My test results are all finally in, and they are all NEGATIVE. This is good news because it means that there doesn't appear to be anything specifically wrong with me. On the other hand, it also doesn't give us any answers about what went wrong this time. I know that miscarriages are not uncommon, and I seem to have just been really unlucky twice in a row. I'm feeling a little more hopeful now that maybe this won't happen the next time, but I'm also very terrified that it will.
The last 3 weeks have been very difficult for me emotionally. There's not an hour that goes by that I don't think my losses, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't cry about it. I know it will just take some time to heal, and I'm trying to be patient.
I'm scheduled for a follow-up exam next week, and I'm looking forward to talking to my doctor to find out what the next step is for us and hopefully get some of my many questions answered.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Surgery and Recovery
Yesterday morning I went into my doctor's office for another quick ultrasound just so she could check where everything was at and make sure that the D&C was still the best option, and it was. She also informed me that she would start a full workup to try and find an answer for us. It will take about a week to get the lab reports back, and they may not even reveal anything. I asked what we do at point and she said we pretty much just throw everything at it but the kitchen sink. Hopefully some treatment will give us the healthy pregnancy we're waiting for.
So surgery was on for 4:30, but thankfully they were running ahead of schedule so the hospital called to see if I could come in earlier. I was in surgery by 3:30, out by 4:00, and woke up about 20 minutes later. The last thing I remember in the operating room was the anesthesiologist putting something in my IV that made my hand feel like it was burning so bad I wanted to scream, "Cut my hand off!" But luckily I fell asleep before I could get the words out. I'm so glad that I had general anesthesia though because it was nice to just wake up and know it was all taken care of. What I wasn't prepared for was the flood of emotion that came when I woke up. I hadn't focused on the loss part since the first couple of days after we got the bad news because I was so focused on trying to figure out what was wrong with my body. But as I was laying there all loopy and barely able to speak, the tears came flooding out with the realization that I was no longer pregnant. My second failed pregnancy in a row was over and done.
After the surgery, my doctor went out to the waiting room to let Nate know how things went. She admitted that after seeing what she saw internally and what she removed, she still has no clue what went wrong with this pregnancy. Definitely not what I was hoping to hear.
When I got moved to the second recovery room after I woke up, I was able to see Nate again. He took great care of me over the next hour and a half helping me sip water and giving me crackers. I was so starving and thirsty that water and graham crackers never tasted so good.
I feel very fortunate that I had such great nurses and doctors every step of the way yesterday. It definitely helped make the experience a little less miserable. And Nate took great care of me as usual. It was also comforting to know what is done with the fetal tissue they remove. I'm not sure how it works at all hospitals, but at this one fetal tissue is given to a local mortuary to cremate and then be put in a vault in special garden at one of the local cemeteries. That was very touching to me.
We left the hospital by 6:15 yesterday, and then I spent the rest of the evening just taking it easy. Compared to recovering from a c-section, this has been a breeze. Some slight discomfort and pain that was easily taken care of by pain pills, and 24 hours later I'm actually feeling pretty normal - at least physically. Emotionally, I feel like I'm doing better than I expected. That may change after I get my lab results next week, but until then I'll try to pretend that my life is normal again.
So surgery was on for 4:30, but thankfully they were running ahead of schedule so the hospital called to see if I could come in earlier. I was in surgery by 3:30, out by 4:00, and woke up about 20 minutes later. The last thing I remember in the operating room was the anesthesiologist putting something in my IV that made my hand feel like it was burning so bad I wanted to scream, "Cut my hand off!" But luckily I fell asleep before I could get the words out. I'm so glad that I had general anesthesia though because it was nice to just wake up and know it was all taken care of. What I wasn't prepared for was the flood of emotion that came when I woke up. I hadn't focused on the loss part since the first couple of days after we got the bad news because I was so focused on trying to figure out what was wrong with my body. But as I was laying there all loopy and barely able to speak, the tears came flooding out with the realization that I was no longer pregnant. My second failed pregnancy in a row was over and done.
After the surgery, my doctor went out to the waiting room to let Nate know how things went. She admitted that after seeing what she saw internally and what she removed, she still has no clue what went wrong with this pregnancy. Definitely not what I was hoping to hear.
