Bathroom adventure

I'll post more about Mother's day in a bit but yesterday I was able to attend sacrament for a bit while my neice Rachel watched Samuel. I couldn't stay because i had to get home to feed him. I got to see Caleb sing in Primary. He was so excited to go up and sing. He smiled the whole time. Afterwards he ran down and gave me a big hug. He was so happy and so was I. He is getting so big. I snuck away to get back to Samuel.

Apparently soon after I left, Caleb had to go to the bathroom.  Poor Spencer didn't know what was about to happen. They went in the stall and as Caleb got on the toilet, Spencer didn't see what was on the floor near the toilet. Poor Spencer stepped in poop!! He started gagging and was happy they were alone in the bathroom. As he was wiping the poop off, Caleb forgot to put his penis down and pee shot across the stall! Caleb immediately said oops, I didn't mean to do that! 😂 haha After Spencer cleaned poop off his shoe he had to wipe pee off the floor. I get a feeling I'll be taking Caleb to the bathroom for a while. 😂 I was laughing pretty hard when he told me this story. Talk about bad luck. They survived, hands were washed and they were able to enjoy the rest of church.

Gotta love being a parent!

Samuel Louis Atamanczyk 4-26-16

*Warning I did not proof read this. haha*

Samuel was due April 22nd 2016. Around 37 weeks I started having on and off contractions. It got to a point where I would have strong consistent contractions that would last a few hours, and even get to the point where they were 4-5 minutes apart. After a few hours of contractions and getting to the point where I would feel I might have to go to Labor and Delivery, the contractions would start to die down and get further apart. The first time I went into L&D and was sent home. After that, I would wait and make sure they didn't die down before considering going into L&D. It became exhausting. I didn't sleep much as the contractions would get very strong at night. I did many things to try and get the baby in optimal position and help move labor along. but nothing seemed to work. If he was in the right position, my labor would continue but he never seemed to stay there.  I started my maternity leave early for "prodromal labor" so I could rest. My body was tired and I was frustrated that I felt like I was in Labor for weeks with no baby.

Thursday before my due date my midwife stripped my membranes. Later that day I felt contractions and pressure but nothing to send me to L&D. Friday, my due date I got my breast pump out and pumped to try and help move labor along. Got some really good contractions but nothing. Friday night/Saturday morning I had my blood show and felt a lot of pressure when standing or walking. but again, nothing consistent. This continued throughout the weekend. I had my induction date set for Wednesday 4/27/16. Based off of my record of contractions that didn't go anywhere I figured I wouldn't be having this baby without being induced. I did want to avoid induction as I hate pitocin and made Caleb's heart rate go down because he was stressed out from the strong contractions that were on top of each other. But my midwife and I had a plan on how I would be induced and not have to have pitocin or if I did, it would be very little and spaced out. I did feel better about it this go around, since it looked like I would be induced.

Monday came and there was still a lot of pressure and some on and off contractions but I didn't really believe it would turn into anything. My sister Cynthia said I bet you will go into labor tonight since you are feeling so much pressure. I had little faith... well I went to bed and sometime between 2:30-3 I was woken up from a really strong contraction. I could barely breath! When it was over I got out of bed, went to the bathroom, walked around and then laid down again. about 10-15 mins later another really strong contraction. I think I may have cried in pain (I try to be really quiet since I don't want to constantly wake Spencer up for false alarms) I get up and start walking around and then I went back to bed. The contractions kept coming and at 3:55 I had a really strong one that was difficult to breath through. from there each one was closer and closer, 10 mins, 8, 7, 6, 5 mins apart. Once I hit 5 mins apart each one was consistently 5 mins apart and very strong. I got up and took a shower. at 4:30 I was in so much pain I didn't care if it was real or not I needed to get to the hospital! I went to Spencer and told him to call his parents to meet us at the hospital. He looked at me and asked are you sure? You really think this is the real deal? I looked at him and said yes! and then had another very painful contraction. He got up, took a quick shower and we started to gather things to go into the car. I was greatly for each minute I had in between contractions. I did what I could and then braced myself for the next one. Once everything was in the car, we grabbed Caleb and put him in his carseat. He was very confused as to why we were up and it was still dark. He told us that he was sleeping and it was in the middle of the night. we are suppose to be sleeping mommy. He talked the whole time about how he might fall asleep because he was so tired. When he spoke it was pretty funny as he sounded like a drunk person. he would even randomly giggle.

