We Found Him!!!!!!!!!!

The ongoing saga that is Samson has been resolved! Here's the scoop: Samson probably squeezed out of our gate (which will be promptly fixed) and was wandering the streets. A man that lives a street down took him and kept him in his yard. A lady that lives down our street saw him back there and thought he might be our dog. She then saw the signs that Derek and his family posted for us and gave me a call. Annie and her sisters and Craig's dad all headed out to our house and let us know where he was. Mike went over and confronted the man and was able to get him back. It seemed as though Samson had conveniently "lost" his collar. So now, Samson is safely at Derek's house. Whew! We are so glad he didn't get picked up by a coyote and that we are able to keep him with us. He's getting walked every day now and we will definately not take him for granted (even though he pees on all our stuff) Here's to a Happy New Year and to prayers being answered!

Samson is lost!!!!!!!!!

We cannot find Samson anywhere! Please, please keep an eye out for him. Call Craig or Robyn and let us know if you see him. In case you forgot what an awesome dog he is, you can be reminded by looking at this awesome video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZrNeF66fWQ

He is a boston terrier, black and white with a little brindle, a white marking that looks like a "3" on the top of his head, and about 18 lbs. Please help us find him! :(

Nutcracking

Get your minds out of the gutter!

On Saturday I got a nice surprise from Craig. He had bought tickets for the Nutcracker Ballet down at the Spreckles Theater in San Diego to celebrate our 4th anniversary. It was an unexpected surprise because a) I forgot that our anniversary was coming up and b) I had given up on the nutcracker this year because we've been so busy. We had a wonderful time and I can only describe it as magical. We had great seats and enjoyed walking around downtown San Diego. We even contemplated going ice skating. After that, we enjoyed a tasty meal at Chicago on the Bun.

The performers were AMAZING. The kids were adorable. It was the first real ballet I've seen and the first time I've been able to see the Nutcracker. I loved every minute of it! Thanks Craig!

Some Randomness

Here's some random fun - First is a picture of Rex next to a photo of Craig's dad when he was a baby. Quite a resemblance, don't you think? Then we took Abby and Rex on their 1st bike ride together. We rode about half way up Bautista Canyon and they did great together. No crying at all! It was a miracle.

Happy Halloween!

I thought I'd finally get around to posting our Halloween pics. I'm really proud of these costumes this year because I made them myself, well, except Craig's. It was my first real sewing project and it was tough, but I think they turned out great. I think next year we'll be vikings!

Sassy

Abby: Where's Grandpa?
Me: He's at the other church.
Abby: The black church?

Me: Abby, do you need a spanking?
Abby: Right here. (pointing to her buns)

Good times...

Abby eating raspberries

This is Craig posting. I taped this sweet video of Abby eating raspberries. At the beginning of the video she is finishing off a cookie. As you can see, it is not a good idea to follow cookies with raspberries!

A letter to my children

My dear, sweet, darling children,

I wanted to write you a letter to help you learn the things you should do and the things you should NOT do.

First, my sweet, sweet Abby. You are my first born. I love that you love to help take care of your brother, but there are some things you should know about him. The only milk he drinks is mommy's milk. He is not ready for cow's milk yet, but I am glad that you wanted to share. Next time let's not put your sippy cup full of milk directly in his mouth and let the milk come out. He also does not eat dog food. I know you enjoy a little dog food now and then, but dog food is only for the doggies. I thought we learned that lesson last year. But Rex especially should not eat it. He does not know how to eat solid food like that and he could choke. Next time you want to put a piece of dog food in his mouth when mommy is not looking, remember that he is still a little baby and does not eat people food, let alone dog food.

Which brings us to you Rex. While you are such a joy to have, your constant spitting up needs to end. I know you like to share your meal with the dogs by letting everything you just ate to spill on the floor, but the doggies have their own food. You are also not supposed to be getting your canine teeth. Babies are supposed to get their canines when they are much older than 3 months old. Abby was almost 1 when she started getting teeth, but I know you are very impatient, as you showed me when you were born. So I guess 3 months is a good time to start getting teeth for you. Please keep the drooling to a minimum.

I love you both very much and I hope this letter will clear a few things up.

Love always,

Mommy

Things I've learned over the summer...

