Living Our Life...One Day at a Time

Our First Week Home

2012-02-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

Taylor Paige is FINALLY Here!!

2012-02-14T00:19:00.000-08:00

I know I'm about a week overdue with this blog post, but as you can imagine I've been a little busy this past week. Our newest little angel has finally joined us! Taylor Paige Overstreet arrived on Sunday the 5th of February at 3:19 a.m. She weighed 6 pounds 13.5 ounces and was 20 inches long. She joins all the other girls in the family and decided to come on her own special day. My Mom was born on April Fool's Day, I was born on the Fourth of July, Lauren was born on Mother's Day, and Tay was born on Super Bowl Sunday. And yes, that IS a holiday!

I was consistently measuring about one and a half weeks early so my due date was "changed" to January 31st instead of February 7th. I worked everyday up until the 30th and was just done. I couldn't even function anymore. I was not thinking clearly, I was exhausted, I was in pain...all pretty typical symptoms but not very fun ones. I went to my appointment on the 30th and the doctor told me it was going to be ANYTIME. I was dilated to 3cm and was 60-70% effaced. Travis was still working out of town and that was stressing me out even more and the doctor knew it. So while I was at my appointment, she called Labor and Delivery at Kadlec to see when the earliest day was that they could get me in for an induction. Saturday. I had never heard such sweeter words. If I didn't go into labor on my own (which I was already in non-active labor) I would get to go in on Saturday...but only if they weren't too busy. The woman I spoke to in L&D told me they would start making phone calls at 6:00 a.m.

Saturday rolled around and still no baby. I was so frustrated and grumpy on Saturday too. I didn't get my phone call all day and I was really stressing that it just wasn't going to happen. I kept bugging Travis to get his bag packed and he just took a nap on the couch instead. I finally got Lauren to take a little snooze around 4:00 in the afternoon...and then my phone rang. It was the nurse asking me if I was ready to have a baby. She said they were able to get me in because another woman declined her induction due to the Super Bowl being the next day. HECK YES I was ready! The nurse told me I needed to be there by 5:00. I woke Travis up and he quickly packed his bag and loaded the car up. I called my Mom and told her we were on our way to drop Lauren off with her and we were on our way.

Once I was in the hospital bed and hooked up to the monitors and registered, I got my iv with fluids and pitocin. Then the anesthetist came in and gave me my epidural. That guy was a hoot and made me feel so comfortable (considering I was shaking like crazy and so scared we were going to have a repeat of when I was in labor with Lauren). After that, Dr. Sizemore came in and checked me and then broke my water. They turned up the dose on the pitocin and we were in business! I dilated to 4cm in about an hour and a half. Things were moving along really well so we thought we'd better try and get some sleep. Trisha couldn't sleep so she hung out and watched tv while Travis and I tried to rest. About a half hour later I was REALLY feeling some pressure and I could feel my contractions so the nurse came in and checked me again and I was already at 6 cm. I was shaking so bad and was having some really wierd pains and even more pressure...it was crazy. The nurse was still in the room charting my progress in the computer when I told her I felt something strange "down there". It had only been about 20 minutes since she last checked me, but good thing she did. I was 10 cm dilated and 100% effaced and READY TO PUSH!! It was absolutely crazy insane how fast that all happened.

Dr. Sizemore came in and they got me all ready to go. It was 3 contractions and she was out. It was amazing and beautiful and wonderful all at the same time. My little girl was here and in my arms. I'm so in love with her and can't wait to share her with the world!

Miserable Mama

2012-01-20T16:44:00.000-08:00

This is a post about how miserable I am feeling during these last few weeks of pregnancy. I know it seems so wrong to be posting about something that's no fun, but I guess it's my way of venting a little...so bear with me. I CANNOT wait for this to be over with so that I can feel like a human being again. I have been vomiting daily since day 1 (even took a trip to the ER one morning because I was throwing up blood) which has caused little tiny tears all up and down my esophagus. This usually begins when I brush my teeth in the morning...and most of the time it ends rather quickly as well. BUT, there are those few times when it doesn't stop and I am forced to call in sick to work and be miserable all day. I have been working full time too (up until this past week) and for those of you who have ever seen me at work, I don't do a lot of sitting. I have been forcing myself to sit every couple of hours, but that is not easy to do sometimes. This coming week I will cut back to 30 hours, and my last day will be February 3rd or when I deliver, whichever comes first. According to all the ultrasounds I've had, this little girl is measuring about a week and a half big (which we thought my due date was a week earlier anyways from the very beginning) so the doctor estimates my due date to be January 31st instead of February 7th. I will keep you posted as the weeks continue and hopefully this baby cooperates and shows up on her own so that I don't have to go through induction again.

A Shout Out...

2011-10-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give a little "shout out" to our cousin's Kyle and Courtney Halverson in Topeka,KS who welcomed their second little girl into the world today! Camille Lee Halverson was born at 8:29 a.m. and weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and is 18.5 inches long. We have to wait until Christmas to see the precious angel (boo hoo) for ourselves, but from what we hear she is amazing and her pictures prove that she is indeed precious. Congrats Kyle, Courtney, and big sister Mia!

Think PINK!!

2011-10-03T12:22:00.001-07:00

So we found out that we will be blessed with another little girl! I couldn't be happier, Lauren couldn't be happier, and Travis couldn't be happier...though I think he really was hoping for a boy this time. We have decided her name will be Taylor Paige Overstreet and we have been working hard to prepare Lauren to be a big sister.

This pregnancy has been really hard for me. I found out I was pregnant in June, and then 2 weeks later I ended up in the ER because I wasn't feeling good and I ended up having the FLU! Then I had some mild bleeding and cramping and was really worried I was having a mis-carriage but it ended up getting better. The first ultrasound was a COMPLETE relief and hearing baby's heartbeat made everything better.

About a month ago I started having issues with sciatica. It doesn't help at all that I'm on my feet ALL day at work...like literally I sit for maybe an hour each day. And sometimes I'm in one spot all day and that REALLY doesn't help. I didn't have any issues like this with Lauren so this has been really hard to deal with and very depressing. The spider veins in my legs are getting worse, my feet and ankles are already swollen (didn't have that issue until AFTER I delivered Lauren and was at home for a few days), and I'm so exhausted and struggling with taking care of Lauren and myself.

That's about it in a nutshell around here. I will keep you posted on the happenings as this pregnancy and our lives progress.

2011-09-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

I'm too excited/nervous/anxious to go to sleep tonight. Tomorrow is our 20 week appointment with Dr. Mulholland, and if Baby O2 cooperates, we get to find out what we are having. Lauren is 100% sure that it is a girl because she wants a little sister soooooo bad. I asked her tonight what she wanted to name the baby if it is a girl and she said "ummmm, can we call her Genius?!?" Sounds like a great name to me!!

But WHYYYYYYYY Mom?

2011-09-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

Lately Lauren has been asking me a lot of questions about VERY random things. Like the other day we were watching Madagascar 2 (for like the 1 millionth time...I swear) and she asked me if lion's could swim. I tell her yes (because I think they can but I'm not super sure) and she says "but why Mom?". Ummmmm, because they like to? (Even though I highly doubt that they like to because I've never seen a cat that likes to... so why would a lion?).

Our Wonderful Beach Vaycay!

2011-08-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we were able to join some great friends of ours, and their families, on a beach vacation in Pacific City, Oregon. It was MUCH needed and full of fun, laughs, and MANY, MANY good memories.

We met up at the Harper's house and hit the road bright and early on our first day. We made a pit stop at Multnomah Falls, which was amazing, and snapped a few pics of our crew.

This pic was supposed to be the guys...but you can see that Lauren wanted to be one of the guys.

We made our way through the ugly traffic in Portland, found the LIQUOR STORE! (thank God...and Lauren kept calling it the liquorice store), and down the windy roads outside the city that dropped us into Tillamook. The familair smell of dairy cows and their stench hit me like a ton of bricks and I was ready to vomit. YUCK!! Another 20 miles or so out of Tillamook and we were there...BEAUTIFUL Pacific City.

We got the keys to our place and checked it out, then made a stop at the house where all of our friends were staying, then went back to our place to un-pack. Since we decided at the last minute to go on the trip we had to get our own place. It turned out to be perfect for us...a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms with Queen size beds. The house everyone else stayed in was a mansion compared to ours. It was on the beach, had 5 bedrooms, 2 floors, a HUGE living room downstairs with a ping pong table and a mural of the beach on the wall as if you were looking out the window upstairs. It was gorgeous!

