Ok Taren, I told you I was going to tag myself if I came up with anything to say. Now I'm going to tag myself because I'm bored and I don't want to do any school crap at the moment.
I always...
1. wear eyeliner 2. like forests 3. get emotionally attached 4. expect too much of myself 5.forget my sunglasses 6. miss fighting fire when I smell/see smoke 7. look for a cheaper way 8. read blogs, check email and facebook, etc., before doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
I sometimes...
1. pretend like I don't give a damn when I do (and vice versa) 2. make new things for dinner that really suck 3. clean my house 4. eat Reese's PB cups and like them 5. cut my fingernails with scissors 6. get the insane idea that I'm crafty 7. want to go back to work at Toaquim's 8. get it right the first time.
I never...
1. am 100% satisfied with my eyebrows 2. wear light blue with jeans 3. forget my days at Snow 4. love my kids too much 5. keep my mouth shut 6. eat Miracle Whip - ever 7. play basketball 8. pass up ice cream.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Month 25 - They're Not Lying
This is probably going to be a quick letter which I'm sure you're probably grateful for if you are reading all of these letters at once. It's no secret I can be long winded at times, moreso when I write than when I talk for the most part. It's eleven at night and everyone else is asleep but because I no longer have any idea what day of the week it is, let alone the date, this was almost late and I can't have that.
Yeah, so when someone coined the term "terrible twos" they weren't lying. You drag me through hell and back daily. You are testing your limits, and mine. Your favorite thing to do now is pretty much the opposite of what I ask. If I ask you to pick up your blocks you say no. I say ok, then I'm going to take them away, do you want me to take them away? Yes. Ok, I'm taking them away unless you pick them up, will you pick them up? No. Do you want to go to time out? Yes. Then if you get really mad at something I am telling you, you simply close your eyes. Argh that drives me crazy. It is my own fault though, my famous defense mechanism for dealing with people/situations I don't want to deal with is to pretend that person/situation doesn't exist. Just ask anyone who has ever been on my bad side.
It's hard being home, and definitely a big adjustment but there are definitely pluses. The other day you mentioned Mitch and McKayle and Carter. I asked you if you missed going to Carter's house and you told me you did. I hesitated to ask the next question because I was nervous for the answer but when I asked if you wanted me to go back to work so you could go to Carter's house you said no. Whew, dodged that bullet. And I still get all warm and fuzzy when I think of your quick answer that shows you still like me even after being stuck home with me for almost two months. I also love the end of the day when your dad gets ready to put you to bed and you come up to me and say "Goodnight mom, take good care of Baby Tess." I melt all over and remember how sweet of a kid you really are... You have been such a good helper and as patient as can be expected for a two year old whose world has been severely rocked over the last 6 months or so. You are the funniest kid and can always say something that makes us laugh, and a lot of the time I really need it.
Oh and that scar on your chin, you got that in the last month. In your own words when someone asks you how it happened you say, "Slipped in the tub getting the soap." Yep, you did. I tried to hurry and get you in and out of the tub before your dad got home one night and you slipped and hit your chin on the side of the tub at the same time biting your tongue on both sides. There was blood coming from your chin and your mouth and you were screaming and Tess was screaming and I was freaking on the inside but telling you that it was ok and you were fine and oh, hey, look at that cute duck on the towel I was using to put pressure on your gushing wound. Turns out you were screaming because of the pain at first but then only because you wanted to get back in the water and here your stupid mom was holding you and rocking you. Never a dull moment around here, not even at 11 at night.
Love you kiddo,
Mom
Yeah, so when someone coined the term "terrible twos" they weren't lying. You drag me through hell and back daily. You are testing your limits, and mine. Your favorite thing to do now is pretty much the opposite of what I ask. If I ask you to pick up your blocks you say no. I say ok, then I'm going to take them away, do you want me to take them away? Yes. Ok, I'm taking them away unless you pick them up, will you pick them up? No. Do you want to go to time out? Yes. Then if you get really mad at something I am telling you, you simply close your eyes. Argh that drives me crazy. It is my own fault though, my famous defense mechanism for dealing with people/situations I don't want to deal with is to pretend that person/situation doesn't exist. Just ask anyone who has ever been on my bad side.
