tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32559159880528970902024-03-13T09:03:37.941-07:00Just Another Day In ParadiseToni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-5865919250788894642018-04-16T15:13:00.001-07:002018-04-16T15:13:07.136-07:00Failing<br />
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Well hey. It’s been a while. But I’m back to share some
thoughts I’ve had on a topic that I’m really well versed in, especially lately:
failing.</div>
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Yep. The big scary F word I’ve been trying to avoid my whole
entire life. But there’s a lot I’ve learned about failing and maybe I can give
you a few pointers on how to be a failure too. Unless, of course, you’re
perfect.</div>
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You see, it all started when I was a a young child. I specifically
remember being particularly careful in my actions, always aware that someone,
people, were watching. I was always quick to appease others. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being like them was good and being anything
else was bad. The thought of anyone knowing that I didn’t know how to do
something or not doing something well has been a constant anxiety for me and
one I’ve never been able to shake. It occurred to me recently I’ve spent my
entire life trying to please other people and be someone I thought I should be.
Who I’m supposed to be has changed over the years as the roles have changed. Daughter,
to a classmate, to someone religious, a mother, and wife. And through all of
these different roles, and the expectations that came with them, I realized
that I was deeply unhappy and completely exhausted in each and every single
stage. I felt like Elsa from Frozen, “conceal, don’t feel. Don’t let them know.”
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been an imposter to everyone and to
myself. Not some sort of shocking kind of imposter where I was leading a double
life or making bad decisions. The quiet kind. The kind that never really tells
you what’s on her mind, how she’s really feeling, what she really wants and
needs. Always smiling, always putting on an act that life was perfect and yours
can be too if you just <i>try</i>.</div>
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But reality, I felt like I was in a constant state of drowning.
Drowning being a stay a home mom and not finding satisfaction in it, drowning
in questioning my faith and religion, drowning in my marriage that wasn’t bad
but wasn’t great either. </div>
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And somewhere, somehow it occurred to me that I was doing a
really big injustice to myself, to my spouse, and children by drowning all the
time. Did I want to be so young and so unhappy in my life? Is this what I teach
my children? Lead a life that makes you so miserable you count the hours until
you can just go back to bed? Do what everyone else will tells you will bring
happiness and wonder what’s wrong with you when it’s not working? So after a
lot of thought (and a bunch of really helpful therapy sessions) I started to
finally ask myself what <b>*I*</b> wanted. What things will make Toni happy? The
answers that came were surprising.</div>
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And now here I am at 26, looking back, and realizing I’ve wasted
a lot of my time trying to keep up with the Jones. I don’t want to be the kind
of woman that continues on this unrealistic portrayal of life. My life is not
pinterest, my life is real! Why do I feel though I’ve been inundated that real
life is not real though?</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So naturally, such a
shocker to most people when I came out on Facebook with, “Surprise! I’m
divorced!” I go back and forth on if the shocker was my fault because of what I’ve
portrayed my life as or everyone else’s for never cultivating a space where I
felt safe enough to say otherwise. I’ve heard a lot over the last few months
how Jesse and I were perfect for one another, how I seemed like such a happy
individual, and it seemed like, for the most part my life was going swimmingly.
It was the very reason it was so hard to come out and be honest with the people
in my life. I feared the judgment I knew I would receive at failing in my
marriage, at breaking up my little family. And believe me when I say, those judgments
that I was so afraid of came on like the freight train I expected. It was a
hard thing to feel like I disappointed so many people around me. That was, of
course, until I realized that this was my life. If people wanted to feel disappointed
about it then that’s on them. Failing is a natural part of life. Sure, I’m
bummed too that my life and marriage hadn’t gone as I hoped but I don’t want to
waste another second of my life feeling bad because it didn’t.</div>
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So now here I am at work and I had a lull in tasks. I
started thinking about how satisfying my life truly has been lately and how I
really owe it all to failing.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a little bit
of what I’ve learned since I started learning to be okay with failing:</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>First,
it’s okay to be me. I’ve spent most of my life always trying to fit in some
type of box of expectations. Whenever I felt something I wanted to do, or who I
was, did not fit in that box I told myself I was wrong and needed to adapt. And
you know what? I was wrong. Wrong because I shouldn’t care about boxes and
expectations. I don’t want to adapt. I am me and I am okay as I am. It makes me
sad to think that there was a time that I felt I couldn’t have opinions and
questions, that it was not okay to be inquisitive, funny, and vivacious. These
are all things my daughter is too and the very things I love most about her. What
a shame I’ve spent so much time thinking that these parts of my personality
didn’t fit into the life I was supposed to lead when all along they’ve been
some of my most beautiful attributes.</div>
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Second, I’ve learned way more about
myself that I wouldn’t have known otherwise if I didn’t allow myself to fail. I’ve
discovered a lot of new hobbies I enjoy, a lot of skills I’m really good at,
and have been forced to learn different subjects I wouldn’t have learned
otherwise (read: all the car things). I know what I like, what I don’t like,
certain things that matter and others that don’t. Most importantly though,
learning more about myself has helped me realize how much I deserve in life.
No, most things are not just handed, but I’ve learned to fight for the things
that I know I deserve and then received them because of my efforts. I’ve
learned I’m worth it, something I couldn’t see before because I was too busy thinking
about how others saw me.</div>
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Lastly, it has given me the gift of
compassion. Which is certainly not an attribute I’d say I had before. I have
learned to be kinder to myself and others. Whenever an opportunity presents
itself for me to judge, I often take some time to really consider it from their
standpoint. There are so many variables we cannot know about other’s lives and
really, life is not black and white. Bad decisions don’t necessarily equate to
being a bad person just as making good decisions doesn’t necessarily equate to
being a good person. We are all humans. Most of us are just trying the best we
can.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So,
yeah. I am absolutely failing at life and I’m okay with it. But because I’m
failing, that also means I’m succeeding too. I’m taking risks and working
towards big aspirations. Sometimes I trip up and it doesn’t work out so I sit
down and revaluate and get back up and try at it again. And if that’s failing
then I want to keep failing. I want my children to see a mom that doesn’t have
it all figured out but keeps trying anyway. I’m just learning as I go and
giving myself grace all along the way. </div>
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Just a thought for the next time things don’t work out. You’re
okay; we’re all okay. Failing is just another part of this messy but beautiful life.</div>
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<br />Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-35923228179744656852016-08-03T10:05:00.004-07:002016-08-03T10:10:12.630-07:004 Month Arie UpdateI don't have a lot of time but I know I need to write this post now or it'll never happen. Here are a few things that are new with our sweet, handsome Arie:<br />
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<ul>
<li>At his doctor appointment earlier in the week, he weighed 14lbs 13oz (27%) and is 23.1/4 in (0%). Basically he is really short and has only grown 3in (technically 4...at the hospital he was 19in but they didn't have his head all the way to the top). The pediatrician hasn't said anything about it so I guess it isn't something concerning. Because he's so short though his weight makes him seem chunkier than he probably really is.</li>
<li>Today he rolled from his back to stomach so he can officially roll both ways now!</li>
<li>He is a terrible sleeper most nights. We'll have a good week where he only wakes up once but lately he's been up 3-4 times. Dear Teething, I hate you.</li>
<li>He is still super smiley. Like all the time. I love it.</li>
<li>He loves everyone. He loves people and he loves attention! He wont discriminate.</li>
<li>His laugh is adorable and he's super ticklish.</li>
<li>When someone is talking to him unexpectedly he swivels, freezes, and then becomes animated and jumps. It's so fun to watch!</li>
<li>He get's fevers after every immunization and even thought he's more sleepy and cuddly, he is still smiley.</li>
<li>He has started to become a little more independent. I can now sneak away to get something done for like 10 minutes compared to when he'd only let me set him down for a minute. No joke.</li>
<li> He has recently become very chatty. He goes from being entirely silent to talking a mile a minute! I've noticed he does it most if it's just him and I. When he's around others he rather listen.</li>
<li>He is still a momma's boy through and through. Wherever I'm at he's looking for me and occasionally cries for me if he feels he's gone too long not in my arms.</li>
<li>He loves to snuggle and sleep in our bed. Not that we do it often but sometimes in the exhaustion of night nursing we all fall asleep.</li>
<li>He is super sensitive to noises and can't sleep through them easily.</li>
<li>He will randomly stop nursing and stare at me until he gets my attention. When I look down at him, he'll then give me big smiles.</li>
<li>He loves to jump and wiggle! I'm a little worried he wont end up being a calm toddler like I hoped.</li>
</ul>
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We love how happy he is and snugly. I really couldn't ask for more! We love you, Arie!<br />
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-54701246989268483352016-08-03T09:49:00.001-07:002016-08-03T09:49:38.498-07:00Kiddo Updates (I Need to Be Better!)This was meant to be posted two months ago...oops!<br />
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I was thinking about how big Arie has already gotten in the two months he's been on this earth and started wondering what Penelope's stats were at this point. I headed over to my blog obvious and kept smiling as I read through dozens of my posts when she was a baby. The human mind can so easily forget and I couldn't get over how many of the wonderful memories we had that I had previously forgotten. I have always been terrible at keeping a diary but in a way of sorts, this blog has kind of become that, and I am so glad that I wrote down all of those precious times!<br />
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But instantly, I got really sad. Because I haven't been so great at writing down my wonderful times with Arie and I don't want to miss these moments either. So I've decided to try to be better at writing out his milestones and fun memories.<br />
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So here are some things/memories about Arie that I never want to forget:<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li>Arie is such a smiley baby! And more recently he has become more content and happy. That first month was a little rough and it always seemed he was unhappy if he was awake or not eating at that moment. But month two his personality has really started to show. He is such a happy kid and my heart just wants to burst from all of his wonderfully adorable smiles.</li>
<li>He hates being put down. He wants to be held always and sleeps for longer periods of times when he falls asleep in our arms. If he feels himself being put down, he will start to instantly cry most times. Not going to lie, it gets a little frustrating after a while because eating and getting things done around the house are essential and it means that sometimes he needs to cry while I take care of those things. But it also makes me incessantly happy because it means he needs me and loves me and what is better than that? Penelope was often so content with whatever which was great but I never really felt like she needed ME and I think that was hard for me. Arie is so different in that way. He sometimes really just needs MOM. Sometimes he cries and cries until whoeever is holding him gives him to me and then he settles down. It feels so good to be needed!</li>
<li>He loves to nurse. He has just recently started to become a big comfort nurser and I can't stop help but let him because I can tell how much he feels he needs it. If it helps convey how much I love him then I am completely willing. He also loves to snuggle into me after and sleep.</li>
<li>He loves to cosleep and while I had a hard time with it Penelope (I worried I might lay on her or she'd fall off the bed) I don't mind it as much this time. I think I'll always prefer my babies being in their own beds but I honestly enjoy having at least one small nap session together and being able to sleep his cute sleeping face.</li>
<li>I think it's pretty obvious at this point from above statements but, he loves to cuddle.</li>
<li>He looks so much like me and my family that it's sometimes weird. I've gotten so used to our beautiful Penelope looking like Daddy that it's a little odd for me to have a child that actually looks like mine! His eyes continue to change colors in certain lights and it's undecided if what color they will end up. He also has so few hairs that it is hard to say with certainty if it's a light brown or if it'll be darker.</li>
<li>I love Arie's little voice! I can't describe it but he seriously has the most adorable little voice. When he coo's I can't help but smile! I hope I get it on video one of these days.</li>
<li>He has the loudest cry imaginable in the middle of the night. Like seriously. It's the only time I can honestly say he really annoys me. I know that's kind of mean but it is SO LOUD. He almost always wakes Penelope up. Were talking fire alarm level. I wish I was kidding.</li>
<li>His favorite human being is Penelope. When he hears her voice he always looks for her and he always reserves his best smiles for her. He also can't stop looking at her once she's in his sights. Even when she's hugging him or kissing him too hard he almost never complains.</li>
<li>He has the strongest legs imaginable! The other day he, Jesse pulled his arms to help him stand on Jesse's stomach but he basically did it all on his own! Plus getting footie pajamas on or off him when he doesn't want to is basically impossible with those stiff, strong legs.</li>
<li>He doesn't coo very much but he moves him mouth all the time as if he is trying to get out words.</li>
<li>He was circumscribed at 2 weeks and it was probably worse for me than for him. He kept bleeding and it was so scary! They cotorized it with a powder and it was mostly fine, but it looked so swollen down there. Later that night, during a diaper change he randomly started to bleed again and it was bleeding a TON (which was NOT good) we called his pediatrician and we almost had to go to the ER. I'm not sure I've ever been so scared in my life! I was a blubbering mess but Jesse stayed calm and after 15 minutes we got it under control again and didn't need to bring him in but I basically didn't sleep at all that night and monitored him like a hawk.</li>
<li>He is a very calm and mellow child, (thank heavens!).</li>
<li>He likes TV even though we don't let him watch TV. He tries the hardest he can to get in a position to see and when he can see it his eyes never leave it.</li>
<li>At his two month appointment he </li>
</ul>
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We just love our sweet boy! I was initally a little terrified of having a son but I am so grateful to be his mom. I can't imagine our lives being any sweeter!</div>
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-60672130360737115302016-05-09T22:04:00.001-07:002016-05-09T22:04:08.136-07:00Birth Story: Arie Beckett JustetAs many of you know baby boy's due date came and went. Each day I told myself today is the day but unfortunately I'd wake up and still be pregnant; I'd basically decided that if I woke up and I wasn't in labor it wasn't happening that day. Frustrated, I tried everything I knew to induce this kiddo but to no avail. My 41 week appointment came and my midwife said the dreaded words I was hoping not to hear: let's schedule an induction. She like myself, wanted to wait till the very last moment possible so the plan was to set the induction for Saturday March 19th when I'd be 41 week 6 days. Hospital policy made it so I had to be induced by the 42 weeks but due to there being 3 scheduled c-sections that day, we made the decision to move it forward a day. I scheduled it for 11am so I could walk into the hospital feeling well rested and prepared and just hoped that induction wouldn't be my fate.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on my due date 3/6/16</td></tr>
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Well the rest of the week came and went. I had my membranes stripped that following Thursday which resulted in really strong contractions but like all my previous contractions, they fizzled after an hour or two. I woke up Saturday realizing that having this baby come on his own was out of my control. I tried to make the most of it as I got ready by reminding myself of all the things I wouldn't have been able to do if he had come naturally. Seemingly small things cheered me up a bit. Hey, I can take a shower, shave my legs, put on a little makeup (which is pointless but whatever), and eat a good breakfast. But at the same time, it felt so odd knowing how last time there was no time for these things. With Penelope I woke up and an hour later it was time to go. I was starving, messy, and frantic looking but at least I didn't have time to think about the pain, the exhaustion, and well, how my life was going to change forever. This time I was walking in knowing what to expect and feeling like even an extra two weeks of pregnancy was just not enough time to prepare!<br />
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We decided to go out to breakfast at our favorite little place called Penny Ann's (their hot cakes are the best in the state!). Jesse's dad came so we could pass off Penelope and my dula/sister-in-law Chante' came as well so she could head to the hospital with us after. While there I started having really strong contractions again and we hoped that maybe when I got to the hospital an hour or so later I wouldn't need to be induced after all!<br />
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We took a final picture as a family of three and headed to the hospital. I was nervous so in order to lighten the mood Jesse suggested playing all the songs that could work with having a baby. We listened to Closing Time (fun fact--that song is about labor and not about being kicked out of a bar. Who knew??), Push It by Salt N Pepa, and Y'all Ready For This (my favorite because Jesse reenacted parts of Bring It On). Have I mentioned that I have the best husband ever?<br />
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We arrived, checked in, and I put on my gown. We chatted and went over our plan to convince my midwife to only make me do a half unit of Pitocin an hour instead of two and laughed and joked. After an hour we started wondering what was taking my midwife so long. Just as we were discussing if they had forgotten about us, she walked in and explained that she had us wait because she could see that I was having consistent contractions and was hoping it would be enough time for her to come in and for me to be like "hey I'm in labor!" She checked to see how dilated I was and I was at a 2.5. Lame.<br />
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Then we disucssed my induction options. She gave me two choices: Pitocin or breaking my water. I was fully expecting Pitocin to be my only choice and so naturally, I was completely game for breaking my water! She broke it and within minutes I was having contractions again. In order to pick up the pace, I walked stairs for about 30 minutes. By the end not only was I pooped, but I had to stop and breath through my contractions when they'd happen. We decided to head back to my room and I thought it might be fun to try a birthing ball. That's about the time I noticed the dreaded back labor. If you've never had back labor, count yourself lucky. Imagine the pain of a contraction with an equally painful sensation in your back. It's so painful, I'm almost convinced that labor would be 100x's easier without it. My sister, husband, and an intern midwife all took turns pressing on my back as each contraction hit and it made a world of difference for a while. Soon however, it became too much and I decided to hop into the bath. I just need to say: Best. Decision. Ever. With Penelope, the bath actually hurt MORE but for a long while the pain of the contractions were manageable and my back labor went away completely! It was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who had it as an option.<br />
