Celebrate Good Times, C'mon!

******Warning. Lots of writing. I wrote down Brycen's birth story once but I can't find it so in celebration of the special day, I wrote a bit here. If you only want pictures, scroll on down to the ***********

2 years ago on my 22nd birthday, I sat in the hospital in Provo, Utah to begin the induction process for Brycen to be born. Even though I never wanted to particularly share my birthday with one of my kids, my days were numbered in which my mom was able to be in town; and the birthday induction actually ended up being a miracle. For my doctor was under some kind of law/obligation? (not sure) that she couldn't have someone induced until the individual was at least a week overdue or had a medical condition.

On the morning of my birthday, I had my 41 week appointment (even though, 41 weeks wasn't technically until the next day) and had for the first time ever in my life and still ever, high blood pressure. That alone, allowed my doctor to let me begin induction a full 24 hours early.

By the time I got to the hospital, my blood pressure was completely back to normal (a true miracle I had it in the first place, I'm telling ya) and the nurses were alittle suspicious to why I was being induced for "high blood pressure" since clearly, I didn't have it. They called my doctor while I prayed that they would let me stay. Not sure what my doctor said but I am forever grateful since I did indeed get to start the process that night.

The entire day of May 8th was full of pain, fatigue and hunger. Long labor process. And stress. It was the last day my mom would be there. It took me 6 hours after they started the pitocin to get to a 1cm dilation. I could see the panic in my Mom's eyes after they checked me, the realization that she might actually leave for Boston in the morning without meeting her grandson, was starting to settle in. Since life back in Boston was already falling apart without her, extending the trip was not an option.

More miracles followed though and somehow I arrived at a full 10 cm dilation and was able to finally start pushing at 9pm, May 8th (my doctor had 2 other patients in the hospital in labor at the exact same time that night...and I was the last one she came to, at one point I was so tired, hungry, and in pain, I remember saying/crying/screaming, "Doesn't anyone care about me??"). Meanwhile, the epidural they gave me at 1pm (took 6 hours to get to 1cm, it was clearly going to be a long day) stopped working...those warnings of getting it too early are totally true. Oh and the whole no eating and drinking thing. No one told me. I should've eaten breakfast that morning and probably slept the night before.... but we were way too excited/anxious/scared. Ice chips got old real fast....(to this day, Brycen LOVES to eat ice).

They had the anesthesiologist give me another dose...and still nothing. So, they took me off the contraction machine and told me to tell them when a contraction was coming since I felt them all right.

2.5 hours later of full on pushing and being told "he is only one push away, push harder!" after the first thirty minutes, Brycen's head broke 3-yes,3-vacuums (devices suctioned on to their head to help pull them out) and in the rule book, that calls for an emergency c-section.

As soon as I heard that, I was bummed. Not that I'm against c-sections. After everything and being "one push away", I felt like I had failed. I didn't try hard enough, if only I could give it alittle more. My doctor was estimating that he would weigh 7 pounds max since my stomach was measuring so small and yet, I couldn't do it.

I closed my eyes and refused to look at anyone as they prepped me for surgery. They talked and I responded and I occasionally peeked out but only to do one thing, look at the clock. Once, I saw it reach midnight, all I could think was, "at least we will have a day between our birthdays".

After my body didn't respond to a spinal tap, they refused to proceed with the surgery with me being able to feel it even though I said I wanted them too (I really, really wanted to be awake for it) so I had to be put to sleep. Later I found out that Bryce was kicked out of the room as well and I am still pretty bitter about that. At least one of us should be able to be there for the birth!! But apparently the husband's job to the doctors is to only comfort his wife and since I was out, so was he. So sad.

Well folks, the story DOES end happy (and maybe sometime soon I'll post Bryce's version of it-I found it humorous)! Our big bundle of joy arrived at 1am May 9th weighing in at 10 pounds 10 ounces.

6 hours before my mom left for the airport.

