tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29148399813418251462024-03-14T06:28:13.216-06:00La La Ladaniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.comBlogger927125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-82470371943451312402018-11-06T20:19:00.001-07:002018-11-06T20:19:28.056-07:00Graham Abbott Kent<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.02px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times";">September 21, 2018</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">3:31 PM</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">7 lbs. 12 oz.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">19.5 inches</span></div>
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He's here and he's perfect! At 17 weeks pregnant, I got a call from my OBGYN. My 15 week blood work was showing markers for down syndrome. I had something similar happen with both Christian and Piper, so I wasn't worried and knew no matter how he came to us, he would be loved completely. Over the next month and some genetic testing and meeting with counselors, we had pretty much ruled out down syndrome and any other genetic abnormalities and realized baby boy unfortunately was in a "bad placenta" which can have some scary risks after 34 weeks including preeclampsia and still birth. This led to what felt like a million doctor appointments/ultrasounds/NST/AFI's per week. It was frustrating feeling like I didn't know what to do with Christian and Piper during all these appointments but I was also incredibly grateful baby boy was being monitored so closely. With these complications and appointments, the last couple months of pregnancy felt like an exhausting, emotional roller coaster. My doctor thought it was best if we planned on inducing early with my risks.</div>
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Unfortunately, from about 34 weeks on, the baby was breech. I actually wasn't really concerned about this and knew that they can usually just flip breech babies. I was very naiive and it makes me laugh now.</div>
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On September 18th I was 36.5 weeks pregnant. I went in for just a normal visit and had a friend watching Christian and Piper. My doctor came in the room and said the protein in my urine was high and I had elevated blood pressure. I knew exactly what that meant because this has happened twice before. We were now talking preeclampsia. I headed over to labor and delivery until about 10pm where they monitored me and I spoke with my doctor. We decided I would come back in in a couple of days on the day I was 37 weeks and they would attempt to flip the baby and then hopefully induce me if flipping was successful. If not, they would do a c-section. Our plans had completely changed!</div>
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Friday, September 21st, Sean and I headed to labor and delivery at 9am. It was packed! They had moms all sharing rooms in recovery because so many babies were being born that day. Finally around 10:30, my doctor was able to get to me. She explained that flipping the baby can seem kind of barbaric. I have high pain tolerance so I really wasn't worried. Except, yeah, it was horrible. They laid me down and slanted to the table so my head was towards the floor, then they attempted to flip him. I was screaming and crying for them to stop. Finally, my doctor said, basically he was sitting deep in a bucket seat in my pelvis and was so low she didn't think it was going to happen. With my other risk factors, she didn't feel good about sending me home either.</div>
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C-section it was. I started bawling. She asked me what my concerns were and I was crying so hard I just pointed to Sean. I had told him so many times before that day how worried I was to have a c-section with two wild toddlers who I still had to lift in to car seats, high chairs and beds. Sean only had 5 days paternity leave so the thought of doing it all solo while recovering, completely wigged me out.</div>
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They could not get me back to the OR until 2:45. The nurse came to get me. I kept saying "I'm totally freaked out. I've never had surgery. Is it normal to freak out?" And she kept telling me I was normal but probably she was really just being nice.</div>
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They gave me my spinal tap but it took about an hour of rotating me on the table for everything to be numb enough for them to start. Finally they brought Sean back. They have a rule that dads must sit up by the moms during the procedure. Sean kept standing up and looking and he'd get in trouble. Finally the doctor said, "Sir, I know you're a surgeon but you need to sit down!" Poor Sean. He does love a good surgery!</div>
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After a few minutes, I hear the doctors say, "He's a BIG boy! Want to see him?" And they lifted him up! He wasn't crying yet and just looked really confused, poor guy! He was a doll and very mellow! They had to take him and clean him and he was having some minor breathing issues but was totally fine.</div>
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(This is the part of my post that I had to delete pictures because Sean told me they were too graphic. Apparently I have no pride left in me.)</div>
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I was so grateful! Pregnancy is so hard and adding on health complications and worries that things could go wrong makes it even harder. Seeing him here and healthy made it all worth it! I was finally able to hold him once his breathing was on track and we couldn't believe how much he looked like Christian! I totally thought from ultrasounds he was going to be a mini Piper.</div>
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We spent four days in the hospital and the recovery from the c-section the first week was really rough. Sean had to do bring Graham to me a lot of the time and getting up and down was hard. After week one though, I just have had some soreness but nothing too bad.</div>
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Graham is the sweetest boy! He seriously has made the transition to three as easy as it can be, I think! He's my sleepiest and most mellow newborn for sure but also still has days and nights swapped. I'm usually up all night with him and up all day with Christian and Piper so sleep is definitely not happening for me anytime soon. Life is really wild with three kids three and under, but I'm so grateful we have Graham to join our crazy circus. It's cliche, but it feels like he's always been here with us. We love our Teddy Graham!</div>
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-37070298367207910672017-02-16T19:08:00.000-07:002017-02-16T21:29:38.458-07:00Club Foot Journey: Our Baby's Story<div style="text-align: center;">
I want to share the story of Christian's club foot. I have written notes about every month so I would not forget details. It's important for me to have his story written to show him later. I've had lots of women over the last two years find me and tell me their own child was just diagnosed in utero and they are really scared. I have loved communicating with these women mostly in the US, but some internationally (Hong Kong, the UK and Australia) and sharing our story and offering support and hopefully alleviating some of their fears as they travel a similar journey. </div>
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When I was 20 weeks pregnant, we went in for our anatomy ultrasound. We had found out two days prior that we were having a boy so to be honest, I was just excited to see him again on the screen. I went in with not a worry in the world. I was seriously the pregnant lady that did not stress about a thing.</div>
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After the long ultrasound, the nurse left the room and came back with the doctor. Immediately I felt sick. I knew he had something to tell us and this was the furthest thing from my mind. He said they found two issues with our baby, the first being a right club foot. My heart dropped. I was not expecting any sort of "news" at all, just another simple ultrasound.</div>
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Over the next 18 weeks of my pregnancy we had many more ultrasounds each one making me more nervous than the last. Because of his club foot and also the issue they found with his kidneys, they were starting to believe his club foot was not an isolated issue and that he might have more problems that we were unable to see from the ultrasounds. We did many tests, some of them coming back with perfect results, however, we heard for the rest of my pregnancy that they did not know what condition he would really be in until he arrived. I grew accustomed to confused looks on the ultrasound technicians' faces and I can still remember feeling like I was going to throw up the night before every ultrasound. Those feelings stayed with me throughout my pregnancy with Piper as well.</div>
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I prayed a lot during my pregnancy. I prayed that he would continue to grow healthy and strong. I prayed I would be guided to the right doctor. I prayed that there were no further issues and I hoped that the doctors were just being extra cautious and that was the reason they were feeding me so much extra information and encouraging me to do additional ultrasounds.<br />
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When I was pregnant, we started researching what we wanted to do to help our baby. I was willing to travel anywhere in the country and pay whatever it cost to help him have a healthy future. This is the part that always makes me smile. At the time, I was in the Young Womens presidency (a youth group organization in our church). The president happened to be an orthopedic surgeon, however, she did not specialize in pediatrics. We spoke with her and she suggested we meet up with her friend who did specialize in pediatrics, Dr. Vincent. By this point, we were pretty sure we wanted to go the route of the Ponseti method (a casting method) from what we had researched.<br />
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When I was about 30 weeks pregnant, we had our first appointment with Dr. Vincent. I felt sick the whole way there. We were his last appointment of the day and he immediately put us right at ease and just chatted with us for over an hour. It was the biggest relief and it was the first time in 10 weeks I felt a little more at ease. He answered all our questions, explained the whats, hows and whys and mapped out a plan for the next few years. I knew he was our guy!<br />
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While I was in labor I wasn't worried at all about the delivery (with how my deliver went, I probably should've been... haha) but just what condition he was going to be in. When Christian was born, I truly felt like it was a miracle. Besides his club foot, he was in perfect shape! I really think the reason my transition into motherhood was such a cake walk was just because I was so relieved after his birth. Four months of worry and concern about the condition of my baby boy were (almost) completely gone and now it was time to get to work!<br />
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We ended up scheduling his first cast for when he was 3 days old. Studies show that if you get them casted anytime in the first 2 weeks, it doesn't make a difference in their outcome. I could not sleep the night before his first appointment because I was so worried about him being uncomfortable or in pain. Then, he ended up just chilling through the whole thing. Figures...<br />
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He continued to get re casted weekly and each time, they rotated his foot more and more. He got used to the loud saw that would cut off his casts and they never seemed to bother him. We couldn't give him baths at home for the first few months, so we took his bath supplies to his appointments and gave him a little bath in between each casting.<br />
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This photo was taken after just a few casts! I remember being so shocked how straight his foot looked!<br />
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When he was 6 weeks old, he had his achilles tenotomy procedure done with no anesthesia. Sean stayed in the room, but I could not be anywhere close by! I felt like he had already been through a lot and it was totally messing with my heart. After his procedure, they casted him for the final time and really rotated his foot the opposite direction. It looked so painful and this cast stayed on him the longest for two weeks. He had quite a lot of blood on the heel of his cast from his procedure so I got a lot of looks when we were out and about running errands. I had to explain to some people that I don't hurt my child! Finally, I just gave up on going out altogether until he moved to the brace.<br />
