June 2013

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the new Erickson Family!  Oh what a difference a month can make.  Do we live in California?  No longer!  Are we all in the same state?  Yes, and loving it!  Are we a family of three?  Now a family of five!  Will we be renting for the rest of our lives?  We are 30 days away from home ownership in Santa Fe!  Wow oh wow...where do I begin?

June began with the entire family in Denver, CO and we were able to see so many of my siblings which was awesome!

Summer is absolutely in love with Corie!  As fun as Skype is, Summer loved having her aunt Corie here in person.

Summer loved having Chelsea to herself for a few days, and then of course sharing the fun with her favorite gal pals Claire & Carolyn.

These three were quite the trio.

After a few days Chelsea headed back to Vegas with Corie & her family.  It was sad to say goodbye but we still had Elias there and we were able to welcome Carter and his family as they brought the boy scouts from their stake to Tober for a week.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures with them, but it is always so fun to see them and it sounds like boys camp was amazing!  Summer has loved having Grandpa Peter & Nana's attention.

We spent some time enjoying the magic of Tober.

And lived it up city-style with my parents at their condo.

We had a little scare in the middle of the night on Friday the 7th.  After a trip to the hospital we were thrilled to discover that the contractions were just Braxton Hicks and pain wasn't coming from my c-section incision splitting, but rather from other scar tissue loosening as my belly expanded.  So, we headed home on Sunday committed to bed rest.  We were willing to do whatever it took to keep these boys in me for another month.  They needed to grow, Elias needed to graduate, and we needed to find a house in Santa Fe.

But clearly...they had other plans.  At the risk of being too graphic...here's how it went:

Even though I was taking it easy, I continued to have contractions and was in constant discomfort.  Monday night around 2am I climbed back into bed after my hourly trip to the bathroom only to feel a flush of fluid.  Even though it was really bloody, I assumed my water broke because there was so much fluid.  (I now realize how completely naive I still was about labor and delivery considering I didn't experience any signs of labor or contractions before walking in for Summer's c-section at 39 weeks.)  After taking a moment to document my belly in it's final glory we headed into the hospital for a second time.

Upon arrival they quickly prepped me for an emergency c-section and at 3:13am on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 we welcomed Boyd Erickson (in blue) into the world at 4lb 15oz.  Quickly followed by his brother, Smith Erickson (in white) born at 3:14am at 6lb 6oz.

Elias was able to join us in the operating room, but unfortunately the spinal tap they gave me was taking a little too long to set in so they had to put me under general anesthesia.  I woke up to a few surprises.  The first came when the doctor told me that my water had actually remained intact, but that my placenta had torn away from my uterus and I had lost excessive amounts of blood.  They were prepared to do a blood transfusion, but luckily I was able to avoid it.  I was pretty weak for a few days, but my body was able to handle it.  The worst surprise didn't show it's face until three days later when my entire stomach broke out in a furious and fiery rash.  It may sound ridiculous, but the burning pain and constant itch was excruciating and far worse than the nine inch incision across my abdomen.  Though the OBGYN tried to treat it, the rash worsened and began to spread, so she finally sent me to a dermatologist where I discovered that I am severely allergic to "chloraprep", the cleaning agent they used to prep my stomach before surgery.  Anyway, long story short, it was horrible, and ugly, and painful, but I had the best support team in the world!

And while I was recovering, our two little men were being cared for by the angels in the NICU.  Just 12 short hours into their life one of the NICU nurses came to visit me to report on how well the boys were doing.  It was almost spiritual the way she explained that it seemed to her that they boys were ready to come when they did.  The fact that my body had offered all that it physically could, and that even though they were born at 34 weeks and 3 days, they were large and healthy.  That they both were only on oxygen for a few short hours (that especially at Denver's elevation that is extremely rare), that both of them were maintaining their body temperature and eating well.  The boys were so strong and each day they did better and better, crossing milestones as though it was no big deal.  

Here's Smith: 

 And here's Boyd:

I think test they perform on newborns to check their hearing is magical.

It was fun to be there as both of our boys passed the test!

Once I was discharged from the hospital we had a week of bouncing between home and the NICU.  We spent as much time as could there, but I am so grateful for the kind and talented nurses that took care of Boyd & Smith when I was too weak to do it myself.  

