Father-Son Bonding

I have been meaning to post these for a while, but I was waiting until I got a picture of the finished product: our garden. That hasn't happened yet, so I'll have to do that later...

Here is a video of K man helping Daddy put our planter box together. You can kind of tell in this video that Korbin and Tucker were matching. Not planned at all, but they both ended up wearing navy blue shirts, green shorts, and brown sandals that day.


And another one of him "helping mark" the planter box. His latest thing is "cheese." He says this any time he sees the camera (which can be cute and frustrating at the same time. Here it's just cute.)

What can make me feel this way?

My Girl!
That's right folks! Believe it. We have broken the 26 year streak of boys in my family! I was a bit shocked to not see a little extra somthin' somethin' down by the baby's bum, but my interpretation of that empty void was correct. It's a girl, and a darn cute looking one if I do say so myself. There was something that looked a little abnormal with the kidneys but the doctor is not too worried. It is something that normally corrects itself after birth. But I do get to have another ultrasound in a few weeks to make sure things are still looking good. Maybe we'll be able to have a 3-D one next time. And the good news? (Besides a cute, little, healthy looking baby girl of course.) They moved my due date up a week to October 24th. I would yodel (with excitement) if I could.

The End.

Lessons in Traumatizing a Toddler

I will start off by saying that I don't think colds and pregnancy mesh well together. And I think it is cruel that pregnant women even have to endure colds (especially during the month of June) seeing as how they have plenty of other things going on. That said, I have a cold. As obnoxious and frustrating as it has been for me, the worst part is the effect it is having on my little man. My coughing, nose blowing and gagging (as a result of the coughing) is rather unnerving for him. My coughing sends him straight into my lap with his head against my chest and preferably my hand covering the ear that is exposed.
Yesterday, as Korbin visited me in my room, I had an all out coughing fit. The poor kid didn't know what to do. Coughing turned into gagging which then turned into me running for the toilet. Korbin started crying as he followed me into the bathroom and hid behind the door. In between heaves I managed to get out "Mommy's okay, it's okay." Either I must have not been too convincing or those words aren't very comforting to a child went his mom is bent over a toilet. Eventually we recovered and had an alright rest of the day. Until bedtime came (which is when I cough the most). Even with a fan on in his room my coughing woke him up in a terrified state. It was a terrible night. Between the coughing and having to comfort Korbin several times during the night I feel like a zombie (with a headache) today. And that pesky cough of mine managed to wake Korbin up early from his nap which means no shower for me. Oh, I hope it goes away soon, and that Korbin is not permanently damaged from this traumatic experience.

The Polls are Open...

Well the ultrasound is getting closer. We are about a week away! I thought it would be fun to see what everyone's guesses are as to what we are having. So take a second and vote. We will be sure to fill ya all in next Thursday sometime. If it helps, here is some pregnancy info:

• I have gained 3 lbs.
• The heart beat was in the 150s last week (18 weeks along)
• Cravings have included: watermelon, popsicles, sushi (cali rolls) and pickles
• And, this baby is VERY active (much more than Korbin)

Not much info to go off of, but hope it helps. Happy voting!

Nothin New but the Blues...

At Raya's request ;), I'll give you all an update about what's been going on in this little piece of the world. As far as baby news, there really isn't any except for the fact that that baby on the right is getting bigger and more babyish looking everyday. We have only been to one prenatal appointment (more on that in a second) and that was back in April. At that time things were going well, and if the movement I am feeling in my belly is any indication to how the baby is doing, then things are great.

Tucker was "temporarily" laid off at the beginning of April. Temporary has turned into two months going on three. We have been getting by, but I won't lie and say I haven't had my share of worry and tears. We found out towards the end of May that we no longer had insurance when we went to get a prescription filled for me. Our coverage had ended April 29th (hence, only one prenatal visit thus far). When we called the Frontier Drilling office to find out what was going on (after all, they had taken premiums out of a check that Tucker got on MAY 5th!) we were told that Tucker, along with everyone else that had been working on Rig #7, had been terminated the end of April. A valuable piece of information that they had neglected to pass our way.

I have been trying to remain optimistic but my worry and doubt was getting the better of me a few short weeks ago. Life seemed pretty bleak and hopeless if I am being honest (I am sure hormones had something to do with it). But I have felt a lot better these last few days. We have been all but assured that work will start back up again this month. And Tucker has also kind-of-been offered a job doing similar work for a company that cleans and recycles the water that is used in the drilling process. The only problem with that is it doesn't begin until July or August, and it is in Colorado.

But things are looking up, and I am grateful. Our family, ward family and neighbors have been so great to us. Our neighbor Calvin mows lawns as a side business and he has been sharing his work with Tucker. Something we really appreciate since he does it to supplement his own family's income. My days have been filled with paperwork and gathering the necessary info for Medicaid and other things. This has been a very humbling experience. And it's hard to admit that we are struggling. We are, but we will make it. (This has also been a good test run for our food storage. I really urge any of you to start if you haven't, and if you have, keep up the good work! :)

Thank you to all of you for your friendship and love. And I promise to let you know as soon as we find out anything about baby #2. I am still hoping (by some miracle) to find out the gender this month. Wish us luck! We are willing to take bets *wink* on what you think the baby will be. Most of my family and Tucker are desperately hoping for a girl. I am prone to think we are having a boy. That is, if our family's track record has anything to do with it.

All Aboard!

Korbin has fallen in love with "chu chu chu choo choos" in the last month or so. Tucker takes him to see the trains almost daily. Thomas the Tank Engine visited the Heber Valley Railroad for two weeks and won the affections of Mr. K. We knew that we had no other option but to take our little conductor for a train ride and thought it would be even better if we invited family. We were right; it was a blast!

Tucker Trivia

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Food Network or The Travel Channel

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Spaghetti (oh it makes me sad)

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? Pepsi

5. Where did he go to high school? Carmel High in Indiana

6. What size shoe does he wear? 12-13

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Everything. Tucker is my little scavenger. He finds things at work, on walks, in parking lots, anywhere and brings it home. Sometimes he brings home something good, but sometimes I have to sneak things into the trash (sorry honey).

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Italian BMT at Subway

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Ice Cream. He is an ice cream fanatic.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Hmmmm, we don't eat a lot of cereal. It would probably be Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs

11. What would he never wear? He doesn't like to wear his polo shirts buttoned past the first button. So that, or a Speedo (thank goodness).

12. What is his favorite sports team? Basket ball: Jazz, Football: Indianapolis Colts, College Sports: BYU

13. Who did he vote for? He would have voted for McCain if he could have.

14. Who is his best friend? Me

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Be a backseat (or side seat) driver.

16. What is his heritage? I believe he has some Indian blood in him.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? He would probably love if I made his sister Nicole's Oreo Ice Cream cake. I haven't tried that yet. I will have to do that this year.

18. Did he play sports in high school? Basketball and softball (?) and he did track.

19. What could he spend hours doing? Fishing, playing on his phone or playing Texas Hold 'Em

20. What is one unique talent he has? He can fold his ears inside and make them stick that way. And he is an awesome Daddy.

Thanks for the idea Angel! (Oh and Carolyn too. I just reminded myself that you tagged me when I looked at your blog.)