Sloanbook

Ryder is 9 months!

2013-06-16T21:17:00.001-06:00

Here is a little bit of fun info. about Mr. Ryder!

{ Ryder turned 9 months on June 3, 2013 }

>> Ryder weighs 19 lbs. 11 oz. (35% percentile) & height is 29 inches (70% percentile). We’ve got a tall, skinny boy over here!

>> He kind of still has a bald spot (top right front if you notice) from the vacuum attempt in labor/delivery. Kevin and I and the pediatrician are keeping an eye on it. He may always have a little bald spot. I guess that is a risk you take when trying a vacuum on a very stuck baby while trying to deliver. I have met a lot of people whose babies have been delivered by vacuums and not one of them has a bald spot. Poor Ryder! Plus, a vacuum didn’t even work because he was a c-section baby. Oh man. I am realllly hoping he grows more hairs there!!! We may end up meeting with a dermatologist to see what options we have…in the future. She said lets wait until 18 months…

>> Ryder loves to throw things, especially balls. Sometimes we play a game where we roll a ball back and forth!

>> Ryder goes to bed at 7:30 pm every night and wakes up 12 hours later, around 7:30-8:30 am. He takes 2-3 naps a day and they range from 1-3+ hours. His first nap is always about 1 hour after he wakes up. He also loves to sleep on his side and stomach. He really is an amazing sleeper!

>> He eats baby food twice a day. Once in the late morning and the other in the evening. He gets snacks whenever he wants as well ;) He nurses 4-5x a day so basically every 3-4 hours.

>> Ryder is a fan of Baby Mum Mum’s, Yogurt Melts, Puffs, pieces of bread, bits of turkey/ham/chicken, graham crackers, Cheerio’s, and whatever I give him. He likes everything! Not picky at all.

>> A favorite “toy” is a sippy cup with water! He likes to drink a little and chew on the spout.

>> He is getting super talkative and loves to stick his tongue in/out while talking. A lot of times it sounds like he says “doodle'”, haha. I love it. He still does the ‘da-da’, "ba-ba’, ‘bla bla’ (while rolling his tongue/spitting haha), things like that.

>> He also likes to do high-pitched yells. We talk back and forth to each other doing it. It is hilarious!

>> Ryder loves to wave at everyone! I will be shopping at Target and realize he is waving to strangers and then see them smiling and waving back to him. He also tries to get stranger’s attention by babbling loudly.

>> He kicks/pumps his legs frantically when he gets excited…like when I am holding him, while he is in a jumper/exersaucer, swimming in the pool, etc.

>> Ryder is a big fan of clapping his hands!!!

>> He loves to watch other kids! While in the pool the other day, he wouldn’t stop staring/smiling at another boy (elementary school age) and the boy and him became friends haha.

>> When I bring Ryder to the gym’s daycare, they always say “He is the easiest baby!”

>> When you say “RYDER…..Slooaaan” he smiles REALLY big.

>> When you are in a dark room and then turn on the lights, he smiles REALLY big. It is so funny. He sure loves the light on! I’ve got videos of this too!

>> When you hop down the stairs while holding him, he giggles and loves it. I guess he likes the feeling of falling, which I don’t, haha.

>> When you put him in a jumper/exersaucer, he hops around like a madman!

>> He loves to smack his hands/arms on you when you hold him! Sometimes it actually kind of hurts haha. Speaking of him hurting me, he can pinch REALLY hard. Oh my gosh. It is so important to have his nails cut short otherwise he will cut you and give you scabs lol. But really!

>> His first tooth came in and is the bottom left one! He actually just started getting his second tooth, bottom right while we were in California. Really, teething isn’t that bad! Knock on wood…haha. He doesn’t seem really that crazy or anything!

>> He LOVES the swings, will pump his legs, giggle, smile, just in heaven.

>> He has really good pincher fingers…basically he focuses really well and is very accurate with his fingers in picking things up and such ha. Like little tiny crumbs.

>> He loves when Kevin throws him up in the air! He crosses his arms in the air. It is hilarious. It is like he does that to feel safe or something?! Then when he comes down they un-cross, and then cross when he is up again lol.

>> He is still super ticklish…toes, back, thighs, belly, neck…it isn’t hard to make him laugh!

>> He LOVES my iPhone and loves to suck on it…thankfully I have the Otterbox case! He also loves car keys and TV remotes.

>> He can now ARMY CRAWL! It is hysterical. He started pushing himself backwards (while on stomach). Then he started pushing himself forward (while on stomach.) Now, he pushes with his feet and uses his elbows and arms to propel him forward. He is getting around very well and so I am starting to baby proof! Time to get window well covers, baby gates, etc… What made him crawl for the first time was a TV remote. Oh boys.

>> When you hold his hands, he takes steps. Wonder when he will walk! Hopefully not soon…lol. I’m not ready.

WE LOVE YOU RYDER!

Neeleys in Town

2013-06-13T22:27:00.001-06:00

Saturday, June 1st was kind of a crazy but good day. Kevin and a friend from church, Jared Croft, worked on our baseboards as well as putting in quarter-rounds. They worked on that for a few hours and did a great job! I would do a post on our baseboards (probably the most boring home renovation post haha) but they aren’t done. We have to find matching baseboards for a small part in our entryway as well as find finishing pieces from where the hardwood floors meet the carpeted stairs and where the floors meet the fireplace. Then Kevin will touch up/finish the baseboards with paint and some other things. While Kevin and Jared worked on the house, I took Ryder over and hung out with Lori (Jared’s wife) and cute kiddos, Katie and Tyler. We had lunch and then afterwards I brought the men some food. Then our friends Jonny and Stephanie Neeley (friends from BYU) came in town – they were driving from Arkansas to Utah – to stay at our house for the night. They have driven through Fort Collins one time before, actually maybe twice. It was fun to see them and hang out, especially to see Steph’s baby bump! She is pregnant with a little lady! Oh, and they got to meet Ryder! We had some Italian food, some amazing frozen yogurt from Spooner’s, browsed Charming Charlie and World Market, and finished the evening by watching The Impossible. The Impossible movie is about that huge tsunami in December of 2004. It was a sad movie but worth the watch. Later that evening, Kevin told me, he would not stop searching for me if we were separated in a tsunami! What a husband :D Haha. But really, it was a sad movie and makes me hate to think about my family separating in a natural disaster, especially with more kids! There is not much, if anything, in your control. ANYWAYS, watch it. Oh, and the photo above is of Stephanie and me…almost a year ago, we hung out at Table Rock Lake in Arkansas and I was 27 weeks pregnant and we have a photo of it. Now, we have a photo of her 29 weeks pregnant. So basically we swapped. We are always glad when friends come into town!

Wrapping up May: 2nd Infusion, Hunter’s Graduation, & BJ’s

2013-06-12T22:00:00.001-06:00

This post wraps up May and encompasses May 28-31, 2013.

^^ I went in for my second Remicade infusion. It went much better than the first since I wasn’t as nervous haha. I was SO nervous for my first! The downside was that I didn’t have anything SUPER interesting to watch on Netflix. I sat there asking the nurse, Cyndi, questions and playing on my phone. It’ll be better when I can relax the whole time. My mom watched Ryder for me since Kevin was out of town for work on a one-day trip to Minnesota. Still waiting to feel more relief! Hope Remicade is my miracle drug.

^^ Ryder in the bath. He LOVES his bath time.

^^ One thing that Ryder started doing was biting the spoon. I would give him a bite of baby food, he would bite the spoon, I would let go, and he would leave it in his mouth. Too cute if you ask me! He had just gotten his first tooth so this probably felt good! // Also, our friends, Danny, Gwen, & Valencia Valles invited us to go to the Pre-Grand Opening of BJ’s! Danny and Gwen met each other attending school in Cali and loved eating at BJ’s (BJ’s started in CA and is super popular there). Ever since we heard they were getting one in Fort Collins, we all wanted to eat there together. Gwen worked her magic and got us a reservation for the pre-grand opening. What that means is, you get to eat there for free, with a set menu, so the cooks can practice making every entrée and the servers could practice on us. There were 4 entrees we could chose from so each of us had to pick one of them. We then got a berry crumble type of dessert. The meal was free and we just left a tip. It was fun and they had great food! We were glad they hooked us up! Oh, and next time we are definitely getting a pizookie!

^^ Hunter’s 5th grade class walked to Miramont Park to end the year off right. A lot of family members go to the park and meet the kids there and hangout. My parents, Zach, and Ryder, and I went to hangout for a bit. Hunter had fun pushing Ryder in the swings. Zach did too, but he pushed him a little too high and Ryder started losing control of his head, so I made him stop real quick haha. We also ate a lot of grapes I just remembered, ha.

^^ The following day, Hunter graduated from 5th grade which is the last grade at Werner Elementary School. What’s cool is that, that is the elementary school all of my siblings attended, including me! When I attended Werner, 6th grade was the last grade. Anyways, we went to his graduation which was fun. During the event, Ryder ate lots of snacks and made a friend. If you see in the photo above, Ryder is holding a boy, Ayden’s, hand haha! What is funny is that Ayden is Hunter’s friend. Anyways, they liked each other and it was cute! Oh, and my dad let Ryder try a brownie for the first time. He was definitely a fan!

Also: I got Ryder some new clothes at Crazy 8, The Children’s Place, and Super Target. We had a yummy dinner at Café Rio. I also went shopping at Walmart, Old Navy, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond. We finally got some new towels for our second bathroom (the guest one) since our friends Jonny & Stephanie Neeley were staying with us the following day. Kevin made a bomb Italian meal for my family on Friday. It was legit as usual.

That is about it for May!

Memorial Day: Poudre Trail, Taylor’s BBQ, & a Bonfire

2013-06-12T15:40:00.001-06:00

Our Memorial Day weekend was incredible. Read about the first part here and here. This post consists of the actual Memorial Day, May 27th, 2013.

Kevin, Ryder, Katinka (too short to be seen in photo below haha), & I started our day off right by hitting a walking trail up by Poudre River. We basically went to Lee Martinez Farm Park and found the trail around there. I originally wanted to go hiking in the mountains but we decided last minute to choose the easier option for my knees (arthritis problems). They had been bugging me (and still are) and I would rather not be in pain the rest of the day. I was hoping that in a few weeks they would be much better so I could go hiking but so far, they aren’t that much better :’( Gosh I wish I had my normal body back and could do whatever I wanted! I even downloaded a trail/hiking iPhone app of good trails and hikes around here that Kevin and I could do every weekend or every once in awhile! Anyways, enough of that. Kevin and I had a fun morning pushing Ryder in the stroller and talking while we walked. We basically walked along the river. Colorado is so pretty!

Then we went back home and Ryder took a nap while we got ready to go to Taylor Gamble’s Memorial Day BBQ. Taylor was one of my high school best friends and was back in town for the weekend. The last time I saw her, Ryder was like 2 months old and now he was almost 9 months old! She lives in LA so I don’t get to see her very often. Her brother graduated from high school so she was back for that. So me and my two boys (Kevin & Ryder) made our way to the BBQ, ate some yummy food (mac & cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs, cole slaw (not me), cupcakes, chips & dip, etc.), and tried to catch up each other on our lives. We also talked with Taylor’s cute sister, Ashley and her daughter, Delilah. Ryder was a big fan of Taylor!

In her parent’s backyard are a bunch of horses that a neighbor owns. A big joke of the day was that they were ‘wild’ because Taylor asked a family member if they were ‘wild.’ HAHA. So here we are in front of the ‘wild horses’!

After the BBQ, we had a big bonfire at my parent’s house. Kevin started the fire while my dad made tin foil dinners and I made tin foil desserts. If you have never made tin foil meals over a campfire or bonfire you are missing out! I blogged about some tin foil dinner/dessert ideas here (awhile ago…popular post ;)) They were DELICIOUS. The desserts I made were bananas cut open, stuffed with coconut, milk chocolate chips, and marshmallows. If they had some, I would probably have put some caramel in them.

Meanwhile, Kevin & I were being weird and taking photos…

PS. Sperry's = best shoes

I was doing a fire dance…

Two best friends living in Colorado…

Oh, and Ryder slept throughout the whole bonfire…since he goes to bed so early. He goes to bed at 7:30 pm and we had a late lunch at the BBQ so it worked out. That is why he is missing from the fire photos! Sleeping like a baby… This day was seriously a great one. One that is maybe a little better than the rest, if I can say that. Hope your Memorial Day was just fantastic.

Memorial Day Weekend: Fossil Creek Park

2013-06-03T21:13:00.001-06:00

Sunday, May 26th, 2013, Kevin, Ryder, and I attended our 8 am church. We ate lunch, took naps, and headed out to Fossil Creek Park to enjoy the nice weather. I had taken Ryder to the park a few times for play dates, with my family while Kevin was out of town, and just by myself for a bit. This was the first time Kevin had seen Ryder in the swings! Ryder smiles and giggles uncontrollably while swinging so it is always something I am trying to squeeze in my day to day schedule if I can. It is just too fun and he is just too cute! Oh, and he pumps his legs really well too haha. Anyways, we brought our Jawbone Jambox, as you can see Ryder is holding it in his car seat. He really liked holding it and could feel the bass making the speaker shake. Kevin packed some snacks for us so we found a shady spot and laid down on Ryder’s Aiden + Anais blanket since we forgot to bring our own haha. That is something that we always forget…a big blanket for us! Anyways, we listened to music on Pandora and ate snacks (bing cherries, oatmeal cream pies haha, watermelon, and some other fruit). It was a very lovely afternoon and then I looked at my phone and realized we had a couple of minutes to make it back home since home teachers were coming over! In the evening, we watched So You Think You Can Dance and relaxed. It was a great day!

Ryder’s 1st tooth, getting mobile, + Emily’s Birthday

2013-06-03T15:21:00.001-06:00

This post consists of May 20-25, 2013, basically right before Memorial Day weekend! It was a blast. Basically, life is good, guys.

^^ I’m still doing great with getting to the gym 5-6x a week. Downside, I am still not 100%, arthritis-wise. Unfortunately, I have to modify movement so I don’t aggravate the inflammation in my knees/back but at least I am out there and moving. Hopefully, I will see more results sooner than later. I may have to wait another 3 weeks to feel the full affect. I sure hope I see some drastic results…otherwise it will be depressing! I am on pretty much the most hardcore drugs out there for Ankylosing Spondylitis. I am on Remicade infusions and after there, there are 2 shots (Enbrel & Humira), and then I think whatever is in clinical trials…so running out of options :/

^^ Ryder’s 1st tooth finally made its appearance for a photo. It had started coming in a week and half ago, like around May 13th, but it took me forever to get a photo where you could see some of it. It is sure hard to photograph a baby’s tooth when their tongue is always in the way and they won’t sit still for you ha! His first tooth is his bottom left one. So cute. Caught this photo in the bath as you can see!

^^ On Wednesday, May 22nd, my mom, Ryder, and I ate a lunch at Panera and then walked around afterwards. Kids are so easy to entertain. Ryder had fun standing on a bench and pulling on a hanging plant haha! Then we got some yummy Mary’s Mountain Cookies. Gosh, if you haven’t had any of their cookies, they are a MUST! They are so soft, delicious, and probably more than 1000 calories each, hehe.

^^ This little boy is getting to be more mobile. He is going from sitting on his bum to attempting to get on all fours (hands and knees) but always lands on his belly. He is trying to pull himself up on things. He is also pushing himself backwards on hardwood floors (while on belly). He can kind of army crawl in a circle while on his belly. He isn’t crawling, crawling yet but I think it will be soon. I am SO ok with where he is at right now haha. I just love this kid and maybe I am not ready for him to crawl everywhere and to get into everything…any day now though…

^^ I took Ryder to Lee Martinez Farm here on Thursday with some friends from the gym. It was a blast!

^^ Ryder ‘knighted’ Kevin here haha.

^^ Some times you just bring your baby to the gym in their pj’s. It happens. And they are totally ok with it.

^^ Ryder wanted to help with dishes. He was a big help ;)

^^ Kevin and I ran a ton of errands Saturday afternoon, May 25th. We hit up Best Buy and got a new printer because the one we had was definitely not cutting it. My computer (which is a couple of years old) was ‘too new’ so the operating system wasn’t compatible with it. Basically, if I wanted to print something I had to use Kevin’s computer. It made things more difficult when he went out of town and every week I print the ward bulletin so…it was a pain! We also went to AT&T so Kevin could renew his contract or whatever. When we did that they offered us a killer deal on the Jawbone Jambox. Basically it is a wireless tiny speaker that is insanely loud. You use Bluetooth on your phone to connect to it. I’m not going to lie, it was an impulse purchase but it has changed our life. I have had the Otterbox Defender on my iPhone for several years now and unfortunately it never fit with my speaker dock so basically, I lived in silence. This thing is amazing and so tiny. It has 12 hours of battery so you can even take it camping! Now, when I do dishes or hangout with Ryder at home, we will have music again!!! So excited about this. Then Kevin and I did some grocery shopping at King Sooper’s.