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When he was 8 weeks old, he was transitioned to the boots and bar brace. We did a TON of research (and thankfully Sean had a lot of wonderful professors whom he met) and we ended up going with the method discovered by Dr. Ponseti because a lot of times when children with club feet have surgery, they can get arthritis by the time they're in their teens. The Ponseti boots definitely took some getting used to but after wearing them for a while, he seemed to not notice them at all. For the first three months, he wore the boots and bar for 23.5 hours a day. For the next month, he went down to 20 hours a day. After that, 16 hours a day and so on and so on. I cannot tell you how happy it made me to cut down on the brace throughout the day. It made everything easier, diaper changes, clothes, trips in the carseat....<br />
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The casts he wore as a little little baby were kind of like having braces on your teeth, but the brace is the retainer that keeps the foot from going back. It is critical that we are consistent with the brace because if we are not, then the foot will rotate back and then we would have to do surgery which often times leads to arthritis starting as teenagers.<br />
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He now wears the brace every night for 12 hours and every morning yells on repeat, "bye bye boots" the whole time we take them off. He will wear his brace 12 hours a day until he's four years old. Things I love about the brace: It keeps him from climbing out of his crib (we have a climber on our hands, folks)! Things I could do without: Putting it on him every night. Talk about the most intense workout ever! It was nearly impossible to wrestle him at 38 weeks pregnant. When we went to Piper's anatomy scan and it showed no club feet, I was so relieved to find out I didn't have to strap on two sets of braces every night!<br />
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At nine months old, Christian started walking. At his nine month appointment, Christian was toddling down the hall and his doctor's jaw dropped, "Is that my Christian <i>walking</i>??" Coincidentally, a study had just been released that stated typically children with clubfeet don't walk until 15 months, on average. Christian's walking milestone meant a lot to us. It meant that lots of hard work and tons of prayers have not gone unnoticed or unanswered. I cannot even begin to say how much we love Dr. Vincent! He always calls Christian his little superstar and Christian is obsessed (understatement) with him and so are we!<br />
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We now have an extremely busy, active and FAST 2 year old. It's everything I could've ever hoped and dreamed of when I stayed awake at night pregnant and worried. Sean and I could not be more grateful.<br />
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We just had his most recent appointment and Christian is doing great! He's right on track and should be completely done with his brace when he's four years old!</div>
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I've had many people ask me questions. These are probably the most common questions I get asked! I love when people ask me questions because then I know they're getting correct information.<br />
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<b>FAQ's</b><br />
Q: How do babies get a club foot?<br />
A: We don't know. There's a genetic component (that could be the case with us but Christian's doctor does not think that's likely for several reasons). Also, moms who smoke or drink while pregnant are more likely to have a baby with a clubfoot (obviously, I did neither) and also some prescriptions have caused babies to have a club foot (I took nothing besides prenatals when pregnant with Christian, so that's not our case either). It does <b>not</b> come from the baby not having enough room to grow. Usually the first question I get is people asking if his foot was all twisted because he was too crowded in the womb.<br />
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Q: Is his development delayed because of his casts and brace?<br />
A: Developmentally, the casting and brace schedule works great because the brace won't be on during the day to slow them down from different milestones once they begin to crawl or walk. By the time he learned to crawl and walk, he was only wearing the brace for nights and naps. In a lot of ways, I feel like his brace has helped him make some of his muscles very strong since he kicked that thing around all day!<br />
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Q: Will he be able to play sports and be active?<br />
A: Yes! This is actually highly encouraged for kids born with club feet! On a lot of the clubfoot groups we are apart of, some club foot adults mention that their parents were too worried to let them participate in sports so their leg (or legs) is/are weaker and they deal with pain from being inactive. Staying active will help him develop muscles to support his foot. In fact, Troy Aikman, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic figure skating champion, were both born with club feet.<br />
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Q: Will his foot and leg look different as he grows?<br />
A: It's possible. Christian was born with a unilateral club feet meaning it was only one of his feet. Some kids are born with bilateral club feet. A lot of times, if their case is unilateral, their calf on their club foot leg is skinnier and their foot is smaller. Christian's club foot is smaller but such a small amount that he wears the same shoe size on both feet. Some stores, including Nordstrom, will sell you shoes in two different sizes though (Nordstrom Rack will not).<br />
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I wanted to share this video because it gave Sean and me a lot of comfort when I was pregnant. You can see towards the end what happens when a club foot goes untreated and leaves people crippled for life. It's absolutely heartbreaking. I cannot tell you how blessed we feel that we were able to get such good care for our baby and that we live in a place and in a time in age where he won't have to suffer his entire life from his birth defect. We hope to one day travel to other countries with Christian and have him meet other people with club feet so he can realize as well, how blessed he is!</div>
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-65048506236564268792016-10-19T22:26:00.000-06:002016-10-20T20:23:21.589-06:00Piper Azalia Kent<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.02px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times";">March 11th, 2016</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">7:46am</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">7 lbs. 10 oz.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">20 inches</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKM7Y3qBjbDdamMVriirUcglm5vOWyNPRhJsroay30UMZPWkLPUalU8rpd34Q283_1lpzds68BINPKhJEI6xRp1zQrq6LaT2krDWI90WhoDhDw7Yy7UZC4WvhdAWhgBTG1P6JlnwH2ne0/s1600/IMG_2482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: puritan; font-size: 14.3px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKM7Y3qBjbDdamMVriirUcglm5vOWyNPRhJsroay30UMZPWkLPUalU8rpd34Q283_1lpzds68BINPKhJEI6xRp1zQrq6LaT2krDWI90WhoDhDw7Yy7UZC4WvhdAWhgBTG1P6JlnwH2ne0/s640/IMG_2482.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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At 33 weeks pregnant, I went to my doctor's appointment and they were concerned because my blood pressure was very high and I had alarming amounts of protein in my urine. I was showing signs of preeclampsia again (which is why I was induced early with Christian) so we began the talk of early induction. My doctor was glad I was 33 weeks along and was hoping I could make it to 34 weeks but they were monitoring me closely and put me on bedrest (which is the biggest joke with an active one year old).</div>
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I obviously did not want to have the baby too early so my goal was to make it to March. Week after week hit and every week my doctor wondered if I would make it to the next. Then March arrived and I started to get antsy! I could not believe I made it that far after weeks of hearing talk of early induction. My pregnancy with Piper was incredibly painful as I dealt with sciatica and Symphysis Pubic Diastasis. I was also still dealing with bad morning sickness until the very end so I was definitely ready to have a baby and feel somewhat human again. I had contractions for weeks and weeks so my body was exhausted but the contractions were nothing to go to the hospital over so I just waited. My new goal was to have the baby by my birthday, March 10th. </div>
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This is me the morning of my birthday. I had woken up from probably the best night of sleep I'd had in a couple months. My mother-in-law joked that it's because my body was resting up for labor (I think she was right)! This picture makes me laugh. Apparently I wasn't excited about waking up still pregnant. Little did I know, she wanted her own birthday and less than 24 hours later, she would come!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7bXY-NTX7DbBUNIMPp1bQXgYRF2Hhs8e_aZekgku5daoqWBFJIyhNX5WGyggZ0dg7v-A9cmYHXhJsog6otjPYe4SQwJyVPcWRMwDFY2T78ToPQjnaUplxo7SdIxe1BIJFbxOQ-o363_8/s1600/IMG_2424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7bXY-NTX7DbBUNIMPp1bQXgYRF2Hhs8e_aZekgku5daoqWBFJIyhNX5WGyggZ0dg7v-A9cmYHXhJsog6otjPYe4SQwJyVPcWRMwDFY2T78ToPQjnaUplxo7SdIxe1BIJFbxOQ-o363_8/s640/IMG_2424.JPG" width="582" /></a></div>
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Ironically, on my birthday, the contractions that had been pretty constant stopped. I went about the whole day feeling like my body had regressed. We went out to a fun birthday dinner around 6 pm with Sean, Christian and my mom. Back at home around 9 pm I sat down and finally was able to respond to all my nice texts from friends and family. I can't tell you how many, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Is there a baby yet?" texts I got! To each person I pretty much told them nothing was happening and it was probably going to be awhile. At 10, Sean and I climbed into bed but I couldn't fall asleep because pregnancy insomnia is a beast.</div>
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At around 11 I started having the kind of contractions that are just annoying. They hurt a little but they hurt as much as all the contractions I'd been having for over a month so I didn't think anything of it. For the next few hours I timed them. I didn't know what it was like to go into labor on my own so I was doubting myself and I definitely didn't want to go to the hospital for a false alarm. Around 2am, I knew they were consistent and painful so I woke up Sean. My dad had luckily just flown in that night, so I woke him up and told him we were headed to the hospital.</div>
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Once I got there I was ready to show the nurses my contraction log to prove it so they'd admit me. Instead they just took me back and strapped me up to the machines. When the nurse checked me I was at a 5! I couldn't believe I was actually in labor. They brought me back to the labor and delivery room and by about 2:30am and within 30 minutes of arriving, I was hooked up to an IV and they started pitocin. The anesthesiologist came in and hooked me up with an epidural before my contractions ever even got really bad! AWESOME. The whole time I kept thinking, "it can't be this easy, there's no way it's going to be this easy..." After an extremely long and semi traumatic birth with Christian, I just couldn't believe how smoothly everything was going.</div>
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Sean and I talked and tried to sleep for a little bit but it wasn't too much longer until I started feeling pressure so I told the nurses. Sure enough, I was at a 10 and they said she was about to come so they were going to grab the doctor! I still laugh thinking just several hours after my birthday dinner where I felt nothing, I was delivering a baby.</div>
