The Bell Family

IS IT FALL YET???

2011-08-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

I am so so so ready for the Fall. I’m 100% over summer. We are in a serious drought…and it’s just too stinkin’ hot and yuck outside. I’m ready to smell the fresh Fall air…be able to sit outside and actually enjoy our new backyard (neighbors cat using our lawn and sons sandbox as a litter box aside) and just feel the shift of the seasons. Maybe even a little rain!

I've been seriously missing in action in the blogging world. Chasing around two kids, Photoshopping during nap and bedtimes, taking care of all the mommy duties around the house and still finding time to get an occasional work out in and some much needed date nights is TOUGH! I LOVE IT...but it's tough! ;)

While we were down in Phoenix this weekend for some photo shoots, I was introduced to this darling little vid from MrArturoTrejo's Channel on YouTube. This is totally how my son talks!! Thought this was super clever and had me laughing almost to the point of tears! Enjoy :D

Security...

2011-06-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

Wyatt is quickly approaching the age of two and of the 7 hours he's awake everyday (do I really have room to complain?) his "witching hour" just before bedtime is my least favorite! Usually when I open the door to Wyatt's bedroom, I hear an "uh-oh!" from underneath a mound of security blankets, security cars, security trucks, security stuffed animals...

A mound does not even begin to describe what is happening in this kid's crib! He thinks he's supposed to be attached to every blanket his Grandma Patti made him (there's 3...even though one of them was supposed to be a "loaner", it ended up being his #2 fav blanket followed by the one she made him to replace his all time favorite blanket on wash days) and to every car he owns. So now when we pick him up, we have to name all 3 blankets, 72 cars and 4 stuffed animals he slept with overnight before he'll even think about getting out of bed.

"Uh?" (as he points with his pudgy little finger to the truck in his hand)

"Yep. That's your white monster truck!" (you have to name the color too...)

"Uh?" (as he picks up blanket #1)

"Oooh! That's blankie!"

"Uh??" (as he picks up blanket #2)

"WOW! Two blankies?? Somebody must love you!"

"Uh, Uh!!!?"

"THREE BLANKIES??" WYATT! You are SO LUCKY!"

etc. etc...

Then, when you are all done, he hands them one by one to you until your arms are bursting with miscellaneous toys and then he puts his arms up and wants to get out. Growing a third arm would be very useful at this point because I'm certain Houdini couldn't even figure out how to juggle toys while helping a child out of his crib!

We had to become pretty creative during playtime last month, since Steve was out of town quite a bit. Wyatt counts on daddy time at night to help him get all his wiggles out and pent up energy that mom can't quite help him with (I'm a clumsy person by nature and in most cases one of BOTH of us end up hurt...lol). So, we made a lot of blanket forts and had a LOT of bath times ;)

I just can't believe how quickly he's growing! He's starting to loose that toddler look and is looking more and more like a big boy! LOVE HIM!!

Kisses for the duckie! xoxo

Wyatt LOVES his cousins!

2011-02-20T18:43:00.001-08:00

18 Months

2011-02-18T06:45:00.000-08:00

Wyatt turned 18 months at the beginning of January and I honestly couldn't be more in love with this kid! This age is so freakin' fun!

Where do I even start? Let's see...he only loves to rough house with Steve. His clumsy mother usually ends up hurting him. (Story behind the story: Steve and Wyatt play this game where Steve will toss Wyatt face first onto the back of the couch and then he rolls off the couch and Steve catches him just before he hits the ground and starts it all over again...all the while, Wyatt is laughing so hard he's making little pig snorts! Well, one morning I got Wyatt out of bed and set him on the couch to watch cartoons while I made some breakfast. Well apparently that was his queue to roll OFF the couch...but mom wasn't there to catch him! So he face planted into the carpet and burst into tears with a look on his face like I had totally betrayed him!) He learned quick that if he doesn't want mom to fail the "Trust Fall", then he better save his energy for daddy ;)

He blows me a kiss when I put him down for a nap (I'll take that any day!).

He has probably 40 different cars which he loves AND PLAYS with every single one of them! Quirky part is that he only likes to play with cars of the same style at one time. So, he'll sort through them till he find two that are similar and pushes them around :)

He no longer wants to sit in the grocery cart when shopping...he'd rather push. So I now have to scramble to throw things in the cart or be left in Wyatt's grocery-cart-speeding-dust!

As you can tell, 18 month pics were a little difficult. Wy is always on the go, and isn't really in the mood to stop and say cheese. :)

He LOVES to read. Mostly he likes to point at the pictures and wants you to name off everything he points to. Which used to be easy, cuz I would just say "Yep, truck"...or "That's a duck!"...but if I'm not paying attention and I get it wrong, he totally calls me out on it! Like, mother, must I prove to you how much smarter I am than you all the time?? Get it together!

If we could bottle up his cuteness and sell it...I'm certain we'd be millionaires!

When to take the plunge?

2010-12-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

We scored on a new toddler bed tonight. Couldn't pass it up...but the question now is...

When do we transition Wyatt from crib to bed?

I think it will end up being far more painful for me than for Wyatt...and I should totally just go for it. But, I'm putting the question out there. What's the best method? What worked for you??

2010-12-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

A week ago, Wyatt started walking...on his own!

I know, wait, didn't he start walking months ago? I could have sworn I read a post somewhere...
Well, go figure the kid would make a liar out of me! He's totally known how to walk for the past couple of months, and yet refused to do so. Why? Because this little man is one stubborn little...grrrr. No idea where he gets that from...NOT ME! (anyone that knows me totally rolled their eyes at that moment. I resent that!)

One thing I've noticed about Wyatt, he HATES to fail. Steve and I would cheer and get super excited when he'd walk somewhere and he'd act like that was the reaction he wanted, for all of 5 minutes. Then he'd be all...STOP looking at me! It then became a game. If Steve or I noticed that Wyatt was "practicing" walking, we would notify the other person with some weird noise...nothing too weird as to distract him or let on that we saw what he was doing. We'd just watch him out of our peripheral vision and were only allowed to cheer quietly in our heads.

Along with walking came his new found love of throwing a tantrum. YAY! Have you ever seen that YouTube video where the kid is throwing a tantrum on the floor, so the parents walk in the other room...kid stops crying, finds them in the other room and throws himself on the floor picking up right where he left off without missing a beat? Well, then you know what I'm talking about!

Our child hates the word NO...and it's not like we've even had to use it all that often! I mean, Santa Clause could allow him to flush the toilet endlessly while eating a never ending supply of gold fish. But if Santa says "no", Wyatt's world suddenly falls to pieces!

Wyatt is also at that stage in life where the frustration that results from the inability to communicate through words is slowly driving Steve and I nuts! He wobbles around the house pointing at who knows what and moans. But not just moaning...moaning with a QUESTION MARK at the end! When we don't know what he's pointing at, we start guessing which only makes him moan louder. Except this time some unknown force has tossed his body ten feet across the room causing him to flail his arms and feet about in protest!

It's amazing how a child can be both frustrating and adorable all within the same moment. Wyatt loves to push his toy trucks around the house...one in each hand. But he tends to ditch them at the first sign of anything he deems more interesting. This means there a LOT of trucks scattered about the house...most of which are in my kitchen.

Frustrating = trying to cook dinner and stepping on a toy car!

Adorable = Wyatt stepping on a toy car...but it sticking to his clammy foot, thus causing him to step on it not once, not twice...but THREE TIMES!! All the while crying at this painful discovery! Then, he plucks the toy from the bottom of his foot and tosses it across the room! (OK, I know he got this one from me...I've broken many of his toys after stepping on them and kicking them into the other room in frustration...OOPS!)

I wouldn't trade him for anything in this world. He is the perfect addition to our family!

Family Photos

2010-10-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, the Ashby's came to visit. We took them out to the Gilcrease Orchard in Las Vegas to do a photo shoot with their family and ours. It went really well!! This girls are just darling and have loads of personality!

We are still working on some marketing strategies for our new little photography business. We loved how great Wyatt's pictures turned out (see prior post) that we got to thinking. What if we took some Halloween pictures and approached the orchard about letting us do a mini photo shoot there for their patrons the day before Halloween? Give them a cut of the profits...win for them (they could draw in a bigger crowd and make some extra money) and a win for us (we could take advantage of their huge email fan base and get some free advertising....not to mention some return clients! (hopefully)...and some extra money for us, of course). So we took some pictures of the girls in their Halloween costumes and sent an offer on over to the orchard. I'm really hoping they say yes!!

Later that same day, we got together with Jim and Anne and took some Bell family photos. They too turned out great! It was a great weekend and so much fun to just visit with family :)

New Found Love

2010-10-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Wyatt has found a new happiness in climbing in and/or on things. I'm really bad about keeping my camera handy, so I've only been able to catch a glimpse of what he has really got into. But, the times that I do remember to pull out the camera, he totally hams it up and puts on his Mr. Cheese face.

I LOVE IT!

Laundry baskets beware...this kid will spend minutes at a time climbing in and out...all the while gabbing to anyone that will listen.

Car seat...

Dishwasher...just as quickly as I load the dishes in, he's unloading them and laying them on the kitchen floor for me. Such a helper!

Baskets...

And my personal favorite: He loves to dip...doesn't matter what it is, if he can dip it, we are sure to get at least 20 minutes of peace a quiet. Well, on this particular occasion, I put some sour cream on his tray to see if he liked it. First thing he did was dip his fingers in it and then proceeded to paint his hair...all the while laughing at himself! (I love his expression)

The Zoo!

2010-10-12T12:22:00.001-07:00

I took Wyatt to Tucson last weekend all by myself. He totally surprised me with how well behaved he was! He was only fussy the first 30 minutes of the trip and the last 30 minutes. I swear kids have an internal alarm that lets them know it's time to turn on the fuss when there is such a short amount of time left in the drive!

We went on a little adventure to the zoo in Tucson. It was Wyatt's first time and there was so much, we only got through half of it!

Good thing we're going back in November!

It's Official!

2010-10-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

After squeezing every last second out of nap times, should have taken a shower times, housework is screaming, "these dishes/floors/clothes aren't gonna clean themselves woman!" times and oh so many more....I FINALLY decided to stop ripping my hair out and consider the new website a success...or at least a successful work in progress :)

Rapture Photography is official!
You can now visit us at www.rapturephotographystudio.com.

So please...help us pass on the word! We are just itching to get started!

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

We took Wyatt on Saturday to pick his first pumpkins at a pumpkin patch here in Las Vegas.

He is the PERFECT little subject for photographs :) He had the time of his life!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!

2010-09-23T17:06:00.001-07:00

So I finally came up with the winning name and logo! (drum roll please)...

Rapture - ecstatic joy or delight; joyful ecstasy; an utterance or expression of ecstatic delight.

I think it's PERFECT!

Ideas??...Give 'em to me!

2010-09-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to find some way to make some money this upcoming holiday season, in efforts to continue our current financial goal. So, Steve and I are going to start a teeny tiny little photography...company??...business??...not sure what to call our little venture :)

I've been editing pictures with random programs online the past couple of years and finally agreed to let Steve teach me a thing or two in photoshop. I tell ya, I have no idea why I'm so darned stubborn when it comes to allowing my husband to "teach" me! Maybe it's just because photoshop seemed like such a non-user friendly program compared to the programs I've been using which are virtually idiot proof. Or maybe it's because he's just too knowledgeable about it that I feel overwhelmed when he tries to cram my head full of terms and computer commands and concepts I haven't had to deal with before? Either way, he's been wanting to teach me for some time and until just recently, I'd been putting it off.

I started doing some online tutorials hoping that I would at least have a basic understanding of it before he started his lessons. So far...I think it's gonna be HOT! SOOOOOO many more things you can do in photoshop....so much so that I'd like to slap the past version of myself for being such a stick in the mud and refusing to take my blinders off!

Anyways, I'm certain that there are several families that would LOVE some updated family pictures to use for Christmas...so I thought what better time than now to get things going? I know that Steve won't want to be part of this forever, but lets face it, he's just too darn talented to NOT use! So he's agreed to do the photography part if I'll do the "post work". So I guess I get to create a title for myself...like creative designer?...or photo editor?...something along those lines.

But here's were I am seriously hitting a brick wall....every...and I mean EVERY....name that I've looked up has already been taken! I thought I was being all original by coming up with the name Wink Photography....but apparently 5 other peeps beat me to it. I thought of Rouge Photography, Winkology, Modern Light Photography....taken, taken, TAKEN, so I'm sending out an S.O.S.!

I NEED HELP! I would like a name that is easy to remember, yet soft (if that makes sense). Nobody has used Bell Photography...from what I can find....but someone has used bellphotography.blogspot.com....so that's an out too.

Any ideas? Hey...maybe if you don't live to far away, I can even offer you a free session! Or give you mad props! :)

Thanks everyone for any help you can offer!!

Little Helper

2010-08-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

Today, while I was making the bed, Wyatt decided that he wanted to help Daddy reorganize one of his drawers.

Apparently, he thought everything looked better shoved between the mattress and the bed frame.

I think he's right!

The Birthday Boy

2010-08-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Wyatt,

13 months and 18 days ago...you turned ONE! I know, I'm a bit behind on posting, but it's completely your fault...yep...you consume so much of my day with all your adorableness that there's hardly any time for writing it all down. Excuse? Sure. Am I sorry? NOPE. Your dad and I tell each other every night how rich we could be if we could only find a way to bottle up your cuteness and sell it!

Every morning, when I get you out of bed, you throw your blankie over the crib railing and rattle the bars of your crib in anticipation. You make this sound (much like someone who fills their cheeks up with air and use their pointer fingers to suddenly pop the air like a balloon) and it's the way that you greet EVERYONE! Stranger in the store?...insert sound...Nana in the kitchen?...insert sound...child staring at you in church?...insert sound....seeing your own reflection in the mirror and thinking it's another adorable child just like you?...insert sound!! Totally adorable.

You have already started to form words. You say "ma-ma-ma", "da", "na-na-na", "dat-too" (thank you), "peak-ooo" (peak-a-boo) and of the numbers 1-5 I've been trying to teach you, you only will say "two".

