Happy Easter!

Well, maybe it would be a little more happy if I didn't have a little 2 year old sick with the stomach flu.  Poor little Adam woke up puking this morning.  Poor little guy.  He doesn't get sick that often so when he does, he just feels so bad.  I think he mostly feels bad that he's making a mess all over the place.  I'm trying not to stress him out about it but also trying to keep it contained to areas that are washable, so as a result, he is currently sleeping on his mattress (which we put on the floor) with just a towel covering it and blankets on him.  And I am doing a lot of laundry loads consisting of towels and blankets. :)  Ahh, the joys of being a parent!  Actually, so far it hasn't been that bad.  It could be loads worse for sure.  He is content to just sleep for the moment and I don't have to hold him (which is good because he smells gross), and he's ok being quarantined in his room.  All I have to do is go in there when he cries and clean him up,comfort him and help him get a drink.  Then he goes back to sleep.

So while Brent and Emma are at church, I have loads of time to myself in between puke cleanups.  So today I'll use it to catch up on the ole blog.  There's a lot more to catch up on than what I feel like writing in a single post, so I will attempt to do multiple posts.  Some things that have been going on around here include:

Planting a Garden (see below)

Trying to stay healthy (this encompasses a lot of things)

Brent's new job

Kiddos getting cuter/bigger (especially Emma, been taking lots of pictures)

Lots of Pumping (still)

I hope with in the next few days (weeks? months? years?) I can write a little about each.  I'm really bad when it comes to journal writing and I really need to get better but there are a TON of other things that also NEED to get done as well.  Too bad I don't have a clone or a robot to do some of the other things (like cleaning my bathroom) that keep getting put off as well.  Anyway, I'll write about this week at least and see where it goes from there.

This week was pretty normal, nothing too exciting going on, but one fun thing was Brent's dad came to visit on Tuesday evening.  He's been working in Phoenix a couple days a week since August (yeah, flying back and forth from LA to Phoenix each week) and so every now and then he drives down to Tucson in the evening to see his kids and grandkids.  Adam loves all his Grandpas so he really loves when any of them come to visit.  And we love to have Grandpa Westwood visit.  It's nice to see him a little more frequently.  

All tuckered out
after  pictures

Yesterday we went to the park and Janny took some family pics for us.  I think they turned out pretty good. I will post them when she's done editing them.  She really does a good job.  We went out to eat and In-N-Out with them afterwards.  It was fun.  

When we got home, the kids took a nap and Brent did some work in the garden while I played Easter Bunny.  Growing up we always did the Easter baskets and egg hunts on Saturday.  I think this was my parents' way of helping us focus on the real meaning of Easter on Sunday.  I think we will carry on this tradition with our family.

 So yesterday I hid a dozen eggs with little candies in them (I probably should have used raisins or fishy crackers instead) and put the baskets out with little toys for the kids.  Well, the idea was that after the naps, we would do the egg hunt.  Adam woke up first and saw the baskets and "hidden" eggs and couldn't wait for Emma to wake up so we did the egg hunt without her.  Which was no big deal because she's too little anyway.  Adam was so proud of himself for finding all the eggs.  And it was so
cute because every time he found one, he would open it, eat one of the candies, then give the other two to me and Brent.

Maybe that's why he's sick.  Too much Easter candy?  He had fun playing with his cars the rest of the day.  Fast forward to Sunday Evening.  Emma now is puking but she doesn't seem to have it as bad as Adam (fingers crossed).  She's all giggles and smiles.  Anyway, she looked cute in her little Easter outfit.

Peanut Butter and Honey

Image Source

     I think I am definitely on the downhill side of this whole morning sickness thing.  I still feel gross most of the day but it's a less severe kind of gross.  My biggest problem is that I feel like I have a ping pong ball stuck in my esophagus somewhere above my stomach.  I don't know what it means or what it is but it's driving me crazy!  I would feel much less nauseous if it weren't there.  Maybe I have some sort of weird acid reflex or something, I don't know.  I just wish it would go away.

