Meet Pilar...

the catapillar...

Notice that little fuzzy thing in Kade's arms?? That is Pilar aka The Very Hungry Catapillar. He ripped his book and so for Christmas, I got him a little set of the book and it came with the catapillar. He absolutely LOVES this thing and tonight, asked if he could sleep with it. I had to say yes, even though I know he'll stay up all night pointing out where all its body parts should be and naming them off for all to hear over the monitor. And for those of you who know that Kade has a blanket that he is particularly fond of, it is buried under his new(well, its old. Duanes mom made it for him when he was born) airplane blanket that he has had since birth but has discovered about a month ago that it has airplanes on it. He MUST have it to go to bed. He was being so stinking cute tonight, I just had to whip out the camera and take a picture of his "cheeses."

Which brings this question into my mind...did any of you ever think when you were pregnant that you wouldn't be able to love the new baby anywhere near as much as the older? Because as he grows and matures and I fall in love more and more, the question pops into my mind:)

secret santa?

The weirdest thing happened! Someone rang the doorbell and there on the doorstep was a garbage bag full of presents for us. It must have been someone who didnt know us very well, because the clothes they got for Kade were 4t pants and a 5T shirt. I am almost positive it was someone from church, maybe my home or visiting teachers. It was way sweet but I so would've loved to know who it was so I could say thank you or send a note or something. Anyways, hey got Kade a soccer ball that he absolutely LOVES. He is running around showing all of us over and over saying,"sauter ball!!!" It's quite adorable in fact:)

i know i know

Hi everyone!!! I am lame as always, I know and forget to update in the last couple months. Here's what's going on in our home...

To give you the immediate update, I am a little over 21 weeks and had my ultrasound today and well..

ITS A BOY!!!

thats right boy number 2:) We are beyond ecstatic and cannot wait for this little one:)

Last year around this time, Duane fell at work and dislocated is kneecap and the doctors found a torn miniscus about 6 months ago. We've been waiting for workmans comp to approve the surgery and he got it on Nov 12. They found tears on both sides of his knees so he will be off his feet until mid-January.

Kade will be two in a little over a month. I am a lot more comfortable with the fact that he is a big man because I know by the time I am really depressed about it, I will just have a new little baby. The way God works is amazing.

Thanksgiving...we went to my sister, Glenda's house in San Clemente. It was a little challanging with Kade for the first time. He is the kind of boy who likes to move....all the time. So sitting in the carseat then being trapped in hotel room with 3 other people took a toll on him. But all around he had a lot of fun at my sister's house. I could really kick myself for not taking pictures at all except for Kade driving down. I had my dad's 3 daughters and I didn't even think about taking a picture. Anyhoo-Glenda worked her butt off and made a delicious, gigantic, beautiful meal enjoyed by all.

We got our Christmas tree and hung the stockings and did a little bit of Christmas shopping. I have to tell you I am truly obsessed with the Christmas season. I would listen to the music and have my tree up year-round if it wasn't a tid bit creepy:)

So that sums up the last couple months and now some pictures of whats been going on:)

his new choo choo jammies..hes choochoo obsessed

We went to Carson City to visit my dad's brother, Vaughn and went to the Nevada Day parade

Corn mazes

And then came Christmas time:)

this house we're at has over 150,000 lights and a CHOO CHOO TRAIN!!!! haha, he went nuts

A picture of him smiling with santa...kinda haha

There are a couple more that I will update later with:) I promise I will stay on top of it this time. So, to sum it up, we are very happy, looking forward to Duane feeling 100%(oh he can start putting weight on his foot on Christmas Eve), and enjoying all the time we have left with just Kade. His latest thing is singing. He loves to sing! His favorites include "Adelweiss," "Daddy's Little Girl," which we change to "Mommy's Little Man," "All I Wanna Do," by Sugarland(he really just sings the do-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo part haha), and he tries so hard to sing his "ABC's." But he says random letters, mostly B I U Y O P over and over in a different order haha. He is just becoming BIG and we LOVVVE it:)

quick

I went for my 1st Trimester Screening today(which I'm not really even in it anymore, but they had to push it back) and they did an ultrasound and the baby measured at 14 wks 2 days and I'm supposed to be 13 wks 3 days so I am about a week farther along than they thought. My doctor might change the due date to April 26th. I will update this with the pictures later:) Yay, one week closer to having my little love!

lame

I wish I had some cute pictures to show you but I left the battery charger for my camera at the country club my brothers wedding was at and my card port on the computer isnt working. Sad story. I do have pumpkin patch photos awaiting an upload though.

