A New Chapter of Life

Elliott Scott Dickerson

Born: October 3, 2011

Time: 8:04 a.m.

Weight: 6 lbs 7 oz

Length: 19 in

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, 

but by the moments that take our breath away." 

- Anonymous

   This post was really intended for last week...but things have been a little busy lately :) We would like to officially welcome our son, Elliott, to our little, happy family!!! We're so happy that he could make it safe and sound. He's a tiny little guy with a lot of personality and strength. He already has the strength to lift his head up from time to time and try to kick himself off your lap. With all of this strength attributed to him, he still can't fit into his newborn clothes or diapers. We're grateful to anyone who has helped us through this time. It has been one of the most unimaginable and unforgettable experiences we have had on our journey. But of course, we have to share the story of how he came to be.

   Sunday, October 2, we took Trish to the hospital for her induction. After preparing ourselves for the hospital and taking a scenic walk through the BYU-I gardens, we got Trish into a hospital bed by 8:04 p.m. We had attempted to imagine how the night would unfold many times prior to arriving at the hospital; each imagination was different than the last. We did not know how long this night would actually carry.

   After getting connected to the IV and listening to the baby's heart monitor, it soon became apparent that Trish was already having contractions while being dilated at 2 cm. She didn't show any major signs of labor hours before, and I did not expect close contractions to be happening upon arrival to the hospital.

   After hours of back labor, she finally requested that beautiful advancement in medicine...the epidural. The nice anesthesiologist came in at about 4:30ish in the morning to give Trish the epidural that she wanted. At this point, she was at about 4 1/2 cm dilated. The pain started to calm itself so that Trish could actually fall asleep. I was able to get some sleep because Trish's mom was kind enough to come take a shift. Parents are the BEST to have around a delivery period.

   I fell asleep on one of those fold out bed chairs (I didn't even set it up correctly) and collapsed from a long night, that was still going. At about 6 in the morning, I woke up to our doctor inducing Trish by breaking the water. All I heard was that she was now at 5 cm. It all seemed like such a blur, and I fell back asleep because Trish's mom was still there to help her. I knew that it would take a while longer for Trish to be fully dilated.

   At about 6:30 a.m., I was awake and helping out however I could. Trish couldn't even feel the contractions any more and relied upon the monitor next to her to see if she was having one. She kept on mentioning a pressure that was coming from down below. The first thought was "she needs an extra dose of epidural". So, she got a boost in her epidural. After 20 minutes, she didn't feel a difference. The nurse decided that she should be checked to see where she was at. Sure enough, Trish was already at 10 cm (fully dilated) and ready to give birth to this baby.

   We called Trish's parents and sister to come up to the hospital. Emotions were running high and excitement was in the air. After some good hard pushing, for about 40 minutes, it seemed that Elliott didn't want to come out. The doctor finally made it, and within a few pushes, and with the help of a vacuum, Elliott Scott Dickerson was born at 8:04 a.m. on October 3, 2011 safe and sound! There were nothing but happy feelings and joy after seeing that little boy and holding him in our arms. I'll never forget the tears of joy in Trish's face as she looked at me and that little boy and said, "We have a baby boy!"

   We are now the proud parents of this little guy. He's got quite a personality and a calm nature about him. He very much has an appetite just like his dad, so he's beginning to chunk up little by little. There are a lot of other details of what went on in the hospital, but you want to know more, you can ask us. We're always open and excited to talk about it. It's hard to forget a miracle such as that. We know that Heavenly Father and the Lord were with us to bear us up and give us strength so that this little boy could come into our lives. He's already loved beyond imagination by more than his family. And with all the excitement, the greatest peace to the soul is knowing that our family is eternal and that Trish and I will be with our boy forever. 

   We Love You All very much and are ETERNALLY grateful for support through these crazy and difficult times! It was SO worth it in the end. And it's only the beginning...

   

Another Wonderful Semester at BYU-Idaho

   Another semester has begun at BYU-Idaho. Along with the beginning of the semester comes the heavy traffic of people both on and off campus. Rexburg appears to be alive once again. I find myself driving by assorted housing complexes in Rexburg and wondering, "How can everyone fit here?" It works...some how. It was an EXCITING week to say the least!

1st Day of School

Ready!

