Garrison Twins Birth Story

Well what a way to start the New Year!
Ruby Isabelle Garrison &
Benjamin Martin Garrison
born on 1-1-2014
First Babies Born in 2014 in the Santa Clarita Valley!

My birth experience with the twins was a wee bit crazy and a whole lotta scary! It was certainly dramatic and I wish I had it all recorded on video so I could see myself acting all loco and witness what everyone else saw. Then again, it's probably a good thing it's not recorded. It would be mighty embarrassing.

I'm recording the birth story here for posterity sake--in all it's glorious detail. So...read at your own risk :)

It all started on New Year's Eve. I was 36 weeks. All day I was having--what I thought was--Braxton Hicks contractions. I never had them with Jacob and so I really didn't know the difference. Around 11 am I texted Scott:

me: Are you home early? (He was at work in Santa Monica--30 minutes to 2 hours away depending on traffic--yucky right?)

scott: Prolly around 5, why?

me: Just wondering. You're home at 5 or off at 5? (I was trying to not freak him out and make him worry. But then when he didn't text back right away and it was now two hours later and my contractions were starting to hurt I told him anyways, haha.) I'm having intense contractions all of a sudden. Can you get home ASAP? FYI. Don't walk thru the garage. (My dad had just redone the floors haha.)

And the texting ended there, haha. Scott immediately called me and said he was leaving work in five minutes. He wanted me to call Dr. Izu (my OB and a member of the bishopric :). But I didn't want to bug him if it was just Braxton Hicks. So I just continued to record my contractions on my phone. Now...when I look at that list, I think, duh Cristine. Yes, they were irregular. But there was A LOT of them. I'm talking like 40 contractions within about a 6 hour period all ranging between 5-10 minutes.

8:44
8:48
8:56
9:04
9:09
9:16
9:23
etc.

Honestly, I have no idea what I was thinking. I did call Dr. Izu and he told me that if they were irregular then they could just suddenly stop. But he told me to keep him posted and he'd have his phone right by him all night. (Love him.)

There were a couple times when the contractions stopped for about an hour or so. Which made me think I wasn't in active labor. (I didn't have contractions with Jacob until I actually got to the hospital after my water had broken. Rookie mistake to compare pregnancies/labor and birth experiences.) Well this time, my water hadn't broken. There was no bloody show. So I just sat back and--ironically--watched the movie New Years Eve. My mom and I even laughed and joked about Jessica Biel's character--who is pregnant and tries to have the first baby of the New Year to win a prize. My mom joked, "Hey wouldn't it be funny if YOU had the first baby of the New Year!? hahahahaha. ha." 

No one thought I was in active labor. Not even me. Until, I got into bed and suddenly the contractions  came full force. Again, I recorded them.

11:16
11:21
11:24
11:26

I got up and went to the bathroom. I was in major pain. And honestly, in denial. Even though I knew twins typically came early, I still thought I wouldn't have them til 40 weeks, because...well...I had Jacob at 40 weeks. While in the bathroom, I prayed. I asked Heavenly Father to either take away the contractions completely--because I just couldn't endure any more Braxton Hicks (they weren't Braxton Hicks)--or put me into labor right then and there (I already was). I got back into bed and WHAMMY! Major major pain. I was in definite labor. I yelled for Scott who came rushing in. He saw how much pain I was in and called Dr. Izu. Izu told us to head to the hospital and he'd meet us there. My contractions were coming steadily at 3 minutes apart. 3 minutes people. Scott got my parents (who thankfully had decided not to go to the Stake Youth Dance to chaperone.) My mom helped me out of bed and another WHAMMY contraction! My water broke in a HUGE gush. I immediately said, my water just broke! And... there was blood everywhere. Not water, but blood, dripping all over the floor. I was soaked with it.