* Emily’s Birthday: My friend Emily Vail came up to Fort Collins on Friday, May 24th (as she is living in Denver now). Ryder and I went shopping at Centerra and got some great deals at Gap since it was Memorial Day weekend. We then met up with Emily at Chick-fil-A in Loveland for a quick and late dinner. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures with Emily this weekend! Ah, I hate when I do that! Anyways, we watched an IMAX movie about the Arctic which definitely had a secret agenda for us to donate to their cause to help with global warming haha. It was hilarious. For your information, we didn’t donate haha. Then on Saturday, May 25th, Emily and I went to a yoga/pilates class at Miramont together. In the evening we watched Cirque de Soleil: World’s Away while Kevin went golfing! Basically, we ate food, worked out, shopped, and watched movies. That is exactly the best thing to do with your best friends haha.

Also: My companion, Katie and I, went visiting teaching. Kevin and I had FHE. I definitely hit up Target, as usual. It really is a weekly occurrence. Kevin and I rented The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It was a sad movie, but worth watching. I won’t say what happens because it would give the movie away. It reminded me of some of the kids in the psychiatric treatment center (Heritage Residential Treatment Center) that I worked with in Orem, Utah a couple of years ago. Also, it was a reminder to me that I need to teach my kids to be nice to everyone at school and to make an extra effort to befriend the kids who may not have many friends. I think, in reality though, all people of all ages need to do that with everyone. Kevin met with our financial advisor. We are always trying to save, prepare for retirement, and invest when we can.

I think that is about it!

Next up: Memorial Day Weekend and some post for last week/end :)

OH, and today Ryder is N I N E months old!!! (so a 9 month post as well)

Have a good Monday!

Lee Martinez Farm in Fort Collins

2013-05-28T22:19:00.001-06:00

Last Thursday, May 23rd, my friend Gabby, who I met at the gym, invited Ryder and I to tag along with her and her kiddos and a friend of hers (and her kids) :) We met up in the afternoon at Lee Martinez Farm. Lee Martinez Farm is a farm that you can take your kids to, to pet animals, check different ones out, ride horses, etc. I actually took Pony Camp lessons there when I was in elementary school! I was obsessed with horses and I remember I absolutely loved those lessons! We learned how to pick their hooves, give them baths, pick up poop, find your pony in the field and put a halter on them and bring them over to saddle them up, put saddles on them, and of course…ride them! Anyways, it brought back good memories! The cost for an adult is $3 and for kids under 2 years of age, it is free. You can buy seed to feed the animals for very cheap, like a quarter I think…I recommend it if you are in Fort Collins with little ones!

The first animal Ryder met was a lamb! I sat him down on the ground, gave him some seed to feed the lamb, and he was honestly more interested in the seed on the ground than seeing the lamb haha!

Ryder and a black sheep…Ryder was like “Okayyy” Haha. This just reminds me….”Ba Ba Black Sheep, have you any wool?”

I was hoping the sheep would eat from Ryder’s hands but no…Ryder wanted to feed himself! So gross haha! This cracks me up.

Ryder with sheep. // Ryder and a horse! Unfortunately, the pony rides for kids are only available on the weekends and we were there on a Thursday…I was bummed he missed out!

Some of Ryder’s new friends. // Some rooster thing ha. Honestly, I don’t even know what it is. It wouldn’t have been good if Ryder put his fingers in the openings…could have pecked at him lol.

New friends watching cows.

Ryder and a goat! If you have never heard of Bla Bla Dolls, you are missing out. Ryder has one (it is like a stuffed animal) of a goat and it is like ‘the favorite take everywhere stuffed animal and keep forever’! We call him Billy the goat! He HAD to meet a goat! // Ryder and I. LOVE his face here but bummed it was cut off.

Ryder and I had a fun time :)

What are your favorite things to do with babies/little kids out and about?

(Like random things, swimming, parks, things like this farm, etc… :) Looking for more ideas!)

Home Remodel: Ikea Adel Cabinets

2013-05-28T21:31:00.001-06:00

Before you check out the progression of the cabinet installation, take a look at our other home renovation posts!

>> Home Remodel: The Dilemma & Decisions

>> Home Remodel: Demolition & Paint

>> Home Remodel: Flooring

Now to the good stuff! When Kevin and I decided to take on this whole main level/kitchen improvement project, we had decided that Kevin (and family & friends) would attempt the installation. This was one big area where we could save money. Plus, we live outside some radius from the Ikea Centennial location so it would cost even extra for them to install the cabinets for us…like it would cost at least half of what we paid for them! No thanks. You can see the reasoning on why we chose Ikea cabinets here. Now if you don’t know much about Ikea cabinets, you may not have realized you have to build each and every cabinet, piece by piece! Also, Ikea gives you the greatest set of directions with detailed paragraphs…not! They give you lame pictures which aren’t always the most helpful…at all! Kevin, of course, and even I learned about an Ikea Kitchen website where you can find answers to questions on building their most complex things…like cabinets! Once Kevin learned how to build the cabinets, they went a lot quicker and he was able to pound them out…for the most part. You even get to install the drawer tracks, dampers (when you close the door it stops at the end and slowly closes), handles, etc.! All of Ikea’s cabinets come with the dampers except for our butcher block.

Building the cabinets! If only they came already built…like every other cabinet company out there ;) Guess they would cost more though heh.

You may not know that Ikea cabinets are not mounted into the wall like normal cabinets but they are hung on a track! Better make sure that track is level ;) You can see the track in the photo below…and if you look closely you can see Ryder!

More Ryder!

Let me just say, you learn things about your house, you never knew before. For example:

The right wall where the top cabinet meets, isn’t straight. Yep. No house is built perfectly and for some reason our wall isn’t exactly straight up. So the white piece that is attached to the right cabinets had to be cut to fit the wall. How annoying, right!? Also, there were a couple of set-backs…which is very normal while remodeling your entire level. Kevin added a cover panel later on (not seen in the picture below). Let me explain. The longest cabinet hanging on the right will go right next to the fridge. So, if you want your fridge to look built in, you need to add a cover panel to hide the side of the fridge. This is a little more important for us since we bought a ‘scratch and dent’ fridge for a killer deal at Best Buy. Basically, it is the left side of the fridge that has a few scratches…other than that, it is perfect! You won’t really be able to see the flaws :) Kevin and some friends had to take down the right cabinet and newly cut piece against our not-so-straight wall to add a cover panel in. Hopefully that makes sense. Also, they had to add a filler piece in - which is basically like a shorter cover panel - so that where the microwave would go, would be perfectly above the stove…like it should haha. Something funky is going on with our left wall too, so when they put in the base cabinets the microwave and stove would have been off, if they wouldn’t have noticed it. The stove would have ended up being like half an inch to the right, so they added a filler piece in to the top cabinets to move it over a half an inch, so the top and base cabinets would match…if you followed that, congrats!

Below you can see the cover panel connecting the right top and right base cabinets.

Work in progress and hello, lazy Susan!

One thing that came as a surprise to us was that the Varde butcher block’s counter top has to be finished, somehow. We have yet to look into that but will have to figure it out sooner than later. The countertop came a little rougher than what I was expecting. But hey, I guess it is Ikea so you basically do it all! Ugh.

Can’t wait to go grocery shopping, organize, and stock up our pantry!

Another set back we had was that we had purchased 24 inch cabinets to go to the right of the stove when in reality, we should have purchased 18 inch cabinets. What happened was that Kevin did the measurements of our kitchen, like a hundred times, and he measured everything correctly. When you purchase an Ikea kitchen and also pay for a guy to come out and measure for you, they will deduct that cost off your entire kitchen cost. Basically, it is like you are getting someone to come and double check your measurements for ‘free.’ Better safe than sorry right?! Well…what happened was that somehow the measurements got entered in, incorrectly – by we think the measurement guy – so we got the wrong size cabinets. They ended up being obviously too big for the space. We had to take time and drive back down to Denver to exchange the cabinets for the right sized ones. We had originally paid for our cabinets to be delivered because they come in a hundred different parts and we didn’t have a truck to go get them all. It was annoying that we had to drive it all down there to exchange everything. Waste of gas, money, and time! It would have been nice to have them pick up the wrong-sized cabinets and deliver us the right sized ones, ESPECIALLY since it wasn’t our fault! It was the measuring companies’ fault. Anyways, we have moved past this haha. Ikea did give us each a FREE MEAL to make us ‘feel better’…what a lame compensation haha. I wanted them to give us a $100 Ikea gift-card or something! They just blamed the problems on the measuring company which is understandable but I feel like we kind of got screwed over a little in the situation.

The next step for our kitchen is putting back the baseboards and quarter-round pieces and doing a couple last minute flooring finishes. Our countertops and appliances will be coming and installed in ONE WEEK! I cannot wait!!! Oh, and we need to finish the butcher block Varde countertop and put in subway tile…and I’m sure more :) That’s it for now!

New Obsession, Ikea Trip, & Our Weekend

2013-05-22T00:22:00.001-06:00

This post encompasses May 13-19, 2013…last week!

^^ Kevin watched Ryder at work while I got my first Remicade infusion! Still waiting on the meds to kick in full force! More on that here. Now I can’t wait for my second infusion next week!

^^ Ryder is turning into a stomach sleeper! Today, during a nap, I noticed he was FACE DOWN literally on his face. His head wasn’t turned to the side either way. That is so not comfortable for me haha! And I checked to make sure he was breathing…

^^ NEW OBESSION: I discovered the most amazing gelato from the grocery store…Talenti Gelato! I actually got it at Target but I’m sure it is everywhere. This stuff was amazing. The downside is that it is expensive. It is like $5-6 for a pint? But so worth it…I had heard of others loving it, so I decided to try it and boy was I glad! I was pounding this while watching Dance Moms above haha. Just canceling out my workout for the day ;)

^^ Kevin & I took an evening trip down to Denver to visit IKEA to get reimbursed for measuring for our kitchen, do some exchanges, and get some last minute kitchen parts/supplies. We had a bunch of exchanges to do and it was a zoo. Because we had some issues with reimbursement and exchanges they gave us free meals. It is the least they could do! Honestly, they should have done a lot more. I will expound upon this in more detail in our Home Renovation: Cabinet post (which is coming soon!). For dinner, we both got their Swedish meatballs! Not going to lie, they are pretty tasty! Then Kevin ran into the Apple store at Park Meadows to meet with some guys at the Genius bar for his phone, almost when they were closing. It was a crazy evening and we didn’t have enough time! We were going to try and see my friend Emily but ran out of time. ! I wish IKEA wasn’t so far…I mean, it is only 1.5 hours, but still, we don’t go to Denver that often. We need to though!

^^ After working out, two days in a row, I took each car to get washed at Casey’s Car Wash. Sometimes we go WAY TOO LONG with not washing our cars. I often plan on getting it washed but then I look at the weather and it will snow the next day or rain in 2 days so I always wait. THEN…you realize it has been months and months of not washing your car! So finally, we got them cleaned. It was definitely much needed. Ryder was a fan of watching the cars get washed! Also, he was a big hit there! Everyone kept coming up to him trying to talk to him and asking me how old he was! I have never had that many people approach me at something like a car wash. They were busy days though so we were waiting for like an hour once. I’m sure people were really bored too! // Also, the photo of Ryder in the car ‘driving’ was after Kevin, my mom, and I took out the Sister Missionaries at Panera! It was a fun night with them. Then Kevin watched Ryder while my mom and I went to Ann Taylor Loft to help her use some gift cards she had there. I got a killer deal on an awesome skirt that was on sale (which was an additional 40% off) and then later my mom and Kevin told me it looked something like a ‘Grandma’ would wear! I beg to differ haha! I am curious what other people think…but I think I like it! I can’t wait to find the right pieces to wear with it! Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I have absolutely nothing to match it… I also got some sandals at Gap with a coupon so that was fun.

^^ While Kevin worked on the cabinets, I cleaned up around the house, did laundry, organized stuff, etc. I also got the biggest ‘newspaper’ of information about my new Remicade medicine. Guys, it covered half my body haha! I tried to read some outside so as you can see…it even looks like a blanket! Also, I had called Otterbox and got a free case from their warranty plan… It came in the mail and is the perfect hookup to my kicks! Meanwhile, Kevin finished putting the cabinets together for the most part. We are now waiting for the counter-tops to be installed…and the soonest they could do it was 2 weeks, so that is very annoying, that we have to wait that long!

^^ Ryder was the cutest clapping, rolling over baby, ever. Clapping is his fav!

^^ Ryder and I after church. I think he is a keeper!!! On a side note- this was the first time at church where he didn’t want to fall asleep! He sure spoiled me on Mother’s Day sleeping both 2nd and 3rd hour of church! Because he was tired and had skipped his morning nap (and was woken up earlier than he would normally since church is at 8 am), he was a little harder to keep happy haha.

^^ For Sunday dinner, my dad made a fun Hawaiian dinner! Kahlua Pork seasoned pork with spinach, rice, carrots, apple sauce, Hawaiian bread, and Guava nectar! It was so good!

Some other fun tidbits: + New neighbors moved in next door to us so I made brownies and we brought them over! They seem really cool! I’m excited they moved in! + Kevin worked on the kitchen and cabinets and everything all week! + My mom, Kevin, and I had a yummy dinner at Spoon’s. That place is SO good! + Ryder and I hit up Super Target. Seriously, every Monday is practically when I go to Target. I get some basic groceries there and it is definitely turning into a routine haha. + My mom & I had a lunch date and ate at Café Rio and then checked out Home Goods for the first time. They had some pretty cool stuff.

Next Up: Home Renovation: Cabinets!

My 1st Remicade Infusion

2013-05-19T23:41:00.001-06:00

Hopefully you aren’t sick of my posts or me talking about my disease on this little blog of mine, because well, I have the disease, it affects my daily life, so…I will talk about it! Unfortunately, it is a big deal. Maybe it will be helpful for someone out there ;) Anyways, so I decided on Remicade (infusion) vs. shots (Enbrel or Humira). The infusions are less frequent (every 6-8 weeks- not sure how many weeks apart mine are actually). If I did shots, I would do them every 2 weeks. I probably, over time, would get brave and the shots wouldn’t be a big deal, but what if, they really sucked, and every 2 weeks I was begging Kevin to give me one or my parents (if he was out of town)…or random nurses that I know here. Random, but I actually know quite a few nurses here! I didn’t want to dread that day and have to deal with disposing of the medical waste/sharps, traveling with the shots and keeping them refrigerated, etc. So I decided to go for it! Kevin helped me decide to do so. I was so nervous to just decide to do it. I decided to take advantage of modern medicine since it is out there to help people and it is the only type of medicine that could prevent fusing of my spine (no brainer there). If I get lymphoma cancer or a serious disease from it, well, that really sucks, but I guess I am taking my chances…. So I was told to drink a lot of water the day before to help my veins be lovely to poke for the meds to run in…I think I did ok. Anyone have a hard time just DRINKING? I would much rather eat. I struggle with staying hydrated haha. Side note- I could NEVER be an alcoholic! By the way, I have never tried alcohol haha… Anyways, I went to bed late, also a problem I have…I have a hard time going to bed before midnight which is like 4.5 hours after Ryder has been asleep, lol. So I go to bed and then in one of my dreams was I was at my rheumatology office, was SO delusional, and couldn’t find the infusion room! I remember being lost in the office and out of it. Thank goodness I woke up and I wasn’t all delusional in there. My infusion was at 8:30 am and was supposed to go 20 minutes early, so basically, I woke up dang early. The infusion takes 2 and a half hours so Kevin took Ryder to work because I couldn’t take him there. Ryder’s first tooth literally popped up 2 days prior to this and he had a little cold so he wasn’t in the best mood. I had a feeling he may be crazier than normal for Kevin and he was. The photo above is Ryder chilling in a chair in Kevin’s office! I love my cute boy! I had my first infusion, Tuesday, May 14th, 2013. They say the meds could start working the following day or a couple of months. That is a big variance! Cyndi (who does the infusions and goes to my church) got my meds ready and gave me my IV. She was explaining how there is a thing that goes into my arm that is kind of plastic-y (sorry don’t know the names of IV parts lol) so when you move your arm the needle won’t poke you or something. Basically, I was SO nervous I was getting lightheaded. < It reminded me of when I passed out at a post surgery appointment at an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat dr.) appointment. Awhile ago, I had sinus surgery and they also fixed a deviated septum. I was at a check up and he was putting something up my nose like I swear, back into my brain haha and it made me feel so weird I passed out. > Now back to the infusion, basically, I’m glad I didn’t pass out. I’ve never passed out giving blood or getting an IV but it was just weirding me out. I was just so nervous to get these meds because they are hardcore and the strongest drugs for my disease. Basically, after Remicade and the shots, I don’t know what else there is out there. Hopefully LOTS of options in clinical trials?! Anyways, I brought my laptop (in case I wanted to blog, shop, etc.) and an iPad with Kevin’s Bose headphones. I also brought thank you notes and random things to do. Instead, I sat there asking Cyndi lots of questions and worrying about the side affects haha. Also, I brought a Naked drink because they are yummy, oh and chocolate too :) I ended up getting calm at the end and watching a little of What to Expect When You’re Expecting and then it was all over! Basically the meds just dripped into my body and made my arm cold for a couple of hours. Also, you are allowed to go to the bathroom if you wheel your tower of meds into the restroom with you ha! All in all, it wasn’t too bad, but at the end, I started feeling like I was getting a headache but think it may have been mental haha. Afterwards, Kevin, Ryder, and I went out to lunch at Subway. I told him all about it and he said, “Let’s do lunch or dinner after every infusion to make it a good day!” I think that is a splendid idea. It sucks to have a disease and we can make the day special haha. Then I said, “And I will go shopping!!!'” Just kidding, maybe. That would be an awesome post-infusion tradition! So far, I haven’t noticed anything crazy with the drugs but a positive is that I stopped taking Vicadin 2 evenings ago. I didn’t take the pill and didn’t wake up in the middle of the night from pain! It is hard to say if it is the Remicade working (which would be pretty early) or if my flare-up is going down for a bit. I swear, every day it is something new. Last weekend and earlier this week it hurt to breathe (in the front of the rib cage) and my knees got really bad a couple of weeks ago. I think my knees have gradually gotten better and luckily I am breathing better. Now, my lower back/SI joints are achy which is annoying but definitely better than freaking limping. I am ready to hit the gym hard and not ‘take it easy’! So frustrating. Anyways, I get my 2nd infusion not this week but the following. Hopefully by then, the drugs will be working in full effect! Crossing my fingers!

