...meet the grandparents

Grandma Hyde was the first to get her hands on him. Her and Grandpa Hyde were at the hospital when he was born.

 

Susan and Wayne came to visit at our house when he was almost brand new. They both think he is pretty cute.

 Vickie and Richard gave it a week or two before they came to see our new bundle. He curled up so nice and sweet on Grandma's chest and she loved that newborn snuggle.

It was funny to hear Pappy Free talk baby-talk and he loved to try to get a reaction from the little guy. I love this three generation picture - It's scary how much they all look alike.

One thing is for sure - You are loved and adored Mr.Denym!

...Stroll in the Park

I am so glad I had a Spring baby. Why? Because after those first few weeks, this Mommy really needed to get outside!

On a Sunday afternoon at the end of May
 we went to Porter Park to play
Not just two - now a family of three
strolled the path leisurely

The weather was clear and oh so nice
But a few times around would have to suffice
Mom still waddled, not used to her bootie
So Dad took over stroller duty

Then off to find a quiet bench
the tiny humans thirst to quench
He was soon happy as a clam
but puked on Dad, the little ham

All enjoyed the fresh air and breeze
Jake used the leaves to annoy and tease
Ness wants some ice if you please
Denym liked the sun through the trees

Who could really ask for more
 Bliss was as simple as being outdoors
I found my pep and renewal therein
what an awesome jaunt this had been

...receive a name and a blessing

Wearing a perfect little suit, made from Mom's wedding dress, Denym was blessed by Daddy on July 1st.  At nearly 2 months old, it was nice for him to finally be "official."

If only words could convey how I feel when I see this grin! Or how it feels to see him experience his first ordinance. I tried to write a little poem for the occasion

Dressed in white this special day,
to receive a blessing and a name
Held by those set apart

The sacred sight warms our hearts

First, your Heavenly Father's son

Now entrusted to us, little one

We hope to be both firm and wise

To see things through your blameless eyes

Welcome to this bittersweet world

the mysteries of life soon unfurled  

Innocence, may you never outgrow

Let it be joy and truths you'll know. 

                                                

...Poop!

Well, of course he poops. I just never knew the extent of which he would do so. So here is a fun story about poop--

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood (a beautiful day for a neighbor...) and I get a phonecall from Jake. He is on his way home from work and just called to ask if I needed anything at the store. "Nope," I say "all is well at the home front."

Well a few seconds after I hang up the phone I hear Denym let a pretty substantial toot. It sounds productive, so I go to change him and it's really not too bad. But then the curse of boys... here comes the fountain! I tried to contain it, but he sprayed himself in the face and is now laying in a little puddle. Sigh. This was nothing new, so I had developed a good system to take care of this particular problem.

As I lift his legs to wipe his back, he really decided to let 'er rip! I was holding the bum at about a 45 degree angle and out comes an onslaught of poo! It splattered the side of the bassinet, but didn't stop there. It got on Mommy, on the blanket behind Mommy, and on the rug behind that! That boy has some range. Not only that - I was taking an iron supplement at the time which made his goo green.

I hear the back door open, and I yell "HELP!" Daddy came in to find me in this pickle, and says "what did you do!?" We commenced cleaning, and laughed our bums off; Because what else can you do at that point?

Oh yeah... this is his poop face:

Furrowed brows, serious eyes, flared nostrils, and stiff upper lip.

...strike a pose

At just 8 days old, Denym had his first photo shoot. A good friend of mine from high-school now has a photography business and takes amazing photos. She gave me a great deal on a session that I just couldn't pass up. Jake gave in because I asked if it could be my first Mother's Day present.(along with some dove chocolate and a totally awesome towel...)
 
 He was not very cooperative. I fed him twice while where there there trying to get him to be calm and sleepy. I guess it was all just too new and weird for him,  but she still managed to get lots of great shots. 

He opened his eyes just a few times.

 Some of my very favorite ones were while Jake and I were trying to pacify him.   
 
 And she had some fantastic props - mini leather chair for the win!

This is my family. I am so glad I ventured out to get these done while he was still brand new.
To see more of this photo shoot click here.

...make a grand entrance

Friday, May 4th, I awoke around 6:00 a.m. with some beastly contractions."This has got to be it," I thought. I was excited. My mind ran away with me as I made sure my hospital bag was packed, threw in a load of laundry, woke up Jake, and jumped in the shower.

