Tessa Elizabeth 05-09-09

6 lbs. 12 oz. 19 in. 8:11 a.m.
We are so grateful for our healthy baby girl. I think my doctor was so nervous about her weight because Carson was so much bigger than she was. Turns out that she is just fine, just a little on the small side.

Carson wasn't quite sure what to think about it all. He had to come sit right next to me in bed and he liked to play with the blood pressure cord while he was there. I must say that this C-section was much easier than the first. I was up and walking the next day where with Carson it took me a few days. I also wasn't quite as worn out as I was with Carson, granted I wasn't in labor for 24 hours beforehand. I'm sure that has something to do with it. :)

Carson holding Tessa for the first time. Too precious.

Back at home just hanging out in her PJs.

One week old. Most of Tessa's clothes are huge on her. I never did buy any premie sizes so she's doing the 0-3 month sizes right now. This is one outfit that actually fits her well.

It's MBA time!!!

Yay, we're done!
Tim with his Mom, Elaine and Sister, Tiffany and Carson of course
Mr. Grad with his VERY pregnant wife
Carson, our future College Grad.
We're so proud of you Tim!
(BTW, this all happened the night before going in to have Tessa. Talk about a milestone weekend.)

Easter Weekend

So our Easter weekend, we'll just say was less than ideal. We did have some good moments don't get me wrong, but it was a little rough around the edges. It all started Saturday mornning. I was planning on taking Carson to the Kaysville Easter Egg Hunt in the morning, but he woke up around 6:00 am throwing up and continued to do so until about 10:00 am. He then got up and was acting like his normal self so we continued with the plan of going to Grandma's to celebrate that evening and then I started feeling sick to my stomach. We still went into Grandma's cuz being sick to my stomach has been a pretty normal thing this pregnancy. So we still went, ate dinner, dyed easter eggs as well as had an easter egg hunt. Carson then said his head hurt and shortly after threw up again. Needless to say, we kept him home from church on Sunday. Tim went to Sacrament then came home so I could go teach my YW lesson. Carson and Mommy are now doing much better, it must have been a 24 hour bug that we just HAD to get Easter weekend...RUDE!
Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma Lanie's
Dying Easter Eggs
Easter Morning: We'll get the nice, dressed up photo next week. :) The highlight of his basket was the movie Bolt. These days he is NOT Carson, he is BOLT the dog.

All I can say is, YIPEE!!!

So I think the time has finally arrived, Carson is going to the bathroom in the potty! For those of you who weren't aware, I've been on this kid's case for MONTHS now trying to get him to use the big boy potty and he's refused. So Sunday night, we got him out of the bath and he was just hanging out in the nude with some blankets around him. I went in the other room to get something and then I heard, "Mom I pooped". I was nervous that I was going to find a little something on my carpet, but to my oh so pleasant surprise I found him on the pot. So Monday and Tuesday roll around and he wants to wear a diaper so I started to think that it was a one time thing. So last night the same thing happened, bath, blankets in the buff and poop. Carson continued going in and out of the bathroom until about 11:30 last night. Each time I think a few drops of pee came out he came running excitedly down the hall to tell us that he went in the toilet and wanted to put a sticker on his chart and get a gumball. Needless to say, he went again this morning and continued all day long. We were even out running errands like crazy today. I made sure I asked him at every stop and he did have to go a few times while we were out and I'm pleased to say that he's been accident free all day. Oh how I've waited and waited for this day to come! Hopefully the trend will continue tomorrow...

March Madness

I can't believe the month of March is already over! We had a busy month with family in town, it was great. My older sister, Roshelle was in town and then Tim's Dad came to town and then my parents and Bryson were here. It was so much fun spending time with everyone and Carson especially loved it, I think he gets bored with his Momma sometimes. :)

While my parents were here, we decided to throw a last minute baby shower for my little sister, Harmony so my Mom could be here for it. My Mom made the cutest "diaper cake" for Harm. For those of you who haven't seen them before, it's a non-edible cake made out of diapers that you decorate however you'd like. We added some onesies, socks, binks, and a little toy. I had never heard of them before so when my Mom showed me what they were all about I thought Harmony for sure needed one. I love how Harmony and I are only a week apart yet so different in size. :) That girl is still wearing her normal jeans...I was out of those LONG ago. My wardrobe is so sad these days, I'm down to only a few shirts and pants that fit me. Only a few more weeks, only a few more weeks.

I also put my Dad to work while he was here, he installed our water softener for us. Carson LOVED being Gpa Ed's little helper. I've included a picture of him at Home Depot putting random pipe pieces together while my Dad collected all the parts and pieces he needed. This kid is ALL boy.