This summer I learned a lot of new things. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Always plan to have your babies before it gets really hot. Otherwise, you will be miserable.
2. When you have a baby in the summer and that baby wants to be held all the time and spits up a lot, you will never look or smell good.
3. Making jam and canning peaches makes you hot, and by hot I mean sweaty hot, not good-looking hot.
4. Cars are best used as a means of transportation, not as an ambulance. Trust me, it is better for all parties involved.
5. Having good insurance really does make a difference.
6. It IS possible to lose all your baby weight.
7. Making your kids take naps at the same time will make you a much happier person.
8. Eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day makes you feel good.
9. Watching educational DVD's with your 2 year old is good for them, but not necessarily good for you when you get the songs stuck in your head. (Dang you Mr. Websley and your talking letters!)
10. Macs are awesome and make even more awesome videos.
11. Having an income is better than not having one.
12. It's amazing how you learn to conserve everything when you have almost nothing.
13. Hard work pays off in the end.
14. Don't ever get a long-haired dog, unless you want to vacuum up dog hair on a daily basis.
15. You get what you pay for when you buy a vacuum.
16. You can't stay mad at a kid when they are so stinkin' cute.
17. When your newborn starts laughing, it melts your heart and you remember why you had kids.

It's amazing how much you can learn in so short a time!

We just got a new Mac, and I made this video on iMovies.
Be prepared to see the most awesome thing you have ever seen!

If you can't see it then go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZrNeF66fWQ

Silly Abby

Rex hates his car seat. He cries anytime we go anywhere. We usually just let him cry and he runs out of steam after about 5 minutes. Last night, when we were driving home, he started crying and then quickly ran out of steam. When we were almost home, he started crying again and Abby yelled, "No, baby Reck, No cry!" She was just saying what we all were thinking...

Abby vs. Rex

Ever since Abby was born, we've always said she was super-advanced...practically a genius. So now that Rex is here, we're wondering if he is super advanced as well. Today we got our answer. We were trying to get Abby to pee in her little potty and she was not interested at all. So we told her Rex was going to take a turn on the potty. Of course, at this she screamed "NOOOOO, Abby's turn!" So she sat down. Of course, there were no results from this. So Abby and Rex took turns sitting on the potty and when it was Rex's turn, HE WENT PEE!!! IN THE POTTY!!!! How advanced is that!! Abby can't even do that yet. Score...Abby 0 Rex 1...until a few hours later we overheard Abby "reading" one of her books and she counted to 9 all by herself!! Abby 1 Rex 1.

Busy Busy Busy

We had a very busy couple of weeks. First, Abby celebrated her 2nd birthday with some family. Then Tad and his family and Dan came down to visit for the fourth of July weekend. We went to the beach on the 3rd, swam on the 4th, and we had Rex's baby blessing on the 5th. And to top it off, Craig had to take his RD exam on the 7th...today. He just called me and told me that he passed, which means he is now officially a registered dietician and can start working!! Woohoo!! What a crazy couple of weeks. And tomorrow, his brother, Kevin, comes home from his mission in Russia. Whew!

Rex just chillin' at the beach. He slept pretty much the entire time we were there.

Abby playing in the sand. She wasn't too excited about getting in the water - it was a little cold.

Abby dancing with her cousins.

Showing of some dress-up earrings she got for her birthday.

When I asked Abby what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, she said "Samson cake." What my baby wants, my baby gets. I made this out of cupcakes and sugar cookies. I thought it was a pretty good likeness.

Baby to go, please

Alright everybody, here is the whole story. It is going to get very graphic, so be prepared. It all started around 12:30am on Thursday. I woke up with contractions about 4 minutes apart. I got some water and laid down, thinking it was probably false labor. When they didn't stop I got up and walked around a little and got the number for the hospital to call to see if I should come in. At this point they started coming faster and harder so they said come on in. We raced over to Craig's parents house to drop off Abby, who I'm sure was scared by all my groaning in the car. As we were leaving Craig's mom tossed a few towels into the car, thank goodness, because we sure needed them. I'm not sure she's going to want those back.

So next we start racing to the hospital. My contractions were getting so close I almost had no break in between them. Craig was driving about 90 mph the whole way there and ran a few red lights. The pain was getting so intense that I started screaming, and I'm not a screamer, if that tells you how much it hurts. By the time we got to Van Buren I started feeling the urge to push. I tried not to, but eventually I just did a little push to relieve the pressure and his little head just popped out. At this point, I had taken off my pants and seatbelt and was squatting in the front seat. Just then my water broke and he slid out the rest of the way. I caught him like a fly ball and then held him close. He gave a little cry and then was quiet, but his color was good and we figured he would be okay until we got to the hospital, since I hadn't delivered the placenta. I wrapped one of the towels around him. We were about 10 or 15 minutes away from the hospital in Riverside. When we got there, Craig ran into the ER and yelled, "MY wife just had a baby in the car" and 4 people came running out to help. They clamped the cord outside and gave us warm blankets. I had to walk from the car to the gurney, which was quite a feat because Rex was still attached to me. I climbed onto the gurney and they wheeled me into the ER.

