Friday, August 3, 2012
Blog Under Construction
Pardon our clashing colors as we update the blog. Soon to come: the Petersen Palooza in 3D! Just kidding. But something equally as cool.
Ben's Triathlon
On July 14th Ben and his mom Jane did the Echo sprint Triathlon in Coalville, Utah. Ben trained for nearly seven months, waking up at 5am to swim, bike, and run. On a side note, for those of you who know me well and just read that, it's a miracle we ever ended up together isn't it? :) Anyway, they both did great. Nayeli and I cheered loud as we watched them...
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| swim about 1/2 mile (Ben got kicked and punched a few times)... |
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| run from the swim... |
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| finish the 12 mile bike ride... |
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| and transition to the 5k (3.2 mile) run. |
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| Jane (left) and Ben (right)) both finished super strong! We were cheering so loud! |
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| Except Nayeli. She couldn't miss her morning nap. |
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| Ben did great! He finished 66th out of 280! I was so proud! |
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| With our friend Parker Woody who also did the triathlon |
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| This is the second time Jane has raced one of her sons in a triathlon. It's almost like a tradition now. And to Liesl my sister-in-law, the tradition of breastfeeding in the dirt lives on. |
Final Times: Ben 01:27:27.8
Jane 01:41:14.4
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| Our family at the finish line |
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| I am so in love with Ben. Sorry for the mushy picture. |
Friday, July 27, 2012
The name Nigh-yell-ee
Having given our daughter the name Nayeli, we get a lot of interesting looks and comments. I think most people believe we just wanted to be ultra unique and picked the most crazy name we could find in "5,000 Baby Names". Sometimes we jokingly tell them that soon before she was born we played scrabble and rearranged all the letters that were left over to make a name. In reality, it has a good story behind it, so I thought I'd record it here.
On my mission in Belize I was in an area called Belmopan for nine months. In the branch there was a little girl named Nayeli. I loved the name and always remembered it. After my mission, I met Ben and since he also served among Latinos, the language and culture has always been very dear to us.
Later, when we got pregnant and were deciding on a name, I suggested the name Nayeli. Surprisingly, Ben had also encountered that name on his mission in Louisiana. And since we had wanted to give her a Latin name anyway, Nayeli seemed like a perfect fit.
Our research yielded these results:
Pronunciation: Nigh-yell-ee
Origin: Zapotec Indian (Mexico)
Meaning: "I love you" in the Zapotec Indian language
When I saw the meaning, I fell in love with the name. I've always believed in names that have a meaning. And it turns out it is a very common Mexican name. In fact one Mexican girl told us, "All the pretty girls in Mexico are named Nayeli". She probably just said it to make us feel good, but it brought a smile to my face just the same.
And as she grows the name fits her perfectly. We love our sweet daughter so much and now I can't imagine a name that would fit her better. It's true what they say- the person makes the name.
Lake Powell
At the end of June (right after Nayeli's blessing) we went with Ben's family to Lake Powell. It was only my second time but super fun. We enjoyed swimming, jet skiing,water skiing, good company and great food. And of course Nayeli had a great time.
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| Isn't she just the sweetest thing you ever saw? She has such a pleasant personality. |
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| Can you guess what Nayeli thought of the life jacket? Not her favorite. |
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| Family picture from the top of the houseboat. I forgot to mention that I chopped five inches off my hair sometime in June. It's been great for summer and with Nayeli, but doesn't fit in a ponytail yet. Thus the pigtails. Not my favorite (I feel like a child) but functional. |
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Nayeli's Blessing
Last week we blessed our sweet Nayeli in church. It was a great experience. We had all the Petersens down from Ogden since we were leaving for Lake Powell that afternoon. My mom, being the amazing woman she is, got her back porch ready for a brunch with about 60 people. Of course everything looked fantastic.
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| All the delicious food |
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| Ben and his Grandma Nyla |
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| Sammy and David- Ben's Brother and Dad |
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| The blessing was beautiful. Here is everyone together, about 50 people. So many people who love Nayeli :) |
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| Jane, Me Ben, Nayeli, Chelsea, Sam |
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| Ben, Nayeli and I with my parents |
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Born to Suck
I've promised a few people I'd publish this photo. This is what Nayeli's left hand looked like right after she was born.While in the womb she gotten a hold of her hand and sucked until she'd given herself a good hicky. Thus, the reason breastfeeding was quite a challenge at the beginning. I'm just glad she's recently found her hands.
