Driving Pet-Peaves

So as I was driving to work the other night, I noticed some things that really bug me about driving. I thought I would share them with you. (Mind you I am not a perfect driver and I have been guilty of doing the things mentioned. )

1- I really, really don't like being suck behind one car (making me #2 in line) when that car is going straight and I need to turn right. Most of the time I cannot get past them to turn, so I have to wait for the light to turn green in order for the car to move forward so I can turn. This almost always happens to me when I am on redwood road trying to turn onto 35 south. I get really frustrated having to wait. I think they should leave the right lane clear for those that are turning right and those going straight can get over into the right lane after the light. (only in my perfect world)

2- It really, really bugs me when people are turning left on a red light and I have a green light to turn left. I end up spending some of my green light turn time waiting for those people to drive threw who think that where they need to go is more important than my destination. I think that there should be a two second time period where all lights are red for those to finish driving threw. Then I and the cars behind or in front of me can use all of the time allowed on a green left turn arrow.

Basically I much prefer driving at 5 am when they are no cars on the road. I have gotten used to that so I tend to get frustrated more often now when I drive during rush hour.

Food Poisoning

Matt and I went to a wedding Friday night. The ceremony was great and they had a dinner afterwards before the reception. Because of having two small children we waited until the line died down to go and get our food. They had salads, pulled chicken sandwich's, fruit, chips, and brownies. We ate and the food tasted good. We had visited with family and had pictures taken and the gift given so we decided to go home. Carson was getting fussy and Makenzie was falling asleep. On the drive home I started to feel sick to my stomach. When we got home Matt took care of the kids and put them to bed while I went to lay down. As the night progressed I got sicker. Finally around 10:30 that night I was able to throw-up and I felt so much better, but still sick. Matt came to bed around 11:30 because he was feeling sick as well. Around 2:30 Matt threw-up and he felt better. All night Matt and I kept taking turns with the bathroom.

We got woken up Saturday by Makenzie and we were both so tired and weak. I tried to get a hold of my mom to see if she could take Carson off our hands for awhile but I was unable too. My brother said he could watch Carson but a work activity got in the way. When I finally talked to my mom she as well got sick and so did one of my uncles and cousin. So that confirmed our thought of food poisoning. We did not want to eat anything, but we were very thirsty. So we kept drinking lots of water and eating otter pops. Matt was the trooper and allowed me to take some naps while he watched the kids and the BYU football game. I also got the body aches and was hot and cold at the same time. By dinner time I was feeling a lot better and watched the kids while Matt went to lay down. Matt slept the rest of the night while I put the kids to bed and picked up our house.

Today we feel back to normal and were able to eat food. I have never had food poisoning before so it was all new to me. I truly hope that I never experience it again because it was not fun.

FOOTBALL SEASON

Football Season is officially here. Today is the first day of games being played. Playing tonight is the UofU against Utah State. Matt and I went to Utah State so we will be cheering for them even though we know they will lose. BYU plays this saturday and we will be having a party at my parents house to watch the game. My whole family likes BYU except my one brother who likes the UofU. Matt has looked forward to football season for the past month and is excited that it has arrived. Football is Matt's favorite sport and he has introduced Carson to is already.

P.S. The background is in honor of Matt's favorite sport.

UP-DATES

Makenzie is three months old. Time sure has gone by fast. She is now sleeping in her own room and sleeping most of the night. She goes to bed around 8:30 and wakes up around 6:30. She is smiling all the time, becoming more talkative and loves to chew on her hands. She is so sweet.

Carson thinks clothing is optional. He is always trying the take is clothes off and if he succeeds the diaper is next. To him it is a game and not so much fun for me. He has learned how to open doors so we had to buy the door knob covers so he can't get into things like the bathroom to play in the toilet. His favorite word is "shark" and he loves being outside. I do not look forward to winter and being locked up inside.

I have had to change my work schedule so I now have Mondays off and work the rest of the week. It is going to take some getting use to. I am done working out with a personal trainer so now I am on my own. Luckily I have a brother to go to the gym with who knows his stuff. I have really not lost much weight yet, due to my poor eating habits. So I still look like I am pregnant and have around 50 lbs to lose. I guess since it took me 9 months to put the weight on I have 9 months to try and lose it. I really hope it does not take that long. My clothing is pretty sparse and am in need of new clothes.

