Baby, Oh Baby

Since today is my 24th birthday, I want to share some news:

We Are Going To Have Another Baby!

Now everybody scream in disbelief, cause that is what I did when we found out.

And if you already knew... scream anyway!

For sometimes a random scream does some good.

Q and A time:

Q. Was this planned?

A. No!

Q. Was this the biggestest surprise of your life?

A. Almost!

Q. When is the baby due?

A. July 11th.

Q. How far long are you?

A. 12 and a half weeks.

Q. How far apart will Eli and baby be?

A. 15 months!

Q. How has the pregnancy been?

A. A ton better than the first two!

Still take Zofran and Phenegran just to make sure I keep everything down...

so first the first time ever, I am actually maintaining weight instead of dropping 15 pounds.

Weird.

This should explian why I have fallen off the face of the earth the past two months!

But we are excited and at peace with this.

What can I say? Life is an adventure.

Matt's BYU-I Graduation

Matt has graduated! 

He received his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management

having a 3.6 cumulative GPA.

The Commencement Speaker was Elder Richard G. Scott...

...who, along with President Clark, also attended Matt's Convocation 

of the College of Physical Science and Engineering held in the Taylor Chapel. 

Matt gave the scripture at his Convocation,

he choose 1 Timothy 4:12-16

We then took pictures in front of the Austin Building, 

where Matt spent most of his college days. 

Matt's Mama and Papa and Baby Sister came for the day, 

and of course we had Cragio's afterward! 

We greatly appreciated all of Elder Scott's remarks. 

Elder Scott lost his first son to a Congenital Heart Defect--I believe the boy was only 2 or 3 years old. 

He also lost a daughter who lived only a few minutes after birth. 

Elder Scott's wife died in 1995 and he has not remarried.

I tell you this because his remarks were about being happy, and building a strong family environment. 

"Smile. Everyone has problems, but nobody wants to know yours!" It was funny, and we got the point. 

Christmas Cards

Greetings, my Blogging Friends! 

I am putting together some Christmas Cards, 

and the only thing that is missing is YOUR mailing address! 

If you would, please, email me your mailing address, please? 

My email address: shandud@gmail.com

Thanks, and Merry Christmas! 

Matt. Marine Corps and Metallica.

Matt graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management on the 19th... 

so what is our plan?

We are currently working on getting Matt a commission with the United States Marine Corps. This means Matt does NOT want to do Construction Management, but instead wants to be an OFFICER in the USMC. This is pretty much AWESOME! We are both excited about this next chapter. 

Lets clear up a few points:

• To be an officer one MUST have a Bachelor degree, with a good GPA. This is a serious undertaking and can give our family lots and lots of positive experiences. 
• ALSO, Matt will NOT be deployed all the time. He wants to be a non-combat arms officer; meaning he will work with logistics, legal, human resources, communications, supply, etc. He just has to deiced what he wants to do. 
  
• WHEN/IF he is deployed he will be gone 3 to 6 months. Not bad! (My friend has been an officer with the Marines since 2004, and has not been deployed yet.)
  
• AND Matt could retire when he is 40, isn't that great?! (One must have 20 years in, and his time with the National Guard will count.)
  
• Every person we talked to who only stayed with the Military for 8 to 15 and did not retire with the Military, says they really wish they would have. So we are taking their advice and learning from their mistakes!  

Training:

• Matt will first go through 10 weeks of hard physical/mental training, called Officer Candidate School (OCS)--this is in Virginia 
  
• When he graduates from OCS he will be an Officer in the United States Marine Corps, and be commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant  
  
• Then a 6 month long school - entitled, "The Basic School". This will teach Matt how to be an outstanding Infantry Officer... even though this is not what he wants to do. In the USMC ALL officers must learn how to be an infantry officer before they go on to other training. This is why Marines are the best. 
  
• When The Basic School (aka "The Big Suck") is finished he will go on to his job, or MOS, training. This could be 2 to 6 months long, depending on what he wants to do--this is more than likely in North Carolina. 
  
• After this he is stationed with a Fleet Unit, as a platoon leader, and life begins. Another great thing is that they will station us near great Medical Facilities as long as Eli needs them.  They always try to accommodate their peoples needs.  As the pamphlet says, they require the best and in return give back the best. 

