A most worthy winner

So anyone who needs a good laugh should stop over to "Seriously So Blessed". If you are not familiar with this spoof blog, it is one that makes light of all the Mormon bloggers out there. Occasionally on the site, the creator (using the alias TAMN) will post giveaways for her readers from those that sponsor her site. This last week, the site has been doing an essay contest for the reader most deserving of a makeover package. Emily G. is a member of the International Healing Hearts Parent Support Group that has wrapped their arms around Kyle and I as we have begun Grant's journey. She is a person of great strength and compassion. She and her husband have had two little babies who have both lived less than two months due to rare genetic and congential heart defects (her little Ryker had HLHS just like Grant and died from complications of surgery). After so much heartache, they are now trying to adopt so that they can finally have a child they can keep here on Earth. Emily has responded to all of the questions I have posted on the IHH support page and has emailed me personally to share her story of having two sweet angel babies. We have never met and yet she has extended her love and support. She deserves to win this contest because of the extreme heartache she has gone through and she hopes that having a new image and professional photos will help make their adoption journey more successful than it has been so far. Please take a second to visit THIS LINK and vote for EMILY. I would love to see her have a nice break to all of the trials they have gone through.

If you want to view their personal blog, CLICK HERE.

Can we get off the ride yet?

Sorry for the long delay in updates... it has just felt like life has been non stop lately and my energy to keep up has been a little depleted. First off, a preggo picture of me at 29 weeks since it has been a while since I have posted any photos...


Looking pretty round eh? As far as our recent weeks update, we continue to ride on the roller coaster. Since Kyle's layoff, we have had a long series of disappointments in the job hunt. Seems that no one wants to hire right now, especially for only a few months. His boss filed for unemployment for each employee and we thought that might be a great solution for the short term. We got his application in and all necessary documentation and received a letter stating that he was approved. We were thrilled. The next day, a letter came saying he was denied because he was a student (last semester, taking only two classes... but trying to finish them both before the baby is born).. we were super sad. The next day, we get forms directing us to give bank information to set up a deposit for his temporary unemployment checks. We were confused. See the roller coaster I am talking about? Continuing on the up and down path we have been taking, my graduation FINALLY posted which means that my license is back in place and I can work as a therapist again. (UP!) The same day, the LDS church put in place a total hiring freeze making it impossible for them to hire me back on. (DOWN!) Then I talked with my boss and explained Kyle's employment situation and he tried to finagle an exception. Because I have been temping there, I was technically not a new hire, but an "in house" promotion which also included a huge pay raise. I was ecstatic, but then shortly the hopes were dashed because since I have only 8 weeks till delivery day, I cannot ethically take on a load of new clients, so my "promotion and raise" are basically there, but I cannot access them. (DOWN!) Then, one of the full time secretaries got sick and was out for 7 days and I was asked to work to cover for her, so I suddenly had 40+ hours a week (UP!) to help cover our bills for a few weeks. Then, I was able to talk to our department head and get him to approve me for a teaching assistantship under an exception rule (I would not typically be eligible since my degree posted, but since it posted mid semester, they can let me still~)... so that is another way to help pay the bills for now. YAY! I have basically been working 40-50 hours a week between temp shifts and TA tasks (which are non typical since I am assisting two professors who are having health and personal concerns of their own, so I am their personal assistants basically). I am grateful that I have been able to access some extra money making opportunities while Kyle is trying to get by doing tons of school and still trying to seek employment. Small blessings, but this is a lot more tiring at 8 months pregnant than it was when I was doing it all a few years ago! See why we have been so exhausted? I am prone to motion sickness and all of these dramatic changes in news have kept us on a continual up and down path!

Another nasty part of this week had to do with our doctor schedule. As a by product of pregnancy, I have 3 warts on my hands and one on my foot that have popped up in the last few months and have to be removed prior to delivery or else with Grant's compromised immune system, he would be in major trouble. I went to the doctor to have them frozen, but did not realize how sensitive I would be to pain at this point in the pregnancy. Kyle was in class and I braved it through the pain initially, but by the time I got home and was still in major pain an hour later, I was concerned. The pain from the stupid warts triggered some serious contractions and I could not find anything that would help ease the pain and stop my contractions. The doctor told me to just rest and let them know if my water broke (thanks a lot!) and that it should stop hurting soon... about 6 hours later, I was finally able to think about something other than pain. And I have to go back in two weeks for a wart check and a second treatment! YUCK! This time, I will make sure that I am not alone and probably let them monitor me for a few hours afterwards since early labor does not sound fun to me! I now have to do weekly non stress tests and OB visits, so I am sure they will keep a close eye on it, but I never realized how painful the stupid things can be!