So, I am now 13 weeks which means I'm in my 2nd trimester. The sickness is kind of subsiding and I'm more having problems with my migraines. I usually just take some Tylonel PM and it doesn't come back until the next day around dinner time. My appetite is coming back and unfortunately the things I want are pizza and bbq'd chili dogs on a wheat bun...don't ask..Hahah. I am definately starting to show which is odd to me but once I realize I'm 13 weeks, it's not so odd. So, I have a belly picture. Since my camera is dead, I had to resort to the camera phone, sad. This was a little over a week ago but I look the same. I'm too small for maternity pants but my regular pants are too tight so I'm resorting to the rubberband on the button.

Duane's knee surgery is scheduled for November 12th which is 2 days after our 3 year wedding anniversary, so we are going to hopefully be doing something the previous weekend. He is stoekd to be relieved of his pain and then he has a job waiting for him in December sometime if not then January. He starts school in January and will hopefully be joining the electricians union in early June.

So, things will be looking up soon. I am just enjoying being pregnant and really enjoying the time I have left alone with Kade. I'm trying not to call him "my baby" anymore. I don't want him to be confused or hurt when the baby comes. For now, he's "mommy's big boy." And he gets very happy when he hears that. Which means I have to coem to the realization that he is a big boy! He is growing out of his 3T shirts...he's a big boy:)

Lazy me

I haven't blogged in a while. I've just been dealing with a lot...I have a Protein S deficiency and because only a few thousand people have it worldwide(not to mention I am my doctor's first case in his 23 years as an OB) there is not much research or really any guidelines of treatment to go by. Basically, it makes my blood more likely to clot and since the baby's veins are so tiny, I have to take baby Asprins to thin my blood until I'm 28 weeks at which point my blood will be a good consistency to the baby's veins. If this treatment is not working, I have to give myself a shot every day. Sounds fun...They don't know any cause other than gentics and since my dad has had kidney failure, stroke, heart attack, clots in his legs etc., they are leaning toward the possiblity that it comes from him. So, I need to go back in his medical records to find if he's ever been tested for it.

Other than that, dad's leg is sooo much better. He can put weight on it now which makes him want to be incredibly independent and go on his crutch alone which is not going to happen again after I asked him if he wanted to end up back in the wheelchair:)

No luck yet on the job front. I'm staying positive. The basics of it is the economy sucks and Duane's line of work is production so if people aren't spending money, there is no production, hence no need for new employees. The frustrating thing is he just needs a temporary job until May when he finishes his classes necessary to join the electrician's union(my dad did it for 40 years and my 2 other brothers do it and he is very intrigued and needless to say, he's making my Dad proud so that helps him:)

My denial of the fact that Kade is almost two is worsening. "He's almost 21 months!" I have to correct people when they call him a two year old:) And to prove that he is HUGE I have recent pictures that blow even my mind

Playing baseball outside before church

Ok, so here is where the big boy in him makes me sad...we are a BIG sports family and he is definately part of the family:) He starts with almost perfect form

And THEN, look at how he follows throught with his foot...his dad and grandpa were pretty amazed...haha

I am trying to accept that in 3 months, my man will be 2 which then means in 3 months after that, I will have a newborn little baby love. Though I have been sad about being pregnant and Duane being laid off, I am almost glad that I am pregnant while this was happening because I have something to look forward to, something to be positively hopeful for and even when I get sad or worried, the joy of how amazing this whole process is is overwhelming. It is most definately a blessing:)

how's this for an update

Duane got laid off today. Gotta love the economy. They had to downsize and it really sucks. They got him severence pay, which was nice of them. They do, however, have to pay Duane workmans comp when he gets his knee surgery in the next couple weeks for the fall he had at work back around December.

So, my medical expires October 31st. I've been stressed out all day about not having money and I just realized, "Oh wait, I'm not gonna have medical insurance for my unborn child!"

I'm kind of freaking out and Duane is really down on himself and I am trying my hardest to stay strong for him and let him know that there was nothing he could've done different.

So, I will keep you updated on the job search, considering that will be our lives for the next however long it takes.