I think here is where shock set in. Thank heavens Jacob was asleep and didn't witness any of the panic. My mom called Izu right away and told him there was A LOT of blood. He told us not to worry. Some blood was normal and that he was already in the car on his way. But I couldn't help but worry that maybe one of the placentas had detached, that the babies were dying, that I was dying. My parents and Scott tried to wrap towels and things around my legs and clean me up but I kept dripping all over. Eventually, I just yelled, We just have to go! I didn't care if there was blood seeping through my clothes (which consisted of my light blue nightgown, with yellow Lakers sweats underneath and my fuschia slippers and Scott's sweatshirt haha). I didn't care that my outfit was crazy. I was in so much pain. Just walking to the car I had to stop multiple times and breathe/scream through the contractions while holding onto Scott for dear life.

He got me in the car and Scott sped to the hospital like a bat out of hell. It's only a 5 minute drive but I think we got there in 2. I was crying/screaming all the way, "Owwwwwww! Owwwwww!"

We pulled up to the hospital and I had to wait in the car while Scott ran to get a wheelchair. He raced me through a myriad of halls because, of course, we had parked at the wrong entrance. This is where things get fuzzy. I can't remember even getting undressed. Seriously, as I'm thinking about it now, who undressed me??? I think my eyes were closed the rest of the time. I'm a firm believer in "see no evil" :) Honestly, it helped. If I can't see it, it's not really happening haha. I kept my head down while Scott raced me through the hospital. Next thing I know, I'm on a bed and there doing all the pre-op labs. Izu was already there (again, LOVE HIM.) He checked the babies position which hurt like crazy and yep they were still breech. I needed an emergency c-section. Izu was all business and I could tell he was worried about me. I could see it on his face. And that freaked me out.

The anesthesiologist came in and introduced himself to me. Mid-moan/yell/cry I asked when I could get the epidural. He told me they had to wait for all the lab tests...which would be half an hour! I almost lost it. That seemed ridiculous. The babies were coming like...now! With every contraction I instinctively brought my legs to my chest.

So in this hectic laboring state of things I got asked all sorts of stupid questions like, "When was your last menstrual cycle?" Really, nurse!?! I think I yelled, "I don't know!!!!!" haha. How in the world are you supposed to concentrate on such inane questions at a time like that? I also had to sign my life away on a bunch of forms and consent to all sorts of life-saving procedures since I was about to have surgery.

Where was the calm, non-stress c-section experience I had anticipated? Sheesh.

Izu is a stud and got things moving quickly. The staff actually worked very fast and I was wheeled into the operating room what seemed to be minutes later. I opened my eyes briefly as I was taken in and all I remember was a lot of stark, sterile white and lots of people. Soon they had me sitting on a table and gave me the epidural for the c-section. Lots of pricks in a few different spots.

While they did it I guess Scott tried to walk in and I heard nurses and people say, "No no no! Not yet!" Poor Scott. It was a crazy experience for him too. He was allowed in when the epidural was finished. I was laid on the bed and hallelujah the meds started kicking in. I was finally able to relax a little. As long as I had an epidural I was fine :) Izu talked a little but I can't remember what he said. As I got progressively more numb I suddenly got worried that maybe he'd start cutting and I wouldn't be numb enough! (I have my friend Kim Bundy to thank for that fear.) But Izu assured me he'd test me to make sure I was sufficiently numb before he started. He did a few pokes and I couldn't feel any of them, except one. I could BARELY detect it but I told him I really felt it anyways so the anesthesiologist would give me plenty haha. I also told Izu that I didn't want to know when he started and I didn't want a play by play. Again, I like to take the whole denial route.

Despite the anesthesia, there is a lot of tugging and pulling that you feel. And then there was intense pressure/pain on my collarbone. In my drugged and nonsensical state, I kept saying, "My collarbone. My collarbone. It hurts. Collarbone." The anesthesiologist told me that was normal and gave me something--don't know what-- for that pain. It kept hurting though and I kept complaining so I think he gave me a couple of doses. I was pretty drugged.