It's hard being home, and definitely a big adjustment but there are definitely pluses. The other day you mentioned Mitch and McKayle and Carter. I asked you if you missed going to Carter's house and you told me you did. I hesitated to ask the next question because I was nervous for the answer but when I asked if you wanted me to go back to work so you could go to Carter's house you said no. Whew, dodged that bullet. And I still get all warm and fuzzy when I think of your quick answer that shows you still like me even after being stuck home with me for almost two months. I also love the end of the day when your dad gets ready to put you to bed and you come up to me and say "Goodnight mom, take good care of Baby Tess." I melt all over and remember how sweet of a kid you really are... You have been such a good helper and as patient as can be expected for a two year old whose world has been severely rocked over the last 6 months or so. You are the funniest kid and can always say something that makes us laugh, and a lot of the time I really need it.
Oh and that scar on your chin, you got that in the last month. In your own words when someone asks you how it happened you say, "Slipped in the tub getting the soap." Yep, you did. I tried to hurry and get you in and out of the tub before your dad got home one night and you slipped and hit your chin on the side of the tub at the same time biting your tongue on both sides. There was blood coming from your chin and your mouth and you were screaming and Tess was screaming and I was freaking on the inside but telling you that it was ok and you were fine and oh, hey, look at that cute duck on the towel I was using to put pressure on your gushing wound. Turns out you were screaming because of the pain at first but then only because you wanted to get back in the water and here your stupid mom was holding you and rocking you. Never a dull moment around here, not even at 11 at night.
Love you kiddo,
Mom
Your very first 4-wheeler helmet!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Two words:
Having you pull all of these out and take every single wrapper off was nothing compared to the damage I can do with this picture in about14-16 years.
Just. Wait.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Grand Canyon
So Dave finally had both of his days off this week - I think it was the first time he's had them both off since Tess was born so we decided to take advantage of it. Tuesday we hung out around the house but Wednesday Dave got another swamp cooler put in (thanks Brandon!) and I cleaned the house and then we headed off to the North Rim. It wasn't nearly as far as I thought it would be and it was so fun to get to just take off and go somewhere that most people only get to see on vacation - if ever!
The whole fam - I was laughing when we had pictures taken of the four of us because it is so windy near the rim I could never see the person taking the picture. I had a feeling they would look something like this.
The whole fam - I was laughing when we had pictures taken of the four of us because it is so windy near the rim I could never see the person taking the picture. I had a feeling they would look something like this.
We had to have proof that Tess made the trip out to Bright Angel point at 5 weeks old! People thought we were crazy but seriously, Logan had more of a chance of running off the cliff than Tess did in her stroller! Luckily we all made it back alive although I was questionable there for a minute after packing Logan up a steep hill on my back - in flip flops.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Cutest. Things. Ever.
Dave's coworkers chipped in and had these made for Tessa when they got their shirts made this season. The front and back of both of them are just like her dads. Her first, and hopefully not last, fire clothes!
Thanks guys!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Month 1 - Tessa's Arrival
Ok girl, you are going to get monthly letters too - at least until the two of you turn my brain even further into mush, which may be as soon as next month. I'm going to recap how you arrived for my memory's sake - so I can remind you later when you think that I never do anything for you that I did, at one time, do something for you. This will be long, but my memory is crap now so if I want to remember details later, this has got to be thorough...
I went to my doctor's appointment on Thursday, May 28. I just knew I was going to be at a 3 when he checked me. I even told Bre, my favorite nurse, that no matter what, Dr. Gatherum was not to tell me I was at a one, even if I was. If I was at a one, he had to call it a 2 minus just so I didn't have to hear the word one. Sure enough though, your mother was right (I always am, but I'm sure you've figured that one out), I was a 3 and 75% effaced. I was absolutely certain I was going to have you the next day and told Dr. Gatherum that I hoped he didn't have plans for the weekend because I'd be seeing him again soon. I went and got cookies for the office on my way back, pretty much celebrating my last day at AP&P and I bragged to all the girls that I was a 3 and would have this baby tomorrow - I mean come on, that's how it was with Logan and the second baby comes faster right? Yeah, I even had contractions at work that day that were pretty regular, about 5 minutes apart. The beginning of the end had come, and as I left work that night I told the girls I'd be very surprised if I was back at work on Monday.
Fast forward through a lot of walking, eating pineapple (I'm convinced it helped!), lots more walking, an email to my boss saying I'd be in after all, etc... to Monday morning.
Apparently you wanted to be a June baby because no matter how much walking I did that weekend you waited until 12:30 a.m. on June 1 to decide you were ready to get this show on the road. I woke up after being asleep for about 2 hours and yeah, I quit peeing the bed a long time ago so I had a feeling it was something different. I sat up in bed and didn't quite know what to do next, so I sent your dad a text that said something like "Hope you're ready, I think my water just broke." I tried to wake up your grandma but she wasn't budging so I went to the bathroom and came back out and yelled her name a little louder and the games began. She jumped up and started running around, we informed your grandpa he would be driving to Cedar instead of heading to bed, and I called your dad. Good thing I did too because he slept through the text. He was a little foggy when he answered and I wasn't quite sure he understood what was going on but I kept him on long enough to make sure he was at least out of bed before I hung up.
