Merry Christmas

What a wonderful weekend! Christmas morning was my favorite, I loved that it was just us. Ty caught on really quick how to open his gifts and the reaction to every present was absolutely priceless! He couldn't open his gifts fast enough, it was so much fun! We also got to talk/skype my twin sisters and little brother that are all serving missions right now, it's always special to here a missionary's testimony, it makes me want to be a better person.

We were also able to spend time with both sides of the family which makes things really nice for both of us. There is nothing better than being with your family during this time of year. I have been feeling blessed in a lot of areas in my life, lately I have been feeling especially grateful for my healthy little family. It's still crazy to me that we have two boys, but I am so thankful we do because I couldn't imagine my life without either of them.

Happy Holidays!

18 months

Ty becoming 18 months old has been such a wonderful thing, and for many reasons. One of the best changes is he can go to Nursery! I don't know how we did it for 5 months having both babies the full block, especially Ty, he is so busy! The first time we took him, I went in with him and he didn't even look back to see if I was still there. He is one independent dude, I love it! Another thing is how quickly he is learning. If I say "ready, set" he says "go!" Or I say "one, two" and he says "three!" He is learning what different animals say; cow "moo", doggy "huff huff" and monkey "oooh oooh." He is also getting better with words, he can say; "mom, dad, go, three, hi, bye, ball, yah, shoe, up please (pup peas), wow" His main way of communicating is shaking his head up and down really slowly and saying "yaaah" It is the cutest thing! Ty understands almost anything I say to him. He hates to go into "time out" but its been pretty effective discipline wise. He loves to get his shoes when I say lets go bye bye, he will get diapers, my phone and remotes for me when I ask, he loves to read books but only if he can turn the pages and read all by himself!

He has finally started being nice to his little brother! When Gabe cries he will run over and rub his head or tummy and say "shh", which is a lot better than him laughing at him or hitting like before! He loves to gives kisses, especially to Gabe. He will smack his lips twice and then kiss him. Another big change is I got rid of his binky, on accident. I was boiling his binkies in hot water one morning to sanitize but I forgot about them so they melted to the pot. He did really good the first few days but then for a couple of weeks he had a really hard time. He still looks for it when I lay him down, but he is getting better at not throwing fits anymore. Ty has the most contagious laugh, he makes me smile so many times during the day. I haven't been able to work out that much lately, but chasing him around and cleaning up his messes all day should be able to count for something! He makes life exciting and I love being his mom.

Oh I lost his exact stats but it went something like this:

Weight: 15%

Height: 15%

Head: 80%

... a real life bobble head!! ... and the cutest one ever!

BFA Show

This is a long overdue shout-out to my amazing husband for putting on his BFA (Bachelor in Fine Arts) Show! He is basically graduated, just needs to finish his website, and I am still trying to talk him into walking in the Spring. Tens of thousands of years going to UVU (really 8 years on and off, but still) and changing your major five times calls for a big celebration! This needs to happen!

At his Art Show he displayed 6 caricatures and 6 portraits. This is a caricature of my Uncle Craig who started Gandolfos, this was one of my favorites! The detail in the background and props are a lot of fun, especially the dead Yankee player that he is stepping on, GO METS! :)

I am so proud of Dan for finally getting here! It has been amazing to watch him grow and improve with every picture he has drawn and painted. Just when I think he can't get any better he does! I am also happy that I don't have to deal with having an art studio in my front living room anymore, but I am more happy that all his hard work is paying off and that he was able to share this wonderful talent with family and friends.

October

What we've been up to:

It was such a nice, warm October. We couldn't get enough of being outside! We took a long overdue drive up the canyon to see all the beautiful colors. Ty loved every time we stopped to get out of the car, he was so upset when we took these pictures because he wanted to run around and play.

This is our backyard. Love it.

We spent a lot of time going to parks. Ty loves to swing on the swings but only if he is sitting on someones lap. He also figured out how to climb up the playground and go down the slide all by himself. It's so fun to watch him play and learn new things.

We went boating, in October! It was actually a lot of fun. Megan and Marcus took us out and we enjoyed an attempted picnic on the lake. The water was absolutely freezing but Dan and Megan took turns surfing and wakeboarding, I can't imagine how cold they must've been but they were actually smiling!

Ty has been loving seeing his old toys lately. He thinks they are his, and they were his, but now they are Gabes. Someone please tell me how to explain this to a 17 month old.

Poor Gabe, he gets kicked out of his chair everyday.

I have child locks on everything! Well, most everything. I swear Ty's goal everyday is to run around the house and see how many things he can get into and if he can make a bigger mess than the day before! There are times when I seriously feel like I can't handle it anymore, but I try to remind myself that this stage will come and go and I need to enjoy these moments more. ...Sigh

This month Gabe has started smiling! I can't get enough of it! He is such a happy, easy-going baby. His favorite thing to do is lay on the floor and watch Ty play.

