Gross News!

Ele and Rice Cereal

2011-05-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

For the past week we have ventured into feeding Ele solids. She has done amazingly well. She only pushes the food back out if the spoonful was too big and she loves eating from a spoon. Because she is premature she will naturally have a harder time processing solids and since normal babies get backed up as well, our pediatrician has had us mix either prunes or pears with her cereal to help her move it through. She has loved both though she didn't quite know what to think of the prunes the first time. Anyway she kept getting her hands in the way after the first two spoonfuls and after realizing that is was because she wanted more control I gave her that control. Here is a video of Ele feeding herself. I'm only lightly holding on to the spoon to avoid her dropping it in her lap and to get more cereal on it when necessary, but she is bringing it to her mouth all by herself. What a talented girl we have.

Looking Back at the NICU

2011-04-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my experience in the NICU. Maybe it's because so many of my friends are having babies, some of which are making it to their due dates and others are being born early. Or maybe it's just looking at Ele and feeling so grateful that she is mine. Either way I have a few moments that I want to make sure I don't forget. Fair warning these are personal so it may get a little sappy. :)

I remember the first time I got to see her. I was so sick and just wanted to see my baby. I was so sad I didn't get to really even see more than her little feet because I was on such high meds I couldn't stand up to see her. I was so discouraged because I just wanted to be by her. I did get to go up later and I was with my Mom and sister Anna and I could tell Ele was upset. This was I believe when she was two days old. I started crying and backing away because I could tell she was over stimulated and the only thing I could do was remove myself so she would be okay. I wasn't in the right frame of mind to have others pull back. The nurse could tell and mentioned that she was getting overstimulated. So everyone backed away. It was so difficult for me because all I wanted more than anything was to have my little baby in my arms. Anna and my Mom were so understanding and helpful but I felt like I couldn't help Ele and I had the strongest urge to do something. Then the nurse told me I could hold her that night at her 7PM feeding and I was so excited. I have never wanted anything more than that. As I came upstairs to hold my little girl with Nate in tow, I was tired and so emotionally drained from everything I couldn't contain my emotions. Ele had started crying just before I walked in the door, the nurses said that a baby can smell their mom from 50 feet away and they know when a Mom is on the floor because the baby starts to get upset wanting their Mom. As she handed my little baby to me the monitors attached to her weighed more than she did. She stopped crying and then she started searching, she wanted to eat. :) This little girl was the most precious thing I had ever seen. She snuggled up to me and they fed her I believe 5mL of milk through her tube and she went right to sleep. For the first time since having her I felt a peace like I had never felt. I relaxed and I was so happy. It was the most amazing moment I could have asked for. I just sat there crying because I was so overcome with emotion. I started to sing to her and of course it was the primary songs that she loves. She was so sweet, it was the most amazing 15 minutes of my life. I had waited two full days for those fifteen minutes and they were totally worth it. Nate got to hold her the next day and then finally we got to start holding her twice a day so in the morning I got her for 15 min, and then in the evenings Nate got her for 15 min. We only got to hold her twice a day until the week before she came home. Though the times got longer and because I started feeding her I got to hold her twice and then after feeding her each night Nate would get his turn.

There was one distinct time when we decided we needed a real date night and that we had to pull ourselves away from the hospital. We went to see the lights at Temple Square. I felt so guilty for leaving her. We went to an earlier feeding and then went on our date. We stopped for pie on our way home and I called to check on her because I missed her so much. The next day we went in for her 7PM feeding like normal and a nurse came over to us and said, 'is this the time you usually come at?' I said, 'yes.' She said, 'I can tell, she missed you last night, she's usually the easiest and happiest baby that we have but we had to hold her to calm her down last night because she missed you guys.' Now some may think that my guilt would have intensified but since my big worry was not connecting with my baby this was the best news ever! My baby not only knew me but missed me. I just cried and held her and sang to her like I did every time I saw her.

Now I want to write about one of the worst days I had while Ele was in the NICU. There were a few days in the beginning when I just longed to be able to hold her and take her home with me. But the worst day I had was Thanksgiving. I didn't think not having her for just a meal would be a big deal but it just seemed to be a horrible day. We had been trying to have Ele nurse, she was amazing at it but was still small. Our Occupational Therapist Annie, said she had never seen a baby so small and so far away from their due date do as well as Ele did. This was encouraging, little side note to lighten the mood, she also thought it was hilarious that my boob was four times bigger than Ele's entire head. Anyway we started test weights, basically we wanted to weigh Ele before feeding her and then after feeding her, how ever many grams she gained was the same amount of mL she had drank. She would have a good day and then she would only get a few mL. It was frustrating and hard to deal with I felt it was my fault that I just couldn't give her what she needed. The nurses didn't make it any better when they kept saying she's little we don't expect much from her at all. She's too little to nurse. I was so hurt because I knew Ele could do it and why would they discount her just because she was small. She was capable and showing all the right signs. I just felt like everything was against us. She was doing so well yet all the nurses kept saying for how little she is I would plan on taking her home after her due date. Why would you say that to a woman who has been in the NICU for almost an entire month. I felt every hope I had was being dashed away and I was never going to get to bring my baby home. I felt because I only got to hold her twice a day that my baby wouldn't connect with me or I wouldn't connect with her and we wouldn't have as strong of a bond. I was terrified she would know her nurses better than me and she wouldn't like being home. But I was determined to prove them wrong I wanted to keep doing the test weights. Anyway Thanksgiving morning my Pediatrician called me. He had taken over Ele's care at the hospital so he called me daily to tell me how she was doing. He told me he wanted me to stop test weights for awhile. I was devastated. I just kept saying okay while tears streamed down my face. I don't think he was ready for the answer to his next question. He said, 'I feel like you are saying yes hesitantly, are you sure you're okay with this?' I just broke down. I was sobbing on the phone and told him, 'It's just so hard. I feel like there is no end in site. I feel like everyone is discounting her because she is little and I know she is strong. I feel like I'm not able to bond with my baby and that the nurses will only let me do so much. I'm just exhausted and no one will even give me an estimate as to when she's going to get home. They keep saying they don't expect much of her and that I should be hoping for sometime after her due date. In fact one lady asked me if I was shooting for Christmas and when I said yes she said well I wouldn't because it is definitely going to be after New Years. I just feel like I can't do anything for my baby and I just want to be there for her.' There was a long pause and then he tried to make me feel better but since he kept mentioning how if she had been born even 20 years ago I would have held her for two days and then I would be burying her. Is not really what a mom wants to hear for comfort. He told me that he thought that it was too early to give a timeline a few weeks later he said that he felt Christmas was very doable. But he said we could give Ele her baths. This was exciting but that night was her not bath night. They do an every other night thing. So we had to wait. Anyway we went in to see Ele and I was just a mess I couldn't stop crying it felt like all of my fears and emotions from the whole ordeal were deciding to let themselves out that day. We left after a few hours and went to my brother's house for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was so hard to see everyone there with their families and know that mine wasn't with me. I wanted to be with her and be holding her. Everyone wanted to ask questions about her but I didn't want to share my fears and my shortcomings with them, so I just tried to give them answers that wouldn't make me burst into tears. I think a few people noticed but I just wasn't prepared for it to all be public. My sister Suzy tried to cheer me up by encouraging me that she would get home soon and how her son Max had gone home at 2 weeks and 2 days. (PS I am not upset with Suzy by any means, she was a rock for me during all of this) And all I wanted to do was scream, I wanted to scream out this is her 2 week and 2 day mark and she's not coming home. She's not even close! I wanted to just cry right then and there because I wasn't so lucky, in fact it ended up being five more weeks. I knew Ele wouldn't come home as fast as Max but I thought that we would at least have an estimate as to when she would come home. I started to pull away and not stand so close to the family because I didn't want to talk about it anymore. Everyone was talking about how cute all the kids were and look at how many grandkids we have now. While I know that no one was trying to hurt my feelings or try and make me feel bad, that day was horrible. It was just everything being said while I was already having such a hard day. I felt alone. I felt like I was in a spinning hole that I would never get out of. I felt I was doomed to be at the hospital four hours a day for the rest of my life and that I would never get anything more with my baby. I wanted desperately to be one of those moms that complains about being up all night. I wanted that experience not this one. I wanted the experience of looking down at my baby during a night time feeding and being able to have that bonding moment. I wanted it all and I felt like I was missing out on everything. I was so discouraged and then I felt bad because I knew other mom's had it way worse than I did and why should I complain. It was a pity party mixed with severe guilt and a longing for my child. As the days went on it did start to ease and I was able to handle life.

I was scared for her one month birthday because I thought it would be really hard on me but it ended up being a very sweet celebration. I was starting to truly feel the comfort I needed and I was realizing everything that was happening was strengthening me. It was a miracle for me to have my baby in the NICU. It was what I needed. Looking back even though it was the hardest thing I have ever been through I would do it again. In fact Nate and I have discussed this at length because we know there is a real possibility of this happening with our second child. and we realize now that we are stronger than we ever thought and that we could handle doing it all again. It's strange to me that I now feel this way but I guess that is the wonder of Heavenly Father.

Ele's Blessing Pics

2011-04-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

Elenor was blessed on April 10th, 2011. It was such a wonderful day and I talked about in my previous post. I have uploaded a few pictures so you can see her super cute dress. Also the blanket she is on was cross-stitched by my mom Kitty Mortimer. I think she did a great job. If you can't see what it says it has Ele's birth stats listed. 2 lbs 2 oz 15.5 in Also the super cute crocheted shoes were made by my friend Mary Freckleton, she also made Ele a purple pair they are so darling and fit her perfectly. Enjoy the pics.

Elenor's Blessing

2011-04-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

This Sunday April 10th 2011, was wonderful. We were able to finally bless Elenor. We waited so we would be able to have Elenor be stronger and so we could bless her during sacrament meeting rather than at home. We thought of blessing her at home but I have always wanted to experience the blessing and getting to see my baby held up for the congregation. Anyway Nate let me have a wonderful day on Saturday, I got to pamper myself. I bought a new dress, got a pedicure and had a very relaxing day.

On Sunday we got up and got ready, had a great morning, and headed off to the church. After being in quarantine for so long it was really nice to see everyone from the ward. Everyone has been so loving and supportive and to get to see them and be so warmly welcomed was a wonderful experience. We had family there and Nathan gave a wonderful blessing. Elenor was just a little angel. She didn't cry and actually slept through most of sacrament meeting. We then had a lunch and spent a great afternoon together as our little family. Ele's dress was so cute, and she was so happy.

I'm so grateful for everyone that has supported us through everything. And I can't wait until this quarantine is over so we can take Elenor out anytime. We're planning on having a few parties so we can introduce Elenor to all of you in installments. We don't want to overwhelm her so we'll keep everyone posted.

I'm so grateful for the wonderful gospel and how much we have been blessed through this whole thing. I know Heavenly Father is here with our family. I have felt his support through others as well as through the spirit everyday. I have felt him hold me up on the days I felt nothing was right. I have had friends call me literally the moment I was breaking down and just needed someone to listen to me and let me cry. I have felt the wonderful support of my husband and have become ever closer to him. My family immediate and extended has been there for me every step of the way. I know I have been carried through this experience and I love knowing that. I know this experience isn't over and there will still be many hardships to come, not just in life but with Elenor and her growth. But I know I will be carried through, it will still be difficult but I know Heavenly Father will be there for my family and I through everything. Thank you again to all of you that have been the answers to our prayers. We love all of you.

Robert's giveaway

2011-03-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

Roberts is having a wonderful givaway, to check it out and get some awesome ideas here.

Elenor 4 Month Pictures

2011-03-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

Elenor is 9 lbs 8 oz, 21 in. She's growing fast!

Some Pictures... Finally!

2011-03-12T17:49:00.000-08:00

When I told Nate I was pregnant I gave him a little stuffed monkey. When we finally had Elenor we just out of curiosity measured the monkey to see how it compared to Elenor and it ended up being the same length as her if you include the tail. So we took it to the hospital to get pictures with her next to it. We have taken pictures with her and the monkey periodically since then, so here is the Monkey Series:

Elenor at 5 days old.

Elenor at 11 days old.

Elenor at 18 days old.

Elenor at 2 months old.

Elenor at 4 months old.

4 Months!

2011-03-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

Well Elenor is four months old tomorrow. I sure do love my little girl. I promise pictures are coming, we've just been a tad busy. Well more than a tad. :)

Nate is in school 3/4 time, and working full time. He has now switched to working graves. It was slightly unexpected. We knew we needed him to switch for next semester because he has taken all of the classes they offer for his major at night, so days are the only options to get him through his degree. So he mentioned to his supervisor he would be interested in switching to graves and two days later they informed him his schedule was changed. Luckily we have been able to make it work. And he is actually really liking it. He's doing well in school and will get to start some of his major classes next semester. I'm so proud of him and how hard he is working.

I have finished up school and I'm now taking a break. I have decided to change my major to nursing. After everything that happened with Elenor I realize how nice it is to have a wonderful nurse there who cares. I want to be that for other families. My ultimate goal will be to work in the NICU. So now that school is over I have enjoyed spending my time with Elenor. Work is going well and I'm finally feeling like I am doing well with my new schedule. It was so overwhelming at first. I am also enjoying organizing our house. I have a very wonderful book called Unclutter Your Life in One Week. It is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone. I have truly enjoyed it. The main thing they have you do is take everything out of the room. Literally everything. Then write down the purposes for the room. Then you sort everything according to its purpose, if it's purpose isn't on your list it can't go back into the room. Our house is looking nice! I also am exercising and trying to keep everything in check after the pregnancy. I have a weight loss blog (PS only uplifting comments are welcome) if you want to follow me through my journey I've been working on it for awhile now and have been working up the courage to make it public. Check it out here.

