She Has Arrived

The stork has made a drop off at Draperland and it has changed our lives forever...
And her name is....

Sophia Nicole

8 lbs. 6 oz.

21.5 inches

Born 3/25

10:16 pm

The details are a little crazy! My water broke at a doctor's appointment--convenient huh? It was during spring break and my mom, Amy, and Brad were in town patiently (ok, not so patiently as we tried EVERYTHING to get this baby here! Chocolate, sit-ups, running stairs, bumpy car rides, etc.) awaiting the stork to make an important drop off. I had three nights of false labor. Yes I said,THREE, people. By the time I got to the doctor's office I was all but begging for him to put me out of my misery. And then she just decided it was time as I was sitting in the examining room...

Yikes. When that water breaks you feel such a mixed feeling of shock, excitement, and foreboding dread come over you at the same time as you try to keep your wits about and think of what to do next. Luckily the hospital was across the street and so Mom and Amy quickly got me admitted and we called Tom. The contractions didn't get going hard for at least an hour and so we hung out just thinking about the birthday party that lay ahead and Grammy Draper came to join us.

Words cannot express how much it meant to me to have both Grammy D, Grandma B, and my sister, Amy, there for this special occasion. I will never forget watching them cling together arm in arm, cheering in the final moments. I needed it so much and their love got me through some major contractions! It was wonderful to have them there to witness the birth of this little granddaughter they have waited so long for and there was sheer joy in the room when she finally arrived...

We spent a few days in the hospital and then it was time to bring this new pink thing home to a house full of brothers and uncles that couldn't wait for her to get there.
They were so shy at first around her and didn't know what to do. Tanner even came up and told me he was afraid to smile at her because she was a girl... we are crossing new territory.

The day that she came home, Tom turned to me late in the afternoon and said, "I feel such a peaceful feeling in our home. Don't you feel it?"

Yes. I did. And every time I hold her in my arms now I feel it.

As I stare at this little baby and think about the gift that my Heavenly Father has given us, all the world just feels right...

~Little Sweet Sophie~

I love this

Just Waiting For You...

Just needed to document the belly for a few friends and family members requesting a picture.

Thanks, Kym, for spoiling me with your talents with everything between painting my toenails (which I can't touch) fire engine red to taking the first maternity photo session I have ever had. You've made my heart happy.

One Month Left...

In case there are a few of you that don't know the BIG news...

Three Hints.
I hope this isn't too hard. No, they are not for my boys.

All systems seem to be GO that baby #5 is a GIRL!!!!!!

I am sure most of you have heard this little juicy tidbit of news way back in November when we found out and I posted it on Facebook to spread to the Glad tidings of Great Joy. Yesterday I ran into a friend at Target (Hi Tami, Love you!) and told her about the baby and she reminded me to write it on the blog. I forgot that there are some of us that THRIVE off of news from blogs (seriously, I do.) I love to see pictures and read any updates on your lives and it is like taking a peek into someone's life while being a fly on the wall. I get motivated to be better, more creative, more fun, happier, stronger, and love life by reading each of your blogs. THANK YOU. As for my news, so sorry to leave some of you hanging! That was so not fair...

Ok. Here is the scoop. Little girl on the way. Due date end of March-ish. I say that because my babies must not like it inside of me very much and they always come almost 3 1/2 weeks early. So, I can never actually believe in a due date. We'll see if it is different with a girl. She may be afraid to come out.

I would be if I had four older brothers...

Anyways, bare with me as I get more excited for this than anything in the whole world. I have been a mom now for almost 13 years. That is thirteen years without any trace of pink, except in my secret hope chest in my closet. Thirteen years without feeling legal to walk down the barbie isle in the store. Thirteen years hoping for a daughter to watch become a bride and mother someday. Ok, I won't gag you and go into the far (but all too near) distant future, but all I can say for the moment is this is just really fun.

Coming from a family with 6 girls, don't think I am not aware of the down sides, too. Now there will be TWO of us with ranging (did you notice that I did not put Raging?) emotions and I am sure there will be the drama moments. I guess I have gotten away with that excuse for too long anyways, that I am a girl and I say to my boys as I go into my room to crawl under a blanket and tear up that "that's just what girls do. Now shut my door for a few minutes." Hee hee, all the while knowing that I am just making up an excuse to have some alone time.

Well, just for now, I will just enjoy dreaming of sugar plum FAIRIES and sparkley finger nail polish as I lay there during that alone time. Only one perplexing non-stop thought right now:

What do we name her????

