Economic "Stimulus" Plan

An interesting article concerning the recent Economic "Stimulus" Plan. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123310466514522309.html
All I have to say is shame on the people (and Presidents) in government who take a hard time of the American People to hide their own desires in a plan that is to help the economy, but in the long run could only hurt the economy and very people they are supposed to be representing.

Make Your Guess!

OK, so since we have met our goal of making it to at least 34 weeks...and we've even exceeded it...we thought it would be fun to have everyone start guessing when they think this little girl will make her entrance into the world.

With Max my water broke at 32 weeks. When he was born he was 3lbs. 9 oz. and was 17 inches long. We are now at 35 weeks. If I make it to 39 weeks my doctor will do a scheduled C-Section, so we know we have only 4 weeks left at the most. Today when I saw my brother, who has been on vacation, his first question was, "How is it that that thing is still in you?" It was pretty funny. I'll tell you what, it was definitely one or all of the blessings I have received and the things they said in them.

Anyway, back to the object of the post. We would love if everyone would leave a comment with your opinion of the following:
1. delivery date
2. time
3. baby weight
4. baby length
5. baby hair color

I think it will be fun to see who gets the closest on everything.

Draper Temple Open House

Tuesday night we were fortunate enough to go to the Draper Utah Temple Open House. I thought they did a good job at explaining all the rooms to both our kids as well as to Kwana. She thought it was beautiful. It was also cool because there was a picture in the church after that was of the Korean temple so now she is going to look for it when she goes home. She also said the only other temple she has been to was a Buddhist Temple. She said that it was scary and dark and she was surprised at how bright this temple was inside. She also LOVED the baptismal font. We rode the red bus to get to temple (They had 3 different parking lots). The blue buses came 3 times while we waited and the green was almost constant. Everyone in line concluded that we had chosen wrong by being in the UofU bus line! If you get a chance to go, do. The Celestial room has an amazingly tall ceiling and so it is just beautiful. It is also interesting to see so much wood used in a temple.

The 3 boys waiting for the bus

Max and Shane waiting for the bus

Suzy waiting for the bus

Kwana waiting for the bus

Aidan waiting for the bus

Andrew waiting for the bus

All of us waiting for the bus. (Man is my face swelling lately!)

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year this year fell on our family home evening night with my parents. My Mom decided it would be fun to celebrate the beginning of the year of the Ox. We all brought different Chinese food and it was all yummy. We then did fireworks and just hung out. Here are a few pictures from the event.

My Mom taking pictures


Aunt Sarah posing

My Dad bundled up

Uncle Joseph being oh so safe with a lighter!

Sorry for the weird lighting, but here I am in a puffy coat! I think my body perception is completely off. I have had this coat for like 8 years and the fact that I can do the zipper up right now, shows that I thought I was a lot bigger back then than I really was!

Kwana and Max in a blanket to keep warm

A firework

Shane outside doing fireworks

Uncle Nate out with the fireworks

Now please don't be offended. This was Aunt Anna's doing. Little cousin Frank was given this onesie for the occasion. It has the Chinese Leader on it, Mao Zedong. Aunt Anna thought a nice communist pose would work for the occasion for Max.

Sweetest Husband Ever

So this morning I was getting ready and decided that my toe nails needed some attention...badly! Unfortunately, my stomach is in the way, and I just knew if I tried to put my own nail polish on it would be a mess. I walked downstairs and asked Shane, "So, how much do you love me?" He responded with a lot and so then I asked him if he would do my nail polish, but on my feet. He didn't even pause to think about it. He just said yes and jumped up from his chair to go to the couch. He did such a great job and I was able to wear open toed shoes to church! What a sweet husband!

This is Not Good...

Max is playing with his friend and they just went up to play in his room. A few minutes later his friend came downstairs and began his sentence with, "OK, This is NOT Good..." Well, tons of things raced through my mind as Max can destroy a room in a split second. I asked him what happened and he finished with, "There is a bug in Max's lizard's cage!" Well, after a minute of trying not to laugh I was able to tell him that Max's gecko eats crickets and the bugs are his food. He looked kind of confused and was like, "He does!?" It was so cute! Then they both ran upstairs to see if the "lizard" would eat the bug!

