New Years Goals

2010's Goals:

Read the entire Book of Mormon - Really, I need to work on reading the scriptures daily, hopefully I do better this year! I didn't read the entire Book of Mormon but I did do a lot better at reading, especially towards the end of the year.

Continue Improving at FHE - We're doing pretty good at this, there's still room for improvement though.

Exercise 4x a week - HAHAHA, I got pregnant at the very beginning of the year and killed that goal!

Read 25 books - That's only one every 2 weeks or so, I'm sure I can do that no problem! - Boy where do I start? When I get to 25 I'm gonna stop, but I think I managed to blow this goal out of the water with my reading this year.

So:

Vampire Diaries 1

Forbidden Game, 1, 2, 3

Night World, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9

Fable Haven 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

Ender's Game

First Truth

Twilight

New Moon

Eclipse

Breaking Dawn

Eragon 1,2, & 3

2011's Goals:

Continue working on reading scriptures every day.

Exercise 4x a week

Get my home more organized and clutter free

Find time for a me hobby.

Merry Christmas from our Family to Yours

Dear Friends & Family,

This year started off with Dennis starting his last semester of his Graduate Program through Arizona State University. He was taking 2 classes to finish up his Degree. One of which was his Senior Project; between the 2 classes, there was a short supply of his time! But we felt it was worth it for him to finish a bit ahead of schedule. Good thing we did (so that he had nothing going on this summer or fall) because on Valentine's Day we got a great surprise; we found out we were expecting our third child! Sarah was sure it was a boy, but lo and behold a few months later we found out it was to be our third little girl. Her due date was October 10^th, 10-10-10! What a fun day to be expecting a baby!

In March, the girls, Sarah and her Dad went to Arizona to visit Sarah's twin. It was a lot of fun. They took some time to go a little further South and visited Tombstone, AZ; home of some famous names in History such as Wyatt Earp! They also visited the Phoenix Zoo while they were in Arizona and of course, the girls loved it. The Zoo is one of their favorite places in the whole world.

Dennis had to travel for work quite a bit during May and ended up being gone for both of the girls' birthdays but luckily they're little enough they didn't mind and we celebrated when Daddy was home. May is definitely a busy month around here between birthdays and holidays! But the best part of the month was when Dennis had finished up his classes for his Masters Degree. Sarah couldn't have been prouder of her wonderful husband! He'd worked hard and they'd had to sacrifice a lot of time together for him to complete it but he did it and he got his Masters!

In July we went on a family vacation with Sarah's family to Brookings, Oregon. Sarah's Dad grew up there and he wanted to be able to share his youth with his children so he rented a large vacation home on the beach and we all went to visit! It was a 2 day drive both ways and sometimes a little crazy! But we had so much fun! We got to see Giant Redwood Trees, visit the deepest lake in the US, Crater Lake (In the caldera of an old volcano!), visit the largest Sea Lion Cave in the US, pet sharks, play on the beach, collect shells, and just spend some good quality family time together. We loved it, and though Sarah may never get Dennis that close to the ocean again, it really was an enjoyable trip!

August was another busy month for us. We celebrated our 8^th Wedding Anniversary. (Can it really have been that long already?) Dennis turned 30. And then, the day that every parent dreads happened. Our first little girl had her first day of school! (pre-school) She looked so cute that first day, and she was beyond excited to go! In fact, most days, she's still really excited to go and we hope that she is able to always keep that love of learning alive.

The month of September was our waiting game (as Sarah calls it). Nothing was going on except for sitting around waiting for the baby! It's really hard to be patient when you know one of the best things in life is going to happen soon! Rebecca Marie was born on September 29^th, a little after 2:30 in the morning. She was a little tiny thing! Only weighing 6lbs 11oz and 19” long, so much smaller than either of her sisters. Her sisters just dote on her, they are so in love. It's sweet to watch. Then we blessed her on her due date of 10-10-10!

We hosted Thanksgiving for the first time this year. It was with Dennis' family and was a nice holiday. It's exciting that we are at the point in our lives where we're hosting family get togethers. Then Christmas will be at our house this year with Sarah's family. We really are loving the Holidays, and looking forward to the start of another New Year! (Hopefully one not quite so busy!)

Love,

Dennis, Sarah, Charity, Danielle and Rebecca
The Young Family

Merry Christmas Pictures

In November a friend and I set up a backdrop photo area and had some fun. Here was our results: Enjoy!

Santa Claus is coming to town...

What a busy time of year getting ready for Christmas and all! Luckily everything is bought/made, still waiting on a few things in the mail, and we have about 1/2 the presents wrapped (maybe a little more!). Yay! I think we've got all the stocking stuffers. Oh wait, just remembered one thing I need to get since we weren't able to get them on Saturday...

Now I'm just trying to get a newsletter written and Christmas cards sent out. I've never written an end of the year newsletter before. How do you limit it to a page!?! lol. And then how much detail should I include? Do I just leave off some of the things that happened to include more detail or not go into much detail? I don't know! Well, you'll have to let me know what you think after you read it.

The girls are so excited though. Danielle today has wanted to tell everyone Merry Christmas. So very cute! Charity just wants to wrap more presents. :) It's so much fun to watch them and get caught up in Christmas through their eyes.

Now to go figure out what I'm forgetting, lol.

Moments

Have you ever experienced one of those perfect moments where life sometimes gives us a glimpse of perfect peace and happiness?

It seems to me, and maybe it's just a faulty memory with those from my younger days slipping away, but I've had more of those moments since becoming a parent than I ever did as a child or young adult. You'd think the big "events" would qualify under with these special Moments, but surprisingly they don't, atleast not for me. There was no grand moment the day I graduated High School, the day I got engaged or said I do, the day I found out that I was going to become a mother. While those are all special times in and of themselves, they weren't a Moment.

I've experienced them throughout the years. One of my favorites is now a Christmas memory, one of my favorite Christmas memories. :) I'd gotten up early Christmas morning, it was just me, the silence, and the beauty of the tree. I just sat there staring at the lit tree feeling like everything was just right in the world. That moment is the reason Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and every year I get to catch a glimpse of that moment. Every time I stare at a Christmas Tree all lit up, especially in the dark when the only light is coming from the tree, I experience a little bit of that peace and happiness I found that morning.

Growing up, I always believed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was true but then when I was a preteen, probably 11 or 12, I had one of those moments that solidified my faith. Laura and I had been taking piano lessons from a neighbor in our ward and we'd been sitting at the piano in her house playing, I had glanced out the window and I can't tell you now what I saw, what we were playing, why then, but I remember the feeling, in that moment, that instant, I knew the church was true. It wasn't just a belief anymore that it was true but I knew. Since then I've never had a doubt on my testimony of the church. It was no longer based on my parents beliefs or the beliefs of those around me, but it was my knowledge of its' truthfullness and I still carry that with me today.

Another I had while in High School was just a moment, nothing was affirmed to me, there was no feeling of peace or happiness, it was more of perfect contentment, and it was a double moment :) One time in the spring I was walking home from school, I don't know if I was by myself or if Laura was with me that day or what. But the sun was shining, there were light fluffy clouds in the sky, it was a warm day, and I caught the smell of blossoms in the air. It was one of those moments that just lifted me up. Later that year in the fall, it happened again, only this time there was a crispness to the air. The sun was still shining, the sky a bright blue but the leaves on the trees had turned colors and I caught that wonderful autumn smell of dried leaves and apples. Those two memories are intertwined for me, they happened in the same spot, and were so similar that I can't think of one without the other.

Another time when cuddling with Dennis on the couch. We were just sitting there, watching a movie or something, but he had his arm around me and I was snuggled up next to him, comfortable and happy. It hit me just how wonderful life was, how much I loved this man beside me, and how much he loved me. I wanted to in that moment, always.

Here's a guilty little secret of mine, as a teen and young adult, I didn't want kids. The thought of labor scared me. I was selfish and didn't want to have give up my free time and be responsible for another human being, but I still felt that it was the right thing to do, that I was suppose to have children. Still, after Dennis and I decided to start our family, I wasn't at peace with it, I didn't want to. But then one day, I was just sitting there on the bus, on my way to school, and I had this feeling of peace come over me that everything would be all right and work out for the best. I knew in that moment that it was right, and I was finally at peace with the decision and I was happy.

