The Newborn Experience

My fabulously talented friend, Mary, took some amazing pictures when Paige was 3 weeks old. She's 6 weeks old now and quite a bit bigger, but this has been my first opportunity to blog in a while.

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Let me just say that I'm glad the first month is over! It is probably the hardest month for any mother-child, and Paige and I were no exception. We had some issues to work out and she was quite fussy for a while. I then got the baby blues but I got through it! Fortunately, I had a lot of family around to help me and support me. We are all happy and Paige is doing great now!

Poll: Which of the above pics should I include in her newborn announcements?

Also, here's Bryce at 2 and just before a haircut...

Gas Shmas

Anybody who says that "newborns don't smile, they just have gas" is full of it. Last night, Scott was playing with Paige, who was only 4 days old. He was putting his mouth up to her hand and teasing her. Since she's legally blind like all newborns, she enjoyed feeling his mouth and playing with it, and a big smile came across her face. She was having fun, not having gas. So there!

She's Here!

We are so excited that Paige joined our family this past Saturday! As most of you know, I wanted a waterbirth/homebirth, and I had the MOST wonderful relaxing experience possible. I was more comfortable and relaxed in my home, so I dilated super fast! I watched some of my favorite movies, in this order: Nacho Libre, Dan in Real Life, and the beginning of The Holiday. I enjoyed the difficult parts of labor in a birthing tub, which they call the "midwives' epidural" and now I know why. I felt instantaneous pain relief when I got in, and it did slow my labor down a little bit (just like an epidural would). It was fine, because I was so close to the end, so it was still pretty quick. I started labor around 8am, and had her at 2:04 p.m. I was talking and laughing in between contractions until the last 20 minutes. I actually was able to enjoy watching my movies too! :) It was so awesome. I will never birth another way again!

Paige was 21" long and weighed in at 7 lbs, 9 oz, almost a pound smaller than Bryce was when he was born. She's my petite little lady! She is doing great, is very alert, and likes to wiggle. She kinda looks like me when I was born - full head of dark brown hair (that fell out for me and came back in sandy brown). We'll see how she looks when she develops.

The above pic is of Scott and Paige at the delivery. Here are some pics of her today. I know I'm biased, but I think she's beautiful!

Paige enjoying some fresh air this afternoon!

Bryce & Paige

Bryce kissing Paige!

Scott, Bryce & Paige reading

Bryce is handling being a big brother very well. He is excited to be a big brother!

I just have to laugh...

So I'm 38 weeks pregnant, and I have just done the most embarrassing thing in years. I can't believe it, but I was walking in my sleep (somehow) and I fell and sprained my ankle. I haven't walked in my sleep in almost 20 years, so it is quite the shocker to me. All I remember is being on the floor in the dark in a lot of pain. Scott said I must have been dreaming because I said "No, no, no!" and then he heard a thud. As usual, he was wonderful and came to my rescue (but, poor guy, seeing his very pregnant wife on the floor screaming in the middle of the night must have been scary) Scott thinks I tripped on one of the umpteenth pillows I use to sleep with that I must have kicked off onto the floor when I got up. Gotta love pregnancy!

Bryce is being very cute about it though. He keeps pointing at my foot and saying, "Momma's foot hurts...owie" and he's giving me extra kisses. At least I am getting special treatment :) But it sure blows my plans to go on lots of walks this week to bring on my labor early. Deep breath...sigh...laugh...I must have much more character to build :)

Thanks!

Thank you to all those who participated in my baby showers. One of my best friends, Mary, threw one for me last weekend and it was great fun! Unfortunately, she's also my photographer friend, and since she was hosting the party, there weren't many pics. But some relatives and friends got a little marker-happy with my belly, and drew some notes on there. So at least I have a couple belly shots! And, yes, I do have an outie!

My ward friends also threw me a shower this past Tuesday, but I don't have pics from that yet, so I'll post those when I get them. I am just so excited to have so many oh-so-cute baby girl clothes! This is going to be so much fun! Thank you!