You still have the proverbial "blow out" from time to time (what would a blog post be without some reference to poop?) and the sad/funny part is that you seem to save them for road trips, church, or your personal favorite, Kristen (I'm sure she appreciates that) It's like your own way of telling her how much you appreciate that she took some time out of her busy single life to watch you...as the poop oozes out of the side of your pants and plops on the floor. Don't worry...she keeps coming back. She's quite the trooper...suppose that means she loves you too :)

You are such an active child! You have been crawling all over the place and pulling yourself up to a stand for quite some time now. You even cruise around the furniture and get into anything that is not being closely monitored. You are up and over any obstacle in your way. Our biggest fear was that you would fall down the stairs...so we asked for a safety gate to keep you away from the stairs but before we could even get it installed, you had already taught yourself how to go up AND DOWN the stairs. Genius?? I THINK SO!

Other than some brief, almost unbearably whiny periods when you were cutting teeth (only 4 so far), you are dang near the happiest baby on earth! It's so contagious too! Your dad and I have to bite our lip just to keep from squeezing you too hard when we hug you...all the while you smile and laugh at us like two crazy clowns. Your bluer than blue eyes (and the unique flec of brown in your right eye), along with your adorable laugh that literally sucks everyone you come in contact with in till they are acting like monkeys trying to make you laugh again are just the beginning of a long list of reasons that I love having you in my life! I never knew it, but everyday as I watch you, I realize that you are everything that I ever wanted in life.

To celebrate your first year, we threw a little party. Here are a few photos of your special day.

Happy Birthday Monkey Butt! We love you!!

Love,
"Da" and "Ma-ma-ma"

Happy boy waiting for the party to start.

Burger cake for the birthday boy!
It was SO HOT outside that the icing began to melt!
You looked so stunned and totally focused on the flame.

The mini burgers for your guests.

You cried over when everyone began singing "Happy Birthday" to you :(

My dainty eater...so scared to take a bite!
I had to give you a taste of frosting before you would believe that it was OK to eat!!

Some "sweet" hair gel!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WY WY MAN!!

Solo Mission

2010-07-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt, the best one yet...and I can hardly wait till the 4th one comes out. That's when all the good stuff happens and when the series comes to an end. I soaked up every last minute of the many scenes where Jacob is yet again without a shirt and swooned over Edward and his love for Bella. Mind you, the movie/actors hardly do justice compared to the books...but I love them none the less.

Then I came home to this video...his first SOLO mission!

My baby grew up in the 2 some odd hours I was gone!! I totally cried when I saw this! One, because I missed it! And two, because he's growing just too dang fast! Every day more and more of his personality shines through and if it's possible...I love him more and more! I'm so happy I'm his MOM!

Contagious

2010-06-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit

2010-06-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...the more you eat the more you.....uh, I wish I could say "toot" but apparently that was just wishful thinking.

Beans + More Beans = Mad Dash to the Kitchen Sink!
He liked it so much, I just had to let him stay awhile ;)

Hello? McFly??

2010-06-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't notice, I dropped off the face of the blogging planet for way longer than I thought I had! I totally missed posting anything about Wyatt turning 10 months...and uh, well, now he's 11 months...plus three days!! He's fast approaching 1 and it's odd how in some ways it feels like its all just flown by faster than I can process it all and in other ways it feels like 11 months? That's it??! Feels like 11 years!

Either way, I love being greeted by our little "monkey butt" (as much as Steve hates that I call him that. The other night he said..."you really should stop calling him that." I said, "Why? It totally fits him!" "Have you seen a monkey butt?" he asked, "They aren't cute!"). Every time I go in to get him in the mornings, the moment he sees me he just starts rattling the bars in his crib (much like a MoNkEy! Just sayin') and has this grin from ear to ear! I think he's pretty sad that we put a chewy crib rail protector up...he was getting so close to using his teeth to put the finishing touches on his totem pole ;)

By the end of April, Wyatt totally took me by surprise one morning and totally started crawling! He'd been doing the rockin' thing on his hands and knees forever and then one morning totally put two and two together and off he went!

This video was captured about a week after he started crawling...

Now he crawls and pulls himself up to stand on any and all objects!

On one hand, it's awesome that he's crawling and seeing new things...but on the other hand....well picture me trying to finish the dishes, make dinner and clean up the goldfish that jumped from their home in Wyatt's mouth to their death on my kitchen floor. I put Wyatt on the floor and surround him with toys (to him it's heaven, to me it's a barricade that if used properly will give me a good solid 5 minutes of uninterrupted cleaning time before he realizes I'm not by his side and he comes barreling towards me like a human bulldozer dragging stuffed animals and legos between his legs). Only this time...5 minutes turns into 6 and the internal alarm in my head is going, "WHERE'S THE BABY??!" When he's too quite, it generally means he's found something he's not supposed to have and he's enjoying his time before mommy finds him! I found him in the bathroom...chomping on the toilet seat and splish splashing the toilet water with his hands!! People, I'm clean and all...but even I wouldn't lick a toilet seat no matter how clean I know it is!

Best/Worst part? I yelp, he turns, drops to the ground and crawls to me as fast as his scrawny little limbs will take him, grinning from ear to ear (he knows he's busted) and when I pick him up he goes in for a baby kiss (you know the kind...all slobbery and mouth open)! Cute that he wants to give a kiss, sure, but I totally have toilet slobber on my lips!! BLECK!

2010-05-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

Truths for Mature Humans

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring, but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
20. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.
22. I would rather try to carry 10 over-loaded plastic bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
23. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
25. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?
29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate bicyclists.
31. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
32. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

Take the 'POOP' with you!

2010-04-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

I can't stand it when people let their dogs poop anywhere (as if I don't deal with poop enough as it is!!). Understand that this doesn't bother me if the owner is respectful enough to CLEAN IT UP! But, in our subdivision, these owners seem to have been slapped with the stupid stick and act as if they couldn't possibly fathom picking up after their dog and simply leave them wherever they may fall.

A couple of days a week, when I don't go to the gym, I like to take a jog around the neighborhood with Wyatt in the stroller. There is a long stretch of road, on the outside wall of our subdivision that butts up against nothing but desert. You'd think people would just let their dogs poop on the other side of the street, IN THE DESERT....ah, that would be a NO. Running on the sidewalk is like running through a minefield! The dog logs are just scattered throughout the landscaping AND the sidewalk! I've even been running down the sidewalk, seen an owner patiently waiting while their doggy takes care of business and then walk away!

I was mentioning this frustration to (Anonymous) the other day and (Anonymous) gave me the most brilliant resolution! They have the same kind of offenders in their neighborhood too. They were tired of cleaning the logs out of their lawn, so instead, they take some bacon grease and drizzle it over the abandoned piece of feces. Then, the next dog does the picking up for them! It's genius!!! Granted I'd feel bad if a non-offenders pooch ate one...but I've yet to see a single person pick up after their dog, so I'm certain that only the offenders would suffer with their dogs and their bacon/poo poo breath :)

Belly-Buttons and "China's"

2010-04-07T14:15:00.001-07:00

My Mom and Kristie and her kiddos came to visit for the week last week. It was such a blast! I love having company! Kristie's kids, Bentley and Lyza, seriously make me laugh to the point of tears! They say some of the funniest things!

Kristie was telling me that Bentley is a little more curious about the difference between boys and girls. One day, while changing Lyza, Bentley pointed and asked, "Mom, is that her "wiener"?" Kristie answered, "No, that's her Vagina."

She said he didn't really mention it again until a week later when she was changing Lyza's diaper, but this time he asked, "Mom...is that her......"China"??" Apparently Vagina was too complex of a word for a 3 year old to remember (HA!). I so LOVE that kid!

Bentley has a way of demanding your attention, if he notices that you are giving it to someone else and not to him. This adorable little method is what we like to call "headbutting"!

So, we were up in the loft the other day and my mom was helping me decide what to put on the shelf that my husband made for me. He sees my mom talking to me, so he runs over to her and headbutts her in the crotch! I'm fairly certain that the pain from being hit in the pubic bone/crotch is pretty darn close to the pain a dude may feel when taking a hit to the groin. My mom fell to the floor with a shriek and Bentley, more terrified that Nana was going to be mad at him, covered his eyes and then while peeping through his fingers said, "Ouch.....my head".

I know she was in pain, but I couldn't help it...I LAUGHED....a total fit of laughter complete with a geezer wheeze from the lack of oxygen!!! It was like the slap you silly laughter you get at church when you know you are supposed to be quiet and pay attention but something so stupidly simple takes over all sense of rationality. The first thing that popped into my head was, "Oh! Did you just get a headbutt to the "China"???!!"

Later that day, Bentley saw me changing Wyatt's diaper and so he knelt down beside him and was being so cute trying to get Wyatt to laugh. Then he stops, tilts his head and points. He looks up at me at goes, "Is that Wyatt's belly-button?" "Umm, nope" I said, trying to keep from laughing, "his belly-button is up on his belly...see?"

So, my sons "wiener" was just confused for a belly-button. Should I be worried??? Nah! See...cuz of the "incomplete circumcision", our little Wy guy looks like he's sportin' a mock neck instead of the traditional crew-neck, or even the now fashion forward turtle-neck. ;c)

The innocence of children offered some much appreciated comedic relief that week!!

9 Months

2010-04-05T17:34:00.001-07:00

What used to be our timid, easy going little monkey butt has suddenly morphed into a vocal, squirmy, yet still just as much adorable as ever little 9 month old. If you leave the room (or even step more than 10 feet away) without his permission, he lets out a cry as if the house is on fire and the world as he knows it is coming to an unbearable end. He's just shy of learning to crawl and will get up on his hands and knees and rock (all the while laughing) until he suddenly face plants into the carpet. I filmed him learning to scoot one day about a week and a half ago...and a week later he totally had it mastered and does the army crawl scoot pretty much anywhere you lay him down. He scoots so much now that he's stretched out the neck of a lot of his shirts, dragging his belly across the ground and many times has rendered himself pant-less as he leaves them behind along his journey.

Just last night, after putting him to bed, he was crying a little more than usual, so after 10 minutes or so, I went in...only to find that he'd pulled himself up to his feet with both hands on top of the side rail and had no idea how to get back down. I think this realization scared him so much that it took half an hour to calm him down and let him realize that it's still OK to get back in the crib to get some sleep.

His new found mobility is so exciting, but it's also made him a tad clingier than usual. If you sit next to him to play, he'll use you as a climbing gym over and over again until you get the idea that maybe you shouldn't sit so close!

Teaching him to feed himself has been a riot! I'm pretty sure that I mentioned somewhere earlier that he holds his own bottles...but needs to be on the floor to do so because he hasn't figured out how to tip the bottle to get the liquid. Well, we've now been putting crackers or other small items on his tray. In most cases he'll slap them with his slobbery hands and stare at the piece of food stuck to his palm, in total bewilderment. Then, with his other hand, he'll investigate said food with his tiny little pointer finger until it falls back to the tray...and then it starts all over again! Or, he'll just lean forward and lick the food off the tray. The concept of grabbing the food and bringing it to his mouth apparently has not been discovered yet.

I took Wyatt to the chiropractor the other day as a last pleading measure before I begged that he see a specialist. The subject of "Wyatt's Pooper" is so common now, I'm sure you won't be phased :)

Well...a couple of weeks ago, this is how each and every pooping experience was turning out...

I guess it's just beyond my understanding how any doctor could say that THIS is normal. I mean, each time he'd push, he'd just shriek in pain and it's obvious why! He couldn't get them any further than here. He was at max stretching capacity for his size and I'd have to pretty much push his little bum cheeks together and "pop it like a zit" to help him out! The odd part about it was that we hadn't done anything to change his diet when this happened. He'd been on baby food for months and was getting plenty of formula. We were giving him prune juice on a regular basis and it was taking more and more just to get any results.

The chiropractor mentioned that his son went through some of the same problems. He showed me some stuff to help get things moving and recommended changing his food to homemade baby food instead. We also took him off of formula and put him on rice milk. Can I say NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE!!? No more black and hard little turd balls! Now, it's pretty much the same color and consistence as the food that went in!! Yeah, I'm totally taking a moment to do my happy dance! You have no idea how long we've been battling this issue!! Granted, it's only been about a little over a week that he's been regular...but I don't care! I'm gonna stay positive!! :c)

So, last weekend...we went hog wild making loads and loads of baby food. Another added bonus, no more chasing Wyatt's face around during feedings! The kid has his mouth open and ready for every bite! I can't blame him...have you tasted the baby food you buy in the grocery stores??? It's bitter, bland and hard to make yourself swallow! Now it's sweet, flavorful and there's way more to choose from!

Each morning starts off with some fresh juiced apple juice mixed with some magnesium to help keep water in his intestines. Then he eats some butternut squash, sweet peas, yams, blueberry/apple sauce, banana/orange/kiwi/spinach smoothie, carrots, etc. and a bottle of rice milk each feeding thereafter. He's doing great! He's napping better, and looks as though he has way more energy during the days. I hope this becomes the norm!

Oh Baby, We're Getting Close!!

2010-03-06T22:33:00.001-08:00

Look how close those puppies are to the surface! He's been chomping on just about everything in sight...and I'm sure that any day now (or week) they'll be making their big entrance! Until then, he'll continue to flash his toothless grin to pretty much anyone who will look his way...as always! He just draws people to him and has such a lovable personality! It's so fun to watch how much this kid changes day by day :c)

MoNsTeR - TrUcK - MaDnEsS!!

2010-03-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Our lil Wy guy is officially 8 MONTHS OLD!!

To celebrate, we went to the store and purchased a MoNsTeR TrUcK. He L-O-V-E-S this thing!

You don't have to take my word for it...he'll show you himself!! Take a look!

It's moments like this that I can't get enough of him! I love it!

**The look he gives me at the end when he realizes that I've been recording him...Priceless.**

Awkward...

2010-03-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had those days when it seems like the worlds oddest people (I'm sure they all have sweet spirits) seem to flock to you like clowns to a carnival? Well, today was just that day for me. I needed to make a quick run to Trader Joes, so I threw myself together as best as possible (I've been sick the past couple of days) and dashed on over. I hadn't even finished strapping Wyatt to the cart when a woman approached me and said, "Have I already talked to you? No, I haven't talked to you yet. Um, I'm handing out these fliers about eyebrow threading...I just went and had mine done (she said while stroking her barely there brows) and they even do facial hair. You know, like the stuff you get on your lip (she said while POINTING TO MY UPPER LIP!)"

