Daddys Boy

Kyler absolutly adores his daddy. He is the first person he asks for in the morning when he walks into our room (if i am not already up), and gets the most adorable look of sheer joy on the weekends when daddy sits up in bed and says good morning. He gets that same happy look when he hears the back door open when daddy comes home from work. He melts when he wakes up early enough to see daddy leave in the mornings, seriulsly he just sobs and it breaks mine and his daddy's heart every time.
Lately the two have been up to lots. Brandon is on a cookie making kick and makes a batch every Sunday morning before he leaves for meetings (we have 1:30 church so he has plenty of time!) Kyler is his big helper, every time. The best funny story is he had Ky on the chair and the cookbook in front of him...Kyler changed the page, and Brandon didn't even notice till he was halfway through the recipe...he was so MAD! I just laughed. Someday he will learn to not trust a toddler with a book and keeping it on the right page! :) Here are some pictures from one Sunday I took a while ago.

Today Brandon was helping me get the handles on Kyler dresser I just painted ( i will post about it soon) He is such a helper. Brandon would drill the holes in the drawer and Ky would dust off the shavings smiling all the way. Then he helped daddy screw in the screws. Or tried to help, he wanted to turn it the opposite way daddy needed to, it was quite amusing. Here are some pictures of them working together (and I promise Brandon does wear more than that same Grey shirt, kinda ironic that he is wearing it in both set of pictures)

look at him adoring his "my daddy" as he lovingly calls him

Lastly this is unrelated to him loving his daddy, but really just too cute.....

He threw a fit when daddy left to go snowmobiling with some men from our ward (ok so it does have to do with daddy!) So mommy tried to save the day and give him a "nack" or snack and turned on "Cars" for him to calm down to.... I was busy trying to do a project on the computer and was wondering why he was so quite and not bothering me :) and looked over onto the couch and this is what i found. HE HAS NEVER FALLEN ASLEEP ANYWHERE BUT BED OR HIS CARSEAT!!!! I was so super surprised! Its apparently tough being almost 2! :)

Seriously isn't he the absolute cutest little boy you have ever seen!!!

Feeling a Little "Whelmed"

It seems just when you think you are getting a handle on things you get to try some other trial on for size. :)
Like i mentioned in the last post i have been having issues with my heart. They have been a large source of worry for me, but now after lots of blood work and other tests, i am apparently ok as long as they don't get worse and go away once I have this Little Miss. ahhh, that was a nice thing to hear from my doctor yesterday. But, that is not where the conversation ended. I was then told that my glucose was so high that they didn't even have to do a second longer test to prove that i have Gestational Diabetes. WHAT!
I immediately started freaking out. I was terrified when pregnant with Kyler that i had GD, cause i would get shaky all the time and feel faint if i missed a meal. I remember going to Richfield one Saturday with Brandon leaving just after breakfast and shopping till about 3 when we were at ACE picking out nursery paint, and I almost passed out, so i bought a big bag of almonds (they might have been covered in chocolate:) ) and downed a good 3 handfuls and was fine. I told my Dr. and had the glucose test the next week (it was time for it anyway) and the first test came up positive, freaking me out completely. They scheduled me to come back for the 3 hour one, and i passed with flying colors. Not the slightest abnormal. Fewww. What a relief. I just made sure that i always had a granola bar with me from then on and I was perfectly fine.
This pregnancy has not been like that at all. I could skip meals and be fine. I often forget to eat when i am feeding the kids i tend until 2 or 3 when they are all sleeping, and i have never felt faint or funny. So when i got the nasty drink, my dr told me to do it fasting just to make sure i passed the first one this time, i was not worried in the slightest. Not one worry in my mind that i would pass. I drank the drink, went to the hospital and had my blood drawn, went home ate a muffin and ran to the World Wide Training for church. I never felt funny at all. (with Kyler i felt so sick and wanted to puke during the first and second test). All these things made me so confident that there was no problems but my dang fluttering heart, that when the nurse gave me the news that i had GD i might have fallen to pieces. . . . ok so i did fall to pieces.
I hate knowing that i have this issue. I hate more that it is something that i could have probably avoided if i would have been at a healthier body weight when i got pregnant. I feel so horrible that I have done this to me and my baby girl the guilt is enough to kill me. I had a serious meltdown last night, but all things considered and after a blessing from my oh so amazing loving and understanding husband, i am happy to say i will be just fine, at least mentally about it all. I am still scared to death that she will be a monster baby! Kyler was 7 lb 2 oz a month early with no problems with GD, this kid could be HUGE by the time i have her! That honestly scares me the most. That and all the other health affects that come along with GD and the increased chance i have at getting it later on. So why am i telling you all this. Well really i am not tell you specifically. I am just journaling my feelings and you just happen to have access to my blog which grants you the opportunity to hear me whine and boob about things. :)
So i have an appointment Friday with a dietitian who is supposed to get me all set up with what i can and cant eat, and the little blood taker thing. I will have to take my blood 4 times a day, and eat right. Hopefully if i am religious about it, everything will go ok and i wont have a massive Little Miss to deliver this May!

