MELANIE, CHRIS & BABY KELDON

Yay for Summer!

2011-07-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

It has been forever since I have blogged or even really facebooked a lot of stuff. I have been horrible at even remembering to take pictures of everyday stuff. However, I have remembered to sit back and smell the roses. Other than puking my brains out the first trimester of this pregnancy and the occasional aches and pains in my low back and hips, the last 6 months has been great. I am in love with life lately and it is such a great feeling to be happy and positive about things.

Updates:
Keldon- talking in massive quantities! Favorites include....counting to 10, singing "COW" (Old MacDonald had a Farm) going swimming, going on the boat, drinking juice, wearing his new blue sun glasses, doing everything by himself, going to daycare and playing with his "friends."
We found out a while back that he is allergic to milk protein, so he is all non-dairy now for the most part, I am not super strict about it but his eczema on his cheeks is all gone now and his immune system seems to be a lot stronger.
We start swim lessons tonight for the next two weeks. Keldon is pretty stoked. He loves to swim and is getting so good at it its crazy. Chris takes him almost every Saturday to the Gym pool for there little Dad and Keldy date and he is getting very confident. He can swim all the way across the pool by himself with his little floaty suit on. It will be good for him to learn without his float this week.

Chris is busy with Lawn Care. He is learning to balance work, play and family a little better this year but has been a little stressed dealing with employees. He has bought some new equipment and vehicles in the last year and has struggled to keep them tuned up on going. The business is growing though and he is getting better at organizing his time and staying focused on the big picture. He is good at that part.

Me..... ummmmmm. I am pregnant and busy at work as usual. I have had a little rough spell with workers ans business growing pains as well. I finally broke down and hired and employees which has been bitter sweet. I am learning it is harder that just renting space. I had one of my favorite therapists leave and now I am scrambling to decide what to do with my clients and the office while I go on maternity. The months are going by so fast and pretty soon, it will be October and life will just get crazier. I have had a great 2nd trimester. The baby is moving a lot, mostly at night and is a lot more chill than Keldon was for sure. I am carrying him completely different. Higher and way farther back which is causing quite a bit of pain in my si-joint and sacrum. I am hoping it gets better as I cut back my work hours. We haven't decided on a name. We actually don't really talk about it anymore because it causes too much tension. Ha ha! I guess it will be baby until we see him and decide.

We are still loving our ward and all our awesome friends. I love summer bbq's and boating, swimming and get togethers. Last weekend we went to the Hermiston water park with our good friends the Gibbons and there little boy and had a good time. We might be buying Chris's Grandmas house on Union street were the shop and his office are in the next few months and might have to move wards. But we will have a house finally too so we will see if it all goes through or not. I need a new car right now and we don't have a money tree out back so hopefully everything will all work out. My transmission is about to poop out Im not really ready to deal with that right now so I am crossing my fingers!

Count Your Blessings....Name them one by one......

2011-03-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

I know, I know! It has been forever since I posted. The longest since I started this blog. When we moved in October we decided not to get cable tv or the Internet since we both have iphones and internet at our offices that we are already paying for. It has been nice not to have the t.v. to add to our extensive list of distractions. However, I miss having a normal size screen to check facebook and read blogs. Google reader on an iphone is annoying to try and catch up on. So here I am at my office updating my blog instead of working. Quick summary of the last 6 months.
October:
Moved into our new apartment. It is smaller that what we moved from but super close to work and winco and the my sis-in-law who watches Keldon. We love our new ward and got put into callings soon after we moved in. I was the CTR 7 teacher in primary and Chris got put in with the 11 year old scouts. Keldon has been going to nursery and loves it. Chris drops him off and he doesn't look back! Keldon was Elmo for Halloween and Chris and I were pirates.
November:

We had Thanksgiving at my dads house. Not all the kids were there but it was simple and nice. My sister-in-law Patty and I were crazy enough to make pies and rolls. I think we ended up with like 7 or 8 pies for desert between everyone. We were especially proud of our French Chocolate Silk pie with oreo crust and heath and caramel whipped into the whipped cream. My allergies got the best of me and I paid severe consequences for the next week. Dinner was pretty grub though. Mom would have been proud of our pretty pies. I got my IUD taken out.....trying to get pregnant!
December:
For Christmas we stayed in Tri-Cities. The whole holiday season was pretty chill for us. Keldon got spoiled and I swear everything in our house was red with ELMO! He got pretty Elmoed out and we nicknamed him Kelmo because of the obsession. He was pretty impressed with his Grandma's talking Elmo and loved his puzzles from mom and dad.
January:I got switched from CTR 7 teacher to sunbeams, so now I have a crazy bunch of 3 year olds to entertain for 2 hours. I love being in primary and have fun with the kids although they drain my energy and test my patience! Found out I was pregnant at the end of the Month. Due in October! Was really sick with a viral infection and sinus infection that kicked my butt. We all got the sickies.
February:
Chris and I got a night away at Cameo Heights Mansion which is a really nice Bed and Breakfast outside of Pasco between here and Walla Walla for Valentines. We went the weekend before and Grandma watched Keldon for us. Other than being dead tired and pregnant sick, we had a great time. We had an amazing dinner and I want to go back every year for special occasions. Chris has been busy gearing up for the upcoming lawn care season and is doing projects to get prepared. We hired a gal to do our books this year. We love her! I am so excited to finally be organized have someone track things that knows what they are doing. She has gone back and cleaned up our books from last year, getting reading for taxes and so forth. Chris built me a new computer for my birthday and set up 2 monitors at the office and upgraded our quickbooks software to 2011. Pretty soon, we will be changing my massage software over to a new online program so things will be even more easy and structured.
March:
I had my first ultrasound on the 2nd and got to see the little baby tadpole. Things look great and I love my new Dr. I switched OB's and couldn't be happier. The office is nice and clean and updated and has all the latest gigets and gadgets, including an ultrasound room in the office so no more going to the hospital for ultrasounds.For now, my official due date is October 11th. I am hoping only a few more weeks of morning sickness.

