Liebster "Award"

About a month ago, some friends nominated my blog for the "Liebster Award"...which basically isn't an award as much as a shout out saying they read my blog and want me to answer some questions here.  So here you go girls.  Better late than never.  (Note: I answered most of these questions a month ago and am just posting.)

Here are Ashlee's questions:

1.  What did you do on your last date? We went to the temple and then had a very late dinner (it was after 10:00 pm when we got there) at Native New Yorker. (Not really our restaurant of choice but we didn't have many options at 10:00 pm on a Tuesday night.)
2.  What was your GPA when you graduated from High School? I really don't know.  I didn't care about my GPA until I got into my social work program and decided I wanted to go to grad school. Then I became super anal about it.  

3.  What is your favorite form of exercise? As boring as it sounds, either walking on a treadmill or step aerobics in a class setting.  Lately I LOVE working out and look forward to hitting the gym with my friend, Autumn, once the kids are bed.  I've never looked forward to working out this much before.  (It might have something to do with having a little "me" time after being home with my kiddos all day.)

4.  Do you care what way the toilet paper goes on the holder? I prefer over the top but if it's the other way I'm not going to change it.  
5.  On average, how many hours of TV and/or movies do you watch per week? 1-2, often none. 
6.  What is your favorite dessert? Tough decision but I think I'll have to go with ice-cream. I love going out for ice-cream when I'm on a date with Wendel. I did have some homemade German Chocolate Pie yesterday that was absolutely amazing. 
 7.  How many days per week do you eat the same thing for lunch? 3-4. I usually make a veggie wrap now that I'm home.  When I was working, I ate Subway almost every single day and got so sick of it (not many options in the little town I worked in).

8.  How long was your longest labor?  17 hours with Oliver if you count when I first started feeling contractions to delivering. 

9.  What super-hero-power do you wish you had? I wish I could keep all kids safe.

10.  What is your biggest fear? Something happening to Wendel or our children. 

11.   What is your favorite vacation spot?  I've had a long standing dream of going to Ireland someday but having lived in Washington, maybe I'm okay if I don't ever make it there.  Hawaii was pretty cool (and no, I still haven't blogged about our Hawaii trip from 2010).  I would love to take Wendel to Australia someday to show him where I served my mission. 

Now for Katie's questions:

1. What is so cool about the person who nominated you?  When I was in grad school and had just had Oliver, I was kind of a mess.  Katie called me one day and invited me to come over for lunch.  We had a good conversation, I felt uplifted  and it was really what I needed at the time.  I later found out Katie felt prompted to call me and invite me over.  I was grateful she was in tune to get that impression.  It was probably a little thing to her but it was huge for me at that time.
2. What is your biggest regret of 2012? Really not sure.  I know that's a lame answer but that's all I've got.
3.  What was the highlight of 2012?  The birth of Joshua. 
4.  Who do you wish you still kept in touch with, but haven't seen in awhile? My guy friends from high school.  That's the thing about growing up and getting married - you kind of lose your friends of the opposite sex.  You might still be friendly with them but it's not the same level of friendship.  Back in high school, I was the only girl in our group of friends after my two best friends got married the year after graduation (two weeks apart from each other).  It was me and five guys and we did everything together.  I was particularly close to a three of them and really miss their friendship. 
5. If you could meet one famous person, who would it be? It would be interesting to meet Joseph Smith.
6.  What is the best part about your "job"?  My job at CPS - my supervisor.  He's the best supervisor ever.  My job as a mom - the cute things Oliver says and does and when he says "I love you mommy" or signs it to me it melts my heart.  Seeing Joshua smile (even though he's only three weeks old and I know it's not intentional at this point) is so sweet too. I also love being able to comfort my children.
7. Where is your favorite place to eat? (Restaurant.  Not "over the sink" or "in the tub")  I am kind of a foodie type person and could never pick just one but I will say Anthony's and Salty's are at the top of the list. I also love La Grande Orange.  Their Sonoma Salad is so good.
8. What is your dream job? I think I'll eventually be able to say being a stay at home mom...but I'm still working on it right now to be honest.  I do love being a social worker too.
9. Who is your hero, and why? My husband.  He has always supported me and believed in me.  I wouldn't have graduated with my BSW or MSW without him.  He is my rock.  I love his guts (and the rest of him too).
10. What is your lucky number? I really don't have one.
11.  What was the last book you read? I'm currently reading Parenting with Love and Logic.  Before that it was Heaven is Here.  

Thanks girls, this was fun.  This "award" reminded me of "tags."  Whatever happened to those?  

