Well, La Dee Da

Violet Alise Stanley

2012-01-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

So, according to this blog, the last year and a half never happened, lol. Let me assure you, it has been happening and then some!! In 2011, Lucas turned 1, Cole turned 4 and in between, I found out that I was pregnant with a little miracle baby :) After years of being told that I would not be able to conceive on my own...I got pregnant with my baby girl, Violet. In May I was feeling incredibly tired, crampy and a bit irritable. I told my sister that I was either having major PMS or I was pregnant (followed by a hearty laugh). The next morning I threw up and it really got me thinking that something was up. I went to the store and bought 3 pregnancy tests. It was a brand that I had never used before, so when two lines showed up in the window, I actually had to read the instructions to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. Sure enough, two lines meant I was pregnant! Now, I have peed on more than 100 pregnancy tests over the years and I have NEVER seen the blessed two lines appear...NEVER! So, needless to say, I was in shock...so I peed on the other two sticks to verify and sure enough...there was no denying I was pregnant. I went through quite a spectrum of emotions. I was kicking myself for thinking that birth control was not necessary, even though I was told oh so many times that bcp were not needed because I "couldn't" get pregnant. I was wondering how expensive it was all going to be to have a baby without maternity insurance (again, since I couldn't get pregnant, I didn't see a point in paying an extra $300 a month for something that I was not planning on happening for another few years at least). I was freaking out because I just had Luke the year before, so I already had a baby! I was thrilled that I was able to get pregnant on my own! I was sad that I had just lost 70 pounds and was on my way to losing my goal of 100 and all of that had to end because I had to start feeding this little peanut inside of me. I battled with several emotions, good and bad, before acceptance and pure joy settled in around the end of my first trimester. We found out at week 15 that we were having a GIRL!! This only added to my joy because I knew that we would be complete with a little girl. And Travis was beside himself! I had a pretty smooth pregnancy with the exception of KILLER headaches from about week 8 to week 30. Headaches so bad that my doctor had to prescribe me 3 different medications before finding one that actually had an effect on them. They laid me out when I had them and I felt so bad for the boys because they were pretty much trapped with me all day, watching me suffer :( After week 30 things in my head settled down and I really started worrying about how much we were going to pay for the labor and delivery of my little babe. Oh, and the struggle to pick her name was an ongoing saga between Travis and I. Every name he liked, I thought was ridiculous (most were incredibly pretentious sounding) and he just didn't like mine because he likes to be difficult :) At one point, I told him that I didn't want to think about names for her anymore because it was making me frustrated, so for about 2 weeks, we didn't. Then one day, Cole was watching Alice in Wonderland (which was kind of ironic because Cole really wanted me to name the baby Alice). It was at the part when Alice meets the shy violets in the garden that sings and I asked Cole, "Can we name the baby Violet?" Normally his response to anything other than Alice was a defiant NO but without hesitation, he said, "Okay, I like Violet!". I called Travis and told him that Cole and I were naming the baby Violet and he said..."Violet?...okay, that's cute". So, it was decided. It was then confirmed the next night, when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the old one) came on tv and I heard the name Violet Beauregarde (who's character I love). And then totally solidified when we found out that Travis' Great Grandma's name was Violet!! It was truly meant to be:) I had quite the birth experience with her, which I'll go into in another post. Violet Alise Stanley came into the world on January 16th, 2012 at 7:35pm. She weigh 7lbs. 11oz. and was 19 in. long. She is my tiniest baby so far and she has the most perfect tiny little head I have ever seen :) She is such a wonderful baby and she sleeps through the loudest tantrums that my kids can throw! She has allowed me to sleep incredibly well throughout the night, only waking up once at 2am (we go to bed around 10pm and wake up at 6am). It is almost unreal how amazing she is. She has Travis completely wrapped around her sweet tiny finger. He is ridiculously looney over his baby girl and I love it:) I can't imagine what it must be like to be loved so very much by THREE boys from the minute you are born. She is one lucky girl :) Speaking of my lovely, lovely, she needs to eat, so I'll have to do some updates on my wonderful boys another time. I am happy to report though, that increasing my brood from two to three has not been much of an adjustment. She fits right in like we were holding a spot for her all along :) I love my kids!

SIX months

2010-08-29T12:44:00.001-07:00

Lucas turned 6 months old on the 19th!! He is such a big boy! He is a truly happy, happy baby. He talks all of the time...no actual words yet, although we are working on mama;) He sits up really well and is enjoying all of his fruits and veggies. He is currently working on pulling himself up to standing on the tv stand and his walker. He's almost got it down. No teeth yet, which my boobs don't mind at all :) He is still not officially crawling but he gets wherever he wants to go by pushing up and lunging forward. It's pretty funny but effective. He loves chewing on cords, which is super fun!! He got croup really bad a few weeks ago and I had to take him to the doctor. It was scary bad because he was having such a hard time breathing. But, as always, he smiled through the whole thing. Even the doctors and x-ray technician commented on how happy and good he was, especially when he sounded so terrible. He was put on a breathing treatment and got better in about a week. He really is an amazing baby. He only cries when he is hungry and even then, he mostly growls more than cries:) He is also one tough cookie! Cole mauls him several times a day, everyday! Mostly, Luke laughs the whole time he is being "attacked" but on occasion, Cole lays on him a little too hard and he squirms. Cole is really enjoying Lucas growing up. He loves that he can jump off the couch or do something silly and Luke will laugh at him. He shares his Nerf swords, shields and other toys with Luke and is so excited that he can hold the sword up, so they can have a sword fight;) Cole climbs into Luke's crib every morning and after every nap to cuddle with and attack his brother. My boy's are the best. Travis thinks we're done having kids...but how can we stop when we make such great ones!!

A Quick Jot

2010-07-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

I just need to document the things I love about my kids right now:)

Lucas Jordan:
Almost sleeping through the night! Only woke up once for 10 minutes last night!! He was waking up two and three times a night only four days ago! I decided to go cold turkey because I knew he didn't need to eat. The first night was ROUGH! He woke up 4 times...the first for 45 minutes and the other three for 25-30 minutes each time. The next morning, my little dude would not smile at me at all! I was heart broken:( I could not get a single smile out of him all day. Granted, he was probably exhausted from the sleepless night but it was tough to not get a smile from my sunshine. The next night was better, only twice for about 20 minutes. Thursday night was the same. And last night...ONLY ONCE for 10 minutes! He is such an awesome baby!!!!

He is the cuddliest of the cuddle bugs!! When I hold him, he just melts into my neck and I LOVE IT. You can tell that he is really just soaking up the lovin'.

He has an amazing laugh. Those baby laughs are the best. He laughs at the dogs now, which cracks me up. I wonder what he must be thinking, looking at them. Hairy brother and sister :)

He loves his feet. They are his favorite play toys! He even gets one into his mouth on occasion:)

He looks forward to his naps. Don't know how long this will happen but I appreciate his ease with nap time. I think he enjoys escaping the loving clutches of his older brother ;)

He sits really well and only falls over when he reaches for something of interest:) He is on the verge of crawling!! Once he puts two and two together he will be off and I am not ready for that!!! I need to be better about picking up all of the stuff that Cole throws all over the house all day long ;)

Cole Michael:

Where to start with this kid?!

He has started saying, "Oh sorry, my bad". He got this from Travis.

He now knows what "bad words" are and he sometimes walks up to me and whispers, "don't say dammit. don't say retard. don't say shut up. don't say shit." And I agree :)

He called me an idiot the other day and without a word, he was put in time out. After 2 minutes, I went to him and asked him why he was put in time out. He said, "I called you an idiot and that is a bad word. I'm sorry Mommy. Love you. You not an idiot". Thanks Cole, thanks :)

He is really into wearing his Halloween costume from last year. It is a spotted dog costume and it still fits him because it was a little baggy on him when he wore it last year. He saw it up on the top shelf of my closet and insisted that he wear it. I obliged. He now pours himself a bowl of "dog food" every morning and eats it off of the floor on his hands and knees...wearing his dog suit.

I think that every now and then he really realizes or maybe just thinks about how much he loves me :) Just a few days ago he was in the other room and came running in to me and climbed up on my lap. He kissed me on the lips and then hugged me and then kissed me and then hugged me and then hugged me super, super tight. I asked him what was up and he said, "I'm loving you , Mommy". Melt. My. Heart. He did the same thing tonight:) Kissed me over and over again and then hugged me forever. "Love you, Mommy". And then he hopped off my lap and ran around like a lunatic. I love his moments of loving clarity:)

He has discovered that he can crawl into and out of Luke's crib. He does not do this in his own crib, which I find fascinating. In the morning and after each nap, he crawls into Luke's crib and loves him. They lay there looking at Luke's mobile and Cole kisses and hugs him over and over.

I think I'm doing a pretty good job being their mom. I know that I love being their mom and I am so thankful that I am their mom.

5 months and counting

2010-07-10T07:57:00.001-07:00

Technically, Luke will be 5 months old on the 19 but he is 20 weeks now, so I'll just count that as 5 months:) He has been sitting up on his own for a little while now. He still leans a little forward but he is getting better at sitting straighter every day. He will sleep great for a few nights in a row and then wake up every 3 hours for a full night. I don't particularly enjoy the wakeful nights but I am so grateful for the better slept ones, that I don't seem to mind spending a little more time cuddling him on the nights that aren't so great. He has a great little laugh and of course, the biggest and bestest smile ever! I've been thinking that I will have him be the sun for Halloween. Cole is probably going to be an astronaut, so it will fit the theme if my little ball of sunshine is the sun:) Luke is really just a happy baby. He has been bouncing a lot in his jumperoo. Although, he only seems to bounce with his right foot. The left foot just kind of hangs there, lol. I'm not sure what to make of that but I'm assuming his left foot will catch up eventually:) He also drools like a champ! Cole hardly drooled at all but this kid is like a faucet! You'd think he was teething but as far as I can tell, there isn't anything going on in there. He also mouths EVERYTHING! I was never really scared that Cole would choke on anything because he never really put foreign objects in his mouth but again, this kid is a whole other story. Everything he gets his hands on goes straight into his little mouth. Maybe he's just hungry all of the time;)

Cole is putting together very long and structured sentences. He's always impressing me with the way he uses words to express himself and uses them correctly. He went over to my dad's house a few weeks ago with Travis and he started to tell my dad about this movie he saw and he told him that the bear was "freaking out because the squirrels were throwing pine cones at him". I'm sure I've said freaking out to him a few times but I think it's awesome that he just came up with that on his own:) Just yesterday, I was trying to get him to take an early nap because we had to go over to Travis' grandpa's house for a barbeque. He kept telling me that he wasn't tired, so I told him that if he took his nap, when he woke up I would give him a tattoo (temporary). He stopped in his tracks and said, "No, Mom. Give me tattoo first." He's quite the little negotiator! I said to him, "Okay, I'll give you the tatto first and then you will go right to bed, okay?". He said okay but I thought that I would still have to fight him to get him into his room. Wrong! I put on his tattoo (an alien from Ben 10 Alien Force) and he got right up and said nigh night and walked into his room. Best. Kid. Ever!! We also went shopping at Target yesterday morning and we picked out some new underwear for him. Did I mention he is potty trained?! He chose a pack that had Lightening McQueen, Buzz Lightyear, Wall-eand Mr. Incredible. Then while we were in the baby aisle, he saw a pack of Sesame Street underwear and he yells out, "Mom, I want that underwear! Look, Mom. It's cool!" I said, "Oh, it's cool huh? What about the other underwear?" "No, Mom...these are awesome". So, we got the Sesame Street undies:) I love him!!!! So yeah, potty training. He still has to wear a diaper to bed but he wears underwear all day long now, even when we go out. He had a gigantic poop a few weeks ago and I kind of put my foot down. I told him he wasn't wearing diapers anymore because his poop was too big and it needed to go in the potty every time. He has been using his potty since he was around 14 months old but he would only use it as long as he was totally naked. If I ever put a diaper on him or underwear, he would just go in what he was wearing. So, I told him he was going to go potty in the big boy toilet form now on and I started putting underwear on him no matter what. He had a couple of pee accidents but in just a couple of days, he was running to the toilet to go. I put some coco puffs in the toilet, so that he would have something to aim at and he got really good at aiming in the water. It is just the cutest thing to see him standing at the toilet with his underwear around his ankles going pee. He is SO tall!! Maybe, only a mother would find this adorable, lol. He is awesome in every way! So smart, so funny, so cute...he is the whole package!! I love my kids!!

My boys.

2010-06-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with the love that I feel for my sons. Tonight, Cole was a raving lunatic. He went to bed late last night because of a birthday party and had a horrible nap today because Luke woke him up, so by 5:30pm he was no longer his sweet self. Every question I asked was responded with a desperate cry and whine that I couldn't understand and finally, I had my fill and took him to his bed. He screamed for about 20 minutes. I took a shower while he screamed, so that I wouldn't have to hear him. I got out of the shower just before he stopped. I went to the kitchen and made dinner (salmon and peas). I was holding Luke while I made dinner. Holding him in my left arm facing out. He was cranky too because he didn't take very good naps today. I was pacing the kitchen while the salmon cooked on the stove and Luke was quietly bouncing in my arm. Next thing I know I hear a grunt and a huge splat. I look at the floor and see that Luke has sprayed lovely mustard colored cottage cheese everywhere. I know, TMI, but these are the daily happenings of a mom. Anyway, I call to Travis to come help me and he begrudgingly meanders into the kitchen. I say to him, "Either you take the baby or clean up the poop". He takes Luke from me and I wipe off his legs and feet. I do a once over on myself and amazingly enough, I have nothing on me! It's the little things:) I cleaned up the floor and Travis took Luke back to his room and then I heard the screaming. I can only assume that Luke woke up Cole while Travis was changing him. I plated up the food and left it on the counter and went to see what was happening. I walked into Cole's room and he was in hysterics in his crib, Luke was lying on the floor and Travis was looking at me with steam coming out of his ears. Travis proceeded to tell me that Cole started screaming, he walked in and put Luke down so that he could pick Cole up and Cole freaked out on him and didn't want Travis to touch him. Travis was pissed. I walked over to Cole and picked him up. He wrapped his arms around my neck and stopped screaming immediately. Travis took Luke into the living room and I brought him his dinner. He patted Luke for a bit and he fell asleep on his shoulder. I grabbed my own plate and sat down in the recliner next to Travis and Cole fell asleep on me almost instantly. We both ate our food propped on the arms of our chairs with our free hand. Travis looked miserable but I couldn't help but smile. They woke up about 20 minutes later, which I totally predicted to Travis. Cole was still a bit out of sorts, so I took him into the kitchen and let him pick out whatever he wanted to eat for dinner. He chose pretzels, a peach and cottage cheese. He sat in his chair eating and slowly became himself again. Again, I smiled. I love that I can keep my cool (for the most part) when my kids are freaking out. And I love that I am sometimes the only one that can calm them. I love my boys more than I ever thought possible. They fill me with the most awesome sense of completeness. They are amazing to watch and listen to and even smell;) As tired as I can get and as crazy as I feel sometimes, I just love them and I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing, I was meant to be a mom. To finish the evening, I had Travis sit with Cole while he finished his dinner and I gave Luke his bath and put him to bed. Luke is awesome in the tub now. He LOVES the water and smiles and splashes and kicks and squeals. I can't help but keep him in the tub longer than is necessary because he's just so dang happy. I love his tiny feet and his tiny pajamas:) He goes to bed so well now, I can't even believe it. Sometimes he fusses for a few minutes but it never takes too long for him to settle in for the night. He is like a little cuddly ball of sunshine:) I returned to Cole and let him know that he would be going to bed in 5 minutes. He asked for his nightly cup of crushed ice and asked if we could watch the doedunner on mommy's bed:) Cole has recently fallen in love with Warner Bros. cartoons, ie. Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig etc. and most importantly the Road Runner:) I bought him a 4 dvd disc set of the cartoons forever ago and I love that he has finally discovered them. They are my favorite cartoons. They are definitely violent and some of the humor is not kid appropriate but I think all of that goes over his head, as I think it did when I was a kid:) Every time Wylie Coyote falls off a cliff or gets blown up, he just says, silly coyote:) And he LOVES that the doedunner says beep beep and is "REALLY FAST"!! We watched cartoons for about 15 minutes and then I told him it was time for bed. He grabbed his cup, walked out to Travis and for the first time said goodnight daddy, love you and gave him a kiss without me having to instruct him:) We walked back to his room, I gave him a big kiss and hug, turned on his moon and turned out the lights. "Love you Mommy" was the last thing I heard as I shut the door. I love being his mom. As simple as tonight was, I just wanted to write it all down, so I remember my babies when they were babies. When they slept on our shoulders, took super fun baths, ate cottage cheese and pretzels for dinner and told us they loved us without hesitation. I'm going to bed now with a bursting heart and a smile:)

4 Months...it's geting better

2010-06-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

So, I don't think I've written about this horrible cough that Luke has had since he was about 2 weeks old. It started off not too terrible but it did sound like he was barking. I know what croup sounds like and that's what it sounded like to me. I called his pediatrician and told him about the cough when he was about a month old and he said that we live in the desert and it's allergy season, so this cough was not uncommon and it would just go away. He also told me all of the regular stuff that they tell you when your kid is sick...elevate the head of his bed, run a humidifier, keep an eye out for fevers, etc. All of this, I was already doing. So, his two month appointment comes and he still has his cough. I tell the pediatrician and he just repeats himself and I explain to him that I have been doing all of the preventative stuff since he was born and nothing seems to be helping him. Of course, Lucas does not cough while we are seeing him and he is such a happy little rotund baby, that the doctor looked at me like I was a little crazy. I asked him if it was normal for him to be barking for over a month and he said that it would just run its course. Sure, thanks. So month 3 rolls around and his barking is getting much worse and by now I'm expecting Luke to sleep through the night somewhat and he is waking up every two hours having horrible coughing fits. So, I called his doctor again and set up an appointment. We went in and I told him that I would not be leaving until he gave me some sort of remedy or explanation for his coughing. He gave us a prescription for some medicine like albuterol (but not albuterol) and told me to put it in a nebulizer. I just happened to have one at home because my sister in law Heather brought it over because I told her about Luke's cough and she thought it might help. The doctor also ordered a chest x-ray, although he told me that it wasn't necessary. We brought Luke home and ran the medicine through the nebulizer but he sounded a thousand times worse a few hours later...great. That night COLE woke up in the middle of the night barking like mad! We put him on the nebulizer with just saline solution in it and made him breathe it for about 20 minutes. He fell asleep while we were doing it, so we decided that I would take him to the doctor the next day. We went to the doctor to get Cole checked out and have the x-ray done on Luke. Cole had a little cough but seemed fine, so it seemed that the nebulizer really helped him out. We were told that Luke's pediatrician would call us the following day with the results. Another sleepless night for me and Luke:( Every two hours waking up was taking its toll on me for sure. My patience was slipping with Cole and Travis and I could feel me just not being normal anymore. I felt like a zombie. the next day came and nobody called. I called them in the afternoon and left a message, still no return call. I called the next morning...no return call. After Luke's first nap, he woke up having such a terrible coughing fit, that he could hardly catch his breath. His breathing in sounded like he was a harmonica. I rushed him to the urgent care and explained what was going on to the doctor. Guess what...he told me to run a humidifier and elevate the head of his bed and that it would just run its course...really???!?!?!?!! I asked if this cough would last forever because it had already been going on for almost all of his life. He kind of chuckled...yes, chuckled and told me that it was a virus and there is nothing you can do for a virus except wait for it to be over. I wanted to scream. I asked him if he could take a look at his x-rays because that is where we had them done, so he left and looked at them and came back to tell me that there was nothing wrong. Chest was clear. Although this was good news, I still needed a better answer than, he'd just get over it. I bought a $200 cool mist humidifier and put it in Luke's room. It felt like Hawaii in there:) I could tell that it eased his cough a tiny bit because it didn't sound SO dry but he was still barking uncontrollably and was waking himself up all throughout the night. Last week, I took him in for his 4 month appointment and when the doctor came in, he asked me how Lucas was and I could tell that he had no idea who we were or that we had been there 2 other times in the past month. I explained to him that Luke was barking and thank goodness, Luke actually barked on cue! The doctor looked at me and said, "That does not sound good!". DUH!!!!! He said that even if it was a virus, it should not last longer than 8 weeks max. DUH!!!!! So, he said that we would have to go see a pulmonary specialist and that he would put in for a referral with our insurance. He also said that he suspected that Luke has Tracheomalacia. It means he has a soft trachea (which makes breathing a bit difficult and causes coughing fits) and it is something he was born with. I felt so much better leaving the doctor's office with some sort of answer, even though I was a bit scared. That night, even Luke slept a lot better:) The next night he only woke up twice and the day before my birthday he only woke up once and didn't cough when he woke up! I honestly don't know what the deal is but he has been sleeping like a champ ever since. Apparently, Tracheomalacia goes away at about 18-24 months of age because the trachea finally gets harder. But, if that is what he has, Luke is ahead of schedule:) He still sounds barky when he coughs but it is a world away from how he was sounding a few weeks ago. We also started him on cereal earlier this week and I gave him some peas for dinner last night and he gobbled them up!! He has been a lot more chatty ever since he started sleeping better. You can tell that he has a raspy voice too. He is just all smiles and LOVES his older brother so much. He just beams when Coley comes around:) Napping is getting on more of a schedule and I am slowly starting to feel like myself again. I'm considering not going to the specialist when the referral goes through. Only because, if that is what he has, there is still nothing we can do for him. And they have to put him under anesthesia to put a scope down into his lungs, which freaks me out. But I'll decide when it comes time to make the appointment. For now, I am enjoying my little chubby, happy, well rested baby and I am REALLY enjoying sleeping better!

3 months...it's going by SO fast!!

2010-05-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

So, baby Luke is 3 months old:) Cole is 2 years and 7 months old! Time is flying and it's kinda nuts! Luke is smiling and loves to sit up (supported of course). If he is propped up though, he flexes his tummy and will flip over on to his face in seconds. So we have to be really careful about where we put him:) He loves to sit in his Bumbo chair and just like his brother he is already playing with the toy that attaches to the tray! He is pretty brilliant, I must say:) He definitely has several traits that came from Travis' side of the family. He is very fair skinned and his hair is totally turning RED!! We are even more sure that his eyes are staying blue (although that came from both sides of our family). He is chunking up quite nicely!! I didn't really realize how big he was getting until we went to visit my sister and my brand new niece, Georgia Grace. I thought she was SO tiny but she is the same size that Luke was just 3 short months ago! I could hardly believe how much he has grown in such a short amount of time. I guess you just don't notice it so much when you see them everyday:) He was starting to sleep pretty regularly through the night, with only one awakening but after we got home from our trip to California, he reverted back to brand new baby schedule (waking up every two hours and fighting going back to sleep each time!). Needless to say it has been a very hard week but things are starting to turn around again and he is really only waking up once a night now. Cole had the best time flying on the airplane to Cali and had such a great time riding horses up at my mom's house. He hasn't stopped talking about it since we got home. Every plane we see fly over, he tells me that he needs to ride that plane and go see Georgia:) He loves his new little cousin! I'm so excited that Luke and Georgia are only 3 months apart! They will be hitting so many milestones around the same time and eventually, they'll be pretty close to the same size (well, maybe not that close, I only seem to give birth to linebackers, lol). Anyway, this time is flying by and my kids are getting so big. Cole has the best sense of humor and is always cracking me up with his own little jokes. I love him so much and I'm so glad that he is such a happy and kind boy:) I know I've written it before but I cannot wait until Lucas is big enough to play with Cole! I hope they are the best of friends!!

I want to eat him!

Cousins!!

Two Months Old!

