The Romig Chronicles

My Gift and the sweaters

2012-01-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

So the story with my gift is a little lengthy but deserves telling. A few weeks before Christmas we were in Eli's room playing with toys, Ruby was drawing on the magnadoodle and we have a little chat:

R: Where is a good place to buy clothes?
A: Macy's is a nice place.
R: I need someone to take me.
A: I could take you.
R: No you can't because it is for you.

Then she covered mouth and started bawling.

A:What's wrong?
R: The surprise was for you and I ruined it.

I was so seriously touch by the idea of her wanting to give me something, it so nice to be thought of and to have the desire to give be so sincere and pure. She is so thoughtful. I told her that when you want to surprise someone you talk to someone other than that person and they will help you. I suggested she get a piece of paper and draw pictures of some of her ideas and then we would seal it with a sticker and she could put it on Daddy's pillow so he could look at it when he got home from school and I promised not to look.

On the 23rd, my sister invited me to go into town with her. This is when they put their plans into action. Emma slipped an said what it was and Ruby was so mad. I pretended that I forgot and all was well again.

When my gift was opened, the girls were so excited and kept saying "You used to always get this for Christmas and we wanted to make sure you got one." Jed and I cried and he told me all the facets that went into this gift. The girls drew over 20 pictures and they picked the best from the pile. Jed created the calendar section, and they all glued, and Jed used his handy drill to create the holes since he couldn't find the hole punch. He is so handy. It is such a treasure to me, and Suzanne laminated it for me so it will last.

These are the sweaters. I felt this picture was perfect, because this is exactly how my kids are during picture taking time. Both are trying to keep Eli happy and in place and their care for him is so evident.

Eli's has a cowl neck with a button, he looks so handsome in it. Emma's has a hood and the pattern you see on her arm goes all the way around the body and Ruby just looks so grown up to me. Let me just say, I love sweaters, but especially these particular sweaters on these little loves.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T11:52:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas morning we spent letting the kids open their stockings, which Santa always bring part of our breakfast in. My cute sister delivered a Christmas wreath bread to me the day before. It was amazing. It was our families tradition growing up. It is time consuming, but when she dropped it off I was so excited and I told Jed that was her way of saying I love you without saying it.

Jed made breakfast, and after we got ready for church. Jed and I both sing in the choir and usually I just go to practice but don't preform because it is difficult to have someone come to sit with the kids while we both go sing. It causes too much commotion. However for this performance our primary president who also sings in the choir offered to have her husband and children sit with ours. Her girls sat with my girls on the bench and Steve sat with Eli on the bench behind. It was so sweet of them. It worked nicely as I was also singing in a small group. Our meeting consisted mostly of music with narration. It was such a emotional program for me there would be times that I would have to stop singing because I would get so choked up over the words. Particularly in the second verse of Away in a Manger where it says "But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. I love thee, Lord Jesus." and also into the 3rd verse "Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me I pray." How many of us don't want that. I love the spirit that was felt. We also sang Mack Wilberg's arrangement What shall we give. You can hear it here. It is amazing.

We came home and opened gifts. Like I said in a previous post, we had secret Santa's who brought gifts that were so special. In particular beautiful sweaters; one for each child. I have no idea where these came from. But they are such a treasure to me and as the kids grow out of them they will be one of those things that get put with special items, that remind us of goodness and special moments.

I got a very special gift from the girls but that deserves a post of it's own. I will also include a picture of the kids in their sweaters because I know you would feel cheated if I didn't ;)

The kids got to play with their things for a little bit and then we went to our spend the rest of the day with our families. We had a wonderful day that was filled with so much happiness and feelings of love for those we are so blessed to call family. I also relished the time that I got to cuddle Brock and Brevin.

Santa brought Eli a swing so that we could hang it in his doorway to help him with his sadness about not being able to go outside. He LOVES it! Sorry it is turned sideways. I always forget that I can't turn it later.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T10:43:00.001-08:00

It was so fun having a laid back day, we did a clean sweep so we would have a place for new toys and such. I have talked a lot about cleaning in my recent posts haven't I? I may be ready to take that subject to the cleaners.

I introduced the girls to The Princess Bride during Eli and Daddy's nap time. They really liked it but did insist that they put the blanket over their eyes during a few parts (the torture machine and when the holocaust cloak is on fire.)

In the afternoon, we made gingerbread houses. Jed helped Ruby and I helped Emma. At first they both wanted to decorate exactly like they look on the box, but we kept telling them that we wanted them to be creative. Each house turned out great, and Eli woke up mid project with his shirt off. He was happy to toddle around and occasionally hit the girls up for a bit of decorating candy.

For dinner we had pizza, and sparking apple juice. Normally I don't like carbonation, but it was particularly choice on this occasion. We opened Pj's, which Ruby asked all day long when she could open them. We ended the evening watching White Christmas. Jed thought he was going to be bored, but it brought a tear to his lovely eyes at the end of the show. For some reason, I like it when Jed cries. I confess, I am a weird Harold.

Emma and E-man

2011-12-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

They have moved some of the sunbeam classes around in our ward a bit as need be this year and with that has come E-man being moved into Emma's class. I think one week they played Rapunzel during class (Bless their teachers heart) and ever since then they have been such good little friends.

I wished Emma happy birthday on facebook and I got this comment from his mom: "happy birthday emma! so last night ethan got a fever & we told him he wouldn't be going to church today. "but i need to sing happy birsday to emma! it is her birsday!" he was so sad! it took me a bit to figure out which emma he was talking about...happy birthday from ethan!"

At our ward Christmas party, we were sitting at a table and his family walked in and he plopped in a seat at our table and asked where Emma was. He sat by us the whole time and I later saw the two of them together right before the primary preformed and he had his arm around her and brushed some hair out of her face. These two really are so funny. I always joke with his mom when I see cute things like this that when ever she is ready to look into wedding announcements we will be at the ready. :)

They occasionally have playdates, and they are just so fun to watch, and also to hear the things they say to each other. I love that my kids have good friends.

In Awe

2011-12-20T20:22:00.001-08:00

I am somewhat of a retrospec writer, because I think about things long after they happen and I like to mull over things. My heart is full of gratitude. I don't like writing about the stresses of our life, because even with those things our life is so beautiful, I like to remember the beautiful things.

This year for us has been difficult, but I have come to understand that there is no shame in difficulty, everyone has such circumstances. But here is where the gratitude comes in. We have grown closer because of them and have learned important things. I would not trade our experience. This year it never fails that when ever we have had a need of some sort that we ourselves couldn't take care of, the need was met. We have always had so many people just rushing to love and support us. This truly has been a year of miracles. Words cannot express the love that we have felt.

-Clothing for the kids. It seems right when we needed these things people would call or text me and ask if I could use a certain size they were getting rid of. Such an amazing blessing, my girls have loved all of the exquisitely cute things they have received. (Much cuter than their cheapskate mother would buy.)

-My sister showing up randomly at my door with band aids, lotion, scotch tape or calling to tell me about a great sell going on that would help me get things very inexpensively. She is the expert.

-A birthday sum given to Ruby to help her achieve her dream of Disneyland.

-My mom noticing that the girls shoes were getting a bit hashed and offering to take them shoe shopping as part of their birthday gifts. My mother is an angel.

-A friend setting up a small babysitting co-op. We have only done it one month but how could they have possibly known that we were desperate for a date or that our anniversary was in November. Truly a tender mercy.

-My sweet primary children who give me hugs and have written me Christmas cards.

-Our Sunday babysitter, who watches the children so Jed and I can go to choir practice for an hour after church. Melia is so sweet, my kids adore her.

-My next door neighbor who checks in on me, even though she has her hands full with 7 children at home. She also let me break into her house the other day with a credit card to borrow a 1/8 of a cup of molasses when she wasn't home. She also lets me spill said molasses on her porch when I try to break in. She is that amazing.

-Jed's parents giving us their couches and table. I am so thankful to have a table big enough to seat our all of our family and also have room for guests.

-A neighbor who we saw when we were out on a walk and Ruby started telling them that we were saving to go to Disneyland. This person reached into her pocket and gave Ruby 5 dollars to put toward her fund.

-Surprises that have shown up on our doorstep anonymously both for the kids and Jed and I. How I wish these incredibly amazing people could see my children's faces on Christmas. I have no words for these kinds acts, just tears. If you are a reader, thank you.

I know that Heavenly Father keeps His promises. He loves us perfectly and cares so much for all of us. Our lives have been so blessed by the hands of others. It is my hope that we can reciprocate the love that has been given to us and share it with others.

The best of friends

2011-12-12T22:04:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving we went to T&Chases. Our family stayed in Alyssa and Ashlyn's room. My girls thought it was the greatest thing ever that they got to share a room. After we got home the girls talked repeatedly about sharing a room and would constantly beg to be moved in together. Jed and I were hesitant because we remembered them sharing a room in the apartment. Emma would stand up in the crib and talk to Ruby and Ruby would run out shouting that Emma was keeping her awake. We were thrilled when they got to have their own rooms. They were too.

As they kept asking I kept warming to the idea. I would have thoughts like, "I should be happy they want to be together" "It would be so special for them to being in the same room for Christmas and be able to share their excitement." "When I shared a room with my sister I loved being able to talk to her"

Jed and I were still in chats about it and one day the girls asked again and we set up rules that they agreed to. The thing I worried about the most is that they would have too much time together and it would encourage fighting. After we all agreed the three of us prepped Ruby's stuff for the move. They were so cute and would grab tools and pretend to ratchet the bolts. They were also very good to hold the frame so it wouldn't fall when we were taking it apart. Such good helpers.

Todd and Meg offered us this bedroom set. It worked out perfectly, we just split up the quilts and there were 2 sheet sets, a rug, and the curtain panels. The girls love it so much and are so glad for this kind gift that Todd and Meg gave them. They are very good about making their beds and keeping toys out of there. I made them agree that it was a place for them to be together and if they wanted to play they could head down the hall to Ruby's old room which is now the toy room.

Jed was suprised that we did it without him. The girls are doing great and are so happy to be sharing their space and they are keeping their end of the bargain. Family relationships are everything and in the words of Junie B. Jones seeing them together makes me want "to clap my hands very happy." They are so good to each other.

They are the best of friends.

Late overs and B-day interviews

2011-12-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

As far as Birthday parties go, we allow the girls to have their first party when they are 5 and then they get a party every other year. This year it was our off year for parties but the girls get to have a late over at the beginning of each month. We made it a double and they both got to have a friend over for dinner and a movie. Emma invited Delphia and Ruby invited Julianna. We had waffles for dinner and the girls had a great evening playing and watching a movie. Eli had his dinner but felt the need to infringe on Delphia's. It was pretty funny.

*I feel a little stupid that I threw in the Mommy and Daddy card. I did it with the only thought being that Emma would say Daddy. I was positive she would. Anyway it blew up in my face and leaves me looking like and idiot and that I needed her to clap me on the back because I am such an amazing mama. I will now exit to climb under my rock. Please excuse me. *

Ruby turns 6

2011-12-08T20:43:00.001-08:00

6 years ago Ruby was born. It is amazing how much life has changed in such a short time. The one thing that has not changed is that Ruby brings joy to my life.

So often when I look at Ruby, I feel like I am seeing myself. She experiences some of the same feelings I experienced as a child, and still feel as an adult. Sometimes that makes me happy and other times, I hurt for her because I know what she is feeling. With that in mind it is sometimes difficult to know how to best help her. I can a) do what is most sensible and treat it in the same way that I was raised. or b) I try to think what is best to help her from the stand point of "I know exactly what that emotion or feeling is." But sometimes that is even more confusing.

I feel like Ruby is an old soul. She always reminds us to floss, read the scriptures, pray, and do the right thing even when others are being unkind. She truly is a good girl. Ruby loves art and could spend hours drawing, coloring and painting. She loves to sing and very often makes up her own lyrics and recently told me she is in love with "Justin Beaver" I tried to correct her and she said "Bieber is too silly of a last name to be real." We laughed our heads off tonight as we sang the 12 days of Christmas in our operatic voices. I think Ruby's two favorite things in the whole world is being with her family and friends. She loves people and is devastated when she hasn't seen her friends in a whole day. ( I mentioned that we may be getting together with Koen and she lit up like a Christmas tree. :)

Her favorite phrase on her birthday was "Can I do this since it is my birthday?"

I had a music practice on her birthday and I knew that it just wouldn't do to leave for a few minutes on her special day so I brought her along with me and she loved it. Whatever it is, Ruby wants to be a part of it. I am singing with Ruby's first primary teacher in this ward, Amanda Goodman, and it was so sweet of her to remember ruby and brought her a card, candycane, pencil, and a hair clip.

Ruby has brought a sweetness to my life that encourages me to be better and more what I can and should be. She has also brought strong emotions and a temper with her too, and ya know what? We'll take it. Love you Rubes!

Mr. Eli

2011-12-05T10:36:00.001-08:00

Eli started going to nursery in October. I was so worried that he wouldn't like it or would frustrate the leaders, and that he wouldn't want to sit in a chair. However both are contrary. He loves it, and he leaders are so loving. I am so happy for that. When we go to church the nursery room is the first one he goes into.

He has been able to go up the stairs for a long time, but going down was proving tricky because he wanted to stand up and sometimes his balance isn't the best, and there have been times that he has tried to go down head first. We have had a gate up for a long time and when at a friends home that have three levels I discovered that he won't try to go down unless someone is there. We took the gate down (it screws into the wall.) and after a week Eli has had great success. He likes being able to go where he wants to.

He is also signing a few words now. He can sign eat, more, milk and want. We are slowly working on adding more. We have a speech therapist that is coming to see him to in hopes of helping him move along verbally. That is where his biggest frustration comes from, he knows what he wants but can't communicate it to us. Signing has helped but it is a new thing even though we have been pushing it for months. When we stopped pushing it he did it on his own. His speech therapist believes the delay in speech is from his seizures, and asked if we thought it was possible that it was genetic. At this point that is the only thing that makes sense, as everything comes back normal. I don't know of any other family member who has seizures, but my grandma is adopted and I have often wondered if it comes from the family info we know nothing about.

Eli is a bright boy, he loves to be with the girls, being outside, wielding the light saber, things that make sound, being on the bed. This Eli and his friend Reese. Love this handsome little guy.

Emma turns 4

2011-12-01T20:48:00.001-08:00

We spent Emma's 4th birthday in Cedar at T and Chases home. They blessed their sweet twin boys that day. I had so many people ask me if it was hard for Emma to share her day, and the answer to that is no. Teresa gave Emma the spotlight right before the lunch and she got to blow out a candle shaped like a 4 on a box of strawberry ice cream, her favorite. It made her feel so special even if she seems serious. On the way home she told us that the best part of the day was being with her cousins.

Emma is such a vibrant girl, she has so much personality and knows what she wants to do and does it, even when it means it will end with her sticking her nose in a corner for think time. She loves to share what she has with others, dance and play with Ruby and her friends. I am thankful they include her. She is part of the crew. She is so sweet to Bubba and is a big helper and night when Ruby reads. Bubba likes to be where we are but is such a wiggle worm. Emma is so good to play "I'm going to get you" and chase Bubba even though I know she wants to be on the couch with us. She has become my little companion while Ruby is at school, and is also very good at helping cook dinner.

A funny story about Emma recently happened while I was changing Bubba. She asked me why his bum "looked like that" because her bum "doesn't look like that." I explained that all boy bums look like that. "Daddies bum doesn't look like that." She assured me. We went back and forth for a few minutes until I told her to go ask Daddy if his bum is the same as Eli's. She marched off to confirm that she was right and I was wrong. She rapped on the bathroom door and asked Jed the pertinent question. He informed her that they were the same and that was that. She turned around and shrugged and said "Daddy was right. Their bums are the same." In Emma's mind Daddy is always right unless it is regarding think time or bedtime.

Emma is my little love, and she loves to preform for the family, especially when Ruby is at her side. If there is a crowd she gets shy. Emma is such a joy, and she is the cause of many eye rolling moments at our house but we love her so much. Grateful Heavenly Father sent us so much gusto and spark in such a little body.

Thanksgiving weekend fun

2011-11-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

Our initial plan for Thanksgiving was to be with my family, but we got a call from my mom on
Thursday morning informing us that she had the flu and that it was best if we made other arrangements because she felt so awful and had a really bad night. How grateful I was that the first thought that came to was that I knew we could call Jed's mom and dad and they would make room for us even though it was last minute. I love that about them.

The kids had fun with the cousins and dinner was delicious. I was in charge of rolls at my moms house and I was trying a new recipe that you make the dough and then let it raise over night in the fridge. I made the dough and ran to my sisters to borrow a crockpot and when I came back this is what I saw. I was only gone for 30 minutes. We cut the losses of what touched the fridge shelf and continued on with the rest. I LOVE this recipe so delicious and so easy.

My mom and dad had us come pick up their extra turkey and pumpkin pie, since there was no way they could possibly eat it. They had two turkeys, so Friday we spent the morning making stuffing (that was one of my other assignments.) and cooking a turkey. Ruby enjoyed a turkey leg.

We also got to work on putting up our Christmas decorations. The kids were so excited and then sort of fizzled after fluffing a few branches. I got the lights strung and the tree ready and then they helped with everything else.

I don't think I have ever posted a picture of our tree but I love it because a lot of the ornaments are homemade. Ruby and I made the wreaths and gingerbread men the first year we moved in. Jed's mom made the snowflakes. She is amazing! When she was in second grade she discovered her talent for snowflake making and I am pretty sure she was recognized for it and got to visit the principle. These are my favorite ornaments on our tree. I get really excited for the years to come when the kids bring home ornaments they made. I am sentimental like that and they will always grace our tree.

More weekend adventures to come.

Our Thanksgiving Tradition

2011-11-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

I got this Thanksgiving idea from Angie and I love it so much! I would like to think that we have done this every year except for last year. It got put on the back burner when Eli was having his steroid treatment.

Jed's family each Thanksgiving has a tradition that each person gets 3 kernels of corn on their plate and then we go around the table and say 1 thing we are thankful for each of kernel and then we place them in a cup and pass it to the next person. I love this because each November I start thinking of things that pertain to the year specifically that I am thankful for. Angie's turkey idea gives us the opportunity to continue the tradition even when we are away from the family.

Our 3 thankful's go as follows:

Jed
1.Home
2. Atonement
3.Sports and the stress relief it provides.

Ashley
1. Mr. Romig
2. Ward Family
3. Memories

Ruby
1. Daddy plays with us
2. Savior
3. Family

Emma
1. Barbie
2.Ruby
3.Eli

Eli
1.Mommy
2.Blanket
3.Kisses

Our weekend

2011-11-22T20:58:00.001-08:00

We got snow Friday night and so Saturday morning came and I went on a grumpy cleaning tirade. I let things go for a long time and then something in me snaps and *I just have to* organize the toys that have been bugging me but I just close the door on them for a later time. So I corralled the poor citizens of our home and told them no snowman making until things are picked up and mommy's nerves were settled. I am sure I stomped a little too. After my cleaning grumpies had passed everyone but Emma was allowed to go outside, because I decided I couldn't make the rest of the family wait until she picked up her portion. (When you look at the pictures you will notice she is outside in her pajamas and snow boots. She snuck out side when I was videoing Jed and Ruby. And I just let her stay.) Eli was all dressed for the weather, but hated the feel of the snow suit so he got to come inside and then someone nameless person left the door open and he kept coming to the door crying and was quite pantless. Yes dear readers, I believe in being on the ball, meeting everyone needs immediately and making home a heaven on earth.

The kids had fun and our afternoon turned out to be quite pleasant. The girls had a birthday party to go to that was "Pinkalicious" themed. Jed and I attempted a nap only to have Eli wake up from his 5 minutes later and ended up doing dishes and playing with Eli.

At 4 we dropped the kids off at the neighbors and returned home for our anniversary date. It was lovely. We have dated at home for years but there is something quite nice about not having to do so after the kids are in bed. We made dinner together, played hand and foot (which I lost horribly) and cuddled and watched a movie. It was a great evening. We have been married for 7 years. I love my best friend. More than anything I look forward to our letter exchange every year. It is the best.

Sunday we did our usual drill of church, lunch, and naps and spent the evening playing dominoes with the girls. Emma won the first round and was waving her little fingers in the air saying "I won! I won!" I asked her how victory felt and she paused for a moment and said "He's my boyfriend." she is a hoot. After our game Ruby read to Eli on the couch.

