tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6828249561093014632024-03-12T23:00:54.360-06:00 Even the cat is a boyCarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.comBlogger330125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-48974670205948442532016-05-24T14:52:00.001-06:002016-05-24T16:11:53.843-06:00Joslyn's Birth<br />
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When we started to talk about baby number four, I introduced the idea of waiting to find out the gender of the baby. At first Will was a little apprehensive, but he came around eventually. So it was decided when Joslyn was just a twinkle in our eyes, this last babies gender would be a surprise.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not knowing if the baby was a boy or a girl really made the last few weeks of pregnancy exciting and fun. It felt like waiting for Christmas morning, but not knowing exactly when that would be. The week before Joslyn was born, I would start having contractions every morning and they would last anywhere from 2-4 hours and then stop. I was sure I would have a quicker labor this time around. The morning before her birth they woke me up around 6am. I was 40 weeks and 1 day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I went down stars to meditate, pray and spend some time alone before the boys woke up. I bounced on the exercise ball and told baby I couldn’t wait to meet her. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After an hour of consistent contractions, I started doing some labor inducing exercises. I knew I had little control over getting labor to start, but I figured it was worth a try. After 7 or so hours of contractions I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be having a quick birth. I was curious to see where I was at because they seemed pretty intense. My midwife came to check me and told me I was at a three and 100% effaced. I was thrilled. With all three boys, it took me over 12 hours to get to a three. So I thought, great! Things are moving along!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Janee (My midwife) left and we sent the kids to my neighbors house. We went on a walk trying to “keep things going” I had a lot of anxiety and stress over my labor stalling like it had done with Connors birth. My doula came over and offered counter pressure and we watched a movie trying to relax. Things slowed down in the evening and we sent her home until things picked up a bit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I would lay down, contractions were 10 minutes apart. When I stood up and walked around, they were 5 minutes apart. So I alternated between resting and working hard for the next couple of hours. Janee came back to check me at 10:30 and I was still at a three. I had a really hard time getting over the disappointment of not progressing. I ugly cried for a good 20 minutes, then decided I would try to get some sleep as I was not interested in “getting things going” through the night. My sweet midwife offered to stay the night to ease my stress and have her there in case I needed her. I rested as much as I could and figured out how to do counter pressure on myself through the night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the morning it was back to business. I tried to be patient with my body, but it was hard. I was ready to meet my baby and with all of the contractions I had been having I was sure I would not have another 40 hour birth. But I also knew that I had done it before and I could do it again. Baby was looking great and I was managing contractions just fine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All photos by <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.6px; text-indent: 2px; white-space: pre;">Katherine Anne Loveless
</span><a href="http://www.katherineloveless.com/">http://www.katherineloveless.com/</a></td></tr>
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Around 5pm I asked for my midwife and doula to come back over. I had no idea if I was close, but I felt like I needed some more support. I had her check me again, and I was at a 5! I was relieved to have made some progress. The next 5 hours are blurred together in my head as one intense hour. I was shocked by how late it was when they announced she was born at 10:05pm. But I’m getting ahead of myself. We started to fill up the birth pool around 6:00pm. This made my bedroom hot and humid. So we went downstairs for a bit when the kids came home around 7:00. The temperature change was a bit of a shock and I started to shake I was so cold. I stood over the heat vent and watched the kids eat some snacks and goof off around at the table. They were a good distraction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Contractions seemed to be right on top of each other and I was ready to feel the relief of the warm water. I had two contractions walking up to my room and hurdled into the tub. It felt amazing to have the warm water envelop my contracting belly. Will came and sat next to the tub, and I melted into his arms. This was on of my favorite moments, the love and excitement was tangible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The exhaustion was starting to set in, my legs were tired and weak. I had spent the last 30 something hours squatting during contractions, because it’s what felt good and comfortable. But now I could not find a comfortable position as squatting was becoming increasingly difficult. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the water was making contractions more manageable, resting in between was nearly impossible. At some point in the water I was checked and at an 8 with a posterior lip. Janee held it down through a contraction and had me do some lunges in the pool. Around 9:45 I got out of the water and Will helped support me while I kneeled on the bed. My water broke and things got real.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not support my own body any longer. I laid on my side and tried my best to stay relaxed. Something felt much different than my previous births. It was more intense than I felt like I could handle. I was experiencing pain that I had never felt before. I was starting to panic. I kept saying that I couldn’t do it. I was done and I wanted to just go to sleep. I was in that crazy state of mind that I actually believed that was an option. Everyone’s response was “You are doing it Cara.” After about 10 minutes of me freaking out, Will leaned down and whispered in my ear “Thank you. Thank you so much for doing this.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I realized that this was part of my story, it was going to be hard. No one needed to save me from pain. I wasn’t suffering, pain was just a sensation and it was okay to allow myself to feel it without fear. I took a deep breath and decided it was time to surrender. Then I reached down a moment later to feel my babies head crowning. I did not expect it to be that fast. My body started to push and I felt her head slide gently into my hands. Then I knew exactly why this time it was so different, a little hand grasped my finger. She was born with both hands up by her head. I smiled and then pushed the rest of her body out.</div>
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<span style="color: black; text-align: start;">The first hands to touch my baby were my own. I pulled her slippery body on to my stomach and was filled with relief. We covered her up with a towel and stared at our new tiny human. We held her, kissed her and stroked her arms then together lifted up the towel to reveal that we were getting our little girl! And we were thrilled.</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B4y8qrUpqoE" width="459"></iframe>Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-62602530458609756192015-04-13T16:32:00.002-06:002015-04-13T16:32:48.266-06:00Easter 2015Picture overload. <div>
We had a total of three easter egg hunts this year. The boys had a blast and didn't even seem to notice that I kept reusing the same candy. </div>
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We had our family Easter egg hunt at Salem pond. I used to come here when I was little. It's so fun to come back to places like this with my own kids. :)<br />
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Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-46108762285387374972015-04-08T14:08:00.000-06:002015-04-08T14:09:14.391-06:00My Miracle Man<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1">Will’s accident</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A few weeks ago I went with a play group to tour the fire station in Pleasant Grove. The fire fighter talked with the kids about fire safety and gave them a tour of the truck and the ambulance. We got to talking about the fire truck and how there was some controversy about how much this truck cost. I mentioned that they used the jaws of life on that very truck to save my husband’s life, so it was well worth the money in my opinion. He asked me what happened and I gave him the 30 second version of the story. His response made my heart swell with gratitude, and tears swell in my eyes. “You’re kidding me. I was a paramedic on that call. How is he doing?” I told him that he was doing great, thanks to the first responders. “We all thought he was dead. I was sure he was dead.” I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and hug him for as long as he would allow, but I resisted. We talked for a couple of minutes and he recounted his memories of the call they received. Will’s story was already amazing, and will forever be a miracle in my eyes, but it became even more miraculous as I spoke with the man who saved his life. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I suppose there are some who don’t know the story, and since I haven’t actually written it down, I figured I would do it now. Five years ago Will had the tire off of his car trying to figure out why it was making an awful sound every time we turned the steering wheel. He had taken the car in to 3 different mechanics, none of them could figure out the problem. (If you want a list of who to never go to, let me know.) Friday night he told me he thought he figured out what the problem was and was going check the rotors the next morning.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The morning of the accident, I was planning on spending a couple of hours at a friend’s house working on a sewing project. I kept feeling prompted that I needed to stay home, and I kept brushing it off. Around 11:30 Will went out to the garage to try to figure out for himself what was going on with his car. I gave him a kiss as he walked out the door and told him I would see him later.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Then as I was getting ready to leave the prompting turned into something more intense, my stomach turned as I grabbed my keys from the hook, and a voice in my heart said “Do not leave.” I put the keys back and relief swept over my body. I stuck Lincoln in the high chair and went upstairs to get my phone. As I was passing the bedroom I heard someone yell. I looked out the window thinking the neighbor kids were playing in the back yard. I hurried down the stairs and saw Lincoln sitting unusually still in the highchair. His eyes were glued on the garage door. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I opened the door to see Will, face down underneath the car. One hand stretched forward with a tool just out of reach. I could see the jack had been knocked over. The tire was off the car allowing the frame of the car to pin Will underneath. My first reaction was to think he was playing a joke on me. “What are you doing?!?!” In that very breath I noticed his other hand stretched back by his body, it already had a dusky blue color. I reached for my phone in my pocket, and called 911 as I checked for a pulse on the arm I could reach. It was weak, but it was there. As I was on the phone giving my frantic plea for help, I ran to our truck to get another jack. I grabbed the jack and only realized once I got to Will’s side that it wasn’t going to fit under the car. I started to cry. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Are you there ma’am?” The 911 operator was still on the phone. Yes I’m here. I ran to the neighbors house to get a jack from them. Their daughter answered the door and I asked for her mom or dad to come as fast as they could. Then I remembered Lincoln was still in the highchair by himself. I ran back home telling the 911 operator that I couldn’t fit the jack under the car, so I was trying to find another one. She advised me to not lift the car off of Will. Not knowing the extend of his injuries, lifting the car off of him with out the paramedics there was too risky.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">I went inside to grab Lincoln and came out to see a police officer pulling up. He ran to Will and grabbed the truck jack. I told him that it didn’t fit and that I was advised to not lift the car. Just then an ambulance arrived. </span><span class="s1"><span style="color: red;">The first paramedic on the scene was Tyler. And this is where his part of the story fills in the blanks. He stood there waiting for the fire truck to arrive, it was only a minute behind him, but it felt like an eternity. As he waited he started an IV in Wills arm to neutralize his blood, so that it didn’t become toxic to his body. When your blood isn’t receiving oxygen, it becomes acidic. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: red;">The fire truck arrived and Lincoln started to scream. And I started to feel dizzy. I took in long slow breaths and someone took Lincoln from me. I squatted down on the ground and Tyler told me to go inside. My bishop and RS president (Who both live right next to me) brought me inside. My bishop gave me a priesthood blessing offering peace and comfort. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: red;">When the fire truck arrived, they used the jaws of life to lift the car off of Will. They estimated he was under the car for about 7 minutes. As they pulled him out from the car he was dead. No heart beat. And he wasn’t breathing. They did several chest compressions and performed a Thoracentesis to remove any fluid from his lungs. He was blue, and they were sure he was dead. Then he took a quick gasp of air. And his heart started beating. I came back outside as they were loading him into the ambulance. I told him to keep fighting and prayed that wouldn’t be the last time I saw him. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: red;">Two weeks before the accident, Tyler had picked a special interest for his paramedic training. He picked therapeutic hypothermia. This was a fairly new technique, and he was the only one on the team that was trained in it. They start a catheter in your leg and slowly drop your body temperature down to reduce swelling in the brain. As Will had a suspected traumatic brain injury, Tyler made the call to start therapeutic hypothermia. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: red;">He only was able to do this because of the training he received TWO WEEKS BEFORE!!! This saved Will’s life. Without a doubt. He is here with me today because of this man. If only there was another word in the english language to express immense gratitude. Sometimes “thank you” just doesn’t cut it. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>One of the neighbors took Lincoln and another one drove me to the hospital. On the way there I knew Will needed prayers, immediately. I called my mom, Will’s mom and my sister, and told them Will needed as many prayers as he could get. As I hung up and we were nearing the hospital, I quickly posted on facebook, “Will is in the hospital, please pray for him” We ran into the ER and a social worker was there waiting for us. He ushered us into a room. And told us the doctor would be in soon. He asked me how I was doing. I looked at him with swollen red eyes and couldn’t muster out more than a squeaky “Okay”. I twisted Will’s wedding ring around on my finger as we waited. They had given it to me with all of his other personal belongings. My heart was beating so fast I wondered if it would ever slow down. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>My sister Soni called after reading my post on FB just as the doctor finally came back in. I put her on speaker so that she could listen to the details I knew I was to emotional to pay attention to. The CT scan showed minimal swelling, <span style="color: red;">and </span></span><span class="s3"><span style="color: red;">he had no broken bones</span>.</span><span class="s1"> They would keep his body cool for 24 hours to reduce swelling, putting him in a medically induced coma. After that they would slowly bring his temperature up which would take another 24 hours. And we would go from there. The possible outcomes ranged from death to brain dead, to years of recovery. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I walked up to the waiting room with my my neighbors who had brought me to the hospital. We waited for what seemed like hours for them to let me in to see Will. I was waiting by the doors when someone with a crash cart came rushing by. I panicked and begged them to let me back to his room. But I had to keep waiting. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Family and friends slowly trickled in to the waiting room. They sat with me, cried with me, and prayed with me. I asked my friend Heather to tell me that Will would be okay. I knew it wasn’t a fair thing to ask, but I just wanted someone to say it, even if it wasn’t true. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">They finally let me go back to his room. His whole body was shaking, and his eyes were swollen. He was on a breathing tube and had a neck brace on. I gave him a kiss on the head and held his hand. Our friend Dave gave him a blessing. My eyes popped open as he said the following words “I bless you with a full and complete recovery” In my heart, I wanted it to be true, but everything else was pointing in a different direction. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Will’s mom and brother caught the first flight from California. They got to the hospital around 9pm. There wasn’t much we could do at that point, and Lincoln needed to be fed, so we all came back home to attempt sleep. My sister Soni started driving from Oregon and arrived sometime in the early morning. (This was the second time in a year that she came running to my aid.) </span></div>
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<span class="s1">That first night was hell. I could’t sleep. I prayed and cried, until two AM I got a call from the hospital, letting me know that his temperature had reached 91 degrees and they would start the 24 hours. I tossed and turned for a couple of hours, and decided I would turn to the scriptures. I started in John 14. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">"<i>Peace</i> I leave with you, my<i> peace</i> I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27</span></div>
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<span class="s1">At that point in time, I didn’t know what the outcome would be. I just new that everything would be okay. At 4 am I got a text from Heather, telling me that she couldn’t answer when I asked before, but she felt that Will would be okay, and that I was strong enough to make it through this. Then 5 minutes later I got a call from my mom saying that she had prayed and felt at peace. She too knew that Will would be okay. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I spent the next couple of days back and forth between the hospital and my nursing baby. They slowly brought him out of his coma. I cried tears of joy when he was able to wiggle his toes and raise his hands. The next day they took the breathing tube out, but his voice was too weak and raspy to talk. After several hours he woke up and I showed him a picture of Lincoln. I asked if he knew who he was. He nodded his head and softly said “Lincoln.” I asked if he knew who I was…..he looked at me confused and shook his head no. I started to cry, and his nurse wrapped her arms around me and held me. “He knows you! He knows you! I promise he knows you.” The next few days proved that he did remember me. He now claims that he was just trying to tease me. Which is not cool. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Will had to relearn how to walk, how to feed himself, how to go to the bathroom. Even talking took a day or two. He had about a 1 minute memory. So we spent a lot of the day answering the same questions. He was transferred to the rehab unit on day 5. Every day he saw a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, and a neuro therapist. The things that he wasn’t able to do worried me. Simple things like complete a 24 piece puzzle, name 10 fruits, repeat a simple story. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Physical therapy was a similar story. When asked to stand on one foot and put his arms straight out, he couldn’t do it. He insisted no one could do that, and challenged the PT to give it a try. Who was a very sweet, patient guy I went to high school with. I said “look!” And easily completed the task. I ran up the stairs as he struggled to make it up a few, and I threw the ball up in the air AND caught it. I know it wasn’t kind, and I was not being supportive, but I was so frustrated. Will insisted he was fine. He insisted he was ready to go home, and all of these “exercises" were dumb. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The next exercise was on the wii fit. Will went and couldn’t complete the easiest level. “You try it!” I knew he needed a win, so I purposefully lost. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The days were long. Will would forget where we were and why we were there. He had to wear an eye patch because of the double vision he had from the force of the car hitting his head. So every minute he would ask why he was wearing an eye patch and would take it off. He was frustrated that we couldn’t go home, and didn’t understand why he was in the hospital. Every night he would beg me to stay, and didn’t understand why I had to go home. People with TBI are often more aggressive, as the frontal part of the brain is responsible for impulse control. </span></div>
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I brought his guitar to him one night, thinking it would help him relearn how to play. Something about the music and the connections it would have. He was excited but frustrated when he tried to play a simple song, and couldn’t manage find the cords. He threw the guitar down on the bed. I stepped out of the room and started sobbing in the hall. One of the doctors asked if I wanted to talk. She brought me into the nurses room and gave me a tissue. In tears I asked how long he would be like this. They didn’t have very many answers for me. Where he would end up cognitively was unknown. They said complete healing from his type of brain injury could take years. <span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Thanks to many prayers said on our behave, and lots of support, including my sister and niece watching Lincoln every day, we kept going. And everyday Will was improving. After 6 days in rehab, they sent him home. (It was our 3 year anniversary)</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I was trained on how to help him walk and we were to come back in for therapy twice a week. A neurologist sat down with us to go over discharge instructions. She told us that her recommendation was to take it easy for the next six months. She strongly encouraged Will to take a break from work and gave us disability forms to fill out. To which Will said “That’s not going to happen.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Will seemed to recover much faster at home, and Lincoln was happy to have him back. As was I. Within 2 weeks Will was back to work (against the doctor’s advice). When we went back for his outpatient care, the therapist who cared for Will were all amazed. They all told me after he was better, that they didn’t think he would make it. They figured he would be brain dead. It is a miracle he is alive, let alone completely back to normal, guitar skills and all. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The whole ordeal has taken me a while to process. (Five years later I am actually writing it all down) I spent the first couple of weeks having a mini panic attack every time I walked into the garage. I still feel anxious and nervous if I see someone working underneath a car.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As I was looking back through Facebook posts to remember the timeline of everything, I re-read all of the comments from dear friends and family. I know it has been a long time, but thank you. Thank you for all of your love and support. The first year of Lincoln's life was a rough one. I leaned on others through Lincoln's hospital stay and surgery, when my step dad passed, and then again with Will's accident. I would not have survived with out you. I will always remember those who offered their support, cried with me, prayed for me. The small(and not so small) acts of service that you may think went unnoticed, made the biggest impact. There is so much evil in the world, but there is also a lot of good. There are tragedies and there are miracles.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">"If you are helpless, He is not. If you are lost, He is not. If you don't know what to do next, He knows. It would take a miracle, you say? Well, if it takes a miracle, why not?"</span></div>
