What a YEAR! (and a few months)

I'm going to briefly try and explain everything that has happened over this past year! I did some quick calculations and over the past year (and a few months) this is what we've done:

225+ (I lost count) Dr & Therapy Appointments
Colton had at least 2 therapy appointments each week (feeding therapy and occupational therapy)

Bennett had a physical therapy appointment once a week for 6 months. He had a "Torticollis" (I'll let you google that) from a combination of his position in the womb and from having reflux. Thankfully we had a great pediatrician who got us on the right meds and the right formula for his reflux as well as a milk protein allergy. BUT it required A LOT of Dr. appointments and tests! Also because of the reflux he had 5 sets of ear infections by the time he was 6 months old. (Again lots of dr's appts and meds!)

Becky - As for me... because of Bennett's strong little body while I was pregnant with him, he pretty much was draining me of all my iron. (By the time he was born my hemoglobin was at 7.2 - normal is over 12) Oh and that was while I was taking 3 iron pills a day! (yeah my tummy wasn't happy!) So right after he was born they gave me a shot (no idea what it's called) to stop the bleeding. It worked - the bleeding stopped and my hemoglobin levels didn't drop further and I didn't need a blood transfusion but it also caused my blood pressure to rise. So, long story short, for the next 5 months I was seeing a Hematologist (for my anemia) and my regular family dr (for the high blood pressure). These appointments were almost weekly and they both ran lots of tests to determine... drum roll please... I'm anemic! Ha Ha Thankfully that was all, but I tried to tell them that from the beginning!

We also had a bad case of the stomach flu pass between us all right before Christmas. I tried my best, but on Christmas Eve, right after I finished putting out the presents I succumbed and started throwing up! We actually had to stay home from all of the family activities - it was so sad :(.

We also had 3 Surgeries! (not including the C-Section for Bennett)
Last summer, Colton stepped on a piece of glass and we thought we got it all, but a few weeks later we noticed he was still limping and sure enough after an x-ray they discovered a small piece... so the next day we went in for an outpatient surgery to get it out! About 6 months later, Colton also had his tonsils and adenoids taken out. AND if that's not enough... on the same day, Bennett got tubes in his ears! The same ENT did both the boys' surgeries! She was great and we're so happy we did it! Bennett has had only one ear infection since and it cleared up within 2 days!

Finally, due to our "unemployment situation" I let my part-time-fun-job become my full-time(still fun but not as much)-job. I logged 350 basketball games (NBA, College, & International). I would "go to work" (lock myself in our bedroom and sit at the computer) around 3pm and usually come out around 11pm.

Are you wondering what Seth was doing all this year... Well, he spent every day applying for jobs and contacting different people/recruiters/colleagues! And as you have all heard by now... HE GOT A JOB! Yep, we're moving to Silver City NM this Saturday! (I should be packing, but I realized if I don't write this before we move, I'll never do it!)

So... if you're wondering why my blog has not been updated... or why you haven't seen me even though we're in the same neighborhood (or ward for that matter :))... now you know! Ha Ha

I better end this now - it's past midnight and believe it or not, Colton has his last occupational therapy appointment in the morning and Bennett has an appointment with the Pediatric GI in the afternoon! No rest for the weary... :)

Bennett Joshua Traeger

Bennett Joshua Traeger

Born May 19, 2010 at 9:31am
9lbs 10oz
21 3/4 in long

Mommy & Bennett are doing great!

One More Day...

Ok, with only one more day until Bennett is born, I figured I better update our happenings over the last few months... (otherwise once he's born, I'm sure it'll get lost in the shuffle) So, here's what we've been up to in pictures.

Back in March we went to Disneyland. Thanks to Seth's parents we were able to make a quick 2 day trip to Disneyland with Colton. We had SO MUCH FUN!! (My sister, Emily, attributes it to having 3 adults to 1 child) Colton LOVED everything about Disneyland and still wants to go back. For a "Sensory-Seeker" like Colton, his favorite was, of course, the Teacups! You've got to watch the video of him (especially watch his tongue).

