tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37827928674321350992024-03-12T22:01:52.609-06:00The MillersTyson, Alli, Brycen & CarterAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.comBlogger538125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-12630747759526717692013-09-26T15:52:00.000-06:002013-09-27T08:56:54.766-06:00Papa Murphy's Preschool Tour {Brycen's First Field Trip}<br />
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This morning was Brycen's first field trip. He and his preschool class (as well as the afternoon class) went to Papa Murphy's to take a tour and make their own pizzas. It was so much fun and the kids loved it! Carter was such a good boy, too. I held him during the tour and took pictures. He seemed to enjoy the different surroundings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A little pre-tour huddle </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Learning about making the dough</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Running the dough through the machine to flatten it</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Washing hands so they can make their pizzas</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tioNkKuh30E/UkSpR6mlVvI/AAAAAAAAO6Y/vfqvOvZNd0w/s1600/DSC_0368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tioNkKuh30E/UkSpR6mlVvI/AAAAAAAAO6Y/vfqvOvZNd0w/s640/DSC_0368.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brycen thought it was pretty cool to wear gloves and a chef's hat!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Each child was given a pizza dough with sauce and cheese. Then they put pepperoni on them.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Somebody looks guilty! I caught him tasting the cheese off his pizza.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Putting on the pepperoni</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trying the cheese again</span>. <span style="font-size: small;">He also tried the pepperoni but spit it out in the garbage. Classy!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wrapping up his pizza to take home</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Miss Krystal putting Brycen's name on his pizza</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Taking a picture with the owner and tour guide</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d6cARMSSWuk/UkSpW50MTaI/AAAAAAAAO7s/YMMDPfvmJfM/s1600/DSC_0422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d6cARMSSWuk/UkSpW50MTaI/AAAAAAAAO7s/YMMDPfvmJfM/s640/DSC_0422.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">He sure was proud of his pizza! He can't wait to eat it for dinner.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r_u73IsWXCk/UkSpXGmqmhI/AAAAAAAAO78/d5Q9Ylox1ec/s1600/DSC_0424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r_u73IsWXCk/UkSpXGmqmhI/AAAAAAAAO78/d5Q9Ylox1ec/s640/DSC_0424.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks for the fun field trip, Miss Krystal!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-19090826228253117962013-09-12T01:07:00.000-06:002013-09-12T01:07:16.429-06:00Thoughts About the KidsI thought of a few things about the kids that I want to make sure I write down somewhere. Hopefully one of these days I'll get my life a little more organized and do a real blog post about these things!<br />
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<b>Brycen</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Says funny words like "telespoke" and "ice cream spook". </li>
<li>Potty trained and doing great! Woooo hoooo!</li>
<li>Loves to tell "secrets". (He whispers jibberish in your ear. It's pretty funny.)</li>
<li>In heaven now that Disney Junior on Disney Channel has "Henry Hugglemonster". </li>
<li>LOVES preschool! (More about that later!)</li>
<li>Loves to drink strawberry milk</li>
<li>Still loves his blanket and reminds me regularly that Great Gram made it and that it's his.</li>
<li>He "takes pictures" of me with anything that could be used as a camera. Ice cream scoop, play golf club (that is also spy goggles)... </li>
</ul>
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<b>Carter</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Wearing 24-month and some 2T clothes. I still squeeze him into 18-month shirts sometimes, just to see those fabulous arms and belly come squishing out.</li>
<li>His hair is looking really blonde lately.</li>
<li>Such a sweet baby. So happy all the time and gives really good hugs.</li>
<li>We've put him on straight almond milk. It's been a little over a week and we're hoping to see some changes to his system soon.</li>
<li>He loves the stairs and we're always having to keep him off of them. We have a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs that's sitting the step and in between two rails, but sometimes he just slides it over and crawls up. We really have to watch him with those stairs. </li>
<li>He loves to sit on the bottom step of the stairs. </li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-39532799034338743232013-09-01T01:34:00.000-06:002013-09-01T01:43:48.863-06:00Remember When I Used to Blog?Ok, I guess I still do blog, but I'm terribly behind on this one and it makes me want to cry a little. We're all still doing well and enjoying our busy lives! Brycen starts preschool on Tuesday and it's totally crazy. He had orientation this past week and he was a little overwhelmed. I think it was all the people in one tiny room. I think he'll do much better when he gets to go to school. He's so excited to wear his Curious George "pack pack" and meet the kids in his class<br />
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Carter started walking on August 23rd and is now all over the place. We can't help but laugh as he takes those wobbly steps as he gets used to using those pudgy feet. (He's in for a real eye-opener when he has to actually start wearing shoes!) He has five teeth now and they're big like mine. We just love that toothy grin! He loves getting them brushed. The scar on his head from his cyst is hardly visible now and it looks so good. You can't even tell he had a cyst removed! I'm so glad we decided to go through with that procedure. He's wearing 24 month clothes and has passed Brycen in growth, as far as where Brycen was at when he was Carter's age. Because of that we're off on the seasons in clothes so Carter doesn't have much to wear in this 90-degree weather. I bought him a couple of outfits and t-shirts at City Creek today and I'm excited for him to wear something that doesn't look like a muscle tee for babies or like his thighs are trying to eat his shorts.<br />
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Tyson is as busy as ever with his job. He goes in early so he can come home at a decent time in the evenings. We're so glad that he's able to work those kinds of hours so we can see him at such an ideal time. We're pretty lucky! His kids sure love him. As soon as Tyson walks through the door the kids go nuts and go right to him. Carter crawls at an impressive speed and tries to climb up his dad's legs. Tyson is pretty much the greatest guy ever and I don't know what I'd do without him. <br />
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I'm staying as busy as ever with mommyhood, <a href="http://cupcakediariesblog.com/" target="_blank">Cupcake Diaries</a>, photography school, church, and all the other fun that's been going on. Blogging has been super busy, crazy, hectic, wonderful, frustrating, and so much fun!! I'll be making my TV debut on <a href="http://studio5.ksl.com/?sid=458585&nid=1" target="_blank">Studio 5</a> next week and I'm so excited. I'll be making a yummy fall recipe and praying I don't screw it up! I'm also participating in a live cooking demo for the Utah Parade of Homes in October. My blog has been an amazing experience and I'm learning so much from it. I love staying home with the kids and being able to play with them. They're so funny and they play really well together (most of the time). I have four callings at church and, even though I get pretty crazy and sweaty on Sundays, I enjoy them. <br />
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Now that you've just viewed what looks like a Miller family Christmas letter, thanks for taking the time to do so! We're all doing well and I'm looking forward to September and having a little time to breathe and get caught up on some things. And not to mention preparation for the holidays coming up! WOooo hooo!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-24766669102859800122013-06-02T00:00:00.000-06:002013-06-02T00:00:27.239-06:00One Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MHDhZ9Hy9VM/UardEzngqiI/AAAAAAAANp0/VMPaJsZ4K5Q/s1600/Carterclose5x7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MHDhZ9Hy9VM/UardEzngqiI/AAAAAAAANp0/VMPaJsZ4K5Q/s1600/Carterclose5x7.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></div>
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<br />
Our sweet little Carter is one year old today. I can't believe it's already been a year since our precious little boy came dramatically into the world. As I continue to read <a href="http://oconnorallison.blogspot.com/2012/06/carters-story.html" target="_blank">Carter's Story</a> I feel a lot of emotions: disbelief, overwhelming joy, overwhelming frustration, sadness, happiness, anger, love...But the biggest thing I'm feeling these days is gratitude. I thank my Heavenly Father every day that our sweet little Carter was sent to our family and that we were able to experience a miracle when he survived his birth. I'm so grateful that even though the traumatic experience of getting Carter here changed me emotionally, I have a healthy baby boy to love and snuggle. And I'm grateful they have pills for said emotional changes!<br />
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It's been a weird week. I found myself looking at the calendar and then the clock everyday, thinking about what was happening at that time a year ago.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"At this time one year ago we were at the zoo," </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
or </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"At this time one year ago I was getting turned away from labor and delivery the first time." </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It wasn't good for me to think that way! A flood of emotions would immediately come back and I would either start crying or get ticked off all over again. Then I'd see that plump little baby of mine sitting on the floor and smiling up at me, and immediately the anger would go away. </div>
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This is one of the very few pictures we have of Carter the day he was born. Most of the others are from Tyson's phone and were taken in the operating room right as Carter was being born. We weren't able to see Carter hardly at all that day, and I wasn't able to see him till the next day. This was one of the pictures I stared at during that first 24 hours, hoping it would fill that void I was already starting to feel and knowing that the void was only about to get worse. <br />
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This first year with Carter has been full of ups and downs. For the first nine months of his life we were being referred to a specialist of some kind every time we went to the pediatrician. Plastic surgery, physical therapy, occupational therapy...We knew Carter would have delays and struggles, but we never imagined that he wouldn't have any serious issues. We thought for sure having a 32 weeker would put him at the front of the line for health issues. We were so wrong! It's been amazing. We're so grateful that he is so healthy and happy. (And talk about a chunk! Did I mention he weighs 26lb?? That's my boy!)<br />
<br />
I'm grateful for my baby. I'm grateful for the miracle that he is and how he and I defeated the odds together on that crazy day. I'm grateful for Brycen and his unconditional love for me, even though I've been through such a rough patch this last year and probably haven't been the best mom. I'm grateful for an incredibly patient and loving husband who helped me realize that I am a strong person and that it's ok to get help when I'm struggling.<br />
<br />
I'm so grateful for all the support I've received from family members and friends over the last year. I didn't realize that Carter's birth would take as big a toll on me as it did. But I appreciate the patience and the love from family and friends and the endless amounts of support. I'm so blessed!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-50651806387053986152013-03-20T18:11:00.000-06:002013-03-20T18:11:57.985-06:00Brycen's 3-Year Check UpBrycen and Carter see their pediatrician inside the hospital where Carter was born. The pediatrics office is just down the long hall from the NICU where Carter spent the first six weeks of his life. I thought that after Carter's NICU stay and bringing him home I'd want to cry just looking at the hospital, dreading ever having to step foot in that building again.<br />
<br />
But instead, it's the opposite for me. I get a peaceful feeling every time I drive by, with an odd longing to walk inside again. I don't know if it's because I spent so much time there and got to know so many people, not to mention my baby living there for the first six weeks of his life, but I love it there.<br />
<br />
I entered the building from the north today and took the elevator with Brycen and Carter up to the fourth floor. It's the slowest elevator in the building, but today it seemed to open pretty quickly. We got on and every person who got on and off that elevator said hi to Brycen and/or complimented him on his smile or cuteness. They always do.<br />
<br />
When the elevator opened on the fourth floor and we left the elevator, we took turned the corner to walk down the hall that I walked so many times last summer. In the distance I could see the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit sign and parents walking in and out. I feel right at home walking this hallway, only this time we stopped a lot sooner at the pediatric office. It's always strange not going any further now.<br />
<br />
Today's visit brought us in for Brycen's 3-year check up. He always loves seeing the fish in the lobby and finding "Dory" and "Nemo" in the tank. The nurse called us back and brought us into the room. She had me take off Brycen's shoes and asked me some routine questions. Then we headed out into the hallway to get Brycen's blood pressure checked.<br />
<br />
If you're guessing that he most likely freaked out at this point, you're exactly right. He ran back into the room and hid behind the table, curling up in the fetal position and crying. The nurse watched as I struggled to get Brycen to cooperate while at the same time holding 22lb Carter. After a minute or so of pure meltdown, Brycen decided that he would do it if I did it first. He also wanted me to carry him back out.<br />
<br />
I looked around and realized I was alone. I couldn't seem to find anybody to help me carry Carter while I carried Brycen so, like any good parent would do, I sat wobbly and top heavy Carter on the high and narrow table so I could pick up Brycen. Once I got him situated on my left hip I picked Carter up and sat him on my right. Then out we went from the exam room.<br />
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Brycen was in a much better mood at this point and completely forgot that I had said I'd go first. He got his blood pressure checked, he stood on the Nemo stickers on the scale, he got measured for his height, and he even got tested on colors and shapes. He aced both tests, surprising me completely by knowing circle and square.<br />
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After the shapes test the nurse had him stand way down the hall to check his vision. He was told to stand by the seahorse sticker and say the shapes he just said before. I knew right away this wasn't going to work. Not only was there a big seahorse sticker on the wall, there were also green streamers everywhere and other "Finding Nemo" characters all over the wall. Way too many distractions! He didn't answer any of her questions about the shapes.<br />
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We went back to the exam room for a visit with Brycen's pediatrician, Dr. Rafferty. She asked Brycen a few questions about the color of clothes we were all wearing, his favorite foods, etc. He was nervous about her listening to his heart so Carter was the example. Brycen decided it wasn't so bad and let her continue with the exam. Everything checked out normal. She looked at the red mark on his arm that we've been concerned about and recommended we set up an appointment with dermatology. I figured that would be the case.<br />