When I got moved to the second recovery room after I woke up, I was able to see Nate again. He took great care of me over the next hour and a half helping me sip water and giving me crackers. I was so starving and thirsty that water and graham crackers never tasted so good.
I feel very fortunate that I had such great nurses and doctors every step of the way yesterday. It definitely helped make the experience a little less miserable. And Nate took great care of me as usual. It was also comforting to know what is done with the fetal tissue they remove. I'm not sure how it works at all hospitals, but at this one fetal tissue is given to a local mortuary to cremate and then be put in a vault in special garden at one of the local cemeteries. That was very touching to me.
We left the hospital by 6:15 yesterday, and then I spent the rest of the evening just taking it easy. Compared to recovering from a c-section, this has been a breeze. Some slight discomfort and pain that was easily taken care of by pain pills, and 24 hours later I'm actually feeling pretty normal - at least physically. Emotionally, I feel like I'm doing better than I expected. That may change after I get my lab results next week, but until then I'll try to pretend that my life is normal again.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Update
Just as I expected, the results of my 2nd blood test revealed that my HcG levels have dropped confirming this is not a viable pregnancy. Unfortunately, the O.R. was swamped yesterday so I couldn't get on the surgical schedule until Monday afternoon. Assuming I don't miscarry over the weekend, I'm going in to my doctor's office first thing Monday morning for another ultrasound so she can see where I'm at, and then my D&C will happen at 4:3o that afternoon. It's an outpatient procedure, so I'll be home as soon a I'm out of recovery. I'm not sure how long that will take since I'll be under general anesthesia. But from what I've been told it's not a difficult physical recovery - just emotional.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Bad News...Again
I've been debating quite a bit about whether or not to blog about this, and obviously I decided to go ahead with it. Although this is something personal that our family is dealing with, I'm tired of feeling like I have to hide it. I also think that writing about it with help me deal with all of the thoughts, emotions, etc. that I have.
For several months now many people have asked when we're going to have another child or told us that Bridget is so cute we should have another one. Although comments like that are meant to be harmless, it's actually made what we're going through more difficult. Trust me, we desperately want to have more children but are having issues making that happen.
I had a miscarriage in October that took forever to be resolved and was very devastating to us. I know lots of women have a least one miscarriage during their child-bearing years, so after working through all the emotions and getting over the whole physical aspect of it, I tried to be more optimistic.
To say that I was thrilled when I found out I was pregnant again about 3 months later would be an understatement. Being pregnant again greatly helped to lift my spirits, but I tried to keep from being too excited about it until after my first doctor's appointment because I wanted to know that everything was okay first.
That appointment was just 2 days ago. I was so nervous waiting for the doctor to come in to do the ultrasound, and she could see it on my face when she walked in, so she got right to it. As soon as I saw the monitor I knew that my biggest fear was happening again. But this time it was worse. Normally a uterus looks black and the fetus and everything else around the uterus is white. My uterus was solid white. She couldn't see anything and said that my uterus was full of guck or junk or some word like that. She told me it was probably a molar pregnancy but she'd have to check my HcG levels with a blood test first to confirm. If it was a molar pregnancy than my HcG levels would be sky high - probably over 100,000. And because my uterus is full of something and there was no sign of an embryo, I'd need to have a D and C to have everything cleaned out. The pathology report from the D and C will also give us a better idea what is going on and how to treat it.
When I called yesterday to get the results of my blood test and schedule the D and C, I was thrown a bit of a curve ball. My HcG levels were only 9700 - which means it's not a molar pregnancy. So now I have no idea what is going on with my body. The doctor didn't want to schedule a D and C until she has confirmation that it's not a viable pregnancy, so I had to go in to have my blood drawn again today to check my HcG levels again. I'll find out the results tomorrow and then go from there. The chance of this not ending in a D and C is slim to none, and I'm quite anxious to have it over and done with so that we can hopefully get some answers from the pathology reports.
In addition to dealing with a loss again, I now have several added fears. Cancer is definitely one of them. The strong possibility of continuing to have more fertility issues including more miscarriages is another. But the one that scares me the most is the possibility of not being able to have any more children at all. Bridget desperately needs a sibling to play with and would be such a great big sister. It breaks my heart that we don't seem to be able to give that to her.
