My New Life

Birthday Boy!

2012-01-12T14:15:00.001-08:00

As always, I'm behind on my blogging! My baby boy turned 1 on January 6th! It was such a surreal day! I was taking a CNA course all week and so I wasn't able to be home until about 6:00 on his birthday (which was torture for me) but when I got home and saw him I almost started crying. I couldn't believe he was a year old. This year has FLOWN by! On his birthday, Matthew just bought him a few little presents and got him a bunch of balloons. We just spent the night as a family, watching Kley play with his new toys.

Some fun things about him now:
- He is learning jealousy, which is quite funny to me, but if he sees me holding another baby, he hates it! "She's my mama" sort of thing.
- He eats Everything, I mean it. I There is not one food item that he does not like. He even loves guacamole.
- Loves to play in his crib after he wakes up. I never wake up to him crying, it's always him talking to his stuffed animals.
- He's great at sharing. He always wants to share his food with everybody, including Buddha!
- He's getting so fast at crawling that I have to keep a really close eye on him. I can't leave him for more than a minute or he is in another room getting into something. He can stand up on his own but has no desire to walk, which is fine by me. Everyone is always pushing their kids to walk but I want to keep my baby, a baby, for as long as I can. If he doesn't walk until he's 15 months, fine by me! It's just part of his personality, he's a very content little boy.

We had his party on Saturday, the 7th, and invited both our families and three of my friends. It was mass chaos for me all day because Matthew had class so I was getting everything ready on my own. We had it at 5:00 so I had planned on getting pizzas and making a bunch of snacks for everyone, on top of making a killer birthday cake. Thank heavens my sister and Sky came over early to help me out. I don't know how many of you have ever done a decorative cake, but the pans can be very tricky. You can't just spray them with Pam and hope for the best. I've done several decorative cakes before but this cake mold is a two piece standing one, so it was a whole other ball park.
Backing up a little, I woke up early, cleaned the house, got Kley fed and bathed and dressed and started on a few appetizers and the cake. I throw the cake mix in the bowl, the oil, water and.....I only had 2 eggs. Ugh! I loaded Kley in the car, drove 12ish miles to the store for eggs and back to the house. Made the cake, baked it, let it cool. The first cake attempt: Epic fail! It fell apart after I took the pan off and I got mad and just threw it in the garbage. So there I am, with no cake mix. Kley was sleeping, so I had to wait till he woke up from his nap. Then, we made another trip to the store for cake mixes. Came back to the house, mixed, baked, cooled again. By that time, Katy was at the house and I was able to relax a bit since she is the cake queen. The cake decorating was a mess, it was warm in the house from all the baking and the frosting kept melting, I was getting frustrated....luckily everything turned out ok. Most people were a little late which worked out perfect for me to get everything done.
Kley LOVED having everybody here. He loves all of his cousins, they're much more fun than me! We let everybody eat then did presents which he was a pro at. Then we moved on to the cake. I was so excited all day to watch him tear into the cake. He absolutely loves food so I knew for sure that he would be one of those crazy eaters. Well, he poked the cake, looked at it, looked at everyone else, then got mad because he finally decided he wanted his bottle. I was so bummed!! Then Matthew cleaned it all up before he was able to take another stab at it :( So there's no pictures of him with cake all over his face....I guess we'll do it next year too. But it turned out to be a great party. Kley got some great learning toys (which is all I wanted anybody to get him) and he is still loving all of the new toys. Thanks to everyone who came!! My baby is so very loved.

New Years and a One Year Old

2011-12-30T09:37:00.000-08:00

I am in shock of how quickly this year went by! Tomorrow is New Years Eve?! Seriously?! I'm coming to believe that once you have kids, your years go by faster because this was a record for me. I was laughing to myself today about how much priorities and ideas of a good time change once you have a kid.
New Years Eve: a time to go out, drink, have a good time with friends, stay up till 2 or 3 AM and sleep in all the next day.
New Years Eve with a baby: stay at home, have a night just like the other 364, put baby to bed at 9 PM, go to bed at 9:15 :)
I honestly have no plans for this year. Last year I was oober prego and I think I went to bed around 8:30 because I was so exhausted. I may try to stay up till midnight, probably not though! But I do look forward to a new year. This was an incredible year, the best I've had so far, but there were also a lot of downfalls that hopefully I can make up for in this next year

Along with New Years, is my baby's birthday!!!!!!! AHHHH!!! In one week from today, he will be a year old. I just cannot wrap my head around this. It makes me want to cry just thinking about him turning 1. I am slowly getting around to planning the birthday party, I'm thinking Cookie Monster! :D We got him a cookie monster toy for Christmas and he loves it. I've never believed in having big lavish birthdays for babies, not like he will know the difference, so I only invited family and my 3 closest friends. It'll be simple: balloons, cake and ice cream, presents. Regardless of what I do, I know he will have fun because it's more about being with people than the party itself. But, I better get planning! It's sneaking up soon!

Our Christmas was pretty laid back, just spent it with Matt's family and enjoyed watching Kley experience the fun of Christmas. Here are some pics:

Thanksgiving with the Calls

2011-11-28T09:45:00.001-08:00

Over the past 5 years or so we've made it a tradition to all get together with my dad and the cooking duties (and cleaning duties) will rotate. It started at my dad's, went to Josh's, Thad's, back to Josh's (he has the biggest house) and this year I volunteered to take over the turkey cooking! I enjoy cooking for others so I didn't find it to be that big of a burden. I'd say everything went pretty smoothly, minus the fact I have a burn on each of my wrists from being a retard and touching the top of the stove and I tripped up the stairs, while carrying Kley, luckily I pulled a nice quick football maneuver and covered his little head, ended up with a huge goose egg on my leg. But it was a fun day. The food turned out great, we had tons of leftovers as always, played some games and Kley loved every minute of it.
Hope everyone had a great Turkey day!

5 out of 6 of the grandbabies: Skylee, Felicity, Keeley, Kleyton and Kaeden

Kley trying to figure out what all the yummy food was

Newborn photos

2011-11-22T14:33:00.001-08:00

Yes my kid is nearly 11 months old and I am just getting his newborn pictures. The story behind that is: a photographer from BellaBaby photography was at the hospital two days after Kley was born. She offered to take free pictures of Kley (and a few with me), no obligation to buy. Because I had just had a kid and was tight on cash, I declined buying any. The other reason I declined was because I wasn't necessarily impressed with any of the pictures. Kley's eyes were closed in pretty much all of them and I just didn't think they were too cute. But since he's getting too big TOO FAST, lately I've been regretting not getting his newborn pictures done like most people do. So I got an email last week saying they were having a sale on buying the CD with pictures so I gave in. I want to have the pictures even if they aren't the greatest. I got the CD today and cried as soon as I started looking through the pictures! I hate how fast time is going by! My baby is almost no longer a baby :( I told Matthew the other day, I now understand why people have like 12 kids because you just keep wanting to have that newborn baby around!!! But as much as I miss my newborn, I LOVE this stage he is in; all the babbling and giggles and being such a weirdo. I will be sad when he starts talking and walking and acting like a big boy. I want him to stay little forever! But anywhoser....here are a few of his newborn pictures we had done in the hospital - 2 days old

Has anyone seen my brain?

2011-10-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

I am getting SO forgetful and spastic lately, more so than usual which is saying a lot! Everyone warned me about how forgetful I would be when I was pregnant but nobody warned me about the after effects. I'm worse now than when I was preggers. School is killing me lately! I can't focus, I can't remember the simplest things. This semester is spiraling downward quickly! But more than that are just a few stupid incidents that have happened recently:

1. On Wednesdays I have school. I leave the house around 11:45 to take Kley to Amy's house. He was still sleeping at 11:20 so I gathered everything up and started loading it in the car. I got Kley out of bed, changed him, strapped him in his seat and realized I had lost my keys!! At this point it was 11:40. I was running around the house, Kley was crying because I had to wake him up. I was tearing the house apart. I go to my car and tear it apart trying to find my keys! I had this sudden urge to check his carseat and yup, my keys had fallen out of my pocket into his carseat right before I buckled him in. uh duh!

2. The house I live in is two floors. Kley and I sleep downstairs but we spend most of our time upstairs because it's warmer and there's a lot more light and room for him to roll around. Because of this, I run up and down the stairs a lot throughout the day. On Sunday, it was a marathon for me. We were upstairs and I realized Kley needed his diaper changed so I run downstairs and grab a diaper, get to the top of the stairs and realize I didn't grab wipes, run down, back up, change him, remember he needs new pants, run downstairs (almost trip), grab pants, back up, dinner is cooking - Spaghetti, no tomato sauce upstairs? run down grab that, back up, no yeast for the breadsticks upstairs, back down, up again, where's my phone? downstairs in my room, run back up. This was an all day thing! I bet I went up and down those stairs 40 or 50 times in one day! I am such a spaz!

3. I cannot even remember how many times I have locked my keys in my car over the past year. It is ridiculous! When I was pregnant it happened at least once a month to where I would have to call a police officer to come break into my car because my spare was also locked in my car. It's already happened twice this semester.

There's instances like this pretty much daily where if somebody were watching me, they would just be laughing all day long at how retarded I am! Hopefully it subsides over time but i swear it just continues to get worse!

On the upside, I have to brag for just a minute because I am so overly excited this past week! I was incredibly sick for a few days, probably the sickest I've ever been in my life but on the plus side, it did wonders for my appetite and my body! lol As most moms, I struggle with my new body and am trying to get back to where I was pre-baby and I can finally say that I am there!! I actually weigh less now than I did before I got pregnant, now I just need to get the rest of my muscle back! But I am only 4 pounds away from my goal weight. I now weigh 114 and I want to get to 110 which is what I was as a junior in high school! I can fit into the pants I wore that year, but not comfortably :/ so just a few more pounds and some more time at the gym! By the time my boy's a year old I'll be fit as a fiddle and 110 pounds!! Yipee! It definitely hasn't been easy. I've been going to the gym 4 times a week, go for walks (almost) everday with Kley, do weight training at home. My diet has changed drastically! I haven't had any pop in 21 days which for those who know me is amazing! I've cut out all candy, chips and junk food and I'm drinking tons of water. This past week has been the best I've felt in a long time. Can't wait to hit my goal! :)

Been awhile

2011-10-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry to any of you who really pay attention to my blog. I realize it's been over a month since I posted and my only excuse is: I didn't want to. This past month has been a really tough one for me and my enthusiasm has gone a bit downhill.

