Back to the blog

I have missed blogging, a lot. Life has been absolutely hectic since October and I finally feel like life is back to normal. This year I really want to share as much as I can with everyone, including things like our adventures in potty training, the kids' growth and development, crafty ideas, recipes, etc... I want to try and make the blog as diverse as possible!

So, better late than never, here is a recap of our 2012...

january we got a surprise and found out i was pregnant. This didn't coincide well with my school plans, but I soon learned that my plans and the Lord's plans were different. In february we moved to our townhouse which I absolutely loved and I miss it incredibly. That was the first place that really felt like a home to me since being married. In march I pretty much gave up on school due to my pregnancy but we also found out we were having a boy, and in entered Jackson into our hearts. In April we got to visit with the Cole family (they came here to buy a car from Brenan) and we spent our first night away from Julia. Nerve wrecked much?? I think she did better than us. In May Orem Mazda paid for a vacay for the entire dealership to Wendover and we got our second night away from Julia. Since we were coming up on Mother's Day I got a spa day while the boys gambled and golfed. May was also the worst month for car sales. In June we had my dad and Lorraine out to our house for a week and they were here for Alex's graduation and Julia's first birthday. Brenan's fam surprised us and came out for her bday as well- they are the best. We spent a lot of time at 7 Peaks as well, just before I got too pregnant to go. At the end of June we got to go to Colorado to see all of the Cole family (including Amber and her boys) and Julia and I met Deb and the boys  for the first time. In July I did a lot of chillin since I was very preggers and it was hot. We spent the 4th with my parents at East Canyon Resort and had a bbq and swam. August was probably my most favorite month. Julia and I flew to Oregon for my grandma's 85th birthday and we had a Fuentez family reunion. It was the first time any one from that side of the family had met Julia. A few days later (at 34 weeks pregnant) we had our first "false" alarm. I had contractions 3 min apart so I was admitted to the hospital where they gave me shots to stop labor. Two weeks later Jackson decided he couldn't wait any longer and he was born on the 29th, just in time for birthday season. September had 3 birthdays, but it seems like we didn't do anything too eventful. I think we were more concerned with football, namely The Broncos...October is when all hell broke loose. Brenan interviewed and was hired for a job in Texas. I stayed behind to get the house packed, our contract sold, and everything in order to leave. For Halloween we went trick or treating with the Greens and also went to a party at my mom's house. In November me and the kids moved in with my family and did a whole lot of nothing for a month. In December we decided that Texas wasn't going to happen, so Brenan came home. I was so happy to have that month and a half over with. We had a nice Christmas with all of the Devey side of the family and Brenan and I were just glad to be back together again. We moved to Saratoga Springs at the end of the month, and that pretty much puts us up to where we are now.

More to come...

Oh Julia...

 **Note her enthusiasm as the evening progresses. It took her two hours to finally relax around people in costumes.

Life is changing

Who knew there would be so many changes in such a small amount of time?

First was the arrival of little Jack. We couldn't be happier to have him and he is doing relatively well for a baby. Our biggest issue is daytime sleep, which is surprising because he sleeps really well at night. Try as I may with vacuum noises and swaddling, he won't sleep for more than 30 minutes alone. He wants to be held constantly.

Julia, Julia, Julia. Love this girl. She is getting such a personality, which unfortunately includes attitude. However, we do not fall for the tantrums or hissy fits. She loves to help with Jackson and she herself is growing so big and smart. At her last check up she weighed 23lbs and was 34 inches. Her head and height were in the 75th percentile and her weight was in the 50th. She also is a huge drinker and so we moved her up to size 5 diapers (which you can tell are meant for larger children than herself).