It was such a fun weekend. Since we got the snowman up the girls have been constantly checking frosty's status. Today I was out on a walk with Eli when I noticed a boy in our yard destroying the snowman. I had a friend with me and she gave me the courage to do something about it. The boy saw me coming and hurried back to his friends. I called him over and made him fix the snowman. I know that it was just a snowman and it was melting anyway, but I knew my girls would be upset. I sat outside and watched him fix it for 15 minutes and basically told him to respect other peoples things, and then I told him to go. I am a mama bear.

November Student of the Month

2011-11-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of November Ruby came home with a sealed note from her teacher. She gave it to me and wanted to know what it said. After reading it, I told her that it was just a note for me.

The following Monday we got to go to the school to see Ruby receive her award in class. Jed made it home just in time from his meeting. We were a smidge late, and as we walked in the door, the principle was sitting there, and the teachers aide said to me "I knew you wouldn't miss this, that's why I had them wait." I was very grateful.

Ruby was chosen as student of the month, and this is what her teacher said about her. "Ruby completes her work in class, and is proud of the work that she does. She isn't afraid to work hard. Ruby is very caring and wants to make sure everyone is taken care of and that their needs are met. She shows respect to her teacher and to her classmates. This is why I chose Ruby as student of the month."

Ruby's teacher was at a conference the day she received. The lady in the picture is her substitute. Sorry for my poor picture taking. The look on Ruby's face would suggest that she is getting in trouble, I think she was feeling a bit shy. though.

Ruby was surprised. She won an award, pencil, and a certificate for a free taco. She was very excited about this and used the taco coupon along with her Red Mango coupon she earned for reading so she and Jed could go on a daddy daughter date. (We love freebies.)

Halloween

2011-11-17T18:36:00.001-08:00

As with usual Halloween the kids change their minds about a trajillion times and as the holiday was getting closer I decided for sanity's sake decisions had to be made. I called for a "powwow" and I laid down the law in true mother fashion. The children agreed, we shook hands and called it a success. Here is what they ended up being.

A return from my idiotic break

2011-11-16T20:55:00.000-08:00

So after multiple failed attempts to get my pictures to upload, I solved the "mystery" which could have been solved weeks ago. I despise writing in retrospect because it isn't as fresh.

So back in the end of September (I think) we had a few weekend visitors. I love it when people come to stay and visit. Dallen is a tri-yearly visitor for us. He is willing to squeeze in a visit when his school and work schedule align and he can spare us some of his precious time. Dallen and I have always been close and I think that all growing up and even now(chances are we haven't grown up at all) we drive my blessed mother kazoo with all of our banter. We think it is downright hilarious but she thinks we are fighting even though we assure her we are not.

I am so glad he comes to visit. The girls love him and Ruby cries every time he has to leave. When he comes we usually do some baking, play games, watch our favorite movies, and just catch up. Dallen may kill me for posting these pictures, as his Kenny G hair is no more. But here's to the memories and I doubt he reads me anyway.

Another favorite visitor at our house is Mjieta (?) Anyone care to correct me on the proper spelling? She comes to visit us occasionally and my kids are in heaven. Especially Bubba, he loves just coming up to her and slowly leaning his little face forward, getting a few kisses and then will walk away. And the cycle repeats. He loves her, and she is very patient with him. She is the one reason I would ever consider a dog. She is the sweetest and smartest dog I have ever met and she is so so sweet to Bubba. If anyone could ever sway me on getting a dog it would be Bubba.

FHE and the boy

2011-10-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

It has been so fun having the girls teach Family Home Evening this past weeks. Jed and I just let them teach what they wanted to and we just let them do it without any planning or coaching them on what to talk about.

Ruby taught about each of us being children of God, among other things. It was so fun to hear her testimony on this subject. She did great!

Emma taught hers on choosing the right and following Jesus Christ. Here on earth and also how each of us chose to follow him in the pre-existance. Jed and could not help but smile at each of the girls enthusiasm. Emma was so eager about it that she became a one man band. When we would ask her to call on someone for the prayer, leading the music, or the closing prayer her little hand would pop in the air and she would proudly say she was going to do it. She wanted to do it all. We finally were able to coax her into letting Ruby say the closing prayer. It was pretty great!

We have had the same crib set for all three of the kids since it is in green and red. Each of the kids have had a rag quilt made especially for them and the girls have always liked those and become attached to them. Eli on the other hand has become very fond of the blanket from the crib set. When he wants to cuddle he drags it to you and gives it to you, it really comforts him. I can't help but smile about it since it has lace on it. He just loves it. We take it in the car with us and he is always shuffling it around. Once second it will be on his lap, around his shoulders, over his head and then he will pull up the front so he can see you and just smiles. We loves him lots.

Modest is hottest

2011-10-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Ruby wanted to wear her Argentina shirt that had a horse on it. She came upstairs and I told her she couldn't wear it because every time she moved I could see her stomach so I told her to change. She was pretty ticked because it was what she wanted to wear, long story short she told me she absolutely would not take it off. I went to fight other battles in order to get to Ruby off to school in time.

Ruby came up a few minutes later sporting this:

She incorporated the look of layering so she could wear what she wanted. I hope this idea sticks with her. I was a happy mama.

While watching conference Ruby was sitting with me and she is in the beginning stages of reading and Carl Cook came up to speak and Ruby pops up and says "He's a Cook! He must be your brother! Is he your brother mom?" Another thing I thought was sweet was that someone quoted Moses 1:39 and Ruby picked up on it even though I didn't think she was paying attention and she said "Hey, that was my part for the Primary program."

Conference was amazing, and I came away with 3 distinct thoughts or at least that is what I remembered but now I can only remember 2, oops. One was scripture study, I make time for other things surely the scriptures are important enough for me to make time for them. The other was that I need to do a family history chart with my girls and find pictures of them and teach my girls about them and different things from their lives. I was strongly impressed that they need to know that these family members who have gone on before them are more than just names, but that they did amazing courageous things and that we can draw strength from knowing who they are, and the kinds of lives they lived.

I just remembered what my third thought was. During the talk about having children, the thought came to me that there are more that need to come to our family and how and when they come is between us and the Lord. Anyway, during the Sunday morning session, I absolutely loved Henry B. Eyring's talk, and to quietly communicate this thought I had to Jed, I said "We need to name our next son Henry."And then Elder Robert D. Hales talk I was a complete blubbering idiot and was so touched. Again I turned to Jed and said, "We need to name our third son Robert." We both smiled at this and continued watching Conference.
`

Going back

2011-09-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is going to seem like a weird post, I know that I am not the biggest person out there nor am I the smallest. My eating habits have never been very good. I hate to use the word binge but that is the only way to describe it. I get get a snack and then when it is gone, I want more. I love food so much and struggle to leave it alone.

With that being said, I do so much better with my eating when I have regular exercise tossed into the mix. With my 3 sweeties, I have found it difficult to get exercise in because I hate getting up early and by the time they are in bed I am tired. Exercise video's are good, but I feel like I can't commit to some of the programs I would like to because and hour and twenty minutes seems like a long time to be off the "mommy grid" when I know they need me. I hate guilt more than anything.

With Ruby starting school this year it has truly opened up an opportunity for me, since she rides her bike I can put Emma and Eli in the stroller and jog. I have been going with a friend and I love it. I have found motivation, and it is exciting.

I am a complete yoyo dieter. I am very well balanced food and exercise wise and then I fizzle and go back to my habits. I think most of that has come from the fact that I LIVE AND DIE BY THE SCALE. If I lose what I feel I put in then I continue to do well and if not I get off track and stay there. I don't want to live and die by the scale anymore. I want to take care of the gift I have been given, not by feeling good because I see a small number on the scale but by making good choices that I know helps take care of me.

I am changing my perspective, if I do what I should to take care of my body, it will take care of me. I am doing an experiment of sorts, I have committed myself to better habits and the scale has taken a backseat. It feels fabulous not being defined by a number but by knowing that I am taking steps to love and care for myself. Physically and spiritually.

I don't want to be driven crazy any more by all of the foolishness I have heard, I don't want to have a complex about it. If I can do that, I feel like I will be one step closer to the real beauty God has intended for me. I want my real beauty to radiate from the inside, because I am good. I want to be that person.

I am feeling mildly naked now, ok maybe not completely so but more like coming out on stage in the red sequin bikini I always joke that is in the works. Is it strange that it is freeing? Come on in, the waters fine.

Change on the horizon

2011-09-13T09:55:00.001-07:00

Change has surely come and it seems to be all at once, they are however good ones. Jed decided to go back to school. YAY! He starts tomorrow, and will be going into Network Systems Admin for his AS and then Information Systems and Cybersecurity. He knew for sure he couldn't handle going back to the U and taking a lot of classes he really didn't want to so we are taking a more direct route and he will be attending ITT Tech. I think this is the first time he has ever been excited about going back to school.

With him going back to school, he needed to have a work schedule change. Previously he was working 1:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. School will be at night so he put in for a work schedule change and we weren't sure if he was going to get it but he did and is now working 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This is his first day doing so and he just text me. "This feels weird only being 10:50 and I'm over half way done with my shift. Usually I'm waking up right now. Not having my lunch break." I know this will be so great for us and give the kids more time to be with daddy. (the kids been up since 5:45 it is amazing what you can get done if you are up early.)

A word on Eli, he is doing well. Still not talking but he is very good at communicating to me what he wants. I think it has been very frustrating to him to not know how to tell me, but he has found a way that will work for the time being. That has been a huge blessing. He sometimes hits his head on the floor or the back of the highchair when he is mad. His PT has thought for a while that he may have sensory issues. And he very well may but as I am now figuring out better what he wants I am seeing that he does that when he is mad,frustrated or we are making him do something he doesn't want to. All and all he is still my little squish. There is a song call Blue eyes by Garden State that whenever I turn it on he puts his head on my shoulder and cuddles. I love it.

We are on our way to solving Emma's distaste for helping out. We could always just tell Ruby to pick things up and put them away, but that approach I think overwhelms Emma. We have found that if we give her a simple task like helping pull the dishes out of the dishwasher or cleaning the bathrooms, she does so much better. She has even helped Jessie get in on the fun. She is actually getting excited about it and I praise her over and over for the good job she did. I know it makes her feel good. We love it when we get cute cute clothes from cousin Chloe, Emma loves it too. Here she is working her espadrilles and skinny jeans.

As for me, since I am coming up on the year mark of breaking my leg this week I want so much to get some of the strength back in my leg that I have lost. I walk Ruby to and from school anyway, so my friend Andi and I have started running her there while she rides her bike (she is free of training wheels and loves it), and then we go for another 2 miles doing a run walk until we build up the stamina to run the whole thing. It has been good for me, and I love the company.

And since I know you are dying to know what the Romig's do on Sunday evenings I thought I would give you a small taste of what the girls call Karate. They love that Jed does this with them. I lack Jed's cat like reflexes so it is a good job position for him. If we had to switch places, I would consistently be sporting a paper bag on my head because I would probably take a senseless beating from the girls. :)

Finally ready to write about it.

2011-09-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

I am sure in the past year there may have been confusion as to why I write about what a miracle my boy is and how lucky we have been and that we have hope and all of that other jazz. There is a big chunk missing out of my blog that should have been written but wasn't. Hopefully this fills in that gaps.

I have fought writing about this because it was so personal to me, and at the time I didn't know what the out come would be, and for me that was scary to put the possibilities out there. I was scared that people reading this would make judgments about Eli before they even knew him. I am such a mama bear. Here we are almost a year later and I am ready to write.

In October of last year, we noticed that Eli would do something very unusual. When he would sit his body would jack knife forward repetitively every 15 seconds for 5 minute sets, five or six times a day. He liked to rock so we thought nothing of it for a little while.

One evening we were together with family and friends, and he started doing it and someone was very concerned and urged us to contact Eli's neurologist. We informed them that we had already done so, and we were just waiting for them to get back to us.

The neurology dept. got back to us and recommended upping his medication to see if that would help. We did and saw no results. Again this family friend urged us to take a video of him and send it to his neurologist. I wish I had the video to post, in case it could have helped anyone else know what to look for. I think we deleted the video because it was just so sad to watch this happen to him.

We did so and within a week, we received a call personally from his neurologist(normally it is a nurse we speak with.) she told us she thought it was infantile spasms and that we needed to get him in for an EEG to be certain. We got it scheduled and indeed the results came back as infantile spasms. We were devastated after doing the research on it. Doing online searches led us to reading things like this:

Infantile spasms is one of the “catastrophic childhood epilepsies” because of the difficulty in controlling seizures and the association with mental retardation. However, early recognition, a careful diagnostic evaluation, and proper treatment may allow some children to attain seizure control and to achieve a normal, or at least much improved, level of development.

Infantile spasms is associated with a significant risk of mortality and morbidity. Riikonen has followed 214 infantile spasms patients for 20–35 years and has accumulated the best long-term follow-up studies of these patients (, ). In her series, nearly one third of the patients died during the follow-up period, many in the first 3 years of life. Eight of the 24 patients who died by age 3 died of complications of therapy with ACTH. (Those who treat large numbers of infantile spasm patients do not see such a high mortality rate, which largely is due to improved medical capabilities.) Of the 147 surviving patients, 25 (17%) had a favorable developmental outcome with an IQ of 85 or greater. Eleven others were in the dull–normal range, with an IQ of 68–84. Thus, of the 214 patients diagnosed with infantile spasms, 31% died, 45% were retarded, but 24% had a reasonably favorable outcome. The outcome is dependent on two major factors. First and foremost is the underlying etiology. Some etiologies will lead to death or mental retardation, whether or not the patient developed infantile spasms. However, children with cryptogenic infantile spasms or infantile spasms that is due to remediable etiologies, such as focal cortical dysplasia, may have a normal or near normal developmental outcome if seizures are controlled. Thus, the goal of therapy is to achieve control as soon as possible, especially for children who may have the potential for normal intellectual development.

Can you imagine reading and knowing that your child had the possibility of being retarded because of a health problem they had when they seem so normal and healthy? I don't think I have ever been filled with more fear in any time of my life than during this point.

Again it was Eli's neurologist who called us and gave us all the details and told us what needed to be done, and got an appointment within the next 5 days. That is super irregular to get such a fast appt. but that just tells you how serious it is.

These are e-mails I wrote to family to make them aware of what was happening. I wish I would have written more at the time it was happening, but writing about it made it all the more real and truth be told I just wanted to block it out.

We just got a call back from Eli’s Dr. The results from his EEG came back abnormal. He has been diagnosed with Infantile spasms which is a form of seizure. We have an appointment with his Dr. on Tuesday, she wants to hopefully treat them with a series of steroid injections. She said that getting it all set up is quite a process and that we would talk more about what this means for him and us at the appointment next week.

Thank you for all of your love and support,

Jed and Ash

At Eli’s appointment we talked about infantile spasms, they can have life altering effects but are contingent on what is causing them. Some of which include developmental regression and or mental retardation. (We are hopeful since we have caught it early and he is receiving rapid treatment) The most essential thing for us to do is to stop the seizures from occurring. He will be doing a treatment of ACTH which is a steroid for 2 weeks. This is the gold standard in hopefully treating them. We have Home Health coming into to teach us how to administer his shot intramuscularly in his thigh and take his blood pressure. He will take a shot once a day and we will be taking his BP twice a day. The steroid has downsides while he is on the medication, he can gain weight rapidly, possible high blood pressure, be really irritable, have night sweats, and his immune system will be weakened for the period he is on his treatment and a little bit after. So we have to be vigilant with hand washing and careful with being in large crowds. He will be most susceptible to people that have had or have recently been given the chicken pox vaccine. So this is what we have to be most careful with, as it could cause a serious infection for him. We discussed Thanksgiving with the nurse at Primary Childrens and she said that it is fine for us to still host we just need to be careful to not pass him around to much and make sure people wash before they touch him.

His nurse came last night and did some teaching with us and Jed administered his shot. Jed did really well. I made him do it because I knew I couldn’t. The nurse was impressed with how well he handled it. After his treatment we will have another EEG done to make sure the medication has done it’s job which is to stop the chaotic brainwave activity. It is also important for us to see if we can figure out what is causing it. There is however a possibility that we may never find out. But we will start with the base ruling out tests first of which will be a spinal tap and if they can’t find anything there I think the next step is a metabolic panel.

When we went in they told us that Eli is a high priority patient and we were given a number to call to keep us in close contact if we need something. We feel like he is receiving the best care possible. His medication isn’t always the easiest to get but gratefully there was a pharmacy return and they had it in stock, so that we could give him his treatment immediately as opposed to waiting. As I left Eli’s appointment yesterday I felt peace. I was very anxious before.

Much love,

Jed, Ashley and family

At the end of Eli's ACTH treatment, he had another EEG to see it the medication had stopped the Infantile Spasms. We were so anxious. I can't even begin so say. We received the best news ever that the medication did what it was supposed to. This was right before Thanksgiving and my heart was filled with gratitude for so many things. As Eli reached the end of his treatment he was smiling and laughing again. (He stopped doing this when the infantile spasms started.) It was such a miracle to have our little boy back.

We did 2 out of the 3 tests they wanted us to do and they both came back with no answers. We so wanted to do the genetic testing to see if that would give us the answers we needed. Our insurance informed us that they refused to pay for it. I hope at some point that it will be an option for us.

To our family friend who urged and encouraged us to be persistent with the neurology dept and send in the video, I will be forever grateful to you. I don't know if you read our blog, but I want to thank you for helping us save our son from a terrible fate. You knew what needed to be done and helped us to know what to do. I will love you forever for it.

After the treatment, Bubba put on a pretty decent amount of weight. 3 lbs. is a lot in two weeks time. He went from this to this. He has thinned out a lot since then, and people always tell me how big he is and I always smile and say, "No this is skinny for him."

We are so LUCKY. I have read some blogs of other children who have had IS and it has been such a battle for them. On November 22 of 2011 Eli will have been IS seizure free for a year. We feel so blessed.

We love, love, love this boy so much.

Notice anything wrong?

2011-08-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

I am sure that many years from now, if Emma hated being the middle child this picture that I have posted will be a testament to the fact that middle children get the shaft. As for myself I loved being in the middle. I felt like I had the best of both world and gained very beneficial skills I wouldn't have otherwise.

For the record. YES I love my middle child Miss Emma. And NO I did not intentionally make the mistake you will see below. Just chalk it up to tons of pictures to pick from and having to have certain photos fit a format.

My journal came UPS and as I pulled it out of the package I was thrilled until Emma got a sad look and said "Hey!" She noticed immediately and my remorse inevitably followed.

Emma's picture will be promptly placed in the cover of my new journal simply because I love her so.

A few tidbits about our Emma as of late:

-Emma has increased her title. A few months ago she preferred to be called princess and now she has made the upgrade to Princess Bunny Bear. (A name we came up with for a stuffed bear) She decided it would be a good fit.

-Emma hates to clean, there have been many a time that I have asked her to pick up her room, to which, she gets all slumpish and says in a whiny voice, "I'm tired." and then while she is supposedly picking up she has really tucked herself into her bed and is taking a nap. Sometimes they last for 3 hours. Sometimes she locks the door to keep me from pestering her. When Jed and I would discuss her in private, we would refer to her as Lazy T. Lazerton. At which point we would giggle. We are wicked aren't we?

-Her favorite movie is Sleeping Beauty.

-She is obsessed with the disney princess polly pockets my mom has at her house. They are the first thing she asks for upon arrival at Grandma's.

-I had a very sad day on Saturday and Emma sat by me on the kitchen floor while I cried and took her small little finger and would catch each little tear as it would fall. With a very compassionate look in her eyes and a quiet reassuring voice. Oh how I love this little one.

- She likes to help me pick cherry tomatoes from the garden but refuses to eat them.

Kindergarten arrives

2011-08-30T18:16:00.001-07:00

The day has arrived! Ruby's excitement has infected us all. She woke up at 12 a.m. and asked Jed if it was morning or night. She was sent back to bed and woke me up at 6 a.m and climbed in to bed with us and then kept asking what time it was. I sent her to have some quality time with PBS so I could have another 30 minutes of quality time with my eyelids.

She had a great day and had enough to tell me about to fill in the time on the way home from school. The best part of her kindergarten tales are this. "Our teacher told us about some books they were sending home with us to make money for the school. I told my teacher no, I don't want one, because we were saving money for a vacation." :)

A schedule will be good for all of us.

Ruby in real life

2011-08-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

I am waiting for my journal to come in the mail but I didn't want to forget these two important stories to write in the mean time.