*two-week photo shoot*

While Wendel and Oliver were at church last Sunday, I pulled out my camera and took some photos of Joshua.  Babies change so quickly at this age.  I'm so glad I took the time to do this little shoot (even though a little nap would have been nice too).  Here are some of my favorites.

 I will add my favorite image after I send out birth announcements. I love our sweet little boy. 

ETA my favorite:

Moving forward

Our Christmas card this year.

 A little recap from 2012 (I did this back in 2010 as well):

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? Worked for CPS.
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? My resolutions from last year were the following: 01. Blog more often. 02. Read from the Book of Mormon daily with Wendel. 03. Write in my personal journal at least once a week. 04. Work on Oliver's book regularly. 05. Use my scripture journal with my personal scripture study at least one time each week. 06. Work out 3x / week. I pretty much failed at all of these.  Wendel and I did okay reading scriptures but not perfect, especially toward the end of the year.  I obviously didn't blog more often, I didn't write in my personal journal once a week and I didn't work on Oliver's book at all.  I wrote in my scripture journal a little but not much.  I did work out pretty regularly up until I got pregnant.  Overall, I did not do stellar with my goals.  I do have a few resolutions for this year, which will hopefully be more attainable (to come later in this post). 
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Other than me, I had several friends and two cousins give birth this year.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Wendel's grandmother, Rose Winnifred Pratt Burnham, died in December. We named Joshua's middle name (Pratt) after her (and after Wendel - Pratt is one of his middle names as well).
5. What countries did you visit? None
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? More patience.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory and why? December 24th, the day Joshua was born.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Working full time for CPS while being pregnant and being a mother to a 2-year-old.
9. What was your biggest failure? No big regrets
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing serious
11. What was the best thing you bought? Probably Wendel's Ford F-250.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Oliver's - he is fully potty trained as of a few months ago!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Political leaders - elections depress me with all of the lying candidates do about each other.
14. Where did most of your money go? Life.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The birth of our son, Joshua.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012? We Are Young by Fun
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Sadder in some ways at this specific time - but I think this is mostly due to having just had a baby and the emotions that come with that adjustment, plus it is quite an adjustment for Oliver having a new baby in the house, which has been hard for me too. But we're getting through it. Overall, I would say I am happy and blessed. 
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter but it's worth it.
c) richer or poorer? Richer, both with money and with blessings.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I would've had more time to do more family history (scrapbooking, journaling, blogging, etc.).
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Nothing. No regrets.
20. How did you spend Christmas? In the hospital.  We were released at about 7:30 pm on Christmas evening.  We celebrated the next morning with my mom and brother, Tyson, who were in town.  Wendel's mom, Linda, came over as well. 
21. Did you fall in love in 2012? Yes, with my sweet new son, Joshua. 
22. What was your favorite TV program? Parenthood (my answer was the same in 2010 - love this show so much).
23. What was the best book you read? I didn't read much this year.
24. What was your greatest musical discovery? Not sure I really had a musical discovery. I am not very adventurous with music and tend to listen to a lot of talk radio commuting to and from work.
25. What did you want and get? A baby
26. What did you want and not get? Nothing comes to mind.
27. What was your favorite film of this year? I didn't see any amazing movies. Sad, but true. I didn't see many movies at all, so that's not saying much.
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 33.  I don't recall what we did - probably went out to eat.  Wendel got us a weekend getaway to a place in Scottsdale, which we used at a later date.  My dad and his fiance, Dot, took Oliver for the weekend for us.  We ate at a really great Thai place and were able to sleep in - it doesn't get much better than that.
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Not sure.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? Comfortable.
31. What kept you sane? Wendel.
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Taylor Swift.  I really like her music.
33. What political issue stirred you the most?  Not any one.  There were several issues that I followed and had opinions about.  I was frustrated with the election in general.
34. Who did you miss? My family.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012: I can do hard things. (I knew this before but was reminded of this several times throughout the year.)
36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"So I'll be bold
As well as strong
And use my head alongside my heart...

But I'll kneel down
Wait for now
I'll kneel down
Know my ground"

From I Will Wait by Mumford and Sons 

Maybe it's a stretch but I apply the lyrics to my experience working for CPS this past year.  I had to learn to be bold (I'm not naturally this way but had to be on my mission and again as an investigator for CPS) and strong (as I saw lots of abuse).  I had to use my head along with my heart - I couldn't just react with emotion.  I view the second part as kneeling down praying, because I did a lot of that as I prayed for strength to do this work and endurance to keep going - not just working for CPS but balancing work with being a mother and wife, as well as my calling at church and everything else in life - all while being pregnant.  

