Mystery Man

For the past almost 3 years, it has been a given that any weekend I could be found sitting (or sleeping) at home doing a whole lot of nothing. Because of this I was the one people called when their husband was gone for the day and they needed something to do, or the babysitter for date night, or the daughter who could come visit when everyone else was too busy. Lately I have been disappearing for days at a time and the news has slowly leaked out: Yes! I do have a boyfriend! Ramil and I met on ldsmingle the beginning of September and have talked on the phone everyday, usually more than once, since then. On September 20 I drove to Boise to finally meet him because I wanted to be sure that the chemistry was there in person too before I told anyone about him. It was. He is currently studying at BSU for electrical engineering and works full time at the Flying J. He is divorced but no kids, originally from the Philippines, and has been in the U.S. for about 10 months. Ramil is super sweet and everything I have been looking for in a guy, I was just looking in the wrong country! He doesn't have a car right now which is why I always drive to see him but he will be getting one soon. He is a returned missionary and awesome basketball player. We have so much fun together and he always makes sure that I am happy. Hopefully I didn't just toally jinx our relationship by posting this blog...

Here Kitty Kitty

In August I made impulsive decision (aren't they all?) and just had to have this cute, tiny kitten someone was giving away at the grocery store. The boys were thrilled and after debating over names Tyrel suggested Lily. I thought it was perfect because I wanted to name her something feminine and like a flower, and he thought of it because it is the name of Harry Potter's mom! She is very cute and bratty so she fits right in with us. She likes to bite and we are trying to figure out how to stop that. It has been good for the boys to have the responsibility with her and it's good for me to not alwyas be home alone! Yes, we know everyone in the family are cat haters and we are keeping her far away from dad and his guns so there are no "hunting accidents". So this our newest family member!

Hold On To Your Horses!

Hey all, if you have been visiting my blog and wondering why I have no new posts there is a good reason! I am having some problem with my computer putting pictures in on the wrong file type so I cannot post them. I am working on it and should have some up soon so check back later!

My Miracles

PART TWO

When I reached 23 weeks of pregnancy I went into labor for the first time. The doctors said that because of the extra fluid around Bryce my uterus was big enough that it was irritated and thought it was time for the babies to be born. I spent a couple of days at the Idaho Falls hospital where they tried unsuccessfully to stop the labor pains. Then they decided to fly me to Salt Lake and so off I went in an ambulance to the airport where I was flown to the University hospital. Once there they were completely full of patients and we spent a couple of agonizing days waiting for them to do something. The specialist finally got around to us and decided to do a procedure where they insert a small needle into the sack of the baby with the most fluid and slowly drain it off, thus relieving some of the pressure. It took them a full 30 minutes to drain off enough fluid to fit in 1 1/2 2 liter bottles. The procedure was a success but I ended up in full blown labor, which was one of the risks. Jakob had a cousin living in Salt Lake who rushed over and gave me a priesthood blessing which stopped the labor. After that they sent us home and the condition improved itself for a few weeks. I was on strict bed rest for the next 10 weeks and we made many trips to the hospital to stop the almost constant contractions. Finally at 34 weeks of pregnancy I woke up feeling very sick to my stomach. I wanted to wait, having been to the hospital for so many false alarms, but Jakob saw my level of pain and insisted we go right away. When we got there sure enough I was in real labor and it was time for the babies to be born! I had a c-section and Bryce was born October 14, 2001 at 10:42 a.m. and Brenon was born one minute later. Bryce had to have oxygen the fist few days and had a very red complexion as a result of the extra red blood cells he had from getting too much blood. Brenon needed no assistance but did have apnea spells that had to be watched for. They both spent 3 weeks in the NICU in Idaho Falls learning to eat. At one point they were planning on sending Brenon home the next day, then when we got there they said he had stopped eating and couldn't leave yet. When Bryce started eating well Brenon started eating again and they came home on the same day. I still think Brenon was waiting for his brother! The twins weighed in at 5 lbs. 10 oz. (Bryce) and 5 lbs. 4 oz. (Brenon). This was amazing to the doctors because normally with TTTS one twin is twice the size of the other. Bryce and Brenon have always been so close, they slept in the same crib for a long time and once we separated them they would both scoot to where the cribs met and reach through the bars to be by each other. At 18 months they started developmental and speech therapy because they were a behind which is common for preemies. By age 5 they were completely caught up with others their age. Brenon has had problems with his ears, but other than that they had been amazingly complication free. They are now healthy boys, pretty big for their age, and advanced in their school work. They are starting to complain about too many kids at school asking why they "have the same face" but they are still inseparable and the best of friends. I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to be their mother, but even more so that I was allowed to keep both of them with me on earth. They are my miracles!

My Little Miracles

PART ONE

















In early 2001 we were thrilled to find out we were expecting again. Tyrel was almost 4 and Trevor was almost 2 and we figured we could have one more baby and we wanted them 2 years apart. At my 12 week checkup the doctor couldn't find the babies heartbeat, he assured me everything was probably fine but since we had the technology we would do an ultrasound and make sure all was ok. My sister Jennifer took me to the ultrasound because I was totally scared that I had miscarried and would be too upset to get home. As the technician was looking around I noticed that the picture of the baby wasn't moving from one angle to another, just staying the same. Then at one point I could clearly see the baby but I also saw some sort of lump in the corner. I said "What is that!" because I knew either I had a tumor or there was more than one baby in there. She said "Hold on one second" then a minute later said something I will never forget "There are two babies in there." Jen and I immediatly started screaming and crying. About 5 minutes later the lady said "Um are you guys happy or sad?" It was soo funny. We assured her we were thrilled. After a very long ultraound we started spreading the word. Everyone was asking me what my husband was going to say and I said "He's gonna swear". Sure enough when I tracked Jakob down and showed him the picture labeled "the babies" he did say "Oh shoot" (but not shoot). We were so excited and surprised and started to prepare for our double blessing. At my next ultrasound we were told that Baby A (Bryce) was a boy but they couldn't see Baby B. At 21 weeks things took a dramatic turn. The ultrasound showed that Baby A was bigger than Baby B and had more fluid around him. They confirmed Baby B was a boy and they were identical because they shared a placenta. I was pretty confused when they sent me back to the doctor. Once there he put his arm around me and said "I'm so sorry. Sometimes these things just happen. Your babies have a rare condition for which there is no cure. You are going to lose both of them." He then told me that he wanted to send me to a specialist in Salt Lake just in case there was something they could do. Jakob and I talked alot on the way there about the fact that maybe we were only supposed to give these boys bodies and not make them live this difficult life. In Salt Lake the doctor explained that the babies had Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. This affects very few twins and only identical ones. When the egg splits after a few days instead of the first couple, the babies end up sharing a placenta. This isn't always a problem but in our case it was. Brenon (Baby B) had veins that went from his umbilical cord to the placenta and then over to Bryce. Because of this Bryce was getting twice as much blood and fluid and Brenon didn't have enough since very little came back to him. The risk with these babies is that the twin with too much has a heart attack and the twin with too little suffocates. We were at risk of losing at least one, if not both, of the babies. There was very little they could do but they hoped since I was already half way there I would make it.
STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO!

The Rundown

I just wanted to take a second to explain our family so that when I refrence people everyone knows who I am talking about! I married Jakob Carlson in 1996 and we had our four beautiful boys together. We were divorced in 2005 and in early 2006 he was remarried to Melissa. Melissa has a little boy named Paxton who is just 2 months younger than the twins so they basically have triplets together!! Melissa is great to the kids and has extended family that have brought more love into the boys life. Paxton is so cute and loves his new brothers. We all get along well and have a common goal of helping the boys have the best life possible. It really is a case of making the best out of a situation and I am just grateful that Melissa is tolerant of all our craziness.

The First Day Of School

School started August 14, 2008. Tyrel started

middle school which means he has 7 different

classes and a locker....crazy! Trevor is in 4th grade this year and is doing great. Bryce and Brenon are in 1st grade and this year I opted to have them in the same class. It is working out great, they do their own thing and it's easier for me to keep track of their work because it's the same.

Tyrel is really great at math and science and choose Spanish for his elective this year. Trevor is an amazing reader and speller, doesn't even have to study for spelling tedtd and still gets 100%. Bryce is our little colorer, I've had parents who help in class tell me they wish they could color as well as him! Brenon is picking up reading so fast and seems to enjoy it. It's so fun to see them progress and learn new things. They all enjoy school which is nice and most mornings there's not too much of a fight to get them out the door. So far they are all doing great in class and I think it will be a great school year.

Wes and Me

This weekend I stayed with Mark and Jen. I took full advantage of Weston being tired and having his blankie to get some snuggles out of him. He is seriously so adorable and I love seeing what crazy lengths his parents will go to get a laugh out of him! 

At bedtime Wes waved goodnight to me.....Jen said he usually won't do that. I am supposed to watch him tomorrow when Mark and Jen go to the Temple, let's hope he won't flip out too bad. The boy does love his mommy and daddy. I figured out that if I kind of ignore him when I first get around him then he isn't as shy. Luckily I don't have to worry about being too loud and scaring him, his mom has made him immune to that!!

Just Getting Started

Thanks to the example of my awesome sister Jen I am starting a blog for our family. however, my creativity isn't on her level so hang in there while I get this up and running! Everything you see so far she did or showed me how to do. Thanks Jen!