At Costco a While Back

Back in May Asher was being the cutest kid on the block in Costco. Then he decided he needed to get on the floor and start scooting backwards.... Crazy kid! What are you doing on the floor!? 

Asher is really turning into a silly, crazy, energetic boy! 

 

Ultrasound: Baby Boy Hines #2

I could hardly wait for the gender reveal ultrasound early April! Best appointment of the entire pregnancy- filled with so much anticipation and excitement! I love it :) Drew and I had both had some pretty strong promptings that this baby was a boy, but we knew there might be a slight chance it could be a girl. Drew said he "just knew" it was going to be a boy. For me it was only a few weeks before this appointment I was out taking Asher for a walk and I was stressing about the gender, I was praying to Heavenly Father to envision the spirit of this baby waiting to join our family and to know how this spirit was going to fit with our family... and I can still remember the feeling of absolute peace wash over me and the overwhelming impression that this baby would be a boy. So it was no surprise at the ultrasound when we saw the gender reveal image on the screen, without a doubt, it was boy! I was so excited during the whole thing and so impressed with the Fetal Imaging Center. Last pregnancy we went to the imaging center in the hospital and it was pretty dull. This visit was at a specialist's office and everything was made very special... and for the first time we were offered a DVD of the entire ultrasound and a CD of images :) I know this is standard at a lot of other places my friends have gone too, but this is the first time I've had the option of getting those, so of course I jumped all over them. What a sweet, sweet memento. Afterwards we went home and shared the news with Grandma and Grandpa Hines who were watching Asher (who napped the whole time)! I am very thankful for them for watching Asher so Drew and I could go together :) They were excited it was a boy and Julie knew it was going to be a boy too. I hope we at least have one girl down the road though! But at this time we are just taking one step at a time and we might be done or we might have more children at this point. I feel that our family needs to be bigger and Drew might be on the same page, but we'll just have to see when we get there what the Lord has in store for our family. Here's a little peek into the amazing miracle of life. I still am amazed at how much development has already taken place by week 20! It's amazing.

Look at that bicep!

Easter 2013

We spent Easter in Gardnerville this year and put on a good egg hunt for the littles. We all brought plastic eggs and candy and Aunt Charlotte provided the Easter baskets, bunny ears, and little take away gifts. It was such a blast. Drew and I weren't sure if Asher would get the "hunt" but we were pleasantly surprised :) He loved it and knew just what to do finding eggs and putting them in his basket even though it was his first hunt. I esp. loved eating the chocolate :)

Two Front Teeth

A lot of things happened in the second week of April. First, it was Drew's spring break. The Friday before spring break we were planning to go to Costco. I was waiting for him to get home from work... I was babysitting sweet Amelia and we were going to drop her off at home on our way there. Well Drew took a little detour on his way home... to the Bishop's house. I was confused, worried, and a little frustrated why it was taking so long for him to get home. Drew wrote me a text saying he was at the bishop's house. After a lot of waiting we finally agreed that I would go pick him up at the Bishop Donnelly's house on the way to Costco. I picked him up and I knew SOMETHING was up. So I said, "Well, we are either having marital problems or something else is up." Which he replied that he would tell me when "we got there" because he didn't think I should be driving to receive this news. Well, that just freaked me out like crazy so I demanded that he tell me now! I had the feeling though it was about his job so I said, "Did you loose your job?" Yep. Drew's contract is not being renewed for next year. Drew is still probationary (for the first three years) and with budget cuts his position allotment was cut. I wasn't devastated like Drew. (I went through about two weeks of denial and then broke down much later.)  He had been sweating about it for weeks when rumors were going around, but he didn't want to stress his poor pregnant wife out so he didn't tell me about it. He is so sweet, but at the same time I felt bad. I had no idea he was bearing all this weight on his shoulders. Friday he got the news although still not official. It IS however official now (now being May when I am writing this)  because he got his letter of non-renewal.  I immediately went into action mode. I said Dr. Aland and Lisa are hiring a dental assistant and moving one of their dental assistants to the front office. I need to call them now! I called Lisa and I immediately asked, "Have you hired a dental assistant?" which she hadn't yet. I was so thankful at this moment.. and then i said, "Because I need a full time job!" We talked a lot after that, but mainly the biggest hurdle would be to find full time child care. I was able to find child care with Andrea on Monday/Tuesdays and with Heather on Thursday/Fridays. They have been awesome by the by! Lisa and Troy considered me for the front office job and extended the job offer to me later that weekend :) We are SO incredibly blessed. Although I have to work full time and this would not be my choice to be away from Asher so much... this is the opportunity that Heavenly Father presented. And thankfully it is temporary that Asher will have to be in daycare until Drew gets out of school in the first week of June. At which time Drew will be a stay as home Daddy while he works on becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist :)

Ok, So the second week of April we had gotten the news that Drew's job would not be renewed, so Drew started Spring Break with a bit of bad news. However we snapped right into action and that weekend we seeded the yard. Tyler and Charlotte came over and helped and it is starting to grow slowly! That week since Drew was home to watch Asher I started back at work full time. That week happened to be the week the Aland's moved their office to the new building and it was a TON of work! I thought I might go into labor on that Wednesday night because I had been lifting boxes and basically pushed it WAY too hard! I was in a lot of pain that night and had a ton of crazy ligament pain and some crazy contractions! But we finally were mostly moved into the new building.