When we got back to the "mansion" to hang out, the kids were more than ready to hit the water. They quickly found out it was COLD and decided to play in the tide pools which were much warmer. Here are a few pics of Lauren and Karson Rawlings (Clayton and Nickie's 4 year old) playing on the beach.

I forgot my camera the next day when we went to the Aquarium in Newport Bay, and it was also one of the coolest days too so I was super bummed. We went to the aqaurium with the Rawlings', Harper's, and Stevie and Anna. When we got there, I thought Clayton was acting really strange, but he was also amped to get to the "scuba" show and was adament about us not being late to it. Whatever..the guys wants to see the scuba show. So we walk around for a little bit and check things out. We saw a sea otter that was playing with himself...literally (and then we saw a sign that read that the sea otters were overly aggressive right now due to high hormone levels...go figure!), we let the kids play in the area where they could touch sea urchins and clams and stuff, we see the jellyfish and the HUGE crabs, the alligators and alligator turtles, we stand up in a fish tank, and check out the mighty python. Karson's telling us he wants to go see the sharks...actually he tells us over and over again...so we go to the shark area. It's a big shark tank that you can walk through and you can see above you and below you and if you stare up for too long you get dizzy and almost fall over (at least that's what happened to me). We snap a few pics of the kids all lined up and I see Clayton bugging one of the workers about something and he looks stressed. It's all just a little wierd for me and I start thinking something's up...just not sure what. FINALLY, we go sit in this room (a half hour before the show starts) and we magically get front row seats to the scuba show. The kids are all sitting on the floor in front of a HUGE window and eventually the whole crew is in the room and the show starts. Harper's asking all sorts of stupid questions, the announcer lady is talking on a microphone with the main diver, and they are talking about the STUPIDEST stuff. The kids are so bored they are getting up off the floor RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DIVER and trying to leave the room. Clayton busts out his camera and Ashley busts out the camcorder and I look at Travis and say "something wierd is happening." He laughs at me and rolls his eyes. The divers dissapear to the bottom of the tank and the announcer lady reassures us that this is normal. Next thing you know, the divers come back up holding a sign that reads "Anna, will you marry me?". OMG!! Sweetest thing ever! But I think even Anna was so bored from the stupid show and wasn't really paying attention and Stevie has to tell her to read the sign. Priceless. Kai (Stevie's niece) says "why is that guy asking Anna to marry him?" while I'm cracking up and crying at the same time. It was amazingly amazing. Good job Stevie!!

Still here...

2011-07-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's been far too long since my last post...please forgive me. As I sit here typing at this very moment, I am listening to the wind blow outside my window and I'm wondering why we are having such nasty weather in the middle of July. You see, lately I've been feeling like everything bad keeps happening to ME. The weather's been so crummy this spring and summer and Lauren was sick A LOT. Which meant I stayed home A LOT. Which meant work was upset with me A LOT. Which meant I was left feeling guilty A LOT. How do you balance work and being a Mommy when you have a sick child that needs you? I know work needs me too, but Lauren is more important to me. Don't get me wrong, I NEED my job and I NEED to work (for my own sanity). When did it become ok for other people to make you feel guilty for taking care of your family? Or should I say, when did it become ok for me to feel guilty for making my family a priority over work? These are things I've been pondering a lot lately and I'm just now starting to put MY needs in front of every one else's. Keeping up with this blog is important to me, so I will catch you up on everything that has happened since my last post and I will try NOT to leave anything out!

Sh#t My Kid Does

2011-03-20T00:42:00.001-07:00

All I can say about this post is WOW! Get a box of kleenex and prepare to laugh your a$$ off!

Travis picked up Lauren the other day from her new daycare. Gwen says "Lauren said a new word today! She dropped the F-bomb. I thought I just didn't hear her right, but then she just kept repeating it over and over and over again. I asked her where she learned that word."
Travis tries to blame me, of course, but Lauren said it was her DADDY!!

While working on flashcards at Gwen's house, she gets a 1/2 of a Mike&Ike when she gets a few right. In typical Lauren fashion, when she gets bored she starts acting like a goof. Gwen says "you know Lauren, the more you learn the more candy you get."
Lauren thinks for a second and says "ohhhh yeah, but don't tell my Mom."

While riding her bike at Grandma Debbie's house the other night, she drove it right into the rocks. I said "Lauren, you big goof, why'd you do that?"
She looks at me kind of funny and says "Mom, I can't ride my bike and talk at the same time."

As we're getting ready for a tubby last night, she takes her pants off and says "look at my butt." I say "what a cute butt you have Lauren".
She says "and Daddy has a butt and Jock has a butt and you have a BIG butt."

As I'm taking a shower this morning (and Travis is at the hospital with his Papa) I hear this sort of scratching noise on the wall. Not thinking too much about it, I simply ask Lauren what she's doing.
She says "I'm drawing you a picture with my crayon! Come see!"
As I'm hurrying to get the soap out of my hair, I'm yelling at her to stop coloring on the wall and to get into the bathroom (where I can see her).
She yells back "but I can't. I pooped in my pants!"
I ask her why she did that when the toilet is 2 feet away.
She tells me "cuz I was busy coloring."

Stay tuned..there are plenty more stories to come!

All You Need Is Love...or COFFEE!

2011-03-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

This past week was one for the record books. After having a really sick kid last week and barely getting ANY sleep, I found it even harder this week to catch up on it all. First, we had a "falling out", if you will, with the director at Lauren's previous daycare. It's a long story and a bit messy, but we decided NOT to send her back there after her sick week last week. So, that meant we had to find someone to watch her all week.

My awesome brother and sister in law asked their daycare provider if she had room this week for Lauren and it turns out she did! Lauren got to spend all week with her cousins Boone and Brody at Angie's house and she had a blast! On Monday, they started out with their daily trip to the bus stop (down the street from Angie's house) to get Boone and Ian on the school bus. Lauren was fascinated by this, and even kept telling everyone that Boone rides the short bus...and that she does too! Ha! I think they even made a trip to the doctor's office for Angie's little boy who was sick. Apparently she did great and had a ton of fun because she wouldn't stop talking about it all night.

Tuesday morning when she woke up she was all about getting to Angie's so she could walk Boone to the school bus again. This kid has never been so excited to get to daycare in the morning! It was a piece of cake getting out the door! I can't remember if it was Tuesday or Wednesday that they took a field trip to the high school to listen to Angie's daughter speak...but she had fun doing that too. They also went to the library one day and got stories read to them and got to check everything out.

Friday was THE day though. I knew Lauren was going to be sad to leave because she'd had so much fun all week. Angie's neighbor has a "monster" truck of some sort, or maybe it's called a mud bogger, but Lauren got to sit in it and "drive" it. OMG! She was soooooo stoked!

Welcome to the SICK House...

2011-03-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been absolutely horrible and I would rather forget about them, but the purpose of this blog (besides to update family and friends on our life) is to have something to look back on and remember the good and bad times. This is deffinately one of those bad times.

Lauren has been fighting a sickness for about 3 weeks now. Poor thing had RSV last year and ever since then, every time she catches a cold it goes straight into her chest and she has been diagnosed as having asthma. Poor girl! On top of that, she is UNlucky enough to have 2 parents who have severe allergies and is now fighting a sinus infection. Dr. Walker said 2 more weeks of antibiotics and breathing treatments at least twice a day. Everything was going well, and then BAM!

I got a phone call while I was at work on Tuesday morning. It was Lauren's daycare. She was running a fever and needed to be picked up immediately. I called Travis and he left work to go pick her up. He even took our thermometer so he could check her temp himself. When he got there, she was down for her nap and had a 102.6 fever! When I got home that night she was just miserable and kept saying her tummy hurt. Then she seemed to be feeling better, still running a fever and all, but actually playing and acting fairly normal. She FINALLY fell asleep around 10:oo and was cuddled up in bed with me...so I could monitor her fever throughout the night. I remember looking at the clock and it was midnight. Lauren was sitting up next to me just sort of looking at me. I asked her what was wrong, and I don't think she was even really awake. Then she threw up. ALL over me, all over her, and all over the bed. Then the tears came. Got her in the tub while Travis cleared the bedding off the bed and made us a new temporary bed with blankets. After both of us were cleaned up, we were back in bed and asleep in no time. I decided to sleep at the foot of the bed. Just in case.