Breakfast with the Ladies

Growing up we had a great neighborhood. There were a ton of kids and we all played together really well, even the boys and girls. We played cops and robbers, pioneers, night games, weddings, and baseball. We built forts, had clubs, and pretty much did whatever we could think of. Well, some of the girls were able to get together on Saturday for breakfast. It was good fun! We were missing some people, but we will have to try again some other time.




Krissie, Lori, Rachel, Chantell, Me and Anna


Somehow all the light haired girls were on one side and the darker on the other. This is me, Lori and Chantell. Of course I had to sit next to one of the girls and they all look so skinny! I've been so swollen in my face lately.


Krissie, Anna and Rachel

D-Day

Well, we made it! We have officially hit the mark when I delivered Max. This is great news because now every day that our baby stays in, is one day longer than Max was able to. We are hoping to at least make it to 34 weeks, which is in 4 days, so hopefully we can do it! Every day past that will be even better! I think she is enjoying her time in there. Max was just anxious to get here! If she decides she really likes things and doesn't come, we will go with the scheduled C-Section and that means we would go in about 6 weeks! Wish us luck!

Translation Please

So Max was watching "Go Diego" and he was teaching a Spanish phrase. I didn't hear the whole thing, so I am probably spelling it wrong, but he said "Mueve De". Max copied and said it every time he was told to. He said it exactly as he heard it, "What the Hay..." So funny!

Welcome Cousin Frank

Well, Julie and Jake had their baby today! He was born at 5:22 p.m. He weighs 8 lbs. 15 oz. and is 20 inches. She was dilated to a 3 and 4 most of the day and then finally hit a 5. A half hour later she said she was really hurting and they checked and she was at a 10! Another half hour later and there was baby! Congratulations, we are loving all these babies!

The closeup is courtesy of Max.

Just Another Sick Day...

So I have decided that this month can end already! It seems like since about December 28th everyone has been sick with one thing or another. Yesterday I went into be checked for spotting. Everything checked out, so we are good to go, but it made for a day where I couldn't do much per the doctor and so I worked weird hours and mostly just sat around.

Then this morning at about 3 a.m. Max started puking. Poor kid, he is finally getting over his nasty cough and runny nose and now this. I feel so bad for him, he looks like he is in so much pain. He doesn't have a fever, thank goodness. He woke up probably every half hour to throw up. He had finally gotten to bed in between episodes, when I ran downstairs for a minute. The next thing I know he is crying and I go see him with diarrhea all up and down his entire body. A quick bath, with water replace frequently because of a few more episodes and we were back on track. He is now in pull-ups all day just to be safe and we are slowly building up on the Pedialyte, but for a little while he couldn't even keep that down. My laundry went from no loads needing to be done to about 7! I hope he starts feeling better soon! We are never sick, so to be having everything happen all at once is making me crazy! On the upside, it finally forced them to hook me up a few more ways to work so I could do stuff from home!

33 Week Appointment

Well, this is an appointment I have never had before...how exciting! Everything is looking good. I will see my doctor next week again. We scheduled it this way because he will be out of town the following week. This makes me want to either go at 34 weeks or wait until 36 because I don't want a sub! Anyway, all is well and I have another ultrasound in 4 weeks if I make it. On a side note my doctor did say that if I make it to 39 weeks he will induce me at this point, so I know for sure our baby will be born in January or February and not March!

First Sunday in Primary for Max

Last Sunday Max was sick, along with both Shane and me. We were so sad because it was to be his first Sunday in primary. Luckily he was able to go today! A few kids were missing, but there were four of them total today. Two of them cried and one fell asleep, which left Max to be the star pupil by default! No, really he did very well. He didn't cry or anything. When I took him to his seat he had this look of, "What am I doing here?" He did good though and when I peeked in he was trying to sing along. I can't believe he is already big enough for primary! On a side note, prior to this picture he had a cute tie and his shirt was tucked in, but for the picture he refused to take it any other way, but you get the idea of how he looked for his big Sunday. You can see how big he thinks he is...always in charge and giving us a run for our money!

Baby It's Cold Outside

The other night the boys all decided it was time to play in the snow. We were all sick for most of Christmas break so we didn't go sledding or anything! They built a little snow tunnel and had a ball. Then they went sledding for a little bit.


Andrew in the tunnel



Uncle Joseph enjoying the tunnel

Max in the tunnel


Shane in the tunnel

Aidan in the tunnel

After coming inside they decided to strip off down to their undies because they were all wet. They climbed into a blanket and hung out by the fire. Max loves to be like big brothers so he had to be in his undies right in the middle of it all!

