Housekeeping

Goodness where does the time go? We remain as usual beyond busy( who isnt) but it seems that my personal time in front of the computer is limited these days.
Several housekeeping items:
1. Im not coaching anymore. My new job is fabulous- but likewise I put in much longer hours and I just wasnt willing to be away from the kids anymore than I have to. So that along with my seat on the board of directors of UAC has been eliminated.
2. My job- loving it. On a side note, was in Berkeley this week. Its been years since I was on campus and I just totally forget how awesome it is to get out of Utah, be around such brilliant students, and have that real college campus vibe. Food was awesome....it also was a reminder about how lacking we are in our schools. One of the execs that recently moved to CA from UT said that his 2nd grader was FAILING 2nd grade. He was astounded. In utah she was doing great! He said that all his kids including his 2nd grader have typically 2-3 hours of homework a night, and should they have had 30 minutes of homework in UT they would have thought that excessive. We chatted about that for a bit, as I grew up there and noticed a HUGE difference in my education VS my siblings who went through school in UT. Anyway causing me some additional and reinforced anxiety about what we are going to do with Elijiah and Tristan. I want them to be ahead of the game, not behind it.
3. Jonathan has received this AWESOME promotion at work. Its sooo exciting. His hard work continues to pay off. He is now managing a group of engineers and analysts and is effective next week. Hes thrilled. Im thrilled. :)
4. We are pleased to announce that while we were referred to the infertility clinic, we didnt have to do any expensive treatments. We are expecting! Due late summer! YIPEE!!!

So there it is...some of the updates over the last couple of weeks!

Jonathans new hobby

Jonathan told me a few months ago that he wanted to start making pens. Little did I know what he was talking about. He always has had a slight obsession with pens, appreciating the workmanship and liking to collect a few.
So when he started to put away some money for all the tools and get serious about it I wasnt sure what would happen. Hes needed a creative outlet for some time now, and something for himself so I was fully supportive of him trying it out...well a basement full of tools and hours dedicated to getting better at his craft- he has started to put out some really cool pens.This is a pen he just finished for himself, and below pen is he did for me this weekend. I love it! These two are done in acrylic, not wood- but the wood ones hes done are pretty awesome too.

Ready for children??

Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.

2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.

3. Go home.

4. Pick up the paper.

5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.

2. Lack of patience.

3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.

4. Allowing their children to run wild.

5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.

Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!'

* just a fun forward I was sent and thought to post*

Go go go

Wow - where does the time go? After a 24 hour migraine followed by an ER visit, transitioning out of one job, starting a new job-- this week has gone by in a flash!! Everyone has new schedules and new routines, and unfortunately it hasnt been adopted with great excitement. Lots more driving, more hours at the office, and less free time but I think after a few weeks things will mellow out and it will become second nature. Im very excited about my new role. My boss is AWESOME and the work seems not only very challenging, but will give me the kick in the pants that I was looking for. ( one could only be on the internet so long each day before brain cells start to deplete!) So Im am super excited about this coming year. Lots of changes, wonderful things to look forward to and us meeting a lot of our financial goals( paying off loans) which will feel so good! So heres to a good 2011( fingers crossed, knock on wood- please please!)

Christmas take 3

*a couple more from the other night*

**
So a late Sunday brunch at our house was in order so we could see Grandma, and exchange gifts. It was a lot of fun, and this time the boys were well behaved. It was great to have more time together and enjoy another day of food and family.

*the only problem was that we stopped taking pictures half way through the day! So hello siblings...send a few my way???

Christmas Eve and Christmas

I cant believe its over! Christmas has come and gone and let me tell you- sooo many pictures to share and remember this year by. It was great to split the families over the entire 3 days as there were lots of visitors and plenty of activities.

This is a picture of me with a bag that my mom made- but not just any bag- one that she made for all the Booth/Devenney girls. I just love it.

Christmas Eve at my Mom and Laynes is always a nice affair...we open gifts, have a traditional poem by Layne, and enjoy great food. This year was no exception, everyone that could make it was there, the mood was festive and the kids did fairly well...( more to come)

Gift giving is my favorite part of Chrismas....

Cory and Whitney unfortunately opened all of their gifts Christmas Eve so that was kinda a bummer. But I think they got a bit spoiled with all the additional gifts later on that they received.

We finished up the night at Moms with way too much dessert for my liking and feeling completely full....ready to head home for baths, new PJ's and all the nights activities to start( ie SANTA!!)
****

Christmas Day! Well the morning started out well, they boys slept in, we opened stockings and presents, but soon thereafter the melt downs, and tantrums begun. See Jonathan and I have been on extremely shaky ground with the boys.....

So much so that for the last few weeks we have been hanging on by a thread. Im not kidding. There has been much tears, by both parents and children. The reading and implementing of "parenting with love and logic" has been marginally successful....

However after time at our house in the morning-- off we went to Jonathans family's- and much to our surprise( not) we ruined Christmas for them. We should have known better and just stayed home, but we felt perhaps the change of scenery and new people might prove a potential positive outcome. However intuition was correct.

a true disaster, and we came home very shortly after without exchanging any gifts. After a long nap we decided to venture out to see TANGLED( which by the way was AMAZING) the boys seemed to pull out of their funk and we invited Jonathans parents over for round two.

Things once again quickly escalated between the boys and additional screaming, hitting, and tantrums were thrown with in-laws in attendance. However this time, the calm, loving Grandparents were with us during the hours long tantrums and helped us battle our children.

Without their help that night Im not sure what we would have done. We felt immediately better having someone there to help, and witness what we are going through almost on a daily basis. With coaching from Carl, we got through one of the more terrible Tristan moments to become victorious, and finally WIN one.

