There's No Place Like Home

Michigan!

2012-02-10T22:49:00.000-08:00

I'm blessed with the most amazing parents, because of them we were all able to take a trip to Michigan and visit Taylor. We were leaving on Friday at 6 am for the airport and because I'm a better packer last minute I waited until Thursday to start packing. Well a little bug was going around and unfortunately Brett caught it that morning and was feeling terrible all day and into the night. Now for me...Brett getting sick is the worst thing that could have happened. I won't go into detail for my husbands sake but lets just say he's quite possibly the worst patient ever. Ever. So now not only do I have to pack Jaris and myself but now I've got to get Brett too. After work that night we went to dinner to celebrate Brett's grandpa's 86th birthday so after that, giving Jaris his bath, and night time stuff, I finally got started. Brett when straight to bed so I was hoping he would just sleep through the night and wake up better in the morning. I finished packing around 1:30 am and still had to shower, dry, and straighten my hair. So I hopped in the shower and after I dried my hair I sat on the couch for a small break and then I heard Brett get up. He wasn't feeling any better and now was starting to debate on whether he should go in the morning or not. We decided he wouldn't make a decision until the morning so he went back to bed, I straightened my hair and finally got to sleep around 3. I got up around 5, got myself ready and the bags at the door, got Jaris up and ready (he was totally confused at 6 am, he usually sleeps until 9). My parents got there at 6 and Brett was still debating on going...so I made him get up and go. I knew if he stayed he would regret it and just lay in bed all day not getting any better. So as the day went on he eventually felt better and by the next morning he was back to normal.

Mom why am I up so early?

Still too early mom...

Keeping him occupied

Ready to fly!

I was really nervous about flying with Jaris for the first time. I did not want to be the lady with the crying baby! It did help that 6 am was not a normal wake up time for him and he didn't sleep on the ride to the airport so I knew he was tired. He also is teething (the 2 front are so close) so I gave him some Ibuprofen before take off. He drank his bottle as we took off and was out like a light until we landed. We had a layover in Chicago and so I was really worried that he wouldn't sleep on the second plane and he didn't. He was pretty loud at some points but it was his happy loud screams so I'll take that over crying! We finally got to our hotel and my parents went over to my sisters where they stayed and we all took a little nap and met for dinner that night.

Taylor was so happy to see Jaris and I was so happy to see Taylor! Dinner was great and it was kind of fun to see another college town and where they all like to eat. We headed back to our hotel for bed and we did Jaris' normal routine and put him down in the pack n' play that we rented from the hotel. Apparently he didn't like it because at 3 am he woke up screaming and would not go back to sleep in that thing. When he is teething, he is very clingy...especially to me. So for the first time ever, he slept in the bed with us. Except instead of sleeping between us, he would only sleep on my chest. Which I totally love but I was really exhausted after the previous night and all day stuff so I needed a good sleep but that didn't happen :)

Taylor's game was Saturday, I love watching her play but unfortunately she didn't get to play very much this game so that stunk but they did win!

Ready for Tate's game!

Laughing at grandpa

Very cool to see her on the wall! (#1)

Hangin' with Tate's teammates!

Later that night we watched the KU/MU game at our hotel bar and after a disappointing loss we went to bed. Jaris did better that night, he woke up at 6 am and slept on my chest again until he woke up at 9. Sunday we did some shopping and Jaris was the main attraction strolling down the mall. He does this "thing" with his hands and arms when he gets excited or laughs. His arms go out to the side and his hands start to look like he's revving his motorcycle. It's hilarious and then he begins to laugh. For some reason he was doing this up and down the walk-ways of the mall, I had no idea what he thought was so funny or exciting but it was crackin' me up! Everyone was laughing at him as we walked by them, he is such a little nerd :) We went back to Taylor's, napped, got some wings and food and watched the super bowl.

Monday we ate breakfast with Taylor and then said our goodbyes. I wish we were closer so we could see her more...I want both my sisters close at all times :) We had a great time!

Drove by the Michigan Stadium...HUGE!

While napping before the Super Bowl he had a poo explosion and had to go pant-less

Vacation is so exhausting!

The first plane ride home he slept through the entire thing and the second he was awake the whole time but so happy! Overall he was pretty awesome, he had his moments of crankiness but that's to be expected with flights, teething, time change, new place, and a new bed lol.

Let's go mom!

READY!

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks. I can't believe he is getting so big!

His hair has gotten even more curly since this photo!

On a side note I've was presented with a pretty big opportunity to do some photos for a great little boutique downtown that will be put on their Facebook page as well as an add in the Rock Chalk! I'm pretty excited about it so here are some photos from the shoot!

That's all for now!

Oh to stay at home...

2012-01-20T07:06:00.000-08:00

This month I've been having to use the rest of my vacation days because with my company, if you don't use 'em you lose 'em, and our term is up in February. So I've had quite a few days off this month and let me tell you, I've loved every single second of it. If only I had a studio where I could do photography all year round and it paid the bills, it would be the perfect amount of work and I could stay home! Wishful thinking ;)

Being at home so much lately I've realized that I'm missing a lot of little things: new and funny faces, new sounds, watching him explore his toys, watching him play with his toys and playing with him, and while those may be little things it still makes me sad that I miss them. Plus, I get soooo much done when I'm at home! When I get home from work all I want to do is be with Jaris, housework is the last thing I want to do. But when I'm home all day...for some reason I actually want to do it! The house is clean, laundry is done, dinner is made, projects are getting finished, it's nuts!

As far as projects around the house go I've finished the following...

Bedroom shelf...finally found a place for the small remembrance vase from our wedding

Vase in the bedroom...thanks Pinterest! Just need new flowers...

Love this purchase...can't wait to switch it up and put fun things in there for the holidays!

Here is a little glimpse of my days off hanging around with my little turkey :)

Morning! Brett brought him into the bedroom before he left. This is one of my favorite pictures of him, he is such a little ham!

Practicing on pulling himself up

I was going to take a nap while he did but clearly he had other plans :)

We get to hang with Maisy

We get to have Wonder Pets on in the background because they teach about the Beatles :)

It's been so nice out we we played a little fetch with Maisy to her some exercise

Two weeks ago my grandma was in KC and since she's been battling cancer she hasn't been able to see Jaris but twice and they weren't very long visits, so she was over due for some JT time! We have found out since we saw her that she is officially cancer free! Although, they are watching her very close but for now it's such great news, she's been through a lot.

She was lovin' all over him!

Here are a few recent videos! (turn the music off below!)

Little man is all over the place now!

Talkin' all the time...

Doing what he does best...yelling...

That's it for now!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing Christmas. Thursday we went to Granny Temple's house for dinner and presents with Brett's mom and sisters. Jaris loves being around Kaden and Brooks, he loves watching them play and wants to join them so bad! Dinner was great and then we opened presents, Jaris did so good. He actually liked taking out the tissue paper ect. We got lots of great stuff and had fun as usual.

Saturday night we went to church. Lookin' sharp lil' man!

Christmas morning we did our presents at home. It was so fun to wake up with Jaris and open gifts. Even though he doesn't understand what's really going on it was great to watch him try and open and play with his new toys.

Then we headed over to my parents house! So glad Taylor was able to come home for Christmas, it wouldn't have been the same without her. Jaris is the first grandchild for my parents so they had a lot of fun this year buying and watching him open. He was very entertaining with all his sounds/yelling/squeals...this kid is loud and loves to hear himself talk! Jaris made out with some awesome stuff as well as Brett and I, including a new video camera! Can't wait to start using it!

Christmas dinner was served at our house. My parents, sisters, Brett's dad, his wife Leslie, and Brett's grandparents were all in attendance.

After dinner and putting Jaris down we played a game of Apples to Apples (great game!) with everyone and we had a blast. I love when both my sisters are home at the same time, we have so much fun together and laugh constantly. The entire 3 nights of Christmas were perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better 1st Christmas for Jaris. The evening was topped off with my sitting on the couch eating my moms amazing fudge! We are so blessed to have such an amazing family. Love you all.

I took off Monday so I could have the day to get my house back to normal and all of Jaris' toys assembled, so we just hung around all day!

Hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas!

Why I love Sundays

2011-12-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

Today was so nice, Jaris and I went to Michael's, Wal-Mart, and TJ Maxx to get the rest of the Christmas stuff I needed while Brett did his workout and swim. Jaris took a nap while I finished getting the majority of the Christmas decorations up and then we went to get our tree!

The house is pretty much ready for Christmas! Brett still needs to put up the lights outside, we need to decorate the tree, and I have a few more things to put up! Here's what we got so far!

step 1...

step 2...add fresh greens and finished!

We don't have a fireplace so our ledge serves as our mantle. I just added garland, the candle holders below, and the deer below. Still need to get Maisy a stocking!

After decorating we played for a little bit while waiting for Brett...

Jaris has been sitting up well now and so we decided to switch him to his big boy tub! He did great and he loved it! We got him bath toys for Christmas so he'll have more to play with soon :)

Usually his feet aren't all the way submerged so he had wrinkled toes for the first time! So cute!

Getting so excited for Christmas!

Behind...so behind!

2011-11-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

Jaris had his 6 month check-up at the beginning of November and his stats are...

...17 pounds 4 ounces...still a little guy

...27 1/4 inches long...a whopping 1/4 inches in the last 2 months lol

...2 teeth still and another one on the bottom about to come through any day

Healthy and happy overall!

Shots generally haven't been much of a problem for us, however 6 month shots took quite a little toll on him. His legs were so tender I hated to change his diaper because he would start crying every time I tried to get his pants up and down :( He would drink a bottle, sleep, be awake for 30 mins max and then repeat. For an entire day and a half he was like that, it was so sad. Here is what Jaris has been up to in the past few months...

...rolls all over the place

...sitting up by himself better, but not quite there yet

...does get up on all fours but generally scoots backwards instead of forwards

...eats all sorts of solids no problem and seems to like them all

...wants to grab EVERYTHING and everything goes directly into the mouth

...cries himself to sleep which is a whole 5 mins max, not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be

...consistently sleeps for 12 hours and always through the night

...is interested in everything and every noise, I love watching him explore and learn

...talks/yells with excitement all the time and is loud. Very loud.

