Jayden Michelle 11/9/2010

Well, she is finally here. My precious little girl has finally arrived and she arrived with quite a bang. We were scheduled for an induction on the 8th but were bumped because of the large number of "natural" labors that came in. Since Auntie Fay was scheduled to fly to Hawaii the next morning, we spent the day hoping for her to come on her own and helping things along by walking around the mall and climbing stairs (which is super fun when your super pregnant). Finally that evening the Dr. stripped the membrane and sent us on a walk. One block later and my water broke with a gush. I think my first words were, "Oh gross, these are my cute shoes." I know, it should have been something about being happy because she would be arriving soon but at that moment I was just grossed out. I was admitted to Labor & Delivery at around 7 pm and Jayden was born at 1:44 am on November 9th. We were delighted to see that she had been born with an adorable head of brown hair and her cuteness instantly charmed the room.









It turned out that the anesthesiologist had a wet tap during the epidural which resulted in a miserable spinal headache and a longer hospital stay. We were finally able to head home after I got a blood patch on Thursday afternoon. We were excited for relaxing few weeks at home... that didn't happen. On Saturday afternoon the headache came back and by Sunday afternoon I was fairly miserable and spoke with the anesthesiologist on call about a second blood patch on Monday. Surprise! That didn't happen either. We ended up in the ER on Sunday night after a rather unpleasant ambulance ride. Turns out that I had gall stones and, although I was always skeptical about this, gall stones cause much more pain than labor contractions. The next week was a flury of appointments and tests and then, after another blood patch and a consult with the surgeon, we scheduled a gall bladder removal surgery for November 23rd. Thanks to a skilled surgeon and an amazing family, Steen, Spencer, Jayden, and I had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner and an awesome holiday weekend (which included a trip to Edwards to watch HP7 with little Jayden). I turn 30 tomorrow morning and feel incredibly lucky to have two beautiful children, a loving husband, and friends and family that make all the parts of my life better. I love you all. Have a wonderful holiday season.

Chef Spencer

Spencer decided that it was time for him to learn how to cook. He spent some time "practicing" with bark and water on the patio and then we watched the Food Network for some inspiration. We decided to make Paula Dean's baked macaroni & cheese pies and scalloped potatoes. Both were yummy and it was a ton of fun.

Making imaginary mac & cheese.

Putting the ritz crust in the pan for the pies.

The pies were put in the oven without too much snitching of the cheese sauce.

Tasty hot pies fresh out of the oven.

Ready for a taste test.

The food critic tries it.

Success!

My little master chef goes to work.

Housesitting

There is nothing in the world like a delicious barbecued hamburger to help you enjoy a lovely June evening.

We spent most of the month of June housesitting for the Truesdales in Hidden Springs, which we likened to Stars Hallow (from Gilmore Girls). It was huge fun for our family. My parents ended up coming down for a weekend, The Cramer's stopped by for a day of BBQ, croquet, and swimming, and Spencer had an awesome time playing with Jacob and Tuffy (the Truesdale dogs). We felt like we were taking a month long vacation and although it means that July is busy working on our house, it was a super fun time for use.

Like all BBJ gatherings, delicious food was part of the plan. My dad barbecued these amazing kabobs for us.

We enjoyed awesome weather and had some yummy food on the patio in between chatting and swimming down by the saltwater pool.

We served up the wild Alaskan salmon we bought from Cammie after grilling it with some lemon and herbs on the BBQ. Yumm!

Trish and Steen looking good for our croquet game... which I won! :)

The Cramer girls getting their sunscreen on before playing in the pool.

Steen and Piper chilling and eating watermelon while we were waiting for hotdogs to be grilled.

Spencer has decided that croquet is a blast and he enjoyed the games we played immensely.

No summer gathering can be complete without homemade milkshakes from fresh locally grown fruit. Tasty!

Spencer slept with Tuffy and Jake when they came back to our house so we could water the plants and spend some time with Steen on his long shifts.

Gone Fishing

Spencer earned some money for picking up the lawn while we were housesitting in June. He decided that he wanted to use his money to outfit himself with fishing gear. We purchased the basics at Walmart and then headed down to Locks Park for his first fishing expedition. It was hot but it was also a lot of fun. He didn't catch anything but was super excited to watch the line jerk as the fish literally nibbled the worm off the hook. It reminded me of the fun I had when I was younger and Grandpa Friberg or Daddy would take us fishing; it's wonderful to be able to create new memories with Spencer.

What a great kid.

Spencer and I were watching a movie about an elephant family on the Hallmark channel last night and I was reminded about what a sweet tender hearted little guy he is. I confess that I was really reading while he watched but we were snuggled on the couch sharing a blanket and pillow, enjoying a relaxing evening. I heard a snuffling that got progressively louder then heard sobbing. To my shock I looked down to see Spencer blubbering. Now anyone who knows me knows that I can blubber at the corniest commercial out there, but I was still shocked to see the same response in my tough daddy's boy son. When I asked him what was wrong he said, "Those evil men just killed his whole family. Does stuff like that really happen, is it real?" The film discussed the negative impact of poaching on the elephant tribes (which are the closest to having a human familial relationship with eachother) and which resulted in a sad film. He wanted to know if there is anything he can do to protect the elephants. "Mommy, this is different than food. They didn't need them or eat them, they just murdered those animals for money. Why did they do that, why are there bad people?"

I cried at that point, feeling the bitter sweet moment of my son's growing wisdom and loss of innocence. It is amazing how much children pick up. Just last week he was talking about how we should move out of the city to live in the country where it is a more wholesome place to raise children. I think that comment was a quote from one of the grandparents but that doesn't change the fact that he is starting to see aspects of life that I thought we could protect him from and he is showing that he is a compassionate sensitive young man that wants to have a positive impact. I am proud of the person he is becoming, yet I wish I could slow down how fast he is growing up.

Target Downer

I went to the Target by the Boise mall today to register for little Jayden and was horribly dissapointed by the tiny, poorly stocked baby section that they had. The one highlight was Spencer's excitement over being the official scanner and his comments that we should go ahead and register for the next baby which Daddy will make sure is a boy. :)

Trish is going to help me with the registry at the Nampa Target on Monday and I am super excited. The girl stuff is just so darn cute. In fact, I couldn't resist a clearance sale at the mall today and bought Jayden her first dress. Woohoo!

It's A Girl!! Jayden Michelle :)

Hey all. Life has been good but busy for us. I'll be posting pictures and detailed stories when I get back home and have my laptop back but to update everyone, we found out on Friday that the expected Bunn-Petterson is a girl. Spencer was pretty funny, insisting that Steen make sure that the next one is a boy.

My parents just headed back to Oregon after spending a wonderful weekend with us and Spence and I are still up here taking care of the Truesdale dogs at Hidden Springs. Steen's new job with the DJC is going well and we are super proud of him.

Check back for pictures this coming weekend. I hope everyone is enjoying some sunshine and fun on the first day of summer.