Little angel...

Wrapped Emma up in my wedding veil and took some pictures of her sleeping. She looks like an angel, enough said....

Everything tiny

I really wanted to send out birth announcements when Emma was born. I even thought about using this picture above on them because I think that it is just precious. The other morning I was laying next to her on the bed and watching her sleep. Thinking about how tiny she is at only 6lbs 10oz. Looking for the millionth time in awe at her tiny fingernails and teeny blond eyelashes. Everything in such a small scale but so completely perfect. She is amazing, I can 't believe I helped make her. Looking down at her cheeks and feeling my heart warm. Little baby bulldog cheeks, her skin is so soft. Seriously baby skin is the softest thing ever. Leaning down to rub my nose against her cheek. She smells like heaven and I want to just stay in this moment for awhile. Happiness washing over me every time I see her and pick her up. When I hold her close to my chest I just don't want to put her down. She is amazing, there are no words sufficient.

"My baby Emma"

Avery is a big sister. She knew she was going to be before any of us knew. I know these two are going to have a special bond, they already do. When Ave told everyone that day at lunch that "Mom had a baby in her belly" her "baby Emma" I didn't even know at all that I was pregnant yet. Imagine my confusion at where it was coming from when she kept telling everyone at preschool and church and everywhere that I was pregnant with "baby Emma." So of course when we found out we were having a girl I was shocked, "Avery we are having a girl, a sister!" I excitedly told her. She looked at Deke and I as if we were finally getting it and matter of fact like said "Yep, my baby Emma." She knew. I don't know how but she knew. As far as she is concerned Em is her baby. She loves being a big sister and can't stop planting squishy kisses on her. She wants to squeeze her and hold her and help with every part of taking care of her. She loves to get the diaper and help pull the tab and stick it on. She loves to help "scrub" her hair in the bath. They are so sweet. I am so happy for the two of them that they have each other, there is just nothing in the world like having a sister. They are going to have so much fun growing up together.

First bath

Great Grandma Hatch watched Hunter and Avery when we went to the hospital to have Emma. She stayed for a few days after we got home and helped out with things. She was able to give Emma her first bath. We had to keep her wrapped in a towel and wash one body part at a time or else she would start crying. Once we tried this method she seemed to enjoy her bath a lot. It is so neat that my kids are blessed enough to have three sets of very involved, wonderful grandparents and a set of great grandparents that love them so much. It was nice to have my grandma here to help and just sit and enjoy her with me.

HELLO my name is????