We ended the night on a good note. Boys having lost a battle to us, and some hard lessons learned, but most of all, felt that we had crossed a bridge. So much so that while therapy is likely in our future, we feel hopeful that we can continue on this journey of parenthood, and possibly remain sane. We hope.

Day 3- Sunday( another post with pictures had My Dad and Nancy and that side of the clan over to our house...) was quite enjoyable.

I have to say a few days post trauma, life is getting back to normal. Its actually been great to have a few days off with the boys. Last week Jonathan was seriously considering having to take the time off as well, for fear I would hurt the boys or myself if I was left with them for any length of time( not really, but it was getting pretty bad for a while)...

But thankfully, its been the opposite. The time hasnt gone by without hiccups, but with minimal stress, me not running around before and afterwork like normal, the boys and I have had lots of time together, fun outings, and remained busy.

I am overjoyed at where things stand this week with the boys....On another note- We all have been incredibly spoiled. Christmas was a success at the house with lots of new( well really used) video games, a tool set for Tristan which has been an absolute hit,

a bit of legos( again I should say a TON of legos) and a few meaningful present exchanges for the Mr/Mrs..

a necklace for Jonathan with a new mouse pad family picture-

and a box of new clothes that I had shopped for and put away for Christmas( such surprises!) :)

We are all happy,

healthy,

warm,

loved,

hanging in there,

and having fun. I hope everyone has enjoyed their few days and had a very Merry Christmas!

Medical update so exciting! :)

In an effort to keep track of all the medical stuff that has been going on in the last few years, I thought to do a re-cap of an appointment I had with a much respected pharmacist/RN that specializes in women and hormone imbalances. “don’t read if you don’t want to hear a LOT of my personal information etc “
I should preface this by saying that my mother and several of her friends have been seeing her as they have gone through menopause for hormone replacement treatment etc, and she does a lot to help people regulate their systems through extensive interviewing, lab work, testing etc to determine which supplements etc that can optimize your health and ease whatever issue you are facing. My mother has suggested that I see her over the last while, but since I was getting good results from my daily medication for my migraines I was hesitant to do anything different. However with our latest infertility issues( minor as they may be to others) I knew that something was amiss and when the doctor referred us to the infertility clinic I knew I was right. The first stage is for us to try Chlomid, and after explaining what it was going to do, my mother increased her belief that I should talk to this pharmacist first. Mom called and told Christine( the pharmacist) what I was doing and she said I should come talk with her right away.
It was going to be pricy, as nothing she does is covered by insurance, but I thought its worth a try. I would rather try something natural than do the drug route anyday.
Well the appointment was routine, I gave her all my medical history with migraines, what drugs ive tried and birth control options Ive used over the last 15 years, current lab results etc. I wont bore you with ALL the details but some of the key things that were mentioned:
People with a history of Chronic Migraines have a tendency to have lower levels of progestin that is naturally occurring. So they are more sensitive to triggers or issues surrounding hormonal triggers of headaches. So my birth control pill that I was on from 19-25 caused me to see a significant INCREASE in headaches as the levels of the progestin in my pill was not at the right levels. However because I was in my twenties, and having no real issues with age I got pregnant quickly. After I had Elijiah I went to a copper “T” iud for my birth control. I was regular and didn’t suffer any side effects and there was no hormones being pumped into me so when the time came to change my birth control and get pregnant with Tristan, I got pregnant right away. However after Tristan, my doctor in attempt to help me control my headaches said that I get them with my monthly cycle and if we could eliminate just ONE headache a month that would be great…the Mirena was another IUD that reduced and often stopped menstruation so I should see a reduction of my headaches during that time of the month.
I was told that the hormones in the Mirena were so SLIGHT that I shouldn’t have a problem in general. However-progestin levels since Im already are LOW were sent even lower and INCREASED my headaches( even though the doctor said that wasn’t the case). Jonathan had done extensive research on the Mirena and even though the medical studies on the mirena didn’t support the increase in headaches, there were forums of women stating all sort of issues with the IUD . Jonathan suggested that I remove the IUD but with countless conversations with my Dr, he felt it was unsupported and backed by clinical research, so whom am I to argue with that????

ANYWAY, basically Christine said that she sees countless women come in with problems resulting from the Mirena and issues after removal. She went on to say, that because the Mirena thins the uterine lining to stop periods, progestin hormone levels are at an all time LOW so when I had it removed, my age, combined with my body not being able to reproduce that hormone as quickly or easily as if I were younger, that could be why-- ONE my headaches became SO severe for the 2 years after I had Tristan and TWO why I cant get pregnant now( which supports the LH, and FH hormone levels being off the charts low in my blood work) SO whats next? I could try the Chlomid, and within a few months hope that it will work, or I can work with Christine to try and replace what my body is missing naturally.
While a bit pricy, Im leaning towards the natural hormone replacement and supplements. WHY? My faith in my OB has been a bit shaken; I spent 2 years being a lab rat to multiple medications with numerous side effects and suffering unbearable pain and depression while MD’s continued to “try” new drugs or experimental drugs to help. Im not saying that they did it on purpose- but I think they are trained to ONLY think about the one thing they specialize in rather than an holistic approach to the body and take in account EVERYTHING. NOT once did my ob and Neurologist consult one another, not once did either of them separately think I should undergo blood work and testing to see what could be underlying in my body that could be causing my issues, not one ER doctor did anything other than treat the pain and send me on my way….
I called my mother after my appointment and cried. Told her I wish I had gone several years ago to see Christine. I don’t believe that ANY one person has all the answers, but for the first time in 18 years, I felt that what she was saying was true. My gut, the same gut that wasn’t sitting right as I was getting steroid shots to the head, felt finally calm. That perhaps this woman will treat my body as a whole and try to make it function optimally. Then if everything is in harmony and balanced, perhaps THEN I will go to the medical community again for the next steps…..