Sunday, May 30, 2010

BIRTHDAYS GALORE!!!!

Seth turned TWENTY SIX last Sunday (the 23rd)... it was a couple days of celebrating(4 really)! Friday Scarlett and I went to join Seth at work for lunch... and I decorated his desk and took him his favorite cupcakes - black bottom cupcakes (delicious). Saturday we met friends at Tucanos for lunch. Can't go wrong with that lunch choice... And had a little Rockband action after that at our place. Saturday night we went to my cousin Breanne's Roller Derby up in Layton. It was our first roller derby experience - it was a lot of fun!! And I'd love to go again. It was kind of loud... pretty loud. But Scarlett didn't fuss at all, she even slept most of the time, so I think it was okay. Afterward we went out for frozen yogurt at Red Mango with my Uncle Brad & Aunt Sundee. It was so nice to just relax and visit with them. A fun, fun night. Sunday we had dinner and birthday cake with the family out in Pleasant Grove. AND Monday... we had lots of friends over for pizza & ice cream/more black bottom cupcakes and Lots Of Rockband! It was a lot of fun! Seth (we) got a grill for his birthday... it's pretty big, and portable. We intend to use it camping a few times this summer... and Scarlett and I got him a set of grill tools and a kabob set. Fun, Fun, Fun.

My dad's birthday was Wednesday. Scarlett and I sang happy birthday to him in the morning, and we chatted in the evening. Poor dad was working the day away, but he enjoyed it? The Dental Lab is just super busy for him at the end of the U of I's school year (dental school), but ... well... he's super busy ALL the time at work. But he says he had a good day. Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa! We Love You!

My brother Brian's birthday was Thursday! I love my brother Brian, and I love this photo of us taken 4? years ago...

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

My Hero

Cheesy... cheesy... cheesy. Fair Warning.


Did ya'll know my husband is a freaking stud? I've taken the man for granted lately...

While I get to stay at home with our beautiful daughter, work here and there a little, and do many things at my own leisure. Seth is slaving away at life. My husband is going to work full time AND grad school full time right now. And then when he is home he is still changing a poopy diaper, making a bottle, and rocking baby Scarlett to sleep.

Good thing he doesn't work until 9:30 in the mornings... because he pulls late nights working on his papers (3-5 pg papers due EVERY week), researching, preparing (almost weekly) presentations for his grad school classes. He works until 6:00pm and I try my hardest to have dinner ready to eat or in the works. And so far this week we haven't had any fast food!! (That is HUGE for us!!)

He has a demanding job. He's been at it for 2 months now - at Adobe. And finally done with most of the training, but its so intense stuff he is constantly learning new things. Which is such an awesome experience for him, and he is gaining so much knowledge. Plus there are optional certifications and further trainings he is preparing and studying for. These certifications aren't a requirement - buta special bonus of working for omniture - which makes you extremely marketable if you were to put it on a resume. Anyway, his job rocks, and he rocks at it. It's amazing how much he has learned in the last two months. After working there for just a month he was in a training meeting for the certifications (so a wide variety of employees who had worked there for any amount of years was attending) and one of the more veteran employees asked him afterward how long he had been working there (a month). He said Seth was the smartest client care guy he's met - based on the questions and comments Seth had made in the meeting. Such a stud.

So here is my sweet husband tonight - working on a 5 pager. I'm so grateful for his sacrifices to work toward a hopeful successful future ... I think we're on the right path.I love you babe. I'm excited to celebrate your birthday this weekend!

development...

Scarlett is beginning to bat at toys and her cheeks JUST KEEP GETTING BIGGER!!!

She's 11 weeks today. She notices Raja when she walks by and gives her the evil eye when she is LAYING ON TOP OF HER. I thought Raja was jealous before - but now she is really, really jealous. Scarlett will be in our lap and she'll just come up and sit on top of her. Or she'll walk on her to get to the other side of the chair/couch or to climb up high on our chest.
See these cheeks!?! I blow dry her hair now... it's just a lot faster that way.She loves sleeping on her daddy's lap...She is a tall, long baby girl! She really took the days frustrations out on the red rocket today... can you hear the intimidating words coming out of that mouth of hers? (which has been so fun to listen to non stop lately).
I Love It All!!! :)

Thursday, May 13, 2010

In A Week...

