tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41990053036752248972024-03-12T16:10:26.851-07:00the THUNELL taleJustin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-56794334844609800352018-03-26T20:24:00.000-07:002018-04-02T20:25:30.302-07:00Ida-Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">One time we moved to Idaho.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I basically forgot to tell everyone about it because I have a wild toddler and just popped out a baby.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Oops! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Better late than never, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We adored Chattanooga. Really, it will always be a very special place for our family. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">But Justin quickly realized that his job there was not what he was anticipating. So as much as we loved the place and the people, we knew a change was inevitable. Plus we really missed the midwest a lot more than we thought we would. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Miraculously, a job offer come up from a supervisor Justin worked with during his internship and had to move fast to make all the pieces come together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Our house in Chattanooga sold like magic. We had a generous relocation stipend to help us move. Justin gets to work with old friends. We found a new house that we LOOOOOVE. And most importantly, there is a Sodalicious 5 minuets from my house. Priorities, amiright?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It has been a whirlwind, but a much needed change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So excuse me while I go get a box or two unpacked while my babies sleep and the house is quiet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">AKA pretend to unpack while I watch Sister Wives and eat all JJ's leftover Cadbury Mini Eggs.</span></div>
Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-58380807949822824312018-03-17T20:11:00.000-07:002018-04-02T20:12:06.843-07:003 Months of Charlie Arthur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">At 3 months old Charlie:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Is the happiest baby on the planet! Seriously you guys, who is this boy? I always thought JJ was such an easy baby, but he had NOTHING on Charlie Arthur. He just goes with the flow, enjoys everything, and smiles no matter what. He likes his swing. He likes chilling on the floor. He likes the carseat. He likes his carrier. He can sleep in noise or quiet. He can sleep in light or dark. He rarely cries. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Had found his little tongue and sticks that thing out all the time now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Is sleeping soooo well. He regularly takes 2 uninterrupted 3-hour naps during the day (and a cat nap before dinner). Then he conks out at 7pm and sleeps until 7am waking up 2 times to eat. He usually gives us at least a 6 hours stretch during the night. My only complaint is that it takes him a loooong time to fall asleep for the night. I have to nurse him for about an hour before he is out cold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Finally graduated from sponge baths to real tub baths. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Tolerates JJ's endless snuggles, kisses, and requests to sword fight really well. These brothers sure love each other. JJ loves to hold Charlie's hand, pat his belly, sing him Thunder by Imagine Dragons, and throw away his diapers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Has steel blue eyes with the most beautiful almond shape. This is definitely a characteristic he inherited from the Thunell side of the family. He also has a significantly darker complexion than JJ at this age. These boys looks so much alike but so different all at the same time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Is getting juicier by the day. He is busting out of his 3 month clothes and has moved up to size 2 diapers. I need to weight him soon to see how much he has gained!</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Had a few notable outings this month. He loved bowling in my ergo baby carrier. We also have visited several parks and had playdates with new friends. He loves tagging along to his brother's storytime and sports class. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Oh Charlie Bubba! Moving across the country was not easy on me, but you have been a dream come true in making the move as easy as possible and giving me time to get our family settled. Thank you sweet boy for bring a powerful force of peace and optimism to our family. I sure love you and am enjoying getting to know you better each day. XOXO--Mama</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-85131947548183448732018-02-17T15:43:00.000-08:002018-03-13T15:44:15.512-07:002 Months of Charlie Arthur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At 2 months old Charlie:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is becoming well-traveled. Charlie and I took an impromptu road trip to Indiana to visit family, which allowed Charlie to visit 3 new states. He also took his first airplane ride, which allowed him to visit 2 additional states. So now he has been to Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and Idaho!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is such a mama's boy. We joke that I only have to look at him in order to soothe him, which isn't far from the truth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is gaining weight well. Although he hasn't had his 2 month well-check yet, our home scale estimates he is 11 or 12 pounds. His rolls seem to multiply on a daily basis and he has outgrown everything newborn. You would never know that just 2 months ago this kid was a very sick premie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-loves listening to stories during his brother's nap. We are just wrapping up Matilda by Roald Dahl and next on our reading list is The Twits.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-goes by the nickname Big Bubba most of the time. JJ also calls him Char Char.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is such a good sleeper and thank the high heavens for that! He routinely takes 2, 3-hour uninterrupted naps every day. At night he sleeps about 13 hours waking up 2-3 times for some good milkies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-still has a lot of dark hair. By this point, all of JJ's hair had fallen out and he had a perfectly bald coconut for months. Char also has a super dark complexion and dark blue eyeballs. #yummy </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is seriously just a sweet, calm, peaceful boy. He is happy to lay on a blanket and observe the ENTIRE time I am getting ready/cooking dinner. He loves to snuggle. He loves his carseat. He loves my wrap. He happily tolerates his brothers endless kisses/hugs/requests to hold him. He basically just loves life and is happy to show it with plenty of gummy smiles to go around. Did I mention he started smiling? #idie</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-66581810984873597312018-01-25T07:11:00.000-08:002018-01-25T07:11:12.640-08:00Babymoonin<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We had big plans for a babymoon but as my pregnancy progressed and I got more uncomfortable we lowered our standards dramatically. Sweden (where Justin served his mission) turned into New Orleans. New Orleans was downgraded to a week on the beach in Destin, Florida. And eventually we settled on a mountain getaway in Gatlinburg. It was only a 2ish hour road trip, which is about all my aching pregnant back could handle sitting in one period. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Gatlinburg turned out to be a darling town and we wished we could have stayed forever! 3 days was not nearly enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We ate flapjacks at one of the zillions of infamous Gatlinburg flapjack houses. Doesn't it just sound rustic to say flapjacks? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I had a large stack of jacks loaded with black walnuts and slathered in homemade orange marmalade. Justin chose a stack loaded with chocolate chips. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We also road a ski lift amidst trees colored gloriously by the fall. We played mini golf. We worked out. We treated ourselves to the Melting Pot. We played hours of arcade games in Pigeon Forge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">However, the highlight by far was buying spontaneous tickets to the Dixie Stampede.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">You guys, I literally ate a rotisserie chicken with my fingers and drank bottomless Pepsi while watching horses do tricks and listening to endless Dolly Parton music. Does it get better? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">No. Absolutely not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">More than anything, Justin and I got to spend a lot of time connecting before Charlie was born. I'll blame all that connecting for the fact that we took like ZERO pictures the entire trip. Oops! </span></div>
Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-21558064082190981582018-01-17T11:06:00.000-08:002018-01-23T11:07:41.979-08:001 Month of Charlie Arthur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At 1 month old Charlie:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Weighs just about 7 lbs. We are so happy that he is plumping up! He is exclusively breastfeeding with the exception of 1 bottle of pumped milk each day. Because he was premature we have to fortify this bottle with a special supplement to make sure his Calcium and Phosphorus levels stay balanced. I have to say, it is a game changer having a kiddo that will take a bottle this time. Oh the things I learned from doing it wrong with Jay. Ha! That poor guinea pig.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Goes mostly by Charlie but has also adopted a number of nicknames including Charlie Boy, Charlie Bucket, Bubba, and Bubba Balou.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Is finally outgrowing his premie clothes and moving on to the newborn size.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Loves reading. Okay, okay, I have no idea if he loves reading but I am determined to make this kid enjoy books as much as his brother. We have been reading Roald Dahl books together while JJ naps. So far we have worked our way through Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (hence the nickname Charlie Bucket) and the BFG.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Has a peaceful and calm disposition. This is extremely helpful because his brother is over-the-top feeling all the things right now. Seriously, ALLLLLL the things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Sleeps really well (for a newborn). Bless those NICU nurses who got him on a consistent sleeping schedule. He is sleeping ~20 hours per day. He wakes up a few times to feed at night but regularly gives us several 3-4 hour stretches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Has a full head of dark, wild hair. I love to fluff it up after bath to make it extra spikey. Though it looks like it is thinning out. We may have another little baldie on our hands.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Has made a few memorable outings. We took JJ to see Coco in the theater the other weekend and Charlie was happy to tag along. We have also taken him to walk the Walnut Street bridge in downtown Chattanooga and to ride the infamous carousel in Coolidge Park. Other than that our outings are mostly limited to neighborhood walks and the doctor's office. Curse you RSV season!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Charlie Bucket,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You are a joy and light in my life. I thought of you long before you came to our family and now it is like I have always known you. I really think I have. I am so happy you are here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">XOXO-Mama</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-24715852008404058572018-01-16T10:00:00.001-08:002018-01-17T06:58:17.807-08:00Coming Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After 11 long days in the NICU we were <u><i><b>very</b></i></u> ready to bring Charlie home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">JJ was confused about the whole thing because we talked about Charlie constantly and showed him pictures, but he wasn't allowed in the NICU to meet him. Plus I had been hyping it up for months with library books and videos about being a brother. Plus he had been at the hospital when I went into labor...so there was that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anyways, just imagine his excitement when he was FINALLY allowed to meet Charlie!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We placed Charlie's carseat on the doorstep, hid behind the wall, and rang the bell so JJ could answer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I remember JJ's face lighting up like Christmas tree when he peeked under the carseat cover and caught his first glimpse of "Cha-lee".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">He is still very cautious around Charlie because we have told him how small and "delicate" Charlie is, but he loves to give lots of hugs/kisses, fetch his clean diapers, throw away the stinky ones (bless him!), and help Charlie feel better when he cries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Plus Charlie is the ONLY person JJ will share his swords with. This is a big deal you guys, as he protects those things like his life depends on it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">JJ is such a little people lover and has showed absolutely no jealousy or animosity towards Charlie. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In fact, he always suggests we include Charlie at meals, story time, snuggle time, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I can't wait to see the relationship between these two continue to grow over the years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Brothers are the best, I tell ya!</span></div>
Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-73952407637119640352018-01-14T12:58:00.001-08:002018-01-15T11:48:32.505-08:00Charlie Arthur: A Birth Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Charlie Arthur Thunell certainly entered the world with a bang. I was anticipating an easy peasy planned C-section and as such, had every second of my last month of pregnancy planned to a T. Jay and I were to go on many grand adventures. I would deep clean my house. I would stock our freezer with meals. We would have an incredible Christmas. I would pack a hospital bag. We would tour the hospital. I would finish the last few books on my 2017 reading list. Etc. Etc. Etc. So naturally my body and Charlie decided to have much different plans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It was the most usual of Saturdays. We went grocery shopping and dropped off a mountain of Christmas cards at the post office. There was nothing special on the agenda for the evening, so Justin and I laid down for a short snooze during JJ's afternoon nap. When I woke up I could tell that something was suddenly very wrong. The next several hours were spent throwing up and doubled-over on the couch with intense pains in my upper abdomen. The pain continued to increase and I could tell I was getting dehydrated from all that throwing up. Around 7pm I finally told Justin that enough was enough and I felt like we needed to get help. Since it was the weekend, our only choice was to go to the hospital. I am sure that I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life than when the "EMERGENCY ROOM" sign finally popped into view. Justin passed off the keys to the valet and we were sent upstairs to the labor and delivery unit. There were no clean rooms in the OBGYN triage so I was forced to sit in a small family waiting room barfing in one of those blue barf bags until a room finally became available. Although it couldn't have been more than 30 minutes, it truly felt like an eternity. I am pretty sure I made Justin go check in with the nurse every 3 minuets or so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">They immediately tried to hook me up to an IV, but because I was so dehydrated, the nurse blew out 3 veins in my arm before finally getting the IV hooked up correctly. Then they began to pump me full of pain meds, anti-nausea meds, and IV fluids. They also hooked me up to a machine to monitor the baby. A nurse practitioner quickly came into the room to check my cervix. Just a precaution, she told me. The baby's head was really low (which it also was with JJ), so when she left the room without saying much I thought she was just having difficulty getting a good feel. A second nurse practitioner came into the room to check me again and my jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she told me I was 6cm dilated. She also told me they suspected I was having an appendicitis due to my unusual pain and elevated white blood cell count. They gave me more pain medications to try and slow down my labor. Thirty minuets later I had dilated to a 7 and the nurses informed us that I would likely be having the baby very, very soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Meanwhile, my sweet husband coordinated for a friend to come pick up JJ and ran home to grab some some essentials, all while continuously providing me with an endless supply of back and foot rubs. An interesting fact about this story is that Justin has been out of town constantly in the weeks prior. In fact, he got home from Omaha on Friday night! Yikes, can you imagine? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The medication helped stall my labor and although I continued having contractions, my cervix stopped dilating further. I really don't even remember feeling any contractions (though the nurses tell me they were strong and regular) because I was in so much pain from my appendix. Throughout the night I called the nurse over and over again telling her my pain was unbearable. She kept giving me short acting pain medications that helped me feel better for approximately 30 minuets, but then I was back to the raw, excruciating pain. I am convinced they just held me off through the night so the doctor wouldn't have to come in until morning. Haha! But actually it wasn't funny and I literally thought I was going to die. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anyways, after finally surviving a sleepless and painful night, they sent me down for an MRI early in the morning. Lying on my back was the most painful position possible, so I am really not sure how I survived 30 minuets in that darned machine. And by painful I mean delivering JJ with ZERO pain medications was like a walk in the park compared to lying on my back with this appendix. A lot of tears, teeth gritting, and prayers got me through, I guess. Unfortunately, the MRI came back inconclusive. Then they shipped me over to meet with the high risk OBGYN. He gave me an ultrasound to try and get a picture of my appendix, but this also came back inconclusive. Apparently the gold standard for diagnosing an appendicitis is a cat scan, but because of the risk x-rays pose to the baby, I couldn't have one. Instead they decided they would just take a look at my appendix when I was opened up for the C-section.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Here is where the real fun began. It turns out that having an appendicitis along with a C-section makes you something of a spectacle. Although those are the two most common surgeries women have, apparently having them together is a rarity. I was like a celebrity! Literally. All of those pain meds make this part a little fuzzy, I just remember sooooo many surgeons, nurse practitioners, and nurses, coming into my room to question me about my symptoms. On one hand, the situation turned out to be really lucky because my OBGYN was off for the weekend, but he decided to come in because of my unique situation. On the other hand it was extremely unlucky because my high white blood cell count prevented me from having a spinal tap, which meant I had to be completely knocked out for the delivery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anyways, each doctor had a different opinion and when they announced it was time for surgery, I still had no idea what would be happening to me. The general surgeon working on my case was convinced I was not having an appendicitis (and he sure let me know it!) and said would not take out my appendix if it was not infected. The high risk OBGYN who analyzed my case was convinced I was having an appendicitis so he scrubbed into the surgery just in case the general surgeon refused to take it out. Then there was my actual OBGYN, the general surgeon's assistant, 3 residents, an anesthesiologist, a nurse anesthetist, 3 nurses for the baby, 3 nurses for me, and a surgery tech. Phew! It was one dang crowded operating room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The next part is difficult to write down. I get the shivers reliving this part of my birth story, but I also don't want to forget any details. Once we entered the OR (if you remember was filled with a butt ton of people), they transferred me to the operating table and literally made me strip down. We are talking BUCK NAKED people. Apparently they try to minimize the amount of time the baby is exposed to the anesthesia, which means that they had to do all the prep work before I was asleep. It was horrifying. Once I was naked, they strapped me down tightly to the table arms out and legs down. Remember that lying on my back was excruciating due to my appendix being displaced to my back so I as absolutely MISERABLE. They then catheterized me and started scrubbing me down. It was so extremely painful to lay on my back that I just remember crying (lots and lots of crying), telling everyone how much my back hurt, and trying to lift up my bum to take some of the pressure off of my back. I literally think I would have lost my mind if it wasn't for the nurse anesthetist who had the decency to turn his back to my naked body as it was being catheterized, look in my eyes, and tell me that he would knock me out as soon as he could. There was also a nurse who held my head as I cried and wrapped my arms in warm blankets because it was the only part of my body that could be covered. Finally, after what felt like a century on that table, they started a 30 second count down, put up a screen between my face the my abdomen, and gave me the good stuff to finally knocked me out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Justin wasn't able to be with me during the operation, so he waited outside the NICU to catch a glimpse of the baby. That lucky dog was able to see all 5lbs and 4oz of our sweet Charlie as he was transported up to the NICU. I woke up so disoriented and in soooooooo much pain. The doctor came in to confirm that I actually DID have an appendicitis, which is one of the only thing I remember. The pain medications made me forget most of the next 24 hours. Luckily, one of the nurses took lots of pictures so I could see those first few moments of Charlie's life. I know that at some point Justin wheeled me down to the NICU to meet Charlie. Although I couldn't hold him for almost 48 hours and he was covered with tubes and monitors, I also remember the first time I laid eyes on this tiny human, and my heart was captured. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We then spent a long 11 days in the NICU while Charlie figured out how to breathe and eat on his own. Those were scary days, but also wonderful days. We spent 10-12 hours per day together snuggling and reading Roald Dahl books. It was a rough go getting him here, but a million times over I would do it for him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And that's the story of how my sweet Charlie Bucket entered our family.</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-47973886725212397852017-12-25T15:28:00.000-08:002018-01-16T11:09:36.917-08:00Merry Christmas 2017<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">One time I jumped the gun and ordered our Christmas cards assuming Charlie wouldn't be born until January. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So although he was actually born 8 days before Christmas, he only makes an appearance as a belly bump. Oops!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Regardless, I am grateful for this family of mine and the beautiful Christmas season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Merry Merry Merry Christmas from our little corner of the universe! </span></div>
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Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-11073172573907840252017-10-31T14:48:00.000-07:002018-01-14T14:48:28.123-08:00Halloween 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I searched high and low to find a tractor costume for Jay Wheeler.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Who would have guessed that I would finally find it on sale at Home Goods for less than 20 bones?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">#winning</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">JJ was absolutely smitten to have his own scoop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">He was truly amazed that simply proclaiming "trick-or-treat" would get him free candy and hammed it up all night. Luckily, he also said thank you (most of the time...).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Though next year my goal is to teach him to steer clear of Whoppers and instead go for the Reese's Peanut Butter cups. #amiright?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Happy Halloween!!!</span></div>
Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-1713946350120619222017-10-23T07:01:00.000-07:002018-01-25T07:02:13.729-08:00BYU vs MSU<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">You guys. College football is a serious thing in the South.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Like soooo serious that our neighbor warned us against hanging a BYU flag when they play Tennessee or our house would get egged and vandalized. And he wasn't even joking...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Justin was happy to fully embrace football culture and got us tickets to the BYU vs. MSU game in Starkville, Mississippi. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We made a trip of it and stayed a couple of nights in an Airbnb in town. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">The alumni association in the area planned a tailgate before the game which featured meeting the BYU mascot, a performance by the BYU cheerleaders, and Chic-fil-a. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Walking to the stadium was INSANE. Miles and miles and miles of tailgaters and crimson for days. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">We had nose bleed seats, which ended up being a huge blessing because I was able to find a sliver of shade and a backrest to keep my pregnant body happy in the 100+ degree and 10000000% humidity weather. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Although BYU got crushed to smithereens, we had an insanely fun time! I drank my body weight in Diet Coke. Justin got his football high. And we both came together on our mutual hatred of the MSU cowbells. Please may I never hear another cowbell again in my life? </span></div>
Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-81111179469236380762017-10-18T13:24:00.000-07:002018-01-14T13:25:02.947-08:002 Years of Jay Wheeler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">At 2 years old Jay Wheeler:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Speaks like a mini adult! He has a truly impressive vocabulary and adds new words to his repertoire every day. He regularly says 6-8 words sentences and uses words like "Scandinavia", "exhausted", "disgusting", and "actuary" in daily speech. He can also sing all the words to Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Happy Birthday, ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, etc. We have also worked hard on manner words. Jay (FINALLY!!!) says please and thank you with some regularity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Is in a real sword/dragon/knight stage. While most 2 years old carry around a stuffy or blankie for comfort, JJ has a sword (really just the wooden stick from a spatula with the rubber head pulled off). This sword goes everywhere with JJ including the bath and bed. He loves to shove it down the back of his shirt for safe keeping when he needs his hands free. Jay's favorite movie is "How to Train Your Dragon" and his favorite book is "King Jack and the Dragon". His little imagination runs rampant and during independent play you will likely find him slaying a dragon or rescuing a damsel in distress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Continues to be a tiny bookworm. One of his favorite places is the library and all of the local librarians know him by name. We check out about 20 books, twice per week, and read them until he has all the titles and storylines memorized.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Enjoys outside play! Some of his favorite activities are walks with daddy, jumping in the construction site rock piles by our house, and playing in his sandbox.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Has the wildest blonde hair. He has some major cowlicks (just like his daddy) in the front and back. Every morning I let him choose if he wants dragon spikes or a comb over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Is still called JJ by most people, though we are trying (mostly futilely) to call him Jay. Other nicknames include Biz, Bizler, Bean, and Jdub.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Still loves his fruits and vegetables, but has definitely developed a powerful sweet tooth. His favorite treats are Walmart smily face cookies, marshmallows, donuts, and anything chocolate. Without fail he request "a little bit of dessert" each night after supper. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Means business about his snuggle time. Despite his growing independence, this kid needs a healthy dose of snuggles every day. I have learned that in order to set our afternoon off on the right foot, I need to set aside at least 15 minuets for uninterrupted snuggle time directly after JJ's nap. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Started attending nursery at church and preschool twice a week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Continues to be a real social butterfly. He always prefers a playground, chic-fil-a play place, or library story time that is jam packed with "friends". In fact, every new person is a "friend" to JJ. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Is a truly hilarious human being. He bring so much laughter into our home. For instance, the other day he finished a Popsicle and stuck the stick into his nose. I asked him what he was pretending to be and he said "a narwal". Or another time we were discussing his favorite topic, dragons (obvi) and I asked him what dragons eat. Without skipping a beat he exclaimed "tacos!!!". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How we adore this spunky, articulate, confident, kind hearted, independent 2 year old of ours!</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-29193815583203676602017-10-17T14:39:00.000-07:002018-01-14T14:39:49.815-08:00Jay's 2nd Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A construction themed party was in order for JJ who is obsessed with all things tractor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Seriously, he knows every type of tractor and will correct you if you name one wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">His wonderful grandparents made the 22 hours drive in for the occasion and we spent the day playing hard as a family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The day started with pancakes at IHOP (JJ's favorite) followed by making Olaf at Build-A-Bear. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I decked out the house with special decorations and tried my hand at birthday cake making (it didn't turn out half bad, if I do say so myself).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">JJ loved shoving his little sweet toothed mouth with cake and being showered with attention all day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We sure love you Jay Wheeler! It was an extra special day celebrating an extra special boy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I just know 2 is going to be a terrific year!</span></div>
Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-66127410935007379732017-10-06T14:59:00.000-07:002018-01-14T15:00:25.295-08:00Blowing Springs Farm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We stumbled upon the cutest pumpkin patch this year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Okay okay, it was actually a really lame pumpkin patch, but the fall activities were so fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There was a corn crib, pumpkin painting, petting zoo, a cow train and more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So although I am a chump who actually bought our pumpkins at Walmart rather than picking them off the vine, we loved ringing in the fall season at Blowing Springs Farm.</span></div>
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Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-16100641939004204182017-08-31T15:12:00.000-07:002018-01-14T15:13:13.076-08:00It's A....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We are thrilled to announce that we will be adding another <span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><u>boy</u></i></b></span> to the mix!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">JJ is going to be such a terrific brother.</span></div>
Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-30742513613306464022017-07-22T15:05:00.000-07:002018-01-14T15:05:53.281-08:00SURPRISE! Baby #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Becoming parents has been such a tremendous adventure that we are excited to do it all over again...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Baby Thunell #2 coming this January!</span></div>
Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-63830719576986533872016-12-06T06:44:00.004-08:002018-01-14T12:58:52.094-08:001 Year of Jay Wheeler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I'm only 2 months late FINALLY adding pictures to this post. #storyofmylife</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">At 12 months (1 YEAR!!!!) old Jay:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-is saying all the words. Currently he can say mama, papa, bye bye, up, baba (bottle), balloon, green, and blue. He is also learning animal sounds and will consistently make the sound for snake, bear, and lion if I show him the picture. He can recognize dog and cat nosies but can't quite make them yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-loves going to the library every week! We started these library outings when he was about 3 months old and haven't missed a single week since. Each week we get about 20 picture books, so by my calculations, he has read over 750 library books. This doesn't include the dozens of books we own or the novels I have read to him (all 8 of the Harry Potters and starting on the Chronicles of Narnia). My tiny book worm!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-made the transition to cows milk like it ain't no thang. Now he slurps that stuff down like a maniac. Justin already goes through 2 gallons of milk a week, so I am pretty sure that some serious fridge real estate is going to need to be allocated to milk soon. #strongbonesforlife</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-is sooooo mobile. He crawls. He scoots along the couch. He climbs the stairs in both directions. But he still has absolutely ZERO interest in walking. But I mean, why would he when his other methods of transportation are so fast and effective?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-had the BEST birthday! Justin took work off and we spoiled him rotten all day long. He woke up to homemade pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles. Then Gramps came over to open presents--his favorite of which is his new Halloween book, some magnetic letters for the fridge, and a textured orange ball. Then we headed to the zoo. We go to the zoo just about every week so we made it special with a ride on the carousel (Jay choose the black panther) and icecream. Later Jay's lifelong dream of riding the train was fulfilled when we rode the lightrail downtown for dinner. We watch that thing on our walks every single day and he has yet to ride it! He was thrilled, to put it lightly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-is like a tiny sponge that learns something new every day. He can drink from a straw, match colors, wave bye bye, stack blocks, and give a high five. It is humbling how much he repeats and mimics everything I do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-finally has a top teeth poking through!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-turns around every time he rides in a shopping cart so he can see where we are headed. He also has started associating the shopping cart with the free cookie (thanks to his daddy for that! ;)) and gets giddy for one whenever we head into the sore. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">-is looking forward to his first SLEEPOVER! My mom will be watching him overnight for my birthday (which is just 5 days after Jay's) for the first time. I am thrilled/nervous. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Jay,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I can hardly believe how quickly this year has gone! I am so impressed by you every day and so lucky to be your mama. Words can't really sum up all the feels I have for you, so I will just wrap up our 1 year updates by saying I love you endlessly tiny human. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">XOXO,<br />Mama</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-52167720977486943252016-10-15T18:19:00.001-07:002016-10-15T18:19:37.669-07:00Jay's First Birthday Party<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In our house there is a nonnegotiable rule that each and every birthday is celebrated hard. And despite that fact that Jay won't remember a darn thing about this day, his first birthday was absolutely no exception. And let's be real for a second, first birthdays are just as much for the parents as for the child (#isurvived). And as the leaves are sporting their finest fall colors, the air getting crisper, and the apples are getting sweeter, the theme was almost a no brainer. A fall lumberjack party for my tiny human complete with apples and caramel, roasted marshmallows, and inflatable axes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Turns our that Jay is quite the party animal. He loved eyeing the silver balloons. He loved eating cake to his heart's content. He loved shredding up wrapping paper. But most of all, I think he loved having all his favorite people with him in the same place, at the same time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And while a party is fun, the truth is this little kid deserves to be celebrated. He is so sweet and even-tempered. He works hard to learn new things every day. He is resilient and patient. And boy does he fill our lives with joy. Truly, my heart is filled to the very brim. </span><br />
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Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-54994130156125797682016-09-29T22:03:00.002-07:002016-09-29T22:03:48.365-07:0011 Months of Jay Wheeler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At 11 months old Jay:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-took his first plane ride! We traveled to California to visit his grandma and grandpa great. I was very nervous in the days approaching this trip, but I can't help to brag on Jay for a minute. He was a tremendous flyer (aka slept the whole flight both ways) and traveler. We were going going going for 3 straight days and he was so resilient. Highlights of the trip included an open-to-close day at Universal Studios (with 90% of that time spent in Harry Potter land), a trip to Santa Monica pier, visiting the Los Angeles temple, and lots of snuggles from grandma and grandpa.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-seems to learn a new skill everyday! He can now climb up the stairs, wave hello, clap, and give a high five.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-has enjoyed soaking up the last leg of summer. We went to the Museum of Nature and Science, hosted a big BBQ at our house, visited the butterfly pavilion, and explored the community garden by our house. To be honest, I am NOT looking forward to many many months trapped inside because this kid loves adventuring. Perhaps it is time to start investing in some seriously warm winter gear!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-continues to boost his immune system as he worked through 2 more sicknesses. I think it was a combination of weaning him (breastmilk has all those good antibodies) and bringing him to the childcare at my MOPS group for the first time that really did him in. First he was plagued with a runny nose. Then he developed a cough. Then he got the most intense tummy bug complete with vomiting, blow-out diapers, and 4 days of a fever. Unfortunately he lost a little weight with this sickness so I think he is still right around 20 big ones. Although he is extremely snuggly while he is sick (literally just wants to rest on your chest for 10 hours a day), I am so happy he is on the mend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-besides loosing his appetite for a few days during all that sickness, Jay has enjoyed adding more and more new foods to his diet. His favorite meal of all time was the deconstructed BLT he had for dinner the other night. He had his first taste of bacon (nom nom!), fresh tomatoes, avocado (to replace the lettuce), and asiago cheese bagel. My little boy has the a biggest appetite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-really amped up his sleeping skills. Justin and I hypothesize that it was the trip to CA that really got him sleeping well. Now he a STRAIGHT sleeps 12-13 hours at night and two 1-2 hour naps during the day. I feed him his bottle and lay him down in the crib and he just passes out all on his own! He finally figured out how to sleep on his belly, which also probably helps. He has a special stuffed giraffe (named topper) and a mini blanket that he sleeps with. He loves when you put them right next to his face.