Nayeli's birth
Finally, two months later, here is the epistle of Nayeli's birth. Please be prepared for a story and picture overload.
On my due date, March 27th, I went to the doctor's office. I was only dilated to a 2 so I let him strip my membranes. He told me it might not put me into labor but that if I hadn't delivered by April 3rd they would induce me.
After my appointment I was determined to go into labor. I walked to the mall and went around it once. By the end of my walk I was starting to feel contractions but by the time I got home they had stopped. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful- we ate fajitas for dinner and by 11 we were in bed.
I'd had so many Braxton Hicks during the pregnancy that I didn't think much of them. However right as we got into bed I told Ben, "I think these ones are stronger". But I ignored it because I figured that if they were the real deal, they'd wake me up.
At 12:30 am I was awakened by pain in my stomach. I thought, "Man those fajitas aren't settling well". So I went to the bathroom. After going multiple times and having diarrhea, I thought I would feel better. However the pain continued to get worse and worse. By 1 am I was pacing in the bathroom and having to do counter-pressure on my legs (side note: counter-pressure is when you put pressure on the area that you're having pain. It did wonders for me during labor. Kept me sane). Anyway, by 1:20 I'd decided I needed to wake Ben up. It took me saying his name about eight times before he woke up. Poor guy, he was exhausted.
By then my contractions were getting stronger. However I still didn't think I was in labor. I told Ben, "Let's just go to the hospital and if I'm not in labor they can just give me a shot". He later told me that the whole time I was getting ready he was thinking, "All they're going to do is give her a shot and that's it". Ha ha, good thing he didn't say that out loud at the time.
I was trying to finish packing my hospital bag but the contractions were too close together for me to concentrate. That should have been a red flag to me, but I honestly couldn't process it. Every time my contraction would peak I'd have Ben do counter-pressure on my back, then run to pack more of my hospital bag until the next contraction. I couldn't even think because of the pain- I ended up packing numerous things I didn't need including a pomade I haven't used in my hair in two years.
When we got in the car Ben was still half asleep and as he drove I was writhing in pain. I then realized he was going 5 mph under the speed limit and stopping at all the red lights, even if no one was around. I said some choice words that may have included, "You get me to the hospital right now or else!" Poor Ben, he still thought we were just going for a pain shot.
We got to the hospital at 1:40 but our entrance was slowed because I kept making Ben stop to push on my back at the peak of my contractions. Still, I didn't realized I was in labor. What a dunce, huh? We finally arrived at the triage desk of Labor and Delivery and I gave the girl my information. I had pre-registered almost two months before so I wouldn't have to deal with paperwork when I arrived so I was a little frustrated when the girl took a few minutes to have me verify information, sign some things, blah blah blah. I'm so proud to say I didn't chew her out but that I was very kind. Honestly, it took every ounce of self control I had.
I'm going to digress for a second to say how surprised I was at how bad the contractions hurt. I never could have imagined pain like that. Granted I've never had a lot of pain in my life, but by the time we got to the hospital I could barely breathe through the contractions. It was a pain much more tremendous than anything I had ever experienced. And I felt very ill-prepared, very taken off-guard. Although I don't think anything could have prepared me for it.
Back to the story. As we walked back to a room so they could check me, I saw my doctor sitting at the desk. That was such a relief to know he was close. He had just done another delivery. The nurse walked me into a room and told me to get into a gown. That was a challenge. By now I was shaking because I had no time to recover between the contractions. I shoved my clothes in the bag they'd given me and laid on the bed. I was still expecting to be told I was dilated to a 2, given a pain shot, and sent home.
Lo and behold I was dilated to a 5 and 90% effaced! Woo hoo! I'd done half my labor at home! When the nurse told me, "You're not going home tonight" I was ecstatic. The doctor then came in, told me he'd stick around and then asked if I wanted an epidural. I told him, "Yes, please" and the anesthesiologist was called. But before I continue the story, let's watch a video that Ben filmed while I was in labor, pre-epidural. I still can't decide whether to be mad or thank him for filming this.
The anethesiologist did a great job (even though it was really hard to hold still during the contractions) and by 2 am my epidural was in. I'll just interject to say that I respect women who labor naturally, but for me an epidural was the right choice. Ben and I were then able to relax and rest while my body progressed. By 2:53 am I was dilated to a 7 and 100% effaced. The doctor then came in and broke my water and then he and the nurse left us to rest awhile longer.
