Idaho

we have gone to Idaho twice in the last two months and it was so much fun. the first time we went was for tabors sister Chelsey's baby shower and for the annual Thayn donut party.  We had such a good time, as we always do in Idaho. 

I have always thought Idaho was so beautiful and I always take pictures of the landscape and the animals and I think tabor sometimes thinks I'm crazy.  I just cant help it.  I love it!

this was my favorite outfit on hazel and sadly it only fit her for about 2 weeks. 

Tabor and our nephew Owen were enjoying some cuddle time. 

Little Abria sure loved to see the baby. 

The second time we went to Idaho we took my cousins Isaac and Audrey with us.  Isaac went Elk hunting with Tabor and Tyler and Tylers Father-in-law Johnny.  They managed to get one of their elk tags filled. 

 apparently Isaac was so tired he laid down for a nap in the dirt. 

when the boys got home from their hunting Tabors hair was really messy and we then could see exactly where Hazel gets it from.

gassy girl

Hazel is so gassy sometimes. Luckily it doesn't seem to bother her. Make sure the volume is turned up on your computer when you watch this video.

Hazel Girl

I am loving being a mom so much! My little Hazel girl is such a good baby!

 This has been the happiest 6 1/2 weeks of my entire life.

She is always so happy! I can already see her little personality coming out.

One of the only times she cries is when she pulls her own hair. She just doesn't quite understand that she can just let go.

She is so much more awake and alert lately. I love it so much!

Hazel loves her Daddy so much! And her neck is getting so strong! She always tries to look around when Tabor holds her like this.

Hazel loves her pacifier just like her mom. 

Hazel was a rebel for Halloween.  It is the only halloweenish outfit I had for her. 

Hazel was blessed on October 13th.  My good friend Otilia made her this beautiful blessing dress.

Hopefully this video works.  I just happened to catch a video of her laughing.  If you notice on her third smile she actually laughs and makes her seat rock with her laughter.  Oh she melts my heart.

I just cant get enough of this sweet little girl! I spend all day and all night with her and I still feel like I don't see her enough. I find myself missing her while she is taking a nap. Even though I never get anything done all day I don't even care that my house is a wreck and that sometimes I don't get around to taking a shower. All I have to do is look at my sweet Hazel Rose and I feel like I am the most successful person in the world. 

Two weeks old

Hazel Rose is two weeks old now! We went in for her checkup and she has gained 10 ounces and grown 1 inch.  She is in the 90th percentile for her weight and the 98th percentile for her height and head size.  She eats all the time and is getting so big already.  I love her so much and I cant stop snuggling her.  I never get anything done because I just want to cuddle her all day.  She is still getting the hang of actually sleeping at night.  She always thinks it is time to play at about 1 in the morning.  I can never get mad at her though because as soon as I see her sweet face I get so happy. I am the luckiest mom in the whole world!

This is one of my most favorite pictures of Hazel.  She always makes the cutest faces! I thinks she looks a lot like Tabor when she makes her faces. 

She has some cute lines on her face from the pillow she was sleeping on.  I cant believe how big she is getting already!

Our sweet Hazel Rose

Well this post has taken me awhile, but what do you expect, I just had a baby a week and a half ago and I have been snuggling with her every second. Our precious baby Hazel Rose was born on September 20th at 6:31 pm.  She weighed 8lbs 10oz and she was 20 1/2 inches long.  I am so in love!

I am going to share a little bit of the story of her birth, but if you want more details you can just call me.  I woke up at about midnight the morning of the 20th with pains that I thought were gas.  My due date was October 1, so I didnt really think that I could be in labor. I went out and sat on the couch and watched cops for awhile and then realized that my "gas pains" were coming in increments.  I decided to time them and realized that they were happening about 3 minutes apart.  I got up off the couch and felt a lot of very warm fluid running down my leg.  At this point I was a little bit in shock and also in denial that I was actually in labor.  So after cleaning myself up a little I decided to go back to the couch and try to sleep a little. By this time it was about 1 and Tabor was still in bed asleep and had no idea that any of this was happening.

