Smiles All Around

I knew no one would believe me unless I caught the evidence on tape, but Davy is practicing his smiles for when he sees everyone in April. See for yourself!

Christmas and Fashion Show

Davy turned a week old on Christmas. He got to play baby Jesus at a friend's house where we acted out the nativity. He was perfect and "no crying he made" (until we got home and it was time for Mary and Joseph to sleep!).


Oh the indignity! This was Dad's way of entertaining himself during a late-night waking spell. Poor baby.

We have received so many beautiful gifts. Please be assured that we are using and loving each and every one. Below are just a few of the special gifts that we wanted to show off. And more evidence will come as we have a chance to dress Davy up in all the other lovely gifts. (And remember to keep the camera close at hand!)



Aunt Jenna made this hat for Davy. And Great-aunt Liz made the blanket.

Cute reindeer feet!


Future cowboy! Aunt Erica knows how much Rachel likes horses and hopes Davy will too.

Labor details (read at your own risk!)

As you may have noticed, we re-opened our blog to all viewers. We had so many requests to see the photos and video of our sweet baby that it was just easier to open it all up. This will be temporary--about a week or so. Then we will be making it more private again. If you wish to still check in on Davy every now and then, let us know so we can "invite" you. Thanks!


David is sleeping peacefully now, which means I probably should be resting too! But I wanted to take this chance to write a little about the labor. So if you are not into labor stories or aren't sure you want details, don't read the following paragraph!

We spent Wednesday night in the hospital so that a slow-release inducement called Cervidil could help jump-start labor. Neither Collin nor I got much sleep as the drug gave me horrible back pain and lots of cramping. Also I was anxious and excited about the events of the next day and couldn't settle down enough to sleep well. The next morning around 9:30 the Cervidil was removed from my system and the contractions continued and increased naturally from there. I was so glad that Pitocin did not have to be introduced! I used the jacuzzi to help cope with some of the beginning contractions. When I was about five centimeters dilated I got to the point where the pain during one contraction was so intense and I was so tired I was sure I could not do any more and I asked Collin to get me an epidural. He asked if I was sure that is what I wanted and as I thought about it I knew I didn't want to slow down labor or go through the bother of getting the pain relief. I said that I would just keep going. The next time the midwife checked me I had jumped to eight centimeters dilated and I was encouraged to continue working with the contractions to get the baby out naturally and soon. I was so grateful to have both Collin's and my mom's hands to hold and anchor me through each contraction. And to have their voices encouraging me when it came time to push the baby out. I pushed for about 40 minutes--which was one of the hardest things I have ever done physically or mentally--and out came a beautiful, squirmy, warm little baby. He was put immediately on my belly and I rubbed his little body while the midwife coached me through the afterbirth. I had torn a bit during the final push and had to get about 20 stitches. I also lost a lot of blood when the nurses had me get up to get ready to move into the recovery room and narrowly missed passing out completely. A whole army of nurses rushed in (like ER!) and hustled me back to the bed and did whatever they had to do to make sure I was breathing and getting the bleeding to stop. I was pretty out of it, but it was quite the adventure. Mom stayed with me while Collin went with the baby (who still didn't have a name) to the nursery and helped bathe him and watched as the nurses did their tests. Despite feeling faint, I have never felt so wonderful in my life as when the baby came back and I held him and all the memories of the pain and difficulty of labor (even an easy and short one like mine) disappeared.


We are home now and adjusting slowly to each other and our new responsibilities as parents and baby-outside-the-womb. Nursing is coming along, although we have only within the last twelve hours begun to get the hang of things. The pain of this process is something that I was not prepared for and so have had a hard time dealing with. But we will persist and things will get better and easier. Collin is a miracle worker with Davy, finding just the right position or rocking technique that works for whatever is bothering him. Collin is so wonderful at diaper changing and burping and everything else so that I can get a few moments of rest or take care of helping my body heal. He is such a perfect and patient dad and husband--especially when both Davy and I are bawling at the same time and frustrated over nursing. I am so thankful that he will be home with us for the next couple weeks. I do not know how I will manage when he has to go back to work!

He's Awake! (video)

WARNING: The following entry serves as evidence that Rachel no longer has control over the posts to this blog. Proceed at your own risk.

