wakes him up from his cat nap to continue eating
- being burped
- taking baths
- when mommy plays with his cute feet


he is growing so fast. we are cherishing every moment.

i love this boy more and more everyday. how did i get so lucky to have such a beautiful happy family? i have been so blessed.

the boy with a million faces

i have always been told that i have the funniest facial expressions. brady also has hilarious facial expressions. we seemed to have passed this characteristic to our kin. this little boy has the funniest faces. brady and i just watch him and crack up. what i have posted above is just a taste of what this boy's face can do. i will have to do my best to capture more.


speaking of funny: last nights episode of bachelorette was the funniest episode ever! it had brady and i rolling. that guy is a total freak. where do they find these people? well atleast it keeps us entertained. that's what they are supposed to do right?

5.19.2010.

birth story

tuesday, may 18, 2010.
morning:
my last doctor appointment before my due date. he checks me- dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced. he also sweeps my membranes, hoping to get things moving. i hoped he would just admit me and shoot me up with some pitocin. but he wants me to go into labor on my own. dang it.

afternoon:
the doctor suggests eating some spicy foods to get things going- brady and i head to lunch at pei wei. i get the spiciest thing on the menu...it was gross. contractions begin- they are getting stronger and closer together by the hour. brady begins to get anxious and wants to head over to the hospital.

evening:
we check in to the hospital. they hook me up to all of the monitors. concensus: contractions not strong enough or close enough together. the nurse tells us to take a walk for an hour and see how we progress. brady and i take a walk around the hospital in the rain. it was so refreshing. check back in after the walk, contractions still not strong enough. the nurse sends us home but tells us she expects us back that night. i prayed she was right. as disappointed as we were to be sent home, we were so excited to not have to miss our shows- LOST, gLee, and American Idol.

wednesday, may 19, 2010.
4 am:
i wake up to same contractions as the night before. i get out of bed determined to get things moving on my own. i walk up and down the stairs several times. it works- my contractions intensify and are much closer together.

5 am:
brady and i pack up our things and are on our way to the hospital. as we are driving to the hospital, i can see brady step on the gas more with each of my contractions. i have to remind him to slow down and calm down. haha.

6am:
brady and i are checking in to the hospital again. my contractions are so bad at this point that i am kneeling on the floor with my head on my knees in labor and delivery. meanwhile, braden quickly feeds all of my info to the lady.

630 am:
the drugs are being administered but still not strong enough. i am shaking uncontrollably from the pain and squeezing the life out of the handle bar on the hospital bed. i opted for that rather than braden's hand because plastic is stronger than bones. my method of coping with the pain was closing my eyes and putting myself somewhere else. my eyes remain close for most of the labor. finally the anesthesiologist arrives with my epidural. for the record- anyone who has ever said that the epidural is painful- they lie. once the drugs begin to work i start to feel warm and fuzzy. this feeling does not last long because my contractions get stronger. the nurse checks me and i am still dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced.

730 am:
my epidural can no longer keep up with the rate that my contractions are progressing. the anesthesiologist comes back in to up my dose. thank goodness the drugs have finally caught up.

815 am:
i begin to feel extreme pressure on my tailbone. i notify the nurse and she checks me- dilated to a 10 and 100% effaced. she heads out of the room to tell the doctor that i am ready to start pushing. brady was amazing throughout the entire labor- never had a freak out or panic attack, until this moment. as the nurse heads for the door, brady puts his hands on his head and nervously says, "well, what do i do? what do i do?" haha i had to just reach over and grab his hand. he calms down and refocuses.

930 am:
i have been pushing for a little over an hour and feeling like all this work and not much progress. my labor and delivery nurse tells us she can see the head! i am able to feel the hair on his head. my son is soon to make his debut. i think to myself, "this is it." the nurse grabs the doctor.

936 am:
a couple good pushes later, Leo Thomas Harker is born. the doctor places the tiny warm stranger on my belly. in this moment i look up at brady. his face says it all- shock, pride, and complete awe. i feel exactly the same. everything seems to be really quiet as brady and i stare at each other and at the beautiful little boy i am holding with tear-swollen eyes. we had truly just witnessed a miracle. i will never forget this moment.

total time in labor : 3 1/2 hours. not bad for my first time but too fast for my liking.
i am so grateful that braden could be there to support me and comfort me. also, my labor and delivery nurse was fantastic. her relaxing techniques were my saving grace. overall, an amazing miraculous experience.

we could not love lil Leo more. it's official we are now a family of three.

2010 grad.

My Brady graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelors in Econometrics!!! WohooO! I couldn't be more proud. I feel so privileged to have watched him from beginning to end as he struggled and worked so hard to achieve his goal. He is an amazing example to me and his son! He has had so much loving support from family and friends throughout the whole journey. That has made all the difference. Our family is truly amazing. Now that this chapter has ended... on to law school.
(For those of you asking yourself, "What about Leah's education?" : I am currently still working on prerequisites for the nursing program. I have about 2 semesters left of those and then I can apply for the 2 year nursing program. Yes I have a long road ahead of me, especially once this wittle baby comes into the mix, but no need to fear- I will finish!)

inspired.

This video has recently had a large influence on me. As I sit and impatiently wait for this baby to arrive, I find it easy to feel sorry for myself. I take pity in myself that I am extremely large and none of my clothing fits me resulting in me wearing my husbands (and most of those no longer fit me anymore either), I take pity in myself that I do not want to go out in public, and I take pity in myself that I can no longer keep up with the housework that piles up around me. Maybe it's the baby hormones but it feels like a little taste of "baby blues". I fight really hard to push it away but sometimes it's easiest just to embrace it.
After watching this video I find the strength and motivation to get out of my "funk". Her story is truly inspirational and I am so grateful she is willing to share it with people like me who need a slap in the face sometimes. When you think life is hard, remember there is always someone somewhere who has it worse and be grateful. Enjoy.