Home Sweet Home

Baby Dale Justin Ellsworth Owens was born at 4:50 AM on 8/31/09 . He weighs 9 pounds and 5 ounces. The guy is 21 and 3/4 inches long. We proudly welcome him into our home and thank Audra for all the hard work she has put into bringing him home. In anticipation of my departure in 3 weeks we wanted to have the baby this weekend on our schedule. We paid a price for that. The other two children were born quickly once they were ready. With Dale we first went in at 2:30 pm on Saturday 8/29 and went through 2 rounds of ripening gel then speed walks in the hallway and around the hospital. While Audra had regular contractions they weren't painful or doing much so we were sent home. Sunday morning we called at 6:30 AM for our 7:30 AM induction appointment. They hospital was full so we were on hold all day. Audra walked two miles and bounced on the large exercise ball but no luck. We got the call that they had room for us while Audra was in the shower. We made our way to the hospital and...

I always considered myself to have blue eyes....until Adaira was born. My eyes look like hazel compared to hers. As an infant they almost looked purple at times. Now they look like sapphires. They are beautiful!

This last week we had the camera out to take a picture of my big belly and afterward Adaira and I were playing around trying to get a picture. She kept ducking her head to try to keep me from getting a picture with her. We finally got a few, and she thought it was a hilarious game. She asked me to play it again with her a few days later.

This last Mother's Day, Justin and the kids (k mostly Justin because the kids got bashful) sang this to me as a present (accompanied on guitar). Justin had been secretly teaching it to them, althoughAdaira blew cover a few times singing "there's only one thing to say..." but it didn't matter since I had never heard the song before. Since then we've heard it on the radio a few times and watched it on YouTube and it will always be special to me, especially when I see the kids' faces light up and hear them singing it with the music. Adaira and I were listening to it today. I don't know how to post the actual video of the song, but here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1LwS6-g-7E&feature=email

So growing up my family used to always sit down and watch America's Funniest Home Videos. We couldn't stand dumb Bob Saget but the videos were funny and I still get a kick out of watching AFV today with my kids, sort of a family tradition with some good wholesome entertainment. For the heck of it, I submitted this little clip online yesterday and AFV actually called me today! I know we won't win anything but apparently the screener was going to pass it on because it was a cute clip. Justin shut the camera off right after Brighton finished talking so it ends pretty abruptly, and the screener wanted to know if we had anymore footage. I told him we didn't but he said he still thought they could use it. Pretty cool!

You Know You Are DONE Being Pregnant When: You refuse to bend over any more. I don't care that the floor is a mess and needs to be swept, or that my kids are now my servants any time I drop anything. Bending over is OUT until this soccer ball disappears from my midsection. Your maternity clothes are too small for you. I feel a draft on my lower belly with half of my maternity shirts now, I'm starting to feel like my 10th grade Chemistry teacher whose shirt slowly rode up above his pot belly at least twice a week. Your body feels like it belongs to senior citizen. I don't think there is a position I can get into without grunting anymore. You are going to the chiropractor three days in a row to try and fix your screwed up SI joint that hasn't allowed you to sleep for a week, and it STILL hurts. You can't gloss over with a simple "good" when people ask how you are feeling. You just grumpily say "don't ask". Every time you look at yourself in ...