An ode to estrogen

So most of you know that we're having a girl. Some of you have asked if the pregnancies are any different. The best things about this pregnancy is I am much more mellow and kicked-back than last time, which I attribute to their personalities - Bryce is very strong-minded and stubborn, and I think Paige is much more peaceful and laid-back. Also, I haven't had the swollen feet or aching back, which I attribute to my fantastic chiropractor. Otherwise, pregnancy still agrees with me and I enjoy it just like with Bryce.

Well, I am so excited to have a girl! I've never been that girly - never into bows and frills and dresses, but now I am SO into it. I can't wait for the cute outfits with hats and shoes. Who would've ever guessed that about me, but I am so excited about it!

Well now that I am 36 weeks, I have shifted into GIRLY mode - on overdrive! I have been sooo obsessed, for a few weeks now, with chick flicks. My husband was a little annoyed at first, until he realized it made me sweeter and more romantic and cuddly. Now he's ok with it and says I can watch these movies whenever I want! I've even decided to watch the movies during my labor. Why not be a little distracted by beautiful people, romantic (and funny) scenes, and falling in love during a less-than-comfortable day of my life (to say the least). Here are some of the movies I have been frequently watching, that will probably make it to my labor playlist ...

I've also decided to watch another fave - Nacho Libre (hilariously funny, but not at all a chick flick).

Here's hoping my labor isn't so long that I actually finish all 4 movies! :)

p.s. since I am watching all of these movies way to much, if any of you has a suggestion of another great chick-flick, let me know!

I'm baaaack!

I'm sorry, folks, that it's been a while since I blogged about the happenings in my life and my family. I have a couple excuses ... and you know what they say about excuses! We've been really, really busy with business (can't complain), my camera-to-computer connection was off that I wasn't patient enough to fix, I've been taking care of a sick husband and toddler, and I got a little addicted to Facebook. I'm still busy, but my family's recovering, I fixed the computer, and I'm taking a break from Facebook. I've decided that blogging is way more important than Facebook, so I promise to be better!


Onto our news...I had a wonderful May 3 this year! For those of you who don't know, it is the 11-year anniversary that I survived a near fatal-car accident that changed my life FOREVER. It is also the 6-year anniversary that I got baptised into the LDS church, which also changed my life FOREVER. Both anniversaries mark the most positively-significant occurences in my life that allowed me the opportunity to seriously change the direction my life was headed. Both have resulted in a better outlook on life, happiness that I never knew before, and an ability to appreciate the present and accept the past and future better than I ever did before.


Every year on May 3, I go to the mountains because that is where I have always gotten my answers to life's big questions, which is something I really needed, especially after the accident. This year was no different. Even though Scott was a little sick, we all went out to Saguaro lake and had a picnic and enjoyed the fresh air. It is wonderful that I can share this special day with my family, and I look forward to telling my kids all about these experiences someday. I want them to know that:


I am truly grateful for life, as I know it is truly a gift that I am still alive, and that we all have the gift of life,


I am grateful for ALL the experiences in my life, good and bad, that have shaped me to the person I am,

I am grateful that I was preserved so that I could find out and join about the LDS church, which answered my biggest questions and has brought the most joy into my life.


Here are some pics from our special day (they aren't very good, but we were lucky to find anybody to take our pic - even if he was a kid and didn't really know our camera :)

Too much to say...

I have bit my tongue for years. Every once in a while, I blog about something I'm passionate about that has nothing to do with my family. It is politics. So often, I end up wanting to blog about those feelings or news I have heard, or other thoughts I have. But I don't because I think to myself, no this is a family blog and it's not appropriate. Well, I just can't keep it inside any longer. I am far too opinionated and far to passionate about the freedoms of this country that we are currently LOSING in the name of "change" that I have decided to create another blog dedicated to that end. To educate and discuss on one of the most passionate subjects in my life right now. If you want to read it, enjoy. If you don't, it won't hurt my feelings. At least I will have an outlet to express my angst, so to speak...

http://mypoliticalangst.blogspot.com/

Love, Kim

Long overdue...

I strongly feel the need to publically express some personal and spiritual feelings that I have about my religious faith. Many of the people who read this blog are LDS; however, there are many who aren't, and I feel like I should publically express my testimony and how strongly I feel about my membership in the LDS church.