"Where are you from?" "Tejas" "Tejas?" "Texas" "Tejas, Texas? Never heard of it" -M&D
Yes, we are moving to Texas!! Brenan hadn't been looking for a new job, we really like Orem Mazda, and somehow still unbeknownst to me he found a job in Texas! He drove down and made a whirlwind of a trip and was offered two different jobs, both with Mazda dealerships (the top 3 Mazda dealers in the US are in Texas). Then, a couple of days later he accepted one, quit Orem Mazda (they were sad) and he packed up and left for Texas. He also randomly got connected with a Mercedes dealership owner and went to meet him...outcome still pending. Regardless, I am here in Utah with the kids and he is in Texas and will begin working tomorrow. We are trying to sell our lease and after Thanksgiving we will move down and all be reunited again! The next 4-5 weeks will be tough, but I'm confident that with all of the nice helpers around me I can get everything done.

Baby Jackson

I know it has taken me a while, but here is Mr. Jackson Theodore Cole. He was born on August 29th at 9:25 pm (birth story is below). The last three and a half weeks have been so amazing and he is such a sweet baby. Here is a little about him: He was 19 in and weighed 6lbs 7oz at birth, he was born 27 days early, he is a way better nurser than Julia was, he laughs in his sleep, and he loves to look around.  He is also surprising strong and can nearly roll over (whoa) and holds his neck quite well. I decided to wait until now to post pictures because my wonderful friend (@ AO Photography) took his newborn photos and most of my home photos pale in comparison. I will post those too, someday...

I know this one isn't "edited" but I am completely in love with that mini smile.

Birth Story
So, I didn't know I was in labor. After our "false alarm" two weeks prior, I had been taking it easy and I was just trying to make it to September, because I wanted a September baby. The morning of the 29th I thought I was leaking amniotic fluid and after a lot of reluctance on my part and a lot of you-must-go on Brenan's part, we went to the hospital to get me checked. Luckily my mom was already down here since we were supposed to go shopping so she took Julia. We went to Orem Community (not where I planned on giving birth) because that's where the doctor was and I figured it didn't matter since I wasn't in labor. I got all checked in and after the test was run, I was told I was not leaking fluid. Bummer, another false alarm. Before I was supposed to be discharged the doctor came in (probably for good measure) and we chatted and he said that because I was dilated to a 3 and 75% effaced (when I got admitted) I was considered to be in pre-labor and that even though I was there he could not induce me because A) I was only 36 weeks and B) I needed to progress to at least a 4 on my own. However, he said he'd come back in a few minutes and check again, just to make sure. Alas I was at a 4, 80% effaced, and I had a bulging sac (meaning my water was ready to break anytime). So in a weird and unexpected turn of events we stayed. At 4:50 he came in and broke my water. At 6:30 I wasn't progressing fast enough so I was given pitocin. The first hour to 90 minutes I felt fine enough and I wasn't in terrible pain, we watched Seinfeld for most of this time. I got one shot of morphine to take the edge off before I was too dilated to get IV drugs. Then at about 8 or 8:30 the pain got horrible. Awful, terrible, the worst. Not getting an epidural brings a whole new meaning to a pain scale. My pain was a 10. I was put on oxygen because I wasn't breathing well enough and the baby's heart rate was dropping. When you are in horrible pain and have a mask on your face, all you want to do is punch someone for making you more sweaty and annoyed than you already were. I was not the nicest person at this point, and yes, I was vocal (sorry Brenan for yelling at you).  I don't remember how often they were checking me, but at my weakest point I thought I was still at a 7. I asked for the epidural. I did, I thought I was done for. The nurse (and Brenan) encouraged me that I could do it without the epidural and when she checked me and I was at a 10 and my pain immediately decreased because I knew I could push. But I couldn't. The doctor wasn't there yet. I'm probably the only person to apologize while giving birth. I remember I kept saying I was sorry that I was pushing, but I couldn't help it, my body was doing it naturally. Finally the doctor arrived (which felt like it took FOREVER) after about 15-20 min and I got to push. Since I could feel everything he basically let me do my thing, he didn't have to coach me on when to push (which by the way, pushing didn't hurt at all, at least not compared to the contractions). After about 6 pushes Jackson was here! Hooray, I made it without the epidural and even though he was also preterm, I had another healthy baby!