   I was able to get into all of the classes that I wanted to participate in for the semester. It took some time because I had to go through the whole process of dropping the online courses that I had already in order to replace the classes that my professors let me add. Anyways, it proves to be an exciting semester with quite a load for 12 credits. A couple of courses that are different for me this semester are my Psych 111 class and my Teachings of the Living Prophets class. Pscyh 111 marks the beginning of my minor classes, which is in Industrial Organizational Psychology. I'm already fascinated by the mind and behavior in people just from this first week of classes. My Teachings of the Living Prophets class is a religion course that I've been wanting to take for awhile, except now I'm doing it online. It's officially my first online class while at BYU-Idaho. I'm really curious to see how it all turns out. I honestly don't know what to expect. I have gotten many different opinions on online courses. Many of them ended in, "they're a nightmare!", but we'll see. I say, "Bring it on!"

   I'm truly grateful for family and friends who support us. If I were my own parent, I think that I would be fed up with helping pay for my schooling. My parents have never helped with complaint or unwillingness, but only with love and with teaching. I know that I have a lot to learn as far as becoming a parent to my own children (which our first is coming VERY soon).

   With all of the adding and dropping of classes, homework and study load, being a part of the Collegiate Singers, standing in the Financial Aid office line every other day, and work, it has been a great week! We finished it off with celebrating our friend Kandice's birthday on Saturday. Part of the celebration was held at our home, playing "Just Dance 2" on the Wii. Trish, though 9 months pregnant, still beat me on the robot dance. I was extremely impressed!! My wife's got skills!

Ethan and I dancing (which was being recorded by Trish; unknown to the both of us)

   Life continues onward. Trish is officially 38 weeks pregnant with Elliott today! We were told by our friends Mitch and Alaina Dooley that he can OFFICIALLY come any day now. With all of the excitement that has taken place just within the last week, there is nothing that I'm more excited for than to see that little guy!! I know that he'll be well taken care of because we're on the Lord's side. I'm so grateful for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is through the Plan of Salvation that such happiness and joy can come to even this little family of ours. For this, I am eternally grateful.

To fill in the blank spaces...

   Much like the current of the river, life flows on without fail. I remember days when I was in high school, imagining what my life would be like right now. Well, here's some updates for "Past Me"...my life and your projected life are beautiful!
   I'm sure that his questions would be the same as anyone else's, if they had the chance to talk with their future selves:
         
            Past: So...am I going to be...are you...married?
            Present: Oh Yeah! It's the happiest marriage ever! I don't want to give away a lot, but you'll meet         the girl of your dreams at BYU-Idaho.
            Past: Really?! That's AWESOME! How will I know her when I see her?
            Present: Trust me. You'll know. Just be yourself and everything will be fine.
            Past: Well that's comforting. So what am I doing with my life in the future?
            Present: Well...I'm still in school for now. There will be a lot of different directions that will lead you in the right direction of where you want to go in life. Right now I work for Youth Programs on the campus doing Media and Graphic Design.
            Past: Wow! Graphic Design, huh? I didn't really think that I would be good enough to do that. Actually, I was thinking about doing Mechanical Engineering.
            Present: That's Awesome! You'll figure it all out eventually!
            Past: So are you one of those young multi-billionaires...or close to getting there?
            Present: No way! No no no no no no...I don't want to discourage you...but you'll be pretty much broke through your first year of marriage and while you're in school. Just know that you'll get along just fine. The Lord will always take care of you, if you pay your tithing. Plus, you've got amazing family and friends who would never see you and your family without their needs. Just don't waste too much of your time with silly things...like television. Just turn that stuff off and do something awesome with the time you have.
             Past: Psh...you make it sound easy. I don't know. Maybe I'll just watch a few shows from now and again.
             Present: Sounds fair. You'll see the big difference when you go on your mission.
             Past: Wait a second...the mission! Where did you go?
             Present: I don't want to spoil the surprise. Just know...that it was one of the best experiences of a lifetime and that you will grow in so many different ways that the possibilities will seem endless.
             Past: Sweet! Foreign speaking...?
             Present: Not telling...hehe
             Past: Alright. If you want to play THAT way. So are you waiting to have kids until you get out of...not...being broke?
             Present: Quite honestly...a little baby is coming anytime within the NEXT 3 WEEKS!!
             Past: OH MY GOSH! Are you excited to be a Dad?!
             Present: Oh Yeah! I'm SO excited! I admit that the thought can be overwhelming and scary sometimes...but it seems so worth it.
             Past: So...that means that you have pictures from the ultrasound right?
             Present: YEP! Here! Check it out!