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I was so surprised how quickly everything was going. Hours before I never suspected I was anywhere close to even having a baby! I started shaking and getting really jittery. The doctor on call came in and then Sean introduced himself as a medical student and asked if it was possible if he could deliver the baby. The doctor was so nice about it and told him he could! Sean quickly gowned up and three pushes later, she was here, delivered by daddy! Our parents didn't even have time to make it to the hospital when I said things were progressing quickly. Such a happy whirlwind!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcZQpK2FJMvk8NVbt_5BOd4OMQ-xoftcMJXqTWDVRPqrm0CVNJ9PjYvUHy-nclLagdKvhZvT75v2B-j8Nk-z-bWcU3BokDZFnBIkcsM_Zipt6htVTO_jn9znHdnhUsLiz4ncW85jWBda2/s1600/IMG_2450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcZQpK2FJMvk8NVbt_5BOd4OMQ-xoftcMJXqTWDVRPqrm0CVNJ9PjYvUHy-nclLagdKvhZvT75v2B-j8Nk-z-bWcU3BokDZFnBIkcsM_Zipt6htVTO_jn9znHdnhUsLiz4ncW85jWBda2/s640/IMG_2450.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Wrong baby. Still cute. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILua3dvegtpMe5tNiYf5_7gF9Q9I8RgwLR6cb15kOOMf4RBHueYnUp1CF641-VqapSgXAqjZorjPqvcXs96Co68SvG-rJDNT8tkVghn5WgyibZ_DC2L7HS1DXt8JuI-mpEUlAHVcVPg-y/s1600/IMG_2434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILua3dvegtpMe5tNiYf5_7gF9Q9I8RgwLR6cb15kOOMf4RBHueYnUp1CF641-VqapSgXAqjZorjPqvcXs96Co68SvG-rJDNT8tkVghn5WgyibZ_DC2L7HS1DXt8JuI-mpEUlAHVcVPg-y/s640/IMG_2434.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHTG-OappM61EzJURw3gbuKdGv-Kl79voOp9BrPNqk2qmXBbqnIUsaxZ0Cqpu7RullyahQTI9nCH5QvGO_XEZdBVcePx5Z2Z4MCunsiSR0xZjzI3GGkoLS3YK3OHx9q8ewKTmyIHaRm08/s1600/IMG_1057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHTG-OappM61EzJURw3gbuKdGv-Kl79voOp9BrPNqk2qmXBbqnIUsaxZ0Cqpu7RullyahQTI9nCH5QvGO_XEZdBVcePx5Z2Z4MCunsiSR0xZjzI3GGkoLS3YK3OHx9q8ewKTmyIHaRm08/s640/IMG_1057.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I looooove her cheeks!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogW2TXfTlcsgoXnQIpcJyJzxQLGd280L76rMgL278Td4blMrAGrLfxQNvOs1bFE6dGgdOv0jt60ZtoXF3uMJrG0yZUjDubQQMOzG85fJm_PGUldcHdqCg1TliAeujOL5SqBIuehn1f-I1/s1600/IMG_1127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogW2TXfTlcsgoXnQIpcJyJzxQLGd280L76rMgL278Td4blMrAGrLfxQNvOs1bFE6dGgdOv0jt60ZtoXF3uMJrG0yZUjDubQQMOzG85fJm_PGUldcHdqCg1TliAeujOL5SqBIuehn1f-I1/s640/IMG_1127.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheIk9x7N-uxIDLCGBsILOAk561ZzhnArqMrTT8siuz_Nt-j21qzfFcZBoX6nVaHjFCLGDBgeWGSyz69qQKwZTUg44Jz6n3_CDg9y_S1cUFIFGVL_0kQcb6f53DxrBzL1IQuZEbirxloUg/s1600/IMG_2486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheIk9x7N-uxIDLCGBsILOAk561ZzhnArqMrTT8siuz_Nt-j21qzfFcZBoX6nVaHjFCLGDBgeWGSyz69qQKwZTUg44Jz6n3_CDg9y_S1cUFIFGVL_0kQcb6f53DxrBzL1IQuZEbirxloUg/s640/IMG_2486.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUYUAWoY6aF4YsLgmIy0-u6MHGvVyfHjbvaLYh8hkEADAw5fK6jobaxRWTWvEBGy252vc_W8xA96Px_4bVFWXcM1B6qlhrM_KBtFHWfNofPrtQ79mXXiuF06bVyaPGl2MUx2UQePmFSXY/s1600/IMG_1130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUYUAWoY6aF4YsLgmIy0-u6MHGvVyfHjbvaLYh8hkEADAw5fK6jobaxRWTWvEBGy252vc_W8xA96Px_4bVFWXcM1B6qlhrM_KBtFHWfNofPrtQ79mXXiuF06bVyaPGl2MUx2UQePmFSXY/s640/IMG_1130.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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It was the most bizarre thing starting with a newborn all over again so quickly because my memories of Christian as a newborn were still so fresh. I kept having weird moments where I felt like I was holding baby Christian and having to consciously think about it being a completely different baby. I knew from night one Piper was definitely feisty! Sean and I looked at each other after the first night in the hospital like, "what the crap did we just get ourselves into?" She was not going to let either of us relax post birth and she made that clear!<br />
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Little did I know the next few months I would almost never put down my screaming baby. She had two modes: sleeping and screaming. She quickly got her nickname "Pipes" because there was never a louder screaming baby that has graced this green earth. Hah! Ha Ha..... I truly thought I was losing my mind at times. I always said she would've been the perfect first child. She demanded every ounce of me and I felt so badly that I really had to give so much energy to her and Christian often times got what was leftover. After a few months we have finally been able to get some of her issues sorted out and now, I think I can safely say we have a more content baby on our hands! HALLELUJAH.<br />
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Here are some examples of Piper ages 0-5 months:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrg1eYO3HYhZVJIakYLdDdDlW1MFT1uWP6F_okKa-LsrVLDYhYI4kxsG2-vH6WEizSlzZIBpF9anmyJ0pQbFbWBpIhx2S2XOUz7E6by7_z5-6_kZYIMN9ckqHIBJIY8HHw9hbX9WKxVsa/s1600/IMG_2772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrg1eYO3HYhZVJIakYLdDdDlW1MFT1uWP6F_okKa-LsrVLDYhYI4kxsG2-vH6WEizSlzZIBpF9anmyJ0pQbFbWBpIhx2S2XOUz7E6by7_z5-6_kZYIMN9ckqHIBJIY8HHw9hbX9WKxVsa/s640/IMG_2772.JPG" width="602" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoad1JoSPE86Ebt9Gj7onVLwdQvsWtq17zxmFaV-6RsZV-2ylkXwiHwZW2JM8SDZaCn3tInLix62sxEZnErsw7mzfrCCU87_U2fS7pjKh2YKHYpU-Xtr8KyA9g56bboZ9NkRPbcUHQ-vK5/s1600/IMG_4039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoad1JoSPE86Ebt9Gj7onVLwdQvsWtq17zxmFaV-6RsZV-2ylkXwiHwZW2JM8SDZaCn3tInLix62sxEZnErsw7mzfrCCU87_U2fS7pjKh2YKHYpU-Xtr8KyA9g56bboZ9NkRPbcUHQ-vK5/s640/IMG_4039.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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She still wakes up 1-5 times a night and she still makes her opinions (very) well known, but man I love this girl. She has personality oozing out of her! We went for her well check yesterday and her doctor was constantly saying how busy, social, curious, strong, etc... she is. She's a little thing but she's a fireball and we love her for it. Even though I'm terrified of 7th grade Piper, she is always making me laugh (and sometimes makes me roll my eyes). She has evolved so much in her short life and it makes me tear up to think of what obstacles we've had to go through to get her happier. She really is the sweetest, funniest little thing. She's tough and can handle whatever big brother throws her way. It's cliche but I cannot remember life before her. What would we do without this munchkin? So glad she's ours!<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-49824727691547251462015-10-07T11:29:00.006-06:002015-10-07T12:50:34.252-06:00It's a Girl! Help Us All.<div style="text-align: center;">
Most of you know I'm pregnant. Again. Yeah, totally feels like I just did that roller coaster ride. Oh wait, I did.</div>
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I convinced myself I was having another boy. I even got really excited at the thought of having an all boy family. So I was completely shocked to find out, it's a girl!<br />
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BLESS HER. No seriously, I am so scared for her.</div>
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I used to hear people freak out and say "I don't even know what I am going to do with a girl/boy" when they had one of one gender and found out they were expecting one of another gender. I thought that was super dramatic. What do you mean you don't know what you are going to do with the new baby?? It's a baby! They sleep at all the wrong times and they cry every time your head hits the pillow. Gender has nothing to do with that.</div>
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Except, our little boy hit 5 months and my opinion completely changed.</div>
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Side story so I can paint a picture: When I was 15 and home sick from school, my mom must've been gone because I was watching Maury on tv. This specific episode had nothing to do with who the father was and instead featured a kid who had an inability to feel pain and so he started eating his fingers. I was horrified. That is so sick.</div>
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When Christian started crawling/scaling the couch/climbing on things, he would fall or crash a lot and hit his head or arm or leg and he would never cry. I seriously cannot remember a time he cried. And he'd crash hard. I remember one time he even fell in the giant waiting room at my doctor's office and the whole room echoed with the fall. Every single moms' head in that room popped up and they all gasped. Christian was singing and just stood right back up and kept going.</div>
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At first, I wasn't too concerned and then so many moms started making comments to me about it. I then started to freak out that he had a disease like that kid on Maury! I definitely didn't want him to start chewing off limbs! I googled everything I could and pretty much Sean and I just came to the conclusion that since he went through so much trauma as a newborn and had three unmedicated procedures, maybe he doesn't feel pain like most kids do. At least it's the only answer that's made me feel better. It's also when I started thinking, maybe he's just a really rough and tumble, tough little boy!</div>
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If this is the case, our sweet little girl needs to come to us tough as nails. How in the world is Christian supposed to be gentle when he could care less if others are gentle with him and he certainly is not gentle with others??<br />
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At first when I heard "It's a girl," my heart sang and I instantly thought of baby dolls, tutus and painted toe nails. Then I glanced at my lovely first born stretching his leg out to kick the nurse. Suddenly I saw a little girl running around with mangled hair and a butcher knife. Yes, she might never be the Miss Priss that I once was. And as I have learned with my boy, kids come jam packed with their own personality, regardless of what you do.<br />
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I grew up with my sister a year behind me. I have no memory of my life before she was around. We went through school together and I can still remember her telling off that punk girl, Jasmine, in preschool because I was too shy. We shared clothes, barbies, music and sometimes crushes (the WORST)! We started our periods within 12 hours of each other (too much?). We had our own bedrooms, but we shared mine. There wasn't a night we slept in our own rooms. Most nights, we laughed our heads off until we fell asleep. Most of my best memories are with her. It was so fun having a built in best friend. Once we both slammed our bedroom doors because we were mad (diva behavior was NOT allowed in the Stolworthy house). Both our doors were taken off the hinges immediately. I remember us sitting across the hallway from each other in our doorless doorways laughing our heads off about it.<br />
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I know the brother/sister dynamic will be a little different. I do hope that no matter what though, they share a friendship like the one I had with my sister. I hope they have each other's back at school. I know sometimes they'll fight and scream at each other. That's okay, too. Maybe they won't share all the same hobbies and same friends, but I hope at the end of the day they can be a listening ear, a crying shoulder and thrilled for the other's successes just like my siblings do for me.<br />
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We are ready for you Kent girl!! And I say "ready" super lightly. Just a little reminder to stay cooking until March. Gracias.<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-6421186022761641622015-10-06T15:49:00.003-06:002015-10-07T12:03:01.071-06:00A Birthday Party... For Me!<div style="text-align: center;">
Turning one is like the biggest deal in the world, is it not? This morning I was getting so carried away with my big plans for Christian's party! If you could've been in my mind, everything was so Pinterest-worthy. I was getting so excited to be insta-famous!</div>
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Then I started thinking, this is not about him at all, it's about me. The park, the friends, the cake, the perfect banners and delicious food... It was all about me and what I wanted. How selfish! I then started thinking, If I were to really make the day all about my big birthday boy, I'd want him to know it was different and special! I'd want him to be able to do things on that day, that we normally don't do. I'd want to really make his day and do all the things that he absolutely loves!</div>
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I made a list of the activities for his new party:</div>
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-Have unlimited time playing in the dishwasher. He can pull out whatever dishes and it does not matter what was on them or how sharp they are.</div>
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-Bite/lick the toilet lid.<br />
-Aluminum Foil. Lots of it. Pull it out of drawers, tear it up, chew on it.</div>
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-Eat as much dog food as wanted. When I see him with chipmunk packed cheeks full of kibbles n' bits, I promise, I will not remove any pieces.</div>
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-Rip all the leaves off all our trees and bushes. Just tear them right off, I don't care!<br />
-All toys/tools will be sharp, dangerous and potentially fatal. No moms are going to put a stop to that!<br />
-Lola will be giving free piggy back rides.<br />
-Rocks, dirt and bugs will be served for lunch.<br />
-No diapers at this party! You can pee wherever you want and you don't have to sit still to get a fresh new diaper. How nice.<br />
-Naked. Clothes not necessary here......<br />
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You know what? Now that I think about it, never mind. His birthday is going to be all about me.<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-35412139583516335342015-10-01T23:13:00.000-06:002015-10-02T12:35:31.062-06:00A Boy and his Dog<div style="text-align: center;">
When you've got an almost ten month old, you hit the ground running as soon as you hear him yelling and pounding on his wall at 6am. He's a terrible napper, so most days the next time I catch a break is 6:30 pm. Christian rules our house. I used to <i>judge</i> people like that. He has started shouting at me. How do I fix this? Umm, how in the world do I know? I think I say, "In this house, we speak nicely to each other" about 9 billion times a day and he gives me a look that makes me feel like the biggest idiot on the planet.</div>