Also- if you are wondering why I Instagram random IV photos or health ones, it isn’t to gross you out. There is a whole arthritis world out there on Instagram lol. Basically, if I hashtag #Remicade or #Enbrel or #Humira I get a lot of good comments and feedback from people who are on it! I’ve also hashtagged my disease #AnkylosingSpondylitis and found people who have it as well. However, there aren’t too many since the disease is pretty rare. I have gotten good info by doing that so just in case you are wondering :)

Mother’s Day 2013

2013-05-14T23:57:00.001-06:00

First of all, hope all of you mamas had a good Mother’s Day, especially my mom, mother-in-law, sisters-in-laws, and friends!

My mom, NiKol, & I after I got married

Kevin & Kathy

My first Mother’s Day…

This was my first Mother’s Day as a mommy! Well…last year I was one, but Ryder was in the womb, hehe. Growing a human (little Ryder), being pregnant, giving birth, and adjusting to life with a baby and all of what has happened with my disease has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. It has been hard but SO worth it. I am so thankful to be a mom and to our amazing son, Ryder. I feel like I have got the mom thing down pretty good for the most part lol. It is still harder to get things done, keep things clean, and stay on top of everything compared to before but it is ok. That is something I struggle with daily! I like things to be orderly, organized, and in control…key word, in control haha. You can’t really control another human being…lol. But having Ryder in our life and little family has been awesome! He brings so much joy to our lives. He is hysterical, sweet, precious, and I am just obsessed with him…as you can tell from my blog since I post a gazillion photos of him every blog post haha! We just LOVE him! So glad he made me a mom. Anyways, a little about the day…Kevin, Ryder, and I went to church and it was great. Ryder slept during 2nd and 3rd hour in his car seat like a champ. He has been pooped out the past few days because he is teething and has a little cold. Anyways, all of the women attended Relief Society which was fun. I remember a year ago, I was in nursery, and I hadn’t been to Relief Society for months and months and was able to on Mother’s Day since the men fill in for the women who have callings 3rd hour. It was SO weird to go to Relief Society I thought! Now I am so lucky I can go each week…depending on Ryder. After church, I watched Ryder while Kevin took a nap and then we ate chicken sandwich croissants with my family for a late lunch. Then I took a little nap while Kevin watched Ryder. My friend Amanda Johnson brought over some Doterra oil for my back (Ankylosing Spondylitis disease, whatever my immune system is deciding to attack at that time) so I will try that soon. That was so nice of her. For Mother’s Day, Kevin and Ryder got me that pink suitcase (here) so I am super excited to use that on our next trip, my in-laws got me an awesome CD, and my parents got me a manicure that I got the day prior. Not a bad day ;) My dad cooked an amazing German dinner - dumplings, goulash, cauliflower, rolls, berries! It was bomb. I love German food, so much. Oh, and my brother, Patrick came home from Boulder to celebrate this day so that was nice. Then while listening to my new CD, Kevin, Hunter, my dad, and I played a game of Rummikub. Then Kevin and Hunter played Jenga and some other game while I tried to keep Ryder happy. All in all, it was a pretty good day!

Hunter’s 11th Birthday Weekend

2013-05-12T23:53:00.001-06:00

Hunter turned 11 years old on Thursday, May 9th, 2013! While he was off at school, I went to workout. I had a feeling I wouldn’t really be able to do much at all because of my knees (AS disease) but I was stubborn. I walked into a Step class and walked out before it started. I knew it would make them worse. I then tried doing a mile on a bunch of cardio machines and my knees felt horrible so I left after 4 miles. So frustrating! Then I hurried home and got ready to meet my mom, dad, Zach, and Hunter at Larkburger for lunch.

On the way, it was pouring rain, then it started raining harder, then all of a sudden I realized cars were driving through slush, then I was like, “Is it snowing?” It was the most confusing thing ever. I then realized that it was hailing! So that was an interesting drive down College ha.

Anyone been to Larkburger? What do you think? My first time I was weirded out because they have fancy fries that stink horribly. This was my second time and it was much better. My brothers love this place.

On the way home, I printed the ward bulletins for the upcoming Sunday. Afterwards, Hunter opened some presents and here is a really bad photo of us with bad lighting lol.

Hunter wanted to eat at Mount Fuji for dinner. At this restaurant you can sit on the floor in some booths so we did that. Ryder sat right next to Kevin and I on the floor ha! It is a fun place to eat Japanese food! I got a beef, vegetable, rice bowl. Kevin got a bunch of sushi!

Also- how does one get a good photo with a crazy active baby who wants to move around so much? Seriously, it is getting harder to take photos of him because most of them are now turning out SO blurry!

Afterwards, my aunt NaNet and her kids came over and we all had angel food cake! Here is the birthday boy and Ryder! Also, I wish I had better photos from this day! I feel like the lighting is so weird in all of them!

On Friday, the 10th, my knees were feeling a little better so I went to my friend, Mindy’s yoga class! It was amazing! I love going to her classes. Also, Ryder tried bananas for a little breakfast snack and we both learned they are super slippery haha. How can I expect him to pick up little banana chunks when I can’t pick them up myself?

Hunter’s birthday kind of extended into Friday evening because he had a birthday get together with some yo-yo friends. Ryder watched them yo-yoing and enjoyed his first graham cracker! He ate a little more than 1 graham cracker and it was amazing but…BOY did it make a mess!

We had pizza and Mary’s Mountain Cookies for dessert. Seriously, my family is ADDICTED to Mary’s Mountain Cookies!!! They are heavenly and probably over 1000 calories per cookie. I should probably look into how many calories one is but I don’t even want to know. Meanwhile, Kevin was working on the house with some church friends so I brought him some food over!

We moved the high chair so Ryder could watch the yo-yoers! Also, I think a graham cracker chunk is falling out of his mouth ha!

I would say that Hunter had a good birthday! :D

Saturday, the 11th, Kevin worked on house stuff with friends and Ryder and I hit up the gym. I went to another yoga class and it wasn’t as good. I was having costochondritis (inflammation of the ribs) so it was hurting to breathe. It is SO annoying. But it was good I worked out anyway, I think ha.

Oh, and Ryder’s new thing is sleeping on his tummy?! I know this isn’t crazy at all to most people but up unti this point he really hasn’t slept like this! I think it is so cute. But sleeping on your back is better (Back is best- or whatever) so, I roll him sometimes lol.

My friend Emily Vail came in town so we went with my mom to get manicures. I actually had a really bad experience. An old lady did my nails and it was the worst manicure I had ever gotten, like only half of my nails were painted. Let me explain. Look at one of your finger nails. Now paint half. Welp, that is what happened on a lot of them. She asked at the end, if it was good and I am not usually one to complain…AT ALL. But, I was going to be pissed and not want to pay if they looked crappy, I mean, hey, I could have painted them myself like that! So I said, “Can you paint the rest of the nails?” She did and it kept getting worse and worse. She kept asking “Good?” and trying to paint a clear coat at the end and I told her “I just want my nails to look the same.” By then, each nail looked different because she put different layers on each nail and there were streaks. Then another employee noticed and told her to take it all off and have me wash my hands. Then a different employee finished my nails and they looked much better. Maybe she was in training? Oh my word, it was so bad lol.

Emily came over and hung out a little bit before she had to go and Ryder was a big fan of her.

Hope you had a great weekend and Mother’s Day!!!

Souvenirs, FHE Night, + a Rheumatology Appointment

2013-05-11T23:24:00.001-06:00

^^ On Sunday, my dad and Kevin returned from Bangladesh and Dubai…(last week’s post here). While they were away, Kevin would text me at their hotel at odd hours due to the time change, being practically at the opposite side of the world! Got to love free wifi so we were able to text without outrageous phone bills :) Also, we Face timed a few times but the connection wasn’t that great. Anyways, he once was like, “What do you want from Bangladesh or Dubai?” I was like, “I don’t know…a cool shirt or clothes or something?” Typical me…clothes :) Well, I thought he would maybe…get me a t-shirt and then when they got back it felt like Christmas lol. My dad and Kevin had too much fun shopping - plus apparently Bangladesh has a lot of cheap stuff - so they had to buy an extra suitcase to bring everything back! My ‘Big Blue’ suitcase died right after Kevin and I got married in 2008 at the Kansas City airport, and I’ve been using Kevin’s old missionary suitcases ever since! I called my suitcase ‘Big Blue’ because 1. It was bright blue and 2. It was just huge. I could fit so much stuff in it and that is what ruined it…I packed it so full, it broke haha. I’m so cheap, I didn’t want to buy a new suitcase until I absolutely had to! Lucky for me, they got me a pink one, with spinner wheels, so I’ve got a NEW suitcase! Seriously, so excited. I want to visit Dubai now. I know I’ve talked about Dubai before but it sounds awesome and I want to visit.

* Loot above: authentic handmade shoes from Dubai, dried fruit (yummy dried strawberries in the mix), Milk Chocolate Elephant Covered Macadamia Nuts from Japan where they had a layover, postcards from Dubai that Kevin wants to hoard and not mail lol, pink suitcase, caramel chocolate, vase thing, Dubai playing cards, colorful bracelet, gold cuff bracelet, wallet, camel handbag, vanilla coconut macaroons (maybe my first time trying macaroons?), mango dried fruit, turquoise necklace, and green and red shirts from Bangladesh).

Um yeah, like more than I get for Christmas hahaha. The suitcase is for Mother’s Day…so fun!

^^ Like every week, I feel like I go to Target. Good thing I finally got a Red card. Took me long enough but hey saving 5% is better than nothing, especially if you have to buy stuff there anyways! Now I am always telling people to get Red cards haha. Anyways, I came from working out and these past couple of weeks have been BAD with my knees. I think it is arthritis from my disease. So…I’m always driving to the gym thinking, I bet this will make them worse, but I don’t know what to do to make them better…and I am not going to sit at home for months or how long it takes for them to stop hurting so I am going to go and be in pain lol. So I lifted weights and then my knees felt crazy weird/painful walking through Target.

^^ Our friends Neal and Amanda Johnson invited us over for FHE along with Michael and Bekah Wilkey and their baby girl Carmen. We all ate tons of desserts and played a fun pirate-y board game. I have no clue what it is called haha. Also, they have 2 birds and in the photo above, Ryder is trying to pet one. So cute! Also, this is probably the only photo I got of Ryder and Carmen both looking at me, haha!

Tuesday, I went to Step Challenge. Knees hurt. Went to Group. Ryder is packing on the pounds! He currently weighs 19 lbs. 5 oz.! Ahh! Then I met my mom and dad at Charley’s out at Centerra. Charley’s has really good sub sandwiches. I also had some good times shopping at Ann Taylor Loft and Baby Gap. I got a final sale striped peplum top for $9 and some pink cropped skinnies for $17 (originally $60, on sale for $30, then 40% off sale) :) I LOVE getting good quality things for a deal haha. So I’m excited. I need to go through a bunch of my clothes and get rid of some. My summer attire is seriously lacking. A lot of the shirts are cotton-y, old, faded, and have shrunken over time. Out with the old, in with the new! Well, it is a good concept. Got to see what I can sell everything for :) But it is time to revamp my summer clothes! I would say my winter wardrobe is much better than my summer because I got Christmas and my Birthday in the winter. Then when summer rolls around, I don’t really spend much money on summer things. Anyways, as you can see I love clothes. I really do. Then Ryder and I got our Mazda’s emission checked so we could register our car’s plates and all that fun stuff for another year. Each year, I dread doing that.

^^ Ryder loves his baths, especially with his toys! Just not when they all float to the opposite end of the tub and he can’t reach ;) (photo below)

^^ Also, I caught Ryder sleeping on his side. He is usually a back sleeper so I thought it was cute.

Rheumatology Appointment: Wednesday rolled around and Kevin, Ryder, and I went to my second rheumatology appointment with Dr. Levine at my new rheumatology office. It was Kevin’s first time meeting him and I wanted Kevin to meet him if I was going to switch to him. My Diclofenac (75 mg., 2x daily, anti-inflammatory) and Vicadin (1/2 5-500 mg pill every night) didn’t seem to be doing much for me and I knew we were going to end up talking about biologics (Enbrel, Humira, Remicade). Plus my knees started hurting a couple of weeks ago and it was sometimes hurting to walk. I also had to stop working out as hard as I was and honestly, I felt like how I was working out was not as hard as I really wanted to be. I was definitely holding back because my body wasn’t able to work out harder :( I was doing tons of lunges and squats (and had started running after workouts as well) and had to stop when my knees got really bad. Anyways, that was a new symptom. After seeing 3 rheumatologists and them always bringing it up, I knew I probably would try biologics at some time in my life unless my disease randomly disappeared forever…ha…that would be lovely! So, I asked him a gazillion questions about it. There are SO many bad and scary side affects of these meds which is why it has taken me SO long and being in so much pain to finally decide to give them a try. He says I am low risk for a lot of the side affects or complications that the medicines can cause but it doesn’t mean the medicine is safe. They increase your risk for lymphoma (cancer), lower your ability to fight infections so you are more apt to get weird infectious diseases (TB – you have to get a TB test before you are allowed to start them which I already got and I got the OK to start the meds, random infections in dry climates (like AZ/so-Cal) and southern places like around Kansas City area (when he said that, I was like “Oh great, Kevin is from there!”), and is a immunosuppressant so you may get sick more often because your immune system is basically shot, and more. SOOO…we will see how it goes! He said Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade are all so similar and so I basically chose which medicine I wanted to try. Would I rather give myself a shot every 2 weeks or get a 2 hour infusion at my rheumatology office every 8 weeks? I chose the infusions. Hopefully that is the right choice! I would just rather not give myself shots. I could probably get over the fact that I am giving myself a shot but what if I couldn’t? Then every 2 weeks I would be begging Kevin or a family member or a random nurse I know to give me the shot lol. Plus, you got to keep them refrigerated and pack them for trips, etc. Anyways, I start my infusions on Tuesday morning! I hope that I get quick relief and no bad side affects!!! Wish me luck!

^^ After the appointment, I hung out at my casa with Katinka and Ryder, did a ton of laundry, and did a yoga/Pilates workout in the evening. Kevin worked on the house with a guy from church and they moved some electrical outlets. And Ryder had fun sharing his binky with Katinka and untying my shoes!

Next up: Hunter’s Birthday & Mother’s Day :)

Have a good Mother’s Day!

While Kevin is in Bangladesh & Dubai…

2013-05-07T23:47:00.001-06:00

Ryder & I have a party. Jk. But we keep busy and have ourselves a good time.

See for yourself.

{Scenes from April 29 – May 5, 2013. Kevin & my dad were actually in Bangladesh & Dubai from April 28 – May 5 on a business trip.}

^^ Ryder’s favorite sleeping position. Always. He takes naps like this and sleeps all night like this. Sometimes when he is tired he will move his left arm over his face and hold his right hand in a little fist. He LOVES to sleep like this! It is never the other way around (like right arm over his face lol.) // My mom, Zach, Hunter, Ryder, and I all went to Fossil Creek Park and had a QDoba dinner picnic. It was a good time. Then we pushed Ryder in the swing for awhile and it was so much fun!

^^ The photo on the right cracks me up! He loves to scream randomly and here he is in action haha!