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<span class="s1">~President Boyd K. Packer~</span></div>
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Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-29555596297966043292015-04-01T21:19:00.002-06:002015-04-01T21:19:42.333-06:00Bye bye binkyWe decided it was time to take away Connors binky. He is obsessed with the thing, and it appears to be messing up his front teeth. I knew it would need to be replaced with something else. Yesterday we took a trip to build a bear and told Connor to pick out a new stuffed animal. I told him beforehand that we would be giving the new stuffed animal his binky.<br />
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Connor picked out the cutest little giraffe. He happily put his binky inside the giraffe along who knows how many hearts he shoved in there, and the sweet lady sewed him up. He carried his new toy around the mall tucked under his arm, giving it kisses and hugs all the way.<br />
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Cute right?<br />
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Very, very cute. Until bed time rolled around.<br />
When I said Connor was a little obsessed with his binky, I was wrong. The kid went ballistic. It was like a full on exorcism. He was thrashing and screaming "BBBBBBBEEEEEE!"<br />
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We tried singing, laying down with him, pacing the floor, and we tried just putting him in his crib and letting him cry. He threw himself out of the crib in a matter of seconds. Three hours later I finally got him to sleep. After a blissful hour of sleep he jumped out of his crib again. He screamed as I tried to calm him. At that point I would have ripped that adorable little giraffe open myself if we didn't have an extra stash in the dresser.<br />
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The Binky is back.<br />
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There are worse things than messed up teeth right?<br />
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-60430360077798396002015-02-07T19:18:00.000-07:002015-02-07T19:25:19.385-07:00CHD awareness week<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">February 7th-14th is Congenital Heart Defect awareness week. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">CHD is something near and dear to my heart. If you haven't read Lincoln's story you can find it </span></span><a href="http://willandcaradahlquist.blogspot.com/p/lincolns-story.html" style="color: #555555; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">here. </a><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">My world was turned upside down when Lincoln was diagnosed with multiple congenital heart defects. We were completely oblivious to the heart world before we were thrown into it with our first baby. During our six week crash course we learned a lot and met some amazing people. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">"A Congenital Heart Defect (or CHD) means an abnormality of the heart that is present at birth. In general, there is no known cause or cure for heart defects. Congenital Heart Defects are the most common type of birth defect, affecting nearly 1 out of every 100 children born in the United States and across the world, and are the leading cause of birth-defect related deaths. Some CHD's are minor, but approximately 50% will require some sort of invasive procedure (such as open heart surgery)." </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With CHD being the most common type of birth defect, we are still in need of funding for more research! Please consider making a donation. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">http://www.intermountainhealinghearts.org/donations</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">These heart kiddos are fighters! And they deserve the best chance we can give them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">Wand to help spread awareness? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #555555;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Feb. 7th - Wear a red shirt to support everyone affected by CHD's and heart disease alike.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Feb. 8th - Change your profile picture to a CHD warrior or angel for a day.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Feb. 9th - (optional) On your car window, get window chalk and write "Spread CHD Awareness"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Feb. 10th - Wear a heart, or ribbon representing CHD's</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Feb. 11th - "LIKE" and "SHARE" a CHD childs page. What better way to spread awareness then to let people know who they are. Lets get their stories out there!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Feb. 12th - Light a Candle for all the children with CHD's needing prayers, or for those who have already earned their wings.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Feb. 13th - Release a balloon or leave a porch light on for angels and kids needing prayers.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Feb. 14th - Baked goods, Bake a heart shaped cake, or heart cookies with your family representing CHD awareness/Valentine's day!</span></span></div>
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Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-32525194162610556332015-01-16T14:05:00.001-07:002015-01-16T14:05:20.101-07:00My children make me feel bipolar. I love my children. I love being a mom. I love staying home with my kids. I love to play ninja turtles, build towers with legos, and make a gazillion little balls out of play dough. But wow, having kids is an emotional roller coaster. I find myself staring at my beautiful boys and wondering how I ever thought I was happy without them, and 5 minutes later, wondering how I will survive another 5 hours with them.<br />
My days typically start out with Lincoln standing at the side of my bed. Either creepily staring at me as I sleep or telling me there is something crazy happing in the basement. Or that a fly is trapped in the house, and get this, he is attracted to the light. I tell him to go back to bed only to realize that it is 7:30 and time to get up.<br />
I am not a morning person, so I usually spend the majority of the morning trying to convince myself that my children are not trying to ruin my life by waking up early. I grumble around getting the kids fed and trying not to snap at them before 8am. I did not succeed at this on Tuesday. All three boys took turns crying, fighting, and hitting all morning. At one point Will came out of his office in order to clear some tension. All three boys attacked him and begged him not to go back to work.<br />
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Lunch time finally rolled around and after that is preschool for Lincoln. I daydream about next year when Lincoln and Spencer will both be going to school. That dream is interrupted when they both start stripping their clothes off. </div>
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get the boys dressed again and start the ongoing search for lost shoes. </div>
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30 minutes later we are in the car. </div>
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After I drop Lincoln off I get both Spencer and Connor down for a nap. </div>
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This is a glorious thing that only happens every once and a while. I have plenty that needs to get done around the house, but decide to send a couple emails first. Then I fall asleep on the couch instead. </div>
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After our wonderful naps, I feel a sense of renewal. My children once again have halos and I am ready to carry on the day. We head out to pick up Lincoln from preschool. After that we stop by Walmart. Getting from the car to the store results in me turning into angry mommy. While standing in line the lady in front of my turns around and says "Wow, you have your hands full!" I can't go out in public without at least one person saying something along those lines.</div>
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Lincoln starts to belt out "Jingle bells" in an opera voice. I can' t help but smile, he is so proud to hear his own voice. I tell him I love to hear his voice and nice mommy is back. </div>
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We leave Walmart and head over to gymnastics. For the most part the kids behave. </div>
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When Will asks if we should go to dinner I say sure. I get to Costa Vida first, and with my false sense of confidence, take the kids inside to order. While standing in line, Lincoln and Spence both inform me they need to go potty, and run off to the bathroom. I figured now was as good of time as any for them to learn to go by themselves. They come back and run in circles around me as I order our food. "I don't want that." "I want a hotdog." "Oh can I have a drink" "And ice cream."</div>
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As I am paying the cashier says </div>
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"You have your hands full!" </div>
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The boys were really digging the independence thing and filled up their own drink cups. Because I was too busy dealing with a toddler playing the "I'm going to throw myself out of your arms and see if you catch me" game. After having Lincoln poor out his ice tea he got, we sit down to start eating.</div>
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Will walks in and says "They are doing good."</div>
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We force feed all three children and Connor continues to play his game. </div>
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One more potty trip for Connor and we are on our way home.</div>
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On the way home Lincoln asks me if they cut my babies out of my tummy. </div>
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"Nope" </div>
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"Did you squeeze them out your butt?" </div>
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"Nope."</div>
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We continued on with a talk that I wasn't planning on having for a while.</div>
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We get home, take a bath, read stories, sing songs and then GLORIOUS bed time. </div>
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Will and I plop down on the couch and enjoy being kid free for a while. </div>
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I find myself dreaming about a time when the kids will wipe their own butts. </div>
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And leaving the house wont feel like a marathon.</div>
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And going to dinner will be enjoyable.</div>