Grandpa and I got on our way to Cedar and by this time the contractions were just starting to get painful. As we left town we saw a car burning on the side of the road on Main Street in Hurricane. Random? Yeah. In an effort to try to ease grandpa's anxiety I told him "See the things you miss when you're at home sleeping at 12:30 in the morning?" It might have worked for a minute or two but then when he asked how I was doing and I told him my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and we still had a 40 minute drive ahead of us the anxiety level went up again.
We made it to Cedar about 1:30 and after fighting with grandpa over whether I needed a wheelchair or not we walked in the ER entrance and down the hall to labor and delivery. By the time I got in and settled and checked I was at a 5 and 80% effaced - not nearly as close as I thought I'd be. The cute nurse told me I needed to get 2 rounds of antibiotics in through my IV before you could come and that would take 4 hours so I needed to at least keep you in for that long. I agreed and she asked me about the epidural. I said I definitely wanted one and she informed me that the anesthesiologist was about 20-30 minutes away and to keep that in mind when deciding when I would want it. About ten minutes later she asked again if I wanted it. I didn't want to be a wimp but I told her to get that man on his way - the contractions weren't making me want to die yet, but I remembered how good it felt when I stopped feeling them.
Your dad got there at 2:30 and grandpa promptly left the room - I'm pretty sure he was relieved that he had completed his duties at that point. He had gotten me to the hospital without having to deliver a baby - mission accomplished. About that time the epidural man got there and they made your dad sit down so he didn't fall down. It's a good thing the pregnant woman can't see what they are doing back there because if they make grown men sit down and the big needle isn't even going into their back, then I don't want to see it either. A few minutes later I could feel things starting to get numb and my pain level went from a 7 to a 5 and I smiled and thanked the epidural man as he walked out of the room.
Then...the nurse had me shift to one side and propped me up on a pillow and that's when things went downhill. Apparently propping you up on one side is supposed to help things, but if you get the wrong side then it hurts like hell. I grabbed your dad's hand and told the nurse it was not feeling right and my pain level was now at an 8 - not supposed to happen. I kept squeezing your dad's hand waiting for epidural man to come back or them to knock me over the head with an IV stand - ANYTHING to make the horrible pain go away. The cute nurse was just about to call the epidural man back in but told your dad to press my magic pain button and then propped me on the other side and seriously like magic the pain went away. Oh my goodness girl, how I love epidurals. I hope you grow up to be strong but let me tell you - those drugs are a blessing. In fact, I should sew a cape for that anesthesiologist with a big E on it and suggest he wear it when administering an epidural and introduce himself as Epidural Man. Point being, I am sure that pushing a baby out naturally is a very amazing experience, but I don't think pushing a baby out unnaturally is any less amazing because I don't want to kill myself before that time actually comes.
At this point my favorite part of having a baby, with the exception of actually seeing the baby, begins. The nurses and everyone else leave and I get to have some quality time with your dad. I am comfortable, although shaking uncontrollably with my teeth chattering, but we get to talk uninterrupted for a while and it is nice. I was supposed to be trying to sleep but I was a little wired and although your dad was trying to get me to sleep we kept on talking. Talking about what your brother would think, and what gender you were going to be, and what we would name you.
At 5:30 a.m. or so they came in and got my second round of antibiotics going and told me they would take about 45 minutes to go through so if we were ready, we'd be having a baby in an hour or so. I think at this point I was at an 8 or 9. The nurses changed shift at 6 a.m. so the new set of nurses came in about 6:20 and saw that I was at a 10 and we were ready to go. They broke down the bed and got everything ready and Dr. Gatherum came in about 6:30. I started pushing quite soon after and after pushing through 2 contractions and a "little grunt" there you were, less than 5 minutes later. You were easy! I was so excited when Dr. Gatherum announced you were a girl. When I saw your face when he first held you up you looked so much like Logan I thought for sure you were a boy. I had told everyone I wanted a boy so Logan could have a buddy but when the time actually came I was thrilled you were a girl. Your dad cut the cord and they gave you to me and honest to goodness, the first thing I noticed as you were screaming at me was that you were tongue-tied. Poor little thing your tonge was seriously attached all the way to the tip. You calmed down pretty quick and they let me hold you for a few minutes before taking you over to weigh and measure you.
