Maggie's Arrival

Well here she is. Our LITTLE bundle of joy. Maggie.
I guess I spoke too soon when I blogged about not going into labor anytime soon. I went into labor Wednesday night or early Thursday morning to be exact at 12:30 AM. Contractions were about 8 min apart. I didn't want to wake Kyle up or get him all worked up. So at about 4:30 am, he woke up and I informed him that my contractions were 3 min apart and we needed to hall butt to the hospital. So we called my sister and she came to stay with the kids as we went on our way. We arrived at the hospital around 6 am. Dilated at a 5 and fully effaced (two days before I was only a 2 and 50% effaced). They broke my water around 7 ish. With each contraction after I dilated a full centimeter. So it was only a matter of minutes before I was ready to push.
If you have had a natural delivery (no epidural) I think you would agree that the worst thing you can be told during a contraction is to "Relax, just breathe" and "DONT PUSH YET". How in the hell can you relax when it fills like your insides are being pushed out of your you know what with all the pain in the world. And not to push? When it feels like your body is making you push. I would have to say the painful part were the contractions. Pushing the baby out was more of a relief from all the pain of the contractions. I have never felt anything like it in the world. Finally at 7:51 am Maggie was born. It took several pushes to get her out. Even though she was the smallest of my three. She was turned sideways so during a couple of contractions I had not only the baby in my birth canal, but my doctors hand up there trying to turn Maggie as I pushed.
Needless to say, it was still the most amazing experience in the world. I had Kyle right there by my side. The funniest memory of the delivery was right after I had a contraction, Kyle was holding my hand. After the contraction had ended I said "Thank heaven that was a short one" and then he replied, "Good," as he then looked out the window "Hey is that Costco right there?" OH MY WORD. I am in the most pain in the world and all my husband can think about is if Costco is across the street so he can go get some pizza or a polish dog after the delivery. LOL. Such a typical man. But he really was great through the whole delivery.
So anyway, that is the story. Maggie came at 38 weeks and 2 days. I am so relieved and we love her to pieces. Porter just adores his little baby sister. Both of his sisters ;) He is such a great brother and son. It is so cute and sweet of my three year old son to say to me "Mom are you ok? Do you need help?" He is such a great help around the house for a 3 year old. And as for Nora? Well, she is adjusting to not being the only girl or the baby of the household anymore. But we try to show her and Porter extra love and attention to let them know that they are still very loved by Kyle and I. I love my family and am so grateful for all of them. Kyle is such a great husband and father. He really steps up. Even though I have been cleaning and doing laundry and basically anything but resting since we have been home, he still has taken over with the two oldest while I am nursing or changing Maggie's diapers. Oh yes, and her bilirubin is high, so she has been under the "lights" til her jaundice goes away. It got pretty high and her temp has only been 96.6 degrees, which is really low for a rectal temp or any body temp for that matter. But its all because she is so tiny and has no fat to insulate her little body. Her body weight is slowly climbing back up towards her birth weight. It dropped to 5 lbs 6 oz. Now its, 5 lbs 11 oz. So anyway that is Our story.

Introducing....

Margaret Linda Cross "Maggie Lin" Cross
Born January 26th 2012 at 7:51 am
6 lbs 1 oz 19 1/2 inches

No epidural. Pics and story to follow.

Just My Luck

Of course it is just my luck that my first two pregnancies I went into labor early, and when I expected the same for this, the exact opposite is happening. 38 weeks and no progression has been made since 37 weeks. My body has stalled. God thinks I need rest I guess before this 3rd baby joins the family. But I think otherwise. My rest will be in the hospital with the other two at their grandparents and the new arrival sleeping in the nursery. I know I sound like a bad mother, but with two kids under the age of 3, neither of them nap anymore, I am exhausted by midday. We didn't have time to take a babe-cation. I am so tired and also tired of complaining. I just thought I would have delivered by now. I guess the good news is, there is light at the end of the tunnel with my induction scheduled for next Tuesday (Jan 31st). I just hope I can hang on till then without driving everyone (especially my husband) crazy. You would think that working out every day would speed things up... but I guess that is not so :( So I guess the Lord is trying to teach me patience and that everything happens on his time. Wish me good luck. My sanity needs it.