2012 was a good but very busy year.  I am sitting here pumping, listening to Joshua's sweet little cooing noises as he is hanging out in his swing.  I've been thinking I want to post about my goals for this year so I can solidify them.  I had a long list of goals in mind, in several different areas, that I wanted to tackle this year.  But I think I'm going to keep them to a minimum instead, so I can keep them attainable.

01. Become more patient. I never realized I struggled with patience until recently.  Being a parent - and a recent stay-at-home mom with a very jealous and defiant 2-year-old has brought this to light in a hurry.  I find myself getting easily frustrated with how easily frustrated and defiant Oliver gets (hmm - I think part of the problem is we are so much alike) and wishing patience came more easily to me. The plan: Study Love and Logic, study patience in the scriptures, Ensign and other books, and make concerted efforts to practice being patient with Oliver.  Part of this effort might include keeping track of what I learn / how I'm applying it either here or in a journal of some kind.

02.  Read from the scriptures / gospel study daily.  Even if it's just for ten minutes. The plan: read while I pump or at the beginning of the boys' nap time. 

03. Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  The plan: Exercise as soon as I am able (I have to wait five more weeks) and be mindful of what I eat.  This might include joining Weight Watchers or it might not.  I've got 20 pounds to lose and I'm determined to do it. 

04. Give more to my calling.  I want to focus more on my calling - to really do my best and be mindful of the children I'm serving as Primary Secretary.  The plan: Set aside time to work on my calling, do not procrastinate, pray for help and pray for the children and sisters I serve with.  

 Those are the four I really want to focus on, so I'm going to drop everything else off of my list and do my best in these areas. 

Happy 2013!

Joshua

Joshua Pratt Schultz was born on December 24, 2012. He weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 19 3/4 inches long.

What a perfect Christmas present.  Our sweet little Joshua was born on Christmas Eve. I woke up at 2:30 am on the 24th, feeling contractions.  They were about ten minutes apart, then seven minutes, then sporadic with about a half hour between and then back to ten minutes.  Since they weren't consistent, I stayed in bed but kept timing them.  At 8:00 am, I called my OB's office to see if I could come in that day to see how far along I was.  I was told they were mostly closed with just a skeleton staff and to go to the hospital if my water broke or if my contractions got to ten within an hour.  Wendel and I talked about going to breakfast since my mom was in town to be with Oliver (she flew in the night before - perfect timing) but we decided to sleep a little longer instead and never made it to breakfast as my water broke around 9:30 am.  We were then off to the hospital.  My mom had taken Oliver "train hunting" (we live near a train track and he loves to have us drive to it and watch for trains to come by) so she met us at the gas station where we were filling up so we could kiss Oliver goodbye.  We got to Banner Gateway Hospital at about 10:40 am (after searching for something to eat - I knew I wouldn't be able to eat until after he was born once I was admitted and I was really hungry.  Sadly, the only place we could find nearby was a Carl's Jr. so I had tater tots and an orange juice, which just didn't cut it).  We got checked in and checked out in triage, where they confirmed my water had broke and then took me into the labor and delivery room.  Even though my water had broke, my contractions were still not five minutes apart or really completely consistent.  I was also positive for Group B Strep so I needed two cycles of Penicillin before the baby came if possible.  The two cycles took four hours.  The part I hated about that was feeling a burning sensation go through my left arm (the IV was in my left hand) as the Penicillin went through my body.  I was also positive with Group B Strep with Oliver but I don't remember that sensation at all.  Maybe because I was in so much pain.  About half way through, I got the epidural, which went smoothly.  The nurses were so nice and friendly.  I was told I was the only patient in L&D that day (until about 6:00 pm, when one more came in) so I think we got a little extra attention.  Once I had the epidural, I was just chatting with them pain free, which was so nice.  They gave me Petocin to get the labor going and had me start pushing.  The doctor arrived at 5:25 pm and Joshua was born at 5:39 pm.  I pushed for about 45 minutes total.  The nurses laid him on my chest right away without washing him off first, other than rubbing him down a little with a towel (also different from Oliver's birth).  Wendel has a weak stomach, so that was kind of hard for him but I kind of liked being able to see him right away.  When they laid him on my chest, I was overcome with emotion and started to cry.  I had been worried about loving another child the way I love Oliver and didn't think it would be possible but immediately felt love for him.  It was such a sweet experience.

