Babymoon

 Baby Ike is already a week old and we have been  spending most of our time watching him.   Newborn babies can't really do much except  they excel in making incredibly funny faces.  As Rigbys we feel that it is our duty to observe as many of  those faces as possible.  Unfortunately due to the lighting of our apartment and the spontaneity of the expressions I haven't been able to catch many of them.  It isn't  that I haven't tried it is just that the photos just  never seem right.

With Oma and Opa here it has been peaceful and calm.  They took great care of us all cooking and cleaning and playing games.    They even took the kids to  the park every day for picnics. 

They went out to Papa's Pizza and the girls all got a personal  pizza.  Daisy had been given a coupon as an award at school and  was excited to cash it in.  

 Rosy told  everyone that she was so happy because, "I have a pizza and  I don't have to share!"

I just want to squeeze him all day.

 Brandon taught the girls to make "dirt cups" and now there is a new favorite treat around here.  I think they actually got dirtier with the Oreo cookies  than they would have actually playing with dirt.

 All the girls like to hold  Isaac but  Daisy has a special knack for it.   She is calm and will sit for long periods of time  snuggling him. 

A Baby Boy

This post is going to have some birth story elements so if you think that kind of thing is boring just check out the photos and skip the rest.  Basically what happened was that we went to the hospital and came out with a baby.  If  you are  interested  in a more detailed account read on.
We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little Ike.  I was especially ready because while this pregnancy didn't  have any complications it has been really hard because I have been  so sick.  When I went to my  routine appointment  on  Thursday I had already progressed  quite a bit and Dr.  Cooper suggested that I head to the hospital on Saturday morning so that we could get things moving. 
As mentioned, I was kind of over being pregnant but the main reason that I agreed is that the delivery of my last two girls had gone so quickly.  For  the  last month I  have been terrified by every contraction thinking that  I would have an accidental home birth. 
When we got to the hospital the doctor broke my water around 9:30.  Brandon and I took a few laps around the hallways trying to get things moving and spent quite a bit of time looking at the bulletin board.  Parents can write the names of their new babies on a flower and stick it to the paper tree.  We found some pretty interesting ones including Khaleesi which due to the popularity of Game of Thrones has recently grown in usage.
At that point my two amazing friends Sara and Katie joined us.  Sara is a douala and the two of them combined forces to support me.   For the first couple of hours we walked and walked around and I bounced on the yoga ball and nothing  at  all happened.  Well, Brandon almost fell off the couch which was really a bed mascarading as a couch and that filled a few minutes with a laugh. 
I chatted with my friends and Brandon worked on making a mix-CD.  Just so nobody in the future when reading this making a mix-CD is an art that has already become outdated, but Brandon likes to keep things fresh.
The doctor came in and suggested that we try a little Pitocin but I kind of had my heart set on not using it.   He promised that he would only give me a "whiff".  Sara and Katie ran down to get some lunch before things got to wild.  They came back in at 12:30 just as I was having my first contractions.  A few minutes later Dr. Cooper asked if they were painful and I still had to say no.  The contractions continued to get longer but it still seemed manageable.   Then all of a sudden they were extremely painful and I was crying and Sara was helping me breathe.  Someone suggested that I try to  get into the water to ease the pains and Katie started to test the water.
I was crying and thinking I was going to die and someone said, "She is pushing."  The nurse literally ran out of the room, somehow I got on the bed and I heard the doctor say,  "He is right here."
Next I heard Katie's voice say, "HE REALLY IS RIGHT THERE!!"
I pushed and screamed and the baby was born.  I opened my eyes and Katie and Sara both had tears in their eyes and Brandon had a giant smile.   All I could think was, thank goodness that is over!
The doctor told me that he figured I was only in active labor for about 10 minutes.  Let me just say that 10 minutes was more than enough time for me.  I was in shock and Brandon said that I didn't even look at the baby for 15 minutes but when I did I saw the most beautiful boy.

 I was so grateful for my two amazing birth coaches that made me laugh for the first boring part and helped me survive when things got crazy.  I am sure that little Ike will have a special relationship with the Tias that helped bring him into this world.   I didn't get a photo with Dr. Cooper either but  he has been  with me through three crazy labors and I will  always be grateful for his skill.

 Brandon and I feel so blessed to have this  sweet little one join our  family.

 Baby Ike stole all the attention for Father's Day but he was also kind of the perfect  gift.  Brandon is an amazing dad and it has been lovely watching him with our girls.  I am already excited to watch this new bond grow.  It is obvious that they already adore each other.

 Of course there are three big sisters that are completely smitten.

 And Oma and Opa drove all day so that they made it just in time to be there.

 

 Now we are home and just enjoying being together.  With 100 degree weather forecast for the next week or so I am extra happy to just keep things calm at home.  If the girls aren't playing basketball with Opa or reading with Oma  then we are all probably just sitting around giggling at all  the funny baby faces that newborns make. 

 I have to admit that throughout this pregnancy I have had a lot of misgivings about having another baby.  Most families in Eugene have 2 or rarely 3 kids and having 4 started to  feel overwhelming.  Instead of being thrilled as the due date got closer I felt more and more insecure.  But now that I can see his squishy little face I am so in love.   There is no doubt that the next few years are going to be crazy in the Rigby home but I am sure that it is going to also be a lot of fun.

 For those of you who are into stats:
Isaac Grant Rigby
Born June 20, 2015
7 lbs. 13 oz.
21 inches
Delivered by Dr. Cooper
Assisted by Sara Harkness and Katie Cave
at 1:18 P.M.