One night after Charty was born I was holding her, looking into her eyes probably. And it dawned on me the true meaning of a Mother's Love. I'd never really understood it before and maybe it requires becoming a Mother to really understand the love that a Mother has for her child(ren). But that moment was a revelation for me really on how much my own parents loved me, how much I loved my own child, and how much my Father in Heaven loved me. To be in that moment revelling in the amount of love for my own child and the amount of Love that I felt in that moment from those who love me was just amazing.

I just had another moment, and again it was while holding my baby in my arms. I glanced at the mirror and there I was holding this precious beautiful little child. She was snuggled up next to me, her face nestled near my neck, that perfect little newborn snuggle and I looked so happy and peaceful. I looked again to try to capture that perfect moment again but it was too late, she'd already wiggled a bit and I was looking for it, lol. I have a lot of those moments as a mother of a newborn, it's probably one of the reasons that I just LOVE newborns, the perfect peace I can find when holding my new child is just amazing to me.

When I experience of those Moments, I find myself wishing that I could stay in that Moment forever, wanting it to just go on and on and not end; but the Moments can't last forever, otherwise there would be no more Moments. I can't sit forever in the peace of that early morning staring at the tree; I can't forever be cuddled up next to Dennis; I can't forever hold my newborn child in my arms; I can't forever stay in a single moment. And as much as I WANT to stay in that Moment when it's here, I'm so glad that we're not able to ever stay in one single Moment because then I would miss out on so many more. And though the memory of that Moment may not be as powerful as the Moment itself, those are memories I will always cherish.

Rebecca is 2 Months Old!

My sweet little baby is 2 months old already! How did that happen? And you'll never believe how big she is! She had her 2 month appointment today and she weighed 10lbs 7oz and was 24" long! The doctor commented that she looked like a 4 month old to him because of her length :) It seems she's taking after her Daddy.

Though, I looked up the other girls' stats at 2 months old and it's going to amaze you the similarities...

Charity at 2 months old was 10lbs 6oz and 23 1/2".

Danielle at 2 months was 1olbs 7oz and 24 1/4"

So, they were all within an ounce of each other, and within an inch of each other length wise. So at 2 months old they were all a very similar size... Now Charity is tall tall tall and even pretty big percentile wise for her heighth and Danielle is tiny tiny tiny.... My guess is still that Rebecca is going to be tall and similar to Charity since Danielle started out bigger and birth and Rebecca was my smallest at birth, so she's shown the largest amount of weight gain at 2 months. (She has technically put on over 4 pounds in 2 months!) But, time will tell and we'll just have to wait and see :)

Rebecca 2 months old - A laugh or a smile?

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Yay! We got our Christmas tree up! We spent the whole weekend getting the tree up and decorating it and getting the decorations out. Still have a bit more to do outside but Yay! Here is our tree:

Now we just need to add some presents :)

Grateful Day 28-30

Grateful Days:

28: I'm grateful for the snow and the Holiday Season. It might make the roads scary but it's beautiful to look at, and the kids love to play in it and it just adds so much to the feeling of the Holidays.

29: I'm thankful for good friends and the chance to get together and have fun together.

30: I'm thankful that I get to go to the gym and exercise. Today I went to a Zumba class (second time since I had Rebecca) and it just makes me feel so good afterwards. I never thought I would enjoy exercising, but I really do and I'm thankful I get to go and do that.

As the month is winding up, I just want to say how grateful I am that I took this opportunity to express my gratitude for the things that I have. It helps me to see all the wonderful blessings that I have.

Grateful Day 23-27

Ooops! I missed a bunch of days again! Good thing this month is almost over, lol.

Day 23: I'm thankful for Mom and Dad being able to come visit so we could go on a date!

Day 24: I'm grateful for Holidays and getting to spend time with family.

Day 25: I'm thankful for a wonderful husband who did most of the cooking!

Day 26: I'm grateful for my FIL who watched the girs so we could go shopping. The majority of our Christmas Shopping is done at this point!

Day 27: I'm thankful for kids who are excited about decorating the Christmas Tree! Only we didn't have enough decorations for them, lol.

Dennis' Christmas Present

I'm so excited about Dennis' Christmas present! He's gonna love it!

At first I had decided to get him an ipod touch for Christmas because he loves listening to audio books on his way to and from work and I figured I could add more music to it that way too. Then, I decided I should just upgrade him to the ipad since it would have a calendar, and contacts list and such that would be really useful for him now, especially with his new calling.

Then I found out there are Android tablets (like the ipad). So, I started researching these. A lot more options... Well, I found 2 that were suppose to be released soon and started hoping that one would be available before Christmas! A week or so ago, Archos announced their Archos 7o (the one I wanted) would be available on the 18th. But they sold out before I got around to ordering one! I was bummed.

But they had some more available today and I got one ordered for him! There is no way it's staying wrapped and under the tree until Christmas, lol, I'm giving it to him immediately :) So I might have to buy him some accessories for it or something for him to open... lol! I'm so excited about it!

Grateful Day 15-22

Sorry I've missed a week. So, here's goes:

I'm grateful for Charity who showed me how much I would love being a Mommy.

I'm thankful for Danielle who has a smile that's infectious. :)

I'm grateful for sweet little Rebecca. Who doesn't love a newborn afterall?

I'm thankful for my parents and an early Thanksgiving dinner. (It was yummy)

I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to teach the CTR 7 class for the last year and a half, I really enjoyed getting to know the kids we taught.

I'm thankful for my new calling, and grateful that I get to teach the kids I taught last year.

I'm grateful for online ordering and being able to get my wonderful hubby his Christms present. Though, there is no way it's getting wrapped and sitting under the tree for a month... I might have to get him some accessories to open Christmas morning, lol.

I'm grateful for snow clothes so my kids can go outside to play in the snow and keep warm! They certainly love playing in the snow!

Found a Kindle Giveaway

The Thrifty Couple is giving away a Kindle device this holiday season! Check out their site or their facebook page for information on how to enter!

Grateful Day 14

Today I want to mention how grateful I am for a warm house and warm clothes. As the days have turned colder, it's definitely a wonderful thing to have heat and be able to stay warm!

(If you were to ask Charity about staying warm, she'd probably mention pants, since that's what she wished she'd worn on our way to church this morning when her legs were cold, lol)

Update on Us

It's been a few weeks since I posted about what's been going on in our lives and while I know my grateful posts are appreciated, it's always nice to hear more than I'm thankful for this or for that :)

So, what's new? Rebecca turned 6 weeks old this week! I can't believe how fast the time has flown by since she was born. I'd bet that she's 8 1/2 or 9 lbs already. She is just growing so fast. I tease her that it won't be long before she's bigger than Danielle! lol. I definitetly need to get some pictures taken before she's not so little anymore!

In the last few weeks Dennis and I have both recieved new callings as well. Though, they said they're keeping him in Primary until after the Primary Program next week. My new calling is a Bear Leader in the Cub Scouts! Most of the boys I taught in Primary last year so it's nice that I don't have to try to get to know a whole new bunch of kids. I'm a little excited, and a little scared at the idea. lol. But at our next Pack Meeting (my turn to plan) we're going to be doing knot tying! lol. Seriously, it's one of the few things one of our boys need to complete his Bear, so first thing I'm doing in Cub Scouts is a total cliche scouting thing and I'm excited about it! lol.

And here's why I don't get that they left Dennis in Primary and not me. He's the new Assistant Executive Secretary for the ward. I think he'll do great at that calling! And he's just thrilled it wasn't a teaching calling. lol. Totally changed my idea of a Christmas present for him. I know, I know, I shouldn't be talking about what I'm getting him so I don't ruin the surprise, but after 1 day of researching, knowing it was going to take a lot more time and decision making, I told him so he could be part of the process. I had initally planned on getting him an ipod touch for Christmas because he really enjoyes listening to the audio books but with this calling he's gonna need to be organized and use a planner/calendar stuff so I figured, why not just go with an ipad? Then I looked at the price... lol, those things are expensive. But I'm not really an apple fan and I LOVE my android smart phone so I decided to see if there was an android alternative...

