J.D. n' Echo: Hattie Minerva Kelly

I know this post is late (5 months to be exact) but I still wanted to finish it.....

So this is what our family used to look like. And we were happy. Super BUSY. But happy. Oh yeah, and super BUSY. People who tell you that three kids are easy are LYING. Or maybe just deceived. Or maybe just a much better mom than me. But anyway, three kids were not easy for me. And not because I have bad or hard kids, I really don't. They are good kids. It is just a lot to manage and there is always a new challenge. So anyway, we weren't done at three, but we decided that we would take about a three year break and then complete our family with a couple more. Yeah, not even kidding, about a week after we made this decision, we found out we were expecting number FOUR!!!!
.......and yes, we do know what causes it........

Pretty cute, huh?

So anyway, I got over being sad that I lost a lot of weight only to become pregnant again, and was excited for another little baby. I wasn't worried, either, because a lot of women I talked to said that four kids was easy- that after three you could have a dozen.... (my thoughts on this will come later)

I thought it would be fun if we didn't find out the sex of our baby. J.D. agreed, until we got to the hospital for the ultrasound and then he totally looked! He knew it was a girl all along, but I REALLY wanted it to be a surprise, so I pretended that we didn't know and prepared for either sex just in case...

I know, how could I ever want anything different than this precious, beautiful, baby girl?

So since I really did know it was going to be a girl (even though I continued convincing myself that I didn't know), I thought a lot more seriously about a girl name than a boy name. I wanted Minerva to be her middle name from the beginning. Minerva is my dad's grandma, my grandpa Jerry's dad. From stories I have heard, she was a pretty amazing women, and she had a big impact on my dad's life. When I asked him what women meant the most to him (besides his wife and mother), he said grandma Minerva. Anyway, so J.D. didn't really love the name, but he was willing to pacify me. I agree, it is a REALLY old name, but I liked it. I wanted to find a first name that was also old that would sound cute with it, but I was having a super hard time finding one I liked. Then the week before she was born, I went to the temple with my mom and dad. "Hattie" was the middle name of the lady I went through the temple for that day. I instantly fell in love, and when I got home that day I asked J.D. what he thought about Hattie. He said his great grandmother (Darlene's mom) name was Hattie. I said that's perfect.

So this pregnancy was super long and drawn out I felt like. I gained way more weight than with the other three and now five months later still have twenty pounds to lose. Ahhh, the joys of having children. Anyway, we knew it would be C-section again, so we planned accordingly. I would have a C-section on February 26. But on the 23, Dan and Malena came over to our house and we stayed up super late playing games and eating yummy fruit pizza that Malena had made. So of course at 4:00a.m. in the morning (with only a few hours sleep) I woke up having pains. By 5:00a.m. I knew there was no use going back to sleep so I woke J.D. up and made him wash the dishes while I took a shower and cleaned other areas in the house (I was NOT going to the hospital with dishes in the sink and a messy house because I knew various family members would be coming over before I got back home). At 6:00a.m. we called my parents and J.D.s parents and told them they better head across the desert. Then we woke the kids up and headed to the hospital. Sure enough, I was in labor, so they scheduled a C-section for 11:00a.m. (no worries, I just laid there and had contractions until then...)

So here is my A team getting all ready to watch the C-Section. We were hoping they would let my mom come in with J.D. but at the last minute the anesthesiologist said no. It turned out to be okay though because she was the first one to hold Hattie when they passed her through the window. In any case, I just have to say that these are my two favorite people in the whole world and I would hate to have to go through anything traumatic (such as childbirth) without one or both of them by my side. They are the most caring, hard working, strongest, and emotionally supportive people I know.

So on February 24, 2013, at about 11:30a.m. we were blessed with our third baby girl.

And she was perfect. She looked a lot like Jade actually. Hair ALL over her forehead and the rest of her body.

The kids all have masks on because they were all sniffling and coughing when they came in to see baby Hattie. The nurses were not impressed....

She was super health until about day two. Then her bilirubin levels started to get really high and everyone started freaking out. To be honest, I was a little bitter. After going through all the stress and worry with KyLin, I just wanted to come to the hospital, have an easy and healthy baby, and go home. Well, this was not to be the case. She had to be on a bilirubin blanket and also have a light over top of her. We could only take her out to feed her. On the second night when her levels were not coming down, the pediatrician told us that they would give it a few more hours and if her levels had still not come down, she would have to go to the NICU. I almost broke down in tears. I DID NOT want to go to the NICU. I just wanted to know my baby was healthy, and to go home. I prayed so much that night. At about 3 in the morning J.D. came in and said her levels had gone down and we didn't have to go to the NICU. I just held Hattie in my arms and started crying. I told her that Heavenly Father heard my prayers and He loves her so much. And then it hit me - He loves ME that much also.

Anyway, so long story short, we came home with a healthy baby (on a bilirubin blanket for a few days), and now four months later here is what my family looks like....

Pretty stinkin' cute, right? Yep, I love them! But guess what? Four kids is NOT easier than three. It is still SUPER FREAKIN' HARD!! But guess what? IT IS WORTH IT!! It's worth all the sleepless nights, all the tears, all the fighting and crying and whining and messes and spills and lunches and laundry and owies and prayers and faith that go into raising kids. Because Heavenly Father trusted me with all four of them. And I love all four of them more than I ever imagined I could love someone. They are my world and I only hope I can love them and teach them in a way that Heavenly Father wants me to.