Family Photos 2009

My sweet sister in-law Shelley took some fantastic family photos of us during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Here are a few of my favs and thank you so much Shelley they are so awesome!!!! Your a natural girl!

Halloween

Every year we have been going up to Anthem and hanging out with my aunt and uncle. This year we decided to do something a bit easier and closer to home. Joe's new boss Gordon and his wife Bethany were taking their kids to the mall where supposedly all the stores were handing out candy. We decided Nolan would be superman. We had this really cute tiger outfit but dedided it was just too hot : ( Maybe next year. First we met at Gordons and had some Pizza then off to the mall. It was totally lame. We walked for about five minutes and their were only about five people handing out candy. Then Nolan started acting really strange. He would just start walking in weird directions then refuse to hold our hands. He seamed to be in a daze. I feel bad now because at the time I was calling him a grouch. So we were only at the mall for maybe 15 minutes. On our way out to the car Nolan's stomach decided it didn't want to continue holding its contents and he threw up all over his daddy. No wonder he was acting wierd!!!! I am so glad I was not the one holding him because had I been thrown up on I probably would have thrown up too! Not that I'm usually queezy about that stuff but being newly preggie I don't think I could have stomached the smell of barf! He was fine after that, must have just been something he ate?! I on the other hand went on to have a bad cold for the next two days. So that was our Halloween adventure! Hoping next year will be funner!

Gordon, Lindy, Presly, Nolan and Joe ( look at poor nolan! you can see it on his face)


He got a little tattoo at the mall so I put it on him. As it started to fade he would announce... Oh no! Tattoo!!

Birthday Cake

Nolans big gift from us was this car garage storage unit that came complete with a twisting ramp on the side. He LOVED it.



This video is so cute! I loved how he had to give each scrap of paper to Grandad Hartzell




The blowing out of candles was the best. The song was a bit long but we made it through. I thought it would be funny to buy trick candles and it was! His little face when He is trying to blow was priceless.

Nolans 3rd Birthday

On the way to his birthday adventure we gave Nolan this amazing See's vanilla sucker. I just though it was so cute how he was holding it and kept staring at it.


We had quite a hoot for Nolans birthday. I found this awesome indoor kid fun land in mesa. They had all sorts of rides, a little train and also a giant jungle gym. He was a bit shy at first but after going on some rides with me he started to warm up. The best part for him I think was just being able to run free. He ran all over with no one telling him where to go or not to touch stuff. It was great. Here are the pictures we shot......



Jungle Gym fun
Merry go round!
Shooting some hoops with Grandma, he really enjoyed that. We cheated a bit, grabbing the balls from behind the barrier so we wouldn't have to spend any quarters



Mom Hartzell taking a little snooze : )


They also had bumper cars that were so awesome. Unfortunately Nolan wasn't quite old enough but the grown ups had loads of laughs on them. See for yourself

Hartzell Visit

We had a lovely visit from Joe's parents this last week. It was really quite nice being able to spend some time with them. They had some wonderful stories of their time in Tokyo and Mom cooked us wonderful Asian meal called YakiSoba! It was awesome! I will be making it again in the near future! They gave us a big box of goodies from their mission. My favorite piece was an authentic Kimono! It was very sweet of them to think of us whilst on their mission so thanks so much mom and dad. You are welcome anytime!

Seeing Lines

Am I crazy or do those look like positives?? I'm pretty sure I'm knocked up! Its still super early so were just keeping our fingers crossed and trying not to get too excited.... but I'm really excited and so is my sweet husband.... in fact he may be more excited than I. Here's to a happy healthy pregnancy! My due date is very special because it is the exact due date that my mom had when she was pregnant with me!! June 18th

Warning: you may be seeing my belly a lot in a few months so sorry in advance! I can't help it!!!

Like his daddy

The other day I turned around and found Nolan snuggled up on the couch with my favorite blanky. (this blanky has been with me during a birth and twice to the hospital) It was so cute how he had wrapped himself in it that I had to snap a shot



The next day I walked in to the den and this is what I found




I said hold still and snapped a shot. He asked me what I was doing so I showed him his pic then the one above of Nolan. We thought it was pretty cute how they had picked the same blanky and the same positing to watch cartoonys

Umbrella

Maybe its a kid thing but Nolan Loves umbrellas!!!

