Sneak Peak

My amazingly talented sister Leah took some pictures of Jesse this weekend while she and her family were down for a visit. Here are just a few to taste!

Week 1

There is something to be said for 2nd babies. I am totally LOVING the newborn phase this time around. Jesse is just a dream baby! I dont know if it's just because i know what to expect, or if he really is just the best baby ever born! I feel like and old pro because he makes it that easy for me. At 4 days old, he was back to his birth weight. That same day was his circumcision, and he screamed through the procedure, but we've hardly heard a peep from him since. He eats every 2-4 hours!!! I get plenty of sleep at night because i nurse him before i go to sleep, and then only twice before it's time to wake up. Physically i feel TOO good. I know i shouldn't, but i would love to go running tomorrow. I'm about 8 lbs. away from my pre-pregnancy weight. My body is bouncing back pretty fast compared to the first time around.

Curtis LOVES his baby brother. We really tried to prepare him emotionally for Jesse to come and flip his world up-side-down, and he has handled it like a champ! He has really taken ownership as well...like when company comes over, he says "this is my baby!" Such a cutie. Curtis loves to hold Jesse and give him his binki. He's even gone as far to say that he loves his baby brother! I thought that would take awhile.

Im in love with my little family. The other night, Clifton went to bed early with Jesse...Curtis was already in bed...and i got to say "all my boys are sleeping!" Im soaking it all in and taking things slow. I feel the blessings from Heaven! How did i get so lucky?!

Baby Brother

Jesse Bryant McNeill

3-25-10

8lbs. 15oz. 21in.

3:41 a.m.

Im finding it hard to find a place to begin, so I guess I’ll just jump right in. Wednesday morning (3-24) I had an appointment with the Dr. He told me a week ago that he would induce me…I was very excited about that. So, the appointment went well, I was still dilated to a 2, but my cervix was more favorable than previous weeks. (TMI? Get over it, there is more TMI to come) My Dr. kept to his word and said “should we send you over right now? Or would you rather wait another day or two?” I was ready to go! Besides we had made arrangements with my parents to watch Curtis that day.

After getting to the hospital about 10:30, they got me started on my first dose of cytotech (the inducing drug). And I quickly found out that there is nothing on daytime tv. By 3 pm they gave me my 2nd dose…still only dilated to a two. I was walking a lot to try and help moving things along, but I felt like I wasn’t in enough pain to really make things move. Well, by 7pm I was due for my 3rd dose of cytotech, but I had only progressed to 3 cm!!! (get that…1cm in 8 hours!) At 7:20 the Dr. broke my water…that was one of the strangest sensations I’ve ever experienced! Besides the initial rush of water, with every contraction after that for an hour it was a constant flow! I estimate that I lost 3-5 lbs. of just water in that hour! I got to get up and walk around for an hour after that (again, to try an make things happen). At this point I started to get really frustrated that the labor wasn’t moving fast enough. I might as well have been walking around the store because I could walk through the contractions! At 10:30 pm I was 4cm and the nurse started me on pitocin (sp?). 12 hours of labor and only 2cm…awesome. Here’s where it gets interesting! The pain was coming!!! I had been waiting all day to feel like I was in labor and almost instantly with the pitocin, the contractions were stronger and more painful. I received my epidural at midnight and it couldn’t have come at a sooner time. I was beginning to shake uncontrollably and vomit from the pain. But I was at 5cm…half way there! From this point on, time seemed to fly. I went from 5cm to complete in 3 hours. 3 am, and the nurse asked me to try some practice pushes. I pushed twice and she told me to stop because it’s best that the Dr. is there for the delivery! By 3:20 (ish) I was pushing. In between contractions/pushing, the nurses were taking bets on the weight…they were all off. At 3:41 Jesse was born, and I couldn’t have been more relieved! The cord was wrapped around his neck once but other than that, it was a very uneventful delivery…of which I was grateful for.

He is named Jesse after my great grandpa Jesse Addison Udall, and Bryant is Clifton's mother's maiden name.