And my birthday will never be or mean the same. In a good way.

*****************And here we are birthday weekend 2 years later...

Saturday, May 7th-my birthday.

For my birthday, my mom gave me a gift card to Rainforest Cafe. I heard it was a fun place but expensive so the gift card was perfect.

Looking at the bill.

We weren't too impressed with our visit. For the price of the food, we were expecting something amazing. And even though they had fish tanks everywhere (Brycen's favorite), the thunderstorms every 20 minutes and then the sight of their mascot walking around waving (a frog) made Brycen hysterical. No joke. I prayed that the frog wouldn't come back. It took 10 minutes to calm Brycen down. He was shaking and screaming, "Go.....Please. Home." Slightly embarrassing and if we didn't just get our food, we might've.

Poor kid. I don't think Disneyworld or land is anywhere in our future.

My free birthday sundae which Brycen promptly claimed as his. I asked the waiter if I could not be sung to though and I think that caught him really off guard. I have this thing about being put on the spot and if I'm not expecting it, it's really not bad. But since I witnessed another girl being sung too just moments before....I decided I could do without. My friend also surprised me at volleyball the night before with cake so I had my fill of being sung to, for sure.

Since the only Rainforest Cafes around here are in Chicago, we decided to make a little trip out of it and attend the temple. We took turns doing sessions and I was literally saved by a couple in my ward from a very awkward situation and I will always remember them for it. Overall, a good day.

The next day was Mother's Day and we drove back to Indiana in time for church. In the car ride, I used my handy Kindle that I received for my birthday. Reading will never be the same. Lovin it!

Monday, May 9th! Brycen's Birthday!

We went with our close friends, the Belts, to an indoor waterpark in town with tickets given to us from another friend. We had the place to ourselves. Literally. No one else but us. So awesome.

It took awhile for Brycen to get into it but he sure did.

Loves for the baby.

So much for taking more pictures this time around. I use the excuse that I'm never "picture ready" so these will have to do as my unofficial 15 week photos.

It's there. I promise. SO much earlier than with Brycen, but I don't mind.

Gift from our friends. He gets his multi-tasking skills from me. :)

Showing Dad his new tools.

Cake time was the best. So much better than last year when we had to pry open his mouth to convince him that he would like it.

Dad went in to grab a lighter and took alittle too long.

He LOVES sprinkles.

(and don't mind the pink cake. It was the only ice cream cake option the store had. And since we were in the process of moving this week, I just didn't have the time to do much else. It was delicious, though!).

Getting sung to! He enjoyed as well. Last year...he cried, basically hated the entire thing.

Loved blowing the candles out so much, he had Dad re-light them so he could do it again. So much fun to watch.

The day was a perfect mixture of fun, sugar, and friends. What a great weekend.

Easter Beginnings.

Well, this year for Easter, I shared an idea-I got from a friend-with Bryce that I thought it would be nice to spend Saturday of the Easter weekend doing the more commercialized things such as Easter egg hunts, giving of the Easter baskets (candy), dying of eggs, etc. And then spend Sunday, reflecting on the Atonement and teaching our child (ren in the future) about Easter and having a nice Easter dinner to eat with family (and friends) whenever possible.

Brycen ended up getting sick 1am Sunday morning so it turned out that my idea was perfect. I held him most the day as I read the Ensign and cooked funeral potatoes and homemade rolls to eat with our ham later that evening. And Daddy went to church to hold down the Nursery fort (where we currently serve). We then ate dinner with our good friends across the parking lot (fourth dinner in a row eating with them :). It was a wonderful day and stay tuned for Easter pictures at the end.

Since I haven't blogged in a while, let's just say a few things have happened recently in the Walker household so I figure I will share them in order of occurrence.

I have made it a goal to document more this time around (picture wise) and I THOUGHT this would make a cute picture...

