30 Weeks!

This pregnancy has seemed SO LONG!  It feels as if I have been pregnant for 2+ years.  So nice to hit the last 10 weeks.  I am so excited to meet this little girl.  I'm feeling good.  Seems like the end of pregnancy is my favorite even though things get a bit harder to do.  Still able to workout at the gym, although Codi has become annoyed during spin class.  She shoves her foot under my ribs to try and get me to sit up more.  I'm hoping to be able to do spin until the end, but we shall see.  We love you baby girl!

"I Still Have A Frowny Face"

I have never heard him talk about having a frowny face.  I'm sure it was a song they sang in primary the day I did this video.  The kid cracks me up!  

Love This Boy!

He was such a stinker when we got these pics done.

I know I have been writing a lot of the things Caleb has been saying lately, but he is at an age that truly cracks me up.  I don't want to forget these things, because I know they wont last forever.  He is so my little buddy.  I want to remember as much as possible.

Caleb calls "grown ups" "bigger olds" which I think is hilarious, and have no idea where he got it from.

I was mortified two days ago at the gym.  If you don't acknowledge what Caleb says/points out, he will say it over and over again until you do.  There was a morbidly obese man who was sitting on the bench in front of kids club at the gym.  His stomach hung way over, and Caleb said "Mommy, that guy has a big penis".  I kept trying to get Caleb to walk away by grabbing his hand and pulling him but he would not come.  He kept saying it while pointing at the guy over and over again.  I didn't want to say "Yeah Caleb, that guy has a big penis" so he would be quiet.  I finally had to grab him and carry him out.  He was so upset and cried.  When we got outside, I had to explain to him how inappropriate he was being, and that he hurt that mans feelings.  It was hard for him to understand that something he was pointing out was being mean.  It was HUMILIATING.

Dan has been gone a lot lately.  He's been interviewing for fellowship (he has chosen foot and ankle!), which is so exciting!  There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel!  We will find out where he gets in on April 3rd.  I can't wait!  This will be the last "match" situation of our lives...what a relief!  I'm nervous and excited!  The ones he loved are OrthoCarolina (Charlotte, North Carolina), Stanford, UW (Seattle, Washington), and Duke (Durham, North Carolina).  Dan also really liked the program in Iowa.  Anyway, Caleb has struggled with Dan being gone so much like I've already mentioned in previous posts.  Dan left for his last interview on Wednesday.  The poor little guy took Dan's suitcase into his room and locked the door hoping it would keep Dan home.  It broke our hearts, but made me so grateful our boy loves his Dad so very much.  Dan really is an incredible father!

The little guy seems to have stopped wetting his diaper during naps AND through the night this whole week!  It seems to have happened over night!  I'm so proud of the little guy.  I thought this would never happen!  He gets to watch Diego when he keeps his diaper dry which has been a big motivator.

I'm doing hypnobabies with this pregnancy which has a pregnancy affirmations CD I'm supposed to listen to every day.  Caleb has started to repeat the affirmations out loud along with the CD and it cracks me up every time!  It's hilarious hearing a 3 year old say "Babies come on their birth days, not when doctors decide"...so cute.

When Caleb sees my belly and notices it's gotten bigger (and it seems to EVERY day) he asks "Is Codi ready to come out?"  He is so excited to be a big brother.

Sometimes I randomly ask Caleb "What are you thinking about?"  I love his replies.  It's usually horses, or other random things.  What has been adorable lately though is he has been asking me that same question a lot.  Especially when I am looking off into space really actually thinking about something.  He has turned into a dear friend.  I adore this little man.

I'm sure these posts are getting old, but they aren't going to stop.  I want to remember every ounce of this child down the road when these things could be forgotten!

The Butterfly Circus

It's clips like these that make me love facebook.  My little brother Tanner posted this yesterday and Caleb and I watched it this morning while we ate breakfast.  I was in tears multiple times throughout the video.  What a beautiful lesson to remember.  I promise it is worth 20 minutes of your time.  We ARE magnificent!

Rumor has it that they are going to be making a full feature film out of this because of all the positive feedback they've received.  That would be fantastic!

More Calebisms!

Lately when I tell Caleb I love him he will say, "no, I love YOU" and then I will say "no, I love you MORE".  This will go on a couple of times and then he will say with a grin "we are fighting about love".  It is so adorable.

I think I've mentioned this before, but he's been doing it a lot recently so it's worth mentioning again.  Dan has been gone a lot lately to interviews, so when he's home, Caleb is just so happy.  Multiple times a day he will hug Dan and say in the sweetest voice "Daddy's home!"

