The Stevenson's

2012-01-11T21:14:00.001-08:00

Is it weird that I want to have a baby right now and want it to be a boy just for the sake of naming it the most awesome name? Yeah, probably. Having a baby just so you can use a name you love probably isn't the best reason to add to the family :) But really, Justin came up with an awesome name for a boy and now I can't stand it because I want to name our next boy this name (as long as it fits him of course). And no, I'm not going to tell you that name. You'll just have to wait until we have another boy.

First Year

2012-01-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mercedez and Sawyer! What a great first year we've had! Thank you for still sleeping 12 hours a night and taking two 2 hour naps a day! I hope we haven't traumatized you with all the times we've gotten babysitters (starting at only 3 months old) but it's just so hard not to when you are out like a couple of lights by 7pm. Get a sitter at 6, they play with you for an hour, give you a bottle, lay you down with your binkies and blankets and you're good for the next 12 hours. You are such good little babies! Mom and Dad have LOVED all the joy you have brought this last year.

MERCEDEZ: You have turned into such a little cheeser! You light up the room with your smile and giggles and flirty looks. You managed to poke holes in all of your right foot big toe pajama feet from doing your one armed, one legged push dead man's army crawl! Good job at figuring out how to REALLY crawl before you turned one. Just two months later than Sawyer. You love Sky, pointing at mom and dad when they come into the room, DANCING, clapping, eating whatever we're eating regardless if you just ate, your blanky when you go to sleep, walking with only holding on with one hand and reading books. Your very good at drinking from a sippy cup and would probably drink your meals if I let you. You are BARELY getting your bottom teeth in, which is kinda sad because your gum smiles are too cute. You're learning to not let Sawyer walk all over you and to fight back. Your cry when you get hurt is so sad. It's this high pitch squeal , with a huge pause and gasp, then another high pitch squeal. So sad :( You've started to cuddle more and will lay your cheek to mine or your head on my shoulder and it melts my heart. You've learned to do it after I'm stern with you to get me back on your good side. Works every time. You listen very well and are very obedient. I only have to tell you no once or twice and you stop and move on. Thank you for that. I hope you keep that up. You love yogurt and sometimes I have to trick you into eating other things by putting it into an empty yogurt container. You hardly ever cry when you wake up. We just find you playing in your crib or sitting in it looking over at Sawyer who's usually the one yelling for us to come get you guys. Getting you to giggle is the most rewarding thing and me and dad can't get enough of it! For a few days I thought you had an earache because you kept putting your hand up to your ear: toys, clothes, food....but then we figured out you just like to pretend everything is a phone. We love your little bird mouth and big firm cheeks, chubby thighs and squishy bum! You are our Sadie-pie, sweet pea, Sadies, MySadies, and Princess!

SAWYER: What a character you are! You are our little monkey, climbing in and onto EVERYTHING!! If there's a crevesce, you are in it! You kept trying to crawl into a small box head first but your head would hit the back before half your body was in and it was driving you crazy! You will climb into the small toybox full of toys and just sit there playing, or climp onto chairs and into cupboards. If we lay on the floor you are immediately flinging yourself onto us and trying to bite our faces off. You are the DROOL KING! Have been since like 4 months old. Your shirt gets changed at least 4 times a day because it's soaked. Your two bottom teeth came in at the same time at 9 months and I just counted 5 more popping through the other day. You were also full on crawling by 10 months and tackling your sister every chance you get. When you get really excited (which is often) you scrunch up your nose and breath really fast through your nose. Sometimes you breath a lot through your mouth, which is weird for a baby. But you must take after your dad cause he does that too. You're always quick with a smile for whoever you're with, but you're also the quickest to through a tantrum. You learned that when we started learning what "no" means. You test me over and over with things you shouldn't be touching: TV, stereo, standing lamps, dog food.....I say no and you get really sad and keep going back until I have to get up and remove you. During Christmas you wanted to touch the christmas tree so bad you'd start to shake. After a couple times of saying no and moving you away from it, throughout the day I'd see you start to crawl towards it, and I wouldn't say anything from the other room, and you'd stop, look up at the tree and throw your arms up yelling/crying and throw yourself on the floor, knowing you weren't supposed to touch it. Thank you for obeying and remembering even though you wanted to touch it SO bad! You are such a good eater and will eat so much of whatever I make you. You love Sky, your BINKY, giving open mouth kisses, grabbing and wrestling whatever you can, speedy crawling, banging on things, pointing at mom and dad when they come in the room, and eating. We've decided that Mercedez must have designated you at a young age to be the one to let us know when it's time to get you up from sleeping because you are always the one we hear crying or yelling, letting us know you're awake. You are so much taller and leaner than Mercedez and have consistently weighed about a pound more than she since birth. You are our Soybean, and our Handsome!

CALI

2012-01-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't really updated about what's been goin on cause it's been a little crazy! We put our house up for sale and within a couple weeks it sold and they wanted to close earlier than normal, before Thanksgiving, so we sold it and moved up to my parents for a month through Christmas and then packed up and moved on down to California to Justin's parents. He starts his last pre-requisites for chiropractor school this January and will be done in May in time to start the Chripractor program in the fall. We came here because he can get 5 classes done in 5 months that would normally take him 4 seperate semester to complete otherwise. We're still not sure where he's going in the fall, either stay here (but probably not), or go to Texas or Oregon. So far it has been so warm and sunny here! It is so nice to skip the winter. For now we're living with Justin's parents until they get sick of us :) We spent the day after New Year's selling seat cushions at the Rose Parade and made some extra moola to splurge on season passes to DISNEYLAND!!! I can't wait. We are going to go as much as we can in the next 8 months! Justin goes to school every Saturday and Sunday all day but then has all week off so we should be able to find some time to go. I have applied for a California RN license and a bunch of jobs so hopefully I can start working down here. The twins are loving it here for the most part. I think they are getting slightly traumatized bouncing place to place but hopefully they adapt. So there's a quick update! Hope your jealous we're in sunny California! :)

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-20T20:40:00.000-08:00

I can't wait till Christmas!!!!

Hope the twins have been good so Santa will come!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-12-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

Vegas

2011-12-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

We had a fun filled October, including a trip to Vegas to meet up with Justin's family. Me and Justin got a night out and we went to the Bodies Exhibit. We've been once before a few years back, but now that Justin is taking an anatomy class he was way more into it than last time.

The twins had lots of fun as you can see! We pretty much spent most of our time in the pool. It was a very fun long weekend and always good to see the family!!

Happy Halloween!

2011-12-06T20:17:00.001-08:00

A Halloween tradition: visit Hogwarts and Dumbledore

(aka Dr. Hartman who delivered these munchkins!

Last year with Dumbledore, 27 weeks. Look how huge I was and

I still had 8 weeks before I delivered!

Happy Halloween! (just a tad bit late). And no, the twins were not chewbaccas, they were lion cubs.

Mofit

2011-11-29T12:35:00.001-08:00

Finally! Something that is working for me post twin pregnancy! Justin's friend from growing up in Cali, who now lives here, is a personal trainer and has started an awesome business! It's called Mofit, short for mobile fitness. They come to your house and are cheaper than if you signed up for one at the gym! It's been so perfect. I don't have to feel like I have to get ready for the gym, I don't waste time going to the gym, and I don't have to make sure there's someone to watch the twins so I can go. And most importantly, it's working! I signed up to come 3 days a week but they can come 2-5 times a week. They bring the equipment needed and seriously kick our butts! Yes, Justin is doing it too, although he doesn't have 50 pounds to lose, he's trying to GAIN weight! Dang men and their metabolisms. He's gained like 4 pounds and is getting buff and I've lost 11 pounds and 3% body fat which I did in 2 and half weeks. They do your measurments, make a nutrition plan and teach you how to change your lifestyle to lose the weight and keep it off. They also make you VERY accountable which helps so much more to stay on track. Their website is mofitnow.com and it's super easy to have them come do a free consult to see where your at. So if you have 5, 10, 50 or even 100 pounds to lose, these guys can do it! Or, if you don't have much weight to lose but would like to get more toned they can get you quick awesome results and teach you how to maintain it. Look them up! And tell them I sent you :)

URBAN

2011-10-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

One of our best friends has the cutest kid! This is Urban. She wanted some pictures marking his one year since birth and I wanted to practice with my camera settings so we went to the splash pad! I can't wait till my twins are old enough to go to a splash pad because it was so awesome capturing the water blobs in the air! I just had to share some of these to show off his cute face!!!!

We LOVE Bathtime!

2011-10-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

My sweet Mercedez

She has been hamming it up lately for the camera!

My tender hearted Sawyer

Bathtime gives you a good look at how different these babies

skin tones are! Sawyer is totally olive with darker hair and

Mercedez is a pinky! Her hair is super blond!

What's Happenin

2011-10-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

I'm free!!!! This was my pumping zone. Oh, how much time I spent here. Bought this glider for the twins room to rock them. It immediately was moved to our room where it was designated for pumping. Notice the mugs? I would down both of them while pumping. I always got so thirsty! I got pretty good at balancing the 9 oz bottles on my knees while holding a book so for the 15-20 min I would rock and read. I have read probably 25 books in the past 9 months just from pumping sessions. I made it 9 months, 100% pumping for my babies. Thought the massive amounts that we froze would last a month or so. WRONGO! It lasted about a week. I can't even tell you how much better life is now! It has been night and day in regards to my hormones! They feel very well balanced now and I don't feel at all depressed. It's amazing. I no longer every lay down or sleep during the day. I actually feel like a regular person and get up and clean and cook and play with my babies more. I have energy and just feel so much better! I'm glad I could pump for as long as I did, but wow, do I feel great! Sorry kids, you get 3 months of formula. I did the best I could. So here's what's been happenin in our lives the past 9 months:

We took the twins camping in August. (the pic looks horrible because I didn't know how to use my camera outside). This is the one and only pic I took with grandma. Everything was fine and dandy until we went to sleep. Mercedez was so cold and in unfamiliar territory so she kept crying and I had to put her in my sleeping bag to keep warm and neither of us slept the entire night. Worst night ever. Other than that, we had a good time.

Hanging out with twins. We really try to put them in matching outfits, or at least coordinated outfits but it is so hard to find cute things that go together for a boy and girl. Me and Justin are thinking of creating a store for multiples!

Justin had a birthday!!! He's 28 and here he is sporting his birthday presents all at once. New crosstrainers, a freaking sweet bat that I surprised him with (he's already hit like 4 homeruns with it) and a backpack. The one he was using was from high school and his mission and like a million hikes and vacations we've gone on. Happy Birthday honey! I'm so glad you were born! Sidenote: You may be thinking, "backpack? What for? Didn't he graduate in December?" . Yes he did. But he's decided he wants to be a chiropractor, which I am all for! So he has a few pre-requisites so he went summer semester, is in school now for fall and we're headed down to California in January to do some accelerated classes before next fall when he will start the Chiropractic program. We're still looking at schools. There's one in Cali (which we've already vetoed because we were not impressed), Oregon, Texas, and Iowa. Those are the ones we've narrowed down. We just need to go and visit the campuses to get a feel for them. Except the Cali one. We already visited that one and it's out, to our dismay. I was really rooting for that one because, come one, it's Cali and we'd be close to family. Sad.

As mentioned above, Justin is in a couple softball leagues, team name "Pitch Slap". Last month he got in a pickle between second and third base, and the amateur third baseman went to throw it and failed to reach his desired location which would have been the second baseman's glove. Instead, from like 3 feet away, at Moch 5 came a softball smack into Justin's face. I saw him on the ground and still didn't know that it was his face that got hit. It had looked like his shoulder. Then he stood up and started spitting out blood. So I went over and he'd come off the field and was pacing and spitting more blood and his teamate came over and handed me his tooth! Root and all. I had no idea tooth roots were so freaking long! I was a little in shock (even though I'm a nurse, I think it's so different when it's your husband) and I looked up at him and said "What tooth is it?" He opened his mouth and there was a huge gaping bloody hole. It was his right front tooth. It was ghastly. I'm sure the look on my face right then was not reassuring for Justin because I just silently looked at him with wide eyes. I had no idea what the next step was. Luckily, everyone around me was thinking for me. A man ran over and said to put the tooth back in! I would have never thought to do that in a million years. So they shoved the 2 inch root back into the gaping bloody hole and we got ahold of our detist after hours. We headed to the dentist and that's when I got a good look at his lip. There was a gaping hole there as well!!! The tooth had pretty much came out, then shot through the inside of his lip and out, cutting the inside pretty good and leaving a ragged hole on the outside. I thought for sure it was going to leave a gigantic scar, but luckily the face and mouth heals up real quick and nice. We went to the dentist, had him secure it with some bond and wire, went to the ER to get stitched up. No dental insurance. Awesome. Two root canals later, the dentist said the tooth could still die so watch for discoloration, but we did everything we could to save the tooth. But it looks good now and you can barely see the scar. I actually think the tiny scar makes him look a little hotter! Nice war wound honey! (the pic is two days after the stitches. His lip was so much more swollen!)

Justin ran the Ogden Marathon (this pic from St. George). I didn't get any pics of him sadly. But I did venture out on my own with 4 month old twins in the stroller to meet him at the finish line. We waited, and waited, and waited. I finally figured we must have missed him seeing as it was like over an hour past the estimated time he was going to finish. We left and not 2 min of driving he called. We barely missed him! Apparently this race was very harsh on him. He started cramping up really early and it was torture the rest of the way. But at least you finished honey! And in pretty good time for being so cramped! I think he's done with marathons though. He'll be sticking to halfs and 5k's.

In May, our Aflac check that we banked out on (thank you twins for cashing out from being in the NICU, at least there was one positive thing about being there) ran out. Therefore, I decided I better get a job. I was a little rushed seeing as at about the same time Justin became commission only. No more salary. We were counting on that salary. So I seriously applied for like 30 different RN positions. And of course you have to do it online and answer a million questions which answers to those questions either give you a shot at an interview, or bump you out of the running before ever even looking at your resume. I have 5 years nursing experience. All that experience being at Primary Children's Hospital. Also over 2 of those years being the Nursing Director at the Residential Treatment Center I was at. I'd say I have a good foundation and experience. I couldn't even get an interview for post-partum. There are no major pediatric jobs other than Primary's which are hardly hiring, so almost all the calls I got were for Psych! Ok, the RTC was NOT psych nursing. Hospital psych is a whole different world. I found out in one of my interviews that basically right now, there is such a shortage of nursing jobs, that there's like 350 applicants for each job and so there's those questions to weed out all applicants but 20 for interviews. So even if I have 5 years experience, if I answer NO to "have you ever worked post-partum", even if all my other answers were awesome, the person that has been a nurse for 4 months and has worked post partum pretty much gets the job. Long story short, I had two offers in a step-down ICU, both in Salt Lake, but I really didn't want to drive that far. A hospital 7 min away from my house had a psych position and a super flexible schedule. So I took it, after touring and realizing it really wasn't that bad and pretty much just babysitting. WRONG! I couldn't stand it. I really gave it a good try but it was awful. I'm not going to get into all the details cause this is already turning into a super long post, but holy crap. My mind, body and spirit could not take it. It was flat out evil at times. Like the devil himself was there. Emotionally I couldn't handle it. Then a job that I'd applied for and pretty much got, but they just didn't have anything for me called. KidsOnly Home Health. Sweet! I took the job. I'm the nurse for the Northern Region. Sadly, they don't have much referrals yet coming my way so I have a job, but really not working. Hopefully they get some cases soon for me.