Mathematical Proof of this Video:

If a picture is worth a thousand words and the standard movie reel runs at approximately 24 frames per second, then by rules of simple multiplication, one second of a movie reel is worth 24,000 words. This video is 43 seconds long, which means it's worth over 1 million words! That's what I think anyway . . .

Okay, so maybe it's not so exciting for anyone who wasn't holding him, but I hope you enjoy his yawn and little lip-smacking sounds!

David Iver Lambourne

Announcing the birth of our first son, David Iver Lambourne, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 18, 2008 at 3:53pm, weighing in at 8 lbs, 10 oz., and stretching to reach 21 inches long.

Rachel underwent a minor inducement at 9:00pm Wednesday night. Sleep was hard to come by for all parties involved (Rachel, Collin, and Mom Dollahite) but after the dark hours of the night, we were greeted with a beautiful sunrise coming up behind the Boston skyline outside our hospital room.

Blah, blah, blah, let's get to the pictures already!

The inducement herb was taken out around 9:00am on Thursday and Rachel started having good, consistent contractions to the point that the midwife decided we wouldn't need to induce her with Pitocin. Rachel breathed through the contractions well even when it seemed that the pushing stage couldn't come soon enough! The author (Collin) personally thinks she was absolutely wonderful in how she bore the pain and in her determination to bring the baby to our family.
Thanks to the nurses and midwives at Mt. Auburn Hospital, to Mom Dollahite for her knowledge and calming influence, and to Rachel for making such a cute baby!

Extra Innings

We're officially overdue and ready for the baby whenever he decides to come! Above is Rachel with our "Christmas garland" last week on the due date. Below is today.

Philly

Collin is working for his client in Pennsylvania for three weeks in November. Last Friday--instead of him coming home--Rachel was able to ride the train down to Philadelphia and spend the weekend. We got to stay in a nice hotel suite with an amazing buffet breakfast every morning (especially good on the weekends, apparently!) just half an hour outside the city with the use of a rental car. And Deloitte paid for it all! Rachel figures that it's only fair if they are going to take her husband for three weeks.

We were so blessed with the weather on Saturday. The forecast was "thunderous rains" for the whole day and sure enough we woke up in the morning to the sound of torrential rain outside. We drove into the city anticipating getting soaked and having a miserable day to sight-see. But the closer we got to Philly the less hard the rain beat down and by the time we found a parking place the rain was to a drizzle. As the day progressed the clouds parted and the sun came out and we shed our coats. The afternoon was glorious. Then about fifteen minutes after we arrived back at the hotel the rain and wind began again. Prayers are answered!



We saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. We had a terrific tour guide in Independence Hall, but we were too shy to ask whether any of National Treasure was actually filmed in the building. We also saw the historic Masonic Temple and learned about Quakerism in the historic Meeting House. And of course, Collin ate Philly cheese steak for lunch.


Across the street from the famous LOVE statue is City Hall, where a large group of Prop 8 protesters were holding a rally.


Our last stop of the day was the Museum of Art steps where Collin did his Rocky impersonation. We didn't go into the museum, because it had already been a long day and the museum is so huge! That's definitely a reason to go back, at least in Rachel's opinion!

Sunday we attended church at the Valley Forge ward and then drove around Valley Forge. The park is beautiful and very large. The picture below is just a funny shot of us trying to get a good photo using the timer with the camera perched on the hood of the car. Our batteries ran out right after snapping this one, so we couldn't try again! The tree is really cool, though. Maybe it was there when General Washington was! Or maybe not.

Joseph Smith Birthplace and other things

We took advantage of one of the last nice Fall days of the year about two weeks ago. After our Stake Conference session (which was at a time of day that left us with enough time to venture out) we drove up to Sharon, Vermont, to visit Joseph Smith's birthplace. The mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont were beautiful and it was a pleasure to take a nice Sunday drive. There are so many trees in those states!!!


Collin has been working in Pennsylvania for the last week, and is scheduled there for the next two as well. Thankfully he gets to come home for the weekend! And next weekend Rachel will join him down in Philly for a final "baby-bash" weekend. We're excited to see some more American history sites like Valley Forge, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and, of course, the LOVE statue.

Meanwhile, Rachel has almost finished the cross stitch baby announcement she has been spending hours working on. She just needs the baby's name, weight, and birth date. Several of her friends in the ward also threw her a baby shower last night. It was so fun! She now has lots of super soft and warm clothes for the baby to face the cold New England winter with. (Not that we're planning on cross-country skiing or anything. We're kind of looking forward to just hibernating for a couple of months!)