We got back from our hospital stay today and there is a long update on Grant's heart on his blog, so don't forget to check that out as well as my silly story of today below!

Protect the baby!!

I just had to show a funny picture... we got home from our hospital days this afternoon and drove through nasty freezing rain on the last leg. All day, I have been nervous driving and tonight we went to our labor and delivery class. Coming out of class, we saw that the rain was back and since we live at the top of a STEEP hill with an even steeper driveway, we were a little worried. We barely made it up the driveway (thank you studded snow tires!) but then realized that our driveway was a veritable DEATH TRAP of ice! With our neighbor, two guests of hers, Kyle, and a bag of ice melt, they tried to get the driveway cleared enough that I could get out of the car (we have been super paranoid of me falling this far in my pregnancy). Each held on to other cars (our neighbor could not even get her car into the driveway and had already fallen multiple times) and tried to assist me with making it successfully out, but once the car door was shut, all hope was lost. I immediately fell down and desperately tried to protect Grant. My method was the all fours slide and down I went! I fell to my knees and then proceeded to slide the entire length of our driveway on all fours and into the road before I finally stopped skidding. Sheesh! At least there was no abdominal trauma, but my wrist is pretty sore, my hand is skinned, and my arm hurts. Check out my poor pants! Too funny. When I finally stopped skidding and laughing I decided that it was the most creative fall and slide and felt like the umpire should be yelling "Safe!"

We fought... the Recession Won...

Not really my favorite news today, but still important to document and share. Yesterday, Kyle arrived at work (he works as a purchasing manager for a company that manufactures hydraulic parking and storage units) and began his tasks as normal. Within a few hours, he was called into his boss' office where he was informed that the company was basically shutting down to preserve investors funds (since sales have been so low). That meant a company wide layoff effective immediately. No severance package, no two weeks, no warning. They were told to pack their desks and go home.

We feel blessed that he was extended a few extra months after he survived the first layoff, but this was devastating to me. We have so many unknowns and we were counting on trying to build savings so we could live without working as much during the initial week's of Grant's arrival and surgeries. Now, we are not really sure what to do. I continue to temp at LDS Family Services working when they need me (depending on the week) and I am working for a professor on campus which helps to cover our monthly rent costs, but Kyle was truly our bread winner. After his shock, he drove to every tax preparation place in Logan looking for tax season work (which fits perfectly with the few months we have until Kyle finishes school, graduates, and begins his new job). So far no luck... seems like the slow economy is really hitting and no one is hiring. On Monday, we will try to file for unemployment and register at a temp agency and begin looking for any other possible ideas to keep a paycheck for a few more months. Any ideas for short term work anyone?

I am discouraged, but we are holding up the best we can. It feels a little unfair to have this stress in the midst of so many other challenges, but we are truly blessed and have had many angels assisting us in recent months. Looks like our trial of faith was not just in Grant's birth, but in the months preceding as well. My dad keeps telling us that there will be a window opening somewhere that will help us see the reasons for this, but the tunnel vision seems long right now. Thanks again to everyone for continuing to think of us and pray for the best for our family and for baby Grant. We really do feel that support and appreciate each of you!

Starting the New Year Off

Fun is over. We are officially back to the daily grind and are in the routine of our normal lives. After spending New Year's Eve- Sunday in Idaho (this time to spend more time with my brother Nate and his fiancee, Tanja) it is kind of nice to be back in our own apartment with our own schedules and routines. A small recap of our never ending adventures... the true way to start this year with a BANG!