Hopefully this will start in May. I will stay here in Rexburg, and when he graduates from OCS me and the boys will join Matt in Virginia for the Basic School.  And, lets be honest, Matt will look dang good in a Marine Corps uniform! 

We are now working on getting Matt into shape. Less pasta and goodies for us. More fruit, white meat, and whole wheat. This is what he must do to get ready for the Physical Fitness Test (PFT). His PT goals (not absolute Marine Corps standards) before leaving is:

• 3 mile run in 22 minutes
  
• 15 pull ups
  
• 90 crunches in 2 minutes 
  

This is why one never sees a fat Marine. Matt's chest, arms, abdominal, and butt are already looking pretty nice. Cannot wait to see the end result! 

So what are we waiting for? The Idaho Army National Guard. Matt needs to be "conditionally released" from the Guard before the Marine Corps can take him. The conditional release is currently in the Guard's hands, and we are just waiting on them. They could say "No!" But we have been told that is not very likely... all of Matt's commanders are very supportive of this decision. We should hear the Guard's decision within the month.

Wondering what is the difference between an Officer and an Enlisted person is? 

• Matt is currently enlisted.  Actually he is a "non-commissioned officer," being a Sergeant. Rank in the Army for enlisted includes all the Privates and Sergeants. They go to Boot Camp (Basic Training) and learn all the "grunt" skills. Enlisted people do not need any higher education and can join when they are 17 years of age. Enlisted persons have small scale responsibilities... Their responsibilities are very important, but they do not deal with the "bigger picture." Instead, they are more like the "managers" of local businesses.  
  
• An Officer, now days, must have a Bachelor Degree. Rank goes: 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lt. Colonel, Colonel, and then the Generals. To become an Officer one can go through ROTC programs during college, or Officer Candidate School after completing his/her education. Persons who are officers are in charge of the bigger picture. They are the "regional directors" and "CEOs" of the military. 
  

now... Metallica!

Matt is Metallica's number 1 fan, no doubt. He owns every album that they have come out with, knows every song, can play the drum beat and every guitar part, and can sing all the harmonies and lead vocals. This being said... 

Matt went to a Metallica concert, for the first time ever, Monday night! Now Matt has been to at least 50, maybe even close to 100, concerts in his life. So this was a big deal for him. A mission buddy came up from SLC, drove to Rexburg on Sunday night, then left Monday with Matt to Boise for the concert. (Mike, you are a saint! Matt loves you so much.) Mike, said mission companion, got these tickets for a great deal and the seats were perfect! Sold out crowd. 

Matt is still on cloud nine. He says they are amazing live!

Bad Hair Day

The day before Thanksgiving, Eli had a bad hair day!

Lets check out the back:

One more time from the front:

How did this due come about?

 Going to sleep while drinking a bottle with wet hair! 

Its Been A Year...

...Since we had Eli's 20 week ultrasound and were given the first clue that his heart may not be normal.

Now this will probably be a long wordy post, and I might cry while writting this, but I need to write the whole story down before I forget to much.

Last fall we were living with my parents in the Birmingham, Alabama area for Matt's interenship. I had a really great docotor who took great care of me. I was actually hospitalized over night around 11 weeks pregnant. I had gotten really pregnancy sick, but was afraid to ask for medicine because of expense. Wieght already down 13 lbs in three weeks, I contracted the flu. During the night I started emptying my stomach a few times every hour for 8 hours. In the morning Matt took me to Dr. DeRosier's office at St. Vincent's Hospital, and I was so weak I almost could not stand. She took one look at me, ordered a wheelchair, and put me in a private room on the maternity recovery floor. For 24 hours I stayed with IV bags and popciles as company.

Anyway...

Dr. DeRosier perscribed some sweet medicine, that was not very expensive, not at all! Was able to eat again and life became easier. 20 Ultrasound was schedualed for the day before Thanksgiving. My parents and little sis came with us, along with crazy 2 year old Isaac. (He was crazy, and very sleep deprived that day!)

