Happy Birthday Wyatt! and other news

Happy Birthday to my sweet little boy! I'm actually a few days late in posting this, his birthday was on the 20th. Things were pretty hectic this last weekend, and this is the first I have been able to get on the computer. Also, this is going to be a LONG post, and probably too many pictures. But keep in mind, this is our family journal, and was never previously journaled. So...sorry.

Why are nostrils so fascinating?

Wyatt turned 2! I can't believe how fast the last 2 years have flown by. I still think of him as a baby, but he is turning into such a BOY. He is talking, running around, getting into everything, climbing, singing, dancing, playing...it just kills me to think how fast he is growing up. I remember so vividly my pregnancy with him and his birth, so let me tell you all about Wyatt...

I had a very easy pregnancy, other than some nasty morning sickness first trimester. Things took a turn for the worse during my last month. I stopped gaining weight, and my uterus started shrinking, so after a bunch of tests, we realized it was because there was a blood clot in the umbilical cord, and that Wyatt hadn't been growing for a while. I was quickly induced, which ended up becoming the most terrifying day of my life. Things started out okay, but after several hours of labor, Wyatt started to show signs of distress. This is when the medical staff stopped talking to me, and just started yelling. They tried different monitoring, oxygen, changing positions, stopping labor, various medications, and Wyatt kept getting worse. And then the doctor told me the most frightening words I have ever heard, "your baby isn't going to make it..." if they didnt do an immediate c-section. So we literally ran (well, I held on tight to the hospital bed as everyone else ran) to the OR, and Wyatt was delivered a few minutes later. The doctor and anesthesiologist were yelling at me the whole time to hold still and stop crying (the drugs they had given me to stop labor were making me shake and I was having a full on panic attack. I am not exagerrating. Jake will quickly verify). But once I finally got to see Wyatt, ALIVE, I was finally able to start to calm down. He was a healthy, hungry, skinny baby. He was born at 5:15 pm on June 20, 2007 at 19 inches, and 6 pounds, 2 ounces. He had a hard time maintaining his temperature, so I didn't get to hold him for several hours. The longest hours of my life! But the moment they brought him, well, I will never forget that as long as I live. I finally got to hold my sweet baby boy. His big eyes locked on mine and we just stared at each other. I felt like he knew exactly who I was. I have never felt so much gratitude and love and awe. I couldn't believe I actually had my baby. He felt like a tiny angel, sent to me straight from our Heavenly Father. I started calling him "angel" and that's what I have called him ever since (it's not because he acts like an angel, I'll tell you that!). My little angel from heaven.

I finally got to hold my precious angel!

It turned out Wyatt's growth problems in the womb were caused by a deteriorating placenta, which caused the umbilical blood clot, and extremely low amniotic fluid, all of which meant he wasn't getting any nourishment for the last few weeks of gestation. He was so skinny when he was born! Jake says he was embarassed when Wyatt was lined up in the nursery with all the other plump, healthy babies. :) He was a great eater right off the bat, loved to nurse, and also slept well. Within just a few weeks I was getting several hours of sleep at a time. Wyatt was a very quiet, calm, observant baby, and LOVED to cuddle and be held. I was so worried that he would stop wanting to cuddle, but he still loves it! And I love it! That is my favorite thing about him. He is so snuggly. He loves to give hugs and kisses, snuggle up and read, and just be held. I just eat it up! I know some people think I coddle him, and maybe I do. But I know there will come a time when he won't want to snuggle and let me hold him, so I am just enjoying it while I can!

Diaper problem solved!

I was so worried his personality would change as he got older, but it really hasn't. He is pretty easy going (for a toddler), still a good eater (although you wouldnt think so from looking at the skinny thing!), a little apprehensive of new people and new situations, and in general very happy and content. He is sensitive and really worries when he thinks I am mad at him. He worships his daddy, but he is a mama's boy! He is very attached, and I worry about how he will react when his baby brother shows up here in a few weeks!

He walked around with this Cars wrapping paper for 3 days. This is my favorite Wyatt smile.