I need to blog more! Last Wed I was having some tooth pain and went into the dentist... They only took an Xray of where I was having the pain - I needed a Root Canal. Yea - I went in the next day to get it done. It was bad. I was pretty nervous, but it really wasn't that bad! Wow. It had been a year since I went to the dentist... But I guess I did go through a pregnancy and pregnancies do have a toll on teeth. And I had a pretty 'easy' pregnancy/delivery - so I guess I deserve some bad teeth? I'm nervous about how the rest of my mouth is doing... I still need to go in and get the crown. Kind of putting it off though.

I was sick on top of that root canal - they got to look up my crusty nose for an hour. I am finally over that blasted cold, and gave my congestion to Scarlett. Poor girl doesn't like the nose plunger after trying to get the snot out for 2 minutes. But she's still pretty patient when we're trying to help her breathe. Anyway, I didn't go to work last week b/c I had such a bad cold. Figured my co workers wouldn't want me to share my germs with them.

Saturday I worked 4 hours though. We watched our nephew Preston while his parents went and saw Ironman 2. He was throwing up on Friday, but seemed to be feeling better, well enough for his parents to go out. He was pretty good for us, didn't seem sick.

Saturday night Seth and I went to Ironman 2 at the Imax theater. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It was SO cool to see it in the IMax, I want to see all big movies at the Imax now. And the megaplex it's at has this really neat food court, you can take your food in the theater with you. We met up with James and Cari (Gates) Helton. It was our first date since Scarlett was born. And I had a lot of fun. Aubrey watched her for us (Preston's mom). We weren't out too long - just for the movie. But we missed Scarlett! She was fun when we got home that night.

Sunday - MOTHER'S DAY! It was my first mother's day! And it was nice to reflect and ponder about my fantastic moms. Seth and I are so blessed with the amazing examples of mothers in our lives. I enjoyed church, it was fast Sunday since we had stake conference last week. I heard a lot of testimonies about being a mom, motherhood, having children, etc. It was difficult to not worry that someone in the congregation was having a difficult day because they want to be a mom or has tried for years to have children. I tried to focus on my mom and celebrating the day in honor of her. Mother's day has been a very difficult for me in the last couple of years. It was just kind of a weird first mother's day for me... not what I had expected it to be, not what I thought it would be. But I did that all to myself. Seth spoiled me. The apartment was cleaned, he even vacuumed. We had stir-fry for dinner, it was so yummy. He bought me this electric massage thing that works amazing and I told him I didn't want flowers... I wanted to have a hanging plant/flowers for our patio instead of him getting me a bouquet. I just haven't gone to pick it out yet. Scarlett was all dressed up and looking so cute at church. She was extra good and extra cute for me. I absolutely love having her as my own.

Sunday - Aubrey, Preston's mom - Seth's sister - lives in provo, was on her death bed. She had the stomach flu. We watched Preston that night while she went to the urgent care with Davin for a few hours. He was good for us... it was an enjoyable evening.

Monday I offered to take Preston off Aubrey's hands so she could rest. She was dehydrated and got almost 3 bags of fluid via IV. So I watched Preston until Davin got him at 5. He was a good baby... He's way easy! I'm grateful he isn't crawling yet :) I didn't get much done though...

So on Monday Scarlett had SIX poopy diapers. She usually had one every 2 or 3 days. Tuesday she came to work with me all day because Aubrey was still recovering (she watches Scarlett for us while I work 16 hrs during the week). And Scarlett had 4?5? poopy diapers - plus one was a blowout. She wasn't fussy, her poo was seedy, She was eating normal, and wasn't vomiting. I wasn't too concerned. She did sleep A LOT... I think she was awake for just an hour while I was at work (which was a great thing, and I worked 11 hours that day).

Wednesday she slept in until 7:30, actually... I started waking her up at 7:15 b/c I wanted to feed her and get ready to take her to work w/ me again. She had a completely dry diaper. That concerned me, definitely something out of the ordinary that made me wonder if she was dehydrated. Her poopy diapers were wet, but not straight diarrhea. But after two blow outs and getting a little tired of changing her clothes, etc during my 9 hour shift I called the nurse. The nurse wasn't concerned... So I tried to not be... Anyway...