Matt and I had the first looks at little baby-to-be, and Matt saw that baby was a boy! But did not tell me. The ultrasound tech took a lot time, but we didn't think anything of it. My parents, sister, and Isaac came in and we were told offically that baby was a boy. Hooray! Right before the end the ultrasound tech took a few more pictures, ending with the heart. I said, "Wow, you can see his chambers!" and the tech said nothing.

Dr. DeRosier went over the results with us. Said her congratulations, then metioned that the ultrasound tech did not get the best look at the heart. Dr. DeRosier said not to worry, that we will just go to a digonositic clinic the following week at UAB and they will be able to get better pictures. She said that most of the time it is just positional and there is probably nothing wrong.

My mom and Matt were pretty optimistic, but I was worried. I tried to not let it show, and just enjoy my Thanksgiving week with food, food, food! However, I had some dread.

Diagonostic Clinic oppointment came, and boy was early it in the morning! I laid on the table trying to control my fear. The ultrasound tech looked at the brain, the kidneys, the legs, the bone facial structure, and then the heart. At that point she became really, really quiet. And spent forever trying to get better pictures. I started to cry. I knew it! I knew something was wrong. The ultrasound tech left and the speacialized doctor came in. She then took more pictures of the heart. Matt was very quiet. I was very quiet. The doctor was very quiet.

The Docotor had me sit up and then told us the news. This baby's heart did not develop correctly. The right side looked to be very underdeveloped, and there was mixing of blood between the two sides. She did not have a diagnosis nor a prognosis, but told us to be optomistic. "We may not have a football player, but we could have a trumpet player."

She said that it would be important to know the baby's chromosomes, and that doing an amniocentesis would be smart. If the baby's heart defect was due to the chromosomes then the baby probably would not live past a few months after birth. She said if this was the case then most couples opt to abort the pregnancy... I was crying, but with grace, through all of this. After two minutes I was able to find my voice and say that I would have the amniocentesis. Doing an amnio may cause a miscarriage, the chances are maybe 1 in 400. So that was a hard decision. I knew even if the chromosomes were abnormal I would not abort, but I felt that doctors needed to know all that they were dealing with. I was weeping hard, and almost unable to see where I needed to sign my name to okay the amnio. As the amniocentesis started, all I could think was: "You better not kill my baby! I am not ready to say goodbye."

On the 35 minute ride home Matt and I were very quite. We got Isaac from the sitter, and then I went and laid down. I felt at peace, but maybe more overwhelmed.

It took a week to know the preliminary chromosomes. I was very much in a mechanical mode. Thank goodness I had my mom to help me with Isaac, because I don't know how I would have handled the days without her.

I got the call on a Monday evening... they looked normal! Oh, sing praises! This baby would have a chance at life! There was still so many more questions, but for now this was good news. And we needed good news.

So this is what we were doing this time last year. Thanks for bareing with me. I wasn't in the blogging world at this time, so this is probably the first time most people have heard this story. Thanks to all for the support. We so appreciate it.

Let Me Count The Whys

Life. Why do I love thee? Let me count the whys: 

1, I love the healthy and happy children which bless our lives.

Eli had an appointment at Primary Children's last Friday. 

18.9 lbs and 27 inches long. 

Heart is healthy and strong! 

Isaac, our silly willy 3 year old, is always surprising us! 

Check out this new video of him on YouTube... too big to upload here.

2, I love this past summer, which we so fully enjoyed! 

Remember this post about me and Matt on our 

Table Mountain adventure in the Teton Mountain range? 

Well here is some video of that crazy day:

 

3, I love the Rexburg Hair Stylist, they crack me up! 

No where else will your hair be worked on so long and come out so ridiculous. 

Typically the hair cut isn't too bad, 

but the styling afterward is... well... you see: 

Phew! Better!

4, I love this husband of mine. 

There is a lot on his plate: 

will graduate in Dec with his B.S., studying for the G-MAT which he takes in a week,

 and trying to figure out a way to provide for next year and beyond. 

Still, he gives a ton of time to the kiddos and helps a lot with housework.

5, I love a good TV Drama.

Lets be honest, there are not many out there. 

But I have found one that tickles me pink! 

The Good Wife

CBS Tuesdays @ 9pm 

It is not too cheesy, and has little of that soap opera crazy drama that plauges prime-time TV.