Even though Ben fell asleep I could only rest and think. I was sooooo excited. It was like Christmas morning but better. The nurse came in to check us again at 4:35 and found... I was already dilated to a 10! She called the doctor then prepped me for pushing.
Nayeli had always been low in my pelvis the entire pregnancy so when I was prepped for pushing you could already see her head. I asked to use the mirror and am so glad I did. At first I thought,"Oh my gosh is that what everyone in this room is looking at? How embarrassing!" Ha ha. But I loved being able to see her cute dark-haired head as she came down the birth canal. And it helped so much to see my progress. It was motivating.
At 5:30 am they started to have me push. Obviously I had no movement or sensation in my legs so Ben held one leg and the nurse the other. They coached me with pushing and breathing. At first it seemed like I wasn't making any progress but then the nurse grabbed the doctor at 5:50 so I could deliver. The nice thing was that because of the epidural I had a lot of energy to push.
One issue was the size of the opening. The doctor mentioned that he didn't think he'd have to cut me, but he still took the time to stretch me so I wouldn't tear too much. At some point Ben said in amazement something like, "She's never going to fit through that little hole!" Ha ha. That still makes me laugh. Ben never has a problem saying what he's thinking.
So I pushed, vomited a few times, then pushed some more. She had the cord wrapped around her neck but didn't show distress until she was in the birth canal. That's why it was such a relief when at 6:02 am on Wednesday March 28th, Nayeli Jane Petersen was born.
She weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and was 18 inches long. We held and adored her, I breastfed for the first time, and then Ben accompanied Nayeli to the nursery for her first bath while I was moved to Mother Baby.
Final verdict: birth is a miracle. What a privilege to bring a person into this life. I don't think there's anything more special.
On my due date, March 27th, I went to the doctor's office. I was only dilated to a 2 so I let him strip my membranes. He told me it might not put me into labor but that if I hadn't delivered by April 3rd they would induce me.
After my appointment I was determined to go into labor. I walked to the mall and went around it once. By the end of my walk I was starting to feel contractions but by the time I got home they had stopped. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful- we ate fajitas for dinner and by 11 we were in bed.
I'd had so many Braxton Hicks during the pregnancy that I didn't think much of them. However right as we got into bed I told Ben, "I think these ones are stronger". But I ignored it because I figured that if they were the real deal, they'd wake me up.
At 12:30 am I was awakened by pain in my stomach. I thought, "Man those fajitas aren't settling well". So I went to the bathroom. After going multiple times and having diarrhea, I thought I would feel better. However the pain continued to get worse and worse. By 1 am I was pacing in the bathroom and having to do counter-pressure on my legs (side note: counter-pressure is when you put pressure on the area that you're having pain. It did wonders for me during labor. Kept me sane). Anyway, by 1:20 I'd decided I needed to wake Ben up. It took me saying his name about eight times before he woke up. Poor guy, he was exhausted.
By then my contractions were getting stronger. However I still didn't think I was in labor. I told Ben, "Let's just go to the hospital and if I'm not in labor they can just give me a shot". He later told me that the whole time I was getting ready he was thinking, "All they're going to do is give her a shot and that's it". Ha ha, good thing he didn't say that out loud at the time.
I was trying to finish packing my hospital bag but the contractions were too close together for me to concentrate. That should have been a red flag to me, but I honestly couldn't process it. Every time my contraction would peak I'd have Ben do counter-pressure on my back, then run to pack more of my hospital bag until the next contraction. I couldn't even think because of the pain- I ended up packing numerous things I didn't need including a pomade I haven't used in my hair in two years.
When we got in the car Ben was still half asleep and as he drove I was writhing in pain. I then realized he was going 5 mph under the speed limit and stopping at all the red lights, even if no one was around. I said some choice words that may have included, "You get me to the hospital right now or else!" Poor Ben, he still thought we were just going for a pain shot.
We got to the hospital at 1:40 but our entrance was slowed because I kept making Ben stop to push on my back at the peak of my contractions. Still, I didn't realized I was in labor. What a dunce, huh? We finally arrived at the triage desk of Labor and Delivery and I gave the girl my information. I had pre-registered almost two months before so I wouldn't have to deal with paperwork when I arrived so I was a little frustrated when the girl took a few minutes to have me verify information, sign some things, blah blah blah. I'm so proud to say I didn't chew her out but that I was very kind. Honestly, it took every ounce of self control I had.
