The Search for A Modest Home

Life has been pretty exciting recently. But let's talk about the past for a minute...After the short sale of our town house in 2012, Brandon and I thought we would not be able to purchase a home for at least 4 years after it was finally sold. We knew this would put a ding on our credit, but unfortunately, he lost his job and we didn't have the resources to continue to pay for our mortgage, plus we needed to move 2 hours north of our current house for Brandon's new job position.

As life has gone one, we have slowly been talking about the prospects of purchasing a house at the end of next year! So one afternoon we had always discussed one area of Saratoga Springs that we loved, and hey, a builder that we knew and liked was building in that area. Guys it's perfect, and I found the perfect floor plan I love. In the back of my head though I kept thinking, we still have to wait, I know it takes time to build, but these will still be done before any bank would finance us due to our previous short sale...Well...we started talking with the salesman (never a good thing), and found out we only had to wait 3 years! 3 years! That means comes this December we could have a house. WHAT?! The dream is real guys! It has consumed our thoughts, and time, which isn't necessarily the best thing since we're both in school and have the kiddo's and work.

So since we found the perfect area and floor plan, really it was a great time to potentially build!

The thing is, I'm in a Family Finance class at BYU. This is such a practical class that honestly should be available to everyone, especially married couples! Within our class we have discussed the discouragement of debt, except for three different categories. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin put it best when he said, "Some debt - such as for a modest home, expenses, for education, perhaps for a needed first car - may be necessary. But never should we enter into financial bondage through consumer debt without carefully weighing the costs."

As we kept looking at our dream lots and floor plan the price of it kept creeping into the back of my mind. Although Brandon is making significantly more than he ever has, this is still a house we could not afford...Not right now at least. I brought this up to Brandon, who unfortunately agreed with me, so we started to discuss maybe purchasing a home already built, for less.

We are still on the hunt and searching. But this term "modest home" is what has been continually on my mind. I had heard that quote by Elder Wirthlin before, but as we are truly searching for a home, and we want so many wonderful things, this small phrase of "modest" keeps coming into my head.

A thought that has come back to Brandon is maybe we should purchase another town house for now. We could get into one fairly quickly, and have a mortgage for about the same price we're paying in rent right now. Then, we can keep our budget the same that it is and continue to pay off debts as quickly as we can. Once all other debts are paid, except for a mortgage, then we can maybe look into selling the townhouse and then putting the equity into a down payment for a larger house in the future.

Nothing is for certain right now, and if for anything, I'm grateful for the fact that we are taking our time and truly talking about all the options we have before us. I'm excited for the future, and what it has in store for my little family. I truly hope we can continue to have the Spirit guide us to find our new modest home.

Love/Hate Relationships

We all have love/hate relationship? Right? Or is it just me?... Either way, here is a list of my l/h relationships, in no particular order.

Hair: I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. I love it longer, I think it looks nicer on me, but it gets so heavy! I love to change my hair up, but you really can't change it up when it's long, unless you have the time to curl it. Which I don't. I'm trying to get enough gumption to do a pixie cut. But, I don't have the balls yet. So 5 in the other day, was all I could part with. It's still long enough to pull it back when needed, but yet it doesn't feel like I'm getting a headache from it every day.

Cars: I love the independence I get with my car. I can go and do anything! I hate when they break down and suck. I also hate putting a ton of money into fixing a car, and it breaking down a couple months later with the same issues...thank you, you stupid, incompetent mechanics. Long story short, we're getting rid of one of our cars, and upgrading to a (hopefully) more reliable model.