It wasn't long--minutes I'm guessing--before I heard my little girl cry. She was born at 12:57 am on New Year's Day. Someone--a nurse I'm guessing--told me to look over to the side and I said, "I can't." Really, I couldn't. I think I was still in shock. I could not get myself to open my eyes. But I kept asking, "Is she ok? Is she ok?" Scott assured me she was fine and told me that they were cleaning her up. He asked me, "So what's her name?"

Scott really loves me. And he must have been in awe/pity over what I was going through, because he let me name our daughter :) We argued over what we were going to name her for months! We could never agree. And it's weird. I had several names in mind for her while I was pregnant. But I couldn't decide on one. I decided I would have to just look at her and see which name fit best.

But when she came into this world my eyes were closed. I didn't see her. I could only hear her. And I could feel her spirit was finally here with me. So when Scott asked me that question, "What's her name?" I didn't hesitate. I said, "Ruby." It just came out of my mouth. There was no other name, like my spirit recognized hers in an instant and I knew my daughter and I knew her name was Ruby. It was such a special experience and I am so glad I remember it despite being so so so out of it.

A minute later, Benjamin was born. His name had been decided months back. Scott and I both love the name. I heard him cry. Again, I couldn't get my eyes to open. Again, "Is he ok? Is he ok?" I could feel something was different in the room and that he wasn't alright. Scott told me they were taking him to the NICU. His breathing was labored.

I started shaking badly--whether from the pain in my collarbone or the worry over Ben or the realization that I was being sewn back together or whatever--I was shaking and cold and in pain. Just in shock. Next, I was in a recovery room. Nurses talked around me. I didn't see them. All I could do was shake. It felt like I was there for hours.

Next, I was in the hall. My parents and Aunt Heather and Uncle Donald were there. I was still shaking. I don't know if I was even able to say hi. Next, I was in my room. Everything is still hazy about that part. I don't remember when I actually first saw Ruby, she was just suddenly there. They told me Ben would stay in the NICU overnight.

Scott is wonderful. He took care of me and Ruby all night and day and frequently went and stayed with Ben. Scott would come back and give me a report on Ben. He cried and cried telling me about how his little body was breathing so heavily and he was covered in wires. Once the meds had time to leave my system and I wasn't so shaky, the nurse helped me get in a wheelchair and took me to see Ben. We washed up and went into his room at the end of the hall. He lay there in his little "nest" incubator. He was so small and so precious. It broke my heart to see him and I felt so guilty--so guilty-- that he had been all alone off and on while Ruby had stayed in the hospital room with us.

I stroked his little, thin foot and he stretched his leg straight out. He loved it. So I just sat there rubbing his foot, scared to do much else. I was able to hold him skin to skin a number of times. I wish I had pictures of me holding him but taking pictures wasn't on my mind. I felt I would break him he was so frail and was worried sick I would pull on his wires and hurt him. The nurses (who were absolutely wonderful) assured me that I couldn't. They said the wires were all just monitors.

Later, however, he was given an IV. That broke my heart further. His little arm had to have a splint on it to keep him from pulling on the IV and hurting himself. Later, he was given a feeding tube through his nose. He wasn't eating well enough. Nurse Katherine said, "He's not a sprinter, he's a marathon runner. He takes his time eating." Ultimately, that became the main concern and the reason why he stayed in the NICU. He wasn't able to eat enough and keep it down. Before every feeding, the nurse would take his feeding tube and a syringe and pull out the milk from his stomach to measure how much he had digested and how much air was in his stomach. Then she'd push it back down. It sickened me. I was so angry! You just want to yell, "Leave my baby alone!" But, thats how they measured his progress and determined how much more he could handle without spitting up all the food in his stomach and dropping more weight.

Each day, I'd walk---verrryyy slowly---to the NICU while Scott stayed with Ruby. I almost passed out the first time. Having your stomach muscles and diaphragm cut totally stinks. Just sitting up in bed required major help. But each day seemed to get better and I got faster. Walking to the NICU helped me recover more quickly.