103.9..yeah, thats right

So, in the middle of the...morning(haha), Tuesday morning...Kade woke up at 2:00 am and was abnormally hot. I didn't test his temperature because it was quite obvious that he had a fever, so I gave him some Tylonel and put him in bed with us. Enter 5:30 in the morning: wake up again, more medicine. Wakes up at 8:15 am with a burning fever and I realize that the thermometor got lost in the move. So, I run to the store where my son decides to puke all over himself and aisle 4. I run home, test his temperature and its 103.5. Give him more medicine, call the advice nurse and she suggests supossitories(sp?) since the Tylonel isn't touching that fever. So, I run back to the store and ease Kade's request to see his "noona" aka Duane's mom, so we go over to her house where he is zoning out and falls asleep. He wakes up seriously looking scary and pale and has a rash all over him and so I rush to the doctors, pay my stupid $100 co-pay(insurance is being sooo lame right now, thats a different post:) and take him back there, the doctor check his temperature at 103.9, give him a double dose of Tylonel, rushes him to the back, wraps him in warm towels to break the temperature and here is Kade, yelling at the top his his poor little lungs,"MOOOMMM, ALL DUM!!!!" And the nurses at this point must think I am horrible because he is so stinkin' cute yelling at the top of his lungs, I can't help but slightly smile. So, the fever breaks, crisis averted, and that sick little cuddly boy that I selfishly love is back. But STILL today, he refuses to eat food, he has something wrong with his mouth so it hurts when he eats or drinks, and today, he wouldn't sleep at all. It is actually quite the miracle that he is sleeping now and it's almost midnight. Each day is a surprise at this point. But hey, he is completely active today, whereas yesterday my poor man couldn't even stand without his knees buckling and to my sheer delight, he is still as cuddly as he is when he is sick.


Although, tomorrow will be day 3 without eating and if he refuses food, I'm gona have to take him back to the doctor.

Like I said, just another day in paradise:)

Everything is OK! *update with picture*

I went in for my physical today and kind of begged the doctor for a sonogram:) I told him I just would like it for my piece of mind. So, he did it and...I am farther along than he thought! He changed my due date to May 2, 2009 and I am 8 wks 4-5 days based on the size of the baby and the baby's heart beat is STRONG 170 BPM. I haven't gained any weight(I've actually lost 1 lbs:), my blood pressure is nice and low(which is actually a surprise for how wired I've been feeling) and I am just so relieved! He said I measured small because my uterus was just really soft, probably because this is my 3rd pregnancy. So, all my fears are silenced and as my mom said, I choose to be positive and happy. I cried all those tears for nothing and now I have learned my lesson. My Heavenly Father will keep me and my little family, I just have to be positive and faithful. I don't have my scanner right now, but I will post the picture soon. Thank you all for the prayers and well wishes. Duane and I are soooooo happy!

Update!!!

Her is the sonogram picture. This one showed the yolk sac the best, but the other pictures either measured 8 wks 4 days or 8 wks 5 days, but this one says 8 wks 3 days. Since the majority of them were more, he changed the due date to May 2:) The scanner kinda blared out the baby but oh well, it's a positive result!

pushed back

The doctor pushed back my appt to Wednesday because he has surgery. This doctors office must think I'm a crazy lunatic because I call their office 3 times a day to see if my test results are back yet(including my hormone levels to determine if they are as high as they should be for how far along i am supposed to be). It's a good thing the one nurse there is treating me with concern and respect because otheriwse I would've switched doctors by now. She has miscarried several times and she is being very cooperative with me in figuring out what is going on. She said she would talk to the doctor about him just doing the sonogram on Wednesday because I will be 8 wks 3 days. I am not having any of the warning signs of miscarraige yet so I am trying to stay positive that I am just not as far along as predicted.

I am still frustrated with the doctor but I will deal.

On a different note, I have started reading,"The Happiest Toddler on the Block" and I have learned a lot about how to deal with my "spirited child." Thank you Sarah for telling me about this book! I am finding myself not nearly as frustrated and being able to repeat back to him his frustrations and reason with him is helping us immensely today! I haven't gotten to the clapping technique yet but after reading your blog, I tried it out a different way and he is doing ok with it. We will see how my little cave-man progresses. Haha

rough night

For no apparent reason last night, Kade has a really bad awakening around midnight and had a fit every time we left his room until 1:45 am. So, after "the longest hour and a half of my life," says Duane, I apparently in my delusional state, told Duane to just bring Kade into our bed and I awoke to this...

