RandomNESS

I made a deal with the hubby, that will go undisclosed in order to have someone come do a deep clean on our house.  As soon as I walked in the door, after having the house cleaned, I had nothing to do.  I usually spend all day in my OCDness and clean.  So what does a girl do?  I pulled out a new book and a bar of chocolate.  It was complete bliss, to say the least.    

The book is AMAZING!

Since being a stay at home mama, I find myself in leggings and my UGG slippers, greatest present.  They literally are the gift that keeps on giving.  

I have finally got my tooshy in gear and have been working out.  It was a killer at first, but the addiction has started to seep its way back into my bones.  The only problem is my bladder.... that baby of mine has done a number on the poor thing.

This smile of Penelope's never gets old.

I have been trying to cook for Tyson.  This is something he has looked forward to since the day I started staying home.  I am not a fan of cooking, but seeing that smile on his face when he walks through the door, makes it all worth it.

Those eye lashes, I die.  I have no idea where they came from.  Neither Tyson or I have long lashes, hence the eyelash extensions.  The eyelash extensions of mine continue to be a battle.  I love them on but I also love to pick them off.  I can't decide which one I like more, so the continued battle carries on.

I made Peanut Butter Blossoms this week.  I ate a whopping seven in one day.  They are beyond delicious, especially with the DOVE chocolate in the middle.  I made Tyson take them to work.  I somewhat regret that, after seeing this picture.

My little chunkster has almost grown out of her Bumbo.  I seriously can't believe it.

Having a baby has turned me into a morning person.  I love how much I can get done before the sun comes up.

Penelope can't get enough of her bath time.  I know they say to only bathe a baby every other day, but what do they know?  She sleeps like a dream when she gets out.

It has been discovered the GiGi had postpartum depression and has been put on Prozac.  I had no idea that this was even a possibility for dogs.  I started crying when I told the vet how sad my dog has been. It was a bit embarrassing.  I blame it on the hormones.  I felt better when she said I was going to make her cry.  Hopefully the pills do the trick.  I can't stand to hear her cry all day.

I can't wait for Penelope to start dance lessons.  I know she is a little young, but a momma can dream.  I pray she enjoys dance as much as I did.  

In other business:

I saw a post on my friends Facebook wall, letting all old Jazz Dancers know of a retro night that would be happening in March.  This is where all the old dancers perform at a halftime.  I am still trying to convince the hubby, that this is a legitimate reason to buy me a plane ticket.

My wedding ring still does not fit....

How long does it take?

Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter has saved my hands from flaking away.  I wash them a thousand times a day, trying to keep P from getting sick again.

I can't wait for my hair to grow out.  Being able to put it in a pony tail would be a dream come true.

I really wish I knew how to sew.

Parenthood is the best television series, I have watched since Friday Night Lights.  I am an addict.

Until next time....

Home For The Holidays

We just returned home from a crazy two weeks in Heber.  Nothing went as planned, but we ended up making the best of the situation.  We were so excited to arrive to my mom's house.  Prior to our arrival every time I talked to my mom she was baking something in the kitchen.  She had a huge platter of every kind of Christmas cookie and candy you could image.  There was fudge, toffee, candy cane cookies, sugar cookies, lemon bars, and my favorite thumb print cookies. 

There really is nothing like walking through the doors of my mom's house.  She always does the perfect job of having everything ready for our stay.  She even had a cheese ball waiting for us in the fridge.  

I LOVE Utah winters.  Some may think I am crazy, but that is what I look forward to.  I love the snow and I really love bundling up in my winter clothes.  They don't really get much use with us living in California.

We hit a tiny snow storm on our way into town.  Our poor car barley made it up Provo Canyon.  Other than that there wasn't much snow.  We were kind of disappointed. 

GiGi loved every second of the snow.  She isn't one to go outside and play on her own, but with the snow, things quickly changed.  She would run around and roll in the snow all day if we let her.

We were excited to bundle up Penelope in her warm snow outfit.  She looked so cute and warm inside of her car seat.  We even bought a special car seat warmer.  She was in heaven to say the least. 

