The Walchli Life

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving at my parents house. We haven't been to my families in the last seven years and boy did I miss my mom's cooking. Her stuffing and gravy is THE BEST (among other delicious dishes she makes). A quick snapshot of the afternoon's events:

Uncle Chris with a happy Aria.

The men folk.

One group shot with Connor, Zeke, Ryland, Christina, Zoey & me.

The precious boy, Luke, hiding behind a chair. I still got his picture :)

Little Hunter. He's the happiest guy around.

Baby girl giving knuckle bumps while sleeping. Got to keep it real at all time.

A Hero is Made

2011-10-26T20:38:00.001-07:00

Luke wanted to be a superhero for Halloween this year. Back in April we got him two capes for his birthday, but he hasn't been interested in them until recently. So instead of going out and buying a costume (Spiderman was his preference) I thought I'd make Luke into his very own superhero.

My cricut is a handy machine. With freezer paper I made a plain white t-shirt into Luke's "super awesome"superhero shirt. Not too shabby.

True Love

2011-10-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Luke has a passion for cars. A few of these have to bathe with him, sit at the table during meals and even sleep with him. Most nights he has to gather his most "special" vehicles before he can get in bed and go to sleep. As I went to check on him before I head to bed to give him one last kiss I found his cars in their usual place, but also found something unusual. I still laugh as I look at this picture...why does Luke have a sock on his hand? I can only guess that he was polishing his cars. I may never find out.

The Unexpected - Labor Pains

2011-08-29T22:06:00.001-07:00

Not quite as terrible as the last one, but still had an unexpected outcome. So here goes:
Tuesday (2 days overdue): I went to my doctor's appointment and my doc lovingly suggests he induce me the next evening since my blood levels are doing so well (my platelet counts were being monitored after they dropped back in May).
Wednesday (3 days overdue): Went in and started the cervix softening thingy that should start things up within 12 hours. My parents flew in from the 5 week vacation and I was so happy to have my mom there.
Thursday morning (4 days overdue): Things were not progressing as planned so they changed to a different type of cervix softener and by mid-morning I started having contractions. The nurse checked and I was to a 3 and said she could feel her little head. Now were were getting somewhere.
Thursday afternoon: They started me on pitocin to really get me moving and this is where time gets a little muddled. It was maybe around three or four when my water broke on it's own (weirdest sensation) and then the contractions immediately became super painful and were minutes apart. The nurse checked me again and I was to a 5 and then ran to find the anesthesiologist to get my epidural started cuz there was no way I was going to get to a 10 without it. I don't remember how long it took, but they were back and had the epidural in and I was good to go. Hooray! The nurse checked me again and found baby poo (there is a fancy term that I don't want to look up the spelling for) on her glove and realized this baby was no longer head down. She checked again and then got my doctor (who was the on-call doc that day - awesome he planned for me to come in so he could deliver me). He checked and found that little baby girl had turned and was breach. Since my water had broke already it's not so easy to turn them and my option was to have a c-section. What?! This baby turned and I didn't even notice?
The doctor talked to me and told me how everything was going to go and so did the anesthesiologist (everyone at Providence was super awesome). I don't think it was even 15 minutes that went by and I was wheeled into the operating room. I think there were 10 nurses in there, but I couldn't tell as I was laying on my back the whole time. There was a curtain up so Chris didn't pass out from all the the stuff going on...they make the husbands sit down anyway. The anesthesiologist pumped my epidural full of heavier drugs and little Aria was born at 6:02pm, 8 lbs 8 oz, 20 inches long. Practically perfect in every way.
Once I was stitched up I was wheeled into recovery where I got to hold little Aria for the first time. She was a doll. All my fears of ugly baby outcome were forgotten. After a few minutes my family members came in 2 at a time to see me and the baby. Luke came in with my dad and we told him this was his little sister that grew in mom's tummy. His first response, "Let me see the whole". I guess that's a reasonable question to a 3 year old because how else do baby's come out of mommy's tummy? We laughed and told him he'd have to wait because right now it has a big band-aid on it.
After recovery, I was transferred to another room and floor which was great since the room was bigger and the bed was softer. C-section patients have their own floor which I didn't realize. I did not miss my hold room because the beds are way too small for me and my feet hang off the end which is really uncomfortable.
I was released on Saturday evening and Chris had the whole following week off to help with my recovery.
Now, if my first delivery had been an easy recovery I'd choose that every time since you're up and back in action almost right away. C-section compared to my previous childbirth? I'd choose C-section again. This has been a lot easier...still lots of pain and discomfort, but I'm able to get around.
Luke is adjusting to his little sister. He has his sweet moments, but I dare not leave him alone with her. He hasn't wanted to help as much as I thought he would. One car ride to the doctor's office proved it. Aria was screaming and we were telling him to give her the binkie and he didn't want to. I'm hoping he comes around.

Aren't I Glamorous?

Right after Aria was born.

Me all glamorous again.

Ready Set

2011-08-23T07:57:00.001-07:00

Our house is ready for the baby's arrival. I finished getting everything ready on Saturday. The garland Christina had made for my shower and I loved the bright colors so much that I wanted to hang them above the crib. The other wall looks a little bare, but I've got fun idea to pull off if I can before little Aria arrives, but I'm already 2 days overdue so we'll see.

It's the final countdown

2011-08-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

We're a week away from the baby girl's arrival and it couldn't come any sooner. Last weeks appointment showed little progress so I know I won't be early. Bummer... I've still slotted myself one more week of work which needs to happen since those covering for me still need major help. I'm more nervous about things going well while I'm gone from work than I am going through labor again. Is that sad or what?

Since this is partly a journal I must document how I look at 39 weeks prego.

I believe I've hit the weight gain mark I had with Luke. The doctor predicts I'll have an 8 or 8 1/2 pounder this time. Not looking forward to giving birth to a larger child; Luke was only 7 lb 10 oz. With this pregnancy came the swollen ankles and feet. Even with our mild summer I can't seem to stop this crazy swelling. My doctor advised me to take off my wedding ring. I don't want to be one of the women he's had to cut a ring off of. The swelling gets pretty bad by the end of the day, but my feet and ankles are back to almost normal by morning.
I did become anemic and needed to do my iron infusion. I went in every Friday for four weeks and received the rust colored water. Got my energy back just in time to lose it with a newborn baby. At least I'll start our fully charged instead of already drained.

Big Boy Bed

2011-06-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Luke got a big boy bed a month or so ago. It was long overdue since he had outgrown the converted crib to toddler bed. He was coming to our room 3 or 4 times a night which was exhausting since he always came and woke me up. I told Chris that he was probably falling out and waking himself up. Poor guy. Now he's got room to roll around and sleeps all night without falling out. I am feeling less drained in the day now that I'm getting sleep without interruption. Luke really loves his new bed especially the area underneath where he can play. We have yet to make a fort...I can't sit on the ground that long these days, but we'll get to that fun feature of a raised bed.

I've converted the toddler bed back to a crib which is now all ready for the arrival of our little girl. My friend gave me the crib bedding from one of her daughters that is really cute so no extra expense went into that. Hooray! I've still got some things to do to the baby side of the room before I put pictures up. I hope she doesn't come early so I can still pull off some of my ideas.

2011 Graduate - Jacob Miller

2011-06-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Meet this year's family graduate, my nephew Jake Miller. He's the son of my older brother Rob and the last of his kids to graduate.

My brother lives in Gold Bar and we all headed up to a BBQ at his house before the graduation. Luke enjoyed letting their dog lick all the cheese from his Doritos before he ate them himself. I did not capture this moment, my mom did. I was seriously grossed out. I told Luke he could not feed the dog and then of course found him doing it again so I did witness the event. Ick!

I contently held cute little Hunter during the opening ceremony while Chris wrestled with Luke. Our family didn't get there early enough and so the grandstand was full and we had to stand. Without confinement of seats, Luke was hard to keep in one place.

Once all the students were seated and the national anthem was to be sung everyone looked to the flag down field and who did all eyes see? That's right...Chris and Luke stood ever so patriotic while we all laughed to ourselves. I'm sure we weren't the only ones snapping shots of this.

The graduate with his proud parents.
Sultan High School - Class of 2011

Jake with his sister, Erica, and Brother, Zeke.

Next family graduation...2013!

Grandapa Bill & Vancouver

2011-05-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we went down to Vancouver to visit Chris's dad.

We saw an old gristmill and they even still grind stuff for the tourists. We came home with cornmeal and pancake mix. Luke fell asleep before we got there and Chris just took different pictures of the mill and the river. I was surprised it was in such good condition.

Luke had fun playing football with his dad and his Grandpa. 3 generations of Walchli men right there.

We went on a walk at a nature trail. How the pregnant woman got stuck carrying the child I don't know.

Saw some big trees.

And a big slug. Boys gotta document this stuff you know.

It's a Girl!

2011-05-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

And I was thinking we were going to have another boy. Chris told me he knew I was going to have a girl this time around. We are excited. Luke will tell me every now and then he's having a baby too. I think when he's full because his little tummy sticks out some. He's cute. He'll even say that the baby is gonna come out and talk to him. I'll say that it's not going to happen exactly like that, but he can talk to the baby (she's just not going to talk back yet).

Easter 2011 - Flashback to April

2011-05-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

Easter will always fall close to Luke's birthday so the Easter bunny helps us out a bit and goes easy on the gifts. I couldn't get him to look at me...just his dad who was telling him to look at me.

Luke's favorite thing was the chocolate bunny. He enjoyed it before breakfast. Might as well get it over with.

The family Easter feast was a small one, but very delicious. Half of my family were in Utah attending a cousins wedding so it was my sister and her family, a brother-in-law (his family was on the Utah trip) and Chris, Luke and me. My sis, JaNeanne, cooked the delicious ham. I made potatoes and deviled the eggs we colored.

We had an Easter egg hunt for the kids (Luke, Zoey and Aidan). Easy hiding for Luke and hard to find ones for Zoey and Aidan since they are so little kids.

Birthday Fun - Flashback to April

2011-05-27T15:59:00.001-07:00

Luke was so excited for his dinosaur birthday party. Although the weather wasn't that great, we still played a game outside. What do you play with kids ranging in age from 4 - 1 1/2? Duck-Duck-Goose of course! Parents had to help their younger ones...mine being one.

Gift opening was great. Chris was Luke's "big" helper and he even posed for me with Luke. Lightening McQueen is always a huge hit with this boy.

The delicious birthday cake Luke picked out which made the party theme. He was really excited to come and pick it up with me that morning at Costco.

You've got to make sure the gifts given are fun to play with. This rocket sure was.

The Boy is turning 3!

2011-04-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

Luke is so excited about his birthday party. He can't stop talking about it and I hope my planning lives up to his expectation. I think he's most excited about the cake. He and I went to Costco and I let him pick it out all by himself. He went with the dinosaur. After cake selecting we went to Party City to check out the decorations with a dinosaur theme. Didn't find anything I liked, but I had an ingenious idea to use my Cricut and make my own as well as the invitations. I rented a cartridge from my fav scrapbook store, but I had so much fun with this one that I may actually buy one of my own. Here is a sneek peek of some of the things I've made.