Today - She had two poopy diapers one right after the other late morning. They were definitely straight diarrhea, no seeds. So I called the nurse again and I made an appointment for her to see the doc. She has the stomach flu. I wish she would have been fussy or something!!? I guess I should have known b/c she was pooping so much? - but it was seedy and looked normal for the most part, so I wasn't too concerned. And she was still wetting some (not as much as usual) so I didn't think she was really dehydrated. She still took her bottles so easily and wasn't vomiting/spitting up. So I knew she was getting fluids, etc. Anyway! When the doc checked her out today he said he could tell she is bloated and uncomfortable but she is very well natured and dealing with it well. What? How can he tell she is uncomfortable if she isn't fussy? How am I suppose to know!? I mean, I know we're lucky that she's not screaming and complaining about having the stomach flu, but I feel so bad that I didn't know. She "just" has a mild case of it though. She had her well check last Tues and since that appt she has lost like 3 ounces. Her temp was 99.2, so it wasn't really a fever. But yea... We had Preston over on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. And she was over there on Saturday night... She was clearly exposed. Grateful it wasn't worse! Grateful she's such a great sport!

We got some pro biotics for her... that's all the doc recommended. So I mix up the little packet of granules (the size of sand or yeast) with some of her formula and finger it in her mouth and then let her suck on the bottle to wash it down. The stuff isn't small enough to fit through the nipple of the bottle. She is doing a great job of keeping it down and taking it. We'll do this a couple times each day for the next few days. This should just help her body get regular again, and hopefully keep her from getting constipated, which is expected once she's over this bug.

When I had called to make the appt they asked for her symptoms, etc. The doc knew what the appt was for before we got there... He came in and asked if I was ready to trade her in for a new one. No way! He says we're pretty lucky she's so good natured. The binkie or holding her really solves all her fussiness almost immediately. So I never know if that's just what she wanted or if those are her coping mechanisms that make life all better. Anyway!! This was my first experience (besides congestion) working with my sick baby...

Today was fantastic since I didn't work! I had two long days, 11 hrs and 9 hrs to get my 20 hours in... Because I can't go into work this Saturday. Why not? ... you ask. Well friends, we are going to YELLOWSTONE Saturday!!! We're driving up to Rexburg to stay with cousin Todd & Catie. We'll have a fun filled-packed One day Yellowstone adventure, and come back Sunday. I've only been once - and it was when I was pretty young. We're Very Excited!! I'll take lots of photos...

Friday, May 7, 2010

Too Big!?

Miss, you're kinda getting tall... perhaps the plan to sleep in your bassinet until you're 3 months isn't ideal.

PS I Love This Photo of your beautiful hair...

It's been A Long Time since I've blogged... but there are 5? new posts after this one... our lives are updated!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

In just a year...

From the diary of Scarlett O'linda

"My dearest daughter,
You are just so beautiful. I'm playing with you, right now! You just got your PJ's on and now we are just chit chatting away! Even while I'm writing right now you're just looking at me and chatting.
Today is your Gma Hartley's birthday! And you just completely covered me with a sneeze...But today is very memorable to me for another reason. While I was pregnant with you I was asked when my LMP was very often, when I had lab work and ultrasounds,etc. And that date is 5/6/09. This date was actually when my 2nd miscarriage 'started'. It was mother's day that weekend, how coincidental... Being constantly reminded of what began that day was at times hard, but knowing you were healthy and moving inside me kept my hopes high that I would be a mom soon enough.

Now exactly one year later I'm here visiting with you. And my heart is overflowing with love and happiness. I have been so blessed over this past year. Heavenly Father has blessed me with you and has exceeded all my hopes & dreams numerous times and in so many ways. You are a beautiful girl. You have such bright eyes, that people still continuously compliment you for.
You have such a caring and sweet personality. Is it possible I can sense this and tell by your 2 month interaction with us? I see you becoming a very caring individual who is aware of others around you and concerned for their well being.
You communicate your feelings and even discomforts to us in such a patient way... Giving us those 'sad story whimpers and call outs' rather than crying. It's incredibly cute to me. And I'm very grateful for your calm temperament!

This week my thoughts have been turned to my mothers so often. And it's unreal to me that I'm your mother. It's amazing how far I've come in a just a year, I love that we are here together, just coo'ing and chatting away. I love you! Love, Mom. "

Monday, May 3, 2010

Two Month's Old!

