recovering?

Well it has been two weeks since little Charlie was born (yanked from my womb is more like it) and he is so precious. He is a quiet little guy and he only cries when he is naked, ie bath time, lotion time, or diaper changes. I guess he likes to be clothed. I don't really blame him.

Here is what Eden has been up to lately. She loves her dress up shoes, thank you Auntie Sha Sha! She is adjusting as well as can be expected I guess. She loves Charlie, but she really doesn't like me very much. I hadn't expected that. I thought she would take her aggression out on the new sibling, but alas, she takes it out on Mommy instead. She loves her Daddy even more than she did before, which is really saying something.

We are still in Vegas for the time being. Danny has done a few interviews here and a few in Irvine. So there is a possibility of a move to good ole Californ-i-a. But no official news on that front yet.

We will be in Cal for Christmas and then on to Utah for a wedding and then possibly to Jackson Hole for a few days. We are still talking about when to bless Charlie, but hopefully in January.

I am doing better, certainly better than I was last week. This whole c-section thing is sooooo different than a normal birth. First of all the actual birth experience was pretty crazy. It was almost surreal to just show up at the hospital and say hi I'm here to have a baby. Then to get all prepped for surgery, go into the operating room (walking by the way) and have them get started right away. I got a spinal block, which is just like the epidural but doesn't stay in your back the way an epidural does to keep giving medicine. Apparently what they inject initially is enough. It works instantly and my legs were tingly right off. I couldn't feel any pain once they started the cutting, but I could feel pressure. Like when they pulled the skin back and when they literally yanked Charlie right out of there. So then I can hear my little guy crying and Danny can actually see him, but I can't. About five minutes later they finally bring Charlie over for me to see. Then they whisked him away to the nursery with Danny in tow for cleaning, weighing, measuring etc. The stitching process took much longer than the actual opening process, but finally they wheeled me into the post op recovery room. Mind you my legs are completely numb and totally unusable. So I am laying there and Charlie finally comes back and I finally get to hold him. Like 30 minutes after he was born. Kind of anti climatic. And the recovery has been different too. Lots more pain than when I had Eden. Kind of like sharp searing shooting pain whenever I moved quickly. That has luckily subsided and I feel much more normal now.

Sorry this was so long, but a few people wanted to know what a c-section was like. I could go on much longer for anyone who wants even more detail.

Merry Christmas!!

This is Charlie

Charles Arlen Woffinden "Charlie"

7lbs 10oz 18 inches

born 11/23/07 at 9:28 am

Happy, Healthy, and sooo cute!

TGIF!!

So after much scheduling rigamaroll, we have a c-section date. Friday! This Friday! As in only three days!! I am so happy I could wet myself, and I might but only because I have a large little baby boy sitting on my bladder. Anyway. We are checking into the hospital at 7am and the section is at 9am. So I don't have to fast all day! Good news for sure. And I can eat myself silly all Thanksgiving day and then have a mini tummy tuck the next day. Just kidding sort of. Maybe the doc will do a little nipping and tucking. Couldn't hurt!
Our child is still unnamed. I guess we will have to look at his little face first.
I need to get some pics of the expansive belly up here, but no one is available to take pics except Eden and I have a feeling that wouldn't work out too well. When I can get an able adult to handle the camera, I will post some pics.
And of course we will get pics of little guy up as soon as we can!! Love to all my blogging friends!

External Cephalic Version

Well we had the version yesterday. It was...intense to say the least. I am still sore. The doctor pushed and prodded my belly for about 20 minutes. And our little boy refused to turn. In fact the doctor was holding the boy's head in place while he checked the heart rate and little guy went right under the doctors hand back up towards his old favorite place. So we gathered this little guy is not about to budge. Breech till the bitter end. Hooray. That leaves two options: a scheduled c-section or a breech delivery. With a breech delivery we would just wait to see what came out first, foot or bum. Bum being preferable. If a foot came out first then I would probably end up with a c-section anyway. And there is always a chance with breech delivery that the baby's head can get stuck. I think I will opt for the c-section. We have an appt tomorrow and we will decide when to schedule the section. It will probably be either the weekend of Thanksgiving (fri or sat) or Tuesday the 27th. I will post as soon as I know.
Any c-section mommies out there who can shed some light on the whole thing?? Liked it, didn't, how sore after, etc. I am just curious.

