I just wanted to say thanks to both of Jared's and mine parents for coming and helping us with Jade and Taegen. I loved having them hear and both Jared and I are thankful for the love and support they give us. My mom and dad arrived the day Jade and I got home from the hospital, it was great to have them and their help. My mom saved the day with helping me plant my garden, picking out and hanging up curtains in my kitchen, laundry, house cleaning, cooking, basically everything. Thanks mom and dad.... Love you tons!!!

Jared's parents arrived a week after Jade was born. We sure appreciated their help as well. They are always willing to do anything and everything we need them to. Thanks a ton, we love and miss you.

Jade's Blessing

We blessed Jade on Sunday June, 14th. It was great to have both sets of grandparent's there to give us support, we sure did miss the rest of our family though. The meeting was great and Jared did a super job. Jade looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress and girlie accesorries. It is sooo much fun having a girl!!

Lori, Scott(Jared's parents), Heather, Jade, Taegen, and Jared
Jim, Bonnie(my parents), Heather, Jade, Taegen, and Jared

Heather, Jade, Taegen, and Jared

Jade Isabella

She is here!!! Jade Isabella Johnstun was born on Thursday, June 4th, at 6:13 a.m. She weighed 6 lbs, 7 oz, and was 17 inches long. She is just a tiny thing!!! She has quite a bit of dirty blonde hair and is just skin and bones. So here is the story...

I was getting desperate, for many reasons: 1- I was totally sick of being pregnant, 2-my mom was coming in 3 days, I didn't feel anywhere near going into labor, and I really didn't want to waste any days with her without the baby, 3- I was TOTALLY sick of being pregnant. So let's face it, you are willing to try anything. I knew my doctor was on call all day Wednesday and into Thursday morning, so this was my shot. Jared and I decided to go out to dinner one last time as a threesome and that is where it would take place. Right before we got our chips and salsa I partook, that's right, I drank castor oil. Now I know that many of you are skeptical, so was I, I have heard many things about the oil, but I was going to give it a shot. I was prepared to be in the worst pain of my life, sitting on the toilet all night long, and preparing myself that all the pain would just be false labor. So after dinner we came straight home so I could be prepared.

I had friends tell me that the pains felt just like labor pains, but that they were really stomach cramps from the oil that comes with the diarrhea, and the real ones come after those or they don't come at all. So as I was sitting on the toilet feeling no pains at all. I was becoming depressed. I guess it wasn't working for me. My body reacts differently to everything when I'm pregnant though, so I was not surprised. So when it was 11:00 p.m. and nothing had or was happening I decided to go to bed and chalk it up as a failed attempt.

At 3:30 a.m., when I awoke to a pain in my lower abdomen, I thought, oh great, the false pains are coming late. I laid there trying to breathe through them. I stood up trying to breathe through them. I got down on all fours trying to breathe through them. I kept thinking only a couple of hours and they'll go away! By now I was really regretting the oil, my friend was right, she would never do it again, AND NEITHER WOULD I. These false contractions were PAINFUL!!! After about 1 hour and 30 minutes I was thinking that they should be diminishing, not getting more painful. But it was when I realized I had not felt the baby move that we should at least drive to the hospital to get things checked out. I was freaking out that the oil had caused some sort of complications with the baby. That is when I awoke my peacefully sleeping husband as I had been writhing in pain for the last 1 1/2 hours!!! I called my friend to come over to watch Taegen and away we went.

