McAllister Clan

Jaundice

2011-10-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

So anyone who has had a baby knows how common jaundice is. Alena had just a tiny touch of jaundice while she was in the NICU, but it was never anything that we got concerned about. She never even had to go under the bilirubin lights. Well, when they were discharging Bryson from the hospital the doctors said he was starting to look like he had a little touch of jaundice and we should call to follow up with our pediatrician once we were home. We went home on a Sunday, called the doctor Monday and they had us come in on Tuesday, August 9th. By this point our little guy was looking really yellow which you can see in these pictures.

These totally don't even do it justice, he was yellow from head to toe. Even the whites of his eyes were yellow. Dr Carter wanted us to go and have his bilirubin levels tested to see what his level was to decide if we needed to do anything for it.

For those of you that don't know, bilirubin is the waste of broken down red blood cells. It is normally processed by the liver and then passes into the intestines and is passed in poop. Babies can have an excess of bilirubin in their systems for 3 reasons, one because their blood circulates more quickly because they are smaller so the red blood cell waste builds up more quickly, two because their livers are not developed to the point of being able to handle the amount of bilirubin produced, and three because the bilirubin is reabsorbed from the intestines before the baby passes it. If there is a build up of bilirubin in the system it causes jaundice which is a yellowing of the skin and eyes. If the build up level gets too high it can actually cause deafness, cerebral palsy and other brain damage. You can see why it is important to treat jaundice as quickly as possible and why the Dr wanted to be sure we checked Bryson's levels.

We took Bryson straight to the lab, they poked his heal, got the blood they needed and told us we would hear from the doctor soon. About an hour after we got home the doctor called. The first thing he said was, "Guys these numbers aren't good. We sound the panic alarms if the level is 20 or higher and little Bryson is at 19.7." I asked him what we needed to do. Knowing he came back that high really had me worried. I asked the doctor what we needed to do, fully expecting him to tell us to head back to the hospital so he could be treated with the bilirubin lights. When babies are jaundiced they can lay on a little bed of lights that is essentially a form of a tanning bed. The special lights break down the bilirubin in the system even farther so that it can be released from the body in both urine and poop. This helps it exit the body quicker and bring down the bilirubin level. Rather than tell us to go to the hospital though he said that a set of lights was on its way to our house. I was so relieved, I didn't want to have to go back to the hospital. He told us to have Bryson on the lights whenever he wasn't eating. The more light exposure he gets the faster the bilirubin is broken down and the sooner he could be off the lights all together. He told us to take Bryson to the lab again the following day so that we could see where his level was after some time on the lights.

Well at about 10:30 pm on the 9th the lights showed up. They taught us how to use them (pretty easy) and then I feed him and laid him on the lights.

Doesn't he look so cute. There was a flat bed with lights all underneath him and then a paddle that laid over the top of him while he laid inside the little suit that fastened to the bed. I think the next 3 days were the hardest for me since Bryson was born. All I wanted to do was snuggle my new little one but all I could do was feed him and put him back on his lights. I would just sit by him, hold his little hand and cry. That's what hormones will do to you my friends.

We called it his little blue space suit. I think it is cute, but I still hated having to have him on them all the time.

His level on the 10th was down to 18.5, so he stayed on the lights. Level on the 11th was 15.8, stay on the lights. When we took him in on the 12th his level came back at 13. At that point Dr Carter said he didn't have to be on the lights all the time but I still had him sleep on them that night. We tested him again on the 13th and it came back at 14.5. The doctor said that so long as we felt he was eating and pooping consistently that we didn't need to have him tested anymore and we could keep him off the lights, but if we felt like he was starting to look more yellow to call and he would put in the order for more labs. Well, we didn't feel like we were seeing any change but when we took him in for his 2 week appointment on the 18th he said he thought he still looked yellow, so he sent us back to the lab. Other than the jaundice Bryson looked great. He weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz (passed up his birth weight) which was the 16th percentile and he was still 21 inches long, the 67th percentile. He is a long and lean little boy, just like his daddy.

Well we went to the lab and his level came back at 16. Dr Carter said if we tested him again the following day and it was higher then he would have to go back on the lights. We took him in again on the 19th and it came back at 15. Since it didn't go up they decided we could be all done with the lights. His little body was managing it as well as it could so we just waited for him to get passed it completely on his own. Luckily within the next few weeks he wasn't looking yellow at all. We finally had a healthy pink baby instead of a yellow one. Quite the ordeal, but we are so glad that that was all we had to deal with.

Here Comes Baby: The Birth Story

2011-10-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

As I said in the previous post, I went to bed Thursday night at about 11:30 pm wondering how many more times I would go to bed still pregnant. Little did I know that would be my last time. I was surprised at how quickly I fell asleep that night, I was clearly exhausted and I fell quickly into a deep sleep. Just after 2:00 am I woke up needing to go to the bathroom (very normal) so in I went. While in the bathroom I noticed some very strong pain in my back (also very normal for me at this point) so I decided I would soak in a nice warm tub for a while before getting back in bed. I filled the tub and noticed the pain getting strong again. I waited through it and when I felt it again a few minutes later I thought to myself "I think I might be in labor". The next pain came and I realized I had to really breathe to get through. I realized I didn't have a clock in the bathroom or anyway to really know how far apart my pains were or how long they were lasting. I thought, "If I have another one soon I'll go get the timer." Minutes later another pain started, I closed my eyes and began to breathe. While breathing I felt a warm gush between my legs (remember, I'm in the tub) and I thought "Did I just pee again?" Sorry if that was TMI, but once the contraction was over I opened my eyes and realized I hadn't peed, my water had broke. All I could do was smile and think "MY BABY IS COMING!!!"

I tried calling to Mike to get him to wake up and help me out of the tub, but he didn't hear me. Another pain came very quickly and I realized that it was even stronger than the one before. I knew things were happening fast. I climbed out of the tub, wrapped myself in a towel and went out of the bathroom. I looked at the clock and it said 2:28. That meant I had had 6 contractions in less that a half hour. I woke up Mike and told him my water had broken and I was contracting really close. As I was telling him on came another one. He ran to get the timer out of the kitchen and I began getting dressed and pulling the last of my stuff together while trying to make phone calls to my mom and my sister Heidi. I was noticing that the contractions were getting more and more painful and they were coming every 3 minutes and lasting 45-60 seconds. I just kept thinking this is really fast, this is really fast. It was hard to get everything pulled together and get Alena up and in the car with me only having about 2 minutes at a time that I could try to accomplish anything. Finally at 3:30 am we had everything together and we were in the car on the way to the hospital.

The drive to the hospital felt longer than I expected it too. I was feeling so much pressure and feeling like I needed to push. That made me start worrying because I really didn't want to have my baby in our car (Eewww). We were going to drop Alena off at Mike's mom's house but I asked him to call her and ask if she could meet us at the hospital. I really felt like we needed to get to the hospital fast. Another thing that was really worrying me was how localized the pain was to my c-section scar. I was really worried that something was going to go wrong. The amount of pain I was feeling in my scar caught me off guard. I hadn't planned for the worry that would cause me and it made it nearly impossible for me to relax. The thought that kept coming to mind was, "I need my mom, I need my mom". I hadn't realized until that moment how much I was grieving the delivery I had hoped to have with my first baby.

When we lived so close to all of my family in Arizona, I was fortunate enough to have been present for many of the births of my nieces and nephews. Natural childbirth is a difficult thing and it was always a great support to have all the sisters close by to offer encouragement and be there for that special time as a new little spirit entered the world. The plan for Alena's delivery was that I would have my mom, my 4 older sisters, and my younger sister Heidi there with me for the delivery. I had planned to do it without an epidural and that strong support system was going to be very necessary. Little did we know that she would come 6 weeks early and they would have to rush me in for an emergency c-section before anyone was able to get there to be with me other than Mike. Don't get me wrong, I could never have gotten through any of it without Mike, but the support of a woman, especially a sister that has experienced the same thing, is invaluable. I realized at that point as we were driving to the hospital that I was embarking on unknown territory and I didn't have that strong support that I had always envisioned because all but one of them were in a different state. I was lucky enough that my sister Heidi was living up here in Utah in Provo and was able to come up to be with me during my labor and delivery.

With every contraction I was getting more and more tense and more and more emotionally worked up. Every time I just thought, "How can I do this without my mom? I'm not strong enough to do this without all my sisters." We got to the hospital and got up to the triage. They checked me and found that I was at 4 cm, nearly 90% effaced and that my water had indeed broken. It was time to settle in and have this baby. Mike and I were both very excited can you tell?

They checked me in and got me moved to a labor/delivery room. Heidi got to the hospital just as they were moving me, and I was so relieved to see her. Through all this time my contractions came consistently every 3 minutes and they were each lasting about a minute. They got me to my room at about 4:45 am and asked me if I would like an epidural. My plan had been to do the delivery without one but I already wasn't coping well and Mike could tell. I caved and asked for one. I had too much pent up stress to have been able to handle it on my own. We had to wait while 2 other ladies got their epidurals before me, but at 6:00 am the anesthesiologist came in and inserted the epidural. The nurse checked me when they put it in and I was at 6 cm and almost fully effaced. The epidural didn't work on my left side at first so they had to give me an extra dose of medication and after about an hour I was fully numb. I could still move my legs around a little and feel a little of the tightening of the contractions, but I wasn't hurting anymore. Now it was just time to sit back and let the contractions do their thing while I tried to get a little rest.

We watched a movie and visited and listened to the "labor music" I had brought with me. It was nice to feel so relaxed and comfortable at the hospital. The nurses and doctors I had were all wonderful and we were so happy Bryson was on his way. At 9:00 am they started me on a level 1 pitocin drip to up my contraction strength just a little bit. At 10:00 am they upped the drip to a level 3. The contractions didn't get any closer together but they got stronger and I was able to feel them just a little more, but they weren't uncomfortable. After they upped me to a level 3 (which is still very very low, they usually up you till you are at 20) Bryson's heart rate started dropping with each of my contractions. They tried having me lay in different positions and they had me go on oxygen to see if it would help his rate stay stable. Don't I look attractive :-)

They put me on internal monitors for his heart rate and my contractions. They wanted the readings to be as accurate as possible, but they still saw too much fluctuation. They stopped the pitocin at 11:00 am and I was at almost 9 cm and fully effaced. I knew that meant that I probably could have started pushing with in the hour, but they wanted to make sure that Bryson's heart rate stayed stable before we started trying to deliver him. We popped in another movie and watched the monitors and anticipated his entry into the world. At 1:00 pm the doctor came back in and said that they felt his heart rate was looking really good and they wanted to see where I was at. She checked and I was a full 10 cm and 100% effaced. She asked me if I was feeling like I needed to push yet. I said I wasn't really feeling anything and she said if it was ok with me we would wait about another hour and let the contractions bring Bryson a little further down the birth canal. I said that was fine. The less work I had to do the better right. Mike started getting really antsy and I finally had to tell him that he had to sit down and relax because he was making me nervous.

The team came back in at 1:45 pm and prepped everything. My nurse started telling me that with a first time vaginal delivery it was normal for it to take 90 minutes to 2 hours of pushing. I was confident I could do it faster than that. I was having this baby now and nothing was going to get in my way :-) I started pushing at 1:55 pm and our sweet little boy was born at 2:25 pm. 30 Minutes, Boo-ya!

Our little Bryson Michael weighed in at 7 lbs 1 oz and was 21 inches long. He was the most beautiful little boy it was wonderful!

Proud daddy with our little guy.

I was so happy to have my baby in my arms. Disregard how haggard I look, I just went through 12 hours of labor :-)

We were both just so happy to have him with us.

I love his puffy face in this one. He was just starting to open his eyes for me. He has the greatest blue eyes you ever saw.

I felt so blessed to have such an amazing team of doctors and nurses there for me. They were all so sweet and supportive. This is Dr. Clark, she was the attending physician from our practice. She came in to supervise the delivery.

Then this is the group that was with me through the majority of the labor and all the delivery. On the left is Dr Hilary Conway. She is the resident that actually delivered Bryson. Next to Mike on the other side is Christine one of my WONDERFUL nurses and then Anne the intern that assisted Dr Conway through the delivery.

Then my fabulous sister Heidi who I could not have done it without! She was a trooper and stayed with me through the whole Labor and Delivery even though she was nearly 37 weeks pregnant herself.

I love that you can just see how much Mike adores his little boy. He is such a good daddy, I'm so blessed to have him.

I love this picture because the puffiness is starting to go down and you can just see how sweet his little face is.

One of the best parts of the day was when Alena got to come to the hospital to meet her new baby brother. She was so excited to hold the baby.

Bryson started to fuss a little bit and you can see that she was concerned by that.

