My Early Birthday Surprise!!!

I'm shocked.    I'm in awe.    I'm excited beyond imagine!!!

 

Yup, that's why I married him! He's always surprising me and affirming that I truly married Prince Charming :).

 

I worked (and by worked, I mean worked my butt off doing overtime) clear up to the day before I went into the hospital to have Austin, and then after 8 short weeks of maternity leave, it was back to the grind for me!

 

It has killed me having to leave my baby. Although he is a handful at times, I crave his sweet smile and it makes my heart leap whenever I hear him giggle.

 

I have wanted so badly to be a stay at home Mom. I can't imagine anything better than getting to see my baby every day while taking care of my home and husband. It's so hard when you are exhausted from work and all you want to do is crawl into a hole and sleep. Don't get me wrong, I love nursing and I have enjoyed my job. But I haven't felt that fulfilling feeling that I am where I need to be at this point in life.

 

However, we live in a modern world where most women are the bread winners and the home and family have been put on the back burner. With both parents working, who has the time to focus on important things like family dinners and the emotional development of our children? Perhaps that's why we have so many crazy/disturbed people running around shooting children. It's so sad. Note: I am not judging those who have no choice but to work in order to provide for their families. I was raised by a single Mom so I understand that world. Please don't be offended if that is your situation. As for my situation, we have forgotten what's important and our priorities were perhaps focused on all the wrong things. Josh and I have talked about this for a while now and it always comes down to: are we willing to give up the wonderful life that having lots of money provides? For a while we both decided, No. Money is nice.... okay, let's get serious.... money is great! I have LOVED all my shopping sprees, Starbucks Lattes, eating out at restaurants, investing in the stock market, and paying off our second car because we are both weirdo's and absolutely hate debt.

 

Nevertheless, money doesn't buy happiness.

 

No amount of cute clothes can make up for the fact that I miss my baby. Not even owning the titles to ten cars could take away the feeling that I'm not giving my husband enough.

 

It has been a struggle.

 

And then Prince Charming gave me the surprise of a lifetime! He told me to turn in my two weeks notice because his birthday present to me this year is to quit my job and be a stay at home mom!

 

 

Oh how I love that man!

 

It has been stressful figuring out private insurance and planning out a budget for this new life we are about to embark on, but we couldn't be happier! I am so excited to finally be the wife and mother I haven't had the time or energy to be! 14 is my lucky number, and so far in 2014, I'm feeling like the luckiest girl in the world :).

 

A Little Love Story for Valentines Day

I had my first experience of actually breaking down into tears at work last week. I am a very emotional person and the nursing field gives you plenty of moments that require emotional breakdowns, but you have to hold it in and keep it together. I mean, if the nurse is crying, then we are all in trouble! Call it a moment of weakness.... and it is probably one of those "you just had to be there" kind of stories. But I'll share anyways and you be the judge.

I was in the ICU, dialyzing a 75 year old man who to my knowledge was doing pretty good! He was awake, alert, and oriented. His vital signs were stable without the help of a Levophed IV drip. And within minutes of me walking into his room, he was my little buddy and we were chatting away about my baby, his "babies," my husband's job, his retirement life, his previous career, and how we both live in the same community in Henderson! It was a pretty good Saturday morning, besides the fact that he wanted breakfast and I wouldn't let him have any until his treatment was over (I promise there were medical reasons for it and I'm not just a mean, food depriving tyrant).

Then his son walked in. This was an anxious, constantly moving with nervous energy, gives you the creeps kind of guy. He introduced himself, contaminated my sterile field with his Starbucks Latte, and then proceeded to tell his father that it is time to die. No, I wish I were joking.

I watched with horror as I listened to the son communicate to his father that he will never get better, he will never make it home to his wife, and he will never get a chance to once again drive his electric scooter to the casino and play his favorite penny slot machine. I could see my buddy's face go from one of happy peace, to that of sudden confusion and sadness. He kept asking his son why he wouldn't be able to get better and what would happen if he just decided to die? I was at a loss and couldn't believe what I was witnessing. I was about to stand up and tell the son that dying isn't that easy. It's not like you just suddenly say, "I'm going to die today," and get on with it! I was also going to educate him on his father's progress and current status when in walked his family doctor and the rest of the family.