Elenor, like I mentioned is now 4 months old. I don't have her exact weight, her appointment is on Thursday, But is around 8 pounds. She is still wearing Newborn clothes, the 0-3 months are still just too big. She is so darling, she smiles like crazy and wants my attention. She will 'cry' until I look at her and then I get the biggest smiles ever. She loves her daddy very much. She likes it when he holds her with one hand and lets her fly superman style in the air. She has rolled over once for sure and a second time that I'm not sure if I can count it because it happened just seconds after I set her down. She giggles in her sleep all the time, it's so cute. And her new favorite game is when we tap her binky at the corners of her mouth and make funny noises. She also likes when I rub her gums with the binky. She is really doing well. Her adjusted age is 2 months and she is beyond the milestones for that so that's wonderful. They like them to be caught up by the time they are 2 years, but Ele should be caught up earlier than that.

I can't wait for this cold and flu season to be over. I am so excited to be able to take her out and show her off. Oh and side note but Elenor does have a bump on her cheek that looks like a bruise a little as well. Our pediatrician thinks it may be a deep hemangioma, basically a ball of blood vessels that act up and cause a raised area. They are very normal and more prominent with premies. A lot of the time they aren't deep ones and they are just a raised red portion. They usually go away on their own within the first 5 years. But since it is on her cheek and since it is a deep one we will be getting an ultrasound on her cheek soon. There is a possibility she might need surgery but we are hoping that won't be the case. All in all I can't believe it's March. It's been over 2 months since we got to bring Ele home and it has been so incredibly wonderful. Oh and Ele occasionally sleep through the night now. Man I have the best baby ever! :)

Finally!

2010-12-30T12:09:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile and I will update more soon, so I have a record of her hospital stay, but thought I should at least let you all know... SHE'S HOME! we got to bring Elenor home Sunday December 19th. After 40 days in the hospital I've never been so happy. No monitors or anything had to leave with us. We have been busy enjoying our little girl and it made for a fantastic Christmas. We're on lock down for the next 5 months but it's totally worth it to have her home.

In the car on our way home.

Almost Four Weeks

2010-12-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

Monday November 29th:
She made it! Three and a half pounds! It was just another milestone for our little Ele. I'm starting back to work today. It will be a little stressful but if I work it right then I can take a few days off when I bring Ele home. She's doing great the crib test didn't go perfectly she was a tenth of a degree too low to stay in a crib. So we are just going to wait until she's 1800 grams which isn't too far off. She has been gaining about 50 grams a day. Sometimes she has a lower day but in general she has been gaining about 50 grams which is above average. :)

Tuesday November 20th:
Today was an good day. I worked and went and spent time with my baby. Nothing mush to report other than she is so ridiculously cute.

Wednesday December 1st:
Ele had a hard night and morning they said she had been a little screamy and just wasn't feeling good. She had been 'swinging' which means her oxygen saturations were dropping. This is normal for a little girl her size and gestational age. Basically because she is so little and has been doing so much she just forgets to breath deeply. What with growing and learning how to eat and everything. So they put her on just a trace of oxygen. When I got there she still wasn't happy, as soon as I held her she quieted right down. It was nice to be able to comfort her. but as I needed to leave the nurse took her from me and she immediately started to scream, it tore me apart. I want to be with her, I want to comfort her. But being at the hospital 24 hours a day just isn't an option. It was really hard leaving her today, I just can't wait until she can be home with me

Thursday December 2nd:
3 lbs 11 oz, she did much better on her saturation levels last night. They even turned her back onto room air. They are leaving her cannula in just in case. Today was a very funny day at the hospital. Our little girl had a firm belly, I asked the nurse what could cause that and she said most likely poop. So I changed her diaper to see if she was constipated but it was poopy. So I said could it be anything else? The nurse told me it was still probably gas and poop. So I asked if we should give her a suppository. Well with as firm of a belly as she had the nurse didn't want her to have to wait for a Dr's orders to do the suppository, so she tried to help herself... Well within a few seconds Ele pooped all over our nurse. It was such a surprise that she even screamed a little. I started to laugh and I told her I was sorry but it just was too funny. The nurse laughed too and said that's true it was pretty funny. On a good note that nurse happened to be enamored with our daughter so I think that helped the situation. She thought she was so cute, and how can you be mad at something that cute? Ele felt much better after that and had a really good day.

Friday December 3rd:
Today I had to go into work to handle month end. It was a big ordeal and I was training a girl just in case I am ever gone over month end. But because it took so long I didn't get to see Ele until the night shift. I was going to see her at her 4 o-clock feeding but when I called to tell them I was coming they let me know she would be having her optamologist appointment and that they like them to only sleep after they are done because it can be a little upsetting to the babies. On a high note everything looked great they said. And she won't need to have any follow ups! Such exciting news. We snuggled our girl and then we went home to prepare for a long Saturday to-do list.

Saturday December 4th:
Today we went to see our baby amid many errands, it was fun to see her and hold her. I just love to look at her beautiful face. She is doing so good. Then we decided that we needed a date night with everything that has been going on we hadn't really taken a lot of time for just Nate and I. We went on a double date, went to Tepanyaki for dinner, then headed up to Salt Lake to look at the lights. It was really rainy when we got to Salt Lake so we didn't stay too long. On our way home we decided to stop for pie and hot chocolate. It was a lot of fun, while we were there I just really missed my baby so I called the NICU to see how she was doing and our baby weighs 3 lbs 14 oz! I was so excited I had to call my mom to let her know. She promptly called me back and said, 'Sarah (my sister) wanted me to point out that she is pi, 3.14' I laughed so hard at that. I should have seen it coming I mean I'm the math major but I'll take what I can get. My baby is pi!

Sunday December 5th:
Our baby is the cutest, she had a great morning, they turned her oxygen on for a bit until she pulled her cannula of her face, so they decided to just see how she did. We are now headed to my Mom's to enjoy some pie in celebration of Ele reaching her pi weight. Almost to 1800 grams and an open crib test. I can't wait! Oh and did I mention that I seriously love my baby? If not I do. She is beautiful and sweet and I love to just look at her,

More little updates

2010-11-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

Saturday November 27th:
Our baby gained two ounces from yesterday. 3 lbs 4 oz These increases are phenomenal! We are approaching the mark of 1500 grams, this is the point when things are supposed to pick up pretty quickly. The doctor is having them test Ele tonight to see if she can hold her body temperature without any extra heat circulating around her. If she can hold it through the night they might graduate her to a crib! This is big news because a crib is one of the 2 requirements she has left before getting to come home. I'm hopeful she will do awesome. Oh and we got to give Ele her bath tonight. It was so much fun, partly because it helped with bounding, but mainly because it was fun to see how our little girl has her Daddy firmly wrapped around her little finger. As we started to go through the process of weighing Ele and then getting to start the bath he was so concerned about her getting too cold or not liking it. He kept wanting to hold her and it was really cute. In fact as I put her down to start changing her he kept on almost pushing my hands out of the way because he wanted to hold her to comfort her and let her know he was there. So note to self, he is totally smitten by our little girl and I might have to make sure he doesn't spoil her too much.

Sunday November 28th:
Another 2 ounces! And passing the 1500 gram mark. 3 lbs 6 oz 1525 grams. She held her temp through the night so they removed her little water bed and she has been holding steady all day as well. So this afternoon they will test her in the crib! If everything goes well then she can stay in the crib unless for some reason she stops holding her body temp. Which could happen but I have a feeling with how much she is gaining each day, if she can handle it these first few hours she'll be able to stay in her crib. We are going back tonight and can't wait to see our little girl graduated to a crib. Mainly I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone that is praying for our family and especially little Ele. She is so strong and has done so well and we know we are being blessed and many times carried by the Lord and the prayers being offered in our behalf. We are so grateful for the support that has been given to us and for how understanding everyone has been. Thank you so much for everything. I'll try and keep everyone posted with updates on this blog. Hopefully in the next little while things will really pick up and before we know it we'll have our little girl home.

2010-11-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

Friday November 19th:
Today we started non-nutritive breastfeeding. This is more of a training for Elenor. I pump off my milk and then she can practice without having to get suck, swallow, breath all at once. Ele did wonderfully. The Occupational Therapist was impressed Ele did so well.

Saturday November 20th:
We just hung with our little lady who keeps gainng weight and doing awesome. Continued with the non-nutrtive and she's doing awesome.

Sunday November 21st:
Same thing today, there aren't many updates which is pretty much awesome, If the only updates we need are that she is doing fantastic and just needs to gain weight we are totally okay with that.

Monday November 22nd:
Ele is gaining weight and started actaul nursing today. She did really good. She's still learning but she is amazing.

Tuesday November 23rd:
Elenor is two weeks today. I can't believe it's already been two weeks. I miss her so much when I can't be with her, but I realize she is where she's supposed to be. I just hope she won't need to be here for much longer. I just want to be able to hold her more often and just love her. She is 2 lbs 14 oz today.

Wednesday November 24th:
My Baby is 3lbs today! Since she lost 2 oz right after birth she has technically gained 50% of her birth weight. I'm so proud of her and I am so surprised at how different she looks. Her little face is so 'chunky'. I realize that it's only chunky for her and she's still half the size of most babies but I am still so excited and proud to be her mom.

Thursday November 25th; (Thanksgiving)
When we went in today there was a sweet present waiting for us on Ele's crib. It was a cute handprint from Ele turned into a turkey with a poem that said:

This isn't a turkey
As anyone can see,
I made it with my hand.
Which is a part of me.
It comes with lots of love
Especially to say
I hope you have a very Happy Turkey Day!

It was great to see her and to get this present, but it was hard to have this Thanksgiving and not be able to have her with us. We went from the hospital to our family dinner and then back to the hospital. It was a great but hard day.

Friday November 26th:
Today is basically the same as most just Ele sleeping and being adorable while Nate and I visit. Shes up to 3 lbs 2 oz every ounce counts. They measure her in grams and she is at 1425 she was born at 1015. They say the magical number is usually 1800 grams. This is when they start to really hold their body temp and start to really nurse well. So we are hoping she'll continue to get bigger so we can bring her home. Though we'll be on lock down until April or May because of RSV season, so we can't take her many places and won't be able to have many visitors, it will be amazing to have her home with us.

Elenor's Birth Part 4

2010-11-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

Saturday November 13th: Convinced the doctors to let me go home.
I wanted to go home so badly. I knew i wouldn't get to take ele home no matter how long they had me stay, and so i just wanted to go home and be able to sleep next to my husband and just have some sense of normalcy. My blood pressure was still high so they were concerned but I won out. :) I went up that morning and held Ele and then we went up again at 4:30 to have Nate hold her before we went home. Our nurse in the NICU today was Carolyn Stone, she is in my parents ward and watched Ele for a few of her shifts. She was and is fantastic and then Nate and I left the hospital. It was and is always hard to leave Ele but I was so excited to go home that did help a little. We ran up to my parents house to grab a few things we needed and ate dinner with them. Then we went home and I slept wonderfully in my own bed.

Sunday November 14th:
This was a pretty lazy day as well, I slept and relaxed and we went to see Ele. We get to hold her at least once a day now and it is so exciting. Our wonderful neighbor Jan Brimhall brought us dinner and it was really nice. Apparantly I have really been wanting to try her wonderful smelling pot pies because she came to visit me the day after Ele was born, the day I was on the Mag and couldn't even open my eyes, but i was aware enough to ask her for a pot pie on Sunday when she asked if there was anything she could do. :) And then the sweetheart that she is she said absolutely.

Monday November 15th: Monday was my first day I could go and see Ele but would have to go by myself. So I did, I woke up and drove over and was there by about 8 in the morning, held Ele and just stayed by her because I missed her and liked just sitting around her. I went and ran a few errands and then went home and picked up Nate, we went to hold Ele and then came back to another wonderful dinner provided by our awesome ward. We had an early night because we are just started to get used to this new schedule.

Tuesday November 16th:
I stayed with Ele the whole morning, Then went to my Doctor's appointment. They said I healed amazingly well. My blood pressure is still a little high so they are monitoring me and I am not quite cleared to go back to work. I went home and rested for a little while, then came back with Nate in the afternoon. I really do enjoy watching Nate hold our little girl. He is the most amazing man and is a great dad.

Wednesday November 17th:
Ele's heart rate started to drop occassionally, but she is still their star student in the NICU. Stayed with her for the morning, got my hair cut, went back with Nate.

Thursday November 18th:
I went this morning to spend time with Ele and they let me hold her for an hour and a half. It was so amazing, we sing together and have little chats, I love that time with her, it is so precious to me. I went home and worked on these blog posts. ;) and then headed back last night at 7:30 with Nate. As we walked in and turned the corner our abby was no where to be found. I said, 'Oh, our baby is missing.' and the nurse Cory jumped up and said, 'oh she got moved across the hall they didn't tell you?' We said no but were so excited. We figured she would be moved soon since she was doing so well, but they usually like for the kids to not be on an IV, any breathing help, and as close to 4 pounds as possible. She hasn't been on any breathing help basically since she was born, and her IV will be complete Friday night. And since she was doing so well they decided to move her over anyway even at her very petite 2 lbs 8 oz. Nate enjoyed about an hour and twenty minutes. She was so awake and just looked beautiful. I sat there and just cried repeated times because I was so proud of her. We've had talks, Ele and I, about how we want to get her home by Christmas, and I feel it's totally doable. And after her graduation I couldn't have been a more proud mother.

Elenor's Birth Part 3

2010-11-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

Wednesday November 10th:
At sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 AM I woke myself up called the nurse and told her I needed to see my baby. I sat my bed up, I pulled myself over and with the will power of awesomeness I somehow managed to get myself turned around and into the wheelchair. I had my trusty bag with me in case I got sick, called to Nate to get his camera and come with me because I wanted to see my baby. I remember being incredibly shakey and feeling sick, but I wanted to see my baby more than anything. They wheeled me upstairs and into the NICU, Ele was in an open bed at this time and I couldn't really stand up very much, so I couldn't see her incredibly well. But I touched her little feet and was able to handle the heat from her warmer for maybe 5 minutes. Then I started to loose it (puked) and had to leave. I got back into bed and don't actually remember the act of getting back into bed. For most of the day I was incredibly out of it. I literally couldn't open my eyes. I remmber being nauseated still so they gave me some medicine. I wanted to see my baby and I kept asking Nate to turn on the TV or things like that to try and help me wake up but the Mag was so strong that I couldn't. With in seconds I would drift off again and couldn't wake mself up again. That evening some family stopped by. My sister Suzy and her family came right when they turned the Mag off and for the next 45 minutes I could literally feel it leaving my body. It was so nice to start to feel better. I was able to actually drink some water and keep my eyes open for longer than 5 minutes. Suzy said that the difference of when she first got there and her leaving was crazy. I finally was able to get up again and went to see my baby at about 10:00 PM. I was able to stand up for a little bit and touch my baby. It was so surreal, but she was just so darling. I absolutely loved getting to see her. I was still pretty sick and incredibly tired because of the Mag so I went back down to sleep.

Thursday November 11th:
Today I was finally awake and was able to walk a little. I took family members up to see the baby, and started to feel a little overwhelmed. I could tell Ele was getting a little overwhelmed and I felt like to protect my baby I couldn't touch her very much because I didn't want her to get overstimulated. So I started to get nervous and I started crying. Margaret our nurse that day told us Ele was getting a little overstimulated, so she suggested that we come back that night at 7:30 and try skin to skin, and then we would put her in an enclosed isolette, to help keep out some of the noise and things like that. I was so excited at the prospect of holding my baby. I was counting down the time until we could go back up. I started to get nervous but was still oh so excited. We headed up stairs and they took my precious little girl out and handed her to me. I got to hold her next to me and for the first time I felt a little relief. I just hugged her and cried because I finally got to hold my baby. It was the most amazing moment. I just sat there and relaxed, loved that I got to finally hold my 2 day old baby. I think every mother longs for the moment when they get to hold their baby. I wanted to hold her so badly and couldn't for those first two days. I think that's why it was the most amazing feeling ever. It was so hard to leave her and have her be taken away from me. Even though I knew it was what she needed I just wanted to be with her. Later that night I was pumping and just wanted to be nursing my baby more than anything. I cried for an hour straight and just missed her and wished I could be next to her and nursing her.

Friday November 12th:
Today was a little bit of a lazy day. I had to start my recovery as well and I was working on getting my blood pressure down. So I went to see my baby twice today inbetween naps and recovering. Then Nate came in after work and we went upstairs for his first time to hold the baby. I was so exxcited for Nate to finally get to hold her. It was the most precious thing to watch him hold her and see how she just snuggled into him. I was just beaming the entire time. She was so small and Nate felt like a Giant compared to her. Nate is such a good Dad, he is seriously amazing and has been so good with Ele and I through all of this. I am so grateful he is mine and that I get to go through this with him. I don't know if I could do this without him.

Elenor's Birth Part 2

2010-11-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Monday November 8th:
Monday morning they took me in for my ultrasound, ironically I had an ultrasound scheduled for that afternoon, so I told them they shouldn't plan on me coming in later on. They just went through and measured Ele and thought she would be around 3 pounds which was spot on for a 31.5 weeker. though they are only accurate within about a pound or so. They discussed with me that they felt she would be alright and they have many kids that early do incredibly well. They also said since I was now closer to 32 weeks than 31 was a huge benefit. Most babies born at 32 don't have developmental issues, and they tend to do incredibly well. It was really comforting to hear that. They sent in a NICU consult to tell me what I should expect. Basically they said lungs were the main concern and it's great it looks like I'd be able to get both steroid shots before she would be born. There were a few other concerns but nothing they felt they couldn't fix. That was Dr. Stoddard, and he is the sweetest man ever. They then started talking to me about what would be happening tomorrow, first they would try to soften my cervix tonight so I could try for a vaginal birth. Then they would start pitocin tomorrow and see how it went. They told me I needed to be aware that a c-section was a real possibility, again I felt a huge peace about everything I knew I was in good hands. I had a few friends and families come and visit throughout the day and it was going well. Apparantly I wasn't incredibly coherent or didn't realize I wasn't explaining well because Nate didn't realize that Tuesday was baby day. So I settled in for another long night, sent Nate home but told him to come in as soon as he woke up.

Tuesday November 9th:
They gave me the last dose of medicine before the pitocin, and then waited until noon to start the pitocin. I was starting to progress slowly but after every contraction Ele's heart rate was dipping. This is a sign of distress and so they had to turn off the pitocin. I was only dilated to a 1, so in last efforts to have a natural birth they broke my water. And we were able to get a heart rate monitor on Ele's head. I went into natural labor and didn't need any pitocin. After about four hours I was only dilated to a 3. Ele's heart was still dipping after each cotraction and my blood pressure wasn't looking good. We discussed it with our doctor and decided that a c-section would be the safest option for both Ele and I. So I received my epidural a little before 7PM. I was taken into the operating table and I still had a very calm comforted feeling. I remember feeling relaxed and not even nervous about the surgery I was about to go through. As they told me there would be a lot of pressure as they delivered her, I started repeating, 'everything is going to be okay, everything is going to be okay.' Nate said, 'Don't worry honey it will be alright.' And out came our baby screaming away. ( 2lbs 2oz , 7:39PM) It was the most amazing thing to hear her lungs working so well. Nate got to stand up and take pictures or her, and because she was doing so well they even held her over the curtain for me to see. The NICU respiratory team took Ele into the next room and Nate went with them. Doctors Dayton, and Gamette were closing me up and told me how vigorous she was, I found out later that vigorous is a medical term that means her heart rate was above 100 and she was breathing on her own. He continued to close me up and was so impressed that he could hear her crying for the next room, he commented again saying, 'Seriusly listen to her go, she's so strong.' It made me so happy. As they got me back into the bed to go to recovery they raised my dose of Mag (Magnesium Sulfate) and I started to drift off pretty quickly. They admitted Ele to the NICU and put a precautionary CPAP machine on here to help keep pressure in her lungs so they wouldn't colapse. They didn't need to use it but felt it was better to be safe.

I don't know how long I was in the recovery room before Nate came back, because I was pretty out of it. they then switched me down to the 4th floor. I remember that they got the bed and IV stuck going into the elevator. As they shook the bed around I started to get sick and threw up everywhere. I thought it was weird because they just kept shaking the bed around while I puked my guts out. I also don't know why but they didn't take me through the NICU like they normally do. I don't remember much after getting into the elevator. I know that Nate and my Mom went up to the NICU to got everything taken care of.

Elenor's Birth Part 1

2010-11-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

Nate has been asking me to write this for awhile now and I agree it needs to happen. I want to make sure what I'm feeling is written down and recorded so that some day I can look back at this with Ele and tell her how she was born. So I'm going to do a day by day. Some may be longer and I might break up this post, but I am going to start with Friday November 5th. Also please note that I'm going to put in some of my personal feelings as I went through everything so there will be some personal things inside these posts.

Friday November 5th:
Today I woke up and had just bought a bunch of cute shirts from the Shade outlet closing. I wore this super cute striped shirt that made me look ridiculously cute and pregnant, so I took a picture and uploaded it to Facebook. I had just hit my 31 week mark the day before, so I had 9 weeks left. Nate was heading to California for his Grandma's 90 birthday party. I wasn't allowed to travel so I was going to be without a husband for the weekend until Sunday afternoon. This wasn't very long especially since we went to lunch together before he left, but I was having a really hard time with him leaving. Before I left work I stayed late because I wanted to get more cauhgt up, for some reason I kept thinking, what if I can't come in on Monday? My little sister Sarah came and spent the night on Friday just to keep me company. I had a hard night and really missed Nate and for some reason I just really wanted him home, I cried a few times and even told him I didn't know why I was having such a hard time, I sort of feel now that it was because my body knew what was coming and knew I would need him.

Saturday November 6th:
I really missed Nate today, seriously cried and called him a few times. I just wanted my husband back. I went over to my mom's house and did some homework and relaxed because I wasn't feeling well. It was kind of a lazy day. I went home, went to bed, slept horribly and missed my husband lots.

Sunday November 7th:
This morning I woke up and was getting ready for church. I walked into the bathroom and noticed my face was really swollen. I knew this was a sign of Pre-Eclampsia, it made me nervous. I called Bro. Black (we do Primary Music together) and told him I wouldn't be able to make it because I thought I needed to go in for a non stress test. He was understanding and concerned and told me to take care. I called Nate and told him through the now streaming tears that I felt something was wrong and I just wanted him home. He told me when his flight was supposed to land and I called my mom to tell her my symptoms. She told me to lay down and drink water and she'd come to get me after church. So I waited and was doing alright, when she came to get me my blood pressure was incredibly high but we thought we might be able to bring it down. I really was just waiting for Nate to get home. So I looked up the other symptoms of Pre-Eclampsia and started watching for them. Nate got home and I felt so much better just knowing he was there. I got a headache (symptom) and then started to get nauseated (symptom). We went down the street to my sister's house for a family birthday party and I just started feeling worse. My brother and my dad both said we should go to the hospital, so I called my midwife and she said she felt I should go in as well. So my dad and Nate gave me a quick blessing and we jumped in the car. I know it sounds weird but as we drove to the hospital I knew I had pre-eclampsia and I knew I was going to have to have the baby. Though I thought they might be able to hold off for at least a week or something like that.

We walked into the Labor and Delivery at Orem Community Hospital and they started watching my vitals. Almost immediately they called the midwife to have her come in and she confirmed I did in fact have Pre-Eclampsia. And it wasn't just Pre-Eclampsia but severe Pre-Eclampsia. For people who don't know what this is, basically I was having a reaction to the placenta. It raised my blood pressure incredibly high and I was at risk for seizures (Eclampsia) I didn't think I was at that point already but they confirmed I was in fact in the danger zone for having seizures. They started me on Magnesium Sulfate which is basically a strong muscle relaxant to help me not have a seizure. The only way to fix Pre-Eclampsia is to end the pregnancy. So I needed to have the baby for my own safety. They also started me on a blood pressure medication, and gave me my first steroid shot to help Ele's lungs to develop faster. They called for a paramedic transfer and got me ready to be moved to UVRMC because they have an amazing NICU Newborn Intensive Care Unit. They work with babies as early as I believe 24 weeks. Dena Walker was the midwife that came in to talk with me. She started to tell me what was going on and that the baby needed to be born. I just had a peaceful feeling and told her I knew Elenor needed to be born because of the Pre-Eclampsia and that I trusted the Doctors to do what needed to be done for both of us. I just kept smiling and tried to talk with all of the nurses, Susie and Donna were the two that had run my labs. As the paramedics took me out I had a farewell party waiting, they all waived goodbye and the paramedics were very impressed. Nathan followed us down so that he would have his car at the hospital. They took me into Labor and Delivery, I called Nate to tell him what room I was in and got ready for a very long night. I had Nate stay for a little while but then told him to go home (remember he hadn't been home yet since his trip) We needed him to go to work and so I told him to go home sleep and go to work and that I would call him if I needed him.

My night was spent with a wonderful nurse named Cynthia, she and I became fast friends since they had to have a consistant monitor on my babies heartbeat as well as checking my blood pressure every 10-20 minutes. I felt much better about having Nate go home because it would have been a miserable night for him and I knew the next few days would be interesting to say the least. The nurses learned quickly that I wasn't exaggerating that I had a very active baby. Every hour or so they had to come in and move the heart rate monitor because they would loose her. Nate said he pictured her kicking the monitor and then swimming away and hiding while she laughed at her own cleverness. It became part of the shift change briefing that my baby would be swimming everywhere. So each nurse came in and introduced themselves and then said, 'we hear we have an active one.' I laughed and told them absolutely. The best part of this is that normally the Magnesium Sulfate really affects the baby, but it didn't seem to touch Ele.

One Week

2010-11-16T08:05:00.000-08:00

Carrie was released from the hospital on Saturday and is doing great. Elenor is still in the NICU but she has gained 4 ounces! She is starting to look around and recognizes us. The nurses say Carrie has a very calming influence on Ele.

Carrie bought a monkey (its a stuffed animal) to announce to me that she was pregnant and now it is Ele's companion since we can't be with her all the time. The monkey and Ele are about the same length so I figure it will be fun for comparison down the road.

Click here for more photos.

New Gross Baby Photos

2010-11-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

Click here for some more pictures of Elenor Marie Gross.

Click here for Pictures posted on Facebook of Elenor.

New Baby Gross News!

2010-11-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

Some people may have missed parts, so I'll start with the important stuff:

First, Carrie was pregnant and due on or around 01/06/2011; our baby (her name is Elenor Marie) was delivered 11/09/2010 at 7:39 PM and is doing great. For those who are not mathematically inclined, that makes Elenor about 2 months early.

On to the story:

This past Sunday Carrie was not feeling well, went to visit her mother. Carrie had a headache and her blood pressure was well beyond the threshold for inducing seizures we found out later. This condition is known as pre-eclampsia and as Wikipedia simply states, "Apart from Caesarean section or induction of labor (and therefore delivery of the placenta), there is no known cure."

I was travelling from California most of Sunday so once I arrived at my mother-in-law's I took Carrie to Orem Community Hospital to see how severe her condition was. Once we arrived she was immediately put on Magnesium Sulfate (and others) to prevent seizures and to try and bring her blood pressure under control and preparations were made to transfer her to UVRMC in Provo. Before the transfer, Carrie was given a shot of steroids to help with the development of Elenor's lungs.

Carrie was transported in an ambulance and I followed in my car; admittedly, I got a little lost because I thought Carrie had been admitted through the Emergency Entrance. However, after a minute or two of running around I found the correct room. The hospital staff told us the baby would have to be delivered soon, one way or another. They wanted another day for the steroids to take effect before inducing labor or preparing for a c-section. On the plus side, our room had a nice view of Mount Timpanogos.

On Monday I went to work so I don't know all the details but the nurses/doctors gave Carrie shots, more meds and possible scenarios of delivery - there were also many visitors and encouragement via text message and Facebook... thank you for your support and prayers.

I was in the hospital on Tuesday and I thought it was going to be more of the same: shots, waiting, monitoring etc. However, around noon-ish, they started Carrie on Pitocin to try and induce labor. We had high hopes and after a few hours it looked like avoiding a c-section might happen, but she was not progressing fast enough. Around 7 PM we were told to expect a Cesarean Section delivery within the next half hour. Carrie wanted to go natural but not at the risk of losing the baby and with the combination of medicine Carrie was on and the effect it was having on Elenor, the doctors did not want to risk a longer labor.

Carrie got an epidural and was taken into the operating room. Elenor was delivered in a matter of minutes and started crying immediately.

Carrie only saw her for a moment as Elenor was lifted over the surgical curtain.

I followed Elenor into post-op while Carrie was being stitched back together.

Elenor was as ready as a 2 month preemie could be under the circumstances. Her APGAR scores were 7 and 8 which basically means she was (and still is ) doing awesome! After some initial measurements and tests were completed (2 lbs 2 oz and 15.5 inches), she was taken to the NICU.

The NICU doctor explained some procedures and what to expect in regards to a release date. Basically a preemie is expected to be in the NICU until the initial expected delivery date. I expect/hope Elenor will be coming home well before January 6th. :-)

I was woken up by Carrie's maternal desire/iron will to see her baby at 3AM Wednesday morning. Me and a couple of nurses took Carrie in a wheelchair to the NICU. I barely remember the event but Carrie wanted to see her baby.

Wednesday was thankfully uneventful, Carrie was recovering from surgery and mostly incoherent due to the lingering effects of the medication she had been on. Around 2 PM The NICU doctor called us to give us an update, Elenor was breathing without any assistance! Which is frankly amazing because she had been born only 18 hours earlier and 2 month preemies do not typically have well developed lungs.

In short Carrie and Elenor are doing great.

Thank you for your love, prayers and support,

Nathan and the Gross Girls ;-)

Amazing Man

2010-10-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

I love this guy so very, very much. and I would like to take a moment to talk about a few of the reasons why.

He never judges me for my shortcomings.
He helps me in so many ways.
He is loving.
He is understanding.
He is considerate of my feelings.
He listens to me when I'm talking.
He never would purposely hurt my feelings.
I can be completely vulnerable with him, which I love.
He picks up my slack.
He has done the laundry for the majority of our marriage.
He does the dishes.
He helps me clean.
He puts up with my mood swings.
He comes up with ideas to relieve some of my stress.

Okay so this is a small list of the many amazing things Nate does for me, but I needed to write down how fantastic I feel my husband is. I have been nesting lately and have been an insane person. :) Not really, but I have felt that our incredibly clean house is disgusting. I wanted to de-junk and organize everything and Nate was excited. We have a schedule and we are getting through everything. I want to have things pretty much done once the baby gets here. Anyway a few of the things on my list that Nate hadn't thought about were things like washing the baseboards (see a little insane). Well to my surprise I came home last night walked in and the Living Room had been dusted and vacuumed, the dishes were done, everything in the kitchen had been wiped down and was oh so clean and he had cleaned out the 4 things that were in our garage that had been driving me insane. Then to my great enjoyment he said, 'You'll never guess what I cleaned, you've been complaining about them for awhile.' I thought about it and I believe it was the second thing I guessed, it was the baseboards. He had gotten down and gone through 4 rags scrubbing them clean for me. I can't explain how thoughtful this was. It's a hard task and though our house isn't huge it's still an undertaking. After he told me I looked at them and they looked fantastic, seriously fantastic! I sat down to dinner, and then to do my homework with a greater sense of peace and relaxation knowing that my house was so clean. and he had done it for me. Because he loves me and wants me to be happy and he thought about it and didn't want his pregnant wife to have to crawl through the house. What a fantastic man I have married, who will not only love me unconditionally, but will clean my baseboards to help me feel more comfortable.

A Little Update with a lot of Good News

2010-09-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

First off, I love my life. I really truly do. Everything seems to be gong swimmingly. I am very blessed. The pregnancy is going incredibly well. Little Ele's kicking so often and I adore it. I woke up in the middle of the night last night to her just kicking away and I was so excited. I haven't slept well in the past anyways so I'd much rather wake up to my little baby kicking me than severe back pain or something like that. I have also been doing great in regards to my health throughout the pregnancy. I am almost 25 weeks along and I still have yet to gain weight in fact I am continually getting smaller. I love this fact and even more importantly so do my midwives. :) They are so proud of me for eating really healthy and enough for the baby. (I would never try and lose weight while pregnant) But when you have more to loose and your eating habits change because a. I want to be healthy for my baby, and b. because that's what the baby likes and wants, It basically threw me into fantastic eating habits. Multiple meals a day lots of lean protein, fruits, and veggies. I am loving every moment of it.
I for the first time in a very long time looked at myself in the mirror and was excited about what I saw. I felt beautiful and that hasn't happened in awhile. I am slowing transforming, I would say getting smaller (parts of me are) but basically I'm transforming from an overweight person into a beautiful pregnant woman. I love that my belly is starting to truly look like a pregnant belly instead of a fat belly. I wanted so badly to look pregnant and be a cute pregnant lady and I truly feel I'm getting there.
My sister Anna got married and it was a wonderful sealing. I cried like a baby (again pregnant remember ;) ) She looked wonderful and I really like Matt he treats her the way she should be treated. It was a nice relaxing day and I got to do the flowers. I'll try and get pics up later... I'm also working on getting my website up and going. If you know anyone who would like to have me do flowers for their wedding or small funeral arrangements, I'm looking for some to do, at cost, to build my portfolio.
Alright so this isn't the shortest post ever but there's your update. Oh and as far as my nesting is going. We have officially finished our main floor. And we're on to the bathrooms and bedrooms next. Our pantry looks amazing! and so does our front room. :)

Month at the Museum

2010-08-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Post #2 for the day, I'm on a roll! I have to put in another little plug. They have extended the deadline to notify the semi-finalists. there were so many applications. So we are waiting patiently... well I think Nathan more than me. I want this for him SO bad! I can't even explain it. So I'm crossing my fingers and praying that we will get notified in the next few days. He would be so good! Seriously I can't imagine someone who would have more fun doing this than Nathan. And I would have a celebrity for a husband.

We Finally Know!

2010-08-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

We are having a little GIRL! I'm so excited I can't even explain it. We will name her Elenor Marie Gross, but we'll call her Ele (Ellie) for short. I have such a greater connection with my baby now. I have cried all morning every time I call her by name and tell her I love her. It's such an amazing thing and I'm so grateful I have been given this opportunity. Also a big thanks to my wonderful husband, who is so supportive and excited about this baby. I love you Nathan, you are SO amazing.

MATM! Month at the Museum

2010-08-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Alright there is such a cool contest that Nathan has applied for. I mentioned it in passing but I really want to go in depth and send you over to his blog posts about the contest as well. To read about it from his point of view check it out here and here. He would get to live in the museum for a month! Seriously what a fantastic job. And it's perfect timing, we don't have kids yet, it's well before my due date, and I haven't seen him so happy about something in a long time. I'm not going to go into the details because his blogs do it so well but I am going to say why I think he'd be perfect and why I want this for him.

Nathan always wants to learn. He is always reading, for example that's how he found the contest in the first place by seeing it in Popsci online. Where they show you new and cool things in the science world. He is so personable and truly has a love for helping others and being friendly. When we started dating he asked me if I was an introvert or an extrovert... we both had the same answer, we are introverts by nature but extroverts by choice. And that pretty much sums it up. Nate chooses to go out and meet people. And he has become very good at it.

I have married the most fantastic man in the world. Nathan is incredibly giving and loving and I know that this would be perfect for him. So when people ask if I can handle not having much to any contact with him over a month I won't lie I know it will be hard because he is my best friend. But he has never wanted something more than this, and honestly I have never wanted something more for him than this. I think it would be the most amazing experience and I couldn't let him pass it up. In fact I was the one that told him to apply. I hope that somehow this blog might make it to the decision committee so they can see that even though Nathan does have a wife at home that I am so supportive of his decision to apply and that I have been praying that he will be allowed this opportunity. So if he becomes a finalist and needs votes for his video you had better believe I will be calling out the reserves to get him every single vote I can.

Good Luck Honey! I want this for you more than anything!

Two in One Year

2010-07-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

So I just need to get some of my feelings out. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with some things that are going on in my life and I just need to be able to write them out.

This past January I lost my Grandma Pearson. I've written a few post about her but not enough to do it justice. I love my Grandma so much and I truly miss her. Anytime I see bright colors, or anything with a picture of a cat I think of her. She had diabetes for a big part of her life and was on dialysis for awhile. When it stopped being affective they decided to stop the treatments. That was the Monday before Christmas, and she dropped pretty fast. I remember singing You Are My Sunshine with her, while holding her hand. For the first time in a few days she perked up and sang with me. She sang harmony as she always did, that's one of my favorite memories. I would sit next to grandma during church and she always sang Alto and I thought it was so amazing she could do that. Singing harmonies wasn't my thing until I was a teenager and even then I struggled, but once I was singing second alto in one choir and second soprano in another at BYU-Idaho I learned quickly and I always thought of her. I cried through the song, we ended up singing it at her graveside because it was such a special moment for those of us that were there when she 'woke up' for those few short moments. Somehow I never got a picture with her just before she passed and I'll always regret that a little but I'm also glad my pictures with her aren't of her when she didn't look like herself. After she died I was able to sit by her for awhile. I remember such a sweet happy spirit in the room. When the funeral home finally took her out, there was a distinct change in the room. Her spirit was gone. and I knew that it was my Grandma letting us know that she is happy and okay. She was finally able to be herself because she didn't have the limitations of this life. It meant the world to me and I'll never forget that spirit.

Well as the Title says, this post isn't over. My Grandma Mortimer is about to pass away. She is an amazing woman also and I love her very much. She is also in renal failure. It's just a little too similar. We just had our family reunion which was so much fun but when they brought Grandma she was in a wheelchair couldn't move much and was asleep most of the time. It brought back too many memories and I couldn't be by her for awhile because I didn't want her to see me cry that hard. I held her hand leaned down and told her I loved her. She looked into my eyes and said she loved me too. I could tell she did and that she knew it but she doesn't remember who I am. She doesn't even remember her children which is hard. So I would remind her. I would tell her I'm her son Doyle's Daughter, Carrie, and that I'm having a baby soon which will be somewhere around 169 great grandchildren for her. she always liked the fact that she had a huge family and her kids and grandkids have not disappointed her. :) she would hold my hand and not let go. In fact she would kiss my hand, and sometimes rub her eyes, and I would ask her if she needed me to let go and she said, no. We then gathered around her and all started singing primary songs. Can I just say that music is a miraculous thing. Grandma couldn't remember her children's names but she could sing every Primary song we threw at her. Then my mom suggested singing You Are My Sunshine. I was reluctant because of the memories, but we did and she sang louder than before and loved it. and on top of that about fifteen minutes later I asked her if she would want to sing it again. Normally she would have already forgotten what we had talked about or done or who I was, but she looked at me and smile and said, 'Well I guess we could, it was fun last time.' I got that glimmer of my Grandma again. I think that that song will forever be my Grandma's (both of them) song.

One side note that I have loved for a long time. When I turned eight I was baptized a week later on the 21st, it was a weird day and I was the only one baptized. Both my Grandma Pearson and Mortimer gave me earrings and I was so excited. When I opened them I thought it was so funny because they both had bought me heart shaped earrings. they were the exact same earrings only Grandma Mortimer gave me pink ones and Grandma Pearson gave me green ones. I remember exactly what the earrings looked like and if I can ever find something similar I'll buy them just to have my Grandma's earrings back.

Sorry for this long sappy trip down memory lane. I just needed to get my feelings out and I feel so much better now.

So Many Things, So Little Time

2010-07-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well there has been a lot of little random things going on lately, so I'm going to try and get my thoughts out in this blog.

First, Today my family went to KFC in Orem. It was a lot of fun. Now I know this isn't every families choice for a get together, but today is my grandma's birthday. My grandma Inez passed away this last January. So to remember her we went to her favorite place for lunch. I really miss her. I've been thinking about her a lot lately and how sometimes when I go over to my parents i still expect to see her in her chair. My heart drops when she isn't there and if someone happens to be in her chair, I get teary eyed. I wish she was still here, I would listen to her same stories over and over again and I miss that. She was loving and sweet and always wanted to be with her family. I think with my other Grandma coming close to the end of her life as well, I am realizing how much they truly mean to me and how badly I want to spend time with them. I wish my Grandma Mortimer wasn't so far away.

Alright enough of my sad blubbering, I need to discuss some of the fun things going on lately. I think a list form will be best. if you get bored I'm sorry but these are all the things lately that have happened that I have loved.

1. I'm in my second trimester!
2. My sister Julie is ready to have her baby in the next few months.
3. My sister Anna is getting married!
4. I'm starting a floral design course and will be a certified florist.
5. Amanda had her baby and we got to go to his blessing. (He's a cutie)
6. We hung out with Brittany and Stephen (getting married in 6 days) at the blessing. I was amazed at how well Stephen and Nate got along, we like them and need to hang out. Maybe they'll meet us in SLC after their honeymoon so we can go on a double date.
7. The fourth of July was amazing. I love parades (I know I'm a freak) but when the veterans went by and they had the parents of some soldiers who were killed I couldn't help but cry with those mothers. I am so grateful for their sons, and families sacrifice. So incredibly selfless and amazing. It was a sweet experience.
8. My nausea is going away!
9. My job is going well.
10. Nate has been playing on a soccer team and it's been fun to watch him.

Alright I'm running out of things maybe I'll remember more later. I just love my friends and family and I am so incredibly grateful for all of you! Oh and I can't wait to have our addition to our family make their debut...

Big Update!

2010-06-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well it's official we heard the heartbeat and Nate and I get to add to our family! I'm so incredibly excited, I'll be due late December and can't wait to find out what I'm having. It was such a relief and wonderful experience to hear that heart just beating away. It's crazy to think I'm growing a human inside of me but it's so amazingly cool. I can't wait to meet our little one. Which by the way has officially been compared to a gummy bear. :)

Stats+Calculus+Biology+History = NO LIFE!

2010-04-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Seriously school is my nemesis right now. But on a high note I passed my pre-test for Stats 11% points above the cut mark. SO RELIEVED. History is going well I'm hoping my sister will be able to help me study soon, though her BF is coming into town tonight...I guess maybe next week. As for the Biology I'm half way through and now I just get to do an experiment and write about it. We decided we are going to test bubble wrap, because what is better than bubble wrap, breakable items, and dropping things off our balcony? I submit to you, nothing! I'm thoroughly excited, we are going to buy some little vases or something from the dollar store, and then different sizes of bubble wrap and then wrap the item stick it in a box and drop it from our deck. I can't wait! Calculus is going alright I'm just trying to get some of the other classes out of the way so I can focus on just that one and work through it quickly.

Well that about sums up my life as of late. So sorry I haven't blogged or talked to anyone... Work, working out, and SCHOOL have pretty much over run my life.

Oh small shout out to Michelle good luck with the delivery (having a little girl today or tomorrow) I love you lady, I wish I could be there with you!

Funny You Tube...

2010-02-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

Old Spice Awesome!

Biggest Loser!

2010-02-08T11:22:00.001-08:00

Alright so I haven't been a huge fan of this show, though I feel it's fantastic that instead of setting up the 'hottest' people they can find; someone is addressing a real problem for our nation in these reality shows. Anyway I like plenty of shows on NBC and the other night noticed biggest loser had just barely started so I thought, why not I'll watch a bit, and I am hooked. As I listened to their stories I felt like most were telling my story and I knew I could do it. I have had a goal to loose weight and it has had many mixed results, but I happened upon the two books of theirs that I wanted to buy in Smith's of all places and decided this was too good to pass up. I bought them and started reading I finished the first one in a day. The second I'm about half way through. I went shopping for the meal plan for the first week, I was so excited and started the 30 day jump start today. I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing but it's only a weekly weigh-in system. Wish me luck I'm going to be the Biggest Loser. Seriuosly I am going to look freaking hot!

3 'You gotta blog about this.' Posts

2010-01-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

So over the past few weeks we have had a few moments that we have deemed must blog moments. So here they are.

1) Nate's schedule has been switched up for a month, so he works Saturdays and has Wednesdays off. So we have made Wednesday lunches our date time. Well this last Wednesday we decided to go to The Smoked Apple. And it was soooooooo good. I sat there eating my delicious meal and we realized that we were so glad we decided to go there, with their melt in your mouth meats, and a wonderful selection of sides... I highly recommend their fries, fantastic! They also had apple beer which we loved. And for a heaping plate of food for each of us buying the extra fries and both getting drinks it was only $22. Now granted that is not our normal date of maybe $9 by going to del taco but for a really nice meal it is way better tasting and priced than most sit downs.

2) For the past little while Nate and I have been watching LOST, not the last season but from the beginning, neither one of us made it past season two before we decided we would only watch the incredibly slow moving show once we could watch the entire thing, so now we have started knowing that we will reach the end about when this last season is over. Anyway last night we were asleep (I don't sleep to well because of my back and hip problems) So I was pretty awake when all of the sudden Nate calls out into the night, 'I gotta find Walt...(then mumbles) I should have been the assistant captain.' I started laughing and wanted to know if he was awake so I asked him, 'Nate are you awake?' 'Yeah I'm awake' 'Did you really just say that?' 'Yeah I did' 'Okay' Then this morning I asked him if he remembered talking in his sleep, he says no, I actually slept incredibly soundly it was awesome. I told him what he said and he goes, 'We're watching way too much LOST.' Bwahahaha.

3) We just received a new calling, we will be going on our ward handcart Trek in June. When we first received the call(we're over historical like pictures and stuff) I was so excited. Then I thought of the best joke to play ever... Lately as most of you know I have been getting a lot of pressure to start a family, yes we get it we've almost been married for two years, and yes we are 'old', anyway Julie has REALLY wanted me to get pregnant so as a fun little joke I gave her a call and this is how the conversation went:

Me: Hey Julie, Nate and I have an announcement.
Julie: Oh really?
Me: Yep we're going to be a mom and dad.
Julie: (with contained glee) So how far along are you?
Me: Well we're going on our ward trek in June. (I think she thought I said around our ward trek)
Julie: Well luckily you won't have to go on that.
Me: No we're going to be a mom and dad on our ward trek in June.
Julie: (With sudden realization of what I'm saying) this is the stupidest phone call!
Me: (laughing uncontrollable and trying not to pee my pants)
Julie: No seriously I am so mad at you right now. You had better go upstairs and get knocked up, goodbye. *click*

It was incredibly fantastic and I seriously laughed for 5 minutes afterwards. And that is all. I hope you enjoyed our stories.

coupon Info

2010-01-20T14:59:00.001-08:00

For the ladies in my ward (and anyone else) I am finally getting these sites up for you. Sorry it's taken me so long.

Savvy Shopper (Daily Herald)
Online Coupons
Target
Smart Source Online
Red Plum Online

These are just a few of the sites, don't forget to bookmark them, or you can always come back here for the links. :)

I also was wondering if anyone would be interesting in doing another class. We could pick an evening and do it at my clubhouse where I would have internet service and I can show you how to use the site. It would be a little longer and more in depth, but anything to save a little money right? If you would be interested just leave me a message and I'll try and get something together.

Darn Lazy

2010-01-13T10:03:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I just struggle. Right now is one of those times. I feel I am not doing everything that needs to be done... and not because I can't accomplish it but because I am too darn lazy to get off my butt and do it. I feel there are so many things I should or could be doing and I'm wasting my life away because I am too darn lazy. I'm sure everyone has these times and I am not alone. I just need to find some new inspiration to make me get up and do it. I mean I know what I want to do and what I need to do and I am just so darn lazy. Alright enough complaining.... I am getting up and going to get done what I want and need to do. :)

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T18:21:00.000-08:00

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone and I truly do love this time of year. For the third time in a row I participated in Black Friday and ladies, I must say, it has gotten a bad wrap for no reason. I mean yes large crowds and there are a few crazies but you get those on normal shopping days too. For the most part I have seen people be helpful and kind. Telling each other where the best deals are, hanging onto something for you when they saw someone else putting it back. People are genuinely nice and I love it. I got a Bosch and I baked bread for the first time and it turned out wonderfully!

I am so grateful that Nathan and I have both been able to keep our jobs during this rough economy, and we are able to afford our lovely home. I am also grateful for my loving husband who has taken over the dishes and the laundry (seriously he's awesome) because I have felt so overwhelmed with everything on my plate. I know I don't blog and I haven't gotten to see many people lately, so I just want to say thank you! Thank you for being understanding, and thank you for being willing to come to a BYU game so I could see multiple people at once, even if I was so tired that i couldn't hardly visit with anyone. Thank you for understanding that I still love and appreciate all of you even when I can't see you very often at all. I feel like I'm going crazy because we rarely find time for friends and so when we do it's usually a party because we would like to see as many friends as we can at once.

I'm very grateful for my Heavenly Father who continually reminds me of my worth, and for a loving husband who will snuggle with me and let me cry when even I don't know why I'm crying. The past few months have been hard for me, I definitely overbooked and wasn't prepared for what I was up against, but it is starting to ease and I feel life will start to get back to normal. So again until that happens thank you for understanding and for being supportive of me. I really appreciate all of my friends and family. I will eventually figure out my schedule and be able to spend more time with you all.

Best You Tube EVER!

2009-10-27T11:08:00.001-07:00

So I was just leisurely Facebook stalking when I found this beauty! Seriously I freaking love it!

Hope you enjoyed it!

Love,
Carrie

Playing Catch-Up

2009-10-21T11:02:00.001-07:00

Alright I've been seriously bad with the whole blogging thing, after this post you will realize why.
So first of all, we have an exchange student, his name is IckHee and he is from Korea. He's 17 and a junior in high school. This was a very last minute thing. We had even decided not to put our application in when Yeon (she's over the program here) called me and said she really needed someone to house a student. After saying no a second time and Yeon, calling me again from Korea we decided that we do have an extra room and we might as well house a student. So two weeks later we picked Nick up. His English name is Nick. Alright for those of you wondering, you pronounce IckHee just as it looks, the first thing said to Nick when he was introduced to my family was as follows, 'So if you guys adopted him his name would be Icky Gross.' Why yes, yes it would be. :) But alas we are not adopting him, only being parents for nine months. It's the reverse of a pregnancy! It is very weird and difficult to have your first child be a teenager, but Nate and I are realizing that yes we both parent the same way and that has been kind of nice. Nick is very fun and we are very much enjoying him being around.

Secondly, I am still working full time. I do love my job, I have a great boss, and I love my coworkers. It's weird to think that I've been at Alexander's for over three years now and just over two and a half years in accounting. Not really much to report here except I have been able to really get a lot done and I rarely have to work overtime, which is awesome.

Thirdly, this also has to do with my awesome Boss, but I have been instructing the Orem High Pit. I have missed marching band and was able to work out a simple schedule with Joy to allow me to work with the Pit. I love it! I love the kids, I love the music, and I love the nostalgia of it all. The only problem is that even though the time commitment isn't incredibly huge when you put it together with everything else, it can be a little overwhelming.

Which leads we to my last big endeavor, I am going to school full time, and it's over the Internet so I'm teaching myself through the classes. It has been intense and a little overwhelming. But I truly love the program and everything about this college. I can't wait to finally be done with school and be able to start teaching math.

So that pretty much sums up my life, full time work, full time school, full time wife and 'mom', and part time music teacher. Toss in a few extras like church callings, and personal time and that is a perfect recipe for neglecting a blog. :) Hope you enjoyed the catch-up, I'll try and be better now.

Oh also the leaves are perfect outside for some beautiful family pictures so if you want some done just let us know, you can have a 25% discount just because you read my blog. Check out Nate's site here or his blog here.

Mirror Blog

2009-08-02T09:34:00.001-07:00

I have decided to try yet a new thing on Facebook and added Mirror Blog. It pulls my blog posts straight from my blog so all my friends on facebook can see them and comment. If I like it and people seem to be reading my blog on here I might keep it otherwise adios.

P.S. I wrote this from facebook and it updated my blog, sweet!

Great Deal!!!!

2009-07-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have decided I truly LOVE deals, and coupons. If you aren't on twitter you should be, just to get these deals. You can follow a bunch of people that link you to coupons all over the web, plus blogs! Blogs full of money saving tips and menu planning on a budget. I love it so very much! Another great site is www.frogzog.com you can search for coupons for anything, then share it on facebook, twitter, or even have it texted to you so you don't have to waste the paper to print it out. Just text it to yourself and then show them the text when you get there. So as I continue to find great deals, I'll try and include them on twitter and here on my blog or facebook. They will all be under the same label 'Deals'. Also you really should look at www.savvyshopperdeals.com and try out the Shopping wizard. My new find is www.recipekey.com you can list everything in your pantry and fridge and it will tell you what recipes you can make. It will also show you ones you can make with only buying a few more ingredients. When you use stuff just take it out of your pantry and voila you can make meals with what you have! You can also add recipes, so family favorites are involved.

Great Deal!!!!

2009-07-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

Alright so Suzy gave me a rebate offer from Kellogg's. So if I bought 10 Kellogg's items on one receipt I could mail it in for a $10 rebate. She also informed me, Macey's was having a sale. Now I'm going to do this kind of like an infomercial but bare with me. The deal was 4 for $5, the catch the discount wasn't taken until you hit four boxes. So I had to buy 12 to have at least ten items and get the rebate:

12 boxes = $33 full price = $2.75 a box
-$6 for ever set of 4
12 boxes = $15.45 (the .45 is tax) = $1.29 a box
Then the $10 rebate
12 boxes = $5.45 = $.45 a box
Then the sneaky person I am realized I have manufacturer coupons for Kellogg's so...
12 boxes = $.45 = $.04 a box
Grand savings = $32.55 = $2.71 a box

So yes $5 worth of manufacturer's coupons and my pantry is now stuffed with plenty of cereal for Nate and I. The best part is... cereal tastes so much better when you've only paid 4 cents for the entire box!!!! I just love coupons!

BEST, two days EVER!!!!

2009-07-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

Okay so seriously this has truly been the most fabulous two days. It started yesterday when I was incredibly productive at work. Then I came home and Nate and I had a fantastic double date night with Liz and Patrick Spencer (and Audrey).

Seriously it was the best. They provided food, and we provided the house, cooking equipment and some flour. We had fun just talking and cooking dinner together. Audrey had great fun drumming on our Rock Band set. We watched a movie and basically just enjoyed visiting with each other. We then finish Hoodwinked and started spinning Audrey around in our computer chair until she was very dizzy... then we'd say run to Mommy and it was hilarious. Now don't freak out because she loved it VERY much. Seriously...she was laughing so hard and it was incredibly cute. Sorry again Patrick if Audrey wants you to spin her around all the time because of Nate. ;)

Then today I was yet again very productive at work. I loved it and I was even able to finish some school work on my breaks. For those of you that don't know I have officially started back to school to get my Secondary Education License in Math! WAHOO! So being the fantastic and loving husband that he is...Nate took me shopping. Now he didn't take me to a clothing store or to buy bags, (though bags are my second favorite thing to buy)He took me to my favorite place EVER...Office Depot!

I don't know what it is about any office supply store there is, but I love them with all of my heart. I would spend all of my money there if I could. Anyway back to my fantastic husband, he bought me the cutest graphing calculator in the world! I mean seriously check it out:

Isn't it so cute? Now some of you may wonder why a pink calculator is so awesome, but let's just say I have a thing with having my electronics being pink...don't believe me? See for yourself:

Yes I have a pink Nintendo DS and a pink phone. I love them so much but never have I loved any electronic item more than I love this calculator. I first of all Love pink electronics, and I Love calculators, so combine the two and there is a great amount of Love! So thank you to my wonderful husband for the great find. P.S. Also note the super cute blue and green function keys...AWESOME!

Look at this!

2009-07-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

My husband is so talented! Anyway he put a slide show together for a friend and posted it on youtube so I thought I would bring it here for all to see. Also just a reminder his photography website is http://www.nathantgross.com/

I Have a Great Life!

2009-06-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking about the past week or so and I thought, 'Man I sure have it good.' I love Nate so much and he happened to take a trip to Idaho this weekend and I was home 'alone'. I missed him so much and then when he called me to tell me he missed me too, I started to cry. I am so in love with him and can't wait to continue missing him whenever we are apart. I know sappy right? But it's true I slept horrible without him by my side. I thought of him constantly and thought of how truly lucky I am to have such a wonderful man by my side.

Now back to the I was 'alone' for the weekend. I have fabulous friends and family! Seriously... I was never really alone after Thursday night. I came home from work to girlfriends and sisters, it was so much fun. And then Sarah (such a sweetheart) stayed over night and chatted with me all morning. Then Joseph joined in the mix and we went swimming with a few friends. Two hours later (and very sunburned) we retreated inside for pizza and Wii (and a nap for me). Caleb and Shala played Wii with the kids and stayed until around seven or eight, I don't remember. Then my parents came over with Cody the puppy and picked up the kids after staying for about a half hour. While we visited Sarah made me cookies, and then I went to bed.

I woke up the next morning and went to church and had a wonderful time. A few sisters saved me a seat in Sunday School because they knew I was alone this Sunday, how thoughtful, and I truly enjoyed the lessons. One of which was on Provident Living and I was so pleased to get more information and to share the info I have found. Then I came home just in time to tidy up a bit and then watch Nate pull in the garage and run up the stairs to greet me with a huge hug and kiss. It was so nice to have him back! Man I love that guy. Seriously, he is so amazing and sweet, and understanding. So thanks to all of you wonderful people in my life that make it one GREAT life!

For all those who saw the 80s.

2009-06-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to add this for quite some time. You may have seen it on my sister's blog but I thought it too funny to pass up, so here it is:

Total Eclipse of the Heart - Literal Version
(Actual video, new words)

Photos!

2009-06-24T08:50:00.001-07:00

Go check out Nate's website. We uploaded the cutest family pictures! Thank you to the Baller's for being such a fantastic, and cute family. Seriously so much fun to shoot and they turned out wonderful! http://www.nathantgross.com

P.S. As for my last post I am feeling much better about the situation and would like to say that if it hurt anyone's feelings I'm sorry.

Very Annoyed!

2009-06-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

Alright so for some time now I have been very annoyed with a few things. I was wondering how to get these out in the open and then I noticed many of my pregnant friends have posts up about proper pregnancy etiquette. Like don't tell the parents the name they picked out is ugly, they obviously like it. And other things as well, so I decided it's my turn...I am having a, Proper Etiquette Prior to Expecting, post.

First some background on Nate and I. We have been married for just over a year, we just bought a new house which is a huge financial commitment and we feel Heavenly Father wanted us to do it. We prayed about which way would be better, to get into a home or start having kids, and the best option was to get into a home now so I will have a better chance of being able to stay home with my children. So now on to the annoyances.

1. Please do not corner us and make us tell you when we are going to have a baby. That decision is between Nate, me, and the Lord. When we know and feel good about letting others know we will. I promise! (Especially don't ask in public in front of a lot of people.)

2. Asking again two weeks later may not have changed our minds, in fact it hasn't and won't!

3. I feel uncomfortable telling people we're going to try because I feel that's like telling people, 'Oh yeah we have sex all the time, don't worry it's not awkward because we're trying for a baby.' :P (that's supposed to be a throw up smile, not a joking around smile.) So please stop asking, when that blessed day arrives we will let you know!

4. I have a very big fear we will have trouble conceiving. Now this may be irrational but many people have trouble conceiving, so again don't ask! When we do start 'trying' we may have a hard time and I don't want the constant reminder, of the fact, we can't get pregnant.

5. When I'm excited and tell you Nate and I want kids and are praying to see if it's right, don't look at me in disbelief, and say, 'Really?' That may be the most hurtful thing in the world. I know Nate will be a good Dad, I have my doubts about me as a Mom. So I don't need you to further those doubts, or have me feel I need to defend what a great Dad Nate will be. It boils down to the fact no parent is perfect and when you say things like that to me, I never want to bring up anything important to you EVER again.

6. I can't handle when people are hypocrites, so if you hate when people tell you, you are parenting wrong then don't judge the way we might handle kids we are around. We will do it differently. So stop rolling your eyes and leaning over and whispering to your spouse how we 'already' do it wrong. They aren't our freaking kids! So if we get frustrated it's because we aren't used to messy kids in our house and we shouldn't be the ones picking up after them. (The one exception is if we have offered to babysit.) You are the parent and being at our home doesn't mean you get to relax because we'll take care of your kids for you.

7. This one is not just for me but in regards to ALL newlyweds, If we are sick it doesn't mean we are pregnant, in fact most of the time we really are just sick.

As a side note to number seven I truly hate this one. When Nate and I got married we had only been home from our honeymoon for a week when people started asking us if we had any announcements. Are you freaking kidding me! We wouldn't even know yet so why would we be announcing it.

8. This post doesn't mean I don't love every person who has asked me these questions. I just want everyone to know, enough is enough and I can't handle that question every time I ever speak with someone. I don't want to be asked every time I see you, I would love to talk to you about your life or about our new house or in general anything BUT when we should or should not start trying for a baby.

Alright so I'm done with my rant, I would just like to say again that having a baby and the timing are between the husband and wife, and the Lord. Even when we are 'ready' for a baby and we start to pray to see if now is a good time, Heavenly Father may have different plans for us. So that can be frustrating as well, since I have asked and have felt the answer, 'not yet'. I do continually pray about it but it's hard to follow the promptings of the spirit when everyone is asking when, when, when? If I knew I would be more than excited to let you know but I don't know yet. Heavenly Father hasn't told me yet and I feel so pressured to keep asking, because people keep asking me. Let me work it out with the Lord and then I'll let you know.

For All You Air Drummers!

2009-06-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

Alright I have seen this clip countless times but I truly enjoy it every time. so I wanted to share it with all of you because it's pretty fantastic. Let me know what you think.

New House = Party!

2009-06-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Alright since our new place has a pool and club house we are having a house warming party this Friday evening from 6-10 PM. All are invited if you want to bring some treats to share that would be awesome. We have the clubhouse which means bring your swimming suits. If you need directions give me a call. I don't want to post our address on the web. :) It should be really fun and I'd love to show you all our new home. So come on over and play.

Sad News

2009-06-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

I found out yesterday, a dear friend of mine lost his father. I am aching inside. This was no normal way to loose a loved one, it wasn't from illness or something sudden but from someone who has no regard for life. His father was murdered.

I can't imagine the pain he must be feeling. I have no words to describe my sympathy and heartache. I feel so helpless and so upset over it which only allows me a small glimpse into what he is feeling with this major loss. I am praying for him and his family and I am grateful he has such a wonderful wife to help him through this difficult time.

For those of you who know Paul Lemen, please keep him and his family in your prayers. For those of you who don't know him, do the same, this family is amazing and needs all the help they can get. Please especially remember his mother as she has lost her husband of 48 years and I can't imagine what she must be feeling.

I'm grateful for the gospel and I'm so grateful for the peace I have been able to feel and I hope with all of our prayers the Lemen family will find peace as well.

Different subjects all over the place!

2009-06-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

I wasn't kidding with the title I have a lot of different things I want to bring up and they aren't on the same subject. So I'll start with the happy stuff and then I'll move on to the sad stuff.

First, our ward is GREAT!!! i mean seriously awesome. Our first week there and we sat by a really nice couple, they invited us over for dinner! I looked in amazement and said, 'That would be awesome! Thank you very much.' followed by a wonderful Relief Society where everyone told me about the ward and I had plenty of people to sit by. Everyone was so friendly and I'm very grateful for the fact that my ward is AWESOME!

Second, we still absolutely love our house. We have gone swimming almost every single day! It has been magical. Also involved in this would be the fact that we had our anniversary and it was nice to spend it in our new home. More to come on that because I want to write a gushy mushy post all about Nate. ;)

Third, (we're getting into the sad ones now)our family dog Ebi had three puppies and then passed away. My mom and siblings have been working really hard to feed the puppies and so far they are doing alright without their mom. This has been hard on my family because we all love our pets but the puppies have all been doing well which I think helps.

Church Phobia?

2009-06-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Alright to be a little honest I'm nervous to go to our new ward. We finished out last month at our old ward because the Valiants were in charge of Sharing time and we didn't want to do that to brand new teachers. So this week we are going to our new ward and it's weird because I know we will be in this ward for years. So it's a little intimidating. What if people don't like us? I know this may seem weird but as excited as I am to be in a ward we won't be leaving very quickly, I'm terrified at what will happen this Sunday. I'm sure everything will be fine, I just am hoping the sisters in the ward will like me and I'll be able to make friends in the area. So wish us luck as we start going to our new ward, our permanant ward! It's kind of cool we won't be leaving...we are officially adults.

New car smell?

2009-06-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

Alright so you know have everything has a particular smell? I have decided nothing smells better than new house smell. Not even new car smell can beat it. I love our house. I also love our pool which I have used twice in the three days we have lived there. I want to say thank you to everyone that helped move. We were in, start to finish, in three hours. It was awesome and then a few people stayed and helped unpack! I have the best family and friends!

Nate and I turned in our keys at the apartment and now we are so excited to start decorating and arranging everything for our new house. It had been such a blessing for us and we're so glad we found this place. I truly believe Heavenly Father directed us here.

Our neighbors are awesome, next door in the same building is a cute family with three girls and they are super nice. I met the mom named Wendy and she is absolutely beautiful. I can't wait to get to know them better. We'll have to really 'try' because they go to the Spanish ward. And our neighbors on the other side are super nice and fun. They have a boy and two girls with another boy about to come. They told us all about the ward and even gave us their old directory. Told us all about the neighborhood and how we'll be having parties to get to know one another. They're our kind of people. ;)

Thanks again for everything you all did to make our move go so smoothly. It was awesome! Love, The Gross'

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, It's Ours!!!

2009-05-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

We signed on our house yesterday and we should have our keys today! We are so excited...we probably will camp out at our house until we officially move on Saturday! It's awesome and I have pics of the outside, I'll put up later. Can't wait to have you all see it and have you all help us move! ;)

But seriously we're moving on this Saturday at 9AM. We'll have breakfast...'Tell me who did a good job?' Sorry apparantly movie quotes popped into my head when I thought of the awesome muffins and other such stuff we will have for this move. Let us know if you can help so we get the right amount of food!

Great Deal!!!!

2009-05-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

Seriously if you check this today go to Restaurant.com enter your zip code and it will bring up different restaurants. You can normally get $10 gift cards for $3. The catch is that you have to order at least $20 worth of food and then they'll take the $10 off so it's already like 50% off. But today only put in SPECIAL as the coupon code and you'll get an additional 80% off! I just got $60 worth of gift cards for $3.60! It's amazing! I love great deals!

Also on a side note my sister Sarah sent me some flair on Facebook. For those who don't know it's basically a fake button that have different sayings or pictures on them. I thought this one was so funny it was definitely blog worthy. It said:

Marching Band...
One big happy family.

(With lots of incest)

hahahaha! BTR! I love my family!

Orem LaX

2009-05-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know, my brother Dan is the Orem High boys Lacrosse coach. They just went to Sate and won! It was a great game and they seriously played so well. The final score was 15 to 9 against Skyview. To put it another way, Orem put in their second string in the final minutes, at a State Championship game! That's crazy good! Well they dumped water all over Dan and he was interviewed by channel five news. It was exciting and I'm very proud of Dan.

Also Nate and I were lucky enough to have a player to cheer for. Nate's cousin Joe is the goalie for Orem. He's amazing and was voted AllState his Junior year, what a stud. I had fun cheering and getting majorly sunburned and Nate enjoyed being on the sidelines to take pictures. Go to his site and check them out here.
Don't forget we're having a special on family photos. it's a great time to get them!

Moving

2009-05-18T07:09:00.001-07:00

Alright we are moving on the 30th so if anyone wants to help that would be great. Hopefully we'll have our keys to our new place by then but either way we have to be out of our apartment. So I'll get more details later, it will probably be around ten or eleven and we'll provide some sort of breakfast stuff for our helpers. more info to follow. Isn't life awesome?!? Seriously I can't believe we're getting our own place!

Help!

2009-05-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

Alright so in all of the hustle and bustle of getting everything situated with the house it has finally hit me; we move in TWO weeks. We need boxes! So if anyone has boxes they don't mind parting with, either momentarily or for the long term, let us know! thanks for your help.

Big News!

2009-05-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

Alright so it's official! We are under contract to buy our first home! We are so very excited, though it is coming much faster than we had anticipated. We were planning on moving around August but happened to find a town home that is perfect and we will be moving at the end of this month as long as there are no problems. We only saw it last Saturday and the offer was accepted and signed on Tuesday. It will be perfect for parties as it has a large clubhouse with theatre room and pool. So we know we'll be very popular shortly. ;) It's in Provo around 900 North and 1880 West. We will have a few parties once we're in and settled. And that's our big news!

Photography

2009-05-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Alright Nate's site is up and mostly completed. So everyone check it out. www.nathantgross.com Also right now we are doing a special on family photos, $50 for a full sitting and touch-up on the photos plus we'll give you the CD with all the photos so you can print and blog with them until your heart is content. We just need your photos on our site! Let me know if you want to schedule something.

Thank-you!

2009-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the comments. I know it seems silly but it truly made my day. Alright as far as the couponing thing goes I would be more than willing to show anyone how to do it. It would only take maybe an hour. And then you can do everything from your internet. So just call me and we can get together.

I just wanted to let everyone know that God answers prayers. Nate and I have been so blessed in the past few weeks. Well really through out our whole marriage but especially in the past few weeks. And I just wanted to say that he answers prayers and knows what is best for you. Hopefully in a few days I can expound upon this but I want it to be definite before I let the cat out of the bag...no I'm not pregnant.

Anyway I just would like to say that I love the gospel and I love that we can receive personal revelation because it helps so much. And I'm very grateful for family and friends that are supportive and loving. (Also I'm especially grateful for Nate because he is such a fantastic husband!)

April showers bring May flowers

2009-05-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Alright well since no one really comments on my blog I feel no one reads my blog. So I'm sad. :( But it's alright I will try updating a few more times before I give up... New gross news: I am starting school at Western Governors University. It is an awesome online program and I am hoping to finish it relatively quickly. I'm going to school for Math education. Nate is still working hard for school and we're going to start studying up for some CLEP tests to get him out of some of his generals. We are super busy with everything and trying to stay semi-sane through it all.

I have officially missed wedding receptions and showers, and other such events because I am just not organized enough with my calendar. So I'm buying something to fix that and never again will I miss something important for the people I care about just because I don't have a calendar handy. Also the couponing is going well on our last trip to the grocery store three weeks ago, we saved 50% on all of our groceries. I'm very happy about that and hope the savings will continue.

We'll keep you posted on everything else!

2009-04-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Increbile Dance

2009-04-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone I can't embed the clip because Britain's Got Talent won't allow it but please follow this link to watch a fantastic dance performance. It will make your day because it's so good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gHvATmUsSg

SNOW!!!

2009-04-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Alright it must be said at first I was a little annoyed with the snow. But then as I was cleaning of the six to eight inches from my car I was very pleased with the beauty the snow had brought. I took pictures (to follow) and then after a good fifteen minute cleaning of my car got inside hoping the roads wouldn't be to bad. As I started driving around our little circle I was amazed at some of the damage. There were huge portions of trees next to road (Nate had moved them of the road earlier this morning) and then the other branches of the trees were hanging very low struggling to hold the weight of the snow that had been dropped on them. As I strategically drove my car through the mess I only had a few branches run the length of my car. I turn the first corner and thought, 'WOW so glad I don't park by a tree.' In front of me was a giant branch that had been ripped from the tree because of the weight and was resting across a truck and a car. I took a picture and then kept driving as I was late. I continued to drive, I saw so many of these branches that had been ripped off and thought this must be God's natural pruning. :) So that was my morning, happy my car is safe and grateful for the beauty.

Joseph's Joke

2009-04-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

Alright so I told this joke to Amanda and she said put it on your blog. It's not so much a joke as a very funny play on words.
Okay well just some background my parents own two dogs, Bear (Boy) and Ebony (Girl). Well let's just say they used to be more like siblings and now... they're more like husband and wife. So my husband said, 'you know if your mom tries to breed them after this she'll be making them commit adultery?' I thought was funny so when I stopped by my parents I informed my mom of this funny thought. Joseph my nine year old brother was there and the conversation went a little like this:

Me: Mom if you breed them now they'll be committing Adultery.

Joseph: Carrie, no they won't, they'll be committing Adogtery.

Much laughter!

Me: That was awesome Joseph! Very funny.

Joseph: I thought that up right on the spot. I didn't even have to think about it.

Me: I know it. It was very smart and funny.

And that is the fantastic play on words from Joseph. Hope you all enjoyed my little story. HAHAHAHAHA

March in Review

2009-04-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

Alright I know I'm a terrible blogger but I mentioned that in my first blog and never promised anything spectacular. I just wanted to let everyone know what we are up to right now.
Nate is going to school full time and working full time. I am working full time and getting ready to start school fulltime. We have started to organize our house and the couponing and food storage are starting up full swing.
I received my first two Sunday papers. I just signed up for an actual delivery of the Daily Herald and was super surprise at how many coupons there were. So we will now start to get everything situated and then comes the couponing class and I will be an awesome bargain shopper.
As for the organizing we have had a second bedroom in our apartment that just had all of our extra stuff sitting there waiting to be organized, since we got married. and I decided I wouldn't let it go for the whole first year of our marriage. So we started on it this weekend and we are half done. Mainly all we need to do is file all of our important papers and then I need to organize my craft station. It was a very eventful Saturday for us.
Nate is really liking school in the sense that with each class it is closer to being over. I am looking into a few programs one for Accounting and one for Math Education. So I'll let you all know what I decide after I get it all sorted out.
Well that's where we are at sorry again for the lack of posting. :D

Fun Stuff

2009-02-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

Alright there is some fun stuff giong on in our lives right now. We are looking at homes! We're prequalified and can't wait to find one that will work for us.

A few nights ago we had Max, Sarah, and Joseph all spend the night. It was a lot of fun. We really enjoyed having them over and in the morning as everyone was getting ready Nate started some music and Max just started dancing like crazy which got everyone else dancing it made for a wonderful start to Valentine's day.

We also have been getting organized, with all of our bills and taxes and such. I now have two binders and they make me so happy. One is for grocery shopping it holds our meal plans and shopping list as well as coupons. And then a second one holds all of our receipts. I love organizing things and now I've finally finished up these binders which I got for my birthday. I love it so much. Also I have really been trying to figure out the whole food storage thing and to be completely honest I'm just no good at it so my newest adventure is 'Food Storage Cooking School' Not kidding it's an actual course two professors at USU wrote and they teach it to the public and they've put the packet online for people to have for free as long as it's a non-profit organization and you leave the USU logo on it. I've already read the first chapter and it's been super nice. Plus it's like a teacher's manual so you can teach others the course. I have decided the internet is a glorious thing and eventually I will have learned how to be a glorious food storage cook from all of the how-tos I find online.

Other than that not much to report but I'll try and keep up with this a little better from now on.

Super Busy

2009-01-14T11:32:00.000-08:00

Alright we've been super busy but in the good way. Nate has started school and we are very excited about it. He also switched his work schedule and is working 4 tens. So he's very tired when he gets home. I am working and doing a few side projects and helping with the homework and housework. We had a wonderful Christmas and truly have loved the time together. I got a new car...well new for me. It's an 05 Nissan Altima and I love it! We are working on paying off our cars incredibly fast so we won't get stuck paying a lot of interest. Other than that we are pretty boring, rarely doing anything out of our routine. Just trying to get into a great financial place so when we have kids I can stay home without it totally killing us. So that's what the gross' are up to. Sorry I'm so bad at updating this, a little part of me thinks i'm just not a blogger. ;)

Update, Finally!

2008-12-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

Alright well Kelli has chastized me for not updating and so here is the update. Everything is going super great! Nate and I have been super busy getting his photography business up and running. We have his blog up and a few sample pictures on his website. The addresses are www.nathantgross.com and www.nathantgross.blogspot.com He is having so much fun and is a fantastic photographer. We are buying new lenses and finding lots of job opportunities. As for me I am still at Alexander's and enjoy it.

We had the best Thanksgiving, the food was wonderful and so was the company. Though the best part was the night before...I have been needing new clothes and Kohl's was having a huge sale the day after on their clothes. But I didn't want to try on clothes with all the crazy ladies running around so we went Wednesday night to try them on so I would know what I wanted to buy. Well no one was in the store so they started switching the prices early and since they were posted they had to give us the sale prices! I bought $400 worth of clothes for $150 and no crowds, it was awesome! then the day after we braved Wal-Mart, just a friendly tip, carts truly hinder you because there are so many people. But we got our first Christmas tree for $25 and it is so cute, we just finished decorating it last night.

As for Christmas all of our shopping is pretty much done. Just some odds and ends that will be easy in the next few weeks. I had a fabulous birthday and can't wait to spend Christmas Eve at home with my hubby. We decorated a gingerbread house and it is so cute. we also rearranged our furniture and I am trying new recipes all the time. I have even started couponing I found some wonderful websites and I have put together binders to help me stay organized. It's pretty fun. I'm very excited to try some of the recipes that are from my favorite restaurants...panda express orange chicken, Macaroni Grill Bread, Mimi's Corn Chowder. So we're busy shopping, doing photography, and just enjoying each others company. There's my update and I hope you all enjoy your Christmas.

Husband Tag

2008-10-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Suzy said whoever wanted to play...So I'm going to play.

1.What's his name? Nate, Nathan, Nathaniel
2.How long have you been married? Just shy of 5 months
3.How long did you date? 2 months, engaged for an additional 5 months
4.How old is he? 25
5.Who eats more? Depends on what we're eating
6.Who said "I love you" first? He totally did!
7.Who is taller? He is
8.Who sings better? I'm going to go with me here. But when we do karaoke and he gets in 'the zone' He's pretty good.
9.Who is smarter? Depends on the subject
10.Whose temper is worse? Mine
11.Who does the laundry? Well that's supposed to be me but lately I haven't been able to lift the baskets let alone bring them up and down stairs so he's been helping out a lot.
12.Who does the dishes? He does, but I help if they're really bad.
13.Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Right now he does but it switches.
14.Who pays the bills? We pay from both our paychecks, but I've taken over the task of actually logging in and clicking the buttons for auto pay. ;)
15. Who mows the lawn? A service, That's one of the best parts of living in an apartment.
16.Who cooks dinner? We switch off.
17.Who drives when you are together? He does
18.Who is more stubborn? That could be a toss up it depends on the subject.
19.Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Probably Nate, see question 18 and add the fact that he has a huge soft spot for me. I try to never take advantage of that.
20. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine but that's usually because Nate goes to his parents before I get off work. I've told him not to because I like going over there. I'll get him to remember soon enough. ;)
21.Who proposed? He did and it was perfect and everything I asked for.
22.Who has more friends? It depends on if you are talking about close friends or just friends in general.
23.Who has more siblings? Equal. We both have 6 siblings.
24.Who wears the pants in the family? We're pretty equal right now. It's great fun being married.

I tag... anyone who wants to play and Amanda, and Mom (Kitty)

New Job = Old Job

2008-10-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Well I got four days away from leaving Alexander's and they decided to counter the offer I was given by Blue Host. So I am officially staying with Alexander's. I must say this gave quite a bit of relief to my boss Joy, (let's just say the prospects were looking VERY bleak) I'm very excited about this because I do love working here and now I don't have to clean out my desk. Oh and as a side note I've started doing water aerobics/ hydro therapy and it is really helping my hips out. I can go up and down stairs like a big kid. For awhile there I was just like a two year old, putting both feet on each step before continuing up. :)

New Job

2008-10-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Alright well for anyone who doesn't know, which is probably a lot of people, I got a new job. I have mixed feelings on this but I'm sure it will be wonderful. I'm excited for a change of pace and for a new environment. Though I am going to miss the people I work with at Alexander's and let's be honest it just kind of has a part of me. I'm very excited and very nervous but feel so good about this change. I wasn't looking for a new job but was blessed with a great opportunity to work at Blue Host. They are a web hosting company and I will work in their billing department with Nate!!! I'm so excited to work with my husband. We'll get to carpool which will save us money and we'll get to be together. This really is an exciting moment for me so pray for me that everything goes well! Love to all of you!

Hips, Hips, Hips

2008-10-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you who don't know I have been having very big problems with my hips. It started with muscular problems in my back, then pulled my hip joint out of place and pinched my sciatic nerve in both hips. Basically what that means is everytime I took a step it felt like my leg was falling out of socket. It has been very painful and very hard for us. Our apartment is a split entry apartment and most nights I would have to sleep on the couch because I couldn't get up the stairs. Nate has been so supportive and thoughtful. He has helped me do everything and thinks ahead so I won't have to bend down or walk too far at any one time. One night I couldn't move at all so we went back into the doctor and he gave me a nice shot in the butt and it's been helping a lot. I can almost walk at a normal speed now. We're getting a year pass to the Orem Rec Center and I'm going to be doing water aerobics to help the joint mobility and hopefully it will all get better. Anyway I think the sweetest think about this whole thing has been Nate, he even shaved my legs for me when I couldn't shave them myself. If that's not committment I don't know what is. ;)

California

2008-09-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well we're back and I figured I should get this thing updated. California leaves me with mixed emotions. So I will explain. First of all the cheap flight we got was an indirect flight, just for the flight to California. Our plane was delayed at SLC for an hour and a half. They tried moving everyone around because some people would only have 7 minute layovers. When we finally got on the plane we were right by the engine and US Airways charges $2 for a can of soda! That's a little over kill if you ask me. So our two hour layover was now twenty minutes. We ran to the nearest food we could find and ended up buying some Burger King that reminded me why I NEVER eat there. Then we hoped on the plane and took off again. I have never experience as much turbulance as we did on this trip. It was unreal...and I would venture to guess that the pilot was not trying to be gentle. We turned so quickly I would get nervous we were crashing.
Then we landed and California felt wonderful and aside from the terrifying driving we endured while we were there (not from others)...I have decided that all of the crazy drivers in California must be just like the Nate's grandma. ;) We got to the house and had a nice relaxing time. WICKED was fantastic! Best part of the whole trip! I officially tried In n out Burger for the first time...(not that great). And spent some time with Rae (Nate's sister) It was a lot of fun and it was nice to actually get to know her a little better.
The best story I can offer up from this trip is this one:
We had just finished grocery shopping and Nate's Grandma was driving we were leaving the parking lot and a car was pulling out of a stall. They stopped as well as Grandma stopped. She waited just long enough they figured she was letting them out. So they pulled out and as they did Grandma started honking. When they were all of the way out and we started to pass them Grandma flipped them off! Not kidding! She then leaned over to Nate and patted him on the knee and said, 'I just flipped him off.' She was kind of excited. then she said, 'I don't like to do that, but sometimes...' It was pretty hilarious. Well there's California in a nutshell.

Catching Up

2008-08-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Alright so I've been a very bad blogger but in my defense I have more consecutive posts on this blog than consecutive entries in any journal I've ever owned. We haven't been up to much lately just enjoying summer. But we are going to California in a month and we're going to see Wicked! That's right be very very jealous! We're going to visit Nate's grandma for five days and we're very excited. The best part is this, we were looking for plane tickets and we found a rockin' awesome deal that saved us $80 a ticket. Okay so it wasn't really a deal so for those of you wondering when the cheapest time to fly is I believe I have found it. (meaning no disrespect of course) If you don't mind hopping on a plane on September 11th then you can save a bunch of money on your tickets. And because we booked our flight for the 11th they gave us a discount on our return flight. I didn't realize for awhile and I wondered why a random Thursday was so much cheaper. Then I realized it was the month of September. I'll take it $160 is a lot of money to save.

Weekend Guest

2008-07-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

Well we had our first official weekend guest. (Our first overnight was Joseph) It was a lot of fun though I must admit; since it was one of Nate's guy friends I felt like I had a 23 year old son. I made a cute map to keep track of our scripture reading and Rylan was very excited to put the sticker on when we read. Nate even let him pick any color of sticker he wanted. Rylan was very excited and picked a green smiley face. I cooked for them and played games took them to a movie and even cleaned up after them. It was fun. Though I'm excited to have a kid that isn't 23. It will be awhile before that happens. Just in case any of you thought this was my way of telling you I'm pregnant. Apparantly everyone thought we would have a honeymoon baby just like we feared. ;)

Dinner

2008-07-11T07:56:00.001-07:00

Well last night I was very adventurous. I made a three course meal. It took me an hour and fifteen minutes. Not bad huh. Everything was ready and the dessert cooked while we ate. Though we both ended up being tired and not very hungry so we only ate one of the three courses. I made a Corn Chowder, Taco Salad, and Peach Cobbler. It was a lot of fun and I think I'm a pretty awesome cook. :D

Great Find

2008-07-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

Last night we took a trip to Ikea. We needed some specific things and knew it would be a better deal there. So we went up ate at the yummy restaurant and started shopping. We found some great deals but we couldn't find anything to organize my crafts, finally we decided on those hanging closet organizers that have drawers and everything. As we left we checked the as is for a cheap bookcase and happened to find the cutest craft box ever. It is three levels with double doors on each level and just plain cute. So we bought it and I'm so excited to organize everything and put it away. I might actually spend time doing crafts once it's all put away and I know what I'm doing... Our next big purchase a sewing machine.

House

2008-07-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

Alright well last night we decided to clean our house. Mind you it wasn't that bad but our house only has one AC unit, in our bedroom so it is so hot when you get home all you want to do is sit there so you don't start sweating. But clean we did and our basement looks great I finished our laundry and only have the last load to fold. I'm very excited about this now if we could just organize our office our little house would be complete. not bad for one month of marriage. We're moved in and organized and it's pretty much clean...now to fill our fridge and cupboards with something other than Condiments and Mac & Cheese. :D

Name Change

2008-07-02T09:49:00.001-07:00

Okay so I went to officially change my name at the social security office and I was a little sad. Not that I don't want to be known by the same name as my husband but I have been Caroline Mortimer my whole life. To make the matter more difficult the guy at the social security desk wasn't to 'helpful', our conversation is as follows:
Me: I would like to change my name because I just got married.
SSG (Social Security Guy): It's only been a few weeks are you sure. :)
Me: I'm sure
SSG: (Looks at names) Mortimer that's a cool name, you should have your husband change his name to Mortimer because it's way cooler.
Me: I know I do like Mortimer, I even tried to convince him to change it back to Grodinski since it's only been Gross for a few generations.
SSG: Yeah...but Mortimer is still cooler. You should name one of your kids Mortimer, seriously it's such a cool name.
Me: Not a bad idea.
*Then he handed me the receipt and told me it was changed and I'd get the new card in a few weeks. *

I looked at my new name and I thought I am officially no longer Caroline Mortimer, I am Caroline Mortimer Gross. At that exact moment in time I believe I had the same experience my Mom had when my Dad's clothes touched hers for the first time. ;) No worries though; I'm excited to be a Gross it just took me a few seconds to realize I'd never be a Mortimer again (only in name).

Something Cute

2008-07-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Well lately I've been having some back pain and haven't liked bending over too much. But the other day Nate did the cutest thing. My back was hurting especially bad one night and the next morning when I got up to leave I walked down our stairs and my purse was hanging on the railing and my flip flops were on the railing as well. Nate didn't want me to have to bend over. I just thought that was the cutest most thoughtful thing ever and I'm so glad I married a man that will take care of me like that.

Wolverine meets Rainbow Brite

2008-03-11T12:27:00.001-07:00

Well everyone blogs right? I don't know about the whole blogging thing, I have never truly enjoyed reading, let alone having anyone read my writings. Well I decided I'll try it out if I hate it I can always stop and it won't have mattered much.

So since I feel i am boring I will try and tell my favorite story to date which is how Nate and I met:

I was living in a house with two girlfriends, one was Maggie Tsou, she is the cutest Taiwanese girl you will ever meet. So sweet and just a great friend. I was also living with Nancy Cooper who happened to get a job at BlueHost and was working in the same department as Nathan. Nancy thought Nathan was so cute and super nice and wanted to get to know him better to see if she wanted to date him or not so I suggested she should invite him over more often so she could spend more time with him out of work. So she did... Halloween night 2007 we threw a party at our house and he showed up ten minutes early. I opened the door and was surprised to see someone I didn't know, but boy was he cute! He asked for Nancy and I went back to getting the house ready for everyone else.

Guests started arriving and we started playing games. After a long night, the night before (we were trying to finish my costume, Nancy and I were exhausted), Nancy decided to take a short nap. We played games and I watched as Nate was just so helpful, he would answer the door every time the bell rang and he would get food for anyone who even mentioned it. I was so impressed and he was so much fun to play games with. He had an unending store of movie quotes and enjoyed just playing around. I tried not to flirt because I knew Nancy liked him but found it quite difficult because what a cutie!! Apparently I flirted enough though because Nate asked for my number it was very cute and I was excited that a guy was putting forth the effort. So we exchanged numbers. I thought to myself, 'I won't call him unless he calls me first.' I was nervous afterwards because I didn't know how Nancy would react.

So I let it cool for a few days and on Saturday we planned a game night. By this point I wanted Nancy to decide if she wanted to date him so if she decided not to, I could. :) So I told her she should invite him over for the game night. And boy did we flirt. Now it must be said I am a VERY competitive person. anyone who has played games with me knows that, but that night I was so interested in him, I lost Disney Scene it. (Another side note...I have NEVER lost Disney Scene it.) We talked about everything, quoted movies like crazy, and just had so much fun. To my surprise Nancy invited him over to our wards Break the Fast the following night. I thought huh that's weird because in my mind he and I had hit it off quite well and I thought Nancy would have noticed but I was still aware that she had said she liked him first.

This part was my favorite part of the whole night. So the night ended and he gave me a hug I was so excited and then Nancy went to give him a hug and not even thinking about it he just said, 'group hug!' and brought me in again. (I just think it's a little funny). We shut the door and Nancy proclaimed, 'Yeah I really like him.' I was so sad. :( But it was totally fair. I went to bed and the next morning Nancy and I were making food for break the fast. Apparently I couldn't stop talking about him because she finally looked at me and asked, 'Would you date him if I decided not to?' I was torn, so I said, 'I wouldn't if you didn't want me too but that would be pretty hard for me because I am very attracted to him and I think he is amazing.' So she said, 'I'd be okay with that'. So after break the fast I was hoping she would make a decision and she did. She said she wasn't going to date him. I was ecstatic!

I immediately started flirting I wasn't about to play games I told him I was going to be watching a movie that night and even though he totally got that I was trying to have him invite himself over he wouldn't do it. What a sneaky guy. So as I struggled with if it was to soon to invite him over I decided to heck with it I'm 23 I can ask a guy over for a movie. So I did, I texted him right as he got home and he came right back over. We kind of cuddled on the couch and I shamelessly put my hand on my leg closest to him with the palm up and everything, I wasn't leaving room for misinterpretation. Later I found out he was thinking, 'don't hold her hand, don't hold her hand, don't hold her hand.' Nancy walked in and saved him from himself. ;)

The next day Nate was trying to find me on Facebook and couldn't so he texted me. I was so excited and for the rest of the day we texted and then instant messaged. It went rather quickly we told each other a lot about ourselves and then we ended up confessing we liked each other we decided to ditch F.H.E. and go out on our first date. By the end of the night we were boyfriend and girlfriend and the rest is history. Well kind of... The rest is to follow, stay posted.