Pregnancy Follow-Up on Baby #2

     Well, I'm happy to report that at my ultrasound we found out our baby is growing just perfectly. Even though I was measuring small and didn't show growth for a few weeks he was a healthy weight of 6lbs 9oz at 36 weeks. Which put him right on track for his due date. Not only that, but he was back in the head first position! Yay! So as long as he stays that way I will most likely not have to have a C-section (unless of course there are other complications). I'm so relieved
     At my follow up appointment at 37 weeks I hadn't dilated anymore, but am now 80% effaced. The baby is also further down, which hopefully ensures he won't be doing flips anymore! lol. I am getting ready and excited. I haven't had any contractions or anything like that. I'm just super uncomfortable of course. I have also been very sick. I have had a cold for going on 3 weeks that won't seem to go away, and then on  Sunday I came down with the stomach bug. I couldn't keep anything down all day. It was awful. Thank goodness for good husbands. Ian took care of both Boston and I. He changed diapers, made sure we had fluids, cleaned up our messes, did two loads of dishes, tidied up the house. He was awesome and I love him for that.
      Now that I'm almost 38 weeks along, my priorities are to finish packing my hospital bag and the bag for Boston to stay overnight with family. I have actually gotten quite a bit done in the past few weeks that I have been wanting to do, despite feeling like crap.With the help of a friend and Ian finishing up when he got home, we got the baby's room painted and decorated a little bit. also was determined to paint our master bedroom before the baby came. I have had the paint picked out and sitting for months, but finally took a Saturday and finished it! Ian has been working late nights and weekends otherwise he would have done it for me (in case you all were wondering! lol.). I also am impatient and was not willing to wait for him to have time :) I still have a wood project that I'm currently halfway done with, I hope to complete and put in his room. I also have a shelf I need to paint and hang, then organize all his clothes etc.
I'm pretty happy I've gotten that much done though. I don't think the rest will take much, which is good because I don't have much energy these days!
      Anyways, I'll try to keep you all posted the next couple weeks with any changes! We are getting so close now!

This Pregnancy

I am now in my 9th month of Pregnancy with the second one. This pregnancy has been a little bit harder on me it seems. It's amazing how different the two pregnancies can be, and I hear each child can be that way.  Everything has been going pretty smoothly overall though. There have been no complications or concerns up until just before my 35th week. This baby has seemed to move around ALL THE TIME. Then I realized one day I had gone almost the whole day and not noticed him move. So I decided to do my counts (you know the whole drill where you eat something lay on your side, etc) nothing. I was a little concerned, but decided not to panic because I remember Boston giving me a similar scare before. So I went on with my day and decided I would check again later. By bedtime I still hadn't noticed him, but I was exhausted and Boston had been sick so I just went to sleep. After waking up at around 3 AM to care for my sick 2 year old I decided I should do a kick count (especially since he is usually VERY active in the middle of the night).  I went downstairs and ate a bowl of cereal (that always seems to get him going!) I waited 30 min then counted. NOTHING. I started to really get concerned now. How long had it been since I felt him move? Was I over-reacting? What could be wrong? My mind was racing I was in complete panic now. I thought he really might be in danger, or worse already gone and I'd end up having a still birth. I decided I would take a warm bath to calm myself and also see if that triggered any movement, because he often moves around quite a bit when I bathe. So in the tub I soaked and waited. Finally, I felt a little flutter of a movement. Nothing strong, nothing like his usual kicks, but at least it was SOMETHING. I cried out of happiness. I prayed and prayed, thanking for the confirmation my baby was still there and praying everything would turn out okay, then went to bed. The next day I took Boston in to his Dr. to get checked out since he had been having trouble sleeping. Sure enough, he had an ear infection. After the appointment I drove to Orem for Boston and I to eat lunch with Ian. On my way home, that's when I realized I hadn't felt the baby kick since those little movements in the tub last night. I decided to pay attention to for kicks the whole way home. NOTHING. I wanted to call my doctor, but they were closed for lunch for another 30 min. So I waited, and tried to count again hoping that maybe by now my lunch would have settled and would trigger some movement from the babe. By the time my Dr's office opened again I still had not felt anything. When I told the nurse my concern she quickly said, "You need to go to the hospital right now and get checked out." I thought, "What?" "The hospital? Really?" "Oh my goodness what does this mean?!" I got off the phone and started sobbing. I still had Boston with me, I can't take him to the hospital with me, and who do I tell? I don't even know what's going to happen once I get there! I tried calling family, anyone that could help me with Boston. Finally, I got a hold of my grandparents. They were in a class but left right away to meet me at the hospital. I called Ian and he left from Orem. After checking into the hospital they brought me into a triage room and hooked a monitor up to listen for the heartbeat. It was there, thank goodness. After being on the monitor for a long while they  performed an ultrasound to make sure the ambilical cord was not wrapped around the baby and that there was enough fluid. Everything checked out. They said there was no reason for concern, but suggested I get into my OB sooner than my regular appointment, just in case something changes. So after about 2 hours at the hospital we went home. I was relieved nothing was wrong, but felt a little silly I had made a big deal about it for everyone.
   At my 35th week appointment I was dilated to a 2 and 70% effaced with baby's head down. Everything looked good other than I was still measuring a little small. (I have been the whole pregnancy, and did with Boston too up until the last few weeks)
   At my 36th week appointment I found out the baby had flipped. He is now breech with his feet down. My doctor did a small in house ultrasound just to confirm. He was also concerned because I haven't shown progress in my growth for 2 weeks :/ So I go in today for a formal ultrasound to check the size of the baby and make sure we have a big healthy baby to deliver when the time comes....So I've decided this baby just keeps trying to make sure I'm on my toes. He's really sending me in emotional circles. I just hope he decides to flip back around before it's time to deliver, because I really don't want to have a C section if I don't have to :( So please pray for this little man to flip! I'm also hoping everything goes well in the ultrasound and that he is still growing!