In the morning, she was still running a fever of 103 and didn't want me to even touch her. After an agonizing 10 minutes on the potty, she just wanted to lay down and go back to sleep. Thank GOD for my Mom being able to stay home yesterday to watch our angel for us. She had to deal with a VERY pukey (literally), VERY sick little girl. In fact, she wasn't aware that so much could come out of a little girl like that. However, she seemed to have turned a corner and is now feeling a LOT better. She hasn't thrown up for over 12 hours, she's been able to keep down bananas and toast and Pedialyte, and she's been pretty ornery today (one sign I KNOW for SURE means she is feeling better).

My BFF...

2011-02-16T22:15:00.001-08:00

I got to spend the day with my baby girl today...and although it wasn't for a "fun" day of anything exciting, we had a LOT of fun! We colored, played games, watched cartoons, watched movies, played on the computer, and read lots of books. But tonight was the FUNNEST!

Travis came home from the gym and we had dinner. After dinner, Lauren did a breathing treatment and I took a bubble bath and RELAXED. Then it was time for Lauren to get ready for bed. We brushed teeth, washed our hands and faces, and took our medicine. Meanwhile, Travis hopped in the shower. I thought it would be funny to fill a cup up with cold water and lift Lauren up over top of the shower and have her dump it on him. FUNNY as I'll get out! Travis screamed like a little girl and Lauren and I laughed our butts off!

Then she said "high five Momma"! I LOVE my little girl...she's my BFF!

Will it EVER stop?

2011-02-15T22:07:00.000-08:00

We cannot wait for Lauren to start at her new daycare! We are so tired of her being sick all the time, and we are hoping that by going to a home daycare with less children she will not be exposed to all those germs. Yesterday we got a call from daycare and they asked us to come and pick her up. She was running a 102 temp. and was miserable. So I went and picked her up, brought her home, and we chilled. As soon as Travis walked in the door from work, she was on the go and wanting to play. It didn't last long though. She ran a temp all night long, but I'm happy to say she is feeling much better this morning.

Today I Learned...

2011-02-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those days that starts off REALLY bad, but ends up pretty great? Today was one of those days for me. It started with the normal morning routine...get out of bed, brush teeth, drink a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper, shower, etc. It has become somewhat of an "issue" lately when it's time to brush Lauren's hair, and I DREAD this part of the morning routine. This morning I told myself I was NOT going to give in and send her to daycare with ugly hair ANYMORE! Today I learned...

...that a 2 year old can throw herself in multiple directions at one time (head left, feet right, arms towards my face) AND yell "I don't love you" and "STOP IT MOMMY" louder than anyone I've ever heard yell before.

...that a spanking on a bare bottom of a child with very pale skin will leave a PERFECT hand imprint (welt). :(

...that 10 minutes after a temper tantrum, ALL is forgotton and I am the best Mommy ever!

...that kindness and hugs and saying "please" and "thank you" go a long way...and help you get whatever you want.

...that the thing I most look forward to each day is hearing my daughter scream "Mommy, you're home!" when I walk in the door at night after a LONG day at work.

I may not have all the right things to do or say, but my daughter still loves me so I must be doing something right.

New Year, New Me

2011-02-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

I have decided to forget about catching you up on the last 3 months (since my last post) of our VERY busy lives and just start fresh. New Year, new me, new post!

I decided to go on a diet. Not just any diet, but the hcg diet. This has meant 800 calories a day for me...and 800 calories is not very much. I have been on the diet for about 2 weeks now and I have lost almost 20 pounds! So yesterday for Superbowl I decided it would be best to stay home and stay away from all the food that is Superbowl. Good idea! Travis and Lauren went to cousin Luke's house and had all sorts of food. I cleaned the house. :)

Lauren is getting to be such a BIG girl. She is exactly 3 feet tall and weighs 30 pounds. She is VERY independant, VERY stubborn, but VERY loveable. She is our pride and joy and we make sure she knows that every day. She has many friends at daycare, and according to her teachers, she is very well liked by all the kids. They do artwork, read books, play in the gym, play outside, and sing lots of songs. I swear she sings a new song to me each week...and it's usually stuff I've never heard. She started gymnastics (she calls it "nastics") a few weeks ago and she is doing great! She loves to jump around, climb on things, do somersaults, and hang on the bars. I TRULY think that we have a natural gymnast on our hands.

Visiting Papa Mike

2010-10-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

After my Dad got home from the hospital, I took Lauren for a quick visit since she was pretty worried about her Papa. Hung out with Dad for a little bit, played with the new puppy, and then went to the park to feed the ducks. The ducks were great, the geese were terribly mean to us and would chase Lauren down if she had a piece of bread in her hand. It was crazy! Had a blast at eh park and even played on the toys for a bit, but we left after about an hour. Should have left 5 minutes sooner because as we were leaving the park, some people were setting up a bounce house for a birthday party... and Lauren started crying when I told her she couldn't play in it. Broke my heart. :(

My Daddy

2010-10-16T22:16:00.000-07:00

This summer was a little rough for us. My Dad found out he had prostate cancer and after some serious thought and consideration, he opted for surgery. So at the end of August he underwent a "radical prostectomy" and had his prostate removed. It was a looooong day waiting at the hospital. His surgery wasn't able to be started on time, I was exhausted, and he was kinda miserable at the end so I was worried for him. The next day went pretty well, except that he had a fever that they couldn't keep under control...and I had a hard time sleeping that night because I was so scared that something was terribly wrong. So I woke up the next morning, took Lauren to daycare, and drove to Yakima and spent the whole day with my Daddy. I must say I was a little disappointed in Yakima Regional. They didn't have him on a diabetic diet so his blood sugar was out of control, had to ASK the nurse to change his dressings ( I could see the wound leaking onto his gown), and some crazy lady walked into his room that night and used his restroom!

He is doing MUCH better, has been back to work for a few weeks now, and lost 38 pounds in the process of all this.

"Catch You Up" Post

2010-10-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but this new house and busy schedule have us running ragged. Whew! Seems like Summer just came and went this year, but it was a fun filled one for us. I will take this opportunity to simply post pic's of the last part of Summer and then catch you up from there.

Lauren playing on the slide at the Campground...

Swimming with Kylee and Aizlynn at Shelby's birthday party...

Long Overdue

2010-08-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

I must apologize to everyone for not posting for a while, but we've had a pretty busy last 4 months. We sold our property and bought a new house in Kennewick. We love it!! We are still slowly unpacking and hopefully will feel a bit more settled soon.

Lauren is growing up so fast. I promise I will post more when I have a little more time.

Lauren And The Things That Come Out of Her Mouth...

2010-03-09T22:42:00.000-08:00

Wanted to share a few funny things that Lauren has been saying or doing lately...

* The other day I was dropping her off at daycare and she went running inside towards her old room yelling "Bittney Bittney" (Brittany was her teacher in her last classroom and she loves to say hi to her in the morning), got sidetracked by the water fountain and starts screaming "wa wa, wa wa" (so I have to hold her up so she can get a drink), gets done a takes off running again towards the elevator yelling "button" (she pushes the button on the elevator), gets sidetracked by the buggies and climbs in them, finally gets on the elevator and pushes the button, jumps (literally jumps) out of the elevator and runs towards her classroom only to be sidetracked again by the stairs. I was so tired after that and my day at work hadn't even started yet!

* My co-workers Aaric and Jason both have their children at Lauren's daycare so they see her quite often when they are dropping off their kids in the morning. Aaric comes to work the other day and says "I laugh everyday at your kid...she has her coat on backwards (they had to do this because she kept un-zipping her coat and taking it off outside) and usually has a stick or a leaf hanging out of her mouth". Yep..that's my girl!

* She can say so many things...it's unbelievable! Her new thing right now is "yep!" instead of yes. She could be hurt and bleeding and you ask her if she's alright and she says "yep!" like nothing even happened.