There are LOTS of android alternatives, and I've finally settled on one for him. It will be available in a few days. The Archos 70. It turned out he didn't really like the size of the ipad, he would prefer something with a little more mobility to take places. The ipad has a 10" screen. The Archos 7o has a 7" screen and it looks like it's got some great specs, and it's running Android 2.2, and it's NOT apple! Seriously, apple and I don't get along...

I was showing him some cool new apps I found this week on my phone so now he's stealing my phone atleast on Sundays until he gets his Christmas present, lol. They are great apps put out by the church! If anyone out there has an android operated device, search for lds on the market and you can find them. There is Ward Central/Stake Central that's an app that downloads your ward and stake information from lds.org straight to your device. A widget app called Scripture a Day that puts a scripture on your homescreen. Then there is the Gospel Library put out by the church that includes the standard works as well as conference talks and some manuals like the Gospel Principles Manual, very cool app! There's the Mormon Channel app that allows you to listen to the Mormon Radio station, as well as has a wide selection of audio files to listen to and the videos that are put up on their youtube station. It's such a treasure trove of great information! I've also got a widget app to listen to the Mormon Radion Channel from the homescreen. Then there is LDS Magazine Lite, that has the church publications, though in the Lite version you can only read the current issues. I'm considering paying for Stake Central and for the full LDS Magazine one to have access to a lot more information. I know there has got to be more apps on the market like those that would be useful so I'm gonna start looking. I just LOVE my android phone, and I can't wait to get Dennis an Android device to use as well!

Grateful Day 13

I am grateful for the internet :) and the ability to research whatever I need to!

Grateful Day 9-12

It's been a few days since I posted something I was grateful for so I'd better be extra grateful today :) I'm grateful for Charity's preschool teacher, it's been such a wonderful experience for her and I love watching her learn and grow. I'm grateful for good friends :) And I'm grateful for my kids who entertain/frustrate and enlighten my life!

Grateful Day 8

Is grateful for bedtime. Is it bedtime yet?

Grateful Day 6 & 7

Is grateful for family. All of them!

And I'm grateful for time spent with family.

Grateful Day 5

Today I am grateful for a hardworking husband who makes it possible for me to be able to stay home with our children. And I'm especially thankful he has 3 days off a week to spend home with us!

Grateful Day 4

Is thankful for good books! Even though sometimes they keep me from doing other things I'm suppose to do :) like clean the house! lol.

Grateful Day 3

I am thankful for the right we have to go vote, or to not vote for those who choose not to. And I'm grateful I took the time to go do it, even if my picks didn't make it! Every voice counts!

Grateful Day 2

Today I am grateful for children who sleep in when they stay up late! (Danielle took a late nap yesterday, so she was up ay late, which caused Charity to stay up late... Ugh! But atleast they let us get some sleep in this morning!)

Grateful Day 1

For the month of November, I'm going to try to do a post every day about something I am grateful for.

To start out the month I am grateful for a husband who is willing to take some time off work to go Halloween Clearance Shopping with me!

Amazed

This is a whole bunch of random baby thoughts so I hope it all makes sense.

As I sit and hold Rebecca I'm just amazed at this little being. The fact that she's here and perfect and all that was required for that too happen. It just amazes me. Then the fact that she's continuing to grow, still nurtured and getting everything she needs from me. Her little tiny, long, toes and her little tiny, long, fingers. Just how beautiful and special she is. I remember feeling this way with both of my other 2 girls as well. Just sitting and wondering at what a miracle they are.

And I just love newborns and babies. They are so small and sweet. Their soft coos, and warm baby cuddles. Absolute innocence and trust. They are just precious.

This time I find that even though she's only 3 weeks old I'm already feeling sad over the loss of her babyhood. I've never experienced this before. With Charity it was just wonder and amazement at each new milestone and accomplishment. I still get amazed at her.

Today we went through her ABC book and she named off all the letters for me. I knew she recognized most of them but we'd never sat and just went through them all before. A few weeks ago I taught her how to write her name, and now she can write it and spell it, and recognize the different letters and their sounds. Her little mind is just thirsting for more and more knowledge and it's amazing to watch.

With my little tiny Danielle (who doesn't seem so little and tiny anymore, lol) sometimes I wonder how on earth she's only 2. She seems to know things beyond her age and comprehend things that are beyond a 2-year olds understanding but at the same time she still seems like my little baby girl to me. Perhaps some of those feelings stem from her size (she is only 22/23 lbs at almost 2 1/2 years old) but I just haven't been prepared or ready for her to hit the same milestones and accomplishments like I was with Charity. I still celebrate them and encourage them but she's growing up way too fast.

And now I've got my newest little one. This time, I don't have to be told to enjoy it before it's over, because I know just how quickly her babyhood will be gone and I want to enjoy every single moment of it.

Rebecca's 2 week appointment

Rebecca had her two week appointment today and it turns out that she is just growing like a little weed! lol. (or pumpkin!) :)

So, at 2 weeks old she is 21" and 7lbs 3oz. Which means she has grown 2" and gotten back up to her birthweight PLUS an additional 10oz. And 6 of those ounces was in the last week!

At her one-week check-up last Tuesday she was 20" and 6lbs 13oz.

We're beginning to wonder if our smallest baby is gonna end up being our biggest kid, while our biggest baby is our tiny child! lol.

More Pumpkins

Laura fell in love with the girls' pumpkin hats while she was here and asked Mom to make her some. So.... on Monday and Tuesday morning, Mom hurried to make some pumpkin hats so we could add a few more to our pumpkin patch!Sorry they're not the best, we hurried to try and take them right before Laura was leaving and Miriam had just woken up and it was cold outside so the kids weren't very cooperative. But still cute pictures!

Here are a couple of pictures of the girls and their cousins with their pumpkin hats on!

Rebecca's Blessing

The blessing on Sunday was wonderful. We managed to get up in time and get ready and get there before Sacrament started! Yay! Mom had gotten her dress done and as you'll be able to see it was absolutely gorgeous!

Dennis said he was a lot more nervous this time than with Charity and Danielle because of the lack of time to prepare but he did a wonderful job and the blessing was beautiful. Though, her and I spent most of Sacrament in the Mother's Lounge. It was time to eat when we got to church, lol. They like to do that, don't they?

My Relief Society President had to come look at her after Sacrament to see if dress was really done because she'd come to visit while I was in the hospital and Mom only had a couple of inches of the dress done at that time. Then of course, I had to show off her and the dress to a few friends at church.

Oh, and did I mention she had the hiccups while she was being blessed? LOL! She tends to get the hiccups when she burps and I fed her at the beginning of Sacrament, and then when she burped the hiccups showed up and they decided to not go away until afterwards, you could even hear her little hiccups during the blessing, lol. So funny!

Well, here are some pictures:

My Little Pumpkins

Several months ago I saw these cute pumpkin hats online! And I asked Mom if she could crochet some for the girls. They turned out really cute. Here are some pictures of my little pumpkins:

All 3 girls together.

My favorite pose of Charity's.

Dennis' favorite pose of Charity.

My single picture of Danielle before she ran off! Good thing it turned out cute!

My little baby pumpkin.

Oh, and then I had to add this one, because who needed a pumpkin shirt with a jack-o-lantern face like that? lol. (and yes, I mean Danielle, how cute is that!)

Blessing Rebecca

This has been a last minute decision since it turns out that Laura is going to be able to come from Arizona so we are blessing Rebecca this Sunday! Crazy I know, she'll only be a little over a week and a half old, and it was her due date! lol. But she hasn't gotten to be here for the others so I thought it would be really nice to be able to have her here for Rebecca's blessing!

I'm very excited. Now we just have to hope that Mom can finish the dress in time! She's crocheting the dress this time and so far it looks gorgeous! But there's not a lot of time to finish it! And there's so much to do to get ready for Sunday, wish us luck! I'll probably have to make Dennis do most of everything since I did just have a baby a week ago, lol.

