And Three Becomes Four!!! Welcome Carter Gregory West!!!

Carter Gregory West has arrived. We are so excited to have him here and we have a great story to tell..... Hear it is....

On March 25 I had my 38 week doctors appointment and we have had a running joke with the doctor saying that he can come come any day BUT the night of the 25 and early morning on the 26th because Ryan had his Neurology final the next morning at 8:30 (Hence the reason I cannot have the baby this night or the next morning) . My doctor checked me and said I was dialated to a 3 but he was still so high and hadn't dropped. She said we had nothing to worry about and that we would most likely be seeing her in a week for another appointment.
After the appointment that day Ryan and I went home and I layed down to rest while Ryan started to study like crazy. He is super nervous about his test and said he had to study the entire night. That night I put Blake down for bed at 8:00 and layed down to watch T.V. for the rest of the night. At about 10:00 Ryan came home from school because his contacts were hurting his eyes and he needed to switch to his glasses. He then went to study with his friend Eric. He got home about 11:30 and was exhausted and ready for bed.
At about midnight we heard Blake start to cry and went to check on him. I could tell he wasn't feeling well so I took his temperature and it was 103 degrees. So Sad!! Ryan was exhausted and I knew he needed to get some sleep so he could do well on his final the next morning. (I forgot to mention that his spring break started as soon as his test was finished so anytime after the test would be awesome) So Ryan went to bed and I layed on the couch with Blake to watch his fever and see if it would get better with some tylenol. About 2 am I felt a pop in my stomach and thought that the baby had kicked a nerve or something but I felt fine. About 5 minutes later I decided to go to the bathroom and SURPRISE I gushed (sorry if too much info). My water had broken on the one night that we said we could not have this baby. I was still 10 days before my due date. Everyone told us this would happen and we even joked about it ourselves.
We called our friends that said they would take Blake and explained that he was sick and that we didn't want him to get their little boy sick. Tyson ended up coming over to spend the rest of the night with Blake so we could go to the hospital. We headed over to the hospital and the contractions were coming on strong. When we got there we were taken up to labor and delivery and they immediately got me going on an I.V. and an epidural about an hour after we got there. As soon as the epidural started working I was in heaven.
Ryan e-mailed his teacher at 2:30 explaining the situation and asked if it was possible to reschedule his test. Things started to go so smoothly after that. After the epidural they checked me and I was a 5. Forty-five minutes later I was a 6. An hour later I was an 8. An hour after that I was a complete 10. By 7 am that morning they told me I could start pushing when I felt like it. At about 7:30 we decided to give it a try. After about 2 pushes the nurse decided she needed to call the doctor and tell him to get in the room. The doctor on call came in and heard everyone joking with Ryan about his test that started in less than an hour. He looked at Ryan and asked if he wanted to gown up. Ryan got so excited as he got ready and the doctor told Ryan that he was going to deliver our son. (I am tearing up right now) The doctor then proceeded to tell Ryan that his hands would be right there in case something went wrong but he wanted Ryan to do most of the delivery.
About 4 pushes later, Ryan delivered our second son. Carter Gregory West came into the world on March 26th at 7:54 A.M. weighing 7'3 and 20 inches long. We were so happy and even more happy when his teacher e-mailed him back saying that he could reschedule his test and to just worry about his family at this point in time.
The entire labor and delivery went so quickly and smoothly that I couldn't have asked for anything more. I am so happy that Ryan was able to deliver Carter and that he could have that amazing experience. We went home a few days later and still had to keep Carter away from Blake who is still sick. We took Blake to the doctor and he had a double ear infection plus a really bad cold.
When my water first broke we called my mom who was supposed to come a week later and told her what had happened. She immediately got a plane ticket and flew in that night so she could take care of Blake. She had to go home a few days later but returned on her original flight a few days after that. She is here with us now and I am so grateful for everything she has done for us this past week and a half. She is such an amazing woman and I cannot thank her enough. She has truly saved us from so much stress and I love her so much.
Yesterday which was Easter was the first time that Blake was able to hold Carter. We were so sad that we didn't get the hospital pictures with them together but it was so neat to see Blake hold him last night.
I love my little family and am so happy that Blake has a little playmate now to grow up with. We will never forget this night and the crazy way things happen. On a final note Ryan was able to take his test a week later. When he started to study again for it his hard drive crashed and he had no notes to study from and he still did quite well considering everything that had happened.
WHAT A CRAZY WONDERFUL MEMORABLE WEEK!!!

I LOVE MY BOYS SO MUCH!!!

Random Pictures and Fun Things From the Past 2 Months!!

Okay, I have been a horrible blogger lately but here are some updates of the past few months.....

