Happy New Year everyone! Not only is today the first day of the year, it is also my birthday… that’s right, I am a New Year’s baby. Today is the first day of the last year of my twenties! Whoa! And with only a few hours left to this first day of 2012, here is my very first post of the year. I asked my mom, Cathi, to write a little bit about that New Year’s Day twenty-nine years ago when I was born.
This photo is from the front page of the January 2nd, 1983 edition of the Auburn Journal. This photo was accompanied by an article announcing the arrival of the first baby of the New Year in Placer County, CA: Rebecca Ariana Hutchinson, born on January 1, 1983 at 5:23 AM.
Our little girl came into the world without too much difficulty. She was our fourth baby and an extra special blessing. She was an answer to prayer following the birth of her brother Joel who was born with unexpected heart problems. Unfortunately, these heart problems cut short our time with Joel to only six days.
When the nurse first brought Rebecca into my room, she said that there was a problem with my baby. My heart dropped, remembering our experience with Joel. The nurse went on to tell me that Rebecca’s body temperature was a little low and that I would just have to hold her and snuggle with her to keep her warm. You can’t even imagine how relieved and overjoyed I was. I snuggled with Rebecca for hours and just couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.
She was an answer to prayer and a bright little light for all of us on that New Years Day and has continued to be so all of these years.
Today’s first remember: Remember when we found out we were pregnant!
On Thursday, February 4th, 2010 we took our very first pregnancy test. The box said to wait 3-5 minutes for results. So, I peed on the stick and then we went and did a few things to get ready. When came back to check on the test a few minutes later, but to our dismay there was only one pink line… a big negative. And so we continued getting ready for work. A few minutes later when I went back into the bathroom I noticed a second faint pink line so I called Derick back in and sure enough, he saw it too! But the box said not to look at the test once 10 minutes had past because it could show false results. Aahh! Had it been 10 minutes?? Well over. Were we pregnant?? We had no idea! We had failed at taken our first ever pregnancy test.
So we decided to wait a few days to take a second test. So on Sunday, February 7th we tried again. So I peed on the stick and Derick left the bathroom to go do something… not sure what, doesn’t matter. He figured he had 3-5 minutes to wait like last time. But, no. As soon as I looked at the stick, there they were, two pink lines!! We were pregnant! We were ecstatic and we couldn’t stop smiling.
Seriously, we couldn’t stop smiling. The curve just took over our faces. We realized we couldn’t go to any Superbowl parties with these big smiles on our faces. Everyone would immediately know we were pregnant! So we went out a date to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate.
Today’s second remember: Remember when we found out we were pregnant with Baby Z #2!!!
It’s true. I’m not lying. We’re having another baby!!
I found out that a friend of mine is pregnant with her second baby. She and I were pregnant at the same time with our first babies. The same day I found out she was pregnant I fell asleep on the couch for the third day in a row. I told Husband, “I’m sorry I’ve been napping so much lately. I’ve just been so tired.” To which he replied, “Maybe you’re pregnant, too!” And we laughed! And then we dismissed the thought.
In May, I had surgery to remove half of my thyroid. This of course has affected my thyroid levels and a main symptom of this can be fatigue so I figured my tiredness was most likely caused by this. Also, since my surgery, my neck and back have been extremely sore due to the position that they put you in during the surgery. In general, my body has just been feeling a bit out of sorts due to my whole thyroid situation.
But as the week went on, I started thinking about husband’s comment… and I started thinking about my out-of-sort-ness– tiredness, sore/tight back, and I had had a few very emotional days. I had only had one period since I was pregnant… a second still had not come which figured was common as your body and hormones are still getting back to normal, besides, I was still breastfeeding. But then, I started to get a little picky about my food and this I thought was weird! And then I thought, “maybe I am pregnant”… but still it was more of a funny, unlikely thought.
I let a few more days pass in which time my food pickiness was getting worse! I finally told husband “I’ve got to take a pregnancy test because either I am pregnant or I am convincing myself that I am.” So that night we went to the dollar store and picked up three pregnancy tests for $3.
The next day, I took the test, and within seconds two pink lines! I couldn’t believe it. I decided I better take another test in case the dollar store test was faulty and once again… two pink lines almost immediately. We took a third test just for the certainty. And why not? It was a dollar and needed to be used.
So there it is friends. We are having another baby! Baby Z 2. Or as some of our friends have said, “the Z-quel!” We are due in late April/early May. We are very excited and this week of remembering meeting Baby Hutch and looking at photos makes us even more excited!
We are very excited for Hutch to be a big brother. He already loves “baby”! : )
Remember when my belly looked like it was going to pop?
One year ago today, there was a big baby in my belly. We didn’t know if that baby was a boy or a girl. We didn’t know when we would finally get to meet that little one, but we were very anxious to do so. That baby was already in my belly a whole week past it’s “due date.” My belly was big.