As most everyone knows, my grandma passed away on September 17th. This was (and still is) extremely tough on me. She was the last grandparent I had. Kleyton never got to meet her. When I found out she wasn't going to make it much longer, I packed up my kid and a few days of clothes and things and sped (literally) towards Canada. I drove about 85 the entire way to Idaho Falls, stopped for gas, and flew back onto the Interstate. About 20 minutes outside of Idaho Falls, I saw my mom's name pop up on my cell. My heart dropped. I answered and she told me Grandma had passed peacefully in her sleep. Needless to say, I broke down. I had to pull off the side of the road and bawled histerically for about 20 minutes. When I finally got myself together, I called Matthew, told him I was on my way home and turned around. I missed seeing her by a mere 7 hours. I would give anything to see her one more time but I at least know I tried. This was really hard for me because I wanted to leave the night before but had to get a notorized note from Matthew to take Kley across the border because he doesn't have my last name. Also, this weekend is my fall break from school and I had been planning for the past two months to go up there for 5 days and spend time with my grandma. I miss her terribly but I know she is at peace now. She told my Aunt Tina right before she went that she could see my Uncle Lorne and my grandpa there waiting to take her home. She was the sweetest woman I will ever know. RIP Alice Ruby Viola Cowell Hatfield

Other news, this week was my midterms week for school. UGH!!!! My anatomy exam was yesterday and it was the most difficult test EVER! I was talking to a nursing student who is almost done and he said the Anatomy mditerm was the hardest test he ever had to take. This was right before my test - great motivation there! It was so difficult. You had to memorize somewhere around 200 things, purely memorize, no matching. Muscles, bones, tissues, where they are located, where they insert and originate, right or left - it was insane. I will be thrilled if I pull anywhere near a B. My math midterm went swimmingly, I got a B+ on that which I'm happy with. My Microbiology midterm is Monday and then only 7 more weeks of this semester! woot woot!

8 month pictures

2011-09-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

I realize 8 months is a random age to have pictures done, but it was a great deal. I had Kley's 3 month pictures done at Sears in Provo and I loved them. I had a coupon, I only paid $30 for a bunch of pictures and two collages. Because I did this shoot in April, I received a phone call two weeks ago saying I was signed up for a complimentary shoot - no session fee, a free 10x13 and a free sheet of wallets. So of course I agreed to that. I took him in yesterday and as always, he was the perfect baby. So happy and smiley the entire time. Because the other pictures were free, I decided to pay $10 for a collage and it will be well worth it. I can't wait to get the pictures back :)

To view his pictures go to searsphotos.com
Session Number: 114917
Password: RCJPR

No lions, three tigers, no bears....oh my

2011-09-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Matthew took off for Labor Day weekend to do some hunting, so I was left at home to play with the lil monster. On Monday, I refused to sit around the house any longer and called up two of my best friends to see if they wanted to play. We got to a vote that the zoo would be the ideal place to go. Boy were we wrong. It was PACKED! We should have known being Labor Day and all. It turned out not as fun as I had hoped. Kley is still too young to really appreciate the joys of the zoo, I think he gets anxiety in crowds like I do. So he was screaming right from the beginning. It was almost impossible to get a stroller through the crowds and half the zoo is shut down for remodeling. But, although the trip wasn't that great, the friends are amazing! And of course I had to hit up the gift shop before leaving since it was my baby's first time at the zoo. I picked out some adorable elephant ears to put on him (knowing he would hate them) and then I found a giant giraffe which was on sale, normally $50, I paid $25! Score!

Today I woke up with fingers crossed that my little man's allergies would subside, he would nap well, eat well and be happy because.....it's picture day! I gave him a bath, scrubbed him up good, put on the lotion, put on his new jeans and shirt I picked out for pictures and now I am waiting for him to finish his bottle so we can head to the mall for his second round of pictures. I get a complimentary shoot for getting his 3 month pics done! :) Nothing like a free shoot and a free sheet of pictures! Here's to hoping he cooperates!!

Miracles do exist

2011-08-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned my beautiful grandma who has spent the past two weeks in the hospital, on the verge of leaving this world. But, as she continues to prove time and time again, she is a living miracle. This was her third heart attack, she's had triple bypass surgery and countless other medical issues and yet she refuses to go. My brother called me last Thursday morning to tell me that grandma wasn't going to make it so I should prepare myself for it. Sunday afternoon the doctor walked past her room in the hospital, turned around and came back to see her sitting in her chair, eating breakfast. He said, "I never thought I would see you like this again." It's incredible that someone can be given a death sentence and pull through a mere four days later. She is an absolutely amazing woman! I am SO glad she is still around. There is still more she needs to do here before it's her time to go such as meeting my son and seeing me receive my RN.
Now I am planning a trip up there over my fall break in October. She is still going but she is very weak; you never know when the last day will be. Such a tough ol' bird!!

Sweet Grandma

2011-08-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Last night I went out to eat and on my way home, I received a call from my mom telling me that my Grandma had a heart attack. Of course I immediately started bawling; almost had to pull over I was shaking. I've always been very close to my grandma even though I don't see her very often. She spent the vast majority of her life in Nova Scotia but has been in Alberta for the past few years due to excessive health issues. She is that picture perfect grandma who sits in her chair and tells stories, gives lots of kisses and hugs and never has a bad word to say about anything. She is by far the sweetest person I have and ever will know in my life. At this point she is still alive, but just barely. My brother called me this morning to tell me that the doctors don't think she'll make it and my mom and Aunt Tina are on their way to Canada right now to see her.

I am absolutely devastated by all of this. I'm too far away to go see her and it kills me. I keep telling her I'm going to drive up there so she can meet Kley and now it may be too late. She is the reason I am going into Nursing. She always said she wanted a nurse in the family and none of her kids pursued that career so I wanted to fulfill that dream of hers and I am trucking away to earn my RN. I've been hoping for the past year now that she would be around long enough to see me get my RN but now I'm afraid that won't happen. I love her so so so much. I can't imagine not having her around. I write letters every week or two, send lots of pictures and am always asking my mom how she is. She has lived a very tough life compared to most but she still smiles through everything.

Although I don't want to lose her, I know she is ready to go. She lost her husband over 30 years ago and never even attempted to find another man. She loved him too much so I know she's ready to see him again.

I love you Alice Ruby Viola Cowell Hatfield. Thank you for being my grandma.

Grandma with her six kids

Me with my beautiful Grandma at Cole's farewell

With grandma in the SLC hospital

Just another day in paradise

2011-08-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day I've been anticipating for a few weeks now. A good friend of mine and Jadie's finally came to visit from Texas. We haven't seen him in almost three years so this visit was much overdue. I absolutely adore this guy; he is such a sweetheart and is one of an almost extinct species: gentleman. He pulled out chairs, opened car doors, bought us lunch, and offered to carry anything and everything to help us out. We all met up at Chili's in Orem and ate lunch. Of course the last time Mark saw Jadie and I, we had a little less baggage. He was so fun to have around. He loved both Kendelle and Kley and it was nice that he could finally meet them.

After lunch, we made plans to go to Seven Peaks. I had never been there but Mark was begging me to go with him sometime this week while he is in Utah. I semi-reluctantly agreed (I'm not much of a waterpark fan considering my inability to swim). I ended up having the greatest time though. We rented a two person tube and that was a blast to take down the slides. I rode several of them but refused to go down the ones that shoot you straight down. Pretty sure I'd have a heart attack. It was so much fun and I'm so glad I went. Thanks Mark for all your help with the kids!! :D

I had plans to get pictures of all of us before we turned into drowned rats but completely spaced so the only pictures I got of the adults was after the swimming.

My baby's better than your baby

2011-08-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been struggling with all the pressure that is put on comparing babies. It drives me crazy. I can't stand people who always have to mention their own baby when you talk about your own. Yes, every parent does this, even me, but I make a mental note to not do it all the time. I am perfectly able to comment on how cute a baby is or new progress that baby has made without mentioning my own. But all the comparisons about "your baby is ahead" or "your baby is behind" drive me up the wall. Every baby progresses differently and I hate that there is so much pressure to compare kids. My dad told me before he was born to never believe the "statistics" for children. The only good ones to follow are the size measurements, never put too much thought into developmental stats.
We went to dinner the other night and the table right next to us had a baby that was jumping up and down and so active. They asked me how old Kley is to which I responded almost 7 months. They smiled and said their baby was the same (2 days older). I looked at Kley who was of course just laying contently in his car seat, eating his bottle and looking around. He is the most content and docile little child. Most of the time I love this but I keep wondering when he's going to start being more active. My dad pointed out that because he's such a chubby baby, his progress will be a bit slow in regards to crawling and movement but I get flack from people "my baby crawled at 5 months". Yeah, so what?! My best friend also keeps reminding me that he was born 3 weeks early so realistically he is just over 6 months. I was told that for every day a child is in the womb past their due date, is like an extra 3 days out of the womb. Your baby is a week late, he/she is three weeks older than you say.
So no, my baby isn't crawling, walking, spazzing out, but he's a great little baby. He's very alert and I know he's going to be very smart, even if he is a bit of a sloth right now. So word to the wise to all those mothers, stop comparing your baby to others; it will only drive you crazy.

