Faith and Prayers

Last week we went in for my 20 week ultrasound. We already knew we were having a baby girl but we had not had the full "head to toe" check up. My doctors appointment was first and everything went well as expected. The babies heart sounded strong, my belling was growing and I had even gained a few pounds back. After the hour wait, and 15 minute checkup I was send over to get my ultrasound. I told Chris he didn't need to come if he didn't want to. He had been there for the ultrasound we found out the gender and I expected this one to be uneventful. He decided he still wanted to be there and met me at the hospital after my doctor appointment. We were pleasantly surprised and actually got taken back EARLY for our ultrasound and didn't have to wait at all. The ultrasound started and went much like my other 2 had gone. The first thing that looked a little strange was my placenta which is really really low in my uterus it actually appears to be blocking my cervix right now and they explained that if it doesn't move up when my uterus starts to grow and stretch the baby would need to be delivered by C-Section. This is not ideal for me because I have easy vaginal births, but it is do-able and didn't give me great cause to alarm. The ultrasound tech was taking a very long time looking at things and I remember thinking "this is going longer than I remember my other ones going" she spent an especially long time trying to get pictures of the heart and looking at my cord. Before she left she told us that the doctor would be in to talk to us and that I has something called SUA, which means I am missing an artery in my umbilical cord. Then she left the room and we were left to wonder what that meant. The doctor came in 5 minutes later and gave us a rundown of SUA, what it is, what it means, and what we needed to do.

To be honest the next 20 minutes of our appointment are kind of a blur of memories but basically this is SUA in a nutshell,

Normally, when the umbilical cord develops, it forms three vessels: two arteries and one vein. However, in some cases, just one artery develops. Precisely why this occurs is not entirely known. It is suspected, though, that one artery may simply stop growing as it develops or perhaps that the primordial umbilical artery does not divide properly.

This malformation of the umbilical cord has been found to affect between 0.5% to 3% of pregnancies and 1 in 100 live births. Caucasian women are twice as likely to experience this complication compared to Japanese and Black women. Additionally, women having a multiple pregnancy are three to four times as likely to develop SUA. Other factors that may increase your risk:

• Advanced maternal age (over 40)
• Having 3 or more previous children
• Diabetes
• Female fetal sex, this seems to be the only risk factor I have.

In babies with SUA, some studies suggest that about 45 percent have birth defects, including chromosomal and/or other abnormalities. These can include trisomy 13 or trisomy 18. However, the most common pregnancy complications that occur in infants with SUA are heart defects, gastrointestinal tract abnormalities and problems with the central nervous system. The respiratory system, urinary tract, and musculoskeletal system may also be affected. One in five babies affected by SUA will be born with multiple malformations.

Aside from these problems, between 55% and 70% of infants with SUA may suffer from intrauterine growth retardation. Single umbilical artery also has an increased miscarrage rate of 22% associated with it, and still births likely due to the increased abnormalities. Furthermore, there is an association between SUA and low birthweight and early delivery.

So what does this mean for us? Well we will get to have lots and lots of ultra sounds. Every 4 weeks we will go in to the doctor and monitor our little girl to see how well she is growing and how well her organs are developing. Who doesn't like ultrasounds. I am happy to peek at my baby more often than most.

I spent most of Wednesday night in tears and talking to both families. We are blessed to be surround by great families and friends who rallied around us and gave many words of support and encouragement. Since then there has been a quiet peace that has filled my heart.I am so grateful to have the knowledge of the gospel in my life. I do not know that the baby will be okay, but I do know that I will be okay. That this little spirit will be sent to earth exactly as she was meant to be. My testimony of our Heavenly Fathers plan has increased and I know with all my heart that he is mindful of the little details of our lives and our concerns do not go unnoticed. His hand is present in our lives and he is carefully and expertly guiding us with love down the path that will bring us to the places we need to be. Chris gave me a beautiful blessing and blessed me with strength and increased closeness to the Lord. My fears are slowly ebbing away to faith and I feel as if my ground is becoming more solid. The other good news is there are babies that are born completely normal with SUA so our little girl could end up being just fine!

Thanks to everyone who has said a prayer in our behalf it is so humbling to realize how much support you have. We love you all and we are hopeful and thinking happy thoughts!

Taycees First Hair Cut

It finally happened, Taycee had her first hair cut. I resisted it for months, Chris was always making comments about her straggly hair but I insisted if was fine because I usually pulled it up and you couldn't tell once it was in pigtails, in fact that was the main reason I didn't want to cut it, her hair was finally to the point that I could put it in 2 hight pigtails on top of her head. I also didn't want to cut it because it took 2 years to get it to this point. But the truth was evident, it was was too straggly and fine and uneven. So Sunday morning before church I sprayed down her bed head and the first hair cut commenced.