But once he calmed down you can see that she adores him just as much as mommy and daddy do.

Bryson had a bath and Alena still just couldn't get enough of him.

She is such a wonderful, helpful big sister.

We attempted a family picture, but it didn't work out too well. As you can see, I look possessed, Alena was being a stinker, and Bryson was all fussy. Life with little kids I guess.

Before we knew it we were all bundled up and headed home. Now real life begins!! I LOVE IT!

The Waiting Game: The Pre-Birth Story

2011-10-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

There is a little background that needs to be given to help understand some of the views and feelings we had with this pregnancy. As some of you know Alena's pregnancy was rather difficult and full of surprises. It started out very hard, smoothed out a little in the middle and then very unexpected at 34 weeks there was Alena :) We were so lucky that everything was ok with her and that she is the sweet, healthy, little girl we have today. Following Alena's delivery (via emergency C-Section) my doctors said that I should expect early babies with each pregnancy from now on. We weren't too worried though knowing we could be prepared for it and knowing the wonderful technology there is to help such little miracles.

Well, then came the wonderful news that we were expecting baby number 2. I was ecstatic but realized that it meant a pretty difficult few months ahead. Not long after finding out we were pregnant I started getting pretty sick. Luckily knowing how sick I was last time they put me straight on some good medications that helped me not have such a hard time. Still had a rough time, but not nearly as bad as it could have been.

Well, at about 18 weeks I was mostly getting passed the sickness and the doctors felt we should start addressing the possibility of another preterm baby. My wonderful doctor told me that they had been having a lot of success in treating women with previous preterm babies by having them have weekly progesterone injections. He told me that the added progesterone helped to strengthen the cervix and the sac that the baby is in to try to prevent early dilation and water rupture. The progesterone also counteracts the production of oxytocin which is what causes women to contract during labor. The hope was that in having me do the injections from week 18 to week 35 we would avoid another early baby and another NICU stay. We were all for it! As unappealing as a weekly shot in the backside was, it was a far better alternative. So my wonderful hubby Mike learned how to give me the shot and dutifully stuck a very large needle in my rump every Wednesday night for 18 weeks.

Dr. Branch wanted us to be aware that though the shots could help, they would not guarantee us a full-term baby. He told us we should still be prepared for a baby to come at 34 weeks like Alena, so prepare we did :) We made sure that everything was ready for our little guy to arrive and my 34th week came and went with no activity. We were very happy that week 35 followed in a similar fashion. At my 36 week appointment they checked to see if I was progressing and we found that I was dilated just passed 1 cm and was 60% effaced. Very normal numbers, but we were excited to know that my body was preparing for little Bryson to come. Waited through another week while having contractions on and off daily till my 37 week appointment. We had made it to the full-term mark, something we really didn't expect. At this appointment we had made a little more progress and I was at 2 cm and 70% effaced. Our little guys was going to be a full term baby which we couldn't have been happier about, but we now had to address another issue with his delivery.

Since Alena was born by C-Section, we were hoping that Bryson's birth could be a VBAC delivery which is a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. There are many factors that a doctor considers when deciding to allow a woman to attempt this. There are increased chances for uterine rupture because of the formed scar tissue and a labor needs to be monitored very closely to ensure that the uterus is handling the contractions okay. My doctor also had to take into account that my labor with Alena went very very quickly. He didn't want me to progress too far on my own "Pre Labor" because they want to have you monitored from 4 cm onward. At my 37 week appointment he told me that if at my next appointment I was near the 4 cm mark they would induce labor to ensure full monitoring during labor. This got my hopes up :) I was already progressing and I noticed my contractions getting more intense and there were even times when they came very very regular. I figured I was only about a week away from having my little boy!

Well, we made it to my next appointment and I was disappointed to hear that there had been no change that week. I was still only 2 cm and 70% effaced. They said not to worry because I was still having my pre labor contractions and they would see me in a week. I could hardly believe it! All the contractions weren't doing anything. I was already 4 weeks more pregnant than I had ever been and I had been mentally prepared for another 34 week baby. My mind was done being pregnant but my body had other plans. Day after day I hoped for a change and Mike was so wonderful and supportive. He tried to keep my mind busy and suggested a night out in hopes that it would be our last one for a while. We went to dinner and out goofy golfing. I'm sure that everyone that saw us thought we looked "Goofy" indeed, seeing as how I was waddling around 38 and a half weeks pregnant, but we had a wonderful time.


July 29th, 2011 - 38 and a half weeks

Well, I woke up 3 days later on Monday, August 1st and I couldn't believe it. I was still pregnant! Never from the time I found out I was pregnant did I EVER think I would still be pregnant when August came around, but here it was and my little bugger was still inside. On Tuesday I was 39 weeks and still no Bryson. I woke up Wednesday to go to my doctors appointment and I just knew that there had to be progression. I knew that they were going to tell me I was ready to have this baby. I went in to the appointment very positive and Sam the wonderful midwife that works with my doctor came in to check me. I was anxiously watching her face as she did the exam and I knew instantly from the look on her face that I wasn't going to like was she was going to say. Before she could say anything I already had tears in my eyes, "Still no change". I couldn't believe it. She could tell how disappointed I was and then Dr. Branch came in and asked where I was at. Sam told him still no change and he looked at me and said in a playful voice, "This is what you wanted. You didn't want another early baby. We did good." I quickly replied, "You're right I didn't want another 34 week baby, but I didn't want a 40 week baby either!" I tried to be positive as they talked about the options if I made it to my appointment the following week. I didn't even want to think about one more week being pregnant. I'm sorry, but I don't like being pregnant. The end result is TOTALLY worth it, but I don't enjoy the process, hate me if you want. We left the appointment and I drove Mike to work. As soon as he was out of the car I broke down. I couldn't help the feelings off, "If I had just opted for another C-Section I would have my baby right now because my doctors office schedules them at 39 weeks." It seriously felt like it was never going to end. I knew it would, but I just couldn't see an end in sight. I allowed myself a couple of hours of self pity, but then I knew it was time to just get over it and keep on waiting.

I woke up Thursday and went about my day. I tried to stay as busy as my large pregnant self would allow, but I mostly lazed around with Alena and waited for something to happen. Mike came home from work, we had dinner, watched some Netflix and then headed to bed. Another day come and gone, with no baby. I fell asleep thinking "How many more do I have to do?" Not realizing the excitement that was going to start only 2 short hours later :)

He's Here :)

2011-08-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome Bryson Michael McAllister

Born August 5th, 2011 @ 2:25PM

7 pounds 1 oz, 21 inches long

Happy, Healthy and Handsome :)

Birth details and updates to come

Pregnancy Update: 32 Weeks

2011-06-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

So I know I haven’t done one in forever, but life has been a little hectic the last couple months. Here it goes:

The Bump:

Maternity Clothes:
Well I have to be in maternity shirts all the time cuz my normal shirts don’t fit at all anymore, even some of my t-shirts are too tight around the middle, I’ve only got a few of the super big ones that I can wear to lounge around the house. Haven’t had to switch to maternity pants though, I can still wear my normal ones. There is one pair that I have to use the rubber band trick on, but that is just for comfort, not totally necessary.

Best Moment This Week:
Well this is really the best moments the last couple months, but who’s keeping track.

Moving into our apartment has been super fun, and it is great to feel like we are settling into our own space. It is still a little rough to figure out where to store stuff since there isn’t a ton of extra space, but we are making it work. I think the hardest part is the kitchen. I need like twice the amount of cabinets that I have to fit all of my stuff. We are making it work though and Holly is nice enough to let us store some of the stuff we don’t need all the time over at her place still.

We were able to make the little trip down to Oak City, Utah for my family’s traditional Memorial Day Breakfast weekend. It was so much fun and so great to see family. There are quite a few of the cousins expecting babies between now and the end of the year and it was fun to see how much the family will be growing. This picture shows most of us, but we are missing 3 just that I know of. Lots and lots of new babies!!

Mike’s sister Haley and her husband Brett have been living down south in Mapleton, Utah for the last year were Haley has been teaching 8th grade English and coaching track and Brett has been doing school at BYU. They are expecting a baby the 1st of July and with the school year being over they made the move up to Salt Lake so they could be closer to family. We are so excited to have them closer and can’t wait for their little girl to get here!!

They opened the pools in our complex here and it has been heavenly to be able to take advantage of them! They are really nice and kept really clean and Alena absolutely LOVES the water!! I will post pics and video of her swimming. She is seriously like a little fish and I love it. Being in the pool does wonders for my back pain and it is just nice to have a little weightless time every once and a while.

Lastly, Mike and I were able to have a just us date night this last weekend. We don’t have them nearly as often as we should, and it was so nice to have some time just one on one with him. We went down to Temple Square and had dinner at the Lion House Pantry. We had intended to go to The Garden but it was closed. We were kinda bummed because Mike wanted to have some of their fried Pickles, but the Lion House was just as yummy. Then we went and did a little shopping at Deseret Book. I could seriously spend hours there; there is so much to look at and read and enjoy. Love it! Then we walked over to the Brigham Young park that is just across the street where they were having a free outdoor concert. They had a fun bluegrass gospel quartet that sang and Mike and I really enjoyed it. We found out that the church lines up 2 concerts a week there during the summer and we plan to go again. Love my honey and getting to spend time with him.

Movement:

This little bugger definitely likes to move. He flops around all day and they are sometimes strong enough to knock me off balance if I’m not too careful. He is still in a transverse (sideways) position so I get a lot of kicks and jabs in my sides but he gets my ribs a lot too. Sometimes I’m surprised I’m not bruised from how hard he hits me.

Funny story – a couple weeks ago I was sitting with Alena on the couch. She was sitting sideways on my lap watching TV and she was leaned up against my tummy. Bryson kicked against her really hard and Alena looked up at me and says, “ Stop it Mommy! Don’t push Alena!” She was so offended. I told her it wasn’t me, that Baby Bryson did it, but she wouldn’t believe me. She moved off my lap and was very put out.

Food Cravings:

I don’t really have any strong cravings these days. I still have some issues with nausea (BLAH) so I usually just nibble throughout the day. It works, but I’m looking forward to my appetite (among other things) getting back to normal once this guy comes.

What I Miss:

Comfortable sleeping. It is impossible to get comfortable these days. I feel like something is always hurting, whether it is my back or my hips or my legs. I’m just uncomfortable, but that is to be expected. I also miss being able to have my back popped. It is something I really enjoy but not being able to lay on my tummy makes it not happen. Only a few more weeks I keep telling myself.

Sleep:

I guess this should be “Lack of” sleep, but that’s ok. Between me being uncomfortable, getting up constantly to go to the bathroom, and Alena’s new found joy of being up 5 times a night (I thought I had a few more weeks before I was getting up again in the night with a kid), good stretches of sleep are hard to come by. It’s nice that I am able to take it easy at home during the day though. If not I would be a total mess!

What I Am Looking Forward To:

Stopping my weekly progesterone injections. It seriously gets tedious getting poked in the rear every week! They actually added one more shot onto my original 16, so 14 down and only 3 to go!! I’m also excited for this because it means this little guy can come safely anytime after that. I am now only 2 weeks away from when I had Alena and my doctor said that if I got one week farther than that he was happy. It’s coming up quick, but I’m trying to not get my hopes up that he comes early. Still have to try and keep the idea of 8 more weeks in my brain!

Symptoms:

Still a little nauseous every few days, super tired, super uncomfortable, Braxton Hicks contractions every once and a while, but all in all I’m doing ok. Just pregnant!

The Bathrooms

2011-03-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to show y'all what I picked out for the bathrooms in our new place.

This is what I picked out for the kids/guest bathroom

I thought it was fun and worked for it being the kids, but at the same time it isn't all cartoons and play. I was even able to get the entire set for a total discount and saved $30 on it!! WooHoo! I still have to decide what color I want to do for the bathrug and additional towels. I could buy more of the matching towels, but I don't know that I want white towels to use for the kids and stuff. I do have plenty of colors to choose from, so I'm sure I will end up with something that I like. I'll let you know what I decide :)

This is what I picked for Mike and my bathroom.

I know you are probably thinking that it is a little girly, but such is the life of a husband when the wife is doing the decorating. I liked it because I felt like it gives some fun design to the bathroom. Mike and I decided together that we want to do shades of gray for our towels and bathrug and get some really classy bathroom accessories, and I felt like this fit that well without being boring.

Two days till we get our keys!!! I can't wait. I'm trying to decide what I should move over first since Thursday will be spent with me just taking over small loads of stuff. The big stuff will move on Friday and that will be our first night there. Yay for moving :) I'll post pictures and stuff once we are in and give you all a "tour" of the new digs.