1. To start out, before Thanksgiving we were able to have Jared, Lacee and Brynlee come to visit us here in Colorado for a few days. We had a lot of fun with them and it was good to relax and hang out with them. Here are a few pictures of Blake and Brynlee playing together!!

2. Blake decided that he wanted to use the potty for the first time. One day as we were changing his diaper he stood up and ran staight to the toilet so we thought it would be fun to put him on and as soon as we did he started to go pee-pee. Yay!! We got him a potty chair for his birthday and he loves to go potty on it. He is now almost completely potty trained which we are thrilled about since his little brother will be arriving in about 2 weeks.

3. My wonderful Husband finished his first semester of Med School with two A's and two high B's. He is now almost done with his second semester and is still going strong. He is ready to be done with neuro though and have a little break. I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. He is going to be an amazing doctor and am excited for him to keep learning and progressing towards his goal.

4. I am now 37 1/2 weeks pregnant with our 2nd son. He is due on April 1st and no that's not a joke. We are very excited for this little boy to come and join our family. The pregnancy is going well at the moment. Early pregnancy was not so easy but now that we are passed that part we are getting very excited to welcome this little boy into our family.

Well, I will try to keep everyone updated on what is going on with our family. Have a great night!!!

Happy 3 Year Anniversary Babe!!

On January 5, Ryan and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary!! It seems like only yesterday that we got married and started our lives together. For our anniversary we decided to take a little day trip to Salt Lake and spend some one on one time together. My mom watched Blake for us which was awesome and let us relax and enjoy the day. We started out the day by going to Ogden and going to the Hill Air Force Base museum. The planes at the museum were huge. Ryan knew a lot more about everything there than I did so he had a good time explaining to me the different types of planes and what they were used for and in what war. It was very interesting. After the museum we drove to West Jordan and went to In'N'Out for lunch. It was sooooo good and I wish they had one closer to us here in Parker. Oh Well!! I would probably gain 50 pounds if they did. After Lunch we went to a few different stores and found Ryan some new jeans. That evening we went to see "The Blind Side" which was so good. It is definitly a movie that I would recommend to anyone. After that we drove back to Logan and did a little bit more shopping and then went home. I have to say that it was a perfect day with the perfect husband.

I want Ryan to know how much I love him and how grateful I am for him and all that he does for Blake and I. He is such a caring person and I couldn't have married a more loving man. He is my world and I cannot believe that it has already been three years. He is the most wonderful father to Blake and I am so excited to have this second little guy and see Ryan's interaction with him also. I am so happy that I get to spend the rest of my life and all of eternity with him and want him to know that he is amazing.

Here are a few pictures of Ryan at the museum.

Christmas!!

For Christmas we were able to go to Logan to be with my family. Blake and I decided to fly out a week and a half earlier than Ryan so he could focus on his studying for his finals. WOO HOO!!! 1 semester down. That will be another post though. Ryan drove to Logan on the 21st and we were so happy to be back together. We were able to have our whole family together and it was so fun to see everyone. The plan on Christmas morning to wake up when Blake got up since he had been waking up between 8 and 9 every morning. The plan changed when the next morning Blake decided to wake up at 5 AM. Yikes. We had to keep him quiet for a few hours and finally got everyone up at about 7:45. We had such a great time and loved being together. The next few days were spent playing new games and just hanging out at the house with everyone. Here are some pictures from Christmas day!!

Thanksgiving!!

For Thanksgiving Blake, Ryan, and I flew to Nevada to be with Ryan's family. We had such a great time there. It was an extra special year because Ryan's brother David had just gotten home from his mission the week before. We were so excited to see him and have him meet Blake for the first time. We were able to be there for Thanksgiving and his report at the same time. The family was able to be together which was so special since we are all starting to go our seperate ways due to schooling and moving to different states. We loved being with his family and it was so hard to leave at the end of the week. Here are a few pictures of Thanksgiving weekend.

Happy Birthday Brandon...just a little bit late

Well, somewhere between studying like crazy and several difficult exams I totally spaced posting a blog for my little bro's birthday. Well Brandon, I hope you accept my lame apology enjoy this post.

Happy Halloween!!

Last Night we had so much fun taking Blake trick-or-treating. When we first started we would take him to the door and he would just stand there and stare at the people when they opened the door. As we got into it he would start knocking on the doors and try to open them before the people answered the door. There were a few times where they opened the door and he would fall inside the house. Whenever Blake saw a dog he would try to go into their house and forget all about the candy. He was so much fun and wanted to walk the whole time. We were out for about an hour before we were all frozen and had to come home. We decided on Blakes costume in honor of Ryan's first year at school here and then I thought to myself........We could all wear scrubs. I was so excited because I would be comfortable walking around, Ryan is used to wearing them and Blake just looked so darn cute in them. Here are the pics from last night.

