Monday, December 31, 2012

The One With Our 2012 Year End Review

In no particular order, here are our biggest moments of 2012:

Baby Z was born



Paige has been talking more & got her b and p sounds back!

We were able to spend lots of time with family, extended & immediate.


I learned how to balance my time better so I could focus more on what is most important.

Daddy got a new car (we seem to go through cars too quickly for my liking...)

We moved into a house & have loved it!


We grew a pretty fantastic garden this year, if you ask me...


Paige was potty trained!


Paige grew lots of hair


Rick & I celebrated being together for 5 years


Rick started his website, writing LDS articles & working on a book

I tried to think of 12 moments of 2012, but could only think of 11!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Saturday, December 22, 2012

The One With My Early Christmas Present

For those of you who don't know, Paige has been pre-diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech.  One of the symptoms of this, is that they can lose sounds they once said perfectly.  Each time this has happened for Paige, it has been a red flag for me to get her more help.  It has been hard on her & hard on me.  I get very emotional when it happens, I just feel so bad for her.  She has lost both her B & P sounds, which are some of the most basic sounds to make. 

Each night when Rick lays her down for bed he talks with her & gets her to practice saying different things.  Kind of an unofficial mini speech therapy session.  They both seem to love it.  Last night, Rick told me to come in her room, so I did.  She then said her P sound perfectly!  It for sure made me tear up.  A few minutes later, he called me in again & she said the B sound! 

I know that anything is possible, and there's a chance she could loose them again, or loose new sounds (there are lots of ups & downs with Apraxia), but I am so thrilled & proud of her!  She has worked so hard for months & been so patient.  I could tell she was proud of herself too.  I honestly could not think of a better Christmas present from or for her.  We are excited to show it off to all of our family this weekend.  It made me the happiest mom ever. 

Great job, Paige!!  You are amazing!


Thursday, December 20, 2012

The One With The Birth Story

To read more about this pregnancy, click here.  

Just like any birth story, it's kind of long :)

When Rick & I decided it was about time to think about having baby #2, we joked that we were aiming for 12.12.12 (side note: we've also joked that for baby #3 we are aiming for the next leap day).  We didn't think it would really be a possibility.  So, when we found out our due date (Dec. 19), and I talked to my midwife about the possibility of inducing me on 12.12.12, we were pretty excited.  I have heard people on both sides of the fence about inductions, so I wasn't 100% sure if I would do it, but I eventually decided to go for it.  Paige was 1 day under 2 weeks early, so my midwife said there was a pretty good chance I wouldn't last that long anyway.

I forget exactly how far along I was, but I remember my contractions started back in July.  Any time I did anything remotely physical (even just going for a walk), I would contract like crazy.  I did my best to take it as easy as possible to try to keep this baby in & to try to keep as comfortable as possible.  Sometime around 30 weeks I was contracting every 5 minutes.  For some reason, I wasn't worried, but followed instructions from my midwife & went into labor & delivery.  They ended up giving me a shot to stop my contractions.  Then, about 4 weeks later, the same thing happened, so they gave me another shot. 

Because of all of these contractions, it was hard not to think I would probably have this baby early, like I did Paige.  So, I was a little surprised that I didn't have her sooner.  At my last dr appt, I was dilated to a 4 & 75% effaced.  I was thrilled!  I knew that that could mean anything, but I was just excited to be making progress & to have the end in sight.

On Monday, Dec. 10, I got several texts from friends & family checking in on me to see how I was feeling.  I replied to them that I was feeling very 'normal'.  That night, around 7:30, I started to feel a little funny & was having contractions about every 15 or 20 min apt and they were slowly getting more intense.  I updated Rick about it, but this wasn't anything all that new for me this pregnancy, so we just waited.  Rick put Paige down for bed that night & shortly after I decided this was the real thing. 

We called Rick's sister to sleep over since we had already put Paige to sleep & kept timing contractions.  My contractions this time were so weird.  They would be regular & getting more intense, but then if I got up, they would stop, or get less intense for about an hour.  Sheesh.  I was getting so frustrated.  I got maybe 45 minutes of sleep (which I was so grateful for), then I called Rick into the front room where I was 'resting' (yeah right...).  I told him I was just so ready to be done & that he needed to pray that this would really happen.  Right then, the contractions hit me, and they hit me HARD.  They still weren't regular, but within minutes Rick suggested we go in.  I didn't know what to do since they weren't regular, but then I had another contraction & I couldn't help but give in.  They were so bad I couldn't take it anymore.

We got to the hospital a little after 4:30am.  When we got there I was dilated to a 6.  I nagged ahem, I politely asked the nurse several times about calling the anesthesiologist because I was terrified that I wouldn't get it in time.  Luckily he came pretty quickly & I was instantly happy.  Rick said it was night & day difference :)  I was crying with each contraction, then once I got my epidural, I was happy & thanking everyone around me for everything.  Can ya blame me?  ;)

One hour later I was dilated to 8, then one more hour later it was time to push.  I was lucky enough to have my mom & Rick's mom in the room with us (it was perfect timing for both of them, thankfully). It was really neat to be able to share that with them.