Jake went to work, but my little sister was there to help me with all the odds and ends. It was an intense morning for me as I tried to get ready between contractions. But I finally gave up, braided my hair wet, and called Jake with an urgency in my voice saying, "It's time to go!"

We left for the hospital about a quarter to nine and he wheeled me into the LDR about 9:30. Upon arrival the nurse checked things out and announced that I was already dilated to an 8! Apparently I had waited a bit too long to go in.

With the help of the Hypnobabies program, the birthing ball, the nurses, ShaNae, and my seriously studly husband, I labored until noon. Another 45 minutes of pushing and our little boy was born!

Denym General Free born at 1:12 p.m. 

6 lbs 15 oz and 20 inches long.

The nurses brought him back to me and lay him on my chest while Jake spread the word via text message. I cuddled this little person close and I whispered "His name is Denym." Then immediately looked up at Daddy and corrected myself - "Can his name be Denym?" I got an agreeable nod.

In the days that followed we learned so much about our new tiny human. At the hospital, he got his first diaper change, his first bath, and the usual battery of tests done to make sure all was well. Mom rested up those two nights, while Dad took on the brunt of the new challenges.

 

Denym, when we finally got you home it was so good to have you safely there with us. We were in a continual state of awe as we held you and studied your itty-bitty features. It was a smidge overwhelming to know that we were now soley responsible for your well-being, but we are so grateful for the chance. We can't believe you are ours; A head full of black hair, squinty curious eyes, a dimple in your ear, and oh how we love you Denym. I will be forever grateful for the experience of your birth, my bugaboo. Because of you, I know I am strong and can do anything. I want so many things for you - Most of all, that you will find the person inside of you that God intends for you to be.

Welcome to the world little man - we love you fiercely! 

...take over the guest room

As I contemplated how to transform our guest room into a nursery, I had to take into consideration the fact that we might be selling our house in the near future. I figured I should probably not go too crazy with colors and decor that others might not appreciate. So I decided to go with a brown/tan color scheme. We painted one wall a rich dark brown, and it looks great as an accent wall, while the other three walls are cream.

A cousin of mine graciously made the vinyl quote for me of the scripture Matthew 19:14 "But Jesus said, suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; For of such is the kingdom of heaven."

I wanted the room to be peaceful and kind of a quiet getaway - because I knew I would be spending a lot of time there. I incorporated pictures of Christ with children throughout the room - most of them in Sepia.  I made these picture frames to match each other and bring a fun crafty element into it.

There are so many PERFECT pictures out there that depict Christ interacting with little ones, but I finally settled on this one because it was a little boy, and because I thought it would help me remember to smile during 3am feedings and diaper changes.

 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. ~ Luke 2:40

This last piece is called "The Grace of God" by Jay Bryant Ward. I bought a pretty good sized print, because it really touched me. At first glance you assume it is Christ teaching a little boy to pray --- but actually, the artist intended this to be an image of Joseph with Jesus. I just thought it was really neat.

We have so many hopes and dreams for our little man; both spiritual and temporal. All these pictures help me to remember how precious his little soul is, and how important it is that we teach him to be a good person. If we are blessed with more children, my plan is to buy a similar piece of artwork  for each one when they are born.- and it will be theirs to take when they leave the house.

Hope you like your new room baby free! It's ready and awaiting your arrival!

... get SPOILED

There has been so much love and support from friends and family that there were FOUR separate baby showers for this little guy! All held at different locations to accommodate a very spread out fan club. 

STAR VALLEY: FEBRUARY 18th

The theme for this event was "Sent from Heaven" and everything was indeed heavenly. We had a yummy spread of light snacks, which included a special request from me:  My Mom's DIVINITY candy. mmmmm

We played some creative games, but kept the craziness to a minimum --- as we were in the church lobby and we wanted the setting to be a relaxing one. First was a baby word matching/memory game with corresponding candy-bar prizes. The nieces were especially fond of that one.

 Here I am with a try full of baby items. I walked around the room and told everyone to take a good look and try to remember as much as they could. But when I left the room, they had to write down what I was wearing, and NOT what was on the tray - HA!