^^ One fine Tuesday, I worked out (Step Challenge) probably the hardest I had ever did in that class and literally didn’t know if I would be able to finish lol. I peaked too early! But it was good. Then I went to group and found out Ryder weighed exactly 19 lbs.! He is packing on the pounds! Then I went visit teaching and spent the rest of the day cleaning, doing laundry, blogging, etc. I decided I need to introduce Ryder to more ‘adult foods’ and not always the pureed stuff so here he is sucking on an orange! He loved it. Also, my mom brought home some Panda Express and I got jipped. There was NO fortune in my fortune cookie! I felt so ripped off haha. Like has that ever happened to you?

^^ Let me tell you about Ryder’s pj’s. He has been growing like a weed so a few weeks ago I bought him some bigger pj’s and found these taekwondo/karate (same thing, right ;)) monkey pj’s at Baby Gap. I immediately thought of my brother Hunter since he does taekwondo. He almost has his black belt actually. Anyways, they were on sale, in his size, and he needed them, so I got them! I had been wanting to get a photo of Hunter (after his practice) and Ryder together in their attire haha. Here they are! By the way, it is getting much harder to take a good photo of Ryder since he moves SO much and then all the photos are blurry! o_o

^^ MAY FIRST, guys, MAY 1st, we had a SNOW DAY! Not only did it just snow, but it snowed so much school was cancelled for my brothers! Craziness I tell you. PS. Do you see the blue heron? I decided to hang out at home since my knees were starting to bug me (dang arthritis and new symptom for my Ankylosing Spondylitis :( ) and do the elliptical instead of push myself too hard at the gym. A highlight of the day was talking to my Returned Missionary home girl Celestine Yeung!!! It was so good to catch up with her! Also, I attended a Relief Society Activity the next day but I did not take any photos! It was fun though.

^^ After my workout, Ryder and I went to Fossil Creek Park to hang out one last time (for awhile) with Ryder’s friend Everett and some other baby friends. Everett is currently in Denver having a bone marrow transplant! We wanted to get together one last time for awhile since he won’t be able to play or really leave the hospital for months. Everett had to leave early (so he is not in the picture) since the weather was colder than expected and he really CAN’T get sick before the transplant. He is such a trooper! Here Ryder is with Sophie & Valencia. In the left photo, it looks like Sophie & Ryder are doing some magic on the picnic food or something lol.

^^ Excuse my post workout nastiness in the left photo above but I think Ryder’s face is so cute! He had just woken from a nap so I was snuggling with him! // Ryder ready to go and playing with the seat belt!

^^ In the evening, my mom, Zach, Hunter, Ryder, and I went to find Zach a bowtie and order a corsage because he was going to Prom the next day. We stopped by Palmer Flowers, Men’s Warehouse, and Macy’s and as you can see Ryder had a lot of fun playing in front of the mirror. // I caught him kissing the baby in the mirror! // Ryder giving himself a high five. // Ryder focusing…that is his focusing face and I love it! Afterwards we all ate at the I Star of India and I got Chicken Tikka Masala. I LOVE INDIAN FOOD! Unfortunately, the Indian food here isn’t as good as The Bombay House in Provo, Utah :( Also, Ryder tried naan and was a fan! He got carried away with the rice and got a little bit too much under the booth…ha. Whoops!

^^ I redeemed my birthday present from Zach. Yes my birthday was in February! Our friend Mindy did my nails…nautical! I got the idea from Pinterest and searching images on Google. I tweaked the ideas I found online and ended up with the toesies above! I love it!

^^ My mom, Hunter, Ryder, & I went to take pictures of Zach and his prom date, Michelle at one of his friend’s houses! Ahhh I remember the prom days. They were such a big deal haha! This was Zach’s first prom and he had a good time! // Hunter and I noticed that Ryder’s first tooth was starting to come up so I kept trying to take pictures of it and it was basically impossible. I just get tons of pictures of him like the photo above on the right haha. On Saturday it seemed like there was kind of a slit in his bottom gums and then Sunday it felt harder and like there was a little sharp tooth…it is definitely happening!!!

^^ Ryder and I went to my parent’s ward and anxiously awaited for my dad and Kevin to return from Dubai! Not kidding. In the left photo above, Ryder was SERIOUSLY holding the hymn book all by himself! I had the left side of the book and he held the right! It was so funny! Strong kid! // Finally Kevin and dad made it home and we had a great day! They actually brought us a ton of souvenirs (more on that later) which was unexpected and fun. My dad, Hunter, Kevin, Ryder, and I went on a walk in the neighborhood. The sister missionaries in our ward came over to Kevin’s and our house and gave us a short message. Then we had a yummy curry dinner made by my dad. We all watched a sweet movie of Dubai and heard tons of stories about it (and Bangladesh too, but probably isn’t as cool as Dubai haha). Now we all want to go there so bad! It seems amazing!

What did you do last week/end?!

Ryder is 8 months old!

2013-05-03T22:40:00.001-06:00

My little Ryder turned 8 months old tonight at 8:41 pm!

(Born Labor Day, September 3, 2012)

Here is a little bit about this boy I love!

+ He weighs 19 lbs. exactly as of this week which I think is slightly under the 50% percentile! I don’t know his exact height but at 6 months he was 27 inches tall and I feel like he has gotten a lot taller since then!

+ He is wearing 12-18 months clothes because of his height, which is crazy to me. I am packing up his smaller sized clothes too fast!

+ He learned how to make ‘clicky sounds’ with his tongue and it is the cutest thing ever!

+ He has no teeth yet. I love his gummy mouth!

+ I taught him to kiss so when I say kiss, purse my lips, he will give me an opened mouth kiss lol. So cute. Now we need to work on closing his mouth!

+ He loves to cock his head to the sides and look at you (kind of like a dog if that makes sense?) lol.

+ He is a big fan of the swings!

+ He loves to clap his hands together! I love it! He also loves to flail his arms up and down smacking his hands and arms on whatever, if that makes sense, lol (kind of like he is splashing!) He also loves to SMACK his belly, over and over! It is hilarious. We have a video of it.

+ He is super ticklish, always! His belly is and his back…when I clean his hands and face after eating baby food he giggles because it is ticklish to him. Also, his toes and feet are! I love to tickle his cute toes!

+ He LOVES to play with baby spoons and gets upset when I take them away. Actually, sometimes, he gets upset when I take away toys in general from him!

+ He loves to scratch and claw Kevin and my arms lol. He loves to clench on to them and sometimes it really hurts! It doesn’t even matter how long or short his nails are cut! He loves to scratch things too like couches and pillows!

+ His cheeks get rosy when he is hot; that is something that he certainly didn’t get from me!

+ He still has a bald-ish spot from where they tried to use the vacuum on him in labor and delivery. I think there is hair growing but it just isn’t as thick yet? It is definitely very obvious in certain photos I take of him and in certain lighting in general. Overall, I think his hair seems to be getting a little thicker though…

+ He loves to play with his Nuby sippy cup and chew on the spout. Sometimes he will drink a little water from it, but he thinks it is more for entertainment.

+ He eats baby food two times a day (once late morning & once in the evening). He really will eat anything but maybe ‘Garden Vegetables’ are his least fav? We switched from Rice to Oatmeal cereal and he gets that (mixed with breast milk) in the morning. He also knows how to eat baby food out of the little pouches so sometimes we use those if we are out and about for the convenience factor. He also loves Baby Mum Mum’s!

+ An aspirator (snot sucker) is a sought after ‘toy’ for him haha. Don’t worry, I take it away from him when I notice he has it…but it is one of those kinds of things you need to have out occasionally, so it happens.

+ He finished his first swim lessons! More on that here. He can’t start another session until he is 1 year old so we will see about that.

+ Speaking of water, he LOVES to splash in the pool and in the bathtub. Now, not only is he splashing himself and the bath tub area but I am getting included in that!

+ Bath time is much more fun now that he is able to sit up. He sits in a little bath seat, sucks on wash cloths, and little rubber duckies.

+ He is a great sleeper still! Over time, instead of going to bed at 8:30 pm-ish, he is now going to bed a little earlier between 7:30-8 pm. He will wake up between 7-8:30 am ish so he is getting 11-12 hours consistently! If only I would learn to go to bed earlier instead of going to bed when he has already slept 6 hours haha.

+ He takes 2-3 naps a day. He takes one between 9-11 am (depending when he wakes up but usually 2 hours after he has been up). He takes an afternoon one between 1-2 pm and an evening one around 4-6 pm. Sometimes we don’t get the evening one in.

+ He is such a talker! He makes noises non-stop. He says anything and everything from ‘Dadadada”, “Babababa”, “Momomom”, “Diiii", etc.! He also loves to yell and wave his hands. We also have a cute video of that!

+ He is a big flirt and is always making friends with everyone! He loves to smile!

+ When we go downstairs, I hop, and Ryder loves that. He always ends up laughing when we go down the stairs! So fun.

+ He is super active and always flailing his body around. He is so trusting that I won’t drop him lol. In church, he is a big wiggle worm. Actually make that all the time.

+ He hasn’t gotten on hands and knees by himself yet and isn’t crawling and I’m SO okay with that! It will happen soon enough. And, I can procrastinate baby-proofing lol. He will spin in a circle though and maneuver around somewhat.

We love you Ryder!!!

4/26-28: Scenes from our Weekend + Remembering Amy

2013-05-01T23:27:00.001-06:00

This past weekend – April 26-28, 2013 - was a blast. Friday, the 26th, Ryder and I hit up the gym and I did a yoga class from my friend Mindy. We then went to The Children’s Place and did an exchange and had fun at Super Target. As soon as Kevin got off work, we hit up KFC (to grab a bucket of chicken), and attended a church activity, the Ward Adult Potluck Dinner & Activity. Since we are in the middle of the kitchen remodel, we figured picking up something to go would be easier than making something. I also had just gotten groceries late that afternoon and didn’t have time to fix something up. For the activity, there was a slideshow of baby photos of people in the ward and we tried to guess who was who. There were hints such as ‘Birth place,’ ‘Favorite Scripture Person’, and ‘Favorite Food.’ I was horrible at guessing. I don’t know if I got anyone’s right. Then when your photo came on the slideshow, you got to tell a story or something funny about yourself. Kevin told a story of when him and his friend hit acorns with a tennis racket at cars in his neighborhood and how they called the cops on themselves…haha. I didn’t have anything cool really to say but the theme of the night ended up being ‘your run in with the cops’ haha. Then Saturday, the 27th, I worked out while Kevin worked on installing some more cabinets with a guy from church. After the workout, I took Ryder on the swings for about 10 minutes. He rocked his pj’s haha…as I ran out of time to change his clothes before my workout class! For an evening break (for Kevin’s sake), we went on a double date with our friends Danny and Gwen and their cute daughter Valencia. We ate at Café Mexicali and then hit up Dairy Queen. We weren’t planning on going to Dairy Queen but the husbands both wanted it so we went with it lol. Then they came over and checked out our house progress. Little did I know but Kevin had thrown up an extra (electric) lawn mower we had bought at a garage sale a year ago on Craigslist earlier that day and then that evening someone came to buy it! We were pumped. It was a spur of the moment decision to buy the electric one for Kevin lol and then he realized how annoying they are. Then we got a broken one from a friend for free and another friend, James Neibaur, helped Kevin fix it. So I think we scored in the lawn mower department! Then Kevin packed for a business trip and we called it a night. Sunday, the 28th, Kevin and my dad flew to Bangladesh as one of their factories is there for Zephyr. It is Kevin’s first trip to Bangladesh! They have an amazing factory which is FLA accredited (Fair Labor Association aka safest, best, etc.). It is in no way on the same level of the one that made national news because it had collapsed killing 400 factory workers (read about that here). The collapse was actually really recent – I think last week – so interesting timing on checking out their factory! Kevin and my dad are leaving Bangladesh soon, taking a pit stop in Dubai, and then will be back in Colorado.

***

Remembering Amy: Sunday afternoon, I got a text from one of my best friends that I have known since I moved to Colorado in 3rd grade, Chelsea Bidgood. She asked if I had heard and knew if our friend, Amy Brobst, had passed away. I had no clue what she was talking about and immediately checked out Amy’s Facebook page. Amy was our friend that we met when we attended Rocky Mountain High School. As her page loaded, I noticed comments saying ‘Rest in Peace’, etc… I was shocked. I did a quick Google search and pulled up a couple of articles which confirmed the worst. She was in a small plane crash, of all things, and had died immediately. That was not what I wanted to hear Sunday afternoon, or ever actually, but it was true. I texted my friend Chelsea back with a link to the article and texted my friend Taylor Gamble as well to see if she knew/let her know. It makes me sad that she passed away but I know she is in a better place. I have a testimony of eternal families and know we will see her again. Amy was one of the happiest, most positive, and hilarious persons I knew. We met in high school and had many art classes together. We hung out before I went off to high school tennis practice and her, track practice. We hung out with a certain group of friends outside of school sometimes. Also, we went to an Ashlee Simpson concert the summer after I graduated high school in 2006. None of us even listened to her music but she got free tickets from work so we went for the heck of it. She was friends with everyone and would make anyone laugh. She called me Gorm (my maiden name is Gormley) and I can even hear her saying it in my head. I miss her so much and my prayers go out to her family and friends. I was trying to remember the last time I have talked to her and I can’t remember. When I went off to BYU and she went to CSU we kind of grew apart, not intentionally, but just as you do sometimes over the years with a lot of people. It makes me sad that I didn’t try harder to keep up with her (or really a lot of people from high school- should probably work on that). I think we may have went to an Eagles hockey game during my Freshman year at BYU while I was on break with a group of people. She was just so hilarious and everyone loved her. I am going to share some photos:

1st article I read about plane crash here // Wonderful article about her here. Miss you Amy! Love, Gorm.

A Medieval Play + Spooner’s

2013-05-01T09:49:00.001-06:00

Thursday, April 25th, 2013 my mom, Zach, Hunter, Ryder, and I all ate a quick dinner at Spoon’s. I love that place! They have the best soups and bread! Actually that sounds good today because it is snowing like crazy and is a Snow Day for my bros! Then my mom, Hunter, Ryder, and I went to Hunter’s school (Werner Elementary – where I went!) play. It was a medieval play called, ‘Joust.’ Hunter was a knight and told us earlier he thought the play was dumb haha! We got there early and got front row seats. It was Ryder’s first play! Hunter did a good job and it was a fun little play. In elementary school, I remember being in school plays and I thought they were such a big deal lol. Zach didn’t go watch because he was swamped with homework as he missed some school for business competitions (FBLA/Deca stuff). Meanwhile, Kevin was on his way back from the airport as he had just returned from a short business trip to Indianapolis. We all met at Spooner’s for some frozen yogurt afterwards. It was fun for Kevin to meet us there since we had missed him! Overall, it was a great evening!

April Snowstorms Bring May…

2013-04-30T23:23:00.001-06:00

…Snowstorms! Tomorrow, May 1st, there is a ‘Winter Storm Warning’ and we are supposed to get 12+ inches. Just Sunday, it was in the 70’s so I got out all of my shorts and t-shirts as well as Ryder’s! Today it was starting to get colder and actually rained. We will see what happens tomorrow!

Now, for what went down recently in April!

This post consists of happenings from April 15-24 (minus the Wyoming trip here from April 19-22):

^^ I love to watch Ryder sleep. On a side note his cheeks seem to get rosy from time to time. He certainly does not get that from me. No matter how hard I work out or how hot it is where I am, my face stays the same color…pasty white haha!

^^ Ryder eats baby food like a champ and is clearly enthusiastic about it! // My face as I head out to the gym early morning while there is a snowstorm! It was SO cold! I had to bust out my warmest jacket and put up the eskimo hood en route to the gym’s entrance!

^^ Some snow, during some of the snow days. There were 3 snow days for school for my brothers. We got 25+ inches! The roads were usually bad in the morning but I ventured out anyways to the gym and they got better as the day went on. But sometimes, the wind and snow would be blowing so hard and fast that it was hard to see. After one workout at the central location, my 15 minute ride home took 35 minutes because of the snow and slow drivers.

^^ Hunter and Ryder in the car on our way to Schlotzsky’s in the snow storm. Ryder was holding Hunter’s hand; it was so cute! Meanwhile, Kevin was on a business trip in New York City.

^^ My friend Lesley’s mother-in-law, Cyndi (who goes to my church and works at a rheumatology office), dropped off pamphlets of biologic medicine for me to read since I may be starting one of them soon. She even dropped them off in the intense snow storm! Seriously, sooo nice! More on my disease here and here. I also went to a free physical therapy consultation at Rebound Physical Therapy. They have a physical therapy place at the gym I work out at and when you sign up they give you a free consultation. I asked the people who worked there who was the best with backs and spines and saw that guy. He said my spine kind of is twisted to the right, or something like that. So, say you are a normal person and are standing on both feet…now, shift your weight onto your right leg. That is how a lot of people stand. Now, apparently that is my spine normal when I have my weight on both of my feet. Soooo…I’m taking that with a grain of salt lol. As for now, I am not starting physical therapy there. I asked if they deal with a lot of people with Ankylosing Spondylitis and he said not really since it is very rare…so lol. If I do start it up, I want to go to the best physical therapist and get my moneys worth, if that is possible! Too bad. Ryder could have gone in the gym’s daycare if I went there! And, my mom and I went to my rheumatology appointment which went great. More on that here.