June 8th was our anniversary and we spent it down in California with Justin's family. His parents were awesome and watched the babies 2 days and a night so we could go play. Well, tried to play. I was a walking zombie, still having to pump in the middle of the night. So I had to drag all my pumping equipment with us to the hotel. I certainly didn't feel up to getting into a swimming suit, so we pretty much just relaxed and slept a lot. Went to dinner, then the next day went to Knotts berry farm. We both thought it would be a lot funner. Standing in line with 12-14 year olds was almost comical. Seriously, there were hardly any grown people. And it was hot and all these kids were wearing shoes, socks, jeans, and hoodie jackets! What the? I was sweating to death and I had on half the stuff these kids were. It was weird. They did have some fun rides though, and Justin had been eyeing the 3 point shot basketball game that you could go try. There were like 4 different stations and 5 balls at each and you had like a minute to shoot them all. All these little kids were barely making like 2 or 3 out of the 20. So Justin was itching to show them up. So he took his turn. He didn't make one!!! It was hilarious. It's ok honey, I know you're a good basketball player! So there's our life in a nutshell.

2011-09-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to get post-partum depression 8 months after giving birth? Seriously, I don't know what's wrong with me. I would say I definitely had the "blues" at the beginning, although it was managed easy enough and since I knew that was normal I was able to consciously know that I was really fine and able to concentrate on all the wonderful things happening in life. Or maybe the lack of sleep is finally catching up to me. Although the babies sleep pretty dang good, up until a couple months ago I was still waking up at 3-4am to pump, and then they'd wake up at 6-7am. Now I can go the whole night, but I'm still SO tired during the day. Every time I put them down for a nap, I look at my messy house, my un-showered self and get overwhelmed thinking about cleaning or even getting ready for the day. So I climb into my bed. Then it takes me awhile to finally go to sleep only to be awakend from the babies waking up from their nap. It's pretty much torture. I'm sure I'd be less sleepy if I didn't try to take naps when they do because I don't get good sleep, yet I can't bring myself to NOT climb into bed.

When they were newborns, people that had had twins kept saying "it gets easier, don't worry. Just get through these first months." In some ways, yes, it's easier. But it seems like I just traded in the hard parts for other hard parts. I actually liked that those first 4-6 months they slept ALL THE TIME. It was wonderful. I showered, cleaned, felt like a normal human being. When they were awake I could just prop them somewhere and get more things done. Now they're sleeping less during the day and demand much more to be entertained. Sawyer has decided he doesn't need as much sleep as Mercedez so while she naps I usually have him and then they overlap so when he does sleep, there's only a little bit of time to myself then I have Mercedez. So there's even less time to myself because of the nap/wake overlap.

There's only 3 things I want to get done in a day: Clean one room, make dinner and exercise. Notice showering isn't even on that list. Is that too much to ask? And yet, when I get up and feed babies milk, then solids, then put them in their walkers to play while I fix myself breakfast and clean up the kitchen a little then it's ready to go back for a nap, I can't bring myself to do one thing on my list. I feel so tired I lay in bed as soon as they're in their cribs.

Also, I feel like I'm just stuck in my dark cave all day every day while life is happening outside. Why don't I go for walks and get out of the house? Because I always look like a beast! Then I get all depressed about all the extra weight I have and feel ugly and I have about 3 outfits that fit that I'm sick of wearing and I'm sure everyone is sick of seeing. So why don't I go shopping? Same reason as above, and the last thing you want to do when you feel fat is go try on clothes and be seen in public. I just want my energy back, so I can have the energy to exercise and get my body back, which in turn I'm sure will give me more energy. It's a viscious cycle I'm in right now.

And then the last phase, guilt. I feel so guilty that I feel this way. I spent my first 3 years of marriage working, and just wanted to be a stay at home mom. "I can't wait till I can just worry about cleaning. cooking and taking care of my husband and babies" I would say to Justin. Then when it took us awhile to get pregnant, I prayed and prayed to have a baby. Now, my prayers duobly answered, and not only answered, I'm blessed with such good spirited little babies and above all else, they're healthy and growing and developing well and normal. What more could I ask for? I start to get all resentful towards Justin because he gets to actually have a "life". He leaves the house for 6-8 hours a day and goes to school. And now that he's actually studying things he loves, it's not such a burden to be at school. So I start feeling sorry for myself that he gets to go enrich his mind and start feeling like my mind is going to a waste! I have a degree! A nursing license! I felt smart once! But really I don't wish I was working necessarily, that would add more stress. I tried that a couple months ago and it didn't go so well. I don't know what I want. I guess mainly energy. Give me energy to get the things done in a day I need to get done. There. Venting has helped.

DoUbLe ThE FuN

2011-08-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

Justin's aunt sent us these adorable personalized blankets she made and I've been wanting to get some pictures of them ever since. So we had a little photo shoot. Note to self: Don't ever try to have a photo shoot by myself again! Definitely need two hands for that!

These little munchkins are almost 8 months old. We've been trying out solids for a little over a month now. They're doing pretty good with it, but it can get overwhelming at times trying to bottle feed PLUS try to feed them solids when I'm by myself. Sawyer took a week or so to catch on and Mercedez took right to it, but now Sawyer's doing awesome and she's wanting nothing to do with it. A common saying in our household "If it's not one, it's the other."

These babies are 100% bottle fed with 100% breastmilk. I have been pumping for almost 8 months now. I didn't think I'd be able to last this long pumping, but with the help of the lactation specialist, a hospital grade pump, herbs and a dedicated 2 hour pumping schedule that first month of their life, I was making enough milk for triplets! Seriously, I can fill two 9 oz bottles after a pumping session. I'm sure I could have nursed if I wanted to be a depressed, anxiety nut case for 3-4 weeks until they got big enough to catch on. Mercedez mouth was so tiny she could hardly get any part in and they were just so little. My plan had been to nurse and I remember sitting in my bed with my twin nursing pillow, babies in their bassinets and working with them to nurse. I sat there 3 hours never moving from that spot. By the time I had tried to feed both, neither one had eaten enough and were fussy,and couldn't sleep and it was almost time to feed again! I pretty much had a breakdown and decided I couldn't wait the few weeks it would most likely take for them to get big enough to catch on, but I was determined that they get breastmilk. And here we are 8 months later. Has it been hard and time consuming? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes.

I have the pump for another month so they'll at least get 9 months worth, then I probably have a month or so frozen. I get anxiety thinking about them having to have any formula (I know, weird) but I really am ready to stop this pumping business. Contrary to what 90% of nursing mothers tell me, I am NOT shedding the weight and definitely not doubly so! My body is hanging onto every ounce of chub I have no matter what I eat or do. I'm hoping it will decide to let it go happily when it realizes it no longer has to make enough milk for 2!

I love to pinch these cheeks!!!!!!! We've put them on a schedule from the beginning (also thanks to the NICU for adding to the strictness of that schedule). But occasionally one deviates from the schedule due to the fact that they're two completely different people and therefore have different sleeping needs at times. I'd say those are my hard days, when one wants to sleep longer and the other decides nap time is over and wants to eat. I'm literally feeding one, playing, then putting them down for a nap only to get the other one up and do the same thing. When this happens when do I eat? When do I pump? When do I shower? When do I pee? Pretty much don't have time for those things.

But really it's my own fault. All the books say when this happens you just wake the other baby up, but I have such a hard time doing that. And it's so rare really, that I figure I'm just home caring for babies, let this one sleep if they need more sleep. Also, when this happens I get uninteruppted one on one time with them which is priceless! I'm sure if I had other kids though, I wouldn't be able to let one sleep longer. That would be complete chaos.

So there's their cute faces and an 8 month update! They've been rolling around like crazy and can sit up for short periods of time and love to cruise around in their walkers. I'm happy to let them take all the time in the world to figure out how to crawl! Life might get a little crazier when they're mobile!

7 MONTHS

2011-07-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my babies are 7 months old! It sure has been a

FUN RIDE!

I'd say it's fun 90% of the time. People always say things like "It must be so hard" or "I can't even imagine", which is totally understandable, but I have to saythat it has been a lot of fun! I'm sure I wouldn't say that if they weren't the way the are.

They are such mellow, good-natured little munchkins! They sleep AMAZING (thank you Baby Wise!). Sometimes I wonder if they sleep TOO much! They take 3-4 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hour naps a day, and sleep 10-11 hours at night. The used to sleep 12 hours a night but lately have cut back a bit. They go to sleep around 7:30-8:00pm giving me and Justin time to hang out at night, and sleep until 6:30 or 7am. Then they get up to eat, and go back to sleep for a couple more hours, and so do I! I sleep and don't typically start my day until they get back up around 10.

Sometimes I wish I was a little more motivated to just get up early after they eat and get things done,but it just stresses me out too much when I don't get a lot of sleep, so I sacrifice a clean tidy house for sleep. It's worth it for me.

I've been pretty content to just relax on the housework and focus on the twins.I don't let it get to me. I mean, my house isn't nasty dirty or anything, it's just not as tidy as I'd like it to be. But I that's ok! It gets me too stressed out if I worry about it. From thebeginning of their birth, I told myself I was going to enjoy each month and soak it up! I have heard too often, especially from twin mom's "I never really got to enjoy my newborn" and "the first year (or 2) was just a blur". I knew that this first year they change so much, and each month you lose things and gain things.

Sometimes Justin would get ahead of himself and say things like "I can't wait until they do this..." and I'd have to remind him that that would come way too quickly and then what we had with them now would be gone!

I still remember holding Sawyer when he was still so little that he'd curl up on mychest as I rocked him. I started crying cause I realized he probably wouldn't be doing that much longer. Sure enough, about a week later, that phase was over and he wantedto arch his back and raise his head to look around.

I savor the moments like that. The ones I know are going to be gone soon.

To pierce or not to pierce

2011-06-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd be considering piercing my little baby girl's ears. Growing up we could get ours pierced I think when we were 8. Or maybe it was 12. Either way, we were older. But Justin has mentioned it a couple times. He thinks it's the cutest thing. And I do too. When I see a baby girl with sparkly little pink studs in her ears I think it's adorable. So why do I have such hesitations? I'm not sure. Somehow thinking about making holes in her perfect new little skin seems awful, yet I'd be fine with it in 6 years. Why would it be any different to do it now if I'd be fine with it in 6 years? I think it really comes down to the thought mentioned above. I don't care if she's not old enough to take care of them on her ownand I don't think I'm taking a "choice" away from her by not waiting till she's old enough to decide on her own if she wants them (I don't know a little girl that doesn't want their ears pierced) so it's not because any of those things. I just don't know if I could bring myself to do it. Once it's done, there's really no undoing it. What to do, what to do.

Personalities are beginning to Sprout!

2011-06-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

Sawyer has been cracking us up lately! He's always been the one with the expressions. He's such a goofy little thing. He smiles at everyone and is so easy to get to laugh hysterically. Right now he sucks on everything! His fingers are always in his mouth or whatever else he can get a hold of.

Check out his socks! Looks like mom put on the first pair of socks she could find...Mercedez socks

Sawyer with his Grandma Stevenson

Mercedez has definitely had to put up with a lot lately. Sawyer is already wrestling her and thinks he can just relax and put his feet up on her! And she just lets him!

Ok, I know that everyone thinks their own baby's the most beautiful, but seriously, isn't Mercedez just a pretty little thing? I sure think so! Ithink she has such good features. She is such a little sweatheart and so content. She doesn't even cry when she wakes up. We go in to check on her and she'll be awake, staring with those big eyes and as soon as she sees you she gives you the fullest grin and starts kicking her legs with excitement! I love it! It makes it so much fun to get her up.

Little princess with her Grandpa Stevenson

Best Friends

2011-06-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

Cutest thing ever. Every time I put these two next to

eachother they reach out and immediately hold hands or link arms.

It's my favorite thing!

Tummy Time

2011-06-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

The twins mostly like tummy time.

You have to catch them at the right moment. Look at those cute little lips!

Sawyer always has the cutest little expressions!

Both upright....

Mercedez gettin tired....

Mercedez:"I give up!"

EASTER

2011-06-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny came!!! Growing up I did not have the easter bunny, just a huge egg hunt and barbecue. But Justin grew up with it and so every year the easter bunny has come to our house. The twins each got a book and a stuffed animal.

I also got a book and tons of yummy candy! Just got a shirt and a Laker's 2010 Champion Ring. Too bad they didn't get a ring this year....(I really don't feel bad about that)

Happy Easter! Hope everyone remembered the true meaning of it. I am so blessed in my life and am so grateful for what the Savior has done for me.

Poor Little Sky....

2011-06-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've been missing from the blogging world for a bit. So I'm gonna be playing catch up, one post at a time. I actually was going to blog about this, but at the time it was too hard, but now that everything turned out ok, I'm ok to blog about it. Some may think it's silly how attached I am to my little baby puppy. I used to hate dogs, never thought I'd have an indoor animal let alone an indoor dog that slept in my bed. My bed is like my clean, safe haven. I even have to wash my feet before I get into bed because I'm anal about germs or anything getting in my bed.

But she really is our little baby princess puppy. And I say 'our' because Justin loves and cuddles her as much as I do! At the beginning of April we were going to head down to California so the twins and us could spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Stevenson. I hate that the twins are so far away from their grandparents, and I know they hate it too as the twins are their first grandbabies. I was a little nervous for the trip with two babies. We rarely take them out of their own house, let alone to the airport! But I had everything ready and planned. Justin's sister Megan who lives in Saratoga Springs had visited a couple days prior and taken our baby Sky back home with her to watch her while we were gone. We were packed and ready to walk out the door minus my breastmilk pump. I was going to pump at the last possible second to hold me over for the trip. We had about 30 minutes before we had to leave. The babies would be awake any second, we could feed them, I could pump and we could head down to the airport. Suddenly we got a call from Megan's husband asking if Sky had seizures! Justin calmly told him no and Jason described that he had heard Sky yelping in the bathroom and when he went in she was on the ground, front legs sticking straight out, back legs curled up and she was stiff as a board. She was now slowly coming out of it, licking her lips but pretty much he was freaked out. This is a really long story so I'll make it short. We were worried sick, didn't want to leave them with a puppy that was obviously going to need to be looked after so Justin told me to jump in the car and meet them at a vet's office near their house and we would postpone California. Luckily Southwest is awesome and our tickets were saved as credit. So I jumped in the car not realizing it wa 3:00 and hadn't pumped since 12 noon. The longest I'd ever gone without pumping was 5 hours. Met them at the vet, poor Sky's head was massively swollen on one side. The vet said obviously she bonked her head and the siezure could have been prior to the bump and she bumped it while she siezed, or the bump caused the siezure. I figured it had to have been after because she wasn't having the type of seizure where you thrash about, it was a stiff still seizure (obviously not the technical term for that). They did x-rays and blood work. Her blood work was ok but the x-ray showed a fairly bad fracture. I felt pretty bad for Megan and Jason cause when the vet came back in he said "Well, it looks like somebody bonked your dog on the head". He knew the story,that they were watching Sky. So basically he accused them of hitting my tiny dogs head hard enough to fracture it! Which did not happen.

Anyway, they started an IV, gave her steroids to take the pressure off her head down from the swelling and told me to take her to an animal ER and to be watched for the next 24 hours. I didn't know there was such thing as an animal ER!!!! It was the saddest thing, watching my poor puppy with this awful swollen head, peeing on herself and throwing up, totally not herself. She normally freaks out if I hand her to other people, especially men, but she would just let anyone pick her up or hold her. We figure what happened was she jumped up on the toilet, then the sink and fell hard while trying to get down in the bathroom. She had been put in there while Jason slept for his night shift with her nice comfy blanket. Well, we've never locked her in a bathroom except in Cali where she has been with Justin's parents dog to play with, so I'm sure she freaked out. Of course Megan and Jason didn't know that. We figure this is what must have happened because when Jason found her there was a wet rag on the ground that hadn't been there before and it was Megan's fash washing rag that was on the sink. So obviously she had been up on the sink and that's a pretty long ways down for her to fall and very well could have whacked her head on the way down. Poor thing!