He had overtaken our bed. I was halfway off the edge...here's a better picture of him sprawled across my queen bed(I never thought he could take up this much room)

He absolutely tore the bed up, took the whole thing over and looked oh so precious doing it:)

That's my daily vanity in the 3rd person:)

im panicked

So,to preface this post, as most of you know, before I was pregnant with Kade, I had a not so fun miscarraige that was mid-pregnancy and had to be induced and deliver this baby.

Today when I had my appt, first of all, we switched insurance(not by choice) so I pay a heck of a lot more of a heck of a lot less, so instead of having the amazing Kaiser where everything I need is in one building, I get Aetna aka "go to a million different doctors and buildings in 5 different cities just to find out if your pregnant."

So, I have the appt, I have to check all those boxes about pregnancy history which is really hard for the nurses and doctor to grasp the fact...3 total pregnancies, 1 live birth, one miscarraige, and this one. Out of the other two, both were vaginal deliveries. They looked at me like I was stupid,"So, it's actually 1 vaginal delivery.." like they know. NO ITS TWO!!! I really had to explain it in detail to 5 different people that I had to deliver this "fetal demise" as they kept calling it. That's really something to want to re-live over and over in a matter of an hour.

Anyhow, thats just the half of it. So, everything as far as THIS pregnancy is going well until they inform me that my uterus isn't as big as it should for as far along as I am. I immediately assume, ok, well I'm pretty sure I am 5 weeks from conception anyways but the doctor had told me 7.5 so whatever. They go straight to their little voice recording device and state,"patient has smaller uterus than expected due date. this is cause for concern due to the patient's history of fetal demise, possible abnormality." I never even crossed my mind till they said it. Now those old feelings are coming up and everyone keeps telling me, just relax and wait.

Oh yeah...WAIT. That's exactly what I'm going to have to do. I have to go back tomorrow morning to fill out more paperwork, then go to a completely seperate town for a lab test, wait a week for an appt with the doctor then go to another town to a gentic specialist who will give me the 1st trimester sonogram(even thought the doctor stated that he could do it himself) because of my history. All the genetic specialist is going to tell me is that I am a carrier for cystic fibrosis. Duane is not, problem squashed.

I am so frustrated with my insurance, with my doctor, with myself for freaking out, and at time for moving so slow. I have to wait 2 weeks to find out if I am carrying another dead child. I am panicking. God, give me strength.

first prayer:)

So, tonight at dinner, Kade said his first prayer. It sounded a lot like babbling and some words in there like thank you and please and amen, but he folded his arms in the middle of dinner(long after we had already said the prayer) yelled at me, Duane, Grammy and Grandpa(my mom and dad) and insisted that we fold our arms and help him say his prayer. So, he did! It was too cute, Grammy helped him, but he was so proud of himself, it was hilarious to listen to all that babbling. But, it just made me realize, hearing him say Jesus and a variant of Heavenly Father(it didn;t sound anything like it but he tried:) made he really proud of the way he is being raised, with a belief and a knowledge of God. In fact, it made me so happy, it totally overshadowed the fact that I was so upset that he wouldn't eat his dinner:)

gross cravings

Ok, so around here, we eat pretty healthy, especially since my dad is on a special diet for his diabetes/kidney disease. And with the additional newfound interest in the Deceptively Delicious cookbook, even more so. So why oh why am I daily, craving McDonalds chicken nuggets and french fries??? I know I want the salt, but can't I crave something salty like Pirate's Booty and have it satisfy my craving? No, life just doesn't work that way. And then, I have to bring my son down with me...he LOVES the chicken nuggets and apple dippers there. And, I even let him play in the little gross play area. He went in the little tube things and down the slide a few times and played basketball and once I realized there was a funny smell coming from there, I had to bolt, sad and ashamed. LOL. This is a problem...I just need to stay busy cooking dinner and pureeing my veggies and stay away from Mickey D's. I'll cry if these cravings last all 9 months:)

Spaghetti Pie accomplished:)

It was pretty good. My only recommendation is that you maybe mix some crumbled crackers in with thr meatballs and cook them seperately then add them to the pie, THEN bake it. Haha. It's a lot of extra effort but otherwise, they are too soggy. Also, I would say to add a tid bit of garlic powder or an extra garlic clove. It was pretty good though...add some extra pepper and a dash of parmasean cheese on top and its good:) Kade DEVOURED it...mission accomplishes...MWAHAHAH:)

ahhhh...forgot

I totally forgot to post his video! So, at Kade's great-grandparents house they have a baseball tee and Kade LOVEEEES baseball, so of course he plays with the tee. When we came home after he first played with it, we found him using an Alhambra water jug as a tee, and he was like 15 months old, so we were amazed at the creativity that he had. Anyways, so we still let him use the jug as his little tee just because he likes it. So we started saying, "Here batta batta batta batta" when he's hitting the ball and he tries so hard to say it too, poor guy:)

first attempt at being decpetive:)

