Garcias Inc.

Thrifty Decor Chick Giveaway

2010-11-26T13:53:00.001-08:00

We interrupt this regularly scheduled issue of not blogging to mention a fantastic giveaway.

I love this blog!!! thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com
http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2010/11/silhouette-craft-cutter-giveaway.html
I love everything about her house and her ideas are affordable and adorable. This weekend she is giving away a Silhouette. Wouldn't you like to win it? Of course, that is if I don't win it. :)

August 25

2010-08-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hi. It's been one year. What do I do with today? I remember ALL of today last year, so it keeps distracting me. I even remember what I was wearing, where I parked at the hospital, etc. I keep tearing up, but I'm really glad how it all turned out. It's nice to go through today and not think about the great chance of losing my baby today. You might laugh or think us weird, but we are going up to the hospital today as a family to eat dinner. The food in the cafeteria was pretty decent and held a lot of memories for us. I want to go up to the NICU to say hi but I always get nervous thinking they forgot about us. We'll see. One thing I know for sure is this August 25 will be miles better than last year. Knock on Wood

Random Important Numbers

39-days I spent in the hospital

107-days Sara spent in the hospital

8-number of rooms I stayed in

2-number of awesome parents that stayed with Noah

$880,000- rough estimate of Sara's bill (I still think that is way too cheap.)

39-number of times I went crazy

1-number of paint by numbers I completed

### (lost count)-number of awesome friends and family who showed their concern through cyberspace (That's you!!! :) Thanks.) and face-to-face

Thanks everyone.

I'm in LOVE!!!

2010-05-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

....with coupons!!

Last week, someone I know posted that they got 40 boxes of pasta for free!! Well, about $.10 per box since she bought a mass amount of coupons off of ebay, but still!!

I was so intrigued because I have always wanted to use coupons but they truthfully intimidate me and I didn't know you could buy mass amounts of coupons.

So, I went on and bought coupons for pasta, beans, and Mission products. Guess what I was able to get for $27???? 51 items!!!!! I know. Wow. :)

10 boxes of pasta (spaghetti, linguine, & rotini)

17 cans of refried beans

4 cans of black beans

6 cans of pinto beans

2 large bags of tortilla chips

6 30pks of corn tortillas

6 10pks of flour tortillas

51 items=$27

I know it's not an all-time record in couponing but I am pretty tickled pink with myself. It makes me giddy. Now on to next week's deals. I know Danny is wondering what he got himself into now.

Here is a picture of all my beauties:

Medical Woes

2010-04-30T21:59:00.000-07:00

We have definitely had a busy week when it comes to our children's health and well-being.
On Tuesday, Sara had to get some tests done to see if her surgery worked properly. She had a surgery (only on Dec 28) to prevent her "life-ending" acid reflux. Since she no longer had acid coming up, she also could really have no burps coming up. A few weeks ago she started burping and now burps like a grownup. She hasn't burped since the day of the surgery so it worried us. Though she's probably grown out of the reflux by now, "life-ending" is still a worriesome thing. Of course I could of gotten the results back yesterday but her doctor decided to take the whole week off so we won't hear anything back until at least Monday. I know at least the examining doctor said it looked like she had a hernia. Not trying to think about it, but if it was serious she might need surgery. Again. The hospital. Again. But we'll go with no for now.
On Wednesday, Sara was assessed for a helmet. She preferred her right side in the NICU and since she was there for 3 1/2 months, that side became significantly flat. Attempts at home to correct it with holding her up more often, repositioning her, etc. have proved fruitless. Now she will get a helmet because the flatness is affecting the growth of the rest of her face.
Now today, both my children screamed all day. That was fun especially because I'm starting to not feel well. Sara has a goopy eye, cough and runny nose. Noah had a runny nose and a cough and REALLY irritible but that was it. Danny and I took them into the walk-in clinic (since stupid doctor was out). I was mainly concerned about Sara because of her past. Well, she ended up getting meds and Noah is currently in the E.R. with Danny. He was having trouble breathing and his saturation levels were low. So far I know that they've given him two breathing treatments and an X-ray. The X-ray showed that he has pneumonia so they're going to give him a steroid, wait an hour, and then decide if they need to admit him or not. I'm exhausted but can't sleep. It's already 10 at night. I know it's a rule that children do not get really sick until it's nighttime.

I've often wondered if I caused my children to be so sick so often because I have had a lot of problems and I am ALWAYS the sick one out of Danny and I. I wonder if children just get sick this often, if it's the season, or if it's me. I mean, my kids get sick at least twice a month. I'm tired of it and just want a miracle cure but that would be too easy now wouldn't it? I'm going to go stare off into space now because I can't sleep.

Morale of this story: Please stay healthy and medically boring. Thank you. :)

Noah's Hats

2010-04-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

Throughout Noah's life, he has loved having something on his head. Granted, sometimes we put something on his head (like the yellow one below) and he didn't know to object. Truly, that's about the only one he would actually dislike. Some of his hats are traditional. Some are different. I can't even find pics of his two FAVORITE hats: a halloween bucket and a bowl-like thing that has faces on it. I must say the first picture with Noah & Danny was taken by the wonderful photographer Elise Taylor. I'm not that good at taking pictures. You can see in the pictures as Noah got older his taste in hats became more creative. He may soon sign a contract with Target....

Noah presents his hat collection:

(These are in no particular order in his life.)

Wow

2010-03-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

In getting our taxes ready (you can count medical mileage), Danny and I figured out that during Sara's and my hospital stays we drove at least 12,000 miles!!!! 3 zeros at the end!

Wow.

Place Your Bets

2010-03-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Ok.....so more like place your guesses. The word "bet" seems to imply that if you win you get a prize. Yeah.... We all know how on top of things I am, so I don't want to leave another person hanging. (And yes, Priscilla and Tara I am aware that you are anxiously awaiting your prizes. They will come...eventually. Just don't hold your breath. They are in my house. The prizes just seem to lazy to leave. I'll have to kick them out soon.)

