Wednesday, November 26, 2008

I Knew The Day Would Come

It only took 1 year, 5 months, and 2 weeks until he got the best of these bad boys. And now it's official...
I'm a nerd with tape on my glasses. Sniff sniff

Monday, November 24, 2008

2 FOR 1

Today was the big day! After several doctor visits, a lot of pain, and sleepless nights...Camden finally got tubes put in his ears. I can't even begin tell you how big of a pain this has been. I am so glad we switched doctors when we did(we should have a lot sooner) to one that heard our concerns and got him seen right away.

We arrived bright and early at the hospital just for these cute matching bracelets. I hear they only give them to the first ten people in line. Aren't we cool?
Shortly after arriving, my two flirtatious boys made best friends with a little girl and her mom. When her anesthesiologist came back to explain how the "giggle mask" worked, she also brought one for Camden. He kept putting it up to his mouth, like the doctor did when she showed the girl, it was pretty funny!

He kept himself busy with all the toys until about 7:30(30minutes after his "start time"), and that's when all hell broke loose. He was crying and demanding I get him food out of my bag. I felt so bad for the poor guy, and everyone else in the waiting room.


Once they finally took him back(yes I cried) we were only apart for about 1.5 hours. Both doctors came out and told us how well he did. The ENT said he should feel so much better now that all the infected fluid and pressure was gone.

I will leave the details of the second surgery out for now. If Camden feels inclined to share them with you, go for it! But we were glad to get them both done at the same time!

Once he arrived in recovery, Camden was not a happy camper at those nurses who poked and prodded him. When we got to go back and see him, he was furious! We gave him a sippy cup of juice and he calmed down pretty quickly, until he remembered the IV in his hand hurt. Once he saw that, his heart rate jumped up to about 185 and he was hysterical again. That's when he reached for his Daddy and let the nurses know they better take that darn thing out. He was so upset while they took the IV out, he barfed all over Dan, then made his way back to me. That's my boy!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Tag

This is an interesting tag. You are supposed to go to your photos on your computer and find the 4th file then pick the 4th photo. Yes Rebecca, I know you tagged me a month ago. I didn't forget, I'm just REALLY slow!

This picture was taken about 2 weeks after we were married. Notice my great actor of a husband with a pitiful frown on his face? That my friends is why I was so hesitant to take him to the hospital in the first place.

The story goes like this:

We bought a house in arizona, quit our jobs in Utah, got married, and went on an awesome cruise for our honeymoon. After coming home from that honeymoon late Saturday night we invited ourselves over for Sunday dinner at my parents. We had some sort of chicken dish and I remember Dan acting like a baby having a hard time cuttting his chicken. I was so nervous to ask him if he needed help because I didn't want my family to see me "waiting on my husband hand and foot". I ended up cutting his chicken and trying to make a joke of it, but was extremely embarrassed. That night Dan was walking slow, and acting low on energy...but being the compassionate wife I am, I tried to blow off his whimpiness. The next day we were invited to a BBQ with my friends to say goodbye before moving to Arizona. But that day Dan woke up and needed help getting out of bed, opening the milk, closing the toothpaste, and even walking. You name it, he couldn't do it. So I went to the store and got him gatorade and bananas. I told him he was low on potassium and electrolytes, and he needed to buck up and get ready for the BBQ. But when he practically fell over walking down the hallway to the bathroom, I told him I would go to the party alone and he should just rest. And that we did.

Once I got to the party my friends found it a little odd that my husband of two weeks didn't come with me. I told them he wasn't feeling well, but they insisted on more details(probably hoping for a juicy first fight story). So I told them what was going on and they insisted I take him in.

Little side note: We just quite our jobs and therefore had no health insurance. We were scheduled to move in a week and didn't have time to wait for a doctors appointment.

Needless to say, I gave into their peer pressure and took him to the ER that night. Boy was I grateful for those friends and the timing of making it to the hospital. It just so happened that a very good nuerologist was getting ready to leave the hospital as we arrived(11pm is not a normal time for a specialist to be hanging around). He came in, assessed Dan, and immediately identified the problem. He was diagnosed with Guillian Barre Syndrome . I felt so stupid for telling my husband he was fine and to snap out of it. They eneded up admitting him to the hospital and told us how lucky we were to catch this so early.

Sitting with him in the hospital for the next eight days as he became paralyzed, were exhausting. But the two of us learned a lot about each other, and we will never forget our very expensive second honeymoon.

Friday, November 21, 2008

A Long Overdue Visit

This past weekend Dan's brother Aaron and his adorable wife Denise were visiting. Even though it was just for a few days we had so much fun.

