Life is peachy

This is last week's update but I'm dragging ass lately, fatigue has decided to hit again.

The Lyon family had a pretty full week. We found out that next month Steven has to start a hectic new schedule. Its basically working one week a normal 8am - 5pm and the next week 11am - 8pm, while alternately working Saturdays as well. The really crappy part is that he will be alternating this crazy schedule with my dad so our family events are going to be put on hold for a few months.

Steven and my dad worked this schedule last year as well and it was very difficult on the family, this year I am mostly worried about how this will effect my yoga class haha. I have yoga on Monday and Thursday from 5:45 - 6:45pm so I will need to figure out how this will work. I'm hoping my instructor will work with me and allow me to pay per class instead of per month. We shall see.

Avery in her new apron that her great-grandmother made her :D

Steven and I were supposed to spend this weekend in McCall properly celebrating our 4 year anniversary but we had to reschedule. Steven is (well was) considered a private contractor because of his work-from-home job, the downside of that is: 1. he got paid twice a month BUT it was via snail mail so we were never sure when his paycheck would actually come. 2. his private contractor status was making it very difficult to get a mortgage. 3. taxes were not taken out of his paychecks so we ended up owing an entire year of taxes when we filed. Starting January 1st, Steven made the switch to a regular employee so that he has taxes taken out and actually gets a W-2. The terrible part is that he got a regular 2 week paycheck at the end of December and won't get paid again until January 31st. So during this transition we've had a month's worth of bills and only a 2 week paycheck to pay them. We've eaten so much top ramen and microwavable burritos lol. So we rescheduled our McCall trip for March when we have money.

Puddle jumping

In baby-related news: I am now 13 weeks and feeling absolutely gigantic. My baby app says the baby is the size of a peach but seriously its like James and the Giant Peach in there :/ I've unintentionally lost another 1 1/2 pounds this week, but the baby is still growing fine. We had an ultrasound this week, I was told at my first appointment I would only get 1 ultrasound at 20 weeks, so it was nice to see the baby this early. This baby is camera shy just like Avery was, both hands covering the face haha. I find myself referring to the baby as "he" now. With Avery I had the undeniable gut feeling that she was a girl from the very beginning but I don't have that with this baby. I kind of feel like it will be a boy so I'm just going with it for now because Steven and I are still undecided on whether or not we are finding out the gender. Steven 100% wants to find out the gender ASAP, while I change my mind about a million times a day on the subject.

Three years and three months

This week our beautiful daughter turned 3 years old! Avery came into this world two days late but made up for it with a quick and easy labor. She was 7 lbs 9 oz and 19.5 in long - at 3 years old she is 29.5 lbs and 38 in. We celebrated Avery's birthday at our home this year, she chose a Cars theme. The party didn't have a big turn-out but all of the important people in Avery's life made it which is all that really matters. This kid is seriously spoiled, I'm glad she had a great last Christmas and birthday as an only child before its not all about her. My favorite gift was a 5ft tall wooden growth chart. My grandparents have a certain spot on their wall where they measure all the kids and grandkids on their birthday. I really want something like that for our kids but since we don't own a home yet it would be pointless to mark up a wall that we can't take with us. The wooden growth chart really takes care of that for us :) Avery's favorite gift was a tie between a doll house and a Hello Kitty airplane haha. Although she got $3 from her great-grandmother and instantly hid it behind her back to hide it from us haha.

In new baby news I am now 12 weeks. Its funny to think that Avery is 3 years and I am 3 months along. I started feeling little baby movements this week, but I only really notice them when I am not pre-occupied with life. We got the baby's new car seat this week, we went with a Chicco Keyfit 30 which was the number 1 car seat in America in 2014 and is the leader going into 2015. This baby is really lucky because we learned from a lot of car seat mistakes with Avery. We were first time parents, living in a country that has no car seat laws, with no family or friends to guide us, and no one corrected us when they noticed errors - no one wants to offend new parents by pointing out what they are doing wrong but I really wish they had.

Our of the top 10 car seat mistakes that parents make, Steven and I made 5 of them!