The second part of my "whelmed" day....Kyler had to go to the ENT (ear, nose, and throat) Dr today to follow up and talk with him about his nasty bad ears. I feel so responsible for this one too, cause i got my grandmas nasty bad ears and remember still very vividly getting millions of ear infections, and have several ear drum bursts. Yes i know, mother of the year award for passing that one on.
Ky got tubes not even a year ago, and one fell out about a month ago. He had an infection and it was draining like it should, but cause there was so much gunk coming out it pulled the tube out with it. Darn! So this appointments was to address that problem...and now we have an appointment scheduled for March 2nd for my little man to get another set of tubes (these ones a T shape, that are supposed to stay in longer) and have his adenoids taken out. Apparently the adenoids can cause problems with ears and such, so its better to just take them out. I am all go about it. I haven't had mine since i was 5, and seems how they can just knock him out once and get both done at the same time i am all about it. Hopefully it helps him.
The sadder part is that we haven't even paid off the other set of tubes from last year yet!! Stupid cheap insurance!! So here we go! This is the year for us to have medical problems though with having the baby and Kys tubes we should be great on meeting our deductible! :) I keep telling Brandon if he is going to get hurt doing anything for a while, this is the year to do it!! He always just laughs at me, but really, it would be good planning if we could decide this is the year for him to have anything go wrong too!! :)

So there you go a long long story, and i hope that none of you actually read the whole thing. How boring for you! :) I will make a much more fun and uplifting post soon...as soon as i have pictures and a story to tell! :)

Another Comparison

With Kyler i was so good to write down things i was feeling, etc when pregnant with him in a pregnancy journal i was given. This time, i don't have a journal, and haven't been good about writing any of it down. So i thought i would do a symptom comparison between the two babies, because i don't think the pregnancy's could be more different!! :)

So here we go

Kyler-- never threw up
Little Miss Muffet--threw up twice ( i know thats not a lot, but i wanted to LOTS more)

Ky--got migraines the first trimester, and then for the remainder of the time, no headaches, which was a huge bonus cause i get them often when i am not pregnant
Little Miss Muffet-- I get them SUPER often. Still.

Ky--Was a super mover inside of me
Little Miss--super mover as well

Ky--sat high in me, liked to hang out in my ribs the majority of the time
Little Miss--She is a low rider. She like to be as deep down as she can go in my back. She is already scoping out her exit, which irritates me and scares me a little...she has a while to go!!

Ky--Never had tight muscles in my neck and shoulders...I loved that relaxin he was given me
Little Miss--ya remember how i mentioned constant headaches...she isn't so liberal with that relaxin hormone i guess, cause my neck and shoulders are in a constant knot!

Ky--Got tired, but could deal with it. I was working full time out of the house, so i couldn't just take naps and i survived.
Little Miss--I work full time, at home which at times i think is harder than working away from home. I see the couch and die a little thinking i cant lay my poor aching body down. (although i have been known to sit down to read and go out like a light, good think i am a light sleeper!!)

Kyler--by now i was swelling like a balloon. No rings on my fingers, having to buy new shoes for my large and in charge feet. Looked super fluffy! :)
Little Miss--Proud to say that my wedding ring is still on and fits like a charm!! :) No swollen achy feet, and lots less fluff in my face!

Kyler--occasional heart flutters, but never anything I was worried about
Little Miss--Constant heart flutters, which granted me the opportunity to get an EKG for the first time in my life and lots of blood tests to see what is up with my freaking out heart. (apparently i am throwing in an extra beat and my pules is fast) It makes me feel weird when it gets on a role which is why i finally told a Dr.