Danny & I are still awaiting Sara's final bill from her hospital experience. "Experience" sounds more fun, doesn't it? So I'm curious, what do you think it might be? I will give you a little background to help you form a decision.

-My hospital bill for basically just sitting on my butt for almost 6 weeks, a few tests, and giving birth was around $119,000.

-With the few partial statements that have trickled in, Sara's bill is up to at least $300,000. (Mind you, the statements barely cover anything.

-Sara was in the NICU from October 1, 2009 until January 15, 2010. Danny & I once read in an OLDER book that a bed in the NICU could run around $2000 a day!!!!

-For at least 2 weeks, she was on a ventilator. This is the most intensive breathing aid. (She wasn't breathing on her own.)

-What was written on her discharge papers as her "discharge diagnosis"(everything she had or experienced):

-ASD (basically a hole in the heart)

-prematurity (30 weeks)

-Suspected NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis, literally means "death of tissue" and "inflammation to the small and large intestines" This was NOT fun thinking she might have it. The small progress she was making at the time was set back pretty far.)

-anemia

-apnea of prematurity (short episodes of stopped breathing)

-unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia (Don't you love medical terms. To put it simply: jaundice)

-Retinopathy of prematurity (potentially blinding eye disorder)

-suspected sepsis

-apnea and bradycardia, Respiratory Distress Syndrome

-massive reflux (They finally thought Sara might have bad acid reflux after they tried to discharge her twice & on both those days she decided she didn't want to breathe anymore. I believe they said around 7% would be a high amount of acid reflux occurence. Sara had 50%.)

-Coxsackie/Rhinovirus infections (hand, foot & mouth disease and the common cold, When she had these, we have to dress up like doctors with the mask, gown, & gloves. I was quite amused by playing dress up.)

-Sara had numerous tests including ultrasounds, echocardiograms, Xrays. She had to have 2 spinal taps. I lost count of how many IVs she had. Remember, they would charge for every material they used on her. One time, it took them at least 5 times to get an IV in. Grumble, grumble.....

-Finally, due to Sara's acid reflux causing "life-ENDING episodes" she had to have surgery to basically wrap the stomach around the esophagus to prevent acid from coming up. While they were there, they also fixed her umbilical hernia.

So, do you have a guess? Did you get lost in all of that? Sorry it was so long but she was in there for a LONG time and rest assured I know I am forgetting some stuff.

What do you think?

PS We have occasionally received notices of how much the doctors would charge to look at her for about 2 seconds to 10 minutes. These would range from around $250 to $1800. Yes, you read that correctly. :)

Sara's Birth

2010-03-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

I have been ultra lazy in posting this. Sara turned 5 months old yesterday (3 months next week with her corrected age). Anyhoo. Like I said before, everyone thought I was going to give birth that week at 25 weeks. If not, they would let me sit there and stay pregnant until I was 34 weeks along then induce me unless of course something went wrong. That would have meant 9 weeks of hospital bed rest!!!!! That would have been Oct 27. I went into the hospital on August 25. That didn't happen. I sat and sat and sat. After 5 weeks of sitting there, I remember being really excited about reaching 30 weeks gestation. I'll be nice and withhold some info here. The next day I started exhibiting a few more signs that I might go into labor. The docs didn't believe it was anything. I was excited because I had reached that day which meant Sara would be born in October. I had remained pregnant throughout all of September. On October 1, I became really uncomfortable. I sent Danny a text saying I was having some Braxton-Hicks contractions but I thought it wasn't anything. (He worked at least 1/2 hour away). His parents just happened to come into town that day and my mom was here as well.

All afternoon I was really uncomfortable but what pregnant lady isn't at some point. I had Danny go downstairs and get my the really good potato soup since I wanted to feel better and you can only eat hospital room food for so long. (They had two separate kitchens. Stupid.) I started having contractions around 7 that night. I had had an IV in off and on for the last 5 weeks so they had taken it out a few days before to give me a rest. That night they tried to put in another one because of the contractions but the veins kept blowing. They said nothing was going to happen so they didn't try again. After her birth, I was SO happy that I hadn't been hooked up to an IV. I had been on IVs there for so long that I actually became allergic to the tape. The contractions became so uncomfortable and intense so quickly that I wasn't able to eat my soup or watch "The Mentalist" (I was mad b/c it was one of my favorite shows.). I told them I wanted drugs. Yes, I'm weak and I'm proud of it. With Noah I was only in labor for 3 1/2 hrs and my whole family is quick so I knew I needed them right then. They were slow and finally gave me Percoset (?sp?). Danny tells me that's a pretty good drug but it did NADA. Zip. They checked to see if I was dilated and I was only around 1 cm. That convinced them they could be even slower in getting me stronger drugs. I know they can only go with what they see but I think doctors need to listen to women more. We KNOW what is going on with our body. Do NOT argue with a lady in labor.

Of course, I all of a sudden wanted to push. Danny ran for the nurse. They came not believing me so they went to check me again. The resident doc said she couldn't tell how dilated I was. The other doc checked and well what do you know...They couldn't see because there was a head there!!! Chaos ensued.

Did I forget to mention that I was on the 7th floor and labor and delivery and the NICU was on the 8th floor? I wasn't allowed to push. Hmmpph. Imagine this (especially you moms that know the feeling). They had to wheel my actual bed all the way down the hall, up the elevator, had to pause to make the construction workers get out of the way!!!!, had to wheel me in, transfer me to another bed (ARE YOU KIDDING ME? MOVE WHEN I WANT TO PUSH! AARGH!), get things set up and get the NICU nurses there all the while I was NOT allowed to push. Needless to say, I had to close my eyes and pretend it wasn't happening. No drugs and a few minutes later Sara was born. This labor duration was about the same as Noah's. They whisked her away. They finally had to just stab two needles into my leg with pitocin (to help with final contractions) and with morphin. I'm weird and I was actually amused by this because it reminded me of those doctor shows that are so over-dramatic and unrealistic. I LOVE morphin!! I don't know if it was my body already knew how to handle birth or I just do so well with morphin, but I felt peachy after giving birth. I had no problem recovering.

