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*