Flying is a headache!

I have been a little behind on posting anything lately because we have been on the go for the past 2 weeks. We had a great time in NYC with our friends the Pilgrims the weekend of the 19th and then we traveled to Washington to spend Christmas with Greg's family. We got back very early this morning and are so happy to be home after a long day of traveling! We have tons of pictures but I have yet to upload them, so will post them when I get a chance.

One thing that we did not enjoy was the flying part of our travels. I have never liked flying. I am a worrier by nature, and flying just makes me really worry because of all the things that could go wrong. All of our flights really went by with out any problems. The only thing that we ran in to was delays because of weather. We only made one connection and that was through Chicago/O'Hare. I have decided that this is by far the worst airport to fly through; especially this time of year. I read an article on line this morning that confirmed to me why I hate it so much. It is rated the #1 airport in delays. I don't think that is something to really be proud of.

So on our flight out, we got delayed in Syracuse because of weather in Chicago. We only had an hour and a half layover without delays, so we were really nervous we were going to miss our flight. We finally took off an hour after we were suppose to and made it to Chicago with about 12 minutes until our next plane was to take off. We sprinted through the airport, and made it! Because we had been traveling all day, I hadn't really eaten anything, and by this time I was starving! Our next flight was a 4 hour flight, and I knew if I didn't get anything before we boarded I would get sick on the flight. So I bought a few things really quickly at a place by our gate and the TSA people were really annoyed with us. We felt it was a miracle that we made the flight, but an even bigger miracle was that our bags made it too! We were so happy! So anyway, we made the flight and made it safely to Greg's parent's house.

We spent a lovely week with Greg's family, and headed to the airport yesterday morning to begin our journey home. Again, we were delayed because of Chicago, and again we had a very quick layover. This time we weren't so sure we would make the flight because we were landing right as our plane was to take off. We got off the plane when we reached Chicago, and saw that our plane was leaving in 10 minutes. Again, we took off sprinting. I have exercised a lot while I have been pregnant, but I have not run for a while. Needless to say I was ready to die before we were even close to our gate. We made it AGAIN to our flight, and felt that we had another miracle! However, our bags didn't make it. We did get them this morning, so it isn't a huge deal, but it is never fun to not get your bags.

I am so happy to be home because I really don't like flying! It is just so crazy to fly anymore too with all the increased security and regulations. No one is nice either who works at the airports, and they don't give you anything on the flights besides a 4 oz drink. Lame! I hope that we stay grounded for a while!

Message for Deagan from Santa

I saw this cute website on my cousin's blog and had to try it.

Santa made this message just for Deagan:)

http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/c691a10c0ea0ccefcada630718063198

Deagan's Surgery

I have been stressing about this day coming for a while now, but everything went so much better than I had expected it would! We got to the hospital at 6:45 am, he was in surgery at 7:30 am, and we were home by 9:00 am. They were expecting maybe we could be home by 10:30 am, but he did SO well!

When we got there, we had to change him into a gown and he thought that was kind of fun. They put some bracelets on his ankles with his name and other information on it, and he hated those. They put them on kind of tight, and he kept asking for them to come off. Both Greg and I were able to stay with him in the pre-op room, but once they were ready to put him under, Greg was the only one who could go with him. Greg had to wear a gown over his clothes and a hat, and Deagan looked at him and said, "Look Dad! You're a doctor!" I could hear Deagan crying when they put the mask on him to give him the anesthesia and it broke my heart. I lost it and started crying. Greg said that he had to blow into this mask that would inflate a balloon that was attached, and that he really hated it. But he was out with in 20 seconds, and we waited for about 15 minutes during the surgery.

They called us back to see him right after the surgery and he was just sitting in a nurse's arms staring around. He wasn't crying or anything; just observing. The nurse said that when they woke him up he stretched all cute like as if he were waking up from a nap and asked for mommy and daddy. So the only time he cried was when he was going under. Other than that, he was so brave and so willing to let the doctors and nurses do what they needed to. We sat in recovery for about 1/2 hour where they let him have some juice and a popsicle. It was cute because the anesthesiologist asked him before his surgery if he wanted one, and Deagan remembered it first thing. They warned us that he might be a little nauseous but he never got sick and still doesn't even act like anything happened now that we are home.

I am so glad that we were able to go home as soon as we did because in the recovery room, there were so many people recovery from surgery and it felt a little uncomfortable being surrounded by so many people who were sick and whatever. There weren't even curtains blocking other patients. There was another little boy who had surgery who was younger than Deagan, and he did not do well. I feel really lucky for how well Deagan did because they warned us that he might be pretty distraught after the surgery because of the medicine. That is how this little boy was acting, and I felt so bad because you could tell that the parents were really stressed.