I was so worried. She sat in my lap the whole ride from American Fork to Ogden. By this time it was like 630 and I really needed to pump. I could barely move my arms as I drove because they'd brush against my chest and the seatbelt was awful too. Then I accidentaly reach down to pet my poor puppy, temporarily forgetting the her head is broken and she yelps! I started crying and crying. I got to the ER and thought it would be quick and easy as there was absolutely no one there. But it took like 2 hours! I waited forever for the vet, then he finally came and he was awesome but took his sweet time. At this point I was bursting from the seams! Milk was seriously just pouring out and soaking my whole front down to my crotch. Luckily I had a black hoodie on and like 3 layers underneath so it wasn't really showing through. My nursing pads were soaked to capacity. It hurt so bad. I have never experienced pain like that in that region. I mean I've been full, but not that full! On top of being hormonal nursing, chest hurting, and emotionally distraught by what was happening I had only gotten like 4 hours of sleep because I had had to get up early for a job interview that day and couldn't sleep because I was nervous for the job interview so I was so so so tired which just makes everything even worse.

The vet didn't give me the greatest odds either. He was pretty neutral. He said it was good that the fracture wasn't inverted smashing bone into her brain, so that was good news, but there was no was of telling if there was brain damage or bleeding or if she'd have seizures in the future, or what. She could have a small bleed that she might seem recovered and die or have seizures in a week when she's home. Or she could have a bleed and not make it through the night. Geez! It was awful. So they put her in an oxygen box, said they'd probably give her IV fluids and I could pick her up at 7 am and take her to the vet the next day to complete the 24 hour evaluation and then they'd assess further at that time. He told me for the night that no news was good news.

Sorry, this is a really long story. I'm amazed if you're still reading. But this is where it gets really good. So I walk in the house, exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. I'm sobbing because I can't even lift my arms to undress so I can pump because of the pressure in my boobs. Justin helped me peel off all my layers and I sat down to pump, crying as I tell him everything. So, after pumping out like 17 oz of milk, we go to bed. I wake up at 2 in the morning to pump. It's like a monsoon outside. I come downstairs to store the milk in the fridge, flip the dim sink light on that's right under the curtainless windows facing the courtyard in our complex. I hate that we have no curtains. I feel so vulnerable. It's dark outside and my light is on so anyone can see me and I wouldn't be able to see them. But it's a monsoon outside right? So who would be out there that could see me anyway right? Oh, also, I'm like half naked. Because my top I was wearing had milk that leaked all over because I forgot to put in my nursing pads before I went to sleep. So I threw on those abdominal binders you wear at the hospital and was wearing it like a tube top as I was standing in my kitchen, washing my pump stuff in the sink looking out the window into blackness when I all of a sudden, there's banging on the kitchen door just off to my left! I totally freaked, hesitated with the water on and took off through the living room up the stairs leaving the water running. I ran into the bedroom and said "Justin!!! There's someone banging on the kitchen door~!!!!" He sits straight up in bed, totally disoriented, then walks to our bedroom window that is directly above the back kitchen door, slides it open and looks out and sleepily says "What's up?". I hear "Can your wife give me a ride home?" in this kind of whiny possibly drunk woman's voice. J-"No." Woman-"Why not?" J-"Because we don't know you" Woman-"But I'm freezin out here and my feet are soakin wet! I'm wearin my church shoes!"

At this point I realize it sounds like a handicapped woman, not a drunk woman. I say "I think she's handicapped. Be nice!" then I hurry and call 911 because I don't know the number for dispatch and proceed to tell them the situation. They tell me 2 policemen are on the way and we proceed to ask questions out the window to keep here there because I don't want her wandering off in the rain. She says her name is Patty and she lives at St. Ben's.

Patty-"Can you give me a lift home?" J-"Yeah, we'll help you out. Help is on the way." Patty-"Ok, I'll just wait here by the door" I get off the phone with dispatch and go to the window. Me-"How long have you been out in the rain?" Patty-"I dunno..." Me-"What are you doing out?" Patty-"I dunno...." "Can you give me a lift home? My feet are soakin wet! I'm freezin!" Me-"Yep, help is on the way" Patty-"Ok. (pause) can you give me a lift home? My feet are soakin wet! I'm wearin my church shoes!"

How sad is this? I find out later that St. Ben's is like a group home and is like 24 blocks away from our house. I'm so glad that I had to pump at 2 in the morning and she saw me in the courtyard flip my light on so that we could help her. All of a sudden I can see headlights reflecting on the wall behind Patty and I figure it's the cops. She looks over, hunches down and freezes, looking like she's scared and about to run off. I think, oh know, they're gonna have to chase her. But then she looks up at me and says "My boss is here!!!" all excited and runs off to them. It was such a weird experience, first all the emotional and physical drain of our puppy drama, then this in the middle of the night. It was surreal. Then, right after that, my cell phone rings!!!! It's the middle of the night. Who else could it be but the animal ER? I looked at Justin and we were both so sad thinking it was them calling to give us bad news, but it was really dispatch calling to follow up. Anyway, Sky ended up being stable after her 24 hour watch and coming back to normal. It took about 4 days of being really lethargic and having to carry her everywhere at home, even to the pee pad to pee but then she snapped out of it. They say it takes 8 weeks to heal and we're about there and everything has looked good! So that's the story of our poor puppy.....and Patty.

Vintage

2011-05-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

This is such a cool blog! This girl is sooooooo creative! I want to be just like her! http://vintagerevivals.blogspot.com/ (I'm retarded and obviously dont' know how to add a link to my page cause when you click on this it says it's not found, but then you just have to click Vintage Revivals and it takes you there) You have to check it out! It's given me so many ideas! Right now she's giving away her services FREE to some lucky gal! So while you're checking it out, might as well vote for my friend who is link #6, Liv. She totally deserves this! Hope you like it! Get your craft on!

Soybean

2011-04-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

This little guy has such a sweet spirit. He has been super mellow and tolerant from the day he was born. Even in the NICU, when his tummy hurt or if he was getting poked for a blood draw, he would just scrunch up his eyebrows and forehead and give a little moan. No tears. It was the saddest thing because you could tell he just didn't feel good but he was so good about it. Even when he gets tired before going down for a nap or bed, he doesn't fuss or cry. He just starts zoning out, staring off into space like the picture below. He's starting to go bald on top and the sides of his head. It's like he still has the same amount of hair as when he was born, his head just grew without more hair growing! I wonder if it will eventually turn blond like his dad.

You can frequently see these crazy wide eyes throughout the day with little Sawyer. He has always been super aware of his surroundings and would rather look around and suck lazily at his bottle than suck it down like his sister who is all business when it comes to eating.

Also, I think he's been pretty aware of his sister from the start, whereas she acts as if he's not even there. We have picture after picture of them laying side by side and he almost always is looking sideways at her. There has also been a couple of times that when she's been super upset, and he's perfectly fine, that he'll get this look on his face and start crying such a sad cry that I've only heard the couple times. It's definitely a "I'm so sad for my sister" cry. I say only a couple times because these babies really hardly ever cry. They're both just so good natured.
I've just been reminiscing these past couple of weeks on how small they used to be. Sawyer is bigger than Mercedez, but he definitely was also a little guy! At his 2 month appointment he was in the 10th percentile for his height, weight and head. I thought for sure his head would be bigger than that! Also, I thought he was bigger and taller on that scale. But I guess not. He weighed in at 10.1 pounds. He was 6 pounds when he was born.

First bath. I love the picture below as he's trying to eat the sponge. He was the king of the rooting reflex! Every feeding time he ferociously looked for the nipple, only to find it then totally relax and suck lazily and start falling asleep. I'd have to pull it out to wake him up and he'd immediately get panicky looking for the nipple again. He still grunts and pushes his neck forward and grabs with his fists trying to get the bottle in his mouth as fast as he can.

This was when I first met him. Such a little guy, but I guess big for NICU standards.

Both of these were in the NICU just a few days old. I couldn't get over his cute little face and Stevenson forehead.
I have certainly enjoyed this little guy!
NICKNAMES: Soybean, Handsome, Sawyer Brown, Mister Sawyer, Brother
-He has been smiling and cooing like crazy lately
-Loves his arms flung around, almost to the point that I think Justin's being too rough with him only to find him smiling and laughing.
-Wants to stand up all the time
-An excellent burper. You usually don't have to even pat him. Just sit him up and out it comes.

Pip Squeak

2011-03-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

Oh, my little Sadies! She is a little pip squeak. We went to their 2 month app at the end of Feb. and I actually thought Mercedez was getting chunky. She's always had good squishy cheeks and her thighs were starting to get rolly. Also, her head grew so much! So I was surprised when she was only in the 3rd percentile for her weight, height and head!!! The doctor called her a pip squeak and the nickname has stuck. I said "Well, yeah, she's probably low because she was premature and we're going off the regular percentile scale." But low and behold, she was the same on the premature percentile scale as well! She's small, but it wasn't low enough to be concerned.
Here she is only a few weeks old.
Here they are 2 months old! I can't believe how fast they grow!!! In 2 months Mercedez went from just under 5 pounds to 9.25 pounds. That's almost double her weight in just 2 months!

Also, she went from fitting premie clothes, (on the left) to newborn within only one month. The newborn size looks huge compared! It's only been 3 months since I've had this little girl and I've already forgotten how teeny she was. So here's to remembering.....

She literally could fit in Justin's hand if she was curled up in a ball.

She looked like a little doll! Again, here's her premie pj's compared to her newborn pj's. They look like doll clothes. I was holding them and couldn't believe she actually fit in them.
....and here's some cute pictures of her since. I sure love this little pip squeak!
Nicknames: Sadie-pie, Sister, Miss Sadies, Sadies, My Sadies, Munchkin face, Pip squeak, Princess, Princess Pei-Pei
-She still has a yell-cry, or really more like a squawk. She squawks a lot.
-She got sleeping down real quick. She's like her mom. Sometimes sleeps 12 hours at night.
-Still can beat her brother in a feeding race.
-Loves patty-cake and started grinning this month.
-Loves to stand
-Still has the cutest little firm squishy cheeks that I love to kiss and cute little bird lips.

Justin loves to give them shoulder rides and they'll grab onto his hair to hold on. It's pretty cute. She really is such a little princess. I think it's crazy how different she is from Sawyer and how her personality traits have been with her since the day she was born. She was a little fighter from the beginning. She was all business when it came to eating and still is. She would shut her little eyes and suck vigorously at her bottle in the NICU, trying to show us she was ready to go home, but it took 5 days for her little body to prove she could hold her own with eating. Up until just recently, that is how she always ate, eyes closed sucking it down. Now she opens her eyes more, but she is still a fast, efficient eater. She also is getting better at burping. It used to be pretty hard to get her to burp. She hardly ever cries, unless it's time for bed. Then she starts squawking and getting fussy and all you have to do is swaddle her real tight, put the binky in, lay her down and she's out! I sure do love this little girl!

Blessing

2011-03-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

We blessed the twins this past Sunday. We waited 3 months because we wanted their immune systems to be strong. Although, we started getting nervous because it seems RSV is still rampant. But they have been healthy so far and hope they continue to be. (But I must add that I am becoming quite obsessed with essential oils and I blame their healthy little bodies on an amazing oil called On Guard by Doterra oils. It's supposed to be antibacterial/antiviral and we've put it on them and they've been around snotty nosed coughing kids and they are still healthy)
It was such a perfect day! Justin gave them such amazing blessings. Mercedez wore the dress, shoes and sweater/shawl I wore when I was blessed. My great grandma made the shawl and I love that Mercedez got to wear it. I love sentimental things like that. Her grandma Stevenson bought her a darling bracelet also. I got Sawyer's outfit at Old Navy :) Sorry buddy, your dad didn't have his blessing outfit. I had to put the above picture in because they're holding hands! So precious.

I know, I know....there's more pictures of Mercedez on here than Sawyer. It's just that Sawyer's expression in all the pictures were pretty much the same, whereas Mercedez had a lot of different shots to show all the different angles of her darling little face! Plus, let's face it, frilly dresses and feathery headbands are so much more fun to take pictures of.

Not the best shot of her, but it's the only picture I had that showed her whole outfit with the shawl.
This little guy has the cutest little face. His eyes are always wide and big, whereas it's actually more difficult to get a picture of Mercedez with her eyes wide open and staring. He has always been very aware, ever since the day he was born. And super mellow. He pretty much just hangs out.
What a stud!
Me, Sawyer and Grandma Stevenson. Justin's parents and sister Hannah stayed with us from Wed-Tues. It was so much fun having them here! I get soooo much sleep when they come to stay, it's awesome! We were sad to see them go back to California.
I wish we got a better picture than this of all of us, but it'll have to do. I have like 6 shots, but there's someone not looking their best in each one. Oh well.
Grandma and Grandpa Stevenson.
Grandma and Grandpa Jones. It was a great day with family and friends! Thanks for all your support!

Recap

2011-03-13T08:11:00.001-07:00

In all the chaos of pregnancy, bedrest, hospitalizations, having the twins, and the first couple months of having the twins home I failed to recognize some major events that took place. So here's a recap of what's happened since December!
Justin graduated with his Bachelor's in Technical Sales in December. His family came from California to stay with us. I am so proud of him! It's such a big accomplishment. I was on bedrest, so I couldn't go. I was so sad and even thought that maybe I could bend the rules a bit and just go. Yeah right! Look at the picture below of me and him. I was so huge! I could barely stand long enough to take a shower I was so weak and hurting everywhere! There's no way I could have even had the strength to walk across the parking lot I'm sure. So our wonderful friends, Adam and Melody, live streamed the whole thing from the Dee Event Center and I watched it live on my computer at home. It was awesome! I wish I could have been there but it was the second best thing to being there!
Justin with his parents.
Me and my graduate! This was 12 days before I had the twins. Look at my stomach and puffiness!

JANUARY
Justin's family is from California and these babies are the first grandbabies! How fun is that?! But it was so sad because we had them, then it was Christmas and Grandpa Stevenson got Bronchitis!!! So they had to wait till the end of January once he got a good dose of antibiotics in him to be able to come see them. It was sad to have to wait that long to meet, but it was so much fun having them here for 5 days. They will be coming back the end of March for almost a week for their blessing and we can't wait to see them again!

Last but not least, our first born, baby Sky has been having a hard time. When we got her she was puppy pad trained, which was good because the condo we lived in before was on the 3rd level and we weren't even supposed to have dogs, so she couldn't go pee outside anyway. So she'd pee on the pad in the bathroom and it was awesome. When we moved to our new house, we had planned on having her go outside and in our bathroom on a pad at night or when it was too cold. Also, the plan was to have wood floor downstairs so we wouldn't have to worry about pee on carpet. Well, the wood cost too much to install, so we ended up getting carpet and you have to have a leash on your dog to take it outside and Sky FREAKED when we put a leash on. Who knew you had to train your dog to wear a leash? I had no idea. I thought they'd just put it on and let you walk them. Not the case. She thrashed about like she was possessed, running into the couch and coffee table trying to escape the tension that was now pulling on her. I had to let go of the leash cause I was afraid she was going to break every bone in her body. So, peeing outside went out the window. To make a long story short, there were two incidents that I think traumatized her and threw her whole world upside down, which then throws her well-trained peeing techniques off. When I was hospitalized and gone for 8 days she started peeing in the hall. Then when the twins came, started peeing on the carpet AROUND her pads downstairs. Lovely. So, Saturday we called ChemDry. They came in with their black light to do the urine analysis and you could see clearly the spots she'd peed. Then they spray this awesome oxidizer that completely dissolves and gets rid of the pee completely. It was amazing. No more pee!!!! Yay! So Sky is under strict house arrest. She can't roam the house at all by herself for at least the next week. We're retraining her to pee far far away from the carpet and putting dog repellent on the places she used to go. It better work because I am so anal when it comes to carpet. I make people take their shoes off because I don't want any dirt on it whatsoever. So good luck Sky! I know you can do it!