Since being home (we got home at noon on Saturday 3-27), we’ve loved our time with him. He really is an angel! Curtis in anxious to help out too! I told him it was time to feed Jesse, and he ran to get a bottle! I then had to explain how I feed him, but so far I’m grateful for Curtis’ willingness to help.

We love our new baby! We feel so blessed to have him in our home.

Picture Update

"i wanna take silly pictures mom!"

this is our new camera (since our old camera was stolen out of our car)

fancy!

sideways - SUNBEAM!!! such a big boy

We've taught Curtis that mommy and daddy wear rings and it means we love each other very much. Well, the other morning he found this key ring and he says "i love mommy so much". I sure do love this kid!

If there ever were 3 year old best friends, it's these 2. This is Zach! He's my VT partners boy and they just get along so well! She and I kinda do a babysit swap thing (im sure i owe her!!!) and we love having the boys over to play.

This is Blake! Zach's little brother - 19 months old and Adorable!

Best Friends!!!!

Procrastination...isn't it about...time

I thought since i had a minute to sit down and think, i'd better get this post in. I PROMISE, an update post is coming soon...with pictures!

I'm nearly 38 weeks! Can you believe it?! I think i've distanced myself so far from being pregnant that i've forgotten how close this little guy actually is to getting here! Well, at my Dr.'s appointment yesterday, i notified him of an incident that happened Sunday evening.

Here's the scoop: we were having a little FHE with our close friends Stephen and Lisl (who just moved back to Thatcher...YIPEE!) and their 2 kids. We had a quick song, a short lesson on temples, and then a root beer float for our treat. Within 15 minutes of finishing my float, I noticed my vision was getting blurry. I couldn't really focus on anything! Wavy lines began to appear as well as bright white spots along with the blur. This continued for 10 minutes until i mentioned it to Clifton. He went into "Nurse Mode" and whipped out the blood pressure cuff. My BP was normal! After about a half hour of not being able to see clearly, it started to fade...back to normal. I really didnt feel like going to the hospital so i was happy when i could see again.

So back to the Dr - I told him about what happened and he was upset that I didn't go and have it checked out. He said "we're sending you over right now to have a CT scan done. it's considered a stroke util we can rule it out." I was shocked!!! I did as I was told and went right away. Because of my "condition" (being pregnant), all the tests that the Dr ordered were done pretty fast...I mean within an hour! I was optimistic that i wasn't going to have to be there all afternoon. Well, tests are one thing, RESULTS are another. I waited for 3 hours! Truthfully it wasn't that bad, i just knew that nothing was wrong so when the results finally came i was ready to be discharged. So for the remainder of my pregnancy, i'm on baby aspirin to help prevent clots.

I'm dilated to 2 cm, so all that means is the Dr can feel the babies head...he says to me "i'm fairly confident you'll go into labor on your own." I laughed at him and thought "riiiiiiiight" (like kronk from the emperor's new groove). All i'm doing is playing the waiting game...and it might be the one game i'm not good at.

straight A's

we got a letter in the mail yesterday letting us know that Clifton made the "Presidents List". Basically this means he got A's in all of his classes last semester. Pretty cool.

Also, Clifton has a test date for the state nursing exam...also known as the NCLEX. February 13th at 8 AM!!! we are so excited to finally have the date set!

stay tuned...long, boring, update post coming soon.

~Moments~

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We have much to be thankful for this holiday season. At this time, Clifton is finishing up his LAST semester of the Nursing Program here at EAC. He has 3 weeks left!!! Its very surreal that it's actually happening. He's got his nose stretched out to cross the finish line, and I, along with his family and my family, are behind him pushing him. We are very excited for him to finally graduate.

We are also very thankful for our new addition. Everyday i look forward to feeling him move and squirm. It's so comforting to know he's growing strong.

And how could we not mention Curtis. Although we've been potty training since the summer (we haven't been very consistent, and he just doesn't care) he's turned into such a big boy. He loves to help me around the house. And lately we've been trying to teach him about his baby brother. He honestly could care less (only cause he has no idea that his world is going to be flipped up-side-down in about 4 months). Well, this morning we had a moment...we were all sitting on the couch watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade feeling our baby boy move. Curtis felt him kick, then he looked at me, flashed a smile, and jumped on my lap to give me a big hug. He held me tight for about 15 seconds. I don't know what was going through his mind, but i knew that moment was special. I began to tear up, and i looked over at Clifton and he was doing the same. We are so thankful for our family and the many blessing we have received...how awesome is it the Heavenly Father trusts us to send these precious boys our family! We are grateful for these moments and wouldn't trade them for the world. Happy Holidays!!!

