Tatum James

Tatum James Elwood was born at 12:40 pm on Friday, September 28, 2012. He was 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 inches. He was a chunk compared to brother Dylan who was 6 lbs. 10 oz. I went twice to the hospital the week before he came, once for contractions, and another time because I thought my water may have broke. When Friday came I started getting really painful contractions at around 5 a.m. and they were consistant for a couple of hours, so I knew it was time! We called my parents to come watch Dylan and we headed to the hospital. I was at 5 cm for a couple of hours so they put me on petocin and an hour later I was at a 10 and felt like I needed to push. This labor was a total of 8 hours, but only 5 of which was at the hospital. What a relief that I didn't have to do another 20 hour labor. I pushed for only 10 minutes compared to Dylan's 2 1/2 hours. It all happened so fast, and so thankful for that. Tatum came out pretty quiet but eventually began to cry. I got to have him lay on my chest right when he came out, which was so awesome. He has taken on nursing like a champ and wants to eat constantly. He is a very mellow baby and sleeps in 4-5 hour stints at night. Dylan is a little distant, but he finally (after 2 weeks) decided it would be ok to hold him now. He has started to become my little helper, and still freaks out when Tate cries...hmm imagine that...I am recovering well and can't wait to see this little dude grow and learn.

One Final Pregnancy Rant

Although this pregnancy has been less eventful than the first, I am anticipating something crazy to happen either during delivery or post-delivery. Yet, if everything goes smoothly, then that would be terrific! I hope this labor is shorter as my doctor has said it more than likely will be, and it better, I would rather not have another 20 hour labor again. I'm hoping for 10 hours max. It will be depressing if it's a long one again, and I'm not anticipating a c-section, so hopefully that doesn't happen either! I haven't had the time or will to continue to have my picture taken, so just imagine me with a belly and 25 extra pounds on me. Super attractive, I know, be jealous. The goal of not gaining what I did with Dylan is going well so far though, I am about 10 lbs. smaller this time than I was with Dylan, it's not as I was hoping for, but I figure this is that one time in life you can gain weight and not feel as guilty. I'll just have to bust my butt again and lose it. I am 36 weeks and hope baby comes soon! Next post will hopefully be more positive and full of pictures of baby #2.

Brigham City Temple

I am so glad we were able to go to the Open House of this Temple. It is so beautiful! We were able to take the elevator. :)

Summer

Now that we are settled in our new place I have time to record the memories! We have been up to a few things this summer, not as many as normal since pregnancy and summer don't mix...Dylan has had fun outside and at Bear Lake. We went to the cabin with my family for a weekend at Bear Lake which has become a fun tradition each year. Although it was fun, Dylan was a little skiddish around his little cousin Logan, the pictures can show all.

The move.

Wow! Dave and I are exhausted from our move. It is definitely hard moving everything up from a basement apartment and then up 3 flights of stairs. Dave was so awesome and we had a few guys from our ward help us out. We are so thankful for them, Dave was doing everything on his own, since me being prego is not a lifting boxes condition. It must be our thing, moving each time I'm prego, let's hope I'm not the next time, it's hard for me to sit and watch, it's more stressful on me than physically helping. We also seem to move when both of our families are out of town or too busy to help. I am so thankful again for the guys in our old ward, one of them even had a family baptism to go to, and another had plans, but they both dropped everything to help us. I will be forever grateful for their help! I have been super busy unpacking and making our apartment a home. Dylan is not liking the change, and is having a hard time sleeping in his new room, and not being able to go outside and on walks with Grandma. We have been welcomed emensely by our new neighbors and it seems like we found a nice place to live. I'm excited to get into our ward and meet some friends, and find some mommies to do playdates with. I can finally say that a smidgen of happiness has returned to me again, and I will hopefully return to my old happy self, but a better self as well.

Our own life.

