I'm an Aunt - part 5!

Brett arrived about 3pm. 8 lbs 10 oz, 21 inches.  Everyone is doing fine.  The count is now 4 blue and 2 pink.

Outnumbered!

The count is now 4-1 in favor of the blue team:

Thomas:

Kaity:

 Michael:

Weston:

Penguino (to be named later, and arriving in August):

Congrats Sean & Jennie (and thanks for being so awesome, too)!

Penguino Peterson

Looks like 2011 will make me an aunt again twice over :)  This one is due on Aug 27th!

Kaitlyn's first month

Well, it's been a month and I know I haven't been very good at updating. My excuse is a C-section incision to heal from and a newborn with a yeast infection that cries and fusses and wants to be held all the time!
Here's the updates:
Jared turned 25! I am so grateful for this wonderful man in my life, even more so now that we have a daughter. Saturday I was taking a bath & reading (Jared was taking care of Kaitlyn so I could have a relaxing morning) and while I was there, I heard Jared singing to Kaitlyn. The BYU fight song, I Am a Child of God, and World of Imagination were among the soundtrack. She loves his voice. Kaitlyn has become a great football watching buddy with Dad...too bad the Cougars decided not to play on Saturday.
Anyway, Mom Brown was in town for a week, taking care of us and playing with Kaitlyn. We are so grateful for her help, meals, love, and advice. While Mom was here I took Kaitlyn to the Dr for the first and second time. She hadn't made it back up to her birth weight at 2 weeks, and by 2 1/2 she had a very groggy morning where she didn't wake up much and didn't eat hardly anything. Also, she had the beginnings of a very nasty diaper rash. The doctor suggested measuring everything she ate, which meant that I go up at 2 to pump, then feed her. Long nights. He also suggested a cream for her rash, since desitin hadn't been working. The following Monday Mom Brown had gone home and Mom Zaelit had a birthday. She wanted to spend it with her family at the zoo - Kaitlyn's first trip. I don't think she cared much. Later in the week I took Kaitlyn back to the dr to be weighed and to discuss her rash, which had started bleeding. I did some research and was pretty sure that it was a yeast infection. Her weight was up - yay!, and the dr (a different one this time) said he was pretty sure it wasn't an infection and suggested a different cream. Three days later she was crying whenever she filled her diaper and it was still bleeding, I took her back, asked specifically about a yeast infection. The dr once again said no, and suggested yet another cream. Two days later it still wasn't better, so I called and wanted to see the first dr again. They double booked him and fit us in, thank heavens. He gave us two perscriptions and a different cream (seriously, I feel like a lotion store here). Thank heavens, it's started clearing up and Kaitlyn has been back to her usual sweet and smiley self.
That's the update. Kaitlyn weighed 8 lbs 15 oz on her one month birthday and has loved all the attention she has gotten from family. Especially the visit from Great Grandma Brown. She has also started smiling at us, especially when we're singing. Her favorites: Dancing Queen, World of Imagination, and California Girls. With Grandma BrownCousin Thomas came to visitGreat Grandma BrownGrandma ZaelitFamily photoGo Cougars At the Zoo

Details of Kaitlyn's Birthday

So, when we went in to the doctor at 38 weeks, they told us that I wasn't dilated or effaced. The same report came the next week, along with the opinion that I would most likely need a c-section. On Monday the 17th, we went in for one final check with a different doctor so we could get a second opinion. He told us that my pelvis isn't open and my cervix was still rock hard - I probably had a 5% chance of delivering vaginally. He also told us that we were looking at eight pounds of kid - I was amazed at that info: where had I put eight pounds? Here's the answer, taken Tuesday morning before we we left for the hospital:So we woke up bright and early and went to the hospital at 5:45 am. When we got there, the nurses quickly checked us in and prepped me for surgery. My parents met us at there and were excited to learn that they got to watch the delivery from a window outside the OR. I went down to the operating room and Jared left to get into scrubs (it took a while to find some to fit, but they succeeded). I got a spinal and immediately began to go numb; it was kind of a cool sensation. The doctors arrived, Jared came in, and we got to work. It felt just like Kaitlyn was moving a lot!
Pretty soon I heard a little squawk and the doctor commented that her head was "beautifully shaped" and that it was a good thing we'd done a c-section, because there was no way I was delivering her vaginally. Kaitlyn began holding her breath, maybe trying to get back in, but they quickly persuaded her that she wanted to breath. She was blue at first, but quickly pinked up. Her Apgar scores were 8 and 9. Jared and Kaitlyn went to the nursery while they finished sewing me up.I went back to the room and waited to see my beautiful baby girl again. They came in and handed her to me, she was so wonderful. I couldn't believe how perfect she was. Later, when Jared and Dad went to giver her a bath, Mom and I talked about how we felt that Grandma Webb had been there with us and had been a very strong influence with Kaitlyn since Grandma left us.Kaitlyn has my nose and Jared's chin. She also has big eyes shaped like mine, whether they're blue, green, or brown remains to be seen. She has Jared's long fingers and toes and long eyelashes that get darker each day. We are all home now, and Kaitlyn is a wonderful baby. She sleeps in 5 hour stretches, which is really nice. I am feeling pretty good and recovering well. Jared has been wonderful, taking care of me, as well as my mom and sister. Jared's family arrives this week to drop the twins off at college and Mom is staying to play with her grandbaby and help me while Jared goes to his first week of classes. We are, of course, absolutely in love and are so excited to take care of this sweet, beautiful angel that the Lord has trusted to us.