Overall, the last 6 months have been the happiest days I have had in a long time. Besides little coughs and a flu bug, we have been blessed with good health and strong bodies. Keldon is getting so big and is such a good helper. He is going to be a good big brother and I am looking forward to the next 6 months as his vocabulary continues to grow. It is so nice to be able to understand him and communicate with him on a more "big boy," level. I love being a mom. It is hard but so rewarding. I am trying hard to spend time with him reading and making him feel special, especially with the new baby coming. Daddy and him have been enjoying swimming at the gym on Saturdays. He sure loves his daddy!

Moving!

2010-09-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

I had a mental breakdown a couple of weeks ago that went a little something like this 1) I hate living in East Pasco 2)I have no friends in Pasco that have little kids that I hang out with 3)I drive too far to the babysitter and to work every morning 4)my husband is hardly ever home and I spend most evenings alone 5)I would like to have neighbors that I can borrow an egg from without having to get a Spanish translation from the Internet to communicate. This major breakdown has come and gone through the last 4 years but this time is was the last. WE ARE MOVING! And I could not be happier. Last year, Chris lost his job as the on site property manager at the park we live in so it has been even harder for me to be here and grin and bare it this past year. I have been suffocating in our house and have had a really hard time. Probably all the changes of my mother passing away, a pregnancy, then a new baby and a major change in work pace for Chris and I both in the last 2 years. Not to mention my dad getting married on top of it all 6 months after my mom died. Its all been a little too much. I have been trying hard to get through the "Stage," but am ready for a new beginning. A new young ward that meets at a decent time. A place that is 2 minutes from work for both of us. Close to the grocery store and central to everything else in town. A swimming pool for Keldon in the summer and for my sanity! It's time. I am excited and looking forward to the next year. It will definitely be a change. It is not a glorious house, or a fancy apartment. It is just simple, and I can handle simple. I just need something new and different. We move on Thursday and since it is General Conference on Sunday we will be able to enjoy the weekend absorbing the newness. I have been packing a few things each day so hopefully when it is time to go I am not so frazzled. Wish me luck!

Wednesday Date Day with Mom

2010-08-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

The smell of sawdust mixed with pig poop and elephant ears, crowds of people, booths and millions of strollers and balloons, lemonade.....you guess it....THE FAIR! I haven't been to the fair in a long time. Chris hates the fair so since we have been married we have only gone once. I decided to take Keldy to the fair today because it was kids day and my sister was taking her crew as well. Growing up I have found memories of the week before school....the infamous week of the Benton Franklin County Fair. Where I met all the boys I was sure I was going to marry and also where I spent hours sweeping sawdust on barn duty as a dedicated member of 4H. Ha ha! They fair is a funny place. You get to see all sorts of people come out of the woodwork. Kim and I met at Lampson Stadium in Kennewick and took the transit bus down to the fairgrounds. It was super hot outside but Keldon did really good despite the blistering heat. He was pretty chill and just hung out in the stroller the whole time. We had the pleasure of getting nearly ran over by a pig on his way to the show-ring and he even left us a treat of poop on Keldon's blanket that was hanging over the side of the stroller. LOVELY! Kim brought her camera so I am super excited to see all the cute pictures of the kiddos and the animals. Keldon got to hold a Rabbit and he pet all sorts of animals. His favorite was a little hen in the chicken barn. We rode out to the horse barns on the tractor trolley and made our way in and out of all the exhibit halls.

I was choked up a bit as I saw a display of beautiful quilts that had been entered in the fair to be judged. I always told my mom that she should enter some of her quilts. She thought it was a silly idea. Each quilt had a story behind it and they had a notebook with all the stories behind the quilt. Next year, I want to enter one of my moms quilts in the fair. When she was sick, like sick sick, no hair and feeling awful she made a quilt for my dad. She wanted him to have a quilt and she was so busy making them for everyone else all the time that she never made him one. She was busy making it up till just before she had hospice come in. I was so impressed with her perseverance and love.

Overall, I had a good time. It was hot and Keldon was in dire need of a nap so we finally took off around 4. A good day at the fair. We will sleep good tonight!

Good Mommies....

2010-07-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

Being a good mother means......

Letting your baby play with the pots and pans even if they are right under your feet and its loud and annoying

Cleaning up broken up pieces of crackers out of the couch cushions, the car seat....your hair and any other cracks babies find to smash things in

playing peek a boo even when you don't have time

reading the first 4 pages of a 12 page book....over and over again because your baby wont sit still

wiping hundreds of nasty boogies and wiping hundreds of poopy bums

finding enough patience to let the little tantrums go without freaking out

playing tickle monster with a snotty nosed, crying baby at 3 am

rocking with a blankie all night long, knowing you wont get a nap the next day

playing cars on the kitchen floor

eating banana cream pie and vanilla wafers for a snack because you're only one once

sharing an ice cream bar even though you know it will take 10 wipes to clean up the mess

Motherhood is a challenge.... you give and give but in the end, when I see this little face, it is all worth it!