I know that there's a reason I'm going through all this heartache, and I can't wait to figure out what it is someday. One thing I've definitely learned is that I can't plan every aspect of my life as much as I'd like to. Another thing I've learned is what an amazing blessing a healthy pregnancy is. I will admit that I hated all of the discomforts that I had when I was pregnant with Bridget. Right now I would give anything to have them again.
I am so grateful that I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and beautiful daughter. All of this has certainly increased my love and appreciation for them. I'm also grateful for wonderful friends and family that have offered to help us in any way that they can.
For several months now many people have asked when we're going to have another child or told us that Bridget is so cute we should have another one. Although comments like that are meant to be harmless, it's actually made what we're going through more difficult. Trust me, we desperately want to have more children but are having issues making that happen.
I had a miscarriage in October that took forever to be resolved and was very devastating to us. I know lots of women have a least one miscarriage during their child-bearing years, so after working through all the emotions and getting over the whole physical aspect of it, I tried to be more optimistic.
To say that I was thrilled when I found out I was pregnant again about 3 months later would be an understatement. Being pregnant again greatly helped to lift my spirits, but I tried to keep from being too excited about it until after my first doctor's appointment because I wanted to know that everything was okay first.
That appointment was just 2 days ago. I was so nervous waiting for the doctor to come in to do the ultrasound, and she could see it on my face when she walked in, so she got right to it. As soon as I saw the monitor I knew that my biggest fear was happening again. But this time it was worse. Normally a uterus looks black and the fetus and everything else around the uterus is white. My uterus was solid white. She couldn't see anything and said that my uterus was full of guck or junk or some word like that. She told me it was probably a molar pregnancy but she'd have to check my HcG levels with a blood test first to confirm. If it was a molar pregnancy than my HcG levels would be sky high - probably over 100,000. And because my uterus is full of something and there was no sign of an embryo, I'd need to have a D and C to have everything cleaned out. The pathology report from the D and C will also give us a better idea what is going on and how to treat it.
When I called yesterday to get the results of my blood test and schedule the D and C, I was thrown a bit of a curve ball. My HcG levels were only 9700 - which means it's not a molar pregnancy. So now I have no idea what is going on with my body. The doctor didn't want to schedule a D and C until she has confirmation that it's not a viable pregnancy, so I had to go in to have my blood drawn again today to check my HcG levels again. I'll find out the results tomorrow and then go from there. The chance of this not ending in a D and C is slim to none, and I'm quite anxious to have it over and done with so that we can hopefully get some answers from the pathology reports.
In addition to dealing with a loss again, I now have several added fears. Cancer is definitely one of them. The strong possibility of continuing to have more fertility issues including more miscarriages is another. But the one that scares me the most is the possibility of not being able to have any more children at all. Bridget desperately needs a sibling to play with and would be such a great big sister. It breaks my heart that we don't seem to be able to give that to her.
I know that there's a reason I'm going through all this heartache, and I can't wait to figure out what it is someday. One thing I've definitely learned is that I can't plan every aspect of my life as much as I'd like to. Another thing I've learned is what an amazing blessing a healthy pregnancy is. I will admit that I hated all of the discomforts that I had when I was pregnant with Bridget. Right now I would give anything to have them again.
I am so grateful that I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and beautiful daughter. All of this has certainly increased my love and appreciation for them. I'm also grateful for wonderful friends and family that have offered to help us in any way that they can.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
27
Today Bridget is 27-months-old on the 27th! Since I thought that was kind of cool, I decided to write a little bit about her and the things she likes to do. One of her favorite activities is playing with Play-Doh. Sometimes we get the Play-Doh out multiple times a day which means I get to sweep the little remnants off the floor multiple times a day too. I'll be glad when it's warmer and this activity can be done outside.
Her current obsession is Curious George. In fact, she would probably watch it all day long if we would let her. At least it's educational and she's actually learned quite a bit from it. Should I be concerned that half of her conversations involve explaining the plot of a "George" episode? It also gives her an opportunity to work on her negotiating skills (which are quite good already). If I tell her she can watch one George she will always ask to watch two.
Recently she's taken a big interest in the Disney Princesses as well. She hasn't seen all the movies yet, but she loves Ariel and Sleeping Beauty.
