That's my girl!

We went to Disneyland the beginning of December. Its my favorite time of the year to go there. They have it decorated so beautifully. It makes the park more magical than it already is. But, we were very hesitant about going this year because Julia has been so difficult. We have a pet name for her...the Raptor.

For those of you who haven't seen me in Church, its because my daughter is a total night owl. Not only is she up late at night, she cries a lot. She has the text book definition of colic times 3. She cries pretty much non-stop from about 5 or 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. Sometimes we get lucky and she takes cat naps during that time - around 30 minutes or so. But, she does sleep straight from about 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. which is nice. She doesn't really nap in the day except for a couple of cat naps as I've said.

Anyhoo...we were worried about going to Disneyland. Getting stuck in line or on a ride with a screaming baby didn't seem at all appealing. But, I promised the other kids we'd go so we did. SHE WAS AN ANGEL! She slept the entire time except to nurse. In fact, for three days after the trip, she had (sort of) a normal baby schedule. She is back to her hold screaming routine but I am so grateful for those 3 days of bliss and a great time at Disneyland. I think we'll go more often. :P

Like how she's in Maleficent's horns?

Already into High School Musical - bleh

Peaceful sleep!

Baby Julia

So I was finally induced on Wednesday the 28th. She weighed 8 lbs, 2 oz and is totally awesome and healthy!

Labor story:

They put me on Pitocin which wasn't too bad until they ramped it up. At first, I was fine. I didn't want to get an epidural this time as I have blood pressure problems with the medicine. Anyway, I had a doula who was just wonderful and she really helped me get through most of the labor. After the Pitocin was up pretty high, I felt the contractions becoming more effective. I started feel like I was going to throw up. The nurse midwife came in after I almost lost my cookies in the trash can and checked me...I was only 2 cm but fully effaced. I was 2 cm when I walked into the stupid hospital. I was crushed! I knew I couldn't take 4 more hours of the pain I was trying to cope with. I begged for an epidural.

The anesthesiologists came pretty quickly as the hospital was having a slow night. The Dr. was giving me the whole informed consent, don't sue me, spiel while I was nodding and hurrying him along. My husband said he'd never seen anybody put an epidural in as fast as this guy did. I didn't have any trouble with the medicine but as soon as I laid down on the bed, I had to push. The stupid epidural hadn't even kicked in. But, I COULD NOT wait for anybody, not even the midwife to show up. I started pushing like no tomorrow.

At this point in time it was only my husband, the nurse and the doula in the room. The nurse called for the midwife and was absolutely panicked as nobody expected me to be pushing that fast. Also, I had pushed part of the water bag out which was still in tact. Isn't that weird and disgusting? Anyway, I basically went from 2 to 10 cm in 20 minutes!!! The nurse couldn't get a hold of the midwife so she called in the M.D.s from the floor. Right as they came in, my midwife came running in. I guess the page system didn't work. Anyway, as I pushed again, the midwife informed me that the baby had pooped in the bag and had meconium all over her head. Yum! Next thing I know there were 4 perinatologists in the room waiting to take care of the baby. They were so calm, I didn't feel scared about the situation at all. Plus, I was in too much pain to care that much.

When I really started pushing I felt this horrible burning sensation. I was SO not prepared for that. I took a birthing class that totally helped with the contractions but did not prepare me for the ring of fire!!! I was yelling, "get it out" and asking whether they could give me something to numb up the area. They couldn't b/c she was crowning. I dropped the f bomb left and right. When I watched the birth video, it surprises me that nobody laughed as it was actually kind of funny.

I probably pushed 2 more times and she was out. Despite the fact they were worried about her b/c of the meconium, they put this bloody, purple baby on my chest for about 1 min and then took her over to the specialists to make sure she was okay. I thought that was pretty awesome. Her hair was totally green b/c of the poop. She looked like a leprechaun. But, she was healthy and crying.

Everybody at the hospital was so great and supportive. I'm glad I had the experience of having a baby naturally. In retrospect, I don't think I would do it again lol. I did ask for the epidural, it just didn't have time to kick in. It was a great experience and my last one barring any unforeseen "accident." I hope everybody likes the pictures. Oh, check out all her blonde hair!

Yes, I'm still here!

Bah! I haven't had the baby and my midwife won't induce me. I'm getting pretty dang uncomfortable but most of all I'm so tired of people asking me, "you're still here?" I want to say, "no, I'm only a figment of your imagination" or "no, I had the baby and stuffed a pillow under my shirt just to trick you." I think the "you're still here" is worse than, "you're so big." That one is just plain rude but I think I'm more frustrated by the fact I'm still pregnant. The worst offenders are the people at church. I've been ducking out after sacrament so I don't get trapped by them in the halls afterward. Bad, but I'm keeping pregnancy rage at bay so it'll do.