6 and counting

NO... not six kids. Six years of being married to the most amazing person in the world. I know everyone says that about their husbands... well most everyone. But my husband is the most selfless, patient, unconditionally loving, husband and father. I married a man, who regardless of my flaws and past transgressions, loves me for who I am. He is the perfect match for me. Our singles ward bishop felt impressed to tell me before we got married, that most marriages aren't foreordained, but he felt that ours was. The Lord had his hand in our lives coming together. There has never been a moment that I have doubted that. I love him more than anything can describe. He truly is my everything.

So here is my gift to him on our anniversary. I sewed dozens of these hearts. He will find them hidden in places and collect them in the jar. Each piece of my heart will have a message attached that gives a quality of his that I love about him. He will collect them and have them to go back and read over time.

I LOVE YOU SWEETHEART!!!! YOU ARE MY BETTER HALF. THE MOST AMAZING HUSBAND AND FATHER.

A Sneak Peek

Well, 36 weeks and getting closer. I decided to get the nursery done so that I don't have to worry about it after the baby comes. Its hard keeping it gender neutral when you don't know what you are having. I wish I would have waited on the bedding. I ordered the fabric online and it was a bit darker than I had hoped for. Oh well I guess.

Getting anxious

Well almost 33 weeks. So, given my history, about 5 more weeks left. I can't wait to find out the baby's gender. Boy or girl? If I have a girl this hat is a must have!!! I can hardly wait, though I know once the baby gets here, life will be so crazy with 3 kids under the age of 3. I am crazy. But I love my kids more than anything. And wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. They are a sure test of patience. But I love them none the less.

Delish Dish

So due to my injured back, Kyle MADE me forfeit a Christmas party that I made this delish recipe for. I think he was embarrassed to see me barely able to walk, but he claims that if I don't take it easy, it will only get worse. So anyway, here is a pic. I didn't make it all elaborate and deck it out for presentation because Kyle canceled our party plans as I bent over to put it in the oven and couldn't stand back up straight after.... But here is the recipe:

Holiday Wreath Appetizer

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup chive-and-onion cream cheese spread
• 2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
• 2 or 3 cups (I used 3) organic uncooked spinach leaves
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon sesame seed
• Fresh rosemary, if desired

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook bacon as desired until crisp. Drain on paper towel; crumble bacon and set aside.
2. Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 16 triangles. On ungreased large cookie sheet, arrange triangles with shortest sides toward center, overlapping in wreath shape and leaving 4-inch round circle open in center (see diagram). Crescent dough points may overlap edge of cookie sheet. Press overlapping dough to flatten.
3. Spread cream cheese spread on dough to within 1 inch of points. In small bowl, mix crumbled bacon, broccoli and bell pepper; spoon onto widest part of dough. Pull end points of triangles over broccoli mixture and tuck under dough to form ring (filling will be visible). Carefully brush dough with beaten egg; sprinkle with sesame seed.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. With broad spatula, carefully loosen wreath from cookie sheet; slide onto serving platter. Garnish with fresh rosemary. Serve warm. Store in refrigerator.

Man Down!!!