I think these two are adorable!

Potty-Trianing

2011-03-25T13:01:00.001-07:00

As a parent, one of the hardest challenges you face has got to be potty-training.
Sometime mid-January my Mom wanted to start this with Luke. I figured, why not, she's had loads of experience with raising six kids so training Luke would be a cinch for her. Nope, that wasn't the case. Unfortunately, I wasn't stressing the training at home so it wasn't working out very well for her. Sorry Mom!
With baby # 2 on the way and Luke nearing 3 I want to get him out of diapers. We all know it can be done so this past week Chris and I took matter into our own hands (mostly Chris since I work later than him). Since Sunday, Luke has had 4 accidents. I'm so proud of my boy! What are we doing that's working? A sticker chart and bribery. Once Luke has a success he picks out a sticker to add to his chart. Before we started, we purchased his prize so he knew what the reward would be for filling up his sticker chart. he sure is excited about get it. Weird thing is he's stopped having BM's during the day....not sure when at night it happens, but int the morning he sure has a loaded diaper. Next goal for Luke is to stay dry during naps and the releasing of hostages during the day (hope I'm not too graphic there).

Soup Goodness

2011-03-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

Photo by The Pioneer Woman

I made chicken tortilla soup last sunday for dinner and it was sooooooooo delicious. I bumped into this blog/website for The Pioneer Woman and boy did she have some yummy looking recipes. I was in a soup mood when I found the site and thought the tortilla soup looked easy enough. I can tell you right now, it did not disappoint. I ate all the leftovers for lunch the following two days and it was just as tasty re-heated. I didn't add all the garnishes since I don't always keep red onion and avacados on hand, but it was fine without them. Anyway, if you try it, let me know what you thought? I'm definately adding this one to my well-loved recipes.

What happened to the sweetness?

2011-03-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

This week has been awful. The majority of my time Monday - Friday is spent at work or commuting to and from and that's been fine. The small amount of time I spend at home during those days has not been very fun. My precious, sweet little boy has disappeared and been replaced with ... I hate to say it...the spawn of Satan. Usually, whey I get home from work, Luke runs up to me and gives me a big hug and tells me he missed me. This week there has been no hug or an "I missed you today". Instead, it's been replaced with an "oh, it's mom" and not even 10 minutes later the whine of ...I want...I want...I want begins while I'm trying to fix dinner and it's usually something he can't have. I'm the bad guy right off the bat and so he's mad at me the rest of the night. This week, Chris has taken vacation from work and been home. Luke went to daycare his usual 2 days, but other than that he's hung out with his dad and I think he's upset with me because I can't stay home with him all day too. Oh, how I wish those circumstances were different. I so want to be able to stay home and do mom things ...run errands...go on fun outings...have more than one day to do household chores. I really need to devote that day (Saturday) to playing with Luke. I hope next week when he's back to his normal routine I'll get my love-y little boy back because I miss him a lot. Tomorrow I think I'll make his favorite...pancakes for breakfast. That should start the weekend off right.

Things to Share

2011-01-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

It's only made it's way back to me once so I think I've held in the secret pretty good. I've wanted to tell some friends in person, but the timing has been off so I'm sorry this isn't an "in person" news drop.

Baby Walchli II will be arriving in August.

This pregnancy took us totally by suprise. I went to the doctor for one thing and came out knowing something totally different. Here's the story:
I haven't been able to hear out of my left ear for a few months (an after-effect of a bad cold). After putting it off forever I decided to go see the doctor to have it checked out. She looked in my ears, asked a few questions and said I should make an appointment with an ENT since she couldn't see anything wrong with my ear. She did want to write up a presciption for a steriod and antibiotic so she asked if I was nursing or pregnant (I had Luke with me so I guess those are legit questions) and I said no. I was thinking to myself Luke is a little old to be nursing, but some mothers do still I've heard. Second, Chris and I had already had the talk the week before and he wanted to wait longer to have another child....like 2012. But, I rephrased my answer to..."Well, I don't think I'm pregnant. We aren't trying right now anyway." Next question from the doctor, "When was your last period?" (I know I'm getting graphic), and I proceeded to tell her it should have started the day before, but it has been a day late a time or two. To be on the safe side, she wanted to check. So, I took the prenancy test with the knowledge that it won't be positive and I'll get my drugs and maybe this ear thing will clear up finally. Yeah...I was so wrong. She comes back in with a smile and tells me that she won't be prescribing me anything today because the test was positive. WHAT?! Not expecting that answer. I'm in shock...I even started to cry and then the doctor starts tearing up and then she says, "Merry Christmas". After I pulled myself together, Luke and I left the doctors office with my ear still plugged. How could this be (I'm on the pill)? What am I going to tell Chris...will he be upset? What are we going to do with Luke and a new baby while I'm working? So many questions and what am I gonna do!
Chris wasn't upset when I told him. He was shocked just like me, but that's wore off and we couldn't be more excited. I did get myself a home pregnancy test just to make double-y sure. I guess, the Lord feels that we are ready and can handle this new addition to our family. We're just gonna roll with it. We'll cross the bridge of "what's gonna happen when I have to go back to work" when we get there. I know the Lord will bless us and everything will be alright. That's the thing that worries me the most, but I'm going to have faith and know that the Lord works in mysterious ways. I've got quite a ways to go and lots can happen.

P.S. I am at 10 weeks AND my ear unplugged by itself the week before last.

Christmas 2010 - Part 2

2011-01-07T22:38:00.000-08:00

Sweetly borrowed my mom's camera that captured our little family's Christmas morning moments. Sorry, no pictures of me. I don't look so great when I first wake up.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care until they were filled with presents galore. I got a watch in mine.

Chris was helping Luke discover what Santa brought him in his stocking.

Chris holding up the calendar and movie Luke got. He loves his cars and he sure liked the pictures in the calendar.

We had bought this for Luke earlier in the year for Christmas and then he told Santa he wanted a train. We did by a Thomas set, however, when Chris and I tried to set it up Christmas eve it was missing a bunch of tracks so it was not the gift Santa brought. Luke didn't seem too disappointed with this because the truck is electronic. The next week we exchanged the Thomas set for a smaller one and he really loves it.

By mid-morning he was on quite the sugar high, but he sure enjoyed Christmas this year.

Christmas 2010 - Part 1

2011-01-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve is spent at my parents house. The whole family comes over - all six kids with spouses and children. We were missing my older brother's wife, but the count was still 21. It's a houseful. Dad always makes clam chowder and prime rib. I think this year the clam chowder was the best he's ever made.

Pictures of the evening:

The youngest grandchildren : Hunter and Luke with Kairin and Connor (no, they aren't the oldest)

For something different and because all the grandkids are mostly older we did had a white elephant gift exchange. There were some really outrageous gifts. No one took a picture of mine, an authentic thingy for something I'm too embarassed to write about.

My dad's gift.

A fun feathery mask.

My adorable sisters.

Sometime during the evening I misplaced my camera so I didn't take get any the gift opening. I should have taken pictures of the name plaques I made for my brother and sisters before I wrapped them, but I did not. They turned out really awesome and I was so excited about them. I'll have a picture up of one of them next week so I have them for my posterity.

Before we left I borrowed my mom's camera for Christmas morning, but she took it home after they came over for dinner before I had a chance to download them to my computer. I did get a new camera for Christmas, but I don't want to post anything out of order. I'll have everything else up before the weekend is over.

Hope everyone had a wonder Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Let the Gifting Begin

2010-12-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

Now that my work party has hit I can share what I made for the girls. Not that they look at this blog or anything, I just wanted to make sure no one knew what I was making.

Found the fantastic idea for a picture holder over at Shanty 2 Chic. Seriously, those girls are brilliant with some of the things they come up with. Total cost was around $8 maybe and I made 4. Found the 2x8 in the leftover wood bin for $2 and I think I had a good 4 feet of it. So I had five 9" pieces cut. The finials were in a 2-pack for $1.99 each. The girls loved them. I suggested they could use them in their kitchen to hold recipe cards, a picture or whatever you want to clip up.

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

2010-12-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

Luke has become very aware of Christmas this year. When he saw Santa at the ward party he was so excited. Quite a huge difference from last year. (see photo) I had to literally run after him and carry off the stage before he bulldozed some other kid of Santa's lap. As we were walking to the end of the line he yelled, "Santa! I'm Luke!" I'm guessing he's been a bit over exposed by the many holiday movies my husband, Chris, has been watching. When our turn came Luke went right up to Santa and sat on his lap. I was really shocked he even talked to him. He asked for a train for Christmas. On our way home he talked so much about seeing Santa. It was really cute.

For My Husband the Gamer

2010-12-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? For everyone to be happy and healthy.

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition? The past two years, which we will now continue forevermore, I've made a delicious Ham Puff breakfast and drank hot chocolate. It would be nice if it also snowed Christmas morning, but that's up to "Old Man Winter".

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? A nice long uninterrupted nap.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? Spend time with family and friends watching Christmas movies (we have quite a large selection), singing carols, and even driving around neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights at night.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? We loved playing Pictionary and laughing at each others drawings. After awhile everyone discovered that my twin sister and I couldn't be on the same team since we seemed to read each others minds.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? We always got new pajamas on Christmas eve and before bed we'd read the nativity story. Christ is the reason for the season.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip? America's winter playground - Vermont!

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? 1. The hubs wants to up his skills with Rock Band 3 and the killer drum-set. 2. A Wii Fit has been on the wishlist the last two years. 3. I don't think anyone would complain if we had a DSi.

A First

2010-12-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

I took Luke to his first theater movie over Thanksgiving weekend. My sister-in-law was taking her kids to see Tangled so we went along too. Because I am sheltered with no regular cable I had no idea what this movie was about except it was the story of Rapunzel. Luke had free admission, but I was nervous having to pay for a show I might not see. I know Luke can sit through a whole animated film (I've lost count at how many times he's watched Cars), but in the dark, with other kids I wasn't certain he'd sit still for that long. Oh happy day - Luke sat and watched the whole show! What a relief that was. There was 5 minutes of restlessness near the end, but he settled back down on my lap. I thought Tangled was great and I know the boy did too because I heard him laugh a bunch. Plus he loved having popcorn and sharing mom's soda. No more "taking a young child to the movies" fear for this family.

Passing

2010-10-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

Almost 2 weeks ago, Chris's grandpa passed away. We made two sudden trips to Umatilla, Oregon to be with grandma and the family in a weeks time. Down for the weekend and then back home. Down again for the funeral 2 days later and then back home. I am so glad Luke is a good traveler. He had a slight cold when we first left, but by the time everything we got home the last time it had gone to a full-blown ear infection. Poor little lamb.

Unfortunately, I did not know this grandpa very well. Chris grew up with him, but wasn't as close when he was older (why we didn't see him much). When we went to grandpa's house in La Grande I saw pictures of all the other great-grandkids, but Luke was not among them. I guess that's my fault not sending any and I feel really bad about it. Reflecting on this I'm going to make a better attempt at making sure all family near and far is updated on this Walchli family. More picture taking and delivering is going to take place so I don't miss anyone. My immediate family members live close to us, but growing up I did not see my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, but only once a year. Now that I don't travel with my parents to visit these people yearly like I did when I was young, I am now realizing it is my responsibility to keep in touch and not rely on my parents to do it. So, with my new understanding, I'll need to get on the ball. First up: Christmas cards! One thing I did not get done last year.