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By the end of the appointment we learned that Brycen weighs 34lb (78%) and he's 3 ft 1 inch tall (43%). His BMI shows him at 89%, which is considered overweight. Doctors like kids to be no higher than 85%. However, she said it's pretty common for kids his age to be over that 85% because they still have their toddler bellies and have more baby weight on them still. By next year he should be in the average BMI range.<br />
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This pediatrics office focuses on the importance of kids and books, so each well visit the children have they receive a book. Carter has gotten a little baby board book every time and Brycen has gotten bigger kid books. It is so wonderful getting a new book per kid every well-child visit! <br />
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I've really liked our pediatrician, even though it was crazy hard leaving ours in Idaho Falls. Dr. Smith was seriously the absolute best. But we've had a really good experience with Dr. Rafferty and have appreciated the many referrals and advice she's given. I think she gives us a new referral every time we've been in there since Carter was born. <br />
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My little boy is growing so fast! He's a kid now and it kind of makes me sad. I'm just glad I have a baby in my home and that I'm not finished having kids because I still need babies around. He's still my baby, just a bigger version. :) Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-82295762863730326462013-03-07T11:01:00.001-07:002013-03-07T11:09:08.204-07:00Counting to Ten<div style="text-align: center;">
I love how Brycen counts to ten.</div>
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It's super cute. I'm a proud mama listening to him and the things he's learning!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">one,</span> <span style="font-size: large;">two, free, foy, five, wick, sezzen, eat, nine, ten</span></div>
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And anything after that is "eatteen, eatteen, eatteen," etc.</div>
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He's also starting to learn his alphabet. </div>
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He'll jump in on letters he knows like G, P, S, V, X (which he says S again), Y, and Z. He's been learning from us singing the ABC song with him, as well as the letter learning toy on our fridge.</div>
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I'm so excited for him to start preschool in the fall!! </div>
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He's going to love it.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-2650714193417873432013-03-01T11:35:00.003-07:002013-03-01T11:39:02.844-07:00Happy and HadBrycen does this thing where he says, "A happy!" while making a happy face, then "A had" while making a sad face. (He says "had" instead of sad.) He also doesn't like it when I take pictures of Carter. A few weeks ago these two little Brycen quirks came into play while I was trying to take Carter's 8-month pictures. First, he got in front of Carter and said, "Brycen picture!" Then he did the happy and had thing.<br />
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Eventually Brycen wanted to sit next to Carter. Carter loves his big brother!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-81935042261103378432013-02-04T15:39:00.002-07:002013-02-04T15:52:22.069-07:00The One with Carter's HelmetUgh! I had been dreading Carter getting his helmet since the day we went to the plastic surgeon and got the crappy news. However, I was happy to know that he wouldn't need surgery on his little head like some babies do. The plastic surgeon told me that it's common for babies who had a long NICU stay to need a helmet because they aren't able to be held as much. It helps to know that we probably couldn't have prevented this from happening. It's also nice to know how common it is for babies to need helmets! That Thursday in January we saw the plastic surgeon there had already been 20 babies in that week for their helmet consultations. Wow!<br />
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The next day, Carter had his head measured for his helmet. He had 12 different measurements done, then the next week he went in to get the plaster molding done. Poor Carter was miserable! The process started with him getting a tight ski mask looking thing put over his head, with a large hole cut out for his little face to come through. Those cheeks of his never looked so squishy and chubby. That was probably the only fun thing about this visit! The rest of the time was spent putting plaster strips over his entire head to form the shape of the helmet. After the strips came on, it was only supposed to take about 2 minutes for it to set up. After more than 5 minutes later when the top wasn't setting, the orthotic fitter, Sean, decided we needed to do it again. Carter got to sit through two plaster strip settings. It was horrible listening to him cry and watch him go through that. I felt so bad. Finally the plaster set and we were able to take the molding off his head.<br />
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This is a before shot of Carter's head. It's pretty flat on this back side, as well as a little misshapen through the back. He liked to sleep on that side of his head, causing extra flatness as well as that side of his head pretty much being pushed farther forward. If you look closely at Carter's head, you can see that his right ear is further forward than his left ear. This also makes the right side of his forehead a little farther out than his left side. (My apologies for the lovely pink hue through this picture!)</div>
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On Friday, February 1st, I took Brycen to my friend Erin's house then took Carter to get his helmet. We chose a light blue strap for him and got all the instructions on how to care for the helmet and what to watch for over the next week. When the helmet was first placed on Carter's head, he started to cry. I think he was more afraid of what was going on than bugged by the helmet. Sean had to keep taking the helmet back to make adjustments and cuts so it fit Carter's head just right. Carter screamed and cried the entire visit. This cry was definitely a scared cry, which I had never heard till his appointment. Poor thing. He fell asleep as soon as we got in the car and took a little nap. He was pretty chipper when he woke up! </div>
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The helmet sits flat against his head on the front right side and the back left side. There is space between his head and the helmet on the back right side and the front left side so his head can round out nicely. Where his head is touching the helmet on those first two parts, as it grows it will be forced to grow into the places where there is space. We'll come in every three weeks to get the helmet adjusted as his little head grows. </div>
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Later on in the day he was completely exhausted. I went to put him down for a nap and he really struggled. He looked SO tired though and started crying harder than I'd ever heard him cry. Sean told me to take the helmet off for his nap on the first day if he cries and won't go to sleep. I was relieved that was an option! Off the helmet went and he took a nice long nap. </div>
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I wish I could say he's done well with the helmet! He slept pretty well on Friday night, only waking up twice. The next day was his first full day with the helmet and kind of a disaster. He cried a lot, struggled taking naps, and just looked miserable. We kept up with keeping the hat on though and eventually he settled down. That night Carter was really struggling to sleep. He cried and cried. Tyson and I both tried to soothe him but nothing was working. We decided that Carter needed a father's blessing. After the blessing, I put him back in his crib and he went right to sleep. Just another amazing experience that shows us the reality of the power of the priesthood. Carter woke up multiple times that night, but we expected it after such a crazy day.<br />
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He was so tired the next morning! Poor kid. I decided to put him on our bed for a nap, so he slept there while I got ready for church. </div>
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We noticed on Saturday that the part of the helmet in front of his left ear tends to rub against it. I put a cotton round between his ear and the helmet so it at least wouldn't rub him during his nap. We'll be going in next week to get that part adjusted. Until then, we have to watch him so the helmet doesn't hurt his little ear.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today has been a much better day!</span></div>
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He took a two-hour morning nap and he's currently on his third nap of the day. He's sleeping so much better with it and doesn't seem to mind it as much. He gets an hour break from the helmet every day, where we wash it and his head.<br />
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We're excited to be getting his cute little misshapen head fixed! I'm so grateful that he seems to be doing better with his helmet. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-32433044087916964752013-01-16T23:32:00.000-07:002013-01-30T15:18:02.467-07:00My Growing BoysMy boys are changing all the time! Brycen is especially catching me off guard these days with how much he's learning and growing.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Brycen...</span></b><br />
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<li>can count to 10. I was so surprised one day when he was up to the counter top counting his goldfish crackers. I watched in amazement as he got to 10, then the rest of the numbers were just jibberish. But he got to ten! Smart boy.</li>
<li>loves to play hide and seek. He<b> almost</b> completely understands the concept, so it makes for a funny game. He loves to be the one to count and look. He counts to two, then he's on his way to find you! You pretty much get to take two long leaps to find a spot, then hide there as quickly as possible. It's such a thrill for him to find you. If you tell him to hide, he'll still come find you. He especially loves playing hide and seek with my mom. </li>
<li>says "please" and "thank you" without being told. Well, most of the time. For example, he'll ask me to help him up onto the couch if his hands are full and says "mank you" afterward. The other day he was outside in his snow clothes while I was shoveling the driveway. He fell down at least 10 times, and each time I helped him up he said "mank you". He says it after some of the simplest things and it's just the sweetest. I'm glad that he's learned to do that and does it regularly. When he asks for something we have to remind him to say "please" sometimes, but most of the time he does pretty well on his own.</li>
<li>still loves Mickey. Whenever he wants to watch a show he says "Mickey! Mickey!" It's always Mickey. Every now and then it's "Jo Jo" (Oso), but Mickey is the favorite.</li>
<li>loves to sing "Twinkle Twinkle". We can only understand so many of the words, but we can tell what he's saying and that he knows what he's saying! It's exciting to hear him sing his very first song. </li>
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<li>is a very happy baby and smiles all the time. We've been very blessed to have such happy kids. He's happy when you have to wake him up, he's happy at 3am when he wants a bottle, he'll even smile at someone when he's sad. </li>
<li>is a much better eater than Brycen was as a baby. He'll eat anything I give him, even if he hates it. I gave him peas one day and he made the saddest face. He hated the peas, but he kept opening his mouth to eat like a good boy. I felt bad and tossed them and gave him something he does like. Besides peas, he's liked every other vegetable I've given him. Brycen was not that way at all. We had to mix a little bit of pear or apple with his veggies to get him to eat them. Carter also eats straight oatmeal. Brycen wouldn't eat rice cereal straight so we put some in his bottles. We decided to skip rice cereal completely and just do oatmeal with Carter. He's done really well and likes it.</li>
<li>is still not sitting up on his own yet, but he's getting there! We were told by his pediatrician and the NICU staff before we left the hospital that he would be behind in some areas, and sitting and rolling over are two of them. He's rolled over from back to tummy maybe twice and tummy to back once. </li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-37715082315043422172012-12-18T16:45:00.002-07:002012-12-18T17:03:38.399-07:00Christmas Decor 2012 As I've been getting us all ready to go to Idaho for Christmas, I realized I haven't done a Christmas decor blog post! I've done one every year since Tyson and I were married, and I can't very well stop now. I guess it's turned into a tradition. So here we go!<br />
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Welcome to our house! (My apologies for the tilted picture.) We've loved being in a house for Christmas. I've actually been able to use all my decorations! Last year in our apartment we picked six or seven things and that was that. But we're so happy to be in a house and loving every second of it. This is our front porch, and I have to say that I just LOVE this porch. It is just the best for holiday decor, and it's one of those front porches that I've dreamed of having. Too bad we're just renting and this porch isn't mine to keep.<br />
(Maybe one of these days I'll actually do a blog post with pictures of our house!)</div>
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We had to buy a new Christmas tree since this one didn't quite make it through the move. We couldn't help but laugh after taking this picture, even though this poor tree looks so sad. It looks like a shark bit the side. It's a pre-lit tree that only half works now. And all kinds of pieces broke off from it. Poor thing. Our tree got retired and we bought a new one on Black Friday at Fred Meyer. (I ended up buying one with colored lights instead of clear so we had to buy ANOTHER tree here in Ogden. So yes, we have two trees until we're back in Idaho again.)</div>
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We put the new tree up and fluffed the branches out a bit before adding another set of lights.</div>
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I'm loving having two large bay windows in the front of our house. Heck, I love having <i>windows</i> in the front of our house! We've never had a front living room window before, not even in our house in Idaho. One of my favorite things about Christmastime is driving down streets and seeing lit Christmas trees through the windows. And now we can do the same thing with our house! It's so fun. </div>
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We wrapped a garland and Christmas lights around the banister going up the stairs. Brycen really likes it! I love it too. </div>
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I found the Little People Nativity for $19 on Black Friday. Brycen plays with it in front of the Christmas tree, where it stays. It will also get put away after Christmas so we can look forward to it next year.</div>
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It's Carter's first Christmas so his first ornament is a little baby in a stroller. We got Brycen a little elf holding a present, and Tyson and I are sharing a Santa ornament this year. </div>
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I shared this picture on Facebook a couple weeks ago. I love this one of my three boys. Brycen was so excited to read Christmas books by the Christmas tree after the house was all decorated. In this picture they're reading, "Santa Elf."</div>
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Carter likes to look up at the lights, as I'm sure all babies do this time of year!</div>
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We sent my missionary brother, Adam, a family Christmas card with this little picture inside. Brycen loves Elmo so I printed off this Elmo Christmas picture to color. </div>
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Brycen loves coloring and anything related.</div>
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Carter loves music. The piano is especially soothing. Sometimes when he's upset in the evening we'll put him in his little lamb chair and play the piano for him. It's been fun hearing Christmas music coming from the piano the last few weeks!</div>
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We finished our Christmas shopping last week and it's been so nice having everything bought, wrapped, and under the tree! Now we're trying to figure out how to get all this to Idaho. Thank goodness for our van!</div>