I decided to use a nurse midwife for this baby because I have a bad reaction to the epidural. I didn't realize she was going to make me stay pregnant for 2 extra weeks! I'm seriously debating breaking my own water. Not really, but it sounds threatening, doesn't it? I'm hoping and praying she will deliver me a week after my due date. Oh, I'm not really sure when that is because they've changed it 3 times. Originally it was the 26th but ultrasound at 7 weeks said 24th then, ultrasound at 13 weeks said the 19th. The midwife was using the 24th but when I asked to be induced last week (I know, I know, a teense bit early :P) she said I wasn't due until the 26th!!! I think she used the longest date just to shut me up.

Anyway, I'm going to beg and plead with her next week and will hope for a Halloween baby, at the latest! Pray that everything will be alright for the baby and I will be able to hold on to the last vestiges of my sanity.

The end of rotten things

This pregnancy has been so rough! I was so nauseous until about 6 mos. I can't believe it went on that long - bleh. Right around the time I started to feel better, my dad died. It was horrible. He was only 66 years old and my best friend. I am the executrix of his estate and it was really hard going through all of his stuff. I miss him so much and sometimes call his phone number even though I know he won't answer.

I am so grateful for all the good people in the Church who helped me move his things out of his house. He lived in Alpine and we had to move everything in the middle of July when it was sweltering. Nobody complained - they just came and helped. I have NO idea how I would have done any of that had it just been me and Victor.

Shortly after losing my dad, I had all sorts of problems with my ex-husband while my two older boys were visiting him. He really did a brain washing number on them and I was concerned he wouldn't send them back after his whopping one month of time with them. (He only takes them one month a year - great dad eh?) I actually had to pay for lawyers and send him a pretty nasty letter about it right when I was trying to take care of my dad's affairs.

About a month ago, after the end of all this stress, I was about ready to beg the Dr. to induce me so I could have a stiff drink or something (not really but I thought about it). I was so uncomfortable - heartburn every night, gas, constipation, couldn't breath, felt tired and THEN...the baby dropped! This was the turning point. Right at about 36 weeks, she dropped and I could sit without being in pain, feeling like my ribs were up in my chest. I could move around better, eat without feeling full after two bites, and I had more energy. THEN, the weather changed! It was BLAZING hot out here. It was relentless 100 degree heat. It was awful. The weather changed to the 70's and it was just beautiful! This last week it has been cloudy with a little bit of sun and is total Fall weather. I love it!

It's interesting because usually the last month is the worst for most people but it has been the absolute greatest for me. I'm still uncomfortable but I feel so much better and all those horrible things are behind me (I hope). I don't know how I would have gotten through everything without being able to kneel with my husband and ask for the Lord's blessing and guidance. While all of it was pretty awful, it was bearable. Now, I am so grateful for the many blessings in my life - for this new little sweet baby who will be here shortly and for the lessons I've learned about not worrying about the little things. Who has time to worry about those things when you feel rotten or have terrible tragedy in your life?

I know this was kind of a rant but I feel like this whole rotten period of my life has come to an end. I've learned a lot but more than anything I am so grateful for my family, how wonderful my children and husband are, and for my Church family, who are always there when you need them most. I am so looking forward to my life keeping on in the direction its going - until I hit the next speed bump lol.

Baby Shower

The infamous baby shower! This was such a great time for me. In our ward, somebody has had a baby every month since July = tons of baby showers. In fact, we had 2 in September, mine and another sister who just adopted. I know people must be getting burned out on these showers. I know I am lol. I SO appreciate all of you who were able to come and those of you who couldn't make it but were thinking of me. I was a little embarrassed by all the attention but it was so fun. We played some really silly games - I know a lot of people complain about baby shower games, but these were fun. Tonya did such an amazing job coming up with these games. One included looking at diapers with melted candy bars in them and trying to figure out what the candy bar was before it melted. You can imagine what the melted candy bars looked like. One woman was so disgusted by the whole thing, she'd laugh and say, "I can't..." and then pass the diapers on. Another game was your typical "identify the baby food in a labeless jar" game. My best friend, who currently is not a mother, and me, who hasn't seen baby food in ages, won! Can you believe it?!? It was so much fun!

Deb cooked an awesome meal - I totally wasn't expecting that. Deb is an amazing cook and pretty much anything she touches tastes gourmet. Anyway, there was a great salad and BBQ sandwiches, fruit and my most favorite custard tarts instead of a cake. Deb hosted the party at her house and made all the food. I was so impressed and completely awed by all the work. Thank you so much Deb and Tonya!!!

I got a lot of really awesome presents. Since I've never had a girl and have long ago gotten rid of baby things, I really needed a lot. I was so appreciative of all the thoughtful gifts everybody got for me. Thanks to everyone! You really made me feel special.

Lizards!

How do you know you are the mother of boys???