Caleb is definitely his fathers child.  He likes sweets fine, but doesn't love them.  He will start a sweet and only eat half of it.  Lately he has not been a fan of things that have a lot of chocolate (so not my child).  The one sweet thing he does absolutely love is Orange Julius.  That just so happens to be Dad's favorite dessert too.  We have been using THIS  recipe.  Instead of half water, I use all two cups of milk.  I also only use 4oz of the orange juice concentrate, and we add a handful of frozen strawberries.  So YUMMY and so easy!

Dan finally finished making Caleb's big boy bed!  Yes, he's been in a crib until now...ha.   Often after he wakes up, or while we are putting him to bed he says "I like my big boy bed".  It's how he says it that's so adorable.  This makes Daddy a very happy man.  Dan takes much pride in the things he makes, and loves being appreciated!

When Caleb is explaining something he will often ask "Is that funny?", or "Is that cool?"  I love it.

Caleb LOVES being at Amber Smith's home with his friend Logan.  Lately he has thrown a fit almost every time we have to leave their house crying "but I want to play with Logan FOREVER".  The Smith's will be moving the end of June to start a real doctor job!  While I'm thrilled for them, we are so incredibly sad they will be leaving.  We have shared our years of med school AND residency with the Smith's.  They are some of our dearest friends, and I get sick whenever I really think about them leaving.  It's been awesome to have Logan for Caleb these past years.

Today I taught a lesson on motherhood to my young women.  It truly is such an incredible gift we are given to be mothers.  I love this boy with all my heart.  While preparing my lesson I re-read THIS love letter I wrote to Caleb at 3 days old.  Oh what a blessing it is to raise these incredible beings.  I feel overwhelmed and so blessed we get to once again bring another spirit into our family.  I can't wait!

25 Weeks!

From The Mouth Of The Lovey!

This boy has been an absolute blast lately.  He has grown up so much.  For a while everything seemed to be a fight, but he has become so pleasant to be around, and is just plain sweet.  He has become quite the affectionate little guy which has us completely wrapped around his finger.  Here is a list of things he's been saying lately!

I don't know why, but Caleb calls hangers hangerangs.  Not sure if he is associating it with orangutans or what, but that is what hangers are called in our house now.

Dan took a week off so we could go to Megan's wedding.  Caleb got used to dad being around, so when he went back to work Caleb asked "Where's Daddy?" When I told him he was at work he replied "But I want him to be with us forever!" This boy sure loves his dad.

Dan has been doing interviews for fellowship.  He was gone for 4 days and when he finally got home, Caleb met him at the door and said with a quivering lip "Daddy, you were at work too long".  Adorable.

Today Caleb informed me that Daddy needs to come home because Gracie is sad that we are all alone in the house.

Caleb loves music.  We listen to the radio on our way to the gym every day.  One day while Caleb was playing with his cars he broke out in song with the line "I'm sexy and I know it".  Whoa, I need to be careful what we listen to.  I died laughing.

I've been getting bad headaches often throughout this pregnancy.  It's been awful (I started a liquid iron supplement and now they are GONE)!  Lately Caleb has been saying "I have a headache from eating too much candy yesterday", or "I have a headache from watching too much Diego".

Over Christmas time Caleb fell in love with the Youtube Mormon message about Harold B. Lee giving a very poor boy his red coat.  He still asks to watch it often.  It is such a sweet message.  We have been working on teaching kindness, so whenever he is nice he tells me "I'm being a kind boy".  And sometimes adds, "like the boy in the red coat".

This child really is remarkable.  We can't get enough of him lately.  He is in such an incredible stage right now. There are so many other funny/cute things he's been saying lately, but I can't remember them off the top of my head.  I just wanted to record some of them before I forget.  Love this boy!

Our Little 3 Year Old Skier!!!

My sister Megan went up with us the first day we went to teach Caleb. She used to be a ski instructor and we owe a lot of his improvements to Megs! She is incredible!

We went to Utah a few days before my sisters wedding to get this little guy on skis. We couldn't believe how well he did! He really is such a stud. This is yet another parent payday. I get such a huge kick out of seeing him do the things we love most. We are so proud of you Caleb!!! The kid is pretty dang fearless! Before we know it, he will be skiing on the back mountain down Far East!

This video is far to long, I know. I just had to get it all in one place!

