An answer to the due date question

Jocee asked if my due date was off, and I'm sure there are a lot of people who will think that. I was actually talking to my mom about it yesterday and telling her I would think that too if I didn't know better. But.... I with all 3 pregnancies have been 100% sure on my due date (of course give or take a day). Unfortunately I am obsessive when it comes to pregnancy, so here is how I know: I take 3.... yes 3 ovulation tests a day. Morning, noon, and night. Take temperatures every morning. Chart all other fertility signs. And my dates always match up with all of my ultrasounds and fundal measurements (Actually this time at 34 weeks I only measured 33 cm, but I think that's because he dropped). So for some odd reason my body is just very efficient at making babies (I always do try to find shortcuts in life :) I do however, consider myself dang lucky that these babies can breathe when they are born. They say that lung development is related to fetal stress. Fetal stress is caused by contractions, and since I have so many contractions all the time, I think it forces their lungs to develop early. How they are so big for their gestational age? I have no idea! But it sure gives us a good laugh when we see that scale!

There are also signs after birth that show their prematurity, unfortunately. Jaundice is one of them, and my babies are jaundice poster children! Also, Henry's gastro-whatever it's called sphincter isn't fully developed, in other words he has really bad reflux. Last night, every time I laid him down, stuff came up. It's probably going to make him REALLY grumpy in a few weeks, so we'll enjoy these sleepy weeks while they last. Oh, one more thing, Dawson was born almost completely white. Early babies have more vernix on them, but Dawson definitely had the most of our 3.

I'll be back on later for more pictures and stories- I'm being kicked off my computer by Buzz Lightyear.

Henry George Low

We're home and doing great! He hasn't hardly made a peep, and we can't really wake him up to eat. He is on the bililights for jaundice, but that's typical for our boys, we expected it. We are loving our new little boy, and will post more about the story and more pictures tomorrow.

Mission Accomplished!

5:30 a.m The water broke
7:00 a.m. Arrive at the Women's Center
9:00 a.m. Epidural
11:00 a.m. Pit received
12:00 p.m. David eats lunch at Cafeteria
2:00 p.m. Erica's patience is being tested
3:00 p.m. Dave googles top ten things never to say to a woman in labor
4:00 p.m. The jokes aren't funny any more
5:00 p.m. Erica pushes and cries
5:21 p.m. The baby cries
5:30 p.m The baby weighs 6 pounds 11 ounces, brown hair and blue eyes, pink skin, good lungs
6:00 p.m. Erica smiles
6:30 p.m. Erica says "I feel great!"
6:35 p.m. Dave writes this post

My water broke

I guess I'm off.

Open for delivery

The new women's center opens tonight at midnight. I made it, I get to deliver in the new one! Hopefully not too soon....

Mommy's good little sleeper

Isaac has always been a good sleeper. Here are some funny pictures of him sleeping this week.


Being a space ranger will wear you right out. We gave Isaac his Buzz Lightyear costume yesterday. He had no idea we were getting it for him, I was worried it would be worn out before Halloween ever came. He wore it from morning until 10:00 at night. He was so excited, he ran around the house saying , "To infinity and beyond!" and jumping off the couches. The best was when I caught him posing in front of the mirror, making tough faces and nodding his head, pushing his lasers, and other buttons. By 2:00 in the afternoon he was so worn out from all the flying and saving the galaxy, he fell asleep on the floor. Honestly, what could be better in the life of a 3-year old than getting your favorite costume? I had no idea this started so early!
I had to wake Isaac up to go to school the other day, but he wasn't in his bed. He had fallen out of bed that night, but we had helped him get back in bed. He never falls out of bed, so this was really weird. When I walked in to his room I could hear him snoring, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I finally bent down, pulled up the bedskirt, and looked under the bed (Which for a pregnant person isn't a very comfortable thing to do, but especially isn't good for a person trying to prevent contractions.), and I found him fast asleep. Even harder than finding him down there was getting him out. What a sound sleeper!

Bedrest Update

The bedrest is going great! It has really done the trick- I usually only get a few contractions every hour and of course when I stand up I get them too. I am taking a little bit less of the "pills" and I am not noticing a big difference, so I am VERY happy about that. I am even doing okay with sitting up a lot of the time, which REALLY helps my back. It looks like it shouldn't be too hard to keep him in as long as I keep doing this.

