Thursday, December 20, 2012

Christmas Letter crossword puzzle answers

If you got our Christmas letter... and you've been bashing your head against the wall over and over and over because I'm terrible at making crossword puzzles. Don't worry! I'm about to put you out of your misery!!

If you have no idea what I'm talking about... and would like a Christmas card/letter from us - just leave me your address!

If you don't care about spoilers, go ahead - look at the answers below.

These are the answers to our 2012 Christmas Crossword puzzle ;)
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. Across
3 - Chicago
6 - Thirty!
8 - Commute (Cubicle works too)
9 - Lincoln
11 - India

Down
1 - Swimming
2 - Baskets
4 - parade
5 - Boy
7 - Scotland
10 - laughter
12- Iowa

Thanks for enduring it all. We hope it wasn't too terrible. :)

Merry Christmas!!

Love,

The Burke's

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Holla!

It's already the middle of November! Thanksgiving is NEXT week!! I love, love this time of year.

We have a "thankful tree". I try to remember to ask Seth & Scarlett something that "made them happy today" or what they are "grateful" for. We write them all on one paper in the shape of a leaf, and hopefully by next Thursday we'll have a tree full of cute leaves and list of blessings we have. I think it was November 4th... Scarlett said "Sugar bugs make me happy!" Uh. . . She really wants us to know how much she hates brushing her teeth.

I don't decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, pretty much because it is socially unacceptable. I think focusing on what we're grateful as we celebrate Thanksgiving is a good way to celebrate the life of our Savior. It is because of him, through him, that we have all of the blessings I'm grateful for. So... I'm sorry to say, I'm so glad Thanksgiving seems to fall quite early this year. It means Christmas decorations can be up for a whole month and some!

I cannot wait to decorate for Christmas. We have two big bins full of decor. I'm sure Scarlett will be a great help this year, just like she was last year.

In other news... Seth and I spoke in church last Sunday. My topic was "gratitude", Seth spoke about "humility". I think we did well, Seth did great! He is a great speaker. He is also in practice, with School going on and he does a lot of training at work. Me... not so much. But it was great! I overall enjoy speaking in Church.

Lincoln turns 5 months tomorrow!! He is such a sweet, sweet boy. A happy boy! I'll have to post more about him after I take his 5 month photos tomorrow.

Seth got a promotion at work! It's exciting!! It is a new position, a "Product Evangelist". He will be more specialized in the products (webanalytics). There are 3 others with his job description, 2 that work with him, and 1 in Cali. Together they are to coordinate between departments. He's very excited about the opportunity, it will bring only bigger and better things down the road for him. I am so proud of him. I married such a bright and smart man. He provides for our family and we have the absolute CUTEST kids ever.

It is time for me to go to bed.

Just to follow up ...

From my last post. A friend posted this on Facebook. Yea, I was kind of bummed about the outcome of the presidential election. I believe President Barack Obama is a good man. I may not believe in his views as much as some other politicians. But that's cool... I do believe in Latter-day Prophets. I believe these words that a friend posted on Facebook. Thanks Karin!

So now is the time for us to remember the words of our church

leaders. True, we will see some difficult times. But we can take heart

from these words.





BRUCE R. McCONKIE

“It is our firm conviction as a people that the stars and stripes will be waving triumphantly in the breeze, as a symbol of the greatness and stability of the United States of America, when the Lord comes. This nation was established to be the Lord’s base of operations in this final gospel dispensation. From it the gospel is to go to every other nation and people. The greater its influence among the nations of the world, the more rapidly the gospel spreads. But the Lord has told us that all nations, the United States included, shall cease to be when he comes” (The Millennial Messiah, 491).



JOSEPH SMITH

“We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: ‘Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction” (Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City, July 19, 1840) (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 623 - 624).

JOSEPH SMITH
Words of James Burgess: “In the month of May 1843, several miles east of Nauvoo, the Nauvoo Legion was on parade and review, at the close of which Joseph Smith made some remarks upon our condition as a people and upon our future prospects, contrasting our present condition with our past trials and persecutions by the hands of our enemies; also upon the Constitution and government of the United States, stating that the time would come when the Constitution and government would hang by a brittle thread and would be ready to fall into other hands, but this people, the Latter-day Saints, will step forth and save it. . . .I, James Burgess, was present and testify to the above” (The Words of Joseph Smith, 279).

EZRA TAFT BENSON
“The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution. Joseph Smith predicted that the time would come when the Constitution would hang, as it were, by a thread, and at that time ‘this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction’ (Journal of Discourses, 7:15). It is my conviction that the elders of Israel, widely spread over the nation, will at that crucial time successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the institutions of constitutional government” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 618 - 619).

