Bodies!?!

My friend just did a post on Facebook that made me think about something that happened a few years ago in our family that makes me laugh every time I think about it.



Tyler was about 4, so Maddison would have been 6 or so and Cambelle would have been a newborn.

Awwww..... look at my little man!!! That seems like so long ago!!!

We went to Vegas for Thanksgiving weekend and decided to go to The Bodies Exhibition. Randy and I knew what we were in for and we were really excited to go see how the human body really works.

When we got there, we were going from room to room and were just AMAZED at how cool all these bodies had been preserved and to see how everything looks on the inside. We are not the kind of people that get grossed out very easy and we've never sheltered our kids from stuff like this, it's just a part of life, we believe.

One of the parts I loved the most was to see the internal organs and show Tyler a diaphragm and explain to him that his diaphragm was what was broken in him that made him so sick when he was born. It was so educational for all of us.

So we go from this room, everything was going great!!! Really amazing!!!! Then Tyler (yes, my child) says, "WIENERS!!!!! Why are there wieners EVERYWHERE?"!!! And, no, it was not in a quiet voice. We saw the other patrons snickering at how cute he was and explained to him that more of the people that donated their bodies were men. And to be fair, at 4 years old, where is his head, yep, crotch level.

Then..... the female reproduction room. Real bodies of fetuses at different stages of gestation, all the reproduction organs, stuff like that. We didn't think a THING about it until, in his not so quiet voice (actually, it was loud, almost like a celebration), Tyler throws his arms in the air and says, "FINALLY!!!! SOME BOOBIES!!!!!!". Oh dear, we laughed sooo hard!!!! The people that heard him complain about the wieners were the same people in the room when he celebrated the boobies!!!! It was great!!!!

It's times like those that I realize that my kids ARE part of me and not all Randy. Randy and his family would NEVER talk like that, but me? Oh yea, I'm all over it!!!!

What a great memory!!!! One I hope I never forget!!!! If you have ever thought about going to Bodies, I would strongly encourage it!!!! You never know what might happen!!!!

Nesting?

Nesting? I don't think so. I think we call this the "this baby is going to come in 2 weeks whether you are ready or not" panic mode. There is nothing gentle or maternal about the way I have given parts of my house an enema today. Now, I will have contractions for the next 3 hours, but I got a lot done!!! WAHOOO!!!!!

OH CRAP!!!!!

Wait.... hold on..... I'm going to have this baby in 2 1/2 weeks?

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?

*breathing in and out, slowly*

I'll be ok. I'll be ok. I'll be ok. I'll be ok!!!!

The end.

Today was another review hearing for the family member's baby that we fostered last year. Maddison spent the whole night throwing up and I had to decide if I should make arrangements for her so I could go to court. Randy and I decided that there is nothing more we can do for this sweet, little boy. We have nothing more to do with the case, other than to be there and hear for ourselves what happens (which will be nothing). We always leave mad because the state doesn't do what is obvious to help this baby out. They never will. I don't think his parents will ever pull their heads out and do the right thing, either. So, for us to go is simply just to know what is happening and not just get lies and half-truths about it.

We decided, as a couple, that I would not go. It was not easy, but we feel that Maddison is our responsibility. She is our child and it's our job to take care of her. It is probably time for us to be done with that whole situation. It's been over a year and all it's lead to is heartache and fights. I'm ready for people to take responsibility and do what is right and I have no faith that it will ever happen, so we're done.

Last week, I feel we had one last chance to help this little boy. There is a review being done on his case and I was interviewed. I was able to be very honest about how I felt about the case worker and the family. It was good to have my voice heard for once and for someone to care why we feel the way we do about this whole process. I'm sure when the case worker and family find out what I said in the review, I will be a lot less popular than I am now and I really don't care.

My mom taught me that if I'm going to say something that it should always be something I would say to that person's face and RIGHT NOW I would say it all to their faces, so I have nothing but good feelings about it.

For the last 14 months, we have been put through a hell that I didn't know even existed. We have always tried to do what was right for the baby, but you can only fight the system for so long. They don't care, they never will. So, it's time. Our family will not suffer anymore because of this. It's a choice we have made.

Thank you all for your support and understanding. It's not easy, but it's what is right.

Congrats Brittney and Chuck!!!

