NICU Graduation Harvest Party

Every year, the NICU has a Harvest Party for their "graduates" around Halloween. I think the staff looks forward to it and so do we! Of course, I feel pressure to make Tessie the cutest graduate in her Halloween costume. Thanks Suszette for the cutest strawberry I've ever seen. Tess was adorable...but when isn't she?

 
 {some of our wonderful NICU crew}

We sort of had a crazy day that day. Tess had just gotten over a virus (thank goodness or else we would have missed the party), but she had come down with the weirdest of rashes. We had already been to the doctor about it and he assured us that it was not contagious, but he wasn't sure what it was. So we had to go back that Monday for another follow-up and some lab tests. Tess had to get a blood draw (this girl has gotten crazy strong) and then have a urinalysis. With kiddos, they have what they term a "wee bag" that is attached to them so they can "wee". You leave it on there we were told only an hour...hopefully they go to the bathroom within that hour. So, we went to the lab...Tess was so out of sorts. She had missed her nap that day because of the doctor's appointment and was exhausted. She fell asleep at the lab...while getting her blood drawn. Here is proof:

After her blood was drawn, we checked her wee bag...nothing. The tech told us we could go home and then just drop off the sample later (he said there really wasn't a one hour rule and gave us a "to go" cup). By this time, it was getting close to the start time for the party. So we grabbed dinner at the cafeteria and hoped that Tess would pee by then so we could just drop it off, run home and change and then head to the party. But nope, no such luck.

We ran home, got ready, threw on her strawberry costume and checked the bag. And wouldn't you know, that darn wee bag had leaked all into her diaper!!! They didn't warn us about that. I called the clinic and was about to wring out her diaper over the cup...there was only one half a drop in the bag that I had poured into the cup when the gal said all we needed was a drop but to hurry down because she was going to be leaving...it was already after hours.

We threw ourselves into the car and zoomed down to the clinic. Dave ran up only to find everything locked. Ugh! He found a custodian who let him into the clinic and there was one person left in there...everyone else had just left to go home. They managed to track them down and we dropped off the sample. Mission accomplished!

By this time, it was 7:20...the party had started at 6 and only went until 8. We drove over to the party and managed to catch a few of our favorite nurses and staff. Whew...what a whirlwind. Tess didn't dish out a whole lot of smiles...she had a hard day, but she was still the most adorable strawberry you have ever seen!

 {Sonya and Tessie}

{Dr. Merchant, Sonya, Connie, Noreen's daughter, Noreen, Tess, Julie and Katie}

Horsin' Around...

This is a daily routine...Tess and Daddy playing. She LOVES to be chased by him and wrestle with him. She screams and squeals in delight. When the back door opens and Tess hears "where is my little girl?" she gets a HUGE grin on her face and crawls as fast as she can to see Daddy. Cutest thing ever!

 

And she is SO good at giving kisses!

Sicky and Icky...

This little kiddo has been sick as a dog! In fact, she started getting sick when my parents were here which limited our outings, darn it. She's had a high fever...103-104...and has been so lethargic not wanting to do anything but be held and cuddled. We've visited the doctor and her fever finally broke only to start up again at the end of the week. When it finally broke for good, she broke out into a crazy rash that spread like wildfire...more trips to the doctor consisting of blood draws and UAs...a baby's favorite (and mommy's favorite). She finally got over it, but has now developed a keen sense of awareness at the doctor's office. She knows when the nurses put on the blue gloves, it's not a good sign! Poor girl.

She spent this whole day in her jammies.

She is still so sweet even though she doesn't feel well. She was trying to share her cheerios with me. And on a side note, this rocking chair used to be mine when I was a little girl. Tess loves climbing up in it and rocking.

 

Car Seat Confusion

Tess has gotten so big so we decided one Saturday afternoon that we had better get ourselves over to Babiesrus before Tess was hanging out of her infant carrier. I had done a lot of research on car seats...which was the best quality, safest, best in comparison to price and blah, blah, blah. I was still so confused! These car seats are expensive little numbers so we wanted the best bang for our buck...but it's not like you want to skimp on something that could save your child's life. Yes...I'm a little dramatic.

We got over to Babiesrus and looked over our options. We took 4 seats outside to try them out (they let you do that after you give them your drivers license, but they can't come out with you because they aren't "allowed" since they aren't technically trained car seat specialists). Dave and I were left to our own devices to try and figure out these seats ourselves...and they don't make them easy. The diagrammed pictures are worthless.

We finally settled on one...hallelujah after an hour of trying to fit them in my car. We went back in and there was a little contest going on...a crawling one. Dave took Tess to the back. She was supposed to crawl as fast as she could to the finish line. She won...there were no other competitors. Good thing because she was pretty slow and distracted by the ball. But she won herself a big box of diapers! We will take anything free! Good job Tessie! I see some marathons in your future!

Getting Dressed...

Tess is learning to become more independent...already! It's crazy how quick these kidlets catch on to things. Here she is trying to put her pants on...

Like Father, Like Daughter...

Looks like she has been watching her Daddy conduct business...

Linder Farms

While my parents were here, we went to Linder Farms. It has a pumpkin patch, corn maze and tons of activities for kids. Tess loved it! I think the huge box of corn was her favorite.

 

They have a little section with animals where you can touch them and feed them. Tess loves animals...at least in books...so we thought she would go crazy with delight to see and touch all the animals. She surprised us though with her hesitancy. Maybe it was because they were just too close...I don't know. Maybe next year. 