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Only to tip toe into their rooms a few hours later to give them one more kiss, and whisper in their ears, "I love you, never grow up."</div>
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-9687651927539019272015-01-06T14:14:00.001-07:002015-01-06T14:14:56.624-07:00Everything is Awesome!Back in August 2014 we started planning our Legoland trip. We started planting seeds of lego love in the boys heads but didn't tell them that we were planning a trip to Legoland. Bought the movie, watched it 50 times, lego sets for birthdays. The boys successfully became obsessed with Legos.<br />
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On Christmas morning the boys opened their presents (more lego sets) and the last present was a lego shirt for each of them. As they were opening them I said "For your last present we are going on a trip, can you guess where?"<br />
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The first guess was Disney Land, but the second was Legoland. </div>
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They asked when we were leaving and we said "Right now!" </div>
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Traveling with three littles wasn't the greatest, but for the most part they did really good. </div>
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We stayed at the Legoland hotel, which was amazing. I feel like it's part of the experience of Legoland. There is a huge lego pit and play area for the kids in the lobby. Lego pictures, and sculptures throughout the hotel and in the rooms. Free breakfast buffet, which was our favorite. And the coolest elevator you have ever been in, which was the boys favorite. </div>
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Even the bathrooms were decked out. </div>
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The other fun thing about staying there was the treasure box in the room. </div>
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Every day the cleaning fairy's came and brought a prize for the treasure box.</div>
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The boys were as equally excited about finding the prize at the end of our trip as they were at the beginning. </div>
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The park it's self was full of everything lego. Mini land was my favorite. </div>
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Everything in the backround was made out of legos. It was amazing. </div>
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This was the actual set of the non-animated parts of The Lego Movie. It took 4 people 200 hours to build! </div>
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The boys LOVED the 4D movies. It was fun to watch them get excited and try to reach out and grab everything that was coming at us.</div>
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There were also two different building rooms in the park full of legos. One was for the little kids and one was for the older kid. </div>
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Lincoln was able to go on every ride. Spencer wasn't tall enough for a lot of the rides. I kinda hoped they would let him on, since he was only about 2 inches short, but they were pretty strict on the hight requirement. There was so much to see in the park, that he didn't seam to mind. </div>
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One of the days we made a trip out to La Jolla beach. The smell was terrible, but there were about 100 sea lions just sitting out on the rocks. </div>
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We met Will's niece Krysti at the beach and got to meet her new cute baby!<br />
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These boys were a handful, but it was worth it. </div>
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Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-7358616602304916172013-09-17T13:21:00.000-06:002013-09-17T13:21:00.055-06:005 monthsI realize I am extremely behind on blogging. I have so much to catch up on, and so little time to do it. Who would have thought that three boys would take up so much time?<br />
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I am only 2 days late on this post, so I thought it would be the best one to start with.<br />
My little Connor is 5 months old. Holy moly that went fast. I have been somewhat slacking in the monthly photo department but I did get a 5 month shot with my birthday present. (a new lens) Oh ya, it's my birthday. :)<br />
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Connor is has a very sweet calm spirit. My hope is that he will be slightly less crazy than his brothers, but I'm not counting on it.<br />
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Connor has pretty much been a dream baby, besides not sleeping, as long as I don't eat dairy products. I started eating them about a week ago to see if I was in the clear yet, but he still doesn't seem to tolerate it very well. </div>
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He's around 50th percentile for weight (16 pounds) and 90th for his height (26 inches)</div>
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He loves his binky, his blanket and his older brothers.</div>
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He also loves to snuggle. </div>
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He can role over and sit up for a few seconds.</div>
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We sure love having him around. </div>
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-20460161619856037842013-09-14T16:45:00.004-06:002013-09-14T16:45:38.934-06:00Winner!We have a winner for the Empowering Fearless Birth ticket!<br />
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Congratulations Stacy Minch!!!!</div>
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I will be sending you an email with the information you need to collect your ticket! </div>
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You can still get a discount ticket by using the code "cararocks" when purchasing your ticket. A day pass is only $39 with lunch included. Old Town Grill is catering, and their food is AMAZING! </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 15.454545021057129px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 15.454545021057129px;">Does your hubby have a ticket yet? Consider getting a sitter for the night, enjoy the gourmet dessert bar, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 15.454545021057129px;">take Lauralyn Curtis' Daddy Doula Training AND catch the Daddy Panel--all included in the nighttime ticket! Only $8!</span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 15.454545021057129px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 15.454545021057129px;">Our Fruitful cafe will remain open if you would like to purchase dinner as well! </span></span>Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-91594532982461789822013-09-11T13:25:00.000-06:002013-09-11T13:33:54.852-06:00GIVEAWAY! A few months ago I wrote a post "<a href="http://willandcaradahlquist.blogspot.com/2013/03/why-i-am-obsessed-with-birth.html">Why I am obsessed with birth.</a>" Since then I have been involved in planning the <a href="http://empoweringfearlessbirth.com/about.shtml">Empowering Fearless Birth Event</a> taking place in less than 2 weeks!<br />
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What is this you say? A feminist movement?<br />
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There has been some confusion about this event, so I thought I would write a blog post, just to clarify. We are not a bunch of feminist trying to take over the world. (Well not all of us anyway)<br />
The EFB event is like a bridal fair, but for birth, and it's SO MUCH cooler. :)<br />
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When you hear the word empowered, you may think of this.<br />
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Empower:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> To equip or supply with an ability; enable</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The goal of this event is to do just that. To equip families with the ability to have the kind of birth they want. Along with birth education, there will be nutritional classes, foot zoning, essential oils, healing from birth trauma, supporting others though loss....Why don't I just show you.</span></div>
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WOW! Amazing line up, right?<br />
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Notice my name in there? :) I am teaching a class on photography tips. The lovely ladies in charge have given me 1 ticket to do a giveaway with!<br />
All you have to do is leave a comment with the class you would be most interested in taking and share this post.<br />
I will pick a winner on Friday the 13th!<br />
As a thank you for teaching the class, I am also allowed to give a special deal for friends and family. $39 for a full day pass with a gourmet lunch included. (Price at the door is $59)<br />
Just go <a href="http://willandcaradahlquist.blogspot.com/2013/03/why-i-am-obsessed-with-birth.html">here</a> and enter the discount code "cararocks"<br />
My discount will expire this Sunday! So grab your tickets fast!<br />
Good luck!<br />
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-90743591883963455272013-07-15T13:50:00.001-06:002013-07-15T13:50:05.723-06:00Gone but not forgottenThree years ago today I got a call a phone call mid morning, I missed the call and checked my phone to see who it was. It was my mom. I dialed the number back as I was walking up the stairs to my room. My little sister answered, from the tone in her voice I could tell something was wrong.<br />
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"Cara, My dad's gone."<br />
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It was about all she could get out. I told her I would be right over and hung up the phone.<br />
I burst into tears and sunk to the floor. I was so mad at myself for not making the trip to my moms the previous Sunday. I felt like I should, but I just ignored it.<br />
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Steve and I butted heads for most of my childhood. Him being my "Step dad" was something I couldn't seem to get over, despite him always referring to me as his daughter.<br />
I remember getting in trouble when I was 16 for doing donuts in our culdesac. I was furious that he was making a scene in front of my friends. Hind sight, I was clearly the stupid one.<br />
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It wasn't until I after I was married that our relationship really started to get better. Steve loved Will, and that brought us together for some odd reason.<br />
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A week or so before Steve passed away I brought over a couple burgers from Wendy's. I ate mine and Steve struggled to eat the first of the two I bought for him. We sat and talked for a bit and he offered me his second burger. He played with Lincoln, and told him he was going to buy him a pony. I remember thinking "Why couldn't we have just had this relationship all along?" <br />
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I am reminded today of the importance of telling those you love what they mean to you.<br />
Of letting go of small differences and living life to the fullest.<br />
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It breaks my heart that my boys wont be able to meet their grandpa's.<br />
If there was anything Steve loved more than being a cowboy, it was being a Grandpa.<br />
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Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-63038893088987202792013-07-11T22:08:00.001-06:002013-07-14T15:19:09.116-06:00BlessedAnother round of Deja vu, a few weeks ago was Connor's baby blessing. He received a name and a blessing on June 23rd. Will gave a beautiful blessing in a circle of dear friends and my amazing Grandfather. It was such an honor for us to be able to have my Grandpa Keith stand in the circle. He is 92 years old and is still going strong!<br />