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Having a screen door has made it difficult to put wreaths up. I decided to force my Christmas wreath between the two doors, which actually wasn't too difficult. I'm just glad to have a wreath up! That door was looking really bare. </div>
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And Brycen has LOVED looking for our elf, Charlie, every morning. We don't do anything crazy with him, just move him to different spots. That's been really fun for Brycen this year. </div>
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Brycen likes to be the one to turn on all the lights every night. </div>
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One button turns on the Christmas tree...</div>
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...and the other two turn on the banister lights and the small tree lights on the porch. </div>
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Kohl's has a style of stockings that hasn't changed since we got married. We've been able to find a new stocking for each child for the last few years, and they go right along with the ones I got for Tyson and I when we were first married. We've lucked out!</div>
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And I've REALLY loved having a mantle. It's been so fun hanging the stockings above the fireplace! </div>
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Charlie's Christmas debut was on the Christmas tree. Brycen thought that was pretty darn hilarious.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-24310671027667369622012-12-11T16:21:00.000-07:002012-12-11T17:24:15.063-07:00The Latest Happenings of Brycen and CarterBoth the kids are napping. This NEVER happens. Ever. If I hadn't just finished buying and wrapping all Christmas gifts yesterday, I wouldn't be sitting here typing out this blog post! It feels so good to have that done and move on to relaxing and enjoying the remainder of the month! The next worry is making sure we get all of it brought to Idaho next weekend. But for now, I'm going to enjoy this time I have to sit and write about my two favorite little people! <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Brycen</span></b><br />
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Brycen is starting to pick out colors. He knows blue, red, and green but sometimes mixes them up. He also knows pink and gets that one right every time. It helped that I had just had a manicure before Thanksgiving and had my nails painted pink. He'd point to them and say, "Pink!" Now that the polish is gone, he points to them and says, "Pink? A go?" <br />
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We've been teaching him to say please and thank you. They come out as "pease" and "dank you". Sometimes he's not sure what he's supposed to say when we ask, "What do you say?" At those moments it comes out as, "Peank you!" We're just glad he's learning manners. I filled in the last half of nursery on Sunday and I noticed Brycen saying "pease" a lot. When asking for more snack, when he wanted a turn to blow the bubbles...I was so proud! The other nursery leader even commented that saying how nice it was that he was saying please. Proud mom moment!<br />
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Brycen is starting to say "blanket" instead of "bit". That has been one of my favorite Brycen-isms! His blanket has been known as his "bit" since he learned to talk. He still says "bit" every now and then, but he's starting to say blanket a little more. And honestly, it makes me a little sad. He's growing up right before my eyes and I can't do a dang thing about it. But it's also so fun to see him learn and grow.<br />
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With all the Christmas wrapping and shopping, I've had a lot of stuff sprawled out over the living room floor. Brycen's latest thing is coming in the room and saying, "Moooom! (with the drawn out "mom") Budoon ofentyo mess!" Ok, not EXACTLY like that. But for those who know Brycen's little jibberish language, you know what that middle part sounds like! I laugh every time he comes in and tells me I've made a huge mess.<br />
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We've always laughed and laughed when Brycen talks about balloons. He has said "bn" instead. I can't even say it myself! He's a pro at saying it that way, that's for sure. And when he gets really excited it comes out as, "Bn! Bn! Bn!" We're worried about a vein in his head bursting when he says it that excitedly! Recently he's started saying "boon"- another one that makes me sad. But I'm glad that he's learning to say words correctly to so it's fun. I'm going to miss these little words and that little language of his when it's all gone!<br />
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Brycen LOVES popcorn. He calls it "cuhcorn". Whenever we make it, we have to use the same bowl every time. When we lived in our apartment, I didn't keep all my kitchen stuff inside. A lot of it was left in the storage unit. Apparently I only saved one bowl that could be used for popcorn because now that is the only bowl he wants to use.<br />
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He also loves the moon. Since we went to the cabin one last time in September, Brycen has been asking to go out and see the moon every night. It's not always out, but he sure loves looking for it. And when it is out, his face lights up and he smiles. It's so fun to watch his reaction. Good thing he's getting "Goodnight, Moon" for Christmas.<br />
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When he says words like mouse or house he puts a little "sh" sound at the end. They come out sounding like "moush" and "housh". It's really sweet sounding.<br />
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Speaking of sweet, he's a really sweet and sensitive kid when it comes to little things. Babies, baby animals, small toys or small objects of any kind...He'll say in a soft, sweet voice, "Oh, toot!" (Cute) Or he'll hold the item up close to his face and hug it, while moving his shoulders back and forth. Then the "Oh, toot!" comes. The other day he picked up a little cutie orange and held it close to him in this same way.<br />
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Brycen loves to help with the laundry. He doesn't terrorize the laundry basket full of clothes anymore. Now he likes to put the clothes from the washer into the dryer, and from the dryer into a basket. He also likes to help me cook and bake. I'll let him put ingredients in and lock the mixer. He's such a good little helper!<br />
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He likes to reach in pockets (whether they be yours, mine, or his) and say, "No coins!" If he does find a coin, his day has been made.<br />
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The latest shows he asks to watch are "Mickey" and "Olie Olie Olie Olie" ("Rolie Polie Olie"). That show is still on, can you believe it? I remember when that started. Pretty sure I was in high school. Now it's on Disney Junior Channel in the mornings. We introduced him to "Mickey's Christmas Carol" and "Pluto's Christmas Tree" and that's all he seems to want to watch since Sunday. I'm sure glad he likes the classics though!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Carter</span></b><br />
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Carter is 6 months old now. Crazy!! Where in the world is the time going? He's wearing size 3 diapers now and just started wearing 6-9 month clothes. He still wears some 3-6 months, but he's starting to burst out of them at the feet. Carter is one solid kiddo. My parents always laugh when they go to pick him up because they expect him to feel lighter, but he's just heavy! He weighs the same, if not more, than his cousin, Tayen, who was born at full-term and 2 1/2 months before Carter. Carter has just caught right up and it's wonderful! You wouldn't think he was born 2 months early and weighed 4lb at one time. <br />
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We started Carter on oatmeal and over the last couple of days he's really started getting the hang of it. He'll even open his mouth for more before I even have the spoon out to give him some. Yep, sounds like our kid! Likes his food. We've been trying oatmeal once a day, then we'll eventually get to giving him more then start him on fruits and veggies at 7 months.<br />
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Carter is such a sweet baby. He's always so happy! Even at 3am. We'll come in his room to get him out of his crib and he'll smile and kick like crazy. He's just so pleasant. He's still super impatient when it comes to getting a bottle, but he's always happy. Brycen was the same way and acted just like Carter does, as he only cries if something is wrong: hungry, needs a new diaper, tired, in pain, etc. We've been so blessed to have such sweet, easy-going babies. And he's really a good sleeper, too. It's all about routine, I'm telling you. He goes down for a morning nap and has two more naps in the day before going down for the night between 8:00 and 8:30. He's always done really well with his crib. The first time we put him in it he had a hard time. But when he cried, we'd just go in there and give him his binky. He was so tired, and having his binky put back in and a calming "shhhhh" combined with a little stroke on the head from Mom or Dad was all he needed. Brycen was the same way. And they've both been sleeping well and on their own ever since. These routines have really helped Brycen sleep on his own and in his own bed since he was a baby. It feels good to not have any issues there! <br />
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Carter's reflux issues are still...well, issues. I hate to think of how long we're all going to have to live with this. Poor Carter. I hate that he has to suffer every morning when it comes time to get medicine! He has 2 1/2mL's of liquid Prevacid. We give it to him through a dropper while he drinks his bottle (We're not supposed to, but the taste is awful!), then we have to wait 30 minutes for it to settle on his tummy so he can finish his bottle. Tyson and I have been teased a little in this area. Those watching see Carter cry for his bottle as we soothe him as much as possible, waiting the five more minutes till he can have his bottle. Some see it as a little ridiculous that we don't just give him the bottle five minutes early. It's amazing how much of a difference five minutes makes. I've tested out this theory and Carter just has that acid crap coming up all day if we don't wait at least 30 minutes. The nurses in the NICU even told us to wait 45 minutes to an hour, and I can see why! Today I thought he would be ok if I gave him his bottle 10 minutes early, since we took him off it for a day last week and he seems to be doing a little better. Another mistake that I've been paying the price for today. So yes, 5 minutes does make a difference! He does seem to be doing a little better, but he definitely still needs the medicine.<br />
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Carter is SO close to rolling over!! He'll get up on his right side, then rolls right back because he doesn't know where to go from there. We've been helping him go all the way over so he can get a feel for it. He's getting so close!!<br />
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He smiles ALL the time. All you have to do is look at him and he'll give you a massive, dimply grin. He's such a sweetheart.<br />
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Carter loves music, especially the piano. We've used the piano as a way to calm Carter down at night when he's having a hard time settling down from being so tired. I'll hold him while Tyson plays. Eventually Carter will fall asleep in my arms. On nights where one of us isn't home, we put Carter in his lamb chair and play. He usually falls asleep in his chair. I'm amazed at how much he loves the piano. Even in Relief Society when he's fussy, as soon as that piano starts he calms right down.<br />
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Just like Brycen, Carter gets the hiccups when he laughs. I don't know if this is a common thing for babies, but both my kids have done and continue to do this!<br />
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Brycen was given a little soft, blue, musical elephant when he was born. And he wanted nothing to do with it. He wouldn't even really snuggle up to it. By the time Carter was born, that elephant still looked brand new. We use it for him and he loves it. When he's fussy at night and needs help going back to sleep, we'll give him his binky, pull the little elephant tail to get the music going, and give the elephant to Carter. He'll pull it close to his face and snuggle right up to it. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-88989772368079139502012-11-14T22:00:00.000-07:002012-11-15T00:19:54.088-07:00The One Where Brycen "Crashed" My ComputerI'm not really sure why I want to document this story. The fact that my heart came alarmingly close to stopping is reason enough to not want to keep this incident close. However, I decided I want to have this story on hand so when he's older I can tell Brycen about that time he almost killed his mom.<br />
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Life has been incredibly busy lately. Besides being a full-time stay-at-home mom, I often find myself thinking, "Wait, I thought I graduated college." I feel like a college student with a life full of deadlines and due dates. I love keeping busy and having so much going on.<br />
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But if I'm being honest, sometimes I feel like I've bit off more than I can chew. My recipe blog has gone farther than I ever thought. Regularly posting recipes, as well as promotions and reviews for other companies, gets a little crazy sometimes. I love it though, so I can't complain. And that little bit of extra cash isn't so bad either! Amber and I recently finished one of the biggest projects I've ever taken on. Ever. That includes college stuff. We were both getting migraines from staring at the computer screen for so long. That project was completed yesterday, and when we were finished I didn't know what to do with myself. Then I remembered that I needed to start planning my very first relief society lesson ever, as well as decide what recipe I'm going to feature on <a href="http://momitforward.com/" target="_blank">Mom It Forward</a> next week. And just when I thought I could start one of these new projects our furnace broke and I spent most of my day trying to keep the kids warm. What a disaster! It got down to 61 degrees in our house. Thank goodness we have a gas fireplace in our living room that we could camp out in front of till the repairman could come and replace the fuel valve. We were without heat from 7:00 last night till 3:00 this afternoon. It was a cold time for the Millers! Poor Brycen sure had the sniffles this morning. <br />
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Ok, I'm done complaining. I really am enjoying the hustle and bustle of life and trying to keep up with everything. And I wish I could say the above is all that I have to do. But whatever! It's fine and I'm pushing through it all.<br />
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Rewind back to Monday afternoon: Amber and I had been working on this big project for over two months and we were about to wrap it up. We were going through it making sure all the details were finished and there were no errors. (I can't go into details on what we were doing or I'll spill the beans on a Christmas gift!!) This project was seriously a beast, but quite a joy to work on. I can't wait till I can tell you about it. Amber and I had spent a lot of time on the phone that morning. The afternoon came and it was time for Brycen to lie down on my bed and wind down a little bit. He was watching a Disney Junior Channel show on my bed while I was working on the same project with Amber on the phone. I noticed my phone was about to die but ignored it. Eventually it completely died and I lost the call with Am. I went downstairs to my charger, plugged it in, and called her back. We talked for a few minutes before I had the feeling to go check on Brycen. The last time I was on the phone while it was charging he found my hair straightening serum and squirted almost all of it onto the carpet in my bedroom.<br />
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I got a little nervous as I kept Amber on the line and ran up the stairs to check on him. I walked in my room and didn't find him. I poked my head around the corner into the bathroom and didn't find him. Then my heart dropped as I realized where he most likely was: the office. Normally Brycen stays on the bed during wind down time and we don't have any issues. But today was different. And sure enough, I walked into the office to find Brycen standing by the desk chair looking right at my computer.<br />
