The Winners

Hawaii so far....

2012-02-11T13:50:00.006-07:00

Well since being here I have not made it a point to blog every day, but who would?! There seems to be much better things to do! :)

However, Todd is going on a bike ride and the kids can't spend the whole day at the beach, so I have some free time. Not to mention Jett is up around 6:00 every morning and so my days start early and are very long!

Monday: We were up at 5:00am because my Aunt left that morning, needless to say it was a long day, especially after having a Superbowl party the night before. However, the party was great and I think everyone had a really good time. My Aunt was so awesome to do all the cooking and work that she did so I have to give a big thanks to her for that!
Anyway, back to Monday. We arrived at the airport at 10:30am and all went so smoothly. We checked in our bag curbside, and Jett's car seat ended up being free to check in, score! Security moved very quickly and we were to our gate in no time. I had enough time to feed Jett while Todd got some water bottles and magazines for the plane. Our 7 hour 15 minute flight went as flawlessly as one could hope for. The back of the seats had the screens for games, movies, etc. Between that and the ipad and dvd player we were all very entertained which made for a quick flight. Jett slept almost the entire way, and when he was awake he was either looking around happily or eating. :) As soon as we landed and the seat belt sign went off we all stood up. As soon as we did Steele threw up all over his seat (Luckily on nothing else!) I was shocked that that happened but I guess all the motion of landing made him sick. After he did it he was just fine so it didn't really phase him....I'm just glad it didn't happen mid-flight!
We were greeted by Todd's parents, Kurt and Marie, who also brought us a car seat for Steele. Our bag came out quickly and we headed out to the shuttle to get our car rental. We were first in line to get our car and before we knew it on our way to the house. We got to the house and got settled in while visiting with Todd's parents. They are the best in-laws one could ask for and we just love coming out to see them! We ate dinner in and it was a nice, relaxing evening after a long day of travel.

Tuesday: It was really windy and overcast but we headed down to the beach anyway. Out here it can be pouring rain on one part of the island and sunny on another. Usually if it is raining it passes rather quickly so we don't let that bother us. We went down to Waikiki and found our usual spot. We stayed for maybe an hour but then decided the wind wasn't going to die down and was a little too much. Steele was cold and I couldn't really even sit on the beach with Jett because it was blowing too much. We packed up and took a walk through Waikiki, down to Duke's. Todd and I each had a beer and a couple apps to tie us over until dinner. Afterwards we walked back to the car and went home. It was a short day but I think we were both still tired from the day before and time change so it was okay that we didn't stay long. We went out to dinner that night at Kona Brewery where there was more beer, pizza, and visiting with Todd's parents. A good end to the day!

Steele had fun, despite not feeling 100%.

Poor Jett, it was so windy he didn't care to be out...he didn't know what to make of all the wind.

Both boys took almost 2 hour long naps! We moved them up to the shady grass after I took this picture.....

And Todd and I brown bagged it whil they slept! (don't worry, I only had one!) :)

Wednesday: It was another beach day, and a much better one. We again headed down to Waikiki and spent almost the whole day there. We stopped for lunch at LuLu's...Steele has had a off and on fever for 2-3 weeks now. It started with a cough which seemed to get better, but then he'd wake up with it worse. He also had a sore throat, but not too bad, mostly the cough. The fever never stayed so I wasn't sure what he had. However it has lingered for so long so we finally got him an antibiotic to see if that would kick it. We left the beach after lunch because he wasn't feeling great and headed back to the house for naps. We ended the night with dinner at home. Father John from Kurt and Marie's church came over for dinner so it was nice to see him again. We had gnocchi with mushrooms that Marie made and it was awesome. I love ending the evenings with wine and conversation and just spending time together!

Happy and having fun!

Steele must have done too much running around!

Thursday: Todd went on a bike ride first thing in the morning so I did a Jillian Michael's workout while he was out. He came back and we left the house for my pedicure appointment. I was supposed to get one in SLC on Sunday before we left, but they place I go to was closed :( which was a new thing. I didn't have time to search for another open place since we had the party that day so I post-poned until we got here. Todd and Steele got breakfast and fed the ducks while I was getting my pedi. Afterwards I picked up Steele's prescription and we started that immediately. We then made the drive to Mililani where the rest of Todd's family works and lives. We stopped by the shop to say hi to everyone. We dropped in right before lunch so we headed out to lunch with them. We went to Ruby Tuesday's and I had a very yummy chicken sandwich and Todd got the turkey burger. It was great seeing everyone and catching up, and we'll get to see them again on Sunday for dinner. We headed back home for naps and decided not to do the beach that day. Steele was still not feeling himself so we thought it better that we go home so he could rest. I was able to relax poolside for a bit while the boys napped, that was a nice treat! That evening we stayed in for dinner and Marie made sausage and peppers, which is so yummy! I don't even really like sausage but I will eat Marie's cooking anytime! After dinner we just relaxed, drank wine, and hung out. In bed early again, as we are all still on Utah time!

Friday: We had great beach weather on Friday so of course we headed down. This was the best day at the beach by far. Steele was feeling much better after being on his medication for just over a day. We stayed at the beach for a good 3+ hours this time. Steele met a little friend and they had fun playing in the sand with his bucket. After the beach we loaded up the stroller and walked down into Waikiki. We must have walked 2 miles into Waikiki and we ended up at the Yardhouse for lunch. It's where they serve beer in glasses that are a yard long, hence the name. After lunch we walked back to the car, another 2 miles at least. By the time we got home I was worn out, so were the boys. We all rested and showered before dinner. For dinner we headed to out favorite place, Roy's, which had an hour wait so we left :( we ended up going to Blue Water Grill which we also love and they didn't have a wait so it worked out. Dinner was excellent and a good end to the day. Todd got the Mahimahi and I tried the Basa. It was a white, fresh water fish and really, really good! I was glad I got it and tried something new. Both Jett and Steele fell asleep at dinner so we headed home for dessert. Kurt made banana bread so we enjoyed a piece of that with a glass of milk and called it a night!

Enjoying a fruit bar after lunch at the Yardhouse.

Today is Saturday and we don't have a plan yet. Everything is a bit more crowded on the weekend, especially traffic which is already bad enough normally. We went down to Starbucks for our morning coffee and sat outside and enjoyed the warm weather. We were supposed to go to a BBQ tonight at one of Todd's friend's house but it got cancelled because his wife is sick. So, not sure what we will do today? As long as it includes relaxing, happy kids, the hubby and a cocktail I am one happy mama, so we'll see what the day brings! :)

2 Months Old!

2012-01-21T10:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Jett turned 2 months old! I seriously can't believe how quickly the last two months have flown by!

We had a busy day but a fun one! Jett woke up at 5:30am for a feeding, and this was after being down for 7 hours! How lucky am I?! I finished nursing him by about 6:00am and still had to pump since he will only nurse on one side most of the time. By the time I was done it was 6:15 and I decided it was too early to try to go back to sleep (Although it still seemed too early to get up!) I did however get "up" and by up I mean stayed awake.
My mom, aunt and another friend started our Bible study this month so I figured it would be a good time to start that. Since we all live in different states we do our study, which consists of listening to a message on CD then doing our work book. We phone once a week on a conference call so we can all share what we learned, discuss the message, etc.
Anyway, it was perfect to be up so early because I had an hour to do my study without being interrupted. After that I quickly changed to get a workout in before everyone was awake. I did an hour long Jillian Michael's (as opposed to her 20-30 min workouts) so everyone ended up getting up before I was finished, oh well. I still got it done and that's all that counts!
After working out I got the boys fed, then I showered and we got ready to go. We met our friends at the aquarium for an hour or so. It was pretty busy, thanks to Canyon's school district being off, but it wasn't too bad. Kids got in free for some "dress like a penguin day". I was unaware of it and so Steele was not in black and white to get in free. They let him in free anyway so that was pretty cool!

After the aquarium we went to get lunch with our group. We opted for Joe's Crab Shack, which I think has gross food, but you can't beat the huge play area and the absence of any other people or kids! We practically had the whole place to ourselves and with our group of 11 kids, so that was nice! After a quick lunch of salad for me and mac n' cheese for Steele we were off for Jett's 2 month checkup.

We arrived right on time and were taken back within 5 minutes. I love our pediatrician, he's so great! We had a super easy check-up and all is well with Jett. He had to get 3 shots, which are never fun for mom, but necessary nonetheless. He now weighs 12.2 pounds which puts him in the 62 percentile. That is high to me, as Steele was always in the 10-15 percentile. As our doctor finished up he said to me, "Something you could work on is trying to get him to sleep in his own crib in his own room, and work on being able to just put him down to bed, rather than rock him to sleep, etc. " I had to laugh because Jett is so good about just going down, without a huge production or bed time routine. We still have our routine, which is bath (on bath nights), stories with big brother, then one last nursing sessions, followed by a swaddle (arms free of course!). I've made it a point to only nurse Jett in the rocking chair in his room for his night feedings and right before bed feeding. I think that has helped to establish a sort of routine/predictable schedule. I think he's getting used to the quiet, rock and nurse as being associated with sleepy time. His doctor was shocked when I told him he's been sleeping on his own for 6-7 hour stretches. He said, " You know how many mom's with 2 months olds have told me that?....Zero." I know I am just hoping it sticks, although I'm sure we're bound to run into some more difficult nights, especially as he goes through growth spurts!

After his appointment I went home and dropped Steele off with Todd so he could nap. I went to Harmons to get some groceries. I was making dinner for a friend that night who had a baby a few weeks ago. She can't have gluten so I was having a hard time coming up with a dish. Usually I would do something like lasagna or chicken pot pie or just some type of comfort food/casserole dish that you can easily freeze or re-heat. My other friend who can't have gluten let me borrow her gluten free recipe book. I ended up making a dish called chicken divan, which was chicken done in cornmeal rather than flour, broccoli, Parmesan cheese and a sort of hollandaise sauce. I added red bell peppers too because I thought it needed something else. I was nervous though because I had never made or tasted the dish but Emily said it was really yummy and she wanted the recipe so I hope it really was okay!

After delivering dinner I went home to clean up my messy kitchen. Todd and I treated ourselves to dinner at Toscano. We've been really good, and especially Todd, at sticking to our budget this month so we rewarded ourselves with a night out. Considering we used to go out 2-3 times a week and did not go out the whole month of January (minus my friend's b-day and our Joe's crab shack outing) I figured we were due for it!

I fell into bed around 10:00 which was much later than I anticipated/needed! It was nice falling right to sleep though, and lucky for me my little angel boy gave me 7 straight hours of sleep again! Shocking because he slept all day after his shots, so I figured he'd be up more in the night.

I leave you with some pictures of my sweet, little guy at 2 months old. He started smiling about 2 weeks ago and it has been so fun and so rewarding to see. It's like those first 6 weeks of no sleep and constant nursing and diapers is starting to pay off in the form of sweet, baby smiles!

Tummy Time!

Big smiles, even bigger cheeks and chin!

Last week Jett discovered his hands and the fact that he could grab his cow!

I think most of his weight gain has ended up in those cheeks!

I can't get enough of these two boys! I am beyond blessed.....

Jett at 6 weeks (left) and Steele at 6 weeks....they are so similar looking to me! (minus the hair color!)

Steele loves playing in his room with Jett....We have to stop for pictures every now and then!

Good husband, bad wife!

2012-01-15T23:02:00.001-07:00

My title is at least how I felt this weekend! I had so much going on which made for a fast and fun weekend, but I'm not sure Todd would say the same thing!

On Thursday I went to my friend Tonje's house with our friend Michele for dinner, wine and a movie. I just took Jett who is super easy and quiet so it felt like a little break for me. We watched The Help and it was a really good movie...I only cried twice, now I want to read the book!

On Friday I was at least a good mom and took Steele on a little play date at a friend's house. My friend Emily had her baby a few weeks ago and so we went to see her and her new, little bundle Kate. She is oh so cute and it's so fun having so many friends with new babies! I promised Steele McDonalds because he is obsessed with the play land so we went there after for a good 2 hours (sigh) I on the other hand don't love it but what can you do? After that we went to my friend Amy's house to chat and let Steele play some more with Corey. Then it was time to go home and nap. While Steele napped I got ready to go to bunco that night. I went with Amy and it was tons of fun as always, especially since I won $25! I did take Jett again, who was in good hands with 11 lovely ladies all wanting their turn at holding him...easy night for mom and night two of leaving Todd home with Chance and Steele to fend for themselves for dinner! :/

Saturday is sort of a blur...I'm not sure what I did during the day? Laundry, nursing, cleaned Steele's room, played puzzles, books and legos with Steele for a couple hours, nursed some more...that's really all I can remember. We did get out for a little walk before Steele's nap. He rode his bike and I carried Jett in the Baby Bjorn. I couldn't believe the weather! It felt like spring! After our walk we had lunch then a nap. I then started to get ready for the night's plans, which was dinner at Bohemian Brewery for Amy's birthday. I left a little before 6:00pm and didn't get home until 10:30. I of course took Jett but left Todd at home with the kids, yet again, and dinner was his responsibility...Strike 3 on me!

Today, Sunday, we got up around 8:00am to get ready for church. After coffee and breakfast we were at church by 9:30 and home by 10:45. Josh did a really good teaching on money/finances and it was something that is always good to hear. Todd and my goal for the year is to stick to a better budget, be debt free and save more and so it was good to hear a teaching that tackled that issue and was encouraging for me to know that our dedication to our budget will pay off! After church we came home and did what you are supposed to do on Sunday...absolutely nothing! Todd watched football and I hibernated to my room to relax with my boys. I did make it out to Costco and Harmons as well, but that wasn't too bad. After I got home Steele took a nap and I took the opportunity to lay down myself. I didn't sleep but I sure enjoyed having Jett's tummy time on my tummy! Gosh I love being a mom! I had soccer tonight (which was so fun, and we won and I'm so happy to be playing again!) so thought I was going to make it a record of 4 nights of not being home for dinner and leaving Todd with the kids (all three this time!) Well, Todd got lucky because Chance went home, I took Steele to a play date before soccer and Jett with me to soccer. It worked out well because we ate before I left then I dropped Steele off. Jett came to soccer and was a good little guy who slept the whole time while my friend's husband kept an ear out for him (Thank you Dan and Courtney!) I left soccer with enough time to go straight to Steele's play date without having to go home and get Jett first, since I had him. That gave my friend and I an hour to chat and catch up while the boys continued to play.

Todd got a couple precious hours of a quiet house with no kids before we were back home! What a good hubby I have! I'm gone four nights out of the week and he doesn't even bat an eye that I left the kids and dinner up to him that many nights in a row! I probably feel worse about it than he does or he's just really good at not complaining...Hmm? Either way I am lucky to have a such a great guy, both as a husband and father to our kids! I love you honey, thanks for everything you do!

Slacker...

2012-01-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Boy have I been slacking on the blogging lately! At least I can say I am keeping up with my boy's journals, but I do like to have this too as sort of a digital journal with photos of what's been happening in their/our lives...

We've had a busy week, at least compared to what we've been used to. I had soccer on Sunday night. I was so nervous to play again! I've done a little running on the treadmill since Jett was born, but the thought of running and having to keep up with other people, along with my fear about having good touches on the ball was what was making me nervous! After the game someone on my team told me I had good touches on the ball, what a nice thing to hear! I have a long ways to go, especially in the endurance department but I'm excited to be playing again and hope to be up to par soon!

Thanks to that, I have been so sore this whole week! My abs, ribs and legs hurt! Such a "good" hurt though, and nice to know that all the running in soccer is working some muscles that's haven't seen much activity in the last year!

I'm officially back to work on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2pm-5pm, 1pm-5pm on a good day! It's funny how much it changes my day, but it's good for the reason that having more to do, makes me do more...Funny how that works. Seems the more time I have the less I do! It's a nice little break from the house and it's been nice to ease my way back into it!

The boys are keeping me as busy as ever! Steele has been super sweet lately, I'm almost afraid to talk about it and jinx myself! He's constantly wanting hugs and kisses from me, Todd and Jett. He's always telling me how much he loves me. He usually won't leave the room without kissing me first, so sweet! He's found a new love of painting and coloring, which is good because it's one of the few things we can easily do inside! He started tumbling last week so he's had 2 classes so far. He loves it and is quite the little "tumbler". I have to brag a bit and say that I think he's got one of the best somersaults in the class! I think being a crazy boy and his experience at The Little Gym has helped with that! It is so fun to watch him do class. I want to try to get some pictures but not sure if the teachers allow it as it might be distracting. He goes with his best friend Emma and I say this all the time, but I love how well they get along and play together. Although they are different genders I truly hope their friendship will last well into the older years, maybe even a lifetime if they're lucky!

Jett is growing like crazy! I had him weighed last week and he was 11.5 pounds! I am curious to know what he is now...Seems as if he is packing on a good 8-10 ounces every week! It's so good and fun in a way, yet sad to see him get so big and grow out of that little, newborn stage! I was not going to try to get him into his crib until we come back from Hawaii in mid-February, but I've decided that it's time! I don't think either of us sleep as well in bed, especially me! (I don't get the good, deep sleep I need) I will usually put him in the playpen at the foot of my bed but I figured if he's not going to sleep in my bed next to me for the convenience of nursing he might as well be in his own bed, in his own room. It's been rather nice because he'll usually wake up twice in the night. I'll put him down at 9pm, he's usually up about 1:00am and does a good feeding. Then he goes back down until about 5am or 6am and is up for another feeding. I will be happy when it's just once that he wakes up, but at least him waking up around 5am or 6am will work with my work schedule. When I do go back full time, I will start work at 7am, so I will have to be up early anyway! He kind of gets fussy in the morning, which usually would keep me awake. He doesn't cry, he just kind of whines and kicks around a lot and doesn't have much interest in nursing....So, having him in his crib and not hearing all of that has helped tremendously!

