Tiny Toes

Our sweet boy is 5 months old today! What a sweet boy, we love him so much.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Snow has definitely been the most recent theme in our world. It snowed in Pullman the day before we were suppose to drive to Gig Harbor, luckily that snow melted before we had to leave. But then the craziest thing happened because Gig Harbor got a bunch of snow Thanksgiving week, very strange for western Washington. I think it is very cool that Matthew's first Thanksgiving was a snowy one!
We had a great holiday, we spent the week staying with my Grandparents and a few nights with my parents. It was very fun to spend time with them and to watch them play with Matthew. Like I said before we had snow the week of Thanksgiving and if you are from Western Washington you know that snow shuts down everything, the whole area just slows down, so we had a few days of down time where we couldn't go anywhere safely so we just stayed put. One night there was a bad windstorm and it knocked the power out, and it was freezing cold outside, roads were terrible so we decided to stay with my parents because we were already there (we found out the next day that we couldn't have left anyways because a tree had fallen across the road and taken out the power line). That night was freezing cold in the house by the end of it- we wrapped Matthew up in a few blankets and put a Beanie on him and his poor cheeks were still cold. That was a very memorable night. On Thanksgiving Dan (Chris's Brother) came and spent a few days with us- we were very happy to be able to see him also! We had 2 dinners, my Mom made a dinner at their house that my Grandpa Byron (Mom's Dad) came to - he doesn't do well with big groups and people he doesn't know. Then later that day we went to my Grandparents (Dad's Parents) for Thanksgiving dinner with the family. It was a delicious dinner and great to see almost everyone there. Matthew got to spend time with his aunts, uncles, and cousins and I got to spend an evening relaxing while everyone else held him :) Then Friday we hit some black Friday sales and picked up a few deals on items we needed for the Daycare. We left on Saturday for Pullman geared up for a long snowy drive across the state, luckily most of the drive was great. about 1/4 of it was icy roads and heavy fog - we were very happy to be home by the end of that drive! Here are some pictures...

Matthew playing with his Grandpa on Thanksgiving

First time trying rice cereal

Sleeping with Daddy after his first hockey game, it was late and he managed to fall asleep despite all the noise!

4 months playing on his tummy

Matthew and his Uncle Dan after Thanksgiving Dinner

4 Months of Matthew

I just went and visited a new mom from my Ward here in Pullman and it brought me back and made me remember just how Thankful I am for my little Matthew. We all talked about our delivery stories, it is like being part of a club, because now I have a delivery story and this whole new understanding of what other people go through. Before I had Matthew I did not fully grasp what it meant to have a baby, When I was 8 I had seen a baby born. Still I don't think it is an experience that you can witness and understand, it is something that until you go through it is still a mystery. I am thankful for the opportunity that I had to have Matthew. I learned so much about myself in my 8 hours of labor, I learned how strong I can be. I also learned that I am really good at censoring my language even when in extreme pain, I learned that I deal with pain very internally, I don't want to talk to anyone when I am in pain, but I don't like to be alone either. Mostly I learned that I can follow through with a decision. I had decided that I didn't want to have an epidural and even when i was in so much pain and just wanted it to go away, the logical part of me was still in tack and I remembered why I made my decision, and that no matter how much it hurt, it would be over soon enough. I just kept telling myself that I could do it, that I was strong enough. I keep thinking back to this experience and I am grateful because I was really there for my child's birth, I felt like I really experienced it, it is hard to put into words, but it means the world to me that I was able to experience labor and delivery in its entirety. I really hope that next time around it will be entirely natural, that they will not have to induce labor. I would really like to have a natural birth experience.

Now that I have finished reliving that wonderful experience, the real topic that I wanted to talk about was the 4 months since Matthew was born. Being a new mom is a much more challenging experience than I thought it would be. I'm not sure why I thought it would just be a breeze, I pictured this as being a smooth transition, that I would adjust and just love the whole thing. I didn't take into account that I would get no sleep for the first 36 hours of his life, for some reason I thought the hospital would want new moms to sleep. Funny huh? I also didn't think about the fact that because I was breastfeeding that in the beginning just going to the store was hard, and you had to time it just right because the baby would be hungry again. I really just didn't grasp what it meant to have a new born. I think I expected an infant, not a newborn, I am really loving being a mom now that Matthew is older. The last month has been wonderful! Don't get me wrong I have loved that little boy the whole time, but that doesn't make the experience any easier. It was not that hard really, it just pushed me to the breaking point more than I have ever been before. 

In the last month Matthew has learned to sleep through the night! What a blessing that is. We learned a new swaddling technique and he sleeps like a charm. If you look up "miracle swaddle blanket" on you tube it shows the basic process. Only we didn't buy that blanket we use a thin receiving blanket and then a normal blanket. Then we went through 3 days of crying it out. Now that boy sleeps like a charm most nights. He is ready for bed between 7:30 and 8;30 most night and sleeps until 4 or 5 am and then eats and goes back to sleep until 8:30am! I love being able to sleep again! He also has learned in the last month to play with us more, and he is smiling more. Chris and Matthew make noises back and forth to each other, it is really cool to watch because Chris will make a noise and then Matthew tries so hard to do the same thing, a lot of times he is smiling and can't do it because he is smiling but it is so much fun! I am writing a book today so I will end it here. Basically I am so Thankful to be a Mommy, I am thankful for the past 4 months it has been so wonderful, challenging but wonderful, and I would not trade it for anything. I love Matthew and my Husband! Chris has been the best Daddy and so supportive to me. I would have gone crazy without him! I have so much to be Thankful for this holiday season. It just makes me smile :)         

Matthew and the Fence...

Matthew 3.5 months.

He is getting really strong and we often find him scooting around.

Look at him suck on that bottom lip! He started that in the last week or so.

Working on the gate, the last part of the fence to be built.

Day one: Ammon and Chris digging the post holes with the "Earth Drill".

Starting to put slats on

Chris with his favorite tool of the project

The finished project!

It has been a busy week, and an even busier weekend. Matthew is doing so well and growing fast, he will be 4 months soon. I am excited to take him into his 4 month checkup and see how much he has grown. I also think he is ready to start eating some baby food, so we will talk to the Doctor about that. I hear such conflicting information about the subject. Some say 4 months, some say not till 6 months... What do you think? We have tried a little with him and he likes it, but I don't want to hurt him somehow... Not sure. Chris thinks that he is ready and we should just feed him... 
The big project has been getting the fence in! We have been planning and trying to figure out how to do this since we moved it. We were going to do chain link, but that ended up being way more involved and more expensive, so we decided on a wood fence. When we were thinking about the chain link fence we looked into having a company come install it because we don't have the tools or know-how to put up a chain link fence. However the company that we actually got to come give us a quote wanted almost $2400 to do the job! It is only 1 gate and a little over 100ft of fence. So then we talked to some people from our ward and they said they would be willing to help us. We priced the difference between chain link and wood and found a great deal on materials. 
We could not have done this without everyone who helped us. We need to Thank Chris's Mom and brother Dan for loaning us the money for materials, and all the guys who came and gave up a Friday and Saturday to help install the fence. This was a big project and one that had to be done in order to be licensed as a home daycare, we are now almost ready. Soon we will have an income! I am hoping to be able to start enrolling kids in January of 2011!

Happy Halloween!

Lil' Picasso and the Pumpkin

Matthew is 3 months! (on Friday the 15th)

I'm a little early but Chris and I were able to get some fun pictures of Matthew over the past week or so. He has really started to like being on his tummy, he also likes this funny toy well he likes chewing on the antennas.
3 month stats:
24 inches
12 pounds 5 ounces

 This is the funny toy, it is like an alien or something. He loves to put that antenna in his mouth (notice the blue ball in his mouth).

 Matthew really likes to chew on his arm (this is how he gave himself the hickey before).

 Tummy time for Chris and Matthew! 

 I think the flash startled him. He is getting really strong and can hold himself up for a long time!

Church Responds to HRC Petition

Church Responds to HRC Petition

This is a well written article by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints about the church's position related to the recent bullying and humiliation of a young man that led to him committing suicide. They explain very well the LDS Position on same-sex relationships, it is very nice to have it written out so clearly. I have friends who are involved in such relationships and we talked about this very same position. We are still good friends but we each know where we stand on the matter, it did not change my love for her.

It is sad to see all the serious bullying that has been occurring. It breaks my heart that people feel they have the right to treat others so poorly, and that those being bullied feel so helpless and hopeless. I just wish that they would know that it does get better. People will forget mistakes and choices that you have made, life can be wonderful again!

Splash time Oh I mean Bath time!!

We have been having lots of fun watching Matthew grow. He is changing constantly and learning new things. This first picture is of him at about two and a half months on the couch and the second one is from the same day, before you look at it you should know that he has developed this habit of sucking on his arm or wrist when he is not sucking on his fists. Well on this day he managed to give himself his first hickey!
Bath TIME!! I love giving Matthew a bath lately, he just has so much fun kicking his feet and splashing. He has figured out that if he kicks both feet together it makes an even bigger splash. You might be able to see that sometimes he is trying so hard to kick and splash that he has to stick his tongue out. He also sticks his tongue out a little like that when he smiles. I also had to take the TP off its holder and move it to the other side of the bathroom because it gets very wet from all the splashing.



It has been fairly uneventful lately we have been spending lots of time studying (Chris and I'm helping him), and getting the daycare stuff done. I still have lots left to do, and the orientation is less than two weeks away! Hopefully we will be opening Stay 'n' Play Preschool and Home Daycare by January 2011. It would be nice to have an income again! Matthew will be 3 months next Friday so I should be posting some 3 month pictures soon!

Matthew 2 Months!

Here are some pictures of our handsome little guy! We love playing with him now he has the cutest little grins and has really started babbling a lot. At his check up he was 11.4 pounds and 23 inches long, growing like a weed. Here are some pictures of the little guy :)

Matthew's Blessing

We blessed Matthew when he was about 3 weeks old. It was a wonderful day and we had lots of my family come and support us and Matthew. Chris gave him his blessing and that evening we had a family dinner. It was especially nice because we got to see most of the family and enjoy some time together before the big move back across the state. Here are some pictures of the day!

Jeffrey Wright

My cousin was killed in a single car accident last week, and as I reflect on his life and some of the unknowns surrounding his death I am sad that he never gets the chance to grow up and experience some of the great joys of life. He was 21 years old and still trying to figure things out. He had many wonderful qualities, and was a thoughtful kind person, he had lots of friends and family. I remember spending many days swimming in Mason Lake with him, camping trips, Easter egg hunts, Christmas dinners, he brought a wonderful energy to this world and to his friends and family.

As I read the following article from the Kitsap Sun, along with many of the comments people left below, it made me sad. The article infers that drinking was involved in the accident, I don't know if that is true, I don't think it was ever confirmed.
As I was thinking about the possibility that alcohol was involved it made me very upset that he would be risking his life and others lives by making such a stupid choice. I am strongly and firmly against drunk driving and I hope that is not the case, however if it was, if he did make that mistake he also paid the ultimate price, and unfortunately his family also has to pay and say good bye to him way too soon. Chris and I spent a lot of time talking last night about Jeff and the accident and the possible connection of alcohol and came to the conclusion that young people make stupid choices, I don't think too many people make it to 25 without making a dumb choice that endangers themselves or others. However, most people do get the chance to correct their choices and turn their lives around if needed, this is something Jeff doesn't get the chance to do, at least not in this life.

So then the question is... Should we hold or remember him as any less of a person because he may have made a big mistake. Absolutely not, I think that we need to remember him as a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend. we all need to remember him for who he was and not a choice or two that he may have made. Heavenly Father would want us to look past all the things that are negative because it is not our place to judge him on those factors and remember him as a wonderful child of God. All of us are children of God and all of us are here on Earth to learn and grow and sometimes we learn lessons the hard way.

Enough about the article and comments that followed it. I just needed to express to whoever reads this connected to Jeff or the article, that everyone makes mistakes and those mistakes should not be held against us forever, we are on this earth to love and help each other, not to judge and condemn each other. He will never have the chance to learn from this mistake, it doesn't make his choice right, but we must remember his potential, and all the wonderful contributions he did make.

Bremerton Man Dies in Central Kitsap Crash

• By Josh Farley
• Kitsap Sun
• Posted September 3, 2010 at 2:12 p.m.

CENTRAL KITSAP — A Bremerton man was killed late Tuesday in a one-car crash on Provost Road near NW Shelley Drive, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office identified the man as Jeffrey Wright, 21.

Wright was driving a 1988 Chevy Cavalier south on Provost Road just before 9:30 p.m. when the car left the road to the right and rolled, coming to rest on its top. Wright was pinned underneath the vehicle, deputies said, and pronounced dead at the scene.

A 36-year-old Bremerton man was riding in the car with Wright, but he was not hurt, deputies said.

Kitsap County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Merrill said neither man was wearing a seatbelt. Merrill said it appears Wright lost control of the car going through some curves just before Shelley Drive.

Alcohol and speed appear to be factors in the crash, deputies said.

Wright is the ninth person to die in a car crash on a Kitsap County road this year.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Kitsap County Sheriff's Deputy Andy Aman at (360) 337-4634.

© 2010 Kitsap Sun. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/sep/03/bremerton-man-dies-central-kitsap-crash/#ixzz0yrQUOopx

Matthew's Birth Story

Matthew was due on July 6th and we were anxiously awaiting his arrival, but he was stubborn and we ended up having to force the little guy to come. I went into the hospital to be induced on Wednesday July 14 at 6:00pm. We got all checked in and they started the inducing process. I was suppose to get two doses of a ripening agent to get me ready to deliver before they started the pitocin at 4:00am on the 15th. They came and put my IV in, only at first they put the IV on the top of my hand- not comfortable at all, I had them move it shortly after. Then they gave me the first dose of the ripening agent, I was having to many little contractions to do a second dose like they were planning, so the Doctor said that we would start the pitocin at midnight. This was not the original plan but I was okay with it, I was not sure what to expect. They told me it would start slow and I would be able to sleep for most of the night. HA HA that was a really funny joke, okay not really funny but I definitely didn't get any sleep. 