Working out: I love the feeling of progressing with working out. I love how I can push myself a little further each time, and see my body improve. I am completely exhausted and lazy though. So I don't get to work out...I could, I just choose to do homework/work, or snuggle up with the mister to a movie instead. Priorities people. (I am trying to motivate myself to working out more again. I'm not getting younger, and it's harder to maintain my weight than it used to be. Thanks kiddo's!) ;)

School: I love getting my education. I love getting away from the kid's to do something selfish. I could probably go to school forever, which sometimes it feels like that's going to happen. I do hate missing out on my children growing up (even if it is only a couple of hours each day). I miss sleep. I hate writing papers, and the stress that causes. I also hate statistics. Even though, it has helped me to understand (or at least think I understand), a lot of the back end of my work. Plus, sometimes I want a break from school...like a Spring Break...BYU doesn't have one. WHAT?! :(

Teething munchkins: I love when they get teeth! It means they can try more challenging foods...but really...This is mostly a hate relationship. Ammon is in so much pain. He wakes up early, takes forever to take a nap, and goes to sleep late because he just wants me to snuggle him to sleep. Don't get me wrong, I love snuggling him all day, but unfortunately when it's their bed time, that's my time to clean up/do my work/finish homework. I have to cut the cord, and I hate it. Boo for teething. Yay for ice-cream though!

These are a few that have been on my mind the past week...I'm sure I'll come up with a part two with it at some point. Do you have any love/hate relationships?

Journal Entry 1

As I am horrible at keeping a journal, hopefully my Religious class at BYU will help. I have to write out journal entries a couple of times a week and figured I'd post my thoughts on here. Maybe as I post more about my testimony it will lead to posting more about my cute kiddo's and the craziness that is our lives.

Here are a few thoughts on one of my favorite scriptures. :)

           

An all time favorite scripture that has buoyed my husband and I up during unexpected trials and helped us increase our faith is 1 Nephi 3:7. This is Nephi accepting Lehi’s, and truly Heavenly Father’s commandment to go back to Jerusalem and retrieve the records from Laban. Even after his brothers murmur at the idea of retrieving the plates, Nephi proclaims “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commmandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:7) I’ve always admired Nephi’s unwavering faith, he did not know how he would accomplish this commandment, but Nephi knew the Lord commanded it, and so he knew they needed the plates before they could continue on with their journey to the promised land.

There have been times in my life when the future was uncertain for my family and myself, change was inevitable, but security was missing within my life. Last summer my husband told me that he had been prompted multiple times over the past few weeks that I should apply to BYU.  This act was hard for me because we were settled in Logan; both students at USU and Brandon had a stable job that was able to support our family so I could stay home with our sons. The wait to hear back from BYU of my acceptance was excruciating. Brandon and I tried multiple times to find housing in Utah County as well as find employment for him so he could continue to support our family but things never worked out. Just like when Laban first tried to persuade Laban to give him the plates, he was denied what was commanded of him. (1 Nephi 3:11-13) As well as when Nephi convinced his brothers to go back into the city to offer up their inheritance they had left behind to Laban to purchase the plates. They were again rejected and fled for their lives. (1 Nephi 3:22-25) It was then that I looked upon this scripture and dived into the footnotes. One of the footnotes leads to the comforting voice of our Heavenly Father saying “…Stop, and stand still until I command thee, and I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the thing which I have commanded thee.” (D&C 5:34) It is only when we stop, and are patient with the Lord, that we are lead in the direction he needs us to go to follow through with keeping his commandments. It wasn’t until Nephi truly paused for a moment as he went into the city alone, unknowing of what was about to happen that he was “led by the Spirit.” (1 Nephi 4:6) It was in those quiet moments when Nephi was patient and awaiting the direction of the Lord, that he was then guided to Laban. Just like Nephi, my husband and I needed to be patient with the Lord. It wasn’t until my husband and I were still, and quiet within the holy walls of the temple, that we were finally calm. We knew that things would work out in the end, and that our Father in heaven was guiding us to where he needed us most.   

Coke

Over the past few days I've been having the great inner debate...or struggle as it were. Towards the end of my pregnancy with Ammon if I were to drink caffeine any later than 1 PM I would be up all night! Caffeine had never affected me like that before and so at about 6 months pregnant I stopped drinking all caffeinated drinks together.

At times I wanted to drink a coke, a lot of times to be honest. But I was good and strong, even after I had Ammon. Again I was so worried that the caffeine would then affect him in my milk...long story short it's been way over a year since I've had a delicious coke. A couple of interesting things happened...

When I don't drink Coke, I tend not to drink soda in general. This also leads to Brandon drinking less soda because he just gets water with me. So overall we're healthier. Win/win right?

