Bryan Graduates From BYU - Idaho!

We had the awesome opportunity to be in Rexburg last Friday to celebrate my brother Bryan's graduation  (Exercise Science) from BYU-Idaho.  My parents, Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins, Scott and his wife Haley, and David also attended.  Bryan will be working this summer in Utah while he takes the MCAT and applies to medical schools.  We are so happy for him!

We were relieved at Benson's performance sitting through both the commencement and convocation ceremonies, especially considering both were after his bed time!  When he is in a room full of people now, there is no way he will sleep in public - there are too many people smiling at him and he loves the attention!

Time Flies When You Have a Baby!

Wow!  I can't believe it has been over two months since our last post!  So much has happened in such a short period of time.  To begin, Matt took a new job with a company in Salt Lake City two weeks after Benson's birth, which required our family to relocate to Utah.  After some quick packing, lots of help from Emily and Chloe, and unanticipated good-byes to our Denver family and friends, we loaded up two cars and a moving truck and made the 8-hour trek (9 1/2 with newborn Benson) to Utah.

We arrived in Orem on October 1, and stayed at the Grande Hotel Ririe for three weeks (five star accommodations, world renowned cooking, concert pianist, like heaven on earth!).  Mom and Dad Ririe were so kind to accommodate us.  While there, Matt and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on October 15 (what a wildly wonderful year! Had I known how wonderful marriage with Matt would be I would have gone out with him the first time he asked! Oh how I love this marvelous, selfless man.).  We also celebrated Matt's 29th birthday on the 17th.  Each day Matt made the long commute to and from work near downtown Salt Lake, while Benson and I continued getting to know each other and adjusting to mortality.  A beautiful learning curve!

On October 20, we moved into an apartment in Cottonwood Heights and will be here temporarily until  January when we move up the street to house sit for relatives leaving on a mission.  The apartment we found is a lease transfer from a family who needed to leave their contract early, which lease happens to end in January, the same time the couple we are house sitting for leaves on their mission (which we did not know at the time we signed the lease).  We are amazed at how Heavenly Father continues to bless our family, especially in the significant timing of numerous unforeseen events over the last two months.

More highlights since we moved - Halloween with the Riries, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins last weekend and Benson's Blessing yesterday in our new ward .

Benson's first Halloween (Matt crocheted the beenie)

Grandpa Jenkins and Benson taking naps

Attempting some family photos near Snowbird  in Benson's first blizzard

You WILL take family pictures and you WILL like it!

Benson's first snow angel (actually, Matt is holding him so he's not really touching)

Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins - doesn't she look like she's made for the snow?

Benson's Blessing, Sunday November 11, 2012

Benson meets Family!

This last week has been phenomenal!  We have had so many people reach out to help and have had some important visitors come into town.  Lisa's Mom, Judy Jenkins, came in and spent almost an entire week with us.  When not taking care of Benson and giving Lisa time to nap, she helped make meals, clean the house, do laundry, etc.  She was an absolute heaven-send and we were so happy and grateful for her visit.  It was a very sad moment when we had to finally say goodbye and watch her enter the airport on her return to Boise.

We were also pleased to be able to introduce Matt's parents and brother Steven to Benson.  They drove out and spent a couple of days here as well and we were able to spend some enjoyable time together.  How blessed we feel to have the support of family members!  Thank you all for your love and generous service!

One memorable experience occurred when we were all together Friday night.  After dinner, we looked in the game closet and pulled out the old game "Moods."  If you haven't played it, the basic idea behind the game is to repeat a predetermined phrase in one of ten available moods.  Points are then awarded on how well others can discern your acting skills and correctly identify the mood you were acting.  Anyways, if you'd ever like a good laugh, invite Matt's Dad, Brent, and brother Steven over and have Brent try to romantically speak to Steven.  We were rolling with laughter!  

TL: Lisa's Mom - Judy Jenkins. BL: Matt's Parents - Brent and Beverly.  BR: Emily's Block Tower

Boy Oh Boy!

We have just participated in one of the most sublime experiences of our marriage.  On August 22, 2012, we welcomed into our family a sweet baby boy, Benson Matthew Ririe.  We'd like to share the story on his getting to our family and a couple of thoughts on how he has changed our lives.

