Today

​This morning started early. I woke at 3:30am and could not go back to sleep. By 4:30 I was so frustrated that I decided to take a bath to see if that would help relax me. Tyler walked in at 5 and said he’d been awake since 4:30. Ugh!

Tagg decided last night that he wanted to wake up early and ride his bike on the trainer in the theater  and he did!

Yesterday was a hard day for Holland. Her AP classes are getting hard and Cross Country takes up a huge part of her afternoon. It all just came to a head yesterday and she was so overwhelmed. I told her that sleep comes first! So, we snuggled in her bed and chatted about the importance of balance and how what seems like an insurmountable problem now will not last forever. I told her to sleep in an extra 30 minutes. So, at 6:45 I woke up Holland.

Holland and Taggart both needed to be to school by 7:30. Taggart was going in for a math test retake. I made Holland a small lunch (in case school lunch didn’t look appetizing), filled up her water, and helped to make her morning smooth. 

Q, unfortunately, gotten woken up and that started a meltdown for the next hour. He claimed he didn’t sleep all night. Hmmm. Not true, but maybe that’s how he felt. When I finally convinced him that eating would help him feel better (waffles), he was suddenly energized and feeling better. I drove him to school so that he didn’t have to rush to catch the bus. 

Tyler left for a bike ride with Erich Hoelzer at 8:30.

I hit ready for work and cleaned up the kitchen.  

I went to work from 9:30-1:10. I left 20 minutes early because I was so bored out of my mind. Sheri worked from home and Todd left to get lunch and go golfing at 11. 

I ran to Hobby Lobby to get some thank you cards to thank everyone that gave me birthday gifts. As I was standing in line I remembered that Q gets out at 1:30 all week and Tyler was still in Heber on his bike ride. Dropped the cards and ran to my car. I got home 30 seconds after Q walked in the door. Whew!!

Q had Cinnamon Life for an after school snack, which I would normally veto but I’m so tired today!! Then he and I walked to the Frandsen’s to see if Emmett can play. Michelle showed us the addition they just finished above their garage and the 9 seater golf cart they bought yesterday. 

Q and Emmett decided to come play at our house in the fort the boys built during Conference this past weekend. It’s sprawling and impressive. 

I picked up Holland from Timpview at 2:30, but she didn’t come out until 2:45 since she was finishing an assignment. Once she and I got home we made a block schedule of all the homework and studying and piano practice she needs to get done. Hopefully this will help alleviate some of her stress. We’re an hour in and she is doing great!

Tyler and I played a game of Rumikub. Tyler won! I really dislike when I lose. I get so hugged when Tyler gets a wild tile and keeps it until the very end. 

Tagg got home at 3:10 and also had a bowl of Cinnamon Life. Q called my phone from the Alexa downstairs to see if Tagg could come play. Just as Tagg got down there Tyler remembered that they needed to take the garbage cans in. They have a little job where they take the Kennedy’s and the Moulton’s track in and out each week. 

Then they decided to play flag football. Then Emmett had to go home so the nuts went to play at Lincoln Bird’s. I asked them to be home at 6  

The boys walked in the door at 6.

I made Tater tot Casserole. Pretty sure I’ve not made this even once since being married. I feel like I had it often when I was growing up. Tagg loved it, as did I. Q ate the tater tots. Holland and Tyler ate a bit and quietly left the table. Not a winner dish I guess.

We did scriptures and prayers because we aren’t all going to be home at the same time tonight.

Tyler and Tagg went to American Grove to buy some bikes. Holland, Q, and I went for a walk. Holland debated whether or not she wanted to go to the final home football game tonight. We ran into Julia Evans and then she and Holland decided they both want to go to the game. Game started at 7. They left for Timpview at 7:45.

Q knew he was going to bed on time, if not early. He took his vitamins, showered, brushed his teeth, and got on some clean underpants. He asked me to wash his face with a warm washcloth. He loves that!