With all of our kids Deke and I usually have a short list of our favorite names along with a couple of names that we like individually that we hang on to. We have never been able to decide on their names until we see them. With Hunter we liked the names Ethan, Harrison, and Hunter. As we were holding him together for the first time after he was born Deke said each name. When Deke said "Hunter," he opened up his little eyes and looked right at us. It was so amazing and we both knew that that was his name. With Ethan, Dylan, and Avery we also had to see them first and within minutes we had chosen their names. Once we found out that this new little one was going to be a girl our favorite names quickly became Emma, Addyson, and Abigail. We also had some individual names like Halle, Kinnsey, and Brynne. Over the next few months we had fun browsing name books and different family members weighed in as to which name they liked best. You decided you couldn't wait any longer to get here and came five weeks early. After a long day of contracting, you were born at 10:19p.m. and then mom had to go into recovery until I could be with you and Dad. It was almost midnight before dad and I finally got to hold you. You were so beautiful! Your little head was perfectly round, your nose perfectly shaped, and delicious chub hanging from your cheeks. As we held you and stared at you we started talking about names. As I quietly said our three favorite names I looked at dad and told him you were so beautiful that any of those names would fit you. Not feeling an overwhelming sense of which name was yours yet, we decided it had been an eventful day and we needed to get some rest. The next day was filled with nonstop visitors at the hospital to meet you and love on you. Throughout the day when there was a quiet second dad and I would look at you and say a name and then discuss it. People were calling with congratulations asking about all the details. "We are still deciding," we told everyone when they asked us what your name was. That night I was becoming a little distraught about the fact that I hadn't felt an overwhelming sense of which name was to be yours. Maybe none of these names were right and that is why we didn't feel a confirmation yet. That night Uncle Dev and Aunt Laura came to see you. We were talking about the names and Uncle Dev asked us why we liked each name. Well we liked Addyson because it was cute and we could call her Addy for short if we decided. We thought that Abigail was feminine and could be Abby as a little girl and then Abigail as a woman. However, there was some history for us about the name Emma. When Deke and I first got married we of course as all couples do talked about our future and dreamed of having children one day. The first girl name I can ever remember us both instantly liking was Emma. When we found out we were pregnant for the first time I called the baby Emma for the first four months until we found out that it was a boy. Sorry Hunter :). Then we thought the twins were going to be a boy and girl so we considered Ethan and Emma but surprise...two boys. When Avery was born on pioneer day we thought okay of course her name would be Emma and were surprised as we looked at her and soon knew that was not her name. As Deke and I struggled to get pregnant again I told Deke that I was having a hard time imagining not having our little Emma. Then once we did get pregnant Avery kept insisting that the baby was a sister, "her baby Emma." She called you Emma from day one and all the way through. The next day one of the nurses brought us the hospital's copy of a baby name book. For an hour we poured over the pages suggesting then rejecting each new name idea. The lady in charge of records had come in twice and still we had no name. Before we went to leave the recorder came back and told us we if we didn't put something down by Friday then your birth certificate would read "baby girl Burch" the thought of this devastated both of us and we knew it could not happen. This was turning into not such a shining moment in our parenting history :) The whole family was calling throughout the day so eager to know and disappointed to hear that no decision had been made. The birth recorder told us to put down a name and then if we decided to change it we could by Friday. I had a follow up appointment Friday morning so we figured this would work. We decided that we were going to name you Addyson and dad filled out the temporary paperwork. All day we called you Addyson as we headed home but still we relayed the news to no one. That night we brought you home to meet Hunter and Avery. They kept calling you Emma. We went back into limbo. Thursday night dad and I talked about it as we watched you sleep. If this was the last daughter we had, would we be okay going throughout life without "our Emma." No, we would not. Even though you are our fifth child we had loved your name and the dream of you from the very beginning, even before your older siblings. Heavenly Father is so mindful and I think that he knew that we would rely on those experiences to decide your name. We decided your name was Emma and then the peace of a confirmation came. The next morning we went to the appointment and then hurried over to the hospital to find the birth recorder. We made the change to the paperwork and then pondered over how to tell our family. We went to Staples and bought some name tags that said, "Hi my name is...." we filled Emma in the box, stuck it on your shirt, took a picture, and emailed it to everyone to announce that after almost a week you finally had your name. Why did it take us so long to decide I am not totally sure. Could it be because you are so cute any name could've fit you? Could it be that having you felt like some amazing dream that we couldn't even process all the joy initially? I am not sure but I know for sure that Emma is your name, it fits you. When I think of your name it makes me think about Emma Smith a righteous, strong, faithful, kind, amazing woman. I think you will have all of these qualities as well. When I say your name I think of three words beauty, sweetness and peacemaker. Especially peacemaker. You are only four months old now but the peace that your little spirit brings to our home is so strong... now finally, we have our Emma.

Help us pick a name.....

Well yesterday I went to my last doctor's appointment to find out that this girl may have a different birthday plan in mind. I found out that I am dilated to a 2 and 50% effaced!! Now this kid is going to be c-section so we don't exactly want me progressing. My doctor sent me home and said he thinks he might see me again before the weekend is up. Yesterday I came home and had some more contractions, more contractions last night and today I feel like this kid is so low she is going to fall out. Needless to say we may be going over to the hospital this afternoon or evening to get checked out again. So who knows this little one may have her own time schedule on when she wants to come! We still have not decided on a name for this kid but we do have a small list of top choices. Please give me some feedback on which one is your fave or if you have another cute name suggestion for her. We would love some feedback, here are the names we like:

Addisyn

Emma

Abby

Payton

Kinnsey

Brynne

other maybe's include: Savannah, Bailee, Halle

SURPRISE!!! Only 3 more weeks!!!!