I felt guilty every time I left Benjamin. Just horrible. The worst mother ever. But I had to be with Ruby too. That'd been the hardest thing about twins so far. Juggling both their needs and trying to give them equal attention and love. It almost felt like I was living a double life, since my two babies were never together in the hospital. And it made me so sad that they weren't able to be. I kept thinking of how they much thinking to themselves, "Where's my brother!? Where's my sister?!" They had been together every second until leading up to birth and now they were ripped apart.

Ruby was a gem the whole time. I feel so blessed that she was such a calm, patient baby so I could spend time with Ben. She hardly cried. In fact, I don't think she did once. Except when the stupid nurses would keep pricking her poor foot. They did the bilirubin test THREE times because they kept worrying about jaundice. Oh man I was so mad at them. Again, leave my baby alone! (And she never got it.)

It was just a painful, emotional, crazy, blur of a time. Longest 5 days of my life. Scott and I took turns crying over Ben multiple times. One of us would be strong and positive while the other one cried. Then we'd switch haha.

I was in the hospital for three days and I was so done. The nurses kept pressuring me to stay for a fourth day, but I had to get out of there. They were driving me crazy. Jake needed us at home. And I felt certain that Ben would be strong enough to go home soon.

But the thing about the NICU is that the nurses/doctors never give you a definitive answer. Each day I'd get excited thinking that today was the day he'd be released and each day I was told "no" or "We don't know." It all depended on him keeping down food and gaining weight. I broke down in his room the morning we left the hospital with Ruby. The nurse rushed to my side and asked me what was the matter. I just vented a bit and told her how I had hoped I could've taken him home today with Ruby. She told me she knew this was hard but that he'd be released "soon." Which to me sounded like "never."

The NICU is filled with wonderful nurses and doctors but it totally sucks. It zaps you of energy and emotional strength fast as you watch your child lay there and you constantly wonder just how much pain and loneliness he's enduring. It just plain sucks.

So we said goodbye to our Benjamin for that day, used our Henry Mayo Hospital gift card for having the first babies of the new year (woot woot! the selection at the gift shop was pretty stellar ;), and rode on home.

When we got home we were talking to my parents and what does my dad say?? "So, was it hard to leave Benjamin at the hospital?" I burst into tears. haha. It wasn't the right thing to say to me at the moment. And my dad felt pretty bad. Boys.

The next day was Sunday. My uncle Ron, Dad and Scott were all going to the NICU with me and they were going to give Benjamin a blessing. As we were getting ready to leave, the NICU called. My heart stopped because I feared the worst-- that maybe something had gone terribly wrong. But to my surprise, I was told he could go home! The new formula they tried had rice cereal mixed in and had helped him keep it down. He gained weight! It felt like a miracle. I cried tears of joy this time.

So Scott and I gathered everything and headed to the NICU while my parents watched Jake and Ruby. It was awesome to walk in those doors knowing we would be walking out with Benjamin. It was a happy day. But my heart ached for all the little babies still in there.

There was a whole checklist of items to take care of in order to leave with him. The nurses had to show us how to feed him, how to burp him, they had to see that we could change a diaper, etc. We had to watch a video on CPR for newborns. He had to do a car seat test and sit in the carseat for over an hour while the nurses monitored his heart rate. He checked out on everything.

Nurse Katherine (our favorite) loaded my bag with formula and things and said, "Goodbye Nugget!" As we walked verrryy slowly down the NICU hall (still recovering from my c-section) all the NICU nurses and aides lined the halls on either side of us and clapped as we walked out. I nearly cried again. They were so happy Benjamin was well and going home too! It was kinda magical and just filled my heart.

*****

Flash forward...the twins are now 14 weeks and I'm just finishing this super long post. That should be a clue on how crazy busy and tiring life has been. Quite the whirlwind. In the beginning, both Scott and I were up every. single. hour. because the babies were up every. single. hour. We cried from exhaustion a few times (mostly me :) It's hard to remember just how small they were, my itty baby babies. Now they're both about 13 pounds and doing just awesome.