How do you graciously accept an insult from a woman who looked like that was probably her first ever experience IN a salon?? I just snapped the flier from her cigarette stained fingers, half smiled, and pushed my cart quickly on my way.

I wasn't in the store more than 15 seconds when another woman approached me asking what kind of conditioner I use! Considering I hadn't washed my hair in 2 days....I suppose the correct answer should be Vidal Mother Nature. She just stared at my hair, and I at hers, which looked as if it probably had a few more weeks of grease compared to mine. "Well, whatever it is, you hair looks beautiful." she said.

I hate that the store is so small...it's not like I can just say thanks and avert any reminders of the awkward moment from there on out....no, I have to see her in virtually every tiny aisle I walk down until I'm done! And each time I see her...she has to stop and spend 5 minutes trying to make Wyatt smile or laugh...which he was having NONE OF!

Mind you, these still don't top the cake to probably the oddest moment for me. When I first moved to Vegas, I was riding the bus home from work one day. The bus was completely packed, so you can imagine my surprise when I found a seat next to a woman near the back of the bus. Dude, the smell of that chica could have knocked a buzzard off a port-a-potty!! She just stared at me and continued to stare at me block, after block, after block. Then, outta nowhere, she said, "You have really pretty lips." I turned to look at her and was greeted with a smile from what few teeth she had left in her mouth which were coated in dried lipstick. Then she asked, "Can I use your chap-stick??"

"Derrr....wha?? Umm....I, uh....(uncomfortable cough)...I, uh, Oh! This is my stop...sorry!" It totally wasn't my stop....I had to walk 3 miles in the dead of summer just because I was too weak to say no to a complete stranger who loved my lips and wanted hers to be just as...moisturized? Apparently I didn't earn any street creds that day...darnit. But the carnival of characters I met during my bussin' it days made me a stronger person...or so I'd like to believe. Here in Vegas, I think awkward = normal.

2010-03-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

This has to be one of the cleverest music videos I've seen in quite awhile! Check it out...

2010-02-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

When we were considering names for our little boy and finally settled on the name "Wyatt", I don't think we thought the whole thing through. Very seldom do we actually say his name...instead we refer to his many nicknames, such as:

We know that this is just setting him up for an identity crisis and have honestly been making a solid effort to use his "real" name (whenever we remember to...hehehe). We even cheer when we say his name and he actually turns to look at us, as if he knows we are talking to him....although I'm pretty sure he's just looking in the direction of the familiar voice. We could be rattling off something in Greek and he'd probably still turn and smile at us. Hey! How cool is that? Our little boy understands Greek!!

Wyatt turned 7 months back on the 5th of February. The month before, during his 6 month dr appointment, the doc was worried that he wasn't sitting up on his own, rolling all the way over or reaching for objects...brushing his own teeth, potty trained, applying for work, you know, the basics. She mentioned that if he wasn't doing these things by his 9 month visit, that she would suggest putting him in physical therapy. I seriously had no idea that you are supposed to help teach your child how to do these things (aside from sitting...I was pretty sure I'd need to teach him that...but wasn't expecting him to be doing it as early as 6 months!). I always thought it was just a natural progression...OOPS! So everyday we've worked on sitting up, rolling over, reaching for things...etc. The sad-but-interesting/funny part is that based on the ages my mom entered in my baby book...Wyatt looks like a friggin' genius compared to me! I didn't sit up on my own till I was 9 months...didn't crawl till I was 13 months and was a whopping 17 months before I even took my first steps! Now, 8 days away from turning 8 months, the kid is just amazing us with all he can do!

He now sits on his own, rolls around the room (no army crawling or scooting just yet), grabs for everything and anything within his reach, holds his cereal bottle (no luck on holding his milk bottles yet...he's pretty stubborn when it comes to that). He says "ma ma" ALL the time (no "da da" yet...poor Steve :c) )

His two bottom teeth are so crazy close to the surface. No white ridge yet, but you can feel them just under the surface working on making their grand entrance! On top of all that, he now has some friggin' adorable personality quirks that just make he wanna eat him up! He has this inquisitive head tilt that he does when he's studying something. And he has to greet every object by either licking it or by investigating it with his tiny little pointer finger. Those he deems worthy will be coated in spit...those unworthy get tossed aside or dropped from his highchair.

Since he's majorly teething, he clenches his gums together and his whole body just shakes while he bites down. That and the blood red face he gets when he's pooping at the table make for unbeatable dinner entertainment!

He loves to hold tags, clothes, blankets...pretty much anything against his bottom lip while he sucks/chomps on his thumb.

If I'm holding him when his daddy comes home, he will wiggle, squeal and just about anything else to get into Steve's arms as quickly as possible.

He LOVES when either of us act as if we are chasing him down the stairs while the other parent is holding him. Agh! I could just spend an entire day squeezing him and kissing his cheeks, if only he'd let me!!! I'm totally in LOVE with this kid (aside from the months that we've spent battling the teething pains!!)

Snow Day

2010-02-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

We took Wyatt up to Steve's parents cabin on Mt. Charleston this last weekend. It rained for almost a week straight here in the valley, so that meant MAJOR snow up on the mountains!

We bundled the little dude up and took him outside to see snow for the first time.

I don't think he knew what to make of it! The wind kept blowing the cold air on his face which made him gasp as if it were stealing the oxygen right out of him. Then Steve took him for his very first sled ride...

He did great! But pretty much after that, he was DONE! He warmed up in the truck with Ken and Kristen while Steve "attempted" to teach me how to snowboard (I've only skied) on powder. I'm a total desert rat and pretty much don't own a lick of snow gear...except for the coat that I had to buy when I flew out to Chicago after one of Steve's photo shoots. Every step I took put snow against my ankles and inside my tennies and after many-a-falls, I was certain my butt was never going to de-numb itself (ah, but alas, it surely DID de-numb itself...you know that burning pain you get in your finger tips when they go from freezing cold to warm?? Turns out no body part is exempt from such fire!) I made it a couple of feet before freaking out that I was going to run into a tree...but I think I might get the hang of it with a wee bit o' practice :)

Wyatt is mastering the art of grabbing what he wants. He no longer swings his arms and hopes that he hits what he's aiming for. It's rather funny when you have a drink in your hand...before you know it, IT'S HIS!

Don't worry folks...he's not really drinking soda at 7 months ;)

Who Me?

2010-01-21T15:08:00.001-08:00

Uh Oh!

2010-01-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

You know how in a previous post I mentioned that Wyatt cries with his mouth closed?? Well, you now have permission to slap me if I ever make fun of something he does that is actually a blessing...cuz guess what he's figuring out how to do??? SCREAM!

That video was just the beginning...he now practicies screaming any chance he gets, during naps, during diaper changes, feedings, if you don't fan him with a palm leaf and feed him chocolate covered strawberries....ugh, whatever are we going to do?? ;)

Christmas 2009

2010-01-10T17:21:00.000-08:00

Seeing how Christmas was almost a month ago!!...I thought I should throw a blog entry in here to finish off the year and greet 2010 right nice.

Christmas Eve started off wonderfully! We'd spent the night before catching up with Lisa and Devin as soon as they got to our house (the half way point between SLC and Tucson), caught a few Z's, then got up bright and early so that we could hit the road by 8am. That was our goal and we came so dang close to makin' it! Only thing that held us up was packing my itty bitty Hyundai Accent with all the luggage, Christmas presents and BABY GEAR. I've never really been a light packer when it comes to trips (my family can vouch for that) and it absolutely blows my mind how much "stuff" you have to pack to keep the mini human happy! It's even more of a miracle that all that fit in the back of the Hyundai!!

7 or so hours later we pulled into Tucson and were so excited to see everyone!! Patti and Ashley sure did a number on the house in preparation for us to arrive! They cleaned that house from top to bottom...so clean that we probably could have had our dinner right off the living room floor! Of all the time I'm sure they spent getting ready for the guests, it took us all but an hour to completely demolish that masterpiece :)

Christmas Day was awesome as well! Wyatt was napping for most of the present opening, so we set them aside and later filmed him watching daddy open his presents for him ;) That little guy was spoiled rotten!

Christmas was also the time that Wyatt officially learned how to roll from his back to his belly!! Too bad he's scared crapless to roll the opposite direction! Since Christmas, I cannot even tell you how many times I have to get up at night because he's rolled onto his belly and is too insanely stubborn to turn him self back over! Mind you, he was ~~cursed~~ blessed with my side of the family's giant football head (suppose I should be thankful that didn't have to come shooting out of me during delivery!) so every attempt he has made to roll the opposite direction ends in a BONK!! It's like his head out weighs the rest of his body and once it's in motion, there's no amount of gripping the carpet he can do that will slow the speed at which his head will inevitably slam into earth.

The few times that he has managed to roll from belly to back, Steve and I make sure that we cheer, clap, smile, scream "YAY" and any other form of positive reinforcement we can do so that he knows that "hey, it's OK to roll over...so I may get a little carpet burn on my forehead...they still think I'm awesome!"

The trip home from Tucson was sadly NOT so fun. It took us 3 hours just to get through the check points at the Hoover Dam. Wyatt was so done with being in the car long before we even made it to the Dam. He's such a trooper. It can't be easy to be stuck in a car for 10 hours AND be teething!

Getting Old...

2009-12-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

WOW! Seriously, where has time gone?? It's Christmas time already, and while I'm finishing up the last items on my list and making sure I haven't forgotten anything to pack for our trip to Tucson for Christmas, I still can't help but FREAK OUT over how fast it's all come!

Christmas seemed so far away, and I just kept telling myself...Em, you can make it till Christmas...by then Wyatt will be almost 6 months old! Life will be so much easier! AND IT SO IS! I just love this little stinker and it takes every ounce of control that I have not to squeeze him till he farts every time that I pick him up! He cracks me up how he'll be suckin' on that tiny little thumb of his and if I come within one foot of him he grins from ear to ear and his tongue just quivers as it's trying to continue sucking :) Oh, and my gosh...he goes absolutely NUTS when he sees his dad!! If I even mention the word "dad" he starts pumping his legs and looking around just waiting for his dad to come and make him laugh!

The other night, he woke up crying because his blanket had somehow managed to all bunch up over his head and he couldn't figure out how to move it (I'm positive he's gonna have major clostraphobia when he gets older!). I ran up to his room and pulled the blanket from his face and picked him up to calm him down. Well, Steve followed me up and and soon as he saw him he began wiggling in my arms doing just about everything he could to crawl up and over me and into his daddy's arms! Steve went downstairs to make him a bottle to help calm him down and that kid kept looking over my shoulder just waiting for him to return. The two of them together makes me crazy happy!

I know it's terrible to film your kid crying...even more so when you are laughing at your kid who is crying! But before you pass judgment...try to watch this video without laughing! Go on! I dare ya!

See??!! It's SO HARD to take this kid seriously when he cries! He pokes his bottom lip out and I can't help but laugh cuz he's just so darn cute! Thank goodness he hasn't figured out how to really cry....he still cries with his mouth closed...it's like he's muffling his sorrow on our behalf. :0)

Anyways, back to the "Getting Old" thing. I'm downloading some music so we have some new tunes to listen to on our way to Tucson and I found this song called "One Time" by Justin Bieber. Ya'll, I swear this kid is only 12...ok, ok...maybe 12 and 1/2! I'm so used to following the artists of my time and even some of the newer ones that don't seem all that far off from my own age. But all the sudden, I'm lookin' around for Steve like he's gonna catch me listening to this "kid" and look at me like, "for real? I guess he's ok if borderline jail bait is your thing."

It's just weird to see how time passes and all the things that I once thought were "cool" are now considered "old school"! And to top all that...I just had to buy my first tube of arthritis cream! What the hail?? lol Not to mention the white, not silver, hairs that I've suddenly found. (Does that mean I'm not wise? I always heard the silver hairs meant you were wise...ah well...it figures) Guess I'll have to start dying my hair more frequently cuz these buggers seem to be growing faster than any other hairs on my head! What's next?? Hemorrhoid Cream and Adult Diapers??

2009-12-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

Stop the Leaks!

2009-12-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

So. I have a question for all you mommas out there. Well, at least the ones who have raised little boys ;)

Pretty much since I posted online that Wyatt began sleeping through the night...he decided to stop gracing us with a full nights sleep and go back to waking somewhere between 1 and 3 in the morning. I've asked Steve to have a talk with him and let him know that it's unacceptable and if he continues with this behavior, we may have to ground him. Steve doesn't think he'll take it to seriously, but I beg to differ ;)

Anyways...about 2 weeks or so ago he found his feet. It's honestly the greatest thing to watch him try over and over to bring his toes to his mouth. He's getting more flexible, but as for the moment, he can only stretch the tip of his sock to his mouth...which amuses him immensely!

EVERY time that I go to him in the middle of the night, he's got his feet in the air! And here lies the problem: I'm thinkin' he must be juicin' his diaper or something because for the life of me, I cannot figure out how he gets pee up the sides of his PJ's and all over the sheets. This part is not so cute!!

He's wearing size 3 diapers and they look HUGE on him. They go up past his belly button! But the size 2's barely contain him. How do you remedy this???

I'm getting so tired of changing his sheets! (We have even put a towel down and he just saturates it!) I don't know, maybe there's more force behind that hose than I'm aware of...but seriously, have any of you experienced this?

A Little Home Remedy

2009-12-04T19:51:00.000-08:00

I was so worried that Wyatt was getting sick (and even more worried that I might give him whatever cold bug I'd caught). My sister, Kristie, gave me a little home remedy to try:

"Those suffering from common or sever colds should take one tablespoon room temperature honey with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder 1 to 2x daily for three days. This process will clear the sinuses and alleviate most cough and sore throat symptoms.

Make a glass of lukewarm honey water with cinnamon powder to help boost your immune system during the cold season."

I'll be the first to say that I've never really "believed" in most home remedies...mostly because they rarely work for me (and yet I am always trying new ones...hmm). I have been doing the 2x daily routine for the past two days. I have some about 30 mins before I eat breakfast and about 30 mins before I go to bed. I feel AMAZING...I'm talking, so-amazing-I-could-kiss-a-honey-bee!