We finally did it! We made the plunge into a place of our own. Now some of you might wonder why we lived with Dave's parents for almost 3 years, let's just say it's complicated. The main reason we moved there in the first place was because I was quitting my full time job to be a stay at home mom, and looking at finances it was best to move there for a few months or until the hospital bills stopped rolling in. Dave was also going to school and working, and it was hard for him to get the hours he needed to support us. Eventually we realized that there was going to be no way possible to move out to a place nice enough for a baby to roam in that we could afford. The places we could afford had mold, or insulation issues...etc. Now after hearing this you are probably wondering why I didn't go back to work. We figured that paying for childcare plus me working wouldn't even be worth it. We still wouldn't be able to afford all of the bills that life has. Not only that, but just about this time Dave lost his job. So we were definitely in a pickle. We were just thankful that we were living with Dave's parents still, and we are so very thankful for them, and all they did to help support us. I don't know if many people understand my side of the living situation. Yes, I was extremely grateful for the financial support and a really nice place to live. But, when you live with your parents and you are adults, you all of the sudden become their teenagers again. There is no independance that can exist in this situation. I felt like I didn't have my own life, and I couldn't be the me that I am. That sounds weird I know, but everyone has there own self happiness that they don't share with other people that we want to keep as our own. Some of us might dance and sing to really loud abnoxious music, or run around the house in our undies, private things like that, that are fun and random. Living with my in-laws also impeded greatly on my marriage. Dave's parents would ask him to do something for them and he would do it no questions asked. Yet if I needed his help or time with him (the small amount of time we had) he would put me last, even if I asked him for help first. I don't want to come off selfish, but when you are constantly put last in a relationship, it doesn't exactly work well. It was incredibly frustrating, and I felt like a single teenage mom. Eventually I applied Dave to a job at Convergys, since his applying was non-existant, and he got a job there 5 months after he lost the one he had at Sam's Club. Dave then graduated the upcoming May 2012, and Dylan and I were finally able to have him back in our lives, and finally move out! We are still super poor, but after almost 3 years of trial and frustration, Dave gave into a move and I we are finally able to start back into our own life. Sooo Happy!!

My Twins!

I can't handle the cuteness that is this picture! I refer to my nephews as mine, because I've always wanted twins and this will most likely be the closest to having them. So even though they are my brother's babies, they are MY nephews and therefore they are MY twins. Love them to peices and wish I could see them more than once every couple of months!

27th

I had such a great Birthday this year. Dave got me a gift certificate for a massage on Valentines Day, but I decided to wait until I started getting back pain with my pregnancy before using it. So perfect timing on my Birthday, I am just starting my 3rd Trimester, and a massage was definitely needed. I haven't had one for 6-7 years, and I definitely need to get one at least a couple times a year, it makes a positive impact on my body pain. After my massage Dave took me out to Kneaders, thank goodness Logan finally got one, it is one of my favorite places. He then took me shopping and spoiled me with some clips for my pandora bracelet and a Cold Stone cake he buys me each year. I relaxed the rest of the afternoon, and that night we went mini golfing as a little family. It's so fun taking Dylan, he just picks up the ball and throws it in the hole- no need for a club. Alot of family and friends remembered me this year, and I feel blessed and thankful for them. Excited to see what's in store this year and soooo ready for baby #2 to arrive in a few months!

Dylan's First Prayer

I have to record this moment in time. We have family prayer each night and say prayers when we eat, but Dylan isn't really super great yet at keeping his arms folded and eyes closed the entire prayer, so it never once came to my mind to ask him to say the prayer and have me help him. I just figured since he can't even do simple tasks of prayer, he probably wasn't ready to pray himself......NEVER underestimate a child. Last night I asked Dylan to say the prayer and I asked him to say what I say, and he did! It was soooo cute. During the prayer I said "we are thankful for our grandmas and grandpas, we are thankful for our food to eat..." instead of repeating food to eat Dylan says excitedly-"Pizza! Grandpa!" You see, my parents had come that evening with pizza, and Dylan loves pizza...which we don't have it that often, but when we do, he gets very excited! It was the cutest moment ever. I love my little boy. :)

Smoldering Heat

This heat is a killer. Those of you who are and have been pregnant for the summer understand exactly what I am talking about. I expected to overheat this summer, but not this much! I was hoping I could at least last more than ten minutes outside, but my body isn't handling it. Dylan isn't too happy with me either, he wants to live out there, and quite honestly there is some shade on the patio outside, but it's even too hot for me in the shade. I seriously keep wondering how I didn't kill over at the outdoor concert I went to... I have decided that if we are to have anymore kids I am hoping to have winter pregnancies. Which I know isn't "my" plan. But I would even be willing to have my first trimester for the entire summer, just not the next two. It's been difficult living in this basement apartment, even though it does stay cooler, we have no vents down here to catch any of the A/C upstairs, so it actually does get warm down here. That's one of the things I'm excited for in our next apartment. :)It will be our first place we have lived while married that has A/C! My life must be pretty lame if I'm getting excited over A/C... ha ha. Oh, another thing is we will have two bathrooms instead of one! ha ha. The little things that make me happy these days. :)

