August in Utah

We are usually back in Texas by August but had a few more weeks in Utah to wait for Chase's reunion.  The weather is FAR better here than there, so there was no complaining on my end. 

We spent as much time with cousins as possible.  One day we went to the zoo which is always a treat because we don't have a zoo in Austin.  

Sadie and Ruby were especially happy to be reunited.  Those two sure love each other. Em hosted a sleepover for Sadie and Jack while I was in New York with Mom and they had soooooo much fun.  Those two girls laugh so hard it makes me sad they don’t get to spend more time together.  We’re hoping that we can all go to the beach next summer.  It’s been too long since we’ve all been to the beach together!

George loved the carousel and all the big cats.  I loved watching him "meow" at the leopard behind the glass.   

Of course he loved the train too.  

Em was so sweet to think of having a small baby shower for me while I was in town.  We went to Trio for dinner and then hung out at the Children's Hour for a few hours which is always a treat.  The only issue was I didn't know the sex of the baby yet.  In the past, I’ve had to wait until 20 weeks before I could find out what kind of baby I was having.  Technology has advanced in the past couple of years and they now have a blood test that tells you not only any chromosomal defects you might be having (like down syndrome) but also checks the xy chromosomes to see the sex of your baby.  If you have an xy it’s a girl and if it’s yy, it’s a boy.  I was totally on board to get the test done.  Sadie couldn’t wait to find out if she would finally get a sister.  Chase and I were also worried that we would have to tell her she was getting another “stinky little brother,” as she calls them.  So we got the test done right before we left for Utah and they said it would be 10 business days.  Em decided to plan a baby shower for the girls in the family a few weeks out knowing by then I would know the sex of my baby.  Well, on the 14th day, they finally called me and told me they had lost my blood sample!!  

Here we had been waiting for what seemed like forever and they call me to tell me my specimen is lost!!  I was so mad and so was my lawyer of a husband. With all his health care knowledge he was threatening the lab with a ‘HIPAA breach’ and saying they had invaded our health care law of privacy.  The lab was so scared and felt so bad about what happened that they found a representative in Utah to meet me at IHC for another test.  It would then be immediately FedExed overnight to their lab in California.  So I went in to get tested at another lab in Murray and there was the guy, waiting patiently with his little fed-ex box.  They also assured me that we would not be responsible for any payment and that I would be able to know the results by Thursday, the day we had scheduled the baby shower with the family.  I made Keith (guy from the lab) think the shower was a VERY big deal, even though it was just Mom, Brooke, Lizzie and Em. 

So, we told Sadie Thursday was the day even though she thought it was actually going to be the Friday before.  Poor thing had to exercise a great deal of patience.  Chase and I were really starting to worry that it would be a boy at this point and after all her waiting, her hopes would be dashed once again.  I actually got sick to my stomach when I thought about having to tell her we were having another boy.  So Thursday came and at 6pm they still didn’t have results.  I told my shower guests to get me girl stuff because all signs were pointing to a girl (at least this pregnancy felt like Sadie’s pregnancy).  I was still madder than a hornet when they still didn’t have results for me on Thursday.  No results Friday either.  Chase was now threatening to sue!  Now we had to wait the whole weekend until they opened again on Monday. I still had a really fun shower and received the cutest little clothes for the baby.  Lots of pink!

It was nice to have Chase's reunion to distract us from not knowing the sex of the baby.  The next day we went to a family day at the park and a BBQ that night up the canyon.  Those events were really fun and Sadie was so happy to be reunited with her buddy Moriah from her toddler days in D.C.  They both bonded immediately over their love of horses and had so much fun together.  

The next event was RIDICULOUSLY boring!!  They decided to recreate an assembly in the auditorium of Highland High.  The only problem was the production wasn't "assembled" by their assembly chair (Chase) and was THE MOST BORING assembly I've ever been too.  Thank goodness I had some East High ladies there to lighten the doom of the evening.  Love that Chase's friends all married women from East.  Makes these reunions all the more bearable.  

The next day Mom and Dad hosted all the families for one last Sunday dinner before we returned to Texas.  Kids helped Mimi make some yummy cookies and the rest of us brought pot luck meals from home.  These meals had to be vegan to accomodate the new Etherington diet.  