I have learned that my husband is a better housewife than I am. He is tending the kids, cleaning the house, cooking the meals, and even organizing the cupboards. Carrie said the nesting instinct that usually goes to the mother has transferred to Dave. He is great, and always lectures me when I get up. I am so glad he has been so supportive, and so protective of his new son.

Only 10 days until my next appointment when I will find out what the Dr. wants me to do next. And only 35 days until my due date (Not that I'll make it)

YPM's- Our EFY friends

Our EFY friends came to visit us this weekend. We haven't seen them in a really long time, it was SO fun! Pictured here are Ali, Kevin, Fran, and Brett- all available if you know anyone REALLY exceptional to set them up with. ;) We love these guys, and all our EFY friends who weren't able to come. Thanks again for coming guys, you made my bedrest more bearable!

Official Bedrest

It's no longer "Self Proclaimed", it's official. I went into full labor yesterday as soon as the "pills" (That's what we call them around here) wore off. I had been laying down for a few hours at that point, and when the contractions got to 3-4 minutes apart, I dosed up on the pills and we scheduled our lives around complete bedrest. I shouldn't really be on the computer right now, but I have to sit up occasionally or my back hurts really badly. Dave got permission to come home from work at 10:00 every day next week, and I will have help until he gets home. Until then I have to take these nasty pills that make me really sick, and lay down except for potty and baths. Whenever I DO stand up, I have a contraction, so I really try to stay down as much as possible. So you probably won't see a post until Halloween. On Halloween I have an appointment with my Dr., and we will wait to see what the next step is. I am just trying to keep this baby in until it is safe for him to come out.

What does this picture say to you?

To me it says, "Mom, the yogurt you were feeding me was sick! It just TASTES better when I grab it out of the garbage and feed it to myself. I am very capable! And I really don't care that you were about to grab me and walk out the door to go visiting teaching, but just decided to answer the phone really quickly, I needed something to do while you were on the phone. You'll only be 5 minutes late after you change my clothes."

Ugggh! Does it say that to you too?

Return and Report

I just got back from the Dr. with news of my progress. Is it gross to be writing these things on my blog? Oh well. I am 34 weeks, 1 day: 3+ cm whatever that means, and 80% effaced and -1 stations. There must be something really comfortable in my womb at that -1 station, because all 3 kids have settled right in there- months before my due date- and stayed there until I push them down further at the hospital.

So my Dr. laughed when he pronounced me 3+ cm, which he always does when I surprise him with my early dilation. I let out a shout of joy myself! And the nurse mumbled under her breath, "You were right, he's not going to be here to deliver you." (He leaves for Hawaii tomorrow) Seriously, nobody takes me seriously until my cervix is checked. Suddenly the orders of "don't take the pills unless you really need them." changed to "Take the pills!" In other words, they are pretty worried about me going into labor too early, and he would like me to take this Nifedipine stuff to stop the contractions. So my goal (As prescribed to me by my pregnancy coach Carrie) is to make it to November 1st. I absolutely cannot stand to watch my baby gasping for air, so I don't want to deliver before his lungs are ready. I want to deliver a pink, screaming baby. And then I want him to stop screaming and be really good!

Carrie also prescribed bedrest for me (Yeah right, like I do anything BUT lay around) and offered to watch my kids. Isn't she the best! Really, I think if I just take it semi-easy I can make it 2 more weeks. And the best part about keeping this baby in until the 1st is that my Dr. will be back on call the 31st.

So now for a contest. Guess what day I will deliver. Leave a comment with your guess. I am due November 25th, but you know my stats now, so make your best guess. It could really be any time between now and the 13th- Dr. will induce by then.

Hurry and make your guess, please don't be shy! And the next contest will be baby size. Watch for that one next week. I'll figure out prizes for the winners, and I will announce the winners as soon as we know, but give me some time to pull my act together after the baby is born to actually mail out the prizes, geez.

So...... what day will Henry George Low make his appearance?

Aggie Family Day

We went up to the annual Aggie Family Day on the quad with 2 other families this weekend. The Kirks and the Skousens came with us, and it was really fun. They had free cookies, Aggie Ice Cream, balloons, and popcorn. There were giant blowup toys and slides to play on, and of course the appearance of the beloved "Big Blue". The spirit squad did a little pep rally with the band, and then taught the kids some cheers afterward. We bought Henry a "future aggie" shirt for $1, which we can't wait to put on him for all the basketball games. We got our season tickets again, and the first game is Halloween night.