Peas Please

 Ahhh, summer,  it is just the best.

 Our pea harvest was pretty much the best thing that has happened so far this year.  The vines grew way above the trellis and were 6 feet  tall.  The rest of the garden looks like a weedy mess but all anyone ever noticed  was  our amazing  peas.  Once they started growing the kids would pick snacks while they were playing outside.  There were always enough, even for the moms, and they were so, so sweet.  Daisy picked what I am afraid  are the end of our crop but it was good while it lasted. 

I have felt so hot and huge at the end of this pregnancy that I haven't really even bothered to take any photos.  We got this one just so there is proof that I actually carried this little boy.  Or it could just be a soccer ball that I used as a disguise in order to get attention.  You be the judge.

NCAA Track and Field

 An anonymous donor gave a bunch of free tickets to watch the NCAA championship track meet.  We didn't realize it at first but it was really a bribe.  They had scheduled a bunch of Olympic athletes to give a motivational talk to kids but in order to pack  the place they promised  the tickets too.  Luckily for us the athletes were incredible and gave some great advice.  I am positive it is because at the end of pregnancy my emotions are ready to spill over but I was there bawling.  I am not so sure that Daisy was that into it. 

Then after a couple of hours of practically melting in the sun the girls were given a shirt and we got to move to the general admission section. 

 We were on the very top row sitting amongst a bunch of spider webs and it felt like paradise because it was shady and there was a breeze that blew through. 

 The Oregon Women won the championship and every race was incredible.  Being up that high made it easy to see all of the field events too.  It was great for the girls to see such incredible feats in sports and they cheered their little voices raw. 

Summer for Real

 We have been wasting the first week of summer by hanging out in our pajamas all morning.  I know it isn't a good plan for the whole break but it just feels right for now.  Rosy has been pretending to be a baby and making sure that all of our baby stuff is broken in.
We have also been trying to hang out with all of our neighborhood friends before everyone leaves.  Graduation hits our community hard every year and this is no exception.  Luckily most everyone still has plans to stay for the summer  so we are trying to take advantage of it.

 Yan planned a surprise graduation party for Link and she prepared the traditional hot pot meal.  It was absolutely incredible.  We sat and ate and then sat and then ate some more.  It was the perfect  chance to chat and laugh and it was a  perfectly lovely night with awesome friends.  I don't have anything funny or interesting to say about it other than that I hope I will always remember being so happy with people that I love so much.

 The weather has been incredible and we went to the June 5K.  Brandon took the older girls with him and Rosy and I walked the first mile out and back.  She was a little too fast for me but I tried to keep up.  She had a running commentary about every runner that passed us.  She would decide by her gut feeling and announce, "I like that lady.....I don't like that guy....I like that guy..."  I tried  to talk to her about being a little nicer to people but niceness really isn't her scene.  I guess that isn't really fair to say because she is actually very nice to the people that  she decides that she likes.  My friend Emily said  that she would be perfect for reality TV because she doesn't seem to be concerned about hurting anyone's feelings.

 We had a great day in Portland last  week.   Brandon went to the temple and the rest of us played our hearts out at the Children's Museum, and by that I mean that the kids played while I sat on the benches with the grandmothers.   We met up with Jody and  Jay so it was extra fun. 

 My camera died after two photos so I can't accurately show how amazing it was.  You will just have  to visit yourself.
Afterward  we had a quick stop at a food cart  and then we spent the rest of the evening hanging out with the Johnsons and best of all having Jody cut our hair.  I don't know what made us all so desperate for new dos but  we all got the same short cut  and we are all really loving it.

The  other morning it was already in the 70s and I walked out the door to see this crazy homeless lady scavenging around for things to put in her cart.  I didn't think much of it because, truth be told, it is a common sighting around here.  But this time it came as a surprise  when I realized that this mini bag  lady was really my youngest daughter.

I still have no explanation why she thinks it is a good idea to wear a dress with an extra skirt on top, a sweater, and a puffy coat on the hottest day in Eugene, but then again, there is a lot about all three of my kids that I am sure I will never understand.

Goodbye 1st Grade

 Rocky talks about her teacher Sra. Field all day long.  We will be driving and she will say, "Maestra says that no matter what you are doing you can't stop yourself from learning something."  Or we will be cooking and she will say, "Maestra says that a knife doesn't care if it is cutting a carrot or your finger so you always have to be careful."
It doesn't matter what is happening she has some kind of life lesson that her teacher has taught her.  Sra. Field is 72 years old and has years of experience understanding kids.  Rocky just loved her and I am sure that she will continue to learn from all those extra tips that her first grade teacher gave her.

 Bonus Picture:  A regular evening at our place.  Comic books and the iPod Shuffle equals three happy girls.

Goodbye Head Start

 Daisy really wanted Rosy to come have lunch with her on the last day of  school.  Lunch time in that classroom is really just adorable.

 Daisy has loved it there so much and even though I know she is ready for kindergarten it was really sad for me to see her leave Head Start.  

 Here she is with Lonnie who has picked her up on the bus every school day for the last two years, and with Teacher Stormi and Fatemeh who have taught her so much.

 This is the look that you get if you tell Rosy to keep the sand out of the grass.

 The final party turned out to be a big success when the guys I had thought weren't going to be bringing food donations showed up with enough food for two parties. 

 Just look at those jokers!  They are so cute and as a group look like so much trouble.

Daisy is such a sweet girl and loves her teachers as much as they love her.  I am so amazed at how grown up and smart she is. 
And now it is time for summer to begin.