Meet The Sister Wife

I have always had a hard time with the thought of polygamy. It would just be weird. However, minus the sharing of the husband, there really are some benefits to polygamy. How nice would it be to have someone share the chores, cooking, watching of the children, etc. Well, I feel as if I have a sister wife, but this one doesn't mess with my man one bit! She has one job, and one job only. I am in LOVE!!!

Dan has tried to talk me into getting a roomba for a long time now. I finally caved over Christmas because I couldn't stay on top of Gracie's shedding with this pregnancy being much harder than Caleb's (translation: lazy piece of crap). Why in the *#&* did I not get one when we first got Gracie? BEST INVENTION EVER!!! I am one happy woman!

"I Don't Know How To Move Mountains"

A friend on facebook posted this video tonight. It's strange, mildly inappropriate, and I love it. Here is the comment I posted on her update. It's something I don't ever want to forget;

My favorite children's book EVER! I made Caleb a photo book for Christmas from birth to 3 years old. Towards the end I used the line "Oh the places you'll go, kid, you'll move mountains". After reading it a few times since Christmas, two days ago while reading it during his nap he looked at me and said "I don't know how to move mountains". I explained that life experiences will teach him how. Later that night when we were getting ready for bed, out of the blue he said "I will learn to move mountains when I'm 4". MELTED MY HEART! He already moves mountains every day in my book!

It's a.......

Shocked doesn't even begin to describe what I feel. Poor Caleb was scared to death with my reaction. That night when I asked him if he was excited to have a baby sister he said "yeah, but you scared me mama". We are SO EXCITED! We would have been thrilled with either one, but it's very exciting to experience something totally new and different. And their clothes...oh boy, this will be dangerous!

The thing I'm most excited about is that Dan gets a daughter! Every Daddy needs a daughter! With our next baby I will let Caleb guess. He was sure it was a baby girl the whole time.

We are SO GRATEFUL! Last year during this same time we were experiencing absolute heartache after our 3rd miscarriage which happened the morning we were driving up to Utah for Christmas. This Christmas was just pure joy and excitement! AND I'm feeling baby move! Now the fun part of pregnancy begins! We are feeling extremely blessed this season!

P.S. Don't you love how Amber wrapped my present? She put it in a blue bag with blue paper layered on top and then it turned pink. SO CUTE! Thank you Amber!!! I'll tell you what, it was torture waiting the 3 days to open the present.

Pumpkinman Triathlon 2011!

This was such a blast! I almost missed it due to a couple of things, but I'm SO GLAD I decided to do it.

A while back we talked about signing up for a triathlon to get healthier as a family. My sister Megan has lost a BUTT LOAD of weight and this was a goal of hers. We are so proud! We decided on the Pumpkinman because it was in Vegas and Ashlee lives in Vegas. She housed a bunch of us which was so nice.

I was actually signed up for the Olympic distance but then found out I was pregnant. After being told by a friend that the course was extremely difficult, I tried to see if I could get a refund. But that was impossible so I dropped down to the Sprint distance category which still included the whole climb on the bike that was supposed to be really hard. I was concerned because I would be 8 weeks pregnant, and I kept hearing how steep it was.

Also, the day before we were to drive to Vegas I came down with the stomach flu. It's the sickest I've been in probably 15 years. I was losing it out of both ends simultaneously and thought I was going to die. It was AWFUL. I ended up losing 3-5 pounds in a day. I knew there was no way I could make the 8+ hour drive to Vegas the next day, so I thought I would send Caleb and Dan to Vegas without me (Dan was signed up for the Olympic distance, and NEVER has done a tri in his life!).

The next morning I felt much better and decided I might as well go, but wasn't sure I would do the race. We got there late and registered. I just went through the motions hoping I could find it in me to do the race the next day, and was SO GLAD I did!

It was an absolute BLAST! The course was awesome. Although, the first 100 yards of the swim about killed me. It was my first open water swim, and the other two tris I've done in the past had the swim at the end which at that point I was relaxed. It was so freaky, but I finally got in a rhythm and did it....slow. I'm so not a good swimmer.

The bike was the part I was most worried about because I was told it was steep and would be hard to keep my heart rate down enough being pregnant. It was AWESOME! It was more of a gradual climb that wasn't very steep and I felt SO GOOD! It was such a blast. It was hard for me to hold back because I did feel good, but I think having to hold back made it even that much more enjoyable because it wasn't painful at all, just purely fun. The climb was way easier than I heard, or read about. I think the definition of a climb to a triathlete is very different than the definition of a climb to a road biker. It was a wonderful course.

The run was just fun. I went super slow keeping my heart rate down.