Projects galore

2010-09-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

I know it's not yet October, but let's fast forward to the next major holiday...Halloween. I saw this kit for making countdown calendars on howdoesshe.com. I actually had all the supplies on hand except the halloween paper so I asked my sister, Christina, if she wanted to make them ourselves. We cut the 4x4's at her place (my bro, her roommie, has major power tools) and spraypainted them black. I thought they turned out pretty good. Instead of vinyl we used blackcard stock instead which worked just as good.

Next up. I just had a friend get married and I wanted to do something different. I found this fun temple idea here, unfortunately, they didn't have the Seattle Temple. I remembered Christina took some pictures of the temple a while back so I got a copy of one and played around with it until it looked aged and also personalized. I printed it out at work on the colored laser printer (shh..don't tell), mated and framed it. Sorry I didn't take any good pictures of the finished project. I do hope they like it. I need to make one for myself now.

My younger brother recently became a dad. They named him Hunter James Miller-Hall. He's such a cute little thing. Born 17 days early weighing in at 5lbs 8oz.

In the spirit of a friend I know and new babies I made a set of blocks for the mom and bouncing baby boy. Forgive the picture quality...I used my cellphone to take the picture.

That's it for now. I am working on a couple more things, but they require sewing and my machine decided to spaz out on me. Ugh... I haven't wanted to sit down with it again as I wasted a whole evening earlier this week and I needed to get to my other things. Stay tuned for more craftiness.

Yahoo! Summer Vacation

2010-09-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I love vacations. Getting away from everyday life is always worth the travel and the money spent getting there. Our summer destination this year was St. George, Utah. It was crazy hot, but it was so much fun. We drove down and with a toddler, all road trips require the most entertaining toys, childrens music cds (non-parent-annoying kind), the right snacks and a portable DVD player. Only two minor meltdowns on the way down and that was it. Luke was a great little traveler.

Here are a few photos from our trip:

Family photo at the Logan Temple grounds - turned out pretty good I think.

Snow Canyon - St. George area

Took a trip up north to Bryce Canyon one day. If you haven't gone, it's pretty cool. My parents have this Golden Age Pass so all national parks are free. A perk of being a senior citizen.

Toured the church history sites in town. Here is a neat picture taken at the St. George Tabernacle by one of the senior missionaries.

Spent a day at Zions National Park. Here is a picture of the Court of the Patriarchs. Chris took a bunch of landscape pictures at the parks we visited.

To cut back on congestion and preserve nature the park has a free shuttle. Luke's favorite part of the day was riding the bus.

Hiking a trail at Zions. Luke was tired of walking so we took advantage of his cuteness while on my dad's shoulders.

The wildlife of Southern Utah. Lizards a fast little things and Luke loved chasing them.
Our batteries died a lot so there are other cute photos to come, but I've got to wait until my mom and dad get back from vacation because they are on their camera.

My Lil' Guy Tie

2010-07-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

With Luke getting older I wanted to start dressing him like a little man. So I've been on the hunt for a cute tie pattern and I've found one here. Hooray! I actually made them all before church a few weeks ago (we meet at 12:30pm). That's how easy this tie is.

Busy As A Bee

2010-06-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Last week was a busy one, but it was great as it was well spent with family, friends and I even got in a really fun date with my ultimate main squeeze - Chris!

Monday - Early Father's Day Celebration
My dad wanted to celebrate the fathers with the whole family, but didn't want to do it on Father's Day because my mom was having knee replacement surgery the following day. So we all got together nearly a week before at Red Robin. My 5 siblings, plus those with spouses were all there. We had a blast sitting and talking. Luke is just like his dad and loves hamburgers.

(a few of the fathers: bro-in-law Chris, Todd and one of my niece's dad Mike)

Tuesday - Cirque Du Soleil : Kooza
Back in February I had purchased tickets to see Cirque Du Soleil as a gift for Chris on Valentine's Day. Since it was in Redmond and didn't start until 8pm we made arrangements for Luke to have his first sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
The show was amazing and so much fun. I'd seen one on t.v. before, but it was 100 times better to be there. The music was fantastic, the clowns were hysterical, the acrobatics and dancing were amazing. We even got to witness dare devil stunts. If you ever get the chance to go, you wouldn't regret it.

Wednesday - Card Class
Made some really cute cards with my friend Keri. I don't get the free time alone at home to sit and get creative, so I've got to rely on the wonderful talents of others. I do make original stuff too, but only on demand.

Thursday - High School Graduation
My niece Kairin graduated class of 2010 from Snohomish High School. She's going to Boise State University this fall. This is her with her proud parents. They held it at the Everett Events Center and we were in and out in record time : 1 hour 15 minutes.

Friday - Costco
Got to stock up on the basics when you have a child : diapers! I read this article about how Costco is really good at product placement which is why you can never leave the place without spending at least $100. Everything looks like it is such a great deal...am I right?

Saturday - Graduation Party
I made some decorations for the party. A banner and the table centerpieces. I thought my memory card was full because I wasn't seeing any of the pictures I was taking so this is all I got from the party. Just the cake and one picture of the banner. Anyway, the school colors for Snohomish are Red and white. The black comes for the black panther which is the mascot. I only spent a totally of $8 dollars which were on the red and white flowers I bought at Michael's. The paper I had on hand for everything else.

There was even karaoke. Christina and I sang Abba : Take A Chance On Me. No way was I singing by myself.

So there you have it.....AND I put in 40 hours at work. I'm beat....

The Hiding Place

2010-06-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

Behind this door is our bedroom closet. Nothing much in there except Chris's and my clothes, shoes, bed linens and bath towels. It has also become a hiding place for a particular little boy I know and love. How it came to be I'm unsure. I do know he has watched me stand in this very closet while I figure out what I'm going to wear for the day because he usually comes in and shuts the door behind him. But, his use of this space is very much different than mine.

He loves to open and close the door while saying "Hi, Mom!" But, when he has the door shut for a little longer I know he is now using the room for another purpose and usually emerges smelling not so cute and cuddly anymore. If Luke has become quiet and I don't know where he is, my first thought is to check the bedroom closet. Not only do I find Luke, I also find a diaper change waiting for me. Now you know why I have dubbed it the hiding place.

Headboard

2010-06-13T17:59:00.001-07:00

I know this is not in any way an awesome reveal, but I finally have the headboard done and I needed to put up a picture. We've had it complete for about a month, but I've wanted to paint our bedroom and get a new bedspread and fun throw pillows before I post about it. When I get there I'll do another post and include pictures of Christina and I using power tools.

Mothering Moments

2010-05-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a lot of great advice and things to say about being a mom. I'm still pretty new and getting the hang of the whole thing.

I don't get to observe the way my child learns and discovers new things on a daily basis because I am at work. It does make me sad that I have to hear about it second-hand, but I would not change how much I enjoy being a mom.

Luke is getting so much better at talking. Although he can't describe everything he's done during the day, he does come running to give me big hug as soon as I get home during the week. And sometimes, when he feels like it, he will say "I love you, Mom". Those are the moments that are brightest in my day. The ones I love and enjoy.

What are some of yours?

Zippa-dee-ay and Heidi-ho

2010-04-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

As usual I’m posting weeks after the event – Luke’s 2^nd Birthday. I can’t believe it has been two years already. I remember after he was born going through his baby clothes and seeing size 18 months and thinking my child is never going to fit into this. He is such a loveable guy. One of my favorite phrases he says is "Mom, I hold ya". He says this to me when he wants to be picked up. I'm glad Luke is a cuddle-bug and will let me hold and squeeze him tight still.

Luke's party theme was Disney’s “Cars”. He loves Lightening McQueen which he calls Ka-Chow. I ordered a cake from TOP Foods bakery with Lightening and Mader on it. It was a bit spendy,but Luke LOVED it and I must say it was quite delicious.

High points of the party:

Luke received a Matchbox Cars Carwash. Oh, how he loves his cars. It came with a schoolbus which he likes to carry around.

He loaded up on clothes for the spring and summer growing into a size 3T.

Luke got his very own Lightenting McQueen flashlight.

Stating the Obvious

2010-04-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

I color my hair not only to perk up my drab natural color, but to cover up the gray I have. There is a lot, especially my temple area…it’s frightening how much I have. If you have met my mom you know where I'll be in 20 years. I think her hair is lovely, but I’m not ready for that right now - so colored it is!

My last coloring was in January so my grow out is pretty scary. No one can see my graying temples if I wear my hair down, but when I pull it back you can see the grays in all their glory. Now, I’m confident enough to not worry about it and wear my hair however, but when my husband points it out?

Scene:

Eating dinner with my parents on a Sunday evening.

Chris: “Tam, you’ve got quite a bit of gray hair there on the sides.”

Me: “I know – thanks for pointing it out.”

Chris: “It’s not that bad.”

Me: “It must be if you can see it from across the table.”

Yikes people! I think it's time to take action.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

March swept on by like nobody's business, don't you think? Here is a little picture post of our Easter. Like always, I didn't pull out the camera for everything.

In his basket, Luke received a Thomas the Train shirt and shorts, a bubble blowing gun, a Lightning McQueen sticker book(he calls him Ka-Chow), foam alphabet and numbers for the bath and peeps which he called ducks. The picture he didn't look to excited about it, but Chris had just started a show and so Luke would not look at the camera. Luke's grandpa and grandma Miller gave him a new Lightning McQueen car and Mader and he loved playing with those. In between conference sessions Luke, his dad and grandpa went for a walk. If you look closely, you can see him holding his new Mader truck. He loves his cars.

Coffee Filter Wreath

2010-03-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

I usually don't make or hang wreaths except at Christmas time. I've just seen so many fantastic ones in the blog world lately I'd hate not to give them a try. This one I worked on last week and gave to Christina for our birthday. I saw someone use coffee filters as a heart center on a wreath here so I thought why not do a whole wreath using them. Did you know you can buy them in brown? Not being a coffee drinker I was unaware. Before my office at work had it's fancy coffee making machine they just used white filters.

I started by folding the filters in half, then in half again and smooshed it together a little and then hot glued it to the wreath. I started on the outside and worked my way inward. It took me two evenings (after Luke was to bed) to complete. I'd recommend wrapping the wreath first with fabric strips or ribbon because the Styrofoam did not like the hot glue very much.

I was so excited to see a tutorial on how to make some really cute paper flowers on a site I frequent: Little Birdie Secrets. I got out my trusty Cricut and lucky for me I had a cartridge that had a flower in the dimensions they suggested. Yippee!! The flowers were just the thing to give this wreath an added touch cuz I thought it was a bit boring before.

I think it turned out pretty good for my first attempt. I'm going to make another for myself after my blisters heal from the glue gun burns. I got two this time - ouch!