^^ Snow storms call for flannel Polo one-piece outfits and beanies. I think he is the cutest!

^^ Coming home from working out once and you can see the snow falling in the pictures! Also check out those icicles! They actually got A LOT bigger but I didn’t catch them at their finest moment. I posted this photo on Instagram (ashleysloan7) but let me post what I wrote here as well because I think it is awesome (if you like The Office).

“3 Snow Days (for my bros), 20+ inches of snow, & legit icicles. Because I see icicles & think of The Office, I will leave you with this..."Dwight Schrute: It's very unusual for Michael not to show up to work. My guess, he's either deeply depressed or an icicle has snapped off his roof and impaled his brain. He has this terrible habit of standing directly underneath them and staring up at them. And I always say, "Michael, take two steps back and stare at the icicle from the side." And he's like, "No, I like the way they look from standing directly underneath them." It was only a matter of time." // #snow #snow day #icicles #fortcollins #colorado #theoffice #dwightschrute #michaelscott #mostrandominstagramever”

^^ Ryder passed his 1st class of swim lessons! Woohoo! We had a blast at them! I would say the last couple of classes he has really learned how to splash around in the water. He is obsessed with hitting the water and then gets surprised when his face gets wet. Also, my face gets wet a lot now hah. Surprising for me too! I am thinking it is not really the swim lessons but more of a developmental thing. In the group photo above, left to right is, Ryder and I, Everett and Katie, Valencia and Gwen, and Emery and Anna! Such a fun group and I’m glad we were all able to sign up and do the class together!

^^ When you are cooking and you don’t know where you put your baby, throw them in a sink! Hehe. This second sink in my parent’s kitchen is just perfect for him! He played with a measuring cup while in it and was very content while we all cooked! Meanwhile, Kevin drove to Ikea to exchange some cabinets that were the wrong size for our kitchen. Long story short (will be explained in our Home Remodel: Cabinets post), the Ikea measuring guy either measured our wall incorrectly or inputted the data incorrectly into the Ikea Kitchen Design program, so we had to exchange 24 inch cabinets for 18. Major annoyance. So much for having someone come out to check our measurements! // Also, Ryder loves the last page in B is for Bear book because it has a mirror :)

^^ I just love this photo of him haha. Basically, he always finds the aspirator (snot sucker) and likes to play with it. It is kind of the grossest toy ever?! Don’t worry, I always take it away…

^^ “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Ryder was having fun playing with a vintage alphabet sound toy that my parents had when my younger siblings were kids and landed on his arm all funny. He wasn’t enjoying this moment.

^^ Left to right: Amanda, Sonja, Sarah, Ryder, me, Carmen, Bekah, & Jessi all had a girls night at Noodles & Company! It was a good time. Then some of us went to Bekah’s afterwards to hangout a little longer. The odds were certainly in Ryder’s favor as he was the only man in attendance! // Poor Ryder was so bored while I folded our ward bulletins at church. He wasn’t having it so I had to rush and fold SUPER quick so we could leave lol. And actually, Kevin left this evening for a quick business trip to Indianapolis. I try to plan these girls nights for when Kevin is out of town because when he is in town…I want to hang out with him! He has been traveling so much!

Next Up on the Blog: A Medieval Play + Spooner’s, Scenes From Our Weekend, Ryder is 8 months, & I’m practically caught up on my blog! Guys. It has taken me 8 months to catch up so basically since Ryder has been born. But it is possible!!! Now to stay caught up! ;)

Weekend in Wyoming with my Grandparents

2013-04-29T22:26:00.001-06:00

Kevin, Ryder, and I went on a little road trip to visit my grandparents (dad’s parents) between April 19-22, 2013. My grandparents live in Burlington, Wyoming which is around 8 hours away from Fort Collins where we live. If you have ever been to Cody, WY, you have been 30 minutes away from Burlington! Burlington isn’t too far from Jackson Hole or Yellowstone National Forest. It is a very small town and the population is less than 300 people lol. We drove up on a Friday and made it in good time (8 hours). My grandpa had cooked a lasagna for us and had it waiting for us hot on the table! He also had freshly baked chocolate chip cookies waiting for our arrival. If I remember right, they have only seen Ryder one time and that was sometime in the fall of 2012. We all met up at Olive Garden and had dinner while Ryder slept the whole time in his car seat. They were excited to see Ryder! My grandma LOVED holding Ryder. It was so sweet. She really loves children and connects with them well. We rested and relaxed watching True Grit, the original John Wayne movie. I started falling asleep so we decided to finish it the following day. Saturday morning (20th), we got ready and made our way to Cody. We first stopped by the Boot Barn to get Ryder his first cowboy hat! He loves it and loves to play with it for fun actually! He is the cutest cowboy I’ve ever seen! We browsed some stores in downtown Cody and drove to Powell to eat lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Kevin and Grandpa got groceries while Grandma and I hung out in the car (& I nursed Ryder). There is no big grocery store in Burlington so we had to make sure to get everything we needed for the meals for the weekend. After arriving in Burlington, we played multiple games of Rummikub – awesome game – and I ended up with 1 tile for all of the games. Basically I got 2nd place each game, haha. Kevin made an amazing Italian meal of baked pasta. His portions were so big my grandpa asked if we were feeding the neighbors and the missionaries haha. It was very delicious! Then we watched another John Wayne movie, The Cowboys. This one I actually really liked. It was better then the other ones I think for sure! Anyone seen it? Meanwhile, we ate a lot of chocolate chip cookies my Grandpa made. Sunday (21st) we played more Rummikub. I challenged everyone because I had to win at least one game. I finally did – hallelujah – with an amazing move. I re-shuffled like 5 sets of 3 tiles each and somehow managed to put my last tile on the table! It was insane. Ask Kevin ha. Growing up and over the years visiting my grandparents, we always played Rummikub. We discovered the game from my grandparents and it is actually a really good game! Then we went to church and the cool thing is they have an LDS church 1 block away from my grandparents in their town! It is awesome they have their own ward in the small town. My grandpa’s brother’s son, Randy, was there and his daughter, Faith, and her new baby girl and some random relatives we see every once in awhile. Ryder fell asleep on my shoulder which I loved because it doesn’t happen that often. He is usually too active to calm down and fall asleep on me. When he is tired, I just put him in his crib and he sleeps much better that way. We then ate a big crock pot roast (again- my grandpa asked Kevin if he was feeding the army lol) which was very good. We ended the night with another John Wayne movie. If you haven’t caught on to a theme, it is that my grandpa likes John Wayne movies! I forget what it is called but I wasn’t paying too much attention to it. It was great to go and visit my grandparents because I haven’t been up there for a couple of years. And ever since I got married and have been at BYU, I haven’t been up there really because I was busy in school or working in the summer, etc. Growing up, I was always with my family there so this time, Kevin and I got to spend a lot more time with them. We left Monday (22nd) for Fort Collins. It had started to snow really hard in Burlington and the roads were actually pretty bad so my grandparents were worried about us driving. They wanted us to stay another day but we had to get back. They also said I could leave Ryder with them, hehe. I called them at every major city or so, so they knew we were ok driving in the snowy conditions, and eventually we made it home! Next time we visit, we need to visit in the summer so we can spend time outside and doing more country things :) (horse back riding, 4 wheelers, white water rafting, fishing, shooting guns, fireworks, Cody rodeo, etc.) My grandparents are the sweetest and most charitable people I know. They are very humble and always serving. They are so sweet to each other. They are great examples to me and I hope to one day become more like them.

My Disease: Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis Part 2/2

2013-04-29T00:05:00.001-06:00

To read the beginnings of my Ankylosing Spondylitis journey, check out my post,

My Disease: Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis Part 1/2.

***

I am going to start talking about what has happened since it became the new year - 2013.

Post Brazil trip: I had gotten back into the states a few days into January (More on our Brazil trip here.) Literally, the second we landed in the US and my phone got service, I checked my voice mail and heard a message from the nurse at my rheumatology office. She told me to call her back. Why didn’t she just tell me the results over the phone? I felt sick to my stomach because I thought they were going to tell me I had AS. I was afraid she was going to say my spine was fusing together. I was talking to Kevin about it in the airport and he basically said that you have all the symptoms, it runs in your family, and you have known you may have this disease for a couple of years. It will be okay either way and not to worry. It was true. I would be fine, but I didn’t want to have a lifelong disease and have them tell me I had it FOR SURE. I waited to call the nurse until we got into baggage claim and unfortunately I got her voicemail. I didn’t hear back from her until the next week (called on a Friday) and she basically said my X-Rays looked good (meaning the AS wasn’t SO bad it was fusing my spine). She also said I could take Advil (800 mg) for the pain.

I thought they would have given me some more options as to what medicines to take for the pain. I know there wasn’t many options because I was nursing Ryder but my rheumatologist said she would look into some and find out for me. So, I tried Advil. One thing I didn’t like was that I didn’t want to be popping 800 mg. of Advil round the clock. I know it can give you ulcers as my mom had one when you take a lot of Advil, but whatever, I tried it.

Waking from Pain: A little later in January, I started waking up EVERY night in a row for 2-3 weeks straight. I had woken from the night plenty of times before because of the pain and inflammation but not EVERY NIGHT for weeks straight! I had this happen when I first started getting back pain in the summer of 2011 and then a few times here and there in the winter of 2012 after Ryder started sleeping through the night. Oh, and when I was pregnant I would sometimes. It was very frustrating whenever it happened before but the literal worst when it happened for weeks. When you wake up in the middle of the night, at least for me, I can’t breathe. It hurts to breathe because my ribs are so inflamed. I am talking about the back of my ribs. Also, my whole back just kills. I really cannot explain this phenomenon unless you have AS. It is so bad. It is very frustrating because you are so tired and can’t sleep. My body wasn’t allowing me to sleep longer than 4ish hours. Also, the scary thing is you don’t know how long you will wake up every night. It could be another day and the flare could go down or it could be the rest of your life! It is hard not to think it may be the rest of your life when it happens this long. I was starting to dread going to sleep and would get anxious because it was so horrible.

I tried many things when I woke up like:

+ Sleeping on my sides but that wasn’t possible…

+ Laying on my stomach…I couldn’t even LAY on my stomach because I couldn’t relax at all because I was in so much pain.

+ Laying on my back. Nope, I had woken up like that. That is how I had been sleeping since I had Ryder because it seemed to be the best way to sleep with my AS. I slept on my back with 1 pillow behind my head and 1 or 2 underneath my knees.

+ I would try to lay on the floor sometimes but I could not even lay there. The ground was too hard and I was too inflamed.

The only option was to sit up in a La-Z-Boy for an hour or so until the inflammation went down just enough that I could maybe fall asleep. And this is also where Advil comes into play. Well, by the time I would wake up in the middle of the night (5 am or whatever), take the pills, they would kick in right when I would have been able to maybe fall asleep in my own bed. So what was the point of Advil?

Kevin would find me in the La-Z-Boy many mornings and ask if I was sleeping or how long I had been awake. It was so frustrating. I googled numerous times “Tips for sleeping with AS” or “Best mattress for AS”, etc. and unfortunately, it is very common to not be able to sleep. AS and sleep just don’t go hand in hand, unless you have a mild case I suppose and don’t wake from the pain?

Why does it wake you up? Your spine gets inflamed when you are immobile. When it is very bad it can wake you up and you realize you have to move because you literally cannot lay there. Usually it gets less inflamed as you move around. When it isn’t too bad, usually it is just morning stiffness and you are unable to move fully in different ways for a couple of hours until it goes down. {Right now, my stiffness never goes away but yeah.}

Well, guess what? You HAVE TO SLEEP. You can’t get around it. I wish that I could just not sleep. I wish I could sleep moving, somehow. I thought about having a super positive attitude and thinking “Oh I should workout at 4 am every day! And then do a blog post! And clean and do laundry! And be very productive! And take a hot shower to help my joints calm down! That is it, I will shower in the middle of the night!” But seriously, you would have to catch up on a few more hours to make 6 total in a night sometime. You cannot be an energizer bunny all the time. You will hit a wall. It is not possible. Sleep is necessary AND helps you feel better. 4-5 hours of sleep is not sufficient!

And a common symptom of people with AS is FATIGUE! Why? Well, your body is fighting inflammation nonstop which makes you even more tired! Your body is in actuality, attacking its own immune system, and then your body in return is trying to fight the inflammation! My body is pretty cool, right? Not really. So in reality, I should be getting more sleep than might be normal for some people.

What I also tried regardless:

+ Mattress Firm/Soft-ness: We have a Sleep Number bed and I would vary the soft and firmness of the mattress trying to find an optimum comfort level. I’ve read and now agree, the firmer the better, but not like the hardest thing you’ve ever slept on. Basically a little firmer seems to be better. But NOTHING was helping at this time. I talked with Kevin long and hard and we thought we may have to purchase a new mattress, try it out, return it if doesn’t ’t work, and keep doing it until we found one I could sleep longer than a few hours on. I think there are companies that let you try mattresses out for like a month and return if you don’t like, etc. I didn’t want to go this route because I didn’t feel like it would help that much (& the money factor) but I was getting desperate.

+ Hot Shower before bed to help my back relax.

+ Working Out: When I last met with my rheumatologist in December of 2012, I told her I was going to work out – a lot – and try medicine to help the pain and hopefully it would be fine. Well, ever since January I have been working out great…4-6 times a week. I don’t know if it is helping, but the fact is, when you work out, your body does better because you are more mobile and in general, patients with AS who workout, do better. I am very diligent. What have I tried? Kickboxing, Barre, Yoga, Pilates, Running, Lifting Weights, HOT yoga, Zumba, Step classes, Ab classes, & more. Am I able to do everything normally? Heck no.

+ Topical Pain Relieving Ointment: I bought some generic Target ‘Bengay’ to put on my back. It feels like an Altoid on your back. I don’t especially like it, but it is kind of numbing. I feel like it distracts you from the pain. Sometimes I smear it all over my back. It doesn’t help the problem though, just is a little distracting/numbing for a small amount of time.

I was getting so discouraged because Advil was the only thing I could take and it wasn’t helping at all. I just couldn’t live for the rest of my life sleep deprived. It was very hard. Kevin was feeling bad for me too.

Why not just quit breastfeeding? You may be wondering why I didn’t just give up breastfeeding so I could take other drugs than Advil. At this point, I had only nursed Ryder for a few months because it had taken him 2 months to learn how to nurse. I had worked SO hard and didn’t want to only go a few months. Honestly, I think most people would have quit trying to teach their baby to nurse before even getting to 8 weeks, so I had done some amazing stuff. I had worked hard and just nursing him for a few months was amazing. He had received plenty of good stuff. My goal was 12 months since that is what they recommend but I was just going to see how it went and try to get around there. Because it took Ryder so long to learn how to nurse, I felt like I couldn’t just quit at 4 months because I had worked so hard. I mean, we had just gotten our physical therapy bill for Ryder (to learn how to suck) and it was around $450! I had no clue it would end up being that expensive. So much for saving money on formula, haha! Basically, I was so stubborn and persistent, I got him to learn how to nurse, and I wasn’t going to quit easily. I had even talked to my Lactation Consultant, Becky and she told me there were other medicines safe for me to take while nursing Ryder. There is a guy, Dr. Hale, who all he does is research medicine in mother’s breast milk, checks the amounts of medicine that passes through the milk, watches the affects on babies (short and long-term), etc. He has a book titled “Medicine and Mother’s Milk” and apparently even Humira is safe for nursing mothers (Lactation Level: 2 (1 is the safest))! Humira is a biologic medicine that is given through shots. Basically you give yourself shots and the company itself says “DO NOT TAKE IF PREGNANT OR NURSING!” Well, according to Dr. Hale, it is safe, and that is some of the strongest stuff they give you for AS.

At this point, I was needing some other medicine. I called my rheumatologist’s nurse and told her the situation and said “Advil is not working. I need something else.” She got back to me and basically said, “Advil is the safest. It has been studied for a long time. You can ask your obgyn what they recommend.” I said, “Well what medicines should I ask them to look up?” She said, “Just ask them what they would give you.” So I call my obgyn’s nurse and tell her the situations. My obgyn is not a rheumatologist, obviously. The nurse asked me “What medicines should I look up? Can you give me a list?” I told her they wouldn’t tell me any and I am supposed to find out what I can take. She said, well, if you get a list I can look them up or you can call your pediatrician. So I call Ryder’s pediatrician and tell her how I am getting the run around. She spoke with Ryder’s pediatrician, Dr. Markley (who was actually my pediatrician and the nicest lady ever!) and she said Prednisone would be ok, etc. I call my rheumatologists’ nurse and she says, sometimes they prescribe it but not very often for nursing mothers, but you would have to make an appointment.

