Another tag!!

Five names you go by -
1. Celese
2. Babe
3. Mommy
4. Sister Sanders
5. Violatte's Mommy

Three things you are wearing right now -
1. Comfy Pants
2. Maternity Shirt
3. Slippers

Two things you want very badly at the moment -
1. To not be pregnant anymore
2. To get my hair cut

Three people who will probably fill this out:
1. That . . .
2. is a . . .
3. good question. :)

Two things you did last night -
1. Worked on family history
2. Had a timeout after putting two cranky girls to bed

Two things you ate today -
1. Taco
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Two people you last talked to on the phone -
1. Heidi G
2. Aimee

Two things you are going to do tomorrow -
1. Go to church
2. Make apple turnovers

Two longest car rides -
1. When we moved from Logan, Utah to Ridgecrest
2. Our trip last summer from Ridgecrest to Idaho and Colorado and then back

Two of your favorite beverages -
1. Water
2. Orange Juice

I tag Lynette and Cynthia

Final Update

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has kept our family in their prayers these last few weeks. I just returned form the doctor's office and thought I would post the results. The biopsy showed that the mass on my thyroid is Benign. I was so relieved to hear this! However, the results said that because the results are not always 100% accurate it recommends closely monitoring it and recommends surgery to remove it.

The doctor said that she definitely recommends taking out the mass and would plan on doing the surgery in 6 months or so. I do not think I want to wait quite that long, so we'll see what the new doctor says when I have my appointment with him/her.

Thanks again to all you who care and have been concerned with us. It means so much to us.

36 Weeks

We have made it to 36 weeks! I am doing well and the baby seems to be also. He still moves a lot, but it has seemed to slow down since he is running out of room. I am pretty uncomfortable, but other than that, all is well. Four more weeks to go! We are getting so close!

Update on Celese

Today I called the doctor's office for the results and they refused to give them to me because they didn't want me to cancel my appointment on Wednesday. So, I won't know what the results are until Wednesday.

In the meantime, I am looking for a good Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor in this area or any of the surrounding cities. If anybody has a recommendation I would be very grateful. I am having a hard time finding information on some so I can decide who to go to.

Thanks again to all of you who have been keeping my family and I in your prayers. It means the world to us.

Maternity Dress

I finally completed the maternity dress I have been trying to sew myself since October or November. I am proud of myself for actually completing a project, though, so I thought I would post it. (Plus, I wanted to make my Mom proud. She always tried to help me learn to sew and I started so many sewing projects that I never finished.) Even though it didn't turn out as nice as I was hoping, I have to say that it is so wonderful to have a dress for Sunday that fits me. So, here is the finished result.

Daddy!

Annalee and I were looking through some magazines at the doctor's office when she pointed to this picture of Tim McGraw and said, "Daddy!"
I thought that I would take a picture of Jim to see how much alike they look. Jim was a good sport even though he had absolutely no idea why I was taking his picture. I have to say that Annalee was pretty right. I'm surprised by how similar they look!

Pregnancy Advice for Guys

I've decided that women get plenty of advice about pregnancy and so I decided that I would share some things that I've learned that could help the men who find themselves trying to figure out how to deal with a pregnant wife.

1. Buy stock in Tums. I don't know how we can do it, but we pregnant women can go through a bottle before you know it.

2. Have a coat and shoes always ready to go -- you never know when your wife will get a pregnant craving for a cheeseburger and a side of kiwi. (It sounds so good right now!)

3. Keep a stock of kleenexes and chocolate on hand. When those emotional roller coasters begin (and, trust me, it will be often) it can frequently be helped with chocolate and kleenexes.

4. Never (and I mean, never) mention having another baby while your wife is:
(a) still pregnant
(b) in labor, or
(c) can remember either of the above

5. Always be prepared to tell her she looks beautiful. (Remember, adding on an extra 25-75 pounds within a few months is always depressing to a woman.) Pregnant women often need to hear they are still beautiful to you -- although I will warn you that she probably won't believe you anyway.

6. Right about the time your wife is 6 months along she will become extremely excited over every baby she sees, each piece of baby clothing, baby names, and anything remotely related to babies. All she wants is for you to pretend to be as excited as she is.

7. Please remember that she cannot be held responsible for anything she says while she is in labor. (Most likely she didn't mean it anyway.)

8. Your wife will love you and brag about you to all her friends if you do little things to maker her more comfortable, such as rubbing her back, massaging her feet, or watching the kids so she can take a hot bath when she is uncomfortable. Especially during the last couple of months, she will feel pretty miserable and not much else will make her happier.

9. Be prepared for every day to be different and remember that patience will probably be the most important thing you can have through the pregnancy. She may be morning sick one morning and then eat everything in sight the next day. Somedays she will be scared about the new baby and some days she will be so excited she just can't wait! Be patient with her. It only lasts 9 months.

10. Don't plan any camping trips, ski trips, work travel, vacations, pool parties, or anything else that your wife will feel really awkward or uncomfortable at. Trust me, it's not fun to travel with a pregnant woman who has to use the restroom every half hour.

11. Practice your cooking skills because your wife will probably get sick from smells throughout part of her pregnancy. If you can cook she will be much more likely to eat (plus, she'll think you're the best husband in the world). Also, remember that morning sickness is common in the first trimester so if she runs for the toilet during a meal don't take it personally.

12. Don't worry about crying during the birth or when you hold the baby. I can promise you that it will make your wife love you all the more.

Violatte

Violatte has said some really cute things lately. I wanted to write some of them before I forget -- although I have already forgotten some that happened within the last couple of days.