She loves anything to do with music - dancing, singing, playing the piano, etc. If I sit down at the piano, she has to sit with me on the bench and pick out songs to sing with me. I'm amazed at how many songs she already knows all the words to.
She's recently learned all of the basic colors and loves to identify them whenever she sees them. She will often point to something and ask what color it is which really means she just wants one of us to ask her what color it is so she can tell us herself.
She's been able to count to 14 for a couple of months now and sings her ABCs well, although she only recognizes a handful of letters by sight - W, A, B, O, and K.
One of the things that amazes me is how good she is at recognizing store logos. She knows Target, Walmart, Costco, Lowes, Harmons (the grocery store we shop at), McDonald's, and Great Harvest Bread even if she just sees the logo printed on a tiny piece of paper. There's a slight disclaimer I must make though. She doesn't actually know the name of McDonald's. If she sees the logo or we drive by one, she just calls it the yucky food place. I'd prefer to keep it that way too and see no problem passing my prejudices on to my daughter. She also doesn't know the name of Great Harvest, but calls it the "cinnamon roll store" when she sees that logo because she's been there with Nate a couple of times to get cinnamon rolls.
She's an extremely affectionate girl always full of hugs, kisses, and "I love yous." If I pretend to act sad she'll say, "I'll give you a hug." And my favorite thing is the random and unprompted "I love you, Mommy" or "I love you, Daddy" she says multiple times a day. If she's leaving the room one of us is in, she'll walk away and then quietly say to herself, "Say I love you Mommy." Then she'll come running back and say it to me. Nothing brightens my day more, and I never get tired of hearing it.
We love our little girl so much, and are so grateful for the joys as well as the challenges she brings into our lives every day.
Her current obsession is Curious George. In fact, she would probably watch it all day long if we would let her. At least it's educational and she's actually learned quite a bit from it. Should I be concerned that half of her conversations involve explaining the plot of a "George" episode? It also gives her an opportunity to work on her negotiating skills (which are quite good already). If I tell her she can watch one George she will always ask to watch two.Recently she's taken a big interest in the Disney Princesses as well. She hasn't seen all the movies yet, but she loves Ariel and Sleeping Beauty.
She loves anything to do with music - dancing, singing, playing the piano, etc. If I sit down at the piano, she has to sit with me on the bench and pick out songs to sing with me. I'm amazed at how many songs she already knows all the words to.
She's recently learned all of the basic colors and loves to identify them whenever she sees them. She will often point to something and ask what color it is which really means she just wants one of us to ask her what color it is so she can tell us herself.
She's been able to count to 14 for a couple of months now and sings her ABCs well, although she only recognizes a handful of letters by sight - W, A, B, O, and K.
One of the things that amazes me is how good she is at recognizing store logos. She knows Target, Walmart, Costco, Lowes, Harmons (the grocery store we shop at), McDonald's, and Great Harvest Bread even if she just sees the logo printed on a tiny piece of paper. There's a slight disclaimer I must make though. She doesn't actually know the name of McDonald's. If she sees the logo or we drive by one, she just calls it the yucky food place. I'd prefer to keep it that way too and see no problem passing my prejudices on to my daughter. She also doesn't know the name of Great Harvest, but calls it the "cinnamon roll store" when she sees that logo because she's been there with Nate a couple of times to get cinnamon rolls.
She's an extremely affectionate girl always full of hugs, kisses, and "I love yous." If I pretend to act sad she'll say, "I'll give you a hug." And my favorite thing is the random and unprompted "I love you, Mommy" or "I love you, Daddy" she says multiple times a day. If she's leaving the room one of us is in, she'll walk away and then quietly say to herself, "Say I love you Mommy." Then she'll come running back and say it to me. Nothing brightens my day more, and I never get tired of hearing it.
We love our little girl so much, and are so grateful for the joys as well as the challenges she brings into our lives every day.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Trip to St. George
I've been such a terrible blogger lately. I guess I feel like our lives are uneventful and even when they are, we usually forget to take pictures. And we all know that a blog without pictures is lame.
Anyway, over Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend we had the opportunity to go on a quick trip to St. George for Nate's Grandma's wedding. We did remember to take our camera, but we didn't remember to actually take any pictures while we were there.
