Let's get this show on the road!!

I made it! I'm 36 weeks today!! The only thing that could make it better was if I was in the hospital having this baby. I'm so ready to be done!! At my appointment yesterday she said that I'm dilated to a really small 2 (not much, but I'll take anything at this point!). She told me to start drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea and some other things that I'll let you figure out for yourself. Have any of you ever drank that tea? I'm pretty much willing to do anything right now to get things going. She also said that on Friday we would schedule the day. Even though it could still be a month away it will be so nice to have an end in sight! Unfortunately because of the pre-eclampsia I have to stay on bed rest until I deliver, but hopefully that will be sooner rather than later!!

In other health related news; Zack woke up last night around 11 and was kind of rubbing his ear so I started wondering if he had an ear infection. After being up with him until 6 this morning I figured it was a pretty good bet. So off we went to the Pediatrician this morning and sure enough he has his first ear infection. She gave us an antibiotic and some drops that will numb his ear so I'm really hoping for some sleep tonight!

Otherwise we are doing great. I'll post some cute pictures of my kids one of these days, but until then keep your fingers crossed for this baby to come! :)

We are moving to Draper!

Ok, we aren't really moving but if there was ever a good reason to move to Draper this is it.

Fat lip, Cardiology, and Great Neighbors!

Yesterday when Zack was eating lunch (I was being nice and letting them eat at the counter with their cousin Neal) he all of a sudden decided he was done and turned around on the stool; I don't know if he fell or was trying to jump down, but he face planted on our tile floor. I learned lips bleed a lot! He has a nice big cut in his lip and it's all swollen and bruised. As soon as he got a popsicle he was pretty much over it. Austin and Neal were happy because they scored a popsicle out of the injury as well. :) These pictures doesn't do it justice!
This morning Austin had a cardiology appointment and echocardiogram (ultrasound of heart). I was really nervous for it because they usually have to sedate kids for them because they have to lay totally still for about an hour. I really didn't want to have to deal with the hassle and the extra time it would take to sedate him so we brought lots of treats and anything else I could think of that would help. The ECHO tech couldn't believe how good he was, he started getting restless the last 5-10 minutes, but the whole time before that he was a complete angel and luckily we were able to distract him the last few minutes to make it through to the end. I'm happy to say that we got great news! He still has mild stenosis in his pulmonary artery with a little bit of right ventricular hypertrophy (I know most of you have no idea what that means, but I'm putting it in here so I remember it), basically no change from what it has been which is great. Since he's reached an age where their growth curve really slows down we don't have to go back for THREE years!!! That was such great news!!! I can't believe how lucky we have been with our boys birth defects, I am very well aware of how much worse things could be and am so grateful for how blessed we've been!

Tonight the door bell rang and this is what we found.
We feel so loved! We live in the best ward! I can't believe how many offers of dinner and people willing to come help out with my kids or house that we've had. I'm so grateful for how much Heavenly Father watches over my family and for all of these little gestures of love that he sends us through his earthly angels!

Bed rest and Big boy beds

Bed rest SUCKS!!! Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful that the baby hasn't been born yet and that everything is still going well. I'm also very grateful for everyone that has been so helpful, we are very blessed! But I'm going crazy! I don't know how much longer I can stand laying here and feeling so worthless. Not to mention how much I'm not enjoying watching others do my housework and take care of my kids! From the day my boys were born I've never wanted any help taking care of them or my house. I know that others are very capable, I just like things done a certain way. If anyone is bored please feel free to do a post on your blog, call, or come and visit! It's going to be a very long few weeks!!!