...loves the "hot diggity dog" song from Mickey Mouse Club. So much so that when he hears it he will find where it's coming from, it's actually quite funny.

...doesn't like when people leave the room
...likes to be held standing up so he can bounce up and down and really loves his Johnny Jumper still
...went to his first Baker game and KU basketball game (which I don't have pictures from because I was working)
...really likes ceiling fans, watching other kids, and watching Maisy, they all make him smile
...holds his own bottle for awhile but then gets tired of it...trying a sippy cup soon

I know I say this every update but he is always just so happy and I just want to kiss his little face all day! He is really a good baby and lights up the room where ever he goes. We are so blessed.

We are pretty much settled into our new home and let me tell you I do not miss town-home/apartment life! The house looks great but we still have plenty to do. Maisy doesn't like the backyard quite yet. She is still use to being an apartment dog and being with us, so when do put her outside she just whines to be inside which is fine with me because I like her with us! But overall it's been great and we love it.

Photography is starting to slow down. I have two big projects to finish (a wedding and a multi-family shoot) and then some family projects. I honestly am looking forward to the break, as much as I love doing it, editing in the back office night after night gets old. Fast.

Really excited for Christmas this year, my sister is coming home and it's going to be so cute watching Jaris open gifts. I've pretty much got my shopping done for him and I already know what I'm getting Brett so that saves some time but now I actually have to buy it!

That's all I've got for now, I've got to get to bed! Here are photos and videos...

Looks like my momma!

Watch out ladies!

Playing with papa!

(Don't forget to mute the music!)

PS..the song that's playing "Any Lucky Penny" is one of my all time favorites. It's a great addition to your iPod, it just puts me in a good mood.

Such a big boy!

2011-11-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

Not to much time to blog and his 6 month check up is Friday so I'll have all his stats then. He did sit in his highchair for the first time last night! We were going to try it along time ago but we decided that instead we would wait until we got all moved in to the new house. Anyway he did great and I may have gone overboard with the photos but oh well! Hopefully this weekend I can get some 6 month photos done but we'll see!

My big flash wasn't ready when I snapped this one...but it's still cute!

And he sat in a shopping cart! He is getting too big too fast!

If you haven't already go to my photography blog and check out Ashley's maternity shoot with her hubby JT!

So behind!

2011-10-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

So busy...no time to do an in-depth blog so here is the quick rundown of the latest happenings!

-Taylor came home and surprised us for the weekend! Woo Hoo, I miss her so much!

-First trip to the pumpkin patch with Jaris. My family and Brett's family all went and despite the wind and ridiculous amount of dust, it was great! Love love love the pumpkin patch.

-Jaris had his first ear infection...a double ear infection actually. Not fun, lots of booger suctioning, coughing, and sleeping on the couch which means no sleep for mommy and daddy. He is in the final days of his antibiotic and is back to eating normal and being his happy little self :) thank goodness!

Love his feet :)

I just want to kiss him all the time!

Soon to be World Series Champs!!

-I have 8 million photos to edit hopefully all to be done by the middle of November (this is a VERY lofty goal) so I can get ready for xmas card photo shoots.

-In the middle of moving from our townhouse into Brett's grandparents house...so packing, painting, cleaning, storing their things, fixing things, ect (aka - moving) has really taken up a lot of time. But thanks to my amazing in-laws, Jaris' room is done, most of their things are stored and put away, and the carpets will be cleaned Tuesday!

-I finally decided to suck it up and have my ring re-sized. I'm lighter then before I was pregnant but for some reason my ring still doesn't go over my knuckle. I know when your prego your joints expand and for a lot of women that includes your knuckles. Especially in women who swell a lot during their pregnancy (and we all know what I looked like...yikes!). I took it off when I was around 6 months because of the swelling and I've had it off ever since. I just got tired of not wearing it and I can't wait for it to be done!

-LOVE Beyonce's new song "Love on Top" and I had the video on the computer the other night and Jaris will usually watch but he has never done this...he liked the way she moved ;)

That's all I have time for! Good night!

Another month and another year older...

2011-10-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

September 30th my little baby turned 5 months and October 1st I turned...glup...27 :) Jaris is getting bigger and bigger by the day and according to the official "weigh myself first then weigh myself with Jaris to know how much he weighs" he came in at 18 pounds! Cereal, fruits, and veggies are going well and we just did the first afternoon feeding. We've been doing it just at night but he's almost moving up to 8 ounces of formula so I figured we would throw in a little lunch snack too :) He has become quite the wiggle worm during feedings and diaper changes. All he wants to do is sit up and he really just wants to go go go. He is constantly looking around and observing, taking things in. His two bottom teeth are really coming up now and we can see them a lot more when he laughs and smiles. Still hardly any hair, Brett and I both were bald for awhile so we kind of expected it.

Feeding time is still my favorite time, he is so vocal and funny. With his little teeth he likes to grab the spoon and not let go and now he likes to spit food too and I caught it in the video below. You'll also see that he gets really excited and kicks his little legs, not sure what he's so happy about but I love it!

In this video he has just gotten done with his bath and is about to get in his pj's but for some reason he looks at the frame that hangs above his changing table and gets excited lol...

A little toe sucking....yuck...

Another eating video because he is just so darn cute :) and Maisy's bark scares him at the end lol...and also you'll see him pull his bib over his face and start kicking, he does this all the time and usually leaves his bib covering his face

First time with "johnny jumper"

We call it "tubby time" but giving him his bath is my second favorite time of the night and this is why...

Sunday for Steph and I's birthday we headed to the original Stroud's in KCMO. We use to go here all the time when we were kids and run around the grounds and feed the ducks (I always skipped that part) but they have gooood fried chicken and awesome cinnamon rolls. It was a little bit of a wait but there was plenty to do outside to keep Kaden and Brooks entertained and it was a gorgeous night. It was a great birthday, my parents got Brett and I all set up for a date night with a gift card to my favorite restaurant P.F. Changs and an AMC gift card so we can enjoy a movie too. They even volunteered to take Jaris overnight so we could make it an entire evening! Now when we'll have time for that I don't know! Brett's family got me a much needed body massage which I'm dying to use asap. I'm so blessed to have Brett and Jaris, my amazing parents, the best sisters and awesome in-laws. It just makes birthdays that much better when we are all together. I missed Taylor and I know she was sad that she was missing the dinner but hopefully I'll be able to get up there soon and see her, I miss her face.

Drooling machine!

Grandpa is so funny :)

Brooks wearing my shades

This past week Brett's dad came to visit so Jaris got to spend some time with T-pa. Brett's grandparents are doing pretty well but they need your continued thoughts and prayers. Brett is doing good, busy with school, work, and workouts. He has been given permission to jog 1 lap around the track 3-4 times a week. We went to the Freestate track the other day and Brett said something about how my walk will be as fast as his jog...yeah not so much. He did great. He was really wanting to run and not jog but I told him that to me there is no difference between going for a "run" or going for a "jog" because it's the same speed to me so he did just fine!

T-pa and Jaris

Such a great photo and so glad we have it. 4 generations.

This photo is hysterical. Maisy in the background thinking..."hey mom, remember me? Take my picture :( "

Wondering what has become of her life :)

That is all for now I'll have a ton of photos from this coming weekend as we are going to the PUMPKIN PATCH!! Woo hoo!!

Iowa trip

2011-09-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Sioux City could not have gone any better. My cousin Chris is in the Marine Corps and is leaving to go on his first tour of Afghanistan so while he was home he had a "see you next year" party that weekend. With my mom being in Italy I took off 4 days and decided we would head up so we could see him and he could see Jaris before he left. Danielle, Jaris and I left around 5:30 Thursday but we had to take 75 hwy up north through Topeka because parts of I-29 are still closed due to the flooding. It was fine but we had to go through a ton of small towns in KS and NE so there was a lot of slowing down and the hwy was only two lanes so if we got stuck behind a slow person it took some time to pass them and on top of that it started to rain. Jaris slept the entire way but we stopped in Council Bluffs and ate dinner so Jaris was able to be out of his car seat for a little bit and so I could feed him. I somehow forgot to get gas when we stopped so we had to stop once more but we finally made it in around midnight. I was worried that Jaris wouldn't sleep since he had just slept 6 hours so I decided to treat midnight like it was our normal 8:30 routine. So I fed him some cereal and carrots, gave him a quick bath and bottle and by 1 am he out like a light and slept until 9:30!

Friday I had to run and find a zip up sweatshirt for Jaris because it was coooold up there however it took 3 different stores to find one for a boy in a 6 month size. They had ones for older kids and one in every color for girls but I only found ONE for him so we just went with it and we had to pick up a little hat for him too :) My aunt Sarah and god-daughter Savannah came over and we headed to lunch at my favorite Sioux City spot....Milwaukee Wiener!! I love their hot dogs and milkshakes...it's old fashion...no frills...and delicious!

His chubby little hand makes me giggle

Then we headed out to my aunts house in the country so I could take photos for Chris of his family before he left.

Then we headed to his going away party. It was good to see most of my Iowa family there and I'm glad they got to see Jaris. I'm so glad we got to see Chris before he left, he is such a good kid (I guess he's not kid anymore but to me he is ;)), he has a good heart and his faith is strong so I know he'll be alright over there. We love you Biffer and we are praying for you as well as for Celesity and Cevaeh, and your wonderful momma. Be safe over there, keep your head down, and we'll see you in one year.

Deanne, my aunt and mom's friend

Jaris and my uncle Joey (whom he LOVED....maybe it's a red head thing ;))

My little snuggle bug

Good face Jaris

My cousin Chris and I

My grandpa makes THE BEST cake. No lie. THE BEST. When he comes to visit he can't leave w/o making me a cake!

My aunt Sarah

They were giving kisses earlier but Cevaeh would rather kiss hands! The cutest little cousins!

say whaaat?!

My god-daughter Savannah and I

Great grandpa Joe and my sleepy boy

My uncle Joeys evil bird. Ok it's not evil but I HATE birds and this one talks and talks and can mimic the sound of any voice and that is just not right...evil :)

My uncle Matt back from Afghanistan. There are red-heads on my side too so Jaris doesn't stand a chance as you can tell by his skin color lol!