Bad Day

2011-07-23T08:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday made it on my list of top 15 worst days! The day started out rough considering the fact that I hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. I woke up, exercised, ate breakfast, fed Kley and put him in his exersaucer while I took a shower. Much to my joy, when I got out of the shower, I picked him up out of it to find him covered in crap (literally). I only had him in a onesie so it was an extreme diaper blowout which got all over him, all over the toy and consequently, all over my arms. Ah the joys of being a parent!! So I threw him in the tub in his diaper and clothes and sprayed him off. YUCK! The things we do for our children!
Later, I had to pull up my hair for work. I laid Kley on the bed, put pillows around him and spent two minutes in the bathroom doing my hair. Within that two minutes, he managed to push the pillows off the bed and roll right off the edge. I didn't see it happen but heard the screaming as I ran into the room. Luckily the bed is low and he didn't hit anything else but the ground. He's got a tiny goose egg but he's way over it; too bad mommy isn't :( I felt like the worst mom in the world!
Sure hope next week goes a little better, especially considering it's my BIRTHDAY in exactly a week! I'm usually overly excited about birthdays, but dreading this one a bit. 23 seems so old!!

Kids say the darndest things

2011-07-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write this blog for a few days now but keep forgetting. It was hands down, one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed from a child! Can't wait till my little monster starts rattling off with things like this.
So my brother Josh watched Kley two weekends ago because Matthew was out of town for work and I had to work Friday and Saturday night. When I dropped Kley off Friday afternoon, Kaeden (Josh's son) runs up to Kley and asks me with such a serious face, "Did KleyTon (emphasis on the T) get a haircut? Where's all his hair?" I chuckled and explained that he just hasn't grown any yet.
But the kicker from him was when I returned to get Kley Sunday afternoon. I cuddled my baby while Josh made him a bottle before I headed back home. Kaeden saw his dad making a bottle with the formula from the can and he just couldn't understand why. This is how our conversation went:
Kaeden: "Why do you make his bottle with that stuff in the can?"
Me: "Because that's his food. You mix it with water."
Kaeden: "Do you have one of those things that makes the food?"
Me: "What things?"
Kaeden: "You know, it makes the food for the baby so you don't have to use the stuff in the can."
Me: "Bud, I don't know what you're talking about."
He then gets frustrated with me because I have no clue what he is talking about. He then disappears downstairs for about 2 minutes and comes running back upstairs.
Kaeden: "THIS thing Danda. It makes the food for the baby."
Lo and behold, a breast pump. I was laughing so hard I was almost in tears. I just looked to Josh amazed that this four year old kid knows what a breast pump is for. Josh just chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
Kaeden: "Do you have one of these?"
Me: "Well Kaeden, no I don't have one of those" as I'm still laughing
Kaeden: "Here, you can have this one for KleyTon."

This kid cracks me up as does his little sister Keeley. They say the funniest things and totally make my day. I just wish I could have caught that whole bit on camera. What a great thing to show him in 10 years and really embarass him :-D

Percentiles

2011-07-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

Along with turning six months came the dr. appointment. As always, he was so happy for all the nurses and smiled for the doctor, even blew lots of spit bubbles for her. He took the shots like a champ! Screamed a little on the first one, mostly from being scared I think and then about 10 seconds later he was fine. The shots aren't the hard part, the two days after are. His poor legs are so sore and he's not very happy but luckily it only lasts two days.
So his weight and height are finally balancing out. Last check up his weight was in the 93% so he really isn't as fat as everybody says :)

July 6th 2011

Height - 26 1/2" 55th%
Weight - 18 lbs. 2 oz. 64th%
Head - 18" 93rd%

He definitely got his mommy's big head. Sorry kiddo ;) Just tell everybody it has to be that big to hold all your brains! :D

Six months

2011-07-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? I feel like I just brought my bundle of joy home last week. I can still remember everything about being in the hospital (well, the parts I was conscious for). I remember how calm I was when my water broke, Matthew freaking out, sitting in the hospital for 28 hours, terrifying delivery and finally my perfect little angel. I can't believe it's already been six months (and 2 days) since that special day. He's growing so fast which makes me so sad but I'm loving every minute. He's got so much personality now and he's so active and playful. I love him more than anything in this world. So here's a few pictures I snapped of him that day:
I gotta brag! He's such a handsome stud!

I took about 50 pictures so he was getting a little irritated with me

I probably shouldn't put these up but they're so dang funny! His poopy face

After poop face

The blanket I FINALLY finished for him! Stupid sewing machine was having issues! Front:

Back:

He's loving the new food experience. So far he loves everything except peas, his favorites are applesauce and bananas. He's extremely interested in everything anybody is eating. He sits and watches the food go from hand to mouth or plate to mouth. Can't wait to start feeding him solids! So thankful for such a beautiful, well behaved little boy! Every person who spends time with him, tells me how lucky I am to have such a good baby. He's so happy, rarely cries, sleeps perfectly and eats like crazy!

Five days!!

2011-07-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

These are going to be the hardest five days ever! Matthew's friend is getting married on Sunday in Buffalo (East side of Wyoming) and he wanted to head up there for her wedding. Well, another friend demanded that he bring Kley so she could see him. I have to work tonight. Matthew will get home right about the time I have to leave and then they are on their way for the 8 hour drive. They won't be back till Tuesday night! By far the longest I've ever been without my baby. Everyone keeps asking what I'm going to do: party? Homework? Cry? Guess we'll see what I end up doing. I work tonight and tomorrow but what about Sunday, Monday and Tuesday? I'll be all alone for the 4th :( bummer! Hope he's a good boy without his mommy.

Baby Jaws

2011-06-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

This week my lil' monster hit a few milestones and although it makes me happy, it just makes me realize how fast it flies by!
Poor kid is probably blind after I took so many pictures of him today but I kept forgetting to get pictures of all his new maneuvers of the week.
First: On Father's Day, he rolled from his back to his stomach, both directions. He's been rolling from stomach to back for a few months now but he finally learned to get over his arms and roll around. Now if I lay him down and walk away for any amount of time, I always come back and he's at least a foot away from where I left him. He either rolls or scoots himself in all directions.

Second: He got his first tooth on Monday. I knew he was starting to teethe because he was chewing on EVERYTHING and was drooling like crazy. I change shirts at least twice a day because my shoulders always end up covered in drool and formula. I felt for teeth on Saturday and didn't feel anything, then Monday I was lying next to him and he gave me a big ol' smile and I saw the little tooth poking out on the bottom. SO cute!! I love it and now he has its twin making an appearance. The bottom right tooth has just started to poke through. He's going to be even cuter with those two little teeth on the bottom. He wasn't very willing to let me get a pic of his teeth so here's one try

and then a big grin where you can barely see the first tooth

Third: My brother Josh watched Kley all weekend because I had to work and Matthew was out of town. That was the longest I've ever been away from my baby - 2 days!! Just in 2 days I swear he changed completely. He grew a bunch of hair all the sudden so now I can finally put it in a mohawk :)

Finally my favorite trick of all! He can hold his own bottle. We've been working on it for about two months now and it is the greatest trick! He has trouble tipping it up when the bottle gets low but at least for the first half of the bottle I can hand it to him and walk away! Love it!

I figure another two weeks or so and he'll be sitting up on his own! He really is such a great baby, I really lucked out! I figure it's my reward for him being such a troublemaker while I was pregnant :D

Father's Day

2011-06-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a day slow at getting this post out but yesterday was just such a relaxing day I didn't want to do anything. I'm so glad I have the dad that I do. I know every kid thinks their dad is the best and in some way, every dad is but to this girl, my dad is the best. He is so funny, always knows how to cheer me up and make me laugh. He still acts like a kid ALL the time which I love. He may be a grandpa (6 times!) but he sure doesn't act like the typical grandpa. He is always running around, wrestling, dancing (video link posted below), playing on the slides, ice skating, bike riding, running and doing everything that a kid would want to do. He's also extremely giving. He is always there to lend a hand to anybody who needs it. He comes to visit his kids as often as possible, even when he gets off rotating shifts and hasn't had any sleep. He attends every event his kids or grandkids have including birthdays, holidays, school plays, etc. I couldn't ask for a better dad. I'm happy to be his babygirl.
I'm also extremely thankful for Matthew's dad who has given us a place to live several times over the past five years. He's such a great man. Very caring and generous and so funny with his grandkids. Last year he let two of them shave his entire head. Such a funny guy!
Also, yesterday was Matthew's 1st father's day. We didn't do a whole lot, just relaxed and enjoyed the day with Kleyton. I cooked breakfast, gave him a coffee mug with pictures of Kley and one of his favorite movies. Matthew took a nap and played with Kley while I had to go to work for a few hours :| I came home and cooked a nice meal of steak, shrimp, potatoes, salad and garlic bread. Then we watched "True Grit" which he's been wanting to see and went to bed. He's a great dad for Kley. It took him awhile to get into the swing of being a dad but every day Kley gets more personality and Matthew becomes more of a dad.
Some random pictures of Matthew and my dad:

Aha moments

2011-05-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

I can't remember what company the commercial is for, but there is a commerical on TV that asks people what their "Aha" moment was. I keep having these moments with Kley; those moments when the love I have for him just overpowers me and I want to cry holding him. He is such a miracle in my life. I will always consider him my miracle baby - I was told I couldn't get pregnant, finally did years later, had a terrifying pregnancy and an even more terrifying delivery yet he is here safe and just as perfect as can be. He's growing like a weed. He's so chubby now! He has some serious thunder thighs! But back to my "Aha" moments:
- The first one was of course the first time I held him at the hospital. He was so tiny and so beautiful. I immediately cried. That's when I realized I would never love somebody as much as him

- Another moment is any time he falls asleep in my arms or on my chest. It is the hardest thing for me to have to lay him down when he's so cute and cuddly. It's such a toss up when he's sleeping because when he's cuddly I want to hold him but nap time is when I am able to get things done like homework and cleaning the house

- Another was the first time I saw him smile. It absolutely melted my heart. Of course a camera was nowhere around but I was able to get a smiley picture a few days later

- The most recent one that inspired this post was on my way to Wyoming this last weekend. He was crying in the car and I was reaching back trying to grab his binky when he reached out and grabbed my finger. He held on to my finger for what seemed like forever. I didn't want to let go. I just smiled the whole time I was driving and waited for him to fall asleep.
He is such a great little baby. He's a handful at times (like now when he's sick and teething and just not too happy) but I love him just the same. Here's a few recent pictures just because I think he's so darn cute :D

