Meet our new puppy ALEX!

Christmas

Cutting down our Christmas Tree

One of my favorite traditions we do every year is that we go to the Uintas to cut down our family Christmas tree. We bring up soup and have lunch with hot chocolate. One year I chose such a big tree Mitch took 2 hours to hall it back to the truck. They seem so little in the forest, until you get them in your house. It's always an adventure this year I slid the truck off the snowy road into the bank, then Mitch took over. We don't agree on each others driving!

FiRst SmiLe

He is 13 weeks old now, and has been smiling for us we finally caught it!

Halloween

Beckham was a bat. He was in his costume for just a second, mostly for pics. Then went back to sleep. It was such beautiful weather he walked around trick-or-treating with us though.
Bridget was a Fairy and yes I did her make up, every one asked!
Can you spot the monster among the princesses and fairies?.......
Bridget and her cousins on Halloween.

Baker-in-training

One of our favorite things to do is Bake together. Bridget's favorite thing to bake is cup cakes with sprinkles. Today we were making an apple pie. I asked her to go get the flour and oops! She grabbed the lid only and flour went everywhere, she just stood there in shock.

Tagged

A-Attached or Single: Attached
B-Best Friend: My husband
C-Cake or Pie: Cheesecake
D-Day of Choice: Saturday
E-Essential Item: My purse with sanitizer and lip gloss ( I can't go anywhere without it, for Bridget)
F-Favorite Color: Pink
G-Greatest Accomplishment: Being the mother I have always dreamed of
H-Hometown: K-town
I-Indulgences: Chocolate, any candy and a good movie with popcorn
J-January or July: July
K-Kids: 2- Bridget, Beckham
L-Life is incomplete without: My family, kids and cooking
M-Marriage date: May 8, 2004
N-Number of Siblings: 2 sisters
O-Oranges or Apples: Both!
P-Phobias or Fears: Someone breaking into my house
Q-Quotes: If you have it [Love], you don't need to have anything else, and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have.- Sir James M. Barrie
R-Reason to Smile: My kids
S-Season: Summer or Spring. I love fall I just know winter is coming
T-Tag 5 friends:
U-Unknown Fact About Me: ?
V-Very Favorite Store: Any shopping. I love it all, I could spend hours in Rock Loft; Tai Pan
W-Worst Habit: Picking
X-X-Ray or UltraSound: What?
Y-Your Favorite Food: Tasty Turkey
Z-Your Zodiac Sign: Pisces

In memory of my Grandma

My Grandma passed away Oct. 4, she fought an 8 year long battle agianst cancer. This picture was at Bridget's b-day last year (2 yr). My Grandma never missed any event; even if she was all "chemo'd up!" as she would say. I remember when all us girls went to Wendover last year, she came and hung with us until 4 a.m. She loved trips to Wendover. She was such a fighter. We will miss her!

Camping in the Uintas!

We went fishing in the Uintas, this was Bridget by the river. The sunflower was grown at Grandma's house, and we took it up to camp and the chipmunks were going crazy for it.

My little grunter

Beckham is 7 weeks old. My due date was the 24th of September, it is hard to believe that he is already nearly two months old. Wild! Beckham grunts more than he cries, that is how he wakes us up at night. It is so funny! He is doing really well, and he eats every 3 hrs during the day and up to 6 hrs at night (but, not always). We have adjusted well to having two kids; mostly because he is such a good baby. The past week he has been much more alert, but still sleeps most the day. Bridg asks, "Why does he always sleep." She is an awesome big sister and she helps with everything, and loves to feel like she is doing stuff to help take care of her "baby brother." We are so thankful for everyones' support.

New pics

These are some of our pics we just got taken by Haley Miller she is the best! When I get them all back edited I will have to post some more the are beautiful.

Bridget's first day of school

I can't believe how excited Bridget was to go to her first day of school. Her teacher is Mrs. Jen and she loves her.