Drinking less soda equals less money going to my silly wanting of a drink every once in awhile, so yay  more money in the budget.

Lets be honest though, summer makes me think of Coke. Cold delicious Coke, especially Vanilla Coke. It reminds me of hot days hanging out with my friends, and warm nights playing night games. It makes me think of a day at Thanksgiving Point with the Keele's trying out FREE Vanilla Coke all day. YUM! Can you tell I miss it? Sometimes I even smell Brandon's when he gets one, haha, I'm a loser.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I stopped nursing Ammon. It's a complicated time, very emotional. I was done, he was done and ready. But I knew I would have a hard time missing that snuggle time with him. So as soon as I stopped Brandon asked the ultimate question, wanna Coke?

I don't know if I'm honestly pleased to announce I still haven't had a Coke yet. Honestly I'm kind of scared, as silly as that sounds. I'm still working on my weight loss goal, and drinking soda always makes it harder for me. Currently I've lost 9 lbs, but for the past couple of weeks I've pretty much fluctuated with where I'm at by a pound or two. Not cool. I guess my diet has gone so far and I actually need to consistently work out!

Here's the problem, over the past couple of days I've had a non stop headache. I'm still drinking a lot of water, I guess that's been a good habit I got from nursing. I've been taking ibuprofen to help with the pain, but it hasn't been helping either...I know a Coke would help, but I'm worried I'll get addicted again!

So what do I do? Give in and jump out of the wagon, or continue my streak of being good?

Counting Calories and Stuff

I can honestly say I never thought I would count calories, but having an app for it definitely makes it easier. A few things I've noticed while counting calories. 1) I am a huge snack person. I tend to eat smaller meals in order to be able to snack through the day. This probably is due to my hypoglycemia, or I just love to constantly eat. Probably both. 2) After using the app for a week I already have a pretty good idea of when I reach my daily caloric goal intake. Am I the best at it? Probably not, did I not input some meals, darn tooting! But I'm seeing results so that's pretty cool

Work outs for last week were fairly non existent. I went to the gym once and felt like I did a pretty easy lifting, plus walking/running on a treadmill. Later that day I took the boys for a 1.5 mile walk as well. As the day progressed my body started to get more sore. OUCH! I guess it worked. I wish I could've gone more, but with school stuff and lack of sleep, there was a lack of motivation.

This week for work outs it is supposed to be my turn to hit the gym M/W/F...With my 2 hours of sleep for Sunday, and then finally getting sleep last night I was going to sleep in a bit before going to the gym. Well, thirty minutes later, and both munchkins awake I'm still hoping I can go when Brandon gets home. We'll see, maybe we'll go on a family walk instead.

Complete side note: If you ever want to feel old, go to your local university and take their math placement test along with your fellow freshman (who all happen to be 18)... I walked into a teeny, tiny room with about six computers against the wall, all next to each other. Five of the computers were occupied, and students were already working on their test. When I came in, the proctor asked me a few simple questions, one being, "how long has it been since you've taken a math class?" I mentioned it had been roughly ten years and those that were testing stopped what they were doing, turned around and looked at me. To make things more awkward, I smiled and said "hello," as they all returned to their tests. The proctor then went on to ask if I was able to remember my student id number...Really? Yes I'm an older student, but I'm not ancient.

So that was my fun, I'm getting old moment last week. I didn't do the best at testing, math isn't my strong subject and I've already put it off for two semesters. So for summer I get to take a lovely math class to hopefully refreshen everything I took in high school. Haha, we'll see. I'm trying to stay positive and hope I can do well!

Rough Week and Weight Loss Challenge

This Monday Brandon and I officially started our weight loss challenge...Just a heads up, if you're planning a weight loss challenge, don't start it the same time mother nature comes calling! This whole week all I can think of are burgers, ice cream, cookies, etc. Yesterday wasn't a the best of days either when I woke up the day with a clogged milk duct...OW! Also Connor split his lip open...so we've had quite the adventure this week.

Good news though - Connor's lip will heal on its own, no stitches!