Pregnant lady hiding behind HeathRoy.

I was NOT posing for the camera. I was literally having THAT much fun!

The best part was having our WHOLE family out there cheering for us. My parents, brother, sister in law, cousin, friends, nephews, and son were there cheering us on. What a blast! It was just pure fun because I was out there not racing, but enjoying myself taking it easy. I would love to do the Olympic distance next year at race pace!

I ended up getting 19th place out of 36 women. My bike time was 13th place out of 36. Pretty good for a chubby pregnant girl just having fun!

The best part of the race was how Dan did. He is NOT a swimmer, nor a runner. He hates both, but I talked him into doing it this year. He decided on the Olympic distance so that it would be a longer bike. The swim about killed him, but he did it. He then ROCKED the bike with the best time in his category, and did a decent run time. He ended up getting 3rd place out of 34 guys. I was so proud! We were shocked because it was his first tri ever. He will be in the next category next year because he will be 35, and his time would have won that category! He now has decided he will tolerate the other two events and start dabbling with triathlons. He had a blast! I pray Caleb gets that boys legs and heart. He is truly a gifted athlete!

He ROCKED it on the bike even though he didn't have a tri bike. He had the fastest time in his category for the bike!

The face of pain!

Ashlee!

The other best part is that Ashlee ROCKED this tri too! She did the Olympic distance and ended up getting 2nd place out of 14 women!!! She didn't even have clipless pedals and was borrowing a road bike. I'm so proud of her. She is AMAZING!

Cheering squad

I love that we were able to do this together as a family. It was such a cool experience. There is something so cool about being out there on the course and seeing your family doing something hard. Also having family on the sidelines cheering is just awesome. I am so grateful we made a goal and stuck to it. We are already trying to find another one to do as a family next year (perfect excuse to get back in shape after baby)!!! But this time it will probably be in Utah, cause Vegas is the WORST DRIVE EVER!!!

Dan's The Man

I have been filled up reading different blog posts from a blogger I found yesterday named "Single Dad Laughing". He is incredibly inspiring! Tonight I read a blog post written to all dads called "You just broke your child. Congratulations". It is powerful. But more than anything it made me so grateful for the Dad to my Caleb. I was choked up by the end of the blog post because I was so filled with gratitude that I married a man who is everything this father pleads to all Dads everywhere to be. Our little boy sees in his daddy's face absolute love and adoration every time he comes home. I am so grateful!

There is also another absolutely powerful blog post he wrote called "I'm Christian, unless you're gay" Read it. I am a better person because of it.

Whoooo's That Playing At The Park

This little guy is such a doll much of the time. He really is such a little buddy. We were at the park today, and I took my camera because the lighting was good. He is so dang cute.

In our family kissing and holding hands say "I love you." It seems he has been asking to "hold you hand mommy" more and more lately. Whenever there is a sweet song, or we watch a sweet youtube video (usually the cute mormon messages) he always wants to hold my hand because he feels something. I love it, and wanted to write it down before it stops and I forget about it.

Whenever I ask Caleb "Who loves you," he always says Maga (my mom)...little stinker. Today I asked him who his best friend was and he replied "Maga." Well, if I'm going to be replaced, my mom is the best one to replace me!

The other day we were in Smiths, and he was riding in one of their car carts. A woman walked by and started laughing because he was pretending to drive like a wild man. He said "mommy, she's laughing." When I asked him why he replied, "she's laughing cause I'm cute." Little monkey.

I am happy to report that this little guy is not pooping in his diaper anymore!!! It's so nice not to have to change his poops! Now we are working on not peeing during naps in his diaper. He was dry yesterday!

Caleb's sleeping time is shortening. He does not take a 3 hour nap consistently anymore (it's dropped to 2 hours). I can't complain. I've been spoiled these last 3+ years.

Caleb loves to read Dan's orthopedic surgery magazines while he's going to the bathroom. He is fascinated by the pictures. It's shocking really, they are gory and gross. Tonight while he was looking through one before going to bed I told him it's grody. He said very seriously, "it's not grody, they're fixin it." Are we going to have another doc in the future?

I love 3 year old little boys. He can be such a stinker, and it can be much more difficult because they are so strong willed, but I am having a blast with this guy. He is so ready to have a sibling. I love that he is old enough to really get what's going on. We can't wait to see him with him/her (he loves babies). We hit a huge milestone this past week! I am now in the 2nd trimester and we are SO GRATEFUL!

The last thing, he just has the cutest buns.