Wyatt loves cars! He loves everything remotely related to cars! He talks about cars pretty much all day. And if he wakes up in the middle of the night, he is talking about cars. His favorite movie is, you guessed it, Cars, and we have more Cars-themed toys and books and games than I know what to do with. We are getting over-run. His other loves in life are stickers (we go through thousands. I am not kidding), animals and the beach. We spend all of church peeling stickers off their pages and sticking them on mommy's giant belly. And sometimes my face. Hey, it keeps him quiet. He likes to eat, but is INCREDIBLY slow. Meal times take one hour minimum. He cannot be rushed. He is not a great talker, but is still very active and inquisitive. He loves reading books and playing outside and eating rocks. And sometimes rabbit poo. Rocks and rabbit poo are hard to tell apart. At least until you put them in your mouth.

Wyatt with a stolen soda, enjoying the beach. Life is good!

We had a very fun birthday with Wyatt. I've posted some pictures. He was really happy when we sang to him. It made him grin and light up. He didn't really grasp opening presents. He would kind of rip off enough paper to see what was inside, and then it was on to the next present.

Breakfast birthday present - Cars jammies!

This is not Jake with a tan. Uncle David was helping Wyatt stay focused.

Riding his new Lightning McQueen tricycle.

I feel so lucky and blessed to be Wyatt's mom. My life is forever changed by this sweet little child. I am so overwhelmed by the love I have for him, I just thank Heavenly Father every single day for the blessing of having him in my life. I cannot imagine my life without him. He has opened my eyes to so many things, and made me better person from the inside out. I love you Wyatt!

and other news...

Happy Father's Day Jake! I just want to give a quick shout-out to my AWESOME and AMAZING husband. Jake is such an incredible father, and Wyatt and Micah are so lucky to have him. He loves us so much. He works so hard for our family, and makes a lot of sacrifices for us. I am so blessed to be able to stay home and raise our children, and Jake is the one who makes that possible. Watching him become a father was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. He is so fun and playful and a great example to our boys. He is righteous, humble and always tries to do what's right and follow the Lord. He is generous and giving and kind to everyone. He makes everyone feel good about themselves, and puts others at ease. He is funny and smart and WE LOVE HIM SO MUCH! Happy Fathers Day!



We just found out the Jake is done working in Sacramento! Hooray! He is now working MUCH closer to home, which is great. It will be so nice actually getting to see him every day, especially right after the baby comes! We are moving in a week and a half (4 days before my scheduled c-section!), just a few miles away, and are very anxious to get moved, and settled. I'm kind of freaking out because ALL the baby stuff is still in storage, but everything will work out. One way or the other. :)

And lastly...we are on the countdown to Micah's arrival...16 more days! We can't wait!

Happily Ever Faster

I just wanted to write a quick post and let you all know about a new TLC show that you should tune in to. It's called "Happily Ever Faster," and it is about "The Little Chapel of the Flowers" wedding chapel on the Vegas strip. My cousin Holly and her husband run it, so the show is about the couples who get married there, but also about them. They are a hilarious, fun couple and I can't wait to see the first episode!

Here is a link to an article about them and the show, from the Daily Herald (Utah newspaper):

http://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/article_474dcd7e-f1a7-5843-adf7-868b096afa62.html

Duct Tape Diaper

I'm really frustrated and need some advice from seasoned moms. Or from anyone with more creativity than I have. Wyatt learned how to rip off his diapers a while ago, and has started doing it at night. Removing clothing is one of his hobbies for awhile now, and removing diapers is even more exciting, apparently. During the day, this isn't really a problem. I tell him no, and if he continues doing it he gets a time out. We did this one time, problem solved. Only now, he can't resist taking off his diapers at night. And then he pees everywhere. I mean, EVERYWHERE. We have already had to replace pillows (yes, I know pillows are a safety issue in cribs, but he likes to cuddle with them), and I am getting sick of having to wash his sheets, pillow, blankies, and clothes in the "sanitary" cycle every single morning (what? I'm not lazy, it just takes like 3 hours!)! Plus, its disgusting! Although, I have to say, its pretty cute when I go to get him in the morning and see his little tiny bare butt sticking up in the air (preferred sleep position). However, then the aww-how-cute feeling quickly disappears when I see the pee puddles. Anyway, so the first few times, I gave him a stern talking-to (yes, this actually usually does work with him. And yes, I know I am spoiled.). Didn't help. Time-outs won't work for something that happened hours and hours ago. But then, a-ha! We decided to duct-tape his diaper on! Brilliant! Feeling smug, we put him to bed last night thinking we had won.