Here is a list of what she says and what it really means:

ug = hug
Gock = Jock
ba-ba = bottle
beebee = binky
wa-wa = water
tup = cup
tiss = kiss
tum = come
aminal = animal
potty potty = she wants to sit on her potty
Tisha = Aunt Trisha
Mo-Mo = Gizmo ( my Mom's cat)

Everything is pretty understandable. She says mama and dada, garbage, truck, bird, dog, kitty kitty, blanket, night night, bye, hi, lay down, tickle tickle, food...there are too many to list. But she said the cutest thing to me tonight. I asked her if she had a good day at school and she said yep. I asked her if she had fun playing and she said yep. I asked her if she was nice to her friends and she said "alec" and "hayden" which are her two best buddies at school with whom she wrestles with on a daily basis. She is such a tom-boy yet such a girly girl at times.

Our Busy and Crazy Lives...

2010-03-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

I apologize that it's been so long since I've posted anything, but things have been absolutely NUTTY around here. Here's a recap of what the past 2 months have looked like for us:

* Travis and I decided to sell the property and find something more suitable for our family. Travis finished the drywall in the rooms that still needed it while I started the painting and cleaning. We had new carpet installed and have a 53 foot semi trailer in our driveway that has half of our house in it. Our house is currently under contract which means we will be moving into our rental house until we sell it and find something permanent to live in (all while chasing around a 22 month old)!

* I had to take classes for work to get my "National" pharmacy technician certification. Classes were every Wednesday for 4 hours (during work hours so at least I got paid) with tests every week. To say the least, I was a little stressed out.

* Lauren moved up into the 18-36 month old room at daycare. This has meant a change in her daily schedule and new teachers (who I'm having a hard time with) and a HUGE change in her attitude. The first week she got bit on her back (broke skin through her shirt), the second week she was sent home with an "ouch report" EVERYDAY! She either fell down and hurt herself (0ne day she split her bottom lip open with her teeth) or got bit. She is one tough cookie though!

It may not seem like much to some people, but with our house out of order and trying to keep it clean in case someone comes to see it, I've been EXHAUSTED! So thanks for being patient and understanding!

Valentine's Day with Great Granny and Aunt Kelli

2010-03-09T22:12:00.001-08:00

Lauren and I went to visit my Grandma and my Aunt Kelli over Valentine's Day weekend...actually President's Day weekend. We left Travis here to finish some of the remodel (don't worry, he took me to dinner the weekend before) which was a tremendous help to him. We left Friday afternoon and got to Kelli's around 6:00 or so and by the time we got there, Lauren was running a 102 fever and was miserable. She had been battling this illness (runny nose, cough, fever) for about 2 weeks at this point and was on antibiotics so I was a little concerned. She ended up with a 103 temp. at 3:00 am the next morning so Kelli and I took her to Urgent Care just to make sure she was ok. The Doctor put her on Albuterol syrup (an alternative to the nebulizer machine since we were traveling) and said to monitor her breathing and that it was bronchiolitis. Not much we could do since it was a virus...just had to wait it out.

Kelli, Lauren and myself went shopping the rest of the day and had a lot of fun. We went to a fish market for dinner (they had the BEST coconut shrimp) and Lauren had fun looking at all the different types of fish they sold. She was running around the place and even jumped in some random lady's arms that was laughing at her. She is such a stinker!

Another fever in the middle of the night, but a dose of tylenol and a bottle (yes she still has the "ba-ba") and she was good to go. We hung out with Grandma the next day and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant and waited for Uncle Barry to get home (he was playing with Mark Gilbert in Walla Walla) so we could play. On our way home from lunch I decided to stop by a store called The Pilgrim's Market ( I think that's what it's called) and check things out. It was like a Trader Joe's (the next best thing I guess) and they had so much stuff! I bought Lauren some gummy Vitamin C's and some organic suckers (which are awesome by the way...made by Yummy Earth) and off we went.

Aunt Kelli made us a fabulous spaghetti and meatball dinner for Valentine's Day! We had a cupcake and then promptly to the tub. What a mess my child can make!

We had an awesome weekend and couldn't have asked for more than spending time with our family who we don't get to see very often...mostly due to busy schedules and such....and lot's of laughter.

BUSTED!

2010-03-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

I thought Lauren was playing awfully quiet...little did I know! She thought she was pretty funny too!

The Evil Faces...

2009-12-17T22:04:00.001-08:00

Can you say creepy?

Spaghetti + Lauren = Silly

2009-12-17T21:55:00.000-08:00

Apparently spaghetti and Lauren get along great! This is the one meal that I KNOW she will eat all of...NO MATTER WHAT. I've been buying the frozen Kid Cuisine meals the last few times I've been grocery shopping, just for nights when Travis and I aren't really hungry and don't feel like cooking, because we can just pop one in the microwave for Lauren and we're set. She especially enjoys the fish sticks meal, the fried mozzarella meal, and of course the SPAGHETTI meal. Here are a few pic's of our silly girl.

And here's when she decided to drink the "juice" from her corn out of the dinner tray...what a NUT!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving this year thanks to Trisha and the Halverson girls and Nana. We had the BEST turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, noodles, ham, green bean casserole (you're my hero Lindsey) and 9 pies! This year we ate at Torrie Jo's house in Eltopia since she officially has the biggest kitchen out of everyone. The kids mostly played on the Wii and Lauren chased Nana around all afternoon.

This year I am thankful for:
* My health and the health of my husband and baby girl (even though we have had a rough year of colds and sniffles...gotta love daycare)
* My marriage...we all know it was a rough year on us and I FINALLY feel like we are on track and WILL make it
* My parents...for being the BEST parents and more importantly the BEST grandparents a little girl could ask for
* Travis' family for being so supportive of us and helping us out in so many ways
* Pam and Steve for allowing us to come and visit them in South Carolina when I desperately needed to get away from the stuff going on here

And most importantly, I am thankful that I am alive and able to wake up each day with my husband and our darling little Lauren. "We may not have it together, but together we have it ALL".

A Year and a Half Ago...

2009-11-11T12:25:00.001-08:00

A year and a half ago I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl in the entire world. I remember being so scared about not knowing what to do and how to be a mother...but it seemed to fall into place naturally. It has been a difficult year and a half, but I wouldn't trade it for anything because this little girl has changed my life and the lives of the people around her in so many ways.

A year and a half ago seems like a lifetime ago when I stop to think about all that we've been through since that wonderful day. We have survived fevers, ear infections, teething, crawling, walking, falling down, the flu, and many other illnesses...and we've stuck by each other.

Dear Lauren,

We could not have predicted what an adorable little girl you would turn out to be...though we hoped you'd turn out that way. You are the sweetest and smartest little girl I have ever known. I love waking up in the morning to your talking jibberish. I love the hugs and kisses I get from you just because you love me. I love that you are so curious about all the things around you. I love that you can grab a book and come and sit on my lap and we can read together. I love that you are so friendly and say hi and bye to any and everyone. I love that you repeat just about anything Daddy and I say (though we need to watch what we say a little more). I love that you are independent (even though it makes me a little nuts sometimes). I love that you can go anywhere and do anything and be so happy about it. I love that you make your Daddy and me laugh all the time. I love that you make your Daddy worry (paybacks babe). I love that when I get home from work at night you meet me at the door with a big hug and a kiss. I love listening to you laugh, scream and squeal when you are being tickled. I love watching you sleep at night.

But most of all, I love that you are MINE! I love you more than you will ever know, but I will continue to tell you EVERY day. You are my little girl and you always will be. I can't believe you are already 18 months old...the time has flown by. Please always know how special you are and how much you are loved.

Love,
Mommy :)

The Morning Ritual

2009-10-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

I know this may not excite some of you, but our morning routine here has been absolutely priceless the past few weeks. Daddy wakes up at 5:30 and leaves Lauren and I to sleep a little longer while he gets ready for work. Lauren wakes up at 6:30 and helps Daddy feed Jock while I try to drag my tired butt out of bed. Lauren gives Daddy BIG hugs and a kiss and waves goodbye...I get a kiss from Daddy too. Mommy changes Lauren's diaper and puts her in her high chair to eat breakfast (usually a banana and either a piece of french toast or a blueberry waffle) so Mommy can get Lauren's lunch ready to take to daycare. After breakfast, Lauren has a sippy cup of milk (soy, of course, since we are allergic to milk) and enjoys an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Imagination Movers (which she boogies down to) while Mommy gets ready for work. Then Mommy changes Lauren's diaper again, puts her clothes on her and distracts her with the task of putting on her shoes so Mommy can do her hair (which she HATES). We put on the shoes and wash the face off and Mommy says "let me see my beautiful girl!" and Lauren smiles and JUMPS into my arms.