Matt is doing well at Wells Fargo. They are keeping him pretty busy with training new employees. Lately he has been thinking about going to back to school. Either get a Masters or another Bachelors in a different field. He has also toyed with the idea of Law school so will see what the future brings. He is excited for football season to start and has three fantasy football teams. The love of football has already begun in Carson and gets excited when it is on T.V. I hope it is something the two of them can do together.

Dr. Check-ups

Last week I took Makenzie to the doctors for her 2 month check-up and here are her stats:

Length- 24 1/2 inches
Weight- 14 lbs 13 oz
Head- 41 cm

Basically she is a little chunkster. She has very chubby checks and legs and it looks so cute on her. She is healthy and the only minor problem is that she sounds congested all the time. The doctor said it should go away by the time she is 4 months old. If not then we might have to see a specialist. She does seem to be doing better so lets hope it goes away on its own. She is starting to smile and talk and likes to eat her hands.

Carson went to the doctor today for his 18 month check-up and here are his stats:

Length- 34 inches
weight - 25 lbs 2 oz

So he is tall and skinny. I filled out a questionnaire of about 20 questions to see if he is showing any signs of autism and he is not which I am glad to hear. It has always been a worry in the back of my mind. Carson is very active and does not know how to sit still. His vocabulary is starting to come along. Some of the words he knows how to say, that we can understand what he is saying, are: Stir, Dog, Duck, Hi, Bye, Baby, Mom, dad, Grandpa, Grandma, More, Fruit, Cheese, Shark, Car, Truck, and Flower. It is nice to finally understand what he wants. The down side to him getting older is that he now throws fits when he does not get what he wants or gets into trouble.

So my kids are so cute and I just love them.

Back to work

Well my wonderful time off from work has come to an end. Seven weeks sure went by fast. I started on Monday and felt like it was my first day on the job. There were some changes that took place while I was gone and I had to learn some new things. It has been nice being back to work to help bring money in and to visit with my friends. I really do have a good job and am greatful for it. It allows Matt and I to work and not have to pay for daycare.
Matt has taken over the night time feedings and we have had some struggles with that. I wake up only to wake Matt up to feed Makenzie and then it takes me awhile to fall asleep or I just stay awake because I have to get up to go to work at 5:00am. I have not been able to get both kids to take a nap at the same time so I feel like I walk around like a zombie at times. At least it does not last forever.
I was reading my parenting magazine and it listed a top ten ironies of motherhood and the first one listed fits me prefectly about working. It reads "That you could miss your little ones so much all day at work but be unbelievably relieved when they fall asleep an hour after you get home". If only they would fall asleep.

Makenzies Baby Blessing

We had Makenzies Baby Blessing on July 5th. We had family in town due to the holiday and thought that Sunday would be best. A couple of weeks earlier my mom found a box with my baby blessing dress and gave it to me. So we had Makenzie blessed in the same dress that I wore when I was blessed. I plan in keeping it to pass on if the time comes. She looked very cute in it.

Makenzie Rose Meldrum

She is 5 1/2 weeks old

Matt did a great job on the blessing. I had my mom write down what he said so she can read it whenever she wants to. Of course Carson started to cry when Matt started to talk. Thankfully a friend came and took Carson out in the hallway so I could listen to the blessing. We had a family picture taken afterwards while we all still looked nice. We went to my parents house to have a nice lunch and visit with everyone. When everyone left to go home and we came home I was very tired from such a long and busy weekend.

Happy 4th of July

So our day started out with going to my parents house for a nice breakfast that my dad cooked. Then my parents were nice enough to watch them while Matt and I went to see the Transformers 2 movie. It is hard for us to go to the movie theater these days. I wonder why:) When the movie was over we picked the kids up and headed home. I had to make deserts for our food assignment for the BBQ at my brothers house in Tooele. We had a great time filled with good food, great family and friends, football, volleyball, water balloons, and illegal fireworks.

We had to take some cute pictures of their outfits. I took them in the morning and Carson was not in the mood to have is picture taken. It was hard to get him to sit still and not have Makenzie fall over. We got some OK shots. But at least they looked good!

My brother and sister-in-law bought a small bounce house. Carson had way too much fun playing in it. It took him a minute to understand what you do. He still has not master the jump concept yet.

This was Carsons first time playing with fireworks. He was a little scared and did not know what to make of them. He did enjoy watching the fireworks. We were lighting fireworks off for about an hour and still had some leftover. We also were able to see the city fireworks from where my brother lives. Overall we had a great 4th of July.