2010-04-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Lucas is smiling and cooing:) He has THE BEST smile! He loves to chat with Cole every morning. They lay on my bed and make noises back and forth. Cole is always saying to me, "look at him mommy, look at him", like he is just the cutest thing he has ever seen. Oh, my boys! Lucas weighed in at a whopping 12lbs. 12 oz. at his 8 week check up. He's in the 75 percentile on just about everything. He's just a little behind Cole:) Cole has been in the 95 percentile his whole life! Luke is definitely chunking up and I love it! His head is still so tiny though. I think I just compare it to how HUGE Cole's head was (and is). Cole for sure got my head and Lucas was lucky enough to get his daddy's petite head;) Luke us still trying to adjust to sleeping more during the night but he gave me 6 hours and then 7 hours two nights in a row over the weekend! I really needed that to catch up a bit. I am so much more patient when I get a few more hours of sleep. It is definitely harder to have a schedule for your new kid when he is #2. Cole only takes one nap, so we are pretty good about getting him down for that like clock work but trying to set nap times for Luke is ridiculous. If he does fall asleep, it is rare that I can lay him down and he continues sleeping, and if I do get him to stay asleep, Cole eventually wakes him up with some insanely loud noise:) Lucas is a trooper though:) He's a very happy baby as long as he is fed, changed, and not gassy. Just about perfect;) He is changing every day and I love that he is becoming more and more interactive with me and Cole. Cole has figured out that when mommy is busy feeding Luke, he can get away with pretty much anything until she's done. Today I found him in the pantry pouring garlic salt into an empty coffee pot and he ripped open a cup o' noodle and was eating the freeze dried veggies inside! I love him to death! He drives me crazy, daily! He is a wonderful big brother!!!

One month old :)

2010-04-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

I meant to write this...well...one month ago:) It's super hard to find the time these days. At 4 glorious weeks old, Little Lucas was starting to fidget less and actually make some eye contact. He didn't really start to smile for reals until 6 weeks but once he did...ooh he's just as precious as they come. Cole was still adoring the crap out of him. I love that I can count on Luke to make Cole happy, no matter what kind of mood Cole wakes up in from his nap:) Sometimes he will wake up and just be cranky as ever and when we round the corner and he sees that his brother is awake, he just lights up! "Baby Luke awake too Mommy!" His bad mood is forgotten and he smothers his brother with more kisses than I can count:) They melt my heart daily with their sweetness. I can't wait for Luke to get big enough to interact with Cole a little more. I think they will be the best of friends. Everyday, Cole tells me that "Baby Luke is getting bigger" and that he wants him to "play toys with me Mommy!" Although I am enjoying this tiny baby stage a big part of me can't wait for Cole to have a constant little companion:)

And Baby Makes FOUR!!

2010-03-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

I don't have more than a few minutes at a time these days to do anything on the computer, so I will be writing as much down as I can before I have to get back to my kiddos. Here is the story of Lucas entering our little family:)

Some background info. My intention was to try and have Lucas via vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean). It was planned that I go in to be induced on the 25th of February. My doctor was pretty sure that I would make it until then because of my history ( having to be induced at 41 weeks with Cole and my failure to dilate on my own). So, here we go...

Feb 18th- I was telling my sister Sarah how huge I was and even took a picture with my cell phone and sent it to her as proof. She told me I didn't look that big (liar), she's sweet. That night I was up until midnight trying to get comfortable enough to go to bed and I was having a really hard time. I was just sitting there thinking of the days when laying down felt good. When I could stretch out on my back and feel tension leave my body as I drifted to sleep. When you are 38 weeks pregnant, no position is comfortable, least of all on your back. I even got a little weepy at one point and tried to wake up Travis, telling him how totally uncomfortable I was and how badly I wanted to get to sleep. He mumbled something but, of course, didn't fully wake. I finally straddled my body pillow and shut my eyes.

Feb. 19th- I remember Travis leaving for work around 5. He kissed me and I heaved my belly to the other side of the bed to stretch out:) At 5:30am, I woke up again, not realizing what had woken me. I had a tremendous urge to pee, so I pulled myself up and out of bed. Before I could get to the toilet, there was a gush. I was still half asleep, so I wasn't too sure what was happening but I did say to myself, "Am I seriously peeing my pants right now?". I hurried sat on the toilet and tried to stop the stream but I couldn't. Then I peed and tried to stop the stream and I could. I suddenly had the thought that my water may have broke. I sat there for a while trying to get my bearings and wake up a little more. More gushing. My water broke when I was in the hospital laboring with Cole but the sensation is so odd that I wasn't positive that it was the same as last time. I stood up...gush. I went to the phone and called Travis. "Hey honey, I'm pretty sure that my water just broke"
"WHAT?"
"I think my water broke."
"You think? Should I come home?"
"Yeah, we should probably go to the hospital"
I hear him yell to a co-worker "Hey dude, I gotta go!!"
"Is it your wife?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna have a baby!!"

Next I called my sister Sarah, no answer. I called my sister Lou, she answered and I explained what was going on and if she could come over and watch Cole while we went to the hospital. She was on her way:) I called my mom, no answer but I left her a message telling her that we were going to the hospital. My mom was planning on coming to the birth and had been at the ready for over a week, even though I was pretty sure that she would have to wait until the induction (oops). Cole woke up because of all of the hubub. He was still pretty tired but he was in a good mood, which made everything much easier for me. Travis came home and I decided to take a shower and eat a big breakfast because who knew how long it would be before I'd get to do either of those things again. Travis didn't understand why I wanted to shower, he truly thought that we needed to be like in the movies and screech through traffic because my water had broken. He's so funny. He kept telling me that I needed to hurry and kept asking me why I was acting so calm. I finally had to explain to him that there was a possibility that I would be pushing a small bowling ball out of my vagina, so I didn't think it would do me any good to rush around and get all freaked out. I told him that I had been prepping for this for 9 months now , so I was ready for what was going to happen. He didn't quite get it:) I took my shower (with Cole of course) and felt really good when we left for the hospital. I had started having contractions soon after my water broke and I realized that it was a contraction that woke me from my sleep in the first place. We made it to the hospital in record time and went to the labor and delivery floor to check in. I explained that I thought my water had broken and told them about the gush. They were pretty sure that I was right, so they admitted me and got me in a room right away. They were in the middle of a shift change so the nurse in triage, Lisa, was in the room with me having me fill out paper work while I was breathing through my contractions. They got a hold of my doctor and they started me on a very slow drip of Pitocin. At one point, Lisa, the nurse that was getting off and the nurse that was coming on were all in my room. Lisa was filling out stuff on the computer concerning my pregnancy and she asked me how many times I had been pregnant. Two.
Were there any complications with the previous pregnancy?
Well, other than having to have a c-section, no. The room fell silent and all three of the nurses just stared at me for a moment.
THIS IS A VBAC?!
Yes.
You should have told us this when you first got here.
I didn't know I had to.
If you have any more babies, the first thing you tell anyone when you get to a hospital is that you are trying for a vbac.
Good to know.
They all started to hustle and bustle and all three of them left the room.
After about 20 minutes, the head nurse came in and told me that I wouldn't be able to have a vbac because my doctor was going out of town at 4pm and there was no way that I was having the baby before he left and I couldn't have it after he left because he was the only doctor at the hospital that performed vbacs. I burst into tears. I was so ready for a vaginal birth. I was ready to see my baby be born, to have Travis cut the cord, to keep him in the room with us as he is weighed and measured and cleaned up. I wanted that experience so badly with Cole and I had a really hard time dealing with what had happened with his birth. I also did NOT want to have to heal from another c-section while having to take care of an infant AND a toddler. I knew that the transition was going to be tough enough for Cole just bringing a baby into the house but for me not to be able to take care of him, would just make it harder on him and me. I was laid up for almost two months with my previous c-section and I DID NOT want to do that all over again. The nurse left the room and I broke down. Travis tried to console me and told me that we just needed to do what was best for the baby and me. I knew he was right but I was devastated. I just kept saying, "I don't get to have my baby the way I want because my doctor is leaving?!" It just didn't make sense. Almost an hour later, I was having some intense contractions and I had dilated to a 3 ( all on my own, which I never did with Cole). The nurses kept popping in and telling me that they were still waiting for my doctor to come and see me. I just kept hoping that Luke would drop down and keep things going, so that I could try and have him before my doctor left but he was still really high in my pelvis. At one point, a nurse (can't remember her name) came in and told me that she would NEVER have a vbac because of the risks involved. Okay great, thanks. I hate it when people try to push their opinions on me, so I just smiled and nodded and told her that I deserved to have this baby the "right" way. She just shook her head at me. Whatever. My doctor finally made it in and explained that he was leaving on a family trip to Brian Head and he hadn't seen his family in two weeks because he had been so busy delivering babies. Before I had a chance to hate him, he told me that he would do everything in his power to help me get my vbac and that if he had to leave late, he would. I love that man:) I stopped crying immediately and really started to focus on getting my baby to drop and keep my contractions going strong. I got out of bed and rocked back and forth. I breathed through my contractions (which were getting ridiculous) and refused to get an epidural until I was at least 4 cm dilated. They came in to check me over an hour later and I was still at a three. Boo. I kept breathing and suffering:) Finally I had had enough and asked for my epidural. I was still at a three and in the back of my head I was convinced that the epidural was going to stop everything and I was going to have another c-section. By this time, Lou had made it to the hospital to be with me (her fiance Sam was watching Cole). I was happy to have my epidural but soon after, every time I had a contraction, the baby's heat rate would drop. I turned from side to side, to see if it would help but his heart rate decreased with every single contraction. It did pop right back up after the contraction was over but the decrease meant that he wasn't getting enough oxygen and that was scary. They put me on oxygen but nothing seemed to help. The nurse came in to check me and I was still at a 3 and although he had dropped a little, she told me that by the way his head was positioned against my cervix, that it didn't look like he would make it out on his own. Then she said, "Here is the best way to put this, you have a tiny vagina and big babies. Impossible combination." That made me laugh:) She said that it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside (basically she was calling me fat, lol), my pelvis was just to narrow to fit a baby through. She then told me that the entire staff was pulling for me and my vbac:) After another hour or so, the nurse came back in and told me that it was up to me but she thought that the baby was in distress and that the best option was to get him out as soon as possible. I told her that I agreed and that they should get my doctor to come and give me another c-section. I felt a little bit better about it this time because it was my decision but it still bothered me to know that I probably could have made it a little farther if Luke's heart rate had been steady. I also, again, blamed my failure to have a vaginal birth on my failure to cope with the pain. I really think that the epidural caused a lot of problems with both of my attempts at labor. So, they stopped my pitocin and prepped me for my c-section. Travis got into his scrubs and we waited for the doctor. The nurse came back in and told me that my doctor was really great at c-sections and that most of his patients had a really speedy recovery time. I thought, "Yeah right". My doctor finally showed up and asked me how I felt about everything. I told him that I wanted to get him out, so that he could have some steady oxygen:) He agreed. I also asked him to do an extra good job on me because I couldn't afford 2 months to recover. He told me that he would do his best job on me:) They rolled me back to the operating room and increased my epidural to go through my entire body. This was the part I truly hated. Last time, the epidural didn't bother me too much. But this time, the numbness was so intense throughout my entire body, that I felt like I couldn't breathe. I seriously felt like I was suffocating. At one point I told the anesthesiologist that I couldn't breathe. He told me that my oxygenation level was 99%, so he was positive that I was breathing well. He told me that I just couldn't feel my chest, so it felt like I couldn't breathe. That didn't make me feel any better. It was horrible but I just kept breathing and waiting to hear my baby cry. After a while, my doctor said, "okay, here he comes". Next thing I knew I heard him cry and he told me to look up. He held my baby boy up right when he came out, so that I could see him (I didn't get to see Cole like that, so it meant so much to me). They also kept Luke in the room while they were sewing me up, so I got to here how much he weighed and how long he was, 8lbs. 4oz. and 19 1/2 inches! My doctor also left the cord long so that Travis could cut it:) After they were done checking Luke out, they gave him to Travis and he got to come sit by me again, so that I had something to focus on, other than the fact that I couldn't breathe:) After they were done putting me back together, they put Luke in bed with me and wheeled us back to my room where my family had already started to gather. Luke was adorable right out of the womb and he was also extremely hungry! He was wagging his tongue around and was turning his head toward everyone that held him, trying to get a nibble:) I was able to get most of the feeling back into my body while everyone was oohing and aahing over him. After a while, we kicked mostly everybody out and I tried to nurse. This kid jumped at my boob and latched on like he had been doing it in the womb. He is seriously the most voracious eater EVER! After I finished feeding him off both sides, he passed out and we were moved to another room. Early the next morning, the nurse came in and told me that I needed to get out of bed and go for a walk. I remembered the last time I had to do this and all I could do was stand up after several minutes of trying, just to sit back down again. It was so painful, I refused to do it again for a while. This time, I got up slowly and I walked with the nurse out of my room and down the hall to the nurses station. I was thrilled that as much as I was hurting, it was a world away from the last time! Every day in the hospital was better than the last and I knew that I would heal so much faster than last time. While we were in the hospital Travis was on high alert! It was hilarious. Normally the guy could sleep through a tornado but he was waking up and darting to Lucas' side every time he made the tiniest noise:) I was kind of doing the same thing for the first few days. I had forgotten how much noise newborns make. Adorable but noisy! Cole tells me that Luke is laughing every time he makes a noise while he is sleeping:) Anyway, we left the hospital on Sunday night and I felt really good. Sore but good. I had my prescription for Percocet and Motrin, so I was set;) Cole was thrilled to finally have me home and he could not keep his hands or his mouth off of his brother! He kisses and hugs him constantly! He asks about him first thing every morning and always wants to give him a kiss goodnight. When Luke wakes up from his naps Cole tells me to GIVE HIM MILK MOMMY! He is quite fascinated that I can feed him from my boobies:) But the novelty is definitely wearing off. The other things he always says to me are, "ohhh, look at him mommy", "wuv you baby Wuke" and "kiss him mommy, right now!". I love how much he loves him:) He is also having tons of patience with me. When I am feeding Luke and Cole wants something, he waits very patiently for me to be done. Luke is a pretty chill baby. I consider myself pretty lucky to have had two such relaxed and low maintenance babies. Luke's only problem seems to be at night (around 8pm) he gets really fussy but only because he either has to fart, poop or burp. As long as we walk around with him and work the gas out, he is golden and will sleep for a 3-5 hour stretch! During the day, he sleeps a lot! He only wakes up to eat and be changed. I can keep him awake for a little while to get some exercise and tummy time but he pretty much just wants to crash. He sleeps best when I am holding him but he is getting used to being in his swing during the day to sleep. He pretty much refuses to sleep in his bassinet, which Cole loved, so at night he sleeps in bed with me. I don't worry about rolling over on him because I sleep like a statue when he is next to me. I just make sure to keep him on the opposite side of Travis because he WOULD totally squish him. That whole waking up at every sound wore off really quick once we got Luke home:) So, that is the story of my little Luke. We love him so much and can't wait to see what he'll be like when he gets his own little personality. We're pretty sure that he will have blue eyes like his brother but I guess we'll see:) He is very skinny compared to his chunka monk brother but that could change too, I guess. Cole had quite the booty when he was born and it is a struggle to keep Luke's diaper on over his nonexistent butt:) I'm sure I will just keep comparing the two of them as Lucas grows but I'll try to keep my observations to myself. Maybe that will help keep the 2nd child syndrome in check, lol.

36 weeks and counting...

2010-02-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

This boy is beating me up on the inside! As much as I will be happy to see Lucas when he gets here, I will be a little sad to not be pregnant anymore. Yes, I'm exhausted and yes, I am DONE being uncomfortable and huge but there is something very comforting about having your baby inside of you. I know that he is safe and healthy and I love that I get to feel him moving around all day long:)

Travis finally got the room painted and the crib put together over the weekend! I'm super excited to see everything coming together for this new little kid:) We really just have to put the changing table together and set up the room and we'll be done. He will be staying in our room in a bassinet for the first 3 months but it still makes me feel more prepared to have his room all put together. I'm so happy that my mom is coming down to help me for a few when he gets here. It meant the world to me to have her here when I had Cole and it was especially wonderful that she was here because I needed A LOT of help because of my c-section. I'm hoping and praying that I will not have to have another on with Luke but I am also trying to prepare myself for anything and everything. I just think how hard it was for me when I had the c-section with Cole and I cannot even imagine going through all of that AND having a toddler running around!! So, I'm trying to stay positive, positive, positive:) I'm also hoping that he comes on his own (a tad early), so that I won't have to be induced. If he doesn't come on his own, I'm being induced on the 25th!! So, there is a chance that I will have him on my dad's birthday (the 26th), which would be pretty cool. But I am definitely pulling for an earlier date, so that he is smaller and so that I won't have to be stuck in a hospital bed for hours on end being induced. So, wish me luck!! I can't wait to meet my boy!! Cole keeps telling me to "get Luke out!". Believe me kiddo, I'm trying:)

The Slacker is Back...

2010-01-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

But who knows for how long, lol. I just thought I should pop on here and update some things. I am 8 months pregnant today, which is WILD! It has gone by so fast, I swear I feel like I just found out that I'm pregnant. We've decided to name our second son, Lucas Jordan. We both like Lucas (and Luke) a lot and Jordan is Travis' middle name:) He is definitely a mover and a shaker!! He is constantly on the go inside me and his favorite organ to abuse is my bladder. My doctor told me, at my last appointment, to start counting kicks and make sure I get at least 10 good kicks a day. I was like, "Uh, piece of cake. He just kicked me 10 times while you were telling me that!". I love that he moves so much, it always makes me feel more secure that things are going okay in there. I want to get a 4d ultrasound done this week but Travis says he doesn't want to "waste" the money and that we'll see what e looks like soon enough. He's such a butt! Not only do I want to see him but I also feel like it is only fair to have those pictures and videos for him to see when he is older. We got them done with Cole and I think we should for Luke as well. I just don't want to set a precedent. I know what it's like to be the second baby;) So, I'll probably make the appointment and tell him if he doesn't want to see his son, then he doesn't have to come! I'm starting to get Luke's room in order and I need get clothes and receiving blankets washed and ready. Two months is not seeming like a very long time to get everything done:) Especially because my doctor is going to start trying at 37 weeks (only 5 weeks from now) to get my labor going. I've had a few people ask me if I need anything for the baby and I feel a little weird asking for anything because it is my second boy. But I talked to my sister and decided to register for a few things (mostly basic stuff) at Babies R Us. My step-mom is buying my crib (which is really nice). I found a super inexpensive one online at Babies R Us. We spent SO much money on Cole's room and as much as I love all of it, I am also trying to be more practical with this baby (sorry Luke). I am also NOT ready to hand down Cole's crib. He still hasn't figured out that he is totally capable of climbing out of his crib, so I'm keeping him in it as long as I can. Plus, he will be going through a big enough transition just having a new baby in the house. Anyway, I am super excited and kind of freaking out about this new baby!

Christmas with Cole this year was AWESOME! He loves to talk about Santa and his reindeer. He was thrilled that Santa came to his house and gave him some presents:) In fact, he said that every present he got was from Santa, mom and dad got no credit what so ever! Oh, well:) He, of course, got way too many presents and our house feels overrun and even smaller! My sister, Sarah, came to town for Christmas, so I got to see her cute little pregnant belly. She is having a girl 8 weeks after me! Her name is Georgia Grace. It is crazy how much bigger I am than her!! 8 weeks makes quite a difference and the fact that this is my second and her first. It was fun to have someone to hang out with that knows exactly how all of this feels:) Her visit was short and I was so sad to see her go. I'm debating on whether or not try to go to her baby shower or if I should wait until she has her baby. I guess I'll just see how I feel after Lucas is born.

New Year's Eve was pretty uneventful but I was proud of myself for staying up and ringing in the new year, even if it was by myself. Travis couldn't even make it;) I ate a bowl of popcorn and some ice cream, so it wasn't too shabby. It's weird that it is 2010. I'm having a baby, my sister is having a baby and my little sister is getting married! so many things to look forward to this year! Oh, I have also come up with a New Year's Resolution. Although some may say that they are made to be broken, I'm really going to try and accomplish mine! I want to run in and finish the Las Vegas Marathon (which is in December, I think). I have been thinking about it for a while now and I think I'm ready for the challenge. Granted, I'm totally out of shape, I HATE running and I have to have my baby before I can even start to train. What can I say, I'm ready to go!!

Halloween...finally:)

2009-11-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

So, for the sake of my kiddo (and my own horrible memory), I am posting about Halloween. It might be a month late but I wanted to make sure that Cole knows (when he's older) that we celebrated it and that he was the cutest little dog in the world!! My mom came down to see us and we went trick or treating at The District (the shopping center next to Green Valley Ranch Casino). They had little booths set up that all the kids could go up to and say trick or treat and I'm happy to say that by the end of the night, Cole was a master at saying it:) We also stopped by quite a few of the stores to t.o.t as well. Everyone, of course thought Cole was adorable but I have to admit that my man stole the show! As you can see in the pictures, he went as a very pregnant lady (in honor of our impending babe)! He was incredibly unattractive and turned many heads. Dudes called him very brave and ladies mostly just laughed and pointed. Some people even stopped him and had him take pictures with their confused children! I was a clown, my mom was a cowgirl and Louisa was a fairy. We started t.o.ting at around 5pm and were done by almost 7...it was perfect! And so much better than wandering around our depressing neighborhood looking for a house that was handing out candy. I am quite disappointed in the down turn that our little neighborhood has taken over the years. I remember when I was a kid in this neighborhood and would come home with a TON of candy. Nowadays, it's pretty dark and gloomy and pretty much no one is walking around. But I am happy at how successful we were at The District. I also feel more comfortable about the kind of candy that they were handing out. Oh, I forgot to say that earlier that day, we went to a "kid" fair in the parking lot of Sunset Station to find a pumpkin. Cole and I had gone the day before but I didn't end up getting a pumpkin because we had too much fun. Cole got to pet some animals at a little petting zoo thingy and he rode on the swings (a mini version of the kind that spin around) and a choo choo train:) Cole was hilarious on the swings and the choo choo train! When he is SUPER excited about something, he almost shuts down completely. You can see a smile lingering behind his eyes but it's almost as if things are too awesome and he doesn't know how to handle it. He was also SO excited about the petting zoo. It was his first encounter with live goats, bunnies and chickens (he's seen ducks before, although he had never pet one). I explained to him that he couldn't chase them and that he needed to be nice and slow but he could pet them if he wanted. He was such a good boy. He pet EVERYTHING over and over (except for the chickens, they just ran away). He kept saying, "hi goats" over and over again and would walk up to them very slowly and pet them:) I think the bunnies were his favorite. He called them bunny...pause...rabbits:) They were sleeping in the sun and pretty much didn't move a muscle, even when you touched them. I actually would have thought they were dead if I hadn't seen their noses moving:) So anyway, we decided to go back the next day with Travis and my mom and got to do it all over again (minus the petting zoo, which they had taken down...bummer). Back to that night...Cole was thrilled with his candy but I gotta tell you, the kid is an anomaly. He is the only kid I have ever met that will take a single lick of a sucker or a bite of a mini candy bar and then tell me he's done. He does it with bowls of ice cream, popsicles and other savory treats. I definitely appreciate his restrain but I have no idea where it comes from:) Needless to say, he went through his candy pretty fast and really only ate about a 1/3 of it. Eventually, he stopped asking for it all together after we'd get home from work. So, that's the story of 2009 Halloween...enjoy the pics!

Cole is TWO!

2009-10-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't blogged in approximately forever:) I pretty much don't go on my computer at home any more since I got $1400 stolen from my bank account through Ebay. It was a lame fiasco and I finally ended up getting my money back, disconnecting my wireless router and buying a new home computer. It is decked out with security from head to toe, so let's hope that nothing like that ever happens again:) Anyway...almost a month ago, my boy turned TWO!! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. Cole is amazing! He is putting together three & four word sentences and is such a great little helper. He loves to take out the trash and he helps me change loads of laundry from the washer to the dryer. He also likes to help sweep the wood floors and put towels away in the cupboard. I know that when I have this baby, he will be such a good helper with him as well. I'll definitely be putting him to work and I'm pretty sure he'll love it:) Anyway, for his birthday we had the whole family come over (minus my mom and sister Sarah) and celebrate with pizza and, of course, a bundt cake! We had a Mickey Mouse candle for him to blow out and he blew it out all by himself. He LOVED when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him:) He has gotten pretty used to going to birthday parties because we have about 10 a month with the Stanleys;) So, he was extra excited that HE got to open the presents at this one. He loves to play with his cousins (oddly enough, he loves to play with his oldest cousin, Jaden, the most). I think she is just more interactive with him because she is older and besides, she is cute as a button, and Cole has always had a thing for the ladies;) Cole got some pretty cool stuff for his birthday that he just LOVES to play with. He got a lawn mower, a fishing pole, a cool tow truck magnet puzzle, a fire truck, some jets, balloons, a walking dinosaur and some other fun stuff I can't remember right now:) Travis and I got him a horse that he can ride (you know the kind with springs that has been around since forever)! He loves it! It makes trotting and neighing noises and he's gotten used to riding it pretty hard. He is honestly just too cute for words sometimes. He has also been throwing some legendary tantrums! Talk about the terrible twos! I feel so bad for him sometimes because I can tell that he has no idea why he is so upset or what he even wants, so it is impossible for me to help him. We have implemented short bursts of time out on the couch or on the kitchen chair. He only sits there for about 20 or 30 seconds but it definitely gets the point across. I explain to him what he did and that he shouldn't do it again and he usually responds with an "okay" and then he can get down. He usually gets time outs because he is being too rough with the dogs or just plain not listening. But usually after his time out, he changes his behavior (at least for a little while) so I think that time outs work pretty well for him:) My mom came to visit over the Halloween weekend and they had a great time together. I love that even though he doesn't get to see my mom or Sarah very often, he still just loves them to pieces:) I'll try to get some pictures up in a few days of his birthday and Halloween but right now I have to go play ;)

Blogging again...