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My entrance into the room made him jump and he immediately started to cry. He doesn't cry in moments like these unless he knows he's done something wrong. I looked at my computer to find a big grey square with jagged white edges covering the entire screen, and a black Sharpie with the lid off on the desk. The first words out of my mouth were, "Brycen Timothy, what did you do!" I didn't yell, but I was stern in my tone. He nervously looked at me with his hands clasped together. I approached the computer and went to move the mouse to see what he did. The mouse didn't move. The little arrow stayed in place and nothing was happening. Just that big grey square and a still mouse arrow were in view.<br />
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I started to feel myself panicking a little and decided to try shutting the computer off. When I turned it back on, that creepy grey square was still there. This brought me into a full-out panic. I had never seen this before and I was freaking out. I thought for sure my computer had crashed. I couldn't remember if I had closed out of the program used to work on this project, and if I hadn't, I was worried he deleted the project. Then thoughts of all my pictures and projects came to mind. This was the part where I started to sweat and pace. I tried calling Tyson but he didn't answer. I just wanted to cry, but I was panicking so bad I couldn't come up with any tears. As I kept trying all kinds of things to get the screen back to normal, I kept saying, "Brycen what did you do!" in that same stern voice. I didn't yell, which is common for me in situations where something crazy or horrible has happened. I do a lot of talking and a lot of, "Ok. Alright. Ok. Ok. Alright," while pacing. <br />
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Brycen looked at me with a concerned face. I didn't know what to do. Thoughts of taking my dear computer to a computer doctor came flashing in my brain, and then in that same vision the doctors told me there was nothing they could do to fix it. It was at this point I could feel the tears coming and my heart slowly stopping.<br />
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Then I looked up and saw something pop on the screen. It had to do with my wireless mouse and how it wasn't able to connect to my computer. The computer was "searching" for the mouse. Then it dawned on me that whenever my computer has done this in the past, it is because my mouse was turned off and the computer couldn't detect it. Sure enough, I turned the mouse over and the switch had been moved to turn it off. Then that scary grey image came up again. I moved the mouse to see if I could do anything about it when a small box appeared at the bottom that had two options: "Save image in iPhoto" or "Close". I hit "close" and watched that big scary square turn into the teeny tiny image of a grey card I had saved on my desktop. It looks like this:<br />
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On my desktop it is teeny tiny, and whenever I have opened it the size is still only about two inches wide on my computer screen. I had never seen it that big before and still have no idea what Brycen did to make it that big. But as it was stretched so large as such a small file, the edges of it got super pixelated, or "jagged":<br />
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Can you see those corners and how they're starting to look pixely? Imagine this image the size of a 21.5 inch iMac screen. Yeah. Dang scary. I thought for sure my computer had crashed and this is what it was now doing.<br />
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After I closed out of the picture, my desktop went right back to normal. The mouse was working fine and all was well. I turned to look at Brycen and he was looking up at me with that same concerned face, hands still clasped together. I bent down and gave him a hug, apologizing for getting upset. When I told him not to touch Mommy's computer, he hit me right in the face. Big shocker there, he always hits lately. I held his hands, looked him in the eyes, and softly talked to him about playing with my computer. He responded with his sweet little jibberish and gave me a hug.<br />
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Then he looked at me and started to cry. When I asked him what was wrong, he showed me his hands. He had drawn on them with the black Sharpie and didn't know what to do, thus the reason he was crying. I couldn't help but laugh at this point. I gave him a hug and told him he could take a bath and we'd scrub the black off his hands.<br />
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This experience taught me a couple of things. 1) I can't leave the office door open if Brycen is close by to come in while I'm not in there, and 2) I NEVER want to have to go through a computer crashing. What a disastrous moment that I never want to relive, and praying that I won't have to! I'm doing all kinds of back up now just in case something happens to my computer for real. But for now, this experience ended well and I'm incredibly grateful for it! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-35546690124776425412012-11-01T00:21:00.000-06:002012-11-08T09:16:00.946-07:00Amber & Alli's Birthday WeekendI was lucky enough to get to spend my birthday weekend with not only Tyson and the boys, but my mom, Amber, Amy, Britney, Boston, and Tayen as well! It was SO fun and I didn't want it to end. We didn't plan a lot for the weekend but managed to pack it full of shopping, good food, and lots of laughs. And you're darn right, we took a lot of pictures!<br />
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Amber, Mom, and Tayen came the afternoon of October 17th. It was fun to relax and visit. I can't remember for the life of me what we did for dinner that night. All the days seem to be running together!<br />
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The next day was our birthday and we did a little shopping and went to lunch at Warren's, then Amy and Britney arrived. We decided before things got too busy that we'd get pictures of all the kids in their Halloween costumes. Britney and Amber brought Boston and Tayen's costumes along so we could get a group photo. We brought them all out in my front yard and had a great time! It was hysterical.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farmer Brycen with his chicken, cow, and prize-winning pumpkin. And we didn't even plan it that way!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brycen & Carter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boston</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Britney & Boston</td></tr>
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We found ourselves laughing A LOT during this whole photo shoot. It was funny enough having all these cute little kids dressed as little animals and such! But other things kept happening that kept us laughing our heads off. First, Tayen kept falling over (as seen above). And Boston kept escaping just as we'd get all the kids lined up. It was too funny!</div>
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We thought we'd get a family photo. This was the best we could do.</div>
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Before all the picture fun, Tyson and I went to the hospital to visit a
friend who just had her baby. Little Lizzie was born on my birthday! It
was so fun going to visit her and her parents. Fun to share a birthday
with this sweet little one!</div>
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We had pizza for dinner, then we opened presents. Amber and I always seem to have pizza on our birthday, and it's been that way since we were kids for some reason. It just seems fitting on our birthday, for some reason! We got some really fun things for our birthday. Britney gave us these temple tiles with our anniversaries on them. Fun!</div>
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We had cake after opening presents. Tyson and I went and got an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. Mint chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate cake. Yum! </div>
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Brycen loved helping us blow out the candles!</div>
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(Don't hide your enthusiasm, Carter!)</div>
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I love my twin!</div>
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The next day, we went over to the Carter's store and to Gordman's for some shopping. We also had lunch at Zupas. It was delicious!!</div>
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(Thanks for the use of these pictures, Brit!)</div>
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Britney got each one of the little boys a "I Love Mummy" onesie. They looked so cute in them!</div>
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Britney left later that afternoon to head down to see her family. It was so fun spending my birthday with her and Boston!!</div>
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Tayen and Carter had baths later that night. Cute babies in towels!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tayen getting artistic with his bottle</td></tr>
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On Saturday, Am helped us with our family pictures. She was a gem and put up with my crazy picture taking crap. Thanks for your help and your patience, Am! (You too, Mom and Amy!)</div>
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That night we had <a href="http://cupcakediariesblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/billys-chili-sweet-cornbread.html" target="_blank">Billy's Chili with Sweet Cornbread</a> for dinner. It was so good! Then we baked some Halloween cupcakes. Yum!</div>
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Brycen LOVED helping Amber decorate them.<br />
He got to choose what sprinkles went on each one.</div>
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(I love these fun things he gets to do with his aunts and uncles! Fun memories!)</div>
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That weekend was a blast!! </div>
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{Am and Brit, help yourself to any of these pictures!}</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-23327845254955164142012-10-31T08:40:00.002-06:002012-10-31T08:40:41.506-06:00Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Halloween! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We hope you have a delightfully sugary and fun day!</span></div>
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Love, </div>
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Farmer Brycen and his chicken, cow, and prize-winning pumpkin</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-88357803889732637112012-10-17T00:20:00.001-06:002012-10-17T00:24:12.560-06:00For Tonight You Are Mine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tonight I was rocking Carter to sleep and I started to sing to him. Songs included "Hush, Little Baby," "A Child's Prayer," and "I Am a Child of God." Then for the first time to either of my children, I started singing "Mary's Lullaby." It came out of nowhere and is a favorite that I only sing at Christmas time. I sing this particular arrangement with my sisters in three-part harmony and it's really pretty. I love the arrangement, and I've never sang it to my kids before. I sang the melody for the first time and sang Carter the entire song-only this time it was different for me. I sang as if I was Mary singing to her sweet baby, and an overwhelming feeling of peace and love came over me. I pictured myself as Mary, sitting in a cold and dirty stable with Joseph and baby Jesus. I sang the words as if I were speaking directly to the baby Jesus and expressing my love for Him.<br />
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<i>All mine in your loveliness baby, all mine.</i></div>
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<i>All mine in your holiness baby divine. </i></div>
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<i>Sing on herald angels in chorus sublime;</i></div>
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<i>Sing on and adore, for tonight you are mine. </i></div>
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In that moment this mother, who had just brought our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into the world, was swaddling her baby and holding him close, knowing that He was meant for something special but in that moment was all hers. I sang to Carter with that same loving feeling and felt the spirit of the Lord in the room with me. I sat there with Carter unable to fully comprehend the meaning of those words and how such a sweet chorus could have so much depth. This beautiful baby was a sweet and helpless little person. The moment was so amazing but so simple. That tiny child was the Savior-the most influential person to ever walk the earth-but that night He was Mary's baby. <br />
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I continued on to sing the first verse, then I began to feel the emotion of the second verse as I began to sing:<br />
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<i>Away spectered future of sorrow and plight,</i></div>
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<i>Away to the years that must follow tonight.</i></div>
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<i>The pangs of Gethsamane, let them be dim,</i></div>
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<i>The red drops on Calvary, not Lord, for Him. </i></div>
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I focused on these words and started to cry. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be holding my baby, knowing that he would one day save all mankind. I wondered what she knew as His mother. I wondered if she knew the details of how He would become our loving Savior who sacrificed everything for us in the way that He did. I think of her singing these words and how, in the moment, the terrible things that He would experience were something she wasn't going to focus on. In this song she knew they would happen, but for now He was her baby. As a mother, I can't imagine being in Mary's place. There is a reason she was chosen to be the mother of the Savior and she is truly inspiring. This was a role that only she could fill. <br />
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As I sat there rocking Carter, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming love for him which, in turn, made me feel an overwhelming love for my Savior and His atoning sacrifice. I don't know if it's because the holidays are fast approaching and I have Christmas on my mind. But tonight, that song brought a greater meaning, and I felt the spirit so strongly in Carter's room. It was wonderful and just what I needed. In one simple moment, I gained a greater appreciation for the atoning sacrifice the Savior made for us and how we can live with Him again. I'm grateful for such a sweet experience to remind me what this life is really about. <br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">image via <a href="http://ourcontentnest.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/when-you-kiss-your-little-baby/" target="_blank">Our Contest Nest</a></span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-86707308567527403862012-10-05T12:45:00.000-06:002012-10-05T13:26:17.504-06:00"Toon" and a HalfBrycen is 2 1/2 today. (Or as he would say, "toon" and a half.) Where is the time going? I look at Carter and I feel like we were just there with Brycen. My babies are growing right up.<br />
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Every month we take Carter's picture in a diaper to show his growth. I did the same thing with Brycen in the same chair. And every month Brycen wants his picture taken too. So far we've only had two times at home where I've taken Carter's picture in the chair, but both times Brycen has wanted his picture taken too. He'll stand right in front of me and say, "Cheese!" So I point the camera down and snap a picture or two of him. <br />
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Brycen obviously likes walking around in just a t-shirt and diaper. Recently, however, we've realized we can't let him do that anymore because he keeps taking his diaper off. Last night he was lying down watching a show on our bed when we heard him jump off and run down the hall. Tyson went to the bottom of the stairs to find a diaper lying at the very top. Then a half-naked Brycen came running by. No more bottomless days for this toddler!<br />
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Brycen loves Carter. I always find him looking at him like this, whether Carter is getting his picture taken in the chair, or he's in his lamb chair or lying on the floor. He'll just go up to him, smile and him, and stare. It's so fun seeing him with Carter. It was definitely a struggle for Brycen when Carter first came home, but he's adjusted really well. He's very loving and pets his head. He also gets protective when Carter's sock falls off or he kicks his blanket off. He'll go pick up the sock or he'll go cover him back up with his blanket. He's a very good big brother. <br />
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Brycen can count to two. :) He says, "One...toon...one..."<br />
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He has been really interested in the moon lately. He'll walk around the house at different times of the day and call for it: "Moon! Moon!" When he doesn't see it he says, "Uh no moon? Uh no gone?" We explain to him that the moon only comes out when it's dark so we have to wait to see it. When it gets dark we wrap Brycen up in a blanket and take him outside to look for the moon. We live really close to the mountains so a lot of the time we can tell it's going to be showing up soon by the light we can see, but we have to wait. It's cool walking outside, looking up at the mountains, and seeing a bright beam of light shooting out behind the mountain's silhouette. We show that to Brycen and pump up the excitement that the moon is going to be out very soon. I love it when the moon is out and he sees it. A big grin comes to his face and he yells, "Moon!" Last night the moon didn't come from behind the mountain till pretty late and Brycen was already in bed. That's the only night this week that he's missed the moon. (I need to buy "Goodnight, Moon" for him! That was my favorite growing up.)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-2197394409883709462012-09-24T21:48:00.000-06:002012-10-04T13:33:00.997-06:00KiddosYep, another post about my little boys. They're changing so much all the time and I find that blogging is the best way for me to keep track of what they're doing. I love these two boys and they're both so much fun!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Brycen...</span><br />
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Whenever I change a diaper (whether it be his or Carter's) Brycen says, "Cuck! Cuck!" (yuck) We've decided to get him a little potty and start the potty training process. He's starting to show a little bit of interest so we're going to work on it at his pace. Any and all tips/comments on this subject will be greatly appreciated!<br />
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He says the word "hot" whenever he sees anything potentially hot. I'm so happy that he doesn't just dig in to stuff and he blows on things before eating it! Even if it isn't hot.<br />
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Brycen loves to help with the laundry. His favorite part is putting the clothes in the dryer. He also likes to help with the folding. <br />
<br />
Balloons. Or "bn", as Brycen says it. (That is seriously the best way I can describe how Brycen says the word "balloon". And it actually sounds more like an 'm' at the end instead of an 'n'.) Where do I start with balloons? Our families can attest to Brycen's love for balloons. We can't go to a store that sells balloons without a battle with Brycen. He'll want one and scream till he gets it. We used to just give in and buy him one when we went. But now we've decided not to let him get his way and we let him hold it through the store, taking it away right as we're paying. This results in one parent taking the now kicking and screaming toddler out to the van while the other stays with Carter and pays. No, I don't go grocery shopping with the kids without Tyson. EVER! I'm too scared. Brycen is too much of a wildcard. We have to laugh at Brycen whenever we go to these stores with balloons because he always manages to find one in the rafters. Even if the balloon is lodged way up high, he'll still manage to find it yelling, "Bn! Bn!" We'll have birthday parties with family and Brycen ends up taking a balloon home with him. Most recently he took two from the party we were at. And these balloons that come home with us always end up on the ceiling of the foyer in our house. The ceiling is super high and he always lets them go right there. We have a nice collection right now. I think there are three up there.<br />
<br />
Other common words:<br />
<ul>
<li>"shook" (juice)</li>
<li>"Carty" (Carter)</li>
<li>"bit" (blanket)</li>
<li>"mo" (more)</li>
<li>"Oh wow! Cool!"</li>
<li>"Cheese!" when taking pictures</li>
</ul>
We taught Brycen to say "please" when he asks for things. It started when he wanted some Crystal Lite. I said, "What do you say?" His response was, "Shook? Shook?" (He calls Crystal Lite and pretty much every other beverage juice.) I told him, "No, you say 'please'." He then said, "Peez?" Ever since then he'll ask for something and we'll say, "What do you say?" His response is, "Peez?" Sometimes he'll just walk into the pantry, point at something, and say, "Peez?"<br />
<br />
With all of Brycen's new words he's saying, he's still very fluent in his jibberish. We have people ask us all the time if he's talking yet or if we can understand what he's saying. Our answer is always, "yes" and "yes". Well, we understand him MOST of the time. For example, the other day he was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and "Gooey" and "Don Cuck" were trapped on Mistletoe Mountain. It was snowy and all kinds of crazy. Brycen said, "Oh no! Gooey eh Don Cuck jargikmy fdisal;lskdjf cjfuekclwoom fjdiox!" In so many words, anyway! My response was, "Really! Goofy and Donald are stuck? Uh oh!" We use situations to help us know what he says. But a lot of the time he'll say something in his jibberish and we'll say, "Really?" or "Oh wow!" We're not at all worried with how he's talking, and honestly I'll be sad when the jibberish is gone. It's his trademark and you can't help but smile at him and laugh a little. <br />
<br />
Brycen shows his love with pats and tickles. He'll see someone he loves and he's excited to see, like an aunt or uncle, and he'll run to them and tickle them. He also pats people in greeting them. He gives really good hugs too.<br />
<br />
His looks remind me of his cousin Bailey in a lot of ways, in the eyes and mouth especially.<br />
<br />
Brycen is going through a horrible hitting phase. We're constantly and consistently putting him in a timeout chair where he kicks and screams till we let him out. We have to physically hold him there for the two minutes he's in timeout and brave the squirming, screaming, punching, and kicking. He'll hit us and get in trouble, laughing as we're getting mad at him. (He laughs a lot when he gets in trouble. He's just like I was when I was a kid. Great.) If he gets in trouble for something other than hitting, he'll hit us. He'll make a solid effort to walk across the room, crawl up on the couch, and hit whoever is there, just from feeling awkward. Sometimes he doesn't even have to get in trouble and he'll hit someone from feeling awkward. I'll tell him to be careful with his spoon at dinner and he'll climb out of his chair to go hit me. He also grabs things that he knows he's not supposed to touch and attempt to throw it. Or he'll hold it up like he's going to throw it, waiting for our reaction. And all of these things he does with an absolutely blank face and no talking. Gah!!<br />
<br />
He's also going through a phase where he holds spit in his mouth. I know. So gross. He'll hold a mouth full of spit and end up drizzling it out as he's actively playing. We'll constantly tell him to swallow and he won't do it. We offer him food and drink (which he takes) but he just walks around with it and continues to hold the spit. We eventually started picking him up, holding him over the sink, and telling him to spit it out. He spits it out in the sink and goes on with his day. <br />
<br />
We go through bananas like crazy because Brycen loves them. He'll ask for one and we'll open it for him, then he'll take a bite and set it on the counter to continue working on it as he goes throughout his day. I was shocked when one of our bananas went bad last week. It's been a long time since we've had bananas around long enough to go bad.<br />
<br />
He loves eating cereal bars like Nutrigrain bars for breakfast. He'd prefer that over anything else. He doesn't like cereal yet so we find ourselves giving him these cereal bars. Sometimes he'll eat dry cereal with a glass of milk, but never the two together.<br />
<br />
He's starting to want to take his "bit" everywhere we go now. Whenever we go in the car the bit has to go too. We draw the line at taking it inside though. He's gotten better about letting Carter lie down on it, or touch it, for that matter. But he's still very protective of it. He wakes up in the morning (whether he knocks on the door to come out or comes in our room to get me, depending on how early), he'll want to be picked up, and then he'll point to his room and say, "Bit. Bit." He'll point and say that till we get to it and pick it up. He watches TV with it, takes naps/goes to bed with it...I will cry if we ever forget to bring it with us when we go out of town. Not that Brycen would ever allow that to happen, he's attached to that thing. And yes, I'm still referring to the Stacy Pasley blanket. He wants nothing to do with his other blankets.<br />
<br />
He's getting so good with prayer time. He folds his arms and lasts almost the entire way through a prayer that way. Sometimes he'll pick up his food with his arms half folded and eyes have closed, but he never bites till the prayer is done. The other night we made dinner and sat down. Tyson and I were ready to dig in when Brycen folded his arms and just looked at us. We looked at each other and smiled.<br />
<br />
Brycen recently developed a love for candy corn. We have a pumpkin jar with candy corn sitting on the counter top and he'll come up to it, point to it, and say, "Peez? Peez? Peez?" over and over again. Tonight I told him to say "candy corn" so now he goes up to it and says, "Corn? Corn?" I'll say, "What do you say?" and he says, "Peez?" <br />
<br />
One of his new favorite shows is "Imagination Movers". It's a show on Disney Junior that is similar to The Wiggles: four singing and dancing men. However, these men are American and they all wear matching coveralls. I wasn't sure if I'd like this show because I've always thought The Wiggles were a little weird. But this show is pretty cute and they solve all kinds of problems. Brycen likes the songs and he does the actions as well.<br />
<br />
Other favorite shows:<br />
<ul>
<li>Mickey Mouse Clubhouse</li>
<li>Charlie and Lola</li>
<li>Octonauts</li>
<li>Timmy Time</li>
<li>Special Agent Oso </li>
<li>Small Potatoes (short 2-minute song between two shows on Disney Junior)</li>
</ul>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Carter...</span><br />
<br />
Carter has started smiling a lot more. He has started smiling after others smile at him first and it's so fun. The picture above was taken last Sunday and it was so fun getting him to smile so much.<br />
<br />
He still has reflux issues but he's doing SO much better than he was when he was smaller. He used to cry a lot and we'd just have to love up on him and hold him close to try to help him feel semi-comfortable. Now he has a normal day if we give him his medicine in the morning like we should. He gets his dose every morning 30 minutes to an hour before he has a bottle. We're not supposed to give it to him with food but it tastes so awful. I give it to him as he's drinking his bottle then I take both away and give him his binky. Then he usually sits in his lamb chair or sleeps in it till it's time to have the rest of his bottle. It has worked really well. We've forgotten a couple of times and we could definitely tell. Poor kid! It makes me so sad that he ends up being in so much pain with this reflux. But we can tell he's slowly growing out of it and hopefully he'll be over it in the next couple of months or so. <br />
<br />
In the NICU the nurses told us we could keep my milk I pumped frozen and try giving some to him again when he's about three months old. He had to stop drinking it in the NICU because it was so hard on his tummy with the reflux and we wanted him to be able to come home. They put him on formula and it was a night and day difference. It was amazing how much better he did. I decided to put a little milk in his bottle a couple of weeks ago and see how he did. He had the bottle then later he started crying and kept crying a lot. I gave him milk in his bottles for a couple of days and he cried and cried for those two days non-stop. Once I took him off of it he started doing really well again and didn't cry. Apparently the milk is still too hard on his tummy. I thought about waiting till the reflux was gone (most likely at around six months old), but by that time the milk would be bad and we wouldn't be able to use it. I ended up throwing two bags full of frozen milk away. And I didn't even care that I spent hours pumping all of it. It felt good to just be rid of it since Carter couldn't even drink it. It's too bad I couldn't donate it.<br />
<br />
We have to keep mittens on Carter's hands so he doesn't scratch his face up. We keep his nails cut but he gets so mad so fast that he just starts clawing at his face. For now we'll keep the mittens on until he can stop scratching!<br />
<br />
Carter loves to be held. And every now and then he'll fall asleep on us in that cute newborn scrunched up position and it's wonderful. He did that tonight right before his bath and I didn't want to move him.<br />
<br />
He's wearing size 1 diapers and they're starting to get a little snug. I'm so happy that Carter is filling out so well!<br />
<br />
He drinks 5 ounces of formula every 3-4 hours. He mostly wakes up once in the middle of the night to eat and falls back to sleep well. <br />
<br />
Carter has the cutest little pouty lip when he gets sad. His mouth makes a perfect frown and it's so cute. I hate to see him sad, but it's hard not to smile a little when you see something that cute. He also has a super cute cry. He sounds like a little puppy dog, and sometimes like a sad cat. Brycen had a cute little cry too. We've been lucky so far with cute criers!<br />
<br />
He started wearing 3-6 month clothes yesterday. I put a sock monkey jammy on him that my mom gave him and they fit great. It makes me sad to see my baby getting so big! I'm just glad we've been able to enjoy him being so small. I love having a baby around.<br />
<br />
His first trip to Idaho was August 10th for the Murri family reunion, and his first time sleeping through the night was September 8th. He slept from 11:30 - 7:30 and it was amazing! He's only done that once more since and it was the next night.<br />
<br />
Carter is the opposite of Brycen was when he was a baby in so many ways!<br />
<ul>
<li>Carter doesn't like the swing and Brycen loved it. I think Carter has used the swing once and he didn't last long.</li>
<li>If Carter gets woken up he is Mr. Grumpy Pants. When Brycen was a baby he was so happy when he woke up, even if we had to go in and wake him up. (Things have clearly changed for him since then!!)</li>
<li>So far Carter is keeping a binky longer than Brycen did. I know, right? He's almost four months old, but Brycen was three months when he ditched his binky. And we did just find without it. One less thing to ween! </li>
<li>Carter loves listening to music to soothe him. Music never did much for Brycen. Carter does really well going to sleep when we have his music playing. He mostly listens to classical from his pack 'n play, and as soon as I find the CD player I'm going to start playing the Primary Children's Songbook music for him. </li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-49088442489109028302012-09-11T14:54:00.001-06:002012-09-11T14:57:18.984-06:00How Do I Pick Just One?Yesterday I decided to actually read my last blog post and wow, were
there a lot of typos! That seems to be how blogging is for me these
days. I don't have time to proofread so I publish what I have. I thought
about going in and editing, but seeing as how this is how life is these
days I thought I'd just leave it. Hopefully I'll be more aware this
time around!<br />
<br />
When Brycen was born I decided to take a
picture each month to show how much he changes. He's only in a diaper in
these pictures and almost all are taken in our checkered chair. I
started doing the same thing with Carter after he was born. He turned 3
months old on September 2nd and just got to taking his pictures
yesterday. When Carter was born eight weeks early the doctors told us to
expect him to start doing things a lot slower than the average baby.
This included smiling. The average baby smiles between six and eight
weeks. We were thrilled when he smiled at us for the first time on
August 18th-age 2 1/2 months. He smiled at Tyson while he was holding
him, then he smiled at me the next day. It was wonderful and it melted
my heart! He slowly started smiling more, then yesterday he went full
throttle. I propped him up on the chair, put my camera to my eye, smiled
at him, and this happened:<br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It was the best!! Can't help but smile at this, right? Just when I thought I'd gotten THE picture, all of this happened:</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span id="goog_422120314"></span><span id="goog_422120315"></span>Talk
about make me cry! It was such a fun moment. And now, here I am
wondering what picture I should choose to represent Carter at three
months old in his book. I looked at the folder of Brycen when I did his
three-month pictures and I took 47 before getting one where he somewhat
smiled. And just for fun, here is one of Brycen at three months old:<br />
<br />
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<br />
My
sweet babes! Recently I was looking through the book Dustin and Erika
made for Tyson's mom for Mother's Day and saw a picture of his sister,
Tacie, that I think looks a lot like Carter. Here's a side-by-side shot
of the two of them. This picture of her solved the mystery of where he
got the big eyes, I think! He looks a lot like her. Even their chins are the same!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uSNFLPKq78I/UE-jXZbPFyI/AAAAAAAALNg/mU0YcxGTbcY/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-09-11+at+2.44.59+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uSNFLPKq78I/UE-jXZbPFyI/AAAAAAAALNg/mU0YcxGTbcY/s320/Screen+shot+2012-09-11+at+2.44.59+PM.png" width="137" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0CtHcUAap3s/UE-j9j405dI/AAAAAAAALNo/qykLbnT7-ik/s1600/DSC_0152closecrop.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0CtHcUAap3s/UE-j9j405dI/AAAAAAAALNo/qykLbnT7-ik/s320/DSC_0152closecrop.jpg" width="212" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-21289407149951323652012-08-30T17:36:00.003-06:002012-08-30T17:36:49.347-06:00The Boys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is us these days. Brycen seems to be fighting us in one way or the other, whether it be to get out of the cart at the grocery store or because he doesn't want his picture taken. (Clearly.) Carter doesn't really know what to think when these things happen and most of the time ends up crying from all the noise. Tyson and I, though totally exhausted due to the chaos and lack of sleep, can't help but laugh at how dramatically our lives changed by adding another child to the family. And we're so incredibly happy about it. We love our two boys and life is just one crazy adventure right now!<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">About our boys...</span><br />
<br />
<b>Brycen</b><br />
<br />
Brycen has recently decided that he doesn't like hotdogs anymore. No matter how we prepare them (grilled, microwaved, corn dog, etc.) he still doesn't like them. He used to love them so it's been really weird that he won't eat them all of a sudden!<br />
<br />
He is a smart kid when he wants to be. He'll watch shows like "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and he'll interact with them. He'll answer Mickey's questions, way what they ask the audience to say, etc. But when we tell him to do something, it's like he has no idea what we're saying. I was watching the show with him today and I was amazed at how well he was doing. The part that amazed me the most was when Mickey said to yell "Duck! Duck!" to Donald because a bouncy ball was about to hit him. Brycen started yelling "Cuck, Don! Cuck!" I just started laughing and told him he was a smart little turkey. He just laughed at me. <br />
<br />
If Brycen wants you to go away or go somewhere he'll just say, "Go go go." The other day I came into the bedroom while he was lying down watching a show. I lied down next to him on the bed and he said, "Go!" Apparently he didn't want me there!<br />
<br />
He HATES "3rd and Bird." Whenever that show comes on he cries and wants the channel changed. I don't blame him, that show bugs me. He loves pretty much everything else on Disney Junior Channel.<br />
<br />
He watched "AFV" Sunday night for the first time and laughed and laughed. It was fun watching him enjoy it so much.<br />
<br />
He loves to go outside and throws a huge tantrum when he has to come inside. That's all that needs so about that one.<br />
<br />
He shows his love by tickling. He gives hugs as well, but mostly he'll come up and just start tickling. He tickles Carter right on the feet.<br />
<br />
Brycen's newest words:<br />
<ul>
<li>bawnaw (baby)</li>
<li>bot (blanket)</li>
<li>bawnot (pillow)</li>
<li>Mama (Grandma)</li>
<li>out (ouch) </li>
<li>peez (please)</li>
<li>cocoa </li>
<li>boat </li>
<li>Carter (Obviously he doesn't say it that clearly, but there's no way for me to write how he says it on here! ha ha)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Carter</b><br />
<br />
Carter is 12lbs 6oz and in the 34th percentile for weight. He went to 2% to 34% in a month and gained 5lbs. He's definitely my kid if he can gain 5lbs in a month! <br />
<br />
He started smiling at us for the first time a couple of weeks ago. He smiled at Tyson while he was holding him and he smiled at me two days later. It was wonderful!<br />
<br />
He has the cutest little cry. It's different than Brycen's was as an infant, but still just as cute. We lucked out with having cute criers so far!<br />
<br />
Carter is SO impatient when it comes to eating. Apparently I was the same way as a baby. He'll start crying and I'll know to go make him a bottle. He then goes from 0 to 60 in an instant with his cry. You would think someone was over there giving him an Indian burn on his arm or something! It's out of control and totally sad. Especially when I'm home alone and he does it. I have to run over, pick him up, and attempt to make him a bottle with one hand (something I have yet to master).<br />
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Last week Carter started wearing 0-3 month clothes. I decided to squeeze him into one of my favorite newborn jammies and take one last picture.</div>
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Brycen loves to lie on the floor when Carter is lying on the floor. Cute boys!</div>
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This week there were two days where Brycen didn't take a nap. Usually this results in the above image where he falls asleep in his high chair during dinner. Speaking of which, it's looking to be time to retire the high chair for a while! This kid is getting so big! He loves sitting up to the island, but he also still really likes his high chair.</div>
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Carter really likes his boppy. I'll set him in it while I'm on the computer in the office and he just sits there contently. </div>
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Carter had shots at his appointment on August 28th. These were his 2-month shots so the first ones I had to bring him in for. He's almost 3 months old so the office is a bit backed up. He had three shots in one thigh and then had an oral vaccine. He was mad but calmed down pretty quickly. He was rockin' those neon orange band-aids on his nearly-chubby thighs.</div>
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Brycen likes coming outside to help me spot water. He likes to plug up the hole on the sprinkler head. The other day I didn't realize he was putting his finger in there and I turned it on. He was one made kid!</div>
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Carter loves sleeping on Tyson's fancy down pillow. It's a comfy pillow! He'll sleep on our bed with the cool air going and listen to his soft tunes. That little music maker is from the pack 'n play. He loves to listen to music. Brycen wasn't like that at all. We find ourselves playing music for Carter a lot lately. It's one of the things that can calm him down when he's sad. </div>
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And finally, this little number. Yes, that's blood all over him. I thought I'd spare you and not post the pictures before he got in the tub. We had an incident a few weeks ago where Tyson came home from work for lunch and Brycen got mad when he left. He threw himself on the floor by the garage door and cried. I told him we could go in the back and I started walking to the back door. When I noticed he wasn't following me, I turned around to see him lying on his stomach still by the door and he wasn't moving. I walked over and he looked up at me. His entire bottom half of his face was covered in blood. He had hit his nose on the floor just right and had a massive nose bleed. And it was bleeding like I've never seen. He didn't know what to think and started rubbing it like he had a snotty nose. When he got a taste of he started to cry. I grabbed a paper towel and held it over his nose. Before I could even think the towel was soaked with blood and I had to get a new one. He was bleeding SO badly. It was coming down his shirt like the movie "Carrie". It was horrifying and I was worrying about how much blood he was losing. It was dripping all over the floor and I was trying to guide him through the kitchen and away from the carpet in the dining, as we had just moved into the house the week before. He was screaming and I knew I needed help. I had blood all over me and it was shooting out. My phone was across the room so I ran and grabbed it. I called Tyson and he immediately came back. Thankfully his work is only about 3 minutes away. He walked into the kitchen to find what looked like a murder scene. There was blood everywhere and a trail leading right to us. We took his blood-soaked shirt off and tried to get the bleeding to stop. After a lot of screaming and trying to force Brycen to the ground to lie down, I decided to hold him against me on the floor. We tried to calm him and keep his nose pinched and eventually he fell asleep on me. He woke up as we were bringing him upstairs for a bath. The sick part is that the pictures we took were taken after we wiped up most of the blood. He was just covered. Poor kid! It was horrible. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-50349962434911922322012-07-30T11:31:00.002-06:002012-07-30T11:35:19.860-06:00So You Didn't Want It Washed?Something funny happened this morning that I wanted to write down so I'll never forget!<br />
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This morning started off like any other: Carter asleep on the bed while Brycen and I watch Disney Junior, breakfast soon after, blog updating...After all of that was done I was out in the kitchen when Brycen came in with his blanket. He had a big smile on his face and pointed to the pantry while talking his regular jibberish. I could tell he was talking about his blanket, but I wasn't sure what he wanted. I followed him into the pantry where the washer and dryer are also. He pointed to the washer and held up his blanket.<br />
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I asked, "Do you want your blanket washed?"<br />
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He kept pointing and talking about his blanket, then he lifted his arms like he wanted me to pick him up. I picked him up and he reached down to lift up the lid on the washer. I was a little leery of what was going on because he hates it when his blanket gets washed. Needless to say, I was scared of the outcome. I pulled the lid up and he proceeded to put his blanket in. I helped him out and kept asking him with a bit of concern, "Do you want your blanket washed?"<br />
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Then he pointed to the Tide pods. I opened the container, picked one up to show it to him, asking again if he wanted his blanket washed, and he pointed to the washer (again with a smile). So in the pod went.<br />
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At this point the water would come on. I hesitated to do anything more and was ready to pull the blanket and pod out when Brycen pointed to the knob to turn on the washer. I said, "Are you sure you want your blanket washed?" And in fluent jibberish I'm pretty sure he told me to turn on the washer. He pointed and pointed, all the while with a smile. So I turned on the water and closed the lid. He clapped and I was happy. Great! He wants to wash his blanket! That means I don't have to hurry and do it sometime while he's not looking.<br />
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I put him down and started walking out of the pantry. That's when the meltdown of the century happened. Brycen started screaming and screaming, begging for his blanket. I told him I thought he wanted it washed, but that didn't matter one bit. He wanted that blanket back and he wanted it now. I picked him up, opened the lid, and we watched as his beloved blanket was getting soaked by water. He cried and cried. Then he hit me. And cried. Then hit me. Then cried. (He's in quite the hitting phase.)<br />
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I tried to explain that his blanket was getting a bath like he gets a bath. That didn't work at all. I had nothing. <br />
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In the meantime, Carter woke up crying and needed changed and fed. Brycen cried the entire time I changed Carter, still lovingly lying next to him petting his head like usual. He followed me out of the bedroom crying and continued to cry as I gave Carter a bottle. At one point he walked up to me in anger and put his hand out like he was going to hit the baby. He took that raised hand and, changing his mind, gently set it on Carter's head, then pet his hair softly. Right after that, he smacked me right in the face. I couldn't help but laugh at the drama.<br />
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After the blanket was done washing I had to run in and put it in the dryer. He followed me, saw his blanket come out, went to hug it, then in shock started crying because it was wet. I tried to explain that it was time for the blanket to dry, but that didn't matter. Thankfully, the dryer worked at super speed and the blanket was dry really fast. Brycen is now happy and watching a show with his blanket and "Melmo". Talk about drama!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-65027927101335501072012-07-27T10:43:00.000-06:002012-07-27T16:42:43.563-06:00The Toddler<div style="text-align: center;">
This is the latest on what our little Brycen man is doing these days!<br />
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Brycen still loves walking around the apartment with his shorts off. I think the only time he ever has pants on is if we have company over or if we're going out. He also really likes putting Tyson's shoes and flip flops on and attempting to walk around. It makes things extra difficult when he gets them on the wrong feet! <br />
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I like to give him milk with his breakfast. Every now and then I put a little Quik in his milk for a little flavor. Oftentimes he wants more, so I get the milk back out and pour more milk in his cup. He freaks out every time and starts pointing at the Quik. I have to explain to him that he's drinking milk and that the Quik is what makes the milk taste yummy. As I'm pouring the milk he screams and screams till he sees the brown or pink powder of the Quik (depending on the flavor) and laughs when he sees me put it in the milk.<br />
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He loves his little brother, but he gets really jealous when Tyson is holding him. At first it was jealousy whenever either of us held Carter, but now it's just Tyson. Brycen has gotten a lot louder since Carter came home. He doesn't necessarily yell, he just talks a lot more loudly and says "hi" a lot. We can tell he's just trying to get attention. But we're trying our best to give him that attention that he's seeking. He knows things are different and doesn't like it.<br />
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He'll go in our bedroom where Carter sleeps and watch him. He'll whisper and say, "Shhh" to me, then he'll just start yelling. I'll ask him why he's yelling if he's the one who said to be quiet. Then he just yells some more. That's the point where we leave the room and let Carter sleep. Thankfully Carter is used to sleeping in loud surroundings because of his NICU stay. All those crying babies, loud beeps, and chatty parents and nurses sure helped us all out! It's amazing what he can sleep through. <br />
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Lately we've been letting Brycen out of the cart to walk around the store with us. Last night we were at Hobby Lobby and he and I were walking together. He realized Tyson had gone a different direction. He looked at me, put his hands up and asked, "A Daddy?" Then he scratched his head, put his hand on his hip, and started looking around the corners. We walked around for a minute or two looking for Tyson and I just laughed and laughed watching Brycen scratch his head and put his hands on his hips.<br />
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Yesterday I was feeding Carter and Brycen was sitting next to me. I started quizzing him on parts of the body and he was getting them all right. Right now he can point out hair, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, belly button, hands, feet, and toes. I knew we were done when I asked, "Where's your elbow?" He put his hands up in the air and looked around like he was searching for something. He got off the couch and went to his room, then came back with his little stuffed Elmo. With a big grin on his face he said, "Melmo!"<br />
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Brycen really likes to watch when Carter is getting dressed or getting his diaper changed. I'll put Carter up on the changing table and Brycen will want me to pick him up. I'll tell him if he wants to watch to go grab a blanket and put it on the floor so we can put Carter on it. He usually grabs his Stacy Pasley blanket and places it on the floor. Then he grabs the travel changing mat and we put Carter on top of it. He also has to make sure we have everything out on the floor with us: a diaper, the wipes, and an extra outfit. While I'm changing Carter, Brycen will lie on the floor with his head next to his and kiss him. He'll also pet his head and talk to him. It's pretty cute.<br />
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<b>Newest words:</b><br />
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<li>"mote" (remote)</li>
<li>"cuck" (duck)</li>
<li>"cuck" (yuck) This gets a little confusing sometimes! </li>
<li>"cack" (quack)</li>
<li>"Gooey" (Goofy)</li>
<li>"bana" (baby)</li>
<li>"bana" (blanket) Another confusing one.</li>
<li>"Octnot" (Octonauts) </li>
<li>"Melmo" (Elmo) </li>
<li>"boakt" (broke) </li>
<li>juice</li>
<li>cheese</li>
</ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-27141469568235041892012-07-24T23:11:00.003-06:002012-07-25T08:40:21.910-06:00BrothersThings have been a little stressful at the Miller household lately, to say the least! After Carter coming home from the hospital, we're now on to packing up our apartment for moving next week. With everything going on, I completely forgot to let Brycen have a chance to hold Carter and get a picture of it. I happened to think about it today and Tyson was home from work for Pioneer Day. We put Brycen on our bed and the fun began! (And yes, Carter's hair is looking red these days! Brycen's looked just like this when he was this age.)<br />
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Brycen was so excited to hold Carter!</div>
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He sure loves his little brother. </div>
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He loves giving Carter kisses on the head.</div>
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Holding him got old and he pushed him away. It reminded me of stories my mom has told us of when my brother Aaron would hold us as babies. When he was done he would just push us right off his lap ha ha.</div>
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Tyson asked, "Where's Carter's nose?"</div>
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Brycen likes to pet Carter's head.</div>
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Brycen discovered that he can put his finger in Carter's binky.<br />
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By the time we took Carter off the bed and moved on with the day, Brycen was so sad! He cried and wanted us to put Carter back on the bed. He loves his little brother! </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-61881314341448981132012-07-20T12:54:00.002-06:002012-08-16T15:01:59.781-06:00Tell the World I'm Coming HomeJuly 13, 2012 is a day that will go down in Miller family history as one of the best days of our lives! It was the day our baby Carter finally made his debut at home. Five weeks and six days after his birth we were finally able to bring him home. It's another day that sits right up there with our wedding day, the birth of our children, and the day Brycen came home from his own NICU visit. Friday the 13th is no longer an unlucky day!<br />
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On Wednesday, July 11th, Tyson and I had received word that a house we were really interested in renting was pretty much being held for us to see and take simply because the woman renting it liked me. Wow! But that's a different post for a different day! About an hour of being told that bit of exciting information I received a call from the McKay-Dee NICU. Every time I got a phone call from the NICU my heart dropped a little into my stomach. I was always so worried about what they were going to say to me. They don't usually call parents unless there is an issue with the baby or if there are necessary steps that need taken to ensure the baby's health and they need parental permission. I answered the phone and it was Teresa, one of the neonatologists in the NICU. She explained that Carter had been doing really well and for us to plan on bringing him home on Friday. I was so shocked I didn't even know what to do with myself. She had all kinds of details I needed to write down so I shakily found a pen and paper and scratched down all the information: when to bring his carrier in for the car seat test, Infant CPR Training, training for the stats monitor he would be coming home on as well as the oxygen, etc. After I hung up the phone I didn't know what to do with myself. Tyson was at work so I couldn't call him. Amber and Mom were at girls camp and couldn't talk either. My brain stopped from there and I didn't think to call any other soul on the planet. Not Grandma, my besty Ashlee, my sister-in-law Britney...not anybody! So I just started walking around. And around...and around. I walked around the apartment with a brain working on overload. I was so excited!! When I finally came to my senses I looked around and all I could see was a messy house. So Brycen and I went right to work getting things cleaned up and ready for Carter to come home. That was a wonderful afternoon!<br />
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The next two days were painfully long. The plan was for Carter to come home Friday morning, but since Tyson worked all day I decided it would be best to wait for him to get off work and come with me to get Carter. Carter also had to be able to go those remaining days without dropping his stats. While in the NICU there was a little baby named Yanelli who was getting ready to be discharged, and that very same day she had an incident where her stats dropped and she had to stay for another week. It was heart wrenching seeing her parents look so sad. On Friday I watched the clock all day long just waiting for Tyson to be done with work. We used some of our day taking Brycen to Wendy's and trying to enjoy one more lunch just the three of us. Brycen had a great time eating his chicken nuggets and playing with his new ultra cheap kids meal toy while Tyson and I sat there sick to our stomachs. We were so excited and anxious that we could hardly eat anything.<br />
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We dropped Brycen by our friends the Parrish's house around 5:30 and went right up to the hospital to get Carter. Tyson went to the pharmacy to pick up Carter's multivitamin and acid reflux medication while I went up for training on how to use the oxygen tank. The night before I went up for a visit and to learn Infant CPR and how to use the stats monitor Carter would be going home on. We would need the oxygen just in case Carter's stats dropped and he needed a little extra help. Talk about a stressful training time! I didn't ever want to have to use any of what I was learning (besides the monitor). Tyson came in soon after the oxygen tank training and we went right away to getting the discharge paperwork reviewed and signed.<br />
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Then it was time to get going!</div>
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First, Carter needed to be put in some of his own jammies. Only one time did we put something on him that was ours while he was in the NICU and that was on the Fourth of July. There are so many parents who end up losing their babies' clothes because they get lost in the laundry at the hospital. I didn't want to take that chance. It sure felt good to get Carter's own clothing on him!</div>
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(Brycen came home from the NICU in Idaho Falls in this same jammy!)</div>
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Then he got attached to the monitor and put in his carrier. He started getting really hungry and mad before we left. Poor kid!</div>
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See the little light inside his jammies on his left foot? That's where the monitor detects his oxygen.</div>
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Time to go! We were so excited!!</div>
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Getting ready to say goodbye to Carter's home for the first almost six weeks of his life. </div>
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Goodbye, McKay-Dee NICU! You sure were good to us!</div>
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The next fun moment was introducing Brycen to Carter for the very first time. We knew from the beginning that Brycen wouldn't get to meet his little brother till he came home, whenever that would be. It was so fun opening the door to the van and seeing the look on Brycen's face when he saw this screaming baby sitting there. It was a look of concern more than anything, but it sure was wonderful watching him meet Carter!</div>
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As soon as we got home Carter got a bottle. It felt great feeding him in the comfort of our own home! We're just so happy to have him here. What a blessing it is to finally have all four of us under one roof. I love my family!</div>
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<b>And since then...</b></div>
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The night Carter came home was one of the longest nights of our lives. And not because Carter kept us up all night. That stupid stats monitor was the culprit! Not only did it beep constantly because it either wasn't reading well or Carter's oxygen dropped for a split second, but the beeping was SOOOOO loud! It was like the loudest alarm clock in the world. After a horrible first night we decided to see what it would be like if Carter wasn't on the monitor at all. We hesitantly took him off it and watched him closely all day. He did really well without it. We haven't put it on him since and we feel just fine about it. He seems to be doing better and better everyday so we haven't seen the need for it. Hopefully things continue to go that way! </div>
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Carter has been on Enfamil AR for his acid reflux. He's also been taking Zantac. The first three nights Carter was home were so long and tiring. He did pretty good until about midnight/1:00ish then just cried and cried till about 4:30 am each night. It was so exhausting. On Sunday night Carter was crying so hard that he made me want to cry. I asked Tyson to give Carter a father's blessing for his sake and ours. It was a really nice blessing. Soon after, Tyson and I talked about the possibility of Carter having colic so we started thinking of what we could do for him. Amber had experience in this field with Tayen and had to switch his formulas so many times so I decided to call her. It was 4:00 in the morning, but we had to try and help Carter anyway we could. She told us about the gentle formula for sensitive stomachs that she gives Tayen and it's really helped him. She also told us that acid reflux can cause colic in babies. Tyson immediately ran out to get the formula and we made Carter a bottle as soon as he came back. He ate the bottle, cried for a few minutes, then went right to sleep straight into morning for about four hours. It was wonderful! We decided to continue on with this formula in hopes that it will help Carter and make a difference. </div>
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Carter has really bad acid reflux. Every time he has a bottle he cries in pain because of the reflux. We have to hold him up for 30 minutes after he eats to help him out. When Carter was being discharged we were told that he was going home on Zantac. We thought it was weird to change his prescription (he had been on Prevacid) but didn't think much of it. The only problem was that the Zantac didn't seem to be doing very much at all. Carter was still in a lot of pain and just cried and cried after every bottle. Poor baby! It's been horrible to watch. We went to his appointment with the pediatrician and explained my concerns about the medication and maybe the possibility of switching to something else. She gave me a funny smile and then explained that it said in our chart that Tyson and I had asked them to switch him from Prevacid to Zantac because we didn't think it was working. Say what? I was annoyed. Somehow there had been a misunderstanding. She wrote us a prescription and he started the Prevacid Wednesday night. We hope to see some changes soon. </div>
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At that same appointment his doctor let me know that we needed to get him in for an ultrasound and x-rays on his hips. Where he was footling breech and in there the way he was, they have reason to worry that he might have some hip problems. From her eye she doesn't think he has any problems. But they want to make sure by having an ultrasound and x-rays. The ultrasound is scheduled for next week. </div>
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Carter went back to the pediatrician's office yesterday for his baby boy surgery. His pediatrician won't do the surgery on babies older than 2 weeks so she referred us to someone in the office who will do the surgery on babies up to 8 weeks. He barely made the cut! (No pun intended.) He was so tough and did really well. He's been through so much lately! Poor little boy. He was weighed at this appointment and weighs 7lb 12oz. A whole three pounds heavier than at birth! That's so amazing to me.</div>
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All in all, things have been going well at home. As soon as we can get this acid reflux under control things will be a lot easier for everybody. It's hard watching your baby cry in pain and not be able to do anything to help them. We're praying that the Prevacid will work and if it doesn't, hopefully we can find something else to help him. Any suggestions on what to do for acid reflux babies would be much appreciated!! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-24051770415307428632012-07-13T15:19:00.000-06:002012-07-13T15:19:14.985-06:00Closing a Chapter in Our LivesThirty pages and 19,836 words later, Carter's NICU journal is done. I started writing a NICU journal for him the day he was born and I just wrote my final entry. What a process this has been! When I look back and read here and there I realize how I've forgotten so many little things that happened. I read my excitement as 4lb Carter moved up from eating 7cc's to 12cc's. Or when he took milk from a bottle for the very first time. And the day his IV was removed. It seems like so long ago. Now...here we are! He's a healthy, 6lb 14 1/2oz baby eating 80cc's from a bottle.<br />
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It's 3:00 pm and I've been trying to keep myself busy, anxiously awaiting Tyson's arrival home from work so we can take Brycen to our friends' house and then head up to the hospital to get Carter. I have a lot of emotions and feelings running through me right now. I'm so nervous for him to come home on this stats monitor and I'm hoping I never have to use the oxygen on him. We'll be doing training for the oxygen use tonight. But at the same time, I'm so thrilled for him to be coming home. It will be wonderful having him at home with us and we know the nurses wouldn't send him home if they didn't think he was ready. Brycen and I met Tyson for lunch today and I felt sick the whole time. We both did! We felt so excited and anxious we could hardly eat. <br />
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What a wonderful day this is! We look back on the day that Brycen came home from the hospital back when he was in the NICU at EIRMC in Idaho Falls. His 9-day stay seemed like a lifetime. Carter's stay ended up being 5 weeks and 6 days long and in a way it felt the same. And what really makes them the same is the feeling we have today as we're preparing to bring Carter home. It's the exact same feeling we had when Brycen came home: pure joy. It's hard to explain in words how excited we are about this day. If you saw me in person you'd be able to tell! We're just thrilled!<br />
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We feel so blessed to have the friends and family that we have. I've been amazed at how many people have been following Carter's story, whether I know them or not. My blog post titled <a href="http://oconnorallison.blogspot.com/2012/06/carters-story.html" target="_blank">"Carter's Story"</a> went a little more viral than I thought and I've gotten a lot of outreach and heartfelt messages from many people all over the country. I've heard from people who said they heard from people they work with and others who read his story and have been keeping up with him ever since. It's amazing! The picture I posted on Monday of Carter with his feeding tube gone received 126 likes and 36 comments in two days. I posted on Facebook this morning that Carter is coming home tonight. Within 30 seconds there were 18 likes and 3 comments. It's 3:00 pm right now and there are 153 likes and 31 comments on that same status update. It's truly just been amazing! We are so touched by all of the love we have around us. It means so much to us that so many people out there care about us. We don't talk much with most of the "likes", but just that simple "like" shows us that you care. We might as well have been given a hug for each "like" because it feels just the same. (Make that 154 likes on the status! ha ha) We really feel so blessed right now.<br />
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At this time I wish to say once more how much we appreciate all of the prayers that have been said on our behalf and on Carter's behalf. Our lives have been touched by those prayers and we've felt them working since he was born. We are so grateful to all of you who have been there for us and supported us during this incredibly trying time. We're so happy to be getting Carter home with us! What a blessing this day will be.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782792867432135099.post-51160365827593222832012-07-11T10:36:00.000-06:002012-07-11T10:36:22.615-06:00Carter UpdateWow, I can't believe it's been 5 1/2 weeks since our little guy was born. This week has been full of ups and downs, but thankfully more ups. It started Sunday afternoon. We got home from church and I went over to the hospital. Carter had all of a sudden been eating a ton of food. He takes around 60cc's in his bottle but was taking well over 70 all morning. He had been sad and refluxy throughout as well, but he was eating. Great! I started feeding him and he was chugging it. He was eating it SO fast and it was almost too fast. I had to keep tipping the bottle out of his mouth so he could catch up. He cried a lot and arched his back in pain as he refluxed. Poor baby. It's so hard to watch that. The nurse was excited that he was eating and so was I. But for some reason I felt like something wasn't right. I talked to his nurse about how bad he has been lately with reflux. She mentioned the possibility of him maybe trying a little bit of formula to see if it helps him. She said I should bring it up to the doctor on Monday.<br />
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I left the hospital excited but not. I knew he was doing so much better all of a sudden, but something just didn't feel right. I called Tyson and told him the news. He was really excited. Then I told him my feelings of uneasiness. I didn't think too much more of it and that I just shouldn't get my hopes up about anything. That had to have been why I was feeling that way.<br />
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Tyson's parents and sister, Tacie, came to town that afternoon and Tyson took them to see Carter. Tacie just loved him and got to hold him. It makes us feel so good when our family members are so excited to see and hold him. There was a doctor there who knew how well he had done that day. He told Tyson that Carter could probably have his feeding tube out to see how he does. It was an exciting thought, but the nurse didn't think it was a good idea. When Tyson told me about that I agreed with the nurse, and that same weird feeling came back to me that I'd had earlier.<br />
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By the time they got back his brother, Dustin, and his family were at our apartment. That night I took Erika to the NICU to see Carter. We got there around 9:00 and Erika got to hold him. We talked about how different he looks since she held him last and how he looks great. He had already eaten through his feeding tube by the time we got there so we just held him. Erika held him first then we traded. At around 11:30ish I was holding him and his stats dropped. His little face started turning blue and it freaked me out. I rubbed his head and back to get him to snap out of it...but nothing. The nurse took him from me and put him in his bed. She and the other nurse were trying to help him breathe-holding oxygen right up against his face and moving him around. It took some time to get him back where he should be. I sat there crying as I watched all of this happening. During that time I had two thoughts: "Please let him be ok" and "I'm so sick of all of this". Erika sat there with me with tears in her eyes as well. I was so glad she was there with me. It was nice to have that support and someone to talk to on the way back to the apartment. Before we left, the nurse told us that he probably had too big of a day and worked way too hard with his food all day. He probably ate way too much and wore himself out hard. My bad feeling earlier had been validated with all of this happening. <br />
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We got home and I told Tyson what had happened. He was so bummed and I felt bad. He had gotten his hopes up about what the doctor had said earlier about Carter's feeding tube. We were both so sad, knowing that Carter's episode bought him at least another week in the NICU.<br />
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I hardly slept that night because I was so worried about Carter. The next morning I called the NICU to check on him. It was decided that Carter needed some thicker food so he was started on Enfamil AR (added rice). The nurse said he was doing really well on it. Because it is thicker, it doesn't come up as easily as milk does, if at all. I was so happy to hear that! We went to Lagoon with Tyson's family that day and came home, looked at a house for rent, then I went to the hospital. His nurse told me when I got there that he had done really well all day and had taken all of his bottles. No gavaging at all! The formula seemed to be working really well. They would be starting mixing milk back into his bottles on Wednesday morning. <br />
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On Tuesday morning I called the NICU to have them adjust his bed under the webcam. My mom was about to leave for girls camp and wanted to see him one more time before she left. She moved his little bed and told me how he ate all of his bottles all night and hasn't had an episode of stats dropping since Sunday night. About six hours later she called me to see if I would be in to feed him during the day. I said no because I had Brycen. I asked how Carter was doing since I talked to her last and she said he was awesome. The formula was making a radical difference in him and was helping big time. All afternoon I thought about how well he was doing and how they would be putting milk back in his bottles soon. I felt weird about that. If he was doing so well, I wasn't sure I wanted them changing things up again.<br />
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Tyson went to the NICU to hold Carter and got there just in time to feed him the last half of his bottle. He drank it well. He talked to Carter's nurse about the possibility of not adding the milk in his bottle and she said that was perfectly fine. He said he'd talk to me more about it then I would come in with my decision. When he got home we talked about it and decided not to add the milk. We didn't see a point. He's doing so well on this formula and the milk is what's making his reflux so bad. If we want to add milk in later we will. But for now, we just want our baby home. It's pretty ironic that the thing that's so wonderful for the babies was actually setting my baby back. He's not lactose intolerant though. The milk is just a lot thinner and it makes his stomach acid worse. It comes up way too easily. He'll be able to eventually have it and I'll add what I have stored in the freezer back into his bottles. But for now we're gladly sticking with the formula. <br />
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I came to the NICU last night to find this wonderful sight:</div>
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<b>No more feeding tube!!</b></div>
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He has done so well with his feedings that he earned it being taken out. We're so proud!! I haven't seen his face like this since the day he was born. He's had tubes attached to him ever since. The nurse was feeding him the last half of his bottle when I got there so I finished feeding him, just like Tyson did earlier. It was so wonderful seeing him eat without that pesky feeding tube in his nose!</div>
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I let the nurse know about our decision to just do the formula and she thought it was a good idea. There's no point in keeping him in the hospital longer just to test out if he can handle milk. I've never been one to believe that breast milk is the only thing I can give my babies anyway so this was a very easy decision for me. No matter how good that breast milk is for him, it's obviously doing more harm than good right now. It is the best nutrition he can receive, yes. But it's just too thin and hard on his tummy. Yes, we could add thickener to it. But it's still the milk that's hard on him right now. Not worth a longer NICU stay! I'll talk the formula!</div>
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On Sunday I hesitantly asked the nurse what I should do if I decide to stop pumping. Tyson and I had been talking about it and I'm afraid of what it's going to be like when I'm trying to pump and take care of two kids. I haven't been able to nurse Carter and I'd have to wait till he's about 3 months old to try it. It scared me to think about the time between now and then where I'd have a baby and a two year old at home while trying to pump. The nurse's response made me feel so much better. She said that obviously I wouldn't be able to pump for much longer after the baby is home. It just takes way too much time if I'm not nursing. If I was just nursing it would be a completely different story. She was so great and told me I could keep pumping if I wanted to try, but most of the moms who strictly pump have a hard time with it-emotionally and physically. That confirmed it for me. Last night I decided to stop with the pump all together. Carter isn't needing the milk right now so I'm storing everything I have pumped and will give it to him a little bit in bottles later. I feel great about this decision and I'm just so happy that we've gotten to the bottom of Carter's reflux issues. He's still taking Prevacid for it as well, but taking the milk out all together has made a night and day difference. </div>
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We're nearing the end of Carter's NICU journey! He hasn't had an incident since Sunday, but he did have an incident. That automatically bought him a week in the NICU so he's not coming home till at least Sunday. But it could also be a lot longer than that, depending on how the rest of the week goes. We're just so happy that he's making so much progress. His reflux issues are what's been making all the problems lately. We're so happy that we've gotten that figured out! Time to move on and get this baby home!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16458647917334120829noreply@blogger.com3