We go into the dining room and pack our lunches up (Lauren has a fancy lunch box and a back pack now) and Lauren blows kisses to Jock in his kennel. We put our jackets on and head to the back door. My daughter cannot simply walk outside...she LEAPS from inside the house to outside and yells "Hi!"...and slams the door shut.

She loves the world and it shows in her personality which I am so lucky to get to to see every morning and though sometimes I feel stressed and rushed in the morning, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Silly Lauren

2009-08-22T01:15:00.000-07:00

Lauren has been cracking us up lately...

Last Saturday night, Kylee came and stayed the night with Lauren and they had a sleepover in the living room. I made them a bed on the floor and they fell asleep watching Sleeping Beauty. In the middle of the night, Travis and I were awakened by Miss Lauren standing next to our bed wanting to crawl in with us. She didn't even really make a peep...it was so funny!

That same night that Kylee stayed the night, the girls took a tubby together. I went in to wash Lauren's hair and Kylee was teaching Lauren what a duck says. She was doing this really funny Donald Duck impression (without saying anything, just making the noise he makes) and Lauren kept copying her. Now she does it all the time! Last night I was getting her tubby ready and as she was throwing her toys in, she picked up her rubber ducky, looked at it straight in the face, made the duck noise Kylee had taught her, and threw it in the tub! Hysterical!

I was getting ready for work this morning and Lauren was walking around saying "no no no no no no no no no" just randomly. When I dropped her off at daycare this morning, they were listening to a song that went "no no no no no, yes yes yes yes yes" over and over and over. Hmmmmm...wonder where she got it from?

More South Carolina...from Lauren

2009-08-22T00:51:00.000-07:00

Friday we spent the day hanging out around the house getting ready for the BBQ we were having that night. I got to go swimming with Poppy and played on the steps of the pool with Nanny.

All of Nanny and Poppy's friends came over later on and we pigged out! Poppy made the best ribs we'd EVER eaten...yummy stuff! We had ribs, corn on the cob, some tasty rice (which Mommy still wants the recipe for), beans, and lot's of other good stuff. The adults drank Funky Monkeys and all I got was some lousy Gatorade...darn! After dinner we all went swimming (in the dark) but there were lights on around the pool. We were having a lot of fun until the bats started dive-bombing the pool and Nanny and Poppy thought we should get out. Mommy got me in my jam-jams and Brian (Nanny and Poppy's friend) rocked me to sleep (it only took about 2 minutes).

On Saturday I was kind-of sad because I knew I was going to have to say good-bye to Nanny and Poppy. Mommy packed suitcases all morning and I hung out with Nanny. We played outside in the swing and hung out on the porch. Here are some pictures of me being silly!
All the chairs broke so I had to sit on top of the table...
Giving the alligator kisses...
Giving Nanny loves...

Dear Nanny and Poppy,

We had so much fun visiting South Carolina! Thank you so much for all the goodies you bought me and Mommy and for letting us stay with you. You took us to some very pretty places...and I really enjoyed the zoo. I can't wait to come visit you again!

Love you!
Lauren

South Carolina

2009-08-16T00:19:00.000-07:00

On July 8th, Lauren and I flew to S. Carolina to visit Nanny and Poppy (Travis' parents). We had so much fun and even thought we might just stay there because we loved it! Travis took us to Portland to catch our plane and we were able to have a wonderful dinner with Tyler and Katie at Olive Garden before we left. Our plane didn't leave until 10:30 p.m. so we had some time to kill. Lauren was an excellent passenger (considering she was in a confined space and was sitting on my lap)! She fell asleep at take-off (literally closed her eyes and went to sleep as we were going down the runway) and woke up when we landed 6 hours later in Charlotte, NC. Nanny and Poppy were there waiting for us and Lauren was so happy to see them.

I spent most of that first day sleeping since I was not only jet lagged but thrown off completely by the time change. Pam made a wonderful dinner for us, a pork roast and green beans and bacon in the crock pot (yummy) and we settled in for the evening.

Friday we spent the day shopping and enjoying the sunshine. The weather was crazy hot down there, but the humidity was so nice. I felt like I got facials every day.

Saturday we went to the zoo! It was hot dog day at the zoo and apparently ALL of Greenville wanted hot dogs that day because the zoo was packed! I've never seen so many people stand in line to get a hot dog in my life! Lauren was amazed by the animals and blew every single one of them kisses. She loved the elephants and the monkeys and the giraffes the most. She even got to feed a goat!
Nanny and Lauren checking out the elephants!

The next day, Nanny and Poppy took us to Falls Park. It was the most beautiful park I had ever seen. There was a waterfall right smack dab in the middle of it and people were playing in it and dogs were running around and it was just gorgeous! The other attraction at Falls Park is the pedestrian suspension bridge that you walk across to get from one side of the park to another. It was pretty cool but also a little creepy since you could feel it move slightly when you walked across it.

We walked across the bridge and around the other side of the park and then back across a different little bridge and we stumbled upon a kids water play area. There were so many little one's running around and there was water shooting up out of the ground...it was so cool. Nanny took Lauren by the hand and they went and explored and Lauren was in heaven.

After we left the water play area, we sat down at a restaurant and enjoyed a nice cold beer...well, Steve, Pam and I did. Lauren enjoyed a nice cold glass of water and watched the birds run around and beg for food. Then we walked down the hill and went to the Reedy River and Lauren and Poppy went and played in the middle of it.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we didn't do much other than shop and hang out by the pool (which was fine by me) and I loved it!

Lauren eating a banana for breakfast (she wanted one almost every morning)...
Lauren eating blueberries for a morning snack (which she also wanted most mornings)...

Lauren playing with bubbles that Nanny was blowing for her...

On Thursday evening we went to downtown Greenville to "Downtown Alive" and listened to an awesome band. We drank a few beers, danced, laughed at the little boys chasing Lauren around and even ate some Mexican food for dinner. It was so much fun and Lauren had a blast dancing with her Poppy!
Showing off her belly...

More to come tomorrow...

My Big 30th Birthday...that was not so fun!

2009-07-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

Lauren and I went to visit the family in Coeur d'Alene over the weekend to spend my 30th birthday on the lake and have a bit of a vacation together. We went up Thursday evening after I got off work and we made it there by around 9:30. Of course Lauren had slept almost the entire way so when we finally got to Kelli and Barry's house, she was wide awake and ready to entertain. We tried to stay awake and wait for Papa Mike to get there, but by midnight we were exhausted.
Friday afternoon my Dad and I and Lauren ventured off to Cabela's in Post Falls. Lauren was really into checking out the fish in the big aquarium, but was not too sure about the stuffed bears and deer and elk in the middle of the store. Dad and I thought they were pretty cool though.
Brandon and Angela and I decided to got to the casino on Friday night, so Brandon's friend Austin met up with us and we rode the free bus from the parking lot at the movie theater. We had so much fun! Angela and I played the penny machines for a while and then decided to give up and go drink instead. We caught the bus home around 2:30 and called my Dad to come pick us up at 3 a.m.!
On Saturday (the 4th of July and my 30th birthday) we headed out to the store to get food and snacks for the boat, since we were going to be out there for a while. Barry was able to get a great deal on a boat slip in the Silver Bay Marina so that we could be on the boat to watch the fireworks and not have to load it back on to the trailer later. We were out on the boat for a few hours and I was starting to feel really light headed and tired, so I packed up Lauren and we headed to the house to cool off for a bit.
We went to go have dinner around 7 at Tony's on the lake and when we got there I was so nauseaus and dizzy that I had to leave the restaurant and go lay in the car while everyone ate. I didn't make it too long before I text my Dad and said we had to go. I ended up sleeping all night and missed the fireworks.
Woke up Sunday morning and was feeling pretty good. Had some strawberry shortcake for breakfast (which was supposed to be my b-day dessert) and got ready to hit the road. On the drive home, I started feeling ill again and had to pull over in Ritzville to throw up. Needless to say, by the time I got home I was wanting to die.
All is better now and Lauren and I are headed to South Carolina tomorrow!

