Nursery and growth update

In the mormon church, turning 18 months is a big deal, both for the kid but primarily for the parent. It means you only have to "fight" with your kid for 1 hour instead of the 3 whole hours of church. The child, at 18 months, gets to enter the first stage of what we call primary, which is called nursery. At this "class" they get to play with toys, have snacks, play with bubbles, have a 5 minute "lesson", sing songs, etc. Sounds awesome, huh? James hit this milestone the end of December and both Phil and I were very excited about it. We didn't have any concerns that James would run in and not look back for the next 2 hours. After all, he does great getting babysat by other people for the most part.

However, the transition has not gone as smoothly as we have hoped for. Now, I don't want to belittle his success. He truly has done well (and supposedly, according to the leaders, has done absolutely wonderful comparatively to the other children who have recently entered). But once again, I really thought he would not have a hard time AT ALL so when I showed up the first time to pick him up and he was crying, I was a little concerned. Since then, we have had to work on a few things. Apparently my child is a slow eater and takes food VERY seriously...he unfortunately gets that last part from me. When the leader thought he was done (since everybody else was done and had moved on to other things), she picked up the rest of his snacks and I guess he had a breakdown. He also struggled when they had to pick up and put away toys which is something I had never really had him do at home (what kind of a parent am I?!?! I'd just quickly clean up after he went down for a nap or for the night...needless to say, this has definitely changed in our house). The hardest part for him is when people open and close the door frequently to the nursery room as well as when they move rooms for the "class/singing" time.

He has since improved immensely, after us going in a sitting with him through the room change but still becomes a little weepy. I am sure, with time, all will go smoothly and it will get to a point where he doesn't want to leave. But until then...It is a big change for him and I need to understand that. Structured class is a whole new world. We just take it one Sunday at a time.

Just for an update with James, he is growing and growing and we continue to fall in love with him more and more every day. Phil and I frequently express our love for him to each other at the end of the day. It is amazing how much you can love such a little person so much. At his 18 month appointment he had increased on the growth chart in head circumference and height (around 75%) but weight is still around 25%. It is fun to see him learn and grow. He loves cars and trucks (tractors/big machinery). I get an assortment of books at the library for us to read and I got a tractor book a few months ago which he fell in love with. Since then we have gotten several more and he loves them. As soon as he sees any type of big machine outside when we are driving, he is quick to point them out. These include cranes, front end/back hoe loaders, excavators, cement trucks, Semi trucks, etc. Anything that is big. Even just a regular big truck can catch his attention. He has taken to rolling cars around on the couch/bed/our legs (mostly things his level) and this can keep him occupied for quite some time. He is also enjoying stacking blocks together. Balls are getting to be more exciting and of course, any moment we can spend outside, he does...but has needed mom or dad out there with him more recently for some reason.

Word wise, we have struggled a bit. He doesn't say a whole lot and the doctor was a little bit concerned at his last appointment. He only verbally said uh-oh and nana (banana) at 18 months but also signed please, thank-you, and more. He has increased that vocabulary since and has added several words such as:

-ap-poh (apple)

-mo (more)

-dah (dog)
-em-poh (temple)

-bah (ball) or bah-bah (basket ball)

-may-men (amen)

is able to sign cereal, cracker, drink, milk, help and also imitates the following sounds:

-moo (cow)

-whoo (owl)

-hoo (blowing out air for a dog...not sure where that came from)

-meow...sort of (cat)

-choo-choo (train)

-a form of quack for duck

-moves his lips for a fish

-blinks his eyes open and close for rabbit (phil scrunches his nose and that is how he imitates)

-spanks his bum when we ask him about getting a spanking (since that happens so much at our house!)

He has been a little clingy the past few weeks as he hasn't been himself due to sickness/teething. He has needed mom time a lot more which makes me worry about this new baby coming so soon but I guess he'll manage! I hope to be able to give him the time he needs but that he learns quickly how the transition will be. We sure love our boy!

One Man Race

In mid December, Phil ran a marathon. He decided during the summer that it was a goal that he wanted to acheive and put his mind to it and did it. Being the frugal people that we are, he didn't want to pay to run in a race and figured he could just chart out his own course and do is own race. He started training mid summer and things went great until a few months before the planned marathon day (well...he did have some issues prior to this but getting actual running shoes fixed that problem!...that was one corner he couldn't cut when it came to money). He had some issues with his calves cramping up on him. He kept putting off the date but finally set it for December 11th and raced from Marana up to about Picacho Peak. The actual race went much better than he could have asked for. In the first two miles his calves started to cramp which worried him immensely but he was able to alter his stride so that they didn't give him any more problems. I was able to be his water/snack girl through the race. I would drive ahead every 2-3 miles and wait for him to meet me, set up station, cheer him on, and then drive ahead a few more miles. My parents were able to watch James so we didn't have to deal with keeping him happy which was marvelous. Phil's parents and sister and her husband (Janette and Brian) sent him off at the starting line and Janette and Brian were able cheer him on during the race and celebrate at the finish line with us (Thanks to everyone for their help/love/support...it was huge!). Phil used Janette's GPS watch so he could calculate the exact distance he had gone and also her IPOD which allowed him to listen to 4 hours worth of conference! Janette joined him running around mile 23-25 and then at the finish line, we unrolled some toilet paper for him to cross which actually ended up being a little before 26.2 so he had to keep running! :)...we had gone by our odometers and the GPS wasn't quite there so we miscalculated.