Beckham get's the "OK" from Doc to go home!!!!

I got a call from the hospital yesterday (20th) at about 4:30 p.m. from Beckham's Doctor. She said that Beckham had been doing really well and that she felt that there was no longer a need to keep him there. So she said, "I am thinking about discharging him tonight. That is, if you think you would be able to come and get him tonight?" I about jumped through the roof. I was thinking, "Hell, I will charter a helicopter if I have to, in order to get up there tonight!" Haley called shortly after I got off the phone with the Doctor, and she was asking if I had heard anything from his Doctor yet. I was going to try and keep a straight face until I got home and then I was going to start putting his car seat in the car and getting things out of his room, but I could not last 15 seconds and blurted out "He's coming home!" Haley did not believe me at first and it took some convincing. Anyway, we went up later that night and brought him home. Bridget finally got to see her new baby brother. She was so cute with him. She was being very protective and loving with him. She held him and did not want to share with anyone. Haley and I were so glad that she was doing so well with him. He did amazing last night, going about 4 hours between feedings. Although, Dad was up a lot more checking on the little guy. He is a good little sleeper, and he does not cry. I took a really cute pic of "big sister" holding "baby brother's" hand, one of "big sister" holding "baby brother", and one of Beckham in his car seat (he is so little!!!) We are all doing great; Haley is already looking like she never had a baby (she is amazing).

Bridget's fun Lagoon day with Dad!

On Tuesday the 19th Bridet and I went to Lagoon, for my company's party. We also had Bridget's cousin Mckenna and her uncle Jerry come with us. Bridget rode: the boats, Puff the Fire Dragon, the Dragonfly, the Space Ship ride, the flying animal ride (with elephants that try to look like Dumbo), we were going to ride the Rattlesnake Rapids (but everyone getting off of it was soaked and Bridget hates to be wet), and the Rock-o-Plane. Rock-o-Plane is a ride that I can not believe she wanted to ride; it is like a ferris wheel with these little pods that hold two people attached to an axle that allows the pod, and the people in it, to flip all around and upside down. She loved it, even when we were upside down and going all around the whole circle of the ferris wheel. I was a little nervous, but Bridget did awesome.

Beckham is now on an ad-lib feeding schedule!

Beckham was officially moved to an ad-lib feeding schedule yesterday on the 19th of August. When a baby is moved to an ad-lib feeding schedule he/she is very close to being able to come home. What Beckham has to do is: continue feeding well, eating enough calories to sustain growth, maintain/increase his weight, not have any significant oxygen desaturation or heart rate drops, and basically remain stable. All of which he has been doing. There is only one thing that may delay his discharge, and that is that some doctors don't like them to go home until they are 36 weeks gestation age. That would mean another week for Beckham, if the doctor decides to do that. We hope that he does not have to stay that long, but we will do what we need to. We are really just pleased that he continues to do well.

Beckham bottle-feeding every time now!

Beckham was switched to bottle-feeding for every feeding and allowed to basically eat as much or as little as he wants. He has been eating a lot and is definitely improving his coordination with drinking, swallowing, and breathing. In addition, one of his nurses said that Haley could try breastfeeding him, to see how well he would do. The first time she tried he did awesome, he latched on and fed for about 30 minutes. Although this was a very cool thing, we were a little nervous to know if he got enough food, since we have always had to measure how much he ate. The nurse said, "We will watch how long he sleeps, and if he wakes up early and acts hungry. Then, he probably did not get enough." He ended up sleeping until the next feeding, so we assume he got enough to eat. The rest of the night he continued to do well, eating as much as 60 cc's sometimes. They said that if he continues doing so well, he will likely be going home in a few days. Yeah!!!!

Beckham has been doing awesome!