After feeding you for a bit the nurses let the wolves in and all four grandparents and Logan were there to see you. Logan wasn't quite sure what to do at first and didn't want to come sit with us but pretty soon he was on the bed with us pushing the buttons. They took you and gave you a bath and the pediatrician checked you out and clipped your tongue right there in the hospital so we wouldn't have to worry about another tongue fiasco like Logan's. We had to stay an extra day because of your jaundice but so far eating hospital food for an extra day has been my only complaint with you. I didn't even taken any Ibuprofen at the hospital the second day until they told me I probably should even if the pain wasn't too bad. Oh, that and the fact that you did a number on my bladder - but I won't go into details on that here, or anywhere.
You sleep better than Logan did, and you eat half as much but are still filling out well. You've been an easy child so far, but I know this is only the very very beginning. I look at you and I can tell we will have our WW III fights - it's just my style and probably will be yours too. I was absolutely 100% right when I wrote in Logan's letter that while I couldn't imagine loving another baby as much as I loved him, that I would surely love you as much when you came into the world. It is absolutely amazing to me how quickly it happened - the minute they placed you on my chest I loved you just as much while continuing to love Logan as much as ever. I'm not sure he understands this yet, so do me a favor and go give your big brother a big hug and tell him you love him and then punch him on the arm - he most likely deserves both.
Love you sis,
Mom
My you are a pretty thing.
I went to my doctor's appointment on Thursday, May 28. I just knew I was going to be at a 3 when he checked me. I even told Bre, my favorite nurse, that no matter what, Dr. Gatherum was not to tell me I was at a one, even if I was. If I was at a one, he had to call it a 2 minus just so I didn't have to hear the word one. Sure enough though, your mother was right (I always am, but I'm sure you've figured that one out), I was a 3 and 75% effaced. I was absolutely certain I was going to have you the next day and told Dr. Gatherum that I hoped he didn't have plans for the weekend because I'd be seeing him again soon. I went and got cookies for the office on my way back, pretty much celebrating my last day at AP&P and I bragged to all the girls that I was a 3 and would have this baby tomorrow - I mean come on, that's how it was with Logan and the second baby comes faster right? Yeah, I even had contractions at work that day that were pretty regular, about 5 minutes apart. The beginning of the end had come, and as I left work that night I told the girls I'd be very surprised if I was back at work on Monday.
Fast forward through a lot of walking, eating pineapple (I'm convinced it helped!), lots more walking, an email to my boss saying I'd be in after all, etc... to Monday morning.
Apparently you wanted to be a June baby because no matter how much walking I did that weekend you waited until 12:30 a.m. on June 1 to decide you were ready to get this show on the road. I woke up after being asleep for about 2 hours and yeah, I quit peeing the bed a long time ago so I had a feeling it was something different. I sat up in bed and didn't quite know what to do next, so I sent your dad a text that said something like "Hope you're ready, I think my water just broke." I tried to wake up your grandma but she wasn't budging so I went to the bathroom and came back out and yelled her name a little louder and the games began. She jumped up and started running around, we informed your grandpa he would be driving to Cedar instead of heading to bed, and I called your dad. Good thing I did too because he slept through the text. He was a little foggy when he answered and I wasn't quite sure he understood what was going on but I kept him on long enough to make sure he was at least out of bed before I hung up.
Grandpa and I got on our way to Cedar and by this time the contractions were just starting to get painful. As we left town we saw a car burning on the side of the road on Main Street in Hurricane. Random? Yeah. In an effort to try to ease grandpa's anxiety I told him "See the things you miss when you're at home sleeping at 12:30 in the morning?" It might have worked for a minute or two but then when he asked how I was doing and I told him my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and we still had a 40 minute drive ahead of us the anxiety level went up again.
We made it to Cedar about 1:30 and after fighting with grandpa over whether I needed a wheelchair or not we walked in the ER entrance and down the hall to labor and delivery. By the time I got in and settled and checked I was at a 5 and 80% effaced - not nearly as close as I thought I'd be. The cute nurse told me I needed to get 2 rounds of antibiotics in through my IV before you could come and that would take 4 hours so I needed to at least keep you in for that long. I agreed and she asked me about the epidural. I said I definitely wanted one and she informed me that the anesthesiologist was about 20-30 minutes away and to keep that in mind when deciding when I would want it. About ten minutes later she asked again if I wanted it. I didn't want to be a wimp but I told her to get that man on his way - the contractions weren't making me want to die yet, but I remembered how good it felt when I stopped feeling them.