Baby Cupcake Update

I went to the doctor again this morning and Cupcake is having good interval growth. She's now 3 1/2 lbs, but the doctor is still planning on taking her early, most likely at 38 weeks. So sometime between May 7th and the 14th we'll schedule the C-section. She did say that her heart looked good, she was practicing her breathing well and we were also able to spot some hair on her head. :) I can't believe that she's going to be here in just 6 weeks!

You've Got to be Kidding Me!

Last weekend I painted the nursery and just needed to do the touch ups to straighten my lines and what not. So the other day Carson had a friend over and they apparantly decided that they wanted to paint themselves. Carson has watched me and even helped me enough that he proceeded to open the paint can, pour more in the tray and then paint away. I was in my room folding laundry and had a feeling to go check on the boys. When I saw the door shut I knew I was in trouble. Serves me right for leaving paint out with a 3 year old in the house. Looks like I'll have more touch ups to do than originally planned, not to mention a little carpet cleaning. I like pink and all, but it doesn't work so well on carpet.

February at a Glance

I've had a few people ask for some prego pics so here they are. I'm officially 27 weeks along now or 6 months. I actually went to the doctor today and she said that Cupcake was measuring on the small side. The doctor said not to stress too much yet, but of course I am anyway. She's going to measure her again in 2 weeks to make sure she's gaining weight. If not, here come the steroids and bed rest...yikes! Needless to say for the next two weeks I will be on the Atkin's protein diet so we can beef this dainty baby girl up.
On Valentine's Day, Carson and Daddy made a snow fort. Carson only lasts so long in the snow before he's ready to go in. The boy won't keep gloves on so his hands get cold and then he's done. It was a fun day nontheless.
Eating the snow from Valentine's Weekend.

All tuckered out. Between making Valentine sugar cookies and playing with his friends, Carson didn't get a nap in. As I was getting dinner ready, it got awful quiet and I found him asleep on the floor.
Carson at the Treehouse Museum in Ogden, looking at all the Finding Nemo fish. I took him up there on my birthday for something fun to do. We hadn't been in a really long time, he had a blast.

Baby Bedding

Target currently has a bunch of their baby stuff on sale so I headed over after my Dr. appt. this morning and I was able to find some bedding for Cupcake. Yeah! Now I just need to figure out paint colors for her room and then we'll be set. Nesting...what's that?

Baby Cupcake

I'm a little slow at posting this, but this is Cupcake at our last appointment (which was the beginning of the month). Just a little profile shot of our growing baby girl.

Week of Firsts

So last week was the week of firsts. To start off, Carson went to primary for the first time and did great. He wasn't overly excited about taking a picture so this was the best I could do.

Second, Carson went to his first dentist appointment and was so brave. No cavities either, woo hoo! I tried getting his picture afterward but he refused.

Lastly, this is the first time and hopefully the last time that we will open our blinds and find cows in our backyard.

Christmas Memories

This Christmas was definitely one for the books. We spent it up in Oregon and for those of you don't know, Oregon doesn't generally get snow. In the 8 years I lived there, the most I ever saw was a couple of inches that would melt by the next day. Of course the year we decide to drive, not fly to Oregon it has to be the Arctic Blast of 2008.

Tim, Carson, and I headed out at 4:30 in the morning to try and beat some of the storms that were headed in the same direction that we were. We were actually making really good time, until we were about 1 1/2-2 hours away from Portland, our destination. That 1 1/2-2 hour drive turned into 4 hours of snow packed roads, single lanes, semi trucks galore, and off and on "whiteout" conditions...SCARY! I'm just glad that I wasn't the one driving. At one point we pulled off the freeway and were going to get a hotel, that is until we heard that there was a freezing rain storm on it's way which would make the roads even worse, thus leaving us stranded until who knows when. We finally made it to my parents house at 7:30 pm, which is 8:30 Utah time. UGH!

It was just a horrible time for traveling period. My poor sister, Shelley, was supposed to fly in the same night (Saturday) we were driving in, but then her flight got cancelled. She tried again on Monday and it was cancelled again. She finally made it Christmas night and that flight was almost cancelled as well. Everyone elses' flights made it in on time thank goodness. What a stressful time it was though.

So for the first half of the week we were practically snowed in because Oregon doesn't know how to take care of their roads. We were able to sneak away one night to meet up with Tim's sister, Angie and her husband (who is from the Portland area also) to go to a Blazers game. We borrowed my parents van, but even then the driving conditions were still scary. The only other outings we made were to visit my Dad's two new Ashley Furniture stores. We had planned to go to the coast and several other places, but it just wasn't worth it with the roads the way they were. One afternoon/evening (before the whole crew was there) the power went out, so to make the most of it, Tim, Bry, Carson, and I decided to play hide and go seek in the dark. Carson thought it was the greatest and still loves to tell everyone all about it. The rest of us had a good time too. :)

Despite the crazy weather we had a great time, especially when the whole gang finally made it safely. I just wish it didn't go by so fast. We only got to spend a couple days with everyone there before we had to drive back. It will definitely be a Christmas to remember.