With the weight loss challenge Brandon is really pushing me to count calories. All I have to say is thank heavens there's an app for that! It hasn't been that bad to calculate everything when it does it for you, I can even scan in the barcode of items (for example, a container of yogurt), and it'll pull it right up. Boom. I had to do a bit of researching first because I'm nursing and my caloric intake still needs to be higher. So currently I'm eating 1800 calories a day and we'll see if anything works. If I start to loose too much after a few weeks, or my milk supply goes down I will increase it to either 1900, or 2000 calories a day. So far I think it's going alright.

So for the weight loss part of it I need to lose 14 lbs for pre-pregnancy weight. However, since I'm hoping to lose a bit more, I'm shooting for 29 lbs! If I lose my goal lbs, and Brandon loses his we'll reward ourselves with a night at the Anniversary Inn!

I've only been able to go to the gym once this week and I mostly lifted weights (Brandon's days were MWF this week and mine were T/TH...but I had to skip the gym to take a math test today on campus). Usually when I would go I would hop on the treadmill and walk/run a couple of miles, however I'm thinking this time around I need to do both. So right now I'm going to focus on weight lifting more, and then taking the kiddo's on walks during the day (since I have my lovely double stroller...however the tires need air).

That's been my week this week...rough, but we're making it! Lets just hope I can make it through the next couple of days. Brandon is in SLC all day for work and will be there late, so I won't have him to help me all day. Then tomorrow he has to take the buyers from work back to the airport. Boo :(

I'll keep you posted on our journey, we are taking pictures, measurements and weight weekly. But I'm not sure if I'll just wait till the end to post things, or do it periodically.

Biggest Loser: Holyoak Couple Style

During my pregnancy with Ammon, Brandon was doing a Biggest Loser competition with a bunch of his old high school friends. There was a $5 buy in, making the total prize being $100 at the end of 3-4 months. Brandon was amazing, especially considering the fact that the competition started a week or so before Thanksgiving and went through the holidays. I was so proud of him, but emotionally it was very hard for me. It was already hard for me to get bigger, which is obviously normal during pregnancy, but to see my husband get skinnier as I got larger was definitely harder than I expected.

Brandon ended up winning the competition, but due to the fact that everyone in the competition didn't pay their buy in money he only received $40. Obviously the real prize was the weight he lost, and he looked and felt amazing. Of course with my horrible pregnancy cravings, and his lack of being in a competition he gained it back. I'm selfish, and I feel bad he gained that weight. So to make things better we're making some changes!

In a few weeks Brandon and I are starting our on weight loss challenge. We're not rewarding a winner, our reward will be the lost weight. I'm thinking this will be really good for us, since we'll only really have each other to cheer each other on, and I'd like to think we're our biggest fans.

Biggest problems right now are, we eat out too much, portions, and my personal lack of exercise.

Game plan for me: We ordered a jogging double stroller and I can't wait till it gets here, it arrives Wednesday! Since the weather is getting warmer I can't make the excuse that I can't get off my tush and walk/run it out. Plus it will get the boys out for fresh air. My hopeful plan is to go on a 30-60 walk/run each day, or Mon-Sat. Another thing I will be doing is counting calories...I have never done that, but Brandon swears by it. We are going to eat healthier meals, more fruits and veggies, and smaller portions (we ordered a food scale to help us weigh those as well). I'd love to lose at least 15 pounds, that would get me down to pre pregnancy weight. If I lose more, fantastic! Goal is to lose at least 1 pound a week.

Brandon's game plan: Get up earlier and work out at his office gym. This will take effort from me, I may or may not have to kick him out of bed. ;) He'll also count calories, and be watching his food portions, and eating healthier.

We aren't starting our actual competition until after General Conference weekend. We're going to be traveling to Utah County the next couple of weekends, and we always tend to eat horribly while we're out and about. (Who can say no to In - N - Out, Sweet Tooth Fairy and Zupas? I sure can't...I see a problem here, haha).

So that's that! I may or may not post my progress on here... I'm still deciding. We are going to weigh ourselves weekly as well as take measurements. Here's to losing weight and becoming fit!

