March Madness

March is almost over so I thought I'd better do some updating before April is here and over. Biggest news at our house( at least for Carter) is that he moved into his New, Big Boy Room! This room use to be red and it use to be the toy room. It housed Carter's train table, kitchen, etc. Now it's called Carter's new Room. And he refers to the other room as his old room, or brother's room.

He loves his new toy cubby that fits nicely in his closet. He even does a pretty good job of keeping the toys inside of it, rather than on the floor!

Here are a few shots of his room; taken by a very amateur photographer. Still planning on getting a bed frame for his bed but I'm in no hurry! It was fun picking out new decorations for his room. I decided to base everything off his bedspread and his obsessions. Trucks, Cars, Firetrucks, fire hydrants, etc. He came with me to Hobby Lobby and loved every minute of it.

He was really disappointed that all these new "toys" were actually just decoration and not play toys. It took him a few days but now he's content to just look at them on the shelf. But Hobby Lobby is his new favorite store!

Carter's really been in to hiding lately and having people find him. He loves to pretend these days and his imagination is quite wild at times. This day he was hiding from the dinosaur that was in the hall blocking the door to his bedroom and bathroom. So he chose to hide here.

This boy knows how to play but he also knows how to relax. He plopped himself on the couch the other day, amidst my laundry folding, and relaxed while he watched Mickey's clubhouse. In his sweats and everything. He really is my son......

Carter loves to have his daddy read stories to him and snuggle in bed with him. Whenever Neil lays down by him, Carter likes to lay ON him. Skin to Skin!

Carter is also becoming more independent in things/ways I am not ready for. This day he went to the potty all by himself (#2). Which is normal, but he always calls for me when he's done so I can come wipe him. When I didn't hear from him I went looking. And I he had unrolled almost a whole roll and had tried to wipe himself. Bless his heart. I wish he could wipe himself but I'm not ready to give up control of that area.

Even though March brought more snow we waited for a semi-warm evening (about 40 degrees) and got the trusty helicopter out. He had no fear last summer but was a little hesitant this time and once he picked up a little speed he got nervous and tried to drag his feet. He did this twice, which resulted in 2 crashes and a bloody lip. But it didn't really slow him down.

He even got to ride with his cousin Tyler on his Pre-Season ride. Can't wait to do it again.

My favorite new trait of Carter's is his prayer saying. We tried for quite awhile to get him to pray but he refused. Then one day he just kind of took off. His prayers are the highlight of my day. He says usually the same thing each time. Most of the time it goes like this:

"Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you dad came home in safety. Bless us we should go to the really fun place and the dr. Bless us we should go to Lowe's and the Toy store. Thank you we should stay home and take naps. Keep our family safe. Name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

We always remind him to bless the food at dinner but he has more important things to pray about. This boy loves to shop. Lowe's is his favorite although Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and the mall are close behind. Even though he says the same things over and over again he really is being so sincere and putting lots of thought into his words. Depending on our activities for the day, his bless and thank yous may change slightly to include: grandma's house, the gym, etc.

Love this boy!

Baby Update

Life doesn't always go as planned:

I've wanted to write our roller coaster of a pregnancy down for awhile but have been putting it off because of the unknown. Right after our 20 week ultrasound (where we thought we were having a healthy baby boy) we got the news that the Dr. "spotted" something that wasn't quite right and wanted us to meet with a specialist right away. Luckily we only had to wait 3 days to meet the specialist who gave us the diagnosis that our sweet little boy has some sort of Bowel Obstruction. We say some sort because it's impossible to see and know everything while en uterine but there is a definite blockage in his bowel. My life turned upside down for awhile while my brain tried to process this information.

I am so grateful for technology that caught this problem early and for wonderful doctors whom I trust. We meet with 2 perinatologists from McKay Dee hospital who come to Logan once a week to meet with patients like us. We trust them both and feel like we are in good hands. (Even though each visit costs as much as our mortgage each month-thank heavens for insurance!)

There is absolutely nothing they can do for the baby until he is born and the exact problem cannot be determined until he is born and CAT scans, Xrays and further testing can be done. The plan is for me to deliver at the University of Utah hospital so that the baby can be taken over to Primary Children's Hospital for surgery, that same day most likely. Primary Children's hospital deals with the exact problem a lot so we are confident in the surgeons and staff members there. We are hoping they can fix his intestine in 1 surgery but there is always the possibility of more than 1. He could be at Primary's for 1 week or 1 month...or more. We won't know until after the first surgery.

We have frequent ultrasounds with the dr.s who are watching the size of the obstructions closely. They call the fluid build up in his intestine "pockets" or "cysts" and hope they decrease over time but as for now, they have increased. The blockage is not causing any problems for baby as of right now and hope it stays that way for quite some time. That being said, there is the potential for the fluid to become to much and could cause his intestine to burst and we don't want to go there. There is isn't need to deliver right now, thank goodness because I am only 27 weeks along and baby is only 2 1/2 lbs. But anytime after 30 weeks there will be little to no hesitation to deliver him after that, if necessary. Best case scenario is 37 weeks MAX but realistically hoping for 34 or 35 weeks. They do not want me to go into labor in Logan so everything will be scheduled to have the surgeons and neonatologists waiting and ready.

