We filmed this the day we got back from Disneyland. (June 19, 2010)
Seriously?!
16 years ago
Family Reunion - Disneyland Etc.
In June we had the Hutchings Family Reunion in Southern California. I was a little nervous before the trip because Grant was only 6-weeks old. Going to visit family is one thing, but we were going to travel on an airplane, visit Disneyland and the beach. That's a lot for a 6-week-old! But he really did great and we were able to enjoy a wonderful trip.
The Seattle-Tacoma airport has huge windows that look over the tarmac where you can watch the planes coming and going. It was a dream come true for a curious 2 1/2 year-old.
The first day we went to Disneyland. Disney did a promotion where you give a day of service and get a free ticket to one of the Disney parks. Seth and I both spent a day bagging frozen carrots at a food bank cannery, so we both got free tickets to Disneyland. And our kids are young enough that they get in free. So we got the whole family in for a day at Disneyland, absolutely free! You can't beat that!
I wanted Kayla to appreciate her day at Disneyland so we looked up which movies had corresponding rides and checked them out from our local library. We did most of this movie watching in the first few weeks after we brought the baby home from the hospital. It helped with that initial adjustment period.
The first ride of the day was Peter Pan
The whole family on the Storybook Land Canal Boats. (There are certain rides that I normally would consider a waste of precious Disney time, but then you go to Disneyland with a 2 year old and they are the best rides in the park!)
Kayla on Jungle Cruise
One of Kayla's favorites, Dumbo Fly
And Kayla's very favorite, Small World
Kayla was most excited to meet the different characters. The one she was most excited to meet was Tinkerbell. We waited in line for half an hour to meet her, but it was well worth it.
Kayla and cousins meet Winnie the Pooh.
Kayla was very excited to tell Tigger that she had a Tigger toothbrush. Tigger gave her the thumbs up.
Despite her facial expressions, Kayla was very excited to meet Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.
After we put the kiddos to bed, Grandma and Grandpa stayed at the hotel to watch them while the Aunts and Uncles went back to ride some of the big rides.
It was a pretty awesome day. Grant did amazingly well, happy to hang out in the sling and snooze most of the day. What a trooper.
Playing in the sand
Burying Uncle Devin
Grant mostly hung out in his stroller
The rest of the week was spent bonding with family
The Family Portraits
Grandpa with the girl cousins
Grandpa with the boy cousins
It was a wonderful trip. A special thank you to two wonderful people who made it all possible. Thank you for everything Maga and Paki. I have the best in-laws a girl could ever ask for.
The Seattle-Tacoma airport has huge windows that look over the tarmac where you can watch the planes coming and going. It was a dream come true for a curious 2 1/2 year-old.
The first day we went to Disneyland. Disney did a promotion where you give a day of service and get a free ticket to one of the Disney parks. Seth and I both spent a day bagging frozen carrots at a food bank cannery, so we both got free tickets to Disneyland. And our kids are young enough that they get in free. So we got the whole family in for a day at Disneyland, absolutely free! You can't beat that!I wanted Kayla to appreciate her day at Disneyland so we looked up which movies had corresponding rides and checked them out from our local library. We did most of this movie watching in the first few weeks after we brought the baby home from the hospital. It helped with that initial adjustment period.
The first ride of the day was Peter Pan
The whole family on the Storybook Land Canal Boats. (There are certain rides that I normally would consider a waste of precious Disney time, but then you go to Disneyland with a 2 year old and they are the best rides in the park!)
Kayla on Jungle Cruise
One of Kayla's favorites, Dumbo Fly
And Kayla's very favorite, Small World
Kayla was most excited to meet the different characters. The one she was most excited to meet was Tinkerbell. We waited in line for half an hour to meet her, but it was well worth it.
Kayla and cousins meet Winnie the Pooh.
Kayla was very excited to tell Tigger that she had a Tigger toothbrush. Tigger gave her the thumbs up.
Despite her facial expressions, Kayla was very excited to meet Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.
After we put the kiddos to bed, Grandma and Grandpa stayed at the hotel to watch them while the Aunts and Uncles went back to ride some of the big rides.
It was a pretty awesome day. Grant did amazingly well, happy to hang out in the sling and snooze most of the day. What a trooper.A day at the beach.
Playing in the sand
Burying Uncle Devin
Grant mostly hung out in his stroller
The rest of the week was spent bonding with family
The Family Portraits
Grandpa with the girl cousins
Grandpa with the boy cousins
It was a wonderful trip. A special thank you to two wonderful people who made it all possible. Thank you for everything Maga and Paki. I have the best in-laws a girl could ever ask for.
