Back Track - Easter

When I was downloading pictures from my camera, I forgot these were even on there! Oops. This is Easter 2013, Kimball got a lot of outdoor toys and a few snacks. He was also teething hence the runny nose.

 

Popsicles In The Pool

Just Breathe

Sigh.......my brain is so fried I don't know how to be exact in describing the events of today. It's now all a blur...............

We got to the specialist's office at 9:45 this morning and had a very thorough ultrasound that last an hour and a half. The technician was sweet, she explained everything very clearly and answered all of our questions. We then briefly met with Dr. K. who advised we meet the pediatric cardiologist across the street at the hospital. They called the hospital and were ready for me right away. At this point I was beyond starving! And being pregnant and just getting over the sickness, I needed something to eat right now. I stopped at the coffee bar and bought a banana for $1. That's all I had time for.

Here is when Lance left to take the WA state boards but I was fine going to the cardiologist by myself. I wished him luck and he was off.

They escorted me upstairs to the Echo Lab and did a special ultrasound on the baby's heart. The two techs were so nice and apparently don't do fetal hearts very often, they kept saying how photogenic she is and "Oh wow, look at that!" That particular ultrasound took a while too but at least I didn't have to go back to Boise to see the pediatric cardiologist. He was out of the office for the day but we did receive a phone call from him a few hours later.

At this point everything was starting to hit me and I knew if I didn't eat soon I'd be in trouble. I had the echo lab call the Maternal Fetal office and tell them I needed 15 minutes to eat lunch. While I was walking to the cafeteria I met Lance in the hall, he was done with his test and came back to be with me. I was starving. I was overwhelmed. It was starting to sink in and I had to cry. So while we ate lunch I sat there and cried.

Great news, Lance passed the WA boards and is now licensed and ready for his new job!

We walked back across the street to the specialist's office and met with a genetic counselor who got our family medical history and talked about the results we had gotten so far which are:

The heart checked out perfectly and they aren't worried about it at all. The short femurs are measuring in proportion to the rest of her body so there are no abnormalities there, she's just petite. (Or as I kept saying all along, she doesn't have Down Syndrome, she has Becky Syndrome). One other thing we found out that the Twin Falls doctor didn't tell us, was that they found only two vessels leading from the cord. This was found to be false and the cord is perfect. The bowels do have a bright lining which could still be blood or mucus or stool or any number of things. There's less than 1% chance that she has any of the three - cystic fibrosis, down syndrome, or a viral infection. We did decide to proceed with one blood test which is the viral infection so that she can be treated prenatally and won't get worse if that is the case. Lance and I are hoping/thinking the bowel will just clear up on its own in due time.

Good news at last! Of the four concerns, all are ruled out and completely normal except the bright lining of the bowels. This will obviously be followed up with future ultrasounds and the CF is a routine test of all newborns with the heal prick.

We got done at 3:30. That's right, we were in the specialist's office and the hospital for 5.5 hours!!! No wonder I was so overwhelmed and completely starved! When we got to the car we just sat there and took a deep breather. Then I told Lance that even though I'm totally exhausted, I still wanted to go shopping. So he took a cat nap in the car while I spent 30 minutes at Ross' buying a few outfits for Little Miss.

Tonight I am more thankful than ever for this precious baby girl!!! She's healthy, strong, cute as a button,  and all this makes me that much more anxious to meet her and hold her. I hope the rest of my 20 weeks goes smoother than this past week!

***Thank you so much to Tim and KoLei for watching Kimball for us. Thank you so much to family and friends who've called, texted, emailed, messaged, etc. and keeping us in their prayers. We're so grateful for loving and supportive family and friends, you all mean the world to us!***

Oh Nerves, Leave Me Be

Tomorrow is the big day (in more than one way) and I really hope we come home with some answers. Waiting the last few days has been torture. All the what ifs, suspecting, wondering if we understood things correctly, etc. keep playing in our minds over and over. Neither of us have slept at all, we can't quit thinking about it. So here's to hoping for good news and peace of mind.

KoLei is watching Kimball for us tomorrow and she graciously offered to watch him overnight. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do that but given we have to leave early in the morning, it'll be nice to leave straight from the house without having to get Kimball ready and dropped off. It'll also be nice for tonight so Lance and I can talk without interruption and have a few hours to ourselves. We have a lot to discuss.