I still thought that these pains were false, so we were talking on the way to the hospital of how embarrasing it was going to be explaining this to my doctor and hoping he would not be mad. Jared dropped me off at the doors and he went to park. When I arrived at the 16th floor, I calmly said to the lady at the desk, "I think I'm in labor". It was hard to talk and hard to walk with the pains, but I was trying to be as calm as I could until I found out what was going on. They took me into the examining room so they could check things out. I changed into the gown and laid on the bed. By now Jared had gotten there and I was glad I wouldn't have to explain the story by myself. The resident came in to check my dilation. I was thinking ok, here it comes, she is going to say nothing is happening, but instead the words were "You're at an 8!!!" Oh my gosh, Jared and I looked at each other both thinking YEA, now we don't have to explain about the oil. But on the down side, no epidural AGAIN!! The resident basically said as soon as we break your water I think you're going to have this baby. So we were off to the delivery room, all this pain was not in vain. Obviously by now I was pushing, since I couldn't help the instinct, and the resident and doctor were quickly getting the room/instruments/ lidicain ready. Jared was looking to see if he could see the head when it happened, my water broke on its own. It shot 5 feet through the air almost hitting Jared square in the face... good thing he has quick reflexes! Then came the shots, trying to be squeezed in between the contractions. Luckily they got some in before she was born. After about 20 minutes in the labor and delivery room, out she came, looking very alien like, but very beautiful. They sat her on my stomach and I just soaked in every moment!!

So from the moment we left our house at 5:18 a.m., until I delivered at 6:13 a.m., I realized how lucky I was to not deliver her in the car (although I am sure Jared would have done an excellent job)! And let me say I am no longer skeptical.

Now may I present to you our Jade Isabella Johnstun...

More pictures to come and sorry for the long post!

Taegen always loved his bouncer!!

Not that he remembers it, but the only way I could get Taegen to stop crying when he was little was to put him in the bouncer. I would bounce him so hard that sometimes I wondered if I could have given him shaken baby syndrome... but he LOVED it!!! Anyway, I have been getting stuff ready for the baby and found T like this, he is only a little big. Maybe subconciously he does remember!

So, I thought I finally better post some preggo pics. This is me at 37 1/2 weeks and ready to be done. But knowing me I will go to the end. Nothing else is really going on, Jared is in his last rotation (pediatrics)for his 3rd year. He only has 4 more weeks and then he will start year 4, YEA. Time seems to go by so fast.

Entertainment!

Taegen is at the age where he does not want to be stuck riding in the shopping cart everywhere we go, but it is much faster not having to coax, bribe, be forceful, or just plain exhausted everytime we go in a store! So needless to say most of the time I win and make him ride in the cart. Well, we were at Bed Bath and Beyond and of corse I was shopping and not paying much attention to the little dude and before I new it he had war paint all over his face using my lip stick! He sure knows how to entertain himself! (Its kind of hard to see in these pics because of the lighting, but if you click on the picture and make it bigger you can see it a little better).

Well, I don't usually post pics about anything other than Taegen or our house, so this is kinda weird. Anyway things here are great, Taegen is loving the 90 degree weather we have had for the last 3 days. Running around and spending time outside after a long winter inside is always great. We are trying the potty training thing again and after 1 week of me cleaning out poopy underwear(which is sooo gross) we decided to go the pull-ups route. He does really good with the pee in the potty but still is not getting the other, but were to far in it now to back to diapers. He also had pneumonia a couple of weeks ago that was aweful. He had a fever for about 4 day when I decided to take him to the doctor. They of corse did his bloodwork but sent us home thinking that it was a virus. The next morning the doc called and wanted to re-check him(which is never good news)but was such a relief to me because he still had a fever around 103 and now hasn't eaten for about 4-5 days. His white cound was up way way high and that apparently means something other than the norm is wrong. After another app., and then a trip to the hospital they found out he had silent pneumonia. Within one day of taking the antibiotics, he was a totally different kid-HUGE relief. Now he is great and back to normal.

Jared has been working hard in school, and out. He is now in family medicine and enjoying the not so long hours that surgeons work. He has also been working on research projects and had to present a poster the other day on one of his projects. I won't do into because it would just bore you, but I took pics anyway because we are sooo proud.

Preston, Brandon, and Jared all presenting posters during Research Day at Drexel(although this particular poster is Jared's).
Taegen always gets so excited to see Jared during the day, it was a lot of fun to go down town and spend an hour with him. Good job babe, were so proud of you!