Colton, Seth and my dad rode the Teacups a total of 6 times! He would've gone for more but Seth and dad were getting sick! I did ride it the last time though and no barfing :)

Since Christmas, Colton has been wanting to go camping. In fact, all he wanted for Christmas was a camping tent! On Friday, he got to go on his first Father's and Sons camp out. He was so excited and had so much FUN! He got to go hiking and swimming and cook his hotdog over the fire - Oh and of course sleep in a tent with a sleeping bag! He's all boy for sure!









So while Seth, Colton, Marc, Parker and Austin were at Father's and Sons, the "Girls" had a nice relaxing dinner at Cheesecake Factory - Ok, Ok, with 3 little girls it wasn't that relaxing but we did have fun!



On Saturday, the boys got home early and turned around and we all drove to the Gila Valley Temple open house. I was so excited for Colton to get to see inside of a Temple! It was pretty crowded but I think he liked it.

And one more picture for posterity (since I didn't take one right before I had Colton) And if you can believe it I was even bigger with Colton!

Not sure what's up with my face!

UPDATE!

We borrowed Seth's parents camera last night and shot some video of Colton so we could finally update our blog!

I was serious when I said I can't blog without pictures/videos.

January/February has been great and Colton has hit so many milestones.

First, he moved up to the Sunbeam class at church and really had no issues making the transition.

Second, he "graduated" from speech therapy! It was 2 years ago in January that this whole process began and we can't believe how far he's come! The best is hearing him say the word "graduated"...

Third, he got to give the scripture during Primary Sharing Time. We had been working on memorizing the 1st Article of Faith so that was the scripture he did - all by himself! (He started getting nervous about it right before Church though, so I had to promise him some chocolate chips as a reward). He did it though without any help and was so cute! I'm pretty sure that even six months ago I didn't think this would be possible.

Colton reciting the First Article of Faith

Colton singing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"

I've promised myself that when I'm having a hard day with Colton I'll watch these videos to remind myself just how great he is!

We are still looking for permanent employment but know that it will all happen according to Heavenly Father's timetable and not our own... although there are times when we wish He didn't "trust" us so much!

Our little baby boy is getting bigger... if you've seen me lately you know what I mean. I'll have to borrow the camera again and take a picture. Almost on a daily basis Colton walks up to me and says right to my belly: "Baby Bennett, can you hear me in there?" It still cracks me up! Oh and yeah, we're pretty sure he's going to be named Bennett! Still not sure on a middle name but we've got time.

It's a...

BOY!

Six Years Ago Today...

Pardon the Post Drought...

Ok, so a month ago our camera died... and apparently I can't post without pics - ha ha

So, in the meantime, please enjoy this HILARIOUS skit by Conan O'Brien entitled "A Song for the Mormons" - it just cracks me up!

In Loving Memory

Gram holding Colton at 6 weeks

My dear, sweet, Great-Grandma Wike passed away yesterday at the age of 96. She lived such a wonderful and full life. I love her so much! I'm so grateful that Colton got a chance to get to know her too. How many kids can say they knew their Great-Great Grandma?

On Sunday we went to her house and said goodbye. While I knew her passing was for the best and definitely her time, I wasn't prepared at how emotional it was to say that last goodbye. This did give us a wonderful opportunity to teach Colton a little about our purpose here on this Earth and what happens when we die. I am so grateful for the plan of salvation and for my knowledge of it. I can't imagine going through all the ups and downs of this life without an understanding of why.

Some of my favorite memories of Grandma Wike are going to her house once a week all through my childhood and eating lunch with her. (And with my Great-Great Grandma Francom - she didn't pass until I was 5). She always lived in the same house and some of my earliest memories are actually driving in the car on the way to her house. She made the BEST Fried Chicken! Also, she was a Grandma in every sense of the word... you could almost get away with murder while at her house!

We Love You Grandma Wike!