At about 3 Tabor came out and asked me what I was doing on the couch.  He was a little worried and shocked when I told him that my water had broken 3 hours before and that I was still having contractions every 3 minutes. He was sure that we would need to go to the hospital soon so he decided to shower and do some work stuff.  At about 5 I finally told him to go back to sleep because there was no point in us both being tired.  I tried to eat a little bit and to sleep, but I couldnt sleep through my contractions and only took a few 5 minute cat naps. 

Finally at about 7 I decided to call my birthing coach, Linda, who is the midwife who delivered me when I was born and who has been a great friend of our families for a very long time.  She showed up around 8 and told me that it was time for me to go on a walk.  We started walking and after about 1/2 mile I was too tired to keep going and decided it was time to turn around. Before we even made it home I threw up and my contractions got much stronger.  

When we got back home Linda decided it was time to check me and much to my dismay she told me I was only at 3 centimeters. I continued to labor with my contractions getting stronger and stronger and with my body getting more and more exhausted.  At about 2 we finally decided that it was time to go to the hospital.  I hadn't eaten anything and any water that I drank I threw up.  I was absolutely exhausted. 

Once we got to the hospital they gave me an IV and a glucose drip to give me a little energy.  At this point my contractions were really hard and with each contraction Tabor helped me by pushing on the counter-preassure points that we learned about in our birthing class.  He was so wonderful through the whole thing.  He helped me with anything and everything, and by the end of the labor his arms were so tired from pushing on my legs and my back.  Did I mention yet that I did not have any medication? It was more pain then I ever imagined and it was all so worth it. 

Finally at about 6:15 it was time to start pushing and by 6:31 my sweet baby girl was born.  She came out and she didnt even cry.  Just let out a few little sounds and then laid on my chest and looked at me.  She came out with a full head of blonde hair and she was covered in vernix.  I can not even describe the relief and the pure joy I felt when they handed me my baby girl.  She was so perfect and so beautiful I could not believe she was mine.  Now I feel that same feeling every time I look at her.  I love her so much and I am so lucky that I get to be her mom. 

So cute and so chunky!

Hazel love to take naps with her daddy.  She is always so content with him!

I just LOVE her hair so much!

Hazel and her proud dad!

On the way home from the hospital!

She is such a happy girl all the time!

Hazel is such a good baby.  If she is fussy she will take her pacifier and quietly suck on it!

Hazel was looking a little bit yellow so we went out to the car and laid her in the sun. 

A glimpse into the future...

I just had to take a minute and post this picture. I think I can safely say that our daughter is going to have blonde hair, and I can probably also say that she will love short red shorts. I just love how adorable Tabor is with his bright white hair and his cute little belly. I am looking pretty awesome as well. Those boots are so stylish.

16 more days

I cant believe my due date is in 16 days! I am feeling so unprepared, and yet so excited at the same time.  We have been taking a birthing class for the last few weeks and it has really been helping me to feel a little more prepared.  I am planing on going all natural so I am trying my best to prepare myself for the whole process.  Tabor goes to the classes too and he is so amazing, he is always asking questions and trying to learn as much as he can so he can be supportive. I love him so much.  I have been trying to prepare myself the last few days by packing my hospital bag and making sure I have the essentials for when I bring her home.  I am not sure though that I will ever feel truly ready.


We still are not set on what we are going to name her.  I am hoping that I will see her face and know what her name is. We have a few ideas, but nothing is for sure.


I never realized how many decisions come with parenthood, I am a fairly indecisive person so I am having a hard time with all of these new decisions.  Everything thing from which brand of diapers to buy, to whether or not I want to have her vaccinated, to what color to paint her dresser, or what name I want to give her.  And I am a little terrified that this is just the beginning.  I have all these decisions to make and she is not even here yet.  I cant imagine what it will be like after she is actually born.  I do know that I am going to love her so much, and that is really what matters most!

How far along? 37 1/2 weeks


Total weight gain: still not telling!

Maternity clothes? I am really getting sick of maternity clothes, and my butt is so big that nothing ever fits me.

Stretch marks? Of course, I still try to put oil on them every night, but it doesn’t seem to be helping.

Sleep: Oddly enough it has gotten a little better lately. I still wake up to go to the bathroom more than I ever used to. I am still always tired though.

Best moment this week: Getting my eyebrows waxed finally haha. And date night with my husband! He is so wonderful!

Miss Anything? I miss being able to just throw on whatever clothes I want and feeling comfortable.