Friday night the boys got to move to their new room and sleep in their new beds. I can't believe they are old enough to sleep in beds! I thought for sure they would be up for an hour playing and I was totally prepared to just close their door and let them play until they fell asleep, but I didn't count on the fact that they would both be sick. As soon as we left their room they both got out of bed and were trying to open their door while crying. Being the push over mom I can be I started worrying about how they were probably scared because it was such a big change and on top of that they didn't feel good. So we ended going back in their room several times to lay with them and sing to them and we would get them to sleep, but as soon as we would leave they would wake up and it would start all over. Finally, the last time Aaron told me I wasn't allowed to come in with him because apparently I make them more upset because they both just want mommy. So Aaron went in there and got them both to sleep and this time they stayed that way. It only took 1 1/2 hours total, I didn't feel like that was to bad for the first night.
Austin had a lot harder time, but I think it's because he was feeling a little worse than Zack. Look at that cute face!
Zack ready to be a big boy!
I was really worried about their naps on Saturday, but I just went and layed them down and sang them a song and after playing for a few minutes they were asleep within about 15 minutes. Last night they were asleep within a couple of minutes, I can't believe how well it's gone so far! The only complaint I have is that usually if they would wake up early in the morning or after about an hour from their nap they would just lay in their cribs and usually fall back asleep, but now that they can get out of beds they are awake and ready to go so they have been waking up at least an hour earlier in the morning and yesterday's nap only lasted about an 1 1/2. I'm hoping that gets better with time. Last night at about 3:30 I woke up to hear the little pitter patter of feet in the hall. After calling out to them, Zack came walking in our room. He was asleep almost the instant I pulled him in our bed and didn't even stir when I carried him back in to his bed. He's still figuring out his new found independence. Here are some cute pictures of where I found them asleep during their naps yesterday. I still haven't figured out what I'm doing for bedding so those are their temporary blankets.
Austin climbed back in to his bed after playing.
We put sleeping bags on the floor in between their beds in case they fell out of bed. So far they haven't fallen out, but Zack apparently thought they looked more comfortable than his bed.
These boys are growing up way to fast!

A little bit of everything

I've been trying to do this post for days, but have been having some issues so now it's finally getting done.

The boys got big boy beds. We are moving them in to a new room and their new beds this weekend so if anyone has any advice we are very open to hearing it. They are bunk beds that we have separated in to twin beds for now and when they're older we'll put them as bunk beds. I love them and the boys think they are pretty cool, but I don't think they really understand that they are their new beds. Here is a picture of the beds in their new room.
We also just replaced all of the interior doors and closets in our house. The doors before were flat, ugly wooden slabs. I love the new doors and will love them even more when they are painted. They are only primed so they still look dingy. As soon as the weather is warm we'll take them all down and paint them.
I also wanted to let everyone know of one of my friend's new blogs. It's a blog of her great finds like recipes, books, crafts, etc. I love all of her great ideas and she has a code on their right now for a free shutterfly book. Just click here to go see it.

On Saturday our cute nephew Ben got baptized. We are so proud of him! I feel so lucky that I have known him since he was born. He was born a few months after Aaron left on his mission so he missed out on all of the cute baby fat rolls and drool. We love that boy!!!
And finally an update on me and the baby for those who care. Although I'm still having frequent contractions my doctor isn't so worried about those anymore because the Progesterone shots are working and I still haven't started dilating. Unfortunately that's not the end of my story. About a week ago when I went in for my check-up my blood pressure was 183/80 so she has had me taking it easy since then with very frequent check-ups. Apparently pre-eclampsia is not something to take lightly. My blood pressures have continued to be high so she put me on bed rest as of yesterday and told me that if things don't start getting better then she will put me in the hospital. The thought of being away from my boys and in the hospital was all I needed to hear to make me obey her commands of bed rest. Thankfully our family (Malinda, Mandy, my mom, Michelle, and Angie to name a few) and ward members have really stepped up to help. Since I'm 33 weeks we only have to make it 3 more weeks before we can deliver this little boy and hopefully have a healthy baby that gets to come home with us. Apparently me and the third trimester aren't friends! Thanks to everyone who has done so much for us and continues to and for all of the prayers, they are much appreciated!!!

Me and 31 weeks DON'T get along!!

What a week! I turned 31 weeks on Wednesday and started the morning off having contractions and a lot of pain so me and the boys made the trek to the doctor. She said I have a Group B Strep infection which was very concerning because most women who deliver early it's from them getting infections that causes their water to break. She put me on an antibiotic and told me to take it easy (yeah that's possible with two little boys to take care of). Unfortunately things weren't getting any better so I went back in on Friday and she noticed that I was having contractions. Thankfully, I haven't started dilating yet, but I now have to take Terbutaline whenever I'm having contractions which has been pretty much all of the time. Depending on how things are looking this week I may have to go up to the hospital and get Betamethasone shots to help the baby's lungs develop faster. She said I can't work anymore until I'm at least 36 weeks, but I am very happy to report I have now been pregnant one day longer than I was with Zack and Austin! Please pray that our little boy will stay where he belongs for at least 5 more weeks and that we'll win the lottery (not having my income is going to make things a little hard!).

