Tags

I have a couple tags to catch up on (thanks Rachel and Jen). I also think they're pretty fun.

What is your husband’s name? Jeremy Paul Gerritsen

How long have you been together? It's coming up on 7 years since we started dating.

How long did you date? 4 months and engaged for 8 months.

Who eats more? Jeremy--but I can out eat him on occasion.

Who said I love you first? He did.

Who is taller? He is by a whole foot.

Who has more speeding tickets? Probably Jer--but neither of us has gotten one in a long time.

Who is smarter? I say he is and he says I am.

Who is more sensitive? Me, no question. I cry pretty much daily.

Who does the laundry? Me.

Who does the dishes? Me.

Who sleeps on the right? Me and Jer sleeps in the middle.

Who pays the bills? Online and I actually set most of them up when we moved, but Jeremy does the budget.

Who mows the lawn? Jeremy did when we had one.

Who cooks dinner? Me.

Who drives when you are together? He does usually.

Who is more stubborn? I say he is and he says I am. But he really is.

Who kissed whom first? Jeremy did.

Who asked who out first? Jeremy and I didn't want to go.

Who proposed? Jeremy did--I had just moved to Provo for school and then after 9-11 he decided to make it official.

Who has more siblings? I have 4 and he has 2.

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5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. I was 16, so dating
2. driving
3. hanging out with friends and going to the mall
4. attending Puyallup High School
5. working at Hartland Dental.

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Laundry.
2. Get Sam back on a good nap routine.
3. Have a play-date at the park with an old friend, Drea.
4. More laundry.
5. Make plans for a Friday Night date.

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Chocolate
2. String cheese
3. Popcorn
4. Cookies
5. Milk

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay off student loans.
2. Buy a house!
3. Buy a mini van.
4. Take some vacations with and without kids.
5. Donate to charities.

3 bad habits:
1. Interrupting.
2. Getting stressed out about non-important things.
3. Letting Paul watch too much T.V.

5 jobs I've had:
1. Dental office assistant
2. Transnuclear West office assistant/manager
3. Ricks College Writing Center Director's Personal Assistant
4. SEPS Learning Center Education Counselor (glorified tutor)
5.UHEAA--Technical Writer and Project Manager

5 things people probably don't know about me:
1. I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
2. Despite my figure, I eat mostly whatever I want and don't exercise.
3. Jeremy and I decided we would get married after only about a month or so of dating.
4. I used to play the piano, the clarinet and the harp. I've also taken voice lessons and sang a solo in a choir concert.
5. I love to edit.

Photoshoot

So this how cheap I am. I didn't want to spend the money and go through the hassle of professional pictures, so we borrowed my brother-in-law's camera and set up our own "studio." I got some great ones of Sam, but after over 200 pictures only 1 or 2 turned out of the two of them together. It was a crazy time. Here are a few of my favorites though. And if I do say so myself, they are good-looking little fellows.

My Poor Baby

The last few days have been pretty chaotic around here. We took the boys into the doctor on Monday morning since they still had fevers and were becoming more lethargic and less interested in eating and drinking. They were diagnosed with hemophilias influenza--infections in both ears and eyes. They got prescriptions for an antibiotic. We were hopeful that they would start improving quickly, but in the evening Sam was worsening. He wouldn't eat or drink and when I sat him down, he fell over--he couldn't even hold himself upright. We called the doctor and she suggested taking him to Primary Children's Hospital. So I packed a bag and Jeremy and the neighbor gave Sam a blessing. Jer stayed home with Paul to try to sleep (even though he was too worried to) since he had a 6am flight in the morning. Once checked in, they put Sam on oxygen, which he hated. Then I waited with all the "interesting" people for about 5 hours--apparently it was one of the busiest nights in 3 years. Fortunately, the fever came down. When we finally saw the doctor the tests came back Influenza A and RSV positive, so they decided to keep us overnight. By then Sam had perked up and his fever was still down, so I wasn't very worried about him. We got into our room at 3:30am. I tried to get some sleep on the recliner-bed with Sam hooked up to all kinds of monitors and oxygen still and nurses and doctors checking him every 1-2 hours. Jeremy canceled his interview and changed his flight and met us in the morning. Sam slept most of the day, but successfully pulled out his oxygen and so was breathing well on his own. He also started taking his bottles. All good signs which allowed us go home in the afternoon.
It was a stressful experience, but I think I handled it well, considering I had little sleep and was alone most of the time. I did have a little break-down when I went to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. Silly as it is, I felt I had somehow failed as a mother. I never imagined myself there and it was hard to see Sam hooked up to all those monitors and so sick.
Today both boys are doing better. Sam still falls asleep every couple hours, but he's eating and when he's awake he plays and talks more. Paul is whiny and still prefers to sit on the couch with the TV on, but his fever is gone too and he's eating a little more.
I'm so grateful for the power of prayer and that my boys have been so healthy most of their lives. I can't imagine parents that have to spend a lot of time in hospitals worrying about their kids. I'm also so grateful for doctors, nurses and medicines that work so well. I hope I never have to spend another night in the hospital with a sick baby.