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His favorite activity is dumping the dry dog food into the toilet and then splashing in it. I've seen him elbows deep in pee (that's as far as I'm going on that one), last week I saw him straight up eating a retired birds nest like you would eat a hamburger, he's thrown Sean's iPad right into his poopy diaper, about half the time I find him, his lips are covered in mulch and he has dog food just chillin in his cheeks and this morning he got an old milk jug out of the recycle bin and poured sour, curdled milk over his entire body. Yum.</div>
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My lucky mom and mother-in-law get hourly updates of his antics, pictures usually included. They laugh. I laugh. I literally have no clue what I'm doing or how to keep him even a tiny bit under control. I think if I started to try to keep it all together, I would lose my mind, so I'm mostly just like, whateva, all day long.</div>
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If you want to give me advice, I'm down. If you want to come babysit, I'm totally freaking down with that.</div>
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But today, I seriously had a 20 minute break. Christian is obsessed with our dog Lola and thinks she was born just so he could gnaw on her ears and try to pancake flatten her. If you know Lola, she's literally the biggest brat on the planet. Like, she mostly just goes by Lil' Miss Hot Mess or Suzanne Somers at our house. I think if I took her to dog school, the dog trainers would bawl their eyes out and hit the bar afterwards. Anyways, she's horrible. EXCEPT she is soooo nice and patient with Christian, like Mother Teresa status, so I usually just think, "Okay, you have another night of room and board."</div>
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A lot of mornings Lola is doing her typical naughty behavior and shredding up something valuable under the couch. When Christian wakes up, he likes to look for her there. It's pretty typical for her to not want to come out and be tortured by him, but most of the time he just grabs her by an ear or limb and tries to pull her out. This morning though was really different, he was so patient with her. He waited for over 20 minutes for her to come out.</div>
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He would scoot his head closer and closer when she realized they were both being just as stubborn.</div>
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He tried to share his binky with her. He even tried to put it in her mouth.</div>
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In the end, he settled for petting her nose.</div>
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I love my little boy. Maybe he's not the quietest and maybe he's exceptionally horrible at sitting still, but he's really really <i>really</i> fun and keeps me on my toes! I loved watching him be so gentle this morning and I love anytime I get to see new little sides of his personality come out that I haven't seen before. Especially in those rare, calm moments. We are learning and growing together. We probably laugh our heads off about 90% of the day, at least we try. He is my buddy and he forces me to be reeeeeallly chill. This mom thing is totally the best and I'm so glad I have such an entertaining partner for the ride.</div>
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-79472136679651218872015-02-24T13:41:00.005-07:002015-02-24T14:25:23.292-07:00Mamahood<div style="text-align: center;">
I've been at this mommy thing for two months now.</div>
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See? 2 months.</div>
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I haven't got most of it even close to figured out, but here are a few things I've learned:</div>
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I can do things I'd never thought I'd be able to do. Now, I don't mean things like loving more than I thought was possible or literally only sleeping 2 hours within a 24 hour period, which both are things I have done, I mean peeing on a toilet with a kid in a brace and having to bend over and tear your toilet paper off with your teeth. I did that. Yesterday. And then Christian and I looked at each other and laughed. You go Glen Coco!</div>
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You do weird sleep deprived things. Last night I leaned over in my sleep to look at the monitor and I see a bug chillin' on top of Christian on the screen. All I remember saying was "get off my baby you sicko." Yeah. Sleep deprivation and instincts can make you threaten a 1/4 inch bug that's not even close to your child.</div>
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Expect curve balls. Like, everyday. It's been 10 weeks since we brought Christian home from the hospital and it's been a little wild. I can't even begin to list all the doctor visits we've made. We spent some time in the hospital when he got RSV, oh, and then, after that we came home to a flooded house and had to tear up the hardwood and then eventually put it back in. I think another word for curveballs is "life" and I'm lucky enough to be married to a guy who seriously rolls with the punches and remains calm and positive through it all. Brag over.</div>
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Never say never. No, I'm not referring to Justin Bieber, I'm talking about all these methods mama's have and who's right and who's wrong. I actually learned this lesson when I taught elementary school so luckily the words "I will never ________." have not yet escaped my mouth as a mom. For example, I can't say I won't let my kids watch tv and one of the reasons I can't say that is because Christian and I watched Baby Einstein last week for 5 minutes until his eyes started bulging out of his head and arms went wild from over-stimuation. Sorry baby. The video case clearly stated 3+ months. Too soon.</div>
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Always have a plan, and when that plan fails, be fine with it. I read so many books when I was pregnant and I'm so glad I did. A lot of them agreed on some ideas and then on other things would totally contradict each other. I've used bits and pieces from them all and I always have a plan A and B and C and.... Sometimes, we have to scratch that plan though and just start over. We've learned to be very organized but also very flexible.</div>
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You will let yourself go, a little. Eek! The biggest pre-mom nightmare of all time! Yeah somedays I'm smiling and playing with Christian and don't even notice until noon I have yesterday's mascara half way down my face. Umm, how can he even love me or smile back?? Terrifying! I don't eat breakfast until 2pm. I've gone on a walk in black pajama pants because I rationalized in my head they could easily be mistaken for yoga pants and my yoga pants were in some pile of some unfolded laundry somewhere. I've had pee down my shirt and spit up in my hair and when I finally get a chance to clean up at 8pm, I find myself belting out nursery rhymes in the shower. But at the end of the day, I played with my baby. I saw all his new tricks. I comforted him when he was upset and I met all his needs. It might not always be picture perfect, but everyone is happy and healthy!<br />
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I AM THE MAMA. No matter what anyone says or what advice I get, I have really learned to trust myself and my instincts. People might make comments but I know what's best for my little boy. I know to hold him sideways if he's sad. I know that if he's starting to squirm that means he doesn't want to eat anymore. I know that he hates the sun in his eyes so I have to remember his little sunglasses on our walks. I know when he's sad because he's tired or when he's sad because he's hungry. I am the mama.</div>
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I have a lot more to learn and poor baby Christian is my guinea pig. However, I'm loving my new adventure with my tiny little man and it's always a party at our place!</div>
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-640724139044426832015-02-10T17:51:00.003-07:002015-02-10T17:51:35.805-07:00Christian's Nursery<div style="text-align: center;">
Wow. I really stressed myself out on this room but I'm so happy with the way everything turned out. It's a good mix of do-it-yourself projects, Craigslist steals, sentimental items, a few splurges and gifts from grandparents. The room was pretty much empty until I was 8 months pregnant. I probably won't ever do that again, but I didn't have much of an option this time around and look, everything still came together (that was me reminding myself it all worked out)!<br />
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There are a few things I kept in mind when brainstorming-</div>
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1. Budget friendly... I mean, Sean's in school and now I'm a stay-at-home mom so that's a no brainer. I combined coupons and waited for deals so even on full price items, I was able to get lots of discounts!</div>
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2. Gender neutral, but boyish, but simple (okay, that was like 5 points). I didn't want lots of loud colors. I knew the whole family would be in here more than any other room after he came and I wanted it to be sweet and relaxing. I also wanted to keep it gender neutral just in case another baby makes an appearance before we have to sell this home.</div>
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Crib was easy. I knew what crib I wanted and that's the first thing we ordered. My mom made the amazing swiss cross quilt! This helped me plan the room's color scheme. The animal and velvet pillows were other things I found early on. My mother-in-law gifted us with the darling mobile from Restoration Hardware. The rocking sheep is from Pottery Barn but I found it for a steal on Craigslist. I ordered black dot labels from Amazon and stuck them sporadically on the wall. Christian loves looking at them as he falls asleep for his naps. And I'm sure when he's able to stand up in his crib, he will try picking them off the wall.</div>
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I found the mid century dresser (and lamp) online at an estate sale for a serious steal. Yes, we bought dead people furniture and it was the perfect addition! At 8 months pregnant I SCRUBBED the insides of that dresser down with vinegar and then put it in the sun with baking soda in each drawer for 24 hours and then did that whole process again. I lined the drawers with liners and organized them with Ikea bins. We had a small amount of space to work with and I didn't see the point in spending $100 on a changing table when I needed it to double as some solid storage. I wanted a place to put extra diapers, binkies and all those baby odds and ends.<br />
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Sean and I both love to travel and we hope Christian will love to, too! I wanted a map in his bedroom and I found this one on Amazon but I knew it needed a little something more so I cut and stained some wood panels and glued those to the top and bottom and then hung the final product on the wall with some black and white baker's twine.<br />
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Another really easy DIY project to help personalize his room was this C poster. I made it on my computer, sent it in to Costco and put it in an inexpensive Ikea frame. Voila!<br />
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The rocking chair was another generous grandparent gift! The bookshelves were the first thing I hung up in the room. I purchased books that looked boyish and went with the room. Have I mentioned I'm an OCD mess and even more so when I'm pregnant? I don't want to talk about it. I bought a couple books from Barnes and Nobles but most are from seriously the best website ever, thriftbooks.com. If you don't know about it, find out quick. It's the best (hint: cheap books and always free shipping). And of course because I'm a former elementary school teacher I already had about a gazillion more books that I now have stored in his closet. I loved unpacking them out of the boxes that my former students had labeled for me and knowing that now my own kids could read them.</div>
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The ukulele came from Nama and Pop Pop Kent!</div>
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This is a print my mom painted with watercolors and it's hanging by his bedroom door. Sweetest quote and painting!<br />
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The closet is nothing fancy, but I did rediscover my love for bins and shelves! My mom also created some closet dividers for his clothes which are a huge help!</div>
