Jess Joins the Family!!!!

The last picture of my pregnancy. This was just 3 days before birth!
On July 7th at 12:00pm Jake and I dropped off Jack at my mom's house and headed for our 38.5 week appt. It was just like any other appointment....the weight, the blood pressure, etc. Except this time Dr. Davis said, "Well, you're 38 weeks. Do you want to see if there's an OR open for today?" Of course Jake and I were overjoyed at the possibility that it could really be that day when Jess would be here, and five minutes later our nurse Jen came in and said, "Yep. We got it. 6:00 tonight. Don't eat anything!"

We met my whole family and Jake's mom at Papa Joes for lunch and surprised them with the news that Jess would be here in only 5 hours. This was very exciting for everyone since we had just been through the delivery process with Juli just 5 days earlier when little Bethani was born. After that we went home and packed our last minute items into our hospital bag and made preparations to be gone for a few days. At 4:00pm we checked into labor and delivery, and to our surprise- my contractions were Very strong on the monitor and coming every 2 minutes apart. I was in Labor anyway! :)

Jess was delivered by C-section at 6:36 pm on July 7th 2009 and he weighed 6 lbs 12 oz. The surgery went even better then I could've dreamed, and our second little boy was finally here. Jake and I both agreed he looked like a little old man with his wrinkled face, but we fell in love with him instantly! I was in OR recovery for a few hours due to low body temperature, but then we were admitted into my room and spent the next 3 days getting to know our Jess Melvin Claus.
We have had lots of family support which was such a blessing, and the last 4 weeks have just flown by! We LOVE our little family of four, and we're enjoying every day we have together.

Jack's 2nd Birthday!

Well, it has happened so fast! Jack is already 2 years old, and it seems like the last year has gone by even faster than the first. We had to have a fire engine party again, since that's Jack's obsession because daddy is now a real firefighter! We enjoyed making a new fire engine cake in bright yellow (for Eagle Fire, who Jake works for).

On his birthday we went to Boise Fire Station #5 and Jack got to meet Boise firefighters and see all of their equipment at the station. He even got to sit in the huge truck up in the driver's seat! We got to watch as they got called out to a fire and Jack loved hearing the real siren! What a cool experience for a 2 year old! Thanks Boise Fire!


Jack got lots of Fire engine toys which he plays with every day and also some great outfits and books. He really loves reading- and isn't too picky about which books they are, although he recently has started really like the Berenstein Bear books. He also loves cars, and he likes to line up his collection of cars wherever he plays. We love our little boy so much, and we find ourselves in awe at what he learns every day. He is talking so much now, and repeating everything he hears.

The Waiting Game

Taken at 37 weeks pregnant!


Well, We've made it to the 9 month mark, and now we're just waking up every day wondering if that will be the day that Baby Jess will join our family. We had to make 2 trips to the hospital at 32 and 34 weeks to stop preterm labor....and now we've got the green light to give birth! Jack has been extra cute these past couple weeks, making it hard to imagine loving another little boy......but I know we will as soon as we meet him! Not only are we waiting for our little boy to arrive, but also Juli and Andrew's little girl Beth. We are both due in the next couple weeks, so we'll see who gets here first! We can't wait to meet both of those sweet spirits!

Our little man Jack

Jack is constantly leaving Jake and I speechless with his growing intelligence and personality! He has very definite ideas about what he likes and doesn't like, and has become very vocal about every little thing. He loves to announce the names of anyone who comes over, and to point out the cars that he sees that resemble those of our family members (ex: Juli's car, or Grandpa's Car). His new favorite game is Hiding, and he loves to have daddy chase him around the kitchen island. Jack loves to read (anything) and sometimes if he gets up early, we'll find him sitting in his room reading a book all by himself. He's very good about telling me when he needs a diaper change, or when he wants a refill on his juice. He's also the best little reminder when it comes to praying as a family or reading scriptures. He loves his scripture books, and he's memorized several primary songs that we sing before bed. Just like daddy, he insists on having his hair cut every few weeks, and loves to have it done! Sometimes the things that he's capable of shock us because he still looks so small at only 20 lbs, but Great things come in small packages! We love our little boy, and he will be a fantastic big brother!

In Celebration of Mother's Day...

Since, I have them, I decided to post these few pictures of my growing belly. The first two pictures are when I was 5 months along (taken the beginning of March).








This picture is when I was 6 months along. It was taken the beginning of April. At this point I was definitely into my maternity clothes....and starting to actually feel pregnant!









This picture was taken last week (the beginning of May) and it's my 7 month belly. I am currently on my 31st week, and I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by. Jake and I are very excited to meet our second little boy, and hopefully He and Jack will be great friends! Only 2 more months to go!

A Baby BOY for the Big Brother!

On February 23rd, Our family was elated to find out that we are having a Baby Boy!
We had no inclinations of what the baby was when we went in....but right before we found out Jack said he was going to have a "brover". Jake is really happy to know he'll have at least two boys to take on annual camping trips for their birthdays, since all three of their birthdays will be within a couple weeks if not closer. We are most happy that Jack will have a little brother to play with, even though we know that it would've been just as sweet to see him with a little sister. As for me....I LOVE having boys....and I think it's nice to be the only girl right now.


Because of some simple medical findings during the ultrasound, we are expecting this baby boy to arrive early by cesearean delivery, just as Jack did. June babies are our favorite anyway! This pregnancy seems to be going by faster than the first, and we can't believe that in 4 months we'll be a family of 4!

On Monday night after we found out, we went out to dinner with Juli and Andrew who also found out the sex of their baby an hour after we did. Together, Juli and I told my parents what kind of grandchildren to expect. They were excited to find out that they'll be getting one of each. Juli is expecting a Baby Girl that will be born within days of our Baby Boy. Juli and Andrew are very excited to be expecting a girl, especially since girls are very outnumbered amoung Bassett great grandchildren. I have always thought that Jake and I would have boys and Juli and Andrew would have girls. We'll see if my theory stays true for the rest of our children! As for this round, Jack will love having a Baby Boy and a Baby girl to play with!