Thanks to all who Voted

ALL THE SAME PARTS AND ALL THE SAME TOYS.

HEY EVERYBODY, MY FAMILY IS FULL OF BOYS.

BOY #2 IS ON HIS WAY!

MARCH 26, 2010

if i could figure it out, i would share...halloween 2009

i have pregnant brain. translation, i forget MANY things. example, i forgot the camera on Halloween! however my video camera was still at my parents house (since my brother came home off his mission) so i still got some video of my little boy, but i've been fighting with it for an hour. so let me give you a background story on his costume.

Friday morning, i began construction of his totally awesome Halloween costume. Money is tight these days and i just cant seem to bring myself to spend 15 bucks on something he will wear for a half hour. So i took a diaper box, cut a hole for his head and then two holes for his arms, and then covered that box with construction paper. I was then going to paint all the details of the costume to make it presentable. I never got to the painting. i decided to do a test fitting...and he would NOT have it. couldn't even get his head in the box. even when i told him he was going to be WALL-E, he was against it. out of frustration, i said "OK, no Halloween then!" but what does he care? he doesn't know what it's all about. We had no costume for my 3 year old the night before Halloween and i was not about to go to wal-mart and buy one. there is your history of the costume.

Well, Curtis woke up Saturday morning (Halloween) and crawled into bed with us like he would any other day. But i think he must have had a dream because the first thing that came out of his mouth was "mommy, i wanna be a star!" and i took it literally. He could have meant a movie star or a rock star...who knows. So i made some phone calls, got a large box (thank you Lee's Rite Way) cut out two large stars, covered them in aluminum foil, and then tied two pieces of ribbon to them to keep them on his shoulders. There you have it! the CHEAPEST Halloween costume EVER! Oh and the best part...i grabbed a toy gun from grandma's toy closet, and gave it to Curtis to hold, and what did that make him?........a SHOOTING STAR! awesome. we walked around my parents neighborhood trick-or-treating for about a half hour, and that was plenty! Success for Halloween...and success for cheap mommies!

bad mom

I haven't made Curtis' Halloween Costume yet. i'm kinda running out of time. maybe i should do that. eh, i'll do it tomorrow.

BTW, dont forget to vote. =>

Sick Days

For the last 3 to 4 weeks, i've not been 100%. It started out with a soar throat, which progressed to congestion, runny nose, headache, laziness, etc. In any other circumstance, i would take some over the counter drugs to cover the symptoms...it makes me function. But being pregnant, there is NOTHING, besides a prescription, for a pregnant woman with upper respiratory crap. I was actually surprised that it took this long for anyone in my family to catch it. Well, Curtis woke up yesterday morning pathetically saying "Mommy, I gross. I yucky." I felt so bad for him! Poor kid! He had goop coming out from every hole in his face. He had a fever last night when he went to bed, and then this morning he was coughing his lungs out! It seems like he has had my entire sickness in these two days. I'm not saying we're out of the woods yet, but i'm on antibiotics now, so i hope we all will feel better soon. K, i'm done.

Human Anatomy

We all know that during pregnancy, the female body changes...well, Curtis has taken notice. About 2 weeks ago, I was laying on the couch on my back, Curtis was playing with his race cars on my stomach and chest....or the mountains and valleys. Now, since I've been pregnant, my breasts have grown at least a cup and a half. (TMI? maybe, but who cares...this story is too funny.)

The conversation went like this:
C: Mommy, what's that? (as he is poking my boob)
J: That's my boob.
C: Is that your big boob?
J: Sure buddy.
C: Is that your other big boob? (as he pokes my other boob)
J: You bet bud. You bet....

