What a Wonderful World

Alice's blessing day

2011-08-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

Today was a special day in Alice's life as she was blessed at church by her father. When Scott was blessed as an infant I explained the significance and purpose of blessings here. But basically it is meant to pronounce the name of the child as they will be known as well as offering them an inspired blessing of spiritual and temporal strengths and promises of blessing from their obedience to God's commandments.

It is tradition for the child to wear white, and for years I have been dreaming of having a daughter who would be draped in a beautiful white gown for her blessing. Luckily my mother has been a domestic seamstress! She has made clothing for us ever since we were babies, our Halloween costumes, and even our prom and homecoming gowns, among many other projects. So, while she was visiting us after Alice was born, she made Alice's blessing dress, to my specifications.

I wanted an old fashioned style, that was very long.

A closeup of the embellishments of lace, pin-tucking, buttons and bows.

Alice looked lovely in her dress and the blessing was beautiful. I am grateful for family and friends who support us. It was nice to have people come together for our daughter's special day. (My apologies for not spreading the word about the blessing for anyone who would have liked to come, once the dress was finished I didn't put a lot of thought into it.)

Alice dressed to go to church, I didn't want her white dress to get dirty.

Grandma and Grandpa Worley

This was the best picture I have of us as a family, Scott couldn't wait to go to nursery.

My dad and my sister, Natalie

Brothers, Matt and Michael, with their children: Lauren, Michael, and Alice (minus Scott)

My uncle Steve and aunt Laurie and their children: Nathanael, Tessa, Benjamin, Adam, and Micah

Alice showing off her dress

My mother's co-worker made Alice's socks

Alice's birthday

2011-07-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

We would officially like to welcome our daughter, Alice Marie, to the family! Born Thursday, June 30, 2011 at at 10:42pm. She was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches long (length may be incorrect). She is absolutely beautiful! That is the short version. Continue on if you are ready for all the fun details of THE Birth Story.

Wednesday night I was timing my Braxton Hicks contractions once again, hoping that they would turn into actual labor. I finally gave up and went to bed, but found myself waking up several times in the middle of the night having felt an unusual sensation. I knew I was uncomfortable but I couldn't put my finger on what exactly was causing my discomfort. Finally, at 6:00am (when Scott woke us up), I realized I was still having contractions...but these were different, these were like the ones described in all the books! We spent the first couple of hours timing contractions. We weren't sure if this was actual labor or not. Keep in mind I was induced with Scott and my labor progressed very slow, so I wasn't really familiar with how things were supposed to feel. We decided Matt could go to work and that I would stay home and time contractions and then call him if I needed him. I think it is safe to say that I was hopeful, but in slight denial.

My body quickly convinced me that I was actually in labor, so I decided to get ready! I showered, pulled my hair back into a braid, donned some very comfortable clothes--black leggings, and a black top (Matt later commented that I looked like a beatnik in labor), and yes, I even put on makeup. I was up and about doing way too much when I should have been resting and just timing my contractions, not to mention the fact that Scott was running around pulling and climbing on me. I decided it would be best to call Matt back home (after only about an hour of him being gone), I figured I was going to need some help!

While we were at home I tried sitting and lying in different positions to stay comfortable. I asked Matt to bring me the large exercise ball for me to lean up against or sit on (as seen on many baby birthing shows on TLC). Scott was having so much fun that when I was kneeling over the ball having a contraction he came running up to me and jumped on my back! Matt tried to keep Scott busy while loading up our hospital bags into the car. I periodically had to yell for Matt to come support me if I was standing while having a contraction. It was an interesting morning!

Around 1pm we decided to leave for the hospital. We finished loading up the van, dropped Scott off with his Grandma Jill, and drove up to St. Jude. We got settled in our room around 2:00pm. The plan for this delivery was to do a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean). I had intended to hold off on receiving the epidural, at least initially, but not completely opposed to it. However, when I was taken to my room the nurse informed me that I would be receiving the epidural and an IV just in case of an emergency C-section due to my previous C-section. We decided that we could place the epidural line, but not activate it. I wanted to make sure that I was progressing. The nurse checked me and I was only dilated to 2cm!!! I was a bit disappointed. My biggest fear about coming to the hospital was the possibility of being sent home for not being far enough along in my labor. But the nurses insisted that the doctor wasn't sending me home. Thank goodness! Also, the doctor did not want to put me on pitocin. Apparently this would have also put me at a greater risk of ending up with a C-section. I am so pleased that my doctor was on board with my plan to let my body do what it needed to do naturally so I could have a VBAC.

I got set up with my soft and peaceful music, and we waited. Around 5:00pm I sent Matt out to go get some dinner. I figured things would be taking a while and I wanted Matt to go sooner rather than later, so he could hurry back before anything serious happened! In the meantime I was getting to the point where I felt like I needed the epidural! I called for the anesthesiologist but I had to wait for him to come out of a C-section. Matt returned, and helped me through the intense contractions until the epidural got started. Right as the anesthesiologist finished, the doctor came in to check me. I was dilated to 5cm and he broke my water (Niagra falls!). I was so relieved to know that things were progressing, in fact things moved along so well that in the next hour I was dilated to 8cm!

For the rest of my labor I was quite comfortable. At one point they put me on oxygen due to the baby's heart rate dropping, which came back up. Matt busied himself by taking pictures of objects around the room that he found humorous, and we watched a bit of TV. Around 10:00pm I was 9.5cm dilated, the nurse came back 20 minutes later and had me try pushing. I managed to get things moving! The doctor came in and after only pushing for about 20 minutes all together our little Alice was born!

She was placed on my chest as they cleaned her off. Her color was purple and she had a lot of mucous. They held my oxygen mask over her face while they tried to clear out her mouth and nose. They finally had to take her to the warming bed to finish cleaning her. She finally started really crying and pinked up. Nothing to me sounds better than a baby crying for the first time!

We spent our private time together. I held her, Matt held her, I held her again...then Matt came back to take the baby so I could try standing up and he noticed her color was purple! I thought she looked fine but we asked the nurse to check her color. Sure enough, the nurse agreed with Matt and took her to wake her/stimulate her. Alice managed to cough and cry and she pinked up again. Then I thought to myself, how on Earth am I going to sleep tonight? After all, I was HOLDING her and didn't notice her turning purple. Thank goodness Matt was there! Luckily we didn't have any more incidences.
Brother and sister meet the next day.

Mama and her babies

Matt brought Scott to the hospital to meet his baby sister. He wasn't really interested at the moment, he was more excited to see me and climb on my hospital bed. Since then, he has become very interested in her. He has started hugging (to the point of smothering) her, and has recently started trying to pick her up! I have to keep a close watch on the two of them! But I love my life as a mom of two beautiful children. Alice is such a lovely little lady and we love her dearly!

Matt & Scott's 1st "Father & son's outing"

2011-05-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

Every year our church holds a Father & Sons' outing/camp out. This was the first year that Matt took Scott to go! As a mom, I had mixed feelings about this. I was so excited that they would start going on these adventures together, but yet I was worried that 1. Scott may not make it through the night sleeping in a tent and sleeping bag, and 2. that I would miss him too much. Well one of my two concerns came true...I missed him SO much!

They drove out in the afternoon, had some fun, ate hot dogs for dinner, and then when it was time to wind down, they snuggled up in the tent and watched one of Scott's favorite videos on Matt's phone. Scott managed to fall asleep without too much of a hassle, and that is where he stayed until morning!

They woke up, had breakfast, and came home shortly after that. It was a simple camping trip, but they did it! I am so pleased to know that Scott had a good time spending time with his daddy and enjoyed camping!

Scott enjoys a yummy snack.

The park had a carriage that Scott enjoyed climbing on.
Water is so much fun to play with!
All dressed for bed, time to settle down and get ready to go to sleep.
This is how Scott fell asleep...
...and this is how he was in the morning...he slept like a baby.
Yay for camping!
Bye-bye camping!

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

We had such a nice and relaxing Easter Sunday. We began our day by eating waffles while watching Sesame Street (thanks Netflix!). Eventually we watched our Living Scriptures video about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but our mornings just wouldn't be complete without a little Elmo first.

After breakfast I took Scott to his room for a few minutes to play and when we came back out there were a few surprises for Scott! He went straight for his Easter basket and found the bubbles and candy. Before he spent too much time taking out each piece of candy one at a time Matt pointed out the eggs carefully hidden around the room.

Scott seemed to really enjoy finding all the eggs, and the candy inside. I figured it wouldn't be a problem if he a had a few pieces of candy before church...mmm, chocolate!

The rest of the day was just as simple as can be. After church we just stayed home and kept things simple, what a good day!

Baby girl

2011-04-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Being pregnant for the second time has been an interesting experience. Of course the excitement is there, although there are noticeably fewer people asking me "Are you excited?" (I always thought that was the dumbest question you could ask anyone when they were pregnant, because 1. if they are excited, of COURSE they are excited and 2. if they aren't excited, are you prepared to hear "no..."? Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to. ) But as far as thinking and daydreaming about the pregnancy, quite honestly I don't have the time! I've been busy running around and chasing after Scotty. In fact, there were several times prior to feeling the kicks that I would actually forget that I was pregnant. But my little lady has put an end to that.

My expected-daughter has already tried to make her presence known. I imagine that perhaps she knows that she is the 2nd child of the family and wants to be sure that she is noticed. My tummy definitely shows that I am pregnant, which is a good thing since I only have 10 weeks until my due date!!!! But, my darling daughter finds moments to say "I AM HERE!" She pokes, and flips, and rolls, and punches, in addition to your standard kicking. There is a single spot that is her absolute favorite to jab. She also manages to "launch" herself off my hip bones. She moves on the surface, and she moves deep inside. When we go to my doctor's appointments she wiggles and shakes my belly while the doctor listens to her heartbeat. Matt calls her a mover and shaker. I've got her occupations pinned down to a few options:

a martial arts expert
a ballerina
a soccer player
a professional boxer

I guess we shouldn't be too surprised, after all she is due a few days before the 4th of July. She is already my little firecracker!

A day in San Diego

2011-03-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Matt does quite a bit of traveling for work. This past week he has been in San Diego, and even though it isn't too far away from home, it is a lot easier for him to stay in a hotel down there rather than driving back and forth for 5 days. Of course, that also means that he is away from home for 5 days!

We took advantage of him being close enough to home that Scott and I went to San Diego to visit him for a day. We got there a couple of hours before he was done working for the day so Scott and I took advantage of having the hotel room to ourselves.
We started with a picnic lunch out on the balcony
Then we both played on our laptops while relaxing on the bed.And Scott even wanted to make a few phone calls, room service anyone?When daddy finally came to join us we went for a walk and enjoyed the lovely San Diego atmosphere, and even took a dip in the hotel pool.

We had dinner in a restaurant right over the ocean, and watched a couple of cruise ships taking off. And I was even treated to a complimentary "congratulations" dessert for my pregnancy. This little girl is going to be my favorite if she keeps getting me free food!!!! Actually to be honest, I think our server was confusing us for someone else, because after she brought the dessert she asked if she had waited on us before, and obviously she hadn't. But the gesture was very nice!

It was a nice day to spend together as a family, and I am still crossing my fingers for Matt to be sent to Hawaii and have me tag along!

My life with a two-year old...

2011-02-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

My life with a two-year old: tiring, playful, repetitive, sweet, disgusting, joyful, frustrating, chaotic, sloppy, silly, tiring some more...I am sure all you mommies out there can add your own list of adjectives to go right along with mine.

Normally I just chalk it up to normal toddler behavior. There are so many moments I enjoy. I absolutely love it when Scott gives me kisses, when he laughs hysterically at something that I am doing, when he snuggles up and sits on my lap to watch TV, when he learns a new word or shows other signs of learning. He really is a joy in our lives. But he is two. And with that age comes a certain amount of "extreme" behavior. Lately Scott has discovered that he can scream when he doesn't like what is happening, such as nap time, diaper changes, getting into the car seat when he would rather run around outside, etc. We have our moments, I generally walk away from tantrums and they typically don't last very long.

This week started out just the same as the rest...but then it all started going downhill on Sunday at bath time. Scott pooped in the bathtub. In the grand scheme of things, it usually isn't that big of a deal. Luckily Matt was home so he took him to the shower to clean him off, while I took care of the tub. Done.

Monday I had a few errands to run. Scott and I went to the bank to deposit a check. I try to use the ATM so I can park right in front of the machine and avoid having to take Scott out of the car. This time I left the car running, with the A/C on, as well as giving Scott a book to read while his DVD played. I am only 8 feet away from the car, and it was going to be a quick transaction. So being the "responsible" parent that I am, I made sure to check to see that the doors were locked, but just leave mine unlocked so I could hop back in. ***I feel like I have to put disclaimers all over this paragraph...When I have to leave Scott in the car (such as for pumping gas, or using the ATM--I would NEVER leave my child in the car if I was not able to supervise him directly) I will take my keys, at least the remote to lock/unlock the car. But this time I didn't. And so, the inevitable happened...my door locked behind me. Which means I was locked out, and Scott was locked in. Luckily I keep my phone with me too, so I was able to call for help the very moment it happened. Matt was not able to come to rescue us immediately, so I called AAA and they issued an emergency call to have my door unlocked. I had to wait 15 minutes, but it wasn't bad at all. Scott was in his car seat, with the A/C on, watching his movie. At one point I made faces at him and he laughed. I could have just as easily been chatting with a friend outside the car while he waited patiently. But still, now I have the "I locked my son in the car" on my parenting record.

So we got over that incident pretty quickly. I never felt panicked, in fact my AAA operator was a little more scared than I was. But then comes today...

I took Scott to get his haircut. This is his 3rd haircut, and he has usually done fairly well, with a little candy encouragement. Not today. He was screaming at the top of his lungs the entire time. I had to hold him on my lap, pin his arms down, and hold his head still. Once the lady started I was NOT going to leave without finishing his haircut. I felt like all eyes were on me with the judgments of "bad mother" floating all around. It took all the energy I had to hold him and it was quite frustrating. Luckily daddy came (once it was finished) and we had lunch to calm down.

After that was over I thought we just needed to come home and take a nap, but first he would need a bath to clean off all the loose hair down his neck (because he won't wear the drape). So bath time starts...and just like that (after I cleaned and sanitized the tub from Sunday's accident), he poops again in the bath! ARGH! So, needless to say, I have been just a tad overwhelmed with my son's antics this week. I realize that the car situation was MY fault, but it adds to the stress of being "mom."

20 Weeks

2011-02-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

Half way there! Yesterday marked 20-weeks of pregnancy, which means I am half way to my due date! Our little baby girl sure does like to make herself known, especially when I am settling down to go to sleep. I figure she will be a dancer, or maybe a soccer player, or a martial arts expert...something with lots of kicks and twirls.

On the other hand, she doesn't get noticed too much just yet by others because I guess I am not showing all that much. When I am at work I am wearing baggy scrubs, so you can't tell at all. I only really "pop" out when I am wearing something a little more form fitting. But based on her ultrasound I am not too worried about my size, she measured to be just right. But for comparison's sake, here is a link to my post I did for my 1st pregnancy's half way point (picture included)

I hope these next 20 weeks (or so) fly by just as quickly as the first half. I think because I am so busy chasing Scott around I don't get much time to sit back and just daydream about my pregnancy. There is less time devoted to dwelling about it, so the time just seems to fly by.

We are having a...

2011-02-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

Our little baby wants to say "hello!"

I realize these pictures may not be that to clear to a lot of people, but this next one has a little hint at the bottom to tell you what it is:

That's right! We are having a GIRL! Oh my!

Matt and I are very happy to finally know "who" are little baby is, and now we can start planning for all the additional things we are going to need...mostly clothes! Next, we have to pick a name for our little girl.

Boy or Girl?

2011-01-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

Time to start the guessing! We'll be going in for an ultrasound on Tuesday, February 1st, and hopefully the baby will cooperate to show us who he or she is!

Personally, I don't have any strong feelings one way or the other, no predictions. Although just for convenience Matt and I have been saying "he," perhaps mostly out of habit.

The Chinese gender calendar predicts: GIRL

What do you think?

2-years old!

