All things crafty...

A Modicum of Ingenuity
My daughter started a blog about all of the craft projects that she has been working on lately. She will have tutorials, detailed descriptions, lots of beautiful photographs and her wit and wisdom sprinkled throughout. It is a work in progress but I can't wait to see

Adventures in Self-feeding

Fun stuff going on in our lives...

We have had some fun stuff going on...

On Monday, AJ was interviewed by KUTV news and they recognized him for scoring a 36 on the ACT test and for being a participant in the Ken Garff Keys to Success program.  Here is a link to the interview in case you missed it.  http://connect2utah.com/libraries/nxd/media/?data=media_player&v=256467  No, unfortunately he didn't win the car but at least he had an opportunity to be involved in the program.  AP testing is finally over for the year and now he will be able to relax and enjoy his leisure time.  However, I believe that he is planning on serving the community by volunteering or perhaps getting a summer job or maybe he will still decide that he wants to take summer classes.

Jessica finished up her Spring semester and finals last week, interviewed for a job on Thursday, was hired on Friday and started Monday.  She is working full time as a Document Control Specialist Intern over the summer.  She has been coming home and having lunch with me and Aliya, we love seeing her!  We are planning on working on some craft projects together over the summer, probably just on the weekends now that she is so busy. I am always inspired by her can do attitude, she is not one who will be held back.

Our little one is growing like a weed!  She is just about out of all of her 3 mo clothing now, so this last week I pulled out the 6 mo clothes that she received at the baby shower.  We have had quite a few excursions together over the past few weeks - walks in the stroller, out to breakfast twice (slept through both meals), funeral of a family friend, Lindsey's graduation, visiting with friends and relatives, picking up the carpool.  It is fantastic that she is sleeping through the night too!  She is going down later than I would like but she stays asleep until around 9!  One of the activities she hates is tummy time, she just lays there and screams but the last few days I have been propping her up on her elbows so she can really look around. Last night when she was on her belly, she rolled over onto her back - another milestone!

I realized the other day that I have one child who is going to experience their first year as a child and one that will be experiencing their last year as a child, seems sort of bittersweet.  I am not sure what is going to happen with the summer yet, with everyone working, I think that transforming the office into the baby's room is going to fall on my shoulders. 

Blaine had wanted a new grill for the past few summers and he broke down and surprised us with a Traeger grill.  It is a new style grill that burns hardwood pellets rather than charcoal or propane.  There are a variety of woods to choose from and we have used apple and hickory so far.  I have been enjoying it immensely and since we have owned it we have cooked on it more than we did on our old grill in a year.  One of the great features is that it can act as a smoker and slow cook meats while infusing them with delicous smoky flavor.  The heat is indirect so you will not have the charring and flareups that you do with traditional grills.  No, this is not a paid endoresment but my heartfelt praise to this wonderfully versatile product.  Thus far we have made - ribs, hamburgers, asparagus, pizza, chicken, choclate chip cookies, and meatballs and pineapple kebabs.   I look forward to the summer and all of the great meals we will be eating!

Atlas Shrugged Movie - Get Involved

Atlas Shrugged Movie - Get Involved

Loved the book, can't wait to see the movie!

Smilebox

Create your own photo album

My first electronic scrapbook page

I am just discovering the wonderful world of electronic scrapbooking.  This is going to be fun trying to use the scrapbooking software in conjunction with my blog.  I made this page very quickly to see how it would transfer to the internet, they are pictures from Aliya's first few weeks of life.

The proposal

On February 5, 2011, two days before their two year anniversary, Aaron proposed to Jessica with these custom Converse sneakers.  It was a very non-traditional proposal and we expect the engagement and wedding to follow suit. 

They have ordered engagement rings that they each will be wearing.  The wedding will be held in a few years because they both want to graduate from college before they tie the knot. 

We are happy for the couple and look forward to the wedding and officially adding Aaron to our family.

Baby Aliya's First Week

Our wonderful little surprise was due to join us February 24 however, she made an early appearance and arrived on Groundhog Day, February 2 at 12:20 am.  My water broke on February 1st around 10 am, Blaine rushed home from work, we grabbed the bags that I had already packed and headed to the hospital.  After the hospital staff determined that my water really did break, they admitted me to labor and delivery.  I had no contractions and made no progress for most of the day.  We consulted with the anesthesiologist who confirmed that I could not get an epidural until possibly after midnight due to the fact that I was on blood thinners and had my shot at 7 am.  There really weren't many options for pain other than narcotics and even then I could only have them an hour before delivery.  The kids came up to the hospital and visited for a while and stayed until it looked like I wasn't going to have her anytime soon.  I remember them discussing the way the contraction monitor worked,  it was a debate about whether it used Doppler or ultrasound technology. 

When they initially checked me I was only getting started, the doctors offered to speed up labor by offering me pitocin but I declined hoping I could get my epidural.  I started getting a few stronger contractions around 11 pm, they checked me again around 11:50 at that point and I was dilated to 4 and 80% effaced.  Then all of the sudden everything kicked into high gear, my contractions started coming on full force and I was having a hard time dealing with them.  My husband wanted the anesthesiologist to come in and see if I could get the epidural but I was nervous about getting it because I was worried that I would get a hematoma and end up paralyzed (that is sometimes a side effect of being on blood thinners).  The nurses were about to give me the narcotics in my IV but Blaine stopped them which was a good thing since they should not be administered within an hour of birth.  Calls were made and within minutes everything and everyone was in place for the delivery of Aliya.  It was fast and furious and then it was over and I was holding her in my arms.  Jessica missed the crazy delivery part and showed up just afterwards.   

