A Happy Home is Filled with Love and Laughter

5 weeks and counting....

Beej & Chris

34 weeks (the 35 week pictures are below...I just never did a post on 34 weeks so I thought I would attach it along with this one :D)

I am now 35 weeks pregnant and definitely feeling it! I told BJ last night, "this pregnancy is sure kicking my butt!" I know a lot of it has to do with the fact I got pregnant before a year had passed with my first pregnancy and the fact that I am chasing a very outgoing and active 15 month old. Needless to say I have been having a lot... A LOT of braxton hicks contractions the past couple days and they are not the most comfortable to say the least. I just wanna sit in the warm bath all the time but unless Kaylee is napping that is just impossible. I know this because I tried yesterday while she was awake. I shut my bedroom door. Turned on cartoons in our bedroom, gave her milk, and layed out some toys for her to play with while I sat in the bath for a few minutes to help ease the cramping. But all Kaylee wanted to do was get in the bath with me. She gets her little leg up to the side of the tub and can almost pull herself in and out of the tub by herself. After a few attempts and not succeeding. Kaylee got on top of the toilet and tried to jump in the tub. Yes, this is our adventurous daughter I keep telling you about!

35 weeks prego

But back to the pregnancy update. BJ and I have 2 more Lamaze classes left. We took a tour of the hospital last week, as well as talked a lot about back labor. We have both learned a lot in these classes and really enjoy the time we get just the two of us to spend time together. I bought a exercise ball last week that we plan to bring to the hospital to help with back labor if I have problems with that. We also put together a list of songs on the I-pod to listen to if I am up for it. I never know exactly what I will use from the class, but I like having a lot of options that we can turn to if we need them. Even though the braxton hicks contractions are not the most comfortable or enjoyable, they have really helped me to prepare for labor because I take that time to practice some of the Lamaze techniques we have learned in class.

close up belly shot

This belly is getting too big, I think I will hold it up for you. ha ha what am I doing?!

I am totally not ready yet to have the baby but with all the contractions it is on my mind all the time! I have so many things I still want to get done but by the time I have taken care of Kaylee and cleaned up her messes I am exhausted. I pretty much fall asleep on the couch every night around 9:30pm. BJ calls me a night owl if I am up past 10pm.

I went shopping the other day to pick up a few basics for the first few weeks of having the baby (onesies, a blanket, a few newborn outfits etc..), but I still have a few more things to do to be ready. Here is to hoping I will have some energy to get it done soon :)

So, I started this blog post yesterday but was waiting to post it until I had taken a few prego pictures. Anyway- today I was OVERWHELMED with gratitude. I have been stressing out about all that we still needed to buy for our little baby boy that will be joining our family here soon. And today I got a call from my aunt Becky who offered some baby clothes, my friend Nina gave me some clothes and a few swaddle blankets, I got an e-mail from one of BJ's relatives letting us know she had a few baby boy blankets that we had won at the reunion last year that she will be giving us this Sunday, and then a call from BJ's sister telling us she has a box of clothes for us to go through. WOW!!!! I just can't even express how much we appreciate all of our friends and family. BJ and I were talking yesterday about how blessed we feel everyday.

Just last week I was feeling down and overwhelmed and just complaining about everything. Now I look back and think, "what was I thinking?!?" I am sooo blessed. Why is it I have time to complain about all that I don't have and don't have time to really read and study my scriptures or go to the temple? I just hope I can remember this moment and really try to work on my positive attitude and do my best to focus on others instead of myself. When I look back, the times I am the most happy is always when I am serving someone else. I just went visiting teaching this last week and learned so much more from the ladies I teach then they could ever learn from me. Thanks friends for sticking with me, even on my bad days. :)

Here is a quick preview of the "boy" side of the nursery. I finally got the letters done and hung up. This is Kaylee's crib (I just borrowed it to show you what it will look like and to use it to hang up the letters). To go along with the blessings above...we found an amazing deal on a crib that came with a mattress that we ordered for Connor. This way Kaylee can just keep her crib till she is ready to move to a bed. Her crib turns into a toddler bed which makes it even better! Oh and did I mention- the crib we bought ALSO turns into a toddler bed. SWEEEET!

Baby Connor- we are A...L....M....O....S....T ready for you to come join our family. Only 5 more weeks!!!!!!

Kaylee and Mommy Time

Beej & Chris

With the new baby on its way and with me not working right now; Kaylee and I have got to spend a lot of time together!!

