I Gave Birth!

To a beautiful, bouncing KIDNEY STONE weighing no more than a few grains of rice and no bigger than 5-6mm in length.
This proud mama is happy to say that it entered into the world sometime last night and left the house for good this morning!

Okay, all kidding aside, I was in AGONIZING pain yesterday starting a little after 11am.
I went to meet my sister for lunch and to get out for the day because Jack was driving me crazy with his poo-poo pity party and I couldn't get Addy to take a decent nap, so this mama needed a break. Well, about 10 minutes into lunch I was feelin' the pain, but hoping that it would be like some of my other kidney stones and just come and go and not get very bad. OH MAN, was I WRONG!! I left our lunch date early and was thinking that maybe if I kept myself busy I would be able to tolerate things better, OH NO, I was WRONG again! By the time I had buckled both the kids in the car and put away the stroller I wanted to DIE! I had a call into my Dr. and was waiting for them to call me back, so I decided to try and make it home BIG mistake, HUGE! I was bawling my eyes out and moaning in pain. The nurse called and said that she would have a prescription waiting for someone to come get it, ENTER HAL (my savior!). My sweet husband called to see how my day was going and when I answered I told him I was dying! He asked me if I wanted him to come home and I said "YES, PLEASE!" In almost 15 years of knowing this man I have never asked for him to come home from work because I didn't feel well. Today I needed him!
By the time I somehow made my way home I was writhing in pain, wanting to just DIE! Jack had fallen asleep in his car seat and Addy was screaming with hunger, so what did this mama do???? I picked Addy up, pulled down my pants, stripped off my shirt, sat on the toilet (the only place in this world that I could possibly be comfortable) and nursed this poor baby. Yea, you are all picturing that right now, not a pretty sight is it?!?!
Addy feel asleep and I was moaning in pain. I somehow managed to get Jack out of the car and on to the couch without waking him up and I took Addy upstairs with me, because of course she only slept for 3 or 4 minutes. I got in a SUPER HOT bath thinking, hopingt, praying that it would soothe me. WRONG again! Thankfully Addy was happy sitting in her bouncy chair while I moaned and screamed and cried in pain. At one time I was literally rolling around on the ground hoping that the motion would jog the kidney stone loose. I jumped, but the just made it worse, WAY WORSE. I puked because the pain was so intense. I even contemplated standing on my head to see if that would help move something.
It was the strangest sensation, my body was literally bearing down like when I have given birth. My poor body didn't want this stone in it and was trying to get it OUT!
At this point Hal called to say that the script was almost filled and he would be home in 20 minutes, 20 MINUTES are you kidding me, it might as well be an eternity! I told him to skip the pills , come pick me up and take me to get a shot of morphine, demerol, toradol, HELL anything at that point, just shoot me, with something! But, the smart man did wait and by the time he came home the stone must have settled some where better, because on a scale from 1-10 I was at an 8 instead of the mind boggling 15 that I had been feeling 10 minutes earlier.
I took 2 percocet, 2 phenegren and went to bed hoping that it would knock me out, it worked! I slept and was in a drug induced coma for a few hours. I woke up at 6pm and could still feel the pain, but now muted by the drugs. So, I overdosed I couldn't wait the six hours I was supposed. I made it to the 4 hour mark (8pm) and took 1 more percocet, heaven! But, by 9:30 I wanted to die again.
Hal called his brother and asked him to come over and give me a blessing. Paul got there and they pulled out the oil and blessed me. I am so thankful that I have a righteous, loving, caring and worthy priesthood holder for a husband. He blessed me that my body would be able to get rid of this burden and that I would feel better soon. I took another percocet and phengren and went to bed. Sometime in the middle of the night Jack woke up and that woke up Addy. I nursed Addy and she went back to sleep and then Jack wanted some Mommy love. BUT, I was feeling a really sharp pain, Jack not knowing mommy wasn't feeling good jumped on my stomach and "plink" I felt the stone plop into my bladder! Hallelujah!!! let the Angels in heaven sing! Let the flood gates open, this stone was on its way out. By the time I woke up this morning I was feeling almost 100% better, albeit for the headache, dizziness and sleepiness left over from taking Percocet.