Once we got inside, they cut the cord, checked Rex's vitals and whisked him away to the NICU, oh and that was because he was covered in meconium. I guess he had a little accident while he was in my belly. I delivered the placenta in the ER and then after a while I went up to labor and delivery, where I got stitched up and then went to the recovery room. It happened all so fast. I had even told Craig before we left for the hospital that I thought Rex was going to come fast and furious and he did. Thankfully, we were both in good shape and we are both doing well. Rex was 8 lbs even and 21 inches long - a big boy! I feel totally hardcore for having gone through this experience. I feel like a triathlon is a piece of cake now. I could probably do one right now. :)

I turn my back for 1 minute...

I turn my back for one minute, and what happens? Abby finds my eyeliner, takes off the cap and tries to do her own makeup. Not a bad job, I might add. I really like how she connected her two eyes together with that nice straight line. At least she didn't poke her eyes out...

Yay for Craig!!!

Last night was Craig's internship graduation. Finally!! His days of slavery are over! Now he gets to take a month off to study for the RD exam and then hopefully start working at an awesome hospital and bringing home some bacon. I started having contractions on the way to the graduation, but it turned out that they were just triggered by my full bladder. We are hoping for a baby this weekend to cap off a wonderful week! Thanks for all your hard work Craig!

The wonderous spaghetti squash

We tried spaghetti squash for the first time today. It was pretty much the most awesome thing ever. We made it so it would be just like spaghetti. It was not that different, just a little different texture. And I felt cool because practically the whole meal was made of vegetables. Yes, that's right. We get really excited over vegetables here. Does that make us nerds? Well, we do go to bed around 8 or 9, so probably...

Bye Bye "Ba Ba"

It has been a great week here at the Pulsiphers. On Monday we told Abby to get her pacifier and throw it in the trash. So what did she do? She ran into her room and got her pacifier and slam dunked it into the trash. We had a little celebration and then she went to bed without it. She has had 2 pacifier-free nights now!!! Woohoo!!!! It's about time she let go of that thing. Although she dug her "ba ba" out of the trash the next morning, we just took it away and said that we were all done with it and that seemed acceptable to her. Now, if I can just get her potty trained she will officially be a big girl!

Easter fun

We've had a fun-filled easter weekend so far and it isn't even easter yet! Abby already went to 2 easter egg hunts, got to see the easter bunny and got to color eggs. Will the fun never end?!

Giving the easter bunny a hug. I'm surprised she wasn't scared. Maybe because it has fur...?

The egg hunt at valley wide. I think they have a wide selection of eggs in this little patch.

Abby getting ready for the hunt. She was a little unsure about this. All she wanted was a snack. When I told her the snacks were in the eggs she was a little more willing to go.

The chaos that was the hunt. Abby wouldn't go in to get easter eggs.

The results: 3 eggs - 1 that someone inside the hunt put in her basket, and 2 that a little girl gave her because she felt bad that Abby had only 1 egg in her basket. It's good to see there are still nice people out there.

No worries, though. Abby got her own private egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's. She made out like a bandit there.

On to coloring eggs. She's all about anything that involves food.

Throwing the eggs in the dye. She hasn't quite mastered the gentle toss yet.

It's fun when your kid is actually old enough to do fun kid stuff!

Is it possible?

I was looking at my enormous belly the other day and complaining about how my back hurt and how I was grumpy from cleaning up pee all day long and I noticed that only half of my belly button popped out. Is that normal? Does this mean Rex is only half-cooked? I would post a picture, but I don't think anyone really wants to see that.

Fishing for...jerky?

We went down to San Diego on Wednesday to go fishing at Otay Lake with Craig's Grandpa. There's an Olympic training facility there so we always get to see some kayakers racing.

Yes, Abby is not wearing a life jacket. We had one on her but she could reach her hand to her mouth with it on, so we took it off. You know how Abby gets when she can't have her snack. Does that make us bad parents? Probably, but our baby will never go hungry.

Chomping on some jerky. I think for Abby this was her favorite part. We didn't catch any fish, but she ate her share of the jerky!

Adventures in zooland

We took Abby to the zoo for the first time on Monday. She loved it so much that we stayed for a full four hours - well into her nap time. She especially loved the petting zoo.

No, Dan, she is NOT milking the goat, she's just giving it a hug. A very weird and awkward hug.

Giving her new stuffed elephant a great big hug.

Checking out the pandas with daddy.

The pink slip

I got the ax today. :( I never thought I would become a victim of layoffs, because at the last quarterly meeting they said the company was still profitable and doing well. They told me they were "restructuring" the sites I work at and that my job has been eliminated, today being my last day. At least they were nice enough to give me a severance package. But still, I think it's kinda harsh to lay off someone who is two months away from having a baby, whose husband is working for free. Plus, who's going to hire someone that's pregnant? I guess it's off to the unemployment office for me. On the plus side, I get to spend more time with my daughter now and get to enjoy spring break with Craig next week. (Plus, I wasn't planning on coming back to work after my maternity leave anyway) I guess it all works out in the end, just not the way I expected.

Fun with pressure cookers

We got a pressure cooker for Christmas and we used it for the first time to cook our Sunday dinner. We decided to cook a whole turkey inside it. It was the most magnificent thing I have ever seen. Not only did it cook for just a little over an hour, but the meat was practically, no, literally falling off the bone. When we opened the cooker, we saw 2 turkey leg bones sticking out with the meat falling off. It was the most delicious and juicy turkey I have ever had. We get really excited about food over here, just ask Abby. Anyone that has been in nursery with her knows that girl can eat. I wonder where she gets it from?

Nascar madness!

OK, so we're not rednecks, I promise!! We got our hands on some free Nascar tickets for Saturday's race and decided to head on over to Vegas to check out the action. We really liked looking at all the rednecks, some great car crashes, foot-long corn dogs, and onion blossoms. The lady next to me was enjoying her turkey leg. Here are a few of the highlights!

Craig posing at Dale Earnhardt's trailer. He actually got a compliment on his shirt from some real rednecks! He bought it on his mission in South Carolina in a rebel shop.

A redneck flag that says redneck on it! Where else could you find that??

If you can't tell, this is a teenager wearing a beer helmet with no beer in it.

A grown man wearing overalls. Need I say more?

We were pretty sure this guy had a mullet. Classic Nascar fan.

Harley man with a doo-rag. Craig liked him a lot.

Cut off sleeves baby!!

How do you like them radishes???

We started a winter garden in December at Craig's brother's house (because our house has only rocks). We planted peas, carrots, radishes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce. As you can see it has been pretty successful so far. That radish is HUGE. Plus, it motivates us to eat our vegetables, which has helped me not gain a bazillion pounds this pregnancy. I can't wait for summer to get some good melons and other fruit going...

Man, can that girl eat!

Abby is definately feeling better. And her appetite is back with a vengeance. Here is a log of what she ate yesterday. (remember that she is only 19 months old) I gave her a adult size bowl of cereal for breakfast, which she ate the entire thing. About 30 min later I gave her a bag of grapes, which she downed over the next hour. Then she helped herself to some crackers out of the cupboard while I did some Yoga. By the time I was finished with that, it was time for lunch, where she ate half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some more grapes, some blueberries, and a mixed fruit cup. Then she took a nap and when she woke up she was ready for more. She ate some more crackers and then at dinner she ate 2 adult slices of pizza, some salad and some more grapes and then washed it all down with a cookie. She would have ate all night if we had let her. Craig gave her a slice of orange right before bed and then she went to sleep. She ate probably as much as I did, and I'm pregnant!! I'm glad to see she is feeling much, much, better, even though she eats like a teenage boy.

Update

Okay, so here's the update. After we took Abby in on Friday she did pretty well until Saturday afternoon. Then she started throwing up again, even water. Sunday it only got worse. My breaking point was when she was crying in her crib with this weak, soft cry, and didn't have the strength to sit or stand up. So we called the nurse advice line on her insurance card and they said to take her back into the ER. So we did. Interestingly enough, we saw the Bradshaws there, because their mom was in the hospital. I'm so glad they were there because they helped me get my mind off the situation for a little bit. I hope Erin is doing ok.