When you find a dismembered lizard in your washing machine. Yes, disgusting, I know.

As I was transferring a load of laundry (Gs no less) to the dryer, I thought I saw a piece of dark lint in the washing machine. I pulled it out and took a closer look at it. It was HALF of a lizard!!! I completely freaked out, throwing the rubbery lizard body on the floor in the laundry room and called for the only child who could be potentially responsible - Cade. (He "accidentally" killed a pet lizard in the past by petting it too much - just like Lenny in Of Mice and Men.) Also, Cade likes slithery creatures and often tries to make them pets so I assumed he may have put this poor thing in his pocket and forgot about it.

Anyway, I made Cade go through all of our clothes looking for the other half of the lizard - the tail and back legs were still missing. Unbelievably, he found the other half sticking to some bottoms. I turned the dryer on super high/steam and hoped for the best in disinfecting our laundry.

Later, we were giving Cade such a hard time about this poor lizard, calling him "lizard killer" all the while assuring him we believed the lizard death was only manslaughter and not murder etc. etc. He got so mad at us, protesting his innocence profusely, but we still kept pestering him. I guess you have to get back at your kids when you can, right? Especially after finding two halves of a lizard in your wash. Anyway, avoiding washing our clothing with the kids' did us no good this time. I can't help but be a little freaked out anticipating what I might find in my washer or dryer in the future.

Mom Jeans

I laughed so hard when I saw this picture. I think we've all owned a pair or a least known somebody who has. I've included the video from the actual SNL parody. Its super funny and short. If the video doesn't work, click the picture and it should take you directly there. Enjoy!

My little daredevil future surfer

I absolutely love going to the beach. My dad grew up in Mission Beach so every weekend we would go to my grandmother's who had a house between the bay and the ocean. We spent hours in the water. I remember it almost being dark and my dad at the edge of the water, waving us to come in.

It seems I've finally passed down this love of the ocean to my 4 year old son. Poor thing is like an albino, but LOVES to "surf" (as he calls it) at the beach. He can swim, but he really dog paddles. Is he afraid? Nope. He gets in the water, takes his boogie board and goes out as far as I will let him. Last year, he didn't even know how to swim but was hanging on to the front of his older brothers' boards, taking the waves all the way in. I also taught him how to body surf that year. One particular wave, I trampled him as I was trying to give him a push on the wave. Did he cry? Nope. He came up from under the water, laughing.

We went to the beach a couple of days ago and he was maniac. He took a wave but didn't see the 12 year old behind him who proceeded to basically run over him. I went to comfort him and through tears he says, "I want to go back out in the water." So stinkin' cute!

Taking a wave in

Going back out

Adam and Henry bringing a wave in

Yours truly

Curse these fat fingers!

For the first time during this pregnancy, I had serious trouble getting my wedding ring off.  I ran my poor finger under cold water as my husband watched and tried not to laugh at me.  It took almost 5 minutes to get the thing off!  I am only 5 months!!!  Am I going to turn into a big bloated blimp?  Personally, I blame these Mormon get togethers that ALWAYS have treats.  I know, I know, I could use will power and avoid the desserts but with so many yummy goodies I would need more than a will of steel.  

So, now that I'm knocked up and lookin' like I don't have a husband with no ring on, what do I do?  Do I wear the thing on a necklace, buy a replacement ring?  What???

Saving on Groceries

If any of you know me well, you know that I am absolutely horrible at grocery shopping. No matter what I do, I never stay within budget. This is not because I buy sweets and junk food because I'm hungry. But rather, some mysterious force prevents me from ever keeping my bottom line. Well, I've been gathering these stinkin' coupons for the past month and finally got to use them today. I would not recommend shopping on Tuesdays as the grocery stores usually change their specials on Wednesday. It was zoo! But, check out the receipt! I saved $91.25 WOOHOO! lol

What do you think?

I don't have any baby clothes, equipment, toys...nada. So, I've been trying to buy things here and there so I don't spend a small fortune equipping my house for the new baby. I came across some cute bedding at Costco which seems to have everything but the crib. However, I'm not a huge fan of pastel pink and it seems that most girl's bedding is pastel pink. Tell me what you think about this bedding. Is it too pink? Is it dorky? Help!!!

Pregnancy Sucks!

I'm reading this really funny pregnancy book called, Pregnancy Sucks. The author is very witty and I enjoy reading her. Here is an excerpt on morning sickness I thought some of you might enjoy:

"Morning sickness is like waking up every day for three months with a terrible flu. It usually begins in the fifth or sixth week of pregnancy and lingers until about the fourteenth. It doesn't creep up on you but comes on with a vengeance. It drains you of your spirit and takes away you ability to care about anything. The fridge is broken? Who cares, you're nauseated. The dog's fur just fell off? Not your problem.