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Jesse held my hands as I used my legs to push off the side of the tub and float. When the pain got to it's worst, the floating helped me to relax as much as possible through the contractions and I truly think picked up the pace of my labor.<br />
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By 3:30 I felt the need to push. My midwives got suited up ready for a baby to be born!<br />
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But...4:30 came and there was still no baby. The pushing felt good and productive and I was doing exactly what my body wanted me to do...so how come, with a second labor, baby boy still wasn't here?<br />
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It was about that same time my back labor came back with a vengeance and it took every ounce of concentration to not scream bloody murder or yell out profanities (a few might of slipped here and there ;)). I started telling everyone I can't do it, I just can't and everyone would tell me just one more contraction, just one more time. My midwives were concerned as to why there was no baby yet so they decided to check how dilated I was...<br />
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a<b> 4 or 5.</b><br />
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Yes you read that right. A stinking 4 or 5 (end goal is 10 for those unfamiliar with birth)!!!<br />
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So what the heck was going on???<br />
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You see, baby boy at some point became posterior, just like Penelope did (context if you're unfamiliar--I labored for SEVEN hours jJUST STUCK at a 9 with Penelope!!!).<br />
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Except this time the way baby boy's head was hitting my cervix, it was telling my body "hey it's time for this baby to come out. You're ready to push!" when in fact, his head was making it really hard for my body to get to where my body felt like it should be. So what did this end up meaning for me? Many, many more hours of labor. Basically a baby being posterior is not dangerous, ideally you want to deliver with a baby head down, and sometimes the baby will go into the correct position during pushing (Penelope did), but it makes your labor slow down. I was going to have to labor feeling the pain of a 9 when really I was only at a 4 or 5. I had told myself if that had happened again, without question I was going to get an epidural,<br />
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It's a funny thing when everyone is telling you your about to have your baby and then they're all like just kidding it might be a while. It was then that I lost my concentration and really, my hope for a natural labor. They convinced me to try rotating him, but he wouldn't budge no matter how hard we tried. Once they started talking about putting blockers in my back to alleviate the back pain, I was entirely done. No longer could I breath through the contractions. I was crying hysterically and demanding an epidural. I had told Jesse that if I asked for one to try to talk me out of it, and he did just that, until I looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Jess, I know I said to talk me out of it, but I'm serious right now. I really can't handle this for one more minute."<br />
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By 6pm the anesthesiologist was in my room with the most glorious and most welcome shot of all time. It was even worth, in my opinion, the excruciating pain of my nurse messing up my numbing shot and then placing the IV in the top of my hand (I hate needles but seriously, IV's are the worst!!!)<br />
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Then it was back to blissful, pain free life. And I decided right then and there I would <b>never, ever</b> attempt a natural birth again. Once I was myself again, my midwives explained to me that 1) I was unfortunately someone who would probably always labor with back pain and 2) they think my pelvis shape makes my babies become posterior during labor which basically guarantee's baby #3 doing the same as #1 and #2. For these reasons, it's not worth getting that far each time and not seeing the end in sight. I felt like a failure for a good couple hours after, so badly I wanted to prove to myself that I was tough enough to birth without medicine but after much encouragement from my whole team and lots of comforting words from the hubby, I decided that getting as far as I did in both of my labors proves I'm a lot tougher than I thought I was and I'm okay with that.<br />
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From there, it was just a lot of mild discomforts. For some reason the epidural this time gave me lots of weird side effects. First I was nauseous, so they gave me Zofran, then I was incredibly itchy all over, so they gave Benadryl, and after a few hours my epidural slightly wore off on my right side and so I had contractions again that hurt bad enough that I needed to breath through them, so another anesthesiologist came and gave me some more epidural stuff I think.<br />
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I fell asleep for quite a while and kept having weird dreams. We think the Benadryl made me loopy because, while I can't remember it, my sister and husband both tell me that at some point I asked them if I asked the anesthesiologist if he had a cat, and then when they put oxygen on me (baby's moving had slowed down), I asked Jesse what they were doing to me and asked if I would die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Their favorite however, this conversation:<br />
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Me: *groggily* Jess?<br />
Jesse: Yes?<br />
Me: *pointing to my oxygen mask* Luke...I am your father. *turns away and falls asleep.*<br />
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So I'm glad the long night resulted in some great stories for them.<br />
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My midwife woke me up at 1am and checked to see how far along I was. I was at a 10 +2 which is how they gage that he is VERY ready to come out of my body. I was still really loopy and asked my midwife if that was why I felt pressure down there and then asked if I could wait a few more hours when I wasn't so sleepy. My midwife basically face palmed herself and we all continued to laugh at my ridiculous request.<br />
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The next 30 minutes were fairly uneventful as I waited for the nurse to tell me to push. Before I knew it baby boy was placed on my chest! My initial concerns were that something was wrong because he didn't cry for a full minute and even then it was in these tiny spurts. He had also came out posterior and I didn't know it didn't matter too much at that time. Apparently, the cord was wrapped around his neck and he was blue but I must of missed it when I closed my eyes for the final push. Jesse says that my midwife did it so smooth and slyly that if you weren't really watching closely it may have gone missed.<br />
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I delayed weighing and all the other procedural stuff for the first hour so I could just hold him and nurse him and what a great decision it turned out to be! I didn't really have that option last time with Penelope. She had consumed meconium so when she came out she was rushed away for a few minutes to make sure she was okay. And then when I had her I was so faint from blood loss I only held her for a few minutes those first 5 hours of her life since I thought I might faint. Baby boy and I instantly connected and I think that first hour made really made all the difference. With Penelope it took a weeks before I felt that bond and I wonder if it had something to do with all those complications.<br />
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I really enjoyed my labor experience this time around. Knowing what was going to happen really helped me prepare emotionally and mentally and fully enjoy the experience. Also, this time my blood loss was a lot less which allowed me to have way more energy than last time. I still hemorrhaged (if you hemorrhage once you're likely to hemorrhage again) and I still got a 2nd degree tare, but because my midwife was anticipating it, they took every measure possible to lessen my blood loss and make it so I didn't tare. I hope I always get to labor with midwives! They are wonderful in every way!<br />
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His birth stats were 7lbs 11oz and 20in. That was the most surprising thing about him when I saw him. He was so thin compared to his chunky sister who had rolls and was 8lbs 8oz, and he was in my stomach a week longer than her.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0a8VDnn5zl2KgkfGmzrHOTz-F9KnrI5aVetfJxxlrK82bIwfog8g4xnTV8jM9NKhgc3lDaIfU9kizyj0U1fAjgzCU4WLOy5PaYGzNCuZU-Ev9YGqBW_MxXSwC0Czu698yxizJx1VVqq-/s1600/image000000i+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0a8VDnn5zl2KgkfGmzrHOTz-F9KnrI5aVetfJxxlrK82bIwfog8g4xnTV8jM9NKhgc3lDaIfU9kizyj0U1fAjgzCU4WLOy5PaYGzNCuZU-Ev9YGqBW_MxXSwC0Czu698yxizJx1VVqq-/s400/image000000i+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZUdD1WELE8I_vjpe-e7mNow7HSqDDO1tOk-CxcqLTOLjiXXhH5pRXkM31h_XkgtAP0da0q-Fbmilb60OUEZX3a9vE2mEb4on7OJBjDRceO7PcHnhZoZ9Ic0V1C1AbVPshJ14NjeqO2VA/s1600/10740_10209248838837030_8604868374179590517_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZUdD1WELE8I_vjpe-e7mNow7HSqDDO1tOk-CxcqLTOLjiXXhH5pRXkM31h_XkgtAP0da0q-Fbmilb60OUEZX3a9vE2mEb4on7OJBjDRceO7PcHnhZoZ9Ic0V1C1AbVPshJ14NjeqO2VA/s320/10740_10209248838837030_8604868374179590517_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Baby boy was checked by the hospital's pediatricians, and while in basically perfect health, he had a few minor, non serious "conditions." For starters his skin was peeling and dry (and still is in some places) from baking in my stomaching an extra few weeks, he also had a blotchy rash which name and cause I can't remember but is gone now and his nose had underdeveloped glands (I think?) which we were also told would clear up in a few weeks and did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHnhyVlxzK7nM-_mPiwWWoSSIo32bs807tP9BAg-msWtER24Mu_ZshV5PZ-KfBCQNuGve8ckbRuZ3MrlExPH4zhqX026OxBHS_Ho2kSVwHYprVGAWgsKTinFxtly8OumeSHlqUH02C9XW/s1600/12801268_10209264627671741_6822855884122981014_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHnhyVlxzK7nM-_mPiwWWoSSIo32bs807tP9BAg-msWtER24Mu_ZshV5PZ-KfBCQNuGve8ckbRuZ3MrlExPH4zhqX026OxBHS_Ho2kSVwHYprVGAWgsKTinFxtly8OumeSHlqUH02C9XW/s320/12801268_10209264627671741_6822855884122981014_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>On top of all that, in the days that followed we learned that baby boy had jaundice and needed to be put under lights. He improved but by the end of the following day his numbers had risen and he needed to be kept an additional day. Since I am breast feeding I stayed in a Twilight room (basically a place the hospital lets you sleep once you're discharged so you can nurse your baby). Hands down, still to this day, it was the hardest day yet for me. Because our son needed to stay under the lights, I could only hold him while nursing and then immediately would have to return him to his bed. For 18 hours I felt like I was in prison and put in isolation. The twilight room was small with no windows or art and only had a bed, a nightstand, and a tv in the corner. I would sleep for an hour or two, be woken to feed our son, and then return to the room to wait for them to come and get me again. Not only was I sleep deprived and sore from, you know, having to push a baby out of me, I was incredibly emotional. Hormones played a big role I'm sure but it was hard feeling like I was being kept away from my days old son and our daughter who I'd never been apart from for more than 3 days.<br />
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Thursday afternoon we got the okay to leave but right as we were about to head out Jesse made me call my midwife to check my heart because I had been having shooting pains in my chest since I had had our son. My midwife checked me but decided to talk to a resident doctor to figure out more about it. When she came back she sent me to ER because they were worried I might have a blood clot in my chest (something that can happen after having a baby). It felt like I was never going to leave the hospital! After a CT scan, it was determined that nothing was wrong with me and we were allowed to leave that night. I think I would have ran out of the hospital had I been in a physical condition to do so!<br />
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Choosing the name:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Arie Beckett Justet</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvE7FiSKjD9m-18zyAl3OLNUqEbLedTaOTqXbxa6OLZyqSCBvXerUzsCy3Usl2XLWl8dWE4ppXfZ6IRTQhzYj5YtdZwSiC00EdKq-sXYDYo57ziDJ6mY8qkiTy_217YQQfXQCLHEixous/s1600/Arie-025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvE7FiSKjD9m-18zyAl3OLNUqEbLedTaOTqXbxa6OLZyqSCBvXerUzsCy3Usl2XLWl8dWE4ppXfZ6IRTQhzYj5YtdZwSiC00EdKq-sXYDYo57ziDJ6mY8qkiTy_217YQQfXQCLHEixous/s400/Arie-025.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RW2ntXzNyWKkNZA_Gbz6GEZTCvJ9vkfp4JFGK6dNne4SjTo05UP3L5P2RNYSNOiRnmNlDpe90nWrOcSUw9RCST_u-O1VrbmLzJccN2l6DZ8IrJFX1UWsEopy9qpHObe8Vfb_TN4C8MWP/s1600/943839_10209350085608136_2875705286290920888_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RW2ntXzNyWKkNZA_Gbz6GEZTCvJ9vkfp4JFGK6dNne4SjTo05UP3L5P2RNYSNOiRnmNlDpe90nWrOcSUw9RCST_u-O1VrbmLzJccN2l6DZ8IrJFX1UWsEopy9qpHObe8Vfb_TN4C8MWP/s320/943839_10209350085608136_2875705286290920888_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>The first few hours after our son's birth we were kept in the labor and delivery room to monitor my blood loss. The nurse tending me was chatty and loud making it impossible to sleep so instead we decided to talk about names. I was basically 90% certain we'd be naming him Tucker but oddly enough when I looked at him it didn't seem right. I was about to ask Jesse his opinion when he looked up from our list of names and said, "So...there is one name that really sticks out to me, and you're not going to believe which one it is but...what about Arie?" <b>(Pronounced R-ee).</b> I looked at our precious son and couldn't believe how right it felt. Obviously if the name was on our list it was a name we were considering but if I'm being entirely honest, it was probably our least favorite of the bunch. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we'd be leaving the hospital with a name quite as unique as this. I had had my heart set on Tucker for so long that I needed time to really make sure this was the one. My husband on the other hand, who is one of the most indecisive people I've ever known, looked me in the eyes and told me that he was certain without a shadow of a doubt. I asked if we could pray about it and we did and while I got the answer I needed, I still need a little more time to try it out and make it feel real.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7Y5RWvBvludq7YpGaOlMbj19nXBw451OrIzAE46jNy7X8w3FL5NSrhO5FV22f16Sb-WCL_gArNVNgbFEGenygUhmZgz-wRQB6biFThlYXP2eOrGhZ7ixQS2RGG2KHDAuavZ_gSVnF-Oh/s1600/12115814_10209252012276364_896698016581411126_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7Y5RWvBvludq7YpGaOlMbj19nXBw451OrIzAE46jNy7X8w3FL5NSrhO5FV22f16Sb-WCL_gArNVNgbFEGenygUhmZgz-wRQB6biFThlYXP2eOrGhZ7ixQS2RGG2KHDAuavZ_gSVnF-Oh/s320/12115814_10209252012276364_896698016581411126_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERtvL2HUroV78t0gIRw5ht4JiFEXiHcDG8yXWZtx5df6snUcirXxmz9EShRxOvtXB-bj7Mp1ojkPuwePw2qVf8Z5o6inlXtSDDFcGmTYfGgSNSQ3_wpQEZxUF0QNp8vgYdsbX6Q7zLDms/s1600/10371411_10209264627191729_6376846782627276881_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERtvL2HUroV78t0gIRw5ht4JiFEXiHcDG8yXWZtx5df6snUcirXxmz9EShRxOvtXB-bj7Mp1ojkPuwePw2qVf8Z5o6inlXtSDDFcGmTYfGgSNSQ3_wpQEZxUF0QNp8vgYdsbX6Q7zLDms/s320/10371411_10209264627191729_6376846782627276881_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>I think what really sealed the deal for me was the meaning of Arie. A few months back, I saw an Instagram post from Al Fox, (also known as The Tattooed Mormon) and she was explaining how they came to name their son Israel. She met with President Eyring and he said to her that if we really knew how important the meaning of a name was to God then we'd put more consideration in choosing names for our children that meant something. This struck me oddly enough. I couldn't help but feel a little guilty that Penelope's name meant (basket) weaver and our top choice, Tucker, meant a piece of fabric on a men's shirt. (However, since then I've done more research on the name Penelope. In Greek mythology Penelope was Odysseus' wife who patiently waited for his return for 20 years. So I suppose it could mean patient or devoted, though patient is not a word I'd describe our daughter. haha). We hadn't previously looked up the name but since we were pretty certain Arie would be his name we looked it up real quick. It means lion of God; the greatest of all. I honestly don't think I could have come up with a better meaning to a name if I had made it up myself. I was smitten with this little boy and we knew that this was to be his name.<br />
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The most common question we get asked aside from the pronunciation, (for some reason a lot of people think it's pronounced Air-ee? I thought it was pretty obvious but then I realized how close it is to the zodiac sign Aries so I guess I can see why now) is where we got this name from. In all truthfulness, the only time I've ever heard this name was from one of the contestants from the Bachelorette, Arie Luyendyk Jr who also happens to be a famous race car driver (ironically I also rooted for him from episode one on and he made it to the end). His parent's I believe are from the Netherlands and upon further research the name Arie seems to be a relatively popular there with that same spelling. It made it on my exclusive list but since Jesse was always meh on it I never really thought it'd end up being a real option. In fact, a couple months before Arie's birth, when reviewing the list we had, Jesse asked me to take it off the list and I secretly kept it on anyway because I liked it too much to throw it away. Good thing, huh!<br />
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Beckett was our second favorite first name choice and we both felt it was a name that suited him and it sounded nicely with Arie and Justet. Thus it became his middle name.<br />
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Personality:<br />
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Arie so far is a very patient baby. Most of the time he'll patiently wait for me to set up my breastfeeding station even if I can tell he's fairly hungry. He likes to look around the room when he's awake and hates being put in positions where he can't see. He is curious about this new world around him and fights sleep any chance he gets. He is SUPER smiley and I'm fairly certain Penelope is his favorite in the family. He is fairly consistent in his sleeping patterns and what works for him. I can't honestly say he ended up being the easy baby I hoped for, but I'm not sure I'd necessarily place him on the difficult side either. He is a momma's boy through and through. He almost always calms down for me if he is being fussy with someone else. I can already tell that he is a really happy baby though. This might sound weird but he smiles with his eyes. I can always feel his happiness radiate off him.<br />
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Physical Features:<br />
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Arie's physical features are definitely more my side of the family. I can see quite a bit of Jesse in him but overall he is more me. I saw a baby picture of me the other day and I couldn't get over how we were almost identical. I love that Penelope is all her dad but I secretly love having a baby that looks like a piece of me too. With Penelope I catch small glimpses of me from time to time but with Arie I see so much of my brother Dustin and my dad and occasionally my Grandpa Allison and Papa Bartolomei.<br />
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We think he has light brown hair. In some lights it looks a little strawberry blond and he doesn't have enough hair for us to be certain. Right now his eyes are an extremely dark blue, so dark that you can barely tell, which leads me to think he'll end up with brown eyes in the end however, in the last week they've lightened up quite a bit so who knows what he'll end up with!<br />
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Baby #1 vs Baby #2 Comparison:<br />
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Penelope was easier, at least according to my memory, but I think part of what made her easier (aside from being a great sleeper from the gecko where as Arie isn't...) was that I was supplementing with formula pretty early on. Basically this meant Jesse could have a turn feeding her and I could get some sleep. Arie is exclusively breast fed which means I am constantly awake and feeding him. Sleep deprivation makes everything harder so I'm not sure it's a completely fair comparison. Penelope slept 5-6 hours at night by this point where as Arie <i>usually</i> has one 4 hour sleep session and then a 2-3 hour sleep session the rest of the night until 6am. He takes an hour at least to get back to sleep in between sometimes where as Penelope would eat and go right back to sleep through the night.<br />
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Arie nurses a lot better than Penelope. Penelope struggled with latching where as Arie doesn't. Penelope would eat for an hour to an hour and a half each feeding where as Arie eats for 10-15 minutes each session. I haven't needed a nipple shield like I did with Penelope which has also made nursing easier. That being said nursing hasn't been easy (I've had mastitis and other issues). Arie is 7 weeks as of yesterday and a week ago might of been the first day that I hadn't been in a lot of pain and considered quitting all together. Everyone talks about how much they enjoy breast feeding and I'm still waiting for that to happen but I've worked too hard to make it work so there's no going back now.<br />