Weight: 11 1/4 lbs 61%tile
Length: 23 3/4 in 92%tile!
Head Circumference:15 3/4cm 80%tile

Scarlett is TWO months! To me she looks like she's 3 months, it feels like she has been with us for at least 6 months. But it definitely was just two months since I delivered a baby.
I'm so grateful her doctor's check up went well and she is a healthy baby. She rocked her shots.... I made sure Seth could come to the appointment... Scarlett and I have cried through shots together before, I wanted the daddy to be there for us both to be strong this time. Scarlett must have been being tough for her dad or the nurse was just TOO fast with the 3 shots Scarlett didn't have a chance to understand what had just happened! (She Was FAST!) She whimpered a little... gave us her sad story coo's, maybe cried for a sec... - it was too cute actually.


Scarlett, at two months you ....
- Smile at mom and dad - A Lot!
- Talk to us, and 'coo' in all sorts of pitches.
- You try sucking on your hands but don't stick any fingers in there to suck on.
- You kick your legs a bunch - especially while on the couch and we're talking to you.
- You patiently give little whimpers or sad coo's when you'd like our attention or binkie.
Holy Crap You Love Your Bink!
- You look best in purple.... or pink.
- Your hair is amazing - it just keeps getting longer and lighter!
- You enjoy your tummy time and music play mat more and more.
- You listen to mommy most when she sings "A Child's Prayer", amongst the other primary songs.
- You sleep at least 6-8 hours a night and go back to sleep until 9 or 10! You Spoil Your Mom!
- You do NOT like stopping to burp in the middle of a bottle - you whine and grunt with disgust

You Bring So Much Joy And Happiness To Your Parents.

... And I'm really sorry I got you sick. You don't like the nose plunger, but it helps you breathe! And I'm sorry I just let you cry while I'm trying to get the runny snot out - it's only because your nostrils get bigger and so it's easier to get the plunger up your little nose. I love your little nose.

Scarlett's 2 month photo shoot - mom-home style.

Family In Town & a real bath

My red camera is at my Gma's right now... so I'm missing good pictures of this BIG weekend we had April 22-28, okay BIG week.

Scarlett has pretty much been getting sink baths and sponge baths since day one... I know, it's like we're neglecting her!!? She Does Get Baths, She Is Clean! Are you kidding... we have to wash that hair every day! So here are photos of that fun, fun time.


My parents drove out to Utah Thursday the 22 and stayed until just after the blessing lunch Sunday. It was a fast trip for them, but we got to spend quality time with them amongst the chaos. I love my parents. I love when they come visit! They took my bro Garrett and his roommate Kameron home with them, since they're done with school for the summer. (and for their missions?)

We had Seth's parents staying with us for the weekend and then they stayed with Aubrey/Davin (Seth's sister) until Wednesday. It was So Much Fun having them around so much. It went by WAY too fast! Aubrey did fantastic at her post about this - so check it out here :).

Scarlett's Blessing Day

Seth did an awesome job blessing Scarlett in Sacrament meeting on April 25th. She did so great too! When Seth held her up to show her off after the blessing she was so bright-eyed looking over the congregation. It was pretty cute. We're grateful so many family and friends could join us, the circle was a bit big, but it worked. And I realized that morning if the friends who were invited in the circle came, there was a Peter, a James, and a John. And they came...Funny huh?

She wore the same dress I wore when I was blessed. :) I do wish I had put something in her hair... I thought a huge flower/headband would be too much, but nothing was not enough.

There were A Lot of people that came to support Scarlett. I wish we could have taken a group photo, but instead we have this slideshow of photos we took at the lunch afterward. Thanks for all your love and support!

Seth's Graduation

Seth graduated from BYU last December with a bachelors in Psychology. Since BYU doesn't have December graduation ceremonies Seth walked in April. I'm so glad he walked! It was very tempting to not walk... :) But it was a great day!
His parents were here from Michigan, my parents were here from Iowa - it was a fun and great event!Seth is currently getting his masters in "Mental Health Counseling" at University of Phoenix. The idea is we'll be licensed in Minnesota in a few years, back to the Midwest! So proud of you Seth.