2009-08-07T21:00:00.001-07:00

It's funny that I read other blogs and get annoyed when they aren't updated at least weekly:) I'm a hypocrite. Not too much has been going on with me and I guess my only excuse for not blogging is that I have been extremely sick, extremely tired and my brain is mostly mush. This pregnancy is seriously kicking my butt. I'm starting to think it might be a girl, not only because she's already giving me grief but I don't crave junk food like I did when I was pregnant with Cole (maybe she's trying to watch her figure, lol). I actually haven't gained a pound since I became pregnant. I gained 80 pounds with Cole, so it's kind of nice to think I might not become a whale:) If it is a girl, Travis and I are definitely in trouble because we cannot agree on a name to save our lives. We have a few boy names that are in the running, so we'd be set if it's a boy. Oh well, I guess we'll find out in approximately 9 weeks:)
Cole got a big boy short haircut last weekend and it made me sad. He is , of course, adorable as ever but it makes him look so much older and so much like other little boys. I loved his curly hair and nothing about him looked like a girl to me, so it annoyed me that people gave me such a hard time about cutting his hair. That kid is ALL boy:) I'll get around to putting pictures up sometime soon...I hope, if I have the energy, lol. Cole has one of his two year molars in and a second one is on its way. He was a big ol' crank when the one came in but this one doesn't seem to be too bad. Except he hates having his teeth brushed on the bottom. He is such a spunky kid!! His vocabulary is growing and he has conversations with me all of the time about random things:) He saw a small part of the movie Evolution two weeks ago and he is still talking to me about the dinosaur flying through the mall and it getting shot down. There is also a big nasty blue money thing that gets shot too. Here is what he says to me on pretty much a daily basis, "Mom, mom, mom...dinosaur, bird, gun, BOOM, monkey, monkey, gun, BOOM!" He repeats this a few hundred times and I agree with him and tell him, yes yes they shot the dinosaur with the gun, it went boom and yes they shot the monkey with the gun and it went boom. Probably not the ideal movie I would choose for my kiddo to watch or hold in his little brain bucket but Travis is an avid hunter and I know that he will be exposed to guns eventually, so who cares if mythical creatures are being blown away:) I wouldn't want him to see people being shot with guns, not yet anyway. I'm sure cowboy movies are right around the corner. Cole is still potty training himself quite successfully. I let him run around naked and he hasn't had a single accident in forever. The only problem is that when he he is dressed, he doesn't usually tell me that he has to go. If he is in a diaper, he'll take it off to go on his potty. I'm sure he'll grasp the concept eventually and I am already so proud that he pretty much potty trained himself and he's not even two yet! Such a smart boy:) He also definitely loves his mama:) He is so loving and cuddly. I'm soaking up as much as I can and I don't try to think about the day when he won't want to snuggle with me any more. I love my boy so much, sometimes I just sit and watch him while he is playing and I can't believe that he is all mine, forever:) I think he is going to make a wonderful big brother! He LOVES babies! In fact, he calls everyone that isn't an adult, a baby. He saw a little girl in Home Depot that had to have been at least 7 or 8 and he walked up to her with his arms out stretched and his little head cocked to one side and said, "baaaby". He's too sweet. Well, my brain is officially mush again and I can't think of anything else to write:) So, to sum up: Cole is awesome, I'm sick as a dog and dog tired (I'm a dog) and I can't wait to find out what sex this baby is:) Nigh night peeps!

Baby A

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

Now, I'm not having twins. In fact, according to my ultrasound tech this morning it was never confirmed that I was having twins, even though they told me I was. I'm sad a little but mostly just annoyed that I wasn't told that there was a chance that I wasn't having twins. I went to my regular office today and saw my regular ultrasound tech (she was on vacation when I had my first ultrasound). She came in to the room and gave me a hug, told me congratulations and said, "so, were looking for twins maybe?". I said, "maybe?" and she just asked me to lie down and said she would take a look. Baby A came up on the ultrasound and I saw its heart flickering away and she said it was a good size. Then she moved over to "Baby B" and said that there was nothing inside the gestational sac. She asked me if I was okay and I said I was. She said there is a possibility that she can't see an yolk sac inside the gestational sac because it could be pressed up against the wall but she's pretty sure that there is nothing inside of the sac. She asked the girl that was taking down the measurements what the measurements were for the yolk sac for Baby B the last time. She said that there were no measurements for either yolk sac from the last time and that it said they were not visible and could not be determined. So, she told me that there was probably never really anything in Baby B's gestational sac. I'm angry that no one bothered to tell me this the last time. Don't I have a right to know what is going on inside my own body?! Even if it is a little disheartening to tell me that they don't see anything, isn't that better than telling me I'm having twins when I'm not. I'm a little saddened but also a bit relieved. One is definitely easier than two. And I think Cole will have an easier time with only one baby taking over the spotlight for a bit:) I'm am thrilled that the baby is doing well and I guess that's all I can really ask for.

That explains it!

2009-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'm having TWINS!!!!!!!!! I don't even think it has truly hit me yet and I don't know when it will:) But I think it explains why I'm so wiped out SO early in this pregnancy! I went in for my appointment this morning, full on expecting one baby. I honestly didn't even prepare myself for the possibility of two. I mean, I knew it was a possibility, as with any pregnancy, but did not think I would ever be pregnant with twins. I laid down for the ultrasound and the screen was turned toward the technician. She was quiet for a while and then gave some measurements to the other girl in the room. When I was pregnant with Cole, the second he showed up on the monitor, she told me, "there it is!". This time it was quiet for far too long, so I asked if everything was okay and she turned the monitor around and said with a smile, "You've got two." I honestly gasped and said, "Ohhhhhhhhhhh". So, Travis was right again!! I really have to document that because it happens so rarely, lol. Anyway, I keep having flashes of all the stuff I did with Cole when he was first born and now I'm going to do it all over again, only this time with TWO babies. I'm kind of freaking out actually, which is probably a pretty healthy response:) Man, that's gonna be a lot of diapers! And a lot of feedings!! And a lot of clothes!! And a TON of POO!! Let's face it, it will be a lot of EVERYTHING. I'm really not worried though, I have a great support system. Between mine and Travis' families, I've got a TON of people to help me out. I'm mostly just worried for Cole. Even though I know he'll be fine, I think I'll miss it just being me and him. He is my little buddy, my little shadow. I don't ever want to be too busy to be with him and give him the attention that he needs. Man, I love that little dude:) Anyway, I'm super excited and freaked out! I get to go in in two weeks for an ultrasound and we get to see the heartbeatsssssss!! I'm going to have to get used to pluralizing this pregnancy...babies, heartbeats, them, etc. It's INSANE! Some of the best news is that I'm done having kids:) I only wanted three (Travis only wanted two, haha) so I'm tapping out after these little buggers come along. No more shots or procedures for me! Woohoo! With my luck, I'll get pregnant on my own when these two are only a year old or something...I shouldn't even say that out loud ;) Anywho...bring it on babies! Let's get to growing!! My due date is March first but since twins usually come early, I'm shooting for mid-end of February!! I've got to keep them cooking for as long as possible!

Who dat, who dere?

2009-06-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

How is it possible to be this tired already?! I seriously want to sleep all of the time. I'm usually okay for a few hours in the morning but by 11am, I am seriously dragging booty. I don't remember being this tired until I was at least a few months pregnant with Cole. Ugh! I'm getting my cot back at work, so that I can take a nap when Cole takes a nap. Nice. I'm so excited I have an appointment to go in on Tuesday for my first ultra sound. They'll be telling me my due date and seeing how many kids I have developing in there. I'm pretty sure it's only one but Travis is convinced that it's two. I think it's just wishful thinking on both our parts. It would be easier for me with only one and it will be the same amount of ease either way for Travis:) I think he just wants to be done with having kids and if we have two now, he knows we're done. And there won't be any more money to spend on trying to get me pregnant:) I worry a little about Cole if we have more than one. I'm sure it will be hard enough to adjust with only one but with two, I won't have an extra arm for him:( I'm pretty sur eit's only one though. Only Tuesday will tell! Man I need a nap:)

Good News!!

2009-06-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at 2:30 pm, my doctor called me and told me the good news! We're pregnant!! Of course it is very early and I would prefer to wait until I'm in the clear (through my first trimester) but the way that I have to get pregnant doesn't leave much to the imagination. Everyone in my family knew when I was inseminated and everyone in my family knew when the blood test would be to determine if I was pregnant or not, so I figured I might as well share with everyone:) I was totally preparing myself for bad news, just so I wouldn't be too devastated if it didn't work. Travis kept telling me I was pregnant but when I told him that I was, he sounded pretty surprised. We hoped that we would be pregnant, not only because we want another kid but also because we knew we would have to wait quite a while to do it again, since it was so expensive. So, I can proudly say that I already have a thrifty baby!! Only one shot and we got him/her. The funny thing is that we had to try three times for Cole and that was still heaper than this one time! Ooh, more exciting news, I have to go in in about a week for an ultrasound to find out how many kids I have in me! Holy crap, right?! I had two mature eggs, which I think I included in my previous blog, so we have to check and see if one or both took. I'm hoping for one, just because it would be easier (as easy as having a newborn can be) but twins would be...interesting:) I have been put on a crazy regimen of progesterone and estrogen pills and creams. It is seriously insane how many pills I have to take during the day. But I, of course, am very diligent because I want to keep this little sucker in me and growing! I have to take TWO progesterone pills FOUR times a day, TWO estrogen pills THREE times a day and I have to insert a progesterone cream in my hoohaa (lol) TWO times a day!! Seriously, are my hormones out of whack or what?! Oh well, I'm just thrilled that it worked!! I can' believe I'm pregnant!!!! I'm SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!! I already have a boy name picked out (no idea what the middle name will be) but if it is a girl I don't know what we'll name her. Travis is stuck on the name Janet, after his mom. He honestly won't budge:) He hates every other girl name I have suggested:) I told him I would consider it as a middle name. Janet just seems like such a grown up name. It's hard for me to picture a baby named Janet. Maybe it's just me:) Anyway, we are super and yeasterday I made my million phone calls to Travis' family and a few to mine:) I appreciate so much how happy everyone is for us and how supportive they are with all of the crazy crap we have to go through to get pregnant. I think I want one more after this but Travis says if we have a girl, we're done. He's funny to think he has a say in the matter:) lol I think we'll see how this baby turns out and then we'll decide if we'll have one more. Now ou all get to look forward to pregnancy blogs for the next 10 months!! Woohoo! I know you're all excited!!

Trying for baby #2!

2009-06-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

So, Travis & I decided around March to go ahead and go in to try for another baby. I went to my fertility specialist to check on my PCOS (hormone levels and such) and it was confirmed that I still have it and still need help getting pregnant. I had a consultation appointment with Dr. Shapiro and he said that we could get started immediately. First we had to do blood work on me and Travis and a sperm check on Travis (his favorite thing to do). We both showed up for our appointment and were promptly told that we had to do all of our stuff at Quest Diagnostics because my insurance didn't cover it being done in their office. We were a little annoyed that w weren't told to make the appointment at Quest in the beginning. We went to Quest on a Saturday morning (HUGE MISTAKE) and waited in line, with Cole, for over an hour. And when I got to the front of the line I was told that they had no record of my blood order that was supposedly sent from Dr. Shapiro's office, so they couldn't draw my blood. Also, Travis showed up with his sperm in a cup and was told that they only process sperm on weekdays. Ugh! So, we both had to go back on our own during the week to get our stuff done. Then, they put me on birth control pills to make sure I didn't ovulate while they were waiting for test results and approvals from my insurance company to go ahead. I had to go in for a test where they put a catheter through my cervix, fill my uterus with fluid and check out the lining. When Dr. Shapiro tried to thread the catheter through my cervix, he couldn't because he said there was an "obstruction". He tried THREE times to get the catheter to go in and every time I was ready to scream. It was probably one of the worst pains I have ever felt in my life. The cervix is technically only supposed to be open when you are ovulating or are in labor. Otherwise it is one tightly closed little mouth. So, to have someone trying to jam a good sized catheter through there was enough to pretty much make me want to kill him. He stopped after 3 tries because he saw (and heard) how much pain I was in and scheduled me to have a hysteroscopy. The good news was that the first procedure he was trying to do was not covered by insurance, so it would have cost me $900. Since he was unsuccessful I didn't have to pay a dime and the hysteroscopy was covered by insurance completely. I'm pretty sure I already blogged about the hysteroscopy but here a quick synopsis. I had to go under anesthesia and I was scared. I went in, went under and was on my way home in less than two hours. I had to go in about a week later to get the results of the hysterscopy and was told that I had polyps, he removed them and they weren't cancerous. He also told me that everything was a go to start my shots, so I needed to stop taking my birth control pills and call with the first day of my period (if this is grossing any boys out, suck it up). I stopped taking the pill and called 5 days later with my first day. They scheduled me an appointment to come in for blood work and to order my shots from the pharmacy. The night before my appointment, I was called and told that insurance had not approved my cycle yet and that it hadn't even been put in for approval until that day! I should have known better than to listen to the doctor and stop taking my pill. I should have asked the girls in the office, they are the ones that really know what's going on. Anyway, I was a little freaked because I had stopped taking the pill and already started my period, so I didn't want to wait another month before I could start my shot cycle. They told me to start taking the pill again and that when my period stopped and insurance had approved the cycle, to stop the pill again and call with the first day of my next period. It just so happens that insurance was approved the very next day but we had already passed the 3rd day of my period, which is the day they have to do blood work and get a base line ultrasound, so I was screwed. My period stopped about 4 days later and I stopped taking the pill and started my period 3 days later. I gotta tell you, the female body is whackadoo! The way we can be so easily manipulated by a dosage of hormones is crazy to me. Anyway, I went in for my base line ultra sound and everything looked good. So, I started my shots on May 27th. I was a little hesitant about giving myself the shots but after I did the first one, I remembered how easy it was and gave them to myself every night with no problems. My little sister Louisa even watched me do it one night and was quite impressed:) So I took a shot every night and had to go in every three days for an ultra sound. This time around, my insurance doesn't cover as much as it did last time, so EVERY time I had to have an ultrasound I had to pay $800!! Yeah, that sucked. I had an ultra sound on the 25th, 27th, 30th, 2nd, 5th and 6th. Yep, that's $4800 in ultrasounds alone :( While I was having the ultra sounds done, I had 4 eggs that were maturing and by the time I had to take my trigger shot on the 6th (the shot that makes me ovulate) I had two eggs that were fully mature (one on each side). Let me tell you that the trigger shot is no picnic. It is a needle that is about 2 inches long and I have to stick it in the muscle of my bum. I did that myself too:) It sucked:) Anyway, the hope is that both ovaries will ovulate, so both eggs come out and at least one is fertilized and implanted. There is a high chance that only one side ovulated and also a chance that if they both ovulated, only one egg will implant. But there is a chance that both ovulated, both were fertilized and both will implant. I just hope I'm pregnant, twins or not:) (although a single baby will be plenty for me!) I start my progesterone treatment on Friday and go in for a blood test, to see if I'm pregnant, on the 22nd. I hope, I hope, I hope!! Think good thoughts:) Bring on the freakin' joys of pregnancy!!

Session #2...Keeping things in perspective

2009-06-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

Things I have (and am extremely grateful for):
A wonderful husband and a beautiful son.
A family that loves me and would go to the ends of the earth for me.
A healthy body (my brain, on the other hand, that is tbd).
A healthy son.
A healthy husband.
A job (not my ideal but it helps pay the bills AND I get to have Cole with me all day).
A husband that has a job.
No broken bones.
No addictions (except for kissing Cole).
A house.
Food.
A car.
Cable :)
I can breath on my own.
I sleep well.
I have a very well behaved (in public) and happy little boy.
I have two arms, two legs, a torso and a head.

Things I don't have:
A properly functioning reproductive system.
An ideal body.
An ideal face.
No money worries.

As you can see, the good definitely outweighs the bad. And even my bad is a heck of a lot better than other peoples' bads. Keeping things in perspective is HARD. We are all so wrapped up in our own little worlds, that when things don't go as planned, we can sometimes be devastated by the most insignificant things. I think about how much effort and money it takes for me to get pregnant and I start to get sad and a bit self loathing. What I should be thinking is how thankful I am that I CAN get pregnant and I should be grateful that I live in a world where, not only can I afford the medicines but that I have access to medicines that can help me get pregnant. I think about the gadgets and "things" that I want and don't have, when I should be grateful that I have a roof over my head. It's, of course, tough to stay in this frame of mind but it's good for me to remind myself of how good I have it from time to time.

3/8 life crisis? Therapy session #1...

2009-06-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

When I was 26 I had, what some would call, a quarter-life-crisis. I felt lost and confused. I didn't know what I was doing with my life and I didn't know where I wanted it to go. I focused mainly on the fact that I had no "passion". I didn't feel that my life was as fulfilling as it should be. I was pretty much freaking out on a daily basis. I cried alot. I sat alone and thought ALOT. Travis was as supportive as he could be but he didn't really know what to do because I couldn't tell him what he could do. I was mentally stuck in a rut and feeling horrible and confused. I don't really remember what finally snapped me out of it. In fact, I think it was a slow progression every day, not feeling as bad as the day before. That was around the time that Travis and I decided to have a baby. That proved to be a pretty difficult road and 4 years later (after alot of hormones, needles and money) we had our baby boy. Cole is absolutely the center of my life. He gives me a reason (sometimes the only reason) everyday to get up and go. I'm getting a bit off topic here but my point is that I am kind of feeling the way I felt when I was 26. Not as desperately hopeless as I felt and definitely NOT crying but there are similar feelings creeping in and out. I do wonder sometimes if maybe I'm clinically depressed. But I think it would be more often and more clear cut. I just seem to have bouts of weirdness every 4-5 years or so. Come to think of it, in 2001 I actually lost the ability to speak for 6 weeks. I know it sounds crazy but I developed a heavy stutter and eventually my jaw and neck would seize so bad when I'd try to speak , that I just couldn't any more. I went to a bunch of specialists (Ear Nose & Throat, Neurological, Speech Therapists) and no one could tell me what was up. My first doctor said I had Turret Syndrome!!??!! He was obviously a quack. Another doctor wondered if I had injested some chemical at the dentist's office where I worked. Another doctor said it was all psychosomatic, brought on by stress. That actually made the most sense to me but I definitely it also upset me because then I was thinking that it was all my fault. Thinking back on it, it makes sense (not complete sense because it was freakin' WEIRD) that my body reacted the way it did. I didn't choose not to speak but my body triggered something inside me to shut down. I often joked (on paper) that maybe it was punishment for talking too much :) I have always been a really stressed out person. I would guess that it stems back to my parents' divorce and how I desperately tried to hold it together and not let it look like it affected me. Over the years, my stress has taken on many forms...obsessive cracking knuckles, biting nails, cracking various other joints, including my neck, wrists, ankles and back, EATING, losing the ability to speak, fits of rage (breaking stuff). As I have gotten older, I have learned to deal with my stress a whole heck of a lot better. I talk about whatever I'm feeling and I don't bottle it up like I used to. I have infinite more patience than when I was younger, so I am able to calm myself down and talk through my anger or saddness before it turns into something crazy. I'm not perfect at this of course and there are things that I swallow (or talk to other people about) rather than confront the person with whom I have the problem. So, I'm wondering if the weight on my chest and lump in my throat is my body's not so subtle way of telling me I need to deal with some issues. If I really let myself think about it, I do have quite a few things that are weighing on me. Honestly though, I don't feel like it's anything more than usual and it is really pissing me off that I am feeling SO freakin' sad. I have been trying to cry with no success. So, I've given up on that and am now trying to focus on working through my issues or at least trying to change my situation, so that my issues won't be such "issues". I'm also focusing on the positive. I am so lucky I have Travis. I honestly don't know who else on this earth would put up with my craziness. After watching Cast Away the other night I had this brief conversation with him:
Me- "Honey?
Travis- "What?"
Me- "If you were ever on a plane that went down and everyone thought you were dead and I somehow managed to move on with my life (which I don't think I would) but if I did and you showed up and weren't dead, I would leave with you in a heartbeat."
Travis- "It wouldn't matter."
Me- "What wouldn't matter?"
Travis- "If you wanted to go with me or not."
Me- "Why?"
Travis- "Because I'd knock you out and take you with me anyway."

Now that's love people.

I'm not sure why I'm writing about this.

2009-05-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Maybe it will be just so I can reflect back when I feel better.

I don't feel so well.

In fact, the better description of how I feel is "not right". For the last few weeks I have felt on the edge of tears but when I try to let them come, they don't. I can't seem to take a deep breath, I have a lump in my throat that I can't swallow, I feel super sick to my stomach and I get teary several times throughout the day at nothing and everything. But no real tears will come. If I didn't know better, I would guess I was pregnant or at least starting my period (tmi?) . But neither case is true.

The best way to describe how I feel is (now you can only relate if you've ever had your heart broken) like I've been dumped by the love of my life and he could care less but I am obliterated. I put on a happy face but it only makes the pain worse because the feelings inside me are waiting there just below the surface and the more I ignore them or pretend that everything is okay, the more of an explosion is waiting to erupt when I am finally alone.

Except, in this case, when I am alone, nothing happens. So I am expanding day by day with feelings of utter hopelessness and no way to release. Being dumped is, of course, not the situation that is happening to me right now. But having been dumped by a few people that I loved and "loved", I can say that this feeling is similar. I'm not sure where all of this is stemming from because I have been exceptionally happy for quite some time now. Not that things don't get me down on occasion but since Cole was born (minus Travis' absence for several months) I have been truly happy. Part of me wonders if THAT is why I feel off. Does your body, mind, soul (whatever you want to call it) just NEED to cry on occasion to keep yourself in balance? If that is the case, I wish I would just cry already and get it out of me, so that I can move on from this feeling. Another part of me (the worry wart) is feeling like I'm gearing up for something really horrible to happen to me or someone I know. I hope beyond hope that this theory is not the case. My last theory is that I let too many things build up inside me (good and bad) and don't express myself as well as I should. I don't even know if that makes sense. But I have been known to explode and unload on the wrong person for several things that I've been carrying around with me. I'm hoping that when this explosion comes, it doesn't land on the head of someone I love. I tried watching a few sad movies and I do tear up a bit but I'm not crying the way I should be. I'm not one to cry at movies but there are a few tear jerker films that, no matter how I'm feeling, will result in boohooing if I watch a certain scene. In this particular instance, no such luck. I also know that when Cole is around me, I can't cry. He makes me so happy it's retarded:) Even when he's being a pill, I giggle while I reprimand him(effective parenting, I know). So, I've been trying to waah it up after he goes to bed. I know this might seem strange to some (maybe even most) and it may just be because I'm a hormonally charged girl but this feeling that is living inside of me right now is making me...so incredibly sad. So, tonight I'll be watching more sadness. I'm not kidding here people, I truly believe the only remedy is a full on, tear your heart out, writhing on the floor, snotting in your mouth, boohoo fest. If I don't get it, I'm gonna go crazy. I just want to get back to center.