2011-01-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Scott turned two just a few weeks ago! Scott is such a wonderful little boy. He is so gentle and sweet, and yet he is an adventurous little boy who loves to climb, jump, and even wrestle. He is a very quick learner. Generally when he has a new toy in front of him the first thing he does is he figures out how it works, not necessarily how to play with it, but how it works. He finds the on/off switch and he opens and closes it, and once he has figured it all out, then it is time to play!
Scott has had some "terrible-two's" behavior, but he has also learned that it doesn't get him what he wants, so it really hasn't been that bad. We had about one week of the full screaming tantrums, but those seem to have dissipated, I think that was possibly also related to the fact that all of a sudden his pacifier magically disappeared. :)

Scott has a loving heart. He is gentle with his friends, he gives love to his mommy and daddy, and sometimes even to his friends. Scott is also very independent. He doesn't seclude himself, but he also doesn't need constant interaction. He can occupy himself very well (which comes in handy when mommy needs to cook dinner or do dishes). When we tell Scott it is time to go to bed, he finds a few toys to take to bed and then scampers off to his room. The toys aren't usually a distraction, so we allow him to do it for now. Scott still enjoys his swim lessons, in fact, he has moved up to the baby-grad class. He is such a little fish! His teachers often have to keep an eye on him because it is not uncommon for him to try to swim on his own while they are working with another student. Luckily the classes are small, so there aren't too many children to wrangle.

Right now, Scott's favorite toys to play with are his trains and cars. He also loves to color with his crayons and chalk. He is also very good with puzzles, so he received the shape-o-ball for his birthday. And speaking of balls, he LOVES to bounce and throw and kick bouncy balls. When Scott gets a chance to pick out his own movie, he will usually choose "Finding Nemo," "Thomas and Friends," "Bug's Life," or "Cars."

Here is a fun picture from Scott's birthday party. We kept it very simple. Just cupcakes and family only. Scott got a new tricycle, some clothes, and a bunch of other toys from family members. We just love our little boy to pieces and can't wait to see what this year will bring!

Expecting

2010-12-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

I suppose now would be a good time to officially announce we are expecting our second baby! I am due July 1, 2011. So far everything has been going great, with a little morning sickness that peaked at just mild nausea, that has now tapered off into my memories only. There really isn't much else to say. We are thrilled, of course (so you need not ask). I have told Scott on a number of occasions that he is going to be a big brother, but of course, that means absolutely nothing to him, so I guess it will just be a big surprise one day when we bring home a baby. :)

Thanksgiving weekend

2010-11-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I love the cold weather, the joy that the holidays bring, and spending time with family. This year we had two Thanksgiving dinners. First we went to Camarillo to have dinner with some of my family. We were lucky enough to avoid any and all traffic!

The next day we drove out to Big Bear to spend the weekend, and another Thanksgiving dinner with Matt's family. We had a nice layer of snow on the ground to play in. Scott enjoyed walking around in the snow, until he fell down and felt how cold it was! It wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't refuse to wear his mittens, oh well, maybe next year? Mittens or no mittens, we had fun, especially as we went sledding in the front yard. Scott even went all by himself on the sled.

So now, we move on to the next big fun celebration in December...Scott's birthday! Soon our little man will be two years old...and he acts like it! He is just so active. He loves to climb and run and he will occasionally let his momentum get the best of him and have a tumble or two.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T10:45:00.001-07:00

We just LOVE Halloween! This year was no different. We fully embraced our inner spookies by decorating the house for the first time in years. We stayed simple, but it was fun. I figured we can probably do a little more each year and then it will develop into something marvelous! Growing up we always had paper bats and ghosts hanging from the ceiling, so I thought it would be fitting to start there (Scott's personalized bat was also added to the swarm), plus a few cobwebs. Next, we prepare for our annual church Halloween party. Our costume decision this year was Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Swee' Pea. We spent quite a bit of time researching our characters, and I got to work on making our costumes. I know a lot of people like the simplicity of just buying a costume, and I have to admit the store bought ones are getting better...but in my opinion, homemade is just better. It is my mom's fault. She is the one that made all of our costumes every year. I think the final result was a winner!Matt wore his dad's Navy dungarees, and I just altered a black polo shirt. Believe it or not, he actually already had the corn cob pipe from an old Disney souvenir. His arms were just nylon stockings and pillow batting. We were a little disappointed that you could see the white stuffing so easily through the stockings (even though we used a dark pair). Maybe we should have doubled up? (They look a little lumpy in this picture because this was at the end of the night after holding Scott).
My outfit was completely made up of thrift store clothes that I enhanced with the ruffles and yellow stripe. The shoes were my favorite find: thrift store for $8 and they fit me perfectly!
Scott's pajamas were Christmas themed, until Matt picked out all the embroidery off the front. I then added the collar and sailor flap. I didn't have time to cover the green cuffs on his sleeves, and unfortunately Scott did not want to wear his sailor hat. But as long as he stayed with Popeye, I think everyone got the idea of who he was supposed to be.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

The weather is cooling down, Halloween is just around the corner, and that means it is time to go to the pumpkin patch! This year, we took the recommendation from our good friend, Kristen, and went to Tanaka Farms in Irvine. We started our family fun adventure by sending Scott through the hay-maze. It was just his size and he had a lot of fun running back and forth in it.Next, we went to go pick our own vegetables! We skipped over the radishes and went straight for the carrots, onions, and green beans. Scott helped pick some carrots, it was a fun way to teach him all about how vegetables grow.

Now that we had our bag full of veggies, it was time to go hunting for a pumpkin! During the search, Scott managed to do what boys do best, get dirty! It is a good thing I packed an extra change of clothes for him for the car ride home.

Scott had a great time amongst the pumpkins, which he called "balls." We picked out a nice big family pumpkin, and one smaller one just for Scott.

Last of all we walked over to the petting "zoo." It wasn't much, just some sheep and goats in a fenced-in area, but hey, to a 22-month old, what more do you need? Scott did a terrific job with the animals. He was very gentle when he pet them.Next time, I think I will have Scott wear some galoshes instead of tennis shoes. That way he can run in the mud and I can just hose off the boots later. Either way, It was a great morning, and a fun family outing. I can't wait to carve our pumpkin for Halloween!

BEEEEE!

2010-09-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

Is it attack of the bees in the Worley home?!?
Not quite.
It is Scott trying to say "please," which usually comes out as "BEEEEE!" He actually says it quite often, whenever he wants something in fact. He will come up to us, and and say "BEEEE" as he drags us into the kitchen for a snack or a drink. He will say "BEEEE" as he brings me a crayon when he wants us to color together. He will say it as he brings me something he needs help with, like opening his snack, or even reading a book to him.
The best part is the volume he uses when he says it. Nice and loud! I had to take Scott to an event at church, and as we sat down for dinner, he got the whole table of ladies to stop and look up at him as he said "BEEEE" for a drink of water.
I am so happy that he has learned to use at least one of his "magic words." I guess it is time to start working on "thank you!"

Oh yeah, I have a blog!

2010-09-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think there is any way for me to completely"catch up" on what has been happening in the Wonderful Worley World, so I suppose I will post some pictures from the past few months, then try to move forward! Here is a quick update:
Matt has been working hard this summer. He usually travels quite a bit during the summer for work. This year he has gone to Michigan, Texas, New York, and coming up at the end of September he will be going to North Carolina. He has been trying to get his own web series "Mouthbreathers" up and running, in addition to several other projects with his co-founded business The Juniper Sequence. In addition to work, he is a fantastic dad and a wonderful husband. He loves to play with Scott and he takes on a lot of responsibilities when he is at home.
Katie is mostly staying at home with Scott! I absolutely LOVE being a stay-at-home-mom. For the time being, I am finding it necessary to work a few hours during the week. By no means is it full time. I work 2 half days a week, and soon I will be working one additional full day every other week.
Scott is awesome! He will be 21 months old this month. Some of his favorite things to do are to swim, play with trains and cars, watch Toy Story, climb, run, and grab mommy & daddy's hands to take them places. Hardly an all inclusive list, he is a toddler, and he acts like one! We love him dearly and we are just so proud to be Scott's parents!
Please enjoy some pictures from the past several months, and we will try to keep you updated on a more regular basis!

Smoochie Scotty

2010-01-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

Scotty had his first kiss today! At church today I was letting Scott wander around a bit. There was a little girl only 2 months older than him playing near him. They both wanted to play together, but they are both still learning how to be gentle! She pushed him down and when I helped him up I asked her to give him a hug. She was so darling, she gave me a hug...then she went for it! She walked up to Scott and just planted one on him, right on the lips! I just about died! Of course I can't say that I blame her, I can see that my son is quite a catch!

Scott's 12-month update

2010-01-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

Scott is one year old! In addition to being an extremely happy boy, he is full of energy. He loves to walk around the house and explore. Most of our cabinets are locked at this point, except for the one under our bathroom sink. He loves to pull out all the bottles and carry them around (I am always watching him closely when he does this). He loves to open and close doors, pull the DVDs off the shelf, pull magnets off the fridge, and play the piano; and don't ever leave your cell phone around...because he won't want to give it back!

He is a bit attached to his mommy, especially when he is tired. He will waddle down the hall after me mumbling "ma ma ma ma ma" when he wants me, and when he wants his daddy, he usually does one big "DA!" I think this kid knows what strings to pull!

He still absolutely loves the water. When it is bathtime he stands next to the tub and tries to climb in. He splashes in the water, and even puts his face down in the water to either blow bubbles, or take a drink. He cracks me up! I can't wait for summer to come around so we can get him in the pool!

I could go on and on with all of his skills and delightful characteristics, but I suppose that can all come out naturally with my future posts. Until then, please enjoy these pictures...literally taken just a day or two before Kiddie Kandids closed their doors. Boy, I sure did get lucky!

Finalizing 2009 and moving on!

2010-01-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I realize it has been quite some time since I have updated our family blog, so I will try to give a brief update; but, 2010 is all about looking and moving forward, so hopefully I can keep that energy and momentum and push forward!

October was a pretty good month. Scott made significant progress with his mobility. He started standing on his own and cruising along the furniture. One thing is for sure, he loves to explore and he is constantly on the move! When Halloween rolled around we dressed up at Star Wars characters. I managed to sew Matt's and my costumes, and we purchased Scott's. It was a lot of fun and we did take Scott trick-or-treating with a fun group of friends. Our good friend Kristen even took the initiative to have the babies trick-or-treat for UNICEF. I wasn't even aware that this was done, but my apparently my mother used to do this. Basically, you just ask for donations and then you send the money to UNICEF. What a great idea!

Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, and of course, Yoda.

In my most previous post Scott was sick, but it was nothing compared to what came around in November. Scott got sick again, mostly with a fever this time. He didn't really have any congestion, but he was extremely lethargic. In fact, I couldn't put him down for about 2 weeks. He refused to be put down, which of course slowed down the progress he was making on walking. He stopped eating solid foods and just reverted to breastfeeding, and even during bath time he would just sit still while I washed him, no splashing or any kind of bath time fun. After multiple phone calls, visits to the pediatrician, an urgent care visit, and an emergency room visit following a febrile seizure, it was determined that he had the roseola virus. Nothing really to do but wait it out.

Just as we started to see some improvement in his overall demeanor we saw a bit of swelling on his left eyelid. We thought maybe he had just rubbed his eye a bit much. The next morning he looked like this:I realize it is hard to see 3-D here, but it was so swollen that he couldn't even open his eye. It was a weekend so I called the nurse advice line, she sent me to urgent care (again), and they sent us to the emergency room (again). He was able to even his first ride in an ambulance as they transferred him to the children's hospital. This is how they attach an infant carseat to a gurney.
(You may think I am a strange mom for taking pictures of my son in such a condition...but all I can say is that this is part of his life, and you never can tell what purpose it will serve one day).
Long story short, we stayed in the hospital 3 days. He had a periorbital cellulitis, which is just the scientific way of saying he had a bacterial infection around his eye. The main concern was the possibility of an abscess forming, which could move into his sinus space, and go to his brain. Clearly, the hospital was the best place for him to be. We were lucky enough that Matt and I were both able to stay with him in the hospital at all times. By the time we left the hospital, he was back to his usual happy self! This is us the day we took him home, I have enough pictures of the whole experience to fill a whole album!December was business as usual! Scott really started walking confidently, and pretty much stopped crawling altogether. During the time that he was sick he didn't really eat much, and then add extra calorie burning, and all of a sudden my big boy is only in the 25th percentile for his weight. The pediatrician isn't concerned. He is still a healthy baby, with no signs of starving whatsoever!

Our holidays were spent with both sides of the family. We managed to get to Camarillo, Big Bear, and Utah. Scott was able to experience snow for the first time.

Of course the most exciting thing was celebrating Scott's 1st birthday! My idea of having a small, intimate party went right out the door as I invited a bunch of family and friends. We had a great time, and although Scott didn't really devour his cake, he still enjoyed making a bit of a mess.

And so we move onto 2010. This year our focus is to move forward. We have so many great friends and loved ones that we want to share our time with. We want to continue living our lives and enjoying all the moments and opportunities that come our way.

Ickie Sickie

2009-10-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

My poor boy is sick...

A few nights ago his fever got up to 102.7 degrees. He has been congested, coughing, and sneezing.

Unfortunately there isn't much I can do to help relieve his discomfort, but I have been doing anything possible!

The humidifier has been going nonstop, regular doses of Tylenol, Baby Vicks Rub to help soothe the congestion, baths, sitting in a steamy bathroom, massage, lots of naps, and extra nursing.

I hope my poor boy feels better soon, it just breaks my heart knowing he isn't feeling well. Especially when he has a coughing fit, yucky!

And to top things off, Matt isn't feeling well either and just today I am beginning to feel a little under the weather. Plus I go to work tomorrow and I was really concerned that I needed to be home with my sick baby! Luckily, Matt made arrangements to watch Scott while I go to work. I think it is better to have mommy or daddy at home rather than a babysitter while Scott is sick.

Hopefully this doesn't last too much longer!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2009-10-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

HAPPY OCTOBER!
This is really the best time of the year! Personally I love the cool, brisk weather, and anticipation of the upcoming holidays! This year should be extra fun because it will be Scott's first Halloween!

To get ourselves ready for our Fall celebrations we took Scott to the pumpkin patch at Irvine Park. We helped him pick out a pumpkin, walked through the hay maze, took a few pictures, and even had a side trip to the Orange County zoo to look at the animals. It was a quick trip, but lots of fun for our little family. Here are a few pictures of Scott picking out his pumpkin!

So many pumpkins!

Scott took his time to find just the right pumpkin

Maybe these ones are too big...

Say "cheese!"

Family portraits

What a fun adventure we had!

Spaghetti time

2009-09-14T20:33:00.001-07:00

Just a few pictures of Scott's first taste of spaghetti and meatballs. He really loved it!

9-Month Update

2009-09-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Scott's 9-month birthday! I know it sounds cliche, but I can't believe how fast he is growing up! And yet, somehow I am having a hard time remembering how small my newborn baby used to be. Actually, he has never been very small, Matt and I joke that he was born as a 3-month old because he was so big and strong!

Either way, here we are nine months later. Scott went in to see his pediatrician this morning and got a good report. His measurements are:
Height: 29" - 80th Percentile
Weight: 20lbs 6oz - 50th Percentile
Head Circumference: 45.5cm - 60th Percentile
No shots were given today, which is always a bonus! The doctor was happy to see how Scott's development is right on track. She commented on how strong he was, and his eye contact was very good, she also seemed impressed at his verbal skills.

Scott continues to be a very happy boy! He seems to have an adventurous side to him. He is able to crawl around to explore, but he prefers to be on his feet! He pulls himself up to a standing position with no problem, and is now starting to walk along the sofa. I have also caught him on more than one occasion climbing on things. But his absolutely favorite thing to do is play with water. Every time he hears the water running in the sink, shower, or bathtub he gets excited! He wants to touch the water, and splash, and even stick his face in the water. It makes bath time a breeze!

Scott is eating solid food. Up until pretty recently he has really only been eating purees with occasional finger foods. But now, he really prefers to feed himself. He isn't so interested in the pureed food, he wants to chew! Maybe that is because he has seven teeth now! That is right, seven teeth. Last week was really tough because he was cutting three teeth all at once...thank goodness for Tylenol and teething tablets, not to mention the extra cuddle time!

The past nine months have just been wonderful. Matt and I are absolutely in love with our baby boy. He has brought so much joy and happiness into our home, we truly are so blessed. Happy 9-month birthday sweet baby!

Swimtastic!

2009-08-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

Scott is definitely a water baby. He enjoys bath time, especially now that we have moved him from the infant tub to the big tub (no pictures of that yet). He likes to splash and feel the water. He doesn't seem to have a problem with having water run down his face, which makes rinsing his hair really easy.I took him to Knott's Soak City to celebrate my nephew, Tanner's, birthday. He didn't have any problem playing in the water there either.But the biggest shock to me was how he behaved in a swimming pool. I took him over to a friend's house and we went swimming. We didn't go into until late in the day, and the water was kind of cold. But Scott didn't seem to mind one little bit. In fact, he was loving the water. He kept trying to put his face in the water, and always wanted to be on his stomach so he could splash. He splashed with his arms, and kicked with his legs. He even lounged a bit, all we need to do now is get him a little raft. It was a lot of fun, but I just never realized at what a natural he is in the water! Summer Olympics 2028 here we come!