No sir-ree. I went in to check on him before I went to bed, and there's Wyatt, exposing himself to the world. He had ripped off the front of his diaper, leaving a duct-tape belt, with a long flap of diaper hanging off his backside, snoozing peacefully in his urine-soaked sheets and blankies. I was so angry! My plans were foiled again! So now I am at a loss. How do I solve this problem?

And if anyone suggests potty-training, I will tell you what I told Jake (who also suggested this): I do not want to potty train a child three weeks before I give birth to another child. I do not have the patience or the mobility to be cleaning up pee and poo from floors or sitting next to the toilet all day. Plus, he would just revert back to diapers once baby brother comes. So if there is anyone offering to come to my home and potty train my child for me, they are more than welcome to make the attempt. Otherwise, not going to happen.

But if any of you have other suggestions, please let me know. Also, I apologize if I have not been using the correct spelling of "duct" tape. I am too lazy to google the spelling, so just go with it.

Mrs. 29

Today is my 29th birthday! Which means that this post is all about the fabulousness of ME! Just kidding. Actually, its about Jake’s band he was in during college. YES, its true! Jake was a hard-core rock star! He was the drummer of BYU’s most popular and cutting-edge band, “No Band.” Why does my birthday make me think of Jake’s band? Because they had this song called “Miss 29.” And I am turning 29 today.

During his BYU days, Jake waited tables to pay his way through school (so why are we still paying off his student loans?!), pay for his truck, pay for his dates, and most importantly (I suspect), meet girls. One day, an attractive woman leaves her number on her bill, and Jake calls her and they go out a few times. Here is the drama – she’s (gasp) 29! Jake was maybe 22/23 at the time. What a cougar, right? They date a little bit, but Jake had some commitment issues at the time, so he dumps her. Her pain was turned into some college boys’ performance art – “Miss 29.”

But back to the main topic - “No Band.” Why the name “No Band?” Because Jake and his roommates liked to party hard into the night, loudly practicing and jamming, and one night the landlord knocks on their door and says “No band!” So the lead singer/songwriter wrote a song about the experience and found the name for his band. After all, every good band has a theme song, like Jem and the Holograms – truly, truly, truly outrageous!

When I met Jake, I quickly became his number one groupie, although Kim Stewart might want to fight me for that title. She was a pretty loyal follower as well. We were both kind of hated by the lead singer because we just wanted to spend time with our boyfriends, and didn’t see the point of nightly rehearsals, and weekend long “gigs” out in the mountains, which were really just camping trips with guitars and amps. But then we really incurred his wrath when, after one year plus of dating, we wanted to move on with our lives and marry our boyfriends, thus breaking up the band. Just call me Yoko.

Although, having three of the four band members get married and move out of state has not actually broken up the band. Jake still gets calls now and then letting him know when and where to show up for the next gig. Like last year, they played at the Panaca Nevada High School Prom (town population 1400 – and I think the whole town turned out for the performance). I’m pretty sure the kids were ticked they didn’t get a DJ.

The thing I liked about “No Band” was that the songs were catchy and easy for me to remember. There weren’t too many words, which is great because I’m not so good with lyrics, but I can still remember almost all the words to all their songs. Take for example, their self titled “No Band.” The lyrics go something like this:

One night me and the guys were playing real loud
And the landlord came in and said with a frown

Noo-oooo Band!
Noo-oooo Band!
Noo-oooo Band!
Noo-oooo Band!
No Band No!