My uncle Mark

Great grandpa Joe and great grandma Betty

We left Sunday morning and met up with some of my Nebraska family on the way back. My grandma wasn't able to make the trip as she is going through chemo and didn't have strength to make the trip.

My cousin Heather

My little cousin Lyndi and Jaris, how adorable is Lyndi?!

Miss Emma was such a good little mommy!

Jaris was awake pretty much the entire rest of the way and the only noise I heard from him was his conversations with Danielle and Petey. He was such a good little traveler and he slept through the night every night we were there. He was a little more fussy during the day then normal, he had a tooth coming in and now has two little bottom teeth growing up! He's had a lot of mucus/congestion lately because of his teeth and has had a low grade fever with it and it's been no fun. He HATES the booger sucker and it's no fun for me to make him cry :( but there is no other way to get it out and he can hardly swallow with all that junk in the back of his throat. But I still feel bad!

Seriously...could he be any cuter?!

He is a drooling and finger sucking machine recently. I think he is ready to start the "johnny jumper" so hopefully tonight we'll get that on video and see how he likes it! He has finally achieved his goal of getting his toes in his mouth and now it's all he does.

Feeding time has become my favorite time of the night. He talks talks talks and laughs so much, it cracks me up. We tried banana's for the first time in Sioux City and he did NOT like them! His face was priceless but we tried them again recently and it wasn't so bad this time around :)

I just love him so much. I can't get enough of him and everyday I have to leave him to go to work kills me. I'm so excited for the upcoming month, fall....pumpkin patch...and Halloween! I LOVE Halloween and the pumpkin patch and I want to make sure that the pumpkin patch is a tradition with my little family. Growing up we went every year and it was so fun and I can't wait for this first trip with Jaris!

Maisy likes to help out EVERY night at bath time :)

Getting in his pj's trying to suck on his toes through his socks

A good laugh especially at 1:24...apparently he thinks me telling Maisy no is funny!

I think that's all for now!

Cereal!

2011-09-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

Jaris got to try cereal for the first time the other night and it was interesting to say the least! He was a little fussy towards the end (his teeth are starting to bug him) so he didn't eat much the first time around but he seemed to like it. He still really likes to put his fingers/fists in his mouth so it was hard trying to keep them out and then he would try to grab the spoon but after trying to keep his hands down I figured I was fighting a losing battle so I just let him do it and it made him happier! He also likes to take his bib and rub it all over his face like it's his blanket that he snuggles with! We first tried it in his bouncy chair and that was going well but we thought we would try the bumbo seat as well but that didn't go as good so lesson learned there!

Ready to start!

In need of a bath now!

The second night we mixed the cereal with some carrots and he seemed to really like it! The last two nights we've done applesauce and he likes that too! It does seem to be helping him sleep through the night better, when he was congested he was waking up around 1-2 am but since we've started cereal he's been sleeping through the night. The last few mornings when I leave for work (around 9:20) he is still sleeping!

Just can't keep the fingers out!

Notice the food on his forehead? That's from rubbing his bib all over his face :)

So overall feeding is going well and it's fun to do! He is really trying to sit up all the time now, doesn't like to be laying flat or angled for long. I think we may try the "johnny jumper" soon but we'll see, maybe more towards the end of the month.

My cousin is home (Sioux City IA) until September 17 and after that he will go back to Cali and shortly after he will deploy for his first tour of Afghanistan. Since my mom will be heading to Italy on the 14th for 2 weeks (super jealous) I took off next Wednesday and the rest of the week so that Jaris and I could make a trip up to Iowa and see my cousin before he leaves. He is a Marine, he is married and they have a beautiful little girl Cevaeh photo here :) so please keep them all in your prayers as well as my aunt, this is her only child so she will need them! I think my sister Danielle is going to come with me so I have a helping hand, it should be fun. Can't wait to see everyone and for them to see J man!

4 Months?!

2011-09-05T01:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm updating about his 4 month check up already! We took him in and his stats are...

...14 pounds 8 oz (only the 40th percentile but that's way up from his 2 month check up so he's actually doing good!)

...27" long (97th percentile!)

...rolling over from back to belly like a pro! He has rolled over from tummy to back but it seems as though he forgot how! He gets stuck on his tummy and after awhile gets annoyed :)

...still sleeping so good

...bares weight on his little leggies

...loves grabbing his toes

...We get to start rice cereal and fruits and veggies, can't wait for that

...again did great with his shots, just sleepy afterwards but not fussy

...still has his normal fussy time around 8-9 at night but other than that time he is a happy happy baby

...Dr. C felt two teeth coming in on the bottom, I kind of figured that, we saw two little white spots on his gums and he has been gnawing away on his fingers and drooling a ton

Overall Dr. C said he is doing awesome. And I always said when I had kids I would never say what I'm about to say...lol...but she did say that his sleeping habits and the fact that he is rolling from back to belly is really really good for his age. Okay I promise that's the last time you'll hear the "my child is advanced" line ;)

Our routine is still the same except with a little less daddy around. Brett is back at KU finishing his degree! I'm really proud of him and how hard he is working, he has class all day Tuesday and Thursday, works at LAC Mon, Wed, Fri and works out his high school students 3-4 times a week as well. And on top of all that he has been helping his sisters take care of their grandparents. So he is busy busy. I've been super busy as well with photo shoots and have 4 more in the next 2 months.

I had this past Tuesday off and it was the day Jaris turned 4 months so naturally we did a photo shoot!

*random shots & videos*

We got the first belly laugh on tape! It just may be the most adorable baby laugh ever ;) We just got back from a walk/run and it was hot out and he is about to get a bath so that is why he has just a diaper on lol and that is why I look like I do. Please excuse the backwards hat. And he drools a ridiculous amount while laughing and it gets all over me but his laugh was too cute to let that stop me!

Tried the Moby Wrap and he loved it!

Blurry but this is how I found him the other morning

Pretty much sums up how he is these days...grabbing his toes with the other hand in his mouth!

Showing Papa how he can get his toes!

While visiting Brett's papa, he predicted the future :)

On a random side note I can't wait for fall to get here, so excited for the pumpkin patch and Halloween (my absolute favorite time of the year)!
And another random note...someone gave me the Jewel Lullaby CD as a gift and I hadn't listened to it until the other night and I immediately loved it from the first song! The song you're listening to is called the "Circle Song" and it is my favorite song to sing to him. And it also has another favorite, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." It's a great CD for any mommy who is interested!

I think that's all for now, we are planning on trying cereal tomorrow night with J man so I'll be sure to take video and pictures.

3 1/2 months

2011-08-16T00:05:00.000-07:00

We are half way through 3 months! I don't know how we got so blessed with such an easy and happy baby but we are over the moon about him. Here are some things he's been up to...

...now drinks 6 ounces of formula...

...generally wakes up only once, if at all throughout the night (insert a big "woo hoo!")...

...smiles A TON at everyone and his whole face smiles, it's adorable...

...likes to have conversations back and forth with us...

...bats and grabs at toys while laying on his play mat...

...grabs toys off the table...

...likes to explore faces with this hands when you are close to him...

...bearing some weight on his legs...

...blowing a lot of spit bubbles and starting to drool a lot...teething soon?...

...still isn't a huge fan of tummy time for very long but he does the mini-push ups well and is able to hold his head up for awhile...

...sitting in the Bumbo seat now and doing great at holding his head steady...

...still a little fussy around 8/9 at night which is generally taken care of with a walk and then a bath...

...moves all over his crib when he sleeps...

...wears 3-6 month clothes...

...loves his blanket, likes to chew on it and snuggle it...may be the cutest thing ever...

...gets a book/story read every night while getting his bedtime bottle...

...super close to rolling over from his back to his belly...workin' on it!

I think that's all I got!

dressed and ready for church!

monday morning bottle/kisses

friday night before we head to dinner

off to eat with friends so he had to look sharp!

with his new blanket but eyes are always on Petey :)

Shannon & DJ

Brett & Kristy...ok there are 2 flashes on my camera and the first one obviously scared him lol

saturday morning getting ready to go eat brunch with my mom and brett's grandma

laughing at Gigi...aka my mom

maisy can't just lay on the bed like a normal dog...she likes our pillows and tries to use them like a body pillow

jaris you blinked!

a little editing experiment :)

family visiting brett's papa in the hospital, nephews watching a little tv in the waiting room

he LOVES uncle brett!

did a full 180...he is usually on his side with his back against that teddy bear blanket

Last night after his bath I got a very small belly laugh from him. Brett missed it and he didn't do it again but we did get lots of noise! And sorry about my obnoxious noise I'm making...whatever it takes to make them laugh right?

This is hilarious. One of our Dr. Seuss books comes in English and Spanish. I was doing my hair when I heard Brett reading it and decided to record lol.

He is so happy in the morning so I wanted to get it on tape :)

This is after drinking his bottle which he is usually 95% asleep by then but this night he was just talking away!

This entire week Brett's family has been on vacation at the beach and while they were gone Brett's papa got really sick and had to be admitted in to the hospital. So it was a long week for us but we are thankful that we were here to help with getting his grandma to and from the hospital and we were able to let everyone know what was going on. So as much as it sucked not being at the beach swimming in the ocean, it was a blessing in disguise that we stayed behind. Next year though we are NOT missing out on the trip! Please send prayers, his papa isn't going home from the hospital anytime soon.

I think that's all for now, Jaris has his 4 month appointment September 2nd so I'll be sure and update his weight and height stats!

End of 2 months into 3 months.

2011-07-31T22:51:00.000-07:00

Oh goodness where to start? We have been so busy since the 4th, every weekend we've had something to do. The first weekend after the 4th we had a wedding to attend. It was outside and may have been the hottest wedding I've ever been to. I think I lost 5 pounds from sweating but thankfully the ceremony only lasted about 15 mins. Jaris on the other hand did way better then me! He didn't make a peep the entire ceremony and was happy during the reception and actually fell asleep for the majority of it (I don't know how he slept through the music). We saw a lot of people from high school who hadn't seen Jaris yet so that was fun to watch everybody with him. It was a late night for the little man but he did a great job.