Ruby is still my calm, serious girl. And Benjamin is still keeping us on our toes with his impatient demands for attention and food. Life is getting easier to manage and they are sleeping mostly through the night, thank heavens. We're still tired but functioning. We love them dearly and they complete our family!

32 weeks

Well, here I am. (I despise taking pregnancy selfies, but it's all for journaling's sake.) 32 weeks along with our boy/girl twins. The beginning of this pregnancy seemed to be going by sooo slowly. Now I can't believe I'm only weeks away from being a mother of THREE. Life is going to be nuts. But a happy kind of nuts. A tired nuts. A fun nuts. Honestly, I just don't even know what to expect. 

But I do feel bad that I haven't kept as detailed notes on this pregnancy as I did when I was pregnant with Jake. So I thought I'd jot down some random little things about this twin pregnancy:

Food cravings: Everything. Seriously, everything looks good. I want a White Dragon tempura sushi roll something awful, though. But...I'm not supposed to have sushi. And the White Dragon is in Albemarle, NC. I love Outback's carrot cake. Holy yum.  Cold cereal is a staple. Really into nachos. Steak. Chocolate. You name it. 

Heartburn: Boy is it bad in this last trimester. Never had it with my first pregnancy. I've discovered it's particularly bad after eating tomato products, i.e. spaghetti sauce or from drinking soda. I hardly touch the stuff but sometimes I'm just dying to have a root beer and I cave. 

And wow, my stomach is running out of room. It is the most frustrating thing to feel STARVED then stuff your face then feel oh-so-sick because there's no room for said food because the babies are moving all around. It's pretty darn uncomfortable. I have to remind myself: "Pace yourself. Easy girl." But it's hard :(

Movement: These babies move a ton! Particularly baby girl. She is quite the acrobat. Every ultrasound she seems to have moved into a different position. She was head down mostly, then a few weeks ago went...breech. Baby boy stayed the same the entire pregnancy (sideways/transverse), then moved last week to....breech. Yep, both babies are breech. All snuggled up together, their heads touching. What mischievous little darlings.

False alarm: The day after Thanksgiving, early morning, I started having contractions. Double ouch. It lasted a couple hours but the timing of the contractions was all over the place. Still, it got me freaked. The whole family was a little freaked. Scott was at work in Santa Monica and he was majorly freaked. I kept thinking, "It's too soon! I'm going into pre-term labor! The doctor warned me and did I think it would happen to me? Nope. He said to take it easy and SIT. Did I sit? Nope." But the contractions stopped, thank heavens. It was scary enough to remind me that I really do need to be on modified bed rest. It's not like a normal pregnancy. I HAVE to sit and keep these babies in until at least 36 weeks. 

Stuff & Laundry: I've been nesting. Mainly "worried nesting" that the babies could come whenever so I need to feel prepared. I've been Dreft-ing all the clothes and blankets and burp cloths and anything that the babies might touch. But surprisingly, I have yet to buy some diapers! With Jake, his entire closet was stocked with diapers before he was born and it was so nice to just have diapers ready and waiting. Major peace of mind for some reason. So I don't know what my deal is, but I need to get on that STAT.  Heaven knows we are gonna need a lot. 

Stretch marks: Lots. 

Belly button: It's reached its end. I can't even look at it.

Feeling: Heavy. The pressure is crazy. I feel like they're gonna bust out at times. 

Doctor Visits: I used to love to see my specialist. I get an ultrasound every time and get to see the twins' cute little bodies. But now that they are bigger and running out of room, it's hard to get a clear picture of them. And I have to lay there for-e-ver while the techs move the wand thing all over my sensitive belly. It's just no fun anymore. But I am VERY GRATEFUL to see a specialist and have the babies' health monitored so closely. Everything has been going smoothly. They are moving lots. Gaining weight on trend and within just an ounce or two of each other. I really have been blessed with awesome health for this pregnancy. We are lucky. I hear twin pregnancy horror stories allllll the time and I am so happy that everything is right as rain so far. I'm resigned to the fact that I'll most likely be having a c-section. Oh well. If that's the worst that's gonna happen with this pregnancy, then fine by me. Just give me healthy babies that don't have to visit the NICU. 