I only pushed through 3 contractions & everyone in the room cried a little bit (even my midwife!).  It was perfect, and so was my baby.  My dad waited in the waiting room & was surprised at how quickly everything happened.  He even teared up when he came in after & saw her.  That was something I'll never forget.

Lindsey Nichole Brunson was born 12.11.12 at 7:51am.  She weighed 7 lbs 8 oz (exactly 2 lbs bigger than Paige was... that was a surprise!) & was 19 inches long.  She has a little bit of brown hair (that was a surprise too!) & Paige's perfect lips.  We cant quite decide who she looks like yet.


Although we shook up her routine, Paige has loved Lindsey.  She's adjusting to the changes, but being a really big help, even without me asking for it usually.  She likes to help change the diapers, put them in the trash & help with the binkies. 


I forgot how much fun having a newborn is.  I have to remind myself to put her down sometimes, she just feels so good in my arms.  She's nursing well (I was more nervous about nursing this time than I was delivery), and besides the pain (oye!), I'm actually enjoying it.  Paige for sure never latched on, because it never hurt with her.  With Paige we worked for 6 weeks, even with a lactation specialist, and it just never worked (now we are realizing it might be part of her apraxia), until I finally dried up.  Although, I was glad that I somehow was able to 'nurse' Paige for that long, it was a struggle, every feeding for 6 long weeks. 

I had awesome nurses who took good care of me & I drank lots of St. Mark's coctails (I've been talking about them ever since I had Paige).  I am one who actually likes staying in the hospital, but I was surprised at how good it felt to get home.  Lindsey has been so much fun for everyone & recovery for me has been much better than I anticipated.  I would say I'm about 95% back to normal, and have been since maybe day 2 of being home.  


We have had so many of our friends & family check on us & helping us.  Everyone has been so sweet, we are so blessed to have such great people in our life!

Lindsey may have come one day before her cool induction date, but I can't complain.  I was excited to meet her & it has been so fun ever since! 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

The One Where She's Here!

Baby Lindsey came 1 day before her cool scheduled induction date and surprised us all.  We're so in love with baby sister.

Lindsey Nichole Brunson
December 11, 2012
7:51 am
7lbs 8 oz


Birth story to come soon.  I'm too busy loving on her for now :) 

Friday, November 30, 2012

The One With November's Friday Photo Dump

November is ending!  I didn't get quite as many pictures as I usually do, because I have been... well, 8 months pregnant.  :)  I've been contracting pretty regularly for over a month now, so we spent as much time as possible resting, but we tried to squeeze in some fun things too.  

This month, we found out just how much Paige likes to play hide and go seek...


Throughout my whole pregnancy, Paige has loved to listen to the baby's heart beat, so I finally got a few pictures of it...



I haven't been the best at documenting my belly growth this time around, but I figured we better get at least one more in before the big day.  I'm officially bigger than I was with Paige, although, I haven't gained as much weight with this one as I did with Paige (funny, especially since I ate healthier & exercised with Paige's pregnancy)....

35 weeks

Every one has one of these pictures, so I figured I needed one too...

Paige has been especially obsessed with reading this month.  Although, she always has to have 10 books at a time (notice the pile on grandpa's lap)...



We ate lots of yummy food & enjoyed being with lots of family for Thanksgiving.  We also shopped online a lot (wahoo!) to get as ready as possible for Christmas before the baby comes.  Because I have been contracting for months & Rick would be going out of town the next week, I passed on Black Friday shopping.  It was a pretty big heart breaker for me, but I didn't want to risk anything quite yet.  Because of that, Rick agreed that we could put up Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  It sure was fun with Paige this year, I think it will keep getting more fun each year, too.



Paige also somehow knows the difference between Christmas music & non-Christmas music.  This month she asks for "more ho ho music" when she gets in the car every time.  How can you say no to that, even if it is before Thanksgiving?

Paige has been going to speech therapy usually 3 times per week & she's been making good progress.  We are so excited about it.  She even said a 4 word sentence all on her own (without us prompting her).   She's also started trying to count on her own.  I'm so so proud of her!

Our baby girl #2 will be here so soon!  We are so excited to meet her (& for mommy's contractions to finally stop).... :)  What do you think, another bald baby??

Friday, November 2, 2012

The One With October's Photo Friday Dump

Once again the month has flown by!  We have had lots of fun & are kind of loving the weather {did I just admit that?... gulp}.  I'm usually more of a Summer weather kind of gal, but I've really enjoyed this kind of brisk fall weather & I hope it stays for a while.


 This month Paige got her first hair cut...