Also, I did not cry during labor. What up! I'm tougher than I thought.

we are alive

here i am blogging from my phone while jackson is asleep on my lap. julia keeps bringing me "gifts" from the kitchen, like dirty cups and the lid to the garbage can. i don't know how to make my letters uppercase, hence all lower case words...julia is grumpy from getting her immunizations today and we are all pooped from the dr. visit. someday soon i will get a post up on baby jackson, and our adventurous birthing story along with all the new info on how big julia is getting.

Look what I got Julia to eat!

That's right, I got her to eat spinach and broccoli pasta. Recipe below.

Getting Julia to eat vegetables has been a challenge. She has the teeth for it, she just doesn't like raw or plain vegetables, with the exception of sweet potatoes.

The second problem is getting me to eat more vegetables, mainly ones that she will also like. While we were at my dad's house she ate a ton of vegetables and I finally figured out why: They were served mixed in with other things or prepared in interesting ways. For example, she loved the kale we had. Granted, it was tempura battered and fried, but still, she ate more than most of the adults.

So I came up with simple solutions to get more veggies in our diet. This first way was simple and delicious and she was literally asking for more the entire time. I make big batches so that I can freeze some ( it's great make ahead meal that freezes well, especially with baby #2 on the way) and have another day or 2 of meals for us. Here is the recipe:

Broccoli and Spinach Pasta
1 TBL butter
1 TBL flour
1 cup milk (for a lighter sauce, use skim)
1/2 cup grated cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Cooked pasta of choice, about1 cup uncooked (I recommend wheat or fortified pasta)
Vegetables of choice, chopped finely

Melt butter and stir in flour. Once it is smooth slowly add in the milk, using a whisk to get rid of chunks. Bring to a light boil so that it thickens. Reduce heat, add in cheese and salt, and voila! Sauce is ready.
Add in vegetables of choice and keep on low heat so they get soft. Add in cooked pasta and you're ready to go. With the extra pasta (if there is any) divide it into plastic bags portioned for your toddler and freeze. It reheats in about 1 min, stir after 30 seconds.

The nice thing about this recipe is that it is simple, completely flexible and healthy! I know that the makers of baby/toddler foods have the best intentions, but this is preservative free and way cheaper than buying pre-made food.

But mom...

Julia is such a big girl now. People ask how old she is, and even though technically she is 14 months, I still tell people she is a year old. I'm not into telling my people my kid is 19 1/2 months old...what does that even mean?!

Here is Julia at 14 months:

She can identify about 10 different body parts, properly.
When watching Bubble Guppies or Blues Clues (her favs) she dances and claps along.
She loves to feed herself, even when stuff doesn't make it to her mouth.
She can properly tell us a few sounds that animals make, like a sheep says "baa baa"
When we say "time for prayer" she folds her arms
During lunch/dinner when I blow on her food to cool it down, she blows, too.
Dad taught her to blow kisses.
Fruit is her favorite and is an easy sell.
She does not like carrots. No matter how they are served.
Her and Walter are buds and she "plays" with him, i.e. chases him around the house giggling.
She is a teething monster...we're waiting for her last two to break through (we can see them), but other than that she has her whole row of teeth on top and bottom (minus her big kid molars).
We are bottle and pacifier free!
When we give her milk, she knows that it is nap time and heads upstairs. Willingly.
She does all of the motions we've taught her to "Monkeys jumping on the bed" which is adorable.
She is getting infinitely better at telling us what she wants, either by mumbling something that sounds like the word or pointing. The other day she pointed to a tylenol measuring cup to let us know her teeth hurt.
I feel like she is growing like a weed because she is already fitting into some of her 18 months clothes and we just went up another shoe size.
She is our cute little mimic.
She is learning to help cleanup (so nice).
This girl is the happiest girl (99% of the time) and we love love love her!