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What is a blessing without yummy food afterwards?</div>
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Thanks to everyone who was able to make it. We enjoyed celebrating Connor's special day.<br />
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-3533961981945692912013-06-25T13:20:00.000-06:002013-06-25T13:20:08.352-06:00Cutest baby in the World! We entered Connor in the Strawberry days rodeo. I had to wake him up from a nap to take him, so I almost didn't go. He was not a happy camper.<br />
As soon as I put him on the table in front of the judges he started grinning from ear to ear.<br />
The judges oooooooed and awwwwed and commented on his adorable smile and sweet dimples.<br />
And he totally won! Cutest baby in the world! Ok, just cutest 0-3 month old.<br />
I am still very proud of him. :)<br />
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I am glad he won, so I didn't have to make a fake certificate. He has big shoes to feel with his two awesome older brothers. :)</div>
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Spencer won the strawberry day's contest last year.<br />
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Lincoln won the freedom festival baby contest twice.<br />
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It's okay to brag about my cute kids a little bit, right?<br />
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-50825737617979625692013-06-16T21:40:00.000-06:002013-06-16T21:40:08.016-06:002 Months!First, I'm sorry, I have been TERRIBLE about keeping updates on here. I want to do better, I really do. I new goal will be to post at least once a week.<br />
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Now on to more important matters.<br />
Baby Connor turned 2 months old yesterday. I don't know how he has gotten so big so fast! I don't know any of his stats yet because his 2 month appointment is tomorrow. I will post them later.<br />
We did do a little photo shoot with the boys yesterday and I wanted to share a few of them.<br />
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A little about Connor at 2 months:<br />
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~He is the sweetest most cuddly baby ever! I just love him<br />
~He is sleeping pretty good and wakes up 2-3 times at night<br />
~He smiles all the time<br />
~He adores his big brothers<br />
~He loves bath time<br />
~He is a total binkie baby<br />
~He is a pretty chill, easy going baby, unless I eat dairy, that makes him angry.<br />
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Coming up next, a post about our Oregon trip.<br />
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-42524932042135822442013-04-23T13:10:00.001-06:002013-04-23T13:11:39.929-06:00Connor's Birth <br />
Connor's Birth<br />
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Saturday night we went to bed around 10 pm. I started feeling sick earlier in the day and I had developed a pretty nasty cough. We were all exhausted and I was excited to get some sleep. Around 10:30 I was wide awake. I tried everything I could but could not get to sleep.<br />
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I got up to use the bathroom around 12:45am and the second I got back in bed I felt a gush of fluid. I ran to the bathroom and waited to see if it kept coming. Sure enough, my water was leaking and around 1:00am I felt another large gush. I still didn't believe that I was in labor or that my water had actually broken. I figured it would be awhile, but sent a text to my midwife and doula to let them know, just in case. I had long labors with both of my boys but I had never had my water break before labor actually started. So I was worried that he would come so fast that I wouldn't be able to get everyone there in time. Between 1 and 1:30am I only had one contraction, so I figured I would just lay down and try to go back to sleep. As soon as I laid down they started coming every five minutes. I texted my birth team and told them to head over. Natalie ended up coming over early Sunday morning because my doula, Katie was out of town until Sunday afternoon. <br />
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My contractions stayed five minutes apart for the next couple hours. We watched a movie and tried to rest as much as I could with contractions being so close together. Around 6:00 am they slowed way down, so I figured I would try to go back to sleep and get a little rest. Around 8:00 am my midwife Angie came to check on me. She said to try to get some rest and call her when things picked up.<br />
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Everyone left and I tried to rest while Will watched the boys. I listened to some HypnoBirthing tracks to help me rest through contractions. They slowed way down and were only coming every 10-15 minutes. I played with the boys a little bit and decided it was time to try to get things going again. My doulas (both Katie and Natalie) came back over around 2:00 pm and started doing pressure points and rubbing some essential oils on my feet and belly. Natalie did some energy work with me to let go of fears that I had surrounding my birth, and anything else that might have been holding me back. Will and I went for a walk and talked about how I was enjoying my labor. Even though my contractions were far apart they were still working little by little to open my cervix. We talked about Connor and the lessons he was learning on the other side of the veil. By the time we got home they were five minutes apart again. We got home and started playing Dance Central to keep them going. Around 7:00 pm my midwife came back over and we did another round of oils and pressure points to try to get things to progress. She said to rest if I could and things should pick up in around 8:00 pm. She was going to run some errands and would be back soon.<br />
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Around 10:00pm they started coming 5 minutes apart again and they were getting pretty intense. I sent a text to my midwife, Angie, and she gave me some homeopathics to keep my contractions coming and hopefully move me into active labor. We watched another movie and we were all having a good time laughing and talking together.<br />
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I kept watching the clock, knowing it had almost been 24 hours since my water had broke. I was getting frustrated that things weren't moving the way I thought they should and I couldn't understand why. Both of my previous labors had followed the same pattern. Contractions started early morning and stayed five minutes apart until I opened to an 8 at which point things picked up.<br />
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Around 11:30pm I hit a brick wall. I was exhausted. I had only slept about 4 hours in the last 24 hours. My cough was getting worse, I couldn't breathe, and my head was pounding. I came upstairs to take a bath. I stepped into the tub and melted down into the warm water. Tears streamed down my face while Will sat by the side of the tub stroking my arm. I was so frustrated. I could not understand what was going on with my body. I was worried about Connor. I kept thinking of all of the different things that could be wrong and making my labor stall. I knew that if we went to the hospital they would put me on Pitocin right away and if things didn't pick up like they wanted them to they would do a c-section. I had heard birth story after birth story where the exact same thing had happened. Which I would fully accept if I thought that was what Connor needed. But prayer after prayer was answered with the same response, I was where I needed to be.<br />
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Angie came up and had the “We need to talk options” look on her face. She was confused as well about my labor pattern. She said she had only seen it a few times and that it was just a short cord that needed time to stretch. But that was just her best guess. She said she was fine to keep going and she didn't have a problem waiting. She then suggested Will give me a priesthood blessing so that we could make a decision. Will then proceeded to give me an amazing blessing. He blessed me with the Spirit of guidance, and reminded me of the power that it holds. He blessed me with peace, and patience, and the ability to trust my body and my baby to know what to do. He assured me that all would go well and I need not fear.<br />
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My videographer, Sarah, came upstairs and filmed a little bit before putting her camera down and sitting on the floor next to the tub. She said “I know I don't know you all that well but I just have to say something.” We talked about the spiritual side of birth and how amazing my body was for growing this little baby inside of me, and how it would continue to be amazing and birth my baby just the way he needed to be birthed. She also mentioned her experience with a previous birth and how she imagined going to the veil to get these sweet spirits to be born. I imagined walking up a tall mountain,working my way, ever so slowly, to get my baby. <br />
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I needed to do a 180 and change my mindset. I was forgetting about the spiritual side of birth and letting fear take over. I looked at Will perched on the side of the tub and asked “Is Connor okay?” Without a sliver of doubt he said “Yes.” I felt at peace. William means protector. I had no reason to believe that my amazing husband would ever do anything but protect me and my children.<br />
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I got out the the tub and crawled in bed. My doulas-Katie and Natalie, Will, and Sarah all sat on my bed to refocus. Then my midwife came upstairs. She said she felt like she was holding up my labor. She was confused about my labor and and was dealing with pain from a hernia, so she felt she needed to leave and hand care over to her back up midwife. She ended up leaving and going straight to the emergency room for her hernia. We talked about our options at that point and then we got a call from Angie's back up, Sherri. She asked about how things were going and if my water was still leaking. When I told her no she said it was a possibility that I had a high tear that was able to seal back up on its own. As long as Connor was moving and his heart tones were good, we should be fine to wait until morning to see what happens. She said to try to sleep but if I couldn't sleep to call her and she would come over.<br />
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I prayed that all would be okay and that I would be able to rest enough to sleep through some contractions. After a very long day, we all fell asleep around 2:00 am. Every time a contraction would come it just felt like a wave rushing over me. I would feel Connor wiggle and fall right back to sleep. I got up around 7:00 am, checked Conner’s heart rate, and checked to see if I had leaked any more water.<br />
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I called Sherri to tell her that I still hadn’t leaked and that Conner’s heart rate was still going strong. She asked us to come over at 8:00am. We left the boys with my doula's and headed over. My contractions had picked up again by that time and were five minutes apart. Sherri checked me for dilation and I was back at a 2, and 80% effaced. She confirmed that my water had resealed, and Connors head was no longer engaged.<br />
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We went home and decided to just start over. I was going to forget about the previous 24 hours of labor and just pretend like they never happened. Since I was a week past my “due date” I had made an appointment on Friday for an ultrasound, just to make sure everything was okay. While I knew Connor was safe, I still felt like there was something we needed to know, and I needed to get an ultrasound to ease my mind. We called and moved my appointment to 12:00 pm and started getting ready for the day. Everyone else went home.<br />