So, I'm passin' this little remedy on to those of you who could use a little help this cold and flu season. Seriously, what have you got to lose??! If you don't believe me, do a little research of your own...you'll be amazed to see what's out there! ;)

Advice

2009-12-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

Wyatt had his shots yesterday and the entire night was spent trying to comfort him. I gave him multiple baths (which seemed to be the only thing that worked). I alternated a heating pad, ice pack and massage. We gave him Children's Tylenol....and then Steve had to make a middle of the night run for Children's Motrin instead. I even tried some homeopathic essential oils. We tried EVERYTHING.

The only position that he wanted to be held in was where he faced forward and no pressure was on his legs. But he couldn't fall asleep in that position so he just cried and cried all night!

He even started getting congested, so we put a humidifier in his room.

To make matters worse...I woke up with a scratchy throat and body aches! HELP!

2009-12-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

So. I thought I'd start this post off with some random "why" questions that have been swimming in my mind the past couple of days.

Why do infant pants have actual pockets?? Everyday that I dress Wyatt, the same question pops in my head. What is my nearly 5 month old going to keep in these pockets of his? I suppose it could be rather handy for me as a mom...I mean, maybe I can store my chap-stick in his little cargo pocket and maybe my debit card in his back pocket (wait...nope, doesn't fit...hmmm).

Why do garbage trucks have little scented trees hanging from their review mirror?...BETTER YET, why do they have review mirrors??? It's not like they can see behind them through it (isn't that what the side mirrors are for?) and it's not like that little scented tree is gonna miraculously overpower the stench of maggot infested diapers (that's ones for you uncle Matt!!) and fish skins! If I were a trash collector, I think I'd use the ole Vicks Vapor Rub under the nostrils instead! I mean, it totally worked when I was working on cadavers...although, I'm sure that cadavers smell like a handful of flowers compared to the city dump.

There...I'm done! Ugh, I can finally cross that one off my list! List? That's right...since we decided to put my job hunting on the back burner for a couple more months, I now have this obsession with LISTS! I went out and bought myself a fancy dancy little notebook and I write all my daily tasks in for the week. I have this need to feel like I've accomplished something...it's not just good enough that I managed to clean some of my house...NO, I need to look like I've just tackled this insane list of duties so that when my husband asks what I did today I can just show him :)

Example:

Tuesday

Get up
Shower
Feed Wyatt
Play with Wyatt
Read to Wyatt
Put Wyatt down for a nap
Feed myself
Get ready
Go to the bathroom (JUST KIDDING...I'm not that crazy! I don't have to schedule time for the toiley!)
Wash dishes
Start dishwasher
Wipe off counter
Wipe off island
Wipe off table
Wipe off sink
Sweep Floor
blah
blah
blah

See! So instead of saying, "Oh I cleaned the kitchen" (which any mom can tell you IS an accomplishment)...now I have a gagiant list of tasks that I feel accomplished for completing!! LOL No worries folks, I don't need your pity praise, I've got lists to do that for me!! ;)

So I suppose I should tell you what Wyatt's been up to...now that he's almost 5 months and all.
I swear I am so blessed to have such a mellow child! I don't know what I would have done if I was given a difficult child to raise as my first!

Wyatt and I went to Tucson the weekend before Thanksgiving so that we could visit Kevin, Patti and the kids. I was a little worried to do the whole plane thing again, but he did amazing! I ended up sitting at the very back of the plane next to two business men who I had just seen leaving the bar before we boarded the plane. The back three seats were the only ones left on the plane, and I promised them Wyatt was a good flier (thank goodness he kept his end of that promise!). He barely made a peep the entire flight, even with all the musical chairs we had to play with the two drunk business men who sprung a leak from all the beer they'd consumed.

He even did great the entire time that we were in Tucson! I was so happy about that because it made visiting so much more relaxing. We just had so much fun and his Grandma Patti just couldn't get enough of him! He was just giving those smiles to her like they were goin' outta style!

He did pretty darn good during Thanksgiving weekend too! That one was a bit tougher considering most of the activities carried over into what normally is his bedtime. He loves watching his noisy cousins playing (from the quiet safety of my lap of course...lol). It was wild to see just how big this kid is compared to one of his cousins who isn't much older than him. I suppose it's the giant head that really makes him looker bigger and older than he is (he can thank his mama's side of the family for that). Steve says that was the first thing the doc noticed about him when she was pullin' him from my tummy during the surgery....GIANT HEAD! He's just so darn cute though!

Wyatt is getting really talented! He's not so interested in rolling from his tummy to his back...I think it freaks him out a bit. I suppose it's the force of his giant head slamming to the carpet that does him in. BUT, he's oh so close to rolling from his back to his tummy....if only he'd figure out how to move his elbow out of his way, he'd totally have it down!

Also, the day after we got back from Tucson, he started sleeping through the night! YAY!!! He now goes down somewhere between 7:30 and 8:30 and sleeps until 8 the next morning...PLUS, he still naps like a champ during the day! I'm so happy he figured out how to do it...I was really worried it would take far longer than 4 1/2 months for him to accomplish.

We went in for a well baby checkup on Tuesday. He now weighs 16lbs 10ozs and is 25.5 inches tall. He had to have 4 shots and one oral vaccine as well. I totally knew I was going to cry! I hate when he does his pain cry...it just reaches out and squeezes my heart so tight that I just can't help but cry myself. He did really really good though. I was worried considering we were in the waiting room for 2 hours which meant it was past his nap time and his feeding time...but I was saving both for after the shots. He didn't even need the bottle though. First thing he did was pop that thumb in his mouth! Forget binkies! This kid prefers the one that's attached to his hand!

The doc said that he's teething, which would totally explain why he's been sucking on any fabric or fingers he can get his hands on. He still won't use the teething rings or toys that we have for him.
The other day, I was shopping at Target and this kid totally filled his pants (I know ,I know...another poop story!). So I finished shopping and hurried home. As I went to pull his pants off, I realized that it had squished all the way down into his socks!! You know that video I posted earlier of the dad's gagging while changing their kids diapers...yeah, that was totally me at that moment! I was trying to roll his onsie so that I wouldn't get poop on his face or in his hair when I took it off. I guess the fabric of his onsie interested him and he just couldn't help but grab it and shove it in his mouth. THIS IS WHERE I TOTALLY GAGGED! I screamed and yanked the onsie from his head so fast, he had this stunned look on his face and then began to cry like I had just taken his woobie! And to save the rest of you from having to clean up vomit from your keyboard, I'll spare you what I had to clean off his lips...oh wait, that probably gave to much away...ooops!

The doctor said within the next few weeks, we should see the white of his gums where his bottom teeth will be trying to get through. It's just wild to me how quickly they really do grow! People always said that to me, but DUDE I saw a 2 week old in the waiting room and I honestly don't remember Wyatt being that SMALL! Now if only I could forget the horrible birthing experience...like everyone says that you do! ;)

:: Wyatt's First Halloween ::

2009-11-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

We finally got around to taking a picture of Wyatt in his Halloween costume! This year was his first Halloween and he was such a happy baby the whole night! He had everyone just going nuts over how cute he was...how can you resist this face???!

Steve also took this picture for me so that we could have something to put in one of the vast amount of empty frames I have on my wall :) You'd think I'd have a million pictures all over the house with a husband as a photographer...but sadly, we just never get around to editing them or printing them!! Maybe we'll have more time now that Steve just changed careers :) I'm just so excited for him. He is really great at his new position and he works so hard to provide for our lil fam :) I just love him!!

2009-11-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today, my boy is 4 MONTHS OLD! He has grown so much...I honestly can't believe it! Just the other day, I was browsing through some of his first pics and WOW...can you believe the difference?

3 Weeks Old

4 MONTHS OLD!!

Wyatt Laughing

2009-11-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

First Plane Ride (continued)

2009-10-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should mention how Wyatt's first (and second) plane ride went. This is a story of frustration, tears and mad skills. While it's quite apparent that this child has some serious issues with moving the green gunk outta his bowels, I don't really want to take credit or agree with Steve that Wyatt could possibly be born with my slow intestines. Mostly because my "slowness" wasn't something that I was born with, no, it's something that came into my life around the age of 5. Bear with me, I'll get to the plane ride story...this will all make sense shortly :)

I recall MY first plane ride when we were moving to New Hampshire. I believe that the plane ride went well for me...but that's not the point of this story. My story begins when we landed in New Hampshire and I innocently told my mother that I needed to go to the bathroom. I recall walking into the biggest bathroom I had ever seen...it seemed like an endless row of stalls. I quickly went into a stall to take care of business (this was about the time I imagine that the auto flushers came out). I don't know if the sensor thought I had stood up from the toilet or if it just picked a totally helpless 5 year old to scare the crap out of (no pun intended). Whilst in mid poopy, my toilet began to flush on it's own and I, faster than lightning, was under the stall door with my pants around my ankles and a fresh one caught between my cheeks. I was TeRrIfIeD!! Thus began my fear of all things toilet which obviously led to the "slowness".

Wyatt did great on the flight to Texas, it was the flight back that was, ummm, not so fun? He only pooped ONCE the 10+ days that I was gone, so my mom and I took him to a doctor to yet again see if there was something physically wrong with him. All we ended up with was an X-Ray (which clearly showed how backed up he was), a finger up his pooper (man that had to hurt) and the advise to give him apple juice or prune juice with his bottles until he cleaned himself out.

Well, the apple juice wasn't working, so after 2 days of that, I switched him to prune juice. He got about 3 oz the day that we flew home and while on the plane, he so happily decided to fill his diaper with the equivalent of his body weight in crap! AND, to make things worse, the airplane stall with the changing table was outta commission, so all that was left was the little, tiny, claustrophobic stall in the back of the plane. So off I went, carrying my stinky little guy (ya'll, his poop stank worse than any adult poop I've witnessed...and why wouldn't it? It had been marinating in his bowels for over a week!!) I opened the door to the bathroom and this is the part where the mad skills come in. I had to balance this little dude on the toilet lid (he's a big friggin' kid! And wiggly!) and change his diaper (all the while trying to not make the plane go down cuz his diaper was being sucked into the drain in the sink which from the sounds of it was pressurizing the cabin all by itself!).

Thank the good Lord that it wasn't a packed flight! I ran outta diapers and this kid was still goin' like the energizer bunny! We walked off the plane, me ready to cry, him smiling at anyone who did a double take as we walked by. I'm sure they were all wondering what that awful smell was...surely it couldn't be coming from something so cute and smiley, right?

Ugh, I'm shuddering just rememberin' it all. So, here's a little vid I found on youtube to make poop a little bit funnier :) ENJOY!

*Note: Watch for the baby fart...it's my fav ;)

First Plane Ride

2009-10-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

First Haircut

2009-10-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

2 Months and 1 Week

2009-10-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Steve snapped some shots of our little Wy guy at the cabin a few weeks back. Here he is at 2 months and 1 week (he's now almost 3 1/2 months old!).

Totally Got My Trash Kicked!

2009-10-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I went with a few family members down to Cypress California for my brother and my nephews birthday. It was a blast! My nephew is just adorable!! He's getting so big and man is he gonna be a lady killer when he grows up!

(I realize all these pics are blue...don't tell Steve!)

We also visited Sunset Beach on Saturday...B-E-A-utiful! The weather was just absolutely awesome!

Wyatt nearly slept the entire time we were there...must be something about the waves crashing on the shore and the gulls squakin' in the air that just lulls you right to sleep :)

I sat on the beach watching everyone play in the ocean. Steve (my bro) brought out some boogie boards and it was hilarious to watch my sisters try to ride them. I'm totally trying to break outta my chicken shell...so I begged my mom (who I totally thought was more chicken than I, but turns out that I am sooooo much more chicken than she....I'm not even worthy of the title "chicken"...that's how worse than chicken I am) to go out and ride the boogie board with me. I mean, how lame could I possibly look if there's two of us out there lookin' lame together?? You know, much like misery loves company...well, apparently chickens like each other too! She said she would if I would...so off to the shore we ran to convince my brother to show us how it's done.

First lesson...mother nature will always come a callin' if you go throwing yourself into cold water. I got up to my thighs in sea water before I instantly had to pee! It didn't make matters any better that I was laughing my head off trying to walk as the waves would crash against me and the current would quickly pull me in the opposite direction. I couldn't help but do the pee pee dance trying to control myself. My mom was yelling for me to just pee already...but all I could think about was that episode of Grey's Anatomy where that microscopic fish swims up that dudes urethra...no way was I gonna take a pee in the ocean!

I kinda sorta figured out how to jump the waves and then turn and push off with them so that you can ride them to shore. Well...I took off on this itty bitty wave (HELLO...I told you I was totally not worthy of the title "chicken") and needless to say it didn't take me very far, so I sat there floating in the water waiting for the next wave behind it to take me further into shore. DUMB IDEA! Before I knew what was happening, the wave completely submerged me, flipped my legs over my head as I sucked in a huge gulp of sea water and tried to navigate my way to the surface (in less than 3 feet of water). I finally stand up...but can't open my eyes yet cuz I'm scared the salt water will burn. With my arms out to my sides, I try to balance against the under current that is literally pushing me down....and once again, down I go! This time I'm fumbling/running sideways trying to catch my balance...meanwhile I totally got sand burn on my knees and elbows as well as a nice exfoliation treatment on my bum! (darn near had to steal Wyatt's diaper rash cream just to sooth the pain!) I'm sure those that witnessed this little flub were thinking I was drunk...yeah, that sounds better than the truth!

Self Soother

2009-09-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

I could hear Wyatt on the monitor at 4 in the morning...so I stumbled outta bed and went down stairs to make him a bottle. When I came back up, there was nothing but silence...and this would be why...

Dilema

2009-09-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I can't believe how time flies! I couldn't tell you how many people told me, WARNED ME, to enjoy every moment I can with my little baby because they grow so FAST! My little Wy guy is almost 3 months old! I can say that with astonishment AND a smile on my face because not even a month ago, I was barely staying above water!

I had this image in my head of what the moment I saw my baby for the first time would be like, and what he'd be like when I took him home. However, nowhere in those images did I imagine the crappy scenario that would unfold before me the day of his birth...or how I would be crying far more than my newborn would be. Everyone told me that it was normal...that the hormones make you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster...except, this roller coaster never seemed to pull up...it was just in this never ending dive and I was holding my breath, making it through every day praying it would get better. It was interesting to me when my doc diagnosed me with PPD. That's one thing that wasn't really talked about by anyone I knew...until I started telling people that I was diagnosed with it and suddenly, more people than I ever thought possible were telling me of their experience with it! It was a scary darkness that I never want to visit again. I am so thankful for the love and support that I received from family and friends. I know I wouldn't be where I am right now without them!