This picture of all the grandchildren kills me.  Can't you just feel the excitement from these kids when looking at those "delighted" faces?  The prospect of eating vegetables and more vegeatbles for dinner was just far too thrilling!  I could barely get my kids to eat a crumb and they pretty much just ate the rolls.  Don't tell Emily, but I cooked my quinoa and seeds in chicken broth.  The shame!!!  

(Mimi enjoying her carrot and Esther)

Grandpa took us on a hike to "the meadow" as he calls it.  It was gorgeous and full of lots of logs to play on.  

This man!  Oh how I love him!!

Grandpa is always up for an adventure and helped Sadie shimmy herself way up this fallen tree trunk. 

We always miss these mountains when we go back to Texas!!

We also miss Laird Park.  We went there too many times to count while in Utah.

 Monday came, and the lab still had no results.  Tuesday, we finally got a text saying they had results and had sent them over to my doctor’s office. We then had to wait for my OB to call me.  MORE WAITING!!  I got sick of sitting by my phone so we went down to H&M to do a return before our flight back to Texas the next day.  Can you believe it?  It should have been 10 days to get a result and it ended up taking a month!!  The kids stayed at Mom and Dad’s house while Chase and I went together.  Once we pulled into the parking lot, we got the call!!  The nurse told me were having a girl!!!!!!!!  I immediately started crying and said “REALLY?!!!” The nurse asked me if I was ok because I was crying so hard.  I told her they were tears of joy!!  I immediately thought of Sadie and how happy it would make her to know she would finally be blessed with a sister.  Can you imagine your life without a sister?  It was one of the only reasons we decided to have a fourth child.  A final attempt at getting Sadie her most coveted sister.  I don’t know what I’d do with out my 3 lovely sisters.  How blessed am I to have been given so many wonderful companions in this life?!  

I hung up the phone and just did the ugliest cry I’ve ever mustered in my lifetime (other than the time I was driving to the hospital with Jack labor pains…worst moment ever!!).  Connie has a box of tissues in her mini van at all times and I just buried my face in them as I just wept and wept tears of absolute joy.  When I finally calmed down, I got a chance to look over at Chase who also had tears in his eyes.  We have been waiting for this baby and both feel so blessed that we not only have a girl, but a healthy girl.  All the chromosomal defects came back “low risk” as well.  We immediately felt completely overwhelmed with gratitude for this healthy daughter of God that He would be entrusting to our family.  We said a prayer of thanksgiving right there in the City Creek parking garage.  I still don’t feel worthy of such amazing blessings.  I love my family so much and I can’t wait to meet this little peanut of mine.  We’ve decided to call her Eliza Maurine.  The great thing is, we will have a Jack and a Maurine in our family.  How perfect! Chase and I celebrated by buying some Izze drinks because drinking an Izze in honor of our own "Lizzy" just seemed totally appropriate!  

When we got home that night, I wrapped up some pink shoes Mimi gave me at the shower in a generic polka dot box for Sadie to open after we had dinner with the sister missionaries on the lovely side patio.  After the sisters left, the kids all ran down to the basement to play with some toys but we asked Sadie to come upstairs for a minute because we had a "surprise" for her.  She was pretty confused but came up anyway.  Since when do Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Mimi all sit down and watch her open a gift when it’s not her birthday?  She had pretty much given up on ever finding out the sex of the baby after all the days of waiting and no results.  

She had no idea what was in that box!  So, she opened it up and asked “why are you giving me a pink pair of shoes that don’t fit me?  These are WAY too small for me.” When we asked her who she thought they could be for her eyes got REALLY big, the light bulb clicked on, and she excitedly asked “IS IT A GIRL!!!!!”  Mom and I of course started crying.  It was a happy little moment for our family.  Sadie will finally have a little sister!!  

We had one more day before our flight back to Texas, so Grandpa decided we should have an Easter Egg Hunt.  Random?  Why yes.  Totally random and totally fun.  Grandpa usually has a big hunt every Easter for all the other cousins and he didn't think it was fair the Cannon kids never got to participate.  So he had an Easter egg hunt for them in August.  Probably the best grandpa ever!! 

Each kid had their own color and each egg's contents was carefully inspected (and devoured) after all were found.  What a great way to end our trip to Utah!!

Back to Texas we go.  Back to our beds and beloved body pillows!!  Oh how I love my Texas bed.  Chase and I weren’t able to sleep together in Utah because the available beds were all too small.  My big belly and need of several surrounding pillows didn’t help either!  It's great to be home.