2 Year Pictures

BOSTON 2 YEARS

Boston loves trains and horses most. He specifically loves Thomas the tank Engine and "Bow" (Grandpa's mini pony) is his favorite horse. He often talks about "Bow" and reminds us often how tall Bow is. He is constantly picking up new words now and surprises me everyday. He absolutely loves automatic doors (you know, like at the grocery stores) and we have to walk through them multiple times. He melts daddy's heart every night when he tells Ian "night dad!" He also plays and talks to "woof" (his dog, who 

 is actually named Savage) and always makes sure he says "hi" in the morning to him. He loves his dog and they play really well together. Our dog is so patient with Boss, who climbs all over Savage and loves playing, petting, and sharing his toys with his dog. Boston is an absolute joy. He has such a fun personality. He is sweet and thoughtful. He enjoys making jokes, laughing, and making other people laugh. I'm lucky that he still takes a regular nap once a day and will not fight me when I lay him in bed. He loves looking at books and always asks for more reading time when we go to bed each night. He is such a joy to have in our lives and I can't wait to see what he continues to show us as he grows up!

 

Boston is 2!

Well, I have come to terms with the fact that I am a terrible blogger. I keep thinking I will post this or that and then I always find something more important to do. So I'm finally taking the time to post about Boston turning 2, because I feel that it is important to record this. It also is fun to share lots of pictures of my cute 2 year old :)

We had a Thomas the Tank Engine themed birthday party for Boston because he has been obsessed with Thomas for quite a while now. I have lots of fun planning and coming up themes, and since I no longer have any friends or family that are going to need showers anymore its a good thing I have birthday parties to look forward too :) lol. So anyways I'm really happy with how the party turned out, but next year I think I will try reserve the gym at our church so we have a lot more room! Here's a few pictures of the party.

 

Cake & food table

 

 Thomas Cake and Cupcakes

 The plates/napkins/silverware. Everything was red, blue, and yellow!

 

 The "Sodor Water Tower" and railroad striped straws (I love using paper straws! They just make drinks more fun right?)

  

 The "Diesel Fuel" were just for the kids at the party, they loved it.

We even had this huge Thomas and Percy poster for all the kids to take a picture with.

 

This is Boston's Thomas Tent he got for Christmas. The kids loved playing in it at the party!

 And this is a view of all the tables and decorations.

 

Blowing out the candles

Hitting the pinata. What a stud!

I was a little stressed for time on the day of the party. I wanted to make sure I got Boston's nap in and knew I would need a few hours to set up everything. I tried to plan accordingly, but I wasn't able to get everything set up and take pictures before everyone got there. I would have liked to be able to show you what I did for my table centerpieces and some of the games I made for the kids. We also had treat bags, conductor hats, and a pinata for the kids to hit. It was a crazy day and the party was a blur, but we had lots of fun! Boston even blew out his own candles :) I was so impressed. He was so excited that everyone was singing to him and knew just what to do. lol. 

That little boy just surprises me everyday! I can't believe how grown up he is getting!

Happy Birthday Bosser!

Ah ha Moments...

Since I'm pretty sure no one reads this blog anymore anyways, I'm going to take a few moments to vent. I've been without a computer for months and just today got a loner. After spending an hour or so reading everyone's updates and looking at cute pictures, I'd just like to share my thoughts about life in my world, and from my perspective. I'd like to consider it as my realizations these past few months. Maybe some hard lessons learned, and some important ones. Conclusion #1: Not all friends are actually your friends. Nor are they usually friends you can call a "friend for life." I will be sticking to the people that want to stick with me. I've given up trying to be friends with people that don't put me in their priorty list, when I've tried hard to put them in mine. I also need to pay more attention to those people who have put me in theirs and be sure I'm returning the favor. I realize now how valuable this is. Conclusion #2: Family is important and even though all their planning, parties, expectations, emotions, and history together drive me absolutely crazy. They are the ONLY ones that I can always depend on to be there when I need them or when my life is exciting, hard, depressing, or just going okay. They care about me more than an friend ever will. This is something I need to remember and realize my time with them needs to be made important even if not every family get together is always fun. Conclusion #3: Always be positive in everything you do. Life can really suck sometimes, but it's only going to be worse if you let it seem worse. Find the positive in every day, and let everyday have accomplishments that keep you going. Conclusion #4: There's no getting "it right." I have good days, when I get my house clean, my child is cared for and clean, we've played, and I have a hot meal waiting for my man when he walks in the door. I also have days when my house is a mess, my child has been through 3 different outfits and still looks like he's never been cleaned, and my hubby walks in with dishes in the sink and no dinner even in my mind. So what I'm saying is everyday is a new day to try your best. Everyday I choose something I am going to do. I can't have a clean house all the time, because then my child wouldn't have awesome play days, or I might never get to relax. No one has it all together all the time. Just remember that. They are just as good as you, and vise versa. We are all just doing our best, and yet there is plenty to learn from one another! (It's not like our best can't improve ;)) Conclusion #5: Life is a gift. I am loving everyday. We've had lots of ups and downs here but I'm so happy to have such a blessed life. Love every minute you can, because it really truly is a gift. THE END.