Temples

Our Connor is very energetic and can be very stubborn at times, it takes a lot for me to even keep up with him, and his stubbornness can ruin the mood very easily. On the flip side he is also very sweet and tender hearted. He has a very special bond with his brother, and is always trying to make him laugh and smile, Connor even has given one of his Lightening McQueen cars to Ammon, which is HUGE! (Connor used to never share any of his Lightening McQueen's with anyone...and yes he has multiple ones).

One thing that Connor loves is the temple. It honestly doesn't matter which temple, but he loves to look at temple pictures, to go up and walk on the temple grounds and to touch the temple. Connor even loves watching The Mountain of the Lord, which is a movie about the building of the Salt Lake City temple. Connor is also starting to learn the different names of temples, the top two he knows are Salt Lake City and Logan. When it's warm enough outside he asks to go say goodnight to the temple, luckily enough for him if you go to the sidewalk by our house you can see the Logan temple. At night  during his bedtime routine we also have to sing I love to see the temple, and he joins in with us, as well as points to the picture of the temple that is on his wall next to his bed. 

I love his bond with the temple, and I hope it continues to grow as he grows. His testimony on temples builds mine up and I am so lucky to have my sweet Connor forever.

Winter Blues

Does anyone else get the Winter blues? Also known as January blues? I totally do! After the holidays, when things start to settle down and schedules starts to get back to normal I get in a huge slump! I feel like it has gotten worse since I've had the boys. Not that they bring me down, it's just I can't take them out to play, and we can only do so much inside. Can I say cabin fever much? I thought things might change since I'm in school, I would be more focused and on task, but sadly that has not been the case. I am an amazing procrastinator.

Another thing I'm not a fan of, is the post winter/pre spring in Utah. I hate the murky brown everywhere. Gross. Someday Brandon and I will live somewhere warm and fantastic, that...or we're going to have to go on vacation a lot. ;) Anyone else feel the same way?

But! Things are going fairly well for us. Connor is in a pre-school/fun school on Monday and Wednesdays that helps me to get some schooling done. Connor has learned pretty much all of his shapes, and is currently working on the alphabet! He sure loves Miss Kim, but who doesn't! Ammon is growing so fast and loves food! He is wearing 18 month shirts and 12 month pants, and he's 8 1/2 months. This chunker will not crawl though! Poor kiddo has thunder thighs which makes it hard for him to get on his knees and move his legs. Haha, I love his chunk though, and we're working on it.

I better log off and go back into Mom mode! I've got cleaning, cooking, baking, homework to do!

Nursing take 2!

Nursing Ammon has been so much easier than it was with Connor. With Connor it always hurt me, I'm guessing now that he never had a good latch, but with Ammon the pain is virtually non existent! 

I'm also a little worried about my production, however I've been keeping up on my water intake and food calories much better than with Connor. The biggest tip I got was from a neighbor, drink 8 oz of water after every feeding! For some reason it makes it more manageable, and I usually end up drinking more. 

So things are good and just trying to stay positive! 

Potty training

So Connor is pretty much potty trained. I dare say between 85-95%. He goes all day without an accident (usually), and we even leave the house somedays without a pull up! Some nights we've even been lucky with a dry pull up, but usually it's not the case. Last night we took the baby proof lock off his door so he could get up in the middle of the night if he needs too. 

One fun thing, Brandon taught him how to pee standing. Now that's all he does, which is better for me, sometimes when he'd sit on the potty you never knew where'd he's shoot! Oh the joys of boys :) I'm very proud of my big boy, I can't believe he'll be 3 in two months!! Wow!

Taking it easy, but noticing changes.

Last Friday I started a work out at home. I was feeling a bit better, but not ready to run. So here's the circuits I did. (I'm not sure of the specific names, so this is how I describe them). 

20 crunches

20 crossover crunches per leg 

20 straight leg crunches

15 leg lifts per leg

15 inner leg lifts

30 second butterfly stretch

20 calf raises

15 squats

3 reps (I might do these on my off running days)

My thighs were burning for the rest of the day though. So that was good. 