As we drove to the hospital it was raining outside. So Spencer did not go 80 mph down Bangerter as I would have hoped. While in the van my contractions got closer together which made me nervous. I called the after hours number to page my doctor. She asked a lot of questions which annoyed me and of course I had a contraction while on the phone and could barely talk. He pulled into the Women's center and parked next to the door in the spaced designated for women in labor. John (Spencer's dad) was meeting us there to take Caleb to their house. He had been there once before when I went into L&D for false labor. We couldn't see him so we called him. Spencer told him where we were and he said he was in the north parking lot. Why, I have no idea. Maybe because it was almost 5:30 in the morning and it was still dark. We watch him slowing making his way through the isle of cars. My contractions are killing me and I'm losing patience. John is trying to find us and I'm yelling in the background "Just go to the front door!!" and Spencer is getting nervous watching me and says Dad! Just go to the front door. stop looking for us. just head to the building. I can't wait for the whole exchange of Caleb and gathering of bags so I walk in by myself into the building.

I go to L&D and it's like a ghost town. I slowly walk to the nurse station (no one coming to help me) and I'm like hey I'm in labor, get me a bed! They said ok, fill out this form. Are you by yourself. Umm no, my husband is just giving our son to the grandpa and will be right up. They realize I'm suppose to be here for my induction the next day and think it's funny I'm here. they say it must be the storm. I'm annoyed they are taking their time to get me in a bed. My husband arrives and we go into the room. The nurse who helps me bugs me. She has been a L&D at that hospital for 27 years and was super annoying. You know those nurses that know everything but really are just old fashion and closed minded and stubborn. Thankfully the new shift was starting at 6 am and I would be getting a new nurse.

The annoying nurse put the IV in my wrist where I asked her not to. I told her that that spot is too painful and restricting and I can't move my hand or wrist. I don't like IV's there and they always end up moving them. She didn't listen and stuck it in me anyway. Thankfully she left and the new nurse came in and I asked if she would move it. She said of course! (stupid old nurse ha ha) but for some reason my normally awesome veins were being really difficult and they had to have the anesthesiologist come in and do an IV in my other arm. but it was worth it.

As my contractions were progressing, I was in so much pain. the baby was pressing on my tailbone and I could barely concentrate on anything, let alone breathing. I couldn't believe how much worse the contractions felt than with Caleb. With Caleb I was almost a 7 when I got the epidural. At this moment I was a 5+. I asked for an epidural. They were quick about it thankfully as I was the first mother who came in on the new shift. All the other mothers from the evening had already delivered. Spencer hates needles but I needed to hold on to him in case a contraction came. He put is head down and I wrapped my arm around his head and arm. I was doing great and towards the end a strong contraction came. I may have almost popped Spencer's head off but we survived. haha

After the epidural I was able to relax but could still feel pain in my tailbone. At one point my blood pressure was low (it's always low but it was lower than normal) The nurse asked how I felt and I said good, just a little nausea. She gave me some medicine to raise my BP. and I felt better. She said I was a trooper because most women would be vomiting with BP that low. I loved my new nurse. We had lots of conversations about Call the Midwife. She just started it and finished season 2.

At one point they checked me and I was only a 6. My labor was slowing down and my contractions were now 6 minutes apart. (i'm thinking great! this always happens!) She noticed that before she checked me my water was leaking but hadn't broken completely. Later they had a doctor come and break my water to try and help labor progress. At this point my midwife was on her way. The doctor who broke my water said my cervix was very soft and I would probably go quickly.

I told Spencer he needed to hurry and grab breakfast so he wouldn't be starving. He agreed and ran to get something. In the meantime I was feeling more and more pressure on my tailbone and it was really painful. The epidural doesn't do much for the tailbone apparently. At this point, Spencer was still gone and I was wondering what the heck was taking him so long.

I guess he got the biggest breakfast burrito and it was taking a while to eat. And my sister Cynthia called him and they chatted for a bit, which slowed down his eating. After about 35 minutes I called him and told him to hurry up because I could feel that I might start to progress fast with all the pressure I was feeling.  After I got off the phone I talked to the nurses about the pressure on my tailbone. They said they needed to have me switch positions to try and change the baby's position because that could also be stalling labor and it will help with the pressure. So they put me in this odd position. after 30 seconds I could already feel a difference! They checked me and I was a 7.  The nurse walked out in the hall and told my midwife that I was a 7. My midwife immediately came in and asked how I was doing. I will still in that position they put me in and I said well, the pressure is off my tailbone but I am still feeling a lot of pressure. She said well lets look, you might be at a 10. I said already!? I was just checked. She said, it happens. Let's take a look. but wait, where is Spencer? I was like I don't know! I just called him and told him to hurry up so hopefully he gets here soon.

She proceeds to check me and said yep! You're at a 10, we're ready to push. Holy crap. Change positions and just like that I go from 7-10. Right when she said that Spencer walks in and I'm like hey! What took you so long, I'm a 10 and ready to push. He just looked at me in shock. Wow that was fast.

