So Blessed...

Our sweet Penelope Evelyn Sorensen was blessed this month.  My mother made her dress, it was gorgeous, and my sister made her darling bracelet.  My neighbor down the street is toying with the idea that she would like to start a catering business, so I had her do a test run on me and our little open house afterwards.  She had everything done the night before, so I was able to have everything set up and ready to go.  It was such a stress free day!  I felt guilty not cooking for my family, but with Jordan working so much, I basically had to get everything else ready myself.  I weeded and put compost throughout our entire yard, and cleaned the whole house including our crazy basement since our "playroom" is down there now.  (In all honesty, I think unfinished basements are so fun because you can get away with doing random stuff and not needing it to look perfect.  Like right now we have a large train set up, a school area and a large playroom.)

We filled a baby bottle with pennies (get it because we call her Penny :)) and the person that guessed the closest got to take it home.  Well, below are pictures of Roxey helping put the pennies in.  She loved this job and is a good helper!

Some things that stood out to me in Penelope's blessing were that she is patient and is a good communicator.  She really is a pleasant baby.  Also, it was mentioned that she would serve a mission and with the age requirement being lowered, I can see many more sisters serving, and I do hope my daughters will if they desire.  It truly changes your life and I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and the people I was able to teach on my mission.  It is fun to think of the ripple affect especially now that my mission was so long ago, some of the people I taught probably have gone on to have children of their own or quite possibly have served missions as well.

I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but Roxey loves to attend plays and I mean LOVES to!  It is hard when she is constantly putting in requests, but I do well to take her to quite a few.  The best was right after Penny was born, I was able to take her to an outdoor one of Aladdin so I didn't have to worry about Penny being perfectly quiet.  Well, that play got me to thinking, and as a family, we decided we really wanted to go to Tuacahn.  I had never been and Mary Poppins is playing there which is one of Roxey's all time favorite movies.  So with the help of Jordan's parents driving and hooking us up with a sweet condo to stay in, we were able to go while my mother in law watched Penelope.  Roxey did so well with it being late at night.  She loved it when Mary flew and her favorite song is Step in Time.  I love to hear her sing the songs because she can do a pretty good English accent!

St. George Temple

Shortly after returning from St. George, we got to go on another adventure up to my friend's house in Henefer.  We have a tradition of going up there every June, I had to miss last year, so we were so excited to go this year.  Roxey was so confident in riding the horse all by herself and she fell in love with their puppies.  So it begins, my having to explain why we will never own a dog!

Penelope is three months old now.  I am trying to be good about taking her picture each month with the bear that Roxey gave her.  I took Roxey's picture each month on the quilt that my mom made as a fun way to gauge her growth.  Well, I thought the bear would be a good size comparison and that it would be fun to see how tattered the bear became over the year as Penny began to play with it.  I forgot to take in to account her older sister whom I forgot had a tendency with all of her bears to pull the nose threads out.  Sadly, she already had a go on this bear.  Oh well!

Penny at 3 months old

Roxey at 3 months old

Roxey wanting to do a bear picture too which was odd since normally she runs from the camera these days!

Last but not least, we had fun spoiling the best dad in the world on Father's Day!  What lucky girls!

Our Sweet P is Here!!!

Well, have I got a story to tell!  It begins back at the end of February when I found out my baby was breech.  My doctor talked to me about a procedure called an external version and gave me a week to think about it.  I did a lot of reading up on it, and as always there was a lot of mixed reviews on the internet.  Seeing that it was the only thing I could have control over (my other option was just to cross my fingers hoping she would flip on her own), so on March 6th I went in to the hospital to have her flipped.  We packed a bag because they had to treat me like I was going in to labor because there was that possibility (only they don't give you an epidural, just a muscle relaxant), so it was nice to feel prepared, but after all was said and done, it was kind of sad leaving the hospital without our baby.  However, the procedure was a success so I felt good knowing that she was head down.  That Friday I went in for a follow up visit and felt the need to ask about an induction date, mainly out of peer pressure.  Everyone was telling me how wonderful it is to be induced, but I wasn't convinced, deep down I wanted the excitement of going in to labor.   On the other hand though,  I was beginning to feel like a ticking time bomb with everyone's comments on how big I was, worrying that she might go back to being breech, and of course stressing about the placental issues I had had.  So I figured there was no harm in at least asking about it.  Next thing I know, my doctor walks back in and said that I was scheduled to be induced the following Friday at 6:45 a.m..

So you can imagine how high strung I was March 14th!  Our bags were pretty much already packed from the prior hospital visit, so then I focused a lot on Roxey.  She and I had an amazing day together and she helped pack her things.  When it came time for bed, she refused to go in her room and not wanting to fight her any longer (as it was already 11 o'clock!), we just had her sleep on our floor.  Oh, the things she slept through that night!  I couldn't sleep and around 2 or 3 a.m. I started to have contractions.  They varied so much, I didn't know what to think.  At one point they were so close together, but then they slowed down, so I quickly took that opportunity to hop in the shower.  I kept doing things to get ready to go and then would go into denial that I was truly in labor and would convince myself to stick with our original plan of having my sister come for Roxey at 6:15.  Finally, I couldn't take the pain any longer, so we asked my sister to come earlier, so instead we ended up at the hospital by 6:15.