We went to lots of Rick's flag football games...


Enjoyed being able to bundle up a little bit...


Felt LOTS of kicks & hiccups from baby sister...


Cuddled... aw....





Had fun at mom's new favorite playground...



Went to a princess party where Paige got to dress up like a princess & meet lots of other princesses...


We got some snow...


(and got new boots and did lots more growing in the midsection...)

We picked our super big pumpkins that we grew in our garden (the largest weighed in at 78lbs)...



Paige fell asleep in church for the first time since she was a newborn...


(Rick says we aren't giving her naps on Sundays anymore so she will sleep through Sacrament Meeting.  I'm still debating it, but it was kind of nice & quiet!)

And of course we had lots of Halloween fun...



We seem to have a tradition of dressing up in lots of costumes each year.  This year Paige was a princess, Minnie Mouse & a Utes Cheerleader...



Paige also was officially potty trained this month.  It only took her a day and a half, and she's done awesome ever since.  

Only one and a half more months until we get to add another cutie pie to our family!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The One About Apraxia

In one of my previous updates on Paige, I mentioned that her speech therapist thinks she has something called Childhood Apraxia of Speech.  That speech therapist is one offered through DDI Vantage (which we love) & they don't test for it, so she recommended I get another opinion & tested as soon as possible.  As soon as Paige lost her second sound, I immediately knew that this was not normal & I needed to work harder to get some sort of diagnosis or more help for her (just like when she lost her first sound).  So, I followed the first speech therapist's advice & looked into someone who our insurance covers & would be well suited to help Paige.  I was so lucky to find Maria at Wasatch Speech & Language Center who specializes in neurological speech problems, which includes Apraxia (and even better, they are super close!).

My family did a fast for Paige last month, and ever since then she has been doing awesome.  She did lose her second sound, but overall, the other sounds were coming much more naturally to her & in the past week she's even added a few words (approximations, but we're thrilled).  I even felt silly taking her into the speech therapist because she was improving so much.  The only reason why I still did was because it just isn't normal for children to lose words & sounds & not get them back for months and then some.

We went for our appointment with Maria & she confirmed that it's not ideal to officially test for apraxia this young, but since she has worked with so many children with apraxia, she said that it is 'highly likely that Paige has apraxia'.  It was kind of comforting in a way, because every single weird thing about her speech & medical journey I would share, Maria had worked with other children who had gone through the same thing... this wasn't a 'weird' thing to her.

This & this website will both explain much better than I will, but basically apraxia is a neurological speech disorder where she understands without any problems, but her brain has a hard time connecting to her muscles (especially her mouth) and telling it how to move & make the correct sounds.  This is something that takes many years for the child to learn how to control with the help of intense speech therapy & constant practice at home.

Although, this diagnosis isn't ideal, I am so relieved to be as close as we are with a diagnosis (as far as I am concerned it may as well be our diagnosis).  I am relieved because now I finally feel we are on the right path on how to get her the best help possible.  We've spent over a year trying to find our answers, each time finding a tiny piece to the puzzle, but leaving us with more questions than answers.  This time, though, I feel like we've taken a giant leap in the right direction & boy, is it a relief.

I am so, extremely proud of Paige.  Through this whole process (doctor visits, having a hard time communicating, etc.), she has been the most patient & persistent person.  I would never be able to share in words how well she's done with this hard trial placed in her way.  She's been so amazing through this all, and it makes me so proud and humbled to be her mom.  She's a great example to me.  I'm one lucky lady!

Friday, October 12, 2012

The One With Photo Friday - Cheesy Smiles And All

Last week I posted about a cute photo shoot I did with Paige.  Before we pulled out the cute outfit & bear, we were taking pictures of her in different clothes.  We didn't get as many cute shots as with the bear, but there were still a few I was rather fond of.  :)  





Don't mind her cheesy smile... I'm just grateful her eyes were open for these pictures!

Friday, October 5, 2012

The One With Photo Friday - A Cute Photo Shoot

I know we just did a little mini photo shoot of Paige about a month ago, but we got the chance to do another one recently (as mentioned in my last post)!  You know me, I can't turn down an opportunity for that... and to be honest, neither would Paige!

One of my cute sisters sewed a cute diaper bag, dress & hats for Paige before she was born & gave them to me at a shower.  They are so adorable, I knew I needed to take some pictures of her in them when it fit her. Well, they finally fit her & I've been wanting to take pictures of her since the spring time in it, but didn't get a chance until recently.

I loved this mini shoot, and mostly because of her cute dress!!!  Maybe I'm bias, but I'm gooshing over these pictures a little bit :)

She's telling the bear a secret :)







This one totally reminds me of The Little Rascals for some reason.. oh yeah, and this Halloween Picture





There was also a second, smaller part to this photo shoot in a different outfit... more on that next week since I already posted so many pictures of this cutie patootie.