Right after the appointment, Lance has to go to the testing center and take the Washington state board exams so he can be licensed in WA. Good news is they accepted his academic credits nicely so he doesn't have to take any classes to be licensed in WA.

I wish we had a move date. Luckily we know we close on the house August 14th. I'm so tired of so many things being in the air! My nerves can't handle anymore of this! And to help my nerves, while Lance takes his test tomorrow he's dropping me off at the mall and I'll be shopping for little girl clothes!!!

Clear As Mud

Last night was pretty miserable. Lance and I were both quite confused and kept analyzing every word the doctor said, trying to make some sense of what we heard. We both went to bed very frustrated and feeling hopeless. I didn't sleep much, I couldn't turn my brain off.

We both decided we needed someone to explain things better, so we left a voicemail for Cari Brose, the most awesome PA ever. We loved her when she saw us with Kimball and we love her with this pregnancy as well. She explained the same thing about the heart and bowels and the need for better images of both organs. She said the dark spots on the bowels could end up being blood that the baby ingested and it may not be a big deal at all.  She did mention a few other key points that the doctor never mentioned to us. She said the femurs are measuring small which indicates down syndrome. The doctor didn't say anything about the small femurs or needing blood work done.

So Friday morning in Boise we'll have a high tech ultrasound, blood work to test for 3-5 different genetic disorders and birth defects, and we'll meet with a genetic counselor. We have no idea what it all means until we get up there and have the images and blood work done. The tests results will come back in seven days. I can't stand to wait another two days to get any news!

Little Miss

We found out this afternoon that it's a girl! I'm SO excited!!! The ultrasound tech was awesome and very thorough despite Little Miss being curled up in a ball. I like that she took her time. Then we waited for 30 minutes for the doctor to come in and I wasn't very impressed with him. He didn't explain things very well, was very rushed, didn't answer our questions, and made it sound like an emergency. Now I'm freaking out!

We have to go to Boise to see a perinatologist (I think that's what it's called, have no idea how to spell it) because #1 we couldn't get a good picture of the three vessels of the heart. She must have been doing gymnastics or something in there. #2 Because it appears the bowels were dark/had dark spots which could either be blood or mucus which could mean cystic fibrosis. So we're going to Boise to get a better ultrasound to determine what's going on with those two issues.

I really didn't like that whole experience from the time the ultrasound tech left the room. Not impressed.

As Of Late

• Lance spent the whole week with Ryker Harris in Toronto, Canada at the international barbershop competition. He won the trip and it was all paid for although he mentioned several times how expensive everything is (food, transportation, souvenirs, merchandise, etc.) We do have some big expenses coming up such as moving and having a baby, but when is the next time he'll be in Toronto? So I told him to quit worrying about money and just have a good time. He deserves this trip, he deserves a vacation, and he deserves a treat every now and then. Of course within reason that he doesn't go totally overboard. He gets home sometime late tonight.
• The offer on the house fell through and we got a second offer which fell through yesterday. But today we got a third offer which appears to be a little more promising. We have been so blessed with how quickly this house selling stuff has been happening. We've had appointment after appointment to show it and one offer after the other with very little time in between. I thought it would be much harder to sell especially since the housing market isn't quite back up (although better) but we have the advantage of the guest house to rent out for potential income. That thing is golden! So we're hoping this one goes through and if it does they want to close August 14.
• Christine came down for a few days and made a gender reveal cake for the fourth of July. When Dad cut into it, it was blue and red! I thought maybe it was twins and I was really going to be shocked. But the red was raspberry filling, haha. We found out she's having a BOY!!!!!! I'm beyond excited, boys are so much fun! Having said that, I know I said I wanted a boy but now I'm thinking I want a girl just in case this is our last. Christine, Mom, and I went to a store to look at baby clothes and I bought the dang cutest little ladybug outfit that says "Daddy's Little Lady." How could I not buy that? So I might possibly cry on Tuesday if the ultrasound is a boy just because girl clothes are so much cuter. And I have a whole list of girl names to choose from but absolutely nothing for boy names.
• Christine and I aren't due until the end of November but I don't see myself coming back to visit before I have my baby. I really want to throw her a baby shower! She's my only sister and this is her first baby and she threw me one that was epic. I don't know how strange it is to throw a shower for a woman who's 25 weeks along, I know that isn't very far but it's the only time I'd be able to do it, right before we move. Hmmmmm.....decisions to make.
• While Lance has been gone, Kimball has been the most well behaved little boy! He's seriously been so good all week long and I'm so thankful for that. Today was the exception, he cried all morning and was quite whiny all night because of his separation anxiety. Or maybe he's just really missing his Daddy. I'm sure that's it. But I'm so grateful that he was good for me all week long while I was single.
• Now that the weather has dropped below triple digits, I guess it's time to finish packing. I've already packed up 2/3 of the house, the rest is home decor and kitchen. The two most dreaded things to pack, ugh.

