Spencer|Sara|Drew

Here we go again...

2012-02-13T08:27:00.000-05:00

Oh by the way....

We're having another baby.

It's a GIRL.

Estimated Arrival- July 12, 2012 (Drew's birthday)

Mobile Uploads: Special Edition

2012-02-01T09:51:00.000-05:00

This is a Special Edition of Mobile Uploads because these two pictures have come from Spencer's phone. Spencer doesn't take a lot of pictures so I was glad to see he even had these two little numbers....

While driving in the great state of New York you are unable to be on a hand held device. So while driving and talking on the phone I invented this hands-free contraption. Works like a gem. As long as you don't mind looking like Aunt Jemima in a headwrap while driving around.

This picture was taken during our first few weeks in the Empire State, unfortunately it doesn't currently look like that outside (we followed him for a few blocks to get the snapshot). We were reminded of this picture on Saturday when we were positive we saw the same man running on a treadmill at the YMCA. He was sprinting in khakis and dress shoes. So unless there are two men in Ithaca that work out in Dockers I am pretty sure we saw the same guy.

A very Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas

2012-01-30T08:32:00.000-05:00

I will probably never fully post about our month long Christmas break. Drew did great on all six flights and then had a blast running through every airport we stopped at. He enjoyed playing with all of his aunts and uncles and got really good at using stairs (we live on the first floor and have no stairs in our apartment) Drew also enjoyed waking up every single night while we were there. He has been spoiled from sleeping in his luxurious crib and wasn't fond of sleeping in a pack n' play while on vacation, so in the long run he didn't sleep once through the night. However now that we are home and after a few nights of some serious sleep training he is back to his old self.

I don't think I took more than 10 pictures during our month long vacation so instead I'll take a picture of what Drew has been obsessing over and what he got a lot of during Christmas. Winnie the Pooh. It is weird because I don't even know how he got introduced to Winnie the Pooh, but somehow he has just become obsessed with anything that has to do with that "silly old bear"... He has the latest movie which we have probably watched 50 times (many of those times were during said sleepless nights on vacation) and now has many of the figurines and toys to go with it. Not sure how long this phase will last but it sure is cute when he comes out of his room saying "Pooh Bear" and holding every toy he can manage. (Not pictured- his awesome Winnie the Pooh bath toy his aunt got him and few more movies...)

We're Alive...

2012-01-12T11:16:00.000-05:00

The HFMD didn't kill us, we just happen to be on vacation. Which means, we haven't been doing much but eating, relaxing, seeing friends, and playing games.

Check out this stack of Christmas cards I never sent out... like I said we haven't had time to do any busy work.

HFMD- warning: graphic images

2011-12-16T08:25:00.000-05:00

HFMD... also known as Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. It's as gross as it sounds, and prior to now I thought it was something only animals got. However children do indeed get it, often from sharing toys with snot and slobber on it-- but apparently adults can get it too. I'm so embarrassed I caught a baby disease! I originally thought it was from the mass amount of little delicious clementines I was eating. WRONG.

For the last week Drew and I have been eating pudding, yogurt and popsicles (Drew usually eating in the bath). We've been trying not to disturb all the blisters that have formed in our mouths. Drew has little blisters also on his hands and feet.

I never had HFMD as a child, so as an adult I am more susceptible-- and now that I think about it, I never had chickenpox either! I think it has been nice to have had this sickness at the same time as Drew because as I eat something terribly painful I know not to give it to him. Hopefully this explains his horrible sleeping habits lately.

Tis the Season

2011-12-14T21:41:00.000-05:00

We've been busy celebrating this wonderful holiday season so I will start at the beginning of our festivities.

Thanksgiving break was great. We lounged around, ate good food, went shopping, and hung out with friends. It was nice to spend some time with Spencer before he fell off the face of the planet as he studies for his first semester of law school finals.

We actually had Thanksgiving at our house. I wouldn't really say we hosted because we didn't make the turkey which is a big part of hosting, we basically provided the place to eat because our lack of furniture made it easy to maneuver tables and chairs into our family room.

Everyone brought great dishes. After playing games, talking, looking at Black Friday ads, we busted out the pie. Which was also divine. When I finally remembered to take a picture it was of only empty dishes. I would say Thanksgiving Dinner was a success.

Aunt Diane's Famous Creamed Corn

Some friends and I went out shopping around 10:00pm to be the first at all the deals while Spencer and Drew stayed in the nice warm house. We got some great things but above all I bought a vest. a fur vest. at 3:00 in the morning at the outlet mall. picture this...

The Saturday of Thanksgiving break a group of friends went up to Skaeneatles, NY to see the whole city participate in Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" Festival. I wasn't expecting much so I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was. People were handing out eggnog and chestnuts roasted on an open fire. Residents walked around in costumes acting in character wishing people a Merry Christmas. There was caroling and a nice big tree out on a long dock in the lake.

More recent events included our branch Christmas party. Drew is not quite yet in nursery but since the numbers are so small he was asked to participate in the nativity as a sheep.

He kind of hated wearing his cotton ball shirt but oh well. Spencer, of course, was studying for finals so while I ate my prime rib dinner Drew took ornaments off the Christmas tree and shattered them on the gym floor.

Mobile Uploads: Chapter 4

2011-11-22T22:40:00.001-05:00

Since I was without a phone for most of the summer these mobile uploads post have been nonexistent. However now I am fully equipped again and ready to roll...

Here is our apartment the day we moved in. Hasn't really changed in the three months we've been here.

Spencer refused to stand with a piece of paper like we did HERE but whatevs, I snapped this picture after I dropped him off as I awkwardly reached out the passenger window. Happy first day of law school!

This area of the world is interesting. People are so ...... I really can't find the best word to use. It's not a negative thing it's just a different thing than I'm use to. For example I have no problem eating off styrofoam, but since living here I am now understanding a life of recycling and going green. So not only do all the foods at public events come in Vegan, Gluten-free, vegetarian, and Kosher but the supplies on which they serve the food is always 100% compostable. This was at some law school shindig.

I started babysitting when I was ten. Sometimes for $5/hour or sometimes even less than that. I would save my money and seriously contemplate on which Beanie Baby I was going to buy. After I made the purchase and took it home in the brown paper bag (don't really remember why the beanie babies were always in brown lunch sacks) I would put a little plastic cover on the TY tag and put it on a shelf. To me they were collectors items and over the years as I've seen the prices on eBay drop, and drop and drop I've decided that those beanie babies were a waste of my hard earned cash. I now let Drew play with them and smear chocolate and yogurt all over their fuzzy faces. I saw this display at the mall and was floored. Some of the beanie babies in the bin were some of the rarest to be found. I only looked for a minute, but of course refused to buy animal shaped bean bags.

Saw this on a door at our hotel in Boston. Weird.

Drew's chubby self tried to get into this toy cart at our neighbors house. hahahahah enough said.

This to me is the epitome of Ithaca. A Subaru with plenty of bumper stickers.

I don't really know what to say about this one.

As Drew and I were leaving the gym he felt like he had to smear his face on every piece of available glass. This was shortly after I saw a guy with a windex bottle and a towel. oops.

This is by far Drew's favorite thing to see at the grocery store. Something about being near an ocean that makes for some sweet lobsters in the grocery store.

Mobile Uploads: Chapter 1
Mobile Uploads: Chapter 2
Mobile Uploads: Chapter 3

Syracuse Zoo

2011-11-14T09:24:00.000-05:00

We crammed 5 carseats and 3 adults into Lindseys Pilot and headed up to Syracuse to enjoy the warm weather and the zoo. Courtney looks thrilled to have her hips dislocated between the two boys for the hour long drive.

The whole group

The boys checking out the penguins and stomping in some unknown smelly substance.

The monkeys were awesome. The monkeys are always my favorite at any zoo I visit, and these monkeys were some of the best. There was a tiny baby monkey and a teenage brother monkey that were fighting each other running around the cage-- the boys loved it.

Drew now knows how to "roar" when he sees pictures of tigers and lions so I would say the zoo was a success.

Spencer turns 26!

2011-11-09T07:17:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Spencer's birthday over the weekend (a couple different times). On Saturday we tried a place here called Wings Over Ithaca. It claims to have been voted best wings in Ithaca, which we laughed about because how much competition do they have? Well the claims didn't disappoint. I don't even like wings and the place was great. We went a little earlier before the dinner rush so Drew ran around while we covered our fingers in yummy sauces.

On Sunday (Spencer's actual birthday) we got together at the Lewis' home (due to our lack of furniture) to celebrate with friends. We had lots of cookies and tons of icecream to assemble SmartCookie Sandwiches. I didn't get any pictures of the night except Drew and Chet who showed up in the same pajamas.

Happy Birthday Spencer! We love you!

Oxiclean: the stain specialist

2011-11-04T08:34:00.001-04:00

First off, did anyone know that bananas stain clothes? I never would have thought... but when I got some of Drew's clothes out of the dryer and saw some weird brown spots on a couple of the shirts I couldn't figure it out. Was there a marker in there or something? It was weird because they were all only dirty around the neckline (where Drew typically spills his food...) After I discovered that it was bananas I thought about just presoaking the clothes, maybe putting some prewash stuff on it and then washing them again... well that was like 5 washes and 2 months ago...

Drew has just been wearing this shirt with the stains on it like a grungy kid

A neighbor told me that Oxiclean would take banana stains out but she had never used it on clothes that had been washed and dried (multiple times) So I tried it anyway.... and presto...

I'm still kind of shocked at how easy it was and how well it worked. You can't really tell in the picture but the shirt is a cream color. The color didn't change or bleach out at all. So later I tried it on a lot more clothes, and they all look great! I just boiled some water and worked out a little concoction and soaked the clothes. It was weird but it worked. I picture methamphetamine makers looking kind of similar...stirring chemicals in a bowl in their kitchen...

Little Stinker

2011-11-02T21:29:00.001-04:00

For Halloween Drew dressed up as a little Skunk. It was nice and warm and really adorable. Our Branch had a fun party on Friday where the kids ran around and swapped candy. There was a murder mystery being played out with lots of yummy soups and hot chocolate.

Drew really liked putting candy in his little bucket.

Spencer and I kind of had lame costumes. We were bags of trash. I seriously have never seen so many skunks snooping in trash as I have here in Ithaca. I don't even know if I had seen a skunk in real life until we moved here- and now I've seen a lot! Not sure what the means.... lots of people throwing away good leftovers or the fact that we are surrounded by a forest...

On Monday we took Drew out to a few houses. He was kind of uneasy about wearing his skunk hat since sometimes he couldn't see where he was going or where his parents were.

Drew waiting with his cute friends (Rapunzel, Dinosaur and baby Chet was a monkey)

The local fire truck rolled up with flashing lights handing out bracelets for the kids. Our neighbor driving by pulled over her car like a crazy person because she was positive a kid got hit by a car... luckily that wasn't the case...

Boston: Part 4 (Salem)

2011-10-28T13:43:00.001-04:00

I think one of the only things I wanted to do (besides eat everywhere) was go to Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is only a beautiful 30 minute drive north of Boston. Before we got Salem though we stopped at Crane Beach. It was clean and pretty but it was also rather cold out. Drew finally got use to the idea of sand and was eventually able to walk on it.

and even taste it....

