A few things I've learned

Sometimes when life gets you down, you just gotta remember your blessings.

The saying "Nothing in life worth having is ever easy" is SO SO true. I hope nobody ever thinks otherwise.

Never bite the hand that feeds you.

Holding a grudge is like poison in your veins.

Share your testimony, it'll help it to grow.

If you're ever faced with temptation, just turn away.

If you convince yourself that bad things will happen, bad things will happen. Likewise if you convince yourself good things will happen, good things will happen.

Your attitude effects everything. EVERYTHING!!!

The list goes on, but so does life!

pictures!

Here is a small sampling of our family pictures! My friend Melissa took them, she did such a good job!!! her website is www.thestudiophotographersslc.com.

Bills, Bills, Bills!

Whoever guesses correctly the amount of mine and E's medical bills gets a virtual pat on the back! (Amount before insurance billing.) Let's just say it was quite a hefty sum. Maybe this breakdown will help you sum up:
4 hours monitoring before delivery for mommy
Oxygen for mommy
epidural for mommy
local anesthesia for epidural
more anesthesia for C Section
several IV pokes for mommy (And vein finder)
IV fluid for several days
Emergency C Section for mommy
which includes: anesthesiologist, Doctor, many nurses
4 days stay for mommy after delivery
percocet every 6 hours for mommy
ibuprophen every 8 hours for mommy
antibiotics for 4 days for mommy
nurses checking vitals and stuff every 2-6 hours for 4 days for mommy
nurses for E after delivery
Cpap for E
Oxygen for E
9 days IV fluid for E
9 days time of nurses for E
9 days antibiotics for E
9 days formula for E
9 days diapers, wipes, blankets, etc for E
pic line for delivery of antibiotics

Should I keep going?

Let's just say it was a lot.

Renna's challenge!

The first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me.It will be my choice what I send to you.But...there is a catch...ready?
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make! (But I hope you do!)
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year!
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.
5-The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog! (then come here and post, that you put it on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did will win a homemade gift by me! Anyone up to the challenge?

E L H made her grand apperance on Sunday, Feb 1st 2009 at 1:52pm. She weighed 6lbs. 3oz. and 19 inches long. And I'm totally gonna brag: SHE IS GORGEOUS! Never before in the history of mankind has a more beautiful baby been produced by two people. But, what can I say, I'm a little biased.

So. You all want to know the scary story? Well, I guess I went into labor on Saturday afternoon around 3 o'clock. I wasn't really having contractions but, when I went to the restroom I noticed I started bleeding! Casey was at work, so I called my mom and she and my dad took me to the hospital. Well, I was dialated to about 3.5, so they sent me home. We all knew that I was going to be coming back. They sent me home with a percocet for the pain. I woke up that night at about 2 am having regular contractions but, it really felt like really hard period cramps, so I took some tylenol and went back to sleep. Well, not sleep, more like fitful awakeness. Around 8 am Casey and I decided it was time to go to the hospital so we started getting ready. I knew the day was going to be long and (lol) laborious so I decided to take a shower and have breakfast (which was a good choice btw). We called my parents to let them know I was going to the hospital and they met us there. We also called my bro. Todd because lol, he's been really anxious about E and I didn't want him to worry or have to call us like every two minutes. lol. Anyways, I was admitted and hooked up and monitored.

I was admitted to the hospital and hooked up to all these monitors and they checked me again and I was dialated to a good 4-5 (if I remember correctly). When you're in labor, you're hooked up to two monitors, 1 measures the baby's heart rate and 1 measures mommy's contractions. I was having regular contractions about 2-4 minutes apart. With every contraction I had E's heart rate would drop significantly and between contractions it wouldn't rise back very quickly. Poor little E was under a lot of stress. The doctors were really concerned about that. The nurses gave me an IV and while they were watching it to make sure it was in correctly and good enough, my arm started to swell around the injection site. The IV was no good. two nurses, an anesthesiologist, and yet ANOTHER nurse tried all the places they could find in my arms to administer an IV and they all FAILED! lol! Every vein they tried it was a blowout (I think that's the term they used). They even had this cool devise called a vein finder to find veins and they still didn't find them. So, I got an IV in my left foot! The funny thing is, the anesthesiologist who correctly administered my Epidural was the same one who couldn't get an IV in me. kind of ironic. lol. After about 3 and a half hours of monitoring E and I, my Doc decided that the only way to safely have my baby was to have an emergency C Section. So, they prepped me for surgery and I watched Casey get ready to come with me. I got the shakes SOOOOO bad. I couldn't hold still at all. I was shaking from my shoulders up uncontrollably. I was so scared! I would try to calm my breathing but, it only worked for a second or two. After a few minutes of prepping me in the OR, Casey was allowed in, but not allowed to look over the curtain between my head and tummy. He was so great, I couldn't have asked for anyone better. He held my hand and spoke to me calmly and stroked my forhead and kissed my cheeks. He also acted so brave and didn't pace or anything the whole time. I was so scared! When the c section was underway I heard the Doctors talking and they told Casey and I that I had a uterine infection. WHAT!? E was having a hard time breathing. WHAT!? She had pooped meconium in her amnionic fluid and was really sick. What?! When she was out I heard a couple of whimpers and about a minute later, she started crying. Oh my word, I'll never forget that sound in my whole life. It was the most glorious sound I've ever heard! My baby was alive and okay. Casey and I were bawling our eyes out.