He also turned 4 months old. His check up went great. It's weird to say that he is 4 months old because developmentally he is only 2 months. He is not doing things that normal 4 months do but he is growing really good and slowly learning new things, the Doc said he should be caught up by 18 months.

We went to a fun Halloween Party, dressed up as a "Pair of Blue Jeans" (my name tag says "Jean" and Dan says "Gene") ...Thanks Ash :)

We are trying to keep our tradition alive of going to Lagoon on the last day its opened. It's such a fun time to go with Frightmares being there and its not that crowded. This year I made the mistake of wearing flats. It was probably 20 degrees when we got there! I only lasted an hour and then we had to find a Target so I could buy some nice warm slippers. It was such a fun day, just being together and running around like 12 year olds from ride to ride.

Introducing Ty: The Cow

And Gabe: The Monkey

Halloween was so much fun. I loved dressing up the boys, doing trunk or treat with our ward, cuddling to a movie and being home to answer the door for trick or treaters.

October, you were wonderful.

16 months

Updates on Ty are long over due, I don't think I have written anything since I had Gabe! He finally started walking around 14 months, we thought the day would never come! Now he is running around everywhere. He has figured out how to crawl up on the couch, chairs, and the table. He also loves going to the park and climbing up the stairs and going down the slide by himself. He doesn't like to have help with a lot of things, seems like he will be the typical "independent firstborn"

A random, funny thing about Ty is that he loves to pull things around his neck. He usually gets into his diapers and will take every single one out until every diaper has made the trip around his neck.

He is my little Mr. Clean, well not really because he just makes messes all day; but he likes to think that he is helping me clean. Whenever I am mopping, dusting, or folding laundry, he is right by my side "helping me" It is so funny to watch him, he runs around and wipes everything and throws the clean clothes around really super fast! Makes me wonder if thats what I look like when I am doing those things.

He is still the best sleeper ever! He loves nap time. He usually comes up to me and waves bye bye which means he is tired and wants to go to bed. He still takes a long morning nap and a shorter afternoon nap. Sometimes for the afternoon he will just play in his crib, which I am fine with. He just loves having his binky and blanky and thats the only time he gets them.

He can be a terrible eater but he can also be the best eater ever. It really just depends on the mood he is in. His latest lovin is raw broccoli! He also loves hot dogs, toast with jam, mac n cheese, chimichangas, cheese sandwhich, all fruit, anything pasta, chicken, rolls, and his absolute favorite treats are lucky charms and ice cream. He is such a messy eater, I don't even know why I sweep and mop because after one meal the floor is so disgusting again!

He loves playing with his cousins. Even though he is the youngest toddler it seems like he tries to act older so that he can follow them around. Its fun to see him start to interact with other kids.

Ty is such a flirt! I can't believe how excited he gets when he sees any girl. It is hilarious! He loves doing anything that his dad does. Whenever Dan is home Ty is his little shadow, he follows him everywhere and tries to do the things he does and the noises he makes. (like farting, its getting out of control) He also has a temper. He just discovered how to throw tantrums, whether its falling drastically to the floor and kicking his legs or screaming into the couch or a blanket, it's still funny to me and I don't give him any attention when it happens so it only lasts a few seconds.

He likes to figure things out on his own. He loves putting things together and seems to feel pretty proud of himself when he accomplishes the task at hand. He literally freaks out when something doesn't fit together or it falls apart, but after his little episode he starts at it again.

Possibly a little perfectionist

I saved my absolute favorite things for the end. First off, he has been saying "mom" for awhile, but now he will yell my name and wait for me to look at him and then just start talking baby talk 100 miles an hour. It is the cutest thing! His baby talk is also starting to sound more like words, so hopefully that is a sign that he will start talking more. Another thing that I am loving right now is he takes my hand and pulls me to sit down so that he can lay on my lap, hold my hand and watch tv, its our little cuddle time. He still loves kisses, even more than before! He comes up to me atleast 20 times a day to give me a kiss. When I tell Ty that I love him, he blows me a kiss, which I think he is saying I love you back.

Gabes Blessing

Dan blessed Gabe on Sunday, it was such a special and nice day. The blessing was so beautiful, there are many wonderful things in store for our sweet little guy. It was also fast and testimony meeting, which are usually my favorite sundays... That is until my sweet, loving husband got up and at the end of his testimony said how much I wanted to bare my testimony and that I would be coming up! No Pressure!! I was a little upset, but also grateful he said that because with everything that has happened I needed to get up and share how much my testimony has grown these past few months. We had a little get together afterwards, it was really nice to spend the rest of our day with family and friends. We have both been blessed with great families and awesome friends and are thankful for the love and support that they have shown to us.

Here is a better picture of Gabe, doesn't he just look like a stud! He is such a good baby and brings so much love into our home. I remember when I was pregnant with him and feeling so overwhelmed that I wouldn't be able to love him as much as I loved Ty, but thats not the case anymore. It really is true what they say, your heart just seems to make room somehow. I can't imagine life without this little miracle. I love you forever Gabe!

