TWILIGHT!!!!

I went to see Twilight last night with my mom and Jesse and a bunch of her friends. Let me tell you this right now: I went into that movie with extremely LOW expectations. I was sure I would just hate it. I loved the books. Yes, they are sappy. YES, they are cheesy... But I LOVE them! I'm a woman, so of course I'd fall in love with the characters. If I loved the books, I'd hate the movies because they never do them true to the book. The Harry Potter movies are excellent, but they are NOT anything like the books. They sort of follow the basic storyline, but it's upsetting. So I figured it would be the same for Twilight.

OH
MY
GOSH

If you have never read the books, you will hate the movie. It's very cheesy, sappy, and unrealistic. If you don't know the character development or the stories behind the story, then you wouldn't appreciate it. THIS MOVIE ROCKED!! It was so perfect and true to the books, I was speechless. Edward and Bella had such magnificent chemistry, casting was excellent, and they left it WIDE open and READY for the sequel! I could probably go on and on about how much I LOVED it!! But like I said, if you haven't read the books, you will not like it. The acting isn't the greatest... hence the cheesy. But the entire movie makes up for those silly little moments.

TWILIGHT LOVERS GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!

Lots of Firsts!

I am so bad at posting! Adam is getting bigger by the day and smarter by the second. He's had so many firsts in just the past month or so! Here are a few:

The first TEETH! It was October 30th, and I was sitting in our living room. Adam was standing up holding onto my fingers for balance and he started sucking on my hand. He always does that. But this time he chomped down and OW! I pick him up and there you have it! TEETH!!!! It was soooo exciting! I called my mom, my sisters, and my mother-in-law I was so excited!

This isn't really a milestone, but he's been doing this lately and it's hilarious. He has a ton of those little rings that all hook together and just recently he's just let them hang from his mouth. He'll hold them there and play with something else in his hands. Silly boy!

The first Halloween was kind of sad... We got this adorable costume for him. He was a RED HOT CHILI PEPPER! Unfortunately, the costume was too small and they didn't have one bigger. So he didn't get to be anything. Actually, the whole entire Halloween for all of us was lame. We only had 2 trick or treaters :(

This was his first nap without his binki. hehe, I know, again, not a milestone. But it was so cute to see him sleeping with that thumb in his mouth!

A few other things that I don't have pictures for: He's discovered that if he's tired of holding his head up while on his tummy, he'll just roll right over. Then when he's tired of being on his back, he'll roll right back over onto his tummy!

He has a sippy cup. Yes, that's right, a sippy cup! The ones that I got him are pretty cool. The little spout isn't hard plastic. It's soft, like a silicone nipple, so it's an easier transition from bottle to cup. It's great! He hasn't quite figured out that he can hold it with both hands on his own, but he's getting there!

Another thing: He's started to hold his bottle all by himself! He does still need assistance every once in a while, and I never just leave him alone with the bottle. But it is still amazing how fast they learn and adapt. WOW.

More to come!!

Adam's Surgery :(

Adam had surgery on November 7th. The technical surgical term is GAP Hypospadias Repair. Basically that boils down to his little peepee was fixed. When he was born we couldn't circumcise him because of this little problem. Instead of this hole being on the tip it was on the side. So if he were to stand up and pee, he'd aim for the bowl and end up peeing on his shoes. Make sense? haha, the whole thing is hard to explain, but I think you get the gist of it.


This is Adam in his little hospital gown. That plastic baggy was the only thing keeping him happy at the moment. If he's happy, I'm happy, right?

Anyway, check-in was 8:30am at Primary Children's Medical Center up the the U in Salt Lake. Adam was a happy boy all morning long. He did fuss quite a bit towards the end of the waiting before surgery because the poor thing hadn't had anything to eat since 8:30pm the previous night. He went into the OR at 10:30am. Dr. Snow, the pediatric urologist (baby peepee doctor) was doing the surgery. He's an older man, but was very good w/ us and Adam.

Scott and I played Phase 10 in the waiting room, among other things. We sat there for about an hour and a half before Dr. Snow came out and told us he sailed right through it! No problems at all. Another 15 minutes of waiting and I went back into recovery to be there when he woke up from anesthesia. There he was, IV and everything, sleeping calmly. I almost cried! He had tape marks from where they secured the tube they put down his throat on his cheeks, marks on his eyes because they had to tape those down too. The IV was stuck in his little hand because they couldn't find a vein in his foot. *sigh* the whole thing was probably more traumatic for ME than it was for him.