I was so scared for my baby. How did I get a uterine infection? What did I do? Is she going to be okay? What happens now? I had so many questions. They wrapped her up and I got to see her for all of 15 seconds before she was taken away. I wanted my baby! Why couldn't I hold her? I felt terrible! They took me to a room where I was to recover and I could get some rest. Doctors and nurses kept coming and going as they always do, collecting blood, urine, blah blah blah. In the end, The docs are stumped, they have no idea what the infection was caused by. I was in the hospital for 4 days. E has been in the NICU since Sunday and we hope to take her home on Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Pray for E and all the little babies in the NICU. They're all really sick and need your prayers.

Shopping with the "In Laws"

What's up everyone this is Casey I normally don't do this blog stuff but tonight the funniest thing happened that I just have to let everyone know. I had the pleasure of baby shopping with Gaylen and Leona tonight at target. They were forced to get out of their pajamas to go to target because we were going shopping and we have a coupon for 10% off everything on our registry for the day. I had the wonder ideal of getting the scanner gun from customer service so we can add everything we were buying the the registry so we could save a little more. The in laws showed up about 20 min and a hundred dollars into our little shopping trip. Leona had me scanning everything left and right.

Once we finished I returned the scanner to customer service and printed off the new registry. Much to my surprise my wife and her mother were not done shopping I had to go back and get the scanner once again to scan 3 baby outfits. This is were the story get to be a little funny Gaylen was in need of some new socks you guessed it folks Leona made me add grown man's socks to our baby registry so they could get 10% off on socks. Leona looked at me as I was scanning the baby outfits and said "Don't forget the socks" so I added the socks to our registry laughing the whole time.

In their defense they did help us out a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just thought you guys might enjoy this little funny story

Week in review

This past week has been eventful and yet uneventful all at once. First it started out on monday at about 6 am. I had bad heartburn and was hungry so I got up and had a bowl of fruitie tooties (ie. malt o meal fruit loops...lol...we're cheap.) then about a half and hour later I was worshipping the porceline god. WHAT!? That never happens! Yes, I still get morning sickness but usually my tummy settles after a snack and I never lose it half an hour later! I kept thinking that was odd. So, I get a piece of bread and eat about half of that and what do you know, I lost that one to the sewer system too! That morning I had a Dr.'s appointment so I called him and asked him if he still wanted me to come in and he did, so I went to my appointment with a bucket close by and I did utilize the bucket on the way to the Dr.'s. Poor Casey, he thought he would have to pull over. Well, I threw up about 4 times in four hours. not good. Doc checks me out and YAY! I'm starting to dialate! I was a whopping 1 at the appointment. It's exciting to me 'cause I've never done this before. And Espen's head is where it's supposed to be, down, and my cervix is softening and I'm starting to dialate! Woot! This baby's getting ready to come and play!!! (To me that's the most exciting event this week.) Anyways, I've got the flu real bad and I'm at the Doc's and I had to throw up in his sink. I feel bad about that. Well, he prescribed me an anti neausea medication but, I'd take it and I couldn't keep it down. I'd drink about a half cup of water or juice and then I'd be in the bathroom. And anything that was already in me, well, let's just say, it didn't stay there either. I was quickly becoming dehydrated and I was scared for little Espie. So, the Doc said to go to the ER and when I got there, they took me right up to Labor and Delivery! Wow! My own personal little tour! I got an IV and some anti neausea medicine in the iv and even with that I had to throw up. Well, at the hospital was the last time, thank goodness. I was so scared for Espen. All these what if's were going through my head, every worst case scenerio was playing through my mind. Casey and I prayed a lot and I had my hometeachers come give me a blessing. And we made it through. Espen is just fine, I'm fully recovered and I feel great! In fact, I've felt great the last 3 days! My boss was generous enough to give me this week off. Which really REALLY sucks paycheck wise but, has been nice cause I feel a lot better. I feel bad because I took this week off, put them in a bind and knowing how things usually go for me, I'll go to work on monday and go into labor at work and put them in a bind again. lol. It's kinda funny that way, that's how things usually work out for me.

OH! Yeah, I can't rememver if I mentioned that we lost another frog a while ago. Well, it was sometime before christmas we had another anphibious escapee. Well, we never found him and wouldn't you know. He never stunk so we COULDN'T find him. Well, I found it this morning. Poor little froggie, he's very crispified. So, we are down to one froggie and we have a lid now for our fish tank AND we invested in one fish. It's a black Ghost knife. it's about 5 inches long, has a small electric shock so we know the frog won't eat this fish! lol! It's quite a pretty fish. Too bad he likes to hide, we don't get to gaze upon his beautifulness very much. http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Knife,%20Black%20Ghost.htm Oh well. Here's a link to see what it looks like. Stay tuned for more updates! More on monday for sure cause I'm going in weekly now!