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Penelope spit up a lot and I can count on one hand how many times Arie has.<br />
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Both Penelope and Arie were/are cat nappers. Penelope and Arie both only sleep about 20mins during the day each time they nap.<br />
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Penelope was content to be put down where as Arie wants to be held 24/7.<br />
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Penelope loved all music where as Arie is much more particular. I will say when I find a song he likes he get's very excited about it (he loves the song Cake by the Ocean haha).<br />
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Penelope wouldn't take a binky where Arie will take it occasionally.<br />
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Both hate/hated having their arms in a swaddle.<br />
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Both smiled easily.<br />
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Penelope always took to Jesse more where as Arie prefers me.<br />
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Arie doesn't mind being held by strangers and Penelope hated strangers.<br />
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Arie is harder to please than Penelope was at this age.<br />
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However, Arie is more patient than Penelope was.<br />
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Arie hates the car seat where as Penelope didn't mind it.<br />
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Arie is extremely ticklish but Penelope wasn't and still isn't.<br />
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Arie doesn't mind diaper changes but Penelope hated them.<br />
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Arie likes to sleep with me and sleeps better with me where as Penelope would be squirmy and wake easier.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penelope had a cold. :(</td></tr>
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Penelope is smitten with him and loves to tell everyone that he is her brother and that she is a big sister. She doesn't understand how to be soft like most 2 year olds, but we're working on it. She has been so great though--not once has she tried to hit him or hurt him. However, she's having a bit of a hard time adjusting as we anticipated. She loves him so much and is always sweet to him but she's been very abrupt and aggressive towards us in her words and hasn't been listening very well. I thought she'd be more teary and sad, so I wasn't prepared for angry and (more) defiant (than usual)!<br />
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Jesse took two weeks off from work and man was I grateful because I forgot how exhausting taking care of a new baby is!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihf00YOrX-Sh5s2IlBjT3fPmuchQAX76Lw5Bi8mXgcg4aIFt92RxXixAj1g0x1PLl96DpKo7MAq1U_wePM2pYs3C3iqIDMhjk1W3taCg7duXUf864D-nK0YAC_r3m3T2Eb2yCy7SErEgc1/s1600/1618581_10209264625711692_1465196914021571380_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihf00YOrX-Sh5s2IlBjT3fPmuchQAX76Lw5Bi8mXgcg4aIFt92RxXixAj1g0x1PLl96DpKo7MAq1U_wePM2pYs3C3iqIDMhjk1W3taCg7duXUf864D-nK0YAC_r3m3T2Eb2yCy7SErEgc1/s320/1618581_10209264625711692_1465196914021571380_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>Life now is about trying to adjust to two kids! It's a lot harder than I imagined but so worth it! I am mostly struggling with sleep deprivation and finding time to take care of myself (ie. eating more than once a day). It still feels overwhelming and I'm wondering when it wont feel so difficult most days but I love these two munchkins and feel so blessed that I get to be their mom. I often wondered how I could love Arie as much as I do Penelope and there are no words that can explain how incredible it is that a parent's heart can just continue to expand in such a way. I love this little guy, who he is, and his adorable double chin and I'm so glad he decided to be apart of our family. I just love our little growing family and I'm really excited for all the adventures we will continue to have together as a family of 4!<br />
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-31838806657016953562016-03-15T20:22:00.001-07:002016-03-15T20:34:13.660-07:00Baby Boy UpdateHey everyone! So...<br />
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No baby. Yet.<br />
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I appreciate the many phone calls, texts, messages, etc and I promise if I haven't or didn't respond it's not that I don't care or appreciate you all reaching out. Just some days I'm feeling more emotional than others and talking about it is kind of the last thing I feel like doing. And crying. Ugh, crying. I hate crying in front of people and so sometimes it just to completely avoid the inevitable that is about to spill out over my eyes. But I promise, no news is, well, no news. And while I probably wont hop online and announce that I've had a baby the moment it happens, I promise to make the media world aware of his existence within 24 hours of his arrival (though probably towards the latter of the time frame). I know many of you are as anxious as us and we really appreciate the love and support you all have given us!<br />
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Today I am 41 weeks 2 days. I went in for my final doctors appointment and we discussed the idea of being induced. I'm as stubborn as my son and so I decided to hold off as long as I am allowed to. That being said, 42 weeks is the longest I'm allowed to go, and since Sunday the doctors have 3 c-sections planned, I'm set to be induced Saturday at 11am if he doesn't come before then. I really hate the idea of being induced and I haven't exactly been able to pin down as to why. The thought makes tears well up in my eyes. It probably has a little something to do with it being out of my control (something I really struggle with--I'm a control freak). It's frustrating and I keep going back and forth between trying to enjoy these last few days of being a mom of one and being an emotional mess because it really is hard being this pregnant. We're adding this new little addition to our family and it's exciting, but along with that comes a lot of physical exhaustion and physical pain. I'd love to help convey why it's so miserable physically but it's not exactly a topic appropriate for an open forum. Just imagine feeling like you're being stabbed with a knife over and over in places you'd really not like that to happen (is there any place someone would want that to happen???). But if I'm trying to find the silver lining to all of it, I am having a baby--one we've dreamed about and hoped to add to our family for quite some time now. Someone the other day pointed out to me that he can't stay iin my stomach forever. And so while everyday does truly feel like forever, it'll be over sooner than I realize. Also, this may seem like a ridiculous happy thought but, I got to set the time for my induction which will hopefully mean a relaxing morning of getting ready to go (and I also made my husband promise me pancakes at Penny Ann's. I feel like that makes the idea of getting induced a little bit more appealing. Read: eating my feelings).<br />
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I also had a non-stress test done today to make sure that baby boy was doing okay in that cozy paradise of his. I'm not sure why everyone talks about them as being awful (I suppose it's awful if you don't pass...because then you get induced right then and there). Basically I got to lay down in the biggest, most comfiest lazy boy I've ever seen, in a dark, small room. They put two little wire things on me and brought me all the juice I could ever want (I am basically obsessed with orange juice and take full advantage of anytime someone offers me it for free). I basically half slept for the 40 minutes it took. I needed to score at least a 5 in amniotic fluid and I scored a 14 so he has more than enough. He also handled contractions very well. The only reason they made me stay the whole time was because they needed him to wake up to see his response to a contraction and he stubbornly wouldn't, no matter how many loud noises they made near his head. I didn't mind though. I suggested to my midwife that they needed chairs like that for labor and delivery and she asked how would they be cleaned? Touche'. Still, somehow we need to make that happen.<br />
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Anyway, the next few days would make for great birthdays. Tomorrow because he'd be born on the 16th, same as Penelope (but in August--easy to remember, right?), Thursday because it's St. Patrick's Day. At this point however, I'm just anticipating being induced and hoping a miracle happens.<br />
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Also, if I had a dollar for every time someone stopped to stare at me as I walk by, we'd be able to easily pay off our school loan. Just sayin'. #ImSoPregnant.<br />
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I can absolutely promise the next time you hear from me, our baby will be here! The end is nigh!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last bump pic unless I end up getting induced. Catherine Lowe (from the bachelor) posted basically this same outfit on Instagram and her bump was so adorable in it I wanted to recreate it. That and I was tired of wearing the same three outfits that fit in rotation.</td></tr>
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-57450568128718406752016-02-19T12:41:00.001-08:002016-02-19T12:49:34.831-08:00Third Trimester Update (16 days left!)<span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I'm glad I was much more consistent with these updates than I was with Nellie's pregnancy. It's fun to look back and see the differences through out this pregnancy. I unintentionally managed to do one of these number updates for each trimester, and since the little guy is essentially due any day now, I figured it was time to do my last update. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of weeks pregnant today: <b>37 weeks & 5 days</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The number of years old I am: <b>24</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Pounds the baby weighs: <b>6.5 lbs</b></span></span></span><br style="color: #1a222a; font-family: molengo; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" /><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Inches the baby is: <b>19-20inches</b></span></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Times I got up to use the bathroom last night:<b> 4</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Times I thought about getting up to use the bathroom last night: <b>4</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Days since we found out we were pregnant: <b>Somewhere over 200 probably.</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #1a222a; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Weight gained so far:<b> 27 lbs</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of times in a day I think about at least one of the following: <b>I think about ice cream on a daily basis now.</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of days I have felt really sick:<b> At this point, I am more tired than sick usually.</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of pregnancy books I own: <b>1</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of things I have 'pinned' on Pinterest relating to pregnancy/baby<b>: Zero</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Days I have been married to my baby daddy: <b>1,700 days I believe</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of names that have been thrown around: <b>a million. </b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of names we have decided on: <b>I think we're deciding between two, with plenty of backups on the off chance he looks like neither of the names we've chosen. We can't decide on a middle name though.</b></span></span></span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><br style="color: #1a222a; font-family: molengo; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" /><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Till we find out the sex of our baby: <b>0! It's a boy!</b></span></span><br style="color: #1a222a; font-family: molengo; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" /><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Days until Baby Justet makes his/her debut!: 16 days. SO. CRAZY.</span></span></span></span><br />
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Aside from the numbers, baby boy has been MORE active in the third trimester than my other two so I'm a little worried he wont end up being my calm and mellow baby that I'm not so secretively hoping for. I also think that he is bigger than his sister was at this point. He is literally taking up my whole stomach and I can no longer eat like a normal human (I can take three bites of something and be full, only to be starving an hour later). It's that or maybe because I weigh less this pregnancy than with Nellie, my stomach is legit all baby (I gained 37lbs total with Nellie and so far I've gained 27lbs with her brother)? I don't know, but it is so weird to be able to feel him all over and know exactly where each body part of his is. I don't remember that being so obvious with Nellie.<br />
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As expected, I am beyond exhausted. Most of my midwives feel certain he is arriving before his due date since my contractions have been long, consistent, and painful, they just wont progress. My longest stretch thus far has been 8 hours, contractions every 3 minutes, lasting for a minute (I was 35 weeks then so it was probably a good thing they didn't progress). I ended up calling Jesse home from the his study session at the library just in case it was go time. Nothing I did would slow them down. Finally in desperation, because they hurt and I couldn't sleep, I took a hot shower and they stopped within 30 minutes of getting out. Anyway, I am really hope he does come early even if it is kind of giving me more anxiety. I figured I'd go late with Nellie just because most first time pregnancies do, but it's freaky knowing it could be any day. I have everyone's bags packed and ready to go just in case.<br />
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Nellie is excited for his arrival and everyday tells me that today is his birthday. I thought she'd feel more put out by having a brother (and I'm still expecting some resentment when he is actually here) but she talks about him on her own frequently and has been very positive every time she brings him up. The only thing I've noticed is an increase in wanting me over her dad and I'm not sure if it's because she is sensing the change about to take place or if it's because her dad is gone a lot and I'm the only one around most days.<br />
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Since I'm blogging about once a month now, I am assuming this will be my final post until he arrives! I can't wait to introduce you all to him here soon!<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></span>Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-39848692540267840512016-01-12T09:48:00.003-08:002016-01-12T09:49:27.626-08:00PJ's 2015 Favs Hey my people! Before we get into it, I just want to tell you all how proud we are of Penelope! We transitioned her to a toddler bed last week and it's been nothing but a breeze. She hasn't gotten out of bed in the middle of the night, played with toys during nap time, or roamed the house! Every morning she calls out for me to let me know she's awake and I keep explaining to her that when she wakes up to just come out and find me (I like getting her more than having her come out herself, but when baby is here they'll share a room and I'm thinking yelling out might wake him up). I feel so grateful to have a child who is super obedient in the times that count (aka I'm pregnant and sleep is valuable at this point). I wasn't worried so much about her getting out of bed as I was with her being scared, but she has been excited to sleep in it every day and talks about her new bed affectionately. Now if we could just conquer potty training before her brother comes, we'll be finished with all the big milestones for a while!<br />
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But back to the post--this post is the one I intended to write, then add to the last post, and then ultimately ended up being it's own post anyway. Somehow I got to talking to PJ about how I have a blog and it ended up with her telling me that she wanted to write a post. So I said, hey why the heck not? Here it is:<br />
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ASDFHGHJKL;'<br />
UY VBUYBGTVT5FREZZ4F NMN,NOK7 OGUUIFL<br />
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She's nearly two and a half so it's all good if you can't understand what is she is trying to say. So like the good mom I am, I translated. It reads:</div>
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"My mom is awesome. She is the greatest thing in the world. She keeps me alive and let's me watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the highlight of my day, so that makes her awesome. She's my favorite person ever. She is the best mom ever."</div>
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Translating from two year old english to regular english is kind of hard so I may of had to change <i>some</i> of her words to help you all have a better idea of what she was really trying to get at. ;)</div>
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But in all seriousness, she did want to be a part of the blog, so we collaborated and came up with the idea of writing out PJ's 2015 favorites. I asked her and this is what she had me write:</div>
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<b>PJ's 2015 FAVS:</b><br />
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Movies: </div>
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<li>Frozen</li>
<li>Pocahontas</li>
<li>Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs</li>
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TV Shows:</div>
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<li>Mickey Mouse Clubhouse</li>
<li>Barney</li>
<li>Doc McStuffins</li>
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Toys:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Playdo</li>
<li>Drawing</li>
<li>Frozen Matching Game</li>
<li>Legos</li>
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Color:</div>
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<li>Pink</li>
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Animals:</div>
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<li>Horses</li>
<li>Pandas</li>
<li>Lions</li>
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Songs:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Let it Go</li>
<li>Angels We Have Heard on High</li>
<li>Jingle Bells</li>
<li>Noel</li>
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Foods:</div>
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<li>Candy</li>
<li>Cheese</li>
<li>Bananas</li>
<li>Cheerios</li>
<li>Pepperonis</li>
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Activities:</div>
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<li>Playing with friends</li>
<li>Going outside</li>
<li>Going to Chic-fil-a's (aka mom and dad buy fries to share and let her play at the indoor playground)</li>
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Drinks:</div>
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<li>Hot coco</li>
<li>Chocolate milk</li>
<li>Milk</li>
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People:</div>
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<li>Dad</li>
<li>Uncle Jake</li>
<li>Uncle Tyler</li>
<li>Papa Justet</li>
<li>JoJo (cousin)</li>
<li>Conliegh (family friend)</li>
<li>Isla (BFF)</li>
<li>Baby Brother</li>
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And just for fun, her 2015 No-no's:</div>
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<li>Socks</li>
<li>Cherries in a can</li>
<li>Parents talking too much (her words. haha!)</li>
<li>Diaper rashes</li>
<li>When something tastes yucky</li>
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I can't over how hilarious some of these answers are. I just love this kid and how funny she is!</div>
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-62908064833276554382016-01-08T14:04:00.003-08:002016-01-08T14:12:53.558-08:0031 Weeks Prego Update // New Year ResolutionsHappy New Year! This pregnancy has flied by and I'm pretty sure it's because having a toddler makes slowing down and enjoying the sweet moments near impossible (read: always on the go).<br />
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I've had several blog posts in the work but never manage to finish any of them so I'm thinking we might just have an extra long post today filled with a bunch of different ideas I was trying to write out. First here is an update on this pregnancy and how different it has been since Penelope's:<br />
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<li>I haven't had any swelling whatsoever (except bullet bellow). Granted, with PJ I may have only had swollen feet 2 or 3 times, but I remember my rings being too tight towards the end and having to kick off my shoes every once in a while. But then again I was also very pregnant in the summer so that probably had a little something to do with it.</li>
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<li>I woke up last week and realized I have pregnancy lips! They have since toned down but haven't gone back to normal yet. I didn't even know it was a thing until a few weeks prior to that, but I legitimately had puffier lips! I liked my lips pre-pregnancy but man, I'd be totally willing to keep these things! They're so full and lush!</li>