Today I am proud to say, that I was a good mommy

FAB 3 Weekend

2010-05-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was my older sister Sherri's 30th Birthday. I knew she was dreading it a bit and wasn't expecting anything fancy to happen so I came up with a little something fancy myself. Sometime last week I got the idea to drive up with my other sister Kim and surprise her. We had plans to pretend to be robbers and mug her down at the beach, or to kidnap her from the house and drive her to a Karaoke Bar or something wild. I had the help of her husband so I knew we could pull it off. Friday after work, I picked Kim up and we headed to Mukileto..... After getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic of course. We arrived at Sherri's just before dark and snuck around the back side of the house. The plan was to do what our family calls the "Grady Call," which is definitely an inside joke/thing. It basically entails making a very distinct call a little something like this..."Boo, Boo, Boo, Who, Who." It is weird I know, but unless you grew up in Finley and a house full of weirdo's you just wont understand. Anyway....No matter what and where, if you are part of my family and hear this, "Grady Call," You know it is a Carver, some where, some how.
Sherri ran outside the front door as we ran to the back yard to hide. She said that instantly she knew I was there at the house, but certainly wasn't expecting Kim who had left 4 kids and a husband at home. Yay! Sherri about peed her pants and screamed all at the same time.

The weekend went like this:
--Friday night stayed up late talking in bed with all us girls cuddled up.
--Saturday morning Sherri had church stuff and soccer to attend to so Kim and I taped her bedroom up and got ready to paint. Darin went to the store to get paint mixed up. We slapped a coat on, then left to get new handles/knobs for the bedroom furniture and ate lunch at Bento where the girls enjoyed sushi (not my thing, uhhek)
Back to the house, then to Ikea for a 3 hour rondavue of the worlds most fabulous store. I, by the way, ran from the front of that store, all the way through to get a throw pillow that we wanted but had apparently grabbed the display one. I almost passed out but I did it none the less 2 minutes before closing time. After wards we went to Baja Fresh and then back home at 10. Slapped another coat of paint on and let the magic happen.
--Sunday morning went to church, came home and ate a marvelous homemade pizza then I gave Sherri a massage while Kim finished decking out the room to look like a pottery barn magazine. We went outside and took a bunch of goofy pictures and then drove home and got home about midnight... Oh and Kim freaked out because she thought we were gonna run out of gas just past Yakima but we made it to Zillah!

Warning! Blogs are quite personal

2010-04-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Apparently, some people actually read this blog and dislike that I share my personal opinion and express my feelings about PERSONAL things. If I was brave enough like my fellow blog friend Cassidy I would post a disclaimer like she did so elegantly....

****Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed within represent my own and not those of my husband, daughter, son, unborn child, goldfish, withering house plants, or any other living thing within our house, unless specifically stated. Any complaints or dissatisfaction should be made known either directly to me (via comments, email, Facebook, carrier pigeon, etc.) or God himself, who I'm sure will intervene with the usual plagues, floods, locusts, or lightning bolts should I get out of line.****

Ahhhh...people that have opinions about people that have opinions. Such is life. Move on!

Your're invited to a Pity Party

2010-04-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

LIFE IS HARD! It doesn't have to be, but sometimes we just make it that way. This month has been an especially challenging one for me. We have had a lot of things going on. Chris is really busy with getting his new lawn care business going and has been working super late hours and long weeks. I am a really needy when it comes to affection and like to be noticed and appreciated so I get my feathers ruffled easy when things are hectic. My business is doing well but is not quite on auto pilot and in order to make money you have to work so I feel like my priorities have been a little out of whack. I feel like the rope in the middle of a tug of war. My son spends more time with other people than he does with his parents, my house is always trashed because we are always on the go and I never buy groceries cause we don't ever make time to eat and I throw most of it out! AAHHH... Trying to balancing everything is making my brain hurt. I think too much, I talk too much, I care about other people too much and it sucks me in and drains my energy, and I try to hard to be perfect. I don't take enough time to smell the roses and all the while I am missing all the fun. Keldon will be 1 this Saturday.
That is right 1 years old....already. I know!

Am I who I want to be?

I'm I doing the best I can?

What is missing?

I wish my family was closer and that reality didn't hurt so bad.

Thankful

2010-03-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

Today I have a thankful heart. I am thankful for the sunshine that has allowed my heart to smile. I am thankful for a supportive and close family that are just a phone call away. And most of all, I am grateful for my sweet husband and my healthy little boy.

Thursday morning the 25th of February, Keldon was eating breakfast and as he turned his head to reach for something on the table, I noticed a huge lump on the right side of his neck. I reached over and felt it and it was hard and he started to whimper and pull his head away. I started to panic and cried a little while I started to call Chris. He had just left the house for the day. I explained that something was wrong with the baby and he turned around to come home and take a look. I called Keldon's Pediatrician and made an appointment. I didn't know rather to take him to the E.R. or to wait and take him in to his Dr. When we went in, the Dr. was concerned and called an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Dr. for his opinion and advice. We were then sent to Kennewick General Hospital right away to start I.V. antibiotics. When we got to the hospital and checked in, Keldon started getting a fever. It was a struggle and completely awful to get an I.V. in him but I tried to stay strong. Grandma Stomstead (Chris's mom) came and helped. We were in hospitals for a week straight so alot of details are a blur. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I was suppose to be in Seattle for a Massage Intra-oral Class to learn massage techniques for jaw and headache/neck pain. I had already pre-paid and had arranged for a human model and had to cancel my class amongst all the chaos.

Throughout the next couple days, Keldon was on Motrin every 6 hours for pain and fever. At about 5 hours his fever would spike up and then go back down once the motrin set in. Day 2 at KGH, he was taken in for a CT scan which showed and Abscess inside the infected lymph node. He was diagnosed with Cervical Adneitis which is basically a swollen lymph node that gets infected. Most kids respond to antibiotics by IV within 3 days but because he had an abscess that had formed the drugs were not penetrating the wall his body had made around the abscess evidently. One day, his IV pulled out of his arm a little and the medicine and meds were going into his tissue causing his arm to swell up like Popeye and he was in a lot of pain. We didn't catch it for some reason. He had his iv all wrapped up so he couldn't pull on it and had been crying for about 2 hours and no one knew what was going on. The nurses check the iv frequently and if it is kinked the machine beeps and says "distal occlusion." We finally got it all unwrapped and out and then had to put another one in. He was so upset that when they stuck him in his other hand, the vein blew and the same with his foot. I had to try and hold him with the nurses and it was so hard watching him scream, I lost it and started bawling when we got back into the room. They couldn't get it in so they let him rest for the night and gave him a shot of his meds later in the night instead.