As we were leaving I was talking to Chris (one of Dave's high school buddies)- they have lived quite a few different places. He was saying in all the places he has lived he has never seen so many free family events as there are in Cache Valley. I was thinking what would we do without the Aggie events, they are such a big part of our life! Really, our favorite events revolve around the Aggies, but most importantly, the only way we make it through the long Cache Valley winter is Aggie Basketball! There are so many other community events too, I just love living here. This community is much tighter knit than where I grew up. I'm really happy to live here, and maybe my boys can be Mountain Crest Mustangs, and Utah State Aggies just like their Daddy!


And just for the record (So you can remember what a true aggie I am)

Self Proclaimed Bed Rest

I think the title explains itself. Basically I've had it. This baby is so low that it hurts to walk around, and really sitting isn't so great either since I have to spread my legs while he rests on the couch. And he's so big that bending over isn't really an option either. Every time I stand up, and frequently when I'm just laying around doing nothing, I have a contraction. And last night when I got up I had such a strong contraction that I ended up squatting until it was done to try to take the pressure off. I thought my water broke. I think I just peed my pants. My house is falling apart before my eyes, and the only choice I'm left with is bed rest. Then I have a good excuse for not cleaning.

On a happier note my friend Hayley brought over a card today from my group of high school friends, and a coupon for a 1-hour massage. What wonderful friends, that made my day! Truly the support and love from others is how we get through hard times. It's so nice to know that you all care, thank you so much! Thank you for the gift, the comments, and the prayers. I'll still send personal thank-you's, my bedrest includes computer time, but I wanted to give you thanks on my blog too.

Dawson is so proud of himself as he has learned to say baby. Of course he says bubba, but close enough. He knows what a real baby is, and he points to my stomach and says baby. I don't think he knows why I call my belly a baby, but he goes along with it with a big grin on his face.

I have my next dr. appt on Monday. I'll be 34 weeks. It will be my first internal check. I'm going to make a guess as to my progress. My guess is probably just wishful thinking, but whatever. I'm guessing 1.5-2 cm and 70% effaced and -1 station. I'll let you know on Monday what it really is, but if it's less than that, I may be very depressed. With Isaac at 34 weeks I was 3 cm and 90% effaced, so I don't think this is too much to hope for. Although I think it will be a little bit less progress with each pregnancy, I think(really, really hope) they will all be fairly early. I'm going to tell my dr. about all the pain and discomfort I'm in, of which he'll do nothing, and of my self proclaimed bed rest, of which he'll laugh and still do nothing.

Instead of getting a dog.....

Instead of getting a dog, we just show Dawson videos of dogs on Youtube.com. Dawson loves dogs so much, even stuffed dogs, or dogs on TV. He loves watching Blues Clues because there is a dog on that show. We always keep a baby stuffed dog (Thanks Natalie) in our car, and hand it to Dawson when he gets grumpy. These are great solutions for the parent who doesn't like dogs. Even better, they never stain your carpet, and they are free!

This video has barking, panting, the word "dog", and the word "wow."

The funeral

I first of all want to thank you all for the sweet comments you have left me. They truly mean so much, it's so nice to know how much you all care. Thank you!

The funeral and the viewing went really well. It was so neat to see the support and love people showed, and to see who would make the effort to come out and give that support. Really, on the whole, it was a very positive experience. A celebration of her life, and an outpouring of love from friends and family. My Aunt Mame flew in for the occasion, for just barely over 24 hours, and we loved spending time with her. 2 of my Mother's dear friends from New Jersey also flew in.

There were so many flowers, so many meals, and so many hugs! I just wish Jessy could have talked with us about it, it's just the kind of event she would have loved! In general conference yesterday, Elder Edgely spoke of a ward who comes together in service and support in times of need. I was reminded of my parent's ward, both current and past wards, who really pulled together to make everything about the funeral wonderful. I hope my Mom has a really big stack of Thank you cards, and maybe a weekend retreat planned to write them all, because there were so many people involved, who sacrificed so much.

Jessica looked beautiful, she has such a beautiful white dress. She also wore the apron that I handstitched her for Christmas last year. Her casket was purple, her favorite color, and had music notes stitched on the top so all would remember her love for music. Before she died she had scanned in pictures of her throughout her life, and even chosen music to accompany it, so Lauren put together a slide show. It was beautiful!

The funeral services were beautiful. I had the wonderful opportunity to give the eulogy, which I really enjoyed writing. A good friend of the family, John Harmer, and the bishop, gave beautiful talks about her. And Marianne Featherstone sang Be Still my Soul, and of course nailed it. The only problem with the services was the temper tantrum my 3-year old threw at the beginning, but he pulled himself together, and was fine for the rest of it.