After Crane Beach we drove up to Salem. It was awesome. Of course now it is a full functioning city, so I was thinking it would be more obsessed with the Salem Witch Trials then it was but it was still awesome to see during October. There were a lot of Halloween decorations and this house was really decked out. I'm obviously really excited.

Of course we found another cemetery, and Drew loved it again. Some of headstones said stuff like "Pressed to Death September 1692"AWESOME. The streets were foggy with with the mist coming in off the ocean which made it a perfect day to see the eerie sights in Salem.

Massachusetts was beautiful. It's nice that its pretty close for fun excursions. There's a lot of great cities to see on the East coast and I'm glad we'll have more fall breaks to get out and explore.

Boston: Part 3 (Fenway Park/Cambridge)

2011-10-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

The weather started to turn a little more damp the longer we stayed in Boston. One day we decided we would do indoor things like take a tour of Fenway Park. We're not even Red Sox fans and it was awesome! We got to go to every part of the park with a great tour guide.

Drew liked sitting up in the press box in his own chair.

We were able to go sit on the famous Green Monster.

Here's Spencer trying to contain his excitement!

The same day we went to Fenway Park we were able to go to Cambridge and check out Harvard. While we were checking out Harvard, Harvard was playing Cornell in an Ivy League football duel. I think Cornell ended up losing, but no one really cares. Apparently hockey is the big sport around here.
Harvard was pretty, but wasn't really what I expected. Cambridge is like really close to Boston and is just as busy of a little city! I think we were expecting it to be more like Ithaca, with Cornell set on a beautiful hill overlooking a quiet city. While in Cambridge we took our friends, the Pattersons advice and ate at Mr. Bartley's Burgers. I ordered the "Mitt Romney"- which was divine.

Before heading back to our hotel we stopped at another educational powerhouse- MIT. Unlike BYU every bathroom is not equipped with changing tables for babies. So I ended up changing Drew on a little bench in a hall way. If he ends up ever going to MIT we'll have to take him back and say this is where we changed your dirty diaper... there was a cool sculpture outside that Drew loved running around.

Boston: Part 2 (Freedom Trail)

2011-10-27T23:42:00.000-04:00

We walked a lot in Boston, it was probably good to try and combat the mass amount of calories we ate. We started one of our days by climbing the Bunker Hill Monumen t. I carried the stroller up the 300 stairs which was kind of awkward. My calves were a little shaky after we got down.

After we hydrated we followed the Freedom Trail around Boston. Seriously the freedom trail is the best idea ever. I don't know if other cities have a similar thing (Salem, MA does) but the idea is perfect. You just tell tourist to get on the red brick path and follow it around the city. The freedom trail is about 2.5 miles with nearly 20 historic sites along the way.

The freedom trail took us all sorts of places. The Old North Church where the lanterns were to be hung that go with the famous "One if by land, and two if by sea" which led to Paul Revere's midnight ride. The freedom trail led us to the USS Constitution- the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel.

We hopped off the trail just for a minute to get some delicious cannolis at Mike's Pastry in the North End district of Boston.

the place was busy, and the cannolis were delicious.

The freedom trail led us right to a park downtown that Drew figured was the highlight of the trip.

Boston: Part 1

2011-10-27T23:13:00.001-04:00

Can you tell that I don't have a computer? My computer broke just before we moved here. Spencer on the other hand bought a brand new spanking computer to take to school for important law notes, while I have been stuck with an iPod touch. It's better than nothing, but by the end of a day of searching the web and online window shopping my thumbs are a little sore :) -- which brings me to the reason for the lack of blogging since we have moved here...

Anyway, back to Beantown...

So Spencer's sister Amy joined us for fall break. She flew into Syracuse and was able to spend a few days with us in Ithaca to see our stomping grounds before we made the drive to Boston. It was nice to have her join us for fall break so that we could have some structure to our vacation. When I travel there isn't really much of a plan except where I plan to eat, Amy however knew of a lot of neat places to see and things to do.

Exhibt A.
Me driving while Spencer "studies" and Amy keeps Drew happy in the back seat.

Somehow I got between the house on wheels and the lady that drives behind it with the flashing lights. She was pretty mad about it but I thought it was one of the top 10 moments of the 5 hour drive.

Boston is full of so much history. We spent 5 days there and still didn't get to see everything we wanted to (or eat at every place I wanted to)... (I guess that's our excuse to go back) When we got in to Boston after our drive we first stopped at Lexington Battle Green. This is where the British first fired on the militiamen to begin the American Revolution. Drew had a lot of pent up energy and had fun running around the lawn.

The park is just a little piece of lawn surrounded by beautiful New England homes. It smelled like a delicious garlic dinner when we got there and I told Spencer I could picture myself living right there in the Lexington/Concord area. I found out later the price of some of those homes and maybe will have to live a few other places before we can afford something there...

We walked to a small cemetery where Drew was acting like he had died and gone to heaven.... get it?
He was running around the leaning tombstones and falling every 3 feet from the uneven ground. Some of the headstones dated back to the early 1700's.

This tree had completely grown around about 10 of the tombstones surrounding it.We explored some of the visitors centers around the area then found a little local farmers market that was going on. It had some great pastries, maple syrup and chocolate.

We tried to squeeze in one more thing to visit before we headed back to the hotel, however we were a few minutes too late. The State Park closed and the Park Ranger on duty was seriously starving for conversation. He was a nice guy. He told us about his days at Yellowstone, Lake Powell, and every other state park in between. When Drew started to get a little fussy from standing around for an hour he tried to perk him up with showing him the lights on his cruiser. Didn't really work, but whatever.

Fall Break

2011-10-18T07:51:00.000-04:00

Cornell law school offers a full week off for fall break, so we took advantage of the time before Spencer starts studying for finals already and made a trip out to Boston.

We took a walk Sunday night through Sapsucker woods in Ithaca before we left for Beantown. The colors were so beautiful and the weather was so warm.

We took a lot of pictures while in Boston so we might have to split the trip up over a few posts.
You will probably be able to see our weight gain progession through out the week. get excited.

Drewby

2011-10-07T10:53:00.001-04:00

I haven't posted much about what Drew has been up to lately so here is an update on the little muffin. Drewby has been exploring the world of more freedom. More freedom in eating and more freedom in getting around.

He can't seem to bring enough food on his spoon to his mouth at a time so often he resorts to using his chubby little fists to shovel the food in... I wonder where he's seen that before.....

There's not a lot of food he doesn't like just foods he doesn't eat as fast or as passionately.

Last week at a surprise birthday party for a friend Drew was being very quiet in the kitchen. I caught him a little too late after he had gotten into the chocolate cake. Lindsey quickly snapped some pictures...

He has adjusted pretty well with our move to Ithaca, although his sleeping is still a little off. Hopefully that sorts it self out in time. It's hard to let a baby cry through the night (I have no problem with it cause I can sleep right through it) But I am referring to the neighbors upstairs, I'm sure they are hoping Drew gets better at sleeping more than we are.

Drew loves playing outside. Yesterday we went outside and Drew pushed random toys around the parking lot. He has gotten very stable in his running and walking because he tries to keep up with the bigger kids in the neighborhood. Which has resulted in even perfecting his dance moves.

The leaves are starting to change and we are beginning to

witness what everyone told us about Upstate New York in the Fall. The weather has been nice, the colors are beautiful and there are tons of apples EVERYWHERE.

We are happy.

Life is good.

It feels good to say that.

the deed is done...

2011-09-28T11:03:00.000-04:00

Well, I said I was going to cut my own bangs again... Prior to moving to Ithaca I thought my celebrity-look-alike was Demi Moore-- but after moving here I've heard Zooey Deschanel? So as I googled the name and images popped up one thing lead to another and I decided to give my bangs a chop... It's just hair but I'm still kind of freaking out and getting use to what I see in the mirror.

So what's the verdict?

Ithacans Hike Gorges

2011-09-26T22:14:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we enjoyed the warm weather and explored some of the gorges and waterfalls around Ithaca. The leaves are just starting to change so the scenery was really beautiful. We hiked up Buttermilk falls with the MacLennans. The babies that were strapped in to contraptions did great. Graham did great too throwing rocks and sticks into the water.

It was a lot steeper than I was expecting and my calves are still a little sore.

We had barely gotten back to our apartment when some more neighbors (Robbins/DeGroots) were heading out on another hike to Taughannock Falls. It was a little more flat than our earlier excursion and had a whole different type of scenery going on. It was nice to explore these parks before the weather turns too cold to leave the house.

Drew's hair got a little damp as we got close to the waterfall which really showed off his luscious locks.

There's not much there but it's a start...

Hair

2011-09-22T19:11:00.000-04:00

If you already didn't know about my huge white streak you can read about it HERE. Minus the cowlick, the whitestreak and widows peek I guess my hair is ok. But being on a student budget you find cheap ways to color and cut your hair. and no matter how many times I ruin my hair, I seem to always find a way to ruin it again a few months later. Has anyone noticed how I've had my bangs twisted and pinned for family pictures the last couple months? well that would be because I cut my own bangs. Now that they've grown out I'm thinking of trimming them again... we'll see how they turn out.
Moral of the story: don't cut your own hair before family pictures (or ever)

Long Weekend

2011-09-09T13:56:00.000-04:00

My parents made the 16 hour drive north from Atlanta with a car full of furniture. Two weeks in and we already had our first visitors- at this rate we will have some 70 visitors over the next 3 years --you better schedule your weekend now. Lucky for us they brought dressers so we were finally able to take our clothes off the floor and out of the suitcases. I can't wait to see what the next two weeks bring- we might even manage to get a couch or a television.

Even though they were here for a short time we managed to jam in a lot of things. We went to the Ithaca Farmers Market in 100% humidity. My upper lip had permasweat. G-lo (Grandma Loraine) got right into the spirit of things walking from vendor to vendor buying fresh fruits and vegetables. We went the first week we lived here and enjoyed the light breeze off of Cayuga Lake, this time it felt like we had been swimming in the lake. We ate all the purchases on Sunday in a delicious vegetable medley.

After spending some time at the Farmers Market we went over to Wegmans to cool off and eat some lunch. Wegmans is a grocery store that has a legit cafeteria in it. It has great sushi, a huge variety of hummus, and plenty of warm entrees served buffet style. I'm starting to see why people here are obsessed with Wegmans, or affectionately referred to as "Weggies"


Just getting refreshed with some W-UP I told you I was sweating at the Farmers Market.

After church on Sunday we explored the 800 acres of Cornell campus. Spencer showed off the beautiful historical architecture of the law school and some of his classrooms. As we were walking under stone archways the bell tower hit 6:00pm and "Hedwig's Theme" from Harry Potter rang out across campus. Who needs to visit Harry Potter World when you can just come see Ithaca?

Drew's favorite part of the day was getting his face lovingly shoved into the trees by Spencer.