Kind of sad/cute thing that happened last night: We weren't suppose to give Deagan anything to eat or drink after midnight, so we tried really hard to get him to eat and drink as much as he could before bed. Of course, he didn't want to really eat then. He woke up at 12:30 and asked for his water. I told him that I couldn't give him his water, and he looked at me and said in a really cute happy voice, "My water is in my room! I go get it!" You could tell he was so excited, do it made me so sad that I couldn't get him his water. He fell asleep almost instantly after that, but it made me feel so guilty which I am not sure why I felt that way.

I am so grateful for the miracle of modern day medicine, and I have been blessed so many time in my life because of it either for myself or for people I love. I feel very grateful to live in the day that we do, and I am so grateful for the Priesthood. Greg gave him a blessing last night before Deagan went to bed, and I know that Heavenly Father was watching over him. I feel very blessed today and relieved! Thank you everyone for your prayers and thoughts on our behalf!

Nei Nei Dialogue

I am sure that most people in the blogging world are familiar with this blog, and if you are not I encourage you to check it out. This woman, Stephanie is the most incredible woman that I have ever heard of. She posted this story on her blog that was written about her, and I encourage you all to read it.

Tubes, darn tubes!

Our little Deagan has inherited his father's ears and will be having surgery this next Tuesday (December 15) to have tubes put in his ears. Growing up, Greg suffered from multiple ear infections that resulted in numerous tubes, and it looks like Deagan will be following in his footsteps. Here is a post of his first ear infection at only 3 months old. (In my mind it was 2 months when that happened, but that is why I keep records like this blog to record things I am sure to not remember.) Looking at that post now, it is kind ironic that he will receive his surgery one day shy of 2 years from having his first ear infection. Since that first ear infection, he has had SO many ear infections that we have lost track. It seems that anytime he gets sick he gets an ear infection. They fall hand in hand. The thing that is sad to me about the situation is that his last ear infection that he had (which was at the end of November) he hardly seemed like he was in pain. It makes me feel sad that he seems to have gotten use to the pain or something. :(

Well we took him to an ENT this past Monday, and they were really surprised that he hadn't had tubes earlier because of his history of ear infections. So they arranged for Deagan to have surgery. While I know that this will be a blessing because I can only imagine how painful it is to have ear infection after ear infection, I am still really nervous about the fact that he will ahve to go all the way under to have the procedure done. It will be a really quick surgery, only about 10 minutes, and he really shouldn't be in any pain the same day that it is done. The hospital called me yesterday to go over a few things and to verify insurance and what not, and the nurse I was talking to mentioned that one of us would be able to be with up until he is all the way under. She said though that whoever we chose to be with him must be able to be calm and not freak out or Deagan will freak out. It is obvious that that will have to be Greg.

I am sure all will go well and that I am stressing way beyond what I should, but any prayers on our behalf would be appreciated!

24 week update

It seems like this pregnancy is really going fast compared to when I was pregnant with Deagan. They told me today that my next appointment will be my last once/month appointment. Crazy! I feel like I have been a lot busier this time around, so I am sure that has helped to keep my mind off of how incredibly long pregnancy can feel like.

Baby update:

We had another sono today because at our 20 week, our little guy wouldn't cooperate and give them a certain image that they needed. They got it today, and we got to see him again, so we were happy! He weighs about a pound and a half now, so he is getting bigger, slowly. He is the cutest little thing and I just can't wait to see his sweet little face.

He is currently sitting breach, which isn't a huge deal since we still have some time for him to turn and what not. I am trying for a VBAC with this guy, so breach is not something that we want to see later on. He kicks like crazy lately and since he breach he kicks my bladder a lot it seems. I am starting to feel him more all over which before it was just down low, so another definite sign that he is getting bigger. I just can't wait to see him!!!

Mom Update:

I gained 5 lbs this month. Not good. My dr. said that it is best to not do that again. I will try my best. It is hard for me emotionally this time to gain more weight because with Deagan I only gained 13 lbs through out my entire pregnancy, and I just hit that mark at 24 weeks. It is kind of depressing, but I know that it is healthy to gain more than 13 lbs. I am just hoping that I will be able to get this baby weight off after he comes pretty quick.

I am slightly anemic which I knew I was because I have been feeling pretty tired lately. I also have horrible heartburn with this one as well, so I beginning to realize this just might be my pregnancy curse. I have tried everything it seems to help, but nothing really seems to make a dent. Other than that, I feel like I shouldn't really complain since other women go through a lot worse things then me when they are pregnant. I just need to count my blessings.

At my next appointment I get to do the glucose test. Not my favorite appointment, but it is necessary! Only 16 weeks to go!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that all of you have had a fabulous Thanksgiving day. We certainly did and feel so grateful for all the things that we have in our life. Even though we are far from family during this Holiday, we had a wonderful family from our ward invite us over for dinner and had such a great time. Of course we missed our family and wished we could have spent this time with them though. I made way too much food and we have way too many leftovers, but leftovers freeze well fortunately. We all stuffed ourselves senseless with food, but isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about? :) During this Thanksgiving holiday I am very grateful for my family, my health, and for the situation that we are in. Even though we are very tight on money, we have enough and for that I am grateful.

Let the Christmas season begin!!

Ugh!

It always seems like when money is tight something needs repaired. For example, my washing machine has decided to stop draining water. Perfect. I called this afternoon to set up a repair and was thinking, "This has got to be a simple repair, so I am sure it won't cost much." Needless to say I have never had something that I own break where I needed to call a repair man to my home hence my naive way of thinking. $129!!?? What!? Looks like there goes our Christmas.

Cutest Kid Ever

Is modeling in this little one's future?

Oh I how love him.

Talk

My husband wrote me a song when he proposed to me, and he has been working on adding more to it since then. On the top of the right hand side of our blog, you can listen to it for yourself. The song is entitled "Talk" and if you ask me it is one of the best songs ever:) I just love that guy.

IT'S A BOY!!!!

We must just be really good at making boys because another little guy will be joining our family in March! He looks super healthy and everything is where it it suppose to be. He wouldn't cooperate to give the dr. one view that she needed, so we will have another sono at my next appointment. Anytime I get to see this little guy is fine with me! It is just a miracle to me how much they can see with these sonograms. It is just a miracle! We are so excited to have another little boy, and Deagan keeps saying, "Baby brother!" I don't know how much he really understands, but he is hoping on the bandwagon either way! I was so excited that I found some really cute pj's on sale at Target for like $3 and had to get a few for the little guy. It really is a blessing to be having another boy right now because we are so tight on money, and we really don't have to buy a whole lot because we already had a boy. Heavenly Father was definately thinking when he sent this little one our way! We are so blessed and so excited!

Fall Activities

I have said it before, but I love this time of year! I am sure I will say that even more with the Holidays coming too! With the weather still being pretty nice, we have tried to do as much outside as possible. We play in the leaves, go for walks, go to the zoo, etc. This past week, we went to the zoo on a really nice day and had a really good time. We bought a membership there since we seem to go so often anymore, and I am so glad we did.

Deagan gets tired of getting pushed in the stroller all the time, so he decided this time that he wanted to push the stroller the whole time.

Surprisingly, he did this for most of the walk around the zoo.

I also love this time of year for the pumpkins. Since we went to the pumpkin farm a couple weeks ago, we thought it was time to carve one.

I am not too fond of gutting out the inside, so Greg handled that part.

We wanted to include Deagan in the fun, so we let him paint his baby pumpkins that he picked up at the farm. He painted the pumpkins for a bout 10 minutes, and then started painting other things like his toys and his hands. It was a very messy project, but he loved it.

Hard at work gutting out the pumpkin.

Deagan hard at work as well!

I took pictures for the first part and then got down to business by cutting out the design. I have done this before, so I don't know why I thought it would be easier.

The final product!

Family's Visit

Part of my lovely family came out to visit last week, and I was so busy having fun that I realized that I didn't take enough pictures to show how much fun we were having. I got a few as we were saying goodbye, so hopefully that will do.

I just love this picture with my mom and Deagan.

It is so fun to see my dad with Deagan. Deagan loves his Grandma and Grandpa!

Cody and Deagan. These two were inseparable the whole weekend.

At this point, I think Deagan was just tired of smiling for the camera, so Greg had to force a smile.

My lovely mom and I!

3 Years Later...

That was then...

This is now!

Happy 3 Years Sweetheart!!

Ashley is Florida Bound

My sister Ashley has officially left the MTC and is flying to Orlando, Florida to officially begin her mission! The past 3 weeks went by fast since she went in to the MTC, so I am sure the rest of her mission will fly by as well.

My parents were out visiting my little family this weekend, and flew home today. They flew into the Salt Lake Airport, and when they landed my mom had a voicemail from Ashley! Apparently, missionaries are allowed to call home one more time before they leave to their mission, but my parents missed it from being on the plane. My mom said that they missed seeing her by only 45 minutes! I am so excited for Ashley!! I miss her so much, but I know she will do so great!

I will blog more about my family's trip once I upload some pictures!

Choose This Day

I saw this great Mormon Message on www.lds.org. Enjoy!

Choose This Day

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Pumpkin Picking

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this time of year? If not, I absolutely LOVE it! Warm autumn smells, yummy fall treats, beautiful fall colors, and pumpkins! We had the chance to go pumpkin picking today and had a great time! It was cold, hence all the bundled pictures, but I can't wait to go back!

All the kids who were there. A cute bunch of kids don't you think!

"See ya mom!"

Riding a toy tractor on the farm.

Look at all those beautiful pumpkins!

Chasing the farm cats.

The main purpose of this trip was to pick pumpkins, but Deagan liked picking rocks better.

All bundled up:)

Ha! Every picture seemed to turn out this way. His hat is too big, and my camera just isn't quick enough to capture the moment I was going for.

This picture doesn't do it any justice, but the fall colors were unbelievable! Seriously, it was like someone painted the scenery.

Trying to keep up with everyone! This reminds me of "The Christmas Story." "I can't put my arms down!!"

Pictures!

We got a new camera from my lovely mother for our birthdays, and I haven't been able to figure out how to upload the pictures. I have finally figured it out, so here are a few pictures from the past month.

Testing out the new camera! This isn't the greatest pictures because I was sick, but we had to make sure it would work!

At the New York State Fair. They had a a milk station with the best chocolate milk!

Deagan isn't a big milk drinker, but he liked this stuff!

There is a museum in Rochester, NY called "Strong Museum of Play." We went there one day with some friends. It is the neatest museum that is specially designed for children.

He is "cooking" with his friend Owen in this pictures.

There was a butterfly exhibit with huge beautiful butterflies like this one. It was a really neat exhibit but Deagan and are are kind of afraid of bugs :)

Playing with trains in the museum.

My wonderful sister Ashley came to visit us a week and a half ago, and we took her to Palmyra.

Here is the beautiful Palmyra temple from Joseph Smith's home.

Deagan just woke up. He didn't want his picture taken.

Ashley in the Sacred Grove. Isn't she so pretty!

Ashley and I! I miss her so much!

Beautiful Sacred Grove. What a wonderful place!

Deagan found a few sticks in the Sacred Grove and never put them down.

Baby #2 Update

So today I went in for my 16 week check-up, and everything is going well for the little one and me. We got to hear the heartbeat and I got some blood work done. Not the funnest thing, but not too bad either. I did leave the appointment kind of stressed though. With Deagan, I had a c-section, and I would REALLY REALLY REALLY like to have a VBAC with this one. I have told my dr. this from the very beginning, and they haven't said no they wouldn't do it, but indicated that there are risks involved. Of course, there are always risks. Today my dr. and I talked more about this idea of a VBAC because he mentioned that at my next appointment we could schedule a c-section if we wanted. Even though it would be nice to know the exact day when our baby will come, I really would like to avoid this route if at all possible. One of the biggest reasons why I want to do a VBAC so badly is because I am afraid that we will be limited in the number of children we can have if we have another c-section. I raised this concern to my dr., and he was very reassuring that that isn't necessarily the case. In his years of experience, he has not felt that women are limited because of c-sections. I do feel better in that regard. However, we went over some of the risks of a VBAC, that I already knew, and now I am not sure which direction to go! Of course of main goal is to have a health baby and to do whatever we can to make sure our baby has a health delivery. We will of course make this a matter of prayer, and I know we will be quided as to which direction to go.

Ashley Enters the MTC

On September 30, my sister Ashley entered the MTC! My parents, older brother, younger sister, and youngest brother were all there to see her off. It was a hard day not being there with them all. They said that it was an emotional day but also very exciting! With the H1N1 scare around the world right now, they were not allowed to go into the MTC with her to see her off. Also, when one of the senior missionaries came to get Ashley, they couldn't shake hands or give hugs because of the flu scare. Hopefully Ashley will stay healthy as a result!

Here are some pictures of the day!

Some People Just Make Me FURIOUS!