Other Fun Stuff

2009-05-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

One of the things Lauren got for her birthday was a water mat play thing from Gramma Debbie. We got it out last weekend and she had a blast playing in it. Travis pulled her around in her wagon for a while and then we turned on the hose and watched her go to town on the mat.

Lauren's First Birthday

2009-05-24T23:27:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Lauren's first birthday with a party here at our house on May 9th. It was so much fun and we had so many friends and family here...it was great! We missed Kyle and Courtney and Mia though (Travis' cousin, wife and baby) but maybe next year the girls can have a joint party or something.

On Lauren's actual birthday, I got off work early and we spent the evening playing and she got to open her present from Mommy and Daddy. We got her a red wagon and it was the highlight of the day!

We cannot believe she is 1 already and where did time go? She is an absolute joy to us and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect little girl. Did I mention she started walking the night before her birthday party?

Been a Rough Road...

2009-05-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I have been battling post-partum depression for almost a year now. At first I was scared to admit that that's what it was, but I have decided to embrace the issue and tackle it head on!

It started out as that feeling of overwhelmingness (is that even a word?) and progressively got worse. I haven't wanted to go out with my friends, I feel out of control when the house gets messy, I have irrational fears of losing the people I love, and so on and so forth. It has been really rough on me and Travis and Lauren, but I am now seeking help and I'm slowly starting to feel better.

My life is beautiful and while I may not live in a fancy house or drive a fancy car or make a ton of money, I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a husband who loves me very much (even though he can be a pain in the butt sometimes), and BEAUTIFUL daughter who makes everyday worth living for, and a dog who thinks I can do no wrong. I have 2 healthy parents who I see often now, and the rest of my family is pretty great too! So I had to have a new outlook on things and it really put my life into perspective.

If you have ever gone through this and need help, I know a great person to talk to. Also, please feel free to ask questions because I am willing to share my experiences with you and get feedback as well.

For those of you who have helped me in any way, thank you so much for your love and support. I don't know what we would have done without you!

Welcome Little Man!

2009-04-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Heidi and her hubby Mark welcomed their little guy into the world last night. Michael Bradley Law is now here! Can't wait to meet him...

And Stephen's sister had her baby too last night just a few doors down. Congrats!

Lauren's First Easter

2009-04-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Lauren is sick...again...

2009-03-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

My poor baby girl is sick yet again. I got a call from her daycare yesterday around noon and they told me she was running a 103.1 temp. so I went and picked her up. Made a call to the doctor and had her checked out (since she just got off antibiotics on Friday) and he's convinced it's just viral. Brought her home and she slept for 3 hours, woke up and ate some dinner (at 8:00 at night), had a tubby, hung out with mom for a little while, then had a bottle and went back to sleep until 4:15 when she woke up with a fever again.

Today has been the same. I give her tylenol, it breaks the fever, then as soon as it wears off the fever is back. Looks like we will be home again tomorrow...wish me luck!

What a Crummy Weekend

2009-02-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

My Valentine's weekend is over and hopefully all the bad stuff that came with it...with a few exceptions of course. On Firday I was sitting in my chair at work and this really nice man handed me a HUGE boquet of flowers and when I read the card I wanted to cry. My husband is so wonderful and I am so blessed to have him.

Friday night we went to dinner with Travis' family for Nana's birthday at Double Dragon. I went straight from work so Travis and Lauren met me there. When Travis got there Lauren looked awful. She had been crying and just looked absolutly miserable. She tried to eat and wouldn't so I just held her and then she perked up a little bit. Everyone went to Nana and Papa's house for cake, but we decided to bring the girl home and go to bed. Poor thing ran a fever of almost 102 all night, so we just put her in bed with us and tried to keep her comfy.

Travis let me sleep in Saturday morning and then brought Lauren into me around 9 so she could take her nap. She slept for about an hour and then woke up crying. She was pretty miserable until her Nanny Pam came over to play. She perked up for Nanny and they hung out for a little while. Nanny had to go to the casino with Nana and Papa and Aunt Debbie, so she left and we had dinner. Travis got Hubby's...my favorite! Lauren would fall asleep and as soon as I'd lay her in her crib, she'd scream. So we ended up sleeping in Mommy and Daddy's bed again.

Today has been a little rough. It's amazing what Tylenol can do for a kid, but when it wears off...WATCH OUT! II'm going to go wake my husband up in the recliner and make him come to bed now.

Here's to a better week!

Lauren is 9 months old!

2009-02-11T22:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that our little girl is already nine months old. She spent the day with her Nanny Pam and got spoiled to pieces! Travis and I got her a stroller with a baby doll for Christmas and Nanny put it together for her today...she loves it! She pushed it all over the house for me.

She says Mama, Dada, and we're pretty sure she's trying to say Jock. Of course it's all just baby babble, but it's so dang cute. She is a very smart girl...she gets that from her Momma.

Happy 9 month Birthday Lauren Michel!

Girls Weekend

2009-02-10T22:03:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was a total girls weekend...and we had a lot of fun! Daddy went to Portland to visit his friend Matt and check out the new gym so Mommy and baby girl got to hang out. We had a lot of fun! We took a nap together on Friday afternoon, then spent the evening laughing and playing. On Saturday I had to work at the pharmacy so Lauren got to spend the morning with Nanny Pam and Aunt Trisha and Kylee and Deegan. She loves her auntie and her auntie loves her to pieces...it's pretty obvious. Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Steve stopped by for a visit in the afternoon and then we went to Nana and Papa's to meet Trisha and the kids before we went to dinner at Hubby's...whew...what a whirlwind of activity! On Sunday Lauren had a rough morning when she was going through Daddy withdrawls...good thing he came home at 3!

The point to this blog was to say thank you to Travis for being such a wonderful father and such a loving husband. I don't know what I would do without you!

One Rough Day...

2009-01-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

Lauren started a new day care on the 19th (she's now at CUP Daycare) in Richland and she loves it! They write down pretty much everything that she does throughout the day on a slip of paper so that we know what she's been up to. They write down when and how much she eats, when she has her diaper changed and what it was (wet or dirty) and how long she naps. It's fabulous! The first 3 days she was there I went over on my lunch break (it's about 1/2 a block away from my work) and checked on her. She would smile at me and get excited and we'd hang out in the hallway for about 20 minutes and then I'd take her back in and she didn't seem to mind that I was leaving her again. In the morning when I drop her off she gets a big smile on her face when she sees her teachers and it kind of makes me sad. I told Travis that it isn't fair because I drop her off and she's excited to play and he gets to pick her up and she's excited to see him....

Today was not such a good day for our little princess. She had to have a bath at day care because another child threw up on her (not just on her clothes, but in her hair and everything...) YUCK! Poor thing was probably freaking out since she doesn't even like to have her own spit up on her. Then, she was sitting in front of some shelves and she fell backwards and hit her head. The teachers filled out an accident "ouch" report and said they only had to give her a little snuggle and she was fine. That's my girl!

My Darling Little Girl...

2009-01-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

Ever since you arrived in this world, my life has been made complete. You are such a blessing to your father and I and we love you to pieces. Your sparkling personality is amazing and I cannot get enough of you. Some nights I just stand at your crib and watch you sleep, hoping that I don't wake you and that you will sleep all night, but secretly wanting you to wake up so I can cuddle with you until morning. I know your father would kill me if he knew that, but I secretly think he likes having you in bed with us too...

I have never been more proud of anything or anyone as I am of you. You are a tough little girl (thanks to your Daddy) and you never seem to be too upset about anything. I have seen you fall down and bump your head and not make a peep. You just get right back up and do it again. You are constantly learning new things and while I am excited about it, I am also a little sad at how fast you are growing up. It seems like just yesterday when you could barely fit into your newborn clothes and we had to wedge blankets in your car seat to keep you from moving around too much. Little did we know that we'd be buying you new car seats right now.

Thank you for being Mommy's little Princess and Daddy's tough little girl. You are a such a blessing and we couldn't be more happy with you...

All my Love...
Mommy

After Her Bath...Getting Ready For Bed

2009-01-27T11:16:00.000-08:00

Our evening routine includes a bath after dinner and then a little play time before bed. This is where Lauren likes to spend a few minutes standing up and jumping after she gets her jam jam's (what Travis and I call pajama's) on...and she just melts my heart. You can see her 2 teeth on the bottom in one of these pictures! She's just a wonderful breath of fresh air after a long and hectic day. We are truly blessed.