Anywho......I feel better, AHHHHHHHH!

p.s. Thank you to everyone who suggested miralax, I finally got out today and bought some. He is on his first dose right now. I will keep you updated on the poo-poo pity party.

Poor Jack

My poor little Jack-Jack is having a bad time. WARNING this is a WAY TMI post, if you are weak stomached DO NOT READ!


Jack is in a bad way, he is CONSTIPATED! So, constipated that when he does finally poo (after a suppository) he bleeds. The poor boy acts like he is giving birth, to a BRICK! It is the saddest thing I have seen. The little boy prances around crying all day long. Saying "poo" in the saddest of sad voices. He cries every time he feels the urge. I have changed his diet according to the Dr.'s recommendations. Jack is not drinking any milk, eating cheese or yogurt. He isn't eating any more banana's or apples. He is drinking a lot of juice (which is a treat at our house), eating granola bars, graham crackers and pears. I guess this is supposed to get things moving, but so far nothing but HARD, HARD yucky, painful stuff is happening down there.


Yes, we are still cloth diapering. I must say that this week has been pretty easy because of the lack of poo. The little man spends a lot of his day hunched over crying.

Any suggestions on what else I can try for my poor little guy?

Can't I be the lucky one?

I found out about this "comment to win" giveaway from Triana's blog and just had to enter it myself too. Oh my, can I please, please pretty please be the winner.

Prayer Request

One of my friends from my TTC (trying to conceive) days gave birth to Quads about a month ago. One of the tiny Quads is VERY sick, his kidney's are failing. They fear that they may be losing him. As a mother I can't imagine the pain, grief and emotional toll this must be taking on her and her family. If you could find a little extra time in your thoughts and prayers for the King Family, I am sure that it would be greatly appreciated.

Coupon Clipping, Cloth Diapering and Making My Own Laundry Soap, OH MY!

I don't know what has gotten into me lately. Maybe it's the economy, maybe it's the fact that I only work 2 hours a week, maybe it's because I have 2 kids in diapers, maybe it's because I have a lot more free time to sit at the computer, maybe it's because i feel like "saving the planet", maybe it's because I really am going crazy - losing my mind due to no sleep. Who knows, I don't,
but, while I am figuring all of that out I have picked up a couple of "hobbies".

I first started hearing about some amazing deals people were getting with coupons, and Tish helped me get this deal, which makes me want to get more and more deals. It starts to become addictive, at least for me, I want to get a deal! I love yard sales and KSL, when I started going and finding awesome deals and cute clothes for my kids for pennies on the dollar, I swear I almost feel a high when I get a great deal. It pains me to pay full-price for things now. I NEVER thought I would be this girl, but here I am.

I don't know where I first heard/thought about cloth diapering, but 2 kids in diapers is EXPENSIVE! So, I figured I might give it a try. Cloth diapers are pricey to start out, but in the end they will be well worth it. Even if I find that I really hate cloth diapering, I found out that they have a really high resale value, so I can recoup some/most of the cost. I found a bunch of different kinds of cloth diapers that are so cool, the ones I have right now are Drybee's Hybrid. They are awesome! So cute and they really do stay dry, I haven't had any leaking problems. Cloth diapers are not that difficult or gross, but I don't have enough to make it through a whole day yet either, so it might be more yucky then I think it will be. I only have 2 for Jack and 4 for Addy (2 of which are not drybee's, they were homemade by another mom). I want to try out a few different styles and brands before committing to an entire stash of diapers. I have some Coolababy's in the mail on their way to me and I am looking for a deal on BumGenius 3.0's. Anyway, here are a few pictures of the kids in their "fluff".


It was so cute, the other day I was changing Addy into a cloth diaper and Jack went and picked his up and made me put it on him. He loves them! He prances around the house and likes to show off his "fluff". I should take a little video of him in his cloth, it really is so cute.