The staff get everything ready to begin pushing. I liked having my midwife there from the start instead of a nurse helping you push until the baby crowns and then going to get your doctor. Spencer and the other nurse held my leg and I began to push. After 2 contractions Samuel's heart rate dropped significantly. Julie my midwife looks at me and says Brittany I need you to push really hard we can't wait, we have to get your baby out. This scared me to death. I said a quick prayer that I could be strong enough. It took forever to push Caleb out. I pushed with everything I had and he came out! Took only 7 minutes total of pushing for me. When he came out, the umbilical cord was so short they couldn't put him on my chest. They could only reach to my lower abdomen. I started crying as soon as I heard him cry. He was ok and he was here! And then I was crying because I wanted him but had to wait. They cleaned out his airway and looked at the cord. After it was done pulsating she clamped it and Spencer cut it. I was finally able to hold him. He was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. He was everything I had been waiting for. When you are trying to get pregnant, the waiting game is torture. Then to get pregnant and miscarry is heartbreaking. I found out I had miscarried last April and went through everything the night of April 24th and passed the fetus on April 25th 2015. Now the morning of April 26th 2016 I have delivered the most beautiful perfect baby. My heart was full of joy and gratitude in that moment I held my new baby boy. Spencer and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes full of love that we could finally hold our baby.

They cleaned him off and weighed him. 8 lbs 4 oz. 19 inches long born at 10:02 AM. Caleb was 7 lbs 7 oz 21 inches long. Samuel looked so chubby compared to Caleb. But looking at him, he reminded me so much of Caleb. His nose is slightly different on the bridge and his ears are a little different. but honestly they look almost identical to me. Spencer and I were trying to come up with a name. I kept seeing Caleb in him and I think that made it a little more difficult to name him. We finally decided on Samuel Louis Atamanczyk. Samuel is the name of Spencer's uncle on his dad's side who only lived for a short while. He probably would have lived and thrived if he was born today with modern medicine. But back in the 50's in Idaho falls, they didn't have much for premature babies. Louis is Spencer's middle name and also a family name.

Samuel's skin was really dry for being over due. My midwife said that the placenta had a lot of calcification and you could tell by it that he was over due. I thought well ya he was. but how she was talking to the nurse it seemed like maybe he was more than 4 days over due. I didn't ask but that it was interesting.

Because of the short labor I felt surprising great afterwards. I wasn't overly exhausted. I was able to eat and didn't go super long without eating. Samuel was such a sleepy head (opposite of bright eyed Caleb). He struggled to eat at first because we couldn't wake him up! The first day I felt like he barely ate. When we got him to eat it would only be for a minute or two. Right after he was born they pumped his stomach to get the amniotic fluid out. He was doing great though, sugars were good so they didn't worry much about his lack of eating since he was getting some.

After we rested, Caleb came to see the baby. He was so excited all day to come. He kept saying ooohh the baby is so cute. Look at his small ears, small mouth, small eyes. haha. he kissed the baby held the baby. he was happy. Caleb got Samuel a soft owl that was a hand puppet. And we had Samuel get Caleb a small transformer called Boulder he has been eyeing. Caleb loved that. He was sad to leave and wanted Samuel to go home with him. He went back to grandma and grandpa Atamanczyk's house to spend the night as Spencer wanted to spend the first night at the hospital and then would be with Caleb the second night. We had Brian and my niece Rachel come visit, it was nice to see them.

Later that night my sister was getting Married! It was streamed live so we could watch. It was a beautiful ceremony and I am so happy for her! Drago is a great guy and makes her happy. I love that they share this date with Samuel :)

After the wedding I put Samuel on his back and was going to swaddle him. he was on his back for not that long and started choking! It was so scary. His face was red and he couldn't breath. I quickly picked him up and patted his back to help him swallow. He cried and got everything cleared out. to Summarize, this kept happening. He had amniotic still in his stomach and sinus and would sometimes choke on it. I kept him in my room that night because he had barely eaten and I wanted to try and get him to start latching and eating better. well every time I would lay him down in his back he would choke. so I had him lay on my chest on his stomach and sleep like that all night. He did end up feeding really well for 15 minutes and I was really happy about that. It was a long night though and I didn't sleep much. The next day he did much better at eating. And the choking decreased as his body absorbed the amniotic fluid. Wednesday was busy, that morning everything came back to back. Respiratory therapist, hearing specialist (he passed his right ear but not left, still had amniotic fluid in his ear, specialist said it would drain soon and would try again the next morning. she did and he passed!) The baby photographer, some more specialist, the lactation consultant... it was crazy. the most bizarre visit was from the on call pediatrician. You see, I love Dr. Vierra at IMC so much I still take Caleb there and plan to take Samuel there. Since she doesn't travel to Jordan Valley Medical Center, we had the on call peds see him. This guy was something special. He was weird, goofy, odd... I bet he was really socially awkward growing up. I was not impressed with him at all. I was so distracted on how he interacted with us it was hard to take him seriously as a doctor. I was going to have him check for tongue or lip tie but spaced it. because seriously, he was so weird! My brother John got to witness it as well and his reaction was pretty comical once the doctor left. haha.