After a great weekend and a lot of help sprucing up our place they left early Monday morning to make the trek home. The three of us headed the other direction to Syracuse in torrential downpour. The mall was huge (and really busy), Syracuse University was cool, and Dinosaur BBQ was amazing. We opted to get our BBQ to-go since Drew was passed out in the back seat. We didn't exactly get to enjoy the whole atmosphere part of the restaurant, which actually is a great excuse for us to go back.

Good Decisions

2011-08-31T10:55:00.000-04:00

Let me expand on the last post...

After a lot of praying, thinking, waiting, more praying, we finally decided on a law school. I of course was hoping for schools more within driving distance from my parents- i.e. Duke. Spencer really wanted to attend a school that would play BYU in football- i.e. Notre Dame. So after a lot of praying, a decision was made- Cornell.

Our apartment we found on Craigslist. We didn't have any extra funds to come out to Ithaca and decide on something so we did a lot of internet searching and researching through friends and alumni. We chose our place basically because it was the cheapest place around, but now we are finding little gems associated with that. Lots of LDS families (seriously like Wymount for Ithaca) It's also pretty close to campus and parks and shopping as well. Drew has lots of "friends" that have even asked for him to come out and play. I think some of the girls in the neighborhood think I am about 16. They knocked on the door and asked me to hold their jump rope. Later when I told them I had to go start making dinner they couldn't fathom the thought that I was the mom in the apartment.

Now for the car. We left the good ol' Corolla in Provo. Probably the place it will eventually die. But as for now my younger brother Nathan is driving around P-town wooing girls and taking them out on dates. That was the best little car I've ever driven (its the only car I've ever driven actually) We did the final cleaning and reminisced on all the many miles we put on it and the places we had been.

Spencer in a majestic shot on the banks of the Mississippi River (Please note the missing hubcap)

We weren't exactly sure how far it would make it on our joinery to Ithaca so instead we did something completely crazy and bought a brand new Honda Accord. We flew to Atlanta to cut out about 20 hours of driving and made the decision there. My family headed south to the beach, and we headed north for New York. About 3 hours into the drive I decided we were glad we went we the leather interior after I spilled soda on the passenger seat.

Spencer and Drew at the dealership the morning the car got off the truck.

And finally, here is drew in his new carseat. I use to have to hand him snacks as bribery while I wrangled his arms through the straps of his old seat. Now he goes in his seat without a problem, often falling asleep on even the shortest drives.

I might never get around to explaining some of the bad decisions on the last post. Basically when U-haul says that you have up to 2000lbs in a 5x8 box, you actually have about 1300 lbs because the box it self is included in the weight. So we ended up taking out a lot of stuff and selling basically everything we own. (Still have no couch or table or dressers or tv or desk or shelves) Also, the stuff you do actually ship better not be considered fragile (which includes Tupperware bins) because everything was crushed, shattered, and broken when we received it. which was another thing, the guy that delivers the U-box was out of town for two weeks. So we could have waited for him to get back or instead pay to rent a truck move everything out of the box, into the truck, drive the truck to our apartment then unload it again. Can you tell I am working on a nice long letter to send to U-haul? Maybe after we get some sort of compensation U-haul will turn out to be a good decision.

Decisions, Decisions.

2011-08-22T10:50:00.005-04:00

We’ve made a couple of big decisions lately.

I’ve broken them down into two categories.

GOOD

- Spencer decided on a Law School- Cornell University

- We chose our apartment on Craigslist, it turned out to be pretty good

- We bought a brand new car with 7 miles on it. (Still kind of freaking out)

- Drew got a new car seat which he loves about 100x more than his other one.

BAD

- I ate an entire bag of Fritos one day in the car.

- Later that same night we ate hotdogs labeled 2 for 99cents from a gas station.

- We used a U-Box to ship our stuff. Its official we hate U-haul.

We’re in our new apartment, without internet- (Currently posting from a wi-fi café)

Hopefully we’ll be able to fill everyone in later on some other recent events.

i.e. understanding the shirts “Ithaca is Gorges”, fruit picking, the farmers market, Wegmans etc.

We are exploring Ithaca and enjoying the gorgeous scenery. Cornell has a beautiful campus, and a great Law school. We are excited for this new adventure and the next three years of our lives here.

July

2011-08-02T14:13:00.000-04:00

July just flew by and we only have a short while left in Provo (more on our official decision later)

We have done a lot of fun things during the last couple of weeks that I thought I would document.

We went to Spanish Fork Canyon where Spencer's cousins live and went on their annual Slip n' Slide.

BEST DAY EVER.

I seriously could not stop smiling. Drew on the other hand tried it two times and hated it.

We were reminded of our fun every time we got out of bed in the morning for almost a week after.

Last week we spent a few days with Spencer's family down at a cabin near Beaver, Utah.
We played on a zipline, had a huge fooseball tournament, went biking, swimming, hiking, watched movies and ate like kings.

We enjoyed the cool weather and spotting the wildlife.

Our most recent event was taking some Orton family pictures before we head out of town.

These are a couple we took after the photographer left.

1st Year

2011-07-12T23:51:00.000-04:00

We are still struggling without internet, so new blog posts have been few and far between. I'm not sure if I will get around to posting about our vacation to California, 4th of July, and other events, but I had to post about Drew's birthday.

July 12, 2010 at 9:54am Drew Draper Orton joined our family.

Weighing in at a little over 5lbs, Drew has managed to gain nearly 20lbs this year.

He is happy, curious, and a very good boy that loves eating and sleeping.

We have been celebrating Drew's birthday since Saturday complete with a party with carnival food and games in the backyard.

Drew loved staying up late, the new foods he tried, and all the attention he received.

We still have the snow cone machine and have been enjoying late night snacks.

Happy Birthday little Drew WE LOVE YOU!

My Lil' Vampire

2011-06-15T20:33:00.000-04:00

We recently returned from a wonderful vacation in California [more on that later]

One of the many pictures taken while on the trip exhibited Drew's little fangs.

Maybe we should have named him Edward.

When we were there his cousins said that Drew was growing wrong.

He got the wrong teeth first and he isn't growing hair, they have a point.

Cake

2011-05-31T13:53:00.001-04:00

Look what we found in the dark depths of Grammy Orton's freezer...

Look familiar?

We were only a few years late and it was surprisingly moist and delicious.

However, the same doesn't apply for the chicken we found marked 8/25/1999.

Yesterday

2011-05-23T12:03:00.000-04:00

We celebrated two years yesterday.

Drew loved crawling around and playing with the balloons and flowers on the graves.

It was his first time being awake while visiting the cemetery.

Quick Update

2011-05-13T21:36:00.000-04:00

These are a couple pictures taken by my friend Becca at my cousin Chandra's wedding last weekend.

Isn't Drew cute?

We've been really busy the last 7 days with moving, weddings, school, and watching Wheel of Fortune.

We currently don't have internet, so I will have to fill in the details at a later date...

Spring

2011-05-02T00:51:00.002-04:00

Spring term started out a lot cooler than I anticipated. I pictured myself wearing shorts and sandals, maybe even getting a tan on my walks to school. But instead the dark cloudy skies brought snow, soaking my feet and starting the semester off with a downer.

I'm taking Management Communications as my Advanced Written & Oral Communication credit, and so far I really like the class. One of our assignments is to blog two times a week about anything we want. The only requirement is that it is 150 words long, and both posts are written by 11:57pm Sunday evening (Thus the late night blogging tonight)

This is my first time ever going to school for Spring term. I've been making a list of pros and cons in my head each day while I walk home. Both sides of the list are pretty even. However, the one thing that overpowers the con side of the list would be the increase in BYU visitors. This includes both the pretentious teens visiting for EFY, which always seem to holler obnoxious things all hours of the day for nearly every week of the summer as well as the masses of women that fill campus during Women’s Conference.

We technically live on campus so during any event that goes on at BYU we are trapped until the traffic subsides. Last week while driving pass campus, I nearly hit two separate women at different intersections. People that are crossing the street without looking or going at the wrong time. These are women on a mission, and nothing will come between them and their spiritual workshops.

So as the summer begins, and campus swells with visitors, I will be attending school and most likely have more interesting encounters with tourists that I will be sure to blog about.

Graduation*

2011-04-27T15:29:00.000-04:00

One of the most anticipated days of the year has come and gone. We had lots of family in town and enjoyed every minute playing games, eating, and catching up. It was nice that graduation coincided with Easter weekend, so that we could celebrate the holiday with family that was visiting.

We were able to get all three graduates (Me, Mike and Spencer) all to walk in one convocation instead of walking separately throughout the day. We chose the Marriott Business School and walked with Mike's graduating class. I love this picture because it shows all three of us on the stage at the same time. I couldn't even hear my name being read, I just kept walking thinking, "Don't fall, don't fall!"

Note the asterisk on graduation. I still have one more class to take. My very last English class, which I am currently enrolled in and only have to attend 13 more times, but who's counting?

Windy City

2011-04-18T11:31:00.004-04:00

-We spent our reading days on a vacation instead of studying for finals.
-We visited 3 different schools while we were out there.
-We thought it was too bad we aren't considering schools in Aruba and had to take a trip out there :)
-We ate some deep dish pizza (and Chicago style hotdogs) and walked it off later exploring the city on foot.
-We saw some nice campuses and realized how small BYU's campus is.
-We put 600 miles on our rental car.

-Still haven't made a decision though.

Senioritis

2011-04-12T01:02:00.003-04:00

You know you have senioritis when you never open your backpack between the hours of 4:00pm and 9:00am. However, the end is drawing near and my list of graduation gifts is ever increasing. I don't know why that is, because Spencer said my graduation gift was also my Christmas-Birthday-Valentines-Anniversary gift (Remember when I lost this?)

Oh well, I can still dream...

I thought this would be perfect for the summer.

One of these would be fun.

I would love to have this camera.

And while I'm dreaming I might as well toss one of these in as a wishful graduation gift...

Maybe I'll have to have a couple more graduations in the future for me to accumulate my worldly desires. Graduate school? Ph.D Programs?

thessminnow

2011-03-30T09:43:00.000-04:00

Some people have asked me why this blog is called The SS Minnow...
Well isn't it obvious that I love Gilligan's Island?

Actually there was a time back in late 2005 when cousins and family members of mine were starting up blogs. They were Salmon's (my former last name) so naturally the witty titles had things to do with fish.

http://www.asalmontale.blogspot.com/
http://www.catchoftheday.blogspot.com/
http://www.sumtinfishy.blogspot.com/
http://www.cannedsalmon.blogspot.com/

So oddly enough I came up with The SS Minnow.

The SS part was to stand for Sara Salmon, and minnow- a small fish...
(I was 17 at the time, I was just a little fish then).

When marriage looked like a possiblitiy in my life I knew I had to choose someone with a name that started with S. Luckily Spencer fit the bill. So we are still The SS Minnow.

So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this "3-hour tour" on the naming of this blog.

Lesson #1

2011-03-25T23:05:00.003-04:00

Today I got a charley horse during my 20 minute presentation about the Crandall Historical Printing Museum. That's what you get for standing on your tippy-toes and flexing your calves at the same time.

try it.

lesson learned.