My Valentines

2011-02-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

(Real men wear pink...I think Sawyer's onesie might have been for a girl....but it works) Check out Mercedez cheeks! It's pretty much impossible to get a good picture of both of them together. Sawyer looks a little miffed, about to yell.

A little late, but Happy Valentine's Day! Sawyer and Mercedez wore their Valentines outfits all day and me and Justin celebrated with a little candlelight 'red' dinner including barbecue chicken and raspberry jello. We gave eachother some fun small gifts and enjoyed eachother's company. I love my 3 Valentine's!

More Pictures.....

2011-01-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

Sneak Peek

2011-01-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law did the twins pictures a couple weeks ago. Here's a sneak peek. I know I'm their mom, but aren't they so stinkin cute??? I can't wait to see the rest! They were so good during this 2-3 hour session! They are one month old today and seriously they are the best babies. They sleep for 4 hours, then start stirring and we feed them again, then they sleep 4 more hours! They hardly ever cry, unless we wait too long to feed them, then usually Mercedez gets pretty riled up. I hope their mellowness sticks with them and it isn't just a newborn phase. They are so sweet!

I should be used to it by now.....

2011-01-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

I know I've posted before on what "NOT" to say to pregnant people, but I just had to throw in one more post. So as you know, I was VERY swollen during my pregnancy. As the preeclampsia progressed, so did my swelling. I was excited to have the twins so I wouldn't be swollen anymore. Well, I got WAY more swollen after the c-section than I had been during pregnancy if that's even possible! I didn't want any visitors at the hospital it was so bad. My feet were so swollen I couldn't wiggle my toes at all without a searing hot pain to the top of my feet as my skin felt like it would tear. I even got little blisters on the tops of my feet because the skin was so swollen. I should have taken a picture of my feet. I"m sad I didn't. Anyway, it took awhile for the swelling to subside. I got my feet, ankles, calves and legs back after about 8 days, but it's taking longer for my face and fingers. They look tons better, but I still can't fit my wedding finger on and I can tell my face isn't completely back to normal. At the hospital my grandparents came to see me and they didn't even recognize me. They hadn't seen me or the babies since. So when they came to my house a couple days ago, and I looked pretty much normal, my grandpa said, "Well, you're looking better!" (he should have just left it at that) What followed was, "The last time I saw you you looked like a puffed up bullfrog!"
Then my niece came to see me who had also seen me at my very worst, right after the c-section when I was swollen and uncontrollably shaking, and she said, "You look skinny again. Not swollen" which I replied, "Yeah, I was pretty swollen" which she then said, "Yeah, like really swollen, your face was like (and then she made the face similar to the boy's at the top of this page)"
I'm glad that there are people to tell me how swollen I was since I had no idea. Why can't they just keep it at "Hey, you look really good" ?
Now I don't want to offend my grandpa or my niece. Especially my niece because she's like 11. And really they are just stating the facts. I was very swollen. Luckily I really am not someone who gets super offended. But what if I was? It just still makes me think of if someone like, had back surgery and couldn't move around or exercise for a long time and they got really fat, then they finally got better and could exercise again and got back to normal. Would you tell them, "Hey you look really good! You were pretty huge!" No, you'd just tell them how good they're looking. I don't know why it's ok to comment on how huge you get when you're pregnant. It's like they think it's ok because you're pregnant, and it's not really your fault that you got big. Like it's not like you were lazy and ate fast food all day and got fat so that makes it ok to comment on it. But it's not. It's the same as if you had surgery and got fat, it's not your fault really. You were limited. But I don't see people responding the same way. Anyway, there's my soap box for your enjoyment.

TWINS UNITED AT LAST

2011-01-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

Sawyer James just a couple days old in the NICU.

Mercedez was in the NICU for 5 days for feeding issues. She got to come home on day 5, the day after I was discharged from the hospital. What a grand day it was! She really ate pretty dang well from the night she was born.

Sky meeting Mercedez for the first time. She was super curious. She has been pretty neglected since. Sad. Hopefully someday we can pay more attention to her.

Mercedez first bath! We had just Mercedez home for almost 4 days before we got to bring her brother home. It was so sad that they had to be separated for 8 days from the day they were born. But I guess at the same time it was good to bring just one home and give us a bit to adjust slowly to 2 babies. I will say that there was a big difference from one baby to two!!!!

On day 8 we got to bring Sawyer home from the hospital! He had to stay longer because within the first day he wasn't moving things through when he was eating so they gave his tummy and gut a rest for 4 days and didn't feed him anything. We were a little nervous because they were saying things like obstruction, and that maybe his intestines didn't form correctly and a necrotizing bacteria that kills the intestines. My dad came and gave him a blessing with Justin and right after he pooped! They still rested his bowels for 4 days and it ended up his gut just took a little longer to move things through, but after 4 days he got to eat and then just had to work up to eat enough to come home.

So on day 8 we got to bring Sawyer home to be with his sister! Finally!!!! Sky was like, "What the heck??? Another one?"
It's been so cute. We'll lay them by each other but facing so they can see each other and Sawyer will look over at Mercedez and just smile. He's such a good big brother! (even though technically Mercedez is the big sister :) So these pictures were taken like over a week and a half ago, and we have been adjusting since. It's actually been really really good. They are such good babies! They sleep for 4 hours at a time, then wake up to eat, then sleep some more! So far so good. And Justin is the best husband ever and is amazing at helping. I couldn't ask for a better husband. I love him so much! He just loves these babies so much it's been so much fun! Well, other than the few days that my hormones were adjusting and I was so depressed and sad for no reason I thought for sure I'd need some medication. Like I was having panic attacks. I never understood those, but now I do. It was pretty crazy. But now I feel back to normal, just tired. I'm glad it didn't last long! Also Cortney my sister in law has done pretty much the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. She had asked for contact information from when I was doing baby shower invites and I assumed it was for the shower, but really she set up a whole month's worth of dinners/help for each day throughout January. What a major help that has been!!!! She is wonderful! So thanks to everyone that is helping! It is so much appreciated!

THEY'RE HERE!!!

2010-12-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

They're finally here!!! Tuesday 21st we went to see the perinatologist and the boy was measuring 6lbs 12 oz!! Little girl was 2 weeks behind that at 5lbs 2 oz. I was dilated to a 3 because I had finally started contracting since we stopped the medicine. My doctor would induce me once I got to a 5. The peri said he wouldn't let me go past 36 weeks with the difference of weights and also because the boy was getting so big! Then we started discussing my blood pressures which had started to get higher. I was 35 weeks and the peri recommended just delivering the babies instead of just waiting around for me to get sicker with the preeclampsia because that risk outweighed the risk of having the babies a few days earlier and at this point there really wouldn't be much difference in the babies health having them now vs. in 5 days or so.
We had planned on delivering vaginally before we got these weights because little girl was head down and would come out first, and if little boy came down feet first my dr. was willing to deliver him that way. We knew there was still a small risk of delivering first vaginally, then having to do a c-section for the boy, but the chances of that were slim. But since these new weights came along, my dr. was no longer willing because if the second twin is larger than the first the risks of getting stuck coming out feet first are brain injury and death. Most doctor's won't even do a breech delivery in the first place even if they're smaller. So a c-section was scheduled for the next day at 1:00pm. Me and Justin did not sleep all night! We were so tired, but I guess we should get used to that! Here's the pictures we took of me right before we left for the hospital.

In the OR waiting to get my spinal. I'm pretty sure I have never been more scared in my life! I thought I was a lot tougher, but this whole procedure, from the spinal to the c-section was very scary. It was so hard not to be able to watch what was going on. I like to be in control and I felt so out of control.
Mercedez Sara was born at 1:18pm. She was 5 lbs and 17 inches. Everything was happening so fast. She came out very 'stunned'. My mom was in the room and even though she's a nurse that works there, because it was her grandchild, she couldn't stand watching as it took a little while to get her going. I was a little worried because I heard that she had come out but I couldn't hear any crying. Justin watched the c-section and then as soon as both babies were out kept running back to the babies, then back to me to update me. I cannot even describe how amazing it was to experience this with my sweet husband. I have felt so many different emotions these past couple days. What a wild ride it's been so far! They stitched me up and then took me straight to my room. The babies stayed in NICU. I was so drugged up and 'shocky' that my body could not stop shaking. I was pretty much in a daze all that first day. I was exhausted and disoriented and it didn't even feel like I really had any babies. It was like I wasn't feeling anything. Below are the pictures of Mercedez. She has lighter hair, blond eyelashes and fairer skin than Sawyer. I think her fairness is after the Stevenson side, yet she looks so much like I did as a baby with her features.

I love her little bird lips!!!
Justin changing the first diaper.
Her hair looks almost strawberry blond in this picture. I saw these pictures before I ever got to go and actually see them. Her hair is much darker now. It's light brown with almost frosted tips.

Finally! After several hours I got to get into a wheelchair to go see my babies for the first time. I almost didn't go at this time because my legs and butt were still tingly and numb and my incision hurt so bad I didn't think I could get out of bed. But my nurse, Justin and my mom made it possible to get me in the chair so I could see them. This memory is very foggy. All that day I couldn't even remember conversations I'd had minutes before.

At 1:19pm, one minute after his sister, Sawyer James was born. He weighed 6 lbs 1 oz 18 inches long. He came out crying and for a split second he was raised over the curtain so I could see him. What an amazing site he was! I couldn't stop crying and was wishing I could be a part of watching them get cleaned up.

What a stud! He has the darker hair, eyelashes and skin, like the Jones side yet some of his features are very Stevenson! I think he looks a lot like his grandpa Stevenson (which his middle name appropriately is named after) and think that his facial structure like the forehead is totally Stevenson. Justin and both his sisters have his head! And yet he definitely has the Jones cheeks and other features. I'd say they're both a good mix of both sides.

This was all only a few hours old. In just a day they changed so much with how they look!And even more now that it's been two days. I will post more pictures as we get them. At the very beginning Mercedez was struggling and had to be bagged and masked for breathing, then put on oxygen. Sawyer seemed to be doing fine, but then his oxygen saturation dropped and he was put on oxygen. But by that first night Mercedez was off oxygen and eating from a bottle! She has been a little fighter! Sawyer needed his oxygen until the next day and wasn't interested in eating. Mercedez got her feeding tube taken out, but then had to get it put back in because she couldn't take her complete intake they wanted her to. She is super close every time! She needs to take 26 ml every time and she usually takes about 20. Sawyer was getting fed through his tube but he seemed to be in some discomfort and they pulled out of his tube some mucousy green fluid. They ran some tests and did some x-rays to make sure his bowels had formed correctly and to see if there was an obstruction somewhere. The labs didn't show any of the above, but did show that he had gas in his upper intestines, but not lower so they decided to give his bowels a rest and not feed him and redo x-rays this morning. My dad came and him and Justin gave them both a blessing. After that Sawyer has some good sized poops and so that made us hopeful that things were moving along! This morning they did the x-rays and there aren't as large pockets of gas, but still not a lot in the lower gut, so they're still giving him a rest. But he's passing gas and pooping so that's a good sign. They say he probably just needs to rest a little and his gut will get going. It's so sad though because you can tell he just doesn't feel well. His little eyebrows are always scrunched up and he has a sad little face a lot of the time. I just want to hold him and cuddle him and make him feel better! They say they'll be in about a week, but you never really know. They can come home once they can eat 100% on their own without a feeding tube and regulate their own body temperature. They got the regulating their body temperature down, now they just have to be able to eat. But we have high hopes for them and they should be at home soon! I still can't believe we have two babies. I don't think it will feel real until we have them home. In the meantime, I'll keep you updated and post pictures!

34 Weeks

2010-12-14T20:17:00.000-08:00

Quick update: Babies look great, cervix is still shortening but I'm 34 weeks so today the perinatologist said go ahead and stop the Procardia I'm taking that is preventing me from contracting so much. My doctor concurred, so I am therefore doing nothing except bedrest to prevent these babies from coming when they are ready. I am letting nature take it's course! I hope she takes that course within the next week! I am pretty much miserable and bedrest is welcome as I really can't get up for longer than it takes to take a bath. I sleep for about an hour and a half at a time and that is starting to wear on me! Just let these babies come soon!

Stop planning, analyzing, thinking, expecting

2010-12-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am ever so consumed with all that's going on. I need to just stop and live. I always want to know or at least be told what's going to be happening, what to expect, etc. I then overthink everything and start to plan and then almost begin to believe that that's what's going to happen, when really no one knows what is going to happen or when these babies are going to decide to grace us with their presence. One nurse tells me "Oh, the way you're looking you won't last this next week." That 'week' is over in like 3 days. The doctor says, "I say you hang in there for the next two weeks", that was a week and half ago and I'm going strong. My doctor today says again, "I say you get preeclampsia in two weeks (at 35 weeks) and we'll have to induce you,". I say everyone is wrong! I can't take what people tell me seriously anymore because I get way too involved and convinced that that is what's going to happen. I'm stopping. And it's not their fault, they're just making a prediction, it's not fact. It's my fault that I twist it into this.

So, since November 1st when I got put on bedrest I have anticipated delivering early and having NICU babies. I am in my 34th week. I am home (although I am straddling the fence on being here, I can go to the hospital at any time I feel the need or if any of my tests or labs come back concerning) but if I stay down I am fine! If I get up and walk around, about 20 minutes into it I feel like I am going to die and I have to go lay down for like 3 hours to recover, but really, I'm good. If I just hang out like this for 2 more weeks there are good odds our babies will be absolutely fine and get to come home with us! Statistics show that at 35 weeks 50% of twins go home, if they do go to the NICU it's usually only for a few days. But I am now starting to wonder if I just hang out like I am, supposedly just 'flirting' with preeclampsia for 3 more weeks and we go OVER 35 weeks. So I'm not making any plans, I'm just gonna go a day at a time, take it easy and see how long I can stay at home.

Today at the Dr.'s I almost went back to the hospital. But that's because I had been up for so long. I had taken a shower (which I hadn't been allowed to even stand that long for over a week), then of course had to stand to get ready and blow dry my hair and all that, and then I decided to cut my own hair, then Justin came home to take me to the Dr. and I talked him into letting me cut his hair by telling him I felt fine although I knew I had overdone it. I should have stopped but I always think I can do WAY more than I can, and then I get scared because of what my body starts to tell me. By the time I was done with that I couldn't move. It was such an effort to just walk down the stairs and into the car. The pressure and pain in the pelvis/hip joints and the pain and tightness of my belly was almost too much. I don't know how I made it walking down the hall to the Dr.'s. It was very slow going. It's almost comical. I feel like a very old lady.

So I wasn't looking too hot to the nurses at the office and I know they were worried, and me and Justin were worried and realizing that maybe the best place for me was at the hospital where they could keep a close eye on me. Especially with all that the Dr. wants done on a weekly basis: frequent non-stress tests, lab draws, perinatologist apps, Dr. apps, 24 hour urine collections etc. etc. So we had planned on me going so I would be closely watched and more comfortable and Justin wouldn't have to worry so much about taking care of me. It would just be easier. I just said I wanted one more night in my own bed. But I got home and once I calmed down and relaxed for about 2 hours I felt good! I just need to lay down a lot! Then I'm ok. So I decided I'll let myself get up or sit up every 3 hours or something and then listen to my body and go lay down again for a few hours when it gets unbearable. I think it's a good plan. That way I feel productive at times (even though I can't last more than 20 minutes standing up) but it'll allow me to take care of myself a little more and not have to completely rely on others and take it super easy at the same time. So that's my plan. So now instead of expecting to deliver soon, I am 'planning' on going clear till January! 37 weeks! (I'm hoping that by hoping the opposite maybe I'll just deliver soon :) We'll see what happens.