 Kyler--Had his room all arranged, painted and lots of clothes to dress the boy in.
Little Miss-- I have hit a few clearance racks...she will be a well dressed 6-12 month old....a little more worried about the 0-6 department!! :) She will look fabulous in blue with footballs and bears i am sure!! As long as she has a bow in her hair, it wont matter, right!! :) I do have her bassinet set up in our room, cause i tend a little baby that is snoozing there for now. But no room for her, and really right now no plan for a room for her, we are a little short on bedrooms for little monkeys. So funny the difference in preparations between the first and the second child.

Kyler-- Took my glucose test, failed first one. Took the 3 hour test. Passed with flying colors.
Little Miss--Took the glucose test, failed miserably. Blood sugar should be in the 90-120 range. Mine was 211 on the test. Scary. (But a happy side note, my nurse told me i am excelling in keeping it controlled. Happy thought)

Kyler--had to get up 2-3 times a night to pee...seriously it was ridiculous
Little Miss-- rarely even have to get up to pee at night. :)

For now, that's all i can think of. I might revisit the further along it get, cause this is the only journal i use for now, and i am sure i will have more to compare later!

Compare

So i feel so much bigger earlier with this baby than with Ky, so i made Brandon take picture of me with the same shirt on, at 23 weeks,  just 2 years later! :) 

I think i look bigger, Brandon doesn't....What do ya think?? :) 

(FYI: i am pregnant and am always right) :)

Family Getaway

Is there anything better than escaping from the world with just a husband and toddler to a cabin up Fairview Cabin? I cant think of anything, so there must not be!
We decided we wanted to head up to my families cabin this weekend for a family getaway. Just the 3.5 of us. We had the snowmobiles at our house, so we just packed up, met daddy in Ephraim after he got off work and headed up.
I love love it up there. Its a special place. It holds millions of memories of many past snowmobiling trips with my family, our honeymoon trip, and 2 anniversary trips for us, many other quick overnight getaway trips,  and now several camping trips in the summer with all of Brandon's family. Both me and Brandon always look forward to our trips up there, this time was no exception. It always produces good times and lots of fun memories for us.
This cabin also is a "faith builder"cabin. At least that is what me and Brandon finally decided to label it as this weekend. No we didn't have major problems, actually besides the few set backs it was a perfect trouble free trip. So why is it the "faith builder" and why did it get its name this trip? Because it prompts lots of prayers to be said while up there. Prayers that the snowmobiles will start, prayers that Brandon and a poor fellow could find the cabin he was supposed to be at, prayers that that poor fellow wasn't a ax murder and my husband would come back safely (he was a nice guy, he was looking for his scout troop that was staying at a cabin up there, it was just taking a long time, 2 hours, for Brandon to come back to the cabin, which makes this mommy very nervous and makes her imagination fly away to absurd limits), prayers that Brandon wouldn't get stuck while being out alone hauling stuff to the cabin, and driving the said poor guy around, Prayers to say thank you a million times that he wasn't an ax murder, and that even though Brandon got slightly stuck while out helping the fellow, he was able to get out easily. Prayers on Sunday asking for a miracle for our truck to start so me and Brandon could get home for church on time, then another quick prayer to ask that someone could come help us get the truck unfrozen so we could just plum get home, another prayer offered by the pregnant useless mom that Brandon wouldn't get stuck while calling for help cause i cant help him get out, and then at the end of it all a prayer of thanks that A. Brandon's 2 brothers came 1.5 hours to help us get the dang truck unfrozen, B. that it started so quickly (last time the fuel froze it took all day and lots of work on it to unthaw it all, this time it only took 2 hours) C. that we made it home safely and D. that we had an awesome trip and lots of fun times with our little man.
Highlights from the trip:
*Brandon finally being able to feel the little miss kicking....she is starting to move around like crazy now! So special to let him on the excitement of the miracle baby playing around inside of me.
*Melting endless amounts of snow for drinking and toilet flushing (we do have water, but we were too lazy to dig up the 5+ feet of snow to turn it on for one full day of playing)
*Brandon digging down to the shed through atleast 8 feet of snow so we could get into the cabin, and being so grateful for my strong determind man

*Brandon then digging down to the door of the cabin through another several feet of snow.