Kaylee loves to watch me put on my make up and always tries to get it so she can put it on herself. I usually give her a makeup brush to play with, in which she always brushes her cheeks and hair with it.

Kaylee will take the camera and say "cheese" as she is taking the picture. But this is the face she makes when I am trying to take her picture now a days. She does not want to sit still long enough for me to take a picture anymore. In fact she doesn't like to sit still for anything but cartoons in the morning!

An attempt at taking a picture again ;)

I love this picture. I don't know why we are both making this face, but obviously she gets it from me :)

Last week I decided that it would be fun to go swimming so I gathered our swim stuff and headed out. I texted a few people to come with us, but it was super duper last minute. We left to go swimming a 1/2 hour after I texted them. It was just a spur of the moment kind of thing and even though nobody could come with us. We had a BLAST. I really do enjoy just going and doing things just Kaylee and I.

When we first got to the Bountiful Rec Center and into the swimming area, Kaylee was very apprehensive. She was holding really really tight to me and didn't want me to set her down for anything. We sat in the water for a bit. She watched the kids running around and having fun and then decided it was ok to go exploring herself. The first 20-30 minutes was SOO much fun. We swam together and she was smiling and having the time of her life and then.....she started to get daring. She wanted to swim all by herself. I was standing right next to her at all times and one time she fell and got her face in the water. She was coughing and kind of trying to catch her breath and then looked at me and pulled her hand away and started going out on her own again. I kept trying to hold her hand but she would just pull away. It would have been fine if the water was not very high but even the shallow end was pretty high so she really couldn't go out on her own. Our Kaylee girl is definitely not afraid of anything!

We found some stickers and Kaylee had a lot of fun with them and was entertained for a good 30-40 minutes. I need to take some of these to church with me :)

She is so focused

This was mommy and daddy time. We gave Kaylee an ice cream sand which to eat outside. She kept setting it down on the ground and then picking it up and eating it. It was especially gross when she would set it in the dirt. BJ just laughed and I tried not to watch because it made me sick. ha ha

Kaylee and I also like to go to the Discovery Gateway, going on walks (especially when the destination is the park), kicking a ball outside, and playing with chalk. Kaylee LOVES outside and would be happy if we were out there all day everyday. She grabbed my hand and walked me to the park across the street the other day. She has been able to go on the small slide by herself for a while now. But this last time she walked up to the big curvy slide and before I could catch her she went down on her tummy all by herself. Luckily there was a little girl there that I asked her to catch Kaylee. Even luckier the slide got really slow at the end so she didn't fall off the slide. She did however jump off and landed on her bum. It is probably a good foot drop. She just smiled and hopped back up ready to go down again.

Speaking of Kaylee being daring. She can now get onto the kitchen chairs all by herself. Oh lucky me ;) We sure do have a smart and curious girl on our hands. She
wears me out everyday and some days are harder than others (especially with my growing belly). But I sure do love her and feel blessed to be her mom.

Mother's Day

Beej & Chris

How lucky am I to be a mom to this sweet little girl!!?!

From the time I have been married, BJ has always made me feel special on mother's day even before we had kids. Now that Kaylee is almost 15 months old and we have another baby on the way, mother's day has become more of a reality to me this year. When I stop and think about my life, I just can't believe I will be a mom of two kids under the age of two! I can't believe I have been so blessed to have had Kaylee when we did and even though it is going to be hard, I can't believe how blessed we are to be having a baby boy join our family in a few weeks. Raising kids takes a lot of time and patience but the good days always seem to make the bad days not seem so bad.

BJ started out the day by making me breakfast in bed. He made his "famous pancakes" along with bacon and some orange/strawberry juice that was delicious. He gave me a sweet card and a poem that was framed and signed by the author. This is what it said.....

Superman's Mom
Last week I fought a dragon strong

Then climed to a castle wall.

Too bad I fell from off the roof

Mom's flowers broke my fall.

Yesterday I sailed to sea
With pirates at the door.

Too bad the tub was just too small

To keep the ocean off the floor.

Today I launched a rocket to

The moon for Mom to see.
Too bad the wheel came flying off

And so I skinned my knee.

But mom was there to pick me up

And make me feel alright.

Then sent me out to save the world

And put my cape on tight.

Someday I'll grow and fly away

Little doesn't last for long.