So at about 12:15am they started the pitocin to induce labor. They were suppose to come back every 1/2 hour to increase the dose gradually, I didn't see anyone for the next hour and a half, then the Doctor came back to see how I was doing. He was not very happy when he found out they had not been increasing the medication levels. A few minutes later the nurse came in and bumped it up the 3 levels they were suppose to have. Only now it was all at once, not fun. The contractions intensified a ton and then I found out how much it hurts. Everytime they came to increase the meds I wanted to kick the nurse. I didn't of course but I sure thought about it :) At about 3 am they came and checked my progress and I was about 3cm, so we were not even close. 

The contractions were really strong and close together, at one point I didn't even have a break between them. They didn't check me again until about 6 am, at that point they were having a problem getting the monitors to track Matthews heartbeat, so the Doctor decided to put a monitor on his head. I had no idea what they were doing at this point, and Chris was so exhausted because I would not let him leave my side. All of a sudden they broke my water, oh boy did that intensify the contractions! They said I was about 6cm dilated at that point.They started my antibiotics a little while after that. At about 7:15am I told the nurse that I needed to push, she said that I probably wasn't close but she would check. When she checked she found I was 9cm almost 10 but told me I couldn't push yet. That was not the answer I wanted. About that time my Mom showed up, and was shocked because I was almost ready to start pushing. I was so happy to see her, and Chris was relieved also. It took forever to get to 10 cm, I was amazed because of how strong my body was because it was trying to push that baby out and I couldn't stop it. At about 7:40 am the Doctor came in and I started pushing. Matthew was born a little over 20 minutes later at 8:02 am! I was so happy to be done and to see that little baby, and hear him cry, it was a beautiful sound! Then the doctor started pushing on my tummy to deliver the umbilical cord and such. I told him that I was all done hurting the baby was out he needed to stop, he didn't stop. They gave me meds to slow the bleeding because I was loosing blood at a pretty good pace. I just remember watching them clean up my baby, and weigh him, take his footprints. i got to see my parents hold their first Grandchild, my husband hold his brand new baby for the first time. Chris even cut the umbilical cord. There was so much going on and I'm sure this is written very scattered, but I remember it being very scattered. 

In the end I was excited because I did it! I did it with no epidural, I felt like I had in some way proven to myself that I was strong and could do anything. I was also excited for the pain medications that they gave me after I had a few bites of breakfast. They gave me this huge breakfast at about 9am and expected me to be able to eat it which I thought was funny I was still shaking and weak, and exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep, I kept trying to get them to let me take a nap but I didn't get my way. 

The best part was holding that little boy in my arms! Oh how beautiful he was. We had lots of visitors that day and it was fun to see all my family and show off my precious baby boy. He was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 21 inches long. Just perfect!     

 

I will finish this posting when I get the pictures ready....

New Plans...

As children tend to do, mine is taking his sweet time to come into the world. In order to help him on his way we have been scheduled to go into the hospital on Wednesday the 14th and will be induced very early Thursday July 15th. I am very excited to know that by the end of the week I will be able to hold this little boy in my arms. His daddy is pretty excited too, currently he has been rushing trying to get ahead on his schoolwork so that he doesn't miss any assignments during the first few days of this little guys life.
I have to be honest that even with this big belly of mine I'm still not sure I completely believe that there is a little person in there. It just seems surreal, I would have thought that it would seem the most real now... I don't think it will be real to me until they put that precious baby in my arms. I have been really happy through the whole pregnancy process, it has brought Chris and I closer together and I feel closer to my Heavenly Father also. I had to laugh at myself because during our birth class every video they showed of a baby being delivered I started crying. It was so silly, but it is beautiful to see, and what an honor to be able to bring a new life into the world!
I am very excited to be parents and to begin this new stage in life. I know there will be challenges that I cannot comprehend at this time, but life is an adventure and I know that we will be successful. We have a very supportive network of family and friends and I am very thankful to know that they are there to help us through this wonderful new adventure.
Anyways we will have pictures up of the little boy soon, and hopefully we will even be able to decide on a name!

Baby Shower!

We had a baby shower on May 15th thrown by my good friend Liz and my mom. It was a very nice day and we were very happy to have everyone there who was able to make it. Here are just a few pictures from the shower, they do not show everyone or all the fun, but it is better than nothing. We loved all of the gifts and we think our little guy will too! 6 weeks and counting :)