Sweden at One Week

Finn!

Finn joined a little kid soccer league this Spring. It was hilarious/incredibly frustrating watching him and the other kids run around the field, confused and purposely not listening to orders. Agh! He sure looked cute in his uniform though!

 

 

We celebrated Finn's 4th birthday! When he woke Spiderman was there to greet him! We made blue pancakes for breakfast and that night we ate cake. Finn had been begging for a "blue Spiderman cake" for months and daddy delivered by making a blue cake decorated like Spiderman. A couple weeks later (after welcoming baby Sweden) we threw Finn a fun birthday party at his favorite place... the Jumpy Place. We invited some friends, enjoyed pizza, cake, gifts and jumping around, of course. 

 Top L-R: Levi, Fox, Keith, Caleb, Maddox, Lulo, Caleb

Middle L-R: Emma, Finn, Eleanor, Avalon, Cole

Bottom L-R: Isaac, Louis, Henry, Nova

 

Finn and his friend, Levi Hernandez.

Daddy takes Finn and Fox to Chuck E Cheese sometimes... spoiled. ;) Finn is a pro at it and gets tons of tickets and brings home fun prizes every time.

 

Finn loves gymnastics and does somersaults and handstands all over our house. He goes to a gymnastics class every Monday night and it's something he really looks forward to. This video of Finn on the monkey bars shows just how much of a monkey he really is.

Introducing Sweden Penelope Snarr

7lbs 9oz

20 inches

May 15, 2017

11:50 am

May 10, 2017; her due date. However, since Finn came 2 weeks early and Fox came 1 week early, we were ready for her to arrive early as well. When she wasn't here by then, I was beginning to feel like many other moms at that point... annoyed. Not because she wasn't here, after-all I am blessed with comfortable and healthy pregnancies and had no complaints. Annoyed with the questions and comments from all my good intentioned friends and strangers, "when is she coming?", "you look like you are going to pop!", "are you carrying twins!?", "looks like a 9 pounder in there!" That last comment I rolled my eyes at and I'm sure they noticed.

May 15, 2017. I woke at midnight with contractions that were too uncomfortable to sleep through. However, once I stood up and walked around the contractions weren't so bad and they weren't consistent. Since I couldn't sleep, I showered, got ready for the day, packed the boys backpacks for school, and tidied up. By 4am I had consistent contractions about 8 minutes apart. I'd close my eyes and get some sleep, only to wake every 8 minutes, hit the timer on my phone and breathe through another painful contraction. I was exhausted and wondering when the contractions would progress and become closer together. I decided that we'd drop the boys off at school at 9am and then Ben and I would to go to the birth center; I told my mid-wives I wanted them to check me to see how I was progressing. The drive to the birth center was the best in-labor drive I've ever taken. I only had a couple contractions and I didn't have to brace myself over every bump and turn.  When I arrived at the birth center my mid-wife, Alisa told me I was at a 5! She said my cervix was very thin and that I'd be having a baby that day. It was such a relief to hear that. Alisa sent Ben and I to a staircase and I went up and down those a number of times in order to get baby girl into position. After walking the stairs I was at a 7 1/2 and they started the bath for me. I asked Alisa how long she thought it would take to have the baby if she broke my water. She answered, 1 hour or so. However, 1 hour sounded way too long to me, especially since contractions are more painful and intense once your water is broken.

Just a couple days before I was cleaning my house listening to talks by Elder Holland (my favorite Apostle to listen to). He spoke about miracles and about the father who brings his sick son to the Savior and asks Him to heal him.

“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9: 23-24)

I thought, if Heavenly Father can answer that fathers prayer and heal that little boy, through my faith, I can ask Him to bless my labor and send me my baby girl in 30 minutes. Yep, 30 minutes was what I wanted. I laugh at it now but when you are in labor you'd ask for a miracle to speed things up as well. So, I had Alisa break my water. My favorite childhood primary song popped into my head as I breathed through another contraction, "Heavenly Father, are you really there, and do you hear and answer every child's prayer?" Just as I finished singing that line in my mind, Alisa leaned in and said quietly, "Heavenly Father is with you." I smiled so big when she said that and exclaimed, "He is!" Alisa was moved by the spirit to say those words. Those words gave me full confidence to know that Heavenly Father did hear my prayer and would answer it. I knew then it would not be long before I met my baby girl.  Alisa had me reach down and feel where my baby's head was inside of me. She was so close, I knew it would be just a couple of pushes before I'd meet her. As I pushed, Alisa said that my baby girl "has so much joy to come to you!" Later she told me that she could feel the spirit, and that the joy that my baby had could be felt in the room.

Sweden Penelope Snarr arrived in my arms at 11:50am. Just 28 minutes after my water broke. An answer to prayer and a sweet miracle to me.  She was 7lbs 9oz, 20 inches, and perfect in every way. I thank Heavenly Father, Benjamin, and my mid-wives, Alisa, Cindy and Naomi for being with me through the labor and delivery, for strength, comfort, and sharing a joyous and miraculous experience with me.

When Sweden was born she had a lot of white vernix on her body, making us think she may have actually arrived early, rather than late. My ultrasound tech had changed the due date to May 24th but we kept it on May 10th, thinking my calculations were correct. No matter, Sweden arrived just on time.

We named her Sweden because I am named after my Great x3 Grandmother, Johanna, who is from Sweden. She joined the church there and was sent to jail because of it. She eventually moved to Utah, where she kept the faith and passed it on through the generations. I look forward to the day I can visit Sweden and meet relatives who still live there. When we decided on Sweden for our little girl name we thought it would be cute because we can call her "Swedie" or "Sweet P" since her middle name would be Penelope (a favorite name of mine).

We are in love with our little Sweet P and feel blessed beyond measure to have her in our family. I believe it when Alisa said that she has so much joy to come to our family, because she will be loved and nutured in our home.

Her welcome crew, Grandma and Grandpa Capson, Finn & Fox and the next door neighbors.

Boys Room

 

We moved the boys into a bedroom together in order to prepare a room for their baby sister. It is cute having them both sleep in toddler beds and sharing a room. They are doing just great, not disturbing each other and enjoying being together. We are happy with how the room turned out!

Baby Room

I had so much fun decorating and prepping for baby girl to arrive. Piece by piece her room came together and I love it. 

I made this faux flower bouquet so that it would contain the pinks and peaches to match her room.

A pink Swedish Dala Horse, handmade from Sweden sits atop her dresser.

We purchased the Moroccan leather pouf and the ornate gold dishes on our trip to Morocco this year.

We purchased the giclee, Pink Pirouette from the artist, Michael Kuseske. We love his art and have a painting of a white flower that Ben bought me for my birthday in our living room.

This little flapper bird was a gift from Aunt Ali and Uncle Eric. We named her "Lady Bird."

These two posters are framed in rose gold metal frames and are words we love to help remind her of who she is.

We absolutely love these painting of birds on layers of glass, made by an artist and Benjamin's friend in Ecuador.