6, I LOVE FOOD! just so you know :)

Feeling Promptings + Eli's Heart Blog

This past weekend has not been that unusual. 

Even though Matt was gone all of Friday, Saturday, Sunday 

for his National Guard 1 weekend a month drill.

I took note during the days of some of the small and simple promptings that guided me. 

Eli is laying on the couch and I feel that I should moved the ottoman over, to be next to Eli. I am gone for 5 seconds when I hear Eli crying. He has rolled of the couch onto the ottoman... instead of falling 2 1/5 feet, he only fell 4 inches.

Isaac has unrolled a whole roll of toilet paper into the toilet. Instead of yelling I explain to him when using the restroom he only needs a small amount. I get a garbage bag and start to pick out the toilet paper and Isaac says, "Sorry mommy." He now uses very little toilet paper. 

The boys are driving me crazy, and I feel that I am about to explode with frustration. Recognizing this I sit down and read 2 Nephi chapters 9 and 10. Those chapters answer many questions I was having, and I become a calm and happy mommy once more. 

Isaac and a friend were having trouble seeing eye to eye. I turn on some Beatles and start dancing. The dispute is forgotten and we dance our troubles away!

I have a few minutes to my self and I feel that I should call a friend whom I haven't talked to in a few months. Our conversation is only 10 to 15 minutes long. Little did I know how much I needed this and how I would be uplifted from this small talk. 

Through an on-line store, there are some items that I want, Eli a coat and Isaac snow pants. Right before I click the purchase button I have a feeling that I should not go through with this, so I don't. Later that night we go to the location store, and I see those items... they are not even close to the quality I was hoping for. 

I am also working on a BLOG dedicated to Eli's Heart Adventure.

All of the postings dealing with his condition on this blog can now also be found on this new one, along with pictures and more resources.  

I am going to try and answer all the questions I had during all of the mayhem. 

Congenital Heart Defects are more common than most people think. If you ever meet someone who has or is having a child with a CHD feel free to point them to this blog.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO BLOG   

Potty Trained + HALLOWEEN

first off... Isaac is POTTY TRAINED! 

We did it the Naked Way. Kept him NAKED for 2 days, then on day 3 put underwear on him, 

and by day 4 he started wearing pants and underwear.

For us the Naked Way worked perfectly. Kept the toilet seats up and the bathroom lights on, kept reminding him about going, then if he ever needed to go he just went all by him self. 

Never needed us for anything. 

It has been two weeks since then, and oh, how we all love this! 

now to Halloween...

While carving the pumpkin Matt and I noticed that Isaac's eyes were red and that he kept coughing. 

Then we realized the pumpkin smell/look was making him sick to his stomach:

Isaac's friend is really into Mario, and thinking it would be fun I made a matching Luigi outfit for Isaac. 

With lots of help from said friend's mother.

He called it his "Choo Choo Train Hat."

Oh how he loved his mustache! 

The Eli went as the "1 Up Green Mushroom" from Mario Brothers.

Isaac and Friend unsure about each-other. I think the mustaches scared them!

Matt had his dress uniform refit, and wore it for the first time in 8 years! 

So I went as his 1950s/1960s housewife.  

Looking good, Sergeant! 

This was Friday, the day before Halloween. 

It had snowed and Isaac was in love with it. Weirdo...

Halloween Night. We went Trick or Treating for about 30 minutes. 

It started to get dark and cold, and Isaac was very hesitant to go to people's homes. 

But he got some good, good candy! 

Which Matt and I enjoyed later that night :) 

Isaac Stories

The sidebar with "Isaac Stories" is now going to start a new chapter. 

He is now 3, so deserves a fresh new start! 

Cannot wait for the future!

Here are the Isaac stories from year 2 of his life:

It is 8am in the morning, me and Matt are asleep in our room. I start to notice a noise by our door. I open my eyes and all I see are Isaac's arms pushed through the crack of our door. "See mommy, see!" he says as he waves toys to me.

Isaac notices that the baby swing, with Eli in it, is not moving. He looks at me, grabs the side of the swing, says "Bebe E-i swing!" and with all his might pushes the swing back and forth.

Isaac is watching his favorite show, "Planet Earth." Eli starts to cry. At the top of his voice he yells "E-i Stoooop!"