He’s been sharing a room in the basement with Taggart, but has been sleeping upstairs in his old room because he doesn’t like being woken up by Tagg’s alarm.

Q and I snuggled, sang “You are my sunshine” and snuggled some more. I love snuggling my babies!! I left his from at 8:05.

Tyler and Tagg got home and Tagg got ready for bed. He’s not sure if he wants to go early to finish his math test tomorrow. I guess we’ll see in the morning. We snuggled and chatted. Tagg forgot to out his  ands on his braces. He had to get those on!

Holland got home at 9 and is getting ready for bed. It’s 9:41 and I just told her, “It’s time for bed!”

I’m going to go snuggle her and ask about her day. Then, since my face is already washed and my teeth brushed, I’ll read scriptures, pray, and watch a little TV with Tyler.

Good night!

10.5 Years Later

I love to write. So much! But sometimes I feel as though if I can’t be super consistent it isn’t worth it. But, I’m going to change that. I want my life, my kids’ lives documented. So…here we go. Do I do a ten-year review? Nah! Let’s just dive in. 

Let me backup just a bit though. On February 2, 2026 I started a new job. Yes, yes I did quit editing the previous July and was happily homeschooling my kids and loving it. However, our neighbor, Todd M., asked me if I’d come work for him. I tried to say no, but he just kept asking and when I’d discuss it with Tyler he was pretty excited about the extra money. I wanted so badly for him to say, “Absolutely not. You just quit. The kids need you. Don’t take the job!” But that’s not even remotely close to what he said. So, I have a job! 

The truth is, I’ve been pretty bitter about it. The kids all went back to school, which broke my heart. Schedules got a little more complicated. And I felt like my newfound joy in finally not working was ripped away from me and I felt like I was punched in the gut. 

All I have ever wanted is to be a mom. One that is at home doing all the things with my kids. I want to make great meals, play at the park, go on adventures, nap in the middle of the day, read with them and just chill, drive them to all the places they need/want to go, clean the house in the morning so I can enjoy the cleanliness. 

And, I’ve been able to do that over the years…but with some juggling, as I’ve been editing since Holland was three weeks old. I’m so grateful I have always been at home. I didn’t like working them either, just for the record. Ha!

I know one day I’ll understand (and maybe…big maybe…appreciate) the reasoning why I’ve always had to work and other mom’s don’t. But for now I’m just trying to not be TOO bitter. And I’m trying to find gratitude for the ability to earn money.

I’ll never get the time back. But maybe I’ll be a better person after walking through this experience. I hope!

What is the job? I work as an assistant wealth advisor. I’m not certified, hence, assistant. My office is basically across the street from where we live. It takes me 3 minutes to drive there. Most of that time is spent waiting for the light at University and 3700 N to turn green. I work from 10am to 2pm. 

Not what I expected. Not what I was looking for. But, I’m guessing Heavenly Father has something for me to learn. 

Brazil

We made it! We've been planning this trip for four months and we're still a bit in shock that we're finally here. We are ready to explore, learn, and immerse ourselves in the culture as much as possible. 

The travel here was a bit brutal. A total of 40 hours were spent in airports, on airplanes, on a train, and in a taxi from the time we arrived at the SLC airport to the time our taxi driver dropped us off at our apartment in Rio. We attempted (some of us more successfully than others) to sleep in three airports and three flights while we navigated our way through five airports.

Taggart was the most successful at sleeping in the Ft. Lauderdale airport, where Quinnten was still dancing his heart out to the LOUD ambient music playing over the speakers at 3:00 a.m. Holland was in and out of sleep because it was so cold; she ended up with two pairs of pants, three sweatshirts, and jacket, and two pairs of socks on when she was finally able to get some shuteye. By 5:00 a.m. Taggart was still asleep when Tyler finally laid down and Holland and Quinnten used him as their pillow. At exactly 4:32 a.m. the airport was back to lights on bright and people coming and going through security. Me? I stayed awake to keep watch of our luggage...and my babies.