Last Friday I was making dinner, and the girls were playing in the kitchen. I could hear their voices, along with jumping and laughing. Right as I was removing a pot of boiling water from the stove I was about two words into telling the girls to stay back, right when ruby and I collided and water spilled from the pot. It splashed into her braid and down her back. She was screaming and I was in a frenzy.
My first thoughts were to put her in the sink but realized it wouldn't work well space wise. I rushed her to the bathroom, taking her things off on the way so I could get her into a tub of cold water. I wasn't sure how badly she was burned. I got the water running and set her in the tub. I hurried back to the kitchen to make sure Emma hadn't touched the pot. She knew their was pasta in there and it is always such a great temptation for her to pick. All was fine. I drained the pasta and combined it with the sauce and spent the remainder of the time back and forth feeding Emma and Eli and then between bites checking on Ruby. She wasn't digging the cold water so I helped her out and gently dried her off careful not to touch the burn that was an angry red on her left shoulder blade.
I wrapped and icepack and placed it in her robe. She climbed on the bed and I tucked her in and fed her dinner by the spoonful. She was full and just wanted to rest, 5 minutes later she was asleep. Knowing there were dishes to be done and a sauce covered boy in the high chair, I reported to the kitchen for duty.
Later that evening, when Ruby woke up I asked her how she was doing. She responded as such:

"Better. When you placed me in the tub and went back to the kitchen, I said a prayer that Heavenly Father would make the burn stop hurting and in a few minutes it didn't hurt as badly."

On another occasion right before dinner, Ruby saw some neighbors out playing basketball. She poked her head out the sliding glass door and made her inquiry as to what they were doing. One of the children responded unkindly to her and I asked her to come in. When she came inside, I was feeling very mama bear,

Me: Ruby don't even talk to that boy, he is always so mean to you. Just ignore him.
Ruby: Mom, were are supposed to love everyone. Even when they are mean to us. So I am going to still talk to him even if he is mean.
Me:Where did you learn that? (I was feeling very put in my place.)
Ruby: In primary.

My great finds

2011-08-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

We had some neighbors that moved a while ago and then they did a moving sale. There were also a few other sales happening. I called my bestie Steph and we went together. I found items that I loved. But I think, my grand prize over all were these great costumes. They were seriously $2 a piece. I saw them and I snatched them up. The girls were thrilled! They have had so much fun playing with them, and they love getting together with their friend MaKadin and playing Star Wars.

I love these pictures but I think what is the best is that you can still see feminine touches here and there, check out the pink toenails and fingernails.

Ruby also demonstrated some of her stealthy batman moves. What a treat that was. I have to say though, my favorite of the whole weekend was putting on the mask myself and getting close to Eli and making the Darth Vader breathing sounds. I would take the mask off and he would take it put it on his face and make a huffy little breathing sound. It was one of the cutest things I have seen in quite a while.

Look at me!

2011-08-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

Yep! Eli is up and on the move! He started walking at 15 1/2 months, and now he is loosing the drunken sailor swagger he started off with. I love watching him do the things he wants to, he is so determined.

He has only said one word for a long time, and I was jumping up and down and so excited because he started making a new sound "baba" when he was 15 months old. He has added two more to the repertoire "guh" and I heard him say "dada" once. All of these little steps are so huge for him. It get so happy when he meets new goals we have set for him and are working on. It is so exciting for me. Along with his physical therapist that comes to see him, we now have an early childhood developmental specialist coming to see him once a month as well. She has been so helpful and in July when she came to visit for the second time I was very discouraged. She came to see us again in August and I had so much to tell her about the progress he made. I was a proud mama. He is also signing "more" and we are currently working on "eat" and "all done." He loves to be outside, pop bubbles, and swim.

He is such a special boy. I know I say that a lot, but he has helped me appreciate what a wonder these little spirits are. These types of achievements came so easy for my girls and I just expected it from them. Everything he has accomplished has taken determination and lots of falling down and sometimes frustration for him and me. He is so happy! How blessed we are to have him. I never anticipated to have a child with health problems but I know he was sent to us for a purpose and I wouldn't change how it has all turned out. I just love him. One person who I love very much told me once that looking into his eyes is like looking into eternity. For me when I look into his little face, I see a little boy who has such a strong spirit and I feel like he knows so much more than he can say. In short I am grateful.

The Aquarium

2011-08-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

My mom is a jewel. Jed had a meeting up in Sandy one afternoon and so we took a Grandma field trip down to the aquarium. The girls loved it! We had a great time walking around and seeing all of the exhibits, the girls would literally leap from aquarium to aquarium to see the new things.

I think the thing they loved the most was touching the stingrays. Initially they weren't interested. Right as we got to the exhibit, they were getting ready to feed them and there were tons of people and I made the girls fold their arms so they weren't tempted to put them in the water. They lost interest quickly and so we traipsed over to see the seahorses, a few feet away. We then ventured back to the stingrays and it took a lot of coaxing to get the girls to be ready to leave, they loved it so much.

Bubba was so good in his stroller, as usual and I got very grossed out by the octopus. I wasn't a huge fan before, and then Pirates 2 came out and Davey Jones Locker pushed me over the edge with his octopus face. It makes me a little squeamish.

The girls were making their best attempts at pulling a fish face. I am so glad they didn't succeed!

The "H" word

2011-08-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

Recently Ruby had two of her little friends over and they were in the basement when I heard someone shout the "naughty H word." I called the kids to come and have a chat with me (if they are at my house I figure I have every right to mother them.) Here is how our little chat went:

Me: I heard someone say a naughty word.
3 kids: we didn't say it.
Me: I heard someone say Hell and that isn't a word we use here. (figured I should clarify) I'm not mad and your not in trouble.
2 boys: It was Ruby!
Ruby: It wasn't me, it was ______.(this went back and forth)
Me: Since you can't tell me who said it, then I am going to let you go play. If I hear it again everyone will go home.

A little later Ruby sent everyone home so she could practice writing her name and other school prep as she calls it. When she came up stairs, I asked her if she said it, she had a very guilty look and nodded. I explained what they word meant in the context she used it and why we don't say it, I asked her where she heard it from. Turns out that she saw it at a friends when Star Wars is one. She told me Princess Leia says it and when she said it downstairs they were playing Star Wars and she was Leia.

A week later(tonight) we are reading scriptures and the "naughty H word" came up. I said it with abandon. And Ruby's jaw dropped and she just stared at me. I explained that it is a place, just like heaven is and if it is in the scriptures it is ok to say it. She closes her mouth and we get ready to proceed. I look at Emma to make sure she is ready to start and she looks at me and says "HELL" with the most pleased look on her face. She stretched and enunciated that word until she was out of breath. I laughed. I failed to mention to the girls that it is also ok to say Hell during or after childbirth. I will save that little lesson for later in life.

Say Cheese!

2011-06-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

On Monday Ruby and I were eating lunch, and as she took a bite into her sandwich, she winced and told me her tooth hurt and it was bleeding. I looked in her mouth and saw that her tooth was wiggly and that she also had this massively huge beast tooth already coming in behind it. I had never seen that happen before so I was worried.

I called Teresa and when we chatted she assured me that it was normal and to just have Ruby wiggle her tooth and that her tongue would push the new tooth forward. Ruby gave her tooth a few wiggles and it came right out in her hand, it was definitely ready. She was so excited! She just had to go outside and inform the neighbors and friends of this new development. She would even call out the window to people passing by that her tooth fell out and she would be visited by the Tooth fairy.

That night we put her tooth in an envelope for safe keeping for the Tooth fairy. She was so meticulous about how it went under her pillow so that the Tooth fairy would be sure to see it. Come the Toothfairy did, and we told Ruby to put her money in her piggy bank so she could use it for a special treat. She wanted to put it in our vacation fund jar, she wants to go to Disneyland so badly. There was no persuading her to put it in her own bank.

All of this came unexpectedly for me, it may have been good for me to have a couple days to prepare for her loosing her tooth. She is growing so quickly. Perhaps it was best that it came out unexpectedly, less time for me to get nostalgic and sentimental. :)

Proof of existance and planking

2011-06-06T19:42:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to go back to Oakcrest for the evening. I my kind friend, Anna/Tyfoon was willing to go the distance to pick me up and my dear sister was willing to watch the troupe for the evening.

I had such a great time hanging out with Tyfoon, Biph, Zoogly ,Tonks, and also being up at camp. It was and will forever remain a special place to me. We got to watch the welcome video the girls made this year, it was amazing. The theme this year is Stand with the Savior. To me it was personal, and perhaps the answer to my prayers. I am grateful for opportunities that remind us of where we have been, and help us to get back to those places, or give us the courage to do the work to get back. I had a great time coming home and reading in my journal about that summer. It is a treasure to me and I know I wouldn't have remembered a 10th of it had I not written it down.

In honor of my family in Hawaii, because their pictures of their recent adventures in planking have brought Jed and I the giggles and mounds of admiration, I wanted to return such a gift and am pleased to present:

Planking Oakcrest style:

I have so much admiration for my nephew Ben who planked on a Razor scooter. I hope his internal organs are not in as much peril as mine are since this picture was taken. Planking is not as easy as it looks.

We attended our hometown parade on Saturday, the kids loved it, Eli hated the loud noises and would have been happier to have been able to sleep through the whole thing. He however crashed at the very end.

Emma loved being behind the camera and took multiple pictures of the paraders ankles and tires. That little girls makes her mama proud.

Today we ridiculously windy weather, that cause a lot of dust to be flying around and cool weather, so after watching Delphia and Josie this morning the girls had their friends over and created their own ballet class. It is pretty evident Ruby takes her dancing very seriously and that she would love taking a dance class. It was wonderful entertainment for a day that kept us in the house.

Remember us?

2011-05-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that if my girls read my blog and knew that I had been failing to write about their important happenings they would be highly upset and sit down with me and have a chat about such disappointments.

So in hopes of appeasing them, and just remembering really sweet things about them, I will make a very humble attempt.

Ruby:

-Ruby is friends with everyone, or at least wants to be. Even if she has met you and doesn't remember your name she will say something endearing like "I'll see you tomorrow friend, maybe we can play."

-She does wonderful impressions of characters she has seen in movies and on T.V. My personal favorite currently is her Mother Goffel impersonation.

-Ruby is my most willing helper.

-She likes to climb up on the counter and help me with supper, and pretend she is the mom and will talk in an accent that I can't place and call me dear, and ask me to get things for her.

-She is good at bringing my emotions to the surface when she shares scripture stories during sharing time. She remembers them so well and is excellent at telling them.

-On Mother's day I was telling the girls things that I thought was special about them at the dinner table, as I was naming things off about Ruby I mentioned two things and smiled at her. She smiled back at me and said in a sing song voice. "Your forgetting something!" Love her.

Emma:

-She doesn't like to go bed early anymore and we have moved their bed time back but it now makes Emma sleepy during the day. I went to check on her and she was out cold. Later she came up stairs and I asked how her nap was, she scowled at me and said " I wasn't napping I was watching Cyberchase." She was out for quite a while. :)

-Emma is very particular about her name and likes to be called Emma and that is it. We of course enjoy calling her various things, and she hates it. We recently found a name other than Emma she likes to be called which happens to be princess. Occasionally we will just call her Emma and then she will cut us off and say "I like it when you call me princess too."

-Emma is only 3 and a 1/2, but she thinks she is a big girl. She runs around with Ruby and her friends and they treat her as an equal. It is going to be an interesting transition when Ruby starts school this fall.

-Princess lives in dresses, and has a particular fondness of dresses that spin.(big skirts that twirl.)

-Emma absolutely adores her primary teacher, and gets upset if he isn't there. There have been times that she has slipped out of the primary room to find him. I went to catch up with her and right at the moment I caught up with her she spotted Brother B. to her great delight. She shouted out in the hallway "Brother B! I was looking for you everywhere.

Eli:

-Is constant movement. He is almost impossible to photograph, due to his need for activity. Just when I think he is going to hold still he bounces up on his bum and lunges for the camera.

-He absolutely hates sippy cups of any kind.

-He is able to get finger foods into his mouth. Which I like much better than him picking it up, smiling and dropping it over the side of his high chair.

-He loves to squawk and show off his mouthful of teeth.

-Last week at church he was cruising along the bench and he came upon Emma's ankle and bit her. After we consoled her I turned to Jed and said "It brings a whole new meaning to ankle biters doesn't it?"

This is one of my favorite pictures, the quality isn't great, but it speaks volumes about how cute these two are together. I love when they make each other laugh. Such special little ladies.

Bubba's Party

2011-05-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Eli's birthday the Saturday after his real one. It was spring break, and it was so nice of everyone to come even when they had the kids home.

Eli was a little more less cooperative because he was so tired. We had a lot of fun and Eli got spoiled. It was a great afternoon. Josie celebrated her birthday the same day but they had separate parties it worked out really well.

Bubby loved the cake. I think he got more on his face than he did in his mouth. He sure had a good time though.

Baby how you've grown!

2011-04-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

A year ago tommorow, we welcomed Eli into our family. He came when he was good and ready, and after all of the waiting, it was incredible to hold him in my arms. We had a little boy! We love him so much. During this past year there have been many sleepless nights and worry, and certain points that I felt that my heart was going to break because I didn't want Eli to have to go through the challenges he has been given, and wondering if he would be ok.

All along the way we have been blessed with Eli's sweet smile, patient endurance with all of his tests and health concerns, and the brightest little spirit. He has taught me about life, and how to go through hard things with a smile on my face and faith in my heart that Heavenly Father is in the details, and is mindful of us.

We have been blessed with family, friends and skilled medical professionals that have made some very difficult periods bearable, by giving us a shoulder to cry on, or gentle words of encouragement and advice and on how to best meet Eli's needs.

What an incredible year it has been watching our "little" guy grow. Eli is a miracle to me, I am so thankful that he was sent to our family. He has brought us so much happiness. The girls adore him and love to make him laugh. He has the most happy laugh. I love this beautiful boy, and his sweet nature.

What a joy it is going to be to watch this little man grow as the years go by. It is so fun to hear him say "mom" or "ma ma" or "mam-mam" those words are so precious to me. I love seeing him cruises around the furniture, pull himself up to things, or hear him squawk for another bite of what we are having for dinner. He has such a bright future, and I have every reason that he will be able to live a normal life just like any other child.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy Bubba! We love you so much!

Let's hear it for the boy!

2011-02-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

Eli is crawling! I was worried for a while that he wouldn't because he could get where he wanted by either scooting or rolling. He has also acquired the skill of going from being on his tummy to sitting. This has been such an exciting step for him, and I myself have loved watching him achieve it because we have been saying for months that he would crawl soon, due to the fact that he has been getting up on his hands and knees and rocking for the past 2 1/2 months.

We sometimes have people at church ask us if we want to trade children because he is usually so content and rarely cries. I always smile but think in my head of asking if my emotional girls are part of the package swap. :) If you have ever seen Eli in person you would know that he likes to bounce up and down which means I have awesome mom muscles, and I had someone ask me if we had a Johnny Jump up at our house, to which I responded yes and then I was asked if our door frame are still in tact. :) His bouncing is intense.

I think it is interesting that sometimes when I worry about him and whether he is up to speed or not, I have three thoughts come to me.

1) Is it because of his Seizure disorders
2) Is it just his personality and he will do it when he is ready
3) Perhaps his size makes things a little harder to figure out how to manage his body (like crawling)

Jed often tells me that I worry too much, and he is right. I am so to have Jed as a sounding board for all of my concerns, he usually assures me that everything is ok, and helps me be calm. right now we are currently waiting to hear back from the Neurology dept. We are seeing some seizure activity breaking through. All incidents are very short, usually something like his back straightening up quickly like he has a chill, or his head dropping quickly when he crawls, or bending his head to the side. They increased his medicine a whole mL 3 weeks ago and it worked for a bit but it is breaking through again.

Eli is saying one word at this point. Mom. I am really liking it, he says it in a really drawn out way. I love it. We took this picture Sunday and it reminds me so much of a picture of my brother Spencer when he was a baby.

My mama has been asking politely for some picture of Eli so that she can do some digital scrap booking. I am pleased to announce that I am ready to oblige. Ruby got some great shots of him this morning as he was enjoying his mid morning snack of chicken and gravy(which my sister believes smells like catfood. I must concur.) and mixed veggies. Bubba has never met a food he didn't like.

February love

2011-02-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

My mom had us over for a Valentine cookie making day a week ago. The girls loved it. Emma has been asking daily for me to drive her to Grandma's. We had a great time.

My amazing visiting teacher called me on Monday and offered to watch the kids so we could go out. It was seriously so nice. We hadn't been out together without any of the kids in 6 months. It was wonderful. Gina is so thoughtful and the kids had a wonderful time.

Eli has given me some Valentine love by sleeping through the night. It has been a long time in coming. But I am truly enjoying it.

On Valentines we made pink heart pancakes. It was a fun change.

At the beginning of the month we went to see my c0usin Lanette, we had lunch and had a good time visiting. The girls loved playing with photo booth on her computer. She sent me pictures but I can't seem to get them to post. We also visited University mall and the kids had so much fun playing in the tree house and on the dinosaur bones.

Ruby got registered for kindergarten and she insisted on coming with me, when we got there she was so excited! She asked me "When can I meet my class mates?" and "Can I take a tour of the school?" She will love school.

Confessions

2011-02-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

*Sometimes I use a "mean voice" when Ruby would prefer a "nice voice." On occasion I feel ashamed of myself.*

*Extra Desserts gum is my new best friend.*

*I have a habit of falling asleep whilst reading with the light on. My utilities bill told me it was unhappy with me today.*

*I realized that I try to replace my feelings with food, so I don't have to deal with them. I am trying to change and sometimes I would like to tell my feelings to pipe down so I could enjoy a slice of pizza.*

*My mom always told me to be nice to my sister because we would always have each other. Those words ring true and I love having my sister only 1/2 a mile away.*

*I am a true worry warthog.*

*Sometimes I want to hold my children after they are sleeping, and I crawl in to their rooms and hold them for a little bit. Most of the time however they wake up, but not before I get to sit with them for a while and watch them sleep, and remember that what I do matters and how precious the time I have with them is.*

*I love my grandma-ish workouts.*

*I laugh at my own jokes.*

*I want to have a garden and eat cherry tomatoes to my hearts content. I miss the community garden more than I can say.*

*As a young woman, my friends and I adored bestowing upon one another wedgies to the point of panty rippage.*

Ukrainian Miracle.

2011-01-25T09:29:00.001-08:00

I wanted to post about something that is really important to me, my neighbors. Yes you heard right folks. I have the most amazing neighbors, they are some of the happiest, most Christlike people I know. They have suffered a lot of tragedy, that could make those who have walked in the same shoes angry and bitter, however they have used those experiences to grow and become better people who are filled with compassion and love.

This past year they hosted 3 orphaned siblings from Ukraine. The children, 1 girl and 2 boys came and stayed with the Ceran family for 6 weeks at the end of the year in 2010. They are wanting to adopt these 3 beautiful children and were expecting to have 6-12 months to raise the funds necessary, but have recently found out that the children could be ready to come in March.

Their son Caleb has drawn an exquisite picture of President Thomas S. Monson and has been raising funds by selling prints of it. They are also having a huge garage sale on February 12 at the Rockwell Charter school in the Ranches to raise funds.

They have a website that tells about some of the Ceran families experiences and what brought them to the desire to adopt. They are such a wonderful family and the girls absolutely love them. Corrine who is the mom, often has the girls over to visit and play. Instead of calling her Corrine, my girls have dubbed her as Ceran. Whenever they see her, they scream out Ceran! Ceran! and they are always greeted with a hug and kind smile and genuine interest.

Very often we hear about things like this and we think to ourselves "I wish there was some way I could help." Turn your thoughts into action and you can help save these children and give them a home where they are loved and cared for and can have the opportunity for a bright and happy future.

Here is a link that will take you to their website, where you can get background information on the Ceran family, (they have been in the newspaper multiple times) find out about Christina, Sasha and Eddy, and find out how you can help.

http://www.ukrainianmiracle.com/

Yesterday the girls and I were sorting through some of our old things that we could donate to the garage sale and I found a pair of pant that are 3-6 month size that both of my girls wore as babies and we had Emma try them on and they still fit!

Birthday Hilarity

2011-01-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

One of my most favorite things about Birthdays is the interview videos that come along with them. The girls answers never fail to amaze me. They are quick witted and such beautiful girls. My little Miss Ruby is 5 and Emma is 3. Sometimes they make me laugh, roll my eyes, and most of the time fill my heart with immeasurable joy. I really like it when they share their insights on how mommies are the most important people or when they are mommies they will have or do certain things. It is also pretty comical when I tease Jed or call him some random name they Ruby will usually pipe up, and say "Is that how you talk to your husband? Daddy is a sweet handsome guy. You need to apologize to him." My girls are amazing and some of the shiniest little people I know.