The ENT DR tried to drain his abscess but nothing came out. They put lidocain on the spot and gave him morphine. AHHH, another awful moment. After that it was "Let's wait 24 hours and we will see. We didn't really hear from anyone in between that time and I got tired of the wait. Keldon's Dr was out sick over the weekend and the on call Dr. came at one time while I was out taking a break and said that his node looked smaller and he could probably go home in the morning. IDIOT! They talked about doing surgery several times to go in and get the abscess out and because there are no pediatric ENT specialists in Tri-Cities I asked to be transferred to Seattle Children's. Chris and I both have sisters in Seattle so we choose Seattle rather than Spokane. The same day, Keldon's Pediatrician was back from being sick and switched his meds and gave him 2 doses of steroids. Tuesday morning he was looking better but still sick. They allowed us to transfer him to Seattle ourselves and unhooked him from the IV but the needle remained in his hand.

When we got to Seattle the IV wouldn't flush so they had to give him another one. His hand vein blew so they put it in his foot. Awful once again. That kids definitely doesn't have a problem with his lungs. Everybody commented on that! He was happy as long as you didn't poke, touch, prod or wear scrubs around him. If someone came in to look at him with scrubs on, he would look them up and down. It was super funny after awhile. One Dr. said he was STRATEGIC. I thought that fit him well. The nurses got a kick out of his smile and fun personality and agreed with us that he was a busy body. He kept getting his iv cord all wrapped up and we would have to unhook it and detangle him. I loved Children's Hospital. There were so many Dr's and specialists that came in, and when they switched nurses, they did a safety check in front of you and gave them all the information that was current. I felt like I was on Grey's Anatomy. It made me want to be a nurse.
I am so thankful that Keldon didn't have to have surgery. He is on an antibiotic 3 times a day and is doing well. It is nice to see the lump getting smaller each day and watching his energy come back.

He said Grandpa for the 1st time at the hospital and pointed to my dad. He signs "all done." He throws things and lets them fall and says "uh-oh." He started this squint faced smile thing that cracked everybody up. Unfortunately I was never able to capture it on camera. He has proved that he is in charge and is going to be a screamer. He is DONE with the bottle and enjoys sips of whatever it is that YOU are drinking out of a cup or a sippy. He likes yogurt now and is a fan of all kinds of crackers, especially Ritz.

FACEBOOK UPDATES:
FEb 25, 2010
Keldon is in the hospital as of yesterday. He has a swollen lymph node that has become infected apparently and has a 1/2 of abscess and fluid in it. We are waiting for the surgical consult to see if they have to remove the lymph node or drain it. Please keep him in your prayers. Entertaining a 9 month old with an IV....Priceless
FEB 26, 2010
The Surgeon says she can drain keldon's lymph node with a needle for now with a local and some morphine....hopefully that will do the trick and we can avoid surgery
FEB 26, 2010
The doctor tried to drain Keldon's neck and nothing came out so now we wait for another 24 hours for the antibiotics to work on the infection and for the labs from the fluid to come back with possible results for a true diagnosis. Keeps your fingers crossed.
FEB 26, 2010 I am so thankful for my family, the cutest toughest little munchkin in the whole wide world, love, medicine, good nurses, sleep and chocolate!
FEB 27, 2010
We finally got more than 2 hours of sleep. Looks like we will be shacking up at the hospital for awhile so better get use to the beeps and baby squeaks
FEB 28, 2010
His IV, along with antibiotics got backed up last night around ten and his arm was pumped full of fluid and blew up like Popeye so they took it out and tried to do another and his arm vein blew and foot vein blew....so now he has no iv, and one good foot left. Chris's mom took over last night so we could go home and get some sleep and still no iv ... See Morein this am because Keldon didn't go to sleep till around 4. My favorite nurse got off at 7am so who knows what is going to happen now. I HATE HOSPITALS! As for the infection, they gave him another 24 on the meds, the abscess is still there so still possible surgery today or tomorrow. They want the surrounding inflammation to go down. We find out more today from the surgeon. She wants to avoid surgery by doing antibiotics as long as we can, and let them try to do the work.
MARCH 1, 2010
Happy Birthday to me....the hospital smells like pee, my baby is still here and I'm getting sickee!
March 1, 2010
I have requested to be transferred to Children's hospital in Seattle tomorrow morning. Keldon's Ped Dr has been out sick for 3 days and now is back and is recommending Seattle and getting all the info rolling for transfer in the morning. The growth as not changed in size after 5 days of meds . Keeps us in your prayers please.
MARCH 2, 2010
heading to seattle in our own car with Keldon...surgery today or tomorrow by the afternoon.
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We are here, it is awesome....LOVE THE STAFF, waiting for the attending doc to come in. Just did medical history and checked in..blah blah blah. Waiting for more news
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No surgery tonight, he can eat until 2 am and then no fluids until surg consult at 6 am to see if there is a change with the new meds, if not 99.9% sure he will have surgery. They will flush it and put in a drain so it will stay open and heal from the inside out, only about an hour procedure including sedation and surgery.
March 3, 2010
still waiting this morning for the Dr's. All of us slept almost 7 hours straight. I feel like a half sane woman this morning. Our boy's in good hands. Went grocery shopping last night and stocked food here in the family center fridge. You need a map to get around in this place but I am loving all of it so far.
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soooooo, no surgery right now. He can eat soilds again and they are going to watch him today. They think the steroid given in Kennewick is still effecting the size of the node (its smaller) and don't want to cut if it can improve on its own. The "Team" of drs will come by again in a bit to discuss all opinions. watching... him for today. Surgery still possible
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we have had several doctors at both hospitals comment on how cute and happy Keldon is and that he looks like the e-trade baby....