Isaac has two favorite shirts, both size 5t. One is black and the other is brown. He wants to wear them for Pjs. BOTH of them. One as a shirt, the other as pants.

Isaac asks, rather demands, "Moe jew!" (More juice.) I go to the kitchen, he follows. I start to pour the juice and look down: he is sitting in the ground, legs crossed, chin in his hands. Such a man!

I am getting Isaac ready for bed. It has been a long day, and he is fighting me. I start to cry. He stops fighting me when he sees my tears and says, "Oh, mommy!" He then lays still and lets me change him.

My mom took Isaac to the movie theaters. He is sitting on her lap. When the movie has a very intense scene, Isaac jumps and mom feels his diaper get really, really warm.

Isaac is playing with neighbor kids. He notices that he is the only one with out his "bi" (bike.) He labors intensively to get his tricycle to the area. We are there two minutes when thunder sounds off in the distance.

Isaac: "Oh, mommy!"

Me: "Yeah, rain is coming, it's going to get wet."

Isaac: "Oh, no! Wet!"

He jumps off the tricycle, and without a second look back runs to the house saying, "Oh no! Wet! Oh no! Wet!" leaving me with Eli to get the bike back by myself. When I arrive back at the house a few minutes later he is standing inside the doorway with the door cracked, nodding, "Mommy, it wet, mommy."

Matt bought a diet Dr. Pepper from McDonalds. He left it on the counter for me. Matt was holding Eli, sitting in the living room, and noticed a profound silence in the rest of the house. A few minutes later Isaac opens up the pantry, looks at Matt, and says "I throw, Daddy." He desposes of the empty pop that he drank into the trash.

Isaac is playing upstairs in his room. Very quickly a thunderstorm rolls in. When the thunder and lightening starts Isaac dashes to the stairs and while going down them says, "Oh snap! Oh snap! Oh snap!"

Isaac is banging a tune out on the keyboard. I start to do a silly dance. He watches me for a second, then stops playing, and with a crooked smile says, "Noooo."

I am driving, and Isaac is in the back seat. I do not notice the stop sign till the last second. I slam on the brakes and Isaac screams: "OH, whhhooooooooaaaaaaaa!" When we start again Isaac keeps saying "Oh, whoa mommy, whoa!"

We are at Matt's parents' house. Isaac wants a popsicle, which would make the 3rd one that day. Deanne asks me what she should do. I start to go towards the kitchen but Isaac puts his hand out, palm toward me, eyes wide, shaking his head no. I come a little forward and he franticly points to me to go back. I go back a little and Isaac says, "Oh yeah, mommy!" 

We are shopping for a new dress shirt for Matt. Matt takes a few things to the dressing room, and Isaac goes with him. I hear Isaac from the next room when Matt brings out the shirt exclaim: "Oh WOW!"

Isaac has a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, but he does not want to eat it. Without us noticing, Isaac leaves and heads for the kitchen. A few minutes later he is carrying a bowl of Kix cereal without milk. Matt and I look at each other and ask if either one of us did that for him. Isaac says, "Oh mommy, I eat," and takes a big bite! 

These stories, from top to bottom, go from the oldest to the newest. 

However, I think this time I will being doing--from top to bottom--newest to oldest. 

The Coolest GADGET In Town

June of this year a neighbor friend, namely Brittany, 

gave me some info about this cool baby feeding spoon: 

The Boon Squirt Spoon! 

(click here to see website)

 

Last week I finally order it, and Eli and I love it. He just started eating solid food and is doing wonderfully. Though he only take about 2 oz at a time, he is slowly learning that it is a stomach filler and is starting to trust the smushy-gushy stuff called baby food.

And just for fun, here is a picture of Isaac at age six months (2 1/2 years ago!) in the same high chair. 

He was such a serious baby.

Oh, did you notice the new BANNER? Yup, I have been playing around in PowerPoint and figured out that I could a save a slide as a picture then crop it down in iPhoto. So that is what I did! So you may find that the Banner changing every once in a while, because I will be having too much fun with this newfound knowledge.

Photo Booth + New Glasses

Me and the boys had a fun time yesterday playing on our Mac's Photo Booth. 