Pictures

2009-08-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

I need some help!
When I became a mom I was not prepared for the responsibility of having my son's pictures taken. He is going to be 8 months old, and the only professional pictures I have of him are from when he is 5 weeks old--supposed to be his newborn pictures. So, now here I am...I have missed so many opportunities to take pictures at 3, 4, or even 6 month intervals. What am I supposed to do now? Should I just skip any professional pictures until he is 1 year old? I remember my mom always had our baby pictures on the walls, and with all 6 of us, she managed to have pictures of us all at the same ages and the same intervals.

This has also messed me up for any of my future children. If I have another child and I start taking pictures at regular intervals with him/her, then Scott will have been cheated out of those. And, how am I supposed to hang pictures on the wall of all my babies at the same age, when I don't have any of Scott? Now, don't get me wrong, I have a lot of pictures, but they just don't seem frame worthy. So, I have considered making some kind of collage with the home-pictures for the first year.

I just need some advice. Where do I go from here? How do I make this right? Am I a little crazy? Yes.

2009-07-13T15:14:00.001-07:00

It is amazing how quickly time is racing by. It seems like I am constantly going non-stop, and yet...I look around and there isn't a whole lot to show for it. But we are having fun and taking on all of life's adventures as they come with all the effort and energy we can spare!

I just feel inspired to say how grateful I truly am to have such a wonderful life. I love my husband and my son so much. They are more important to me than I ever thought possible. When Scott and I are together I do what I can to stimulate his learning. He is such an active little guy. He loves to see the world from an upright and standing position! He doesn't seem to have much interest in learning how to crawl, and yet, he is extremely wiggly and finds his own way to get around. He rolls all around and uses his legs and arms to swing himself this way and that way to get to where he wants to be. I have a feeling we will be having to chase him around the house in no time at all.

When Matt comes home from work, Scott is all smiles for his daddy. Those two boys have a connection I don't think I will ever understand. They have a great time playing with each other. It is very clear to me that Matt is a very hands-on and attentive father. He picks up my slack, and when he sees that I need a break, he swoops in to save the day! ...and, between the two of us, he seems to be much better at putting Scott down for his naps! Sometimes, Scott just needs his daddy.

I am grateful for the love and attention that friends and family offer to myself and my family...well, lets be honest, it is mostly all for Scott! But that is ok! Just in the past couple of days Scott has received gifts from friends for no reason in particular. He gets so much attention from anyone that comes around him, even perfect strangers. And it makes my mommy-ego grow every time they describe him as being: cute, handsome, smart, happy, and so on. He really is my world, and as a mother I wish I could protect him from all the bad things in this world 100% of the time. Unfortunately, reality has its way of telling me that I can't. I hope I will have the strength to help Scott get through the tough times.

And, just to update, Scott is now in the process of growing 4 more teeth. His two upper lateral incisors have already begun cutting through the gums. We have been teasing that he is going to look like a hippopotamus :) But then, we noticed that the gums around the 2 upper central incisors are starting to puff up and look like they have teeth coming soon too! So we should be seeing those in a few weeks I suppose. I want to try to get pictures, but every time I try to lift Scott's upper lip he manages to get so tight-lipped I can't even peek! Darn.

July is going to be an exciting time for us. Scott is turning 7 months old tomorrw, Matt will be turning the big 3-0 on the 23rd, and just for some extra fun, our nephew Tanner will be turning 7 years old on the 30th. We have a lot of celebrating to do! So here is to being safe, healthy, and happy! And now, here are a few fun pictures:

Scott and I are watching the fireworks together. I was so relieved that Scott did so well. He didn't even flinch at the noise.

Boy boy, big yawn

This was just so funny because he fell asleep holding onto the carseat handle, and never dropped his teething ring either.

Say "cheeeeese!"

What a happy baby!

Food! Glorious Food!

2009-06-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

So far Scott has really enjoyed eating his food. We started him of with rice cereal, then moved to peas, banana, and avocado. So far, he eats like a champ! Every now and then he spits it out, but I think that has more to do with him not being very hungry. Yesterday when I was feeding him his banana he was grabbing the spoon as I put it in his mouth and he was slurping the food off the spoon. Pretty funny. Next we are going to try sweet potatoes. Here are some fun food pictures...

I absolutely LOVE this one!

Scott managed to get the bowl and dumped his bananas all over...oh well. At least he had fun and as he chewed on the bowl he had to at least eat a little more banana.

6-month update

2009-06-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

My baby boy is 6-months old! Matt likes to point out that he is "half a year old!" Yikes...how did time fly by like that? Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that he is growing and developing...I just wish he could stay my baby forever!

Well, here are his stats from his appointment yesterday:
Height: 27 1/4"--80th percentile
Weight: 18 lbs 4 oz.--75th percentile

So actually, his growth has slowed down a bit, previously he was in the 90th and 95th percentiles...but his head circumference has increased in its percentile. My pediatrician tried to put it delicately by asking me if anyone in the family "wears a large hat size." HA! I couldn't stop laughing (inside) because she was telling me that my son has a big noggin'! It was pretty funny. Actually it isn't big, yet, just bigger than before.

When the doctor asked me about how much Scott was eating I was actually surprised to find out that in her opinion I wasn't feeding him enough. I have just started slowly introducing solids, and she had a very shocked expression on her face...apparently according to her, I should be feeding him solids now for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Hmmm. I didn't realize I was starving my child! He looks pretty healthy to me! But, I do think it is time to increase the solids...I just thought I was doing an ok job so far. Oh well.

Other than that, Scott is such a fantastic baby! Everyone that interacts with him tells me what a happy baby he is. And when people hold him, they always comment on how strong he is and how he really wants to be on the move! He is able to sit up on his own now. I can leave him sitting on the floor with his toys for quite some time. The only time he falls over now is when he is reaching for a toy that is just out of reach. But he is mostly happy when he is standing up. He doesn't like to just sit on your lap...oh no, he wants to stand up and see the world! He rolls front to back, and back to front...especially when I am trying to change his diapers!!! AND the other day, Matt put him down on his tummy and he actually was on his hands and knees...rocking! It has only happened once so far, but just the same, it happened.

Scott talks a lot. He is really learning how to use his tongue now too, because he likes to spit. He still just has the two front teeth, and if you make the mistake of putting your finger in his mouth, he will bite you. No biting!

He is always finding new ways to surprise me. He plays with his toys really well. He has so much fun with his parents. He is a friendly little boy...especially to girls. I could just go on and on... What can I say, I am so proud of him.

As far as pictures go...well, we just got a new printer, and it doesn't have a card-reader, and Matt hasn't taught me how to upload our pictures without it. So, maybe I will make the next post nothing but pictures!

Trip to Utah

2009-06-13T11:53:00.001-07:00

We took Scott on his first trip to Utah last week to visit his grandma and aunt Valerie! My mom and sister came to stay with us when Scott was born, but they haven't seen him since he was about 2 weeks old. Needless to say, there have been a few changes since then!

I was able to find a really great price on Jetblue Airlines (highly recommended!) so we didn't have to worry about making that long drive with a baby. If anyone really knows me, they know that I have to plan things out with lists and schedules and Plan-A, Plan-B scenarios. It is a bit obsessive compulsive. So, I had decided that flying first thing in the morning was going to be the best time for Scott, so he could just sleep on the plane. Scott's first airplane ride went great! He didn't actually sleep (until we were landing), but there wasn't much fussing, and we only needed to do one diaper change in the lavatory. Here are are a few pictures from the airplane. We totally took advantage of being able to board the airplane first!

I had Scott all wrapped up for his nap, but that didn't last very long.

Scott and Matt were watching TV together.

While we were in Utah we went to my Uncle Erik's new restaurant, The Smoking Apple. It is a BBQ casual restaurant...and the food is remarkable! If you ever find yourself in Lindon, UT make sure you take time to go there to eat. We actually managed to go there twice!

Scott was able to meet his great-grandma Lois Sullivan while we were visiting. My grandma has 6 great-grandchildren and she is in all her glory!!! Here is a picture of grandma with almost all of the great-grandchildren. Tanner is the only one missing from this picture.

And here is my 4-generation picture. I am so glad that I was able to get this picture!

Our other adventures consisted of going to a Wild Outdoors Festival...only to be driven away due to the down-pouring rain and fierce winds that made canopies tumble across the field.

Matt and I went to see a movie, and had grandma babysit. It was really nice to go on a date with my husband, but of course I kept my cellphone at my side the entire time.

And of course we went to Hires' Big H in Salt Lake City. My dad would always say that he would travel 800 miles for a hamburger because we MUST eat there every time we go to Utah.

It was nice getting away and taking Scott on his first trip away from home, but it was also really nice to come home. I didn't realize how much children are attached to their own surroundings. It took Scott a few days to adjust being away from home, but he did great...he is such a champ!

Scottish Games

2009-05-23T17:39:00.001-07:00

I know I have a lot of catching up to do...but I wanted to get in this post while I had the time. Every year on Memorial day weekend, at the Orange County fairgrounds, there is a Scottish games festival. My family has attended this event for as many years as I can remember because my dad's bagpipe band would compete, and my sisters and I would compete in dance. Well, now that I live in Orange County, I have no reason not to go!

Matt had to work today, and so it was just me and Scott. I got all packed up and headed out this morning and we spent the entire day there. We watched the bagpipe bands, the interesting Celtic bands...that were almost rock and roll bands, and we went through and looked at the vendors. I didn't get a chance to go watch the dancers or the sports, but I was mainly there to spend time with my dad.

I have been around bagpipes all my life. They are loud. But they have never bothered me, at least that I can remember...but of course, when it is my own baby all of a sudden I was thinking ear protection!!! I didn't think he would stand for earplugs so I did the next best thing...huge earphones. They actually worked out pretty well. He managed to fall asleep while wearing them, and took his nap as we walked around the bagpipe bands.

Grandpa was pretty excited to have Scott around. He bought Scott his very first kilt. He got a lot of attention as we walked around. People just love this little guy...and that just boosts my mommy-ego! So here are a few pictures from the day. We had a great time, and if you are ever interested in going, just remember Memorial Day Weekend, OC fairgrounds!

This is my dad's band, marching off after competing. They did a great job. (Go Pacific Coast Highlanders!)

Scott and Grandpa, Scott's kilt slipped up into his armpits...it was a little big.
What???
Nap time...right next to the bagpipe bands.

Look ma' I can use my hands!

2009-04-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while I was at work, Matt gave Scott a bottle and took this picture. At first when I received the picture as a message I thought "Aww, look! It is my little boy." Then I thought about it for a second, HOLY COW he is holding the bottle all by himself! What a big boy I have!

My blow out

2009-04-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

I started a new job a few weeks ago. I work half a day on Wednesdays in a dental office down in Huntington Beach. In a perfect world I would be staying at home with Scott all day, every day...but I think this is the next best scenario. I am only working 4 hours a week (2-6pm), and my sister is able to babysit for me.

I got a call the other day from the office asking me to come early to work so that I can go to lunch with the office to celebrate the birthday of one of my co-workers. So, yesterday I left for work nice and early. However, I didn't get very far. After about a mile on the freeway I heard a loud "bang." I turned to see what it was, and saw that I was next to a semi-truck. I figured the sound came from the truck, after all...they always make big loud noises. So, I kept going, but cautiously...something wasn't right. A second or two later I heard a loud thundering sound, similar to those cars with the huge mufflers. I looked around again, and saw that a sports car was driving by. I figured that the noise must have been coming from that car, not mine. So I slowed down and waited for that car to pass me by, but instead of the sound drifting off into the distance it got louder. Ok, I can take a hint or two...so I pulled over.

Sure enough, I had completely popped a tire. The side wall of my passenger-side rear tire had blown out. This is where I heard the voice of my husband in my ears saying "We need to get you new tires, yours are starting to crack!"

So there I was, on the side of the road. I wish I could say that this was a first for me. Let me give you a little run down on my car history:

I used to share the family cars with multiple drivers, and a lot of times got stuck without any gas...so I have run out of gas more times than I can count
I have overheated a few times
I can now count this as my 3rd flat tire
I have been in a few fender-benders, but also 2 real accidents, one my fault, the other DEFINITELY not my fault
I have actually fish-tailed in my family's 12-seat van, doing a complete 180°turn (but give me a break, I was 15 years old with my learner's permit...this wasn't last week or anything)
And I once "threw a rod"...a slang term for basically punching a hole in the engine! That car died on the side of the road.

In total, I have personally been responsible for the death of 3 cars. But again, lets be fair, these are always old cars being shared by multiple drivers and never really treated very well.

So going back to me on the side of the freeway...I knew exactly what to do! Before I did anything I called Matt to let him know what was going on, and I called my office to let them know I wouldn't make it to the lunch...oh well.

I got right to work. Yes, I do know how to change a tire. And so I did, right there on the side of the freeway. No one stopped to help, but I did manage to get honked at once. Also, I learned a little something new. If your spare tire is stored underneath the car, the way to release it is inside the trunk. The carpeting had a little area that you could pull back, and use the torque wrench to turn the screw holding it on. It will then lower the tire on a cable allowing you access to the spare.

As I finished up the tire change, Matt pulled up. He was able to take my car to go get me new tires, and I took his car to get to work. I still managed to get to work 20 minutes before my first patient! Total time changing a tire: about 20 minutes.

And this is how I know I am a blogger, I was sitting there looking at my tire, I thought to myself...hmm, maybe I should take pictures so I can BLOG about this! HA! Yeah, I thought about it, but didn't do it. Maybe I can make a "how to" video about changing tires.

Hot-bod baby!

2009-04-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

We are feeling hot hot hot! Temperatures so far this week have been reaching 100°, which just doesn't make sense...where are my "April showers?" The heat has brought on a new set of challenges that I am not use to. My little baby boy was born in December, and granted California winters are not that cold...we did get a bit chilly! All I had to do was put more layers on Scott. That was a piece of cake! Here is a picture of Scott layered: a onesie, a sleeper with hand covers, a sleeping "bag", a nice fuzzy blanket, and of course his little beanie. Looks cozy, doesn't he!?! Well, how does one keep their baby cool enough? I just strip him down to his diaper, turn all the lights off, and all the fans on...and when it is hot enough, blast the A/C. At one point I even wiped him down with a cool, wet washcloth. Here are a few pictures of Scott trying to stay cool.

Scott stays cool by playing in his excersaucer.

Mommy and Scott, just a cute picture showing off his blue eyes!

I had to put this next picture in because it shows how BIG my 4-month old is.

Scott stays cool by playing "Hop On Pop!"--except he was choking daddy

And last of all, Scott stays cool by letting it all hang out!

4-month update

2009-04-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Today Scott is 4 months old! I took him to the doctor this morning for his 4-month checkup, and here are his stats:

Weight: 16 pounds 8 ounces--90th percentile
Height: 26.25"--95th percentile
Head: 42cm--average
Vaccinations: 1-oral, 3-injections...pretty sad cry, but he recovered pretty quickly. Dose of Tylenol, and taking a nap.

We got the ok to start solids, which we will probably start when daddy gets back from New York.

Scott has such a sweet personality. He is a happy baby and he brings a sweet spirit into our home. Whenever people ask me if I like being a mom, I always answer that I am the luckiest mom in the world! How could I possibly ask for anything more? Scott brings so much joy into our lives with his wide open smile, his silly giggle, and his hugs and kisses!

He is a funny little guy, he loves to watch tv. If I have him on the floor facing away from the tv he will crane his neck around until he can see it. He plays with his toys. Right now he likes to stand in his excersaucer, he plays with his link-rings, a few stuffed animals, and he will chew on anything he can get his hands on. He loves the "little boy in the mirror." Scott will talk to him, smile at him, and laugh with him. On occasion they get into an argument, but I usually break it up before it gets out of hand. Scott loves his daddy. True, he loves me too, but when daddy gets home from work, it is all smiles and laughter! They just have a special relationship that makes my heart melt...is this mushy enough for ya? What can I say, life is great.

The picture above is one we took to send to Matt while he is in New York. We just woke up...We miss you daddy!

Breaking through

2009-04-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Viola! Just as expected, Scott's first 2 teeth have poked their white little tops through the gums yesterday. I can hardly believe the our little boy has teeth! I think it is truly the first development that makes me feel like he isn't an infant anymore. He may only be 4 months old (tomorrow), but he is such a big boy!Speaking of being a big boy...Scott is officially rolling over, but I haven't uploaded the video yet. Soon, but until then...here is a sneak peak as he leans into a roll.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

Scott got to celebrate his first Easter yesterday! I've always enjoyed celebrating Easter, and now it has become even more special now that we have our little boy. In addition to recognizing and observing the purpose of Easter, we also carried out the usual traditions.