While at home I furiously tried to prepare for the boys homecoming.  Having assumed they wouldn't come for another month, I still had quite few purchases to make.  Luckily Summer was willing to break in a few things for them!

Much to his dismay I still made Elias go back to Stanford for graduation.  I was so grateful that my father, grandfather, uncle, cousins and our dear friend Nate were able to attend the joyous event even though Summer, Boyd, Smith & I couldn't make it.

I am so proud of Elias.  He has worked so hard these past two years and has developed into an even greater contributor, not just professionally, but also in our family, church, and community.  I am so grateful for our two years at Stanford; the people we were able to associate with, the friends that we will be able to keep forever, and the incredible experiences we shared will always remain dear in my heart.  The Lord blessed us in so many ways while we were there and we plan to take those lessons and experiences with us to Santa Fe.

We were all thrilled to have Elias return.  He even brought some rain boots that our friend Keshia gave him to give to Summer.  She fell in love with them and insisted on wearing them everywhere we went for the next two weeks (even to the pool).  Later that week my parents joined Elias on a quick trip to find us a house in Santa Fe.  Elias' sister Kate came out to take care of me & Summer.  Thank you Kate!  She's such a rockstar and it was a blast to spend some time with her.  

There is a pool near my parents' place that has a pirate ship.  Both Summer & Daddy have loved their adventures there.  

One time we forgot a swim diaper but those extra pounds on the backside didn't slow Summer down at all.  This girl loves water!

Summer has grown up so much this month.  She has stronger opinions and insists on expressing them, she is trying to say new words everyday and she continues to be more and more fun.  We love you Summer!

Sunday, June 23rd we were blessed to be able to bring the boys home from the hospital.  At less than two weeks old, they were both healthy and up a half pound from their birth weight.  It was so wild to think that Summer (born at 39 weeks) would still have been in my stomach for another 2 1/2 weeks.  It was a really precious moment to bring our entire family home together.  And for anyone that was wondering - yes, you can fit three carseats into the backseat of a Camry!  It's tight, but it works!

Summer has been an amazing big sister!  She is so sweet toward the boys, always checking on them and telling people to "shh" when they're sleeping.  She can't quite say "Smith" yet, so she is always asking about Boyd.  I think it helps to have the extra attention of my parents, so she hasn't felt deprived of anything.  

My parents happened to be out of town when we brought the boys home so we were on our own for the first 30 hours.  I mentioned to E that I thought we made it through relatively unscathed.  He confessed that in those first few hours he ran errands with Summer not noticing that his collared shirt was inside out, and that he happened to burn two cheese sandwiches in a row while trying to make lunch for Summer.  So it appears that fashion and a few cheese sandwiches were our only casualties!

Speaking of my parents, this month's letter would not be complete without singing their praises!  Thank you Mom & Dad!  Thank you for the DQ blizzards you brought to me at the hospital, thank you for the trips to the splash park with Summer, thank you for letting Elias & I take a walk outside after tucking the kids in bed, thank you for watching the kids so we could go down to Santa Fe together to find a home for our family!  Thank you for letting your daughter and her family of five move in to your two bedroom condo with you when they found out the elevation at Tober was too high for the boys!  

Thank you! Thank you!  Thank you!

And now to officially introduce our new family members: 

Here is Smith.  At 3 weeks old, he is 7lb 13oz.  He has Elias' nose and a darling smile.  He was named after Elias' grandfather.  Born and raised in Wyoming, Grandpa Smith was blinded in WWII, but came home to marry the love of his life, father eight children, have a successful career, and serve as faithfully in the church for his 89 years of life.  

And here is Boyd.  At 3 weeks old, he is 6lb 6oz.  He has my nose and is the sweetest cuddler.  He was named after my grandfather.  Grandpa Boyd was raised in Northern Utah, served in WWII, and came home to marry his soulmate, father four children, have a successful career and serve in the church and community to this very day.  

Both of these men have meant so much to me and Elias.  We are so proud of the heritage that their names provide and hope that our little men learn of their great-grandfathers and emulate the strong character and moral standing of their namesakes.  

We love our little men...and their older sister who just discovered the shower and refuses to ever go back to baths again!

What a month!  Thank you so much for your love support!  Please drop us a line and let us know how things are going for you.  And should any of our school friends have a picture with you and Elias at graduation please send it to me!!!

Love always,
Brittany, Elias, Summer, Boyd & Smith