Guitar solo

Repeat chorus

So you have to ask yourself just one question:
Are you BAND?
Or NO BAND?

Drum solo (Jake’s time to shine!)

Repeat chorus

Ok, everybody sing it with me!

Repeat chorus 2x


I don’t actually know the lyrics to the first two lines, but I know I am right about the rest.

I was looking for pictures and I couldn’t find any on this computer, just this (sorry, very long) clip. Don’t feel like you need to watch the whole thing. PS Jake does not do drugs. I know when he plays the drums he looks like he does, but this is his concentrating face. He gets in the zone when he plays the drums. Wyatt does the same face when he is zoned out, and he doesn’t do drugs either.

So now I am Jake’s “Mrs. 29.” 29 used to seem so old to him, and now its his reality. I hope he doesn’t regret giving up his dream of being a rock-star to become a nursing home administrator (equally edgy profession, right?), father of two, and loving husband. His drums have been in storage for over a year, and I hope we can bring them out again soon, so he can remember that he still ROCKS!

Pregnancy ABC's

I want to start by saying that I am incredibly grateful to be pregnant. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t say a prayer of thanks for my pregnancy and the blessing of being a mother. However, there are times, usually at 4 am while I am munching on my eighth round of Tums and can’t fall back asleep, that I mentally come up with lists like the one below. So with tongue firmly in cheek, I write this post. PS Jake is probably going to be very embarrassed by this; he doesn’t like it when I talk about hemorrhoids. Sorry honey!

Pregnancy ABC’s

A- Aches, Acne
B- Barfing, Belching, Bleeding gums, Bladder spasms
C- Constipation, Cravings, Contractions
D- Diarrhea (when not constipated…is there no happy medium?), Depression, Dizziness
E- Ear Stuffiness, Engorged breasts (okay, technically post-pregnancy)
F- Farts, Forgetfulness, Facial hair (Don’t pretend like I’m the only one!)
G- Gas. Gas. Gas.
H- Hemorrhoids, Heartburn, Hormones, Hunger, Hot flashes, How did my mother do this 6 times?
I- Itchy abdomen
J- Jealousy of husband who can sleep soundly through the night without awaking every hour due to any/all of the following: heartburn, achy back/hips/pelvis/shoulder, need to pee, leg cramps, thirst, worry, hunger, no good reason
K- Klutziness (I know that’s not how you spell it, but I had to get a little creative with some letters)
L- LOVE! Indescribable, humbling, overwhelming love (isn’t this why we put up with the rest?)
M- Morning sickness, Moodiness
N- Nothing fits!
O- Occasional loss of bladder control
P- Pelvic girdle pain (ouch!)
Q- umm, I can’t really think of a “q”
R- Rude comments from others
S- Stretchmarks, Swelling of everything!, Sleeplessness
T- Tums, Tired all the time
U- Urination – every 30 minutes, Ugly/Unflattering maternity jeans
V- Varicose Veins (double word score!)
W- Waddling, Weight gain, Walrus-like proportions, Wider: hips, feet, nose (WHY?), butt, belly, chest, arms…
X- The only real words I know that start with “x” are xenophobe, and xylophone, and neither of those work, so I am going with “X-cellent sense of smell”
Z- ZZZ’s-I miss getting mine!

Now I’ve learned my ABC’s, next time won’t they leave me be!

I found this little gem while cleaning out my pictures on the computer. This was taken about 2 weeks before I had Wyatt. I'm the one on the left. This dress really isn't as flattering as I thought.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Update for those I'm not in regular contact with:

About a year ago (July 2008), Jake decided it was time to make a career change. He moved from our home in Heber, Utah to Norco, California (Riverside county, for those not familiar with Horsetown USA - I'm not trying to be funny, this is the town's official nickname). I stayed behind, got the house sold and packed up, and followed him two months later. My sister Susie and her husband Christian generously offered to let us stay with them while Jake trained and awaited his permanent placement. We said "we'll be here four to six months, max. Things will move quickly." Expecting to be gone by the end of the year, Jake hurriedly completed his training hours, studied his butt off for his federal and state licensing exams, passed both, got licensed...and then - NOTHING. I got pregant last fall, thinking for sure we would be moved and settled into our new home before I was out of the pukey first trimester. Nope. I deliver this kid in five weeks, and here we are still.