Did I mention she is just a little darling? Such a sweet baby! Oh, and I'll be posting pics of the girls that I took yesterday in their pumpkin hats soon!

Rebecca Marie

Rebecca's Birth Story

Let's see where to start? I guess Sunday is a good spot since it affects the story later.

Eary Sunday Morning I woke up to contractions about 3-5 minutes apart. They weren't that intense at all, but pretty close together so I woke up Dennis and we headed into the hospital. Well, when we get to the hospital the contractions started dieing down and spacing out. Pretty soon they were 5 minutes apart. When they started monitoring me, the nurse mentioned that my blood pressure was a bit on the high side so they wanted to keep an eye on it. Soon my contractions had lengthened out to 5-10 minutes apart. I think they would have sent me home sooner except they wanted to keep an eye on that. When they let me go it had come down quite a bit and was more in the normal range. hey told me to check in with my doctor the next day.

Well, I never got around to calling my doctor on Monday... Oops. But I figured I had an appointment scheduled for Tuesday night so I wasn't that worried about it.

Tuesday afternoon, Charity was having a rough day, throwing lots of fits, and just ugh. Well, at one point she was throwing a fit and screaming and crying and I just couldn't take anymore so I told her to go her room until she was ready to calm down but she told me no and refused to go. I let my temper get the best of me and I went and picked her up to take her to her room. (Hello Sarah 38 week pregnant women are NOT suppose to pick up 40lbs toddlers to begin with!) Well, she didn't want to go to her room so she fought me on it and I almost dropped her. In the process of this I pulled what felt like ALL of the muscles in my lower pelvic region. I was in so much pain I could hardly walk :( Then on our way to the Doctor's Appointment that night Dennis told me she was worried something might have happened to the baby in the ordeal an asked how I thought she was doing or how she was moving or something along those lines. It dawned on me at that point that she hadn't been that active at all that afternoon, she did move some, just not nearly as active...

So, at the appointment I started telling the nurse about that afternoon and then when she was checking my blood pressure, Dennis started telling her about the hospital and she said she was just about to mention my blood pressure was a little bit high. At the hospital and also at the appointment no protein had come back in my urine though, which was good. Well, when the doctor came in and was checking me out she redid the blood pressure and it was borderline high but the baby's heart rate was where it was normally. And I'd also progressed to a 3-4cm, so a little more than where I'd been the week before. She did want to do a quick ultrasound on the baby just as a precaution to check her out as well and then she asks us if we want to have the baby tomorrow. Tomorrow, really?

Because of my fast labor with Danielle she had wanted to induce at 39 weeks, if I made it that far. The hospital's policy is that don't do inductions or c-sections until 39 weeks unless medically necessary. Well, the high blood pressure readings had given her enough reason to induce earlier. Ok, we can do that. I wasn't sure I really wanted to be indced (I was hoping to avoid an IV, lol) but knowing I'd be at the hospital in plenty of time to deliver and that the baby would be there the next day we agreed. So, she sent us over to Labor and Delivery so they could do some monitoring and some blood work. She wasn't sure if they'd keep us overnight or just have us come in the morning so she said she'd come over after they got the blood work back and we'd figure out the last few details. So, over to Labor and Delivery we went. We got there right around 7. My blood pressure was initally a little high, but after just laying there for a while it came down to more of my normal range for the pregnancy. I also had some contractions but they were 10 or more minutes apart and not that intense. So, they decided to send us home and Dr. Anders said that she normally has women come in at 5:30 in the morning for inductions but because of my history to wait and come in at 7. Sounded good to me, I wouldn't have to get up as early. So, home we went.

We got home around 9 o'clock. Mom was just getting the girls ready for bed. So, we told them about how we would be going into the hospital in the morning to have the baby. They were excited! I sat in the living room doing a few things on the computer (I was going to blog about the day, but didn't get around to it, lol) But it was cute because I heard Charity in there talking to Danielle all about the baby coming. You could tell she was really excited. They were taking a while to fall asleep and there was some othe things I needed to do so I turned bedtime over to Mom and went to go finish up getting ready. Dennis and I ended up going to bed about 10:30.

Well, a little before Midnight a contraction woke me up. I wasn't sure if it was going to turn into anything though so I decided I was going to wait a minute to make sure. (TMI alert, but hey, it's a baby story :) Well, I'd needed to go to the bathroom and I realized that I'd started bleeding. I hadn't had that happen in either of the other pregnancies or labors so I decided I wasn't going to wait. So, I woke Dennis up and told him it was time to go. The contractions weren't super intense yet but I figured oh well, I'm getting induced in a few hours anyway so if they turn into nothing, Oh well. Well, as we were finishing getting ready to go, they started getting more intense and I knew this time they weren't going to be nothing. So, we got there, and got checked in and everything. It was funny, we ended up in the same room and the contractions that I'd had earlier when we were there had registered high on the monitor where this time they weren't registering that much at all, but they were A LOT more painful. They checked me and I was at a solid 4 at that point, so 20 minutes or so in and I hadn't really progressed much from my appointment (that did make me wonder if I was in labor for real, atleast until the next contraction, lol) I wanted to be able to get up and move around a bit, it was not comfortable having contractions laying there in the bed! but they said no, they wanted to monitor me for a while and then maybe. Around 1 I needed to use the bathroom. After I stood up, the contractions started to intensify even more so when I was getting back into bed I told them they needed to check me. The nurse checked and I was at a 6/7 at that point. That's also the point I decided I wanted pain meds and I wanted them now. I was tired of being in pain.

Well, that's when the nurses really got serious about things. They started setting up things and getting things ready. The contractions at that point also intensified even more and got even more painful. I think atleast every 10 minutes I started demanding and asking where the epidural person was and could I PLEASE get something for the pain until then. They weren't serious enough about it though! I think it was about 1:30ish or so that I told them they'd better check again because I was feeling a LOT of pressure down there. They'd also called the doctor at this point and he was headed in (not our doctor, but the one on call). The nurse checked and said I was at an 8/9 or so, fully thinned and effaced. When the doctor got there a few minutes later and checked he said I was only at a 7! I didn't believe him though, cuz it felt like I was a lot closer to pushing than that. About 10 minutes later I told them that I was starting to feel like I was going to need to push and another nurse checked me and she said I was ready! That was also right after the anathesiologist got there and had started telling me my options... She then told me nevermind, it was too late for an epidural. Well, I told them to hurry you up!

Anyway, so then the doctor checks and he says I'm only at an 8 or 9, but I'm starting to feel the urge to push. Seriously, they couldn't make up their minds! In the meantime I'm having contractions one on top of each other, very much in pain, the anathesiologist lady is trying to tell me what my options are now. It was just a chaotic mess! I end up telling the lady to just do the shot in the back to help me out with the pain already! Turned out the shot in the back was a spinal block, which I didn't even figure out until afterwards.

It really was chaotic at this point, if I had Dennis here he'd be able to add a lot more details because I guess there was a lot going on around us that I was missing out on. Such as baby was showing distress during contractions, I'd become really pale several times (hello, lots of pain!), my blood pressure was measuring high most of the time, contractions on the monitor still showed up as not that much. Well, after the spinal block it was nice, all pain went away... but then it was time to push pretty much as soon as I got the spinal block but I then had to figure out which muscles were the ones I needed to use to push with! And the contractions also decreased to several minutes apart. The doctor had sent someone out to find out how long the shot in my back was suppose to last for and Dennis said that after they came back and told him an hour he said that could be a problem because we might need to make it an operational delivery. Why, I have no idea, I didn't even catch the comment. Anyway, that's the point I figured out which muscles to use and she was out in 2 pushes. And what a beautiful little baby!

Rebecca Marie was born a little before 2:40 in the morning on Wednesday September 29, 2010. She weighed 6lbs 11oz and was 19.5" long. Her Apgar scores were 8 and 9.

Overall, it was a crazy intense labor (and I think it would have been shorter had I been able to stand up and not lay in bed so much) but I'm glad she's here!