One year ago, it was a beautiful sunny day so we went and had breakfast on the beach at Thousand Steps Beach in Laguna with my sister. My sister came down three days before my due date for the birth… eleven days was as long as she could stay before she had to be back to work, so this was her last day. Sister, Husband and I had already walked about a thousand miles that week trying to get the little one out… we were hoping that maybe the thousand steps down and back up would do it! And if not, at least we could enjoy the beach. And we did. The weather was perfect. The water was beautiful. And we saw dolphins which always makes for a fun beach experience.
I’m not exactly sure how we spent the rest of our day one year ago, but I do know we spent some time looking up ways of getting labor started and we tried at least one of the fun ones. Later that evening we went out to dinner with Derick’s parent as well as his brother, Ryan, and our sister-in-law, Jenn, who was also pregnant and I believe due that day. We had been told that if I ate italian food, I would go into labor… guess what, we ate at an italian restaurant. Sidenote: You wouldn’t believe the silly, crazy things that people tell you to do to start labor. Pretty much whatever they did the day they went into labor is the key. Anyway by this time, I was starting to feel pretty discouraged and I was sad that my sister had to leave before the baby was born and I was so sick of hearing “Has the baby come yet?” Obviously not. Do you see my belly?! In my sadness, I’m pretty sure I just ate and ate and ate… way too much.
But something we did that day one year ago worked! Or maybe it was just that the baby was finally ready! But around 7:30 or 8 pm I started to have some contractions that felt very different from the Braxton-Hicks that I had been feeling for days. My sister was about 8 hours away, still driving home.
One year ago today, I started labor. One year ago, my body was experiencing some crazy contracting. One year ago, we were experiencing the first of many sleepless nights. One year ago, we were so excited to know that we would be meeting our baby soon!
I didn’t shower today. I didn’t have time. I didn’t shower yesterday. I was planning on working out, so I just kept putting it off… but I never got to working out which means I never got to my shower. And the day before, hmm… I’m gonna say I showered. I don’t want to lose all my friends!
I absolutely love showering. I could stand in a hot shower for an hour. But ever since Hutch arrived, I find that is definitely not an option. When he was little, I could bring him into the bathroom in his bouncer or bumbo seat and as long as I played peek-a-boo from behind the shower curtain between shampooing, rinsing, conditioning, rinsing again, soaping (and maybe shaving) then he might let me get clean. As Hutch has gotten older, in some ways it has gotten easier, in some ways harder. He entertains himself much better now which also means he doesn’t want to just sit still in his bouncer or bumbo. If I leave him outside of the bathroom, I have no idea what things he is getting into, but if I let him come into the bathroom, it is inevitable that he will play with the toilet or pull all of the yucky trash out of the can.
I am pretty sure, however, that if I owned this shower, I would never ever stop showering!
This one is pretty awesome too… though maybe not in the way that makes me want to shower forever. But it is very rustic and romantic. I would be very pleased (and much cleaner) if I owned either one.
Remember when I used to blog? It’s been almost a week since I last posted… whoops! I hadn’t planned on taking a break for that long, but we’ve been busy and we needed a little time to ourselves. We had a fun Labor Day weekend and we’re finally getting back into the swing of things… so this blogging hiatus is over!
And while we are remembering… We finally just loaded our photos from this weekend… I had already almost forgotten about the fort we built for Hutch on Saturday. I am so glad I have the pictures to help me remember all of our fun times… and to help Hutch remember, too! I love photos. And I especially love photos of our little boy!
Hutch loved his little fort! At first, he loved just crawling around in it. And then he was happy when he realized he could push a cushion aside to create a little sky-light to look out of.
And then he just laid back and enjoyed some chill time in his fort… for almost 10 minutes! He rarely stays on his back that long, even when he’s sleeping!
Oh Hutch. I love that you loved your fort so much. I can’t wait to build hundreds of forts with you and your dad (and maybe a sibling or two… or three??!). I love the thought of helping you make more and more fun memories!
And here’s a little video of Hutch just laying back enjoying the Saturday afternoon in his fort.
Remember when Hutch used to sleep right next to our bed in his little moses basket?
After husband and I would crawl quietly into our own bed, we would just lie still listening to and enjoying Hutch’s sweet breathing. But then sometimes he would make the funniest noises when he slept… little snorts, little whimpers, little wheezes. One night as we lay there enjoying listening to Hutch’s peaceful breathing, I said to husband, “We have a little boy in our room!” And we enjoyed this thought for a moment and thought about how wonderfully different life was from a week before. And then all of the sudden, Hutch bleated in his sleep and I said to husband, “Now we have a little goat in our room,” and then we just about died from laughter. We couldn’t handle this thought! I think we laughed ourselves to sleep that night. Perhaps it was our sleep deprivation that made it so funny and maybe you had to be there, but whatever it was it will always be a hilarious thought to us and it will always be a wonderfully fun memory.