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<li>Little guy kicked more frequently than PJ in the beginning, but these past few weeks he's slowed down a bunch. Not to a concerning amount, but instead of kicking he likes to stretch or readjust. I remember it was about this time with PJ the alien arms and feet were sticking straight out of me, but baby boy is much more content keeping to himself. It reconfirms my hopes that this little guy will be a but more mellow and calmer than his sister.</li>
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<li>I'm pretty certain little guy is taller than his sister already because I have these new, tiny stretch marks at the VERY top of my stomach. He also has stayed head down most of the pregnancy and when he stretches he puts his little arms at the bottom of my stomach and then pushes straight up (ugh, so painful!). It's so weird that I can feel him to the other end of my stomach. With PJ The highest I ever felt her kick, roll, or move was maybe an inch past my belly button, but this guy is the length of my whole stomach already! I'm already preparing for another big baby! </li>
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<li>Baby boy is very low and the last two midwives I saw think that he might come early instead of late like PJ. If the little guy could just come one week early, he'd be a leap year baby!</li>
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<li>I have resigned myself to not being able to have ANY caffeine with this child. Which is good I guess since it's not really great for them but stinks for me because I am always so tired! My midwives suspected that I was iron deficient (especially since I can count on my hand how many times I've had meat these last 7 months) but I just got my glucose screening back and their excellent (ps. I passed my glucose too though I may never recover from the torture I endured giving blood and getting a giant shot in my butt). Anyway, if I have any caffiene, I am guaranteed to not sleep that night because our son goes nuts! I had a coke after a long day at 6pm thinking I'd be fine by 11pm. Little boy never stopped kicking, rolling, moving, for more than 5 seconds at a time and man was he rough! I tried everything to get him to go to sleep but he finally passed out at 4:30am on his own. Needless to say, I have never been more grateful to already have a child who sleep till 8-9am.</li>
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Then since it's the New Year and all, I thought I'd keep with my tradition and review how my new year resolutions went and my new ones this year.</div>
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<b>1// Attend the temple monthly: ACCOMPLISHED</b></div>
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Okay, in all truthfulness I missed ONE month (Jesse didn't so fist bump for him!). I missed Decembers which is really annoying because I was thissss close to finally accomplishing a new year resolution and December is the one month I like to attend more than once since it Christmas season and what better way to spend the month by focusing on Christ? But regardless, I'm counting it because I had every intention of going until about 2 hours before it was time to go I intended up really sick (puking everywhere so it was probably a good thing). Anyway, it's something I hope my husband and I continue to do regardless of it being a resolution or not.</div>
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<b>2// Eat better: MEH</b></div>
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We've made concerted efforts and then they drop off. Overall I think we've been much more mindful this past year than ever before so it's kind of a win but third trimester exhaustion, grad student husband, and a rambunctious toddler = easy meals 4 out of 7 days of the week. I was feeling pretty guilty about it the other day (that and how PJ is watching way more TV in result of my exhaustion. Ugh, mom guilt!) but another mom told me this season is all about survival. I'm still trying to accept that this is just how it'll be for another 8 weeks or so (and then some after baby) but it's hard guys!</div>
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<b>3// Find a hobby: NOT ACCOMPLISHED</b></div>
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But I did sincerely make an effort to find one and I still haven't found it yet. I'm open for suggestions.</div>
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2016 NEW YEAR RESOLUTION(S):</div>
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<ul>
<li>Come closer to Christ</li>
<li>Keep toddler and baby alive </li>
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I felt both of these were reasonable for how crazy our life will be this year. I also really like the idea of having a broad goal and figuring out what specifically will help me feel like I'm working toward it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hands down, favorite picture of 2015!</td></tr>
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I had a third part for this post I wanted to add but it'd require me to get up and Penelope's nap time is my designated lazy time. It's fun and so I'll save it for another time and give you all something to look forward to.</div>
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*Apologies for many typos I'm sure. Maybe I'll go back and fix them...or maybe not. ;)<br />
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<br />Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-38456997838242750122015-12-02T12:16:00.000-08:002015-12-02T13:00:03.464-08:00Family UpdateHello world! Welcome to our new crazy! haha.<br />
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After much praying we officially decided that Jesse will start his MBA in January (you're probably all like, yeah we know, but technically we hadn't decided for sure until yesterday and we just had him going through the application process just in case.) Also, that is assuming he is accepted into the program but I'm not really worried about it. Jesse has the GMATs next week and then our fate rests with the MBA application Gods. I feel better about this decision knowing we prayed about it and it felt like the right step for our family, but a big part of me still feels like we're crazy. Completely, utterly, nuts. Because taking out a ridiculously giant loan, having a new baby and being home by myself for days at a time doesn't sound ridiculously overwhelming at all. And to think...we're actually choosing to do this to ourselves. I keep reminding myself that it will be worth it in the long run. Regardless, please start praying for my sanity. haha<br />
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In other news, I'll be starting my third trimester in FOUR days. This trimester went by MUCH faster than my first. I keep going back and forth with how fast I want the third trimester to go (because that wonderful energy filled second trimester never happened for me and I'm trying to figure out if I'll be more tired living through the final parts of pregnancy or having a new baby and a toddler.) My next appointment is the dreaded glucose test and RhoGam shot (dreaded because I hate needles with a passion of a million suns, not because of the drink. The drink is not as bad as everyone makes it seem). But aside from the hundreds of odd things my body has done this pregnancy, I am enjoying this little boy as much as possible. He kicks more frequently and stronger then his sister did and I love the quiet little moments I get when everyone is asleep and I get to bond with him. For some unexplainable reason, I feel confident that this little guy will be calm and mellow and I'm excited to see if this feeling is right.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 weeks here.</td></tr>
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As for Penelope, she is our wild, crazy, vivacious girl who adds a lot of humor and adventure into our daily lives. Because I forgot to write about it months ago, wee celebrated her second birthday back in August with some close friends and family in a backyard Minnie Mouse party. We kept it pretty simple, just some food, music, and a pinata which ended up being a big hit. It did help that our backyard has a decent sized playground but overall, it was a very mellow gathering of all the people Penelope loves.<br />
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She also had her two year check up in September and we found out she weighs 33lbs (85th % which is the lowest she's ever been) and 33in (55th%). All the nurses at her pediatric offices either are always super, super friendly, or they simply adore Penelope. Every time we come it's like a party. No one wants to leave because Penelope is doing something hilarious and the nurses want to wait around to see what she's going to do next. We also did our usual checkup survey and we almost finished the whole sheet back and front. It wasn't until later in the appointment we learned a lot of the stuff we checked off that Penelope could do was stuff a 3 year old was supposed to be able to do. I know I'm always seeming braggy about all the stuff Penelope can do, but can you a blame a mom for being proud that her kid is bright? Parenting is hard stuff and it's nice to be reassured that your kid is doing fantastic when so often I feel like I'm failing and can be doing a lot better as a mom. At the very least, it's nice to know that I haven't entirely messed up her life. haha. Kids don't come with manuals and so all this parenting is basically a guessing game!<br />
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Here is an update on this little one and all she can do:<br />
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<ul>
<li>She can count to 14 on her own and count objects now. (For the record, we only taught her numbers up to 10. Where she learned the next four is beyond us.)</li>
<li>As of yesterday she cans sing the ABC's on her own if you start the tune for her.</li>
<li>She can write the letter "P".</li>
<li>Also the letters A-E she can tell me a word that starts with those letters but not the letters themselves.</li>
<li>She has an incredible memory and can recite word for word, without any help, almost all of her board books (so like 25 of them?) and because of this she thinks she can read. haha!</li>
<li>She also remembers words to so many different songs. Right now her favorites are Angels We Have Heard on High (Josh Groban & Brian McKnight) and it is HILARIOUS listening to her sing along with them.</li>
<li>If you ask her what her whole name is she'll tell you it's "Enelope Alayna Ustet!"</li>
<li>She also knows my name is Toni Lynn and daddy's is Jesse Alan.</li>
<li>She always is randomly saying things like "18 minutes ago"and "tiny soap" and we have no clue what she's talking about and where she learned these things.</li>
<li>She basically talks like a tiny adult. Everything is sentences now and very rarely do we have a hard time understanding what she's saying.</li>
<li>She never stops talking which is hilariously cute to watch.</li>
<li>She asks inquisitive questions. The other day I showed her a picture of what the baby looks like right now and she pointed to the umbilical cord and then looked at her belly button and asked where hers was.</li>
<li>She understands that baby brother is in my belly but she is also convinced that baby sister is in HER belly.</li>
<li>Has a slight obsession with Pocahontas.</li>
<li>She likes to point out the bad guys in books and movies. Then always adds at the end that "Daddy a good guy."</li>
<li>I've officially given up on her hair and accept that it will probably always be in a wild, crazy state. People ask me all the time why I don't do anything with it and it's simply because she always tears it out the moment it's done. </li>
<li>She has the silliest personality and has the best facial expressions.</li>
<li>She loves to wear makeup. Whenever she sees me doing mine she asks for some "lippy stick."</li>
<li>She is starting to really enjoy coloring and somehow understands that coloring is only for paper even though I've only needed to tell her once (after she attempted to draw on our coffee table). I hope I didn't just jinx myself.</li>
<li>In fact she loves all arts and crafts and asks to make things daily with play-do, crayons, paint, and craft paper.</li>
<li>And she has great ideas. We made a paper Santa yesterday and she found scraps of papers that looked like arms and legs and asked if we could add it to the picture.</li>
<li>She loves people so much and occasionally throws herself on the floor and cries if she feels like she's gone too long not seeing certain friends or family members of her's. Lately she really misses her friend Isla (we missed our weekly play date this week) and our friend Conliegh.</li>
<li>She'd live outside if we let her and it's always a challenge to convince her to go back inside. She doesn't mind the cold at all!</li>
<li>She knows by heart all the popular primary songs and she likes to sing songs LOUD. I am already looking forward to her primary days, knowing she'll be that kid in the primary program basically screaming the songs.</li>
<li>I love that she still signs random things. The other day she was telling me she could see the stars and as she said it she signed it too. She doesn't sign very much anymore but she still asks to watch Signing Time often.</li>
<li>We are finally making headway with colors. It's the one concept she's struggled with for a while and now when I ask her what color something she get's it right 3/4 the times.</li>
<li>She has really good manners and is always thanking us (yesterday she thanked me for vacuuming so apparently it'd been too long since I'd done it last haha).</li>
<li>We officially started potty training about a month ago. She did amazing for the first few days and then started having accidents more and more each day. Really the problem is, is that we couldn't get her to tell us if she needed to go or not. (Potty training and being pregnant is exhausting by the way). We decided to wait a few more months and see if she can pick it up a little quicker the next time we tried, but much to our surprise a few days after we stopped, she started telling us when she needed to go! She still refuses to poop in the potty but can go almost all day not peeing in her diaper. </li>
<li>Officially has a slight fear of the dark.</li>
<li>She throws really incredible tantrums that have me fearing for when she is a three-nager. </li>
<li>Insists on doing everything on her own.</li>
<li>Is always telling ME to be careful.</li>
<li>Likes to bake and asks to make cookies every other day (what two year old doesn't though?).</li>
<li>She is really good at deducing thing (ex: I was making chocolate milk, she never saw me making it but saw me pull out a straw--because I always drink chocolate milk with a straw--and starting running around the house yelling chocolate milk. Haha!</li>
<li>We have been teaching her the technical terms for private parts (interesting fact--it's proven to reduce the chances of molestation which 1 in 3 girls will have happen to them by the time they're 6--sad we live in a world that we need to do this) and now when we're out and about she will tell people that her mom, dad, nana, papa, cousins, etc, all have the appropriate parts. Good thing people find it funny!</li>
<li>When she's hanging out with friends and we tell her it's time to go, she will literally run away from us. Also, the other day, Jesse was trying to stop her from touching these other people's stuff at the park and she pushed him away and said "No, you leave me alone!" which shouldn't be hilarious but it really kind of was. Haha!</li>
<li>Whenever she is hurt she insists on a band-aid.</li>
<li>She calls pandas, pandoras.</li>
<li>And she thinks Pandora is a person no matter how many time I explain that it is just a station that plays music.</li>
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Hopefully the next update comes sooner then 6 months from now. haha.<br />
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-92065752876412284812015-11-17T20:07:00.001-08:002015-11-17T20:22:41.446-08:00Prego Update in Numbers<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of weeks pregnant today: <b>24 weeks & 2 days</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The number of years old I am: <b>24</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Pounds the baby weighs: <b>1 and a half</b></span></span></span><br style="color: #1a222a; font-family: Molengo; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" /><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Inches the baby is: <b>12 inches</b></span></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Times I got up to use the bathroom last night:<b> 7</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Times I thought about getting up to use the bathroom last night: <b>8</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Days since we found out we were pregnant: <b>141 days</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #1a222a; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Weight gained so far:<b> 13 pounds as of today!</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of times in a day I think about at least one of the following: <b>Hot chocolate. That's about all I crave right now (I haven't really craved a lot this pregnancy though).</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of days I have felt really sick:<b> a couple times every week</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of pregnancy books I own: <b>1</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of things I have 'pinned' on Pinterest relating to pregnancy/baby<b>: 0 but a lot of searching... (mostly for fun gender neutral baby room ideas since Penelope is going to share a room with her brother and we're probably living in this apartment for 2 more years).</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Days I have been married to my baby daddy: <b>1606</b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of names that have been thrown around: <b>a million. </b></span><br style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Number of names we have decided on: </span></span></span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #1a222a; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Choosing between 10 names so far. Also, update: Since my last blog post--the one on needing help with names--we have added two names. One from my Grandma Allison and a variation of a name a friend suggested (Elias & Theo). We're still open to suggestions!</b></span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><br style="color: #1a222a; font-family: Molengo; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" /><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Till we find out the sex of our baby: <b>0! It's a boy!</b></span></span><br style="color: #1a222a; font-family: Molengo; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;" /><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Days until Baby Justet makes his/her debut! <b>110! So excited to meet this fella!</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b><span style="font-family: molengo;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">PS: On an entirely separate note, I dreamed baby boy had dark brown hair, blue eyes, and was patient, super smiley, and a very easy baby. I'm hoping that this is a premonition because man did it make me even more excited to meet him!</span></span></b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also this picture. It is probably my favorite picture of Penelope still to this day. We've been day dreaming about how similar (and cute) our little man will look to his adorable sister!</td></tr>
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-87690731353057096172015-10-22T15:18:00.003-07:002015-11-17T21:04:46.581-08:00Baby Name Help!!!<span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">For those who aren't facebook friends of mine, we announced earlier this week that we are having a baby...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "molengo";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><b>BOY!!!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo";"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Naturally, we're ecstatic that we'll have one of each! We both went into the ultrasound feeling certain it was a girl so when the ultrasound tech told us we were having a boy we were shocked; I asked the tech to check again two more times just to be sure. We got some <i>very obvious </i>pictures... but for days after I would have to randomly say that we were having a boy out loud to help me comprehend it. In fact, I think today is the first day where I have truly accepted that we are having a son! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo";"><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">The only downside is (not a major one though) is that we already had a girl name picked and don't have a boy name that we absolutely love yet. We've still got 19 weeks left, so there is still time, but I'm a planner and can't really stand feeling so undecided. With our daughter, we already had a name picked from way before we were pregnant, so this is the first time we've gone into this without a decision made. As of now, we have three names we really like (apart of the list below but we're not going to say which ones) and the rest are somewhat backups.</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;"> We'd like to have a little bit bigger of a list so we're asking you guys for some new suggestions. Hopefully what you see here will help you guys understand the types of names we like.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo";"><span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Here is some more of our criteria in order to give you an idea of what we might like: </span></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">We like unique but not weird. It can be something that we may have heard before but not super frequently. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">It can't be in the top 100 names. Refer here so you can know what we won't consider: <a href="http://www.babycenter.com/popular-baby-boy-names-2014">http://www.babycenter.com/popular-baby-boy-names-2014</a></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">It needs to sound nice with our last name (which is harder than I thought would be)!</span></li>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #1a222a; font-family: Molengo; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">Boy Names: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">(List from previous post a few months ago. The names crossed off are ones we are no longer considering.)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1a222a; font-family: "molengo"; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: center;">Arie (pronounced R-ee)</span><br />