What's Going On??

Sorry it has been such a long time! We have been busy getting settled in etc. But things are going pretty well! Danny has an interview tomorrow with Station Casinos and another interview with a different company next week. So hopefully we will get to stay in Vegas permanently!

So here is our little Minnie Mouse on Halloween. She loved trick or treating. We only did about 8 or so houses, but she was thrilled. She would run in between houses saying Trick or Treat and then once she got to the door, she would get shy and just look at people. She did tell a few people, "I minnie" but mostly she just looked at them. She managed a thank you here and there too.
Don't you love the headless farmer dude? We are such good decorators at the Clayton house. Eden helped carve pumpkins and she loved to go see the decorations every night.

Helping wash the car. Doesn't she look cute sopping wet and fully dressed?? She is getting to be such a big girl and wants to help with whatever is going on. She helped me make green playdough today and loves to help cook dinner.

Okay here is a 36 weeks pic. I am really getting big! And let me tell you, I am feeling it! Little boy, still unnamed, is still breech. We are going to have an external version next week. That is where I go into the hospital, they give me a bunch of tributaline which makes my belly all soft, and then the doctor tries to turn the baby with his hands on my belly. Let's hope it works. If the little guy doesn't stay head down or the version just doesn't work, then I will probably end up having a c-section. I will keep you all updated.

So that is what is going on here with us. The days are creeping by. I swear every day is like a week. I guess that is what goes along with being close to the end of pregnancy and your hubby being out of work. But at least we are getting lots of good quality Eden time. And that is super fabulous!!

"Change will come, as surely as the seasons."

And those changes can really throw you! For those who haven't heard yet, and that is probably a lot of you, we are leaving Kansas. Danny's job here just wasn't working out, so we are outta here. We are heading to Vegas! I am going to be there on Monday! Just barely before the if you are pregnant "do not travel unless it is an emergency" stipulation begins. Our little guy will be born in Vegas, how cool is that!?

With Danny not working, we have taken advantage of a little family time. Feeding goats, as it turns out, is great fun and a really good way to bond with Eden. She really liked the goats. And it was a good thing Danny was there since the goats just jump all over anyone who had food. I, for one, do not want goats jumping on me. I was safe behind the camera.
You can't really see them, but this guy had huge horns, like Texas longhorn style. And of course the belly is showing. I think I was about 32 1/2 weeks in this photo.
And here is Eden, modeling one of her new Fall looks. She loves to wear boots, she also has pink ugg like ones, and the vest was also an exciting feature. She is such a big girl. Doesn't she just look like she will be a fantastic big sister?? Here's hoping.

Tagged

Sorry it took me so long Linds, but I am finally doing the Husband tag.

1. Where did you meet your husband? We met a very long time ago at church. I think I was about 9. But we had a class together at BYU which is when we starting dating etc.

2.What was the first thing you said to your husband? Um probably hello. I was 9! I'm sure I was really shy. And I do remember being very flirtatious that first day in class. And it worked cause he asked me out.

3. Where was your first date? Our first date was TGIFridays in Provo. A bunch of people from that old old California ward were there. And Danny's younger sister Avery. So it was a major test for me to see if I got along with everyone. Obviously I passed the test!! Actually we ended up staying up all night talking. And then we spent every day together. We knew we wanted to get married pretty much right away, but we wanted to give everyone else (ie our mothers) more time to get used to the idea.

4. Where was your first kiss? In Danny's roommates room. We were watching "The Natural" I don't think we got more than halfway into the movie!

5. Did you have a long or short courtship/engagement? Well we started dating the end of September 2002 and got engaged Jan 1st 2003 and were married May 9th 2003. So pretty short I guess.

6. Where did you get engaged? We got engaged at a park overlooking the ocean in San Clemente, CA. It was sunset and so gorgeous looking out at the sea.

7. Where were you married? We got married in the San Diego temple. I had always wanted to get married there. And all of Danny's siblings were married there too.

8. How did your reception go? I thought it went great. It was at the Tierjas Creek Golf Course right by my old house. It was perfect weather and all our flowers were gorgeous. I hear the food was really yummy, but we never got a chance to eat it.