Happy Halloween From The Brown Santa Claus!

10 Weeks!

I had a rough week last week because it was the 9 to 10 week mark. We lost our first baby at 9 weeks 3 days. We went in for our last ultrasound today and everything is perfect. Baby is moving and has a heart rate of 164 again. Today was such a HUGE relief! At 10 weeks the fetal stage begins which means loss drops down to 2% (especially since we have a strong heartbeat on the ultrasound) according to wikipedia!

I have felt strongly that there is a boy waiting, but lately I am not so sure this is a boy. It will be so exciting to find out what we are having. Whatever it is, we are so so happy!

We are feeling so blessed and filled with gratitude. What a miracle this little one is. It's amazing that healthy pregnancies are so common. There are so many things that need to align to make it happen. I think most people take it for granted. But a healthy pregnancy is truly a miracle. We can't wait to meet you little one!

"Friday Night Lights"

We hardly ever watch TV. I just don't think there is much on that is worth watching. However, we started "Friday Night Lights" after talking to family at the Donner reunion. I figured it was worth giving it a try.

Since the end of August, we have been watching at least 1 episode every night starting from season one. Tonight we finished the last episode of season 5 which is the end of the series. I feel as if we've said goodbye to dear friends. We loved this series and I will miss Coach Taylor and looking forward to watching our show! It's on netflix instant watch. Just watch it and thank me later!

CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS!

Transfer Of Care!!!

We had an ultrasound today and everything looks perfect! I'm 8 weeks today and my doctor said since everything looks good at this point it's time to transfer care to my midwife! He said I could come in for one more ultrasound in a couple of weeks if I wanted to just for peace of mind, but at this point it's time to move on! I'm so excited.

Baby's heartbeat was 164 bpm. It felt good to set my first appointment with my midwife today for November 1st. Baby's due to come around May 22. We are feeling extremely hopeful! This has been a true miracle. It's interesting how the Lord works. We had our IVF initial meeting set and I can't tell you how satisfying it was to be able to cancel that appointment! We are feeling blessed. I can't wait to be done with the first trimester so we can breathe a sigh of relief (and I hopefully wont be feeling so crappy). God is good!

Blessed!

See those lines at the bottom? I was not expecting to hear/see that today because it is still so early, but baby has a heartbeat!!! I couldn't contain the tears. I am so grateful. I have longed to hear that for oh so long. We are still not in the safe zone by any means, but my doctor said that in our case seeing the heartbeat today probably cuts my risk of miscarriage in half! I can feel your prayers and am so grateful for the love and support. I am embracing the nausea. Never thought I would be so happy to feel sick, but at this point I say BRING IT!

First Preschool Field Trip, And The Amazing Capybara!

We are doing a rotating preschool with 7 moms where we take turns every 7 weeks to teach at our homes. It's been fantastic and has allowed me to go mountain biking with Gracie while Caleb is in school. Today was our first field trip, and it was an absolute blast!

Each child was assigned to share about a particular animal, and I think we got the most interesting one by far! Do you know what a capybara is? They are definitely worth learning about. We did Caleb's homework last night during dinner and ended up watching a bunch of youtube videos about them. They are absolutely fascinating. It is now on my bucket list to hang out with and love on a capybara during a future trip down to South America. They are amazing.

Caleb was adorable sharing about his animal. He was so excited to share and did a great job. I was impressed with all the details he remembered.

Here are a few facts about the Capybara:

1. They are the worlds largest rodent (think "Princess Bride").

2. They eat their own poop to help them absorb protein from the grasses and plants they live on (Caleb thought this was hilarious).

3. They are communal nursers. Babies nurse from all the mothers in the group.

4. They are extremely social and love to chatter among each other. The sounds they make are SO COOL!

5. They are semi-aquatic. They love water, have webbed feet, and can hold their breath for 5 minutes.

I probably had as much fun with the assignment as Caleb. We will never go to the zoo again without visiting our friend the Capybara. I love hearing Caleb say Capybara...so cute.

We have such a fantastic zoo. We were looking at one of the exhibits, and there was a couple women working there with a stuffed animal giraffe. The kids loved it. They then took the kids into a hut and had story time. I never even knew this little room existed. It was adorable. I love watching Caleb listen to stories.

I am such an animal lover, so the zoo is Heaven for me. I think it would be cool to pick out one animal each time we go to the zoo to research from now on. There are so many cool quirky things to appreciate about each species. I know, I'm a huge nerd when it comes to animals.

Thanks Caleb for being my little buddy. LOVE YOU!