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The contractions started to get strong again. They were very uncomfortable and hard to relax through while in a car. The sweet OB who did the ultrasound was amazing. He said “These are great contractions, why are you here? Go call your midwife, and have a baby.” He did the ultrasound and we were able to see a few things. First he was posterior, which means that his face was looking up instead of down-which makes for a long labor. He told us that he had plenty of fluid, and that the placenta looked like it was done and that this baby was ready to come. He guessed he would be about 8 pounds and said he was still a boy. Then he got to the cord. It was wrapped around his neck twice. He said “But that's okay, your midwife will just need to unwrap it once his head is out. It could be three times and you would still be okay. But show this ultrasound picture to your midwife so she knows.” He was so sweet and reassuring and kept saying “Go have this baby.” We left and said I would do my best.<br />
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We were going to get some lunch and walk around the mall but I quickly realized that wasn't going to be an option. We went home and put the boys in bed. I was feeling tired again so I got in the tub thinking it would slow the contractions down a bit. When they started to get stronger instead I started to get excited. I was finally kicking into active labor! I started working on positions to get him to flip. I kept thinking to myself “I have plenty of time to flip him, I could probably just wait.” But I felt like I needed to keep holding the positions, even though they were uncomfortable, until I felt him flip. Will called both Angie and Sherri to let them know what we had learned at the ultrasound, and they decided that we would have Sherri come check me around 5:30 pm to see if I had progressed any. I got out of the tub at 3:00 pm and told Will I wanted Sherri to come check me now. She said she would be here at 3:30 pm. She checked me and I was at a 4 ½. She also noted that Connor was in an anterior position, which meant he had successfully flipped over to the proper position for birthing. I got in the tub again around 4:00 pm and told Will to call my doula. Katie and Natalie both showed up around 4:30 pm. Sherri checked me again and said I was a 6. She figured at the rate I was going I would have the baby around 8:00 pm. The tub was releaving lots of pressure and Sherri told me if I changed my mind and wanted to birth in the tub I that was still an option. I told her I needed to get out while I still could. Every time I tried to stand up another contraction would come and I would fall back down into the water. I looked at Natalie and said “I need to get out, but I am just so tired!” She balanced my energy and I was able to hurry and jump out of the tub.<br />
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We all went to my bed and I laid down on my side. Sherri said she was very curious to see where I was at and asked to check me again. At 5:17pm I was at 8cm. At that point my videographer had not arrived yet. I knew I didn't want to push laying down, it didn't feel right, but I also felt Connor moving down so I wanted to wait for Sarah to get there before I flipped. As soon as Sarah showed up, I got off my side and on my hands and knees. As a contraction washed over me, I was surprised to feel like I needed to push. I tried to breathe through the sensation and resist pushing. But within seconds I knew my body and baby had a different plan in mind. With the next contraction I felt Connors head shoot in the birth canal and started to feel him crowning. At 5:22 pm his head was out.<br />
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My midwife told me to hold on while she tried to unwrap the cord. After realizing the cord was just too tight to unwrap she clamped and cut the cord. Then I heard about ten different urgent voices tell me to push. There were not that many people physically in the room, and I think the only two that actually vocalized the words were my two midwives. Without a contraction to assist I gave everything I had and started pushing, knowing I couldn't stop until the rest of his little body was out. I didn't feel Connor move an inch. His shoulder was stuck. I felt his little legs still wiggling inside as my midwife hooked her finger around his shoulder and pulled his arm out. I started pushing again and the rest of his body was out at 5:24 pm.<br />
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He started crying right away and then stopped shortly after. Sherri gave him the kiss of life, a mouth to mouth resuscitation, and he started crying again, and pinked up with in seconds. She handed me my beautiful, warm, squishy baby boy.<br />
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While my birth had several complications, there were so many things that lined up perfectly in order for sweet little Connor to get here as peacefully as possible.<br />
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The biggest thing was that my midwife listened to the spirit and followed her instincts, even though they were telling her something she did not understand. Angie was my midwife for all of my prenatal care. She was nurturing and loving and just what I needed when I was on bed rest. Under her care we were able to keep Connor safe and cooking well past his due date.<br />
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Angie lived about 30 minutes away from me. Sherri lived about two minutes away from me. When we originally got home from the ultrasound Will was planning on waiting until 5 to call anyone to come back over. We really didn't want my labor to stall again. The only reason we had Sherri come at 3:30pm is because I knew she could just run over, check me, and then leave again. Had Angie still been my only midwife, I wouldn't have called her until things started to get really intense, which was around 5:00pm. With Connor being born at 5:24pm, we both would have been in big trouble.<br />
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Sherri was prepared for the cord because of the ultrasound. Also from the ultrasound we found that Connor was posterior, and I was able to flip him. Posterior babies make for long labors and long pushing. Once Connor started to move into the birth canal, he needed to get out fast. <br />
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On that same note, hands and knees is the best position for shoulder dystocia. A position that I would not have been able to get into had I been in the tub. I listened to my body and my baby, and I was able to do exactly what needed to be done in order to get Connor here safely.<br />
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My doulas were also amazing and having two the them here was absolutely essential in keeping my moral up during a long labor. Had I waited until later to call when my water broke I would have only ended up with one of them.<br />
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I look at myself in the mirror and all I can think is how amazing my body is. Things that used to be viewed as flaws, I now look at as badges of honor. My stretch marks remind my of my round belly that was a safe home for my boys for nine months. My wide hips remind me of the experience of giving birth, and the complete miracle it is. My body is awesome. My body is wise. And I can do hard things.<br />
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Hugs from Spencer.<br />
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Will playing Dance Central.<br />
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Lincoln giving my some labor support.<br />
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Sweet baby Connor.<br />
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Just a few minutes old and alert as can be.<br />
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Spencer getting a good look at baby Connor.<br />
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Love my boys.Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-77643556366175353042013-03-26T15:01:00.000-06:002013-03-26T15:01:21.111-06:00Why I am obsessed with birth.When I was 15 I remember walking into our garage, which had been converted into a art studio for my mom, and hearing a lady talk about giving birth on the radio. I had never given much thought to birth, only that I was terrified of getting a big needle stuck in my back. I stopped and listened for a few minutes while gathering the paint that I went in their to get. She was speaking about birth and it's spiritual meaning, how during birth, we sacrifice our blood for the sake of another, the way Christ spilled his blood to save all mankind. I thought about this for the next little while, and contemplated what my own journey to motherhood would be like. Everything I knew about birth didn't seam very spiritual to me, but yet this new concept made such an impact on me. I decided that when the time came I would prepare myself for a spiritual birth. <div>
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4 years later I was sitting in my human development class discussing birth. My professor was very knowledgeable in all aspects of birth, breastfeeding, baby wearing and all things of the sort. We discussed how society's view of the birthing woman has significantly changed in the last 100 years or so. We looked at pictures of women birthing in ancient times, looking up towards the heavens, reaching down to bring their own babies into the world. Giving birth was God like, and women where birthing goddesses. </div>
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I decided that giving birth was something I wanted to experience, I was excited to experience. Even if part of the experience involved pain. A few years later when I got pregnant, I started doing research on prenatal classes, and started watching birth videos. I came across a HypnoBirthing home birth. The title of it made me giggle a little, but I was intrigued, so I started watching it. I had never seen a calm, gentle birth before. The woman in the video didn't appear to be in any pain. When a contraction would start, she would close her eyes and start breathing deeply. Mind blown. I didn't have to be screaming out in pain in order to have my spiritual birth experience. </div>
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One HypnoBirthing class, HypnoBirthing instructor certification, and two natural births later, I am obsessed with birth. However, until a few days ago, I had a hard time explaining to people why it was so important to me. The baby gets here safe and sound, that's all that matters right? </div>
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Maybe to some that is all that matters. But I believe that it is SO much more than that. </div>
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I read this article a few days ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. It's from the blog Women in the Scriptures. It is amazing and I highly recommend it to everyone! </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://womeninthescriptures.blogspot.com/2008/12/importance-of-birth.html">The Importance of Birth</a></span></div>
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Did you read it? Seriously, go, read, you will not regret it.</div>
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The hole thing is amazing, here are just a few of my favorite excerpts. </div>
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She talks about the two veils we pass through and compares our role and Chirst role in each passing. </div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">"The first veil that all mankind passes through is the veil of birth in which man is born into the world by water, blood and the spirit. Women have a stewardship over this first veil. When Eve partook of the tree of knowledge she became more like God, knowing good from evil and gaining the capacity to bear children. Eve's transgression "opened the matrix", as it says in Exodus 34:19, the womb, the gateway through which the souls of all mankind would pass through into the mortal world. The only possible way to enter this mortal world is through the body of a woman and by the shedding of her blood... there is no other way.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">The second veil is the veil we must pass through in order to re-enter the presence of God and continue on our eternal journey. Men have a stewardship over this second veil. Just like Adam, righteous men hold the priesthood keys and administer the ordinances which cleanse us from our sins and enable us to come back into the presence of God. Just like the first veil, the second veil requires a sacrifice of blood, water and spirit. Through His Atonement Jesus Christ performed this great and last sacrifice for all mankind. Just as women are the only gateways into the mortal world, Christ is the only gateway into the eternal world... there is no other way."</span></div>