1) SAVING MONEY! I have always known that Idaho was a cheap state to live in, but we are already beginning to cash in on this blessing! The silly Utah car registration rules require safety and emissions testing ($25), actual registration (this year, $115), and upkeep of anything that is not "safe" on the vehicle (translation... a new windshield EVERY YEAR since Logan has so much snow and the rock the road hourly. We do not get chips here, we get major cracks and they make us replace it every year!)... Kyle's truck windshield was priced at $140 making our total bill to register his truck here just under $300. Not fun! Especially since we just barely registered my car here and had to pay for all of the above things. That is by far the most expensive sticker I will ever buy! This year, I had the genius idea to check into the Idaho laws and realized that because Kyle will be a resident within 6 months, they will let him register his car there early! We arrived at the DMV at 3pm on New Years Eve (the day his registration expired!) and they promptly looked at his truck, verified the color, VIN number, and the mileage, and gave him new plates and a shiny new sticker for the grand total of $36.50!! I love this state! I thought it was odd that they did not need address verification or anything! Apparently, the Idaho DMV is anxious to have more Idaho drivers.

2) NO SEARCH AND RESCUE CALLS THIS TIME!- Anxious to show his Florida fiancee a taste of the frozen tundra, Nate, Tanja, Kyle, and my dad loaded up the truck to head back to our cabin for a day of snowmobiling. They decided to leave me at home again until they had a warm house and a clear trail (with Grant's arrival only 9 weeks away, no one is taking any chances!). I was sure glad I stayed behind! They were stuck on icy roads that were closed due to major wrecks and when they finally arrived at the base of our mountain to snowmobile in, the 45 mile an hour winds and lack of visibility scared them off. At least they learned a lesson this time. All four decided to turn around, drive home, and luckily found a trail at lower elevations to ride on for a little while before coming back to the warm house. This time, everyone was dressed adequately, had phones, extra food and water, and were more prepared. I am glad they learned a lesson after last week's adventure!

3)DREAMING! - Kyle and I have been looking at all kinds of houses in the area in hopes that we will be able to find a steal of a deal for when Kyle moves up for his job. We drove around potential neighborhoods and compiled our lists and then since we were not at the cabin, we called a realtor neighbor and begged him to let us in! 6 houses later, one trip to Home Depot for remodeling cost estimates, and after many hours of discussing pros and cons, we both decided that we will probably NEVER be able to buy a house! We have such differing opinions on what we need vs. want :-) ... Welcome to marriage I suppose! After watching the many marital debates in the middle of home depot, I have a new business plan. Since I am a Marriage and Family Therapist, I think it would be brilliant to set up a kiosk at the front of the store near the customer service and offer mediation and conflict resolution services while you shop! I am certain that this will be how we finance the grandiose plans that Kyle wants for our future home! I hope that we can figure something out while the recession is still going so we can capitalize on this buyer's market!

4)PLAYING WITH FAMILY - This is a given when you spend multiple days with the family, however this week made for other adventures. My dad decided that it was time for upgrades in his home electronics and so as we drove in to IF, we called to see what everyone was up to and were told that Kyle was needed to help lift heavy objects. We drove in and found a new 46" flat panel HDTV waiting to be unpacked and mounted in place. Oh Brother! This was all that my sister Kellie and her special friend, Spencer, needed to convince them that it was time to purchase a Nintendo Wii so that we could all enjoy the new toy together! I didn't complain as we had a blast welcoming in the new year playing Guitar Hero, Wii bowling (safe for pregnant ladies I was assured!), and laughing at the Wii boxing challenges!

In all, we had a great time. The major downfall came when Kyle and I returned to our apartment and started to prepare for his last first day of school (a major milestone!). We walked in our house and faced an odd smell. After checking the trash and realizing that it was not coming from there, we wandered into Grant's room and found the smell intolerable! We had inherited a small chest freezer from some family friends and were so excited to have it for the last two weeks (we have affectionately referred to it as the "changing table" )It is necessary for me to preserve my pumped breast milk until the time will come when Grant will actually be able to take milk through his feeding tubes and our fridge has a tiny freezer, so this was the perfect solution. Unfortunately, it was quite old and apparently decided to die on us while we were gone. We cautiously opened the freezer and about died as we both gagged and ran to the bathroom to throw up. Rotten meats, melted ice cream, exploded bread dough, and a total mess of rotten foods swimming in blood tainted goop awaited us. DISGUSTING! The smell was so bad that we were both dying, but it took us an hour with the windows all open (in single degree temps of course!) to get the food out and begin getting rid of the smell. So sad. We are again at a loss for freezer space, but at least we can be in our house without gagging again! Not my favorite way to start the new year! The sad thing is that as I was alternately gagging, puking, and scooping out nastiness, I kept thinking... "I should take a picture for the blog!" PATHETIC!

Happy New Year!