I clearly need something to function better so I call and get on a wait list for the other rheumatologist at the office because the one I had been seeing is basically saying Advil is all I can take and when I come in to see her she just says she will look into it and get back to me.

* Side note: I have no problems with any of the rheumatologists at the office I had been going to. I actually REALLY like them. Like the girl…I would hang out with her, she is so cool haha. I just don’t want to say their names on here because I switched rheumatologists, for now. Haha. I think the main problem was that I was nursing. If I wasn’t, I’m sure my experience would have been better but I wanted to do both: nurse and take medicine. There are a lot of options of safe medicines to take while nursing but I would say they err on the side of being cautious that they wouldn’t really give me any options. *

So I get very lucky and get into the rheumatologist my mom has been seeing in a couple of days (there was a cancellation). Normally, to see him, you have to wait months, which is torturous. He was great and said I clearly need to be on something so I can sleep through the night. He said he would talk to Ryder’s pediatrician and find out an option for me. Our plan was to try a pain killer at night so I could sleep through the night and if I could get a good night’s rest then I could function better during the day. He said if that doesn’t work we can try a steroid but he doesn’t prefer those because they aren’t as safe. He prescribed me Vicadin so I’ve been taking that since that appointment which was months ago. I would say I started being able to sleep a little better and for longer right as I had visited my rheumatologist. The Vicadin may have helped a little but I don’t think it caused the flare up to really go down if that makes sense. But things got a little better for a teeny bit.

Then it got the worst it had ever been and I was getting very desperate. I started reading anything and looking into everything on how to help myself because my meds weren’t cutting it and I didn’t know if Prednisone was super safe to breastfeed on...

Possible Options:

+ Physical Therapy- I still didn’t think it was worth my time and money because a year ago we had spent a ton of money on it and it didn’t seem to do anything. Plus, when you have AS you have periods of bad pain and periods of time when it may go into remission. Unfortunately, in 2 years since I’ve had this, I think I had maybe a couple months of very minimal pain. {Right now, I’m in the longest flare up in my life and my rheumatologist thinks it is quite long, too long}

+ Gluten AND Dairy Free Diet- I asked my rheumatologist about this prior and he didn’t seem to think it would make much of a difference. He said some people claim it can help (because gluten & dairy have inflammatory causing proteins in them and such) but with AS it honestly isn’t going to do that much. You may disagree but I am not going to be all trendy and try it for the heck of it as of now. He also said, while nursing, I shouldn’t change my diet drastically. In the future, if I get VERY desperate and don’t find meds to help, I may try this. But guys. NO DAIRY OR GLUTEN?! I feel like they are starting to make a lot of gluten free options at restaurants and selling more things at normal groceries stores but take away dairy too. What is left? After speaking with my doctor, I am not going to try this as of now. Heck, if I could feel normal again, I would do it in a heartbeat! BUT…it won’t stop the progression of the disease and possible fusion if that is how my disease will go…

+ Medicines: You won’t believe how many medicines I researched online. I read many studies on nursing mothers and their babies, etc. I talked to my friend Amberley who has Rheumatoid Arthritis on what medicines she took. I talked to my lactation consultants. If I have any friends in the medical field I always try to get their take on it. AS is rare so no one knows what it is really haha.

+ Acupuncture/Chiropractic Care: I feel like this is a very, very, very, last resort if I have extra money to spend on haha. I haven’t tried these options out.

Random Other Pains: I also had these symptoms within the last couple months.

1. Costochondritis: Costochondritis is inflammation of the ribs – which is why it hurts for me to breathe when I wake up in pain. I can only take shallow breathes which leave you not feeling full of breath if that makes sense. Usually, after a few hours after waking up the inflammation goes down so it doesn’t hurt to breathe, BUT I am stiff (can’t turn my spine that much either way), but for a few days, the inflammation didn’t go down! It was horrible. The hard thing about AS is you don’t know the path it will take. It could get really bad and stay bad for the rest of your life or go into remission for a while and then come back or be mild for some people. The unknown is the worst. I took extra Advil when this happened and luckily it didn’t keep happening longer than a few days because it was horrible.

2. Achy Knees: I had achy knees here and there but luckily this hasn’t been too bad. AS can affect other joints as well.

I would consider this the worst my AS has been.

Limping/Not able to walk: This was the worst my disease had even been. I started limping because my right SI joint hurt so bad, I couldn’t move that leg fully throughout any motion. I literally thought I ripped a tendon, ligament, muscle, broke a bone, anything like that; I am no doctor so I don’t know anything about that haha. I was hoping that was the case because 1. If that was the case, then I could fix it! I could have surgery, stop working out for awhile while I recover, whatever. It could be fixed. I would do anything to fix it. 2. If it was the disease, well then dang, that SUCKS! How can you take care of your baby if you can’t walk!? And if it was hurting like that, was I going to start fusing? I was hoping it was that I had injured myself working out trying to get back in shape and fight my disease… Also, I like to do lifting classes 2 times a week and you lay on benches to do arm work and every time I went to sit up from the bench in a class…I literally thought I was going to have to ask someone to help me up! So, when you try to sit up from laying on your back, the sharpest most intense pain happens in my right SI joint. It also hurts really bad to lay on your back so I decided I couldn’t do these classes until the pain was managed.

Steroids: I called the nurse again and told her I couldn’t really walk and was limping. She said she spoke with him and he prescribed 10 mg of Prednisone (steroid which can help with the inflammation). When I picked up the prescription at Target I was SOOOO excited to try it! It felt like Christmas! I was hoping this would help me be able to walk and feel normal again and be safe to nurse Ryder.

The nurse got me in to see my rheumy right away because he just prescribed me Prednisone and needed to check on me. I literally came from working out – yes limping into the gym and limping out haha felt like such an idiot – and limped my way into his office! Kevin left work for a little bit to come to the appointment and keep Ryder under control ;) He said that I very well could have injured myself or have something mechanical going on with my back. Our plan was to try Prednisone, see full results by the weekend, call with how I’m doing, and if I am not doing much better then we will do an MRI. If the MRI shows something else is going on then I will see a spine specialist or go a different route. I was glad to have a plan and hoping I would be able to walk normal soon. On our way out, I told Kevin to look into a room because I may be joining the people in there someday… the room I was talking about was full of older people hooked up to IV’s getting infusions, lol! Party in there, not…! {Now I know there were probably getting Remicade – a biologic medicine}

Unfortunately, my limping was so bad and the Prednisone wasn’t helping. I knew it was a very low dose and knew up to 40 mg were to be safe (according to my LC’s) and I was only on 10 mg. I mentioned in my appointment that we had some wiggle room for the Prednisone and he said not above 20 mg. Kevin had a business trip and we were still in the process of our home remodel so I was living at my parents. Thank goodness I was, because I wasn’t able to really take care of Ryder that well. My dad and mom were so helpful and helped me bathe him. They said let them know what I need help with because I couldn’t do anything. It even hurt to just sit down! It was hard to get him out of his Pack ‘n’ Play he was sleeping in here. It was also hard to lift the stroller out of the trunk or lift him in the car seat. It was Easter weekend and I couldn’t even help him pick up Easter eggs :( (Easter post here.)

I called with how I was doing on Monday morning…literally at 8 am, the minute they opened, as my rheumy wanted me to. I told them I was still doing horrible and wanted to schedule the MRI and possibly up my Prednisone dose. We luckily got an MRI scheduled the day before we left for our Utah weekend trip (post here). She also said I could up my Prednisone dosage to 15 mg.

MRI: I got an MRI and it was actually not that fun. I can’t remember the last time I laid on my back…I sure don’t sleep like that. I now sleep on my sides. But you lay on your back for an MRI and you can’t move, at all, while they get the images they need. My MRI took about 40-ish minutes and my SI joints quickly felt like they were on FIRE! It was bad. I was just trying so hard to endure haha. Also, I got an MRI on my wrist when I was in elementary school and I don’t remember the MRI machine being SO CLOSE to your face and body. Good thing I am not claustrophobic because I am not, but felt a little in there lol. The MRI tech had to help me off the table! Later that day they called with the results. They said I didn’t injure myself and said it was my disease. That sucked. They said they saw inflammation on my spine and SI joints and especially on my right side. Whelp, makes sense. That is why it hurts to walk on my right side! So that was a bummer. I asked the nurse if it showed my spine was fusing and she said no. THANK GOODNESS! But she said my rheumy recommends I wean Ryder and start on Humira (the shots you give yourself). My plan was to continue on the Prednisone and Vicadin until I couldn’t continue any longer and then try the hardcore drugs (after weaning Ryder).

At that point, my Prednisone wasn’t really helping that much but over time, I began to walk without limping. Currently, I am not limping!!! By the way, when I say I am not limping, doesn’t mean I am normal by any means but it means the worst of it has passed, for now. So that is good. It lasted a few weeks maybe and it was bad. I always talk to Kevin about medication and things to help the pain because I wanted him to be in the know and want his opinion.

Fasting: Each month we have a Fast Sunday at my church (I’m Mormon). Kevin asked what we should fast for (2 weeks ago) and I said maybe to know what to do for my disease. Also, I am very indecisive and especially when it is with deciding medications that may increase my risks of cancer, get sick a lot more, possibly affect Ryder, etc. I never used to research medicine until I had Ryder. I guess that is what you do when you are a mom, worry more and research things more haha! So we did and then I decided I should bear my testimony. I can’t remember the last time I bore my testimony but it has been a long time. I used to think of things I would say before I got up to the pulpit to bear it but then I learned about that one scripture that says basically “Don’t think of things to say before hand, go up there and you will know what to say.” Don’t you like my Ashley scripture? Haha. Anyways, that is the gist of it. So I started doing that and whenever I do that, I feel like I say random things and finish lol. So I go up there and mention things like “Trials make you stronger. You will only be given what you can handle. Bla bla bla.” So I say I have been having health problems and then realize whenever people say that in church, I am always like “WHAT?!” and super curious. So I can’t say, “Ankylosing Spondylitis.” Everyone would be like “Huh? What the crap?” So I say, “Arthritis of the spine and it affects other things too.” Then I realized I didn’t really say what I wanted to say when I was done. So I hope people got the gist haha.

Answer To Our Fast: So cool thing, my cute friend, Lesley Thalman’s mother-in-law Cyndi, is in my ward, and pulled me out of Relief Society. I had no clue what she was going to say and then she said that she has been working in rheumatology for 11 years! She had actually just talked to Kevin in the hallway as well about me. She has been giving infusions to patients for that long. She knew EXACTLY what I had when I said “arthritis of the spine” over the pulpit. She wanted to make sure I was seeing a doctor and I was. She mentioned that 2nd opinions are great and highly recommended one if I was interested. Kevin and I had actually been talking about getting a second opinion because basically the only medicines my rheumatologists keep going back to are biologics [Humira, Enbrel, Simponi, Remicade (there are TONS of commercials and magazine ads for these so you may have heard of them)]. Those medications are very hardcore and can increase risks of cancers so I am kind of scared of them. I told her I wanted to get a second opinion but didn’t know of a good rheumatologist. I had googled trying to find some before and didn’t really find any others nearby other than my current ones, unless I wanted to drive to Denver. There are just not that many rheumatologists out there in comparison to other doctors. She told me about her office and the rheumatologists there. She said she could squeeze me in to see one possibly even that week. Normally you have to wait months to see one if you are a new patient. She said that she thinks that aggressive early treatment is best especially because you can’t tell if a patient is going to fuse or not. Biologics (to my knowledge) are the only medicine that can halt or slow the progression of the disease and stop the fusion. They can also sometimes put your disease in remission! So I was very excited to hear she knew about my disease, as no one does, and felt it was definitely an answer to our prayers. I am glad she was in town, in church, and happened to listen to my testimony! Seriously awesome.

The next day I started getting my records from my other rheumatology office (so awkward haha but I was sneaky about it) and she scheduled me an appointment with a great rheumatologist, Dr. Levine. She even brought the new patient forms to my parents house which was SO nice! I couldn’t believe it. She brought pamphlets on Humira, Enbrel, and Remicade and I looked through them. It is so hard to know if you should start those medicines! You can either give yourself shots every 2 weeks (Enbrel or Humira) or get a 2 hour infusion every 6 weeks (Remicade). Also, usually you stay on these meds for the rest of your life, yay! You could potentially get Lymphoma or other kinds of cancers from taking these medicines. The medicines also suppress your immune system so you could get sick more often and for longer. You cannot get surgeries or take antibiotics while on them so you would have to stop the medicine if necessary. Also, you cannot be pregnant on them so I would have to stop before I try to get pregnant again and hopefully get pregnant quick otherwise I could be in a lot of pain again! Sometimes AS can go into remission while pregnant. Too bad it didn’t go away fully when I was pregnant with Ryder! I learned that you can take Prednisone when you are pregnant so that is good to know. You also get your blood work checked all the time while on these biologics because they have to monitor you closely. If you get an infectious disease it can be VERY bad while on these because your immune system is basically very weak.

NEW Rheumatologist: I was SO excited to go to this appointment and meet Dr. Levine. Unfortunately, Kevin was out of town, so my mom went with. She was curious how he was because she has been seeing a rheumatologist for inflammatory arthritis (for years) and maybe would want to switch if she liked him as well. The rheumatology office is called The Arthritis Center of the Rockies and is in the North wing of Medical Center of the Rockies (where I delivered Ryder). That whole hospital and area is brand new so the office is super nice. We met with him and he looked over my records, MRI’s, and X-Rays. He did agree that he thinks I have AS. He seemed to be very on top of things and helped come up with a plan. I was to wean off Prednisone (my steroids- they are bad to be on long-term- can cause diabetes, etc.) and start Diclofenac (75 mg, 2x/day). Diclofenac is an anti-inflammatory and safe for nursing! I am to come back in 2 weeks and see how I am doing. He wants me to try Humira or some biologics. He said it could be a game changer! He said I am very low risk for the side affects of the biologics and acted like the shots are not a big deal, haha. Ummm yeah! He even said Humira is safe to take while breastfeeding (even though the company says do not take while nursing- got to cover their bases for liability purposes)! That is exactly what my lactation consultant, Becky says! Regardless, biologics aren’t the most studied and oldest medicines out there. They have been around for 15-ish years, definitely not as long as others, so the long-term affects aren’t really known. Well, they know some, but I mean without years of data, you can only know so much. I am also at the point where I am ok to stop nursing Ryder because I have to take care of myself in order to take care of him. I was about to start weaning him a couple of weeks ago but decided to wait until this appointment. I also have a bunch of frozen milk in our chest freezer so Ryder could probably go a little longer on breast milk. But the good thing about Dr. Levine is that if I am in pain, he doesn’t want me to continue on for months being in pain, but he wants me to try something new until we figure something out! He is aggressive and proactive. At this point, I think I am going to keep going to him.

The next debate is to start the biologics or wait a little longer! The thing is, I really feel like I may go on them some day in the future, so I don’t know if it is beneficial to even wait. We shall see. I do know sometimes if you start and stop them, and start them up again, that sometimes your body doesn’t accept them as well and they aren’t as effective. That is a big concern for me. I will go see him on May 8th and Kevin is coming with!

It feels good to finally have this finished! I feel like I needed to write about it for at least my sake.

Question for anyone with autoimmune diseases:

Are you on biologics? If so, which one (Humira, Enbrel, Remicade?) and are you having any side affects?! What do you think of them? Were the shots hard in the first place and did you get used to them?

Home Remodel: Flooring

2013-04-25T22:34:00.001-06:00

Kevin & I went to Home Depot on Black Friday 2012 to check out their appliances. We actually ended up buying flooring right then and there! We had been looking at flooring for a long time, probably for about a year when we bought this, so it wasn’t like we just bought it for the heck of it…but I felt like we did lol. We also had looked at Lowe’s and Lumbar Liquidators. Basically, we got a killer deal on Pergo so we went with it. There was about one pallet of the wood at the end of the aisle that was a great deal. That meant we didn’t have any choice on the color, if we wanted the deal, and we are all about the deals haha. We just went with it! The flooring style we really wanted was way too expensive (next house!) and we figured the color we bought was basic and normal and would be fine. It was definitely an upgrade from what we had in our house prior so that was good. There was also another couple looking at the wood very intensely but we took it hahaha. They let us know we could always return it so we decided to try it out.

Kevin got it to fit perfectly in the Jeep – flooring, padding for under the floor (Forget what it is called), and a pallet we could put the flooring on. We got it in October (& started the remodel in March) and decided to keep it in the garage instead of haul it in the basement and then bring it right back up in a few months. Parking the Jeep in the garage, in the winter, makes for a snowy, wet, mess in the garage. I did NOT want the flooring to get warped so good thing we had a pallet to protect it!

After Kevin ripped out the carpet and linoleum!