Joshua's and Oliver's births were like night and day.  Oliver's birth was very traumatic for me, as the epidural wore off hours before he came and I wasn't given any more.  I physically shuddered for months after his birth when I thought about it.  With Oliver's birth, I tore and they didn't numb me when they stitched me up.  With Joshua's birth, I tore as well but couldn't feel a thing and talked with the doctor as she stitched me up.  When Oliver was placed on my chest, I could barely focus on him because I was being stitched up without anesthetic and was in extreme pain.  I couldn't even enjoy that first moment with my son.  This was such a better experience for me as far as labor and delivery.  I think the most painful part was the IV because they had to try three four times (I have really small veins) and finally ended up putting it on the top of my left hand, which was really painful).  I am so thankful for the epidural!  It was kind of annoying not being able to feel my legs at all, but I could feel pressure to push and that was perfect.  The labor was shorter and it was overall a good experience.  We weren't too impressed with the staff who attended to us in recovery but it was Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and I'm sure no one wanted to be there.  The hospital gave us a little stocking with wash cloths and an ornament inside, which was nice of them. 

 

When my mom brought Oliver up to the hospital and he walked into the room, he exclaimed, "Baby brother came out!"  It was really cute.

Oliver (age 2.5 - 3 years old in March) meeting his baby brother for the first time.

So far Oliver is doing pretty good with Joshua.  My mom bought Oliver a little baby boy doll and he practiced taking care of his "little brother" before Joshua came home.  I think that helped.  Sometimes when I am holding Joshua, Oliver will come up to me and say, "Mommy, hold you" (meaning he wants me to hold him).  As long as I give him 1:1 attention too, he is fine.  However, I've had my mom in town helping me with Oliver and Joshua so we'll see how it goes now that my mom left (I was so sad to see her go this morning.  She was so helpful.)  It was cute - my mom told Oliver to say hi to his baby brother the other day.  Oliver waved his hand and said "Hi" and then said, "He doesn't talk" and walked away.  It was so cute.

Joshua actually looks quite a bit like his brother when he was a baby.

He is the sweetest little baby and I love to just hold him and look at his sweet little face.  Babies are so precious.

He gave us a bit of a scare on December 28th.  I took him to his first doctor appointment that morning.  The night before was terrible.  He would nurse for an hour, seem content for about ten minutes and then want to eat again.  I was bleeding and sore and he didn't seem satisfied.  I had nursing issues with Oliver so I figured this must be the case again.  My milk had just come in the night before his appointment so I didn't know this was the case for sure.  At his appointment, we found out he lost a pound since birth (weighing 6 lbs. 7 oz.) and was dehydrated.  His oxygen level was at 95 (borderline low) and he was at the 50% for Jaundice.  His eyes looked cloudy and his face looked a tiny bit yellow.  He had only had one wet diaper in the last 24 hours, which I knew was concerning.  His doctor (who is amazing) got him a bottle of formula right away.  He ate the 2 ounces quickly.  She set up an appointment for a weight check.  She called me later that afternoon to check on him and I told her there were still no wet diapers and he spit up most of the bottle I had recently fed him.  He also seemed very drowsy and not alert when we woke him.  At that point, she told me to go to the ER.  That was kind of scary to hear.  I called Wendel and he met me at Cardon Children's Hospital in Mesa.  (Again, it was so nice that my mom was here to be with Oliver and drive me up there, since we are down to one car right now.)  We had several nurses try to give him an IV in his arm with no luck.  After four attempts, they had two nurses from NICU come down to the ER to put one in a vein in his head.  Even though I know the IV was only in a vein in his head, it was still hard to watch and looked terrible once attached.

Poor little guy.

We spent 20 hours in a little ER room.  We were admitted to the hospital but never left the ER room because all the beds were full.  He eventually had four wet diapers while we were there and his blood work came back fine so we we finally able to go home the next afternoon.  We are glad that experience is over and Joshua is okay.  We were not impressed with most of the staff and the whole experience was long and frustrating.

Joshua with Grandma Louise

It is today, a week after our baby boy's birth, that we finally decided on his name.  I knew it would take a long time.  We just didn't agree on boy names; those I loved, he didn't and those he liked a lot, I didn't really care for.  We had a list of names we both didn't dislike and we have even struggled picking a name from that list.  In the end, we chose Joshua because we like that it is a scriptural name.  In the Old Testament, Joshua was appointed by God to lead the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land after Moses' death.  Joshua means "God rescues" and the Hebrew meaning is "Jehovah saves."  We like the idea of naming him after someone who was close to God and is a good example to look up to.  His middle name is Pratt, which is a family name.  Wendel's middle name (one of them) is also Pratt.  His Grandma Rose recently passed away, the weekend before Joshua was born.  She also had the name of Pratt, as she is a descendent of Parley P. Pratt.  During Wendel's last conversation with her before she died, he told her he wanted to name our son's middle name Pratt, after her and after himself.  She told him she would like that. Wendel pointed out this scripture to me from The Book of Mormon tonight, which kind of expresses how we felt as we were trying to choose a name for him:

5 For they remembered the words which their ^afather Helaman spake unto them. And these are the words which he spake:

 6 Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first ^aparents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were ^bgood.