The NICU

Its only taken me three months to write about the longest 37 days of my life, Gabe being in the NICU. This was a trying time for our little family. I had been debating if I really wanted to go down this road again, remember how my heart felt torn into so many tiny pieces because I couldn't be with my two boys at the same time, and every day I had to leave my little newborn in the care of some different nurse. I felt like I was dreaming. That car ride became so repetitive that I could've closed my eyes and driven there safely.

Gabe was life-flighted to Utah Valley a couple of hours after he was born. Our helpless little Gabe depending on all the machines, monitors and IV's to keep him going and become stronger. He was on the ventilator for the first day but did so good that they took him off and put him on the CPAP. He also had therapy lights on and off for the first couple of weeks.

We weren't allowed to hold Gabe in the beginning, this was really hard for me. It was hard to be with him and not able to cuddle and comfort him. After a couple of days I got permission to hold him for 15 minutes. Slowly the time went up to where I could hold him for 30 minutes each time I was able to get there.

Holding him was like medicine that took away all my stress. I couldn't get enough of it. Not just because I felt like I was never with him but also I yearned to feel like I was his mom. I mean, I knew I was his mom but it was hard to feel it, to feel that bond that a mother has with her newborn baby. I would hold him for 30 minutes and then have to leave him there and life would just go on.

Gabe is a little fighter. Within a week and a half he was off the CPAP and just on oxygen. All of us couldn't believe how fast he was progressing. He got moved over to Nursery B which is a really big deal. They mainly focus on feedings (which is a very long and stressful ordeal) and once they have that down and there are no other major problems they can go home.

Gabe did have a relapse at one point. We were getting close to going home but then his oxygen levels weren't looking too good. They did an x-ray and his lungs looked really hazy. We had to go back to Nursery A and he was put back on High Flow Oxygen. We couldn't do any oral feedings. Huge setback and really frustrating but after 5 days Gabe started breathing better and got put on normal oxygen so we were able to start the feeding process once again.

We finally had a chance to bring Ty to the NICU to meet his little brother for the first time. Ty was too young to be able to go inside so they met through a window. This picture is priceless. Even though Ty was only 13 months old it was like he knew this was his brother and he loved him.

Things started getting a lot better once I decided to pump and bottle feed instead of breast feed. Gabe caught on so quick to using the bottle. Once this happened things started to pick up and then all the sudden he was coming home in a few days! I thought I would have a hard time saying goodbye to that place. I was very thankful for the NICU that was Gabe's home for the last 5 weeks. But when the time came to take our baby home I didn't even look back.

As hard as this time was, I am truly thankful for it. I grew so much as a person, a wife, and a mother. I am so happy to have my two healthy boys at home with me. There has been a lot of craziness and adjusting but I cant complain, my heart finally feels like one whole piece again.

June 27

It was early Monday morning, I couldn't sleep all night because my stomach was hurting. I was only 32 weeks so I wasn't really thinking much about it. 5 am came and the pain was getting worse so I started timing them. 2-3 minutes apart. I still wasn't thinking too much of it because my water hadn't broke and again I was only 32 weeks. An hour went by and I was still in a lot of pain, I started to get worried. I started thinking about how I went into labor with Ty at home and how quickly he came. Dan got woken up from a deep sleep with the spirit telling him we were going to have a baby today... that was enough to rush us to the hospital! I think we ran every red light. My mom met us there at 6:30 am. She took Ty while Dan wheeled me up to the Labor/Delivery Floor. They checked me and I was dilated to an 8! An 8!! I really was going to have a baby today.

My dad came and took Ty so my mom could be with us. They started the IV, they asked a lot of questions, made me sign some papers and then finally I get the epidural. I love epidurals. Once it kicked in I started panicking about work (I was supposed to work that day) and my calling (I was supposed to teach that Sunday) and a million other things. It's so funny how worried I was about so many things that really didn't matter. I think that I was just really nervous so I was trying not to think about what was happening. But it was happening.

I remember suddenly feeling like it was time to have him. They called the doctor in and the Life Flight team and the NICU nurses, and anybody else that wanted to... just kidding but there were so many people in that room! I started pushing and felt a lot more pain than I wanted to, the epidural was wearing off but it didn't last for too long. It only took about 15 minutes and then I heard a cry, it was the best sound any of us could hear.

Gabe was born around 9 am weighing 4 lbs 6 oz and was 16 1/2 in long. Everyone in the room clapped when they weighed him because he was a lot bigger than what they were hoping for.

They rushed him downstairs, hooked him up to the ventilator and got him ready to be transfered. They waited for me to come down before they took him so that I could spend a few minutes with him. I am so thankful that they did.

Those were the best minutes I had in the whole 48 hours I was at the hospital. I will never forget holding him and feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude for everything. When the doctor delivered my placenta there was a huge tear in it. If Gabe hadn't come early he probably wouldn't have made it. I know that everything happens for a reason, Gabe is here right now for a reason. He was supposed to make it and I am so thankful that I get to spend my life figuring out why he did.