Dear Elliot -- 8 Months

Dear Elliot,

Well, you are now 8 months old.  I'm still in shock that you are that old already.  We are getting closer to your first birthday and you better believe I've already started thinking about the theme for your party.  

Over the last month we traveled to Utah for about 10 days and then back to California.  On our way back to California, we got stuck in traffic.  I think we were going about 5 miles an hour.  If that.  We decided to pull over in Primm, Nevada and let you and Scarlet have a break from being in your car seats.  You loved it.  I let you sit in the driver's seat and you were just smiling and laughing.  That's your typical countenance, but you were exceptionally happy at that moment.  

You are just growing up way too fast!  You are a pro at sitting up at your own now.  I think within a few more weeks you should be getting ready to crawl.  That scares me a little.

We just moved you to a bigger car seat since your infant seat was too  heavy for me with you in it.  You absolutely love your new seat.  You can watch your sister and you two giggle at each other as I drive down the street.  

You adore Scarlet.  However, I'm not sure she feels the same way.  She does love you, you just occupy my attention which in turn makes her upset.  Apparently I need to be cloned or something so I can provide enough attention and one-on-one time for both of you.  I try my best to make sure you know that you are loved though.  You are.  You're amazingly wonderful!

Little Bubba, I hope you always know just how special you are.  You have brought such a light into my life and I'm beyond grateful to have you.... even if you still won't sleep through the night.  Keep smiling and laughing!

Love always and forever,

Mom

p.s.  It would be okay if at this point in your life you wanted to start saying, "mama."  Just saying.

Dear Scarlet -- 29 Months

Dear Scarlet,

Happy 29-month birthday! Today is a significant day in your life as well as mine.  This is the day, January 11, three years ago when you were transferred from a petri dish, or whatever medium you were in, and into my belly.  In other words, it was three years ago today I became pregnant with you.  That was truly a very special day and one I won't forget any time soon.  I watched on a screen as the scientists sucked you up into a little beaker in the lab.  They brought the little tiny pipette with you in it into my room and you were handed to the doctor.  Then, wah, lah!  I was pregnant.  Yep, something like that.

The last three years have FLOWN by.  I remember holding the picture of you in your embryonic form and dreaming of what you would look like and who you would be.  I also wondered about the other little mass of cells and would it would turn into.  That was Kingston.  You were both amazing little miracles and I'm grateful you came into our lives.

It's amazing to me what can happen in three years.  The last three were the most eventful of my life.  By far!  I got pregnant with you, gave birth, buried a baby, moved, got pregnant, gave birth.... and everything in between including multiple trips to Disneyland and Utah.  I'm sure the next three will bring lots more joy into our lives!

Love you always!  I'm so glad you're mine.

Love,

Mom

p.s.  I'm really going to miss when you start calling candy canes, candy canes instead of candy corn canes.  I'll also miss when you say cute instead of cuke.

p.p.s.  Please be nice to Elliot.  He's just a baby (how many times a day to I say this?)

Huntington Gardens

I had the opportunity to take the kids to Huntington Gardens last week.  Let me just say, it was gorgeous!  It was so peaceful there, as peaceful as it can be with two children vying for my attention.  I love the beautiful flowers all over and the smell of the roses.    

The Japanese garden was probably my favorite.  It looked like a dream.  I'm still amazed at the talent some people have in their abilities to landscape like that.

I don't think I will ever get used to seeing lemons, limes, and oranges growing on trees around here.  I had to sit at this little tree and stare at the fruit on it.  I'll admit, I wanted to yank one off and take it home with me.  No, I didn't do that.  I'm not that horrible.  

I hope to make it back to the gardens again in the near future.  What a treasure!

An Update

Ever since I gave birth to Elliot, my life seems to be a bit more chaotic.  Who knew that could happen when you had another child?  Go figure.  Life in California is grand.... most of the time.  Now that I can see a light at the end of the tunnel (only 8 more months!!), I am getting very anxious to get out of this place.  I do love things about California, but I am more than ready to be back in Utah with family and friends.  However, I am trying really, really hard not to get my hopes up as I know going back to Utah isn't really going to be an option unless a miracle presents itself in the form of a job.  Let me just tell you I am praying for that miracle about 27,000 times a day.

Ryan is doing great in school.  He excels at what he does.  I told him yesterday that I would absolutely trust him to do my anesthesia.  I think he is going to make an amazing anesthetist!  He spends most of his free time studying.  Then when he gets some free time, he studies some more.  It's never ending.  Sigh.

I am busy being a mom to two very active kids.  I love it.  I love the opportunity God has given me to raise his children.  I cherish every single moment I get with them.  I know that this young age they are in is fleeting and will soon be over.  I enjoy every smile, every laugh, and I try my best to endure the tantrums.  I will admit that there are days when I still dream of having Kingston in our home.  What I wouldn't give to just hug him and kiss him once more.  My heart still aches that he is gone; however, I know, without a doubt, that we will be together again one day.  I often wonder what it would be like with him and Scarlet.  How would she act around him?  Would they play well together?  This time of year is always difficult without him here.  Holidays are hard.  We love our little King and miss him every. single. day.