My sweet niece and her sweet husband just welcomed their 3rd boy into their family last week!!! This baby has been waiting for the RIGHT moment to make his appearance and we finally found out when that was!!!! It was last Friday, the day before my brother-in-law's 50th birthday, the grandpa!!!! This little one is already showing us that HE is in charge!!!!



When Brittney has babies, it's so much fun!!! We invade the Labor and Delivery floor and just enjoy the whole process!!! We laugh and cry, we're nervous and faithful. We show fear and faith, all within a few hours!!! I think my niece is amazing!!!! He husband works for the National Guard in Draper and made it home with only a couple of hours to spare!!! That's why he's in uniform, either that or he wanted the baby know EXACTLY what his last name is!!!! I think Chuck is cute in his uniform!!!


WELCOME Liam Coulter Taylor!!!! He is perfect in every way and sent straight from Heaven!!!

These pictures are MY FAVORITE!!!! My parents are so proud of their granddaughter right now, but even more excited that they get another great grand baby!!!! Look at the pure joy on their faces!!!! It's a palpable happiness they share with us!!!




Here's my sister, Blanche!!!! You can't tell she's a proud Nana, can you? I can't imagine what it's like to see your daughter deliver a baby and see the strength she has and then see this little miracle in your arms!!!! SO COOL!!!


It was a really fun day and I'm glad I got to experience it with them. Just for fun, we took this picture of Liam next to my belly. He was 8 pounds even and I feel like that's how big my baby is already and still have 4 weeks left when this picture was taken!?!

Congratulations again, Brittney, Chuck, Odin, Cort and baby Liam!!!! I love you all so much!!!

Guess what? I'm NEXT!!!! EEEEKKKK!!!!!

The zipper method

So, it's less than 30 days till this baby is going to make it's appearance!!! I have to admit, having my 4th c-section is FREAKING ME OUT!!!! With Maddison, I labored for over 18 hours and because of failure to progress (my cervix is rebellious and wont open), I had my first c-section, or zipper method as I like to call it.

On the way to the hospital with Maddison!!!

With Tyler, at 39 weeks, my cervix was still closed, long and thick. Because of his health condition, we weren't willing to try a VBAC and had my 2nd zipper method.

Minutes before being taken to the operating room to have Tyler.

Then Cambelle, I had my doctor check my cervix before my scheduled c-section at 39 weeks 5 days, still closed, long and thick!!! DANG CERVIX!!!

Randy in his "moon suit" when we had Cambelle!!!

Now here we are with #4. I DO NOT like having c-sections, so I'm going to do all my whining now and hopefully only be able to see the positive side of them once I'm done with this post!!!!

Why I hate c-sections:

*the spinal SUCKS!!!! It's crunchy and hurts like a mutha.

*in recovery, the shakes and itching is uncontrollable.

*on the ride up to my room, every bump feels like I'm being stabbed in the guts.

*standing up the first time is so painful I want to die.

*walking for the first time is horribly painful.

*when I take a shower for the first time, it feels like my guts are going to fall out of me.


Things that are nice about the zipper method:

*I get to schedule when we will have the baby, so if there's a cool date or day, we can do it then!

*I will be able to shave and paint my toe nails before I go in because I know when I'm having it!

*no baby coming out my vagina (I think women that have vaginal births are amazing).

*Randy in a sexy "moon suit"!

*my mom and Randy crying out their blue eyes, looking down on me in the operating room after the baby is born!

*no pain sitting down!


That's about all the nice parts I can think of, but hopefully I will think of more and not freak out about it!!!

This is my current state. Don't laugh, I'm sure your mom taught you it is rude. Just keep chanting, "less than 30 days....." over and over!!!

UNCLE UNCLE UNCLE!!!

After my last post, you would think that was enough for me to lose my mind.... NOPE!!!! Last night I spent the night with Cambelle crying like crazy because of a UTI. Went to the doctor today and YEP!!!! UTI and a throat infection. BEAUTIFUL!!!! Let's do a run through of my day now....

Randy still not feeling well.
Me taking diabetic medicine in the morning. Checking my blood 2 X a day.
Maddison on a hella expensive anti-biotic 2 X a day.
Tyler taking his reflux medicine at night.
Cambelle taking an anti-biotic 3 X a day.