(Mom, don't worry, I'll be okay)

Quick Update

2009-05-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

1. Cole is successfully off the bottle. It takes him a little longer to fall asleep but he's been a champion!
2. I had a hysteroscopy and had several polyps removed from my uterus. I had never been put under anesthesia and I was nervous but it ended up not being a big deal at all.
3. I have a post op check today and f everything is ok, I will start the baby making process.
4. It is HOT outside and every time I walk out to my car I feel bad for Travis who has to work outside in it ALL DAY LONG. He's a trooper though.
5. My cell phone broke and I have been waiting for a new one to come in the mail. It is still not here and I am starting to get angry.
6. My doctor has me on birth control pills to regulate my Flo. I do not do well on bcp. They give me headaches and I just feel angry inside. Not fun. It is kind of aggravating to think that since I have PCOS, I never needed to be on the dreaded pill to begin with. Years of torture for NO reason.
7. I miss my mom. I wish she came here to visit more often.
8. I am annoyed by people who honestly don't want to be friends with people because of their religious/political beliefs. I, for one, choose my friends based on the content of their character (cheesy but true). If I get along with you and we have fun together, why would I care who you voted for for president. People should just agree to disagree. If you get heated about it, don't talk about it. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE MY MIND!!!!!! And I wouldn't dream of trying to change yours (I'll just quietly feel bad for you that you are so deluded and misguided).
9. My days are monotonous at work. Cole is the only reason that makes me get up in the morning.
10. I miss my dad. He hasn't been to work in weeks and I miss seeing him there.
11. I'm a total slacker on the work out front. Since Cole got really sick, I haven't worked out once. Not once. I fell out of my routine and then Travis' work schedule changed. His schedule is back to normal now but I haven't gone back yet. I suck and I hate myself for sucking so hard.
12. I'm somewhat addicted to Facebook. I just pop on and off throughout the day but I pop on and off at least 20-30 times a day. I fear it is becoming a problem. Intervention? Maybe not just yet.
13. The Swine Flu (aka H1N1) is just the flu. What is it with the media WANTING to cause mass hysteria? I never would have seen that one coming...

No more bottle...dun dun duuuuuunnnnnn

2009-05-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

So, my original plan for Cole was to get him off of his bottle by the time he turned 18 months. He didn't have bottles much for the first year or so of his life because I breast fed him like a mad woman:) I didn't want to have a kid who was super dependent on...really anything that went in his mouth. I know how addicting pacifiers and bottles and thumb sucking can be and how much they can screw up your teeth. So, no pacifier for my boy and bottles only came into play for first thing in the morning and a little bottle with each of his two naps. 18 months old snuck up on me much faster than I had anticipated but I still wanted to ween him off. My first inclination was to water down his milk until he just decided he didn't want it any more. I did that for about a week but he was still diggin' his bottle with his naps. Finally, yesterday I decided to just go cold turkey. I explained to him that the bottle was "all gone". He usually responds to things being all gone really well but he was a bit put off by the BOTTLE being "all gone". He was upset for the first few minutes of his naps but went straight to sleep. When it came time for bed, he was VERY upset and he doesn't get a bottle for bed time! He kept screaming, "Mommy! Bottle!! Mommy!! Bottle!!!!". I felt so bad! But I stuck to my guns and after about a half hour of screaming, he fell asleep. He woke up this morning though at 5 freakin' 30 AM and started screaming for a bottle. I tried to ignore him but after almost an hour, I couldn't take it any more. I grabbed his sippy cup with some milk and went in to him to start our day. He seemed to like having his milk in a sippy cup this morning and he watched cartoons on my bed while I took a shower. He's taking his first nap right now and he fell asleep quickly but was still upset that he didn't get a bottle. I know it is just a part of his routine for sleeping and it will take some time for him to let it go. He's a trooper though and I'm proud of him. Let's hope he sleeps in tomorrow!! I'm glad his bottle isn't an all day crutch kind of thing. I think it would be more of a shock and harder to get over, if it was. Here's to a bottle free baby boy! Go Cole!

Cole is 18 months old!

2009-04-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Cole turned 18 months old on the 13th! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. He really enjoys playing with his cars and trucks and driving them all over the house. He is obsessed with elk and runs around the house mimicking their sound (they make a really weird screaming/whistling noise) and he's getting really good at it:) I've been teaching him his colors and he's getting pretty good at them. The only color that he gets without fail is orange:) I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that it is my favorite color? Hmmmm. He is a very smart boy and he surprises me everyday with the things he says and does. He really likes school buses and when we are driving home from work we see alot of them on the street and he points out every one and says,"Hiiiiiiiii bus!". He loves Spongebob Squarepants and sings along to the opening theme song:) He loves the song Single Ladies by Beyonce (I think he likes the beat). He sings the whoa oh oh part over and over again. In fact, last night after we put him to bed, Travis and I listened to him in the monitor singing it over and over again. He would switch back and forth between elk calls and singing Beyonce. The kid cracks me up! I love him. He is just so much fun. Oh, I almost forgot. It turns out that he didn't have pneumonia after all. We went to his pediatrician appointment and he said that quick care people always jump to pneumonia because they don't look at alot of childrens' chest x-rays. He told me to stop giving Cole the antibiotic he was on and that he would be just fine. He still has a tiny bit of a cough but he gets better and better everyday. I love his pediatrician. He is not big on antibiotics for kids and I really appreciate that. We are an overly medicated society, so it is a nice breath of fresh air. Anyway, Cole is happy and healthy and smart and cute:) Everyday when I get him dressed we talk about what is on his shirt (a deer, truck, car, dog, dinosaur, etc.) and he repeats it to me and anyone else he sees throughout the day. He's LOVING dinosaurs now too. He has just a couple little plastic ones that he got for Easter and he has a dinosaur book that he loves. Sometimes he crawls around growling and says in a grumbly voice, "dinosaurrrr rraaarrrr". Trambo and Wendy are his best friends and Wendy is getting more comfortable accepting his over-exhuberant love:) Trambo has put up with it for a while and I think he actually likes it most of the time when Cole hugs him from behind and just lays on him. Actually, as I am writing this all three of them are sitting in the sun in the living room and Cole is petting both their faces:) He loves them and they love him. Now he is butting Wendy in the head with his head! Oh the love! :) He was getting really good at potty training before he got so sick but we are slowly getting back on track with that again. He's still really good at telling me when he has to poop. The peeing part has fallen by the way side but I'm sure it will come back soon enough. I'm not in any hurry and I don't really care about having to change diapers. Well, that's a pretty good update on what my boy has been up to lately. I'm just working and still losing weight:) Travis is working and has been getting up earlier, which he likes because he doesn't have to be out in the heat for too long. But the heat that he does have to deal with drains him and he hasn't been too much help when he gets home. I understand that he is tired but I explained to him that I need a break (even if it is a tiny one) just to restart my focus and enthusiasm:) He's been getting better and I appreciate it. I love my boys!

I lost 11.98% of weight in 3 1/2 months!

2009-04-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

But I lost the biggest loser competition, so I officially suck and I'm still bulbous. Congrats to Sarah Barlow for winning! I will be having my own loser competition after I have my next baby. So for those of you who want in, you have approx. one year to get as fat as you can, so you can lose a whole bunch of weight and win some cash:) Totally kidding of course! The smaller you start, the higher chance you have of winning (as long as you have some weight to lose). So get ready for Biggest Loser 2010!!

Where do I begin?

2009-04-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday afternoon, Cole started to act a little weird (grumpy and fussy) after his second nap. When we got home, he wanted me to hold him in the recliner, which is also weird because when we get home all he usually wants to do is run around a play. When I picked him up, he felt hot. I gave him some Tylenol and just held him. His fever went down and he felt better and played some. By the time it was time for bed again, his fever was back and he had a runny nose and a little cough. I gave him some more Tylenol and decided to see how he felt in the morning. He slept all night, not a peep, but when I went in to get him in the morning, he was ON FIRE. I gave him some Tylenol, called Travis and told him that we should probably go to the doctor. He asked if we could wait until after work and I said that as long as the Tylenol helped with his fever, then sure. We went to work and he pretty much just sat on me the whole time. His fever had gone down and he took his first nap like a champ. When he woke up he was burning up and the Tylenol I gave him did nothing and he started to get the shakes. I was seriously trying to put off the doctor because I didn't want to be one of those moms that runs to the doctor every time there is something going on. But I knew that it was time and I called Travis and told him we were going home and asked him if he wanted to go to the doctor with us. He said he did but that I had to come pick him up. So, I drove over to the other side of town, picked Travis up and we went to the quick care on Rancho. Cole fell asleep in the car and slept the entire time (he hardly EVER sleeps in the car). We got there and were happy to find that we were the only ones there!! Woohoo! No waiting! They took us back for the prescreening and took Cole's temperature. 103.3. All of the sudden people were moving in fast forward. They took us back to a big room with several beds and told us to take Cole's clothes off immediately. They said we had to cool him down so that he wouldn't have a seizure. Great. We stripped him down to his diaper and had him stretch out on the bed. He is always such a good little patient for his pediatrician but I didn't know how he would react to all of these people running around him and shining lights in his eyes and ears and throat. He was awesome!! We had talked about seeing the doctor when we were walking into the quick care, so he just kept repeating "Doctor?" whenever someone would walk up to the bed. Most of them were nurses, so they'd tell him that they weren't the doctor :) I explained to them that the Tylenol I had given him wasn't working anymore for his fever, so they dosed him up with Motrin and within 20 minutes, he was feeling MUCH better. Even smiling again:) Finally a doctor came in and Cole said, "Doctor?". The doctor was very nice and told him that he WAS the doctor, so Cole just kept saying doctor over and over again with a big grin on his face. The doctor listened to his lungs and said that they sounded clear but he just wanted to do a chest x-ray to be safe. Uh, ok? So I took him back for the x-ray and they wrapped him in this tight horrible plastic thing and I had to help hold his arms above his head while they took the x-ray. He didn't like it but he didn't cry. He just sat there and waited for it to be over. Even the x-ray tech said that he was the best 18 month old she'd ever seen :) Thank you, thank you very much ;) We went back to our bed and a little later the doctor came in and told us that Cole had Pneumonia. Wait...what?? He asked if anyone had been sick around him and I told him that my coworker (Guy) was sick but not with pneumonia. He said that it didn't matter if Guy had pneumonia, all he needed was to pass along bacteria to Cole and it could turn into pneumonia in him. So, he prescribed an antibiotic and we were sent on our way (Cole's temp dropped back down to normal while we were there waiting). He did tell us that if he started to struggle for breath or was just breathing weird (getting worse) we should come back immediately.

We got home around 7:30 at night and gave Cole dinner, a bath and his antibiotic and he went right to sleep by 8. Travis went to bed around 10 and I stayed up to catch up on some shows I had recorded. At about a quarter to 11, I heard Cole start to whimper a little and then, out of the monitor, came the most scary insane noise I have ever heard in my life!! I just sat there staring at the monitor, not understanding what was coming out of it. Cole let out a little cry and the noise came again. I honestly thought that the monitor was malfunctioning but then I realized that the noise was coming from Cole! I jumped up and hurried down the hallway. As I passed our room, I saw Travis sitting up in bed and he asked me what that noise was and when I told him it was Cole, he flew out of bed. The fact that this noise woke Travis up should explain how loud and horrible it was (Travis can sleep through ANYTHING, he has even slept during a category 5 hurricane!!) . We both went into Cole's room and he was just laying there, crying out and barking in. I decided we needed to go back to the doctor, so we loaded up and were on our way back at 11pm. While driving there, Travis asked if we really NEEDED to be going back and that maybe we should wait and see how he does. I told him that I'm not going to wait and see if he stops breathing altogether, so there was no question. The doctor we had seen before had gone home, so we saw another very nice doctor. He let us know that Cole now had Croup. When we explained that we had already been there earlier and that he had pneumonia, everything started moving fast again. The doctor explained that he personally had NEVER seen a child with Croup and Pneumonia at the same time. He also thought that there might be a chance that he was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic that he was given, so he called in a new prescription. They rushed us back to a bed and the doctor explained that they were going to give Cole a steroid shot and a breathing treatment and if he did not show signs of improvement in TWO hours (it was now midnight) they were going to admit him to the hospital. The needle for the steroid shot was probably the biggest needle (fat and long) that I have ever seen and they had to stick it into the muscle in his little thigh. I seriously thought the needle was going to go all the way through his leg :( He did not like that shot one bit and started to scream, which made him bark louder. It was terrible. The nurse said that it was good that he was crying because it would help him breath the medicine mist in deeper. She handed me the breathing mask (which looked like a fish, so we called it Nemo) and told me I had to hold it over his face as best as I could. Cole struggled at first but I started to sing to him and he calmed down and just breathed. He did a great job and kept talking about Nemo and pointing at the mask. After he was done with that, we had about an hour and a half to kill. Poor Travis had to be up for work at 5am, so I held Cole in a chair and let him sleep in the bed :) I could tell that Cole was tired but he was not about to go to sleep and miss all of the exciting stuff that was going on around him:) Plus, there were 3 other little kids there to look at. He was a trooper and just hung out on my lap eating ice chips out of a cup. After just a little while he stopped sounding so terrible and eventually he just made a little rattle when he breathed in. At 2am the doctor came to check on us and listened to Cole breathe and decided to send us home. Hallelujah! It took them about another 1/2 hour to release us and then we were on our way. On the way home, we stopped and picked up Cole's new prescription and gave it to him as soon as we got home. He went to sleep around 3:30am and woke up in the morning at 7:30am!! What the heck, right?! I, of course, stayed home from work and Cole set up camp on me all day. Travis came home from work at around 3pm, went to bed and had to be back up for work at 8pm THAT SAME DAY!!! Is that crappy timing or what?! He hasn't had to work during the night in a LONG time. So, he...well WE were all going on practically no sleep at all. Cole took some long naps during the day but I was too paranoid to sleep, so I just sat by his monitor listening to him breathe. He is doing much better now, with the exception that the new antibiotic gives him horrible diarrhea and diaper rash. Cole wasn't sick for the first year of his life and has never really had a diaper rash, so I think this is just the world's way of making sure I don't get too lax or cocky about my wonderful kid ;) I'm just glad he is a trooper and has such a good attitude with people. He is learning his colors now and before this whole sickness incident happened, he was getting really good at going to the bathroom in his potty chair!! What a kid! I love him so much!!!!

Losing again

2009-04-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

I know I need to just stay off the scale. I have gone down 2 pant sizes!! That's an accomplishment:) I'm not getting on the scale until the weigh in for sure now. I know I still won't win but I will weigh in to see what my percentage of weight loss will be. I'm too hard on myself. I've changed my routine a bit and it seems to be working:

BIG bowl of oatmeal for breakfast (plain).
Veggie or fruit for snack.
Salad for lunch.
Fruit and a stick of cheese for snack.
Work out for no less than 45 minutes, usually on the eliptical listening to my Ipod (it makes the time FLY by and I just keep to the beat of the music). I shoot for burning at least 500 calories.
Fish or chicken for dinner (no more than 6 oz.) plus TONS of veggies & a small salad (I put the dressing on the side in a little cup and dip my fork in it before each bite. I saw it on the Biggest Loser and thought I'd give it a shot).
Lastly, (if I'm wanting something sweet) I eat a Weight Watcher's fruit/cream bar. They are HUGE and have hardly any calories.

It's definitely working and it doesn't feel totally overwhelming, like I'm on a diet. I'm just trying to lose as much as I can before I go try to get pregnant again. I'm making an appointment for the week after next to go to the fertility doctor to start my first round of shots. No time like the present, huh? I know I will keep working out while I'm pregnant and that will help me during my recovery from my next c-section. It doesn't seem so scary this time around because I know what I'm in for. At least I get to pick my kid's birthday! I was totally out of shape when I had Cole, so my recovery was HARD. I'm hoping that I'll be up and around (and off pain killers) after the first week. I won't have time to be bed ridden, I'll have TWO kids:) !!!! Wish me luck!

The Ongoing Debate in My Head

2009-04-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

To conceive now or conceive later? That is my question.

Reasons to do it now:
I'm not getting any younger
I will have the baby long enough before my sister's wedding to be able to drop a few pounds.
I will not be giving birth during hunting season:)
I want Cole and his sibling to be close in age (they will be just over 2 years apart). If I wait until my next window, they will be 4 years apart.
If I don't do it now, I will wait until after my sister's wedding, which is in Oct. 0f 2010. That seems really far away:)
Cole will have someone to play with:)
If my sister Sarah gets pregnant anytime soon, our kids will be close in age.
My SIL Cassidy is pregnant now and our kids could be close in age:)
Even though I like my full night sleep, I'd rather get the sleepless nights over with now.
I have insurance now through my work that will cover all of the fertility stuff and the has great coverage for all of the maternity.

Reason for later:
I'm not THAT old:)
I won't have a newborn at my sister's wedding.
I will more than likely quit my job, which would leave my dad in a bind and I don't want to do that but working here with one kid is hard enough! I don't want to put my kids in daycare.
I can get down to my goal weight BEFORE I get pregnant. It will be easier to drop the weight afterward and I won't look like such a heifer while I'm pregnant.
I won't steal any of the thunder if my sister does get pregnant soon (not that she would think that).
I'm 3 years younger than my older sister and 5 years older than my younger sister and we are all VERY close, so don't think the 4 year age gap will really matter.
I like my full night sleep:)

Honestly, it's pretty even for both sides of the argument. No matter what, having a second kid does freak me out in a way. I'm so used to just having Cole and just loving Cole. I would never want him to feel left out or that he is not as important as a new baby. I don't know if him being younger or older will help in the process of welcoming a new baby. Truth be told, I would be happy just having Cole but I know that for his sake, he needs a sibling. Every only child I have ever known has told me that they wish they had a sibling. I would never want to do that to him. I also know that when I have my next kid, I won't know what I would do without them. So, to those of you who are reading this and have multiple kids, a little advice please. I know there's never a "perfect time" but there has to be a "better" time, right? Travis just wants another one and doesn't care when, as long as it doesn't conflict with hunting:) Oh, how I love that man of mine:)

Not a happy post

2009-03-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

I feel extra fat today. Not fun. I've been doing really well losing weight and now it has come to a screeching halt, in fact I am now going backwards. I decided not to get on the scale until we weigh in but this morning I succumbed and I have gained back 5 pounds in the last week. I don't know what I am doing wrong and it is FRUSTRATING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not getting back on the scale...EVER! I won't even bother weighing in on April 15th for the end of the contest. I'll just hand over my $20 and be on my way. I'm gross.

HOLY CRAP my house is clean!!

2009-03-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Travis walked in the door on Friday and I yelled to him to take his work boots off because the floors were clean. I heard him say as he was walking in, "Oh, has somebody been doing a little cleaning?".
"Yes," I said "But it sure wasn't me!".
"What??...Oh, did you have Sam come and clean?"
"Yep!"
"Good! Our house was disgusting!"

So, he ended up not being mad at all! Which was nice because I wanted to enjoy the cleanliness without having to justify it to a poopy hubby:) I'm sure that I will be better at keeping my house clean after I have another kid and become a SAHM. But who knows, maybe I'll keep Sam cleaning for as long as he is willing to do it! I really really really hate to clean. I HATE the smell of Windex and toilet bowl cleaner. Don't get me wrong, I don't enjoy having my house dirty and I'm good at maintaining cleanliness (Travis on the other hand is a messy messy boy) but I'm just one of those people who wants someone else to clean my house and I'm not ashamed to say it. I think it goes back to my childhood. Most of you who know me know that I was pretty much a cleaning slave growing up. Especially after my sister Sarah and step-sister Amber moved out. I was responsible for cleaning EVERYTHING!! Including (and most of these were weekly, if not twice a week chores):
vacuuming the whole house
cleaning the kitchen and doing the dishes every night(which also included removing all of the burners from the stove and cleaning them)
taking out the garbage
mowing and weed whacking the lawn
trimming the tree in our front yard (this was only once a year of course)
cleaning the pool and keeping the chemicals for the pool in check
cleaning BOTH bathrooms (which I always found incredibly disgusting to have to clean my parents bathroom because...eww...I was cleaning up after THEIR poo & pee & pubes & body scum!!)
scrubbing the kitchen floor on my hands and knees with ammonia & water because Gail thought that it was more thorough than using a mop (same with the bathroom floors)
cleaning all SEVEN panes of the sliding glass doors inside and out(not with Windex and paper towels or newspaper. No, I had to use a mixture of vinegar & water with a sponge and then use a squeegee to wipe it off, making sure that I didn't leave any streaks on the doors)
spraying off the cool decking around the pool
brooming off the front step and walkway
trimming the bushes in front of the house
dusting and Windexing all of the furniture including all of the pictures and mirrors throughout the house

I'm sure there are some other random chores I'm forgetting. Wow!! Was that cathartic or what? Anyway, as you can read, I have had my share of the cleaning duties and although I know that now that I am an adult and I am responsible for keeping my own house clean, I choose to have someone else do it for me. Gail had me, so why can't I have Sam?? :) At least I pay him for all the cleaning he does and he doesn't even come close to doing all of what I had to do. So, enough of my justifications. I don't feel guilty about it AT ALL. And for those of you who have kids who hate to do chores, just clue them in to how bad it really could be:)

Summary- My house is clean from top to bottom and I love it.
Peace out and word to your mom.

I gotta basket full of lemons and they all taste the same

2009-03-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

So, I rehired Louisa's fiance, Sam, to clean my house again. Travis decided that we could keep it clean ourselves if we worked together and I figured as long as I had his help, we really could give it a go. We were doing a pretty good job until we both went out of town. Since then, we haven't been able to stay on top of...EVERYTHING! So, without consulting Travis, I called in my cleaning wizard and he is probably cleaning my house right now as I write this. I'm so excited I could pee!! Travis might get a little angry with me but I think having the house clean and having me happy are two things you just can't put a price tag on (or at least that's what I keep telling myself). So here's a big here here for my main man maid :) SAM!!!

On another note, while on a road trip with Louisa, to LA, to see our friend Ben in The Graduate (you may know him as Whopper Jr. in the Burger King commercials), Louisa and I mastered the song Letterbox by TMBG. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you're missing out, and you should be very impressed with our mad skills.

Here is a picture to ponder...

Let's do this thang...

2009-03-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling like my blog is super boring. Not that I think stories about my son are boring but I seem to complain a little bit more than I'd like. I'm really not much of a complainer. So, in the spirit of "me"ness, I'm switching this blog up a bit to become a little bit more fun and more me. Granted I will still tell stories about my son and I'm sure will rant the occassional rant but I'm gonna try to liven up this dusty old blog. Also, I'm feeling kind of bummed that some people have let their blogs go, due to a certain addiction to a thing called Facebook, and I don't want to face an intervention myself. I also know that not many people read my blog but for those few who do, I wanna keep things interesting. So, to kick things off in the right direction, here is a picture from one of my favorite artists...

Let's see what happens...

2009-03-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

I commented on my very good friend Sarah's page and so now I am obligated to post this but at least I get a homemade gift:) Honestly, I'm doubting that 5 people even read my blog. Oh well, read on...

Pay attention kids! Here is the deal:

The first five people to comment on this post will get something made by me. My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2- What I make will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be photography, I may sew or stitch or bake something. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do whatever I want!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same deal to 5 of your own lucky blog readers. So, the first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are in, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it.

You know I'm crafty, so bring it on!!

