Computer frustrations

Well, you obviously noticed that there aren't any more pics from our last posting...computer problems. Frustrating. We're working on it. Today, I took Brooklyn into the dr. because her eye looked infected...or moreso than usual. The dr. said she had an infected tear duct so we got some meds. The bigs news there as well is that she now weighs 12lb. 6 oz. She is a little piggy! Today we also made another discovery. While I was cleaning the stairs and basement bathroom, I put the TV onto the BYU channel. Barney came on and Brooklyn loved it. She smiled and laughed and moved around a lot during the whole show. That was fun to watch...Brooklyn, not Barney. She is now turning on her side and giving us lots more smiles and laughs. She is such a great baby. As far as the little munchkin inside of me, I had another ultrasound yesterday and the baby is 1.2 lbs., the head is small (THANK YOU HALL SIDE!!!), the femurs are long for her age, and her tummy is right on schedule with my due date. The heart has all 4 chambers, she have 2 kidneys (mommy only has 1 so that was a concern), and her brain looks normal. Phew! What a relief. She is kicking more and more and it seems like she is very active when I feed Brooklyn at 5am. I hope that is not indicative of things to come. :) This weekend we got a condo in Deer Valley for the weekend (One of those time share deals where you listen to their gimic and get some discount nights) then Forgotten Carols on Sat. night. It should be a fun weekend.

L-R: Ryan, Michelle, Brooklyn, Eva (Scott's wife), Aniston, Jenn (my older sis.), Kennedy

Here are random pics of random things we have been up to the past month. We have been to Boise for a baby blessing, worked on the basement, had Thanksgiving at our home, and many other adventures. Our computer has been really slow lately so it takes forever to download anything. Well, enjoy!

It's a ...

GIRL!!! Yup, we are expecting a baby girl. We are so excited! The doctor also changed my due date to April 10. I was kind of relieved because I feel like my hands are full right now and anything to prolong being busier is something I invite. But, SHE will come when SHE is ready.

Picture update

Well, our card reader is acting up so here is the website of pics of Brooklyn. It is the website that Nathan (birthgrandpa) is making. It is: http://www.stufflebeam.org/brooklyn/index.htm

Update: Brooklyn has given us 3 nights in a row now of 7 hour increments. It is great! We have been working on the basement quite studiosly. Tom is just about done with the finish work and I am almost done calking and spackling. Danny, our cousin, came over last night to help. Miles and Tom are planning on painting this weekend and Brooklyn and I are going to Boise for baby Anniston's blessing (Scott and Eva's baby). Plus, the fumes are probably not the best for the baby and the one inside of me. Yesterday, we got pics done of Brooklyn as an angel. They are adorable. So, we should be getting those back in 2 weeks and you all will be receiving some in the mail...probably with the Christmas newsletter. We'll see how ambitious I am. The carpet is scheduled for Nov. 20 and the cabinets for the 21st so the basement is near completion. We are both excited for that. Tom has worked so hard on it and he is ready. He is past burn out. It has been such a blessing for his cousin and random friends that come and help. We are blessed. My dad offered some furiture and we bought some beds so I think we are getting squared away in the basement pretty quickly. The pregnancy is going well. I am back to the nauseau stage. I throw up every other day or so, but only once a day. It tends to be bad in the mornings. I'm hoping this too will pass sooner than later. Well, gotta cruiz.

Thanksgiving food

Cassie and Dan are going to make/bring the mashed potatoes and a cream cheese pie or a pie something like that. Great idea Cassie. I can't believe I forgot mashed potatoes. Thanks for helping out.

Thanksgiving...

First thing is first...we went to the dr. on Mon. for Brooklyn and she is now...drum roll...9 lb. 15 oz and 21 inches. She is an oinker! She is still eating 4.5 ounces and has given us a few nights of 6 hour increments, but usually 4 hours then wants to eat. She is such a good baby. She had her shots. That was rough...I don't know if it was for me or her. I hate to hear her in pain. She slept a good portion of the day and all through the night. They must have wiped her out. I'll post some more pics as soon as I can find the digital camera. I am 17 weeks. I have been feeling some flutters that I think are the baby. That is exciting.