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Speaking of naps, this kid has implemented a strict requirement of 10 straight minuets of uninterrupted snuggling as SOON as he wakes up from nap. Try and skip this or cut it short and trust me, you will pay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As we draw nearer to his first birthday, I am getting a little nostalgic of all the sweet memories we have made over the past 11 months. It has been such a sweet year together full of exploring, learning, growing, occasional crying (from both of us), but mostly pure joy. Kid, I am so glad you are mine! We belong together, you and I.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">P.S. Can we talk about what a ham Jay is in his pictures this month? These images describe his personality PERFECTLY. *swoons*</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-15336677202448264192016-08-31T14:21:00.001-07:002016-08-31T14:21:29.838-07:0010 Months of Jay Wheeler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A more realistic depiction of what our monthly pictures are like. hahaha!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At 10 months old Jay:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-gives the best hugs. For him this means laying his head down on your chest or shoulder for about 5 seconds before promptly popping back up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-started crawling! One day he just figured it out and has never looked back. He is also pro at scaling furniture, moving along said furniture, and "walking" with mama's help.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-has inherited the cutest cowlicks from his dad right smack on the back of his head. His hair pokes straight up! The other day a neighborhood kid was over right after Jay's bath time and was like "do you brush his hair like that or something because it's crazy!" Ha! And crazy it is! So part of our morning routine has become styling his wispy blonde hairs. My favorite dos are mohawks and the more traditional combover.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-enjoyed going to the Colorado History Museum this month. We saw their homelessness exhibit, their A-Z Colorado exhibit, and exhibits about coal miners, the dust bowl, and Native Americans. There was so much more to see so we will definitely be going back. Other notable outings this month were the Lakewood Farmer's market and the pool (his first time swimming!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-'s number one strength is his ability to eat. Anything and everything. He shows a definite preference for fruit (especially peaches, blueberries, and raspberries), but also love his veggies, eggs, all kinds of meats, nut butters, whole grains, cottage cheese, and the occasional treat. For instance, he gobbled down a few bites of birthday cake at his cousin's 1st birthday party!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Weighs about 20 lbs, wears 12 months clothes, and is just about outgrowing his size 3 diapers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-Is sharp as a whip. JJ can show you his tongue and nose, give a high five, point, and does 3 signs (more, all done, and milk). We go to the library every Wednesday and get as many books as I can cram in his library bag and still that only lasts about 3 days! He can't get enough of listening to stories, turning pages, examining pictures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-soaked up the 2016 summer Olympics to the fullest! We hosted a party for the Opening Ceremonies complete with black bean and pork stew over rice, pao de queijo, and Brazilian lemonade. We basically kept the games on all day to watch while we played.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-got sick for the first time and it was the literal worst. He had one swollen tonsil and ran a 104 degree fever for 3 days straight. He didn't sleep unless being held so we snuggled 24-7 (I obviously didn't mind that too much!), watched a lot of episodes of the Office, and ate lots of produce packed smoothies to soothe his throat. I am SO grateful he is healthy again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Jay Wheeler, I can't believe you are in the double month digits! Watching you learn and grow a little more everyday makes my life so fulfilling. Life just makes sense when I am with you. XOXO. </span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-67144406076266297182016-07-23T11:02:00.005-07:002016-07-23T11:02:58.341-07:009 Months of Jay Wheeler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At 9 months old Jay:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-graduated from his helmet!!!! His head improved dramatically--all the way down to a 4.5mm asymmetry which is considered minor and falls into the 'normal' category. You better bet that I have been rubbing that soft blonde coconut as much as possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is seconds away from crawling. As soon as that helmet was off this kid took off! He gets into crawling position, will stretch his arm out and reach far away objets, can make his way several feet across the room, turns 360s all over the place, and pulls up on everything but just hasn't gotten down the exact mechanics yet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-has been having some late nights. We took him to an evening concert in our community one night and also kept him up for a backyard party we hosted another night. As long as someone is feeding him all the goodies (one night he was fed an entire marshmallow and about 20 bites of frosting. *gasps in horror*)he is so happy and resilient. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-discovered his pointer finger. He uses it to examine anything he can get his hands on but his favorite are buttons and tags.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-loves food. I have to repeat that for emphasis--THIS KID LOVES FOOD! He is my little bottomless pit. We joke that he got his dad's appetite and his mom's metabolism. The other day we were shopping at Costco and I made the mistake of eating a sample of cheesecake in front of him. As he always does if someone eats in front of him and doesn't share, he proceeded to flip his freaking lid (this is truly one of the only things that makes him mad). Well I didn't want him to eat the cheesecake, so I dashed around to the other sample stations frantically searching for something he could eat. Let's just say he downed 2 cups of veggie fried rice, a cheese asparagus ravioli, and half a dino nugget in about 3 minuets. Such a healthy, well-balanced lunch. #momfail Ha! Some of his recent favorite foods are hummus, quinoa, oat muffins, graham crackers, and banana mashed up with almond butter. And all this food is on top of his usual supply of breastmilk, mind you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-continues to enjoy this wonderful summer season. Some of our recent fun adventures were a trip to the Molly Brown house, Cow Appreciation Day at Chic-fil-a, shopping at the Golden farmer's market, and a trip to the city to meet daddy for lunch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-has discovered a love for books. If I set a pile of board books (because these are the only kinds he won't chew up) in front of him, he will happily sit and turn all of the pages and examine the pictures. Oh it makes me so happy that he loves to read. I don't know what this bookworm mama would do if my baby didn't share my love of reading. We also finished the 6th Harry Potter and just started the 7th. I promised myself we would finish the series before I can read the Cursed Child! #soexcited</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-'s favorite time of day is tooth brushing time. I am not sure if it is the mild fruit training toothpaste (that is literally the flavor) or the texture of the bristles, but he opens wide in anticipation every time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-continues to prey on his beloved Thule. Much to his mama's dismay, Justin taught him how to take drinks from her squirt bottle and now he opens his mouth wide every time he sees it. Jay loves watching me fill her food bowl and is practicing his "gentle touches". He also enjoys examining the tip of her tail (which is the only part of her tail that is white) with his magical pointer finger.