Saturday I went to the gym and started on the elliptical thinking I'd go easy on my knees. Me not thinking I thought it'd be fun to do a 30 minute incline training exercise. Holy cow! I only made it in 13 minutes before deciding I needed to change to the treadmill. I definitely prefer the treadmill over elliptical.

Anyway, today I went in bright and early (6:45) and went straight to the treadmill. I would walk 2 min/run 1 min. I'm feeling good, I am slowly getting better. I didn't look at the time till there was only 10 seconds left of running instead of thirty, so some slow progress. Oh, I did walk/run 1.47 miles. Woop! 

I'd like to say I'm seeing small changes on my body. I think my stomach is a little flatter, but I might just be sitting up straighter. Who knows. I might take weekly photos and post them. Still debating. Like I said before, I'm more focused on feeling better about my body image than a number on the scale. So far I've liked walk/running more than I thought. Yay for exercise. 

"Now that's what you call ironic right there."

So apparently my body is against me starting to work out/train. I'm pretty sure this happens every time I try to get into shape. It's just not meant to be. ;)

Monday afternoon decided to give me a cold. Awesome. So I've been trying to rest up more to get healthy again! Hopefully I'm not sick for too long, I really need to train for this 5k. (Yes, I am that out of shape...I'm pretty sure I couldn't run longer than 30 seconds right now). 

Motivation

This last week I had my 6 week doctors appointment and I'm officially cleared to go back to regular life. Wahoo! I am so ready to get back into shape, I'm really not digging my jiggly tummy and thighs, boo. It's not very fun to have Connor poke my stomach and say "baby."  Ugh  :(

So I have three things to help my motivation. 1) I WANT IT. Now honestly I'm not really focused on a number on the scale. I just personally want to tone up. I want to feel more confident. 2) 5k. Brandon and I signed up for a 5k at the end of August called Man vs. Mud. I'm so stoked, but I definitely need to train. The best part is Brandon will be there to help and support me at the same time. Plus we're both competitive and I know we'll push each other. 3) Family pictures. My mother in law has said she wants to get family pictures done this fall. This picture could potentially be on the wall for over five years without being updated (like this last one). Call me crazy, but I want to look decent. 

So there you have it. I'm debating on posting pictures of my progress. I'm very self conscious right now so we'll see. Tomorrow is training day one. I'm excited, scared, nervous. I pray I can get back into shape AND keep my milk supply up. If any of the two people that read this have any good tips, please let

me know. :)

Birth Story Photos

Go to www.jillwittphotography.com . You won't be disappointed! Also you should book her for your next photo session, she's amazing. 

Welcome to the world

(Warning: Some of this may be a bit graphic, it's a birth story and I don't want to forget any details. 

Also I tend to be long winded. Sorry if this is extremely long. And I'm proud to those who actually read through the whole thing.)

It first starts with my 38 weekly appointment (Thursday), we went in like normal, however I was slightly worried because I was starting to show signs of preeclampsia again. My doctor reassured me that everything looked fine and that I was still progressing (dilated to a 3). We then decided to have her strip my membranes, if it worked I would be in labor within 24-48 hours. If not then it would probably help me dilate more. Well  that night when my contractions usually would come for 2+ hours they never came. 

During the next day (Friday), I still hadn't had any contractions so I thought I needed to take matters into my own hands. When Connor went down for his nap I decided it was time to get this baby out! I first started to climb our stairs non-stop for 10 minutes, man let me tell you how out of shape I am! But, after the 10 minutes I started to have contractions again. Well that was enough motivation for me to keep going! So I started to do little circuits, I would walk the stairs 4-5 times, then walk around the house, then 10 squats. Once the contractions became consistent I decided to stop and count them, however they stopped after a few hours again. 

Saturday rolls around and I'm able to make it to my hair appointment. While I'm at the salon my contractions started up again, but they were very far apart so I wasn't worried. After my hair was done Brandon, Connor and I went to lunch. Again contractions started kicking in and so I started to time them. They were every two minutes lasting a minute each, we started joking about dropping Connor  off at Brandon's parents house, however when we got up and left they stopped, awesome. 