I'm so happy that I can spend each day with this amazing little person! He has the most friggin' adorable personality! (I suppose I'm biased, but I think he's the cutest kid in the WHOLE world!!) I really am surprised at how quickly he is GrOwInG! During his last pediatrician appointment, (at 11 weeks) his doc said he's the size of a 4 - 5 month old! All of the sudden he doesn't fit in most of the 0-3 month old clothes. His onsies have this tight "off the shoulder" look...which is a pair of tights and a tutu shy of an identity complex!

He's getting soooo much better at going down for naps and bed at night too (thank goodness!) I purchased this SnuggleMe (a.k.a. baby straight jacket) from Babies R Us, cuz he's such an escape artist! If you don't wrap the kid up tight, his spaz hands wake him up! He's at the low end of the size chart for the SnuggleMe, so it's a wee big on him. The first night I used it, he slept 5.5 hours! The funny part is, I can't give the SnuggleMe all the credit...apparently the kid LOVES to have his face covered! This is how we found him the first night we used it...

He seems to like to have a fan blowing on him too. So I took the front part of his bumper and moved it out of the way so that the air could pass from the floor fan, through the crib bars to him, but not be blowing directly on him. He sleeps on a slightly elevated wedge (as seen in the picture above). Well, one night he was having the hardest time going to sleep, so I attempted to give him a bath. He was NOT HAVING IT, so I put a diaper on him and wrapped him up in the blanket without any other clothes on. Somehow, during the night, he wiggled his way out of the blankets...kicked them to the foot of the crib, dug his heals into the mattress and pushed his way to the head of the crib...directly in front of the fan....in nothing but his diaper...and there he slept, content as can be...sucking his thumb! :) OH YEAH, he sucks his thumb now...which I think is completely adorable! (yes, I understand it can jack up his teeth or be a hard habit to break...but whatever folks...HE'S SO DARN CUTE DOING IT!!) I tell ya, he's one talented little escape artist!

And now on to my "dilema". As you all know, our little guy went through a double hernia surgery. You are also very well aware of the horrible experience that we had with the circumcision that was performed at that time. Well...it only gets worse...(WARNING: graphic descriptions below)

The doctor that performed the surgery is a children's surgeon. He was gracious enough to squeeze us in two days from the initial consultation so that the surgery could be performed under my employers health plan, as the new health plan that we obtained to replace my employee plan has a $2,500 deductible...OUCH! That on top of all the other fees would have KILLED us financially.

Originally, when Wyatt's pediatrician examined him, she said that she would wait until Wyatt was at least 6 months of age to have the circumcision completed as he didn't have enough foreskin to easily remove. A month later, when she realized that he needed hernia surgery, she recommended that the surgeon perform the circumcision at the same time, which the surgeon did.

Well, after the ordeal with the plastibell procedure, I didn't think that the end result looked right. There was slight jagged scaring where the plastibell had been torn away from the penis by his diaper...and not only that, it didn't look like enough foreskin had been removed. Also, the foreskin that remained cannot be retracted to show the "mushroom" part of the head of the penis

During his 11 week appointment with the pediatrician, I asked if it looked right to her. She attempted to pull the remaining foreskin back but realized, as I had, that the head of the penis could not be seen. She told us that he would need to be circumcised again...AGAIN!!! After all that!!! She recommended that we wait until he is 6 months and at that time she would refer us to a urologist to complete the procedure.

Well, you see...Steve and I, we aren't made of money...shocking, no??! Wyatt's medical bill tallied up to 15 grand. Of that, we are responsible for about 2 grand. That, plus the hits that we took from my hospital stay, and the ER visit shortly thereafter took a pretty significant hit to our savings. The savings that was to get us through this tough economical time while we chose for me to stay at home and raise our child. So you can understand why we are worried about how we are going to pay for a urologist to finish the job that the gracious surgeon should have done the first time around.

I don't know what to do from here. I'm sooo grateful that the surgeon fit us in and did what he could to help us keep costs low...BUT, I'm frustrated that he didn't make any kind of mention that maybe the procedure wasn't enough...that there was a possibility that he couldn't remove enough foreskin and the procedure would need to be repeated. At no point during the consultation or even after the surgery did he tell us that we might be doing this again, or that Wyatt wasn't developed enough to have the procedure performed successfully in the first place. Instead, he told me during the consultation that it was "No problem", he could easily perform the circumcision while he was at the hernia repair. Even after the surgery, when he came to give the results to Steve and I in the waiting room, he said, "Everything went wonderfully".

Part of me wants to go back to the surgeon and show him the results. See what he has to say. But I don't know what we are going to do if he offers to do it again, but for a fee. It's one of those things that I feel should have been done right the first time...and should be reconciled. However, I know that even if he waives his fees...we have the possibility of additional fees from the hospital and/or anesthesiologist (if one is used again).

Reality is, since 2005, only about 56% of infant males have been circumcised. Yes, circumcision has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of HIV acquisition (which I'd hope wouldn't be an issue for Wyatt) and that some believe that circumcision should be performed for hygiene reasons (however, I think any man can be taught good hygiene). So a bigger part of me doesn't want to put him through this again. At 6 months, if he is developed enough and all looks well, I don't really feel that he should have to endure the process yet again. There's just no garuntee that the end result will look the way it's supposed to.

I guess this is one of those wait and see kind of cases...I just wish things could have been easier for him. Seems like nothing thus far has gone as easily as first anticipated. Great part is, he's growing so well and is such a sweet and joyful little guy. I'd give him the world if I could and as his mother, I will strive to do all that I can to protect him.

2009-09-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

The consultation went well and the doc said he'd schedule our little man for surgery that same week for an inguinal hernia repair and the big "C". He told us that we couldn't feed him after midnight and that he could have pedialite up until 2am (his surgery was scheduled for 5:45am).

It should be a crime to ask new parents to be anywhere that EARLY in the morning! Steve and I were zombies the entire night taking turns getting some shut eye and waking Wyatt for his final feeding. He generally eats every 3 hours (except for the few and far between times when he forgets who he is and slumbers a whopping 4 hours). So needless to say it was nerve wracking...we looked at Wyatt like he was a ticking time bomb. We knew that at any moment he'd realize we were starving him and allowing someone to cut him open, and nip a piece of his lil wee wee off.

Miraculously, he did really REALLY well. He calmly sucked his soothie while Steve and I took turns cuddling and rocking him (we were stunned to find that since his last checkup, AND THE 6+HRS OF NO FOOD...cuz we all know surgeries never start on time...he gained another 1/2 LB! Yep, our little 2 month old is the size of a near 4 month old!! And ooowee is he heavy!!).

The surgery lasted about an hour and they then called us back to be with him while he was coming out of anesthisia. The moment I saw him, I swear my heart broke into a million pieces. I've never heard him cry like that. I held him like a little china doll, so careful not to bump or move him. All the tubes and monitors hooked up to him were a little intimidating and it made my efforts of consoling him ineffective. They ended up giving him a double dose of Demerol which knocked him out for a few hours.

I know they say that it hurts you more than it hurts them. How am I to believe that when every time I shift his body as I'm holding him, he screams? He ended up having TWO inguinal hernias that both needed to be repaired (He can thank his daddy's side of the family for that! Steve, his father and I believe his grandfather, all had hernia surgery as infants) and while the doc was at it, he gave him the big "C". Due to his age, we had to stay in the hospital with him for 23 hours of observation. Three days after surgery and he was back to his cooing and farting self...albeit, a much less farting and more pooping self....lots and LOTS of pooping..I guess having your intestines put back where they belong really helps! He was a total champ!!

UNTIL...

I've never seen a circumcision done with a Plastibell and from what I've read, it's pretty old school as the procedure takes longer to complete and longer to heal. I found a video online (which I'll spare you of...it was pretty darn grusome).

Wikipedia says:
The Plastibell Circumcision Device is a clear plastic ring with handle designed for male neonatal circumcision that has a deep groove running circumferentially.

he adhesions between glans and foreskin are divided with a probe. Then the foreskin is cut longitudinally to allow it to be retracted and the glans (the head of penis) to be exposed. The Plastibell comes in 6 sizes. The appropriate one is chosen and applied to the head. The ring is then covered over by the foreskin. A ligature is tied firmly around the foreskin, crushing the skin against the groove in the Plastibell. Then the excess skin protruding beyond the ring is trimmed off. Finally, the handle is broken off at the end of the procedure. The entire procedure takes five to ten minutes, depending on the experience and skill of the surgeon.

The ring falls off in 3 to 7 days leaving a circumferential wound that will heal over the following week. Typically, the glans will appear red or yellow until it has cornified.

WARNING...GRAPHIC IMAGE

Shown below: Two incisions where the inguinal hernias where repaired and the Plastibell is around his wee

Yes, I just posted my sons family jewels on the internet...I warned you!!

I dare say that if, IF, we have any more boys, I will do whatever I can to avoid this procedure. Why? Well, last night I got up with Wyatt to feed. I did the usual ritual, changed his diaper, fed him his bottle, then proceeded to burp him. He tends to get a bit fussy when he can't get a burp out, so I usually stand and bounce while I pat his back. Well, apparently his diaper shifted when I did this and the ointment that was protecting it wasn't as thick due to the shift. The dry part of the diaper ripped the Plastibell almost completely off and Wyatt screamed so hard that his entire body turned purple!! I laid him down to check his diaper (it had been a week since the surgery and circumcision) and found the Plastibell dangling by about a 1/4" of skin...STILL CONNECTED! His poor little wee was bleeding and I was completely beside myself.

We called the surgeon and he advised that we should soak him in a bath and put another diaper on...that it would fall off by the end of the following day. Well, it's almost 9 pm and that piece of skin is hanging on for dear life!! Wyatt is now totally gun shy of diaper changes...seriously don't blame him.

Proud Daddy

2009-08-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Wyatt's 7 week checkup...

We took Wyatt in for his 6 week checkup (yes I know, he's actually 7 weeks) and man has our little guy grown! He was 7lb 6oz and 19" long when he was born and by his 2 week checkup he was 8lb 4oz and 21" long...and at his 6 week check up he weighed in at a whopping 12LBS and 23" LONG!!

We noticed a week or so ago that he had a puffy area above his lil wee wee and were sad to find out that he has to have hernia surgery soon :( The doc noticed what she thought was a heart murmur so she wanted to have that checked out prior to the surgery taking place. We went in for an EKG and an Echo today and it seems that all is well. He does have a slight heart murmur, but should grow out of that. He goes back again in 3 months to check on the progress. We are trying to get a consultation setup for his hernia surgery tomorrow morning. I have a flight scheduled for tomorrow evening with Wyatt...so if the verdict is that he needs it ASAP, then our trip will be postponed a bit.

I'll keep you all posted on his progress! In the meantime, enjoy a few pics...

Here's our little man all hooked up to the EKG machine. He did great through all of them! Can't believe how much he's grown from the pictures below!

I kick myself for even posting this one...but I just couldn't help but laugh at myself! I remember being sad that Jim and Anne's friends, Ron and Kathy, weren't able to make it to the hospital to see Wyatt...Anne informed me that they did! And this picture totally explains WHY I don't remember their visit....DUDE, COULD I BE ANYMORE STONED??!! (Don't worry, I know it looks like my head shrunk and my body exploded...but i'm looking much better these days...I mean, anything would be an improvement from this! lol)

Here is my mom with Wyatt...

And here's Wyatt mimicking mommy's "stoned" expression :)

2009-07-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned the farting????? This kid is constantly grunting one out while asleep, awake...doesn't matter. No amount of burping has helped prevent it. We've even tried gas drops, and homeopathic drops and tablets...nadda! How long should this stage last???

2009-07-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, can I just say that I thought this raising a baby thing would be so much easier than it actually is! I've had to bid farewell to sleep...eating on a regular schedule...and all other household chores.

We try really hard to have him in bed by midnight so that he only wakes one other time during the night. I go to sleep at 9ish and Steve feeds and puts him to bed. This way, I can usually get a good 5 hours of sleep before he wakes to be fed, changed and burped again. Too bad Wyatt hasn't agreed to our routine...he likes to throw a wrench in the mix every chance he gets!

I honestly can't wait until he's sleeping through the night (for the most part)....and kinda wish I could skip to the toddler stage. Although it's so fun to watch him grow and cuddle with him, it's hard when he's awake and just staring at you, blank faced, expressionless. Or when he cries and you've tried everything possible to calm him, with no success. My sister says that the day they smile at you melts your heart....I'm so looking forward to that!

Until then, please pray for us! We need all the help we can get!

2009-07-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

PART II

Being home from the hospital was tough and I depended on my mom and Steven so much to help me through. On my 3rd day home, I ran a fever and had chills and body aches. The doctor thought that it may have been a reaction to the pain medication in combination with the hormones that are involved in a let down. It lasted for several hours and then went away, but only after leaving me with a fever blister that occupied almost my entire bottom lip.

The next night, the fever was back with a vengeance. I'd had a migraine headache all day and around the same time as the night before, I ran a fever of 105.3, had chills, body aches and couldn't stop the shaking. I called the doctor again and she informed me to rush to the emergency room as soon as possible.

Once there, they ran some blood cultures, a urine test, an ultrasound (to make sure nothing was left behind from the c-section) and a chest X-ray (to rule out mastitis). Come to find out, I had a UTI from the catheter that was given to me during labor. I was prescribed an antibiotic and was sent home.

The next night, the same signs began to show up again. I had a lower temperature, so I figured it was my body fighting off the UTI. The next morning, the ER called and said that my blood cultures came back positive. I had a blood infection and needed to get to my doctor as soon as possible.

I'm finally over all the infections and am still trying to heal from the incision. Getting up from the ground and sitting up from a lying position are still very difficult, but the incision looks great! Hormones are still up and down...I get overwhelmed very easy and the simplest thing seems to bring me to tears, but I've been told that will soon end.

I love watching Wyatt grow. We just attended his 2 week checkup and he already grew 2 inches and gained a pound and a half! His little cheeks are so chubby now :) He's such a little lip magnet, you can't help but kiss him! He makes these adorable little squeaking sounds when he eats and if he gets impatient for food, he snorts when he crys!