I Don't Blame Him

Lately it has been scorching hot! I mean, the kind of hot where you think the soles of your shoes are melting off walking across a parking lot. It's pretty miserable. At night we've been foregoing Kimball's pajamas because it's just too unbearable even with a fan going. The last two mornings I've found Kimball like this - buck naked. Guess it's hotter than I realized.

Kimball-isms

• His favorite lunch is a hot dog
• Loves sleeping with his stuffed puppy
• Favorite book is "I'm Just A Baby Tyrannosaur." The best $1 spent at Joann's grab bins.
• Says Mommy, Daddy, weeee, doggie, chicken, shoe, uh oh, all gone, amen, and I swear he said Jerusha once.
• Loves roaring like animals or engines
• LOVES being outside, especially at Grandma Pettingill's where there's a trampoline and riding lawn mower
• Doesn't like to sit in the seat of shopping carts, always has to be in the cart
• Loves helping Mommy around the house. Has gotten quite good at unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming, washing the counters, and lately packing.
• Sneaks in the snack drawer all the time
• Will occasionally watch PBS kids in my feeble attempt to keep him occupied while I pack the house. I think I have every song memorized. It turns out Sesame Street is kind of boring.
• Loves his Daddy! Can't wait for him to get home everyday!
• Loves dancing and music and lately does the "nanner, nanner" tease

Lance's 31st Birthday

We had a pretty simple birthday celebration for Lance. Bbq dinner at Donna's with Steph's family and Ann. I got him a few pairs of shoes which he desperately needed. I know he hates getting clothes as gifts but when your other soles have holes in them, it's time for something new. He also got a gift card, some money, and yummy candy bars. Thanks everyone for the gifts, it's really not necessarily but he felt special!

For The Record

A few weeks ago I'd spent all morning packing boxes with Kimball's help. I was beyond exhausted so Mom took Kimball for me so I could rest for the afternoon. Bless her! Anyway, Dad and Grandpa came home for lunch and she caught these two pictures of the boys eating. Cracks. Me. Up. Especially Grandpa and Kimball looking at each other eating chips. Priceless.

Mall Toys

What's For Dinner?

Dinner menu: homemade french fries and fresh watermelon

Funny how one baked potato will fill me right up but I can eat three potatoes in homemade french fries.

Is It Bed Time Yet?

Today was one of those days. It started out not that great because I woke up not feeling well. I thought it was just a "moment" that would pass but it didn't, the nausea lasted all day. Which means I wasn't very productive and didn't get anything done, not even keeping up on the dishes or washing the table. I think there are 4 or 5 meals dried onto the table from Kimball. Gross! I loathe washing the table because it gets so messy with each meal. But he's a toddler learning to eat with utensils so I let it slide. (And I may have taught him that when he's done eating his cereal, his bowl becomes an instacup. So now anything that I serve him in a bowl, must be drunk from like a bowl of cereal milk; yogurt, applesauce, etc. He even managed to do this with Baxter's water bowl at Grandma's. Gross again!)

It seems when I don't feel well then Kimball becomes much more attention starved and whines all. day. long. I tried to nap but the thunder storm we had interrupted that. After snack time I went to a store to get Lance's birthday gift. That was a mistake. More whining and fit throwing in public. Major SIGH!

Dinner was another disaster with food flung from every fork, finger, and mouth. Lance wasn't home from work yet to help me so I chose to just leave the situation. I left Kimball in his chair to eat while I cut up the watermelon so I wouldn't have a melt down. Once his whining got beyond tolerable I stripped him down and stuck him in the tub. Finally Lance got home as the tears were coming. I'd had it mentally and couldn't do anymore.