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How amazing is it that our bodies know how to grow a baby and give birth? I think women have lost faith in their own bodies ability to give birth. Sure there are there are problems that can arise, that require assistance, and in those circumstances thank goodness for modern medicine. </div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">"Given how incredible it is that women's bodies are able to create complete human beings, without their minds directing how it will happen, it seems possible to me that part of the "first lessons" women received in the pre-mortal world was how to create bodies. While their mortal minds don't remember how to do it, perhaps their eternal spirits do and it is a woman's eternal soul which directs and guides her body in the construction of the baby and oversees the process of labor and birth.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">We also know that in the pre-mortal existence that Satan and a third of the host of heaven rejected God's plan to come to earth and receive mortal bodies (D&C 29:36). Because they were not faithful in keeping their first estate Satan and his third are the only ones out of God's children that will never pass through the first veil; no woman will ever create a body for them or shed her blood by bearing them into the world, nor will they ever have wives or children. This is one of the reasons that many of Satan's tactics are directed at women and at the structure which protects and guards the first veil... the family. Satan is doing everything in his power to convince women that their bodies, which are the gateway through the first veil, are dirty, ugly, imperfect, dysfunctional and of no importance. He is doing everything he can to distract and confuse women so that they abandon their responsibility as the guardians of life into this world. If he can destroy women's faith in their bodies and help them lose sight of the importance of the first veil---and the power and sanctity of conception, pregnancy and birth--- then he is well on his way to thwarting God's plan."</span></span></div>
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Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-7476051784380178842013-03-22T12:38:00.000-06:002013-03-22T12:38:01.638-06:00March?!?Where is time going? March is almost over!<br />
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It's official, I am the worst blogger ever.<br />
I was thinking today about all of the wonderful experiences I am having with my boys, and how I want to remember them. I had a wonderful day today and thought "I should write about this in my journal."<br />
Then a second thought was, "I haven't updated the blog in a while."<br />
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So I figure I might as well kill two birds with one stone.<br />
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First things first, today was a good day. The majority of my days are good days. But the other days, the not so good days, sometimes seem to overshadow the good days. You know, the days your kids are constantly fighting, getting hurt, and making messes. One day I cleaned up one mess after another all. day. long. You think I am exaggeration, but I'm not. Lincoln and Spencer were like little tornado's wreaking havoc every where they went. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by those days that I start to feel like a failure. I wonder why in the world I thought I was qualified to bring another child into my chaotic life.<br />
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But today was not one of those days.<br />
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Will got up with the boys since he convinced me to stay up late to watch Psych. It's hard to sleep in when I here the pitter patter of little feet and giggles downstairs. So I decided to get up and get ready for the day. (this usually doesn't happen until nap time) I hear little footsteps coming and the bathroom door swings open. Spencer is standing there with a big smile on his face. "HI!" he says.<br />
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This little boy melts my heart.<br />
He gives me hugs and kisses, and sits on the floor watching me get ready.<br />
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We go downstairs and do the usual routine. Eat breakfast, change diapers, go potty, get dressed. Lincoln asks to play with play dough. We start playing at the table and Will joins us. Lincoln made an ocean and I made him several fish to go swimming in it. Then I made Lincoln a Muno and Will made his own "daddy Muno." Lincoln's face lit up, and he laughed and laughed as the two of the Muno's played tag. Will headed to his office and we headed to Costco.<br />
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Costco trips usually end in me needing a coke and loads of chocolate, but today my boys were perfect. I realized once I put them in the cart that I had forgotten to bring my usual line up of snack, treats and toys to keep them busy. "This will be fun I thought."<br />
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Lincoln decided right away that there was a dinosaur chasing us. We hurried through Costco grabbing things we thought would keep the dinosaur away from us. None of them worked. Lincoln and Spencer laughed the whole time and it was wonderful. I got lots of funny looks from others as I hurried down an isle with Lincoln and Spencer screaming "Oh no the dinosaur is going to get us." But I did not care one bit!<br />
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That's how my day started yesterday, we came home from Costco, the boys took a nap and I started this post, one day later I am finishing it. That's how bad I am at blogging, I can't even finish one post a day.<br />
Oh well.<br />
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My point was, I had a good day. And I want to remember the good days, because they are worth remembering. I love these two little boys more than words can say, and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be their mother.<br />
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In other news I am 38 weeks and feeling great. I am so happy to have made it this far, and I am pretty sure I will end up going over my due date. Which I am totally fine with. The thought of having three kids terrifies me. Ready or not baby #3 is coming fast! I can't wait to meet him!Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-90988896710859871772013-02-12T13:28:00.001-07:002013-02-12T13:28:14.079-07:00CHD awareness weekAnother sweet heart warrior got her wings last night. After fighting for the last 7 months in the hospital, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KyliesLubADub">Kylie's</a> heart just couldn't take anymore. She was only four years old. Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week is February 7th through 14th, please spread the word in honor of Kylie.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Each year approximately 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect. Thousands of them will not reach their first birthday and thousands more die before they reach adulthood."</span><br />
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Why is awareness so important?<br />
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<b>Parents need to be informed</b>.<br />
There are too many tragic stories of CHD going undetected, and ending in tragedy.<br />
<a href="http://corasstory.com/pulse-ox/"><span style="color: magenta;">Cora's</span></a> mom is spreading the word about pulse oximety testing in honor of her angel, who passed away when she was just five days old, due to an undetected heart defect.<br />
Know the signs of CHD and ask for a pulse oximetry test 24 hours after birth. It is non-invasive and very inexpensive.<br />
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Sarah Kaganovsky post on the <a href="http://fiercemamas.blogspot.com/2009/10/saving-my-baby.html">Fierce Mama blog</a> about her daughters heart defect that went undetected for a year. Her constant baby wearing, and never letting her baby cry it out is what saved her life.<br />
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<b>More research is needed!</b><br />
<span style="color: red;">1 in 100 babies are born with some type of heart defect. 1 in a 100!!! </span>Of those babies born with a heart defect, more than 50% will require at least one invasive surgery in their lifetime.<br />
In the U.S., twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined. However <span style="color: red;">funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD.</span><br />
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These heart kids are amazing. They are fighters, and they all deserve the very best chance they can get at life. Lincoln did. The procedure Lincoln had was only 15 years old. Research done by the American Heart Association is the reason why his procedure was possible. In the last ten years death rates for congenital heart defects have declined by almost 30% due to advances made through research.<br />
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They are currently working on some amazing things. Perfecting current procedures, engineering heart valves from patients cells, improving safety during surgery just to name a few.<br />
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You can make a donation <a href="http://www.childrensheartfoundation.org/donate-now">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Organ Donation</b><br />
This one is big. Before we knew much about babies born with broken hearts, Will and I had different opinions on Organ donation. I don't mean to throw him under a bus, but he was unsure about the whole thing. He was undecided on his drivers license. After a week of being introduced to the heart world, and meeting sweet babies waiting for a heart, he quickly changes his mind.<br />
Deciding whether or not to donate your childs organs is a decision no parent should have to make. But make it now, decide now to give life.<br />
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Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-48764934039060309072013-01-28T15:34:00.001-07:002013-01-28T15:34:38.850-07:00Christmas? I totally thought I would have plenty of time to start blogging again. Turns out I was wrong. I think about how much I need to catch up on and it overwhelms me, but I at least have to do a post about Christmas. We had a wonderful little Christmas at home with our little family. After spending the first two Christmases of our marriage away from home we decided that wasn't how we wanted to do things. Christmas is my favorite holiday, I love everything about it. Unfortunately we didn't get to do a lot of things that I had on my Christmas bucket list, but we did get our little Christmas together at home. Which was the most important.<br />
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-9802070622358223422012-12-20T10:45:00.000-07:002012-12-20T10:45:04.128-07:00Grandma AndersonWhen I think of my Grandma Anderson I think of love. My sister wrote up a beautiful post about her, and I know I couldn't do any better, so If you want to know more about my grandma go <a href="http://sonilevenseller.blogspot.com/2012/12/memories-of-grandma.html">here</a>. <div>