I was just watching General Conference, where our Prophet and Apostles spoke to us for a couple days (live in Salt Lake and on TV elsewhere). It was wonderful, peaceful, inspiring, and insightful. It made me again disappointed with myself in that I have no problem telling a perfect stranger why I joined the church and what it means to me, but that I have a hard time telling old friends, family and loved ones about it. So it is time to publically say...

• I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that he lived a perfect life as an example to us and that he suffered and died for us voluntarily so that we may live eternally with him.


• I know that he organized the church on the earth, but that over time, the church changed (partly due to other people killing his apostles, etc) and the true church was no longer on the Earth.


• I know that Joseph Smith received a vision from Heavenly Father (God) and Jesus Christ, when he was looking for the right church to attend. They told him to attend none of them, and in time, revealed the true gospel, which is now known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.


• I know that the priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith through John the Baptist, and Peter, James and John from the New Testament times. Through that we now have present-day prophets, apostles and modern revelation, as occured through these apostles and Jesus Christ when they were on the earth.


• I married my sweet husband, Scott, in the Mesa LDS Temple (much to the disappointment of many of my non-LDS friends and relatives) because in temple weddings, we can be married for time and eternity by living virtuous principles and obeying the commandments.


• I know that I will live with Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, my family, and many, many more wonderful people for eternity as I continue to strive to live the gospel more fully in my life.

I have been a member of the church for almost 6 years (May 3, 2003), and it has been the most joyful, peaceful time of my life. I am so happy to be a member of the church, because I receive GREAT blessings through my obedience to the commandments. And yes, I am including the blessings I received when I gave up coffee, tea, and alcohol. I can't imagine my life without the gospel. It would be dark and confusing. I would be happy to go into further detail with any of you, and if you would like to research this independently, I highly recommend http://www.mormon.org/ for more information. Thank you.

Music and the Stories of Life

I have recently watched two of my favorite movies back-to-back, Dan in Real Life and Nacho Libre. They are quite different from each other, but there is one thing they have in common...their soundtracks are perfect. Nacho Libre's music is goofy, random and totally makes me laugh. Dan in Real Life's music is sincere, funny at times, and totally makes me get all warm and fuzzy inside. Those would also be my description of the movies themselves. I have seen each of these films 10-15 times each and I can't get enough of them. Now I know why... the music brings the stories to life. I can think of several other classic movies with great soundtracks...Forrest Gump, The Breakfast Club, The Notebook, and Shawshank Redemption. Those are just a few, as I know there are many other movies with superb soundtracks...music that ingrains the story into your soul and doesn't let you forget about it. That, my friend, makes a great movie.
And if you've ever wondered what my life's soundtrack would be, just ask me. I already have it on cd...for at least the first 30 years of my life :)

Heaven on Earth

I have recently read of HBO's plans to portray the LDS temple in a casual light. This is the church's response, a simple message about the true purpose of temples. Enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_-TQivCx8

What was I thinking?

My friend Mary took the cutest picture of our fam last fall for our Christmas photo and I didn't even post it! For crying out loud!(scottish accent used here)

Anyway, here's our photo from our Christmas card. It's about the only thing Christmasy that made it to the blog this year, and it's 3 months late. Oh well, we can't all be perfect like those once-or-twice-a-week bloggers. You know who you are :)

But there is one thing I can be very proud of...I have my taxes done and submitted early!! This is a first since our business opened 4 years ago. Yay for refunds!

Bryce loves Wawa!

We have been terrible at taking family videos, even with our new camera. We either forget when the time is right because we're enjoying the moment, or we record it and the lighting/angles/something looks terrible. Maybe my expectations are too high, but that's me.
This is a pretty monumental event for Bryce. Up until very recently, he HATED taking a bath or doing anything that got him even a little wet. We have spent so much time and money on bath toys to help him enjoy it, and he's finally decided water time is fun. So we let the good hygeine rules on drinking from a hose go out the window and enjoyed Bryce having fun with water. Afterall, you're only a kid once. Bring on the germs!

p.s. I love his muscle shirt!