1. Getting a used car seat. That's exactly what we did. We bought a car seat from someone we didn't know, had no idea if it had been in an accident, and it was missing parts. Oh boy, a trifecta of stupidity. So obviously we can't use Avery's old seat for the new baby.
2. Placing the car seat in the wrong spot. One we didn't fail yay.
3. Using the car seat as a replacement crib. Turns out letting a baby sleep in a car seat (when not traveling) is bad for the baby. We would often let Avery sleep in her car seat even after we got home. Our thought was why wake a sleeping baby?
4. Incorrectly installing the car seat an/or buckling up your child. Our used seat didn't come with a manual so we didn't know that we needed a metal seat belt lock (which was also missing). We put the seat in the middle using a lap belt that didn't even lock. Even a fender bender could have been fatal, 43% of parents also install a car seat too loose.
As far as buckling up goes, we screwed this up too. Our seat didn't have a strap adjuster that would loosen or tighten the straps. Avery's straps were occasionally too loose because any time we wanted to tighten her straps we had to manually re-thread them through the back, which we did not do every single time. Buckling up properly includes: tight straps (68% of parents fail), non-tangles straps, chest clip on the chest (33% failure), and making sure the straps are at the right height (at or below the shoulder for rear-facing, at or above for forward-facing.
5. Reclining the car seat at the incorrect angle. Another thing we didn't fail, but probably would have if our seats weren't perfectly angled to handle Avery's seat.
6. Moving to a forward-facing seat too soon.  A shocking 75% of people forward-face before the recommended age of TWO. Even worse, 24% forward-face before ONE (which is ILLEGAL). We turned Avery around the second she turned 1, and we bought a forward-facing seat only so when we realized our mistake months later we were too poor to buy another seat. We were able to buy a new car seat shortly after Avery's 2nd birthday when I started working, she's been rear-facing ever since :)
7. Dressing your child in bulky clothing. We didn't fail but ONLY because we failed # 9.
8. Not using the top tether. Something else we didn't fail. Forward-facing car seats have 3 tethers, 2 at the base and 1 at the top. Only 42% of parents actually use that top tether though. Using the top tether decreases how far your child's head goes forward in a crash by 4-8 in.
9. Using after-market accessories. We used a Bundle-Me and head support with Avery. Basically if it didn't come with the car seat it hasn't been crash tested with the seat and therefore isn't considered safe. This goes for strap covers, head support, Bundle-Me, seat protectors, dangly toys, etc.
10. Putting an infant seat on the top of the a shopping cart. We never did this but I see it every time I go to the store. I always hear "well, mine snaps in perfectly." No, it doesn't. Every car seat manual (excluding Babytrend) specifically says NOT to put a car seat on top of the cart.

Our new car seat :D

Its a miracle Avery even survived to be honest. One minor crash could have easily taken her life. I wish that the hospital staff would have said something or even bothered to check. No one checked her straps, our installation, and the only comment the staff made was that she looked comfy all snuggled up in her aftermarket products. 93% of parents make a mistake when it comes to installing the seat or strapping in the newborn when they leave the hospital. Yikes, here's hoping as 2nd time and more informed parents we can avoid making those 5 mistakes again.

Out with the old, in with the new

This week was a fun one because some family from California drove up to spend the week with us :) My mom's younger brother and his family visited last year as well, I'm hoping it becomes a tradition because I really love seeing them.

Steven tried his hand out at predator hunting last Saturday with his dad. The pair were gone for nearly 12 hours and saw absolutely nothing haha. The next day Steven went snow tubing with my whole family like we did for our 3 year anniversary. Avery and I stayed home for obvious reasons on both days so it was a mommy-daughter weekend :)

I started prenatal yoga on Monday, honestly it was much more difficult than I expected. I was actually pretty sore the next day, it was embarrassing haha. There are only 2 other women in my class so it was nice to learn in a small group setting. My favorite part of the class was the 10 minute cool down at the end: we laid on our mats with a pillow and blanket in the dark :)

Steven and I saw something slightly disturbing this week :/ While picking up Avery from daycare we noticed a small baby alone in a car. The baby was awake, without a blanket when it was 20-something out, and in a very portable infant car seat. I didn't understand why a parent would leave the child but I tried to withhold judgement. I waited in the car while Steven went inside to get Avery and inform the daycare staff of the situation. Minutes ticked by and I was prepared to call the police if Steven returned before the baby's parent but just as I was looking up the number for dispatch the mother showed up. If looks could kill I'm positive that woman would have dropped dead from the glare Steven gave her. Again, I am trying to withhold judgement since I do not know the struggles of two children yet, but I am really hoping I never get to a point where I am complacent enough or lazy enough to just leave either of my children in the car. Unfortunately, there are only 19 states that have laws in place making illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle, Idaho is not one of them :(

2015!!

The year started off great with a family trip to McCall. We went on a sleigh ride pulled by 3 Clydesdale into a herd of elk. The seats on the sleigh are hay bales so the elk came right up to you and ate the hay under your butt haha. Avery thought the elk were adorable, she initially thought they were Santa's reindeer but then decided that since most of them didn't have antlers they couldn't be. It was awesome to do the sleigh ride with Avery since Steven and I did the sleigh ride during our honeymoon.