Movement: She kicks less now. It is more of just a constant pushing. She still moves all the time though and I absolutely love it!

Food cravings: I still crave lemon detergent sometimes, but lately I haven’t really had many cravings.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs: My belly is always really hard, so I think I am always having one constant contraction.

Symptoms: my skin is still terrible. My back has started to hurt and I am always exhausted. Just a general overall discomfort.

Belly Button in or out? Still in, it is almost flat now. And I noticed that I have a little freckle deep inside my belly button that I never knew about before haha.

Wedding rings on or off? OFF! I'm sure people wonder about me all the time cause I am so largely pregnant and I am not wearing a ring.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, and excited. I am a little more short tempered lately just because I am so uncomfortable all the time.

Looking forward to: Ultrasound on Tuesday to see if my baby is still gigantic. And game night with Geoffrey and Joni! We love playing games at their house and visiting Ellie!



Baby Shower

It has been awhile since I have written.  I have been really busy trying to get prepared for the birth of my baby. I am feeling very unprepared, but I am slowly getting everything done.  I only have 2 1/2 weeks left so I am getting nervous.

A few weeks ago I had a baby shower thrown for me and it was so awesome.  It was so good to see everyone and I got so many great gifts.  We had the party at Larkies house and Jamie and Miriam threw it for me.  It was so much fun!

Looking at these pictures is really frightening for me, and I almost dont want to post them because I am so self conscious about them, but I guess we all have to have "those pictures" to look back on. 

Baby Brittan is such a sweet baby!

I got so many cute gifts.  Thank you everyone!

I got a lot of homemade baby blankets at my shower. And I love them all so much! I cant wait to wrap my tiny baby girl in them!

One of the things Jamie organized was a bow station where eveyone could make hair bow for my baby or for theirs.  I got so many cute flowers and bows!

Even my cousin Isaac helped make some!

Overall it was such a wonderful shower.  I got to see so many people that I love and I got so many wonderful things! Thank you all!

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 1/2 weeks

Total weight gain: I am not telling! Lets just say it is way too much!

Maternity clothes? I pretty much wear the same thing every day. I tried to wear Tabors pants the other    day and it didn’t quite work out like I had planned.

Stretch marks? I found some!!!! I am so mad! I was doing so good until last week and then some suddenly appeared. Not Funny!!

Sleep: I have been getting really hot during the night, but other than that it isn’t too bad

Best moment this week: Tabors birthday party on Sunday! And getting an ultrasound last week and finding out that apparently my little girl is enormous and healthy and strong!

Miss Anything? My clothes, my ability to tie my shoes without losing my breath.

Movement: She is so strong. She kicks all the time!

Food cravings: All I want to do is eat powdered lemon dishwashing detergent. I drool at the thought of it and I almost can’t help myself when I smell it. Any lemon scented cleaning product is a huge temptation for me haha.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really

Gender: GIRL

Labor Signs: no actual labor signs, but I think I have had a few mild contractions

Symptoms: my skin is still terrible. I have restless legs all day and all night. This week my back has really started hurting.

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but it is getting close!

Wedding rings on or off? OFF! I have been wearing a replacement $8 ring from walmart for the last 2 weeks and it is so sad! I miss my wedding ring.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, and anxious. I am always worried about how unprepared I feel and wondering how I am ever going to do this! But I am still SOOO excited to have a tiny daughter!

Looking forward to: Game night with Geoffrey and Joni! We love playing games at their house and visiting Ellie!

Pennsylvania

 

July was a busy month for us here in the Thayn home. It was full of doctors appointments, Birthdays, a trip to Idaho and of course the biggest event was our trip to Pennsylvania.  We flew out to my parents house to spend a week with them and we loved it!  I hadn't been home in about a year and a half and it was Tabors first time there so we had so much to do in such a short amount of time.  We started our trip with a very long and uncomfortable plane ride to Pittsburgh where my sister Sarah picked us up.  Then the three of us made the 4 1/2 hour drive to Potter County.  We didn't get there till late in the night so there wasn't much for us to do besides give a quick tour of the house and then crash for the night. 

The next day (Wednesday) we were up early and ready for a day full of adventures.  We started with a tour of the garden and then got to work picking peas and strawberries and currants.  We headed down to the barn to visit the newborn baby bunnies.  Bunnies are my favorite, especially when they are tiny babies.