The rest of the story

2009-02-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

So, Saturday we got up and played with the horses and got muddy and cold again:) Oh, but before we went outside that morning, Cole decided to walk off the end of a big marble step and cracked his head on the bottom step. His eye was pretty swollen and turned reddish purple. Good times. He now has a pretty nice black eye that Travis is diggin' because he says it makes him look tough. A tough 16 month old...uhhhh. Anyway, Sarah, Cole and I drove down to Chico and had lunch. Yes, the check engine light was still on:(
We stayed the night at Sarah's house in Gridley, had breakfast with my mom in the morning and went back to Sarah's, so Cole could take a nap. And as anti-climactic as it was, the check engine light turned off when we were driving back to Sarah's, but I was thrilled. I debated whether or not to put Cole down for a second nap because it would be cutting it a little close to us needing to leave for the airport. I decided to put him down anyway and just made sure that I would wake him by 2:30pm, so we could have some time to get there to drop off the rental car and catch the shuttle to the airport. He slept for an hour, I got him up, we said our goodbyes and we were on the road by 2:40pm. It had started raining that morning and the closer we got to Sacramento (where the airport is) it was coming down in sheets and there was some pretty thick fog. Despite the rain and fog, I made it to the car rental place in pretty good time and was dropping off my car by 3:45pm. Because it was raining so hard, I kept Cole in the car as long as I could. I unloaded the bags from the trunk and had to take Cole out of his carseat, so that I could attach the wheels to it. While I was doing that, Cole climbed into the front seat and was pretending to drive the car. I took his carseat out of the car and said, "ok buddy, let's go". I shut the back door and went to open the front door to get Cole out and I heard, beep beep. Yep, Cole locked the car!! In hindsight, I figured out that he pushed the lock button on the keys that were still hanging in the ignition (because the lady told me to leave them in). Before I shut the back door, I even looked to see that the car was unlocked and it WAS. Call it perfect, or terrible, timing but he locked the car right after I shut the back door. Needless to say, I started to freak. I actually kept my cool but my heart was seriously beating in my throat. I looked around and the lady who told me to leave the keys in the car sees me and asks, "Did you just lock your baby in the car??".
I reply, "NO! He locked himself in the car. Do you guys have a spare key?"
"No."
"Well, you need to help me because we have a plane to catch."
"How did you lock your baby in the car?"
"I didn't. Can you get someone to get him out??"
"I can try to find the mechanic."
"Do that now, please."
So, she walks away and this really nice lady comes out of the rental place and asks if he's alright. He is, of course, just fine:) In fact, he is honking the horn and turning the wheel making vroom vroom sounds. He's so stinkin' cute. Since I'm getting soaked by the second, I decide to see if I can get Cole to open the car. I knock on the window to get his attention and ask him to push the buttons to unlock the door. Amazingly, he starts to push various buttons (and if the car would have been turned on, he would have rolled down the window!) but unfortunately when he pushed on the lock button, he just kept locking it. I begged for him to push the other side but his understanding only went so far. Then I tried to get him to pull on the door handle to unlock it and again, amazingly, he pulled on the handle. But as hard as he could pull, it was just not enough to undo the lock. The same lady who yelled at me for locking him in the car came back after about 10 minutes with a Slim Jim to try and unlock the car. She had no idea how to use it and I offered to help because I've seen people use them before. But she said that if I hurt the car in any way, I would be held liable for the damages. So I had to watch her fumble and scrap the car up for a good 5 minutes before she gave up. After a few more minutes, the mechanic showed up. By this time, I am COMPLETELY soaked to the bone. There was not a single inch of me that wasn't wet. The mechanic pounded in a shim, inserted this metal thing between the door frame and the car and started to turn a knob that spread the top of the door open. He slid in a long metal wire, that Cole kept yanking on until I told him to stop (I think a part of him knew that it was important for him to listen to me and be good) and eventually the guy hook the lock and unlocked the door. I thanked him, yanked Cole out of the car, put him in his sopping wet car seat and we were off to the shuttle. I was running as fast as my legs could carry me, Cole, and three peices of luggage and as soon as I rounded the corner of the rental building I saw the shuttle sitting there. I ran down the sidewalk praying that the driver saw me and that he would wait. But dontcha know, he closed the doors and pulled away when I was about 15 feet from the shuttle. I was dumbfounded. I'm almost positive that he did see me coming but left anyway. By this time it was about 20 after 4pm. I was supposed to check my luggage in by 4:10 and my flight was leaving at 5:10pm and I was STILL at the car rental place. I called Sarah and told her what had happened and she couldn't even speak. She couldn't even find any words of encouragement because she was blown away by the way this whole trip had gone for us. The next shuttle showed up about 10 minutes later. We loaded up, with the help of a very nice man, and finally were on our way to the airport. Travis called me while I was in line to check my bags and he was really sweet about the whole thing. He told me to keep calm and if I did miss my flight, that it would be ok and I could just get on the next one. Yeah, easy for him to say whe he doesn't have to be the one chasing a crazy baby through the airport for possibly hours! What sucked was that, while I was explaining the whole thing to Travis on the phone, I know that the people in front of me heard that I might miss our flight and no one offered for us to go ahead of them. People suck. When I finally got up to check my bags, I explained the situation (very quickly) to the lady and she said that as long as security didn't hold me up for too long, I'd probably just be able to make my flight, even though we might be the last ones on the plane. I ran to the escalator (I wasn't about to wait for the stinkin' elevator) and akwardly balanced Cole all of the way up. When we got to the top, I saw the line for security. Yeah, that's right, it not only wound back and forth about ten times but then it also extended back over this bridge/walkway thing. There were easily 100+ people in line. I accepted my defeat and turned to walk to the end of the line when I heard a woman behind me saying, "excuse me...excuse me miss...excuse me...can you get her attention for me." I didn't think she was speaking to me but another woman that I was facing said, "that lady is talking to you". I turned around and saw a security woman jesturing for me to come to her. I walked over and she said..."you can use the family lane"!!!!! The clouds opened and the angels sang!!!! There was a line with about 3 small families waiting in a line next to her to go through security. FAMILY LANE!!!!!!! I almost started to cry. We whipped past security, ran to our gate and walked right on the plane. The plane ride home was pretty uneventful because I kept the dvd player with us and we watched Monster Inc. all the way home. I also had M&Ms and water to help with the crankiness and popping ears. I had never been so happy to come home in all of my life:) It was a fun trip and honestly we had near misses all over the place, so it wasn't that terrible. It was just one thing after another, after another, after another...you get the idea. Needless to say, I probably won't be going on any solo kid trips for awhile. Good times.

Our "vacation"

2009-02-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try and finish this story before Cole wakes up from his nap but if I don't I'll just post it and finish it later. It's a long one:)

So...Travis decided about a month ago to plan a trip to Wyoming to go ride on the tram that he spent FIVE months building last year. I decided that since he'd be out of town, I'd take Cole to go visit my sister and my mom. No, I didn't think it would be easy going out of town alone with my boy but I had no idea that Murphy's Law would be following me the whole time. We got up the morning of Feb. 19th at 5 am and were at the airport by 5:45am to check in. I had two check on bags, one carry on, Cole's carseat, and Cole (in his carseat). Side note: if you don't have one of these, and you have kids, get one. It made my trip possible! Okay, so I walk up to check my bags and show my id and the lady asks me for proof of Cole's age. Yeah, that's right...I forgot his birth certificate. I explain that he is only 16 months old but she insists that it is policy and if I can't prove his age, I will have to buy another seat on the plane for him ($220). I blurt out that his brithday is 10/13/07 and that I couldn't make it up that fast if it wasn't really his birthday. She smiles and asks if I can have proof for the flight back home and I say 100% for sure. So she hands me my boarding ticket and tells me to have a nice flight (1st crisis averted). By this point, my heart is racing but I'm happy that she didn't charge me for the seat, so I mosy up to our gate and feed Cole bluberries until we board. On the plane, Cole is an angel...for the first hour. For the last 20 minutes of the flight, he was a raving lunatic. Screaming, flailing, snotting, drooling, punching and kicking. He was sick of being confined and his ears were hurting during the descent. I kept apologizing to the people around me but they were all very nice and kept telling me it wasn't my fault and they know how it is. After we finally landed, I got our bags and we headed over in a shuttle to the car rental place. I got the keys, found the car and loaded everything into the trunk. I went to put Cole and his carseat into the car and when I opened the door I was hit in the face with the disgusting smell over cigarette smoke!!! I blurted out, "oh hell no!". I left everything there, except Cole of course, and walked back over tto the main office to get us another car. They obliged and I had to unload, haul over and reload the other car with all of our stuff. I had brought our portable dvd player for Cole to watch in the car, so that he could watch his precious Monsters Inc. and would be happy on the hour and a half car ride to Chico. I had never set up our dvd player in the car before, so I had to read instructions and spend about 20 minutes getting everthing strapped into place and ready to watch. We finally left the car rental place and as we headed out toward the freeway, the dvd screen fell shut and Cole started to have a fit. I should have pulled over but I just reached back and set it up. While I was doing that though, I passed a sign for a freeway and I just assumed it was the one I was supposed to get on. WRONG! After about 5 minutes or so driving on this freeway and having nothing look familiar, I saw that I was on the 5 going north when I was supposed to be on 99. I didn't panick though and figured I would get off at the next exit and flip around. WRONG!! The next exit took me on this FOREVER road that ran parallel to the freeway, still going in the opposite direction! After about 10 minutes on this thing, I was starting to lose it. Finally, it bent back around and I was able to get going in the right direction on the right freeway.

We made it Chico pretty quick and met up with my mom. Then we started the trek up the mountain to her house in Forest Ranch. As we were climbing the hill, wouldn't you know it, the check engine light came on in the rental! We made it though and we figured it was just hard on the car going up the mountain. We had a really great time at my mom's (minus my step-dad's forever menacingly bad attitude). Cole LOVED playing with the horses and dogs and playing in the snow and mud mud mud. There was ALOT of mud and it was cold mud. But Cole was having a blast, so I didn't mind getting dirty right along with him. Unfortunately that night, it was extra cold in the other "wing" of the house (where Cole and I were sleeping) and they left their dog, Eeyore, out and he barked ALL NIGHT LONG. Needless to say, I didn't get any sleep and Cole woke up at 4 in the morning to take a massive dump, so that was fun. Friday afternoon my sister Sarah came up to see us and she stayed the night!! Cole had a blast with her and my mom:) We had a better night sleeping that night because I left Cole downstairs, where it was warm. Sarah and I slept upstairs with lots of blankets and they locked up Eeyore for the night!! The sleep was lovely:)...oh yeah there's more...

Valentine's Day is stupid.

2009-02-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

That about sums it up:)

I think we've made it!

2009-02-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

The horrible teething has passed. The early morning wake up calls have ceased. My boy is a smiling ball of silliness. For now:) He pushed out teeth #s 10, 11 and 12 in one long drawn out miserable process!! Only 8 more teeth to go:) Hopefully there will be a little lull of happiness before it starts up again. I'm enjoying the moment. Enough about teething...

So, I lost 12 pounds in January. I would normally be thrilled about this but at this rate I will definitely NOT be winning the Barlows' Biggest Loser competition. Believe me, I'm trying to stay positive but most people are shooting for a 20%+ weight loss and I don't think that is possible for me in 3 short months!! Oh well, at least I'm feeling better about myself, right?! After the weigh in on April 15th, I plan to go back to my fertility doctor and get the ball rolling on getting preggers again. I'm not getting any younger and although I got pregnant pretty quickly with Cole, there is no guarantee with PCOS that it will work so easily this next time. I was going to try to get down to my goal weight before I had another kid but that would probably take a few years AND my little sis is getting married in Oct. of 2010, so I want to have my baby early next year and drop a few pounds for the wedding. I will NOT gain another 80 POUNDS with this next pregnancy and I also plan to work out (safely) the whole time:) For now I am focusing on eating better and I exercise everyday. I have definitely been putting on muscle, so I know that is effecting how much I am "losing" as well. It's too bad we aren't competing in inches lost. I just might win that one:) I can already buy a size smaller in jeans:) Focusing on the positive...

The EVIL canine...

2009-01-23T14:05:00.000-08:00

Don't worry, all of my posts will not be about teething. I just have to say that this canine is an SOB!! Not only is it making Coley's gums sore but it is also pushing against the surrounding teeth and making him even MORE miserable!!! Last night Travis went in to calm him down so that he could fall asleep and he just kept asking for me:( So, I had to rock him to sleep and he kept lifting his head off of my shoulder and hitting himself in the mouth and sadly repeating, "teeth teeth teeth". How sad is that!! He's still cute as a button though:) I promise my next post will be a happy one:) Congratulations to Sarah and Anthony who just had a baby boy yesterday! Welcome to the world Conley:)

So...

2009-01-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

In an effort to keep true to my resolution, I am posting a little blurb about my boy. Cole is teething and it is nothing like the teething when he got his front eight. When those first teeth came in, he took 'em like a champ and hardly fussed at all. He busted out a huge one in the back about a month ago and it was a little tougher on him and he had one solid day of being a crank head. But nothing could have prepared me (or him) for the unending boo hoo fest that is occuring with these TWO HUGE teeth that are coming in in the back on the top. Oh my word!!!! He is as miserable as I have ever seen him and I feel so bad for he little butt. Luckily, he has been sleeping through the night (knock on wood) but he does wake up EARLIER at about 530 am!! I am having the utmost patience with him because I know it must hurt like heck but everyone else is having a pretty short fuse with his attitude. He is unhappy doing EVERYTHING, except for when I'm holding him, which is lovely when I have a bunch of work to get done:) He'll chew and chew on frozen teething rings but they can only help for so long. Yesterday, he was puching himself in the sides of his cheeks and gnawing on his index fingers. I keep him happy most of the time by running around outside with him but again, not so convenient when I have work to do. He is always such a happy go lucky kiddo and it just kills me to see him SO miserable. I can see the points of the teeth now, so I'm hoping that an end is in sight. Up until now, it has been five days of red swollen gums. So, I'm looking forward to the day when I get my goofy smiley boy back:) Until then, I will entertain him as best I can, to keep his mind off of his poor little mouth:( And I'll try and look on the bright side...only 9 more teeth to go!! Oh lordy...

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years...in a nutshell

2009-01-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Resolution is to write little blogs more often than write big ones not so often. But before I start that...I need to recap end of the year stuff.

Thanksgiving was weird this year. Don't get me wrong, my mom and older sister came to town and that was AWESOME! But we didn't see Travis' family at all and as much as I didn't miss the driving from one end of town to the other and having to eat TWO Thanksgiving meals, I still missed seeing them. SO to any of the Stanleys reading this, I missed you. Silly, I know, especially because we see them a few times a month anyway but it still got to me a bit. Anyway, we had about 20 people at my dad's house and ate some YUMMY food!! I made my first turkey ever and it was dang good. I also made my homemade mac n' cheese (from scratch), which is super yum. Oh yeah, I also made some tasty deviled eggs. We had three turkeys and TONS of stuffing. I was so grateful to have my mom and big sister there. They are so wonderful and Cole loves them so much, so it's also nice to get a break while they play with him. My Aunt Libby was here with her husband and two kids and just before she arrived at my dad's she competed in a triathlon in Arizona. She is amazing. She just took up running a few years ago and now is a triathlete!! Crazy cool. Oh yeah and she's also like 50 (or somewhere around there). My Uncle Neil came down from Oregon and it was nice to spend some time with him too. Travis, Cole and I took him to see the dolphins and tigers. I'm not sure who was more excited...Cole or Neil:) Cole LOVED seeing the tigers. He growled at them constantly and cried whenever we moved to see another enclosure, until he saw another animal in it:) He was a bit confused by the dolphins until he really got a good look at one, then he was in love. He screamed wildly every time they swam by. Everyone thought he was adorable and hilarious...of course:) Travis, Cole, my mom, Sarah and I went to see Louisa be an elf at the Springs Preserve. She was also in a little play there. Cole got his picture taken with Santa and from there on he was obsessed with Santa. He started to say Santa over and over again. It pretty much became his favorite word, other than snowman. Louisa was one of Santa's helpers and she was great in the play:)

After the craziness of Thanksgiving was over, it was on to Christmas, which proved to be one of the most stressful Christmases I have ever had. I planned ahead, did all of my shopping relatively early and even started my crafty projects early and it still came down to the wire. I finished a bean bag for my BIL, Josh, CHRISTMAS MORNING! It was a 50" beanbag and it was pretty dang rad, if I do say so myself. I also made 3 32" bags for a fellow blogger named Stephanie. She even put pictures of them up on her blog. I think things on Christmas were so hectic for me because on Christmas eve as I was finishing the sewing of the beanbag, Travis was SUPPOSED to be wrapping all of the presents and stuffin ghte inner liner for the bag. He, uinfortunately neglected to do any of this and fell asleep on the couch. I checked on him twice and reminded him of all of the things that needed to get done and he fell asleep afetr each time and did NOTHING!! So, needless to say, we were running around like mad men in the morning trying to get everything finished, so that we could leave for Travis' parents house. Once Travis accepted that it was all his fault, we stopped stressing and just laughed at how lame we were:) Cole got lots of clothes (which is exactly what I needed for him). He also got a dancing Brobee, which he LOVES and dances along with it daily:) He got a big bouncy castle from my dad and Gail. Some coloring books, cars, trains & tons of other stuff:) Travis got me a Nintendo DS, which is so much fun! He got me all of the brainy games, like spelling, crosswords, sight training, etc. My sister Lou got me GUITAR HERO for my Wii!!! It is one of the funest things I have ever played. Honestly, I'm addicted. I got a pressure cooker from my dad and it is the most amazing cooking apparatus I have ever used in my life. Cooking entire meals in one pot in half the time is my way of cooking. And so far we have cooked the best tasting food I think we've ever had. I've made about 5 meals in the thing since Christmas and have yet to not love it. We went to the Stanleys' for scones Christmas morning. Exchanged presents and got to talk to Travis' younger brother Josh, who's on his mission in Puerto Rico. Then it was off to my parents for more presents and an AMAZING dinner. We had veal shanks (sp?) and mushroom risotto. It was one of the best meals I've ever had.

New Years was uneventful and I rang it in by kissing Travis on the cheek while he was passed out in bed next to me. The best news came from Sarah Barlow in the form of an email!! She is having a Biggest Loser contest of her own and everyone who participates puts in $20 and whoever loses the largest percentage of weight loss will win all of the money. So far the winnings are up to $600 and it is SOOOOO mine!!! In early November my dad had a little scare and had to have surgery. After he was recovered, the doctors told him to start losing the weight. So, we decided to start up a gym in his home. Louisa, my dad and I are the only members and we call it "Fitness Club" and we meet every day of the week (minus a few days during the Christmas holidays, when things were INSANE!) and do some type of work out. So far we do a Taebo video, trampoline video, step video, yoga video, tai chi video, eliptical, spin bike, Bowflex machine, free weights and walking outside. So, we always have something fun to do and we don't get bored. Usually we do circuit training, which is 6 minutes each on at least 5 things and then we do the entire Taebo video. So, it's pretty convenient that I just entered Sarah's competition and I'm already working out everyday. I'm still working on the food part but so far, since the 1st, I have lost 8 pounds!!!! Where's my money??!!!!

I never have time to write...

2008-12-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how busy I am...all of the time! I know that it is almost Christmas, so I am doubly swamped and freaking out but having a full time job and a baby with you all day is NOT easy!!! The day goes by and I just think about everything I would be getting done if I were a SAHM. The best part though is that when I am feeling overwhelmed by all of the things I need to get done, I just go spend time with my boy on the floor and he takes my mind off of everything else. It's too bad that it is so hard for adults to just live in the moment. With a baby, you have no choice. They are only focused on what is right in front of them and I love that! I'm pretty sure that when I have another baby, I will need to quit my job. I honestly don't think I would be able to do it. But I'll worry about that day when it comes:)

The snow here was awesome and so much fun. It was Cole's first snow and he had the best time playing in it. He kept repeating "snow" over and over again (well, his version of snow..."nooonoowwoonnowowooo"). I'll post pictures of him in it when I get a chance. We still have snow in our backyard and were able to make a snowman yesterday! The night it snowed, he got freezing cold and soaking wet but he could care less. He got SO upset when we brought him inside to thaw out:)

Cole LOVES Santa!! He says his name on a daily basis and he runs to the Christmas tree EVERYDAY and finds the Santa ornaments and points to them and says Santa over and over again. He also loves snowmen. He waves to the one in our yard out the front window several times throughout the night and if he sees a snowman anywhere, he squeals, "NOMAN!!". I can't wait for him to be older and really understand who Santa is and what he does:) But I think he feels the magical appeal of Santa already. He is such a sweet boy.

Back to my Christmas freak out! I am scrambling to finish all of my shopping and homemade presents. The stress I feel resembles that of having a paper due in the morning for school and you are just starting it the night before. The good news is that I always got an A on papers like that (I think all of my papers in high school were written the night before)!! I know that all of this will work out in the end & I will be filled with nothing but joy on Christmas day. I just have to keep reminding myself of that:)

Cole 13 months:)

2008-11-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

I'm just writing a little bit about Cole because I haven't in a while and since I am terrible about journaling, this way I can have something to record my brilliant spunky boy:) He has definitely mastered walking...he still trips over everything though:) He loves to ride his 4 wheeler but when he runs into a wall, he just sits there and spins out:) He LOVES to wear his shoes. When he gets up in the morning or wakes up from a nap, the first thing he wants to do is find his shoes and put them on. I definitely prefer that to him refusing to wear shoes. He knows how to sign more, all done, eat & wash hands. He says banana, mama, dada, shoes, nose, Bella, more and all done. He can point to your nose, ears, eyes and mouth. When he wants to give the dogs a treat, he clicks his tongue (not sure where that came from) and he does the same noise when he wants a cracker. He still refers to any motorized vehicle as a vroom vroom. When I ask him to sing he says la la la. He loves to hug Trambo and Wendy and give them kisses. Sometimes when he laughs, he throws back his head like a mad scientist:) He knows the sounds made by a lion (roar), monkey (ee, ee, oo, oo), cow (moooooo), dog (oof oof), pig (tries to oink but it comes out as a mix between the dog and lion), train (woo woo), Cole (lalala) and horse (he makes the neighing sound). His Gampa works on animal sounds with him every time he comes into work:) Cole has been having a problem with biting me when I won't let him do something or if I try to make him come with me by the hand and he doesn't want to. Sometimes it hurts my feelings but mostly I can empathize because I was like that when I was little. Fun, crazy, smart and happy but I had a TERRIBLE temper:) I'm sure I bit my fair share of people I loved. I just tell him no biting and that he is hurting mommy and then I ignore his fit or take him somewhere else and ignore his fit or invite him to do something else with me. He gets over whatever he is freaking out about pretty quick. I think we are making some head way though...yesterday he went to bite my hand because I wanted him to come inside and had asked him several times and when I told him not to bite me he stopped and dropped to the ground and threw a fit. I don't mind the fits but I cannot stand for him to bite me, so I think he might be getting the idea that it is not ok. Overall, he listens very well and understands things that I wouldn't think he could. He amazes me everyday with how smart he is and the things he says and does. Oh how I love that boy of mine. He is also starting to give closed mouth kisses, so that is nice and a little less wet for everyone:) He is a sweetheart.

HALLOWEEN!!!

2008-11-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite holidays!! Since we are broke, we scrounged up stuff that we already had to put our costumes together for Halloween. Cole was a bear, I was a hunter dude and Travis was a werewolf. Travis and I usually try to be themed but since we were on a budget, we didn't worry about it. Although, I guess you could say we were themed, in that I could hunt both of them:) Here are some pics:

Cole is of course the most adorable bear ever:)

I told him to say cheese. He posed. I love him.

Here is Travis in his human form...

I know I look scary. Travis thought I was cool, so I felt good that I looked just like a dude:) The secret to looking like an authentic guy is to have big eyebrows and look completely bored and a little pissed off...I think I got it down.

Here I am with my kill...Travis the werewolf:) Yeah, that's right...I had a Red Ryder BB Gun:)

As it is almost never my goal to be skanky or beautiful on Halloween, I think I accomplished that with flying colors!! We went to Heather's ward's trunk or treat. It was fun to see all of the costumes. Cole had fun seeing all of the little kids. He had no interest in candy, which I found a relief. I'm sure next year, he'll go nuts trick or treating:)

Cole's 1st birtthday!

2008-10-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

Cole just turned ONE!!! I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. I know that sounds cliche but DANG!! It seems like just yesterday they were slicing me open and yanking him out of me:) We ended up having his birthday party at Tomiyasu Elementary School. Funny huh? We intended on having it at a park but it was packed with people when it came time to have his party. I even joked earlier in the day and said we should just have it at the school because it is right around the corner and there is grass and a playground for the kids. Louisa's boyfriend's mom Debbie (got that?) is a teacher and has a master key to the school gate locks. How lucky are we! We were just squeezing through an opening until she showed up and saved the day! My sister Sarah and step sis Amber flew down for the occasion and they were SO MUCH HELP. I think Cole had some idea that the party was all about him. He gave a huge wave to everyone as they arrived. He played on the big kid playground with his dad and ate pizza and cake. He made out like a bandit with a ton of awesome toys and clothes. I think it was the greatest birthday of his life:) Here are some pictures:

Just being cute:)

Waving hello at everybody:)!

Eating Gampa's pizza.

Opening one of many presents. He was wearing a hat that says "first birthday".

He had his own mini bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cake. If you haven't had a bundt cake from here...YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY.

Here he is getting ready to tear it up!

Oh yeah...chocolate!

A Chocolate coma soon set in.

He shared his cake with Gampa.

Happy boy!!

Grandpa & Grandma Stanley giving birthday love & kisses.