Since then, Curtis has asked if he can see the girls as he proceeds to try and lift up my shirt. He's just interested, but i think it's time to shut the door when i pee, and cover with a towel when i get out of the shower. Something so fascinating about it all in his mind. ;)

So, here's what we've been up to...

Volleyball has pretty much taken over my life! I'm having so much fun with this group of girls, i'm going to be really sad to leave. It's hard for me to think about this being my last year coaching here, but we need to go to a place where Clifton can provide for our family. Where that is, we dont know yet, but being here and doing what i love with people i love is wonderful. Even if it means getting back at 2 in the morning and then leaving again 3 days later. We leave tomorrow for a tournament in Scottsdale and wont be back until Saturday (wed. - sat.). I'm soaking up as much as i can knowing this is my last season.

Clifton is loving this semester...so far. 4th block is about ICU, Emergency, O.R., all the stuff he's really interested in. He projects to do well this final semester. Although when Clifton graduates in December, we dont know where we will end up. We are saving up our dollars for family trips to places we might like to apply. I think while our family is still young i'd like to go somewhere different...just to try it for a few years, let Clifton get some experience at other places. And then in about 5 years settle down where we want our kids to grow up. That's just the thought though. Who knows what's in store for us.

The last couple of weeks we have really been working hard on potty training. Curtis is so READY! We just need to be on the ball with him. He's such a busy boy that he forgets! But we had a break-through yesterday...#2 on the potty. This has been a struggle because he doesn't really show signs that he's going or has to go. He just does it! But yesterday, Curtis was helping me make brownies when i heard him start grunting. i dropped everything picked him up and sprinted to the toilet. I think Curtis was a little freaked out by how fast i moved, but i'm tired of cleaning poopy underwears. I sat him down just in time and like he's been doing it all along, PLOP! The poopy was in the potty! Clifton and I made such a big deal about it that he wanted to go again...that very second. After he was done, he said "Look! Big Poop, just like Mommy!" Why no just like daddy? Nope, just like mommy.

Here is his potty chart. He gets one sticker, for tinkle and two for poop. So far only 4 of those are for poop. But when he fills up the pyramid he gets to go bowling! He's very excited about it.

This is just too funny not to share...This is one of our cats. Her name is Sweetie and she totally lives up to her name. Anyway, Curtis had asked me for some juice so on my way to the kitchen i thought that i would pick up some trash and through it away. As i lifted what i thought was empty McDonalds bag, i look inside and see Sweetie in their sleeping away.

Bath time at our house is eventful and normally results in more mess than when we started. Our Cats are very curious about water. Whenever i start the faucet they both are at my side in 2 seconds. Curtis loves to try and get them wet when he takes a bath which result in the water outside the tube. Here you can see Sweetie (left) and Harley (right) being tempted by the water. They should know by now that when you mess with Curtis, your gonna get wet.

This is what i would look like if i really wore glasses. These are just for fun, but i wore them to church last Sunday, and all the children in primary (oh, i've been the primary chorister for about 3 months now. i love it because i can make a fool of myself and the kids love it.) kept calling me teacher. We are getting ready for our primary program and so we've been reviewing all of our songs. I have to be on my toes because many of them are getting board of the same songs over and over again. Any games or ideas to keep them satisfied?

And this is what i would look like if i was 3 months pregnant...which i am!!! We've tryed to keep it hush-hush, but come on...look at me! It hurts to suck it in now! I cant sleep on my belly, i feel like i'm eating constantly to keep up with morning sickness, i need to buy a bigger bra (i have boobs popping out the side...i have side boob...yuck)...my list could go on and on. Now given my history (this is my 4th pregnancy) i'm not out of the woods yet. I do feel like my hormones are off the charts though. So when i wake up in the morning i'm excited to still feel sick. I have a Dr.'s appointment next monday and i'm hoping to get another ultrasound because of my history. And though i haven't thrown up once, i've still lost 8 lbs. I think it's a combination of eating more often, and eating more healthy...junk food just makes me gag. My due date is March 26. When i heard that date it sounded really familiar to me. Some of my closest friends birthdays are in March but not on the 26th. 2 days later it hit me...the 26th is my High School boyfriends birthday! HAHAHAHA! Oh the irony. Anyway, we are super stoked but like i said earlier, we're not out of the woods yet. 3 weeks ago, i played in a volleyball game and started to cramp. I sat out the rest of the game and was scared out of my mind that i had done too much. But waking up the next few days feeling morning sickness calmed my mind. And now that i'm showing, i hope the baby is growing healthy and strong.