GOING HOME!!!!

2010-12-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, so today I had a mini meltdown. I have been fine up until now, but when they tell you all these things are going on and you're going to deliver soon etc. etc. you start to accept that the babies are coming early, which I've accepted a LONG time ago, and you start making some expectations. Although it's better if the babies stay in longer, I had accepted that they could come, like, this week and I had prepared for that. So I've been in the hospital for 8 days now. My blood pressures have come down along with my massive swelling in the past few days and all my blood labs are fine so far so I don't have full blown preeclampsia. Although my urine is dumping protein, it's just above the normal range so the Dr. said I had preeclampsia, but just the very beginnings of it and it will just get worse but who knows how long it will take to get worse. Their predictions were the preeclampsia would become a problem before the water breaking became a problem and they'd have to deliver the babies due to preeclampsia.

So today I went to see the perinatologist again. It's been one week since they last looked and saw that my cervix had shortened. It was 0.8-0.9cm, so really short. And I was dilated. So today I expected it to be shorter, or possibly the same. But no, it was longer and thicker!!!! It was 1.4 cm and the beaking (the space that was opened up on the inside) was smaller than it has been in weeks!!!! So they said "Hey, we fixed you!" So I said, "Yay, send me home!" and they looked at me like I was crazy and said that what they were doing was obviously working so they were going to keep me.

I should have been happy things looked better, but I wasn't! I was depressed! Because of so many things: I had expected to have the babies soon, had no idea the cervix could start looking BETTER I thought it either progressed or stayed the same, but mainly because it is the Christmas season and I am missing it! I know that sounds selfish, but just a minute and I'll explain. I really don't think there's anything they're doing here at this point that I could do at home. Last week with the higher BP's I was getting nervous, but then after like 2 days that all subsided and I went back to how I was, even better, although they're still on the high side, just not to the alarming stage yet. The babies look awesome at this point. All is well with them and their non stress tests twice a day are always stellar. Since they upped my Procardia over a week ago for the contractions I hardly contract at all. So what's making the cervical improvement is not necessarily the bedrest. I was already doing that at home and can certainly do what I'm doing here at home. The only difference I can tell is the doubled dose of Procardia. As soon as they gave that to me on Monday when we came in, my contractions settled way down. Which could explain why the cervix looks better after a week. I'm not contracting and therefore putting less pressure of the babies on the cervix. I can take Procardia just as easily here as at home. The peri mentioned that the less contractions coupled with the bedrest is what was making the change, but he didn't realize that I had been on bedrest at home for 4 weeks prior. It wasn't that all of a sudden here at the hospital I was on bedrest so that made the difference. It was just the increase of Procardia. Well, probably a little of the bedrest as I do stay down a lot more here than at home, but now that I've been here, I am not getting up at home! I will stay down and only get up as much as I get up here.

It was just starting to make me depressed that I would just have to hang out here for possibly 2 more weeks when I could be doing this at home, mainly because of the season! Christmas will be here in like 2 more weeks! So when Dr. Hartman came to see me today I asked him what his prediction would be for me. He said, I think you'll get full blown preeclampsia in 2 weeks and we'll induce you. That's like 3 days before Christmas. Christmas just throws a wrench in things!!! And it's not that I care so much, it's that I feel bad that their birthdays will just be mushed together with Christmas! Anyway, I explained my reasoning for wanting to go home, expecting him to listen like the good Dr. that he is and tell me that I need to stay. But he said, "Ok, go home." He went on to say he wasn't worried about the babies, if he was he wouldn't let me go but that he trusts my judgment and wouldn't normally let someone go home, but because of my nursing background and how aware I've been up to this point (and I'm sure the fact that my mom's a labor and delivery nurse and he's worked with her for 30 years and he trusts her and knows that I trust her judgment) and that he knows I'll be back if anything feels off he said go home. He said with a small smirk, "I think you'll start contracting and it'll scare you and you'll be back in 3 days,". So when I said, "So do you think I should just stay?" he said "No, if you want to go, you should go be at home and come back if something changes." and he smiled and said "It's like a kid when they run away from home, they have to go try it and if it doesn't work they come home,". So then it worried me like he was just placating me that I wanted to go home but I'd be back. I mean, I know I'll be back shortly at some point, but I think I'll make it longer than that. I don't want to come back in unless I am in labor or the preeclampsia comes along and I have to come back for a few days until they induce me. I just don't want to stay here all that time in between when I could be home. He consoled me and told me that if I come back in 3 days it's fine. I might be home for a week or more and then I'll be happier for being home. At least I got to go home and if it doesn't work out for a long time, it doesn't work out and I'll know I need to be in the hospital.

So I'm going home as soon as Justin takes his Math final and comes and gets me! This is the happiest day of my life! We can get the Christmas tree up and I can see my baby Sky (my puppy). Seriously, I miss her so much and she's just been so traumatized since I left. She thinks I just abandoned her! I've had like 3 dreams about her. Funny but true that I would be so emotionally attached to a dog. But she is the cutest thing ever. So I'll be going to see Dr. Hartman like twice a week and the perinatologist once a week and taking my own blood pressures at home just in case so basically I'll know if my BP's are out of whack, and then during the week I'll be seeing a Dr. every other day. Then, if there's any changes I'll come to the hospital. It's not like we live far away. We're like 10 minutes. So yay! I'll let you know when I'm back at the hospital but for now, I'm sleeping in my own bed, with my husband, and my puppy.

HOSPITALIZATION

2010-12-04T12:43:00.001-08:00

Well, here I am. The place I've been trying to avoid. I've been a slacker and haven't updated the blog yet. It's Saturday and I've been here since Monday. I definitely debated whether or not to post a picture with this but decided posts are so much better with pictures even though I look horrid. Actually, if you could see me now I actually look pretty good in the picture! In just the past couple days my puffiness has gone from "Wow, my face is really puffy" to "Who is that marshmallow face in the mirror?"I really hope I'm getting puffy from the twin pregnancy and hope that this isn't the norm for me when pregnant.

So Monday I hit 4 weeks on bedrest. That morning I woke up and felt fine until I got up out of bed. In the time it took to walk down the stairs to the kitchen I was hunched over from my contractions being so tight. I'm always contracting, but this seemed more than usual. The few days prior also seemed like they had become more intense and frequent. My plan was to let my Dr. know that day at our app at 1:00 and I assumed he'd probably increase my Procardia medicine dose to minimize them. Within 5 minutes I couldn't walk and there was a pain in my right side that started radiating all over the right side. I have never had pain with my contractions. So I called my mom and she said to take a bath and if it didn't subside in 30 minutes to go to labor and delivery. I'm glad I have my very own labor and delivery nurse at my beck and call. So I somehow made it up the stairs to the bath. It took about 40 minutes until the pain was gone, although the contraction was still there.

I started to get ready and Justin came home to get me for my appointment. By the time I was ready and sitting on the couch before we left I was wiped out. We were a little early for the Dr. app so we were leaving in 30 min but sitting there the pain starting to come back, starting on the right side. I told Justin and we decided to just go early. We grabbed my bathroom stuff and bag just in case the Dr. said I had to go to the hospital. By the time we walked out the door and got in the car the pain was so bad I couldn't breath well or move. I knew I couldn't get out of the car and walk up to the Dr. office and knew if I did he'd look at me like I was crazy and ask why the heck I didn't just go to the hospital if it was that bad. So we just headed to Ogden Regional. I called my mom to tell her we were headed there and she called there to give them a heads up (for those of you that don't know, she works labor and delivery there and has for like 35 years).

They came out with a wheelchair as I could barely move and wheeled me up. Again after about 40 minutes from the time the pain started, it subsided but was still contracting. They put the monitors on and the babies were doing great, but I was contracting every 2 minutes for the first couple hours. Then it went down to like every 6 minutes. But they weren't painful, just the same ones I had been having. They checked me and I was dilated to 1 1/2cm. That was the first time I had been dilated. Up to this point, we had been going weekly to the Dr. and even though my cervix was wide open from the inside, the rest of the cervix was still closed and not dilating although every week the cervix would shorten just a little bit more. Last week I still had 1.25 cm that was closed. ( a normal cervix should be 3-4 cm long and all of it closed).

They called my Dr. and told me they'd probably keep me overnight just to watch everything, and have me see the perinatologist in the morning and I'd most likely go home after that. I had one more episode of the pain and this time during it they gave me Lortab (even though I didn't need or want anything for the pain, they said to take it to relax me so that they could get on top of the contractions). It totally relaxed me and at that point my Procardia was due, so they doubled the dose I had been on and that did the trick! I started contracting way less and never had the painful contractions again. I had to be on a clear liquid diet all night just in case something happened, but I was planning on going home the next day.

So I went to the perinatologist and the babies looked great, but my cervix did not. It had shortened to like 0.8cm, of course was still dilated and little girls head was just sitting against it with the membrane sac bulging into that space. The fact that I was dilated made a huge difference as that took a lot of support away therefore putting me at a huge risk for my sac rupturing. The peri said I was definitely staying. So they put me on bedrest with bathroom privileges. Absolutely no walking around. They do non stress tests twice a day and drew labs to make sure my liver and kidneys were working ok as they're watching me closely for preeclampsia.

Yesterday I woke up with my blood pressures really high. My BP's have been high and just within the past 2 days I have gotten so puffy it's ridiculous, which goes along with preeclampsia. So they were worried about that. Pretty much I'm just trending up towards that, there's just no way to tell how fast it'll come on. It can get really bad overnight, or take a few weeks to kick in if it's going to happen. So they started a 24 hour urine collection to check for protein and kidney function. Basically Preeclampsia symptoms are high BP, protein in the urine, and when severe can cause seizures in the mom and it starts to affect the liver and kidneys which then can affect the babies placentas as well as put the mom in danger. So if my blood pressure stays consistently high, or my urine starts spilling protein then they'll start an IV drip of Magnesium sulfate which suppresses the nervous system to prevent seizures and if my labs start showing that it's affecting my organs at that point they will deliver the babies. Craziness! The main risk right now is my water breaking. There is so much pressure in my pelvis when I get up to walk I feel like I'm going to break any moment!

It's still so surreal that this is all happening. They really can't give me a prediction of when the babies will come or what's going to happen because everyone is so different. So until they do decide to come, I'm just hanging out with all my puffiness! It's actually gone by really really fast and Justin has been so wonderful! He is taking such good care of me. The first few days I actually think I enjoyed a little too much being in the hospital. It's like it was good to have change of scenery after spending 4 weeks on bedrest at my house, and I don't feel like I should be cleaning or feeling bad as I watch Justin hustle around the house cleaning and cooking as I sit there helpless. Also, my mom has been here working Mon-Friday and so many of the nurses know me because they've worked with my mom for so long, and even if they don't know me, they know my mom and so they've all taken such good care of me. Tera, my sister was my nurse the other day and today because she also works here. So that's pretty much awesome. So I know I am having a completely different experience than if I had a normal hospital stay.

My prediction is I make it to 33 weeks, which is Wednesday, and have them sometime after that. I don't think I'll make it after 34 weeks. Wish us luck! I'll keep you all updated for those of you that have actually read these massively long posts!!!!

31 Weeks!

2010-11-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

This is more for my own journaling, so sorry if it bores you. Posts are so much funner with pictures but I have no pictures, just documenting.

I have hit 31 weeks and over 3 weeks of bedrest! Super excited about that. Monday at the Dr.'s my cervix was a little shorter, but that's pretty much what has been going on week by week. We lose a little every week. My blood pressure was higher than it normally is so he wants so watch me more closely for preeclampsi and he measured the babies and found that the girl was lagging behind when normally she is just a little less than the boy. She measured 28 wks and 6 days, so about 2 weeks behind schedule. The boy was 31 wks and 1 day. But since she is deeper inside, behind the boy and her head is so far down in my pelvis we didn't know how accurate the measurements really were. He threw around the idea that if she really was truly measuring 2 weeks behind, when normally she is right on track, twin to twin transfusion could be starting which is where one baby starts to take more of the nutrients which causes the other one to lack and not grow as fast.

I asked if that was the case, what they do about it. He said that if it continues, and she gets farther behind than 2 weeks in development that we would induce me to deliver the babies. But that he first wanted me to go see the perinatologist to get a better measurement, and if she's lagging then I'd go every week to get measured and if at 33-34 weeks she was behind enough that's when we'd deliver. So we made an app for Tuesday to see the peri and the Dr. now wants me to come in twice a week for non stress tests (which I've been doing once a week) and to check my blood pressure twice a week and we'd also check the fluid to make sure they both have plenty twice a week. So I hope my blood pressure stays in check because if it gets too high pretty much I'll be hospitalized and that would be awful.

So yesterday we went to the peri and they got a much better measurement, and she was only a week behind and even then they said their prediction is she's really bigger because it was so hard to get an accurate measure on her head. So they weren't too concerned and said that if I'm still pregnant in 3 weeks to come back to measure them again. Yay! The boy is almost 4 pounds and she is over 3 pounds, but really probably more. So good news!

It would be wonderful if they could get to around 5 pounds. so probably only 2-3 more weeks inside and they would be close to 5 pounds. My goal was 33 weeks, that's only 2 more weeks away. So now I think how wonderful it would be to make it to 34 or even 35 weeks! Every week counts at this point. I am sick of my puffiness, my exhaustion, lack of sleep, bedrest, how hard it is to maneuver around and so on, but I know it's only for a few weeks and then my babies will be here! I can hold on until then.

Slightly Depressed

2010-11-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

I know I shouldn't be feeling the way I'm feeling. Really we are so lucky and blessed in so many ways, but I can't shake the feeling of slight depression. The last couple of days the effects of the pregnancy has hit me. I have felt awesome up until now. I'm so hungry and thirsty but my stomach is already huge and stretched that when I eat it feels like there's no room for the food in there! But then I'm hungry so I eat, and I'm thirsty so I drink and it just comes back up! Not in the feeling nauseous sort of way, just all of a sudden I bend over and it's no longer in my stomach. There's just no room!

The babies are over 3 pounds each, so technically I am at the point that most people go into labor and have their babies, when they are at their largest. And I'm only 31 weeks. I don't think my stomach can stretch any bigger! Rolling over in bed is a joke. It's so uncomfortable. I feel like someone has cut open my stomach and sewn a huge bowling ball inside. I have to hold it up when I walk around or the pressure is unbearable. Now I've heard this from almost every person that's had a baby, that the last couple weeks of pregnancy you just get uncomfortable and even though you know you only have a couple more weeks you just feel done! Well, that's all fine and dandy except for the fact that who knows how long I'm going to go? I'm not at 'the end' of my pregnancy technically. I think I could handle it if I knew I was 36-37 weeks and knew there was no way I'd have to go longer than a couple more weeks. I hate not knowing when the babies are going to come. I just want to know if they're going to be early at 32-33 weeks, or if I will make it to 35-36 weeks. I would just like to prepare a little bit. I am a huge list writer/preparer and that is what's driving me crazy! Not being able to even predict what's most likely to happen.

To top it off, I am just stuck in the house. I thought I was doing fine but it's the weekend and that's when it's actually the hardest. Because the weekend is when Justin is home and we have nothing to do together cause I can't do anything! We can't go out and enjoy each other.
The weather's gloomy, I feel like I'm so unattractive that it's probably a good thing I'm just stuck in the house because I don't want anyone to see my white puffy face and body. I keep having thoughts that I just want to have the babies. Which just sounds awful and selfish. It's so early and our goal is to keep them in there as long as we can and yet most of my brain is saying 'just get them out! I'm done!'. Does that mean I'm going to be an awful mother? And now that I've said that, did I just jinx myself and now if they come early I'm just going to feel guilty cause I'll feel like I wished that upon them when reality really hits and I realize how worth it it would be to keep them in there a few more weeks?
Anyway, sorry for all the pessimism. Not the most uplifting post. I just need to record my honest thoughts at the moment.