13 Weeks

21 Weeks

            Past: Awww...so is it a boy or a girl?
            Present: I'm not so sure I should tell you that.
            Past: Aw come on!
            Present: Hey! This whole meddling with time business is already sketchy as it is. Well...okay. The baby's going to come one way or another, regardless of what you think. It's a boy.
            Past: AWESOME!! Do you guys already have a name for him? I think you should name him Luke Skywalker or by some fictional character like...uh...ARAGORN! Yeah! That'd be awesome!
            Present: Haha...Well...he's not your baby YET...and no...it's not Aragorn. We're thinking about calling him Elliott. And remember, the woman is ALWAYS right. Always.
            Past: Elliott huh? I LIKE IT! Elliott! Life sounds like it just gets more exciting after high school.
            Present: It's like 1000 TIMES more exciting! It'll be hard yeah...but it's the happiest I've...we'll ever be.
            Past: Sweet! We should jam sometime! I've got the guitars back home. I bet you've learned some awesome stuff on guitar.
            Present: Sounds like fun! Let's jam!!

   Anyways...leaving this ramble haha!! Elliott Scott Dickerson is the new addition that is coming to our family. He is due on October 3, 2011. Trish is presently at 37 weeks pregnant (full term)...so...he could really come ANY DAY now! The next few weeks prove to be interesting especially with TOMORROW being the first day of classes in the Fall. Yep! It's BACK TO SCHOOL! It's felt so long since I've been in school, but I feel refreshed and ready for it. Like I told my past, we're the happiest we've ever been. And there is still so much journey left that I can't fathom the happiness that will come along the way.

Russell's Birthday!!

     I am now 24! My birthday was yesterday, September 3, and the festivities were Awesome! After getting home from a race to Sammy's Cafe at 7 in the morning to pick up Bountiful Baskets, I was commanded to go back to bed until further instructed. I couldn't really disagree after being woken up in a hurry earlier. When I was woken up, Trish introduced me to the kitchen. The table was decorated with our finest plates and cups, the smell of fresh pancakes, made by our friend Kandice, filled the air, and paper towel airplanes were crash landing inside our cups, thanks to our friend Chloe. (Chloe and Kandice have been staying with us for the past few days) The breakfast tasted divine. After much merriment at the table, they cleaned everything up and wouldn't let me do ANYTHING. Trish's rule for the day was that I had to be SELFISH...so I wasn't allowed to clean or do any such thing.
   We played Tanks on the Wii while our stomachs were digesting and waited until the afternoon to go down to Idaho Falls. The plan was to go to a seemingly free ropes course in Idaho Falls and climb around things to our hearts' content. It turns out that it wasn't free and was private property. So...WE TOOK PICTURES!!

     

     Oh Chloe...

 

     

Balance!

    

   We didn't stay around for long time. Conveniently enough, there was a Petsmart across the street, so we went to check out the fishies, lizards, snakes, kitties, and Guinea pigs hehe. It was a fun adventure socializing with the animals :) 

   After we decided that there wasn't much to do in Idaho Falls, we set our destination towards Rigby Lake. A nice opportunity to have fun and actually get some sun. Our friends Mike and Madison, and their little boy Cairo, joined us for the afternoon for their first time at Rigby Lake. We spent the day chilling on our little patch of grass, playing frisbee, and swimming in the lake. I hadn't been swimming in a while and was exhausted after one swim. Ridiculous, I know!

Kyle and Chloe

Me and My Love :)

Cairo!

WOOT!

Dawwwww....

The Rowells

Kandice

Que Bella!

   After spending a few hours soaking up the sun at Rigby Lake, we all headed home to get ready for the night time party. All that I was allowed to do was either play games or make hamburgers (sooooooo hard to do haha). It was exciting to get home to try out a new game on the Wii that Kyle and Chloe got for me. It was Metroid Prime 3. I've never played a game quite like it (aka...here's hoping I don't spend too much time on it with Labor Day off time). Mike and Madison's present to me at the lake was a couple of NERF guns. Now we can have marital arguments in STYLE :) We had other friends come over for the night such as: Adam and Evi Figgat and Jef and Elphe Funk. We all socialized, played games, and had a fun time. When it came cake time, I was really surprised at my theme. 

Chloe and the happy moustache

Just playing games!

Mmmmm...burgers....

Jef and Elphe

Tank action!!

   A couple days ago, while grocery shopping, Trish asked me what theme that I wanted for my cake, and listed out a few options...including Unicorns. I jokingly said that unicorns were awesome because I really didn't know what I wanted in a theme. Well...SURPRISE!!!!

Yes..that is a Unicorn haha

   I asked if they could put the number 24 in candles on my cake when it's my 42nd birthday. Everyone agreed. The best part was...they found that unicorn decoration at Petsmart. So after it's cleaned, it's going in our fish tank. I'm sure that our fishies will appreciate it.

   The night ended with Toy Story 3, which I've only seen a few times. Overall, it was an AWESOME BIRTHDAY!! I Love my Wife, Family, and Friends!! They really made it an awesome experience.

   Oh and P.S....there are a lot (A LOT) of gaps that needed to be filled in. I'll try and keep you updated as best as possible. Just remember to remember peoples' birthdays, because it makes all the difference in the world. It made mine the best ever! :)

Refreshing the BLOG exprience!!

Okay! I know that the last post that we had on our blog was a few months after we got MARRIED! It was basically the best day of our lives. There have been a lot (and I mean A LOT) of new developments since then. Just so everyone knows, we are as happier than ever. Even being broke married students can't get us down. This is our declaration to all those who are interested in our blog that we have found joy within this past year and a half...and we would love to continue to share it with you!

Our Blessings

We have been so blessed of late... I'm absolutely certain it's because we have been faithful to our God and each other. Heavenly Father has taken such good care of us. and i just want to express to all of those who had a hand in helping Him bless us... how very grateful we are.  there aren't enough words to tell you how happy You have made us. because of you, we were able to go watch my brother Joel and his beautiful wife Monica get sealed in the Portland Temple, we were able to drive safely with brand new tires, we are able to be confident and happy with a new hair cut, we are able to eat... we have enough food for a month... and it's healthy food.  we were able to pay our rent. we were able to feel the spirit of Heavenly Father preaching love and peace to our hearts, and so so so much more. so to all those who listened to that still small voice and allowed yourselves to be a tool in Heavenly Father's hands in blessing our lives.... Thank You. Thank you a million times. we don't feel as if we deserve all that we have received. but we are grateful we've received our blessings... and we promise to do our part in paying it forward and blessing others lives who need it. we can do that because of your help. we have enough for our needs and more than we could ever have dreamed of because of your friendship. so to our friends and family... We Love You. :) and we are so happy that you are in our lives. we hope to help bless you soon.
-Russell and Trish.

Our little lives!

THIS IS IT! this is the moment we REALLY got started! haha we'd had a life before this day... but now... now it's different. :) it's real. it's official. we're going to be together, forever. and all that that entails. joint bank accounts, being able to say good night and not have to say goodbye, and just being able to spend every waking minute with my very best friend in this whole wide world. well... other than those moments we're at work or somesuch like that. but i can honestly say... i have NEVER been happier. it has been 2 months and 16 days since this moment. we've moved into our apartment! we've gotten a guinea pig named Gus, we've watched more Psych than any 2 people should be allowed and all together had way too much fun. :) i can't stress how happy we are... we even got fish! yes. 8 of them. 9 if you count Thor... he's the man-eater we're babysitting. :P he's an Oscar. crazy stuff there. we have Norman the Beta fish and a whole tank full of fun tropical fish. Bubblegum, Maurty, Pongo, Mickey, Ms. Scarlet, Gill, and Hadies the sucker-fish. they're very fun to take care of. and very fun to watch. :) but my favorite is still Gus the Guinea pig. enough of our pet life though :P our apartment is quaint. we love it. it's super tiny, Russell nearly hits his head on the light fixtures. but we love it. it's our home and it's perfect! we both have jobs now ^_^ Russell's working for the school and i'm working at a call center. they're good jobs and we are very blessed to have them! we're just biding our time and enjoying our summer vacation! we've had a lot of really good times with friends, and hope to have many more! we're so blessed to have the amazing friends we do. ^_^ and the family too, we have by far the best family in the history of any family ever. it's been decided. well that basically sums up most of the important stuff for now :) i'll tell you a story later. but... you have to wait till later. Bye!