I took a nice nap in the afternoon. and that evening I had the nursery take Samuel to let me sleep and they only brought him in to feed, which wasn't often because he is a good sleeper at night for being a newborn.

Thursday morning we got to leave the hospital and I was excited to go home. Samuel's choking episodes were pretty much gone as he had absorbed a lot of the amniotic fluid. His latch was ok, but not the worse. Caleb was much worse. haha.

I was able to see all my family (besides Christina and Cynthia who come 5/4!!) within the first 3 days of Samuel's life. I felt so much better this time around that I was able to actually visit with people and wasn't overly exhausted. That I am grateful for.


Since being home, things have been great. I love having Spencer home. Caleb gets a lot of one on one time with Dad and is loving it. I get rest that I need. It's great. Samuel typically only wakes to feed once at night in an 8-9 hour interval. So that has been nice. But I noticed that once my milk came in feeding has been getting more difficult each day. I looked in his mouth and he definitely has a lip tie. I'm 99% sure it's a class III which is the worst kind. it makes his gassy because he can't get a proper latch and will end up swallowing air. and his upper lip can't come forward to latch so he is basically latching with his upper gums. It feels awesome... ha ha I'm handling surprising well (maybe because Caleb's latching experience was sooo bad) If I have too much milk he can't latch at all, so that is fun to figure out. Tomorrow I will be calling to get him in and be seen so we can quickly get that fixed! no reason for both of us to suffer any longer that we have to. I'm just happy that he wants to eat, and this is something I can work around.

We sure do love our Samuel!   To reward you for reading this super long post, pictures of the cutie are below!




Here are some of the pictures we took at the hospital. The bella photos are too pricey for us haha.

All of our visitors :)

My Midwife Julie Jones :)

He's born!!

Pregnancy with baby #2

Being pregnant with baby #2 is very different than when I was pregnant with Caleb. Life is more demanding. My job is more complex, which I love my job but it's not super easy and can be tiring when you're growing a baby. Thankfully they are really understanding. I have a growing 3 year old who sure knows how to take up my time and energy but makes up for it with his sweetness. My husband started a new job that is in a brand new field. Because of this it means long hours and can be tiring for him because he is having to learn so much. Good news is, it's a great company with great people and it gets better each week. We are also finishing our basement and trying to get it finished this month. And shall I mention that this winter has been the worse! I mean worse! that I have ever encountered regarding sickness. That in itself is enough to make one crazy. Because of all this, I basically blinked and I'm 33 weeks. It may be because of how many times I've been sick or the fact that I don't rest like I should but it's been more difficult on my body than my last. They need to invent a great pain pill that is safe for pregnant women. I don't even bother with Tylenol because well...why? haha

I haven't been the best housewife. I haven't been the kindness most loving wife and yes, sometimes Caleb doesn't get my attention like he should. I may have put him to bed without brushing his teeth or only reading one book, sometimes no books. Thankfully I have these two men in my life who still love me and forgive me when I am just not myself. 

Even through the struggles, I am beyond grateful for this baby. I can't wait for the day I actually get say today is the day we meet our baby! I can't wait for this basement to be finished so I can start on the nursery. I know, we're cutting it close to start on the nursery as my due date will be just around the corner, but that is life. I want to nest and go through baby clothes and prepare to have a little baby in the house again. I know that my life is going to change greatly and it will be exhausting but when you are holding that newborn none of that matters.  

I am happy that Winter seems to be gone and Spring is here! It has helped my mood as I haven't be able to get out much or do anything. Caleb is especially excited. He mentions it often and so far the last couple of days he doesn't even ask but just runs outside and starts playing in the backyard. Warm weather makes everything happy :)


Cravings I have had: The first half I wanted Taco Bell, all the time. I never eat Taco Bell, but this mama wanted a chicken chalupa and a bean burrito every day. Don't worry I didn't go crazy. ;) My cravings haven't been weird and I haven't had a lot. One time there were days I just wanted chocolate cake and ice cream mixed together. Or anything carbonated. Apply juice, oranges, beans and rice.