Matt and I took turns dyeing Easter eggs with Scott

If you look closely...you can see that Scott's onesie says "My dad is a geek."

Here is our little family, awww!

After we dyed our eggs it was time for bed. Since I knew we were going to be taking pictures the next morning I wanted to make sure that Scott was wearing cute pajamas. So I spent just a little too much time picking out which jammies he was going to wear to bed (of all things!), then we went to bed. Well, best laid plans....the next morning Scott had a couple diaper explosions that caused me to have to change his clothes anyway! Oh well, he looks cute in anything!

It was so exciting for Scott to get his Easter basket. It was pretty loaded with a lot of good stuff...including a few special treats for mommy and daddy, of course!

Oh boy! Look at all that good stuff!

Smile for the camera!

After finding Scott's Easter basket we had our Easter egg hunt. Daddy worked with the Easter bunny and hid the eggs, while mommy helped Scott look for the eggs. It was a great morning.

After church we went to Mike and Aracely's home for dinner...delicious! It was a simple evening where we were able to just sit back, enjoy the beautiful weather, and watch the kids go crazy for their Easter goodies!

And in the end, it was a great holiday. Scott had a pretty good day, especially considering he missed one of his naps. And last of all, here is our best, last minute attempt at an Easter baby "portrait." Like I said before...he is cute in anything!

My million dollar idea!

2009-04-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that babies tend to fall asleep while riding in cars, and my little Scott is no exception. He does very well in the car, and usually will fall asleep even if he has just woken up from a nap. Inevitably, the car-ride is over and I now have a sleeping baby in a carseat. So, I carefully carry him inside the house and place him gently in a quiet place where I hope he will get a decent nap. Yeah right! Within minutes of the vibrations of the car stopping he is awake. So, here is my million dollar idea: I need a swing that I can attach my car seat to, this way I can just carry my sleeping baby inside the house and stick him in his swing with out waking him up. This way he can continue sleeping, he is happy, and I am happy :)

Well, apparantly Graco (and maybe other companies) is already on top of it. I guess necessity really is the mother of invention, because this is truly a necessity! Too bad I didn't think of it sooner. The funny thing is I really put the idea together in my head and when I described it to Matt he decided to see if the item already exsisted...and here it is. If my baby wasn't almost 4 months old, and if I didn't already have a swing, and if I knew about this sooner, I totally would have bought it! But, at this point, I am not sure if I am ready to spend $50 for a second swing that only is good for infant car seats. My baby is growing fast, and he may not be in an infant car seat for too much longer.

QUICK!

2009-03-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, the baby is napping, I had some time to catch up a bit on my blog...enjoy!

All I want for Easter is my two front teeth...

2009-03-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

So I know that I already did a post about how Scott has found his hand, but now we have new evidence to suggest that he may in fact be teething! GOOD GRIEF! Well, I will show you the pictures and let you decide...

Exhibit A: Excessive drool:
I now have to put a bib on him just so his clothes don't get soaking wet.

Exhibit B: Chewing on everything
If it is a hand, a finger, a rattle, a burp cloth, or his own hand, he is going to chew on it.

Exhibit C: Bulging gums...kind of in the shape of teeth
I know the teeth aren't breaking through the gums yet, but I have a feeling it won't be long.

This last picture was just a blooper...I had to take a lot of pictures to try to get the inside of his mouth. This one is so cute...wouldn't you just love to kiss those little lips!?!

P.S. Yes, I feel somewhat bad that I allowed my son to cry while I took about 30 pictures of his gums. Oh the things we will do for posterity sake.

Babysitting Cousin Lauren

2009-03-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I got the chance to babysit my niece Lauren. It was so nice to have time with little "mommy" Lauren, just her, myself, and baby Scott. She was being such a good girl, she wanted to help with the baby, sometimes she even imitated my every move as I tried to bounce Scott to sleep. It was really cute. Lauren is definitely a big sister, she helped give Scott his pacifier, gave him kisses, and when he cried she tried to cheer him up. I tried to capture a few moments by taking pictures, and she is even so good that if the picture didn't turn out just right, she would re-pose! Ha ha, silly girl.

Scott loving his kisses

2009-03-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

My mom and sister were able to come and be with us when Scott was born, but since they live in Utah, they don't get regular visits...so this is for grandma and aunt Valerie...and anyone else who wants to see Scott and his mom having fun!

Plug vs. Fist

2009-03-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

Since day #3 of Scott's life we have been in LOVE with his pacifier, we always keep it close by. Well, recently Scott has found an alternative to his pacifier...his fist. He doesn't suck on just one finger, no, he tries to shove his entire fist in his mouth. He still takes his pacifier, but if mom and dad aren't quick enough, he just sticks his hand in his mouth. Actually it is pretty cute when he does it. The best part is, when he tries to suck on his hand while his "plug" is already in his mouth. What a silly boy!Scott trying to suck on his hand, grabbing the plug instead.

Scottie even wants to share his fist with daddy.

Scott's 2 Month Checkup

2009-02-16T16:28:00.000-08:00

Scott being silly with mommy's glasses.

Scott is 2 months old! Which means it is time for his 2 month-checkup, and vaccinations! I woke up several times last night thinking about my poor baby getting his shots. I was so nervous. But luckily the doctor and her staff were fantastic and made the whole experience as non-traumatic as possible. He took it like a champ! And I did pretty good too.

Here are Scott's stats:
Weight: 13 lbs (above average)
Height: 24 3/4 inches (WAY above average--about 95 percentile)
Head: 39.75 cm (about average)

He is a big boy for sure, in fact he has been wearing his 3 month clothes, which sometimes aren't long enough for him to straighten his legs all the way.

Scott is a happy baby. He loves to smile (mostly at daddy!), and he cuddles with mommy. He sleeps great...practically all through the night (averages about 6 hours straight). We certainly feel spoiled with how wonderful he is! We love him to pieces!

Scott's blessing day

2009-02-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

Today was a very special day for our family, it was Scott's blessing day. Just to give a bit of background on the subject, for those that would like to know, the purpose of an infant's blessing is to give the infant a name and a blessing by someone that has the priesthood. The significance of giving the infant a name goes back to the days of the John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Both of these men's births were prophesied by the mouths of angels, including the pronouncing of their names to Zacharias and Mary respectively. It is such a beautiful reminder of the fact that our Heavenly Father knows us, and there is a plan for each one of us. Then, as Jesus Christ ministered to those around him he often stopped to bless the sick, the needy, the penitant, and the children. So, as Scott received his name for life and for the records of church, he also received a blessing.

Traditionally the father is the one to perform this ordinance. It was so special to see my loving husband hold his son and give him a name and a blessing. The blessing was beautiful. He blessed Scott in many aspects of his life, but what I found to be the most beautiful of all was that Scott will find knowledge and spirituality in his life. I know that my son is a special boy, and he does have a lot of learning to do!

Because this is such a special day, and we have the opportunity to focus our love and attention on such a perfect and pure little child, we of course dressed Scott in white. We managed to keep Scott clean all the way through his blessing, then afterward he spit up all over his outfit. Too bad I didn't put the bib back on him!
Today was certainly a family affair, we had so many friends and family come from near and far for Scott's special day. And afterward we had a lovely reception at our home to have time together. It was a very busy and slightly chaotic afternoon, but it meant so much to me to feel the love and support from everyone.

Our little family

Katie's side of the familyKatie's immediate family...missing of course my mother, Valerie, and Clint. We missed them today, but I know they would have been there if they could. I would like to point out my nephew Tanner in this picture (standing with the group). He has already figured out that when Scott is 6 years old, he will be 12 years old...and so on.Matt's side of the familyThree generations, Mike R., Katie, and ScottThree generations: Mike W., Matt, and Scott...who doesn't look too happy does he?How about four generations! Great-Grandma NaDeane, Grandpa Mike, Dad, and Scott...who fell asleep in Grandpa's arms.Cousins

Scott Laughing

2009-01-29T23:08:00.000-08:00

Scott has been full of surprises lately! He is so much fun, especially when daddy is around. He LOVES to smile for his dad. Today, I got my own surprise. He started to laugh! Of course I grabbed the nearest thing I had to a camera (my cell phone), and tried to get him to laugh for me again. He seemed to respond to me laughing for him, but after awhile I started to sound like a Tickle Me Elmo...I should know, I had one.

A funny thing happened while at the doctor's office...

2009-01-27T20:34:00.000-08:00

**This post contains content that is not necessarily suitable for a male audience. Although the content of this post is not graphic in any way it does make reference to events that take place in a OB/GYN doctor's office. Reader discretion is advised.**

So I went in for my 6-week postpartum doctor's appointment on Monday. All through my pregnancy Matt went to all but 2 appointments with me, but now I am on my own and I also get to bring little Scott with me.

The nurse took me back to the examination room and we determined it was time for my annual exam. After I had situated myself on the exam table with my little paper drape I realized that I needed to bring Scott next to me, because by this time he was awake and I wasn't exactly in the best position to hop up to take care of him if he started to fuss. So I wrapped myself up and pulled the carseat over (which was sitting on a chair) until it was right next to me.

Everything was working out fine, Scott was looking around, and then he started to get a little fussy. I tried the pacifier, but it just wasn't what he wanted, he was hungry. Ok, so what would you do? I am waiting for the doctor to come in, I am half naked, and my baby is hungry. I kind of hesitated because the office wasn't busy at all while I was there, so really the doctor could have walked in right as I started to nurse Scott. But I took the chance, afterall I would rather ask my doctor to wait a few minutes than try to calm a screaming, hungry infant.

So there I am, sitting on the doctor's exam table, my nakedness only being covered with a little paper drape, and my top half is exposed to feed my son. Even though no one saw me, I thought I looked pretty silly. I am certainly not embarrassed to be seen nursing my son, but I just thought the situation was pretty humorous. (Maybe this is one of those "you had to be there" moments).

Scott finished eating before the doctor came in (surprise, surprise), and everything went on without a hitch. In fact, my doctor was nice enough to take Scott from me and place him back in his car seat so I wouldn't have to get up myself.

Then of course the doctor ended our visit by telling me he wouldn't need to see me for another year...unless I get pregnant...Ha! What a funny guy :P

Great-grandma NaDeane

2009-01-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

Scott got to meet his Great-Grandma NaDeane today. Matt's grandma is just the sweetest lady you could have for a grandma. She is so proud of her grandchildren and even more so, her great-grandchildren. She is always able to tell you how many great-granddaughters and how many great-grandsons she has. She absolutely loved Scott, and couldn't get over how big he is!

Picture Time!

2009-01-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

I took Scott to get his pictures taken yesterday. It was pretty funny because when the photographer asked how old he was and I said 5 weeks, (6 weeks on Sunday) she looked very surprised, just like everyone else. :) What can I say, I have a big boy!

My appointment at the studio was early in the afternoon initially, but I had to push back our appointment to late afternoon because Scott decided to spit up down the front of his outfit the same minute I put it on him. Ugh, I tried just wiping it off, but being a tiny bit obsessive about it, decided to throw it into the washer. The funny thing is, once I put it on him the second time he had a...very full diaper. All I could do was laugh, and pray that it didn't spill over. Thank goodness we avoided having to wash his clothes for a second time.

Taking infant pictures was not something I was really familiar with, so I showed up to the studio really early to be prepared for anything. I also took a bag with nearly all of his clothes, to be prepared for anything! The photo session lasted for over 2 hours. Scott was really good for the first part, then started to get fussy which slowed things way down. I had to stop to change his clothes, his diaper, to soothe him with his pacifier, and to feed him twice, and ultimately to lull him to sleep. *sigh* Part of me felt as if I was torturing my poor son all for the sake of taking pictures. But I think by taking my time (the photographer was sooo patient with me) I think I wasn't traumatizing him, just allowing him to be unhappy for a few brief seconds at a time. (That's it Katie, just rationalize, everything will be ok.) I would be lying if I said that I wasn't exhausted and wanted to cry by the time I got home, but we were successful in the end. I think everything would have been better if we had managed to make it to the earlier appointment, oh well...live and learn.

Here is my little man in his Hawaiian-vacation look.

Isn't he handsome?

This is going to be the picture for out birth announcements, they are pirate themed.

This is after having a complete meltdown in the mother's room at Babies R' Us.

Last of all, a little keepsake.

I am very pleased with my experience overall. I do feel bad that my son wasn't happy, but I will get past it, I think he slept it off on the car ride home.

The smile that shook the world

2009-01-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

While I was working, Katie being the budding videographer that she is found out that our boy was starting to smile. So she grabbed the camera and this is what she recorded.

Yes yes I know, I have the cutest baby in the world,

please leave comments telling me so.

Matt

Coconut-head

2009-01-14T18:49:00.000-08:00

My son's head looks like a coconut... Ha ha ha, ok, maybe the shape isn't quite right, but when I look at his round little head and the light layer of hair it makes me think of a coconut. My poor baby, his mother is crazy!

I still need to write a real update...but Scott has different plans for me. Until then, you can enjoy the back of my son's head. Too cute.

Whack-A-Baby

2009-01-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

Hmm, the title this post sounds bad, oh well.

This morning Scott and I were having some floor time and I got the bright idea to try to get Scott to hold his rattle. He wasn't really interested in holding it, but I was persistent. While talking to my dad on the phone I mindlessly placed the rattle in his hand one more time. He grabbed it and in his spastic baby-style flung his arm up and whacked himself in the forehead with the rattle!

He immediately started screaming, which just absolutely broke my heart. I scooped him up and held him close. I felt so bad, I couldn't help myself from crying too. I know that it was an accident, but I couldn't help but feeling so horrible about "allowing" my baby from getting hurt.

He quickly got over it, within minutes he was sleeping in my arms. So we are doing much better now. Here is a picture of sleepy Scott and the rattle.

On a much happier note, last night Matt got to feed Scott for the first time. We gave Scott his first bottle and he did so well. It was so fun to see daddy feeding Scott, I could tell he was really enjoying the moment. It is a fun "milestone." Now I can leave Scott at home with daddy if I need to.

A new year, a new life.

2009-01-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009! I love when the new year rolls around, it is such an exciting, happy time. I love to go shopping for my new calendars, and having that feeling of starting over. It is great time to reinvent yourself and set new goals, or at least try better at the old ones. I'm not a big "New Year's resolution" person, but I do try to reflect on the past year and ask myself if I am happy with who I am now.

In addition to all these wonderful things, the new year also brings back routine. We've all been on a mini-vacation away from work and daily schedules to some degree. Now is the time to get back to work and school...bummer!

Luckily, Matt has been able to be home from work ever since Scott was born (we were really hoping for him to be born a lot sooner than he was so Matt could have more time off work). It was so great to have Matt home for 3 weeks. It really gave us the opportunity to bond as a family. We both had the chance to spend time with Scott, to get to know him, and to learn how to take care of him. I am happy to say that Matt and I work well together as a parenting team so far!

But now, Matt's time off work is over...bummer again! Today is Matt's first day back to work, and instead of being at the office, he is in Las Vegas until Wednesday doing a video shoot. Scott and I dropped him off this morning at his office, and now we are at home...just the two of us.

This is my first time being alone with Scott for more than an hour. In fact, this is a whole new life for me. Instead of going to work, I get to stay at home with my son and be his mommy! Talk about starting fresh this year! I am looking forward to my one-on-one time with Scott, but we sure are going to miss daddy. Matt is such a fantastic dad (hence my previous post). There are times when I swear he has better maternal instincts than I do. So, I may fumble a little here and there, but I think Scott and I will be ok.

I also want to just say how grateful I am that I have the chance to try to be a stay-at-home mom. We are going to just see how we do, and hopefully we can keep it this way. There will probably be a time when I will need to go back to work, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it. Scott is such a wonderful little boy. He is my little angel and I love him so much. He is curled up on my chest taking a nap while I type this and I just don't want to put him down. Well, here's to my new adventures, and a big hug and kiss to Matt while he is away.

Oops, Scott is awake, time change another poopie diaper.

Mommy caught daddy

2008-12-30T10:55:00.001-08:00

Have you ever seen someone in love? I thought I had...until I saw the way that Matt looks at Scott. Matt loves his little "bean" and I see it every time he looks at him. My two boys have a great connection, and so I thought I would share some highlights.

This is how I found Matt the day we came home from the hospital. It is just so sweet seeing him mesmerized by Scottie.