We got to see my mom at work a couple of times because of Penelope's oxygen monitoring.  

We loved spending time with our niece and nephews.  They are all so adorable.  Tyson and I got them the cutest pajamas.  We couldn't wait for them to open them.  My brother Nick even approved.  

Penelope and Jax look so similar.  You can defiantly tell they are cousins.  Jax is one of the happiest babies I know.  His smile sure did melt my heart.  It's always bittersweet seeing my niece and nephews because I know the next time I see them, they will be so much bigger.  

I'm so happy Penelope will have a cousin that is her same age. 

We got family pictures taken while we were there.  It is a rare occasion that we have our entire family together.  It had been five years since our last one.  This will be last one before my brother in law Jordan gets deployed again and my little brother Josh goes on a mission.  I can't believe how much our family has changed in the past five years.  Who knows how many new additions we will have in the next family photo.  As much as I dislike family pictures, I am always excited for an excuse for a new outfit.

Tyson and I didn't get out much, seeing as we had a sick baby, but we did manage to sneak down to City Creek for a couple of hours.  I had Penelope bundled up close to me in her wrap.  I don't know who loved it more her or myself.  I felt like I was pregnant again for a minute.

I had two gift cards to Sephora, so of course I had to do some damage.  I love buying new makeup.  I would call it a slight obsession.

We spent lots of time down in my mom's basement watching TV and watching the boys play Nintendo.  Tyson was in heaven, to say the least.

I love watching Tyson interact with my brothers.  They look up to him so much and I think it is the sweetest thing.  They always get him to laugh and pull him out of his comfort zone.  They showed us some really funny Youtube videos.  

Tyson spent a lot of time playing basketball at the Rec. Center with Josh and even got in a game with Tate and the Singles Ward.  Tate even took him sledding at Soldier Hollow with the Singles Ward.  

I spent most of my time snuggling Penelope.  It was so nice to have her without oxygen.  As Doctor Dave said, "You now have a cordless baby."

We walked through the most gorgeous model home with my mom.  I begged and pleaded with Tyson to move me back and build me this home.  I love walking through model homes and dreaming.  

I swear I gained a thousand pounds while trying to squeeze in all my favorite restaurants.  No joke we went to Dairy Keen, Cafe Rio, Trio, Noodles N' Company, Rumbi, Paradise Bakery, Ruby Snaps Cookies, Tony's Taco's, The Galleria, Tarahumara, The Sweet Tooth Fairy and Kneaders.

If you have never tried The Sweet Tooth Fairy you must go.  They won Cupcake Wars on the Food Network.  Their cake bites are to die for.  I went twice and stocked up.  You can even have them mailed to your house.  I am feeling a little hint for Valentine's Day.

It is always hard saying goodbye to these beautiful mountains.  

On a positive note I do love our way out because we stop at Cafe Rio and Nielsons Frozen Custard in St. George.  It is the perfect combo.

Penelope was a dream on the way home.  It was so nice being able to tell she could breathe.  She slept most of the way.

As much as I hate saying goodbye to all of my family, I always look forward to coming home and getting my house organized and getting back to a normal schedule.  

2 Months

Dear Penelope,

You are getting bigger by the minute.  You are now wearing 3 month clothing and have completely grown out of your newborn diapers.  I have already had to box up some of your clothes.  It is totally breaking my heart.  You have lost the newborn look and have now taken on the chubby baby face stage.  Your cheeks are to die for.  They rest perfectly on your chest, especially when you are sleeping.  You have learned how to coo.  If you are not sleeping you are talking away.  Your dad is your favorite person.  The second you see him or hear his voice you smile.  You are such a happy baby.  You are constantly smiling, even when you are nursing and sleeping.  You are now sleeping almost six hours straight through the night.  This has made your mama a pretty happy lady.  You went through a lot this past month.  You rode in an ambulance, stayed in the hospital, got pricked and prodded, contracted RSV, had a collapsed lung, and it was discovered you have a heart murmur.  Through all of the hard times you smile and melt our hearts.  You are so strong and are such a fighter.  You love taking a bath with your mama and showers with your dad.  We started out doing them because you were so congested, but seeing how much you loved it, we have continued.  You still can't get enough of your binky, however, you only like a specific brand, which makes it hard when we can't find one.  Your eyes have stayed blue and we are keeping our fingers crossed they stay that way.  You still like to be swaddled for bed.  Your neck is getting so strong.  Your hair cracks us up.  You have little sprouts of long pieces of hair on top and you have a thick patch on the back.  It is totally adorable.  We love you so much baby girl and feel so blessed to be your parents.  You have taught us so much over the past month and have helped increase our testimonies.