 7 Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.

Heleman 5:5-7

I really like that...giving our son a name so he can remember the people he was named after and their  works.

It has been a busy week for us.  We are tired but feel so blessed.  Joshua is waking up so signing off for now.  Hoping to not let as much time pass before checking back in here.

Hi

I am sitting in our guest room. Oliver and Wendel are asleep and I will be joining them soon. I am thinking about how much is going to change in the next couple of months. Only four weeks until I go on FMLA at work and six weeks until this baby's due date. I am starting to hear sporadic Christmas songs on the radio, which is another reminder that this baby is coming soon (not that I need a reminder - my large belly and constant state of discomfort keep me pretty aware of his upcoming due date).

I am nervous to have two. I am nervous to go through the newborn stage again. I am nervous to stay home and not be working in the capacity I have been working in. Being a mom is a lot of work and it's very different to do that full time than go to an 8-5 job, especially one as crazy as mine. As difficult as my job is, I think staying home will be very hard too. I am nervous about filling the days, being able to entertain Oliver and give enough attention to him while taking care of the baby, and not going stir-crazy. I think this will be the biggest adjustment for me in the coming months. I feel it is important to be at home with our children and part of me is looking forward to it but I also think it will be really hard for me. I think I need to get into a good routine with them. If any of you stay-at-home moms have any tips for me, I would love to hear them.

This baby is moving around so much. I watch my stomach move up and down and feel my belly button being pushed out. Another thing I am worried about is what to name this little guy. I have a name picked out that I love but Wendel is not a fan. He likes the names Bolt and Moose (still - he liked them for Oliver too) and I am not a fan of those. So we have another name dilemma. I need to start thinking of other names since I don't think my first pick is going to make the cut but I am drawing a blank. I think I just love the name I have in mind so much, it is difficult to think of him being named anything else. So...any name ideas for me? I really like classic, old-fashioned names with no weird spellings. Help me out.

checking in

30.5 weeks (I will be 8 months along this Thursday)

I love this one Wendel captured of me and my cute boy. He's getting so big!

A few things:

01. At 30.5 weeks, I am definitely feeling uncomfortable.  I feel like the baby will be early but maybe that is just wishful thinking / because Oliver was early. 

02. Over at The Weed, Josh asked everyone to check in with how they're doing in these areas and then to make a commitment for this week:

Physically: I have two months left to go of this pregnancy. I feel very uncomfortable, heavy, exhausted, and huge. My back is sore most of the time and I get charly horses in my legs. But I am also excited to be pregnant and looking forward to meeting our little guy.

Emotionally: Drained. My job is draining. It sucks pretty much everything out of me. Also, Oliver is going through a difficult phase and is being very defiant, is having trouble sleeping, and is grumpy a lot. So that takes an emotional toll too.

Spiritually: Could be much better but could be much worse too. I feel the need to focus more on this area. A lot more.

Commitment for this week: Read from the scriptures on my lunch break (first force myself to take a lunch break, which I usually don't) three times this week. Make this a priority.

03. I go on maternity leave on December 11th.  I'm not sure I will make it that long, both emotionally and physically.  I don't know that the baby will come by then but I am already so physically exhausted and uncomfortable, I am not sure I can keep up with the demands of this job. 

04.  I am glad I am starting FMLA on December 11th.  I need the two weeks before the baby's due date to prepare: ie, finish the nursery, wash the clothes and put them away, clean the house thoroughly, spend some 1:1 time with Oliver, as well as prepare mentally and emotionally for having another baby, going through labor, having two kids, etc.  I am a little nervous.

05. Last night we went to Stagecoach Days (like a little carnival here in town) with some friends.  It was fun and made me appreciate living in a small community.  I also love that as we are nearing the end of October, it is still t-shirt and shorts weather.  There was a warm breeze last night that was just perfect - not too hot, not cold at all.  I regret eating fried food though.  My body is not loving that choice.

Life is good but incredibly busy (hence my lack of posting here).  Just making it one day at a time right now with everything on my plate. Got to get to sleep so I'm signing off now.  

Quick Update

Update on This Social Worker. I thought I had already made this blog public but in my pregnant state, of course I forgot. So now it is public and you don't need an invite to read it.