Makenzie

My original due date was May 19 but because of Joe's schedule--he had finals the week before and was starting the VALOR program the following week--May 16 was really the only day that Joe could be at the birth so that's the day I was induced. 

My mom flew in from Utah to spend the next 15 days with us. Joe and I packed up our things on May 16 and went to the hospital. I was hooked up to my Pitocin and fluids around 11:00 a.m. and I had Makenzie at 3:58 p.m. 

Being induced sucks. They are monster contractions that start hard and fast and don't let up. My doc broke my water right after I got my epidural.  There was SO much fluid that they had to get three additional towels! My epidural made it up to my knees before quitting. The anesthesiologist tried again and this time it went to my waist except for a window on my left side! After pushing more meds and rearranging myself, the epidural finally worked and I was ready to push. 

I reacted to one of the meds they gave me and my blood pressure plummeted to 70. Oxygen fixed that and 30 minutes later Miss Makenzie was born!

Makenzie was really alert. Her eyes were open and she just kind of took everything in without crying very much. Don't worry though, her apgar scores were high and she was healthy. 

Corban instantly loved Makenzie and wants to constantly kiss and touch and talk to her. Jovi could care less, but she is soft and mostly observant (she almost walked on top of Makenzie while watching a show today). 

baby beck #3

Joe and I packed up the family one weekend and went to The Price is Right for a special baby shower show. We had gone to our five month appointment and had the results sealed, which we revealed on stage at the show. We weren't contestants, but we did get to go on stage, meet Drew, and find out that we are having another girl! 

Joe's face makes it look like he's disappointed and I'm excited. Watch this video to find out if this picture is accurate: 

(We come on stage right after this couple around 1:17).

visiting Utah part II

In my last post, I mentioned we went to Utah for the month of March. I was 7 months pregnant and drove the entire 18 hours by myself with two kids. Crazy? Yes. Desperate for adult company. Yes. Worth it? YES!

Three miracles happened on this particular trip.

1. When we travel to see family we usually go through Las Vegas where Joe has a brother who lives there. The plan was for me and the kids to drive there, take a day to recuperate and then drive the rest of the way to Logan. Right as I am pulling into Las Vegas, my check engine light came on. Yikes. I got it checked out at Auto Zone (did you know they do FREE diagnostics?!) and it was only a little part replacement problem that my fantastic BIL, Alyn, fixed for me that night.

2. We were about two hours away from Las Vegas when my cruise control went out. Seriously?! This baby of mine is sitting so low there is an incredible amount of pressure and pain in my pelvis and back region. Having to use my foot to actually push the pedal was a little torturous. I would periodically check the cruise control to see if it would work occasionally and it never turned back on. I still had 8 hours to go! When I left Las Vegas I remembered the story of the lepers that Jesus Christ healed by telling them to wash seven times. They did, and they were healed. I thought, if seven times is a good number for them, it's a good number for me. I pushed the cruise control button seven times AND IT TURNED BACK ON!

3. My kids are busy. They love to move. And they love to pick on each other. I put Corban in the third row of our car and Jovi in the second row and they were kiddy-corner to each other so they still couldn't touch each other. I had movies, books, treats, and we stopped every two hours to stretch our legs and use the bathroom (remember, I was seven months pregnant). They were absolute GEMS on the ride to Utah. There were some minor fights and arguments, but it was AMAZING at how well they did.

I had a great trip, but am so glad to be home!

visiting Utah

Joe is in the worst and hardest year of pharmacy school (I've also heard rumors that the first semester of the third year isn't all that great either. Hooray!) so the kids and I packed up the car and we headed to Utah.

I got to see my new niece for the first time and she got blessed too! Too bad she won't really let anyone else beside her mom hold her. We played outside and Jovi did NOT like it! She was always complaining about it being too cold. It was in the 40s and 50s. Heaven! My parents recently returned home from their 18 month mission so they and my kids got reacquainted for the three weeks we were there. We also got some library story time in at the local library.