UPDATE

2010-11-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been almost 3 weeks that I've been on bedrest!!! The first week was really hard. I was contracting a lot and I just felt like a walking time bomb, like I could go into labor any second. Any moving around whatsoever sent me into contractions. Had my shower at my mom's and was banned to sit in the chair and not get up. Even so, just sitting for that long wore my body out and when I got home I was contracting more than 13 times an hour and it took 3 hours to settle down. Also, I didn't know what to do with myself, although I was super busy trying to work from home to train the new nurse at my job I had to so abruptly leave, so luckily that kept me busy. Went to the doctor and I was the same, so that's good.

Week number two, was much better. Less stressed because I was training the nurse, so I was able to hand over a lot of my work stresses to her. And I seemed to finally have my "routine" down and was getting used to it. The contractions were way less so the medicine is definitely helping! This week went by so much faster. Went to the doctor and I was pretty much the same. The opening inside was a little wider and no longer V shaped but now just a big round pit, but the part of the cervix that was still closed was measuring the same amount as the week before. But since the gap was even wider, little girls head was pushed right up ready to come out still and this time you could see the sac bulging into the open space. Yikes! Just looking at it made me think, how is my water not breaking? But I guess those sacs are pretty tough!!! But I think that's what's going to happen. I don't think I'm going to start dilating and going into labor, I think that girl is going to break her water and that will send me into labor. That's my prediction.

Week number three. I'm in it right now and it's going by even faster! Which is good. Although I hate not being able to get up and go get things ready for the nursery (not that we're really going to be needing it as the babies will most likely be in the NICU, then in my room for awhile.) But it is driving me a little crazy not being able to 'nest'. Plus, our garage is still full of stuff that needs to be organized from the move so we can actually park in there! Oh well, these things can wait. My contractions are even less, the babies are definitely growing as my stomach is swelling even larger and I now have a hard time breathing while I'm sitting and it's smooshing my stomach giving me heartburn and I have to watch how much I eat at one time or I'll be sorry! I hit 30 weeks and now am in my 31st week. Yay!!!! Dr. Hartman said we get to have a party if I hit 31 weeks. Apparently statistics show that the chances of your baby dying or having long term complications are the same at 31 weeks and on as they are at 40 weeks! Crazy huh? But great news all the same!

My family has been awesome through all of this and helped me so much! My mom has arranged it so that someone comes by every day and brings me lunch and sometimes dinner and they even clean my house! I am so blessed. And there's a lady in our ward that is coming over on Friday to teach me how to crochet! I'm so excited! So cross your fingers that we make it another two weeks! Right now that is the milestone I want to reach, 33 weeks. Stay in there little ones!

KSL.COM

2010-11-17T20:40:00.000-08:00

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Clinton, UT 84115 - Nov 7, 2010

This couch looks beautiful on the outside but apparently has been stained with cat urine. We were going to sell it but it didn't feel right so if you want a beautiful couch that needs some TLC to lift the cat urine smell out of it, it's yours.

Negotiable

For rent or lease possible sale.

Layton, UT 84041 - Nov 4, 2010

I have for rent or lease with possible future purchase a used and somewhat abused heart/soul. Come with upgrades including man, 6'2", father of two with interests in the outdoors, movies, dining, conversation, reading... Well, too many features to add. Good condition with original miles and lots of great wear left. 1970 model (39 years) Act now and receive friendship, companionship, and romance at no additional charge. No upgrades required this is the real thing!!!

I do love KSL.com. These ads were in the FREE section. Made me laugh....

Maternity Pictures

2010-11-04T18:25:00.001-07:00

I am so glad we decided to do pictures early. My awesome sister in law Cortney took them and I love them! She took them last Friday, 3 days before I was put on bedrest. If you need a photographer for anything she is your woman! She especially specializes in baby photography. Check out her blog at bouncinbabyphotography.com.

BED REST

2010-11-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Went to the doctor yesterday, as I have been doing every week for the past 6 weeks. Every week it's been "Good blood pressure, good weight, babies are sharing the water good, cervix is thick and closed." But yesterday the ultrasound showed that my cervix had changed and is now half open with our baby girl's head sitting right on top of it adding even more pressure especially when standing or walking. At that point the dr. said might as well get the betamethasone shots in me to help their lungs in case I do deliver early and to take it easy. He mentioned it's a significant enough change to get the steroid shots, but then again I could stay half open like this for a month and have nothing change. So I wasn't too concerned and he said he'd be more concerned if my fibronectin test came back positive. (Somehow this test, which we've been doing every week can give good percentages of your chances of going into labor within the next two weeks. Negative and I've got a 99.9% chance I will not go into labor, a positive and I've got a 30% chance I will). Since I have always been negative I wasn't too worried, but he did say to cut back on my hours at work and take it easy. I had also been having more contractions so he prescribed procardia and told me to take it when I felt like I was contracting more than normal.

So imagine my surprise when he calls me a few hours later while I'm at work to tell me the test is positive and that combined with the cervical change is concerning enough that I need to be done at work and go on bed rest!!! Also to take the procardia around the clock every 6 hours to stave off contractions and therefore potential labor. Basically he put it as my body is going to do what it's going to do, so we're going to do everything we can do to prevent labor. He also told me if I couldn't cooperate to let him know so he could put me in the hospital as he understood that some women just can't make themselves be on bed rest appropriately.

So here I am. On bed rest, trying to wrap things up at my job from home and wondering how in the world I'm going to train the new nurse that miraculously they found and hired today. But I'm sure everything will work out. It already is. The important thing obviously is to keep these babies in as long as we can!!! If we can just make it at least 3 weeks, then we'll move from there. I'm 28 weeks right now. I can handle a little bed rest! And I have such an awesome family who is already coming over every day to give us food and clean which of course helps me but also Justin as he's got so much on his plate with 4 more weeks of school till graduation. He has been so good to me as well. It has just made me love him even more. I am so blessed. I'm just glad we've saved money as I was planning on working till at least the end of the month and that I don't already have kids. This will be a piece of cake compared to what some people have to go through with bed rest. Just keep us in your prayers!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (about 2 months too late!)

2010-10-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

I am such a bad wife. Justin's birthday was September 4th!!!! And I am only now blogging about it. Better late than never I guess. This was his birthday present! A Glock! He loves it. I mostly love it. Guns can be scary, but growing up with my dad (the mighty hunter who owns like 13 guns) he taught me to respect guns and that a little fear helps you have that respect. He's wanted a handgun for a while but I think Justin's fatherly instincts to protect his soon to be little family pushed that decision even more so. I was a little nervous at first to have a gun in the house, but about a week after we got this Justin left for the weekend hunting and I was all alone in our new house. Needless to say, I locked my bedroom door and put the gun next to the loaded clip next to the bed. It definitely helped me feel safer! Nobody better try to come get me in my house! I won't hesitate to shoot! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!

My How I'VE Grown!!!

2010-10-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast your belly grows once it starts popping out!!! Above is me at 17 weeks with the twins. Pregnancy was going SO slow until about this point. Then from then on it has gone by so quickly!!! I was so excited and couldn't wait till the next phase and now I'm kinda freaking out! Time needs to slow down just a bit. I'm not sure I'm ready for this!
The twins at 23 weeks. This shows the swelling well I think. My face is MUCH puffier! I haven't been able to feel the bottom of my heels since week 19 and that's when the ankle swelling started. My hands soon followed and now my right hand is constantly going numb and wakes me up at night. Only like 2 more months to go right? At least that's what I keep telling myself. These babies are coming in December! I don't think I'm going to make it to January.
I am currently 27 weeks. These were taken a week ago when I was 26 weeks. It got sooo much bigger in just 3 weeks!! This past week it has now hit my ribs! I can feel the boy moving against my ribs although it doesn't hurt or bother me....yet. It still just feels like little nudges.

Although I complain about the swelling and numbness, I really am enjoying being pregnant. It is amazing to me that there are two babies in there. I do have moments when I'm holding someone else's baby and I realize that they're not so little. Then it hits me "how in the world am I going to take care of two of these at the same time???" It's going to be crazy! But such a fun adventure!!! And I love that I have a husband who is so excited and loved that I have a pregnant belly! It makes life much easier.

My How You've Grown!

2010-09-12T20:50:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I am over 5 months pregnant with these little nudgers! It is amazing to me what happens in just 5 months time. The body is an amazing thing!

7 weeks

9 weeks

13 weeks (the dr. guessed boy and girl at this ultrasound)

17 weeks
This was the best shot we got. Both are laying side by sideon their backs, top of their heads facing you with their knees pulled up. Notice on the right side there is a little white dot between the knees. That's the boy! But the Dr. was only 80% sure the other one was a girl because
the knees could have been hiding a boy part.

19 weeks
Sorry if you think the 3-D ultrasounds are creepy looking. Theykinda are. But so cool at the same time. These aren't as sharp as most othersbecause it was done so much earlier than with one babyand there's two so it's harder to get a good picture. The girl is on the right, face down and the boy is on the left, curled up facing more left.

Baby boy front shot. You can make out his little button nose and little mouth. He's looking down at his legs as if to say "Hey dad! Check this out!" (at least that's what our hilarious ultrasound tech said. Boys will be boys I guess. Already showing off his manhood for dad)

Baby girl curled up. It looks like she doesn't have a hand, but she really does.

Baby girl's face. I love this picture. I look at it all the time. It's the only one that turned out halfway decent that you can actually make out some features. I can't wait to go back to get another 3-D ultrasound at week 26!

Pregnancy update: Feeling much much better! I'm more energetic although in the mornings I wake up super nauseous still, but if I just get up, take a Zofran and eat, I'm good all day! Two weeks ago my belly decided to pop out a TON! I am definitely looking prego! I've been hating the mixed reviews I get from people though. Everyone seems to think I want to know exactly what they're thinking. I don't mind when they say nice things, but when they say not so nice things I wonder what exactly goes through people's heads. I'll have like 4 people tell me how little I am for over 5 months with twins, then there will be someone that tells me I look like I'm 6 or even 7 months pregnant! Thanks! Geez! I don't want to hear that. I'm also getting sick of everyone telling me how huge I'm going to get. Yes, two babies are bigger than one. Thanks for stating the obvious. Sorry for the negativity, but really people.

But I really am loving being pregnant, even with all the not so great things about it (bloating, nausea, gas, ligament pain, tiredness, sore feet, peeing in the middle of the night, constipation, swelling, nothing to wear...) I will take on all of this for these little babies! And I love my husband who is always telling me I look good and just wants me to keep getting bigger. I love feeling them move inside and I love going to the many many ultrasounds and seeing them move around in there. I hope everything continues to go well!

2010-08-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

We're Having a BOY!!!
...And a.......

..........GIRL!!!!!!!!

At least we think so :) The Dr. is 80% sure.

DEFINITELY PREGO

2010-08-15T23:13:00.000-07:00

We finally got some pictures of the pregnant belly! Justin did a mini photo shoot and I must say I'm impressed with some of the shots he got. I didn't know he had it in him! (Although he reminded me he DID take advance photo in High School:)

So here I am, 17 weeks pregnant with the little double decker. Hopefully we find out what we're having on Tuesday! I have been so giddy about it I can't even stand it anymore. They better be able to let us see or else I think I might die of anticipation. I have officially changed my vote
from 2 boys to a boy and a girl. Either way, I know it's not two girls (even though that would be lovely). There is at least one boy in there.

I have been thinking over the past few weeks of how blessed we are and have been counting all the many blessings. We both have good jobs, especially my job that is almost stress free and flexible allowing me to relax and not stress my body out during this pregnancy. I have plenty of time to sleep and take care of myself. Just has been doing well with Real Estate and continues to enjoy his job. We're able to pay for Justin's tuition semester after semester. He got a raise, I got a raise, we found an amazing deal on our townhouse, my brother is renting our condo so we're not forced to pay two mortgages till it sells, we keep finding deals on stuff we need. I have two humans growing inside of me and all is well. We have amazing friends and families. We're healthy, we're happy and so glad that we have prepared ourselves emotionally, financially and
spiritually to start a family so that this is truly a joyous occasion and not a stressful one. It's just so crazy how things work out in life.

I find it entertaining hearing people's reactions when we tell them we're having twins. Most are really excited, some say how jealous they are, but there have been a few that say things like "Oh, I would have cried if I found out I was having twins when I was pregnant" or "Oh my gosh, good luck!" and give me a pat on the shoulder. Now I'm sure it's because they're remembering how hard it was with their one baby, and maybe we really don't know what we're getting ourselves into, but we are truly so so so excited! It is such an adventure and blessing to be bringing two of Heavenly Father's children into our family. We couldn't be more stoked. I can't help but think with Justin by my side, how muchfun this is going to be!

Below are a couple of my favs Justin took. We'll keep you posted on what
we're having if we find out on Tuesday

Beach House Oceanside

2010-08-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

What a fun getaway this was! We rented a Beach House in Oceanside Cali right by the ocean with Justin's family.
Enjoying the sunset...

Justin and his parents Jim and Patti.
Justin and Hannah worked on this "Shamu" with a little help from me and Jim. I think it turned out pretty awesome! We had to search for the perfect rocks and we didn't have a bucket so we had to haul them using our towel.
Sea World!!!!! I felt like a little kid and loved it! I haven't been to Sea World since I was pretty little. We saw almost every single one of the shows and almost every sight to stop and play, such as the star fish holding pond!

Me and Hannah. This is the beach from the above pictures, only at high tide. During the day there was a little bit of beach, but by late afternoon/evening it came all the way up to the rocks!
Stairs leading down to the "Beach" which was non-existent at high tide.

The fam: Me, Justin, Megan, Jason, and Hannah
The beach house. It was pretty little and we were pretty cramped together in there. I should have taken a picture of me and Justin's room. It had bunk beds and barely enough room to walk, but it made the adventure that much funner! Thanks Jim and Patti for planning such a fun vacation!

Selling the Condo

2010-07-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

We are taking a leap and selling our condo! I decided I couldn't have twins in a one bedroom (granted it's a very LARGE bedroom) condo. I thought I could, but I was reading my TWINSPIRATION book and it started stressing me out. So it's for sale! So we barely put it on the market, and low and behold came across an AMAZING deal on a townhouse. It was bank owned, newer, has a yard for Sky to play in and an upstairs with 3 bedrooms and a garage. Sold! We put an offer on it and that day it was accepted. Crap, now what do we do with our condo???? So we really need to sell it. Our closing date for the new townhouse is the end of August and I really don't want to pay two mortgages. Please tell your friends! It's in Ogden by the mountains by the mouth of the canyon, it has a pool and is very shady/trees and it's a super cute condo! It's been good to us! Check it out at www.tourfactory.com/633992!!!

Telling Justin

2010-07-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

I knew when I found out I was pregnant I wouldn't be able to keep it from Justin for long, and I wanted to tell him in a fun way. He was at work, and the first thing I did was take like three more pregnancy tests just to make sure :) Then I went to work and I was so excited I had to leave and I went and bought 50 pink and blue balloons and filled our living room with them. Somehow I fit them all into my car.

I tied a pink and blue balloon down with a positive prego test so he'd see them first when he opened the door.
Then I waited on the couch. When he walked in I'm so glad that I got his reaction on camera.
We are so excited and it was such a fun way to tell him! We didn't find out for several more weeks that it was twins we were expecting! We're still a little shocked about that.

