She's Here!

Olivia Sharon Hamilton
Born June 25th 2009
7 pounds 8 ounces
20 inches


At this moment, I was totally crying. I felt this enormous relief that everything was okay and I also felt this pang of sadness that I will never experience this again (the holding a new baby part, not the being cut open part).

Derek was very interested in what I was holding. He was surprisingly gentle and shy. Unfortunately, her body temp was a little low so all the early visitors didn't get to hold her because she had to be skin-to-skin with me.

They even ended up putting her under the lights to try to warm her up. Carter and Sydney were happy to finally get a good look at her.

All pretty in pink for her car ride home. I was feeling good and getting around okay so they let me go home on Saturday. My kids were in the Tri-Cities with my mom at Jordan's wedding so I had an empty, quiet house for a day. It was quite a treat to get to nap when Olivia did and not have anyone checking my vitals constantly.

They adore each other already!

Olivia with her namesake, my Grandma Sharon Hawks.

Baby and mom are doing great! We feel so blessed.

The Big Day

After 39 weeks of anticipation, tomorrow is the big day!
I feel. . .
Nervous about going in for surgery
Confident in my doctor's ability to perform the surgery
Comforted that my husband has the priesthood and can give me a blessing so I can feel calm tomorrow
Blessed that I have amazing family here that will take care of my other kids
Excited to meet the newest member of our family
Overwhelmed at the responsibility of being a mother of four
Scared about what's coming (sleepless nights, jealous siblings, weight loss)
Thrilled about the joy and happiness this baby will bring into all of our lives now and in the future

What is in a name?

Each time we have a child, it gets harder to name them. We only have 11 days until baby girl Hamilton is born and she has no name. Here is part of our problem. . .

Garth's Criteria

No seasons (Spring, Summer)

No months (May, June)

No jewels or stones (Pearl, Opal)

No Christian values (Hope, Charity, Chastity)

No bad associations with kids from school.

My Criteria

Not a fan of unisex names.

No creative spellings (like Jennifer spelled Genyphur)

Must go with the family middle name I have chosen.

No bad associations with kids I've coached/taught

We have narrowed it down to a few but we are having a hard time agreeing on one.
Our top choices are. . .

Layla Sharon

Claire Sharon

Cherise Lynn

Olivia Sharon

Last time, Derek made the list the week before surgery so it is possible that it could be something totally different. Who knows?

Another Reason

Last weekend, Garth had 56 yards of gravel delivered to our house. We had to finish off the driveway and also wanted to gravel all along our back fence to keep the weeds out of the 5 ft. between our fence and the street.
Grandpa Norm showed up bright and early with his tractor and worked all morning with Garth. They managed to finish the job in 4 hours or so and I'm sure it would have taken us weeks (not to mention put me into labor) if we had done it ourselves.

Just another reason we are lucky to have Grandpa Norm!

Walk This Way

Since I complained like crazy that it was taking Derek so long to walk, I thought I should post that he is finally walking!
He has been cruising now for about 3 weeks and I kept telling myself I was going to record it and post the video. Honestly, I barely know how to post pictures so I thought by the time I figured it out, he'd be on to running! I had a tough time catching a picture because he is getting pretty fast. As you can see, he is about as excited as I am that he's walking!

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school for Carter. I was there because I was pricing books for an upcoming book sale. When the bell rang, Carter came to find me in the library and completely melted. He was crying saying he didn't want it to be over and he was going to miss his teacher etc. I was a little bit shocked! I knew he loved school but I didn't think he would be so emotional about it ending. I reminded him that he still had a good 16 years or more of school and before he knows it, he'll be a first grader!

These are two awards he got this month that he was very proud of. The first one he earned by doing physical activity. The time was converted into "miles" across our state and he completed the 800 miles in one month.

Then last week, he got Laker of the Month. He had been nominated 4 times this year but this was the first time he got the coveted award. He was so excited at the assembly. He was pumping his fist and grinning from ear to ear. He definitely doesn't lack enthusiasm!

Primary Temple Trip

The theme this year in primary is My Eternal Family. So in an attempt to have a primary activity with meaning, instead of just play time, we took the kids to the temple. It was a wonderful activity. They got to go inside the waiting area and a member of the temple presidency talked to them about why we have temples and how our families can be eternal. He had the kids sing a song to him and his wife also. Then we went outside and did a "hunt" for symbols on the temple (angel Moroni, circles, "holiness to the lord") and explained what they mean. We went behind the temple to the pavilion and had some snacks and headed home. I was so grateful for the support I got from everyone in the ward. I felt like it was a successful activity and the kids were so excited the next day in sharing time to tell us all the things they learned about the temple.

Little Yankee

The last of the springtime activities has come to a close. Carter played Little League again this year. I must admit that I am not a fan of T-ball. All but three of the games were freezing cold and/or windy. As Carter said, "not a light breeze, more like a moderate gale." Most of the games were on Thursdays so I got to take all three kids by myself (Garth has started men's club). Plus, it's just kindof boring every kid gets a hit, they go one base, sometimes they play outs but most of the time not, and there is just no action. Next year he'll be old enough for coach pitch and that should be better. That is, if he decides to play again. A couple of times he has told me that "T-ball is just not his sport. I'd rather play in the NBA." Way to aim high!

Combo Class Conclusion

Sydney and her best friend Preslie joined a tap/ballet class at Julie's Competitive Edge this spring. It was fun to watch her try something "athletic." She is not fast or aggressive so ballet is a great fit for her right now.Since their class didn't go all year, they won't be part of the big show next weekend. Instead they put on these matching purple tutus and did a cute tap dance for all the parents.

Sydney definitely prefers the ballet part of class. She is so dainty and graceful in her little leotard and shoes. Because of my gymnastics roots, there is not much cuter to me than a little girl in a leotard. I hope she continues but she keeps telling me she wants to try basketball and soccer like Carter. I wonder if she realizes she has to run in those sports?

Kindermusik Program

Kindermusik has come to an end. I'm really glad Sydney got to do it this year. She didn't always want to participate (she's not much for crowds or an audience). But she got used to leaving me and listening to a teacher. I think we are ready for Pre-school!

Sydney will rarely perform whether it's at church, in front of grandparents or whatever. Needless to say I was shocked when she got up first and sang Itsy Bitsy Spider all by herself. I almost missed getting it on camera because I didn't expect her to do it!
Cousin Paige was Syd's security blanket. The first semester she wouldn't go in and sit down until Paige was there with her.