The rest of the long weekend was pretty fun. Steven and I took Avery out to Red Robin for her birthday dinner, we let her order whatever she wanted which ended up being mac-n-cheese and carrots. After dinner the staff sang "If it's your birthday (happy) and you know it clap your hands", Avery was clapping like crazy, then they brought her a giant sundae.

My uncle and his family left for California early on the 2nd. We're hoping to take a trip to California next year, Steven is dying to take Avery to Disneyland, plus it will be the first time our extended family get to meet the new baby. It will be interesting to see how the whole family gets to California though. I will 100% be flying alone with 2 kids before I make that drive with them. At this point, I think Steven will be driving while we fly. With the recent string of plane crashes and the fact that 2 years ago we had a very traumatic flight I am starting to think that he may never willingly board a plane again. It will be interesting but we have a year to work out the logistics :)

Baby Lyon

I am 11 weeks pregnant now and the baby is the size of a lime. Nothing too exciting has happened pregnancy-wise. I'm pretty sure the morning sickness is completely gone but I still have little to no appetite. I picked up a few flowy shirts this week, I'm not ready for maternity shirts but my regular shirts are uncomfortably snug. 

11 weeks

Resurrection

I am attempting to resurrect this very dead blog. Working a full time job + raising a toddler + the very uninteresting life I live has left me with nothing to write about. I'm hoping that will change for a short bit as we now have some excitement going on. I am pregnant!! I doubt there is anyone that doesn't already know this considering we told family via Christmas cards and friends over Facebook.

Well, I am 10 weeks mad finally feeling a bit better. I wasn't very sick with Avery but I was slightly more ill with this baby, no throwing up thankfully, but still very nauseous. Fatigue has been rampant but this time around I have a pre-schooler and a career so naps are not an option. (Yeah, Avery started pre-school 2 weeks ago. I really don't appreciate her growing up). In addition to morning sickness and fatigue I am also battling teenage acne, super sore breasts, and getting thicker around the middle. Overall, I am a mess at this point haha.

In August I started using portion control, kind of, I still eat way more than a recommended serving size but I am no longer stuffing my face with food until I want to die. Since then I have lost 15lbs, although you wouldn't know it since I am already in my maternity pants lol. I start prenatal yoga in January to keep me fit, I was a gym rat with Avery but I really don't have that kind of time anymore.

So all is well I'm the Lyon household at this point. We plan to stay in our Nampa home for another year because I really don't feel like moving while pregnant. Avery is growing insanely quick, I am only able to write this because we are at Jabbers (a giant indoor play place). Steven is still working from home, he just finished his fall semester of college and is currently out predator hunting with his dad.

Until next week folks.

10 weeks

Hospital nightmares

On September 29th, I had a biopsy of a lymph node in my neck. I went to the hospital at 8:45 am and was assured by the staff it would be a quick 10 minutes procedure and I'd be on my way, but that's not how it happened at all. First of all we were in a TINY room with myself on the bed, the ultrasound machine, the ultrasound tech, the tech-in-training, the doctor, and the pathologist...The ultrasound tech was there to guide the doctor during the procedure but the small wand wouldn't work for some reason so they had to use the big one (like the one's used during pregnancy), the lymph node is right under my chin so the wand had to be pressed very hard against my jaw bone to see properly. I was initially told that the doctor would either do a thin needle biopsy or a core biopsy but at the last second he decided to do BOTH. I told the nurse I don't do well with needles, naturally the first thing out of the doctor's mouth was: "Wow, that is a HUGE needle!" I wanted to kick him in the shin. The doctor numbed me before the procedure, he stuck me 8 times before I was fully numb. The thin needle biopsies weren't horrible but it was a really weird sensation that I didn't like. To get the sample the doctor had to insert the long thin needle into my neck and then shake the needle and myself around like crazy - he did that 4 times.

The core biopsies were much more awful. The doctor used a long hollow needle to pierce my lymph node and snip a piece of the "core", that was the plan at least. The doctor stupidly held the needle in front of my face while talking with the nurse so I saw how big that thing was, seriously it looked like one of those coffee straws. As soon as the needle went into my neck I felt discomfort, he removed the needle and inserted it several different times before he found a spot he like. At that point discomfort had turned to pain, I told the doctor but he assured me I was numb. I was embarrassed and tried to tough it out but it was increasingly painful, I was focusing on the ultrasound tech to distract from the pain but she looked horrified which wasn't comforting.  The doctor finally got tired of my pained sounds and begrudgingly agreed to numb me so more. As he removed the needled from my neck he commented to the tech that I have very thick skin (side story: I've heard that a lot in the past but most memorably is when I got my belly buttoned pierced. The guy couldn't get the needle into my skin and had to have someone basically hold me down because I was being pushed off the table in an attempt to pierce me. The guy took a 5 minute break before piercing my cousin because he said his hand hurt from applying so much pressure.) Anyhow, the doctor couldn't get the needle into my lymph node and actually bent the needle in an attempt to do so which is why the tech looked so horrified. I was not a happy camper when the doctor asked for the biggest, strongest needle they had instead. The biopsy attempt with the larger needled caused a lot of bleeding and had to be done twice.