I've been so busy with photo shoots and it doesn't look to be slowing down! Just in the month of July I've had 2 weddings, 1 family, and a newborn shoot. August I'll have one family session, a senior session, and a newborn. September is one wedding and a newborn and in October one wedding. Yikes! Brett and Jaris will get some quality daddy baby time :)

Taylor has officially left us and settled into Michigan (insert super sad face). I'm so happy for her and can't wait to get up there to visit and watch her play, I know she'll do great. But at the same time I'm sad that I won't be able to just call her up and tell her to come over or meet for lunch and I'm even more sad that she'll miss a lot of Jaris' first year. But we have Skype thank goodness!

Brett's knee is doing GREAT! He no longer has to wear a brace unless he is in a crowded place where it could be bumped. He is doing his physical therapy 2-3 times a week and he is able to ride the stationary bike. AND most importantly he is finally able to get up with Jaris in the middle of the night without me...lol...

And speaking of Jaris he is doing awesome. I could not have asked for a happier baby, I can't get enough of him. He is great at holding his head up, he is really reaching for his toys when he is laying on his play mat and when we sit him on our leg he will reach for them on the table in front of him and pull them off. He has really been sucking/gnawing on his thumb, sometimes I think he'll fit his whole fist in his mouth! It's nice that we don't have to worry about a pacifier and he really uses his thumb to "self-sooth" so we'll let him do it for little longer ; ). We've moved him up to a faster nipple flow so he is able to drink more before falling asleep which allows him to sleep more through the night! He had no trouble switching from slow to medium so yay for sleep! I've started reading books every night while he eats, usually after one or two books he's almost done with his bottle so I'll sing him to sleep the rest of the time until he's out. He is "talking" all the time and it's so cute! I love when he's around our nephews Kaden and Brooks, he likes watching them and they love to love on him. We got to Skype with my God-daughter Savannah tonight and she sang Jaris a goodnight song and she also sang "how much is that doggy in the window" to Maisy lol. I think that's about all on my little man for now, I can't believe he's 3 months already! We are so blessed.

(don't forget to pause the music at the bottom of the blog!)

We named his little bird "Petey" and he loves talking to him! And we are so over the hot weather and ready for fall!

This may be my favorite photo...

Watching mommy get ready for work in the morning!

This photo is a very close second!

He loves bath time and I love giving him his baths.

Talking with daddy and getting ready for bath time!

Dreamin' away :)

Daddy reading his favorite book.

I walked into the living room and they were both watching a car show...

4th of July

2011-07-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Every year for the 4th Brett's family heads to Harlan County Lake, just over the Nebraska border, to their aunt and uncles lake house. The past few years Brett and I haven't been able to go and this year was no different. We aren't allowed to put sunscreen on Jaris until he is 6 months old per his doc (and I think that's normal anyway...) and with Brett's knee being only a few weeks out of surgery we decided to stay home. I can't wait to go next year, Jaris will be a year old which is a perfect time to introduce the lake to him and Brett's knee will be back to normal.

So Sunday we headed over to my grandparents for their annual 4th get together. There is always way too much food and plenty of fun. Jaris was SO good. He was so happy all day long, before we left for the party he was sitting up in his boppy just being content and I was snapping away (shocker I know) when I caught this...

I had to make this super big because it cracks me up! Can't believe I caught it on camera!

Hope they stay this blue!

He was wide awake most of the time and during that time he was with all different family members and I never heard a peep from him besides his little laugh. He took 2 bottles over the time we were there and slept maybe a total of 1 1/2 hrs.

Mommy needs a tan!

Brett & Taylor...My beautiful mom and my dad with Jaris
Great Aunt Jackie...Avery singing to Jaris

Danielle isn't actually sleeping...she just didn't want her picture taken....lol

Laughing at grandpa/my dad...LOVE this photo!

After everyone stuffed themselves full of food it was time for games! It was sort of like "minute to win it" style games. This one, everyone had one minute to stack 6 dice on a popsicle stick that you had to hold in your mouth and they had to stay on for 3 full seconds.

Dice game...My dad...uncle Brad...Brett

This one was fun! Everyone was put into pairs (I got my sister Taylor) and two teams at a time competed to get 3 ping pong balls in the container. One person threw and the other had to catch and the winner moved on to the next round. I threw to Taylor the first round and we won (all those years of slow-pitch softball finally paid off ;)) and the next time we played Taylor threw to me and she sucked so we lost!

Getting ready for the ping pong ball toss

Very entertaining!

The next game was taking these two things of gum balls and having one minute to shake them from one end to the other. It was quite entertaining to watch and Brett actually won...52.5 seconds!

My family goes all out on fireworks every year and last year they set them all off right on the street, cops stopped by several times lol. This year they decided to go out of city limits to shoot them off. Brett and I decided to head home instead of watch, Jaris was tired and needed a bath still so we called it a night. I heard it was a great show, my uncles apparently bought "commercial" fireworks (stuff the city's use to put shows on) so I'm sad I missed it!

One tuckered sweet boy.

Monday I woke up around 7:30 feeling really light headed and really hot, I fed and put Jaris back to bed and within 5 mins of getting him down I was in the bathroom throwing up. I don't drink nearly enough water...if any...and Sunday the only thing I had to drink was a pink lemonade with malibu...all day, that's it. It was really hot out and I think over the course of the day I think I just got dehydrated or got a little bit of heat exhaustion. Still felt a little light headed off and on all day, lesson learned...drink more water! Everyone was invited back to my grandparents house on Monday for seconds from Sundays feast but since I was a little under the weather we decided to stay home and grill out ourselves!

Can't wait for next years 4th! Hope everyone had a safe and happy weekend!

Read below about Jaris' 2 month check-up!

2 Months!

2011-07-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Oh how my little man has grown! He is now 11 pounds 2 ounces and is 22 1/2 inches long, he is just in the 35th percentile so he is still a little guy but I like it that way :) Overall the doc said he was doing perfect, especially on his sleeping patterns and his "talking." He had his shots as well and he did great, he let out one big scream and then I was able to pick him up and he was back to normal. I gave him some Tylenol right after and before he went to bed and he's been his normal sweet self since. He was a little fussy for a couple hours after but after his bath tonight he was back to being a happy baby.

He is talking SO much and smiling all the time. At his doctors appointment he was having an entire conversation with Dr. Cordova, just laughing and talking to her. He likes to be sung to, he likes when you stick your tongue out, he's kicking like crazy, and still makes the best faces. He is starting to get a little more hair on top but not much, he has only spit up twice since he was born, and he is only waking up about every 4 hrs to eat at night...and the other night he went from 10:30 to 6 am!! He makes me so happy it's indescribable. We are truly blessed with an adorable, easy, and happy baby. I love watching him grow and every minute with him is truly amazing. I love him to pieces.

Here is a link to a video on Facebook...HERE

1st Jordan outfit, thanks aunt Danielle!

He was a big hit at Dyana's birthday dinner!

Andy & Dyana

Cordeus & Kristen

Brett is doing great, he got his big brace off so he is able to get rid of his crutch and bend his knee again. He's started rehab so he's in a little bit of pain but he is pretty determined to get better asap! I on the other hand had to take a night off the other day. Between work and having to do everything for Jaris I was really wearing myself down. Tuesday I just had a really hard time waking up, my body was exhausted and then I started to get really hot and an upset stomach. It was starting to catch up to me so now that Brett was off his crutch he made me go to bed at 10 and he did all of Jaris' night stuff and feedings. It was much needed because I felt so much better the next day.

Father's Day

2011-06-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty low key Father's day due to Brett's knee. We had lunch with my dad, my family went to dinner in KC that night but it was too far of a drive for Brett with his knee so that was our day with my dad. Later that evening we went to Kelly's and grilled out, not much to report :)

Brett is doing great, he is down to one crutch now and able to put a little more weight on his knee. It's been a bit of a challenge for me however, Brett can only do so much with Jaris so I'm having to do a lot more without his help. I know he feels bad when he sees me running around the house like a crazy person trying to keep it clean, wash bottles, do the laundry, change diapers, play with Jaris, put him to bed, get up with him and on and on...and on top of all that, help him with all his knee stuff! AND work. Needless to say I'm exhausted :)

Pretty much all daddy can do with Jaris :)

Brooks, always Mr. Happy!

"Cousinly love"

Going in for a kiss!

I love daddy onesie for the day <3

Changing pad photo shoot :)

I can't believe how big Jaris is getting. He has his 2 month check up July 1st (and I'm pretty sure he gets shots which I'm dreading) and I can't wait to see how much he weighs and how long he is! Pretty sure that's it for now...my grandma and aunt are coming down to visit this week so I'll update after that!

Where to start...

2011-06-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin, it's been a crazy few weeks! My maternity leave is officially over, I started back to work this past Monday. Leaving Jaris wasn't as bad as I thought...he is with my mom so I know he is getting all the attention he needs however, when I got home from work I realized how much less time I have with him and I got a little upset that night but I'm getting better. I just wish I had more time, 6 weeks just isn't long enough and I get these stupid ideas in my head...like he'll forget who I am and I know he won't but I just hate that I don't have more time off or more time in the day with him.

As far as Jaris goes he is doing great! He is growing so big and has been officially moved from our room into his crib and is doing awesome. I usually bathe him, give him a bottle, and lay him down. He watches his little ocean aquarium and falls asleep! During the day he generally likes to be sitting upright, he likes to be held in front of the window with music on while I sing and sway back and forth (not sure how much of my singing he likes though ;)), and he LOVES being outside. If he is fussy at all I just have to walk out side and he is silent and becomes very observant, so we try to go for lots of walks to get some nice awake time! We have also switched to formula. As much as I didn't want to do it I simply wasn't producing enough milk. I tried taking herbs and drinking nasty "mothers milk tea" and drinking tons of water and everything else you can try and it just didn't happen. I was producing 2 1/2 ounces at the most and simply not able to keep up with Jaris. So to make all of our lives easier we switched and it's going so much better. He is starting to have a "fussy time" where after his 8 pm feeding he is ok for about an hour and then he gets fussy, where nothing I can do is going to make him happy. I just try to hold him off as long as I can until about 30 mins before he eats again and then I give him a bath and a bottle to make him nice and sleepy and then he is out for the night. He is starting to sleep longer hours through the night. Last night he made it about 5 hours! So overall we are doing pretty good I think, I just love him so much.