It really had gotten long, I was afraid that if I cut the bottom inch off I would lose her cute tight baby curls...

apparently I was wrong. It is still as curly as ever, and it does looks so much more healthy and even. I will just have to wait awhile til I can have my pigtails back.

Oh the attitude.

Just the kids

Most days are spent in pjs and lounge wear around our house. If we are not leaving the house I let the kids wear whatever they want, and most of the time that is pajamas. When we are getting ready to go somewhere I always find myself wanting to take pictures because they are just so dang cute. So that is exactly what these pictures are... we were getting ready for church and I was taken in by their "cute-ness" so I pulled out the camera and stole a few shots.

They really do get along so well these days. Of course there are the inevitable fights and arguments over who had what toy first, but all in all they love to have each other around and have fun spending their days together. Having 2 kids 18 months apart was not easy at first, in fact there were MANY times when I never thought the end of the would come, but now I am so happy they are so close and will always have a friend right down the hall.

What is more fun than bath time?..... bath time with body paints!

The kids were given these body paints for Christmas from grandma Clayton. They love them, there seems to be this great excitement that comes from getting extra dirty while in the bath. Unfortunately the red paint doesn't wash off super great if has been on for more than a few minutes, so even after his bath Kaden looked a little discolored.

Kaden as I always say is a crack up. The other day we drove past a smoke stack that was letting out white smoke and he exclaimed... "MOM!! Is that the HOLY SMOKES?"

His newest phrase is "he is a funny guy" he was watching blues clues and all of the sudden I heard him gut laughing followed by a loud "That steve is a funny guy!" He makes me smile all the time. He is a sweet little boy and always let me know many times a day how much he loves me.

Taycee is getting older and smarter every second. She now knows her numbers and letters. She will see letters on people shirts and point out to me which letter is what. And she is only 2! Her speech blows me away. The words she uses and sentences she put together makes me feel like she is 10 and I am constantly having to remind myself that she really is still a little girl.

They make being a mom fun... most of the time :)

Belly

If I had to choose 5 words to describe the first trimester of my pregnancy they would probably be.... Exhaustion, Zofran, Lemon-Water, Fruit and Tomatoes. To describe my second trimester thus far I only need one word.... CHEETOS. Lots and lots of cheetos. It's gross I know. I go through a large bag of Cheeto puffs in about 2 or 3 days. WITHOUT the help of my kids.

I lost 8 lbs in the first trimester... oh don't you worry those cheetos are putting those pounds quickly back on. Something needs to be done, I need an intervention. I joined a gym yesterday.

I CAN NOT believe that this pregnancy is half way over. However, if this pregnancy is anything like the last 2 than the first half goes much faster than the last half will. So here is to being 19 weeks and able to eat an entire bag of cheeto puffs in 2 hours... er.... I mean days.

19 weeks...

don't mind the not so great picture, my photographer is 3 years old.

This was 17 weeks with Taycee, needless to say I wasn't eating Cheetos with her.

Birthday Love

Probably the most asked question I get about my birthday is, "Do you like having your birthday on Valentines day?". And my response is always the same, "Sure, I don't know any different."

I am lucky to have a husband who makes sure I ALWAYS have a very special day. He starts

thinking about it and making plans as soon as Christmas is over. I never ever feel slighted. I probably have a more special birthday on Valentines day than most women have on any normal day. So, YES!! I love having my birthday on Valentines day. :D

After breakfast in bed and beautiful Valentines day flowers Chris instructed me to get ready and get in the car for our first event. I already wrote about that event in my Valentines Day post so I'll skip the details.

I love surprises... I don't like knowing there is a surprise waiting because I get to anxious and curious and I usually figure them out way before it's time.

This time I really had no idea what was going on so it was a long 30 minutes car ride.

After the contest we went to Tucanos. I am part of the birthday club if you are a fan of Brazilian restaurants I highly suggest you join this club. It is free to join and you get a free meal during the month of your birthday. Chris and I are both members so we go twice a year. :D

Isn't he handsome? MMMM. I think so

Chris seems to think it is HILARIOUS to embarrass me and at Tucanos when they find out its your birthday they do a really good job of doing just that. They yell out to the whole restaurant and then make you stand up and shake a tambourine while they sing. This year Chris decided to capture the moment on video. I'll get him back.

After lunch Chris had a few other festivities planned, but I asked to just go home and take a nap. LAME I know, but a few hours in a clean house with no kids is just what this pregnant lady wanted for her birthday. He was so kind to oblige. Honestly, just having the WHOLE DAY with Chris was all I wanted. Time with him is rare and hard to come by these days. He is working a new project at school and most days he leaves hours before we wake up and gets home as we're getting ready for bed. So spending and uninterrupted 24 hours with him was the perfect present and cuddling in bed with him was the perfect ending to a great day.