Names: I hate saying in case we totally change our minds like we did with Jake. (He was supposed to be a Max, but he looked nothing like a Max.) I will say that we are 100% decided on the boy name (Maybe 99%) The girl name: Well I'm 100% set on the name I like. Scott's 100% set on the name he likes. So, we're getting nowhere fast. 

Best moment of the week: I got my City Select stroller in Ruby Red. Happy. 

So, with all that said...I just gotta make it to at least 36 weeks...which is two days after Christmas. Then we can breathe a sigh of relief. If babies are still breech at that time, my doctor will schedule the c-section for 38 weeks. Which would be awesome if I could make it that far. After 36 weeks, every extra week is gravy. 

Let's do this! 

And by "do" I mean sit in my lazy boy and watch The Paradise. 

garrison twins update

Meet Baby A<----- Girl!

Meet Baby B-----> Boy!

Baby Girl will be born first since she is lowest. She's constantly kicking me in the bladder and hip bones. Baby Boy is lying pretty much sideways across the top part of my belly so he's got lots of room. (He better turn head down eventually. Though I've pretty much accepted the fact that I will in all likelihood be having a c-section.)

One of the blessings of being pregnant with twins is the number of ultrasounds I get. I see both my OB and a Perinatologist which is a twin specialist and specializes in analyzing ultrasounds. Every month I get an in depth ultrasound and they've been lasting about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours long. The perinatologist and his assistants check every inch of both babies. It is very reassuring, though after a while I do get tired of the ultrasound wand thingy rubbing all over my belly--and sometimes it hurts! Especially if they need to get one of the babies to move or turn to get a good picture and check organs, etc. It always hurts more with Baby Boy for some reason. 

Everything looks perfect with Baby Girl. So no worries there. Baby Boy's placenta is very slightly detached at one corner, so I'm not supposed to lift anything. I've heard that rule before but this time I'm really trying to follow it. Though with a two year old it's pretty rough to stick to at times. But all is well. Baby B also has placenta "lakes" which look like pockets of air in the placenta. The worry is that they can possibly fill with blood and interfere with his development. But everything is A-OK at the moment :) 

I have a pretty positive attitude about it all and really just don't stress about it. It's a kind of denial really. I just choose to think that everything is fine and all will be well. Plus, I feel them kick and move so much that I know they are happy and healthy. 

Starting at my next ultrasound, the length of time it takes to look over the babies should shorten. Simply because at 28 weeks they will be running out of the room and it will get harder and harder to get a good full visual of them. So then I'm officially ordered by the perinatologist to be on "unofficial bed rest." He told me my job is to be an incubator and just keep those babies in! 

So I'll party it up on Halloween then sit for the next two months eating all of Jake's candy :) Twins are typically born between 36-38 weeks. So at about Christmas they can come anytime. I'm hoping they decide to come no later than December 31st. Because they would make our tax credit super awesome come April :)

I can't wait to hold them and see what they look like and watch them interact with one another and with Jake. Life is gonna be pretty exciting!

california living

We moved again. Big surprise, right? We knew another move was fast approaching but what we didn't expect was to be headed to California! Heavenly Father has truly and majorly blessed us. It is no coincidence that a job opened up in Santa Monica at the same time we found out we were expecting twins. He knew we needed this blessing at this time in our lives. We are so grateful. We are so happy. Being near family again after 7 years is simply heavenly, and I find myself bursting into tears at little things: like my aunt watching Jake while I go to a doctor's appt. How did I live without them for so long?!

Jake loves being here and it makes me so happy to see him play with his cousins and run to them and hug them. He loves them all. I am so thankful he gets to grow up surrounded by family and fun. 