     Anyway, I have been noticing that I can eat more of the foods that I couldn't tolerate a few weeks ago.  It's weird because last time I was pregnant, it took a good 4 or 5 months to get there and I am only 13 weeks now.  So one of the things I couldn't stand when I was pregnant with Adam was peanut butter.  Which is sad because my favorite sandwich is PB&J.  Also, my favorite chocolate candy is Reese's Peanut Butter cups (I couldn't eat chocolate with Adam either, so that was sad too).  But I have found that I can eat peanut butter now (if it's not in large quantities) but for some reason, I don't have the appetite for PB&J.  However, the other day I started craving peanut butter and honey sandwiches.  Maybe it's the sugar in the honey that I crave, but I eat at least two of them at lunch (I am eating one right now).  And I just love my little Fuzzy Wuzzy honey container.   You know, the ones shaped like a bear.  We called it Fuzzy Wuzzy when we were little.  I always say the poem to Adam when I make my sandwich...

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Bear.

Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.

Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he? 

AND I craved some M&M's the other day, and today I ate a Reese's Peanut Butter cup!  The only thing that still grosses me out to even think about is chicken enchiladas, which was the first thing I couldn't eat with this pregnancy.  I want to puke just thinking about it so I will eat another bite of my PB&H sandwich.

I really don't have much energy these days.  I am SO exhausted at the end of the day and I hardly do anything.  But I think today I will attempt to go to the Scout store and Costco.  After I eat lunch of course.  We will see how it goes.  I hope it's not too much for my little pregnant body to handle.  I know, I'm being a big baby.  But I have noticed a connection between how I feel and how much I do during the day.  I feel better when I'm lazy.  But I don't like being lazy.

I think I need another sandwich.

Adam's Words

I'm still pretty sick, however I think the worst of it is over (I hope).  But I just wanted to share some highlights from this week that cheered me up a little.  Most of my time is passed laying on the couch watching Adam play and use his imagination.  He has quite an imagination.  He loves to talk on the phone (or more accurately, he loves to push the buttons).  But he pretends to talk on the phone.  He says, "hi" and "hello" or at least I think that's what he's saying.  But when he doesn't have a phone to play with, he is pretty inventive.  He's used several things in place of a phone, such as: a hot wheels car, a phone charger, a mega block, a block of wood, a puzzle piece and basically anything that fits in his hand and is rectangle-ish in shape.

He has some other words that he says, though most of the time he says them when he wants to, which is not very often.  But the other day, he actually used his words to communicate.  One of his words is "bissy" (fishy).  We were eating lunch and he pointed to the goldfish crackers and said "bissy!"  I thought it was a one time thing, but he did it again!  And again!  I was so proud of him.  He ate lots of goldfish that day.

Another word he says is "buh" (bird).  Today he spent a good 10 or 15 minutes looking out the window at the birds and saying. "Buh!  Buh!"  It was cute.  He can also say "bear" and "ball" but they sound so close to "bird" that I have to pay attention to what he's doing in order to know which one he is saying.  The other word he is really good at saying is "uh oh."  Though he says it more like, "ee ooh." He recognizes many other words and sentences but just hasn't figured out how to say them yet.  He finds other ways to communicate though.  It just makes me so happy to watch him learn and figure things out.  He's a little smarty pants.  He's learning how to color too.  Unfortunately we only have pens and markers so we don't color as often as I would like, but when I get feeling better, I want to get him a pack of jumbo crayons, a coloring book and some play-doh.  I'm sure he'll try to eat them but who hasn't eaten play-doh before?  I think it's required to be a kid.  That and glue, which I'm sure he will also try eventually.  He's quite the explorer.  But until then, I guess blocks, cars and books will have to do, which he loves anyway.  He doesn't know what he's missing but he's such a good little boy.  I just love him to pieces.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