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<a href="https://www.babyletto.com/hudson-3-in-1-convertible-crib" target="_blank">crib</a> | <a href="http://society6.com/felicitasala/animaletti_pillow#25=193&18=126" target="_blank">animal pillow</a> | <a href="http://www.worldmarket.com/product/oasis+cotton+velvet+throw+pillows.do?&refType=&from=Search" target="_blank">velvet pillow</a> | <a href="http://www.homegoods.com/" target="_blank">rabbit pillow</a> | <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20126065/" target="_blank">bookshelves</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AN36MQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">black circle labels</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LIJ8KWM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">map</a> | <a href="https://www.rhbabyandchild.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=rhbc_prod405427&categoryId=rhbc_cat377281" target="_blank">mobile</a> | <a href="https://www.rhbabyandchild.com/search/results.jsp?query=rocking+animals&hidden=&go.x=0&go.y=0&go=go" target="_blank">(similar) animal rocker</a> | <a href="http://www.thriftbooks.com/" target="_blank">books</a> | <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50300275/" target="_blank">dresser bins</a> | <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70241044/" target="_blank">closet shelf</a> | <a href="http://www.target.com/p/threshold-16-eva-basket-1-3c-printed-canvas-with-piped-handles/-/A-16250531#prodSlot=medium_1_49" target="_blank">closet buckets</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rack-Dividers-Round-Blank-6/dp/B004YES56O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423615674&sr=8-1&keywords=closet+dividers" target="_blank">closet dividers</a></div>
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DIY Projects: letter art, map, quilt (my mom), mountain print (my mom), crib sheets (my mom)<br />
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Thrifted: mid century dresser, mid century lamp, rocking sheep<br />
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Gifted: glider, ukulele, mountain prints, cross quilt, sheets<br />
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I love having Christian's little space all finished. We spend a whole lot of time in here so I'm glad I kept it bright and simple!<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-55183465692764777962014-12-11T18:38:00.000-07:002014-12-11T18:38:17.261-07:00Christian Lloyd Kent<div style="text-align: center;">
December 4th, 2014</div>
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5:10am<br />
6 lbs. 14 oz.<br />
19.5 inches<br />
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December 1st-</div>
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I was due with Christian on December 15th. Due to consistent high blood pressure though, I had a hunch he would be coming early. We made a trip to labor and delivery on November 12th because my blood pressure was extremely high. They were possibly going to send me home, give me steroid shots and have me come back in on the 14th to be induced. However, my blood pressure went down during my stay at the hospital so they sent me home. This happened again the day before Thanksgiving. On December 1st for the third time I was sent to labor and delivery after a doctor's appointment. I remember walking in feeling really chill expecting to just be sent home again. Sean was at school and I told him to not even bother coming to the hospital. After a few hours of tests, my doctor decided to keep me at the hospital for a 24 hour urine collection. I called Sean, he came to the hospital and we got set up in our room for the night.</div>
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December 2nd-</div>
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The next morning, around 10am, my doctor came in to see me. Sean had already left for class for the day and I was just watching tv. My doctor told me she had reviewed all my vitals from the third trimester and decided she just wanted to induce me and that we were going to quit the urine collection and get this process started. I had a mini freak out because it was now all becoming real! I made the phone calls to my parents and Sean's parents who made arrangements to come to Tucson since I'd probably be having a baby that night or early in the morning (Hah). I ate lunch and took a long shower. I was feeling nervous and ready.</div>
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By around 3pm, I was in room 190, the room where I was set up to deliver. The nurse inserted a Cervadil to begin the process of softening my cervix. Holllly uncomfortable. When she put it in, I wanted to kick her in the face and I was laughing so hard I had tears coming out of my eyes. Umm... weird pain response. The Cervadil has to stay in for 12 hours. This is around the time I consider my labor starting. I had been having contractions for a couple weeks about 10 minutes apart, but my contractions were getting closer together (about 4 minutes apart) and I was in more pain as the time went on. I watched tv and talked to Sean and tried to get a little sleep. By about 8pm, Sean's parents had shown up at the hospital. My parents' flight landed in Tucson around 9pm. We were able to visit with our parents until about 11pm. I decided I needed to get some sleep because I assumed when the Cervadil came out at 3am, I'd start pushing.<br />
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About 5 hours into labor. I was clueless as to what was ahead. Bahah... rookie.<br />
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December 3rd-<br />
3am came and my cervix had softened but they decided to do another round since I wasn't as far as they wanted me to be. I was so disappointed and not looking forward to them inserting another. This time, I was really crying and I was so uncomfortable. My contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and it was hard for me to sleep. The next Cervadil was put in at 4am which means that would now put me at 4pm before we took this Cervadil out. Once again I tried to sleep and then our parents visited us in the morning and brought me breakfast. I was in a lot of pain at this point.<br />
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Between 10am-3pm is kind of a blur. I literally have never been in so much pain. I told Sean, "I just want to die," probably a billion times. Hah... little dramatic but I really wanted someone to just shoot me. I did what I could during those few hours to help me get through. I took hot showers, I walked around my room and tried to distract myself by watching some tv. I had a cranky nurse and I was bawling my eyes out begging for an epidural. She kept telling me I couldn't get one until 4pm since I had my Cervadil in. I guess someone had finally let the doctor on call know that I had already been in labor for 24 hours with no pain medication because she came rushing into my room, grabbed my hand, and told me they were going to get the anesthesiologist in my room as soon as possible. Halle-freakin-llujah. I wanted to flip that cranky nurse the bird. I don't know if I've ever cried so hard when they took my second Cervadil out. Pain was off the charts and I was sobbing. However, my contractions for the next 30 minutes were more tolerable knowing soon I wouldn't be in so much pain.<br />
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The anesthesiologist came in and was a really nice guy and explained everything to me. I remember my old Young Women's president telling me that during her epidural she recited the Young Women's Theme over and over again in her head so that's exactly what I did. Within about 15 minutes I was feeling amazeballs. My body was finally able to relax. I told our parents they were welcome to come back in the room and we talked and ate dinner and then I slept for a few hours. Around 8pm they started me on a 2 on pitocin (it can go up to 40) and increased it by 2 every 20 minutes. Once I was at a 6 on pitocin, the baby's heart dropped so they turned the pitocin off for a few hours.<br />
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December 4th-<br />
Around 2am they turned the pitocin back on. His heart rate dropped again so they decided to check to see if I was dilated. I was at a 9! Yay! We were near the end! She told me I would start pushing in an hour and they turned off the pitocin again. Since they turned off the pitocin and I didn't have a Cervadil in, my contractions started slowing down to 6 minutes apart. At 3am, I started to push. This part wasn't so bad! I pushed for 2 hours with the help of Sean and my nurse. My mom and mother-in-law were in the room with us and it was a really peaceful experience. I don't know if it's because it was 3 in the morning and it was dark and rainy outside, or if I was just so exhausted, but I just felt very calm and relaxed at this point.<br />
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At 5:10 and after 36 hours of labor, our little guy made his debut! He came out screaming his head off. He cried for about 30 seconds and then went silent and started smiling and was looking all around the room.<br />
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Sean cutting the cord<br />
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I hadn't seen his face yet, but my mom ran over and showed me a picture.<br />
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This might be my favorite picture for the rest of my life. It's the first time I saw his face and I was totally in love!<br />
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Over the next few hours we held him and looked at him. I loved being able to meet the little boy I had grown to love and know over the previous 9 months. It was a rainy and gloomy day and we all just slept and admired our sweet new baby.<br />
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Although parts of labor were rough, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Sean was so helpful and calm throughout the whole process. I loved having our parents there. After 5 days at the hospital, I was antsy to get home!<br />
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The last few days at home have been a roller coaster by itself! We are loving our little guy and getting used to his schedule (awake allllll night and asleep during the day, of course). We are running on little to no sleep but that's how it goes! Sunday, I wasn't feeling well. Because I had no other post pregnancies to compare it to, I assumed it was because I was exhausted and I had just given birth. By 9pm I was in the ER and turns out I had 3 infections including mastitis (yowza). They did put me on antibiotics so I'm feeling so much better and we are cherishing every moment!<br />
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We are feeling so grateful for all of the love and support we have received. Sean and I can't thank everyone enough for your kindness. We are sleep deprived but feeling so at peace and grateful for this incredible gift given to us from our Heavenly Father. I couldn't feel more blessed.<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-63346547241265185382014-09-15T20:01:00.003-06:002014-09-15T22:02:54.248-06:00Pregnant Word Vomit<div style="text-align: center;">
Wow, this is just getting embarrassing. We don't even have a baby yet and I already can't find the time for a little blog update. I will of course be getting back into blogging. Writing has always been a passion. But for now, we have had a lot going on. Maybe it's time to record a few of my thoughts on pregnancy though. I haven't been good about journaling throughout this pregnancy, yet another thing I can't find the time for, but my mom got me <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pea-Pumpkin-Pregnancy-Journal/dp/1402278136/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410832303&sr=1-1&keywords=pea+to+pumpkin" target="_blank"><b>this handy dandy easy journal</b></a> and I have loved loved writing my notes in it week by week. It makes me feel less guilty about the fact that I don't write beautiful letters to my unborn son. Do people do that? I don't know, but I don't.</div>
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No pregnancy is the same, that's what I've figured out. My pregnancy has been different from my mom's and my sister's and it's definitely been different from my friends.</div>
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1st Trimester = bleh.</div>
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I felt bleh. I was sick. I couldn't eat. I was always nauseous. I needed a nap. Sean said I was a different person which probably means I was a tiny grumpy because my normal personality is always completely pleasant, patient, and kind... Cheers to people who deal with sickness up until the day they deliver because I was really struggling for about 3 months.</div>
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2nd Trimester = an enthusiastic two thumbs up!</div>
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I got my energy back! I don't need naps and I don't feel like puking. Maybe this is why I've felt so busy? I've been catching up on all the life things I wasn't doing for the first 3 or 4 months of pregnancy. We've still been doing lots of house projects, plus working full time, plus Sean being in school full time and continuing his research, and we've been in Tucson maybe 1 weekend out of 4 for most of the summer. It's a good thing I'm less nauseous and have more energy now because otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to do it.</div>
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Pregnancy Loves-</div>