Christmas Excitement

Santa brought Carson a Polar Express train set this year. It just so happens that it is compatible with the wooden Thomas train set so Grandma Liz and Grandpa Ed got him a Thomas train to go with it. He was so much fun this year! Christmas with little ones is the best!

Happy 3rd Birthday Carson!

For Carson's birthday we took him to Chuck E Cheese and boy was that an experience! It was so loud, crowded, the food wasn't that great, the list goes on. Tim's sisters have now decided to call it Chuck E Sleez because of the kind of crowd that was there. Needless to say, we won't be going back anytime soon. Carson still had fun so I guess that's what really matters.

After Chuck E Cheese we came back to our house for cake and ice cream. We invited just a few of the neighbor kids to join us. Porter is Carson's best fried these days (he's the one in the Jeep with him). Oh and don't look too closely at the sad attempt at a train cake. One, I was rushed and two, I didn't have the proper tools to make it look pretty. I think I need to go to a cake decorating class if I'm going to keep on trying to make my own birthday cakes. I still can't believe my baby is 3! We love you Carson!

Merry Christmas to All!

The morning of Carson's birthday, we went over to Albertson's to get some balloons and we ran into Santa Claus. Pictures were free and everything...sweet! We're hoping to get Christmas cards out, but if it doesn't happen this year just know that we're thinking about you all and hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

Bows, dresses, & drama, here we come!

I know I'm a little slow at posting the baby gender results and I do apologize. My family was in town for Thanksgiving and so Tim & I hosted the large feast at our house. All went well and thank goodness my Mom was here to cook the turkey. I must say that I did watch and learn so maybe I'll be brave enough to try my own one day. We're now working on celebrating Carson's 3rd birthday, getting ready for Christmas, as well as getting ready to head up to Oregon, oh ya & Tim is in the middle of finals.

Anyway, back to business...IT'S A GIRL!!! We're so excited and my OB has already warned Tim that he was going to feel "lighter", in that his pocket book is going to dwindle fast. Carson seems to be thrilled about the baby, at least for now. He insists on looking at my growing belly & is telling everyone that the baby's name is going to be Cupcake. (I believe Tif & Gma Lanie helped him with that idea, but I can't exactly remember how it all came about). I'm currently about 17 weeks along and even though I'm out the "danger zone" for miscarriages, I remain paranoid. I guess worrying & pregnancy go hand in hand though right?

Bun in the Oven

Well it's happened again, we're pregnant. I'm currently about 13 weeks along and have been feeling pretty lousy, mostly at nights. I wanted to wait and tell people until I went in for my first appointment, I didn't want a repeat of my June first appt. (For those of you who didn't know, I had a miscarriage in June. I went in for my first appt and there wasn't a hearbeat.) Needless to say, we're very excited for this new little addition to our fam. Heaven knows Carson needs a sibling. What's fun is that he'll be getting a new sibling and a first cousin within the same week, with Harmony also expecting. My due date is May 20th and hers is May 26th. My doctor actually said that she'd bet on a girl this time and we should find out on our next appt, which is the day before Thanksgiving.

Happy Halloween

The first few pics are at our ward Halloween Carnival that was the Saturday before Halloween. As you can tell, Carson loved the doughnut on a string game. We carved our pumpkins the night before Halloween. Tim's turned out the best, his is the largest pumpkin that has a cat, spider, and pumpkin carved on it. Mine is the vampire one, like Harmony, in the spirit of Twighlight. Carson's is the cute little smiley face one. On the day of Halloween itself, Carson and I went trick or treating at Daddy's office and then proceeded to do some more trick or treating around our neighborhood with Auntie Harm. Talk about candy overload. Yes I was lame and didn't dress up. I did try, but the witch costume I bought last minute ended up being too small. Better luck next year. :)

Witches at Gardner Village

The Monday before Halloween my friend Lisa and I took the kids to Gardner Village to see all the Halloween witches that they have scattered around. It's such a fun place to go, especially around the holidays.

Pack's Pumpkin Patch

This last Monday we got together with the Park's and the Grimm's at Pack's Pumpkin Patch in Farmington. There was a fun hay maze for the kids to run around in and we were able to pick out some pumpkins to take home. It's always fun getting together with friends we don't get to see as much anymore. (I apologize for the sideways pictures. I pulled them straight from my camera so they didn't make it to a computer beforehand to get rotated.)

Studious Carson

Tim was home one night working on homework and so Carson decided that he too needed to be studying. He went into the office and pulled out a church book on the Articles of Faith and sat at the table to read. Maybe he's trying to tell me something? I better get studying my scriptures.

Final Lagoon-a-Beach Days

Chillin' on the Lazy River

This was our last Lagoon-a-Beach trip of the season.
It was right before Tim started school again.
As Carson and Daddy would say, "This is the good life!"