Here are my boys, gazing into each others' eyes...a very common picture around here. It just melts my heart every time.
Nap time! Scott loves to fall asleep with daddy.
Matt is already teaching Scott how to play the Wii.
This is after daddy combed Scott's hair. Nice hair-do bubs!
Like father like son.
Aunt Valerie gave Scott this cool chair to sit in, and so daddy felt like Scott was big enough to sit in it...at 2 weeks old. Actually, Scott did pretty well...he has very strong neck and back muscles!
And finally, mommy caught daddy trying to eat baby Scott's hand! He is so cute, we just want to eat him up! YUM!
Now, these are some of my favorite pictures so far that we have of Scott:

The day we came home from the hospital.
The day after he was born...he already wanted to give mommy a hug!
Two pictures proving why we call him our little "bean."
And just for an update, Scott's latest stats are:
9 lbs 15 oz
21.5 inches long

Scott's birth story

2008-12-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

Thank you Matt for putting up the previous post. It sure is nice to have access to a computer and the internet while we are in the hospital!!

If I had to sum up my whole experience in one word it would be: INTENSE

But luckily I get more than one word to tell my story. :)

Matt and I got to the hospital at 9:00am on Saturday. We walked right up to labor and delivery and into our room. We got ourselves situated and then the process began. Up until this point I hadn't noticed any contractions, but once the nurse put the monitor on me she said that I was already having contractions. My response was "THAT is a contraction???" HA! Obviously, this was just the beginning! The IV was started and we were on our way!

I think I did pretty well, we took things nice and slow. After about 10 hours I asked for some pain medication. I wasn't quite ready for an epidural, so we just did some pain killers. It was really funny! I started acting a little, well...drugged. Although I was fully aware of what was going on, I somehow found everything to be a little more interesting then it actually was. I think I kept Matt entertained for awhile.

I made it to 1 am, and was having such a hard time staying in relaxed. I did a lot of breathing, a lot of visualization, and a lot of squeezing Matt's hand! So, it was finally time to get the epidural. The epidural was really easy, it wasn't bad at all, except for trying to breathe through contractions while it was happening. The only problem we had was that the anesthesiologist was not exactly a super friendly person. She walked in and started just barking orders to the nurse and didn't even try to talk to me, other than telling me what she was doing and what to expect. Oh well, I guess no one really wants to be working at 1 am.

So, the epidural took effect and all was well! We tried to get some sleep after that. I actually had a tough time sleeping because every sound I heard made me think that someone was coming into the room to check on me. Matt had a hard time sleeping because he was freezing cold! So, needless to say we didn't have a very restful evening, even though I wasn't feeling any pain.

The next morning I got checked and I was still only about 7 cm dilated. Finally around 24 hours of labor the doctors started talking C-section. It certainly wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, but things just weren't progressing very well. They were willing to wait and see if I could dilate all the way...so we waited. After being stuck at 9 cm for a few hours we just decided to go for the C-section. There was also suspicion that the baby might be too big. At this point my body was so exhausted I didn't really care how the baby came out, just as long as he came out!

They wheeled me into the operating room and I was practically asleep from being so tired. They prepped me for surgery and brought Matt in. Matt was allowed to watch, but he didn't really want to see me being cut open so he just sat by my side and waited with me to finally meet our little boy. The surgery went very quickly, and Scott was born at 12:26pm (after about 27 hours of labor). The only part of it that I felt was when the doctor had to push the baby out of my pelvis, which caused gas to move up through my chest into my shoulders. It was like a Charlie Horse for my shoulders.

They brought out the baby and the two things that they noticed first was 1. his size, and 2. his red hair! They held up my boy for me to see, and I got to kind of watch while Matt cut the umbilical cord. When they brought Scott over for me to meet him I just was so happy. All the exhaustion didn't matter. I gave my son a kiss and they took their time letting me see him.

While they finished stitching me up Matt went with the baby. They came back and announced his weight, 9 lbs 10 oz! WOW! That wasn't expected, no wonder he wasn't coming out! At this point I started sleeping again. I couldn't keep my eyes open at all. But it was over, and our family had grown from 2 to 3.

We stayed at the hospital until Wednesday. I had great nurses taking care of me. I got up and started walking the next day. We had plenty of visitors. Our families and a few friends came. Our little Scott, in spite of the red hair, has a very mild temperament. We had one very bad night where the baby just wouldn't sleep. All he wanted to do was suck. I figured he was just so hungry so I kept nursing him. Finally it dawned on me that this little boy just enjoyed suckling, so my wonderful sister went out for us to get us a variety of pacifiers, and they have really been a life (and nipple) saver!

The rest of our stay at the hospital was as enjoyable as a stay at a hospital could be. We worked on nursing, swaddling, rocking, walking (for me), and counting poopie and wet diapers. There were two times Matt and I accidentally set off the alarms as I walked the halls with the baby. I got a little too close to the exits and the baby's ankle bracelet set off the alarms. It was a little embarrassing, especially since the hospital security had to come and check out the situation both times. Naughty me!

My labor and delivery ended up being such a different experience than what I had thought it could have been. But I would do it all over again in a heartbeat for my son! He is so perfect to me. I sit with him all throughout the day and just marvel at his beautiful face. It is so amazing to think that not too long ago his sweet spirit was with our Heavenly Father, and now here he is! He is my everything! I LOVE to see the way his daddy looks at him. There is such a different love felt in our home now. He makes us so happy in every way, and words cannot describe how much we love him. He truly is our joy, especially at this time of year. At a time when we have to really reflect on our blessings, he will always be our most cherished blessing.

I have a lot future posting to do now! Hopefully I will be able to keep up as an excited first time parent. For example, he got his first bath today! It was sooo cute! Sorry, no pictures...I had to keep my hands on the baby. :)

Thank you all for all your nice comments for the pictures previously posted. I hope I can post many more.

Scott James W.
Born December 14th at 12:26pm
9 lbs, 10 oz
20 inches long
And the love of his parents' hearts!

Please Welcome Scott James Worley

2008-12-16T14:05:00.000-08:00

Born: Dec 14, 2008

Weight: 9 pounds 10oz

Length: 20 inches

Hair: (currently) Red

Eyes: (currently) Blue

Now for some pictures

More to come once Katie feels up to it.

Matt

Update from the doctor

2008-12-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

I am convinced that the only other type of doctor besides a dentist that is truly hated by their patients has got to be the obstetrician.

Taking what I know about how much dentists are hated I can see a lot of parallels here, and it was just something I started to observe over the last couple of visits.

From the obstetricians point of view what he/she gets to hear all day, every day, is about how their super hormonal women (lets face it, women are already super hormonal without adding pregnancy!) patients that are in some kind of constant discomfort, or pain, or have some other kind of ailment. Almost always, there is nothing the doctor can do, except for tell the patient that whatever they are experiencing is "normal."

My first experience with this was in one of my very first appointments with my doctor. I told him I was having sciatic pain, and his response was "I'm sorry." And that was the end of the discussion. What could he do? Did I expect him to give me some kind of miracle therapy that hundreds of thousands of people haven't already tried?

I also go onto online pregnancy forums and read what other pregnant women have to say about their doctors. The majority of them HATE their doctors and they all seem to think that the doctor has some kind of grudge against them.

And so, to obstetricians everywhere, I am sorry. I am sorry your patients hate you. I am sorry you have to go to work every day and face an angry mob of pregnant women. I am sorry that you have to listen to women complain all day, and you having no solution to give. Apparently the only cure for pregnancy is actually having the baby. Go figure.

So, having said all of that... :) Let me tell ya about my doctor's appointment today. I am 40 weeks and 1 day along. My doctor checked me, and I was only 1 & 1/2 cm dilated (he didn't mention effacement or anything else). So he decided to stretch my cervix! OUCH! He said that this could usually stimulate labor within 48 hours...but if not, how about Saturday? Meaning, let's induce labor on Saturday.

I have to tell you that I have always been a little torn on the issue of inducing. There is the old fashioned side of me that feels like I should just wait for labor to begin on its own, and allow me the opportunity as a woman for my body to do what it is supposed to do naturally. On the other hand, I have been super uncomfortable, and if the baby has to come out, then lets get him out! My sister was induced with her labor...and ended up having an emergency c-section (and if I am not mistaken, my sister-in-law, Aracely had the same experience).

So just to be sure, I wanted to ask him if inducing at this point was medically necessary. Well, my doctor must have been in a hurry to get to his next abusive patient, because he was practically out the door when I started to ask him my question. I believe I said something like "Is there a reason we are going to induce instead of waiting?" Oh boy, now I did it! He turned and looked at me with this confused/frustrated look, I suppose I really caught him off guard.
He then went on to go into a small little lecture about how for the last 2 appointments all that he has heard from me was that I wanted the baby out, and he was just giving me what I wanted! It was like, "How dare you ask me that question!" So then, I clarified by saying that I didn't mind inducing, but I was just curious as to why we should induce instead of waiting. Is there a medical reason, or is it just to get me to shut up?

Of course he gave me the medical response: higher risks in delivery, more complications, blah blah blah. But if you ask me...it was pretty obvious that he just wants to put me out of my misery.

I have to admit I was really annoyed with him for responding like I was hurting his feelings. Believe me, I have been a really good patient! I have always been on time, I never complain, and I don't ever ask him a million questions. I go in, get my check up, and I leave. I asked more questions when I was buying our mattress than I have at all of my appointments! So, when I have a legitimate question I get 'tude from the doc! Oh well.

And so... for those of you that didn't catch the details in my crazy rantings:

I am going in to be induced this Saturday at 9:00am, unless I go into labor before then. So, it looks like I will be a mommy by Sunday! :) Induced or not...that is pretty awesome!

Today is (should be) the day!

2008-12-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

Here we are, December 10th, my due date, and guess what... The baby has decided to take an extended stay in my belly. True, the day isn't over yet...he could surprise me, but it is unlikely. I have heard that only 5-10% of women deliver on their actual due date. That doesn't give me much hope for today.

The hard part for me now will be the complete lack of knowing. I've always had today to look forward to. Back in October I needed something to keep me looking forward so I created one of those silly countdown chains, and of course I had the pregnancy ticker here on my blog. It just gave me a daily reminder that I was in fact making progress in my pregnancy, day by day nearing the finish line. So, pulling off the final piece of my chain today was bittersweet. I made it to my due date! Hooray!! Now, I just get to wait day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute for my little boy to make his grand entrance into this world.

Well, he will come when the time is right, and I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so he may have his own idea about how long we wait until taking matters into his own hands (I will keep you posted).

I've been thinking a lot lately about the special task of raising a child. Some of those thoughts have scared me, others excite me. I have been moved to tears more in this week than I have throughout my entire pregnancy. (I really haven't been too overemotional, just now at the end). I guess to sum up my thought processes and the one solution that has given me comfort over all the scary things I am about to experience is to just say: rely on prayer.

I have now rededicated myself to truly understanding my Heavenly Father's hand in my life. I know He blesses me and my family constantly, and He will continue to do so, and it is my job to continue working for Him and thanking Him for those blessings. I can find comfort in knowing who I am, and who my son is, and where he came from. I love that I can turn to my Heavenly Father at any time of the day, with any concern I have, and that He will hear me and answer my prayer.

I am so blessed that my mom will be coming to stay with us (either as soon as the baby decides to come, but definitely by this Saturday) to help me. She is a fantastic woman that has already raised six children. She has a soft and gentle touch with children, she has a gift, and I hope that she passes her gift on to me! It will be great having her here. I can't wait!

Well, I don't want to go on forever, luckily I have a journal that I have been keeping for me to rant to. But I just wanted to give the update for today. Hopefully my next post will be about me going into labor!

The return of Socks

2008-12-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

Do you remember my post about the neighbor's cat, "Socks?" Well yesterday we had a funny little incident with him.

We were outside cleaning out our cars and we weren't paying attention. Apparently we had left our front door open. Later, we came inside and we were just hanging out. I was on the phone with Candace and I looked down the hall by chance, and there he was! He had sneaked into the house and had spent some time in the baby's room and was on his way into our bedroom when I saw him.

"Matt! Socks is in the house!" So Matt went down and walked Socks to the front door. We let him out and that was the end of it. But I just thought it was the funniest situation. Could you imagine if I hadn't seen Socks previously trying to sneak in? I would have freaked out seeing a random cat in the house! But luckily we know our little Socks, and he has finally successfully made it into the house! Bad kitty, and bad us for leaving the door open.

39 weeks 1 day and counting

2008-12-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

75% effaced, 1 cm dilated, and kind of grumpy.

Australia

2008-12-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

Hooray! I have one week left until my due date! I am so thrilled. But, I will probably make a separate post tomorrow after my doctor's visit.

I thought I would review the movie "Australia" as requested in the comments section of my last post by Cristin.

First of all, I am a big Baz Luhrmann fan! I have the 3-movie set of "Strictly Ballroom," "Romeo & Juliet," and "Moulin Rouge." This is his 4th film. He his an Australian director and certainly has his own style. I have talked to people who were very disturbed by the flashing colors and quick camera movements. I have noticed that with each of his movies that the first ~20 minutes are very fast paced and border on silly. But soon after the story and tone settles in and the movies are in fact FANTASTIC.

I love that they filmed "Australia" in Australia, with Australian actors and actresses (even though Nicole Kidman played a Bristish woman). Hugh Jackman (was super hot) used his original accent.

The storyline was semi-complex (the movie's official website describes 8 themes of Australia), but I felt as though each plot line was dealt with individually so as to not leave anything unresolved. The story follows a historical look at WWII and its effects on Australia, aboriginal-white mixed children were being taken away, and then there is the personal story of Nicole Kidman's character discovering that her husband's cattle ranch was being "devoured" by thieves and the competing cattle ranch. Hugh Jackman plays a "drover."

"drover" n. One that drives cattle or sheep

He helps our British lady save her deceased-husband's ranch. On her ranch lives an aborignee family that works on the ranch, which includes a mixed aboriginal-white child that is supposed to be taken to live in a government-run community for these children (basically to "civilize" them, and eventually breed the black out of them).

See? Semi-complex...but I was very captivated. Now, the movie is 165 min (2 hours 45 min.) long and about 2 hours into the movie a major plot line had been resolved. Matt and I both thought that the movie could have ended at this point. It isn't that we were ready for the movie to be over, it just seemed like the movie had come to a point that things seemed to be resolved and it seemed like a good time to end the movie. But, not so. The movie took some time divulging all the details of this final plot line, but once it got into it it became very intense.

My dad said that one review described the movie as "tedious." I think that this might have something to do with this awkward transition in the movie, as well as the theme of music in the movie. The child in the movie uses music in his life...but he only sings two songs 1. a traditional aboriginal song, and 2. "Over the Rainbow." But it was all very touching to me.

Ok, so before I narrate the whole movie to you, let me give you my opinion and final review. The movie is great, the look of the movie and the scenery of Australia was beautiful, the history of Austalia during WWII was very interesting, and in the end Baz Lurhmann did not let me down. There was a lot of emotion in this movie and very important issues discussed. I will give this movie an A-/B+. Go in with some patience to get past the fast-paced beginning, and again to get through the transition from major plot line to final resolution, and there you go...a great movie!

Nesting=tick tock tick tock

2008-12-01T12:10:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I have found the true cause of nesting this late into my pregnancy. It is to keep myself and my mind preoccupied so I don't sit here and twiddle my thumbs for hours wondering if I am going to start feeling contractions THIS minute or not.

Truly, I have found that the more I do, the less I think about it. I am sure that if my own thinking power could start labor, this baby would have been out a week ago! But, seeing as how there is no proven way to start labor, besides an IV drip, I plan on just trying to live my life as busily as I can until...

I officially quit work two Friday's ago, and I still have a week and a half until my due date. There was no way I could keep working up until my due date. Besides the

complete exhaustion I felt half-way through the day, and
having to go pee in between patients, and
starving until lunch time, and then again until the end of the day (no time for snacking), and
my swollen and puffy hands would go numb (kind of a problem when you are working with sharp metal instruments in someone's mouth)

I just couldn't fit in the operatory anymore. My enormous body would take up so much room, that my stomach would actually be touching the patient's head. Tell me that that isn't awkward! I kept pulling hair with my stomach as I rolled my chair around. Yeah, it was definitely time to stop working.

I guess the good thing about not working any more is that I don't have to answer the same 3 questions over and over all day long with each patient:

Its a boy
He's due December 10th
Yes, I am excited. (I will NEVER ask a pregnant woman if she is excited ever again!)

I digress,
This weekend, to keep ourselves busy, Matt and I went to see "Australia" (a 3 hour movie), we took naps, I went out to Babies R Us the day after Thanksgiving to finish up our shopping, and we have almost finished the baby's room.

So far this morning I have made banana bread, I have scheduled an appointment with the sanitation department for them to come pick up a bunch of junk, I have washed my bedsheets, ironed Matt's work clothes, had Matt pull down the Christmas decorations, and I caught up on The Amazing Race.