*Excuse the ranting of a hormonal pregnant lady*

Greg has been working on a group project for school the past week or so. There is a guy in his group that is the definition of crazy. He is a nutjob! This past weekend, Greg's group had to get together to work on their project. He worked on the project for several hours and said that it was a nightmare! This nutjob guy was just crazy and was very confrontational. Greg left before another guy left because he had a ton of homework that he had to do, and he felt bad for leaving me all day at home with Deagan. The next day, Greg gets an angry e-mail from this crazy guy saying that he was frustrated with Greg for not doing anything pretty much and in the e-mail made a list of faults he saw in Greg. WHO DOES THAT! One of the points made me so angry. This guy that Greg is working with is apparently married and in his late 30's. His wife doesn't live with him however because she is pursuing a degree of her own. In the e-mail this guy basically said that family comes last when you are in a school such as Syracuse. He proved his point that he only sees his wife every few months or so and that even though Saturday was his anniversary, the school project was more important. He also gave Greg his condolences for whatever issues we as a couple are having that keeps him from performing his school duties. OH THIS GUY JUST MAKES ME SOOOO MAD! Is family important to anyone anymore!? What kind of marriage is it when you only see each other every few months because you are so focused on making your millions!?

I just had to get this out...sorry

New Happenings

It is hard to believe that October is almost here. I LOVE this time of year for so many reasons. I love the cooler weather, the golden leaves, all the yummy pumpkin food and fall smells. I especially love this time of year for watching General Conference. Visit www.lds.org to learn more about what our Church believes and about General Conference. I love hearing the words of modern day prophets and apostles, and I love the feeling that I get to be better.

This past week my sister came to visit one last time before she leaves on her mission. She is entering the MTC on September 30. She was set apart as a missionary today, so now it is official! It was SO great having her here for the week. It felt like old times being together. Saying goodbye was obviously the hardest part. When I dropped her off at the airport, it didn't really feel like we were saying goodbye fore 18 months, so I felt like I had it together pretty well. On the way home and the whole afternoon following dropping her off though I did not have it all together! I was a mess. She left behind her Ipod and computer, and I spent the whole afternoon listening to her music on her Ipod and crying. I am glad that I will have those little things to remind me of her while she is gone. She is going to make a fantastic missionary. She has set such a great example to me and to other family members and friends. You are loved very much and missed by us Ash! Deagan has not stopped talking about you. :)

Greg has been super busy this semester with school, and I feel like we are hardly together anymore. We can tell that we are really going to have to really make the most out of the time that we will have together. I keep thinking that I can't wait till we are done with school, but I know that life will not slow down it will only get busier. Wishful thinking I guess.

I am now almost 15 weeks pregnant and starting to feel better. I have had horrible heartburn the whole time, and that is really my only complaint up until this point. I feel like I have started to show a little bit, which is always fun. It makes everything feel a little more real. I feel like everyone who sees me with Deagan and then sees that I am pregnant thinks that I must still be in high school with these kids. That is one thing that I have not gotten use to here. In Rexburg I didn't feel too out of place being in this situation, but here it seems like I am doing things totally opposite of everyone. Everyone outside of the church I mean.

I recently got a pretty big calling that I am looking forward to doing. I just hope that Heavenly Father will help me because there are a million other women in our ward that I feel are much more suited for this than me.

I am still babysitting for a family in the area. It has been such a challenge for me. I am pretty sure that I will only do it until December. I just can't do this right up until I have this baby. Just too much DRAMA!

Deagan is 2 and is exploding in his speech and personality. He is finally starting to do well in Nursery, and will stay the whole time at the gym's daycare while I work out. Two VERY huge accomplishments for us. His current obsessions change from day to day. Today they are horsies (as he would call them) and yesterday it was a toy ambulance. Each night he goes to bed with a new toy. He is such a joy, and I can't wait to see what our new little one will be like. Will it be anything like Deagan, or will they be polar opposites? Deagan is the reason I get through the long hours that Greg is gone. I just love him.

I still need to figure out my new camera and then I will post some new pictures. In the mean time, I will try to do better at keeping this updated.

Love to all!

Falling In Love

Today I fell in love; with our new little one.
I heard its heartbeat for the first time and thought "Wow! This is really happening!"
All the heartburn I have been having that keeps me up all night is going to be worth it.
Feeling super huge is going to be worth it.
Having weird food cravings and weird taste aversions are going to be worth it.
I haven't even met this little spirit, and I already feel that I would do anything for it.
I love falling in love :)

2 Years Ago Our Lives Changed Forever!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Deagan!!!

I remember the day he was born so well, and thinking about it today makes me so emotional and so happy! I can't wait to welcome in our new baby. Deagan has been one of the greatest blessings in our lives. We love him more than anything!

Here are a few pictures of the days around the day he was born