After they fixed me up, they finally took me to the NICU and I finally got to see Sara for the first time an hour after her birth. I wasn't able to hold her for the first time until she was 5 days old. That was such a weird feeling to be so detached from your baby like that. She weighed a huge 3 lbs 5 oz and 15 in long at 30 weeks and 2 days gestation. I can only imagine what weight she might have been if she was term because Noah was only 6 lb 9 oz at term. That 5 1/2 weeks truly helped her. She didn't breathe on her own for a while and she had a million cords and IVs hooked up to her but over all she was wonderful. Labor was not. :) I would still see those docs in the halls later on and I would grumble in my head while I would smile at them.

Sara's Pre-Birth Story

2010-02-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

Ha. That's probably what you are thinking. Sara is 4 months and 1 week old now (2 months tomorrow as her adjusted age). Why are you barely posting her birth story now Lindsey? Because. That's why. Anyhoo....:)

So as you all know, I was due with Sara on Dec. 8, 2009. Minding my own beeswax, I woke up at 4:30 am on the morning of August 25 because I thought I had peed my pants. The day went on and it just wouldn't stop. I called the doc and they told me to go to the hospital to get it checked out. I was bummed because Danny & I were going to keep looking at houses that day. I went to the hospital and there were a couple of us getting checked out for the same thing. They were hoping that mine was just a weak bladder because I was the earliest along. Of course, nope. My water was leaking. They immediately put me on an IV and said they had to send me to a different hospital because they didn't have a high level NICU like UMC did. I got to go for a cool ride in the ambulance (no lights :( ) to UMC. I was all over the place at the time. I felt calm, scared, and confused. Danny and I thought the chance of a baby surviving at 25 weeks was only 5-10%. I went to UMC at night and since we were still fairly new to Tucson, I had no clue where I was. I didn't know until I left in October. Weird feeling.

This is me at 24 weeks, exactly one week before I went into the hospital.

We got to UMC at around 9 pm. Danny didn't get there until later because they kept giving him bad directions and wouldn't let him in because I wasn't in the system yet. Man was he annoyed. They immediately put me on steroids to help the baby's lungs and two meds to stop my labor. They would only stop my labor for 48 hours and then it was just up in the air. They fully expected me to have the baby within those first two days. I was so scared when I came off of the meds. I was convinced I was going to have her within a couple of hours. We were relieved to find out that she had a pretty good chance of surviving (80-90%) but her chance of complications were about as high. They gave us a tour of the NICU and that was so overwhelming. It was just a blur but I felt so sad knowing that was going to be our life. Both my sister and I were preemies. I was 6 weeks early and she was 8 weeks early. I turned out ok but my sister had a lot of problems early on including bleeding in her brain. Imagine my fear thinking my baby was going to be 15 weeks early!!

From the night of August 25, I was on complete bed rest except for the bathroom. My life was completely halted. I went from chasing my active toddler to sitting with NOTHING to do. I don't mean I didn't have anything to occupy my mind. Many people brought things to do, including the nice nurses. I had no purpose. Everyone kept saying "you're growing and protecting your baby". Yes that's true but all I had to do was sit. Luckily, both Danny's mom and my mom alternated every 2 weeks watching Noah. Lifesavers!! I was only able to see Noah and Danny for a few hours a day. A hospital room is no place for an active toddler. Danny would work until around 4 and it would take at least 45 minutes to get to the hospital and he also wanted to see Noah at night at home. It was very lonely.

I was so nervous about going into labor. With Noah I was induced, so I didn't know if my labor would be so different coming naturally. I'd heard that induction contractions can be more painful but I had no idea either way. The doctors were more surprised each day that i stayed pregnant. They said unless something went wrong with the baby or with me they would let me stay pregnant until I was 34 weeks along. That would have meant 9 weeks of bed rest! Imagine to yourself 9 weeks of just sitting there. I miss the easiness of it now, but to stay that long.... I hated it!!

This is me at 27 weeks after barely being in the hospital for 2 weeks. You can tell I'm already bored out of my mind. At least the nurses were very nice, and eventually gave me a private room with a view. For most of my stay, I stayed on the post-partum level (7th floor). L&D was on the 8th floor along with the NICU. This hospital was older. Post-partum women usually had to share a room. Yuck!! There were a few private rooms which I stayed in most of the time since I was long-term. During my stay, I moved 8 different times!!! At least it gave me something to do. I was on the 7th floor so I could see the city fairly well.

Every so often, people from church would come visit but again, we were fairly new and barely knew anyone. Most everyone at church was probably thinking "Who the heck is Lindsey?" or "I didn't know she was pregnant." That's because I was still so early and didn't show. Eventually, all the things I love to do to relax, such as reading or painting, became not so interesting because they became my work. It's hard to explain, but you enjoy them partly because you can't do them all of the time. There, that was all I had. Surprisingly, the days went really fast. That is partly because I just learned how to zone out. I became an insomniac (still am) because I had no reason or need to fall asleep at night. I could just sleep during the day. It was just wait, wait wait.....

This is way too long, so I will post the actual birth story next. Maybe after that I will be able to post Halloween 2009 by October of this year. :)

Back to Normal

2010-01-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today (well, technically yesterday because my computer is stupid) my momma left after spending 2 weeks helping me get adjusted with the two squirts. No more grandmas are coming. :( This is the first night that it is just me, my husband, my son, and my daughter (& a cat). Either my mom or Danny's mom has been helping us two weeks at a time since August 25. They were a lifesaver when I was in the hospital and then every day when we went to see Sara. This is the first night we can sit at home. I don't know what to do with myself and all of this time. I feel so lost. I don't have to go anywhere, see anyone, or stay apart from my family. Now I am back to babble and screams instead of adult conversation all day. I am tired, overwhelmed, lost for what to do (yes, I know I have two kids :)) and still not believing it is finally over. Sara will be 4 months old (1 1/2 adjusted age) on Monday. I realized even though she has been home for two weeks, we hadn't taken a family picture. It is by no means the best picture but we are TOGETHER. Good night. :)

One Year

2010-01-21T20:47:00.001-08:00

It's been one year since Pat. I can't believe it's gone that fast already.