Plans for this week are:

Try to make a delicious ham dinner :)
Scrub my bathroom
Clean the kitchen
Fold all the laundry
Finish reading one of my baby books
Recheck and repack my hospital bag
Clean out my van and install the 2nd car seat base
Decorate for Christmas
Clean out the extra bedroom where my mom will be sleeping when she comes
Bake some more
Vacuum each room like 3 times
Pay all our bills so I don't sit in the hospital room wondering if there is a bill due that day
Shave my legs
Write thank you cards

Ok, not an all inclusive list...I don't want you all to know how messy my house is. :) Oh, then of course I will probably stop every couple of hours to check my favorite blogs...so I need everyone to be on their best "updating" behavior, because I am going to need some stuff to read! Thanks for your help!

Now it is off to Kmart to buy some blankets for the dogs before it gets really cold.

Buried treasure

2008-11-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

Matt and I have been a little slow on decorating the baby's nursery. But hey, we still have two weeks until the due date, so why not work on it now?

We have been working really hard on ideas for a pirate themed room that are fun, and something that will really make the room look great. Matt had the idea of making a treasure map to hang on the wall. I didn't quite know what he had in mind so I printed out a couple of pictures of treasure maps. They were all a lot more complicated than what Matt had in mind, so we just kind of compromised ideas until we came up with this:

We bought painters' canvas 5'x5' and I drew out each object onto the canvas before we started painting. This was a collaborative effort, so Matt and I both thought of the designs and painted.

And finally: the finished product!! The picture is kind of dark, but you get the idea...and yes, we realize that the trail doesn't need to go all away around the mountains and over the river twice, but it would be pretty boring if it were just a straight line up the river!

Whoa Mama!!

2008-11-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

I was just minding my own business, when all of a sudden the baby decided to put his entire body WAY out in front. This is the result. Good grief, it is amazing I can still stand up and not fall over.

Estimated Arrival

2008-11-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

Matt and I have decided to decorate the nursery with a pirate theme. The bedding set is just too cute, and we thought as the baby grows into a toddler it would be fun for him! What little boy wouldn't want to be a pirate?

So we have been looking around for decorating ideas for the room. We wanted to stay away from the scary stuff (i.e., skull and crossbones, etc.) and just stick with fun, sweet, and maybe educational. I went online and found this adorable poster! It was cheap and it completely matched the decor. I saved it in my virtual shopping cart for a little while until I was sure I wanted to order it.
I went online this morning to order it. As I went through the order process I was figuring it would be here in a week or so. I was a little disappointed, however, when I saw that it would take 5+ weeks to ship, and an additional 3-7 days in transit. YIKES! Well, what could I do? Either let it go, or order it and just scold myself for not ordering it earlier. After all, there are plenty of things that take 6-8 weeks for delivery. Ok, ok, I went ahead an ordered it. There, done.

Or so I thought!!

I received my confirmation email. I looked it over and was completely confused when I saw:

Estimated ship date: 3/30/2010 - 4/1/2010
Estimated arrival by: 4/2/2010 - 4/12/2010

At first I saw the month, what? Are you kidding me? APRIL? Don't you think that is taking advantage of adding the "+" to "ships in 5+ weeks?" That is 5 MONTHS away...

wait...did I see that right? does that say 2010?? YES IT DOES! Oh man, what have I done? This company now has my money and I won't get my poster for a year and half, until the baby is a toddler!?! What if I move? This isn't going to work for me.

I of course went back to the website for the customer service phone number. I called the customer service phone number, and it was disconnected! Yeah, this looks pretty good for me now right?

I called the corporate headquarters number, and it offered me a transfer to customer service. I thought to myself "Oh brother, ok well let's see where this gets me..." Needless to say, there was a wait to speak to a human. Finally, I got a hold of "Brooke." I told Brooke my scenario and when I said the estimated date of arrival she too couldn't believe it.

The rest of the story isn't that fascinating. I get to wait 4-5 weeks to see if it shows up (because she says that it is in stock) and if it doesn't show I up, I get to call back. I hope it does, because I don't want to kick myself for not asking for my money back today, and more importantly...I don't know how easy it will be to remember to call back when I have a newborn baby. Maybe I can put a friend or family member on "poster watch." HA! How is that for delegating!

Sheesh.

4 Weeks Left???

2008-11-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

According to all the calendars around my house, my planner, the countdown ticker on this page, and my little countdown chain (a la Christmas time) the baby is due in 4 weeks! It is quite interesting when someone asks me, "How far along are you?" I prefer to answer with "I have 4 weeks left!" That spares them from having to figure out the math if I say "36 weeks along" or "I am 9 months, but not due for a few more weeks."

Lately I have been so anxious for the baby to come. I am actually still quite comfortable, but 9 months is a long time. I should clarify, there are plenty of times when I beg and plead for the baby to get out of my ribs and off my bladder. Then there are those moments when he stretches out his little arms and legs so far out and so strong I think he just my poke out to wave hello! Mostly, I just can't wait to see him and hold him in my arms. Last night I kept having dreams about the baby being born, and in each of my dreams I never felt any kind of pain or contractions!

This morning I had my last ultrasound. Matt came along of course (thanks to his boss for being so flexible with Matt, allowing him to come to all the appointments). The agenda was to check the baby's size and position. Let me tell ya, there is nothing quite like having a bunch of blue jelly squirted in mass quantities all over my massive tummy. I am so happy they warm up the gel. Here are a few pictures from today, and I will add a profile shot from the ultrasound back in August.

This is from August, but we didn't get a profile shot today.

This is an interesting picture, and I don't quite see it, but the ultrasound tech was pointing to my baby's mullet!! The arrow is pointing at his hair, and it a nice thick patch on the back of his head. Party on baby!

This next picture is Rated-R. Viewers should use discretion when viewing this picture of my boy's "man parts!" Yep, definitely a boy!Last but certainly not least, cock your head to the right a little and look at the baby's nostrils, then follow them down to his little lips. What an adorable little (half)-faceI wish I could tell you more about the ultrasound, but pretty early on I couldn't breathe and I started getting dizzy from laying on my back, so the tech had me turn on my side... turned away from the screen. Matt got the opportunity to watch the whole thing though.

The baby measured 7 pounds! She said there can be a one pound discrepancy, so he could be 6 pounds. He can continue to grow at about a half a pound a week, which means if he makes it just to his due date, he is a good 8-9 pound baby! YIKES! I must admit I am a little freaked out! Any moms have any words of wisdom for me? Now I can't wait until next Friday for my next doctor's appointment (and my last day of work too!).

This is such an exciting time for us! Matt and I are working on the nursery, and we spend most of our time together "playing" with the baby. I know that everyone's own child is special to them, and we are no exception. We know how blessed we are to be having a baby, and that we are being trusted with one of God's children. We have already developed such a strong attachment. As we were laying down for bed last night we both verbally said "I love you" to the baby. I just love my two boys so much!

Poor Darla

2008-11-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

Here is Darla's owie! When they shaved her fur they realized it was a puncture wound...and after thinking about it we are pretty certain it happened here at the house verses the kennel. They had to clean it out and now she is on antibiotics and we have to flush out the abscess twice a day. Woo hoo...

Days #3-4 of killing bugs

2008-11-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

Well, technically the bugs were dead on day #2, but we still have some work to do. We checked out of the hotel first thing in the morning. I headed off to another doctor's appointment, and Matt went to work.

Matt came home early from work for our "appointment" with the Gas Company to come and turn the gas back on (somewhere between the hours of 12-5pm). Everything in the house was fine, except for the phone. Tuesday night I called the house to check our messages and the phone call did not go through at all. I got a garbled static sound and then the call was lost...hmmm. So Matt set up an "appointment" with the phone company for today (somewhere between the hours of 8am-8pm).

I came home from work yesterday (where our air conditioning was not working...and it was more than HOT), and completely forgot to pick up the dogs. I wasn't feeling well. So Matt and I went to pick up the dogs from the kennel and everything seemed fine...until I got home and was giving one of our dogs attention and found a big abscess in her cheek. Dang!

So, this morning Matt stayed home to wait for the phone company (1st shift), and I went to work. Then I left work early to take the dog to the vet, then to take the 2nd shift while Matt goes to work...(are you keeping up?).

Turns out, our doggie has an abscess that needs to be drained and since it was an emergency, I had to just leave her there. So now I am at home waiting for the phone company...then somehow I have to go pick up my dog when she is done. *Sigh*

Maybe this is a good thing, it gives me a little perspective on things, AND I can start putting the house back together!

Day #2 of killing bugs

2008-11-05T15:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got all my preparations in order just in time before the fumigators came. They showed up early, but luckily I was all ready to go! I went and had lunch with Matt and then went to check into the hotel.

Look! The circus is in town!

The hotel room is small, but I don't need anything more than what we have: bed, full (working) kitchen, bathroom, tv (to watch the election results), and free internet connection! I actually managed to cook dinner in our hotel room, then washed our dishes in the dishwasher! Not too shabby in my opinion.I've driven past the house today to check on it, the tent came off today...but it is still uninhabitable. We have to wait until they come and certify the house tomorrow by checking the air quality.Until tomorrow, one more night in the hotel. Matt will be getting "home" a little late, and I will keep up with some thank you notes from my shower (a post for a later date). So, life goes on.

Gallon Challenge

2008-11-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

I think I could probably take on the "Gallon Challenge" right about now. For anyone who doesn't know what the Gallon Challenge is, in short: drink 1 gallon of milk in 1 hour without vomiting for 1 hour. Basically, it is nearly impossible, and quite frankly I don't feel like vomiting...however,

I have been drinking milk almost nonstop during my pregnancy. At first I increased my milk consumption because of my heartburn. Milk is not a remedy for heartburn, but my heartburn is in the back of my throat and the milk feels sooooo good as I drink it.

Now, I crave milk. I used to be able to keep 1 gallon of milk until its expiration date. Currently my average is about 1 gallon every day-and-a-half to two days. (So not quite the Gallon Challenge).

So many people say that when you crave milk it means that your body is deficient in calcium. Well, I am certainly not deficient, but I have read that in the latter end of pregnancy the body stores the most calcium to prepare for breastfeeding.

I'm thirsty now...

Day #1 of killing bugs

2008-11-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

So in order to officially get ready for our little boy's arrival, we have decided to get the house tented to rid ourselves of those pesky little termites! Have any of you done this before??? Quite an undertaking, but it is going to be worth it I think.

To get ourselves prepared we have

Reserved a stay in a hotel
Packed all our food and medicine in bags...thank goodness Matt had a whole day off yesterday in order to go through the pantries, freezer, refrigerator, bathroom cabinets, etc.
Put our mail on hold
Board our dogs...which also means I had to have the vet fax over their immunization records
Pack our clothes for our hotel stay
Have the gas turned off...the guy is outside right now as I am typing this
Take our antenna off the roof (yes, we still use an antenna...no cable or satellite)
Turn off the automatic sprinklers
Pack up valuables, and things for the baby that I don't want exposed to poisonous gases into my van...they say that the gas doesn't leave any residue and washing dishes and clothing is unnecessary, but hey I am a nesting mom-to-be, I will be washing a lot of stuff when I come back home

Well, that is about it. We will be out of the house for 2 nights. It shouldn't be too bad. It is just a little strange to try to pack for everyday life as opposed to packing for a vacation (i.e., work clothes instead of a bathing suit!). I plan on documenting my little adventure, hopefully I can be helpful to someone out there.

Oh, and go vote!

Hiccups, Stretch Marks, and More

2008-10-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

So things have just been moving right along. As you can see from my little ticker off to the side, I only have 7 more weeks until my due date! Matt and I are so anxious to see our little boy. We can't wait to hold him, and to snuggle him. (Yes, I realize he shouldn't come out now...but I think you understand).

Our little boy has been pretty active. He gets hiccups about 3-4 times a day, he moves a lot, he flutters around, and he stretches. He has stopped using my bladder as a bean bag chair, and has found comfort in my diaphragm and my ribs. That's ok, I love him anyway :)

Matt found my first stretch mark the other day (boo!). I can't see it without looking in the mirror and contorting my body, so I think I will just be in denial! HA! I called my mom to whine about it and she just laughed when I told her I figured I could make it all the way through my pregnancy without any stretch marks. :) Not really, but it does kind of bum me out. I can just call it my first "battle scar."

Besides myself and the pregnancy... Matt and I attended his 10-year high school reunion. We took the camera, but didn't take any pictures. But I can set up the scene for you. Open bar, a bunch of late-20's who are trying to impress, at least one flashing of a full bum and tan thong, and a bunch of drunk strangers (to me) rubbing my belly like I was Buddha. Matt was able to catch up with a couple of old friends, but now with things like Facebook and My Space it seemed like everyone already knew what was happening.

The other night we went out with some of Matt's family to celebrate his Grandmother's 80th birthday! I have adopted her as my own grandmother. I love her dearly, and it was delightful to spend the evening celebrating her birthday. We've got a bet going that she is going to make it to 90! C'mon grandma, you can do it! Here are a couple of pictures from the small little party.

Grandma was very surprised to see the cake come out!

Grandma had no problem blowing out her candles.

Grandma and I waiting for our table.

Matt and his dad... a rare picture, so I had to put it in! :)

Socks

2008-10-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

We've "adopted" a cat. Our across the street neighbor's cat wanders around the neighborhood and all of a sudden he started walking up to our house on a very regular basis. Before, he used to just wander around in the plants, but now he is coming up to our doorstep and mewing like he wants to come inside-he actually did sneak into the house one day when I opened the door a little too wide. I put out some water on the doorstep, just because it has been so hot lately.

Matt has named the cat "Socks" because his white feet, and we go out and play with him. It is kind of funny, because Matt is allergic to cats, and he usually doesn't care for them, but he has really bonded to Socks. Here are a couple of pictures.
For the record, Socks has not made us forget about our doggies. But they sure don't like it when they hear that cat walking up to the door.

Truth or Dare?

2008-10-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

Remember playing Truth or Dare? Without fail someone would always ask the question "What is your most embarrassing moment?" I never really had an answer. Sure, I've done embarrassing things, I have farted in class (and let my BF take the blame...sorry Candace), I went to hygiene school with my scrub pants on inside out, I have made an idiot out of myself at parties, and I have shoved my foot in my mouth numerous times. Well, I have a new winner.

Yesterday I did a hygiene temp job. I had been having a great day until my 2nd-to-last patient. There had been a misunderstanding about him coming in early to see the dentist first and then to get his teeth cleaned with me. Well, the doctor had left early so he wasn't there to see the patient when he came in...of course the patient wasn't happy.

Luckily I was finished early with my previous patient (a child) so I was able to take this patient early, however I needed to take an x-ray of one tooth for the doctor to check next time. Now I can go into a long explanation of what happened next, but I don't want to lose you...so lets just make a long story short and say that I didn't know how to set up the computer to take a digital x-ray in this office and all the other assistants had left. So, I fumbled around with the computer and when I thought I had figured it out I put the x-ray sensor in his mouth and as I turned to walk out of the room to push the button my foot tripped on the sensor's cord and I YANKED the thing out of the poor guys mouth!!!! And of course he yelled out in surprise/pain (?) as it happened.

I apologized over and over, and I admitted how embarrassed I was, and I wanted to find the nearest darkest hole to crawl into. To make matters worse I tried to take the x-ray a 2nd time, after getting his permission to try again, and the darn thing didn't even work. I was absolutely embarrassed. I apologized once again (luckily he already knew that I was a temp, not a full time employee), and we just did his cleaning...where I hope I redeemed myself. I tried to make a joke that I could get my own business of yanking teeth out the old fashioned way with a string, but this already unhappy patient couldn't possibly get any more upset.

So, there it is. I have a new story to tell whenever someone asks me if I have a "most embarrassing moment."

30 weeks

2008-10-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a picture up for 7 months, so here I am at 7 1/2 months. 10 weeks left!!! Throughout my whole pregnancy I have never really gotten too worked up about anything in particular, I am not too much of a worrier. HOWEVER, now that I can actually feel the baby's arms, legs, head, bottom, back, etc. I am starting to get a little freaked out about my clumsiness. I am nervous about every little bump that I might have, that it might hurt the baby. I don't want to hurt him by being careless. I almost prefer to be in a bubble right now. I am so anxious to finally see my baby boy, I just need to take care of myself.

Over the rainbow

2008-09-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful picture I saw this morning as I was getting ready for work. I grabbed my phone (to use the camera) and ran outside barefoot to take a picture. I wasn't sure how long the rainbow would last and I didn't want to miss it! This is absolutely my favorite time of the year.

Aaarrrgh!