Little laugh for your Wednesday

The following is the winning entry in an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term. This year's term was Political Correctness.

The winner wrote: "Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."
R. J. Wiedemann LtCol. USMC Ret.

Where have I been?

Some of you may be asking yourself that question, when I've been a relatively faithful blogger. Well if you want to know, our computer with all our pics crashed right after our vacation (hence no holiday pics), then I got a horrid sinus infection (no more pics) and now we are slammed with our busy season (ie all the snow birds just realized they only have 2-3 more months to get hearing aids and get them adjusted/programmed and such before they leave for the summer...yikes for them...Great for us!).

I am truly grateful the Lord continues to bless us, even though the news spells horrors of the economy. I am also grateful my uber smart husband picked the PERFECT industry to start a business. Things haven't been so busy for us in TWO years! We prayed for it, but I am still grateful. Plus I have had the best closing ratio (selling ratio) in the history of our business. I am for once doing better than my husband (but don't tell him I said that : ) The last time I was close to this good was the last time I was pregnant... maybe the hormones are good for my selling strategy...or maybe my "glow" makes me cuter so all the old people have no choice but to say "Here's my credit card!" :) Either way, I'll take it!

Anyway, last Sunday I was determined to download videos and post something cute from the farm in Texas we visited over Christmas and the ultrasound we just had on DVD, but NOTHING worked!

I was hoping for a really cute way to tell you all that we are having a GIRL!! But this boring way will have to do. I just want you all to know that I will someday have pics up here again, but for now, know that I love you all and hope that life brings you blessings as it brings me mine :)

Meet Logan

I know I am TOTALLY overdue to post some pics of our family, and mostly Bryce. But this is our busy season, and well, I haven't had any free time.

I also know that I NEVER post these kinds of things or even send these kinds of emails, but it got me a little choked up. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant, but I'd like to know if I'm silly in tearing up over this little video clip. It is so true.

This is actually about the radio station I listened to as a child.

Earplugs...the perfect treatment for the Terrible Two's

So Bryce is going through his Terrible Two's six months early. He's always gone through the difficult things early or for a long time (or shall I say, I've gone through the difficult things early). He was teething at 10 weeks old, reflux-y for a long 15 months, and now he's a terrible two-er at 18 months old. Is this the red-hair in him or is he just so excited to grow up he wants to skip ahead to the next stage? The funny thing is, he isn't that early on the good things...he's a early on talking, but he's been right on schedule for everything else that's good and exciting.

So, this week has been especially Two-ey. He's thrown absolute fits EVERY night this week. I mean, screaming, throwing himself on the floor, out-of-control fits. To use my favorite college Kim-ism, he was SWOOC - So WAY out of control! We tried time-out, but it didn't always work. He wouldn't eat, play, nothing. They really come out of nowhere - he has quite the red-headed temper! (All I ask, God, is please give me a break from redheads...let my next child be a calm brunette or blonde PLEASE)

I've read to not get emotionally involved at all. Well that's hard to do when he's trying to rip my beautiful Korean artwork off the wall or I can't even enjoy a nice dinner with my husband. So our solution Thursday night...EARPLUGS! We put our trusty earplugs in and just ignored him in the other room (of course he's far away from any of my artwork). We actually enjoyed a nice, pleasant conversation!

On a positive note, we did have a breakthrough on Friday night. Instead of getting Bryce out of time-out after 5-10 minutes, in which he was still upset, I waited until he had really calmed himself down. In Friday's case, it took him 20-25 minutes of SCREAMING to calm down. But he did, and then he wanted to be held. The funny math equation there is, when he was in timeout for 5 minutes, he'd want to be held for 10 minutes, when it was 20 minutes, I had to hold him for 40 minutes! Funny I know, but I guess it helped remind him that he's still loved. But he was darling after that. He ate great, was so sweet, and has been sweet and fun ever since.

So I'm hoping that the blessing here is, that he's done being a terrible two-er in 6 months when I have another baby. Until then, we'll keep an extra set of earplugs downstairs, just for sanity insurance :)

Will I ever have my body back?