These are a few of the pictures: 

Do you like my new glasses? Yup, I wear glasses, have been since the third grade. Only need them for reading and such, so I don't show them to the outside world too often. My last pair are 5 years old: don't fit the head, prescription outdated, and deep scratches on the lens. Needed a new pair desperately, but thought it would be too expensive. But the Rexburg Vision Center offers a "budget" deal, the frames and prescription lenses for only 90 bucks! Not too bad, eh? My ears are lopsided, and glasses really display the crookedness of my face, but thats okay.  

Oh, Matt and I have been doing more and more photo shoots. 

Check Matt's out HERE

Check Mine out HERE

Eli, 6 Months Old and Growing

Dear Eli,

You are now 6 months old and have become such a happy little chub! As a "heart baby" many challenges have already been part of your life; namely, a serious heart defect known as Tricuspid Atresia, two open heart surgeries which have brought excruciating pain and long hospitals stays, many doctor appointments that include a lot of x-rays and blood draws... just to name a few. As a result you have such a special place in my, and your father's, heart. Your father and I did not truly understand the depth of a parents love, how high our joy could go or how intense our pain could feel, until you came into our lives. 

It is taking a little bit of work, but you are reaching a few milestones. Because you had to lay on your back or be carried around for almost a month after your second surgery, developing the "rolling around" skill, the "on your tummy holding your head up" skill, the "extending and holding your weight on your legs" skill, is not coming easy. You did get this bouncer/jumper on Friday, and since then you have been able to hold your weight on your legs! We are so proud of you! You are also sleeping 6 to 8 hours through the night, and have found that your voice can do a screaming/growling noise when you are happy. Pretty sure you weigh almost 17 lbs, because you are fitting very well into the 6-12 month clothing.  You love watching Isaac play, and laugh when Daddy and Isaac wrestle all over the ground. 

We love you so much, and cannot wait to see what the future brings!

Is It Just Me?

I am holding Eli in my arms, typing, while Isaac is running around the house looking for his toy motorcycles. And I just cannot help but think, "Wow. Having 2 kids is so much easier than one." Is it just me? 

I had a really hard time being a mother the first two years after Isaac was born--probably a lot of yall already knew that, right? I am now really loving motherhood. I love taking care of these boys, and cuddling, and wrestling, and tickling. 

I hope, with all my heart, that they know how much I have tried to give them the best, and be the best mother for them. 

Now, I am not ready for 3. But 2 for now is awesome!

this is For All Women

Matt and I have recently been feeling a heightened sense of the need to serve.  This may be due to that fact that service to our small family has been a huge part of lives this past year, or that a time of Thanksgiving and celebrating Christ's birth is approaching, or the talk from President Monson from Sunday Morning Session about doing good, or all three!

I am not sure that many know this, but one of my quirks is a compassion for those in countries of great poverty. This being said...

There is this wonderful website to help women all around the world through small donations. 5 dollars here, 5 dollars there, it is amazing what 5 dollars can do for a woman! It is through Ms. Oprah Winfrey's website (there a show on this recently, I only caught 5 minutes), and there are lots and lots of different ways to help and strengthen women that are in destitute situations. Click Here 

I suggest reading Three Cups of Tea. It is a great book about the power of service towards those that are culturally different. So what are your thoughts? How has service, or serving, blessed and help you? What are some materials that you may know about to help serve that you want to share? What are traditions in service that your family has started? I would love to know! Please do share! 

Family Photos + Weekend in Boise

This weekend we spent time with Matt's family in Boise! 

Most of the weekend was wet and cold, but there was a little window of good weather. 

We quickly changed to match, and snapped some shots with Matt's dad. 

Because Matt wanted to practice taking photos, there are not too many of him in the mix. 

The weather started getting bad again, so no Daddy/Son shots or Sibling shots. 

But yall know we are going to try again soon! 

Matt and I also had the opportunity to go to a 

Boise State University football game. 

Again, the weather was cold cold cold! And wet wet wet! 

But that did not stop us! Matt is a hard core BSU fan, and I came along for the Smurf Turf experience. 

It was pretty cool, even though we were rained on a few times during the game. 

Boise won, and we were happy. 

It was General Conference, and we spent time with the boys by reading books, taking baths, and having a wonderful time together. 

It was a great, relaxing weekend!