I think that's about it for us! I leave you with some pictures of our last week!

Getting strong legs with daddy!

Wearing is new outfit from Jeff, Beth and his bestie Rider!

Brother LOVE!

Playing at the park with Daddy!

Happy boy!

Making dinner with mommy!

Loves his Baby Bjorn!

Todd took Steele this his first Jazz game, courtesy of our awesome neighbors, Jeff and Lance!

He's still too little but loving his Bumbo! He does pretty well and especially loves looking up at the fans!

My handsome guy!

Yummy! My sister and brother-in-law came over last night and made homemade pizza for our movie night! It was so good! And, I just love having them here and the tradition of doing movie nights that we've started. They always bring something yummy for dinner !

2011 At a Glance

2012-01-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

2011 was an awesome year for us with some big changes and fun stuff going on. Here is our year at a glance (A long glance of many pictures I should say!)....

In February I become pregnant with Jett and counted the weeks from beginning to end!

8 weeks...

...to 40 weeks!

In April we hosted Easter dinner with friends and family for the very first time.

In May I did my first 5K (at 12 weeks pregnant!) with the lovely Tai!

Also in May, we took a trip to ride the train.

We also took a trip to St. Louis, Missouri and surprised my parents with this...

Todd had many races throughout the year.

He spent most of his time out on his bike capturing the beauty that surrounds us....

He even captured a few snakes as well... (sigh)

In July we ran the 5K for our church.

Then Todd and I celebrated 1 year of marriage!

July 24, 2010

July 24, 2011

I went through my pregnancy with 2 great friends!

(Beth 27 weeks, me 21 weeks, Shannon, 15 weeks)

In August we started swimming lessons.

We spent the whole summer having fun....

Until we became too tired for much more!

In September my baby started preschool.

And celebrated his third birthday!

In October we anxiously awaited the upcoming arrival of a new baby...

And got ready for Halloween to come.

By November we welcomed our sweet, little Jett into the family!

We had the whole family out for Jett's arrival...

....And Thanksgiving Day!

Todd ended the year with surgery on his rotator cuff :(

So we wrapped up the year with a quiet Christmas at home!

We hope that 2011 was a great year for you as it was for us! Looking forward to what 2012 will bring!

Post Christmas Week

2011-12-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

This week has been slow and busy all at the same time! I think I am just ready for preschool and music to start up again so we have a little more structure and routine in our days! We have enjoyed the break but are ready to back to normal.

The day after Christmas, Monday, we spent the day playing with Steele's new toys and relaxing. I tried getting his things organized, and I still have a long way to go! I try to keep most of his toys in his room, but at the same time I don't want his room to be a "playroom" necessarily, at least not unless it's just he and I playing. I keep a lot of his older toys downstairs in the room that is a playroom/Chance's room, but even then that's not ideal. I have one dog that will chew anything she can get her mouth on (thanks Betty) and another who constantly has to have something in her mouth, but usually won't chew it (thanks Candy)...she'll just take it outside and it gets lost or chewed up by the other dog...sigh. This and dog hair are what I hate about dogs!

Anyway, so I feel like I have to keep all Steele's toys in a safe place so that he can play with them for more than a week before they get destroyed or lost by the dogs. I'm still trying to figure out how to organize everything so that it's accessible to him, and only him!

After a long day of playing and relaxing I took a break from that to do a Jillian Michael's workout. I am bummed she is not on demand through Comcast anymore, but luckily the library had my favorite workouts by her so I have checked them out for the next month!

I made salmon, couscous and steamed carrots for dinner. It was nice to eat a quiet, healthy dinner at home after all the junk from the weekend festivities!

Tuesday was another quiet day. We spent most of it playing again, doing a Jillian workout and trying to get the house cleaned up and organized. Later that day I took Steele to Emma's house for his very first sleepover! (Pictures to come!) I was nervous about how he would do. We walked in and he immediately sat down and started playing with Emma. Michele, Emma's mom, is really great and has a similar parenting style as I do so I knew he was in good hands. I was afraid he was going to wake up at 2:00am and not remember where he was or be scared but just the opposite happened. Michele said both the kids got up to pee and it was a giggle fest....I guess it could be worse! Todd and I took advantage of just having Jett and went out to dinner. We should have gone somewhere nice and quiet but we opted for Roadhouse, which we love. However because it's so loud I don't mind having kids there! We both had steak (filet sp?) with broccoli. I also splurged and had a margarita. I figured I just fed Jett so by the time I fed him again it would be fine...not to mention it was only one so there is not that much alcohol in it. Well, I'm not sure if it was all the lime/citrus in the drink, the broccoli or the steak but Jett was fussy and spitting up all night long...So much for my quiet night without Steele to catch up on sleep! Needless to say splurging on a margarita will not be in my near future, and I'm still hesitant to have red meat or broccoli. The last time I had that combo he spit up too, and I didn't have a margarita that time, so who knows what's making him upset!?

On Wednesday morning I went and picked Steele up. I watched he and Emma for an hour or so to return the favor to Michele so she could go workout. After we left we came home and had lunch. Steele wanted a bowl of cereal, I was exhausted so I let him. I had a spinach and fruit salad. After that we all took naps. I didn't really sleep but the rest was good! Later that night I went to the referee Christmas Party. It was really good to see everyone and catch up a little. I haven't reffed a game since before I got pregnant with Steele but I am still good friends with a lot of people there. I started reffing in the year 2000 and did it until 2008. I re-certified in '08 but never found the time to do games. I miss it, but mostly I miss the people I worked with. I think about going back but at the same time I have to realize I am in a new chapter in my life, one that revolves around my boys. They will only be young so long and I want to be here for them in the evenings and weekends and really just all day long! I think about going back once they are older, but then I think they will be playing, so I will have to be that loud, soccer mom on the sides instead of the referee! I guess I'd much rather play soccer myself or watch my kids, but maybe one day I'll return.... :)

I stated taking the Christmas decorations down yesterday. I am going to try to finish that today and get my house in order! I am in need of a clean, organized house right now!

In other news I might be returning to work next week, just on a very part-time basis. As much as I love being at home I am going a bit stir-crazy, and the cold weather doesn't help! I'm thinking of going back on my days, Monday and Wednesday, but only from 2-5. I figure it will be good to ease back into work that way and get Todd eased in to dealing with 2 boys for a few hours! :D We'll see on that, waiting for the okay from my boss but I'm sure that will be the case!

Well, Jett is done nursing so I guess I am done here too. Hope everyone is enjoying their post-Christmas break!

ABC's of Me

2011-12-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Stole this from a friend who posted on her blog, thought it was cute! :)
A. Age – 24, although I feel older!

B. Bed size – King, the only way to go, and I have it all to myself right now!

C. Chore that you hate – Dusting and keeping up on our hardwood floors. :(

D. Dogs – 3 labs too many (If only they came without drool and shedding!) but the hubby loves them so....E. Essential start to your day – CoffeeF. Favorite color – RedG. Gold or silver – SilverH. Height –5'9"I. Instruments you play – Piano, xylophone, marimba, really anything percussionJ. Job title – Office ManagerK. Kids – Two handsome boys! L. Live – Yes, I am alive ;)M. Mother’s name – JudiN. Nicknames – Boo, Zetters, Z-sette, Sette, and Babe...I should mention, those nicknames are only to be used by certain people!O. Overnight hospital stays –Yes, when Steele was born...Thus the reason I did not have Jett in a hospital, and never will if we have more kids!P. Pet peeves –When people don't wash their hands after restroom (sick!), Parents who don't teach their children basic life skills, responsibility and respect.Q. Quote from a movie –(Neighbor) "Hey Griswold, where do you think you're going to put a tree that big?" (Griswold) "Bend over and I'll show you!" -Christmas Vacation (all I could think of cause it's what I've watched recently!)R. Right or left handed – RightS. Siblings – 1 Sister, 5 Brothers, 1 Brother in law, 2 Sisters in lawT. Time it takes you to get ready – Depends on what I am getting ready for! I can be a quick 20 minutes or 1 hour+ (but that's only if I have to shower, dry and straighten hair!) :)U. Underwear – Yes, and they all finally fit again! Here's to not being pregnant! :)V. Vegetable you hate – Hmm, there really isn't one.W. What makes you run late – I'd like to say my kids, but it's probably more my fault! I just have to start getting ready to get out the door earlier now!X. X-rays you’ve had –Just dental ones.Y. Yummy food you make –I'd say my "specialty" is Salmon with cous cous and some kind of veggie. It's nothing extravagant, but it sure is good and healthy! And, it's my husband's favorite, so double win!Z. Zoo animal – Tigers and Giraffes

Christmas Weekend!

2011-12-26T12:34:00.002-07:00

We had a busy but fun filled Christmas weekend this year! It was so weird to be home for Christmas though! Both Todd and I were counting the years back trying to figure out the last time we were in Utah for Christmas...For Todd it was 2003 and for me it was 2004! Since then Todd has always been in Hawaii with his family. In '05 and '06 I was in Missouri with my family and from '07 on in Hawaii with Todd. Because of that, I had no idea what were going to do this year! We really don't have any traditions (besides going to Hawaii!) but luckily we have many wonderful friends and it was with them that we spent our Christmas weekend!

On Friday (maybe it was Thursday?!) I did some last minute shopping. I needed stocking stuffers for Steele and wine for our friend gifts. Luckily with only two stops, one at Walgreens and one at the liquor store, I was completely done and ready for the weekend!

On Saturday we were invited to a Christmas Eve dinner/party by our friends Cameron and Maria. Cameron made a traditional Mexican meal that his grandmother made for him growing up. It was homemade tamales and a pork soup. You put the tamale in your bowl and put the soup over it and you can add cabbage, radishes and salsa to make it as hot as you want. It was really, really good! They also had a keg of Fat Tire which I'll admit was my favorite thing about all the food/beverages! It's one of my favorite beers and I don't feel guilty having one, especially because it helps increase milk production, yay! It was a really fun night and we had a good time catching up with friends we haven't seen for a while!

Before we left for their party, we made sure we had cookies, milk and carrots (for the reindeer of course!) out for Santa. I wanted Steele to do it before we left in case we got home late. He was so cute getting it all ready for Santa.

We were ready!

We tried getting a picture all together before we left...It proved impossible to get a picture with Steele looking and Jett not crying...oh well!

We got home pretty late on Christmas Eve. Steele and I checked to see if Santa came but there were no presents and his cookie was still there. I told Steele that Santa doesn't come until all the boys and girls have gone to bed. We promptly marched ourselves to bed and called it a night! Well, almost! I had to go back out and put all the presents out, throw out most of the cookie, take some bites out of the carrot and drink the milk! After that I was ready for bed!

Having a 3 year old for Christmas made it so much fun this year! I think I was more excited for Christmas morning than Steele was! I was just stoked to see the look on his face when he came out to the living room! I woke up and heard Steele singing in his room (his room is right across the hall from mine) I hurried downstairs to wake up Todd and tell him Steele was awake. After that I went to Steele's room to get him out. Surprisingly, he hadn't come running out of his room when he got up as I was expecting him to do! Instead I opened his door and he was just standing there with his favorite blanket singing Jingle Bells. It was too cute, I got video of everything! I said to him, "Good morning honey, Merry Christmas!" He just had a huge grin on his face. Then I said, "Should we go see if Santa came?" He didn't say anything just grabbed my hand. We were walking down the hall and he was walking so slowly and walking behind me lol I think he was thinking that Santa was going to be out there in the living room and so he was being really shy and timid about it! We walked out and I said, "Let's see if Santa and the reindeer got their treats?" He saw that they did and the presents under the tree and shouted, "Presents!"

He was just so stinking cute about the whole thing. He didn't go running over like a crazy man and start ripping them open, which I love! Christmas is one day a year and the fact that he enjoyed opening each thing, one by one, and taking his time made for a good, long morning. He would open one thing, play with it for a bit, then go back to another thing. I think it took us 4-5 hours to open everything and there really wasn't a whole lot of stuff. He just enjoyed each thing as it came and I loved that we had the whole morning to relax and watch him!

He got this dinosaur tent which he has since napped in and gone to bed in!

These dinosaurs from Nana and Pop are by far one of his favorite things he got!

Jett was so good! He just sat in his bouncer the whole time (except when it was time to break for breakfast!)

Stocking!

Angry Bird!

Skateboard!

We got one present opened for Jett! We still need to open the rest today, but I think I'll let Steele do that!

Baseball glove, his very favorite!

Cheesy boy!

Todd's parents, who live in Hawaii, sent out this bowl for Jett

On the bottom it's signed by Clemente, the maker of the bowl. It also has Jett's name and DOB. Along with his name it had the Hawaiian name that Todd's parent's gave to him which is Kainoa.

Kainoa has two different meanings...Kai-Water (because Jett was born in the water) and Noa-Free

Chance came over for a bit and opened her presents too!

Todd did good this year and got me jewelry for Christmas! :) It was our fifth Christmas together and besides my wedding ring, he's never given me any jewelry. I had to drop some hints for this one but that's okay! The night before Christmas Todd kept telling me my gift was in the garage. I really thought he got me a road bike (which would have been just as awesome!) but I was wrong! However I love the necklace he gave me and will have to post a picture when I take one.

After our long morning we wrapped things up to get ready for the afternoon. I had to take my sister and her husband to the airport at 1:00pm so I headed over there. I came home and put Steele down for a nap. He of course didn't nap, but at least he was quiet and resting for a couple hours. We started getting ready around 4:00 so we could head to our friend's house for dinner. My good friend Michele had us over and I am so blessed to have her in my life! Her daughter, Emma, is Steele's age and they are such great friends. They play so well together and we love spending time with them. Michele does not have family here either so it's nice to have friends we can consider as family, especially around the holidays. Michele made lamb, green beans, cauliflower, ginger carrots, roasted shallots, sauteed mushrooms, salad and fingerling potatoes for dinner. Everything was so yummy! For dessert there was a cranberry cobbler with homemade whipped cream, yum! There was plenty of red wine too and it's so nice not bring pregnant for all the festivities! :) There were a mixture of people there and it was a great night, especially for the three kids. They ran around and played so great together!

We came home, exhausted from the last couple nights of fun! However it was all worth it and we had a wonderful weekend! I hope everyone else had a great weekend as well and were able to spend Christmas with friends and/or family. I missed our family big time this year (both sides!) but we were able to talk to everyone and luckily see everyone at some point (Thanksgiving and next in February!)

I love this time of year and am very grateful for all our friends and family. Above all else I am especially grateful for what this time of year truly means...the birth of my Lord and Savior. He is the greatest gift we could ever receive and I hope you have chosen to receive Him!

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

You be the judge...

2011-12-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

So a number of people have told me they think Jett looks like Steele, and I am one of those people who agrees! Except that Steele had darker hair and darker coloring, I think they are pretty darn similar! Same nose, blue eyes, and the cleft in their chins too!

What do you think?

Steele

Jett

What's New?

2011-12-14T20:07:00.001-07:00

Nothing much is new in the Winner household. We have become slow and boring, depending on how you look at it. Of course things are never really "slow" with a 3 year old and a newborn, but as far as everything else goes, things are slow!

We are sort of getting into a routine, which is nice. I now know Jett's best sleeping times, his most fussy times, and feeding has become more on schedule (but still SO often...every 2 hours, sometimes 3 tops) The hardest thing about that is that he goes 2 hours from when his last feeding started. He is getting quicker with his feedings but some/most take about 45 minutes, 30 if I am lucky. So when I start a feeding at 2:00 that doesn't end until 2:45ish I typically have 1 hour and 15 minutes until the next one! It's always a race to see what I can accomplish in that time....Should I eat? Take a shower? Play with Steele? Workout? Get a couple loads of laundry done? I love spending so much time with Jett, but it sure is hard with Steele running around. Second babies are so different form having your first, that's for sure!

Really I am doing well though and just love being a mom to these two, little boys! Winter has been a little difficult, as far as finding things to do. Keeping Steele busy has been the most challenging. Not being able to go to the park, ride bikes, go on walk, jump on the tramp and just play/be outside has been most difficult. I find between being stuck at home with the little ones, and Todd with recovering from his surgery, the mall has become a favorite, family pastime. I seriously never thought going to the mall could be the highlight of our day! Really just getting out of the house and going ANYWHERE is a plus! Steele needs it most and I am super grateful for preschool! Oh and McDonald's, did I mention how much I love McDonald's now? No, not their food, cause that is just gross, but anytime Steele gets stir crazy I can take him on the 2 minute drive to McDonald's during the lunch hour. There are always LOTS of kids there at that time and he has a blast running around and playing with everyone. It's a great energy burner and since we can't really run around outside, a lifesaver as well! I keep Jett in our little corner where I can sit and nurse if necessary, and love that Steele is having fun, running around, not just sitting at home watching TV! We've done the library quite a bit too, but since you can't run around and play which is what most 3 year old boys want to do, it's not ideal to go there too often. This week I am buying a pass to the Discovery Gateway to get us through the Winter/snowy Spring. It stinks that it's all the way down town, but it'll be worth the drive. Steel could spend hours there learning, playing and running around...and I can do what I do, nurse and nurse and nurse some more! :)

Our Christmas shopping is almost done (thanks to all those lovely mall trips the past couple weeks!) I just need to get a few more things for the boys, especially Jett. I have nothing for him, but want him to have a few things, even though he won't remember! It is going to be really different being here for Christmas instead of Hawaii but I'm looking forward to it. Hawaii will come soon enough in February and it's nice to have that too look forward to after the holidays!