Ultrasound #7

Well, we weren't supposed to meet with the Perinatologist until Tuesday, but I had a blessing last night and Shane and I really both felt that we should schedule things when we feel the urgency for them. I called them this morning and they had a cancellation so we went in this morning. I just needed peace of mind for the weekend. To be honest, this probably wouldn't have normally scared me so much, but we are where we were with Max and I know my uterus can't grow that much, so I was feeling like if something was wrong it was my fault. I know that isn't true, but you know pregnancy hormones! The specialists were fabulous! They had a really good tech AND the Perinatologist both do the ultrasound. They checked SOOOO many different things. We saw all the chambers of her heart and her ears, everything. They didn't rush through it like I felt the ultrasound yesterday was. I was there for almost an hour. They took their time with the measurements and checked fluid levels, etc. Here are some of the checks:

Amniotic Fluid - Plenty
Good flow through the umbilical cord - Check.
She is getting nutrients. Even her tummy and bladder were both full.
Placenta - Looks good and is attached well.
Head, Femur and Abdomen are actually ALL measuring small. This is good, because proportionate is always better. She is also only measuring 1 week off, not 2. This means that she is in the 33-37 percentile, which they said is great. They don't believe that anything is growing wrong now. They feel that she is just a little smaller. I had previously told Shane that I wouldn't be worried if she was proportionately smaller because some babies are just smaller, it was the abnormal proportions that worried me.

So, we should be good now as far as the growth of our baby. The Perinatologist just reaffirmed that our only worry is preterm rupture of the membranes or labor. Today marks the day I went in when I had Max, so we are doing pretty good so far! Thank you for everyone's prayers. I just know that this baby is truly a miracle and every prayer helps so much! We will keep you posted as we have more developments!

32 Week Ultrasound

I went in for an ultrasound this morning. It was less than stellar. 2 weeks ago I went in and everything was great. This time there are some body parts not measuring right (the head and abdomen). I am, of course, a stress case. They sent me in for a non-stress test. I haven't had high-blood pressure until this morning, but my swelling has gone down so that should be ok. They didn't keep me so that is good. I will see the Perinatologist on Tuesday to see what they say about the ultrasound. I also have a follow-up with my doctor on Monday. Please pray for our baby. I just don't want anything to be wrong and when it comes to her head I am just so worried. Thank you ahead of time for any prayers you can offer.

Eye Heart Tobramycin

I will spare you pictures, but Sunday I woke up with both my eyes glued shut with goop! Eye goop! I know, so fun! I wiped them clean and it was painful, the pressure felt like I had bruises on both my eyeballs. I thoughed it out all Sunday because I didn't want to go to the Instacare or ER. Then, Monday morning I couldn't take it anymore. I went into the doctor. She said my eyes were swollen pretty bad. It was exactly what I thought...conjunctivitis (pink eye) in BOTH eyes. I have never had pink eye until now! I have no idea who gave it to me, but it stinks. I took the medicine they gave me, Tobramycin, when I got home and almost immediately saw improvement. My eyes are almost to normal now and I am so glad. It has been such a pain and I can't touch them because I don't want to pass it around. I'm just so glad it is almost over!

Pregnancy vs Pregnancy

I thought it would be fun to do a little chart of where I was at with Max vs where I am at now. I am approaching when I went in with Max. Most of the pregnancy has been pretty similar, except with this one I was really sick the first four months and with Max, nothing. She is also breech, which Max wasn't, so that has left me feeling an extra urgency to pee or a strange, not so good sensation in a private area when she decides to move around a lot. We are hoping that since she is positioned different from Max that we can make it a lot longer than we did with him. I read online that one lady went to 36 weeks with one pregnancy and another to 25, all just because of how the baby was positioned in the uterus and therefore how it would stretch. So we'll see! Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks according to my LMP, which is what I will go off for Max. I put the weeks according to how they happened with Max, but I will put the current dates so as each day passes I can make a sigh of relief that I am not there.