To end this on a happy note here are some pictures of some cute kids! The last couple of weeks sometimes after the boy's bath we will turn on the shower. They love it and are really funny to watch when it's on. Unfortunately, Aaron missed the picture when they were putting their legs up, it's really funny! It's a little steamy! Austin kept trying to get the water in his mouth.
Zack didn't appreciate me violating their privacy and really wanted the door closed.

Update

The last 2 weeks have been busy with lots of puking, lots of laundry, organizing, and a new family member. For all of you wondering if the baby is here the answer is thank heavens NO! My little sister moved in with us about a week and a half ago because she is going to the College of Massage Therapy in SLC and didn't want to commute everyday. So far it's been good having her here, but we don't get to see her near enough because she is so busy. Although as soon as she gets her massage table I will become her person to practice on, I CAN'T wait!!!
With the baby coming and soon inheriting the nursery as his new room; Austin and Zack needed a new room. We are moving them in to our other bedroom upstairs which used to be our spare bedroom/junk room and Angie is staying in our basement which has left me only our storage room for all of our food storage, holiday decorations, and whatever other crap we have. I have had to be creative with how to use our space and not have our house be cluttered. I bought several under the bed storage containers which is where most of my wrapping supplies and crafts have had to fit or in my or Aaron's closet. We have also started on my New Year's goal of getting our storage room organized to figure out what we really want to keep and what can go. So far we have already taken 4 huge loads to the DI and probably about twice that has ended up in the garbage. So much of it has made me wonder what we were thinking keeping so much stuff. I will admit that some of it was hard to get rid of because of guilt or sentimental reasons, but I have felt so much lighter having it gone. I will take pictures and show everything when we are done which will hopefully be soon.
Last Sunday Austin got a stomach virus which he then lovingly passed to me and I then lovingly passed it to Zack. So far Aaron has avoided our love, we will see if he continues to be so lucky. I do think there should be a law against pregnant women getting a stomach virus! It had me really freaked out for a couple of days since tomorrow is when I would have become so sick with vomiting and such with Austin and Zack which then put me in to preterm labor, but so far so good with this little guy. I had my OB appointment tonight and she felt like everything is still looking ok. The baby is up to about 3 lbs. 13 oz. and cute as ever! My blood pressure is a little bit higher and there was a small amount of protein in my urine (sorry if that's TMI), but she felt like it was still low enough that I was ok. She is being cautious and tested me for Group B strep today in case we need to know early, but I'm keeping all of my fingers and toes crossed and sending lots of prayers upward! Two more months to go!!

One of the 3 cutest boys in the World!!

We had our last Perinatology appointment today and everything looked great! At our last appointment they found a cyst in the Chorioplexis of his brain, but it's gone now. He weighed 2 lbs. 14 oz. today and is measuring at his exact due date.
I have started having some problems with swelling and my blood pressure being a little bit higher so last weekend they were starting to worry that I was developing toxemia, but I have been trying to eat less sodium and sugar and drink a lot more water. Luckily, my swelling has gone down a lot and my blood pressure is holding steady (still a little high, but not so high that we have to do anything).
Zack and Austin loved seeing their little brother today and we are getting so excited for his arrival!

Good Family Fun

Last night while watching the Sugar Bowl and cheering the Utes to victory we had a fun picnic in the family room of yummy tomato and basil pizza and cheesy bread sticks. I even had approval from Austin who kept looking at me with mouthfuls of food saying, "good."
Game highlights for me:

• spending fun, quality time with my family
• our boys were in a very huggy, kissy mood and I reaped most of the goods!
• hearing my cute little boys say, "Go Utah" unprompted
• watching them jump all over and cheer like their dad
• their constant mimicking of anything Aaron would say
  
• the fireworks that several of our neighbors set off at the end of the game
• the Utes winning
  
• having a verrrrrry happy hubby!

By the end of the game they were so tired they went right to sleep and slept in later this morning than they have in a long time.

13-0!!!

I just have to say that was the most awesome game in Utah Football history. This season has been so exciting to watch the Utes go undefeated. Once again it is another team where we will never know how good they could have been. Anyway, Wahoo!!!

GO UTES!!!!

We're officially OLD!

