Shyla Jaymme

   So we were preparing for baby #3 at our house. We knew she would be a girl, but the world thought we didn't know. It was the best of both worlds... knowing, but still having a surprise to share when she was born. This go around was a million times better than with Aimee. Occasional nausea, feeling good the second trimester, etc. Thanksgiving was very non-traditional at our house. We had all been throwing up and had horrible colds at the same time. I wondered if some of us would be throwing up for Thanksgiving. But luckily, it all ended on Wednesday and Thanksgiving was a recovery day. Our original plans were to go see family, but we thought we shouldn't share our germs. So our big Thanksgiving feast was Papa Murphy's Pizza. And boy oh boy am I glad that's what I did. Our little family of four didn't even eat half of a pizza. If each person even ate one slice a piece?

Making Neighbor Gifts...Dreaming of a White Christmas Soup Mix

   Life started getting very busy as the holiday season tends to. Note to self, if at all possible have a baby right before the holidays, not after. It was hard to relax and enjoy the Christmas spirit, because everything was a big to do list which covered any and all things holiday, baby prep, and nesting related. However, the Christmas tree went up the day after Thanksgiving. A first time at our house, and I loved it up that early! I wouldn't mind making that a tradition.

Poor guy had to cut the tree by himself, I wasn't up to hiking.
(But we did help him pick it out with binoculars from the truck.)

Aimee's version of helping with the Christmas tree...

And MaKatie's version...

   Sunday, December 21st came along... I started having contractions regularly, so we spent the day prepping to go to the hospital to have a baby. We checked in that evening with contractions every 2-3 minutes. To make a long story short... they sent us home saying we could have a baby in a few hours or in a month. Only time would tell and its up to my body. That was highly disappointing, and the contractions kept up for weeks every few minutes. I tried not to do too much or I was extremely miserable. My family started surviving on boxed mac and cheese and our house was disgusting (to put it politely). I was ready for an epidural already. But every week at the OB appointment, I was lucky if I'd gained a 1/2 cm. This baby was never going to come. Christmas came and I was so miserable. I'm sure my family loved living with me, not! I could hardly handle living with me. But the girls got to be in the town's Christmas Eve play and had a blast! (Also could become a new tradition at our house.) Christmas and Santa came treating us too well. We relaxed and enjoyed an easy lazy day.

Aimee is the cute monkey on the far left.

   An induction was scheduled for January 8th and a light was at the end of the tunnel. New Year's Eve came and I decided I had to clean. We'd be having a baby in a week. So I cleaned that morning and felt crummy that afternoon. (Remember, I'm still having contractions about every 3 minutes.) That evening we had dinner and played games with some dear friends/neighbors. I was a little uncomfortable, but life went on. We put the girls to bed at their house and planned on bringing them home after we enjoyed some games... kid free.

Meeting Grandma Beth

   Well to make a long story short... by the time we left their just after midnight. We left the girls sleeping there, grabbed our hospital bags, and headed out. In the back of my mind I'm thinking if they send me home again... I'm going to more than cry this time. Half way to Evanston, I suggest we stop in Evanston to have me checked. You know make sure we can make it to Ogden. Bryant didn't seem to keen on the idea, but humored me. From the time they took my name at the ER Desk until Shyla Jaymme McMullin came into the world was 14 minutes. You've got it... no time for that epidural, the on call doctor to arrive, or even to put that hospital gown on. Not how I pictured this nice delivery, but I can't complain... a perfectly healthy, beautiful redheaded baby girl came into the world weighing 7 lbs even and was 20.5 inches long. (Not any pictures of her right away, because the camera was in the hospital bag still out in the truck along with my phone and its dead battery.)
   I will be bluntly honest, when I saw her I thought that can't be my child. My other two looked identical, and Shyla's ultrasounds looked just like theirs had. She had the same shape, but the light hair threw me for a loop. My kids have dark hair!

MaKaite and Aimee are great helpers and loved being this close for a month or so.
Luckily for my sanity, they moved on. ;)

   We adjusted much better than I anticipated. Both big sisters absolutely LOVE her! Aimee was fascinated but wouldn't touch her for the longest time. But its not all bad to have an almost 2 year old who doesn't really want to hold the baby. Cause you see, Aimee loves her dolls... so  I was imagining her trying to carry Shyla everywhere. She will now hold her 3 seconds flat and has the biggest grin. But you aren't going to get a picture, because that isn't long enough to push the button. MaKatie always wants to look at Shyla's beautiful eyes. Shyla is a good baby as long as mom doesn't eat ANYTHING with any sort of dairy in it. She's growing like a weed!