You Have to Watch This!

2009-12-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

I saw this video yesterday and I thought it was the most hysterical thing I've seen. Danny and I were just crying with laughter. We had to watch it over and over again. It involves a mom and her kids. Even if you're not a parent, you will find it humorous. Enjoy.

I can't get it to upload on here, so just follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9xk9D2hLT0

What did you think?

Two Months Behind

2009-12-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

I figure since Sara was born two months early I have at least two months allowance to be behind on things. This especially includes my blog. To remind myself and to show my family what they can look forward to, here's my list of desired blogs to be written.

-Sara's birth
-hospital stay/NICU experience
-Halloween (Yes, I know it's December. At least it's still the same year.)
-old house
-new house

There you go.

You Know You've Been in the Hospital Too Long When......

2009-09-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

You know you’ve been in the hospital too long when…

-you know ALL of the nurses and patient care technicians
-you know some of the nurses’ schedules
-you can talk to a nurse about her son’s wedding because you knew it was going to happen
-you don’t have to look at the menu to order food because you know it all
-the cleaning ladies ask how your parents’ move is going
-the nurses offer to go themselves to buy something for you to keep boredom away
-workers in the hospital know your son by name
-you have your own private room (lifesaver!)
-you can successfully instruct the medical students how to operate the fetal heart monitor because they’re not sure what to do
-the room service staff knows some of the food you like and you can ask them about some of the classes you know they’re taking
-you’ve watched women come in, give birth, and then go home; now their babies are a few weeks old
-you’ve lost count of how many times you’ve been poked to start a new IV
-there is a permanent indentation in your bed from where you sit all day
-you have family pictures up on the wall
-you know the schedule of most of the TV channels’ programs
-it would take a while to collect all of your stuff in your room because you’ve collected so much personal stuff, necessary items, and activities

And finally….

-the sun was still up at 8 o’clock in the evening when you came to the hospital, now it’s not even up at 6:45

These are all true, just to name a few. I have been here for a month tomorrow and will hopefully be here for at least another 5 ½ weeks. :)

09/10/09 Baby Pat

2009-09-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

This isn't the most upbeat post in the world, so you can skip over it or not. It's mainly just for me to get my thoughts out. It doesn't matter to me. Oh, and PS: This isn't meant to make you feel like I'm having a pity party for myself.

Today is the day I was due with my second baby. As you all know, I lost that baby in a miscarriage. I have been dreading this day all year. What do you do with a day like this? After a while, you finally get used to (not get over) the day you lost the baby but in the back of your mind you know you still have your due date to come. That's the day you're supposed to be really excited for. You get to have your brand new baby that you've been waiting for all year.
You don't know what to do with a miscarriage. Even though I lost the baby fairly early on, I believe I had a living human being inside of me. We had no warning. Just one morning, I started bleeding. I went to the hospital and by the time they did an ultrasound (couple of hrs later), there was no sign of a viable pregnancy.

I feel a lot better now but I think it's due more to time rather than completely dealing with it. It really frustrates me when someone asks me how many children I have. What do I say? I don't want to get into a pity party with them, but there is no simple answer in my mind. I have one son and am expecting another one, but what happens to Baby #2 in that equation? Doesn't exist/count because I don't have a birth story to tell? I haven't decided how to phrase that one yet. Probably never will quite to my liking.

One of the main reasons I write this post is to make Baby #2 exist in other people's minds. Baby #2 was my second baby. Since we never found out the gender, we call it "Pat" so it doesn't get mad at us either way if it's a boy or a girl. :) Another is most people don't know what to do with the sensitive subject of miscarriage. It's not realized how commonly it actually happens. People avoid the subject because of sensitivity and uncertainty. It's ok. Oh, & I just recently learned that October is pregnancy loss awareness month.

Now that this day has come and gone, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't mope around. Truthfully, being pregnant with Baby #3 has helped a little. Don't think by any means that Baby #3 was a replacement or filler for Pat's place. I guess just feeling Baby #3 moving around made me think more about the future and not dwell on the past. I must say it's weird being in the hospital on this day due to a baby, just not Baby #2.

That's about all I have to say right now. Maybe I'll say more later. I will never forget about this day. Pat's day

I'm In The Hospital

2009-08-26T12:17:00.002-07:00

I'm in the hospital. My water broke yesterday but I'm only 25 weeks along. :( We just don't know. They'll probably only be able to hold off delivery for a week or so. I wasn't due until Dec 8. Please keep baby in your prayers. Thanks.

2009-08-26T12:17:00.001-07:00

AND THE WINNER IS....

2009-08-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all that played Guess That Pregnancy Vol. 1. And the winner is......Tara and Priscilla. Ok, I couldn't pick just one b/c you both had the same exact answer. (And yes, my sister didn't even know how far along I was or when I was due.) Send me your address and your prize is yours. :)

I was quite pleased with the guesses b/c I already feel like I'm a whale. The guesses ranged from only 17 all the way down to 12 weeks!! (Thanks Bessie. It made me feel better. And Tiffany, I was pleased w/ your answer so no offense taken. & I read your blog. It's great.) Well folks, the pic w/ the orange shirt was when I was 22 weeks and the green shirt is at 23 weeks. As of yesterday, I am 24 weeks so that puts me at what? About 6 months. The 9 month/40 weeks thing is confusing. The miscarriage with the 2nd baby threw everything off so my original due date was actually November 28th. But since the baby was not growing (they were pretty sure he/she wasn't even viable), they put my due date around Dec 8th. So anywhere in between those 2 dates.

I feel like I'm much bigger w/ this baby than I was with Noah at this point, so I was pleased that people thought I was small and not very far along. THANKS!!!