Another reason for wood floors

I went out last night to Joannes to buy fabric to make a quilt for Makenzie. When I got home Makenzie was on the couch and Matt and Carson were not around. I figured they must be up stairs when I heard Matt shouting for me. I walk upstairs to our bathroom to find Carson in the tub and Matt taking off his diaper. Come to find out Carson had a really bad blowout and got diarrhea everywhere. He had been sitting in it and it was everywhere on the floor. Thank goodness for wood floors. The mess was very easy to clean up and so was Carson.

Grateful for wood floors

Carson has learned to play with markers I think due to my mom letting him play with the white board and those markers. We have a drawer in our kitchen that holds pens, markers, and odd items. He thinks it is fun to grab a marker and draw on our floor. Luckily it comes off pretty easy with some cleaner. We knew buying a house with would floors would have its benefits, but I did not see drawing on them as one of them. Everyday I become more thankful that we have wood floors and not carpet.

Still alive and loving life :)

We have been home for almost a week now and we are all still adjusting. I think Carson has had the hardest time with it, which is to be expected. In addition to a new baby, Carson decided to climb out of his crib which was already on the lowest setting. So we had to put the toddler rail up because we did not want him to fall every time. I was hoping to deal with this when he was around 2, but he had other plans for us. The first couple of nights he would not sleep in his bed, he would sleep on the bean bag. Then when we went to bed Matt would move him to his bed.Then tonight Carson climbed into bed himself and stayed there. So I think we are making progress with the toddler bed.
While Matt and I were in the hospital Carson had his first molar come through. My poor mom had to deal with it. I think the tooth situation would have gone better had Matt or I been around because Carson was fussy and moody and did not want to sleep. We are still dealing with many emotions so it makes me wonder if we have more teeth on the way. Speaking of teeth, when should you start taking them to the dentist. Matt keeps insisting I should make an appointment, but I think it is to soon. Any suggestions would be great.
Makenzie is a great baby. She is completely opposite of how Carson was. She sleeps great during the night only waking up once, she is easy to calm down when crying, she is very content and mellow, and will take a pacifier. I love Carson, but he was not an easy baby. I hoped that I got all the bad things out of the way with Carson and that the rest of the kids would be easy. So far that seems to hold true.
Carson is doing well with Makenzie. He tries to be the big helper with feeding and burping. He like to hold her, push the swing, take her pacifier out of her mouth, share his toys, give her kisses and hugs. He gets mad if you push his hand away from her or take her of his lap. He is always saying "baby" and pointing towards her with a big smile on his face. You can tell he is excited to have her around.
I am doing well with recovering. I am able to move around more and take care of my kids. I have been able to get out of the house a couple of times which has been nice. I see my doctor next week to check the incision. The only think I have to keep reminding myself is that I still cannot do the things I used to do yet. I still have to take it easy and try not to pick Carson up to much.
Matt has been a great help. He takes the middle of the night feeding so I can sleep (which I don't because I am the one waking Matt up to feed Makenzie). He has helped with cleaning and starting on Monday will have to help . I don't look forward to him going back to work next week because that means I am on my own. That will be a challenge and hopefully I will learn how to handle two kids quickly.

Cute Makenzie Pictures

Welcome Little One

Makenzie Rose Meldrum

May 27, 2009

6:27 pm

10 lbs 2 oz

22 inches

The c-section went well. She has a big head and broad shoulders so it made it a little difficult to come out. She had quite the set of lungs on her when she was born and did not stop crying until she was all wrapped up in blankets and in Matt's hands. She looks like how Carson was when he was born. She is a good mix of Matt and I and we cannot tell who she looks like more. She does have hair and very light eyebrows, so her hair might turn light over time. She sleeps a lot and seem to be very mellow and content. Only cries when she is frustrated with feeding and cold. She like to be bundled up and takes a pacifier well. We had Carson meet her today and new that she was a baby and that was about it. It did have a hard time with me not being able to pick him up. So i think that is going to be our number one struggle for the next while. I am doing well and seem to be recovering a lot faster this time. It has been nice to have Matt here 24/7 and having him help and entertain me. My mom is watching Carson, bless her, for Carson has been quite the handful. We owe her big time. I have not downloaded the pictures yet. That is one thing i will work on tomorrow and then you all can see how cute she is. We just love her!