Pregnancy Update: 20 Weeks (a little late)

2011-03-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

The Bump:

This is actually taken at 20.5 weeks, but I figure it's close enough.

Maternity Clothes:

So I am carrying Bryson so different from how I carried Alena. She was always so high, where Bryson sits down pretty low. I have worn a maternity shirt a few times when we’ve gotten dressed up and gone out just cuz it is more comfortable and I don’t want to be in just a junky T-Shirt, but they still aren’t totally necessary.

Best Moment This Week:

Well, this is more the best moments in the last 2 weeks, but Mike and I found an apartment to move into. Staying in Holly’s basement has been a huge blessing to us, but with #2 on the way, it’ll be really nice to have the space and get a good solid schedule reinstated. We love the location and the layout and the price is perfect! We were supposed to sign and get our keys on April 20th, but got a call yesterday that it will be ready for us next week!! I’ve got a busy 6 days ahead of me, but I can’t wait to start getting settled.

Movement:

I can tell Bryson is getting bigger because his kicks are definitely getting stronger. He flips and flops all over the place and Mike is starting to feel more and more of them. It is so reassuring every time I feel him move.

Food Craving:

I’m finally getting back to a somewhat normal appetite (Hallelujah) but I am absolutely loving bagels with cream cheese and peanut butter. Seriously, it is fantastic!! I’ve been craving dairy too, but when I eat too much of it I start getting nauseous again so I have to be careful to not get carried away. One yogurt or piece of cheese or bowl of cereal: Not all of those at once, ha ha!

What I Miss:

Energy! I swear there are times when it feels like I am never going to have the energy to go through an entire day without taking a break. There is so much I want to do, and I hate stopping to rest because while I do Alena undoes what ever I have just finished doing. Depressing, but such is life. I just have to roll with it I guess.

Sleep:

Still falling asleep most of the time on my right side, but my left side is starting to almost be more comfortable, if I can consider anything comfortable these days. I’m not finding myself on my back anymore which is a good thing, but I’m tossing and turning, and waking up a lot.

What I Am Looking Forward To:

Per 2 posts above, I am looking forward to 2 things right now:

1 – A full nights sleep. I know that won’t come till a while after little Bryson gets here, but still, I can’t wait!

2 – Moving into our apartment. I’m excited to be able to do some new decorating (really only done with new stuff for the bathrooms and new bedding for us and both the kids, it is an apartment after all) and just have a little more space. I have found my favorite option for each of the kids.

This is what I am really liking for Bryson right now:

I think the colors are super cute and I know it is hard to see, but I love that they incorporate both the polka dots and the stripes. I really think I'm in love and the set comes with the bumper, the crib sheet, the dust ruffle, and the comforter shown hanging on the wall.

This is what I'm liking for Alena. We saw it at Ikea a week ago and I fell in love!!

The comforter is patchwork style with all sorts of prints in corresponding colors but it all mostly follows the theme from the pillow. I really really love them!! The kids will be sharing a room in the apartment so I feel like the 2 sets complement each other while still staying feminine for Alena and little boy for Bryson. What do you think??

Symptoms:

Not really having any symptoms at this point with the nausea mostly gone other than feeling uncomfortable all the time, I just tell myself everyday that it is worth it! I can’t wait to meet this little man!!!

~*~Per my side note 2 weeks ago, I have been doing (or rather Mike has been doing) my weekly progesterone injections. Seriously, butt shots stinks!! I’m sore for 3 to 4 days afterwards but other than that they haven’t been too bad. Three down and only 13 more to go and then Bryson can make his debut at anytime. Am I getting anxious to be done too soon??~*~

And just to throw it in because I think it is super cute, a little shot of my sweet little girl! I love the smile and the pizza remnants on her face. She is seriously the sweetest thing in the world.

Pregnancy Update: 18 Weeks

2011-03-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

The Bump:
Not flattering at all, but it is what it is. I'm still learning the best way to take them. I didn't take a single one with my pregnancy with Alena, but I told myself I just have to do them, flattering or not.

Maternity Clothes:

Not quite into Maternity clothes yet, but I think if I was actually getting ready everyday I would probably be in a few things. Funny thing is that with the weight I lost being sick at the beginning even my normal “skinny” pants are big on me. Crazy that I only lose weight when I’m pregnant, but such is life.

Best Moment This Week:

Finding out that we are having a BABY BOY!!!!!

Meet Bryson Michael McAllister

Also, finally getting back on top of our house after being M.I.A. for 2 and a half months being so sick. Now it is just a matter of keeping on top of Alena’s daily messes.

Movement:

I have been feeling little stirrings and flutterings for nearly 4 weeks, but they are getting stronger and so fun to feel. Bryson is very active in the morning and at night when I lay down to go to bed. Also, he likes to sit right up front in my tummy most of the time. It’s really funny!

Food Craving:

I’m still dealing with quite a bit of nausea these days, so every day is a matter of what sounds good at that minute. One of the few things that settles my tummy on a regular basis is a little cup of Sunny D. Totally awful I know, but if it keeps me from throwing up I’m all for it!!!

What I Miss:

A full nights sleep. I don’t think I have had one since finding out I was pregnant, and I know I won’t get another till a while after this sweet baby comes. Kinda depressing, I like my sleep.

Sleep:

See above, but as to “How” I’ve been sleeping, the only way I can fall asleep these days is laying on my right side with a pillow between my legs. When I wake up in the night I have usually rolled over to my back, but I have to go right back to my side to fall back asleep. Getting in as much back sleeping as I can before my tummy gets too big to allow it any more.

What I Am Looking Forward To:

Mike and my 4th Wedding Anniversary is tomorrow. My how the time has flown. We will be spending the entire day Friday just the 2 of us (he doesn’t work on Fridays and I love that!!). We will catch a movie or 2, do some shopping, eat some yummy food (we’ll see what I can stomach), and just enjoying being together. I can’t wait!

Symptoms:

As I said before, I’m still pretty nauseous most of the time; I’m really hoping it’ll go away at some point. I was done with nausea at 13 weeks with Alena so this just feels like forever! I’m also starting to have pain in my lower back as my tummy is starting to pop. Sad thing is I know this is just the beginning

~*~ Also, just as a side note, I start weekly injections today that I will do until week 34 of the pregnancy. They are progesterone injections that are supposed to help me not deliver early this time around. The needle is huge, and I’m really not a fan of shots, but if it helps keep this little bugger in as long as he is supposed to be, I’m all for it. ~*~

T-minus 2 days

2011-03-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

So this is the little sign that Mike made to take into work for a poll of his fellow employees on what people think we are going to have. My appointment is Wednesday morning at 8 am and I am super super anxious to know if we will have a little boy or girl joining our family.

I also stole an idea from a family members blog that will be a great way to track this pregnancy from here on out. You will get the first installment of that after the ultrasound on Wednesday as well as the announcement of Blue or Pink.

Log your votes here if you would like. I'd like to know what my family friends think we'll be having :)

Busy, Busy, BUSY!!

2011-02-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't even know where to begin. This last month has been pretty much crazy for our family. It started with us finding out on February 3rd that Mike GOT A JOB!!! He had gone through 3 weeks of interviews and he was the one that got the job. We are so so happy and he is absolutely loving it!

This added a bit of stress to our lives though because we were all leaving the next morning to drive down to Mesa, AZ for a visit with my family. Mike was starting work the next Monday morning here in Salt Lake. What were we going to do? Well, I wasn't going to miss the trip so my wonderful husband drove Alena and I down to Arizona and then flew back up on Sunday night to start work.

Now our trip wasn't just for pleasure and relaxation, it was actually for something very, very exciting. My little brother Preston came home from his mission!! Tuesday the 8th we all headed down to the airport to meet his plane.

Now can you just picture the herd of people standing there at the security gate waiting for one person?? People were amazed and many stopped to ask what/who we were waiting for. 40 people is quite a site at the airport.

Please notice the fabulous sign, all the letters drawn by yours truly :) Other family members helped with the painting and stuff.

Mom was crying 15 minutes before he came out and was up on her tippy toes watching for him the whole time.

Isn't he the sweetest thing?!?! We are all total tear bags, don't hold it against us.

Seeing the first hugs with Mom and Dad was really the greatest thing (aside from being able to hug him myself). It is such a great feeling to witness the honorable return of such a wonderful boy turned to man from a mission serving the Lord.

The next item of business was the mass hug from the nieces and nephews. It was so fun to see them all so excited to see their Uncle Preston.

Alena though would have nothing to do with any of it. She was confused by the whole ordeal and pretty upset that Daddy wasn't there. She is still a sweetheart in my book though!

We then headed for some visiting and fun that lasted that night and the next day and night. We were all pretty excited. Sad thing is Alena started running a fever on Wednesday that lasted till Saturday and then the runny nose and grumpiness lasted the whole next week :( Poor girl.

While Alena and I were busy with family and sickness in Arizona, Mike more than had his hands full up here in Utah. He was going through very intense training for his new job, finishing his last 2 nights of class for his MBA program and then to add to all of that, he also got sick :( I felt really bad that I couldn't be up here to take care of him. He is a total trooper and passed everything with flying colors!! He is all done with his MBA!!! I am so so proud of him and all his hard work. He is constantly amazing me.

Well after way too much time apart, Mike flew back down to Mesa of Friday the 18th. Alena was so happy to see her daddy again and I have to admit I was pretty ecstatic to have him back with us as well. He was back just in time to be a part of the Wilcken family reunion that we had with my dad's side of the family. Lots of fun visiting with cousins, lots of food and fun memories were made.

We added into this taking family pictures since all of the 11 kids were all together again for the 1st time in 2 years. Not to mention, we had 5 new family members since the last picture was taken. It was quite the adventure since we ended up taking them in the rain. It's all about the memories right :)

Well, after 18 days in Mesa, on Monday morning we started the drive back to Salt Lake so Mike could be back to work on Tuesday. So here we are, trying to settle back into a new routine and put our life back together. Crazy thing is I'm not just recouping from a 2 week vacation. . . I was MIA for the previous 2 months sick in bed with the pregnancy. I am feeling pretty good now, not back to 100% but getting closer to it every day. I've got a doctors appointment tomorrow and might be able to find out what we are having this time, but we will have to wait and see.

I should be working on the house rather than this post so I should wrap it up. More updates on life to come (I'm not working anymore, so I'll have the time to do it!)

LUVZ!!

2011-01-31T22:07:00.000-08:00

McAllister Baby #2 due August 9th, 2011

More updates to come. . .

YAY!!!

2010-09-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

Um yeah. . . I love this!!! What do you think?

Trivia Answer

2010-05-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well, those of you who answered the Trivia Question were right (yes even you Erica). This is 712 miles away. . .

That is the house we will be living in in Salt Lake City, Utah (technically we will be living in the basement). We are moving up the week of June 21st. We have a TON of mixed emotions over this.

Excited for the new adventures ahead and the new start we are getting.
Excited to be nearer to some of Mike's family.
Excited to be closer to my sister Heidi and her sweet new baby Lydia (I guess we are excited to see Robert too :)
Excited for the Restaurants that we can only eat at in Utah.
Excited to make new Friends and be closer to old ones.

We are sad to be leaving our house :(
Sad to be away from so much of my family :(
Sad to leave our wonderful ward :(

We know that this is the right thing for us to be doing so we are pushing ahead and getting ready. It's crazy how much stuff there is to do when moving. Cross your fingers that I am able to get it all done with out losing my mind :)

I'll have plenty more updates for you, and pictures of everything in the future. That's it for now. LUVZ!

?? Trivia Question ??

2010-05-16T22:14:00.001-07:00

What is approximately 712 miles away from us??

Having a Hard Time

2010-04-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

**THIS IS A VERY LONG POST. I apologize for this, but I needed to get this out. If you take the time to read it, I appreciate it.**

So I have been dealing with some issues for the last little while, and I thought it might help to "journal" it if you will. This may seem jumbled, and I'm sorry, but it is mostly to try and get my thoughts out in hopes that it will make things a little clearer for me. Here goes nothing. . .

First off, let me start by saying I am not currently pregnant, but a lot of the trouble I am having has a lot to do with this. Parts of this date back a while so I will need to give some background.

As many of you know, I had to have a c-section when Alena was born due to the fact that she was in a breach position. In my appointment 6 weeks following the delivery, it was discovered that I have a "short cervix". A woman's cervix is normally around 1 inch thick, where as mine is just over 1/2 an inch thick. They feel that this most likely was a partial cause of Alena being born 6 weeks early. They also told me that this would most likely cause me to have all of my children premature. They then said that with my history with Alena's pregnancy (more information on this later), the addition of my "short cervix", thin uterine wall, and the fact that I had to have a c-section, they told me that for my own health protection the deliveries of my children needed to be at least 2 years apart. At that point that wasn't really a big deal because that was pretty much what Mike and I were thinking in the first place, but to be sure that we didn't risk any problems or complications we made the decision for me to go on birth control. I started on YAZ and didn't have any trouble with it. I actually felt really good while on the birth control.