OK, so serves me right on this one. The past month I have been working out doing crossfit. If you haven't heard of it, its basically a butt-kicking workout designed by personal trainers. They have locations all over the country. The workout consists of push-ups, pull-ups, burpees, single unders, double unders, squats, hang cleans, dead lifts, kettle bell workouts etc. It really kicks your butt. I got my sister to join and karma did me in. I always made fun of her cause I would kick her butt on all the workouts. It was like working out with a senior citizen I would joke around. But then one day while doing a set of burpees (the bane of my existence) I kinda tweaked my back, my sciatic nerve to be exact. Which is the same issue my sister has, and she isn't pregnant. I was just barely 30 weeks pregnant. The pain went away after a little bit so I headed to my other gym to get in a cardio workout. My back kinda ached after an hour on the elliptical. But the rest of the day it was fine. Then the following day I will regret being so stupid. I decided to rearrange my family room furniture all by myself. Given that the flooring is tile and not carpet I figured I could just push and slide the heavier furniture around.... not so much. After rearranging, I didn't like how it looked so when I started to move our TV stand my back gave way and the sciatic nerve sent pain from my lower back down my leg. So I am officially out of commission. I freaking HATE not being able to workout now. What am I going to do the rest of my pregnancy. Its hard to even pick my kids up and hold them now. Some moments in the day aren't bad and I still keep my house in order whether the pain is bad or not. But I can't believe I can't workout anymore. Serves me right I guess. :( Yesterday I was changing Nora's diaper on the floor and I went to stand up and the pain was so horrible I had to lay there until Kyle got home from his crossfit workout to help me up. I had ice on my back the rest of the night. I have never felt so useless and if you know me, one thing I dread and cannot stand is being a useless incapacitated person (kill me before I get old). But with my back out I don't render myself completely useless. I still take care of my kids, clean my house, do the day to day chores even if the pain is excruciating. I am a mother and things must get done.... I just wish I wasn't so stupid to put my back out. If I could have just been a normal person and taken it easy with a stupid injury and not tried to keep going I wouldn't be in this predicament. I was so desperate to get back to the gym that I even went to a quackdoctor (chiropractor). He is a major crossfit-er too it turns out. But he said being pregnant there is nothing much he can do adjustment wise to help the sciatic nerve. And he said if I continue doing crossfit with my injury then I can do severe damage to the nerve. So no more crossfit until after I deliver I guess... then its back to getting from fat to fit!

How the time flies

OK so I am a bad parent. I was so overwhelmed and distracted at Porter's birthday party that I only got pictures before the party really started. And the only pictures I got were of the cake (compliments of Harmon's) and the cake pops and cake pop stands I made for Porter's party.... enjoy the two pics lol. I can't believe he is three years old. He is my big boy! Love this little guy to pieces!

Latest Projects....

Well here is Nora's Christmas skirt. Her cape is soon to follow ;)

FINALLY! designed and painted the kids rooms

Leggings and warm-ups (WARNING: THIS IS A PREGNANCY RANT)

OK I know I really need to be thankful that I am able to have children, but I just really need to vent right now. I am only 25 weeks pregnant and I have put on a whopping 16 lbs!!! I hope I am retaining water cause just last week I was only up 11 lbs. I work out EVERY stinking day and I watch what I eat. I am not a pregnant over eater that thinks I can eat for two football players. I just don't understand. I am completely freaking out. With Nora I only gained 21 lbs for the whole pregnancy and Porter I ate whatever I wanted and gained 37. I am going to have a nervous breakdown if I gain 37 or more. If I break past the 21 lbs mark I am going to seriously cry. With Nora, I wore my normal clothes the whole pregnancy and Porter, well I had to wear maternity clothes. But I am not as big as I was with Porter so those jeans are too big and I can't fit in my normal clothes so I guess I will be wearing leggings and warmups the rest of my pregnancy. I HATE BEING FAT!!!!!!!! I was the fat kid growing up my whole life (until I lost weight due to bullying in junior high). I have a fat complex. I don't handle weight gain well at all. I don't think its acceptable to eat unhealthy pregnant or not pregnant. A treat here and there yes. But not an a daily basis. I don't want to sound vain but really I don't care. I do care about my figure and being healthy and in shape. I AM TOTALLY FREAKING OUT HERE!!!!!

A Mystery

Yep. That's right... we had our ultrasound today for baby number 3. The tech said the gender was upfront and easy to see... but we were brave and strong and it still remains unknown. We resisted the temptation! Gender of #3 is a mystery :) To make it less tempting, we opted out of taking home the disc of the ultrsound because it would show images of the gender.
5 months down 3 1/2 more to go. And I am still a health/weight addict with this pregnancy. I ate Cafe Rio today and felt so guilty and disgusted with myself that I went to the gym for the second time in one day. I hope to only gain 9 more lbs. So if I average 1 lb per every 2 weeks like I did with Nora, this will be a breeze.