Aunt Cassidy & Uncle Josh! They look like proud parents:) Look at his silly face.

Cousins Jordan & Andrew (Josh & Cassidy's kids)

Cousin Colton can hardly wait for HIS first birthday. Look at him looking at that cake!

Aunties Lou, Amber & Sarah!! They are the greatest!

Blogger is not letting me put any more pictures on this blog for some reason so that's all for now. I love my boy and he is AWESOME!! We had an amazing day and I am so thankful for all of the people who shared his big day with us!

Our first hug...

2008-09-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

Last night Cole gave me a hug:) Usually, when he wants you to hug him, he will tuck his arms down by his sides (or even underneath his tummy) and lay against you. Last night he actually took his little chubby arms, wrapped them around my neck and squeezed. I almost died. He hugged me again this morning and let out a big "aahhhhhh". Then he played with the hairs on the back of my neck and rested his cheek against mine. I never realized how wonderful a hug from your child could be. He is so loving and sweet. I hope he never stops wanting to hug me (I know, I know... at some point I will have to force him to do it). I love him so much it makes me crazy. I have some new pics of him walking! He's getting better at it everyday.

Starting to toddle:)

2008-09-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

Cole took a few steps on his own today! He was holding on to a filing cabinet at work and I sat down on the floor and held out my hands and told him to come to me. He edged his way toward me but he was still touching the cabinet with his fingertips. He finally let go, got his balance and took about 2 1/2 steps toward me. He dove head first into my lap. He still needs to get his balance down. He's leans forward with his head:) Later, we were at my dad's house and he wanted me to show him, so I stood Cole up and he walked right over to him. Falling into his lap of course but he got in a good 3-4 steps. I'm so excited for him!! I feel bad that Travis isn't here to see him take his first steps. I even joked with him before he left that Cole would start to walk while he was gone. I don't think there will be any stopping Cole now that he knows what he can do but I told Travis I'll try not to let him practice too much:)

Happy Birthday Big Girl!!

2008-08-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

Jaden Clair Davis, my amazing niece, turned SEVEN today! I love that girl more than there are stars in the sky. She is the sweetest girl you will ever meet and she is super funny and beyond beautiful. I adore her. Her are some pics that were taken at her birthday party last Saturday.

Pretty girl...

Gotta love Starburst.

Hanna Montana Rules!!

Just started soccer...

Could you just...

Happy birthday, Jaden!!!!

Torn Cornea

2008-08-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Monday before last, Cole and I were at work. I had just finished feeding him his breakfast and was washing out his bowl. Next thing I know, he backed right up to a table behind him and pulled down a control board (a small circuit board that goes inside of the machines that we manufacture) onto his head . As much as I can figure, it 1st poked him in the head and then flipped over and slid down his face and some part of it poked him in the eye. He was screaming like a banshee and it worried me that he didn't stop crying when I picked him up. I looked at his face and he wouldn't (couldn't) open his right eye. I held him for a few minutes and eventually he calmed down and was able to open his eye. Here's what he looked like soon after (I just happened to bring my camera to work this day):

Since he was able to open his eye, I didn't take him to the doctor. Gampa helped make him feel better.

Nothing cheers my boy up like a ride on the forklift with Guy.

He tried to have fun:(

Sad little wave...he's a trooper.

He decide it would make him feel even better if he drove it himself.

That's more like it:)

Happy squinty boy.

I put him down for his first nap and when he woke up his eye was a little gooey. I didn't freak out because I figured his eye was just flushing itself out. After his second nap, his eye was practically glued shut. Time to go to the doctor. I called his ped's office and they said a nurse practitioner could see him. He couldn't keep his eyes open when we were outside in the sun, it was too sad. So we get to the office and they take him back pretty quick. A girl takes his vitals and jots down how and what happened. The nurse comes in soon after and is reading the chart. She starts talking to me like I am being an overreacting first time parent. She was nice but she was saying things like, "Sometimes when you get poked in the eye it hurts and I'm not sure if he was poked in the eye because it is not red.". I explain that I'm positive that something happened to his eye and explained again about the eye goo. She pretty much humors me and says she will heck for tears in the eye. They put flourescent drops in his eye, turned off the lights and held a black light up to his eye. The nurse says,"Uhhh...Ohh...well...he does have a tear in his cornea...huh.". Yeah, that's right...a mama knows. She put antibiotic drops and an antibiotic ointment into his eye. She said that tears heal very quickly, that he would feel better in 24 hours and it would be healed within a couple of days. I Googled it when I got homeand found out that corneal tears don't leave a scar. If they did, we would all be blind. Your corneas get scratched multiple times throughout the day and usually heal overnight. The sun bothered his eyes tremendously for a few days but he's all better now.

Bmbmbmbbbbbmbmbmmmmbbbbmbmbb

2008-08-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

Cole loves tractors and forklifts and any other vehicle that he can sit on and that goes bbbbbmbmbmbbbmbmbbbmbbbbbbbbbbmmmmmmmm. I'm sure you get the idea.

Here's the face that goes along with the sound. It cracks me up. Look at that bottom lip.

This is the face he makes when he is violently shaking something. He has to give everything the shake test. He does make another more intense face but this one is too funny.

BTW, Travis is in Alaska building a barrier rail for his company. He is supposed to be gone for 17 days, which means he won't be home for our 8th wedding anniversary. It's not too bad having him gone this time around. I think partially because he gave me the option of telling him no instead of telling me he was leaving no matter what and partially because Cole is easier nowadays. Don't get me wrong, work is brutal: he doesn't nap whatsoever and he seems anxious and frustrated most of the time. It's when we get home that he is SO much easier to please. I'm not sure what it is but he sleeps better, eats better (more focused) and just seems to overall have a better attitude when we are at home. It has made me sad a few times that when we get home, Cole just keeps repeating, "Dada Dada Dada". So, I miss Travis and I hope this time flies by. I'm playing blog catch up, so expect another one within a few minutes:)

Just have to tell you...

2008-08-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

Travis CRACKS ME UP!! I have to go to bed because I'm tired as poo but I have to post this before I forget. I was in living room with Travis and Cole and we were playing on the floor. The tv was on and something caught my eye, so I started watching (I don't remember now what it was). Travis gets up and leaves the room (I figure he's going to the bathroom) and Cole follows him. Next thing I know, I'm hearing Cole happily screaming from the bedroom and I hear his little piano making music. I figure he is dancing and singing and I decide to go watch my boy being cute. I creep down the hallway, so I can catch him without seeing me, and as I round the corner I see...TRAVIS playing Cole's tiny piano. He's just sitting there with the thing between his legs and he is banging away on the keys like he is having the time of his life!! I continue to look into the room further and I see that Cole is on the other side of the room banging on the sliding glass door and looking outside, not even remotely interested in what Travis is doing. I start to laugh so hard that I can't even see straight and Travis looks up from the piano and starts to giggle. He knows he's been caught and he starts to laugh harder, which makes me laugh even harder. We laughed for a good while and he just kept asking, "What?!?!?". As if he didn't know. I wonder how long he would have played with that thing if I hadn't walked in. I wish I would have had my camera. Maybe next time:) Goodnight.

For my mom...

2008-08-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

My mom is up in Oregon right now visiting family and I told her I would post some more recent pictures of Cole, so they could all see him. Sorry I couldn't get to it last night mom but here he is...

Enjoying cottage cheese:)

Enjoying toilet paper. This occurs EVERY TIME we forget to put the toilet paper up.

Wanting to share his yummy tp. Isn't he nice?

He loves the cool wood floor. It is especially nice in just a diaper:)

Standing on his own is his new thing that he is practicing. He does it best when his hands are full.

Well, I hope you are having a good time mama. I tried to call you but your cell gave me a weird message. Say hi to everyone from us! I love you!! See you next month!!!!

Just for fun...

2008-07-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sarah, Erin, Me, Jill & Heather:) Ya just gotta love those peach hip hugging dresses we had to wear. Honestly...look at how shiny they were.

I like this picture because it reminds me of the day we took SO many pictures of us. We took some really funny "serious" close up pictures of us individually. If I can find those, I'll post them. They are too funny. In some of them we are holding our hands under our chins or are holding our hands on our faces. Very Glamour Shots! (Me, Erin, Sarah, Jill & Heather)

One summer...eating plums. I think I ate every plum at the Garrard's house. What can I say...they were good:)

Choir banquet...I think our Junior year. I look like I'm wearing a curtain. I was so self conscious of my body, I covered it up whenever possible. Seriously, you can only see my head and hand...how sad.

One of my birthdays. Don't remember how old I turned but I know it was a good one.

Jill & Heather in Hawaii after graduation. We went to our favorite place to eat:)

Jill & me in my room (before I started plucking my eyebrows). The two of us took many pictures of each other and also video taped ourselves doing nothing in my room all of the time. Good times:) Behind us on the wall there is a cut out quote from a magazine that says, "Once a month, I wish I were a guy."...deep...very deep.

Jill & Sarah...love those smiles:)

Not sure what we were doing but we look darn good! I know it was something church related...duh:) Gee I had some pretty friends.

Another picture from the "picture day". Palm trees are ugly.

Pay close attention to this picture and the next. Can you see what's different? :)

We had to do this alot because we would all want to be in the picture but then no one would be able to take it...so we just swapped someone out and took it again.

Here's another one...and look...surprise! I'm covered head to toe!

Heather did a good job holding her pose. I don't think Sarah was paying much attention. She was too busy talking to that BOY she met in Hawaii and had in our room!!!

This is Travis' older brother Josh. He's the BEST! He's so little and skinny!

Choir trip!! Jill, Adam's feet, me & Cal. I have a scrunchie on my wrist...awesome.

I just flat out LOVE this picture. Could she be more thrilled.

It's funny, when I think about high school (which is rare) I remember mostly hating it. But when I look back at all the pictures of the good times I had and what great friends I had, I am reminded that it wasn't all that bad. In fact it was pretty good. Thank you Sarah, Jill, Heather, Erin & Joshie ...you are my good memories.

Thankful

2008-07-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful for my life. I have an amazing family...both immediate and extended:) If I ever needed anything, I know that I would have at least 10 people waiting in the wings to spring into action. Travis' family has always made me feel like one of the family. For the last FIFTEEN years, they have been a part of my life and I am so grateful for each and every one of them. I am so happy that Travis and I got to live near (and even with) Heather a John:) We became so close and it was such an experience to live with Jaden for the first 10 months of her life. I love that I have been around for so long to see the Stanley kids find love and get married and have babies. Josh, Travis' older brother was my very best friend in high school and I am so lucky that I will have him in my life forever as my brother. He is one of the greatest men and friends I know:)

I am so grateful for my beautiful sisters. Sarah has always been someone I could look up to and I appreciate her example of strength and her unending compassion for all of those around her. Louisa has grown into such a strong and independent woman. I am amazed by all of her accomplishments and how she always keeps her feet on the ground:) For those of you who don't know:)...she recently became BETTE MIDLER'S Pilates instructor!! Yeah, she's awesome:) Go Lou! She has been such a support with Coley since the day he was born. She was especially amazingly helpful while Travis was in Wyoming...I honestly don't think I would have made it without her. My sisters are my best friends. Both are so dear to me and are honestly the only people in the world that I can tell ANYTHING to. I wouldn't be the person I am without my sisters. They brighten my days with their silliness and beautiful spirits.

My husband is one of the most wonderful people I have ever known. He is always willing to do anything and everything that is asked of him by almost anyone. He is a major pain in my behind sometimes but even when I am fuming, he finds a way to make me giggle. He is my best friend and I love him. I love that we always say to each other, "I'm so glad that I'm married to you because you are the ONLY person that I can spend tons of time with and NEVER get sick of:)". Oh how I love that man of mine.

I have come to the realization lately that I have become my father:) I bought his house, I run his business & I look just like him:)!! I honestly don't mind it a bit though:) I love hanging out with my dad because he always makes me think and he always makes me laugh. He is always very supportive and encouraging. I know how much he loves me and my sisters and that makes me love him even more.

My mama is a tough little cookie that I adore. She likes to be called "spry", which always cracks me up. She impresses me constantly with her strength and determination. And I admire her constant effort to be a better person and rise above:) She is a wonderful mother and I am so lucky to have her advice when it comes to my boy. Oh my boy...

Cole is hands down the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. I thank God for him every day. I am so thankful that I live in a time where I was able to receive help in getting pregnant with him. He is the light of my life and he impresses me daily. He is so strong and so smart and it is amazing to me how much he changes day by day. I love his hugs and slobbery kisses. I love his chunky arms, legs, tummy, butt and cheeks. I love that he growls and screams at the dogs. I love that he is so excited to see our dog Trambo and says "Cambo" every time he sees him in the morning and when we get home from work. He is such a wonderful baby. He is so full of love and life and he is honestly the cutest thing I have ever seen. I love his laugh and his toothy smile. I could go on and on about the things I love about this boy. Most of all...I love that he loves me more than anybody else on the planet:)

I am also incredibly thankful for my dogs Trambo and Wendy. Trambo was my first baby and I can't believe he just turned NINE. My baby Wendy came to me when I was having trouble getting pregnant and she helped fill a growing hole. I am so thankful for her floppy eared tv watching self. She is so cuddly and she loves me so much. I have been very lucky in my life to have had 4 amazing dogs...Josie, Charley, Trambo and Wendy. There's nothing like the unconditional love of a puppy:)

So, I am full of thankfulness for so many people and for the experiences that I have had that have made me who I am. Please excuse this long winded blant (blogging rant) but I just needed to get it out. I know I haven't talked about everybody that I am thankful for but I am sure you all know who you are and I desperately need to go to bed:) I am so grateful for my life and for everything that I have been blessed with. My family & friends fill me up daily and I appreciate them all so much. Thank you thank you thank you. Goodnight.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER JAMI TOMORROW!!!!

PICTURES!!

2008-07-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of Cole with my sister Sarah and my mom. They were here visiting at the beginning of June.

He just loves them to pieces!!

He was shaking my mom's suitcase like a mad man. I think he didn't want her to leave:)

Gram is SO fun!!

I love this picture of the two of them...they look too cool to be hanging out with me:)

It is agreed upon by everyone in my family that Cole is the cutest baby in the world!

I'm still here:)

2008-07-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Too much to write about and not enough time! Cole has been keeping me very busy lately. His top 4 teeth have been busting through for about 3 weeks now and this last week, he got really sick. I consider myself pretty lucky that this was really his first time being sick with anything and he is 9 months old. I can't believe he is already 9 months old!!! He is saying dada and mama pretty regularly now and he busts out with ball, Trambo, Bella and Gampa every now and then. Such a smart little cookie! He has an awesome little belly laugh now that CRACKS ME UP!! He has stood by himself just a handful of times but I think he is starting to realize that he doesn't have to hold on to something to stay standing. He hates wearing clothes but I fight him into them everyday:) Once we get home from work, I strip him and he is as happy as a clam (how do you know if a clam is happy?). Anyway, I'm at work by myself for the next 4 working days and I'm probably going to have to drive the fork lift and unload some shipments!! It's freaking me out a bit but Guy (my co-worker) showed me how to operate it before he left and I did pretty well. My main goal will be to not destroy anything while I am driving the fork lift around. My dad and Gail went to their 40 year high school reunion and they are driving around visiting family up in Oregon for the next 2 weeks. Guy left for Kansas this morning and won't be back until Wednesday of next week. So, it's just me and Cole kickin' it at work for the next few days. If anybody wants to swing by and hang out...feel free:)

Oh...I forgot to talk about Cole being sick. He started off with a cough and a stuffy nose. He had that for about 3 days and then he added a fever and diarrhea, so I took him to his doctor. He said that Cole was had an early stage of an ear infection, so he started him on an antibiotic, told me to give him pedialyte and give him some children's cold medicine. If he didn't get better, I was supposed to bring him back in. He woke up the next morning still coughing but happy. Same the next day. Then on the morning of the 4th, he woke up screaming and crying and hacking and puking. Needless to say, we took him to a quick care and they listened to his lungs and thought he might have pneumonia, so they took and x-ray. Luckily, his lungs were clear and they doc gave us a prescription for some cold medicine that would help break up all of his phlegm. My fourth of July was pretty much spent rocking a sick and miserable boy. After I put him to bed for the night, we set off some fireworks and that was fun. By Monday, he was feeling much better and now he is back to his happy little self. Sick babies are NOT FUN:) But we made it through.

Travis' birthday was on the 3rd of July and we ate dinner at my dad's house. The Saturday before, we had a party at my house with all of Travis' family. We barbequed hamburgers and hot dogs and swam. It was super fun! So, that pretty much wraps up my last few weeks. I actually have some work to do:)

FLAGDAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!

2008-06-15T07:33:00.001-07:00

So, yesterday, the 14th, was my birthday:) You were right Josh M.:) I just wrote about my Wii on Friday because I figured I wouldn't have time on my actual birthday to write anything. My birthday was probably one of the best I've had in a REALLY long time. Thank you to Cassidy, Heather, Jami & Mama Shelley for my beautiful crepe breakfast, it was AWESOME!! Thanks to all SEVEN of my nieces & nephews for coming over and swimming and playing my Wii!! Thanks to Travis for my Wii:) Thanks to all of the other contributors to my Wii game fund:) Haha...I'm a nerd:)!!

We went out to all you can eat sushi for dinner and then went back to my dad's for a little Wii action and some red velvet chocolate chip bundt cake (yummy!!)

Cole took 3 amazingly long naps on my birthday and was in very good spirits for the festivities:) I love my family!! So far, 31 aint so bad:)

Happy Birthday to Mii!!!

2008-06-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Travis bought me a Nintendo Wii for my birthday and gave it to me early. It is the most awesome wonderful present I have received for my birthday in a VERY long time!!! It is seriously the most fun video game I have ever played. He also got me Wii Fit because I have wanting to lose my baby weight (eight months later!!) now that he is home for good and I can actually have an hour of time to do something for myself:) We have been having SO MUCH fun playing it everyday. My lil sis Lou has come over almost every day (wait...maybe it has been EVERY day:)) to play it with us. Who knew I would enjoy playing baseball and GOLF so much??!! Wii fit is awesome because you are getting your heart rate up a bit while playing a game!!! It even has Yoga and Strength Training! How fun is that!!! I highly recommend the purchase of one (even if you have to save your pennies for a few months). I love my honey!!! My sisters bought me some additional controllers and a few other games to with it, which I should be getting UPS today!! Thanks sisters!! I love you all! Turning 31 is FABULOUS!!

So I'm a total slacker...

2008-05-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was TWO weeks ago and I am just now getting around to blogging about it. It was, of course, monumental for me because it was my first Mother's Day. I can't describe how happy I am to finally be a mom! Cole is the greatest kid ever. He makes me laugh on a daily basis and he is such a frickin' happy kid! I love him so much...anyway, back to MY day.

Travis was home for the weekend which was awesome because I think I might have held that one against him for a very long time:) He got my windows tinted on my car, which I needed desperately because as it gets hotter and brighter, Cole is suffering the consequences. He also got me some beautiful flowers (which he arranged himself, thank you very much!). And best of all my sister Lou came over bright and early and helped Travis make me breakfast in bed. I hardly did anything all day and then Travis took me to a MOVIE!! We hadn't been on a date with just him and me since before Cole was born!! Louisa watched him while we went to see Iron Man, which was a very cool movie (I have always loved me some Robert Downey Jr., no matter how much of a junkie he's been). Here are a few pics of my day!

Bright and early...don't I look lovely:)

Thanks Lou!! You're the best!!

BEAUTIFUL and yummy breakfast!!

Kisses from my boy!!

I should have taken a closer picture of Travis' arrangement because it was so pretty but this the best one I have...

BEST MOTHER'S DAY I'VE EVER HAD!!:)

7 months old!!

2008-05-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Cole is now pulling himself up on EVERYTHING!! He's so strong:)

He sits back down by either doing this...

Or just flopping onto his bum. He's so flippin' funny!

I love it when he kneels too. He looks like a little boy (instead of a baby).

I love him...

2008-04-30T21:38:00.001-07:00

Cole is the sweetest, funniest and most loving boy I know. He really is just a happy baby. Even when he is being a little crank, I can make a funny noise or a funny face and he smiles while he is boo hooing. He cracks me up on a daily basis and I appreciate that so much. It is so hard having Travis gone for so long and if Cole wasn't such a goofy sweetface, it would be so much harder. He finds pleasure in the simple things...

This is his hamper:)

Travis flew him all around the house in the hamper and Cole LOVED it:)

Travis and I are both big dorky kids, so I know we will have lots of fun with our little goober as he gets older. Eventually he''ll think we're lame but I know we'll have tons o' fun in the meantime!! I love my sweet boy!!

Daddy's home!!

2008-04-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

At least for a few days:) But we are SO happy to have him home!! Cole LOVES his dad!! I love that Cole remembers him and is so happy to see him when he comes home. I think babies know alot more than we give them credit. Here are a few pics of fun times with daddy!!

Cole showed dad his new swing! And posed by sticking out his tongue:)

Showing dad how he can stand up so well

Showing dad that he can crawl now, so he better pick stuff up or he will chew on it!!

Cuddling:)

Cole loves his dad's furry face!!

BATH TIME!!

2008-04-20T22:01:00.001-07:00

He gets SO excited when I say it's time for "BATH TIME"!! I LOVE this tub! I feel so less guilty filling up this tub for less than 2 minutes vs 5-10 minutes to fill up the whole tub for his tiny (yet chunky) butt:) I also love that he can sit up so well. His butt doesn't float away as much as it used to and he's better at balancing himself. I love when he smiles for the camera!!

Two of the signs I have been showing Cole are Yellow & Duck, so every time I give him this in the tub I sign yellow duck. Who knows if any of it is sinking in but I like doing it and he loves his yellow duck.

Splashing makes him SO excited!! He doesn't mind getting it in his face now, so he splashes even harder.

This is the view I normally see during bath time. He likes chewing on the side of the tub and hitting the porcelain. I love his chunky butt!!

Teeth!!

2008-04-20T21:57:00.001-07:00

I FINALLY got a picture of the little buggers (if you click on the picture it will make it really big and you can see them really well. You can also see the food that I missed cleaning above his eye and lip...he takes after his aunt Lou). Usually he's sticking out his tongue covering them up. He's been really great overall through his first teething. Just a couple nights of waking up hurting. The one on the right broke through first and the one on the left just broke through today. He's a champ!! He was biting on my leg tonight before his bath and when I said "OW" he laughed and did it again. He's too funny:) My silly boy.

He's CRAWLING!!!

2008-04-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe he's crawling!! He's getting too big too fast!! I'm so proud of him though. He did it for the 1st time yesterday at work and my dad made me bring him over to prove it. I'm glad he got it on video. I'm still trying to find a new camcorder. He seems too tiny to be crawling. Such a big boy!! There goes another thing that Travis has missed:( I need to get on baby proofing my house ASAP!!!

Just Sad

2008-04-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

I had another mini melt down last night. I was just sitting in my recliner watching some tv and just started crying uncontrollably. I miss Travis so much it hurts. I'm also so overwhelmed at work with all that I have to do plus take care of Cole. My dad and Gail haven't been to work in over a week because Gail had surgery on her back. So, on top of everything else that I do at work, I now have to add all of Gail's responsibilities (mainly accounting & payroll). Anyway, I was crying and crying so I called Travis but he was asleep and pretty much just mumbled to me for a minute before he was completely quiet. Yeah, he fell asleep while he was mumbling. So I just said I loved him, good night and hung up. I called my sister Sarah and she was great. She pretty much just listened and said alot of uh huhs and I knows. Sometimes what you need is someone to just empathize. I go through the day doing what needs to be done and not thinking too much about how much I'm not getting done or what I'm doing wrong. So it's at the end of the day that everything catches up with me and I reflect on all the stuff I didn't do or could have done differently. Travis just needs to be home NOW. I think that will alleviate a big part of me feeling so lonely and overwhelmed at home. He was supposed to be home at the beginning of April but after the tent fiasco it was bumped to the beginning of May but with the way Travis is talking about their schedule it seems it will be bumped to the beginning of June. I hate this so much I can't even express. Cole's teeth started poking through this week, which is WONDERFUL but also sad because Travis isn't here to experience it. I'm just so sad.