Movin' All Over The Place

2009-01-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

Lauren is getting so mobile...and she moves so fast! When we sit down for dinner at night, she wants to be on the floor and she loves to crawl under the table and stand up under the chairs. We are so lucky to have such a happy little girl...

Silly Daddy

2009-01-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

Silly Daddy decided it would be fun to put some of Lauren's hats on her and take pictures. She sure didn't seem to mind...but you can see that it wore her out. She couldn't even stay awake through dinner that night.

Lauren Can Scoot

2008-12-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd update everyone and let you know that Miss Lauren is a scootin' machine. She does her own version of an army crawl type thing...it's hilarious! Travis set her down in the living room and ran to go use the bathroom and when he came back less than a minute later, she was underneath the Christmas tree. It was precious!

Poor Baby Girl...

2008-11-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

Poor baby girl has a ear infection...we had to take her the Emergency Room on Friday afternoon. She was running a fever of 104 degrees while she was home with Travis on Friday so I came home from work early and we took her in. We found out she has an ear infection and they started her on antibiotics. It was so sad watching her be so uncomfortable. She was lethargic, couldn't lift her head, couldn't open her eyes, and cried the entire night. Her fever finally broke about 3 a.m. and she took a bottle and went to sleep. She felt fairly good on Saturday, though she woke up with a swollen left eye (see picture above) and a slight fever again. She had a decent evening, even ate some cereal and green beans, then ran a fever again and cried until falling asleep. She only slept about 30 min's before she woke up fussy again and couldn't get comfortable.

Today she is miserable again and is sleeping with Daddy at the moment. She just can't find a position that feels good and only wants to be held or touched (so that she knows you are close by). It's so sad to know that there is not much you can do for them except cuddle with them and try to comfort them.

Lauren's First Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T12:54:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Travis' family at Uncle Ivan and Aunt Cathy's house this year. I was thankful that I didn't have to cook, though amazed that Cathy did cook since they left for Hawaii the next morning. What a brave woman!

We gave Lauren a little taste of mashed potatoes and gravy, and then she was able to enjoy some rice cereal and green beans.

Some things I am grateful for this year:

That we have a beautiful and healthy little girl
That I have a wonderful husband who helps me out all the time without having to be asked
That my dog is a little jealous of Lauren, but also very protective of her
That my Mom is living in the Tri-Cities now and gets to enjoy Lauren whenever she wants
That my Dad is getting healthier and learning to take control of diabetes
That the rest of my family is healthy and enjoying life

And now for the humorous things I am grateful for:

That One Tree Hill will be back on in January
That I still have a job, but that it's at Walgreen's of all places
That my cousin is doing good in college and not partying his life away like I did...

Hope you had a blessed Turkey Day and enjoyed your family and friends that you spent it with!

Lauren Turned 6 Months Old!

2008-11-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

I took Lauren in for her 6 month check-up and here's what we know. She is not a BIG girl by any means...she's PERFECT! She is 26 1/2 inches long and weighs 16 pounds. She is healthy and growing beautifully.

The Doctor wanted to give her the flu shot at this appointment so we went ahead with that as well as the other shots they give at 6 months. Unfortunately, she started bleeding really bad while they were giving the shots so we stopped short of a few. So we have to go back in a month and get the rest of them along with the other half of the flu shot.

We can't believe how time goes by so fast and how much they grow in 6 months. She's sitting up well, and has just started getting interested in crawling. She loves to be in her jumparoo and jump constantly. We put a pillow underneath it so she can have more power in her jumps since she barely touches the floor with the tips of her toes. She definitely keeps us entertained.

This Christmas should be full of excitement as Lauren gets spoiled rotten with a whole bunch of new toys. I think she'll be more into the paper than anything, but it will still be entertaining. Hope all is well with you and yours!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-11-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

Look at our little bug...

Sorry It's Been So Long

2008-10-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Life is tough being FT working parents and having a baby. Lauren is so worth it though...even as tired as I am everyday. She makes me smile on a daily basis and I couldn't ask for a better little girl. In the past few weeks she has learned to sit up all by herself and has even stood for a couple of minutes while hanging on to something. She is so strong...she amazes me.

I will post more this weekend with pictures, but I was feeling bad for not keeping this updated.

Lauren's Two Month Check-up

2008-07-16T00:09:00.000-07:00

Lauren had her two month check up and her first shots today. She was pretty happy and then she fell asleep. Then she was pissed. Then she was asleep again. Silly girl.....

She weighs 11 pounds 6 ounces and is 24 inches long....

Lauren's First Camping Trip

2008-07-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

We went camping on our annual camping trip to Mottet...well almost Mottet...over the 4th of July and Lauren did AWESOME!

I say almost Mottet because we couldn't actually get to Mottet due to snow still being on the ground, so we camped a little further down the mountain in a different spot this year. We arrived on Thursday afternoon and unloaded all our stuff. My Dad was kind enough to let us use his tent trailer since it has more room and a heater that runs off propane since we were expecting some pretty cold temps at night. Lauren and I went to bed that first night around 10 or so and she only woke up once to eat around 3 am.

Travis made me breakfast of my choice for my birthday on the 4th. We had french toast and bacon and eggs. He also gave me a beautiful card and got creative and made me some coupons for massages. Also had a message in the card from Lauren thanking me for being such a good Mommy. My first birthday with a baby....aaaaaahhhhhh.

The boys went riding on some trails and Travis and Stephen came back to camp with road rash on their arms and backs and legs. Silly boys...I don't understand it.

On the last night we were there, we lost about half our camp so we had a pretty chill night. We attempted a group photo, setting the camera on a timer on the hood of Josh and Carla's Tahoe and when we looked at the photo, there were two people who had turned around and pulled down their pants for the camera. No it wasn't Travis. It was Stephen and Stacee.....and they were hysterical about the whole thing.

All in all it was a pretty fun trip, though I wish we had been at Mottet. At Mottet there is an outhouse/toilet and a stream with pretty decent water. At this place, there was neither. Except Josh made a toilet for everyone. I will try and get a picture of that and put it on here too.

Lauren and the Clarke Clan

2008-07-15T23:44:00.000-07:00

Lauren and I drove to my Uncle Al and Aunt Myrna's house in Sumpter, Oregon a few weeks ago to help them celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Of course their 50th anniversary was actually last summer, but that's how we roll...kinda messed up.

So it was Lauren's first road trip...first stay in a motel...first time meeting her Grandma's crazy family...and first time away from Daddy for longer than 4 hours. (Travis stayed in Tri-Cities for a friends wedding.)

It was pretty fun and I'm sure they all enjoyed having a little on around again. I am 29 years old and I have a cousin's that are 40 something and a cousin who is 3. Interesting.

Lauren's First Swim

2008-07-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

Daddy took Lauren swimming a couple of weeks ago and she absolutely LOVED it! She had this look of calmness on her face the entire time ( a whole 10 minutes) while she was in Daddy's arms. It was so cute!

Growing too Fast!

2008-06-04T23:09:00.001-07:00

So Miss Lauren has decided that she needs to hold her head up on her own now. This is killing me because this means she is trying to grow up too fast! She can hold her head up for about 5 seconds at a time now and she also likes to stand up on your belly while you burp her. She is such a strong girl...

Cuddle Time with Momma

2008-05-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to do is cuddle and we do it a lot! My little girl loves to be held by her Mommy and Daddy. This morning she was laying in bed with us and she was wide awake, staring at Travis while he talked to her. The minute he got out of bed and walked away, she started crying. When he came back and got her, she was fine. It makes him feel good to know that she doesn't ALWAYS just want Mommy.

Baby Mia is Here!

2008-05-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Travis' cousin Kyle and his wife Courtney welcomed their little girl into the world on Wednesday, May 14th at 7:52 a.m. Mia Catherine Halverson weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces and is 19 inches long. We took Lauren back to the hospital for her post-partum check and then we went to visit Miss Mia. The girls look a lot alike, so they must have a dominant Freeman trait in there.

Our First Week Home

2008-05-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

Lauren's first week home has certainly been eventful...but so much fun. She is such a good baby...we couldn't have been blessed with a more precious child.

Daddy has been doing arm raises and leg stretches with her, so now she raises her arms in her sleep. She makes funny faces too...such fun to just watch her sleep and take it all in.