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Beckett</div>
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<strike>Bennett</strike></div>
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<strike>Boston</strike></div>
<span style="font-size: 14.85px;">Bowen </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Really this name is for me. I love it but I can't sell Jesse on it. I refuse to take it off the list though haha)</span><br />
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<strike>Bridger</strike></div>
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Brooks</div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #1a222a; font-family: Molengo; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px;">
Channing</div>
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<strike>Cooper</strike></div>
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Dawson<br />
Elias</div>
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<strike>Emerson</strike></div>
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<strike style="font-size: 14.85px;">Finn </strike><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Too popular, but we love it!)</span></div>
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Holden</div>
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<strike>Keagan<br />Madden<br />Mckay</strike></div>
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<strike>Nathanael </strike><br />
Theo</div>
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Tucker<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking through old pictures and wondering how much this little guy might look like his sister...</td></tr>
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We probably wont make a decision until we see him, but it'd be nice to have at least five solid names we really like so we're not scrambling before we leave the hospital. So please, share away!!!<br />
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-80626897850533520272015-10-15T13:49:00.001-07:002015-10-15T13:52:06.908-07:00Wives Tales Gender TestsTests Done:<br />
<br />
Carrying high or low?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Low</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
Are your feet often hot or cold?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Cold</span><br />
<br />
Have you been clumsy or graceful?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Clumsy</span><br />
<br />
While pregnant has husband's weight lessened/maintained or gained?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Lessened</span><br />
<br />
Have you been moody or pleasant?<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Pleasant</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
Are you craving sweet or salty?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Salty</span><br />
<br />
Which side do you sleep on, right or left?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Left </span>and <span style="color: magenta;">Right</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
Has your skin been dry or soft?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Dry</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
Have you had break outs or is your skin clear?<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Breakouts</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
Baby's heart rate above or below 140?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Below</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
Morning sickness, yes or no?<br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="background-color: white;">Yes</span></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">What did the Chinese Birth Chart reveal?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Boy</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Ring Test: In circles or side to side?</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Side to Side</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
Craving meat, yes or no?<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">No</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
Headaches, yes or no?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Yes</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
Do you have a boy or girl name picked?<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Girl</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">TOTAL:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">BOY: 11</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">GIRL: 6</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
Also some quick thoughts for pros for each gender...<br />
<br />
BOY: Having one of each and carrying on the last name.<br />
GIRL: We have a name, we have all the clothes for a girl, and we can make their bedroom super girly.<br />
<br />
Any last guesses?<br />
<br />
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-78383828986017558142015-09-21T17:56:00.002-07:002015-09-21T18:04:32.932-07:00Tips to Having a Stronger Marriage<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>***Disclaimer</b> In no way by writing this am I saying our marriage is perfect or better than anyone else's. I don't know if it's possible to have a perfect marriage. I do no think I am some marriage expert, in fact, I know I am not a marriage expert. I have been married for nearly 4.5 years and realize that that is a very small amount of time in comparison to many other marriages. Notice the post is not titled, "How to Have a Happy Marriage" because I do not think I qualify on writing a post like that. Maybe if we've been married for 60 years and we're still happy I will revisit that subject. Also, again, I do not know everything so therefore I cannot tell someone "<b>how to</b>" have a happy marriage. What works for us might not work for your marriage. However, we do <b>have</b> a happy marriage and I feel it is because we strive to improve our marriage (usually) every day. That is why this title is called "<b>Tips </b>to Having a Stronger Marriage" because I do think that everything I suggested would make most marriages stronger. It has worked for us and maybe they will work for you...that being said, here is my small,<b> limited </b>knowledge on marriage and what has worked for us. Take it as it is. Use it if you feel like you found something useful. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
Hello world! Today is a good day. It's usually a good day here at The Justet's but today I have only felt sick a little bit and that <i>hopefully</i> means morning sickness is on it's way out the door! Hallelujah!<br />
<br />
Today I bring you a topic that's been on my mind a lot lately. There are varying reasons as to why but none that I necessarily feel compelled to share since they are not mine to share. I think a lot of people get married and think that love makes it so you don't need to work on marriage; love will make a marriage stay strong and healthy. I just want to say, thank you Hollywood, for painting that unrealistic image. Marriage is hard work and takes a daily commitment in order to improve it. It is certainly worth it, let me just say, but with roughly 60% of spouses cheating within their marriage at some point and 50% of marriage ending in divorce (so I've heard, I couldn't actually find a reliable source to confirm this), it's no wonder why people might disagree with me. Whether you're happily married, in a struggling marriage, not married but hope to one day, here are some tips that have helped strengthen Jesse and I's marriage over the years.<br />
<br />
Before you proceed, <b>read the disclaimer. </b><br />
Did you read the disclaimer? If not, seriously go read the disclaimer.<br />
Okay, here we go:<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>*Speak Kindly of One Another</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
There's a reason you never see me on Facebook or on my blog bashing my husband. It doesn't mean we have a perfect marriage and that we never get frustrated or angry with one another. It means we hold our marriage sacred and talking badly of one another to the world is not something that would make it feel as such. This was, hands down, the most valuable piece of marital advice we ever received. We were two weeks away from our marriage when our stake president gave us the counsel to not talk poorly of one another to friends and social media and to avoid hurtful teasing.<br />
<br />
He told us a story about a young newly wed couple who were out with a big group of friends. Jokingly the husband made a comment about a skill that his wife needed improvement in. The wife, clearly embarrassed then commented on things he wasn't so great at. Soon joking turned into some real hurt feelings and a lot of awkward tension amongst the group. Not only had the couple hurt each other's feelings in a rather embarrassing way, but the friends now had opinions about each other as well. The wife isn't good at this the husband's friends thought, the husband isn't good at that, the wife's friends thought.<br />
<br />
No one wants their weaknesses laid out for everyone to see, and as such it's our duty to protect one another. In addition to talking poorly on social media and to groups of friends, he suggested we not talk poorly about your spouse with family. His reasoning was since there are always two sides to every story, going to your siblings or parents with your marital problem could paint a bad and unrealistic picture to them and cause animosity with the parent and their child in law. Simarly, though he didn't say this, Jesse and I have also agreed to not talk poorly of each other to our children for the same reasons. He suggested since sometimes venting is necessary, to have one not mutual friend who you can talk to (still doing so respectfully), or even to write about it in a journal. It's important to remember that even when we're mad, we love and respect our spouse and we show them that by keeping private matters private (with the exception to dangerous or harmful behaviors, obviously). And in the 4 and a half years of my marriage, I can honestly say I haven't needed to do much venting or journal writing (again, not because our marriage is perfect) but because the counsel has motivated us to work through things together and often times has strengthened us and helped us better communicate with each other.<br />
<br />
<b>**Help One Another</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Recently in a mom group I'm apart of on Facebook, I watched a working mom talk about her frustrations with her stay at home husband. She couldn't understand how her husband only took care of their small infant everyday and almost never accomplished anything around the house. What she, and many other working people don't understand, is that being a stay at home parent is not like what you might of seen in an episode of Leave it to Beaver. It's amazing how little time you have to get things done (especially in those first few months). Even now, Penelope is two and I find myself accomplishing one chore, just to realize while I'm doing so, our daughter is in the other room making a disaster of another chore I had just previously or recently done. And any stay at home parent knows the daily struggle of trying to make dinner on time while caring for or entertaining their children. Occasionally there are super moms our there that manage to have a spotless home and dinner hot on the table for their spouse as he walks in the door. <i>But</i> I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that most of us stay at home parents are not supermoms. I am grateful for a husband who understands this and knows that I'm (usually) doing my best and not just sitting around eating bonbons and watching TV all day long. He doesn't come home angry or upset that barely anything is done or I've accomplished so little, instead he asks, <b>"What can I do to help?" </b>Even though he works all day long, he comes home and throws on his husband and dad hat. He doesn't feel entitled to "him time" (though if he wanted it I'd let him have it--the man's a machine!) and I appreciate every day that I have a husband who has a desire to help. And this goes both ways. Though I don't provide financially for our family, I try (though this pregnancy has me failing at this lately) to make him lunches everyday, I often look up what needs to be done for his school stuff so he doesn't have to, respond to emails for him, and spend some of my free time doing surveys to make extra Christmas money. We are a partnership, we are helpmates, and as such we should help one another when we can. It would be selfish of us to say it's not our job. Marriage is our job and marriage means helping lift one another's burdens however small they might be. If this is something you struggle with start by finding one thing each day you can do for your spouse that you know they would appreciate,<br />
<br />
<b>*Communicate</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I don't know about you but I don't have some special ability to read minds. That being said, if I want my husband to know what I want or need, I need to communicate that to him and vice versa. I think this is especially a problem amongst women, myself included. Women are natural helpers and so when we see something that needs to be done, we usually do it without being asked. Men on the other hand...they're usually gracious helpers when asked, <i>but </i>you've got to ask. Here is an example to illustrate what I'm getting at: I've had our heavy luggage sitting in front of Penelope's closet since we've been home from New Hampshire (over a month now) and it's still sitting out. Me being a woman here this might be my train of thought: "Obviously the suitcase is heavy. I can't lift it because I'm pregnant and have a torn placenta. He's walked by it a million times. It's sitting out for him to put away. Why hasn't he put it away?" Going out on a limb here, I think this is probably really what my husband is thinking: "Oh. Toni hasn't put that luggage away. There must be a reason she has left it out." You see, in the past that'd have really annoyed me but once I accepted that men and women think differently, and that I was being silly to just assume he should be psychic , I stopped assuming and started choosing to communicate what I wanted. And no surprise here, I found I was less frustrated and we had completely avoided a pointless argument! (For the record,the luggage is really still out because I keep forgetting to ask him to put it away but I just asked him and he did it right away, no complaint ;)).<br />
<br />
Marriage is all about communicating. Communicating how you feel, what you think, what're you're doing. The more communicating that's happening, the less likely you are to assume which leads to less frustration. In marriage you need to be on the same page in regards to parenting, how to spend money, what to do with your time, what you want in the future. Communicating allows you to be on the same page, have common goals and work together to accomplish them. It unites you and allows for a healthy relationship to talk about feelings and concerns. Learning to communicate well early on will dispel many arguments and truly help you feel like each other's best friends. It is in my opinion, one of the hardest things in marriage to become good at. And while we are no where near perfect at it, we've gotten better over the years and has strengthened our marriage.<br />
<br />
<b>*Don't Stop Dating</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Alone. Away from your children (assuming you have some). And make it a priority. Also, tight fiances are never an excuse. There are many affordable, even free dates that one can go on (a picnic and geocaching were some of our favorites even before we had kids and those were back in the days we actually had money!). Another thing to keep in mind, I can't remember who said it and I'm sure I'm butchering it a bit but I once heard someone say, "going on dates is a lot less expensive than a divorce." Making time for each other will strength your relationship and help it from getting to a place where you might say, "I don't know you anymore!" I know couples who go weekly, bi weekly, and monthly. Do whatever works for you and your spouse. Personally, what works for us is bi-weekly dates (a temple date--more on that later--and a regular date). We also try to schedule an "at home date" which is aka for having a date after the little one is down for bed.<br />
<br />
So why is dating important? I mean marriage means you know everything about that person right? You see each other everyday right? Wrong. I am constantly learning new things about Jesse and dates are an opportunity to learn those thing. And while we might see each other every day, dates allow us alone time together to talk and communicate and show affection to one another. With school, jobs, and children you'd be amazed how many days go by that you realize you've maybe only talked to your spouse for a total of 20 minutes. Dating is time to focus on one another and continue to build on your marriage. Because if your marriage is not getting better, it's getting worse. Don't let your love life become monotonous.<br />
<br />
<b>*Go to the Temple Together Often (assuming you're<a href="https://www.lds.org/?lang=eng"> LDS</a>)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Jesse and I made the decision to attend the temple once a month as a new years resolution after we realized how little we attended in 2014. Now it's a tradition we hope to continue for the rest of our lives. I have personally seen how doing work for the Lord in His house has strengthened our marriage and brought more peace into our lives. It is our time together to renew ourselves and our relationship and pray together in a holy place. I always spend a certain amount of time in the Celestial room to specifically pray for our marriage and I have seen the ways the Lords has blessed me to be a better wife (and mother too) by committing that time to Him.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>*Pray To Be A Better Spouse & Pray For Your Spouse's Happiness To Be Your Own</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I usually include in my daily prayers for the Lord to help me improve my weaknesses as a mother, and I certainly pray for my spouse to have a good day or be safe as he travels, but I never considered how little I actually prayed daily to strength our marriage until I read this quote a few weeks ago:<br />
<br />
"<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion."--President Henry B. Eyring. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
Ever since then, I have been trying to pray for these exact things and I can honestly say I have been more conscious of my husband's needs and the ways I can help his day be easier. I've also been less agitated about those annoying traits that all of our spouses (and us included) have and have been able to focus more on the fact that he's human, he does more good than bad, and that ultimately I love him. The other day Penelope and I were watching Wreck-It-Ralph for the first time and I heard this quote:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Esteban, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"I’m bad, and that’s good. I will never be good, and that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me."</span></span><br />
<br />
Initially it had me laughing (I mean the movie is really funny) but later on while I was thinking about that line, it made me realize how it can kind of be applied to spouses. Maybe this is a stretch but this is what I had changed it to:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"(Spouse's name) is human, and that's good. He will never be perfect, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be with than him."</span><br />
<br />
It has kind of become somewhat of my mantra for when I do feel a little frustrated. I'm grateful the Lord has answered my prayers and helped me to be more mindful of him and helped me to love him for who he is.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
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Lastly, taking time to work on our marriage has not only blessed us with a happy marriage but has been a positive experience for our daughter. I love that she see's the commitment we make to one another and I hope that by doing so she will in turn know how to treat her spouse one day and desire to find a man that treats her likewise.<br />
<br />
I hope that these tips might be something you choose to implement in your marriage. And as always, I'm interested in hearing what tips have worked for you. I'm sure there are many good ideas that I've never considered!<br />
<br />
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Happy Monday!<br />
<br />