Okay, so while researching cloth diapering I kept hearing about how I shouldn't use detergent on them and only use free and clear stuff. A lot of ladies out there make their own soap or buy it homemade from other women. So, I sat down and read up on making my own soap and figured I would give it a try. I told a few friends about my wild crazy idea and they were intrigued, so yesterday we had a soap making party and made a bunch of soap. Here is the recipe I used.

Homemade liquid laundry soap.
1 cup grated Fels Naptha (found it at Macey's for $1 a bar)
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup White King Water Softener (because our water is SO hard, this wouldn't be needed if you have soft water)

In 6 cups of boiling water add the Fels Naptha (grated) and mix until the soap is all melted. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Then add 26 more cups of cold water to reach a total of 2 gallons of water. Mix well and let cool and gel for 24 hours before using. The mixture will have the consistency of egg noodle soup, just mix a little before each use.

1/2 cup per load of laundry.

I should mention that we bought 5 gallon buckets to mix and store in.

I am going to give it a try and I will let you all know how well the it works.



Here is a recipe for powdered. My only thought is that the soap might not dissolve well in a cold wash.
1 cup finely grated Fels Naptha
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup washing soda
and for hard water 1/2 cup white king water softener
Mix in an airtight container, shake well. Use 2 Tablespoons for small loads 3 for large loads or for heavily soiled fabrics.

For cloth diapers I am using this recipe - powdered
1 part borax
1 part washing soda
1 part White King
1/2 strength oxy clean

Flashback Friday

Is it Friday already??? What happened to the whole darn week? I guess I spent too much time being sick or taking care of sick babies to realize that it was passing by so quickly.

Here is my flash back for today.



This is from Hallie's 1st birthday, I used to spend so much time preparing and planning birthday's, blessings, baptisms and other special events, but lately I haven't. Maybe I can blame it on the "little's", but I actually really like doing this kind of stuff and am pledging to step it up this year and do better in my planning. Get back to doing some of the things that I enjoy.

Holy Random!

I was tagged by Triana to do a random-facts-about-me blog post. So, here it goes.

RULES~
1- Post the rules on your blog
2- List 6 random things about yourself.
3- Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
4- Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
5- Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1- When I was 10 years old, I was lost overnight in the mountains with 2 of my cousins. We almost made the news, but found our way back to our cabin before the press could arrive. LOL!
2- I got married (in the Temple) when I was only 17 years old.
3- I haven't ever lived outside of Utah (ummmm not even Utah County a.k.a. "The Bubble") Yes, this is REALLY sad!
4- I have NOT EVER been outside of this country. (Yes, I know -SAD)
5- I can't stand the taste of mushrooms, I have tried to like them, but, to me they taste like soap!
6- I HATE having my picture taken, I have a MAJOR phobia about it. I seriously need help, I can't stand to look at a picture of myself or think that others are looking at one either. Every once in a while I can find a picture that I don't totally despise, but those are far and few between.

I am tagging~

1- Crystal- beacuse she hasn't posted in almost a month and I want to hear what crazy things she can come up with.
2- Heidi because she is a NUT and I am sure her post will be awesome!
3- Amy This is one of my friends from high school that I just reconnected with and I want to know more about her!
4- Michelle I have a curious mind that wants to know more!
5- Charlynn Come on girl, you really need to get into blogging!
6- Kim Do I really need a reason, other than this girl makes me giggle!

Oh For the Love of...........Dog Food

I have gone to extreme measures to make it so that Reggie's food is out of reach of Jack, but, to no avail. We cut a hole in our bathroom door, purchased a small doggy door (that Jack can't fit through) and really try to always remember to keep the door shut, but Jack always finds a way to grab a handful of the gritty, smelly, disgusting stuff and shove it in his little mouth before I can stop him. I swear that when the child is looking at this



He sees this-



This poor child is going to go down in history, be well known and teased for his love of dog food, he won't be alone there, he follows in his Uncle Paul's footsteps (another fellow dog food lover).