March 3 PM
still in limbo....he's IS getting better but slower than usual, as far as his response to the antibiotic, but not getting worse either. They will do surgery possibly if he doesn't improve beyond the point he has made so far. No food after 2:00am and re-evaluate in the am. Trying to avoid surgery at all costs of course b...ut man, the wait is killing me. SO BORED!
March 4, 2010
No surgery this am, switching to oral meds if he can handle it and getting off the iv. Keeping him today to see how he responds to the meds and watching for more improvement as far as a continued reduction in size of the node. YAY- MORE PROGRESS
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packing the bags.....staying at my sister's for the night to get a good meal and good nights sleep in and to be close in case Keldon won't take his meds, and then home to TC in the morning. YAHOO! No more hot pockets and crackers

March 5th- Friday
Keldon slept 12 hours straight last night and is taking his meds like a champ. I swear that kid gets cuter every stinkin day!

The Doctors never did find out what caused the infection in the first place. It coule have been staph, MERSA, or a strep bacteria. The blood work was showing high levels of inflammation in his body so it was obviously fighting some kind of infection , especially when he was having the fevers. Whatever it was, I hope we never have another encounter again!

Ready to Potty Train.....

2010-02-23T08:50:00.000-08:00

So this month Keldon has pooped in the tub 3 times! He is a very regular boy and if he hasn't already pooped when you go to get him up in the morning, he will 90% of the time poop during breakfast. The last couple of times he has pooped in the tub has been in the morning when he really needs a bath first thing because I can't stand baby soaked in pee smell. The other day in the tub he started tooting so I pulled him out as a joke and stuck him on the pot and he got scared and clingy, so I put him back in and of course he pooped in the tun. Today, I was a little more brave and when he started displaying the regular poop face, I stuck him on the pot and talked to him. "It's okay, go poops." I said it over and over again and after about a minute he just pooped!!! I couldn't believe it. I yelled to Chris to get the camera. Good thing he was home so he could capture the moment huh? As he snapped the picture Keldon gave the best cheesy smile ever. I stuck him back in the tub and flushed the toilet and he stood up and peeked over to the toilet to watch it flush. I waved bye bye to the poo and Keldon laughed. Potty training in training....I better go get a little potty because I am going to keep on with this morning tub time ritual.

Love is in the Air

2010-02-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

My husband suprises me every now and then with a sweet romatic side of him that I wish I could see everyday.... At Thanksgiving, we made a trip to IKEA in Seattle and saw this mirror.
My sister wanted it really bad and of course so did I but I couldn't imagine spending $100 on a want so I just swept it back in the filing cabinent in my head under all the crap you want but don't need folder. Chris went off about how he could make that and it would be better and blah blah blah. That is great honey, but you don't have the will, or the time. He always says he can make just about anything and if he can't he will find the cheapest price to buy it. Most of the time it is annoying like when I buy something I really like and he asks me why I bought it and the what the price was and where I got it and why did I buy it again and so on......

The night before Valentines, Chris was working late on a lawnmowing project. He came home all peppy and chatty. "Come outside and look at your Valentines Present." What? He remembered? And got me something. WOW!" Way more than I expected. As I opened the door He smiled bigger than ever, proudly displaying his newly crafted object of affection. A homeade IKEA like LOVE MIRROR just for my beutimous self! The best part was seeing him so excited about what a stud he was because he totally knew it. He told me to wait to take a picture because he wanted it to be all clean so he washed it off and re-wrote the words so if I posted it on facebook, which he was certain was the first thing I would do...everyone could see how pretty it was. He has just stained it that night so it was still a little wet. I am so proud of him! I love love love love love it!!!!!!!!

Keldon at 9 months

2010-02-16T09:56:00.000-08:00

BUSY BODY BOy---- Keldon is on the move. He can power crawl like no other and his eating habits certainly support is active little self. The kid eats more oatmeal than I can gag down for breakfast. He loves Banana's, his Aunt Kelly, Mamma and Daddy, and His Grandma and her little puppy Milo. He doesn't want anything to do with bottles, he doesn't like milk unless it is mixed in his cereal, and he has a bit of an attitude. We are learning "no no, not for Keldon, don't touch," and he tests it everytime a movie is playing or the radio is on. He likes to play with the knobs. He loves to play with mirriors, mom and dads phones, the remote, the calculator on dad's desk, the front door and plant and mom's office. He loves trying to get into the garbage, playing with measuring cups and wisks on the kitchen floor and trying to drink water from his sippy cup. When he hears the noise the camera makes when it is trying to focus before a picture, he always smiles and then crawls toward you to see his picture. He love the hair dryer blown in his face and being tickled on his back. The tub is his favorite and this month we have had the pleasure of cleaning poop out of it twice already. JOY! If you want him to hold still while you change him you better strap him down or give him a diaper to play with. Other than saying mamma and da da....he giber jabbers a lot and laughs like crazy. I love to hold him down with his arms up and tickle his chest with my chin! He hates Shoes and always always always takes his socks off and either leaves them on the floor as he crawls off or sucks on them! He hardly ever sucks his thumb anymore but has switched to chewing on his right pointer finger. He likes to stay up late with mom and dad and is good when it comes to sleeping in. The swing has been a lifesaver to get him to go to sleep when is is all wired. He cut his bottom two teeth Valentines Weekend.
He weighs about 19 lbs and is in 12-18 month clothes

December 2009

2010-02-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

The month of December was a busy one as always. I moved my massage practice to a new location in October and have been trying to catch up for 2 months. A lot of things went crazy with the move and there is always more decorating and organizing to do than you ever plan on. Business is good. I have 3 new therapists in the office that actually work! It is nice to have people around at the office and I have found that I am happier at work with the added compnay. We sold lots of Gift Certificates this month and set a new record! It will be interesting in the next couple of months to see who and how many people actually redeem them.