That afternoon we did end up going to his parents house. It was nice to let Connor play in their backyard plus I also got to walk/pace the baby out. Contractions were looking good, however every time I would stop or sit down they would stop, let me tell you it was frustrating! After a hour or so we decided to head home so Connor could take his nap before we ran errands. 

When we got home I needed to use the bathroom and I had quite a bit of bloody mucous and discharge. I thought it was probably normal but I still told Brandon about it. We ended up calling the on call doctor to find out if everything was ok and she said to head to the hospital to get checked because I was loosing my mucous plug. (Keep in mind this never happened with Connor, so it was new to me). Anyway, Brandon called his Mom and also told her the situation and she told him the same thing, including the fact that baby was actually on his way (side note: Brandon never told me she said the second part until after we were admitted). Needless to say he was really excited and just wanted to go! I on the other hand didn't want to get to disappointed with the hospital sending us home, plus Connor had only been asleep for a short time so I told Brandon we should pack our bathroom necessities and a bag for Connor just in case. Once everything was packed and in the car it was time to wake Connor and get us all in the car. 

The trip to the hospital couldn't have been better. I'm pretty sure we hit every green light and made it there in less than 10 minutes. I was already pre registered, so they just had to verify a few things and we were on our way to our room.

They had me change into my lovely gown and started monitors on me while Brandon set up a movie for Connor. After being there for about a half a hour they finally checked me and come to find out I was a 4+ close to a 5 and in pre labor. The nurse looked at me and said "well you're not going anywhere!" That was news to me! Shortly after that we started calling/texting family and friends the news. 

After a hour or so Brandon's parents came to get Connor. I was blessed to have Brandon and my Father in Law give me a blessing after my doctor broke my water. 

About 10 minutes after the blessing I was able to get my epidural and it was just the waiting game after that! They checked me again about a half a hour after the epidural and I was a 6 so they decided to not put me on pitocin because my body was already progressing naturally by itself. 

After another short time Brandon had to meet his parents downstairs because he had given them our key to pick up Connors church clothes (we forgot to pack them, oops). When he came back there was someone else with him...One of my best friends, Jill! He had secretly contacted her to come and shoot the birth without me knowing, and she had just booked it from Utah County. I cried a lot, it was so nice to have her there, I've really missed her since we moved. 

Another hour passed and the nurse came to check me and sure enough I was still a 6. Awesome, at this point it was 11:15 PM and they decided to put me on pitocin. They uped the dose of pitocin about 30-45 min later and around 12:30ish and said I was ready to go! 

7 minutes of pushing, 5 contractions, 5 pushes and our baby boy was here! Might I add that while I was pushing the doctor said she saw a head full of dark hair, I thought she was joking and didn't believe her until Brandon said the same thing! I was in total shock! 

*The two photos above are credited to Jill Witt Photography*

We first name him Taysom, but later on after we both got some rest, Brandon said it wasn't right so we changed it. 

Ammon David Holyoak was born on 6/2/13 at 12:43 AM, weighing 6 lbs 13 oz and 20 1/2 in long. 

Quick baby update

Last week we had an ultrasound and found out baby boy is measuring perfectly fine, he's just dropped really low. The next day we had our dr appointment and found out I was at a 2+ cm dilated and 70% effaced, so at least I'm slowly progressing. 

Dr want to strip my membranes at this weeks appointment, but I'm still unsure. My USU orientation is next Tuesday and I don't want to stress about my wonderful mother in law watching both boys. 

With that said, my ankles have started to balloon up like they did with Connor and I was preeclamptic. So I get to call the dr today to see her opinion. It's kind of funny that it's happening at the exact same week that it did with Connor. Either way it looks like baby boy will be here within the week! (Dr is willing to induce me for sure on June 5, maybe even the afternoon of June 4th cause that's when I have my appointment.). 

We're definitely getting anxious to meet this little guy! 

5 years!

This past Friday was our five year anniversary! We have been so blessed and so can't believe how fast those years flew by. I love having adventures with my best friend. :)

So last year we had originally been planning on a big trip to Disneyland. However since I'm 37+ weeks pregnant that plan sort of fell through. All last week we both felt guilty because we didn't have any plans. (It's hard to plan when you could potentially go into labor any moment). 