*Brandon and Kyler coloring together while i made dinner

*Kyler falling asleep in my arms and taking a short nap there (he hasnt done that for a long time)
*Watching movies with my best freind and talking till all hours of the night. I love him to death.
*Going sledding with Kyler, he loved it. (even though he does look miserable and cold in this picture)

"A little unfair that daddy can cover his face and i cant!"

My red marshmallow!

Look at those wind burned red cheeks!

*Kyler finally figuring out what the meaning of "cold" really is and using it appropriately to describe his little red  freezing cold hands. :) it was cute, sad but cute!

It was a great trip, and we are already planning on going back up before the little miss arrives :)

In His 20's

Kyler today playing dress ups upstairs with his favorite friend (who is helping hold him still by holding his hat) Wearing a witches hat (complete with witchy hair, and my old purse around his neck

So Officially today Kyler is in his 20's....he is 20 months old today! Fun fact is that he is 20 months on the 20th day of January. :)
A little about this boy as a 20 month old.....
He sleeps in a big boy bed (does better at nap time than night time, oddly enough!)
He worships the ground his daddy walks on. He cannot get enough of him.
He talks up a storm!! He says 2 some times 3 word sentences.
He LOVES breakfast and eats tons of it. Pancakes and cereal tie for his absolute favorites, but oatmeal is a very close second.
He is mastering the art of throwing tantrums :(
He loves his doggies (but i sometimes think its the 'outside' he loves and the doggies are a bonus)
He has NO FEAR. He is a little stunt devil.
He loves his baths, and asks for them at all hours of the day
He has recently learned "mine" and uses it frequently throughout the day (not a proud mommy on that one)
When he wants you to come, he grabs your hand and pulls you, with quite a bit of force, to what he wants you to do, or get for him
He is a clown, and he knows he is funny!
He points to the chair or floor and says your name to get you to sit down where he wants you
Some of his phrases or words he says often is:
"Wavis" (his uncle Travis, whom he loves)
"Ginkey" (stinky, aka when he is poopy)
"bye, bye ginkey" (when you change his bum, and i dont know where he learned it from but it cracks me up when he says it)
"bood" (food, and says it while signing for food)
 "beawer" or "pooh" (pooh bear)
"melmo" (Elmo, his best friend)
Really his vocabulary is now too long to list. I cannot believe how fast he picks up on new words. As i think of more of what he says i will list them here, i am just at a loss right now, that's what lack of sleep does to a pregnant mommy! :)

Motherhood

Lately motherhood has been on my mind. I think about being a mom when i cant fall asleep at night, i think about it when i can feel my new little "thumper" in my belly, I think about it when Kyler runs up to me so happy at what he has accomplished, i think about it when Ky dumps out the big bag of blocks i have cleaned up 100 times already that day, I think about it while laying next to my 20 month old in his new big boy bed falling asleep,  i think about it when i talk to my daycare kiddos and they make me laugh at what they come up with, and so so so many more times. And what do I think about during all these times.....how incredibly special it is to be a mom.
Back before i met the man of my dreams I often thought of what it would be like to be a wife and mom. I will be honest it was always rainbows and happy times i thought of. Perfect kids running around, kids who sat with their arms folded at 15 months and up in sacrament meeting, raising the kid who when presented with candy or a carrot they would always choose the carrot, me up early to care for the husbands needs before kids woke up, a immaculate home, healthy good meals on the table every night,  etc. I looked forward to motherhood, and being a wife with every fiber of my being. All i wanted was to be a mom. Simply a mom. Knowing there was a good chance in these times I would have to work, I got my degree in something that would allow me to be home with my kids and help other moms by watching their kids. Everything in my life has lead me to where i am today. All the Barbie roll playing, playing house all day everyday, helping my mom in the house, helping make dinners growing up, babysitting till i was one of the richest kids at my age.
So, does "real" motherhood keep up with all my high expectations i had as a 5 year old up to a 24 year old? I answer with not just a "yes", but a "it far outweighs what I could have imagined!" Is it all rainbows and happy days. Ha ha ha, NO! But it wouldn't be real if it was. Kyler is the opposite of reverent in sacrament meeting, he does fold his arms for prayer, but at times he yells out "mine" when i take the toy he is trying to play with, with his arms folded. While Kyler does love love love fruits and veggies, he would never choose them over a cookie! Ky drives me up the wall some day's till i just wish there was a stop, pause, and mute button on him. I rarely get up to make Brandon's lunches now that i have had a kid. My house is rarely clean, we have sandwiches, pizza and mac and cheese for dinner far more often than we should! BUT, I love every moment of it.
Motherhood to me is that feeling you get when your kid does something that makes you proud and you think your heart just grew 10 sizes bigger, its that feeling you get when your kid says "love you" for the first time (even if it is to his grandma), its the feeling of pure joy that you get to have another kiddo, its the laughter that doesn't seem to even do the moment any justice when your child does something so funny, its the feeling you get when you realize that your child is part you, and you see that part coming out in their personality, its the feeling you get when your child runs up and gives you tight squeezes around the neck just cause they want to, its that wonderful moment when they are falling asleep in your arms, its that feeling you get when you really want to sleep and they wake up crying and your gut is in knots cause getting out of bed is the last thing you want to do, you go in their room and they cuddle right up next to you, stop crying and fall asleep and you feel like a million bucks again. Motherhood is trying to teach a toddler how to sort laundry and it taking an extra hour to do so, but you had fun in the mean time, its all the worry, happiness, frustrations, excitement, tiredness, joy, all combined.
I remember hearing a talk by Sister Beck several years back about having a "Mother Heart" i wanted to share parts of it, but honestly they whole thing is wonderful so i am just going to paste it in here so you can read it OK instead of scaring you with a long post, here is an section of it,