Back at 9

2011-01-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

Eli is now nine months! It is amazing how quickly 9 month of life goes as opposed to the 9 months you wait to meet these little angels.

Eli is trying to crawl. For the past two months he has been getting up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth and at this point he is sliding one knee and gets one arm up and then falls. He has a lot of weight to learn to manage and I am sure he will get it soon.

These are his stats:

Weight: 23 lb. 5 0z
height 28 in.
head: 45 cm.

He loves anything we give him food wise, I am hoping he is spared the picky genetics that were so lovingly passed down from me. When we give him finger foods he can get it into his hand but usually has a rough time getting to his mouth.

He is such a delightful baby, usually when we are at church I rarely get to hold him because I have a few young women who flock me and ask if they can hold him, and I always welcome the help as there have been a few times that Jed has been home sick, or times that he is passing the Sacrament( which sometimes the short amount of time it takes seems like an eternity with my 3 adorable children.) Then Jed takes him for Sunday School and then I always have people who are so willing to hold him while I lead the music in Primary. I am very blessed.

I am looking forward to warmer days that allow me to take the boy outside to play.

So much to catch up on, hopefully I will follow through. The girls birthday videos will for sure make the cut. They are pretty classic. It is good to be back in business.

Thanksgiving Blessings

2010-11-26T12:15:00.000-08:00

We hosted Jed's side of the family this year at our home. It was a great experience, I can't take any credit for it's success other than providing a semi-clean house. The happenings truly felt like a family on taking and each person contributed and helped all along the way to make the transition so smooth.

I love the tradition with the kernels of corn and I really feel like I have been more grateful this year than I have been in my entire life. I'm 25, I suppose it's a little late in coming; but I will run with it. I bought a box of tissues especially for myself. This was my 3 thankfuls:

1) Dr. R and Dr. N for helping my son live a normal and full life. We got really great news back on Wednesday that means his 2 weeks of treatment did exactly what it was supposed to. His smile is back and we have so much hope.

2) My mom and dad. As far as their children go, I don't think they have ever asked what was in it for them. With every year that passes, I find more and more that I want to be like them.

3) Experience. Even when it is painful and causes us to worry and sorrow it can be for our good.When we come out on the other side we can see that it has the power to make us stronger and better for going through it.

I got some amazing(at least I think so) shots of my kids this morning before I sent them downstairs to watch the parade so I could peel 17 pounds of potatoes in peace. :) I love and cherish these little faces and personalities. They truly are one of my greatest blessings. Jed would have been involved in said photo shoot but he was out participating in the Turkey bowl. He is a blessing too.

These pictures scream personality to me. If I were to post the 5 pictures I got of each of them, you would easily to see the personality that fills these little bodies. I think I am going to have to print a montage of each of them.

It was wonderful to have GG Romig with us. She astounds me, she is so spry from recently recovering from her broken hip and for being almost 91. She is amazing. I got some sweet shots of her with Emma and Eli. She was singing to them, it was a moment I will not soon forget. She also brought her sucker tree. All of the grandkids loved it and on of my favorite sounds was Brody walking around all afternoon asking for a sucker.

One other highlight I feel is important to mention is that in my duties as host, I failed to procure a salt shaker. It was comical/embarrasing to see my 2 pound can of salt being passed around the table and watching salt being very carefully dispensed so no one ended up with a cup of salt on their potatoes.

T and Chase were the last ones here and we invited them to stay and play a game with us. I was so happy they stayed, we have a truly wonderful time and it was so fun to see the girls have so much fun with "Melissa" and Ashlyn. Seeing my girls make those sorts of memories with their cousins evokes so many memories from my own childhood. I love it.

Beauty all around

2010-11-12T09:21:00.000-08:00

With all that has been going on, I realized this morning that Bustaloo is 7 months old and continues to be that sweet boy that entered our lives in April. He is starting to do baby push ups and is rolling (slowly) around the floor. It is fun to see since the girls rolled from their tummies to their backs and were content. We truly are so blessed to have him in our home.

The girls have given us some very amusing moments that I would be most sad if I forgot. Each one has a little bit of preface, so bear with me.

- We were learning Latter Day Prophets in Primary and I asked the children if they knew of any other presidents of the church other than Thomas S. Monson, and Gordon B. Hinckley. Some kids were able to name some, and then when I called on Ruby she said in a fog horn voice "George Washington."

Emma and I were looking through some photography shots of peoples favorite four legged friends on www.thepioneerwoman.com and she would tell me what each picture was of. We came upon some dear in a graveyard and I asked her what those were and she said "Oh, it's a Bambi." I told her she melted my heart and she said "It's ok mom."

Ruby gave FHE on Captain Moroni (her choice) a few weeks ago and as we were reviewing the story about the title of liberty, she said "I want to go to his land and marry him. I love him." I told her that he was in Heaven and that he was already married, she said "To who? What's her name?" I said that the scriptures don't tell us but I was sure that she was a beautiful righteous woman." (Maybe my mom was visiting that day and told her that but I can't remember.) Anyway on Halloween I was doing her hair for church and she looks in the mirror and says "I'm a beautiful righteous woman, why can't I marry Captain Moroni.?"

At the end of what felt like to me a completely exhausting day, Ruby came up to me as I was putting dishes away and she told me "Mom, you are so beautiful everyday and you make the most delicious dinners." Those small words meant more to me than she could have possibly have known that day.

These little faces melt my heart. We truly can find beauty in the simplest places. So grateful for the beauty I experience daily.

Dr. visits

2010-11-02T13:44:00.001-07:00

Eli had his 6 month checkup on the 19th. (We are a little behind...again.) He is looking good, Dr. R is a good sounding board for me and takes time to listen to all of my concerns, no matter how legit they are.

As for his stats they are as follows.

Weight: 20 lbs. 4 oz. 90th percentile
Height: 27 1/8 in. 75th percentile
Head: Can't remember but is average-ish.

We love the little squish.

Eli had an EEG this morning, due to some things that we have been seeing, I get worried but am trying to just focus on the now until we know more, and if it is anything at all to be worried about. I think no matter what stage you are at, you are constantly worry about them in one way or another.

Eli loves to jump and bounce and does little baby push up's which will help his hands. He has been working to get his top teeth in for a couple weeks now and is constantly chewing on his thumb. I think they are getting close to coming through and Tylenol is the boys new friend.

As for Halloween I will state here and now that I am quite possibly the worst mama. We were in such a rush that we didn't take any pictures. I am going to pull a costume recreation, if for nothing more than documentation. Can't believe that November is here and looking forward to all of the holiday excitement.

Halloween cousin party

2010-10-29T11:29:00.001-07:00

My Mom, Erin and Meg came to our house yesterday, for a little Halloween get together. My mom and Erin did the planning, and we had a great time. The girls made witch puppets. Each were unique and cute.

They played a dice game called Spooky eyes. It was funny to see the 3 younger ones "roll" the dice(shake it and then lay it down on the side they wanted up) and get matches. Ruby asked why she didn't have as many matches as the other girls.

My mom cut out Halloween masks for each of the girls and Delphia picked who would get what. They were so funny with them on and I think it turned out to be the highlight of the party. Ruby and Chloe are werewolves, Delphia a vampire and Emma was Frankenstein.

They each made a ghosts, marshmallows dipped in white chocolate with milk chocolate eyes. They had fun playing together in the basement and being together. It was a fun afternoon and I really enjoyed some adult conversation.

I love the Holidays!

Peg leg and thoughts

2010-10-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Had my Dr. appt last week. The Dr. said he could still see more of the fracture line than he would like, but has to take into consideration that I had a baby in the last 6 months so my body is still playing catch up. I will stay in my walking boot for 1 more month until the bone is stronger. I feel like I have a new lease on life being able to carry Eli around. I am turtle speed slow but the ability to do things for myself is makes that not even matter. I am loving this new freedom. This is what it my leg looked like 2 hours after I broke it. Now all the swelling has gone away, we have laughed about how skinny it looks compared to the other. The beauty of atrophy. :)

The girls have had a great time playing outside with friends and enjoying the cooler weather. As I was preparing dinner a few weeks ago, I looked out the window and spotted the girls playing red rover with the neighbors. It made nostalgic as memories of my own childhood flooded back to me, we spent hours playing games like this. It warms my heart to see Ruby so willing to take Ruby along when she gets invited to play with friends. I hope their sweet relationship will continue. Don't be fooled though, this sweetness coincides with plenty of tears and cries of "She's hurting my feelings!"

My mom made a really cute Halloween advent calendar for the girls and they get to pull a little surprise every day. One of their favorites so far is a simple little game called Ghost Chase. They love it. We also had a Amish friendship bread start that I somehow ruined. I have to petition my sister for a new start but the girls loved mushing the bag together.

We had Dallen, Spencer and Melody over for dinner last night and had a lot of fun. We love having visitors, and I think we will start doing Sunday dessert with families in our ward that we have wanted to get to know. Time feels like it is going so quickly and we are happy.

6 months

2010-10-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today my boy is 6 months old. It seems unfathomable that 1/2 of a year has past. He truly has made the transition to 3 a breezy with a fair amount of showers(due to his love of blowing raspberries.)

At his last neurology appt. we met only with the PAC. We got his meds figured out and as we see any sign of his seizures all we need to do is call up to Primary's leave a message and they will get back to us quickly, as his meds are based on weight. So when he grows we will just have to up his dose as needed. She didn't seem all that impressed with his hands, but we talked about his seizures for 30 minutes and then she held toys out for him to try to grab and observed him for about 2 minutes. I came away discouraged because at home he grabs for things that are placed out in front of him. Then I decided that the last time she saw Eli he was 2 weeks old, so not to worry to much. I felt like as long as I am seeing improvement we have something to feel good about.

Here are some words to describe Eli at this point: happy, drooly, observant, hungry, gentle, and sweet.

He is sitting up now and loves it. He is content to just hang out on a blanket and play with toys for a decent amount of time. We have also nicknamed him Bustaloo, a term Ruby coined when she mistook it for bust a move. But when ever we say it to him in a Vegas lounge singer voice he smiles.

I think his saucer has helped him as far as reaching for things goes. When we first started putting him in it, I don't really think he knew what to do, but now he pulls things into his mouth and spins the toys. It has been exciting to see.

Since my breakage, Jed has been getting up with Eli at night to feed him. They are so fun to watch together, and Eli cuddles right into Jed's shoulder which he rarely does with me. Jed attributes it to middle of the night bonding. :)

Love you so much Eli.

For Angie

2010-10-08T12:59:00.001-07:00

I feel like I have lacked much to write about, and pictures to go with it. As I look at the date on my last post I find myself blushing and how long it has been. I really do love my blog and am feeling sad that it has been so terribly neglected.

And so it is for Angie that I write today. I know what ever I consider to be boring ramble, Angie will like it.

My life in the last couple weeks on paper looks a little like this, not a huge amount of activity that I am used to, but much more thoughtful and gratitude filled for the things that I used to do, that now someone else does for me, or that I have found a way to do even though it takes 3-4 times longer than it used to. In short, I think we often forget how amazing our bodies are. When I am finally free of my "shackles" (Hopefully I will be off crutches by next Thursday and just in the walking boot for a few weeks. It would be very nice to no longer have my hands involved with the walking process.) I will make a post more specifically about what I have learned from this experience.

Jed passed his insurance test on Tuesday! That was such a relief. It has brought a lot of unspoken stress for both of us that we didn't talk about until Jed passed. I am so proud of him and how much time he put into his studies with all of the motherly duties that have been heaped upon him, due to my clumsiness. He is a jewel and I am glad he is mine.

He will attend his 2 weekly company meetings, schedule his hands on training with his team leader and then I think we just have to wait for his License to come in the mail. I told Jed he should make an appearance on the blog to explain his work stuff to all of my faithful readers. He politely declined and with a smile and said "No, I don't want to blog." So there you have it.

Jed has a job it's just all of the certification and all of that jazz that seems to be delaying what most consider the definition of having a job; making money. We foresee that being in sight soon. Which will be a nice change.

Like I said, I don't really feel like I have much quality blog material to write about, but years from now perhaps I will read this post and be grateful that all though lacking in brilliant content, I wrote anyway. Thanks for the encouragement Ang.

Truly though, my heart is just filled with gratitude for people who are in the right place at the right time and remind me that Heavenly Father is in the details and that with each new experience we have it can be for our good.

Coming home

2010-09-20T08:23:00.001-07:00

As of yesterday, we have lived in our home for 1 year. We love it here. I knew that when we moved it would take me a while to get comfortable and get to know people, but I have been out of that transitional phase for a while and I know that we were meant to be here. Our ward is so amazing, and I feel like we have just been so readily welcomed and accepted.

We said for years that we would never move out here and when it came down to it and placed bids on some homes, we would place our offer and then I would feel anxious yet very relived when we were told that it didn't work out. We started looking into building and I feel like this is the street we were meant to be on and the ward as well. It feels like home to me and I would be content to stay here for the rest of my life, unless Heavenly Father has another course for us.

It is always so interesting how things just fall into place, and something that felt wrong for so long, felt right when the time was right. Does that make sense? I love how quiet it is here at night and the millions of stars that we can see, we have so many people here that are our age with young children.

The one thing I don't love is the weeds. :) It is amazing how something that is given no water or nurturing can flourish so easily out here. It gives me a greater appreciation for Adam and Eve. :) Gratefully, Jed and I spent 9 hours a week and a half ago clearing our yard of weeds, it was so much work, but I am so glad we got it done otherwise Jed would have been out there alone, getting them all up. When we finished I told Jed "I don't ever want to have to pull all of those again."

1 year ago, when we moved, I was so emotional. I was happy to be here, but sad to be out of my comfort zone and I missed our previous ward. So much has changed since that time. I have so much gratitude for the place we came from, and also the direction we are going. We are home. I love that feeling.

*As a side note, all of my recent posts have been done on Jed's lap top which doesn't have a port for the memory card from our camera. I have pictures to post, but I haven't been going downstairs very much to use the desk top. So sorry for the lack of pictures. I will go back and update each post with pictures when I get around to it.

Wednesday in the park

2010-09-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

After finishing my previous post this morning we had plans to go to the park with Sarah and Brody. Eli fell asleep in his exersaucer so I decided a nap was in need. Jed kept him while he studied and I took the girls with me.

There was a great little 1/8 of a mile walking path around the field by the playground we made a few laps and by the end of our second to last Emma started to cry that she wanted me to hold her. I told her to be tough and finish it and that I knew she could. She continued to cry and so I told her if she could finish the last stretch we would all cheer for her. Ruby was at the end and as we finished she shouted out a big cheer for Emma. Then Ruby asked that if she finished one more lap could we cheer for her at the end. I told her that most definitely we could, and with that she started off. I started to follow her and Emma came along. As we got to the end Ruby started to run to the "finish line" I wanted to be there when she came in so I picked Emma up and started to jog with her on my hip. There was a bit of mud on the path, and if you know what Eagle Mountain mud is like, you know you don't want to step in it. I made my way around it, and in what seemed like a split second, my foot went off the lip of the path and my leg went out from under me.

Emma popped out of my arms and landed on the path and I knew that I was hurt. Sarah was walking towards us with Brody and asked if I was ok and what happened. I explained and we tried to get me up. It hurt to put any pressure on my left foot. Sarah helped me bear my weight and I jumped on my other foot, but I could feel the impact in my left foot. Sarah insisted that she could carry me to the car. In any other instance I would have done it, the girl is wonder woman for Pete sake, but with her being 24 weeks pregnant and me lacking the ability to even jump that high, I asked her if she could get the kids on the car and I would meet her there. I got there eventually by crawling. It was the least painful way.

I drove home and Sarah called Jed so he would be waiting to help me out of the car. By the time we got home the area right above my ankle was the size of half a baseball. Jed helped me in and I rested on the bed and fed Eli while Jed helped the girls get some lunch. I think they both cried enough for the 3 of us. We had to keep reminding them that the best way to help me was to eat their lunch so we could go to insta care.

When we arrived they got me in pretty quick. Jed stayed in the waiting room with the kids. I was embarrassed but appreciated the offer of a wheel chair. The Dr. looked at it and then I was taken back for 3 x-rays. They told me I had fractured my fibula and that they were going to splint it and then I needed to make an appointment with a Orthopedic specialist as soon as possible.

I have been pretty ok, but I have been discouraged as I have wanted to do things. It is so amazing to me the things I take for granted that I could do for myself just this morning that I can no longer do. I am just like my mom, I don't like to sit still for to long, or I will see something that needs picking up and I want to get it. Jed assures me that as soon as they see me and figure out what needs to be done, it will be easier. I think the hardest thing for me is not being able to pick up Eli. I can follow the girls around on my crutches, but I can't transfer Eli and myself. Jed has completely stepped in and is now running the show.

We went to the orthopedic this afternoon and they said it is a clean break but it is a 1/2 inch from the bottom of the bone. So as long as I keep weight off of it and it doesn't shift than it will be able to heal itself in the walking boot. I go in next week for x-rays to make sure it hasn't shifted and then we will go from there. Like I said before, life goes on and I shall indeed be fine.

Life goes on.

2010-09-15T09:54:00.001-07:00

No matter what our circumstances may be, time marches forward and life continues. It is a good thing. Jed has had a couple interviews and yesterday he had one in the morning, and was asked to come back for a second that afternoon. So he stayed up in Sandy and I got a call about 4:30 where he told me he accepted the position. He will be working for a multi-insurance broker firm, that helps people customize their insurance to their exact needs. I could go upstairs and ask the companies name but don't want to bother Jed while he is studying for his insurance license. It is commission based, and normally that would make me anxious, but Jed felt good about it, and he is happier than I have seen him in a while. Not that he has been grumpy or anything like that but more so that his sense of purpose has returned and he is looking forward to this new challenge.

Eli turned 5 months on Sunday. He is such a joy to us. He is back in his hard casts at night to help extend his fingers so they are less curled. He is doing well with them and we are seeing so much improvement. Well it is improvement to me. He is starting to lay his hands flat during feeding, grabbing his clothes and blankets, he took the spoon from me yesterday whilst eating his pears, and he is gaining strength in his hands, I can see it in the way he can hold his toys for longer periods, and can also pull his jiggly elephant down. All of these things to me are the glimmer of hope that he is going to continue to improve. He tries so hard and I love this gentle boy so much. he also cut his second tooth that afternoon after conference, I then understood why I didn't catch a word of Boyd K. Packer's talk. :)

As for his seizures we started his medication on the 15th of August and he had a month period of respite from them. Then on the 4th of September he started having them again. Not the kind where he convulses and falls asleep after wards for long periods of time, which is good but they are still happening, he has been having about 3-4 a day the medications seems to subdue them but it's not stopping them. My guess is that he he went through a period where he wasn't having them and then when he started having them, his med dose isn't high enough to stop them. It is frustrating to me, but I am grateful for the mildness of them. We have an appointment next week so we can discuss the options with the PA.

We had Stake conference on Sunday. It was broadcast from the Marriott Center on the BYU campus. It was incredible. I have been thinking so often about the impressions I received there. I am grateful that the words that were spoken helped me personally. I truly believe that the speakers were inspired to deliver the messages they did and I also left with a greater appreciation for our pioneer heritage. The Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses my life everyday. It brings me so much happiness.

That afternoon we took so pictures of the kids. Eli refused to sit, hence the look on his face, he was arching up so he could stand. I have a feeling that future picture takings will be in this likeness. They are all in such a funny stages, and I know that these very poorly composed pictures will bring me giggles and sweet memories for years to come.

My calling

2010-09-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know about my calling, but perhaps there are some that don't. I am the primary chorister in my ward. I officially started on July 4th. I love the primary songs and being with the children. There are a few things about the calling that made me apprehensive at the beginning.

-The previous chorister was still in primary and I didn't want to let her down, she did a great job.
-I don't know how to read music or lead to save my life.
-I love to be silly but was worried what some of the teachers would think of me.

When I was first called, people would ask if I liked my calling. I would be honest giving them an answer that usually sounded like this: "I like it but..."

After having been in there for two months and wearing my purple wig as a reward for the children learning their song, I am feeling more confident than ever. I LOVE my calling.

Here are some things that have helped me greatly.
-The sister that was the previous chorister has told me that I am doing a great job, I needed that affirmation for some reason.
-I have to learn songs that I don't know by hearing them repeatedly. Jed has made it a super simple process by putting them all on the ipod and then I just listen to them while I cook or am doing something in the kitchen.
-I realized that even though I am always off beat when I lead and my Relief Society arm waves hello to the children sometimes, as long as I am enthusiastic and we are having fun it doesn't matter.
-We have amazingly kind teachers in our primary. Eli always comes along for the third hour since Jed teaches in Young Men, and occasionally for second hour as well if they need Jed to help with Sunday school for the youth. At times I have lead while holding Eli when he is sad and without fail, a teacher will always come up to me and offer to hold him, or take him out in the hall if needs be.
-If I just be myself, the week goes well. Primary is the place to be, my testimony is strengthened by the beautiful music, and the powerful words. I also always enjoy the enthusiasm of the sunbeams. They make me happy.

Ripe

2010-08-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

If my blog were a fruit it would be overly ripe. I have had a post swirling around in my head for a while now but just haven't got it out until now. I also haven't been getting on the computer as much since Jed has been home, which I consider to be a good thing.

We borrowed Coraline from my mom and it came with 3-D glasses. I was amazed that it worked on our t.v. the girls love it and one of their new phrases is "Don't go in the rain Coraline Jones." It make us all laugh due to the inflection in their voices when they say it.

I took this picture on Eli's 4 month mark and I decided that a lying down picture would be best. When I prop him up against something his neck disappears. I guess that is what happens when you weigh 17 lbs at 4 months.

A couple weeks ago Ruby went to the Utah County fair with her friend Hannah. I was initially going to go and then when Eli started having seizures I decided it would be better not to. Hannah's mom then offered to take Ruby with her. She had a wonderful time. She loved the face painting the most and it was so fun hearing her description of things. Tina told me that Ruby saw a woman in the bathroom with short spiky black hair with red tips. Ruby approached her and told her how much she loved her hair and that she looks like Rufio. Coming from Ruby that is a big compliment.

Eli started solids about 2 weeks ago and is loving it. I think it is amusing that I always forget how messy they are in the beginning. I always think that they aren't ready and then give them a few days and they have it down. He has also had squash. He loves it. I make his baby food and I love it, when Brody was a baby I had Sarah save his Gerber food containers they work perfectly for storing and freezing the food.

Very often I find Emma in the Exersaucer. She probably still meet the weight limit. But when ever she gets into it she is on her knees.

Eli loves being in his Johnny Jump up. He enjoys being either upright or held, he has been rolling over ever since he as a little under 4 months. He is so good at it but gets mad that he can't get back over. He was having a sad day last week so I decided to get his jumper out and it made him so happy.

I recently finished my wall hanging. My mom gave me a gift certificate to Pineneedles and I was able to get everything I needed for it for .15 cents over what the certificate was for. I got it finished a little after my birthday so I got it quilted with my birthday money. The pattern name is Simply Silly. The thing I love about it is that the fabric line is called Make Life... and then it has different words all over it like, simple, silly, fresh, beautiful, happy, sunny ect. It is now hanging in my kitchen. It reminds me to try to make life exactly what I want it to be. I am so happy with the way it turned out.

Diagnosis

2010-08-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

We went to Eli's Neurology appointment today and had a good chat with the Dr. I think we will be switching over to her from her previous Dr. I like her better. We discussed all that has been happening with the boy and showed them the video and they came to the conclusion that he is having seizures.

We are now on the course to figure out what is causing them and getting treatment. We will be starting him on medication this week, and then we will have them do another MRI to make sure his brain developed properly. (Our insurance is going to love us.) We had multiple blood draws today, it made him sad. They ended up putting the needle in his hand since his veins kept rolling in his chubby arms. We will also have to take him to an ophthalmologist to get his eyes dilated to see if they can find any cause there. I am going to try to squeeze him in with Ruby on the 30th for her appointment. It was quite a long day at the hospital we were there for 4 hours.

I am feeling relieved that we are on the right path to getting things under control. So grateful for excellent medical professionals that are so attentive to his needs and our family. Kami was a saint and had our girls for over 5 hours today. She took such good care of them and even fed them dinner even though she wasn't planing on it. She is truly salt of the earth. Our family is so amazing, I can't say enough good about them.

We were able to cancel Eli's Gastro appointment, as that isn't the problem of causing his seizures and I had Jed call to cancel and they were going to charge us a fee for canceling without giving them 24 hour notice. Jed was firm with them and talked them out of charging us, I knew Jed was the man for the job. I would have been a push over.

Things are coming together. We have experienced so much kindness, I am overwhelmed by the love that has been expressed on our behalf.

4 months

2010-08-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Eli had his appointment on Friday for his WCC. His stats are as follows:

Height: 25 3/4 in. 80th percentile
Weight: 16 lb 15 oz 85 percentile
Head: Can't remember but 50th percentile

He has been rolling over for a little over a week, and loves to laugh when tickled. He is still as content as ever and brings us so much happiness. We are so blessed he is ours. And I always have to laugh when the girls say "Can I hold The Bub?"

Had a good visit with Dr. R, as Eli has been having more episodes (not really sure what else to call them) I have noticed other things he has been doing which leads me to belive it isn't reflux related.
-His eyes twitch and water
-Thick spit comes out of his mouth
-I showed him what kind of movements his limbs make
-We haven't seen any pattern, even when we keep him upright all day, it doesn't matter his position they still occur.
-His eyes roll up a little

Dr. R agreed that it does sound like seizures, which can be caused by multiple things. He was able to get us an appointment with the Neurologist for this afternoon. He also recommended recording an episode as it can help with diagnosing him or being able to see exactly what he is doing. Gratefully we were able to record it on Friday while Jed's mom held him. It was so hard to just stand there and do nothing but I know it will help them get a better idea. It also made me realized that they are lasting longer than I thought.

He hasn't had an episode since Friday, I am happy about that but in the back of my mind I remember that he went 4 days with nothing and after that they started up again but with the convulsing.

Jed and I had the opportunity to attend the Temple on Saturday. It was so needed. The peace was so sweet and I felt assurance about the unsure things happening in our lives right now. I will try to update tonight and I will have a happy post up shortly. Even when it feels like so many things are going wrong, life has a way of bringing reminders of how sweet life truly is and that it is the small things that truly bring us joy.

Results and the unexpected

2010-08-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening we took the kiddos on a walk and when we got home we were playing on the floor with Eli and all of a sudden he started having an episode but he was shaking and his limbs were jerking. Jed immediately took him from me and gave him a blessing, and instantaneously the convulsions stopped. It was so scary. I was bawling.

It has been so strange, after starting the meds he didn't have any problem for 4 days and then on Monday he had two and then they have been increasing more so yesterday and today, but when he started convulsing it put me over the top. I called his Ped this morning to see if they had the results from the EEG, they didn't so they said they would call me back.

The EEG came back normal so he doesn't have epilepsy. That is such great news! Dr. R thinks that it is connected to reflux. If you don't get enough oxygen your body can shake. He is trying to get us a more advanced appointment with a gastrointerologist as it usually is about a 2 month out wait. He recommended after eating keeping him upright for an hour so it has a chance to digest. I am so relived that it isn't seizures.

Yesterday was quite a day. Our house hasn't gotten the loving care it needs since we were so busy working on getting everything together for my mom's party so we spent most of the morning putting things back in order and then Ruby spent the afternoon playing with friends. I was down stairs when I heard someone come in the door, I called for Ruby and instead the response was "No, it's me." I hurried upstairs to see why Jed was home so early. Turns out that his companies owners have decided to turn the company over to a property management company. Jed's original boss passed away about a year ago and that has complicated things, but this is the last thing we expected.

I have felt numb at times but I feel like there is a new opportunity on the horizon and I know that something will work out. I am feeling very much at peace, and am so thankful for the wonderful support system we have. Life throws curve balls, but this is one I feel will work out to be a blessing.

Let's talk reflux

2010-08-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

The day that we scheduled Eli's EEG, I got a call from Dr. R with the recommendation that we put him on an acid reflux med to see if it would help reduced the amount of episodes he was having. I questioned him about it because Eli had been on Prevacid before and he was still having episodes and then once he was off the med they gradually went away. He said it was at least worth a try and that if it was working we would see a difference in 1 to 2 days. So we had the med called in, and gratefully it was only 1o dollars as compared to his 174 dollar Prevacid.

The first day that he took it was Wednesday morning and he still had episodes but they were fewer and further between. Since that day he hasn't had one! It is so confusing to me, because most babies I know with reflux are really fussy and don't want to eat much if they don't have meds to help the acid. Eli is so content, so my thoughts are Prevacid just didn't sit well with him, and if it is indeed reflux that is was causing him not to move and hardly breath and make a weird swallowing sound, that must be how he coped with it when the acid would burn him, like he was trying to swallow it back down.

He seems better to me and it has been so nice not having him turn a dusky color due to lack of oxygen, or being exhausted after the fact. These are just my observations since we don't have any actual results back, but I forgot to post about his meds. It has been an interesting turn of events and I would be more than happy to have this be the problem than the seizures that we were previously thinking it was.

EEG

2010-08-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

Let me say trying to take a 4 month old boy that loves his sleep off that schedule makes for a horrible morning. I got up and fed him at 4 a.m. and then Jed went in to get him at 4:3o since we had to wake him up two hours earlier than normal. I got up with him at 6 so Jed could get some sleep, and then that is when the struggle began. He wanted to go to sleep so badly and so I spent that hour and a half dancing him around, talking to him, putting brightly colored toys in his face, and worst of all throwing him up in the air to wake him up. I can't think of anything he hates more. I wanted to cry.

He just wanted to eat and sleep but I knew if I fed him he would conk out so we held out for as long as possible. By 8 he seemed to be doing ok, and then as we went out the door he got into his car seat and was falling asleep, so we had to do the meanest thing ever. We had to take his clothes off and turn the A/C on. We felt so bad, submitting him to mild torture, but we knew that this small moment of discomfort would be better for him in the long run. What a relief it was to get to the hospital and be able to put his clothes on and get him ready for his test.

We were taken to a room where he got to have his head exfoliated and then have 23 electrodes with conductivity paste on them attached to different points all over his head. Then they wrapped his head in gauze to keep them in place. He didn't love it but was so happy when we finally to got to the point that we could feed him and swaddle him for the test. We sat in the dark with him for 25 minutes while they ran the test and then they came in and put a strobe light right over his face for 3 minutes to see the response to the light. After that we were done and we will have the results in a week.

I learned something from this experience. Sometimes when I go through a trial I think to myself, why do I have to go through this, it's painful and I am exhausted. Just like with Eli, I was right there with him wanting to do nothing more than end his discomfort and hold him close, knowing all the while that if I took that route he wouldn't get the help that he needed, and all of the sleep that he had already missed out on would be wasted. I think Heavenly Father is just like that. He is right there beside us wanting our discomfort to end but knowing that the outcome of our sorrows are far more valuable than if we had never gone through them. He love us enough to allow that. It was so hard to let Eli cry when he was so sad, but I did it because I knew it was the best thing for him. It was a very eye opening experience for me, it helped me realize how very much we are loved.

Happenings

2010-08-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

Lots of things happening around here. I should have posted weeks ago about this, but haven't. Eli's hands are improving and he no longer has to wear his thumb splints or hard casts at night. His PT Chris has been amazing, in helping us reach this point, and I am happy she is staying on with us throughout the year so that she can log his progress and make sure that we are seeing continuous improvement.

On the 24th of July, Erin, Meg and I were involved in potty talk. That weekend I decided we were done with diapers and that it was time for us to take the leap. Monday was horrible as expected, but after that, it got better and better each day and she stayed dry all day on Friday. She has been doing so well ever since. It was a breeze training her compared to Miss Ruby. And as a plus she has been staying dry at night. We are definitely happy.

One evening, Jed put Emma to bed only to hear her "screaming bloody murder" 10 minutes later. He went up to check on her, it turns out that she had taken her pajamas off and replaced them with her 0-9 month robe she wore as a baby and needed help tying it. She slept in it the whole night. The two things I find somewhat funny is that she stayed in it all night and plodded around in it all morning, not caring that it barely covered her keester.

Eli has started having episodes where he checks out for about 15-25 seconds. His eyes stay pretty much in the same place and he doesn't move and makes a very small swallowing sound and taking very small breaths which causes him to turn a dusky color. And then all of a sudden he takes a huge breath and seems to be fine. Except when he has multiple in a close proximity. We made attempts to call his neurologist, so we called Dr. R and he wanted us to bring him in. I didn't have a car yesterday morning so I called my sister on a whim positive that she had already left to go up to Sandy. (She told me the day before they were leaving at 7 a.m. ) How grateful I was that at 8:29 they hadn't left yet. They came and picked the kids and I up.

We saw Dr. R. He said he looks good other than this problem he is having. He thinks that he is having seizures. We have an EEG set up for him on Thursday so that they can monitor his brain waves and see what is happening. The challenge of this will be that we have to put him to bed one hour later and wake him up two hours earlier, so we will be getting him up at 4:40 in the morning and keeping him awake until 9:30. It will be quite a feat with the fact that he likes to sleep, his episodes make him tired and we have a 40 minute car ride. They said if he falls asleep they can't do the test so we will do everything we can to keep him awake.

I am hanging in there, and the real challenge for me is seeing my sweet little guy having to deal with this. He is so patient through it all. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of my son, and that whatever the purpose of this current trial, we can and have felt His love for us and are assured that we are never left alone.

25

2010-07-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday and I am feeling like 25 is quite the milestone. I feel old, no so much that I think that 25 is old, I just think that my lifestyle makes me feel "mature". I have been thinking about what I have learned in 25 years and I am going to attempt compiling a list.

1. Love your siblings, in the long run they do become your best friends.
2. Sing when ever you feel sad.
3. Putting a fork in a flame and then putting it on your leg will not only give you a 3 prong scar, it will hurt.
4. Doing things that you don't feel qualified for make you stronger.
5. Don't wish your life away.
6. The older I get, the more I realize I am like my mother, and I like it.
7. Exercise isn't as bad as I think it is.
8. Ironing should be illegal unless you are working on a quilt.
9. Housework has taught me to be more consistent in other aspects of my life.
10. Being out in nature reminds me how much my Heavenly Father loves me.
11. Love the past, it makes you who you are.
12. I want to take dance lessons. I gained confidence in my dancing from Sarah. I'll love you for it forever.
13. I am just as bad at listening as my kids are.
14. When you know, you know. And no amount of time or justification will change that.
15. Good friends make all the difference in your life. I love you Crescent 7th girls!
16. Love your body, it's the only one you've got.
17. There's no place like home.
18. True happiness comes from being happy with yourself.
19. Write things down, or you'll forget!
20. I want to someday be able to beat Jed in Risk.
21. History and the human experience fascinate me.
22. I am hard to get away from because I could talk for hours.
23. When we have done all that we can do, God steps in and does the rest.
24. Get directions, then you won't get lost.
25. A penny saved is a penny earned finally makes sense to me.

As for the my birthday, it was lovely. My mom took me out to lunch, while Sarah watched the wee ones. I got all the kids down for a nap, and right when I was asleep the phone rang. :( The girls let me choose which movie to watch without pitching fits. I chose my childhood favorite; Cinderella. We then scooted the couches back in the living room and had a dance party, we even did the Boot, Scoot and Boogie, and Thriller. Sadly Jed stopped dancing when I pulled the camera out. Then we had Lemon Icebox Pie for dessert and had Sarah and Adam over. They are so much fun.

Eli stayed tucked away safely during our dance party, as most of us are prone to clumsiness. But by all accounts I think he was quite content.

Mixin' it up

2010-06-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

Thursday we made cupcakes but with a little splash of color. I found the recipe in the Family Fun magazine. The girls had a blast watching the batter change color and then layering it into the muffin cups. They were very pretty when they came out of the oven, and they went pretty quick.

After our cupcake making the girls got the markers out and Ruby covered herself with drawings. She had flowers running up and down both arms, octopuses and spiders on her legs and a neon mustache. Emma was covered in scribbles and I asked them who taught them this little trick without hesitation they responded "Grandma Cook."

We have been keeping busy. We try to do something fun each week that gets us out of the house, and I personally have enjoyed getting together with Sarah and letting the kids play while we play hand and foot.

2 months

2010-06-23T11:44:00.001-07:00

Since we have been home from vacation Eli is now waking up 2 times a night. He goes to bed at 8:00 p.m. and wakes up at 2 and then again at 6:30 a.m. I much preferred his 10 hour sleep schedule. He smiles often and has been cooing and babling for a couple weeks. I love his responses when you talk to him, he gets so excited.

Physical therapy is going well, Kris comes and sees us twice a month. She is also making his splints for him. We were jumping through so many hoops with our insurance company and the orthopedic companies we had been in touch with kept telling us that they hadn't worked with an infant in over a decade. So when Kris said that she could do it for him, we were so happy. She had him in splints in a week and we had been working with this other company for over a month.

During the day he wears thumb splints that help hold his thumb out and give it a little stretch. 2-3 times a day we take them off and stretch his fingers and thumbs out and hold it for 10-15 seconds while we use our thumbs to massage the inside of his palms. We are seeing little improvements and it makes me hopeful.

Right before bed time his thumb splints come off and we put on his hard casts, which hold his wrists straight and his thumb extended out. Then we put sock over the top of them so he doesn't hit or scratch himself with them. The first night was really hard for him but he is doing a lot better and it has just become a part of the routine.

Eli had his 2 month appointment on June 17th and here are his stats:

Weight:13 lb. 5 oz. 85 percentile
Height: 23 3/4 in. 85 percentile
Head:40 cm 60 percentile

He is a big guy and I am sure he will be growing out of his 3-6 month clothes shortly. :)

That same afternoon we had an appointment with his Neurologist. I left feeling very annoyed just because he didn't do much more than look at his hands and tell me everything I had already been told about the test results. It felt very pointless.

Arizona

2010-06-15T16:38:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday night around 8:00 p.m. we left our house and headed on our way to Arizona. We decide to drive through the night, which at the time seemed like a good idea. :) The kids were extremely good. We just took the scenic route which was filled with winding roads. It made Emma car sick and she threw up 3 different times. Jed and I were very tired and so grateful when we reached our destination. We got to Cottonwood AZ at 5 a.m. in the morning. It felt so good to sleep for a few hours. When we got there, Jed's mom finished feeding Eli and stayed up with him so I could get some rest.

Thursday we were up around 8:00 and we ate brownies on the porch, and then got ready to go to Slide Rock in Sedona. It was amazing and so beautiful, being surrounded by red rock and playing in the water that had naturally occurring water slides carved out. It was such a fun afternoon and we even did a little cliff jumping. I stuck with the 12 ft. height and Jed jumped about 25-30 ft. It was a rush even from such a short height. ( In the video I had the height wrong. I should never be documentary film maker.) After Slide Rock we went to Dairy Queen for Ice cream. Butterscotch dipped cone= delicious.

The next day we went for hay rides behind the 4-wheeler, went swimming at the rec center and did some rock climbing as we left to go back to Gary and Ellie's after swimming. Jed and Sarah ventured up the pine tree in the yard, they got pretty far up in the branches. We also played my new favorite card game; hand and foot with Mark and Nancy. I think we were up until 1:30 playing. It was so great to have one on one time with them and pull the win. :) That evening we had a little program where you were able to share a memory of Grandpa Romig. I heard a lot of stories that were new to me and I gained a greater appreciation for this sweet man.

Great Grandma Romig gave the girls both 25 pennies. They had fun making letters out of them and counting them. It was also so sweet watching GG hold Eli and sing to him.

Saturday we decided start heading back home which gave us the opportunity to stop in the Grand Canyon. It was incredible. It was raining and quite cold but we got to take in some beautiful views and enjoy the park for a couple hours.

We stopped in Page, AZ to get some rest and spend the night. We had fun swimming and sitting in the hot tub, Emma hung out in the hotel room watching Toy Story 2. We drove home Sunday, and it was so nice to be back home. We loved the vacation and made lots of fun memories.

Eli's blessing day

2010-06-08T16:25:00.001-07:00

We blessed Eli on June 6 in our ward. One of the sweetest things about the day was seeing Eli be blessed in the same outfit that Jed was blessed in 27 years ago. It was in perfect condition and Eli looked so sweet in it. I am so glad Suzanne hung on to it, the outfit is a treasure to me.

I have to start out by saying that hosting a blessing at your house is a lot of work. When we blessed Ruby and Emma we were still living in the filing cabinet and it would have been impossible to accommodate everyone.

I was grateful for all of the kind cue's I was given to remind me what I was supposed to be doing as host. Suzanne kindly offered to make the BBQ beef for the sandwiches. It greatly lightened the load.

We had almost all of the family and a few friends travel the long distance to our house. I failed however to take any pictures of except of my beautiful neice Ashlyn holding Eli. Which I think makes up for all of the other pictures I failed to take. She was so sweet with him.

My SIL Mindy took all of the blessing pictures of Eli. I love them so much and am very excited to get them printed so Eli can take his proper place up on the wall with the rest of the family.

It was a wonderful day, and enjoyed seeing everyone, even though I am left with the feeling that I didn't get to spend the time I wanted to visiting with everyone. I so appreciate everyone's support.

Parade

2010-06-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to the Eagle Mountain Parade. It was really fun. The girls loved catching candy and telling the princesses they were pretty, Phia was telling them to be careful up there. It was so funny.

We saw Snow White and Sleeping Beauty go by and the girls wanted a picture with them. Jed took the girls to get their picture, and the princesses got pretty ahead. As I was watching I saw Emma pick up full speed and run right after them and wrap her arms around Snow White's leg and shout her name. Ruby was more shy ( I was surprised.) I am also wondering why bag pipes make me cry. Ruby recieved flowers from the Home Depot man during the parade and also got to break a board. She was so excited to participate.

Then we headed off to the park for a picnic with Grandma and Erin and Shane. The girls had fun playing together and I had fun eating doughnuts. :) Our day didn't stop their, we then headed off to Costco to get rolls and strawberry lemonade for Eli's blessing the following day and then to Lowe's for Weed and Feed so Jed could green up the lawn. Then we scurried home and started cleaning the house top to bottom, and then it was off to a Pampered Chef party and over to my sisters to borrow a dress that I didn't look poured into. :) It was quite the busy day, but very fun.

Sunday with a side of scissors

2010-06-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

At our house, a Sunday has not passed that I haven't found these two cuddle up taking a nap somewhere. Eli wore his white shirt on Sunday for the first time. It is a 3-6 month and it fits. Every time I looked at him, I would say something like "Oh, he looks like a little man." and then I would get a fit of giggles. Proud giggles of course. I am sure Jed wondered what had set me off, but then when he saw him he too got the proud giggles about our Bubba.

We did an impromptu photo shoot this morning. Sometimes Ruby will just grab the camera and take some pictures and then show me her work. She took this one of Eli, which I love. And then came a whole slew of flashes and posing.

The picture of Ruby holding her finger up is her way of "telling the story" of the scissor incident yesterday. I was down stairs and Ruby came running to me with her finger sticking our and bloody. I looked down at it and noticed that he finger nail was partially clipped off. Ruby's version of the story is that "Emma was cutting my nails with scissors." Of course Emma couldn't have done so without permission for Ruby.

Currently

2010-05-27T12:23:00.001-07:00

Ruby finished preschool on Monday. They had a Circus day party and Ruby was the elephant. This year has been so good for her and she has made some good little friends. I know she will look forward to Kindergarten in 2011. We decided that she will be doing preschool at home next year. It will be an interesting adventure, but one I am looking forward to. Ruby absolutely love her teacher Mrs. Forsyth, on her second to last day she came home with a packet of work that consisted of work she did at the beginning of the year and things she did at the end. The difference was amazing. She had learned so much this year.

I have started getting smiles from Eli occasionally. He is such a little love.

We are working on getting his splints still. They had to special order the supplies to make them. ECI was supposed to come on Monday for an evaluation and never showed. Then I got a call from his caseworker on Wednesday to reschedule. Somehow there was a mix up and she got a message that I had canceled our appointment. She appologized profusely and we got a new appointment set up for June 8th. Eli had his MRI on Tuesday, and it went really well. They had to give him multiple doses of medication to help him stay asleep so they could get the images they needed. He was very sleepy after the procedure and wouldn't open his eyes for 5 hours. He would respond to us moving him around and would take a bottle so they sent us home. It was nice when he finally opened his eyes and was extremely hungry. It was a blessing that Jed was able to come with me. It would have been a long test without him there. We got the results yesterday, the images showed that there was no tearing of the nerves, which is excellent and then we discussed what we need to do until his next neurology appointment in June, all of which is in the works. We were extremely relieved with the news.

Ruby is our little nursemaid and loves to hold Eli up to her shoulder and move him around.

Saturday my Grandma Delly was down for a visit along with my Aunt Marla. We had a girls day out and had a wonderful time. Eli and his cousin Josie were born a day apart, when you see them together though you would never guess that. They are about 4 lbs different, it will be fun watching them grow up together being so close in age.

"Who's behind?"

2010-05-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

"Mine."

I do love the humor in Toy Story 2. Here is a little clip from Ruby's Mothers Day program at school. It was so fun to watch her. Each of her classmates answered questions about their moms. The answers were hilarious. It was a fun day. The little boy sitting to her left is named John. I was talking to his mom the other day when we came to pick them up and she was telling me that John talks about Ruby all of the time and always wants to buy things for her. On another day we were getting into the car and John told his sister "That's my girlfriend." He then proceeded to scream "I love you Ruby!" as she was getting into her car seat.

My boy

2010-05-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Eli was one month old yesterday. If I felt like time flew before it feels so even more. It has been such an incredible blessing adding this little guy to our family. When I was at the hospital with Eli in the nursery the lactation consultant recommended doing skin to skin time with him, especially because I'm not nursing. It is time I look forward to, I love the quiet bonding it provides.

If I were to describe Eli, it would go something like this.

-As long as he is fed he is content.
- He can sleep anywhere, but seems more comfortable sleeping while being held. (As we speak, I am hen pecking at the keyboard while he sleeps in my arms.)
-He has such an easy going nature, and such a sweet spirit.
-He is my little cuddle bug.
-Eli has the deepest blue eyes. Sometimes when he looks at me, I wonder what he would tell me if he could.

There is nothing quite like a new baby. It has been so sweet to see my girls want to be actively a part of Eli's care. Often when I feed him, Emma comes over to help hold the bottle and then tries to take it out of his mouth, and when I tell her not to take it away she says "He needs to breave." Which was the case when he first came home. Ruby loves to help with bathing him and is helpful to get whatever I need.

EMG

2010-05-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Not really sure what it stands for but that is what we traveled up to PMC for yesterday. My mom and sister were saints to help with the girls. I am so grateful because it would have been impossible to take them.

As we got up there we did the usual routine of weight and length check and then off to the room to wait. We were then transferred to another room where the test would take place. I sat on the patient bed with Eli on a pillow on my lap and they placed little white sticky sensors on his hand in various nerve locations and then they would take a two pronged shocking device and press a button to send the electrical pulse. Then they would measure the how long it took for it reach one point to the nerve. (Don't worry when I say shock. They showed me what it felt like and I could hardly feel it.) Then they placed a needle that was hooked up to a microphone in different nerve sites, and were watching for p waves, amplitudes and bunch of other things that went over my head. Eli did really well for most of the test, but they put the needle in right behind his elbow and make him furious. Can't say that I blame him. As soon as I was able to put him back up to my shoulder to comfort him and talk quietly in his ear he would be calm immediately.

Basically the run down on the test is this. They verified that it is indeed a brachial plexus nerve injury. So on our end we have been working on getting him bilateral wrist splints (Which has been more difficult than I thought because he is so small. But the company we are working with is very helpful and looking into what options we have, or possibly custom making him a pair.) We have also been in touch with Early Childhood Intervention to get an appointment set up, so he can be evaluated for physical therapy. We have an appointment set up June 17th with his neurologist to see if he has made progress. He also has an MRI set up on the 25th so that they can have a visual of the extent of the damage. They will have to sedate him for the procedure and I am hoping Jed can get the day off so that he can come with me.

At the end of his appointment yesterday they said that if they don't see improvement by 6 months of age we will probably want to look into surgery to improve the movement in his hands. If this was the route we were to go, we would be going out of state to either Oregon or Texas since those are the two closest locations that preform the surgery. I am hoping that it doesn't come to that.

I was a wreck on the way home from the hospital. As I was talking with Brent we figured in the state that I was in I probably shouldn't have been driving. Thankfully I made it back to my mom's unscathed. I am feeling better and hopeful that taking these measures will bring improvement. I found so much comfort and support in talking with family about what has been going on. I always feel so loved and find so much assurance that all will be well with our little guy.

A few words

2010-05-06T20:23:00.001-07:00

Are in need of being said about these two. Emma is my child who, if she wants something she does it. She isn't one to wait around for help if it doesn't come in a timely manner. Hence, she scaled the pantry flour bin and a shelf to get herself some crackers while Ruby was at school yesterday. One of her favorite phrases is "It's not fair!" Sometimes when she has to go to her room for think time, she always tells me she loves me after we have the reminder talk about why she had think time in the first place. I delight in our ritual of singing "Snuggle puppy" together as she gets tucked in at night. Emma delights in teasing Ruby and taking things from her, because she knows Ruby won't hurt her to get them back, and I think she just really likes the thrill of the chase. Most of the time Ruby can't catch her, and it takes a couple of laps for me to catch her, all the while she laughs, until she gets caught and then she cries.

Recently Ruby had her eye appointment up at PMC and her Ophthalmologist was thrilled at her progess. He was amazed at how her visual acuity has improved. She can see much smaller letters from a far distance than she used to. He said it was very obvious that her patching is helping and that she is doing it. I gave her all of the credit, because she is willing to do it and doesn't drag her feet. We will continue to do the patching for another 4 months until her next visit and we will see where we are at.

As of January 1st we made a bed making chart for Ruby to give her some motivation. She completed her chart at the end of April and she just earned her reward. We tried talking her into doing a one on one outing with daddy but she insisted on having "The Ariel Barbie just like Ellee's" It was a second choice, what she really wanted was a Jessie doll (from Toy Story) but they were all sold out and way to pricey. She goes back and forth to the bathroom to change Ariel's tail color in the sink. She said some pretty humorous thing today, Eli's skin is peeling up by his eyelid's and when Ruby noticed she said "Mommy, his skin is falling apart!" This afternoon I was changing Eli on the bed and he was crying and Ruby said,
R:"Why is he crying?"
Me: "I don't know."
R: "I think it's because he doesn't like his name."

Life

2010-05-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my SIL Sarah yesterday, and at first I missed her call and as I was leaving her a message I said that I was getting the kids in the car. And it struck me as funny to say that because Ruby was at school. It used to be that I was just getting Emma in the car. Anyway, I sure love these three little ones. As I look back at pictures of Emma as a baby I realize that she and Eli could be twins, minus the fact that they are a different gender. They look so much alike. Don't you think?

Last week before FHE Ruby was sitting on the couch with me while I fed Eli. She was holding the Gospel Art Kit and was telling Eli stories and showing him pictures. Most of them were pretty accurate, until she turned to a picture of Mormon abridging the plates. She said to him "Eli, this is Mormon. He was a Prophet and was very, very English." I couldn't stop laughing and wondered where she came up with it. She looked downright pleased with herself.

It has been great, the past two weekends I have gotten a nap in. One was over 3 hours long. It was blissful. Jed has taken such good care of me and I don't mind a bit. I am so thankful for all of his help.

The girls love to cuddle Eli, and whenever Eli is doing anything other than sleeping Emma will ask "What's wrong with Bubba?" When I got on to post I thought I had a lot to write about, I'm not sure what I have forgotten. One thing is for sure, we are loving life as a family of five.

Neurologist appointment

2010-04-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

At Eli's follow up appt. with Dr. Ramsey on the 17th, we talked about his hands and how they aren't ever in fists, and sometimes they rhythmically jerk. Dr. R was able to get us an appointment up at PMC with a neurologist for the following Monday. When I called up their they couldn't get me in until June 24th, I am grateful that Dr. R helped us get a closer appointment.

At his appointment, they did observed him and I talked about what kind of things I was seeing at home, his delivery and his stay at the hospital. They think what has happened is that his brachial plexus nerves were stretched during his delivery because he was so big.

They are going to run an EMG on May 11th, which entails putting a needle in two different nerves on arm and then sending an electric pulse through it and timing his reaction. We are also doing some work with him here at home, moving his fingers and bending them and stretching them out. I am happy to say that we have seen improvement, he will now grip our fingers sometimes and he moves his fingers more often.

We saw Dr. R in the afternoon for his 2 week check up after his visit with the Neurologist. He told me that he has never seen this kind of thing be permanent, because babies grow so quickly that their bodies can regenerate and self heal the nerves. I found that very comforting because on the way home from PMC I was crying as I was talking to Jed about what I found out. I was feeling like if I would have had him by c-section he wouldn't have this challenge. Jed, Dr. Ramsey and Suzanne reassured me through out the day that it wasn't my fault and I could spend forever saying "If only."

At his 2 week appt. here are his stats:

Height: 21 1/8 in.

Weight: 10 lb. 1 0z

Head: 37.7 cm.

He got to have his first bath last Saturday the 24th. He loved it. I loved it too, and Ruby and Emma were my bath assistants. They kept using the wash cloth and sponge to keep his tummy warm by squeezing the water on him.

He is such a good little guy and I find myself thinking that adjusting to 3 children a lot easier than 2. I think it is because the girls have each other to play with and they keep each other busy, and Eli is so content and relaxed.

We had fun Saturday working in the yard and cleaning out our flower beds and going to the park. It was so nice to be home on Saturday together.

Replacement pair

2010-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

We had a little mishap recently in our home. I was feeding Eli, Emma was in bed, Ruby was in her pajamas when she appeared in the living room with out her glasses. I told her to go get them and she just stood there. Then I asked Jed to get me a burp cloth.

A few seconds later I hear Jed pipe up "Oh crap!" I asked what was wrong and her came out with a pair of mangled glasses. Dear little Ruby left them on the floor. We have talked with her time and again about putting them in the case or on her face. We have had other moments where Emma has gotten her hands on them and bent the arms. So this was the final resting point for her glasses. I felt sad when she putting her face in her hands and saying "Ohhhh, now I can't see."

I was thinking we would have to order a completely new set but upon calling Target, we found out that if the lenses were ok then we could just replace the frames for half the cost. I liked that. She was without glasses for a day and a half until we could take her to get them replaced and sized.

It was mildly irritating, but if her glasses wouldn't have been broken we never would have snapped this little beauty.

Proof

2010-04-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

We have some doubting family members that Eli ever has his eyes open. :) He is such a content little guy and is very easy going and yes, he loves to sleep. It is such a treat having him in our family. The girls love him. Ruby loves to hold him and Emma likes to help feed him, and ask what is wrong with him and how his owie is. When he was in the hospital and they were finally able to wheel him to window so the girls could see him Emma was convinced he had an owie and would tell people that he had one.

He is such a cuddly little guy, and I love how warm newborns are. I love cuddle time in the lovesac in the evening. We haven't been able to give him a bath yet, because he still has lost his umbilical cord, but are looking forward to the event.

Without further ado, our little guy with his eyes open, and I think a few sleepy one's slipped in.

In the nursery

2010-04-22T08:05:00.001-07:00

On Monday evening I had the nurse take Eli to the nursery so I could get some sleep, I also got to take my good friend Ambien. We make a good team when it comes to hospital stays. I slept really well and was looking forward to going to the nursery to pick up my son. Before I could make it to that point, Eli's ped came in for visit. He told me that when they brought him in, the nurses noticed that he was breathing really fast, for most newborns they take about 60 breaths a minute or less. Eli was taking 120. I was told that they wanted to keep him in there so they could watch him and make sure he was breathing ok. They also ordered for him to be on a liter of oxygen to help expand his lungs. Sometimes when babies are Eli's size and even though they are full term their lungs haven't caught up to their size and need a little help.

He also had fluid in his lungs which is usually only present in premature babies, and somewhat unusual in vaginal births because it helps get any excess out. So he was on an IV for antibiotics, and later for feeding because they found that his oxygen levels would drop after he would eat and he would turn a dusky color. So he was then put on an 02 sats monitor and also a respiration monitor. The reason his o2 sats would drop after eating is because he has acid reflux it took 3 days to figure it out.

As I think back on it, Eli's hospital stay is somewhat of a blur. For me it was just 4 1/2 emotionally charged days. I have heard many times of babies that have to stay in the hospital or the nicu, but I started to truly understand how traumatic it is was when it was my own child. The nurses and his ped were fantastic, even when it was crazy in there with a lot of deliveries or some babies being transferred to the nicu I always felt like someone was checking on me or putting an arm around me and offering a box of tissues. I felt like what was happening to our family was important to them and they wanted to take care of us.

We have had so many sweet and tender mercies extended to us during the past week. We have felt the Saviors love through others kind gestures, cards in the mail, help with the girls so Jed and I could go and be with Eli together, phone calls and many reminders that we were being prayed for.

The end of the day when Jed would take the girls home was always hard, Ruby would cry and tell me I need to get in my seat in the car and come home. Jed would tell me to turn around and go back into my moms house and that Ruby would be asleep in 5 minutes, and that I was where I was supposed to be. It was so hard being away from Jed and the girls and I missed home, but the thought of being 45 minutes away from Eli was unbearable. Jed was such a strength to me and basically took over the home front so I could be with our little guy.

I promised Ruby I would be home Friday night, because I knew how hard this was for not only us but also for our girls. Come home I did and it completely opened the flood gates when we walked in and I saw Eli's little bed empty. I tried to busy myself with dishes, but Jed pulled me away from them and just held me while I cried.

Thankfully we got the phone call Saturday morning that he was able to keep his 02 sats up for 24 hours and that we could come and bring our little boy home. Jed and I were a whirlwind of activity getting the girls ready and diapers bags packed. We couldn't hurry fast enough. We stayed at the hospital for 1 1/2 hours so he could have his car seat test, and make sure he could breath in his seat. He passed and we got to bring our son home.

It feels so incredibly good to be together as a family again and have some semblance of normalcy again. We are all doing really well, and loving our little bubba.

Eli's story

2010-04-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

Monday our day started out at 4:42 a.m. because we forgot to set the alarm. Good thing I woke up! We hurried out the door and packed our sleepy little girls, who were now perfectly alert into the car and headed on our way to my mom's who was watching them for the day. As we arrived we got the girls settled and Jed and my dad gave me a blessing. It was so comforting and sweet.

We got up to the hospital and got signed in and they pretty much prepped me for a c-section because of the possibility of needing one if the EV failed. With my last EV they did it without any pain medication. This time however since he was going to be coming one way or the other, they wanted to have the IV line open in case of an emergency so they could quickly give me a dose of meds. I can't even begin to say how incredibly comfortable I was while the EV was happening because the epidural. Jed said as he was watching, they would push into my stomach about six inches and hold it there and then do it in another spot to try to get him to flip. He absolutely was not going to budge going to the right, so they attempted to get him to go to the left, and they were able to flip him! That was such exciting news to me simply because I didn't want a section, and we had waited 6 days hoping this would be the outcome.

They broke my water, and were very careful about slowly adding the internal monitors every hour or so. They didn't want to give him any extra room to move around. I was pretty comfortable pain wise for about for about 4 hours, but every time I was about to fall asleep the blood pressure cuff would start beeping and we would have to call the nurse. At around noon, I started to get mildly uncomfortable, but we waited because I didn't want to max out on my pain med, and then not get to have any right before he was born.

After about 30 minutes I wanted some relief so the anesthesiologist came in and gave me a shot to help. It worked fine until I would turn over and then the pain would come back. So over the course of the next two hours the anesthesiologist came back twice to see if she could help me. It would happen in the same pattern, I would feel better and then the pain was back fairly quickly. I was trying so hard to breathe through the contractions and just endure, which I did for the next half hour. By this point I was sobbing and holding on to the bed rail every time I would have a contraction. Jed hurried to get the nurse because he said it took to long for them to be paged. They came back about 5 minutes later to check me and my Dr. was there also, I was checked and was to a complete 10, and experiencing the worst pain of my life. Dr. Later told me that I could wait 20 minutes for the anesthesiologist to be done with a patient and for me to be numb or I could push with the contractions and have my son here in 5 minutes. I became a swearing woman that day, not during labor thogu I think I shocked Jed.

I chose the latter, and let me just say without being overly verbose or graphic, I have such great respect for women who have or had natural births without pain meds. I felt everything and I now understand why they call the baby's head crowning "the ring of fire." I was so exhausted by this point and Jed said I just wanted to keep pushing, but he would tell me to wait for the contraction because it would make it more effective. With each contraction, my Dr. told me to get angry, using a little less voice and a little more muscle. (I didn't remember this, Jed filled me in later.) After about 6-7 pushes our "little" guy was here!

In my mind, it seemed like he was whisked away, my Dr. stayed to help me deliver the placenta and then it felt I was left all by myself and I was still hurting, exhausted, shaking (To which the nurse called over to me that it was perfectly normal.) Every one was over ogling at our big bubba. After about 10 minutes and what seemed like an eternity to me, they brought my son over and we got to cuddle skin to skin. At that moment, every last bit of pain I felt was gone. Best feeling ever when they put that little guy in my arms.

He is such a sweet little guy. At first, I was thinking he completely looked like Ruby, but now he looks like a chubby Emma with a large dose of masculinity. We are so in love with him! He has such a calm nature, and the sweetest little lips. He is so fun to watch.

I think of him as my miracle baby. Simply because, how in the world did he flip on his own with out getting tangled and then that he was able to be flipped manually weighing 10 lbs. 1 oz. My nurse told me that Dr. Later has the highest success rate at the hospital with EV's, and that if he had any inkling about how big Eli was, he never would have attempted the EV. I am so grateful we were in the dark about his size.

Around 5:30 we had our first set of visitors. Jed parents came, my parents, Sarah and Adam, Erin and Phillip, and Lanette and Shaun. We had a good number of visitors, which I am glad because when I took him to the nursery for the evening they discovered that his respiration rates were 120, when they should have been around 60. Eli hasn't been able to leave the nursery, and we are just waiting for them to rule out what is causing his 02 stat's to drop, so he can come home. The nurses there are so fantastic and have taken such good care of Eli and I. I am grateful for them and I am so thankful for Jed pretty much taking over so that I can spend as much time at the hospital with Eli. That's a story for another time.

Eli is here!!!!

2010-04-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

This is Jed, Ashley's husband.

I am writing a very brief post for her to let y'all know that Eli was born today.

He was breach this morning but the good news is that Dr. Later was able to turn him so it was a normal birth no C-Section was needed.

I'll let her go into any details she would like about labor etc. Needless to say:

BORN: 3:58 P.M. April 12, 2010
Weight: 10lbs. 01 Oz. (Yes a 10 lbs. baby)
Height: 20.5 inches

Here are a few pictures I did not bring my camera home so these are the pictures that my parents took while they were at the hospital.

Monday, Monday!

2010-04-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love the Mama's and the Papa's! Anyway, received a call from the hospital this morning around 10:30 letting me know that I needed to come to the hospital today to do my labs for the possible c-section. They said that I needed to be up there before 5 p.m. We decided that we would have Jed go to church and teach his lesson and then come home at 3:00 to be with the girls. Both of them have colds. Ruby is on the mend but Emma is right in the middle of it. As we made this plan we were all laying in our bed. Emma was snoring, Ruby had her hands behind her head like she was at the beach and Jed and I were laying with our eyes closed.

About 2 minutes later the phone rang, again it was the charge nurse at the hospital. She let me know that because it is Sunday the lab closes at noon, and if it was possible to make it up there in time. With our 45 minute drive I knew it would be close, but said I would hurry as fast as possible.

I got dressed, rid myself of my mascara raccoon eyes, kissed the girls and headed to the hospital. I went to the maternity floor to get my paper work and I also got my hospital ID band, which shall remain with me until my stay is over. I was also given instructions for our arrival tomorrow. No eating after midnight. Check. Be to the hospital by 6:00 a.m. What!!! That was two hours earlier than we were planning on. So we will be up at about 4:30 a.m. tomorrow morning to get out the door and pack our sleeping children into the van. Now that I think about it, 2 hours earlier means meeting my son 2 hours earlier. I like it. I just feel bad for my sweet mama, She has been so amazing in helping us through this crazy past week and just doing whatever is needed. She is an angel.

The labs were pretty quick, and painless (not so much now) and before I knew it I was ready to go. They drew tubes for my blood type in so they have my blood type on hand in case they need it, and to check for my blood count.

When I returned home, Ruby came running and hugged me and then about 10 minutes later she said, "When are you going to the hospital? I want you to leave." I felt a little bad and looked at Jed. He explained that while I was gone she kept talking about Eli coming home, and that all she meant was that she wants me to go to the hospital so Eli can be born. That make me smile. The girls have been so good about being shuffled from place to place, but I think that they too are ready for their little brother to come home.

Set in Stone

2010-04-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

Eli was pretty active last evening, I kept thinking in the back of my mind that maybe he was going to turn. I even dreamed about it, onlt to wake up and remind myself not to get my hopes up. Our little guy is still breech, but we have a for sure date now. Monday the 12th. We can handle that.

I could give you the details of Monday but then perhaps it would make reading his birth story repetative later. So I shall keep the details to myself. Definetly looking forward to Monday and the end of this off schedule, up and down lifestyle we have been living for the past 4 days.

Continuation

2010-04-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Eli is still breech, but one positive note is that he is spine up. Yesterday he was laying on his back and today he is on his tummy. If he stays this way it will make our chance of success during the EV even better, because it gives the Dr. something to hold on to and give them a bit more leverage.

As we were getting ready to leave, I mentioned to the nurse (since I was seen by the ultrasound tech) that Eli's movement didn't seem the same as before his burst of energy when he flipped. I attempted last night to do the self check where you eat something and then count movements for an hour, however I fell asleep before I felt even one movement. They immediately suggested monitoring me for heart rate and movement. We stayed for about an hour longer, and enjoyed the smorgasbord of juice, pretzels and almonds to encourage him to move since I hadn't eaten anything since last night. They said he looked really good, and that everything was ok, but to not hesitate for a second if I start to notice no movement or I have a gut feeling that something isn't right.

I love the office staff there and they always take good care of us. They asked what we were naming the baby and for some reason got the urge to do some name meaning research. One gal even called her husband to get the scoop on the Jedediah that is in the Bible. While we were waiting for our appointment they told us and everyone else sitting by us the meaning of his name and said that he was going to be a special baby. :)

All of this hurry up and wait business seems to be taking it's toll on Jed. I know he is so anxious to get our little boy here. He has been so supportive through all of this and keeps my hope up that he still may flip on his own. He is good at seeking out the positive points. I keep thinking about the little babies we saw in the nursery at the hospital on Tuesday. They were so little and I look forward to when we will have a bassinet with our name on it. :)

It feels like I have been lacking in pictures lately so I think now is a good time to post newborn pictures of our girls. A little treat at the end of my verbose posts.

Hangin' around

2010-04-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

Went in for the position check on Eli this morning. While I was in the ladies room, Jed was chatting it up with our MA and the office clerk. I love the staff that helps take care of us. As for Eli,he is bottom down legs tucked, with his head up.

So the game plan is to going in for checks, Thursday morning, Friday morning and Monday. If he is in position at any of the appointments, they will immediately admit me and start the induction. If not, the appointment Monday will end with one more attempt to turn him manually and if nothing comes of it, then I will be having a c-section. I'm not sure if that will be on Monday or Tuesday. Either way it will put my sister and I with very close delivery dates. She is scheduled for a c-section on Tuesday. The end seems far away but I am grateful that my Dr. isn't anxious to rush me in for a c-section unless absolutely necessary.

She commented on my blog yesterday about us being in the hospital together and getting to take the babies for strolls in the hall with their bassinets,and noshing on Lorna Doones together. If we both have a c-section it would be nice to have such a good friend there, since both of our husbands will work the days we are in the hospital so they can have more time to help at home when we get to that point. It made me smile to think of the two of us being there together.

I think after yesterday's experience I was in too much shock to really be able to judge my feelings. I put on a brave face as we talked with people but as the day wore on I was very discouraged, and cried a little once the girls were in bed and I was doing dishes. It finally felt ok to fall apart. I felt better afterward. I also slept better last night, which was much needed.

On the way home from the appointment, Jed and I were both very quiet. I think we are both just exhausted from re-packing bags and making sure we have everything the girls need to stay with family that is watching them. Emotionally too it has taken it's toll. We get anticipating and hopeful and then feel let down when we have to wait another day again and anticipate the unknown. Jed has been a great support to me, and I am so thankful that his boss is so understanding and lets Jed come in late so he can attend these appointments with me, and allow him to play his schedule by whatever is happening with our baby.

Come what may

2010-04-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

Our morning started early... but especially early for me. I couldn't sleep, Eli was moving all over the place all night long. I don't think a half hour passed that he wasn't in motion. Then with my arms going numb and the anticipation it made for a restless night.

Gratefully 5:30 came and I was able to get ready to go to the hospital and get our girls out to the car. We dropped them off and were to the Woman's Center at 7:30. We got checked in dressed in my hospital gown, IV administered and answered all of the routine questions about my health and the pregnancy.

Dr. Later came in to check for dilation and to break my water, when he gave the crochet looking tool that does the job back to the nurse, and was a bit more thorough with the exam. He didn't think that Eli was head down so they got the ultrasound machine and sure enough Eli bottom down and head close up to my ribs. We discussed my options.

a)Wait it out, and see if he would turn on his own since he did so in the past.
b)Try to do an External Version and see if we could get him to flip that morning

We went with the option to have the EV done. I was anxious because of what I had read and heard about the procedure. I was even shaking a little bit. My nurse was fantastic and answered all of my questions and was very helpful. Dr. L came in and I was given the shot to relax the necessary organ. Jed held my hand through it all and I closed my eyes and focused on taking small breaths up in the top of my lungs. It was uncomfortable yes but not at all as awful as I had anticipated. They attempted to flip him one way, and had him half way but Eli was digging his heels in and wouldn't kick his feet to finish the flip. They tried the other way with the same results.

Dr. L said in all his years of practice he has never had a baby turn late on his own and then turn again. There is a first for everything I suppose. We stayed for one more hour to monitor Eli's heart rate and make sure that he wasn't in distress. During this time Jed and I made a few phone calls to parents.

The game plan now is to go in each morning to see if he has flipped himself into the head down position, and if so they will immediately do an induction. If it doesn't happen tomorrow he said he would try to do another EV (I missed this bit of info. Jed just informed me.) on Thursday or Friday. After that I am not sure what will happen. We will have more information tomorrow and have answers to our questions. I talked with Sarah this morning and she offered to take care of my girls Wed and Thurs no matter the outcome. I am grateful for her thoughtfulness and willingness to help us out.

Amazingly I am at peace with the results of today. Am I sad that we had to leave the hospital with no baby? Yes. But I am positive that it isn't the end of the world and whatever happens everything will be ok, and our son will be healthy and well. Jed and my dad gave me a blessing this morning and I was promised that I would feel peace, and that is exactly how I am feeling. More to come in our little adventure with our wiggle worm Eli.

On a lighter note I am proud to admit that I turned the nurse down when she offered us cookies. I have a serious love for Lorna Doones and usually I clean house of the snack room when we are there. I will save my cookie fest for another day.

Easter weekend

2010-04-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

I have been a complete slacker as far as blogging about my girls. :( So I am making a small attempt to catch up. The girls have recently become absolutlely obsessed with Toy Story and Toy Story 2. In conjunction with getting both combo packs it allowed us to print 2 movie tickets to see Toy Story 3 when it comes out in June. The girls are thrilled and talk about going all of the time. When ever I ask them a question and call them by their names they are quick to correct me that they are either a) Woody b) Buzz Lightyear c) Jessie or d) Bullseye and more often then not I am given the title of the Evil Emperor Zurg. It keeps things interesting around here.

Ruby also finds great joy in telling us her "jokes" which usually consist of telling us a shortened story about one of the Disney Princesses, and even though they are usually lacking in the humor department Jed and I find ourselves unable keep a straight face due to her details and facial expressions. I do love one of Ruby's good jokes at the end of the day.

Easter weekend was a lot of fun for us. We started out by dying Easter eggs on Thursday, and had a lot of fun with that minus a few spills which ended up in some of our socks dyed yellow. Friday, my friends from Sandy threw me a girls night out since I didn't want a baby shower. Some brought gifts anyway and they are all so sweet. I am so thankful for good friends. The girls were thrilled that they got to hang out with Morgan and Owen until Jed could get off work to pick them up. We went a little early to visit and Ruby kept asking when I was going to leave. They had a good time with their friends.

Saturday we had an Easter egg hunt at my parents and had fun visiting with family that lives fairly close and enjoyed lunch together. We were there for most of the day, and after Priesthood session we swung by Jed's parents, it was so fun to see everyone but by the end of the day I was exhausted and ready for bed. Jed spend most of the first part of the day at work, finishing up the last of his tax prep for all of the corporations for his meeting today. It has kept him really busy over the past couple weeks and I know it will be a relief for him to be done with the meeting today. We missed him, but I am so thankful for all of the sacrifices he makes for our family. He is a good man.

Sunday was so nice to be home as a family and get to watch General Conference snuggling with my little loves. I must confess that I fell asleep more than once, but thoroughly enjoyed the talks I was conscious for. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading books, playing Toy story and listening to Ruby's jokes. Jed and I switch each night putting one of the girls to bed. My evening ended with singing "Snuggle Puppy" with Emma. She absolutely loves that song, and I love the smile it brings to her face and hearing her jump in when she knows the words.

I snapped this sweet picture of Jed and the girls just after dinner. Ruby asked Jed to draw a picture of Woody. Jed wanted to do his best work so he borrowed a coloring page of Woody from Ruby and during the drawing process he had the girls rapt attention. I love moments like this.

I have so much to do today, most of it house work and packing. Truthfully I don't feel like doing any of it. So I guess I will just see what I get done and not worry about the rest. I just want to enjoy the day with my little buttons.

Scheduled!

2010-03-30T16:38:00.001-07:00

Well once again, I am here to blog about my weekly appointment. And gratefully this will be the last one you have to read. I lost a lb. this week, not sad about that and wondering how it happened. Eli's heart rate was 155, I am measuring at 42.5 cm and my blood pressure was high, so they had me lay on my side which helped it to come right down.

I am dilated to a 2 and my effacement is at 60%. My Dr. asked if I wanted to wait it out or if I wanted to schedule my induction. I chose the latter. We initially were aiming for the 5th but Jed has had a meeting scheduled to meet with an accountant for work for 2 weeks, and tried to do everything possible to finish up the prep for the meeting but felt like it would be pushing it to move the meeting to Friday and not have the extra day to complete it. So he told me Saturday and asked if I could wait an extra day. I was bummed of course, 24 extra hours feels long. As I got to thinking about it, I realized that it would be nice to have a weekday to clean the house and tie up loose ends here. So my induction has been scheduled for Tuesday the 6th! I am so excited and feel like there is an end in sight. I am looking forward to getting my little boy here.

It has been really difficult for me to sleep this past week, because my arms and hands go numb. So I am constantly waking up to that painful feeling, and having to roll over to alleviate the pain. Then the other side goes numb and the cycle continues. I am being a whiner. I will be ecstatic when the numbness goes away. They go numb when I do my girls hair, or when I am driving or at all sorts of random times. But once it goes away I won't be getting much sleep for another reason. It is all worth it though.

Unexpected

2010-03-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

My appointment was yesterday, Eli's heart rate was 139, I was measuring at 42 weeks and blood pressure is good. With my girls at this point it was always high and I would have to lay on my side to get a lower reading.

When Dr. Later came in he did and external check, and said it felt like he was head down. In a shocked voice, I said "Really?" Last night Jed and I played name that bump, and we were positive that he was still head up, feet down. Dr. Later said, sometimes I can be wrong but let's check really quick. The ultrasound confirmed that he is head down in the vertex position. I am so relieved! I am a worry wart hog, and I probably plagued my family with the case of the grumps all week because I was so stressed. I was so happy I felt like getting up on the exam table and doing a jig.

I was also told that when babies turn on their own they rarely flip back, but there is a small chance. I talked induction dates with my Dr. and he will induce me at 39 weeks, which would be the day before Easter, so we are aiming for the Monday after. If we can coordinate it with the Hospital we will shoot for April 5th, so 13 days from now! I was dilated to 1+ (I am guessing that is in between a 1-2) Effacement is the same.

Other good news is that siblings are now able to visit the maternity floor, as long as they are well. I am extremely excited about that. They still have a restriction for children unless they are siblings, but anyone 14 and up that is healthy is able to come visit.

I am so so thankful he turned on his own. I feel like a weight has been lifted off me (self induced weight) and I can fully enjoy the next couple weeks with my family without being a cranky monster/worry wart hog. :)

My emotional trauma at 37

2010-03-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Just as a little preface, Jed's grandpa passed away over the weekend. It was a blessing for him since he has been sick for so long. We will miss him. With that said, the viewing was Tuesday night, the same day as my appointment. I got a call from Jed about 10 minutes before my appointment asking my when I was leaving and he told me he had half the day off and was close and wanted to come to the appointment with me. That was a fun surprise since the only appointments Jed has ever been able to come to were ultrasounds.

At the appointment, we found out that his heartbeat was good I can't remember the # though. I am measuring at 40 1/2 cm. And amazingly I have only put on 1 lb. I was shocked. Since I can put out some pretty hefty numbers. Anyway, as we met with Dr. Later he did an internal check and we found out that I am still at 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. So nothing in that department has changed, we didn't know if he was head down or not because the nurse forgot to tell me last week, I have been anxious for that bit of news. When the exam was finished Dr. Later said he didn't feel the head but didn't want to press to hard since Eli may still be up higher. So he pulled out the ultrasound machine and did a quick 5 second check to see if the baby was in the correct position. It was very apparent that he is breech with his feet down. The Dr. told us our options.

1) We can hope that he flips on his own before 40 weeks
2) If he hasn't flipped by 39 weeks we can have an external version done, in which we go to the hospital and are put on monitors and given medication to soften up my uterus so that the Dr. can attempt to flip him manually.
3)We can schedule a c-section for 39 weeks.

I left the office very discouraged, because I have delivered both of my girls naturally and I am very frightened of having a c-section. I talked with my sister about her external version and she said it was awful and had a bruised stomach, with no success of turning her baby.

I am nervous about a c-section, because I won't be able to come home and do things that I did when my girls came home, like picking up my older children, or whipping out the vacuum when the carpet needs some attention. I have a difficult time asking for help, and I am also very sad as I think about not being able to see my girls for 3-4 days, since the hospital I am delivering at hasn't lifted the restriction on children under 14 coming to visit. Or other things like that, and I am scared that I will be disappointed in myself and have to deal my emotions over that even though it won't be mine or the baby's fault, and I am not really sure how I will manage that since I usually have baby blues anyway. I keep reminding myself that what is really important is getting my baby here safely and healthy.

Jed and I have been talking about it for the past couple days, and he said that money isn't an issue and that he will support me in my decision no matter what it is. Whether I want to try the EV or just go straight for scheduling a c-section. I am grateful for that, and I am feeling that I would like to try the EV if it even gives me a glimmer of an opportunity for a vaginal birth. I just don't want to wonder later if we could have turned him.

Has anyone out there had an EV? Or what are your feelings on c-sections if you have had one, and how was your experience with either? I feel like getting a wide range of opinions will help me to feel better about either outcome and give me the encouragement I am in need of. I feel silly for being so stressed about this, but I have such a hard time with change, when I am used to things happening a certain way.

36 and then some

2010-03-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have been feeling most drab. I have this weird thing that I do that is kind of like self punishment. Like when Emma was born, I refused to buy new pants to fit my bigger size because I wanted to be in my skinny jeans, so I lost no weight what so ever and wore maternity pants for 6 months. Or like the time in 5th grade I didn't tell my mom where I was going and got a talking to, and ended up grounding myself. I get into this thought process that I don't deserve things because I am not a certain way or I think up punishment that is supposed to motivate me and instead it only depresses me. So I decided I needed a change, I got some new make-up( which I haven't bought in over a year) and I got my haircut. It made all the difference in the world for me. I actually felt good about myself.

I had my 36 week appointment yesterday and Eli's heartbeat was 139 and I am measuring at 40 centimeters. So basically I am measuring full term when I have 4 1/2 weeks to go. I got the group B strep test done yesterday, results should be in next week. I am dilated to 1 cm and I am 50% effaced. So things are moving along. I am usually so exhausted at the end of the day and Jed lovingly reminded me that if I needed a break, it is ok to let the girls watch more t.v. than I normally do. He said "You can't do it all, all the time."

Yesterday was filled with visits from/with special people we don't get to see very often. My grandma was down for part of the week and it was such a treat to visit with her and for my girls to get to be with her. She gave me a very sweet surprise. She made me two receiving blankets, a burp cloth and three pairs of crocheted booties. My grandma loves to crochet but I know that it is getting harder for her. It was a gift filled with so much love and it made me feel extremely loved that she would take the time to do that for me.