Thats what we've been up to. If you made it through this with all my misspeled words (lol) congrats.

long overdue picture update

CURTIS ENJOYING FIREWORKS

GOTTA LOVE RUB ON TATOO'S


WOULDNT SMILE FOR A PICTURE AT THE PARADE

(after and during)

PROJECT WITH MY DAD

(these shelves used to be my great grandpa jesse udall's from his law office when he was Supreme Court Justice. they used to be an ugly green color, so my dad and i stripped the paint, sanded them down, and then stained them red mahogony. i told him when he dies that i get the shelves. i probably put 20 hours worth of work into them)

(pre sanding)

THESE LAST PICTURES ARE OF THE REMODEL BEING DONE. NEW FLOORS, AND GARAGE BEING ENCLOSED. ALSO, A WALK-IN CLOSET FOR MY MOM IS BEING BUILT.

thats what i have for now. volleyball officially started yesterday (august 1st) so i will be at the gym 12 hours a day doing practice and conditioning. i have a good feeling about this year! yeah!

keeping my mind off of my mind

i had no idea what day it was today until i called clifton, who was already at work, and asked. i woke this morning feeling disoriented as to what i was supposed to do today. but then again every day these days seems that way...and i don't like it. completely unmotivated. I have 3 jobs, and yet i haven't worked in almost a month. How does that work you ask? its simple...summer break...and i don't like it. don't get me wrong, school being out is fantastic and i love having Clifton being out of school and working (it makes me feel loved when he works), but i miss working too. a month and a half from now you might hear me singing a different song.

LaLaLa...dobedobedooo. (that's me singing my song)

i guess the main reason i wish i was working is so i can take my mind off of our current situation. to make a long story short, i haven't had that many tragedies in my life, but when they happen, the best way i know how to deal with them, is to get to work. when my Grandma Udall passed away last July, i was lucky to be able to work volleyball camp the next day...keeping my mind off of my mind. then when Grandpa Udall passed, i was driving the womens basketball team on an overnight trip when i got the call saying he died. again, working...keeping my mind off of my mind. this time, it's summer vacation. and i'm not working.

no more beating around the bush...i lost the baby last week. it all happened so fast that there was almost no time to contemplate what was actually happening. i went to see the dr. the morning it happened and he did an internal ultrasound and found nothing. but he said he could tell that i was pretty far along because of the size of the cavity (i was almost 12 weeks). and it didn't hit me until that moment...even though i knew everything had passed through, hearing it from a medical professional broke my heart. this past week has been full of drugs (to contract my uterus), laying down watching t.v. (to keep my mind off of my mind), and not much sleep (because i can't). I am grateful for the fact that this happened now, instead of 20 weeks from now. I also take comfort in knowing i can get pregnant, and that there was nothing i could have done to make this happen or to prevent it from happening. I'm glad 'someone' has a plan.

i've never been one to ask for help or pity. so the point of this post is to inform, not a pity party. i guess i jumped the gun on telling everyone. it's only fair to let the readers know. it's better than running into me at the grocery store and asking me how the baby is. (i've done it before too ;) and since you are the informed crowd, i should let you know what conversations i hate and am not looking forward to;

Them: How old is your son?

Me: He's two. He will be 3 in September.

Them: Wow. Isn't it about time to have another?

I HATE THIS!!!

A word of advise to the clueless...There is nothing worse than going to church and having a woman, who knows little about me and my family, judge me because i haven't had another child yet. but with a straight face, i grit my teeth, trying to control my rage, and nod...as if i agree with them. i know this happens often and i'm not the only one. i also know it will happen again. i really should start keeping stats on this. But, what gives them the right to tell me it's okay, that they are so sorry, and try to give me advise?

SIGH! Breath...all better.