I was way more sick my first trimester this time around. it pretty much lasted the whole trimester and the beginning of the second trimester. My back, hips and pelvis hurt pretty early on with Caleb, gotta love the excess amount of relaxin :) This time around it's been intense. Sometimes I feel I have a broken pelvis and I can't put any weight on my right leg. I have stretches and exercises that I do that help so I can walk. It's made things interesting. Also I am having a lot of braxton hicks that are really strong and very uncomfortable. I guess they can become more noticeable the more pregnancies you have? No one can touch me, I have to stop what I'm doing when I have one. Sometimes back to back all day. I'm hoping my body is just doing a really good job at preparing to have this baby and it will be a smooth delivery :) *crossing fingers*


Caleb has been sweet with this pregnancy. He gives my belly hugs and kisses. Talks about how he is going to take care and protect the baby. He sings to the baby. I'll eat something and he'll say Did the baby want that? Did the baby like that? ha ha

Caleb has been helping me more around the house and with simple tasks lately. Hopefully it'll continue after the baby is here :) He even went downstairs and got some clothes out of the dryer for me so I didn't have to walk down the stairs. I was pretty dang impressed and grateful :)

Baby is moving around a lot, but not crazy active. Reminds me of Caleb. I'm excited to meet this baby, to see what personality and temperament they have.

7 weeks (or less!) until baby comes!

October 2015

October was a busy month for us. We packed a lot of activities in every week. We got season passes to Cornbelly's for a great deal. It was my first year there and I can't believe all there is to do. There are still sections that we didn't get to see or do. Every time we went we would find something else fun to do. Caleb LOVED it! Spencer and I wanted to go back there on a date and do some of the haunted sections but unfortunately it never happened. There's always next year. We spent time at Scheels and I learned that I CANNOT do Ferris wheels. Roller Coasters are nothing to me but I hated every minute on that Ferris Wheel.

Spencer's cousin Melissa had her baby boy. Edward Russell Baker. He was one large baby at 9 lbs 12 oz and 22 inches long. We got to go visit them earlier this month and he was adorable. I couldn't get enough of him. He liked me a lot so I of course had to hold him almost the whole time I was there ;) It made me hungry for my baby to get here! There was a moment where Caleb got a little jealous and told me that I needed to hold him, I guess he felt I was holding Edward too much. After giving him some attention though, he got over it and went back to playing. It should be interesting bring a baby home in April and seeing how he will adjust.

Spencer has been doing more freelance work and did the World Religion Conference where he did live streaming. That was really cool for him. There has been times where he was too busy than I would like...but I think that it finally caught up with him because he caught a nasty cold this weekend. I made sure to help him feel better by getting the best medicine, tissues and chicken broth. I felt bad for the guy. Thankfully he was able to still enjoy Halloween.

There were lots of birthday celebrations this month! We had Jada's 5th birthday. Caleb like singing Happy birthday to his cousin. He was happy to watch her open her presents. We got her an Ariel barbie :)

I love that I caught a picture of him and his cousin Trayton watching Jada open her gifts. Trayton had his arm around Caleb. They usually aren't this affectionate with each other.

We also had my Dad's birthday and had a family party to celebrate. It was good to see everyone. The next day we got together with the Atamanczyk family to celebrate Spencer's mom's birthday. While she was opening gifts, she opened a card from Spencer's brother John and his wife. They are pregnant with their second child! Due one month after me. Her first came 4 weeks early so who knows, both babies could be born around the same time!

Halloween week was busy and fun all at once. I had a busy last two weeks at work as did Spencer as he was going through training for his new job. He is learning coding and java script...you know that stuff that everyone will need to know in 10 years. I feel so lost when it comes to that stuff. But we were still able to squeeze in some Cornbelly's, Halloween movies and crafts. My company goes all out for Halloween. My team did Harry Potter as our theme. I dressed up as Hermione Granger. I have to say I was pretty impressed with my costume since I didn't figure out what I was going to wear until that morning. Thanks to my husband who had not one but two Gryffindor color ties. So I had my choice.

Friday Caleb was able to see his Cousins from Las Vegas. It is Hanna's birthday on Sunday so we sang Happy birthday to her and had Ice Cream. I wish they lived closer. He loves playing with Hanna. She is a year and a half older than Caleb and they play really well together. Thankfully he still has some cousins here in Utah that are around his age :)

Saturday was a lot of fun. We got up, did chores, Caleb got a haircut and then we went to Cornbelly's for one last hurrah! There were some awesome costumes and he loved looking at them. We came home and all three of us took a much needed nap. Spencer's parents came over with Cafe Rio (Yum!) and then we went trick or treating. Caleb loved being Buzz Lightyear. It was funny when he ran into someone else who was Buzz. He would run up to them and say Hi! I am Buzz Lightyear too!! He thought it was so cool. Spencer's dad loved giving out Candy while we went around the neighborhood. They don't really get that many, if any, kids in their neighborhood. So he loved it. It was nice for us as well so we could both go with Caleb. Grandpa and Grandma Atamanczyk did take Caleb around a few houses on our street and he enjoyed that.

Afterwards we popped in Hocus Pocus and enjoyed popcorn and candy. It was a fun evening with family. It was fun to see Caleb really get into the holiday. I love how he can understand and really enjoy all the festivities.