While this news has been hard for me I know we're being watched out for and guided. Neil's sister is a surgeon at U of U and has hand picked a wonderful pediatric surgeon for our baby boy. We will be meeting with him in the next couple of weeks to go over all the little details and ask lots of questions. We will be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House connected to Primary's so I wont' have to leave his side. We also realized Neil's company has a second office minutes from the hospital so he will be able to continue working without being stuck in Logan should we need to be in SLC for an extended time.

Right now I see my OB for my care and the specialists for baby's care. Starting the middle of April I will say goodbye to the OB in Logan who has been overseeing my OB needs and start seeing the specialists in Ogden weekly. That is a lot of driving back and forth to Ogden but I'll do whatever it takes to give the baby the best care. The Dr.s think that after surgery the baby should be able to live a perfectly healthy, normal life as this problem is generally correctable and should have no lasting effects. We are very grateful for that news. In other good news, all of baby's other organs and etc are very healthy and perfect. Plus he is growing strong. Above normal actually! Carter was a "big" baby (8 lbs.) and looks like Brother will follow in his footsteps and we're hoping that will help him as he faces these obstacles.

We are very excited to meet "Brother" which is how he is mostly referred to in our house. Carter talks about all the toys he will share with him and all the things he will do to take care of brother. I have tons of basically brand new baby clothes saved from Carter that brother will get to take care over. I've wanted to buy him some new clothes just for him but with all the uncertainty I don't know what size to get. Especially for his coming home outfit. Will I be bringing home an 8 lb. baby like last time? Or a 5 lb. preemie? I know things like clothes don't really matter, but I am a planner so I hate not knowing all the details!

I'm horrible at taking belly shots and these are the only ones I have so far. This was taken a couple of weeks ago. I'm definitely much bigger with #2 than Carter. My stomach had no problem remembering where it needs to stretch to.

If all goes according to the new "Plan," baby will be here sometime in mid-May. I've got so much to get ready. We're hoping and praying things go smoothly and for the best.

Weekend Trip to St. George

Back in the dreary days of January we decided we needed a quick vacation to somewhere warmer and with less snow. We decided on St. George and invited our friends Melissa and Trevor and their little girl Lilly along. Much to our dismay, it was a cold, wet weekend in St. George so we were a big disappointed but it was still much warmer than Logan. And there was no snow! We only had 3 days down there and so we tried to pack many activities into those short days. We succeeded.

The condo we stayed at had a great park for the kids and we tested that out the first morning we were there. The home show was also going on that weekend so we all got tickets and hit a few houses each day. Much to my surprise, I think the home show was Carter's favorite part. He really got into it and caused quite the scene at times(a good scene though). He would run around each room yelling(since he hasn't figured out how to use an inside voice, anywhere) "I love this carpet." "I love this kitchen." "This shower has 2 shower heads dad!" And my favorite was "I love this master bedroom guys!" I have no idea where he learned what a master bedroom and bath was, but he did. At a couple of houses people would gather their friends/family to follow him around and listen to the things he would say. One guy commented that he's sure Carter's future job will be as a decorator. I really wish I would have had my camcorder to record Carter's excitement. I guess my obsession with HGTV's House Hunters has paid off.

On the warmest, driest day we headed to Snow Canyon and did a mini hike. Carter also loved this and has inherited his daddy's love for the outside and all things associated with it.

He and his girlfriend Lilly found the perfect hole in the wall for a quick picture. They got along quite well the whole trip and were willing to let us snap lots of pics of them.

Neil was in heaven taking his little boy into the "tiny canyons" as he called them. Carter ate it right up and had no fear of walking in tight spaces and getting dirty.
Neil has already made future plans of where and when to take Carter next. Carter could have stayed here all day had we let him. His pregnant Mommy didn't fit to well in these tight places so we didn't get to go far.

He also loved the sand dunes and didn't even notice the cold wind that started blowing. We actually had to carry him away from these in order to go to dinner. First time we've ever had to force him to come for dinner!

We ate at some fun/delicious places down there. A great mexican restaurant "Poncho and Lefty's," "The Pizza Factory," and "The Bear Paw." All great choices. Not to mention the homemade cupcakes, Neilson's Custard and other yummy treats.

There was good male bonding with golfing and girl time at the outlets! Without the kids!!!!

We took the kids swimming one day at an indoor pool/waterpark and they both loved it. Carter still talks about it today. I'd love to have one of those in Logan. It was the perfect activity to do while it was rainy and cold outside.

Here are some pictures of Lilly and Carter together. Carter is about 9 months older but about 3 times the size of Lilly. I forget how tall Carter really is until I see him next to kids his age. Carter and Lilly have both mastered the fake cheese smiles!

Carter is not shy about showing his affection. There were plenty of hugs and kisses between these 2 throughout the weekend.

Thanks for the good time Melissa and Trevor. Can't wait til next Winter when we can do it again. But let's pick a warmer weekend next time!