The hospital staff was great afterwards! We came home Thursday, though we could have stayed until Friday. Honestly, I wish we'd stayed but it's too late now, lol! But we are all doing good and she is just a great little baby. One of the nurses Thursday morning told me that they had decided she was their favorite baby this week because she was so easy. Took right to nursing, had no problems adjusting to being outside the womb, hardly cries, has the cutest little whine when she wants something, sleeps well. I'm hoping she continues to stay that way! I was worried, both other girls were easy babies, so I thought I might finally get a hard one but she is just a little darling.

Random Stuff

I'm up at 7 in the morning, with the daughter who normally sleeps in, and I'm tired... so I've got a bunch of random stuff to mention :)

1 - Getting up EVERY SINGLE HOUR in the night to pee, really really sucks. Seriously, every single hour, I think I might have skipped midnight but that's it! So a single 2 hour stretch mixed in... Seriously, can I just have this baby already so she gets off my bladder!?!

2 - With her being so low, remember she was at 0 station, fully engaged, last Thursday and Sunday morning all the nurse said was that she was very low, how much pressure and damage is it doing to my already weakened muscles down there? Ahh, the fun worries of pregnancy. I'd consider looking up uterine prolapse and pregnancy effects on them online, but I know from the beginning of my pregnancy that that would be pointless....

3 - So, tonight when she checks me, even though I was still only dilated to a 3 on Sunday, am I going to be a 4 tonight or still at a 3, more effaced or not? And is she even lower? Seriously, I don't want to deliver in the car on the way to the hospital, especially when I live only minutes away! Forget on the way, I'm worried I'm going to be delivering at home! Crazy crazy. Though really, I've got the emergency delivery section bookmarked in my what to expect when you're expecting so whoever is here can have directions on how to catch the baby... good luck reading it in time!

4 - Dennis was funny this morning :) Before he left for work I had him rubbing my back for a few minutes and he said to me, "She moves a lot in the night, doesn't she?" Um, yes, especially when I'm trying to go to sleep... "Yes, why do you ask?" says me. He told me it was just a hunch and then I got him to admit that he kept his hand on my tummy for a while last night while he was trying to go to sleep and she was moving a lot :) Awwww :)

5 - My doctor wants to induce at 39 weeks to have my labor in a more controlled environment... Yeah, lol, why wait until 39 weeks then when I've never made it that far before? Well, the policy at our hospital is no inducing or c-sections before 39 weeks unless medically necessary. Well, tonight is my last appointment before I hit 39 weeks so she's probably going to want to schedule an induction just in case. 39 weeks is Sunday which means she'd want to schedule it for Monday. I'd prefer to have the baby at the end of the week to get those extra few days from the weekend with Dennis around so any chance I can convince her of pushing it up to Thursday or Friday? Probably not, but that would mean baby by the end of the week! However, I haven't decided if I am willing to be induced or not (I sooooo don't want an IV, that was my whole reason for deciding to try to go natural last time....) so I'm not really sure what to do at my appointment tonight. Dennis says it doesn't matter since the induction wouldn't be until the beginning of next week and she'll be here before then. Oh, can I hope!?! lol.

6 - So, because I'm so disappointed she's not here yet, I've resigned myself to the fact that she's decided to wait as long as possible to come, she just wants to stay put. I was saying so to Dennis when we started talking about the induction option this morning. And now he's the one saying she'll be her by the end of the week. lol. I'm normally the one saying she'll come early, and he's the one saying don't be disappointed if she stays put until your due date or later. LOL! Oh, how we sometimes switch roles. And honestly, I still see her coming early, there's still 12 days until my due date of 10/10/10 and Danielle was only 10 days early so it really could be any time but hopefully if I keep telling myself she's staying put I'll be pleasantly surprised when she comes early instead of so disappointed every morning when I'm still pregnant, lol. (I've gone into labor both other times in the middle of the night). Though, I've just known this whole pregnancy she was going to be a September baby and if she is, she'd better hurry up cuz there's only a few days left!

Ok, so is that enough random, mostly baby stuff, for you? And can I go back to bed now?

The Pregnant Lady who cried Baby...

Third pregnancy... You'd think I'd know when I was in labor!

With Danielle there was a night or two before she was born where I was up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night with contractions, but they never got closer than 6-10 minutes apart or that painful. I worried what would happen if the same thing happened this time but figured I'd be able to tell whether or not it was actual labor and that I needed to head into the hospital.

Well, because my labor with her was only an hour long, I had instructions to head right in at the first sign of contractions because well... I don't want to deliver the baby at home or in the car! (Not to start a home v. hospital debate, I just prefer to go in to the hospital to have the baby, though I respect those women who choose to give birth at home, it's just not for me). Well, early Sunday morning about 3:30 or so I woke up and had contractions that were 3-5 minutes apart so I woke up Dennis and told him we'd better go. They weren't that intense, but they were pretty close together. So, we get ready and go...

And they get further and further and further apart... Yay :( So, we were there until about 5:30 and discharged to go home with the contractions about 10 minutes apart, but they had accomplished nothing during that time. If they'd only managed to dilate me one more centimeter they probably would have kept me (not that I really know) but so, no baby yet :( And I'm the pregnant lady who cried baby! Well, let's hope next time I head in, it's the real thing and not false labor again!

Recent Pictures

Posted September 21st:

Here are a couple of pictures I've meant to post and haven't. I have been busy posting lately though, haven't I? (Comes from boredom, too tired and sore to do much but sit around) Anyway, here you go:

Too Excited

Ever hear the phrase "like a kid in a candy store." Well, that one doesn't describe me right now, but how about a kid waiting for Christmas morning! Seriously, Christmas could be coming any day around here and I don't think I could be more excited.

I had some strong Braxton Hicks Contractions this morning that obviously turned into nothing but I was getting so excited thinking maybe it was time... Only it wasn't :( How about the kid who wakes up thinking it's Christmas morning only to find out it's not :( Ah well, Christmas will come soon enough and I'll be holding this little bundle of joy in my arms!

Really though I am so excited for her to get here. I cannot wait to add another beautiful little girl into our family. I know the girls are just going to adore here, sure sometimes I worry how they'll adjust to a new sibling, but I know they will love her. They both seem excited about the new baby as well.

This morning Charity wanted to feel her move and she wasn't interested so I told Charity she was sleeping but maybe she'd wake up after I had breakfast. Guess who went and fixed me a bowl of cereal right then! lol. Danielle loves to try to do things for the baby, that don't work yet. lol. She got out the baby wash the other day, thinking it was lotion, and when I told her no that's for giving the baby a bath, she wanted to give my tummy a bath. Charity plays that there is a baby in her tummy and so her and Danielle fight over where the baby is since Danielle KNOWS it's in Mommy's tummy, lol. They're just so cute in their own anticipation of her.

So, for now the waiting continues but soon, soon, all this excitement and anticipation will soon pay off!

Pregnancy Complaints

I've been trying to decide whether or not to post about this since it is a bit more of a downer post and goes a bit more into what I'm feeling, more of those private thoughts, but I want to get it out there. And it felt good to get my thoughts typed out a bit. I don't really know if all of my frustration with the topic comes out or not but all I can say is pregnancy and I really don't get along and this one hasn't been any exception, not even close.

Dennis keeps making comments about how this pregnancy has been better than either of the others and I haven't been able to figure out how on earth he thinks that. The other night I discovered why. I haven't been complaining enough. Seriously. He was talking about how my back hasn't hurt as much and I've been able to do more and this that and the other. It was a couple nights ago so I no longer remember what all was said, just the jist of the conversation. And he must only think that because I haven't complained as much. That's the only reason I can come up with!

I haven't really had any help this pregnancy which is the only reason I've done more. I've HAD to do more. It didn't mean I felt any better or anything of that. I've simply had to do it. When you've got 2 little kids depending on you, you HAVE to get up with them in the morning, you HAVE to feed them, you HAVE to clean up after them (not that I've done a whole lot of that anyway) at least the necessary clean up stuff. But I've done a lot more this pregnancy because I've HAD to. And you know what, I've hurt more and stuff to. There's just been no reason to complain about it because who was going to help me with it or shoulder some of it? There has been NO ONE to help.