So, yesterday we went to Trader Joe's and got all the stuff we needed for basically every recipe in the book:) I just have one queston for you ladies...How the heck do you fit all the purees in the fridge! I think I'm gonna need a bigger fridge pretty soon here haha. With a household of 4 + 2 every other week, it's slightly full. So, last night I made the Tortilla Cigars...they were a hit! I, like a ding dong, didn't take any pictures of the finished product, but I did come to my senses while everyone else but Kade was done. He loved them! They are soooo good with Sour Cream, we use the non-fat stuff. We also had guacamole and salsa available to dip. We had my mom and our best friend and her daughter over for dinner. Her daughter is 9 and we told her that there was yellow squah and carrots in it after she told us how good they were. She was not very happy that I had tricked her:) But she got over it...

And I think I must make note that I,myself do not enjoy vegatables...at ALL, in any way shape or form. But I must admit, they were pretty freaking good. Duane is begging for the Spaghetti Pie and the Pita Pizzas, so I think that's up next. I personally am ready for the Aloha Chicken Kabobs, thanks to you Erin:)

Ok, so here are a couple pictures that I got

this is hilarious...he asks for a napkin and he wipes from his belly up to his eyes...big man:)

so cute and so disgusting all at the same time

So, Kade discovered his nostrils a while ago but never had any interest in digging for gold, so to speak....until now. He doesn't like, "dig in" pick his nose but he thinks it's hilarious when I tell him,"ewww, gross!" So he continues to do it. Hilarious

Also, my son now knows 4 songs and actually will randomly bust out singing them

1. Itsey Bitsey Spider

2. Popcorn Popping

3. Old McDonald

4. All I Wanna Do by Sugarland

yeah, thats right...i hear all day,"oo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo"

It is so unbelieveable adorable and hilarious and I just relaize more and more that he is a big boy and picks up everything he sees and hears.

the crying hormone

Yes, it's back. Last night, I watched the Stand Up To Cancer marathon and definately cried through the whole thing. At first, Duane was laughing at me, because he is very aware that when I am pregnant, my emotions are all over the place.

Then tonight, I watched The Locator. This man is like a PI reuniting people with their families. As I had 2 brothers that I met for the first time almost 10 years ago now, it really evoked such strong emotion in me. I cried, of course:) For anyone interested, it's on the WE channel on Saturdays. I don't remember what time because I just pressed the DVR button to record but you have got to watch this show.

Kade's new thing: pretending to wash Duane's and my hair. He opens one hand, pokes it with his index finger, rubs his hands together and rubs our heads. It took us the longest time to figure out what the heck he was doing! Haha...he is just too much:)

i hopped on the deceptive bandwagon:)

True story...Kade used to be soo good with eating whatever was given to him but now, like me, he sees anything green and there is no way. I can slip some peas into his burrito or green beans into a rice and chicken cassarole but one of my biggest fears having a child was that they would be like me. I hate veggies! I hate the texture, taste, everything, I gag everytime. I can only eat spinach in things, the french style green beans in stuff and sprouts or a piece of romaine lettuce on my sandwiches...So, I have seen so many of your guy's success with the Deceptively Delicious cookbook and i went and bought it and a new blender(mine broke some time ago and I never had a reason to replace it:) I can't wait:)

sick and video of the mister

I'm getting sick..inevitable...but unfortuantely it is not a direct result of the pregnancy. Everyone everywhere I go is sick with a cold and now Kade and I are catching on and I will feel sooo bad if my dad gets it too:( I basically have a ridiculously sore throat that has come on in the matter of hours...I'm basically miserable...

Got to FINALLY see my America's Next Top Model and Project Runway tonight...they both look soo good. Thank goodness for my DVR.

So, new video...Kade is exploring putting his clothes on and off, naming all his body parts which is hilarious considering he is showing an interest in picking his and MY nose(sooo gross) and today was his uncle's birthday so we've been trying to get him to annunciate his words a little better from the happy birthday we saw on his 1st birthday which sounded like,"ah-pah ba-da-ba" in a Gus-Gus(the chubby mouse from Cinderella)/Napolean Dynamite-like sounding voice:) The video is sideways because I'm so smart:)

Also, a couple of funny pictures from the last couple days...