First of all, on Christmas Eve, Violatte and I were making some gingerbread men cookies. We had a great conversation about Santa Clause. She was so excited he was coming, but when she found out that he would only come when she was asleep in bed she was so disappointed. She wanted to see Santa Clause for two very specific reasons: She wanted to wish him Merry Christmas and she wanted to sing to him. It was so sweet seeing her disappointment. She really wanted to do those nice things for Santa Clause.

Violatte's new phrase is "guess what" all though she usually says it as "so what." Frequently throughout the day she'll say, "Mom, so what! I love you!" It's so sweet. It seems that she often says it at times when I am frustrated and then I feel bad for snapping at her or something. She's so caring!

One thing that Jim and the girls have enjoyed doing lately is to watch the animated Star Wars that has come out. Violatte especially loves it and has started referring to herself as the princess, Jim as the Captain, and Annalee as Master.

But as cute of a princess as Violatte makes, she drives me crazy with it. She has a very specific idea of how things should be for a princess. One day she told me that princess need fast cars and ours wasn't going fast enough. Very often, she told me that princess need chocolate. (Does that make me a princess?)

Violatte loves to play dress-up (as you can see in the picture.) Sometimes Jim gets upgraded from Captain to prince, and then he gets to rescue all three of us princesses (Violatte, Annalee, and I) from the bad guys, or the dragon, or whoever it is. Sometimes, Annee gets to be the dragon. In our dress-up box we even have a cute dragon costume. Annalee is the cutest dragon, Violatte is the prettiest princess, and Jim is definitely the handsomest prince! We have good times.

Update on Celese

For those of you who wanted to know after my appointment today with the doctor, I thought I'd write an update.

I saw a specialist today for the mass on my thyroid. She said that they are always concerned when a mass is over 1 cm big and mine is over 3 cm. She said that although it has grown over the last two weeks and will probably continue to keep growing (mainly due to the hormones from the pregnancy) she recommends waiting and then taking it out after the baby is born. When I expressed my concerns about the troubles I've been having with swallowing because of its size, she said that although swallowing will get more difficult and I will probably be very uncomfortable by the time the baby is born, it should not cause breathing problems.

The doctor also said that it could be some swelling along with the mass, so she gave me a prescription to try to help bring the swelling down. She said the mass may even reduce in size more after the baby is born, but surgery looks pretty definite.

She also did a biopsy on the mass. It was big enough that we she didn't need an ultrasound to do the biopsy. After numbing the area with a shot, they stuck about seven needles in me to withdraw material. When she saw the first draw, she said that it actually appears to be cystic (which is the best thing it could be) although the ultrasound report said there was no hint of a cyst. That is a relief. The results will be back in about a week and I have an appointment a few days after that. I will keep you all updated. Thank you for the prayers and the support.

Thank You

This post goes out to whoever thought of us and did something so wonderful for us. We know that you want to remain anonymous but if you are the person in the Salt Lake/Provo area who were so selfless and loving, we just want to say thank you with the deepest gratitude. I hope you know what a blessing you've been to us and we wish we could thank you in person. We send our love and gratitude to you!

Getting to Know You

2009 - Get to know you

1.What is your occupation right now?
Mary Kay Consultant/Cashier

2.What color are your socks right now?
White

3.What are you listening to right now?
Quiet . . . the girls are in bed and I think they are finally asleep!!!

4.What was the last thing that you ate?
And apple -- yum!

5.Can you drive a stick shift?
I used to be able to, but I doubt I can remember

6.Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My hubby

7.Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Most definitely!

8.How old are you today?
23 going on 43

9.What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
Dancing -- (yes it is a sport!)

10.What is your favorite drink?
Orange Juice

11.Have you ever dyed your hair?
No

12.Favorite food?
Hm . . . I would have to say that right now I am craving some Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice

13.What is the last movie you watched?
Horton Hears a Who

14.Favorite day of the year?
Thanksgiving

15.How do you vent anger?
Anything physical (biking, dancing, playing catch, swinging) or playing the piano and singing

16.What was your favorite toy as a child?
My bike

17.What is your favorite season?
Autumn

18.Cherries or Blueberries?
Blueberries

19.Living arrangements?
With my family -- the best way to be!

20.When was the last time you cried?
Last night

21.What is on the floor of your closet?
My shoes

22.What did you do last night?
Went to a New Year's Eve party at our friends house and had a fabulous time! Then left the party early (yes, we are the party poopers) and went to bed at 10:30.

23.What are you most afraid of?
Being separated from my husband or kids

24.Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Cheese

25.Favorite dog breed?
Shitzu

26.Favorite day of the week?
Sunday -- the only day we can really be together as a family

27.How many states have you lived in?
3

28.Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds

29.What is your favorite flower?
I love daisies! They are so simple and beautiful!

I tag: Melissa and Sophia

Favorites Tag

I have to say that I am so incredibly excited to have a baby so I have lots of things that I love about babies! (Especially since I'm not yet tired from staying up with a crying baby all night!) Here are my 5 Favorite things about Babies:

1. When they look at you and you can tell they know something special

2. How we work so hard to get them to smile or respond in a happy way and we all get so excited when they do

3. I love how cuddly they are when they are still babies. They sleep and just rest in my arms. Toddlers don't do that so well, but babies are great at that.

4. How soft their skin is and how little and perfect they are. Their little cheeks and hands are so kissable and just looking at their perfect little feet and hands and faces is amazing!

5. How they can get away with hair that is crazy and yet so adorable at the same time!

I tag Lynette and Cynthia