I could tell this was all planned out just by the lines the doctor was feeding his patient and suddenly the thought occurred to me that this man must have a lot of money. Why else would all these people be trying to talk him into dying??? Later my suspicions were confirmed when I reported all of this to the primary nurse. "OH  YEAH, HE'S LOADED!" she told me.

Okay, here's the part where I couldn't hold it in any longer. Throughout this whole terrible charade, his wife stood in the background with her head down, gripping her cane so tightly her hand was turning white. Then, upon her son's command, she slowly walked up to the side of the bed and grabbed her sweetheart's hand. She gently stroked his hand and wiped away his tears, and then told him that she can't stand to see him like this and that he is not the kind of man to just lie in a hospital bed.

"We don't know with assurance if you will ever get to come home, sweetheart. There are many horrible ways to die and I don't want to see you get to that point. What could be better than quietly, and peacefully falling asleep and not waking up?" she said.

 

"Loving you" he replied.

 

That's it, I was done for. The flood gates had opened. I tried my best not to show it by staring out the window and trying not to sniffle, which turned out to be futile when he then continued with, "I don't want to be a burden to anyone, so if you want me to, honey, I will stop trying to get better."

 

I could see the love in his eyes as he sincerely offered to end his life if it would make his soul-mate happy. It seriously felt like I was on stage with Romeo and Juliet.

 

My thoughts turned to my own soul-mate and I suddenly understood the insanity of the situation. Would I want to watch the love of my life suffer in a hospital bed for months? No, the thought of it kills me. Would I end my own life if it meant bettering the life of the man of my dreams? Yes, without a second thought. 

 

I was grateful to be a witness to this bittersweet moment because it once again helped me remember what is important in life.    LOVE.

 

When the family left and the treatment had ended, I went to my friend's bedside and proceeded to pull his needles and check his vital signs. While I was doing that, I talked to him about what had just happened and added my own two cents to the situation. I told him he had options and to not feel pressured into doing something he doesn't want to do. I told him about Home Health and Hospice Care and the positive attributes that both could bring to his situation. I couldn't leave without knowing that he had been appropriately educated.

 

Are you crying yet? Or are you thinking "Umm, okay, that was a stupid story." Maybe becoming a Mom has made me too soft.... I don't know. But I am happy to report that I stopped by my friend's bedside on Monday and he was still alive and kicking! So maybe something I said stuck with him? I would like to think so :).

 

Happy Valentines Day everyone! May you love as passionately as you are capable, and be loved as powerfully as you deserve.

My two loves with their giant pink Valentines cookies. Since Austin is too young to eat his, we all benefit from this tradition!



Grandma and Grandpa R's visit

Josh's Mom and Step-Dad came to visit for the past five days and we had a great time! They helped us out a ton by babysitting while Josh and I went to work and Austin loved it! He really loves them, especially Grandpa Steve. He couldn't stop giving him kisses!

Austin's version of kisses is basically him putting his mouth on your face and slobbering but it is so sweet you can't help but love it!

 Grandma R. taught Austin all sorts of fun stuff, like sticking your tongue out and spitting everywhere (thanks Grandma) and now he does it all the time! She basically held him the entire five days they were here so now he thinks he should be held all the time and doesn't want to play on the floor with his toys anymore. He's going to have to get over that one though because this Momma has got to get some stuff done! I actually got to go to Relief Society this week because I had Grandma there to help me. He gets so awnry when he doesn't get his nap which makes it very difficult to stay for the full three hours of church. Since I was recently called as the Visiting Teaching Supervisor, I really need to actually be there during Relief Society so we have some fun battles coming our way.

Grandma claims he gets his blonde hair and blue eyes from her. They definitely do look related so maybe she's right!

We did a lot of fun stuff while they were here. They babysat so Josh and I could go to my Mom's Birthday dinner at Red Lobster baby-free! I actually got to eat my dinner!! I also got to have a special "Me Day" thanks to Grandma. I went to the gym for 2 1/2 hours and didn't have to worry about a thing! It was so nice! When I got back, Janis took Austin and I out to lunch. We introduced her to Pho Soup, which she loved and then stopped for diet cokes on our way home. I have come to have a special relationship with my Mother-in-law and I am so grateful I married into such a beautiful family.