Thanks again for playing.

PS: We've already known the gender for a while. :) What do you think it is? That question will come up later in addition to the birth date and weight. Mull it over and have a great day!

GUESS THAT PREGNANCY Vol. 1 Update

2009-08-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

So I decided that you all have one more day to guess how far along I am and/or when my due date is. Upon discussion with the hubby, I decided the pic you have seen was a little far away. So I'm giving you another pic and you can change your guess if you want.

This picture was taken this week (1 week after the pic w/ the orange shirt). I don't think either picture is a totally accurate representation of my stomach but oh well. I think the orange shirt one is understated and this green shirt one is overstated. So guess in between. :) Remember, there will be other questions as well.

Welcome to GUESS THAT PREGNANCY!! Vol. 1

2009-08-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

So if you haven't noticed already, I've been very reserved in my conversations about this current pregnancy. I think (probably unnecessarily but..) that I am within reason because of our prior loss and I still have the occasional complication with this one. And I'm just nervous as heck about it. I'm not ready to take care of two but I want this baby born already! I also thinks it's because I've been a little moody since Baby #2 was due in only 5 weeks!! Wow. Sad face.

Now that I've decided to indulge in a little more conversation, I've decided I want to make this pregnancy as fun and as light-hearted as we can make it. So, welcome to Guess That Pregnancy! Over the next couple of months, I am going to have a few questions about it. The winner of each question will receive a PRIZE!! Don't ask me what it is yet, I don't know. But it will be good.

Guess That Pregnancy Vol. 1

I haven't really told anyone actually when I am due. Based on the picture of me below (taken this week), please tell me how far along I am in weeks and/or what my actual due date is. PS: Don't critique the pic. I look pretty stumpy and it's not very pretty.

HINT: The second baby was due September 10th so you know this 3rd baby is not terribly soon.

So, what do you think?

Oh and DUH, if you have already actually been graced with the knowledge of the due date, DON'T participate!!! There will be other later questions that you can try your hand at.

And finally so he doesn't feel left out, here is my child. I don't know what planet he came from sometimes, but this is his favorite hobby. Walking around with a pot on his head and purposely running into walls. :)

So, get to it! Post your guesses as a comment on here or send me a message through facebook or my email at: lindseyransom@yahoo.com

GOOD LUCK!! :)

Can Anyone See/Read My Blog????

2009-07-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

This stupid website has been driving me crazy. Everytime I go onto my blog, it shows everything BUT the posts. So people out there, can you see all the posts or is it just a blank canvas?

POLLING PARENTS

2009-07-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hi parents. Danny and I are looking at buying a different crib for Noah. We want a nice one (especially one that converts as he gets older) but we don't want to spend a fortune on it. So parents, what types of cribs do you have? What are your pros and cons of each crib? How much did it cost? How old can he be while still using it? Any info would be appreciated. I'm just tired of looking at the endless possibilities, but I still want to get a good, safe deal. Thanks. :)

Way Behind

2009-06-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

From the title, you can tell the obvious fact pertaining to my blog. We finally got Internet this weekend, and I can't believe how dependent we are on it. After Noah's birthday and party were all done with, we had a trip planned to Tucson to look for a house. Of course, Noah was still terribly sick. After a lot of heart-wrenching deliberation, Danny and I decided we would still make the trip but we would leave Noah with his grandparents. In reality, it was the best for him but I hated it and felt so guilty. It was like a short 3rd honeymoon for us, so that was nice. It was so weird not having him with us. I kept feeling like I was forgetting him, and I hated that.

Danny & I stayed at this place for only $69/night & we even got the 3rd night free. It was a really good deal b/c it ended up being like a mini resort w/ a huge room, pool, & we basically had the whole place to ourselves. It was really nice.

The day we went to look at houses we actually only looked at 3 houses. The houses were in this place just outside of Tucson and I already had my heart set on it before we even went there. They have ridiculous amenities like numerous pools and playgrounds, a waterpark, mini-golf, train rides, a lake, etc. etc. And it's all free to us b/c it's included in our rent. Still, our rent is only in the 800's, which is ridiculously reasonable considering it's a house and everything else we're getting. (We're renting for the 1st year to find a place we definitely like before we buy.) I thought the amenities would be wonderful b/c I know no one out here and I have a young child.

The house we got was the 1st one we looked at. It's 3 bed/2 bath w/ 2 car garage and backyard. We loved it and had the lease signed by 2 that day.

It was a great trip & since I still don't have the house to my liking yet, I'll only give you an outside view of it and some pics from our great hotel room.

PS You can't really see the house anyways b/c of the big mesquite and b/c the house is long lengthwise and not widthwise. :)

The view from our room

I don't think I've ever had a walk-in closet in my hotel room before.

A bed so big you don't have to touch if you don't want to.

My Later Years in Review (READ: Makes You Contemplate, Hopefully)

2009-06-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know. I make it sound like I'm 70 or something. I know I'm not really old. I'm only 24, but I feel like the years are all of a sudden finding the fast forward button. I guess it's because I have things to gauge time with. This year I'm coming up on my 3rd wedding anniversary and my son is over 1. It just makes me think: What have I done with these last few years (particularly my 20's) that make it seem so fast? Maybe it's because I've had so many big, life impacting events in the last couple of years. So I wrote out a list to see the big events in my life recently.

18 years old
-graduated high school
-moved out of my parents' house to a different state (beautiful Colorado)
-went to college
-got baptized

19 years old
-Ok, my life was fun this year, but nothing life changing that I can remember.
-Truthfully, I had SO much fun this year that I ended up suffering in school. Oops. But, I'd NEVER take back those opportunities and memories.

20 years old
-left college in Colorado Boo
-went to college in New Mexico
-met and started dating my future husband Yay!