Filter

2011-05-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

You Are OUTTA HERE!! Wednesday was one of the best days I've had in awhile! As most of you know I'm sure, I had a very pointless filter placed in my chest that was put there to prevent a PE (pulminary embolism) but after having it put in, my doctors have the nerve to tell me it was probably a big mistake and I will have to be on thinners for the rest of my life. Definitely not the news I wanted.
I went in two months ago to the IMC on 5300 where an interventional radiologist took at stab at trying to get it out. One of the legs was stuck in a vein so he was unable to get it loose without tearing a vein. I called my hematologist who said there's no other options and with that, I was even more frustrated. So I made an appt with a hematologist at the U because the doctors there are nationally recognized. Some of the best doctors in the nation reside at the U. I went in and he told me that I would have better luck with a vascular surgeon ie. a surgeon who deals specifically with veins. He set up an appt for me with a guy who (even better) specializes in getting these dirty buggers out. My appt was at 12:30 Wednesday afternoon. I had to fast all morning which for those of you who know me, is torture! But I got in quickly, they took my vitals and I took my allergic reaction meds to combat any more ugly reactions from IV contrast. They wheeled me in, cut a hole in my neck and went to work. I wasn't put completely under, just a "twilight" state as they put it. I could still feel a lot of pressure which was painful and I was squeezing two nurses' hands but overall it went very well.
The doctor said he did tear the vein a bit to get it out and if I have any stomach or back pain over the next week it could mean internal bleeding, but he doesn't think it should happen. I am just SO SO SO happy they got it out!! Now I will just have to be on the thinners for 12-18 months to try and prevent any future clots but it won't be for the rest of my life. It's such a relief. Being on blood thinners forever was very scary for me because, obviously, I bleed easily. You never know when you'll be in a car wreck or have a serious accident and if that were to happen to me, I would be in an even worse situation than normal.
So overall, I'd say this has been a good week! No more metal in my body! Yay!

Goodbye Spring Semester!

2011-05-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today was my official last day of spring semester. I have been taking online classes this semester so I could stay home with the lil monster. I actually started classes two days after I had Kley. I had to have Matthew bring my laptop to me in the hospital so I could start on time. Today I had to drive to campus and take a chemistry final, which was a pain in the patooty! But I'm happy to say I got A's in three of my classes and a B- in chemistry (which I'm thrilled about!) This semester, as well as the next few, are very frustrating for me because I have to retake several classes. Last semester I was 4 weeks away from the end when my not so lovely blood clot decided to plow through my life and cause me hell, so I had to drop all my classes and have to retake all of them now, which includes Physiology + lab, Anatomy + lab, Math and chemistry which I was lucky enough to take online this semester. I am dreading taking these classes again. Once is bad enough but twice is AWFUL!
I was only able to register for one online class for the summer and then in the fall I am taking phys, math and a creative arts class and in the spring I will take anatomy and my last math class and be DONE with generals! Then I can finally apply for the nursing program yipee!!

A family like no other

2011-04-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

It has been a tradition for me that I spend Easter day with Skylee. She and I woke up to do the easter egg hunt at my place. I figure since my kid isn't old enough to hunt, I still get to! :) We ended up with a TON of candy to split between the two of us...which will probably never get eaten. We then made our way to my brother Josh's house where we had a delicous Easter dinner with turkey and potatoes and stuffing and delicous dessert. It was even a special day for Kley. He got to experience his first solid food - mashed potatoes. He wasn't quite sure about what to think but I'm sure a few more times and he'll be hooked!
After dinner, Jenn and I ran to the store to buy some tupperware, and of course walked out with a board game to play seeing as how my family is game crazy! I bought a game called "Quelf". It's similar to Cranium with trivia questions and action and drawing, but it's WAY more insane and quite embarassing!! Only appropriate for families like mine who are just a lil crazy in the first place! I haven't laughed that hard in a long long time. Just some examples of what people had to do:
- Jenn had to write song lyrics about Katrina and then sing them to her in Opera
- Thad had to perform a "strip tease" using his high kicks
- Nate had to make up a dance, name it and perform
- I had to do a hula dance while singing my own Hula song
It was so funny! I caught a few moments on my camera but it just didn't do it justice! I love getting together with my family, there's rarely a dull moment. We are the type of people who don't just sit around and visit, we laugh and have fun. Overall, definitely a great weekend and Kley really enjoyed all the attention. But now he thinks he needs to be held all the time! :|

Family Time

2011-04-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend was crazy! Every year all of Matthew's family comes together on the Saturday before Easter to do a big egg hunt at their family park. This year was definitely no exception with a very full house! My sister and Skylee showed up that morning to help make cookies, Matthew's sister came down from Boise, and my dad showed up later that day. The egg hunt was a blast as always. We watched the kids search for eggs throughout an entire park and then we roasted weenies! Kley wasn't too much of a fan of this whole ordeal. It was pretty chilly outside and there was a lot more noise than he is used to.
After the hunt, everybody came back to our house and hung out for awhile. This is when the madness started! There were 5 (very loud) kids running around and screaming for hours. It was funny to watch them interact with each other, but once again, too much noise for Kley. He was crying a lot and we ended up downstairs with some peace and quiet where Brian and Michelle (Matt's sis) came and visited for awhile. I was so glad they came to visit. I absolutely LOVE when they are here! Just wish they didn't live so far away!!! I didn't get many pics from the festivities. Just a few of Kley in his Easter outfit from Nana and a few of the family that was there. Wish I had taken more :(

Baby clothes

2011-03-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

I've decided that one of my favorite parts about having a baby, or getting gifts for other babies, is baby clothes! I'm 22 years old and I am jealous of the adorable outifits they get to choose from! Why can't they make stuff like this in my size? So I'm guilty of playing dress up with my little guy. Someday, if possible, I'd really like to have a daughter but for now, kley will be my doll :) I change his outfits all the time because I just love seeing him in all his cute little clothes. So here are a few of my favorites: (notice I love the shirts with smart little sayings!)

Bowling Night

2011-03-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

I have been looking desperately for a 4 door car since before Kley was born. Putting a car seat into a 2 door car is a nightmare!! So yesterday we found one in Bountiful that we wanted to go look at. Seeing as how that's only 15 minutes from my brother's, we decided to give them a call and stop by after looking at the car. Well, the car was a no-go. Didn't realize it was a V6, I want better gas mileage. So we headed to Josh's. We hung out there for awhile, I taught the kids how to do headstands against the wall, we played hide-and-seek, follow the leader, a princess matching game and then I cuddled with my babygirl Keeley.
I promised the kids I would take them bowling, so we drove to Sparetime (not knowing it would be closed. Gotta love Sundays in utah) so we went to Davis Lanes in Layton where we had to wait an hour just to get an open lane. But then the fun was on! We bought a few pitchers of beer and bowled two games which ended up taking about 2 hours! But it was a blast :) The kids had fun and almost beat me (I'm terrible at bowling!) We all were laughing and having a good time and of course the best part was watching Jen's "bowling form" where she almost kicks herself in the back of the head, her leg goes so far back.
We then went back to their house and grilled some steaks then Matthew and I made the treck back home with a very tired baby. All in all, definitely a much needed night for mama!

Old lady

2011-03-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

To start out, I had a very important doctor's appointment last friday. I was scheduled to get my filter taken out since that is what my hematologist recommended doing. I went in to the IMC Friday morning and got all set up for the surgery. I was wheeled into a freezing cold room where I was hooked up to all the monitors and of course, had a sheet placed over my face again which made me freak out (claustrophobic). They gave me the medicine to put me under and within minutes I was out. My friend was waiting in the room for me. They informed him that it would only take about 30-45 minutes. Well, about 2 hours later they finally took me back to the room where he had to feed me a sandwich because I was too loopy to feed myself. He had to keep waking me up mid-bite because I kept falling asleep with food in my mouth! haha pretty entertaining I guess :) Then the doctor came in with what I thought would be good news, but it turned out that after all that time and effort, he wasn't even able to get the filter out because one of the legs was stuck in my vein and if he had pulled too hard, it would rip a hole in my vein and I could bleed internally. He then gave me the worst news of my life: I have to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life. This was devastating! Old people with heart problems are supposed to be on blood thinners, not me at 22 years old. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle that news. Being on blood thinners will of course restrict my life forever. I have to be very careful to not cut myself. I can't do anything dangerous that might result in getting seriously hurt because I can't afford to break a bone or have any sort of surgery because the high risk of a clot and the extremely thin blood. This really scares me because you never know what's going to happen day to day. I could be in a car wreck tomorrow and lose a significant amount of blood..... pretty rough to deal with right now. I have to carry a card in my wallet forever saying that I am on blood thinners so if anything were to happen, the medics/police/whoever, know that I am on the thinners. This is also really bad news for my prospective chances of having another baby. Being on blood thinners obviously isn't good for the baby and they could potentially kill the baby before I would even know I was pregnant. So it looks like it's probably just going to be me and the little guy! Good thing he's so cute. So that's my bad news for the week. Don't really know what's going to happen now but at the ripe old age of 22, I'm quickly on my way to becoming an old lady.