We did have plans for New Year's Eve to hang out with my family playing games and eating lots of food at my grandma's, but Wednesday as the time grew closer apparently our aging bodies and minds revolted because we ended up staying home. Aaron didn't get home from work until 7:30 and after dinner it was time to put the boys to bed. So you might think with the boys in bed we stayed up to party just the two of us, but that's where you'd be wrong; we finished painting the boy's new room (we are moving them in to another bedroom and just keeping the nursery how it is) and then went to bed. With Aaron getting home from work so late and I had to be up by 5:30 the next morning for work we decided to be party poopers. Maybe next year we will be young at heart again, but this year sleep sounded oh so good!

I decided to write some of my goals for 2009 on here, hoping it will help me be better at sticking to them.

• Run the Wasatch Back Relay (doctor permitting)
• Read the Book of Mormon everyday
• Say morning and evening prayers everyday
• Finish NICU scrapbooks for the boys
• Learn how to do digital scrapbooking
• Organize our storage room
• Finish sewing Christmas tree skirt, stockings, and place mats

Happy New Year to everyone!

Merry Christmas!

We had a GREAT Christmas this year! Zack woke up before Austin which is usually what happens (Austin is definitely like me with sleeping where Zack is like Aaron) so we gave Austin about a half hour before we decided to just wake him up. Zack was really excited when he saw the big wheel that Santa brought him and immediately ran over to it and started saying Vroom and riding it, but Austin was really struggling to wake up and probably sat on my lap for about 5 minutes before he would even look around. They both love their big wheels and I can't wait for warm weather so they can ride them outside. They also got magna doodles, books, clothes, bubbles, puzzles, and a few other toys. They were a lot of fun this year and loved opening presents, but after their birthday they didn't care quite as much about opening them so we had to bribe them and open up quite a bit for them. I think Aaron is concerned about all of the weight I have been gaining because I got 7 work-out dvd's and a running watch. :) Or it could just be that he is a good husband and knew that I wanted all of that stuff, I can't wait to start working out again!!! I also got a roasting pan and some other dvd's and Aaron got a snowboarding pass, a new game that's like speed Scrabble (it's a lot of fun!), and a few other random things.
Zack
Austin
After presents we had a yummy breakfast of cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, and oranges. Then we stopped by Aaron's parents for a little while. The boys got some fun books and cute stick horses with a few other toys.
Then we went over to my parent's where we again got very spoiled! My parents do an amazing job every year of getting us all the perfect presents! My dad surprised all of the boys with these incredible rocking horses that my dad made. Austin and Zack love them!!
Then my mom surprised all of her kids with scrapbooks that she made for us. My parents are both so talented and I'm so grateful for all of the thoughtfulness that they put in to their presents for us! They also gave us all food processors, clothes, and books.
The boys had a blast wrestling and playing in the mountains of wrapping paper after and they were pretty fun to watch. That was one of my favorite memories of Daxton last year, he went crazy in the wrapping paper. We missed him more than I can put in to words, but were grateful knowing that he was spending his Christmas with Christ. I'm so grateful for this time of year so we can remember all that we have to be grateful for and the real reasons we have to celebrate. I can't wait until we get to see him again, we love you Dax!
That night we drove home in one of the worst blizzards I've seen, but after almost 3 times the amount it normally takes we made it home safe. We have had a great week being able to spend so much time with our family!

Party, Party, and more Parties

Tuesday we had our 2nd annual Christmas party with my mom's family. We had a great dinner and then a few of the grandchildren and all of the great grandchildren put on a nativity. They were really cute! The shepherds all just wanted their moms and were not happy about the costumes. My cousin's son in the middle of it got his hulk gloves on and came out to show his powers, it was really funny.
Riley with his hulk gloves and the angels
Austin, Neal, and Zack with Mandy
Then we played some really fun games and Santa Claus came to see the kids and brought them all a bag of goodies.
Austin with Santa
Zack with Santa- he was obviously not at all happy about sitting on Santa's lap
The boys highlight of the night was playing basketball. Zack even learned how to dribble.

We were going to have a birthday party for Austin and Zack on Sunday with my family, but they woke up from their naps with croup so we decided to combine our Christmas Eve party with their birthday party. We had one of their favorite dinners of chicken roll-ups with mashed potatoes and beans and then had fun playing games after they opened up their birthday presents. They were very spoiled!
I make them baseball cupcakes for their birthday this year since they LOVE balls. Like last year Zack wouldn't eat any of his cupcake, maybe he's like his dad and doesn't really like cake.
Austin apparently thought us singing to him was like praying. What can we say, we have reverent children. :)
Thank you to my family for loving our boys and letting us share the Christmas Eve party!