Ok, it looks like we are really moving! At least we've put down a deposit, so it would take a major catastrophe to stop us now. The bad news is that we'll be out of the ward boundaries, but it looks like we might keep going to Springfield 2nd until after the primary program (Rachel is the primary president and there isn't a lot of time to get someone else in and up to speed). The location isn't bad: the bike ride is about 10 minutes slower, but the bus ride is 10 minutes faster. Anyway, I guess we better start packing our bags.

Well, it looks like we might be moving before school starts (in a month or so). We've been accepted at one place and are going to take a look at another tomorrow; both are three bedroom appartments. We looked at a lot of houses, but we couldn't find anything in our price range that was near the school. Anyway, Jacob is really excited so I keep telling him it's like when we told him he was going to have a baby sister: it's so far away that you won't really believe that we are moving when we finally do.

Makaylin is doing great. She is now two weeks old and has gained the most weight of any of our children at two weeks old (she is now 7 lbs 6 oz, Jacob was 6 13, and Ethan was barely alive). Here are a couple of pictures that Rachel didn't put on her blog:

At least we know that we have two capable babysitters.

Jacob had a bloody nose earlier in the day, when he took a shower the water mixed with the dried blood (Rachel doesn't like it when I take bloody nose pictures). I think he looks very grown up with that mustache.

This is the trailer behind papa Rogers' vroom vroom (4 wheeler)

Last night while Jacob was saying a prayer, he said:

"and help Makaylin, go in the vroom vroom, and in the trailor"

And Rachel said that in an earlier prayer that day, Jacob said something to the effect of:

"and help Makaylin go in the trailor, but it's too bumpy"

Needless to say, the boys had a really fun week with grandma and papa while Rachel and I enjoyed a child that couldn't talk back.

Rachel got up at 4 am last night to feed Makaylin but they both fell asleep on the couch after a short time. Rachel then woke up at 6 am, and needing to go to the bathroom, discovered Jacob asleep on the floor with dried blood all over his face (from a bloody nose). She woke him up, cleaned him up, and asked him if there was any blood else where.

"ya, on the bed"

Rachel enters our room to discover a pool of dried blood at my feet

"what happened?"

"I told daddy that I had a bloody nose, but he didn't help me"

I guess I'm that good, I can ignore all cries regardless of the source (newborn, infant, toddler); It must be nice to be me ;)

The story: his side

Thursday night as we were going to bed I gave Rachel four kisses, telling her that she would only have four more nights of no sleep, then she might get some in two hour blocks. She was very mad at me, saying that I was cursing her to four more nights, but I told her I had to go with the maximum as I wanted an excuse to kiss her as many times as I could.

Friday morning at 6 am my alarm went off and I crawled out of bed to get dressed for basketball when Rachel told me she had a dream that she was having contractions.

When I got home at 7:30 am she was on the couch saying that she might of had a couple of contractions, but that she wasn't sure. After I took a shower she mentioned that she was pretty sure that she had experienced a couple of real contractions, and that she was going to take a bath.

Since I can work from home (though it takes 12 hours to put in 8), I decided I'd hang out a couple of hours to see if they went away. While she was taking a bath, the boys woke up. When Rachel got out of the bath and I noticed her on the floor (in her favorite "I'm having real contractions" position). So we started getting things ready just in case we needed to go to the hospital.

At about 10:40 her contractions seemed to be pretty close together so we started timing the frequency and duration, which ended up being about every three to four minutes, lasting 30 to 40 seconds. After an hour of timing, a good friend came over and took the boys swimming while we headed off to the hospital.

We got to the hospital at about 12:15; if you really want to get a room fast, just drop to the floor while talking to the admissions staff (this only works if you're the one having the baby). Once in our room Rachel's contractions seemed to be getting harder and we asked for an epidural if we weren't too late. They said she was at a four and that she could probably get one.

At about 1:30 the anesthesiologist made it to our room (there were something like nine women in labor at the same time). He got her hooked up and feeling pretty good (all things considered). Apparently the catheter was a little off to one side as her right leg went completely numb but she kept some feeling in her left.

Rachel's blood pressure dropped a bit so they gave her some drugs to constrict her blood vessels and started her on her second bag of fluid (whatever they were feeding into her IV). Makaylin's heart rate was also a little low (something like 110 beats per minute - they like it above 120, but they weren't too concerned as long as it didn't drop any more than it had).

At 4:15 or so the doctor felt like it was time to start pushing and at 4:25 Rachel was cutting the umbilical cord (something she had been wanting to do). Rachel's parents made it to the hospital around 4:45. Because of swine flu, no children under the age of 12 were allowed up on the fifth floor (where the babies are), so Jacob and Ethan couldn't come and see their baby sister :( They were allowed to see their grandparents though, and even got to go home with them ;)

We were very blessed with a great delivery and excellent medical care.

Makaylin Rae Wittig

A friend (McKay) emailed us suggesting a name she really likes (McKay); then another friend (Lynn) replied to the before mentioned email with the suggestion of McKay Lynn. After we read the emails, we repeated the name McKay Lynn Rae Wittig several times, we really liked it!

Here are some pictures I just took, at first she was sleeping, so I changed her diaper and took a few more. I really like the last two ;)

We (Rachel) had a baby yesterday (Friday); 6 lbs 9 oz, 20.5 in; Jane Doe Wittig