On the happy side. I appreciate my sister Louisa so much. She comes over every 2 days or so and helps me with Cole, so that I can pick up the house or just have a break. She is fabulous with him and I love her for loving me and Cole so much. Also, I am getting my house deep cleaned today as we speak. And I have it set up to be cleaned hereafter every Thursday (dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, kitchen). This will be a load off my mind! Every day I get home and think about everything I have to pick up, clean, dust, scrub, etc. and it almost makes my head explode. Even after Travis gets home from Wyoming, I'm gonna pay someone else to do it. My opinion is, I can afford it, so why not? More good news is that my sister Sarah is coming in June! She hasn't seen Cole since December and he has changed so much and is so much more fun now:)

The BEST news of all is how amazing my boy is! I can't believe he is already getting his teeth! It makes me a little sad but it is awesome how much he changes day to day. He is so smart and so funny!! I love his chubby butt to pieces. He is such a good boy. I appreciate and love him so much.

I'm staying strong and just waiting for my BFF to be home for good. I miss him so much.

Cool in the pool:)

2008-04-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

We went to my sister's boyfriend's parents' house (got that?) to celebrate my sister's birthday. They said their pool would be heated so I bought some trunks for my little man. I didn't think he would like it very much because the water was only about 72 degrees (way too cold for me). But we put his feet in and he bent over and started splashing in it with his hands. So, I decided to put him in the floaty I bought and he LOVED it!! He is such a stud with his glasses:)

After about 30 minutes or so, he decided he was getting cold, so I filled up his bathtub that I brought with us with warm water. He chilled for another half hour or so and had the BEST time!!

I can't wait until our pool is up to a temp that I like. We'll go swimming everyday!!

Camcorder...

2008-04-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

I need a new one and I'm not sure if I should get a mini dvd one or a hard drive one. Any suggestions? I don't have much time to do my regular insanely in depth investigation into which kind and what brand to purchase, so any info. or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

6 months!!

2008-04-04T13:11:00.001-07:00

My beautiful boy is 6 months old and he had his doc appt. yesterday. He weighs a whopping 20 lbs 6 oz.!! He got an A+ at his appt. and I'm glad we don't have to go back for another 3 months. Cole getting shots sucks!! Not so much getting the shot...he only cries for a second. But the after effects BLOW!! He sleeps horrible, which means so do I and he is just a fuss bucket for at least 3 or 4 days afterward. NO FUN! I feel so bad for him that he has a fever:( He is just such a happy kid, so when he is like this it just sucks! Poor boy:(

Sitting up!

2008-03-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

He LOVES to sit!! And now he doesn't fall over...much:)

Not a good idea...

2008-03-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided to give Cole breakfast for the first time before we left for work. He got up a little late and I took a shower, so we were going to be late for work already. So I decided, what the hey, I will give him a little oatmeal/applesauce/banana before we left. He was in his Jumperoo and not bouncing, so without thinking, I started to feed him where he was. BAD IDEA! He got so excited about the food that he started squealing and bouncing like crazy and spit his food all over himself, me and the Jumperoo! Fun times. I figured since I already started and we were already messy, I would just finish where we were. I tried to hold the "bouncy" as best as I could with my legs while I fed him the rest. Not the best unplanned plan I've ever had but at least it was a lesson learned:) I will never attempt to feed him in his bouncy, no matter how calm he appears to be. The boy loves his food!

He is getting SO big!!

2008-03-18T20:53:00.001-07:00

Who am I kidding...he's been huge since the beginning!! And I LOVE IT!!!!! He is so chunky and squishy and cuddly!! I just took some new pics of him and I need to get them up here. He is too funny!! Here are a few pics I took at work at the end of February. I know I'm biased but he is ADORABLE!!

Gram!!!

2008-03-18T20:43:00.001-07:00

Cole loves his Grandma Marianne! She wants Cole to call her "Gram". I swear he remembered her from when she was here in the beginning with me when I first had him. Maybe the way she smells or something:)

He couldn't get enough of her. She has such a kind and calm soul...babies LOVE her!! She makes the perfect gramma:)

Kisses for Gram!!!!

I love my mom. I wish she lived closer. I miss her everyday.

Coming home...

2008-03-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

Travis is coming home today after being gone for 3 whole weeks up in Wyoming. He has been gone since January 3rd but has been coming home every two weeks until this time it was three. I'm so happy he will be here to see his boy and all the great things he does now. Hopefully Cole kind of remembers who he is:( He is staying for 5 days and then going back up for who knows how long. This whole Wyoming fiasco is supposed to be over in May but I wouldn't be surprised if it lasted longer based on the company he is working for. I HATE that he is gone and no matter of rationalizing on his part or anyone elses excuses the fact that he is missing out on his first child's first experiences and accomplishments. Not to mention he left his wife ALONE to take care of their child. Of course everything is fine and I am doing what needs to be done but that doesn't mean it is a piece of cake or that I enjoy being a single mom. I will not be letting this go anytime soon and I plan on holding a grudge for a VERY long time after all of this is over. Call me bitter but I think that Cole and I should come first ALWAYS. And the fact that we pulled 2nd and 3rd place in this whole thing pisses me off to no end. Yes, I will forgive Travis because I love him but that doesn't mean I will be forgiving anyone else anytime soon or ever forgetting what this has been like for me.

I consider myself incredibly lucky that I have such a wonderful and beautiful boy. He is honestly the light of my life and makes everything I do worth while. He is growing so fast and does something new every day. He can sit up now really well and can stand while holding on to something. He grabs at everything he can get his little hands close to and EVERYTHING goes into his mouth. He pushes up onto his knees and rocks back and forth. I'm hoping this continues for a while before he figures out how to move forward. My house is nowhere near baby proofed. I actually thought I'd have until Travis came home for good to get everything ready for him to crawl. Looks like I need to get busy:) For the most part he is not a fussy baby. He is really happy and just chills. I love him so much and I am so impressed by him!! What an amazing boy!!

Jumperooooooooo!!

2008-02-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

I would like to give a big kiss to the person who invented this one...
hours o' fun!!

Can you tell I'm playing catchup?!

2008-01-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't blogged in FOREVER...I'm posting tons of info and pictures to get all caught up on my life. Mostly, I'm busy being a mom and LOVING it!! Since I LOVE looking at pictures of other people and their kids, I'm hoping no one minds looking at pics of my beautiful boy. Here are some more...

Meeting Aunt Sarah

First bath!

Cute bum shot...he'll hate me for this one some day:)

He looks just like a pic of me when I was a babe...he goes back and forth looking like me & Travis. Sometimes he's a perfect combination of both:)

He outgrew these pajamas in less than a month...I was bummed because I liked them:(

More pictures:)

2008-01-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

Sleeping baby...one of my favorite pictures of him. He is only 2 weeks old in this pic and he looks HUGE:) I LOVE his big squishy lips...I wonder where he got those from:) He has been a really good sleeper from the very beginning. I've really only had a few nights of him waking up every hour...those sucked! Otherwise, he mostly slept 4-5 hours at first and then 3-4 hours and then 2-3 hours:) I'm very happy to say that now he sleeps 5-6 hours at first and then 4-5 hours after only waking up once during the night! We made it through the week of crying himself to sleep and now I can put him to bed while he is awake and smiling and he falls asleep without any tears:) Woohoo!!

Love this picture because it looks like he is growling:) I swear, he looks different in every picture. This doesn't even look like the pic of him sleeping:)

We kiss him constantly:) Daddy LOVES his boy.

This is pretty much how every picture of me and Cole is taken...by me:) I always grab the camera to take a picture of him with someone else but I never think to ask them to take a picture of me with him. I know I'm going to regret it later...I need to remember to have other people take my picture with him or he might think I was never around:)

Practicing his gangsta pose:)

Cole & Daddy's favorite thing to do...SLEEP!! I would worry at first about Travis hlding him while he slept because he always moves around in his sleep. But I soon figured out that when he is holding Cole and sleeping, he doesn't move a muscle. Must be daddy intuition:)

Poop face. This is the face he makes to this day when he is pooping:

He has been able to hold his head up really well since birth:) Seriously, this boy is a champ at everything. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he was a week past due.

More kisses from Dad.

Where was I?...

2008-01-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah...my boy had just been born and I was a zombie. I remember seeing him for the first time just briefly before they took him away. I told him he was so cute. Seriously, I've never seen such a beautiful boy straight out of the womb:) I got to see him again about an hour later when they brought him to me in my room and he was still cute as a button. I couldn't believe how much I loved him!! He and I were champs of breastfeeding right away. Which I was really freaked out about but I ended up doing a really great job and so did he.

I got to hear this story later from my family...

After Cole was born, Travis hurried out to the waiting room to bring back my family one at a time. He had planned on getting my dad first and he was smiling ear to ear as he walked toward the waiting room. But when he walked through the doors and saw my dad, he just started crying and motioned for my dad to come with him. This, unfortunately was NOT the right thing to do. My whole family seriously thought that there were complications and either Cole or I was dead. Good going crybaby Travis:) As soon as my dad got back there and saw that Cole was fine and heard that I was ok, he called Louisa to tell everyone the good news. Travis didn't think he was going to cry, so when he started, he couldn't talk. Too cute:)

It took me a while to recover from my surgery because there was a problem with my anchor stitch but after a couple weeks I was able to get around. Thank goodness for my mama. She was here with me for almost 2 weeks and took the BEST care of me and Cole. Words can't express how grateful I am for having such an AMAZING mom.

So, there you have it...the whole story of my boy, Cole Michael Stanley, coming into the world. I can't even remember what life was like before he came. I think I was extremely bored most of the time:) Now I don't even get a chance to be bored:) I LOVE HIM!!!!!

Time for pictures...

Grandma & Grandpa

Aunt Lou

Uncle John & Cousins Jaden, Bradley & Owen

1st day home!

AND FINALLY...BABY MAKES THREE!!!

2008-01-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

I figure it is high time that I write about my beautiful baby boy:) He is 14 weeks and two days old today:) I am back at work full time. My dad and step mom aren't here today and my boy is napping, so here goes...

I was a week past due and Dr. Lewis decided that I had to be induced or my baby was gonna be HUGE! I went into the hospital at 7:30 pm on October 11th. They hooked me up to an IV and inserted Cervadil to begin softening my cervix. They said they wouldn't start the pitocin until my cervix was dilated a bit or at least softened. I was given Ambien by the nurse (Deb, who was AWESOME!) to help me fall asleep because I was SO excited about the whole thing. Oh, I forgot to say that my mom and little sis Louisa were there with us when we checked in. Anyway, the Ambien didn't do anything and I pretty much laid there staring at the ceiling listening to Travis snore until 7 in the am (that man can sleep anywhere, any time...no problem). Deb checked me in the morning and said that my cervix was a bit soft and only open a finger tip. I tell ya, my body did not want to let this baby go. So, they started me on Pitocin and told me to get ready for some contractions. Deb left soon after and I was switched to a nurse named Liz. I can't say it any other way than Liz was an ASSHOLE!! Talk about making the birthing experience totally horrible. Deb was so great and every time she checked me, she was so gentle and even talked about how she sympathized for women when their cervix is checked because she has had 4 kids and knows how much it hurts. Liz, on the other hand, seems to hate her job, hate her patients and not care how much it hurts. She rammed her fingers inside of me until I was literally screaming and crying. I knew that it was supposed to hurt but give me a break. My mom almost punched her in the face:)

My mom and Louisa hung out with me for most of the day and I started getting some really good contractions going. Yeah, they hurt like hell:) At around noon I got up to go to the bathroom and sneezed really hard and all this water came gushing out. I told my mom that I was pretty sure I didn't pee myself because it felt different. So, we told Liz aka loserjerkmeanyassface that I thought my water broke and she just nodded and grunted at me like I was making it up or something. My contractions really started getting pretty intense and I had to breath and try to relax and do all that exciting stuff that happens when you are in labor. It hurt ALOT but I was SO excited! They gave me some Stadol later on in the day to take the edge off and that was VERY nice:) I was checked around 3pm and was dilated to a 3. They gave me the option of having my epidural and I figured, why not. The epidural wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be because my contractions hurt alot worse than the needle or the lightening that was shooting down my legs. They stopped my Pitocin while they did my epidural and when the anesthesiologist was done with my epidural my blood pressure plummeted and Cole's heart rate dropped. I actually almost passed out and that was scary for a minute. They rolled me onto my side and everything perked right back up.

We finally got rid of Liz at about 7pm and another nurse took over...I can't remember her name right now but she was AWESOME. Apparently, Liz was not only horrible to her patients, she was also just a terrible nurse overall. The new nurse kept coming into the room to ask me when certain things where done to me because Liz did not keep any notes on me. And because she did not document the amount of Pitocin she was giving a me at what time, they had to start all over again at the lowest dose!! I was pissed!! And my contractions and dilation came to a screeching hault. I tried to explaing that I was up to a 40 (whatever that means) on the Pitocin but because it was not documented, she could not safely start me at the same level. WHATEVER!!! I was checked at about 9pm and had not progressed (duh). Dr. Lewis came in and when she stuck in some instrument to break my water she told the nurse that she felt hair. I explained that I told Liz that my water had broken and they got all worried and needed to know when it happened because the was no documentation of it. They explained that I couldn't labor longer than 24 hours after my water broke or there was risk of infection. I already knew this, having watched multiple episodes of a baby story on the Discovery Health channel. So I thought I was going to be able to labor until about 10 the next morning. No such luck. The nurse came in around 10 and told me that I was going to have to have a c-section. I started bawling and begged for more time. I alos begged her to up my Pitocin and give me a chance to get him out on my own. She bumped up my Pitocin a smidge and went to ask Dr. Lewis if I could have more time. She said I could have 2 more hours but if I didn't progress, she was going to slice and dice. I was SOOOOO upset, I didn't even know what to do. The nurse told me to switch sides every 1/2 hour to try and thin out my cervix. Louisa made the call to my dad and my sister Sarah to let them know that I might have a c-section. My dad showed up pretty soon after that to see me, along with my step mom and my co-worker Guy (who is pretty much part of our family). At this point I had been awake for almost 40 hours and I was so pumped full of fluids, I hardly even looked like myself. I was told by my family that I was changing shades of green. So, I cried and cried and when she came in at a little after midnight and told me that I was still at a three and my contractions were almost non-existent, I just felt completely numb on the inside. I am not one who likes to have things out of my control and knowing that I was going to have to be cut open instead of being able to push him out just killed me. The anesthesiologist cranked up my epidural so that my whole body was numb and lifeless. The only part of me that I was able to move was my right arm.

They took me away at about 1:25am on October 13th and started slicing me open at 1:40am. My boy entered the world at 1:55am weighing 9 POUNDS!!! Dr. Lewis said that his big head was tilted and stuck in my pelvis, which is part of the reason he hadn't moved down. Uh oh...he just woke up...I'll continue this in a bit:)

I can't believe...

2007-09-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything new in a month! I am not able to sign in at work for some reason and I never check this thing from home. But today I am actually a little bored and in front of my computer, so I figured I would take this opportunity to write a little:) I am officially as big as a house:) My due date is 5 days away!!! My doctor says that my cervix is high, thick and tight as a frickin' drum. No labor in sight for me as of right now but things can change overnite, so I'm just waiting it out. My doc says that she will induce me whenever I am ready but I don't want to rush nature. I figure he is still in there for a reason and I won't induce until absolutely medically necessary:) Most people (especially those who have had babies) are telling me I'm crazy to not induce immediately but whatever...I'm letting my boy decide when he wants to enter this world:) My doc says she'll make me induce if I go a week past my due date, so there is an end coming:) I like being pregnant minus my swollen feet and ankles, so I'm good to go until Cole is ready:) Plus...my darling husband gave me a cold, so I am coughing and sneezing and blowing my nose constantly and I don't want to be doing all of that on top of pushing out a baby. It really is weird because I was just realizing how absolutely healthy I have been during this pregnancy and then whammo...I get sick. Such is life:)

I went to my sister Sarah's wedding over the weekend and had a really good time. Her wedding was beautiful, minus the big as a house bridesmaid wobbling down the isle:) Her reception was a ton of fun!! Everyone was so doting on me and getting me drinks and food...it was awesome!! My sister was beautiful in her wedding gown and her husband is the best!! I had the best time and I'm so happy that my sister is so happy:) The plane ride down and back wasn't too bad (only and hour) and I had my first contractions (BH) on the day of the wedding!! I think it was mainly due to all of the rushing around and hubbub that was going on. I also stayed up at my mom's house, which is up in the mountains outside of Chico, and so I had to climb a huge hill after we visited her 20 horses down in the stables!:) Fun times:)

Everyone is calling me and checking on me to see if I'm contracting or just to see how I'm feeling. So far, nothing is happening and I'm beginning to wonder how fast everything will progress once it all starts. I'm excited and scared to have to push this huge baby out of me but I'm sure when the time comes, I will go into survivor mode and get things doen like I always do:) I can't wait to see my boy!! I also can't wait to sleep on my stomach, bend over and pick stuff up, exercise, roll over in bed easily, see my feet, have normal sized feet...oh the list goes on and on:) I wonder how soon I'm going to want another one:)

Continued...

2007-08-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

So...awesome shower! I had the best time with my mom and sisters. My dad was really cute about the whole shower thing. He really wanted to go, which I thought was too sweet:) My dad is going to be the best grandpa! On Sunday, I went to Babies R Us with Mom, Sarah, Lou, Travis, Amber & Gail to buy what I didn't get at my shower...over $1000 later, we were done:) Dang, babies are expensive:) But totally worth it of course! I get to go pick up his furniture today and I am planning on painting his room this weekend. Hopefully it will get done. I have about a million other things to accomplish this weekend, so trying to squeeze that in should be interesting. I am SO uncomfortable sitting up!! I wish I could be reclined 100% of the time. I seriously feel like I can't breathe!! Oh well...only FIVE weeks left!!!!! I cannot believe it!! At my next OB appointment she is going to start "checking" me...oh great...I can't wait:(

Last Saturday I went to a pottery painting place with my sis in law Heather for my neice Jaden's birthday party. I painted a piggy bank for Cole. I talked to Travis before I started to paint it and he requested that I make it into a boar instead of just a pig. I explained that if I tried to paint hair all over it, it would just look messy but I would do my best to make it more of a boar:) So, I painted tusks coming out of its mouth and painted it with brown speckly paint, so that it would look a little dirty and have some texture. I get to pick it up tomorrow and I think Travis will be pleased:) I wrote Cole's name on its butt:) I'm excited to see how it turned out.

I have an infant CPR class tomorrow night and I feel a little anxious about it. As much as I know it is necessary...I am a worrier...and I think it's going to freak me out a bit. I'll just do my best to keep my boy breathing, so as to avoid having to perform CPR:) Good plan, huh?

Well, I am in agony trying to sit at this desk to write this, so I will sign off now before I pass out from not breathing:) Good times!!

So much to do!

2007-08-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

I have been SO busy this past week, I don't even know where to begin. The biggest and best thing that I did was attend MY baby shower. It was AWESOME!!! Thank you to Sarah B. for making her house so inviting and exciting for my family & friends! I had the best time!! We played fun games and I was surrounded by all of the people that I love the most in this world!! I couldn't have asked for anything more. There was even a chocolate fountain, which I devoured almost completely by myself:) Great food, great people...what more does a preggo girl need? I got SO many presents, I couldn't believe it!! I saw people bringing in their gifts as they arrived but I had no idea how much there was until I walked into the room to open them and seriously, the room was FILLED!! I felt a little uncomfortable being in the spotlight, opening gifts for what seemed like a really long time but it meant so much to me to have received so many wonderful things from so many wonderful people. I think I also felt a little uncomforatble because, unknown to me, the fireplace was pumping out a little heat behind me the entire time I was opening my gifts:) I know that I run a little hot becuase I'm pregnant but I was sitting there thinking, "MAN O MAN AM I MELTING!!". I was sitting in a leather chair and by the time I was done with opening presents and stood up, my body was soaked. I had boob sweat marks & a sweat circle on my back (really sexy). Good thing I was surrounded by people who love me in spite of my sweatiness:)

My boy will be very stylishly dressed and he has a blanket for every day of the month! Speaking of blankets...one of my favorite gifts is the blanket I received from my mom & Gail (step-mom). When I was born, 30 years ago, Gail made a quilt for me that she gave to my mom and I wore it out. I didn't know that my mom had held on to that blanket for all of these years and she had gail take it apart and salvage most of the squares and add some new ones and make an entirely new quilt for Cole. It blew me away and of course, made me cry:) Sarah B. also had put in the invitation for the guests to bring a book instead of a card with their gift and that turned out awesome! I got so many great books to read to Cole, I cannot wait for him to get here. I have a doctor appointment in 45 minutes, so I'll write more later.

Only SEVEN more weeks!!!

2007-08-16T11:42:00.001-07:00

Until my due date!! I can't believe how fast it is going by. I swear the last 3 months flew by the fastest. My belly is undeniably large with baby and I love it! I do miss being able to lean forward and I don't really enjoy baby parts getting stuck in my ribs but other than that, I'm having a GREAT time! My baby shower is in 2 days and my family is all going to be here (well...at least my sisters and mom). I'm having a very non poopy day today and I feel fabulous. Thank goodness for these days to help erase the ones that super suck:) I'm still on my cleaning rampage and I am feeling really good about all that I have accomplished. Now if I can just get Travis to move the big stuff that I can't, I would be in heaven:) I really feel less overwhelmed by my remaining list of things to do and I am finally feeling somewhat ready for my baby Cole to make his entrance. I can't wait:) I love my life! Now, if only I can continue to remind myself of this when I'm having a crap day:)

Man, was I grumpy or what!?

2007-08-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

I just read my last post and it made me laugh. I was so flippin' angry when I wrote all of that. Definitely not feeling like myself:) I'm feeling much better today and I got SO much done this weekend, I am quite proud of myself. I made a list (gotta love lists) that was three pages long of stuff that I wanted to get done around the house and crossed off almost 3/4 of it by the time Travis got home on Sunday afternoon. He was very impressed and told me I was amazing for being able to do most of it with my big ol' belly. He did get a little miffed that I did some of it because I moved some heavy stuff (although I did move it with a hand truck, so it's not like I actually lifted any of it) but I explained that if he would have been here, he could have moved it himself but since he wasn't, I did (so pbhllt). He scored major brownie points with me on Saturday because he sent me a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of flowers:) It's funny, when I think about getting flowers, I am never too keen on the idea because there are only a few flowers that I actually like and I don't like the idea of them dying. BUT when I get flowers, it's a whole different story. I was tickled and smelled them all day and thought about how much I love that man of mine. I'm psychotic!! They were so gorgeous...all orange and yellow (my fave). Anyway, my house is slowly coming together and I am definitely nesting...I can feel it. I DO NOT like to clean in a any way shape or form. I avoid it at all costs and do the minimum always (which is why I really need to hire a maid). But I swear, this whole last week I have been craving to clean EVERYTHING (I might as well be doing all of it with a toothbrush) and get everything organized in my house. When I got into the shower on Saturday to take a shower, I ended up cleaning it for the 1st 15 minutes I was in there and eventually had to convince myself just to take a shower because I was going to run out of hot water. It is crazy! I can't wait to get our carpets in and get everything hung on the walls.

I really do wish that I was more amped to have a garage sale. I've never actually put one on by myself before and I am not keen to sit in my driveway and have strangers go through my stuff. My sister Sarah keeps giving me crap and says that if she were here, she would do it for me because it is so fun to have people give you money for crap that you are just going to throw away. Sorry, I have zero desire to have a garage sale. I am not throwing it all away though. I am going to give it all to good will. I have dvd racks, tons of bedding and lots of clothes and shoes. There are two Bose speakers that we never hooked up that I just want out of my sight and a really nice Rebox treadmill that we spent a pretty penny for back in the day that I don't want to look at anymore. I have my spin bike and my pool and that's all I need:) I'm sure we could get some decent $ for all of our unwanted stuff but I am absolutely not motivated to sell it. It makes me feel better to give it to charity anyway:) I have to work now...see ya!

Travis is on my sh!t list...