He makes the best faces, this is a common one.

He smile SO much more now and I love seeing both his little dimples!

Brett on the other hand, is not doing so well. Tuesday he had surgery to repair his ACL. We went in bright and early that morning, he was taken back to get prepped...IV and leg shaved...and then we were able to see him.

Waiting to see daddy

Nice smooth leg! lol

He's never had surgery before so he was pretty nervous but things went great in the OR. The doctor said he completely blew out his ACL and he had to smooth out some of his meniscus but his ligaments and tendons were looking good. After surgery he was a little out of it coming off the anesthesia but we got him home and all settled on the couch. Thank the Lord for my family and in-laws. Brett's surgery couldn't have been at a worse time. We have a 7 week old and I just started back to work and can't take anymore time off. Brett's mom and I were with him all day, Debbie basically took care of Brett while I was with Jaris. That night my sister Taylor came over to stay with us and help me with Brett. I had to go back to work Wednesday so Debbie was thankfully able to be with him again that day and my other sister Danielle was over that night. And oh boy did we need the help.

The first day he got home, he wasn't able to keep any food down. As soon as he would take a pain pill he would throw up...and I'm not good with throw up. So between the throw up, popping all the different pills, trying to keep him comfortable, helping him get up and back down again, helping him start his rehab, and all of Jaris' things, I for sure needed the help and can't say THANK YOU enough. Today he is doing much better. He is able to get up on his own and is getting more comfortable with his crutches and his exercises. He is a little frustrated with not being able to get out of the house or sleep in his own bed, or do any of his normal activity but that will all come back with time.

Tuesday was also our 3rd anniversary! What a way to celebrate! If you remember our first anniversary was spent working basketball camps and eating Pizza Shuttle with our friends Brett and Kristy. Our second anniversary was also spent working basketball camp and selling pizza to the campers at night. And now our 3rd, Brett has surgery. I'm scared to see what next year brings ;) It has been 3 amazing and crazy years, we have grown from a family of 3 to a family of 4 (yes I'm counting Maisy). Life is pretty good.

Thursday was the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic, where former KU players and coaches come together and play a game of basketball for a local charity. I was lucky enough to have been asked by the Rock Chalk organization to take photographs for the event and I was stoked! I needed a new lens, one that was to capture the fast movements of basketball and the low lights of a gym, so my parents were gracious enough to buy me a new one. It's awesome, it let's in so much light which makes my photos even more crystal clear. The event was a hit and supported a great cause and I feel blessed to have been a part of it! Thanks for picking me Isaac! AND Jaris went with his aunt Kelly and cousins to the game and was awake and didn't make a peep the ENTIRE time, over 2 hours...such a good baby!

Here are some photos I got...I took over 500!

Well that is all for now I must get to bed before my little man wakes up for a feeding.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

The weekend started off on a bad note for the Temple family. Brett works out at the gym every day and if he isn't working out he is working out a client. Usually after his workout he plays basketball however he has been hurt playing basketball multiple times...rolled ankle, strained MCL, jammed fingers, blah blah and on and on. So as his wife I asked him to please not play anymore, he complains every time he gets hurt and I just knew something worse was going to happen if he kept playing. And I was right. I was at the mall with my mom and sister Friday night when I get a call from Brett. He sounded like he was in a lot of pain, he says, "I think I did something bad to my knee." It's been really swollen and he's been using a crutch to walk so he goes for an MRI today, pray it's nothing bad...I can't take care of two babies right now ;) Saturday was a lazy day, we had my cousins graduation party and then all 3 of us went home and took naps. Sunday we went to church (I think we finally may have found one we both like, keep your fingers crossed) and that night went to dinner with my parents and sisters. Memorial day I made cupcakes, got some cleaning done, and that night we headed over to Brett's moms for steaks. Brett's steaks on the grill are the best, he does such a great job!

Strawberry cupcakes...cream cheese frosting...and strawberry daiquiri jelly beans to top it off!

What was going on while I was in the shower... :)

Granny and Jaris

Enjoying a cupcake!

Awake time!

Kaden playing a game on Uncle Brett's phone

Brooks' turn, he loves Uncle Brett!

Quality cousin time, so cute!

Wish it wasn't blurry

Hal and Debby

I'll be sure and update when we know about Brett's knee, other then that we are doing great!

Sleep

2011-05-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Looking at my photos of Jaris so far I realized that a ton of them were of him sleeping...and they are all oh so cute and look very similar...see the trend?

Hands in his face :) and that is why swaddling this baby didn't work for us!

Things are going great! His nights are pretty routine but we do have our off nights here and there. I'm starting to master going places with him and all that comes with him...diaper bag, extra clothes, enough diapers and wipes, bottles, pacifier, and on and on. With the weather being yucky for the past few days our walks have been put on hold but today it was nice so we were finally able to get outside. That's all for now I have a hungry baby calling!

Oh so in love :)

2011-05-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough of him! All I want to do is just sit with him and snuggle and kiss his little face! He is such a good baby and it's so easy to make him happy when he is not (which is rare). He is starting to be awake and alert more often, making more sounds (and they are oh so cute), and starting to smile more...probably because of gas but hey who cares!? He is 16 days old and goes for his 2 week check-up tomorrow. I can't believe I only have 3 more weeks of maternity leave, I wish photography paid the bills and I didn't have to leave my little man everyday. I dread the thought of going back to work. Thankfully he is going to be with my mom when I go back so I'll be able to call anytime I want and rest easy knowing he is in good hands.

Anyway...he got his first little sponge bath last night and he did not like it! But it was so cute!

Not sure about this...

Nope, don't like it!

Ready for it to be over lol

(pardon the changing pad cover lol, the normal one is in the wash :))

Daddy keeping him warm!

So cute!

Much happier now that he's all warm!

He's been great at nights, he usually wakes up every 3-4 hours to be fed and changed and then he goes back to sleep. If the weather is nice during the day I usually try to sit outside with him, it keeps him awake and he just sits quietly and takes it all in.

Hopefully sometime this week I'm going to get some pictures done and if I do I'll post as soon as they are done. That's all for now!

1st Road Trip!

2011-05-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

My mom, Jaris, and I had to take an emergency trip to Nebraska this weekend. I got a call on Wednesday that my grandma Sam had gone in for a routine surgery, however when they opened her up they found cancer everywhere. After some testing they've determined it to be primary peritoneal cancer. An aggressive cancer with no warning signs. So mom and I decided that she needed to see Jaris asap and that since I'm on maternity leave, now would be the best time to go up and visit. We left Friday morning and headed to Omaha. Jaris did AWESOME! In the entire 3 1/2 hour drive he did not make one sound. We stopped once to feed and change him and that was it. So proud of him :) We arrived at the hospital only to find that she had been moved to ICU and that no children under 14 were allowed. Well that kind of defeated the whole purpose of our trip! So I went to visit with her while mom waited in the family room and fed Jaris. We talked to the nurse and she allowed us to stand at the doorway with Jaris so she could at least see him. It was heartbreaking that she couldn't hold him but I'm so glad she was at least able to see him. We went to dinner with my aunt and then we drove to Sioux City to stay with my other grandma. My uncle just got back from Afghanistan for his 2 week leave so I wanted him to see Jaris as well so it worked out pretty good. We got in around 11 and visited with everyone and finally went to sleep. Jaris's schedule got thrown off a little because he had slept in the car all day so he didn't sleep well that night. The next day we hung around with family for awhile and then headed back to the hospital. She was moved to a normal room so we were able to go in with Jaris now and although she still wasn't able to hold him we were able to get a lot closer. We visited with other family members and then headed back home. Again Jaris did great on the way back.

My aunt Paula

My aunt Sarah

Uncle Matt home from Afghanistan

My grandma Betty

My cousin Heather

Her daughter Emma

I'm so glad all sides of my family have been able to see him at this age, everybody just loved him :) Please keep my grandma in your prayers. She has a long road ahead and still needs to hold Jaris in her arms, just getting to look at him isn't good enough for me.

Thought this was too cute not to share :) Kind of blurry though.

Our first week home!

2011-05-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

This first week home has flown by! We are adjusting to life with a baby and so far we are doing good. Our first night was pretty rough (which I was expecting) but we made it through. Nursing has been a challenge since Jaris is tongue tied so at the hospital and our first night home we had been doing SNS feeding. If you don't know what that is, it's a pain in the bottom. So our second night we decided that pumping and bottle feeding would be better for everyone and it went MUCH smoother. We had a doctors appointment Wednesday and he was still at the same weight as when we left the hospital, everything else was looking great. Wednesday night was another rough night, he is just having trouble sleeping in his bassinet. He sleeps great in my arms but 10 mins in to laying in the bassinet he starts to get fussy. Thursday and Friday night were off and on, I generally fell asleep with him in the rocking chair or on the couch. Our weekend was filled with visitors, Brett doing lawn work and...Mother's day! Sunday I woke up with Jaris on the couch and Brett had brought home biscuits and gravy and for later a package of my favorite cookies :) We had a cookout at Brett's sisters house and later that night my parents came over just to hang out for a little bit. We had fun looking at baby photos of Brett and I, comparing them to Jaris. Monday we had another doctors appointment to see if he had gained any weight. He was born at 6 lbs 9 oz, left the hospital at 6 lbs 5 oz and the goal was to get him back to birth weight. Well he not only got back to his birth weight, he beat it by 5 oz!! Over 5 days he gained 9 oz, so I was excited. Wednesday we go to have his frenulum clipped and hopefully that will make nursing a little easier.

Last night Brett, Jaris, and I went for our first walk. We left Maisy behind because we walked to the grocery store to get a few things :) It was so nice for me to get outside and out of the house, the weather was great and Jaris was wide awake the whole time and didn't make a peep. He just looked around and took it all in!