After a few months I started really wanting to have another baby, but I knew that I needed to stay on the birth control at least through January of 2010. I had calculated that even if the next baby came just as early as Alena did, if I went off the pill the beginning of February and got pregnant right away then the baby would still come 1 month after Alena's 2nd birthday. This was perfect for me and I was anxiously counting down to the time when I could go off the pill and we could have another baby. Life however had a different plan for us. We found out the middle of November that the company Mike was working for was getting rid of the health insurance benefit. Given my pregnancy history we knew we couldn't have a baby without insurance. We began looking for plans but there was nothing that we could afford and they all had horrible wait periods on pregnancy coverage. I would have had to wait a year with the coverage before I could become pregnant and that was much too long for me to wait. I know there are more babies ready to come to our family, and I need to have them as soon as is possible.

With the ending of our health insurance it was even more important that I not become pregnant, I had to stay on my birth control. It was hard for me to go past the date I had been planning on stopping my pills, but it was the best thing to happen. During this time the refills on my prescription ran out. With being uninsured I could not go in to the doctor to have a new prescription written. They were having to approve individual refills on my pills. This wasn't a problem until the middle of March. I called in my prescription to have it filled, but it wasn't approved by the day I needed to start taking it. I would have been ok for me to start the day after and take 2 pills that day, but it still wasn't filled. The last option was to start that Sunday (3 more days) but they still didn't fill the prescription. I called my doctor to ask them what they thought I should do. They said that because of some of my past history, that the best thing for me would be to wait until my next cycle to start another pack of pills. At first I didn't think this would be a problem, but of course an issue had to come up :(

After about a week off my pills I started having some issues with depression. I have had trouble with this other times in the past, so I wasn't terribly surprised that it came up. I had a really hard time with it though and I knew that I didn't want to go through the adjustment of coming off the pills again in a few more months. Mike and I have decided that I will not start my pills again, and we will try other ways for having me not get pregnant (REALLY SORRY IF THIS IS TMI FOR ANYONE).

With going off the pills, me being pregnant has become more of a possibility. This is very exciting for me but it has started to become a very scary thing for me as well. This is the majority of what I am having a hard time with now.

As I said before, I would talk about the difficulty I had with my pregnancy with Alena. I had been skipping periods before I found out I was pregnant with Alena. I started taking pregnancy test in October and they always came up negative. I took a test every week and they were always negative, but I never started my period. Mike was finishing up college during this and was graduating that December. We knew he would then be going full time at his job and we would then have health insurance. I didn't want to go in before we had insurance and end up with a "Pre Existing Condition" issue so since I wasn't having pain or any bad symptoms I decided I would wait till we had insurance to go and see the doctor. I continued taking tests and they kept being negative.

Our insurance went into effect February 1st of 2008. I had an appointment scheduled with my OB/GYN for Monday, February 11th. I took another test on Sat. the 9th and it was still negative. I went to the doctor expecting the worst. Since I hadn't had a period they had me take a pregnancy test. I completely expected it to be negative, they were always negative, but surprise surprise I was pregnant! I couldn't believe it! Since we had nothing to go off of to determine how far along I was, they scheduled and ultrasound for the next day to do measurements of the baby and determine a due date. Mike and I went in the next day and the ultrasound determined that I was about 6 weeks along. We were so so happy about having a baby. Things started getting bad really fast though.

I started feeling really sick all the time almost instantly, but I figured it was normal. I threw up for the first time on Sunday, but figured that was normal too. I was surprised when I threw up again, and then again all on Sunday. I woke up Monday and threw up immediately. I tried to go on with my day but it was really hard. Each day got worse and worse. I was throwing up more and more frequently. The doctors started me on medication but it didn't work, so they gave me a different one and then a different one and a different one, all the while it kept getting worse. At the worst point I was throwing up 12-15 times in an hour. You may be thinking "that's impossible" but let me assure you it's not. I was not keeping anything down and as soon as my stomach even produced a little bile, I was throwing it up. I went to the ER numerous times and was given hydration through an IV because I was so dehydrated. I was hospitalized for a number of days and re-hydrated and sent home on yet another medication regimen. 3 days later I was back at the doctors office needing another IV. Throughout all of this I was losing weight and losing it fast.

When I ended up back at the doctor they decided they wanted to insert a PICC Line so that I could have constant fluids while at home. It was inserted and I went home for Mike to help me stay on fluids 24 hours a day. We really hoped that this would be the end, but of course it wasn't, after all, your body can't only survive on water and I had now not kept down any food in nearly FIVE WEEKS!! I know this may sound hard to believe, but I was not doing well. My skin was turning gray because I was so malnourished. In 5 weeks I lost 40 pounds. This shouldn't happen when you are pregnant. I was on home care, I had a nurse that came every few days to check my line and make sure it looked ok. I had to weigh myself everyday, keep track of anything I was able to get in me food or water wise (nothing) and also everything that came back up (everything). I also had to pee on ketone detector strips everyday and give them my ketone levels. As it says in that link, ketones are not good. They are a sign that your body is breaking down parts of you that aren't supposed to be broken down. My levels were always very high.

I then began to vomit blood and Mike was not going to put up with this anymore. He called another doctors office and we had my care transferred to PPA. PPA had me admitted straight into the hospital and went to work. They inserted an NG Tube so that I was being fed 24 hours a day. They had to insert the tube so that it went passed my stomach and into my intestines because my stomach had experienced so much trauma from all the vomiting. They kept me on the PICC Line for hydration and medication.

2 days after they inserted my NG Tube the doctor came in to visit with Mike and I and tell us the severity of my situation. He had papers printed out showing all of my metabolic levels when I had come in, where there were now and where they should be. The sheet from when I came in indicate that every level was either critically high or low. He then said, "Now I don't want this to scare you, but had you waited another week to come to us you would have died. You were starving to death. Your body was shutting down. Your kidneys had stopped functioning. Your gall bladder is full of sludge and we will need to monitor it to be sure that we don't need to remove it. We are doing all we can to get your body restarted and functioning the way it is supposed to." I'm sure you could imagine, that this was a very shocking thing to hear. No one expects to be told they were a week away from death.

I slowly improved and was sent home from the hospital after 11 days. I remained on the feeding tube and I was also given a Zofran Medication pump that pumped medication into my leg through a sub-cu. The doctor said that my sickness was caused by a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum which you can read about HERE and HERE.

Now after all of this, I still felt fine about having another baby. I knew I had a new set of doctors that would treat me and take care of me. I have had no trouble with any of this until the last couple weeks. Now that I am realizing that I could end up getting pregnant I have started getting really scared of having to go through all of this again. How am I going to go through this when I have a daughter to take care of? What am I going to do financially? I had to stop working last time and that would be devastating to us this time around. We have just taken on the EXTREMELY INTIMIDATING task of starting our own business. Mike is working very hard to get our photography business Eli Mac Photography up and running. This however make it so that the bulk of the income responsibility lands with me. This terrifies me!

What happens if this time it is worse? They told me that in many cases it is harder with the next pregnancies. I have a very hard time picturing this. What do I do if they can't keep a handle on it? What if I loose the next baby? What if they can't take care of me and something horrible happens? Am I willing to risk missing out on Alena growing up to have another baby? I have a constant ache to have another baby, it is with me all the time, but I am TERRIFIED!

I'm sorry to have blabbed on and on and on, but I needed this. If anyone actually read this, props to you!! I will keep you updated on the goings on in this area. Say a prayer for me that it will all work out how it is supposed to.

Thanks!

Remembrance

2010-04-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Mary passed away last night after a long battle with cancer. She is an inspiration in so many ways and I want to pay tribute to a wonderful woman.

All my life, I remember her being there for every important event in the family. There was nothing more important to her than family, and she made that constantly apparent. She was in car and there whenever she was needed.

When she was diagnosed with cancer, she went into over drive. She wasn't going to miss out on anything. She was going to spend as much time as she could with her children and grand children. She was away from home for months at a time only pausing for cancer treatments when needed.

My Great Grandma Angie Finlinson always made clear that family was the most important. I feel that Aunt Mary took this to heart and truly lived out Grandma Angie's thinking.

Love you Aunt Mary. You will be missed by many. Loving the thought of the reunions you are having on the other side. Give the family a hug for us.

Ideas Needed

2010-03-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody.

So some of you know but some of you don't, for those that don't, Mike got a new job. He has been working at his new job with Fortune 5 for the last 2 weeks. I'll post more info on that in another post.

The reason I am posting now is because I need some ideas. Mike is gone ALL DAY with his new job so I need some stuff to help fill my time. I am starting to collect craft ideas and I'm reaching out for help. Any one have any ideas or fun blogs that you like to follow? Please let me know, cuz I'm really wanting to find some fun stuff to do for around my house or just anything :)

Leave a comment and let me know what ideas you have.

Thanks!!

3 Years Already

2010-03-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

In the last 3 years we have:

had 1 baby

bought 1 house

earned 1 bachelors degree

started 1 masters degree

paid off 1 car

had 5 jobs

been in 4 wards

had 4 church callings

watched a million movies

went to Disneyland 1 time

laughed a billion times

these last 3 years have had hard times and perfect times.. but over all its been the BEST time ever!!

I love you Mike!!! Can't wait for the rest of the years and adventures ahead!

Long Over Due

2010-01-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I know this is a long overdue post, but you're getting one, so be happy!!! There is lots of catching up I need to do, but I wanted to start with this, cuz I love it. Being the wife of a photographer is FABULOUS but it does have a downside, that being that it is hard to get a picture of all of us together. Well, we were able to go to Colorado right after Christmas this year to spend some time with Mike's family. His older brother was blessing his new baby so we all went over and while we were there Mike's mom wanted to get some pictures of all of us together. We got some great ones that I wanted to share:

It was freezing cold, and I mean FREEZING! Alena was having a really hard time with the cold so we weren't able to get her to cooperate for much, but we still had a great time. Hope you enjoy!! :)

Explanation

2009-12-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

So I have had a lot of people ask me why our photography business is called Eli Mac Photography. Here is the run down.

Mike's full name is Elisha Michael McAllister. He has always gone by Mike but when he started his photography program at ASU, he had a lot of professors that liked Elisha and wanted to call him that. Then a little farther into the program he had a professor that started shortening it to Eli.

TADA!!!

Eli Mac, Mac short for McAllister because Eli McAllister Photography just doesn't have the same ring :) We are really loving doing this and would love to take pictures for all of you. We are currently running a special for the holidays and you get a $25 discount for sittings in December.

Hope you are all doing well!

ANNOUNCING!!...

2009-12-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I know it has been kinda a long time coming, but we finally got our photography site up and running! We are so excited about this and we would love to do some photos for you. We are running a Holiday Special right now so you can get a discount on your session through the month of December. Check out our site and let us know what you think.

elimacphotography.blogspot.com

Call us today to set an appointment :)

What Are You Thankful For?

2009-11-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

My cousin shared this on our family website and I thought it was great and wanted to pass it on.

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving! Love you All!

Katie

A Little Update

2009-11-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no pictures in this post but I promise some are coming :) It has been forever since I posted so I wanted to give a little update on how things are going.

Mike finished his first MBA class this last week. We don't know what he got on his final but before he took that he had a 100% in the class. Not a bad way to start out I think. He is still working like crazy at Content Connections. About 3 weeks ago he went on a business trip back east and was gone for a week. He had meetings in Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA; Yardley, PA; New York, NY; and Hoboken, NJ. It was a long, hard week for him and we were so glad to have him home safe. We are also working hard on getting his photography site set up. We are doing more sittings and we love it! Let us know if you need some pictures taken and we can totally hook you up :)

Alena is busy, busy, BUSY!! She is walking everywhere. It is crazy how fast she is growing up. Some of the things she likes to do these days is to try and help me with the dishes and the laundry. She mostly just undoes what I'm doing but it is really cute that she tries to help. She unfolds the laundry as I get it folded and she pulls the dishes out of the dishwasher as I get them loaded. She is talking all the time and is learning more and more words every day. She can say mom, dad, hi, dog, and what's this. She tries to talk even more and knows a whole lot of gibberish. She likes to play peek-a-boo and she loves singing songs like Popcorn Popping, The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and Patty Cake, Patty Cake. I love my little girl and I love watching her grow!