The final bit of news is that Collin got a hair cut (wahoo!). And Rachel chopped off ten inches of her hair to donate to Locks of Love.

More fun stuff

Friday night was our ward's "Trunk or Treat" and Primary Halloween party. We both looked forward to it all week. That really says something about our social lives, when the highlight of the week is a children's party! Collin was Batman (well, actually more like Bruce Wayne with a Batman cape, since he had come straight from work) and Rachel got more compliments on her costume than any more elaborate ones she has ever had. She even had people come over to her and say, "Oh, my sister told me I had to see the 'Magic Eight Ball!'" Too bad we can't be this creative and cheap on a costume with those results every Halloween!

Today was the "Parent Talk Sale" down at a church in Needham. We had heard our friends talk about it ever since we got here. From them we got the idea that this was THE event of the year for those with kids or expecting one, and not to miss it. We thought we might check it out after fulfilling our assignment to clean the church. We got there right in time to line up for the bag sale and soon the line was stretching a block or so down the side walk behind us. The volunteers came down the line and sold bags for $10 each. Anything that we could stuff in the bag was ours for that $10 fee. Rachel was sure that one bag ought to be sufficient. After all, we really don't need anything more for the baby. . . .

The anticipation mounted as the time ticked closer to 11:30. Then the doors were opened and we became part of a mad rush for the door and the best baby equipment items. Inside there were stacks of books, toys, clothes, strollers, high chairs, baby bath tubs--everything! And all in pretty great shape, too. We ended up going home with a jogging stroller (an Eddie Bauer--with shocks!!! Collin was super excited about that) for $12.50 and two bags crammed and a little overflowing with other soft baby books, clothes, toys, and other random stuff that "might come in handy," and a tennis racket. Don't ask about the tennis racket. I have no idea.

It was all rather exciting and doing all that digging through stuff to grab it before someone else does left us both hungry. Since we were already so far south, we decided to find a Haitian restaurant in Mattapan/Dorchester that we had been told about. So we made our way closer to the city (without a GPS, using only maps!! And a Haitian's vague directions!!) and found Bon Appetit. There Collin got enough rice and beans and deep fat fried pork to satisfy him for a little while. Rachel recommends the marinade (fried dough with spices).

The Head of the Charles River Regatta

On Saturday we headed down to Cambridge to enjoy the invigorating Fall weather by the Charles River. The Head of the Charles River Regatta is one of the world's oldest and biggest rowing competitions. All along the banks people stretch out and watch the races and a fair-of-sorts is set up as well. We got tons of free stuff from all the booths--free food samples, free gum, free jars of Indian curry sauce, free coupons, free digestive aids/vitamins, etc. It was great fun! It was rather ironic, though, that all the free things were healthy/organic/low sugar/low sodium/whole foods kind of stuff, and the food that we would normally have wanted to eat--fried balls of dough, caramel apples, french fries, pizza, etc.--you had to pay for!

Also this weekend Collin finished putting together the baby's crib. He only broke one drill bit in the process! We are so excited to meet the little person who is coming into our family. We have been enjoying our time spent with kids in the Primary and baby-sitting for a family where both the parents have callings in the Youth Program. The last time we baby-sat the little girl (almost four years old) was very sad to let her mom leave and said, crying, "I don't want them to baby-sit me. Why can't daddy baby-sit me?" We had another girl announce to us after the Primary Program on Sunday that, "I like you guys. You can come to our Halloween Party and stay till the very end."

Pregancy Woes

On Wednesday Rachel went to the dentist for a cleaning. The dental hygienist was almost done when Rachel got very woozy all of a sudden and almost passed out. Suddenly there was a flurry of frantic activity going on around her as two dentists, the hygienist, and a secretary tried to make sure everything was okay. Rachel felt much better after sitting up and having a window opened and drinking some orange juice, but a little embarrassed about all the attention. She learned her lesson about lying on her back too long--all the books she's read warn her against it and now she knows why! One of the main arteries carrying blood is in the back and when the weight of the uterus is directly on that vein it gets compressed and stops the blood flow to the brain. Or something like that. But anyway, the dentists wouldn't let her finish getting her teeth cleaned and tried to call a taxi to take her home (three blocks away!). So Rachel will have to wait until after the baby is born to have the final five teeth cleaned.