I am writing this post because I have mixed emotions right now.  Plus, It's been a month since my last post.  It's not like nothing has happened in my life, in fact, much has happened in the last month.  It's just I've been too sick to do anything the past few weeks so I haven't written anything.  But enough is enough.  I need to make an entry, sick or not sick (actually it would be sick, because I feel pretty yucky right now).  So I've been sick for about a month now.  I don't have a cold, or the flu, however that's how it started out.  What I have is a lot more "serious" than that.  A month ago, I began to suspect something was up.  I went to the doctor (I almost had to crawl in there because I felt so bad) but it was confirmed what I have.  There is no treatment for it.  I just have to suffer for the next few months and hope things get better.  Actually, the doctor told me that I can expect to be all better sometime around September 6.  If you haven't guessed by now, the good news is that I'm expecting!  YAY!  We are hoping to welcome another child into our family around the beginning of September.  We are way excited.  That being said, part of me is way NOT excited to go through all the "morning sickness."  Which is why I feel so yucky.  With Adam, it was pretty bad.  I also had to work, which made it worse.  With this one, luckily I don't have to work but MAN!  It's literally taking everything out of me.  At the end of January, things were so bad I literally couldn't get off the couch.  It got so bad that I needed medication to help with the nausea.  It doesn't take it away, but I think it helps a little.  The only thing that makes it go away is sleeping, which is hard to do because for some reason, I just can't sleep no matter how tired I am.  They say that every pregnancy is different.  I would say that's accurate.  I thought I knew what to expect, seeing as how I've gone through it before, but I didn't quite expect this.  Before, I could sleep anywhere, anytime.  I could eat something and I would fell better for a little while.  This time, I can't sleep, and when I eat it just takes away the hunger, not the nausea.  It is a constant battle to just get through the day.  I am physically and emotionally drained.  I am sick of being sick!
Ok, enough of the "woe is me."  There are some things I do to try to keep a good perspective, which is really hard, but what else can I do?  So I try to think of the future, and the good that will come from all this suffering.  I am creating a life!  What a miracle!  To think about the super fast rate of development that is happening with our child...no wonder I fell so sick!  It's not anything simple.  But it will be totally worth it.
At least I don't have to work!  That is a HUGE blessing right there.  I would probably die if I had to work.  I am so grateful to my wonderful husband for his willingness to work to support our family, and I am grateful for his job that provides us with the things we need.
Another thing that makes it easier is my little Adam.  Oh how I miss playing with him and taking him outside.  But I am blessed that he is for the most part, independent enough that I don't have to entertain him much.  I can just lie on the couch and watch him play and use his imagination.  It's very cute and makes me happy.  I love him so much.
Brent is doing a very good job too.  I count the hours until he comes home every day.  His willingness to help me out is very much appreciated.  I know it's hard for him to work so hard every day and then have to come home and help out here, but it means so much to me.  He is such a sweetheart and a good daddy.  I love him very, very much.
I have family that helps out too.  I don't know what I'd do without them.  The other day my dad came over to play with Adam.  He was so happy to have his grandpa there!  It meant a lot to me that Adam had someone he could play with.  He loves his grandpa!  My mom came to help too.  It was such a relief to have her here, and I didn't have to worry about Adam.  I could just rest and not think about it.  My sisters come and clean, and my brother came and spent some quality time with Adam too, which was very nice.  I know Adam enjoyed playing with his uncle.
A few weeks ago, Brent's mom and her husband Mark came for a visit from Idaho.  Adam loves his grandma and grandpa Waldram.  They were so sweet and kind and I felt bad that I was so sick and no fun, but it meant a lot that they were there.  I know they made sacrifices to come and I really appreciated it.
When I feel really bad, I just think to myself, "at least I don't have to cross the plains in a handcart."  The pioneers had it tough.  I don't know if I would have been strong enough to do it.  I am grateful for their sacrifices which directly influenced my life, because many of my ancestors (and Brent's) were pioneers and had to cross the plains.  I just cringe when I think about all those poor ladies who were pregnant and still crossed the plains.  Some of them losing children and husbands on the way.  They did it because they saw the bigger picture and they knew it would be worth it in the end.  I often think of the hymn, "Come, Come Ye Saints."  It's a pioneer hymn which was written to give encouragement to those crossing the plains.  One verse goes like this:

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
'Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward
if we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we'll have this tale to tell-
All is well!  All is well!

 This verse keeps running through my head.  Especially the part that says, "Why should we think to earn a great reward  if we now shun the fight?"  We can't expect God to bless us if we do nothing and give up and run away from our problems.  God is willing to bless us but we must do all we can do and He will do the rest.  You see this many times in stories from the pioneers.  There were many miracles that happened along the way.  And if we can prove that we are faithful, all will be well in the end.

I want to share and experience that strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father will bless us when we put forth our own effort to do all we can.

A few days ago, before bed, I was feeling very,very sick.  All I wanted was to go to bed and sleep.  But I felt horrible.  I ate something hoping to feel better, but it didn't help.  I took some medicine, but still felt horrible.  I even read my scriptures but I still felt sick.  So I said a prayer.  I told Heavenly Father that I had done all I could do and asked if He could do the rest.  I just wanted to sleep!  Immediately after I closed my prayer I had to throw up.  I ran to the bathroom, tossed my cookies, and felt much better.  After I brushed my teeth (again), I got into bed and fell asleep right away.  I felt much better the next day and I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who cares about me and answers my prayers.  I am still sick, but I know all will be well if I don't give up and if I do all I can do and stay close to my Heavenly Father.  I know it will be worth it in the end.