Overall we are doing great, just adjusting and trying to get into a routine. He is a good baby and I love him to pieces. We are blessed.

Jaris Ivor Temple

2011-05-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Jaris Ivor Temple

April 30, 2011

7:58 pm...6 lbs 9 oz

He is here and he is perfect. It all started Friday around 6 when I started having contractions. They weren't very strong but they were a consistent 10 mins apart so I started to write down the times. Then they started to get worse, not closer together just more intense. Around midnight we decided to head to the hospital just in case something was happening and worse case they will just send us home. So we got all set in the room and the nurse was coming in and out but not really giving me any idea of what was going to happen. I was dilated to a 3 and my contractions were about 8 mins apart. Finally at almost 4:30 am the nurse came in and said they were going to send me home. She told me to try and get some rest...um really?! I'm having contractions 8 mins apart and they're not pleasant! I wasn't a happy camper. So we headed home to try and sleep which didn't go well. They were still 8 mins apart and by 8 am they were 5 mins apart and really painful. I was trying to be as quiet as possible so Brett wouldn't wake up but my moaning got a little louder each time and finally I told Brett I can't take anymore and we are going back and they WILL admit me. So around 9:30 am we headed back and thank goodness I had a much better nurse and I was much happier that they were going to admit me. We got all settled into the room, the nurse got my IV started and they asked if I wanted an epidural and I couldn't say yes fast enough! I really don't know how women do it without one. I was exhausted from the contractions I already had, let alone having them for hours upon hours and then pushing...no thank you! But you are amazing if you can do it! The epidural wasn't horrible like I thought it was going to be but don't get me wrong it did hurt bad, poor Brett's hand is probably still sore. I did do really well though while she was putting it in and I hardly made a sound (very unusual when I'm being poked lol)! After the epidural it was smooooooth sailing! I felt nothing, I was able to catch up on some sleep, talk with family and actually enjoy the whole process. We were getting closer to being ready to push when another woman came to the hospital and had to have an emergency c-section so I kind of got pushed to the side since there is only one doc on call during the weekend. But finally I was ready to start pushing. It's such a surreal experience when they come in and start getting the room ready for the baby. This is it! Brett was holding one leg and my mom held the other, my sisters were off to the side and off we went.

My doctor wasn't on call so we had a different one and she was AWESOME. We laughed the entire time in the room and it was such a fun atmosphere and I couldn't have asked for a better birthing experience. I did have to push for awhile, I really thought I was going to bust a blood vessel in my brain because I was pushing so hard! I didn't feel a single thing, just pressure and that just helped me know when to push. It was awesome and finally she told me to look down and there he was. She placed him on my chest right away and the flood of emotions hit me and I was bawling. This is my son, we did this, and he is perfect. Brett cut the cord and then he was taken over to be all cleaned up and weighed. I had all my family come in afterwards and it was just the most amazing day of my life.

We were able to go home on Monday and thanks to Brett's family our pantry was full and we had plenty of meals in the fridge. Thanks to my mom, everything was put away and the house was spotless. My mom has no idea how much I appreciate everything she is doing. She is here everyday letting Brett and I catch up on sleep, putting things away and so on and so on. Our support system is beyond amazing.
That's all I can get to for today, I'll update about our first few nights home in a little bit!

Latest Happenings...

2011-04-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

The shower is over, the nursery is ready, the hospital bag is packed, I am ready, we are ready. After the shower I got everything out of boxes, tags cut off, and everything organized. We got the book shelf, bedding, and dresser the day after the shower so I was able to finish his room. I still have a few things to put away but it's baby ready! At my last doctors appointment my blood pressure was a little higher then they would like so I had to come back two days later and have it checked again. It's high because of all my swelling, which I'm trying to take it easy but with the shower last weekend, getting the nursery ready and the house ready (I can't come home from the hospital to a messy house :)) and work, it's kind of hard. It was lower at the follow up appointment so we'll just continue with the weekly appointments until he decides to make his debut! Until then I'll just continue to feel like like this...

Haha I know that made you laugh ;) Anyway here is the nursery...

Dresser/changing area...

It looks perfect!

When he is born I'll take 3 or 4 close up photos of his features and hang them above his crib.

We got a great collection of books started thanks to everyone at the shower :)

From the door.

Two weeks ago mom and I went to see Rod Steward and Stevie Nicks. My mom and dad were going to go but when I expressed my sadness that I couldn't see Stevie Nicks dad gave his ticket to me lol. It was really cool to see both of them but especially Stevie, I'm a huge fan of her as an individual artist and as part of Fleetwood Mac. Brett on the other hand had no idea who either one of them was...and that is sad :) And I have no photos because my camera died.

Last Sunday Brett and Kelly ran the Lawrence Half Marathon. About 6 weeks before that Brett hurt his MCL pretty bad so he wasn't able to train like he normally would have and then he was having pain in his shins the week before so he was kind of a mess! He did great though and I'm so proud of him for sticking it out, it's waaaaay more then I could have done!

That's about all for now, just playing the waiting game. Come on baby we couldn't be more ready!!

Baby Shower!

2011-04-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

I cannot put into words how thankful I am to have such an amazing family and group of friends. My mom has kept the shower a secret the whole time so I had no idea what I was to expect...and she far exceeded anything I could have imagined. The Dr. Seuss theme was PERFECT! When you walked into the room this is what you first saw...

...there was a "candy bar"...super cute!

This picture doesn't do these flowers justice, they looked like they were straight out of a Dr. Seuss book!

Diaper cake and really yummy cake :)

It was absolutely perfect and I was in awe of everything my mom had put together.

Everyone started to arrive so I spent most of my time greeting and being a social butterfly. We had a great turn out, all the tables were full, we had sandwiches, drinks, and cake. We had the Dr. Seuss cake (made by a woman in KC) and then my grandpa (who drove in all the way from Illinois to bring me his cake) made a cake for me as well. His cake is sooooo yummy. He made my first birthday cake (care bear themed ;)) and now is making my baby shower cake...crazy :) Anyway his cake is delicious and I'll be enjoying the leftovers!

(lots of photos and please excuse my swollen face)

After eating and playing shower games we started to open gifts...

SO excited for this diaper bag...Petunia Pickle Bottom, so cute!

As I'm sure you can guess Brett is stoked about this gift...

Diaper wreath from Kelly, so creative and cute!

I'm in love with this gift. It is already hung above his changing table and looks awesome. The quote says, "I am your parent, you are my child. I am your quiet place, you are my wild. I am your finish line, you are my race. I am your praying hands, you are my grace." Love love love it.

Finally some Husker gear!

We got all of the big stuff we needed and then some. We made out very well and I can't tell you how loved I felt the whole day. We are truly blessed to have people who care for us so much and love this baby so much already. I'm beyond thankful. Thank you to everyone who came...especially those from out of town who drove in just for this day. Thank you to all sides of my family for your support and love. And thank you to my friends who simply amazing! Thank you mom for all your hard work in putting this together, it was perfect.

After, we had to take all the decorations down so my lovely sister decided to wear them and walk downtown looking like this...

She is special...

After today we pretty much have what we need besides a few little things. We got our dresser in today and picked up the bookshelf as well. I need to get curtains up and the bedding in and as soon as that is done I'll post pictures. Right now it looks really cute though.

Now that the shower is over I am soooo ready to have this baby. I'm so excited to finally meet him and see what he looks like. I can't wait for that feeling after seeing him for the first time. I have an appointment this Wednesday and hopefully I'm dilated more then 1 cm. I'll keep you updated!

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

(Thought it would be appropriate to leave on a Dr. Seuss quote :))

Getting closer!

2011-04-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for my shower this Saturday I can hardly stand it! Everything has been kept a secret so I have no idea what to expect but with my mom planning it, I know it's going to be amazing. After the shower I will be so ready for the little man to join us. We got the crib today and the dresser will be in this week so the room is finally starting to come together. After the shower we'll have everything we need to finish it off! I registered for some shelves that will go above his dresser and this past week I got a few things to go on them and just need a few more little things to finish it off. We'll get the curtains and the bookshelf next week and then it should be finished after everything is put away!

I have a doctors appointment Tuesday and they'll check to see if I'm dilated and then I start going every week...scary! We also had our hospital walk-through/pre-registration this past week. It made thing very real and made me a little more nervous for the whole labor process but it was nice to see everything, our delivery and recovery room, the nursery, ect. Still have extremely swollen feet and ankles, back pain and heartburn (which hasn't been horrible this past week). I now understand why pregnant women "waddle" the pressure the baby's head is putting on my pelvic bone is making the inside of my legs very sore causing me to do a little waddle ;)

And we FINALLY have THE name! First....AND middle, look at us go! However don't ask what it is because we aren't telling until he is born.

A man reading directions?

Maisy was supervising while I cut all the tags off the baby's clothes...

...but she didn't last long!

TA-DA! Brett did a great job! I can't wait to get the bedding in and after the baby is here I'll take 3 pictures of little body parts (up close, face, hands, feet ect) put them in black and white and put 3 frames above his crib.

A small pile of tags I cut off.

We also got the car seat and stroller put together...great job again Brett!

We also got a gift from the graphic designer at KU, DW who has known Brett's family forever. Brett really likes what DW calls the "power Jayhawk" so he brought us a piece of the 2005 floor with the power hawk on it for the baby! Brett has a stool from a long time ago that DW made for him with the power hawk as well so he was pretty excited for the baby to have a piece of floor :)

On a side note Brett's papa was asked to throw the first pitch at this weekends baseball game and he did great! I got to run down on the field and grab some photos...in case you don't know his papa is the winningest baseball coach in KU history.

That's about it for now, I'll be sure to post after my baby shower! Can't wait!

FINALLY!

2011-03-27T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is a not an important post but I'm excited about it! I love to bake, usually I'm the only one who ends up eating it because Brett isn't a big sweets person (I only wish I could be like that), but I had a little craving for some brownies. I have tried to make brownies 8 million times...I love them. However, they NEVER turn out right. The edges are always hard and the inside is nice and gooey but never the same consistency all over. I couldn't figure it out...I tired different pan sizes and fifty other things but nothing helped. And granted they are just brownies from the box but still. So today while doing some grocery shopping the brownies were on sale so I thought I would try again and if the edges were hard again at least I could eat the inside! I made sure I followed directions to a "t"...however this time instead of cooking them at the recommend oven temp and time I just very slowly cooked them for however long it took and finally......THEY TURNED OUT!