2008-09-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Many of you know of my family's background with bagpipes and Scottish dancing. I have been raised listening to the bagpipes and performing in many different venues with my dad and sisters. In many different places there are annual Renaissance fairs, Scottish competition games, etc. And every now and again the Scottish theme gets pulled into areas that it doesn't necesssarily belong to. This weekend was the annual Pirate Faire held out in Ojai at Lake Casitas. My dad and his bagpipe band were there, and since our baby's nursery is going to be pirate themed, Matt and I just had to go!

My dad is a great entertainer, and he thought it would be fun if during his performance he "challenged" an audience member to try dancing...well, I was his plant in the audience. He says, "this dancing is so easy, even a pregnant woman could do it...oh look, here is one now!" So I stand and he introduces me as his daughter. Dad has also learned how to do a few dances himself, so he and I danced at our wedding together, and again today. (Here we are at my wedding...obviously...thank goodness I had all those layers of tulle to cover me, look how high I pulled my dress up!!) Matt took the video of it. Don't worry, the baby was completely fine, he did lots of moving around today, so we are convinced that he is already a performer! Hope you enjoy!

For the record, we did in fact buy the baby some pirate onesies, and some wooden swords to put on the wall in the nursery.

Booyah!

2008-09-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

I totally kicked boo-tay on my 3-hour glucose test! TAKE THAT, GESTATIONAL DIABETES!!! IN YOUR FACE! :)

Ok, so I passed my test... "with flying colors" as my doctor said, however, he wants me to watch my carbohydrates :( At first when he told me that I need to cut back on carbs (because I did fail the first test) I just had a moment where I held my arms up in the air and cried out to the heavens "Noooooooooo!" That is when he said that I need to cut back on carbs so I don't have a 15 pound baby..."oh, OK! Enough said!"

Well, everything else seems to be going just fine and dandy. As always the heartbeat sounded great, I am measuring fine, and for the first time my doctor actually brought up the topic of delivery! Holy cow, I can hardly believe that things will be winding down very soon. I am very much looking forward to having my baby, to hold him, to kiss him, to see his daddy interact with him. It just gives me butterflies in my heart thinking about it. Matt and I are so in love with him already! Just last night, Matt made the comment "he is going to come out knowing that he is loved!" AWWWW! CUTE!

Here is something that is kind of funny: I have noticed that my baby boy doesn't like other things in his territory. When I rest my hand/arm on the top of my tummy he kicks it off, he always kicks the doctor's doppler directly, when I took the breast feeding class, he kicked my fake baby, and last night I was holding a newborn and yes he even kicked her too. Ooh he has attitude! I love it!

28 weeks (7 months baby!), update

2008-09-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to thank all you lovely ladies that left such nice comments on my previous post. It is so nice to have a place to express my feelings, and not worry about people criticizing me about the things I say in the heat of the venting moment... and so I must also thank anyone who might have felt like telling me to "get over it," but held their tongue :)

Actually I am feeling much better now. Matt and I have been keeping extremely busy! Besides our regular work schedules, we have been busy with doctor appointments, glucose tests, and we started our childbirth classes! My dad likes to tease (even though he is right), it doesn't really matter if I go to these classes, the baby knows how to come out and it will happen no matter what. But, I already paid for the classes, so I am going to go!

We just finished our childbirth class. I thought it was pretty helpful. She discussed everything from where we park our cars, to the delivery itself. Our teacher/nurse was great, she was one of these old Irish midwives. She had a lot to say, and wasn't afraid to tell it like it is! Matt was a pretty good student, he only slightly looked away when she showed us the slides of actual childbirth (no movies). We also got down on the floor and practiced breathing through all the different stages of labor, including delivery. It was a pretty good class, the worse part was that it was a 3 hour class from 10am-1pm...hello??? Pregnant women missing lunch??? Not so smart. My favorite part of the class was the fact that the teacher would refer to the "dad" as the "husband." It was so nice for someone to be non-politically correct for a change. Yes, I am having a baby, with my husband, not just my "partner." Actually we know for a fact that there was at least one couple in the class that wasn't married, oh well.

We also attended our breastfeeding class. I was shocked to see the room full of couples!! Matt and I drove separate cars on purpose, because I told him that if he was the only guy there then he had permission to leave. Most of the ladies in this class were about to POP! No kidding, some only had a week or two left in their pregnancies. Matt, and the other men, actually were pretty mature during the class...mostly. There were a few giggles here and there. I think as the class went on everyone stops looking at "boobs" and starts seeing them as "how the baby eats." It was an interesting phenomena, even for me. Obviously I already knew that that is how a baby eats, but my attitude and previous ideas about what it was like shifted a little, and I feel a lot more comfortable with actually doing it. We did bring a doll to practice with. Our "baby" was Turk the ape from Disney's "Tarzan."

We will also be taking the childcare class, which goes over carseat safety and all the other child care stuff.

Besides all that, I went for my 3-hour glucose test. It wasn't horrible, well...the lime flavored syrup-drink they had me drink was awful. If I ever have to do that test again, I think I would prefer the orange flavor. I got to sit in a room in the back of the lab with a recliner. I watched a move on my laptop and took a short nap. Of course periodically I got interrupted (how rude) so they could draw my blood and have me pee in a cup. I don't have my results yet, I go see the doctor this next Thursday... I will let you know (I am sure you are all dying to know!) :)

Now, probably the most exciting thing that has happened lately is with Matt. In my profile, it mentions how Matt and his friends are trying to start a business and make a movie. Well, their first movie has been SOLD!!!! So, what that means is: the company Overture bought the story from The Juniper Sequence, and wrote out a check to buy the story. Now that money won't pay for making the movie, in fact, it won't pay for much :) except the lawyers and paying investors. BUT, they are actually going to be making a movie! And since I know people will want to know, it is a rock 'n roll love story told through alternate realities. It is complicated, and it is artsy, and quite frankly I am not sure if I have the actual idea of the story right...but who cares! Congratulations to Matt and his buddies...all their hard work is starting to pay off, and I know it is only going to get better from here!

"Just you wait!"

2008-09-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

I need to vent a little.

Although I have waited (on purpose) six years to get pregnant, I understand that there are physical changes that occur during pregnancy. I remember seeing my mother pregnant with my little sister. I watched my sister in her pregnancy (and believe me, she didn't hold anything back--she told me everything), I watched my aunts and other family members, friends, acquaintances, and perfect strangers during pregnancies. It seems to me that the pattern is: you get pregnant, and as time goes by, you become a little more physically uncomfortable. Hmm, that is just based off pure visual and auditory observation. Let's add on to that my education. I have spent years studying the human body. I have studied anatomy from head to toe, I know the muscles, the organs, the bones, the systems, I have a freakishly strange fascination with the human body and the way it works. I know HOW pregnancy happens, and I know what happens inside the body when a woman is pregnant. Now, let's add on the fact that I actually am pregnant now. I have been reading books, and researching information online, and talking to other mothers and other pregnant women. I think it is quite safe to say that I ought to know what "to expect when expecting" (the reference is completely coincidental).

So, that brings me to my complaint. (Just to cover myself, I am not addressing this to anyone. I am making a general complaint about something that I get from a lot of different people, so please don't think I am attacking you). I can't stand it when I make a comment such as: 1. "I have to pee, again" 2. "Oh, the baby is in my way" 3. "I could hardly reach to tie my shoes today" etc., then someone always follows with the inevitable "Just you wait..." AAAAHHHH!!!

Why do people insist on pointing out that whatever I am currently going through is nothing compared to what the end of my pregnancy is going to be like? Do they think that I don't realize that my baby is going to continue growing and therefore I will get bigger, and therefore have less mobility, more frequent trips to the bathroom (both day and night), and just plain discomfort overall? Why do they dismiss the fact that I am currently pregnant and I must pass through this stage first, before reaching the end of my pregnancy. And why do they always say with with such a threatening tone? "Just you wait!!!" Should I sit in my bed and rock back and forth and fear the rest of my pregnancy? Why won't people just allow me to enjoy my pregnancy? If I have a tiny complaint about they way I feel for a split second (i.e. "Oooh, he is sitting on my bladder!"), they have to always point out that it is only going to get worse (and I think it gives them joy knowing that I am going to be in as much pain/discomfort that they were in once upon a time). OH the doom of pregnancy!

If only I could make an announcement to the world: "Hey everyone, I am pregnant and sometimes a little uncomfortable. Overall I am having an awesome pregnancy, and yes I realize I may not always enjoy it this much. I realize that not every pregnancy is the same, and yes I feel completely blessed to be having such an easy pregnancy, so far. I understand and completely expect that as my child grows my body will be pushed to its limits! I realize that I will have a difficult time moving, getting dressed, taking walks of any length, breathing in general, getting behind a wheel of a car, fitting into my clothes, I will experience backache, sciatic pain, swelling of all my appendages, a possibility of hemorrhoids, stretch marks and incontinence, my face will get fat and I will look like I have been stung by 30 bees, I will have to pee 45 times a day, and 45 times each night (and yes, I've heard it a million times that "this is nature's way of preparing you for your sleepless nights with the baby..."), I also realize that my breasts will swell up to an unnaturally large size and will hurt while they fill up with milk, I realize that breastfeeding may not be comfortable, especially at the beginning, I realize I will leak milk (in the shower, when babies cry, and for no reason at all)." I know I haven't included every possible scenario, but I think I have made my point. I think that I should say this full disclaimer each and every time I dare say anything slightly negative about my pregnancy so I don't get the "Just you wait" speech. Or I can just stop talking about it all together, but that won't work either, because the only thing that people want to know about is how the pregnancy is.

To be fair, I completely accept and appreciate helpful information. If someone has had an interesting experience with their pregnancy, both the good and the bad, I love to hear about it, because maybe it is something I wasn't aware of. But I just don't like it when people are trying to scare me, or warn me, about the future of my pregnancy.

*Sigh*
Ok, thank you for letting me vent. I am sure it is just my hormones allowing me to get frustrated. :)

3-hour glucose test

2008-09-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

So, I have another post about pregnancy...sorry, but it is probably the only interesting thing that is happening in my life right now.

I went and took my 1-hour glucose test last week, and I failed! WHAT?!? Are you kidding me? No, I failed. They want the glucose number to be somewhere between 60-140, and my number was a whopping 141...yeah, just one number too high. Dang.

Now, I probably failed the first one because I literally ate lunch right before I took the test. There were no instructions to fast prior to the test, or to wait a certain amount of time after eating, so I didn't think there would be a problem, but apparently there is!

So, now I get to go take the 3-hour glucose test this next Wednesday. I have to follow a 3-day diet and then fast for 10 hours prior to the test. The diet should be pretty easy. I have to consume AT LEAST the amount of food listed on the diet...but more is ok! I guess this will help them see if my body can adequately break down all my carbohydrates.

For the day of the test, my plan is just to take the laptop and a DVD (or 2) to keep myself occupied. *Sigh* so boring! Oh well...

Anyone else have to do this?

My prediction is...

2008-09-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been really having a lot of interesting dreams. Some are about the baby, others are about visiting my mother, there was one where Matt and I had just gotten 3 puppies (they were so cute!). One of my dreams is somewhat a look into the future, and I thought it would be interesting to see how it played out.

In my dream a few friends told me about a very detailed and very reliable chart that is used to tell you the exact date that your baby will be born. This went beyond your actual due date, and was always right. The only reason everyone didn't have this chart to look at was because it was really expensive. So, my friends and I looked at the chart and followed its directions and came up with the birth date for my baby:

DECEMBER 15th! So, I am putting it out there as an early prediction, maybe a little later I will start a poll, but I think it would be really funny if the baby was actually born on this particular date. (For the record, my due date is December 10th, so it isn't that far off).

Tag, I'm it!

2008-09-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the tag Aracely! Here it goes!
A- Attached or Single? Attached, hence the Matt portion of "Matt & Katie"

B-Best Friend? Best girlfriend is Candace, for about 13 years now.

C-Cake or pie? I am kind of avoiding sweets right now, so I suppose I will go with a small piece of cake.

D-Day of choice? Wednesdays. I look forward to them because each Wednesday I count myself another week pregnant!
E-Essential Item? Deodorant
F-Favorite color? Blue

G-Gummy bears or worms? Worms
H-Home town? Kearns, UT ('till I was 4); Camarillo, CA ('till I was 20); Anaheim, CA (current)
I-Favorite indulgence? I don't indulge too often. I suppose my answer would be food, but it can be as simple (and as unhealthy) as Jack in the Box tacos.
J-January or July? January (I love winter)

K-Kids? First one on the way...no names yet, we are working on it!
L-Life isn't complete without? Laughter

M-Marriage date? June 1, 2002
N-Number of brothers and sisters? 2 Brothers, 3 Sisters

O-Oranges or Apples? Oranges.

P-Phobias? Drowning, and being held down in general. I need to have control over my own body.
Q-Quote? Pretty much any line from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
R-Reasons to smile? Feeling the baby move after his daddy talks to him

S-Season of choice? Autumn

T-Tag 3 people: Candace (if you have time), Jennifer F., and Mike C. ha! (or anyone else that wants to)

U-Unknown fact about me? I LOVE to play cards

V-Vegetable? Asparagus
W-Worst habit? Going overboard when hanging out with a group of friends... I am usually the one that either crosses the line, or people start making strange faces at because I am acting just a tad too crazy
X-Xray or Ultrasound? I am not too sure what this is asking...as in do I prefer one over the other? No thanks. I take x-rays, and have a radiation safety license though. And I love seeing the ultrasounds of my little boy.
Y-Your favorite food? Mexican! tamales, chile relleno, tacos, burritos, rice, corn tortillas, carne asada, salsa verde, ohhhhh so good!

Z-Zodiac sign: Aries

Our new mattress

2008-09-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great Labor day weekend, how about you? My favorite part was having an extra day not to work! :) But in addition to that, Matt and I went out and purchased a brand new mattress! We have been talking about going out and buying a new one for quite some time, but it always gets put off. Up until now our mattress has been fine, it is just old. Well, lately I haven't been getting great sleep, because every morning I have been waking up with extreme back pain, and has really been affecting me all day. To resolve the issue temporarily I spent about 5 days sleeping out on the couch. Our couch is REALLY comfortable and quite frankly I could sleep there any time, but it was kind of weird sleeping away from Matt. So, we finally gave in and went shopping!

We went to Custom Comfort Mattress, and we had a really great experience. And we had the mattress delivered the same day. So...here are a few pictures of our adventure (what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't take pictures of this!?!)

This has been my bed for the last week. It is super comfortable! (That beautiful afghan was knitted by my Grandma)

Here I am at 25 weeks. It isn't the best picture of me, but it does show my tummy!Out with the old!Here is Matt, patiently waiting, in the bed frame, for our new mattress to arrive.

Here it is, our first mattress!

But, we didn't really figure that it was going to be WAY taller than the other mattress...I feel like a toddler trying to get up onto mommy's bed! HA! I still like it though. (Apparently we can get a shorter box-spring to accommodate, but I don't think we will).Hooray! We are so happy!

For the record, the bed is really comfortable and I am sleeping much better now. I think that my pregnancy isn't going to allow me to be perfectly comfortable, but it is much better than it used to be!

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-08-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

I was babysitting my nephew, Tanner, last week and took him to an activity. While we were there I sat next to a friend, Angela. This is the conversation that took place:

Me: Tanner, tell her who is in here (pointing to my stomach)
Tanner: Oh, that is my cousin
Angela: How did the baby get in there (expecting a cutesie answer)
Tanner: Well, (holding up his hand to show a tiny circle) there is this little thing that moves, and has a tail and it goes to another thing, then the baby grows.
Angela: (a bit surprised), Did the baby come from Heaven? (again, hoping for a cutesie answer)
Tanner: (looking perplexed), No, it came from Matt!

HAHAHAHA! I just laughed and laughed. My little nephew is extremely educated! Go Tanner!

The Errand of Angels

2008-08-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

You may or may not know that Matt has his own podcast, "Mormoncast." Lately it has been on hiatus, until this last week. Matt received a screener copy of a new movie called "The Errand of Angels." He did a movie review on his podcast. Go ahead and check it out. The movie was really good! I have included the movie review, but if you are interested in the podcast go to www.mormoncast.org

(Check out my other post for today, it is really important!)

Send Holly to Wicked

2008-08-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! I have a friend from church, some of you may know her...her name is HOLLY!! In addition to being a wife and a mom to 3 boys, she is also a beautiful and talented woman that is currently in a competition, the Universal Studios Citywalk Wannabe Wicked competition . If you want to know all the details just visit her blog. She is currently a finalist and there is going to be online voting! I want to do all I can to help her WIN!

Voting starts August 13th, and you can vote as many times as you want. I will put the links up, and periodically will remind everyone to vote! Good luck Holly!

To view all the finalists go to the Sonicbids website, and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Click on "Holly Jones" and a profile window will pop up. Click on "video" and you will get to see a short video of Holly singing.