2007-08-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

He left for Wyoming on Saturday to go pour a ski lift on the top of a mountain in Jackson Hole. He doesn't seem to understand that although he "compromised" and is only going up for a week, he is also leaving a very emotional, tired and needy pregnant wife at home alone!! I love him and I want him to have a good time but to hear about what a fabulous time he is having and how cold and beautiful it is and how he wants to stay there for the rest of his life makes me want to kick him in the nuts when he gets home, rather than give him a hug. I went to my first childbirth class last night and if it wasn't for my WONDERFUL sister-in-law Heather (whose anniversary was last night), I would have been the only single mom at the class. Deep down, I really don't mind that Travis is gone but when it comes to the little things that I would like him around for, I get pretty upset that he had to chose NOW to leave me alone. I am glad it is only for a week though and not the original THREE MONTHS he was hoping for. Can you believe that?!!! He was actually contemplating leaving for 3 months when our baby was going to be due in 3 months!!! He wanted us both to go up there and it took some determination on my part to convince him that there were a MILLION reasons why that would not be a good idea. In short, I have doctor appointments to keep, classes I had signed up and paid for, my insurance doesn't cover me if I go to Wyoming, so if there was a problem with the pregnancy or I went into preterm labor, I would be screwed, the baby's room is not ready, we are in the middle of renovating our home...the list seriously goes on and on. I swear, sometimes he just gets tunnel vision and thinks that what he wants to do is the best and only way to do it. Luckily, I have learned how to talk him down most of the time and if nothing else works, I just cry and he hates to see me cry, so he concedes:) So, he'll be home in4 days and I have a list a mile long of things I need him to do. Our carpet got into town yesterday and if he were here, I could have had it installed today:( Oh well, what's done is done and he just needs to come home. Damn, I'm a needy, emotional butt:) I love him, I love him, I love him (just have to keep reminding my pregnant self of this). And that's enough of a hormonal rant for me today:)

A HUGE thanks to Sarah B. for making my baby invites and sending them out!! I've received phone calls telling me how cute and how very "me" they are...no duckies, chicks or bunnies:), they are just "cool". I can't wait to see them! I am really excited for my shower and can hardly wait for my sister's wedding and the arrival of my little man!! There is SO much going on in these next few months, it is insane!! Time is flying by and it seems my list things to do gets longer instead of shorter with each passing day. I am trying to do as much as I can everyday, even if it is just a little at a time to get everything ready. I'm so tired and excited...I feel a bit delirious!!

I laughed, I cried...

2007-07-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

And then I cried some more:) I'm done with Harry Potter and I have to say that I feel a little empty:( At least I have the movies to look forward to. I can't wait until Cole is old enough for me to read all of the books to him or for him to read tham himself and talk to me about them! Damn, I love me some Harry!! I had a doc appt. yesterday and everything is going great. I am actually 30 weeks today and I can't believe how fast it has flown by! I have to go tomorrow to get a glucose screening test done...huh? My doc appologized in advance and asked me not to hate her because appearantly it is a disgusting experience. Great...I just hope I don't throw up whatever they give me to drink. Good times. Anyway, my belly is getting bigger and I can't wait for my baby shower to get here!! Travis is leaving next weekend to go to Wyoming for a week and I don't know what I am going to do without him. Not that I am a total invalid but I definitely like him fetching me things, like drinks and popsicles, instead of having to get up and get them myself:) I haven't gone grocery shopping without him either during my entire pregnancy, so that will suck too. I'm a cry baby:( I'm gonna miss him and I hate that he gets to escape the desert for a week and I am left here to boil. Oh well. He better have fun because he's gonna have to do a whole lotta stuff when he gets home;)!!

HARRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

2007-07-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

I just tracked my Harry Potter book and it was shipped yesterday and it will be delivered today!!!! I love Amazon.com! They shipped me book 4 & 5 a day early as well! I will be reading it by tonight and all of the losers who didn't pre-order from Amazon (no offense) will have to wait in their long lines at midnight to get their copy. Am I a nerd or what?! I don't care! I cannot wait to find out what happens to everybody...I think I am most interested in what in the heck is going on with Snape. I actually have to work now, so I can't write much more but I can't express how excited I am to read this last book...well maybe I can...IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEE HHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY PPPPPPPPPPPPPOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

This little piggy...

2007-07-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

I don't recognize my feet by the end of the day anymore:( I am either on my feet or sitting in my chair with my feet on the ground all day and my poor ankles and feet are paying the price. I am trying to put them up more but I am up and down all day and don't really have a convenient place to put them up. Thankfully, I have a lovely pool that I swim in every night and that helps with the swelling alot! But the last few hours of work are tough & the drive home & standing while I make dinner is torture. It seriously feels like my toes are going to pop off. My doctor said that with as hot as it is and for as long as I'm on my feet all day, it is normal. As long as my blood pressure stays normal & I'm not having bad headaches, it is not a sign of preeclampsia. It is just a sign of being pregnant in the hot ass desert! So, I miss the bones that used to stick out on my ankles and as much as I've never been fond of my flinstone feet or short little piggies...I would gladly take them over these scary puffed up sausages at the end of my legs:) (good visual huh?) My belly is getting heavier and I swear Cole is going through some kind of growth spurt because I feel stretched inside and have terrible shooting pains down low on my uterus when I stand up or roll over in bed. Ah the joys of pregnancy:) Overall...I'm feeling pretty good & my few complaints are totally manageable.

I'm getting really excited for my baby shower in August!! I'm mostly excited to spend some time with people I don't always get to see, so hopefully people show up:) And to top it all off I get presents! I actually feel bad that a majority of the things on my registry are so expensive but I guess when you are having your first baby and you need EVERYTHING, some things are spendy. A few people have actually called me asking what I want the most because they want to get me the best present because they loved what I got them so much (too sweet). Usually, I make diaper cakes for baby showers that I go to (3-4 layer cakes made out of diapers that are stuffed and decorated with essential goodies). I LOVE making them and actually wish that more people that I know were having babies, so that I could make them more often. I actually wouldn't mind starting my own business where I made them and sold them!! That would be a dream job for me. I would have to find a way of making them less expensive though...I ususally get carried away and put way too much stuff in & on them:) I'm rambling...bye!

Happy 4th!!

2007-07-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

I had a great day yesterday...minus the 119 degree weather!!!! Had a great birthday lunch with my family for Travis, went to a pool party with some friends (although I didn't swim because I don't have anything to swim in...at least nothing I would want anyone to see me in), had an awesome Cold Stone creation and watched Travis' fireworks show! It is just too hot for words...seriously. I know it's the desert and all but this is one of the hottest summers we've had in a while. And it's not just because I'm pregnant and feel like I'm in an oven all of the time...we are breaking records for high temps all over the place!

I remembered to bring in some pics from my ultra sound...enjoy:) They really aren't as clear in the stills as they are in the dvd but most of them still look pretty cool:) I love my baby!!

This is the side of him with his arm in front of his face & you can see his little ribs. He's only 26 weeks, so he still has quite a bit of chunk to pack on before he is born.

These are his legs. I like this picture because of the definition in his calves.

Definitely my forehead & my nose:) Poor boy.

He might look more like Travis later but this boy is ALL me in these pictures.

And just for fun...the picture of his package!:)

AWESOME...

2007-07-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

I had a 3d/4d ultrasound on Saturday and it was probably the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed:) I got to see my baby boy's sweet face and watch him wiggle around inside of me. Absolutely awesome. He spent most of the first 10-15 minutes with both of his legs and feet pulled up against his face. He was grabbing his feet with his hands and was covering his face pretty good. Finally after switching sides and even sitting up for a few minutes, he dropped his feet to his chest and we got an amazing view of him. He was sticking his tongue out and rubbing his eyes and blinking! He looks just like me:) I burst into tears when we finally saw his face...I didn't think I was going to do that. My sister Sarah was in town and she started crying at the same time I did. I had no idea how clear we would see him and how much he would look like me. Travis was of course thrilled to death and said he likes that he looks so much like me since he thinks I'm so cute:) And since I am the female version of my father, Cole looks just like my dad. When I showed the pics to my dad, he said, "Hey, that looks like me!". Travis' family was in the ultrasound room with us as well and although this is #7 grandchild & nephew for them they were so excited and oohed and aahed at everything he did. My room limit was 10 but a few extras squeezed in for the main event. Everyone there included: Aunt Sarah, Daddy Travis, Grandma, Great-Grandma, Aunt Cassidy, Aunt Heather, Aunt Julie, Aunt Candice, Cousin Jaden, Cousin Owen, Aunt Jami, Cousin Abby & Uncle Nate. I will post pics when I remember to bring them into work. The first thing that Cole decided to show to us was his penis:) Because he was a little spread eagle and had both of his feet in front of his face, we got a very clear picture of the goods. The ultrasound tech said, "oh...you do already know the sex don't you because your baby is NOT shy!". I told her we already knew and she said that there is NO doubt now because "there's his package!". Too funny. The tech was so nice and she was getting very excited to finally see his face after he was covering up for so long. I had the best time and was so happy that so many people came to see him...I think that makes up for my crappy birthday:)!!

I had a great time with Sarah over the weekend. She had her 33rd birthday on the 29th and we swam all day in the pool on the 30th. Let me tell you that floating in a pool when you are pregnant is wonderful!!! I didn't realize how heavy he was until I had to climb out because I was getting pruney. It was a very good feeling to be weightless for a few hours!! I always have the best ime with my sisters. Hopefully one day we will all live nearby each other. I better make it to Sarah's wedding in September. I know that I will be pushing it because I will be 38 weeks on her big day but I have had several talks with Cole, telling him to just stay put until the day we get back from the wedding:) Say a little prayer for me!

Sorry Sarah:(

2007-06-26T09:28:00.001-07:00

Let me take this opportunity to officially state that I am an ASS. I swear on my life that I had every intention of going to your party. I went home early from work so that I could get my laundry done, so that I could pack for my trip on Saturday. I told Travis to be sure he was home by 5, so he could shower and be ready to go with me. I put my first load in around 3pm and my 2nd at around 430pm and Travis was home at 5 and showered promptly. We both laid down on the bed and waited for my laundry to be done. I woke up at 946pm and smacked Travis, "WHY DID YOU LET ME FALL ASLEEP?!!!!!!". "Wha? Huh? Wha?".

So there you have it...we fell asleep for almost 5 solid hours!! I honestly don't know how it happened and I was so angry at Travis, I felt bad afterwards. It of course wasn't his fault because we both fell asleep. So, I am glad that I called you earlier to wish you a happy birthday. From your blog, it sounds like you had an excellent party. I am so pissed. I really wanted to see Beth, Howard, Erin, Nate, David & Michael and I really wanted to hear Tyler and his band play:) And see you of course. I hope you can forgive me. If I wasn't pregnant, this never would have happened, so technically we can all blame Cole:) I'm sure that me not being there didn't ruin anything but I am still sorry. I was looking forward to us being able to talk about being 30 together:) So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY you beautiful girl!!! I LOVE YOU TONS & TONS!!!!!!

On another note...I went to my big sis's bridal shower over the weekend and I didn't miss that by falling asleep:) It was the first bridal shower I have ever helped throw and I must say that it was the best shower I have ever been to. We had the best food and the prettiest decorations. The room was filled with great funny people who adore my sister and it couldn't have run smoother. Good times!! I swear, my belly doubled in size while I was gone and I think I'm finally starting to look pregnant:)

Hey

2007-06-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well...my 30th birthday sucked. Being one not to dwell on things, I'm not going to go into great detail but lets just say that EVERYONE from Travis' family forgot my birthday and when I say everyone, I mean everyone (even Travis). I understand that he knows my birthday is June 14th and he was unaware that Thursday's date was June 14th but come on. Put forth a little effort. We have been together for eleven years and this is the first time he completely forgot, which I guess is ok, as long as it never happens again:) Whatever, I'm over it.

Being 30 really isn't much different than being 29. I haven't really even thought about the fact that I am 30 until writing about it right now. I'm definitely more consumed with the birth of my first baby!! He is definitely growing like a weed inside of me because he can reach all new places to kick. My sister Sarah's bridal shower is this weekend and I'm so looking forward to seeing my sisters and mom!! I fly up Saturday morning and I rented a car, so I have to drive to Chico all by myself for the very first time. Ususally, my mom or sister pick me up from the airport but I decided to let them off the hook and just drive myself. The more I think about it, I wish I wouldn't have because I will miss the conversation:( It is an hour and a half drive from the airport in Sacramento to Chico and it usually flies by when I have someone to talk to. Oh well, it will be an experience.

Travis finally started putting down our wood floors and they look awesome. I can't wait until they're done. Travis stayed the night in Mesquite last night which sucked big time. He is trying to get a big job done there, so that all of his workers can be here in Las Vegas to work on their next job at Nellis Airforce Base. He is such a hard worker and I love him for that but I definitely hate it when it keeps him away from me. I don't like sleeping alone:( Well, that is a recap of my uneventful life.

UFC Champion

2007-06-06T16:05:00.001-07:00

My boy is a wild and crazy kicking and punching machine:) It is crazy how active he is during the day and especially at night. If this is an indicator of how active he is going to be when he is born, I'm in trouble. I can't believe I will be 6 months pregnant in a week! It has gone by so fast! At first I was a little freaked out, waiting to feel him. Now I love that I get to feel him all day...it's like a secret party going on that only I know about. I can't wait to kiss this baby and smother him with lovins.

He will undoubtedly be the most spoiled child on this planet. I will have to work extra hard to teach him that you he can't always get what he wants because I know that my mom and dad will be waiting in the wings to get him whatever he desires:) It will be a first grandchild for both of them and they can hardly stand it:) My mom is of course more open about how excited she is but my dad drops his little hints here and there about how he can't wait to be somebody's grandpa and all of the stuff he's going to teach him. I think my dad is mostly excited because I'm having a boy. He had 3 girls, no boys and although he says he doesn't think he missed out on anything, I know he's thrilled to have a boy in the family. He was thrilled to have a son-in-law when I married Travis, so I can only imagine how happy he is to be having a grandson. I'm so happy that my baby will be surrounded by so much love in his life. I was never very close with my grandparents and once we moved to California, I didn't really get to see my aunts, uncles or cousins very often. When I moved to Las Vegas, I never saw or heard from anyone. I know of course that this was partially my fault but it was never instilled in me by my parents how important grandparents are. I know my boy will know and love and appreciate his grandparents and that makes me happy. I also have a webcam, so both my mom and Sarah can check in on him whenever they want:) I think eventually Sarah will move here and I know my mom will come here all of the time once he is born. Family is the most important thing to me and I hope to pass that on by example to Cole.

We're on our way...

2007-05-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

We finally picked out and purchased the wood for our floors and will be scheduling the carpet to be installed in a couple of weeks! I'm so happy that we are finally making progress on all of our house stuff!

I had a doc appt. yesterday and according to my OB, my pregnancy is absolutely normal! With the combination of my blood work and the perinatal ultrasound, everything looks perfect, so she said I don't need to worry about having a small baby or going into preterm labor. Hooray!! Just what I needed to hear. It is funny how 20 years ago, there weren't all of these tests that you could do, so you just got pregnant, had an ultrasound here and there and had a baby. Now, there are so many tests and screenings it seems like sometimes it causes undo stress and worry. I understand that these things are helpful if there is a problem but when they point to a problem and there is none...it is a little annoying:)

My birthday is 2 weeks from tomorrow and I'm going to be 30! It's crazy because I still feel ike I'm only 19:) Much more mature of course and more patient but I definitely don't feel 30. I remember how old I thought 30 was, even when I was 20. Now it doesn't seem so old:) I'm still just me and 30 is just a number. No big deal as far as I'm concerned. Travis and I are going to go away for my birthday and I'm looking forward to that. As much as Las Vegas is my home and I love it...I usually LOVE to leave it all behind for a few days or so. I think we will go to San Diego but I haven't decided yet.

Note to Sarah B.- In case you don't check your myspace, my 3 sister -in-laws want to help with the shower:) So, if you want their help, give me a call and I'll give you Heather's phone number or let me know if you want me to give your number to her. Or if you want the stress free life of not throwing the shower, they would be more than happy to jump in. Don't think for a second that I don't want you to throw my shower but I am giving you an out because I know how much easier it is to attend a shower than it is to throw one & I also know that you have 4 children and a husband that rule your world:) On the otherhand, I know you love a challenge and love staying busy busy busy:) I love you for that!! Just let me know what you want to do and keep in mind, my sisters are here to help (Heather, Jami & Cassidy). I want the shower to be on August 18th, so that both of my sisters & mom can attend. I'm making my list of people now and it is getting quite long. Is there a limit on the number of people I should invite:)? I'm so excited!!!!

Baby oh baby!

2007-05-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

I registered for my baby stuff at Babies R' Us on Saturday and it only took me...2 1/2 hours!! It was supposed to be me, Travis, Heather, Jami, Cassidy & Shelley (Travis' step-mom). But Shelley & Steve got robbed during the week and had to look for their belongings at the swap meet on Saturday (don't ask) and Cassidy (Travis' brother Josh's wife) went out of town for the weekend. So, it ended up being me, Travis, Heather (Travis' sister), Jami (Travis' sister) and her husband Nate, which turned out to be just perfect:) Heather has 3 kids and had alot of good advice on what to be sure to get and what not to even bother looking at. Jami has a little girl and it was nice to have contrasting views on some of the stuff (but not so many different views that I wanted to stick something in my eye). I registered for everything under the sun and then some:) I decided not to register for any of the bedding because I really don't want a "theme" in my nursery, I just want a color scheme. So, I'm going to make the bedding and maybe even the curtains myself. I'm going to go to Joanne's this weekend and pick out the fabric. I'm so excited to get his room done!

Good news! Travis and I decided on wood floors for our house, so I am super excited about getting that put in. We also picked out the carpet, so that will go in in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to get my house all situated and ready for Cole to make his arrival! Speaking of...he is a true acrobat inside of me now. I feel him wiggling througout the day and when I lay down at night, he goes absolutely bonkers and kicks me like crazy! Travis actually got to feel him kicking on Monday night for the first time. He was so freaking happy and I felt so happy for him. He has been a bit bummed that I get to experience all of the wiggles and kicks. I told him that eventually he'll be glad that he won't have to deal with being kicked in the ribs and bladder throughout the day:) He also brought to my attention last night that when Cole is born, I will be out numbered and over ruled by boys in the house. I told him that sure I'll be out numbered but I will never over ruled:) He may be the head of the house but I am the neck and can turn him any which way I please. Girl power! I love that man of mine!

I'm still here:)

2007-05-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in what seems like forever. Not too much to talk about I guess. I had my big ultra sound on Wednesday and got my blood results back from my AFP. Blood results indicated that baby is negative for Down Syndrome, Neural tube defects and something else but it also indicated that my baby will be small or I could have a preterm baby. Wha?! Ultrasound confirmed that my baby is actually on the bigger end of the 20 week scale (whew) and I don't quite understand how they can determine half way through the pregnancy that I will go into preterm labor? Whatever. I'm staying positive and I am bound and determined to keep this baby inside of me and go to my sister's wedding!

The Office was AWESOME last night. It is about time that Jim got his head out of his butt and started to love on Pam again. It honeslty made my night...that's how boring my life is:) I really just love that show! I also watched the season finally of Grey's...haha. I do like that show but it makes me laugh how over the top everything always is. Seriously, EVERYONE'S lives completely fell apart by the end of the show. Drama, drama, drama.

So, I'm going to go register for my baby stuff this weekend. I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the idea of all of the stuff that I will need to get. But I am happy that I don't have to buy all of it myself:) I love getting presents! The Stanley family have all decided that they want to go with me to register, so I will have some help. Wish me luck

Good news and a scare...

2007-05-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

I found out on Tuesday that I am having a baby boy! I am a little freaked out simply because I didn't have any brothers and have never changed any boy diapers. I figure, that's what I've got Travis for:) Not only was he a boy himself, he also had two younger brothers that he helped raise. I know that this baby will love the crap out of me and he will be my bud:) The more I get used to the idea, the more excited I get. I really was not allowing myself to start preparing one way or the other until I knew but I did know that if it was a girl, piece of cake. Not that girls are a picnic, with their diva tantrums, fashion squabbles, not to mention the whole puberty thing but I just have been there, done that. So I thought I could handle that better:) Now all of my thinking has to shift to boys:) Little mischevious, dirty, smelly, adorable boys:) I really cannot wait to meet him.

The scare I had came yesterday in the form of bleeding. Now for someone who has not had any bleeding during this pregnancy (I take that back, I had a spot or two in NY) it freaked the crap out of me. I called my doctor and she said if it continued that I would have to go to the emergency room. Not good. My big ultrasound isn't until the 16th and she said that I shouldn't have sex until then either. Great. I went home checked on the baby's heartbeat (nice and strong) and laid down for the rest of the day and night. So far today, all that remains are a few brown spots here and there. So I think it was just a fluke:)

Grey's bored me to tears last night. The only good scene was Izzie and George kissing in the elevator. I have always been a fan of making out:) I am not a fan of Addison's (I can't stand her duck face that she makes on a regular basis) and was bothered by the fact that they spent more than half the show introducing all of the characters from her new show. Boring.

The Office is the best show on tv:)

Nothing like a childhood trauma...

2007-04-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we almost killed our 3 year old nephew Bradley right when we arrived at the campsite on Friday night. We pulled up at about 9pm and it was pitch black outside. Steve (Travis' dad) told us to pull around and back into a spot for our trailer. We started driving forward at about 5-10 mph for at least 50 ft or so and all of the sudden Steve started yelling, "STOP, STOP, STOP!!!!!". He ran toward the back of our truck and I thought, we were probably going to run over a big rock or something and then he emerges with Bradley in his arms. Apparently, Bradley had seen our truck when we first arrived and ran out to us and when we started moving, he was stuck between the truck and our trailer we were pulling and he was running for his life. The trailer hit him and he had enough sense to grab onto the front bracket of the trailer and we dragged him for a bit. If he would have let go, we would have surely run over him with the trailer. I seriously almost threw up when Steve walked out from behind our truck with Bradley. That kid is one tough cookie and he is also a little mischevious poop. He really doesn't listen very well and he pushes his parents' patience as far as it can possibly go on a daily basis. They didn't see him run away from the campsite and the only reason that Steve saw him was because his shoes light up when he walks (or in this case, runs away from a trailer). I felt absolutely terrible but I know that we weren't at fault in the slightest. It wasn't until Sunday morning that Heather told me that it was a blessing that we hit him with the trailer:) She said that he runs out into the street all of the time at home and her explanations of what terrible things could happen to him had never meant much. But when they went walking to the bathroom the day after "the incident" he turned to her as they approached the road and said, "NO, TRUCK TRUCK, NOOOOO!!!" and wanted her to pick him up. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a near death experience to get the point home. Good times!

Other than that, we had a pretty good time. I didn't catch any fish but Travis and most of the rest of his family did. I also got a migraine while I was there and had to sleep for about 4 hours while everyone else was having fun:( I tell ya, being pregnant has intensified my headaches 10 fold and migraines seem to come more often. I did read that hormone changes can give you headaches but come on...these suckers lay me out. One day last week I went to bed at 530pm and didn't get up until 7 the next morning! Not fun.

I'm excited that my doctor's appointment is tomorrow! I'm super excited to schedule my ultrasounds! Hopefully it won't be too far away. Is it a boy or a girl?!!!!

Busy busy busy...

2007-04-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

My mom came into town on Saturday and just left yesterday. My little sister Louisa arrived here on Sunday night and will be here until Saturday. They have kept me quite busy and I took Mon. & Tues. off work to play!! Needless to say, I have been too busy to blog ( a travesty, I know). My doctor appt. on Monday was cancelled because of two back to back emergency c-sections. I'm bummed because I really wanted to hear my little bugger's heart beat but I wouldn't wish a c-section on anyone and feel for those ladies. My appointment was bumped to Tues. May 1st, so not too far away. Thanks to everyone who was wondering what was going on and sorry I didn't write sooner:) And thanks to Dylan for his expert advice on my upcoming appointment...pretty sure it's a grizzly bear. Also, congrats to Dylan & his wife Candace for bringing another lovely girl into this world. Oddly enough, Claire is one of three names that Travis & I have agreed on for a girl:) It is his sister's middle name.

So, I have another week to wait until I get to hear my baby again. I think I might buy one of those hand held heart listener thinga ma bobbers. Just so I can listen to my kid whenever I want. I did some research on Amazon and there are a couple that aren't too expensive, that people raved about. My mom was bummed that my appt. got canceled because she was here and she was excited to hear the heart as well. Oh well, what ya gonna do?

Travis & I are going camping with the Stanley clan this weekend. I'm sure it will be fun times had by all. We are taking our dogs:) and everyone else is bringing their kids. Two grand parents, two parents, 11 brothers & sisters and 6 nieces & nephews:) Good times. We are going somewhere in Utah. Well, I have to go read everyone elses' blogs now, buh.