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<br />Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-13849311137807755062015-08-31T10:24:00.000-07:002015-08-31T10:34:42.932-07:00Scheduling // Being ProductiveThe other day I ran across this blog called <a href="http://www.freckled-fox.com/">The Freckled Fox</a>, maybe you've heard of her but basically she is kind of like a super mom. She has 5 kids under 5 and somehow manages to cook, clean, play, and have a successful blog (aka provides income). It really got me thinking about my priorities and how not too long ago I was feeling like most days I was accomplishing the same (except with one kid so not nearly as impressive). But ever since this second pregnancy there has been too much lying around, too much TV watching, the house is in a constant state of disarray, and all of our sleep schedules are entirely messed up. Jesse has been a trooper through all of this and has even picked up were I've slacked but we can't keep living like this forever or I think I might go crazy. I haven't been too hard on myself since growing a human is pretty exhausting and I'm almost always feeling sick, but it made me realize that there was a lot more I could of been doing even before this pregnancy and the best way to do everything that I wanted was to get my priorities straight and figure out a system that works for our family. I really don't want these bad habits to become our norm.<br />
<br />
Emily, over at The Freckled Fox said the way she was able to do it all was by scheduling. We have a basic system over here at the Justet's but it made me realize that what I really needed to do was schedule out my time in detail. Of course, it's not like we need to follow the schedule exactly everyday, we'll make room for exceptions, but I really want to try this out and see if it helps me use my time more efficiently.<br />
<br />
<b>Weekday Schedule:</b><br />
<br />
8:30am: Shower.<br />
9:00: PJ wake up time.<br />
9:05: Prayer & diaper change<br />
9:10: Breakfast<br />
9:45: PJ dressed<br />
9:45-10:45: TV/Movie (this will really work right now since the morning sickness is the toughest for me in the mornings)<br />
10:50: Mommy & PJ play time<br />
11:30: PJ alone play<br />
11:30: 1st chore<br />
12:00pm: Mommy & PJ teaching time<br />
12:20: Lunch<br />
12:50: Books/Diaper change<br />
1:00: PJ nap time<br />
1-2:30: Me time<br />
2:30: Get dressed & get put together<br />
3:00: Mommy & PJ play time<br />
3:30: PJ alone play<br />
3:30: 2nd chore<br />
4:00 Books<br />
4:15: Arts & Crafts<br />
4:40 Get ready to get outside/Diaper change<br />
5:00: Outside play<br />
5:30: Daddy is home! Together play<br />
6:00: Toy clean up--left over time TV<br />
6:00: Make dinner (which is Jesse's job until smells don't bother me as much)<br />
6:30: Dinner<br />
7:15: PJ Bath<br />
7:40: PJ get's in her PJs/Ready to get outside<br />
7:50: Family Walk<br />
8:20: Family scriptures/Family Prayer/Books<br />
9:00: PJ Bed time<br />
9:00: Speed Clean<br />
9:15: Work out<br />
9:45: Relax/Spend time with Jesse<br />
11:00 BED. :)<br />
<br />
Has anyone else tried this and has it work for them or am I setting myself for feeling overwhelmed?<br />
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<br />Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-24843351376629063402015-08-23T11:00:00.000-07:002015-08-23T11:24:16.768-07:00Baby #1 vs. Baby #2Overall this pregnancy has been a lot different than the last and certainly a lot harder, physically and mentally.<br />
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On Monday we went in for our "first" appointment (they didn't count the "emergency" visit at 7 weeks when we thought we miscarried). We were so excited to hear our little one's heart beat and even brought Penelope along to hear it too. However, after 10 minutes of trying to find this little one's heart beat, my midwife informed me that she could not find it. I had probably mentioned to her at least 5 times before that that I've been much more paranoid this pregnancy because of the scare so I'm pretty certain that was the last thing she wanted to tell me. She explained that it could just be that I might have a tilted cervix (I can't be sure that's actually what she said...tilted something...) or that I may have miscarried. So here we were <i>again </i>going through the emotions of not knowing if our baby was okay. Worst of all, we were the last appointment of the day and had to wait till morning for an ultrasound.<br />
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Fast forward to the morning. Our ultrasound showed the baby was completely okay and we got to watch his little heart beat for a while since we couldn't hear it. I think the tech knew that it had been a long night for us because she let us watch him for a little while longer than probably most ultrasound techs let you. Every time she put her ultra sound wand on my stomach and pushed, our little one would flip around and move to the other side to get away from her. It was so cute to watch! Baby actually looks like a baby now so it was extra fun to see him wiggle and squirm. He is a mover just like his sister was (and still is).<br />
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We got in the car and both sighed at how exhausting this pregnancy has been for us. I don't think I'll be able to fully let my paranoia go away until this baby is safely in my arms. Needless to say, I am having a hard time waiting for this little one to come. Why can't life just let me speed through the next 28 weeks? (Oh yeah--because I have an adorable 2 year old and don't want to miss a minute of her growing up.)<br />
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But overall, here is what I've noticed for the first trimester. Technically I still have a week left but oh well.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>1st Trimester</u></span><br />
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<b>Penelope:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Didn't feel very tired--I had a normal amount of energy in the first trimester and I was even going to school full time and working 27 hour weeks.</li>
<li>I felt very sick all the time and was throwing up constantly but found relief usually from Vitamin B6 and Unisom.</li>
<li>I was always hungry.</li>
<li>I had some food aversions...enough that I usually stayed clear of the fridge as much as possible. Also, pizza was absolutely disgusting my whole pregnancy until about 38 weeks.</li>
<li>I didn't show until 12 weeks and started feeling uncomfortably chubby at 10 weeks.</li>
<li>I slept normally.</li>
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<b>Baby #2:</b><br />
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<li>I have all day morning sickness again but have only actually gotten sick five times. It was only 3 before a couple days ago and I'm impressed I've made it this long with such few actual incidents. However, the morning sickness is much more intense than the last time. It's the kind that makes you want to hover around a toilet all day long. Thankfully, I've gotten to a point where it's intense about every other day, which is much more manageable than every day.</li>
<li>Exhaustion. All day long, all the time.</li>
<li>I am restless during sleep and have weird dreams. Which is odd because I don't dream often. Also, I've had a baby boy dream and a baby girl dream and I feel entirely uncertain what this little one is unlike last time.</li>
<li>I am not hungry often but when I am it's like I've been a starved animal.</li>
<li>Tons of food aversions. So many that it's too much to list.</li>
<li>Bloated at 4 weeks and started to show at 8 weeks. Depending on the day I am super obviously pregnant and other days not so much.</li>
<li>I have not been sleeping well.</li>
<li>I've had weird aches and pains. Specifically round ligament pains which I didn't get with Penelope until 39 weeks. Also, apologies for the <b>TMI here</b>, once I got what I affectionately call the vaginal lightning bolt (had it happen the last week of pregnancy with Penelope) which sounds exactly as you can image and hurts like HECK. According to my midwife, it's actually nerves being pinched!</li>
<li>Spotting (or maybe my placenta tearing a little more?) which doesn't happen often but still freaks me out every time.</li>
<li>And I can't say this enougth--even though this pregnancy has made me physically miserable and scary in a lot of ways, I am so excited for this little one to join our family! This being my second time, I feel so much more prepared for what is to come! :)</li>
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Here is some proof that I have super prego days. This is a picture I took yesterday when I was 11 weeks 6 days. I was planning on taking better pictures today but my morning sickness has me taking a rain check on life today. Also, see how low I'm carrying? What do you think...boy or girl? (We find out on my birthday, October 14th!) We hope for a boy but after all the scares I will be happy with whatever!!!<br />
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11 weeks 6 days and a broken mirror I really need to find some time to fix. Also, you can't tell in these pictures but my belly button has started to stick out a ton!</td></tr>
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PS. It's kinda hard to see in the one picture but I'm wearing this new lipstick and I'm obsessed with it! I've never been a lipstick person until I found <a href="https://www.avon.com/product/52039/ultra-color-bold-lipstick">Avon's Ultra Color Bold Lipstick called High-Def Plum</a>. I've practically worn it everyday this week and I love how plum looks with my skin tone and makes me feel pretty on the days I feel especially "round." They have lots of other fun colors too so check them out!</div>
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-83773063410566108682015-08-10T06:49:00.001-07:002015-08-10T06:55:02.242-07:00Baby NamesLast night, I woke up in the middle of the night (aka 10pm because I went to bed at 6pm) gasping for air and feeling like all the moisture from my body had been sucked dry from me. What a kind reminder that I am back in the state of Utah and not in the wonderful, beautiful, and wet state of New Hampshire. But really, I can deal because it's only a few more weeks until fall and then I will mostly like this state again.<br />
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I plan on writing a little about what we did in New Hampshire but it'll take me a bit of time to remember all the stuff we did and on what day. Plus even though I woke up at 7:00am, I fully expect my wonderful daughter to wake up at any moment, so this quick post will have to do.<br />
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As of yesterday, I am 10 weeks! This is a mile stone I was really looking forward to because the chances of miscarriage drastically go down, and since we had a scare a few weeks ago, I finally feel like I can breath a little bit better. So that means we have 8 more weeks till we find out how the dynamics are going to change in our house. Are the girls going to over take the household by three or will we even out our numbers with a boy? The waiting is seriously the hardest part about being pregnant for me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What Penelope will look like in 6 more months! :)</td></tr>
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Naturally, we've already started thinking up baby names since we don't have one picked for either gender this time--but when we finally decide we'll be keeping it a secret till baby's debut. I would surprisingly love to hear your opinions on which names you really like since there are quite a few and we love them all so much it's hard to narrow down. I <i>maybe </i>might even like hearing suggestions of other names since none of these names have really felt like the one yet. Which really isn't too worrisome to us though because we wont actually make a final decision until baby is here. Penelope was supposed to be Penelope Fay or Penelope Jane and she didn't look like either of them (and we didn't come up with alternatives either. Oops) and yet somehow we found Alayna and it fits her personality so well. But alas, I'm digressing. Here our our choices so far:<br />
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<b>Boy Names:</b><br />
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Arie<br />
Beckett<br />
Bennett<br />
Boston<br />
Bowen<br />
Bridger<br />
Brooks</div>
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Channing</div>
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Cooper<br />
Dawson<br />
Emerson<br />
Finn<br />
Holden<br />
Keagan<br />
Madden<br />
Mckay<br />
Nathanael<br />
Tucker</div>
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Some of these names will most likely be names we use for future sons assuming we have more boys (assuming we have more children).</div>
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<b>Girl Names:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Adele<br />
America</div>
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Bay<br />
Baylor<br />
Blaire<br />
Blakely<br />
Brenna<br />
Bryn/Brynn<br />
Daphne<br />
Elsa<br />
Esme<br />
Gracelyn<br />
Irelyn/Irelynn<br />
Isla (pronounced: eye-la)</div>
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Italia<br />
Leighton<br />
Liberty<br />
Lorelei<br />
Maeve<br />
Payton<br />
Rosalie<br />
Rowan<br />
Taryn<br />
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As you can see, we're really into names that aren't super common but not necessarily weird (though I'm sure you could argue that some of these names are...)<br />
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Also, apparently we really like names that start with "B".<br />
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And just for fun the names that I liked a lot that I couldn't sell Jesse on:</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Girl: Josephine, Brynlee, Layla, Cadence</div>
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Boy: Tennyson, Walker, Tatum, Greyson/Grayson, Bentley</div>
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And the names Jesse couldn't sell me on:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Girl: Amelia/Amaliya (pronouced ah-mah-lee-ah), Belle, Bella </div>
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Boy: Austin, Locklin, Logan, Dane, Landon</div>
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I look forward to seeing your thoughts on our choices!<br />
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-39187611185340837682015-08-02T09:11:00.000-07:002015-08-02T09:33:21.541-07:00Pregnant with Baby #2!We're pregnant! Baby #2 is due to make his or her debut sometime around March 6th, 2016!<br />
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We are so excited! This isn't something I've talked to many people about but Jesse and I have been trying to expand our family since January so this little one's birthday feels a little ironic for us, especially if we go late like last time; he is truly our little lucky charm!</div>
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We found out on June 29th. As I did with every month, I anxiously got up at 7am (those who know me know I never wake up at that time out of free will) and took a pregnancy test. <span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span>It immediately showed up negative and I started to tear up as I did for the last few months. It has felt like a really hard and long journey. 7 months is hardly as long as it takes for some people but it was crushing for us none the less. My midwife had scheduled an appointment for me to meet with a fertility specialist for the next month and this kind of felt like our last shot before it felt more serious. I was thinking all this, and offering up a prayer, talking with my Heavenly Father about how disappointed I felt, asking when it would happen, and letting Him know that while this was hard and I felt sad, I understood that all things happen in His time. I got the impression to look at my test again, and much to my surprise, while very faint, there were two little pink lines. I was finally pregnant! </div>
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The rest of the day felt surreal as it did the last time. I couldn't believe this was happening!</div>
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When Jesse got home we decided it would be fun to spend the rest of the day up in the mountains. I put the pregnancy test in the lunch box and kept it by my side so there was no chance of him accidentally seeing it before hand. When we finally got there and we got the picnic table situated and we were about to eat dinner when I told him Penelope had something in the lunch box she wanted to give him. Penelope decided to hang onto it but then Jesse took it from her and then was all surprised, probably thinking I was pulling a prank (we're a prank pulling household haha). I caught it on camera, something I wished I did with Penelope's and I love watching it over and over and seeing how shocked he was. I tried to upload the video on here but it's being difficult so maybe I'll share it on Facebook sometime.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Every superhero needs a sidekick...mine arrives 03/2016!</td></tr>
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This time has been a lot harder to hide. Bloating and showing earlier then ever before has made for some interesting new outfits. Everything feels uncomfortably tight and so I've been opting for some maternity pants and a normal loose shirt. This isn't my typical attire so I was worried people would figure it out just by looking at me. In addition, whenever I was invited somewhere I had to come up with creative excuses. If I said I was tired or sick they'd ask if I was pregnant (because that's what you get when you have a two year old). I started having lots of "headaches" which was kind of a great excuse because frankly, I was getting a lot of those anyway.<br />
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Aside from all that, I might me more excited this time around to be pregnant. I can't remember if this is how I felt with Nellie but I've seriously wanted to yell it at the top of my lungs the moment I knew. At first from excitement, but pretty quickly in addition to the bloating, showing, and not feeling great made me a little self conscious and I was ready for the world to know I hadn't been eating one too many ice cream sandwiches. </div>
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We ended up announcing our pregnancy sooner than originally planned because we had a miscarriage scare a couple days before leaving for New Hampshire. We went to the doctors and found out that baby was 100% fine but that I slightly tore my placenta, probably from lifting Nellie a lot, and so I was advised to not do that so much but that I could go about rest my pregnancy normally. Some people were notified of what was going on and told other people and eventually it ended up being that half our family thought we'd miscarried and so we had to go around and tell people we were actually still pregnant (weirdest way to announce a pregnancy by the way). For that reason, we felt we should tell the rest of the family before it became something where someone told someone else thinking they already knew. We had already planned to announce our pregnancy to my family at Jesse and Penelope's combined New Hampshire birthday party, so after that, it just made sense to tell the Facebook world too.<br />
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As for this pregnancy...it has been rough. I've been <i>a lot</i> more sick with this pregnancy than with Penelope's. I've thrown up way less but I've been way more nauseous. It is literally all day sickness and it's pretty debilitating and awful. I finally got a prescription for Zofran which works some days and not others which is weird and I'm not really sure why. Last pregnancy Vitamin B6 and Unisom worked really well but this time it did nothing for me. Everyone thinks this must mean it's a boy (also I'm carrying really low too). I hope they're right because this experience has really had me reconsidering how many children we'll have. Not to sound all negative and all--I'm really grateful this little one will be joining our family-- it's just really hard to be sick all the time.<br />
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In other news, I finished school (right before this blog post I sent in my final paper work, wahoo!). I think it'll feel more real once I actually see my diploma.<br />
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Also, we're in New Hampshire right now, which is something I didn't really announce before hand, but it's been really nice and relaxing and I seriously think all the fresh air has helped with the morning sickness. Maybe I'll just stay out here until the morning sickness goes away ;) It's been a lot of fun and I'm sad we only have a week left. But more about those adventures another time.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*When I tested to see if I was pregnant with Penelope it immediately came up with two pink lines. That having been my experience, I never really thought you had to wait the whole two minutes to get a result. </span></div>
Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-12507393357429662252015-07-06T14:35:00.003-07:002015-07-06T15:07:52.390-07:00Moving on My MindYesterday in one of our classes at church we were talking about the seasons we go through in life and while I was listening to all the different people in various season of their life, it dawned on me that so far, this has been my favorite season in life. I'm no longer a kid, and while I did being able to be more carefree, I enjoy the independence more. I'm no longer a single "young" adult, and while that was also a really fun season, it's much more fun to be married. Jesse and I are no longer newlyweds, we've both graduated from college (technically I have 10 more hours but it <i>should </i>be completed by next week--please hold me to it), Jesse has a great paying and stable job with many opportunities available to him and we're expanding our family. We are finally out of the scary season of uncertainty and waiting, and in a season where the possibilities are endless. This is the happiest I've ever been in my life. I love this season; I love my life!<br />
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Ever since Jesse got his job at the U, we've been able to have a better and more clear 5 year plan. The biggest lesson I've learned in life is that <b>nothing</b> (let me reemphasizes, <i><b>NOTHING</b></i>) goes as planned but I'm learning to go with the flow and let God's will be my will. With that being said, we understand our plans might change.<br />