Here is the official website for the competition. Starting on the 13th, go vote as often as you can! The winner gets a walk-on appearance in "Wicked!" Pretty exciting!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANNER!

2008-07-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

Happy, happy birthday Tanner dear! Today is our nephew, Tanner's, birthday! Hooray! He is 6 years old today. This is the most recent picture I have of him, but I love it because it really shows his personality! He is a fun little boy, who is also very smart. It has been so much fun seeing him grow and learn. Some of my favorite memories of Tanner are him telling me that he has new teeth (he just wanted to let me know, because he "knew that I liked teeth" HA! And then one other time when he was about 4 years old, we were playing with a stethoscope. He was listening to my chest and then after he finished I asked him, "what do we do now?" His response was so hilarious: "We call another doctor!" I thought, oh dear, he is 4 years old and he thinks I need a 2nd opinion! EEP!

Well, he is spending his birthday up in Utah with my mom, so I am sure that she is loving having her grandson there. So, this is a long distance, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Where were you?

2008-07-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so most of us Californian's know that there was an earthquake today, that is no longer news. The earthquake originated in Chino Hills, but was felt from Oxnard to San Diego...strangely enough I have spoken to people who were in both of those cities. I was in Placentia, which is only 15 miles away...so we were rocking pretty good. I was working in a dental office. I had left my patient in the chair for a minute to go get her x-rays when it happened, so unfortunately my patient was alone, reclined in a dental chair. She got a little freaked out, luckily she was the last patient of the morning, and we had already finished her cleaning. So were you doing anything interesting when the earthquake hit?

So now, let me transition to a little question. Why are people so scared of earthquakes? I am not talking about the enormous ones that take down buildings and kill people, I am talking about the ones like today. 5.4 magnitude, no damage, no serious injuries, just a few things getting knocked down. I understand that if you aren't from an earthquake-rich part of the world that it can be a little scary, but if you have lived in California then you know what they are like, and you should know what to do. And any building built in California after the 1930s is built strong enough to withstand minor quakes, unlike buildings in small undeveloped countries where an earthquake can be devastating.
Today I had a lady spaz out on me. She grabbed my arm with her claws and like a death grip, did not let go! She left a mark. She was running back and forth like a crazy person during the earthquake and shouting (doesn't help that she is one of the employees at this office and her priority should be the safety of the patients). She actually thought an airplane was landing on the building. Then, we have to listen to non-stop coverage of the earthquake on tv, on the radio, etc. Can anyone explain to me why earthquakes are scary? Logic says: move away from anything that might fall and hurt you, and just hang on. That is really all there is to do (duck and cover!). *sigh*

P.S. I actually think earthquakes are kind of fun! I would have enjoyed this one if that lady hadn't been skewering my arm!

Poor Dad

2008-07-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

My dad is in the hospital right now. Lately he has been having some kind of terrible abdominal pain and after 3 visits to the emergency room and a consultation with his gastroenterologist, they elected to remove his gallbladder. They weren't sure if the surgery would fix the problem, but when they got in there they did find that his gallbladder was pretty inflamed.

So, after this usually simple procedure, my a portion of my dad's right lung collapsed. YIKES! He is fine, but still, it isn't that much fun for him. The crazy part is that this procedure is usually outpatient, but he is still in the hospital 2 days later, going on three.

I am not sure what the point of me blogging about this is, but I just wanted to put it out there. Get well daddy-o!

Pregnancy update: Halfway done!

2008-07-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

This last Wednesday was not only Matt's birthday, but it was also the end of 20 weeks of my pregnancy. Woohoo! Half-way done, and just about 20 more weeks to go! I am loving my pregnancy. I have heard a lot of different stories about pregnancies (the good, the bad, and the ugly). I am lucky enough (so far) to be having a great pregnancy. I realize that it may not always go so smoothly, so I am just enjoying every minute of it.

I thought I could just write out a little update about my pregnancy thus far. Yes, I am 20 weeks, yes I am having a boy, no we don't have a name picked out. However, since everyone and their brother seems to want to know the baby's name I sometimes pick a strange name like "Cornelius Morpheus" or "Curly" to rhyme with our last name. HA! My bump is starting to really show, there are times I think I might just look like someone that ate too much, then other times I think, "yeah...I look pregnant." Here is a picture from today, what do you think? My little boy likes to move. I first started noticing him moving when I played some music for him. So, every day I like to play a little mixture of classical, The Beatles, They Might Be Giants, and I think the Star Wars' theme song (Matt made the mix on my iPod). I know he can hear the loud noise because he always kicks right underneath the headphone. One night the little squirt wasn't really moving too much so I asked Matt to put his hand on my tummy, and within seconds that little guy really started dancing! He just wanted to play with daddy! Cute!

I have no aversions to food or smells, and I am hungry constantly. The baby likes to sit low, like on top of my bladder, so I have to pee constantly too. He even can get in the way when I am sitting down, or try to cross my legs, etc. But my mom gave me the good advice of getting on my knees and putting my head to the floor so my bum is in the air, that way gravity will get him to move up a little bit.

I am no longer having sciatic pain. I found comfort in the form of massage! :) In fact, I got a massage and then a few days later I went to girls camp and the pain was gone! HOORAY! So, I am just keeping up with the massages once a month.

At night I am sleeping with like 50 pillows. I don't think there is room for Matt on the bed anymore! I keep the pillows all around me. I have been thinking about buying a big pregnancy body pillow, but they cost $50-60, and I can't decide on which one I want. Does anyone have an opinion about these? Do I really need one? Which one should I get?

On a medical note: I do have placenta previa (or at least that is what the last ultrasound showed). So I go in for another ultrasound at the end of August (hooray, more pictures!) to try to see if there are any changes. My doctor didn't seem to think it was that big of a deal, and after doing some research I have found that it isn't uncommon for placenta previa to be present early in the pregnancy, then as the tummy grows the placenta is pulled away from the cervix. (I officially apologize to any male that might be reading this).

Other than that, life is great! I am having a wonderful time! I get so excited every time my little boy moves, it just gives me the warmest feeling in my heart (no, not heartburn--which I am not having either by the way). Matt has fun with the baby too. I just know he is going to be a great dad. I can't wait to meet my little guy, but until that day, I will just keep enjoying being pregnant. (I will let you know if my attitude ever changes!)

An addendum

2008-07-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

Matt wanted me to add a picture to my previous post, so read on if you haven't seen it yet. But just remember that this picture is Matt's own addition to the post.

Matt started reading at a very early age.

Happy Birthday Matt!

2008-07-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today is Matt's birthday! Happy birthday to my dear husband! This is Matt's (deep breath) 29th birthday, don't tell him I told you. I thought it would be fun to honor Matt with a few pictures of his life. Thanks to Matt's mom, Darlene, for her awesome scrap-booking skills, which have allowed me access to these pictures!

First day out in the world, look how great Matt's mom looks! I can only hope I look that good the day I deliver my baby.

I love this picture, I just love how he is looking at his mommy.

Don't you love the '80s? Check out that background! C'mon, look at that adorable face, and that super BLOND hair! I am crossing my fingers that our baby will look just like his daddy!

Matt's life wouldn't be complete without his older brother Michael. Even now, they are still very close.

I like the buzz-cut.

Matt and his brother did theater all through school. Matt got to play Oliver in "Oliver."

Boy and his dog. Darla still loves her "little boy."

Matt loves his nephews and niece. I think they have all really prepared him to be a father.

I love you babe. You are such a great husband, and already a great daddy. You make me laugh and you keep life exciting! Happy Birthday!

...and don' t worry about turning 29, even though it is one year closer to this:

The name is Katie, Katie RDH

2008-07-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Oh, by the way, I passed my hygiene boards and received my California state license!!! I wasn't expecting the results for another week or so, but they came this last week. It was such a nice surprise. So now I am Katie, RDH. I still have to get myself some malpractice insurance (which doesn't cost much for hygienists...unlike the poor doctors) then I can go out and make some real money!

Argh Matey!

2008-07-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

We have picked out our bedding set for the nursery! I think it is so cute, and it will still be awesome as a toddler's room. Matt usually doesn't like the conventional style of doing things, so I wasn't surprised when he liked the pirates. Now I just need some ideas for decorating the room. What colors do we paint the room? Should we have a crib with light wood, dark wood, or even painted a different color? I am horrible at decorating...anyone who really knows me knows that, so I could really use some help here! The room we are using for the nursery is pretty big, so there is a lot of room for ideas!

Tuscaloosa

2008-07-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

Matt is sent off to various locations for work, and this weekend I was able to go with him! Our destination: Tuscaloosa, Alabama!!

I have to admit, I was so thrilled to go down to the "south". I am intrigued by the architecture, culture, history, and the beautiful country. Tuscaloosa was not your stereotypical honkey-tonk/hillbilly city. The University of Alabama is the focal point of this city, which is why we were there.

Matt's job this weekend (I helped!) was to shoot a ballet concert held at the U. of Alabama. The concert hall was actually a music concert hall, and it had a beautiful organ, I had to get a picture.**Warning, this post may contain a lot of photos!**

Ok, I shall carry on. The actual concert was semi-entertaining. Basically is was a show put on by students that were sent to a 3-week summer ballet boot camp. We did a 12pm and 4pm show...the exact same show...ugh, I love dance, but the same show twice can be a little much, espcecially when you are standing on your feet the whole time.

Once the show was over we took advantage of our remaining time in Alabama, I think the best way for me to share our experiene is to just give you some pictures!

I love this picture, because it shows not only the beautiful river that runs through Tuscaloosa, but it also shows the sky during one of the thunder/lightening storms we had.

This is Matt and I standing in front of the river...is that a baby bump?

The homes were so cute! California doesn't have a whole lot of brick or stone houses, so I just think they are so beautiful.The buildings are beautiful in Alabama. This is one of the buildings at the U. of Alabama. (I apologize for the power line and pole in the picture, I took most of my pictures as we were driving).

This residential street seemed to be the typical look. I LOVE the trees and how green everything is. I love that you can't even see the houses in this picture. Some of the homes had porch swings and I even saw one house with clothes hanging out on the line. I think living in southern California makes me appreciate the simple life when I get to see it.

This is one of the many churches found in Alabama. Besides Utah, I don't recall seeing so many churches in one little city. Again, I love the architecture, it is so beautiful.

I have no idea what this building is, there wasn't a sign, but isn't it beautiful?

We asked our hotel desk clerk for a recommendation for dinner and I really wanted some good 'ol Alabama cookin', so we went to Dreamland BBQ. It was unbelievably good! Even Matt, the BBQ-man, loved it.

We managed to go to church on Sunday, there is one chapel and one ward for the city of Tuscaloosa.

We tried to get a picture of ourselves in front of the church, the reason the picture is so foggy is because we had just come outside from the nice air conditioned building, into the HUMIDITY! At one point I got out of the car and my glasses fogged up so much is was like I had put my head over a pot of boiling water.

Keeping with the theme of having southern cooking, we stopped at the waffle house for breakfast. It was so busy, they actually had to turn people away.

Enough food?

I did it! I tried grits! They were...interesting. Needed a little salt though.

On our way back to the airport I managed to convince Matt to take a 10 mile detour to the Birmingham temple, built in 2000. It was a smaller temple that shared the lot with a chapel. It was beautiful. The white marble bricks were so pretty.

Its too bad we didn't make arrangements to go inside while we were there. It was kind of funny, when we were out eating our BBQ the night before I asked the waitress what there was to do, and basically the only answer she had for me was where all the bars were. Maybe we could have gone to the temple instead, quite a contrast. But I am glad I go to see it.

All in all, I loved Alabama! I would go there again, but chances are slim that we will ever have a need to go back. Maybe next time we come to the south we can go to Georgia!

We are having a....

2008-07-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

We went in for our ultrasound today! I've been so excited for today. I have been practically counting down the days! Last night I could hardly sleep. I started waking up at 2 am, then each hour after that. Luckily our appointment was first thing in the morning, so we got to go right in. Out tech lady was really nice, and when she asked me if I wanted to know the gender I think I might have scared her by nearly yelling "YES!" Ha! So, she got right to work and started taking a bunch of pictures. Here are a few:

It took her forever to get the baby to cooperate just to get a profile shot. I even had to lay on my side, but the baby just wasn't cooperating. FINALLY, she managed to snap a quick picture of the baby on its side. A couple of times she had to tap on my belly to try to get the baby to move. It was kind of funny.

Here are the baby's feet. You can see the little toes. Aren't they cute!?!

Thumbs up baby!

And of course, I must reveal the sex of our baby. We are having a little baby boy!!! Here is the picture to prove it!

I am so thrilled to be having a boy. When she told us that we were having a boy I just started to cry! It is actually kind of funny because my family seems to go for the boys being first born: my dad, my brother, my nephew, and now our little boy! I couldn't be any happier. Matt is pretty excited too. I think he is just going to love having a son to play with, after all Matt is a little boy on the inside too.

No names have been discussed. We were joking with our ultrasound lady about baby names like Yoda, Anakin, and other sci-fi names. Then she told us about a lady that came in with her twin boys that she had named "Cain" and "Abel"! I can't even believe that there are people out there that are that mean to their babies. I know I am going to be putting a lot of thought into baby names (I will happily take suggestions).

So there it is, our little baby boy, we can't wait to see you baby!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!! Matt and I started our morning off by going to our annual church pancake breakfast. It is always something to look forward to. I've been going to these breakfasts since I was a kid, so it really means a lot to me to go and see the scouts raise the flag, then enjoy the yummy food!

We enjoy our freedom by taking advantage of the fact that we have the day off! We've already taken our dogs on a nice long walk to try to tire them out. They have a lot of energy and they don't get out much. Our new neighbors have a couple of dogs so they have been getting pretty worked up with their new barking buddies.

I think we will just spend the rest of the day watching our Netflix movies, and going to the park to fly our remote control planes.

I hope you all have an enjoyable holiday. I love living in America, I am so grateful for all the freedom that we have. I've said it before, and I will say it again, I am grateful to live in a country where I can go to school and get an education and raise my daughters and sons to make their own choices.

And last, but not least, I am grateful for the men and women that serve the country in all their capacities. I am grateful for the armed forces, for the police, for the firefighters, and everyone in between. My cousin Royce is currently serving in Iraq with the Marines. I pray that he is safe. I can't wait for him to come home.

Yikes!

2008-07-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

What is with these sandals? I saw them on a commercial, and I couldn't help myself from gagging! They are so stupid looking! I was sure that everyone would agree with me, who wouldn't? Just look at them!!! Then, at the grocery store yesterday I saw a young woman wearing them. Oh man...so there are people out there that like these? They are so weird. What do you wear them with? Are they casual? Are they dressy? I even saw a pair online where the straps that go up the leg were like 5 straps high.

Ok, so I am so fashion impaired, so I realize I may be way off with my opinion about these. So, if I am please correct me and please explain why these sandals are so "nice."

Childhood Obesity

2008-06-26T12:42:00.001-07:00

I haven't really had many ideas about what to blog about. I just figured that my life has been pretty simple and there isn't much to write about. But then just this morning as I was doing my daily nothing...(i.e. watching TV) I saw a report about obesity. They were reporting that this generation of children might have a shorter lifespan than their parents. This is the first time since the Civil War that we have had that statistic. I was really upset about this for a couple of reasons.

Obviously my #1 concern is for my child. I am currently 4 months pregnant (without much of a baby bump...but I promise to post pictures once I really start showing), and I realize that before I know it I am going to be a mom to one of our Heavenly Father's children, where Matt and I are completely responsible for his/her upbringing.

Concern #2 is my own personal health. I am lazy. I admit it. I can easily watch several hours of TV, and those are days where I actually go to work. I avoid house work, and I certainly don't exercise on a regular basis (actually up until recently I didn't work out at all). I have been blessed all my life because I have always been thin, but I do have obesity and diabetes in my family...so I can't totally rely on my past to keep me healthy in the future.

I was so disturbed by the idea of kids being overweight and dealing with health issues such as cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, diabetes, etc. at such young ages, and forgive me for not being completely sensitive here but I think it is the fault of the parents. (To be very clear, I am not talking about natural baby fat. I am talking about the 12, 13, 14-year olds that are getting sick, I also feel just as strongly about society creating a false-hope image of what "pretty" and "thin" is. But I think you get my point). I hope that I can do all I can to keep my children healthy, and improve my own well-being in the process.

So, now that I am going to be a new mom, I am looking for advice or ideas on what you are doing to help your children stay healthy and keep them active! Let's fight childhood obesity and help our kids have a long life expectancy! This is a heavy issue, but I don't think we are doomed, so I am keeping a positive attitude toward success! WOO HOO!!