jarrett @ 3 months

Halloween 2011

jarrett @ 2 months

Jarrett's Blessing

Justin & Erin were here from Emmett and keila and Brennan came from Seattle.  We kept it simple-I guess that's what happens with #4

First Month



Those Yellow Wierd Eyes

A Natural Mama Already!

Starting to hold his head up!  And of course, lots of hair!

We learned quick that he's got to be bundled, with the pacifier!

Barely starting to smile. This was at 5 weeks

New Addition

The following day I put my face on for some family pictures. We are now a family of SIX!

The Real Story

This is the real story!  The morning of my due date I started leaking fluid, (found out later that my water had really broke but Jarrett's head was acting like a cork).  Cramps starts around 9-10ish but nothing I could keep track of. I knew somthing was up so I arranged for friends to come get my 3 kiddos.  Was not going to have them there!


A couple hours later and I could now time contractions but still easy.  When I was not in the middle of a contraction. I felt perfectly normal.  Nothing like labor with Pitocin.  Then at 12:15 I was having a relaxing Pedicure by my sister, Melanie
Contractions were finally coming enough to time them but easy. After about 20 minutes of this we had some lunch (Jersey Mikes) with my friend Amy who called earlier to check up on me. So she came at around 1:00 to eat.  We were having a great time eating but we all noticed that I would only get one bite of sandwich swallowed before another contraction would come. Things were changing....fast.  I called my midwife, told her the situation and she said I was way to happy to be anywhere close.  I told her that I would just like her to be a little closer than 1/2 hour away.  She heard the anxiousness in my voice and decided to come "hang out" and chat all afternoon because she thought I wasn't anywhere close and she didn't want to miss the birth. Ha- Ha- Ha
Contractions kept coming closer and harder.  Nothing was the same for more than 5 minutes it seemed. We just took contraction one at a time and kept in touch with my midwife saying "you better get here because things are changing fast!"  I used the bathroom and felt a baseball moving through me.  Uh-oh, i thought! Actually, the real word was oh, _______!   I got into the bathtub and tried not to push although that is what my body was doing. The midwife told me to keep panting because of coarse she wasn't at my house yet.  I told her on the speaker phone to "get here" and "hurry up" and everything elseI could think of!  Before I knew it, I was holding a healthy 8 lb. 9 oz baby boy. It was so fast from start to finish that I was truly in shock.  I was as white as a ghost while holding Jarrett in my arms realizing that it was all over.  Ten minutes later my midwife showed up.  Ya, a little late!!
While I had planned to do this at home, I didn't plan to do it without my midwife being there.  My sister Melanie and friend Amy and of course, Darin were there though and did an amazing job!

I was so glad to be at home in my own space.  I am one of those patients who has the textbook pregnancy where everything always checks out perfect and have had no problems or concerns with all of my last 3 children.  So this time around I chose a midwife.  I could have delivered at a birthing center but when I found out that my midwife has the same equipment there as she does your own home I said "okay, lets do it!" 

Born at 2:18

Some of the benefits from having Jarrett at home were:
-Was able to sleep with my husband in my own bed.
-Snuggle with my baby in my own bed with my own pillow.  Loved that!

-Was never woke up at 6:00 am with a stick in the arm for a blood draw.  Hate that!
-Having a midwife that catered to me and took her time in taking care of me and Jarrett. She came back to my house 2 days later and spent a couple of hours chatting and making sure I was all taken care of including Jarretts PKU stuff.  Loved that.
-Had home cooked meals by my awesome chef sister, Melanie.  Love you Mel!

-My kids got to come home and each took time
to get to know their new brother and wasn't rushed. 
- I didn't have to have any IV's, no constant blood pressure reading. No "checking" for dilation.  It was great!  The only hard part was waiting for my body to go into labor.  I had never done that before.  I had always been induced with the other three and this was a whole new experience.  Would I do it again...definately!

The real Midwives!

My Sweet Baby Boy

Jarrett Michael Frederiksen

July 25, 2011

8 lb. 9 oz.

21 inches long

My Sister Kim came up to see me when Jarrett was just 5 days old and captured some oh, so cute pictures.  I love these, but there are so many more.  Just a few of my favorites.  Thanks Kim!  You are the best :)

It Ours Now...we closed on our house!

We have debated for awhile whether to buy this house that we've been renting or not.  But we finally bit the bullet and said yes.  We love the area of Mukilteo and Harbour Pointe.   Our ward is fabulous and it has been a great two years.  We would love to move back to Boise as that is where our family is but lets be realistic, there are no jobs there right now.  Soooo. we are toughing out the rain and enjoying the summers and are here to stay for a while.  We are looking for any tips on DIY (Do it Yourself) as this house needs some serious updating but has so much potential.   We want to put tile in the laundry room, recarpet, paint the house, the list goes on and on.  Any advice on tile or refinishing a wood floor would be great!