To make a long story short I had the impression to check out Anniversary Inn and see if they had any deals. Well come to find out any room still available during the 24-26 we're only $129! What a steal! So I checked the rooms and they actually had the room that Brandon and I stayed in during our honeymoon available (Thanks Jenn and Lance!). So I let Brandon know and he said he'd call and look into it. 

For those of you who don't know I'm a huge planner. I wish I could be fun and spontaneous, but it kind of gives me anxiety to spend a lot of money like that without truly thinking about it. However, this was our anniversary...five years! How can we not celebrate it? 

So Brandon called me about fifteen minutes later telling me to pack a bag and one for Connor :) While I was packing he ended up coming home early from work to surprise me. 

We had a great night. We ate at a restaurant cal The Elements and sat on the patio. It was so serene with a little stream going by, the food was delish and we got a free dessert thanks to Brandon mentioning it was our anniversary! Then we went to check in and that's when Brandon surprised me again when a masseuse came in to give me a prenatal massage! Heaven sent. After that we enjoyed the ginormous tub that actually fits me and talked. I love just talking with my sweetheart. :) 

Brandon also surprised me with a movie package where we got soda's, candy, and popcorn AND he got us bathrobes and anniversary inn champagne glasses. Look at my sneaky saver. 

The next morning we lounged which was heaven. Another bath, a morning nap. HEAVEN! After we got ready we went on a walk around downtown Logan and got lunch at the Center Street Grill, yum! 

It was the perfect little getaway! 

Dr Appointment Update

So here's the dealio...

Last Thursday I had my 36 week dr appointment and things started off great. Heart beat is great, baby boy is active. When she went to check the measurement of baby I knew something wasn't right. She measured, looked at the number, then the computer then measured again. Apparently baby is measuring a little small (at 34 weeks instead of 36) which could be potentially a few things. A) Baby dropped and he's kind of hidden so it's harder to measure. B) Baby has stopped growth, and will need to be taken out at 37 weeks because he'll have a better chance at growing outside (basically the placenta isn't working anymore). C) Fluid levels have been going down. 

So this Wednesday will be a big day. We have an ultrasound to find out how baby is truly doing. If his growth rate is 11% or higher they will leave him be. If he is 10% or lower we will be having a baby this week. I'm feeling almost selfish because this week is our anniversary and I don't want to share that day, but in the end we need to do what's best for him. 

Granted since my dr checked me I have been having consistent fiery back pain and contractions lasting two minutes every two minutes apart at night. So who knows! Maybe he'll just come early. I'm just hoping he's healthy and developing as he should. 

So lets hope and pray that Wednesday comes fast! 

36 Weeks

So today I have my 36 week appointment and I'm actually kind of nervous. 

First we had a scare three weeks ago. We were at a family event in Sandy and basically we thought my water broke. My concerns were that a) I had just gone to the bathroom so my bladder was empty five minutes prior, b) my jean capris were soaked through in the crotch area, c) I was induced with Connor so how was I supposed to know! Long story short, we made our way home and to the hospital, I got all checked in and they ran a bunch of lovely tests that thankfully came back negative. 

Second they check me today. For me it's kind of bitter sweet because I'm starting to get big, uncomfortable and slow. I want to be progressing, I want baby to come, but I also need him to stay put until after school orientation on June 4th. 

So basically I want him to come now, but I don't. Welcome to the mind of a pregnant woman! 

Now you may have noticed that we have been calling this munchkin "baby." Well I'll be honest, it's because we haven't come up with a name...or maybe I should say we haven't decided on one. We've had a list we've slowly been narrowing down. It was down to three names and just the other day we brought it down to two. It's been so hard for me to not call him by a name, but I just haven't had any impressions like I did with Connor...Plus, his 3D ultrasound picture looks like Connor...So now it's just a waiting game for when we see him. Which hasn't been fun for an impatient planner. 

So those are my nervous thoughts going through my head before our dr appointment this morning. My next big task is to get my hospital bag packed and newborn clothes washed. This has just flown by!