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But right now here is a pretty small portion of our five year plan:<br />
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Some of the great perks with Jesse's job is that Jesse get's 50% off his tuition after 6 months. Since, we've always had a graduate degree in the picture, this now makes it possible for him to do. He is fairly certain he will go for his MBA and we hope, assuming he is accepted, to have him starting the part time program January 2016. This will be two full years so we are 100% certain we will be living in Utah until 2018.</div>
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Now that Jesse's job is considered a professional Human Resource profession, after two years from his work start date, he can test for his PHR. So that means in two and a half years, Jesse will have a masters and a HR certification! I am so proud of him for all his hard work and ambitious goals! Not only am I married to a super stud muffin, I also got a smartie.</div>
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But let's get to the part of the plan that has really been on my mind...the part of the 5 year plan (or 2 and 1/2 in this case...) I'm most excited about. After graduation (assuming that he doesn't get offered an amazing opportunity at his current employment) we have decided to move out of state. This really shouldn't come as a surprise, I mean, I've been pretty vocal about wanting to move out of Utah (no offense to my Utahn friends-- you all are amazing). It's crazy to think that we could move anywhere. It's exciting and wonderful to not know exactly where we'll end up! We've always hoped to move out of state (the biggest reason being that HR is a harder field to progress quickly in in Utah) and now it's a real possibility! We hope to move somewhere we might want to end up permanently, so I've been looking at a few states. I am so excited I have spent almost every day looking at houses, doing a ton of research about fun things to do, the environment, population, crime rates, and naturally, I've made sure there were plenty of HR openings. We've narrowed it down to three places: Olympia, Washington, Salem/Eugene/McMinnville, Oregon, and Charleston, South Carolina.</div>
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I have found all these adorable little towns right outside of Charleston, South Carolina (Goose Creek, specifically) and the homes are just like I've always imaged living in. Beautiful and big front decks, with giant willow trees, has me day dreaming of sipping herbal tea on a rocking chair watching the children play in the front yard. The weather never get's too hot, the beach is a 45 minute drive, and I'm looking forward to living in a new culture and southern hospitality. Life moves just a little bit slower, and the idea of this homey place has me wishing I could visit and see if it truly lives up to all I hope it will be. Unfortunately it's the last of the three were looking at mostly because Jesse isn't really excited about the humidity (which I love and miss the most about New Hampshire!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrRp2eDWyg_qQLfRur9n_4baXDA8rnc_ewHz9AO4CbSvrQ6YWUgduYGCQeKS1n4bSURMYgzxsmHOI11w7tS0SdsVbnmHh2n35G-_7JXr8PBdIHCzZkbP_dCgBN4y0zLcCid4kgvT_nT2l/s1600/goose+creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrRp2eDWyg_qQLfRur9n_4baXDA8rnc_ewHz9AO4CbSvrQ6YWUgduYGCQeKS1n4bSURMYgzxsmHOI11w7tS0SdsVbnmHh2n35G-_7JXr8PBdIHCzZkbP_dCgBN4y0zLcCid4kgvT_nT2l/s320/goose+creek.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This house is actually for sale and in our price range! Too bad it'll be sold long before we're there...</td></tr>
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Salem, Eugene, and McMinnville, Oregon are all a little bit away from each other but all have one thing in common: their south of Portland, they're closer to the ocean, and smaller. Each of these cities have these adorable little towns on the west that for some reason remind me Stars Hallow from Gilmore Girls. They're all located about an hour from the ocean and the cities are a perfect enough size which allow you to go out and have fun but then quickly allow you to go back to the small and quietness of your home town. And if for some reason we really want to go to a big city, Portland is about an hour away (excluding Eguene which is more like an hour and a half). They also have national forests within a 30 minute drive and they're about 5 hours away from the gorgeous Redwoods in California. San Fransico is an 8 hour drive, Seattle is 4 hours, and Salt Lake City is 12 hours. I love the fact that we can go to all these different places within a days drive. One thing I have a hard time with living in Salt Lake is feeling like there aren't many places to travel to. Sure there is Moab and Las Vegas, but they're not places I necessarily have a strong desire to go to frequently (in fact, once or twice in a life time is good for me). Oregon is a great option for us because it's green like New Hampshire without the price tag.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngaaGJ1-sK7HIhzGYleDW4j3xb2bSV6-y-RKK_Q5we7hRg0JYJTKfUDqBn2cagyLsU5Q5SYKvmjF5MrrWYqS-eKyt9xHikRC-FDCtYGb0VhoLHtlfyUJWsgvhqBwn1e-UksDL6t0oPTa9/s1600/multnomah-falls-oregon-beautiful-fandarwin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngaaGJ1-sK7HIhzGYleDW4j3xb2bSV6-y-RKK_Q5we7hRg0JYJTKfUDqBn2cagyLsU5Q5SYKvmjF5MrrWYqS-eKyt9xHikRC-FDCtYGb0VhoLHtlfyUJWsgvhqBwn1e-UksDL6t0oPTa9/s320/multnomah-falls-oregon-beautiful-fandarwin.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mean, how could you not want to live near this beautiful thing!?</td></tr>
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Olympia, Washington is currently our number one choice. It's within an hours drive to Seattle and Tacoma, and the ocean. The towns surrounding it are these darling little places with populations of like a 1,000. The homes are gorgeous and it so green and lush. Olympia is in my opinion, the perfect sized city, and all the towns around it require a 15-20 minute commute. It is my favorite location because it feels the most secluded without necessarily needing to be. It is definitely the greenest place I could ever live in the United States. It rains a lot and it almost never snows, which I love. The summer highs are low 70s and the winters are usually the low 50s. I hate hot summers and I hate cold winters, but I love having cool springs and falls so this is the perfect place to get all of that. It is a bit pricer but not quite to the New England level. We're hoping that it wont really be a problem because by then Jesse should have the work experience and the desired educational level and that should qualify for him to make some more $$$.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just want to build a house right here.<br />
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And before anyone asks--no I have never been to any of these places. We plan to visit Oregon and Washington sometime before Jesse recieves his masters.<br />
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As for the rest of our five year plan? It includes a couple more kids, buying a house, and having as much fun as humanly possible.<br />
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As always,<br />
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<b>Is there a place you've always dreamed of living?</b></div>
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<b>What's your 5 year plan?</b></div>
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-38404782996151598842015-06-25T22:02:00.000-07:002015-06-25T22:14:20.091-07:004 YearsIt happened at the oddest time.<br />
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We had just finished walking around Hoover Dam and were about to head back home to good old Salt Lake City, Utah.</div>
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I was only 19 but I knew I was going to marry this man.</div>
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We drove for a few hours when we realized we needed some gas. Jesse filled up the car and hopped back in. I looked at him and said, "When we get back home...we should look at some rings."</div>
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I couldn't believe those words came out of my mouth, but they were true none the less. Finally, I was no longer resisting the inevitable. For months I avoided the conversation, making up silly rules to stall the process, the point of dating to begin with. I was young. I was afraid. I knew nothing about love, let alone marriage, yet I knew I want him to be fine forever. </div>
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He gave me the cutest little sly smile and the rest of the drive home was just a little bit sweeter.</div>
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A month later, he got down on one knee in the very place we had our first date. Even though I knew it was going to happen eventually, he caught me off guard, and took my breath away.</div>
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Three months after that, we were sealed for time and all eternity, in a temple that has always been special to me. It was the happiest day of my life.</div>
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And how fast these 4 blissful years have passed. We've graduated from college, we had a child, we've gone through trials of job searching and pregnancy. Most days were mad crazy about each other, some days were mad and crazy <i>at </i>each other, and yet there isn't a single thing I'd change. He is my best friend, my confident, and the love of my life. Some may think that we were young and crazy (What am I kidding? We're still young and crazy!), but I can't imagine creating a more beautiful life together.<br />
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Happy anniversary, babe!<br />
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I'm glad you're mine forever.</div>
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I love you.</div>
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-36021339922060134892015-06-24T20:10:00.001-07:002015-06-24T20:41:37.087-07:00Penelope-isms & Summer PlansAs per usual, it has been nothing but craziness here at the Justet home. I finally talked to an adult...I was going on a 31 hour streak since our car broke down and the hubby was fixing it, (which resulted in him sleeping at his parent's out of convenience) and my "new" phone already crapping the bed. And even then I realized the only adult I talked to yesterday was Penelope's dentist which was like a 30 second conversation (little kid dentist appointments are so pointless.)<br />
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This past weekend, Jesse and I celebrated 4 years of marriage early (our actual aniversary is tomorrow), since this weekend is also crazy. Luckily we were able to still celebrate since the very night we were to drop Penelope of at the grandparents, and get out of town, Jesse called me from work saying the car wouldn't start. Lucky for us his parents had a spare car and were willing to let us borrow it so we could still go.<br />
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We did the drive ins and saw San Andreas (awful 1 out of 10) and the new Avengers which was really good from what I saw but I couldn't stay awake and fell asleep in the lawn chair. We then spontaneously headed up to Park City, ate at our favorite restaurant Red Rock Brewery, and stopped at our hotel to drop off the food. Jesse somehow always gets these immaculate places for extremely good prices and this time was no different. I was certain I wanted to move in and never leave. The bed was literally like sleeping on a cloud...it was amazing. And there was a fire place!<br />
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After that we headed over to Heber (my absolute favorite place in all of Utah) and took a scenic ride on an old train down the Provo River. It was so much fun and we look forward to doing it again around Christmas with Penelope. The next morning we ate breakfast at Penny Ann's, who has the best pancakes in the entire world (I've tried to recreate them to no avail) and then went to pick Penelope up from her grandparents. I was certain she would be super excited to see us but when she saw us it was like we hadn't been gone all weekend; I'm pretty certain I missed her more than she missed us.<br />
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It was a simple celebration but it was just what we needed. It's always nice to spend just one on one time with Jesse and try to remember the days when we didn't have kids. It's also funny how much easier it is to get out the door!<br />
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But without further adieu, here is a list I've been compiling over the last few months on some things Penelope has been up to:<br />
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<li>Penelope can officially, as of yesterday, count to 6 without any mistakes, on her own. </li>
<li>About 40% of the time she can also count to 10 all on her own.</li>
<li>She can sing the tune to ABC's and can get literally get A, B, C, nothing in the middle, but W, X, Y, and Z.</li>
<li>She looooves to twirl. I swear she twirls every half hour.</li>
<li>She is frequently repeating back everything we say.</li>
<li>She easily knows over 300+ words and is talking constantly.</li>
<li>The pediatrician says she is super advanced verbally (and seriously--I think most of the credit goes to Penelope. She's just a naturally super smart kiddo!). </li>
<li>Loves to have conversations with or without us. Sometimes they make perfect sense, other times not.</li>
<li>She can talk in short sentences! Almost everything she says now is in a sentence and it's crazy.</li>
<li>My favorite thing she says is, "Where'd it go?" because she says it super fast.</li>
<li>She also likes to tell us she loves us in perfect diction randomly.</li>
<li>She can say prayers now by us saying it and then her repeating it back.</li>
<li>She knows the words to all the popular primary hymns and can be found saying random words to them on her own, with us, or sometimes finishing the sentence when we're about to get to certain parts. (My favorite is "I'll Walk with You" because she loves to yell "YOU" and "I WILL, I WILL!"</li>
<li>Her favorite food is cheese and edamame.</li>
<li>She can say most things very clearly.</li>
<li>Her favorite songs are popcorn popping, ring around the rosy, and baby bumble bee.</li>
<li>Most days you can find her randomly breaking out in a dance with, or without music. Her dances are pretty hilarious too!</li>
<li>On a daily basis she talks about her Papa (Jesse's dad), Conliegh (our good friend), Evelyn ("Evy" Penelope's little friend), and Jeff (our landlord). </li>
<li>She will only let me read to her at bedtime but mostly wants dad to put her to sleep.</li>
<li>She took swim lessons last month and usually really enjoyed it. She is such a water bug and is a natural, jumping off the side and going down the big slide.</li>
<li>Has a slight obsession with ice cream.</li>
<li>She loves the rain and puddle jumping.</li>
<li>She likes to make up her own signs and then I have to remember them because she'll use them again later.</li>
<li>She is hands down, the goofiest and most hilarious child ever. I'd say it was just my opinion but I've been told it quite frequently too by strangers and people who know her as well.</li>
<li>Has the best expressions and funny faces. She also loves to say things to get a rise out of us.</li>
<li>She is easily excitable.</li>
<li>Still loves Barney but also loves Mickey Mouse now.</li>
<li>Is a pro at throwing tantrums (thankfully they're usually at home).</li>
<li>Requests I Know that my Savior Loves Me as the bed time song.</li>
<li>Likes to "SHH" people.</li>
<li>She loves to give us zooberts.</li>
<li>She takes her baby doll everywhere.</li>
<li>When asked, "Who are you?" she responds with, "I'm me." and we have no clue how she learned that.</li>
<li>Loves animals with the exception to large dogs.</li>
<li>She likes to do everything her self. Especially all my chores, except of course, picking up her own toys.</li>
<li>She only likes to go down slides on her stomach all of a sudden.</li>
<li>Has regressed in potty training. She has a desire to use the potty, but then wont go.</li>
<li>Can sign every word I throw at her (words she'd know that is) including colors. </li>
<li>However, she only knows what green, yellow, and pink actually are.</li>
<li>She loves puzzles like nothing else.</li>
<li>Asks to hold me by saying, "I hold you!" and then sits on my lap facing away from me.</li>
<li>Recently figured out how to turn on the TV and now we have daily TV on/TV off battles.</li>
<li>Recognizes temples (all of them--even ones she's never seen!).</li>
<li>She loves other kids and we're pretty certain she desperately wants a sibling.</li>
<li>Loves to jump and "skip."</li>
<li>She is 89% in weight, and 27% in height. I was actually pretty surprised by this since she's thinned out a lot.</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First, and very much needed, haircut!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWUcr_r23UBOOby2JCxCJG1DTW8yZQ9typHDNBEjlgerbKO0TRIOn3ei773YoapXH7sdXLpJra_uHb-hsv6wNnfUAKEUHPJhMUUDrdpzmPMDl289ubJjON1yd6hiR1FDNG1sYb_GCB7bb/s1600/11428139_953703544675997_173653957_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWUcr_r23UBOOby2JCxCJG1DTW8yZQ9typHDNBEjlgerbKO0TRIOn3ei773YoapXH7sdXLpJra_uHb-hsv6wNnfUAKEUHPJhMUUDrdpzmPMDl289ubJjON1yd6hiR1FDNG1sYb_GCB7bb/s320/11428139_953703544675997_173653957_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleepy sick kiddo a couple weeks ago.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJnpbSGLoG2nnSbIOmgMm2gCPxZBexPW8Jxkbx0OOvWyXffVAq77zI-gSQoxB2rQazjfQZvQRG5lkcIUnWLK0BmgY3j5GYvDTzrUjwqPghyqzW0A3BdLrPaJ7Cvf-vMPZJDgNkABYcCcW/s1600/IMG_20150615_182631_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJnpbSGLoG2nnSbIOmgMm2gCPxZBexPW8Jxkbx0OOvWyXffVAq77zI-gSQoxB2rQazjfQZvQRG5lkcIUnWLK0BmgY3j5GYvDTzrUjwqPghyqzW0A3BdLrPaJ7Cvf-vMPZJDgNkABYcCcW/s320/IMG_20150615_182631_edited.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye Mullet! Look at how cute this girl is!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNsXvf8GEIvG4Lf0TML5V2delP39rV1whKkgiyZRP1Sd8WaCKziKtyjO1U4iVlYyspJC0DHcypg0TI3WzP44mep6OlGo7uMaeCoGr-6ex4C3mA-mN7T0yHwxoQ8sh0K8Cy7T2ADuoBGkR/s1600/11176608_1043887472306238_1759273596_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNsXvf8GEIvG4Lf0TML5V2delP39rV1whKkgiyZRP1Sd8WaCKziKtyjO1U4iVlYyspJC0DHcypg0TI3WzP44mep6OlGo7uMaeCoGr-6ex4C3mA-mN7T0yHwxoQ8sh0K8Cy7T2ADuoBGkR/s320/11176608_1043887472306238_1759273596_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She loves the mirror.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZh9UNMZcGGGFQNRP1qN64AXqMfl4W-d8A1k4WX-VTG976gHqTLtjkWC3WYR1TMPzslxiHPPHE2GuxLMh2522yRGx8goUaKgWXHywvD9Ub4U0nZPO5MfOtPm7gTTscrFIBrHEzmJ3OgoJ/s1600/11326171_1584287805175456_2038731033_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZh9UNMZcGGGFQNRP1qN64AXqMfl4W-d8A1k4WX-VTG976gHqTLtjkWC3WYR1TMPzslxiHPPHE2GuxLMh2522yRGx8goUaKgWXHywvD9Ub4U0nZPO5MfOtPm7gTTscrFIBrHEzmJ3OgoJ/s320/11326171_1584287805175456_2038731033_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So sad and cute at the same time!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA93iJqHKMqCTbVqYD7Q2nZKDeP6p6RRziaVjVoB5PQmKQa7fmNpGF7tS8edkUMnYgwy1UnQqr1QXtRPg7VbOq8qgZ3dGkq4DT1L_IlokzkS8vd5tVltPvg1FzqhgBADumlo_Shsj8M-hc/s1600/IMG_20150623_165200_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA93iJqHKMqCTbVqYD7Q2nZKDeP6p6RRziaVjVoB5PQmKQa7fmNpGF7tS8edkUMnYgwy1UnQqr1QXtRPg7VbOq8qgZ3dGkq4DT1L_IlokzkS8vd5tVltPvg1FzqhgBADumlo_Shsj8M-hc/s320/IMG_20150623_165200_edited.jpg" width="237" /></a>'</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being her cute, goofy self.<br />
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We might be MIA for a little while longer (starting tomorrow--I already wrote a little post, so be on the lookout). This summer is going to be a busy one. This week alone we're got a bunch of our summer traditions. We got Taylorsville Day Fair on Thursday, Manti Pageant on Friday, and Taylorsville Day Parade on Saturday. And in exactly a month we will be heading out to New Hampshre for two weeks, with plans to go to Horace Lake, Hampton Beach, Story Land, and hopefully a weekend in Boston! Also, My Grandma from Michigan is coming out during that time too which makes me just that much more excited!<br />
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I'm doing everything I can to finish up my last 14 hours of my internship so I can be free to enjoy these next couple months (and so I can be done with school forever!).<br />
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As always,<br />
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<br />Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-79084843796778755892015-06-04T22:52:00.000-07:002015-06-04T23:07:09.701-07:00Everything You Want to Know About Our Future Family Part 2So when Jesse was initially looking for a job last year, he was applying almost everywhere (even a few jobs out of the country). It was exciting to think we could end up in a place we've both never been. In fact, Jesse and I have always hoped to eventually to do just that one day. We almost had the opportunity to when Jesse had an interview with a job in Alliance, Nebraska and Madison, Wisconsin (he wasn't offered either of them though he made it past the first round on both of them) and it was really weird to try and imagine our lives in either of those places. Especially Nebraska. Google Alliance and you will see that it is <i>literally</i> the middle of nowhere (population 8,500).<br />