Still Pregnant

I went to the doctors yesterday for another check up and an ultrasound. The ultrasound is guessing the baby is around 8 lbs 14 oz. So she is big almost like Carson was and is still a girl. She does not have much room to move around and I can feel it. I did not get to meet with my doctor because he is out of town so I met with another doctor. I had to wait about 45 min before I got to see her. The interesting thing is their where not very many patients, so why it took so long I don't know. She was friendly and did a quick exam. She measured my belly, listened to the heart, and did an internal exam and that was it. It lasted about 5 min if that and then I was done. I am not dilated, but 50% effaced. So I went ahead and scheduled a c-section for wed May 27 @5:00 pm. I also scheduled another doctor apt for Tues with my Doctor for one finial exam. He said if I can be dilated to a 2 and 50% effaced then he would induce me. If not then we would stick with the c-section. So either way the baby is being born next week unless a miracle happens and I go into labor before. I have entered the swelling stage of the feet and ankles and having a harder time sleeping at night. I look forward to not being pregnant and having a newborn.
Matt and I are 99% sure of a name now, but we will make the decision finial when she is born.

10 Years

Well that time in my life has come for my 10 year high school reunion. Time as gone by fast and many things have happened in the past ten years. I was hoping that the reunion was towards the end of summer so I would have more time to lose the baby weight, but that is not the case. It happens to be at the end of June. So much for looking good at your reunion:) They are planning a day activity for all the family to come, which I think is a good idea. you get to meet the offspring of your classmates, nice. Then later that night it is dinner for just you and one guest. Who to bring, that is the question! anyways I am looking forward to seeing those who I experienced 4 magical years with and seeing what has become of them. The people who I really care to keep in touch with I already do, so there really is not anyone in particular I am dying to see. It will be fun and I am excited to attend such an event.

Pregnancy Update

I went to the doctors yesterday for a check-up. Everything is going well. I am measuring big just like I did with Carson. I was measuring 38 weeks along and I am only 35 weeks. So another big baby. I go to the doctors in 2 weeks and from there once a week. Hopefully we can do another ultrasounds to see just how big she is and figure out our options for when she is born. We are slowing getting things ready for her. We at least have a place for her to sleep and some clothes and diapers. We still don't have a name and we probably won't name her until she is born. So the waiting and being uncomfortable continues.

Carsons 15 month check-up

Carson went to the doctors yesterday for a check-up. His stats are
Length- 33 inches (90% )
weight- 23lbs 6 oz (40%)
He has only gained one pound since his last check-up and that is due to him being so active. She was not concerned at all about that. We talked about his language skills and she was not concerned as well. Carson can communicate with Matt and I even though he does not use many words. He points and will take our hands to what he wants. He did get some shots and cried a lot longer than he normally does. He kept on trying to pull the band-aids off. I think part of it was due to a not very long morning nap. By night time he was just fine. Overall he his doing well and so far there seems to be no problems with him.

New Nephew

On Saturday my nephew was born. My sister-in-law had her water break in the afternoon and then they called the doctor. He said to head to the hospital, in Brigham city. At 11:24pm he was born. He was small at 6 lbs 2 oz 19 inches. They named him Zaden. He looks like just like Caige when he was born and they both look like my brother. Mom and baby are doing fine and they are already home. It was fun to hold and new baby again and it is getting me excited for when I have my in about 5 weeks.

Happy Anniversary

Matt and I have been married for four years now. Our wedding anniversary was on April 14. This year we did not do anything special. We both went to work and watched American idol that night. I did manage to make a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Some years you just don't have the money to do anything and sometimes those are the most memorable. Plus having children and being very pregnant makes it hard to do something fun. Next year we are planning on a trip to "who knows where" so will see if that really happens. It is fun to look back on the years of marriage and see all the things that have happened and been accomplished and then look forward to what the future might bring. Happy Anniversary Matt. I love you!

Happy Easter

We celebrated Easter on Saturday with my family. We went to my parents house to have a Easter egg hunt and dinner. My brother and his family came from tooele so every one was there except my dad who was in Denver. Matt and my brother went outside to hide the eggs for Carson and Caige (my nephew who is 2 1/2) to find. Cagie caught on to the concept quickly, Carson not so much. He would find eggs and then hand them to you. When he would get some in his basket he would shake it and they would all come out. It was fun and cute to watch. Towards the end he caught on to the idea, but still needed help finding the eggs. Caige would even find the eggs and put them in Carson basket for him. It took about 10 min for everything to be found. We went inside to open some of the eggs and Carson was more interested in the egg than what was inside. Then it was time for a nice dinner. Matt and I did not do anything this year for Easter, (I know were bad parents) but Carson did get things from my parents. I think being this young still he does not know the difference. Next year I will make sure we do something and also teach him why Easter is an important holiday to celebrate and remember.