On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 11:49 AM, Daniel Kelly Ogden wrote:

There are some extraordinary and very timely thoughts from President Harold B. Lee (speaking in October 1973) circulating on the Internet. I looked into the quotation carefully and have confirmed that the words below are accurate; at the end I list the sources. Latter-day Saints and all Americans need this right now. (Someone might even want to forward this to Glenn Beck; he needs to see it!)

President Lee:
Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail.

This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the New Jerusalem. . . . This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple.

We are living in a time of great crisis. The Country is torn with scandal and with criticism, with faultfinding and condemnation. There are those who have downgraded the image of this nation as probably never before in the history of the country.

I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. . . . It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through.

We must be on the optimistic side. This is a great nation; this is a great country; this is the most favored of all lands. While it is true that there are dangers and difficulties that lie ahead of us, we must not assume that we are going to stand by and watch the country go to ruin. We should not be heard to predict ills and calamities for the nation. On the contrary, we should be providing optimistic support for the nation.

You must remember . . . that this church is one of the most powerful agencies for the progress of the world, and we should . . . all sound with one voice. We must tell the world how we feel about this land and this nation and should bear our testimonies about the great mission and destiny that it has.

If we do this, we will help turn the tide of this great country and lessen the influence of the pessimists. We must be careful that we do not say or do anything that will further weaken the country. It is the negative, pessimistic comments about the nation that do as much harm as anything to the country today. We who carry these sacred responsibilities must preach the gospel of peace, and peace can only come by overcoming the things of the world. Now, we must be the dynamic force that will help turn the tide of fear and pessimism.

(Excerpts from a talk given at Ricks College Devotional Assembly, “Have Faith in America,” October 26, 1973, and printed in two sources: Ye Are the Light of the World: Selected Sermons and Writings of Harold B. Lee, 340, 350-351, and The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams, 365-366.)

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Oh What A...

...day next Tuesday will be!  Hahaha - I'm sorry, but I have to post at least once about this historic election year. It is such a close race! I follow political articles on CNN and see plenty of opinions on Facebook, and I watched the majority of the debates. I've researched the candidates just like I did in 2008. I am still registered as an independent voter and would like to consider myself an open minded person. Even though I live in a state that will most likely always vote Republican, I still go and vote for the candidate that will meet my needs the best at my current point in life.

 I'm sure there aren't really any "undecided voters" out there at this point, But I would just like to share the following. One of the gentleman that I met serving as a missionary in Japan posted this on Facebook tonight, it is direct words from his dad. I hope you take the time to read it.


"I am not the most avid FB user, and I know and respect the fact that our FB friends include people from all walks of life and a variety of political perspectives. So, other than sharing a link to Pam's speech in Tampa (and occasional responses to posts on other people's walls), I have generally avoided posting political opinions here.

Whatever our various personal political perspe
ctives might be, I hope that my FB friends know our family to be committed to trying our best to do the right things as we see them. We have been grateful for your kindness as we have both celebrated some joy and success in our lives, and as we have struggled with some very difficult things. None of us is perfect, we can only strive with sincerity to live up to our most noble beliefs and aspirations -- and when we fall short, pick ourselves up and try again harder. I appreciate your example, friendship and encouragement as we work through the challenges of life together.

Everyone has access to lots of information, and at this point most of us have pretty settled opinions about the presidential candidates. I respect that, and won't try to persuade anyone that they are on the wrong side or should change their political beliefs.

In this election, however, Pam and I are in the unusual position of having known one of the candidates for over 30 years. Mitt and Ann Romney were role models and friends to us when we were grad students in Boston so many years ago. This was a tender time in our lives when we were each raising young families -- they are 8-10 years older than we are, but our oldest (Peter) and their youngest (Craigy) were still in diapers at the time. We came to know the Romneys well. We spent hundreds of hours in their home, took care of each others children, shared with each other in private joys and sorrows, dreams and disappointments, hopes and aspirations. We saw Mitt devote literally dozens of hours each week, through his role as a lay leader in our church, to befriending and counseling and helping those who were lonely or in need -- in ways large and small. They taught and actively involved their boys in daily acts of service and kindness to others; that is simply who they are and the way they live.

Pam's speech at the RNC shared our personal story about how we experienced the Romney's tender kindness through the life of our daughter Kate -- from the initial struggles around her premature birth, to the sorrow of her passing 26 years later. (If you have not seen it yet, see a link in my post below.) There are hundreds if not thousands of other families who have experienced similar kindnesses in a myriad ways.

Regardless of political perspectives, I want each of our friends to know that these are among the finest, most hardworking, and most generously kind people we have known. While we understand that political campaigns are by nature contentious, it has been painful to us on occasion when commentary has become personal and suggested that Mitt does not care about those who are suffering, or seeks office to benefit himself and other "rich people," and that he must be "lying" if he says otherwise. We know these claims are completely false. This is a deeply good man, who has spent an extraordinary amount of his time and resources trying earnestly to help others. When a partisan commentator stated the other day that the Romney campaign was "pretending to care" when it dedicated what was originally going to be a campaign event instead to a relief effort assembling food packages to send to families that had been displaced by the storm, that was wrong. That was classic Mitt Romney -- see a need, and immediately roll up his sleeves to try to help both through his own personal effort, and by organizing and encouraging others. It is second nature to him -- that is how he was raised, and how he has raised his own family.