Here's a picture of Wyatt's first bath:

Wyatt's Nursery:

Such a peaceful sleeper...

2009-06-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

PART I

THIS IS TOTALLY GONNA BE A LONG ONE!

Here's Steve and I...before life as we knew it changed for the better. It really is so hard to put into words just how amazing it is to finally meet this little person who was a product of your making. Even harder to fully understand how from the moment you lay eyes on your child, this insane amount of love overwhelms you and threatens to take a wreaking ball to the dam that's holding your emotions in check. Even now, as I write this post, my eyes are spilling over with tears of joy (and a few tears of holy crap, I'm a mom, we are parents....please give us the strength to give this child all he needs and bless that he won't cut down the neighbors tree or run his bike through the garage wall)

Steve and Ken spent almost an entire day snapping pics of me and the belly so that I have something to look at months from now (as I'm struggling to not look pregnant) and remember those 9 months of pregnancy. He's still got a few hours of photo shop to complete on them, removing about 15-20 lbs from my face, neck, arms, and left pinky toe. (Hey, they are my pics, I can choose to remember pregnancy in any delusional manner I see fit). Even though they will be late, I'll post a few to the blog whenever they are done. It's kinda the downside of being married to a photographer. He's amazingly gifted, but I can't even tell you how many empty frames we have around the house. We get the pictures taken, but never get around to having them edited or printed :)

I've been crazy fortunate to have my mom here for the last month. The week before I was due, we shopped till my Michelin man feet could handle no more. She totally pampered me with foot rubs, shared my addiction for Grey's Anatomy (thank you Netflix), fixed all my meals, cleaned the house and visited with me till wee hours in the morning. She even helped me make cookies for the nurses so that I could bribe them into overlooking my chicken nerves and sweetening them up with sugar :)

July 4th, the day we were "scheduled" to deliver, I walked into the hospital in all my swollen glory. The nurse took me to my room and attempted to begin an IV, but after two attempts of fishing around in my hand and arm, decided to bring in a different nurse to give it a shot. Then began the Pitocin drip. I'd heard horror stories about Pitocin. That is doesn't ease you into labor, but rather hits you like a pissed off billy goat. Luckily, it did no such thing and took its sweet time easing me into contractions.

The doc came in after about 3 hours of labor, checked me (only dilated to a 2 but 80% effaced) and decided to break my water. I nearly kicked her off my bed! There is just something so wrong about someone shoving their hand into you and then knitting your cervix a hat with a crochet hook....or so it felt. Her hope was that breaking my water would help me dilate.

Labor seemed to be progressing great. I was totally amazed at my ability to handle the pain. I thought for sure I'd be begging for an epidural at the first hint of pain, but I made it for several hours before the pain got to the point that it made me cry....then I was begging! They gave me a shot of Stadol to take the edge off until the anesthesiologist could get there. That stuff worked great...but man did I feel HIGH! Steve and my mom were laughing at my comments of how the ceiling tiles looked like faces!

Then the anesthesiologist arrived and administered the epidural...didn't hurt as bad as I thought that it would in comparison to the pain I was feeling. I actually had some time to rest and visit with family for a bit. Then the pain began to be stronger than the epidural and HOLY MOLY I wanted to die! They gave me a boost to tide me over, but it only lasted an hour before a surge of pain hit me again.

I ended up having the epidural removed and reinserted. But, my body did not react well to the dosage and I began convulsing. It felt like how you get the intense shakes when you are really cold. I tried controlling it but the more I tried, the more my muscles began to ache. It got so bad that I gave my self motion sickness from all the shaking and my mom and Steve tried with all their might to hold me up as I dry heaved what little stomach acid was in me.

The shaking continued for several hours. But, my labor was not progressing. Each time they increased the Pitocin drip, Wyatt's heart rate would drop. If they lowered the drip, his heart rate would return to normal, but my labor wouldn't progress. After about 12 hours, I had only dilated to a 3. They didn't want to risk infection, so I was prepped for a C-section. They gave me a shot of something that was to reduce the nausea and then asked me to drink a shot of stomach bile....yep, that's exactly what it tasted like! I think that stayed down for about 20 seconds before I yelled...I'M GONNA PUKE! I CAN'T KEEP IT DOWN! I was totally freaked out that I was going to drown in my own puke so I projectile vomited almost across the whole room! They told me to turn my head and vomit in this little pink bucket...but I doubt much of it made it to the bucket the poor nurse was holding.

Here's me, getting wheeled in for surgery....PERTY! lol I remember the anesthesiologist telling me that I would be shaking through the whole surgery....which made me beg to be put under. The doctor told me it was for the best if I wasn't put under and to try to relax. I remember the pressure of the incision, but the kicker was when she went to pull the head out. It felt like a sumo wrestler was sitting on my chest. All of the sudden, breathing became difficult and I began to panic. I guess that I began to move around so the doctor gave the go ahead to the anesthesiologist to give me something to make me relax....and the rest is a bit hazy from there.

Then little Wyatt James Bell arrived at 2:53am on July 5th, 2009. He had his umbilical cord wrapped around his shoulder, chest and legs, so that explained why I was not progressing properly. There would be no way that he could have been born vaginally, as he would have ripped the placenta out with him...so we were blessed that he arrived healthy and safe. He weighed 7lbs 8oz and was 19 inches. There was a moment when I remember seeing just the eyes of my baby, and the nurse asking if I would like to kiss him.

The next thing I remember, I woke up in triage sweating bullets and another nurse telling me that I need to nurse my baby...all the while I was completely unable to keep my eyes open. I made it through the transition to my recovery room and spent the next couple of days hobbling to and from the restroom, attempting multiple times to breast feed my baby - with no luck, and ITCHING. OH THE ITCHING! I'd never heard that another side effect of an epidural is ITCHING. I took a cold wash cloth and would rub my face with it anytime that it itched (which was ALL THE TIME) and by the next morning, I'd rubbed it raw! I had major chapped face!

Wyatt was slightly jaundice, so he was placed on the billy blanket for a day and a half. He looked like a little glow worm! He didn't like it much, and was glad when he didn't have to wear it any longer. :)

By day 2, the doctor came to remove my bandage (more like rip the flesh from my abdomen) and put me on an antibiotic drip to cover any infections that may occur.

By day 3, the munchkin and me were approved to go home! We were SO ready to go home. Not that sleep was anywhere in my immediate future, but the thought of a hot shower sounded so wonderful!

Part 2 to come...

2009-06-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

ONLY IN VEGAS

You know, I've totally enjoyed living in Vegas these past couple of years. I'm sure that people find a few crazys in their own towns, but there are some things about this town that seriously CRACK ME UP!

Only in Vegas will you find a huge neon flashing sign that so proudly says "Senior Living"! I mean, what other kind of sign would you expect in Vegas, right??

Or, how about this...the other day, Steve and I were at a Chevron near our house and suddenly, some serious baby makin' music came pumping out of a MINI VAN!! I mean, this guy must seriously be a chick magnet. How could anyone resist?? He's got the tunes...and the wheels for lugging your future wee ones!

My all time favorite...I was waddling...I mean, walking out of Target a couple weeks back. Just as I'm about to get to my car, this guy walks up to me and asks if I have any change. His buddy has run out of gas and he points to this jeep that is RUNNING, mind you. I honestly didn't have a dime on me, so I politely apologized and explained that I don't carry cash on me. The kicker? He gives me this grunt, like he's all annoyed, and says, "Well you have a credit card, there's an ATM just around the corner." Seriously....what's the world coming to? I didn't know that it was bad manners to not offer to take a complete stranger to the ATM when you don't have any change in your pocket!

2009-05-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday marked my 30th week!

I can't believe that it's all gone by so quickly...and yet, I secretly wish it would go faster. I only say this because I feel this insane, zero tolerance for stupid people. It's literally taken over every blood cell in my body and only gets worse if the temperature around me reaches anything above 65 degrees, which, wouldn't you guess...IT'S ALL THE TIME! I fear for my co-workers lives (some of them anyways). I never realized just how much I'd been snapping and on the verge of a breakdown until my office roomie started laughing at my reaction to stupid suggestions during meetings, or people who can't operate simple software such as Microsoft Word.

Steve took me to my doc appointment yesterday and we stopped for a frosty before hand. Steve and I ordered the exact same frosty, but mine came all soupy (like it had been sitting out for 5 minutes next to the fries) and his was all thick and chunky. Now, I'm not the type to send food back...call it self sacrificing or non-confrontational, but I just don't like to do it. You'd think I'd lunge at the opportunity to tell someone that they did something wrong, or that they could do it better!

Anyways, Steve refused to let me eat it and took it inside to ask that they make a new one. The way he mimicked the food worker had me rolling in laughter. I think Steve was the first person to challenge the way he was making frosty's! Eventually, the Store Manager came up and would you believe that she had the audacity to say, "I'm sorry, that's how they come." Steve countered with, "I don't think so. I can bring in the other one I just ordered and dump it upside down and nothing would come out. This one is like soup!" She finally agreed to make him a new one and I think my own personal snapping point would have been when she handed him the new one and it was all thick and chunky SO CLEARLY unlike the one she claimed was 'how they come'.

I laughed the whole way to the doctor. Not because I felt bad for him...no, no....because I was SO happy to watch him go through a scenario that happens to me all the time! Somehow, it's funnier when it's not you...go figure! :)

Anyways, the doc says we are still good for a July 4th delivery! I'm grateful that most of the pain I was feeling has gone. My only problem is that this little dude seems to be pushin' his big toe through my belly button! My inny is slowly becoming an outty! And his little bum is just pressed firm against the side of my stomach. I was showing Steve how weird it is that he can move and make my tummy totally change shape. I had him feel for his little bum and Steve pushed so hard I felt our little mans head hit the bones in my pelvis! LOL I think he understands that he's not so little anymore...I had to show him a picture so that he can see just how little space Wyatt has in there now :)

UPDATE:

2009-04-14T12:26:00.001-07:00

Me: Check the blog
Steven: OK
Steven: GREAT! Now everyone's going to think I have horrible hygiene!
Me: hahahahahahaahahahahah....I so stinkin' love ya babe!

PS: Internet, Steven doesn't have poor hygiene! The scinerio described below was a one time thing (I hope...)

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures (apparently)

2009-04-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

For real, I'm totally not making this story up...and honestly, I don't think I could come up with something so random, yet soooooo perfect!

I always give Steve a hard time, calling him raptor toes and stuff because he has these two toenails (on his pointer toes...next to his big toes) that curl around the top of his toe when they grow (I think he gets it from his dad....HA! I don't know...don't worry Jim, I don't look at your toes that closely...lol). So I like to tease him and tell him I can hear his toenails click clacking across the tile when he walks...like a raptor!

Steve: So you wanna know how manly I am?

Me: (confused) Sure...

Steve: I was walking down the stairs at work and you know how one of my feet is slightly bigger than the other?

Me: mmmK

Steve: Well, sometimes if my toenail gets too long on the foot that's slightly bigger, it bugs me and makes my foot hurt. But, there weren't any clippers at work, so guess what I did?

Me: Oh gosh, baby...I'm scared to know!

Steve: I took some wire cutters and went into the bathroom and cut them down, but they were kinda jagged, so you know what I did to file them down??

Me: I'm guessing you used one of those big ole metal file thingy's?

Steve: NO! I went into the bathroom and used the cinder block wall to file them down! (Then he proceeds to mimick the action of filing his toe nails against the wall)

I know we are in desperate times and all....but, I didn't know we were THAT desperate! :)

2009-04-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here's the final picture of the Texas de Brazil in Baton Rouge that Steve was shooting last week. Seriously, the pictures he takes are just amazing! What he captures seems better than what the eye can see. You should check out some of their stuff at www.studiojinc.com. :)

2009-04-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

So, I must tell the world that I have the most AMAZING mother! She and Kristie came down this last weekend and helped me finish painting the bambino's room and the loft (ok, so 'helped' is the wrong word...cuz they pretty much did the ENTIRE project for me! I think I cried like 5 gazillion times....and they were both ready to stick a wet finger in my ear just to get me to shut up with all the "thank yas"!) I PROMISE to post some pics...but I wanna finish addin' my personal touches so you all can see the final product :)

My main squeeze (a.k.a. Loverboy...a.k.a. Steve) was such a huge help too! Poor Bentley was having a rough time for some reason and Steve and Josh did their best to entertain him while the gals were glammifying the walls. Kristie and Josh are seriously lucky to have Lyza...she is the most mellow, easy going baby!

(I totally stole this pic from Ashley's blog...these girls are adorable! Left: Lyza Right: Brooke)

I have to say that the funniest part was when they all went to leave. I crouched down to give Bentley a hug and my mom pointed to my belly and told him to tell Wyatt bye-bye. She then proceeded to explain that there's a baby in my tummy...so he pats my tummy. (You can just see the little wheels turnin' in his head) THEN, he pats the other two bumps stickin' outta my shirt and tells them bye-bye too!!!!!! AHH-HA-HA-HA! It's all right little man...I'd be confused too!

2009-03-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

Steve has been over in Baton Rouge since Monday. Today, they drove down to New Orleans and had some gator and craw fish! Here's a pic he sent me of him...."hangin' with the locals". :)

What are the chances my kid is gonna come out with one of his dad's classic expressions????
Should I be worried?? lol

2009-03-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked my 24th week of pregnancy!

I don't even know where to begin to tell you about all the changes!

A few weeks ago, while shopping for maternity clothes with my mom and sista's, it totally hit me...I'M ALMOST AS LARGE AS AN L-E-FUNT! No seriously, before you start telling me I look fine or to hang in there...explain to me why my face, arms, and big toe all have to get bigger just to have a baby??! I mean, waist...bum...yeah, I understand....boobs...sure, still working on accepting that one. Not sure why Mother Nature couldn't just make due with what I was givin, but whatev's...I'm getting over it. But, what in the tarnation do I need the turkey gobbler chin or the American flags hanging from my arms for??

My sisters and mom were all being SO NICE to me in the store...and I, like a baby, started to cry!!! I couldn't grasp the fact that I was gonna have to wear the "tent" shirts...or the maternity pants that make no woman's bum look fab (why is that? I swear if I knew how to sew jeans, I'd put the butt pockets a wee bit closer together to give that growin booty the illusion of being booty-licious). It was just SO overwhelming! I'm so happy they stuck with me through it and that my mom was SO generous to buy me pretty much a whole new wardrobe!