We stayed in recovery for a couple hours, just to make sure that he kept food down and that he reacted well to the loritab for pain. Then we were off home! He was very groggy for the next few hours, and he slept for a while too. But then, at about 8pm, a bomb went off. He was laying in my bed next to me and jumped about a foot off the bed and started SCREAMING! Of course, I had no CLUE what was going on, so I was panicking, trying to calm him down, sooth him in any way that I could. And of course, we DIDN'T fill his prescription for pain meds, so Scott had to run out to the store to pick them up. Later on we discovered that he had peed, and that most likely, stung and hurt like the dickens! The rest of that night, every time he peed it was like a bomb going off. It hurt him so bad!

He did sleep through the night. I was surprised that I didn't have to get up after 11:30. He was probably so exhausted! The next morning, it was like nothing had ever happened. I went into his room because I could hear he was awake, and there he was, smiling up at me like nothing was wrong w/ the world. Later that day, he was a bit irritable, but that's to be expected. Changing his diaper that day was also a nightmare every single time i opened it up. Swollen, black and blue, blood! It looked extremely painful.

Today, 4 days later, he's his usual self. It doesn't seem to bother him at all anymore. It isn't as horribly swollen as it was, but he is bruised a little. And he's circumcised, so it looks totally different! haha, sorry, TMI. He has to soak in the tub at least twice a day to help the swelling go away completely and so that the stitches will dissolve quicker. He's never had a tubby in the BIG tub before. I've always given him a tub in his little in-the-sink tub. So here is a picture of his first REAL tubby! He loved it! All smiles the entire time. And the splashing, well, I basically took a bath as well.



All in all, I'm a happy Mommy. The surgery was smooth, his recovery has been smooth, and everything is all fixed! I hope NO ONE has to go through any kind of surgery w/ their child. It was so nerve racking!

I have to thank my mom for staying w/ me almost the entire time! You may not have noticed Mamma, but you were keeping me calm and I appreciate the time you took to be with me on this difficult day. I love you so much! Thank you so much for all that you do for me and my family.

The 2008 Election

Woo!! My FIRST time to vote! How exciting this is. The race this year is a good one... well, close at least. personally, I find neither candidate appealing, but I do feel there is one that is the lesser of the two evils. So what issues are important to ME? As a new mom in this difficult time for our country, I have a few concerns. Personally, I don't think that either candidate is completely honest about what they SAY they will do for this country. What politician is really all that honest anyway? What will it take to get elected? What do the people want to hear? How can I make the other guy look worse than me? Do either of them really care about US? *sigh* the dilemma...

Both parties are responsible for some opponent-bashing this year. Of course, who wouldn't want to make the other look too "dangerous" or "risky" for the nation? It's hilarious what the other will say about the other. John McCain is too OLD, he's just like Pres. Bush, nothing will change w/ another Republican in the White House. Barrack Obama is associated w/ terrorists, his minister and close friend for years promoted hate, he doesn't have enough experience. It's just all a little too much for me. The problem w/ Americans today is that no one goes out and does research. They just vote the way their parents vote, or the believe everything that the mainstream media tells them to believe. It's sad that we don't have a very informed society. If we did, then we might be able to make a correct decision for this country once in a while. I did research, so I think I am able to make an informed decision on who I will vote for. And I did this morning.

The Economy A pro-growth, pro-jobs strategy to get our economy back on track. John McCain's strategy includes taking the near-term actions needed to provide immediate help to American families while also taking the longer-term steps necessary to secure America's economic prosperity and leadership in the world.

Energy Our nation's future security and prosperity depends on the next President making the hard choices that will break our nation's strategic dependence on foreign sources of energy and will ensure our economic prosperity by meeting tomorrow's demands for a clean portfolio.

National Security The most sacred responsibility vested in a president - the commander in chief - is to "preserve and protect" American citizens. John McCain has the necessary vision and unrivaled experience to command the United States armed forces and adapt our nation's defenses to the demands of a changing and dangerous world.

Health Care John McCain is willing to address the fundamental problem: the rapidly rising cost of U.S. health care. Bringing costs under control is the only way to stop the erosion of affordable health insurance, save Medicare and Medicaid, protect private health benefits for retirees, and allow our companies to effectively compete around the world.

Iraq John McCain believes it is strategically and morally essential for the United States to support the Government of Iraq to become capable of governing itself and safeguarding its people. The best way to secure long-term peace and security is to establish a stable, prosperous, and democratic state in Iraq. When Iraqi forces can safeguard their own country, American troops can return home.