Ironic

So, for twenty months we worked and prayed and saw many doctors and specialists and had x-rays and tests and couldn't get pregnant. Now - we can't get un-pregnant! We went to the doctor again this morning and I'm still not dilated or effaced at all. The doctor said she's pretty sure that we're going to have to do a c-section, so Kaitlyn will be here either next Tuesday or Wednesday we will be a family of three! We go in for one final check on Monday morning, so we'll have a definite date after that. I'm kind of excited to have an official we're done date and not have to play the waiting game anymore. It's a little different, preparing for a c-section instead, but we're getting used to the idea. I am so grateful for modern medicine and the fact that even though I can't deliver babies, I can still carry them and have them! For future planners, we'll be blessing Kaitlyn on the 27th of September at 1 pm in Provo.

Baby Shower #3 - Friends

On July 15 my friend Martha threw a shower at her house for my friends that I've met in Provo. It was so much fun and I was so glad to see everyone and talk and visit. It was a great evening and I really appreciated all the thoughtful gifts from everyone! Above are Jenette Ross, me and Rachel Zuniga. This is Toni Kelly, Martha Harmon, Meg Larsen, and Amber Jones. Here is one of the many gifts I received: a cute pink blanket made by Martha Harmon's grandma. This is Christine Alexander and her daughter Callie, and Martha Birk.

Baby Shower #2 - Family

On July 11 my aunt Linda threw a shower in her back yard. It was so much fun to see all of my family and I got so many nice things. Also helpful were some gift cards and checks which we used to get a bouncer, a pack n play, a crib mattress and bedding, a boppy, and an infant tub. Kaitlyn is all set! My mom made the quilt with the white background, for some reason I didn't get a good picture of the front. It's yellow and has mommy and baby animals all over it. She hand quilted it, which is why I'm holding up the white back for everyone to see. My grandma Z also made a "fuzzy" for Kaitlyn. About 16 years ago we had a homemade Christmas, and everything we gave to anyone we had to hand make. My parents spent quite a while building a Barbie house for my sister and I (the feat was keeping us out of the garage for a month or more!). My grandmother made everyone a fuzzy. We all still have ours, including my 30-something year old cousins (all boys) who like to snuggle with them when they get sick. Most of the original fuzzies have been relegated to rags or ceder chests, but the great grandkids still have theirs and drag them around, too. I'm so glad grandma made one for Kaitlyn (with the help of my mom - thanks for fixing the sewing machine and reminding Grandma how to sew :)). Anyway, here are some pictures of the event, it was a lot of fun. I have a few more on another camera, but I can't find the cord right now, so I'll have to post them later.

Independence Day

We decided to go up to my parent's house for a BBQ this Saturday. It was fun to hang out and we had a really great dinner of hot dogs and hamburgers, salad, watermelon, and apple cobbler. I was tired, so we left early before the family did s'mores, but that's okay. We came home and it was so nice outside that we took a blanket out and laid on our front lawn and talked with our neighbors, the Owens, until we were all chased inside by the appearance of the sprinklers. This picture is of me cooking bacon for the burgers - I didn't want to get bacon grease on my shirt, cause I really like that one. However, being at my parent's house, the aprons are all disney related. This one has a black top and a red bottom with two yellow 'buttons' on the front. Everyone thought that it was really cute that my belly stuck out just like Mickey's, so we took a picture. Speaking of my belly, we went to the Dr last Wednesday and everything is going fine with Kaitlyn, no protein, low blood pressure, and she's head down - which is great since I'm not entirely sure she has room to flip if she weren't already set.