She loves her bath, though it's a modified bath until her cord falls off. She lays in Daddy's arms and gets washed off with warm water, then Daddy washes her hair. She is so calm and mellow when he does this.

I have been breastfeeding 100% for the last 2 days thanks to my wonderful sister in law Carla...she's a life saver! The first night without a formula bottle was a bit crazy and upsetting, but we made it through and now we are pro's.

We will keep the updates coming as long as I have a spare moment in between naps to get on here.

She's FINALLY Here!!

2008-05-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

The wait is finally over and she is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! I went in to the hospital on Friday May, 9th to be induced. They inserted the Cervidil, which is a tiny little wafer-like patch on a string, and left it in for 12 hours. So by 10:30 that night, they came in and checked me and NOTHING was happening. Dr. Mulholland decided that a Pitocin drip would be a good idea to see of that would get things going, so we started that at about 11:00 Friday night.

Woke up Saturday morning and Dr. Mulholland came in to check me, but still nothing was happening. We talked about our options, either give it some more time and get checked later in the afternoon, or go home and wait. We opted to give it some more time, and we (Travis, myself, Dr. M and Dr. Anderson) agreed that Dr. A would check me again around 2 p.m. or so.

Dr. A came in and checked me and nothing major was happening, though I had thinned out a little bit more and I was having some decent contractions. We decided to get the epidural ordered so that I could get through the contractions without tensing up and limiting their effectiveness on dilating the cervix. I got the epidural around 4 p.m. and it was the most awful thing. My back was so swollen he couldn't find a good spot and ended up having to poke me 3 different times. Travis was my leaning post and at one point he looked at the needle and I felt him go limp and he had to leave the room. He almost ate the concrete floor, but he recovered nicely.

At about 5:30 after some pretty big contractions, Dr. A came in and broke my water. They checked me several more times before I went to sleep and nothing was happening still. Travis and I decided it would be a long night and opted for bed. Around 10:30 or so, I woke up to the nurse standing over me looking at the computer monitor. Then she grabbed an oxygen mask and told me to breathe, then came 3 more nurses and Dr. A. Apparently Lauren's heart rate had dropped significantly and they were a little worried, but we thought I was just laying on my back funny and her heart rate returned to normal. I had to keep that stupid mask on though. The nurse decided it would be a good time to check me and when she did, I was already at 5 cm dilated and 80% effaced.

Within about a half hour, she checked me again and I was fully dilated and 100 % effaced and ready to go. We started actively pushing at 1:30 and Miss Lauren was born at 2:47 a.m. It was an absolutely wonderful experience, one that I will surely need some time to erase from my memory....at least the painful parts. Dr. A had to use the vacuum because her head was turned a funny way and when her head came out, the cord was wrapped around her twice. Got that undone and 1 more push and she was out!

Happy Mothers Day! My little girl weighed 7 pounds, 3.6 ounces. She was 20 inches long...and has a FULL head of jet black hair. She's gorgeous and we can't wait for you all to meet her!

And still Waiting...

2008-04-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

Good news! I went to the Doctor last week and was not dilated at all, nor was my cervix doing anything. I went to the Doctor yesterday, and I am now 60% effaced and 2 cm dilated! Obviously going back to work has done well for me.

I get daily phone calls from my Mom and if I don't call her by a certain time (3:15 on the dot) she gets really angry with me. Today she told me that I HAVE to call her like I used to HAVE to do when I was in high-school. She's being really silly...like I wouldn't call my Mom if I was in labor? Next time I'll fake her out...

Travis' Mom bought her plane ticket and will be here at the end of May and will stay until the end of June. Works out perfect so that she can spend time with Lauren when I go back to work part-time in June. Then I plan on going back to work full-time in July...after the 4th I think. I've been working everyday for about 5 hours a day...and then doing some work at home as well.

My boss has been so wonderful during the last month with all of this. Especially considering he is going through a rough time right now as well. His 26 year old daughter who lives in Denver with her husband has just found out that she has Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (sp?) and has been having chemo treatments done via her brain. Crazy stuff they are doing these days. Little stressful at the pharmacy right now, but we are getting through it. I tell my co-workers all the time that we will look back on this in a few months and laugh. Well, I will anyway. :)

Guess that's all for now, and I will try to post something everyday from here on out!

Still Waiting...

2008-04-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true, I am still waiting. They (when I say "they" I mean all of those pregnancy books I've been reading) really mean it when they say the last month seems soooooooo long. Or could it be that I am just tired because I can't sleep because I have to go to the bathroom every hour during the night? Not sure, but whatever the reason.....this sucks!

I guess it could be worse though.... I got a phone call this afternoon from my co-worker Kara who is also pregnant (about 7 months) and she is already 60% effaced and 3 cm dilated and will quite possibly end up on bed rest soon. I should count my blessings!

Officially Misrable

2008-04-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

I just want this to be over with so I can hold my little girl and smile at her and be proud of what I've done over the last 9 months. Travis and I were discussing over dinner tonight that I have had a pretty good pregnancy overall. If you don't count the kidney stones that left me hospitalized over a period of a week...

I have only gained 7 pounds (who knew I could do that?) and I never had any ankle swelling (or kankles). The only swelling I had was in my fingers and that was because I was on an IV for a week. I still can't wear my wedding ring.

All is well for now. I've gone back to work this week because my co-worker Molly had to have hip surgery today. I didn't know that 4 hours a day could be so exhausting.

Wouldn't You Know...

2008-03-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

What could possibly be the absolute worst thing to happen to cry baby me while also being pregnant??? If you guessed gas, you are wrong. That would probably feel pretty good right about now. If you guessed kidney stones (but why would you let your mind even wander there) you are CORRECT! This also happened to me about a month ago, but not bad pain that brought me to my knees in agony. Not like today. Today I lay in bed watching Alpha Dog (which I have been dying to see) and all of sudden I felt the most horrific pain EVER!!! I was so scared, I thought I was in labor and I had Travis rush me to the ER. No big deal, I thought they would just check the baby out and send me home with some heavy duty narcotics and that would be the end. What I found out, however, is that at 34 weeks pregnant they send your butt up to OB and hook you up to fetal monitors. They kept us there for 4 hours and wouldn't you know I magically got better while I was there. Not that my pain went completely away, but now it's just a dull and annoying little ache. The nurse did tell me that from what she's heard from friends who have had both stones and babies....the stones are worse. So Trav says I made it through the hard part. Little does he know...
On a side note, my husband the comedian made me laugh my ass off today. I told him that Lauren was kicking the hell out of me on the inside and he said....spank her and send her to her womb. Ha ha ha!

It's a GIRL!!!

2007-12-13T20:44:00.000-08:00

Looks like we will be blessed with a little girl. We've decided that her name will be Lauren, although no middle name picked out yet.

What are we Having?

2007-12-12T21:35:00.000-08:00

I am almost at 20 weeks now and tomorrow is our Ultrasound appointment to hopefully find out what we are having. Any guesses? We will be happy either way and Travis even said that his daughter could still go hunting with him. I have been having dreams that it is a girl, but I would be super excited either way. We shall see.......

A Quick Update

2007-11-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

We are still anxiously awaiting the day when we get to find out what our little peanut is...we think we should know by December 14th or so....that will put me right at 20 weeks. Everything is going good....FINALLY. I have been feeling much better these days and I deffinately have my appetite back. We had an appointment at 12 weeks and had our first ultrasound and baby's heart beat was 160....and it was moving ALL over the place. Makes me think it's a BOY and it will take after its father..... :) I have an appointment next Thursday so I will post more then.

No New News

2007-09-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

I have nothing really exciting to share yet....our appointment is next Monday the 17th. I have been feeling really good, just very tired and a little bit quesy here and there. Nothing major though.

I spent most of the weekend sleeping.....ask Trav. I think he thinks it's strange because I don't normally nap. Now I nap for 3 or 4 hours at a time. Then I'm up until 11 0r 12. Can't sleep.

Will keep you updated!

YAY! A b-a-b-y on the way!

2007-09-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

Travis and I found out yesterday that we are going to have a baby. We are thinking a due date around May 5th....could be interesting. I hadn't been feeling really well all week, so I spoke with my Doctor and he suggested a blood pregnancy test. A couple hours later..... we knew!

We will keep you posted as the pregnancy progresses.....our first appointment will be September 17th.