Halloween

 Halloween is huge in my house and we really get into the "spirits" of things.  ~Dee Snider

Our family really got in the "spirits" of things for this Halloween.  We started our Halloween time with our traditional trip to Jaker's pumpkin patch.  It was extremely windy, but we had a great time picking out our pumpkins, going on the wagon ride, and playing in the corn pit. We normally go out in the pumpkin patch and find the perfect pumpkin, but trying to beat Shayne needing to go to work, we settled on the display pumpkins.

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It was also around this time that I showed Kaitlyn her Halloween costume.   I knew she would "die" when she saw it, but I didn't expect what happened next.  Kaitlyn is quite the Care Bear fan, so picking the right costume was EASY.  I found a pink Cheer Bear costume on Amazon and knew she had to have it.  When I showed her the costume, she was instantly overjoyed with the sight.  She put it on and wore it happily through the evening.  When it came to bedtime, she wouldn't part with it though.  Tired and impatient, I let her sleep in the costume as her pajama's.  The next day, she insisted on keeping wearing it. 

I was starting to worry I created a monster.  Kaitlyn was constantly looking at herself in the mirror in admiration, and having total meltdown's when the two parted.  My fears calmed when Kaitlyn seemed ok parting with the "Lala" (nickname for the bear) allowing it to 'nap' or other things.  Now she wears the suit only to bed, which  I don't mind since it is as warm as  her blanket sleepers.  

Fingers crossed she will part with it when the temperatures raise again. 

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Sunday October 21, Mom, Shayne, Ellie, Kaitlyn, and I headed up North for a very small family Halloween dinner.  I remembered a "Meal in a Pumpkin" dinner that my Grandma Tubbs used to make us every Halloween when we were kids and I thought this would be a perfect meal and new tradition for our family.  We also brought our pumpkins for carving and the kids wore their costumes.  I have to admit we were excited to see Elodie again as well since she was only a couple weeks old.  Kaitlyn made things interesting as usual, but we had a great time being together.  It was fun to get to do this together since we decided not to do an official Halloween Party this year.

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Pumpkin's and their seeds.  Although we went to the Halloween gathering expecting to carve pumpkins, we ran out of time and finished on October 22, at home.  Ellie had fun making her pumpkin look like a dragon while Shayne and I worked on a bat flying over a graveyard.  Kaitlyn was so proud of her "Mrs. Potato Head Princess" pumpkin also. 

My family was in agreement that while carving the pumpkins was fun, we all looked forward to making pumpkin seeds.  Shayne makes them so tasty and addicting.  We baked them the next day and enjoyed them over the next week.  Sadly, this baby didn't like pumpkin seeds so whenever I ate more than a small amount I would get sick.  It spoiled some of the fun, haha.

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Halloween night! 

 It was now Halloween day.  I woke up that morning with the determination of making the day memorable from start to finish.  I prepared some pumpkin pancake mix the night before, and made my family pumpkin pancakes for breakfast.   With very little break, I got ready to go to Ellie's school to help out with a pumpkin lantern craft at her school party.   Everything was going great and to make the day better, I had my 20 week visit with Dr. Crouch.  Baby was doing awesome!  

I started to get panicky when I saw that Shayne hadn't even started our yearly "spook alley" outside.  Time was running short and with only a few hours to go until Trick or Treaters came around, I doubted everything would get done.  When Jason asked if we were doing a spook alley, we took the opportunity to ask him to help; so with Jason's help, Shayne, myself, and my mother in law during Kaitlyn's short nap we managed to pull together a nice spook alley. 

5:00.  Trick or Treaters were starting to come and my nieces were over to start Trick or Treating with Ellie and Kaitlyn.  Kaitlyn made it a couple streets when it was obvious it was time for her to come home.  Poor thing chased behind them yelling, "wait!" the whole time.  I was having trouble keeping up with the three as well. 

6:00.  Kaitlyn and I went to Mom's work for more candy and to say hi to the senior residents at Hearthstone Manor in Spanish Fork.  Kaitlyn got a bag full of candy in one small room and the seniors loved seeing the little Care Bear running around.  Kaitlyn even gave an old man a hug.  I wondered if he reminded her of Grandpa Underwood. 

7:00.  We headed back to the house to pass out candy and visit for the rest of the night.  I had turned on  "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and the kids took a short break before playing the rest of the night in Ellie's room.  