Personal character is of course just one factor in a decision whether to support a candidate. You may sincerely believe that the policies advocated by Pres. Obama are the best ones for the country -- that our government should become bigger, raise more taxes, spend them on expanding government programs, and adopt more regulations to make the government a bigger part of our lives and play a bigger role in subsidizing, guiding and controlling private business. If that is the case, then (while I disagree), I respect your right to vote according to your political beliefs and conscience.

However, it is my hope that NONE of my friends will give any weight to false caricatures of Mitt Romney as a bad man who does not wish to do anything to help those in need -- that all he cares about is rich people, and that his policies are in fact secretly intended to keep the poor in their place and make the rich richer. Any such suggestion is outrageously false. This is a deeply good man, who sincerely desires to re-invigorate the American economy, providing all Americans access to better jobs, more take-home pay, and a future bright with greater opportunities for themselves and their families -- while keeping faith with our seniors, veterans, and others who rely on Social Security, Medicare and help getting back on their feet after suffering dislocation. We can agree or disagree whether the Romney-Ryan policies are the best way to produce these results, but Mitt passionately believes they are. To vilify this good man as insincere or ill-intentioned is simply wrong.

The very best of luck to you. I trust you will join us in hoping for a smooth and fair election in which the voters make their decision clear, so that we can move forward to greater peace and opportunity for all."
 
 

Friday, October 19, 2012

a heart growing more fond

I've been husband-less for the last 3 weeks.

My little brother Garrett came home from serving a Latter-day Saint mission in California on October 1st, so I went with the kids to welcome him home in Iowa. We left on Sept 28, Seth headed to Scotland for work on Sept 29.

It was nice to be in Iowa with all of my siblings, nieces & nephews, and my beautiful parents for a week while Seth was gone. Scarlett didn't handle all of the action too well, which was pretty difficult for me the majority of the time. Lots of grumpiness. Which ultimately makes me sad because Scarlett is a very sweet, fun, and thoughtful 2 year old.

I was almost looking forward to coming back to Utah because of how difficult it was to parent Scarlett away from her routine.

We've been home here in Utah for two weeks now, trying to get back into normal life. It shouldn't take two weeks, huh? The first few days we were back Scarlett would make comments about being home to inanimate objects. Which is not too unusual, since she often talks to inanimate objects. (Seth calls it personification. I call it pure cuteness and entertainment.) "Cinderella!! we are home!!", "Oh! My Bike! Bike - We are home! Did you miss me?", and "Aw, Hi ball. You miss me? I'm home Ball!".

I was chatting with Seth on Gtalk today... which has been the extent of communication - texts or chats - since phone calls are too expensive and his internet at the hotel is too slow for Skype. We were talking about him coming home and I was trying to explain to him that not too much has been different around here with him gone.



Which sounds absolutely terrible. But really - I'm still doing the laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc. etc. But I get to do some extra things, like take out the trash and get the kids ready for bed Every night (Seth does the bed time routine a little more than half the time). And it isn't fun having to be the bad guy 100% of the time  - putting Scar in time outs and taking things away from her (scissors, candy, chapstick, etc). So things have generally been about the same.

But actually - this place is completely different around here with him gone.

Just his presence, as the husband & dad, makes this place completely different. There's always a feeling that something isn't right, something is missing. When Seth is gone I realize how much he contributes to our lives in non-physical ways. We're excited to have him back with us!

 I will also note - I had to kill two HUGE bugs on my own in our home. Which were absolutely disgusting. And he wasn't even here to see me scream and freak out at them. ALSO - I cannot stand going to sleep alone, I slept with the hall light on each night.


In other news, Lincoln had his 4 month check up on Monday. He's a healthy  and happy boy!


25.5 in tall(70%ile)
14 lbs (23%ile)
16in head circumference (22%ile)

I'm positive the length it's wrong, the nurse marked from the bottom of his foot to the end of his hair, hahaha.  (His hair sticks up a bit). Lincoln is such an incredible baby. He is so happy and easy!! He sleeps so well through the night, smiles and laughs a lot. Hardly ever cries, and when he does - it's pretty cute. He loves blowing raspberries, and getting better at tummy time. He likes watching his sister dance and seems to have a shy side to him, that gets bashful when you insist on getting his attention. Love Him. 