But when I'm big I won't forget

Even superman needs a mom.

by Liz Lemon Swindle

BJ then helped get Kaylee ready for church and watched her all throughout church except for when he had to teach the deacons. After church we came home and put Kaylee down for a nap while BJ and I watched a movie together and just relaxed. We then had a yummy lunch prepared by my amazing husband (ribs cooked in the crock pot, corn on the cob, and sweet potatoes).

After Kaylee woke up and we fed her lunch, we headed over to my mom's house for some pie and to visit for a while. We were there for a few hours and then followed them over to my grandma and grandpa Parker's house. My grandma got an adult tricycle for mother's day from all of her kids (how fun is that!!).

BJ and I then took Kaylee home and played some Wii together before putting Kaylee to bed.

The day was amazing. BJ made me feel so special and told me over and over how much he appreciates all I do as a mom. I feel so blessed to have BJ as a spouse. He never goes a day without asking me how I am and telling me how amazing he thinks I am.

Thank you mom for being such an example to me over the years and for being an amazing mom to all of us kids. I have learned a lot from you!

New Shelves in the Garage

Beej & Chris

One of my favorite qualities of BJ is how organized he is in everything he does (school, work, scouts, and our house). I used to tease him about how he saved all the receipts of the rent we paid while we were living at the U of U apartments. He would staple the receipt and put the month and year above each receipt. I would also find receipts tucked in our dvd's that he had bought years ago. It was really interesting to see how much they cost when he was working at shopko as opposed to how much they cost now. Anyway- BJ has been wanting to organize the garage for awhile now. He got a few supplies for Christmas so as soon as the weather started to warm up and he got a free day, he set out on his project.

BJ spent a few hours outside measuring, marking, and making a layout to what he wanted done in the garage. I was very impressed! Here is the before shot.

BJ e-mailed his dad, brother, and my dad to request more hands on the job. Everyone was able to come except for JC- but I know JC would have been there if he could have because he is always helping us out!! Here is the progress after a few hours of work.

POWER TOOLS! Gotta love it!

My dad and BJ

Everyone took turns cutting the wood. But my brother Nathan was given the title of the "pencil man". They kept breaking the pencil and losing them so he kept a good sharp one on hand at all times :) Good job Nate!

We then had a quick dominoes pizza break. YUMMMY!

Yay- almost finished!

I didn't get a picture of BJ's brother Spencer, but he helped out a lot as well. Not only did he help them with cutting the wood, but he kept Kaylee entertained. Kaylee loves her uncle Spencer. :)

Nate cleaning up

Kaylee to Nate, "You missed a spot."

All finished! We have already filled up all of the shelves! Thanks again to everyone that came and helped. We really really appreciate it!!

Easter 2011

Beej & Chris

Kaylee sure got spoiled this Easter and participated in 4 Easter egg hunts...that is right 4! Here is the overview of our Easter celebrations this year.

After convincing BJ we gathered our eggs and started the process of dying eggs with Kaylee. She thought it was soo cool to see the egg disappear into the dye. She did try to eat the egg once but for the most part was content in just stirring the eggs while watching daddy color them. BJ then watched basketball while I finished dying my Easter eggs. Yes- I know. I am totally a kid at heart!

Saturday we started out the morning with the Woods Cross Easter egg hunt that was held at the elementary school. Once the bell sounded the kids could go out and get 3 eggs but then had to come back ensuring all the kids got at least 3 eggs. They then sounded the bell again and let the kids go out and get the rest of the eggs. Kaylee did not like having to come back after getting only 3 eggs. It didn't help that it took forever for all the kids to come back so Kaylee was crying and stretching out her arms towards the eggs waiting to go back out. Needless to say she really enjoyed her first true Easter egg hunt.

After the hunt we took Kaylee inside to meet the Easter bunny. Kaylee was very very afraid of the Easter bunny just like Santa Clause. Even though it makes me sooo sad to see Kaylee cry and be upset, these pictures just crack me up. I don't know about everyone else- but I personally think the Easter bunny looks a little scary myself.

"Look daddy, let's go see the Easter bunny!"

"Who is this guy and why does he look so funny?"

"MoM, Save me!"

"I changed my mind dad, let's go home instead!!"

We then headed up to Idaho to Great Grandma and Grandpa Scott's house for a BBQ and Easter egg hunt. My grandma assigned everyone a number (including BJ and I) so everyone got an equal amount of Easter eggs. This was also very difficult for Kaylee because she wanted to pick up all the eggs and didn't understand that only some of them were for her. We ended up letting her pick them up and would just sneak them back onto the grass while she walked away. lol

We had a fun time eating hot dogs, hamburgers and salads in the nice warm weather. I also got to spend some time just talking with my grandma Scott which I love. It was just a fun day.