The "10 minute" procedure took nearly 2 hours because of all the mishaps. I was in SO much pain afterwards that I skipped out on work, I wasn't even allowed to take anything for the pain because of the bleeding risk. It was a really crappy Monday.

Last weekend Steven and I saw Jim Gaffigan (the comedian) in Boise. We don't have TV, only Netflix, and we don't often listen to the radio so we had NO idea that Jim Gaffigan was even coming to Idaho until a few days before the show. Steven scoured Craigslist for several days and managed to get us tickets! I had so much fun at the show, my entire torso was so sore from all the laughing. The only part about the show that was sucky is the fact that it didn't start until 9:45 pm and I had mandatory overtime at work the next morning. I was barely coherent the next morning at work but afterwards I met Steven, Avery, and my parents for lunch before we all went Christmas shopping together (spoiler alert: Avery is the most spoiled toddler ever).

Steven and I at the show

We've been doing Sunday family breakfast instead of family dinner because of Quinn's work schedule. I skipped this week's breakfast to sleep in, but Steven and Avery ate with my parents. I'm glad my mom got to see Avery before her trip to Arizona for work stuff.

I finally got my biopsy results on Tuesday the 7th. I got horrible news :( All the pain I went through was for absolutely nothing. The biopsy revealed nothing because the IDIOT doctor never actually biopsied the lymph node. Seriously?! WTF was he stabbing at for 2 hours then?? To add insult to injury the ENT doctor said whatever is causing the swelling is "probably" not cancer but he can't be sure. I wanted to throw an adult-sized temper tantrum right then and there. The ENT doc said the only thing they can do is completely remove the lymph node but he warned that there is a nerve belt dangerously close to that lymph node and if anything goes wrong part of my mouth could be paralyzed. Hmmmm, let me see. Should I let the idiot, who can't even poke my lymph node with a needle, cut my neck wide open and possible paralyze my mouth? The answer is no.

The remainder of the week was pretty dull. We went to my parent's house on Saturday for a family meal. My mom made her AMAZING chicken casserole, needless to say we all ate until we were sick. My dad surprised Avery with a play tent, she loved it! After dinner we went to Cassius' 2nd birthday party. I first met Cassius at Avery's 1st birthday party. He was born at 28 weeks and after 3 months give or take, he was released from the hospital. He's such a little love bug, he stole my heart.

Avery and her Mimi

Sunday was mellow and wonderful. We met my parents for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel. Last time we went there my dad bought Avery a battery powered pig that walks and oinks. This time around he bought her a Peppa Pig stuff animal haha and halfway through breakfast my dad left the table to buy her a George Pig (Peppa's little brother). My dad spoils Avery. We went group shopping afterwards, Yvette met us at the store so it was a real party then. After shopping we swapped cars with Yvette so she could spend some time with Avery. Steven and I went home to be productive, he did 5 hours of homework! He is going hunting next week so he has to get all of his assignments in early. Avery and I spent the evening decorating for Halloween :) And she got to wear her new Elsa (from Frozen) outfit.

Avery Quinn

The big update

Steven recently started his college classes so we've been much busier than usual. Steven is going to school full time and working full time so all the other stuff falls on me completely, its a real bummer for both of us. So I will try to give a rough update of the last few weeks.

I was watching Cassius and Conner for a few weeks before I had to stop because of our new busy schedule. After work I would pick up the boys from day care, pick up Avery from my mom's house, and watch the kids at my house. I had to drive the Durango to fit the kids and luckily I own three car seats.

Avery had a weird lump on her back that seemed to pop up out of nowhere. She had been complaining of back pain for a few days before the lump showed up, it was squishy and bruised. The lump was close to her spine so we decided to get it checked out. A trip to the ER, the pediatrician, and one ultrasound later it turned out to be a cyst that went away on its own by the time the doctor figured out what it was haha.

A big milestone - Avery transitioned from her crib to a big girl bed! Steven found a twin bed online for super cheap :) Avery helped us dismantle the crib and picked out new sheets, she chose Hello Kitty.

Mom and I got our second tattoos together. Our first tattoos last year were for Avery, our second tattoos were for us (and kind of Avery haha). We always give what we call "love hands" whenever we leave each other, its very special to me.

Steven, my mom, and I took Avery to the Western Idaho Fair. I have no idea where she learned what a ferris wheel is but she was asking non-stop to ride the ferris wheel.

Before Steven started his college classes we had one last hoorah. Steven, my parents, Jan, and I went to Lucky Peak with a rented jet ski and spent the day hanging out. It was a great day but on the drive home Quinn called to say that he was going to the ER. I was the first one to reach the hospital, Quinn had dislocated his good shoulder, he had surgery on his right shoulder 4 years ago and now the left one is acting up :( Poor guy.

Avery has been begging to come to work with me for weeks and she finally got her wish. My mom usually picks Avery up from school but one day had a meeting and couldn't get her on time. I work with the most amazing and understanding people who told me to bring Avery to the office since it was nearly the end of the day. Thankfully Avery behaved herself while I finished up my work :)

Yvette, Steven and I took Avery to the Boise Balloon Festival. We were up ridiculously early to see the balloons launch but Avery was being cuddly and let me wear her around :) She absolutely loved the hot air balloons.

Sometime during July Avery had a little red spot appear under her eye, it looked like a red freckle. Avery scratched the red spot and it bled for almost 2 hours! Over the course of a few weeks the red spot swelled up to a gross squishy bump, Avery called it her "blood eye". We decided to get it removed when 1. Avery could see it out of the corner of her eye, and 2. when the kids at her day care started making fun of it (little bastards). Removal was extremely easy, I put numbing gel on her face 40 minutes before the procedure. The nurse at the dermatology clinic injected her face to further numb it, I was so proud of her, she didn't even cry even though she said it hurt. When everything was good and numb the dermatologist came in and sliced the bump off her face with a razor blade and then cauterized it. Avery did AMAZING!! No one had to hold her down, she laid perfectly still during the procedure, she didn't cry or whine.

A lymph node in my neck has been swelling at random times for several months now. I've had exams, blood work, an ultrasound, etc. Finally my doctor referred me to an ears/nose/throat specialist. The doctor confirmed that my lymph node was enlarged and ordered a CT scan. I've had a CT scan before, it was several years ago in preparation for my first chest surgery. I had no idea that the doctor had ordered it with contrast :( When I got to the hospital the nurse set up an IV and injected me with the contrast, my chest felt like it was on fire and then it felt like I was peeing my pants...so fun. I felt crappy the rest of the day. I got my results the following week and they were inconclusive :( The ENT doc put a long camera up my nose and determined it was time for a biopsy. I'm so done with it all.

Other random photos:

Avery is now rear-facing again. Its the safest way to travel until 4 years old and that's my goal.

Mom and I look identical. This is two photos blended together. On the right is me at the Spartan race, on the left is mom in her 20's (she's actually holding baby me in the original photo)

Sadie has fattened up and is a very wonderful dog, Avery LOVES her.

Avery and Mimi taking a cat-nap.

Avery Quinn - 2 years old

The Fourth of July

JULY - Avery is now closer to being 3 years old than she is to being 2 years old! Holy cow!

Avery is doing amazing on her potty training, she reached her goal of using the potty 10 times in a flash. To celebrate her hard work Steven and I took her to Jabbers - Jabbers is an indoor play place for young kids, it is the perfect place to burn off energy during a hot summer day.

On July 3rd Avery and I made shirts for the 4th of July. I made Avery's shirt and Avery made my shirt and a shirt for my mom. It was a huge mess haha. 

The final result

On that same day Steven went over to my parents' house to see a dog that they had found the night before, it was love at first sight. Steven took the dog to the vet to see if she had a chip and to get her checked out, the dog was malnourished and dehydrated. The dog wasn't chipped but she did have a tattoo in her ear which indicted she was pure. We checked several sources to see if anyone was looking for the dog but came up empty so we took her home. She is a German wire-hair pointer, we named her Sadie :)

We spent July 4th at my parents' house for the annual block party, there was tons of food and fun. Steven was in charge of the fireworks again this year, but since Quinn didn't spend the holiday with us, Steven had to do it alone - it was a great show though. Kristen and the boys came over to watch the fireworks with us :)

The month prior Steven had won a horseback ride for 2 in Grandjean, which is a few hours away. I had never been horseback riding before so it pretty exciting for me :) The ride was an hour long through the woods, the view was absolutely amazing! It was the first ride of the season so some of the horses were being ornery, Steven's horse was sooo slow, even the guide's horse had an attitude, my horse was great though.