35 weeks 4 days and counting

Time sure flies when every time you try to use the computer on your lap your hands become numb!  I have tried to sit down to post or really do anything on the laptop and find my fingers and hands getting numb after only a few minutes.  Just another fun side effect of pregnancy I hear :).

There isn't a lot to tell about the babies until this Thursday's Ultrasound.   Since my last update we met with the doctors and decided to schedule a c-section for sometime between 36-37 weeks.  The only date Dr. Sean Esplin was available was July 8th so that is the special day. (Which is also the birthday of another dear friend!) He is one of the perinatologists we have met with at IMC and happens to be the cousin of a dear friend in our ward.  After meeting him a couple times we felt very comfortable with him delivering our babies since my regular OB is not able to deliver at the U hospital.  At first we were hoping for something closer to July 2nd but after discussing Baby B's condition further we all agreed giving both babies another week would make them stronger to fight any aliment that they may face.  Also, July 2nd -5th is holiday time and some of the best doctors at Primary Children's would be on vacation. So we are hoping I don't go into labor on my own before July 6th just in case we need those doctors.

I met with Dr. Esplin yesterday to discuss the day of delivery and what to expect with a c-section as well as what to expect with the babies care after delivery.  He said that Baby A will have a pediatric team in the same room as us to look him over and see if he needs any additional help breathing or if he is ok on his own.  If all is ok we will be able to hold him right in that room.  Then he said Baby B will be handed through the "window" into the care of the neonatal ICU doctors to see what issues he/she will have and we should know within 30-40 min if there were lungs enough to sustain life or if the baby will pass away.  If there are enough lungs developed, then over the fiirst couple days we will find out if the kidney's are slightly damaged and will be ok or if they were severely damaged and the baby will need a transplant.  They will also try to find the blockage to take some pressure off the kidneys as soon as they can.  We meet with a neonatal doctor this Thursday to find out exactly what they will do and how they decide what next steps to take depending on multiple outcomes. We also want to find out how long we can anticipate baby B being in the hospital for each outcome.

As you can imagine, we have experienced many emotions throughout this journey and in the past week we have experienced many more.   The anticipation of this day is finally here, we have a set date for delivery which makes the end more real.  We are so excited (and nervous) to be parents and can't wait to meet these 2 spirits that have been growing inside me the past 9 months but at the same time a bit cautious knowing the outcome of baby B could vary so much.  Brad and I have talked a lot the last few days about what we have experienced so far and what we have learned.  First of all, we have learned we have no control over what happens next, it is all up to our Heavenly Father and His will for us and our family.  Second, we have had good days and bad days, answered prayers  and unanswered prayers, hope and fear, faith and discouragement.  And what we determined from all this, is that without trials we wouldn't learn anything, we wouldn't know or understand our purpose in this life, we wouldn't develop faith or have a reason to strengthen our testimony in our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  Life is definitely a test and how we react to each challenge or trial we face helps determine who we are and helps us to become stronger.  As much as we want life to be easy it wouldn't help us learn and grow.   I feel like I am rambling but I hope this makes sense to at least one person or that our children will look back on this and learn something from our experience.  I know our marriage has been strengthened throughout this experience as well as our testimony of prayer and the power of the priesthood.  Every day we both look at each other and think we couldn't love each other more and then a day later we feel that same way again, as cheesy as that sounds it is true. What a blessing to be married to my best friend and love him more today than I did almost 8 yrs ago on our wedding day, even with each of our faults.

Finally, we are so blessed to have a gracious Heavenly Father who loves both of us and lets us know on a daily basis that He is aware of us and knows what we are experiencing. A caring and inspired home teacher that has, on many occasions, given both Brad and I priesthood blessings when needed.   I am grateful for a loving husband that helps me to be calm when needed, exercises his priesthood when needed, helps me to talk things through, and will also share his feelings so we feel like we are a team walking side by side throughout this journey and not going through this alone.   Family and friends that continue to inspire and support us as the time draws near. We are lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives and the knowledge of the gospel to remind us we are not alone and that our Heavenly Father's plan is perfect.

We will have the majority of our family there on the 8th - parents, siblings, etc... just in case.  We are still hopeful for a miracle but we have faith that whatever happens is in the best interest of our family. Thanks again for the continued prayers and support... keep them coming!

7th Anniversary

I can't believe yesterday was our 7th anniversary, time really does fly! As Brad and I were discussing our previous anniversaries, we realized we have forgotten some of the details. That is when I decided we should document them all now in a count down format starting with yesterday. Of course yesterday will be the most detailed. So you can keep reading.. :)

7th Anniversary...

This year I was supposed to attend Youth Conference on our anniversary but since I was released a couple weeks ago I was able to spend the day with my husband instead. Yippee! There have been very few anniversaries we have actually spent together due to Girls' camp or Youth Conference in the past 7 years. I have an extremely supportive husband and he has never once complained and for that I am grateful. I have to admit there was a part of me that missed being with the youth this weekend but I thoroughly enjoyed my day with Brad!