Breakthrough

2011-03-10T18:12:00.002-05:00

We had a major breakthrough about two weeks ago...

Drew's bottom teeth popped through without a fuss, just plenty of drool. He has really perfected his rolling and scooting which has turned him into one solid muscle that loves to play and eat.

We are right in the thick of things with school, tests, and homework assignments. My mouth is full of canker sores and my left eye has been twitching for 6 days. From what I've researched both symptoms can be attributed to stress, which is interesting because I don't feel very stressed. Spencer and I are both suffering from severe Senioritis and are anxiously awaiting graduation.

Last week I walked home 1.5 miles, uphill, in the rain.Just as I approached our apartment a $1 dollar bill floated by. I love stuff like that. I haven't decided what to do with the smelly soaked moccasins outside our door. They are most likely headed for the trash. But now I have $1 toward my next pair.

In other news we are thoroughly enjoying all the Jimmermania on campus and love this time of year with plenty of college basketball games to watch. My very talented and thoughtful cousin sent me a little something for my birthday last week which I quickly stuck on the back of our car. It has brought a lot of attention and friendly honks (at least I think they are friendly...)

Hydronephrosis

2011-02-17T13:52:00.001-05:00

Last Tuesday Drew had his first BDO. (Big Day Out) Somewhat similar to the ones I use to have.
We have known about Drew's Hydronephrosis since he and I were just this big...

Technically it is known as Antenatal Hydronephrosis, since he was diagnosed during a prenatal ultrasound. Hydronephrosis is a dilation of the kidney(s) that may eventually cause stretching and damage to surrounding organs. Hydronephrosis effects about 2% of babies, most of them being boys. Considering his family history with me having kidney cancer, and my dad having kidney stones I can't say that I was surprised. Drew has had 3 ultrasounds since his big debut in July and has been on an antibiotic to prevent a kidney infection since he was 2 months old. His 6 month ultrasound determined that there was still a slight dilation in the left kidney so we packed our bags and drove up to Primary Children's for further testing.

After checking in the little muffin had sandbags placed on his arms and legs while they inserted a catheter and IV. Spencer and I sat there while he stared at us with an evil glare as if to say, "Why aren't you helping me?!" After the contrast was flushed through the IV Drew had to remain still for 45 minutes, this procedure is known as a Renal Scan. The contrast dye is monitored with a machine that can see the kidneys filtering it through. He did great.

After the Renal Scan was complete we walked to a different part of the hospital for the Voiding Cystourethrogram (VCUG) which would put the catheter to use. The bladder is filled with a solution through the catheter while images are taken with an x-ray-esque machine. Once the bladder is full, images are taken as the bladder is emptied. This part seemed to be the most difficult part of the day. Drew's bladder muscles proved that we won't have problem with potty training.

The tech tried all the tricks he knew- heat lamps, warm water dumped all over Drew, pressure to his bladder, etc. As the doctor walked in the room Drew let loose and sprayed the equipment and the Radiologist. We got the pictures needed and were able to visit with the Pediatric Urologist later in the day. The results showed no need for a surgery or further antibiotics. We will repeat the test in a years time and hope that any dilation of the kidney or ureter has resolved.

Provo, Utah, USA

2011-02-16T10:04:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Drew and I went on a 2-hour walk exploring the area we have lived in for over a year and a half.

We made our way up to Rock Canyon and enjoyed the views of Provo.

The weather was absolutley perfect.
On the way home the smells of homemade bread and other baked goods filled the air.
Every few houses we passed had hymns being played on the piano.
Provo, Utah is a little gem of the USA.
I think I will be sad to leave.

V-day

2011-02-14T12:21:00.000-05:00

Today Drew and I are competing for the same Valentine...

I think that face has got me beat. His double chin is actually cute.

TP Phantom

2011-01-31T12:48:00.001-05:00

The two evenings following the last post we had a little knock at the door and voila...

night 1

night 2

Thank you TP phantom.

The gas in our car was also miraculously filled up... by Spencer that is (which is still miraculous)

Frank.

2011-01-27T14:44:00.003-05:00

I'm just going to be honest.

This month we have only used one tank of gas. The light is on, but I am trying to hold out till February 1st to fill it up. We're also out of toilet paper, but I won't wait till February to make that purchase.

We walk to and from school so the car stays in our parking stall most days. Sometimes when I walk outside in the morning I think that somehow miraculously our '97 Corolla will be swapped with a new one. It hasn't happened yet.

Along the lines of wishful thinking, the other day I thought that if every student at BYU gave me just $1.00 then I would be approximately $30,000 richer. Still working on how to pull that one off, since there are plenty of greater causes that need donations.

We almost had a crisis this week. Drew (or should I say his parents) lost Sophie. He absolutely loves the giraffe that his Aunt Stacey gave him. Luckily, Great Aunt Carol pulled through and found it.

This semester I am taking 16 credits, but somehow it seems like a lot more than that. My statistics class is a killer. If you are not 10 minutes early you will end up on the floor. Considering I struggle to even be on time I have only sat in a chair one time.

I also am taking a Travel & Tourism class which is a requirement for my major. I really really like it. But the teacher is missing a finger and when he starts talking with his hands I lose focus. He is from rural Idaho, so missing only one finger is actually quite impressive.

We are in love with sugar-free Jell-o. So far we have enjoyed every flavor we have tried. But I'm sure you all know what they say about sugar free foods... one word: GAS.

Drew had his 6 month appointment a few weeks ago and is doing great. He is completely caught up on weight and height and is in the 70th percentile for both, if that means anything to anyone. He has a high-pitched piercing squeal and is exploring flavors beyond formula.

Every so often I think, "I am so glad we named Drew, Drew." Lately it has been because it rhymes with so many things. Which is a decent reason I suppose. The boy loves music so when I break out in song with my chalkboard-scratching pipes I rhyme every song to his name.
Can't Help Falling in Love With Drew- Elvis Presley/Michael Buble (both versions are great)
I Will Always Love Drew- Whitney Houston
Without Drew- Mariah Carey

In other news, we are working hard to graduate in April, and hope to decide soon on where we will be spending the next few years while at Law School. We will be sure to keep you all posted.

Karma

2011-01-18T14:43:00.000-05:00

Spencer and I went on our first date 3 years ago today.

We went to the Nickelcade. An arcade featuring plenty of games for only a few nickles. Spencer lost his contact and spent over $20.00 in arcade games. I was in heaven. We ended the night by trading in our tickets for cheap paper Asian fans that lasted maybe 40 seconds. Since then the Nickelcade has closed down, so even if we wanted to go back and reinact this picture, it wouldn't be possible.

We had a second date a short while later where we attended a choir concert at the Provo Tabernacle to see our friend Eric. He was singing with the BYU Men's Chorus. Spencer claims I flirted with Eric from over 100 feet away. Now that is talent. We haven't been to a choir concert since.

In the early hours of December 17, 2010 the Provo Tabernacle was consumed by flames. The historic landmark lost the roof, stain glass windows, the organ and everything else inside. We have always loved going to the Provo Tabernacle for our stake conference and other events.

I'm hoping that the closure and destruction of these two buildings isn't suppose to mean anything about our future...

GQ Model

2011-01-13T08:58:00.000-05:00

I had to click through GQ's Most Powerful Bald Men a couple times before I realized Drew wasn't on the list. I couldn't believe it. He has the power to wake up a house of sleeping people at any hour of the night. He has the power to captivate a room with his charming smile. He has the power to destroy clothes with a single bowel movement. Maybe next year my little baldy.

Spot the Difference

2011-01-05T09:42:00.002-05:00

I used to love doing these little things...

I also used to have a diamond in my ring.

- Somewhere out there a diamond is literally in the rough.

- The whole entire setting, prongs and all fell off.

- The ring wasn't insured, and I have no idea where, when or how it happened.

- Many tears and hours spent looking haven't helped the cause.

- Spencer said he doesn't see any new diamonds in my future.

- And that is all I have to say about that.

New Year, New Do.

2011-01-03T09:29:00.001-05:00

I kind of had the Stacy London look going on. My white streak that has plagued me since the age of 12 had never been so long. It was plenty overdue for a color.

The length was something else that was bothering me. We would find hair EVERYWHERE. and I mean, EVERYWHERE. Places I can't even write on the World Wide Web. (I bet your minds are really turning now)

Nearly 6 months post-partum and I find enough hair everyday to make a wig for a Barbie doll (if such a thing even existed)

Drew could also get a really good handful of it which wasn't helping my ever balding head. He might have some hair jealousy issues we will have to work out.

So I took the plunge and got the mom chop...

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T22:31:00.006-05:00

Who needs Santa, when you have Grandma?

Enjoying the Christmas tree lights.

Bouncing in cousin Jake's Jolly Jumper.

Spencer and I got a kitten for Christmas. Actually, just a baby that sounded like one. Drew's purring and fever were a little too much for this first time mom to handle so we headed down to the Children's Hospital of Atlanta. They slapped two stickers on his PJ's, a bracelet on his wrist and had him assessed in no time. A nasal vacuum, breathing treatment, and x-ray later diagnosed the little fella with Croup in the upper airway, Bronchiolitis further down, and a little bit of Pneumonia in the right lung. The doctor called him a "Happy Wheezer" since he couldn't stop smiling at all the new faces. A few days of antibiotics and Drew is almost back to his old self... Just in time to get on a germ filled airplane again.

bada bing bada boom.

2010-12-19T22:07:00.002-05:00

2 years now, and still going strong. It's fun to look back at our wedding pictures and remember that special [snowy] day.
(As well as reminisce about skinnier times.)
Now we can add pictures of little Drew to our collection.
We have been so blessed in two short years.

Happy Anniversary Spencer. Love you.

My Final Final.

2010-12-17T22:17:00.001-05:00

I told Spencer to look for me in the testing center via THIS site.
There I am. About to go take my last final of 2010.
Now we are done and thoroughly enjoying our Christmas break thus far.
One more semester to go.

Family Resemblance

2010-12-09T23:26:00.003-05:00

Everyone knows that Drew and Spencer are spitting images of each other

But looking through some pictures today made me realize where he gets that sassy tongue...

CCC.

2010-12-06T19:10:00.002-05:00

Christmas Card Commotion.

I have always loved getting Christmas cards and family letters during the holiday season. It is fun to see how families have changed and grown. I think I have to get a little bit older, or expand my amount of friends before I get enough to cover my fridge. My mom sets the cards up along the mantle over the fire place, and I've seen others string them across the room on a piece of twine.

I love the cards and stationary offered by Shutterfly this season.

(like this one, this one and this one... oh and this one)

Notice how all of them have multiple spaces for pictures because I can never choose just one.

For example, Drew's birth announcment that may have graced your refigerator at one time. I told you I couldn't choose just one picture.

We also got our wedding book there, which unfortunately was only signed by guests at one reception... but that is a story for another day.

Now, can you say "LINK OVERLOAD!" ?

Well here is just one more for you.

CLICK HERE

Here's an opportunity for you to blog about Shutterfly...

and recieve 50 FREE Christmas cards.

You can't beat free.