On the Move

Awhhhhh. I am so beyond ready to move, and yes, it is finally happening. Dave and I qualified for an apartment in North Logan and are so excited to be out on our own. Halleluja. It will be really tight income wise, but Dave is currently looking for better paying jobs, and possible internships or jobs that have to do with his Sociology degree. Alot of the jobs are in Ogden and Salt Lake area, which I am more than ok with, so we will see what happens with work. The place we are renting we will move into the beginning of August and we only have to sign a 6 month lease, which is so perfect in case Dave is able to get a job far away. We can move sooner than later to be closer to his work, and If I have to do hair at a salon a few nights a week it will be so much better out of the Valley for me to do that, because the pay is better outside of Cache Valley. Sorry to bash this place so much, but when it comes to hairstylists, this valley is the worst place to make money. Nobody tips, nobody wants to pay what we need to charge to pay our own bills. It makes me so sad when Great Clips or large chain salons do these $6 haircut deals, the poor stylists. Did you know that places like that, the stylists only get commission? So if you have thick hair and are super picky, and it takes 30 minutes to cut your hair, they usually only get 35-40% of the $6, so if they do two haircuts in an hour, they only make around $5 in an hour. That's less than minimum wage people! Phew, I think I'm done with that rant. Anyway, so excited to move, be on our own, and feel like we have our own life again. Trust me, if you have never lived with your parents or in-laws while married with kids, you will never understand or be able to give me or anyone advice, or be able to make valid comments about it, especially when I have lived here for almost 3 years. So please think before you do. Thank You. Man alive I have alot of prego sass this time around. So Happy. :)

Weddings

There were so many girl cousins of mine on the Purser side that got married these last few months. I am so happy for all of them and feel so blessed to have such beautiful people in my family! Here is Rachelle, Kassie, Sheena, and Shawnie!

Blessed & Beyond

I have to write about our experiences yesterday. A couple of months ago I saw tickets for Chris Young for really cheap, so I asked Dave if I could get tickets for us and he said YES, thank goodness, Dave is not a country fan, and I am. :) Even though I thought it through and knew that I would be pregnant and it was a mid-day concert outside in June, I figured I would be fine and I really wanted to do something fun before I got any bigger than I knew I would be. Anyway, I read online about the concert and it said that there would be a few singers headlining and then Chris Young, so I figured it would be like any other concert and be anywhere from 2-3 hours long. Well, when we got there it ended up being an "EagleFest", and Chris Young wouldn't be performing until 8:30ish or so. I was soooo mad, because nothing online or on our tickets explained that it was a 7 hour event. Bleh! It was soooo hot and I was soooo miserable. We didn't bring any snacks or food because they weren't allowed, and there was no re-entry to the event, so we couldn't leave and grab food and drinks. We ended up paying a ridiculous amount of money for fattening, disgusting food, with no nutrition for my little baby. Thank goodness there was an air-conditioned food place with bathrooms, because we ended up hanging out in there for awhile so I could be comfortable for at least a little bit. Basically by the time Chris Young came out to perform, I wasn't even excited or having fun anymore because I was so exhausted. I really just wanted to crawl into my bed and sleep! We ended up getting home just before midnight. Oy! I must say, that my main point of this post is the little miracles that happened during the day. It kind of relates to life in one day, it's long and miserable at times, but there are blessings along the way that make-up for it. First miracle of the day was right when we got there. We layed out our blanket for a good spot and I put some sunscreen on and of course needed to use the bathroom. As I was leaving the restroom I went to move my wedding ring on my finger to wipe the excess water from underneath it and realized my ring was gone! I searched my pockets and purse, and then headed back to the sink that I washed my hands in, it was nowhere to be found! I was having a mini panic attack and Dave came out of the restroom and I told him what had happened and he also became very concerned. He checked with me where all I had checked and suggested that we return to our blanket in hopes that it was there. It was! Thank goodness nobody stole it while we were gone, I figured I must've set it down when I was putting sunscreen on and completely forgot to retrieve it. The other mini miracle was as we were pulling out of where we parked, it was time to pay and the total was $17.oo, geez, that was not the amount we had expected at all, and with our low funds these days, we had yet another panic attack. The lady scanned our card and it wouldn't work at all, so she said it was our lucky day and let us go free! Wow! What a sense of relief and we were so thankful. Our ride home went much smoother because of that tiny miracle. We feel so blessed in many ways, and ended up having some happiness during our day.