Flashback Friday

So, I thought it would be fun to take a look back on things on Friday's, remember something funny, cute, special or just plain memorable. Anyone else want to join in?

Today as I was sitting here nursing my sweet little Addy and watching Jack make a HUGE mess, it made me think back to my days of TTC (trying to Conceive). Those days filled up the better part of my life for 3 years, I felt like I was a person with a one track mind - GET PREGNANT or die trying. The days upon days, weeks upon weeks and eventually years upon years of thinking daily about my female organs wears on a person. And now I sit here with 2 adorable "Little's" while the "Big's" are at school and think about how blesssed I truly am. Maybe this post should have been a "Thankful Thursday" post, because I am SO thankful for:

1- NO MORE CHARTING!! Here is just one sample of the 30+ charts I have. No more monitoring my temperature, cm (for those of you who don't know what this is, you don't want to know.) No more marking down all of bd'ing (again you don't want to know.) No more hormone therapy in the form of either pills or needles. No more Dr. appointments that feel like science experiments.


2- NO MORE TESTING!!! No more carrying around peed on sticks and asking my friends and family "Can you see the line???" No more breaking apart said tests and holding them up to the window for better lighting and praying that I can see a line, any line, anywhere on the dang thing. No more taking pictures of these tests and posting them for my online friends for them to examine and hopefully concur with me that "yes, there is the faintest of faint 2nd lines on there and yep you are preggo" Because we all know that online friends are like the "all knowing" when it comes to pregnancy tests and symptoms.
3- No more maternity clothes, no more big belly, no more baby kicking me in the bladder. NO MORE OB appointments! No more worrying about a baby being breech, no more obsessing about having to have a C-section.
But, look at what all this work did get me!!!!Is he really almost 20 months old now???

One Word - WACKO!

I was browsing KSL ad's today and came upon this ad Anyway, it gave me a good chuckle and I thought I would share.

UPDATE 1/10
Oh man, his ad is gone. He must have been quite the catch, I wonder if he already found his wife, and who got the $5,000??? Inquiring minds want to know!

Shhhhhh It's a Secret!

Okay, not really a secret, but check this out!

My sweet sister-in-law Tish is helping me learn the ropes of coupon shopping, with her help I discovered a MAJOR savings. I just bought 6 cans of Enfamil Formula at $13.99 a can and only paid a total of $11.39, for ALL 6 cans. This is how I did it, and no I did not shoplift/steal any of them, LOL!

1- Go to the baby section and pick up 6 cans of formula.
2- Go to the check out.
3- Use 3 buy 1 get 1 free coupons that you get from Albertson's
*At this point I have already saved $41.55 (because the coupon is actually only worth $13.85)
4- Use the extra coupon from Albertson's for $3.00 off one can. (use this on one of the 3 remaining cans that you are paying for.)
*Now I am up to a total savings of $44.55
5-Use 1 Enfamil check for each can of formula including the free ones. (I used a total of 6 checks, 4 for $5 and 2 for $4 because that is what I had.)
So, add on another $28.00 of savings for a total of $72.55!!!

6 cans at $13.99 a can is $83.94 minus all the coupons and checks ($72.55) and I only ended up paying $11.39 plus all the tax on the original total. CRAZY deal! Woot!

Since I know that I won't end up nursing for a whole year and that I will eventually use this formula I am hoping that I can stock up enough of this stuff that I will never have to pay full price for a single can of this stuff!!

So, if any of you have Enfamil checks that you aren't going to use, pass them this direction!

100

Here is a list of 100 things you've done or have NOT done in your life. Just copy and paste this, put it in a post and change the things you have done into bold (the others in regular print. See how many things on the list you have done...


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept overnight on a train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden a gondola in Italy
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen Amish country
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing- Does climbing a rock chimney count?
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in movie
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades - One word BUGS!!
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House- does seeing it from the outside count?
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life - kind of....long story.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. One cavity or less - I WISH!!

I really want to travel over seas and cross off a bunch of this stuff!