 

 We sure had a fun time with Grandpa and Grandma J visiting. Tess got lots of snuggles, kisses, and attention. Thanks for visiting! We love you!

W

Boise Temple Openhouse

The Boise Temple has been closed for over a year for some major renovations. It closed back in July 2011 so there has been a void here in Boise without a temple close by. We were so glad that it finally was re-opening this fall. My parents came up for the weekend and we were able to go through the Open House with them. Dave and I had already been through since we were able to help with a couple of Saturdays with tours. I got to take people through and Dave was a master number holder directing traffic inside the church at the beginning of the tour. We were grateful for that opportunity to serve.

The temple is beautiful inside...it was pretty before, but it has since been updated with beautiful dark wood everywhere and just a little more ornate features.The syringa flower, which is the state flower, is everywhere. Lots of new stained glass has been added and the art work is amazing.

It made me think about when the Mount Timpanogos temple was built just up the hill from where I grew up. It was built on some land that my Grandpa and his brother had owned a long time ago. It was eventually bought by the church where they had a welfare farm. My Grandpa had always said that he knew that there would be a temple built there one day...and sure enough, there was. It was neat to be part of that celebration. I was able to help with the open house there. I remember I got to stand just outside of the Celestial room and saw the people when they came out of the room. It was a neat experience to have when I was still in Young Women's and helped to strengthen my testimony of the importance of temple work.
 

 

{Tess was a fan of  the candy that was in the reception area of the open house}

We were also able to attend the re-dedication of the temple in November. The day before, my Dad called me and told me that I had left my temple recommend there in September. I had been visiting and went to the Brigham City temple dedication. I remember giving my recommend to my Dad to hold because I didn't have any pockets...and I forgot to get it back. Luckily my Dad was prompted and found it and called me so that I was able to get a recommend just for the re-dedication. I know Sunday morning would have been bad had my Dad not found it!


It was a beautiful dedication. It made me think back to the day that Dave and I were sealed and formed our little family. It's amazing that in just 3 1/2 short years, we've added Tessie to our family and are expecting our baby girl this spring. I am grateful for the sealing power to know that we are bound together as a family forever.

My other thought during the dedication was how important our youth in the church are to us. Several of the speakers mentioned the youth multiple times. It hit me that now as a mother, I have the responsibility to teach my children the gospel of Jesus Christ and help them to nurture their testimonies. It made me think about my own testimony and if I am using my time wisely to strengthen it. And I don't think I am. I know I need and can do better. These little children of mine are going to rely on me for years and I want them to be ready and be able to go out on their own strong and with everything they need to stay that way. I want to make it a priority that when they are old enough, we go with them often to the temple to participate in baptisms for the dead and eventually in the other ordinances of the temple when they are ready. How grateful I am that we live close by the temple and are able to see it almost every day to remind us of our blessings and to attend often.

Giving up control...

So, I'm kind of a control and neat freak (some might question that if you looked at the clutter in my house). For the most part, I try to keep things clean. So Tess learning to feed herself has been something I have had to learn that it is okay that she gets dirty, that she gets her clothes dirty, that I get dirty, and that the floor gets dirty! And it all does! But I guess she has to start somewhere, right? I've learned that if I just let her go, she really does pretty good and there isn't too much to clean up afterwards.

#2 on the way...

I better be stocking up A LOT on this because...

 

...we are this!

We found out that we were expecting another baby on August 9, but didn't tell our families and friends until the beginning of October. It was a huge shock and surprise to us that we got pregnant so easily...no fertility help! I only had one of those pregnancy tests that had the lines left over from before...the line was so faint and I really had a hard time believing it. So I went out to buy one that actually said "pregnant" just to make sure!

We knew we wanted more kids, but after having Tess and going through what we did, I have been really scared. It's taken a lot of praying and fasting to help me feel comfortable about having more children and to have the faith needed to do so. We truly feel blessed that our Heavenly Father knows our hearts and we know He will be watching over us and this little one. Keeping our fingers crossed and our prayers said! We are SO GRATEFUL!

Easter Dresses

I was going through Tess's closet and cleaning out all the clothes she has grown out of. I ran across her first and second Easter dresses. I couldn't get over how small her first little Easter dress was...it was doll size and was even big on her. She was barely 3 pounds. That's a pen by it so you can kind of judge the size. Her Easter dress this past year was a 6-9 month size. Pretty big difference, huh?

Climbing the stairs...

Tess has become a pro at the stairs. We started her working on the stairs before she could even crawl. It helped her little legs to develop more strength and really helped her to learn 4 point crawling. Now we can't keep track of her, she is too fast for us!

Bath Time with Daddy

This is one of my favorite videos of Tess because it captures how much she loves the bath in a perfect way. And Daddy is the best at giving her baths!

Grocery Shopping Secret Weapon

My first weapon in grocery shopping should be to talk Dave into doing it, but when I'm unsuccessful (actually, he's pretty good at sharing the load), I make sure to have a sucker in my back pocket as my secret weapon. And I usually need it. I swear, every time I go grocery shopping no matter if Tess has just had a snack and gotten up from her nap, she turns into a demon when I put her in the cart! I have to whip that sucker out way too soon and only have that amount of time to get it all in the cart and checked out. I need to look into those huge twirly suckers. At least she is cute...