And here are a few of the ladies with paper plates on their heads, trying to draw a baby without looking. It was good for developing a new talent... and some laughs of course.

We gave out water bottles at the end as party favors, but made our own special labels. This picture is just one of the designs we used, complete with very clever Nutrition Facts and Bar Code variation.

The evening turned out perfectly. I always love going back to my roots and mingling with all the ladies that helped raise me. They are all so sweet to me, and I am so grateful for their continued influence in my life - and now my baby's life!

MINK CREEK: MARCH 3rd

I had a lot of fun making invitations for this shower. I got to pick out some paper and some new stickers, and then utilized a variety of extra buttons I had laying around.(Back view shown below)

Originally, the location for this event was the home of a family friend, Camille - but due to a possibly muddy driveway,  was actually held at the church building.

 My wonderful mother-in-law, Vickie,  helped me put the quilt on frames and make sure everything was set up. She also made a yummy 7 layer dip to add to the snack table, which was a hit!

 My Mom bought this ADORABLE "Pokey-Little-Puppy" fabric for quilting, and I am so excited to wrap our little man in it - lots of love in each stitch!

I made the cake, and successfully transported 2 hrs in the car. I found it amusing to sculpt a pregnant version of myself out of  fondant, and had fun doing all the buttons as well.

I was very humbled by the number of ladies who came to help --- All acquaintances from Jake's childhood, yet they welcomed me with open arms and cared enough to be there. I was grateful for the chance to spend a few hours chatting with this group, and got a lot of great advice for the transition to parenthood. 

 REXBURG: MARCH 10th

Generously hosted by my good friends Karrianne, and Karri - this shower was all things "Sweet."  A fabulous fruit buffet, trimmed with chocolate illustrated this point very well, and was delectable!

They put a lot of time into the details and decor - Look at this cute paper banner (above) and also this little tag I got to wear tied around my middle with ribbon:

They prepared a bunch of cute stuff for people to do at the beginning while waiting for more people to come. My favorite one, was this little "Wishes for Baby" worksheet:
 Each person filled them out uniquely and I really enjoyed reading them. I will be keeping them all for his baby book!

For other activities, I suggested we play some "Minute to Win It" games! Since I planned on a rather youthful rowdy bunch to be attending, I thought it would make for a fun-filled afternoon. Some of the games were:
1) Match a whole pile of baby socks (Prize: Awarded for doing "Mounds" of laundry)
2) Dig safety pins out of a bowl of rice with mouth (Prize: pulling through at "Crunch" time.)
3) Dress a stuffed animal in a minute. (Prize: For putting together all the "Pieces." Reeses Pieces)
4) Drink a baby bottle of milk in a minute. (Prize: For experiencing the "Milky Way")
5) Pull all tissues out of box one at a time: (Prize: For proving you're no "Butterfingers")
6) Balance 3 baby blocks on top of your head and take three steps. (Prize: 3 Musketeers)
7) Tilt your head back and place a binky on your forehead. By using your face muscles ONLY (not your hands) you must get the binky to your mouth without it falling in one minute. (Prize: Sour Patch Kids)
8) Walks across room with water balloon between legs. (Prize: For making it through without any "Gushers")
9) Throws 10 diapers in garbage can. (Prize: Whoppers)
10) Unroll, and reroll a roll of toilet paper. (Prize: Awarded for "Rollin" with the punches. Rolos)11) Fill a tissue box with ping pong balls and tie it around your waist. Person must shake all the ping-pong balls out in under a minute. (Prize: For giving birth to a bunch of "Runts")
12) Create 10 baby names with scrabble letters (Prize: Helping us decide what to call him "Whatchamacalit")
13) Keeping a balloon off the ground by blowing on it (Prize: For not getting pregnancy brain "Airhead")
And so on and so forth....

There were brown and white balloons scattered about the room, and each one had the name of one of the games attached to the bottom of it. So we went around the circle and everyone got to choose a balloon and play the corresponding game.

Shame on me for not getting any pictures, because it was QUITE entertaining to watch my bishop's wife shake ping pong balls out of a tissue box belt. :) 

UTAH: MARCH 17th

 From the time I figured out my due date, I knew I wanted to do my baby shower on St.Pattrick's Day! My family is big into holidays and no one really has anywhere to be on St.Patty's, right?  My little sister and I started planning this one from the very beginning of my pregnancy days --- She pretty much rocks at doing my bidding :)

Here I am attempting to do an Irish Jig in honor of the Holiday.