I celebrated my 32 birthday! Jovi had to sample the cake before we sang Happy Birthday. Chris and Vickie and their families came over. We went to The Jump Zone where the kids jumped, swung, and played on tramps and foam pits. Having Uncle Eric and Uncle Chris and grandpa throw them in the foam pit was heaven for my kids. We've been in Arizona for about two years now and I have been going through some withdrawals with some local companies in Cache Valley. I went to The Pepperidge Farm outlet store and stocked up on toffee covered milanos and gold fish crackers. We've already ate through 2 bags!

It was good to be around other adults, see family, and have help. Did I mention I was seven months pregnant?

TPiR 101

I've always had dreams of coming on down at The Price is Right. I would watch TPiR with my dad every chance I got. Even now I watch TPiR with my kids; eating popcorn and playing along with the games. The lights, the games, the prizes, everything was so enticing to me and looked like a lot of fun! Me and a couple friends in college tried getting on the show during spring break and during the Bob Barker era to no avail.

Fast forward a lot of years. Joe is starting his second semester of his second year of pharmacy school and I'm hoping me and the kids get to see him at least on Sundays. I was looking at TPiR tickets and saw they were doing a baby shower special (bonus that I'm pregnant) AND it was during Joe's Christmas break. We got priority tickets and made a fast 2.5 day trip to California. We saw my sister and her family, went to TPiR, and then drove the 8 hours home so Joe could make it to his rotation by 4 p.m. (which we made, barely).

Here are a few things I learned about TPiR:

1. The set is TINY! I'm talking teeny tiny. The show makes it look like a GINORMOUS room with loads of space. Nope. They have the showcase area where they occasionally play a game, three "rooms" where they have the fold-away doors to reveal really BIG prizes, and the main floor where everything else is played.

2. It is loud. A man on stage has to show cards of the people who are called to be contestants. One game they revealed three prizes: a computer, washer/dryer/ and another prize. I didn't hear or see that the computer was an iMac and was totally adamant that the contestant was totally wrong with her selection.

3. There are A LOT of cameras. So many, in fact, that it's really hard to see the games being played on stage. I had to watch what was going on on one of the mounted TVs.

4. George Gray is pretty awesome. 

5. It takes 4 hours to get through screening. And four hours on bleacher type seating to a pregnant lady is torture! But, you get to know the people around you pretty well.

6. Food is available. During the 4 hours of screening, we were lucky enough to get offered an actual meal. Buy one. It is a lot of food and pretty expensive. They also provide snacks. My advice: bring something to eat with you.

7. Wear a catchy shirt. Most of the people who made an effort to make a shirt or dress up in non-normal attire were seated where the cameras saw them the most. Joe and I were front and center, about 5 rows back.

8. Don't blow the interview. Part of the screening process is where a producer comes out and briefly chats with wannabe contestants. They want to know who you are, what you do, and where you're from. Come up with catchy things to say. Our producer did not like my answer of being a mom. In fact, he kind of mocked me and moved on. Jerk!

Since it was a baby shower special, only pregnant women were selected as contestants. I wasn't selected and did not win a new car. Bummer! The entire audience did receive a fancy-smancy diaper bag though.

Our shirts centered around us not knowing what the gender of our baby was. Joe had recipe cards and I had an oven. Joe and I were invited on stage where we met Drew Carey and he opened our card for us. We're having a ........ tune in to The Price is Right March 3. They may show our gender reveal during the show, or they may just air it on their website.

pregnancy lessons PART 2

Two weeks ago I shared PART 1 of this two part series. So, without further ado:

What Pregnancy Has Taught Me Thus Far

• When I am sick, I just want my mom!
• Everybody smells, even me.
• Surviving becomes #1 priority. 
• It doesn't matter what my other kids are wearing, even if it's just underpants.
• It doesn't matter what my other kids eat, as long as they have something to eat.
• I CAN throw up nothing.
• I become a withering mass of emotion; pet and home insurance commercials. Need I say more?
• Sleep is the BEST medicine.
• Eat foods that taste okay coming back up. NO APPLES!!
• Pregnancy sweat is AWFUL.
• NEVER. EVER. NEVER throw up in the shower.
• Eat plenty of fiber!
• Something that tastes good one day can be REVOLTING the next.
• Staying hydrated when you're vomiting is a delicate balance.
• I can't sneeze without peeing just a little.

Bonus things I have learned! (I have watched A LOT of TV in the past couple of months, most of it being about nature.)

• Hyenas are lead by a matriarch.
• She and all the other females have fake penises and try to mate with each other when they are little.
• Baby hyena siblings will automatically try to kill each other to take out the competition. 

pregnancy lessons PART 1

Joe and I decided that we were gonna try again to have another baby. I made some stipulations about getting pregnant again after I had baby #2: 1) I didn't want to be pregnant in my late 30s and 2) I didn't want to be pregnant during the hot summer months in Southern Arizona. This left us a small window, especially after miscarrying earlier this year. I'll spare you the details, but a short time later I got this little piece of happy news!

Miscarrying is never an easy thing, or any kind of loss. The next pregnancy, for me any way, is spent worrying a bit more than is necessary. I wasn't sick and asked my family to send thoughts and prayers our way.

Six weeks later, this was my daily view.

I am now 12 weeks pregnant and am still sick! I have been sick for 5 months for my last two pregnancies!! Needless to say, my family and house has taken a hit and have been a bit neglected and my kids have been very creative on how they entertain themselves.

Jovi planted herself in the laundry basket while I attempted to fold clothes. She sat in there all day!

Corban is a bottomless pit! He is CONSTANTLY eating. He asked me what he could have to eat and I told him anything he could reach. So, he grabbed two chairs and got the good stuff on the top shelf. There's no stopping this kid!

bouncy baby ...

Announcing! 
Baby Beck #3. Due May 19, 2014

musing

I would have been 6 months pregnant this week. I would have found out the sex of the baby by now. I would have had a baby bump. And I probably would have still been sick.

At least I know I can get pregnant. At least I have two healthy, wonderful kids.

baby update

I went to the doctor with Joe today and there is no baby. I am scheduling a DNC in 2 weeks so Joe can be around for most of the day to take care of everything I cannot.

I told Corban that there was a baby inside me right before my last appointment. He was excited and told me he wanted another baby sister. I told him today that the baby wasn't inside me any longer. He kind of looked shocked and walked away. He turned slightly and said, "Sorry mom." Man, I love that boy.

I don't regret telling people so early on that I was pregnant. I honestly believe that we have family and friends and even acquaintances so we can help each other. How are we supposed to feel the arms of heaven wrap around us when we do not open up to those around us?

Thank you for sharing your love and concern and your own heart-felt stories. I am blown away by the compassion you have all shown me and will forever be indebted to you all. Thank you!

baby blues

Joe and I are/were thinking about expanding our little family. We compromised; I was okay with a family of four, but Joe wanted a bigger family. We decided to make a plan (Joe loves his plans) and try during the summer so I wouldn't be huge pregnant during the hottest part of the summer. Well... things didn't go according to plan (do they ever). I missed my period (TMI?) and took a pregnancy test. It was positive!

And I freaked out.

Sure. We were just a few months early from our family expansion, but I did not feel ready. I love my Jovi, but she is a handful. Just today, she woke up at 6:30 in the AM and was ready for a nap by 10; she couldn't reach the box of cookies so she had a full-blown tantrum, throwing herself backward on the kitchen floor.

Joe did his thing and made things better. I was pregnant! And I was happy about it! I then went about trying to find a OB/GYN and set up our first appointment to hear the heart beat.

That appointment was last week. What they found was the sac with the yolk-looking thing. But no fetus. And no heart beat. I guess I went a little numb and didn't really hear the doctor's opinion. Good thing Joe was there and later explained everything to me again. --I love that man.

So here is what the doc said:
1. I'm not as far along as I thought, which I highly doubt because I am very regular with my periods and was tracking it. Yes. They have an app for that.
2. It's a blighted ovum; I never was pregnant. My body just thinks I am i.e. I still have symptoms.
3. It was a fertilized egg that just stopped growing.

Both Joe and I feel like it is option #2 or #3.

Surprisingly, I've had a couple people ask if I'm relieved. Joe says it's my own fault because I've publicly announced that I didn't want any more kids (he's so compassionate sometimes it kills me a little). But the thing is, I already accepted the idea that I was going to hold baby #3 in my arms around Thanksgiving, that Corban and Jovi were going to have another sibling, this little baby was going to have cousins it's same age on both sides of the family, and planned out how our lives were going to change.

Heartache is never easy. I'm just glad for my faith in a loving and understanding and just God. I'm forever grateful for the covenants I made in the Logan Temple that I can be with my little family forever; that we won't have to say goodbye at the grave.

I've been reading about other women's experiences like this and have grabbed on to a little sliver of hope. We go back in to the doc tomorrow (April 18) to see what we can see.

april fool's?

UPDATE:** I had a scheduled appointment to hear the baby's heart beat on April 4. Joe and I went to the appointment and the doctor couldn't find it. We go back in 2 weeks to see what we can see.

welcome

labor story

Welcome Jovi Grace Beck! She wasn't due for another 5 days, but I guess she wanted to make her grand appearance on July 19, 2011 instead.

I woke up around 4 o'clock with some pretty intense contractions. I then woke Joe up at 4:30 and wanted to labor at home as long as possible. I guess I had labored awhile while I slept because my contractions were coming fast and hard! We got our bags pack, loaded Corban into the car, and left our house around 5 o'clock. I had a couple contractions while in the car and Corban had woken up by then. He was nice enough to help me through a couple contractions by helping me breathe!

They got my epidural in just in the nick of time. That and ice chips (not only ice chips, but the fun ice) saved me!

Joe was a great labor coach this time. I don't think I would have handled the contractions have as well as I did had he not been there to help me calm down.

He even pointed out funny things on the bed in between contractions!

Jovi Grace Beck was born at 8:34 a.m. on July 19, 2011. She weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. I literally pushed 4 times and she was out! Joe and the nurses joked that with a labor that easy I should have 50 kids. Um. No. Jovi had quite a bit of meconium in the placenta with her, so they whisked her to the warming table right away to suction her out. She was covered in her green mess. Her hair and fingernails were green making her look like a little witch! She also had the cord wrapped around her body a couple of times so Joe didn't get to cut it this time around. She was a little blue when she came out but perked right up after a few minutes on oxygen.

We're so happy that everything turned out well and that we have a new addition to our family. Even Corban thinks she's pretty cute. Hopefully that won't change.

happy holidays

I'm pregnant and so sick. I'm not throwing up every day buy I'm nauseous and have other things going on that I'll spare you the details on. Baby Beck is due July 24, 2011! Corban keeps referring to it as a girl and Joe thinks only a girl could cause this much trouble, so it has to be a girl!

When I showed Corban the ultrasound picture and told him that this was the baby inside mama's belly, he poked the picture and said, "Oh! A chicken!" I don't think he's quite got the idea yet.

much ado about shoes

Corban has a shoe fetish. I'll put our shoes together in their pairs, neatly put in a row in our closet. Corban will then come along and either take one of the pairs or every shoe and put it in a pile or he will take random shoes and put them in the laundry basket. I find all sorts of stuff in there: cell phone, power cords, lotion, miniature bats, etc. Very weird, but very cute.

He even does it with his own shoes!

books, books, books

Two weeks ago, my cousin had a garage sale for her aunt and uncle. We really didn't need anything, but we ended up getting about 25 books to add to our collection!

APRIL FOOL'S ... baby brother or sister?

We're not pregnant but thank all of you who wished us well! Until next year. Keep April Foolin'.

johnny jump-up

I guess it was a little premature, but he's cute nonetheless. I don't know what it is, but he will tuck his arms in his cribs and in the high chair.

feeding corban

We are feeding Corban rice cereal just so he can get used to the whole idea of food coming from a dish and spoon rather than just a bottle. Anyhoo ... He took matters into his own hands.