One Month Old and Other Happenings
Grant had his one month check up this week. Here are his stats:
Weight: 10lb 15.5 oz (75%)
Height: 22.5" (78%)
Head Circumference: 15.6" (76%)
He is healthy and developing well. He is doing a good job of "tracking" which is following objects with his eyes. He even turns his head back and forth while tracking which is really good for a five week old (we're so proud). He has a pretty easy temperment, only fussing when he is hungry, needs a diaper change or needs a cuddle. He has even let us get a 4 hour block of sleep a few times. In the last week or so Dad has gotten the first real smiles out of him!
I made sure to film Grant's "newborn cry" before it disappears.
(2 1/2 weeks old)
Kayla has been an excellent big sister. Here is a video of the first time she held Grant in the hospital:
(Grant wasn't actually "nakey." He was wearing a diaper. But just a diaper is "nakey" to Kayla.)
She sings to him...
..and reads to him.
When she wakes up in the morning she wants to cuddle with him.
Here is Kayla just being herself.
Lunch at the playground with neighborhood kids
And finally, Kayla sings the ABCs with some fabulous dance moves:
Weight: 10lb 15.5 oz (75%)
Height: 22.5" (78%)
Head Circumference: 15.6" (76%)
He is healthy and developing well. He is doing a good job of "tracking" which is following objects with his eyes. He even turns his head back and forth while tracking which is really good for a five week old (we're so proud). He has a pretty easy temperment, only fussing when he is hungry, needs a diaper change or needs a cuddle. He has even let us get a 4 hour block of sleep a few times. In the last week or so Dad has gotten the first real smiles out of him!
I made sure to film Grant's "newborn cry" before it disappears.
(2 1/2 weeks old)
Cuddle time with Daddy
Just a photo of an outfit I like. He looks like a little Seth.
Just a photo of an outfit I like. He looks like a little Seth.
Kayla has been an excellent big sister. Here is a video of the first time she held Grant in the hospital:
(Grant wasn't actually "nakey." He was wearing a diaper. But just a diaper is "nakey" to Kayla.)
She sings to him...
..and reads to him.
When she wakes up in the morning she wants to cuddle with him.
Here is Kayla just being herself.
Lunch at the playground with neighborhood kids
Grant's Baby Blessing and a Visit from Grandma and Grandpa
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints babies receive a special blessing, usually given by the baby's father, that happens during one of our sacrament meetings (the regular Sunday worship service). Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and we were able to do Grant's blessing while they were here. Seth gave Grant a wonderful, inspired blessing. It was a very special day.
Grant in his white blessing outfit.
The white blanket was knitted by Grant's Great Grandma.
I just love the little bow tie!
The rest of the week the kids had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa doing things like playing at the park and building a raised garden box!
Grandma and Grandpa, we are so happy you came to visit. We had a great time!
Grant in his white blessing outfit.The white blanket was knitted by Grant's Great Grandma.
I just love the little bow tie!The rest of the week the kids had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa doing things like playing at the park and building a raised garden box!
Grandma and Grandpa, we are so happy you came to visit. We had a great time!
Welcome Baby Grant!
At two weeks over due, our baby finally decided to make his entrance into this world. And he decided to do it with a bang.
Monday, May 3rd, I woke up from a nap at 1:40 in the afternoon with a very intense contraction. More contractions followed fast and furious. I called Seth in, who was luckily working from home that day, to time the contractions. They were lasting more than a minute and were less than two minutes apart. After timing a few contractions I realized I was having the urge to push. With difficulty we got into the car. I rode in the back seat on hands an knees as it was the only position I could tolerate. As we were driving it became clear to me that I would not be able to get out of the car once we got to the birth center. We pulled in to the parking lot and Seth ran inside to get help. In moments I was surrounded by about five midwives and a few minutes later, at 2:50 pm, delivered our 9 lb 11 oz baby boy in the back seat of our Subaru Outback. Labor took only one hour and ten minutes.
Baby Grant didn't breathe on his own for quite a while so he was transferred to the NICU. The doctor said that the trauma of the fast labor basically put him into shock. He had to have a breathing tube, an IV and about three monitors on him. The first concerns were the oxygen levels in his blood. When he fussed and cried, his blood oxygen levels would go down, which the doctor said were signs of trauma. There was also concern about how much oxygen he was getting when he was initially being resuscitated immediately after birth. Grant had an MRI. As we waited for the results, he had a very comforting Priesthood blessing. We were very relieved when the MRI results showed a healthy, normal brain. At about 48 hours, his blood oxygen levels were stable and he was able to have his breathing tubes removed.
The final concerns Grant had to overcome had to do with eating. When babies are eating enough it helps them avoid jaundice and other blood related issues. Grant had a disadvantage in that he was fed only by IV for the first day to make sure that blood was not pulled away from his vital organs to his stomach. As he was able to take more fluids by mouth they would turn down the amount of fluids he got through his IV. It was an exciting day when they were able to take the IV out altogether.