Too Awesome Not to Post!!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday. I saw this on a friends facebook and couldn't keep from chuckling. So here you go......
This is for all the wonderful Mormon's out there!!!!

1. We believe in SUVs and minivans, as the form of transportation, and in knee length shorts, which are always nice, and in multilevel marketing.

2. We believe that church ball players should be punished for their own fouls, and not for unsportsmanlike aggression.

3. We believe that through bread crumbs, cheese, creamy soups, and rice all casseroles can be saved through obedience to ward cookbooks and creativity in the mixing bowl..

4. We believe that the first layers and ingredients of the Dip are: first, beans; second, cheese; third, chopped tomatoes; fourth, the gift of sour cream; fifth, olives; sixth, salsa; seventh, guacamole, that is, if you have it.

5. We believe that a Mormon should have a distinguished or a cute name, that it is appropriate to name a child after a church leader or a historical figure including an ancestor, that alternative spellings and French prefixes only add to a name, and that when referring to the names of General Authorities, middle initials should be a part thereof.

6. We believe in the same wall decor that exists in many Mormon homes, namely, framed family proclamations, vinyl lettering, inspirational word signs, family photos, pictures of temples and Jesus, and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of the re-gift, church books, crafts, family photos, baked goods, emergency supply kits, and so forth.

8. We believe in sparkling grape juice so long as it is nonalcoholic; we also believe in bringing root beer and sprite to ward parties.

9. We believe in all that we have scrapbooked, all that we will now scrapbook, and we believe thatwe will yet scrapbook many great and important things pertaining to our family, friends, pets, and vacations.

10. We believe in the literal mixing of ketchup and mayo and in the generous application of ranch dressing; that CBAs (church-based acronyms) will be used to describe YM/YW, PEC, the Y, NCMO, and CTR; that Mitt Romney will get Mormons to vote for him any time he runs; and, that the Mormons will enjoy reading Twilight and The Work and the Glory.

11. We claim the privilege of trying to identify common acquaintances with any visitor at church, and allow all other people at church the same privilege, and let them name drop the names of Famous and general authorities how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to scoutmasters, pampered chef hostesses, and the writers of the U.S. News and World Report Rankings for professional schools, and in obeying, honoring, and sustaining Glenn Beck.

13. We believe in being above average, good at crafts, optimistic, and being fifteen minutes late everywhere we go. Indeed, we may say that we follow BYU football. We believe rumors about famous people joining the church, we hope to meet the three Nephites, we have endured many pyramid schemes, and hope to be able to endure all pyramid schemes. If there is anything cheap, free, sold in bulk, or given away when somebody is moving, we seek after these things.

Baby Number 2 and Pumpkin Patch!!

Well these past few weeks have been pretty uneventful for the West Family. Lots of studying for Ryan, lots of running around and playing for Blake and lots of laying on the couch feeling yucky for me. I realized the other day that I had not shared our exciting news on here yet.

Baby West number 2 is on the way!!!!!!...... Wednesday I will 17 weeks along and am still feeling the sickness of the whole thing. It is starting to go away some days but still likes to come back on others. This baby is due on April 1st. We are so excited to welcome another child into our home and I can't believe I am almost halfway through the pregnancy. On Monday I have an appointment and don't know if they will do an ultrasound but in about 4 weeks we will be finding out what we are having. I am too impatient to wait. We would love what ever we get. Having a girl would be wonderful because we don't have one yet but on the other hand having a boy would be just as wonderful because we have everything we would possibly need for a boy!! I guess we will see in a few weeks.

In other news, yesterday Ryan's school had a Arts and Crafts show and also had a pumpkin patch for the kiddies. It was a lot of fun to take Blake to and have him be around other little kids. He loved going around and touching the pumpkins and then running back into our arms. He is getting so big and I can't believe how much he is learning to do.

Lately his favorite thing to do is walk around the house and find a little piece of trash and bring it to us and say "YUCKY" while shaking his head. He is starting the destruction phase of being a little boy though I don't know if this phase ever goes away. He loves grabbing trash cans and tipping them over, pulling anything that is on the table down onto the ground. Taking all of our movies off of the rack and throwing them on the floor. He also likes to go and flush the toilet over and over, take every toy out of his toy box and throw it on the floor and then walk away, and lets not forget his favorite word... "NO" with the cutest little smile you can't get mad at.

On the other hand, Blake is the sweetest little boy to be around. He gets so excited when Ryan gets home from school and runs up to the door when he hears it unlocking. Blake loves to go on walks with Ryan to get the mail every day after school. He loves to give hugs and kisses and he loves giving high fives. My favorite thing is that he loves to snuggle in the morning with his blanket and me. He is such a sweet boy and I can't imagine my life without him. I am so excited to add another baby to the mix so he can have someone to play with.