4 Generations

Halloween 2009

This year was so much fun with Colton! He's the perfect age to enjoy Halloween, without being too scared. Of course this year he went as Thomas so we dressed up Seth as "Sir Topham Hat"... however a few people thought he was Abraham Lincoln - Ha Ha

Seth is such a good sport... always letting me dress him up!
Hanging out at the Trunk or Treat


My entry for the pumpkin carving contest (not the best pic)

My 4th Annual "Colton Pumpkin"... I wasn't very happy with how it turned out. My sister, Emily and another guy from our ward thought it was Barack O'Bama! Ha Ha

Excuse the poor lighting... but hearing Colton's voice is so cute!

The Joys of the Unknown

“A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it. Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that ‘leap of faith,’ as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and step into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two.” -- President Boyd K. Packer

I love this quote and have been thinking about it a lot lately, not in relation to a testimony but in relation to having faith in the Lord and His timing. We feel kind of like we're in limbo right now... our way forward is only lighted in terms of months right now and while that is not how I prefer things (I like to plan ahead) I know that I have no control over it. Heavenly Father does and I know that he is aware of us and our needs. Seth received a blessing from my dad a few weeks ago. In that blessing he was told that Heavenly Father was aware of him and his family and that it takes time to "get all the right things into place" for a job for Seth.

While work for Seth might be up in the air and our finances are down to the bare minimum there is one thing we know for certain... come May 2010 we'll be welcoming another child into our home! Yes, I/we were shocked... after all this time and we got pregnant on our own??? Of course we are thrilled and then the all-day sickness started setting in - still happy just wish I could be more excited through the throwing up! I know it's taboo to tell people during the first trimester but it's hard to hide it when it feels like you suddenly dropped off the face of the world.

Hopefully this post will also get me back into blogging again - at least on the good days :)

He Did What?!

It's taken me 3 days to be able to post this... 2 days to think it was funny and 1 day to procrastinate.

Sunday was Stake Conference in our new stake. Our ward was assigned the 9am session so Seth left an hour early to get us seats in the chapel (we hoped). Colton does so much better when we're sitting in pews; he's more contained. Unfortunately there were no more seats (even at 8:00) so we were sitting in the first overflow area - 2 rows behind the big aisle.

About 30 min or so into the conference Colton slipped between the chairs in front of us and stood in the aisle way of the chapel. I got up to get him and instead of just going out the side door he ran all the way across the back part of the chapel. At that point he could see me coming so he took off down the side aisle, headed straight for the stand. Of course I'm still in the back (feeling mortified) and I realized that if he saw me coming he would probably keep going - So I hid behind the entrance-way and peeked around the corner just in time to see him running across the front aisle (in front of the speaker). He turned the corner to come back up the aisle (towards where we were sitting) and about half-way up I came out from my hiding place to snatch him up. He took one look at me and raced back towards the stand and to my SHOCK and HORROR ran up onto the stage/stand. There was a youth choir sitting up there and he managed to get a few rows into the choir loft. He found a pretty young girl and then sat on her lap!

I had no choice but to walk up onto the stand and get him down. As I was walking up all I could think was "Don't trip!" My face was about as red as it could get. Oh and the speaker (during this whole time) was speaking about teaching our families in our homes i.e. family home evening, family scripture time etc... I had to sit on the stand, next to the speakers, in order to get close enough to him and the young woman had to carry him over a few rows to hand him to me.

Needless to say we walked straight out the side door and if I had had my keys with me we probably would have kept walking all the way to the car. I was so mad I couldn't speak and I'm sure Colton could sense it so he just looked up at me and said, "Sorry mommy." I'm sure that nothing I said sank in and if given the chance he'd do it again.

All I could think was Queen Creek North Stake, meet Colton Traeger! You'll get to know him pretty well while we're living here and yes things like this seem to happen a lot when Colton is around.