Add a hormonal, pregnant mom on top of that and I really am THIS close to losing my mind.

I know that there are a lot of people out there that have it a lot worse than me, but this is about enough for me. So for now, I'm crying "UNCLE UNCLE UNCLE!!!!!".

Giving winter THE BIRD!!!!

This weekend was pretty eventful. Mr. Clyde (that's what I will refer to Randy in this post, because he was NOT Randy this weekend), who never gets sick, got a horrible respiratory infection. It has been super-duper cold (for St. George), he sprayed a professional grade lacquer finish on my aunt and uncle's wood bed (even though it was outside, there was NOT good ventilation) and then we dusted the bells that I collect, all 300 of them (we might have forgot he is highly allergic to dust) and all of that in combination with a virus he picked up somewhere, landed us in Instacare on Sunday morning.

We have amazing friends that dropped everything to come over and give Mr. Clyde a blessing (thanks Cam and Paul) and I learned an important lesson that morning. Sometimes the blessings aren't meant only for the sick person's benefit. Something really neat happened that morning and I'm glad it did.

By the time they took us into see the doctor, there were 23 people in the waiting room (at 9:30am) and the doctors were debating if they were going to send him to the ER... yes, it was THAT bad.

They looked in and up all the holes in his head, did a chest x-ray and ended up sending him home with a cough medicine and strong anti-biotic and strict instructions that if it gets worse, we need to get him to the ER. So off we went.

It was Super Bowl Sunday and my family was going to come over to our house. That got canceled and later I was very happy about that. He slept and coughed the whole day. He got a pretty bad fever and after 2 hours of it going up when I was aggressively trying to lower it, the on-call doctor at our clinic called me and told me to give it 3 more hours. At this point it was 103.3 NOT COMFORTABLE for any of us. Within that next 3 hours, it broke completely (thank goodness, I was so worried).

As the night went on, the fever came back and he was dripping wet all night. In the morning, he knew he couldn't go to work, so for the first time that I can remember, due to illness, Mr. Clyde took a sick day. He rested all day Monday and went to work on Tuesday. He was wiped out when he came home. BAD.

So, here we are on Thursday. I got sick, Cambelle got sick, Maddison is sick and on an anti-biotic, but the good news is that Randy is starting to feel human again!!!! It's hard seeing him SO sick!!! I'm glad it's over for him.

There is so much crud going around right now. No wonder our kids wont be able to come in the hospital when we have the baby, I guess it's better. But I'm ready for winter to be over and all of our friends and family getting healthy again!!! NO MORE!!!! Hopefully your family isn't too sick right now too!!!!

Frustration

The above machine is affectionately referred to "the prick" by me!!!!

I am so frustrated right now. I am trying my hardest to keep my glucose levels down and I've been really good at it, but one bad test makes me feel horrible. The fact that I have gestational diabetes makes me feel like I have failed my baby. All I have to do for this baby right now is take care of my body and I failed. I really just want to cry. I hate this. I hate knowing that this could be a game changer for this pregnancy. It scares the crap out of me. Anyhow, I know it will be ok, I'm just feeling really down right now. So, I'm going to go pout for a minute and then return all better!!!! Thanks for listening!!!!

Yummy...

See that guy in that picture with me? I love him a LOT!!!!

It's not easy being married to me normally, then let's throw on old, fat and pregnant. Then let's throw on all the pressures that come with pregnancy, getting diagnosed with gestational diabetes and feeling like I have failed my baby because of it. How about being super tired and not getting anything done that needs to be done, forgetting stuff and other things that go with a pregnant brain. Then we have the fear of post-partum, I get it with every baby and it's getting worse with every one. Randy is the one that takes it in the chin more than anyone else. Oh, let us not forget the stage of "sexiness" I'm feeling right now. Big, old stretch marked belly, boobies that would scare any boobie enthusiast and all the other sweet physical things that come with being almost 8 months pregnant!!! Pretty picture, huh?

But, despite all of that, he loves me the same. He sees beyond all of that crap and just loves ME. I am a lucky girl, but Randy got the short stick in this draw, for sure. I'm glad he puts up with me, hopefully one day I can make it up to him!!!!

Thank you, Randy for hanging in there, I know it's not easy!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Bully, schmully...