Some of the events, progress, and milestones that Beckham has accomplished in the last week. He went under lights for jaundice for a couple days, was doing every other feeding by tube, got off the lights, moved to an open crib, was eating all his milk at every bottle feed. So, on Friday morning the doctor decided to have him start trying every feeding by bottle again. He did awesome, and only needed the tube two times at the beginning of the switch to help finish the last 10 to 30 % of the bottle. But, he has been eating all his milk at every feeding since then. So, this morning, Saturday, the doctor said that because he has been handling eating every feeding by bottle so well they are going to remove the tube. She also said that because he is eating by bottle now, and finishing it all; that what we need him to do now is to completely get the hang of drinking, swallowing, and breathing with coordination. She said once he can do that consistently and he continues to be eating enough at his feedings he will be ready to go home. They had been giving him 38 cc's, but they wanted to let him eat as much or as little as he wants this last time, at 11:30 a.m., so they filled it up to 45 cc's; all of which Beckham ate. He is doing awesome and we are getting so excited because we can see that the end is near. We are so pleased with how well he is doing, and with the care he is receiving from his nurses and doctors; although we get very frustrated with them sometimes.

Baby Beckham

It has been a few days since we have updated the blog. A lot has happened since the last post. So, to recap, he had been bottle-feeding really well and generally doing well. He started to look jaundice, so on Sunday they put him under the bili lights. The combination of the lights and the jaundice uses more of his energy, so in order to conserve as much as possible for growing they started to feed through a tube every other feeding. He still feeds from the bottle really well and is up to 45 cc's a lot of the time. He has been digesting food, and his bowels are working; which helps rid the body of the toxins that cause the jaundice. It is funny to see the little guy under the lights, with his shades on (it looks like he is sun-tanning). All the nurses say how amazing he is doing for a 33 week baby (40 weeks is full-term); they also all say how cute he is and just go crazy over all of his dark hair. We are really pleased with how Beckham is progressing. We are also very appreciative of all the work his nurses and doctors are doing, they are on top of things and really want what is best for Beckham; even if Mom and Dad get a little frustrated now and then. We are trying to be patient and wait for that day when we can bring the little dude home.

Haley goes home!

Haley came home on Friday the 8th in the morning. And, it could not have been too soon. They bumped her out of her room into a closet, it was a "walk-in" though. Dad slept on a chair because there was no room for a pull-out bed. The reason we were bumped, we were told, was because it was 8/8/08; and everybody wanted to have their baby on that day. Oh, well. The good thing though is Haley is home now, and she is doing awesome, (but, what else would you expect from her). She is pumping and getting plenty of milk for Beckham; and Beckham has been eating really well still. They have been steadily increasing the volume of milk they wanted him to be eating and they wanted him to get up to 30 cc's. Which he did last night at 11:30 p.m. He has stayed in his open crib and has held his temperature still just fine. He is looking very healthy, and he is very alert. Haley was able to put him in his new outfit and hat yesterday, he looks so cute. Bridget is so excited that she has a little brother, although she is not sure why he is not home yet.

Beckham gets a new bed!

Beckham has been doing amazingly well. He has been bottle-feeding, breathing on his own, on room air, and has been holding his temperature. This morning after his 8:30 feeding, the nurse transferred him from the in-between isolette and into an open air crib with no heat. It is now the afternoon and he has been able to hold his temp on his own, in room temperature. He has been passing every test they throw at him. He truly is an amazing little dude! His feedings have been going very well. They have been steadily increasing the amount of milk that he needs to drink, and he has been finishing every bottle. So, Beckham is proof that you can be tough and cute at the same time.

Beckham is eating!

Beckham is still eating by bottle every 3 hours! He is doing really great. They are slowly transitioning him to an open crib. He is currently in-between an isolette and the open crib in an isolette-like crib, but with no heat to see if he maintains his temperature. He has been holding his temp really well in just room temperature. He is very content.

Beckham had his first meal

At about 11:30 Beckham was able to drink his first meal from the bottle. He is doing so good, in fact, he most likely will be changing beds moving from an isolette to an open crib later tonight.