So lucky to have these two guys in my life! And just as lucky to have our sassy 2 year old Scarlett too. The other day a lady asked her how old she is, She thought about it for a little bit and I told the lady that Scarlet is two but tells people she is 3. Scarlett finally said, "Yea, I'm 4 years old now! I was 3, but now I am four!"  love her.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Small moments that influence life in BIG ways

I occasionally have moments when I reflect back on my life and think of the big things I've accomplished or experienced. Usually they can be traced to a specific moment or person that was pivotal to making that important event happen. This also is a testament to me that there is a bigger hand in it all, and our lives are orchestrated to intertwine with one another in order for us to become better and accomplish great things.

My friend and co-worker is moving across the country tomorrow. It is sad, but I'm excited for her and her hubs on their new adventure and chapter in life. Erika worked with me at the BYU Student Health Center back in 2007/2008. I worked there as a full time employee, she was a student employee and left when she graduated Dec 2008.

Our paths crossed again in June 2009 at a movie theater. I stopped her and we chatted about her new job and at the time I was ready to start looking for something new. She loved her new job, and she said she could try to hook me up since they were hiring. My life would be very different today if I hadn't talked to her that night in the theater. A few weeks after that I was hired at the Radiology Billing office I work at now.

For me, it is a big blessing to have a part time job that is extremely flexible and meets my needs as a mom of two. I like the experience,  responsibilities I have at work and the awesome co-workers I get to have adult interaction with. The kiddos go to an awesome lady who love them and she is so great with kids. I trust her completely and that makes it easier to be away from S & L for that short time.
That change of workplace, co-workers, opportunities have been a huge blessing in my life. If it weren't for Erika, life as I know it would be a lot different today! I'm glad she is coming back to visit at Christmas, I know we'll see each other again. Good luck in South Carolina and your big new adventures Erika!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Demolition Derby!

So two Saturdays ago Seth and I went to the Heber City Demolition Derby with his co-workers (2nd year in a row) and that was such a fun date night with fantastic company. We were lucky to go to another Derby in Richfield last Saturday!
My cousin Eric wasa driver, and it was really fun to see him and my relatives in that element. Scarlett really enjoyed herself, especially being with her little cousins and great grandparents. 




 This picture is awesome of SCarlett and Great grandpa Unsicker!! Credit goes to Seth for the perfectly timed snap with the camera. I love SCarlett's purple ear plugs too, GGma was so nice to share hers.
This last photo is my favorite one of all. These two have a bond that I get jealous of at times.
 So sweet.


Friends


Scarlett's friend Lexi came over, and I got the cutest pictures of the two - I had to share.
Seriously - you can't train girls to like the girlie things, they just do!!  I love that Lexi has THREE hairbands on, hahaha.
Too Cute
Party in Lincoln's play set.
Good thing we have two of each of toys that are the most entertaining! It keeps the arguing and tears down.
These two are ultimate Dora fans!! Dora Cups, Dora couch, Dora chair, Dora Doll . . . Watching DORA! They both have the same Dora Jammies from Target too, just a coincident!
We went to the Highland splash pad on Monday.






I love this picture most though.... Lincoln joined in on night time stories for the first time. He just laid there and watched Seth. So adorable! How in the world did I get so lucky with this cute family of mine?











Binkies - part 2

SUCCESS!!! Well... so far. The first night was T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E! She screamed for a solid 45 minutes. Her hair was half wet from sweating, I thought she wouldn't have a voice the next day from screaming. It was baaaaad.

She still had her binky, but it was broken! She just slept with it though. Monday she didn't take a nap. But Monday night went better than the first night. She still asked for a binky. We gave it to her - but she said it was broken. She accepted that we didn't have anymore and would have to go to the store...And luckily she hasn't remembered that conversation.

Tuesday (yesterday) she was at Jenni's, our sitter while I'm at work, and Jenni said she took a nap no problem! She didn't even ask for one. SCORE!

Last night, she still asked for it. But didn't put it in her mouth. She started crying a little later in the "going to bed" process, and I told her to get her binky. Then she told me, "No, it's broken. lets just keep it right here", and she set it on the pillow next to her. Perfect.

This was seriously a piece of cake. I 100% recommend just snipping off the tips when it comes to binky weening.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Binkies

Scarlett is almost 2 1/2 years old now, and extremely addicted to her binky. Before Lincoln came we almost had it controlled to only nap/bed time. However, lately it's been anytime she finds one, she has it in her mouth. We haven't been strict about keeping it back to nap time.

I haven't been to worried about taking her binky away because at the dentist appointment in April Scarlett's dentist explained until they're 3-4 years old it's not bad for their teeth. Their teeth can still easily be fixed without braces, orthodontic intervention, etc. I appreciated that he understood how important this soothing device is for little ones.

But when I was helping Scarlett with a good tooth brushing this morning It is clear to me her bite isn't right and her front 4 teeth are considerably "off" compared to her bite/bottom teeth. No More Binky For Scarlett.