He Rescued Me

I rarely wear my emotions out on my sleeve, if you know me, you only think you know me. I hate watching chick flicks. I despise them. Such fairy tale drama, prince charming la la la. But that is one thing you do know about me... what you don't know is why I hate chick flicks. I always thought that they were B.S. romance like that doesn't happen in real life... or does it?
This is a tribute to my prince charming. Our fairy tale is far from the story books and not like many others out there. Before I met my prince charming, I always dated guys thinking "This guy could be the one" or "This guy will treat me like a queen" and in the back of my mind I had a dark past that I knew they wouldn't accept. I was a wild and crazy girl. I did outrageous things to escape my reality. I wanted a fairy tale, but didn't think I deserved one. I dated so many guys who I thought I didn't deserve, but I finally realized, they didn't deserve me. So many of these guys knew of my "crazy days" and the wild one I was. And I guess they couldn't handle the stigma if they dated or married me. And you know, I am not bitter and I don't blame them. There is someone meant for everyone.
Just over six years ago, I met someone. Who was the exact opposite of me. And I mean the exact opposite. He was quiet and very reserved. Came from a traditional Presbyterian family. Never got into the drinking or drug scene. And (I hope he doesn't kill me for saying this) but had only kissed two girls his whole life. Me? Well I am outspoken, loud, and very honest. He says I am too honest sometimes. My family is LDS but I was not the good daughter.
So who would have thought (I sure didn't), that a guy like him would be in my league. I figured he would be like all the rest of the other guys and not accept me. But I dated him anyway. I couldn't resist his bashful charm. I figured I would charm him. Lead the ropes, and then when he really got to know me then that was that. Well I was wrong.
Here is my fairy tale and my tribute to truly the most amazing man in my life and in the world.
I remember sitting in the bishops office before we got married. I was having cold feet and wanted advise from my bishop. I was scared that the eternal relationship I was about to enter was more deserving to someone else than I. I will never forget what my bishop said to me. He said that generally when someone has cold feet he has them evaluate the relationship and see if it really is what they want. He doesn't want a marriage ending up in divorce. But he wanted to tell me one thing to consider. He said "I can see in Kyle's eyes that you are a priceless jewel to him. Irreplaceable. And it would crush him, if you ever let him know you have doubts.  So whatever you decide, come to that decision on your own. But don't drag him through the process." So, we sat down one night. My heart overwhelmed with emotion. He had already proposed a few weeks before, but I wanted him to know about my past and the kind of woman he was going to be married to. I sat him down and told him I had things I needed to get off my chest, things he should know. Tears filled my eyes and a huge weight was lifted off of my chest when he interrupted me. He said, "Megan, I don't want to know. Whatever you did in the past is the past, but it has made you into who you are today. And that is the woman I love."
My husband is truly the most amazing, selfless, loving man I know. He really loves me. And I am not an easy person to love. Though his personality is quiet and mine is strong. He sets me straight. He is my medium. I love him more than anything. And I only love him more with each passing day. I don't care if you think I am retarded for wanting to share this. But I needed to share it for myself. My husband rescued me. He is my prince charming. And my life wouldn't be life without him. I have two beautiful children with a third on the way. And I know that my life was meant to be shared with him. He deserves me... and I, well I deserve him.
Honey, if you ever read this, know that you are everything to me. You are the most incredible man I know. And I don't tell you that enough. But I will try my hardest to be everything you deserve and more. I love you. For time and all eternity. We were meant to be.

(Updated) Pictures of the remodel

Update: Scroll to bottom to see pictures of Nora's room

These are the before pictures I downloaded when the sellers had the house listed on the MLS.... this is not my furniture lol.

I hate these stupid arch windows. I can't wait to post the pics of Nora's room (this room) to show you how I resolved that issue for me :)

They had 1/5 of the floor laid in bamboo... ewe. And the rest.... cement.

 Those wood floors may look nice but in real life they were the worst wood floors I have ever seen.

This was their master bedroom. A double bed would only fit in this room... so we finished the basement and made the master down there.



Now here are the after pictures.

 I know the office is a bit bare. We are waiting for two chairs and a chair end table to get here, then I can pick out an area rug. All this tile in the house is exhausting to keep clean. I vacuum twice a day and mop every other day... and it doesn't help I am a clean freak.

 Yes, that is Porter playing on the counter. He is obsessed with washing his hands and cleaning.

 I still have one more coat of stain to do on the island. I want it to be a spanish oak (almost black) when I am done.

 This is the master upstairs. We turned it into Porter's room. I hung drapes in Nora's room, but every time I go to take pics they are napping or in bed... the usual when I have mommy downtime. lol

 Yes, Porter, Nora, and baby #3's rooms still have that stupid bamboo flooring. We are waiting for Porter to stop peeing on the floor before we install the carpet in their rooms....ugh....

 master bedroom

 Arch way to master closet

A flat screen goes on the wall above the night stand. Procrastinating at having the dish people come connect everything.

 Well that is everything for now. I will post pics of the kids rooms once I get updated pics of them. I have added drapes and wall decor. I just need to take new pics. But that is the basics of the remodel. We redid the whole flooring in the house, finished the basement (master bedroom, and the master bath is still under contruction... stupid plumbing issues), repainted the whole house and the kitchen cabinets, added 6 inch trim to the whole house, replaced the hardware everywhere and doors, replaced the lighting fixtures and put in wood blinds throughout the house. Oh and replaced the banister. So the was the extent of our remodel. Next year we are ripping off the siding and doing wood siding, hardyplank and shingle siding.... and reconstructing the landscaping..... Never ending but its worth the extra space for the next 2 years.

 No more arch window... from the inside at least.

Settled at last

Well after months of living with the parents and thousands and thousands of dollars in remodel work our home is finally complete. I will be the first to admit that I am a superficial materialistic brat when it comes to clothing appearance and image. I didn't think I would EVER live on the west side (Riverton is south side so it doesn't count). But it has been truly humbling and I LOVE my new ward. All the cute moms and older ladies came up to me and introduced themselves and I made friends ;) I was so judgmental thinking we would be the only normal ones in my ward but there are so many cute families and moms to now attend play dates with. I really truly miss my old ward and neighbors and friends, but after going to church on Sunday and meeting everyone I am not so sad. So it has been great! Plus I live close to my two sisters and we go to the gym and swimming together with the kids all the time. Its great being so close to family again.
On the pregnancy front everything is great so far. I am switching OB's to a doc at IMC. Alta View is too far to drive now even though I loved my doc. And we are holding strong on not finding out the gender until the baby is born. My sister and her kids have nicknamed the baby "cousin it." Not very nice. But oh well. This pregnancy has me a lot more worn out than the first two. I just barely started getting my energy back and I am still exhausted all day but at least I have enough energy to work out now.
Nora and Porter are doing great in their new house. They love playing with cousins all the time and having their own rooms, even though Porter still climbs into our bed in the early morning/very late night claiming that their is a cow in his bed (yes, my son is still terrified of the chic-fil-a cow). Not a monster or the boogie man, but a cow none the less. But HE LOVES telling Nora to get out of HIS room even though he invades hers all day long. He loves her so much though and is always watching out for her. My kids are so adorable and have the cutest personalities. I just adore them. I can't wait to meet number 3 :) Well that is the latest. I will post pics of the before and after remodel once I find where I unpacked my camera lol. 

Wowzers!!!

Holy cow it has been a while since I have posted anything. So here is a quick update. We bought a house and are almost done remodeling it. I will post before and after photos. Living at my mom's in the meantime.... kill me now... oh Nora has turned 1!!! And I almost forgot if you didnt see on facebook..... I am now 10 weeks pregnant... Yes I know. I am crazy. That puts me at 3 kids under the age of 3. But I am done now. NO MORE kids for me. Anyways, I will post more later.

Not so original

Well as hard as I have tried I have failed at being original. Or maybe I am just a trend setter. My whole life I have wanted to name my first born son Porter, after my hero and great great great grandpas best friend Orin "Porter" Rockwell. And then I thought I would stay old school and name my daughter Nora. Such a short beautiful classic name. So why is it after all my effort of naming my kids with names I have never heard anyone use these names are now on the list of most popular names. WTF PEOPLE. I guess I will have to name my next kids BEATRICE and Maynerd or something. Just thought I would vent a little. I knew that the names would still pop up with others kids and thats ok but come on... Not on the top 100.

Happy 5th Anniversary!!!

Five AMAZING years and two beautiful children later.... I love you sweetheart!

Porter celebrates his 2nd at Kangaroo Zoo

 Well my baby boy is already 2 years old (as of 11/26/2010). Happy Birthday Porter!!! We LOVE you soooo very much!