Homeownership America's families are bearing a heavy burden from falling housing prices, mortgage delinquencies, foreclosures, and a weak economy. It is important that those families who have worked hard enough to finance homeownership not have that dream crushed under the weight of the wrong mortgage.

Immigration John McCain has always believed that our border must be secure and that the federal government has utterly failed in its responsibility to ensure that it is secure. If we have learned anything from the recent immigration debate, it is that Americans have little trust that their government will honor a pledge to do the things necessary to make the border secure.

Education Excellence, choice, and competition in American education. John McCain believes American education must be worthy of the promise we make to our children and ourselves. He understands that we are a nation committed to equal opportunity, and there is no equal opportunity without equal access to excellent education.

Judicial Philosophy John McCain believes that one of the greatest threats to our liberty and the Constitutional framework that safeguards our freedoms are willful judges who usurp the role of the people and their representatives and legislate from the bench. As President, John McCain will nominate judges who understand that their role is to faithfully apply the law as written, not impose their opinions through judicial fiat.

Homeland Security Senator John McCain believes that the highest priority for any President is protecting the lives of American citizens, defending their personal freedom, and securing our land and resources. John McCain has the experience to insure that this priority is put into practice by the hundreds of thousands of dedicated men and women who serve their country in homeland security positions every day.

Fighting Crime John McCain's plan for keeping communities across America safe from crime begins with supporting state and local law enforcement. John McCain recognizes that the men And women of our law enforcement community serve on the front lines of America's struggle against crime

Ethics Reform John McCain believes that a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" must remain ever faithful to that noble charge. America needs leadership devoted to the public interest, not the special interest, and a government that fulfills its duties with unfailing integrity, accountability, and common sense. Those who serve in positions of public trust have a patriotic duty to serve the national interest with integrity and accountability, to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the people we are privileged to serve.

National Service John McCain will create a Service to America initiative to strengthen the teaching and understanding of American history, culture and core ideas, and to inspire Americans to serve causes greater than their own self interest.

There are A LOT of things that I didn't include here, so if you're interested in reading more about John McCain's platform, go here: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/issues/

Obama's Stance on the Economy
Barack Obama has offered a detailed plan to get America’s economy back on track, by creating new jobs and easing the burden on hardworking Americans by offering middle-class tax cuts three times the size of McCain’s.

Obama's Stance on Education
Barack Obama puts children first by investing in early childhood education, making sure our schools are adequately funded and led by high-quality teachers, and reforming No Child Left Behind.

Obama's Stance on Energy
Barack Obama will invest in alternative fuels and renewable energy, including a plan to increase America’s energy efficiency and create 5 million new “green” jobs

Obama's Stance on Ethics
Barack Obama has been a leader on government transparency – refusing to take donations from lobbyists or PACs, improving disclosure and creating a database where the public can track federal contracts and earmarks.

Obama's Stance on Foreign Policy
Barack Obama will continue the long American tradition of smart diplomacy to keep the country safe while improving America’s standing in the world.

Obama's Stance on Health Care
Barack Obama’s health care plan will provide accessible, affordable coverage for all, and it will reduce health care costs for families.

Obama's Stance on Homeland Security
Barack Obama supports increased security measures for our airports, ports, and land borders, part of a national plan to protect American’s infrastructure and keep our communities safe

Obama's Stance on Iraq
Barack Obama will work with his military commanders to responsibly end the war in Iraq. Obama will refocus our resources on al Qaeda in Afghanistan and finish the fight with the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11.

Obama's Stance on Taxes
Barack Obama provides a middle class tax cut for 95 percent of American workers. Middle class families will get three times the tax relief from Obama than they would from John McCain.

Sorry I didn't do as much for him, but his site is really set up strangely. I also love how most of them talk about how much better than McCain he is... why not just stick to your own issues and stay away from the other guy? If you want to read more about Obama's platform, go here: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

How will YOU vote?

Oops

The last 2 pictures didnt show up on the last blog dangit! Here they are, of couse.

I love the sun in the background of this one!

I think this is probably my second favorite. Look at those beautiful eyes! *sigh*

Adam's Photo Shoot

So my wonderful cousin Rachael is a young up-and-coming photographer and agreed to do some shots of Adam. They turned out sooo great! These were taken in my parents' backyard. I'll be referring you to everyone, Rach! So hurry up and get that business put together so you can start making families look beautiful.

For some reason, he was not happy to be on his tummy. He usually does ok, so this one isn't quite a smile... it's more like an unhappy laugh

This one is adorable. I love the closeup!

Oh my gosh! Look at those amazing blue eyes! I hope they stay that blue!