Brad had been great about making sure we did things that I enjoy so this year when he asked what we should do I suggested fishing. I actually enjoy fishing in the summer when it is warm. At first he thought I wasn't serious but after I told him at least 5 times that I thought it would be fun he finally believed me. And it really was fun! We hadn't been to this place for about 4 yrs, it is on the Mirror Lake highway above Kamas, UT by Clear Lake. There is a beautiful waterfall hidden in the trees that Brad found once and it has great fishing...usually. This year the fishing wasn't as good as we remembered but the scenery was beautiful. We really enjoyed being in nature and being together. Here are some pictures from the day.

Luckily a random couple were enjoying nature too and were able to take this picture of us. :)

Beautiful right?

Abby (our dog) loves to wait for Brad to catch a fish then she tries to capture it while he is removing the hook. She is so intense while waiting.

I have a video of Abby jumping up the waterfall but couldn't figure it out. I know I am slow to the game but can someone educate me on uploading a video to my blog?

A nice surprise...

I have been wanting a new jewelery box to display my necklaces better and to help keep them from getting all tangled. The problem is, that in our bathroom or bedroom there is no place to put a large jewelry box that wouldn't be in the way. A few weeks back, I went to a small group enrichment night with my ward on decorating our homes. One of my neighbors talked about using an old frame and by putting screen material (like a screen window) she was able to use it for hanging or displaying earrings. She also said it can be like a piece of art in your room. I thought that was a great idea so I came home and told Brad all about it. I thought there must be a way to make something to hang my necklaces on as well. Over the past couple weeks he has asked me questions about such a display and what I thought it may look like. I mentioned a few things and to my surprise I came home yesterday to this!

It still needs a few final touches - paint for one! But how cute is that? He even put a little frame around the edges and was so excited on how straight the edges were and smooth ready for painting. It will hang nicely in our bathroom and allow me to rid myself of a cluttered mess in my drawer.

I have such a thoughtful husband, he is always trying to find ways to make me happy. He seeks for opportunities to do nice things for me and makes me feel like a queen! He is so supportive with everything I do or even sign up for. :-) I couldn't have found a better match for me!

Thanks Brad for all you do! I love you!

Park City....

So... finally I am blogging about our anniversary celebration! First of all, we went the night of our anniversary to the Mt. Timpanogas Temple to do sealings. We started this tradition on our first anniversary while in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Temple and have been able to do this every year except 2 years ago when Brad ended up in the hospital while we were in San Diego (long story that I will have to share at a later time!) It is great to be reminded of the covenants and promises we experienced on our wedding day.

We spent the first 3 days of our honeymoon in Park City before heading to Cancun. I feel so lucky to have had 10 full days with Brad right after we were married before getting back to reality! The benefits of getting married later in life.. there are a few. We thought it would be fun to go back up to Park City to do some of the things we did on our honeymoon. So I took Friday off and we headed up to Park City.

We hit the Alpine slide and the new Alpine roller coaster.. it was SOOO much fun! We loved the new roller coaster, you are heading down so fast and there are lots of turns. Here is a picture of us in our cars... I seriously want to go back!

There is a funny story about the Alpine slide.. see us on the slide below. When we were on our honeymoon I told Brad not to go so fast down the slide that he would fall off... well you know where this is going.. yip you guessed it! I fell off and scraped my knee in two places - yes I still have the scar to prove it. I have yet to live that one down! Brad reminds me every time we go up to Park City. Isn't the view gorgeous!

More pictures of the Alpine slide and coaster below....

We then headed to the Baja Cantina restaurant where we ate on our honeymoon. It is at the base of the Park City ski resort and has really good Mexican food. Yummy! Brad loves it when I want to take lots of pictures.. :0)

On our way home we stopped off at the Park City outlets to do some shopping.. not a favorite past time for Brad but he was a trooper and we were in and out within 1 hour 45min. I was very proud of myself! Great memories and I look forward to MANY more!

My Cute Husband!

Brad has LOVED fishing since he was really young, he claims he was 2 yrs old when he first learned to fish and tie a line but I think that was the beginning of his "fishing tales" :). His favorite memories growing up were when he and his dad would go fishing together. So..every couple months Brad goes fishing with his dad. Usually it is just a day trip but every once and a while it is an overnight trip. This past weekend was an overnight trip with his dad and a couple men from his dad's neighborhood. During the summer I will tag along, that is, when it is sunny and warm outside. I am definitely a fair weather fisherman (woman)!

Anyway....Brad also LOVES being with me and hates sleeping alone. So, anytime he can avoid going overnight he will. So this past weekend he left me these little reminders ...isn't he so cute?

I found notes on the garage door when I got home, the kitchen counter, hallway to our bedroom, mirror in our bathroom, in the shower and in the bed by my pillow. I am sooo lucky to have such a wonderful husband that loves me for who I am and wants me to always know how much he cares!

Thanks Brad for being so supportive and thoughtful!