Mommy's makeup

2010-03-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Most weekday mornings Luke is up at the crack of dawn watching me get ready for work. Some days he'll sit on our bed and eye me from a distance while drinking a sippy cup of milk and other times he's in the bathroom standing on the toilet seat cover wanting to go through my makeup bag. I tell him that it's mommy's makeup and it's for girls, but I do find it cute when he gets a hold of my foundation sponge and pats his cheeks. Chris doesn't find it as cute.

One evening last week when I got home from work Luke was watching Cars with his dad, but followed me around while I was putting things away. I sat at the computer for a moment in the front bedroom and than got up and went down the hall to our room to sort and file some papers. Luke stayed in that room happily talking and than all went quiet. I called to him a few times and then figured he went back to the movie with his dad. I'd say 5 or 10 minutes went by and then Luke came in with this stuck on his finger sayings "mommy more".

The tube was hallowed out and his face and hands were covered. My first thoughts were, "What else has been covered in lipstick besides Luke?!?!" I knew where he got it so I went straight to the front bedroom to find the disaster, but there wasn't one. Just one small hand print on my fleece jacket and a few smudges on the desk. That was it - what a relief!

Later that evening I did find a small line of lipstick in the carpet. Thanks to the trusty Internet I found a product (Goo Gone) that took it right out. Another relief. All I can think is that Luke ate the lipstick since his clothes nor anything else was covered in plum (the shade name). Hopefully the makeup thing is a phase he'll grow out of, but now I know not to leave any lipstick tubes out in plain sight. Lip gloss is okay since he can't unscrew the wand yet.

Luke let me take pictures before I washed him down - got to capture the moment!

Lightening up and other projects

2010-03-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm working on lightening up our front room. The major obstacle is our large dark green couch. Instead of putting a slip cover over it I thought it would be easier to find or make light colored throw pillows. I found some great fabric at JoAnns. I think it goes rather well with the couch and should brighten it up nicely.

Things I have planned for the front room: Re-paint the front room to a lighter shade of yellow. Build wood mantel for fireplace (already re-painted it back to white) Sew pillows Find fun knick-knacks to pull everything together.

If I didn't have enough to do during my evening and weekend time I ran into another idea for a bed headboard using a interior door which would be less construction than the Knockoff Wood one I had originally wanted to do. Christina and I headed down to Seattle to Second Use and found ourselves a door for $25 each. We had to cut off a panel to make it the right measurement for a queen size bed. We need to use a router for the 4x4's and my brother wasn't home to help with that so it's been pushed to another day to complete and paint. Here is a picture of the door cut to size. Forgot to pull out the camera for the before. Oh well.

The Reveal

2010-02-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

I finally found the camera so I could take pictures of Luke's complete shelves. Like I said before....they turned out fantastic. I can't wait to build more stuff!

The striped canvas totes I actually found at the Dollar Tree. (I love that place.)

Another angle of the room.

I used some of the left over wood for an art display. I modge podged fun paper to clothes pins and glued them to the boards.

Updates coming soon

2010-02-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

I did finish the bookshelves and they look fantastic! Sadly, I can't find the camera. Chris tells me it's in a drawer in our computer desk, but I've gone through it several times and only found the case. Let's hope it didn't grow legs and run off someplace where it gets used more often.

Anyway, I'm adding some things to dress up the walls in Luke's room this weekend above those shelves. Once I find that camera (or resort to cell phone pics) I'll post the big reveal. Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Hope you've all checked out the knockoff wood sight and have become inspired like me.

Knockoff Wood inspiration

2010-02-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted a bookshelf in Luke's room, but I couldn't find any that were a good buy. There are those at Target or Walmart, but I've had those before and wanted something a little more durable. One of my "do it yourself" sites listed on the right is Knockoff Wood and this gal has everything you need down to the size of the nails for building your own furniture. It is amazing! I found these bookshelves that she built that are a knockoff from Potterybarn and thought to myself...I could make those.

Off to Home Depot we went to purchase our materials from the list off the website.

Luke is always a big helper.

This is my brother Dave. He's is a framer/builder by trade and he helped me with my shelves. Plus he has a nail gun which made things go a lot faster, but it still took the whole afternoon on Saturday.

We made two of these bad boys and they turned out fantastic! All they need now is paint.

Once I have them completely done and in Luke's room I'll take a picture. These are going to be one of those items of furniture we'll have for quite a long time. My next woodworking project will be the Farmhouse bed. I don't think it will be for awhile, but it's in my sights of things to accomplish!

Birthday, dogs and another crafty thing...

2010-01-24T22:32:00.000-08:00

I have a sister who has children with birthdays that fall very close to major holidays. My nephew Aidan's birthday some years falls on Thanksgiving and his sister Bailey's birthday is two days after Christmas. Note to self: If you have a child with a birthday on or very near a major holiday, remember that they still need a special day just for them and to celebrate their birthday first. The mom of these two, my sister, did try and gather the family together before Christmas, but some of the other family were sick and so it was cancelled. Bummer... We did eventually get together and I took my camera.

They have a little toy Pomeranian that Luke loves to squeeze. I'm so afraid he's going to pop the little things head off.

Here is the wreath I made this weekend. I used squares of red felt and hot glued them to a Styrofoam wreath I bought at Joann's. The felt is supposed to look like red roses, but it didn't turn out as well as the picture I saw. This one did take me a while since I had to cut the felt and then do the whole hot gluing thing (which I got a nasty burn and a huge blister from). I hung it on the front door for the picture because I liked the contract of the black, but it hangs on the wall in the front room near the garland I made last week. These are my first valentine's day decorations. They've been kinda fun and I may just make some more. We'll see what next weekend brings.

Had to throw in a picture of my handsome guy getting ready for church this morning. He was too busy eating the cookie I bribed him with to hold still or he might have smiled after I did his hair.

My new addiction

2010-01-17T21:10:00.001-08:00

Just before Christmas I happened upon a craft blog called U Create which led me to another craft blog which led me to another and another and another etc...etc. Since then I'm been pathetically hooked to craft blog hopping. It's gotten so bad that I use my lunch hour at work to check on my favorite sights to see what these gals have come up with or happened upon. If only I was so clever! I added a few of my favorite sites over on the right if you want to check them out and be inspired like I have. Here's what I've made so far.

Chris got me a Cricut machine for Christmas. This is the first and only thing I've made with it so far. I haven't had much time but to go over how to run the machine. So, I picked up Valentine paper at Michael's on Saturday and was able to make this in the amount of time Luke napped. Good thing it was 2 hours long. Anyway, I thought it turned out pretty cute.

Another project I did was make a slipcover for my sewing machine. It is now protected from all the dust while it waits for me to use it. This one took me more than 2 hours, but the end product was well worth the time. I made one for my sister, Christina, as well. She got a sewing machine for Christmas and boy is she putting the miles on it. I'll post the awesome bag she made me next time.

I've got some other things I'm going to give a whirl next weekend when I get the time, but for now this is it. I'll keep you "posted", if you don't mind.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-08T23:27:00.000-08:00

I should have had the camera out more because I didn't capture much this year.

Luke and Chris previewing the adds for Christmas gifts.

Ward Christmas breakfast - not loving Santa.

Luke always loves cars. He got some from Santa in his stocking.

Chris had some of his family up for Christmas.
Nieces Sydney and Brooke in their beautiful dresses.

Luke got a remote control car from his Grandpa Bill and he loves it.
(it pretty much goes in circles)

What a relief!

2010-01-06T12:07:00.001-08:00

Can I just say how glad I am for the holidays to be over? Christmas is my favorite time of year, don't get me wrong, but I also find it very hectic. I barely got any sleep the whole month of December. I was staying up late working on projects and then getting up early to go to work. Weekends I tried to squeeze in as much play time I could with Luke. One Saturday my sister and I baked goodies all day and Luke sat and watched movies. I feel awful when I don't get to spend time with him or if I have to run errands all day and he's in and out of the car constantly which results in a very small nap and no good meals.
Anyways, my goal for next Christmas is to get as much done before the season hits so I can enjoy the holiday. For some reason I can never this never happens, but I've already got ideas of what to make/buy in mind so I'm one step closer!

Shopping fun....or not

2009-11-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Trying to make an outing to the grocery store more fun I decided to get the cart that had the car attached to it. Have any of you tried to push one of those things? It's impossible! I had the hardest time pushing it straight and turning corners. It was all great and exciting at the beginning when Luke found out he had his very own steering wheel, but then he got bored with it and kept trying to crawl out. Wanting him to get interested again I would stop and say, "Momma needs your help to make the cart go" (very Dora the Explorer-ish). I'm not sure getting the car cart is really worth 5 minutes of toddler entertainment. Especially the embarrassment caused while you knock over food displays and your child is happily saying hi to everyone while you pick up. Anyway, next time I'll wait until he's older or have someone stronger, like my husband, to push the darn thing.

In other news, Luke is quite the chatter box. His phrase this week is "I want it". I have no idea where he picked that one up, but it's about something he's not supposed to have like the fire poker.

Not all, but other words he says:

momma/mommy dada

milk
ball

juice
hot
one, two
go

truck
book

uh-oh
meow

moo
dog

roar
all done

oops
diaper

dance

water
hello

hi
bye

snack
num-num

nose
eye

sock
shoe

brush
bankt (blanket)

but (bellybutton)
oh no

no
gramma

bampa (grandpa)
nee-nee Auntie JaNeanne

tee tee - Auntie Christina
naa-na (banana)
apple
go away

Iron anyone?

2009-11-12T12:32:00.001-08:00

This past Tuesday I spent the day (9am - 3:30pm to be exact) being infused with iron. I know the picture looks like a bag of blood, but if you could have seen it up close it's more like rust colored water.

I have had this blood thing since I was in high school. It's been ruled out to a condition called pancytopenia PLUS my body doesn't absorb iron from my diet so I become anemic. I have my blood checked every six months to make sure I'm still at the normal levels for me and to make sure nothing else has changed. Once a year my hematologist runs an iron count with everything else and this time found my feritin level was at a 6. Normal for women is between 18-160. Yikes! So the quickest way for me to get back to where I need to be is to have these infusions. I think my body holds on to the iron for a year and a half which I think is pretty good. It takes a few weeks for things to for my energy to go up so it's not immediate. The only bad thing after my treatment: a sore hand where the needle was.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-11T21:17:00.001-08:00

Luke was a cowboy for Halloween this year. I borrowed the hat from a friend and found a plaid shirt at the Goodwill for $1.99. I bought it a bit big so a jacket could fit under it. He didn't have any boots, but he looked enough the part to not need them.

Chris and I went with my sister, husband and her youngest Zoey trick-or-treating. He had the greatest time. Because we didn't want to have him tucker out too soon we brought a stroller so we could push him from house to house. We let him walk up to the door with one of us. Zoey usually let him knock on the door and the she'd ring the doorbell. He'd always try and go inside, but I wouldn't blame him since it was raining off and on.

Coming back from the door he'd squeal with delight. He thought it was so much fun and made it through the whole neighborhood. Fortunately for Chris, he got a big bag of candy that he ate in 2 days. Unfortunately for Luke, he didn't get a single piece.

Big boy!

2009-10-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

October is here and Luke is officialy 18 months . He has grown in height, but not in weight. Since his 12 mo. check-up he's grown 2 1/2 inches and only gained 5 ounces. The boys has dropped all the baby fat....no more chubby cheeks.

Two months ago Luke started going to a daycare center a couple days a week to have interation with other kids. Since I work full-time and my parents mainly watch him, he doesn't get to play much with other kids his age. The first month or so he cried and clung to me every time I dropped him off which was heart-breaking, but he is used to it now. I know he has a lot of fun and he's learning so many things there. I get so excited when he demonstrates something new. One evening he started squatting and then would quickly stand up which I figured out was him jumping. Now he can say the word jump. When we play I will say, "1-2-3 Jump" and then he jumps. He'll move his body when I say the word even if he's sitting down. It's pretty funny.

Luke's transition to nursery went very well which I'm betting is due to the fact I work full-time and he's used to me leaving him with someone five days a week and to him what's one more day? I am watching the Relief Society room door for a nursery leader to bring me my crying child, but I don't think it will happen. If one of them does bring Luke to me it's most likely going to be for the changing of a stinky diaper.

[Good Fast Cheap] - Pick Two

2009-10-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

I saw this on a bumper sticker one day and thought it was quite humorous and then it got me thinking. What would I rather have? Something good and fast or good and cheap or fast and good or fast and cheap. I think I spent the rest of my car ride from Bellevue to Everett deciding. I figured it depends on what you're getting and I was thinking food. I ultimately decided Good and Cheap is the way to go. Whatever it may be it should be tasty and a great bargain so that I'll want to get it again.

What would you choose?

The Eye Procedure

2009-10-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

Everything went smoothly with Luke's eye procedure and I couldn't be more happier with the results. I'm sure the boy is grateful that I'm not wiping his eye anymore.

He had no reaction to the anesthetics they gave him and surprisingly he didn't sleep forever after the surgery. I thought for sure he would be out for an hour or more, but 15 minutes after the doctor and anesthesiologist told us everything went according to plan they were ushering us to the post-op room where Luke was waking up. His nose itched a lot for half an hour or so which we were told was a side-effect of the drugs. I could deal with that.

Luke was a really good and brave boy. He did not cry at all - just fussed a bit about the IV they had in his foot that he wanted out when he was awake (they put children to sleep with gas first and then put the IV in). I couldn't blame him for that because those things can be a bit uncomfortable.

I only took one picture while at the hospital and it was on my phone. This is Luke in the scrubs they gave us to have him wear. One of the waiting rooms had a little kitchen set. Luke loved putting stuff inside the fridge and so he was not interested in getting his picture taken.

Weeping and Goobering

2009-09-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Luke is going to have an eye procedure done. The Ophthalmologist calls it surgery, but it doesn't involve a scalpel or stitches so I'm sticking with "procedure" because it doesn't sound as scary, but we do have to take him to Swedish Medical Center and he will be asleep for it. Why is he going to have this done you ask? Well, Luke as a blocked tear duct. If you've ever noticed that his right eye seems weepy it's because his tear duct doesn't drain the eye so then his tears spill out so it looks like he's crying and it also pools and gets a bit goobery in the corner near his nose. I have to wipe his eye and he does not like me to do it. When I'm at home or he's with my parents, we use a warm washcloth.
So I've learned that this is fairly common among infants and the tear duct blockage should clear up and function normally on it's own within the child's first year. If it doesn't clear up and the child is over a year then it has to be helped along, which is the case for Luke.
I started noticing Luke's watery eye last September. The reason I remember the time frame is Chris and I were visiting his family in Oregon and I thought it was the drier weather and dust that was causing the eye weeping. When Luke's 9 month check-up rolled around I talked to his doctor about it and she told me how to massage the tear duct which should help it open. That didn't work. When Luke was sick after Thanksgiving we took him to the doctor and he was prescribed eye drops. That didn't work. Since I had read and was told that it should clear up on it's own I just figured I'd have to deal with it for awhile. When we went in for his 12 month check-up it hadn't been an issue and so I totally forgot about it. Around June was when Luke's eye started doing it's thing again...tearing and getting goobery. By the end of August I was thinking, "This has been going on for a year and I've got to do something about it." One of my friends told me her son had the same problem and he had to have surgery to have his tear duct opened so I thought I had better look into that. I called Luke's primary care physician and she referred me to the Ophthalmologist.
Visiting with that doctor she theorized that Luke's tear duct could be narrow which is why it's not draining properly. So, a silicone tube will be inserted into his tear duct which will be left in for a few month to help it get bigger. To have it removed will be just a normal visit. I'm sure some tweezers can find it and pull it out lickety-split (I hope).
Am I nervous? A little. The more I think about it the more I think I should be more freaked out than I am. Why am I not freaking out? I'm sure I will be at that state when we the day arrives. Wish us luck!

In a nutshell

2009-09-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the things we did this summer.

Went swimming.

Played with friends.

Went to Cascade Locks, Oregon

Did a lot of driving.

Went camping with family in our awesome new tent.

Saw an old mining town.

Dehydrated pears - yum!

Canned peaches with my sister SueAnn (not captured via digital camera).

July 4, 2009 (another belated post)

2009-07-26T15:19:00.001-07:00

We had family in town for the 4th of July weekend. Chris's mom came to visit and brought Rachel and Jackson. (Oh, and I can't forget Uncle Bob) We rode the ferry over to Bremerton so Uncle Bob could show us the navy base since he was once in it, but I don't think he was actually stationed there. Since I'm not familiar with the area, as I never go over there, (nor is Bob) we didn't do much else. We ate lunch and then turned around an hour later and got in the line for the ferry to head back to Seattle. Fortunately, there is a great water spray park right next to the terminal...we had to kill an hour and a half.
When we got back to our place, the kids and I headed to the pool at our complex to swim while Chris started the BBQ and Bob made the food.
About 8:30pm we all piled back in the van and headed to North Everett for the fireworks display. We waited for quite some time because they didn't start until 10:15pm. Luke was asleep before we even got there, but woke up right before they started. The only pictures I have to go off of that night are those those on Chris's phone. Bob wandered off and left the van locked so I couldn't get our camera. Luke did learn a new word that night. He now says, "Whoa". It's so cute.

Father's Day June 21, 2009 (belated post)

2009-07-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Father's Day to Chris!! Sadly, the weekend wasn't so happy. There was this "bug" going around that we caught it went through the family like this: Luke ---> my dad ---> Auntie Christina ---> me. My mom and Chris were spared, but I had it father's day. Another sister and her daughter got it while we were on our trip to Utah later in the month. Luckily, it was only a 24 hour thing.

While the holiday wasn't super spectacular and the rest of the family avoided my parents house like it had the plague I still managed to get Chris a few gifts. The one I'm most proud of is the Spourk. This lovely little dity is going to save my silverware from the depths of Chris's car. Now if he can only remember to use it. I'm thinking of investing in a few more so he can have one for each day of the week (or if he doesn't bring it in from his car I have another to use).

What lazy days?

2009-07-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

I totally wished I had more time to spend in this wonderful weather we're having this summer. As a full-time working mom I don't often get the chance to kick back and relax. When I get home in the evening it's dinnertime, bathtime, and then bedtime. I really don't get a moment to slow down until 9pm, but since I've been up since 5am wanting to do anything for myself (updating my blog for example) isn't high on my list of things to get done for the night. Weekends are filled with errands, laundry and household chores. Summer is my favorite time of year and lately I haven't had the time to relish in it.

There have been some weekends where I've taken a vacation from everyday life. At the end of June, Luke and I took a road trip with my mom and sisters to Logan, Utah for a family reunion.
My sister Christina I spent a day with some of my old roommates from college which was fun. Unfortunately, I wasn't so good at capturing the moments spent with them which I'm now regretting.
It was a fun reunion and good to see the extended family. It's fun to see everyone, however, living in Washington we only saw these aunts, uncles, and cousins once a year so none of us sisters know anyone really well. I know my mom enjoyed it and loved catching up with her cousins. She has another reunion, again in Utah, in August that she and my dad are going to.
We stopped by my old stomping grounds, Utah State (Go Aggies!!), and got a shot of us at the bull. Next trip we'll make it up to the "A" on old main hill.

We also had a barbecue at my aunt and uncles house in Tremonton and Luke got to me some more cousin friends. These are actually my cousins kids kids. Since my 1st cousins are older than my oldest sibling, their kids are closer to my age these are their kids...but we're all family so cousins are cousins, right? He loved watching these two little guys. Daxten is in red and Jager is in blue and both are 2 years old. Luke was as big as these boys and the only difference was you can't understand what he's saying. Luke is a chatter-box. I really wish I had some sort of translator that I could plug into my ear so I could dicipher what he's saying all the time.

Next post....4th of July. I'll find the time to add it.

Who lets their kid sleep like this?

2009-05-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

I came home from work one evening and found Luke asleep on the couch. Nice, dad. Looking at it postively, he would have landed on his feet first instead of his head (thank goodness). I still think his bed would have been a better option for nap time.

Mother's day

2009-05-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

The day before Mother's Day.
Christina was putting together a gift for our mom and wanted to take some pictures of the temple so we packed up Luke and drove the 1/2 hour. What a beautiful day! The flowers were blooming, the birds were singing, people were getting married. It was lovely. It took many a picture for Luke to look at the camera since he was so fascinated by the fountain behind us. I swear, I still can't get him to smile when the camera comes out. I hope that changes soon.

Mother's day was great. Even though we have church at 9am, Chris made me breakfast in bed. Usually it's a banana or something running out the door when our ward has the early time slot. The young men in our ward gave mothers and future mothers a flower. Awwww In the evening, we went to my parents and had a BBQ. I don't need anything fancy, just being with the ones I love is enough for me.

1st Birthday - Hooray!

2009-04-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

My darling little boy is no longer so little. Luke turned a year old April 7th. Although it was his birthday, I took him in for his 1 year well child check-up and he got some not so fun shots. We waited until the weekend to have his party so it didn't completely ruin his day. Currently, Luke weighs in at 25 lbs 3 ounces and is 32 inches long. Last year on that date he was 7 lbs 10 ounces and 19 inches long. See what I mean? ...not so little.

Last week was full of firsts. Not only did Luke turn one he also got his first haircut. Unfortunately, I didn't pull my camera out when they were cutting his hair so I don't have any pictures. Man, I need to document his life better. I just went to a place by my house that was inexpensive. The gal who cut his hair was fast and she was able to keep going with all his head turning. Luke only whimpered when she turned the clippers on and went at him, but he didn't cry. He is my very big boy! I was kind of worried she wouldn't leave him with any hair because it seemed like she was cutting a lot off. In the end he looked so handsome.

Although I stressed about the birthday party for Luke, it went really well. I had a ball theme. I wished I planned better because my camera ran out of memory and I left my other memory card at my sister's house earlier in the week so I didn't get all the pictures that I wanted....especially the decorations which I put a lot of thought into. The pictures I do have are courtesy of my sister Christina.

Happy Birthday to Me and Christina!

2009-04-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

I've had a birthday....it was March 11th. Technically difficulties prevented me from writing about it sooner.

I took the day off to spend with my OTHER significant other, Christina (also a birthday girl), and my precious boy. It was a beautiful sunny day, but very chilly and because Chris had family visiting and one of those persons was a 3 year old we went to Mukilteo Beach. I hadn't been there since they added the park and all the extras....more parking and sidewalks. We stayed as long as we could, but the wind didn't allow us to enjoy ourselves outside as much as we would have liked.

On our drive back we stopped in at the McDonalds to further stretch our legs and let the little guys play at the indoor playland. Luke loved crawling around and he and I ventured down the slide together. It was a tight fit, but I made it down with Luke on my lap. I wasn't brave enough to let him go down by himself. Maybe next time...

My little Mozart

2009-04-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Luke sure loves to play the piano. Whenever I start practicing he comes over and wants to sit on the bench with me. You can never start too early!

Update: What was lost has now been found.

2009-04-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

The USB cable for the camera has been found. Hooray!! After asking Chris for what seemed like the the 10th time he finally said he knew where it was and pulled it out of his sock drawer. I didn't think to look there....

Where are you?

2009-04-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

Hello blogging friends. I'm still here and I have quite a few posts waiting and I want to add pictures to these post. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the USB cord that plugs the camera into the computer. It's been MIA since my birthday last month. You see, I remember using it around that time because I uploaded some pictures directly from the camera to my facebook account, but I didn't save them to my computer (which I should have done) and didn't upload everything either. Usually, this chord is kept in one of the desk drawers that our computer sits on - naturally a good place to keep it. Sadly, those drawers have been searched and it's no where to be found. My camera is holding some real gems and I'm very sad about it. Anywho, sorry to keep you waiting. I do hope it magically appears soon. I'm going to do a lot more searching in hopes that it turns up. I wonder if you can just buy these things at best buy or someplace like that.

Somewhere out there....

Snake and snails and puppy dog tails...

2009-02-19T12:07:00.001-08:00

This morning I found Luke drenched from the waist down, which happens on occasion, from a saturated diaper. I stripped him down to his birthday suit and sat him on my lap contemplating if I wanted to bathe him at 5:15am. While sitting there he tooted pretty loudly and then he looked at me and laughed. Luke's had the morning toots before, but he never found them funny. I figured he thought it was something that his body just does. Anyway, I said, "Excuse you" since I still want to teach him good manners. Then he tooted again and laughed again. Okay, now it was funny. After we laughed at it together he started mimicking the noise and would we would laugh some more. It's crazy what kids figure out. I know this isn't some phase a boy grows out of....it's going to be funny forever!

Christmas Gifts

2008-12-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

When you're on a tight budget one has to get creative with their gifts. This year for all my friends and family I made wood block Christmas decorations. Most of them said Noel, but some said Wish or Joy. This was such a fun project and I felt really proud of myself that the total cost was under $10 and I made almost 20 of them.

I also had enough to make a friend a set that wasn't Christmas-ish for a wedding gift. I thought they turned out pretty well. I hope she liked them.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-21T23:03:00.000-08:00

This past week we've had real wintery weather. Thursday I was even lucky enough for work to call a "snow day" and was able stay home and hang out with Luke. Friday I did venture to work, but they let us off early so we could travel home in the daylight.
It's now Sunday, church was canceled and it started snowing last night and has continued. They're saying we could get another 6" - 8". Crazy! I haven't seen weather like this since I was in elementary. Thankfully, I have all of my Christmas shopping done except for a few small things that aren't high priority. Now I just need to work on baking my goodies. I'm hoping I get a snow day tomorrow. That would be great.

Camera Shy

2008-12-18T10:24:00.000-08:00

We've been working on family photos for Christmas and we couldn't get Luke to smile. I think it takes a pretty talented person to make him smile for the camera. My sister, Christina, somehow can do it. Sadly, she was working the day we wanted to take photos. At least he's not crying.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-26T22:03:00.001-07:00

Saturday, Chris and I took Luke to Craven Farms in Snohomish to get his first pumpkin. I think he secretly loved it even though he didn't smile in any of our photos. Then again, a 6 month old doesn't exactly smile on que. He's cute anyway. When Luke hits two or three I think it will be a lot more fun for him since he'll be able to walk and interact more with everything around him. The trip was really for me. I wanted to get the memorable pictures of Luke's first Halloween adventures. I loved Luke in the wheelbarrow. He would just sit there and watch everyone go by. After we picked out our pumpkins that were nearly as big as him he put his arm on one like he owned it. I think that particular farm will be the one we go to every year. Not only did it have a patch of large pumpkins, it had a small patch too. Also, there was a corn maze, a food stand, a small animal farm, face painting, a store that sold crafty things, and lots more. I went there when I was in kindergarden so it's been around a long, long time. All in all, it was a fun outing for our little family.

My love-hate relationship

2008-10-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

Does everyone have one of those? I do and it's called The South Beach Diet. I love it and at the same time I hate it. You would think a person wouldn't love a diet at all. But, how can you not love something that gives results in a short amount of time?

For the past two weeks my husband and I have been on this diet. We cut out all sugars which include the fructose kind found in fruit. I know! How crazy is that? A diet where you can't eat fruit for two weeks. We also eliminated starches found in potatoes, corn and rice. Also, no eating grains so bread is out. What did we eat, you ask? Lots of vegetables, chicken, meat and cheese. Sugar-free jell-o and pudding are a staple to this diet. I've come to find that everything you eat during this time is a wet food. This is the part I hate.

The part I love is I've lost 10 pounds! I didn't even do a single sit-up. How is that for results? The thing you need the most is will-power to resist all temptation. I think that is the hardest thing for me. We have a cookie jar at work and you don't want to know how many times I pass it during the day. At least I found out that those cookies do disappear even without my participation so I'm not the only one who eats them.

Another good thing is there is an end in sight. After the two weeks are up you can add fruit back to your diet. You can also eat wheat pasta, wheat bread, and brown rice and limit yourself to goodies occasionally. If you stick to this "lifestyle change" you should continue to shed more pounds...just not as quickly as before.

My goal is 20 pounds so I'm half-way there. Hooray for me! Let's hope that the next 10 go just as easy. This time I am going to start working out.

September Wedding

2008-09-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

My husbands mom, my mother-in-law, was just re-married on September 6th. We travelled down to Umatilla, Oregon for the big event. It is only a 4 hour drive, but with a baby it would most likely be longer. So, I suggested we leave later in the evening around 8pm. By then, Luke was asleep and he didn't wake up until we got there. What a good little traveller!

His cousins (only a few pictured) were so excited to meet him. They loved to talk to him. Colby, who's 3, felt Luke was hungry and pulled his bottle from his diaper bag and started to feed him. The only place we have a picture of that is on Chris's phone. I bought Luke little sunglasses since we'd be spending a lot of time outside.

The wedding was "Cowboy" themed with wranglers, boots, and hats. I was in charge of the bride's hair and it was a good thing she wanted a frenchbraid. It was pretty hot so I don't think curls would have stayed nice with all the sweating we were doing. Her daughter, Jodi, and a friend from work were bridesmaids, two granddaughters were flower girls, and a grandson was a ring bearer. Everyone looked great. There was more to the "wedding party", but no one was together at the same time so I got what I could.

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Don Ranne!

Immediately following the ceremony was a BBQ. Those were some good eats. Someone in her ward made the cake and it looked very beautiful.

We'll be back to visit in November for Thanksgiving. See you soon!

My, how he's grown.

2008-09-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

How the time flies! Luke is 5 months old and is getting so big. At his 4 month appointment he was already 17 1/2 pounds. He's not a chunky kid either....he's just long. He measured in at 27 inches which is the 99 percentile for height at his age. Kids do grow like weeds.

Here are the things Luke's been doing. He is now sitting up on his own. He wobbles a little, but for he's getting pretty steady.

Luke is also starting to eat solid foods. Well, cereal isn't super solid, but it's not formula. I think he's ready for baby food since he watches us eat and grabs for it if we're holding him. Chris is more than willing to share with that baby boy. One day I came home from work and Luke's shirt was red and wet all down the front. When I asked Chris what he gave Luke he told me they shared a popsicle. Way to go on getting our child addicted to sugar already, Dad.

Luke loves to have books read to him. I even get to read it instead of only pointing at the pictures. I think he'll be a reader like his Momma. Luke also loves kisses. He is such a lovey and cuddley baby. He hasn't become scared of new people yet, but maybe he won't ever be which is s a good and bad thing. Good for family that he doesn't see all the time. Bad because strangers aren't always good.

It's mine

2008-08-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when my husband goes to the store he bring me home a treat. Like my favorite candy bar or something really yummy just for me. And sometimes, I don't want to eat it right away so I save it for when I'm really in the mood for my yummy treat. And sometimes, I forget about that yummy treat. But then I remember and when I go to eat that yummy treat of mine it's gone and I think, "where did it go?" So then, I ask my husband and he says, "Oh, sorry, I ate it...I'll buy you another one." But, I don't want another one. I want the one I had.

Look who's talking!

2008-07-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

Luke is starting to get very vocal and will tell me all about his day when I get home from work. At first he'd only talk a little and then our conversations started getting a little longer. It's so cute I had to get a video of it.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

The first Father's Day at the Walchli house. It was pretty exciting. Luke and I made Chris breakfast in bed. Luke woke up around 6am and after I fed him I thought, "Let's make your dad breakfast". Of course, I wasn't too nice since we didn't let him sleep in very long. We brought him his hearty meal at 7:15 am...pancakes, hash browns and sausage. It was delicious!

After church we went to my sister's house for a barbecue to celebrate the Dad's. It was a lot of fun since it was another weekend where my whole family was together (Erica's graduation was the other). We're usually missing someone because of something or other. I hope my dad realizes how much he is appreciated by Chris and me. Currently, he and my mom are watching Luke Thursday's and Friday's while I'm at work. I'm grateful my parents are willing to do that for us. What a wonderful relationship they will have. Luke already loves his Grandpa as you can see.

The Graduate - Erica Miller

2008-06-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

We attended Sultan High School's graduation a few weekends ago to witness my niece, Erica, receive her diploma. I couldn't believe it was outside, but the class of '08 was small enough to fit under tents and all of Sultan's friends and family sat in the grandstand. There were 117 graduates, the biggest class in the history of Sultan High. It is the tradition of the school to walk with whomever you want instead of alphabetical order. Erica chose her boyfriend, Jason. I would have liked that, but my high school made us go in alphabetical order and boy-girl-boy-girl since the girls were in white gowns and the boys were in red. I was 5 people away from my twin sister. She had 32 family members to root for her when she walked across the stage to get her diploma. I think she had the loudest yelling section out of everyone. We are so proud of her and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

Here are some of the family in attendance. I couldn't get everyone.

Back to the old grind....

2008-06-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

I've started back to work this week. It's sad...I know. I didn't cry once Monday when I dropped Luke off with my sister or during that first day. We have had our separate time so I've already adjusted. There were those days apart while I was in the hospital, the many doctor visits and the dentist appointments where I went without Luke. Chris even let me go to Target while he watched him so I could pick up a few things. Of course, many of these times weren't longer than an hour (and he didn't really know me right after he was born so I'm not going to count that time). But, I still miss him during the day and want to hold and kiss him. I call to check on him and he seems to be doing fine without me. I hope Luke doesn't forget who I am since I'll only be spending 3 waking hours with him a night. My main fear is missing something while I'm away. I hover over him with a camera so I can catch all the cute things he does. Okay, it's not that bad. He is already starting to try and laugh out loud...right now it sounds like a cough, but I hope I am there the first time it sounds like an actual laugh or him rolling over for the first time, too. I'm not sure how those career mom's do it...the ones that actually want to go back to work. Or, those who hire nannies because their lives are so important to have kids in them. Does Angelina Jolie really play with all those kids she has? Don't women want to watch their children grow and learn instead of depending on someone else to do it? I know I do and hope that it isn't too much longer before I can stay home to do it.

Luke's Blessing

2008-06-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

I have come to discover that I try to please people too much. I like to make people happy, but I can't do it all of the time. We set the date for Luke's blessing and it kept changing because this family member or friend couldn't make it on that date or that one couldn't make it on another. Then I thought...you know what?...this is our day and if we wait until everyone could make it, Luke would be three. So with some loved ones missing, we went ahead with June 1st and it turned out just fine. Chris gave a beautiful blessing. He told me he wasn't nervous, but I know I would have been. He is such a good man and I love him so much.

This is our first family photo!

Out with the old....

2008-05-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get tired of the same old thing? I know I do, so I've decided to change the look of my blog. I know it's changed a couple of times already...sorry if you didn't recognize me right away.

Got to throw in a picture of Luke. He's just so darn cute!

Smile

2008-05-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Luke is now six weeks old. He's starting to smile at me and it's so cute! I can't get enough of this little guy. My sister, JaNeanne, captured some good pictures while I made faces at him. Everytime I get my camera out, he's done with the smiles. Thanks for being ready, sis!

Family Time

2008-05-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

Luke (5 weeks)
Who could not love that adorable face?

Things are going well at the Walchli household. We are adjusting to parenthood pretty good, though I'm still finding it hard to get up in the middle of the night. I'm hoping he'll sleep through soon...especially when I go back to work.

Chris had some family come into town the weekend before last.

Colby (age 3)

Rachel (age 10) - our happy helper

Sidney (age 1) - too young to hold baby

We did take an afternoon trip to see the tulips. There was still some still in bloom. They are so beautiful.

Hospital Food

2008-04-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

After staying a week in the hospital, I've come to enjoy hospital food. It really isn't as bad as everyone says it is. Some meals were a bit bland, but not anything a little salt couldn't fix. I even had a choice of two different dishes so I wasn't just brought whatever and expected to eat it. I thought it was great.

Not only am I going to tell everyone the events that took place the day Luke was born, it will also serve as a journal entry for me to remember down the road.

Chris and I checked into the hospital so I could be induced Sunday night, the 6Th, around 8:30pm. After waiting all weekend to get in, we were pretty excited to finally be there. After settling into my delivery suite, which was really nice, I was given medication to soften my cervix before they would start the petocin. Lucky for me, I started contracting on my own around 5:00am so I didn't even need it. With less then an hour of pushing, Luke was born at 5:01pm. I was only in labor 12 hours. I was so glad it wasn't longer than that. That was the part that I was scared the most about and it didn't turn out as horrible as I imagined.

That's the first part. Everything went pretty smoothly until Luke's little shoulders were out....that's when I tore. The doctor who delivered him spent the next 2 1/2 hours stitching me up. I got to hold Luke for a little bit and then Chris took him out to show our waiting family. Plus, Chris couldn't stay in the room with all the bleeding that my parts were doing so Christina came in and talked to me while I sat with my bottom half uncovered for the world to see. The doctor didn't talk much, but I did notice that she shook her head a lot. That was not a good sign. She did finally say that every time she put a stitch in I'd bleed more and that was not good. The main concern was to get me to stop bleeding and stitched up. Once the doctor was finished and she felt she had the bleeding under control is when she learned about my blood problem, pancytopenia. She seemed pretty upset that she wasn't told before, but now realized why I was bleeding so bad and was worried with the amount of blood I had lost. I guess I never thought it was that serious.....boy, was I wrong.

By Wednesday morning I was doing good. I wasn't bleeding anymore and my stitches were looking still holding up. Even though I wasn't on any epidural medication, I still had the IV line in my back and they wanted to take out. I was glad I couldn't feel it. They gave me a transfusion of platelets before the anesthesiologists removed the IV line. He made it sound very scary so I was really freaked out. He talked about having to go into emergency surgery if I ended up having a clot in my spine or something like that. Luckily, I could still feel my legs by the end of the day so it all went well.

Just when I thought I was getting better everything changed Wednesday afternoon. My heart rate went up and I started getting a fever. By the end of the day it was to 103. I started getting my blood every 6 hours to see what was going on and to see what my blood levels were doing. It wasn't looking very good and my arms were starting to look like I was a drug user. Sadly, my white blood cells were decreasing and that was a main concern with the on-call doctor. That night, Luke was discharged from the hospital into Chris's care, but they could stay in the hospital with me. Thursday morning, my OB came in and told me they were transferring me to another hospital and to the ICU. Even though the doctors at the Pacific campus were doing everything they could, they felt I needed to be placed in special care with doctors who dealt with this kind of thing every day. I cried since I would be separated from Luke and I already felt like we had not yet bonded. I felt so helpless, but Chris was doing a great job with the mom duties during our hospital stay together.

First thing that happened when I arrived at the Colby campus of Providence was a blood transfusion. I received two units of blood to see if that would help me. I spent all day Thursday and part of Friday in the ICU. I still had blood draws, but they were only once a day and at 4:30 in the morning. Who does that? Shouldn't patients be sleeping at the time? I was being pumped full of antibiotics so it wasn't that bad since the machine beeped when the bag was empty so I didn't sleep the whole night through anyway. Finally, the doctors had a verdict of what was wrong with me and had discovered I had somehow contracted a bacteria in my blood. They had some theories of how it came about, but nothing to important to mention. My mom brought me a receiving blanket that smelled of Luke and some pictures of him. I cried a lot not being with my baby, but I knew he was in good hands with his dad, Chris, and my family.

Before I was moved from the ICU on Friday I finally got to take a shower. I had gone way too many days without washing my hair. Boy, did I look terrible when I hit the bathroom and took a look in the mirror. Why didn't any of my family mention that to me? I hadn't walked anywhere since Sunday night so taking the walk to the bathroom wore me out. That afternoon I was moved to a regular floor and I was lucky enough to get my own room. I must be loved...I even had my own bathroom with a shower. That day my temperature was steadily dropping. I was at 99 degrees all day and by Saturday my temp was normal. A new doctor had come in to tell me that they are taking cultures of the bacteria to find out what antibiotics would cure me. Still I wasn't told I could go home yet. Saturday I was getting up and around more and feeling good, but by that night I was tuckered out. Chris came and brought a game for us to play, but I kept falling a sleep during his turn so I finally called it quits. I didn't like that hospital room much because I thought it gave me bad dreams. I had to sleep with the light on the night before and didn't want Chris to go home that night either. It was probably from all the stuff they were pumping me full of. I was getting an antibiotic every 6 hours and a different one every 8 hours. Plus I was getting doses of iron every morning.

Sunday morning my doctor came in and told me the bacteria was sensitive to a certain antibiotic and asked me if I was ready to go home. Heck yes I was. He did tell me that I would have to take the antibiotic intravenously for a few days and then it would be a pill. So I was going home finally. I called Chris since he hadn't gotten to the hospital yet. He was so excited and so was I. I cried again since I would finally be able to hold my little baby boy and do all the mommy things I hadn't gotten to do yet.

There you have it. I'm now a seasoned mother of two weeks and loving it. Luke is such a good baby. He doesn't cry unless he is hungry, has a dirty diaper or a bubble in his tummy. I am so lucky he is that good. I think I'd be more exhausted if he weren't. Chris and I are adjusting to baby life and I'm thinking my maternity leave is getting eaten up too quickly. Before I know it, I'll be back to work and it makes me sad to think I won't get to be with him all day any more. I've got to soak it up while I can.

He is so adorable!!

Luke William Walchli

2008-04-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

Born April 7, 2008 at 5:01pm - 7lbs. 10oz. - 19 inches long
I will have more pictures and the story of what happened after the birth of our beautiful baby soon. I'm still in recovery at my parents house.

Where's Luke?

2008-03-31T16:00:00.001-07:00

Today is my first day of maternity leave at work. It sure was nice not having to get up and drive an hour to Kirkland this morning. I still woke up at my normal time, though. I still had a few things to do today and I don't know when I would get another chance to do them. Who knows...I could go into labor tomorrow.

I finally feel like the nursery is ready. My mom and I went out to get the last things on my list. This was the first time she and I went baby shopping together. While working I only had Saturdays free and that day she has church duties which take up the whole day. It was really nice going together.

I've decided to go back to my original due date: April 3rd, but I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday at which point we will find out when this baby wants to come out and play.

Showers!

2008-03-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

It's getting down to crunch time. A little over two weeks to go and I am not quite ready. My co-workers threw a surprise shower for me and I also had one with my family and friends. This baby sure has been spoiled! Chris and I are have been so blessed to know such great people. Thank you everyone!

One of our biggest gifts we received was the travel system that my work bought. I've got it assembled and practiced pushing around the stroller to get the feel of it. Being tall I wanted to make sure I didn't have to lean over any to push it. (Don't laugh). Now I just need to figure out the base and the carrier and how to strap it into my car. I wasn't old enough to drive when my nieces and nephews were babies so I don't have experience in that department. Something I did notice the stroller is super heavy. I don't know how mothers lift this thing in and out of their cars.

Other shower photos:

Nearing week 35 and counting...

2008-02-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

A friend suggested I take another prego picture and post it for all to see. Don't I look great? Lucky me gets to renew my license next month so I'll have a head shot of this for the next few years. I think I'll fib a little and stick with the weight I already have on it instead of what I currently am at. I might get there again sometime soon (unfortunately, I wasn't there pre-pregnancy...I'm so terrible!)

I've been tagged

2008-02-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of excited since I haven't tagged been before. I should be working on my talk for Sunday, but instead I'm spending my friday evening catching up on my friends lives via blog. Chris and I already had our date.....spent time at BabysRUs registering .

How long have you been together? Married 3 years in July.
How long did you date? 10 months - engaged for 5 of them.
How old is he? 31...I told him he could never call me his "Old lady" since he's older than me.
Who eats more? Chris, definately. My family calls him "Beefcake".
Who said "I love you" first? He did and then he said I didn't need to say it back. I did, but it was weird since I wasn't sure at the time.
Who is taller? Chris is by an inch or two. If I'm wearing shoes and he's not, I swear I'm taller.
Who sings better? I sing better. When I met him, he was in this band (as the singer) but it was the yelling kind. He doesn't sing much anymore.
Who is smarter? We are both smart in different things. His knowledge is in the random and weird.
Who does the laundry? We both do it although he's shrunk a lot of my stuff. He's now learned that some of my things don't go in the dryer.
Who does the dishes? If I make dinner, Chris does dishes. If he makes dinner, I do dishes. He usually does the dishes more and I'm thankful. I would rather clean toilets than do dishes...seriously.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I sleep on the right side. He switched for a bit, but I didn't like it.
Who pays the bills? Lucky me!
Who mows the lawn? We don't have a lawn to mow, but I'd make him do it. I mowed the lawn too many times in my youth.
Who cooks dinner? Most of the time I do it.
Who is more stubborn? Probably me.
Who kissed who first? Chris went in for the kill first. I hadn't kissed anyone for a long time so I was totally scared. I'm glad he was brave.
Who asked who out? We were kind of hanging out with friends at first and then he asked me to see a movie and go to dinner.
Who proposed? Chris did. The day was a suprise, but I knew it was coming.
Who is more sensitive? I am more sensitive. And that's not just because I'm preggers right now.
Who has more friends? Girls usually have more friends.
Who has more siblings? We each have the same amount (3 sisters and 2 brothers)
Who wears the pants in the relationship? Sometimes I think I do since he makes me be in charge of some things, but it's his duty as the man of the house.
Who are you tagging? If anyone reads this who hasn't been tagged..."You're It!"

2008-02-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

Some of you know I work at an elevator company. It has it's ups and downs...hehe. Going through some of my old emails from co-workers I ran into this and I wanted to share. Even those at ThyssenKrupp (my company) know how to have a sense of humor about their job.

1) When there's only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder and then pretend it wasn't you.

2) Push the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back for more.

3) Ask if you can push the button for other people, but push the wrong ones.

4) Drop a pen and wait until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream, "That's mine!"

5) Bring a camera and take pictures of everyone in the elevator.

6) Move your desk into the elevator and whenever someone gets on, ask if they have an appointment.

7) Lay down a Twister mat and ask people if they'd like to play.

8) Leave a box in the corner, and when someone gets on ask them if they hear something ticking.

9) Ask, "Did you feel that?"

10) Stand really close to someone, sniffing them occasionally.

11) When the doors close, announce to the others, "It's okay. Don't panic, they open up again."

12) Swat at flies that don't exist.

13) Call out, "group hug!" then enforce it.

14) Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering "Shut up, all of you, just shut up!"

15) Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside, ask, "Got enough air in there?"

16) Stand silently and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.

17) Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce in horror, "You're one of THEM" and back away slowly.

18) Wear a puppet on your hand and use it to talk to the other passengers.

19) Listen to the elevator walls with your stethoscope.

20) Stare, grinning at another passenger for a while, and then announce, "I have new socks on."

21) Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers, "This is my personal space."

22) Make race car noises when anyone gets on or off.

23) Whistle the first seven notes of "It's a Small World" incessantly.

24) When arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act embarrassed when they open by themselves.

25) Greet everyone getting on the elevator with a warm handshake and ask them to call you Admiral.

26)On the highest floor, hold the door open and demand that it stay open until you hear the penny you dropped down the shaft go "plink" at the bottom.

27) When at least 8 people have boarded, moan from the back: "Oh, not now, dang motion sickness!"

28) Meow occasionally.

29) Bet the other passengers you can fit a quarter in your nose.

30) Frown and mutter "gotta go, gotta go" then sigh and say "uh-oh!"

Getting crafty...

2008-01-30T20:30:00.001-08:00

A gal in our ward had a "block party" and I decided to take advantage to make something cute for the baby's room. I thought it turned out so cute I wanted to share it.
As you can see we've already picked out a name and the colors for his room. It's really sad that the picture is so dark so you can't see the color of the wall behind the blocks since we've painted the room a light green. I haven't picked a theme such as airplanes or dinosaurs....just the colors of light green and light blue.
Recently, I've been looking at baby bedding and I've decided I could just make a baby quilt myself instead of buying something expensive. Since we're going to have to purchase other items that are costly why not cut a corner somewhere? Chris got me a sewing machine for Christmas so why not make something special to warm my little one?
I'm reading more about baby stuff from the books my doctor gave me and I'm starting to get nervous. I hope I'm ready for the pain of labor. I think I have a high tolerance for pain, but sometimes I don't think I do. Chris thinks I'll turn into one of those nightmare ladies who yell at their husbands like they show on t.v., but I highly doubt that. At my check-up today my doctor told me he doesn't start making predictions yet, but he thinks I should deliver a 7 1/2 to 8 pounder. That's not too bad, I guess. I just don't want to push out a 10 pound baby. Yikes!

The Passing of our Prophet

2008-01-29T19:02:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening our beloved Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away. Chris and I were hanging out with our neighbors when they received a phone call call from their parents. We then passed the news to our family. We all took a moment to let it sink in and they we shared a combined family prayer to let our Heavenly Father now how grateful we were to have had such a wonderful Prophet and to bless his family with comfort.
President Hinckley has been the Prophet I've known best. Probably because I've been old enough to understand who he is and what his role is in the church. He has done many great things...the biggest was building more Temples. Since 1995, he has dedicated 76 temples while 12 are currently under construction. How amazing is that?
I will miss that great man, but know he has earned the phrase, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

A new year

2008-01-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas and New Year's have come and gone and I have no pictures to post. I forgot my camera while we were on our way to my parents house Christmas eve and none of my siblings have sent me pictures even though I've asked. My dad, the guy who still uses a camera with film, was happily snapping photos and he's got them developed already. All I need is a scanner, but that's at the bottom of a long list of things I really don't need right now. Christmas day I was sick and I didn't want pictures of me taken. Chris told me I looked like death. I don't think I need a picture memory of that.

A new year has begun and the Walchli Life will be changing quite drastically come the end of March. Are we ready for it? Heck, no! But, we're excited to become parents and start our family. We've picked his name: Luke William Walchli. I've always like the name Luke and I'm glad Chris liked it, too. We didn't argue back and forth about that. I wanted to use Christopher as a middle name, but Chris didn't like that. Then, we decided on William. Not only is it a family name on my side, but it also is for Chris (plus it's his middle name as well).

We're currently working on putting together our baby's room. We've picked the colors (light green and light blue), but not a "theme". I'm not sure if I will, which I think is alright. One of my sisters did tell me it's not as easy to buy things for the baby's room if you don't have a theme. I want to make my shopping easy. Finding things in a color, plus a theme would make things harder. I guess I will find out once I get out there and start buying things. I think my reasoning makes sense anyway and Chris doesn't seem to mind.

Be thankful your husband isn't into video games. Chris has bought himself a new game called "Rockband". He played it at a friends house and after that he had to have it. It comes with an actual size guitar (it's electronic so it doesn't have strings, but it does have a strum thing so feels like you're playing), a drum set with drumsticks, and a microphone. You hook all this stuff up to your gaming system and pop in the game, choose a song on a scale of easy, medium or hard, and play along. The game tells you when to play by it's streaming color codes. If you've ever seen the game dance dance revolution with the arrows, it's like that. The game rates how well you do and at the end of the song it will give you a percentage. You also can play with three people or pick an instrument and do it solo. What the actual object of the game is I have yet to discover, but I do know if you want to feel neglected buy this game for your husband. It's a good thing we don't have a baby or I'd be really mad. I may hide the game soon, though.

Christmas in the Northwest

2007-12-15T16:01:00.000-08:00

Did I mention I was a slacker? I send out an email to everyone and their dog about my blog and how many weeks go by before I post again? Too many....I apologize.

This year Chris and I got an artificial tree and it was up and decorated before December 1st. That's the earliest I've ever had it up in my entire life. My family alway had a real tree and the tradition was to drive to the nearest tree farm, usually the 2nd weekend in December, to cut down a Christmas tree. My mom was always in search of the perfect tree. When she found one she liked, she'd leave one of us kids standing by it in hopes of finding something a little better. After she finally decided my dad would cut it down, tie it to the roof of the van, and we'd drive home to have hot chocolate. I haven't done that in many, many years. The last two years Chris and I have been married we've just gone to a lot and picked one out. Our first Christmas we lived in Bothell across the street from Home Depot we walked over and carried our tree home. It was pretty sweet. The reason we didn't do that this year is we think Chris is allergic. I know, we live in the "Evergreen State", but we don't have trees in our houses so the pine isn't as strong. Chris seemed to always have cold-like symptoms all through the holidays so I got to thinking it had to be the tree. I wanted a healthy husband this year so I gave in and we bought a "fake" tree. Surprisingly, I actually think it's really nice. And there hasn't been a sniffle or a cough from Chris so far. It looks like I was right!

Besides our tree, we do have our fireplace decorated. Our stockings aren't "hung by the chimney with care...", but I've sat them with care is just as good. Once Santa visits, they'll be too full to hang anyway so it works for us.

I always think, "Next year I'm going to be on top of all my shopping, card making, and baking", but it seems the holidays come to quickly and I'm never ready. I did get my cards out, but I haven't baked a thing, and my shopping hasn't hardly begun. I still have more than a week left so I still have some time.

It's a boy!

2007-11-26T18:24:00.001-08:00

We couldn't be more excited! Now we can say "he" instead of "the baby".

It was so amazing to see the little guy moving around...he was so cute. We got to see him opening and closing his mouth as well as the arms and legs moving about. If he moves as much when he's out as he does while he's in I'm going to be one busy mom. He's starting to kick me in the bladder which makes me moving a lot more with my frequent trips to the bathroom.

My doctor changed my due date to March 29th which works for me. I'm sure by then I'll be ready with whenever.

Chris and I haven't gotten a thing until we knew what we were having. On with the baby shopping! If you need Christmas ideas...baby things are needed. You might want to get Chris a little something extra since he'll feel jipped (treats usually do the trick).

Well, I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. We forgot the camera so I didn't get to take any pictures. I will tell you Chris and I woke up and were out the door at 4am, Thursday, for the drive to Umatilla, OR, for the weekend. Then, we were up and out the door at 4am for "Black Friday" so we could head up to tri-cities for shopping. There were some amazing deals, but I didn't take too much advantage. It's sad to say I'm never ready with my Christmas lists that early. I've got to get started on my Christmas cards still. I can't believe the holiday is already upon us. Maybe next year I'll be done with my shopping by Thanksgiving and all I'll do during the month of December is bake goodies.

Hello world! ...

2007-11-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

We have decided to start a blog to keep our family and friends up-to-date. Since we aren't super great on e-mails and live far away from some of you, this is the best thing to find out what we are up to. Plus, you get the advantage of photos! It might not always be exciting, but we do hope you are entertained most of the time.

That said, the most interesting thing going on in the Walchli life is my pregnancy. I'm half a week away from hitting my five month mark. Hooray! Sorry, I don't know what I'm having yet. My next doctor visit is the day before Thanksgiving, however, his office doesn't do the ultra-sound so I have to make a separate appointment somewhere else. I've waited this long for a baby...what's another week or two, really?