Great Grandpa Romig isn't doing very well. He has lost a lot of weight over the last few months and even more rapidly in the last couple days. We don't know how much longer he will be with us, but felt that we needed to get up to the VA to see him sooner rather than later. We took the girls up last night and Ruby was very apprehensive to even go into his room. But after being with her in the hall for 5 minutes she decided she wanted to. She didn't want to touch him or give him a kiss but she sang a song for him. Emma seemed more comfortable and also sang for him. It was so hard for me to see him so sick. He is such a sweet man and has been an important part of Jed's life. Ruby kept telling me on the way home " When Grandpa Ralph is better can we go see him at his house?" "I just want him to get better." "Did he eat bad food is that why he is sick?" We have been trying in the simplest ways possible to help her understand that he isn't going to get better and will probably be returning to Heavenly Father soon. She seems to be getting it. It makes me very grateful for the assurance I have that we will see him again, and that our relationships can continue after this life.

In parting, a sweet little picture of Miss Emma enjoying a scoop of ice cream at Grandmas.

Going on a bear hunt

2010-03-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

This little beauty always makes me smile when I'm feeling sad.

Little makeovers

2010-02-26T09:16:00.000-08:00

We knew that Ruby would need a dresser since Emma and Eli would be sharing so we moved ours downstairs and took a field trip to RC Willey and got ourselves a bedroom set. It is something that we have wanted for a long time so it was such a treat and we got it for a good deal.

While we were shopping, we told Ruby she would get to have our dresser and she immediately got a look of concern on her face and said "But I can't reach the top drawers."

Jed was home yesterday from work because he woke up with pink eye, but he still had to go into the office and sign checks, so while he was gone, Ruby and Emma did some coloring while I updated Ruby's name letters that go on her wall. They previously matched her crib set so I wanted to make them match her quilt. I love that you can applique on wood. It was so easy and it whipped up quickly. We will be hanging them on her wall today.

As Ruby was coloring she decided to color Jed a picture with the complete confidence that it would make him feel better. it was so cute. When she gave it to him, he sang it's praises and I later found it in a place I least expected it, on our new dresser. The perfect place for it. If you look closely you can see where she signed her name.

The girls also had a fun time dressing up on Wednesday, and I am so happy that they are so mindful of Emma and always include her. They are such good little friends.

34 weeks

2010-02-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

At my appointment, I was completely looking forward to having a small number on the scale because I thought that I had been so good. Obviously not. :) 5 lbs. in two weeks. Eli's heartbeat was 135 and I am measuring at 37 weeks. This measuring ahead business, kind of knocks me for a loop because with both of my girls I measured right on. And I either read way too much into it, thinking I am going to have a large baby, or that maybe he will be born early. I am driving myself crazy. The one thing I am looking forward to is that from now on my appointments will be a week apart as or March 9th.

I don't remember being so tired with my girls. Once they are in bed I either crash in the love sac or fall asleep on my bed while reading, and then I wake up wondering how I fell asleep and how long have I been like this. I am also feeling like my patience is short.

Last week when traffic was really horrible, Jed didn't think he would get home until well after 7 p.m. So we had dinner and played Hi-ho Cherry-o. Then we got settled in for bedtime routine, but the girls weren't cooperating. By the time I had asked them to get their pajamas Emma had successfully dumped out the 16 set of Dominoes which equals 252 dominoes that required picking up. Ruby offered to help while she was getting her pj's on, and while we were doing that Emma found the other set of Dominoes that we use for eye therapy and dumped them and then proceeded to bend the arm on Ruby's glasses. I got more upset than I should have. I was at my wit's end and went into my roomed and curled up on the floor on Jed's side of the bed so I could have a minute alone and started to cry. Ruby and Emma found me and the floor and Ruby stroked my hair and said "Mommy, are you crying because you weren't very nice to us?" That made me feel even worse, and they proceeded to say things like: "Don't cry, it's ok." "We love you, mommy>" "Don't be sad." I guess what I am getting at is that I think I am starting to understand slowly what the scriptures mean about becoming like a little child. Even after I got mad at them, they were concerned about me and wanted to make sure I was ok, even though I was the one who lost my temper. I am grateful for their forgiving spirits, and their love. I am also glad that Jed frequently tells me that I am beautiful, because more often than not, I feel so huge and awkward.

Jed got the crib set up on Saturday, and I am starting to feel like we have all of our ducks in a row. We are moving our dresser downstairs to Ruby's room tonight so that Eli and Emma can share the dresser upstairs, and to make room for our little purchase that is being delivered tomorrow. I can't wait!

I feel like 6 weeks is such a long time, but I know that as I look back on it, it will have gone so quickly and I will wonder where the time went. Life is like that most of the time I think.

Birthday bliss

2010-02-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

Since Jed worked his birthday on Thursday we had an extra long weekend and got to spend Friday as a family. Ruby was thrilled that Daddy got to pick her up from school.

In the afternoon we drove to Riverton to drop the girls off at Jed's mom's school. We exchanged cars with her and headed off to our movie. Jed loves driving his moms car and says he feels like he is in a sports car. (Compared to our van, it seems quite understandable.) Jed was so funny the whole way there because we were running a bit late. He would often go into his high pitched voice filled with anxiety and rattle the steering wheel when people got in our way or slowed down. It was quite comical and we pretty much laughed the whole way there.

We got to the theater and we knew our movie had already started. So we sped walked as quickly as I allowed us too and headed to our seats. At first I as nervous because I hate walking in the dark when I can't see, and I don't like walking in front of people. Our seats also weren't very accommodating to my urgent bladder. So I was worried about that too, since the movie was almost 3 hours long. I also got a little motion sick because of the 3-D so occasionally I would have to flip up my glasses. When I get motion sick I get really hot and sometimes it makes me throw up. So I was starting to get really hot, I turned to Jed and asked if though it would be a big deal if I took my shirt off as I had a Modbe underneath it. I did so and felt much better. So with all of that happening I was thinking that I wasn't going to enjoy the movie. I was quite wrong.

Avatar was incredible!!! I was completely expecting it to be sci-fi-ish and I would be confused. The story was so well done and the graphics, where do I start? It didn't seem like a 3 hour movie at all. I love, love, loved it! Can't wait until it comes out on Blue Ray.

After our movie we went to Texas Roadhouse and were told we had a 75 minute wait. We reserved our spot and headed over to the mall. We did a bit of browsing and then Jed wanted to look at some shoes for work. We found the perfect pair, but the wrong color. They were able to order it and ship it to our house for free. Jed is looking forward to his purchase coming.

By the time we were seated, I was so thirsty I finished two glasses of water and a cherry limeade and then I was full. So I think I ate 3 bites of my steak and 2 fries. It was so nice to be able to get out on a date and just be together. The last time we did that was 3 months ago on our anniversary. We were so grateful for Brent and Suzanne giving up their Friday night so we could go out. The girls had so much fun with Luke and Ellee, and talked constantly about going to see Grandma and Grandpa.

They say it's your birthday!

2010-02-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

Jed,

So sad that you have to work on your birthday, but am so happy that you get to have a three day weekend and a day off tomorrow! I am looking forward to our very unquiet dinner with our girls tonight and a rousing round of Happy Birthday, with a side of ice-cream.

Very often I feel guilty when you have to get up early and leave for work while I am still laying in bed with the girls while Ruby is sugesting we play a Disney character guessing game. I realize that you have set aside many of your dreams so that we can have our dreams. You really do sacrifice so much for me and our girls and Eli.

I am so thankful for that telephone call almost six years ago when you asked me if I wanted to go out with you, and during the conversation you told me I had to pick what we did because I was the picky one. (You know how to call'em.) I think I just got done watching the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice and I insisted on calling you Mr. Romig, while we enjoyed conversation over Iceberg milkshakes. My dreams began to come true that day and the fear that I would be alone my whole life subsided.

Because of you I am living my dreams. I sometimes wonder how many of your own dreams you have set aside or cast off so that we could have our dreams. You will always be my Superman, and I will do my best to be your Lois Lane.

Love,
Me

"I know that he does really hard work at work and I know that he loves me and Happy Birthday Jedediah."-Ruby

"Happy Birthday"-Emma

We love you!!!!!!

Finished in 4

2010-02-16T11:14:00.000-08:00

I started on Eli's quilt Tuesday night, by cutting the fabric into squares. Thursday I sewed it all together, I had lots of time due to Ruby's friend visiting for a few hours and then the girls wanted to color while I sewed. It was most convenient. Thurs. Fri, and Saturday morning brought Eli's quilt to a concusion, it left me with sore fingers after snipping all of the seams. It ended with a trip to the washing machine. So glad to have it crossed off my list of things to do. Jed picked the fabric, which I love. He has a better eye for these type of things.

Jed also got the crib moved out of Emma's room and into Eli's, with only a few blemishes to the wall later. :) Now it just needs to be put back together.

Emma has been most interested in getting into Jed's "comfy" drawer and putting ensembles together. It is so funny to me how tiny she looks in them, we had a good laugh when I showed them to Jed.

Ruby made homemade Valentines for her school class this year. It was a fun project along with having a few of the dum-dums while we were putting them together. If you can't tell, they are little owls that say "I'll owl-ways be your friend!"

Saturday we did some much needed shopping for work pants for Jed (which he insisted he didn't need even though he had to be careful how he sat so no one would have to avert their eyes if the very large hole in bummel area made an appearance.) We also got to shop for Eli. It was glorious and Jed had to approve all of the selections. We pretty much cleaned out the baby boy section at Costco, because a)they were so cute and b) they were extremely reasonable. Good combination.

We also made Valentines a family affair this year since Jed's birthday is the week after and we are too cheap to celebrate both holidays. We ended our shopping extravaganza with a trip to McDonald's for ice-cream . I of course got to have a few extra treats since I opted out dinner at Costco, because I knew there was the possibility of a Mcdouble being on the horizon. Oh how I adore them. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their treat and playing in the play place. It was perfect, it gave Jed and I little while to talk while the girls played.

32 weeks and other joys

2010-02-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had my 32 week appointment even though I am 31 1/2 weeks. I get so excited for appointments and then they are over within 5 minutes, and then it feels like forever until I have another one. Now I am down to my every 2 week appointments and then at 36 weeks I will be to once a week. Which I love. I am measuring at 34 weeks, Eli's heartbeat was 145 and I have now put on 30 lbs. I am embarrassed to admit but for the purposes of remembering, I am sure I will want to know what I weighed at this point in my pregnancy for at a later date. I am now in the marshmallow stage which will soon be followed by the "puffed up like a toad stage."

We ventured out to the park one day last week, lets just say we were under dressed and freezing after being there for about 15-20 minutes. I think the girls enjoyed the time outside and getting to play.

The girls got a new do on Saturday. I love the way it looks on both of them, and it is such a breeze since all I have to do is round brush while I blow dry it. They both look so cute.

Ruby has been making friends as I mentioned earlier. It is such a fun thing for her and I think she is really enjoying this new stage. As I am writing this she is over at Hannah's house, they are in the same Primary class. Last week when we had Julianna over the girls dawned on dress ups and took the liberty of borrowing the camera. It was quite the surprise when I found these little beauties as I was emptying the memory card.

I felt a smidge guilty this morning when we woke up and realized that it was 8:26. Nine minutes before we were suposed to be out the door on our way to preschool. We NEVER sleep in like this. I was up late cutting fabric for Eli's quilt, so that is my excuse. I remember Jed saying goodbye and both of the girls being in bed with me. When we awoke, to Emma saying "Oh NO!" because Jed forgot his phone, I picked it up and looked at the time and realized there was no way we would make it. So we played hooky today, it was actually quite fun.

Every evening while dinner is cooking, I revel in being able to cuddle with my girls during t.v. time. 1) they are really fun to cuddle with and 2) by this time of the day the dogs are barking. I really find joy in these simple times with my girls. And at the end of the movie they always entertain me with their great dancing while the credits are playing.

Rediculously late

2010-02-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

If you recall, I said I would post a picture of Eli's ultrasound about 11 weeks ago. It never happened and I just saw it in our photo folder on our computer so I figured better late than never.

Jed picked out the fabric for Eli's rag quilt. I love it, he did a good job. Hopefully I will have it done in the next two weeks or less.

I am getting there

2010-02-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had a lot of fun, my nephew Brody had his 1st birthday and we had a ton of fun playing games. I think one of my most favorites was the baby picture game. It was so funny to see, how into it all of the Romig relatives got into it. Jed would hold 3 or 4 in his hand like he was playing cards and then write names down. It was so fun. Lots of laughs. And the cake, oh the cake. The girls had such a good time and loved seeing the cousins. I am sure it was difficult for Sarah to get good pictures due to all of the cousins crowding around Brody to see what he was opening.

I feel like I am doing some early nesting. More or less I know there are things I want done and organized and that I better get it done before Eli makes his appearance. I did laundry, dishes, tore into storage room and threw out all of the excess boxes and items that we didn't need,organized all of the books onto the bookshelf we got from Grandma Ruth, and did some organizing in our closet. After I was done. I was ready to go to sleep and my back was hurting. But it felt good to get a few things done.

We also took a walk to City Hall to pay our utility bill. Jed got Ruby's bike put together from her birthday, and we put Emma on her tricycle and made the attempt. It took a very long time. After we got about 1/2 a mile Emma didn't want to ride her tricycle anymore and Ruby was frustrated. So Jed put Emma on his shoulders and ran the rest of the way, while I carried Emma's tricycle home and encouraged Ruby the rest of the way home. It took Jed quite a while to get back due to Emma falling and bonking her head on the sidewalk and needing to be cradled the rest of the way home. She fell asleep in his arms though. Note to self: City Hall is a lot further away than it seems.

We had someone come to give us an estimate on what it would cost to fence our yard. Due to HOA rules everyone has to have a vinyl fence. I was expecting it to be a decent amount but was blown away by the estimate. If you have seen our backyard I think you would agree that it is smaller by comparison to others. For the fence, labor, cement and gate it came to $3760! That is a ridiculous amount, and we are feeling torn. Knowing that we could put that money to good use paying off the van, student loans, or just saving it for a rainy day. But at the same time I can't even begin to say how much I would love to have a safe place for my kids to just be able to go out and play. I realize that they can play in the front yard but it's not the same as having a backyard. We are still stewing over what to do. We should have been born tomatoes, I am sure it would make this whole process easier. :)

Ruby gave a talk in Primary yesterday. Emma was home sick, so I got to help her give it. Our Primary meets in the chapel because it is so large. So I got to stand at the pulpit and help her. I was burning up up there. My face felt so hot. Enough about me though. Ruby did an excellent job. I was so proud of her. She talked about Jesus Christ is Heavenly Fathers son, and talked about three accounts of when people have either heard or seen Heavenly Father bear witness of Jesus Christ being his son. Then she talked about what she could do to strengthen her testimony and follow Jesus. She colored a picture of a girl being baptized and colored her face green. I loved it. I love these moments when our children get to share what they have learned and gain confidence in themselves. It was so sweet. Just a little shout out to Angie, we had this lesson a couple weeks ago in FHE (Angie made us a complete book of a year worth of FHE lessons geared toward smaller children that corresponds with this year's Primary theme month by month, she is nothing shy of amazing. THANK YOU ANGIE!) and felt like it would go perfectly.

I also finished binding Emma's quilt. So happy to have it done. I finished it last night, while watching bonus features from Cinderella. It is now on her bed and I feel most accomplished. I love the look of it. Special thanks to ERIN who held my hand most of the way on the project of starting and completing the girls quilts. She spent a lot of time teaching me and walking me through the process.

We had some great neighbors move in up the street from us. They have a little girl Ruby's age and they play so well together. The funny thing is that I grew up her dad kind of. He is older than me, so more or less I grew up with his younger sister but we grew up in the same ward. It is such a small world.

Some thoughts

2010-01-27T11:55:00.000-08:00

-My 28 week appointment went well. Eli's heartbeat was 138, I have put on more weight than I care to admit. I passed my glucose and iron tests, but it was yucky eating the king sized Snicker bar in 5 minutes an hour before the test. I was also measuring at 30 weeks.

-I have been doing a lot of reading in some of my pregnancy books, and I am beginning to wonder what it would be like to go in to labor on my own. I haven't yet had that experience but at the same time worry being so far away from the hospital. The idea excites/frightens me. I have also read a lot of things about the risk of being induced, but both girls have been given a little "ushering" and they did just fine. It will be interesting to see what happens. I am getting to the giddy stage where I am constantly thinking about what Eli will be like, what I need to shop for and what I need to do to prepare my girls.

-Ruby's eye therapy is going well. She willing wears her patch and does what she needs to but the challenge is having enough materials to keep her eye working hard to produce the effect we are hoping for, and also new things so she doesn't get bored. The end of January will be the remedy to that so I can go buy supplies.

- I am finding so much joy in watching my girls play together. They like to play house and take care of each other. It is so funny to hear the things they say and how creative they are. They are such good friends for one another. They bring me so much happiness. It is also so fun to see them play with cousins and the special relationships they are building.

-I have been in an artsy mood, I have dug out all of my projects that need finishing, as there will be no time for projects for a while once Eli is born. I also discovered that the sewing machine that I swore up and down that it didn't work and I once threatened to toss out the window, is working quite well. I think it was the user and not the machine. If I get projects finished, I will post them. Tonight I am going to my sisters to sew the bindings on Emma's quilt and to get it pinned so I can hand stitch the binding. I am looking forward to it being on Emma's bed.

January took off...

2010-01-09T12:22:00.001-08:00

I have always counted December 31st as a part of the New Year simply because it they coincide and one day leads to the next. Normally the past couple of years we have just spent New Years at home, because it is hard for the girls to stay up late and then have to travel home. But we were so excited when we arranged to have Lanette and Shaun come to celebrate New Years with us. Our girls absolutely adore them. We had a fun evening of playing Beetles Rock Band, TTR and Risk. We are always so pleased when we find people who love risk as much as we do. The "Tyrant" won around 2:30 in the morning. I think we were all completely exhausted. We had such a fantastic time having them here with us, and are grateful that they are willing to submit themselves to our brand of craziness. Sadly the only picture I got from the evening was of Ruby working her magic on the drums.

Saturday the 2nd, we found the perfect bed for Ruby. We have been looking around for a little bit because at the girls well check Dr. Ramsey said it was time to move Emma out of her crib because too many kids jump out and hurt themselves. We were initally thinking of just getting her a little metal bed frame and a mattress but we found an awesome bed on ksl for less than what we could have gotten just a mattress for. It was quite the squeeze fitting it into our van with the girls, but gratefully it worked. Ruby loves it and we call it her princess bed. She now resides in the basement, and Emma has taken on the toddler bed. I was completely worried about the transition simply becasue it was so hard on Ruby when she was two, but to our amazement. Ruby loves the basement and Emma is good about staying in her bed and just going to sleep (most of the time).

When I was reading a friends blog a couple of months ago she shared a challenge that she did that month. She dubbed it "No spend month." Which meant spending money only on necessities. Like groceries, bills, and mortgage. We decided that we would institute that this month and see if we could do it. I look forward to seeing the checkbook balance at the end of the month. :)

We thought it would be a good idea to start potty training Emma before the baby came. What a laugh that was. She had constant accidents and didn't seem to get what was happening or even notice anything different when she went on the potty. After three days and running extra loads of laundry to make sure she had clean panties to continue the process we decided that she wasn't ready and that we will give it a go later. Much to my relief.

I got a call for Jed on Wednesday right at he was leaving work, he told me that his 4runner sounded like a monster truck and walked around his car and discovered that a 2 foot peice had been sawed off his muffler. He filed a report with the police and then went to have it fixed because he couldn't drive fast than 30 miles an hour without the sound being unbearable. Jed took it to Master Muffler, and they said that this is the 6th muffler they had replaced this week. We couldn't figure out what they would want with that peice of the muffler and were told that it is the catalytic converter they wanted, and that if they are good it can be removed in about two minutes. So 366.00 dollars later Jed has a new muffler. I was in a rage about it the whole night because we could have done so much with that money.

Ruby also had an eye appointment this week up at Primary Childrens. We noticed that her vision has improved greatly since she has been wearing her glasses, but her left eye still would wander for short periods of time. She wasn't supposed to be seen until March, but I didn't want to wait that long if we could do something about it now. Dr. Dries also noticed the wandering during the appointment and prescibed patching therapy. So from now on she will have to have her right eye patched for 1 hour everyday so she can practice using her left eye while she does things that are detailed, like working on the computer, doing puzzles, stringing beads or things that require concentration. We have been doing it for two days now and she does very well and doesn't take the patch off. Were hoping to see improvement come her next appointment. After her appointment we got to meet up with Melody at the hospital and grabbed a little snack at the cafeteria. She was very nice and offered to pay for our snack. I felt silly but accepted because that allowed me to not have to break my goal for no spend month. It was very nice of her to offer. We had a great visit and enjoy the times that we can get to see her.

That was our week, an we are looking forward to next week being a little more laid back.