Recently, I have started to get this weird pain behind my belly button (if this grosses you out...I'm sorry...get used to it, there are few topics that are off limits for me). It literally feels like my belly button is trying to "un"button. Every time I brush my teeth, or wash dishes...it pushes up against the edge of the counter and...gag me, it feels like when you put a Q-tip in there to clean it out....all those little nerve endings...NOT pleasant. It's quite the opposite of cleaning out your ears with a Q-tip, which from me and my mothers point of view, is nearly orgasmic (but it's a thin line to pain if you go to far in...eeek!).

The only other weirdness I have is that my brain has apparently checked out for the next 3 months. I find myself repeating things and asking people if I have already told them something. I can't remember if I just thought something, or if I actually said it. Steve's having a hay-day with it though. He takes just about every chance he can get to tease me...until I give him the "you-really-wanna-go-there" look. :)

This little dude has been kickin' up a storm! I was feeling this dragging sensation on my bladder and after our last ultrasound (which, yes, they confirmed that he's STILL a boy!) I saw that he likes to lay his lil' bum over my bladder which ain't so fun! Sometimes I think he's in there kinking the hose so that mamma can't go!

Steve's been talking to him at night and he'll push on my belly and wait for him to kick his hand away :) He seems to know when it's Steve, because he'll start doin' flips and all 4 limbs just start jolting out in all directions.

We went shopping for the stroller and the play yard last weekend. We also ordered the bedding set online today. I'm pretty anxious to get started on his room. The painting part is pretty much the only thing that Steve and I are dreading.

We still have so much to do to the rest of our house...it just feels like it's taking forever! We finished the guest bedroom about a month ago. It still needs some minor finishing touches, but soon will be done. I'll post a pic of the before and after :) We also finally got a full size desk to put in the loft so that we can spread out in our soon to be den/office/extra guest space.

OH! I also started taking some photography classes that Steve and his boss are putting on at his studio! You'd think I wouldn't need them, being married to a photographer, but I totally lose interest when he tries to teach me EVERYTHING HE KNOWS in 30 minutes. :) This way, I can learn it a little at a time and I have some professional cameras to practice with! WOO!

2009-03-17T12:04:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I realize that I haven't been posting too much lately...I blame it on the lack of energy :)

HOWEVER, my husband sent me an IM this morning while I was at work that was just TOO PRICELESS not to share with the rest of the world...enjoy!

Steven: So can I tell you my funny story now?
Emily: yep, totally ready
Steven: okay so i was coming down the stairs this morning and heard...
Steven: a cat meowing.
Steven: i looked out the front window and to my surprise I saw not one, but two cats.
Steven: They were locked in a death stare with hair raised and claws ready...
Steven: As I moved closer to the window to watch as the stare down continued, I realized that this was not going to be a quick little bout
Steven: These two cats must have had a long history and they now, finally, after months of harassment have come to a head and were ready to duke it out, even if it means blood, even death.
Steven: After a few long drawn out meows, both cats pounced with such utter speed and accuracy as they collied in mid air. The fight was on!
Steven: The stripped aggressor, yet smaller of the two, took control over the orange larger feline with great force.
Steven: After a few seconds of batting and swatting, fur began to fly. The smell of blood was in the air.
Steven: ...
Steven: okay this is taking way to long and i have stuff to do...
Steven: you get the idea
Emily: hahahahaha.....yes, but it's highly amusing to see you entertain the author in you!
Steven: there was a massive cat fight between two cats right out in front of our driveway
Steven: they had it out for about 10 minutes
Steven: after I saw that one was seriously loosing, I walked out and broke it up by yes, throwing the largest rocks.
Emily: NO!
Emily: you threw ROCKS at them?
Steven: one...that was all it took
Steven: I even missed
Steven: but one cat did not run as fast as the other when it was over
Steven: there was fur literally all over the cul-de-sac
Steven: ok that was my story

Seriously, this is just ONE of the reasons I LOVE being married to this man! He never, and I mean NEVER, ceases to amaze me...lol :) He always has me laughing!

2009-02-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

Wyatt James Bell's First Photo Shoot!!

AND HERE'S THE MONEY SHOT!

For those of you who can't decipher this....let me explain. You are looking at his lil bum with his left and right thigh. In between those thighs....well....need I say more???

This means his Nana Beesley AND HIS MOM were both wrong in guessing his sex. STEVEN WAS DEAD ON and was NOT about to budge. He claimed this appointment was only to confirm that our little one was a boy....so much for mothers intuition! :)

As much as I'd like to say, "Awe! Precious!"....this pic looks more like an alien to me. The doc printed this one by special request from Mr. Steve. It's even more weird that the scanned image looks like you can see his EYES where the print we got from the doctors office looks more like dark holes.....oh, and his little hand is already doin' the fist bump....or 'power to the people'....can't decide.

Steve has also made a special request that any toys given to this little man come in twos. One for Wyatt and one for Steve, so that he can SHOW Wyatt how to play with them. (When we worked in Nursery in our last Ward at Church, the kids used to sit in a circle around him and watch HIM PLAY WITH THE TOYS....he's such a kid at heart :)

LOVE YOU BABY!!

2009-01-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

HEY EVERYONE!! I'm officially 16 weeks! (as of 1/25). I'm feeling a million times better! It's interesting all the changes that you go through so early on in pregnancy! I've noticed that I've become more sluggish. Things that were so seemingly easy to me before are now tasks that leave my heart pounding in my head and gasping for breath. Stairs being the number one culprit…followed by cleaning toilets (ok, so that one’s more because I’d rather not do them, am utterly terrified of them, and not even going to argue that Steven cleans them 100x better than I ever could or even wanted to).

Getting out of bed is no longer a flex-your-stomach-to-sit-up-then-slide-off-the-bed-all-limber-like kind of maneuver. It’s more of a roll-on-your-side-then-push-with-all-your-might-and- try-not-to-pass-some-morning-gas-as-the-little-wee-one-inside-you-pushes-all-your- insides-out-of-the-way-as-it-stakes-claim-of-the-places-your-stomach-and-intestines-once-called-home.

I had my second doctor’s appointment last week and I absolutely love my doc! She’s so spunky and fun…she makes you feel like a winner each time you visit her….could be because she says, “you WIN!” whenever she shows me the ultrasound :0) I can’t believe how much our little bean has grown! It’s totally loungin’ in my womb…lol. The doc kept poking at my tummy and shaking her head. She couldn’t believe that this little wee one just likes to keep it’s hands behind it’s head…like it’s in on vacation takin’ in some rays! Well, for now anyways….it’s going to get way more cramped in there in no time! I totally broke down once I heard the heart beat. GOSH! I’m just SO excited!

So apparently, my mom has accurately predicted each and every single one of her grandchildren. She is 100% certain, no doubt about it, that it’s a GIRL. We don’t officially find out until February 16th…which seems so far away! Steve and I have high hopes that it’s a boy…but, I can’t wait to find out if my moms perfect record will continue!

2009-01-16T21:25:00.000-08:00

My adorable little sis sent a link to a website that she frequented while she was preggers. (www.babycenter.com/pregnancy) So I was reading up on week 14 (which is where I was at, at the time), and it said:

"Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another...By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body."

Then, it shows you a 3D image of what a 14 week old fetus looks like:

OK, I'll admit...the first thing that came to mind was a clip from 'Meet the Robinson's' where the villain demands that the Dino seize the boy and...well....just click here to watch the clip :)

HAHAHAHA!! That's right....my little munchkin has a "big head and little arms". Thank goodness they are going to become proportionate soon!

2009-01-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

If this doesn't just make you go AWE...I don't know what will! Ashley sent me this pic of lil Brooke after her shots...hey, at least she's not cryin' right?? She is just SO adorable!

2008-12-28T14:43:00.000-08:00

2008-12-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

I’ve developed the nose of a blood hound….seriously! I swear I can smell everything. Things that I never smelt before…and things I really wish I couldn’t smell.

When we bought our house, I hated the smell of it. I bought a bunch of wallflowers from Bath & Body and put them throughout the house. And frankly, I really liked the smell of them….until NOW. I came home from work last night and was so overcome by the smell of eucalyptus that I wanted to barf! I went around the house and gathered them all up and threw them out. BUT, then I couldn’t get the SMELL off of my hands! I washed them literally 10 times and still could smell the eucalyptus scent on them….so I pulled out an onion and rubbed it on my hands….nadda….pulled out some lemons and rubbed them on my hands…NADDA!! So, while cooking dinner, I burnt some cheese in my oven, and you’d think I was smellin’ the greatest thing on earth!! I actually preferred the smell of burnt cheese over my scenty stuff!

Sadly, once the smoke cleared and I was getting ready this morning….the smell was back! Seriously thinking about sporting a clothes line clip on my nose…fashionable…no??

Dear Fetus,

I want you to know how ecstatic we are for your existence….even though you living in my womb is making me feel a wee bit crazy from all the changes. I really wouldn’t trade it for anything in this world and it makes me tear up when I think of how blessed we are. You should know that your dad still calls you spike…which isn’t all that far off considerin’ you probably still have a tail at this point.

Love momma

2008-11-30T17:52:00.000-08:00

So, let's see...I made that last post on Tuesday? Umm...not even a day later I was welcomed into the morning sickness clan. Although, I don't know why they call it morning sickness when it lasts ALL DAY!!!

My mother-in-law showed me how to prep a turkey for thanksgiving (since I volunteered to make it this year). Watching her peel the skin away from the flesh had me teetering on the verge of stuffin that turkey with my regurgitated morning breakfast! Thankfully, Steve took over from there and paid attention to all the disgusting details so that he could help me prep our birdie for thanksgiving dinner.

I called my sisters to find out how they dealt with this constant urge to loose your cookies and they told me the 1/2 a Unisom trick! I was a little skeptical. A sleep aid? For morning sickness? But, I tried it and PRAISE THE LORD! IT WORKED! I still have occasional nauseousness, but it's not the overwhelming, all-consuming feeling anymore.

The only side effect I've noticed is a bit more drowsiness during the day, but the benefit of not being sick all the time is worth a little drowsiness!!

I'm feeling a little on the bloated side. Like on those really bad days of your period where your jeans fit a little snugger than other days. Steve says he's gonna buy me a shirt that says 'I'm not fat, I'm just pregnant'. Not so sure if people are gonna believe that one just yet...lol.

He's also nicked named our little bean 'Spike'. Yep, I know...weird...but hey, if you know my husband, it shouldn't be all that surprising. :0) I asked him, what if it's a girl? He just looked at me and said, "Spike". Sounds like an identity crisis in the making...

2008-11-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

So, I thought I’d give some personal experiences about my pregnancy thus far. I’m guessing I’m only 7 weeks roughly…I know, I know…”isn’t it a faux pas to announce so early?” you ask….NO! I was so stinking excited that I just couldn’t hold the good news to myself.

My first appointment isn’t until December 17th, where I’ve been told that they will give an exam, tell me yet again that I’m pregnant, and possibly let us listen to the little beans heart beat!

I was talking to my little sis about my one complaint thus far…sore boosies. ACK! I’m going to describe the feeling as having bowling balls implanted. Around 7:30 on the dot each night, I get this throbbing pain under my arms…which gradually moves to the bowling balls. From about then until 4 or 5 in the morning, any movement literally feels like they are going to rip from my rib cage! I’ve resorted to bags of frozen veggies to ease the tenderness.

My sis told me, “Em, it’s weird. You’ll wake up one morning and be like, WHOA, where did these come from?”. In my head, I’m thinking right, that may make you happy, but it’s gonna make me scream ‘WHY ME?’ to the heavens while Steve chants ‘Jackpot, Jackpot’ with a grin from ear to ear.
Thanks to a friend of mine who gave me the idea to wear a bra + a sports bra to bed…there ya go! Strap ‘em down!

I haven’t experienced any real morning sickness (knock on wood). I’ve had a stomach ache on occasion, along with the urge to upchuck…but I fight that urge with every bone in my body. I absolutely HATE to throw up! YUCK! I’ve been really tired too, but that’s ok, cuz I really like naps :0)

I’ve been told to get the book ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’. I’m thinking that might be a good idea. One of the websites I turned to mentioned leaky bossies, hemorrhoids and constipation as normal symptoms. SCORE! Sign me up!!

On the positive side, Steve and I are WAY excited! We’ve been making lists of all the things that we need to get and all the work we’ll need to do to get the nursery ready.I think we are both rootin’ for a boy, but we’ll take a lil princess, if that’s what it is! Steve has been kissing my tummy goodnight and telling the little bean how much he loves it…makes my heart just melt!!

2008-11-11T05:31:00.000-08:00

So, you know that update we promised you????

Well, here is a hint.....

And if that's not hint enough...

then here's another one.....

We are just SO EXCITED!!!

2008-11-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

Cute...Cute...CUTE!!

This is Bentley and Lyza (Kristie and Josh's lil chillin's) all dressed up for Halloween!

SIDE NOTE: Yes, I know I have other nieces and nephews...but their mammy's and pappy's don't send me any pics to post and brag about! (hint, hint).

OH! By the way....Steve and I are going to adopt a GSP (German Short haired Pointer) hopefully before Christmas! We are so excited to take a road trip to California to pick out a rescue dog to add to our family!

Side SIDE NOTE: I realize you could use more of an update than this...still workin' on that ;)

2008-10-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

IM chat I had with Steve this morning...

Steve: How's your day so far?
Me: Good, how about yours?
Steve: God, just got in
Me: Oh really?
Me: Well tell him HI for me
(Couple moments pass by wherein I'm sure Steve was scratching his head and thinking what?)
Steve: *Good
Steve: You know what I meant
Me: Yeah, I know, but I couldn't resist...LOL
Steve: I'm still tired

2008-09-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Bentley Luke and Lyza Mae Norman

Here is one of my nephews and his new baby sister, Lyza Mae.

I love their facial expressions.....priceless!

2008-09-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

What's Yours is Mine and What's Mine is Mine...

Steve and I like to grocery shop for two weeks worth of food at a time. Sometimes we have to go back and pick up produce items that won't last that long...but our main goal is to only shop once every two weeks.