Look how cute my little Buzz is! I have to say, Daylight Savings has been amazing. Don't hate. It was always horrible for us. But I went to bed at a decent time to prepare and he woke up at 6:40 AM. He took a nap before Church because it was easier to put him down for a nap because of the time change. He was happy all morning and happy throughout church. He was even happy and super sweet in the evening. I couldn't believe it. Today was a rare one and I soaked up every minute. :)

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! We sure did. Now on to Thanksgiving and then Christmas!! I am getting excited!

A few pictures from Cornbelly's

Caleb and Spencer with some Minions

Caleb got a pig nose from the pig races and wore it for 2 days straight.

He loved this slide so much that I didn't think I would ever get him to do anything else. He is in the blue stripe shirt on the rope ladder

New beginnings

Well there are lots of changes in our family. Lots of "New"

Spencer has gotten a job at Maritz Cx. It is part of a large corporation. They build online surveys and other tools for Ford, Hyundai, Fidelity, Canon, and Ameriprise.  The company was recently acquired in January, making the company in Utah explode.  They plan to hire 200-300 more people in the next few years. This is what Spencer has to say about his new job: Maritz CX is a actually a whole new world for me.  I don't know much about the survey/customer experience industry, I have a PC, which is an adjustment, their tools and processes are unfamiliar, they're all super amazing at Excel, and they all speak in web coding language.  I've been trying hard to ask a ton of questions, no matter how dumb I sound haha.  Thankfully the people I work with have been awesome!  They also have a freakin ton of free food everywhere.  They try to emphasize employee happiness, because of this they have a fully stocked break room, dart boards, Foosball, pool arcade games, and we're even going to Lagoon tomorrow as a team building activity haha.

As you can see, Spencer likes his new job. He is pretty spoiled with food and balanced downtime there. We were lucky that he got this job and I felt that everything just fell into place with it. It will be something new to him but software/platform he managed at Bizvision should translate well to Maritz Cx. He does well with challenges so I am excited for him. 

Earlier this year he changed his business name to AtaMan Media and has been getting a lot of side business for the evening and weekends. This allows him to still be a part of the video world but do something new and exciting with Bizvision. Plus I don't know if he has ever only had one job. Thankfully this side business is really flexible and he can turn over work to a small company he knows well if he ever finds he doesn't have time for something. Believe it or not, I don't feel like he works so much we never see him. I don't know how he does it! With him starting his new job the beginning of October and with having gotten a lot of side work, we have still gone on quite a few family outings and it has been a very fun October so far. 

My beloved Sunfire (my first car ever) was still running strong. it has some small oil links which isn't a problem, because it's so small. the AC needs a turn up. but man, that thing is never going to die. We like to run our cars to the ground but with us wanting to grow our family and me being sick of putting big 'ol Caleb in the back (it's a coupe) I was ready for a new car! We knew we wanted to buy a car we weren't going to replace, but just drive until it dies. That's what we do. So we opted to look for a minivan because we knew we'd have more kids plus it helps when family comes and stays with us. Well I'm proud to say we now own our very own Honda Odyssey. and it's a dream. Caleb LOVES it. Like holy cow, he thinks it's the greatest, coolest more beautiful thing. He was like a wild animal escaped from the zoo when he let him in the van to check it out. ha ha 

Spencer and I have been trying for a while to get pregnant. I never thought it was going to be an issue since Caleb definitely came so easily (surprise!) After trying for a while, I was pregnant! We were so excited! Baby would be due December 1st. Unfortunately I had a miscarriage and it was devastating. I wanted another baby so bad and just like that...it's over, done. I was 8 weeks. My coping is different than others but I wanted to know exactly what happened and then to process it I had to try to find the positive. The fetus didn't develop correctly and in addition, I was low on progesterone. My positive? I'm grateful I miscarried when I did. I worked in OBGYN at Sutter for over 3 years and had helped patients who had gone through a much more different loss As well as people dear to me who have suffered a lot worse. That is how I coped. I felt God knew I couldn't have handled a loss if the baby was further along. It was still a loss, but I had to be grateful for something so I didn't fall into a dark place. I was frustrated that we had worked so hard. The tracking of it all gets old fast as well as the waiting. Oh how I hate waiting! To know this had happened and we had to start all over again was discouraging. What if we got pregnant and I would get another miscarriage? I would have to deal with this all over again! But I had to stay positive. My life is not just my life, but I am still a mother, wife, primary chorister and work a full time job. This may sound strange but all those trails that I have witness of others, that I have cried and mourn with. They helped me because I could see them living their life and finding joy and purpose and they suffered a lot more than what I went through, so I would most definitely be ok. 