One night we were discussing "old times" and the guys were making fun of us girls for remembering things that happened while we were young. They couldn't believe we knew who our preschool teacher was, and what our kindergarten class pet was. And we too thought they were weird for not remembering those important details. Until finally...their memory slowly started returning...and we got some good stories out of them. We were all laughing and I think they secretly enjoyed it more than the girls did. Why is it guys have to act like they don't care about those sort of things? I don't get it.
Aaron and Denise hooked Camden up with a sweet Utah Jazz jersey. So of course we had to take pictures wearing matching outfits. Can you tell they are related? Look at both of them with their mouths wide open and tongue ready to fall out. I love it!
I get so nervous not living by family that Camden won't know who they are. I understand he is still young, but sometimes it breaks my heart(okay, all the time). So when they showed up and he wanted nothing to do with them, I felt like a failure. And that feeling was quickly taken away when he made quite a scene the night they left for Utah. He cried, and would have went with them had we let him. I'm not one who enjoys seeing my kid act like a baby and make a scene. But this time it was different. I would watch that over and over because it made me feel so good. Isn't it funny how even at a young age you can feel so comfortable around family.
Thanks for visiting A & D, we miss you already!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Happy Birthday!!!

Someone turned one year older today...
and he's feelin' it.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

And The Truth Shall Set You Free!

Yes, I am putting on weight. No, I did not get a boob job. Yes, my uterus is the size of a cantaloupe. No, I cannot complete a sentence without crying. Yes, I feel as bad as I look. No, we did not plan this. Yes, we are having a baby!!!

This all started in August when I was feeling like death. I KNEW I either had cancer or was pregnant. At the time I was hoping for the first one, but luckily got the second. I went to the dollar store, bought a pregnancy test(cause I was not about to spend 15 bucks on a "good" one). Used the bathroom and got my answer. I was positive Dan wouldn't believe me, so I went back to the counter and bought another one. The cashier thought I was absolutely nuts, and I pretty much was, but I didn't care.

Rewind one week back...

Dan just accepted a new job and I just told my boss I was coming back to work full time. These were two huge, emotional decisions for both of us. Needless to say, we were at each others throats. We were on a roller coaster ride that was just beginning!

Okay, back to the story...

After coming home from the dollar store and stewing for a few hours; I decided to fill Dan in on my little secret. He was standing in the kitchen so I strategically placed myself at the opposite end with easy access to the back door:) I then asked him if he wanted to know something that would "really throw him for a loop"? Then I said, "Um...we are pregnant!" With which he responded after several minutes of agony, "How? When?"

I felt like an irresponsible teenager that just broke the news to her boyfriend. For the next few hours we didn't say much to one another as we were both in a serious state of shock.

The days and weeks went on and I finally decided it would be wise to call the doctor. I was dreading the conversation with the receptionist because I knew she would ask me how far along I was, and I would again feel like that same teenager. But I did it anyway, and she did ask. I laughed(careful to hide the tears), told her I had no idea and made the appointment.

At our first appointment we were both shocked to find out we were 12 weeks along. At our second appointment I was shocked to hear a heartbeat because I still didn't believe what was going on. Now today I am shocked that I am admitting this is real. I felt the baby move last week and it was all downhill from there. It is true. This is really happening. We will be a family of four in April.

Although the timing of this little one is not how or when we expected, it is still a miracle. I feel blessed with a body that can conceive and carry a child. I feel blessed that Camden will get to be a big brother. But that doesn't take away from my fears. I am scared out of my mind to have two rug rats. I am scared to be working full time again while being pregnant. I am worried about where this one will sleep. What about daycare? How will I manage a toddler and a newborn after having a c-section? Don't even get me started on coming up with a name! The list is endless.

But, one thing I do know...I feel so much better now that this is out in the open. I can let my belly hang out. I can enjoy my midnight snacking. And I can gain weight and not have to worry!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Headed Up North

This time of year always makes me homesick! Homesick for the change of season; the leaves falling, colors changing, and brisk morning air. You just don't see much of that in Arizona, at least where I live. But this past weekend that void was filled! I got to head up north with my Young Women for youth conference and we had a blast.

Back in my day I never enjoyed going to girls camp or youth conference, in fact I HATED it! So you can imagine the fear that struck when they called me to be YW President. I knew I was in some serious trouble and wouldn't be able to make up any more excuses! So as the days got closer for us to head up, the more I began to panic. But once we got up there, I quickly learned it wasn't too bad. I actually enjoyed myself and the rest of the company.
I have the sweetest girls and the most amazing leaders to work with. I learned so much during this past weekend and I will cherish it forever!
One of my favorite parts was the hike. There is just something about being outside(when it's not 110 degrees, chasing a toddler) to soak everything in.
Now lets just pray I don't panic nearly as much when the next overnighter rolls around!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Turtle Time

Much to Dan's dismay, Camden was a turtle for Halloween this year. Seeing how Camden can't put up a fight about what he wants to be, I get to have fun picking out his costume. And I think he looks pretty darn cute as a turtle.
Don't laugh at his candy bag! I didn't even think about him needing something to put his goodies in, so we used what we had lying around. Plus he needed a little something blue in there to make him feel more manly!
This picture seems all too familiar...he pooped out on us like this last year!
Remember being in elementary school and having a turtle for the class pet? Do you also remember turning the turtle upside-down on its shell and watching it squirm? No we didn't do that to him, this picture just looks incriminating!