Finally, it was 8:30 and the Munn's were "closing" our spook alley.  With a lot of help, we put everything in the garage and came in for the night.  

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The Wiggy Wash Pumpkin Contest. 

Sensing that Ellie was feeling a little down that week, I entered Ellie into the Wiggy Wash Pumpkin Contest.  I KNEW that her pumpkin had a chance of winning.  We made it much earlier that month for a school contest.  We first drew the design on paper, then transferred it to the pumpkin, then painted, outlined, glittered, and put on glow in the dark stars as a last touch.  It was dazzling, only at the school everyone won and she only got "Most Sparkliest."

I was excited for the voting to begin!  Sure enough, Ellie and one other pumpkin were in the lead.  After very little time, we realized the other pumpkin was very competitive and they were eager for the prize.   We shared the pumpkin picture to all our friends, and when that wasn't enough they shared it with their friends.  By the end Ellie had 188 votes, and the other kid had 205 - NOT including in store votes.   I knew that no matter what happened  188  votes is amazing and we were happy and proud of her for working so hard on her pumpkin.  We were grateful for so many friends and family to show their love and support for Ellie during this time. 

Shayne and I held our breaths to find out who won the contest.  It was a wonderful moment on November 1st when they announced the children were only five votes apart and they decided to split the prize, each getting a $50 gift-card to Toys R Us.  We went out that night and Ellie picked out her very own Figit friend to play with. It was a great time and a much needed boost of self esteem for our daughter.  

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Overall it was a great Halloween season.  I felt happy that we could spend time with both sides of the family and embrace the fullness of the season.  I look forward to more memories with the holidays upcoming. 

Baby #3 Update

I am 21 weeks and a few days today.  November 9, Mom and I got to see our new addition on the big screen.  Thumper (his/her nickname) is growing perfectly.  Every part is right where it should be... with the exception of having a teeny little head :).  I am not surprised this baby has a small head size; Kaitlyn did too, measuring almost a week behind the rest of his/her long body.  Luckily all the organs are measuring right where they need to be so there is little to no fear of downs with this baby.

In comparison to my other babies, Thumper is more quiet than the girls were.  I had suspicions that this was thanks to the placenta being on top of my stomach, and the ultrasound proved that I was RIGHT.  I am sure that I will feel the baby more the bigger I get, but as for now, I enjoy the small movements here and there and subtle reassurements that Baby #3 is ok.

Baby #3 has been a different pregnancy from the start.  When I discovered the pregnancy, I was neck deep in Kaitlyn's esophagus problems.  I felt instantly guilty for not giving this baby the same joy and excitement that I gave the girls when I found out I was pregnant with them.  Also, of course, that being partly thanks to miscarrying the time before.

As the pregnancy carries on, when I really think about it, it seems that this baby will be born without us being ready.  Everything seems to be moving SO FAST.  I can't believe we are already over the halfway mark and starting the countdown to when we get to meet this little person.  I feel comfortable with the idea of having three children and the idea of this possibly being the last is settling in.

For this reason, and many others, we have decided NOT to find out what we are having.  The way we see it is that we already have two spring baby girls and we want this pregnancy to be unique, even if it ends up that this is another girl.  We are already set for a girl; we don't need anything other than diapers, binki's, and a few other things.  Even our nursery is set up in gender neutral Winnie the Pooh.  As for a boy, we have decided to get some newborn boy clothes, and a few things to get us by until we can go shopping for the real stuff.  If it turns out we have a girl, these items will go to another person who needs them (preferably someone having a first baby or first boy who will need it).

We are getting excited to meet this little one in March. We have a lot still to do to prepare and need to pick some names, but I know everything will come together after the holidays. Everything is going smoothly now, and we hope for it to continue going as well towards the end of the pregnancy.

Introducing Elodie :)

 

I have only had the experience of being present for two births besides my own; these experiences are just as special and memorable to me as the births of my own children.

*According to my memory. I may have some of the details wrong...*

It was a late October 4th when I got the call from Danny that his wife, Uurtsaikh, was in the hospital in labor.   I half expected it to be that day due to some conversations I had been following up on with Uurtsaikh through the day. I was so thrilled, I called babysitters and my gracious father in law offered to come over and spend the night with the girls (since Shayne was working overnight) so I could meet up with them at the hospital.  I left my home around 9:30 p.m. for the hour and a half drive to Ogden where the baby was to be born.  