< Make sure to let the wood acclimate (couple days in the room you are installing it) before you put it in! >

Kevin worked SO hard on the floor! He watched lots of YouTube videos and read stuff online. Paying someone to install the floor can be pricey and Kevin felt confident he could do it, so he taught himself. This Pergo was the clicklock stuff so it wasn’t like true hardwood floors that you have to nail in. It is easier, but still time consuming and hard work! Kevin figured he could learn some random renovation skills by learning/practicing on our first home :) I am so proud of Kevin and his hard work and I think the floor looks great!

We had a few electrical issues so we actually probably need to get an electrician out here haha. Totally just reminded myself. The plug on the floor is actually going to be beneath our butcher block so we can plug in whatever we need (i.e.. waffle maker, Kitchen Aid, random things). And as of now, I don’t think this plug works lol. // Kevin started putting together our Ikea cabinets so I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the whole floor, finished. But as you can see, it is finished!

I spy a baby.

Once more of the kitchen is finished, Kevin will put the baseboards back on as well as the quarter-rounds. I am so excited for the final result and so thankful for Kevin’s hard work! He is amazing!

***

Previous remodel posts:

Home Remodel: The Dilemma & Decisions

Home Remodel: Demolition & Paint

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Next Up: Home Remodel: Cabinets !

Utah Visit: JaKie’s Surprise Baby Shower

2013-04-24T15:20:00.001-06:00

My mom and I made our way out to Utah for my aunt JaKie’s surprise baby shower! We were in Utah from April 4-7, 2013.

Thursday, April 4, 2013:

We drove through lovely Wyoming and finally made our way to North Ogden, Utah. We stayed at the McBride’s (my aunt DeNee’s house). Ryder is such a good traveler! He slept for a lot of it!

When we got into North Ogden, we met DeNee and my cousin Colton at Slackwater Pub & Pizzeria for dinner. We had some yummy pizza! As you can see Ryder was enjoying dinner (left photo below) haha.

Friday, April 5, 2013:

My aunt JaKie didn’t know we were in Utah so we couldn’t see her last night or this day. We met up with Omi and Opi and uncle Steve at Zupa’s in Riverdale. I love that place! I got what I always get when I go there- the ‘Nuts About Berries’ salad and their Tomato Basil soup with Orzo. My mom ran into one of her best friends from a long time ago, Amy Greer eating at Zupa’s. She actually was one of the first persons to hold me at the hospital right after I was born! Opi is obsessed with Alabama as Omi and Opi live there. He put his Alabama hat on Ryder and took these photos! He also made all the collages in this post haha. He LOVES to take photos and loves editing them on various iPhone apps and on his computer.

After eating at Zupa’s, we peeked in a tiny baby/maternity boutique in Ogden and then hung out at the McBride’s house for the afternoon. We were going to meet up with my cousin Kayla at The Fashion Place mall but she got a flat tire so we met her in a random parking lot around the Salt Lake area while we tried to figure out a tire solution. Then we headed off to JaKie’s surprise baby shower! Apparently she loves the brie burgers at the restaurant at The Radisson in Salt Lake City. She thought she was going to be eating dinner with Omi and Opi and some of their friends. But when she walked in a bunch of other people were there! She kind of knew something was up because her son, CaLon gave her a hint something was going on haha. We all ate cheeseburgers and she opened up her presents for her baby girl, TaTem! Oh, and I had the most amazing strawberry shortcake for dessert there!

JaKie & Ryder meeting for the first time!

Some of the group!

Saturday, April 6, 2013:

Unfortunately we were around Salt Lake City but didn’t have tickets to any General Conference sessions! So, we hung out at the Toner’s (JaKie’s house) in Clearfield for a little bit in the morning and then had lunch. Opi took these photos :)

Since my aunt just found out we were in town she wanted to go shopping for baby TaTem. We all made our way to City Creek! It was my first visit to City Creek and it was pretty great! I scored a great deal on some brown tights at Nordstrom and a cute navy and white striped onesie for Ryder at Baby Gap. We also got some yummy caramels at The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! Got to love chocolate ;)

My cousin LuKus loved pushing Ryder around in Nordstrom! // The best view at City Creek…the Salt Lake City temple!

Sadly the photo below is blurry but Ryder made a friend at Baby Gap! So cute! // AND…my mom tried this headband on him haha…I guess this is what he may look like if he were a girl haha. Sorry Ryder, had to post this…!

Afterwards, we hung out at JaKie’s some more and LuKus played with Ryder. LuKus is definitely ready to be a big brother! He was so cute around Ryder! JaKie told me he hadn’t really been around a baby before. For dinner, Omi made wieners, soup, and bread.

LuKus then learned how to feed Ryder and wipe his face full of baby food with the spoon lol. He also learned how to gag Ryder ha! It was hilarious!

Sunday, April 7, 2013:

We hopped in the car and did a long road trip back home to Fort Collins!

Overall, I would say it was a fun little weekend trip! I need to go back to Utahhh!

My Disease: Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis Part 1/2

2013-04-22T23:23:00.001-06:00

* Disclaimer: I started writing this post weeks ago and then stopped it how it is now, because it didn’t feel “done” and I have a lot more to write about. For now I am just going to post it and then write the rest another time in a second post. I don’t mean to complain by any means or try and get sympathy. I am doing fine. I am slowly accepting the fact that I have this disease and I will have it for the rest of my life as there is no cure. Anyways, I guess I am writing this because I think it would be good for me and at the very least I can go back and read this to see how my symptoms were managed (or very out of control) as time goes on and I try to figure out this lifelong disease and what works and doesn’t. Actually I just remembered, some people have emailed me or sent messages through my Facebook page because they have Ankylosing Spondylitis as well…so if you have it, speak up! :) Let’s share ideas of how we can deal with the pain and disease! Or maybe you may have some of these symptoms and this helps you find a a possible diagnosis…REALLY hope that isn’t the case! Oh, and April is Ankylosing Spondylitis Awareness Month so now you are aware!!! *

Here goes!

I have been meaning to write about this dang disease…for months now, but I haven’t felt like it because 1. It pisses me off and I don’t want to get in a bad mood, and 2. I know it will turn into a novel and take me hours to write…

I will first tell you about the disease and then my experience with it.

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A little about the disease, found from the Spondylitis Association of America:

Overview: Ankylosing spondylitis (pronounced ank-kih-low-sing spon-dill-eye-tiss), or AS, is a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, although other joints can become involved. It causes inflammation of the spinal joints (vertebrae) that can lead to severe, chronic pain and discomfort. In the most advanced cases (but not in all cases), this inflammation can lead to new bone formation on the spine, causing the spine to fuse in a fixed, immobile position, sometimes creating a forward-stooped posture. This forward curvature of the spine is called kyphosis. AS can also cause inflammation, pain and stiffness in other areas of the body such as the shoulders, hips, ribs, heels and small joints of the hands and feet. Sometimes the eyes can become involved (known as Iritis or Uveitis), and rarely, the lungs and heart can be affected. The hallmark feature of ankylosing spondylitis is the involvement of the sacroiliac (SI) joints during the progression of the disease, which are the joints at the base of the spine, where the spine joins the pelvis.

Most Common Symptoms: It is important to note that the course of ankylosing spondylitis varies greatly from person to person. So too can the onset of symptoms. Although symptoms usually start to appear in late adolescence or early adulthood (ages 17-35), the symptoms can occur in children or much later. Typically, the first symptoms of AS are frequent pain and stiffness in the lower back and buttocks, which comes on gradually over the course of a few weeks or months. At first, discomfort may only be felt on one side, or alternate sides. The pain is usually dull and diffuse, rather than localized. This pain and stiffness is usually worse in the mornings and during the night, but may be improved by a warm shower or light exercise. Also, in the early stages of AS, there may be mild fever, loss of appetite and general discomfort. It is important to note that back pain from ankylosing spondylitis is inflammatory in nature and not mechanical. The pain normally becomes persistent (chronic) and is felt on both sides, usually persisting for at least three months. Over the course of months or years, the stiffness and pain can spread up the spine and into the neck. Pain and tenderness spreading to the ribs, shoulder blades, hips, thighs and heels is possible as well. Note that AS can present differently at onset in women than in men. Varying levels of fatigue may also result from the inflammation caused by AS. The body must expend energy to deal with the inflammation, thus causing fatigue. Also, mild to moderate anemia, which may also result from the inflammation, can contribute to an overall feeling of tiredness. In a minority of individuals, the pain does not start in the lower back, but in a peripheral joint such as the hip, ankle, elbow, knee, heel or shoulder. This pain is commonly caused by enthesitis, which is the inflammation of the site where a ligament or tendon attaches to bone. Many people with AS also experience bowel inflammation, which may be associated with Crohn's Disease or ulcerative colitis. AS is often accompanied by iritis or uveitis (inflammation of the eyes). About one third of people with AS will experience inflammation of the eye at least once. Signs of iritis or uevitis are: Eye(s) becoming painful, watery, red and individuals may experience blurred vision and sensitivity to bright light.

Advanced Symptoms: Advanced symptoms can be chronic, severe pain and stiffness in the back, spine and possibly peripheral joints, as well as lack of spinal mobility because of chronic inflammation and possible spinal fusion.

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My experience with AS:

I first heard about the disease when my mom would talk about it here and there. I was probably in junior high when I heard the term and was like “What the heck is that?” It was just some disease that I knew my mom’s aunt had (it is genetic) and it had the stupidest name I had ever heard of. Ankylosing Spondylitis? Dumb name. Like who has heard of that? No one, other than your rheumatologist. I wish it had a different name…but that is the least of my worries…but a valid one haha.

On a related or un-related side note: Rewind to elementary school, once at a yearly physical, the doctor told me to bend over to see how flexible I was. I did, and they thought my lower back wasn’t very flexible. I got an X-Ray because of it and I don’t remember much else about it, other than the fact my lower back wasn’t really flexible. Fast forward to every PE gym class ‘Sit and Reach’ test. I always dreaded those and sucked at those. I’m not sure if this is related or not. Still to this day, my lower back is…very inflexible. I even took Ballet classes at BYU and stretched daily trying to eventually do the splits…yeah, right haha…and I was a dance major haha! {In clogging you don’t have to be flexible :)}

Moving on, I had heard of the disease and knew it was associated with an HLA-B27 gene that ran in our family. I know my mom tested positive for the gene and same with my brother Zach and sister Kelsi. I think my brother Patrick may not have the gene (doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t have AS) and I don’t think Hunter has been tested as of yet.

Throughout high school, I would get random eye infections/inflammation. Eyes can be affected with AS. I would have to stop wearing my contacts (and wear glasses) and use steroid eye drops multiple times a day. I remember wearing my glasses for months at a time while the infection cleared up. I remember, always wanting the infections to go away so I could go snowboarding and wear my contacts with my ski goggles. Also, working out and playing tennis is the literal worst in glasses. But, I had blepharitis, chronic keratitis, in addition to inflammation. Maybe related to AS? Iritis sure is…and I got that a few years later…

Also, in high school, I played tennis. I remember one summer while playing competitively, my lower back started hurting. I thought it was practicing my serve (with the back bend) and playing tennis everyday. I ended up doing physical therapy. I remember the physical therapist doing the TENS Unit on my back and thought it was awesome. Also, I remember it kind of going away after that summer.

Iritis: A couple years later, I move to Provo to attend BYU and one semester I start getting an eye infection – iritis - inflammation of the iritis. This is the eye infection associated with AS. This was THE WORST eye infection I had ever had in my entire life. It hurt to move my eyeballs even with my eyelids closed. Light was so incredibly painful. I would try to do homework in the dark at my apartment. I had to have all the lights off in our apartment otherwise it was too much. I remember my friend Celestine coming over to my apartment once while I had it (and before I went to an eye doctor) and she was shocked I was living in the dark like that. I remember Kevin being out of town for BYU Baseball for some of it… Basically my eyeball hurt to move and was insanely painful when there was any light. Also, my eye was very red. Before I went to the eye doctor, I tried to go to an Accounting review and meet with a tutor but it was too painful. I met with my Accounting teacher and he said I could skip the midterm and he could just average my other tests or something…he let me out of the test luckily. I also wore an eye patch to school…how awkward!!! I wore a hat of course to make the eye patch less obvious. Finally, Kevin came back into town and drove me to the eye doctor. Walking from the car to the eye doctor’s office, I was covering my head with my hands and wincing in pain. He thought I was joking but it was so painful. The day light was too much! Finally, I met with Duane Nelson, an ophthalmologist at the Utah Valley Eye Center. I really liked him because he was very nice, caring, and helpful. He diagnosed me with Iritis and I started steroid eye drops every couple of hours. On a side note- I was dancing on one of BYU’s Folk Dance teams and had a dance performance a couple days later…at a practice – with glasses and an eye patch – I remember the teachers weren’t very nice. Try covering your eye and then dancing and being spatially aware of the dancers to the side of you (out of your peripherals) and trying to make perfect lines, etc.…Whelp, when you have one eye covered, spatially things are off and your eyes and brain can’t process things the same way. Luckily, I had started my drops and begged my ophthalmologist to let me wear my contacts the evening of the performance and all went well. He said if I hadn’t come into the eye doctor then, that I could have gone blind. It was so serious. My mom wanted me to bring up AS to my ophthalmologist right away since her aunt – who had AS – has had iritis numerous times, has seen more than 50 different eye doctors, and sometimes gets such bad cases of it that it can take 6 months to heal! So she wanted me to bring it up to him and see if I should get tested for the gene. He agreed and thought I should tested for it and possibly see a rheumatologist.

HLA-B27 Positive: A doctor at the BYU Health Center sent me over to their lab to get my bloodwork tested and to check for the HLA-B27 gene. The results were yes. I had the gene and I had the eye infection (Iritis) and my mom’s aunt had the disease. LUCKILY, I had no pain at this point…

Beginnings of Back Pain: All was well until after I graduated BYU in the spring of 2011. Kevin and I packed up all our stuff and moved to my hometown, Fort Collins, Colorado. I started experiencing back pain and blogged about it here. I wasn’t sure if was a new bed? Kevin and I stayed with my parents for the summer until we bought a house in October. Before living at my parents we had a King sized bed and then we downsized to a Queen? We were definitely cramped after being used to our King sized bed. That was one possibility of my back pain…Also, I used to ALWAYS, for years, sleep on my stomach. Ever since we moved to CO, in April of 2011, I haven’t slept on my stomach because of back pain. The pain got really bad sometimes. My mom knew of the symptoms and urged me to meet with a rheumatologist. When I had Iritis at BYU, they wanted me to see a rheumatologist but I didn’t have back pain so I brushed it off then. At the rheumatologist appointment, they had me do X-Rays, but not that many, because Kevin and I were planning to start trying to get pregnant and too much radiation isn’t a good thing at that time. I then got results and the X-Rays showed my spine wasn’t fusing here, so at that point they couldn’t clearly say I had AS. My back pain lessened and all was well…for maybe a few months.

Pregnancy: I got pregnant with Ryder around November of 2011 and things were good until about January of 2012…I was in my first trimester and started experiencing really bad back pain. I kept talking about it to my OBGYN and told them about the possibility of AS. I was waking in the middle of the night in so much pain I couldn’t lay in bed in any position, so I would try to lay on the ground to sleep, lay on a recliner chair, and often times, I couldn’t do any of those because it was so painful. I would have to sit for hours for the pain to go down so that I could lay down in any way. It was very frustrating to not be able to sleep when I was so tired. Plus, the first trimester of pregnancy is already so exhausting! Anyways, the only time I truly threw up while I was pregnant was actually because of bad back pain…not because I was nauseous. I went into my OBGYN that day because of it. My OBGYN was very concerned and sent me to Physical Therapy. Unfortunately, my health insurance only covers 20 visits a year and I used 17 of them in the first few months. I was so worried that my pain would be horrendous when I was in my 3rd trimester that I stopped seeing my physical therapist because insurance wouldn’t cover more (my doctors and physical therapists tried hard to get me more visits and couldn’t :( ) and how could you pay so much for multiple visits a week out of pocket?! I did all my exercises religiously and honestly felt like the back pain wasn’t correlated to the exercises…it flared up really bad for a few months and calmed down a little in the second trimester enough that I could function. I honestly don’t feel like physical therapy helped… Because of my back problems, I wasn’t able to exercise as hard as I used to (and of course being pregnant you can’t exercise as hard as well). My OBGYN and physical therapist told me I couldn’t do basically anything but swim or walk. I did some yoga and eventually just walked several miles a day but my back would hurt so bad I would have to stop sometimes. My back pain got really bad in the third trimester again and of course Ryder was packing on the pounds. He also decided to make me pregnant to exactly 41 weeks…stubborn little boy who did not want to leave the womb! In some patients with AS, their symptoms go into remission…unfortunately that wasn’t the case for me. :( Overall, I felt lucky that I didn’t have any major health problems while being pregnant with Ryder other than my disease. But I do think the disease made my pregnancy a lot harder than some others.