No one knows the cause of morning sickness. There are several different theories. But even if no one can agree on the cause, they all agree on one thing. There is no cure. Believe me, if there were, I would have found it. There should be a clinic in every city across the nation devoted to find a cure. There should be a yearly telethon with a poster child of a green bloated woman clutching hard on to a toilet bowl.

During the worst of my morning sickness, I skipped my prenatal altogether, and took my everyday vitamin. Yes, I told my doctor first. I know you're thinking I'm a horrible mother depriving my helpless embryo of its nourishment, but how much riboflavin does a ten-cell organism need?"

Cold, marble floors

The new house we bought had marble floors. Cold, icky, mausoleum marble - bleh. Talk about freezing in the morning on your feet. Anyway, we decided to put wood floors over it . Actually, they are not even wood floors but vinyl meant to look like wood. Apparently, UCSD hospital (which has a grand piano player in the foyer) has them as well. I thought it was real wood. So, we decided to go for the vinyl because between dogs and boys, wood floors would get destroyed in less than a day. Here are some pictures. It was a ton of work. I didn't do anything but my in-laws flew out from Chicago to help my husband install them. It took them 6 days, two of which they were up past 2 a.m. They are such troopers!!! The new floor looks wonderful and is so waaaarm on my feeties. :P

Moving

Yes, I know its been a loooong time since I last posted. We bought the house and moved in about 3 weeks ago. It has been so crazy. Packing the old house was just awful. I have been so sick with this pregnancy. When I saw the Dr. at 8 weeks I asked for some medication to help with the morning sickness. He prescribed Zofran which apparently works very well. I went to the pharmacy to fill it.....sorry folks, the insurance company will only pay for 9 pills! Turns out these magic bullets are like $30 a piece. So, I decided to take one right before the sisters came over to help me pack. Turns out it worked fairly well. What would I do without my RS sisters??? These women are wonderful! For 3 days they came over and helped me pack. On Saturday, all the men came and moved our stuff. It was great! Thank you to all who helped!!!

Reality shows and Octomom

Ok, so, if you've been reading my blog you know how I feel about reality shows etc. However, I came across this really interesting article in Newsweek about Octomom. Yes, I know the drama is addictive but we really need to stop paying attention to these freak shows. See what you think about the article.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/187344?GT1=43002

To Build or Not to Build

Ok, so I've been a lazy blogger the last month. We've had so much going on it's unbelievable. For the last 6 months we have been coordinating a 2,000 square foot remodel to our house. Below is one of the architectural renderings of it. The left side of the house is what is existing. The two story rendering is the addition.



From Drop Box

Well, we finally got bids on everything and decided to scrap the project. I love this house but I don't think I can live through a remodel of this magnitude. Also, the existing house was built in 1957. We were really worried about opening the "Pandora's Box" when it came to refurbishing the older space to coincide with the new. And finally, the project was just too danged expensive!

Since, we've got 3 kids (filthy, loud, obnoxious but adorable boys) and 3 dogs, we knew we'd have to move somewhere else to accommodate us. Enter, Ginger. I told her of our dilemma and she showed us some houses. To be honest, we'd been looking on realtor.com for a while. We fell in love with one particular house. It has 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. The master is downstairs! Woot! There is plenty of space for all of us to fan out and not be right on top of each other. Close of escrow should be the beginning of March. Here it is:

I hope I don't jinx it lol.

Blackmail!

A picture speaks a thousand words. I can't wait to blow this up to poster size for his wedding. I'm kidding of course! (maybe) O.~

Not for the Faint of Heart

Ok, remember way back when I said steamcleaners were something that warranted a 52 blessing? Well, now I second the motion! Yesterday, one of our dogs decided to jump on our couch and pee. The boys tried to clean it up with 409 but I knew it wasn't good enough. Btw, I think they yelled at her and scared the pee right out of her, that's why they were so helpful. :P Anyway, I have been wanting to steam clean the couch for a while. Couches get dirty too, but I wasn't aware of how dirty they really get. If you are easily disgusted turn away! If you have a weak stomach, don't look! But, if you are interested in how dirty your couch probably is, take a look at mine.

This is the water








Happy boys because they didn't get in trouble!

Yum!

Disneyland Fun

Victor's parents flew in from Chicago for Christmas this year. As a Christmas present to them we decided to take them to Disneyland. They haven't been there since the late 60's! They were flying in to John Wayne Airport on the 23rd around noon so we decided to meet them at the park. But....their flight was delayed by almost 5 hours! They didn't get to Disneyland until about 6pm. They were in great spirits though and we had a blast. They are total troopers! They went back to snowy miserable weather on the 30th. I miss them already. But, they will be moving out here (hopefully) some time this summer.

I've included a slideshow of Disneyland decked out for the holidays as well as some of our Christmas pictures. I think Disneyland will become a tradition as long as we can do it. It was so much fun and definitely magical!