My first pregnancy was well, my first pregnancy. I had the ability to lay around all day and not do anything. That was nice. No kids to chase after or messes to clean up. If I had a headache I could just lay in the dark and let it pass. My second pregnancy my wonderful Mother was able to come and stay with us for weeks at a time during the whole pregnancy and help. This time, Dennis was taking 2 classes at school and super super busy, he was never around. Mom had just had back surgery, she could barely walk let alone come help take care of my kids and my house. This time I've had kids to take care of. Sorry I forgot to complain about just how horrible it's been and the pain I've been in and miserably sick. I've taken a lot more tylenol with this pregnancy as well simply because with 2 small children to take care of (and boy do 2 small children require a lot of time and energy!) I can't afford to have these terrible headaches and try to get them to go away on their own so tylenol it's been. Really, I'd prefer to NOT take medication during pregnancy but sometimes you do what you've got to do.

For the 2 weeks I was taking tylenol while dealing with tooth pain cuz of the root canal, I felt wonderful! That stuff makes it so all the fun pregnancy pain goes away too... No back what, no round ligament pain, seriously, felt just about normal. Still natious, didn't help with that, but atleast no pain. But you can't live on pain killers while pregnant.

So, what was I suppose to do? If you come to my house you can see just how little I've done. It's such a mess. Yes, once a month or so Dennis has helped out to make the whole house presentable but it doesn't stay that way for long. I don't think there's been any REAL deep, good cleaning done around the house since I got pregnant, just enough to make it look presentable when someone comes over and it's driven me CRAZY but I haven't been able to do more than that.

When he was talking to me the other night I just couldn't imagine how he COULDN'T see how miserable it's been and how much pain I've been in. But, I guess that's men for you, especially when they've been super busy with other stuff, hence I just haven't complained enough which is really sort of backwards because you'd think with all of the lack of help I've had, I'd have been complaining more but I guess not.

Charity's First Field Trip

So, last Friday was Charity's first field trip for preschool. They'd been talking about it and she was really looking forward to it. Guess where it was? The Aquarium! She was very very excited. They do a field trip every month and it's meant as a way to help reinforce what they've been learning. So, the first few weeks they'd done F for Fish, O for Octopus and J for Jellyfish. Charity was so excited to go see them! It's been well over a year since the last time we'd been to the Aquarium so she didn't remember it.

It was a lot of fun! And she had a great time running around with her friends. One girl in particular she's become really good friends with and they just followed each other around the whole time. It was cute to watch, hard to keep up! lol. Of course Danielle loved it too! And we had just as hard a time keeping up with her chasing Charity around (and trying to wander off on her own!) She really enjoyed the Stingrays and the Penguins.

When you ask Charity what her favorite part was though, it was the frogs. LOL, I can't imagine why, they just sat there and did nothing but that was her favorite part. Although she loves to talk about getting to touch the star fish and the sting rays.

I'm so glad she's enjoying school so much!

36 Week Appointment

So, I had my 36 week appointment Tuesday night and since they were doing the Group B Strep test I asked to be checked as well. It turns out that I am 1+cm dialted, not a 2 yet but more than a 1, and that I'm 70-80% effaced and very soft. Sounds promising, right :)

With Charity I was never checked before she was born so when she came a little over 3 weeks early, I have no idea if my body had done any gearing up for labor before hand and that labor was only 10 hours long, though 2 1/2 of it was pushing, and another hour of it was waiting for the doctor for me to start pushing because he was next door deliving a baby, which means I was ready to push in 6 1/2 hours.

Well, with Danielle the only one I had written down that I could find was my 38 week appoinment. At that one I was 3cm dialated, and only 60% effaced that time. And labor with her was an hour, total....

So, we'll see when I go into labor this time (please oh please let Dennis be home and my parents here to watch the kids! lol). How soon and how short it will be are the main questions plaguing me lately! lol.

36 Weeks

So, I've now hit 36 weeks and the waiting game has begun! Who knows when this little girl will decide to make her appearance. When I was pregnant with Charity, hitting 36 weeks meant nothing more than I had a month left until my due date but since SHE decided to make her appearance a little over 3 weeks early it means we have to be ready that much sooner and possibly sit around waiting that much longer! lol.

If this little girl decides to make her appearance as soon as Charity did, she'll be here the end of the week. If she waits as long as Danielle did, we've got until the end of this month. lol. Who knows, maybe she'll wait longer than Danielle did so it could be into October (I do have a friend hoping for Oct 2nd so she can share a birthday with her little girl, lol). I'm betting on a September birthday, probably early 20s but I'm sure this little girl will decide when she thinks the time is right. Until then, we're left waiting! But atleast the waiting game has begun and we are that much closer to her getting here, and me not being pregnant anymore!

A Much Needed Break

So, I find myself getting more and more irritable and temporamental the further along I get (Although, believe me, I've been plenty of both the whole pregnancy, poor Dennis, though he claims I haven't been that bad this time) and life in general has been driving me crazy!

Well, some ladies from my ward set up a girl getaway for this past weekend. We rented a hotel room up in Park City and just went to go play and destress. It ended up that our hotel room (a 2 bedroom suite with a full kitchen) opened up right onto the pool area and it was just amazing! We hung out, talking and watching movies and playing games. We went swimming and sat in the hot tub. I didn't sit in the hot tub but on the edge with my feet in. It was a colder night but the regular pool was heated so it felt great too! So I got to hang out, relax, go swimming and just destress for a little while. It was SOOOO NICE! Then I ended up getting a bed to myself with a million pillows and it was so comfortable. I took full advantage! On Saturday after we checked out of the hotel some of the ladies went and rode the Alpine Slide (Wish I could have! It looked like a lot of fun!) and then we went to some outlet malls where I found the perfect Halloween costume for the baby and for Danielle. The baby we wanted to be a bear this year but I haven't been able to find a good bear costume for a girl. There was only one we found online that seemed ok but this one is pink and fuzzy and perfect :) I can't wait for Halloween just to put her in it! lol. We hadn't been able to decide what Danielle was going to be for Halloween but I found the cutest fairy costume and couldn't resist. Honestly, I can't guarantee she'll be a fairy for Halloween (though it's definitely my vote) but we have a lot of dress up stuff that's all mostly Charity size and now Danielle will be able to dress up with Charity even if she doesn't dress up as a fairy for Halloween. I'm definitely pushing it though, it is SO cute! And all the outlet stores had their Halloween costumes at 30-40% off so they were some great prices too! Even better! (I spent less than half on the baby's costume than what we were going to have to pay to order it online!!!)

Then, the girls were so excited to see me when I got home! They both just came running and jumping up and down and it was so cute to see them :) Charity started telling me all about school he day before and that I hadn't been home but she wanted to show me what she made so she had to run in the house and bring it out to me to show me right then. If I get such a great welcome home, I may have to go away more often! I know they had a fun time with Daddy though because I made them tell me all about the fun stuff I'd missed while I was gone :) Though, Charity was a bit upset with me I didn't bring her home a costume, she kept looking in the bag for her crayon costume. That's what she's decided she wants to be this year, but we're waiting to hear from Grandma what size crayon costume she has. So, Charity just has to wait a little longer for hers.

All in all, it was a really great weekend!

Etsy Stores

Mom and I have decided we're going to start an Etsy store :) to sell all things crafty of course :)

There is this really cool car seat blanket that Mom makes and that's going to be our primary seller I think, but then you know how crafty Mom is and all the stuff she likes to make so then she's occassionally gonna add in some other stuff to sell. We named it MomsOddsandEnds. We haven't transitioned it into a store yet, but look for it in the coming weeks. If I actually get everything ready for baby and am just sitting around waiting, I may try to get a few blankets made and added. Yay! A way for us to earn maybe just a little extra money and have some fun in the process.

Isn't Moms Odds and Ends a cute title? I figure since there's gonna be a little bit of everything it's fitting, and probably better than what we initially wanted (Crafty Mommas). Dennis said he really likes Moms Odds and Ends better, lol.... Now I gotta go make us a title picture or something!

Antelope Island

So, though I've lived within several hours of Salt Lake a good portion of my life, I had never been to Antelope Island. I've been bugging Dennis for a couple of years now that I really wanted to go see it and we finally did!