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Anyway, as the job search continued there were occasionally times where I said no way, not that state. And thus began the list that we affectionately call my "Living List." It started out with my top 5 states I want to live in and the top 2 states I absolutely refused to live in (because surprisingly out of 50 states, there is really only two that you'd have to pay me really well for me to even begin considering living there.) Eventually, it would get brought up in conversations with friends and family and now is a bit of a joke that people refer to. The other day I finally finished the list (because naturally, it expanded). In case you can't read my handwriting, I've copied the states below in order from best to worst under the picture with some brief explanations when I feel it's necessary. But before we get into the list, just so you can get an idea of what's important to me, here is my list of essentials in order for me to live permanently in a state:<br />
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1. <b>Greenery</b>. After living in Utah, it's the thing I think I appreciated the least when I lived in New Hampshire but miss the most. The smell, the privacy, the beauty. I practically jump for joy whenever Jesse takes us to the mountains here.<br />
2. <b>Ocean. </b>Because it is truly, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful and scenic things God put on this earth and imagining my kids never going to the beach makes me sad.<br />
3. <b>Population.</b> I remember this time as a teenager, I was in the car with my dad and I told him I wanted to live in NYC; I wanted to live around lots, and lots of people. He laughed and said that one day I would change my mind. Well, friends, that day has come. I hate having all these neighbors so close when I've grown up barely being able to see my neighbors through the thick forest of trees. I need privacy, and I need a little small town living!<br />
<b>*Bonus</b>: Any place with cobblestone streets, houses from the 1700-1800s, and interesting history!<br />
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Without further adieu...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Embarrassing. Just ignore the fact that I clearly spelt Illinois wrong...</td></tr>
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<b>"The best states EVER"</b><br />
1. Connecticut: I actually rather live in Rhode Island but I recently learned it is the second most crowded state and thought, if I can live on the eastern corner of Connecticut then I was still technically living my dream of a life in Rhode Island without actually dealing with the crowded part.<br />
2. Rhode Island: Why Rhode Island? Because I've always felt it was quainter than Massachusetts and maybe even a less toristy while still living right on or near the beach in a beautiful New England state.<br />
3. Oregon: Because it's the closest thing to New England on the West. And I love how tall trees are and how lush all the plants are. And their beautiful rocky ocean = heaven. And the rain!!! Oh how I miss it!<br />
4. Washington<br />
5. Delaware<br />
<b>"Not my 1st choice but I'm perfectly fine with these states"</b><br />
6. New York: Upstate that is.<br />
7. New Hampshire: But I rather live up north and not so much where I'm from.<br />
8. Vermont<br />
9. North Carolina<br />
10. Maryland<br />
11. South Carolina<br />
12,. Virginia: Not near the cities or near D.C.<br />
13. Massachusetts: If I could live in Plymouth it would absolutely be #1!<br />
14. Pennsylvania<br />
15. Hawaii: For the record, Hawaii would be in the top 5 if it weren't for how ridiculously expensive it is to live there.<br />
16. Florida<br />
17. Georgia<br />
18. Ohio<br />
19. Indiana<br />
20. Michigan<br />
<b>"Meh. I could live there."</b><br />
21. Kentucky: I actually really liked Kentucky when I drove through it but it's just too flat.<br />
22. Iowa<br />
23. Louisiana<br />
24. Mississippi<br />
25. Alabama<br />
26. Illinois<br />
27. Maine: Love the light houses and rocky beaches but still not a fan of how hill billy it is.<br />
28. Colorado: We actually thought it was really pretty when we visited last year. It's mountain's are more green than Utah's but there isn't a lot to do there.<br />
29. California: Please do not be mistaken. If I had to live in LA then it would be #50. I'm talking the very north with all the big redwood trees.<br />
30. Tennessee<br />
<b>"I rather not..."</b><br />
31. West Virginia<br />
32. New Jersey: The accents! They drive me crazy! And I don't want to be associated with any place that credits The Jersey Shore...<br />
33. Missouri<br />
34. Kansas<br />
35. Alaska<br />
36. Texas<br />
37. Oklahoma<br />
38. Utah: I know, I know. Utah has some things I really love (like their mountains! They still take my breath away.) but their lack of lakes, and trees and beautiful green things, and everyone living on top of one another. It's just not for me.<br />
39. Wisconsin<br />
40. Idaho<br />
<b>"No thank you!"</b><br />
41. Arkansas: Why would I want to live in the hot south with no ocean near by!?<br />
42: Montana<br />
43. Nevada: I have been there...and I've seen everything I think I'd ever need to see.<br />
44. Minnesota<br />
45. Nebraska: I drove through this state with my dad. I remember that it was the 7 longest hours of my life.<br />
46: Wyoming: When Laramie is the biggest city...that's saying something.<br />
47: South Dakota<br />
48: North Dakota<br />
<b>"My absolute NEVER, EVER states"</b><br />
49. Arizona<br />
50. New Mexico: Let's see...both these states are hot as heck, a complete desert, and have scorpions. And New Mexico has nothing to do. Yep, no way is this ever happening.<br />
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So I think this fulfills part 2 of <a href="http://thejustets.blogspot.com/2014/12/everything-you-want-to-know-about-our.html">"Everything You Want to Know About Our Future Family"</a> post that I unintentionally took 6 months to complete.<br />
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I'd promise more of a regular blog appearance but I've still got 22 hours left until I complete my internship (and my degree!) and a pretty busy summer schedule.<br />
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Until next time,<br />
<br />
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<br />Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-16380614132790520822015-05-08T16:31:00.001-07:002015-05-08T16:40:06.790-07:00Ch-Ch-Changes!Today is a little bittersweet.<br />
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Jesse is leaving one great company to go to another great opportunity and place. Jesse has accepted a position at the University of Utah as the newest Benefits Representative/Coordinator!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesse got his bachelors here and within the next year is getting his MBA from too!</td></tr>
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So how did this opportunity come about? Well, none other than....networking! I am always amazed at how small this world really is.<br />
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Our friend and neighbor needed a babysitter for her darling little girl, in which I offered. After our first babysitting session we realized we weren't Facebook friends (whaaaat!?) and she friended me. I was looking at her Facebook and realized she worked in human resource at the University of Utah. I messaged her and basically said something on the lines of "What the heck! How have we been friends this long and I not have known you worked in HR!? Jesse is in recruiting but has been looking for ways to get into HR!" in which we got in a long discussion about an opening that <i>just</i> opened up at her work. The next day, our friend went in and talked to her boss about Jesse and they wanted him to apply for the job. He interviewed on Tuesday and well, the rest is history!<br />
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Our hearts has feel so full. Just a year ago we were wondering how in the world we'd get the opportunities we needed and now, here we are with the position Jesse had dreamed of those few short years ago. Those hardships we faced in the past have certainly helped us to better appreciate these blessings and those who go out of their way to help us.<br />
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We are so excited for this next adventure!!!<br />
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PS. Thanks to our references for giving Jesse's new boss outstanding reviews! It sounds like it might of been the main deciding factor!<br />
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Love,<br />
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<br />Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-91234422204680998062015-03-30T17:02:00.000-07:002015-03-30T17:20:48.759-07:00Parenting is HardIs it just me or does being a mom (or parent--but probably mostly moms) instantly make you feel like your expected (mostly by yourself) to know what is wrong whenever your kiddo gets sick?<br />
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Penelope has had a fever every other week since the very first of this year and, I can't help but blame myself since she is in my constant care. I disinfect the whole house every other day, her toys once a week, and make sure that everyone is washing their hands and yet here we are on fever #8. It's hard as a mom to not feel like there is always something more you can be doing, or wishing you had done more in the past (lately I've been mostly blaming myself for not being able to breast feed her past 3 months and wondering if this is why she is sick so constantly). We went a week and a half with no illnesses until today and I was so certain we were done with it that when Penelope had a high fever today I contributed it to something else.<br />
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I took Penelope for a walk to the park because it was a beautiful day and I love seeing that happy little face whenever she notices a slide (seriously, the park is her favorite place ever). We played only for 20 minutes because we needed to head back for lunch, and everything was normal and had been normal all day. However, when I put her in the stroller to head home she started acting funny. I thought, maybe she was just tired, and didn't think twice about it...until...<br />
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We got back home (15 minutes later) and she was burning hot and disoriented. I'd say her name and she'd act like she had no clue where she was. I immediately took her temperature and was surprised to see 104.9. Certainly this was the highest tempeture she's ever had, let alone the highest I've ever even seen in my life. I did what I have always done with fevers, I stripped her down to her diaper and got her some Tylenol. After a few minutes, with her snuggling in my arms, I realized that she was nearly passed out. That's when it dawned on me (or maybe because I'm a first time mom hypochondriac) that maybe this wasn't just some out of the blue temperature. I typed in the symptoms and was surprised when I realized my poor baby girl might have heat exhaustion or worse, a heat stroke. It had been very warm today (75 degrees compared to the mid 50's we had over the weekend) and it made sense. I went into crazy lady mode that truly only a concerned mom can understand and did everything the source recommended. I had her lay down in our bed, blasted a fan, and wet a rag in cold water and gently patted her down. I'm reading more and more about this as I'm doing this and getting more worked up. It said things like, "call 911 immediately" and "heat stroke has high death rates, especially children under 3" and "most common on the first warm/hot day of the year." So naturally I'm near hysterical when I call my husband and ask him to rush home so she can get a blessing and so we can take her to the hospital (context: we have one car in which my husband had for work.)<br />
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He comes home as I'm in the process of talking to her doctor's nurse who is telling us after hearing the symptoms to go to the ER right now and to not let her fall asleep, which was kind of difficult since she was practically half asleep in my arms. We're rushing out the door when we get another call from the nurse saying that a spot opened up and the doctor actually thinks it's best to come to his office first (which honestly was a relief because just in case I was wrong, I wasn't looking forward to an ER bill. You do what you gotta do, but you know.)<br />
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After an examination, aside from her high temperature and fast heart rate, she was fine. Because she keeps getting sick so frequently and doesn't go to daycare, he recommended we see a specialist just to be certain there are no allergies affecting this but mostly to get piece of mind that she's okay.<br />
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So 3 things I've learned from this experience:<br />
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1. Do not do research online. Just call the pediatrician first so you don't get worked up about something that it isn't.<br />
2. Too many symptoms of different illnesses are the same and it's <strike>sort of</strike> really annoying because you never know when you should worry and when you shouldn't.<br />
3. Parenting is hard and I have no clue what I'm doing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So true.</td></tr>
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So now that we're finally home and Penelope is down for a late nap, I can finally eat <strike>lunch</strike> dinner and hope that we can not keep having scary moments in life (<a href="http://thejustets.blogspot.com/2014/05/poison-control.html">like the time we had to call poison control</a>).<br />
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Parenting friends, do these fears go away with having more kids or will being a mom always make me a worry wart?<br />
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Your friend, the hypochondriac,<br />
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<br />Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-32485002326223003182015-03-16T21:01:00.001-07:002015-03-16T21:09:35.721-07:00Motherhood: An Unworthy Pursuit?<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">**Dis</span><span style="color: #222222;">c</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"><b>laimer:</b> In no way am I saying that if you choose to work that it is wrong. Some people have to work and don't have an option of being a stay at home parent. Some people also choose to work and can receive gratification from doing so. I am merely talking about the idea that thinking work is more important, and/or thinking that stay at home moms are not equally as hard at work, is an incorrect notion.**</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">It has recently been brought to my attention that being a stay at home mom is an unworthy pursuit. It's not one I haven't heard before and frankly, I'm not here to challenge the notion because I already know that they're incorrect. Anyone that could possibly ever think that having a career and making money is more important then being there for your children, loving them and helping them to grow to their full potential is probably </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">someone who has never found gratification from being a mother. To have never felt </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">that kind of gratification is something I pity. For me, it has been my greatest joy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Instead, I want to discuss something that's been on my mind lately, before the insensitive comment. The world vs. followers of Christ in regards to a what is a meaningful life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The world will tell you that having things is more important. The more money, the more happiness. There is this idea that success can only come from your job title, what your colleagues think of you, how much of an education you have, and how much time you spend pursuing these goals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But followers of Christ understand that life doesn't just end after your earthly life. What career you had and how much wealth you obtained will be unimportant. They're not things you will take with you to heaven. When the day comes that we are judged by Christ, these things will be irrelevant. But who we are striving to be and the righteous desire of your heart and actions, those are the things that will matter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">People who think money is happiness will only find bitter disappointment. There is a reason that those who are rich and famous still get in trouble with the law, go bankrupt, and do drugs. Because no amount of money will ever replace love and charity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When Christ asked the Samaritan women to fetch Him water, He didn't care in the least that the woman was a Samaritan (for those who need some context, Samaritans were looked down upon by Jews--they seemed less worthy than Jews.) In fact, we learn that she was the first person the Lord acknowledged Himself to be the Christ to. Clearly, the importance of who you are in the world is less important than simply who you are, a child of God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I get the opportunity to sit at Christ's feet, I sure hope that he will have found being a mother first and foremost as a worthy endeavor. In Matthew 19:14 it is said, "<span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Clearly, Christ himself understands the importance of children. As He says, heaven is essentially filled with children or people who are childlike in nature (not to be confused with childish).</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 20px;">When our daughter is older, I sure hope that she will have considered raising her to have been a pursuit worth while. At the very least, I hope that we will have conveyed the love we have for her and the desire of our hearts to see her become her best self. I know that if one day she decides to be a stay at home mom, I will feel proud of her and her desire to sacrifice the things of the world and dedicate her life to serving others, and to serving those who matter most: her family.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">I saw this a few days ago. It echos exacly how I feel about being a mother.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #001320;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 20px;">Now if you don't mind, I think I'll put on some T. Swift, do a little dancing with my baby girl, and "shake it off."</span></span><br />
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3255915988052897090.post-22067357106197213562015-02-23T18:57:00.002-08:002015-02-23T19:06:49.854-08:00Unintentional Potty TrainingI never wanted to be one of those parents who forced our child to potty train before they were ready just so I didn't have to change diapers anymore or because I didn't want two kids in diapers, etc. So Jesse and I made the decision to let Penelope do things on her own time. Thankfully, we've been blessed with a very easy child in regards to quick development! Every time I start a daunting task Penelope picks it right up (like using a cup. We tried it two times and then she was a pro.) Potty training so far has been no different.<br />
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Since Penelope could walk (12 months), she's been accompanying me on my bathroom trips. I decided to take advantage of the limited privacy that will probably continue on for the next 5-10 years (I'm assuming future children will be like this as well) and taught her what to do.. So even though she wasn't actually going on the potty, she'd pretend to wipe, flush, and then we'd wash our hands together.<br />
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Last week we decided to see what she'd do when we put her on a toilet. We went to Target and bought one of those convertible toilets, set it up, and put her on it with no expectations. Instantly, she went! We thought it was a fluke...but the next 3 times in a row she went. It was so funny to watch her stand up and dance to the music that it makes once you go. We give her a potty treat (aka chocolate) whenever she goes and so far it's been a great incentive. Penelope has always been a child who reacts well to positive reinforcement so we also made sure to make it a super big deal by shouting and clapping with joy.<br />
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So far, Penelope has gone at least 3/4 of the times we put her on the potty, and has started asking either by saying potty, pee, or poop or just signing it. We never actually intended to be seriously potty training but now we figure why not keep the momentum going? So exciting!<br />
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Seriously though, who ever thought we'd be excited over poop?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got messy making Daddy's Valentine's Day Card.</td></tr>
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Also--on an entirely separate note, but for record keeping purposes, Penelope has gotten <i>really </i>good at speaking and comprehension. She says a lot of words very clearly and practically says a new word every day (my favorite right now is "thank you." She says it clear as day!) It's so cute watching her tell us stories and hear her actually say real words or read us books.<br />
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She is such a feisty and determined child and some days I am so exhausted by her personality but it fills my heart with joy watching her grow up and become a wonderful and happy little girl. I know one day those characteristics will be an incredible blessing when she'll be put in tough situations and has to make hard choices. And really, she's only acting exactly like her mom (oh boy)!<br />
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I feel so blessed being her mom and having the opportunity to care for her daily and watch her reach all these mile stones. Being a mom is hands down, the most fulfilling calling to have on this earth.<br />
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Happy Monday friends!<br />
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Toni Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14164357323783401553noreply@blogger.com0