Benson's original delivery date was announced as August 29th.  However, during an ultrasound at 28 weeks, it was discovered that Benson was in a breech position (meaning he was head up - which is the opposite of how baby's are normally born).  We actually tried a lot of little exercises and even a couple of wives tale tricks to encouraging him to flip on his own.  If you ever have a breech baby, these are a couple of the things that we heard would work.  For the record, we only tried the handstands in the pool, pelvic tilts, walking, and the flashlight and none of them worked.  Here's a list of things other women have sworn work:

• Handstands in a Swimming Pool
• Putting Ice Packs at the Top of the Uterus (baby will move their head away from the cold)
• Shining a Flashlight in the womb (the baby will move away from the light)
• Walking with one foot on the sidewalk and one foot in the gutter.
• Just lots of Walking
• Pelvic Tilt Exercises
• Laying on the floor with your hips lifted at a 45 degree angle (normally on a couch)
• Getting on all fours and trying to manually turn the baby yourself.
• Acupuncture on the mother's baby toe
• Chiropractics

At 38 weeks, Benson was still breech.  We scheduled an appointment to meet with a perinatal specialist to discuss one last option in hopes of avoiding a Cesarean Section delivery.  The option is called ECV (external cephalic version) and is performed by a doctor who manually turns the baby around by pressing on the stomach of the mother.  As part of our consultation with the specialist, it was discovered that the umbilical cord was wrapped around little Benson's neck and as such, the doctor recommended that due to the increased risk of complications we forgo the procedure and schedule a C-Section.  We were happy to accept the advice of this specialist and scheduled the C-Section for August 22nd.

We checked into the Parker Adventist Hospital Wednesday morning at 5:30.  Upon arriving, the nursing staff showed us the room we were expected to stay in for the duration of our hospital time.  Nurse, Doctor, and Anesthesiologist each came into the room to discuss the procedure and confirm our consent to the risks associated with the surgery.  Once all of the paperwork had been completed and no further questions were had, they left us alone in the room for a few minutes as we lay tired and anxious for the coming delivery.  Matt put on his hospital-issued scrubs and tried to look as much like a doctor as he could.  At 7:30, the nurse came and invited the two of us to follow towards the operating room.  Matt was left to wait just outside the OR as Lisa was admitted to the room where they began preparations for the surgery.  A nurse then escorted Matt into the room at 7:57 and at 8:07 a.m., Little Benson Matthew Ririe was born.

Lisa and Matt, just before entering the Operating Room.

He was quickly moved over to the corner of the room where he was cleaned, weighed, measured, and swaddled before he was handed over to Matt - a new Dad.  Benson's official birth weight and length are 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches. What a thrill to hold this beautiful little boy for the first time!  For nine months we had waited ... wondering who this little guy would be.  And now, for the first time ever, holding a little boy that we would call our son was such a sacred and humbling moment.  Some pictures were taken with Matt and Benson before they were ushered over to introduce the little guy to his new Mom.

Benson Matthew Ririe is born!  Here's a Collage of the Operating Room.

As a result of the surgery, Lisa was still not in a position to hold little Benson.  However, she did get to spend a few minutes cheek to cheek with him as Matt held them close to each other.  After some time, Matt and Benson were moved into a recovery room and Lisa joined them a few minutes later after the surgery was completed.  Here she was able to hold him and love him for her first time and she too was overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude for a healthy baby boy.

In the Recovery Room.  The top right picture demonstrates just how much Benson loves  baths!

After some time in the recovery room, the three of us were moved to our room.  However, to help balance things out, we were actually moved to a different wing a little later that day and Lisa was asked to stand for the first time since the surgery to get into a wheel chair.  We ended up in room 329 where we stayed until our official discharge from the Hospital on Saturday the 25th.

Emily Smith, Dr. Furr, Our Hospital, Room, and Benson

Well that summarizes the quick journey.  It should be said that the operation went as well as could be hoped for.  We had an incredibly talented OB, Wayne C. Furr, M.D., who performed the C-Section (pictured with Benson above).  Prior to his beginning of the first incision, one of the head nurses requested everyone's attention and informed them that he (Dr. Furr) and another doctor from his practice (Dr. Lane) were two of the best doctors that they would see perform one of these operations.  Hearing this was very comforting and confirmed our total trust in him.  Then, during the surgery, Dr. Furr lightened the situation for everyone when he saw the baby for the first time, exclaiming, "Man! That is an ugly face! ... Oh, That's the Butt!" Hearing him joke a little bit really relaxed Lisa and we were grateful to have his expertise.  Later, we learned that the umbilical cord had actually been wrapped around our little guy twice!  -  Thankfully, we didn't attempt version.