My parents were here visiting and it turned out THEY had never been to Antelope Island either so all of us went for the very first time! It was so much fun. We are definitely going back! Being Labor Day I was a bit worried it might be a bit crowded, Dennis wasn't really sure he wanted to go so it took some convincing. We ended up not leaving here until 1:30 or so in the afternoon. It's about an hour and a half drive there. Well, when we got to Layton (I think it's Layton) we decided we better stop and eat there first cuz we hadn't had lunch and it was 2:30 at this point. I saw a Cracker Barrel and wanted to try it but we decided it was too expensive. Then we saw a Golden Corral that had a sign up about a Senior Lunch of like $5 1/2 and the girls would be free I thougtht so we decided to stop there... Oops. Since it was a holiday they went straight to their dinner prices for lunch and Charity is 4 now so she no longer qualifies for free meals at buffets, lol. So, we ended up spending a lot more on lunch than we had planned on but overall it was really good and we had an excellent waitress who made sure our glasses were never empty and it was just a fun time... So much fun that we were there for 2 hours! lol. But did I mention that I got to eat likea dozen strawberries with fudge? Yummy!

So it was practically evening by the time we made it out to the island. We stopped at the Visitor's Center first and had a look around. It's got a lot of pretty cool stuff, and some pretty cool stuff in their gift shop too... lol. We had intended on playing on the beach and in the water for a littl while but the water was sooooo low that it would have been a long walk out to it and Mom and I were both definitely not up to it so Charity had to be a little disappointed, but she'll get a chance some time. Then we just drove around looking at the animals. We saw a ton! Lots of lots of Bison and quite a few small herds of Antelope. The girls were in love with the Bison. There were several that were right by the side of the road so they could see them really well but all the Antelope had been far away and up on the hillside, a lot harder for little kids to spot. And we even got to see a Coyote! He had been on the road and then dodged into the grass when we came by and we saw him walk away (he didn't even run). So, that was really cool!

Overall, it was a really fun day and I look forward to going again some time!

They've Arrived!!!

Yay!!! So, the crib, car seat, and bassinet are here!!! They're here! They're here! They're here! Yay!!! Can you tell I'm excited?

We got the crib in last weekend and got it all set up, I will have to post pictures with the cute bedding when I get around to taking some! And then this weekend the rest of the order came in and we got to go pick up the car seat and the bassinet! I LOVE the bassinet, it's going to be sooooo useful! Dennis hates it, I guess it was a pain to put together... especially with a couple of little girls trying to help. But YAY! One step closer to being ready for her to arrive!

And as of today I'm at 35 weeks. We start the waiting game at 36 weeks around here since Charity came a little over 3 weeks early so this week I need to make sure and finish up the last essential things and then we'll do all the extras (like finish painting the kitchen, lol) in the next few weeks!

The end is getting closer!!!!!!!!

Changing My Perspective

So, I've decided I'm going to change my perspective. So, here it is:

I am NOT that miserable! I am NOT in that much pain! I haven't thrown up in well over a week so that is me doing WONDERFUL! It's I ONLY have a little less than 6 weeks left until my due date, not that I still have 6 weeks left. I will be able to get everything done that I still need to do!

There, now I just have to stick to it :) Perspective is reality, right? So now the next few weeks can fly by faster than I want them to and I can enjoy the end of this pregnancy instead of being miserable. That is the goal, right? Oh, and get a lot of stuff done between now and then!

Happy Birthday Dennis

Happy 30th Birthday my love! I'm glad to hear it's not a number that freaks you out like so many other people. I know you've had a very busy year this past year between school and work. But it looks like this year is going to be a lot less stressful and there is a lot to look forward to! Just about all our third baby's firsts will happen this year! (Sorry, got baby on the mind!)

But really, Happy Birthday. I love you and I'm so glad that you were born and become that man that you are now. I'm thankful we both followed the paths we were suppose to and met at school and got married. It's been a wonderful 8 years with you. Here's to us sharing a lot more years together, and a lot more of your birthdays!

Charity's First Day of Preschool

Charity's first day of school was TODAY! She was so excited and looked so cute in her backpack! They had to make puppets of themselves and take a few items that describe them. All morning all I heard from her was asking if it was time to go yet. lol. On the way there, all I heard was are we there yet! She was surprisingly cooperative all morning with getting ready to go, even brushing her hair. But that's cuz she knew she had to do it to get to go! lol.

Here are a couple of pictures from today. One of her posing in front of our door, I barely got her to hold still for this cuz she just wanted to leave! There were a couple more I took that ended up being of her back because she was ready to go out the door. lol, But it wasn't quite time yet!

And then the other picture is in front of her school.

Sorry it's really not a very good pictures. Since I got the Froyo upgrade on my phone, I think it ruined the camera! But she certainly is a cutie! And so happy to be going to school! She could barely stand there to get her picture taken though and was so antsy I think it contributed to the blurriness! lol.

When I picked her up from school today she was just a grinning and when I asked her how was school, she told me "I LOVED it Mommy!" Sounds like a good day to me :)

Oh, I forgot to mention, the objects she chose to put in her bag to describe her was a couple of crayons (her favorite colors blue and purple of course), a shell from the beach, and the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I think she made some excellent choices :)

Baby Costs

Ugh. It's amazing how much a third child can cost you! With our first, we were either able to find most of what we needed at a discount or had people give it to us. Got our crib from DH's sister, my parents found us a stroller at the DI or a yard sale for cheap, given lots and lots of clothes, got the swing at a consignment store, found a cheap baby monitor... I did insist on a specific pack 'n play so that wasn't cheap, but overall we didn't have to spend all that much money. Or maybe it just felt like it because we started preparing soon after finding out I was pregnant. With Danielle, we had pretty much everything we needed, all I insisted on was a bouncy seat because we'd never gotten one of those with Charity even though I'd wanted one.

This time, though I posted about figuring out what we needed, because of how busy and crazy life has been we are now down to less than 2 months to go (if she comes as early as Charity did, a little less than 5 weeks!) and we haven't gotten anything! Well, until this last weekend. But for this third one we needed a bunch of stuff because after 4 1/2 years, it's all worn out, broken, or gone now. Last weekend we did manage to find a swing at a Consignment store here in town so instead of spending a ton of money on a new one we got one for relatively cheap, and we also found a playmat and a monitor. So that has helped out some. I also found some warm baby clothes to round out the wardrobe for the baby. Going from 2 spring babies to a fall baby definitely calls for some warmer clothes!

BUT Dennis went to put up the crib and discovered that sometime in the last while when it was stored a piece got broke and so we can't use it :( Cribs are expensive, and we've never had to buy one before. So, added onto the fact that I wanted to get a bassinet for our room this time. And found one that I absolutely LOVE and insist on wanting that one, (There's always something each time I get my heart set on it seems) now we're trying to figure out what to do about a crib. :( Dennis is leaning towards simply not getting one and just setting up the pack 'n play in the babies room (which reminds me, I need to figure out where that is!) but then I can't use the bedding set I bought since you can't put the dust ruffle and stuff on the pack 'n play! Though, after browsing at a Babies 'R Us this weekend, I want a mini crib now since it converts to a frame for a twin size bed later on. I think we'd get more use out of it overall. But, the cheapest one of those cost more than the cheapest regular crib so who knows what we're going to do! But we need to figure it out!

Our carseat has gotten too old so we have to get a new one of those, that we haven't gotten yet, and even the cheapest ones aren't cheap! I've picked out which one I want, (not THE cheapest but just about) but we're gonna have to buy it online cuz Walmart doesn't have it in store, unless we want to drive to a Baby's R Us and spend more money on it. Grrr, but it is such a pain!

Dennis is now worried his wife is trying to take him on an expensive shopping spree since I'm trying to finish up getting everything we need. It's not my fault he's insisted we wait until near the very end to get everything! I've been trying to convince him for months we need to start looking and getting the stuff we need! In the meantime, I've got to get the hospital bags packed so we're ready and still have so much other stuff to do! It's just so frustrating trying to get everything ready!