Father's Day

I guess I should post something about Lance since it is Father's Day. He'll love that I said it that way, lol. His day wasn't all that great. Kimball was a handful in church with me taking him during the first part of sacrament meeting and Lance had him the rest of the meeting. (In my defense I was about in tears, I'd had enough by that point). I went home and took a nap while they finished church and Kimball wasn't very good in nursery either, he's definitely going through a separation anxiety phase and the leaders got Lance every 10 minutes because Kimball wouldn't quit crying. Deep down I think it's those stinking incisors trying to cut through and him having to adjust to mommy being pregnant and sick.

Besides that, Lance has been on call this weekend and his phone has rung nonstop! It's driving both of us crazy which means he'll have a very busy week at work.

Lance is the best husband and father! He's so good to us and I wish he had a better day and more time to himself to relax. But that's how the dice rolled today I guess. I'll save a mushy, embarrassing post for a later date. We all love you so much - Becky, Kimball, and Wee One

Huh?

We listed the house for sale when we met with our realtor Wednesday evening. We signed some paperwork, he took pictures and put the sign out in the yard, and we were done.

Thursday evening the house was shown to three people. The first one who toured it made us an offer that night. We met to discuss the offer today and accepted it, they gave us exactly what we asked for.

Wow. I'm still a little speechless. What just happened?

Little Bebe Update

I had a pretty pointless ultrasound yesterday. They wanted to see if I have placenta previa again and to find out the gender. I'm only 16 weeks (tomorrow) so I wasn't very hopeful they'd find the gender, Lance was quite excited and really wants a girl. The cord was in between the legs and he/she was sitting indian style. Strike one. They think the placenta is a bit more towards the back but because I'm still early they want to do another ultrasound in four weeks. Strike two. So it was a big waste of time and especially money.

In other news, I gained one pound! But more excitingly I felt the baby move this morning. I'm not kidding and I know it's four weeks earlier than usual to feel the baby move but I swear I felt it! I was laying on my stomach in bed and felt him kicking against the mattress, there's no mistaking it.

Pictures From Last Week

Finally!

A few days ago somebody flipped the switch! Huzzah!!!!! I'm still not feeling 100% myself but I'm definitely feeling a little bit better. I still throw up everyday but the nausea is gone. Some evenings are still bad but for the most part, I'm feeling a little better. I cannot begin to express how thankful I am and how relieved I feel! 

Especially for Kimball's sake, he's become quite attached to me and isn't as eager spending the day with someone else. Yes, the guilt is still there and probably will be for quite some time. But at least I can be a mom again.

I even went to sacrament meeting today! For the first time in 3.5 months, it was great!!! And it was so good to see everyone, we have a pretty awesome ward.

I'm 15.5 weeks along. I'm still not showing, still do not have any cravings, and still don't sleep very well. I have an ultrasound on Tuesday to check for placenta previa again and to find out the gender of this Wee One. I'm not sure why they are doing a gender check so early, I think the doctors are anxious to know if I have previa again. Which will be very helpful for me to know since I have a lot of work to do to move in four weeks and I don't want to put my body at any more risk for complications.

Rice Krispie Treats

It turns out a dry pool in the living room is just as much fun as a water filled pool outside!

Water Fun

On Saturday Lance worked on the outside steps that lead all the way to the second level. Because our house was built in 1910, the inside staircase is very narrow and you can't get any furniture up there so you have to use the outside stairs. They are old, rickety, and not safe at all! He tore them all down and spent the rest of the day building them. In the meantime, it was a warm day so I got the pool out and this little gecko that you hook up to the hose. The gecko is cute, I got him on clearance last year for $2. Kimball didn't play in it as much, I think the hose water was just too cold and it wasn't quite sweltering hot for him to want that cold water. But we had fun anyway!

 Trying to get a drink from the gecko sprinkler.

Spokane, Here We Come

The word is out, we are moving to Spokane. In April while Lance was in Oklahoma City for training, he was offered a job to be the manager of an embalming center. At first he immediately declined because of my physical state and then I called him an idiot for not getting the details. After a short trip up there to see the place and meet potential coworkers, we finally got the actual details of the job early last week. It's such a great opportunity for Lance. The funeral home he'll be working for has 7 locations in Spokane and they all use the one embalming center, Lance will be the manager of that center. 