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Each stage with this little guy gets more fun! I love our daily adventures together and enjoy watching him learn new things. He is a smart, funny, observant, patient, and happy kid and I am the luckiest to be his mama. </span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-63119473251966333912016-07-04T12:39:00.001-07:002016-07-04T12:39:35.734-07:008 months of Jay Wheeler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At 8 months old Jay:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-has given up on the whole crawling thing. I can never get him to stay on his tummy long enough to even try it, so rather he has adopted butt scooting. Backwards is a lot easier than forwards, but he is working on both directions. He is excited to finally have a means to move around. But heaven help this mama--I will never be able to keep up with him again!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-cut 2 chompers! Both bottom central incisors finally pushed they way through those gums after what seems like month of incessant drooling and many very sad days for my sweet boy. But with frozen teethers, tylenol, lots of cool foods, and extra snuggles he was brave and survived.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-continues to be BFFs with his daddy. Besides in the middle of the night when he only wants mommy (aka boobs), JJ LOOOOOVES his dad. He literally explodes with happiness when Justin walks through the door. It might be because daddy is the designated bath giver (which is Jay's favorite half hour of the day) or because daddy lets JJ do every possible daredevil trick--but these two are inseparable. No one can make JJ laugh like daddy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-loves exploring the new summer season. I constantly have to remind myself that everything in this wide world is new for him and never before has he experienced summer. We are taking full advantage! So far we have been to the zoo (many many many times), joined the summer reading program at the library, made a water park in our backyard, had lots of playdates with our fellow baby friends, gone on early morning walks around the lake, and taken a trip to the Aquarium. Not to mention this little guy is the perfect yard work buddy. He is so content to sit on a blanket and <strike>eat grass </strike>watch mama work!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is 19 pounds and is busting out of his 9 month clothing so we finally pulled out all of his 12 month attire. I love summer because I now have unlimited access to his juicy thighs at all times of the day!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-his chubbiness makes perfect sense because this kid has caught hold of the eating thing and never looked back. This month he tried TONS of new things-- whole milk yogurt (and you better believe her eats the whole dang cup), almond butter, salmon, tilapia, asparagus, egg yolk, cauliflower, hummus, zucchini. And of course he has had a bite or two of things like french fries and donuts....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-continues to be resilient with his helmet. His grammy has been an expert at finding ways to keep him cool as the temperatures rise. She hooked us up 2 types of stroller fans, a misting bottle, cooling towels, and tank top onesies. #bestgrammyoftheyearaward Hopefully he just has a few more weeks before he busts out of that thing for good!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is developing more control of his voice! He now makes a wide range of consonant sounds (my favorite of which is ma ma ma ma) and tones of voice. He understand his name (and his many nicknames--baby bizler, biz, mouse, JJ) and a few other simple words. We have been practicing our sign language and although the only sign he seems to care about is milk, I am sure he will catch on to the rest in no time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is getting so excited to head to California in August! This month we booked tickets to see his grandma great and grandpa great! He loves watching airplanes in the sky, so hopefully he is as thrilled about riding one....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-has started this habit of kicking his legs in an alternating pattern whenever he is really happy or excited. This makes it hard to get a good pictures because his legs literally move so fast. My sweet little cricket baby!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Man I love this little rascal! The mom life is a HARD life, but it is the BEST life. I know I am biased, but I just think JJ is the best baby ever.</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-45949465578955425072016-06-21T18:29:00.000-07:002016-06-21T18:29:07.188-07:00The Flat Headed Saga: First Adjustment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It appears that the stars have aligned in our favor with this helmet. Today we had Jay's first helmet adjustment and we got some great news. Over the past month Jay's head grew by over a centimeter, which is a lot in terms of normal baby growth. It probably means that he got into the helmet just before a growth spurt. And since these helmets work based on how quickly the skull grows, that means we timed it just about as perfect as possible. Of the centimeter growth, over half of that was in a corrective direction. AKA in a way that makes his coconut more round! So now his cranial vault asymmetry is just 5.5mm as opposed to 13mm at his initial scan. It is unusual to have such rapid changes, but we are thrilled. Hopefully he has just one more month in the helmet and will shave a few more millimeters off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It makes all the stinky heads, helmet scrubbing, and hour drives to the appointments worth it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now I'm off to enjoy covering that little coconut in a million smooches until his helmet has to go back on in 12 minuets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">***Sorry about the blurry pictures--I just took this off of the computer screen at our appointment. The red line is his head 4 weeks ago. The blue line is his head today. Isn't that progress amazing? </span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-9047404486195989922016-06-15T15:55:00.000-07:002016-06-15T15:55:16.509-07:007 Months of Jay Wheeler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">At 7 months old Jay: (umm...forgot to push publish on this post a month ago when I wrote it. Oops! #mombrain)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-spoiled his mama rotten for her first mother's day. Motherhood is an interesting thing. So messy and routine yet somehow an indescribably rewarding and inspirational job all wrapped up into one. It is so fun to have a day to reflect on the joy of motherhood and what a tremendous blessing it is to be a mother. Justin took care of all the nitty gritty (cooking, picking up, JJ care, etc.) so I could just relax. And they also spoiled me with cinnamon rolls, flowers, dark chocolate, a new lavender jasmine candle, and herbal tea! *swoons*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is around 18 lbs these days, my little chubby muffin! Still rockin those size 3 diapers and size 9 months clothes. We will have to bump up him to 12 month stuff anytime now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-continues to develop his skill set. He now can reach just about anything he wants--even if he has to stretch to get it. He rolls from front to back (and now does this the second I lay him in tummy time, little sneaker!) and back to side. He is perfecting his pincer grip and gumming food. He also gives big bear hugs. It is the cutest thing ever.