This is Kade's mischevious look right before he books it into his room to a dead end which brings nothing but tickle torture and nap time:)

This one is on my crappy camera that washes everyone out but i love his little profile and love the Katy Perry on the TV

and another one taken by the crazy face himself with Catherine's feet in the background...mwaaahahaha

Worst Morning EVER

I went this morning, I reluctantly left Dad for a quick cut and color with Kade in tow. I get there prepared with my snacks, books, toys, sippy and stroller to entertain him. When all of those devices had failed, I called Duane's mom, Laura, to come pick him up. As she's looking through my bag for the keys to get his carseat out, she cannot find them. And my heart sank...I knew I had locked them in the car. CRAP! So, I had to call OnStar to unlock the car and lo and behold, the system in the car is no longer compatible, it needs to be replaced...now I had my dad's van and he has been paying for this service that they no longer can provide him unless he gets the whole system replaced. So, I call AAA. I'm not on the account and my dad or mom has to be there to be able to open the car. So, Dad has to call and put me on the account and he thought I had gone to Tracy to get my hair cut but we moved so of course, I'm here in Manteca. So, I had to call AAA back to have them come to Manteca...and this whole time the poor lady was trying to dye, cut, and style my hair. I had to get up a million times to go out to the car. It was horrible. And I thank God that Kade was not in the car when I locked it. So, thats my blonde moment for the day. And when Duane gets home, him and Dad are going to have a field day making fun of me...shoot.

I'll post the new hair when I'm in a better mood...and I don't like the way she styled it...it kinda looks like a bowl cut HAHA...I'll work with it

color the skies

So, today we went to Color the Skies, a charity event benefiting Children's Hospital. This was going on yesterday and today but since everything that happened Friday with Dad, we wouldn't go yesterday. So anyways, the event includes craft for kids, games, animal petting, jumphouses and most importantly, hot air balloons and hot air balloon rides and a choo choo ride. Since the wind was so strong, they had to take the balloons down(which sucked, I reallyknew I would be able to get some amazing shots:) but that didn't stop us from enjoying the rest of the activities. Kade had a much needed day with mom and papa out of the house. I tried to get Grandpa to come, but he was in too much pain still, which was fine, completely understandable. Soooo...here are some quick pics of the fun we had:)

he did the hot air balloon craft but was not very happy with it on his wrist so papa put it on his belt loop and he didn't like that either haha

trying to pet and pick up the bunnies. I am not a big fan of the animal petting but thank goodness they had sanitary stuff on hand

duane's brother richard and his son brody also came with...kade loves "un-co" and "bobo"

he was a little hesitant at the jumphouse at first...his crazy hair that i know i need to cut! lol

but he eventually warmed up in the obstacle course jumphouse and then the big boy in him came out

and then he tried to use his bubble stick as a sword, brody was not too into it:)

then he got a papa ride

and perhaps the most adorable thing abou tthe whole day was how badly he wanted to fly a kite like the other big boys but we had to run home to Grandpa so we didnt have time to do the kite craft:( lol

So longest blog ever I know but we had a ball today so revel in it with me OK:)

Dad is doing better. I took him to the doctor tonight because he was complaining of ribpain and the splint and ACE bandage they put on his hand made it swell a lot because of the already lack of blood flow that it made worse, so I wanted to know what else we could do for it. They ended up taping the pinky and ring finger together. The knee they think has a fracture based on a faint line on the xrays, so on Tuesday, I am calling his doctor to have him referred to orthopedic specialists. He is in pain but same old dry sense of humor dad we all love.

I'll pretty much be updating about him on here, so keep checking:)

ummm...

this is a possible TMI, but Kade definately went poop on the toilet tonight for the first time! My goal is to have him mostly potty trained by the time I have the baby...eight months...I can do that...right???

and now for the bad news...and some joy:)