After we got there Friday night, we met up with Nate's sister Alysha and her husband Adam for dinner and then went back to their house afterward. Nothing too exciting after that except for visiting in Nate's parents' hotel room while Bridget was asleep in ours.
On Saturday, we got ready and then headed over to another hotel where the wedding took place. It must admit that attending the wedding of an older couple like this was new for me and a little different from all the other weddings I've been to. After the ceremony and luncheon we had the rest of the day to spend with Nate's family. Alysha and Adam volunteered to watch Bridget while she napped so we could go with the rest of the group to the Parade of Homes that was going on that day. Nate and I only had time to go to a couple of homes before we needed to break off from the group to run some errands. One of the two homes we went to was listed at $3.5 million, and it was fun to walk through such an extravagant home.
On Sunday, we stopped at my sister Jessica and brother-in-law Matt's apartment on our drive home to celebrate Matt's birthday. Dinner was delicious along with the birthday pie & cake. You can tell from this picture that Bridget especially loved the pie. I'm not quite sure why, but lately she always squints when she smiles (I think she thinks it makes her smile bigger).
And after stuffing ourselves with all that food, we decorated heart-shaped sugar cookies. Thanks, Matt, for letting us spend your birthday with you!
Funny Bridget quote of the week:
I was trying to get Bridget to lay down on the floor so I could change her diaper and told her that she needed to cooperate because she smelled like poopy diaper. As she's lying there, she says, "Mommy, you smell like candy." I laughed and said that was good because candy smells good and a lot better than a poopy diaper. It was also random because anytime you ask her what something smells like her reply is always, "Pumpkin."
Anyway, over Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend we had the opportunity to go on a quick trip to St. George for Nate's Grandma's wedding. We did remember to take our camera, but we didn't remember to actually take any pictures while we were there.
After we got there Friday night, we met up with Nate's sister Alysha and her husband Adam for dinner and then went back to their house afterward. Nothing too exciting after that except for visiting in Nate's parents' hotel room while Bridget was asleep in ours.
On Saturday, we got ready and then headed over to another hotel where the wedding took place. It must admit that attending the wedding of an older couple like this was new for me and a little different from all the other weddings I've been to. After the ceremony and luncheon we had the rest of the day to spend with Nate's family. Alysha and Adam volunteered to watch Bridget while she napped so we could go with the rest of the group to the Parade of Homes that was going on that day. Nate and I only had time to go to a couple of homes before we needed to break off from the group to run some errands. One of the two homes we went to was listed at $3.5 million, and it was fun to walk through such an extravagant home.
On Sunday, we stopped at my sister Jessica and brother-in-law Matt's apartment on our drive home to celebrate Matt's birthday. Dinner was delicious along with the birthday pie & cake. You can tell from this picture that Bridget especially loved the pie. I'm not quite sure why, but lately she always squints when she smiles (I think she thinks it makes her smile bigger).
And after stuffing ourselves with all that food, we decorated heart-shaped sugar cookies. Thanks, Matt, for letting us spend your birthday with you!Funny Bridget quote of the week:
I was trying to get Bridget to lay down on the floor so I could change her diaper and told her that she needed to cooperate because she smelled like poopy diaper. As she's lying there, she says, "Mommy, you smell like candy." I laughed and said that was good because candy smells good and a lot better than a poopy diaper. It was also random because anytime you ask her what something smells like her reply is always, "Pumpkin."
Monday, February 1, 2010
Conversation with Bridget
Like most kids her age, Bridget is constantly making us smile and laugh with the funny things she says and does. Here's an example:
Today as we were leaving my classroom to go home she stops and points to some small graffiti some high school kid wrote on the wall nearby and asks her typical question, "Uh oh. What happened?" I explained that one of the kids wrote and the wall and that it was naughty to do that. She responded by saying, "Kids naughty. Go in time-out?" I laughed and said, "Yes, they should go in time-out for doing naughty things like that."
Today as we were leaving my classroom to go home she stops and points to some small graffiti some high school kid wrote on the wall nearby and asks her typical question, "Uh oh. What happened?" I explained that one of the kids wrote and the wall and that it was naughty to do that. She responded by saying, "Kids naughty. Go in time-out?" I laughed and said, "Yes, they should go in time-out for doing naughty things like that."