I promised I would post the eulogy on here, but it is really long, so be prepared.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, “It has been said that the death of a righteous man is never untimely because our Father sets the time. I believe that with all my soul.”

Jessica Lee Biada was born September 18, 1976 in Rochester, Minnesota. The second daughter of George and Ann Biada, and the baby sister of Aimee Biada. She was born 12 days short of 2 years apart from Aimee. Jessica was given her middle name after her paternal grandmother Lee Biada, and the similarities between the two of them were amazing. Grandma passed away exactly 3 months before Jessica this year, and both of these women were incredible fighters right until the very end, defying almost all rules of medicine to pull through illnesses and sicknesses that many of us could never survive, and leaving doctors baffled and bewildered. The similarities between Grandma and Jessica didn’t end there. At Grandma’s funeral my uncle said, “There are many words to describe her- stubborn, difficult- I don’t want to use the word cantankerous at her funeral.” I won’t use that word either… at Jessica’s funeral, but I’m not saying there weren’t many times at home that I thought it. Grandma and Jessica shared a special bond through their name, their temperament, and their will to live… and now they are back together again.

Jessica’s favorite quote for over 10 years was, “Remember to smile.... it makes people wonder what you’re up to.” She had a beautiful big smile with dimples on either side, I will never forget it.

Jessica’s health problems began before she was even born. In the womb they theorize that she suffered a heart attack or stroke that caused her so much pain she kicked her mother and broke her rib. She was born with a severely defected heart, one that caused a lot of problems for her throughout her life.

Aimee and Jessica grew up as a pair- the 2 little girls. My mother enjoyed dressing them alike, and beamed with pride as a young mother with 2 precious daughters. Jessica was not the most saavy person, and Aimee, as the older sister, took advantage of that as she played hairdresser- cutting off Jessica’s beautiful blond baby curls, was Dorothy while Jessica had to be a munchkin, and was ALWAYS Miss America while Jessica could be first runner up. But Jessica was always reminded that in the case that Miss America could not fulfill her duties, she would have the chance at the crown. Although Jessica was a little bit bossed around by her big sister, Aimee was a great sister to her, and they shared a special bond through their closeness in age. Jessica admired Aimee greatly, for all 31 years.

5 years after Jessica was born, her parents had recovered enough to have another child, another daughter- beautiful and talented of course- named Erica. This sister was another strong personality, and gave Jessica a run for her money too. But there were times when Jessica outsmarted this little sister of hers. The story goes that Jessica tricked me into thinking that when I hung upside down all the blood rushed to my head, and it could explode. When I was a child I reached for something behind our chest freezer and somehow wedged myself upside down between the wall and freezer. As I hung there screaming, my family laughed hysterically at my flailing legs, and I panicked of my exploding head. This was one of Jessica’s favorite stories because she REALLY outsmarted me that time. Jessica was the only sister I ever rode the schoolbus with and we shared a room for many years. These were some of the prime years that Jess drove me crazy, but they were also years that bonded us together through memories and love. I loved Jessica very much, and the last words we spoke with each other were I love you.

As Aimee, Jessica, and I grew up together as the first “leg” of the Biada family, we had a lot of fun together. One of Jessica’s favorite things to do was to play “hurt”. Aimee designed a state of the art cast made from newspaper and masking tape for us, and we all “broke our legs” and needed crutches. We were very creative in our selection of crutches finding broomsticks, batons, and whatever else was around, and walking around “hurt”. We really did enjoy growing up together- the family of three girls.

Jessica was the first member of our family to be baptized right when she turned 8 years old, and she was baptized by a dear friend of the family as our Dad was not yet a member of the church. On February 17, 1990 each of the three girls of the family knelt at the altar of the Washington D.C. temple alongside our parents and were sealed together for time and all eternity. How grateful we are for that experience and the knowledge of eternal families at this time.

Jessica graduated from Bountiful High School in 1995 and attended Utah State University from 1995 until 1997 where she studied music and received a scholarship as she played the flute in their marching band.

Jessica explored many different hobbies and talents throughout the years- dance, soccer, softball, gymnastics- but her true talent and love in life that she found was music. Jessica was so gifted in music. She played many instruments throughout the years, but the two that she loved were the piano and the flute. Jessica could pick up sheet music and naturally sight read it, a talent I always envied. She brought beautiful music into the Biada home, and accompanied many people while they sang vocal solos, including Aimee and Lauren. Many times on Sundays or holidays, we gathered around the family piano while Jess played and we sang. Mom of course loved that, she loved to sit and watch her talented daughters. Jessica held many church callings and blessed many people with her musical talent.