Thanks

2010-11-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

Drew (literally) drooled over our Thanksgiving Dinner. Everything was great. Including the two dishes I brought, if I do say so myself. (Aunt Diane always has the BEST recipes) We were too busy relaxing (if that makes sense) to even pull out the camera. So the only pictures I got were weird low quality random pictures from my phone.

Grocery store, day before Thanksgiving.

Drooly Drew showing off his smile.

It's fun for Drew to be the only grandson on the Orton side. He gets lots of attention from his aunts and uncles.

Wal-mart 12:01am Black Friday. Chaos.

Trying to keep our little Baldy warm.

Storms a-Brewin'

2010-11-23T18:51:00.003-05:00

I got a text today from University Communications that read, "This is a Y-Alert: a major blizzard warning has been issued by the National Weather Service. Because of the severity of this expected storm, BYU will close campus at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010. All classes should be canceled after this time." AWESOME. An early start to Thanksgiving vacation. Spencer keeps saying things like "storms a-brewin'" and "the Blizzard of 2010" (said like twenty-ten). He is trying to make me nervous, and it is working. Hopefully everything is just fine, but if we happen to lose electricity Drew will be sporting his sherpa lined snowsuit.

Reminds me of Randy off of A Christmas Story. Now I just have to make sure Spencer doesn't lick any light posts during this cold spell.

Fresh.

2010-11-18T18:54:00.001-05:00

Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings I walk to school. (Tuesday/Thursday I drive to insure quicker access to Drew) It just so happens that from where we live and where campus is, I have the opportunity to walk through the dorms.

It is usually my favorite part of the walk. Often alarm clocks are heard going off as I approach and pass the buildings- which mean either the dorm is empty, or there are some heavy-sleeping freshmen inside. Freshmen girls emerge from the buildings with perfect ringlets in their hair, pounds of makeup, TOMS or UGGS gracing their feet, and enough perfume to make my nose hairs curl.

The morning conversation is always humorous to listen to. Topics include writing on people’s cars, staying up late to finish homework, and my most favorite, using enough NyQuil to get a buzz. Cool. I started to cut through a few buildings and take a different route a few weeks ago. And I am ever so happy that I did. A white board, propped in the window of a particular building has a different saying written out every day when I walk by. What a little treat... things like...

You can’t be late until you show up.

Friends help you move… real friends help you move bodies.

Energizer Bunny arrested — charged with battery.

Whoever said nothing was impossible, has obviously never tried slamming a revolving door.

Stealing ideas from one is plagarism, but stealing ideas from many is research.

If you choke a smurf, what color does it turn?
If the grass is greener on the other side, you can bet the water bill is higher.

*The President Obama surfing bobblehead also adds some nice ambiance.

4 Months

2010-11-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

Our little muffin is 4 months old today.

Time sure flies when you're having fun.

Twins

2010-11-08T13:40:00.002-05:00

Sometimes my boys dress like twins...

Now if only I could convince Spencer to shave off his head and eyebrows...

Spencer turned a quarter-of-a-century on Saturday.

We celebrated with football games, food, food, and more food.

Happy Birthday Spence. We love you.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-05T16:02:00.004-04:00

Drew was a skeleton

This chunker is anything but skin and bones

We were dice.

Not the most baby friendly costume.

I think we were inspired by our recent

Las Vegas vacation.

We had a lot of fun and at the end of the night had to pry this candy from Drew's hands.
Maybe next year little buddy.

Deep Thoughts.

2010-10-28T18:23:00.001-04:00

Never make a sandwich with mustard on it before you have to go somewhere important. You will end up with mustard on your shirt.

Global Warming does not exist in Utah. Snow in October? Really Al Gore?

Refrain from falling asleep in class (or other public places) because you will most likely wake up passing gas. People around you will act oblivious. But they know what just happened.

If you think a test takes 30 minutes, give yourself an hour. They turn the lights off in the testing center at 10:00pm on the dot.

Facebook stalking in public places is never a good idea. You might be stalking the person sitting next to you.

Tony's Frozen Pizza's taste better at 9:00pm than they do at 3:00pm. But no matter what time you eat it, there are still 1232 calories in it.

Sometimes doing laundry at a laundromat is nice. You can do six loads of laundry in the same time it takes you to do one.

It's a Buffet

2010-10-27T11:05:00.001-04:00

We spent the weekend in Vegas meeting up with my parents who were there for one of my dad's work conventions, Aaron and Stacey drove over from L.A. and we drove down with Mike. 3/5 siblings were there. Nathan was there too, but on his mission, so we didn't happen to run in to him. We were finally able to meet our new nephew Reid. (Who I don't even happen to have a picture of)

Dahl and Ty with Draw. Right verb. Wrong conjugation.

They got it right by the time the weekend was over.

The weather was great, especially compared to today in Utah. (SNOW) We walked The Strip and saw enough skin and smelled enough smoke to last us till our next trip to Las Vegas.

Enjoying the Venetian Canal Shops.

We visited Hoover Dam and saw the impressive bridge that now makes driving across the dam obsolete. The bridge opened on October, 19th so we enjoyed being some of the first people to walk across it.

Drew has now been to Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and of course Utah.
Not too shabby for 3 months old.

Standing on the NEW dam bridge. (dam jokes are fun)

One of my favorite moments was when Dahl dropped his fork on the ground while we were at a buffet. He looked at his dad and said, "Oops, sorry." Then Aaron looked at him and said "It's ok, it's a buffet" Then for the rest of the night when anything fell or got knocked over Dahl was sure to say, "It's a buffet. At a buffet you can do whatever you want..."

We had a fun time getting away from school and now have Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to.

More pictures can be seen here.

The Latest

2010-10-19T23:02:00.002-04:00

(Drew thoroughly enjoying the fall colors on our walk home from school)

Last week I met with my academic advisor. If I take 16 credits next semester and two classes online for a grand total of 22 credits then I can walk in April. If not I can just take 16 credits, and the other 6 credits during spring semester and be done in June. Considering the max amount of credits I ever took pre-baby was 14 a semester- I am just plain crazy.

My classes are enjoyable and I really love all the things I am learning especially now that I am into the classes for my major (besides the stats class I still have to take.) Every Tuesday in one of my classes we turn in a 1 page paper on a certain topic our teacher assigns. We drop it on the front table as we walk in, where our professor sorts through them and chooses 3 or so interesting ones. Those students go up and summarize their paper for the class. (Hopefully you are still following.) I am always on edge when he calls out the names, hoping that my paper doesn't qualify as greatness in order for me to avoid going up. Today he called out two names (which have slipped my mind) and on the third name he said "Jimmer" but he didn't say Jimmer. He said Himmer. Like with a Spanish accent, like one would say Jose or something. I just started laughing and thought "HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO JIMMER FREDETTE IS?" By the way, he had a great paper, if I do say so myself.

Today I was smelling onions everywhere I went. Particularly every time I would pull something out of my backpack. Later I found a little piece of onion between the pages of my U.S. Geography textbook. Spencer was obviously doing some serious Iron Chef moves last night while he was choppin'.

It's been hard to find time to exercise when extra minutes are spent writing papers or reading textbooks (or posting on this blog apparently). And even when I do exercise I am so ridiculously sore for numerous days after that there is no point. Studies have shown that bedrest can be more destructive than beneficial. Studies have also shown that hindsight is 20/20. I have been informed that being on bedrest for an extended amount of time deteriorates bone density, excels muscle loss and can result in lots of joints out of place. I feel it. I am like a 93 year old with achey hips and knees. All of this isn't helping with my weight loss endeavors. Neither are the treats our neighbor left when we were "Boo-ed" last night.

The Halloween season is upon us and I have yet to figure out costumes. So unlike me, considering Halloween is one of my most favorite times of the year. Spencer doesn't appreciate Halloween like I do, so maybe that is why there is such a lack of festivities going on in our household. Spencer has finished up with his Law School applications which is exciting and nerve wracking. It will be fun to find out where we will be this time next year.

Drew has been rolling a smidgen more here and there. He loves being on his stomach, so instead of toppling to one side or the other he lays his head down and falls asleep... But hey, I'm not complaining. He keeps his hands pretty tightfisted (which might be a sign of stinginess in his future) so tight, that when they finally do separate there is sometimes little pieces of lint in there. But he's a baby so it is cute. I can't imagine some full grown human having clammy hands and lint between their fingers.

TGIF

2010-10-08T16:24:00.003-04:00

I am finished with classes for the day and lets just say Thank Goodness It's Friday. Midterms are [mostly] over, and I am finishing up a couple papers and projects here and there. I have 3 classes back to back MWF mornings- afternoons are spent watching Drew, homework, and cleaning our perma-messy apartment. To explain some of the craziness that has been going on, here are some events from this morning alone...
- I wore my t-shirt backwards today. (At least I kept my jacket on the whole time)
- I could smell poop sitting in my first class, later I found out it was on my finger from changing Drew right before I left. (Well, I think it was from Drew)
- I grabbed my notebook out of my backpack and somehow a feminine product came flying out too. Landing at the foot of a boy sitting 3 feet from me. Awkward.

So lets just say TGIF.

In other news, my motto lately has been "C's get degrees." Of course I am aiming for A's but if I happen to get a C on a test that I managed to find 15 minutes to study for, then it's not the end of the world. Because in the long run C's get degrees, and I will still have my diploma that I will eventually enlarge to poster-size, frame, and hang in every room of our house.

Also, we've been testing the waters lately and branching out to other brands of diapers, but we have learned the hard way that NOT ALL DIAPERS ARE CREATED EQUALLY. Without going into detail- We love Pampers, and I have a lot of laundry to do this afternoon.

Drew is going on 3 months (on the 12th to be exact) and is growing, eating, sleeping and smiling fantastically. We feel so blessed to have him in our lives.

Mobile Uploads: Chapter 3

2010-10-01T00:53:00.005-04:00

[Previous chapters can be seen here and here]
It is that time again. My phone is full of pictures.
I average a lot more pictures a day now that I have something super cute [Drew] always around.

Drew's first picture on a cellphone.

Our little muffin loves to sleep holding his hands up.

Someone stole the sign at the MTC.

Lots of people tell us Drew looks just like Spencer.

I still can't decide.

Snuggled up for a morning walk.

First day of school I tripped on the stairs, scraped my knee and ruined my new pedicure.

Yes, I said first day of school. Awesome.

Drew getting an ultrasound on his kidneys.

I saw the ROTC walking down the street literally singing

"I dont know but I've been told."

(Maybe I should have taken some video instead of a picture?)

170 hours to build. 21,367 LEGO bricks.

Guess who is in my class?
There is a hint here, here, and here.

Can you say DREAM COME TRUE?

Drew showing off his snazzy church clothes.

His latest trick.

As Seen On TV

2010-09-22T16:10:00.004-04:00

I've been watching a lot of informercials lately- you know the commericials that typically air between the hours of 1:00am-5:00am when most people are sleeping.
Somethings I kind of want:

The FLEX BELT. Electric situps for lazy people.

WEN HAIRCARE. The Ultimate shampoo for body and shine.