"What is a mother heart and how is one acquired? We learn about some of those qualities in the scriptures. To paraphrase Proverbs: “Who can find a … woman [with a mother heart]? for her price is far above rubies. … She … worketh willingly with her hands. … With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. … She stretcheth out her hand to the poor. … Strength and honour are her clothing. … She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness” (Prov. 31:10, 13, 16, 20, 25–27

and HERE is a link to the whole talk...got to it, read it, you will be glad you did.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn along side of my children. Learn about my Saviour and His divine purpose, learn more about my Heavenly Parents and how they must feel to see us following the commandments and leading a righteous life, or how heartbroken they must feel to see us get confused with the ways of the world and fall away. I am grateful to have one perfect little monster to tend to all his needs. He is truly my joy in life. He is my everything. He is all things that is happy and good to me. He is a terror, he is a monkey, he is a Tasmanian devil who can make messes faster than i can say "little stinker". He a healthy, happy, bouncy, smart, loving, truck loving, daddy worshiping, doggy lover, mommas little man. He is what motherhood is all about. I am so extremely grateful to be having another little babe to make my heart expand another 100 times the size it already has become. I am grateful for everything that makes having these babes possible. I would just die inside to not be able to have children, and because of others talents and research it happens. They made motherhood possible for me and I am eternally grateful for them and their hard work and dedication. They must have know just how precious motherhood is and wanted every woman to have a fair chance at it.
I am grateful for a mom who taught me everything i know. She was my prime example of what a "mother heart" is. She not only blessed my life, but all lives she comes in contact with. She is a beautiful woman that i love with all my heart.
Here's to all the moms out there, cause what you do IS important, and DOES make a difference in many many lives. Here is to the perfect life of motherhood with all its perfections and imperfections to teach us what we need to know to be successful when we return to our Father in Heaven.

Big Boy

After Kyler did so well in our bed the other night, and he has been showing intrest in "big" beds the last little while we decided that now would be a good time to change him. This way he will be good and ajusted before his little sister arrives, and he can be the big boy he is trying so desperatly to become.
So tonight was the night. I unburried the twin matterss we had upstairs in a spare room that is more like a storage unit, daddy took apart the crib, and we put the bed on the floor....i think he is just too little for the frame and all...if he fell off it might do damage! :)

He was all sorts of excited about his bed. I need to make him a new comforter for the big bed, so for now he is using daddy's blankey from his mission that has a tiger on it, he thought it was pretty dang awesome. He was running around his room so excited, we brushed teeth, said prayers next to his new bed, daddy rocked him, and went to put him in bed and he lost it! He screamed, cried, and was scared to death (apparently he is all talk). So daddy laid with him till he was good and sleepy and got up, a few whines later we thought we won. Wrong. Soon the door into the living room opened....bugger! So mommy tried, sang 10 songs, slowly wormed her way from him, replaced herself with Pooh bear (or "beear" to him), and now its been a half hour and no Kyler. . . . I will keep you posted on our success with him, i am slightly afraid for naps.
Here is a movie of him being all excited for his bed: