Wax On, Wax Off

Daniel: Hey, what kind of belt do you have?
Miyagi: Canvas. JC Penney, $3.98. You like?

Hiya!

He's so big!!

We went to the branch Trunk or Treat last night. For the first time ever Zo bawled when a stranger held him. It was kind of sad, but at least we know for sure that he knows who Mommy and Daddy are.

Happy Halloween!

The Show Me State

First of all, I want to let everyone know the good news... Miles passed his PA certification exam! Yay!! Congratulations Miles! I knew you'd pass:)

Secondly, as you probably know we are now living in Marshall, Missouri. Miles, Rebekah, Rachel, and Mary all drove out here in the Cavalier and the U-Haul that was towing the Honda. I opted to fly, and Miles was nice enough to let me. A 3 hour flight is SO much better than a 20 hour drive.

Jen and Jared visited last weekend, and Zo and Adelyn really liked playing with each other.

Zo's new thing is to suck on his big toe. He doesn't get that flexibility from me!

Since we've been here the weather has been really pleasant. The only time it was really humid was when we went to Van Meter State Park, and that was because we were by some wet lands and a small lake. We went there Tuesday evening and played football, grilled some steaks, and played on the playground.

I am having issues putting up pictures so you'll have to go to my facebook page to see all the MO pics.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=136021&id=756584342&ref=mf

Closing Time

Today was the closing event of the past two years - Miles' graduation from PA school. Yay!! I am so proud of him and very excited that he is no longer a student. The graduation ceremony wasn't long which was nice. The speaker was quite entertaining considering he said he could hear so-and-so's Kegels and told a medical version of snow white and the seven drug dwarfs. He also confessed of a prank he did while he was a PA student. Before a surgery patient went under anesthesia, he told the patient that if she saw a light at the end of the tunnel when they gave her the anesthesia that meant she lied about her weight. So he asked her if she had anything she needed to tell them before they put her under. He was definetely the most entertaining graduation speaker I've ever heard.

Now what to do to celebrate?! Last night we got together with our PA friends, played Halo 3 with 8 players on two TVs at our house during the afternoon. It was madness!! I don't play well with that many people. I think I disappointed Miles because usually with his friends I can actually hold my own. Not this time. then in the evening we went to a BBQ in Blackfoot where we ate, had fun talking, and played some kickball. I haven't played kickball since elementary school. It was very fun!! Tonight I think Miles wants to just relax unless he changes him mind.

I want to tell Miles congratulations, and that I love him!!! You've worked so hard these past two years and now it is paying off. I appreciate your willingness to provide a living for our family, and I'll try not to be a singularity that spends all your money before you even see it. :) But you never know what might happen when your mom and I go shopping in Kansas City!

"Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

A Big Thank You!!

I just wanted to thank everyone that prayed and fasted for Zo. We found out yesterday that the surgeon at Primary Children's Hospital said that Zo's head looks fine, and that he doesn't need surgery. What a relief!! He did say that if we wanted to look into getting one of those helmets to fix the shape of his head we could. We haven't decided about that. Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know the good news, and that without your fasting efforts, prayers, and faith, we might have received some not-so-good news. We love you all and appreciate your support and love!!

Turn Your Head and Laugh

Zo was apparently in a very good mood tonight. While sitting on Miles' stomach, he was laughing hysterically when Miles would cough. "Why?" you ask? We have no idea.




He is already learning how to manipulate his parents. While we were at Sears last weekend he wanted out of his stroller. So what did he do? He started fake coughing. As soon as we got him out, he stopped. What a little stinker!

No More Super Baby!!

Last week I reached a verdict. There will be no more "SUPER BABY!" (That's when I lift Zo up in the air and pretend he's "SUPER BABY!") This verdict came after I got spit up IN THE MOUTH for the SECOND TIME!! Most baby things aren't really gross to me, but spit in the mouth is absolutely disgusting!!! I cannot even tell you what a nasty taste it left in my mouth!! And of course it was on the day of his doctors appointment so I was dressed in a cute outfit with my hair actually done. So not only did it get in my mouth, but on my clothes and in my hair. YUCK!

Today was the day that Zo ate his first solid food. Hooray! For me it was very cute so I thought I would share the video even though it might be kind of boring for you. Although if you really love Zo you'll watch it! I don't think he has fully gotten rid of the reflex where he pushes everything out with his tounge, so a lot ends up on his bib instead of in his tummy.

Before the rice cereal

Eating the rice cereal... if that's not obvious.

As for other updates with Zo, he's more smiley than ever and is such a good baby. He was so patient when he was getting his CT. The radiologist tech wedged his head between this foam head thing so that he wouldn't be able to move it very well. But he kept trying to sit up, so she taped a towel around his head so that he couldn't move it in any direction. And just to be sure he didn't even wiggle, I had to hold his chin during the scan. He was so good, and I was so proud of him! And when he went to the doctor the week before and got his shots, he didn't even cry! He is going to be one tough cookie. Especially since Miles throws him around like a rag doll. :)

We heard back from the doctor earlier this week and found out that it's not the bones at the top of his head they are worried about closing early, but rather the two on the side. The radiologist saw the problem, but the doctor wasn't sure he agreed, so he sent the films off to a pediatric radiologist. That might take weeks to hear back from him/her.

I'm going to go pick a copy of the CT tomorrow so Miles can take it to the surgeon he is doing his rotation with. The surgeon offered to take it up to the radiologist and the neurologist and get their opinion. This is when I'm especially glad Miles is in the medical field!

As for the house, we have it listed with a realtor, but still haven't had any bites. Bummer!

And lastly, a few pics from the Fourth of July...

Mr. Giggles

This is the first time Zo laughed. It was SO cute! And of course, it was with his daddy. He LOVES his dad and thinks he's the greatest thing ever.

Identical!

I came across this picture of Miles the other day and holy cow! Zo looks just like him! Nancy has said that he looks so much like Miles when he was a baby, but I didn't truly believe it until I saw the picture. See for yourself!

MILES

Zo

Newest Addition

Since I hardly ever update my blog, Miles suggested that maybe I use my blog as more of a family update. I agreed with him, so we'll see if I can keep this type of blog updated...

I thought I would start with Feb. 14th - the day Zo joined our family.

Saturday morning at 9am I started having what I thought were finally real contractions. They weren't too painful, and this time they were more in my back instead of all in front. So I started timing them and by about11am they were about 5-6 min apart. Miles wasn't sure whether I was feeling real contractions so he kept trying to get me to wait a littlelonger. But being a good husband he gave in and took me to the hospital. They monitored me for about an hour and then decided they would admit me. The contractions still weren't very painful, and I would just take deep breaths to get through them. By this time I was dialated to about a 4 or 5, and was still 75% effaced.

At about 3:30 they broke my water, and oh man that was weird! I thought it would be painful, but it wasn't. As soon as they broke my water the contractions got way more painful! I was thinking I was pretty tough, but now with these kind of contractions I wanted my epidural and I wanted it soon. (Now I was dialated to a 6 or 7.) It wasn't long after they broke my water that I received my epidural. Ah,what sweet relief! By about 6pm I was fully dialated and ready to start pushing. Well, they told me I was ready to start pushing. It didn't take long for the epidural to start wearing off. I could really feel all that pressure and urge to push, which is actually what I kind of wanted. I had no idea how tiring pushing is! I pushed as hard as I could for an hour and a half. By the end I was so tired and just wanted it to be over. I could feel the tears wanting to come as I was saying I didn't think I could push any longer. The nurse was using every trick in her book to get me to push correctly and to keep going as hard as I could. Who knew there was a correct and incorrect way to push!? The problem was, however, that I had a cold. So taking a deep breath in was quite difficult. Not only was I having a hard time breathing, but my blood pressure was high, my heartrate was into the 140's, and I was running a fever. So not only was I battling a narrow arch in my pelvis, but being sick while in labor. Not fun! While I was pushing, Zo got a little stressed and now there was meconium in the fluid. They didn't really worry about that too much because it happened when I was pushing. If it had happened earlier they would have worried, but this just meant that I wouldn't be able to hold him right away.

Finally it was done at 7:26, and Zo was born with the help of the vaccuum. I would not have been able to get him out otherwise. They immediately took him away and suctioned all that meconium out so it wouldn't get in his lungs. I felt so tired and so relieved it was over. I wasn't able to hold him right away, but Miles was, and he went to the NICU with him. It only took about an hour before he was in the well baby nursery. It was at this time I got to hold him for the first time, and oh how great was that! I immediately loved him so much and wanted to protect him. I couldn't believe that this little guy had been inside me and I had somehow gotten him out. He was so tiny, perfect, and completely innocent. He was the best Valentines gift I could ever receive.

Now he's almost 3 weeks old and still so cute. Last Friday he got circumcised which was really sad. I could hear him crying all the way down the hall. It's amazing how quick you can distinguish your baby's cry from other the other baby's cries. I wish they would have just done it at the hospital instead of waiting until his two week appointment. Anyway, we love him so much and are so glad he's a part of our family!

Miles is a great dad, although he already teases Zo a lot, which is kind of a good thing I guess because I get teased/tickled way less. Zo's nickname is "little windy". He takes after the Romney boys.

Obesity Tax

We all know that obesity is a big problem in our country that is growing with each passing year. According to Science Daily, by the year 2030 86% of Americans will be overweight. Sick!! Well Governor Paterson of NY has a good idea to help with this problem and to help with the budget deficit. He is going to propose an 18% tax on sugary drinks like soda and sweetened juice. Milk, some juice, diet soda, and bottled water would be exempt from the tax. Astonishingly, 60% of New Yorkers said they would oppose the new tax. (Isn't that about the percentage of people that are obese?)

One of the greatest benefits of this tax would be children drinking less soda, which would mean a decrease in childhood obesity. Today, about 1/3 of kids are overweight, and research shows that the ONLY high-risk dietary practice that is linked to children being overweight is the consumption of sugary drinks (American Dietetic Association). I mean let's be honest, if a kid is given the choice between milk or soda, most kids will choose soda. So if that choice isn't there because it's too expensive, then great!

Opponents of the tax say the last thing the governor should be doing is putting a heavy tax on the people. Well this tax isn't a tax you have to pay like property tax or income tax, so this argument is ridiculous! If a family is going through tough economic times, they shouldn't be spending their money on things they don't need - like soda. The Health Commissioner of NY put a video on YouTube, supporting the new tax. It's amazing what those few extra calories every day or week will add on. The link is below. It's a little dry, but very informative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARMgjdbY93o