Scott loves his new job, though he doesn't love his commute (which is sometimes two hours one way--LA traffic) But I am so thankful for that sacrifice he makes so we can have the help we need and be by family. He's working hard getting his team how he wants it and is such an amazing provider, priesthood  holder, father and husband. Man I'm lucky!

And I'm just an incubator for the next few months. The twins (Baby A-Girl and Baby B-Boy) are healthy and growing and kicking up a storm in there. They leave me pretty breathless. I feel so blessed to a mother of three! Three! And feel extra blessed to be able to deliver the twins in a large city surrounded by good doctors and a twin specialist that is thorough and kind. 

I just feel taken care of. I feel like my family is taken care of. It is awe-inspiring to see the Lord's timing in our lives. He has given us the blessings we needed and some blessings we didn't know we needed at the perfect time. 

say santa!

Santa brought Scott and I an early Christmas gift. 

A shiny, new camera. 

And so we've been taking pictures left and right. 

And our subject is a bit unwilling most some of the time.

yesterday

yesterday was downright chilly. and i was feeling a bit hermit-like since i've been practically glued to the sewing machine the last couple of weeks. and i was still in pj's at 4pm. and so for all these reasons i was feeling extremely content about staying indoors. but j was bouncing off the walls. i swear his energy level/silliness has gone up tenfold lately. i blame it on the weather. he doesn't get his "run wild and free" time outdoors too much anymore since fall is in full swing.

but i can't deny that sweet face when he's pulling with all his might on the garage door handle, desperately trying to escape to the outside. so bundled up we get, and with his trusty shovel in hand--swinging it like a samurai sword--we went outside. hallejuah!!! i could almost here the words in j's head. running this way then that way then over to the neighbor's house, then over to the other neighbor's house, then calling to the dogs "uuuuhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" cause that's the sound a doggie still makes. (we need to work on animal sounds :)

and you know what? it was really glorious to be out. you forget what a mood changer nature is. instant happiness, instant peace, instant clarity. it's perfectly lovely. the air was crisp, the leaves crunchy, and the company adorable. it makes me think, "i am thankful for everything." truly. life is good.

oh me oh my. november.

holy smokes. it's november. and i've been sewing like crazy to finish up the kaleidoscope string quilt i'm making for my sister. it's my wedding gift to them, so you know, it's gotta be finished! like in a little over two weeks! santa maria. but i'm loving it.

and today's election day. Romney vs. Obama. and i don't know about you, but i'm ready for a little R&R :) and literally a little R&R from all the facebook rantings. sheesh. people be cranky around election time. and super sensitive. and a bit ridiculous. usually i avoid contentious political convos altogether. but the other day, i caved. eh, whatever. i was in the right :)

but i'm glad i voted early. i'm glad i get to vote. period. we are blessed country. and i pray america will always elect righteous leaders who will uphold the rights and privileges that our inspired founding fathers established. otherwise, we're screwed. Mosiah says so :)

feverish

J had his first big boy fever the other day. It only lasted 24 hours but it had me worried. I knew he was feeling yucky because he cuddled me all day. We sat on the couch for hours and had an Avonlea marathon. He hugged me and hugged me and slept off and on. He took three naps during the day which is soooo not like him. Most days, I'm lucky if he'll take one 1 hour nap. The fever reached 101 at its peak. But by the next morning he was right as rain and begging to go outside. Phew. Now, we've got to get him back to sleeping in his crib. Love my cuddle bug.

life lately, according to my iphone

what a whirlwind life has been. new town, new house, new store for scott, new ward, new state, new experiences.

wednesday and thursday of last week the movers came and packed us up. boy is that wonderful. i could never move without them now. and i couldn't have stayed sane over the process if it wasn't for some awesome people in good ol' Cookeville. My friend Kara helped me pry our cat out from inside my mattress box spring because he was so freaked out by all the boxes and noises. My wonderful visiting teacher Alyssa watched Jake for almost five hours while Scott and I cleaned like mad (she even changed two poopy diapers which makes her a gold star visiting teacher and instant access into heaven.) My friend and fellow YW leader Mandi brought over treats for the car ride. And the awesome, beautiful and incredible Riches sisters, Lindsay and Rachel, my adorable--and very capable might i add--young women, let us use their family's work truck and hose to haul trash and boxes and paper to the dump. Lindsay even climbed on top of the dumpster to get a work line going more efficiently. They ding dong ditched me a couple of times with treats and notes and I most definitely may have cried.