How silly is it that it took me that many tries to make brownies?! Oh well...I got it now!

April is going to be a very busy month for me. I have an appointment this Thursday and than the first week of April I have a haircut and our hospital walk-through. The next week I have my last every two week appointment on the 12th and from then on it's every week. April 16th is my shower (which by the way it's extremely hard not to look at our registries..). The week after our shower will be spent getting everything put together, clothes washed and put away, car seat installed, and finishing the baby's room. I started laughing writing that last line just thinking about how close we are really freaks me out! I truly can't believe we are so close, I know I've said this a million times but I feel like I should still have 3 more months! I'm starting to think more and more about what will go on once we get to the hospital. I'm not nervous for all the needles or epidural (don't get me wrong I'm not looking forward to them) but I'm terrified to start the whole pushing process. That is the point of no return lol. There is no going back after that, you can't put it back in, you can't stop him from coming and as soon as he's out your responsible for a new life. THAT'S SCARY! I know we'll be just fine but still...ahh it's so close!

I'll keep you updated after our appointment and hospital walk through!

Brett walked into the baby's room (which as of right now if Brett's clothing room) and found her sleeping like this...

Nothing too exciting...

2011-03-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing new to report. Everything was looking great at my last doctors appointment and I only have 2 more every 2 week appointments and than I start going every week. April 4th we go in and have our hospital tour. It just seems like it's so close and yet I feel like I just told everyone! It has really gone by super fast.

Baby is moving ALL the time, a lot more during the day now but still a lot at night and in the morning. I've been craving a lot of fruit lately, mainly strawberries and grapes. I'm starting to really feel the effects of pregnancy all over. If I don't get a lot of time to sit at work my legs and feet are really sore that night and the next day. I make a ridiculous amount of trips to the bathroom. My back still hurts and my feet/ankles still swell all the time. In fact I think they will just remain swollen until after labor, Brett told me yesterday that they looked like Fred Flintstones feet...lol I think that is a pretty accurate description!

Random thoughts...

I'm getting really excited for my baby shower. It's about one month away and I can't wait to see what my mom has done! And I can't wait to see all my family that are traveling down!

Really hoping KU can win the NCAA tourney this year so the bracket can go in the baby's scrapbook.

We have officially moved ONE name to the list. That was a big step for Brett ya'll lol. We want to get a list with 2 or 3 names on it and once we see the baby we'll decide than. So I'm pumped he has finally agreed on one!

Brett's cousin and her 3 year old little girl were in town recently and she was fascinated with my belly. She liked to tickle "the baby" aka my belly and she even sang Justin Bieber's "Baby" song to it. It was SUPER cute and I have it on video on my phone but I can't figure out how to get it to my computer so once I do I'll post it. Every time I saw her she asked, "is the baby still in there?" It was very cute, we even had a belly bump bump instead of a chest bump ;)

I think that's it for now, not much to update on!

Big!

2011-03-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

I feel huge! I feel like I'm ready to go any day now :) A little over a month ago I posted a facebook status saying how fast the first two trimesters have gone and someone said well the last 3 months drag on! Well not for me...I feel like it's right around the corner and I'm still so unprepared! We are going to the doctor every 2 weeks and so far so good. He kicks like crazy and moves all over the place, as I sit and type now I can see my belly moving. It's the weirdest...yet best feeling. He is especially active at night and lately in the mornings while I'm laying in bed. I love laying in bed at night with both hands on my stomach just feeling his random movements, especially when he does a "long" kick and it feels like my hand is being pressed right against his little hand or foot :) I found this photo on my phone and thought I would do a little comparison...

Before...11/22/2010

After, sorry no make-up and hair not done lol 3/4/2011

As far as I go, I almost passed out when I saw my weight at the last appointment. I know, I know that you are suppose to gain weight but whoa...I wasn't expecting to gain this much. But after cleaning out my closest this past week and looking at my old jeans I have plenty of motivation to get back to normal after this baby is here. And I'm glad he will be here in the summer so I can take plenty of walks and workout outside. My back is still killing me. I try to stay off my feet as much as I can while at work but sometimes it's just not possible and sitting to watch tv only lasts for about 20 mins before I have to lay down. Poor Brett has given me more back massages in the last month than in our entire relationship ;) My hands pretty much stay swollen and my ankles are pretty sensitive to swelling as well. Other than that lol I'm doing pretty well!

My left ankle is more swollen than my right

My sausages...and my fake ring because mine doesn't fit anymore!

In other exciting happenings, my Temple Photography basket sold for $400 at the auction! I was sure that it would make $50 max (if that) so when Kristi texted me that it went for $400 I almost died. I couldn't be happier with the result!

JCCC women's basketball team won today which sent them to Nationals! Taylor is pretty stoked and she had a great game today, wish I was able to go and support her in Illinois but I can't leave work :( Good luck ladies!

As far as Maisy goes, you can see in the photos below she has made her way onto the couch. We both vowed when we got new furniture she wouldn't be allowed on...and we stuck with it for a little over a year. However we started to notice paw prints on the microfiber showing up while we were at work...so someone had been making herself very comfortable after we left everyday. So eventually we just put a blanket down and allowed her up. It just kills her if she can't be laying on us or next to us...and apparently neither Brett nor I can say no to her sweet face anymore :)

I think that's about it for now!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's day! We did :) Brett sent me beautiful flowers at work and the plan was for a nice relaxing evening at home.

Brett grilled steaks and I made hash brown potato casserole, it was

all delicious. When we were in high school Brett and I use to play Tiger Woods on the Playstation all the time and we would make his mom's 7 layer dip and drink a ton of Dr. Pepper. So that's exactly what we did after dinner, except we were both too full to eat any of the dip. And ps I beat Brett by 8 strokes but who's counting....anyway it was the perfect evening at home. Hard to imagine that next v-day we'll be spending it with a baby!

A cute little gift of popcorn and candy from my parents...aren't the boxes cute!?

Cooper's Cause is participating in the Lawrence St. Patty's Day auction so I decided to put together a collection of 8x10's in black and white and put them in a cute little basket and donate it. I'm hoping someone will bid on it (because a...how embarrassing would it be if no one did...eek and b...it will get my name out there) but even if it only gets $10, it's $10 to a great cause so keep your fingers crossed someone bids! Here are some of the photos in the collection.

These are just a few...there is quite a bit that will be in the basket.

As far as baby Temple goes, it's pretty much the same. Belly is huge...back is hurting a lot...my wedding ring is officially off and has been replaced with a fake one lol...baby's room is painted (thanks Steph)...and still no name. We had 3 girls names set in stone so why are boys names so much harder?! We have a doctor's appointment Thursday and other than that there's not much to report!

A weird stage...

2011-02-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I am 28 weeks and feeling a bit unprepared. I'm due the first week of May, which when you say it that way, seems so far away. But if you say that I could go into labor in 10 weeks, makes it feel really close. My shower isn't until April 16th (which again feels forever away) so we won't get the majority of our baby stuff until than. We (and by we I mean my sister in law) are painting the nursery today so that will make me feel better to have that done. We won't get our furniture or bedding until March/April. So for some reason I'm just a weird spot were I feel completely unprepared! Oh well, maybe I'm just weird or hormonal :)

I'm growing growing growing...my belly button is very small and is either going to pop out or disappear soon..eek! It looks like there's a basketball under my shirt :)
My back is killing me. Sitting on the couch normal is no longer an option, I need a pillow behind my back or I lay down.
I'm still sleeping good, I have a body pillow on my left side but when I rolled over to my right side I didn't have any tummy support so I had to shove a pillow on that side too. Thank goodness we have a big bed.
I'd like to do some maternity photos soon but it doesn't look to be warming up anytime soon so we'll have to wait. I'll probably wait until March so I can wear something a little more comfortable than skinny jeans, boots, and a sweater!
He wasn't moving a whole lot last week, I would feel a random kick every once in awhile but nothing like I had the week before. But he is back and kicking in full force again this week. Taylor finally felt a few!
Two weeks ago my doc put me on iron pills because my glucose test showed it was a little low. Well iron did a number on my body and needless to say she took me off of them. At least for now. Thank goodness. My next appointment is the 17th so I'll update again than!

I thought I would include the latest Maisy photo for you all to enjoy ;) It was a snow day and so we had played outside for awhile so she was exhausted...
...that's my big belly in the way and my leg that she is resting her head and paw on.

26 Weeks

2011-01-24T20:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe in another week I'll be in my 3rd trimester! These past few weeks have been great...I'm right on track with my weight gain (although I feel huge), baby is growing right on track, and we have finally registered! My belly has really popped out and it's getting harder and harder to get of out bed, bend down to get Maisy's leash, tie my shoes ect, but we get a good laugh out of it :) I was telling Brett that I really do like being pregnant but I still don't understand the women who say they feel just as sexy as when they aren't pregnant...because sexy is the last thing I feel!!

Heartburn has set in so I try and avoid things that might irritate that but sometimes it just happens with random things. My fingers have started to swell a little more during the day (which even before I was pregnant they would swell at night sometimes) but I'm wondering if I should take my wedding ring off soon in fear of it getting stuck on! My lower back is starting to ache a little more and we were warned I might start having Braxton Hicks contractions but I haven't felt anything yet.

We had our doctor's appointment Thursday and everything was looking good, our next appointment is Feb 3rd and from now on we go every two weeks. We also had to make our appointment to go and take a tour of the labor and delivery unit and to fill out all of our hospital paperwork ahead of time. That really makes it feel close! I go on Wednesday to drink the yummy glucose that tests for gestational diabetes and than have my blood drawn (my favorite....).

He is moving like crazy! Kicking all over especially at night. Brett feels his kicks all time, he gets pretty excited to feel them, it makes me giggle :)

We were planning on painting the nursery this weekend but Brett's grandma was admitted to the hopsital and has been here since Saturday. She is pretty sick so please keep her in your prayers.
So we will get to the painting soon and I've changed bedding...again...we have finally decided on THIS.