Well, the rest of conference was pretty smooth. The Stake President got up to give the final talk and much to my dismay spoke about "the little boy and his mother who had to get him down from the stage..." I can't remember much after that - I was hoping that no one knew who we were or where we were sitting. He did mention though that he was the same way as a child except for that his clothes probably had grass stains on it from wrestling in the grass after church. He thanked all the parents for bringing their children :)

In case you're wondering Colton was not harmed after church, but only because another speaker asked us to "leave conference better than we came!"

First Day of School!

I can't believe I'm typing this... We just sent Colton off for his first day of school (pre-school) and on a BUS no less! AAGHH! He's only 3! As soon as the bus pulled away I started bawling! Good thing Seth was here to comfort me!

One thing that helped, though, was that Colton was VERY excited to ride the bus. When the bus pulled up he RAN to it (while we're yelling to not run into the street!) And, of course, here are a gazillion pictures of it all!He walked right outside and sat down on the sidewalk to wait for the busAt one point, he got tired of waiting so he just started walking down the sidewalk!

Now I can't wait for him to come home and tell me all about his fun day!

We're Alive!

Barely!

Ha Ha - Actually we're doing just fine everyone is happy and healthy... July was a crazy month and it has spilled over into August. We had 4 family birthday's to celebrate, (Yeah, October is a good month to get pregnant in for our family) 2 Road Trips and LOTS of MOVING details to get straight. We're officially moving out on Wednesday (8/12) - we're moving in with my mom. (Yes, it's a good thing :))

Here's some pictures of our recent adventures:

4th of July

For the 4th we took a day trip to Willow Springs and enjoyed some fishing with my sister's family and my dad.

Colton really enjoyed fishing and just being outdoors - he's all boy!

The men relaxing! (While the women kept the kids out of the water!)

When it started to rain we decided to head home and on our way back we stopped at a lookout point and Christopher Creek

Colton - about to throw a rock at me!

Maddie's Birthday
We celebrated Maddie's 6th Birthday at my dad's.

Take a deep breath!

Watching Lane

My sister-in-law Anna is a real-life nurse now so we got to watch Lane a few days a week. Colton is so cute with Lane - it gives me hope that he'll be nice to a brother or a sister (no, not yet)

Colton's Birthday

Colton, actullay made it to his 3rd birthday without one trip to the ER! I really didn't think that was going to be possible, but he did it! Since December, he's been fascinated with trains. So I found some wood track (that worked with what he had already) on Craig's List and refinished them so that they all looked the same (and you can tell his apart).

The night before I set it up and put a blanket over it so it would be a surprise.
Believe it or not, this isn't even all of the track - I was able to get all of these pieces for less than 20 bucks! (I love a good deal!)

We celebrated his Birthday at my sister's house so all the kids could use their BIG water slide. They had a lot of fun and Colton LOVED all of his presents!My Birthday

I spent a few days at my mom's to get things ready for our move-in and Seth and Colton were going to meet me there on my birthday. To my surprise, though when I arrived at my mom's I found a cleaning crew there! My sister-in-law, Stacy, paid to have the house cleaned so that I wouldn't have to do anything but relax for the 2 days I was there all by myself! My mom felt bad for leaving me on my birthday. I told her, "I am a 32 year mother with a husband and 3 year old son. What does anyone in that position want for their birthday? PEACE and QUIET!" It was the best!While they were alone, Seth took Colton on the light rail in downtown Phoenix! He LOVED IT!

Saying Goodbyes

With our move to Queen Creek, we won't be going to the same Speech and Occupational Therapists, so this was his last week with Miss Brandy and Miss Pam. They were so wonderful for Colton and for Seth and I. Colton's been with Brandy for over a year now - before he could even talk! He's made so much progress with their help!

Miss Brandy (Colton looks so panged in this picture because he wanted me to leave - even he needs some "alone time")

Miss Pam

Finally, we said goodbye to the Sunburst ward today. Specifically to Colton's nursery leader, Sister Seamans. She's been so good to Colton and we look forward to meeting up with her at the Mesa Temple so she and Colton can hang out!