We always buy some sort of cracker brand for lunches. He's a big Ritz fan...me, on the other hand, I don't really enjoy plain crackers like that. So, one shopping trip, I purchased his boxes of Ritz crackers and threw in some Cheez-its for me. I recall packing them for lunch one day, and suddenly they were gone the next. (Steve had a sudden case of memory loss and apparently had no idea where they went).

The next shopping trip, I purchased some Ritz crackers (again), a 'spicy' cheez-it box and a regular cheez-it box. Steve avoids spicy foods, so I was certain that he wouldn't touch them :) Anyways, one night while watching 'The Office'...I had a snack attack. I took the half eaten box of regular cheez-its and devoured them! Steve returned from his trip to Reno to find them long gone. (I let him cry it out...he felt betrayed, but forgave me).

Last night, after shopping and eating dinner...I went to the pantry to pack my lunch for the next day. I grabbed a box of just purchased Wheat Thins and said, "Don't eat the Wheat Thins, baby. You have your Ritz...so these are mine."

He just smiled and said, "I know, but the Cheez-its are mine. I even wrote my name on them." I grabbed the box from the shelf and burst out laughing when I found he had written on every possible side of the box, "STEVEN'S".

I suddenly felt like I had regressed back to the single life of writing names on the food you didn't want your roommate to eat.

2008-09-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

So Long...May you rest peacefully in appliance heaven

I woke up this morning, threw some wash in and hoped in the shower. By the time I was finished, I found smoke filling the halls. The culprit being THE WASHER (excuse me while I weep).

I won't lie, right then I felt like screaming, then drop kicking the washer out the front window. Instead, I called my husband and yelled at him (as though he single handedly had been the reason for the faulty washer). I'm sure he wasn't surprised though...he calmly told me we should have someone check it out and everything would be ok.

The appliance repair people came that night and delivered the bad news that it would need to be replaced (only after lecturing us not to buy appliances from Craig’s List...even if you are just trying to save some money).

So, the silver lining to this story??...after we replace the dishwasher and washer...every appliance in our house will be brand new (minus the water heater). Ok, that's more of a GOLD lining...:0)

2008-09-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

SLOWLY BUT SURELY...

Well, it's official...we've finally moved into our new home! Now, don't take 'moved in' too literally. We've still got boxes scattered between different rooms, searched for toilet paper, towels, and deodorant that we packed no where near each other, and moved furniture around one too many times.

BUT, the important stuff is done!

We found the remote to the TV (that's an important one)!
The kitchen is finally unpacked (it's so weird to not feel like I'm setting up a booby trap every time I strategically put the dishes away!)
All the bathrooms now have toilet paper! (I tell you this with great pride. Nobody likes to do the chicken dance in search of TP, pants around their ankles, praying that nothing drips and ruins the freshly cleaned carpets!)
Locks have been changed
WINDOWS ARE SPARKLING CLEAN (shout out to mom for that one!)
Disposal has been replaced (go daddy-o!)
Fire alarms no longer squawk in protest every 3 seconds to remind us to change the batteries (this is an amazing accomplishment considering I did this WITHOUT the use of a ladder...piles of books, laundry and my feeble gift of balance to thank for that)
Boogers have been cleaned off ALL blinds
Bed setup, WITH SHEETS

Jim and Anne were gracious enough to hire help to clean our house. This was a gift straight from heaven! It would have taken me until the year 2015 just to skim the surface.

The cleaning ladies showed up and 9 hours later, called to let me know it was finished. When I got there to check things out, Maggie (the cleaning woman) just looked at me, wiping sweat from her brown, and said, "They NEVER clean!" I dare say that I agreed with the understatement! From a quick glance, the house really didn't look that bad. However, once we really started looking at it, we realized that the previous family had zero concept of cleanliness.

So, we knew for sure that we would have to replace at least the stove. We used every chemical known to man (nearly) in attempt to scrub the grime off, to no avail. We were going to use a fridge that Jim and Anne had years ago...but sadly it died the day we moved it into our place...so that too needed to be replaced. The micro was stained and didn't work. The dishwasher was on the list to be replaced as well...but we figured we'd use it till it died and clean the gunk off as best we could.

One Saturday we ventured out to Home Depot, picked out our selection of white appliances and setup a delivery for the following weekend. No more than 2 days after they were installed...Mr. Dishwasher keeled over...but not without leaving us a basin full of water...and no easy way to get it out. Steve is now filling in on behalf of the late Mr. Dishwasher. May he rest in peace.

Here are some pics of the inside of our new place:

2008-08-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Spring Mountain Country Club

Okay, so this picture has been up for a few weeks and I thought that I would give some what of a description. :) I did a photo shoot a couple of weeks ago for a new "country club" just outside of Vegas in a small town called Pahrump/ It is owned by some .com millionaire out of LA who likes to race cars. This is pretty much the coolest thing ever!! You pay an annual membership fee along with some monthly dues and you get a full blown track to race on 16 days a month (car not included).

They also offer driving schools for Lotus, Corvette, and Suzuki motorcycles. Needless to say, I was in heaven!!! The shot turned out really well and it was a ton of fun driving the cars around.

(From Left to Right): Porsche GT3, Corvette ZR1, Lotus Exige Cup, Radical Racer

2008-08-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

Steve is currently on the Seabourn 'Spirit' with the same captain as the article mentioned below.

He found out that the captain is an amateur photographer. He worked a deal with him. Steve will give him a few pointers about his camera, in exchange for an exclusive story session of the attack! Needless to say, he's pretty excited!

2008-08-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

CRUISE LINER OUTRUNS ARMED PIRATE BOATS

A luxury cruise line will re-evaluate whether to offer future cruises off the coast of Somalia after pirates attempted to attack one of its ships early Saturday.

The pirates were in two small boats and were carrying machine guns and a rocket-propelled grenade when they attempted the attack on Seabourn Cruise Lines' "Spirit" about 5:35 a.m. local time Saturday, Deborah Natansohn, president of the cruise line, told CNNRadio.

The ship was carrying 150 passengers and a crew of about 160.

The ship, she said, immediately instituted its emergency response system. "The occupants of those boats did not succeed in boarding the ship and eventually turned away ... our captain and crew did a terrific job taking responsive action."

Passenger Mike Rogers of Vancouver, Canada, said the pirates were shooting and sending rockets at the boat.

"The captain tried to run one of the boats over, but they were small boats, about 25 feet long," he told CNNRadio affiliate CKNW in Vancouver.

"Each one had four or five people on it, and (the captain) said he was going to do anything to keep them from getting on board."

The captain, however, did not hit the alarm button to alert passengers of the emergency, Rogers said. "He announced it over the speakers because he was scared people would run up on deck, and he didn't want people on deck because they would have been shot."

The cruise ship eventually outran the pirates' boats, Natansohn said. One person suffered minor injuries, she said without elaborating.

"There's some minor damage done to the ship," Rogers said. "There's no water right now, for instance, in some places, and I believe one of the grenades actually went off in one of the cabins, but everyone on board is fine."

The ship is now en route to the Seychelles Islands, Natansohn said.

On Thursday, the United Nations' World Food Program warned that hijackings off the coast of Somalia were restricting the delivery of needed food assistance to the country.

"The southern Somali coastline is one of the most dangerous in the world," the WFP said on its Web site. "In recent months, WFP's operations in Somalia have been sabotaged by the hijackings of two vessels carrying relief food. Ship owners are now demanding armed escorts to travel in these waters."

Natansohn said efforts were under way Saturday to locate the pirates. "We have notified U.S., Canadian and Australian authorities because most of our passengers come from those three countries, as well as local authorities in Africa."

"Seabourn 'Spirit' has offered itineraries in that part of the world before, but we'll obviously be looking at the incident to determine what to do in the future," she said.

Rogers said, "We're always looking for adventure, but this is probably a little more than we would normally look for."

By CNNRadio's Matt Cherry and Amanda Moyer
Saturday, November 5, 2005; Posted: 9:45 p.m. EST (02:45 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/11/05/somalia.pirates/index.html

2008-08-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Signing

Yesterday was our official signing, and since Steve was obviously not there to sign, I signed on his behalf. Apparently, I didn't think that process through!

I've been told that signing for a home is like signing your life away. For me, it was like autographing every single page of a 500 page book...TIMES NINE HUNDRED!

I was grateful that Anne (my Mother-in-law) came with me. She made the whole experience go by quickly. However, it was no help that the air conditioner at the Title office was broken. So, here’s me (the human furnace) and Anne (the hot-flashin’-queen!) trying to direct me through the heap of signature lines.

I signed my name, and then everywhere that Steve was to sign, I had to write (IN CURSIVE I MIGHT ADD!!) "Steven J Bell by Emily S Bell his attorney-in-fact".
I'll admit, I NEVER write in cursive. I hated it in school, and to this day, still refuse to use it for anything other than signing my own name! I would venture to say that I’ve forgotten how most of the alphabet should look in cursive. By the end of the signing, I was printing the letters and ‘hooking’ them together with lines to make it look like cursive. It literally looked like a child scribbled out Steve’s name! I was concentrating so hard on making my 5th grade penmanship legible that my hand cramped up and had to temporarily be given the nickname “Quasi”.

Now that this is out of the way, we are only waiting on a few small details. If all goes well, I could have keys in hand by next week! We're unofficially official home owners! :0)

2008-08-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

SOOOOO EXCITING!

We sign for our new home on Monday!!!!

2008-07-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

Where in the World is Steven??

Steven began his three 1/2 week trip to the Mediterranean today (07.24.2008)! He started in Las Vegas. He then flew to Houston, Paris, and lastly, Athens. I've placed stars on a map to indicate all the areas he's adventuring to!

07.26.2008 - Pireas, Greece
07.27.2008 - Kusadasi, Turkey
07.28.2008 - Mykonos, Greece
07.29.2008 - Navplion, Greece
07.30.2008 - Transit Cornith Canal
07.31.2008 - Dubrovnik, Croatia
08.01.2008 - Split, Croatia
08.02.2008 - Venice, Italy
08.03.2008 - Hvar, Croatia
08.04.2008 - Dubrovnik, Croatia
08.05.2008 - Cruising Ionian Sea
08.06.2008 - Taormina, Sicily
08.07.2008 - Lipari, Italy
08.08.2008 - Sorrento, Italy
08.09.2008 - Civitavecchia, Italy
08.10.2008 - Sorrento, Italy
08.11.2008 - Taormina, Sicily
08.12.2008 - Katakolon, Greece
08.13.2008 - Itea, Greece
08.14.2008 - Santorini, Greece
08.15.2008 - Mykonos, Greece
08.16.2008 - Pireas, Greece and then back to Las Vegas, Nevada!!!

2008-07-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

What?

You mean everyone doesn't wear a size 6x in camo-overalls?

Since when??

Julia says, "I love Steve's expression in this photo. It's like, 'What? So I'm sharing a large pair or pants with a man...who cares? And yes, I'm wearing underwear, I don't know about him, but I am!'"

Some Humor

2008-07-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

I like to use 'I Can't Believe it's Not Butter' on my toast in the morning, because sometimes when I eat breakfast, I like to be incredulous.

"How was breakfast?"

"Unbelievable."

-------------------------------------------------------------

“I noticed that there are no B batteries. I think that’s to avoid confusion, cause if there were you wouldn’t know if someone was stuttering.

‘Yes, hello I’d like some b-batteries.’

‘What kind?’

‘B-batteries.’

‘What kind?!?’

‘B-batteries!!!’

...and D-batteries, that’s hard for foreigners.

‘Yes, I would like de batteries.’” - Demetri

2008-07-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

My name is Emily Bell.

Steve and I have been married since June of 2006 (just had our 2 year anniversary). If I had to describe my husband in one word, that word would be 'charming-handsome-kissable-incredibly gifted-sarcastic-gun totin'-oh snap sayin-comical-drives our car like a Ferrari (and everyone knows Hyundai is NO Ferrari)-supportive-lovable-man'. Again, that's if I had to put it into one word.

We live in Henderson NV....and are 'SO CLOSE WE CAN TASTE IT' to buyin' our first home!! We are hopin' to sign the docs before Steve leaves on yet another amazing adventure for what he knows as a 'job', but the rest of the world would call a 'vacation'.

He's a photographer for a studio here in Las Vegas and he works with two comical...yet amazingly talented men. Over the past year, they have been doing photo shoots out of the country to places like Italy, England, Costa Rica, Cabo, etc. His next endeavor is a 3 week trip up and down the Mediterranean on a yacht (don't even think about it...I've already asked to be stowed away in his suitcase...it ain't happenin'!).

Steve and I met in Provo Utah. We both worked for the same company for a couple of months. I still remember the first time I saw him....starring at me....which I still catch him doing.....and I remember thinking what a freakin' hot dude he was! (Mom, I get to tell the story my way! It's less embarrassing...and a little less blown out of proportion! hehehe) Anyways, Steve was in Provo to see where a relationship would go with another girl (enter Emily) and quickly realized that he actually moved to Utah to meet the girl of his dreams (a.k.a ME).

Unfortunately, I was not so willing to give up my somewhat-wild-roots and refused to succumb to the feelings I was quickly developing for him.

He got a job opportunity in Las Vegas...moved...and long story short...I followed shortly thereafter. BUT, I wasn't willing to move all the way to Vegas (didn't want to seem to eager...yeah, right), so I moved back to St. George for a couple of months. By the way, St. George is my official hometown.

First came love, then came marriage....and sometime soon, the baby carriage. (noooooo, that is NOT an announcement MOM or PATTI).

I'm WAY excited about getting our first house! I've always had a LOVE (very near obsession) with decorating and interior design! Yet, oddly enough, that's not what I currently do for a 'living'. So, it is idea overload every night trying to decide what I want to do with our soon to be 'blank canvas' of a home!

Then comes my second passion...cooking! I can't wait to invite people to our home...instead of our rinky-dink apt...and cook up a storm! I like to try out new recipes on my guests...not usually the norm for most...but hey, if it doesn't work, there is always pizza!

I realize that I'm probably not the ideal person to be blogging...considering I am a failure at scrap booking and/or keeping a journal...so I figured this would be a sure fire way to kill two birds with one stone! HOWEVER, unlike my past journaling attempts...I will try to update this blog more than once every January 1st...LOL.

My apologies to those who read this and don't find any part of it humorous...I lack the skill of putting the funny moments in my life into words, while still keeping the moment 'funny'. I'm generally an animated person....so the stories are always better in person.

Till next time,

Emily