Happy baby

2011-03-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

No matter what happened during the day, what bad news I got or what stupid people I had to deal with, coming home to a smiling baby makes everything bad disappear. Kley started smiling a few weeks ago. The smiles started out very randomly (gassy smiles!) but now he is responding to other people smiling at him. First thing in the morning he is always happy and smiling and cooing. Melts my heart! But it's so hard to get a picture of him smiling of course! I lucked out this morning so I had to post them for everybody to see how adorable he is!! I can't wait till the giggles start :)

Hematologist

2011-03-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

I noticed it's been over a month since I last posted :| I've been quite the slacker! Well, really, I just haven't had much to post about except the never ending doctor visits. I've been going to the doctor at least 3 times a week since Kley was born, it's gotten a little old but last Friday I finally got some good news from the hematologist (blood specialist). I had been told by other doctors that my filter would become permanent because it has been in too long and wouldn't be able to be safely removed. He shot that down. This doctor said there is a 6 month window for getting it out and where I am so young, he definitely does not want it left in because it can actually cause problems for me in the future, rather than help. So I have an appt on the 23rd to get that taken out! yay!!!!! The downside to the appt was that he wants me on blood thinners for 18 months as opposed to the 6 months my other doctors told me. But he said it'd be worth it as a prevention for other clots. So 14 more months of blood thinners (as long as I don't get another clot which would mean thinners for life :S )
My biggest concern lately has been that my internal medicine doctor made it pretty clear that any subsequent pregnancies I have would be extremely risky for both me and the baby; in other words, he advised not having any more children. This tore me up. I've been so stressed about that fact for weeks. I've never wanted an only child; I really want a daughter!! So that was my first question to the hematologist Friday was can I have more kids? He went through the risks and possible complications. Of course I'm at very high risk for another blood clot regardless, but adding pregnancy makes my risk 25x higher. But, he said that it is definitely possible, I would just have to get back on the shots for the entire pregnancy plus another 18 months after that pregnancy as well. So that's definitely a downer but I'm just glad to know it is possible!! :-D
Kley is growing like crazy! He's gettin into the pudgy stage with the thunder thighs and rubber band wrists :) I love it! He's got such a pudgy belly, which he hates when I tickle him!! He is smiling a lot more (never when I have a camera of course!) and he can almost roll from his stomach to his back. He gets to his side and just gets stuck on his arm lol. He has his two week checkup tomorrow and I can't wait to see how much he's grown. I love my lil guy!!!!

Under the knife

2011-02-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

I wish I could say that going under the knife today meant some awesome plastic surgery or something cool like that, but no, it is just another medical procedure in the long list of 'em that I get to deal with in regards to this blood clot!
I went to the doctor last Thursday to have an ultrasound done on my leg/hip to see if the clot is still there. The ultrasound tech took about 45 minutes looking around and taking different scans, then says with a grave look that she has to go get the doctor to come talk to me. That just screams bad news of course. So two doctors came in to tell me that the clot is not only still there, it has spread across my pelvis. This makes me wonder why I've been on these blood thinners at all if it's making things worse and not better!
They went through the explanation of what has to happen over the next few months. They expected it to be long gone by now and so the concern is that where I'm so young, it's not safe to have this filter in for very long. So the plan is to move it around because if it stays in one place for too long, the body will basically absorb it and it will become impossible to remove. There are several things that they would normally perform to try and rid my body but because I just had a C-section, those are not possible. So today, they are going to cut into my neck again, put a catheter over the filter to close it, move it up a little and open it again. I will have a stint put in my vein to open it up and hopefully get the clot moving. Also, they are going to put a balloon in by the clot, blow it up, and try to soften the clot that way. (I don't really understand that part) So, for the fourth time in a month I will get to be put under anesthesia and be cut into.
The doctors said that this will basically be the game for the next few months or until the clot goes away. Every 3-4 weeks I will go in for an ultrasound to see if the clot is still there. If it is, I will have to keep going under for them to move the filter around. So I'm crossing my fingers that this will be the last time they have to deal with the filter before it can just be taken out and hopefully my next post can be a little more cheerful!

When it rains, it pours!

2011-01-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a bit of a whiny, poor me post. It's been a pretty rough week for me! Obviously, I'm still recovering from having this precious little boy. I really lucked out though! He is such a great baby! He only wakes up once during the night and only cries when he is hungry. He sleeps pretty much all day, it's impossible to wake him up which is pretty funny sometimes :)
But this week has (and continues to be) full of doctor appointments. I was put on cumadin pills (blood thinners) which means I don't have to give myself shots in the stomach anymore!! Yay!!! The pills were too strong for the baby so I couldn't have those during the pregnancy, but now I get to take those for at least the next 6 months. Not so yay! But because they are so strong, I have to go have my blood drawn every three days to make sure my levels are where they are supposed to be, meaning, my blood isn't too thin. The goal is to be between 2-3. Last week, I was at a 6! Which means if I had barely got a papercut, I would have bled for an hour. Luckily, I was very careful. On Friday, it went down to 3.2. Monday I was back up to 4.1 so now I have to go back in on Thursday to have it checked again. It's a total guessing game that's getting old very quick! Oh, and my doctor told me that I need to really put thought into having any more children because I am at a 35x higher risk of having another blood clot! Such a great thing to hear right after having a baby! :(
Yesterday was just a day full of bad news and stupid people! I'll try to make it the short version!
I woke up at 3:00 am with Kley. Fed him and changed him, put him back to bed, and managed to stay awake the rest of the morning. My body just would not let me fall back asleep! Ugh! Not to mention, when I woke up at 3, my eye was swollen shut. My contacts have been bugging me lately and yesterday my eyes just gave up on me! I made an appt at the eye doctor. Matthew's mom drove me down at 12 and waited in the car with Kley and Carter. Stupid stupid people! It took way longer than necessary and almost made me late for my dr. appt at one.
I dropped off my prescription for eye drops at the pharmacy and headed to my two week check up. I sat in the room for 45 minutes before my dr came in, she told me my incision is infected (good news just keeps rolling!) and ordered me some antibiotics to the pharmacy downstairs. I waited for 20 minutes just for them to tell me they didn't have what I needed and had to substitute. Finally got up to the counter, asked if the prescriptions would react with my Cumadin (because pretty much everything does), she said "Oh I don't know, let me call your doctor". Waited around for another 15 minutes all for her to say that they would interact so they gave me something totally different.
By now it was after 2:30, so we went back to the first pharmacy to get my eyedrops. They told me something was wrong and they couldn't find my file, therefore, didn't fill my prescription. I sat for 15 minutes waiting for them to figure it out, said they'd be just a few more minutes to fill it. After half an hour sitting in there, they tell me they gave my prescription to somebody else! I could have screamed!! It was such a joke!
So by that point I just wanted to go home and crawl into bed and not come out for the rest of the day! Stupid people!! But now I have to go back for an eye check up next week, another check up with my dr in two weeks and I have Kley's two week check up tomorrow as well as another blood draw! I can't wait till these 6 months are over so I can go back to being a normal human being (more or less!) :)
I feel like an old lady. I have 8 different prescriptions I have to take every single day! I'm only 22! I shouldn't have any!!! Ugh! Hopefully next week will be better news! :)

Hospital pics

2011-01-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

We had a photographer come in and take pictures of Kleyton yesterday. They turned out so cute but of course the little guy was asleep for most of it! If you wanna look the website is:
bellababyphotography.com

Click on view photos and the password is 0106kleytonwhitby

My perfect little angel

2011-01-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

He's here!! My beautiful baby boy finally decided to join the world. It's an awful lot to post on facebook where I know most people follow my updates, so I figured it would be much easier to give details on my blog. First of all, the details:
Kleyton Leo Whitby was born January 6th, 2011. He weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long. Everything is great. He has a little jaundice but nothing serious.