As for the family, we paid off our Blazer this week which was SO GREAT!!! We feel so good about it. We have painted some of the rooms in our house and can't wait to finish the rest. I will post pictures at some point. Alena is having surgery on Tuesday to open up a blocked tear duct. It has been plugged since she was born and since it didn't open up on its own they have to probe it open. It shouldn't be too bad, but it is really scary because she has to be put under for it. Really hoping that everything goes well. We are really excited for Thanksgiving. We love to eat!! Mike's brother and his wife had a baby boy a week ago so we will be going to Colorado Springs the day after Christmas so we can be there for the baby blessing. It will be great to spend some time with Mike's family. We wish we could see them more often!

As for me, I'm working and trying to keep our house in order. I'm still doing Pampered Chef and I love it! Hoping that it picks up through the holidays so I can do a few more parties because I really like to do them.

Hope all of you are doing well. I promise I will get some picture posts up soon.

A Poem for Thought

2009-10-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Amanda Farnsworth posted this poem on her blog and I thought it was really sweet and I wanted to share it with all of you.

She came tonight as I sat alone, the girl I used to be…
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye and questioned reproachfully;

Have you forgotten the many plans and hopes that I had for you?
The career, the splendid fame, and all the wonderful things to do?
Where is the mansion of stately height with all of its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you and the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad for I wanted her pleased with me…
This slender girl from the shadowy past the girl that I used to be
So gently rising, I took her hand, and guided her up the stair
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay innocent, sweet, and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems, and precious they are to me;
That silken robe is my motherhood of costly simplicity.
And my mansion of stately height is love, and the only career I know
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls for the dear ones who come and go.

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest, she smiled through her tears at me.
And I saw that the woman that I am now, pleased the girl I used to be.

- Author Unknown

Let's not forget what a wonderful BLESSING it is to be a mother.

Love you all you great moms out there!! :)

Personal Website!

2009-10-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody! I wanted to let you all know that I now have a Personal Website for Pampered Chef. You can go online to place orders, browse the catalog, schedule a show or send me a question.

I am really loving being a Pampered Chef Consultant, but it is a lot more fun when I have shows to do :) I am open this month for shows so if any of you are interested please let me know.

Also, for the month of October only, Pampered Chef holds their "Help Whip Cancer" campaign in support of Breast Cancer Research. They have special Pink products that are only available this month, and a portion of all orders is donated to help fund much needed Research to find a Cure.

If you want to check out my website the link is:

www.pamperedchef.biz/cookinlikecrazy

Let me know what you think and let me know if you are interested in hosting a show. You earn FREE PRODUCT when you do!

Love you all!

Katie

New Cell Phones!!

2009-09-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Well Mike and I were eligible for an upgrade on our cell phones this month so we went today and picked out new phones. It is really nice to have something new after nearly 2 years :) Especially since for the last 3 months I have been using Mike's old old phone cuz mine busted :( Well here is a picture of out new phone

Even more exciting is the fact that mine is PINK!!!

Isn't it cute! I really like it. It is fun to figure it all out and get it set up just for me :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALENA!!!

2009-08-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it has been a year since my sweet little girl was born! I had to take a little look back at what that day was like, and I wanted to let you remember with me! Here is the run down of my baby girls "Birth Day" :)

August 26th, 2008:
3:00 AM - I had just gotten back in bed after one of the many trips to the bathroom that happened throughout the night. I was just settling back in to sleep when I felt Alena kick, I heard a *POP* and instantly I was soaking wet. At first I was in such shock I didn't know what to do. I laid my hand on Mike and all I said was "My water just broke" and he was out of bed like a shot. For those of you who know Mike, you know that this is a miracle in and of itself. Mike sleeps like a rock, so I'm glad I didn't have to sit and shake him awake. Well, we called the doctor and I called my mom, and we got ready to leave for the hospital. Since she was 6 weeks early I still hadn't packed a bag or anything to take to the hospital with me. I showered quickly, put on dry clothes and we were out the door.

3:25 AM - We were pulling away from our house and my contractions started. One of my biggest fears had been that I wouldn't know I was having contractions, but there was no mistaking it. Right off the bat they were 4 to 5 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds to a minute each. Luckily one of the two birthing classes we had had was the breathing class, so I was able to get through them okay. While in the car I called all of my sisters to let them know what was going on and to ask them to say a prayer that everything would be alright. This is when it kinda started sinking in that I was having a baby, she was really early, and I had no idea what to do. Let's just say I was a little FREAKED OUT!!! Thank heaven for Mike. He was so great through the entire thing.

4:00 AM - We got the the hospital. Before going inside Mike gave me a Priesthood Blessing that I would be okay and that our little girl would be okay. Then we headed into the hospital. At this point I was having contractions about 3 to 4 minutes apart and they were lasting at least a minute each. They took me in to one of the triage rooms and started getting me hooked up to monitors. They brought in papers for me to sign and they worked on getting everything set. I was still just trying to breathe and stay calm. Mike was great and rubbed my feet through each of my contractions to help me stay relaxed.

4:30 AM - They finally had everything set and the nurse checked to see how far I had progressed. I was already 100% efaced and dilated 4 centimeters. When the nurse checked me she was able to feel Alena's little toes coming through the cervix. When she said that I knew instantly that that meant c-section. I was already in such shock that this didn't faze me too bad. I definitely wasn't prepared for it, but there was so much other stuff on my mind that I didn't have time to worry about another unexpected development.

5:00 AM - The doctor finally came in and said that he wanted to try and do a test to check Alena's lung development. With her being so early, there was a lot of fear that her lungs would not be fully developed yet and that would pose yet another problem. They were unable to get the fluid needed for the test so the doctor had them give me a tributalene shot to try and slow things down. His hope was that if things slowed they would have the time to do the test. Needless to say, the shot didn't work!!! My contractions kept coming harder and faster and I was having a hard time because I didn't know what exactly they were going to do. They kept saying different things and I just needed to know what was going on.

5:45 AM - Mike went out to call and update my mom. They had just come in and said that they would be doing the c-section later in the day. While Mike was out on the phone, the nurse came in and checked me again. In just over an hour, I was now dilated to almost 8 centimeters and I was going into transition. Once the nurse found that I had progressed so far, They decided the c-section had to happen NOW! 4 more nurses came in and started getting me prepped. Mike walked back in and was given scrubs and told "You need to change now!" He changed super fast and when he came back in they were wheeling me out. They told him grab your camera, leave everything else and follow them. I was on my way to the OR.

6:05 - I was in the OR and they were getting me set for my epidural. I was having constant contractions and I was still in shock. They moved me onto a flat, cold metal slab, and had me lean over and gave me the shot. Luckily it was a spinal and not a regular epidural. It takes effect a lot faster than a normal one. They laid me down, and spread my arms out to the side. They strapped my arms down and put hot blankets over me and wrapped my head in the a warm blanket. I had oxygen up my nose and a big blue tarp in front of my face so I couldn't see anything. The doctor started poking me and asking if I could feel it. As soon as I said I couldn't, they opened me up.

6:15 AM - Alena is here!!! She was out and they were working on getting her breathing. As soon as she started to cry, they wrapped her up, I got to kiss her cheek and her and Mike were off to the NICU. It was really hard for me to have to stay there by myself but I knew that Mike needed to be with our baby. They got me closed up, and then they wheeled me to recovery.

6:45 AM - The nurse finally tracked down all of our stuff so I was able to get my phone and call and tell my mom that I had had a baby. Can we say SUPER FAST MORNING!!!! I couldn't believe it. It was done and now all I wanted was to hold my baby. I had to stay in recovery for 2 and a half hours, and then they wheeled me by the NICU on my way to my room. I got to hold her for less than 2 minutes and then I was taken downstairs. That is when the day started feeling really long!!! I wanted my baby but wasn't allowed to go up and see her. I was going crazy. My baby shower was that night, so Mike left and opened all the presents. He got back and finally at 9:30 PM I was able to go up and really be with my baby. Let's just say that was the happiest I have ever been.

So, there is the run down of our very busy, very exciting day. That was the start of an 11 day NICU stay that started out little girls life. It really seems like it was just yesterday. We were blessed with so many wonderful doctors and nurses that did so much to help our baby girl. We are so grateful for the many prayers offered on our behalf, and for the visits and phone calls we received. We are so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends and we are so grateful for each and everyone of you!

Here We Go Again!!

2009-08-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

Well after a lot of talking and praying, Mike and I decided it was time to do it again. There was some heming and hawing, but we took the plunge. Many crazy adventures awaiting us in the next few months but we are ready and waiting and so excited for what the future will bring.

No you crazy people, we aren't having another baby :) Mike is going back to school! We received his acceptance to the MBA program at University of Phoenix and he starts September 29th! He will be taking ground campus classes that will meet one night a week for 6 weeks. The program takes about 18 months, but he is planning on adding a Marketing Concentration to it which will tack on a few more classes.

We are so excited for this new chapter in our lives and we know that this is going to be a great benefit to our family.

NEW PRODUCTS FOR FALL WITH PAMPERED CHEF!!

2009-08-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

I wanted all of you to know that Pampered Chef is releasing new products starting September 1st! There really are some awesome new things coming out, but then again, what from Pampered Chef isn't totally awesome?? They have released additions to the Dots Dishes line, there are new Spices and Sauces in the Pampered Pantry, as well as some new cookbooks! They have some great Holiday Pieces that they have released along with some updates to classic favorites like the Kitchen Shears! A personal favorite of mine is their new Ice Bucket. Let me just tell you, it is amazing!

Like I said before all of their new products are available September 1st. The best thing to do is host a show and get these great products for free!!! September has a great Hosting Special which is 60% STONEWARE PIECES! Nothing better than saving money and Hosting a Show is a great way to do that.

September is great for hosting shows since the kids are back in school and the everyone is settling in to a normal schedule. It is also before everyone gets crazy with the Holidays. Hosting is so simple to do since all you need to do is come up with addresses and then I mail out the invites and take care of everything else.

Jump on this great opportunity soon as dates are filling up fast and I want everyone to be able to take advantage of these great deals and see all the new products first hand!

Contact me through the blog, through Facebook, email at cookin.like.crazy@gmail.com or kmcallister310@gmail.com, or by phone at 480-421-8087.

I can't wait to hear from you!!

Katie

THE PIE!!!

2009-08-02T23:01:00.001-07:00

During our trip to Utah we made our traditional stop at The Pie Pizzeria near the University of Utah campus. This place is AWESOME! Its a funky, dimly lit basement restaurant where people write all over the old brick walls and rock and roll is played from a "wicked cool" juke box.

We always get the giant 23" pizza. I swear there is probably 4 pounds of cheese with what seems like layers and layers of pepperoni hidden beneath the melted stringy cheese goodness!

Oh. . .and did I tell you that one slice is bigger than my face!?!

Prayers Still Needed

2009-07-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give an update about Kelly. They had to deliver the baby this morning via c-section and they got to spend about 4 hours with her before she passed away. They need prayers of comfort now as that is the only thing anyone can do. As you would imagine the family is having a very hard time and they need Heavenly Fathers comfort more than anything. Please keep them in your prayers.

Prayers Needed

2009-07-07T15:56:00.001-07:00

So I just found out about a lady in our ward that is pregnant. Her name is Kelly and their little girl is in our primary class. She had a still born baby boy at 40 weeks almost a year ago and is now 29 weeks pregnant with a little girl. She went into her doctor this morning cuz she just wasn't feeling right and they found that the baby has a condition known as Hydrops. Here are 2 links that explain about what this is:

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_hrnewborn/hydrops.cfm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007308.htm

They are going to attempt an intrauterine fetal blood transfusion as that is the only thing that they can do while the baby is still in utero. If that does not work they will have to take the baby by emergency c-section. The doctors are not hopeful as less than half of the baby's that have this survive. It causes the organs to shut down because of the swelling that is caused and it also over works the baby's heart and causes prenatal heart failure. Kelly will be in hospital for the rest of her pregnancy and odds are that won't be very long. Please pray for the family, their baby girl, and for the doctors that they will follow the best course of action for the situation. This is all we can do, and all the family is asking for, so I figured I could contact everyone I know and enlist their thoughts and prayers as well.

Thank you so much. Love you all!

Calling EVERYONE!!! :)

2009-06-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well, some of you know but some of you don't ... I have recently signed up to be a Pampered Chef Consultant. To make a long story very very short, Mike and I both feel that this is an answer to many prayers, and I am so so excited about the opportunity to do this! I love the Pampered Chef products, and how easy is it so talk about something you already love!

I would love to do a party for each and everyone of you! It is super fun and couldn't be easier. All you have to do is give me your list of people and then you can sit back and relax till the day of your show. I send the invites, do all the planning, and take care of everything.