A couple weeks before Christmas, our friend Ben LaMothe invited us to go snowmobiling up at his family's cabin by Tolgate in Oregon. We took Keldon of course.... and had a good time. He was crawling all over and had a few tumbles but overall did pretty good staying out of the stepping zone. There were a few other couples that went and one other baby. I enjoyed being the cabin cook!! I even made chocolate chip cookies for everybody to have when they came in from the cold. Oh how I love the mountains. Keldon had a really hard time sleeping both nights so we didn't get much sleep. We did manage to bundle him up good enough to go outside and watch his crazy daddy make a jump for the snowmobiles, and snowboards. The boys had a great time.

Christmas came fast this month. I didn't make ANY candy or goodies at all. I didn't spend months planning a wonderful present for anyone like years past, and I didn't have my mom. Christmas seemed empty this year. We did our Carver Gift Exchange at my sister Kims and spent Christmas Eve and Day with Chris's family. I tried really hard to be happy and have a good time. I think it was such a busy month and with all the emotion I held back last year, everything hit me this year. I was able to use my mom's decorations and Christmas tree at my house. I snuggled with my favorite snowman blanket Christmas morning at pulled a pretty good suprise on my hubby. He gets a discount on CWB wakeboard merchandise with his sponsership so I never get anything for him wakeboardish....because he can get it at a better price. However, he was in desperate need of a new life jacket, and I was determined to find a way to suprise him with one...at discount. I made arrangements with Bart at Sporthause and put an order in. I also got a couple of t-shirts as well. Christmas morning I had him open the shirts first. He looked at my so suprised and said, " Where did you get these? I have never seen these, are these 2010? How did you...where did you....?" He was so confused. Then I gave him the big box. He had no idea it was a lifejacket, not in a million years. He guess a sweater. A sweater? Really Chris? He loved it, and was super suprised. I did good. He didn't even know that CWB made a pull over jacket. Mission Complete.

Thanksgiving

2010-02-16T09:03:00.001-08:00

We had the opportunity to travel somewhere new for Thanksgiving this year in our family. My sister Sherri moved to Seattle this past summer so we decided since for the past 10 years, she comes to us, that we would go to her. It was a blast. The younger 5 kids in the family went with all our kids so it was like a massive family sleep over. Chris and I celebrated our 3 Wedding Anniversary over the weekend as well. Sherri watched Keldon and Chris and I snuck away for a Romantic Evening for 2 at a Hotel down on the water a Puget Sound. We went out for a yummy seafood dinner, and to the Gold's Gym there in Mukeltio and watched a movie in the Cardio Theater. The next day I surprised him with a massage and sauna treatment in Everett for both of us. It was soooo nice to relax and spend time with family. We played games late one night and had a good laugh with scattegories! The last night there, it was just the sisters left. The kids stayed up and we played the good ol Carver Candy Bar Game. The kids loved it and all fought over the bubble gum all night. I love my sister Sherri! When I am with her and visiting up at her house, I get to eat grubbin food and feel like my mom is right there! Keldon had a great time playing with all his cousins. Sherri and Kim were able to take some really cute pictures of Keldon down by the water that ended up being blown up later and given for Christmas gifts.

If you're Happy & You know it clap your hands

2010-02-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

As I pondered the things I wanted to write today, this primary song instantly came into my head. "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands, If your happy and you know it clap your hands. If you're happy and you know it than your face will surely show it, if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!
I was really emotional last night pondering all my blessings. This past year has been very life changing for me. I lost my mom, I have struggled with my marriage, expanded and moved my massage practice, and brought a new life into the world all in a short period of time. I am not a big new years resolution person. I found the past two new years resolutions "Goals" written down recently and they both say the same things. Read my scriptures, exercise, eat better.....the usual. THIS YEAR however, I have decided to simply enjoy life a little more. Take in the small things and breathe through the big. All those who really know me, know that I am a busy body, a control freak, a slight perfectionist, a go getter and pretty dang stubborn. All this said, Having a child with the same characteristics teaches patience. I love Keldon. He has helped me to be more patient, less selfish, happy, and has forced me to take in the little things.
I have had less sleepless nights fretting over stupid uncontrollable things since he has been born. I have laughed more, smiled more, and hugged more than I ever have.
I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for his strong healthy body, and for mine that was able to bring him into this world. Watching my mothers frail body wither away was so humbling to me. I am so thankful for a body that can move, and breathe and become as strong as I want it to be. She mentioned to me several times, that I should be thankful for my body.
I am thankful for a husband that loves me and that loves our sweet little boy. Chris has EXPLODED with love. I have never seen a father love and play with his little boy more than my husband. He has been know to wake Keldon up just to snuggle with him. Keldon loves his daddy that is for sure, and I love to watch them play.
When your happy and you know it clap your hands.....This is a true measure of how I am feeling, because when I am happy....I really do clap my hands and at our house....there as been a lot of clapping....even Keldon clapping :)

Happy Halloween & 6 Month Birthday

2009-11-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Keldon is 6 months old today. Last night we took him to a Halloween Party and he was a hit. Everybody passed him around and loved on him....he was definitely showing off. He started to sit up really good all last week and last night he was up on all fours for the first time on his own. He was rocking a little and trying to reach out for his bottle, it was super funny.
Chris hates to dress up so I was lucky to get him in a wig..... enjoy!