We had exactly one hour to disembark from our flight into Bogata, Columbia before we had to start boarding for our final flight to Rio. And...they made us exit through Customs and go back through Security Check. It was stressful as none of us spoke Spanish well enough to feel confident. But, we made it. With about 10 minutes to eat a quick burger at Guys! (which we fell in love with on our cruise last year.) Whew!

My luggage was double-checked in both SLC and Miami. And Taggart had to get the wand search in Bogata. 

Our taxi driver was so nice and I think he loved that Tyler spoke Portuguese. As we drove from the airport to our apartment the things that struck me the most were the favelas, the amount of trash everywhere surrounding the favelas, and the lack of adherence to traffic laws, if there really are traffic laws. It's as if no one knows that there are lines on the roads for a reason. Everyone just moves between lanes as they please, merging here and there and constantly jockeying for position on the roads. Horns are definitely used here! And... every one of the people on motorcycles (drivers and passengers) wore helmets. Every one!

Once at our apartment, we were too early to get in. It was only about 8:00 a.m. We weren't supposed to be able to get in until 1:00 p.m. So, Tyler messaged our Airbnb host and he said he would let us know as soon as it was ready. We headed to the beach and hung out and played and were finally in our apartment by 10:10 a.m.

Quinnten insisted on video-calling Grandma Lucy while the rest of us fell asleep for two hours. Obviously, Quinnten was the only one who got a good chunk of sleep on our final flight. We were so tired! When we woke up we went and explored our neighborhood, grabbed some food, and stopped at the market for some groceries. We then headed back to the beach for a bit!

The kids were in bed by 7:30 p.m and Tyler and I by 8:30 p.m. When Taggart came into our room a little before 9:00 a.m. I could not believe that we had all slept for so long. Clearly, we were sleep-deprived!

Quinnten's Birth Story - Sheri's Version

Friday, February 19

8:00pm Text from Brigitte:  Pretty sure I just lost my mucus plug and I thought my water broke but maybe just leaking.  Also having increased back pain.  Doesn’t mean I’m going into labor tonight.

Me: Go take a bath and pack your bags.

Brigitte:  We put the car seat in the car today, but his coming home outfit doesn’t arrive until Monday.

Me:  I’ll go buy him another outfit tomorrow.

9:00pm Brigitte: Just getting into the tub.

9:45pm Call from Brigitte:  My contractions are not consistent at all.  I had two 13 minutes apart and then nothing. ‘Oh wait…..I’m having one right now.’  Anyway, it’s nothing, I’m going to go to bed.

Me:  Brigitte, do not take an Ambien tonight.

Brigitte:  But I just really want to sleep tonight.

Me:  You don’t want to be on Ambien and having contractions all night.

Brigitte:  I get up like 7 times a night to pee so I’ll be fine.

Me: Do not take Ambien!

Brigitte:  OK

Me:  You’re going to take an Ambien, aren’t you?

Brigitte: I don’t know.

Me:  Call me if you go into labor and need me to come over.

Brigitte:  Oh yeah that’s a good idea, do you care?

Me:  Of course not.

Saturday, February 20

1:15 a.m. my phone rings (I know immediately what is happening)

Brigitte:  Can you come over

Me: (in a total daze) Oh, are you going to the library? (I knew this was wrong, but I couldn’t think of the right word

Brigitte:  Yes I have some books to return…haha (we have a good laugh, Brigitte’s joking and feeling OK)

Brigitte:  My contractions are 8 minutes apart

Me: (OK so I should hurry, but not an emergency at this point in my mind)

1:35am Arrive at Brigitte’s, I walk in the door.

Tyler: She took an Ambien and she’s kind of out of it.

Brigitte: OK let’s go, wait I have to Pee. (goes to the bathroom)

Brigitte:  OK let’s go, wait I have to sit down, ahhh, ok I can walk now.  Bye, maybe this is a false alarm and I’ll see you in a little bit. (total denial)

1:44am They’ve been gone for 3 or 4 minutes.  My phone rings.

Brigitte:  alkdjgflkjadkfkdakjl,

Me:  What?  I can’t understand you

Brigitte: ajdklfjkadj;fkljdklfda;lkfj

Me:  You’re going to have to talk louder, I can't hear a thing you’re saying

Brigitte: I forgot something, unlock the door we’re coming back

1:48am Tyler races in, unlocks the garage, grabs Brigitte’s purse and runs back out

I get into bed, wide awake now I start scrolling through Facebook.  (Not a lot of people post things in the middle of the night FYI.)

2:24am Text from Tyler (I think he’s going to say, we’re here, they’re hooking her up to everything.)  Instead it’s one word: ‘Delivered’

Tyler gets home at 5am and goes to bed.

****************************************

 

Tagg in the morning: Sheri, my baby is very hungry.

Me:  What does your baby want to eat?

Tagg:  Ummm, Frootloops!!

Holland:  Now I’m going to be the biggest big sister.  He’ll be here for both of my birthdays; when I turn 5 and when I turn 5 ½.

Tagg:  Yeah and I’m going to be a big brother too.

Quinnten's Birth Story - As told in an email to family from Tyler

Family,

I'm sorry for the delay in writing this; the last 48-hours have been crazy and sleep-deprived.

As you now all know, grand-kid #17 is here.  As for the name...that's TBD any time now.

I'm sure you all want to know the excitement of how it all went down ... or perhaps you don't.  In any case, I'm going to guess that #17 arrived a little more rushed than any of the previous 16.

Let me explain.

On Friday evening, we had just enjoyed a nice evening of Dickey's with the kids and had put them down.  Around 8:00 Brigitte felt the 'usual' pains of a contraction, but basically brushed it aside due to having felt them previously and nothing ever coming of it.  She jumped in the tub to relax and hope they'd go away.  At 9:00 she was ready for bed and asked me whether she should take an Ambien or a Unisom; Ambien being the more powerful of the two, she chose to take .5 of a pill...which still zonks her out.  However, by 10:00 the contractions (which, due to the Ambien in her system, still didn't quite register as contractions) were becoming more regular in nature: from every 20 minutes to every 15.  At that point she began to have a pain in her lower back and for a blessing from me. 

Post-blessing, around 11:00, she took another tub, hoping the pains would go away -- remember, she's on Ambien, so it's not really registering.  At this point we decide to call the hospital and inquire about whether the contractions are of regular enough frequency to consider coming in to be checked out.  Post phone call, we discuss our options:

Option 1: we both go and have Brigitte's friend, Sheri, come and look over the kids.

Option 2: Brigitte goes alone -- but on Ambien at midnight. I say no to that.

Option 3: we stay put.

We select Option 3.

Soon enough, the contractions pick up speed: from every 12 to every 10 to every 8.  It's now 1:00 in the morning.  Contractions are every 6-minutes.  I make the call to go to the hospital since Brigitte isn't able to determine the gravity of the situation.  She calls Sheri, and we pack our things.  At 1:30 Sheri arrives and we jump in the car.....then we get to the freeway on-ramp and Brigitte remembers that she forgot her purse.  Normally, not being on Ambien, I think she would have said 'it doesn't matter, get me to the hospital ASAP.'  However, she requested that we return home....so, it's now 1:45 and we're finally on our way to Riverton Hospital, which is the furthest hospital you can find in the valley from our house (really, it is)!  By 1:55, Brigitte is having contractions every 2-minutes, if not quicker.  A pleasant drive has turned into a 'made for television' special of me flying at 100 mph on the freeway, then 100 mph on the expressway.

Here's the problem: I don't know where I'm going.  I know where the hospital is, but I don't know where the labor and delivery center is...and at this point Brigitte is screaming. 

So, finally, at 2:10 we arrive.  Fly into the emergency parking area, I run to grab a wheel-chair, and try to wheel Brigitte to the labor area -- but she instead decides to wheel herself to the bathroom because she really has to go to the 'bathroom'....which at this point is code for deliver a baby in a hospital bathroom without any help.  So, I wheel her into the bathroom and go running through the hospital; thanks to another couple coming to deliver, I figure where to go, jump into the elevator, run down the hall and pick up the phone.

 

The discussion went like this:

Nurse on phone: What can I do for you?

Me: My wife is having a baby in the bathroom downstairs -- please help.

Nurse: Okay, we'll be right there...

Two nurses follow me down to the 1st floor; they enter the restroom and have to pry Brigitte off the toilet and convince her to NOT go to the bathroom.  We quickly rush her to the 3rd floor, into the labor/delivery area, and into a room where 2 other nurses and an anesthesiologist have just arrived to prepare. 

The time is now 2:15.

The next 7-minutes go something like this:

Nurses: Brigitte, I need you to breathe and NOT push -- we want this baby to breathe.

Brigitte: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH.......will I still get an epidural?....AHHHHHHHHHHH

Brigitte: (even louder) AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

By 2:20 the I.V. finally made it into her body, but that was all.  The nurses were asking me what her full name was, date of birth, etc. 

Nurses: Brigitte, we need you to slow your breathing and not push.

Brigitte: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

2:22:

Baby: Very soft whimpering, but not much crying. 

I didn't even have time to get video (not that it would have been a pleasant memory for Brigitte). 

No epidural, no pain med.  The I.V. was supposed to have antibiotics, but wasn't in her system long enough to have an effect (she was Step B positive, which is unsafe for the baby).  The delivery was 100% natural. No doctor to deliver - just a nurse (guessing practitioner...but we never found out).  The delivery doctor on call didn't arrive until 2:35.

The rest, well, doesn't matter.

The important thing: luckily, due to really fast driving, this baby wasn't delivered on the freeway nor in the bathroom....by 7-minutes.

So, there you have it: Pace baby #3, still not yet named....the one that really REALLY wanted to come 10-days early!

Quinnten's Birth Story - Brigitte's Prespective

Let me start out by saying, our little man has arrived! He decided to not wait until his due date (March 1), or even the scheduled induction date (February 25), but rather to arrive in a way his Momma never wanted to experience - NO EPIDURAL - in the early hours on a Saturday (the Saturday that was the last Saturday I had to finish checking things off my to-do list before the scheduled induction) 10 days before his due date.

Now - I'm going to share my version of how things went down. I'll also post Tyler's version and Sheri's version. I can't help but laugh at how similar they all are and yet how funny they are from each persons' perspective.

I was 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I had just had my 38 week prenatal visit with Dr. Kathy Langer. She did a cervical check and it hurt...like really, really, really hurt! She had also checked me the week before and it hurt so bad she pulled in the ultrasound machine to make sure the baby was really head down. He was. I'm still not sure why the cervical check hurting would be a sign that the baby wasn't head down, but that's what she checked for. This time, no checking, just an apology that it hurt and a decision to not be seen again in a week, but rather in eight days for the induction and delivery.

Why was I being induced? Well, 1) because my doctor said it was fine to do and a good idea so we could make sure my mom and dad would be able to be here to watch the kids, and 2) because I didn't want the baby to be born on Leap Day. I'm still not entirely sure why that was such a big deal for me, but it was and I wanted to make sure he arrived before that day so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

My 38 week appointment was on Wednesday, February 17 at 2:45 p.m. That night I had some light spotting, which is normal after a vaginal/cervical check. For the next three days the spotting continued, and by Friday it was a little more and a little more red. Plus, by Friday I was also cramping a little bit. I thought that maybe Langer had stripped my membranes. But why? Why would she do that if we were planning to induce me the following Thursday anyway? So I ruled that out.