We chose to accept the job because we really feel it is an answer to prayers. Looking down Lance's career path long term, he doesn't really have a future in Twin. Trent won't retire for at least 25 years so there's no chance of managing White's or Reynold's. Trent and John did offer him a raise to stay here but we realized that wage will be in place for a long time and still no chance of improving his career. Trent has been so good to us and has been awesome to work with, we are really sad to leave him. On the other hand, Lance will be just starting out as the manager in Spokane and has lots of opportunity to move up or improve his career. It was definitely a tough decision, in the end both options are a move up. One just has more potential than the other and that was the bottom line.

The bad side for me: #1 the timing is horrible! I'm 14 weeks pregnant, still fighting the extreme morning sickness. I have no idea how I'm supposed to pack and sell a house in 5 weeks. And once we move, we won't have anyone to help me with Kimball or anything else. #2 We will be leaving all family and so again, I won't have any help taking care of Kimball.  #3 We are leaving all the awesome ob/gyn doctors and nurses whom I've come to really love. Those are really the only few down sides that have an immediate impact.

The bad side for Lance: #1 he has to leave Trent who is a great boss and has been so good to us. #2 He has to leave the Magichords and doesn't know who's going to direct the chorus. He also has to leave the Ttones group that he created. The Ttones are the best part of his Tuesdays and he really has a great (although a bit immature) time with them. #3 He has to leave his calling as first counselor in the young mens. He has really enjoyed this calling, loves working with the boys, loves teaching, and is really finding it difficult to leave them.

The good side: pretty much everything. We're really excited for change (I LOVE CHANGE) and this new adventure! So we really are excited but that excitement is always bittersweet.

Oops

A few weeks ago we passed our 8th wedding anniversary. I say "passed" because we didn't really celebrate. Besides the fact that we both forgot about it, Lance was out of town in Spokane and I was sick. Not a great way to celebrate. So Lancie Poo happy anniversary, maybe next year we'll do better at remembering the occasion.

Cabana Cutie

Nothing quite like a popsicle on a warm summer day. Love those eyes!

Adventures with Grandma Cox

Playing at the park and drinking fry sauce at Dairy Queen

Truth

“Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulty.”
― Thomas S. Monson

Journaling

A few weekends ago Lance spent three days in Provo visiting Kempton. It had been a LONG time since he has had any time to himself, usually working weekends and being on call in the evenings. I tried to get him to stay but realized he needed to go and relax for a bit. He works so hard to provide for us, he hardly does anything for himself, it was time to get away by himself and enjoy the company of Kempton and Bonnie.

After he got home from UT, he went to Spokane, WA for work taking John with him for company. It was a long drive and they spent three days there. 

Over the weekend I went with the majority of the Pettingill's to grandpa's cabin in Elba for four days to celebrate Memorial Day. I really debated going because Lance was on call and wasn't able to go with me. But I needed help with Kimball so I decided it was best that I go and be with Mom, haha. The thing I was dreading the most was the ride there and back, since I was pregnant with Kimball I get car sick but its definitely bad when I'm pregnant. We did the usual - four wheeling, horse back riding, cleaning up the property, hiking, ate out at the Outpost, roasted weenies and marshmallows, shot off guns, watched movies, played games, etc. I laid low the whole time trying to avoid the throwing up trend. Kimball was grumpy all four days! He had a teething fever and was in pain so it was a challenge taking care of him but luckily I had Mom and the other girls' help.

I was anxious to be home with Lance, it'd been two weeks since Kimball had seen his Dad and I was ready for his help. Speaking of help, I don't know what to do with Kimball. Lately he had been throwing everything and throwing it hard. He usually does it when he's frustrated with something and I've tried everything to get him to quit but it's not working. He also had been hitting, I don't know where that came from. So I've been working on those two things but no luck yet. Advice?

Little baby is still sucking the life out of me. I'm still losing weight. Sometimes I have somewhat decent days, sometimes I have bad nights where I throw up a lot, but it usually stays the same. I haven't gotten consistently better yet and I'm starting to get impatient. I wish I could go outside with Kimball and play at the park or in the sprinklers or run around with him in the sunshine. The guilt is still there. But I take it day by day and pray that this sickness ends SOON.

Random Pictures From The Past Month