I hadn't been gone long when Danny called me to let me know that Uurtsaikh was now 9cm's.  I was actually kind of bummed because I was sure that I wouldn't make it on time.  I tried to stay hopeful that with pushing time, maybe I would make it just in time for the big finale. When I showed up to the hospital around 11:30 p.m. I was thrilled to find out I had made it on time!!  I guessed any minute Elodie would make her appearance.  

Around 12:00 a.m. the nurses "checked" Uurtsaikh.   No change.  I have to admit, I was surprised   They said they would check back in an hour.  I grabbed a soda, and we waited and talked over the next hour.  1:00 a.m, no change.  The nurses changed her position to let gravity help.  2:00 no change.  I have to admit, it was right about now that I started to worry for my dear sister in law.  I hoped the baby wasn't stuck, after all the baby was past due and who knew how big Elodie could be.  The nurses guessed the baby was face up also this also makes things hard.  Not to mention they gave her something to slow down labor and had to get pitocin to start things up again.

I think it was around 3 or 4:00 a.m. that the doctor helped manually dilate Uurtsaikh the rest of the way.  She was a 9 1/2 + anyway, so maybe they could help her out, and they did.  They were eager to push, so we gave it a try for a little less than an hour, then took a much needed break.  Around 7:00, Uurtsaikh was back up and trying to push again.  After a while, the doctor kindly let Uurtsaikh and Danny know that we needed to decide what to do.  Keep pushing, or try the vacuum - realizing that if they chose the vacuum they would only give it three tries before taking her back for c-section. Uurtsaikh mustered up all her strength and in only  a couple pushes - ELODIE was born.

It was a very tearful, beautiful, and joyful moment I will never forget.  Elodie is so pretty with her dark long hair and alert eyes.  She was born October 5, 2012, at 8:25 a.m., weighing 8 pounds 1 ounce. I followed her to the nursery to be bathed and examined.  Watching Danny at this moment was fun because you could tell he was smitten and as proud as could be for his new baby girl.  Uurtsaikh was the first to hold Elodie once out of the nursery; I could tell by the happy tears in her eyes that she was going to be an amazing mother and Danny an amazing father.  Together they will be wonderful parents. 

It took a long time for any of us to really hold Elodie, but when I got to hold her those first brief moments, it was one of the best feelings in the world.  I am so happy my father in law could babysit so I could be there for the birth.  Happy Birthday little Elodie. We are so happy you are here :) 

30 Years Young

I turned the digits again on September 10, 2012 - I am now 30 years old.  I think having a husband four years older than me, I felt like I was in my thirties a lot longer than that but now it's official. 

Since it was a milestone birthday, we had a little family get together on September 8, 2012, for pizza and cake.  Mom was so sweet to take over since Kaitlyn had just had surgery and I was taking finals, and I can't thank her enough.  Everyone was very thoughtful and I got very spoiled. :)

Monday, September 10, Shayne took me out for my birthday date.  We went to a favorite, Los 3 Amigo's and went to the Halloween store and Walmart for shopping.   I bought three shirts with my birthday money.  It was very fun to get out.

If you ask me how I feel to be 30, I'd say, "I feel great.  I think my parents are feeling it more than I am." :) I am very excited to be in this time of my life.  

Boy or Girl - what will it be? A new Munn is coming March 2013!!!

The morning of July 11, I pulled out my cheap dollar store pregnancy test and nervously took the test.  After so many negative tests to get pregnant with Kaitlyn, I tried not to get excited as I left the room to make my bed.  When I came back, from a distance the test looked negative.  Upon closer inspection though I could see a faint line in the positive side!  It was unmistakeable!  I must be pregnant! 

To be sure, I took another test the following morning.  It was also faintly positive.  I had went to my doctors office for an "official test."  Unfortunately, that test came back negative.  My heart sank. The nurse had already written the positive note for my insurance company.  I told them about the positive home tests, and the kind nurse suggested a blood test.  Wanting to know for sure, I agreed to the test.  Lucky for me, it was POSITIVE. 