Hutch is asleep in his crib in his own room right now and he doesn’t make those funny infant noises in his sleep anymore. But Husband and I sat in front of a couple and their eight week old at church on Sunday. Their little guy still made those fun infant sounds that we had almost forgotten about. We enjoyed listening to him and remembering Hutch’s precious noises. I miss those noises just a little but there is always something new to enjoy. Although Hutch sleeps quietly and breathes peacefully these days, he now finds the craziest positions in which to sleep. We enjoy sneaking into his room right before we go to bed just to see how he has settled in for the night… sometimes we “ooh!” and “ahh!” at his cuteness, other times we just laugh at his silliness.
Good night little man. I love you, my sweet, silly little sleeper!
Remember when our floor used to stay so much cleaner!
I’m pretty sure keeping it clean would require me to sweep and mop three or four times a day… but why do all of that sweeping and mopping when we can have so much fun crawling around in the mess?! Just look at how pleased Hutch is with his messy floor.
For now, I’m going to embrace the fun of the mess and just enjoy the memory of a clean floor.
Remember when our shower never used to be decorated.
Husband got to take a shower with all of this fun-ness the other morning! We probably would never have thought of using this in our decor, but now it’s one of our favorite looks.
And while we are on the topic of bath time….
Please remember how cute Hutch was in his little tub….
and all comfy and cuddled after his bath…
Oh, sweet seven-week-old Hutch!
He loved bath time then… I think he only loves it more now!
Remember when we graduated from high school… 10 years ago?!
Well, I remember mine, but not husband’s since I hadn’t met him yet.
We both had our 10 year reunions this summer. We went to Derick’s back in June and he relived some of his high school memories. I got to experience many of them as well since he reminisced a good portion of the 5 hour drive home
My reunion was this past weekend, but we couldn’t go. Sad. But I’ve still taken a little time to reminisce this week through some fun high school photos… (how fun and funny that is). Some parts of me miss those high school days. How wonderful it was to spend 5-8 hours a day with so many friends. Sure you’re in class a good portion of that, but what I really remember of class time is the social aspect. Games, jokes, note passing, talking, friends sneaking out the window of a certain oblivious teacher (of course, I never did this…), flirting (what?!).
I don’t miss high school in that “I wish I could go back” kind of way. But what I do miss are my friends. I am thankful to have a two high school friends that I (usually) see weekly and others that I keep in touch with, but only get to see once in a while (never enough). One of those friends, Aimee, and her family recently drove through Dana Point so we got to catch up. It reminded me that I love the unique familiarity of people who have known me through those fun and awkward years of school. I don’t have to explain myself or my history… it’s known, and we can simply enjoy each other and what is happening now. That’s a joy. A joy that goes all the way back to high school… of which I graduated 10 years ago (did I mention that?).
Grandpa & Grandma Hutchinson. I never thought they’d make it to my graduation… I was so happy when they did! I love them and miss them.
Remember when we said “For as long as we both shall live.” ?
Derick and I will be celebrating six years of marriage this Saturday, August 6. How sweet it is to remember that wonderful August evening when our friends and family joined us to celebrate our love and commitment. What joyful memories!
Remember with us (or enjoy for the first time)…
1. Remember how fun our wedding party was… and how special (in so many ways) they all are.
2. Remember how cute our little ones were; and how Danny sat between his dad Dan’s legs for half of the ceremony… we loved that! Remember how personal and wonderful Dan’s message was?
3. Remember how our communion bread had mustard on it?!
4. Remember the awesome cake stands that my brother made?
5. Remember building our sanctuary in the 105 degree weather with our family… whew! Remember how every hour or so your dad would decide he needed to go up and get us all peach shakes from the Happy Apple Kitchen to cool us all down… best shakes ever! Remember how beautiful, rustic and intimate the setting turned out to be.
6. Remember how happy we were to finally be hitched?!
7. Remember this beautiful sunset? I don’t, but I’m happy we have a photo of it.
8. Remember how awesome our photographer was? Thanks Laurel Dailey.
9. Remember when Sean enthusiastically leaped so high to catch the garter? (Can you guess who caught it?)
10. Remember my bouquet toss? (Can you guess who caught it?)
11. Remember when Derick’s Papa and my good friend Janelle danced together. Presh!
12. Remember the beautiful Ford Galaxy we made our getaway in. Remember how it had our future sons name on the license plate… we didn’t remember… until today.
We have been so blessed these past six years and I am so thankful to be able to look back and know we love each other even more than we did on that day.
Receive this pair of His & Hers Belt Bracelets (remade by me) if you can guess who caught the garter and the bouquet based on photos 9 & 10 ( I know they are small; do your best). To win, be the first to post the correct guest in a comment here on the blog. Must guess both correctly. Must post on the blog.
Hint: the answer may not be the most obvious option.
This photo is from the front page of the January 2nd, 1983 edition of the Auburn Journal. This photo was accompanied by an article announcing the arrival of the first baby of the New Year in Placer County, CA: Rebecca Ariana Hutchinson, born on January 1, 1983 at 5:23 AM. 
the orange blossom 