Bowflex TREADCLIMBER. Burns calories in 1/2 the time a treadmill does.

One product that I already have... the ZUMBA dvds.

I love it. The workouts are fun and exciting.

The only problem with Zumba is the catchy Latin music makes me want to eat Mexican food after my workouts...

Bald is Beautiful

2010-09-14T14:48:00.002-04:00

A void of posting can mean a couple things...(boring life, no computer...etc.) but in our case it is due to a lack of time. I have courageously (and regrettably) taken on 18 credits this semester with a newborn in tow. I always said I wouldn't be one of those girls. you know the awkward ones pushing the stroller on campus... but I am. Spencer and I have worked our schedules out perfectly (or near perfect) and are counting down the weeks till graduation. "Back to School" doesn't have the same joys and hype associated with it when doing it with a baby, especially due to the lack of "Back to School clothes" I bought. As in none. Drew however, has enjoyed wearing his BYU booties and really feels like he fits in on campus.

Despite the mass amount of acne and lack of sleep... I am grateful that I will be able to graduate with my bachelors degree from BYU

"It is so important to get all of the education that you can. The Lord has said very plainly that His people are to gain knowledge of countries and kingdoms and of things of the world through the process of education, even by study and by faith." - President Gordon B. Hinckley

If we could just get Drew to sleep a little more than a 3 hour stretch at night than perhaps I wouldn't be so sleepy in my classes. Except for the 'Geography of Utah' class. Staying awake in there is difficult for anyone.

In other news, Drew has finally hit the double digits. He topped the scales at just over 10lbs for his 2 month checkup. He's finally outgrown most of his newborn clothes and is starting to smile a little. His very light blonde hair is starting to grow in on his eyebrows and head.

For Labor Day we visited Hill Airforce Base Museum and Utah's Kennecott Bingham Canyon Copper Mine- as part of an assignment for the aforementioned class. Did you know Kennecott is the world's largest man-made excavation? And also has the longest name ever for a mine? (I made that last fact up)
As you can see we are learning a lot this semester.

A Traveling Man

2010-09-01T11:57:00.002-04:00

Drew and I went to visit family in Georgia for a week, and recently got back.

(Pointing to the plane outside)

a three hour flight, two hour lay over, and another three hour flight (oneway) were rather daunting but Drew slept the entire time. Both ways. And when he was awake, his tiny whimper couldn't be heard over the super loud plane engines.

(Layover in Dallas)

It looks like we will have to look into purchasing a small jet in order to get him to sleep through the night. It was my first time being away from Spencer, and Drew's for that matter- but somehow we still managed to enjoy ourselves during pedicures, shopping, and eating out :)

There was a surprise baby shower thrown while I was out there- which I showed up to in a swimsuit. Awesome.

We have been experiencing technical difficulties at our house, hence the fact all the pictures came from my cellphone and I can't post any pictures of the really cute airplane themed baby shower.
Next vacation: California so Drew can meet his other cousins.

$4,000/lb

2010-08-17T21:48:00.002-04:00

Look what we found on sale in the produce section... 

Hormones

2010-08-06T20:01:00.001-04:00

I may or may not have shed a few tears this morning. (which means I did) And not for a legitimate reason... I don't know what a typical sleeping pattern is for a 3 week old but little D may have his days and nights confused. He will sleep fine if he is being held or for an hour in his crib but once he realizes that someone put him down...
"WAHHHHHHHH".

So between the hours of 4-7 he and I "slept" on the couch. I began to finally doze off around the time that the infomercials begin to shut off (6:30ish) which is also when our apartment started to wreak of gasoline and sound like it was in the middle of a tornado.

Two Words: Grounds Maintenance.

People dressed like something out of Ghostbusters flooded the parking lot, and for a good hour I couldn't hear a thing, let alone go to sleep. I think it was hormones or lack of sleep but it felt like the end of the world to me. Here's to hoping those pesky little fellas don't come back anytime soon..

Especially this one who looked like The Terminator

A Blessed Babe

2010-08-03T19:24:00.002-04:00

It's a good thing there are no weight requirements for blessing a baby.

We blessed this tiny (now 6lb) tyke on Sunday before my mom left.

631 miles away his cousin Reid was blessed on the same day.

Bad Day

2010-07-27T21:08:00.001-04:00

Today was a bad day.

My handicap pass expired.

Our Basket of Love

2010-07-20T14:15:00.004-04:00

I would like to commend all of you out there that post updates shortly after having a child. It is not easy. I find myself using every spare minute to catch up on some Z's.
Hence, I will be brief.

[Our family with the best doctor ever- don't mind my bulbous face, the fluid retention is gone and I actually got my wedding ring on for the first time in 4 months- we celebrate the small milestones in our house]

I didn't exactly have a good look of Drew till perhaps day 3. Days 1 and 2 I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to actually examine each of his cute tiny features. When my hematocrit plummeted to 17 due to blood loss the only option was a blood transfusion or weeks of hibernation, iron pills and constant dizziness. I opted for the blood transfusion. And then another one as well. Two transfusions later I felt like a new woman. (Or man, depending on whom that blood came from) And finally felt like I could physically recover from the c-section.

Drew was born perfectly healthy with a nice set of lungs from all the steroid shots. He had a "blue spell" on our first night there which basically meant he stopped breathing and turned blue. An x-ray determined a large gas bubble in his stomach which must have really been driving him crazy-- to the point he held his breath long enough to turn into a smurf.

We are enjoying having him in our home and are getting use to the demands of a little one. We are so grateful for all the prayers rendered on our tiny family's behalf.

Heaven Sent

2010-07-15T14:53:00.000-04:00

Introducing Baby Drew... 
 July 12th, 2010.
9:54 am.

5lbs 7oz. 18 inches. 

More details to follow if we ever get released from the hospital.

The End is Near

2010-07-09T00:43:00.002-04:00

First off an apology is in order. Is it just me or has this been the longest pregnancy ever? I think the fact that "any day could be the day" has really drawn this thing out. Looking back thinking that 32 weeks was perhaps the end really has made these last couple weeks extra long. So, Sorry about that. But on the flip side can you believe that it is now 37 weeks? That's considered full term. (which I attribute 100% to the power of prayer and a pretty amazing doctor) To celebrate we returned the preemie clothes that we previously had purchased.
Other things that are reminding me the end is near:
- I can barely bend my sausage link fingers for a good 2-3 hours in the morning.
- Blood pressure this week was 148/96.
- My bellybutton is sore.
- I go to the bathroom so often that Spencer has put me on a 5-square toilet paper limit.
- Vomiting has reoccurred, due to the shrinking space of my stomach.
- I dream about him a lot. That MUST mean the end is near.
- Oh, and I'm getting nervous...

Got Ants?

2010-06-30T00:09:00.006-04:00

I eat a lot of Quaker instant oatmeal (in the peaches and cream flavor)

(Now that you have the visual of what a nice warm full bowl looks like...)

This morning I lazily left my bowl on the floor by the couch...

when we got home we found this

Spencer got the ant spray out and got to work. Hopefully it does the trick.

Any other suggestions?

P.S. has anyone seen the new Saab commercial? I love THIS song.

The Latest

2010-06-25T12:04:00.017-04:00

A few weeks ago my doctor said, “If you get to 34 weeks, I will let you do whatever you want.” So you bet your bottom dollar that on the 238^th day of this gestational period I gingerly walked to the mailbox and even wore a pair of maternity pants as oppose to a grandma nightgown. 7 days later I went back to the doctor for a 35 week checkup and a quick manual exam determined that the bulging increased and I was sentenced back to the couch. The short lived week of freedom was just what I need to rejuvenate myself mentally and emotionally to endure the next couple of weeks. The longer this last the less chance of a NICU stay (which of course means less $$$ spent, which is nice considering I have been unemployed for 9 months) -- It also reflects well for future pregnancies.

I've been going to church lately. (Because I finally realized that watching the Music and the Spoken Word didn't count) Before my hometeachers brought the sacrament every week but now that we are out of the "danger zone" I've been able to go by myself. Well, me, Spencer and the wheelchair. I hate that thing. I ask Spence to take me 20 minutes early so I can get settled white he stows the wheelchair away somewhere hidden. Then we wait afterward before I get back in the thing again. Super awkward.

Lately we have been enjoying endless rounds of Rummikub and snowcones which is making for a lovely summer so far. I told Spencer I really wanted to go on a vacation, then he turned to me, laughed and said, “you have been on vacation for 15 weeks”. Touché. But I mean a real vacation away from the 550 square feet that surround me. A vacation on a beach with a nice book and piña colada in hand. I’m hoping when I see this little guy’s face that I am taken to that place (mentally) and that all the worry, boredom and weight gain becomes insignificant. Dang, he is going to have to be really cute.

33

2010-06-09T22:33:00.002-04:00

Today we celebrated our 33 week appointment in labor & delivery at the University of Utah. After spending a couple of hours hooked up to monitors with minimal contractions we were free to go.
(I came away with a new water mug, so it wasn't completely bad)

When I was put on bedrest at 20 weeks, 24 weeks seemed manageable. 28 seemed achievable. and 32 felt REALLY FAR AWAY. and now at 33 weeks we are grateful for the anticlimactic and extremely boring pregnancy it has been. Prayer really works and we have seen that first hand over the last couple of weeks. Most of the anxiety has subsided and we are making final preparations and getting very excited to meet this little guy.

Today while I wracked up a nice fat hospital bill, Spencer suggested that we auction off the baby’s name. To the highest bidder goes the honor and privilege of naming our son.

Let the bidding start at $100 (plus a couple more zeros)

Memorial Day

2010-06-01T20:59:00.006-04:00

We have never seen the cemetery so bright and colorful.

Hopefully everyone had a nice Memorial Day.
We spent the day getting full of watermelon.  
And Happy Birthday to my Missionary Brother. 

One Year

2010-05-22T22:27:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrated one year since we became an eternal family of three.

Spencer started the day off right by attending the March of Dimes walk.
Thank you so much to all of you that donated.

We've grown a lot as a couple throughout this last year, and continue to do so through this trial of me being strapped to the couch. It is incredible that even though our baby girl lived for a short time, that her impact on our life could be so vast. What an amazing privilege it is to know that you have a celestial daughter of God sealed to you.

Double Dog Dare

2010-05-19T19:22:00.004-04:00

Instead of buying maternity clothes I've opted to just wear old Halloween costumes.

Spencer dared me to wear this African Muumuu Dress to my appointment today, and despite feeling like a large purple flying squirrel, it was great.

You know you are dressed weird when the only thing people manage to say is, "Wow, that looks comfortable..."

Mobile Uploads- Chapter 2

2010-05-17T17:08:00.004-04:00

(Chapter One of the Mobile Uploads series can be seen here) 

 My phone is filled with awkward profile shots of me trying to distinguish just how large my double chin is getting. (Think of that red piece of flesh hanging from a turkey's neck- formally known as a wattle) So when I tried to maneuver a picture of my neck for the hundredth time (I sound so vain) a message saying "LOW MEMORY" popped up on the screen. So in order to appease my phone I deleted a couple (hundred) pictures and uploaded a few others.