So, this morning at 3:00 am, I get a call from my dad who was house-sitting for my mom. He had fallen and couldn't walk. So, while our close friend stayed with the baby(who by the way, I really need to stop calling the baby:), Duane and I drove to Tracy with a wheelchair not knowing what to expect, have to crawl through a completely out-of-reach window(the doors are locked, Dad is upstairs) and go up to him. It turns out he was walking up out of the family room, which is a step-down room(like 2 steps) and tripped on a cord that runs across the step. He fell on his knee and tried to catch his fall with his stroke-affected arm and well, that didn't work out too well considering it can't hold any weight. So I convinced him to let me take him to the ER and 5 hours later, he broke his pinky finger on his right hand. The knee, they can't really tell because in the xrays, he has so much arthritis that they couldnt tell if is had dislocated of there was any damage. So, they sent us home in an immobilizer and told us if the pain persists after a week to follow up with his primary doctor. Well, I decided to just write his doctor and requst the MRI now, but before I could even do it the next doctor on shift at the ER called and told us that he thinks he needs the MRI now so he called Stockton and ordered it. Dad is in pain and laid up in bed and cannot walk but the Percocet is doing him well.

I'm gonna make a complete 180 here in subject really quick though. So, as I didn;t get to sleep, my friend took Kade today with her on errands so that I could nap. When they got home, Kade went right to sleep and about an hour later, he woke up in a foul mood and didn't want anything but to stand up and cry half asleep. So, I brought him into my bed where he drank some milk and fell asleep. And as my usually little mischevious man lay there, I sneezed and in his sleep, he mumbles,"sss-yuuu" aka "bless you." I sneezed again and he said it again and then went back into his deep sleep. I couldn't help but think to myself, "He is the most perfect thing I have ever seen." So of course, I jumped up to take some picture of his perfection:)

from his little "iggieshhh" aka piggies..haha

to his little blonde curls

to his sweet little face and lips

He is absolute pure perfection and a song popped in my head, a country song,"You're Gonna Miss This," by Trace Atkins and being as hormonal as I am, you better bet I started to tear up. Haha...

So to sum it up, in the wake of what seemed to begin to be a horrible day, I found something that brought be joy and though I would share it with you:)

new beginnings

So for while there recently, our lives had been very chaotic and filled with other people every second and what was good for everyone involved. Now that we have the new house and its just us(well and Dad but I couldn't imagine him not being here to see Kade grow up) , and I am no longer working outside of the home, I am really just at a wonderful place in my life. I am figuring out my hobbies, doing things for myself more instead of always for others. Don't get me wrong, doing things for others is amazing and very fulfilling but you find you and your family getting lost in everyone elses's needs.

I have started going to a little playgroup here. Today, we went to Pump It Up, which is an indoor jumphouse park kind of. Kade was very hesitant at first but warmed up to it to the point of not wanting to leave. He loveees basketball(during the Olympics, he just sat there with Grandpa entrhalled in what he was seeing) and there was a jump house with baskets and balls in it and he was in it for a half hour. He absolutely loved it.. And I really loved getting to know moms in this area and getting out of my sometimes stressful life and just spending time on me and Kade.

And...on the news front...

We're Pregnant!!!!

HaHa! I am 4 weeks along and have calculated the due date at May 4th, 2009. I haven't gotten into the doctor's yet because I just found out yesterday. At first, because I have a history of miscarraige, we weren't going to announce it until I was out of the 1st Trimester but in my experience it feels so much better to celebrate every second of it than worry about it and attempt to keep it secret. So, this is us celebrating. I know I'm gonna get hoping for the boy or girl questions and my answer is, I would love to have a girl and a boy, the perfect American dream right? It would be amazng, but I'm kind of hoping I have a boy just because I'm already so much in that mode of cars and trucks and trains and pirates and bikes and you know, eevrything that makes up those wonderful little monster men we love. But I would really love to experience a girl also. And yes we already have names picked out...we've had a lot of time to think:)

So, this is our new life. There is bound to be some crazy challanges and on top of it all, Duane is job hunting again, still working but actively looking for new work. There are going to be lots of changes in the next year but all for the betetr and I welcome it all with open arms:)

terrible twos?

Here they come...the dreaded terribles twos. He is becoming more whiny, particular about what he wants and when he wants it, very vocal with his opinions and just plain exhausting. He reminds me of the nursery rhyme about th elittle girl with the little curl in the center of her forehead. "But when she was bad, she was horrid!" He is amazing most times but when it comes out it is just frustrating.



So, my conclusion is that he is either entering those terrible twos or going through a gigantic growth spurt. He had gotten rid of his mid-morning nap about 6 months ago and now*thank god* it has returned. He is asking for food at weird times of the day and is practically licking the plate at dinner. In fact...

for a while, i couldnt get him to eat anything but the last couple days, he ate a whole chicken breast...

and in fact, did lick the bowl clean

Haha...I am trying my very hardest though to stay calm and always say, "Kade use your words" when he starts to screech or whine. The weird thing is, he is awfully cuddly recently all at the same time. I just hope the temper tantrums subside and my perfect little monster is back.