Wonderful News

2010-06-22T19:05:00.001-07:00

We are so excited to announce that we are pregnant!!!!

Notice anything different about this picture?

TWINS!!!!
We can't even contain our excitement! I'm in my 10th week so it's still slightly early
so hopefully all goes well and they keep growing strong and healthy. I have been super sick (maybe doubly so :) but it's ok because it will all be worth it! I'm pretty sure they're going to be two little boys, but we'll see. We have an amazing doctor who is so thorough and cautious so it makes me feel really good about everything. Now it's just time to stock up on 2 of everything!

We went down to California over Father's day to tell Justin's family. This was in the present we gave to Justin's dad. It will be the first grandkids on that side. They were so excited! It was so much fun telling them! We told most everyone else with the M&M's.

HAWAIIN PARADISE

2010-06-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

So we went back to Hawaii last month because we're slightly obsessed. We flew out of Seattle because tickets were only 291/person! Amazing! So the drive up there was totally worth it and then we got to play around in Seattle which was way awesome. I love Seattle!At Pike's Place Market

Space Needle

Random Hawaii pic in the Seattle section, but what do you do? We rented kayaks from this Hawaiian guys house and Justin found his long board in the driveway and decided to take it for a couple runs..
Me in a sculpture in the sculpture garden at the space needle.

This grassy knoll was the best place to people watch. Apparently everyone from homeless crazy people to normal people pack on this location when it's warm. We were there on a day that was in the 70's and we were told it was the best day Seattle's seen in 10 months! We're pure luck I tell you what! It was beautiful while we were there.

My beautiful mom. We met them on the big island Hawaii, Kona side. This doesn't even look like Hawaii does it? The big island (not to be mistaken with Oahu which is the MAIN island) is so diverse!
Hiking across a massive caldera that in the 1950's was a massive lake of lava. Pretty intense.
Justin doing his favorite faces for pictures
My studly dad
He found this sharp bamboo and is acting as though he was just impaled by it. Very life-like dad
Justin's awesome tan line the first day in the sun. I was putting sun screen on him and he said "just do my shoulders, I want to get sun". Shoulders I did. This is what he looked like for the rest of the trip :)

The awesome awesome observatory. It's one of the best in the world because the sky is so clear for obvious reasons, and the big island of Hawaii is actually the tallest mountain in the world even though most of it is underwater. The stars were amazing and we saw Saturn and globular clusters and galaxy's 10 million lightyears away through the telescopes. It was amazing!

We sea kayaked out to Captain Cook's Monument and the whole way across the bay a herd of like 15 dolphins swam right beside us!!! It was the coolest thing I've ever seen!
Look at this enormous sea turtle we found!

This was definitely the highlight of the trip and we are doing it again when we go back someday. It's the night Manta Ray dive and is totally amazing. They take you on a 30 min boat ride out on the ocean, then you get there at sunset and there are other boats there and out in the water you see this glowing coming from the sea. Divers have gone down and put spotlights on the bottom of the ocean and the lights attract the plankton which attracts Manta's!!!! They give you wet suits, snorkel gear or dive gear if you dive and waterproof flashlights, you jump into the ocean with all the massive waves and get with a group around a ring they've made with like 4 water noodles, swim together towards the light and all shine your flashlights in the middle of your ring and wait till the 15-20 foot wingspanned Manta's come to eat the plankton. You put your face in the water and there they are! They were amazing and came right up to our faces. It is the most surreal thing I have ever done. If you ever go to Kona you have to do this. And it was only like 70 bucks. Totally worth it~!!!
Our vacation was definitely a blast and we never wanted to come back home. And it was so fun with my parents! They are in their late fifties and so adventurous! It made it that much funner!

LA Wedding

2010-05-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

Wow. I am a total blog slacker! Let's get caught up! In February Megan, Justin's little sister got married to Jason Card in the LA temple. We are so happy for them and the sealing was such a neat experience with Justin's grandpa doing the sealing. Congrats you guys! Jason, welcome to the family!

Justin with the happy groom!

Winter Blues

2010-02-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

I need to move to an island. I am yearning, YEARNING for the sun! Ever year I get more and more depressed each Winter. I love it when it begins, then during Christmas time and then I am done! January is by far the ugliest month of the year, followed by February and some of March. The only thing keeping me going is going to Cali the end of this month for Megan's (Justin's little sister) wedding and then Costa Rica in March! Yay!!! I can't wait. I need more sunshine in my life!

DECEMBER

2010-02-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

December was filled with events.....

Dad made a visit to the hospital with blood clots....(doing wonderful now...doctors still baffled because he should have died)

Christmas tree shopping!!! (went for a smaller version this year, but it was real nonetheless)

Paid a visit to our friends the Higgs in Idaho and saw Forgotten Carols...Christmas Tradition.
'Bad Sweater' party....
...we sold the frog and upgraded to this....
...Little baby Sky who is our new little teacup blue chihuahua! Isn't she so stinkin cute!!! She was only a pound when we got her and two months later is only 2 pounds! I am so obsessed with her. She is so fun!

Don't scare me like that!

2009-12-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

I got a call from my sister while I was at work that dad was in the ER with a pulmonary embolism. Talk about freaking me out! Freaking all of us out! Especially in a family full of nurses (me, my mom and my sister and brother working on it) we all know how fatal pulmonary embolisms are. For you non-medical people :) it's a blood clot in the arteries of the lung. It usually forms in the legs and gets caught behind the knee, and if it breaks loose, it goes straight to the lungs where it can cut off oxygen supply and kill you. Even just a small clot can be fatal. Surgeries and sitting for long periods of time (like on an airplane) are two main causes of blood clots. My dad's leg had started to swell below the knee and that's what brought him to his doctor who immediately knew what he had and sent him straight to the ER. Here's a picture of his lovely leg.He suspected that clots in his leg were causing the swelling, he could feel the lump behind his knee, but he had no idea that they were in his lungs as well. They did an ultrasound on his leg and from his ankle to his groin was one HUGE clot!!! There was hardly any blood being able to circulate. I always imagined blood clots just being small and round, not long and filling the whole artery from your ankle to groin! They then did a scan and found massive, massive clots that filled his whole main pulmonary artery (main artery to the lungs), clots filling all the branches into the right lung, a smaller clot in the left lung and clots in the base of his left lung. He should have been dead. Or at least intubated (tube down to his lungs to breath for him) and in the ICU. And yet all he had was a little shortness or breath and otherwise felt "marvelous" according to him. The doctor told him his health and fitness is what saved his life. He can still beat the 20 year olds on the basketball court, he hikes through mountains any chance he gets to hunt, hits the gym regularly, takes the stairs etc, etc. He's super fit. The fact that his lung capacity was so good to not even need oxygen with 3/4 of his lungs compromised with clots is huge! He was only using a quarter of his lung.

He was at Ogden Regional in the IMC. My mom has worked there for over 30 years on Labor and Delivery and so the nurses she works with know my dad pretty well. One of them had come down to see him and brought this hilarious, lovely lei made of roses and peri pads. Those of you that have had children probably recognize them.
He was in high spirits the whole time, saying he had "elephantitis". He was just bugged that he felt fine but apparently had massive clots in his lungs which meant little to no activity for the next couple weeks. Also that they have no idea why in the world he developed these clots at all. He was cracking us up the whole time. My dad has a really dry sense of humor and always keeps a straight face while joking. My mom said in the ER when the triage nurse asked him what he was there for he looked at her with a straight face and said "To get these clots out of me." and the ER doctor, in between my dad's jokes, kept saying slowly "This is serious. People die from this. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"
He was started on Lovenox injections (anti-coagulant) that he does twice a day and was in the hospital for 2 days. He now has to be basically on bed rest for the next week and do the injections and then he can switch to Coumadin. They say it will take at least 6 months of anti-coagulant therapy to dissolve all the clots. We are so lucky that he is alive and going to be ok. At least we hope he does ok. There's still a very small chance that things could go the other way, but he's definitely over the risky stage. It has definitely put some things in perspective for me. Things don't matter. People, and what we do here is what matters. I get so caught up in things that don't matter. Making money, vain things, greedy things, being selfish, not treating people kindly. I needed a little slap on the cheek to bring me back. I'm so grateful for all the blessings I have.
We love you dad! Don't scare us like that again!

Creative Cortney

2009-11-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

Cortney, my sister-in-law took these pictures and here are some of my favorites. Not all of them have been touched up yet, but I posted them anyway. If anyone is looking for a photographer, she does awesome!

Unexplained Feelings

2009-11-17T23:18:00.000-08:00

Every year I like Wintertime until about January, and then I am done! I usually dread the snow, wanting it only for Christmas then I'm ready for Spring and Summer. This year though, I do not know what is wrong with me. I can't wait for this.....This.......
This......
This.......
this!!!!
......and this!!!!
I'm already listening to Christmas music and usually I am completely stubborn about not turning on the two Christmas music playing stations strictly until after Thanksgiving. I have absolutely no reason why I am so excited for Christmastime, but I am! Merry Christmas!

October Fun!

2009-11-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

I love Fall time!!! October was a fun month! We went shooting up in the valley with our good friends the Stuarts......

....dirt-biking......(my nephew Keaton, he's so cute!)

...and best of all, on Halloween, went to the HARRY POTTER house! It is so awesome! Dr. Hartman who works with my mom puts on a Harry Potter house in his yard. These pictures don't give justice to how awesome and how much work was put into it. There were tons of full-blown actors, old and young that even come out of state to be part of the house. They had a zip line for the kids that was "Quidditch", the Nite Bus in a real bus that Madam whats-her-name that teaches Divination was reading palms and stirring tea leaves in tea cups, Snape giving people detention and sulking in the corner, Hagrid with his motor bike, Luna, the Weasley twins, Dumbledore, Butterbeer that was delicious! Handing out Bertie Botts beans, floating candles, the fat lady portrait with an actor inside, the death mark showing in the trees and then shouting Expecto patronus and a deer would light up and chase it away....seriously, it was intense and awesome!
Platform 9 3/4

floating candles
the nite bus
Hagrids motor bike
The hippogriff!! You can't see the rest of his body, but he was scary! If you didn't bow first he'd attack you, which he did and freaked me and melody out!

The Marauders Map. They also had the Dudleys and they were hilarious. Everyone stayed in character and did such a good job! I recommend going next year!
Justin was a lovely prom date for Halloween

I was a bag lady.
And Nicole was the cutest bumblebee I have ever seen!!!

St. George Marathon

2009-11-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

Justin ran his first marathon in St. George!!! He did so good! He amazes me with how effortless he's able to do things like this. He had never ran more than 13 miles and then he went and ran a marathon in 4 hours and 8 minutes. We spent the weekend in a condo with my brother Cory and his family which was a blast and visited Justin's Grandpa while we were down.

Good job honey!

KAUAI

2009-11-04T02:18:00.000-08:00

Fake-out, this is not the post about kauai. This is the post to tell you to scroll down to see the post about Hawaii. Since I started the post but didn't publish it before the PIG FLU post, it doesn't show up that I updated my blog. Lame!!! And after a very very long time of trying to post the millions of pictures of Hawaii with our slow internet, you can imagine how mad I was when I saw that it didn't even show up as the latest blog. So now you know.

PIG FLU

2009-10-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

So I'm not dead.....which is good. Me and Justin just have been so sick lately. I'm in the process of posting pics from Hawaii (which was a month and a half ago!) and all the other joys that have been happening in our life since then but we have been sick. We're now better, but of course I haven't gotten around to posting yet. Just wanted to say we're alive and well! And hating that it's snowing today.....I love fall and there's just never enough of it in Utah.

KAUAI

2009-10-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

WARNING: MANY, MANY PICTURES AHEAD
So it's a little late, but here's all the pics from Kauai Hawaii!!!! We went for 6 days in September after getting an awesome deal that we just couldn't pass up.
What a stud! Isn't it beautiful?! This island was indeed lush, green and beautiful! It was a pretty small island so we were able to do pretty much everything in the 6 days we were there. I learned that the center of this island is the wettest place on the entire planet!
This was the beach right in front of our hotel. Amazing! (above and below)

One of out favorite things to do on vacation....EAT!!!! We ate at this restaurant a couple times and went to the most amazing breakfast places every morning and I would get their awesome sticky rice with an egg and chocolate chip pancakes with coconut syrup. Oh my gosh it was so good!
My sister Tera and her husband Steve came with us and we had a blast with them!!! They are so much fun!

There was a kayak place where we rented kayaks for a good portion of the day and kayaked to all these places off of this huge river. It was beautiful.

We saw this rope swing while kayaking and the boys had to stop and play for awhile.Kayaked to the "Fern Grotto" and took a little hike.

Does this fruit look familiar to anyone?
Justin looks a little off in this pic....
He was unsuccessful.

Waimea Canyon. The Grand Canyon of Hawaii. This was an awesome drive up the whole canyon.

This is supposed to be the best shaved ice on the island. Don't be fooled by the appearance. It is not your typical 'snow cone'. They shave the ice really fine and then add amazing fruit juices and put stuff on the bottom like coconut and custard and chocolate and these awesome beans. I know, sounds weird but it was so good!

We went out to this lighthouse.

Pretty much everywhere that was supposed to be the prime for snorkeling had these sort of waves crashing in. I guess the surf was high while we were there. So as of yet, Kona, the Big Island is still our favorite place to snorkel in Hawaii. We'll have to come back to Kauai to compare when the surf is low.

I love getting fresh fruit wherever we go! Here is coconut, starfruit and a Hawaiian apple.
We had to hike through this jungle for awhile before we reached the most awesome destination of our trip!
This waterfall! We came out and were on top of it, then if you walk along the top you come to this huge huge tree where they've put a rope swing. If you look closely, at the top of the pic in the middle you can see the bottom of a metal ladder that was like 20 feet tall to be able to get out of the little lake after you went off the rope swing.

We hiked across the top of the waterfall...figured out how to get the rope that was hanging far from our reach....
And swung out! This does not give justice to how far out you swung and how far up you were. It took me awhile before I got up the guts to swing.

This was Queen's Bath. We had to hike down through the jungle, and at the bottom was this sign. Also, in the book we had that told us about this place and how to get there had severe warnings on it about not standing on the rocks that the waves were even near because, as the sign states, unexpected waves can come crashing up and suck you out! Little did we know, we were about to witness a near drowning....