Well, that's about it here. Just thought I'd do a quick update (as I am sitting her nursing, go figure!), even as boring as we are! I hope everyone is having a blessed holiday season!

Thanksgiving & Recent Happenings

2011-12-01T09:07:00.001-07:00

Well, a lot has happened in the 10 days it's been since Jett was born! I'll start from the beginning....

My parents arrived from Missouri late on the Saturday night before Jett was born. Jett was born on Sunday morning. My sister-in-law and her daughter arrived from Washington on Sunday night. Then Tuesday, my Aunt arrived from New Mexico. Needless to say there were a lot of people in my house and there was a lot going on!

We had planned to have Thanksgiving at my house 3 months before I got pregnant. So, when I got pregnant and knew I was due right before Thanksgiving, I did not want to change plans on everyone. Plus I thought it would be nice for my parents to be here when the baby was born, and figured whoever else ended up coming would come and it would be fine.

Overall it was fine, but I have to say it was a pretty stressful week! I thought that having my niece here to play with Steele when there was a new baby in the house would be a great thing, but in reality it was the worst possible situation, in my mind. Most of you moms out there probably know how it goes....you have a child, your routine with them, and they know the rules/boundaries, etc. and then it gets disturbed by something and you have to start from scratch. Steele is by no means a perfect child (what kid is) but he is really good for the most part. However, once he gets around another kid, especially one that is older or more rambunctious, the whole dynamic changes. (And I'm not blaming the other kids, but I do think they feed off each other's energy and it effects his behavior, usually in a negative way) It goes this way when we have Chance, when he's with older boys, or in the case of Thanksgiving, with his cousin. We have one little friend Emma (who's his same age) who he gets along with wonderfully and this behavior is NEVER a problem...I think the fact that her mother and I are completely on the same page as far as parenting has EVERYTHING to do with having positive interactions with each other.

So anyway, back to Thanksgiving...Steele and his cousin were bouncing of the walls NON-STOP. It was utterly ridiculous. My niece (lord knows I love her) hasn't quite found her "quiet, inside voice". Steele and I can play quietly on the floor for hours with books, puzzles, etc. and I guess that's just what I am used to! I know kids are kids but it was really just too much...constant yelling, running, and noise!!!

Funny thing is, nobody did anything about it (meanwhile I was exhausted and tied down to a newborn).....Maybe that was what was more frustrating to me then the actual behavior?

Regardless of all of that (and all the re-training and picking up the pieces I am having to do with Steele now, argh!) Thanksgiving was great! It was wonderful to see everyone, and I'll admit when everyone left is was bittersweet but more of a relief than anything! I said to Todd, "Honey, we have our home back, no more chaos!!!" Todd handled everything 10 times better than I did, and I am so thankful to have a husband like that. On day 3 of having Jett and everyone there, I was at my boiling point already! All you mama's out there probably know that day 3-4 seem to be the hardest, at least I think so. You are past that initial excitement of the birth, and in my case and probably most others, the lack of sleep has caught up to you, so have the engorged breasts and sore nipples! (Sorry to be so blunt, but as I've said before, if you read my blog it's what you get!) Between all of that and the craziness of the house I was going to have a melt down! Sweet, patient, laid back Todd just says to me, "Oh honey, take it with a grain of salt, it's family, it's only a week and it's Thanksgiving." I wanted to punch him at first and say, "You didn't just give birth!" But I had to bite my tongue, realize he was right, and probably just as frustrated as I was but choosing to have a better attitude about it...I struggle with that big time, maybe that's why I was put with the guy!

Seeing pictures of my parents with Jett reminds me that the craziness was worth it!

Todd and I had one blissful day of the house to ourselves before another change hit. One day was not enough but it was better than nothing and we needed that time to reconnect, relax, and enjoy our new baby together in peace and quiet!

Then Monday came and Todd went in for his shoulder surgery. :( He had a rotator cuff that was 90% torn and a torn labrum. He fell on his shoulder over the summer while trail running up near Alta and that's when he started to notice slight pain with certain movements. We were both pretty shocked to find out his tear was so bad, considering his pain was minimal. We also think that due to years and years and years of lifting weights it also put strain on it and has accounted for some of the tearing.

There really was no good time to do surgery, so I just told Todd to do it after the baby is born. He met his deductible for 2011 so I didn't want him to wait until next year. We go to Hawaii in February so at least he'll be out of the sling by then. This way he has 6 weeks to recover and will hopefully be able to go snowboarding come March when our friends come out. Of course we couldn't do surgery in the spring or summer...we'd miss mountain biking! Again, no good time so we figured we'd get it over with.

With Jett in my one arm 80% of the day nursing and Todd and his sling, we make a pretty cute, handicapped couple! Actually more than anything the experience (both having a new baby with a 3 year old in the house and Todd having surgery) has been rather humbling. It's made us work together, and is teaching me to put many things ahead of myself...

The same day as Todd's surgery Jett got circumcised..man are we suckers for some suffering! ;) Actually Jett has been great, what a blessing to have such a good baby!

Both my boys after their rough day at the hospital...

Last but not least there is this little ~~devil~~ guy!

Okay so I am kidding when I say devil, but boy has he had some moments! As I said, between the new baby, a week with his cousin and practically no adult interaction or quiet time with mommy for that first week, I feel like he is some little boy I don't even know!

It's getting better, day by day, and it's taking a lot of work and a LOT more patience than I have right now. Steele loves Jett, he constantly wants to hold him, kiss him, tickle him, etc. It's actually very cute. The not so cute part is that he is taking his jealousy out on mom instead. From ignoring me, to displaying negative behavior (then laughing about it) to deliberately disobeying me, this boy has pushed me to my limit. He's even gone as far as hitting me. That was a first and truly shocked me. My son does not act like that, he never has because he knows the behavior would not be tolerated. I actually wanted to cry when he did it, not because it hurt, but because I was so sad and discouraged by him doing so. I have a lot of good mommy friends who have been very encouraging and shared about how their older children had behaved the same way when they had multiple (especially second) children. I do know it is only temporary and that Steele will adjust. It's just hard to see something you've worked so hard on (in the form of behavior) go down the drain in a matter of days!

So, in the meantime, mom is working on having patience...lots and lots of patience. If it was sold in a bottle for hundreds of dollars I'd buy 20 of them!

I'm also doing my best to give Steele the same amount of attention, which if you've read my previous blogs, it's difficult! I was 150% available to Steele in the weeks leading up to Jett's birth. I was so bored that Steele and I could and would do whatever we wanted, when we wanted. So now, instead of taking that old advice to "sleep when the baby sleeps" I instead have to choose to get on the floor and play with Steele in the hour window I get before it's feeding time again.

I've been thankful for the warm weather so I can get him out of the house!

I'm also thankful for the awesome friends in my life who have offered to take him to play with their kids or just to take him and hang out with him so I can get a little break! Ashlee, Emily and Karen, I can't thank you all enough!

Lastly I've been involving him with Jett 100% and I hope it will help him adjust and continue to feel important. Right now we're working on doing things by ourselves, for Steele anyway. As soon as I sit down to nurse he all of a sudden needs me (sigh). Luckily in most cases I can say, "Steele you're a big boy, you can do lots of things by yourself, right?!" and he will usually go do said thing by himself, as it is usually something he's been doing on his own for months! He just needs more convincing now I guess!

Helping mom bathe Jett!
(and I just realized the PJ's he's wearing are not appropriate for this blog or his current behavior! lol)

And a few more of the little guy....

Just relaxing, he LOVED his bath!

Post bath with a new "do"!

All About Jett

2011-11-29T09:00:00.001-07:00

Well it's been just over a week since Jett was born and I am happy to say that first week is over! Between the craziness of the holiday, a house full of people, and that first week of adjustment with a newborn it has been quite the crazy ride!

My house is now back to "normal" or as close as it's going to be right now...I'll have to do another blog post about that when I have more time. In the meantime, here are a few things I've already learned and started loving about my sweet, baby Jett....

1) He's such a good baby! I've heard horror stories about babies born with colic and thought how could anyone handle that?! Luckily he hardly cries, and when he does it usually just a hungry cry (if I haven't beat him to the punch on feeding!)

2) Speaking of feeding, he's a great, little nurser! Every 2 hours like clock work! I'll admit it's a little difficult because it's so time consuming, and I feel like all I do is nurse and have no time for Steele whatsoever! On the plus side I know it's just temporary and I'm just grateful he's nursing so well and that my milk has come in so well. I had a really hard time nursing Steele and didn't even make it 6 weeks before we were supplementing with formula :(

3) All Jett has to do is hear my voice and he perks right up...he might be fussing and I just have to speak and he stops and looks around for me...Something about that bond and knowing he knows who I am makes me tear up, just a bit!

4) When it comes to sleeping Jett does best if he's right next to me. I've had him in my bed and I will nurse him, then lay him down a foot or so away from me. He'll lay there and make all those little baby noises and move his hands around, like he's looking for something. The second I slide him over next to me he stops and he's as quiet as can be! I guess after being in the womb for 9 months he still wants that closeness to mommy! I can't blame him, but I will say I have a hard time sleeping with him that close (I feel like I am going to lay on him!)...at least I am sleeping, a little anyway. :)

5) He does not prefer to be swaddled, weird I know. When I do it he just lays there punching and kicking until the blanket comes loose. I wonder if maybe because I didn't swaddle him from day one he doesn't need it? I preferred to keep him un-swaddled in those early days, mostly because I had to nurse him every 1-2 hours and we'd go skin to skin for bonding and to keep him awake! A warm, comfortable baby just doesn't nurse the same.

6) He already smiles, a lot. Okay, so some would say it's just gas (and it probably is!) but when his little mouth opens and curls up on both sides it looks just like a smile. So, I'm sticking to my observation that he's smiling! :)

Well, that's about it on Jett so far! He's such a good little guy and I'm loving every second of it!

I'll update next about Thanksgiving, recent happenings and big brother Steele (or should I say the boy I no longer recognize!) He's still adjusting, and it's going to take some time.... (sigh)

Introducing....

2011-11-21T10:31:00.002-07:00

Wow, I can't believe I had a baby less than 7 hours ago and I am sitting at home blogging about it! (Thank you boppy for hands free nursing!) (I had to come back and add pictures!)

Well, here it goes, I'm going to tell you all about our birth story while everything is still really fresh in my head and I'm on my happy baby "high"!

If you've been following my blog or been on Facebook you probably already know that I was dilated to a 4 and effaced 70% nearly 2 weeks ago. I did not even bother to have my midwife check me at our last appointment last week because I knew that regardless of where I was at, this baby was going to come on his own when the time was right and all you can do is wait for that time.

So last night (and the past 3 nights) I had been contracting quite a bit, and contractions were happening even while just sitting there, so I figured it was getting close. I was at my friend's house last night until about 9:30 pm and was having contractions every 10-15 minutes, but still very sporadic. I came home, and got myself and Steele in bed by 10:00 pm. I went to bed thinking tonight may be the night but didn't want to stay up timing contractions all night and making myself crazy! I did, however, toss and turn until about 11:30 pm. That's when my parents arrived (driving in from Junction City, Kansas where they just saw the birth of my brother's daughter, which you can read more about in my last post) So although I heard them come in because I was still awake I did not get up. In fact, after I knew they had made it safe and sound I was able to go to sleep.

I kept waking up periodically and realized it was the contractions waking me up. They were strong enough to make me awake and aware of them, yet I was still able to doze off in between them (As they were still a good 10+ minutes apart) This went on for the better part of the night. Finally 5:00 am rolled around and I decided I wasn't feeling very "comfortable" anymore with each contraction so I woke Todd up to tell him I thought it was time. At this point I had the chills and was not very relaxed, I was just anxious to get to the birthing center, mostly.

I called my midwife, Rebecca and let her know we were on our way. After that I called a family friend/doula Corinne. I felt 100 times better after talking to both Rebecca and Corinne and knowing we were on our way! I quickly woke my mom up before we left (feeling bad to do so after their 15+ hour drive) but I wanted to let her know we were leaving, that she could sleep, come now or later. It was definitely a huge relief to have she and my dad and brothers at the house for when the kids woke up!

We made the 10-15 minute drive to the birthing center, arriving at about 6:00 am. I was pleased to know I'd given Todd his wish of waiting until morning, I figured 6:00 am was better than 1 or 2! Shortly after we arrived Corinne arrived as well and we continued to labor.

Early on in labor, while I was still smiling in between contractions!

It's funny to look back at the scenario as labor was progressing. Todd was chatting with Corinne and Rebecca as I would listen in every now and then. I was walking the hallway to keep things going but checked back periodically. Rebecca made cinnamon roles and everyone had one with their coffee...me, I stuck to juice and water. I did have a few bites of a cinnamon role, proving that women who eat in labor don't die! ;) Really it's just funny to rethink the situation because it was so relaxing and out of the norm!

Shortly after cinnamon roles, Rebecca had me drink a little mixture of Kohosh, (sp?) which is basically just in herbal supplement that can help bring on/continue contractions. It definitely helped to get things going as I would have a big contractions, with smaller ones in between those bigger peaks. As always, (or as she was when I delivered Steele I should say), Corinne was absolutely awesome in talking me through each one, providing counter pressure on my back and just being my moral support coach! It's like she just knows what to say and do to me to help me get through every contraction!

8:30 am rolled around and as things were progressing and getting more intense, we decided to move to the bath tub. Oh my goodness! I wish I would have had this luxury when I gave birth to Steele! Having him naturally in the hospital was less than ideal, to say the least, compared to THIS situation! I got into the tub and immediately felt 10 times more relaxed just by the warmth of the water!

Before I knew it (and I don't know if it's because things moved so quickly or because I was just so focused in the water!?) I started feeling the urge to push. I couldn't believe things were happening so fast! Steele did go rather quickly for a first baby (10 hours from the first contraction to birth) so I had imagined this little squirt would follow in his footsteps or even go faster, and faster he went!

Todd kept taking pictures of the time and this was the last one he took before Rebecca said, "Todd, you better get over here with that camera if you want to see your baby born!"

Todd of course came over and this is where I no longer have pictures, just video for my own at home viewing! ;) Although I must say, it's really not graphic and much like the water video births you see all over the Internet...

I seriously pushed for maybe 10 minutes tops, but even that sounds too long! Before I knew it I had this new little baby out, who immediately floated right up into my arms. It was a moment of complete and total joy. It was beyond overwhelming to me to just "catch" my baby like that and take him up in my arms! Words can not even describe all the feelings I had at that moment.

It was then that I said, "It's a boy!" Todd and I were both convinced we were going to have a girl! Funny because we both liked the idea of another boy and that's what we got! I am so glad we waited to be surprised at the end..totally worth the wait!

Crying, laughing, everything at once!

After some cuddling and holding in the water we then did a delayed cord clamping. His cord was super short so it was making it hard for me to hold him anywhere more but on my legs! Proud daddy did the honors!

I could have sat in that tub all day with my baby but it was time to get out and get cleaned up, so daddy took over with some skin to skin holding. (after he took off the towel!)

By far, another great thing about not being in a hospital is that nobody is rushing your baby away or you away, for that part! Clean up for me was super easy, dry and get dressed. I only tore a tiny, little bit, not even enough to need stitches! So, I got to go straight to a cozy bed where I could immediately nurse the baby.

To the left is Corinne...seriously could not have done it without that women! Words can not express how much I appreciate her!

Unfortunately, because I went so fast, my parents had not arrived in time for the actual birth. But it's all on video so my mom got to watch it that way! They showed up shortly after, with the kids....

Steele sees his little brother for the first time!

Chance too! However she was hoping for a sister! :(

My brothers arrived with my parents and the kids, then my sister and brother-in-law arrived shortly after that. Had to get the family picture in the bed!

We all hung out for the next couple hours, talking, looking at the baby and just having a great time together. My brothers and the kids got the leftover cinnamon roles (score!) and there are enough rooms and toys in Rebecca's facility that they all stayed entertained that way.

After some nursing and holding we then did all the weighing, newborn screening, etc. (All the stuff the would do at the hospital)

This is supposed to be a picture of him on the scale with his weight, however it kind of screams more of "Look at me, I'm a boy!!!!" (I blame the proud daddy)

8 pounds 3 ounces (the exact same weight big brother Steele was at birth!)

Meet Grandpa....

The proud parents!

Steele was DYING to hold the baby! Oh my goodness, I was shocked. There was absolutely no jealousy, just an undying need to hold that baby! He is so good with him already and seeing my two boys together like that just melts a mamas heart!

He is the spitting image of Steele when he was born, except the hair, his looks blonde!

4 hours (yes 4 hours) after giving birth I/we were ready to go home! I felt/feel surprisingly well, but I guess when I had such an awesome birthing team and the support of my sweet husband it's bound to work out that way.

Going home....

Again, a HUGE thank you to my husband, Corinne and Rebecca. I could not have done this without any of you! The role you played for me in this birth was bigger than you might think! I am forever grateful to each of you for your amazing support and love to me!

Oh, and on one final note, we have a name.......

Introducing:

Jett Staples Winner

Born November 20, 2011 at 9:11 AM

8 pounds 3 ounces

20 1/2 inches long

There has been some curiosity about the middle name. It is actually Todd's middle name so we wanted to incorporate that into one of his sons, especially since I won't do a Todd JR! :)

More pictures of Jett to come when I get his professional ones done!

40 Weeks

2011-11-19T09:51:00.002-07:00

Well today is D-day, otherwise known as my due date! No, there is still no baby. So, I guess that means I got to take a 40 week belly picture after all....My I've come a LOOOONG way!

8 Weeks 40 Weeks

I don't even recognize myself when I see these pictures side by side! Amazing what can change in 9 long months....Seeing these definitely makes me long to not be pregnant anymore!

I'm very ready but I also realize that a due date is only an estimate, although I do think I'm getting close and it will happen soon!

On another baby front, just last night, as my parents were passing through on their way out to Utah, my brother and his wife (who live in Junction City, Kansas) had their baby! My sister-in-law Ashlee was 4 or 5 days late, and the fact that she had the baby on the one night my parents were stopping in town was just crazy to me! What are the odds, is all I can say!

My parents arrive in Utah sometime this evening/tonight and I am thinking that maybe, just maybe, God allowed my brother's baby to come just in time for my parents, and maybe He will do the same for me?! :) I keep saying this little squirt is staying in until Nana gets her to see him/her be born and be a part of it. So, here's to hoping and praying it happens tonight after my parents arrive! It really would be so perfect! My dad and brothers would be at our house, and Steele loves his uncles so much, so I would feel really great knowing that he and Chance were at home with them, so that Todd and my mom could be with me. I guess we will just wait and see what God has in store for us!

Let the waiting game continue, hopefully it's close to over!

Happy Wednesday & NO BABY!

2011-11-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

Today was actually a really good day! It most definitely helped that we had things going on. Since I usually work on Wednesday and am not any more I was wondering what we might do. I woke up late, (I'm getting good at that!) around 9:00am. The best part about this whole no work and no baby thing is that I can do that without feeling guilty. I love when my little guy comes into my bed in the morning and snuggles for a bit...it's definitely nice to not have to jump out of bed in the morning!

Steele had breakfast and I got on the computer while I drank my coffee. I got a text and it was from my friend Emily from play group. Play group used to be on Thursdays so Steele and I would go all the time. However, with every one's kids starting preschool that is on Tuesdays and Thursdays, playgroup had to get switched days. I was hoping it would be Fridays and it ended up being Wednesday, when I normally work, bummer!

However, because I am not working for the next 3 months we get to go to play group now! It was really nice to be able to get out of the house for 1 1/2 hours, let Steele to play with other kids (not just mommy!) and for me to catch up with all the other mamas from the group! It really is a great bunch of kids and women and I'm really happy to know each and every one of them. I think, and I may be wrong, the play group consists of all the women in their ward, at least they all live in the same neighborhood, I do know that. It's just really sweet that they include Steele and I in the group, even though we are not in the ward let alone the neighborhood.

After play group we had planned to meet up with another friend, Krista. It was her day off work so we grabbed a quick lunch and chatted for the next hour. Steele was a little restless, seeing as it was right before nap time and in a boring restaurant but we made it through and I appreciated the company very much!

We came home, Steele went down for a nap and I started laundry. I thought about going on a walk but my laziness got the best of me and I just relaxed on the couch. Really it was what I needed because by 2:00pm I was dragging, to say the least! After Steele's nap and my rest Todd was back home so we just hung out until it was time to start dinner. My sweet husband has cooked more than ever lately, without even being asked or complaining about doing it. Yes, we usually share the cooking anyway (He's very self sufficient in the kitchen after being a bachelor his whole life!) but I have really been slacking and would say that he does 99% of it these days! I am just grateful to have a hubby that knows how, and doesn't mind doing so!

After dinner our friends Patrick and Amy came over for some vino, cookies and conversation. They brought their three boys to play. We of course have Steele and had Todd's daughter Chance tonight so it was nice to have some friends over for them too.

Now it's nearly 9:00pm and I am ready for bed, like clock work!

Also, on one final note, THERE IS NO BABY! Really, if one more person asks me that I just might scream at them. I know people mean well but really, if I had a baby A) do you think I would be standing here still pregnant? and B) don't you think with all the technology of cell phones, e-mail, and Facebook you would have heard about it by now? Grr!...I am just a grumpy, pregnant women who is tired of being asked about a baby who clearly has not arrived yet.....soon enough I keep telling myself, soon enough.......

Monday?

2011-11-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today did not feel like my typical Monday, that's for sure! For the first time in 3 years (minus vacations) I did not get up and go to work....well, almost! Last Wednesday was my last real day of work. However, after the long, boring weekend I couldn't keep myself away from work, at least not all day. It was definitely nice to not have to get up at 6:00am to get there, and the fact that I was able to choose to go in was really nice too! I went in close to noon and worked for almost 3 hours. It was just enough to get me out of the house and catch me up on some things and check up on other things. Any more than 3 hours and I would have been bored, so it was the perfect amount of time.

After work I ran to Wal-mart, which I hate but it was close and I knew they would have what I needed. I went in intending to get a Christmas card for my Aunt, table clothes for Thanksgiving, and half and half since we've been out for 3 days and my coffee is NOT the same without it! I ended getting the needed items along with a few other things. All their fall stuff was on clearance, which I find really funny, considering Thanksgiving isn't over yet! This is why I am so anti-Christmas music/anything until after Thanksgiving. It's like Halloween ends and everyone forgets about Thanksgiving (which is my favorite holiday) and moves right on to Christmas! Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas too, it's a close second to Thanksgiving, but I really just like to enjoy each holiday as they come, not just rush to the next one!

So anyway, back to Wal-mart, all the fall stuff was way cheap because I guess according to Wal-mart and every other store it's Christmas time. I got my table clothes really cheap, along with some cute leaf and acorn plates, leaf salt and pepper shakers and napkins/plates for appetizers on Thanksgiving! All of which will be so cute to use on Thanksgiving! I guess I benefited from the retail industrie's annoying habit of skipping holidays after all! ;)

Afterwards I went home, meausured my tables and found that the table clothes I bought are 2 inches too short! (bummer!) and the next size up is like 20 inches too long! What gives?! Rather than exchange them I think I will just keep the shorter ones. I think if they are too long people will be tripping on them or one of my dogs will be bound to pull one off....I can just see it now! I'm putting 2 tables together so between the two clothes I hope it will be okay! :)

Steele was napping when I got home so I snuck away to get a walk in with my friend Amy. Steele has been super, super clingy and wants to do EVERYTHING with mama. I can't even go down to the laundry room to get something without him wanting to come! Yikes! It's nice to be wanted, but after a while it's a little draining. I have been spending SO much time with him, between not working and not having much going on. We've spent lots of time at home together, and I'm beginning to wonder if it has been too much of a good thing? I do love spending time with him, of course, but really I'd just like to go pee by myself for once!

Amy and I walked for about an hour, it was a beautiful day for it. After walking I ran to Fresh Market to get something for dinner. I still don't have an appetite but I'm trying to be a good wife and cook for my husband anyway (since I haven't cooked in at least a week) Todd wanted salmon and so I decided I'd make broccoli and cous-cous with it. I got the broccoli, lemons, red bell pepper and mushrooms. I went to get the salmon, but all their fish looked so disgusting I couldn't bring myself to buy any. They only had farm-raised fish and the one wild salmon they had did not look good at all. I went to get cous-cous only to find out they had none (sigh) I was not in the mood to make a trip to another store but also didn't want to re-plan dinner, so to Harmon's I went.

I love Harmon's, they are my absolute favorite store (but seriously so expensive!) I got cilantro for the cous cous, which I'd forgotten, and cous-cous and the milk I forgot (maybe it's a good think I went to 2 stores!) I asked for the King Alaskan Salmon (without really looking at it) and went to check out. $29 for 2 salmon filets, ouch! I know it will be worth it and yummy, and I love that it's fresh not farm raised, but I was not planning on spending that much on fish alone! I guess that's what I get for not paying attention. I wasn't about to go back and "exchange" it either so I am thinking of it as the "last supper", at least the last nicer one we'll have before the baby comes!

Now I am home and ready to make dinner and relax. It was really nice getting out of the house today to help pass the time and keep my mind busy, instead of thinking about having this baby. I am really grateful for my job and for good friends! It's nice having those outlets during my day when I've just been stuck at home with a clingy boy for too long! I'm now feeling refreshed and ready for a night of books, puzzles, coloring or whatever my little guy desires to do with his mama!

39 Weeks

2011-11-12T12:30:00.002-07:00

Today marks 39 weeks of pregnancy. No, I did not get my wish of having an 11/11/11 baby! I knew it was long shot and did not really think it would happen 8 days early, would have been kind of neat though! Now I'm shooting for any day! At this point I don't care, I am just READY! Praying that I only have a week (or less!) left and that I don't pass my due date, at least not by more than a day!

Here is my 39 week belly picture (If I don't make it to 40 weeks next Saturday, it may be my last!)

Things have been really quiet and boring around our house. I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts, but it's almost too boring and quiet that it's making me a little crazy! I have been trying to stay busy these last couple weeks so I don't sit around just waiting for labor.

Thursday I went to lunch with a couple friends and we went and had pedicures after. It was so, so nice and much needed! I am happy to say I have nice looking feet, even if I can only tell by seeing them in the mirror! ;)

Friday was a slow day for us. Steele and I played on the floor a ton. I also got 4 loads of laundry done, which included my guest room bedding and bathroom rugs. At least my guest room is all ready for my parent's arrival, which is a week from today, on my due date! After laundry Steele and I had lunch, leftover pizza from Toscano for him and chicken salad sandwich for me. After that we went outside for a bit to get some fresh air. He rode is bike and I walked. He only made it a mile, which is the average for him. I prefer to do 2-3 but a mile is better than nothing for me! After our walk I put Steele down for his nap. While he was sleeping I watched a couple shows I recorded from the night before. After that I had to go get ready for bunco. I don't play on a regular basis but sub quite often in my friends' group so I was looking forward to getting out of the house and having something fun to do that night.

Me and two of the girls rode out to bunco together. It was a fun night and we actually got 3 rounds in, which is a record, because we usually only play two! I won for having the most loses, so I made even, which I can't complain about! We didn't get home until nearly 11:00 and I was so exhausted by that point. I came home to a messy house and a 3 year old who was still awake (Sigh) I love my husband but sometimes I wonder what he's thinking, or better yet why he's not?! He has no concept of normal dinner time, bed time, brushing teeth, etc. Makes me wonder what Steele would do without me?! I tucked Steele in and although it was late I still read to him because I'm a softy and can't tuck my little guy in without a favorite book or two, even if it is 2 hours past bed time! I went to bed shortly after and actually prayed labor wouldn't come last night because I was too dang tired for it!

Today we woke up really late, around 9:00am! Even then I wasn't ready to get up but Steele was so what's a mom to do? We read books, did puzzles, played memory and built a fort in his room for the next hour and a half. I still wasn't ready to face the day or do anything but figured I'd feel better once I did. We made applesauce bran muffins, Steele was my big helper as always. He's very good at dumping ingredients and mixing them together. His best and favorite job is licking the bowl once we're done! :)

Now we are just hanging out. I love this little ham, he keeps his mama smiling, that's for sure!

He loves playing on the ipad! I love it too on cold days! All his practice on here is what keeps him beating me at the Memory game!

Well, I am ready for a nap now! Maybe I will ask Todd to start me a fire so I can nap on the couch....or it might just be a good movie day with my little guy!

Tuesday

2011-11-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

Today was another routine Tuesday. I woke up around 8:00 and Steele did a little snuggling in bed with me before getting up. I showered, he played in my bathroom while I did so. He loves getting out all my chap sticks and playing with them and pretending they are cars...Silly boy!

After that I got ready for my appointment with my midwife and Steele ready for preschool. We had to pick something to take to show and tell, and today it was his little basketball. I'm glad he didn't try taking his toy snake, AGAIN! I think he's taken it at least three times! I had my coffee and asked Steele what he wanted for breakfast, he said he wasn't hungry. I probably asked him at least three more times before it was time to go and every time his answer was the same. I hate when he doesn't eat breakfast before school, I feel like such a bad mom sending him off without breakfast but I guess if he's not hungry, he's not hungry, so what can you do? He must have his mom and dad's morning appetite, which is next to nothing!

I dropped him at school and headed to Murray for my appointment. It was very routine and easy, we are basically just playing the waiting game now. I am dilated to a 4 and effaced 70%. I guess it could happen any day now, but I also know it might be closer to my due date at the end of next week. I was dilated to a 4 a week before I went into labor with Steele, so I am not holding my breath that this one will come any sooner just because of the dilation and effacement. Fun to know where I'm at though and it does make labor seem/sound that much closer!

After my appointment I had an hour to kill before I had to get Steele, so I went to TJ Maxx and found him a snow suit. Todd is supposed to take him snowboarding this year, so it will be good to have for that and just for playing outside since he outgrew last year's suit! They didn't have boots so I went over to Target where I found some, along with some warm pj's and socks for him. I also got another coat at TJ Maxx that is not as puffy as the snow suit one. It will be good because it's warm and easier to get into the car seat! $80 later and he's all ready for winter!

I picked Steele up and we met a friend at Zupas for lunch. I had watched her boy a handful of times on Fridays while she was working so she wanted to treat us to lunch to say thanks. It was fun to catch up and let the boys play. Steele finished all of his lunch, which probably had something to do with his lack of breakfast...

We came home, Steele napped, I made hot chocolate and watched my Castle recording. After that I decided to be productive so I bundled up and went outside for a ~~walk~~ waddle. I made it 2 miles, that's just enough for this tired mama nowadays, especially outside in the cold!

Now I'm home and we'll be having dinner soon...I have no appetite anymore, so we'll see what Todd got for dinner...maybe it'll be something that sounds good and I'll actually have a bite!

Maternity Photos

2011-11-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today I got my maternity photos back! I am always so anxious while waiting to get pictures back of any kind, and I was no different with these! There are so many I love it's hard to just pick a handful (or two), but I tried!

Photos by Sweet Leaf Photography at www.sweetleafphoto.com

I love this one, Steele wouldn't let Todd and I kiss!

These last four are a bit more intimate, but if you know me you know I'm not bashful. The whole reason I did them is because I think pregnancy is such a unique, beautiful time (not to mention so temporary!). A women's body changes in more ways than one could imagine possible and I wanted to capture that this time around. I regret not taking maternity pictures with Steele, so I wanted to fully embrace my new curves and changes this time!

Sunday, fun day....

2011-11-06T21:14:00.003-07:00

Ah Sunday....Sometimes they are the most boring days! I think because I have such long weekends (they technically start on Thursdays!) by the time Sunday rolls around I am ready for Monday and some routine. Not to mention Sunday means only one thing in this house....football! (After church of course!) I do love church in the morning and look forward to Sundays for that reason, but the rest of the day can seem to drag with everything else, especially now that the weather is cold. At least once this baby comes I won't mind sitting around the house so much, seeing as I'll have a newborn to keep my busy!

However, until that happens today was just like almost every Sunday...Long, boring and full of football.

The extra hour of sleep this morning definitely helped! It was nice to get up before an alarm, play in bed with Steele, shower, drink coffee, and basically take my time getting myself and Steele ready for church. After my shower I got one of the very annoying headaches I've been getting lately....They mess with my vision big time! It's like I'm seeing spots or a bright light in one part of my eye, and the front of my head is pounding! Very annoying to say the least! I again was glad I had that extra hour because when I get these headaches I just have to lay down and close my eyes, which is exactly what I did! I also drank a bunch of water and for the first time in this pregnancy, took two Tylenol! Luckily that all did the trick and I was ready for church and feeling back to myself.

I got Steele dressed. Lately he's been in a phase where he is really opinionated about what he wears. It's so funny to me because I never though I'd experience it with a boy, but I guess maybe all kids go through it? My friends with little girls would tell me that at 2 years old their girls were wanting to dress themselves (and doing so!) and very picky about what they wore. At the time I thought that was bizarre, as I had a 2 year old boy who could care less! Well now he's 3 and I guess it matters to him?! It's pretty much jeans every day, but he does like to pick out his shirts. He likes to wear the same shirt over and over, so I purposefully don't keep all the way up on laundry, that way I can tell him it's dirty! He will not wear new shirts, those seem to be the hardest! I have to convince him how cool a shirt is or how much daddy likes it for him to want to wear it! Today, it was this super cute button up shirt with a pull over sweater. It's probably the nicest thing I own for him, and although our church is not "dressy" by any means, I did want to see him in it and didn't mind that he'd be looking nice too!

Today it was a fruit snack that got him into the shirt. I don't normally use bribes for anything (it's basically you do what mom and dad say or there are consequences!) but seeing as it was just a shirt, I decided to use the fruit snack which enabled me to get a couple pictures out of the whole deal (seeing as he was very busy with the snack!)

Now if only I could get him to try on some new shoes! I really don't like the pair he is wearing but he loves them, so..... (sigh)

After church we came home and of course football got put on. Luckily Todd goes down to his man cave so I don't have to listen to it all day anymore! He will typically stay down there all day, watching, working out, watching some more, and working out some more. I guess it's nice that his "man cave" does not consist of a couch, mini bar and pool table, but rather a TV, stationary bike, treadmill, row machine, and other free weights/benches/gym equipment. I guess if you are going to watch football and keep up with your fantasy team, you might as well get in shape while doing it!