In typing that, I just realized...I have my perfect little monster, I jut have to adjust and try my hardest to show him how to react to tension and animosity by remaining calm and speaking clearly. This too shall pas...lol

my kid, the fussy face

So, we just moved into a new ward but have still been attending the old ward due to my calling in nursery...thats just not one that you can bail out on, especially with the 12-15 kids that traffic the class. So, I continue to drive a total of 40 minutes every Sunday to do it. Well, today was my last day and since I am in nursery, the transition that most parents dread was easy for me. Kade has been in since he was 15 months old.

After church today we were driving home and looked at the clock and said, well the new ward still has an hour. This would be a perfect time to introduce Kade to the new nursery. I thought, toys, snacks, piece of cake. No, not so much. He was apparently nurseried out. (now may i remind you that the new ward is considerably smaller than the other ward so there are like 5 kids max in every week). So as he's throwing a fit because he has to share a toy with a 10 month old baby who is the son of the nursery sister, and i swear these poor women's faces were horrified at my screaming child. I'm sure they are dreading it but me...i cannot wait to just drop him off and enjoy my relief society.

So, to sum this up, my kid is more than likely these women's worst nightmare. And I secretly love it...mwaaahhahahaha

Sick Boy

Is it sad that I secretly love when my son is sick? In case you didn't know, Kade is an 19 month old who never stops. He is the energizer bunny on steroids..haha. He is not necessarily hyperactive in any way but he is just active.

So, this started with the poop and rash then yesterday started with a temperature of 100.5. So, we went to the store, got all the necessities for a sick child(you know pedialyte, medicine, oodles of toys from the dollar bin...which happened to be 75% off, yes $.25...to feed the fire that is my spoiled child), came home did our regimen and he was fine. He woke up from his nap and zoom! up to 103.6.

Then came the shameless satisfaction that I have when my sick son is holding still, letting the medicine do its work, actually cuddling with his mom for quite a while. Aside from the occasional crying and scary temperature, I was sitting there revelling in my son's sick disposition. Call me a horrible mother but soon enough, the medicine worked and he was crazy Kade again.

Hopefully today I get a little cuddling, minus the sickness. *crossing my fingers!!!*

oh the beauty...

of the changes of life. in the last 9 months, we have moved twice, once from the house we were sharing with my sister, Minnarie and her kids and my dad(lotsss of people) then to my mom's as an inbetween because we were buying a house then we moved out because the market is so brutal right now. So we broke down and decided to rent. Save now, buy later. We moved to another little town about 10 miles from my mom's house called Lathrop. We are living in a newer 3 bd/2 ba on a 12,000 sq ft lot...yes you heard me correctly, 12000...in a brand new development where our neightbors can barely breathe in their backyards. lol. So far, Kade is loving the yard and so is our little italian greyhound mix, Sadie.

This is Kade playing in the sprinklers and man, has he got JUMPS

So, in December, at Duane's company Chirstmas party, they had a raffle and we won a Canon Rebel XTi with two of the lenses and a UV filter and all the fun extras. I had always shot it in full auto, because all of the settings were so confusing and I was working so I didn't really have the time to worry about it. Since I quit my job at the swim school and started being a stay at home mom, I have been picking up my hobbies. I learned about light, exposure, all the settings, what they mean etc. I have really been having fun and have taken some pictures that I am really proud of. I have already had a couple of shoots for family and friends and am loving it.

My brother, Beau's engagement photos

My best friend Larissa's son, JuJuBee(Javier Jose Benavides III) also known as J3 lol

and of course the occasional shapshots of my little family

Kade at 17 months

Kade and his Papa

just a couple days ago





and this is Kade and my little girl that I nanny, Haylee


they may not be amazing but I am really proud of them. I've also been making new recipes almost every night. My dad is on a realllyyy strict diet because he has stage 4 kidney disease so he can't eat much phosphorus, potassium, calcium and protein(he calls me his food nazi haha) so cooking things that are good for his kidneys and diabetes is really challanging and rewarding when he is proud of me and my son and husband are chowing down on it too. So, I now I haven;t really written on here but it might help keep me sane, writing everything down. So, keep checking in on me to hear my ramblings and experiances living the life I love so much.