Thanks again, Rach! We'll have to get some more done soon! You're amazing!

Ode to My Family

I am a pictureholic... But that's a good thing, right? If I don't put these up something will end up happening to my computer and I'll lose everything. That's how it usually goes, right? haha, so here are some pictures of my wonderful family!

Here is my Mommy and Adam on the Fourth of July. Thank you so much for all the help and advice you have given me. And believe me, I'll keep coming back for more because I'm new to this "Mommy" thing! I love you!!

Here is my Daddy and Adam on the Fourth of July. He's always the fist one I call when I have a question about something. If I need advice, he's the one I go to. It's amazing how much more you appreciate the advice of your parents when you don't live with them. I love you Daddy!

He was sooo happy to finally have a boy in the family. This is when Adam was only about a week or two old. Yay Grandpa!

My beautiful sisters! Kyrsten had just graduated, obviously... Now Jesse is a 9th grader! She will be graduating soon too. She's all alone in the house w/ my parents now while Kyrsten is up at USU. GO AGGIES!

Here they are again. They certainly are never boring, that's for sure! I miss them all the time. It's nice to live so close so that visits are possible every so often.

The Many Faces of Adam

I wanted to put more pictures of Adam up, so here they are! He is getting SOOO big, I can hardly believe it. Soon he'll be crawling, then walking, talking, DATING!!!! Wow, am I really that old? Amazing! So here are some wonderful pictures of my beautiful son. Enjoy!

Come on Mom, you're squishing me.
I can't help myself. He's so squishy and hugable!

I wanna play Phase 10 too!
After inspecting the cards he decided he needed to find out what they tasted like. While in my lap for those few minutes it was his only goal in life: GET THE CARDS!

Whoa, I want to try shuffling.
This really caught and HELD his attention. I'm sure that if we had kept shuffling he would have watched it for hours

Fascinating!
He couldn't stop looking at the cards.

Hahaha, you're funny!
We were pulling him back and forth on his blanket across the floor

What are YOU looking at?
There's that raised eyebrow. I love it!

Fo'get about it!
He's telling us all about it

This is Blue Steel
He was giving us his best model pose

Ha ha! I can sit up all by myself. Mom, just make sure I don't fall over!!

He's getting so close to not needing me to steady him! He sits on the floor and plays all by himself. You just have to hold his legs so that he doesn't eventually topple over, like he did tonight into Grandma's foot!

Yeah, I'm cute. And you know it.
Look at those cheeks! He is getting so chubby! You can't say this boy doesn't eat well


Every super hero needs a side kick!
This little blue dog was the first toy that he actually focused on and reached for

If you don't cut my fingernails, I'll end up looking like Edward Scissorhands!
Poor thing! Mommy has to keep up on his little talons, because if I don't he ends up with scratches all over his face.


You're funny Grandma!

Look at those boogers! Haha, he is not a fan of the booger sucker

Again with the flashy thing!
He knows that when the camera comes out. It's like he doesn't want to smile. He's just waiting for the flash
TOES!!!!
He loves his toes. And if he has socks on, they have to go so he can GET to his toes

Thank you so much Jenny for taking pictures every time he's over. If you didn't, I don't think he'd ever have his picture taken! He changes everyday and I can't believe how big he's getting. There are plenty more pictures to come!

Our Eternal Family

Scott and I were married on April 28th, 2007 civilly by my bishop. Our wedding wasn't very large, but that's the way we wanted it. It was a modest ceremony and reception with just family and close friends. The really happy day would be after we waited a year to be sealed together for time and all eternity.

We would have done this on our anniversary, but Adam sort of decieded he wanted to come to this earth BEFORE that. And unexpected surprise, but a wonderful one at that. So we waited until August 8th to be sealed. Eight is my lucky number. So of course we had to go with 8/8/08!

We received our endowments on July 3rd in preperation for our special day. What an incredible experience. The Bountiful Temple is a beautiful building.

Preperation for our special day was not easy. We had some things to take care of but we did it together and came out on top. It was a day that we both wanted before we got married, so the difficult spots were made a little easier with the thought of being together forever.

Our day came, and our sealing room was packed full of people. Not everyone had a seat. We were so grateful for the support and love from our family and friends. We could never have done it without you all. Rachael and Tyler, thank you so much for being a wonderful example to me and helping me secure that belief in and want of an eternal marriage.

Adam was so handsome in his little white outfit. Looking at him and Scott, feeling the spirit so strongly during our ceremony surrounded by friends and family, made our wait worth while, the work and progess we made all the better.