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Becoming Grown-Ups
Last week, Nate and I finally decided on our Christmas present to each other. We only got each other a couple of little things to open on Christmas because we decided we'd rather get something bigger that we could both enjoy. After agreeing on bedroom furniture, we set out of find something we both liked. Such a major decision couldn't be made quickly, so we didn't actually decide and order something until a couple of days after Christmas. And here's what should be arriving at our house sometime in February:
We both love Craftsman/Mission style furniture, and I fell in love with this bed. We're also getting the nightstand (better picture below). We're not getting either of the dressers pictured here, but instead the dresser below.
We opted not to get the mirror, and I'll admit I don't love the hardware but I loved the bed and couldn't find anything else I liked better. Maybe someday we'll swap out the hardware for something I like better.
And we're getting 2 of these nightstands.
We both love Craftsman/Mission style furniture, and I fell in love with this bed. We're also getting the nightstand (better picture below). We're not getting either of the dressers pictured here, but instead the dresser below.
We opted not to get the mirror, and I'll admit I don't love the hardware but I loved the bed and couldn't find anything else I liked better. Maybe someday we'll swap out the hardware for something I like better.
And we're getting 2 of these nightstands.So now we feel like real grown-ups; no more mismatched hand-me-down bedroom furniture for us (well, at least after it's delivered)!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
So Excited to See Santa
I'm a little late in posting this because we forgot our camera at Nate's family Christmas party, so we had to wait for his cousin to send us the ones she took.
Bridget was actually very excited to see Santa this year and not one bit afraid of him like most 2-year-olds. I asked her several times before hand what she was going to tell Santa she wanted for Christmas, so he was very prepared to tell him she wanted a bike. In fact, she was so excited to tell them that she could hardly wait for her turn and kept running up to him while the other kids were on his lap.
Once it was her turn, you can tell from the first photo, that she was still a little unsure about this, but within seconds she was all smiles, especially when he gave her a present (two Curious George books).
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
Our original plan for Christmas was to go to Phoenix and spend it with my sister Jill and her family, but with plane tickets being more than we wanted to spend, driving was the better option for getting there. We knew that Bridget wouldn't be able to do that long of a drive in one day, so we would have had to split it into two days there and two days back. Ultimately we decided that Nate didn't have enough time off from work to make it worth the drive, so we ended up staying here and celebrating as our little family of three.
On Christmas Eve I fixed the traditional turkey dinner complete with green bean casserole, home made rolls, and sweet potatoes.
On Christmas Eve I fixed the traditional turkey dinner complete with green bean casserole, home made rolls, and sweet potatoes.
Amazingly, Santa did make it to our house that night considering Bridget decided to be very naughty all day on Christmas Eve. She's normally very happy, obedient, and helpful, so it made for a rough day. When I told her I might have to call Santa and tell him not to come because she was being so naughty, she didn't seem to care.
So here's a snippet from Christmas morning:
And here's just a few of the other gifts she received:
Disney Princess hoodie
Sesame Street CD player and song book
This bike is just a little too big for her at the moment, but she still manages to scoot around on it, and will probably be able to reach the pedals by spring.
She loves this tea set and all of the noises and songs it makes. She's served me lots of tea, and we've heard all the songs so many times already that I think we all have them memorized.
Her naughty streak continued throughout Christmas Day with multiple tantrums and time out sessions, so it wasn't quite the pleasant Christmas I imagined it to be. It also didn't help that Nate woke up with a pretty severe migraine. Luckily, she seems to be back to more of her normal self today. I'd like to just blame it on the molar she's been getting the last few days because it's certainly made her crabby and affected her sleep. At least she loves all of the fun toys, and we'll just have to hope things go better next year.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Winter Wonderland
This morning Bridget finally had her first chance to put on all of her snow garb and go play in the snow while Nate shoveled the driveway. Not that this is our first snowfall of the season by any means; it's just the first time she's been able to play in it since I finally finished purchasing all of the necessary items just yesterday. She loved it, but she only lasted about 15-20 minutes before she was ready to come inside. It's just too bad this snow was a little too dry for making a snowman, but I'm sure we'll still have plenty of opportunities for that this winter.Friday, November 27, 2009
Bridget's 2nd Birthday
The birthday cake - carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and decorated with two of her favorite things...Sesame Street and M&Ms.
I tried to upload the video of her blowing out her candles but it wouldn't upload, so here's a picture. If you want to see the video, it's on Facebook.
Her favorite present from Mom & Dad - a doll that drinks a bottle, laughs, and cries. She loves babies and pretending to be a mommy.
In case you're wondering why she's wearing 3 different outifits in these birthday pictures, it's because she got to celebrate for 3 days (Thanksgiving day with the family that was here, her actual birthday with us, and Saturday with more family).
Up until recently, Bridget didn't really enjoy coloring. Now that one of her favorite activities so the crayons and giant coloring book from her great grandma were a hit. Even Grandma and Grandpa had to get in on the action.
We wanted to do something special with Bridget on her birthday, so we took her to the Treehouse Children's Museum. She certainly loved running around exploring everything, and didn't want to leave when it was time.
Here's her 2 year stats from the doctor's appointment:
Height: 36 inches (94th percentile)
Weight: 33 pounds (96th percentile)
Head: 20 inches (99th percentile)
And Bridget is finally pacifier free! For weeks beforehand we prepped her by telling her that it had to go away when she turned two. And on the night of her birthday when took it away she had a total meltdown to the point that it was almost breaking my heart to do it. After several minutes of her crying in her bed, I cut the pacifier and took it into her to show her that it was ruined and see if she still wanted it. She was devasted and kept saying, "Mommy fix it. Sewing stuff." or "Daddy fix it." She's seen me fix her stuffed animals with my sewing stuff and assumed that I could fix the pacifier that way too. When other things are broken around the house and Nate has to fix them, I always tell her that Daddy has to fix it. The amazing thing was that I told her to stop crying so I could talk to her, and she did. Then I told her she had 2 choices. She could either stop crying and go to sleep so she could wake up happy or cry in her bed all night. And it worked. She chose to go to bed without crying. So it was a much easier transition than we were expecting, and she now sleeps much better and consistently through the night.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Halloween 2009
This little chef wanted to wish everyone a happy Halloween!I'm so glad I decided to make Bridget's Halloween costume this year because she makes the cutest chef ever! When I was trying to decide what she should dress up as, nothing seemed more appropriate because this girl loves to help me in the kitchen.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Feeling Like Fall
I really can't believe how fast the leaves changed this year and that one of our four ginormous trees is almost done losing its leaves already. For the next several weeks I'll get to spend a good chunk of my time cleaning them up, but at least Bridget doesn't mind because she thinks running through my piles and throwing them in the air is loads of fun. In fact, she was having so much fun that I couldn't get her to look at the camera long enough to snap a good picture, so here's the best I could do. 
What a difference a year makes! Last year she spent most of her time crawling through the leaves because she was just starting to learn to walk, and now she's running through them and all over the yard.
I should also mention that Nate got me a blower/mulcher thing for my birthday to help make my job easier, but after trying to use it the other day I've decided I might just stick with a good old-fashioned rake. The thing is so heavy and awkward to use plus I burned a hole in the bag when I got it too close to the motor (nothing a little duct tape can't fix).
What a difference a year makes! Last year she spent most of her time crawling through the leaves because she was just starting to learn to walk, and now she's running through them and all over the yard.
I should also mention that Nate got me a blower/mulcher thing for my birthday to help make my job easier, but after trying to use it the other day I've decided I might just stick with a good old-fashioned rake. The thing is so heavy and awkward to use plus I burned a hole in the bag when I got it too close to the motor (nothing a little duct tape can't fix). Saturday, October 10, 2009
The End of Confinement
This past week, Bridget decided to work on her skills as an escape artist and figure out how to climb out of her crib. We knew this day would come, but I was hoping it would be later rather than sooner. In fact, I was hoping she would at least be 2 before she figured it out. So last night we converted her crib into a toddler bed complete with a safety rail. She thinks it's pretty great, and was standing at her door saying, "Mommy" while she waited for someone to come get her this morning. Last night she slept better than she has most nights this week, so hopefully this will be a good change. It also makes us realize yet again that she is now a little girl and no longer a baby.Friday, September 25, 2009
Miss Independent
Yes, that's Bridget pretending to talk to someone on Nate's cell phone. She certainly thinks she's grown up these days. In fact, as we left the house this afternoon, she had her purse on her shoulder and her keys in her hand so she could be just like Mommy. And every time we go to get in the car she says, "self" meaning that she wants to climb into the car and into her carseat herself. She's getting to the point where she wants to do many things by herself so "self" is something we hear mutiple times a day every day. I must admit that I actually love watching her gain more independence since overall it makes our lives easier, but it also makes me realize that she's definitely a little girl now and no longer a baby. In that respect, it's a good thing she's finally bottle free as of the last couple of weeks!!Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Birthday Dinner with Dad
Last week was my father's birthday (not to be confused by Nate's father's birthday which was the week before as noted in Bridget's video a couple of posts back). Since my father has been recently working not too far from our house, Dad, Megan, Jessica, and Matt came over to our house to celebrate with a birthday dinner. 
The Gang - notice how thrilled Nate looks in this picture to have his picture taken. :-)
Cutting the spice cake that Jessica madeMonday, September 14, 2009
Labor Day Weekend in West Yellowstone
For Labor Day weekend this year, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to go visit Nate's parents in their new house just outside of West Yellowstone on Hebgan Lake. Sadly, we didn't take many pictures because we weren't very exciting, but we had a great time relaxing and helping on a few projects around the house. Friday night, we got there about dinner time, so we pretty much just ate, visited, and went to bed. Saturday, Nate helped his dad work on the basement he's gutted, and a then all of us helped move firewood. Saturday night, Nate and I went to see The Secret Garden at the Playmill Theater while his parents watched Bridget for us. We rarely go on dates, so I had a great time. Nate, on the other hand, was kind enough to go even though it wasn't something he really wanted to do. Sunday we went to church, ate dinner, played a game, and relaxed. And then Monday we headed back home. We were also fortunate to be able to spend some time with Nate's Grandma Waldron who was also visiting that weekend from St. George. Anway, it was a great trip, and it went by too fast as usual.
Bridget loves playing with her Grandpa. She also LOVES dogs, so she was in heaven going on a walk with Grandpa and Izzie.
Here's a view of the lake from their front porch. It's great to have such a beautiful view and be up off the lake just enough that the mosquitos don't eat you alive.
Bridget loves playing with her Grandpa. She also LOVES dogs, so she was in heaven going on a walk with Grandpa and Izzie.
Here's a view of the lake from their front porch. It's great to have such a beautiful view and be up off the lake just enough that the mosquitos don't eat you alive.Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Trip to the Zoo
On Saturday, we braved the crowd and took Bridget to the zoo for the first time. Bridget LOVES animals, so it was no surprise that she enjoyed it. The only thing that would have made her happier was if she hadn't been confined to a stroller during much of the outing. We did get her out several times to get a better look at the more interesting animals (the ones that weren't just sleeping), but she wasn't happy about having to get back in it.
Sadly, the elephant in this collage was the only one we got to see because the other elephant had just had a baby a couple of weeks before, and neither were out for public viewing yet. My favorite was the family of orangutans mostly because they're kind of cute and more lively than many of the animals there. Nate really like the silverback gorillas even though they're a little scary. And Bridget loved the penguins. She loved watching them swim in the water, and wasn't so happy when we decided to move on to other animals.
Top left: Checking out a tortoise. Top right: Nate and Bridget enjoying the penguins. Bottom left: Bridget wanting to get closer to the peacock. Bottom right: Bridget and me in front of the giraffes.
I just liked this shot of one of the adult giraffes with the baby giraffe. The baby is doing some sort of contortionist thing with its neck.
Sadly, the elephant in this collage was the only one we got to see because the other elephant had just had a baby a couple of weeks before, and neither were out for public viewing yet. My favorite was the family of orangutans mostly because they're kind of cute and more lively than many of the animals there. Nate really like the silverback gorillas even though they're a little scary. And Bridget loved the penguins. She loved watching them swim in the water, and wasn't so happy when we decided to move on to other animals.
Top left: Checking out a tortoise. Top right: Nate and Bridget enjoying the penguins. Bottom left: Bridget wanting to get closer to the peacock. Bottom right: Bridget and me in front of the giraffes.
I just liked this shot of one of the adult giraffes with the baby giraffe. The baby is doing some sort of contortionist thing with its neck.
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