Potty Training Update

So, we are now on Week 2 of Potty Training. I haven't been as diligent with her as I was with Charity but I still think she's starting to catch on. Yay! With any luck she'll be potty trained before the baby gets here, and she won't regress afterwards! I'm not sure about the timing of this whole potty training but I've put it off long enough. Hopefully by the end of this week she'll be going on the potty almost every time.

So, here's to more progress!

Staple Removal

Last night we had to take Charity back to the instacare to have the staple removed. I wasn't really sure it was actually ready because her cut/gash (what would be the right word for it?) didn't really look healed enough. But we went.

Charity did NOT want to go. She threw a fit about it for quite a while before we left and then refused to get out of the van when we got there. We practically had to drag her out. Luckily, she'd calmed down and was behaving nicely by the time we got in the building, though Daddy had to carry her.

The doctor examind it, said it was ready to come out and snip, it was out. It took a lot less time to remove that staple than it did to put it in! Charity insists it hurt worse to have th staple removed than to have it put in though, lol. The doctor said the removal is the practically painless part so I don't know if I believe her, especially with how she didn't want to go back. But he said it's healing up nicely.

I hadn't thought the staple had bothered her much but when she went to bed last night, she told me excitedly that she could lay on the back of her head again so it must have atleast caused a discomfort for her at night :( I'm glad she's doing fine though and there wasn't any permenant damage from hitting her head though!

Potty Training

Well, Day 1 of Potty Training Danielle has started... We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping she's beyond ready and takes to it quickly and readily!

So far today, no success but she did poop near the toilet! Since she's small we definitely are going to have to get a stool for every bathroom though so she can get the on the toilet by herself!

Falling Asleep at Dinner

So, you know that cute moment when your kid is just soo tired they just lay their head down at the kitchen table (or high chair, or whatever) and fall asleep? Yeah, I've never had that experience until last night.

There we were eating our yummy Anniversary dinner of Steak and Potatos. Did I mention Yummy? All Danielle wanted to eat was steak, lol. She was on her 4th helping of it when I glanced at her an realized she was barely keeping her eyes open, swaying a little bit and she looked like at any moment she was going to crash. I pointed it out to Dennis and he was worried about her hitting her head on the table if she fell asleep sitting up so he decided to go sit by her so he could catch her if he needed to. Well, as son as he sat down next to her she leaned her head on him and fell asleep. It was sooo cute! And there wasn't a peep out of her when I took her in her room and put her to bed!

Spent some time at Instacare tonight...

First off I want to say I'm so thankful for a wonderful neighbor and friend who I can call on in emergencies!

I was doing something on the computer when I heard Charity start screaming from the living room. She'd been jumping from the couch to the bean bag. We have the bean bag right in front of the window. Somehow she'd managed to turn around and fall and hit her head on the window sill hard enough to gash it open.

It took me a few minutes to figure out what was going on with Dennis upset over all the blood and Charity just sobbing. Poor girl. We got her in the bathroom and I held a wet rag to the back of her head until we got the bleeding to stop. Once we were able to examine the wound well enough I decided it was big enough we'd better take her to have it looked at. I wasn't sure if she'd need stitches or something but it was like an inch long. So, I called over to Tiffany's to see if the could watch Danielle while we took Charity to the instacare. She came right over and got Danielle and we left.

It didn't take them long to get Charity back to be examined. And the doctor ended up determining that she was going to need a couple of staples. We opted to not worry about the local anestetic since he said it was a very painful shot and there would only be a couple of staples put in. Well, he ended up only needing to do one staple and Charity didn't even complain a bit about it! Ofcourse we rewarded her for being so brave by letting her get some new shoes and a coloring book. lol, I think she was working on taking full advantage of Mommy and Daddy feeling bad for her.... As long as she doesn't concoct ways to get hurt to get special treatment all the time, I was ok with it!

So, we have to take her back in a week to get the staple removed. My poor girl, Dennis said she's trying to catch up to her cousin Spencer on visiting the doctor! lol

Root Canal

So, I went in for my Root Canal and it wasn't that bad. The same nerve that I had issues with at the appointment last week didn't want to go numb so he ended up having to inject the nerve itself, which let me tell you, HURTS! But in the end it wasn't really that bad. It still has just a filling at this point and we're going to wait until after the baby is born to do the crown. Not looking forward to that though...

The nice thing was that my mom was able to come down to watch the girls so Dennis and I had time to stop by a store and go to lunch after we were done. Thanks so much Mom!

I Love my Hubby

So this morning as I was lying in bed cuddling with Dennis, wishing he didn't have to go to work today. (I'd rather spend all day with him!) I thought about just how much I love my husband. He's so wonderful in so many different ways. I know that I'm so lucky and blessed to have him as part of my life.

Our 8-year Anniversary is coming up in a few weeks and I can't believe that it's been that long! Our time together has just flown by. I love him so much and I know that he loves me just as much. Though, not more like he claims :) It's been an ongoing battle of ours, who loves who more :)

Second trip to the Dentist

So, today I went in to get my fillings taken care of. The procedure itself was pretty much painless this time. Our dentist is great at even giving you the numbing shots so you hardly feel those. He said because they are pretty deep fillings that the teeth could be sensitive to chewing, hot and cold for a few weeks up to a few months... Great, I'm pregnant, so here's betting it's closer to months but I hope not!



It wasn't until this evening that my teeth started to hurt a little bit! Hopefully that's not a sign of what's to come and that they heal relatively quickly. I mean, I'm going to have to deal with a root canal on the other side of my mouth in a few days! What if both sides are sensitive and it hurts to chew on either side for months!?! That would be bad! Well, everyone, wish me luck on the upcoming root canal! I've never had one before so I have no idea what to expect but Dennis and I are hoping to do our anniversary date the following day and hoping I'll be up to it!

Miserable

I'll admit it, I'm completely miserable right now. The dentist told me to take tylenol to help combat the pain that my tooth may have until my root canal so I have been BUT that tooth has barely hurt at all. Somehow, I don't know if the infection was spread somehow or what, but I have a tooth on the OTHER side of my mouth that is killing me. I didn't take tylenol tonight before bed and I woke up in just terrible pain. I took some tylenol but it's taking a little while to kick in. I don't understand, why is the other side hurting SO much when it didn't have problems before!?! He checked that side and the teeth that need fillings hadn't changed so, it's not like they should be that far gone to cause this much pain, right? Seriously, it's just ridiculous and if I end up needing a root canal on that side too after he checked them to make sure I didn't I'm just going to complain and complain and complain. (Do you know how much a root canal costs!?! It's crazy! I wish we'd just done the fillings last year instead of waiting until this year, it would have been a lot cheaper) I hate being pregnant...

In addition to that, my sunburn which I got 3 weeks ago, while isn't painful any more, it's mostly gone, itches! Itches, itches and itches! I'm constantly trying to scratch, and it's mostly right in that area of my back that I can't reach so it's driving me crazy. Believe it or not, occassionally it itches so badly that it hurts. Shouldn't I be over a sunburn by now!?! Seriously. I hate being pregnant...

I blame pregnancy. I do NOT heal well while pregnant. To illustrate, I have a scar on my wrist from a scratch that I got 2 1/2 months ago almost. A scratch! No blood, just a scratch. It will disappear by 6 months or so AFTER I have the baby. I had the same thing happen during both of my other pregnancies. Simple things that should be no problem, and normally would heal quickly without complaint just don't. I got a scratch on my heel from a stick while walking through a field shortly after I found out I was pregnant with Charity and I had that scar for almost a year after she was born before it disappeared. So, major teeth problems with very little healing capabilities (oh joy for the next few weeks....), a leftover sunburn that is driving me crazy, and 2 1/2 more months of pregnancy...

And the pregnancy aches and pains are only going to get worse from this point on :( I know this little girl will all be worth it in the end, but can it be the end yet? Only 2 1/2 more months... I can survive that, right?

Well, on a good note, though it's the middle of the night and I've decided to sleep in the recliner... though I may give the bed another try, my toothache has been quieted and I'm tired so maybe I can get some sleep now and be not quite so miserable in the morning!