the service and love shown our family in Cookeville is just...i don't know even know how to express our gratitude. the people there are amazing. hard-working, kind and giving. truly special people. and we are so blessed to have known them. 

friday night, around 8 pm, after an exhausting day of moving and cleaning and goodbye-ing, we left the Riches house and headed for our new home. 6 hours away. we were beyond tired but figured Jake would sleep the whole way if we were lucky. scott was a trooper and drove the whole way there. i offered to switch, honestly! but i think his mind was in the, "i just want to get there," and "you drive too slowly" mode. which is true. i'm a stickler for speeding laws. 

but i was grateful he did drive, because holy hannah, it rained hard most of the time. and if it wasn't raining, there was thick fog. if there wasn't fog, then there was wind. and it was pitch black on a windy, mountain road known as "the dragon's trail" that snakes its way over the Blue Ridge Mountains. i tell you what, it was fun. not.

but scott was great. the babe stayed asleep. and we made it in around 3:30 am. i blew a kiss to emily and "jef with one f" as we passed Charlotte. ;) we went straight to our new little house, brought in some blankets (the movers packed our air mattress! doh!) and slept on the floor. it was not comfortable. but it was only for a couple of hours and then the movers showed up to move our stuff in.

wow it's exhausting just to remember everything that's happened. i've been unpacking all day every day. cleaning and also laying on the couch because i'm tuckered out! jake's sleep schedule has been horrific. but it's getting better. (just in time to screw him up even more when we leave for california next week. oi.) 

and Albemarle? whether its pronounced al-ba-mar-ul or al-buh-mar, it is tiny. smaller than Cookeville. which is crazy. restaurant choices here is pretty much Applebee's or Applebee's. take your pick. in Cookeville, i had TJ Maxx as my saving grace. here in Albemarle, i got...hmmm....zilch. but...looking on the bright side, i'm only 45 minutes away from Concord which boasts everything my heart could desire. so, the glass is half full i guess.

tune into my next post, The Hmong. it's quite a surprise and an interesting tale.

xoxoxo

albemarle, north carolina. yes. we are moving. yet again. you may think we're secretly gypsies but i assure you we're not. though i would dearly love a pony. simply put, the whole reason for all this moving is that we feel free at the moment. we don't have kids in school yet and scott works for a company that provides awesome opportunities all over the country. why not move and advance your career if you can? i'd rather get all the moving around done with now rather than later when jake does start school and begins making friends. and since we don't live by family anyways, i really don't mind packing up and moving again.

i almost view this past year in tennessee as a tender mercy from the Lord. i feel so lucky that we were able to live in the same mission where my brother is serving. i feel like it's definitely helped my mom relax a bit knowing that spencer has family nearby if he needed anything, and it's been fun for me to feel like i have family nearby too (even though he's on a mission :)

tennessee has been great. and i know the thing i'll miss the most is my Cookeville YW and my fellow YW leaders. they are awesome. each one a total studmuffin. the youth of the church are simply amazing. they are fun and courageous and beautiful and such great examples to all around them. gonna miss those gals. lots.

but i'm sure we'll love north carolina just as much. the church is remarkably true wherever you go. we'll be just an hour outside Charlotte. two and a half hours from the beach. fairly close to some skiing and the mountains. and hello!...NASCAR! haha. dream come true. actually, the real dream come true is that i'll be able to hang out with my best friend, Emily. you may have seen her on the Bachelorette this season. it's going to be epic.

so we're excited. a new adventure looms. and it's coming up quick. like, in two weeks y'all. real quick. north carolina here we come!

life lately//via instagram