As you can probably tell, it is extremely hard to put this day into words. I can't really give you a play-by-play. All I remember, or what I remember best at least, were the overwhelming feelings of peace and love. The affirmation from the spirit that our family will be together forever. How grateful I am for that knowledge.

Adam Scott Walker

Adam was born on April 25, 2008 at 9:16pm. It was a Friday. We arrived at the hospital at 8am to see if I had dialated enough to have my water broken. I was already 12 days past my due date and still hadn't progressed. After coming in the previous day for some Pitosin (a drug that speeds up contractions), they decided I was ready.

8:15am- Water Broken

No real labor pain, so I didn't need any drugs. I walked around the hospital in my gown (very attractive, might I add) and an IV stuck in my arm. They say that gravity is helpful. HA. The most I ever felt was some cramping, but nothing I couldn't handle.

12:00pm- Epidural

The anesthesiologist was available. And he was the one you wanted. He had been giving epidurals for 20 years. I requested NOT to see the extremely large needle that would be inserted into my back. First came the tiny needle that numbed everything. That stung a little. He set up everything behind me, so I never saw anything that was on his little table. Next came the HUGE needle that Scott gasped at when it was pulled out from underneath the cloth. He inserted the needle in the middle of my back and worked his way through the cartilage. I could hear the crunching as he had to work at it. He then inserted the little tube that would pump the drug into my pelvis. Yeah, this needle was large enough to stick a TUBE into. Out came the needle and he taped me all up so it wouldn't pull out. Done in less than 5 minutes. No wonder he was known as the best. I never felt a drop of pain.

I did have a little trouble as the medicine started. One of my legs went so numb that I couldn't feel it. It went away eventually and I was able to move it again. The great thing about an epidural is that you feel no pain but are still completely in control of what you're doing during labor. You are able to push yourself, move around, etc. People often confuse it with a spinal block in which you have NO control over the lower half of your body. This is not the case. WHY would you go ALL natural and have NO drugs when you can go w/out the pain and still be in control? *sigh* Whatever floats your boat I suppose.

3:00pm- Dialated to about a 3

mmhmm.... I really wasn't progressing at all. So the nurses upped the Pitosin drip.

4:00pm- My mom brings me a strawberry shake

This wouldn't have been so awesome if it wasn't for the fact that I wasn't allowed ANY food whatsoever. All I could have was ice chips. I'd been there since 8:00AM and hadn't eaten all day. The shake was greatly appreciated.

Nothing else was that exciting until later. We played Phase 10 w/ 6 people (My sisters, Eric and Liz, Scott and myself), but we didn't get very far until we decided it was a little difficult to play around the hospital bed. We popped in Parenthood w/ Steve Martin. It's an older movie, but if you haven't seen it, GO RENT IT NOW!! Hilarious, and so fitting for the day.

7:00pm- Time to start pushing

This was exciting. I was SO ready for the whole thing to be over with and was determined to have him out by 8 at the latest. It was still light outside.

7:45pm- Adam crowns

And there he STAYED until he was born. Poor thing was stuck underneath my pubic bone for nearly an hour and a half. You can say that I got a little discouraged, yes? But my pushing (all 2 hours and 15 minutes of it) was well worth it. Out he came after an episiotomy, fast as lightning (Why didn't we do that in the BEGINNING??). Poor thing had the head of an alien. If you've seen the new Indiana Jones movie, you've seen my son's head after he was born. It looked exactly like the crystal skulls. And I'm not exaggerating!

Nice healthy lungs. He latched onto his daddy right away and didn't let go all through the process of cleaning him up. I was told by my EVIL midwife that he was a small baby. Barely 7 pounds if I was lucky. He weighed in at a hefty 8 pounds! Little baby my foot..... *grumble grumble*

He was welcomed by a large group gathered at the door ready to rush in and take pictures. The sight was one to see. Lots of cell phones taking pictures. I have to thank my mom and my mother-in-law who were in the room with me while I delivered. And of course Scott, pushing right along with me.

Now he is 5 months old, getting bigger by the day. His smile makes me smile, and his laugh brightens my day. Ah, Motherhood.....

Here we are

Ok, so cuz Rachael has convinced me to start this blogging business, so here we are! This is really an excellent way to keep family and friends updated, and it will make me actually write (or type) things down that are important. I am the absolute WORST at keeping a journal or scrapbooking or anything like that. So, hopefully I will get into this and it will last and last! I have so many stories to tell and pictures to post, I don't even know where to begin. We will have to see where this takes us!