Labor & Delivery: Ryder’s entrance to the world was…crazy haha. It was NOT how I planned and I would say my plan was pretty flexible minus the fact that I wanted the DRUGS! I was ALL ABOUT the epidural. Unfortunately it didn’t work well and I read on some website that if you have AS, sometimes the epidural doesn’t really work. Something because your spine is all inflamed and you’ve got arthritis of the spine sooo… I’ve asked 1 rheumatologist and a Physician's Assistant at my rheumatology office and they hadn’t heard of that…just makes me wonder! PS. Ryder’s birth story here.

Post-Partum: After I had Ryder, I felt amazing – well, ignore the c-section and feeding issues for Ryder. I had no back pain and I was hoping it was because I wasn’t pregnant anymore and an insane amount of weight loss. Like goodbye 20-30 lbs.! Reality Check: I wasn’t sleeping more than 1 hour at a time for 2 months because Ryder didn’t know how to suck correctly. Because he couldn’t suck right or nurse, I had to attempt to nurse (10-20 minutes), bottle feed, and then pump 20 minutes for each feeding period. Now multiply that at least by 8 times a day and all through the night. Well, you don’t really sleep while trying to solve that kind of feeding issue. After meeting with my amazing lactation consultant, Becky and a physical therapist for Ryder, he figured out how to nurse at 8 weeks. Then, I read Baby Wise and Ryder started sleeping through the night, in…a week or less?

Post-Partum Back Pain Flare: Welcome…back pain…in November. The back pain I have would wake me up in the middle of the night it was so bad. I don’t know how to explain this sort of back pain other than the fact that if you lay immobile too long, your spine gets inflamed and painful. I went from sleeping maybe an hour at a time to sleeping…8+? That is what brought on the back pain again. I forget what the name of it is but basically when you remain immobile for too long everything gets inflamed and that is was what was happening. It would be great if I could stay active and move nonstop all day and all night…! Anyways, It would get so painful that I had to get out of bed and sit vertical in my recliner – Ryder’s rocking chair.

Costochondritis: This pain can also affect your ribs so those would get so inflamed that breathing is painful. (Costochondritis is inflammation of the ribs.) You cannot take deep breaths at all. I would try laying on my stomach but it was impossible. Also, tried laying on the floor but every time it didn’t work. The best was sitting in a recliner or moving around for the inflammation to go down just enough that you could maybe fall asleep again in an hour.

Now only being able to sleep for 4 hours at a time and then having to be awake for an hour or two to then fall asleep for one before your baby wakes up is not ok. Actually, this type of sleep is not okay for anyone! I really wish I didn’t have to sleep so I could be productive and semi-pain free. When I would wake in the middle of the night, I would sometimes try to move my spine around (with very limited motion and lots of pain) but usually ended up sitting on the recliner on my iPhone. I would be in a very bad mood and often times that is when I would Google “Ankylosing Spondylitis…this…” or “Ankylosing Spondylitis…that…” Kevin would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and realize I am not there or wake up to get ready for work and find me in Ryder’s room on the chair trying to sleep. I read that some people just sleep a few hours at night and take naps throughout the day but that is no way to live. I can’t take a nap everyday because I take care of Ryder and he doesn’t always take naps on schedule and for a certain amount of time. Then you think about what a waste of time the hours from 4 am to 6 am are when you are trying to sleep but can’t because you are in pain. Sometimes, I’m like, “I need to make the best of this disease so what could I do to be productive at those hours?” I could blog…clean…workout…but the fact is when are you going to ever sleep those hours in the rest of the day? Plus, when I would wake up, I would get pissed off and so that wasn’t really an option. I also sometimes tweeted things like “I hate AS! Let me sleep!” sooo… Also, I decided it was pointless to take Advil when I would wake up because by the time the meds would start to kick in, if I just sat there awake, they wouldn’t help me sleep any sooner. Why pop tons of Advil every night and eventually get an ulcer? (My mom got ulcers from pain meds before) And of course, with AS, you are more tired than normal people because your body is trying to fight the inflammation, all the time! Lots of fatigue over here.

I finally made an appointment with my rheumatologist in December, right before our Brazil trip, because it was getting worse and I knew I had met my deductible for the year. I really wanted to take advantage of that because if I got X-Rays or other testing it should be covered. Until this day, my rheumatologists didn’t say for sure that I had AS other than the fact that I had the gene, I had Iritis, it ran in my family, and I had the symptoms…I had gotten X-Rays in the summer of 2011 which showed my spine wasn’t fusing. The hard thing about this disease is that it can take up to 10+ years to diagnose! Some people don’t know even longer than that because doctors can’t figure it out! Also, when your X-Rays finally show stuff going on, is during the more advanced stage of the disease. Anyways, when I met with her, I asked her “Do you think I have AS?” And she said, “Yes, honestly, I think you do.” She didn’t come out and say it but she did when I asked her. Awesome. I was one of the lucky 1% of the population with it! So I went and got X-Rays – a lot of them too – and went to Brazil as I wouldn’t be using my phone and wouldn’t hear the voicemail with my results.

Here is Ryder in the dressing room at the X-Ray office. He was an angel during my X-Rays haha! He slept the whole time – hanging out in the back with the X-Ray technicians as he can’t be in the same room as me during X-Rays - and didn’t make a peep!

My back was okay in Brazil. I remember waking a few times on the trip not being able to sleep but it wasn’t the worst it had been. When we got back to the states and I got cell service, I called the nurse from my rheumatology office. Finally, I spoke with her and apparently my spine wasn’t showing it was fusing or anything! So that was good news. In the appointment, we decided I would try some medication (after hearing the results) and they wanted me to start physical therapy. I said I would like to try some medication and that I would start to work out instead. It is hard for me to want to start physical therapy when I didn’t feel like it helped much – if at all – a year ago. It was just expensive. My rheumatologists always say the people who are more active with AS do better, so that was my plan. She said that I would be limited in medications I could take because I am nursing Ryder and I told her that is ok. There had to be options. I later read that after pregnancies you often have really bad flare ups and that is what had just started! Joy! But so worth it because Ryder is now in our family :) At the beginning of the year (which is where I am kind of caught up to in this post), I was in a lot of pain and it would only get worse.

To be continued…Part 2 coming soon!

April Happenings & That Time I Locked Ryder in the Car…

2013-04-18T23:52:00.001-06:00

This posts consists of fun shenanigans from April 1-14 (minus a Utah trip from the 4-7th):

+ My mom and I ran errands one afternoon and hit up Super Target (stocked up majorly on baby food- pic above), Babies ‘r’ Us (got JaKie’s baby girl TaTem a Sophie the Giraffe), and Ulta. I have been trying to decide what shampoo/conditioner I wanted to try from now on because I decided Aveda is just too expensive. I have used their hair products ever since I can remember and absolutely love them but it is hard to get them on sale. Even when they are on sale, they aren’t that cheap at all ha. I got a really good deal at Ulta. I had a 20% off coupon and redeemed some points which saved me an additional $6 and the shampoo and conditioner I got were $10 cheaper than normal…basically it was awesome. I got some Joico hair products that I think I really like. I had tried Joico before and thought it was pretty good. I know there are other people who love getting good deals but I am sure it is probably pretty boring reading about them ha…so sorry.

+ When Kevin was out of town, for FHE, my family and I played Clue. Ever since Easter, I couldn’t control myself and have been eating an insane amount of Easter candy…we all pounded Easter candy while playing Clue. It is always interesting playing family games haha. Some people are hardcore about the rules…cough…my mom. Also, my weight had gone below what I was before I was pregnant so I guess I felt it was okay to eat a lot of candy…now I think I need to watch what I eat again…bla.

+ Kevin went on a business trip in Orlando, Florida from March 30th to April 2nd.

+ I went to a Step Challenge class which is becoming my new thing at the gym. I love that the choreography is challenging and stimulates your brain while getting a workout. I just love learning choreography…guess it is the dancer in me :) Anyways, I am starting to go to that class every Tuesday morning and am meeting the regulars now haha. After my back starts to feel better after getting on medication for my AS (Ankylosing Spondylitis), I am hoping to always stay after for the ab class. Anyways, after the class I went to Wee Steps (Breastfeeding Support Group). By the way, Ryder isn’t having problems haha. Ever since I went there when he was having major nursing problems, I just kept going. There are a ton of people who go…sometimes even 30 moms! It is more of a social thing now and it is fun to weigh Ryder and see what he gains each week. Then I swung by the Nike outlets and returned some shorts and then hung out at home before Ryder’s swim lessons. Kevin came home from Florida that evening and then demanded he take me to Charming Charlie to pick out some jewelry. He was SO sweet! He was going to get me flowers for Easter but I was like, “Don’t…they will just die. You can get me something else if you want, like a necklace.” Haha. I wasn’t expecting anything. Anyways, he was so sweet. I had been in a lot of pain (& still was) and he was traveling a lot so maybe he felt bad for me…I got some good things that is for sure (watch, sunglasses, & 2 necklaces)! :)

+ I got an MRI for my low back/SI joints and wow, it was so painful! I can’t remember the last time I ever slept on my back because it hurts to lay on my back, so I don’t…and I had to lay flat on a hard surface for the MRI for TOO LONG! My joints and low back felt like they were on fire :’( The lady had to help me up off the table when it was done. Wow, it was bad. Anyways, they called me with the results right away and said I didn’t injure myself (like I was starting to think) but it was my disease and my spine and everything was inflamed, especially my right side. The right side was the side that hurt so bad that I had to limp... Anyways, more on this later.

+ My mom and I went to Utah for a surprise baby shower for my aunt JaKie. Will blog about this soon.

+ After getting back from UT, Kevin and I made time for a date night! Our date nights have been…nonexistent as of late, with him traveling so much and when he is home he has been remodeling our house…so it was fun to go on a date! My family watched Ryder while we saw The Host. So…the movie was…interesting. Has anyone seen it? If so, please tell me your thoughts! So I read the book and thought it was pretty interesting but wasn’t obsessed with it. Anyways, the part that I couldn’t get over was Melanie talking to Wanderer (I think)…like…just no. I found myself laughing at parts that were not supposed to be funny. Anyone, anyone else seen it? Haha! Poor Kevin…

+ The following day, after working out, Ryder and I surprised Kevin and dad at work with Chick-fil-a for lunch! Chick-fil-a is the closest, best, drive through to their work…and drive throughs are seriously the best with a baby. There is no way I am going to carry Ryder in when he is asleep and order food at a normal quick restaurant…(photo above of Ryder, Kevin, and I). I also convinced Kevin to go to Ryder’s swim lessons that evening so he could meet some of the girls I hang out with and their husbands (some of their husbands go sometime). He had fun!

+ Ryder got locked inside the car…let me explain lol. I sat down next to Ryder’s car seat with Ryder in my arms, as we were about to head out to meet my family at Noodles. I put him in his car seat, sat my diaper bag down next to him, annnd the car keys. I think I hit the lock button on the keys accidently. I then buckled him up, shut the door, and tried to open the driver door…but nope! He was locked in! My cell phone was also locked in! I didn’t have the spare as I was living at my parents and honestly haven’t had to use the spare…in years? Luckily, I was able to use my parent’s home phone, call Kevin…as he was in town AND at home early for work because he was selling our kitchen cabinets and appliances! Anyways, he drove over the spare ASAP while I was trying to entertain Ryder through the car windows. He was crying the whole time! Poor guy! Anyways, we ate at Noodles and Ryder tried Baby Mum Mum’s for the first time! They are like rice cakes that kind of disintegrate in their mouth. He tried the banana kind and loved them (photo above.) After Noodles, we all attended Hunter’s pack meeting as he got his Arrow of Light award…some big award for scouting haha.

+ My mom, Hunter, and I went to Smashburger after Ryder’s swim lessons and then brought Kevin some food home. He finished the floor and is currently in the process of putting in cabinets! We had a little set back because the measurements the IKEA guy did were off…and 2 cabinets don’t fit…so we are working on that. More on that later!

+ Last Friday, I went to my friend Mindy’s yoga class in the afternoon and then met up with my friend Amberley at Panera for dinner. I have known Amberley since I moved to Fort Collins when I was 8 years old! We grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same church, clogged together (& won Nationals!), and now the crazy thing is we both have really bad auto-immune diseases! She has Rheumatoid Arthritis and I, Ankylosing Spondylitis. We might even become drug buddies because we both may go on Humira and have to give ourselves shots every 2 weeks…so crazy! Anyways, she met Ryder for the first time and it was fun to catch up! Amberley- we need to hang out more!

+ Last Saturday, I went to a more advanced yoga class my friend Mindy taught and it was pretty good. It didn’t feel as good on my joints though. Then I hit up Super Target (to get more meds) and Babies ‘r’ Us (got a wipeable bib finally!) and in the evening, Kevin and I had a double date with our friends James and Laura Neibaur! They are moving away to Idaho - for 6 months - while they build a house in Johnstown! Then they will be back :) It was fun to hang out with them before they moved with their kiddos temporarily. We ate an amazing meal at Famous Dave’s and then hung out at my parent’s house and watched Skyfall. Ryder woke up maybe an hour after he went to bed so he got lucky and I got him out to hang out with us while watching the movie. He held Kevin’s hand (photo above) and was super snuggly. LOVE when he is snuggly.

+ This past Sunday was Fast Sunday and it was a good one. I bore my testimony…after I can’t even remember how long I hadn’t. So that was good. It was a really, really, good day! Fasting is the best. Also, as you can see…Ryder and I have fun in front of the mirror (photo above). Seriously though, he loves looking at himself in the mirror ha! And that purple bubble necklace is compliments of my husband!!!

So far, April has been good to us! Here is to more fun this month!

Next Up: My Disease: Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis, Home Remodel: Flooring, and a Surprise Baby Shower Utah Visit for my aunt JaKie!

Ryder’s 1st Easter

2013-04-17T23:14:00.001-06:00

March 31, 2013: Ryder’s first Easter was a memorable one. If only his daddy was in town! Next year ;) We started the day off by getting ready for church in his new Easter outfit- Gap button down shirt and purple pants and cute brown sandals from Clothes Pony! He was excited about it I tell ya! Also in the right photo below, he is wearing some awesome Peruvian (I think?) handmade cat shoes Kelsi got him for Christmas. They are starting to fit! So fun!

I went to my parents ward…as it is 2 hours later than mine and Kevin was out of town and it was Easter…hehe. Ryder loves hanging out with my fam in church :) Also, my mom teaches the 12 and 13 year olds at church and I had Ryder spy on them…he was excited to look through the window!

After church ended, Ryder got to eat in their vintage highchair ;) My parents saved their last baby things (high chair, swing, portable swing, pack n play) from when Hunter was a baby because my mom really wanted to for future grandkids. I’m SO glad they did because ALL of the things have come in handy, for sure. I just call the stuff vintage for fun…they kind of are though... My mom got Ryder (& all future grandkids) the jumper/exersaucer Ryder is in, in the right photo below. He LOVES IT!!! Also, Ryder wants to introduce you to his super soft Easter lamb my parents got him for Easter. If you wind it up, it plays music. So sweet!

If I remember right, I think we had chicken salad sandwiches on crescent rolls for lunch. So good. Then…the Easter bunny came so we all went out for a fun Easter egg hunt. I wasn’t really planning on getting any eggs or anything but I was invited ;) Also, the pink bunny basket was mine from when I was a little kid! So fun. Ryder LOVES to chomp on Easter eggs that is for sure!

I love this photo of Ryder and my dad! Purple is the cool color to wear!

I wanted to help Ryder pick up eggs but my back/SI joints weren’t going to have it (Ankylosing Spondylitis disease). Because I could barely walk (only limp) and not really lift Ryder that well, my dad helped me. I can’t believe how much pain I was in! It was sad I couldn’t take care of him but my dad picked up the eggs and put them in the basket for me while I held Ryder. Ryder seemed to be enjoying all of this!

Hunter, me, Zach…yes, we may be a little old to go on a hunt but hey, who doesn’t want free candy?

Holidays are so much funner with a baby!

Afterwards, we divvied up our eggs to make sure we all had the same amount of each egg color ;) The Easter bunny was on top of his/her game so we all got equal amounts haha.

After we pounded some Easter candy, we ate an amazing dinner! We ate mashed potatoes, peas, ham, pineapple, pretzel rolls (LOVE those), and some Martinelli’s drink. It was delicious!!! I also LOVE to eat ham and pineapple together. I feel like it is only on holidays we do that…maybe we should do it more often!

Then my parents bathed Ryder for me…they are so nice! And Ryder sat up in the tub for the first time! I guess he is able to do that! I had been laying him on a recliner chair thing for awhile but he was definitely getting too long for it. Sitting up is SO much better and fun for him! He loves to eat bath toys and wash cloths!

Our Easter was pretty good! Next time hopefully Kevin will be here and I will be on some drugs (was and still am on Vicadin but wasn’t helping) where I am not in pain :) Hope your Easter was splendid!