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Grandma Joye was not technically my grandma, but she treated me the same as she did any of her other grand kids. Every Christmas I was invited to the Christmas party, and got presents along with my five older siblings. (who were technically her grandchildren) Grandma didn't care how we were related, she showed me nothing but love my entire life. She never forgot a birthday, she always included me and called me several times to check on me when Lincoln and Will were in the hospital. </div>
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Tuesday I attended her funeral. And although I was sad to not have her in my life, overall I was filled with peace. I know she is happy and snuggling up with Grandpa as I type. </div>
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As I walked in to the viewing room I felt like grandma was there with us, I heard her voice, it was coming from a video my brother Corbin had made. The room even smelled like grandma. A pale pink fabric lined her white casket that had pink, purple and white flowers flowing from the top. Grandma looked at peace. </div>
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After family said their good byes they wrapped a soft, furry white blanket around her and closed the casket. </div>
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We sang "The Lord is my Light". Grandma had a beautiful voice and loved music. As we all struggled to hit the high notes I wondered what grandma thought about our little number. </div>
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Grandmas brother Dee spoke first. He spoke about growing up with grandma during the great depression, and wearing underwear made out of flower sacks. He remembered Joye as patient, fearless and resourceful. </div>
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He told a story about grandma rescuing a cat that he dropped in the outside toilet. She rescued him with a rake and cleaned him up. The cat was just fine. He spoke of grandmas kindness and willingness to help anyone. </div>
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He talked about Keith and Joyes loving relationship, and how they pampered each other. In Keith's later years Joye called Keith old paint. Joye said she had a perfect marriage and Dee could not recall hearing a harsh word between them. </div>
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Joye's relief society president sang "Abide with Me; 'tis Eventide", and I think Grandma approved of that number. </div>
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<a href="http://sonilevenseller.blogspot.com/2012/12/memories-of-grandma.html">Grandchildren's memories </a>were read by Janalee.</div>
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Keith and Joye's neighbor from Pleasant Grove spoke next. He spoke about the motorcycle rides the three of them would go on together. He spoke about the love that they had for them. He ended by saying "Keith and Joye are happy today, and they will be happy when we get there."</div>
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Joye's Bishop and current neighbor spoke last. He spoke about his eight kids and how grandma was always kind and loving towards them. Even when they plastered her front window in bubbles. </div>
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We closed by singing "I Believe in Christ" </div>
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I felt Grandma was close by, and her testimony was beaming through the lyrics. One verse in particular stood out to me. </div>
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I believe in Christ—my Lord, my God!</div>
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My feet he plants on gospel sod.</div>
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I’ll worship him with all my might;</div>
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He is the source of truth and light.</div>
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I believe in Christ; he ransoms me.</div>
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From Satan’s grasp he sets me free,</div>
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And I shall live with joy and love</div>
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In his eternal courts above.</div>
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Love you Grandma! </div>
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Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-45607922078432356892012-12-19T12:08:00.002-07:002012-12-19T12:08:49.485-07:00Bed restIs anyone still reading this? Judging by the spacing of my post I'm betting that not many are. Well good news, my post are about to become more frequent! At least for the next three weeks.<br />
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Last week was eventful, not just for me but for the country as well. Will was out of town for the first part of the week and I had the joy of single parenting for a few days. After three days of running errands, two photo shoots and trying to catch up on Christmas preparations, I found myself feeling a little...exhausted. I started cramping on Wednesday but decided to push through and finish doing what needed to get done. Okay I'll admit, going to DI to look for ugly Chirstmas sweaters was not a necessity. </div>
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Will got home and Thursday was pretty low key. My girl friends and I had a play date planned for Friday morning. I had some light cramping in the morning but Lincoln was really excited and I figured it would go away. I headed out the door around nine to run a few errands first. After five minutes in the dollar store, it was very apparent that I would not be running any other errands. I sat in the car for a minute and tried to figure out what to do. The cramping lightened up and I headed to my friends house. We were about five minutes away when the cramping got worse and was accompanied by dizziness and nausea. I pulled over, and started balling. I was sure I wouldn't be able to move ever again. I said a quick prayer and regained enough strength to drive the rest of the way. Cramping started again and I felt like I needed a gurney to get me in the house. I called Will and asked him to call my midwife and ask her what I should do. I got the boys out of the car, got in the door and collapsed on the couch. My midwife called me a minute later and asked me what was going on. I told her I was dying and I didn't know what to do. Luckily she knows me well enough to know that I was only slightly exaggerating and told me to take a bath and she would be come over shortly to check the baby and make sure I wasn't dilating any.<br />
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I took a bath and the cramps stopped. Then as soon as I got out, they started again. My wonderful friends took care of my kids while I laid down on the couch. Will showed up and I again started crying. My cramping was very painful and they were starting to come in waves, which scared me. My midwife showed up, gave me some nasty medicine to stop the cramping, a spoon full of magnesium and calcium, and checked the baby. His heart rate was great and he didn't seam to be under any kind of stress. She checked me and said cervix was dropped down and my outer cervix was dilated to a two. She said I would need to stay on bed rest for the weekend and we would go from there. She also told me that I needed to be done nursing Spencer, cold turkey, no more nursing. He was only nursing morning and night, but I was enjoying the time to cuddle up and bond with my little rambunctious toddler. I also found comfort in the fact that he was getting some nutrition on those days he stuck up his nose at everything else we tried to feed him.<br />
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So anyway we went home and I rested the rest of the day. But the cramping didn't go away completely. I kept taking the yucky anti cramp around the clock but every time I would get up to use the bathroom, or move it would hurt. The next morning I called my midwife and told her what was going on. She told me to put her on speaker so she could talk to both Will and I. She consulted with an OBGYN and they both agreed that I needed to go on full bed rest until I am 37 weeks. I immediately started balling and handed the phone to Will. "No cooking, No walking, No lifting, No cleaning......" All of my plans for Christmas went down the drain, and I regained enough composure to say I didn't think I could make it that long. Angie said that in three weeks I can try to start doing small things again and see what I can handle. But the last thing I wanted was a micro preemie, so I needed to be careful.<br />
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Sigh. And so the last five days I have been sitting on my tush, thinking about all of the things that I need to get done. Mostly Christmas things. Trips to see Santa, trips to see the lights, playing in the snow, making cookies. Oh well, maybe next year. The important thing is, I can still tell Lincoln about the nativity, and teach him the true meaning of Christmas. The important thing is, this baby is fine, I'm fine, and we are both healthy.<br />
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Yesterday I went to my Grandmas funeral. The walk from the car to the church made me start cramping so the graveside service was out of the question. But it put a lot of things in perspective and I will write more about the services tomorrow for those that were unable to attend. She passed away Friday, 10 years after my grandpa. She was a wonderful woman and embodied love. I will miss her, but I am glad she is finally reunited with the love of her life.<br />
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Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-21413457997673352892012-10-23T20:03:00.000-06:002012-10-23T20:03:21.292-06:00Lincoln's 3rd Birthday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lincoln has been waiting for his pony party for months! We had a blast! Picture overload warning. </div>
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Not my best work on the cake, but Lincoln didn't seem to mind.<br />
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-62141843548734589202012-10-19T15:18:00.003-06:002012-10-19T15:18:59.755-06:00Three and oneI kind of purposely forgot to schedule Spencer's 1 year appointment so that I could take Lincoln and Spencer at the same time. Both boys are healthy and growing great. :)<br />
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Spencer's Stats: (at 13 months)<br />
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Height: 29.5 inches 25%<br />
Weight: 21 pounds 23%<br />
Head Circumference: 18 inches 24%<br />
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Lincoln's Stats: (at 3 years)<br />
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Height: 38 inches 55%<br />
Weight: 30 pounds 40%<br />
Head Circumference: 18.5 inches 15%<br />
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As you can see, Spencer is catching up with Lincoln very quickly. I keep telling Lincoln to be nice to his little brother because soon Spencer will be bigger than him. This makes him a little angry and he says "Mom, I am a big boy and Spencer is a baby. He is NOT bigger than me!" So funny.<br />
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We celebrated Lincoln's birthday last Saturday with friends and family and then went to Chucky Cheese on his actual birthday. Pictures coming soon.<br />
<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-54317776394192904712012-10-17T19:04:00.001-06:002012-10-17T19:04:19.115-06:00It's a....Will and I are the most impatient people in the world. Tell us we can find out the gender around 14-16 weeks, you better believe we are hitting that up at 14 weeks.<br />
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We are so excited to be welcoming baby boy #3 to our little family. They will be best buds.<br />Our wallets will be a lot heavier as well. :) </div>
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682824956109301463.post-42350857859016123442012-10-08T08:16:00.002-06:002012-10-08T08:16:32.537-06:00Halloween Costumes....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Halloween costumes are finished :)</div>
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<br />Carahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495997150103257674noreply@blogger.com2