We're Parents!!!

So, here's the scoop. Olivia Judith Workman was born on October 27th at 1:45 in the morning. As Natasha noted, she followed her dad's example of coming late, but making a big entrance. She had no complications exiting the womb and within minutes found herself bonding with mom for her first feeding. She was 7 lbs, 2 oz, and measured in at 19 inches long. She's now a bit more than a day old and she is absolutely beautiful. When asked how she felt, Angie replied "It's such a surreal feeling to finally be holding her in my arms. She's my little angel and I love her so much. It's so exciting!!" Frankie's response was, well, definitely Frankie, "I'm just glad she wasn't a fugly baby." After taking a slight beating from his wife for that remark, he indicated that Olivia is quite honestly a miracle. She represents absolute goodness and we know that she will be a happy child that will bring joy to her parents and anyone she comes in contact with.

On the 26th, we called the hospital at just before 6:00 am to see what time would be good to come in for the induction and were told to report there at 7:15 am. After reporting, getting checked in, and Angie getting all changed out and ready, she was induced just before 8:30 am. The contractions began within minutes and we were hopeful that she might be quick. By 12:30 however, she still hadn't shown any major progress with her contractions and her cervix was at a solid 2, so Dr. Olsen came and broke her water at 12:30 pm. When her water was broken, there was a considerable amount of mecosium (the baby's first bowel movement) present in the liquid, which could be a potential risk if Olivia inhaled it on her first breath. Dr. Olsen was superb at reading the signs and had Deanna, Angie's nurse, double-check the inventory to ensure that they would be ready with suction bubbles and pumps for Olivia.

At around 2:15 pm the contractions started to get much stronger and more painful. At one point, Angie hit a solid 8 on the pain scale. At 3:00 pm Deanna and Dr. Mortenson (Junior) gave her the epidural. At 4:00, Deanna measured Angie's cervix again. The measurement indicated that she had progressed to a 3+, so all we had to do was wait. Angie progressed a bit slower than normal, but she had no complications and Olivia's vitals indicated that she wasn't under any stress. By 6:00 she was at a 4+ and by 8:00 she had gotten to a 6. By 9:00 she was at a 7 and by midnight she was at a solid 9. At 12:30 am she was pronounced fully dilated and Anngee (yup, that's what her name-tag read), her new nurse, put Angie on rest and descent to prepare for the pushing. At 1:00 am, Angie began the grueling task of pushing, but Olivia crowned so quickly that she had to be stopped so Anngee could page Dr. Olsen. Dr. Olsen was in by 1:30 am and within 15 minutes, Olivia was out. She had no complications during birth and Dr. Olsen did a great job ensuring that her first breaths were clean. Pretty cool huh!

Lets Begin the Countdown

It seems like it was only last month that we were finding out for the first time that we were going to be having a little girl and now we are 6 days away from meeting her now. Today I had an appointment with my doctor and was told that because of my gestational diabetes he wanted to induce me at 39 weeks. I couldn't believe how excited I was when I first heard that. But now I'm still excited, but I'm also nervous that the time is finally here. So much is going to change in our daily lives and it scares me just a little, but I'm still so very excited to meet my little girl, Olivia.

It's about time!

So we have finally decided that we need to stay more current on our blogspot. Ok, so here's the scoop: Angie is now officially getting ready to pop out her first baby. The baby's name is going to be Olivia Judith Workman and it is already evident that she is definitely a wiggle-worm. She is being called Olivia in honor of olives and Judith in honor of Frankie's mother, Judy. Sources say that this baby has been over 3 years in the making. A close friend to Frank and Angie notes that Angie is going to be relieved to finally have this pregnancy over with. Other sources confirm that Frankie is very anxious to become a dad and can't wait to start teaching his little girl the how-to-always-remain-a-kid techniques as soon as possible. Angie recently acknowledged that she actually had a kid about 4 1/2 years ago when she consented to marry this guy and is now ready to take on the challenge of 2. All we can say is it's gonna be one crazy ride for the both of them. Do you think she's up to it? Write Away right away.

My Moped Vs The Oncoming Car... Guess who lost?

So if you haven't really heard anything about me and this particular accident I was involved in, I'll make brief mention of it. Back in September of 2008, I was involved in a fairly serious accident that nearly claimed my life. By all odds, it probably should have. I was going about 40 down the road near USU campus when an oncoming car made an abrupt left turn without looking. I went face-first right into his front frame and shattered everything from my eye-brows down to my lower jaw. I had dozens of fractures in my face and nose and had to be Life-Flighted down to Ogden from Logan for immediate medical treatment. The accident was so severe that I had to be given a tracheotomy to breathe and I spent about 5 hours in surgery and a total of 10 days in the hospital. Of all the things I remember, I know that my stay would have probably been longer had it not been for my wife and the support of my family and friends. Angie never really left my side from the time of the accident and my family was there to see me every day that I was in the hospital. I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful family that was there to remind me yet again that they're always gonna back me up. It's so hard to believe that I came that close to losing more than just a few teeth. Day to day life is a bit different now from what it used to be, but I know that somehow, as long as I stay true to my ideals, I'll somehow be looked out for.

In Memory of President Weipert

On Wednesday, January 28, my former mission president passed away after a diagnosis of cancer took a turn for the worst. President Jim Weipert was a Spiritual Giant with an enormous heart and a love for the Lord Jesus Christ. He will long be remembered for his sense of laughter his deep sincerity and the work he dedicated himself and his family to those years on the other side of heaven in Paraguay.

When he became president, I only had about 2 transfers before I was about to finish up my service there. I quickly grew to like him because of his sincerity, but more particularly because he knew how to make us laugh. I found out from one of the elders that worked in the office that they regularly had to keep their eyes open whenever they were in the office because you'd never know when Pte Weipert would come in and go on a shooting rampage. To get back at him, the office Elders would take his ties and hide them from him... usually by wearing them around him until he figured out where his ties were missing. He knew how to have fun, but he also knew how to work and how to motivate the Elders to work and never stop learning, especially how to love the gospel they taught. More particularly, he helped me realize that if I knew my or our decisions were truly influenced by the Holy Ghost, that I should never need to question that judgement. He helped me to be very strong in my confidence and I am grateful to him for that.

Hesukristo resurreccion rupive jajuhechata jeyta ha jajukuta! Thanks to Christ, We will be Together again to renew those good times. Thanks President Weipert