Prego with Legos

This baby is sucking the energy out of me. I feel like such a lazy bum and I feel bad for Dylan, because he has soooo much energy, and constantly wants to play all day. Me playing with him consists of laying on the floor stacking legos while he helps me out, and knocking them down once it becomes too tall to stand. I've been trying to come up with ideas to get us away from the house, so today we went to the temple and walked around. Then comes a problem, the sudden urge to pee, this is the urge I have everytime I finally get to a destination for Dylan to finally have some fun, which ends up being 15 minutes and then packing him back in the car so I can find a semi-nice bathroom close by. The joys of pregnancy. So I thought that my crazy months were over, until end of May and June came...We have had 2 cousins who have gotten married and 2 who are getting married. Then there's Father's day, we also attended my brother's suprise 30 1/2 Birthday party that Traci threw for him down in Pleasant Grove. She was close to giving birth on his real birthday so she wasn't able to help him celebrate it like you should for the big 30. It was alot of fun and I can't wait to see my nephews again this weekend for the big Purser Father's day party, and one of the weddings. I am so stoked about the 4th of July coming up, it is my favorite holiday, yes it even surpasses Christmas. There's just something about the hot weather, Bear Lake, Fireworks, the Cruise-In, and all of the fun festivities. I can't wait until July gets here, my favorite month out of the year!

16 & 20 Weeks

Here I am at 16 weeks. Let's be honest, Dylan is not a fan of holding still and holding up the sign...

Here I am at 20 weeks. I'm getting a huge belly, and appetite obviously...

Here's to hoping I don't gain as much as I did with Dylan. Oy!

It's a...

BOY! Yep, that's right, there is such thing as motherly intuition, and I have it! In fact, I am pretty good at guessing what other people are having too. Our whole little family went to the appointment and Dylan did really well and was intrigued by the ultrasound. Most importantly the baby is developing just fine and is right on track for his due date 10/11/12. We are so excited for Dylan to have a little buddy, and to save a bit of money with the boy stuff we already have. Yay!

Mother's Day Weekend

This past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was the most AMAZING weekend. Dave has Friday's off so it's like his "Saturday", we left Dylan with my parents for the day and headed down to Pleasant Grove to see Mike, Traci, Logan, and Liam. I wish I lived down there so I could play with my nephews and help Mike and Traci out more. My nephews are the sweetest little things ever, I am so glad I am their Aunt. After a couple hours of fun with them, we headed to see Dave's sister Sarah's new baby girl. This is their second adoption within a year! They will definitley have their hands full with two girls within a year old. Addison is so cute and on the move, she reminds me of Dylan at that age. Then little Olivia is so content and slept most of the time while we were there. It makes me excited for a newborn and I hope #2 will be as good of a baby as Dylan was! After visiting family we headed to the new City Creek Mall in Salt Lake. It is a beautiful mall, and I was so happy when we found out their was a Cheesecake Factory restaurant there, because that's where we wanted to go out to eat while down in Salt Lake. We had so much fun, long overdue fun...we have decided that the weight of Dave's schooling has been lifted off of both our shoulders, which makes both of us much happier people. It was literally a PERFECT day. :) On Saturday we headed to the Health Days parade so we could support our city and let Dylan get some candy. We headed to the little fair that they do at the park and looked around at the booths and let Dylan slide down a slide and ride the train. I was so exhausted from the day before and so we headed home to rest for a bit before I headed to another event. My neighbor and past Young Women's leader and Girl's Camp Director Patty Jones was celebrated for the amazing woman she is. A few of the Young Woman who were Laurels when I was a Beehive planned a huge event at our church and even had Michael McLean come sing to Patty. Patty has been such an amazing leader to the youth and an inspiration to many. She has been through a couple of cancers and now has terminal cancer. She lost a daughter from a Brain Tumor and has another who survived a Brain Tumor. Patty has been such a great Christlike example to many and has so much Faith and Strength. She is an amazing woman! I was able to go to the event and chat with her for a minute and thanked her for being my leader and an amazing woman. I of course cried and she told me "tears are ok, it's ok to cry." She also told me that it was HER pleasure to be my leader, what a huge example she is to me, I want to be her when I grow up!