 Here is the snack table: Chocolate fountain (with cookie wafers, pretzels, marshmallows and such for dipping), Rainbow fruit skewers, cucumber sandwiches, shamrock mints and homemade oreos with green frosting! mmmmm

Here are a few of my fantastically wonderful friends/guests who came to be a part of the festivities. We let them chow down first thing and then played a couple quick games. Mostly a repeat of the games from the Star Valley shower, and then some leisurely chatting. 

My wonderfully awesome sister also prepared some way cool favors*** for this shower - Root Beer Bottles that were very "Irish Pub" looking. But silly me, I forgot to hand them out. Luckily she was able to give them out later at her yearly St.Patty's party, but I felt super dumb and sad that I had not remembered to grab them.

[***SIDE NOTE: ShaNae (my little sister) is a PRO at party planning, and helped with pretty much ALL of the showers. So if you ever have an event you need some help with, ask her! Seriously, she has a small business that consists of all the odds and ends of these types of things, and she does a FANTASTIC job at wedding flowers too.]

We feel very blessed to know so many great people, and to have so much support at this time in our lives. It was great to be able to celebrate this life-changing experience with so many of you! Thank you to everyone who came, and those who have brought gifts or offered congratulations in any way. Baby Free appreciates it too!

.... KICK!

December 27th was the day I for SURE felt him move. Up until then, I wasn't quite sure. It was twice in the same place so I put my hand there, and WHAMMO! He let me know he was there. Really cool and kind of crazy.

The doctor told me my placenta was in the front, so the movement would be muffled and I might not feel as much. But as time goes on I feel him more and more. Pretty strong little tike. I like the kicks and jabs better than the rolling.

... expose themselves!

We are so excited about you little man!

... creates a baby bump

At first no one could tell it was there except me.


8 WEEKS

12 WEEKS


16 WEEKS

20 WEEKS

 There is no hiding it now! People at church and around town stop and stare for a moment as I walk by. I don't mind too much. I just feel rather frumpy, but I am  able to go walking consistently now. At the half way mark my jeans barely fit, and it's tricky to find a shirt that I like. 

It is strange how this belly slowly emerged. Now I look down and think... whoah, how did that get there?

... gets an ultrasound

First Dr. appointment on September 27th and we saw baby's heart beat!

Jake and I both thought it was way cool (and maybe a little scary) when we saw the flutter in there.  We were happy and relieved to see that everything was going okay.  The last few weeks have been kind of tough, so the little healthy ultrasound picture was a great blessing.

....upsets mommy's tummy

Feeling the nausea this first week in September.

Oh little one, this part of your development is a little (a lot) miserable for your mommy. Although, I look at the sickies as a good sign because it means you are there.

I have a hard time finding things to eat, but while I am eating is when I feel better. I love love ice! Next to Daddy, ice is definitely my best friend.

I have actually lost a few pounds due to being queasy. It gets pretty rough at times. I even had to make a trip to the hospital to get a rehydration I.V. as well as some antibiotics for possible infection.

I avoid car rides at all costs, but try to get outside and at least get some fresh air each day. Exercising at this point is out of the question and it makes me a little stir crazy. But  I have been reading a bit and learning a lot. 

I sleep excessively and feel like a blob - but I am mostly so grateful to have made it past the 8 week mark without any known problems.

Thanks Jake, for taking such good care of me.

... makes his existence known!

On the morning of September 6th, 2011 I took an at home pregnancy test:

When I saw the results, I was ready to burst! All sorts of Happy, Scary, Nervous, Grateful, Crazy Emotion!

 I waited until Jake got home from work to tell him. We recently bought him a smart phone and we had enjoyed playing games on it for the last week  So, that night I asked him if I could steal it and play Scrabble for a while. I played and played until I could finally spell the word PREGNANT. Then I left the game up on his screen.

I wasn't very patient though, and it was taking him too long, so I pointed it out. He thought it was clever when he saw it and seemed excited with a pleasant little smile on his face. 

I know that we have been so blessed and that God agrees with our timing. I am overwhelmed at times, but I trust that everything will be okay.