Of course within 10 minutes of Seth and I discussing it is time to get rid of the B all together, cold turkey, not even allowed for nap/sleeping time, she had found one and was sucking on it. Seth took it away and it turned into a solid tantrum that lasted forever. Kicking, screaming, red and sweaty - Scarlett was extremely mad at the world!! We couldn't keep from laughing at times, but then it turned into me crying along with her. This is hard stuff!! I want Scarlett to be happy and comfortable! When she is sad and scared she always wants her binky and Blue (her Dr. Seuss thing 1 thing 2 doll).

So I read a few articles - while she was still going strong with that tantrum. The majority of the articles I read were about just snipping the tips of the binky so there's no resistance when they suck on it. My brother Ben had told me to do this months and months ago - that's what worked for their kids, piece of cake. So! I took one in the other room and snipped it. I threw it at Seth without her looking - I don't want to be the bad guy to give her the broken binky!

He gave it to the screaming, kicking crazy girl - and instantly she was all better, calm, and happy. After a few minutes cuddling with Seth she took it out of her mouth and found the snipped tip. She looked at us, "It's break." (she's working on that grammar stuff) "Oh no Scarlett! It's broken?". And she tried to keep sucking on it...

A moment later she just dropped it on the floor, she didn't want it anymore. A few minutes later, she put it back in her mouth, tried it for a moment, and took it out again. Lost interest.... We'll see how nap and bed time goes. I hope we'll be okay!

This seems like such a silly post, but I was about to write a facebook status about it and stopped myself. I'm trying to keep the every day life status' to a minimum - I feel like I do it too much and who wants to hear play by play on our lives? Hahaha... that's what blogs are more for. If people want to know the play by play of the Burke's - they'll look at the Burke's personal blog. Facebook is a bit public.

 We are excited to not need to go in panic mode when we can't find a binky for her and she's having a fit for it!! Or in the middle of the night she sometimes (rarely) wakes up crying b/c she can't find it in her blankets.

And this is my post about silly binkies and Scarlett's addiction to them. Wish us luck tonight at bedtime!!

Friday, July 27, 2012

6 weeks!

It has been SIX weeks!? Which sounds pretty crazy, but when I really think about it - yea, that's about right. I go back to working part time next Tuesday. It's been like a cloud over my thoughts this past week, so then I question if I really should go back to work or not. But I have thought it through many times, and the pros outweigh the cons. We'll see how it goes.

The biggest problem we may run into, with me going back to work, is Scarlett's sleep schedule. The girl sleeps in until 10am every morning!! We try to get her into bed about 7:30, it seems to always be 9:00 when we're able to finally turn off the light and say good night. She consistently sleeps at least 13 hours a night. So Wednesday night she didn't get to sleep until 9:45ish since we were visiting family late - She slept in until 11am Thursday!!

I don't mind her sleeping in, it has really helped me get lots of sleep since Lincoln's been waking up every 3-4 hours to eat.

Lincoln is such a great baby. He seemed to have mild reflux and fussy/colic moments after we brought him home from the hospital. But things have gotten better in just this short amount of time. He doesn't cry much unless he is starving. Knock on wood - he hasn't really ever cried for longer than a few moments, he is very easy to soothe.

We usually put him in the bassinet about 10:30-11pm and he'll wake up consistently about 4 and 7am to eat. I can handle that!

He is starting to coo a lot more and we can sometimes get a smile out of him. He still goes cross eyed frequently and puckers his lips - it's adorable!

He likes to be on our chest, and he does pretty good at trying to hold his head up when he wants to. I think he looks so much like Scarlett, but his hair is definitely staying dark! Scarlett's hair was already very light brown and coming in blonde when she was 6 weeks old. Not gonna lie - we're excited we won't have to answer the questions,  "Where does he get hs hair from?",  "Is your husband blonde?", "Is he adopted?"

Lincoln has endured Scarlett's moments where she's actually interested in holding him and trying to play with toys together. She's very good at being patient with us if we're feeding/changing/bathing him. She loves being the big sister and helping us!! I think the timing was just right for spacing these two.




Lincoln has always been kind of a drama boy. In the beginning his coughs and gasps for air would seriously worry me. His cough is this very involved "hack", it's really hard to describe it. He'll sometimes have these gasps for air like he couldn't breathe for minutes at a time. I was always afraid he wasn't breathing, or he couldn't get air. But after weeks of watching him do this many times throughout the day and jumping out of bed at the smallest sound of struggle in the night - we've realized it's just Lincoln! He is just kind of drama about it. He makes me laugh. He is a Grunter! And he snorts and sighs all the time. He lets us know with all his expressions that we seem to be constantly "inconveniencing" him.

This Youtube video has him coughing :38 seconds into it. This time he's actually coughing something up. 

And I posted a video on Youtube that is a bit long, of Scarlett and Lincoln together in the hospital when he was a day old, June 16th. 