It was so nice to see some of the other Young Woman I grew up with and visit with old neighbors and just be in Patty's presence. KSL also did a special on the Mormon Times on Mother's Day with her and the Laurels I was talking about, so go to KSL and look it up, and you will just feel the spirit she has right through this special. On to Sunday-Mother's Day...It was great. Dave brought me breakfast in bed, and Dylan jumped into bed with me and ate all my bacon and most of my meal, so cute! Dylan gave me a giant Mother's Day card and some candies. Dave gave me a card and a Willow Tree statue I've had my eye on for awhile now. It's the one with the husband holding the pregnant wife, so sweet.

I was definitely spoiled, and I would have to say that the BEST and least expected Mother's Day gift was Dylan staying in nursery all of church! He is 2 years old, and it has been six long months of nursery for Dave and I. So glad to be able to have some ME time at church and sit by some fun ladies in Relief Society and feel the spirit. After church we headed up to have lunch with Dave's family and then my parents stopped by and gave me a card. Dave and I slacked on Mother's Day gifts this year because we had such a busy weekend with too much spending. Whoops! Don't worry moms, something will come eventually, we love you both, and are thankful for your examples of motherhood! Phew. I think I covered mostly everything. We do find out what we are having in a little over a week, so I will let you all know then!

Ain't this the truth!

David's Graduation

I want to start off by saying how incredibly proud I am of Dave and his huge accomplishment. He has worked full time and had anywhere from 2-5 classes per semester on top of that. Dave had a hard time trying to figure out what exactly he should go to college for and what he wanted to do with his life career. He took a few classes here and there before his mission and when he came home, but stopped going because he had no idea what to do. When we got married we decided he better get on top of it, so we could start a family, and be able to have a better income to support us. Dave let me read his patriarchal blessing a few months after we got married, because he was struggling so hard with his career decision. Something incredible happened at that moment, there was a part of the blessing that stuck out to me, and I was overwhelmed with the spirit. It said that he will have the opportunity in life to help many people, and they will come to him for help and understanding. I read that part to Dave and told him, that Heavenly Father knows exactly what he had planned for him, and I suggested counseling. Dave had already taken tons of sociology classes, which he enjoyed, and with that degree he could do group counseling, or get a masters in social work and help many people. After I told that to Dave I looked down and tears were streaming down his face. The spirit had touched him too, and from then on he pursued his Sociology degree with a minor in Family Human Development. During our entire marriage (4 years), he has been in school except for maybe one or two semesters, it has been a sacrifice for the both of us, and a very hard one as well. After having Dylan he decided to go full throttle and be a full time student plus full time work so he could just get done. We felt that this sacrifice for just a little while would be worth it in the end. It is so true, although he has no job prospects, we are now able to be with each other as a family more often, which is the most important part of life. We are planning on continuing to pray and fast for help from our Father in Heaven so he can guide our lives into the right direction. We are so blessed and thankful for the experiences we have had, and for the ability to bring a second spirit into our family. We are ready for our next chapter in life, and I am so thankful for the family and friends who have been there along the way!

We bought this GIANT pizza from Fox's Pizza Den, it was delicious!

Dylan's 2 Year Stats

Weight: 27 lbs. Height: 34 inches Dylan is a short and skinny little guy! There is a myth...at least I think it isn't necessarily true....that whatever height your child is at 2 years old, you double it, and that's how tall they will be at full growth. So poor Dylan will be 5 foot 8 inches. lol. I just have to laugh because I am 5 foot 9 1/2 inches, and Dave is 6 feet 6 inches. My parents did it with my brother and I and it was within an inch or less of how tall we ended up being. Dylan must have got the short Purser genes, or this is most definitely not an accurate calculation. I do have a sigh of relief with Dylan's speaking. The doctor said he should be speaking about 50 words by now, and we should at least understand 50-75% of what he says. He is about right on with that, but he hasn't quite put 2 words together yet. The doctor said that as long as he is doing that within the next few months I shouldn't worry, but call if he doesn't. Some cute things Dylan has done lately: He growls when we say lion, so he points to the dandelions outside and growls, since lion is in the name. :) While driving in the car, Dylan loves to "raise the roof" and "fist pump" to the music. :) I wish I had my computer so I can download pics, but they will hopefully come soon. We love our little guy!