I cleaned up a few things around the house and headed down to the "man cave" myself. Can you believe I kicked my hubby out and got 2 miles in on the treadmill! Okay, I didn't actually kick him out, he was kind enough to offer me the TV to watch whatever I wanted while on the treadmill... how sweet of him!

After my workout I was needing to get out of the house and kill some time before Steele's nap. So, Steele and I went to the store to get a few items for dinner, then decided to stop at McDonalds so he could play. Perfect way to burn some energy on a cold day, right before nap time! My friend Amy met us there and it was nice to just sit and chat for an hour while the kids played. I bought a peppermint hot chocolate on the way out (Out of guilt for coming and using the play place and never eating there!) which was rather tasty. Steele wanted to try my "coffee" and because it wasn't coffee I let him. He LOVED it. I believe it's the first time he's had hot chocolate too! The first thing he said was, "Mom, this is alicious! (Meaning delicious) Needless to say I just let him have it as I don't need the extra sugar and calories!...he was one happy boy.

We got home, I put him down for a nap, and I caught up on a couple episodes of CSI, thanks to DVR. Afterwards I went to wake Steele up, because I didn't want him sleeping too late. Also with our hour time change he technically went down an hour later, oops. He is a lot like me when woken up, grumpy to say the least (at least until I get my coffee!) and also just a slow waker-uper. I laid in bed with him and sang him all the Kindermusic songs I could think of. When I ran out of ideas there I turned to Christmas songs! Silly me, I don't like Christmas music until after Thanksgiving but "The First Noel" was actually rather calming to him so I stuck with it!

We finally pulled it together and stopped crying and woke up enough to make our way out to the kitchen. I made Parmesan chicken and Steele helped me by mixing the egg and also mixing together the bread crumbs, cheese and spices. I've never made it before but it turned out pretty good! The fact that Chance had seconds says a lot, because normally she doesn't like much of anything that I make, and definitely never has seconds! I guess when you have a mom who raises you on corn dogs, fast food, and nachos that's bound to be the case?!

Now the dishes are done and I'm winding down. Hubby lit a fire in our front room and the waterfall (more of a calm trickle) is running on the opposite wall...a very relaxing, quiet way to end the night in preparation for tomorrow! I think I will go read books with my little man to make the night complete!

Hope everyone has a great week!

38 Weeks & A False Alarm!

2011-11-05T09:26:00.001-06:00

Today marks the 38 week point in my pregnancy. For those you who don't know pregnancy weeks/math, there is typically 40 weeks in a pregnancy. That is why my due date is in 2 weeks, November 19th. However, delivering anywhere from 38-42 weeks is the normal range, so it can happen anytime for most women!

Here is my 38 week belly shot....

Speaking of happening anytime, I was almost sure it was happening last night! This might be too much information, but hey, if you choose to read my blog you are asking for it! ;)

You know that list of things that everyone says to do to get your labor going? Eat spicy food, have sex, go for a bumpy car ride, etc. Well, I we did one of those "things" last night and sure enough it brought on the contractions fast and hard! I freaked out at first, thinking this couldn't really be it! Contractions were 3 minutes apart, strong and in my back. I was beginning to think I was crazy for wanting to go naturally again with this child (I think you forget the experience when it's been 3 years since your first child!) but that first contraction brought back the memory of my labor with Steele rather quickly! Everything felt like it did as it did when I started labor with Steele. Contractions close and in my back, I felt a bit nauseous, and I was suddenly freezing with chills I couldn't shake! Poor Todd was freaking out, he said he wasn't ready tonight. Mind you he had taken an Ambien to help him sleep. Not to mention the kids were just tucked into bed, and we have Chance this weekend. Lastly it was the first real snow of the season....I did not want to have to commute in it last night!

I layered up my socks and pj's to get rid of the chills. Todd kept asking me if my water broke, lol. I think he forgets that with Steele my water didn't break until I was ready to push, so it did not break early! Then he would ask if I was okay, as he tried not to fall asleep, poor guy! I laid down and did some deep breathing to help relax me, in case this was really it! As I laid there I watched the clock, timing my contractions. They all continued to be strong, but they went from 3 minutes apart, to 6 minutes, then 10 minutes. This all happened over the course of about an hour. By the end of that hour and by the time they were ten minutes apart I was tired of watching the clock. I also figured they were not getting any closer, so I was probably going to be fine! I ended up falling asleep and waking up to lots of snow, and no baby!

As ready as I am I truly am glad it didn't happen last night! There were just too many factors working against me with the weather, hubby and kids!

If it happens this week, great! If not I can wait until next week! I am just hoping that every contraction is helping me to efface and dilate so that when labor does come it is that much quicker! I guess we will find out on Tuesday when I see my midwife again!

Happy Saturday everyone, enjoy the snow!

Just in time!

2011-11-04T17:00:00.001-06:00

Today we were able to pick up Steele's new bed from RC Willey! I am a little overly excited about a new bed, I know. I can't help it. It means his room is DONE! Considering the remodel of his room started months and months ago, it's nice to finally have it complete. The other reason I am so excited (besides the fact that I got his boxspring and mattress off the floor!) is because the bed was originally supposed to be in on Thanksgiving weekend, a week after I am due! Then when I called to check on the status they told me December 2nd and I was even more bummed about how long it was going to take! I called them last week, just to check (really to see if the date got pushed back farther) and they told me November 3rd! Maybe they got sick of me calling so much to check the status and rushed the thing so I would leave them alone? ;) Well the point is it's here and I'm happy because every time something gets done or finished it's one less thing to worry about and makes me feel that much more ready for this new baby!

Here are some pictures of Steele's room. I do still need a couple things hung up, and I want to buy Steele a black hamper that will match his room (instead of the plastic white one) and some type of shoe rack, but that will have to come a little later...Between the cost of all the Ikea/RC Willey furniture, and the beautiful/plush Costco rug (that I absolutely love!) I think we are going to hold off on any new purchases, just for a bit!

Take note of the rug, Steele and I live there most of the time!

There is a frame on this top shelf that still needs to be hung above Steele's bed, it's the sewing my mom made when he was born. After having the boxspring/mattress on the floor for so long it makes the bed seem huge, especially for Steele! I think I might need to get him a little stool he can use to get up there!

Love the big open closet and all the space, but I do need to organize the puzzles and hopefully shoes once I get the shoe rack in there.

We just love his new room! I can't believe my "baby" is all settled into his "big boy" room! Thank you again daddy for all your hard work in there!

Thursday

2011-11-03T14:13:00.000-06:00

Thursdays are always our busy days, but also my favorite day because it is both the start of my weekend and a fun day with Steele.

We woke up late today but I still managed to get him fed and off to preschool by 9:30. Preschool is my time, which usually consists of a long walk with my friend Amy. I can not wait until I can start working out again like normal, and by normal I mean more intense cardio and my beloved weight training. I miss weights more than wine if you can believe that....well, almost! Anyway, back to walking, it's good while pregnant, but I am definitely tired of it being my only work out! At least it always goes by quickly because Amy and I chat the whole time and before you know it we've done a few miles.

After walking I had about 45 minutes to get ready before I had to go get Steele from preschool. I picked him up and we headed straight over to Kindermusic. Kindermusic lasted an hour and Steele was excited after we were done because his friend Dominick was coming over today. Silly/absentminded me was thinking we got out of Kindermusic at 1:15 when in reality it's 12:15! So I told my friend I could watch her son (Dominick) at 1:15, duh! Oh well, she was already planning on that time and it gave me an extra hour to do the dreaded Costco run. I love Costco but I say dreaded because I never get out of that place under $100! Sure enough it was $150 today (with gas)....oh well, I got some of the much needed essentials like olive oil and toilet paper, and some other good things like bell peppers, cucumbers, grapes and raspberries to name a few. I wont do well at eating healthy unless I have healthy things and now I do so all is well!

We came home with just enough time to put everything away and start lunch before Dominick got here. I made tortellini, peas and corn for the boys. Steele ate well, Dominick not so much but I think he had a late breakfast. Now both the boys are down for naps which I am most pleased with. :)

Later tonight I get to watch my Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice....Ahh Thursday, I do love you!

Work, clean or sleep?!

2011-11-02T20:43:00.001-06:00

Odd title, I know. But those are the questions I find I am asking myself these days. I am so, so, so tired. Of course I am. Anybody would be at this point, I realize it's perfectly normal and acceptable, but it seemed to hit me like a train out of nowhere. I hate to be so tired. I hate feeling like everything I do takes 10 times longer because I am just so dang tired that everything gets done so slowly!

I find myself cleaning again....and I don't just mean your basic, daily duties. I cleaned out the freezer today after work. Then I hit the freezer downstairs. Next was the fridge, and heck while I was at it I threw in the kitchen pantry. Cleaning is good, I guess. But who wants to clean when they are tired? I guess cleaning is better than being bored, even if you are tired? Everyone keeps saying, "Rest while you still can" but I can't! My mind is restless, making sleep nearly elusive, even when I am tired. Also I am not the type to just sit on the couch and...? That's just it, what? Rest? Look at the wall? I am a "go" person so unless I truly am sleeping I can't just sit/lay there.

Then there is work. I wish I had more of it right now. Training started out as being so busy, but now it's to the point where I basically go to work and watch my replacement do my job. I give out a few tips and pointers here and there, help her out with the more difficult things, but that is the extent of it. She still has a lot to learn, but most of what she needs to learn can not be taught. I can not teach someone not to panic under pressure. I can not teach someone how to not get flustered or nervous when the phone rings and the patient has a question she can't answer. She's doing great with everything else, but I worry about those things as I can't teach them and think they are big issues when you're dealing with patients/people every day. It's hard being at work with no work to do. Even harder knowing I am going to leave for three months and everything I worked so hard to get to/maintain will probably have gone to shit by the time I'm back (Pardon my language, but there is no other way to explain the inevitable outcome I'll be facing once back) On the plus side I am no longer coming to the office at the crack of dawn! (We open at 7am) instead I am throwing out my alarm clock and showing up when I please. Dr. Jackson was fine with that and I think a couple hours alone in the morning will be good for the new girl.

I guess it's all fine but really it's hard not knowing what to do with myself, because that's been the most difficult part. I want to stay busy so I don't sit around eating all the Halloween candy (seeing as I am already fat!) thinking about when I will go into labor. But at the same time I am just tired and want to do nothing.

On to the plus side of all of the above....I made myself walk a mile after work today. It was perfect weather. A little nip in the air but the sun was shining so it was beautiful. It's nice to have free time to get a walk in. Steele and I have been spending a lot of alone time together. It's been really good for both of us and it continues to teach me so much about this little person I love so dearly. We just get down on the rug in his room and read books and do puzzles. Then he says, "Mom, what's next?" And I get to say, "Whatever you want honey." because there is nothing else going on. If I do get that crazy itch to clean I have his 2 hour nap time to do so....Even though everyone keeps telling me to rest......

.......I'm restless. I'm ready. I'm blogging a crazy rant because of those two things. I will try to post something a little more concrete, exciting and structured next time! At least I can say I find blogging time relaxing, even if I am just rambling!

Halloween

2011-10-31T20:10:00.001-06:00

Although this was Steele's 3rd Halloween, it was the first year that he actually had a concept of what was going on and what he had to do. He got to dress up for preschool and Kindermusic last week, so that was a lot of fun for him! Then of course he got to go trick-or-treating tonight. He was so cute. We were practicing and I said, "Okay Steele, what do you say when we get to the house?" And he would say, "Thank you!" Ha ha it was so funny! I said, "Yes, you say thank you but first you say trick-or treat!" He still said thank you half the time before saying trick-or-treat, but at least he was polite!

I must say Halloween is not my favorite holiday, in fact we didn't celebrate it growing up (if you're curious as to why, here is an informative link on why my mom didn't do it with us... http://www.klove.com/promodetails.aspx?i=6055 ) I will say I still agree with all the reasons why my mom didn't to the traditional Halloween with us...however I have husband who did do the traditional Halloween stuff, so when it comes to our kids, it's hard to find the happy medium!

My perception of Halloween and what I portray to my kids is not one of the Pagan holiday it originated from, but rather a fun time to dress up and get candy (which I think is what almost all kids think of it!) However I do know it's original origins, but I also believe that people don't necessarily celebrate it the same anymore as far as "honoring the dead". (at least we don't!) I guess what I am saying is that although I was raised one way and totally understand my mom's reason for doing so, I also think that kids can partake in pumpkins, dressing up and getting candy without including the darker side of Halloween, like the death, evil spirits, ghosts, magic, etc.

So with that I still let Steele do the whole dress up thing and go get candy. He has such a blast getting treats from everyone and all our neighbors thought he was so cute! He made it a lot farther/longer than I thought, at least 30 houses and 1 1/2 hours! He couldn't wait to get to the next house to get more candy! The kid made out, that's for sure! I am going to have to hide half of this candy and give it to him over the course of a year!

My little Dinosaur!

This was a lot for a little guy!

37 Weeks

2011-10-29T12:54:00.000-06:00

Today marks 37 weeks and boy am I feeling it! It seems like just in the last week I have completely lost my energy and desire to do anything! I just want to stay in bed all day and sleep until my labor comes! Ha ha yeah right, not when I have a busy 3 year old running around!

I'm trying to take this weekend to re-coup for the next week. Things have just been busy for me (not to mention I'm not sleeping so well anymore!) I've been training my replacement at work which is always more work than my regular job...it's more mentally tiring because there is so much I am trying to teach and go over in such a short period of time. I'm constantly thinking of things I haven't told her or things we need to work on and I just feel like I'm always worried/thinking about work! Hard to believe I only have 4 full working days left to get everything ready before I have this baby...yikes!

I baked a ton this last week...I decided to be extra adventurous in making a LOT of pumpkin bread. I love to bake but think I went a little overboard. All together I made 12 loaves over this past week! Some went to my brother in Afghanistan (and I am just praying they stay fresh for the week+ it will take to get out there!), one for each of Steele's 3 preschool teachers, 1 for Steele's Kindermusic teacher, then of course I can't make bread to give away without making some for my hubby, so a few stayed home and 1 went to a neighbor because I had just made so much! At least I am done and now I won't feel guilty about not doing Christmas gifts for his teachers....not sure I would be wanting to think about that with a 4 week old, so doing Halloween/fall gifts was a good alternative!

Steele and I had a Halloween party last night. It was a lot of fun seeing all my friends and their kids. Steele loves being around all the kids and doing whatever they are doing so he had a good time. He decorated a pumpkin, ate pizza, played with all the toilet paper after the mummy wrap and hung out by the fire while all the big kids told scary stories. We were home by 8:30 though, cause I was ready for bed!

Steele helped me make a veggie tray before the party...I don't think olives count as veggies, but Steele loves them the most!

Back to 37 weeks, the title of my post! Here is my 37 week picture!

I will see my midwife on Tuesday, November 1st. I am hoping we can check to see if I've dilated or effaced at all....Just curious to know where I am and I need some kind of news during these last few weeks when I am so ready to be done!!!

Steele's bed is supposed to get into RC Willey on November 2nd so I am hoping I get a call from them t so we can come pick it up! I am anxious to have his room all done, and his bed frame is the final piece, then I can take pictures. Todd got a really nice (super soft!) rug at Costco for him yesterday so that's been nice to have in the room. Now we can lay on the floor all morning and read our books, do puzzles, color and listen to our Kindermusic CD (which has become our morning/night routine) I just love that time with my little guy...Just he and mommy doing what we love all by ourselves! I think I like the rug more than Steele does because now I don't mind getting down on the floor for a couple hours!

Pictures to come when the bed comes in!

It's nearly 1:00pm and I am thinking I will try to get a nap in for myself when Steele goes down!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Baby Business

2011-10-27T15:38:00.001-06:00

We are gearing up for the new baby here in the Winner home! I can honestly say that if this baby were to come today, I would be ready! The babies room has been ready for quite some time now, it was easy not having to re-do anything. Once I got the toddler bed back to a crib I had the majority of the work out of the way. I did touch-up paint, washed bedding/blankets and moved all the baby things into there once Steele's things had been moved out! I dug out our car-seat, swing, playpen, etc. After washing the car seat I got it all put together. Just the other night Steele and I got the straps put in at the newborn level and put the warm, fitted, blanket/fleece inside. I say "Steele and I" because he helped my by practicing to put his monkey into the car seat so that when the baby is here we know what to do! ;) It was so cute to see him helping and treating his monkey like a real baby. He even offered up his very favorite blanket for the baby! Now that was sweet and shocking! I think he liked when I put the blanket over the car seat and said, 'Shhhh, now the baby is sleeping." He was very amused by it all, but also very sweet. I am excited to see him as a big brother!

Today I got my things packed for when we go to the birthing center. I know, I know, I have 3 weeks left but I am all about being prepared and getting things out of the way! My lap top case is ready so that I can just put my lap top in before we go. I also packed my toiletries bag with all my travel size stuff so that I will only have to throw in a few of the essentials that I use every day. My actual bag is packed as well, and contains things like nursing bra, extra socks (for my always cold feet!) the blanket my grandmother made for the new baby, some white onsies, a hat and of course a boy and a girl outfit to come home in!

These both look so big, but they are size 0-3 months. I never did buy newborn size because babies grow so fast. Also, Steele was over 8 lbs, so I don't imagine I'll have a small baby this time around either!