Pineapple Pregnancy : )

Since we are trying to conceive I thought I would share this.... Nolan and I LOVE pineapple so we will definitely be trying this

Using Pineapple to Assist Implantation:
Pineapple contains bromelain. Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme that breaks up proteins that inhibit embryo implantation. Consuming a whole pineapple (focusing on the core as it has the highest concentration of Bromelain) during a fertility cycle can be beneficial.

For IVF cycle: consume equal amounts over five days, beginning on the day of your embryo transfer.

IUI cycle: consume equal amounts over five days, beginning on the day of your IUI.

Timed intercourse cycle: consume equal amounts over five days, beginning on the day after ovulation.

Note: Be careful not to start consuming pineapple too early in the cycle. Beginning to consume pineapple BEFORE the recommended days above can actually affect your vaginal and cervical mucus PH, making it more acidic.

Lizard fun

While playing in the kiddy pool we found a lizard. Nolan LOVED it and kept calling it a Rabbit. He was very distraught when we had to let it go but I quickly showed him these pictures of our little friend and he calmed down. It was a great learning experience for him. It has been so hot out that we don't go out unless were playing in the sprinklers.... Usually I just drench myself and do yard work while he waters the flowers and splashes in puddles : )

Naked playing piano! lol

I'm sure Grandma Smith LOVES it when we come visit! We love it in Tucson. Nolan loves playing with his Aunt and Uncles Bekah, Sorin and Taylor.  Nolans favorite is to ride Sorin like a horsey wearing a cowboy hat.... Ah, and he has no pants on during this adventure ;)

the pressures of potty training!

Why does potty training have to be so difficult?? It feels like all of Nolans cousins his age and younger than him are potty trained.... so I started feeling the pressure. about a month ago I decided that we were going to try. I had to come to a place where I KNEW I could handle it and NEVER be mad or sad at him for having an accident. After everything I went through to give him a natural trauma free birth I refused to traumatize him through potty training lol. So I just let him be naked for about two weeks. We have hardly no carpet so it worked out great. For two weeks he would always pee in his little potty but doodles were another story.... he would usually drop those under the table haha. One time he squeezed between the futon and the wall and unfortunatley one of his books was in the line of fire.....


This seemed to have an impact on him. for the next two days he did all of his poopers on the potty!! I was so excited and thought that he was trained but alas..... we went on a trip that weekend and of course had diapers on him because we were staying in a hotel and when we got home he wanted nothing to do with the potty. He was doodling and peeing all over the house and becoming angry when I would mention the potty..... sigh. So I decided he wasn't' ready and now he is in diapers again. : ( The important thing to me was that he was never traumatized from the experience. It was always very positive so hopefully when we try again he will remember and it will go quickly... hey positive thinking never hurts

Just some fun videos!

Throwing balls with daddy



This is hilarious.....I didn't realize that I mouth the words to songs until I saw this video, That's what he's doing....So funny.



Zerbits!!!




This was super funny. He would growl at us but then when we would growl back he would do a little whine. Too cute!

Nolan and Pippin playing

While Nolan was driving around the yard Pippin was going a little crazy. The big car scares him so he was running circles around it. So funny. By the time I grabbed the camera he had simmered down a bit. Nolan loves to go outside and throw balls around for Pippin. He pounces on them like a kitty. So fun

birth story and pregnancy pics

On Friday I had gotten into bed around 9pm and instantly had a contraction. I had been having braxtons for the last month but I knew immediately that this was different. I laid for a while listening to my i-pod and timing the hugs... they were about 7 minutes apart and still feeling like real contractions but not at all painful. I suddenly got really excited.... In hindsight I really should have meditated and tried to go back to sleep but for any women who has given birth you know first hand how exciting it can be to know you are finally in labor.

Joe was playing computer games with his friend so I went in and whispered in his ear "I'm in labor" He looked up and smiled at me and I smiled back then skipped (actually waddled) out of the room. I spent the next few hours flitting around the house, cleaning and getting birth stuff ready. I would hang from our table during the hugs. It felt really good to just hang and let my body just dangle there. At this point the hugs were still not painful just getting a bit stronger. Around 3am Mom Smith and her best friend Wendy came from Tucson to be with me. Wendy is a dula and a wonderful one at that. They came in and I was so thrilled and excited to have them here that my labor sort of stoped. Nipple stimulation got it up and going again though.