She was 36 weeks 6 days, one day shy of being considered term but she encountered the problems of a late preterm baby.  An extended bout of jaundice, an inability to maintain her body temperature and being a poor nurser led her to be admitted to PCMC.  We were released from the hospital on Friday and she was admitted to the other one on Sunday.  During the first 8 of her 9 days she was in the hospital which also meant that Blaine and I were there too.  I am so glad that my kids were able to take care of the household and be responsible while we were going through so much stress.  Emotions were running high and everything was very uncertain but we got through it and emerged much stronger on the other end.  I got to see to scientific/analytical side of my husband in action, that part of him was stressful for me to deal with but it was also important for it to exist because he really helped figure out what the problem was with the baby.  The doctors were pushing to have a spinal tap to check for infection, we were not comfortable with them performing that unless we could see that there was a valid reason to do so.  Our pediatrician was glad that we did not give them permission to do so.  She was not very happy with the way that her treatment was going.  The hospital had her under Bili lights but that was not ordered by our Dr. so she had them removed.  It was a struggle to feel like we had some control over the situation.  When we showed up to the emergency room no one had actually gone over a plan of action with us as to how they were going to handle the situation, we only found out once they admitted her to the hospital.  They had to try 5 different times to draw her blood for the tests they needed to run, it was heartbreaking.  She really was lethargic especially after they put her under the heat lamps.  We noticed that she would perk up after receiving a bolus in her IV so we mentioned it to the nurses and kept pushing them to give her more fluids.  Once they did and we supplemented her with some formula her temperature stabilized to where she didn't require being placed under the heat lamps.

The hospital had me meet with a lactation consultant who set me up on a strict feeding/pumping schedule. It was just the ticket to get my supply built up even though we did have to supplement her with bottles of formula.

We have such sympathy for parents who have had to go through even more difficult and serious circumstances.  The conditions in the room are really meant for one parent.  There is a couch that pulls out into a single bed and a rocking chair that does not recline.  Blaine gave me the couch so that I could get some sleep since I was nursing and he set himself up to sleep in the chair.  He had to keep on his shoes when he was sleeping because the rubber soles kept him from sliding off from his semi-propped/leaning position.  Also, he had to run home a couple of times for medications, clothes, etc. in addition to needing to leave the room to pick up food for us to eat.  Every time I needed to nurse the baby, he had to move the rocking chair next to the baby's bed since she was hooked up to monitors and had her IV line that had to come with her.  The whole situation was frustrating.  It was such a relief when she put on a little weight and was able to keep her temperature stable on her own, it was then that we were released to go home. 

January update...nesting...

The holidays have come and gone, I really enjoyed having everyone here with me between Christmas and New Years.  We are getting the house ready for the baby, between three trips to the dumps and 5 to DI it is finally feeling like we might be able to find room for everything a new baby requires.  I am still working on getting my bedroom set up as the temporary nursery.  It will only be for a few months which is the ideal time frame anyhow.  Come summertime when the kids are out of school, we plan on converting our office to the nursery and hopefully repainting and re-carpeting the upstairs. 

In the 21 years that Blaine and I have been married, we sure have managed to accumulate a lot of "stuff".  Slowly but surely it is getting cleaned out and the process is quite refreshing however there is always a tinge of guilt associated with it because some of the items we are getting rid of are gifts that we received.  I know that we can't keep everything and stuff that we keep should be functional or bring joy, not carry emotional baggage. 

On January 15th, I had a fantastic baby shower hosted by my awesome cousins Wendy and Heather with the help of their mom, Heidi and my daughter Jessica.  I was so grateful to everyone who attended and humbled by the outpouring of the love and support that we received.  I can't express enough gratitude to our family and friends. 

We are now seeing the Dr. for weekly appointments.  The last 3 weeks I have had to go in for NST's once a week.  Blaine is always at my appointments and by my side, I know that this pregnancy has been exciting but emotionally draining too.  My health issues upfront made it so that he is very protective of me even more so than usual, he wants to make sure the baby and I make it through this okay.  We were told again last week that they plan on taking the baby around 38 weeks, only a few more weeks to go. 

Jess has decided to shorten her work hours so that she can spend more time with her sister and helping Blaine and me.  She also really wants to be present at the birth, I know that she is carrying a heavy load at school and am touched by her dedication to her family. 

AJ really does not want to ruin his "perfect attendance" at school and would rather not experience the thrill of the labor and delivery process.  He will be happy to come after the baby has arrived and is cleaned up.  He was asked to the Sweethearts dance on Feb. 12th, we still aren't sure about an induction date yet.  Who knows, I could be in labor when he is at the dance...

I will be adding pictures of the "nursery" as soon as I get it finished.  The crib is together, sheets washed and bed made.  Changing table and the dresser are loaded with clean clothes up to size 6 months, diapers, wipes, etc., rocking chair in place, pack n play assembled, car seat and stroller are ready to go.  Waiting on Amazon to ship the rest of the items I am missing but we would be okay for a while without it.  This nesting stuff is tiring business, maybe I should go have a nap.