9. How was your honeymoon? Blissful. We went to Maui and stayed at the Ritz Carlton. Very chic chic. And the best sushi I have ever had!

turn around already!!

Ok so little boy Woffinden is breach. And last week on an ultrasound not only was his head up in my ribcage, his feet were too. Apparently he wants to come into the world bottom first. When I was at this point with Eden (31w2d) she had her head down all ready to go like a good little girl. Maybe my little boy is confused. Whatever he is, I am super uncomfortable. I cannot sit up straight for more than a few minutes. I find myself reclining whenever possible; and that includes while driving the car. Is there anyone out there who has had a breach baby this late? What can I do to get him to turn around?? I am going a little crazy!

In other news, Eden is going to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween and Jack is going to be a bumble bee. Whoever thought up doggie costumes is genius. He looks so cute with his little costume on. Eden is very excited to wear her costume but I don't think she really remembers what Halloween is all about.

I learned how to make sushi on Monday at a cooking class I got for my b-day from Danny. So there will be sushi night coming soon.

Viva Las Vegas: Part Two-Bellagio

My friend Katie Monson posted some pics of the new gardens at Bellagio on her blog and when I saw them I knew we had to make a trip over there! My camera does not do the place justice. It was gorgeous!


















Pumpkins!!















These are apples spilling out of a barrell. And the tree to the left is actually a fountain. The water went up the trunk and then came trickling down the leaves. Ahh-mazing.


























We walked into the garden on this little footbridge that had water spouts going over it.













































Watching the fountains. Eden told us a minute later that she was all done. I guess they were a bit much. We were standing right next to the speaker, so it was pretty loud.

Our little group!

Viva Las Vegas: Part One

Our trip to Vegas was so much fun. We spent most of our time eating because a) I am pregnant and that is all preggie girls do and b) I have missed so many different food items while living in Kansas I had to get my fixes while in Vegas. So I had In-n-Out, Cafe Rio, lots of various mexican dishes, Tacos al Pastor, and we went to this divine new pizza joint Settebello. SO yummy. (now i am craving a margherita pizza from settebello.)

Pretty much every day we were there Eden went swimming with Poppa (as she now calls him). My cute Dad came home early from work, which means he went in to work in the wee hours of the morning, and heated up the spa for Eden. She was in heaven. My little girl is such a fish.




Just after nap time, major bedhead, with Auntie Abby. These two are such buddies.




Eden and Benson reunited! Can they be more boy/girl? I loved his baggy jeans and her skinny ones. They were really happy to see each other too.



Cami, Johnny and Marsha were nice enough to come all the way from Utah to spend a weekend with us. It was way too short, but we loved seeing them. Now we just have to wait for Thanksgiving. Hurry up and get here.



Preggo mommies and our firstborns. Why do I look so pale? Because I live in the Midwest.

Leaving on a jet plane

but I do know when I'll be back again. Eden and I are so excited for this little trip. We are off to the airport in just a couple of hours! I'll try to put up some fun pics while we are there. Now lets hope the plane ride isn't too horrific! I have snacks, a portable dvd player, crayons, and drinks. And Eden has her own seat. Such a big girl!
Can't wait to see everyone in Vegas!!!!

I am a lone reed

Or at least I am lonely. Danny is on another business trip in New Jersey/New York. This one was unexpected. So I am very bored and I am eating toddler food. Peanut butter on anything, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and quesadilla's to name a few. I need some advice from other frequent "single" parents!
If you are bored too, give me a call. I have no one to talk to except Eden!! And our conversations are rather dull.

PS:Today is 28 weeks! Hooray!

26 weeks

So I have one more week till I am in the 3rd trimester. Here is a belly shot of 26 weeks. And if I get my induction date, I have about 3 months to go. That is really not that long!







And here is a good one of my little nature lover. This tree is in our "backyard". Gotta love what the humidity does to her curls!




Eden and I will be in Vegas Sept 16-26. We would love to see anyone and everyone who is available!

Kansas Life

A lot of people have been wondering what it is like to live in Kansas. HUMID. And far far away from anyone we know and love. But other than those two things, it has been pretty great. This is the townhouse we are renting. Very typical Kansas architecture with the pitched roof and monochromatic paint. It is hard to tell in the photo, but the place has wood siding, also very typical.