I tried to keep it a secret from Shayne that day, but it wasn't as easy as I thought.  Shayne kept making big plans for our summer.  "Let's go jet skiing with so and so, let's go to Lagoon, when we go to Hatch we will have to go for a long ATV ride," etc etc etc.  I started to tell him that he might have to tone it down a bit - and that I didn't know if we could do all that.  He figured it out.  He knows me too well - I would have loved to do those things normally but when I am pregnant I SLOW DOWN.

I was excited and nervous to find out I was pregnant.  Part of me ached for the baby we lost over Halloween 2011 at eight weeks.  I was nervous what the outcome of this pregnancy would be.  I decided to keep quiet about the news until I was far enough along to be certain. 

Keeping the secret grew hard when I ran into the usual problems.  As with my last two pregnancies and one resulting in miscarriage, I was spotting at my fifth week.  I was upset and nervous that I would carry the baby three weeks or more and lose the pregnancy after all.  In a moment's panic, I told my mom and she pushed me to go to the doctor and have blood tests. 

July 20, I went to see a Dr. Burnett in Springville for an exam.  Dr. Burnett informed me around 9:00 that night that my progesterone levels were low.   She educated me that progesterone feeds the baby until the placenta takes over.  She also let me know that if a miscarriage was underway, that the progesterone pills would not help me.  It was a restless night.  I called my mother in law for advice, since she's had experience with low progesterone.

The next morning, Grandpa Underwood died.  His passing was hard on the whole family, but I had to keep myself moving and get my pills before this baby gave up - it's the way Grandpa would have wanted it.  I rushed out the door to get my pills, hoping to be the first in line.  Walmart didn't have my prescription.  It was now the weekend and I feared the worst if I had to wait until Monday to get the pills since the doctors office was now closed.  Out of curiosity, I called Walgreens to see if the doctor called it in there by mistake.  They had.  The prescription was $100 for a one month supply.  I hoped it would be worth it.

It was.  At six weeks, we had a heartbeat.  At eight weeks, heartbeat.  It was at my eight week visit we discovered I had another subchornianic bleed, or blood clot.  I thought it was funny lightning would strike the same place twice since that's what caused the problems with Kaitlyn's first trimester. Already knowing things would be ok, I calmed down and was told to avoid anything strenuous and try to avoid lifting Kaitlyn.

Ellie was a big help during this time.  It was Ellie who was lifting Kaitlyn over the baby gate.  It was Ellie putting her sister into bed at night.  Ellie put Kaitlyn in her car-seat.  I have never been more proud of her for everything that she did for me during this time.  She also prayed every night for this baby to "come to our family, and not to Heaven." It was a huge responsibility for her and it's nice to know that I can go to her when I need help.

A few weeks later the spotting stopped.  Life stabilized and on September 6, I started to tell my family and friends of our new addition on the way.  I am currently 14 weeks and counting.  I have been off my progesterone pills for three weeks, and I feel pretty sick much of the time.  I am hoping in another couple weeks, that will go away.   My belly is growing, and we are very excited to meet this little one in March.

Ashley is also due in March :) I am excited to have our kids so close in age! I am glad I can share this experience with her.

Oh and in case you were wondering, we aren't finding out the gender of this baby.  With my heart history, we are uncertain if my heart can handle too much strain and pregnancy aggravates the condition.   We think that having a surprise baby might make the pregnancy every bit as fun as the first and will add excitement the whole way through.  Our things are mostly gender neutral, so we are pretty much all set.  There couldn't be a more perfect time to have our surprise. 

We are very excited.  More updates to come!

Kaitlyn Today

Despite our efforts to avoid it, Kaitlyn had her esophagus stretched on August 30, 2012.  I was extremely apprehensive about it.  The risks were frightening, but the thought of Kaitlyn being unable to eat like a normal child were more upsetting.  Dr. Sutton reassured us that he didn't want to do it either, but he felt her continued problem with the gagging was probably more anatomical than behavioral.  Dr. Sutton leans on the side of caution, so I had a strong feeling that Kaitlyn would be in good hands.

The night of August 29, we prepared to leave early and were asked to arrive at the Utah Valley Surgical Center no later than 6:45 a.m.  I made sure to give Kaitlyn her last drink of milk, and put tight elastics in her hair so we could just wake up and go without fussing over it.