Alright so I know that some of you already have known our exciting news and others may have been suspecting it but there are still others that this will come as a total surprise to which is so fun to finally share. WE ARE HAVING A LITTLE GIRL!!!! not just that but I am due in 3 WEEKS!!! At first I debated over not even posting anything until she was born but Deke was like you are silly and has been trying to get me to post something for months now. Yes this was the exciting news we received all those months ago. One day we were at Wildflower Bread Co. with my dad and my sisters and out of nowhere Avery says, "Grandpa my mommy has a baby in her belly." The whole table got quiet and everyone looked at Deke and I. "No I don't" I kept telling them but no one would believe me. That week at preschool Avery kept telling Lisa and all the parents at pickup "My mommy has a baby in her belly, my baby Emma." Everyone kept asking me and I continued to assure people that we were not expecting. Two weeks later Avery kept insisting and Deke mentioned that we should probably go get a pregnancy test to make sure. When it was time to check it I told Deke, "You check it because I know that I'm not." Two seconds later Deke burst out of the bathroom with the test, "Oh yeah he said and held it up to me" I almost fell out of my chair when I saw it:

I think I went into shock over my excitement! Well the next ten weeks were filled with something that is new to me in pregnancy-morning sickness :( :( I didn't know that simply drinking a couple sips of water could make you throw up. The couch was my best friend for the first trimester including 7:30 bedtimes since sleeping gave the only repreave from the nausea and all I could drink was gatorade and only in two flavors yellow or orange. Forget eating but every now and again I could get down some rice or baked potato plain. It was pretty rough considering with all the boys I threw up max maybe three times in nine months. Every appointment with this pregnancy I have had an ultrasound which has been so fun to watch her grow and has given me extra peace of mind since the twins. The day before Thanksgiving Deke, the kids and all my sisters were in the room with us as she made it known to all that she was definitely a GIRL!!!!! I can't believe we will now have two girls thoughts of matching EASTER DRESSES, FLOWER HEADBANDS, that they were going to be SISTERS. Deke and I hugged and cried. Avery just smiled at us and said, "Yep my baby Emma" she had insisted that she was getting a sister the whole time. Of course we would have been ecstatic no matter what but after having three boys I didn't know if we could make girls. I can't wait to see what a little Burch girl version is going to look like. I have had such a wonderful pregnancy. Everything has been calm and smooth with no complications or bedrest. The baby is measuring two weeks ahead of schedule and is in the 95% for her weight right now and from the ultrasounds we can tell that she is going to have chubby little cheeks just like Hunter. We had an wonderful baby shower for her on Feb. 20th and received so many girly cute things. As you can see from the new collage up top I have been busy making hairclips and bows, sewing blankets, rearranging the girls' room, picking up cute spring dresses and soaking up all the girly fun. The other day I bought the girls there first matching dresses and another set of cute matching everyday outfits. I can't wait to put them in them together I am so excited. Deke and I feel so blessed there are no words to describe the healing that has come to our entire family throughout this wonderful pregnancy and now as we count down the days to her arrival. Heavenly Father has been so merciful and we count our blessings everyday for this sweet little angel and the miracle that she is. Since I have to have c-section we chose to have her born on my mom's 50th birthday which is going to be so special for everyone. All I can say is that I know that Heavenly Father hears our pleadings and our prayers and knows the deepest desires of our hearts and that if we continue to walk faithfully through our trials and endure that he will bless us ten fold. We have walked through the sorrow and it is time for the joy. Bring on the joy let it fall down all over the place :) :) :) :)