One of the more difficult things was having to be away from Kayla. We were blessed to be in a hospital that is very accommodating to families. Seth and I were able to stay in the hospital with Grant the whole time and Kayla was able to visit. We were also very blessed to have Grandma in town, staying at home with Kayla. Everyday she would bring Kayla to the hospital for lunch and dinner and it was comforting to have that time as a family. We were also very blessed that Grandma would bring us healthy good food everyday so that we didn't have to eat hospital cafeteria food.
On May 9, Mother's Day, our doctor came to give us our discharge papers. We were able to take our little boy home. We spent a total of 6 days in the NICU.
We want to say thank you to family and friends for your prayers. Through this experience we saw so many little miracles and felt God's comforting touch. I know our Father in Heaven was watching over us and that He cares about our family and our little boy. I have a strong testimony of the healing power of Priesthood blessings. I know God hears and answers prayers. The week we spent in the NICU was one of the more difficult weeks of my life, but I am thankful for the experience because we were able to see God's hand in so many ways. I am so thankful to my Father in Heaven for everything He did to take care of our family.
Daddy holding Grant, attached to several wires
Grant with Grandma
Kayla holding "Baby Brudder"
the nurses made this for our door
Getting oxygen tubes removed
Less wires, out of the incubator, a step closer to going home
First Bath
In the car seat to go home
home at last
Monday, May 3rd, I woke up from a nap at 1:40 in the afternoon with a very intense contraction. More contractions followed fast and furious. I called Seth in, who was luckily working from home that day, to time the contractions. They were lasting more than a minute and were less than two minutes apart. After timing a few contractions I realized I was having the urge to push. With difficulty we got into the car. I rode in the back seat on hands an knees as it was the only position I could tolerate. As we were driving it became clear to me that I would not be able to get out of the car once we got to the birth center. We pulled in to the parking lot and Seth ran inside to get help. In moments I was surrounded by about five midwives and a few minutes later, at 2:50 pm, delivered our 9 lb 11 oz baby boy in the back seat of our Subaru Outback. Labor took only one hour and ten minutes.
Baby Grant didn't breathe on his own for quite a while so he was transferred to the NICU. The doctor said that the trauma of the fast labor basically put him into shock. He had to have a breathing tube, an IV and about three monitors on him. The first concerns were the oxygen levels in his blood. When he fussed and cried, his blood oxygen levels would go down, which the doctor said were signs of trauma. There was also concern about how much oxygen he was getting when he was initially being resuscitated immediately after birth. Grant had an MRI. As we waited for the results, he had a very comforting Priesthood blessing. We were very relieved when the MRI results showed a healthy, normal brain. At about 48 hours, his blood oxygen levels were stable and he was able to have his breathing tubes removed.
The final concerns Grant had to overcome had to do with eating. When babies are eating enough it helps them avoid jaundice and other blood related issues. Grant had a disadvantage in that he was fed only by IV for the first day to make sure that blood was not pulled away from his vital organs to his stomach. As he was able to take more fluids by mouth they would turn down the amount of fluids he got through his IV. It was an exciting day when they were able to take the IV out altogether.
One of the more difficult things was having to be away from Kayla. We were blessed to be in a hospital that is very accommodating to families. Seth and I were able to stay in the hospital with Grant the whole time and Kayla was able to visit. We were also very blessed to have Grandma in town, staying at home with Kayla. Everyday she would bring Kayla to the hospital for lunch and dinner and it was comforting to have that time as a family. We were also very blessed that Grandma would bring us healthy good food everyday so that we didn't have to eat hospital cafeteria food.
On May 9, Mother's Day, our doctor came to give us our discharge papers. We were able to take our little boy home. We spent a total of 6 days in the NICU.
We want to say thank you to family and friends for your prayers. Through this experience we saw so many little miracles and felt God's comforting touch. I know our Father in Heaven was watching over us and that He cares about our family and our little boy. I have a strong testimony of the healing power of Priesthood blessings. I know God hears and answers prayers. The week we spent in the NICU was one of the more difficult weeks of my life, but I am thankful for the experience because we were able to see God's hand in so many ways. I am so thankful to my Father in Heaven for everything He did to take care of our family.
41 weeks pregnant
In the NICU
Grant with all his monitors
First Family Photo
In the NICU
Grant with all his monitors
First Family Photo
Daddy holding Grant, attached to several wires
Grant with Grandma
Kayla holding "Baby Brudder"
the nurses made this for our door
Getting oxygen tubes removed
Less wires, out of the incubator, a step closer to going home
First Bath
In the car seat to go home
home at last
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