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Pregnancy skin is A-MAZ-ING... also could just be because I'm having a boy. I've heard that.</div>
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Informational baby books. I could read a million. I really take each of them with a grain of salt, and I know Sean and I will figure out our own plan and make things work for us, however, I still love to read them and I feel like now I have some good resources.</div>
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The kicks and punches. I thought it would be creepy and weird. It's totally cool and it makes me feel like I'm already getting a sense of his personality. He kicks all throughout the day and he likes to kick when I'm in bed at night (I know this is normal because it's when you're still and they're not being "rocked"). He jumped like a maniac throughout Planet of the Apes.</div>
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He pokes his butt out on my right side. At least I hope it's his butt because I give it a little tap and I'd feel bad if I was tapping his head.</div>
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Ultrasounds. I wish I could get them daily. My last ultrasound they tried to do 3D but he didn't have any chub on him so it didn't work. With how I ate on our recent trip to San Diego he's surely chunked up so we are hoping to get some good pictures next week.</div>
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Pregnancy Not-so-muches-</div>
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Not fitting into clothes. A daily struggle. Busting out the maternity clothes.</div>
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Figuring out work, maternity leave, insurance and a nanny = complete nightmare.</div>
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To look like a really good person, I'm going to leave it at that. A lot more positives than negatives.</div>
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We've set up the crib and his bookshelves and that's about it as far as his room goes. I cannot believe how close we are getting! My biggest worries are just figuring out work, a nanny and insurance. Those concerns pretty much occupy my mind 99% of the day. Praying for a good solution to some of the bumps we've hit in the road but I know it'll all work out.<br />
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Our little guy is still nameless and we have almost no supplies that we would need to have a baby. Like, we literally have 3 baby things in the house. This is all so unlike me to not have every little thing marked off my list way ahead of time so it's a really good thing we still have several weeks to prepare or we'd all be in big trouble. It does totally freak me out though when i make a list of all there is to do and I don't know when those things will get done. A good lesson in patience for an over-the-top organized OCD girl.<br />
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27 weeks! Cheers!</div>
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-45428671057877992472014-08-03T11:40:00.001-06:002014-08-03T12:22:51.944-06:00Happy Sunday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Grateful I've already seen and been able to recognize His hand in my life enough to know that when the path ahead looks scary, He will be there yet again.</div>
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Happiest of Sundays!</div>
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<br />daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-52933114585642168262014-07-29T21:00:00.000-06:002014-08-03T11:41:55.085-06:00It's a...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Almost more shocking than when I found out I was pregnant was when they told me, "It's a boy!"</div>
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So crazy pumped for our new little addition!</div>
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Okay blog friends, I'm about to do it again.</div>
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<b>What are your favorite boy clothes shops? Especially for 6-12 months?</b></div>
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<b>Boy name ideas?</b><br />
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Our last name Kent is such an easy name to work with. EXCEPT names that end with a hard C or K sound.<br />
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Por Ejemplo: Jack Kent<br />
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Sounds like "Jacket" and takes too much effort to pronounce. No bueno (Today, I'm all about the spanish). </div>
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Of course we had a girl's name picked out and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't already gone shopping for lots of girl clothes... sorry nameless little man! We love you and think you're the cutest!<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-6801834205096875462014-07-23T19:38:00.000-06:002014-07-24T09:48:58.347-06:00Alive & Well<div style="text-align: center;">
I knew right at the beginning of my pregnancy that this blog was going to have to go on hold for a few months.</div>
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1. I was sick and it was hard to sit up straight after work.</div>
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2. I made a giant humongous house projects to-do list that included all things that needed to come before baby's arrival while Sean actually had time in the evenings before he heads back to school in August.</div>
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We (eh em, "Sean") has tiled and grouted bathrooms, baseboards, re installed washer and dryer, built garage shelves, cleaned out garage, put shelves in closets and created under cabinet bathroom storage and started tackling the baby's room all after work. He's the coolest.</div>
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All of that had to get done before I could even touch the nursery. We had to finish the garage so I could get the stuff in the nursery out of there. And because I'm a completely OCD freak, it all had to be done in the right order. And because I'm pregnant, I'm even more of an OCD freak than I was pre-pregnancy.<br />
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Besides reading lots of books (I <i>have</i> done that), I am not really prepared for this baby's arrival yet and I'm starting to get a little worried and feeling a little behind!<br />
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Things I need help and advice on:</div>
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I'm keeping the nursery simple. Crib, dresser that will double as a changing table and a rocker/glider. I know what crib and dresser I'm getting, but <b>where are some good places to find a rocker?</b></div>
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<b>Bottles.</b> Help! I will be breastfeeding but I still want bottles on hand in case I pump and am leaving the baby with Sean. What are the best bottles?</div>
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<b>Diapers.</b> Help again! I've heard Huggies are best and most of the time keep everything in. I'm not a super cool pioneer woman and I won't be doing cloth diapers especially since I'll be going back to work and I don't want to leave a sitter with cloth ones.</div>
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<b>Stroller.</b> I have one in mind but still open to some more ideas.<br />
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I've also started my registry. My sister has been a huge help. She's very practical and knows what the best necessities are. <b>What are things you love? Are there things you can't live without?</b></div>
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Sean and I have read a couple books on sleep training so far. It's been very very helpful. I'm feeling like we have a good plan for nighttime and naps which is crucial since I'll be going back to work and Sean will be at school. <b>Any other books that helped you even if they don't deal with sleep training?</b></div>
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Time is totally flying. Can't believe I'm half way done with this pregnancy! Second trimester has been so much better than the first. I'm still more tired than the normal Danielle, but I'm only nauseous a couple hours of the day and I'll take that any day over what it was! One of my favorite things to do has been to write in my pregnancy journal that my mom got me. This baby kicks all day long. I felt the first kick at 15 weeks and my doctor was surprised I felt it so early. Sean started feeling the baby kick by about 18 weeks. Sometimes I feel it alternating legs. I'm just glad it's having so much fun in there bouncing on my bladder! We can't wait to find out what this baby is! I'm 99% convinced I know what it is. We will see if I'm right soon. I could die of anticipation!<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-82022748941692344802014-06-22T10:21:00.002-06:002014-06-22T10:21:28.230-06:00Happy Sunday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-40043912360642120142014-06-17T08:52:00.000-06:002014-06-17T08:52:46.642-06:00Problems<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm normally a healthy eater and I really wanted to commit myself to eating really healthy during this pregnancy. I remember one week trying to decide what to have for lunch and going, "Oh my gosh, this is the week that it's ears and eyes develop. I better get a salad with lots of spinach and veggies so it develops healthy and strong!"</div>
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And then one night, this happened:<br />
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Umm excuse me for being the grossest person alive. (And P.S. If you want to have a good laugh when you're pregnant, text my sister, she makes everything hilarious.)<br />
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Six weeks hit and I became an absolutely worthless human being. I had "morning sickness" from the crack of dawn and it finally ceased around 9pm (if that). I was also constantly tired. Most afternoons I walked in the house and jumped into bed fully clothed. Meanwhile Sean would replace our garbage disposal, clean the entire house and did all of the laundry. Oh, and then 3 hours later, I would get out of bed thinking I had taken a 15 minute nap. I had to lay down flat on my back, or a I was sick. Misery, I tell you.</div>
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Then week 7 came and I couldn't eat anything but crackers and Ginger Ale. For weeks the thought of any food at all made me sick. I gagged down oatmeal, I gagged down soup at lunch. Nothing but Ginger Ale and crackers and the only reason I even ate that was just to keep me alive. I was positive I was going to pull a Brangelina and adopt the rest of the kids in this family.<br />
If we drove somewhere that was 5 minutes away, I completely passed out in the front seat of the car before we even made our destination. I mean, seriously can someone get me a wheelchair and just stick a permanent IV in me? That would at least give me an excuse for constantly looking like death warmed over. The fatigue was crippling. Sleep is what I wanted to do more than anything. Let me give you a quick chart:<br />
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sleep > eating<br />
sleep > going to work<br />
sleep > shopping<br />
sleep > all expenses paid, 7 day trip to Hawaii<br />
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Pregnancy is not for pansies. Sean also proved to me that he would forever be my BFF (I already knew that but he really stepped up). I have never heard him complain once. He took over all household duties, while doing school, clinic and studying for his finals. Also, while catering to my every need. A billion points for Sean Man!<br />
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In the last couple of weeks though, I've hit a happy pregnancy place!<br />
I just want to give a little shout out to 2nd trimester. You're sooo much cooler than the first. Guess what guys? I've started eating my foods again and I went to the GYM last night for the first time in weeks! It was a pathetic excuse for a workout but I did it without thinking I was going to barf everywhere. Oh yeah pregnancy is like the easiest thing ever. What was I smoking before? I've got this!<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-16250433216044812392014-06-10T18:44:00.000-06:002014-06-10T19:59:47.967-06:00Baby Kent<div style="text-align: center;">
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Hello! I've been gone for awhile.</div>
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I've been gone because I've spent every evening of the last two months sick and mostly in bed.</div>
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I've been sick in bed, because I'm pregnant!</div>
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This baby was not "planned". Actually, we had a "plan" to have a baby after Sean took his boards next year in his 3rd year of medical school. However, I've seen time and time again in my life, my timing is not always God's timing.</div>