Thanksgiving...Yeah! It looks like it is a go. We can't believe we will have almost everyone here!!! We ordered some beds and have everything to be scheduled to be complete in teh basement by the 20th of Nov. SO, there should be plenty of room. Tom and Uncle Keith are going to tile this weekend and then next weekend TOm and Miles are going to paint. We have the best family and friends! Ok, what I want to know is what you want the menu to be for Thanksgiving. I am planning on making the turkey/stuffing, orange rolls, squash, and red cabbage. Those are some of the dishes that are tradition to my side of the family. If you would like more food then please tell me what you will be in charge of. You can either email me or post a comment on what you would like to make/bring. Also, it is tradition for me to have some sort of ball game that morning. Is it a go? We are so excited to have everyone here. We are trying to find some fun things to do while here. We were thinking maybe a day in Park City or doing some dutch oven in the mountains. If you want to do something then let us know. Ok, I don't want to make this post too long so I will let you go.

Sleep is not overrated!

Last night we put Brooklyn to bed at 10 and she slept till 6! That was a great night's sleep. Not a whole lot going on right now. We bought a crib...it is white...and has 3 transition stages. WE love it. She still sleeps in her bouncer because she needs to be elevated a bit still. We also measured her yesterday with Tom's tape measure and we got 20.5 inches. We go in for her appointment on Monday to get the exact weight and height. I'll let you know. That's it for now.

Well, I was feeling pretty bad about leaving her in another room while I had to use the bathroom because she would SCREAM! So, yesterday I put her in the sink to see what she would do and she LOVED it! She looked in the mirror and at the lights. She didn't even cry. I just thought you might like to know that. Plus, I think the pics are way cute. Enjoy.

The happenings...

Well, this weekend was very productive and it isn't even over yet. Tom doesn't have to work because of Columbus Day. Thanks Columbus! Yesterday, Tom worked on the basement. He is working on the finish work like the baseboards, windowsills, shelving, and door frames. Very tedious. I wish I could help more, but Brooklyn requires some serious time. My sister Lou and her hubby came by and did laundry and we made some cards...or rather...she made cards and I held Brooklyn. She was very needy yesterday. I'm ok with that. Then around 6 we went to the home and garden show at the expo center. It took us 3 hours to cover all the booths. We had a lot of fun and got some great ideas for the basement. Our goal for the basement is to have it done by Thanksgiving. That is exciting. It will be an official year since we (Tom) started. Tom has pretty much done the whole thing himself. Not for not wanting to help, but just being a handy assistant when needed. So, now we will have room to house some people when you come to visit. So, today we took Brooklyn to church for the 1st time. She was an angel. She slept most of the time. I thought I had to teach in R.S., but we got a new presidency and they didn't know I would be ready. Communication would have been good, but at least I got to learn the lesson and learn from it's teachings. No complaints. CONGRATS MAARET! So, I guess all the females that can be pregnant...are. That is cool. It's almost like Audrey had a couple of kids because her family continues to grow too. :) Good luck with that. We admire you for making a difference in their lives. Oh ya, we find out what we are having on Nov. 10 at 3:30pm. Also, the tentative date for the blessing/sealing/court date are Feb. 28-court, March 2-Sealing at the Timp. Temple in American FOrk, UTah, March 3-baby blessing. I've looked online at some airfare and now is the time to buy. If you can make it here then just know you have a place to stay. A lot of people who have done adoptions have said that this is so special and something they will never forget. Well, I promise I am done. Have a great Sabbath.

Week 15

According to WEBMD.COM, here is what is happening.

Week 15
Your 13-week-old fetus now measures about 4.1 to 4.5 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 1.75 ounces. Its body is covered by an ultrafine hair, called lanugo, which is usually shed by birth. Eyebrows and hair on the top of the head are beginning to grow. He may even be sucking his thumb by now. Bones are getting harder.
Your uterus can probably be felt about 3 to 4 inches below your navel. Sometime in the next five weeks you'll be offered a quadruple marker screening test, which measures four chemicals in your blood -- alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), inhibin A, and estrogen produced by the placenta. The test is a more accurate predictor of Down syndrome than AFP testing alone. Amniocentesis, which tests a small sample of amniotic fluid withdrawn by an ultrasound-guided needle, is usually performed between now and 18 weeks. It may be recommended if you're 35 or older or if your AFP or quadruple marker screen test results were suspicious.
Tip for the Week:
Start learning to sleep on your left side because circulation is best that way. Lying on your back or stomach after about the fourth or fifth month can put extra pressure on your growing uterus and decrease circulation to your baby. You can try tucking pillows behind you and between your legs. Some manufacturers make a pregnancy pillow that supports your entire body.