The Baptism that almost didn't happen!

The "Tan-Man" had a special day on Saturday that he will never forget. With family coming down from Washington and Grammy and Granddad, we had been looking forward to the Stake baptism to happen at 6:30 pm. After a few reminder calls of the time from members of the ward, we decide to go out for the afternoon and have a fun day. At 5:15, we received a phone call from an apologetic Bishopric member letting us know that the Stake Baptism had been switched to a different time and location and it had happened at 4:00! With it being over, our only option was to make an impromptu special baptism for Tanner and hurry on over to the church.

We had to tell him what was going on and wondered if he would feel sad that he missed it but instead when we told him he took a big, deep breath and said, "Whew! Now I don't have to be embarrassed about getting wet." I guess he had been pretty worried about onlookers (AKA girls from his class) seeing him wet :)

We quickly got dressed (Like Home Alone) and were rushing to get out the door when this clumsy pregnant lady slipped while coming down the living room stairs. I fell and hit my tailbone and head and just lay there like a beached whale hoping that I wouldn't go into labor. Luckily, everything was fine and besides a stiff back and a bruise the size of a softball on my rear end, I was able to muscle my way into my church clothes in order to get to the baptism.

It turned out to be a wonderful experience and special for Tanner on that cold December day. We are thankful it all worked out in the end and even better than we would have hoped. Here are some pics:

Tanner with the Clumsy Lady

With Daddy and The Grand-men Group shot-- just happy to have made it

Grandad J with his Tanner J

Turning 8 is great!

Today I did an amazing thing. I took the time to actually stick batteries in my camera! Oh sadness, there at least a thousand things I should have taken pictures of last month... AKA Tom and Zach's birthday, Kaden's 50 mile bike ride for Scouts, Kym and Adam's wedding, a trip to Rexburg that included "Bear World", the beautiful changing fall leaves--oh yeah, and of course Halloween.
Sigh, at least I can rely on Super Grandad for pictures of most of those events because he is smart and actually keeps his camera functioning. SO do you want to know what finally drove me to put the batteries in?????


Take a look at this


What does a birthday party with 13 kids spell??? You got it.... C R A Z .... No, I mean

F U N !!! It was Tanner's 8th birthday and he just wanted a "few" friends to come over and play. They were actually all really well-behaved boys and perfect little gentlemen to the adorable two cutie pies from across the street that came over to see what all the commotion was about (One of them is disguised in a power ranger costume. That's my kind of girl).
So, what do big brothers do during these kinds of parties?

Yeah, survival of the fittest in this family.Check out Ryan peeking in a present (He got caught by the camera). It is so hard to convice a 3 year old that none of the presents are for him. All those neat toys!Look at cutie pie with the blonde hair hanging out in the back. Someday these boys will have a hard time looking at presents over a beauty like this...Happy Happy Birthday, Tanner Dear. Eight is great and SO ARE YOU!

Draperland Update

I told a friend the other day that I was waiting to post until I had some pictures for everyone, and she said, "Why?" So told me to just POST and dig down into my thoughts right now. For some reason, tonight that sounds like a pretty good idea for this female sitting at the computer missing family, friends that have moved, a husband that is still at work, and just wishing there were someone right here in the room to have a deep talk with.
There is some exciting news in Draperland...BABY #5 is on the way! That is great news in itself but my poor family is being so patient right now with Mom being sick and pretty sluggish, let alone not able to smell certain smells ( which involve cooking most of the time). I always feel terrible during pregnancy when I look around at my family and realize that, yes, they are going to have to entertain themselves through one more movie or fend for themselves in the kitchen one more meal until I have the strength to get up and get things going. But my mom said to me once that someone told her when she was having the exact same feelings that, "kids are resilient. They will be OK and you will, too. It will not permanently damage them."

Isn't that a nice thought? No guilt. Every mom needs to hear that every once in awhile.

We are so excited for a new little person in our family, and as you can well imagine, I get told by all well-wishers that they hope it is a girl. I won't lie. Looking at floofy dresses and buying barbies sounds dreamy, but let it be known that I would be thrilled to have another son. There is something comforting in that thought. Got the boy clothes, boy toys, continuing the same male routine. They are my men. Besides, what is better than being surrounded by strapping young men as they grow taller than you?

Well, we will know the week of Thanksgiving what it is. I promise to announce as soon as we walk in the door from the ultrasound...then we will talk baby names.