Almost 5 months later, I found out I was pregnant again. I couldn't believe it! I was so nervous at my first appointment. I've never wanted to hear a heartbeat so bad in my life. And there it was! so strong! 168 bpm. Now I am no longer in my 1st trimester and I am happy to say I am still pregnant! The baby is strong, active and a heart rate of 170 bpm.

This pregnancy bring so much joy to our family. in addition it has been interesting. Poor Spencer has had to deal with a sick, tired and emotional pregnant wife but he's a champ. I was VERY sick in the beginning. Beyond tired. I was tired with Caleb but this was something else! oh my gosh. One Saturday I took 3 two hour naps. I couldn't keep my eyes open longer than 2 hours. There were days I would throw up non stop. All day long. Not just the morning or afternoon...all day! This has definitely been a different experience. I am starting to feel better. I still get sick here and there. My energy is starting to come back, thank goodness. Glad to be in the 2nd trimester. it's the best. 

Caleb has been adorable with the whole pregnancy. He is so excited to be a big brother. His friend Marley at daycare has a baby sister named Stella. He loves her. He sings to her and likes to get her to smile. He says he also needs a baby sister of his own and he wants his own baby Stella. it's pretty adorable. I had an ultrasound at 8 am, and we brought Caleb because well...it was easier to. I didn't tell him anything before the appointment. We walk in and I laid down. The technician puts the wand on my stomach and the ultrasound appears on the screen. Nothing is said but then Caleb looks at the screen and says, is that inside Mommy's tummy!? Umm why yes it is :) He wanted to know what we were looking at. Spencer said is that the cereal mommy ate for breakfast. He said no. He knew something was up. I could see the heartbeat beating and I looked at him and said Caleb, that is a baby inside Mommy. He was happy about that and thought it was really cool. Ever since he has been over the moon about it. He will sit next to me and put his arm around my stomach and tell me he is protecting the baby. He loves to tell me how my belly is going to get really big because the baby is going to grow and get big and then squeeze out. haha yes, something like that. For ten minutes he just talked about the baby, laid on my stomach and told me how he is going to keep the baby safe and sing to the baby and be a big brother. I couldn't help but tear up. He can be so sweet sometimes. He IS going to be the best big brother this baby could ever have. I'm so excited for him to meet them :)

We were excited to tell the family about the new baby. One day, Caleb wanted his picture taken and I thought hey! Lets film something. so I made a quick video to share with the family. It's pretty cute and their reaction was awesome! Here's the video! Enjoy. 

2015

On November 1st it will mark 2 years in our home. I love where I live. I could do without all the construction and the commute to work (to West Valley) but that is only temporary. I've made some good friends and live in a great neighborhood. Caleb is 3 and is wildly independent. He is very stubborn, opinionated but can be so loving and sweet. When Caleb turned 3 there were moments I thought I lost my sweet little angel. Nothing compared to 3. Terrible Twos? Who made that up? Nothing is as bad as 3. ha ha it can be a struggle, that's for sure. But there are some pros. I get to see Caleb's mind grow right before my eyes. Learning so much every day. He amazes me. You read him a book and he soaks up every word and learns from what you are reading. Hence how he is an expert on constructions trucks of all kinds, exotic animals at the zoo etc.It the cutest thing to hear a toddler say these big words we read in books. He knows his letters and his numbers. In fact I randomly found out he knew his numbers when we went to see his pediatrician at IMC for a check up. The hospital has numbers on all the different buildings and he just stared pointed and naming off each number. I was like...umm when did that happen?!

It's crazy how he slowly is starting to understand numbers and how they relate in a mathematical term. He's 3, don't get me wrong. He doesn't even know what the word Math means. But addition and subtraction in a real world sense is slowly making it's way into that toddler's brain, with the help of his Dad. :)

Life is such keeping me busy and making it so it flies by quicker than I would like. I work full time, am a mother to the cutest, wild 3 year old. Wife of a hard working man and Primary Chorister. My career at work keeps me on my toes. My company keeps growing and with it, so do I. Some people would push me all the way up to Director if I let them, but I would never do that. I feel like because I am a women, I get more pressure to do something big in the corporate world or I am not living up to my abilities. Well I like being a Mom and being home for dinner, so... I'll pass on being a director who travels a lot, works long hours and replies to emails on the weekend. I think I will always work in some way or another. I think for me, it feels good to get out and do something outside the home and continue to challenge myself and allow my kids see that. But it won't always be 40 hours a week hopefully. Thankfully God has blessed us with Ranae and her wonderful home. The kids there are Caleb's "siblings" She is his 3rd grandma and it's been really great for Caleb. 