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Sean had told me a couple times to take a pregnancy test because I was late. He even came out of the kitchen a week before we found out and just said, "You're pregnant. I know it." I just laughed. I knew I was <i>not</i>. First of all, it's not unusual for me to be late. Also, I had been told by a doctor because of some blood work that it may be hard to get pregnant and my sister also dealt with fertility issues for a few years so I was fully preparing myself to go down that same path. <i>Also</i>, I had none of the symptoms that can be associated with beginning stages of pregnancy (wouldn't it be nice if that were still the case?) so I just put it off... and off, and off. All of these things led me to believe it was just another late period. I was absolutely, positively sure I wasn't pregnant.<br />
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Parent Intuition Points-<br />
Sean: 1<br />
Danielle: -1 billion</div>
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We had pregnancy tests in our bathroom drawer. I woke up one morning in April and I decided to just do it so Sean would stop harassing me to take one. So, you can imagine my absolute shock (I literally just started shaking uncontrollably), when I saw an extremely dark blue plus sign that appeared within 2 seconds. I checked the box and checked again to make sure I was seeing it right. There was no denying, we were most definitely pregnant. And if it weren't for Sean asking me to take a test, I probably would've ended up on that TLC show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" where the girls pop out an unexpected baby at work in the bathroom.</div>
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Sean was still sleeping in bed. I didn't know what to do. I wanted him to be awake enough to understand, but I was about to explode. What should I do in this moment? I'd never thought about peeing on a stick and finding out I was pregnant before. I hadn't prepared what I was going to do or say when that moment came, and yet here it was!</div>
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"Umm, Sean?"</div>
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He rolled over and appeared to be awake.</div>
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I told him.</div>
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He was so thrilled and just said "I know"<br />
How right he was.</div>
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I was in a state of shock for a while and experienced a lot of emotions. I was so grateful, but this was a huge life curveball and we had to readjust a lot of life plans. I would then feel guilty for feeling those feelings (I feel guilty for even writing it out) because I've had close friends and family members deal with infertility and watched them walk down a long and sometimes seemingly hopeless road. People I love dearly and who are some of the best people I know, have struggled to have a baby. It was a lot of emotions in a short amount of time.<br />
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However, I feel now like I'm totally on the up and up in all aspects of pregnancy. Although I still carry a few of the concerns I originally had, I've had it confirmed to me over and over again that there is a reason this baby is coming now and all things will work out! Just as they always do! I couldn't be more grateful for wonderful doctors, a loving family, an extremely supportive husband and precious baby on the way. This really has been a miraculous experience and I feel so extremely blessed!<br />
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So bring it on! I'd love to hear your favorite baby tips, your useful mommy gear, helpful websites and apps, and informative books. This is the best part about having lots of online friends! And please keep comments positive (Like, what's the deal with the haters feeling like they need to chime in with all the bad things to come???)<br />
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For now, we are cherishing every moment! Sean and I realize it's forever the end of our "table for two" days but are so thrilled beyond words to be adding to our little family! We now constantly talk and dream about baby Kent coming our way. There is really nothing more amazing and I am so grateful for this gift.<br />
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Thanks for the love and support. We love you and are beyond excited for you, sweet baby!<br />
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I could stare at that face all day. Sigh.<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-70872471763603967452014-04-29T16:17:00.000-06:002014-04-29T19:53:13.357-06:00Life Lately<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1. Lola in her umbrella stroller 2. Sean in puppy heaven. This boy would have 20 dogs if I let him. 3. Friday night gym dates. Total gym count: 2 people = us. 4. Lola bugs taking a nap in her new green cast. 5. Mini Cheetah reunion. 6. Diamondback game. 7. Crafting all day and night. 8. Painting with water outside. "Hey look Danielle! I painted the Holy Ghost!" -Logan ... man I love that kid.</span></div>
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Life at the Kent house is crazier than ever! I've got about 50 billion projects up my sleeve and have been pretty sick on top of that which makes me almost always M.I.A, but we are still surviving over here!</div>
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Sean is about to wrap up his first year of medical school (whattttt???)! He has really really loved it and I love watching him do something he's so passionate about and has done so well in.</div>
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We have a solid group of friends here who we love to hang out with. It makes living in a new place even more fun.<br />
Lola got her cast off! But she still walks on three legs.... old habits die hard.</div>
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Both our brothers get home from their missions in May. We are beyond stoked for their return. Adam comes first in just a couple weeks and then Spencer three weeks after that. I have loved reading their emails and hearing about all their adventures and look forward to every Monday when I get to hear more, but still, I'm so excited to have both of them home! They have done such wonderful jobs. The people in Germany and Mexico adore them, you can just tell. And even more, I have loved hearing how their lives have been touched by spreading the good news of the gospel.</div>
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So many exciting things going on, I could explode! Life is just too good. Sean and I can't stop talking about that lately.</div>
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Anyways, that totally looks like a mini April Christmas card write up (^^^^ what was that?).</div>
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But that's a wrap! For now.</div>
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-56550893308371386952014-04-20T09:54:00.001-06:002014-04-20T09:57:46.367-06:00Happy Easter<div style="text-align: center;">
A couple months ago I had to speak in Sacrament meeting. I was given the topic of the Atonement which was slightly overwhelming. It pushed me to finish a book I started long ago by Tad Callister called, "The Infinite Atonement." He said many wonderful things, but this was one of my favorites:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">“If there had been no Atonement, the rising of every sun would be a reminder that for us it would one day rise no more, that for each of us death would claim its victory, and the grave would have its sting. Every death would be a tragedy, and every birth but a tragedy in embryo. The culmination of love between husbands and wives, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters would perish in the grave, to rise no more. Without the Atonement, futility would replace purpose, hopelessness would be exchanged for hope, and misery would be traded for happiness... The contemplation of such a world as this would be the most despairing thought that could ever darken the mind or sadden the heart of man. But fortunately, there is a Christ, and there was an Atonement, and it is infinite for all mankind."</span></div>
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This video totally says it all for me! I watched it last Sunday and I've been able to think about it throughout the week. I cannot say enough how grateful I am for my Savior who I have felt continuously strengthen and support me throughout my life. He is our brother and our friend. He died for us and He loves us all, infinitely.</div>
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Happy Easter!</div>
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-66888279568237891172014-04-19T22:05:00.001-06:002014-04-19T22:09:37.338-06:00Happy Birthday Sean!<div style="text-align: center;">
Wow, what a week it's been....</div>
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More updates, later.</div>
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For now, I need to give a little shout out to my boo! Sean is truly one of a kind.<br />
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He is constantly doing anything to put my happiness first.<br />
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He's humble. He never talks about himself and I could probably brag all day about all he's accomplished and does, but he would die.<br />
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He is gentle and kind. He would never hurt a fly. Or a spider. Or a scorpion. Or a... I know this because when I've tried to kill these things he freaks out and comes to their rescue.<br />
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He is proactive and plans for the future. He is <i>always</i> looking ahead, studying what he needs to do to be successful in his field, researching options, finding contacts, contacting those who have gone down this road, etc. It reminds me that he will always take care of me and our family.<br />
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He cares about his health. Seems funny to list this, but Sean loves being active and eating healthy and I love that about him.<br />
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He is so funny! He makes me laugh everyday. We seriously find ourselves having a good belly laugh daily.<br />
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He is responsible. Before I can even check a bill, he's already paid it. He's good with money and works hard in school.<br />
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Relationships are important to him. We are in Mesa quite often and every time we're there, he makes a point to go visit with his grandparents. He keeps in touch with old friends. He calls his parents to check in on them. He makes sure we're at every social event we're invited to.<br />
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He is the happiest boy. Always smiley and full of energy. Every morning he sings at the top of his lungs a beautiful medley that can go from Les Mis to Katy Perry in 10 seconds.<br />
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He is interesting. I call him my Wikipedia because I can literally ask him any question and he can explain it or talk to me about it for 10 minutes. He has a love of learning and knows a lot of things. I like that!<br />
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He is grateful. He constantly thanks me for going to work for us, or making dinner, or cleaning the kitchen, or anything! He always says thank you.<br />
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He is the underdog's cheerleader, he is a builder and constantly works to make people feel better about themselves and best of all, he's my cheerleader. He's always encouraging me to learn and grow and is supportive of any of my crazy ideas and dreams. And really, my ideas can get pretty crazy.</div>
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We had a fun day. We spent the morning at a Native American Easter festival where Sean had volunteered for first aid. It was a fun, new cultural experience. This afternoon we went on a relaxing desert drive. As much as I like making birthdays an obnoxious huge deal, Sean likes to keep it super low key, which is good because this week has been wild.<br />
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I love you, Sean! Love my life with you and looking forward to the many adventures ahead especially knowing you're by my side. Thank you for working so hard, making me laugh everyday and filling my world with so much color! Happy Birthday!<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-17196947757132157802014-04-08T08:51:00.000-06:002014-04-08T18:20:12.750-06:00Pirate Puppy<div style="text-align: center;">
Remember when I said <strike>I wasn't going to act like my dog was my child</strike>? I accidentally lied.<br />
And a couple weeks ago, Lola got a boo boo.<br />
She got really excited, jumped for a treat and landed wrong.</div>
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It fractured our hearts.</div>
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It fractured her leg.</div>
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I told her it was okay though because I love treats that much, too.</div>