The specials for the next 2 months are absolutely great! As a host you are always able to earn free product at your show, as well as getting huge discounts (up to 60%) on other products, and money saving opportunities for the entire next year! If you hold a party in July, you can earn up to $100 in additional FREE PRODUCTS of your choice!! That is on top of the products you would normally earn. Those who host in August can earn huge discounts on the Pampered Chef Cookware. How many of us are in need of good quality pots and pans, but don't have the money to spend on them? Well, here is your answer! You can get 60% off of all the cookware products!

If you would be interested in hosting a party leave a comment and I will be in touch with you to set everything up. Like I said it is super simple and tonz of fun! Nothing better than a night together with friends and family while you get free stuff!

Hope to hear from all of you soon!

Easter

2009-06-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Another long overdue post is our first family Easter. I was really excited to have Easter with our little family this year. Easter was always very fun for me growing up so I was excited to start some traditions with my little girl. Mike and I dyed Easter eggs even though Alena isn't big enough for it yet.

Here are our individual eggs with our names on them. Mine was supposed to be purple but it didn't turn out so I put it in the blue and that made it look like poop. :( Oh well, they still tasted the same right.

Here are all of our eggs. I think they all look good. Can you see the yellow egg that Mike dropped and broke?

I had fun shopping for our baskets. Mike and I just got plastic eggs filled with candy but Alena got some fun stuff from the Easter Bunny. He brought her some fun touch and feel books and a little stuffed bunny with a book on the bottom.

The best present was her wonderful Jumper-roo. Alena is getting more and more active and we were trying to figure out somethings that we could get her to help expend some of her energy. We were looking at the door hanging Jennie-Jump-Ups, but we don't have any door jams in the main part of our house and I didn't feel good sticking her back in the hallway to jump during the day. I was so excited when we found this fun toy. It is an exer-saucer that is on bungees so she can jump and play all at the same time. Can you tell that she totally loves it?

The last fun tradition is a pretty Easter dress. I had been looking at the dresses at WalMart for weeks trying to decide what to get her. We finally decided on this one and I was so glad. Sorry this isn't the best of pictures, we took it with Mike's cell phone before we ran out the door to church. I will try to get a better picture of it to post so you can see how pretty the colors are.

All in all it was a wonderful Easter. I can't wait for next year when Alena will be able to participate more and can start making memories with Mommy and Daddy.

Disneyland!! Long Overdue

2009-06-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it has taken forever but we are finally getting around to posting pictures from our Disneyland trip back in March. Mike and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on March 10th of this year and we decided to celebrate by going to Disneyland. It is my absolute favorite place in the world so it was perfect :) We went the last weekend of March because Mike's cousin Brian was also celebrating his birthday and we all decided it would be fun to go together. It was a blast!

We started the trip Thursday afternoon when we dropped baby Lena off at Aunt Emily's for the weekend. I cried for about a half hour, but it was ok. We met up with Brian, Carrie and Addie and started the drive over to Anaheim, CA to meet up with Aunt Gloria and to our surprise cousin Kevo was there too! We got settled in at the hotel and tried hard to fall asleep due to our excitement for what was going to happen the next day!!

We all got up early on Friday morning and started our long first day at Disneyland!

Here we are with our tickets ready to enter the park.

Mike and I inside the park for the very first time together.

One of our first rides was Peter Pan. Fantasy Land is definitely a wonderful place to start your Disneyland adventure :)

Our next stop was Toon Town where we had a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures of us goofing off.

What a strong husband I have!

I had a harder time of it :)

For some reason we got stuck in the dog house. I don't know what we did :(

Ships Ahoy Captain!

Our next stop was Space Mountain. Oh My Heck we love that ride!! Honestly, by far one of the greatest, if not THE greatest ride ever!

I love Aunt Gloria's face in this picture :)

A little glimpse of the Bull and the Bear that kept showing up all over the park that day :)

The traditional picture in front of the Walt Disney Statue.

The day continued with the same amount of go go go! I swear we didn't stop. We ended after 15 hours. We all walked back to the hotel like 80 year olds that needed hip replacements. It was great, but our bodies from our heads to our toes were aching. We were ready for round two the next morning though!

Another traditional picture in front of the Mickey Mouse Flowers.

On day 2 we spent some time at California Adventure. One of my favorite rides there is the Tower of Terror, can you tell by my face?

This is the perfect picture to sum up our time at the park

After day 2 we drove down to San Diego to spend some time before we had to make the drive home. We were able to spend Sunday relaxing and giving our bodies a chance to heal. We went the one of Mike's favorite restaurants that night called Filippi's. We met up with Mike's Uncle Bruce, his girlfriend Adele and her daughter Jodi. It was a really fun night.

We got up Monday morning and got ready to make the drive home. I was so ready to see and hold my baby again. Mike got pulled over while driving us back but luckily we got off without a ticket :) We finally made it to Emily's house at about 8:00 and I got to hold my baby again. It was the most perfect ending to a very fun weekend!

Party This Saturday!!

2009-06-03T21:33:00.001-07:00

So my Pampered Chef party is this Saturday and I would love to have all of you there! It is at 4:00 PM at my house. Let me know if you can make it and if you need directions out to my house. It is going to be loads of fun so come and enjoy the good times!

Queen Creek Preschool

2009-05-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

So one of my good friends is starting up an In-Home Preschool this next school year and I wanted to help her get the word out. She is a certified teacher that has taught in the Queen Creek School District for years but has quit to be at home with her 8 month old baby girl. She and I are Visiting Teaching Companions and we were due one day apart. It is fun to both have baby girls. She is one of the sweetest most caring people I know and if you have kids between the ages of 3 and 5, they would be lucky to be part of her pre-school.

Visit her website for more information

www.leapsnboundspreschool.com

Whirlwind Lives!

2009-05-13T10:07:00.001-07:00

So our little family has had a very busy last couple of months, and it isn't over yet. We have had quite a few trips that we have taken, along with some super crazy times with work. I will have more posts for all of you in the next few days I hope, but just know that I haven't meant to go MIA, it just happens some time. I have tonz of pictures that I'm wanting to post, it is just a matter of taking the time to put the posts together. I promise, I'll do them, and I'll do them soon!

Luvz, Katie (The absent blogger)

Pampered Chef??

2009-04-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

So I am going to be having a Pampered Chef party on Saturday, June 6th, and I want anyone who would want to come to be there :) You don't even have to buy anything, just come and hang out and eat some yummy yummy food! If you would want to come leave a comment with your mailing address or email it to me at kmcallister310@gmail.com

I really would love to have any and all of you there!!

OH MY GOSH!!

2009-04-05T19:43:00.001-07:00

One word in response to my previous post. . . "EXPLOSIVE!!!!!" Luckily Mike got home just in time to help :)

What have I gotten myself into??

2009-04-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

So Alena had Prunes for the first time today, and while I was feeding her, I just kept thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?" Honestly, the prunes looked bad enough before she ate them. We all know what affect prunes are supposed to have on people. I just keep thinking, "What am I going to be taking care of later this afternoon?" Alena really liked them, she ate them really well. I guess the "end" result will really decide whether or not I feed them to her again. My fingers are crossed that it isn't anything too terrible. Mike isn't even here for me to make him take care of it. Looks like I'm on my own :) Wish me luck!

How Blessed Are We??

2009-04-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

So 2 of my favorite times of year are the first weekend of April and the first weekend of October. To have to opportunity to watch and listen to the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is such a blessing. The inspiration of the topics is amazing. We are so blessed to have such wonderful men receiving guidance from a loving Heavenly Father. It sure gives comfort in such trying times. I love listening to Conference!!!

WOOHOO!!!

2009-03-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

DISNEYLAND HERE WE COME!!! So we leave this afternoon for Disneyland. Can I just say I am way more than ecstatic that we are going. I have been wanting to go with Mike since we got married, so we decided we would make it our trip for our 2nd anniversary which we celebrated earlier this month. The only downfall is that I am leaving my baby :( I'm afraid I'm gunna end up having a total breakdown. How do all you mommies out there do it? I almost cry just thinking about the fact that I'm not going to see her until Monday night. I know my sister Emily and her family are going to take great care of her, but still, a baby needs her mommy. At least I hope that my baby needs me :( She probably won't even notice I'm gone and that makes me sadder than the fact that I'm leaving her. We are going to have a great trip though. We will go to Disneyland Friday and Saturday then drive down to San Diego and spend Sunday and Monday morning, then drive home Monday afternoon. We are going with Mike's cousins Brian and Carrie with their daughter Addie and Brian's mom Gloria. Saturday is Brian's birthday so he gets in free. LUCKY!! It is going to be wonderful. Just cross your fingers that I don't have an emotional breakdown this weekend :) I heart Disneyland!!!

Why Mormons Build Temples

2009-03-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

We are so grateful for the opportunity we have to share this video to all those who may wonder about our belief in temples. Going to the temple has been, and continues to be a wonderful blessing to our little family. It is a place that we can go and feel close to our Heavenly Father and to learn and be guided by Him. It is a place where we can feel Heavenly Father's goodness and peace in a world that is chaotic and scary.

We invite all to view this video and we pray that you might better understand "why Mormons build temples".

Crazy Huh??

2009-03-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

So my sister put this together and I thought it was both crazy and totally cute! This is a picture of my older sister Melissa when she was 3 months old and then one of the pictures of Alena at 6 months old. Now if that isn't a family resemblance, I don't know what is.

Alena Marie - 6 Months Already

2009-03-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

My Oh My!!! Where has the time gone!?! Little Alena is 6 months old already. Can you believe it? This week Alena cut her first tooth. Sweet girl. . .she has been so uncomfortable and all she wants is to be held. That is one of the greatest feelings. . .to know that my holding her seems to make everything better! We are so grateful for our sweet baby girl. We love you Teeny!

~ Mommy and Daddy

A Story at 2:00AM

2009-02-26T01:24:00.001-08:00

Let me tell you a little story. . .

Once upon a time not so long ago (1:00AM this morning to be precise), I was finally drifted into a much desired sleep. When out of no where I am awoken by the loud sound of an airplane flying over my bedroom.

"What the heck!" (I thought, did I just dream that). A several seconds later, another pass. . .then another, then another, then lights shining in our bedroom window as if this plane is going to land in my "Too-small-for-an-airplane" backyard.

I woke Katie up and asked, "Katie, do you hear that airplane? Do you see it?" (I was honestly thinking and maybe hoping a little, that I was hallucinating).

But no. . .IT WAS REAL. What do you do? I mean seriously? This plane was just circling the neighborhood over and over again.

It was really low, almost as if it was coming in to land and then circling back. So weird.

So we finally decided to call the Sheriff's office (yes, Sheriff's office. We live out in the boonies). . . they told us that they already got a complaint and that they have dispatched a deputy and called the FAA, but they haven't heard anything.

Then. . .now this is the most priceless line of the year. . .the woman told me "Well, Sir, we really can't pull over an airplane."

Did I really sound that stupid to her? I paused for a second and all I could say was " I realize that. . ."

So. . .what the heck do you do?

I am happy to report that the McAllister house is still standing and after an hour of circling, the airplane seems to have . . . gone away. (but I think I still hear it off in the dstance). Anywho, so the end result of this whole experience is me and Katie. . .sitting in bed at 2:15AM, awake from the adrenaline, sharing this stupid story. . .hope you enjoy. . . .

Wait. . .did you hear that?!?!

Alena's Firsts

2009-02-02T20:35:00.001-08:00

Well, in the last month and a half Alena has had quite a few "Firsts". It really is so fun to see how fast she is growing. It makes me sad sometimes, but I love it. She has started holding her own bottle but only sometimes. It is so cute because she will just grab on and not want me to hold it but then other times she wants nothing to do with it.

Another thing she is doing now is rolling over. We try and try to show people but she will never do it when other people are watching so we have the video as proof. Mike didn't realize that the camera doesn't self adjust so the beginning of the movie is sideways but it flips the right way before she rolls over :)

The last thing we have video of is her sweet little laugh. In this video it is more of a giggle, but there are times when she really gets going. It is the cutest thing ever! I love my sweet baby girl so much.

We will be starting solid foods next week and I am actually excited for that adventure. Hopefully she does well and I don't have any issues with allergies or anything like that. We will also be moving her out of our room and into her crib in the nursery. I know that most of you are probably thinking "My heck, they haven't put her in her own room yet" but every time I get ready to do it I just can't. I think a large part of it is the hard time I had being in the hospital and not having her with me. It was very hard for me those first few days to not have her right there to be able to check on but I think we are to the point now where I will be okay to move her. Before I know it she will be crawling and talking and walking. Why do they have to grow up so fast? I don't understand it. If only they could be small forever. It is fun to see her personality develop more and more each day. I love that she recognizes me and reacts to my voice. Each day brings something new and I love it. Being a mom is the greatest thing ever!!!