We love having Lincoln in our lives! Wish us luck as we try to figure out a routine next week when real life starts up again.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Lincoln's Newborn Shoot

I regret not getting a newborn shoot done with Scarlett, but we got some of Lincoln when he was 5 days old. There are so many photographers here in Utah, it was difficult to find the right deal. I'm very happy with what we ended up with! We went to Camera Shy in Lehi. I wanted photos done in a studio, a place that had their own accessories, and a decent portfolio of specifically newborns. And Camera Shy was the right place to go! We got an hour and a half studio session for $89 and walked out with a CD that had 71 enhanced photos on it! I edited them with Lightroom and Photoshop and I'm very pleased with what we ended up with! When Linc gets a little bigger I want to go in and get a family shoot done.

Here are some of my favorites. He is so handsome!! And has changed soooo much already. 















Lincoln's Birth Story

39 w 4 days Prego....

Thursday, June 14th I went in at 6:30pm to Timpanogos Hospital to start Cytotec, a medication that helps ripen the cervix before induction (pitocin). The process is - they insert the pill, I lay flat for 2 hours, and then hang out for two more hours... then they insert another pill, lay flat for 2 hours, and hang out for 2 more hours, etc. They were to start the pitocin generally around 6am, but I got my first pill inserted at 8:30pm, so with the timing I had a 3rd pill inserted at 4:30am. Therefore, at 8:30am would be when they would have started the pitocin.

At my 38 week appointment I was dilated to a 1, about 50% effaced. This was exciting for me since I never really dilated on my own at all with Scarlett. With her, I went in the night before for a dose of Prepadil - which was a crazy painful process and didn't really help dilate/efface me. They sent me home to come back in the morning for the induction. But this time I liked Cytotec MUCH better, wasn't in pain until the contractions started during my 2nd dose. and you stay in the hospital, they don't send you home.

During my 2nd dose of Cytotec I started having some contractions, They seemed more like Braxton Hicks because they weren't strong at all on the monitor. But when they checked me at 2:30am I was dilated to a 2, so that was excited that the contractions seemed to be progressing my situation. At 4:30 am they gave me a 3rd pill, I was dilated to a 3, and I requested pain meds. I Love Fentanyl. Love It. Best pain med ever.
 the Fentanyl works really well for about 40-45 minutes and then it wears off. They can give Fentanyl once every hour, so that left 20-15 minutes of feeling some pretty good contractions/pain.The contractions were getting stronger, and by 6:15 I had requested an epidural.6:00am was the nurse/doctor shift change so we weren't sure when the anesthesiologist would be able to give me the epidural.  But my new nurse, Erin, for the new shift, checked me and I was dilated to a 4. She gave me another dose of Fentanyl at 6:30 and magically the anesthesia man walked in at 6:35! So I was all doped up and ready to hold still in the fetal position for them to stick the big needle in my back. Such perfect timing! Which was about how it went with Scarlett too - having a fresh dose of pain meds in you makes getting the epidural pretty easy! I definitely recommend it.

It was pretty much PURE CHAOS after that.

 Lincoln became difficult for them to track on the fetal hear rate monitor. Sometimes he would disappear and they wouldn't be able to find him for a bit. Which was scary because his heart rate kept going down drastically during every contraction I had. They had a nurse trying to find him and a nurse keeping me breathing with an oxygen mask to help Lincoln get enough oxygen.

6:45 am My Epidural worked perfectly. I could still feel/move my legs and the pressure of the contractions, but had no pain. They got me laying on my back/side after the epidural was in and I was dilated to a 5.

6:50am Then they put the catheter in (the should have done that before the epi, duh!!) because they thought my water broke - but no... I just pee'd. haha. embarrassing and sorry if TMI. But they cleaned it up, checked me again - I was a 6. all within 5 minutes!! And my water was bulging, about to break any minute.Erin said, "wow, he just really wants to come out right now!"

7:00 water broke, dilated to about a 7. they couldn't find Lincoln's heart rate... Took a few minutes, but they found it - and it just did not sound right. Which completely freaked me out. They pushed the panic button - which got 2 more nurses in there instantly. The supervisor lady was trying to calm me down while finding Lincoln's heart rate. They put the monitors on his head to monitor him that way, so we knew where he was. His heart rate continued to decline during each contraction. But went back up in between, so we were generally okay.

7:15am 8 cm dilated... Progressing so quickly. Called  a few baby nurses in the room. They tried finding the OB doctor to get him to the hospital asap because I as going to be ready soon. But of course he was at Utah Valley delivering a baby. So they called in another doc to come in.

7:30am - complete. Fully dilated and effaced. About 8 nurses in the room now. Seth was holding my hand helping me breath w/ the oxygen in order to keep baby's heart rate up. We were waiting for the doctor to get there! Lincoln was still high, his head wasn't on its way out or anything, just ready to push. I was shivering like crazy, like when you're cold and your body is convulsing to keep warm. It was so annoying. The nurse said I was fine, and that it's normal for the body to do that when it's transitioning into active labor so quickly.

