He's finally here!!!

He's finally here!!! Riggs Kirt Bates. He weighed 7 lbs even and was 19 inches even. My pregnancy with him couldn't have been easier and the delivery was the same way! It all went so perfectly! After we had him, he was having breathing problems and blood sugar problems so he spent his first night in the NICU which was a little nerve racking but thank heavens for modern medicine! He was back in our room the next day. He is the best baby! He is so sweet!! We love him so much and he has been such a blessing to our family!

My mom
Eric's mom

Eric's dad

Down in the NICU

My baby turned 8!!

She got her ears pierced and I stole this idea from a friend of mine. She was so excited to see all those earings!

Miranda Cosgrove!!

A DS?!

????

Mmmmm...not sure...
Friends at the Outer Limits Fun Park

Where does time go?!

Jackson Hole

We decided that we needed a quick vacation before the baby came and I was going stir crazy so we planned a 3 day trip to Jackson Hole, WY. Also, we promised Rohbi that we would do something special when she finished her schooling because she worked so hard to get it finished before the baby came. We didn't really do anything special. Rohbi earned some money special for this trip so we did some shopping, went to see the elk, and did a little swimming. Yeah I know we are boring but it was just nice to be able to just get out of Caribou County.

I swear I took more pictures than this but apparently not...darn!

A few things I've realized...

Losing two babies back to back was such a hard thing to go through. Eric and I had been married 2 months when we found out we were pregnant with Gunnar and we were so excited. A few months later the wind was taken out of our sails when we lost him. Nine months later we were pregnant again and we went through the same process of grief when we lost Ruger. Nine months later again when we found out we were pregnant with this little boy, we were both nervous and anxious but in a way, I was hoping that by carrying this pregnancy to term, maybe it would take away the pain of losing our other two boys. I was hoping it would fill that void that was left and numb the ache I felt to hold Gunnar and Ruger. For about the first 6 months of this pregnancy I was on cloud nine and with every hurdle we cleared I became more and more excited. Now that I've had time to come back to reality, I'm realizing that I still ache to hold Gunnar and Ruger (and yes it is a physical ache). Leaving the hospital both times without my babies was the worst feeling. My arms ached to hold my boys.

Even though I still miss my boys and ache to hold them, being pregnant with this little one has helped to dull that ache. He has given me something to look forward to. I look forward to holding him and kissing him and smelling him. I look forward to watching him grow and helping him learn...He has been my light at the end of the tunnel.

I love all of my kids so much! I'm so grateful to be able to say that I have an eternal family and I will get a chance to raise Gunnar and Ruger during the millennium if I live my life right. It gives me something positive to work on!

Belly pictures

I decided I wanted to celebrate this pregnancy. We've waited a couple of years for a healthy pregnancy so it's been exciting to get this far along! A friend from our ward told me that she would do the pictures for me because she is wanting to get into photography and could use the practice. I think she did such a great job! I wish I would have done this 8 years ago with Rohbi but I had never seen this done until the last few years or so. I also wish I had had the opportunity to do this with Gunnar and Ruger. I realize I put this on Facebook but I do have some people who follow our blog who are not on Facebook. We have all been so excited about this pregnancy and the further along I got the more hopeful we got. This pregnancy has been amazing!! I haven't had a lot of nausea, the baby has been healthy and strong and VERY active! People ask me if I'm ready to be done with it yet. Honestly, no. I'm not that uncomfortable yet. I have enjoyed every minute of this pregnancy! I am eager to meet this little boy but I guess in a selfish way, I still want a little bit more time to just spend with him before I have to share with everyone else. :) I love this little boy so much!!! Rohbi has wanted to be involved with this pregnancy from the minute she found out that I was pregnant and when we found out that we were having a boy, she has wanted to be involved in choosing the name. She has decided that we should name him Copper Kirt Bates. I'm not sure I'm too excited about this name but we'll pretend, for her sake, that we are taking it into consideration. :)

At my last doctor's appointment I had an ultrasound and he measured big. I am at 33 weeks right not and his head measured at 36 weeks, the rest of him measured at 35 weeks, and the estimated his weight to be at around 5 pounds. I realize there is room for error when they do measurements on an ultrasound but I'm kinda freaked out! lol The tech told me that if he grows like he's supposed to, he could weigh over 9 pounds when he is born! Yikes!!! Rohbi was 8lbs 10oz so it couldn't be too much worse could it?

Anyway, as usual, this post is going to be picture heavy. I guess all the pictures just show how indecisive I am :) I am going to print out a few of these pictures and hang them in his room so if you have any suggestions or favorites, let me know! Please don't mind all the weight I've put on and all the stretch marks I have...just enjoy the pictures! :) Okay enough of my blabbering...