 

The 49'ers played Seattle in the Playoffs this past week so we had a little football party. It got cut short by my Mom's Birthday dinner but luckily there were TV's in the bar at the restaurant so Josh got to watch the end of the game. Sadly, the 49'ers lost :(. But secretly I am happy because Josh said he wants to go to the Superbowl if his team wins and that would mean forking out a good 7,000 dollars give or take, so thanks Seahawks!

Football, Diet Pepsi, and a handsome Hubby. Life is good!

Everyone had their 49'er gear on! Baby Kaepernick was sleeping or he would have been there wearing his jersey too!

Good food, good company, good times! Now I'd call that a successful week ;).

Milestones: 6 Months Old

Is it strange to love someone to the point of wanting to constantly squeeze him to death? That's the urge I am always getting nowadays and when I asked around, the rest of my family concurred. To say this little man is loved is an understatement.

At Six Months:

- He says Da-da constantly. If he's happy, he screams Da-da! If he's sad, he cries Da-da :(. If he just feels like babbling, you can bet he is continuously repeating Da-da-da-da. The word Ma-ma is no longer in his vocabulary. It's like the word has completely slipped his mind! Josh loves it.

- I love getting him up in the morning because he is so happy and for some reason he likes to whisper while I'm getting him ready. I'm not sure where he learned it but it is too cute for words! So we have little whispering conversations about how we slept and what we dreamed about ;). Usually he just whispers "da-da" but I get what he's trying to say. Love it!

- He is wearing size 3 diapers now and weighs 17 pounds! That is over double his birth weight!

- To our delight, he is getting really good at taking naps, morning and afternoon!

- He is fascinated with his feet and loves to grab them and try to put them into his mouth, especially when he is wearing his monkey feet jammies. He has never been a flexible baby so it is funny watching him grunt and try so hard. He even rocks his legs back and forth to gain momentum for the task. It's so cute when you change his diaper and he helps you by grabbing his feet for you :).

-He has learned that when we pull into the alley behind our house we are almost home and he instantly stops crying. Smart kiddo!

- He was introduced to solid food for the first time and also had his first ear infection, both of which were previously written about.

-He LOVES his Daddy! When Josh comes home, Austin gets super excited and starts hyperventilating and flailing his arms all over the place with his big cheesy smile. Once Dad picks him up he gives him hugs and big slobbery kisses. It makes me smile but I also feel a slight tinge of jealousy since I am never met with the same greeting when I come home.

Still has those baby blues!

had fun at the park for the first time! We love how warm Nevada winters are :).

Always so curious

completely enthralled by everything around him

loves to smile :)

little football

Dad and Grandpa LaFeber got him his first pet! He loves Harley the beta-fish.

Sticks out his tongue when he smiles, I can't get enough of it!

Grandpa's little Harley man!

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm....

As a parent you are constantly getting comments and advice.... wanted and not wanted. But mostly not wanted:

- "He's almost 6 months old and you haven't given him solid food yet?!"
- "Let me guess, you are strictly breastfeeding because it makes you skinny, right?"
- "When I was raising my kids in the 1950's we were told to give solids at 3 months old, so what are you waiting for?!"
- "We were always told to give our babies bottles of water, where's the water??? You're going to dehydrate that poor boy!"
- "In my Mexican culture we always give our babies chicken noodle soup as an introduction to solids. Try that!"
- "My friend has a baby the same age and her Pediatrician already has her giving bottles of juice and baby food! Why aren't you doing that?"

And on and on and on....... Ugh!

I appreciate that loving place that all those comments came from, but I really hate the fact that everybody thinks they know more than we do! Yes, this is our first baby.... but come on people, back off!

Anyways, now that I've ranted a bit, I'll continue my story.