21 years old
-got engaged to Danny
-married Danny on December 16, 2006 :)

22 years old
-found out I was pregnant for the 1st time on September 1, 2008

23 years old
-had my baby boy on May 7, 2008 ( 3 weeks exactly after my 23rd birthday) :) :)
-FINALLY graduated college w/ an Elementary Education degree after 6 years
-husband got a wonderful job in Tucson for when he graduates in May
-found out we were pregnant for the 2nd time when Noah was barely 7 months :0

24 years old
-lost our second baby on January 21, 2009 :(
-found out we were pregnant for the 3rd time :) Shock! :)
-moved to WONDERFUL Tucson, Arizona

So as you can see, I've been busy. And this year is just going to get even busier!!! :)

Noah's Birthday Party

2009-05-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it's already been 2 weeks. I'm slow. So I wanted to plan a really good birthday party. In reality, I know it was for the adults but I also thought it was a good way to see some friends before we move.
I originally wanted to go w/ a Noah's Ark theme but I thought our next kids would feel like they were missing out b/c they didn't have a name that could be used like that. So it became a jungle party. I wish I had taken pictures of the food, but I had frozen chocolate bananas, animal crackers, dirt (pudding) w/ worms, animal shaped cookies. I went all out. I had a monkey pinata and a Curious George cake (b/c no place has an actual "jungle" themed cake:( ).
We had it at my brother-in-law's place, so we were able to go swimming, fire up the grill, and play volleyball if we wanted.
The birthday boy had a hard time b/c he was still sick. He slept most of it, but luckily he was able to swim a little and play with his cake. Weirdly enough, he wasn't interested in touching the cake.

It was also the same day of Danny's graduation, but it was a lot of fun. :)

Here are some pics:

This was Noah's 1st time in the pool & he was totally uniterested. This drove me crazy b/c I'm always soaking wet after his baths b/c he loves to splash so much.

It was nice b/c Danny's brother & family surprised all by coming down that weekend from Texas.

My parents were able to drive down from Albuquerque for the day.

Noah's smash cake (that was free) and his b-day cake.

Noah & his 4 foot high pinata. I loved the size of it b/c it only cost $20! They even had a 5 foot one! You can tell Noah was out of it.

Martin decided he needed to try on the monkey head. Very creepy looking!!

Noah with all of his birthday presents. Thanks everybody!!

Danny's Birthday

2009-05-21T17:43:00.001-07:00

Today's Danny's birthday. He's 25. Wow. Happy birthday dear!!! :)

Danny's Birthday

2009-05-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today's Danny's birthday. He's 25. Wow. Happy birthday dear!!! :)

Danny's Graduation

2009-05-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

So, I feel like I've been slacking on posting since a lot of good stuff has happened recently. To remedy that, I'll post each thing as its own post to give it its time in the spotlight.

On May 9th, Danny finally graduated (YAY!!!) with a degree in mechanical engineering. The ceremony wasn't as long and as boring as mine, which we all were grateful for.

Noah's 1st Birthday

2009-05-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, May 7th, was my not so little baby's birthday. It was really weird for me to go through a birthday for me that was so much work to have. All day I kept thinking about "Oh, I went to the hospital now. I was in labor here." etc. etc.

As luck would have it, I have decided that my poor baby has not had a good May 7th yet during his existence here. The first one he was being pushed out and I don't imagine that was an enjoyable experience for him. This year, he was really sick. He'd been running a fever for the last week, but now for the last few days he hasn't been eating. I mean yesterday he had 1 1/2 bottles, a little cereal, and some fruit. ALL DAY! No juice, no water, nothing. So for his birthday, I got to take him to urgent care b/c his silly doctor was closed in the middle of the day. Side note: It was sort of weird b/c I have to pass the hospital to get to the urgent care & I passed it and the room where he was born at exactly the time he was born. It was sort of trippy and emotional.

Anyhoo, the doctor said he had an ear infection & that was probably affecting his desire to eat. My poor baby cried all day and felt as terrible as he looked.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!! :(

How to Break an Infant's Fever

2009-05-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes you have nothing to write about and then you have ten million things you want to write down? Well, that's today. But Noah's fever is the most pressing on my mind right now, so I decided to make it it's own post and then add everthing later.

Anyhoo, Noah's been running a fever for the past two days and I'm trying to find ideas on how to break the fever in a more natural way other than just using medicine. I've tried sponge baths and lots of juice/water but no success quite yet.

ANY IDEAS???

ATTENTION ALL MOTHERS

2009-04-21T16:45:00.001-07:00

Hi. This can be for anyone that has ideas, but moms probably have the most experience with it. For a while now, Noah has had cradle cap on his head. You know that icky yellow stuff that looks like he has scales? Anyways, I've tried different methods in getting it off but they haven't totally rid his head of the cradle cap. We tried to just let time work it off, dandruff shampoo & brushing it in, and now I've tried this Disney Winnie the Pooh thing that says it's specifically for cradle cap. I tried that and it helps some, but it drives me crazy b/c it leaves his hair greasy and it smells like dog shampoo.

Anyone have any ideas so my child can finally be totally cradle cap free and not smell like an animal?

Walking, Then Running, Then......

2009-04-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

My baby boy started walking on his own yesterday. He's not even 1 years old yet. He's not supposed to be grown up yet. I thought I had to watch him before, but now he'll just leave the couch without any fear and I have tile floor. AAhhh. That's all I have to say. :)

Time Flies

2009-04-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

I don't have much desire to write tonight because I'm so tired, but I've been thinking how fast time goes. In less than 2 weeks I turn 24! 23 went so fast b/c I had only been it for 3 weeks before Noah was born. Speaking of that, Noah's 1st birthday is in about 5 weeks!!!! AAAAHHH! Where did my newborn go? I don't really have a baby anymore. Currently he is walking around everything and pulling everything down. We couldn't get time to go fast enough just a few years ago and now I can't even find the slow button. I think it's just stuck on fast forward.

Noah's New Haircut

2009-03-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

So, I've been delaying cutting Noah's hair. Even though it was getting long, I thought it was cute that it could be hanging down his forehead for a relaxed look or swept to the side for a more formal look. This was my rationalization. Well, I finally decided to cut it when his hair was about to touch his eyebrows.