The second pregnancy update is that Rachel gained almost ten pounds in two weeks. This is okay, since for the first seven months she didn't gain a lot and it is within normal range. However, it has got Rachel thinking that perhaps she should go easy on the ice cream-after dinner-habit.

Collin is doing well and finding more and more projects to keep him busy at work. He finds little fix-it jobs to do around the house, as well. And he is always happy to eat the experiments that Rachel makes for dinner. He is setting out on a mission to read some of the children's/young adult books that he didn't when he was younger. He just finished A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Angle (and quoted from it in his talk on Sunday, following the example of many of the General Authorities in quoting from great literature!). He is now reading The Giver by Lois Lowry.

We hope to get to the Charles River Regatta tomorrow. It is a big tradition here, where the university rowing teams have races on the river and there is a fair along the banks to stroll through. If we go we'll have some fun pictures to post tomorrow, so stay tuned!

What we've been up to

Erica, this picture is for you. Rachel felt a little silly posing for a "pregnancy picture" but Erica insisted that everyone needed to see how big she's grown. So here it is, (sigh):


This past weekend, in between Conference sessions, Collin and Rachel took a country drive to go "leaf peeping" (as it is called by locals). The colors are not yet in full glory, but the reds are glorious and the yellows are just starting to come out.


We drove to Ipswich, MA, where Richard Kimball and many of his descendants lived and are buried. Richard Kimball, his brother Henry, and their families were the first Kimballs to come to America (well, actually the British colonies, I guess). They sailed on the Elizabeth and landed in Boston in 1635. They first settled in Watertown, which is the town just south of Belmont, where we live now. But within about two years Richard had a land claim purchased in Ipswich and moved his family there. He had quite a few children and this is reflected in the old cemetery in Ipswich--there are a lot of Kimballs! We couldn't find the original gravestone for Richard (it has been about 400 years, after all), but the combined descendants of Richard have erected a small marker to his memory.

Status Update

Collin is back from two weeks in New Jersey for National Training. He had some great experiences talking with his colleagues about the Church when questions came up about our beliefs and practices. He got to clarify some misconceptions and ask some thought-provoking questions to his new friends as well. One of his friends even expressed some interest in going to a church meeting sometime. We'll take him up on that and even feed him afterward! Collin also became very popular with the hotel staff because about half of them were Haitian. Collin loved the opportunity to speak Creole and show how much he loves their country. We heard a wonderful talk on Sunday from Elder Christensen about incredible member missionaries in the area--past and present. We were both touched by the message and hope that more chances to share the gospel come our way.

Rachel is so happy to have Collin home again. Two weeks was a long time--even longer than the six weeks she was in Guatemala when we were engaged. And you all may wonder what she could be doing with her time. She goes walking in the morning for about an hour with some friends in the ward/neighborhood. Then runs errands and spends all the money Collin earns. She's working on a cross-stitch sampler for the baby (with the birth date, how much he weighs, how long, etc.) and some memory books. She's continuing to put together the house to make it more like home. And of course laundry, cooking and baking, cleaning, and other stuff like that. Oh, and reading and trips to the library.

The baby is growing well. At the last appointment at 28 1/2 weeks the uterus measured 30 centimeters. Since the average is one centimeter per week we're ahead of schedule! Rachel feels good about just continuing what she's doing--eating plenty! The baby is moving around but doesn't like to perform for other people. When he's doing crazy somersaults and Rachel calls for Collin to come watch and feel without fail he stops as soon as Collin looks over.

Collin was initiated into our new calling yesterday. We're teaching the Sunbeams (actually only half of them--even then we have eight kids!). It's going to be a fun challenge. We have some very talkative ones, some shy ones, some rowdier ones. They are going to be a handful, but at least we get snacks during church. :)

Our big adventure Saturday was trying to install a new light fixture in the bathroom. We had to replace an absolutely horrid fluorescent fixture that didn't even turn on half the time. And since the bathroom is already a florid combination of yellow porcelain tiles, tub, sink, and toilet (I really do not know what possessed the original decorators of that bathroom. No one looks good in yellow. It's just so depressing in the morning to look at yourself in that mirror surrounded by yucky yellow tile.) a flickering fluorescent light just makes everything worse. So Rachel found a normal light fixture at Ikea for $4 and we set to the task of putting it in. We took out the nasty old one and Collin did most of the work while Rachel held screws and handed up tools. We had fun poking around in the creepy, rickety basement looking for the power box to turn off the power. Then we matched the right colors of wires on the fixture to the right colors of wires in the ceiling. It was all somewhat of an ordeal, since neither of us had really done this before (maybe watched someone else do the work, but never had to figure out how to do it ourselves). We were quite proud of ourselves when it was all put in. It still doesn't make up for the horrendous yellow bathroom, but it does make it slightly more manageable.

