Working

Okay so most of you probably know that I have been working a little bit at my father-in-laws store. I just wanted to ask how the CRAP do moms do it full time? I guess if you have no other choice you have to but how do they find time to do most the housework, play with their kids, grocery shop, and be a good employee? It seems like something had to give and me being a good employee this past week had to give. On Friday our water heater went out so I was going to be late to work, well then I ended up not going because it took a lot longer than planned. Most the time it isn't a bit deal since I work just part time and Aubs comes with me but the strong worker in me about dies. Then today Jake forgot the car seat in his car and took it with him to work. I know my dad is fine with me not coming I and he is super flexible but I feel horrible. I would have never just not showed up for work. In all my years of working I never had a sick day except I went in one day and my boss sent me home.

I actually have loved working lately with seeing family, talking to people, and making a little more money (for things like water heaters ;) but t just makes me wonder what gives for other people if you are working 40+ hours with kids.

How do they do it?

Aubrey working at the store with Papa

Party Hard!!!

I had such a fun time at girl's camp. We went up to Payson Lakes and we had a blast! I went for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Aubrey did so good except getting more teeth so she was a little crabby.

In other news, we went to the Highland splash park a while ago with my mom, sister, cousin and kids and had a blast. If any one is ever up to going we are in. Aubrey loves the water so we have been having a blast going there, the pool, or 7 Peaks.

Also the big news, Jake and a couple of his buddies had their concert last night at the Cedar Hills park and it was so much fun. They played for almost an hour and a half and then everyone kept telling them to play more requests so they just dinked around after. It was so fun. Everyone brought dinner, blankets, and chairs and just chilled as we watched them play. Also Sha and I sang Rolling in the Deep by Adele at the concert. It was a lot of fun especially because Gage did not want that girly song sung at his concert :)

Last but not least, our baby is recovering from her surgery (Zoey that is, since she actually is the youngest). She is feeling a lot better and we don't have to worry about little puppies any time. We are trying to work on the barking thing though. If you have any ideas please let us know. I am not too sure about just doing a bark collar. I want her to be able to communicate but not when neighbors are trying to sleep or just because she is bored.


Well that is it. Peace out!

Changes Lately

So I have gone back to work. . .well kind of. It isn't what it sounds like. The last month and a half I have been working at my in laws store again. The only way I even considered working was if Aubrey could come to work with me. I really have no idea how long it will be that I work there but it seems to be going good so far. I actually like having something outside of the house for now to keep moving along but it can be a little much some days. Most days it is fine, but others I am getting home to realize I have to eat lunch after 2 o'clock, feed the baby (again), rush back out the door to get groceries, get home and try to keep up a clean house, and then right when it is clean dirty it up again by making dinner. The other nights are just a little big busier because I don't have as much time during the day. I do find myself being more efficient with my time though.

In other news, we have been working on our yard and getting a few more things decorated in the house. We got new (to us) couches and gave Jeremy and Val our old ones. They have been very well loved through many friends and we were glad they could go to a good home. I also found a great picture for my kitchen and curtains for the living room. It is all coming together slowly, but surely.

Zoey, our puppy, is doing good, besides the whole 'having her woman parts ripped out' thing. Yesterday she got shots and then spayed. Poor thing :( She is doing really good though. My niece asked the other day if she was going to have puppies and I had to fib a bit to get around the truth. I told her maybe sometime down the road Zoey will get another puppy to be her friend instead of having puppies. She has been a champ. She isn't as rambunctious as she was but I am sure that will come back soon.

Aubrey is growing like CRAZY! She is almost 7 months old. She is loving baby cereal and trying out a few other things. She still has a hard time with texture because she just chokes or gags. It will come with time though. She is also scooting around and rolling over a bunch. She just hasn't figured out how to go forward but she is getting close.

Other than that Jake and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary last week. We went to Park City just for a night. We then went to Salt Lake and went shopping. We went the day after with my sister and brother in law to the Museum of Natural History and then to a Blaze game. It was actually really fun. We have been partying it up lately.

Although our lives have been super crazy lately it was nice tonight to get off right on time, clean the house (not just surface clean), do laundry, do some blog articles, do this blog, and read a book. Who knew?! It is amazing what happens when you are at home. I am also going to 7 Peaks tomorrow with some friends which should be fun. Well that is a little bit about the changes that have been going on in the Pyne house lately.

I Will Never Be That Mom

A lot of things that I knew I would never do when I became a mom really were true. Aubrey does not sleep in the bed. I have tried really hard with breast feeding. I also knew I would never let my child control my every move and that I would be able to leave her with other people. I actually can leave her with people for short periods of time, but she is my baby. So the point of this post is that I need advice or at least a little reassurance. I have girls camp in just over a month and I am trying to decide what to do. I am going to go for at least a bit. Our YW president totally understands because she didn't even go when she had her last. The camp is from tues afternoon to Saturday afternoon. I am thinking of doing thurs through the end. I can totally go my hold ups are the breast feeding and me just not seeing her. Aubrey will take a bottle and I can pump before. I would just have to pump while up there so I can continue when I get back. Also she is eating more solids do that will help. Jake can work from home but the other part is me not seeing her. I swore that is never how I would be but I must say I just can't help it. She is my little sidekick. I even worry when I am gone from her for a few hours. So fellow moms out there, advice or a little help for a newbie!

The last few months

Since I now have a fancy iphone, it seems like I never get on the computer. I do love my phone, but it isn't as easy to write on and definitely doesn't look as nice as the computer screen all big.

Tonight we got Jake a desk, thanks to mom and dad Pyne, and we finally finished his office. It is so great to have a space where a computer is and where he can work on things. He also has all of his music stuff out. He is in heaven!

Lately has been crazy, in a good way. Jake has started up the "band" again. He has been playing some of his buddies once a week which he loves. I love it too because it makes him so happy (oh and I do love me a boy and a guitar). He also has been teaching the 16 and 17 year olds in Sunday School which he is loving.

I have been working at Pyne Floor Coverings lately in the mornings. It works out good since I can take Aubrey to work. She takes her nap and then she chills or I hold her. They have really picked up lately which is great. Although I have had 2 people ask if she is a boy, while wearing purple polka dots :) It is crazy how much I forgot from taking a break from work, and now I am picking it up way quick. Just had to get back into the swing of things. I am also in Young Womens with Laurels and I love it. They are so much fun. I get to teach a lot which I love. Heavenly Father knew I had to teach at least a little bit because I love it so much. I also get to go to camp and youth conference which I am excited for but nervous about leaving Aubrey. Still trying to see how long I want to go for.

We have been trying to do more family stuff lately also. We got rid of our cable a few weeks ago and it has actually been really great. We watch our shows on the internet and hook it up to the tv or we watch Saved by the Bell on Netflix. It is our little time after Aubrey goes to sleep. We also took Aubrey swimming for the first time yesterday and tonight we went and got dinner at Trafalga and went mini golfing and on the merry-go round. We are trying to use our passes more and we had certificates for dinner.

Aubrey has been growing like crazy lately. She now has 2 teeth and will be 6 months on Saturday. She loves to eat food now. She has finally figured out how to eat off of a spoon and she loves it. I am loving every bit of her growing up. Also, we got her a new chair that sits up to the counter and she loves it. She can watch me cook dinner and chill while I clean. Which reminds me, I have been trying out a bunch of new recipes lately, and it has been very successful. I am trying to do more homemade and less processed foods. Much better than all the sodium and junk in box foods. Don't get me wrong, I am not a whole foods person, just trying to eat better and it is cheaper.

Zoey is loving life, at least until the end of the month when she gets her woman parts violated. She has had her shots and gets her last set the end of the month along with her procedure. She loves having the backyard to herself. She is just starting to figure out how to go after the frisbee. The only problem we are having is the nipping. I am not sure why, but it is mostly just me. She doesn't get Jake as much. She must just be so excited to see me. She is getting so big and is almost 4 months. Jake laughs because we have a bit too much estrogen in our home.

 Merry Go Round at Trafalga

 Chillin at Papa's store while mom works

 Bed Head

 They seriously almost made a hole-in-one

Well that is all. Hope you enjoyed our little family update.

Nobody Tells You About...

-the silence in the home with your first baby
-being so tired when your baby is crying in the middle of the night, but you can't help but smile when you see them
-the fact that you have to get yourself ready for the day even if you stay home (you feel like crap if you don't, at least for me)
-constantly cleaning up even though she really doesn't make that much of a mess
-having so much time to do whatever one day and none the next (this weeks chores got pushed back 2 days whereas last week I worked from home for 3 straight hours one day)
-how much can be accomplished when a child is in a front pack

Whether good or bad, motherhood is definitely an adjustment. The biggest adjustment for me is being at home and your sense of accomplishment changes. Going from working and school my whole life to being home is definitely a change, but the one thing that EVERYONE tells you is that it is worth it. I have to definitely agree with that. Motherhood has been so amazing. I am so happy everyday because of the joy that our little one brings into our home and lives.

Aubrey Michele Pyne

I can't believe that this time a week ago I still had not met Aubrey. I was wondering what she would look like, if she would be healthy, and how I would react when I first met her. It is weird that you bond with this baby inside your stomach but it is like they are a whole other person when they finally get here.

For Aubrey, me, and anyone else this is Aubrey's story:

On Friday November 4, 2011 I called the hospital at 7 pm to see if we were still set to come in at 9 pm for medication to start the induction. Since Aubrey had not made her presence known yet we needed to give her a little kick in the pants. I called and they said to come in whenever so Jake hurried and took a shower and we were on our way to have a baby. It was actually really weird because you expect the franctic screeching into the hospital and being wheeled in but not us. Jake asked if I wanted him to drop me off but I said it was fine since I was feeling just perfect.

We got to the hospital, checked in, and got hooked up to an iv and monitors. I was the only one in labor and delivery so they took good care of me. My nurses Betsy and Kristi were so sweet and were there throughout the whole night. They gave me the cytotec to get the contractions moving. I was having contractions when I went in but had been for 2 weeks and nothing too strong. After about 2 hours the medication was making me have more contractions. Then in the early morning they gave me the pitocin to make the contractions stronger. The contractions then were every minute and pretty strong. Then it was like a balancing act to get the contractions to be a good amount apart, while lasting longer and stronger. By about 8 am I was really in a lot of pain and the contractions were going well and starting to do their job because I was dilated to about a 1 1/2. The doctor was monitoring me at home and said he would be in at 11ish. At about 10 the pain was getting to be really bad. The nurse asked if I wanted the epidural but I was trying to be tough. I didn't say anything but you could see it in my face obviously. She said it wouldn't slow anything down and it would help me to relax so it actually makes the pitocin work better. I decided to get the epidural.

The part I was fearing the most about labor was about to happen. The anesthesiologist came in and was trying to talk to me but I had nothing to do with it. He was saying how quiet I was but apparently when I am in a ton of pain I don't scream I just ignore people. The nurse Jan and Jake were holding me still. I was so jumpy from being nervous, and his cold hands. I was seriously jumping all over the place. They told me to be still and Jake was counting with me to breathe and the did the epidural. It was less painful than the iv. I was so proud that Jake was so awesome about it. I could have sworn he was going to be passed out on the floor by then. Since I was oblivious to a lot that was going on the nurse did a good job keeping Jake entertained. She was from Kansas and was a big football fan so she was talking to him a lot. She was such a sweet lady.

About an hour later Dr. Robert Merrill came in and checked me and said we were ready to break my water. I couldn't feel a thing and then all of the sudden I was wetting my pants in from of the doctor, nurse, and Jake. Good thing by that point you have no decency left so it doesn't matter. The doctor then said that the kid is going to come out with a snorkel because of all the fluid. I was finally feeling better and would actually talk to him.

He then took off a little while later and went to his office so he could be around for when things started to get closer. Not too long after that I was dilated to a 3 and 90% effaced. Things were then starting to get rolling. At about 4:30 I was wanting to push the button for the epidural because the pitocin makes the contractions so painful but the nurse checked me and said I was at a 7 and it would help if I didn't press it because when it came time to push it would be a lot easier. She came back about 20 minutes later and I was at a 10! She told me we were going to start practice pushing. They let the doctor know and he was there about 15 minutes later. We weren't quite ready for him but he said he would just stick around and get scrubbed up. Then he said we were ready to really start pushing. The had a mirror to the side but I was closing my eyes to focus. We started pushing and soon you could see the baby's hair. The doctor told me that she had lots of dark hair and I started to cry. Jake was even looking. Then when the baby started to crown they put the mirror back over so I could see. the doctor said just a few more sets of 3 and she would be here. I then got this huge surge of adrenaline and she was here just 10 minutes later. Right as she was coming out the doctor was saying that she had the cord around her neck. It was wrapped around 3 times but since her cord was 4 times the size of an average umbilical cord it wasn't hurting her at all. She came out with perfect coloring.

Aubrey Michele Pyne was born November 5, 2011 at 6:10 pm. Weighing 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long. She had long, dark hair and eyelashes. They immediately brought her up to my chest and Jake and I were both balling. It was one of the most spiritual experiences we had both ever had and it was amazing that we got to share it with each other. The was covered in vernix and all goopy but I didn't care. I couldn't help but love that little angel that had been sent to our family. They then took her over to be weighed and cleaned off. I told Jake he had to make sure to take pictures. She was screaming like crazy. She got an APGAR score of 8 and then 9. She was doing so good. After they cleaned her off they brought her back over to me. She had a good cone head and a little bruising on her back from coming out. Also her head measured large at 36 cm.

The next amazing thing was the doctor telling us a great story. He said how he often takes it for granted what a miracle birth is because he sees it all the time but then it reminded him of an Atheist man at one of his conventions who was talking about how God didn't exist. Our doctor was giving a talk a few days later and he felt prompted to rewrite his talk on family because he was reminded of the everyday miracle that happens when a baby is born. Heavenly Father loves us and is looking out for us and he sends us these little angels to remind us of our life before this one. It was such a great experience because even our doctor helped to bring the spirit into the room.

Not too long after they sent us down to labor and delivery where they took care of us until Monday morning. The first night Aubrey had a quite a bit of amniotic fluid in her and she kept coughing it up until they finally pumped it out on Sunday morning. Everything else was good and so we were able to leave on Monday.

Aubrey had a little bit of Jaundice which we had to get tested on Tuesday and then again on Thursday but it is now much lower and so we don't have to do the lights. She also had her first appointment on Wednesday and she was at 6 lbs. 14 oz.

We are loving every minute with her and trying to figure out the whole parenting thing. It is worth every bit of struggle when we get to see her sweet face.

Welcome to the world Aubrey Michele

Just got a sponge bath

Crazy mohawk

Getting ready to go home

Snuggling with dad after finally getting home

Her first bath at home

Aubrey and her pillow pet from Nana

Making crazy faces at Grandma Hofheins

Our little family. . .life doesn't get better than this!

We love you Aubrey!