Yesterday was Zachary's Big Day. We had most of Corey's and my family present for the blessing. We had not decided for sure on a name by the time we arrived at the meetinghouse. Corey had to fill out the paperwork, and when the blessing began, he surprised most of the family with the name Zachary Ammon Wilhelmsen. Corey had been fond of the name Ammon for a first name, but I liked it better as a middle name. Zachary must have liked the name also, because he became very calm and peaceful just before the blessing, after a difficult night and morning. Corey's strong, yet tender, love for both his Father in Heaven and his son here on earth carried the Spirit of the Lord in great abundance to all those present.
Ammon was a great Book of Mormon missionary, whom I hope Zachary will admire and exemplify. One of my favorite scriptures describes the righteous patriot Captian Moroni, for whom our nephew Nicholas is middle-named:"If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."
What an amazing man, right? Well, the next verse goes on to say, "Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon. . . for they were all men of God."
So this wonderful scripture describes the characteristics of both Moroni and Ammon, two great men of God. In our family, all of our nephews on both sides of the family likewise bear the names of amazing men of God. Our nephews have the first or middle names of Adam, Hyrum, Joshua, Jacob, Caleb, David, Michael, Nathan, and Spencer Kimball. I only recently realized that all these names reflect those of spiritual giants from biblical, Book of Mormon, and latter day time periods.
I hope and pray these these young men will grow strong in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as Zachary was blessed to do yesterday, to serve honorable missions, be endowed and sealed in the temple of God, and carry on the righteous traditions of those whose names they bear.
How can you have a holiday baby and not put him in a Santa suit?! Especially one this cute! I had fun dressing Zach up today as the blizzard raged and neighbor kids played out the window.
Corey had 4 days off this weekend and spent every moment with Zach while I was able to rest and run errands. I was gone for several hours a few times, and I missed the baby fiercely. I read this magazine article about a mom going back to work after her baby was born, and I almost cried. I'm sure there will be more tears to come in that arena. . . I now feel so bad for hustling Corey out the door back to work when Zach was only a couple of days old. Corey was fighting it, but didn't have enough paid leave to take much time off. It is mean that hardly anyone offers paid maternity/paternity leave. I would be happy to pay a few more tax dollars to ensure that all new parents each received at least one week of paid leave following their child's birth. It is vital to their emotional and physical well-being. In Canada and much of Europe, parents are given from 6-12 months off paid after a baby's birth. They pay a ton in taxes, but at least it is an aim to helping society. Okay, I'm off my political soapbox. 
He's filling out those tiny chicken legs. He weighed 8 lbs 10 oz at 16 days. 
He went from 8 pounds down to 7 pounds 4 ounces, and is now close to 8 again.
"First down!"
My labor began at about 4 am on Monday morning, with some cramping that I didn't recognize as regular contractions until I was informed by the nurses at 10 am at the midwives' office as they monitored me. At that point, the contractions were 6 minutes apart and I was dilated 1.5 cm. I reluctantly decided to cancel my patients for the day as the intensity heightened and I realized this must be the real thing. By about noon, I called Corey to come help me get through the ever-intensifying contractions. We utilized some of the techniques learned in our Hypnobirthing class, such as counterpressure, massage, and relaxation techniques. We had our doula, Melissa, come at about 3 pm. She and Corey applied strong pressure to my hips and sacrum during contractions until they were between 3 and 4 minutes apart, at which time I decided the hospital was beckoning.
He came in at a rotund 8 pounds even, and was 19.5 inches long. He looked a little beat up due to the length of the labor, but new parents never mind those marks. My right side took half of Tuesday to wake up, during which time Corey cared for the baby and bonded with him like crazy. 
Corey is the most doting daddy I have ever seen. It is precious to see how much he adores and is concerned for his son. 
Baby Tiny just slept snuggled up on his dad's chest most of the day and night Tuesday and Wednesday while I recovered. That's also how they spent half of the night last night. I thought it was the mom who was supposed to lose all the sleep, but I think I've rested more than Dad at this point. The baby has taken awhile to pick up on nursing, but is getting to be a pro now.
He is so tender, and his little cry breaks your heart. He is very alert most the time, and is the sweetest thing we have ever experienced in our lives. We had no idea what it would be like to have him, but now we can't imagine our lives without him. Thanks for all your kind thoughts and well-wishes!
I couldn't find any bedding I really liked, so I made the curtains and dust ruffle out of one fabric, and the quilt and pillows out of another. I hand-quilted the polka dots on the quilt, and it is reversible with teal on one side and brown dots on the other. 
We're going to put his name on the sign, and the circles I painted and stuck to the wall.
I would still like to put in a rug, maybe one of these from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. 
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