Max Pregnancy
32 Weeks (January 7)
Things are great, leaving for home from vacation

32 Weeks, 1 Day (January 8)
Doing Laundry from vacation and chillin' at home

32 Weeks, 2 Days (January 9)
Took the boys, my little brother, and my little sister swimming. My parents are out of town for their anniversary. We swim and I feel strange, but not sick or any pain. We head to Bert Murdock Music to get some church choir music. I feel like I've peed my pants. I go to the restroom and clean up, go to finish paying and feel the same sensation. I hurry and pay and rush out. I drop the kids off to my sister and go to Orem Community Hospital. They check me and my membranes have ruptured (water is leaking). I call Shane to come and my brother for a blessing. An ambulance comes and takes me to UVRMC in Provo. Following the ambulance, Shane gets in a fender bender, he is ok and no harm to any cars, but that puts him behind. They give me steriod shots for Max's lungs and I'm hooked up to all sorts of monitors.

32 Weeks, 3,4,5,6 Days (January 10, 11, 12, 13)
Still in the hospital. Bedrest. Super fun!

33 Weeks, 0, 1 Days (January 14, 15)
Still on Bedrest

33 Weeks, 2 Days (January 16)
I get an ultrasound, no fluid left. They check me, I am dilated to a 0. They decide to go ahead and induce me because of the lack of fluid and infection potential. I am started on Pitocin and continue on it for 17 hours until the next morning.

33 Weeks, 3 Days (January 17)
They check me, I am still at a 0. They decide to perform a C-Section. I get my spinal block and all the other fun stuff. They wheel me into the OR at 9 a.m. and Max is born at 9:07 a.m.

I remain the hospital for 4 days and then go home, but come back 3 times a day, then 4. Max comes home 2 weeks after being born.

So now, we can see as each day passes where I would be. The days actually line up exactly. With Max, I was 32 weeks on a Wednesday as well. So, if I make it past January 17th then I will make it past when Max was born. Keep your fingers crossed!

2008 - Year In Review

I thought I should do a little year in review for 2008. We've had a fun year, full of ups and downs and recounting it helps me appreciate the many blessings we have.

January
We visited our good friends, The Manleys for a Baptism
Max Started Swimming Lessons
President Hinkley Passes Away

February
I Get to be Part of a reproductive study
We find out the boys will be moving closer
Potty Training Fun!

March
Aidan turns 11!
Aidan has a program at school
Suzy has surgery, it isn't a success
Aidan and Andrew move and start a new school
Shane starts a new job

April
Shane turns 35
Fun Weekend in Park City

May
Aidan and Andrew participate in their first school dance festival
My sister Julie gets married

June
We have 2 babies on the way...Dan and McKell, and Jake and Julie
My sister Carrie gets married
We have a fun ward campout
Aidan and Andrew participate in Lacrosse Camp
At the end of the month we have a positive pregnancy test!

July
2 ultrasounds...still pregnant
Family reunion for my Dad's family
Anna leaves for Europe for a month, making it easier to hide the morning sickness from her

August
1 ultrasound...still pregnant
We announce we are pregnant to family members
Family reunion for Shane's family
Our first Dr. Appt.
Anna gets back from Europe and decides to move
Max turns 3
We annount we are pregnant to all our friends
We welcome a foreign exchange student to live with us (Kwana)
Aidan starts 6th grade
Andrew starts 4th grade
Shane gets a new calling

September
We celebrate our 6th Anniversary
More potty training fun!
A visit from Uncle Jason
Suzy gets a new calling

October
We find out we are having a girl!
Suzy turns 30
M Family Reunion
Reba/Kelly Clarkson Concert
Halloween

November
Andrew turns 10
Aidan is in the King and I
We have a big election
I finally make good bread!
Thanksgiving

December
Andrew performs at the Festival of Trees
Lost of Family Parties
Jason and Shezrae's family stay with us for some of Christmas Break
Kwana's Mom stays with us for Christmas Break
Everyone in the house gets sick!
Another ultrasound...still a girl

31/32 Weeks

So this is what how I look this pregnant. I will be 32 weeks on Wednesday. If I were pregnant with Max I would be going into the hospital on Friday, so we will see how things go.

My face is super swollen this time around! With Max I didn't really swell until I got in the hospital and they had me hooked up to all the IVs. This time I just started swelling over Christmas Break and so everything looks larger. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to put it on the blog or not because of the swollen face (and extremely large chest area I have developed), but I do want to remember what I looked like pregnant, so I better do it. Enjoy the laughs. (I wore a super tight shirt to show off the belly)