No cravings really besides the cereal. I have a girlfriend who is due the same time we are and she updated that she was eating more and more cereal...I said welcome to my world...it's ALL I eat! Recently it's been just the Reese's Puffs but it takes me a solid 5 minutes to choose :)

That's about all for now!

Also if you haven't looked at the Keefer's photos on my photography blog go take a look, they are super cute :)

22/23 Weeks

2011-01-07T22:06:00.000-08:00

I know it says 22 weeks and 5 days over to the side, but when we saw the specialist he put me a week ahead so that would make me 23 weeks and 5 days....so when I have my next regular appointment we'll see if she moves it up. I don't know how much of a difference a week makes! Our next regular appointment is Jan 20, I'm still feeling great, a little tired and huge but good. I feel like my belly has really popped out and I feel sooo big...and to think you grow the most in the last 3 months...ugh! Tonight I came out from the bedroom in sweats and a t-shirt, Brett started giggling. I asked him what he was laughing at and he said, "your pregnant!" I started laughing and said, "yup sure am!" It was pretty funny, he kept telling me how cute my belly was for some reason he just got a kick out of it :)

-Still eating a ton of ice cream...cookies and cream with chocolate syrup to be exact

-Berry Skittles

-Getting up to use the restroom at least twice a throughout the night

-I generally sleep on my side but it's officially uncomfortable to lay flat on my back

-Experiencing a little more heartburn

-Feeling him move around a lot...it's amazing

-Still not even close to agreeing on a name or narrowing it down to at least 3...

Here's some updated photos, I was just taking my weekly one but with my photography camera so Brett felt cool and started an impromptu photo shoot...enjoy ;)

We have decided on bedding you can click here to view it. I wanted something a little more modern than sports stuff or dinosaurs and I wanted it to be very tranquil with relaxing colors, not crazy bright or wild with patterns, so I think this accomplished that. Not sure on paint yet, I'm waiting for my swatch card to come in.

Maisy has been SUPER cuddly this week...not sure what's going on there. She is pretty clingy to me as it is but she's really stepped it up a notch. I think it may be because we took her kennel away when we moved the desk into our room and we took the guest bed (aka her bed) away to clear out the room. Whatever it is I love it :)

Here she is knocked out right under my arm...

In this one she is taking up most of my pillow, I had very little space.

That's all for now, once I get the swatch of baby bedding we will decide on paint and get started so hopefully soon!

Our Scare...

2010-12-30T00:13:00.000-08:00

Up until December 21st everything had been going great in the pregnancy. That day I got off work and did some Christmas shopping and headed home. I checked the mail and there was an envelope from my doctors office...the letter inside told me I had a "level 2 ultrasound" at Midwest Perinatal Associates. I had no idea what a level 2 ultrasound was so of course I googled it. I read that they are done when the doctor sees something from a previous ultrasound and they want to exam it further. Okay, a little scary, I hadn't been told anything was wrong so maybe this was a mistake. Than I went to the MPA web site and that's when I started to get really nervous. The office specializes in high risk pregnancies, trisomy 13, 18, 21 (downs), heart defects, kidney problems, ect. Brett got home so I showed him and I was upset and crying and we just kept telling ourselves it was probably a mistake and it wasn't meant for us. I really believed it wasn't for us because we hadn't been told ANYTHING and everything thus far was perfect. Thank goodness we had a doctors appointment the next day.

Brett hadn't planned on coming to this appointment since it was just suppose to be routine so my sister had planned on coming with me but since the letter arrived he decided he better come just in case. We get in to the office and the nurse does her little routine and than we wait for the doctor. She comes in and she always asks us first if we have any questions. I pulled out the letter and told her I had no idea what this means, what is going on? She said, "they didn't call you?" I said no. She said she was so sorry, she checked her computer and it said they had called twice and left messages but I didn't get those messages because of my stupid new phone. So partly my own fault. Anyway she went on to tell us that from our last ultrasound she had found what's called an "echogenic focus of the heart." It's a small mineralization or calcium deposit inside the heart that shows up on the ultrasound as a bright white spot. It's not a heart defect, it is very common in pregnancies, it often goes away by the 3rd trimester and you never have to worry about it again....however....it is also a "soft marker" for down syndrome.

I immediately burst into tears. Down syndrome?! I'm 26 years old, I'm healthy! What?! Why?! She told us that more often than not it's not a big deal and everything is fine, in fact most doctors don't even tell patients about it. She feels like because it isn't her baby that we as parents have the right to know, so that is why she wanted to make the appointment for us. All of our other tests came back negative for downs and our chances were 1 in 10,000...very low. So the level 2 ultrasound would be a extensive test to look for other signs of down syndrome. If the specialist doesn't see any other markers than we won't have to worry about it again and it will go away. If they see other things that would indicate downs they would offer us an amniocentesis (not fun), and we would go from there. The doctor didn't seem to concerned but I was a mess.

We got outside and I just lost it. This isn't just a small thing that the baby can grow out of or something that can be fixed, this is down syndrome. Our entire lives would change dramatically. Everything started running through my mind, would our marriage survive (I know that sounds bad but divorce is high among couples with special needs children) , what in the world would we do financially, how can I tell my family and friends? Everything you can think of I was thinking it. I called and told family what was going on, went home, had a good cry, and slept for 4 1/2 hours.

The next day I called a friend in Texas whose baby had the same thing and I called a friend of ours in Detroit who is a labor and delivery doc. Both of those phone calls made me feel a little better and after doing some research on google I was starting to feel better.

Our appointment wasn't until Jan 10 but they told me I could call everyday and see if they had any cancellations. So I called Monday and they had an opening for Wednesday! Although I felt better about everything I was still terrified that there was even a chance for downs. So Wednesday came and it was possibly the longest ride to Overland Park EVER! No matter how many people say they know everything is going to be ok, try and relax it will be fine, there is just no way you can, not until you know something from the doctors. When something this serious could be wrong with your baby there is no relaxing. So needless to say I was freaking out at the office! We got called back into the room, there was the doctor and the nurse who explained everything about the echogenic focus that there is to know and than they got started on the ultrasound. They went from head to toe, through every body part, taking measurements, looking for anything that may indicate downs. He kept saying everything was looking normal so I was getting more relaxed as it went on. He even said that focus wasn't as bright as he thought it would be (which is a good thing because most fade by the 3rd trimester). So after the ultrasound he said that because of the echogenic focus our risk for downs went from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 5,000 which according to him is still very low. He said he did not recommend an amnio and he was happy with our results.

I, of course, wanted to know 100% that we were safe, but the amnio is the only way to find that out but your chances of a miscarriage are 1 in 400 and he didn't find it necessary so I said fine I'll be happy with your findings :) And we were on our way!

Of course I feel 95% better about everything, but there is still that feeling of what if....and I'll have that feeling until I see my baby.

We had so many prayers and thoughts coming our way, it's amazing that a little Facebook post can lead to so many people (including friends of friends that I don't even know) praying for us. My family has been SUPER supportive and my friends are AMAZING. I couldn't be more thankful and I can't say enough how much it means to us, you'll never know how much it truly meant.

So thank God for a healthy growing baby boy, thank God for my peace of mind, and thank God for my family and friends.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T17:26:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas! This year was Brett's big family Christmas so all of his cousins were in town from Texas, their kids, his aunt, and his dad. We spent xmas eve with Brett's mom, went to a great church service, ate dinner, and opened gifts. Christmas morning we headed to my parents bright and early! This is most likely the last Christmas in the house we grew up in, as my parents just closed on their lot, so finally their new house will start to go up! Which made this xmas a little bitter sweet :) We grew up in that house so there are a ton of memories there, especially involving Christmas!

We opened gifts...

Colby :)

...and ate our traditional breakfast...sooooooo yummy!

Please excuse my extreme need for a tan...

After my parents we headed to Brett's grandparents house and spent the rest of the day there! We ate lots of food, got great stuff, and spent lots of time with family.

We made out pretty well this year!

A much needed set of new pots/pans from my parents

CUTE Jordan outfit from my sister.

Hopefully the Boys will be a little better by the time our baby is wearing this ;)

Feast your eyes on what will be this child's ONLY Texas Longhorn gear. And to even the score I'll be adding 3 Nebraska outfits as well :) Brett was pretty pumped about these!

This baby is going to have a ton of ADIDAS stuff thanks to Steph and a ton of Jordan/Nike stuff from my sisters and Brett!

An awesome digital photo frame from Brett's dad, I'm pretty excited about this one!

So again, we had a great Christmas with amazing family. We are very blessed!

On a side note: I know most of you know something is going on with our baby but may not know exactly what. We have an appointment Wednesday and when I know the results from that I will let you know all about what is happening. It is a very stressful/scary situation waiting for answers and not knowing what is going on. Everything could be fine or it could be a life changing appointment...scary. Please pray for our baby, for Brett and I, and that everything goes well on Wednesday. As soon as I know I will blog all about what we've been through.

1/2 way there!

2010-12-19T15:59:00.000-08:00

I can't even believe that we are half way through this pregnancy. CRAZY!! Everyone says that last half really drags on, and since I'm won't be in school and work will be pretty slow, it just might. We had Halloween, Thanksgiving, school, the start of basketball season, my birthday, Brett's birthday, and a ton of photography clients that made the first half fly by! I guess that means I'll have to get some photography clients lined up :)
I'm still feeling great, no crazy cravings yet, the bump is for sure growing and growing, and I can feel him moving around in there at least once or twice a day, absolutely amazing. I'm so ready to feel that first big kick! Still no progress on the name. I think I've narrowed my list to my top 3 however Brett has not (shocker I know). We've told everyone what we like but once we can agree on our top 2 or 3 we will keep them to ourselves and most likely decide once we see the baby.
I have a check-up this Wednesday so I'll be sure to do an update after that.

This weekend has been busy with Christmas parties, we had one for Brett's job which is my dad's work, and three of my uncles, so it was fun to have family there. And Saturday we had the LAC party and since Brett kind of trains there we were invited!

Hope everyone has very Merry Christmas!