So once we got a bed in the ER, the hooked poor Abby up to an IV because she was soooooooooo dehydrated and gave her some antibiotics because she also had an ear infection. (not to mention the two teeth that were coming in also) She hated that IV and tried to bite it off. They took a blood sample to make sure nothing else was wrong with her and then decided to admit her to the hospital.

We have spent everyday in the hospital since Sunday night until today, taking turns spending the night over there. The poor girl couldn't keep anything down until Tuesday. She lost 3 pounds over the course of 4 days!!! Not good.

Fortunately, she almost back to her old self, minus the appetite and is improving every day. This was one of the most scary situations I've ever had to deal with, thinking the absolute worst would happen. We were in Hemet hospital and they actually took really good care of us. Amazing, right?

More vomit stories...

Since Thursday, Abby has been throwing up like crazy. It's so sad. She can't even keep down water or pedialyte, so she dry-heaves and throws up stomach acid. So yesterday we called her doctor because she was getting super dehydrated and they said they couldn't see her and we should go to Urgent Care after 5. So we head over to Urgent Care right at 5 and they tell us that because when she cries, she doesn't have tears, that we need to go over to the ER because they can't start an IV there or do anything to help her. So we're dreading the trip to the ER. I hate going to the ER for someting like this because for my work I see sooooooooo many people use the ER as their doctors office and make everyone wait forever because it's not really an emergency. But I guess we don't have a choice. This girl needed some fluids. So we head to the ER and after 3 long hours and going through 3 vomit bowls full of stomach acid, we finally go back and get to wait another couple of hours for her to be treated. They ended up just giving her some anti-vomit medicine and then some apple juice. Fortunately, they didn't have to start an IV. So, she hasn't thrown up since and we are all tired and smell like throw up. Now I get to do five thousands loads of vomit laundry. Yay! Maybe I'll just take a nap...

Now who will flex with me in the mirror?

I never thought the day would come...Katie's gone...*sniff* My exercise buddy (sort of not right now) and dinner buddy moved to Utah. Who's going to do triathlons with me and help me lose all my baby weight? More importantly, now where am I gonna get a home cooked meal on Thursdays??

Speaking of home cooked meals, we need a replacement for the Bodells, and fast! Anyone want to do dinners with us? We cook on Tuesday and you can cook on Thursday. That way, you are guaranteed to have a home cooked meal at least twice a week!

Oh, and have a safe trip Katie! We'll miss you! (see you in March?)

Warning! This is extremely gross...

There's going to be a little TMI here, so if you are sensitive to bodily fluids, stop reading here.

I went to the doctor for my monthly checkup and as anyone who has had a baby knows, you get the priveledge of peeing in a cup every time you go. After I did my duty, I set the cup down and turned around for only a second and my daughter, who was in the bathroom with me, picks up the cup and spills the contents down the front of her shirt. Of course, I don't have a change of clothes for her, because she's 1 1/2 and we are about an hour from home. So the poor girl has to wear the nasty shirt until we get home. Luckily, we were in and out of there in about 15 minutes, but still... GROSS.

The results are in!!!

I had my Ultrasound today, and it's amazing how accurate these polls are!! We are having a boy and are super excited. We found out that girls don't make me sick when I'm pregnant, but boys do. Our little man will be making his first appearance in June. We're thinking his name is going to be Rex. It is a family name on Craig's side. We're waiting for you little Rexy!

Cupcakes

I had to change the background because I'm craving sweets like crazy!! It always starts when I go over to my in-laws because they always have cookies or something like that over there. Steven made an apple pie, so I had to have 2nds of that. Then I go to the dutch-oven cookout and have 2 helpings of pineapple upside down cake, plus some cherry cobbler and ice cream on top of that. I just can't get enough. The worst was today when I woke up and my belly had popped all the way out. Seriously, Craig would not be proud. Does anybody have any fortune cookies? Geez, talk about the ramblings of a pregnant woman...

Craig's awesome sports blog

Craig just started a new blog for sports nutrition and fitness. This guy knows what he's talking about. With his help I lost over 30 pounds after I had Abby. Go check it out and ask any questions you want!! He'll help you with any of your fitness and health goals (because I'm sure that's on every one's new year resolution list). Enjoy! cpulsipherrd.blogspot.com

The Ultrasound

So, I get to find out what I'm having on the 23rd. The best part is that since I have real people insurance now I've already gotten to have 2 ultrasounds! That's one more then last time and I get to have another one next week. So, what do you think it's gonna be? A boy or girl? I'm thinking boy...