4th Wedding Anniversary-May 2nd

With how crazy the last week has been and to try to reduce prego stress, we decided to keep our Anniversary really chill this year. Dave decided to take off work for the night and we did some shopping and we ate at The Coppermill. It was nice and relaxing, and although we wish we had the money at this time to do something bigger, we were just happy to get some one on one time. We hopefully can save up for a bigger celebration for our 5 Year Anniversary. These 4 years have gone quick, especially with a kid and one on the way! Now on to Dave's big graduation, and anticipating what our future will now hold.

Dylan's 2nd Birthday!

Still don't have my computer, so pictures to come later. This year for Dylan's Birthday we decided to make it a little more mellow this year. It was overwhelmed by too many people last year, so it was best to keep it small and sweet. My parents and Dave's parents were the only ones who could make it, which ended up pretty great since they are his favorite people anyway! He got right into the presents first and received so many fun gifts that he loved. We truly appreciate those that remembered him on his special day! G&G Purser got him a basketball hoop, his favorite sport to play. G&G Elwood got him his very first tricycle, which he also loves, yet is still figuring out how to peddle, and some clothes. Aunt Sarah and Uncle Brian gave him some Thomas the Train stuff, bubbles, and otter pops. Uncle Ben and Aunt Chelise got him a Buzz LightYear doll. As for us, we got him a car mat to play with his cars and trucks on and some lego blocks which he loves to stack into towers and knock over! He was spoiled as usual! We then enjoyed some "Cars" cake and some ice-cream. I can't believe my little baby is a Roaming Toddler. He is so sweet with some un-needed spice at times, but we love him so much, and he brings so much happiness and fun to our lives!

A Happenin' Day

Today has been rather eventful. It first started with a new niece being born, and then my nephew Liam having surgeries. I also had my 16 week appt. where the heartbeat is checked, and the little babe has a good, strong heartbeat. We find out how the little tike is doing on May 23rd with an ultra-sound, where we will also find out the gender. I have a motherly intuition that baby #2 will be a boy, and the drano test confirmed it for me. If it's a girl I will be shocked, but happy either way! I told Dave that if it is a girl, I will probably have the credit card maxed out by the evening we find out. It will be nice in some ways if it's a boy because of all the boy stuff we already have, yet most of the clothes won't match with the seasons this baby will be in. Although as I said, either way I will be very happy, and thankful for another babe.

Random jibber jabber...