So I've been a mother for 18 months now (over 2 years if you include the pregnancy), and for the most part, it is one of the best things I have ever done. But one thing that seems to never go away, is the fact that my body is not my own anymore. If you're a man, you probably don't want to read this:

1) As a pregnant woman, I feel I have little control over my body. I've never been a "puker" (and God bless you souls who are), but I've had the nasty sinus infection for about a week (hence no blogging), and I throw up at least once a day due to all the mucus I have in my throat. I feel like each time I throw up, I'm losing more control. Like today, I puked on myself in the car driving 70 mph with NO warning. (TMI...stop reading!)
2) When I was nursing, I was a slave to my reflux child. There were so many things I couldn't eat that bothered him (the worst thing to give up...chocolate!) Plus there was that nasty diet for a year from the infection I contracted at the hospital (which is why I will never willfully have another baby in the hospital again : )
3) Finally, my pre-potty training toddler (we're reading and talking about it now) wants to poke his finger in the toilet (and other places) every time I pee or poop. TMI, well you should've stopped reading earlier if that's the case!
4) My boobs used to be so perky and the perfect size, and now they shrunk to almost-too-small-to-measure and lifeless. My only source of hope and comfort is to get pregnant again so the hormones give me a temporary boob job!
5) In the old days, I was a smart, creative, and spiritual business woman. That doesn't exist when I'm pregnant or nursing. I'm dummy-headed...absentminded, not able to intelligently finish a sentence, etc. My only reprieve this time was 5 months of sobriety (the 5 months between nursing Bryce and getting pregnant again). And I heard it gets worse with every child. Is this true?

So my question is...will I ever get my body back? Is this the true sacrifice of motherhood? Is this why older wealthy women spend inordinate amounts of money to fix what childbearing caused? I guess my husband should start saving now...it's going to be expensive.

5 Fantastic Things about Today

1. My baby is the size of a fig and is almost fully formed!
2. I got my Christmas photo cards printed!
3. I am far less nauseous than I was a week ago!
4. Bryce still sleeps at least 16 hours a day! (I am so spoiled)
5. I just paid $14 to refill my gas tank! (1.51/gallon) I remember paying over $40 this year

Today is a great day...partially because I decided to notice the good things in the day. I was feeling so sorry for myself about my sickness, etc. I just decided this week to be happier because, as Abraham Lincoln said, "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Santa came early!

So Santa came early...or shall I say, one of our family Christmas gifts came and Scott could not contain himself until Christmas and we enjoyed it early! It is the coolest contraption, a bike trailer. But not your usual bike trailer...

It's a tandem bike that attaches to a regular adult bike. A child can sit in the back seat and peddle and learn to ride. It's designed for kids ages 5-10, but the weight limit is 200, so I rode it! Then we put Bryce in a carseat and attached the carseat to the tray in the back. Doesn't sound secure? I thought so too when looking at the picture online, but Scott insisted it would be perfect. As usual, all of his "crazy" ideas are always perfect! I have learned after 4 years to just trust his notions, even if they sound crazy to me, because they always work out (except once, but one in over a hundred ideas is still great odds). Afterall, he is an Aquarius...he always thinks outside the box! So I let him order it, and it came yesterday. After I went to bed, he spent all night last night putting it together and surprised us this morning with a bike ride to Denny's (a mile away) for breakfast. We all loved it, especially Bryce. After breakfast we walked down to the pond across the street and fed the ducks (Bryce's new favorite animal). Bryce had a great nap after all this excitement and then we took the bike out again to go ride and rent a movie. Both experiences were fun, exciting and great. Bryce kept talking the whole time, although I'm not exactly sure what he was talking about, except when he said "ho, ho, ho" when we'd pass a house with a santa in the front yard. I don't have pictures because we were all riding and, honestly, I didn't think about blogging about it until now. I was just reflecting on how perfect of a day it was with my family.

This website would sell a lot more of this product if people knew it was adaptable for babies. It's only a little more than other baby bike trailers, but so much more versatile and safer! Bryce was safely secure in his car seat. I'm not soliciting for them, but if anyone is interested in bike trailers, I would check out the Morgan Cycle caboose bike trailer!

Oh, and I promise, no more Christmas presents early!