We do lots of the same stuff for entertainment that everyone else does. Eden loves these water fountains. Of course this was in the early evening and the weather had started to cool off.

She got blasted in the face a couple times. Priceless reaction. Once her shirt was soaked she wanted to take it off and then she wanted to pull her pants off too. She got about this far and then Daddy scooped her up to avoid public nudity.

Since it is usually too hot to play outside midday, we had to come up with some new ideas. Today we tried finger painting for the first time. A big success. And a huge mess. I had to throw her in the bath before nap time.

Sorry there aren't any pics of me and my burgeoning belly. I am always the one taking the pics. I will try to get some more up soon.

belly shots

I have had several requests for belly shots. So here you go! This was taken last night so I am about 23 1/2 weeks. Keep in mind that after dinner I always look biggggg!
Notice the Bella Band in full use. Pretty much a daily thing. Oh and my belly button has already started to pop out! Crazy how much faster everything happens the second time around.

YAY!!! We are so excited La. Eden is going to be the best big sister. Me and Jordan are exactly 3 years apart, and we really had fun together! Just don't let Edie dress him up as a girl (He said that was pretty traumatic).

UPDATE!!!!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!! We got a surprise phone call from the OB's office last evening and they told me I had a level two ultrasound scheduled for this morning. So I popped on over and was thrilled to finally get a good look at, well, the goods. We are so excited. Now we will have one of each, what could be better?!

still no news

For those of you who have, like me, been dying to know if we are having a boy or girl this time around.... I STILL DON'T KNOW!!!! After a second ultrasound with no results other than a guess, we are left to continue wondering. My next appt is Sept 5th. So there won't be any news for quite a while. Sorry to keep everyone waiting.

Tagged!

avery tagged me and since i am really bored today and hers was fun to read i thought i would do one.

Jobs I've had:
1) Gap
2) City Pet Club
3) Diamond Audio
4) Pratte Building Systems (you know, I was out there building houses)

Places for weekend getaway:
1) beach
2) cabin
3) vegas
4) independence missouri (sometime soon)

Movies I can watch over and over:
1) Princess Bride
2) Shawshank Redemption
3) apparently I can watch Baby Einstein videos all day without going crazy
4) Center Stage

Guilty Pleasures
1) chocolate chip cookies
2) buying shoes
3) diet coke
4) sleeping in late

Places I've Lived:
1) Irvine, MV, RSM, California
2) Las Vegas
3) Provo
4) Buckeye, Chicago, Overland Park

What I thought when I first saw my significant other:
Well we were little kids so I am not totally sure. But my thoughts when we saw each other at BYU were
1) He is a lot cuter than I remember.
2) He wants to take me on an actual date! No one ever asks me on actual dates.
3) Why is he so nice?
4) Am I allowed to kiss him on a first date? No, ok. How about 2nd date?

Places I've been on vacations
1) Kaui, Maui, Ohau (3 different vacations)
2) New York a couple times
3) Mexico City
4) Brazil! First time was quite memorable to say the least.

Favorite Foods
1) ice cream
2) cookies
3) peanut butter-----can you tell I am pregnant or what?!
4) Cafe Rio (which i miss so much)

IF in a "jam" with spouse, tactics used to get out of the doghouse:
1) apologize
2) tell him i was wrong
3) yummy dinner
4) um hugging kissing etc.

Websites I visit daily
1) hotmail
2) baby center
3) myspace
4) gap or target or nordstrom or such to "window shop"

First kiss locations:
1) various couches
2) in an airport
3) a park
4) in a car

Places I'd rather be
1) with my family!
2) pretty much anywhere in southern cal
3) asleep in my comfy bed
4) shopping

4 people I tag are...
1) Nicole D.
2) Candice S.
3) Lindsay R.
4) Chelsea S.

Eden's 2nd Birthday

We started out the big day with a ward BBQ at a very pretty park. Eden loved feeding the duckies. It wasn't too hot and humid yet either.





Then we had a little party at the house. She didn't eat much of her cupcake, but she did enjoy the frosting. Her favorite present was her coloring table. She sits at it everyday!