I am starting to get the irritated pregnant lady starting to kick in. I believe it was around this time (15-16 weeks) that it came for me with Dylan. People are driving me crazy, and with all my mood swings I am most likely driving people crazy, so it's the worst of both worlds. I think all the stress in my life isn't helping either. April and May are the craziest months out of the year for me, yes, even crazier than December! There are 4 birthdays in the family in April-our neice Addison, Dave, Dylan, and Dave's mom. Then there's Easter, and to add to it, we have a niece who might possibly be born next week, plus a nephew who is having surgery at only 4 months old. Then just days after is Dylan's big 2nd birthday, and then our anniversary four days later on the 2nd of May. Then Dave is graduating on May 5th! It's getting harder to attend all the family events we would like to, and it's getting harder for family to attend our gatherings we plan as well. I totally understand that, and I actually have wanted for a long time to just have Dave, Dylan and I do our own thing. We are our own family now, and I feel like we never do stuff just us. I feel like I will offend people when we can't attend something of there's. So we end up sacrificing our own family time for others, (the incredibly small amount of time that we even have) and I know that we should support other people, but our family comes first, and we need to build a foundation of our own. Dave hasn't fully absorbed this, so that is one of our battles, hopefully he will realize soon that we are our own family, and we need to move on....especially "move" on. I have been looking at places to live but we can't afford most of them, but we were lucky enough to find a low-income apartment that is possibly open in July. That seems too long away, but I've been patient for 2 1/2 years, I think I can be patient for 3 more months. I'm hoping Dave will start looking and applying for a better job soon, so we can afford life. On top of all of this going on, I of course have the usual mommy worries. Since I haven't been able to feel the baby move yet, I'm always worried if he or she is still alive and kicking in there. I have my 16 week appt. in a few days, and I am super nervous and excited at the same time to hear the heart beat. Where my stomach has been stretched out from my previous pregnancy it's hard to notice if my stomach is growing, I haven't felt any stretching pains yet, and I'm still in the looking fat stage. I actually look forward to a cute little prego belly soon! The nausea has finally started to go away, and my energy is building back up. I'm still tired from the anemia, but the small amount of energy that I have regained is helping out alot with the house work again. I actually cleaned most of my house a few days ago, it was a miracle! I have been having a problem deciding whether or not to cut my hair short or keep growing it. Honestly the reason I am currently growing it is because I always wanted hair down to my butt, I got close once when I was like 8 or 9 years old, but then chopped it because it was too tangly. I just want to see how long my hair can get, before I get too old to pull off long hair. Then I think how nice it would be to have short hair especially with another kid on the way. I am a very decisive person, yet when it comes to little things like this, I am incredibly indecisive. My husband also likes my long hair, and I have grown accustom to it as well, I just don't know... My final random jibber jabber to add to my irritated pregnancy syndrome is Dave's Birthday. I know it was a couple of weeks ago, but a few people didn't even bother to text or call him on his birthday. I am very protective of the people I love and it gets my blood bubbling when he doesn't recieve the care from the most important people in his life, especially on his Birthday! Awh. I feel better. That's life!

Dave's 29th

Dave's Birthday was the day after Easter. He went to school in the morning and when we came home I took him out for his Birthday. We went to LaBeaus to eat and then to "The Hunger Games" matinee. Later that night my parents took him out to Texas Roadhouse and then we went to the store to buy him some Birthday ice cream. By the time we got home it was Dylan's bedtime and we were tired as well. Dave got some wonderful gifts and seemed to have a great Birthday!

Easter Weekend

Dave's sister Sarah and her little girl Addison were up for a few days and Dylan had alot of fun playing with her, or at least the other way around. She kind of scared him a bit. He's not used to other kids being around. They had fun doing an Easter egg hunt with Grandma Elwood, and ate lots of candies.....maybe a little too much. On saturday most of the Elwood fam went to Baby Animal days. We finally got to see the baby bears, although we had to wait in line for 30 minutes or more, it was well worth it when Dylan's face lit up and he was able to pet one. He also got to hold a couple of baby ducks and look at a couple of other animals. The lines were huge so we weren't able to see alot of it, but it was fun to watch Dylan with the animals. Then we all went to lunch at El Toro Viejo. It is one of my familys' favorites in Logan, and Dave has become a huge fan as well. On Easter morning Dylan started the day with an Easter egg hunt in our home, he was so excited to have another one, he really enjoys hunting for eggs. We then went to sacrament meeting and Dylan started to get a fever so we headed home to rest and later on that day we had a nice Easter dinner with the Elwoods' and Dave's grandparents. The weekend went way too fast, and I wish they would last longer, since it's the only time we get to spend more than 15 minutes with Dave.

A couple of funny and cute things Dylan has been doing and saying: *"pampa"-Grandpa *"papple"-Apple *Instead of referring to animals by their actual names, he just likes to make their noises instead. *I told him he was going to time out and he said "ya" and headed to the dining room to move a chair over to the corner and started to get up on it. He actually volunteers to go to time out....I don't think he's quite ready for that..."ya" is his answer for everything. *He says "2" and attempts to hold up two fingers, but it actually only looks like one, with the second finger half way up. *Every color is "blue", sometimes "red". *When he has a stinky diaper he imitates me by putting his hand over his nose and then waves his hand back and forth while I say "pee-ew stinky". As usual he is an outside boy and wants to live out there, yet I am still prego-exhausted and just want to lay around inside. It's been hard with a toddler, hopefully my energy returns soon, or Dylan will have to suffer a little while longer. :(