Perverted Salad Tongs from Hell...and other recent events

Okay, I've been a bit lax in the posting lately. Since I've finished work it's been so nice to just sit and work on home stuff. I've been able to work on several baby projects, as well as read and spend some wonderful time with Jared. It's great to spend my energy working on my home and being able to rest when I've needed to. Everything is still going great with Kaitlyn, although the 3rd trimester tiredness has definitely set in.
We had a miniature fiasco of a day last week...my parents decided to get us a changing table to match our crib, for which we are very grateful. Anyway, we drove up to Murray to get the table, and then drove it back home to our apartment. The next morning we woke up and began to work on the changing table, only to find that none of the parts were labeled correctly. Two hours later, we were still nowhere near being finished and realized that one of the main, load-bearing pieces was completely broken. So, we loaded everything back into my parents Escape (luckily we'd borrowed it from them so we could transport the box) and went back up to Murray to return the table. We then took it home to my parents house. Along the way, we realized that we needed gas, so we headed for the nearest gas station. Unfortunately, we ran out before we got there - 50 yards from the station! Seriously, not joking. Jared went and borrowed a gas can, and we got the car to the station and filled it up. At my parents house we unloaded the new table and began to put it together. It took much less time, nothing was broken, and everything was labeled. We got almost all the way through and then took a break to go see Angels and Demons with my parents. It was a really good movie, but intense. When we got home we realized that we were missing six screws, so we couldn't finish the table that night. Oh well, Jared and I drove back to Provo in our car and my dad went and bought the screws and finished the table, which they then drove down the following Saturday. I'm getting very excited now, we have a crib and a changing table and curtains and a rug - we just need a crib mattress and a baby!
The one thing that has really bothered me about being pregnant (the only thing) is that my hands are swollen so I can't wear my wedding ring. Jared is so sweet and offered to buy me a plain gold band, but I didn't want to spend the money on a new gold band for just a little while. Anyway, he knew it bothered me a lot, so he bought me a stainless steel band that looks just the same for much cheaper. I love this wonderful husband of mine! He also bought me the Sims 3 (yes, I'm a sims nerd) and a graphics card to play it on the computer, very fun. For an early father's day gift we got him the Tiger Woods golf 2010 with the new WiiMotion. It's pretty cool in that it mimics your movements a lot more and makes you actually swing the remote as you would a golf club. We're just having fun together, and it's great.
So, we went to our birth class last Saturday, and I had a great time! I was able to get all of my questions answered, and we spent a while on when to go to the hospital and when to wait at home, which is really good info. Jared also came along and stuck it out for most of the day (a six hour marathon class). He had to leave when they gave us lunch and it was sandwiches with mustard on them. Jared absolutely hates mustard. The lady teaching the class kept going through lunch, so Jared was already queasy. As he put it, "I can't listen to birthing stuff, eat mustard, and watch some lady hold up perverted salad tongs from Hell and not vomit." He went to Costco to pick up some photos and got a chicken bake. While he was gone he missed the movies, which was a very good thing. I told him that the only birth he ever needs to be present for is the ones that I'm doing. Jared felt bad about having to leave me alone for a little while, but I'm so glad he went at all. I know how hard medical stuff is for him, and the nurse didn't pull any punches. I am so grateful to have a loving, wonderful, supportive husband to take care of me - even when he feels like throwing up!
One final note: Kaitlyn has begun to "play" video games with us. I know that some of you will be rolling your eyes that we've indoctrinated her so young, but I think it's adorable. Whenever either of us are playing and pushing the buttons, she kicks back at the same rate we're pushing the buttons. When I play, I rest the controller on my stomach, so this makes sense. But when Jared plays, if I'm sitting on the couch she responds to the movement of his arm if I'm right next to him or the movement of the couch. I love it. Kaitlyn also continues to kick like crazy whenever she hears Jared near and then stop and snuggle immediately when he puts his hand on my stomach. I think she's going to be a daddy's girl, because I think she's trying to get his attention every time he's near.

Kaitlyn's crib!

I'm finally finished with teaching! I am so excited to be able to take my time and energy to get ready for Kaity rather than chasing kids at OJHS. Anyway, after we finished school the other day, we headed out to run some errands. We decided to stop at the Burlington Coat Factory so Jared could see the cribs that I liked. While we were there, we discussed the options and decided on this crib. We asked what the options were for purchasing the crib. We didn't want to buy it on Friday, but if it took some time to ship in (if they didn't already have them in stock) we wanted to know how long it took so that we could plan accordingly. Imagine our shock when they told us that it takes 12 weeks to ship anything that wasn't in stock! We don't have that much time until Kaitlyn arrives! So, we decided to buy it that day, since they had one in the back. Thus the drama of purchasing a large item when we don't have a car big enough to hold it began. We were finally able to get ahold of our friends, the Harmons, who let us borrow their truck (thank you so much!). Anyway, we bought the crib and it's now sitting in the back room, still in the box. We won't be putting it up for a while yet, in case we need to move in a month or so, it'll be easier to do so with the crib still in the box. Yesterday, we were up in West Jordan, dog sitting, and we decided to go wander IKEA. Jared found those plastic crib side teething guards, so we bought some ($4.00 a piece). Yay! Now the only thing left needed for the crib is the mattress, but we have plenty of time to get that and it doesn't take 12 weeks to get one :)

3rd Trimester!