Fall is here.... and I can tell

2009-09-30T12:07:00.001-07:00

It is officially hot herbal tea and robe time at our house. I am currently sipping some glorious "Throat Ease Tea," while snuggling with a snotty nosed kid, a roll of tp for our running noses, a tv remote that only works half the time and some warm snuggly clothes. We have been sick for about a week. Keldon started getting sick last weekend and then Chris got it. He stayed home Monday from work and I stayed home last night and today. I don't like when clients come in sick, so I try not to go in even if I'm just feeling a tickle. Its not worth it to me to be off work and get everyone else sick. That is what starts the cycle in the first place! I am suppose to be moving the office this weekend and haven't even started. I got word from the painter today that they will be in the next few days. He approved my request for 2 colors because I was wanted an accent wall like I have at my office now. I picked the same colors that are in the office right now because I love them so much. Hopefully everything will come together just right. We go to pick up a washer and dryer today for the office that I got on craigslist. Can't wait to start doing my own linens and save money....ya! Here are some of the latest, "You are so stinkin cute I can't stand it," pics of Keldon.

Missing her

2009-09-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight I missed my mom. I miss my mom all the time but tonight I missed her a lot. Grey's Anatomy was on last night and George died. All the characters were going through different stages of grief and dealing with things different from each other.Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression & Acceptance It showed all the things that I am way to familiar with at this point. I cried like I always do watching that show. It seems to always have something that makes me think. I was asking myself, am I really okay? I'm I always going to feel empty when I think of her.....gone? I feel okay most of the time because I don't let myself really think about it too much. I find myself looking at her picture but then looking away quickly so I don't think too much. I have been dealing with things pretty well, or so I thought considering that my dad got remarried 6 months after she passed away and that I found out I was pregnant like 3 weeks after with my first baby. I have gotten through a lot but it seems to be getting harder lately. Its like a roller coaster, your good, your not, your good, your not. When does it end?
My mom said she wanted me to have her Bosch Mixer and when my dad got remarried he decided to keep it because his new wife didn't have one. So every time I go out there, and there is the mixer sitting on the counter in a kitchen I don't recognize, with food that is unfamiliar, and smells that are strange to me... I get mad. Mad that she is gone. Mad that I have to accept things and move on. I don't want to find a place for the piano that she also gave me, so my dad can move more crap in the family room. I want it to stay their forever where I always sat and played. She would tell me how talented I was and ask me to play a few more songs. I want to hear her funny fish stories, not from someone who is taking her place. Most of all, I am scared I will forget her. I feel cheated. I am the youngest and had the least amount of time with her. I had the littlest amount of time to get to know her. And the worst part of the whole thing is that I feel this overwhelming pressure to take care of my dad. I feel like I am going to explode sometimes. I want to be supportive, yet I don't want to act fake. I want to care, but I don't want to get sucked in. I want to help, but I don't want to do everything. I feel like I am not allowed to share anything with anyone about her, because she is gone and it hurts everyone to bad to talk about her....to DEAl. I don't want to upset my dad, so I don't bring things up. If I have a happy memory, I feel like I shouldn't share it because it's like I am rubbing it in. Is all so complicated! I took on such a huge role taking care of her and helping her go through the hardest parts of her last days that I was forced to deal with the reality but the reality is that I am still dealing. One day at a time....I'm still missing her.

My big ''Little Boy!"

2009-09-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

2009-09-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

Counting my blessings

2009-09-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have felt overwhelmed with joy. I have been so happy and have been able to push all my usual crabby, complaining garbage that fills my head to the side and just breathe. I have been trying really hard to not have too many expectations and to let things like the dishes in the sink go. Chris made a comment on Sunday that he has noticed that I have had more patience. In spite of all the stuff going on surrounding my big move next month to the new office, I have taken the time to go camping 2x in the last month and not bring any work stuff along. My sister Sherri made a surprise visit over the weekend, so I spent most of Labor day off playing as well. My friend Heather Mahony from high school lost her little boy on Friday. The news came to me in a text message after I got out of a massage. I was so shocked I didn't know what to think. He was born at 25 weeks and was 1 pound 9 ounces. He was in the ICU for 3 months and after that was allowed to go home and lived a relatively normal life. He had a feeding tube and problems with acid reflux but that was the worst of it. At at 8 months was still smaller than Keldon has a newborn. He would have been 1 on the 1st of September and wasn't even 6 pounds. He died from his lungs collapsing because of a surgery as far as I know. I set up a Memorial fund blog so people could help donated towards Christian's funeral expenses. They don't have insurance and I am sure the state won't pay for a funeral. My sister-in-law Kelly was watching Keldon while I was at work so on the way to get him I was just pondering all my blessings. When I went to pick him up I was trying hard to choke back tears. He is so healthy and happy and sooooooo good. I haven't had any problems that are out of the new mom norm since I had him and my husband has been totally supportive and helpful lately. He is "very advanced for his age," my Pediatrician says. We started him eating solids last week and he has been sleeping through the night for going on 2months. I am so lucky. I can't imagine losing my child. I can't imagine sending him off to surgery's and having faith that he would come back to me okay.I can't imagine planning a funeral and picking out a tiny casket. I can't imagine going to sleep at night without being able to peek in on him like I always to before hand. I can't imagine not being able to snuggle him up after a full belly, a bath and a massage....my absolute favorite. I tell him I love him everyday, and at night when he is sleeping I go into his room and put my hand lightly on his chest to make sure he is breathing. I'm so in love with him! Things aren't always perfect, and life's not always fair but today I am happy to have all I have to bear.