Love,

your mama and papa

STATS

Height: 21 1/2''

25%

Weight: 11 lbs. 2 oz

50%

Head Circumference: 37 cm

25%

A Name & A Blessing

Tyson gave Penelope the sweetest baby blessing.  She was blessed in my moms house.  We had originally planned on having her blessed the Sunday prior, in my moms ward, but due to her hospital stay, we decided it would be best to have her blessed in a home rather than a church.

Penelope wore not only my blessing dress, but my moms.  She wore my moms shoes from when she was a baby and was wrapped in a blanket that my mom crocheted for her.  She looked like an angel and slept like one, through the entire blessing.

It was Penelope's special day and Tyson made sure she knew.  He brought her home a dozen salmon colored roses.

It was wonderful having all of the support from family and friends.  We definitely appreciated those that were able to make the last minute blessing happen.  It was such a special evening where the spirit resided.  I am again grateful for the priesthood and that I have a husband who honors and cherishes it.

Farewell

We had high hopes of Penelope getting out of the hospital on New Year's Eve, bags were packed and plans were made, that was until we had a scare.  We were told that Penelope had a heart murmur and it didn't sound like one of the normal ones that some babies have.  Different doctors had heard it on and off on our stay, but after the head Pediatrician listened, he was certain she had one.  

We were advised to get an echocardiogram done, that way they could be certain of the severity of the murmur.  The doctor said it was something we could get done in California, but told us because of convenience we might as well get it done while we were at Primary's.  So Tyson and I decided to stay one more night to make sure everything was okay with our baby.  

We had high hopes of getting out of there early in the morning, as time passed it didn't seem we would ever get out of there.  It turns out all of the cardiologists had the day off, seeing as it was New Years.  The nurses kept telling us they were trying to get ahold of someone.  To this point I had done a pretty good job at holding myself together.  I was so anxious to get out of Primary's, but I was also so nervous about Penelope's little heart.  I wanted everything to be okay.

I had a melt down and said a little prayer that they would be able to get ahold of a cardiologist.  As soon as I was done saying the prayer Penelope looked at me with her beautiful eyes and gave me a grin.

She was letting me know that she was alright and that everything would be okay.  Tyson came back from lunch and we decided to again say another prayer that things would work out, not minutes later the nurse came in and told us it was time for the echocardiogram.

I felt more at peace as we walked Penelope to get her ultrasound done.  It was incredible seeing her little heart beat and watching it work.  It reminded me of when I heard her little heart beat for the first time.  There is just something so amazing about that sound.

Typically on a echocardiogram they have to sedate the babies, but because of Penelope's condition they thought it would not be best.  We again prayed that she would hold still, so they could get the pictures they needed for the cardiologist to read.  I can testify that our prayers were heard and answered this day.  Penelope held so still and was able to have the procedure done in less than thirty minutes. 

We got back to our room and waited for the news.  About and hour later the resident doctor came in and told us that Penelope had a tiny hole in heart but was sure it would close up.  We have to have it monitored and if by the age of two if it is not closed up, than they will have to do something about it.  

We were so relieved that it was nothing worse.  My heart couldn't handle anymore.  After we got the results it was finally time to say goodbye.  It was a bittersweet moment as we walked out of the hospital.  We were so overwhelmed with gratitude for the amazing care that Penelope received and for the tender mercies that we experienced.  

We had to take Penelope home on oxygen but it was such a small amount we felt comfortable.

I don't think Tyson and I could have been more happy to say goodbye to our little bed we had been sleeping on for our five night stay.  

We definitely learned we have one strong baby girl!