I am so excited to be in the home stretch. I know I still have a ways to go and it's the hottest part of the summer, but I'm still pretty excited. I am grateful that I get to be big and awkward and grouchy at home in front of my air conditioner instead of at work chasing kids. Maybe it's because of my mom and how she was so excited to be pregnant, she always told us how wonderful everything was - even the morning sickness. Maybe it's because we tried for quite a while to get Kaity, but I have loved every minute of being pregnant. Even when I didn't feel well, or was nauseous, dizzy, tired, sore, itchy, grouchy, swollen, etc. I have been so happy because Kaitlyn is just growing and healthy. The doctor says everything is going well and I'm right on schedule. Oh, and for all the family who keep saying there must be twins, I'm so big...the Dr. confirms that Kaity is the only one and I'm measuring just fine. I'm just short and carrying her all out in front. Here's a picture from 26 weeks - she's grown a lot!

Phred's gender - a notice

So, many of you guys have asked when our ultrasound is. The date is set for March 25 at 3:30 in the afternoon. However, we want to tell out parents in person. This means that you have to wait to read it here until we've spoken to both of our families face to face. Jared's family is coming down to Utah for a quick visit April 1-2. We will tell them then. I am sure that we'll get together with my parents sometime the weekend after the ultrasound. Therefore, tune in Conference Weekend between Saturday sessions to find out whether you are getting a niece or a nephew, or a Phred or Phredette :) I will still post the results of the poll on the 25th as well as photos from the ultrasound. If you know how to read those, then you are pretty talented and deserve your knowledge!

Phred Stuff

Here are a few items that we have for Phred. Those of you who know me know that this isn't nearly everything I have so far, so I'm planning on posting homemade items and important items (I'm sorry, but I'm not going to post every single outfit we get for Phred, you don't have the time to read through all of that :) ). Anyway, first up is an afghan that Mom Brown made for the baby. She made it in green, my favorite and it's very soft and beautiful.Second, I bought a stuffed giraffe for Phred to cuddle with when he gets a bit bigger. I love the floppy head. When my parents went to Disneyworld for their 30th anniversary, we were a little worried about them going overboard for there grand baby. I was very proud of them as they only purchased three items: a tub toy, a bib, and this enormous floppy, soft, adorable Mickey! Yes, to us, Mickey is gender neutral.Finally, I made this cute bib for Phred. It has a matching bib with a monkey on it as well, but I don't have that one finished yet. I'll post pictures of it when I do. I just finished it today, so you can still see the hoop mark in it - that'll go away when I wash it.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Last Friday my dad turned 50! He got some good natured razzing from his coworkers and had a pretty nice day all around. He didn't want a big party, so instead he came down to Provo so that he could go to dinner at Tucano's with his kids. Before dinner, we decided to take dad bowling as part of his present. My dad loves bowling. He used to be in a league when I was little and I have many fond memories wandering around the bowling alley talking to the other league players (half of whom were my grandparents' friends and my dad's cousins). My mom's water even broke in a bowling alley when she was pregnant with one of us!
We had a great time and played two games, Dad's high score was 163, mom's was 140. Jared's high was 85 and mine was 82. I was surprised to learn that I am a better bowler now that I am pregnant. I used a kids ball, but it still almost knocked me over every time I threw it, because my balance is starting to go. Anyway, it was fun and my dad commented on the fact that I had such nice bowling form. (This was really a pat on his own back because he practically drilled it into me as a kid that form is so important and you can't be a really good bowler without proper form). It was still nice to get the compliment that I had good form, even though I had no balance. :)
Also, here is a picture of the belly. Phred popped out really fast and I've been in maternity clothes since 8 weeks. Now he's pretty much just spreading out in the space that he's made, so I haven't grown a whole lot since then. You can really tell when I sit down, though that I'm pregnant. Phred tends to stick out like a little root beer belly over the top of my pants, it's kind of funny.