This is his before picture (his hair was even longer by the time I cut it):

The next time Noah was asleep, I just cut his hair on the front because he really doesn't have too much hair in other places. You can probably already guess where this is going. :) Now mind you, I have never cut hair before (much less boys' hair). I guess I cut it wrong. I guess you are supposed to lift the hair up between your fingers and then snip it off. I didn't see the harm in just snipping it straight off while it was laying on his forehead. I mean, c'mon, all I wanted to do was simply make the hair shorter. Oh well. To top it off, I cut it too short. I didn't realize this until it was too late and I could see darker hairs that are close to his head that I had passed. Again, oh well. Now he looks like he is wearing a helmet.

I think it's ADORABLE! I think it's hysterical and cute. Heck, he won't even remember it and I now have an experience and pictures to embarass him when he's older if I want to. (Danny doesn't think it's so cute. :) He wants to shave it all off and he said he will cut hair from now on. Go for it. Secretly, I think it's growing on Danny anyways.

So here is the fabulously unique helmet head (It's the best picture of it that I could get b/c he's always moving):

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Productivity in a Day

2009-03-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Especially since I am a stay-at-home mom right now, I often feel like I do not accomplish very much in a day. Truthfully, there are days (like yesterday) when I do what I have to to keep Noah alive and comfortable and then I just sit on my butt and relax. There are other days that I feel really successful in my day's goals and it helps me to write out all that I have to do each day.

Early Morning

-wake up way too early for a Saturday
-give Noah some milk
-change and dress Noah
-give Noah some food
-change Noah b/c he peed his clothes
-get a shower
-eat breakfast
-give Noah a bath b/c he peed his clothes again...Sigh
-get Noah dressed
-play w/ Noah
-put baby down for a nap

Late Morning
-run errands (pick up medicine, buy stuff for Noah, get oil changed, pick up some movies, & post office) I left baby w/ Danny and it was so nice to just run into a store & leave quickly w/o a child in tow.
-prepare food in the slow cooker for dinner
-change Noah
-eat lunch
-play with Noah

Early Afternoon
-watch a movie while I work on stuff
-do the dishes
-change Noah
-feed Noah
-work on my dad's birthday present
-dream of a nap that will never come

Early Evening
-watch another really good movie (I like noise while I work on things)
-eat dinner
-feed & change Noah
-put Noah to bed
-stay up much later than I should when I'm exhausted & I know Noah will wake up earlier than my liking tomorrow
-go to bed :)

Though this may seem like I didn't really get much done besides taking care of Noah, I felt very accomplished, especially with all the errands I completed in less than 2 hrs!! How was your day?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

I enjoy holidays. Though I am not Catholic and probably am only 5% Irish, I enjoy doing something little like wearing green. It's fun. I don't even mind when people I know pinch me if I'm not wearing green. What drives me bonkers is if a stranger pinches me. Moral of the story: keep your pinchers to yourself if you don't know them and have fun! :)

Noah Won!!!!!

2009-02-22T12:51:00.000-08:00

So, we were bored while surfing the Internet and we found information about the Disneyland Dreams contest. We entered him in the contest just for kicks, and he WON!!!!!!!!!!! We get to go to Disneyland at the beginning of the summer to celebrate his birthday. EVEN BETTER, we get to see the park dedicated to him. NO kidding!!!vv Watch the link above where a local California news station showed the excitement awaiting Noah. It's awesome!!! PS: DON'T FORGET TO TURN OFF THE MUSIC AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

25 Random Things About Me

2009-02-17T13:39:00.001-08:00

This type of post has been running rampant on Facebook lately, but I have had no desire to post my own on Facebook for two reasons. One: everyone's doing it Two: I wanted to have the chance to really think about my life and about things that are different about me. That way the 25 things are random from each other but are also really thought through.

25 Random Things About Me
1. I cannot stand food that is supposed to be hot but rather is disgustingly cold.
2. I cannot live without lotion and chapstick.
3. I am more comfortable with my big toes being crossed over the little toes than having them uncrossed (even when walking). I do it without thinking and it will kill my feet one day.
4. I love to do things solely for my own amusement. For example, I want to get my Masters and PhD just so I could say, “Hey, I have these degrees and don’t do anything will them on purpose”.
5. I am addicted to Minesweeper, which is a totally useless game in which I can rarely win the hardest level. I'm still addicted.
6. I have a half white, half Mexican for a son and I NEVER thought he would look so much like me. Seriously.
7. I need my daily routines in life to keep me from chaos.
8. I CANNOT stand the sound of ice being chewed. It makes me cringe just thinking about it.
9. I am pretty decent at spelling words. I was once even in a spelling bee and I got a trophy that was a geeky-looking bee. I love that trophy!
10. I type words in my head when I see them. I can’t help it and I think it makes my typing skills even better.
11. I have a REALLY hard time frequenting a business that cannot spell its own line of business correctly. For example, I went past a bakery that said they were selling “coopcakes”. Come on!
12. I once met Keith Urban and he called me sweetheart. To this day, I won’t let Danny call me sweetheart.
13. I go stir crazy very easily. I love to travel, but I hate the modes of transportation that get me where I’m going, particularly planes.
14. I have a weird sense of humor. It drives Danny and my friends crazy.
15. I have very expensive taste. For example, my favorite foods are crab, steak, and lobster.
16. Though I have expensive taste, I think paying $20 is too much for a pair of pants.
17. I want to start a photography business one day for my own enjoyment.
18. I will answer to the names Pickle, George, or Junebug.
19. I get really excited when it rains or snows. Precipitation is so calming to me.
20. I only went through a 3 ½ hour labor with my first child. Jealous? I know. :)
21. Though Danny makes fun of me for it, I have a desire to learn how to rollerblade.
22. I share the same birthday with my mother-in-law. Danny definitely can never forget that day!
23. I want four kids, solely because it is an even number. (But I have more than 4 names in mind for my children.)
24. I am a complete sap.
25. I prefer to make presents than to just buy them. For Valentine’s Day, I made Danny a cookie bouquet. I know. Talented.
:)

Noah's Nebulizer

2009-02-06T06:44:00.001-08:00

Noah's been sick for a couple of weeks now and we've been to the doctor three times. Finally, the doctor determined that he has bronchiolitis. He has to be on a vapor nebulizer every 4-6 hours for about 10 minutes each treatment. First, he's a little baby and has no patience for 10 minutes of sucking in icky vapors. Secondly, they didn't give us a mask but just a mouthpiece. This makes it trickier to keep it in and give him the most vapors.

Regardless, he is doing excellent & I must give my baby praises for how well he is taking it. The first night he had a treatment, he screamed bloody murder while sitting between Danny and I. Before we knew it, it was silent. This is why:

ADORABLE! My baby boy was tuckered out! :)

Terrible 2 Weeks & NOW We're Moving On

2009-02-05T08:26:00.000-08:00

As you know, it's been a really hard past two weeks. We lost our second baby in a miscarriage that happened the day after the inaguration. Then the next day, I found out that my precious cat had a tumor and needed surgery. Oh great! Then that following Monday, I had to attend my grandmother's funeral. During all of this, I was in physical pain from the miscarriage.

As it's been 2 weeks now, we're beginning to feel better. I guess you just can't get any worse huh? SHHH, I don't want to push it. :) The physical pain is mostly gone, the cat's tumor ended up only being an infection, and my grandmother's funeral was very nice. In a way, her death wasn't that terrible. She's had Alzheimer's for years, so she's been gone in our minds for a long time. I just needed to get all of that off my chest.

Moving on, I'm starting many activities. I'm taking a sewing class. I want to be a Jill of all trades learning a little bit of everything and it's nice to just take a fun class since I NOW have my degree! YAY! I'm helping a friend make six-fold ties for his upcoming business (if anyone's interested in a silk tie let me know). I'm organizing my household more to my liking and getting excited for our move to Tucson.

Overall, life goes on and though it sure is challenging, it's good.

Life

2009-01-21T19:15:00.001-08:00

There's just no good way to say it, but we lost the baby today. It was very sudden and sad. It will take a long time to get over, but we won't forget. I know that this baby was just too precious for this troubling world and I'll meet it someday.

And Baby Makes Four

2009-01-07T22:38:00.000-08:00

As you can guess, baby #2 is on the way. Mark your calendars for September 10, 2009.

Music during the Videos

2009-01-04T17:50:00.001-08:00

Just so everyone knows

To turn down the music to hear the videos

Scroll down to the bottom of the blog. There's a music player at the very bottom called "My Music". Just press the "pause" button to stop the music. Good luck. :)

Dedicated to Katy (A Video Scrapbook of Noah's Life Thus Far)

2009-01-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

Yay! I'm posting! Katy you will be very happy.

Now what? I don't know what to say. I guess since I've never really gotten this blog started and some haven't seen what growth Noah has already accomplished, I decided to show Noah's life through video. Now let's see if I can post them correctly.

WARNING: There are a LOT of videos after this warning, but c'mon I had to show all the cute stuff. :) Be patient, hope it works, enjoy, & tell me what you think.

This is Noah at 2 weeks old. I can't believe how he just sits there and is so little. He was ONLY 6 lbs 9.5 oz when he was born!!!!

This is Noah one day shy of 1 month old. WARNING: This is a colicky baby. Only those with patience and ear plugs should proceed to watch.

This is Noah when he discovered how far his eyelids could open at a little over 2 months olds.

This is the ONLY way Noah used to sleep for about the first 2 1/2 months of his life: in his car seat. :( It was very frustrating.

Noah loved being tickled by Mommy's hair when was about 2 1/2 months old. His noises were the beginnings of his "teradactyl" noises. And look at how bald he is!!!! AWWWW.

This video is one in the "Noah Button" series. In this one, if you press the "Noah Nose Button" he will run for you. He's almost 3 months in this video.

In this video, the "Noah Nose Button" has progressed to violent tendencies. He is hysterical and it would only be his right hand every time. Watch and see........

Noah at the zoo. He found no interest at his ripe old age of 5 months old.

Noah's first try at food when he was about 6 months old. When he gets excited, he starts to shake and balls up his fists.

This is a classic. Have your laughter ready. Noah took the motorboating from earlier months to heart and went beserk with it totally unprovoked. The only downside: he has now taken to holding his breath for kicks! Not exactly a fun time for your parents, young man!!!

This is Transformer Noah at a little over 6 months. This video shows a small portion of his high-pitched ear-shattering screams. He will now scream like that all day for fun at the top of his lungs. You can also hear his really cute laugh.

Noah used to walk in his "chair" like a crab sideways or zipping down the hallway backwards. Noah finally learned how to walk forward in his chair at around 7 months. In this video though, he seems quite suspicious of mommy and the camera.

Finally, Noah and his friend Lyndsey when he is almost 8 months old. Can you believe she is a year and 1 month!!! So cute and petite. That means she is almost 6 months older than him. We have such a monster!!!!

Whew!!! You made it. Hope you enjoyed.

Widget

2008-11-14T15:30:00.001-08:00

I've Created a Giant!

2008-10-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

So, my child is huge. He barely turned 5 months old last week and he weighed 16.5 pounds!!! I have friends with babies who are at least 7 months old or even about to turn 1 and they weigh less than him. He has never lost weight since he was born, not even when he was a newborn and the doctors were all surprised. Chubby babies are cute, but I hope he doesn't keep growing at this rate or I'll pull a back muscle again. This picture was taken when he was about 4 months old. I know it's an odd angle and makes him look MASSIVE, but he is still huge and long! He has to be tall at the rate he's growing.

Hi!

2008-10-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

So I've been wanting to try this blog thing for a while to show everyone what's going on in our family. Hopefully I'll figure it out. Have a great day. :)