We were also blessed with an incredible nursing staff.  Each nurse that was assigned to us was so kind, thoughtful, and willing to do all that they could to make Lisa's stay a little easier.  We had a few favorites for sure who would come and look after us.  It actually took us three days to finally decide on a name for our little guy, so at the beginning of each shift, the new nurse would peek her head in and ask if we had given him a name yet.  We were happy to have such a great group of people looking after Benson and Lisa.  Were there to be any complications, we would have felt confident in their abilities.

Finally, we want to thank all of our family and friends that came by the hospital to visit.  We have loved sharing this little guy with those that have reached out and hope to one day share him with everyone of our good family members and friends.  In the short time that we have had him in our family, our family has seen an increase in love, understanding, and unity.  We have drawn closer to our Heavenly Father and gained a greater appreciation for the inspired Plan of Salvation that He has given to allow each of us this mortal experience.  We know that families can be eternal and that a return into God's presence is possible.  It is our greatest hope that we will be able to raise up this son to understand these truths and the path by which they may be accomplished.

We know Benson will grow quickly over the next few months and so we will try to be good about updating his progress here.  So consider this the beginning of a new journey and feel free to join us on it!

We're having a Boy!

Little Baby Ririe - Practicing the BYU Cheer!

It’s official!  We’re having a boy!  Okay, so we may have already known that, but today we were reassured of the news.  Today was Lisa’s second ultrasound.  Per the birth mathematicians, our little guy is 21 weeks and 2 days, and based on everything the nurse measured (head circumference, abdominal cavity, umbilical cord, femur, IQ, etc), our kid is right on schedule to be born near the previously announced expected delivery date of August 29^th.  We are so excited!  It is definitely a little bit overwhelming that in less than 20 weeks, the two of us might be holding our very first child – but … wow!  We will be holding our very first child!

So to step back a little bit.  Lisa and I have only been married now for 6  months.  A lot of people would counsel that newlyweds need at least a year to get to know each other before entering the parenting stage of life.   Reasons for waiting could include additional time to allow the relationship to mature, time to become more financially stable, time to simply enjoy living before you are bogged down by the consistent demands of children, time to pursue careers, schooling, or other life goals.  The problem with these reasons, is that they all involve time.  When time has passed – it is gone forever and can never be redeemed.  I am currently 28 years old – and Lisa 27.  For us, a lot of time has already passed.  We have each already pursued a degree, enjoyed and begun careers, and had time to become financially stable (although we would love to have a lot more!).  We have used much of our time – and the reality of a marriage in our later twenty’s is that that time is now gone.  

As Lisa and I looked forward into the future, we started asking some important questions – How many children do we want? And how much time between children is needed to fully appreciate and dedicate attention to each?  As we started asking these questions, the next question became very real – How old do we want to be when our children are graduating from High School?  Hmmm.  This question really got us thinking.  20 years from now, I will be 48 years old.  If we were to have 5 kids, spaced at 3 years, I’d be nearly 60 years old as the youngest prepares him/herself for college.  Now that final number can change based on the number of children you have and the spacing between each  - both questions of which we cannot answer at this time.  But we do have control over when we decide to have children.  In addition to our desire to have children, we also recognized that we have been commanded to do so by our Heavenly Father and promised that they would bring joy and happiness into our home.  So after weighing all of the above – we decided that our family was the most important thing and we would make it a priority.

21 weeks and 2 days into pregnancy, we couldn’t be happier.  It is amazing how much stronger our family has become over these last few months as we contemplate the responsibility that lies ahead.  More so than before, Lisa and I are a team with a God-given duty to raise one of his children in our home – teaching him to make correct choices, be kind and empathetic towards others, develop a strong work ethic, and learn of his Heavenly Father and the plan He has prepared for him.  Our small two-person team gets better every day and we continue to be amazed at the trust we feel to have this incredible opportunity.  On one of our nightstands, two of the ultrasound images are tucked into a picture frame.  They give us a detailed image of what our baby boy looks like right now.  He looks strong, healthy, and happy.  It is simply amazing that the human body can produce such a perfect child. 

Well, the time we spent with our ultrasonographer was priceless.  For just a couple of extra dollars, we were able to get a DVD of the entire ultrasound session which allows us to watch all of his movement inside of Lisa and hear again that amazing heart beat.  We thought we'd share a couple of pictures and a quick video clip of the heartbeat.  Again, we feel so blessed and are so happy for this child to come to our home.  We couldn't be more excited!

Here are a couple 3D Images, profile shots, and a heartbeat