Happy Birthday to US

2009-02-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

So, in the last month both Mike and I celebrated our birthdays. Mike's birthday is on the 19th and mine is on the 28th. We really had a great month. It was crazy but a whole lot of fun.

For starters with Mike's birthday we had a bunch of people over to our house for pizza and games on the 17th. We had a great time. We are so lucky to have such great friends and family. The loser I am I totally didn't take any pictures :(

Well, then on Mike's actual birthday the 19th we went out to dinner with his mom at Carrabba's. It really is a fabulous restaurant for any of you that have never been. Talk about good quality Italian. I definitely recommend.

Then on the 25th we had family dinner at my parents house where we celebrated all of the January birthday's. Everyone gets to blow out their own candles but Mike and I decided to do ours together. It is always a fun time. The grandkids all love singing Happy Birthday over and over and over again.

Then it was my birthday on the 28th. All I wanted was a night out with Mike. We haven't had a date night since Alena was born 5 months ago and we really needed some time on our own. It was so wonderful and loser me again no pictures! We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner which was fabulous as always and my wonderful husband didn't tell them it was my birthday so I didn't have to sit on that stupid saddle. I was very grateful for that. Then we went around and did a little shopping and then got ice cream at Coldstone. It really was so great to be out just the two of us. I was worrying about Alena the whole time, but it was still a wonderful night. Thanks Holly for babysitting for us.

Then last of all we on the 31st we got together with some people for a night out bowling for my birthday. I have been wanting to go for months and we finally got to go. Let me just say that I really am the WORST bowler ever, but I still have a really good time. We bowled a couple games and then went and got something to eat at Denny's with Carrie and Brian. It was another fun night. Thanks to everyone that was able to share in all of our birthday fun. We love all of you!! Can't wait for next year :)

New Years Eve and New Years Day

2009-01-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Well, New Years is always a fun time for Mike and I because we got engaged on New Years Eve. That is a fun day that will always be remembered. The last two years we have spent New Years Eve at my brother Scott's house. They have a bunch of friends over and we eat and play all sorts of fun games. This year we played Mad Gab, the Sign Game, and Dippity Dippity Dip. We always have such a great time.

Here is a shot of everyone just hanging out

This is what Alena thought of all the games and craziness :)

At midnight we did the count down thing, the kissing thing :) and the sparkling cider thing. Can you tell we are tired and ready for bed?

We then went home and went to bed rather quickly. On New Years Day we decide to meet up with Mike's cousins Brian and Carrie and their daughter Addie. We always have so much fun with them. We went to the new San Tan Mall for a little shopping and looking around. We had a great time. It was so beautiful outside we loved it.

Carrie and I were happy because we hit up some awesome sales at Bath and Body Works.

Alena didn't mind the shopping either.
She was such a good girl the whole time. Isn't that a sweet face :)

All in all it was a really fun day. Happy New Year from the McAllisters. We love you all!

Yay for Christmas!!!

2009-01-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

So I will start by warning you that this is going to be a very long post :) The Christmas festivities started on Christmas Eve. We went in to my parents house for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Dad reads Luke 2, we have a little bit of a program from the grand kids that have stuff to share, Emily sang Breath of Heaven and that was beautiful and then we have a song that we sing every year as a family. Loser me, I forgot our camera :( After dinner we came home and got into our Christmas PJ's. It is a fun tradition from Mike's family that we have decided to continue.

We then went to bed, anxious for Christmas morning. I love Christmas, I don't think I will ever sleep through the night on Christmas Eve. 7:00 finally came so I started waking Mike up. He came around at about 7:30 and we headed in to open up our Christmas presents. Mike and I opened our presents before we got Alena up. She sleeps till about 8 so we wanted to let her sleep for a while longer.

I think we made out pretty good, what about you?

My wonderful husband got me a sewing machine :) I was so excited!!!

Then it was time to get Alena out of bed. She was not very happy with us for waking her up, but I couldn't wait any longer. We took a quick picture and then I feed her while Mike opened up her presents. I'm sure she loved every second of it :) At least it was fun for Mom and Dad.

After the fun of opening presents we headed back in to my parents for Christmas Breakfast. All while I was growing up, we always had Christmas Breakfast, which was always Waffles, at Grandma and Grandpa Hall's house. The family has gotten to large to continue doing that so it has down sized to just our family at my parents house. The waffle tradition has continued though. It is still a task to make waffles, bacon, sausage, and eggs for nearly 40 people. We split up all the food assignments and went to work.

Here we are busily preparing the food.

Isn't Brad a great Waffle maker?

See here is the proof!!

The kids sure do love Christmas Waffles

Now it was just time to hang out. Alena loves being with the family. There is always someone willing to hold her :)

Alena had to have a fun Christmas Outfit. I'm a dork and she has had an outfit for every holiday so far. I'm sure she will end up with one for every holiday till she turns 1 :)

Isn't that a funny smooshy face? She sure can pull a face.

The rest of the day was spent playing games, hanging out, eating lots more food and just creating great memories.

Here is the fam just sitting around. Do the parents look tired to you?

I told you we like food :)

So Preston is the king of goofy presents and this is what he got my dad for Christmas. The kids were having so much fun playing with it.

It was a wonderful Christmas, and I was sad when it was over. I am even more excited for next year when Alena will be a little older and we will be able to make even more memories as a family.

Alena's Baby Blessing

2009-01-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

Alena was blessed the Sunday after Thanksgiving (November 30) and we were so happy that we were able to have so many family members present for it. Mike gave the sweetest most special blessing and it is a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. It was so great to feel the support and the love from both sides of our family.

Alena with Mom and Dad and her Grandparents

Alena with Great Grandma Hall

4 Generations of lovely ladies :)

Afterward we went over my sister Emily's house for a luncheon. Thank you so much Emily for letting us invade your house like that. Thanks also to my sisters and to Holly for helping with the meal. It was so fun to be able to sit around and eat and visit. There is nothing better than food and loved ones, it sure does make for some wonderful memories.

Preston was pretty sleepy :)

Thanksgiving

2009-01-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

So I know this is way late but I figured I would catch up on the Blog :) Thanksgiving was very exciting this year to say the least. It was our first Thanksgiving in our house, and crazy us we decided to host. Mike's family came to town and we managed to pull off a wonderful dinner cooking in our little kitchen. We started the day by going in to my parents for Dunkin Donuts. That is a family tradition for us, and I wasn't about to miss it. Thank heaven for Bavarian Cream Donuts!!!! We then went and saw Mike's Aunt Gloria so that she could meet Alena. She was only in town from San Diego for the day and we really wanted to see her. I'm glad we were able to have a nice little visit with her and Donna and Amanda. Then we went home and the craziness of preparing a large Thanksgiving meal ensued. We pit roasted a turkey that was amazing and we furnished all of the other Thanksgiving necessities. I love food, what else can I say. It was funny, because of course we made way too much food and ended up eating Thanksgiving left overs for the next 5 days. It was great to have all of the family here and to be able to spend some time with everyone.

A Pickle In Central Park

2008-11-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

So when I was in New York, we had dessert at the Stage Deli in Manhattan. As I was ordering my massive slice of cheese cake, I noticed that all the other tables (the ones that ordered entrees) had a plate of pickles. I couldn't resist. . .yeah I think everyone in the restaurant (including my table) thought I was crazy!!

Better Late Than Never

2008-11-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

So you will probably think we are crazy, but yesterday, 2 days after Halloween, Mike and I carved our pumpkin :) The plan was to carve it Halloween night, but we were much too busy. We had bought the pumpkin and we didn't want it to go to waste. We had never carved a pumpkin together before which is another reason we wanted to do it. We have been together the last 3 Halloweens and this is the first year we ended up doing. The funny thing is we have bought a pumpkin every year, we just didn't ever do it the other two years :) Here are some pictures of our endeavors:

Here is Mike cutting off the top

Here we are cleaning it out. I'm sorry, but pumpkin insides REAK!!!

And the carving begins :)

Alena had to get in on the action too. You may be thinking, "Wow, that is one big pumpkin" but it's not. Our sweet little Alena is just still really small :)

So here is the finished product. We had so much fun :) We were very proud of the end result.

Our Little Halloween Bunny :)

2008-11-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

So, Alena was a little bunny rabbit for Halloween. The original plan was for her to be a pack of Sugar Babies and Mike got the Sugar Daddy T-Shirt, but no one in the valley had the Sugar Babies costume and it would have cost like $50 to get it online. A bit over the top for a Halloween costume, so we found this costume at Wal-Mart and I think it is the cutest thing ever!

I love the little tail on the back of the costume. I had to get a picture of it!

As soon as she was put in her costume all she wanted to do was sleep. It was the cutest thing ever! This is what she looked like for the whole 3 hours she was in the costume.

We luckily got these two pictures of her with her eyes open.

The night was spent visiting family. We went in to my parents house and had pizza and my older sisters Christi and Melissa came over with their kids in their costumes. We got this picture of the nieces and nephews that were there. We are missing 9 of them :) My youngest brother Logan is also in the picture. It was his last year to Trick-or-Treat this year.

After my parents we went over to Mike's Aunt Callie's house and visited with her and some of the cousins. We then went over to my Grandma's house and visited some more, then it was off to Mike's Mom's house for even more visiting. Like I said, she stayed asleep for all of this. It must have been a very cozy costume. Last but not least we headed over to Mike's cousin Tim's house and spent some time with Tim and Jess and Brian and Carrie. It was a great night. Can't wait till next Halloween!!!!

Congrats Heidi and Robert!!

2008-11-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

My sister Heidi just got engaged last Saturday to Robert Richardson. They have known each other since high school. They will be getting married February 21st in Mesa. We are so happy for them.

Halloween Decorations

2008-11-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

So, Mike went up to Idaho 3 weekends ago and since I was home alone I had to fill my time with something. I decided to fill it decorating my house for Halloween. This is our first Halloween in our house and Alena's first Halloween and there is no way I was going to let it go un-festive :) I had so much fun and I figured I would post a few pics.

Preston Got His Mission Call!!

2008-11-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

So my little brother Preston, who isn't so little anymore, got his mission call last Thursday. All of the family went over to my parents house Thursday night so we could be there when he opened it. There were also about 50 of his friends there. Preston is such a great kid. I'm gunna miss him like crazy. Here is the video of him opening the call. (Make sure you pause our playlist so you can hear the video)

Well, as you heard, he is going to Kennewick, Washington and reports February 4th. Yay Preston!! We love you dude.

Tag, You're It :)

2008-10-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

5 JOYS:
* Mike. He is the most wonderful husband in the world! I love you babe!
* Alena's cute little smile. She is growing up so fast, it makes me sad.
* Playin' with my sisters! They are all such amazing women and they are such great examples to me of what a wife and mother should be. We have such a great time when we get together,we laugh till we cry and then laugh some more :)
* Reading a really good book. I can get so in to it that I read for hours.
* Music. Singing, playing the piano, listening on the radio. I love it all!

5 FEARS:
* Losing a child. I don't know what my life would be like after that.
* I think everyone has financial fears, and I am no exception.
* Losing one of my senses, like going blind or deaf. That would be so hard for me.
* Fires (my house burnt down when I was little)
* Clowns. I don't care what anyone says, those are creapy little buggers!!

5 SURPRISING FACTS:
* I am an awful impulse shopper. I once dropped $300 on a camera, just because.
* I have read the original Boxcar Children book nearly 100 times. It is the first chapter book I ever read and I love reading it still. (Did you know the original was published in 1942 and they are still publishing more today? The 115th was published just this year)
* I love dumb trivia as exhibited above :)
* I had never flown in an airplane until I was a junior in high school. (The time when I was 3 months old doesn't count, I don't remember it)
* I'm a serious perfectionist, almost to the point of obsessive compulsive. If I get something in my head that has to be done a certain way, there is nothing you can do to change my mind.

5 OBSESSIONS:
* Cookies right out of the oven
* Texas Roadhouse, they have the most wonderful rolls ever!!
* Christmas Music (I can listen to it all year round)
* Ice Cream
* Sobe's: I drink like 3 of them a day :)

5 TAGS:
Carrie Krainock
Lali Johnson
Tiffany Moser
Shelbi Whittaker
Callie Christiansen

Which Twilight Character Are You?

2008-10-21T23:19:00.001-07:00

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

BEWARE T-Moblie Users!!!

2008-10-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

T-Mobile users... I don't know who of you use T-Mobile, or if any of you do, but I just thought I would make you aware of a problem Mike and I are having with our account. Mike's sister was in town visiting last week to see Alena and while she was here she was talking a lot on the phone with Brett who was still up in Utah. While here, she reached the end of her allowed minutes so they made it a point to only talk on the phone after 9:00PM because night time minutes are unlimited.

On Thursday night Brett called Haley at 9:24PM and they talked for quite a long time. They were actually on the phone until like 2 in the morning. Friday morning Haley checked her account and for some reason they had charged her for the entire phone call. With her being over on her minutes just the one call was going to cost over $100. Well, she called T-Mobile to see what the issue was and they said that their records were showing that the call came in at 8:24PM so she is charged for the entire call. Well, we all knew that the call had come in after 9 so I decided to look at my account online and see when it was saying my calls were coming in. Low and behold, every call was recorded as occurring an hour earlier than it actually had.

As you can see, this could cause serious issue on peoples bills. Mike and I share minutes so we have to be sure that the calls that are supposed to be free really are free. We filed a complaint to have them check their towers and find out why the calls are being logged at the wrong time, but they are totally dragging their feet about it. It has been 2 days longer than they said it would be and the service request still hasn't been completed.

I would just advise all of you to check your statements and make sure that your calls are logged at the right time. If not, please call T-Mobile so that we can get some steam under their rears and get this fixed. I just hate the idea of people being charge for calls they shouldn't be charged for especially with the economy how it is, and money being tight for everyone. Any extra bill is unwanted.

Please let me know if any of you find problems. Love you all!

YAY Haley and Brett!!!

2008-10-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

So Mike's sister Haley just got engaged tonight to Brett Birkeland. They dated before his mission, wrote all throughout and he just came home in July, and now they are engaged!!! We are so excited for them. Personally, I don't think there is any better institution than marriage :) Mike has met Brett, but I haven't yet. I am very excited that he will be coming down in November Thanksgiving weekend. Haley spent all of last week in Arizona with us so that she could meet Alena and it was so fun to see how in love she is with Brett. He really is a lucky guy. They will be getting married in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 19, and Mike and I just booked our flights tonight. It will be rather interesting to travel with a 3 and a half month old, but we wouldn't miss it for the world. We are so excited to be getting a new brother-in-law. We love you guys!!!

Free Handbag Anyone???

2008-10-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

So I saw this link on a friends blog, and I thought "Why the heck not!?!" This company is launching their website next week and to celebrate it they are giving away 24 hand bags in 24 hours. They are all really cute and you can sign up to win one if you visit this site www.handbagplanet.com It is really easy, it takes you through all of the steps to get as many entries as possible. It's fun and worth a shot :) Good luck to all who attempt (Good luck to me as well :) tee he he!!!)

Twilight Saga

2008-10-08T13:38:00.001-07:00

So yesterday I finished the final book in the Twilight Saga "Breaking Dawn". If I do say so, I really liked it. It definitely wasn't what I expected, but I liked it. My original plan was to get the book read before Alena was born, but she decided to show up 6 weeks early so I had to put my reading on hold. I was just glad I was able to finish it. I am now in need of some new reading material. The thing I loved about these books is that is pretty much mindless reading. It has a good story that is easy to follow, but you can put it down if you absolutely need to. Somebody help me out. I don't know what to do now that there are no more Harry Potter books coming out and no more Twilight. If you have any good ones let me know!

Update!!

2008-10-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while since I posted so I figured I would give an update. Alena is doing so great. It is crazy to think that she will be six weeks old on Tuesday. She is growing so fast I can't believe it. At her pediatrician appointment this last week she weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces and was 19 inches long. It almost makes me sad to not have my tiny baby girl any more. She is starting to sleep longer and longer at night. There are times that she will actually go 5 hours between feedings at night so I am only having to get up once to feed her. That is helping me a ton. I love being a mom more and more everyday. I am so blessed to have such a sweet baby girl!

As for Mike, he had a pretty rough week this week. It started with him having a swollen gland in his neck and having a little bit of a soar throat, and ended with him being totally out of commission with tonsillitis. It has been hard to not have the extra set of hands to take care of Alena, and I have felt awful because there is nothing I can really do to help him feel better. He has been on antibiotics for the last two days so hopefully he will be feeling better soon. He has absolutely hated not being able to hold his baby girl and I'm sure she has been missing her Daddy time. Mike will be going up to Idaho Thursday of this week to see his dad and I am going to miss him so much.

As for me, like I said before I am just loving being a mom. It really is the greatest thing ever. Alena is such a blessing and she has such a sweet spirit about her. I could just hold her all the time and be totally content. I just wish I didn't have anything else to do around the house, but alas, life goes on. I will be starting back to work in just over a week, but I am so lucky to be able to do that from home. Yet another blessing in our lives are mine and Mike's jobs. We are lucky enough to work for the same company, and we have a boss that is much to good to us. We feel so fortunate for the life that it affords us. It is so great to have so much to be thankful for. Life is such a blessing and I hope everyone of our loved ones are just as happy in their present circumstances. We love you all!!!

Cuddling with Daddy

2008-09-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

I thought I should post these pictures of Alena and Mike. Alena is a baby that just loves to cuddle. She would honestly be fine if Mike and I would hold her nonstop. I thought these pictures were so cute.

So for those of you who don't know, since Alena was in the NICU at first she has had a hard time breastfeeding. She was too small and didn't have the strength to do it when she was first born and now she has gotten used to eating from the bottle and she doesn't want to do it. The only problem with this is that she doesn't like or do well on formula which leaves me the only option of pumping and feeding her breast milk from a bottle. I don't mind doing this, after all, it is a whole lot cheaper than buying formula. Well, the other morning I had gotten up and was in the other room pumping. I heard Alena start waking up, and I heard Mike get out of bed and get her. I was expecting him to come out of the bedroom but he didn't. I finished up and went back to see what he was doing and I found this. He had gotten her and laid back down and both of them were sound asleep. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Alena loves her daddy so much!

Bathtime Fun!!

2008-09-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

So Alena is so funny. She already loves to take baths. Every time I give her a bath she is so relaxed. She just hangs out and it cracks me up. She is just the sweetest baby. I love having her home. I also thought that this picture of her in her towel was hilarious! Her expression is so funny.

Dressing Up

2008-09-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was at work and I get a text message that made me giggle. Katie and Alena played dress-up! So cute!!!

Four Generations

2008-09-16T20:07:00.001-07:00

There are four generations in this picture. Great-Grandma Hall, Grandma Wilcken, Mom and Alena!

Welcome Home Alena!!!

2008-09-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

Well, after spending 11 days in the NICU, we were finally able to bring Alena home last Friday night. Let me just say that that was the most exciting thing EVER!!! She is doing well with her feedings and is slowly gaining weight. We have an appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow morning and hopefully everything will still check out okay.

I guess this is as good a time as any to fill everyone in on the events of Alena's Birthday. I can't believe I had her 2 weeks ago. It doesn't seem that long because we have only had her home for a few days, but at the same time, it feels like it has been an eternity!!! Well, here is the time line as close as I can get it :)

August 26th, 2008:
3:00 AM - I had just gotten back in bed after one of the many trips to the bathroom that happened throughout the night. I was just settling back in to sleep when I felt Alena kick, I heard a *POP* and instantly I was soaking wet. At first I was in such shock I didn't know what to do. I laid my hand on Mike and all I said was "My water just broke" and he was out of bed like a shot. For those of you who know Mike, you know that this is a miracle in and of itself. Mike sleeps like a rock, so I'm glad I didn't have to sit and shake him awake. Well, we called the doctor and I called my mom, and we got ready to leave for the hospital. Since she was 6 weeks early I still hadn't packed a bag or anything to take to the hospital with me. I showered quickly, put on dry clothes and we were out the door.

3:20 AM - We were pulling away from our house and my contractions started. One of my biggest fears had been that I wouldn't know I was having contractions, but there was no mistaking it. Right off the bat they were 4 to 5 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds to a minute each. Luckily one of the two birthing classes we had had was the breathing class, so I was able to get through them okay. While in the car I called all of my sisters to let them know what was going on and to ask them to say a prayer that everything would be alright. This is when it kinda started sinking in that I was having a baby, she was really early, and I had no idea what to do. Let's just say I was a little FREAKED OUT!!! Thank heaven for Mike. He was so great through the entire thing.

4:00 AM - We got the the hospital. At this point I was having contractions about 3 to 4 minutes apart and they were lasting at least a minute each. They took me in to one of the triage rooms and started getting me hooked up to monitors. They brought in papers for me to sign and they worked on getting everything set. I was still just trying to breathe and stay calm. Mike was great and rubbed my feet through each of my contractions to help me stay relaxed.

4:30 AM - They finally had everything set and the nurse checked to see how far I had progressed. I was already 100% efaced and dilated 4 centimeters. When the nurse checked me she was able to feel Alena's little toes coming through the cervix. When she said that I knew instantly that that meant c-section. I was already in such shock that this didn't faze me too bad. I definitely wasn't prepared for it, but there was so much other stuff on my mind that I didn't have time to worry about another unexpected development.

5:00 AM - The doctor finally came in and said that he wanted to try and do a test to check Alena's lung development. With her being so early, there was a lot of fear that her lungs would not be fully developed yet and that would pose yet another problem. They were unable to get the fluid needed for the test so the doctor had them give me a tributalene shot to try and slow things down. His hope was that if things slowed they would have the time to do the test. Needless to say, the shot didn't work!!! My contractions kept coming harder and faster and I was having a hard time because I didn't know what exactly they were going to do. They kept saying different things and I just needed to know what was going on.

5:45 AM - Mike went out to call and update my mom. They had just come in and said that they would be doing the c-section later in the day. While Mike was out on the phone, the nurse came in and checked me again. In just over an hour, I was now dilated just over 7 centimeters and I was going into transition. Once the nurse found that I had progressed so far, They decided the c-section had to happen NOW! 4 more nurses came in and started getting me prepped. Mike walked back in and was given scrubs and told "You need to change now!" He changed super fast and when he came back in they were wheeling me out. They told him grab your camera, leave everything else and follow them. I was on my way to the OR.

6:05 - I was in the OR and they were getting me set for my epidural. I was having constant contractions and I was still in shock. They moved me onto a flat, cold metal slab, and had me lean over and gave me the shot. Luckily it was a spinal and not a regular epidural. It takes effect a lot faster than a normal one. They laid me down, and spread my arms out to the side. They strapped my arms down and put hot blankets over me and wrapped my head in the a warm blanket. I had oxygen up my nose and a big blue tarp in front of my face so I couldn't see anything. The doctor started poking me and asking if I could feel it. As soon as I said I couldn't, they opened me up.

6:15 AM - Alena is here!!! She was out and they were working on getting her breathing. As soon as she started to cry, they wrapped her up, I got to kiss her cheek and her and Mike were off to the NICU. It was really hard for me to have to stay there by myself but I knew that Mike needed to be with our baby. They got me closed up, and then they wheeled me to recovery.

6:45 AM - The nurse finally tracked down all of our stuff so I was able to get my phone and call and tell my mom that I had had a baby. Can we say SUPER FAST MORNING!!!! I couldn't believe it. It was done and now all I wanted was to hold my baby. I had to stay in recovery for 2 and a half hours, and then they wheeled me by the NICU on my way to my room. I got to hold her for less than 2 minutes and then I was taken downstairs. That is when the day started feeling really long!!! I wanted my baby but wasn't allowed to go up and see her. I was going crazy. My baby shower was that night, so Mike left and opened all the presents. He got back and finally at 9:30 PM I was able to go up and really be with my baby. Let's just say that was the happiest I have ever been.

So, there is the run down of our very busy, very exciting day. We are just glad that the hospital stay is behind us, and we can settle in to a routine of our own. We are so greatful for the many prayers offered on our behalf, and for the visits and phone calls we received. We are so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends and we are so grateful for each and everyone of you!

Alena's First Smile

2008-09-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

So I just noticed that neither Katie or I have posted that Alena Marie McAllister was born Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 6:15AM (I will let Katie post all the details later). She was 6 weeks early and has been in the NICU for a week. But we are excited that she will probably be coming home by the end of the week.

Anywho, I wanted to post a picture of her first smile! We are totally in love with her. She has the sweetest, most content little spirit and we feel so blessed to have her in our family!

Our Little Alena

2008-07-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

We had another ultrasound last week and got a beautiful picture of our sweet little girl. We get such a kick out of her foot. Anyway, Katie will be 30 weeks on Monday and we can't believe how fast time is flying! Alena will be here before we know it!

Our House!!

2007-11-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

Well, we had our final walk through for our house yesterday. It all looks so great!!! We don't actually sign until December 19 so it totally stinks that it is going to sit there empty for the next 5 weeks. We are so excited to move in!!

Brand New Bloggers :)

2007-11-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

Well, we have joined the blogging croud. We'll see how intense we are :) Love you all.