 It was on the last day of Spring Break on Friday and I was working late that night when I got a call around 7pm. Actually I got about 9 missed calls. I knew something bad had happened. Why would Drew be calling me so many times?  Asher had jumped off the couch and smacked his two front teeth on the corner of the coffee table.. and there was blood everywhere. Good thing I work for a Dentist, right? So I told Drew to bring him down to the office as fast as he could. My heart was stricken for my poor baby! I felt so bad for him when I first saw him... and I was so worried too. Dr. Aland said his teeth and gums were pretty gnarly, but only time would tell if anything was permanently damaged.  His lip and gums were swollen, bloody, and bruising black and blue pretty fast. Also his two front teeth were mobile. I was so worried about the roots of his teeth and that there might be permanent damage. Dr. Aland advised us to give him his pacifier as much as possible over the next few days to help stabilize those two teeth and get some counter pressure there. Asher loved this idea, unlimited paci time ha ha  :) Also we gave him cold things to suck on the help with the swelling and some Ibuprofen for the pain and swelling too.  I'm a little glad I wasn't there when it happened, but I wish I had been there also. Drew said there was a lot of blood. The only thing we could do was try to make him as comfortable as possible and to wait for couple of weeks to see if the teeth might start to discolor and die. Thankfully there has been no discoloring yet and it's been a month since the incident so I am hoping that we are in the clear! ** Note we sold the coffee table the following week! We had been talking for a while about selling it because every time I babysit kids are jumping on it, running into it, and getting hurt. Kids and coffee tables DO NOT MIX. If you are going to have kids just save yourself the time and get rid of the coffee table and everyone is happy :)

I never got  a pictures of Asher, but here is Drew's shirt soaked with blood after Asher laid his head down for two seconds. I had to soak the shirt in cold water and work with it, but I got all the blood out :) It was a little stressful and Asher couldn't eat for days because his teeth hurt. He just was not interested in food other than yogurt or milk. But eventually the teeth stabilized and he started to sleep well again and get back into normal daily life. I guess it was inevitable that something might happen before he turned two!

Anyway, April was stressful all around. I had to adjust to being a full time working mom, securing child care, learning that our once stable life was not so stable, and then Asher decided to knock his two front teeth loose too! The silver lining here is that the timing is perfect so that I will be eligible for benefits from my job starting August 1st just in case we need it for this baby due in August! Also, this opens up some opportunity for Drew to seek out private practice instead of working in education because he is literally being forced in that direction. But he is happy now about it. He says he didn't like working in education and private practice is what he would rather be doing any way. And Asher is doing really well with being with babysitters four days a week. He is around a lot of other kids and it is helping him use his words more. I am so much more grateful for the days I have off with him now, just to enjoy being home with him and enjoying motherhood and appreciating that opportunity I had to stay home with him when I did. I am sad I will miss the last summer with him as an only child... so so so sad about that, but he will have Drew with him and I know they are going to be the best of buds :) Those first two weeks back at work were brutal and a hard adjustment. I was humbled in our situation and it finally hit me that our lives had changed drastically. It finally hit me... reality hit me that Drew had lost his job. That I had to go back to work (ladies, get yourself a great education and a great career, you never know when you will need it). That I would not be able to have that time with Asher over the summer that I thought I would have.  So I had a mental breakdown after book club some two weeks after I started work and I sobbed and sobbed in front of some good friends. Why is it in front of others? I was totally embarrassed about losing it, but it turned out to be amazing because I got to connect with other women and get some really great advice. Thank you friends :)  We are all going through something in our lives at any given time. I think life has come to a sweet normal now, but I still look forward to the time when Drew gets off school and can stay home with Asher full time. That will definitely be easier on our family :) And I am looking forward to having this new baby and being able to have some maternity leave to stay home with all of my boys! 

It's a BOY!

 

Aren't you LOVING these photos that my sister in law, Charlotte,  took for us!? I am so happy with how everything turned out. I knew I wanted to announce this pregnancy with feet... the belly photo was just a back up idea if something didn't turn out .... then Charlotte had the awesome idea to get a photo using the stone that says "The Hines Family Love Here"! Totally spontaneous and it's my favorite :) You can visit her website here :) Love, Love, Love It!

Grow Grass, Grow!

 We seeded the yard first weekend in April (right before Drew's spring break)! This also landed on General Conference Weekend so while Drew tried to get a few helpers it's pretty hard to ask for help when that weekend is pretty busy and family oriented! But we did it with a little grit and help from Drew's brother Tyler who came up from Gardnerville. Now they just need to buy a house so we can repay the favor :)

That morning the big dump truck from Reno Rock came and delivered a special mix of dirt for the topsoil. We ended up with 6 cubic yards of dirt and we still had leftover. Asher helped in the morning while we prepared the topsoil then while he went down for a nap I got out a shovel and helped Drew load dirt into the wheelbarrow and rake onto the perfectly prepared yard. We've been working on that ground for a long time! Ripping out the old dead sod, hauling away, raking up all the rocks (lots!) and clumps, and finally laying down new and enriched topsoil :) I definitely was tired from all of the shoveling since I was 4 1/2 months pregnant. I've been working out more with this pregnancy, but even without being pregnant, shoveling is back breaking work! I'll admit that Drew did most of it!  Tyler arrived around lunch time, but both Drew and I left shortly after. Drew had to go rent a roller from Home Depot and I had a run an errand to the fabric store for a project. When we got back Tyler had retrieved Charlotte from a photo shoot and Tyler had shoveled the rest of the dirt onto the lawn! Drew and Tyler then leveled the topsoil with the roller and laid down the seed. Drew got a steal- seed was half price. We paid $8 per bag of seed and we used about 3 bags from the front and back! Compare to $1200 for sod! Wow! Asher loved the seed spreader and all he wanted to do was help daddy push, push, push. I  LOVE this age Asher is at, he loves to help with chores, sweeping, moping, wiping down the furniture and tabletops whenever he gets his hands on a cloth, working in the garage, you name it he wants to help! Such a cute sweet little helper:) Then Drew & Tyler put more dirt on top of the seed and then fertilizer! DONE! One day closer to a yard with grass! It's a lot of work, but our house is in need of a little love and lot of elbow grease! We knew what we were getting ourselves into, right? Work is easier talked about then done though :)

** Update: Right after we seeded the yard it snowed TWICE! Wicked spring weather! We were really both worried about the yard, but seed has proven to be very hardy and we have been rewarded this last week with sprouts! Yes! Sprouts are everywhere... more plentiful in the front yard that gets the most sun, but the back yard is showing progress too!  We are hopeful for grass this summer :) Now I just need to find myself a cheap kids slide on Craigslist and summer here we come. I happened to score some free patio furniture on Craigslist and we have been enjoying sitting outside and watching our grass grow!

 

Speech Therapy

Asher has officially started Speech Therapy! Well, along with Occupational Therapy and meeting with a Developmental Specialist on a monthly basis. His evaluation with Nevada Early Intervention Services was back on February 21st, but it has taken some time to finally get some services. With limited resources in Nevada I really had to fight for services. I have always been concerned with Asher's speech, but in January Asher started getting these ear infections that would NOT go away. January was unbelievably the hardest month of my life (although April is becoming another close contender). Asher got an ear infection the first week in January, but even with antibiotics they just got worse, transforming into acute double ear infections, and it wasn't until the second week in February that his ears cleared up! Just in the last couple weeks Asher started sleeping through the night again:) Poor guy could hardly sleep for those 6weeks with non stop ear infections.  Which also meant no sleep for mom either, mind you I was also 6 weeks pregnant when this started and I was sick and tired and exhausted! We were referred to an ENT and were heavily down the path of getting tubes in his ears right before his ears finally did clear.  I am happy that we did not have to intervene medically with his ears for now... although if Asher gets another ear infection between now and October he will probably still get tubes in his ears. Which brings me back to speech. While Asher presented with an infection starting in January all the doctors and specialists I have talked with since this process started have agreed that he probably had fluid in his ears for much longer, maybe since November which probably is the reason he is delayed. We all got sick with the flu in November and Asher subsequently had illnesses on and off all winter (like normal for kids).

From Asher's evaluation back in February I found out that Asher was a little delayed in more areas than just speech. Mainly because speech and cognitive development are so closely related. Nevertheless it really scared me and I was distraught that something might be seriously wrong with Asher. However, I'm not so dramatic now because he is progressing well and I know he has the time to catch up now :) He qualifies for Speech Therapy 2x/mo, he also qualifies to meet with a |Developmental Specialist 2x/mo and with a Occupational Therapist 1x/mo. It's a lot of therapy, but through the state it is provided for free and I am happy to finally be able to communicate with Asher. It has made life so much easier and there a lot less tantrums. So far I have only been to one therapy session since I work full time now. I am really sad that I am missing out on the actual sessions, but Drew tries to fill me in as best as possible.

Asher is now signing: "more", "milk", "please", "help","bath", "cat", "up", and he is working on "car/truck", "airplane", "cracker" and putting two words together like "more milk". He is so cute with all of his signs and how he transforms them and is so happy all of the time! He also has a lot of word approximations like "sho" for shoe, "gog" for dog, "bubbas" for bubbles.... there are more, but I'll have to ask Drew. We are also working on giving him more opportunities to make choices. This has been such an enlightening process as a first time parent. I've learned a lot about development and sign. The first is always a guinea pig!  The hardest thing as a parent for me right now is to not compare him to his peers... especially because all his peers are girls right now who are talking up a storm! I'm always concerned with doing enough for Asher and helping him the best I can and making the most of the time I have with him (which is slim these days). I am happy that he is progressing and it makes me hopeful for the future! He is growing up so so fast!

Weekly Goodies