  Fantasizing about life outside our little apartment.

 Spencer made (tiny) blueberry waffles on Mother's Day. He was very cautious about how much batter he put in so that there wasn't extra oozing down the sides. 

Enjoying our handicap pass

Just another day at the hospital looking awkward in my sassy gown.

Our Baby Cougar

2010-05-11T19:07:00.004-04:00

My friend Casey is the academic planner ("Team Mom") for the Men's Basketball team. She has the privilege (and honor) of having all of the players phone numbers in order to call them and remind them about assignments and tests they might have. When Casey learned of my obsession (see other posts here and here) she knew immediately what she would be getting for our little boy...

(A BYU onesie signed by Jimmer Fredette)

I was happy to hear that Jimmer withdrew his name from the NBA draft, in order to return to BYU for his senior season. I can't wait to take the little one to a game in his autographed shirt!

I might just have to put Jimmer back on the list for possible names.

Third Trimester Virgin

2010-05-05T14:12:00.004-04:00

8 (long) weeks ago, when I started this journey on bedrest, my doctor was unsure of just exactly how long this pregnancy would last. He told us that 28 weeks would be a great goal to get to. I looked at the calendar and immediately decided that if I was still pregnant at 28 weeks I would eat a (delicious Costco) churro in honor of Cinco de Mayo. On the other hand if I wasn't pregnant at 28 weeks Spencer would proceed to call me his Third Trimester Virgin. Two pregnancies and I had never been there-- UNTIL NOW.
We didn't exactly spend the second trimester on a BabyMoon, setting up a baby nursery or enjoying the spring weather but I've made it to the Third Trimester- THE FINAL STRETCH! I feel liberated. I feel calm knowing that if Spencer Jr. came now that his chance of survival is at least 80%. I feel strong and powerful. and I feel very FAT.

Lately I have been compared to someone incarcerated in a prison-- Looking forward to visitors and mealtime. I believe I gain weight just thinking about eating. My dreams lately have somewhat switched gears from the nightmares of doing my own c-section with a dull rock in a forest, to dreams of working out and walking. These appendages I once called "legs" are unfamiliar sausage-like-links attached to my body. Oh how far I have fallen (and that churro didn't help) I have already begun to plan my postpartum workouts and develop the "ULTIMATE WORKOUT" playlist.

(Yes, I am wearing one of Spencer's Mexico t-shirts- I really got into the theme of the day)

I am still trying my best to incubate this little one and keep him inside for a number of more weeks- but the thought of walking to the mailbox or outside to enjoy the beautiful weather is beginning to consume me. I've been told that bedrest is one of the hardest things you can do, and now I fully stand behind that statement. It may not be the "Perfect Pregnancy" but it is a pregnancy, which is what matters and what we are grateful for. However, the end is near and in a weird way we are both glad how long this bedrest phase has lasted (We hope for 12 more weeks of bedrest and a healthy baby boy, but lets be honest- I can't wait to NOT be pregnant).

My dear Aunt Carol dropped off this lovely cake this morning in honor of reaching 28 weeks. I wouldn't mind if the 2 miraculously turned into a 3 over night. But if we're on the topic of wishful thinking, then I wouldn't mind if the cake had magic powers to help me lose 20lbs when I devour it.

[Thank you all for the packages, letters, and meals, and most importantly all of the prayers.]

March of Dimes

2010-04-25T14:59:00.010-04:00

On May 22nd Spencer will be participating in the March of Dimes walk.

(I will be cheering for him from the couch.)

We thought it was special that the walk is scheduled on Sara Loraine's 1st Birthday.
(I can't believe it has almost been a year)

The March of Dimes widget has been added to our sidebar
(for those of you feeling generous that want to donate.)

Also, Spencer is looking for little walking buddies since his One and Only (Moi) won't be able to attend.

For more information about the March of Dimes CLICK HERE

Sara's BDO

2010-04-15T09:57:00.018-04:00

My Big Day Out happens every Wednesday
(which also is the day we celebrate another completed week)

Some things I did:

-got dressed in more than a housecoat

-did my hair/makeup

-walked the 15 feet to the car

(which oddly enough was sore on my constantly locking knees)

- enjoyed the 80mile roundtrip drive to the U and the sunshine on my arms and face

- felt awkward as Spence pushed me in a wheelchair to Labor and Delivery with not much of a pregnant pooch.

- watched the little babe swim around as they measured his growth and reassured us that he is still a he.

- heard good news (and more bedrest) from TBDITW
(The Best Doctor In The World)

   - got a really painful betamethasone steroid shot
             in the you know what
   (and get the second half of the sequence (in the other cheek) today...)

- stood up long enough to get a little picture

(and was told by my loving husband not to look at the camera because it accentuates my double chin)

Update

2010-04-09T16:24:00.005-04:00

There isn't much to say when you haven't left your couch, except for doctor appointments, for over 29 days. I don't want this to turn in to one of those annoying blogs that is all about pregnancy but it's all I've got going on as of late. However I do have to say that I believe the bedrest is working. We reached the very important milestone of 24 weeks and hope to get to a couple more big milestones (28, 32, etc...) But everyday makes the chances of a healthy baby boy increase. I learned that one day in the womb is worth three days in the NICU. So I always reassure Spencer that I am saving us a lot of money in the long run in hopes of him buying me treats here and there.

I started 17p Progestrone shots (to stop preterm labor) a couple weeks ago and will continue on them until the little babe arrives (which is hopefully still not for a while) And next week we are looking forward to receiving corticosteroid shots to speed up the little guys lung development, just in case. I also have been taking this nice fatty pill for muscle relaxation which helps to keep my uterus nice and soft and free of contractions. But the medicine also relaxes other muscles too (like my heart) which lowers my blood pressure and sends me to dreamland-- with a big fat red face.

I have taken some tests at home which I have to admit is a lot less intimidating then walking into the BYU testing center. I will be happy when school is over so I can devote all my time to television and online shopping. Other things I have found enjoyable are watching the maintenance workers outside as the smell of fresh cut grass fills our home. Other exciting things include visitors. We have been so blessed (me in the aspect of not going crazy, and Spencer in the aspect that I'm not a basketcase when he gets home from school) Which is due to the high traffic of visitors - THANK YOU. People are so willing to help with cleaning, laundry and meals that I might just consider being on bedrest even after the little one arrives...

Easter

2010-04-05T08:52:00.002-04:00

The best part of Easter weekend was spending time with Spencey Baby. With the semester coming to a close he has been putting in long hours at school, which means my hours spent on the couch seem never ending and lonely. So together we enjoyed watching conference (wasn't it great?) and eating Easter candy the whole weekend.

The View From Here...

2010-03-29T09:55:00.006-04:00

Let's try and see if you can figure out what I have been doing for the past long two weeks of my life from the following images...

If you guessed lounging around gaining weight and transforming into something rather soft and undesirable, you would be correct! (Although it is a little bit more than just that) I have been put on strict bed rest and am able to get up only to go to the bathroom. Some of you maybe thinking, "What a life!" But in fact it is far from that. The pains in my back and pressure in my pelvis confirmed that I have a bulging (I love that word) uterus, also known as a prolapsed uterus. I figured that after getting the abdominal cerclage I would be free from the confinements of bedrest but little did I know that when a part of you is radiated to kill something i.e. Kidney Cancer, it kills a lot of other things too. My ovaries are little dried raisins which is miraculous that some viable eggs still remain. (Anyone remember my colon problem 3 years ago? Yup, Radiation.) My cervix is weak unable to uphold the weight of a baby. And now the muscles that surround my uterus are too pathetic to hold the uterus in it's beautiful little pear like figure causing it to fall into my pelvis resulting in plenty of pain and pressure (did I already mention that?) I now see my doctor every week to determine what our next step is. And as of right now- BEDREST and plenty of it... like 17 more weeks to carry to fullterm. My sweet MIL (Mother-in-Law) has been attending my classes for me and recording the lectures on tape so I can follow along with my class. My professors have been understanding and are working with me so that I can complete this semester (only 3 weeks left!). But my days are long and boring. Spencer places food by the couch before he leaves for school and 8 hours later comes to replenish whatever from the pile I have eaten (which is usually everything- I am turning into a whale). We have had friends and family help with meals, cleaning, and just coming to visit which has been such a great help. My sister even bought us a Netflix subscription which has been awesome to help pass the time.

Did you know that a pigeon has a gestation period of 11 days?

Never thought I would say this but, I wish I was a pigeon.

The Name Game

2010-03-25T12:22:00.005-04:00

When people find out you are pregnant some of the usual questions are
"When are you due?"
"How are you feeling?"
"What is it?" and
"Do you have a name?"

Unfortunately we don't have a name as of yet, but hopefully we still have a lot of time to think about it. A name is really important, and in some cases (resumes and applications) it precedes you. Which is why we want it to be a normal name.

But I couldn't help but think about the possibility of naming him Elliot, Jack or Jimmer.

Detective Elliot Stabler- Law & Order SVU, Jack Bauer- 24, and of course THE Jimmer Fredette

Daffodil Days

2010-03-13T11:04:00.002-05:00

The daffodil symbolizes Spring, rebirth, hope and new beginnings. For some it is a new beginning of a Cancer-Free future. The Cancer Society has organized Daffodil Days where they offer daffodils in exchange for a donation. Each spring I think about the daffodils and those still fighting cancer. The spring time is particularly important to me because that was when I was pronounced Cancer Free. So make sure you get out there and purchase your daffodils throught the Cancer Society.

Coupon Clipper

2010-03-08T10:23:00.001-05:00

Some of my friends are really good little savvy shoppers. They buy $100 worth of merchandise for $15. The other day I picked up the paper to read the article on the front cover that caught my eye. It was about a girl that confessed she cheats at BYU (artilcle here). As well, some lovely coupon inserts were shoved inside. I took one look and went back to the recycling bin to find more inserts. I gathered 20 or so, headed to the library and started clipping. I'm such a savvy shopper.Later I showed Spencer just exactly what I had gotten. Over 20 coupons to Arby's for a FREE small curly fry. (No Purchase Necessary) So perhaps its not the best (or the healthiest) kind of coupon to collect. But it's a start.

Kevin

2010-03-04T21:43:00.008-05:00

March 3rd was my birthday. I drove to Salt Lake by myself. I drove to Salt Lake by myself to see the Cardiologist. I drove to Salt Lake by myself to see the Cardiologist and locked the keys in the car. I drove to Salt Lake by myself to see the Cardiologist and locked the keys in the car, on my birthday. (Everything at the appointment went well) It was the part when I tried to leave, so I could join Spencer again for birthday festivities, that was the bad part. I left the parking garage and headed back to the hospital. I retraced my steps and eventually saw the key (our last spare) on the front seat. After a couple of phone calls some roadside assistance was there to help me. I have done this once (or ten times) before.