      (**I start yelling at Seth to find the camera. He couldn't find it!! So all these nurses are looking at Seth who with no sleep, was blindly trying to find the camera while I'm yelling at him that baby is coming and we're not even going to get a picture. Oh boy. He found it though! The nurses were all grateful it wasn't going to be Seth's last day on earth after all - b/c they were just waiting for me to end Seth if he didn't find the camera!!!**)

I kept telling the nurse I don't care if my OB is here to deliver or not. I wanted to make sure Lincoln was okay. I didn't care if a nurse or whoever delivered Lincoln, I was just so nervous he wasn't going to be okay b/c his heart rate was decreasing so low each contraction.

7:40am - a random hospital doctor came in to deliver Lincoln... But they didn't want me to push yet. He was feeling for his head, etc. Since his heart rate would increase and go back up after each contraction Lincoln didn't seem to be in distress. My OB was on his way, so the random hospital doctor left and told us to wait for the OB.

7:50ish - OB walks into the room!! Yay! Gets all ready in his gown/mask... I'm ready to push Lincoln out. We're all happy campers. Contraction comes.... I push. 2nd Contraction comes... there is his head. 3rd Contraction... push, head is out, they ask me to stop pushing - suction suction. They ask me to push a little more, out comes the body.

8:02am - He's here!! But I can't hear Lincoln and I'm freaking out that something is wrong. But the cord wasn't cut yet, We were all just fine. Then the OB had Seth cuts the cord. More suctioning... and then I hear the little whimper! And all is right in the world! Sigh. Lincoln was here, and breathing, and has SO much hair!!!


Weighing in at 6lb 12.6 ounces... 19inches long. I'm shocked he is smaller than his sister was. I was so positive he was going to be at least 8 lbs! He didn't really cry at all, which worried me. I would be much more happy to hear a loud, strong, healthy cry. But he scored well on the APGAR scale and was soon on my chest meeting his mama for the first time.


It all happened so fast! I just laid there holding him and looked up at the nurses thinking, "Holy crap! Didn't I just ask for my epidural?" It felt like I just got my epidural 15 minutes ago, but it had been over an hour. He was seriously in my arms!? I don't think my nurses left the room once since walking in at 6:15 am - at the beginning of their shift.  "It's 8:15am... I'm suppose to start pitocin, the induction in 15 minutes!! And he's in my arms already?" It was just insane to wrap my head around. He was here!

We had pushed the epidural button just a few times throughout the hour, I am soooo grateful I got the epidural when I did! So happy it wasn't too late.


I tore/ripped more than with Scarlett, smaller baby - faster delivery, but more damage. I got super swollen in the hospital too. I lost over 15 lbs of water weight over my first week at home. I was always trying to keep my feet elevated! It was sooo uncomfortable to have such swollen feet/ankles/legs. I'm so glad that is back to normal.





We're so glad Lincoln is here! He is such a great baby. With such a mild temperament, he whimpers for a long time before crying for food or attention. He has big eyes that make every expression so fun to watch. His lips pucker up (like Zoolander) and sometimes pout when he's getting upset. We are a pretty happy Burke family that is feeling a bit more complete these days.

Postpartum Joy


**Warning!! this is a TMI post.... meaning - Too Much Information.... you probably don't want to read it. But I still thought I'd post my wonderful postpartum happenings while I'm catching up the blog.**

We've been watching Grey's Anatomy on netflix for the last few months. Which is really bad because I'm generally a paranoid person and not good at distinguishing TV and real life! I seriously thought I was going to die from bleeding last week!

On Tuesday, 11 days postpartum, we went out to run 2 errands... I hadn't been outside all day long, I needed to just get out and do something! It was the first time we were all in the car together as a family of 4! Seth stayed in the car with the kids at Deseret book while I ran in. As I was walking through the store looking for a CD, I knew I was bleeding some. But it just kept going after a few minutes and I looked down... and I had bled through my jeans... Yikes! I left straight for the car and we went home... called the on-call doc. There was a huge gush when I got out of the car to go in the apartment - where I filled the toilet with awesomeness. I told Seth to take Scarlett to a neighbors right away b/c I definitely needed his full attention with whatever was going on.

Waited for the doc to call back... he was taking forever, I thought I was dying. Called Labor & Delivery, and was told to go to ER right away. Got to the E  (I am so happy we live not even a mile away from two hospitals!) Major gushes... it was SO gross!! Who knows how much of the fun stuff I passed, I was (am) traumatized by it all.

The ER nurse was wheeling me in while Seth parked with Lincoln. I was so distraught, but luckilynot in any pain. It was all just soooo gross!! They got me in a room... IV started, labs drawn, etc. Then I got a shot in the butt of meds that were to stop the bleeding and help my uterus contract. Which was awesome because it worked well. I soon stopped bleeding and they took me to get an ultrasound.

It was my first time being pushed around a hospital in a bed, I couldn't believe this all was going on. The ultrasound showed there was still something in my uterus to pass, but it could have been retained placenta and/or clots. An OB there discussed the options - meds or D&C - before my OB got there. I was hoping we'd just do a D&C to get it over with and I would nothing more to worry about. But after delivering a baby - the uterus is only so thick. The risks of puncturing through it are higher, as well as other risks, and I'm already recovering from a delivery anyway. So we weren't sure what to do.

My OB came. We decided to try the medication, which work 75% of the time. Just a little pill to take every 8 hours for 3 days that make you cramp/contract to get everything out of the uterus. They checked my cervix, and it was closed, so that wasn't an issue. Also, because the shot of the medicine worked well already, the chances were good that the medication would take care of the problem. So I went home that night about 10:30pm and medication was to be our fix. What a day!

I really wasn't excited to take medicine that was to give me cramps 24/7 for 3 days! But they really weren't that bad to deal with. Saturday I took my last pill of the series at 11am... took a nap a few hours later. Woke up about 2pm and realized I was bleeding. UGH! Wasn't as bad as Tuesday, but plenty to know it was back to the ER for me.

My body was still trying to get rid of something in my uterus that just didn't belong. I'm seriously surprised I didn't get rid of it considering how much I had passed since the ER Tuesday... and I may have passed it with this new episode on Saturday. But my OB and we just decided a D&C was preferred over trying another kind of medicine.

So my OB booked the OR and we headed to the ER. I got all checked in, hooked up to another IV, and waited for them to come get me. Talk about Surreal! I was wheeled through the hospital again on my bed, into the Operating Room - wow! Grey's Anatomy was coming to life. Hahaha, The surgical nurse and anesthesiologist assured me I had nothing to worry about and this routine procedure would be a piece of cake compared to Grey's Anatomy.

 The anesthesiologist who gave me my awesome epidural was the same who knocked me out for the operation. He did so well! I was in the OR one minute and woke up in the recovery the next minute. Piece of cake. It actually only took about 20 minutes total in the OR. My OB, Broberg, got it all out - he told Seth there was a lot more clots, just a little tissue. That will all go to get tested. It took about 45 minutes for me to wake up and get back up to my room. I went home about an hour later after some crackers and ice chips. What a day! It's a huge relief to know I won't (better not) start bleeding out again and this postpartum recovery stuff just might be in the tail end about now.

 Good thing this little guy is so freaking handsome!!  :)   We are So Blessed! I'm so grateful for modern medicine, It has saved my life once again.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Family of 3 time...

 I am 38 weeks pregnant! I've had a lot of mixed emotions about going from a family of 3 to 4. I feel a certain amount of time crunch to completely enjoy the time we have together as Seth, Megan, & Scarlett. I have waves of realization, "Holy Crap! I'm having a baby!!". I completely believe my love will "multiply, not divide" when this little boy is placed in my arms.

We had a great May month. Now that it is June I have felt a bit of panic to really get read for this boy to come home and adding a lot of blue in the kids room has helped that panic turn to excitement.

 This is baby cousin Claire. We get to watch Claire about once every week lately. It's been fun to watch Scarlett want to hold and feed her when she's at our place. As well as see Raja's tolerance and love for little ones too, she is a sweet kitty.

Seth has been working 7am - 3:30pm since the end of April. We love having him home earlier in the day!! We like to go driving up in the mountains, and through the canyon. These are a few from a trip to Bridal Veil Falls... Scarlett loved walking through the water and climbing the rocks. I don't know how little ones can stay in that mountain runoff water for soooo long!! It is so cold!



Scarlett got a fat lip from a fall off the kitchen chair. It is incredible that was all that she got from the fall! She went face first into the linolium from standing up on the chair. I thought for sure we'd be off to the emergency dentist when I saw how much blood was in her mouth.
But she made a quick recovery... kids heal like Wolverine!

My Mother's Day lilies. They were so pretty and I enjoyed them for as long as possible.

I have been stressed about getting Scarlett's 2 year pictures done. She's 27 months today. We had a few different shoots booked with local photographers, but I cancelled them each time. I finally figured there is a need for the cutest newborn boy to get photos in a few weeks - so we'll just do a sibling/newborn shoot once he makes his appearance.

One Saturday morning while I was working, Scarlett and Seth went on one of their daddy/daughter outings in the mountains. Seth hiked up with her to this beautiful view and took some photos. Such a sweet husband of mine!! He knew I have been pretty stressed and feeling guilty that I just didn't get photos done sooner. I love that there is hair in her face :) And she's in one of my favorite outfits of hers. All by her daddy..