To further complicate matters, Jake was assigned back in March to "help out" at a building in a small town near Sacramento (450 miles away, for those not familiar with California's geography). We weren't thrilled about the location (thinking it might end in a permanent placement), but we were eager to get settled somewhere, anywhere. Jake started flying up on Monday mornings, and returning home Friday nights. Weeks quickly turned into months. We are coming up on three months now of this fun "commute." I kept hoping one day Jake would call and say "its official, let's get you guys moved up here." But the call never came. Keep in mind we are still living with my poor sister and her family.

About a week ago, we finally received some news. Yes! Except it wasn't really that great. Jake will continue to commute to Sacramento for another few weeks, and then be down here for the birth of the baby. At least I know where I will be delivering the baby. I was starting to think I was going to deliver him in a stable. Having completely overstayed our welcome here at the Demke's, we are currently looking for a place to live, month-to-month, until Jake receives a permanent placement. My patience is so long gone. While I am extremely grateful that Jake has a job, I am so frustrated!! I have zero control over the placement situation, which is really hard for me to accept because I like to have control over everything (not like world domination control, just control over everything in my own life). I know there are lessons the Lord wants me to learn from all of this (probably humility and patience), and I know I am not doing a very good job learning those things. I just want it all to be over.

In other Beaman news - I'm having a baby in 5 weeks! Hooray! Despite everything else going on, we are so excited to welcome our second son, Micah, to the world on July 8 (7/8/09 - yes, I did plan that). I am hoping he will be another easy, mellow, content little guy, but I don't expect to be that lucky. This pregnancy has been harder than my last in a lot of ways, (not helped by the previously explained situation), but it has gone by so fast! Too fast, seeing as how we are still homeless! With Wyatt, we assumed everything was as healthy as could be, and then everything fell apart right at the end. With Micah, we've been assuming things can go wrong at any moment, but so far everything is perfect. I have to go to two or three appointments each week, but it brings me so much peace of mind. I'm a little worried about going from one child to two, but this time around, I know how precious and fun (in a weird, sleep-sapping, energy-draining way) new babies are. I am so excited!

Sitting, waiting, wishing. Jack's been there, he knows how I feel. I'm trying to go with the flow, enjoy the ride, but its hard to not be able to plan for the future. At the same time, I do recognize how blessed I am, and I am grateful for those blessings. I have faith the Lord has a plan for us, I just wish I knew what it was. I'll keep you posted if things change. In the mean time, any words of advice?

Welcome

Okay, I finally gave in.

One of my most recent New Year's resolutions was to set up a blog. That was six months ago. I wanted to record the story of our lives (since I stink at regular journaling), and have a way to keep friends and family posted. So in true Erin fashion, here I am finally getting it set up. Better late than never.

I have a few issues to get past in order for this to work. First and foremost, I am lazy and a procrastinator. Anyone who knows me (well) will vouch for this. Blogs only hold others' interest as long as there are regular, entertaining posts. I'm not so good at regular or entertaining (see next paragraph). I suppose my advice to anyone intending to follow this blog is this: don't check here too often, I can't promise there will be anything new to read.

As for entertaining, well, that's my second issue with having a blog - I'm not. My friends and family who have blogs are excellent writers, their posts so easily bring me to tears and laughter. I feel self conscious about putting myself and my self expression out there for the users of the world wide web to judge.

So why a blog? Because I have an amazing, blessed life, and it is racing by so fast that it makes me ache with sadness and longing that time would just slow down already so I can enjoy each moment! Being pregnant with my second child brings flashbacks of my first pregnancy with Wyatt, and I find that I remember so little of all the highs and lows of the two years in between. And that breaks my heart.

The journal of Us. I want to capture all of it. I know that's not possible, but I will try to create our record of the time we have together as a young family - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Thanks for coming along!