I will tell you what has kept me sane and happy.

this adorable face!

He's my best bud.

even though he steals my oreo's.

i'm grateful for him everyday!

one of my favorite things

sitting here recovering from tonights basketball game, surfing the web with my two new kitties asleep on my belly while listening to a re-run of 'the office' and being able to fast forward through the commercials is one of my favorite things. how's that for a run-on sentence?

Who's is that?

I found a bra in my laundry...and it's not mine. hmm.

-{(**remember when I had a blog**)}-

So here are a few things that have been happening in the last couple of months with our family.



1. My car died close to valentines day, and i was so sad because i loved that little thing! I was traveling to Pheonix with Shari to go on a recruiting trip (we flew to Vegas) and while on the rezz my car just pooped out! We had to change the flight, and then wait for Shari's husband Kelly to get off work so he could tow us home. THEN, we got back in her car to drive to the airport and then on to Vegas...all of this happend within a 7 hour period. It was a long day, but really fun. Anyway, we got my car into a shop and they said it would cost $3000 to get it fixed. Now considering i only payed $1000 for it, it just didn't seem worth it. This leads me to point number two.



2. We got a new car! We shopped around for a while and figured what we could afford. We have never had a reliable car and after being married 5 years it's nice to have the freedom of a good car. At the used car lot here in town, we found a good sized family car that was owned by a family that lives just up the street from my parents. Anyway, 44K miles, a 2006 Mercury Montego, comparable to an Altima or Maxima in size, and they sold it to us a trade in value price! We felt so good about the car and have not had any buyers remorse! The picture below is from a website, the color of our car is a light greenish silver.




3. Like i said in the last section, we have been married for 5 years April 9th. woohoo.



4. Clifton turned 29 two weeks later (April 23rd). He's not happy about it. People would ask him how old he is and he says "Not 30!" True.

5. I went golfing for the first time last thursday. It was "The Annual EAC Athletic Department Golf Party". So much fun. We were put on teams of 4 or 5 and whomever had the best shot is where we all played from...as a team. There were times when my shot was the best. The coach that put the game on was actually impressed that it was my first time on a golf coarse. What can i say?

6. Clifton took his final last tuesday for block 3 nursing. Before going into his last test, he felt confident that he would pass...and he did! He got a 90% on his final. He still hasn't got his final grade yet, but we are positive we don't have anything to worry about. Yeah! Only one more semester to go!

7. I've been helping my parents paint and stuff so they can move next door into my grandma and grandpa's house. It makes sense for them to live there...it's a smaller house, it's one level, etc. They want to be moved over before Chris gets home from his mission (July 16th)...thats only a few short months away! I'd better hurry up and finish my projects so we can get them moved over!

8. Curtis has been showing an interest in the potty lately. Until we went away for a weekend. He did so good for 4 days, and hasn't returned to the pot since. I ask him if he would like to go, and he says no. But before we left on our weekend trip, he was telling me he had to go! And after only 4 days? I wish he would want to go again. Below is Curtis wearing daddy's shoes.

Fantastic Day

Ok. So i know i've been horrible at posting this last month, but if you knew my day to day life the last several weeks, you wouldn't be able to catch up on sleep either! And sorry for no pictures, I can't find my camera. Anyway, back to the title of this post:
My Great Grandma Carpenter passed away this last Tuesday morning. And the reason I say it is fantastic is because she was 100 years old! The night before she left us, a small group of family gathered around her because we thought that her time would come soon. We felt it would be a great thing to sing to her as she layed there and never before in my life have i felt the spirt so strong and so fast! It was an emotional thing knowing Grandma was so close to leaving us and the spirit was undeniable. After was sang a few hymns, Grandma SAT HERSELF UP and she tried to communicate to us. We asked her "do you need more pillows?" "a glass of water?" "what do you need Grandma?" and after we got no response, we asked "would you like us to sing some more" and with as much energy as she could she said "YES!" After having felt the spirit so much that evening, my testimony has been bursting out of me! Her funeral was this morning and it was, again, fantastic! It was such a blessing to be apart of it all and to know more about her. I come from Great People! I'm so blessed!