A Year Ago Today

2009-08-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

A year ago today, I lost one of my best friends....my mom. I laid next to her each day and drank up every moment I could hear her heart still beating. I would listen to her breath while she slept and pray she would keep breathing....stay longer, Don't leave me momma. I have a testimony of the gospel and the atonement of Jesus Christ. I know I will see her again. I have felt her presence since she has been gone, a birthday hug and a few hard moments in labor that I can not deny. However, I still miss her voice and her funny little shake when she stirred up something good. She was a lady who everybody loved, who was always positive, who gave the best advice, made the best baked goods ever, sewed the best quilts and gave the best head rubs. I went to lunch with my dad today and then out the Fred Meyer to pick out some flowers to put on her grave. I couldn't help but hear a little mom voice saying, "Save yourself $2 and get the cheaper ones, they look the same. Don't waste your money on flowers that are just going to die anyway." I said it out loud and dad I both laughed and teared up a little. We picked out a mini red rose bush. I can just hear mom now, "Melanie.... have you seen my roses? They are blooming, you better go out front and see them." I use to cart a pitcher of water from the kitchen through the living room out to the front porch to water moms rose bushes. I loved spring because she would get so excited to see her flowers come up and start blooming. Pretty flowers remind me of my mom, especially well trimmed rose bushes.
We took some time to clean the cement part of the grave off and wiped the front side clean. I was trying to be all business and choke back my tears when my dad starting sobbing. I couldn't help but stand there so blurred up, I couldn't even see. I didn't know what to do or say. My throat had been in a knot all day and my stomach felt as though someone had kicked me. I just watched him cry helplessly. We hugged and held each other for a long time. He told me how much he missed her and how sometimes when he is alone he just loses it. We talked about going through the motions and how some days are harder than others. I told him I was glad he was my friend. We have come a long way, him and I. I like spending time with him because it makes me feel close to her. I know that things are different now, the house is different, the decorations, the smell... but she is still there sometimes to me. I pull onto Game Farm road and pass the mules in the front pasture and into the drive way with the grass all mowed I go. I can almost smell the cinnamon rolls and hear the sewing machine going. I can see that the freezer is in the process of being defrosted and the floor has just been vacuumed. I see her come through the utility room door from the laundry room, putting a fresh load in and hearing the dryer going while she throws away the lint. A day to visit with mom...Yea!!! No matter how many days go by without her, that is how I will imagine it. It is what keeps me going. I find myself itching to make something I shouldn't eat like chocolate cake, but I try it because that is what my mom would do. I attempted the famous crazy cake she always made for my dad this year on his birthday. I wore her slippers and my little apron and hummed Neil Diamond and Que Serra. I never knew how important all those little things she did would mean to me. No one else is going to eat the jam I made this year besides me, but I made it because that is what you do when you are a mom. You make jam right? Someday, if I try real hard, I might be at least half the mom she was to me. I heard this song 2 days ago....its a tear jerker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8sWwFIFlK8

Thoughts on my Mother

2009-07-20T09:56:00.001-07:00

Next month marks the anniversary of my moms passing. I am not really looking forward to the emotional reality I will have to face. Lately, my sisters and I have been talking a little about her and trying not to dive too deep because we all know what is coming and that if we can just hold on a little longer and choke back the tears that soon it is all bound to come out. Whenever I think about her, instead of focusing on the bad stuff that happened I am trying hard to remember the good times, before she got sick. It is hard for me not to be bitter because I am the youngest and had the least amount of time to know her. If only I had known huh? I think back to all the struggles I caused her high school because I was such a brat. I took advantage of the amazing mom I had. I think that is why I was so close to her when I moved back home after massage school. I wanted to make up for lost time in a way. When she was sick, I felt this obligation to be there all the time. She always told me to go home and take care of my husband and that he was my first priority now but when I went out there I felt like I was already home and I didn't want to leave her. When I would go home at night I would crawl in bed and snuggle with Chris and just bawl and tell him how much I love him and tell him sorry I wasn't perfect.

It was hard for me to see her sick and not be able to do the things she wanted. I bundled her up in a winter coat and hat in the spring so she could sit outside for a few minutes and see the flowers and hear the birds singing. I liked to sit with her and talk to her about her life growing up. She didn't like to dwell on the past and hated negativity. However, I got her to talk to me a couple of times about her childhood. I brought out my laptop and typed while she talked and learned some things I didn't know about her. After she passed away, I typed her journal and gave a copy to all of my siblings as part of Christmas package. It has almost been a year and my memories of her already seem to be fading. It makes me sad as I talk to my sisters about her because we all want to remember her but it's hard to talk about things without completely losing it so it is easier to not deal with it. I took the last month of her life off of work to be able to help her as much as possible. I dealt with things pretty well emotionally I thought and pulled it together enough to write her obituary and speak at her funeral but sometimes I still feel like her baby lost in the store, calling for he, but not hearing her voice. I miss her. I want her to hold my baby and tell me how cute he is. I want to can peaches and pears with her and pick green beans in the garden for dinner. I want to snuggle on the couch and watch a lifetime movie and cry the afternoon away while she rubs my head and tells me how pretty I am. I want to live my life better everyday so that I am worthy to be in the place that she is right now. Don't take the people in your life for granted. Love them, but more importantly treat them like you love them. Say your sorry and ask for forgiveness when you have offended them. When you have one of those days that is the BEST DAY EVER or a memory that puts a smile on your face....write it down. Last night I couldn't sleep and Keldon was in bed asleep but I knew if I woke him up he would eat and I would be able to sleep in in the morning. Lately I have been going through the mommy motions and being sort of annoyed that I have to stop what I am doing to feed him and have basically been selfish with my time. I took him out of his crib and rocked with him and kissed him all over and told him how much I loved him. My mom told me once, " You think you love your husband and you do, but just wait till you have a baby. You will love that baby more than anything in the world. There is nothing like your first baby." So I snuggled with him and cried and just soaked up the moment. I can sleep later, he is only this small on this day.... once. I thought about what I would regret if he was gone tomorrow and that was spending time with him. I held him even longer until I couldn't stay awake any longer and put him back in bed. I got in my own bed and then after a few minutes got back up and went in to watch him sleep for a minute. I use to do this with my mom when she was sick. Soak up the memories....and write them down. That is my challenge to you.

I changed this story a little
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held her, she sang: