Thanksgiving

ah, the quintessential blog post about the most recent holiday event. thanksgiving is a time when families gather, share their gratitude one with another and feast til they're ready to pop. there is also the obligatory "turkey bowl" football game where family and friends (usually the guys whilst the women slave away at home preparing the feast) gather for some good natured competition, "rain or shine, preferably rain" as one person put it. for many, the day after thanksgiving is the most important shopping day of the year. so much so that it is called "black friday".


this thanksgiving, corrina, the kids, and i went down to sacramento to spend thanksgiving with corrina's family. her mom has been staying with us helping out so she also came with us. we were staying at corrina's grandma's house but one caveat was that her uncle was also staying there. this house has 3 bedrooms so corrina's mom and grandma shared a room, corrina's uncle got a room, and the four of us (corrina, jaron, lara, and i) got the third one. now i know how the illegal aliens in my mission that live in a one room shack feel.


on the way to sacramento, we dropped corrina's mom off at grandma's house and spent the afternoon with my bro wes and his family. jaron had a great time playing with his cousins. while there, wes invited me to his ward's turkey bowl the next morning. i was grateful for the invite but doubted i would be able to make it because of kids to watch. the next morning, at about the time it was supposed to start, i was going crazy because grandma's house is definitely NOT toddler proof and i was going crazy constantly telling jaron to stop and don't touch so i decided to take him over to the church so we could both get some outside time so we weren't cooped up in the house. i obviously wasn't planning on playing because of having to watch jaron, but it got us out. corrina asked if i could take lara, also because she needed to lay back down and mom and grandma were too busy preparing the food. boy was i surprised and grateful when i saw stephanie there with her kids, too. she TOLD me to give her the kids and go play, i didn't really have a choice :) wes' daughter was even saving a set of flags for me in case i did show up (at least, i think she was, they were for wes' team) i had a great time, jaron had a great time, and i will be forever grateful to my brother and his wife for making it happen.

thanksgiving dinner was good. the only thing missing was a fruit pie (we had pumpkin and sweet potato pie, and apple crisp, but not apple or cherry pie) there's not much else to say in the way of the food.
the day after thanksgiving, as previously stated, is called black friday because it is the day when many people do their holiday shopping with massive door buster sales, etc. this day is ridiculous. people camp out over night outside of major retail outlets to be the first ones in the stores when the door opens at 4am. these same people look at me funny when i say i go to work at 4 in the morning (go figure). the stores count on this huge crowds in order to get people to buy more than they normally would have. its kind of like the mob mentality, but slightly different. people are more apt to buy something because they think they better get it before someone else does. i thought the holiday season was supposed to be about good cheer and brotherly kindness, generosity and charity. i heard on the radio that a walmart employee in new york got trampled to death when the crowd forced the door open, BEFORE THE SCHEDULED TIME. then, the store tried to close down and tell everybody to leave so they could investigate and take care of it, BUT THE CUSTOMERS REFUSED. they wouldn't leave.i would have called in the swat team with full riot gear and tear gas grenades. that is ridiculous. how selfish were these people. they broke into the store before it opened, killed an employee in the process, and refused to listen to the manager (and maybe police) just to be the first in line to get a good deal on a tv?!
for many years i have said i would never step foot inside a major retail giant on black friday during their "door buster deals". leading up to it, corrina kept telling me about these deals at this store or that store, and my response was that no deal was worth stepping foot into a major store on black friday. corrina finally broke me and convinced me to go to toys r us to look for one single item shortly before the "door buster" time ran out (1pm) so i ventured, and as i figured, it was sold out, so i came home. i didn't fight the crowds, i didn't browse for other deals, i didn't even attempt to fight to find a parking spot. i immediately went to the back of the parking lot where i knew spots would be free. even at noon, the crowds trying for door buster savings was intense. i'm not sure i will ever do that again.

Lara's 2 Week Appointment

Lara had her 2 week appointment on the 25th. She weighed 12lbs 4oz and is 23 1/2 in long. I look at her and still can't believe how big she is. She looks like a 3 month old! The great thing about having a large baby, she sleeps between 4-6 hours at night already. Because she has already surpassed her birth weight and she is so big, her pediatrician said she's fine with Lara sleeping 8 hours at night. We looked at Lara and said, "Did you hear that Lara? Go right on ahead." She has not listened yet, but we are still grateful for the sleep we are getting. For those who are parents already...please don't hate me. The time will come that you will get that much sleep too. It's so crazy, at 2 weeks Lara is in size 3-6 month old clothes and size 2 diapers. We were barely able to finish using one package of size 1 diapers. The pediatrician thinks Lara will grow out of her infant car seat by 6 months. Jaron grew quickly too, but not this fast. We'll see if she slows down at six months like Jaron did. Looks like we better start setting aside money...we'll call it our Lara's growing to quickly fund =) I'll get a recent picture of her posted on here as soon as I can.

Anniversary

On the 20th, Dave and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. Because Dave was at school and had his internship at the pharmacy, and we have a new baby at home, we only went out to dinner. We normally go to a local restaurant called Red Tavern because it reminds us of a place we ate at on our honeymoon; but the last time we went there we had a not so good experience and we did not want to do that again. We thought about some other local places, looked at our budget and the time we had (nice restaurants to longer to eat at), and decided to go with the chain restaurant Outback instead. We both wanted steak...and it was surprisingly quiet. We had an enjoyable time and talked about how 4 years has gone by so quickly. So much has happened. We finished school at American River College and transferred to Chico State, I became pregnant with Jaron, we moved to Chico, put my education on hold after I had Jaron, we moved to a new apartment, became pregnant with Lara, had several different callings at church, and all sorts of crazy events in between. I could have never imagined being where we are at in our lives when we were first married. Have things gone exactly as when planned, nope. But I would not want it to be any different. We have learned and grown so much together. We try to remember that life is a journey, not a race. We'll make it to where we want to be when it's time, even though at times it seems like it's taking forever =)

So...just for kicks and giggles...here's my wish list for where I think we'll be in four years:

*Dave will be half way through pharmacy school
*Jaron will be in kindergarten
*Lara will be in preschool
*I'll be at my pre-pregnancy weight
*I'll be pregnant with baby #3...maybe
*We'll be past the 7 year itch...so married life will be a piece of cake (I can dream can't I) =)

response to video comments and code blue update

so i'm glad that people enjoyed the video i posted and i wish to take some time to respond to some of the comments left. the skunk seen in one of the first scenes was a logo on the tail fin of the plane because it was manufactured by the Lockheed Skunkworks, which, according to this article, is the official alias for lockheed's advanced development programs. the skunk works was responsible for such aircraft as the sr-71, u-2, f-117, and f-22. the sr-71, although not fully stealth, was designed in such a way to reduce its radar signature. the two most well known stealth planes are the stealth fighter (f-117) and the stealth bomber (b-2) both of these planes have full stealth capablities, as well as the recent f-22 raptor. the use of sharp angles and/or smooth curves was to refract the radar signal in direction other than the one it came so as to reduce the size it appears on radar. fully stealth aircraft also have special skin that absorbs the radar and at the same time reduces it's heat signature to make it almost invisible. you can follow the link to learn more and see a list of all the aircraft that have been made or are under development that have stealth characteristics. the song is "learning to fly" by pink floyd.

about code blue. when i first conceived the dialogue, i had no intention of going any further with it. but chris' critique was so positive, plus the fact he said he was excited for the next installment, made me think that maybe i could carry it forward. so the last couple mornings at work i had been ruminating about the story and where it could go from there and i have taken lots of notes on ideas and plot lines i could follow so be excited for the next installment of code blue.

Escape From Nursery

Dave dropped Jaron off at the beginning of nursery, and after Sunday School I felt I should go home to rest. We went to pick Jaron up from nursery to go home. Jaron was playing with some toys and had not noticed me enter the room. I was talking with one of the nursery workers when I looked over to the other door as Jaron was opening it and then took off (he's strong and fast...so it only took maybe 2 seconds for all this to happen). Dave saw him and grabbed him before he could go very far. Don't worry, one of the nursery workers saw Jaron and ran after him too. It made me laugh because as Jaron took off, another nursery worker said, "We have an escape artist." Then other kids tried to leave with him. Leave it to my son to instigate a "nursery-break."

success!!!!!!!!!!

as you can see by the video below, i have finally had success in posting this video off of youtube. this is an homage to one of the coolest planes ever, set to a song by one of the coolest bands ever. as you watch the video, you will see what looks like an orange space suit. that is the flight suit the pilots had to wear because the sr-71 flew at such high altitudes and at such high speeds. enjoy.

Jaron and Lara

Jaron meeting his baby sister

I wondered how Jaron would react to the arrival of his baby sister. I did not know if he would be jealous or treat her like he treats his cousin Heidi (wants to hold her and give her loves). The answer became very clear as soon as he stepped into my hospital room for the first time. He had not seen Dave and I since he went to bed the night before and he did not care, Lara became his whole world as soon as he laid eyes on her. Jaron immediately pointed to Lara and stuck out is arms to hold her. It was sooo cute.

Jaron all over Lara in the hospital...not mommy and daddy

I wondered if his love for Lara would change after we brought Lara home from the hospital and he realized she was not leaving. It's been over a week and he continues to shower her with hugs and kisses, wants to hold her all the time, feed her his food (still trying to teach him that she's not big enough for his food yet), and give her his toys to try to cheer her up when she's crying. When he wakes up in the morning, he wants to see her. My mom tells Jaron that Lara is still sleeping, so he must wait. But as soon as he hears Lara crying, Jaron is pounding at my bedroom door trying to break it down to get to her. Jaron would be happy to hold Lara all day long, which is funny since most kids only want to hold a baby for like 30 seconds and then their attention is elsewhere.

Jaron holding Lara after we came home from the hospital

I love watching Jaron interact with Lara. It's so cute and I don't want to discourage the love he has for Lara by not letting him see her and give her loves when he wants. I can see when Lara gets older, Jaron wanting to play with Lara all of the time and Lara telling Jaron to leave her alone. Lara is already trying to tell Jaron to leave her alone.

Jaron kissing Lara

new post

i was a little surprised at the lack of response to my last post, but then i realized that no one comments anyways. no shirley, it does not come from a movie you should know. it comes from the depths of my own mind. i know it is probably mediocre writing, but thats okay because i'm not chris (i don't mean that in ANY sort of negative way, just saying that i don't plan on ever writing a book, unless its like a drug reference book for other medical professionals, like a database of psychotropics and the most recent research about they're safety).

so corrina and i celebrated our 4th anniversary yesterday with little fanfare. i was gone at school and the pharmacy for most of the day but once i got done there, we were able to go out to dinner (without the kids, thank you grandma) and have some much anticipated steak. for those who don't know, while pregnant they say you can only have steak fully cooked (well-done) because of threat of bacteria, etc. Unfortunately well done usually tastes like charbroiled leather so we pretty much abstained for the 9months. since it was our anniversary, we went out to eat at a steak house and got the filet mignon cooked medium. oh so delicious. its hard to believe that 4 years have already passed and all the experiences we've experienced together.

oh yeah
i'm still trying to figure out the whole posting a picture thing. i think i've discovered that if you move the picture in the post fter its been uploaded, you can no longer click on it to view it larger. i was experimenting and uploaded some photos (i've deleted the post, it was just an experiment) and even tho i uploaded them size large, the only one that was linked was the one i didn't move. also, does anyone know how to post more than 5 pictures in a single posting?

Code Blue

"Code Blue! Code Blue! We have a major situation on our hands. Dispatch 'Emergency Response Team Alpha', 'Strike Team Charlie', and 'Containment Team Omega'. Once they're done, send in The Cleaners to make sure there's no residual issues."

"Are you sure all this is necessary, sir?"

"I've never been so sure of anything in my life; not even proposing to my wife. If we don't get this under control, we could have a major global crisis on our hands."

"But, sir, the last time ERT Alpha, ST Charlie, and CT Omega were called in on the same mission was back in '67 for the Bucharest Event. And The Cleaners have never been called in for a live mission, they've only been in training. Are you sure they are ready?"

"What do you think they have been training for, Lieutenant? This is a hundred times worse than the Bucharest Event, or any other event we could have anticipated. This is exactly the type of situation that The Cleaners have been formed and training for. But the ERT, ST, and CT must mobilize immediately if we are to have any hope of handling this situation. Can you imagine the backlash if civilians were to catch wind of this?"

"I'd rather not, sir."

The Birth Story of Lara

Ok...so here's my story for those who would like to know. Monday night, Dave and I went to the hospital because I thought my water broke. The hospital checked, no water broken; however, my blood pressure was high and unstable. The nurses called my doctor, my doctor wanted to admit me to the hospital and induce me in the morning if I did not go into labor on my own during the night. I told the nurses I was going to go home and come back in the morning if I did not go into labor by then. The nurses called my doctor back, my doctor wanted to speak to me on the phone, the nurses could not get the phone line transferred to my room and my doctor ended up showing up at the hospital after midnight to talk to me. My doctor explained that she was going to wait to induce me because she knew I really did not want to be induced again, but she did not want me to go home because my placenta could detach due to the high blood pressure and there would only be a matter of minutes to get Lara out safely. She told me I would be putting my life and my baby's life at risk if I left. I asked her what she really wanted to do then. She told me she wanted to give me some blood pressure medicine and break my water if I did not go into labor within an hour or two after that, then she would induce with pitocin. I said ok, and I was admitted to the labor and delivery department around 1:30am.
Dave ran home to get my mom and meet the person who was going to stay the night with Jaron. While Dave was gone, the nurses gave me an IV. They had a hard time (it took three nurses), but they finally got the IV in just before Dave and my mom showed up. I had Dave give me a blessing while we waited for the doctor to come back in. While we were waiting, I started having contractions between 5 and 10 minutes apart. My doctor ended up breaking my water at around 2:30am and not giving my blood pressure medicine until after I delivered Lara. Before she broke my water, she checked and saw that I was dialated between 4 and 5cm. By 3:30am, my contractions were less than 5 minutes apart. I decided to sit up to see if that would help with the pain, instead my contractions immediately went to less than a minute apart. I asked for Nubane (pain reliver shot) and when the nurses had not come back in what I felt was enough time, I demanded Nubane. Dave sent my mom to the nurses station, and soon after the nurse came in to check my dialation. I was dialated between 6 and 7cm, so I was given Nubane. I delivered Lara at 5:36am. I don't remember much between the time I received Nubane and when I delivered because the Nubane makes me sleepy. I remember a nurse checking me and then telling me to let her know when I felt like pushing. Then I was told I could push and 2 to 3 contractions later, Lara was born. Dave got to catch Lara as I delivered her and he also cut her umbilical cord. He was really excited and I thought it was wonderful that Lara was caught by her Dad and then given to me.
As soon as she was born, my doctor said Lara was a big baby. When the pediatric nurse went to weigh Lara, she asked for guesses as to how big Lara was. Some guesses were made, I think Dave said 10 pounds, someone said 11 pounds, and the nurse set the scale to weigh in pounds first (usually they weigh in grams first) so that everyone would know immediately. What a shock when the scale said 11 lbs 15 oz! So, since I keep being asked, I had her vaginally and no epidural.
We are so excited to have Lara in our family! We are excited to watch her grow and see her personality develop.

Lara and I right after she was born

This is what a 11lbs 15oz 22in baby looks like

Proof of her weight

Look how long her foot is!

Daddy giving Lara her first bath

more photos

here are some more random photos that some might find enjoyable

photos of jaron

here are some random pictures of jaron:

this is jaron mackin' on the ladies the first day of nursery

i love this face

one of the few times a smile has been captured on film from this boy

jaron's first pumpkin carving experience

he loved this pumpkin

first photos

because there has been much anticipation for pictures of the huge baby, i have selected a few to post here. corrina might choose others and we will eventually get all of them on costco photocenter to share.

this is a picture of me cutting her umbilical cord

this is photographic evidence that lara weighed 11lbs 15oz

for those that were wondering, this is a whole lot of placenta (what, you didn't think i'd get a picture?)

and these are the first family photos

see how jaron is loving on her already?

video

this is a new attempt to embed a video, this time taking the code from my afore-mentioned myspace page and after reading the blogger help on posting video. i still haven't got it fully figured out, but i'm getting closer to being able to post the one i really want

Monty Star Wars
..

knock your socks off new post

prepare to be amazed at the amazement of this next amazing post. ok so i don't really hve a post to knock your socks off about. i could share corrina's birth story, but maybe i should leave that for corrina to publish :-). it had been a few days since i last posted and i felt obligted to make people aware that i still exist. still trying to figre out how to embed video from youtube. i've never had a problem on myspace (which i no longer use)

rumination

is anybody even reading this blog? i haven't received any comments on my last few posts and i'm beginning to wonder if people even care or if i'm just boring. i guess you could call me a feedback-monger, but i want to know what people think

Baby Update

I went to the doctor on Tuesday. She said that I was dialated to 3 cm, 75% effaced she could not feel Lara's head because it's so far down in my pelvis, and that I could go into labor at anytime. We were excited, especially me since I had hope that I would not have to be induced this time around. However, since my appointment, I do not feel like I've had much progress. We keep hoping I will go into active labor, but it's been 3 days and nothing...I think. I've been trying different suggestions to try to jump start labor, but it seems like the more I try, the less I progress. I guess I should be more patient and just let things happen...but I hope it does happen soon so I don't have a 12 lb baby and for Dave's sake. I think he has been a little absent minded since we went to the doctor...more focused on me going into labor and not paying attention to what is going on around him. Pray that we'll hve this baby soon =)

post election

i was going to make a post with regards to the elcetion but i have been so mentally and physically drained, i can't bring myself to do it. i'm just glad its over and there have been some wins and some losses. lets just get back to our lives and hope for the best.

the quotes are all famous psychologists. maslow is famous for his hierarchy of needs and self-actualization. zimbardo is famous/infamous for his stanford prison experiment. piaget was influential in child development. and erikson was big in personality theory and self-identification.

the new microsoft?

as i was loading trucks this morning, i started wondering if google has become the new microsoft. it almost seems that nothing can be done on the internet without the use of a google product. the google search engine, google toolbar, google maps, google earth, google news, gmail, blogger, and even the new google chrome. and how did google get verbified? (ex: if you're looking for something, just google it) and now its not just this, they are delving into the world of mobile communication with this. with all these applications, could google gain a monopoly on the internet world, and if so, how do they justify this when their unofficial motto is "don't be evil"?

p.s. prepare for a knock-your-socks-off post-election post. it is already in the formation stage in the brain of the dave

the quotes

if anybody has been ever so slightly curious as to who all these random people i've quoted on this blog, i thought i would open it up to let people guess what the connection is. corrina will get it immediately, so she's not allowed to guess :-)