I just love the pink/brown and blue/brown combo. The boy outfit was actually Steele's...I have SO much boy stuff so I didn't go out and buy anything new. I did however buy the girl outfit and let me tell you, it was the hardest thing to find cute girl clothes! Everything looks like it's been thrown up on after someone drank a bottle of Pepto-Bismol, or you'd think someone was decorating a cake, not making clothes. I think most girl clothes are so ugly, with all that super pink, brightness and "frilliness"! Yikes, if I do have a girl I am going to be hard pressed to find cute clothes!

It has seriously been so fun not knowing the gender of this baby! Because I don't know I am so much more excited for the birth! Also I like the idea of just loving this little person so much already, regardless of whether it's a boy or girl! It's funny because people will ask what I am having and when I tell them I didn't find out I get such diverse responses! If it's someone from my generation they are shocked and in disbelief that I didn't find out. They all say, "I would die if I didn't know!" Then there is the older generation, like my parents, they all say, "Good for you! That is so awesome you aren't finding out! Finding out takes half the fun out of pregnancy!" I have to agree now that I've had a pregnancy where I did find out and one where I have not. I guess I am a little old fashioned and a full supporter of not knowing the gender, natural birth, etc...

The one and only down side to not knowing the gender of this baby has been finding a name!!! Ugh, Todd and I have a hard enough time as it is, and now we have to come up with 2 names, one for each gender! I can happily say that we at least have a boy name, but I've got NOTHING for girl names! As it was when trying to name Steele, everything I like he does not and everything he likes I do not (Or I don't get many suggestions from him, and he just shoots mine down!) I REALLY like Naomi Adele Winner for a girl, but Todd does not. :( Naomi was my grandmother's name on my dad's side, and Adele was my grandmother's middle name on my mom's side. I've always wanted to incorporate a family name (and still might because I'll have the last say in naming this baby, especially if Todd doesn't give me any ideas!) I also like Adeline but Todd doesn't care for that either and I'm afraid people will try calling her, "Addy". I like names that can not be shortened/altered by people, which is why we went with Steele on Steele's name...I really like one syllable too! However Steele's name originated from Todd who wanted to name him "Stihl" like the chainsaws....Yes, I know, my silly husband wanted his name to be "manly", what else can you expect from a guy?! So, I agreed, but only to naming him that with the normal spelling of Steele. Now of course I love the name but it's hard deciding on one at first!

Oh well, in the meantime I will keep thinking and looking at girl names. I think it will be easier once I have the baby and actually know what we have! However, if it is a girl she might be nameless for a couple days, at least until we figure it out!!!

Happy Birthday & all things Fall!

2011-10-26T21:18:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my hubby! Today was Todd's birthday but I won't tell you how old he is ;).....Let's just say I'm catching up to him, but I have quite a ways!

We did not do anything in particular to celebrate, but we never really do anyway! We went to dinner at Smokey Mountain Pizza (One of Todd's favorites) but we had the kids and go there all the time so it wasn't anything too special. I have a hard time wanting to go out or plan a dinner out at a nice place (where I can't drink from their glorious wine list!) when I am nearly 37 weeks pregnant! So, we went with Smokey Mountain but it was good! Todd got free dinner and we even splurged a little bit by ordering the chocolate cake with ice cream. I am thinking maybe I better get a sitter one of these nights and take him out to a real birthday dinner!

I did not however leave him totally hanging for his birthday! Our recent trip to Moab was a surprise and my treat to him, and I also got him something to have on his birthday....his favorite whiskey. My friend Amy and I went up to Park City yesterday to hit the outlet stores and we swung by High West Whiskey while up there. Todd is not normally a whiskey kind of guy, but rather beer and wine. However, this place makes their own whiskey and it's rated top in the country so needless to say it is good! I grabbed him a bottle of his favorite and a couple whiskey glasses. I love the glasses because they are hand blown, so they are all different and unique from each other....

That was it for his birthday! But I think he had a good day and enjoyed everything he got!

I know I always mention how much I love fall, but I really, really do and I can't help but get excited about all the fall things!

This last weekend we had a giant pumpkin delivered to our house! Todd tried growing his own giant pumpkins last year and met some people along the way. There is one guy whom he has stayed in touch with that offered to give us one of his pumpkins! Silly me was expecting to get a big cinderella pumpkin delivered (They really grow some that big!) but unfortunately the one we got wasn't that big, but still it was huge and looks cool!

It looked really good for it's size! (200-300 lbs!) They usually start to look deformed and seem to get lighter the bigger they get but this one looked really nice! I don't want to carve it, it's too pretty sitting in my front yard!

Speaking of carving, Todd and the kids carved pumpkins this last weekend too. I seriously love my husband, he is so good about doing all that fun stuff with the kids! I was not about to get down on the ground outside and dig into a pumpkin...I did however roast the pumpkin seeds with a little bit of olive oil and kosher salt, yummy!!!

Lastly, on a random note, I think this is too funny not to share! If you know me you know that I absolutely LOVE to mow the lawn! It is one of my favorite things to do around the house/yard. Even while pregnant I continue to do it because it is good exercise for me. This last weekend I mowed the back and decided to go on and mow the front because I was feeling that good (mind you we live on almost 1 acre of land!) So there I am mowing and Todd's sitting out front drinking a beer...meanwhile he's telling me to stop mowing and let him finish, to which I objected. I stopped the mowing for a second to adjust the setting on the mower and said to Todd, "You gotta wonder what our neighbors and everyone who drives by thinks about this picture....you in a lawn chair with a beer, me 8+ months pregnant mowing ha ha must be quite the site!" So a picture Todd took, it was too funny looking not too!

I'll have to admit, I think this was my last mow of the year, due in part to the weather, but mostly to my pregnancy! I regretted doing the whole yard later that night. I had the worst back pain and I couldn't decide if it was just a sore back or back labor! I'd love to come early but I'd also like to be full term first! I made sure to relax the rest of the night and luckily the contractions subsided and the back pain was nearly gone the next day! I guess if I go over my due date you might see me out in the lawn, or at least doing something to get labor going, otherwise I'm taking it easy from here on out!

Wheeler Farm

2011-10-22T10:29:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Steele and I went to Wheeler Farm with our friends, Amy and Corey. Amy and I had been wanting to take the kids to a pumpkin patch, but we also wanted to do something more so Wheeler Farm ended up being a good option. They had a pumpkin patch, hay maze, tractor ride and of course all the animals to look at. We ended up doing everything with the boys and it was a lot of fun, not to mention perfect weather! I just love fall, hope it sticks around a bit longer!

Here are some pictures of our fun day!

Steele refuses to look at the camera or make a normal face anymore!

Hay maze and more funny faces.

The sun was so bright!

Tractor ride!

Steele was looking at the pigs in this picture...his face cracks me up! I can't tell if he is disgusted (like I was!) or confused!

Steele had to try and pick up all the pumpkins that outweighed him!

"Lets get this one mama!"

We had so much fun and I just love spending time with my little guy!

36 Weeks!

2011-10-22T10:14:00.001-06:00

Here we are, finally in the home stretch! Looking back the pregnancy has gone by so quickly! The anticipation is building as the day gets closer...to think I've only got 4 weeks left, (give or take a few days) is just crazy to me!

I had an appointment with my midwife this last Tuesday and all looks good! I thought I would start seeing her on a weekly basis now, but I actually don't go back in until November 1st, then every week after that. That really only leaves me with 3 more visits including the 1st and if I don't come early since my last scheduled appointment is the 15th. (Due the 19th)

It looks like the official "plan" is to go to her birthing center rather than deliver at home. Of course it could still happen at home, but chances are I won't go that fast and since her birthing center is only 15 minutes away I will most likely end up there. Either way I am looking forward to it and I'm really happy with my birthing "plan". I say "plan" because I still think you can only plan so much when it comes to having a baby!

Here is my 36 week belly shot. From here on out I'll be taking weekly belly pictures until this baby comes!

UEA and an early Halloween!

2011-10-20T17:34:00.000-06:00

Since it's UEA weekend Steele did not have preschool today. It actually was really nice that he didn't! We were able to sleep in until about 8:30 then take our time with breakfast and coffee. Steele had his usual applesauce and toast, me my coffee and toast.

After breakfast we got to go play in his room for the next hour...that was probably the best part about not having preschool! I love being able to take our time and because he is so good in the morning (as opposed to around nap time) and it's always more fun to play then! We put on his Kindermusic CD and played his very favorite, Toy Story match game....that kid has better memory than me in that game!

I decided we would walk to Kindermusic today since we weren't rushing to get there right after preschool like we normally are! It's about a mile walk to our Kindermusic teacher's house from our house so it was a perfect 2 mile round trip for this pregnant mom!

After Kindermusic we walked back home and I fixed lunch for Steele....nothing other than his absolute favorite that is requested EVERY single day! PB&J! I always put something else with his lunch too, just so he can get some variety with the PB&J..today it was grapes, carrot sticks and milk.

Before we knew it it was nearly 2:00pm so I put Steele down for a nap and headed to my office for a bit. I started training my replacement this week and it's been really nice because I've been busier than normal, but almost too busy this first week that I felt like I didn't get enough done! I just went in for almost 2 hours which was enough to catch up and feel a little more prepared for next week. It's hard to believe I only have 6 more working days (8 if you count the week I'm due and don't come early!) It's all becoming such a reality to me the closer it gets!

After I got home Steele was up from his nap and had a great treat waiting for him! Nana and Pop had sent out the Halloween goodies that we've come to expect from them every year! They are so cute when it comes to that stuff! Steele got his Halloween bag for trick-or-treating filled with candy, a spider, glow sticks, a card, and some coloring books. He had a blast opening everything and even got one piece of candy as an early Halloween treat!

He was one happy boy! Thank you Nana and Pop, you're the best!

I just love fall, it is so beautiful out right now and I love all the upcoming holidays we have! Speaking of holidays Thanksgiving is right around the corner and all the girls from our office made this cute decoration for it....

How cute is this?! It was so much fun making them! We seriously have the best "boss" (Dr. Jackson's wife) you could ask for!

Moab Day 2

2011-10-18T14:06:00.001-06:00

I decided to take day 2 of Moab a little easier thanks in part to last night's contractions and because of how tired I was! I hate when you go on vacation, only to come home and need a vacation from your vacation! I decided that since I was 35 weeks pregnant and out of town I was not going to feel guilty for doing nothing!

We slept in again, got up around 8 or 9 I think...anytime I'm not setting an alarm I consider that sleeping in, no matter what time I get up, the point is I'm not being woken up by an alarm! Steele and I had toast/fruit again, and I took my time with my coffee and getting ready for the day! Todd left to ride slickrock around 10ish and Steele and I did not even pull ourselves together to get out of the house until noon! (Like I said, no guilt for my total laziness!)

I decided we'd take a walk into town and hit the grocery store. Earlier that morning Steele and I were playing "catch" with his blanket, so I thought a football would be a better replacement and since I left his at home, I felt bad for not having it! The house we stayed at is right by a path that goes to the park, then continues on to town....Really nice and quiet and makes for a good walk! We took the path into town (which was a longer walk then I anticipated but oh well) and went to the store. Unfortunately we couldn't find a football but we did find a big, orange ball with a lot of bounce and a pumpkin face....Steele LOVES it, he slept with it that night and the next couple nights at home.

We also found Steele's costume for Halloween, that was a real surprise! We found the ball on the seasonal aisle and walked right by a bunch of costumes, I looked, if for nothing more than to pass some time. Sure enough they had a green and a blue dinosaur costume! Steele said he wanted to be a dinosaur, and there I was with 2 to choose from, both his exact size. I let Steele pick and we ended up with the green one! I'm so glad to have that out of the way! Also I love the costume because it's cute and will be warm, and the best part is when I went to pay it rang up for $14, advertised at $20, so I couldn't complain about that!

We headed back to the house and I figured since we were out we'd stop at the park so Steele could play and try out his new ball. We were there all of 10 minutes when daddy showed up on his bike! He had just gotten done with his ride and must have seen my note on the counter that we walked to the store (over 1 1/2 hours ago) and since we weren't back I guess he assumed we were at the park, and he was right! He and Steele played with Steele's new ball for the next 30 minutes before we headed back to the house.

Once at the house I made lunch, turkey sandwich, chips, and mac salad for Todd, PB&J for Steele, and I snacked on grapes, apples, and cheese. It was nearly 2:00 so we still had a lot of sunlight left in the day. We decided to go to Dead Horse Point, seeing as Todd has never been and I'm sure I had as a kid but don't remember! Steele slept the whole drive there which was perfect because I was worried about him not napping and being a grump! Todd has a friend who actually lives right up there because his wife is the head ranger. We stopped at their house and chatted for a minute before heading up to the Dead Horse Point lookout area. It was absolutely gorgeous up there, like a mini Grand Canyon! Todd did his usual picture taking while Steele and I played on the rocks and explored the area, all while taking in the breathtaking views!

Leave it to my husband to find something so disgusting and take a picture of it! Surprised he didn't try to bring it home!

After looking around for a bit we headed back to town. We stopped at the house so I could change and grab a bottle of wine. It was still pretty early and neither Todd or I were ready to be in for the night or to sit around at the house out last night there! We drove up a nearby canyon (can't remember the name) that the Colorado runs into to see what we could find. We went up a little ways before stopping on the side...it was more playing on rocks, picture taking, and exploring. Todd would be totally content with a headlight and night to himself to explore the area and look for "creepy crawlers"...me on the other hand, not so much! After a while there we headed back down and stopped in a big parking area where Steele played more ball and Todd opened his wine. Although we weren't doing anything it was a great night! I sat on the back of the truck with the tailgate down as I watched Steele play and Todd take pictures...Just being together on a cool, quiet evening was so much fun!

As the sun became lower this prego mommy's appetite crept up so we headed out to go get dinner. My sweet hubby grabbed some peanuts when he got his wine, knowing mama might need 'em! It was just what I needed to tie me over too! We went back into town and went to Moab Brewery, where we usually go at least once when we are down there. They told us it would be 45 minutes to an hour wait and it ended up only being about 20 minutes! I love when that happens! The place was packed so I was surprised we got in so quickly! They have really good burgers there but Todd and I both ended up getting the salmon special, which was surprisingly awesome for being a brewery we were at! I was naughty and ordered onion rings too, which may have contradicted my healthy salmon, veggies and salad, but was worth it nonetheless! We all three shared so it wasn't so bad! We ended on an even naughtier note by getting gelato as we left....at least we got a small and Steele and I shared it, so it wasn't too bad! Pregnancy is the only time I let myself cheat with the bad stuff so I guess I have to milk these last few weeks for what they're worth!

We headed back to the house, got ready for bed, watched a little TV then called it a night! We all slept well and surprisingly Steele slept completely through the night all three nights, didn't get up even once to pee! He slept in his own room too, separate from us, so I was way surprised he did so well in a new/different place and by himself. On the drive home he kept saying, "Mom, are we there yet? I want to go to that white house." It was really cute, but I think he was happy when we ended up driving home, back to his own room!

The "white house", as Steele would call it. W

e stayed in the bottom floor.

We had a really great, relaxing time and I am happy to have been able to go! It was a nice little break in our routine lives, and as always good to get away with my boys! I was happy to be home too though, and to sleep in my own bed and have all the comfortable surroundings of "home".

Here are some more pictures of our trip that go along with my "Day 1" post!

Our hike...

Stopping to say cheese!

It was really beautiful along the whole way!

Steele found LOTS of flowers.

Getting tired at this point, so I tried to keep him occupied with pictures and fun stuff along the way!

Silly, Steele faces!

Big boy on a big rock!

Sitting down for a break!

The park!

Love this boy!

The musical part of the park.

It was so neat, wish we had one here!

Gotta try everything!

"I'm a monkey mom!"

Cheese!

Going down the slide!

The next 3 pictures my hubby took...he is so talented when it comes to photography, make me a little jealous!

We miss you Moab, until next year!

Moab Day 1

2011-10-15T10:10:00.001-06:00

We have had such a great weekend so far down in Moab! About 6 months ago I got thinking about coming down here (I know, I'm such a planner!) and I'm glad I started looking when I did! I found this cute, little cottage for a really reasonable price and in a great location. Only problem was that it was all booked until November....I was hoping for Late September or October. The first available weekend was November 3rd. Crazy me booked it anyway, 2 weeks before my due date, and just prayed that something would open up before then! The owner and I had been emailing back and forth and I mentioned to her that I would be 38 weeks pregnant at that point and so begged her to let me know if ANYTHING opened before then! Sure enough she e-mailed me in September and let me know the weekend of October 13th opened up and so I gladly took it...so here we are!

The reason I booked this in the first place was for Todd for his birthday. He is so, so hard to shop for! I feel like he either has everything, or doesn't need anything, or what he might want/need is WAY out of my price range and budget! So this ended up being perfect! What usually happens is it starts to get colder up in SLC, and he says to me on a Tuesday (at the last minute), "Lets go to Moab this weekend." I of course am always anxious to go anywhere, so I start looking at hotels, only to be discouraged that everything is either sold out or around $150-175 a night! This is where my awesome planning skills came into place this time! ;)

What's funny is that one day while I was at work Todd took me out to lunch on my break. We were sitting there talking and he says to me, "So Jay (his friend) wants to know if I want to go down to Moab in October." At this point Todd had no idea we were going! So I said to him, "Oh, when does he want to go?" Todd says, "The weekend of October 7th." So, at that point I was forced to spill the beans about his birthday surprise right then and there! I typed up this cute little riddle/rhyme about what I got him that I planned to give him in a b-day card but had to scratch that idea so that he wouldn't make plans to go two weekends in a row! (Unless of course he still wanted to go twice!) Ended up being that the weather was terrible both in SLC and and Moab for the weekend of the 7th and so this weekend has worked out great, both for our schedules and for the weather!