Your dad got there at 2:30 and grandpa promptly left the room - I'm pretty sure he was relieved that he had completed his duties at that point. He had gotten me to the hospital without having to deliver a baby - mission accomplished. About that time the epidural man got there and they made your dad sit down so he didn't fall down. It's a good thing the pregnant woman can't see what they are doing back there because if they make grown men sit down and the big needle isn't even going into their back, then I don't want to see it either. A few minutes later I could feel things starting to get numb and my pain level went from a 7 to a 5 and I smiled and thanked the epidural man as he walked out of the room.
Then...the nurse had me shift to one side and propped me up on a pillow and that's when things went downhill. Apparently propping you up on one side is supposed to help things, but if you get the wrong side then it hurts like hell. I grabbed your dad's hand and told the nurse it was not feeling right and my pain level was now at an 8 - not supposed to happen. I kept squeezing your dad's hand waiting for epidural man to come back or them to knock me over the head with an IV stand - ANYTHING to make the horrible pain go away. The cute nurse was just about to call the epidural man back in but told your dad to press my magic pain button and then propped me on the other side and seriously like magic the pain went away. Oh my goodness girl, how I love epidurals. I hope you grow up to be strong but let me tell you - those drugs are a blessing. In fact, I should sew a cape for that anesthesiologist with a big E on it and suggest he wear it when administering an epidural and introduce himself as Epidural Man. Point being, I am sure that pushing a baby out naturally is a very amazing experience, but I don't think pushing a baby out unnaturally is any less amazing because I don't want to kill myself before that time actually comes.
At this point my favorite part of having a baby, with the exception of actually seeing the baby, begins. The nurses and everyone else leave and I get to have some quality time with your dad. I am comfortable, although shaking uncontrollably with my teeth chattering, but we get to talk uninterrupted for a while and it is nice. I was supposed to be trying to sleep but I was a little wired and although your dad was trying to get me to sleep we kept on talking. Talking about what your brother would think, and what gender you were going to be, and what we would name you.
At 5:30 a.m. or so they came in and got my second round of antibiotics going and told me they would take about 45 minutes to go through so if we were ready, we'd be having a baby in an hour or so. I think at this point I was at an 8 or 9. The nurses changed shift at 6 a.m. so the new set of nurses came in about 6:20 and saw that I was at a 10 and we were ready to go. They broke down the bed and got everything ready and Dr. Gatherum came in about 6:30. I started pushing quite soon after and after pushing through 2 contractions and a "little grunt" there you were, less than 5 minutes later. You were easy! I was so excited when Dr. Gatherum announced you were a girl. When I saw your face when he first held you up you looked so much like Logan I thought for sure you were a boy. I had told everyone I wanted a boy so Logan could have a buddy but when the time actually came I was thrilled you were a girl. Your dad cut the cord and they gave you to me and honest to goodness, the first thing I noticed as you were screaming at me was that you were tongue-tied. Poor little thing your tonge was seriously attached all the way to the tip. You calmed down pretty quick and they let me hold you for a few minutes before taking you over to weigh and measure you.
After feeding you for a bit the nurses let the wolves in and all four grandparents and Logan were there to see you. Logan wasn't quite sure what to do at first and didn't want to come sit with us but pretty soon he was on the bed with us pushing the buttons. They took you and gave you a bath and the pediatrician checked you out and clipped your tongue right there in the hospital so we wouldn't have to worry about another tongue fiasco like Logan's. We had to stay an extra day because of your jaundice but so far eating hospital food for an extra day has been my only complaint with you. I didn't even taken any Ibuprofen at the hospital the second day until they told me I probably should even if the pain wasn't too bad. Oh, that and the fact that you did a number on my bladder - but I won't go into details on that here, or anywhere.
You sleep better than Logan did, and you eat half as much but are still filling out well. You've been an easy child so far, but I know this is only the very very beginning. I look at you and I can tell we will have our WW III fights - it's just my style and probably will be yours too. I was absolutely 100% right when I wrote in Logan's letter that while I couldn't imagine loving another baby as much as I loved him, that I would surely love you as much when you came into the world. It is absolutely amazing to me how quickly it happened - the minute they placed you on my chest I loved you just as much while continuing to love Logan as much as ever. I'm not sure he understands this yet, so do me a favor and go give your big brother a big hug and tell him you love him and then punch him on the arm - he most likely deserves both.
Love you sis,
Mom
My you are a pretty thing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)