So, as I posted earlier, I had my dr. appointment and ultrasound on Tuesday the 4th. I was told the baby was already almost 8 pounds and that I was still a few weeks away from having him. So I went home, semi-frustrated, and expected to wait another two weeks until my scheduled induction. I woke up Wednesday with the usual contractions and pains but went on with my day. I had all sorts of plans to a) install the car seat, b) pack my hospital bag, c) paint letters for his nursery, d) finish the baby blanket I'm making for him. I thought Wednesday was going to be my great day of accomplishments. I went upstairs to wash dishes and at about 2:15 pm, I had the suddent sensation that I had peed myself (graphic I know!) It was the most uncomfortable feeling, but most of pregnancy is uncomfortable so I didn't think much of it. I ran to the bathroom, took care of things and walked back out. Less than 30 seconds later, more and more and more started gushing out. That's when I panicked! I called my sister, completely frantic, asking what it feels like when your water breaks. I told her it felt like I was peeing a waterfall and sure enough, it was my water. Too bad I didn't get an earlier start on my big day of accomplishments because I was not prepared AT ALL!! I stuffed a towel in my pants and was running around the house trying to pack a bag and call matthew and preparing to have a baby! BTW, when your water breaks, it's nothing like in the movies! It's not one big gush and it's over! It is constant!! I'm talking for hours and hours and hours it continues to leak! So just for you future moms, don't expect it to be over quick!
Anyways, I got a hold of Matthew, who was at work. Told him to hurry up and I continued to pack a bag and get things together. Oddly, I was totally calm at this point! Katrina told me I had lots of time once your water breaks so I finally slowed down. I even took the time to braid and curl my hair and put on a little makeup, just because I knew there would be pictures!! haha When Matthew got to the house he was so funny! He was running around like a madman!! Had no idea what to do! I made him calm down, grab the carseat and bag and we took off out the door.
We got to the hospital around 3:00 pm on Wednesday. Went straight up to labor and delivery. They checked everything, said yup you're in labor and wheeled me into the delivery room. This was THE WORST part! The waiting game is awful!! They told me because I had taken my blood thinner at 8 that morning, I wouldn't be able to get an epidural because it hadn't been 24 hours! That freaked me out of course but I prepared myself for it. I laid on the bed for hours and hours. Doctors and nurses were in and out, my sister and Skylee showed up at about 7:00 to keep me company. Jadie and Basitan also came, as well as my sis-in-law Jen so we had lots of company at least! We played Uno and laughed and talked until about 1 in the morning and then everybody left. Matthew slept on the fold out and I tried my best to catch some sleep. The next morning, I still was not making any progress so they started me on pitosin to try and induce me. I was only dilated to a 2 after 24 hours of sitting in the hospital. I guess when people say they were in labor for 10 hours, they count it as the time they got admitted to the time they have the baby. So total, I was in labor for about 27 hours. yeah buddy!
All of my family started showing up that afternoon, all irritated that baby hadn't made his entrance yet. They left to get lunch and Matthew and I laid down to get some sleep. I woke up quickly with very sharp pains in my right chest. NOT a good sign with a blood clot because that usually means the clot moved into your heart or lungs. So this is where the fun started! Everyone went frantic which of course isn't a good sign in a hospital. I was bawling because they told me what the pain meant and that the priority then was to make sure I was okay and they stated a couple times that if it comes down to a choice, they will save the mother not the baby! Which I was not at all happy about! But at this time, they decided to put a device in me (I can't remember the name of it) that would prevent any other clots during and after delivery.
I was rushed to radiology and laid on a table where they put a sheet over my head. That I think was the worst part because I am claustrophobic! But they cut a hole in that and explained the procedure to me. They said it usually involed putting a needle in the groin but because my clot is in my hip, they couldn't go that way. So lucky me, they put a big ol needle in my neck and threaded the device down into my chest. Once in my body, it opened up like an umbrella to catch any clots. This was a very panicked time for me. I had to have a nurse right in my face telling me to breathe and relax. Very weird feeling having a huge needle go into your neck! So I still have this device in my body for another 4 weeks then I have to come in to have it taken out.
After this, I was told that because I wasn't dilating any more, it was called "failure to progress" and because of the clot, they would rush me to a C-section. I was wheeled upstairs, my brother Thad gave me a blessing, we waited for Matthew to get dressed in his awesome robes and we went in for the good times! I already had the epidural so my body was numb. They told me they'd try the procedure without anesthesia but if it went bad they would put me under. The first 5 minutes weren't too terrible. It's a very weird feeling being awake and knowing your body is being sliced open! I could feel the pressure but not really any pain. Then, when they started cutting into my uterus, all hell broke loose! That was SO SO painful! I started screaming. They put me under quick! Thank God! So obviously I don't remember any part of the procedure or anything afterwards.
I woke up in the ICU with nurses and doctors running in and out. Matthew and my dad came in and I attempted to communicate. My first question was "does he have hair?" haha I hadn't seen Kley at that point which was so hard for me because everybody in the waiting room already got to see him and hold him. The nurses almost refused to let me see him but I threw a fit! After what I had been through, I wanted to see my baby!! So they brought him down for all of 2 minutes. I was so loopy I couldn't hold him or hardly focus on him but right away I knew how beautiful he was! My dad choked up which was adorable seeing as how he is not an emotional guy! But they took him as quickly as he came. Everybody in the waiting room took their turn coming in to see me and I zonked back out. I spent the night in the ICU, not getting any sleep, and woke up in so much pain it was unreal! They gave me three shots of morphine as well as some stuff thats 10x stronger. I have a very high tolerance to pain meds so trying to kill the pain is difficult for me!
At noon the next day they said I could move to mom and baby (recovery) but they wanted me to sit up and get in a wheelchair. My dad and Matthew tried lifting me and I screamed in pain! NO WAY! So they wheeled me up in my bed. I immediately insisted on seeing Kley. They brought him in and he was wide awake. I cried as soon as I saw him. He is the most beautiful little baby. He looks just like Matthew, but with my lips! lol At least he got something from me!
I've been able to see him quite a bit. I just have to call the nurses and they bring him in. He's not very alert yet. They said because of the Jaundice and mostly the trauma from the rough time we both went through, he will sleep a lot. But I just love to hold him and watch him wiggle.
Yesterday they took the tube out of my neck and things went south again. I couldn't breathe so they had me on oxygen (for the fourth time) and they took a chest X-ray. Things just can't seem to get better for me! But they said I can go home tomorrow. only 6 days in the hospital! UGH!!! But the fun stuff starts once I get home because Matthew has to get back to work. Luckily I have an amazing best friend who offered to come stay with me if I need her because I can't drive for 6 weeks or really do much of anything which for me, is going to be torture! I'm too much of a busy body! Plus, I start school tomorrow and haven't even been able to get my books yet!!
It's been a very rough few days. Definitely not an easy first pregnancy! I have to have my blood checked every other day for awhile, I can't breastfeed because of the blood thinners which makes me sad, I have to watch what I eat because of the thinners....just a long list of cants and stupid have-tos!
But here we are 5 days later, 27 hours of labor, 1 C-section, 4 oxygen masks, 3 catheters, 2 rounds of anesthesia, 5 IVs, and 1 big ol battle scar and one Beautiful Baby Boy who I love more than anything in the entire world!!
Hope everybody is doing great! Thanks so much to those who came to visit! Jadie and Katrina, you two are my lifesavers!!! I love you both so much! xoxo

He's a whopper!

2011-01-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

I had another doctor appointment today as well as an ultrasound. I had my ultrasound first. As soon as I laid down on the table a doctor came in to talk to me about the options for having the baby and the blood clot and all that good stuff. I was a little irritated because I didn't even get to enjoy looking at my baby on the screen because I had to listen to him. But, he said everything is measuring great. Baby is healthy. My fluid levels went down! yay! But he is measuring rather large. As of today he is at 7 pounds 10 ounces!! YIKES!!! They say babies grow 1/2 pound every week for the last 2 months so that means I still have another pound to go! oh buddy :| Also, his head is still measuring 2 weeks ahead so in other words, big baby + big head = OUCH!
I then went to my doctor's appointment where she ran over all the results of the ultrasound and what the other doctor had talked to me about. They talked about switching me to a different blood thinner with a shorter half-life. I found out that if I go into labor and have had a shot within the last 24 hours, I can't have an epidural so that means DOUBLE OUCH! I told my dr. that I am concerned about his size cosidering how little I am and she gave me the option of doing a test to check the development of his lugs which may lead to an earlier induction. Now Matthew and I have to discuss the option and decide what we are going to do. I have to admit, I was hoping for a nice 6 pound baby and he's much surpassed that so a 9 pound baby scares me to death! I'd be more than happy if he came any day now! But if not, he's still scheduled for 2 weeks from today! :)

Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them

2011-01-04T14:29:00.001-08:00

I have quite a few nicknames - most of them stemming from the fact that people just can't pronounce my name! lol
Shanny - My best friend and those I've met through her call me Shanny. She couldn't say my name for the longest time when we met and it somehow turned into Shanny.
Danda - My neices and nephews call me Aunt Danda. This actually started from my cousin Kendra when we were in Nova Scotia because she couldn't say my name. Now it's become my name in my family
Shandi - Many in my family call me Shandi, just a shortened version of my name I suppose. It's been my official nickname for as long as I can remember.
Shands - My mom calls me this, not sure why
Shanzi - My cousins call me this, starting with Shaundra
Preggers - This is my name at work. Easier to identify me! ha
Little one - Came from my dad because I'm his baby

That's all I can think of for now. I get called all sorts of stuff but those I guess would be the most common!

Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have

2011-01-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Day 18 - Plans/dreams/goals you have

Well, I already answered my goals for the short term on day 12-ish. So I guess I will look at more of the long term goals right now.
- Be the best mom I can be. Spend lots of time with Kleyton, teach him as much as I can both in education and life. I want to make sure I'm not the parent who just sits her kid in front of the TV all the time. I want to be active with him and make sure he is an active kid.
- Finish school in 2012 and find a good job as an RN
- Move from Utah and experience life in a new place
- Lose the baby weight and get in the best shape of my life! I've already got my goals set.
- Get better at saving money
- Do more crafts, watch less movies
- Get good grades in school so I can move along quickly
- Learn to cook more dishes! I don't have much of a variety!!
- Travel more. Take one special trip every year.
- Live, love and enjoy my life!

Day 15, 16 and 17

2011-01-01T12:15:00.000-08:00

Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Garth Brooks - Make you feel my love
Julianne Hough - That song in my head
Kellie Pickler - Best days of your life
The Veronicas - Hook me up
Kevin Rudolf - Made it
Drake - Find your love
Lady Gaga - The Fame
Ciara - Oh
Ludacris - How Low
Timbaland - Say Something

Day 16 - Another picture of yourself
35 1/2 weeks along!! I'm just so uncomfortable at this point!

Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Scarlett Johanson - cuz she's rich and famous and is married to Ryan Reynolds!! haha :)

False Labor #1

2010-12-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

Last night was quite an eventful night for me. I went to work at 4 and everything started out great. We were semi-busy, people were very friendly and I was making good money. Well at about 8 that night, the pain hit and it hit hard! I started having severe contractions and they were so constant I couldn't even time em. So I sat down, gave my tables to another girl and waited for Matthew to come get me while everybody else ran around freaking out that I was going into labor! The roads of course were awful so Matthew wasn't making it very fast and another girl from work volunteered to take me to Alta View hospital because she was positive I was going into labor. We went in through the emergency room at about 10 and I was admitted right away.
The nurse hooked me up to the monitors to watch his heartbeat and my contractions. Sure enough, they were steady and they were MEAN!!! Contractions are horrible!!!! But after awhile of monitoring she realized that on top of me being exhausted from work, I was also slightly dehydrated. So she hooked me up to two IV bags, I laid there for 2 hours and they sent me home. Lots of panic for absolutely nothing! But, better safe than sorry!! But with the contractions and everything being that bad, I really don't think this guy is going to wait another 18 days! I'm hoping he decides to come next week!! Crossing my fingers!!! :-D

Day 11-14

2010-12-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Once again, I've fallen far behind! The past few days have been a little out of whack. I started having contractions a few days ago and so I've been spending the last few days making sure every little thing is ready for this baby because I really don't think he will wait another 3 weeks! Plus, I've been working a lot of hours trying to get some money saved up before he comes. So here is my catch up of four days again!!
Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends
I don't have any recent pictures with my friends....I'm pretty lame nowadays. So here's some pics from high school with my best friends through those years.

Day 12- How you found out about Blogs and why you made one
I don't really remember how I found out about blog but the reason I made one is pretty simple: I wanted my family and friends to be able to stay up to date on Kleyton

Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Well, sorry this day is not going to be too exciting because I don't feel like anybody has hurt me recently. My life has been pretty predictible and I don't really talk to many people, just go to work and come home so I don't really have anything to write here!!

Day 14- A picture of you and your family

Great Christmas!

2010-12-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

I hope everybody had an amazing christmas this year! This was the best Christmas I've had since moving away from home. I think just having the feeling of my own family made it much more special for me! Matthew let me sleep in till 7:30 then woke me up saying "aren't you ever going to wake up so we can open presents!" (just like a little kid!) so I took my shot and went and sat out by the tree. We let Buddha open his presents first which he is so good at now! Our little baby all grown up! Then the three of us (Matthew, his dad, and I) took turns opening presents. I got Matthew a Carhart vest and a TomTom GPS. He seemed pretty happy with it! I was spoiled with a griddle, because I'm always complaining about not being able to eat with everybody cuz I'm still cooking, and a new IPOD nano (because my other one was stolen out of my car) This IPOD is so awesome! It's TINY! This is the pic I found online cuz Matthew is busy listening to mine right now for me to get a picture. I love it!

We were also spoiled by our parents! My mom got me a new dress coat and a three barrel iron and my dad got us some really nice mocossin (sp?) slippers. And of course Kleyton is already being spoiled! My grandma had my name for the family drawing and sent some great Canada stuff! I was thrilled!! She bought Kleyton a onesie that says Canada and bought me a matching shirt! Papa Call got him a little rocker and a really nice stroller/car seat. I love it already! The car seat snaps right into the stroller so you don't have to take the baby out of the car seat. I can't wait to take him for walks!!

We had a really great day. Got to go over to Matt's aunt's house and have breakfast with his family, who I LOVE!!! They are all SO sweet! Then we headed to my brother's and stayed there till about 8:00 visiting with my brothers and dad and playing with my beautiful neice and nephew. Thanks so much to everybody for the gifts we received and I hope everybody had a great day! Here's a few pics we took, sorry I didn't take very many!

Days 7-10 (I'm a little behind!)

2010-12-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

Day 7 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
It's pretty easy to know who has had the biggest impact on me - this little boy of mine. My life has flipped upside down since I found out I'm pregnant. At first it was a total shock and as most "kids" my age, I started running through "all the things I would miss out on" and yes, at first, I was a little upset. But after a very short period of time I realized how lucky I am to have him and how greatly he already has and will change my life! I already love him more than words!

Day 8 - Short term goals for this month and why
Well, since this month is pretty much over, I'll answer this one in regards to January. Obviously January is going to be a HUGE month for me! Kleyton is due January 18th. My goals up until that point are to keep working hard and save up as much money as I can, get his room completely finished and decorated, finish his two baby blankets that I've started and been really slacking on and continue to exercise and try to eat healthy.
After my precious boy is here, of course my #1 goal is to be the best mom I can be. Luckily I've been around babies a lot having 4 neices and nephews and lots of time babysitting, so I do feel that I am prepared but I know that actually being the parent is a lot different than babysitting. So my goals for the second half of January are to enjoy every second I have with Kleyton and take lots of pictures! :) Also, I want to start exercising as soon as possible, take Kleyton and Buddha on lots of walks, and second most important - do well on my school work! I am starting online classes on January 10th and I hope I can keep up with all that work plus a baby!

Day 9 - Something you’re proud of in the past few days
The past few days have been pretty crazy, being the holidays and all. I've been working, cleaning, getting baby stuff ready and trying to enjoy the holiday season. I guess what I would be most proud of in the past few days would be getting to work and working hard. I know many women quit working months before they have a baby and in many cases, even women who have simple desk jobs quit working early. I am a server which means I am on my feet the entire time I'm at work, running around and dealing with rude, stupid and inconsiderate people. Plus, I am still dealing with this lovely blood clot which makes me wear out even faster than just being pregnant and I have to sneak into the manager's office to take my shot every night I'm at work. So I think that's something to be proud of, that I can still be working at a very busy job at 36 weeks along and come home and maintain a house and cook for Matthew and his dad. Yay me! :)

Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Wow, I don't even know where to begin with this one. My music range is pretty wide and my emotions are a complete roller coaster (big surprise). When I'm sad, I tend to be what is sometimes called "an emotional cutter" meaning that I tend to listen to or do things that I know will make myself more sad such as listening to sappy country songs. When I'm mad I tend to go for the "screamo" type music so I can vent. Hyped and happy moods usually lead to something I can sing at the top of my lungs and dance around to. But the most amusing for me is the music I pick when I'm bored, such as LONG car trips by myself! At these times I always go for music I can seriously sing along to such as "Phantom of the Opera" or the good ol' music group Voice Male. It's times like those I think my life should be a reality show! lol

Well, sorry for such a long post, had to catch up for all the days I missed! I'll try to be better this week! :-D

Day 6 - My favorite superhero and why

2010-12-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

I've never put any thought into who my favorite superhero is so I picked none other than Wonder Woman! I mean, who wouldn't want to wear this awesome outfit!

Day 5 - A picture of a place I've been to

2010-12-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure everybody knows, my mom is Canadian. She grew up in Nova Scotia which is a little island north-east of Maine. For years we wanted to take a family trip there but it never really worked out until I was 15. Katrina and I had to save up our own money for the trip but we finally got to see where my mom grew up and got to see our aunts and uncles who we hadn't seen in years. I celebrated my 15th birthday IN Nova Scotia which was a blast. I also got to eat fresh lobster 3 times! Yum! So here's my picture of a place I've been to :)

Day 4 - A habit you wish you didn't have

2010-12-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

This is an easy one because I am FULL of bad habits! I guess the first one that comes to mind though, is I am terrible at putting clothes away. I have the worst habit of just throwing them on the ground or on my bed after I take 'em off so three or four days later, I can't hardly walk around my room! I'm not talking dirty clothes, but like jeans or hoodies that I take off and change into PJs, they rarely get hung up or put back in the dresser :S Hopefully someday I'll grow up!!

Day 3 - Picture with my friends

2010-12-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

I don't really have any recent pics with my friends, so here's two from a few years back, one with each of my best friends:
Jadie and I rockin our footie PJs

Krystal and I on New Year's Eve

He's finally got a name!

2010-12-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

I know many people have names picked out before they even become pregnant. I have always been that girl, but only when it came to girl names! When (or if) I ever get to have a little girl, I'm all set, but coming up with a boy name was so hard for me! As soon as I found out we were having a boy, I knew I wanted Leo as the middle name. Leo came from matthew's grandpa who passed away in August. But the first name was a lot more difficult. From pretty much day 1 Matthew has wanted the name Clayton. I fought it for a long time, I didn't like the way it's pronounced (Clay'n) But because I knew it's what Matthew really wants, I finally gave in to it. BUT, I insisted that I could pick the spelling!! So without further ado; January 18th will welcome KLEYTON LEO WHITBY :-D Can't wait to meet you baby boy!

Day 2 - The meaning behind my blog name

2010-12-17T09:42:00.000-08:00

Well, there's not really much to the name of my blog besides the fact that one of my favorite quotes has always been "Live, Laugh, Love" and that's the way I try to live my life, so I figured it was fitting! Plus, I couldn't think of anything more exciting! :-D

2010-12-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how my blog isn't very eventful, and I only really update after doctor appointments, I figured I would throw something else in here to maybe break up the baby monotony :) I got this from a friend's blog so hopefully I can keep up with it! I'll still keep up with baby updates too!! So here goes:
A recent picture of me: (this was about 7 weeks ago but it's all I have!)

Day 1:
1. I suppose the most interesting fact about myself at this point in time would obviously be that I am pregnant, and expecting a baby in 4 1/2 weeks!
2. I am (still) very self-conscious about the burn scar on my leg, even though it's been 11 years since it happened
3. I am deathly afraid of hippos and spiders!
4. I absolutely can't wait to move away from Utah and live somewhere new!
5. My #1 spot I want to visit someday is China. I'm so intrigued by the Asian culture
6. I don't consider myself OCD except when it comes to rinsing dishes after using them and turning off lights!
7. I never learned how to swim, but there's still time!
8. I've only been on an airplane twice - once was when I was a baby so it's hard to even count that one.
9. I absolutely HATE cats! I love dogs and hope to always have one but find cats completely worthless and annoying!
10. If I could do any job in the world without any prior requirements, I would love to be an astronaut - but there's no way I'm passing boot camp!!!
11. I knew my times tables up to 5's before I ever started kindergarten
12. I've moved 17 times in the past 8 years.
13. Although nursing isn't exactly my dream job, I am doing it for my grandma. She has always wanted a nurse in the family :)
14. I'm super afraid to get married, ever, because marriage too often ends in divorce, but I do hope someday that I can get past that fear
15. I LOVE to type! Weird I know. But I could sit and type all day and never get sick of it! I average 102 w.p.m.

30 Days of fun-
Day 1 - A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 2 - The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 3 - A picture of you and your friends
Day 4 - A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 5- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 6 - Favorite super hero and why
Day 7 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 8 - Short term goals for this month and why
Day 9 - Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Blogs and why you made one
Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16 - Another picture of yourself
Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23 - Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25 - What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29 - In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Who are you?

Baby big head

2010-12-10T08:33:00.001-08:00

The good news just keeps comin! Lol I now get to go to the doctor twice a week until the little guy gets here! I have a doctor appointment every week and have to have a Non stress test every week to make sure I'm not having contractions. They want to keep a really close eye on the possibility of him coming early.
So this week I had an ultrasound to see how he's growing. They said everything is growing great except for the one issue I was worried about - poor little guy has my big head! He is measuring at 33 weeks and his head is measuring at 35 1/2 weeks, his head is almost full term. Yikes! Also, I have a lot of extra fluid which is normally an indicator of diabetes but I did the diabetes test and it came back negative so they just want to monitor my fluid closely now too. Which the extra fluid explains why I feel like he has no room in there, because he doesn't! I'm growing a lot faster than normal and gaining more weight because of the extra fluid and he has less room to move around. Very uncomfortable for both of us!
I had a doctor appointment yesterday. They're pretty uneventful right now. She measures my belly and asks if I have any questions and that's about it. I still have to have weekly blood draws but in a few weeks she'll start measuring me to see if I'm dialated so if he does decide to come early, hopefully we're prepared!
Still set up for January 18th! :-) Which I found out is my Uncle Dave's birthday and also Matthew's brother-in-law Jason's birthday! Should be a good day!!
Other than baby news, I had my chem final yesterday and will have my physiology final on Tuesday and then this semester is over! Thank heavens! It's sure been a stressful one!