Josh and I agreed that we wouldn't introduce solid foods to Austin until he was six months old and when we did that, it would only be rice cereal because rice poses the smallest risk of developing a food allergy. There was one time that Austin kept trying to steal the pickle I was eating so I gave it to him and his face was hilarious. He didn't like it, but he couldn't stop sucking on it! And then there was another time when I was eating ice cream in bed (surprise, surprise) and Austin wanted a bite too! So I gave him the tiniest taste and he was definitely not a fan. But besides that, we stuck to our guns. Then came the constant comments and the stress set in. What if we really are starving him? What if they actually do know what they're talking about because they are seasoned parents? So we did it, we broke down and gave Austin his first solid meal at 5 1/2 months.

His face says it all! The poor boy hated it. And after only swallowing two or three bites, he was over it.

So then came more advice.

- "Mix it with applesauce or mashed fruit to make it taste better!"
- "Put the rice in his bottle with the milk to get him used to it."

We did all those things and sadly it was still like a baby torture session. He literally gags and starts dry heaving the second the spoon touches his lips. He was even shivering and dry heaving long after we stopped trying!

Then, suddenly Austin stopped sleeping at night. He acted totally happy and content during the day and then as soon as it was bedtime, he would only sleep an hour at a time and then be awake crying. Either he was getting payback for us giving him something other than milk, or there was something wrong. So yesterday I took him to the pediatrician and it turns out that he has a double ear infection. I was always told that babies who have ear infections are not fun to be around and are constantly crying and pulling at their ears. So this came as a surprise! But we were relieved to find the reason for his sudden sleep pattern change. The doctor prescribed Amoxicillin and children's Tylenol for the next ten days and since Austin has always taken his Tylenol and Vitamin D drops like a champ, I didn't think there would be any problems.

Boy was I wrong!

He is now traumatized and refuses to open his mouth for anything but breast milk. I felt like a horrible villain trying to pry his mouth open so I could give him the medicine and then wanted to cry as he choked it down. We tried putting it in a bottle with breast milk and he caught on right away... little smarty pants.

Why did we listen to people? Why did we let those snide little comments linger in our minds and cause us to second guess our previous convictions? Now we have a sick baby who refuses to take his medicine. I talked to the doctor about it and she said "He must not be ready for solids yet so don't give him any more until he starts reaching for the food you are eating and acting like he is hungry for more than milk." She then proceeded to lecture me on giving babies solids before they are six months old which is all stuff I already knew.... so frustrating!

So I have some advice myself for all you new parents out there:

Do your research and go with your gut. Don't let other people sway your decisions because, believe me, they will try! You and only you know your baby better than anyone else and don't let your lack of experience make you feel inferior.

Okay, I am done now. Sorry if this hurt anyone's feelings.

Date Night

Going on a date when you are childless is easy. Your husband comes home, you look each other lovingly and passionately into the eyes, and you say, "Let's go on a date!" Yup, it's that simple.

Going on a date when you have a baby is not so easy. Your husband comes home, he looks at you still in your pajamas while you look at the bags under his eyes, and you say, "Wanna go on a date?" and he says, "Actually, I was thinking we could just stay home and relax." and then you sigh with relief because if he had said yes, you would have had to put clothes on and go do something with your hair.

At least that's how it is at our house.

So what was once a weekly, sometimes daily occurrence, is now a special event.

Josh took us out to dinner the other night and all three of us had a great time! It was nice to get out of the house as a family and do something. We decided to go eat at Chili's because it's close and it's yummy. Austin did great in his seat playing with toys and checking out his surroundings while we ate dinner. That is, until the creepy waiter starting getting up in his face... then he wasn't so happy.

I love my little family and I love doing things together. Austin is becoming such a fun, interactive baby and we get a lot of attention with him around :).

Here's to a great date night, and many more to come!

No Jammies today!

The fam at dinner

Life is good :)

Christmas 2013 and Ringing in the New Year!

Christmas 2013

This was Austin's first Christmas and despite the lack of time, it was great! The Sunday before Christmas we went over to Grandma Helm's house and celebrated with her. My Uncle Kenneth was there as well so he got to meet Josh and Austin for the first time. It was a lot of fun! We hung out and talked and then went to the Railroad Pass Casino to eat dinner. Austin has become much easier to take places now that he is so interested in his surroundings. This means I actually get to EAT the food that I order when we go out now! Grandma just loves Austin and he thinks she's pretty great too :). He loves cuddling with her and becomes a little flirt when she holds him. After dinner we opened presents at Grandma's house which is always a lot of fun because she spoils us rotten!