In Jessica’s teenage years she became a big sister again when Lauren was born. How much joy she felt to have a new baby sister. She was 20 when Kate was born and 23 when Joshua came into our family. Now came her chance to be the bossy big sister. I remember many occasions when our Mom said, “Jessica, I’ll take care of it, I’m the Mom.” Jess always loved a party, and getting out to do things, and she took those kids out to do so many fun things. She always took Kate to the library, and let her check out as many books as she wanted. Jess and Josh worked out a system of going out to eat together and getting our parents to pay for it. How precious those chicken nuggets and fries are now in their memories. Jessica was a great sister to us all.

Jessica quickly embraced my husband as he treated her with so much love and respect, and she adored my 2 boys and they adored her right back. Isaac my 3 year old loves Jess and frequently included her in his prayers. She took him to his first movie on the big screen, and he loved it! And I will never forget the family meals last year, when Jess couldn’t eat, so she held my colicky Dawson during dinner and danced around with him to keep him from crying. She did it because she loved him, and she loved me and wanted to serve me even in her sickness. What a fabulous aunt she was.

One of the most selfless things I saw Jessica do was to prepare and clean up meals that she never could eat. She did this quite often. Jessica’s favorite food was salad, and I hope she has already found a way to enjoy a big salad on the other side. She could still season a salad just right even though she couldn’t take a bite of it.

Jessy was a great challenge to my parents throughout the years. She was tough from the day she was born. She required a LOT of attention. If only Mom could count the hours she spent counseling with Jessica, and sitting in doctors offices and hospitals with her. And my Dad learned so much patience from her throughout the years…. Thank you for that Jess. Dad spent his whole life making sure that she had what she needed, he was very generous to her, and she knew it. Jessica went through 3 open heart surgeries in her life, and more surgeries beyond that than we could count. She had more machinery in her body than in a microwave oven. My parents spent such a great portion of their life caring for her, and what a great burden it has been, but the burden was a true blessing and they wouldn’t trade it for anything. They consider it a great privilege to have been her parents. Truly she has taught us so much, we have learned eternal lessons from her, things the Lord probably couldn’t have taught us without her and her trials.

Jessica was devoted to nothing on this earth more than her family. Even in the last days of her life the only thing she spoke of was her family. She loved each and every one of us, and always wore herself out when we were all around because she didn’t want to miss anything. She told a dear friend in the ward that she didn’t want to die because she knew her siblings didn’t want to lose her. And she was right.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “I am like a huge, rough stone … and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force. … Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith)

I’ve hinted at it many times throughout this tribute to my sister, but she was not the easiest girl to live with. She definitely taught us patience, even when we didn’t want a lesson on it. But I’d have to say that she truly was like a huge, rough stone, and with all of the trials in her life she was polished to become the beautiful person she was when she died. She still had her moments of course, but she was truly a new person in the last years of her life. She had learned compassion through all her trials in life, and she hated to see those around her sick, even though she was much sicker than them. I truly believe that during these years she was polished and refined, that she was disciplined and trained and taught under the plan of the Almighty to be prepared to meet him and prepared to receive celestial glory. He didn’t make it easy, and the trials of a whole lifetime were packed into 31 short years for her. But she made it, and she is done. She is in a place of peace and rest, with no more scars, no IVs, no feeding tubes, no pills, and no more sorrow.

Although this may be a sad day for us, we know it is happy for her. My sister had so much potential in her spirit that she was unable to fulfill due to her physical limitations. She is now able to fulfill that potential. In the 42nd section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord describes such a state: “And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them.”

On Saturday, September 29^th, 2007 the doctors could see that she was not improving, in fact she was getting much worse.An answer to one of my Mom’s prayers on the day Jessica passed came in the form of a song. “And should we die before our Journey’s through, Happy Day, All is Well.”

Jessica fought a good fight. She has finished the course. She has kept the faith. Today is a celebration of her life. The life she lived and the life she continues to live in spirit paradise.

The Obituary

http://www.legacy.com/saltlaketribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=95484342

What a beautiful obituary and tribute to Jessica, but boy was it hard for me to read. She looks so healthy and beautiful in that picture. It's hard to believe that this obituary can be for her, can she really be gone? I sure do miss her.