I'm going to digress for a second to say how surprised I was at how bad the contractions hurt. I never could have imagined pain like that. Granted I've never had a lot of pain in my life, but by the time we got to the hospital I could barely breathe through the contractions. It was a pain much more tremendous than anything I had ever experienced. And I felt very ill-prepared, very taken off-guard. Although I don't think anything could have prepared me for it.
Back to the story. As we walked back to a room so they could check me, I saw my doctor sitting at the desk. That was such a relief to know he was close. He had just done another delivery. The nurse walked me into a room and told me to get into a gown. That was a challenge. By now I was shaking because I had no time to recover between the contractions. I shoved my clothes in the bag they'd given me and laid on the bed. I was still expecting to be told I was dilated to a 2, given a pain shot, and sent home.
Lo and behold I was dilated to a 5 and 90% effaced! Woo hoo! I'd done half my labor at home! When the nurse told me, "You're not going home tonight" I was ecstatic. The doctor then came in, told me he'd stick around and then asked if I wanted an epidural. I told him, "Yes, please" and the anesthesiologist was called. But before I continue the story, let's watch a video that Ben filmed while I was in labor, pre-epidural. I still can't decide whether to be mad or thank him for filming this.
The anethesiologist did a great job (even though it was really hard to hold still during the contractions) and by 2 am my epidural was in. I'll just interject to say that I respect women who labor naturally, but for me an epidural was the right choice. Ben and I were then able to relax and rest while my body progressed. By 2:53 am I was dilated to a 7 and 100% effaced. The doctor then came in and broke my water and then he and the nurse left us to rest awhile longer.
Even though Ben fell asleep I could only rest and think. I was sooooo excited. It was like Christmas morning but better. The nurse came in to check us again at 4:35 and found... I was already dilated to a 10! She called the doctor then prepped me for pushing.
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| Right before I started to push. Pretty chipper, huh? Ben reports I said something like, "I can't believe I'm having a baby. This is so fun!" I don't really remember that but he wrote it down when I said it so I guess I have to believe it :) |
Nayeli had always been low in my pelvis the entire pregnancy so when I was prepped for pushing you could already see her head. I asked to use the mirror and am so glad I did. At first I thought,"Oh my gosh is that what everyone in this room is looking at? How embarrassing!" Ha ha. But I loved being able to see her cute dark-haired head as she came down the birth canal. And it helped so much to see my progress. It was motivating.
At 5:30 am they started to have me push. Obviously I had no movement or sensation in my legs so Ben held one leg and the nurse the other. They coached me with pushing and breathing. At first it seemed like I wasn't making any progress but then the nurse grabbed the doctor at 5:50 so I could deliver. The nice thing was that because of the epidural I had a lot of energy to push.
One issue was the size of the opening. The doctor mentioned that he didn't think he'd have to cut me, but he still took the time to stretch me so I wouldn't tear too much. At some point Ben said in amazement something like, "She's never going to fit through that little hole!" Ha ha. That still makes me laugh. Ben never has a problem saying what he's thinking.
So I pushed, vomited a few times, then pushed some more. She had the cord wrapped around her neck but didn't show distress until she was in the birth canal. That's why it was such a relief when at 6:02 am on Wednesday March 28th, Nayeli Jane Petersen was born.
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| Our first sight of our baby :) |
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| The doctor offered to let Ben cut the cord but he declined :) Ben would much rather be behind the camera than deal with bodily fluids. |
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| She was a bit purple but pinked up quickly. |
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| When they put her onto my chest I couldn't control my emotions. She was so beautiful. And she was ours! |
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| A friend told me that when she got to heaven she'd ask to relive the birth of each her children. I now understand why she said that. It was such a beautiful, spiritual experience. I can't even describe it. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. |
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| The proud papa |
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| Our awesome nurse Jessica |
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| Our family |
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| My amazing doctor Dr. Drewes from Valley OB |
She weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and was 18 inches long. We held and adored her, I breastfed for the first time, and then Ben accompanied Nayeli to the nursery for her first bath while I was moved to Mother Baby.
Final verdict: birth is a miracle. What a privilege to bring a person into this life. I don't think there's anything more special.
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