a little more Montana

I loved it so much - it deserves 2 posts.

channeling John Denver

We've just returned from a trip to Montana to visit Rexy's family that I ADORE. We had such a great time, I find everyone there so down to earth and real. We stayed the night in Spokane on the way over and TJ was in his first hotel room! After a short drive to Missoula the following morning - Dar Dar Star Star Mars Bar put on a great dinner for everyone and after we watched the debate, not really knowing each others political stance it was VERY quiet. Krissy put us up for the evening and she is just fantastic, full of energy and hutzpah (sp?) The next day we headed out to the family townhouse on Flathead Lake. The scenery is incredible and the house is gorgeous. Our room had a jacuzzi tub which I had to try out after almost kicking my husbands ass at Monopoly. I am absolutely not a competitive person, so to see the heckling and take part was a blast. I also really enjoyed Bridgers rendition of 'Liquidation' - you'll probably see it on Itunes soon. Shana and I spent a lot of time talking about kids, and she gave me great advice - our parenting styles are very similar. The next day we all drove up to Glacier National Park - as far as they would let us go, it was such a spectacle. I am one of these people that is absolutely amazed by nature, and LOVE to experience new areas. If Montana had saltwater - I would move in a heartbeat. Our next adventure with the Stratfords could possibly be July 4th next year...more good times with Trav's sick sense of humor, Bridger's songs, Shana's sweetness, Finley's 'no no no, not', Billy's jokes (cannibalistic clowns), Dar Dar's warm personality, Krissy's infectious laughter, Jackson's intelligent tween-ness, Zekey's cuteness, and just their all around family togetherness. I love this place and these people. Oh and John Denver? I get it. The skies are wild.

32nd year

So September was a fantastic month. We took a trip to Oregon with TJ, my husband bought me a new purse for birthday/anniversary, I was treated to a 'Missy Day' by my good friend Cat - including a mani/pedi and just some precious alone time, and my wonderful family threw me a birthday party. It was a great time with the Riffles, Tuckers and even the Martinez Family. We also had a visit from Rexy's cousin Conor and his girlfriend Naomi, and I had an evening to enjoy Phantom of the Opera at the Paramount with some good friends from VSC. The icing on the proverbial cake - Rex got a new job at a company he has really been interested in. That means it is time to start looking for a second car again! It also means that he will be happy when he goes to work.

Our son is growing so quickly, last night for the first time he laughed. A genuine 'oh my god mom you are so funny' laugh. It brought tears to my eyes, then I spent an hour trying to get him to do it again. He is such an easy child, he never cries, he smiles all the time, he makes this whole baby thing seem pretty easy. Now I'm on the lookout for a video camera so we can really document all these moments.

mmm - smelly goodness

That's right all - I am selling Body Shop Products! I absolutely love the company's mission, and that they do not test on animals (something I've always been passionate about.) Being an at home consultant also means that I get to offer items at a reduced price, and also show and sell products before they are even on store shelves! I'll keep you in the loop when I can offer special deals and prices. And if you want to have a fun foot spa night, or a facial night, or even just a wine night with some catalogs...(mmm wine) let me know!

our favorite place on earth.

Neskowin. We love this place. We are so happy that Tucker will get a chance to experience this place as I did as a child. We trekked down at night while he was sleeping and had no problems. He was an angel the entire time, and loved putting his toes in the sand! My mother informed me that my first trip to the beach was at 5 weeks old - this seems to be the theme in the family. It was a bittersweet trip for me in the sense that I feel close to my grandfather here, I really wish that he could meet Tucker. I lost him when I was still relatively young and really hope that Tucker has a chance to spend time with his grandparents as much as possible. I came down to Neskowin every summer with my grandparents and those are times that I remember with such fondness. There is something special about this place. We love taking people down with us, let us know if you'd like to tag along. You will not be disappointed.

So here we are....

I am totally going to be one of those crazy parents that has tons of photos and annoys everyone with pictures of their child. What can I say, we're pretty proud. And we kind of love this little guy.

so that's why they call it 'labor'

Our original due date was June 14th but the little bean inside me had different plans. My blood pressure was pretty high towards the end of pregnancy so they decided to induce as opposed to risking pre-eclampsia. I was induced with Cervadil (sp?) June 20th and kept overnight at the hospital for monitoring. That was a strange experience for someone who has never stayed in a hospital! I was in love with all my nurses and doctors, my room had an amazing view of Port Townsend and a HUGE tub. They let me go Saturday morning as I wasn't really progressing too much, it's always better to go through the process at home. My intentions were to stay at home as long as possible and to have a natural childbirth. Well as soon as my contractions were very painful that all changed. Rex's parents Roger and Franny were here visiting and they got to listen to me moaning in my room...finally we went to the hospital for the second time and the wonderful nurse sent me home after letting me take a bath in the giant tub. We went to my doctor on Monday to find out if I was progressing AT ALL - and I had only just begun to dilate. Mind you I have been having intense contractions since Saturday - not such good news. Once she heard what discomfort I was in she checked me right in to the hospital to labor through it. I continued with the extremely intense contractions that were increasing in strength and frequency until Tuesday afternoon when I was fully dilated and my water broke. My family was in the waiting room throughout all of this, including my in-laws and my Uncle Rob, my parents, my sister, and my grandmother. I think at one point Franny, my mom and my g-mom set up chairs outside my room to listen to me yelling. Oh and the word of choice was MotherFucker. What a lady! I was finally allowed to push and I could just tell something wasn't right. After 2 hours of pushing I looked my doctor in the eye and said 'something is wrong' I think she saw my fear and concern so we moved forward with the Cesarean. Thank god for Epidural and Morphine.

Tucker John Riffle was brought into this world at 5:23 p.m. weighing in at 8 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches long. He had a 'true knot' in his cord that kept him from descending into proper position for birth. Had I continued to push - he could have been a very sick baby. Thank god for instinct, my husband, my family, my doctors, and the nurses. This was such an incredible experience for me despite all the drama associated with it. This taught me that despite all the intentions and planning, mother nature is going to do things as she sees fit. I love the end result with all my heart.