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-has enter the phase where he really enjoys reading. Before I felt like I was reading at him, but now I am definitely reading with him. We just wrapped up the 5th Harry Potter book (I read to him while nursing and during his morning and afternoon independent play time), as well as our mountain of weekly library books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-got his helmet! Man does he look cute in that thing! He has also tolerated it really well. We had exactly 1 ROUGH night but then he was right back on track. Can I just say, those things are Ah-MAZING. We noticed his head change even within 24 hours of full time wear. I am relieved by how easy he transitioned into the helmet and that improvement is noticeable. It will be exciting to get a measurable progress update at his adjustment appointment in a couple weeks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-has developed quite the sophisticated palate. I am continuing to introduce new things and have noticed that he has obvious preferences; however, he never rejects anything. This month we added butternut squash, prunes, spinach, chicken, blueberries, and chick peas to his diet. Surprisingly, of all these delicious things, plain spinach and plain butternut squash are his favs. #veggielover #justlikehismama</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-is becoming so friendly. As though his ginormous blue eyes didn't attract attention before, now his helmet sure brings the ladies to his yard. It seems like every single lady over the age of 40 stops us. Although this does make grocery runs twice as long as they need to be, I don't mind because Jay lights up with a smile every time. He loves interacting with others. This kid has got some serious game!</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-63873420143209784382016-06-14T21:28:00.000-07:002016-06-15T15:55:36.718-07:00The Flat Headed Saga: The Insurance Nightmare<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">You would think that once you have made the leap and decided to get a helmet for your kid it would be smooth sailing. But ah nay nay, you may have a loooong road ahead of you. For starters, navigating insurance can be one heck of a nightmare. We are talking Lord Voldemort under your bed ready to cruccio you butt kind of nightmare. I am not kidding when I say I spent 50+ hours on the phone with insurance, third party facilitators, and doctor's billing assistants trying to get everything sorted out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The unfortunate reality is that because plagiocephaly is so new, helmet therapy is often considered alternative, cosmetic, or optional, so coverage is limited. Many insurance companies consider cranial remodeling helmets an aesthetic or alternative treatment, so deny coverage entirely. We THOUGHT we got lucky and would have coverage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">For us, a referral from a general pediatrician was not considered enough evidence for meriting insurance payment of the helmet, so we had to get an appointment with a developmental specialist. Apparently these people are quite popular because it took us nearly a month to get in. At this appointment Jay had his head measured his neck muscles examined. We also detailed his physical therapy history and the doctor deemed that it had been unsuccessful for correcting his head shape. Lucky for us, our doctor was very thorough and spent loads of time laying out the pros and cons of helmet therapy from a developmental standpoint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Jay's head has right posterior cranial vault asymmetry measuring 13mm. This classifies him as having a moderate deformity and places him several millimeters above the cut off point for which a helmet is warranted both medically and for insurance payment at our particular company. With these measurements, we got the golden ticket (aka the prescription) to proceed with helmet therapy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Prescription in hand, I spent hours and hours (and hours and hours and hours) on the phone tracking down an in-network orthotic and prosthetic provider in our area. After finding one and having another several week waiting period, I started trying to figure out a solution that would allow Jay to get in his helmet sooner. See, after the original appointment the orthoepist has to get approval from insurance, which can take up to two business weeks. Then Jay would have to be scanned and the helmet has to be ordered. Depending on the company you are working with, that can be another couple weeks. Then there is a fitting and getting the helmet adjusted just right. For us, that was pushing things way to far out. Especially since as the child reaches more milestones, they become more resistant to the helmet and may even try and pull it off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Anyways, first I filed an appeal to try and get an out of network provider covered in-network because of the long wait time. Rejected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Then I tried to have another out-of-network provider submit a pre-certification to see if they could be covered. Also, rejected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In the end, I received a call from some high up person at our insurance company apologizing profusely for having wrong plan information on file and the helmet wasn't actually covered AT ALL under our policy. Many a tears were shed over this. Not for the fact that we now have to pay $2000 out of pocket (did I mention that these things are RIDICULOUSLY pricey?), but for the fact that again my sweet boy was being delayed treatment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But I've digressed. Onward and upward. We decided to move forward with a company that would be able to get us in quickly and are currently working with the P & O Group at the Children's Hospital of Colorado. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So to make a long story short, before doing anything I would recommend getting in touch with your insurance company. Push and push and push to get documentation in writing. Because it turns out that even if 5+ customer service representatives all tell you you are covered and find an in-network provider for you, you still might not be covered in the end. After talking to many other mama's who have had similar issues with their insurance companies, a lot of times the call center agents don't have great training on the protocol for helmets and can give you the wrong information. #stillbitter</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So like I said, make them send you written documentation of your plan and of your coverage. Ask them to send you documentation of their exact requirements for coverage (head measurements, duration in physical therapy, pictures, etc.). Ask to be escalated to a manager if the information you are receiving is not lining up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Health insurance is awesome, but they are also companies working to make a profit. You have to be your child's advocate and push to get answers, clarity, and assistance.</span>Justin & Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06239960274642786334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199005303675224897.post-46803471317014440292016-05-17T20:34:00.000-07:002016-05-17T20:34:15.058-07:00The Flat Headed Saga: Scan Day<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Technology is the bomb dot com. Can you believe that even just a few years ago the standard protocol for fitting kiddos with helmets was to cast a plaster mold of their whole head (including their eyes)? Can you imagine how scary that would be? Those were some brave kiddos and parents who endured this! See what I mean? #yikes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Thank the high heavens that now the process is much, much simpler. Which is good for a mama's heart, ya know? Seeing your baby uncomfortable or upset is the absolute pits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Jay's scan day was a quick, easy appointment. First his head was covered in a tight fitting cap to hold down his hair (not that he even has any) and give a clearer picture of his head shape. Then the orthotist has me place Jay in the special scanning machine. As I attempted to describe the process to my husband, the best explanation of the machine I could come up with was a baby tanning bed, except with closed sides and an open top. His hands had to be restrained (by me), but besides that the scan was so easy. Just a quick 3 seconds and it was over. Mind you, he had to be scanned 5 times because he kept moving his head, but I would take 15 seconds of scanning over the plaster mold method ANY day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The scan takes 3D images of his head and gives super accurate measurements so his helmet can be very precise. The orthotist pulled the images up on to the screen and reviewed his measurement and the projected improvement. Then we signed on the dotted line and the order was placed that same day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Easy peasy. We were in and out of there lickety split. I wish all of our appointments could run so smoothly!</span><br />
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