Finley's Birth Story

When I woke up Saturday morning, I had no idea that the day would progress as it did.  I had slept on and off through some light contractions all night but didn't think anything of it. Around 5:00am I heard Joseph crying and snuggled next to him, our faces nice and close. I rubbed my fingers through his hair until he fell back to sleep. Looking back, I cherish this moment because I had no idea it would be his last snuggle as the "baby" of the family. When I left his room I had a few more light contractions and began timing them. They were five minutes apart consistently, but not overly painful. After an hour or so I crawled back into our bed and told Mr. Stannix. We whispered in the dark while we timed more contractions and waited on the kids to wake up. Mr. Stannix was supposed to head into work, so a decision had to be made. After a trip to the bathroom and a few more close contractions we called my midwife and headed to the hospital to meet her. Before we left Mr. Stannix gave me a blessing of comfort where I was promised joy and strength. 

Uncle Arland and Auntie Naomi came over to watch the kids for the day and we made it to the hospital by 10:00am. We were able to spend some time relaxing in the room and chatting with my awesome team of midwives. I was so impressed at the care they took to create a peaceful atmosphere to bring our baby into this world. Megan dimmed the lights in the bathroom so I wouldn't have bright hospital lights to deal with while laboring. When things weren't progressing, they decided to go for a quick lunch break. After they left I curled up in the bed and napped while the sun warmed my face as it beat through the big hospital window across the room. It was so peaceful and so needed. I had no idea how long the afternoon ahead would be. 

It was by far the toughest and longest labor of them all! The midwives kept checking the position of the baby and it looked like baby was a little off thanks to my tight right hip. They had me labor in a few different positions to help baby shift into the right spot. My midwife knew just the right spots to massage during each contraction.  The contractions were super intense, but not close enough together. After pushing for a very long time, my midwife suggested turning on my side. She sat on the side of my bed, gently rubbing my leg and encouraging me along while the other midwife sat at the bottom waiting patiently for the baby. I so appreciated the intimate atmosphere and the genuine care I felt from both of these ladies. There were no bright lights beaming down at me from the ceiling and no doctor suited up at the bottom of my bed. After a few more pushes, baby came out face up and was put right onto my chest. When I asked if it was a boy or a girl, no one knew the answer. After experiencing a stillbirth, no words can describe the relief and happiness I felt in that moment, boy or girl. Tears of joy stung my eyes as I enjoyed the sounds of our new little baby screaming away. 

The first thing I noticed was the baby's wrinkled up face. My attention was then drawn to the long fingers as baby sucked away on them. I laughed because at each previous appointment my midwife would tell me that baby's hand was up by it's head. I looked up at Mike who was proudly grinning at the sight of our new baby. I was so glad to have him by my side through the whole day. It was nice not to be rushed or pushed along. I held our little bundle for quite sometime before Mike cut the cord and we actually checked the gender. 

It was a boy! A perfectly healthy, screaming baby boy! I let my midwives wrap him up so that Mike could have a turn with him. When he was finished they weighed him in at 6lbs 15oz. After he was all wrapped up he was pretty content. He was always sucking on two or three fingers at a time and was a natural at nursing.

We enjoyed the quiet room for a few hours and then got ready to check ourselves out. I have never liked the long hospital stays and knew i would get more rest at home. We bundled Finley up for the long drive home and Mike warmed up the car for us. My midwives helped us out and we gave them each a huge hug good-bye! Finley slept the whole way home and most of the evening. The older two were waiting up for us and Joe came down as soon as he heard my voice.

 A family of SIX!

 After everyone left and the house was still and quiet I enjoyed some baby snuggles and thanked my Heavenly Father for blessing us with another sweet little spirit.

The Best Gift

Finley Garth Stannix

December 20, 2014

5:18PM

6lb 15oz

Ninja Turtle

On one of our nights in Calgary we found ourselves out driving in search of a late night meal. We ended up turned around in an unfamiliar part of the city and had to take a U-turn. We had just passed a bowling alley and the kids were excited. "Look! A bowling alley! Can we stop?" We went up the road a little ways to find a good place to turn around. Then we drove back the way we came. "Look! Another bowling alley!" Hyrum exclaimed. Mr. Stannix and I chuckled to ourselves. Then Mr. Stannix proceeded to turn around one last time, just to see if Hyrum would do it again. The bowling alley was on Camilla's side this time, so he didn't notice. When we flipped around again to head back in the right direction, he spotted that bowling alley out his window again and excitedly exclaimed, "Another bowling alley! Three bowling alley's I've saw tonight!" Mr. Stannix and I were pretty much peeing ourselves laughing while we listened to Camilla explain how it was the same one. Hyrum wouldn't have it. He was convinced that we had seen three separate bowling alleys that night. It took a little explaining from Daddy. When he learned that Daddy was playing a trick on him, he laughed and laughed. It was super funny.

That kid is so full of character lately! He also loves to be different characters. Yesterday he ran around with his red Spiderman shirt, blue pants, Spiderman shoes, and red socks covering his arms with a string tied to them for a web. This morning he discovered the blue tissue paper and made himself a ninja turtle mask. He totally cracks me up!

Thirty-Eight Weeks

This pregnancy has gone by super fast! I hit the thirty-eight week mark on Saturday. With only a few weeks to go I am getting pretty anxious. I am glad to have Mr. Stannix home for good now! It's helped me to relax and feel more excited for baby to come now that we are all together again. The last time he came home from Calgary he surprised me with a nice comfy rocking chair. I could hardly believe my eyes when he lugged it into the entry way and set it next to everything else he brought home with him. I'm still not sure how he fit it all in the car! It was such a thoughtful surprise and I am looking forward to rocking this little one to sleep in it each night as I count fingers and toes and enjoy the warmth of his or her little body next to mine. I am so looking forward to baby snuggles and smells. It's crazy how quickly one can forget what those feel like.

 This week I am hoping to get Camilla's room organized so that we can set up the crib and get things ready. I wanted to give Camilla's room a fresh coat of paint and pick up some sort of closet organizer, but life has been crazy and I just haven't gotten around to it. As I've been taking the time to reflect on the Christmas season and the humble circumstances under which our Savior was brought into the world, I have been able to find some peace even though our house is in a crazy state. I've always thought how special it is to be pregnant during the Christmas season and Mary is often on my mind during these weeks. What an amazing woman she must have been.

I have been blessed with a fairly easy pregnancy this time around. Most of my struggles are just because my tummy is big and I can't bend or sleep very well. My crazy fear of loss subsided for a short time, but has recently resurfaced as I near the end of my pregnancy and baby is too crowded to move as often. Baby is super quiet during the night and I often wake up in a panic because I haven't felt it in a while. I am so looking forward to having this babe safely on the outside to snuggle and love! The Stannix home is buzzing with excitement as we count down to Christmas and enjoy being back together again!

12.13.14

 Today we woke up bright and early to join our family and friends at the temple! My little sister is now a married woman and I am so so proud of her! Despite the rain and snow, these two were all smiles. It was wonderful to join them in the temple as they were sealed together for time and all eternity by my Grampa Hudkins. I could post a million pictures, but for now I'll just share a few!

 The newlyweds

 Sharing a little moment

 Camilla and her best bud congratulating Auntie Emma

 Mother and Father of the bride

 I was honored to be a part of the wedding party and Mr. Stannix was a trooper juggling all three of our littles for the entire day.

 I caught these cuties sharing secrets before dinner

Hyrum snuck up to the head table for dessert!

 A little shot of my brother and sister with the littles before the reception started

 My handsome boys

 Joe enjoying some food with his favorite Grampa

 And before the night was through I got Naomi to snap a few more pictures for me. The evening was wonderfully done. My Mom had been baking up a storm for a few weeks in preparation for the big event. It was great to look around and see smiling faces as everyone visited and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Mistletoe

 Today was Mr. Stannix's last day of work in Calgary! We are both pretty excited about that! It's been a long three months and I am looking forward to having him home with me again. I've missed him like crazy! I am so proud of him and all of his hard work. He does such a wonderful job providing for us and has a great career. He got off a bit early today so that we could go help decorate for my sisters wedding. When he walked through the door to the apartment Joseph ran as fast as he could and wrapped his little body around Daddy's legs for a hug. It was super cute. The kids are all pretty excited that Daddy doesn't have to go away for work anymore. After we had finished decorating I could resist pulling Mr. Stannix under the mistletoe for a smooch. I sure do love that guy!

Out and About

 Spending a whole week in Calgary can be tricky sometimes. I am super glad this is the last time that we will have to do this! Today we left the apartment bright and early and drove across town to a favorite indoor play place where the littles could burn energy and be as loud as they wanted! It was a lot of fun!

 Joe loved climbing and exploring!

He giggled everytime he went down this slide!

 The older two also loved the big slides.

I pushed Joseph around on these little racers for close to an hour. It was fun watching him learn how to drive them.

The boys also had a nice game of bumper cars. Notice Hyrum's extra rosy cheeks from all of the fun he was having!

After dinner we went out to enjoy the warmer weather and Christmas lights of downtown. Daddy took us all for hot chocolate and donuts. It was nice to be out together as a family.

Bubble Bath

 Sometimes ya just need a little bubble bath to cheer ya up. 

 It's always fun finding your toes and making bubble beards!

 Hopefully this leads to a good night sleep too!

Jolly Old Saint Nick

Today the littles and I ventured out to the mall to finish up some Christmas shopping. As soon as we walked through the door Camilla spotted Santa just a little ways down the mall. They have been so excited to talk to him and share their Christmas lists. The set up was really neat and we hardly had to wait in line given the fact that the mall had just opened. Camilla did most of the talking of course. Hyrum sat on Santa's knee happy as can be and I'm pretty sure Joe would have cried if it weren't for his older siblings beside him. He can be a pretty serious guy sometimes. 

After we finished we went to the "play area" they had set up. We did some coloring, lazed around on bean bag chairs and watched The Polar Express and built blocks with a sweet little Elf named twinkles. It was a fabulous time killer and lots of fun for the kids! A morning well spent!

Joseph snoozed in the stroller while we cruised around the mall until our feet hurt. We came across this giant telescope and were invited to take a look. The kids giggled as they checked out what was going on at the North Pole. I loved the time we got to spend together. I love that my kids are so so good and that we can do things like this together and have fun. 

Deck the Halls

Despite the craziness of this weekend, the Stannix's stuck with tradition and decorated for Christmas this afternoon. We typically do it the first Sunday of December which is almost always the same night as the Christmas devotional. It's such a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. This year we got our very first real tree! It's about twice the height of our usual tree which is as old as me and holds many Christmas memories (and lots of tinsel from my childhood days). Mr. Stannix and I got it in the stand last night after the kiddos went to bed and despite the fact that our tree stand claimed to be anti-tipping, it toppled over just as we turned out the lights for bed. We laughed, mopped up the floor, re-read the instructions, and set it back up the right way. The house smelled of Christmas all day today!

We spent our afternoon stringing lights and hanging decorations. Joseph has been so excited about Christmas trees this year. I suppose he doesn't remember much from last year.

Camilla is super a decorating and did her own thing.

Joseph concentrated very hard for this one!

Hyrum was pretty serious about decorating too! It's all business with this kid.

The bottom half of our tree was very well decorated by the end!

I just love these three! It took me a while to get Mr. H to crack a smile! I love the way the other two are looking at him so adoringly.

Joe helped Daddy decorate a bit more up top before we could get to our favorite part!

Putting the star on the top is always a highlight for the littles. Camilla did it last year, so Hyrum got a chance this year. 

There is something so magical about the Christmas season, the lights, the decorations, the spirit, the extra love. 

I sure love the special spirit these two bring into our home!

I also extra love these handsome boys of mine. One more week and we have Daddy home for good! 

After we had finished decorating there was some dancing and goofing around while we enjoyed the lights on the tree. This guy totally cracks me up lately. He's such a ham.

It was a super fun afternoon! The only bummer was packing up the car and heading out of town for the week. This week is Mike's last week in Calgary and we are all very excited! I'm glad we get to spend it together, even if it is in a tiny apartment. I am extra excited to get home next week to enjoy our tree and get to Christmas baking!