Sunday morning we started out the day by having BJ explain to Kaylee why we celebrate Easter. I know she doesn't quite understand all that he said but I think it is really important to talk about it instead of getting too caught up in the worldly celebrations. BJ did a wonderful job explaining the sacrifices Jesus Christ has made for us and just set the mood for a wonderful Sabbath day.

We then let Kaylee find the Easter eggs that the Easter bunny hid from her. She cracked open one of the eggs and stuffed all the jelly beans in her mouth. lol Needless to say- she ate a lot of treats that day.

We then had a wonderful meeting at church with a lot of spiritual uplifting talks and lessons about Christ that continued to set the mood for Easter. After which we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Scott's house for dinner and ANOTHER Easter egg hunt! We ate a wonderful meal (ham, jello, rolls, and funeral potatoes) and then let some of the kiddo's take naps while the grown ups did an Easter egg hunt out back. BJ, Nate (my little bro) and I filled the eggs and then I hid them out in the back. They found them fairly quickly with a few harder than others, but overall I think I did a good job :) Once Kaylee and Desiree (Kaylee's cousin) woke up, we got some pictures of the grand kids and then let the kids do their egg hunt out front. Kaylee's cousins Brooklyn and Carson found the eggs that BJ hid in the immediate front yard while Desiree, Logan, and Kaylee found some easier eggs on the side of the house in the front yard.

We had a busy weekend for sure, but we enjoyed every minute of it!

32 weeks and positive for Group B Strep :(

Beej & Chris

Just got back from the doctors office and feeling kind of down. Apparently I tested positive for Group B Strep so I will need to get an antibiotic at least 4 hours before giving birth and then every 4 hours until I have the baby. It may not seem like a big deal to some, but BJ and I had just talked about our "dream birth" after our Lamaze class this last Tuesday and had decided to stay at home as long as possible before going into the hospital. After finding out I am positive for Group B Strep I have so many concerns and worries.
- It obviously varies with each person and each pregnancy, but your second birth tends to be about 1/2 as long as your first. Since my labor with Kaylee was 10 1/2 hours long that would mean this labor could be in the 5 hour range which doesn't give me very long at all before I need to be hooked up to an IV getting my antibiotic. (My OB said they could run the antibiotic in about 1/2 hour but sometimes the Penicillin burns so going slower is better).
- At our Lamaze class they told us that since my water broke with my first pregnancy that I have a 50% chance of my water breaking again with this pregnancy. If my water breaks we will just go straight in and get the antibiotic asap. But if my water doesn't break I am just concerned about when to go into the hospital. Before finding out I was positive for Group B Strep as I stated above, we planned on staying home for a while. Now- I don't know when to go in. With Kaylee even after my water broke, it took a good hour 1/2 before contractions even started and then another little bit before it was consistent and somewhat painful. Not to mention I have been feeling braxton hicks contractions a ton with this pregnancy and some of it is pretty uncomfortable. So how will I know when to go in? How long is my labor going to be? Oh- I wish I knew those questions because then I could just stay home until I absolutely had to go in!
The reasons why I want to stay home for a while before going to the hospital is....
- I am so much more comfortable in my own home.
- I can eat and drink and take a bath whenever I want
- If I come into the hospital dilated to a 7 and doing good with my Lamaze techniques then the nurses will see how well I am doing and not continue to question me or push for an epidural.
- I am worried about being able to move around and deal with the pain while being hooked up to an IV for fluids and for my antibiotic.
- Walking around the hospital and having the nurses look at me as I pass their desk a million times or saying things like, "keep it up- you are doing good" or "you are going around again?" is just distracting and makes me want to stay in my room. I know they mean well but I am just a worrier and I will just be worried how distracting I am to them or how annoying it must be to them to have us walk by them over and over again (this is how I felt as I walked around at Lakeview while laboring with Kaylee).

Then there is the chance that I will develop thrush from the antibiotics causing pain as I try to breastfeed. I am planning on taking a probiotic or at least some yogurt a few days before my due date to help prevent that but who really knows when I will have this baby.

Ugh I am just frustrated. Here is to hoping my water breaks at home again and that my nurses are understanding, and that I get there in time to get my antibiotic but don't feel restricted with my IV.