Road trip for food and a trip to the park

The other night Alex wouldn't go to sleep. She lay in bed singing to herself for 20 minutes until it suddenly became quiet. A few minutes later I walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed and was scared to death to see Alex just sitting there quietly on the stool by the toilet. I sent her back to bed and went into the kitchen. Moments later she came into the kitchen and Tyler and I sent her back to bed once again. A few minutes later Tyler found Alex, here in our bed, reading his paramedic text book.

Thankfully Kate and Kara have been wiling to hangout with me, help me raise Alex, and keep me preoccupied this last couple weeks (and months) of pregnancy. Our latest adventure was one that might sound a little insane, but was well worth it.

There are these magnificent fruit bars called Sunrype fruitsource bars. They are 100 precent fruit and nothing else and they taste SO good. We got hooked on them when they arrived at Costco, but then they disapeard. I emailed the company and they said the only place they sell them anywhere close was at a Super Save in West Valley City Utah. So we went on a pilgrimage to stock up on fruitsource bars (and stopped by winder dairy for the worlds best lemonaid on the way back).

This was how Alex decided to dress herself the day of our adventure. It was a very nice day, very warm.

This was the playground we stopped at to have a picnic. The playground was the perfect height so we didn't have to worry about the kids falling and dying. It was a wonderful place.

With all the great equipment, this is what the kids spent most of their time doing. Putting sand on the wall.

Wonderful Aunt Kara trying to get Archie to go down the slide.

Kara helping Archie out.

Alex loving the slide.

Archie trying to get up to where Kara is.

I don't know why I don't have any pictures of Kate with the kids. It was Kara and Kate running around keeping the kids out of the road and out of danger while I tried unsuccessfully to parent from afar while sitting down.

Alex loves the sand.

Alex recently learned to jump. I though it was great that I caught her with both feet off the ground. Also this shows off our latest craft, freezer paper stencils. I made the shirt for Alex, it just seemed appropriate.

Kara caught this picture, I love that the kids look like they are going 50 miles per hour, but in fact are barely moving.

Crews rescue 15-year-old hiker who fell in Bells Canyon

While Tyler was working at the Sandy Fire department yesterday he got called to help with this... (click on the link and watch the video or look at the pictures)

ksl.com - Crews rescue 15-year-old hiker who fell in Bells Canyon

He is the one helping carry the stretcher in the front, in the dark blue shirt and pants with the nice new haircut Kara gave him. Tyler got to do the medical assessment. I know it sounds awful, but after 4 months of nursing home calls and DUI tests at 1 am, it was sort of nice for him to get a "real" call, something where he could actually use his knowledge and skills.

I'm so proud

pregnancy, spring cleaning, graduation

Here is Alex in the new and improved (can't rip it off) dress made from Kate's skirt. Jumping on the bed.

This morning we had another Dr. apt and I'm so happy to say that it went very well. The doctor we talked to pretty much read my mind it was so great to finally be on the same page as someone. He said they are very optimistic that I will go into labor and have a successful VBAC. If I don't, they would probably only go as far as breaking my water, as far as induction goes.

So he stripped my membranes, told me I was 1 cm and 40% effaced, and said they expect to see me next week, although who knows...

I'm feeling great! Hardly any aches and pains (except for at bedtime). The only real problem being that it's getting pretty hard to go from sitting on the floor to standing up, and bending over is pretty much out of the question, so I find myself cleaning the house (picking up all Alex's messes 100 times a day) by scooting around on my bum or crawling, which isn't very effective, and very frustrating, especially since I've gone into nesting/spring cleaning overdrive.

I really want to go into labor, but at the same time this is probably the worst week ever for it to happen! Tyler will be gone and away in Sandy for 3 of the next 5 days, then he has finals and state testing the next 2 days and then on Friday is GRADUATION!!!!! Tyler is pretty bashful about it, but I can shout to the world how proud I am that Tyler will have to give a speech at the graduation ceremony because he is VALEDICTORIAN!! Yay Tyler! Hopefully this will look really impressive on all the applications going out soon!

One more thing, my fantastic sister in law Kara who also happens to be the worlds greatest hair dresser is applying for jobs and because of this she needed a head of hair to show off her mad skills on. So I got to hang out with Kara for an afternoon and get free highlights, which combined with the sweet haircut she have me a month ago, makes me feel pretty darn good for being 9 months pregnant. So if anyone needs their hair done in Utah valley, let me know, because I know the greatest hair stylist.

The 'before' hair shot. Ignore the messy kitchen, wild haired half dressed child and large belly.

The 'After' shot of my beautiful golden locks.

Pregnancy update

Only 3 weeks left until the baby's due date!!!!!

Suddenly I feel like it's so close to finally happening and yet at the same time like it will never get here. I've been hearing all these stories about people who didn't know they were in labor and just "had a weird back ache, or hurting tailbone, or stomach ach" So now whenever I feel something new or out of the ordinary I automatically get excited that maybe it's labor!!! Tyler just rolls his eyes and says "3 weeks to go".

So we saw the doctor on Thursday and he said he is 80% sure the baby is NOT breech!! I haven't felt any of the usual feet sticking out of my hip sensations and my ribs don't ache like they did with Alex, so I think I finally believe. Now that I can pretty much cross off a forced c-section due to breechness, I'm really hoping I go into labor. When we left the doctors office it had all pretty much boiled down to 2 options in my mind....

1. Scheduled optional c-section

2. Labor without any drugs

I've been pepping myself up and doing TONS of praying and research, and I'm pretty confident that I can do this delivery thing. If I don't go into labor though, the doctors are reluctant to induce with drugs (due to intensity of contractions that will result therefore the increased chance of uterine rupture, plus I REALLY don't want to have any), so it would probably end up being another c-section, maybe.

So that's that. I feel great, better than I have the last 3 months, I'm getting bigger by the minute, and I'm psyched to do this and have it done.

We finally solved the mystery!!!

For a few weeks now, Alex has been using the word "DIE" a lot, and surprisingly in the correct context. I was a bit taken aback the first time she yelled "DIE mommy, DIE", or when I overheard "Archie die over there".

I figured all along she was trying to say something else, but couldn't figure out what and so I think we have all been a bit disturbed with Alex's frequently bringing up death. I couldn't figure out where she would have heard that word, or known how to use it.

Well, everyone can breath a sigh of relief because I finally figured it out, Alex is in fact trying to say "STAY"!!!

Tyler's Birthday week

Kate had this great skirt that had gotten a bit short and was going to the scrap bin. I decided to try and make a cute dress out of it for Alex. I loved the fabric so much that I tried to do as little cutting and sewing as possible, so that I could adjust it as Alex grew and make it last a few years. It ended up being a wrap dress in which I used velcro to hold it snug around her.

I was so excited so show it off, but Alex wouldn't hold still, and with every minute of pregnancy I'm getting less and less willing to stand or exert any unnecessary energy. Thats why these pictures are so terrible, they were taken from across the room and zoomed in later on my computer.

Here is Alex after running across the room to get away from me, after I put the dress on her.

This is about 3 seconds later when she realized that it was not very securely fastened to her body.

And this is why she won't be allowed to wear it to church.

Last week we had our good friend Rachelle over to play along with her boy Hayden (who Alex LOVES to play with) and her newborn Radley (who Alex just LOVED.) I was excited to see how Alex would react to a real live baby and it was so cute, she couldn't get enough of the little guy and wanted to share everything with him and just pet and touch him constantly.

A few years back I got a box of my great Grandmothers knitting and crafting things from my Grandma Sanderson. As I was going through it I found a pattern for an adorable little dress that was WAY old. So old I couldn't figure out the pattern at all and had no clue where to start. Tyler's mom helped me (walked me through every single step) translate and sew up the pattern into an adorable dress for Alex for her birthday. It's by far the most professional thing I've ever made, but this was the only picture I've gotten of it so far.

With the 2 days of nice weather we had last week, Tyler, Alex, Archie, Kate, Ben and I got to go to the park.

The non pregnant adults had a blast with soccer, while the pregnant adult and kids went wild on the slides and finally tuckered out on the field watching the soccer fun.

For Tyler's birthday he got a sweet hammock (and a soccer ball). Here are Alex and I enjoying the hammock.
I also decided to get a pinata for him.

I'm sorry Kara, I just had to post this picture, it's such a great action shot.

You look great She-ra.

We're trying to X out candy, so there was mostly chalk, necklaces, bouncy balls, and balloons inside our pinata. Alex went around eating all the loose smarties off the ground.

This is the only picture I actually got of Tyler on his birthday because I forgot my camera at his parent's house the day before.

Here is my belly, 36 weeks. You might be able to tell from the blur of Alex's hands that she does indeed love her sister, but mostly as a drum.

A trip to the doctor

I can remember growing up, my mother would always tell me that people judge me based on what I chose wear, wether it was fair or not, it's just what people do. I thought this was so stupid and always told her I didn't care, who cares what I wear anyway. As I've matured I guess I've noticed how right she was through the years, but never so much as today.

We were sitting waiting to see the Nurse Practitioner when this young lady walked in with way to much dark eye makeup on, dressed like a 16 year old in jeans, with the jewelry and everything. I was so distracted by her appearance that when I noticed she had my chart I was a bit taken aback, I thought this was some off duty nurse filling in for a few minutes on a busy day or something. Nope, this was our ob professional. She told us everything we wanted to hear, the heart beat is good, your measuring just right, only 4 weeks to go, the baby isn't breech... but somehow, even though that is what I wanted to hear, because it came from a professional who looked so unprofessional, I don't really believe her.

I know that sounds awful, and I admit it is crazy, but I do have some background to backup my skepticism. All through my last pregnancy, every time I went to the doctor they would tell me that Alex was head down and not to worry, it wasn't until they checked to see how dilated I was (at like 37 weeks I think) that they second guessed themselves, did another ultrasound and found out they were wrong. I knew something was weird but I trusted the doctors. I mean, it didn't make sense that if her head was "locked in" my pelvis that her feet would be pushing 3 inches out from under my hip bone when she wanted to stretch out (unless she had freakishly long legs and was a contortionist).

Anyway, getting to the point, little girl number 2 has been pushing and kicking in the exact same spot the last few days, and yeah she might have turned, and there has been a LOT of movement in there lately, but... the old man doctor who sat there in his scrubs and actually read through my chart (and treated me like a patient instead of an appointment to get through) told me my chances of having another breach were 50%, and while I'm hoping and praying I'm on the right end of that 50, I can't help but be afraid my guts are telling me it's going to be c-section time.

Anyway, the point of this post was to give my mom a much overdue "You were right, I was wrong", and I suppose to let off a little pent up frustration/nerves/worry/crazy pregnancyness. It's maddening to feel this thing inside you moving and kicking and squirming around but have no idea what she is doing or which part is which and wonder if while you are prodding around, you are pushing on a hip or poking her in the face. I just want to know so I can mentally prepare myself for either major surgery, or labor pains- this half and half thing is driving me nuts! One more week, another appointment, and then I'm MAKING SURE I know 100%, one way or the other.

In other news, we went to Alex's 2 year appointment as well today and found out she is doing great and everything looks good! I was also very happy to have finally found a pediatrician I like. I don't think Alex has ever seen a pediatrician more than once (in Utah. we loved our MT ped) because I am so picky and HATE being treated like an inconvenience or just another appointment instead of being sincerely listened to. Dr. Bartholomew at the Children's Clinic, we've only met once, but I recommend him.