Things we've been up to ...

This is ALL of ours favorite new purchase!



All clean!




Just takin' a bath. She LOVES the water!



We gave her a bath and she lost the top of her hair! I wonder how Tom lost some of his hair?



This is Mama Faye when she came to babysit for a week so that
I could teach. This is Brooklyn's sweet spot.




Lil' Brooklyn is so dramatic! She always has her feet straight up in the air when she eats and her arms rarely relax even when she's sleeping. This is a pic of her and her arms being dramatic!


When I went to Boise this last time my folks gave me a couple of boxes of apples from their apple tree. So, I made apple chips and fruit leather out of them. I love my dehydrator!

Things we've been up to

Happy 29th Birthday TOM!!! Oct. 4

This year for Tom's birthday Brooklyn and I helped him celebrate by making cupcakes at 2 am. Brooklyn was insistant on staying awake with Mom to help so we both made them. We made them so that he could take them to work with him to that they could help him celebrate. We wish we could have had him home, but know that he is needed elsewhere. So, that morning we sang him happy birthday (not at 2 am, but around 6am), and sent him on his way. Tom wanted to spend some time with Brooklyn in the morning so he got to feed her as well. He loves that time. After work we were going to go to Black Angus for dinner, but Tom was very tired because of the past week. He has been working really hard with some long hours...plus, little Brooklyn demands his time when he gets home and early in the morning. So, we ended up going to Sonic then to some stores. For his birthday, he wanted to get Brooklyn a swing. I think it is more a gift for me because she LOVES it and I am able to get some things done around the house. We wish it were more of an eventful year, but life is crazy. We both just feel so blessed right now that we don't need much more in life. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM! We love you!

Thanksgiving Invite

One more thing...

We wanted to invite everyone to our home for Thanksgiving. We will have the basement done by then (for sure) and we want everyone there! Let us know if you can come. Mary and Cassie have already said yes. It will be a party. Hopefully some of the ski resorts will be open. If not, we'll still have fun. There will be plenty of room for everyone. :) The more the merrier!

Week o fun

Hey everyone,

Well, this week has been good. I got to teach P.E. at East Hollywood. It was great to see my old students, but made me appreciate being home and just being a mommy. There is nothing greater. We are so blessed that Tom is a great supporter and that I can do that. I love being home with little Brooklyn. Is it hard...yes. I sometimes get my nights and days mixed up because I am so tired. But it is worth it. It was really nice for my mom to come and help while I taught. The first night she was here she told me, " Isn't it nice that you don't have to worry about the person taking care of Brooklyn sleeping, watching TV, and talking on the phone?" Then the next day after school I asked her what she did all day and she said, "watched TV, slept, and talked on the phone." We laughed. She did manage to help me do more organizing and cleaning which was very helpful. I bet she went home exhausted. Well, as soon as mom left on Sat. Dan and Cass showed up. We love all the visitors. Especially family. It was great to see them. I think Cass posted some pics on her blog. While they were here we talked, played games, watched a movie, and went on a walk. Cassie was very helpful with Brooklyn. She is a natural. Well, this Thursday, LDS family services asked Tom and I to talk at an adoption class about our experience with adoption. It is a class all prospective adoptive couples have to attend. We are a little nervous, but excited to share our experience. We'll let you know how it goes. Oh ya, this weekend we got to meet Mary's man. He has a sweet van! Well, right now I am going to get some pictures at Costco so that I can send some to you all. My thank you's are a bit slow, but coming. We just got the coolest little seat from Maaret. We'll send pics when she is big enough to sit in it. Thanks Maaret!!! Well, long enough post....I'll try and post some pics soon. We just have pics of Brooklyn. Have a great FHE!

Poem

Here is a poem I thought of in the middle of the night. Maaret...great things come in the middle of the night huh? :) It was a process of a couple of feedings...I didn't think it up at once. So here goes...

Answered Prayers

3 long years
Worth the wait
Shed some tears
Life is great

Love so strong
Right from birth
Gaze so long
God-like worth

Perfect child
Loving holds
Manner mild
Precious gold

Scary test
Worth the try
Want the best
Grateful cry

Lessons learned
God knows me
What is yearned
Wait to see.

1 day early from Week 13

Well, my mom is coming into town tomorrow so who knows if I will have time to post. I have to teach all week so she is coming to babysit. I am officially in my 2nd trimester! They promised that the nauseau would go away sometime around now so I am keeping my fingers crossed. According to webmd.com, here is what is happening for week 13:

Week 13
Your fully formed fetus, now in about its 11th week of development, measures 2.6 to 3.1 inches from crown to rump and weighs between half an ounce and seven-tenths of an ounce -- about the size of a peach. The head is still disproportionately bigger than the body, but the rest of the body is starting to catch up. In fact, your baby is growing rapidly these days. The face is starting to look more human, with eyes moving closer together. Toes and fingers are clearly separate, and ankles and wrists have formed. External genitalia are becoming visible. Intestines are shifting into their proper place, too.
Your uterus has grown a lot. It's filling your pelvis now and starting to grow upward into your abdomen. It probably feels like a soft, smooth ball. If you haven't put on any weight yet because of morning sickness, you'll begin to now as you start to feel better.
Tip for the Week:
It's easy for your partner to feel left out of the pregnancy since he isn't feeling the same physical changes that you are. Both of you should share your excitement about having a child, your dreams, worries and your partner's level of involvement. Suggest that your partner goes to a check-up with you to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Brooklyn's website

Brittney's Dad is big into computers so he created a website just of Brooklyn. You can check it out if you want to.

http://www.stufflebeam.org/brooklyn/index.htm

One more thing...am I redeemed for not posting for a week? :) Have a great day everyone!

Our Trip to Boise!

Scotty and Ryan at the hospital.
Eva and baby Anniston. She was born Sept. 15 at 2:30pm. She weighed 8 lb. 5 oz. She is beautiful!
Dad and Ryan being goofy.









Grandma Glenrose (Rosy) holding Brooklyn
Ryan just loved holding Brooklyn and feeding her.
Food from the baby shower

Well, Mom called me Sat. night and said that she was flying me to Boise for a week so here we are! We had a lot of fun. Ryan held her everyday and was so sweet to her. Grandma Rosy was staying with my folks so we got to see a lot of her as well. Aunt Laura threw me a baby shower while there as well. It was great to see everyone again and to have Brooklyn be spoiled with attention. She loved it. Here are a few pics of our adventures. Enjoy!

Week 12

I made it! According to Webmd.com here is what is going on with our baby!


The fetus now measures about 2.5 inches from crown to rump and weighs between three-tenths of an ounce and half an ounce. It is fully formed, from tooth buds to toenails, and your baby's job now is to continue getting larger and stronger for the rest of your pregnancy. With the most critical development behind the fetus, the chance of miscarriage drops considerably after this week.
Nausea and energy start to improve. You may be experiencing occasional headaches, dizziness and fatigue from hormonal changes. If it's your first baby, you still could be wearing loose-fitting clothes, but if you've had other pregnancies, you'll probably start to show earlier and may be in maternity clothes. The typical weight gain by now is about three to five pounds. Fathers-to-be might also experience pregnancy symptoms, called couvade or "hatching," during the third month and at delivery, including nausea, abdominal pain, appetite changes and weight gain.
Tip for the Week:
Most women develop stretch marks on their abdomen, breasts, hips or buttocks sometime during their pregnancy. They won't go away, but they'll usually fade after pregnancy. Despite claims from manufacturers, creams and oils don't minimize them. It depends on your skin's natural elasticity. Gradual rather than rapid weight gain may help, as well as avoiding excessive weight gain during pregnancy.