More Great News!

Well, it is official. We are having a baby boy! Rachel has seen with her own eyes what is causing the extreme weight gain in her midsection and some severe back aches. And if he isn't exactly cute now in his scrunched-up current home, we are confident he will be adorable soon!

We are loving making our new apartment into a comfortable home. There are still the few stray boxes to unpack, but this should all be done by the time the baby comes (hopefully!) We are enjoying getting to know our new surroundings and try to have a good attitude when we are lost which is often. The first thing everyone in the ward--even locals--ask us when they find out we are brand new from Utah is whether we have a GPS. Well, we don't . . . but Christmas is coming soon and we wouldn't refuse such a thoughtful gift!


One our favorite things so far is trash day. Apparently here in Belmont it is not only welcomed but expected that people go through other people's trash and take stuff. Especially during moving season Belmont residents put out couches, dressers, strollers, chairs, organizers, etc., etc., etc. that is lightly used or reparable--things that you would find at a thrift store for a few dollars. And it's all free for the taking if you can carry it or load it. We have found some much needed items this way--two dressers, a chair, a kitchen cabinet, and several other useful things. It's really funny to see people taking walks the evening before the garbage men come and take everything off the curb and rooting through stuff. And it's really fun to find something necessary in decent condition and know that it's completely free!!! This whole system works quite well for Collin's frugal nature and Rachel's thrill when finding a bargain.

Collin has also been to his first Red Sox game. It was a great introduction to the fan-culture here--being a "Sox" or a "Pats" (Patriots) or a "C" (Celtics) or a "B" (Bruins) fan is serious business.

We also are getting a little into the history of the East Coast. On our drive here we stopped at Gettysburg and met up with some friends from Utah, Liz and Joe Dixon. And we took a walk our first Sunday here along the Old North Bridge trail.

Great News

We have great news! Collin just received confirmation that he has passed all four parts of the CPA exam!! And on the first try (which apparently is not very common--usually people have to take at least one test over)! This means that he will get to put extra letters after his name on business cards and stuff and that we'll get a bonus from Deloitte. Oh, and that Collin is a Certified Public Accountant, which means that we have really been blessed for all his hard work.

Arrived!

Well, we are here and safe and so glad to be out of the car/truck. The trip here was long and hard, but we made it alright (with only one mishap--Collin was pulled over for not wearing his seatbelt, even though he was). Harry Potter books on CD really saved us. Rachel's only concern after 30 straight hours of narration is that the baby will recognize Jim Dale's voice more than her own!

We are staying with the Wanamakers until our apartment is ready to move into on September 1. We are so grateful for the generosity of friends to allow us to invade their peace for an entire week! Collin started work this morning and Rachel started finding a midwife and hospital for the baby and working out other details of transitioning life to Belmont.

On the Road

Well, we're on the road safe and sound. So far we have passed such attractions as President Ronald Reagan's birthplace, John Wayne's birthplace, and yes, even Buffalo Bill's Ranch. Perhaps someday we will actually stop and see some of these places--maybe when kids come along and the driving has to be broken up more than we're currently doing.

We're in South Bend, Indiana to pack up our remaining belongings (a couch and bed that Collin's brother left behind for us after graduating from Notre Dame Law School). Then tomorrow we'll drive again. Ugh.

Boston-bound

Tomorrow we start our five-day journey to the East coast, which means today we are sitting in an apartment full of boxes and tables wrapped in plastic while eating the last thing we could find in our cupboard (mac and cheese, in case you were wondering). Collin can't wait to get on the road--he's excited to eat lots of Gobstoppers to keep himself awake. Rachel won't mind sitting still after the past few weeks of packing and cleaning--for the first two hours of the drive at least.

We're going to miss our family and friends, but we are looking forward to this new adventure and hope people come to visit often!