We hiked along these rocks for awhile. It was pretty much a rocky cliff off the side. We couldn't figure out where exactly the spot was because it was supposed to be a cool clear pool that was encircled with rocks where the waves would crash over and dump water in, but when the surf was low, the waves stayed out but the water stayed in and it was a cool place with fish and crystal clear water. I guess kinda like a really large tide pool that you could swim in. But it said if the surf was high, you might not be able to see it cause it would be covered. Anyway, we found it and swam, then started our way back.
This is what we thought it was at first, but it was not. This thing had so much power. It makes me appreciate the power of the ocean. The water would come crashing in, then get sucked back out with so much force.
This is when the water is being sucked out, then below is like 2 seconds later with the water crashing in. The water level would rise like 20 feet in 2 seconds.
So there were two local boys about 14 yrs old on our way back by the edge of this and they were wet! So Steve asked if they were actually jumping into this thing! They said yes, and Steve began to talk with them about 1: how crazy they were, but 2: that obviously they must be pretty good swimmers and how only locals should do something like that. While talking, the other boy who wasn't engaged in the talking, goes and jumps into this thing! You could see that to get out, when the water came gushing in and rose the water level you could grab or turn and sit on the rocks, then the water would suck out and you would be sitting on the rock and could then hurry and climb up the rocks. Well, this kid jumped in, we watched as the water rose, he grabbed the rock and turned to sit, but was a little bit too much in the water, so when the water started getting sucked back out, it sucked him off the rock back in the water. Try as he might, he could not get another grip. In the meantime, he kept getting sucked away from the walls, and when he was near the walls the water would slam him into the rocks. It was the most awful thing I think I have ever witnessed. We watched for a good minute or so. His friend was off a ways and at this point tourists were congregating to watch. We kept expecting this kid to make his way out cause he was a local and did this all the time but he did not. So Steve ran to the friend and asked if this was normal and the kid just shook his head and was all shocked and said, "No, he's screwed. I've never seen it like this."So Steve ran back, the kid fighting with everything he's got to swim to the walls but is staying in one spot cause the current underneath was so strong. We knew if anything, he was going to exhaust himself. The waves would crash in and we wouldn't see him for a few seconds and we'd think he drowned, but then his little head would pop up from the foam. My sister ran off to get a buoy that was at the end of the trail because we didn't know what else to do even though once we had it, there was no way we could throw it out to him, it was way too far. People were crying and I ran to the crowd and was yelling for a cell phone to call 911. No one's cell phone had bars, so I told Justin to get his. His barely had enough and he got through with enough service to tell them where we were at and that there was a swimmer being swept out and then no service. This whole thing lasted about 25 minutes. We figured this kid could not swim back to us and he went under like 20 times in the thrashing waves, so we were screaming for him to swim parallel to the rocks and out to this little rock island. As soon as he stopped swimming towards us and the rocks he was able to make some distance and got to the rock island. We were all so relieved that he was out of the water, and I kept expecting to see a helicopter come to save him, but instead a jet ski came and then 2 rescuers on foot had come down the trail to us. But it took another 5-7 minutes with the jet ski out trying to figure out how to get to him without them being taken out.
Here's the boy safely on the rocks, so we thought. The waves were crashing on the outside of the rocks for 5 minutes or so, then all of a sudden, a huge wave comes and devours the rock. We see parts of the boy being scraped against the rock, head over feet and when the water is clear he had been scraped all the way to the bottom right of the picture hanging on the rock. It was amazing. I have no idea how he clung on. We could see blood streaking down his back and he climbed back up and then laid on his stomach holding on while more waves came crashing over him, almost sweeping him back out.
The rescuers finally had their swimmer get off, and swim over to the rock, told him to jump in and when he did, the water was up, then he jumped and the water sucked out exposing all this rock he couldn't see when he jumped and he landed on all the rocks and crumbled into the water. They grabbed him and took him to the jet ski. I can't even begin to tell you how awful it was to witness this. I'm only writing about it cause he was saved. I probably wouldn't be able to if he had drowned, which we were all 95% sure was going to happen, but by some miracle didn't! That kid is lucky!
Back to a happier note, here's a cool beach!

This shows the beginning of the center of the island, the wettest place on earth! This was part of the drive to a tubing excursion that went through all these tunnels and such. The guides were absolutely hilarious and it was well worth the money!We got to wear these sexy hats with lights and rubber gloves so we wouldn't bang our heads or scratch our hands on the rock tunnel walls.

I just think this picture is so funny. Steve was taking pictures before we were ready and I have no idea what Justin is doing or trying to do, but it ended up with him looking like he's concentrating real hard to do something cool and I'm looking with great intent.

Shipwreck beach. We were on our way up to that cliff.On the cliff. This was a lot higher than it looks!

We ended our trip with this gorgeous view and sunset with a few locals. Those are two Hawaiian islands in the distance, the ones that tourists aren't allowed on. This was such an awesome trip. I definitely recommend going to Kauai!!!

26 and Dodgers

2009-09-21T11:22:00.001-07:00

Justin turned 26 on September 4th! He's growing up so fast! I surprised him (well, sorta. it was a surprise but then I told him about it before we went) with flying to California to see a Dodger's game. We got pretty good seats too! We were pretty much close enough to almost be able to see the player's expressions. Justin LOVES the Dodgers.
We ate ice cream.....peanuts....and the famous Dodger Dog. The Dodger Dog was just a regular hot dog. I was expecting the amazing ballpark hotdogs that usually accompany baseball games but I was sadly mistaken.

The girls of the family: Megan, Patti and Hannah

Justin had his birthday dinner at this awesome Chinese restaurant. It is so addicting.

I forgot how blogger posts the pics backwards from how you download them, so this really happened before we went to Cali, but whatever. Justin's mission comp from Utah married a girl from their mission in Vera Cruz Mexico! So the whole sealing at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple was in Spanish, and she only speaks Spanish. Made for an intersting time during the luncheon. We sat at her table with her mom who also only speaks Spanish and with two others that were Justin's comps, one of which was from Mexico but speaks English. Half the time the conversation was in English and I'd be a part of it, the other half the conversation was in Spanish. It was a really cool sealing though and she seems like such a sweet girl. She even kissed me on the cheek in greeting! Cute!

After Justin's birthday in Cali, we flew home Monday morning and packed and got ready to leave the next morning bright and early for Kauai Hawaii!!!! Yay! More posts and pics to come of that!

Love Is In the Air

2009-08-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

Justin's little sister Megan just got engaged!!!!! Yay for her and Jason! He ring is so pretty and we're so excited to have Jason in the family!
We decided to go to Outback to celebrate. Gotta love the Bloomin Onion!

Also, our neighbors Taz and Kya were sealed in the temple and my brother and his wife Nicole also know them so here we are celebrating at Iggy's!

Justin, Taz, Kya and me outside of the temple.

Taz and Kya. They're so cute!!!!! Congratulations!!

Summer Fun

2009-07-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

This summer is flying by! Here's a little of what we've been up to so far.

We went to Cali for Justin's little sister Megan's graduation. Go Wildcats!!
On our flight over to Megan's graduation, we flew with the whole Salt Lake City Real Soccer team! The airplane even had a soccer player guy on it. It was pretty sweet.
My friend had baby pigs!!!! This one is freaking out in my arms. I never knew they could squeal like that!

We hit up a Raptor's game with my brother Dallon and his wife Nicole, the Valleta's and the Stuarts.
Dusted off the beamer and put her up for sale. Anyone want it? :)
My niece and nephew Rex and Ellie helped out with the car wash.
Celebrated my brother's Birthday at Ahh Sushi. Justin likes to entertain Winter, my niece.
Went up to my sister-in-law Nicole's cabin up in Lava Hot Springs. It was so beautiful up there and so much fun! We were obsessed with playing this bean bag game.
Played around on the 4 wheelers while we were up there....
Along with lots of game playing!

There's a little of what we've been up to! Justin is in school this semester taking 16 credits and working full time so I'm glad we've been able to get away here and there so he doesn't go insane. Hope everyone else's summer is going swell!!!

The Best 2 Years

2009-07-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much I've been slacking!!! I'll now attempt to catch up! June 8th was our 2 year anniversary. I can't believe that it's already been two years. It seems like we just got married!!! But I do have to say that it has been so much fun and has just gotten better and better! I remember the first year we were married people kept saying "The first year is always the hardest" and I would say that that just wasn't true because we were having the time of our lives!!! Although, looking back, I would say that the hard part was me and my craziness that seemed to come from nowhere. I blame it on the birth control, but who knows? Anyway, it took a little over a year to get over that and I can now say it's mostly gone. I just wanted to let Justin know how much I love him and how glad I am that we are sealed forever. Thanks for taking me to the temple 2 years ago to be yours forever! I love you!!!

So we went to Florida the month before our anniversary, and had a little trip to California planned a few days after our anniversary, so we didn't plan any major getaway. But we went to our favorite sushi place for dinner, went for a drive up beautiful American Fork Canyon (we were going to hike Timpanogos Cave, but it was rainy) and then went to buy us a new frog. Here he is. His name is Poncho Villa.

I do have to say, I do not love him. Having him has made me realize what a good frog Sapo was. Who knew frogs could actually have different personalities?? Sapo was so good. He let me hold him all the time and I would take him out of his cage and hand feed him crickets and everything. Sometimes he would jump away but only like a couple times and then I'd get him to crawl back on my hand and put him in his cage. Poncho is a complete spazoid!!! He was going crazy in the container we bought him in on the drive home, so I put him in the cage and gave him 3 days to acclimate before I took him out to feed him. He literally jumped out of the cage the second the lid came off and jumped about 20 times around the living room. He's only like an inch big and I was so afraid I'd lose him. I finally caught him with a glass cup and then put him in a little cricket container with the lid in and threw in some crickets hoping he'd eat them. I didn't want to just put him in his big cage with him because his cage lid is mesh and the crickets can get through them. But in the little cricket container he just sat there and let the crickets jump all over them. He wouldn't even eat them. I was so mad at him I just put him back in his cage and threw the crickets in and hoped he'd eat them before they all jumped through the mesh and therefore in our house. I saw him eat only 1. And that's how it's been ever since. He's too spazzy to take out of the cage, so I'm sure we have crickets hiding around our house. This picture with me holding him is literally today, July 21st. This is the first time I've held him and I think the only way it happened was he was fat from eating yesterday and I woke him up from his nap, so he was half asleep and I got him on my hand. Crazy Poncho.

At Sushi Ya!!!

I got Justin this sweet watch.

And Justin got me these beautiful flowers and I'm awaiting a ring he ordered me that's so pretty! It's got pink princess cut sapphires and I can't wait till we get it! Thanks for 2 years of the best memories honey!!!! Happy Anniversary!!!!

A Death in the Family

2009-05-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

I fully regret to inform you all that Sapo has died. And died he has before I was ever able to introduce him to my blogging friends. He was a good frog. Except for when he would jump away from me when I took him out of his cage. But he was a very good jumper even when he was being naughty. He was only about an inch and a half long and he could jump several feet and super high. I found him on KSL.com for sale for $20. I fell in love with him instantly and had to have him. We drove all the way to South Salt Lake for him. When the girl handed him over he was in this teeny tiny cricket cage thing that was like a little box and it was filled with 2 inches of water with a fake water plant floating in it and Sapo was like 5 inches up the plastic wall away from the water. He's a tree frog! Not a pond frog. He hated that place. Good thing we rescued him. We bought a 10 gallon tank and filled it with bark and a tree and leaves for hiding and a 2-pool rock. He loved his new home. I thought that maybe I was only excited because he was new and that probably over time I'd lose interest in him but this was not the case. I just loved him more and more every day. I fed him live crickets every 3 days by hand cause if I just stuck it in the cage sometimes he wouldn't catch them. I tried to mist him every day and fill his pond with water. Here is the most recent picture of him alive as he's sitting on my thumb. This is when we very first got him 5 or 6 months ago. He was so green! Isn't he so cute!

So I think I killed him. What's weird is for the past 2 or 3 weeks I have had like 4 different dreams that he's died. And I was always super traumatized when I woke up from them cause he would like be bloated, or brown, or shriveled, or his skin would be falling off or something horrid. And it would make me so sad. So I went to work at night, came home in the morning and turned on Sapo's heat lamp and didn't even look in the cage. Then I remembered that it'd been awhile since I filled his pond with water, so I got the water and while I was getting it said to Justin, "Sapo's probably dead! He has no water!", then I walked over with the water and there was Sapo, all shriveled and brown in a stance like he was about to spring forward in a jump! I took one little look and freaked out! I lunged away from his cage and Justin was so surprised and I started sobbing and said, "He really is dead!" then Justin went to inspect and confirm the death. i don't know what was wrong with me, but I sobbed and sobbed. Justin's only seen me cry a few times in the 2 years we've been married, I just don't cry but this made me so sad. I think just because I had had those dreams of him dying and now he looked awful and it just totally shocked me. Plus, I had just worked for like 15 hours straight, all night long and so I'm sure I was a little emotionally unstable. Justin kept saying we could buy another one, but I said I didn't want another one. Then I went to sleep for the day and dreamt that I woke up and found a big gecko dragon thing in Sapo's cage and I was so mad at Justin for buying it and even more made when he said it would only be $200 a month. So he took it out of the cage by it's tail and was showing it to me trying to talk me into keeping it and it growled and bit my neck! Then I woke up.

So we had a funeral for him (right before our softball game hence our lovely outfits) in the backyard of our condo complex. Justin had wrapped him in paper towels and put him in this Lipton Onion Soup box so I didn't have to see him.

I kissed him good-bye and Justin laid him in his grave.

God bless Sapo.

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

Just needed to vent. Sorry, no pictures. We had a spur of the moment fabulous idea to go to Escalante in Southern Utah to hike the slot canyons. My parents and sister were there on Thursday, called and said it had been rainy but that it was supposed to clear up and they had the campsight till Monday! So we took off Friday afternoon, spur of the moment. Bad idea. Do you know how many other people decided to take off for the Memorial weekend on Friday? All of Utah! So what should have taken about 5 hours took 7! We got to the campsight at 11:00 pm and fell asleep instantly in the tent trailer. Rained all night, was raining in the morning and forecast said it was supposed to rain all weekend. So we drove home around 12, which took about 6 hours. Along the way we stopped at Pei Wei in Bountiful. Almost as good as PF Chang's and half expensive and way faster! I crave that place. Then stopped off in Layton to see Angel's and Demons. It sucked. I hated it. Although I had read the book and they totally ruined it and the acting sucked. Don't see it, especially if you've read the book. If you haven't read the book then you'll probably think it's "ok". We went to church with my sister and family on Sunday and then made them a taco dinner. The taco dinner we took down to Escalante but did not use because we just came home. We also had the S'mores and Banana boat stuff so we had a fire at her house and ate those up! It was a fun relaxing Sunday! Then Monday me and Justin just hung out, saw Star Trek (which was surprisingly very good!), went to the batting cages, ate gelata's at Zeppes (the coconut creme italian ice with chocolate custard is amazing, we are obsessed with that place), went to my Grandma and Grandpa Jones' gravesight, then went to my parents to relax and watch the Laker game. So I guess the weekend was fun once we got back from S. Utah. Just relaxin and such. Hope everyone else had a fun Memorial Weekend!

FLORIDA FUN!

2009-05-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

A week ago we spent a week in Orlando Florida! It was so much fun! We went and saw Blue Man Group while we were there and I was very impressed! It was better than I thought it would be. I highly recommend it!

I have to say we are a little obsessed with vacationing. As soon as one trip is done, we're planning for the next one. We stayed at this Calypso Cay resort.

I wish I could say we went to the Kennedy Space Center, but we didn't. We really wanted to but there is SO much to do in Orlando that we didn't have time to do half of what we wanted. This was at the airport :)
In our seats at the Blue Man Group.

We were so dang excited when we saw a local fruit stand. We wanted fresh grown Florida oranges! I just knew they were going to taste amazing. Here Justin is with a fresh picked orange. Delicious? NO! So not! We get better oranges here in Utah at the supermarket! I have no idea why they weren't good. Maybe we didn't go to the right stand. I don't know.

But the mangos were delicious!!! I'm smelling one in this picture.

We drove over by Tampa the first day and went to Clearwater Beach. It was beautiful!

Justin frolicking in the ocean.

We went to Universal Studios, which had a lot of different things than Universal California. I love Universal!

Somehow Justin always gets picked to be an audience volunteer. He also was picked when we went to the Universal in California. The hostess girl had picked everyone but a last person and said she needed a really hunky guy and picked Justin. What a lucky girl I am to have such a hunky husband!

They had him in front of a green screen and he had to flail his arms around then later they added him to a movie where he was sliding down lava!

We had free tickets to DisneyWorld so we went to experience Epcot. This was in Mexico.

At Universal they had a Dr. Suess Land! I totally felt like I was in one of his books.

Epcot had tons and tons of bush art. This was some kind of goblin or something.

More bush art.We've been to see Cirque Du Soleil in Vegas, Mystere, but in Orlando they have La Nouba. We'd never heard of that one. So we went and saw it and it was so good! Although I do have to say, I enjoyed Blue Man more!