Davis vs. "Ralphie"

I get comments all the time about how Davis looks like the kid on "A Christmas Story".  So today I googled the kid whose name is really Peter Billingsley.   We wondered what he looks like now wondering if that is what Davis could look like.  It was super fun!  Lets just say I was not let down, cause he is such a cutie!  Im going to have to keep all the girls away for sure!

Does Money grow on Trees?

Our rental agreement is coming up in June.  The owners want to sell our house.  We want to buy our house--is there any trees around that grow money?  I realize that prices in Mukilteo/Seattle area are low but really, to me they still seem really high.  I have a hard time forking out a lot of money for a house that really isn't all that!  You pay a ton for a mortgage and then still have to fix it up.  Its ridiculous! Seattle homes are NOT the same as homes in Boise.  You can get a sweet house in Meridian for something affordable.  I get depressed just thinking about moving...I hate moving.  I really hate moving when I'm 7 months pregnant too! 

Announcement :0)

It's true!! We are expecting a bundle of joy around July 26th!!  We are excited, overjoyed and impatient all at the same time.  The kids are estactic and can't stop thinking about this baby, how its growing, what it's doing. etc.

To top it all off we already found out that we are having another BOY!  Not too excited about that... but I guess I have 6 months to get used to the idea.  So for all of you that are guessing how far along I am--16 weeks is the answer you're looking for.  We happened to have an ultrasound because we couldn't detect a heartbeat and I asked the tech to "look down there, just to see"  Well, according to me and everyone else in the room, we are pretty sure its a boy.  If I'm wrong and it ends up being a girl, well I'll be totally ok with that!  But for now, its all blue and green, dirt and frogs at this house. 

I should be thankful...I do have my Chelsea girl!  We are going to have a blast during Father & Son Outings!  I will tell you that!

Santa came!

 This was Carson's fav!  Can't you tell?

It was a long awaited day...marked on the calendar with a picture of Santa.  Davis was keeping track!  The kids were so excited they could hardly stand it!  All was well Christmas Eve, until Carson found his name show up on the naughty list on Darin IPhone.  Uh-oh..the poor 9-year old was really upset about that and couldn't believe that he of all people was on the naughty list! It really bothered him...he kept asking all sorts of questions about how his name was there and so forth.  Then he decided to find some GOOD things to do around the house to see if his name would get switched back.  It was hilarious to watch!!  Kids are so fun to play with especially around the holidays.  To watch the excitement in their eyes, its almost like reliving the magic from our youth.  Good times!  Christmas came along with the traditional sticky buns and the acting out of the nativity scene.  This year we all dressed up in   sheets and played a part in the birth of our Saviour.  

Costochondritis

So....I had a super bad cold (actually 2 back to back) a little over a month ago. I never get that sick but I'm sure it didn't help that I had had surgery a month before. Anyway, I finally got over my cold and then about a week after I started having this really sharp pain in my ribs just below my left chest.  It really hurt to breathe deep, cough, sneeze, roll over, move, you get the point.  So after a week of this pain I decided to go to the doctor and see what is wrong with me.  This is what I found out...costochondritis!  Oh joy!  This is exactly what I need!  Now 3-4 weeks later I'm still dealing with this!


Chest Pain: Is It Costochondritis?
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD

Pain in the chest wall around the breastbone (or sternum) is the most characteristic feature of the condition known as costochondritis. Medically, the term chondritis refers to inflammation of any cartilage in the body. Costochondritis refers specifically to inflammation of the cartilage that joins the ribs to the breastbone (called costal cartilages). The chest pain of costochondritis sometimes is severe.

Costochondritis usually, but not always, involves one side of the breastbone. Sometimes the pain can extend to the shoulder or arm on the involved side. When costochondritis is accompanied by swelling of the areas surrounding the cartilage, the condition is called Tietze syndrome. In Tietze syndrome, the swollen area of the inflamed cartilage may be tender to the touch, and the skin overlying the cartilage may be reddened.

Costochondritis is most common in people between 20 and 40 years of age. In most cases, doctors do not know why the condition develops. Trauma to the chest wall may lead to costochondritis, and it also is believed that viral infections, particularly upper respiratory infections, may cause costochondritis. The condition also can occur as a feature of more generalized diseases of inflammation such as certain forms of arthritis, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory bowel disease

Snow Fun!

It actually snowed in Mukilteo!  We were so excited!  To be honest I didn't believe it until I saw it coming down.  The kids had a ball playing in the snow outside.  Its been awhile since we have had snow.  Too bad it wasn't enough to make a snowman :0(