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After a really rough 24 hours at the Kent house, we were able to get in to the vet. All we hear in the back is her crying and yelping loudly and then "....Oh my gosh, she just peed everywhere..... OUCH!.... she bit me."</div>
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The vet told us she was in so much pain they couldn't even get an x-ray so they needed to sedate her. We took a look at the x-ray and an hour later took our extremely loopy puppy home with instructions from the vet to "keep her still" for the next 6 weeks. (HAH!)</div>
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Oh, and this one just makes me laugh.<br />
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She's been doing really well and walks with her peg leg around the house. She does not even seem to notice the cast.</div>
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Sean and I don't drink milk but we bought some especially for her. One of many examples of crossing the dog/child line. But she loves loves loves that milk. She downs it in like 3 gulps and the other night when she was finished, she picked up her empty bowl, walked over to me and plopped it in my lap.</div>
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She also loves her oral medicine that comes in a syringe. When she sees the syringe she goes absolutely crazy and jumps up and down. If any outsiders saw, it might be a little disconcerting. Our sweet little druggie dog.</div>
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Nap Time<br />
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Restricted Movement Play Time<br />
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We really have been trying to keep her still. It's hard when we can't take her on her nightly walk or play fetch. She has so much pent up energy when I get home that I will literally sit with her on my lap for an hour tugging at the rope in her mouth (BORING). Instead we've been giving her lots of treats which instead of eating, she just likes to bury around the house. It keeps her occupied for like 5 minutes.<br />
So far I've found treats buried in shoes, under tables, behind doors, under the rug, etc, etc...<br />
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As sad as it is, we think she's totally owning her cast like a boss. Here's to only 4 more weeks to go!<br />
P.S. Don't tell her vet about this mini fetch game. How can I resist??<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/91372776" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/91372776">Lola fetch</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user25726737">Danielle Kent</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/91383703" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/91383703">Lola Runs</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user25726737">Danielle Kent</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span></div>
daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-69725836139247427762014-03-30T09:41:00.002-06:002014-03-30T09:42:42.984-06:00Happy Sunday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-91413343766452538352014-03-29T14:36:00.002-06:002014-04-02T09:30:00.291-06:00Tried and True<div style="text-align: center;">
A few weeks ago I dumped everything random in my cupboards and fridge into a crock-pot to make some soup on a rainy Saturday. Turned out yummy and we've been eating it once a week for dinner with leftovers for lunches. I love when recipes turn out like that! The recipe below is my favorite combination but I've also added chopped bell peppers just because we had some leftover that were going to go bad.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Spicy Black Bean Soup</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Makes 6 servings</span></div>
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Carton of Trader Joe's Latin Style Black Bean Soup</div>
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1 can of black beans</div>
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1 can of corn</div>
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1 can of diced green chiles</div>
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1 can of diced tomatoes</div>
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1/2 diced onion</div>
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Cilantro (optional)</div>
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Avocado (optional)<br />
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I've cooked it on the stove or in the Crock-pot. Either way just dump all ingredients besides avocado in the pot.<br />
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P.S. Do you use Crock-pot liners? I swear they've changed my life! No more scrubbing!<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-6156696803098489092014-03-24T21:08:00.000-06:002014-04-02T09:30:59.112-06:00Newport Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sean had spring break this last week which was a perfect excuse to get away! My dad travels a lot with his job and is currently working on a project in LA. We were able to meet up with my parents and brother for a little vacay in Newport.</div>
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I always love a good road trip. And the drive is only a few short hours from us. We talked, laughed and listened to Divergent on Sean's iPhone. Woot woot! Party! Wild! SB 2014!</div>
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As usual, my dad hooked us up in an awesome place with a pretty view.</div>
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Frozen bananas on Balboa Island were a must. Even though I hate bananas...</div>
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But it's okay, because my mom loves them.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFfoL5SX_h86cZ9s1Q_dWia8GFXakYvnpAwrCcznncBxVb4mPXdbQK2jOIRaufGFzkRqimgniyzbPVaUmMqJnVfnYtEBiiG-DTamDYriyHleT12rvpQIBYsqruiPTeY5hQZBVbHx7yDAW/s1600/IMG_3124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFfoL5SX_h86cZ9s1Q_dWia8GFXakYvnpAwrCcznncBxVb4mPXdbQK2jOIRaufGFzkRqimgniyzbPVaUmMqJnVfnYtEBiiG-DTamDYriyHleT12rvpQIBYsqruiPTeY5hQZBVbHx7yDAW/s1600/IMG_3124.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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A big thanks to my cool cat parents!</div>
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And finally, my beautiful merman husband.</div>
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As you may know from The Little Mermaid, it's hard to keep a relationship between a Merperson and a human alive and strong, but Sean and I do it everyday.</div>
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Anyways, today Sean started his kidney unit and I have gone back to work. Our life is so fancy.</div>
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Spring break is definitely over. Boo hoo.</div>
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-34775216895857209692014-03-08T23:11:00.003-07:002014-03-08T23:18:10.529-07:00Puppy Chores<div style="text-align: center;">
I've seen a lot of people on Pinterest talking about age appropriate chores for your young children to teach responsibility and instill a good work ethic. What I haven't seen is when to start puppy chores. Now, I'm no expert, but there are a few things Sean and I ask Lola to do around the house to contribute and I thought I'd share.<br />
Of course, our dog is still young and we will figure out more age appropriate chores as she grows, but the tasks we give to Lola are targeted to dogs between 8-16 weeks. Start off with a few and work your way up! And most of all, keep it age appropriate and try to make it a rewarding experience.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Take out the bathroom and bedroom trash</b></span></div>
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Lola takes out the bathroom and bedroom trash as needed. This is perfect for her because she has a hard time dragging anything over her own body weight. The size of the trash bag is manageable and it's not required daily.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Lola is in charge of picking the weeds</b></span></div>
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This one was actually her idea! One day she went outside and started doing it herself so we thought this might be another great task for her to learn some responsibility while enjoying the great outdoors. (Take note of things your puppy does on their own. This might be their way of telling you they want to help!)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Lola sweeps</b></span></div>
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This can be overwhelming with so much floor space so we usually just have her sweep under the table after we eat. She does a great job!</div>
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Some commonly asked questions:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Does this chore list work for all breeds?</span></b><br />
Of course! The chores can also be altered depending on the breed though. For example, if you have an Irish Wolfhound puppy, try having them take out the kitchen trash since they tend to be larger than Pom puppies.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Do you pay Lola allowance?</span></b></div>
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I'm a firm believer in allowance. With dogs though I would suggest not giving money as allowance but maybe a new chew toy at the end of the week or for best results, a little treat as soon as the desired task is completed.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Does Lola ever throw a fit when asked to do her chores?</span></b></div>
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Yes, I mean, Lola is a typical puppy. I'm not going to lie and say she's happy about it all the time. However, lots of times we will see her trying to get in the trash can and dumping over the garbage without us even requesting. It's a great feeling to know she understands her responsibilities.</div>
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Teaching your puppy to pitch in around the house takes patience and consistency but I hope these ideas help other households be on their way!<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914839981341825146.post-84377697183705996162014-03-02T17:26:00.003-07:002014-03-02T17:26:38.721-07:00Weekend Love<div style="text-align: center;">
Every weekend is different around here but there's always a couple things in common: Saturday is a day to run errands, study and catch up on anything we haven't had time for annnnnd it's a day to fit in some fun stuff! Sunday, we do church and chill so hard.</div>
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Yesterday morning, Sean had to be out the door before breakfast was even finished, but I made this nom nom <a href="http://www.fitsugar.com/Healthy-Quinoa-Egg-Bake-Recipe-26947762" target="_blank">Quinoa Egg Bake</a> just to see if it could be added to the two thumbs up recipe archive. And the verdict is, two thumbs up! We love quinoa around here and it eat often.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Fun fact of the day: Quinoa is from Peru and is the only grain with all the essential amino acids. If the human species were all vegetarian, we could get all our amino acids from quinoa alone. However it doesn't have anywhere near the protein of meat, even though it's a complete protein. I know all this because Sean tells me <i>every</i> time we eat a dish with quinoa. I love my living, breathing, live-in Wikipedia.</span><br />
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After Lola fell asleep I cleaned and folded laundry all while it rained. I love a good rainy day and suddenly needed soup. It was a total "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" moment. Sean had the car so I couldn't run to the store. I improvised and threw everything random in the world into the crockpot for some Black Bean Soup. Deeeelish!<br />
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Oh, and then I got ready for the day.<br />
I would like a round of applause for that actually, because 1) It's a Saturday and I didn't have to, and 2) It's a rainy day.<br />
Documented!<br />
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Sean said he'd come home early from the library so we could go to some of our (my) favorite antique stores. We braved the rain and went from store to store. I'm on the hunt for a perfect credenza and last week the one I've been eyeing for months totally got sold once we had saved up the money for it. Kind of a bummer but also fun to be on the hunt for a find!<br />
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Today we went to the Gilbert Temple Dedication. Awesome!<br />
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And what made it even more fun was that Sean's mom came in town and went with us! We love when Nama visits!<br />
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Well, it's about 4 hours until my bedtime. I still need to fit in some of my Sunday activities like watching a movie with Sean, reading a book and going on an evening walk. My life is so hard.<br />
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daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13826535873847115838noreply@blogger.com3