Next we took Tabor up the road to look for Salamanders.  I wanted to share little thing about my home with him.  I was so excited to have him there with me.

Then we decided it was time to take Tabor to the pond where we have so many fond memories. We used to swim there every day, sometimes twice or three times a day.  It was and still is one of our most favorite places to go. And luckily Tabor instantly loved it too! All of our daily activities were mixed in with wonderful meals and tons of game playing. 

 (My dad has such a beautiful garden with so many plants and flowers, this one was my favorite)

The next day (Thursday) we decided to do a little fishing.  My Grandpas cousin has a little pond that is well stocked with Bass so we decided to take our poles and see what we could catch.  They have a strict catch and release policy at their pond so we didn't bring any home to eat, but we were okay with that. Tabor loved it so much.  He really loves fishing.

 Thursday was also Josiah's birthday so we had a party for him that night.  He is such an awesome kid.  Tabor really love to have a boy there to hang out with and fish with.  And of course we always think Josiah is the funniest person we have ever met.  He is so fun to play games with and just to be around. Tabor and Josiah went fishing on our last day there and they brought home one of the fish and Tabor was trying to teach Josiah how to kill and clean a fish, but in true Howe fashion he was too squeamish and afraid to do the dirty work. Luckily Tabor is a professional fish cleaner and took over the job. 

 On Friday we got up early and made the 2 1/2 hour trip to Buffalo, NY to meet up with my best friend Idelis and her husband, Kyle and her mom, Otilia.  I am so happy that they planned their trip at the same time as us.  We had so much fun with them.

 

 We started out by meeting them at Niagara Falls, which was amazing as usual, and then we continued on to the church history sites and the Hill Cumorah Pageant. It was so fun to share all of those places with Tabor because he had never seen any of them before. 

(The top picture is of us at the Hill Cumorah Pageant and the bottom one is at the Joseph Smith log cabin)

After a long day Friday we wanted to relax on Saturday, but there was just so much to do still.  We took a trip out to the dairy where we get our milk and Tabor had so much fun talking with the dairy farmers about the way they run things. His family used to run a dairy so he was very familiar with all the ins and outs of the business. 

(Isn't he adorable)

That day we also took a trip around town to visit all of our Amish friends and show everyone the wonderful things that they make and sell and what great people they are.  We always love to go visit the Amish.

(I may have snuck a picture while no one was looking)

Sunday we went to church and spent the rest of the day playing games and having fun. We had so much delicious food every day. Between Sarah and her desserts and breads and Otilia and her Tamales and

queso fresco we were never hungry. 

 

Finally Monday came and we were so sad knowing that we would have to leave that day.  We seemed to mope around the house not wanting to admit that we would have to say goodbye soon.  My dad created a little distraction by pulling some honey out of the bee hive for us.  It was a little scary, but the honey was so delicious. 

Then for lunch Idelis and Otilia threw me a surprise mini baby shower that I had no idea about.  It was so much fun.  And they gave me the most wonderful gifts.  Otilia gave me an awesome Moby baby wrap and a beautiful baby blessing dress that she made herself.  It is absolutely perfect and so precious and tiny.  Otilia is an amazing seamstress!  Then Idelis gave me a baby blanket that she crocheted herself.  It is so cute and so soft! I cant wait to wrap my little baby in it.  Thank you Idelis and Otilia (and Kyle of course) for the wonderful gifts and the perfect party!

After the party we knew the time had come to say goodbye.  We had to drive back to Pittsburgh with Sarah and Miriam so we could catch our flight early the next morning.  It was so hard to say goodbye to my parents and siblings.  I have no idea when I will be back there, and it was so hard for me to think that it could be a long time before I get to take my baby to see that place that I love so much.  I think it was the first time I ever cried when I left home, but I couldn't help it.  I wept as we got in the car and drove off. I cant wait for the day when I can take my kids there to visit.  I know they will love it as much as I do.

 

 

We ended our trip in Pittsburgh spending the night at Sarahs house and then going to the airport early on Tuesday morning.  It was so sad to say goodbye to my sisters.  I love spending time with them so much. Hopefully we can go back and visit again very, very soon!