So when the guy (Kevin) came I thought, "Perfect, I'll be out of here in just a second..." But then he got out some weird gadgets. Things I had never seen before. He pulled out some bendy stick and duct tape. He ripped some duct tape off and rolled it into a little ball that he put on the end of the stick. A couple minutes later he pulled it out and replaced it with a fresh ball because the last one had "lost it's stickiness." Then I asked Kevin, "what about those things you just slip down the side of the door, jiggle a little and presto- you're in?" He told me something about how "those things" (also known as SlimJims) can cause wiring problems or set off the side airbags. So I waited. And waited, and waited... He managed to pop the trunk with his bendy stick-but then I told him the back seat doesn't fold down. Then he got some bright idea to send some copper wire down there with a little lasso tied on the end. If he could just get the lasso around the key, tighten the loop and pull it out, I would be on my way. After many attempts the key finally made its way out of the car.

Before I left I asked, "What do you do if the keys are in a purse, the ignition, or no where to be seen?" He replied, "I've never failed yet..." walking away as if his parting phrase was inspiring. When I joined Spencer we enjoyed some delectable PF Changs, and he told me that we can officially celebrate my birthday all week (which has been great so far). I told him the story about Kevin over dinner and we both just laughed. Kevin is officially off our list of baby names.

Mother's Tuition

2010-03-01T10:13:00.004-05:00

Last week we had our official anatomy ultrasound appointment. Everything looked great. Measuring normal (even a little ahead)
On the drive up to the University Hospital I asked Spencer, "What do you think it is?"
Spencer: "I don't know..."
Me: "Oh, come on just humor me with any guess"
Spencer: "I think it's a baby." (He's so witty)

We sat in the ultrasound room with a huge TV on the wall. My bladder was nice and full and the pressure of the ultrasound wand wasn't helping my cause. The sonographer (sweet name for a profession) told us it was being stubborn. She asked me to go empty my bladder half way. HALFWAY? Is that possible? yes. yes it is. I did it. And I came out of the bathroom with a big grin from ear to ear. Who thought something so simple could make me so proud? I crawled back on the bed and there it was.

Me: "IT'S A BOY!!!!" I yelled.
Spencer: "Yes it is."
Me: "I knew it, I knew it. I told you Spencer. I was right! It's my mother's tuition"
Spencer: "Intuition."
Me: "Whatever."

Needless to say, we are VERY, VERY excited.
The little bundle of BOY is due to arrive near the end of July.

TMI?

2010-02-25T17:29:00.005-05:00

(TMI means TOO MUCH INFORMATION for you acronymically impaired.)

We are in the middle of midterms.
This means a couple of things... migraines, late nights at school, weird hodgepodge meals through out the day, and migraines (did I already say that?)

An interesting--I guess you can call it that-- thing happened to me the other night...

I went to the bathroom (that isn't the interesting part) and when I was done, I noticed that the 2 jumbo rolls of 1 ply tissue paper BYU insists on using were gone. No scraps even flying in the wind on the end of the cardboard roll. I sat there for a second, waiting for someone to fill the stall next to me.

She came. I gave her a couple of seconds and once she had finished asked "Um... this is weird... Can you pass me some toilet paper?" Then she laughed and said, "I was going to ask you the same thing..." So there we were stranded.

A third member walks in (This is beginning to sound like those 'man walks into a bar' jokes) We wait. I wait for the girl in the middle -- closest to the newest person to ask for the TP. It seemed like forever. So I quickly asked her, not wanting to miss my only opportunity to get out of this stranded situation, "Can you pass some toilet paper down two stalls?" So after a couple of seconds my package arrives. I waited there till all the other people left. I didn't want to see their faces. Moral of the story: Check for TP before you sit down, and don't stay late on campus, because they run out of such necessities. Now thinking back, I'm not sure what is worse. Using the toilet paper that two unknown sets of hands touched or just walking out with nothing.

One day when I am in charge of designing public facilities my bathrooms will look something like this.

African Pancake Games

2010-02-23T11:43:00.002-05:00

Three things really quick:

1. I have been playing THIS "game" for a while and have scored 100% consecutively over 10 times. I think I am ready for my geography test today.

2. FREE pancakes at IHOP today. (go HERE for details)

3. My friend Riley showed me this game. I love it.

Abnormal Ankle

2010-02-19T14:11:00.002-05:00

Although my legs are hairy right now, they're not that hairy. Spencer hurt his ankle playing basketball on a BYU intramural team. They started with four players, so when Spencer got injured they had to play 3 on 5.
(But Spencer would also like me to let you know that they still beat them by 30 points)

When Spencer got back from the game and asked for some Tylenol I knew it must have really hurt. I've never known him to take any kind of (OTC or prescription) medicine. Ever. Saturday morning we took him to the Student Health Center. After a brief examination they decided it would be best to do some x-rays. Apparently the x-rays were normal. But that is according to an OBGYN who was the doctor on staff that morning. Since there were no abnormal ovaries to be seen in the x-ray he said it was just a bad sprain. Little Spencey Baby has been on crutches ever since. The swelling is finally going down and the bruising is making its appearance on both sides of the ankle and the toes.

Mobile Uploads

2010-02-16T16:14:00.001-05:00

I was cleaning out some of the pictures from my cellphone, but decided that some of these are too good to just delete... 

 First, the biggest, fattest, dirtiest dreadlock rat tail I have ever seen. (Atlanta, GA 2009)

Spencer enjoying a $4000 massage chair at Costco

The best chips EVER. 

Aubrey and I went to the BYU 'Lost & Found Sale'
There were lots of CTR rings... 

And lots of expensive calculators.  

We woke up really early to get first dibs on all the things

Spencer sitting next to this 54" TV pretending its ours.

As he enjoys a Costco hotdog.

Deciding on some shoes to get in October for our calling as Temple ordinance workers.

(M)ortons Tri Tip.
 

Working on a t-shirt quilt for Spencer so we can downsize our wardrobes. 

The day I lost 3 inches (from my hair). unfortunately not from my hips. 

 A boy sleeping on campus. (Note the hand & 2liter Mt. Dew)

Chocolate covered strawberries I was trying to convince Spencer to buy this weekend.

I just realized how often we go to Costco. Think of all the times we go that we don't even snap little cellphone pictures...

Transabdominal Cerclage (TAC)

2010-02-11T12:04:00.006-05:00

Before this last year of our lives I was naïve and oblivious to the all the problems that may arise when pregnant. I figured getting pregnant was 80% of the task, 10% was getting fat and being uncomfortable and the other 10% was just enjoying such a wonderful miracle while all eyes were on you… FALSE. After meeting with numerous amounts of doctors I’ve been told that for me, although getting pregnant is still a task, it’s the carrying part, you know, the 40 weeks part that is hard. Perhaps that has been why I have been more nervous and filled with anxiety this time around-- Because I know of all the possibilities that can arise.

Before my traumatic delivery last year, I was unaware of the term incompetent cervix. I thought, if you’re a girl you have a cervix. But that is not the case. Some girls have nice ones, some girls have short ones, some girls have weird ones. I fall in the category of girls that DO NOT HAVE ONE. There is such a category? Isn’t it my right as a female to have a cervix? How come no one told me this until now?

Well apparently I have a cervix but it has been so badly radiated during cancer treatments that it no longer is pliable and able to remain closed throughout a pregnancy. Most women begin dilating their last few weeks getting ready for the big day. But when you are diagnosed with an Incompetent Cervix (IC) you often begin to dilate when the baby begins to gain weight, and your weak cervix can’t hold shut anymore. (Often between 21-23 weeks) So to counteract this abnormality a doctor will often place a Transvaginal Cerclage (TVC) where a simple stitch is placed around the cervix, and released at the end of term and then one proceeds with the vaginal birth. However, for those of us less endowed in the cervix region, a TVC will not hold, but simply tear out causing danger for both mother and child and perhaps not making it to 24 weeks (a viable birth).

So thanks to modern medicine a new and rare procedure has been perfected. A Transabdominal Cerclage (TAC). The best (and most painful) surgery I have ever gotten (and I’ve gotten some 15 surgeries). The surgery often is not performed until a failed TVC have been attempted; luckily we were able to just skip that whole requirement. A TAC entails an abdominal incision; think six inches similar to the location of a c-section, and a permanent stitch like loop being placed around the bottom of the uterus. The stitch will remain there indefinitely. And the pregnancy will result in c-section. I joined the other few women out there to have a TAC, on January 4^th. I was really excited and nervous about the procedure; I can’t imagine how I will be on the actual BIG day. Our doctor is just the best. I am so grateful we found him (or were directed to him by my doctor in Georgia). He let us know that if there was too much scar tissue from radiation that he wouldn’t perform the surgery. But when I woke up in recovery with a throbbing abdomen I was pretty sure it had been done.

All went well and I was finally reunited with Spencey Baby. I never knew that Zofran came in the IV version but it was such a blessing. Any of you that have had abdominal surgery know how painful coughing, sneezing, laughing and heaven forbid vomiting can be. We enjoyed room service and constant television while I improved. Three days later I was released and finished the recovery process at home. Six weeks later and things are going well. I travel to the University of Utah every other week to see our doctor who is confident about the future.

Spencer got to even eat my crème brulee dessert one night. What a lucky little guy.

A Picture Worth 1000 Words

2010-02-03T09:42:00.005-05:00

Look at how happy a little (hormone laden) urine can make us.

We are very excited and so grateful.

More on the procedure that made this pregnancy possible next time...

Dedication

2010-01-28T15:26:00.003-05:00

I first noticed some of these tents popping up on Tuesday.
But maybe they were there even before.
Today is Thursday and there were over 15 tents.
They are lined up for the BYU vs Utah game that is on Saturday.

I can't stand the first 5 minutes that the car is cold while it warms up, let a lone sleeping in a tent on concrete outside the Marriot Center for 5 nights.

(yes this was taken with my camera phone from my LG shine. Still working on the iPhone, or maybe the iPad?)

nerds

2010-01-26T19:02:00.002-05:00

A boy sitting by me is eating nerds. There are 4 empty boxes. meaning he is on his 5th box. I am not sure how many more there are but the constant swishing of the nerds box as he wets the cardboard with his lips is getting annoying.
But it wouldn't be so annoying if he would just give me some.

8 Months?!

2010-01-22T17:36:00.001-05:00

Has it really been 8 months today since we held our daughter? Today I think about that precious time we had to hold her and love her. It will always be something I treasure while we wait to be reunited with her someday.

Nightmares

2010-01-19T10:57:00.003-05:00

I've been having some weird bad dreams lately. Any dream interpreters out there? You know just weird things-- last night for example I was in an ice skating competition and by the end of the events I realized the diamond fell out of my ring. The night before that I had a dream about a jumping snake. It was fast. and it could jump. A couple nights before that it was about some revolutionist. They were trying to start some revolution (I have no clue about what) but if we didn't join them, we would die. Spencer is sometimes in these dreams. Sometimes not. Either way I wake up sweaty, scared, and with a big rats nest in the back of my head from all the tossing and turning. I told Spencer it is because I need a night light. I use to always sleep with a night light-- right until I got married. Is that embarrassing? Should I delete that last sentence? When I was little I would sleep with a LiteBrite on. I would make sweet design, then plug it in, and hit the hay. So I guess I'm in the market for a LiteBrite...