Scarlet is a very active, very sassy 2 year old.  She talks non stop.  She also sings herself to sleep on most nights.  You can often find me laying on the stairs listening to her as she sings "Twinkle, Twinkle" or "Jingle Bells."  She brings such a light to my life.  I can't even believe that we are approaching 3 years since we did in vitro with her.  Time flies!

Elliot is now 6-1/2 months old.  He is the dream child.  He smiles and laughs all the time.  He is sitting up on his own now and rolling all around the floor.  He only cries when he is hungry or wants to sleep.  We sure do enjoy our little California miracle.  I have no idea how we ever lived without him.

So, there's the quick update on us.  I hope all of you, all one of you who reads this, are doing well.  Come visit us in the land of California!  Let me entice you:  Disneyland, beaches, and 70+ degree weather.

My First 5K

I had this goal that I wanted to meet.  I'm not ever very good at meeting my goals.  I'll be honest.  After I had Elliot, I just wanted to get back in shape and lose my baby weight.  Well, I lost the baby weight within two weeks after delivery, but I was definitely not in shape.  I decided if I put some money into it, maybe it would give me more motivation to work on it.  I signed up for a 5K and made Leslie join in with me.  So while I was in Utah, I trained in the Utah altitude and ran my first 5K.

Here we are, ready to run! 

Right after we got there, we ran into these awesome ladies!  I love these girls.  A couple of them were my roommates back in my college days, some from high school... an all around amazing group of women if I do say so  myself!

We did it!  I knew we could.  After all, it was only 3-something miles.  We ran the 5K on the beaches of the Great Salt Lake.  Gross.  As you can see, it was also in the dark.  It was supposed to be glow in the dark with glow paint amazingness.  The paint didn't glow and I just felt nasty after painting myself.  Oh well.  We had a great time!  The best part?  Eating a burger from In-N-Out on the way home because I had tried to eat "healthy" for the few days before and was starving to death!  Did I mention I finished?  And yes, I did it in less than hour.  I actually finished in around 35 minutes (which for me and my untrained body is a good thing).  I know, you amazing runners are now laughing at my finish time.  Like I said before, I was just glad to have finished and have met my goal.  I'm definitely not where I want to be physically, but I feel better than I did 5 months ago.  

Friend Halloween Party

I have to admit that I have the most amazing friends and neighbors here in California.  Our little play group had a party for Halloween and it was SO cute!  Ashley (not me, but the amazing Ashley Alexander (a.k.a. Super Mom)) threw an amazing party for the kids.  It was full of throw the spider in the web, bingo, bowling for monsters, and tons, and tons of treats.  Scarlet was in heaven!  She keeps talking about the spiders too.

Doesn't that look just delicious?  

The treats!!  Witches hats and brooms, gummy worms that were so life-like I wouldn't touch them (good job Amber!), delicious apple mouths, hot dog mummies, and other assorted deliciousness.

I wish you could see her yelling, "GOOOOO Cougars!"  Just like her dad, she bleeds blue.  Love our little Cougar!

The Clipping

My poor child was born with what I like to call the "Dunn Tongue."  As you can see in the picture above, his tongue is very stuck to the floor of his mouth.  I had this unfortunate problem and so did my older brother, Josh.  We both had ours clipped when we had our wisdom teeth out.  Let's just say it was not a pleasant experience.  Right after Elliot was born, I noticed he had the cursed tongue.  Poor guy.  Not only that, but his was significantly worse than mine, and mine was really bad.

While I was in Utah, we found an amazingly awesome doctor who was willing to see us and clip the tongue.  The doctors in California wanted us to wait until Elliot was older, but from my experience, I wanted it done as soon as we could do it.

Here's how it went down.  I went to the doctors office with both kids in tow... and my dad.  Thankfully my dad was there to help me.  Scarlet was jolly, playing in the waiting room with a train set they had.  All I could think was, "what kind of sickness is she going to pick up from that toy?"

I went back and talked to the doctor.  He took one look at Elliot and agreed it needed a clipping.  He got all ready to do it and I jumped ship.  They took my baby,  held him down, and did their thing while I sat in the waiting room bouncing Scarlet in hopes that it would calm Elliot down.  I've noticed I do that a lot.  Hold one child and bounce them in hopes it will calm the other.  It doesn't really work, just so you know.

I felt like the screaming went on for like 5 minutes.  It was excruciating!  Finally the doctor came out and got me and told me he wanted me to hold Elliot and calm him down.  I went in the room and the nurse was holding my baby face down while blood was dripping from his mouth.  I then started to think, "what did I just do to my child?"  I felt awful!  I held him as still as I could while the doctor attempted to keep pressure on the underside of Elliot's tongue.

It was horrible.  I wanted to cry with Elliot.

Then two days later, Scarlet was sick.

And then Elliot got it.

What an experience.  I never want to go through that again.  Too bad our pediatrician in California claims it needs to be done AGAIN.  Are you kidding me?  I don't think so.  I think we'll leave it how it is now.  My oh my.