"Grandma can we open presents yet?"

Meeting Uncle Ken for the first time

Yay!! New toys!

 

Great Grandma has all sorts of fun things to play with.

Mommy and Austi rocking our stripes!

 

I had to work Christmas Eve so Josh and Austin spent that evening alone watching football :(. But Christmas morning we all woke up early and went downstairs to see what Santa had brought! We were in a bit of a time crunch because we had to drive out to Logandale to eat lunch with my parents and grandparents so we didn't have much time to play with our new toys but it was still a really fun moment watching Austin play and drinking Egg Nog that for some reason had chunks floating in it even though it was brand new and not expired (well, Josh drank it and I almost puked but it was all good).

Our sleepy baby on Christmas morning

Playing with the wrapping paper

Dad opening up his stocking gifts

Mom with her crazy bed-hair checking out her stocking

Baby playing with his new toys!

After that we got ready and headed out to my parent's house for some more fun! We ate a yummy lunch/dinner, opened more presents, and had a great time talking and catching up with family.

Opening up more presents with Grandma

I love my little family so much!

playing with Great Grandma Wiegel

Family is the best!

Auntie Sadie



Auntie Briana

Playing Wheel of Fortune on the Playstation after eating wayyy too much food!



We drove home later that night very full, very happy, and very tired. It was an exhausting Christmas but it was totally worth it!

 

New Years Eve/Day

2013 has been an insane year for us. We moved from North Carolina to Nevada, were homeless for a while, built a house, had our first baby, Josh has had 2 different jobs, I have struggled with juggling my job and my new calling as a mother, and we bought a second car and came sooooo close to getting it all paid off by the end of the year (dang it). We have laughed and we have cried. We have enjoyed all of our family and there have been days when we have wished we lived far far away from them. If I could sum up the year in one word, I would say it was CRAZY. Every day was its own adventure and for two people who are anal about stability, it has been one of the most challenging years of our lives. But it has also been a year of so much growth and so much love. Who knew that two kids in their 20's could accomplish so much in one year? We sure didn't!

 

I had to work on New Years Eve so, again, I missed out on all that fun. My Mom, sisters, and cousin Jessica stayed the night at our house and rocked New Years Eve with Josh and Austin. They played board games, ate snacks, and watched the ball drop in NYC. I made it home by 11:30pm, just in time to ring in the new year! We went outside for a few minutes and watched the fireworks go off on the strip and then it was off to bed for this party bunch.

This man is ready for 2014!!

New Years Day was a "girls day". Josh watched Austin while we girls went to Starbucks and sat out on the deck there and talked while we soaked up the sun and drank our yummy drinks. Then we went to a nail salon and got pedicures! It was so fun and so nice to just hang out with my girls! We ate Pho soup for lunch at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant and then everybody headed home :(. Josh and I spent the rest of the night watching movies and recovering from the holidays.

 

I never make New Years resolutions because I know I won't ever keep them but this year is different. I am ready.

 

1) I am going to exercise every week and tone up my body. I can't promise it will be every day but at least 2-3 times/week. I am 17 pounds lighter than I was before I got pregnant with Austin but none of that is muscle so it is time for me to get back on that treadmill and get my booty into shape! Josh also wants to be in on this resolution so we are going to have to figure out the best way to get both of us to the gym when we have a 5 month old at home wanting constant love and attention. It's not as easy as it sounds.

 

2) We are going to strive to be more spiritual. That means going to church every week (even if it interferes with nap time), doing personal scripture study daily, and getting back into the groove of having a weekly family home evening.

 

3) I'm not going to bridle my passions just because I am scared of the unknown. I am the type of person who likes consistency. I stick with the same job because it is something I know and I am good at it. However, is it something that I am passionate about? Hmmm..... maybe it's time for a change. We will see!

 

Speaking of changes, I cut my hair! A new year calls for a new hair do ;)

We welcome 2014 with open arms and hope that it will bring with it love, joy, and excitement (but only the good kind).