Happy Birthday, Dear Samuel

One year ago I gave birth to the sweetest baby in the world. He really is.
Here are a few fun facts about Sam's birth:
1. He was born, all natural, four days before his due date after about 6 hours of labor.
2. An Enya CD was playing when he was born.
3. He was 7 lbs. 2 oz.
4. He was born at 9:23 a.m. on February 9, 2007.
5. He shares his birthday with two administers at Pacific University, who wanted to name him Kenester after them.
6. After the ultrasound that confirmed he was a boy, Jeremy said, "I think his name is Samuel" and I agreed. Before that Jeremy was hoping to name him Jacob after his grandpa.
7. His middle name, Spencer, is my maiden name.

Sam is an easy-going little guy, although he started throwing tantrums (stomping his feet and getting red in the face and all) when things don't go his way. He's also very meticulous and will sit and put a lid on a container over and over again or stack a few blocks on top of each other. He likes to push cars and trucks around and chase a ball. He can walk between furniture and Mom and Dad, but prefers to crawl to get around. He's obsessed with riding his wheeled horse and can get on and off and ride backward and forwards. (This is also the item that causes the most tantrums!) He likes to babble and says about 10 words. He can point to his head on command, whistle and whisper. He stills love to cuddle and snuggle.

Poor little Sam was sick on his first birthday. He poked at his presents, ripped a couple pieces and then wanted Mommy to hold him. After a while he dug in to his cake and tasted a few bites. It was so sad that he was so sick, especially since I'd been so excited about watching him enjoy his birthday. I got a few cute pictures of him the day before, playing in his truck and included those.

I am so very blessed to be Samuel's mother. He's a very special little boy and I love him so much. He makes our family more complete and we love watching him grow and learn. Happy Birthday, my sweet Sam-man.

Recipe Contest

We're tired of eating the same things for dinner, so I'm calling for your family's favorite dinner recipes. We'll try them all and select our favorite. The winner gets a $10 gift certificate to a restaurant of your choice. (Only one submission per family.) Thanks for playing!

Beach Day

What do you do when it's 20 degrees and snowy outside? Go to the beach! Paul's been asking to go to the beach and so we decided to bring it home. I bought some sand toys and play sand and put them in the tub. Unfortunately Sam was scared of the sand, but Paul had a great time. We finished our trip with a picnic dinner (hot dogs, veggies, fruit, chips, jello, and soda pop).

Where, Oh Where Did My Baby Boy Go?

Paul's really growing up lately and I thought I should write a few cute things down so I'll remember them one day.
1.He's finally into learning his letters. He picked up really fast and knows them all now (thanks to Super Why more than me I think). He usually enjoys our "preschool time" while Sam takes a morning nap. He still surprises me with how much he understands. In church he handed me the M and said "M is for Mom." (loved that!) Yesterday he stood with his legs together and arms out and said, "Look I'm a T." And then as we were driving he explained how there was an L in the snow ("a long straight line, then it makes an L, see mom?") Now we're moving on to numbers.
2.He's also excited about bad words. Great. Fortunately they aren't that bad yet (like stupid), but still it makes me sad that I can't keep him innocent forever. He likes to pick ones like dang it (which I explain is not really bad, but still not the best word to use) and then say that's his favorite.
3.There's nothing he doesn't know. End of story. Don't bother explaining further--he's always right.
4. He is Mr. Contrary. We tried a little reverse psychology on him and it was pretty funny to watch. To sum it up he said, in the bouncy house at Bouncin' Off the Walls, "The kids said I had to leave so now I can't go out!"
5. Finally, finally he plays by himself! His imagination is really fun to watch and he likes blocks and tracks and all kinds of games now. I get a few minutes to myself when he's not in bed! Priceless!
It's hard to believe how big he's getting. I hate to think about the days when he doesn't need me and I won't get so many cuddles, hugs and kisses.