Kiss Off

The day of love, probably one of if not the MOST hated and loved holiday. Do I think that we should show love all 365 days of the year? YES! Do I think there is anything wrong with having a day set aside to really show your special someone how much you love them? Absolutely not. But I am a sucker for Holidays!

So here is me and my Valentine...

Yes his head is cut off in this picture, and I actually have a better one I will post later but I chose this one because it is perfect to show just how much this man loves me. I'll explain...

Chris HATES pictures... really loathes them. Which makes his life difficult considering he married a photographer who thinks every little moment should be documented in photos. When I pull out my camera I often here a groaning sound that can only be compared to the sound a cow or other large mammal might make while dying a slow death. BUT he then puts on his best fake smile and does as I direct. Because I have such a beast of a camera it is not easy to hold and take a picture with one hand and because I had a fixed 35mm lens on it is even harder to capture both of our faces.

I think this was the 6th or 7th try at a picture. The first two we were really not in the frame, the next I complained that Chris was making a strained face, I didn't like one of me.... do you see why he groans? But he does it. He stands and smiles and lets me review and does it over and over til I am satisfied. That my friends is love. And the fact that half his head is cut out of the picture is just totally perfect because that is the kind of person he is. The kind who leaves himself out of the equation to make someone else happy. The kind that ALWAYS puts me first.

He is my kind of guy, as in I really think he is the perfect husband and father and I could not dream of finding anything better. I am the luckiest. I know that we all say that and think that... which is so great... because everyone has their perfect for them person. "Their kind of guy" and what a blessing it is to find that person. I'm so glad I found mine.

I woke up to breakfast in bed and these beautiful flowers. And then the real fun began...

seeing as Valentines day is also my birthday it is always a day full of surprises and fun. This time was no different. Chris told me I needed to be ready and in the car by 11, and off we went. It wasn't until we pulled in the bookstore parking lot at the University of Utah that I read the sign "VALENTINES I-POD KISS OFF TODAY AT NOON"

Sadly the first words out of my mouth were "If I have to make out with you in public I will be so mad." Lovely... I am a nice person, really I am. He loves me so he just laughed, told me to relax and explained it was a contest to see which couple could hold and I-pod between their lips the longest. I sighed a breath of relief and we parked.

Once we got in and claimed our spots I realized the rules were a little more detailed than he had let on, and included but were not limited to... couples could not touch at all during the competition, our feet had to be 24 inches apart at all time minus the times we had to walk around the room together, the i pod could only be touched by our lips, no chins noses ect., several times we would be asked to balance on one foot while standing 2 feet apart holding the ipod in between our lips...( are you picturing this) the rules went on and on.

How long can this be done you might ask... well a few years ago the winners lasted 3 hours. HAHAHAHA.... yeah right.

We lasted 30 min, I fell over while trying to balance on one foot. To my credit I was in heels and had made it through 2 stand on one foot periods already. We did make it to the top 7 I think. 7 out of 40 ain't bad. The news interviewed us as we left. Anyone see that? Our necks hurt for days after.

Very Talented Lips... no?

We ended our day with our littlest Valentines who had spent the day at grandma Webres. They opened their few little presents and then we ordered pizza and watched their new movie Ferngully.

Hope you all had a great day of love.

-Me.

Our princess

I keep looking at this little princess and thinking... how is there going to be room in this house for another one? :) :)

But like it or not Taycee is going to have to share the throne a little because another little princess is rapidly making her way to this house. And I am getting more and more excited for it. I have been going through the tiny baby clothes we had for Taycee and it is UNREAL to me that she was that small, and is now so big. How do they change so fast without you even realizing it?

Taycee is slowly growing out of her naughty all the time stage. THANK THE HEAVENS. She still has an attitude all her own, but we are learning how to work with that attitude. When I am not pulling my hair out because of her she is usually melting my heart with her cute words and grin. She is still scared of all the jets that fly overhead and always runs to me saying "mommy I'm scary!" She has developed a love for How to train your dragon, which is funny seeing as it is definitely a boy show. It is the only show she will sit and watch without moving. She LOVES babies, our new addition will be loved and mauled. When she sees a baby in the store she yells out "HI BABY" even if it is 50 ft away. I am excited to see her be a little mommy.

We have been having a debate over her hair. Ever since she was born it has been 2 things

1. curly 2. a mullet.

Chris thinks we need to cut off the back to make it more even with the top, but I am afraid it will cut of all her curls. So for now I am doing everything I can to make it look normal and convince Chris it can stay the way it is. :D Last Sunday we tried ringlets. She looked pretty cute!

She is growing up and getting big... and I am ready for another baby!