By Friday night I was still cramping and spotting, but then around 8ish I was certain that I had just lost my mucus plug. I quickly got online and read that "When the mucus plus dislodges from your cervix it's a sign that things are moving in the right direction, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you're in labor." I sent a text to Sheri for reassurance. She suggested that I take a bath and see how I feel in an hour. I got in the tub and I felt my stomach getting those round ligament pains, which I get for my entire pregnancies, so I didn't think too much of them. After a while I did finally download a contraction counter app, but that just ended up confirming that nothing was consistent, so it probably wasn't labor. I stayed in the tub for an hour...and then I just really wanted to go to bed.

Side note: My mom's sister, my aunt Florence, was in the hospital having been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer on Monday. My mom had been in Ogden visiting her all day and I knew that she was tired and probably already in bed.

Tyler suggested that I pack my bags - you know - just in case! So I did, sort of. I was kind of grabbing things here and there that I thought could really go in my hospital bag, but knowing that the majority of what I would need were things I needed everyday. If I'm not having a baby tonight why pack my bag with everything that I'm going to need here tomorrow? At this point I felt two small gushes of water and I briefly thought, hmmm...did my water just break? I called the hospital. Their response was, "If your contractions aren't six minutes or less and your water hasn't broken there is no point in coming in. However, if your water has broken and you aren't in labor it could lead to infection." So basically it was my call, but I then started thinking that I had just gotten out of the tub, so maybe my water hadn't broken and my contractions are definitely not six minutes or less apart, in fact they were at about 20 minutes, and in no way were they even consistent at 20. I decided that I was definitely NOT in labor,

At this point it was a little before 11 p.m. and I was tired. I kept thinking about how this was my last Saturday to get some things done before the baby was to arrive the next Thursday. My mind started spinning as I mentally stared at my to-do list. I told Tyler how tired I was and how much I wanted to get accomplished the next day and then asked, "Do you think I should take Ambien or just a Unisom?" I'm honestly not sure how I decided, but I took half of an Ambien and went to bed at about 10:45 p.m.

I remember, AFTER taking the Ambien, asking Tyler for a blessing and also asking him to massage my back. And then that is when things become really foggy. I was definitely in an Ambien induced coma...and in LABOR! Tyler had to be my brain, because now looking back, I didn't really have a clue as to what was going on for a couple hours. I remember Tyler telling me to finish packing my bag for the hospital, I remember calling Sheri - at 1:16 a.m. I remember that when Sheri answered she was totally out of it, naturally, and she asked me if I needed to go to the library. I remember that I said, "Yes, I totally need to go check out a book right now." When she showed up, about 15 minutes later, as we walked out the door, I remember saying something along the lines of "this is probably a false alarm so we'll be back soon." I remember getting all the way to the freeway entrance and realizing that I had left my purse and wallet in the other car, and so I made Tyler go back to the house to get it. Why? Well, the last thing the hospital had said to me, when I called to pre-register just three days before, was to remember to bring my picture ID and insurance card on the day I deliver.

At this point is when I remember starting to really feeling labor pains. I'm assuming I had somewhat consistently been feeling them previously or Tyler wouldn't have suggested we rush to the hospital, but remember --- AMBIEN! The first really painful contraction I remember feeling was as we were on the interchange off of I-215 onto I-15. I grabbed the handle above the car window and squeezed as hard as I could. And then I heard myself screaming like I have never heard myself scream before. It was like an out-of-body experience. Seriously! I was thinking, is that really me screaming? Am I really feeling this pain? I wanted to squeeze my hand so tight that my hand would hurt worse than my stomach and back, just to give me a moment of relief.

I was delivering at Riverton Hospital...which is the furthest hospital from our house! Literally. And, I had only driven by it two weeks previous when I found out that that is where I had to deliver due to our change in insurance provider. I had scheduled to do a tour of labor & delivery on Valentines' Day, but we stayed at my parents' house too late and just wanted to get home - so we bagged the tour. At this point in our Friday evening we were wishing we had taken the tour and had any clue as to where we were supposed to go when in labor. All I knew was that we were to go to Tower 3. That's it. That is all I knew. Well, that and the fact that I needed to have picture ID and my insurance card. Right?