The morning of August 30 was somber.   During some point in the night, I grew quite upset at our previous pediatrician for being a big reason we were going in to have her esophagus dilated.  I hated the thought of poor Kaitlyn going through something that could have been avoided by running a simple x-ray.  Once we were ready, I woke up Kaitlyn and let her know it might be a hard day, but it's just one day and then we will be home, just as the therapist suggested.

We arrived at the hospital and I was surprised they put us in a large room with curtain dividers with other children slowly coming in for their procedures.  We got Kaitlyn dressed in her gown and Shayne and I showed her all the many things we had bought her to help make her day easier. I kept thinking that if you can't spoil your child for going in for surgery, then I don't know when you can.  She loved her new toys.

Kaitlyn is so sweet natured.  She smiled at the nurses, and was completely compliant during her wait. It wasn't until a nurse laid her down and made her drink some dark pink stuff that she started to get nervous.  I rocked Kaitlyn a lot that morning.  It seemed calm her down, and I knew I had to be strong for her.

Dr. Sutton came in just when they wheeled her back.  It wasn't until this moment that he told me of some of the risks of a minor perforation. I knew the risks were bad, but I had no idea that even a minor perforation would put her on a feeding tube for three weeks to a month.  I started to pray harder that Kaitlyn would be alright.

Not long after sending her back, Kaitlyn came back to Shayne and I barely awake and wanting her Mommy and blankie.  I held her and rocked her close, and she fell asleep for at least another hour.  Everything went well.  I felt like I could now relax too.

Dr. Sutton let us know that her diverticulum (pocket) may still be a problem.  Just to get the scope in the right place, the doctor had to go "up and around the corner" to get to the stomach.  This may create problems in the future for swallowing.  Dr. Sutton recommended a ear, nose, and throat specialist to repair the pocket and make a straight line to her stomach.  She may also need her esophagus dilated every year, as the symptoms return.

The idea of another surgery, especially one that will involve a feeding tube for three weeks to a month during healing, just didn't seem like an option.  I left the hospital that day with a conviction that miracles happen!  Kaitlyn won't need her throat operated on, much more than more dilation. 

Kaitlyn bounced back amazing.  She seemed sore the first day, but she continued to bounce around and be her usual self.  We gave her a special blessing Sunday, September 2nd, asking if it is His will that she will make a full recovery and not need the surgery. It wasn't until a week later that I really recognized the progress she was making.  There was NO gagging.  NO choking.  September 8, she ate an entire piece of ham pizza without a problem.  If she can eat a pizza - I think she can eat many other things. It's every hopeful right now.

So where do we go from here?  For now, we are continuing the food therapy once a month.  We are doing monthly weight checks, and have follow up's scheduled for two months from August 30 when she had her dilation.  Dr. Sutton and her therapist strongly feel that Kaitlyn needs a modified barium swallow study.  However, with a barium shortage right now, Kaitlyn will not be having this anytime too soon - and that's ok because we both need a break.

As for the "other pediatrician"  - we have left his office.  We are back with Dr. Knorr in Lehi.  Even though this is an extra drive for us, we feel that we will be in the best hands under his care.  The two meet again September 24th to discuss her special needs.

I continue to be hopeful for Kaitlyn.  I have been praying harder than ever for her.  She is always on my mind, and I hope that one day she can eat like a normal child.  I admire her strength for being only two years old.  Kaitlyn does hard things because she has to.  She doesn't fight it, she accepts her challenges, and she hasn't let it make her unhappy or nervous.  She is still so innocent and trusting.  Kaitlyn doesn't dwell on the bad things.  She is a good example for many, and I am so proud to be her mommy. 

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Christopher Robin to Pooh”

Celebrating the new Mr. and Mrs. Munn

This day I will marry my best friend,
the one I laugh with,
live for,
dream with,
love.

~ Author Unknown 

I am happy to announce the marriage of my brother in law, Patrick Munn to his sweetheart Ashley on August 26, 2012.  This day also holds significance in the family as the day Grandpa and Grandma Underwood were married over 70 years ago. I wish I could have been there to witness their special day!  The two are planning a temple wedding next year, and we hope to be a big part of that amazing day.

Patrick and Ashley are an amazing couple who are committed to each other and everything in their relationship.  We are very happy for them as they start their married life together! Congratulations to the newest Mr. and Mrs. Munn!