Update

Hey there...Things have been crazy around here. It is amazing how much a baby changes our lives. It is definitely for the better though. Brooklyn had her 2 week dr. visit yesterday. When she was born she weighed 4 lb. 13 oz. now she weighs 5 lb. 12 oz. She was 16.5 inches and now she is 18.5 inches. Her head was 30.5 cm and now it is 33.5 cm. She is still in the bottom 5% but growing! She is such a sweetheart. She hardly cries and is so fun. Yesterday I had to get her 2nd PKU shot done as well. That was not fun for both of us. I don't like giving her shots...it breaks my heart. I know they are good though. When the shot was done and I was holding her she just looked at me and smiled. It felt like I was forgiven. Here are some pictures of her. They are a couple of days old. We will update you on more things as soon as we do more things. :) It is all about Brooklyn right now. I don't think that's such a bad thing. :)

WARNING: LONG POST!!!

Hopefully this will be the week of the peak of my nauseau. I have now lost officially 12 pounds. Food is still pretty rough for me to eat. Other than that...life is great. Little Brooklyn is such a joy in our lives. She is up to 3 ounces of formula consistently every 2-3 hours. She tries to hold the bottle herself and always crosses her feet when she eats. It is adorable. Her cheeks are filling out and she's starting to get some meat on her bones. We have another dr. appt with her on Tuesday. Her last appointment she went from 4 lb. 10 oz (at the hospital) to 5 lb. 1 oz. She is gaining! She is so sweet. She hardly cries and doesn't fuss much when she is hungry. We just KNOW. The only rough part now is that our moms left. My mom left on Friday and Tom's left today (Sat.). They were both very helpful. My mom helped me declutter my life and do my laundry which hadn't been done in 3 weeks. That was a week long quest in and of itself. She also took Brooklyn at 5 so that I could sleep a couple of straight hours. Tom's mom was great as well. She held Brooklyn when we needed sleep and we had some great conversations. After both of their help I feel like I am motivated to do some things on my own. Being tired and nauseous just wipes me out! We love our moms! Thanks for coming! We were also graced by Mary, Brooke, Hailee, Lou and Ben. We love visitors! Well, I am in week 10. YEAH!!! It is so fun to see what is going on in my pregnancy. Oh, and one more thing before I post what our baby is doing this week....Tom has been wonderful. He cleans, makes food (mainly for himself), and is so supportive. I married well. Thanks Tom! Ok, according to WEBMD.COM here is what is going on this week...
Week 10
Congratulations! Your baby is now officially called a "fetus." It looks a little like a medium shrimp, measuring 1.25 to 1.68 inches from crown to rump, and weighing a little less than two-tenths of an ounce. You might be reassured to know that most physical malformations, when they occur, have occurred by the end of this week, so the most critical part of your baby's development is safely behind you. But other developmental processes, such as those affecting behavior and intelligence, will continue throughout pregnancy. Eyes are covered by skin that will eventually split to form eyelids.
You still probably don't show, but you may be wearing looser clothes. You may even be starting to eye maternity clothes, although you probably still don't need them. You may continue to feel tired and moody, but take heart: These symptoms shouldn't last too much longer.
Tip for the Week:
If you're going to have chorionic villus sampling (CVS), a prenatal test used to detect genetic defects such as Tay-Sachs, sickle cell anemia, most types of cystic fibrosis and Down syndrome, it will probably be scheduled between now and 12 weeks.

Well the News is in. We officially have a new little addition to our little family. We were givent his little gift around noon on Monday 28th of August. It was a very emotional time for us and Brittney the birthmom. This was a very spiritual experience and one we loved taking part in. Our testemonies of the Gospel and Prayer have been strengthened throuout this whole process. We'll fill you in once we get to hold her a little longer.

Here is our first feeding with Brooklyn. Michelle is going to be a great Mommy. Brooklyn really loves her mommy, but Tom sure does think she will be a daddy's girl for sure. She is realy getting the hang of this bottle thing. She never refuses to take food in and blow it out the other end. We feel so lucky and blessed to have her in our lives. She is truely a blessing from our loving father in heaven sent to us by way of Brittney.

Mamma Faye with her new grandchild. They have really bonded as is evident of her smiles when Faye holds her. Or maybee its just gas. I dunno. :)

Michelle's first moment alone with Brooklyn. This was our first experience as new parents.

Tom, Brittney, Brooklyn & Michelle at the official placement. It was a very emotional time for all of us. We are truely blessed to be able to take part in such a wonderful thing.