A few days before this I had ordered "the business of being born" from blockbuster and it had come in the mail that morning. It a movie on natural birth. What perfect timing! We popped it in and watched as I tried to get my labor going again. I was having back labor so Wendy had me stand with one foot on a chair and lean in during the hugs. She though that it could be because the baby was posterior and thought this would help turn her. Within an hour I was having no more back labor, the hugs were all in the front where they should be. I went from the birth ball to leaning over the back of the couch while Wendy and Mom took turns doing the hip squeeze. They really were troopers!!

At some point during the night we sent Joe to bed because I knew he would need to take care of me the next day. At about 6am my hugs were getting closer together and much stronger so we decided it was time to get in the pool. It was wonderful!!!!! (although now I wish I had waited a bit longer because I ended up hanging out in there for over three hours lol) I would lean against the side and rock back and forth during the hugs. At about 7 my wonderful midwife Mary came. At 9ish during the hugs I would spontaneously push. That's when we knew the birth was close. Mary asked me to feel inside and see what was going on. I poked me finger in and could feel the head with the tip of my finger. What a wonderful feeling that was. Suddenly someone asked me if they should wake Joe up and I knew he would be bummed if he missed the birth so I said YES. Lucky him, he slept through the entire labor lol. Although I don't see how, When in labor I am very vocal... I don't know how else to channel all of that energy!

A few hugs later I was starting to panic a little so Mary Held me still and said...Shanna, feel the baby. So I reached down and her head was crowning. It was all wrinkly and funny feeling. I was so dazed that I frowned and said "is that the cord" she said no hunny, its her head... How amazing!! This gave me a whole new energy. I looked over and saw Joe sitting near the pool so I crawled over to him leaned against the side, holding both of his hands and pushed her head out. What an amazing feeling!!!! No one yelling at me when or how hard to push. I just let my body take control and fallowed what it told me to do. I just sat there resting. then the contraction came except it didn't feel like a contraction suddenly my body just started pushing... I could not control what it was doing it was just doing what it needed to do! During this push I felt her turn and slither out! What a relief! Such an amazing feeling. Mary pushed her forward between my legs and i reached down and pulled her up. I then leaned against the pool and just held her.

She was pretty gergaly and not breathing right away but started to pinken up after some stimulation. Fifteen minutes later I squatted over a stainless bowl and birthed her placenta. Everything seemed wonderful until a few hours later when I tried to use the restroom and fainted.... Mary decided that despite the fact that I had had three pit shots I was still bleeding way to much so off the the hospital I went. My uterus was clamped and in the perfect position and the placenta came out fully intact but for some reason my body would not stop bleeding.... the hospital staff was even baffled. They went in to make sure I didn't have any tears on my cervix but could not find anything. I guess its just one of those mystery's. Next pregnancy I am going to take extra raspberry leaf and Cayenne pepper and pray that i have better luck next time. But I still got my perfect birth.... Thank you so much Mary, Dianne and Wendy! You were all so amazing and I could not have asked for a better birth team! Oh and My 14YO sister filmed the birth so thank you so much Bekah! Your the women. I am so glad to have the footage!

This surrogate journey has been such an amazing experience!My IP's arrived Sunday night and it was the most amazing thing to see their faces as I handed them their little angel that they waited so long to meat. This is something I will never forget. They allowed me to nurse her for the first week and a half. I loved it. Every time they would bring her into me it was like receiving a little present! by the time they left I had pumped roughly 15 bags of milk and they took it all home with them. It made me feel good that they valued my milk so much and used it all. Now i am selling what I pump to a lady who had twins two months early. She was so excited to find someone who would give her milk at such a great price. Sorry I can't post any pics of the little angel, My IP's want to maintain thier aninemity because surrogacy is elligal in Sweden.

38 week photo shoot






Joe did a lovely photo shoot of me today. Exactly 38 week preggers. . Out of 90 shots these were my favorites. The birth is looming. I technically could go into labor any day although I don't think I will. She still has a bit more room to grow. Having a home birth is definitely more stressful than going to a hospital/birth center. I feel like my house needs to be spotless and I have to prepare so many things in preparation. I know it will be all worth it and I get more and more excited every day. This surrogate journey has been wonderful thus far. I could not have asked for better IP's. They are truly amazing and I am so excited to give them their little girl. I hope this home birth experience is wonderful for them.