Phil is pretty amazing and quite the example of reaching a goal when setting his mind to it. I was so proud of him and love him so much! Great job, babe!

Getting Ready

Part of his fan club

On the road again...

Ready for some water and nourishment

Getting close...

And, the finish line...even though he had to keep running!

The post race shot with McRae taking place of James since he was MIA

Mother of two

Through the months of October-December I watched a little girl, Ember, from my ward who is 3 months younger than James. It was quite the experience for me. It was pretty tough at first. I hardly dared go out of the house unless I had them both strapped into our stroller but soon grew more comfortable with it. I even felt like I could grocery shop and not go crazy by the end (that was my biggest of all fears!). It was great for James as he hasn't had too many opportunities to interact with another child, let alone one his age for longer periods of time and I think it helped him prepare for nursery. It definitely helped boost my confidence level immensely in regards to having two children. I understand it will be much different with the difference in ages (newborn/toddler vs. two toddlers) but nonetheless, I feel like I'm going to be okay. It will be easier in certain things such as one won't be mobile. On the other hand, I will be completely sleep deprived! Thank you Ember for this preview into the new world of mother of two!

You're So Vein(y)...

Pregnancy continues to forge ahead. Overall, I have been feeling well. This time it hasn't been quite as easy as it was with James but not bad at all. I am currently 27 weeks along and am just easing my way into 3rd trimester.

The pictures below were taken last week (26weeks). I have many people that comment on how small I am but I sure don't feel small. In fact, last week I had my first feelings of, "I've got 3 months to go! How am I going to get any bigger?!"

The latest and greatest aches and pains I have been experiencing have been varicose veins (thus the title). Lovely, I know. And ironically, I've mainly been getting them on my left calf. It looks awful but has not been too painful yet. They do ache especially when I'm on my feet for a long time but aren't too bad. However, they are starting to get worse. I might start wearing some support socks if they get really bad. My mom got them starting with her second pregnancy and they were really painful for her. I just hope they don't become terribly painful. Anyone have experience with them? Suggestions?

We are getting really excited for baby girl's arrival. I went through a period where I had cold feet about being mom to 2 kids, especially a newborn. But thankfully, I have pretty much gotten over those gitters and am just excited. I've been reading up on labor and delivery a lot and I hope to have a successful VBAC. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much just in case.

Awhile back I mentioned that I was going to be going to a hematologist to address my low platelet issues. I was diagnosed with ITP (Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura), or in other words, low platelets for no explainable reason. Due to this, my doctor thinks that the anesthesiologist will be very hesitant to give me an epidural during labor. Ideally, I'd like to deliver naturally without medication so it is sort of a pro. However, it is always nice to have the option. The biggest downside is if they end up having to take me in for an emergency c-section, they might have to use general anesthesia and I'll be out for the whole delivery. Any suggestions on how you got through labor and delivery without meds?

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

I've been terrible at updating so hopefully this is the beginning of many more updates!

The day after Thanksgiving we decided to put up our Christmas decorations (the few that we have...it didn't take very long). James was in heaven. He really enjoyed everything from the tree box, to the tree, to the ornaments. We tried to put the non breakable items on bottom since we know our little boy well! It turned out looking okay but the top definitely had more ornaments than the bottom.

Big helper!

Throughout the weeks since, all the bottom decorations have come off and eventually we have just put them on the top so the bottom of our tree has nothing on it (except for the pre-lit lights of course). It looks quite funny but you do what you gotta do! The other day I ran to the bathroom while James was playing in the front room. When I came out, I found our tree had been knocked over and one of my favorite ornaments (of course) had shattered. The culprit was standing right by the evidence. I wish I would have gotten a picture but was more concerned about keeping bare feet from stepping on glass. Our tree now has a nice piece of twine connecting it to the window to prevent further occurrences...at least we hope. For some reason he loves to get behind the tree. It is a good thing we love our boy!

Our funny looking Christmas tree

Quick Update

Life is good. I can't believe it is going to be Halloween this weekend! How time flies.

James is getting bigger and continues to be so much fun. I don't know if I am just paying attention more but I've noticed him progressing quite a bit recently. He still doesn't say any "words" but our communication has improved a lot. I can tell him to go get a toy or a book and he knows exactly where to go in the house to get it. He understands so much more than he used to and it is fun to see that he gets it when I tell him things. He has just started to get into books (finally!). We got a book from the library about machines used for work and he loves it. He will bring it to me and Phil for us to read to him. He is especially obsessed with the garbage truck...not sure why. We also have a "my little word" book that has themed pages with pictures falling under those themes. He has discovered the pages that have pictures of things that go (car, plane, helicoptors, tractors, etc). It is so fun to see how much he likes that kind of stuff. It is amazing at how aware he is of his surroundings. Noises that I naturally block out he is quick to point out. Every time a plane flies overhead he points up and tries to find it in the sky.

Some funny happenings with James: The other night we sat down to call John and Becca (Phil's brother) and discovered their contact info had been erased. That is what we get for letting him play with our phone. That same night we were woken up in the middle of the night by our alarm clock (the one we never use because we use our phone alarm instead). Thank you James! It made us laugh.

I have been feeling great. I reached 20weeks yesterday. Half way there! I've been surprised at how tired I still am. I try to catch a nap during the day which helps me immensely! I have started to feel movement and have been surprised at how little I have felt compared with James. I have definitely started to show and have received comments from strangers about expecting (will post some pictures for you Eevi in the near future). My own clothes are starting to not work out so well and I'll have to resort to maternity clothes full time in the near future. I have had several ultrasounds (my doctor just does them at every appointment instead of using the doppler) and so far he confidently thinks it is a girl! We have one more ultrasound in a couple of weeks so we'll see if anything extra decides to appear before then!

The only true "issue" I've had is with a low platelet count. I've actually had low platelets every time my blood has been taken in the past (not being pregnant as well) but never worried much about it (at least not enough to go get it checked out). My doctor wants to make sure everything is okay so I get to go see a Hematologist this next week. It will be interesting to see what happens. Even if they find something wrong, I doubt they will do anything while I'm still pregnant. Yeah for getting to see more doctors...

Phil is great. Loves school but is ready for year 3 and 4 so he can start to be a "doctor" instead of just a "student". He is pretty amazing at how he balances everything out, especially me. He has been training for a marathon and has been doing great. He has been surprised at how much he has enjoyed it. He gets to run 20 miles this next Saturday (I think). I'm not sure when he plans to run this marathon, as he is mapping out his own course and is just running it. I will be the fan club/water girl/finish line party/etc. I'm really proud of him and his determination to do it. When I go running for my few miles, I'm grateful that I don't have to run as far has he does.

So life goes on! Until next post...

What are the odds?

What are the odds?

I happen to be driving down the freeway during one of the worst storms of the year yesterday. Hail, at least the size of marbles, starts pelting my car and is deafening inside. I can't see a thing in front of me and everybody is stopped around me (except for the daring guy in the truck behind me who zig zags around everybody and takes off). My child starts to scream because of the noise. It finally lifts up a bit, enough to increase the speed and continue on my way on the what looks like snow packed freeway. I'm a half mile away from my exit practically under a bridge when traffic comes to a halt again. No one is moving. Time ticks away...it continues raining and because of all the rain, water starts to rise right where I'm at...and not just from the rain but the drains under the bridge have water spewing out of them filling up the "dip" I'm in even faster because of the overload of water . I'm able to move out a little bit due to a tiny bit of movement of cars but none the less, we are still stalled. I get a little nervous thinking, "Is it possible for water to come through my doors?" but dismissing the idea since we should be moving soon, right?

Apparently there were some power lines that were live and sparking that were torn down from the storm right over the freeway right where my exit was. Everyone was completely stuck. I ended up sitting on the freeway for almost 2 hours and yes, my car did fill with water. I thought I was fine until I looked back and saw that there was 2 inches of water on the ground in my backseat area. "What in the world? How did that get there?" since no water was coming through the doors. Apparently, water can seep through the bottom of my car. To make this long story short, my car filled up with water up to the doors. I started to get really nervous when my oil light and check engine light came on. The thoughts of water getting into my engine made me really nervous!

The big positives of the situation?

• People around me were really nice. They started honking to get cars to move up a little bit which helped the water go down about an inch and made my check engine light go off. When another lane started to move before mine, they let me go first to try to get me out of the water.
• James was an angel! He actually fell asleep for the first hour of our stop and then hardly fussed for the next hour (which is truly a miracle since he hates his carseat). Crying babies just don't help my stress level.
• I had my cell phone so I was able to get updates of what was going on a mile in front of me. I was able to make calls to arrange the change of plans of my evening (I had to miss a presidency meeting). Plus, talking to family helped pass the time and ease fears...it just helps to talk things out.
• I was even able to laugh in the middle of the situation. What else could I do? I was completely stuck with no where to go.
• I have AMAZING family that take care of me! After I got off the freeway, I was able to get to my parents where they have a vacuum that sucks up water to try to "clean up" my car. They also have a big garage where we could leave the car with doors open to dry out (since we don't have a garage, I don't trust our neighborhood to just leave my car with open doors or windows.)

What a funny experience for me. Thankfully, I was also able to reach Phil at school to tell him what I was doing to our car while he was gone! I'm so glad everything worked out fine. It could have been so much worse!!

Randy vacuumming out the car

James having fun

A smile for the camera from Steve


Everybody hard at work