So, Tyler had an incident with a girl in his grade this week where she smacked him in the face with her backpack after school, on purpose. This girl is a known bully and has been for years, but for some reason has got away with it all. I have heard what she has done to kids, so as soon as I learned who it was that hit him, I was all over it!!! The good news is, even though it hurt like a mad dog, it didn't break the skin and after the first night, there was no swelling or discoloration to his face.

I love and respect the secretaries and principal at our school. After a phone call with them, I was hopeful it would all get taken care of appropriately. The principal had no idea of this girl's bullying past. I don't know why, I know at least one mom had reported multiple incidents to the teacher!?! I told the principal that I had faith that she would do the right thing so I wouldn't have to handle it myself. I have NO TOLERANCE for bullies. I think they are all pieces of crap.

I asked Tyler if he thought this girl was mean, he said yes. Then I asked if he knew who was meaner? I told him that I AM!!!! I am bigger than her, I am meaner than her and I would gladly kick her ass to show her how it feels to be bullied. That's when I saw relief come over his face. He was deathly afraid of going to school the next day and of what she would do to him. He's to nice to fight back and with her past, I figured it was time for her to learn some boundaries.

The principal did a GREAT job. Talked to them individually, then together, helped this girl learn how to better handle situations and then told my son that her door is always open if he ever has a problem. I was very happy with the principal's actions. Especially when she told this girl that, "you should be glad it's me talking to you and not Tyler's mom. She called me last night and she is mad, mad, mad at you!!!!".

I knew it was handled really well, but I still thought I needed to drive the point home. This bully knows me from helping in Tyler's class, so after school, I went to where we pick up my kids, and that's where she gets picked up. I stood on the sidewalk and waited for her. When she saw me, she put her backpack over her head and walked up the grass to avoid me. After calling her name 3 times, she finally looked at me. I simply reminded her that I was Tyler's mom. I asked her if we were going to have any more problems, she shook her head. I asked her if she was going to be a good girl and play nice, she nodded and then I told her that I didn't want to ever have to talk to her again, she shook her head again.

I was nice, used a very mild tone of voice, didn't raise my voice once, said it all with a smile and was very kind!!!! As we walked away, the kids were shocked I didn't yell. I guess yelling is intimidating, I was able to teach them that you don't have to yell to get your way!!! I've been playing this game for a long time and the look on her face told me that I made my point. I think she's at least going to stay away from my son. Although, she might have had to change her panties after that, I think I scared her A LOT!!!!

I am not ok with bullies and hopefully this is the end of this girl for us!!!! If anyone wants me to come and intimidate any 9 year olds you know, just holler!!!! :)

WHOA BABY!!!!

This little baby is getting bigger everyday!!! I love feeling it move inside me!!! It's kind of a stubborn turd sometimes (it must be a Clyde thing...hehe). When I lay down occasionally, it doesn't want to lay THAT way, so I have to roll over (which takes nothing less than a crane moving me like a dead rhino). How can something not even born yet have such an opinion? When Maddison is around, it wont move for her. If she touches my belly, even if it's running a marathon at the time, it stops immediately!!! If she talks, no movement!!! The other 2 can feel it kicking and moving all the time and they love it, but I think Maddison is soothing to the baby already!!! So cool!!!

This morning I was laying in bed, snuggling with Cambelle and all of a sudden I could feel it pushing it's body out by my belly button. It was almost from side to side on me, I pulled the covers off and it was so dramatic that Cambelle could see exactly where it was!!!! That's when she yelled, "MADDISON, TYLER, COME QUICK, THE BABY IS DOING A TRICK!!!!". Haha!!! It was doing a trick and they all got to enjoy it!!!

It is quite a different experience to have the other 3 kids older. They see the miracle in pregnancy. They know that this baby is being sent from Heavenly Father specifically to be with our family. Littler kids wouldn't really get that. I feel so lucky to be having a baby right now. It's not easy, in fact, I think I'm too old and fat to be pregnant, but I still see the miracle!!!

I go to my doctor again tomorrow to talk about this whole gestational diabetes thing. I don't like not knowing the future. With Cambelle, I knew exactly how things were going to go, but this is definitely a complication that has to be watched closely, so we'll see what tomorrow brings!!!!

Have a good night, y'all!!!