A Sad Day

Yesterday was going pretty well, until we were in the middle of dinner and I heard a car door shut just outside our house. Curious, I peeked out the blinds of our kitchen window only to see a man who had just stepped out of his car, carrying our cat in his arms and laying her on the grass in our yard.

I immediately jumped out of my seat and flew to the door, frantically telling Ian, "I think that's our cat!" I'm not sure what he was thinking, because he hadn't even been near the window. Regardless, he quickly followed me outside. The man asked if this was our cat. As soon as we got to where the man was I knew without a doubt it was our cat. Ian confirmed with him, "Yes she's ours." It was so sad, she had been hit by the car ahead of him while crossing the road to come home. The woman who had hit her was there too, she apologized and told us what happened. I tried my best to not sound too upset. We told them "these things happen, it's okay."  Really I wanted to just cry and honestly was a little angry, even though I know it wasn't her fault. Our cat chose to cross the road in front of her.

What happened after that is kind of blur, I don't remember seeing the man get back in his car. I didn't even notice when the cars drove away. Ian and I just sat with her stroking her fur. Then, Ian carried her in the backyard and we chose a special place to bury her. I wrapped her in one of Boston's old blankets and laid a cat toy with her.

Of course I miss her already. I get upset when I don't see her laying in her favorite chair, or hear her little coos down the hall. What I am especially upset about though, is that Boston lost his favorite friend. She made his day, every day. When she came by he would get all excited and make little "coos" back to her. If he were upset for any reason, she would hear him crying and immediately come to his "rescue." As soon as he would see her he would stop crying and start smiling or laughing. She was, in my opinion, THE PERFECT CAT. She was trained to potty outside, she rarely scratched the furniture, never bit or scratched us, she would come when we called, she was a good hunter, and the most loveable animal I've met. She would cuddle with us on the bed, but then would sleep in her own spot not to disturb us. I love that cat and she will sorely be missed.

Her as a baby kitten

Boston sleeping with the cat

Avocado Lime Salsa

I was asked to feature a recipe on my friend Tiffanie's food blog this week, and so I decided I would add it to my blog as well. Tiff and I became friends when she started dating my husband's best friend, James. Ian and I were there on their first date, and right after I said, "I hope it works out, I like her!" Well, they got married. So I guess you could say I got what I wished for :) Only problem is, she lives in Logan and I live in the Valley. So unfortunately we don't see much of each other. Well, she took on a great task a few months back when she started her own food blog. Her recipies are tried and true from her or other women who follower her. So if you are in need of tasty recipes then check it out HERE. I seriously use one of her recipes at least once a week. It has been awesome!

So back to MY recipe ;) I have only really been proud of one recipe that I got from my mom and Tiff happened to feature it on her blog here. Now this recipe comes from my mother-in-law. She cut it out of a newspaper years ago, and it is a family gathering FAVORITE.

Get ready to jump into spring/summer with this DELICIOUS side or snack. (Heck I eat so much of this stuff it becomes more like a meal than a snack! Ha ha)

AVOCADO LIME SALSA

You will need:

1 packet Italian Salad Dressing Mix- made according to package directions

Olive Oil (called for on dressing mix)

Vinegar (called for on dressing mix)

2 Avocados

4 to 5 roma tomatoes, diced

1 can white corn (shoepeg), drained

1 can black-eyed peas, drained

1/2 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped

2 to 3 limes, squeezed

Side Note: I've noticed brand of Dressing Mix doesn't matter for this so I just get the cheapest ;)

Mix salad dressing in a large bowl.

Slice Avocado

How I slice it: After cutting in half and removing the seed, slice to the skin vertically and then again horizontally, then scoop out with spoon and break up the slices.

Add drained corn and beans

Slice tomato

How I was taught: after removing top of tomato, slice down about halfway one direction and then again the other direction, then cut across the length of the tomato to get "dices". Repeat on the remaining half. (The reason I go only halfway is so your slices don't flop all over the place as you are trying to cut across)

Continue adding the remaining ingredients (Cliantro and squeezed limes) Then stir and your done!

Serve with your choice of tortilla chips :)

This is best served on the same day, but can be refrigerated for about a day. (After that the cilantro gets limp and the vinegar flavor soaks into all the ingredients a little too much) 

Mmmm....DELICIOUS! Enjoy :)