Brycen has this slight thing about first, being put in the spotlight and second, doing something he doesn't want to do and in this case, it was all wrong. He did NOT want to hold the stick. Daddy says he can't blame him. haha. Oh well, I have to admit that the giggles these pictures bring me far outweigh the guilt. :) We will just have to make sure the new addition doesn't take the above pictures the wrong way and understands that he/she is wanted! Afterall, Brycen currently has a slight obsession with babies.

A bit blurry but it's official! November 1st is my due date (putting me at 13 weeks today) and even though the chances of having it on my due date are low....11/1/11 would be awesome!

Brycen made a big boy move recently and loves his new bed. He refers to himself as "baby" and this is "baby's bed" and he won't let anyone but his friend, Madden, sit on it with him.

Brycen also received another haircut recently. It was way overdue and... something if up to Brycen, he never wants to do again. He cried on Daddy's shoulder during the entire thing saying, "DaDa's turn.....Mama's turn". Someone other than baby's turn. If you ask him now where his hair is, he says "All gone".

I sure miss these curls.

but I don't miss the constant bedhead he had between baths. He is very anti-Mommy bringing a brush within a foot radius of his head so... to prevent Mommy's temptations to spit in her hands and use that to tame his hair, a haircut was in order.

Ward Easter egg hunt. Brycen loved it. So fun to watch him get into it since last Easter, he wasn't even walking yet.

And the hike we did with some friends after. So fun.

Brycen with his haircut and the family Easter basket.

I have this obsession with watching Brycen sleep. I love how peaceful he looks and his skin is always so smooth. I love kissing his forehead and cheek before leaving. And who would've ever though that he would be puking just four short hours later?

Yesterday was Bryce and I's 3rd wedding anniversary. Even though Brycen was still feeling sick and we had been up with him all night the night before and Mommy had a doctor's appt to get her blood drawn (I hate needles...), it was a good day. Brycen and I slept most the day away but when Daddy came home, we had a delicious steak dinner/picnic from Applebee's take-out on our living room floor, followed by watching, "Tangled" (cute movie!). Brycen stayed up with us and watched almost the entire movie, giggling and saying "oh no!" at parts, before falling asleep in my arms.

AND...Brycen is feeling so much better today! He even used the toilet for the first time (his idea, he approached me saying, "baby's turn" this morning)! Will I get a short break from diapers after all? I guess time will tell.

O, the little things.

Brycen always wants to help. Yes, it takes longer. Yes, it's messier. And yes, I love it.

We made Chicken Enchiladas for a group dinner a week or so ago. I credit Brycen's personal application of cheese as to why they tasted so good.

Mmm....

Brycen believes in one movie and one movie only. That movie is titled, "Cars". It makes it's appearance at least twice a day (per Brycen's orders) and Bryce and I may or may not know it word for word. I sometimes wonder how much longer before I beg for Brycen to please, want to watch something else or the day comes that the movie just happens to "disappear". But other times, I am so thankful for the little distraction it can provide.

Specifically, this day:

Our first success of getting him to watch a movie in the car. I think he was way more interested in wearing the headphones but the 30 minutes (of the 5 hour trip) that he sat and watched, were amazing since it allowed me to do my favorite thing: sit in silence and look out the window. Am I weird?

I love the countryside between where we live and Chicago. So many Farms. Old barns. And stories that I yearn to know, so I usually find myself, making up my own.

We stayed the night in Chicago so we could break up the trip and attend the temple. I specifically packed a certain way, knowing that Brycen would insist on helping.

LOVE him!

So, we stopped by Costco on the way home from Chicago and bought our first sleeping bags for some camping we hope to be doing this summer. We were interested to see if they actually worked for what they said they would and since I always freeze, no matter the temperature; I volunteered to be the guinea pig.

Much to my liking, it worked! I was pretty comfortable while Bryce sat by and froze.

Since I watch my friend's little baby a few days a week; this has made it's reappearance in our living room after months of non-use.

I'm pretty sure he enjoys it more now than he ever did as a baby. And he loves that he can climb in and out as he pleases.