We left on Thursday after Steele's preschool and Kindermusic class and got down to Moab around 5pm. It gave us plenty of time to unload the truck and run to the store to grab something for dinner. We came back and made yummy bleu cheese burgers. After that we just hung out, explored the cottage/yard then started winding down for bed.

The next day (yesterday) Todd made plans to do a ride with his buddy Larry that lives down here when not living in SLC. We slept in until about 8am, had coffee, I made toast for Steele and I, then Larry got here and he and Todd took off around 10am. Steele and I left shortly after that with no real plan, just the truck, stroller, his bike and the whole day together ahead of us. I looked up some hikes because I wanted to do something, but of course nothing too extensive, seeing as I'm 35 weeks pregnant and would be hiking with a 3 year old!

I found a hike that was near the Colorado river so I thought we would go check it out. There are a lot in Arches but I really didn't want to pay $10-15 just to go in there and do a little hike. So we headed down the highway by the Colorado river which is such a gorgeous, little drive. A couple miles in we saw a sign for the trail I looked up so we parked and decided to give it a shot. The hike was 2 1/4 miles one way, so my initial thoughts were that we were not going to make it the whole way (because of Steele, not me!) Sure enough we probably made it about half way before Steele was whining about dirt in his shoes, that his legs hurt and that he wanted to be held! The trail went right along a smaller river that feeds into the Colorado so although we didn't make it to the bridge at the end, it was beautiful the whole way up! I tried to make it fun for Steele by letting him stop along the way to pick up any rocks he wanted, take pictures on big rocks and look at all the flowers. By the time we turned around to head back he was done. I ended up carrying him almost the whole way back and I'm paying for it today with sore triceps/shoulders! Last night I had contractions coming more frequently than I normally get and fairly strong...lately (even before out little hike) I have started to feel them in my back on occasion. The frequency of them last night was a sign to me to take it easier today! I'm so happy about my pregnancy but sometimes I just really hate being pregnant. I feel as if I am trapped inside someone else's body, one I don't recognize! Seriously, where did my feet go?! When did my bras get so small? A simple hike is not what it used to be and those ab muscles I was starting to get defined before getting pregnant, LONG gone! *sigh* At least that is all only temporary and it won't be long until I get to hold this little baby and that is all I will care about then!

So, back to Moab! After our hike, which ended up being 1 1/2 hour workout, we headed down to the huge bridge that crosses the Colorado river so Steele could ride his bike. He really was a trooper on the hike and I was proud of him for making it as far as he did, so I wanted to let him ride for a bit. He loves riding his little bike so that was fun but at that point I was one tired mama! We decided to head back to our place and get out of the sun for a bit. On the way back Steele said he wanted to go to the park so we came back and made a quick picnic lunch to take down there. Another great perk about this place is that there is a cool park right behind it. It's like a 5 minute walk down a path and you are there! This park has a newer playground, also an older metal one, and it has a musical area. They basically have all these giant percussion instruments like xylephones, mambas, metal cymbals, etc. All of them have mallets attached to them so the kids can play them. Steele had a ball running around hitting all of them! He even started singing his, "La, la, la's" that we practice at Kindermusic!

So after the park and our picnic lunch I was totally beat! We came back to the house and I put Steele down for his nap, he was out within minutes! I laid down on the couch and watched my Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice that I didn't get to watch the night before. Todd called and said they were done riding and going to grab a beer and asked us to come down. Since Steele was still sleeping and I was too tired to get up and ready we opted out this time. By the time Todd got home Steele was just waking up. We all hung out and talked about our days and looked at pictures (Which I will have to post when I get home cause I don't have my cable!) we actually walked down to the park again because Todd wanted to check it out....I was so out of energy so it was nice to have Todd to run around and play with Steele, not to mention he's so much more fun than mommy when it comes to that stuff! We headed back to the house to shower and get ready for dinner. After getting ready we headed into town and ended up at this little Italian restaurant. It was okay for what it was, and I was just happy not to have to cook! After dinner we headed down main street to walk off dinner and check out some of the little shops. It was a perfect, cool night and there were a number of people out so it was nice ending to a beautiful day!

Not sure what's on the agenda today?! Todd just left to ride Slickrock and that won't take too long so I think Steele and I will hang out until he's back, maybe then we'll all go check out Dead Horse Point?!

Pregnancy Update

2011-10-01T22:12:00.000-06:00

Here we are again, it's been another 4 weeks since my last photo/pregnancy update. The weeks seem to be going by so quickly when I look back over them!

I saw my midwife this last friday and all is well on the pregnancy front! We did the standard weight, blood pressure and urine check. We also listened to baby and got to take a peek, my two favorite parts by far! Every time I come home Todd is like, "Honey, what are we having, I know you guys looked!" He cracks me up! As if I would really wait almost my entire pregnancy and then suddenly find out with 7 weeks to go and ruin this long awaited surprise! I think it's just that he's anxious to know but he/I will just have to wait another 7 weeks or so!

My midwife and I mostly talked about different birthing scenarios this visit. I just love that I can take an hour with her to discuss EVERYTHING you could possibly think of, without being rushed or feeling like you can't ask too many questions.

I've really been considering a home birth since my visit before this one, and still am, but not sure what I really "invision" for my labor. It's hard to think of yourself in a certain place and really try to make any real birthing "plans" seeing as most of the control is left in God's hands, and when/how he and that baby decide that it's going to make it's debut!

After talking with her I guess I would say I am just keeping my options open! I am "prepared" to birth at home if the circumstances call for it (I go fast, feel comfortable there, etc), and I also feel "prepared" to birth at her facility. I don't even have the hospital on my list or in my "plan" but understand that certain circumstances can put me there too! My only qualms about birthing at home are my own anxieties about my house! My "nesting" period has been ridiculously crazy and I'm afraid if I go into labor and try to birth at home, I might be a big stress case about how clean the house is, how much dog hair there is, etc, etc! Who knows!? I'm usually not such a big germ-a-phobe and maybe by the time labor kicks in I'll feel more comfortable at home anyway and not care?

Anyway, it's all up in the air I guess! It's just one of those things that can't really be planned and might just have to be decided when the time comes! Oh well, either way I feel really great about both options and I'm trusting that God is going to put me where I need to be and make this labor/birth go according to His plan....All I can do is trust in that!

Well, that's about all my pregnancy news!

Since this post was fairly short I've put up my belly progression from start to my current weeks!

8 Weeks

12 Weeks

16 Weeks

20 weeks (1/2 way!)

24 Weeks

28 Weeks

32 Weeks

I'm now 33 weeks so I'll be posting another new belly shot in 3 weeks! After that I am down to weekly visits with my midwife and maybe weekly belly pictures too until the big day arrives!?

Crazy Remodel!

2011-09-29T21:21:00.002-06:00

So much has happened since my last post! I have not been the best about blogging lately! :/

The whole month of September has flown by for me! Todd and I both started working on getting the house ready for the new baby. Me, organizing and getting rid of things. Todd, doing the actual makeover of painting, new flooring, etc.

It has seriously been the biggest work in progress. Unfortunately we did not just have a spare bedroom ready to be used...we had to do a LOT of shifting. We have a split entry and so in my upstairs we have 3 bedrooms. The master, then two others. I LOVE the square footage in my kitchen/living area (they are one nice big open space) however the bedrooms are so small! Especially Steele's current room, which looks like this....(minus the rocker and his bed is obviously turned into a toddler bed, not a crib anymore!)

It's so cute and I love it but as you can see it's not very big. To the left is his dresser and he has shelves on the wall in the corner (pictured here)....

And then his closet on this the other side....

So I love it, but again it's very small! We decided that since his room is so small and "baby" ready (as far as the paint color and the toddler bed which will be turned back into a crib) we are going to use Steele's old room as the baby's room. It's nice too because the colors are so light and "babyish" that it will be a good room whether we have a boy or a girl and since we didn't find out what we're having at least I know we have a room that is gender neutral!

So, with Steele moving out of this room that left me with one option, to move him into Chance's room. Her room is somewhat bigger than Steele's room, but was in major need of a makeover! (As all the rooms in our house have been, we just get to do one at a time and it looks like our master bedroom will be last!)

So at first we were going to have Chance and Steele share a room, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it was going to be tight and hard for me, and something that was not going to last very long! Chance is almost 8 and Steele is 3 so there are 5 years between them. That with the different genders makes for a hard situation when sharing a room! Steele just turned 3 and is still very much into younger toys/things, whereas Chance being older and a girl does not have the same interests. On top of that I was going to have to buy brand new bunk beds, or find a bed for Steele to fit under Chance's current bunk-bed/desk combo (and get rid of her desk and one of her dressers!). Then there was the thought of how I was going to make 2 kids AND all their things fit into one room that is really not that big. And of course, as a mom, I started thinking about bedtime, different schedules, napping times, etc. The last thing I wanted to deal with was the two of them talking/playing when they should be in bed! I try to have them both down at the same time and I knew I was just going to end up frustrated all the time when it was bed time (or Steele's nap time and I'm telling Chance to keep out) Ugh, needless to say they are just too far apart in age to be sharing a room, throw in the gender difference and sharing is even less ideal!

So, we moved Chance downstairs to what used to be our workout room/office. But moving her downstairs meant we had to move all the weight equipment (and let me say, we have a ton!) So the next question was, "Where do I move that?" We have a beautiful guest room downstairs which takes up 1/3 of the basement. It's absolutely beautiful and I love that it fits a queen bed, dresser, futon, massage chair, coffee table, fireplace, TV, and small breakfast nook table, but I hate that it's a LOT of unused space unless we have guests (or I need a break from the kids!)

However behind that room we have another large room with an 8 foot pool table and a whole bunch of other crap! Oh my goodness, this baby was probably the best thing to happen to us for the sake of the house! Because I'm moving kids I was FORCED to go through that room which ended up being a month long project! I started by putting the pool table up for sale on KSL. Praise God that it sold within a week or two! Getting that out was the biggest, hardest and first step to getting that room cleaned out! The darn thing had to be taken apart then moved out through the window because the top was a one piece slate. I took a heck of a lot less money than it was worth, but the guy that bought it came and spent 3+ hours taking it apart, then came back with his friends and moved the thing! It would have cost me at least $200-$300 to have movers do that so I didn't mind taking less just to get rid of it!

So, with the table gone I could really get to work on everything else! Let me just say that my husband is the biggest pack-rat/hoarder! (If he reads this I'm in big trouble!) It is so true though, although he would disagree and say I was. I'll admit we BOTH had a lot of stuff down there, but at least I can say the things I was holding onto were things like baby clothes, swings, toys, car-seats, crib parts, etc. All things that are obviously smart to keep if you are having more kids! My dear hubby on the other hand had 4 pairs of snowboarding boots, a punching bag I've never seen him use in our 4+ years together, and a table he made in high school wood shop while high (yes I am telling everyone that!) among other random/unused things! In a matter of weeks I had all the baby stuff organized and ready to be brought upstairs, everything worth saving/storing in the back closet, and everything else was either put on KSL or donated to a sweet friend of mine trying to adopt a baby.

So to make a long story longer, we I finally got the room all cleaned out! Just this last Sunday my awesome friend Amy and Todd's friend Dennis came over and just started helping me move things, even though that wasn't the "plan". I was just working on some last, little things and they started to carry all the heavy weight equipment into the back room. I can not thank them enough for doing that! Being 7+ months pregnant I can not be lifting like that, and Todd could only move so much by himself (Once he finally decided to do it! But I'll cut him some slack, he was finishing Steele's new room, it's one thing at a time for him and I'm just pregnant and anxious to have everything ready!) So between Amy and Dennis they moved all the weight equipment back there, and all Chance's furniture (which we'd been storing in the guest room until her new room was ready) into the old weight room, which is now her bedroom! Yikes, it's been a long process with a lot of shifting of things!

I can now happily say that Steele's room is all ready to be moved into! I just need to buy him a "real" big boy bed *sniff*. Chance is all moved downstairs and no longer sleeping on the pull out couch! She also has her own space, and gets to keep her desk and ALL furniture! We only have her every other weekend, so we are eventually going to put a wall up in her room and get that re-painted as well. But, as of right now it's nice because there is newer carpet down there, it's really big and open and has a TV! Once it goes to two rooms she'll lose the TV but probably gain a color of choice on the walls...(That'll be Todd's next "little" project!)

Needless to say I am one satisfied/relieved mom that is so, so happy to have each of the kids in their own space, and to have 7 full weeks to entirely move Steele and do what little preparing I have to do in his old room for the new baby. (Change the toddler bed back to crib, do some touch up paint, etc.)

So with that, here are some pictures of Steele's new room. (I took before pics and can't seem to find them but will post when/if I do!)

Let me just say I didn't pick the color. I didn't care what color the room was because I originally thought the kids would be sharing, and so I just told Todd, "Do whatever." (It's hard to please both genders!) Although now that it's just Steele's room I really like the colors, even though I didn't at first! I think I can add some rustic/modern type of sports theme to it, maybe something with a navy blue, I'm thinking that might look good but we'll see!

I wasn't sure about this "orangy" color but now that it's in there I LOVE it!

I like the two different wall colors as they offset one another.

Love the black shelves! Todd made them and always makes me something different. I just love being married to such a creative, handy-man!

Love the closet (wish you could see the before!) Todd added that top slanted shelve that holds the big plastic containers you see here. I can probably fit 4-5 of them across the top which any mom would love for organizing. Then the shelf with all the paint gives me a place to put things out of Steele's reach, but still with easy access for me!

I am so thankful for my hubby! He did SO much work on this room! He took out all the flooring, even the sub-flooring and replaced that so there were no more squeaks! I love the hard-wood because I hate carpet. The room was so trashed with holes/dents in the wall and he fixed all of those before painting. It's a lot of work and I am just so thankful to have a hubby willing and able to do it!

Oh my goodness, this was a super long post! I will have to post before pictures as soon as I find them!

Catching up!

2011-09-10T09:19:00.000-06:00

Wow this summer has gone by super fast!

Here is a quick catch up of what we've been up to recently!

We had friends come to town for the night which is always so fun!

We headed up to Park City to beat the heat and catch up with them!

Daddy and Steele

On our way up to Park City...Todd's friend Dennis rented a hummer limo for everyone and it was really nice that nobody had to drive up there!

I just LOVE this couple! Wish we lived closer but appreciate the visits we do get with them!

Todd, Steele and sweet little Eily Mae!

Mommy and Steele...love this little man!

We also went mini-golfing for the first time! We got to go with my sister and her hubby. Steele loved it! It was so cute because he kept on going to the hole in front or behind where we were and doing it all by himself. He would hit it once from the starting point, then place the ball right next to the hole and tap it in! (Needless to say he won!)

So focused on hitting the ball!

We also went fishing for the first time! It was so great to see Todd and Steele fishing together! I love that Todd will just plan this kind of stuff without me even asking! He is such a good daddy to Steele and I could not be more blessed by that!

I'm so not a fisher but I gave it a turn helping Steele too!

And lastly, we had our first day of preschool! (Sniff, sniff) I really debated on starting Steele or not because he is not even 3 yet. Because he turns 3 on September 16th, he misses the school cutoff by 15 days! That means he won't be able to start Kindergarten until September of 2014! That sounds so far away! I was afraid 3 years of preschool will be too much. However, he is loving it and I think a head start is better than being behind. He is potty trained and likes being around other kids so I thought, "Why not start?". If anything it's been a good social outlet for him, as he loves his "friends"! Besides that it's only 2 days a week for 2 hours, so it's not like he's gone all day. When the new baby gets here I think it will be really nice too so that I can still have alone "baby time" and know that Steele is having fun at preschool for a couple hours.

My baby is growing up! Just love seeing him so happy and doing new things!

Hope everyone else has had an awesome summer! Although it's been fun I am so glad it's nearing fall! I am loving this cooler weather and the fact that fall means I'm that much closer to meeting this new baby! Will do a separate blog post about that!

The Third Trimester is Here!

2011-08-28T14:14:00.002-06:00

It's always nice hitting this last phase of pregnancy, I at least start feeling like I'm on the home-stretch now! I really can't complain about having 12 weeks left. I have had such an awesome, easy pregnancy that I'm not even miserable and dreading everyday...mostly just anxious to meet this new little member of our family!

I won't see my midwife for a couple more weeks (at the 30 week mark) so I have nothing to report there. I did however, find out a little bit more about my low blood sugar since my last post. Luckily, the low blood sugar poses no risk/complications to baby what-so-ever. It's more of something I have to watch for myself, and is definitely better than the alternative of having high blood sugar, AKA gestational diabetes.

Because it is so low I am just more prone to headaches, moodiness, fatigue, anxiety and even panic attacks! However, knowing that, and now knowing what I need to do to avoid it, has helped in those areas. I basically just have to graze all day, which is easy, I think, for any pregnant woman to do! So, instead of 3 meals a day, I typically just try to eat a little bit here and there. I'll start with egg whites and whole wheat toast for breakfast, then maybe a couple hours later a banana or cottage cheese, and so on. I just have to make sure to get something in me every couple hours to keep my blood sugar in check....it's when it crashes that I get all the symptoms! It's really helped to know about the low blood sugar because I've had a few anxiety/panic attacks since being pregnant and for the life of me I couldn't understand why I was having them! I don't feel anxious about this pregnancy or the birth or anything else for that matter, so knowing it was my blood sugar was a relief and good info to know!

My "bump" has officially arrived, at least I feel that way! I have still had a few people who know me, whom haven't seen me for a while, look at me questionably, afraid to ask! (Maybe they think I took up beer instead of wine and was getting a beer belly!?) Most people guess I am 5 months along, but I think from my 24 week belly picture to now at 28 weeks, I popped out A LOT and look as pregnant as I am! So, hopefully I won't be getting those questionable looks anymore!

24 Weeks

28 Weeks

Can't believe how much my belly grew in those 4 weeks!

We've had a super busy summer, hopefully I'll get more posts of that up soon!

Summer Swimming!

2011-08-11T13:23:00.002-06:00

Now that the summer is coming to an end, I've found that Steele and I have become VERY bored! After a while we just seem to run out of things to do, especially since there is only so much a 2 year old can do! We've been swimming, to the zoo, park, on play-dates and bowling all summer long! However, we were needing something else to keep us busy and learning, so I signed Steele up for swimming lessons!

He's at that age where he is just in between the parent/tot activities and preschool activities. He's not quite 3 until September, so it's kind of hard to know whether we should be doing mommy/tot things or preschool things! For swimming, I decided to sign him up for the beginning preschool class. The tot/parent class just sounded too babyish for him...it was teaching things like sitting on your mom's hip in the water, getting in and out on your butt in the shallow end, etc. Steele is to the point where when I take him to the pool, he goes jumping in like a crazy man and wants nothing to do with me once he's in there...he thinks he can swim on his own (sigh).

So our first day of swimming was Monday, and Todd took him that day since I worked. I find out later from Todd that Steele would not even get in the water, nor would he even come out from standing behind Todd (big sigh) I couldn't believe it when Todd told me that! He said Steele kept saying, "Mama bring me to swimming." Well I worked on Tuesday too, which I don't normally, but left work for an hour anyway so I could be there. Sure enough Steele did the same thing! He wouldn't get in, and wanted me to come in with him!

Now, I know this little man of mine LOVES swimming, so I couldn't believe he wouldn't get in. I think what it came down to is that he was just not sure about going in the pool with an instructor he didn't know. Also there was only one other girl there in his class and I think it might have been better with more kids doing the same thing.

Well, me being the mom I am, I was not about to baby him into getting his way! I literally threw him into the instructor's arms and made him get in. (It didn't help that his instructor is like 16, and does nothing to coax him into the water with her except by saying, "Come on Steele." I was like, "Okay, that's not going to cut it for getting him in!" So after I made him get in he was crying the whole time but I didn't let that stop me from getting him in there. I'm sure all the other mom's thought I was crazy for forcing him to get in, but I know my little boy and he is NOT afraid of water nor is he one to get away with being babied.

I guess you could say we had rough two day start! The whole rest of the day on Tuesday Steele and I talked about swimming and getting in the water with his teacher. I had to really make it clear to him that he was going to have fun and his teacher was going to help him swim.

Then Wednesday came and Todd took him again since I was at work. I was so happy to get a call from Todd reporting that Steele got right into the water when they got there and was having a blast! :) I am so glad he got in and had fun, and also I think it taught him a good lesson, even if he is only almost 3. I know there are going to be things down the road that he doesn't want to do (or thinks he doesn't want to do) and hopefully this experience will serve as a lesson in doing things you don't really want to. I think the reality is that kids have to do numerous things they don't want to do (especially as they get older), but that doesn't mean they are exempt from doing them! I'm glad Todd and I are both on the same page on putting our foot down and not letting him get away with whatever he wants.

It was a good lesson learned, and lots of fun after all!

24 Weeks!

2011-08-07T14:46:00.001-06:00

I actually hit 24 weeks on July 30th, but since I was down at Lake Powell I did not get a belly picture or see my midwife until I got home the first week of August! I saw my midwife, Rebecca, on Friday and of course every visit is a good one! This time I had to do my glucose screening, which normally would be bad, right? Well not with a midwife! Little did I know that the standard nasty orange drink that I think anyone who's been pregnant can recall, is not exactly necessary for all pregnant women. Because there is no history of diabetes in my family (my parents and Todd's anyway) I was lucky enough to get to eat my normal breakfast 2 hours before our appointment. Instead of having to starve myself all morning, or only eat toast or hard-boiled egg or basically anything with no sugar and only protein, I got to go about my breakfast like any other day. Once I got to my appointment she took my blood as you would normally do for the glucose test, minus the gross drink!

The thing I love most, is that Rebecca e-mails me the very next day, with my results, in much detail of course. She said my body did so well metabolizing my meal that my sugar was on the low side!!! I needed to be less than 140 and my results were 54. Below 65 is low blood sugar and I am just happy to not be on the high end!

Other than that all went well and was very routine. I can't say enough just how much I love having a great midwife! Every time I leave an appointment, I leave feeling great about my pregnancy, and blessed to have found her!

Here is my supposed to be 24 week, but actually 25 week belly picture! :)

Our Busy Anniversary Weekend!

2011-07-24T14:44:00.002-06:00

This weekend was a fun and busy one as we spent it celebrating our first anniversary!

We started it off with the "Run for the Rock 5K" that our church puts on as a fundraiser. Todd of course ran the whole thing, and took 1st in his age group, 6th overall (behind 2 bikes) and I did my best to push Steele and basically just finish! I'm not a fan of running, I'd rather bike or lift weights, and I'm even less of a fan when I am 6 months pregnant and carrying around this extra cargo! Thankfully though, I did finish, and even ran the last mile of it! I'm paying for it today though, that's for sure! I can hardly walk but it was a great cause and much needed exercise for me!

Daddy and Steele pre-race!

Steele got to wear mommies bib

Mommy and Steele pre-race

After the race we went home to shower and pack so we could head out. We dropped Steele off at my good friend Amy's house where he was going to be staying for the night. My sister offered to watch him too which was great! It is nice to have friends and what small family we have here be willing to watch this little monkey every now and then so Todd and I can get some alone time!

Our first stop was Evanston, Wyoming. Todd heard about a beer fest that was going on up there and figured we'd check it out since we were going up to Park City anyway, we were already half way there. It was a fun little thing to do, but we probably wouldn't make the drive back up next year. They had food and beer, that was it (and I guess all you could expect?) it was fun for a bit but there is only so long you can be out in the sun drinking beer (Or not drinking beer like I was!)

The old downtown Evanston where the beer fest was held.

And Todd...Cheers! You can see he has a really little mug. What they did is had everyone drinking purchase one of these, then you got unlimited beer from all the different beer vendors that were there.

After trying some beer, getting some awesome pulled pork sandwiches and a t-shirt, we made our way back to Park City to check into our hotel. We stayed at the Chateaux at Deer Valley which was a really nice 4 star resort. I have to thank my sister again for giving me the info/deal on this place that we got. Travelzoo was offering a one night stay plus 3 course dinner for 2 for $150 a night! I couldn't pass that up, especially when you figure what you would normally pay to stay in PC and eat dinner at a nice restaurant! Todd probably would have done it anyway, but it's always nice getting a deal!

Here are some pictures from our time up there.....

Our anniversary wine, with the Chateaux logo on the fireplace.

"Congratulations, Love Michele, Kevin and Emma. Open July 24th 2011" Thanks for the vino you guys!

The view from the pool, absolutely gorgeous! I love PC!

This "hot" mama had to cool off!

Hanging with my cabana boy....The best part about sitting here was lifting up my bathing suite to expose my belly to the sun. That really got the baby moving...I could watch it all day!

Enjoying a cocktail and pomegranate lemonade before we headed in for dinner. We had the funniest bartender, he was from Poland. Just very chatty, smiling and said the funniest things!

Enjoying the incredible Caprese with our anniversary wine. As you can see I did enjoy an eighth of a glass ;) Many doctors will recommend the occasional glass to relieve stress, so I took the opportunity! :)

Todd's Lemoncello dessert, that I ate most of! :)

My chocolate, apricot, caramel something....It was a little to rich, but I made a pretty good dent in it!

After dinner walk, it was so nice out!

After dinner picture in front of the restaurant where we ate.

Stein Eriksen was just across the street from us

Wedding cake pre-opening....

And there it is! It actually looked and tasted better than I thought it would!

I made Todd pretend to take a bite with me lol I love how dorky we look in this picture! Gives us something to laugh at down the road.....He did end up trying it and agreed it wasn't so bad, we did only each have a bite though, the rest was tossed!

After spending the whole evening/night at the Chateaux, we headed down to main street to get in a little Park Silly. It's always fun to see the different vendors down there and the array of things they are selling. It was fun too because last year after we got married we stayed in PC, then had breakfast and checked out Park Silly. So, doing it again (eating at the same place and doing Park Silly) sort of brought back all the memories from just a year ago! It's crazy because it feels like it was yesterday!

After checking out all the vendors, we stopped to get a drink. I told Todd he couldn't pass up the Bloody Mary's they had! If anything he had to at least drink one for me, since I cant! I think he was happy he got one, and I ended up getting one, virgin style, of course!

And lastly, the necklace Todd got me as an anniversary present. It is always nice to support local vendors and as Todd said, it's not made in China! This necklace is a little different for me, but I wanted to go out on a limb a little and try something new and original, so here it is!

We had such a great time up there celebrating our anniversary and I am thankful we got to do it!

I just have to add in here how much I love my husband and how blessed I am to have him! I NEVER imagined we would get married, and even now that we are, sometimes I wonder how we are doing it! Despite everything, the stupid arguments, annoyances, and just common trials everyone has in marriage, I know we have something stronger that will always get through all of that stupid stuff! We might drive each other crazy at times, but I know we are both in it for the long haul! Todd, I love you so much! You have taught me so much about myself over this last year of marriage and the years before that. You have given me a beautiful son, and another baby on the way! I love our home, family, jokes, laughs and time spent together! Sharing life with you and growing more and more everyday has truly been a challenging journey, but also the best and most rewarding! Thank you for loving me no matter what and being the husband that you are! All my love, your wifey!

My Little Man is Not So Little Anymore!

2011-07-19T09:23:00.001-06:00

That's right, he is growing up SO FAST! Our latest accomplishment is getting potty trained! I can not even begin to tell you how exciting/challenging/funny/interesting this phase of growing can be! It's interesting in the way that kids all develop differently in this area. Some are so eager to learn, then there are others (like my little Steele!) who are so stubborn and unwilling, so much it can drive a mom crazy! Then of course there is the difference you have between girls and boys, and that I believe is the biggest difference! My mom has 5 boys and 2 girls, she always said us girls were so easy and the boys were always more of a challenge...I always kind of thought that couldn't be true, why would it matter? Then Steele turned 2 and was nowhere close to being interested in going potty on the toilet, whereas our little friend Emma, who is 10 days younger, was up and running in the potty department! It was not fair, that's for sure! :) Finding out that girls Steele's age were doing it, and other boys were not, was good for me to know/hear, I knew he wasn't totally behind or completely hopeless in this area, just a little boy who wasn't ready, and it was normal/okay!

He really got the potty training going back in May, and I thought for sure this is it! What's funny is he was doing to great being naked, but as soon as I introduced "big boy" underwear, he regressed and went right back to wanting diapers! I was so bummed, thinking, "What did I do wrong? Did I introduce too early, is he too young, am I teaching him incorrectly!" Ha ha, now I know nothing I did was necessarily wrong, it was just not the right time cause Steele was not ready.

Now, 2 months later, we have gone a week without diapers and only a few accidents! It is still so exciting for me when he uses the "potty", wakes up dry, and goes while we are out. We've only had one accident out so I figure we're doing pretty well!

The funnest part, I think, is watching them figure this whole thing out! I've learned that Steele does not like an audience, and he tends to get a little stage fright! I now know to put him on the potty, and leave the bathroom. I of course, don't totally leave, but peak through a crack in the door to make sure he is really going and see how he is doing. This by far is my favorite because I get such a kick out of what he is doing and saying. Last week he was leaning forward and trying so hard to see his little "pee pee". Well, he leaned so far forward that he fell right off the toilet! I laugh about it now only because A) it was so, so cute! ad B) he didn't really get hurt, his curiosity just got the best of him! Then, just the other day he went in there, and I of course was peeking in. He stood up and was looking in the mirror (which is directly across from the toilet/shower) and he says, "I'm naked and I can see my pee, pee!" LOL it is just so funny to see him explore and figure out all these growing challenges that come along the way! He is so dang cute and I am just so proud of him! My goal was to have him potty trained by 3, and here we are doing it 2 months before his 3rd birthday...Needless to say, I think we're doing pretty good and I could not be more happy about it or proud of him!

No "potty" pics, but a couple others.....

Wearing new PJ's that Nana sent from Hawaii!

Being a ham! Love this little man!

I love a good deal!

2011-07-08T15:48:00.000-06:00

So if you saw my blog a while back I can tell you that yes, I am still couponing! I'm probably not doing it as much or is into it as I was in the beginning, but since starting there a few items I will NEVER buy without coupons.....and here is what they are and why!

Cereal and sunscreen!

You can never have enough of those two items and the great thing is you'll always use them, and they don't go bad. If all you mom's are strict like me, then you know what I mean about the sunscreen! Not a summer day goes by that I don't put it on Steele. I don't just do it for the pool, I do it ALL THE TIME! I guess I am just a freak about sunburns, skin cancer, etc. and protecting my little guy's skin! But anyway, most of you know Banana Boat sunscreen (or sunscreen in general) will run you $12-$15 depending on the size and SPF. Well if you can see there are 2 sunscreens in my purchase. There are also 6 boxes of cereal and some other items like hair dye for me (and bug spray, cause they eat you alive when you're pregnant!) and Steele's very favorite Curious George fruit snacks.

I got all of this.....

For this!

$29.67, with a total savings of $38.69 or 58% of my total bill! Between using my coupons and buying when items are on sale, you can save a ton! I feel like I'm doing good if I get between 40%-50% savings so 58% was really good for me today!

I know, I am such a nerd but I just can't help getting excited over my savings! When you figure the two sunscreens I bought would have normally been my total, or close to it, I think I did pretty good and can be excited about it! :)

If you have never tried couponing, I suggest looking into! It'll save you tons of money if you give it a try!

1/2 Way!

2011-07-02T09:55:00.001-06:00

Today marks the halfway point in this pregnancy, woo hoo! I don't have much to report, seeing as I don't see my midwife again until August! I can't believe I'm halfway done, although I have a feeling it might slow down for me now! :/ I have a TON to look forward to in July to keep my busy, such as the 4th of July and all the festivities, Todd's race in Beaver on the 16th, our anniversary on the 24th, and I'm going to Powell kiddo and hubby free on the 28th! So needless to say July will be busy/fun, but I'm wondering how August will pan out??? We might be living at the pool just to keep busy and cool!

I'll be updating on all these upcoming events, but in the meantime, here is my belly progression from start to my current 20 weeks! :)

8 Weeks

12 Weeks

16 Weeks

20 Weeks

It is so fun to see the progression of this growing "bump"!

Hope everyone has a safe, and happy 4th of July weekend! I hope to hear about/see pictures of everything you did!

20 Week Ultrasound

2011-06-24T14:16:00.001-06:00

Today I had my 20 week medical ultrasound! I'm actually 19 weeks (so you don't get a belly pic until next week) but my midwife gave me the go ahead to schedule this appointment anytime within this time frame so I went for it! (Didn't help I thought we'd be out of town next week, and now we are not :( )

Anyway, all looks well so far and that is always good to hear! The radiologist has to look everything over and then they will send the info to my midwife and I will get the final confirmation on everything.

This 20 week ultrasound was awesome compared to the one I had with Steele! I had Steele's done at Alta View Hospital, and this time I had it done at Millcreek Imaging. The only downside for today was the wait! They had me scheduled at 9:00 AM and told me to come at 8:40. I of course show up at 8:35, fill out all my paperwork, and wait. Now the waiting would not be so bad, except that I had a full bladder (as they direct you to have for during the ultrasound) Well, 9:00 AM rolled around and I was getting a little anxious, mostly because I just had to pee and having a baby the size of a large tomato sitting on my bladder was not helping!

Come to find out the tech that was supposed to be in by 9:00 ran out of gas on the way in! (Does that really happen to people? I can't imagine running out of gas when there is a station on every corner!) so that is what was causing the delay. Luckily for me I ended up using the ladies room anyway, and seeing one of the techs who was already there. She was so great! She was super friendly, answered all my medical questions, and really cared about getting me some good shots of the baby, even though her job is really to get shots that medically asses the baby.

I paid big bucks to go to go to Fetal Photos while pregnant with Steele so I could get lots of pictures, a hard copy and DVD. I got all of that at Millcreek Imaging, and it was just part of that routine ultrasound anyway, so needless to say, I was impressed!

I told the tech I didn't want to know the gender, so she didn't even look at it. She was so cute about and said she doesn't get many in like me so it was fun/nice to have someone in who wasn't looking for the gender! She did give me all my estimates and said that they are estimating this baby to be weighing 10 oz. right now and I'm measuring at 19 weeks and 5 days. I'm not taking my measurement as meaning I might have this baby earlier though or be farther than I think! I KNOW when I conceived and seeing as Steele was 8 lb. 3 oz. I think I might just tend to carry babies who are a bit bigger than average. Either way it's fun just seeing and getting an idea about how big this little squirt in my belly is!

Here now, is my favorite picture!

And of course an "old school" profile.

I just can't wait to meet this little person!