Caleb also keeps me on my toes. He can be challenging sometimes but other times he melts my heart and my heart might burst! I love being his mom. He definitely teaches me patience but also that sometimes your first reaction is not the best and you should pause and really listen to this little person or big because their outburst might not be an outburst just to be rude and annoying but something much more. Us humans have so many emotions and there is not an easy way to automatically know how to handle them. I hope I can help him navigate through the many emotions life brings. How do you help your child grow up to be a mentally and emotionally healthy child? Now a days, I feel in the young adults it's actually rare to find. Being a parent can be hard, you want the best for your child and the world keeps changing and throwing more curve balls and you have to be ready and somehow figure out how to parent in this ever changing world that seems to be destroying itself. I refuse to let the world take my family down with it. Like I said, being a parent keeps you on your toes. 

Spencer. My wonderful husband. We are..different. He has energy that I will never have. He actually likes work and staying very busy. I like downtime and a day off. I mean, so does he but only after he has been super productive. When I say work I don't only mean that 40 hour a week job. I mean anything that falls in the category of being productive. He is so productive! That's his thing. He thrives on being productive. See how I just used that word 3 times? It's his thing. ha ha. To say he works hard for this family is an understatement. He has been working for a company called Bizvision. After some changes and movement he ended up being the only one in Production and was their entire production department! He was able to do the work of 3 people and then some. He is such a high execute that he could do that. They do video work and live streaming productions across the nation and even outside the US. He managed all of that. He also would do work on the side, help with the house and grocery shopping, made sure to spend time with family and go on fun outings. And has and will always support me in anything I do. Bizvision is a small start up company and he became frustration with their choices and lack of background or understanding of how to move the company forward. Plus their ears weren't very good at taking advice. The company started to lose big clients and was struggling. He knew there was no way it was going to last so he started looking for a different job. He ended up finding a new job but I'll leave that for another post. It's been quite the year and he definitely learned a lot at Bizvision. He learned he likes being a leader and managing projects. Started studying for the PMP to be a project manager. He learned he doesn't only like video. It was a great first real job out of college and we are grateful for it. 

Since we've moved in there has been a lot of movement in regards to our ward and wards splitting, new stake etc. It's to be expected as homes get completed and families move in, the ward grows and we split. The last split we created a brand new ward and I was called to Primary Chorister. Want some advice? If there is a calling that you feel you never want or could never do and would dread getting... Don't say it out loud. Don't mention it. Don't think about it. Because you will get it. A little bit before the split I was telling my sister in law that if there was one calling I would consider turning down..it was primary chorister. My mom had that calling and the prep and planning and the exhaustion of actually doing the calling.... man, no thank you! Then bam! I was called...and I didn't turn it down. We were brand new...there was not one calling in place. Everyone was new. They needed help. My friend and neighbor was called as Bishop and had to fill every single calling... in a matter of weeks! So I said yes. It has been challenging. and I can honestly say I am not the best or the most entertaining but I try. I have had some trials this past year that if I didn't have this calling...the calling that you won't have a list of volunteers to sub for you...(Thank you to the two men in our ward who have actually Subbed for me!!) I would have missed church, stayed home to deal with the trial. but instead I had to go to church, put on a happy face and you know what? I made it through because God helps you through anything. There were times I felt terrible, I was exhausted  but I went to church and sang with these beautiful children. I look back and I can't believe I actually did this calling for almost a year. I survived people! I have also learned a lot of myself and God. It's really been a testimony builder, which I am grateful for. So maybe do say out loud the calling you dread, you might get it and grow from it. 

August update - 2013

August went by in a flash. Seriously I can't believe how fast it went. Caleb started walking and soon was running all over the place. He is growing so fast. He got two new bottom  teeth. That's a total of 8 teeth.

Caleb had his one year appointment, he was actually 13 months. He weighed 21.5 lbs and was 31.5 inches long. Overall he is in the 86 percentile. Long and skinny. He's a healthy growing boy.

We hiked donut falls. Spencer had never been. I wasn't aware of the rock slide or whatever happened to it, but it's no longer "donut falls " and I'm kind of sad about it. Definitely not as cool. Poor Spencer never got to see it in its glory days. It was still a beautiful hike. Afterwards Spencer and I went and saw Wolverine. Spencer put the keys in his pocket, forgot something and bend down in the car to grab it. His keys fell out on the seat and he shut and locked the door. He quickly realized what happened and we were pretty bummed...we don't have an extra set because it costs like 90 bucks. We went and watched the movie, which was good but not the best. Afterwards we called the cheapest place we could find and paid 50 bucks for a guy to used house hold items and open our door. It took two seconds and I felt cheated. How can they charge 50 bucks. The company was located a block from us so he didn't use that much gas. I couldn't believe how easy it was to get in our car. Well lesson learned. Spend the 90 bucks to get a spare key.

All in all it was a good month for us :) at this point living with the parents ain't too bad. Caleb completely adores them and he just loves his grandpa. I'm glad he gets to become so close to them.