Bryce returned today after a 3 day trip to NY. Brycen nearly had a heart attack when he spotted him at the airport.

We are so glad he's home and are all looking forward to much needed sleep tonight.

Rocking Joy

Is it just me or is the miniature version of anything always cuter?

Brycen LOVES his new chair

.... and I find it simply, adorable.

Lucky Charms.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

This holiday always reminds of Bryce. For those of who don't know (a little Walker history): I came home from my date with Harold my Freshman year of college (Harold B. Lee Library, I was very, very against socializing in my RM ward) starving, and walked in the kitchen to find -to my dismay- a huge group of people around the kitchen table in my Heritage Halls apartment at BYU in Provo, Utah. In an effort to try to make me appear "normal", my roommate went around the table, introducing me to all of them. I could really careless-all I wanted to do was grab my cereal, milk, spoon, and bowl and escape to my room; but I do remember one (and still, only) person that was there.

He was wearing green with "Ireland" printed across his jacket, had red hair, and blue eyes. I never caught his name or made an effort to because I already had one for him. As I grabbed my favorite cereal, Lucky Charms, and made a dash for my room--I looked at the Leprechaun on the front of the cereal box, the one I have stared at ever since I fell in love with the cereal and kept thinking to myself, "How crazy! Leprechauns do exist!".

A week or so later, the Leprechaun came, found me, and sat by me in the 1000 seated room of American Heritage. I thought it was because he remembered me from that awkward kitchen night but it turned out that it was all my chance. I happened to go to an earlier class because I stayed late one day after Biology (held in the same room and found out the same teacher taught American Heritage right after, so instead of going home and coming back, I stayed) and as Bryce described it, "he found a pretty girl and sat by her".

We started talking and became friends. I ended up saving Bryce and his friend-also in our ward-a seat every day since I was there from the class before, and American Heritage easily became my favorite class that semester. It wasn't until a while and some drama later though, that we had our first dance at a St. Patty's Day Dance. It was to "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias. Bryce sang the lyrics in my ear as we danced and it became "our song" that we danced to at our wedding reception and Bryce still plays for me (and sometimes we dance) from time to time.

and here we are, almost 5 and a half years later...

with a little Leprechaun of our own and a cabinet full of Lucky Charms.

Who would've ever thought I carried the Leprechaun gene?

And that, that same lil' Leprechaun would get the biggest kick out of eating ALL of Mommy's marshmallows out of her bowl?

The last part might drive Mommy slightly crazy but the rest of the story is amazing and meant to be.

In celebration of the day, the lil L and I made some delicious cookies. He insisted on helping every step of the way and it was a blast (and success).

The food coloring was by far, his favorite part. After he observed what the first drop did, he said, "WOW! MORE!" He then grabbed the bottle and added a ton, if you ask me. Ask him? There's more in the bottle; so, clearly, not enough.

Brycen adding his own artist touch.

Next time, I should probably check before hand, if I have all the ingredients... but thankfully, my neighbor lent me some vanilla and the Reese Cups turned out to be a yummy alternative (I first tried chocolate chips but I wasn't fast enough and the cookies cooled before I could get them all on, causing the cookies to fall apart).

And to complete the holiday, my husband that got up and dyed the milk green this morning and is wearing a certain green jacket with "Ireland" printed across the front, came over and gave me a fair share of pinches. I'm sure, all out of love.

After everything, I forgot to wear green. I always do.

The Cutest WIP

My shopping partner in the making...

Now, if only I could teach him to not plow into every person, child, shelf, and clothing rack within a foot radius, that would be great. His frustration, rescue cries, and needing to constantly apologize for his run-ins make shopping nearly impossible, obviously devoiding the whole purpose of it.

Oh well, we have 16 more years to work on it....:)

Free Entertainment

Who knew a garbage truck could be so fascinating?

I would be okay with garbage day being every day.