Phred Updates

We went to the doctor again on Wednesday and it was a pretty uneventful visit. No ultrasound this time, bummer, but I did get to hear Phred's heartbeat again. It's amazing how such a funny little sound can be so reassuring! The doctor said that everything looks good and since I live West of the Mississippi I can eat whatever kind of fish I want as long as I don't eat it every day. That's a nice thing to know. We find out on March 25th whether Phred is a boy or girl (if Phred is willing to cooperate, that is). So we have a poll on the sidebar now. Vote for what you think (or want) Phred is. The poll closes on the 25th and then we'll post after that along with pictures and updates. So far we're just happy that both Phred and mom are doing well and seem to be healthy. I am also very happy that I've only gained 3 pounds total - yay! I know that I'll be gaining more weight as Phred grows, but it's nice to know that he's using up some of my squishy reserves in the meantime. :)

Happy in Love Day!!!

I know that a lot of people hate Valentine's day, and I think that a big part of that is because (especially at BYU) there is a lot of pressure to be dating and married and in love. However, my mom has always been wonderful at celebrating all of the little holidays with us. For Valentines we usually had a nice dinner at home, got new pink or red shirts to wear to school, and came home to our beds made and chocolate or candy of some sort. Sometimes she even bought each of us a rose. My mom worked full time when I was growing up, so her being able to take the time to make our beds when we weren't at home was a big deal, at least to me.
Now that I have Jared, Valentines day is still wonderful. Jared dreads the holiday and doesn't like cards or gifts, so this year when we got a flyer in the mail for Hale Centre Theatre and I mentioned that I liked the play that was there at the time, he jumped on the idea. On Valentines day we slept in (as far as my parent's dog would let us, that is). Then we went to Hale and saw Cash On Delivery, a funny British comedy about a man who is cheating the Social Security Department of Britain and is trying to get out of it but can't. Of course, everything is crazy and just gets worse from there - hilarious. Afterwards, we went to the mall to pick up a few random items. While there, Jared bought me a chocolate covered strawberry from Godiva. One is about the size of my fist and very yummy - and all of the chocolate that Phred will currently let me eat in one day:) Then we decided to go to McGrath's Fish House for dinner and that was very delicious, too. It was a great day, Phred and I were feeling good, and I got to spend it with just me and my honey.
Speaking of Phred, our next doctor's appointment is next Wednesday. I'm not entirely sure that I like the office, although I do like the dr that I go to. It's almost impossible to get ahold of them since they don't monitor their answering machine and they are closed from noon on Thursdays until Monday morning. I don't feel right calling the on call dr about a simple question, but I'm also not a fan of having to wait four days to talk to someone if I have a concern. Also, I never received a call back about my blood tests, and I got a few more done than just the standard slew because the dr had a few extra concerns about my thyroid. I guess that means that everything is okay....? Oh, well. Phred and I are doing well. I am finally to the point where I'm not exhausted all the time. Phred still makes me nauseous if I haven't eaten much, but that's understandable. I have stopped expanding for a little bit, which is good because Phred popped out so fast in the beginning that I've been in maternity clothes since the 8 week mark. We still have no ideas as to Phred's gender, but we hope that he/she won't be shy at the end of March and we'll be able to share with everyone Phred's real name :)
Anyway, we are back in town and getting caught up on housework that we've not done since we were gone so much. This Sunday is my grandpa's birthday party, though, so we'll make it to Sacrament then we'll have to leave and head up to Salt Lake again. A whole month without going to our Relief Society....sigh. Hopefully March will be less eventful.

Family Update

We had a very busy Christmas! We spent a short time with my parents in West Jordan before driving to Boise to spend Christmas with our Brown Family. We had a nice, relaxing time and enjoyed all the family and fun that was there. After Christmas we drove out to Auburn, California so that we could visit Jared's grandparents. We felt a little guilty because I've never been out there and Jared hadn't been in five years. While there we went to the Jelly Belly Factory and found a case lot sale! Tons of candy extremely discounted - including my favorites - Sunkist Fruit Gems. The next day we drove down to San Francisco and spent the day driving around with the crazy people. The pizza was great, though. We really enjoyed our time with the full house: Mom, Dad, Chris, Matt, Carisa, Tyler, Susan, Craig, Chelsea, Carlie, Sam, William, Laurie, Todd, Michelle, Camille, Cyndi, Caitlyn, Grandma, Grandpa, Jared, and I. But after two weeks away from home, it was really nice to return to my own bed.
In other news, those of you that haven't heard, Jared and I are finally pregnant! We are very excited and praying that everything goes well. As a joke, we've told our grandmothers that we are naming the baby Phred - thus the mention in previous posts.