It's official

2010-12-03T16:58:00.000-08:00

Today was such a great day! I started off by going to the chiropractor which always makes me feel so much better! Now I know how fat people feel, all this extra weight sure hurts my back. Then at 10 I had a doctor appointment with my new doctor at American Fork Hospital, then lunch with my friend who I haven't seen since May and then I got a haircut so I feel so fresh and clean :)
But of course the best part was my doctor appointment. I switched from the IHC off 5300 to the American Fork hospital because the IHC was SO busy. That's where I was taken into the emergency room and spent two days and I just did not feel comfortable there because it was so busy and therefore everything took forever. But I LOVE my new doctor! She is amazing already. I was weighed and had my belly measured then she came in and we went over all my files from the past few months and then she told me the game plan. In 3 weeks they will switch me from the Lovanox blood thinners I'm on now, to Heparin which has a shorter life, so if I do happen to go into labor before planned, the blood thinner will wear off faster so I can still get an epidural :) Woohoo!!! Great news there! She said she wants to see me every week until delivery to make sure everything is ok and to continue having my blood drawn. I have an ultrasound scheduled next Tuesday to make sure he hasn't been affected by the thinners/clot. And the best news: we scheduled the delivery for 39 weeks which is January 18th! I'm so excited knowing what day he is coming! Well, as long as the lil bugger doesn't decide to come early, he will be born 1/18/11. I'm really glad we can schedule it because we're planning on buying Matthew's mom a plane ticket from Oregon so she can be here for a week or so for the delivery :)
So now I have a date set, the countdown is really on! 46 days! It's gonna come so fast! Can't wait!!!!!!!

Back to school, back to school

2010-12-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

Well, anybody who knows me, knows that I'm quite the stubborn person especially when it comes to listening to advice and most definitely when it comes to dealing with doctors and sickness. My next doctor appointment isn't until this Friday, but I decided I felt up to the task of going back to school even without doctor's permission, considering that I only have two more weeks and then I get to try and brave the finals after missing a month of school :S Ugh! So yesterday was my first day back to school and it was a nightmare! I feel like I never even went to any of my classes in the first place, I'm so lost! And to add to my stress, I have two tests tomorrow (one of them being a lab final), two tests next week and then two finals the following week! There's a definite chance I'm going to be retaking classes because of all the tests and assignments I missed! SO frustrating considering how close I am to the end!
So wish me luck on these next few weeks! I'd really like to pull B's in my classes so I don't have to take them all over again in the summer or fall :S And hopefully my leg will hold up well enough for me to sit through a few more weeks of school. It was pretty tender yesterday walking from class to class and sitting is so uncomfortable for me because the blood pools and it gets quite painful! But at least I'm back to school!! Hopefully I can be back to work soon too! :D

Comin' fast!

2010-11-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

Well I went to the dr. today to have a check up after being in the hospital. Mostly she just wanted to talk to me and explain what will happen over the next few months. I took in a big list of questions which took her awhile to run through, but finally I have all my questions answered...for now :) All my levels checked out great when I had my blood drawn Saturday. I have to have my blood drawn every week for the rest of the pregnancy to monitor my levels and I have to continue doing the shots every day, twice a day. SO not fun, but they are getting easier every time so hopefully by the end of this, it'll be no big deal to stick myself in the stomach! Ha :)
But the exciting news is that I am measuring a week ahead of what I thought so I am at about 31 weeks now. She said the earliest they can schedule my delivery is at 39 weeks (which I am all for! Better safe than sorry with these thinners!) Which means that in only 8 weeks I will be a mommy! I can't wait! We still have SO much to buy and get ready but I'm just anxious to meet the little guy. So there's my excitement for the day! Now it's back to bed....thank goodness for Redbox! :-D

Rough few days

2010-11-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

Like I said, overload! So the past few days have been - less than ideal! Although I love this little guy more than anything, he sure is giving me a lot of problems!
Well all the fun started Monday evening. I went to work at Ruby River and about 2 hours after being there, my left leg started going numb and became really stiff and cold. As the night went on, my leg started to swell. I finished out work (as well as I could) and went home to prop my leg up thinking it was just swollen from running around so much and it would be better in the AM.
The next morning I woke up with a left leg that was three times the size of my right and BRIGHT purple! Me being the stubborn girl I am just passed it off to pregnancy and drove to school, attempted to get out of the car and just about collapsed from my left leg being completely dead. Finally called the dr, left a message, called my dad who told me it was probably just the baby on a blood vessel blocking the blood flow, and then received a call back from my dr. At first she was saying she agreed with my dad, until I told her the leg was huge and purple. She told me to go to the ER....ugh! Anybody who knows me well, knows I do not go to the dr unless I am dying, ESPECIALLY not the ER, but for the sake of the baby I went.
To begin my panic, Matthew works way up Spanish Fork canyon where he doesn't get any service, so I went into the hospital without him having any idea! I went into the ER at about 10 AM, spent two hours sitting in the ER before they even got me into a room (good thing I wasn't dying!) The doctor came in and immediately said he figured it's a clot. For the next half hour I had about 15 nurses/techs in and out of the tiny room. I was lying on my back while they were examining my leg with an ultrasound while another nurse was monitoring the baby's heartbeat, about 25 minutes into the leg ultrasound, I started hyperventilating (from being on my back for so long) and the baby's heart beat dropped drastically so they went into emergency mode and rushed me to labor and delivery. My heartbeat quickly slowed and his came up but that left me at square one again. They came and did the ultrasound again with me on my side as well as monitoring the baby the whole time. At about 3 that afternoon, the nurse came in saying that I was showing regular contractions, which of course made me panic that I was having a very early baby, so they did a preterm labor check to make sure I wasn't going into labor. Thank God I wasn't! They just figured all the stress was causing the contractions.
Matthew didn't get all my messages until 5:00 when he was off work, so he was finally able to make it to the hospital at about 6:30 PM. They kept me in labor and delivery for about another hour, finally came in and said they were going to do something. They gave me a blood thinner shot in my stomach (SO PAINFUL!) then moved me upstairs to a resting room. I spent the rest of the night being monitored and having my blood drawn. Matthew went home to check on the puppy and slept there while I attempted to catch some much needed sleep in the oh so comfy hospital bed.
Next morning, Matthew came back at 6:30 so he could be there with me when they gave me the next shot (they have to be given every 12 hours) I spent all day being told that I was going to be given an MRI. FINALLY at 5:30 they came to get me for the MRI. This turned out awful!!! First, I'm claustrophobic so MRIs are miserable for me, plus once again they put me on my back which any pregnant woman knows, lying on your back is so painful and makes it extremely difficult to breathe. 13 minutes into the MRI, I panicked and started crying because my back hurt so bad and I couldn't breathe. They calmed me down, insisted I go in for another 5 minutes to finish the scan, then they let me go back up to the room. Another shot in the belly at 7, this one Matthew did with the nurse's supervision because he had to learn how to do them for me, and after 36 hours in the hospital I was finally free to go home!
I'm still waiting on MRI results. They aren't 100% sure it's a clot but I saw 5 doctors and all of them said they're just about positive it's a clot so they started me on the thinners as a precaution which means I have to give myself, or have somebody else give me, two shots every day for the rest of the pregnancy, as well as 6 weeks after the baby arrives and if I decide to have another baby, I will have to be on the thinners for the entire pregnancy :( They will schedule my delivery so that I am taken off the blood thinners in advance so that I don't bleed to death during delivery from my blood being so thin, but being taken off the thinners once again puts me at risk for clots. All of this is scary as hell, but they said if it's not a clot, it's something worse! So I'm crossing my fingers!
VERY long post I know, but it was a long 36 hours in the hospital! The doctor is supposed to call me this morning, if she does I will update!

Little Intro

2010-11-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

Since this is my first day on my blog, it'll probably be a bit of an overload but seeing as how I'm on bedrest for a few weeks, why not right?! =)
So as everybody should know at this point, I am pregnant! At this point I am at about 29 1/2 weeks and although I do complain a lot about how uncomfortable I am, I'm very grateful that I am pregnant at all.
Getting pregnant was a struggle for Matthew and I. Many people complain about trying to get pregnant for a few months, Matthew and I tried for about three years. We have been together for about 7 years (off and on) and so we took our time getting to the point of wanting kids, but we had always talked about having kids young. After three years we had kind of accepted the fact that it wasn't possible. Three years is an awfully long time! We went to dozens of doctors over the years. Everything started out with "You'll be fine. These things take time." When I was 20 I was hit with cervical cancer and had to have treatment for that which I was then told "It's still possible, but will be more difficult." In April of this year, I visited a new doctor who told me I had high Prolactin levels which are basically caused by one of two things - being pregnant or having a tumor. After a negative pregnancy test done in the hospital, I was sent for a CT scan to check for a tumor. Luckily the CT came back negative but left me with no answers once again.
I then went to California the following week with some girlfriends to try and forget about the unanswered issue. Two weeks after returning from Cali, I was throwing up, not able to eat the foods I always loved and feeling pretty much awful. Well, lo and behold, I was pregnant! I took five tests because after being told no for so long I couldn't believe it. I called Matthew and I'm pretty sure he was in shock and didn't say much, but it was funny because he called back about 2 hours later and finally showed some emotion!
So that's the story of how this little alien came to be. Now I am down to 2 months left and we can't wait to meet him!

15 1/2 weeks

20 weeks

24 weeks

27 weeks

Start of it all

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

Well hello everybody! I'm not really sure what all I will be putting into this blog, my life isn't too terribly exciting! But, I figure since I have this new little bundle of joy on the way I should start a blog to journal the remainder of my pregnancy as well as his life! Hopefully this will also be a good way for my family away from home to be able to keep track of me! :)