Tyler pulled up to Tower 3 at 2:10 a.m., grabbed a wheel chair and I immediately insisted that I needed to go to the bathroom - URGENT!! (Note: if you are 38 weeks pregnant and feel you need to really, really go to the bathroom...don't do it. I nearly delivered a baby straight into a public toilet. Gross!) I wheeled myself in to the restroom while Tyler ran around looking for labor and delivery. Luckily a calm couple was just arriving and showed or told (not sure which) Tyler that he needed to go to the third floor. The next thing I know two nurses are prying me off the toilet and forcing me into the wheelchair.

At this point I remember asking the nurses over and over and over, "I'm still going to get an epidural, right?" I just wanted the pain to go away, I wanted the epidural and I wanted to go to sleep. The nurses were walking really fast...maybe running, but again - AMBIEN! And then they wheeled me into a room where the lights were really bright and they started stripping all my clothing off. I felt like everything kept getting stuck so I was trying to help them undress me, but I think I was just making things worse. My garment top stayed on because while they were undressing me another nurse was putting an IV in my left hand. I was Strep B positive, the same as I was with Holland and Taggart, and so I needed to have antibiotics in my system for at least 30 minutes before delivering as to not pass the infection to the baby, which could be very harmful to a newborn.

One nurse was holding my right hand and telling me to focus on her eyes and saying "DO NOT PUSH." Over and over she kept saying, DO NOT PUSH - DO NOT PUSH - FOCUS ON ME - DO NOT PUSH! And still I'm asking, "I'm going to get an epidural, right?" And then, a contraction like no other and there is no stopping the need to push. The nurse says, "DO NOT PUSH!" And I say, "I have to." And just like that, I feel his head, and then another push and it's obviously his shoulders...and then, there he is in my arms!!! I don't remember hearing him crying, but I remember looking over at Tyler and acting out that he should be taking pictures. I remember that as I looked over at him I thought, why is he just sitting on that couch? He honestly looked like he was in total shock!

This delivery was NOT at all like Holland's or like Tagg's. Each of them were different as well, but this one was in a league of it's own. I had just given birth, without any medication, and fully in an Ambien fog. So now I'll know for next time, wait...I don't think there will be a next time, do not take Ambien if you think that there is any chance that you might be in labor. But then again, had I not taken Ambien and things progressed this fast, would I really have been able to handle it all? I guess we'll never know!

Quinnten Taylor Pace was born Saturday, February 20 at 2:22 a.m. - SEVEN minutes after pulling up to the hospital entrance - delivered by a team of nurses. The on-call doctor arrived 20 minutes later. He weighed 6 lbs. 7 oz, and was 18.5 inches long. Thank goodness he does not have a Pace head! The nurses were so in the zone with this fast delivery that Tyler didn't even get to cut the umbilical cord. Pretty sure I wasn't the only one in shock during this "Stop and Drop" delivery, as the nurses all later told me these types of deliveries are called. Ha ha ha!!

Looking back I find it so funny that I had put so much effort into getting ready for this baby, when in the end hardly anything was "ready" for this baby to arrive. I had an appointment to get my eyelashes done on Monday, and a hair and wax appointment on Tuesday. I had planned to paint my fingernails and toenails the night before the induction. I had scheduled a photographer to be there for the birth so that we could finally have really good and meaningful pictures of the delivery and first few hours after birth. I was almost done with the nursery and had planned to finish it up on Saturday. I had ordered his "going home" outfit and it was supposed to arrive in the mail on Monday, which it did...but we were already home before the mail was delivered.

Life is so unpredictable!

The nurse that delivered Quinnten...and who lied to me about me being able to get an epidural!

Tyler looks tired and in shock! Pretty sure he was just happy he didn't have to deliver our baby along side the freeway that night.