Even though I had preregistered, for some odd reason, they still had questions to ask before admitting me.  That was a trying moment as my contractions were only 2 minutes apart!  They finally admitted me and my wonderful husband did all that he could to get the ball rolling and make sure that I got the epidural in time.  They quickly put the IV in me and the doctor broke my water.  Then two people came in and though I was in a haze due to the pain, I believe I heard them ask "Are you okay with ______ giving the epidural, she is in training?"  In my head I was thinking NOOOOOO!!!, but my sweet husband said yes.  She proceeded to prep me and then leaned forward trying to be all cute like and asked something about if I was aware of the potential ramifications of getting an epidural.  I cut her off mid sentence and said, "I am fine with the risks, just give me the epidural."  Time was of the essence!  She carefully continued; however, when she was done, I could no longer feel my legs, but could feel everything else!  Yep, I could still feel every contraction!  My husband insisted that they do something, but they were very reluctant and kept saying that I shouldn't over do it on the epidural otherwise I wouldn't be able to push when it came time.  They finally gave me another dose, only to find out that it made my legs even more numb!  I was beginning to think about how I should prepare myself for natural birth and threw up due to the pain and stress.  Again, thanks to my husband we were insistant that the trainee had failed (he said it in a better way) and they went ahead and gave me yet another dose.  My prayers were answered because that one finally worked!

Moments later my doctor walked in.  It was almost 9, we hadn't been at the hospital long, so you can imagine my surprise when he said, "Okay, we're ready to push!"  I pushed through two contractions and she was out!  So if you ask me, the Labor part was hard, but the Delivery was the easiest thing ever!  Penelope did just like what Roxey did and let out the tiniest cry just to reassure us she was breathing, then she went back to being pleasant as can be.  As I held her in deep awe, I couldn't believe how different she looked from Roxey.  Her head was perfect, I think due to being breech for a while, she wasn't squished at all!

When Roxey first came to the hospital that day, they had just taken Penelope out to do some testing in the nursery.  She ran into my room and stopped dead in her tracks, then with a very confused look on her face, she asked where her sister was.  Jordan quickly took her to the nursery to see her and then she was able to wheel her back to the room.  She promptly sat on the couch in order to hold her.  I have never seen her so proud and happy.  A short while later she said, "Thank you mom for growing her!"  My heart just melted.

The next day in the hospital, with the exception of a few visitors, I spent the whole day alone with my Sweet P.  I loved every moment of it!  Jordan needed to go into work, and Roxey was having a blast with family, but in the evening they both came to have a special dinner with me.  Then once they left, my cute sister came for another visit.  Then again we were all alone for the night.  The nurses were cute with Penny and I got some good shut eye.

By the next morning I was up and ready to go home; however, the pediatrician got stuck doing something, so we had to wait around for a bit.  (Had I known that, I would have actually gotten ready!)  Roxey was so excited to come and pick us up from the hospital to take us home.  They made me sit in the wheel chair to go out and Roxey held my hand the whole way.  I think she missed me :)!

Roxey watching a movie in my hospital bed to help pass the time before being released.

Ready to go home!

My two girls in the back of the car together for the first time.

Penny at home with her bear that Roxey made for her at Build a Bear.

Now get this, the very next day after coming home from the hospital was Jordan's birthday, so with a lot of anxiety beforehand, I made plans to take him out to lunch with Roxey.  Jordan's parents came to our house and watched Penny.  I fed her right before leaving and fortunately we have a Zupa's just minutes from our house, so we jumped on over there and ate with Roxey.  I still can't believe I did that, but I know that it made both Jordan and Roxey feel special, so all the anxiety was worth it.  Things were going so well on our outing that we even went to get Roxey a little prize for going to the bathroom all by herself in the night.  Normally, she will yell out one of our names to come and help her, like she is locked away in her room and can't get out.  She has been potty trained for eons now, so it isn't that she needs help with that either, so whenever it would happen, I kept talking to her about how when Penny comes her yelling will wake her up and that she just needs to do it on her own.  Well, I was in shock that the girl actually was listening to me all that time because not only did she not yell, but I was up feeding Penny and noticed that she didn't even turn on the light!  She really is doing well at being respectful of the baby, for the most part.  Penelope is a gem and I love looking into her sweet eyes.  She is so beautiful, gorgeous newborn pics of her to follow!

I love my cute family!!!!

Times Ticking

So I have been very bad about posting and a lot of it has to do with the fact that I think I need to sit down and do some mega journaling and I have been consumed with my calling and preparations for Penelope.  Well, a lot of the big stuff with my calling is over and done with, I think I will just post a few pictures to get caught up on things (minimal writing as well), and yesterday was a little trial run as to being ready for Penelope, so I think I can take a moment to breathe and write some.

CHRISTMAS
To be honest, my camera was on the fritz, so I didn't get a lot of Christmas pictures; however, it was wonderful and so fun to experience it through Roxey's eyes.  I kept up the tradition of making her a pillowcase and putting new jammies and an advent calendar in it.  I like that tradition and hope to add many others as the years go on.  We acquired a huge Santa sack from my brother and Jordan of course had fun with it.  He kept asking me if we had a Santa costume days before Christmas- as if!, so instead he threw on a sombrero and surprised his nieces and nephew with goodies and marshmallow guns for each of his brothers.  We had a wonderful time at his parents house Christmas Eve, then we watched a Christmas show at our house.  The next morning Roxey opened her presents, lots of princess stuff, and then in the afternoon we went to my parents house for their open house.  Good times, great eats.

DISNEYLAND
This of all things should be something that I should write a ton about, but maybe that's what has been holding me back from writing, no words will do it justice!  It was the most amazing trip!  Sadly, I only brought one memory card and used up a lot of space recording her special birthday party at Disneyland, so my pictures are limited, but still gotta put something up here already!

We did the little trick of wrapping small presents for Roxey to open on the airplane.  This kept her occupied, along with her beloved DVD player!  That thing came in handy a few times while waiting on long rides.  We're not cool and own an iPad so that was the next best thing! Day one we went to the beach and ate at Ruby's dinner on the pier.  We were able to see dolphins swim past and dip our feet in the cold water.  The next day was all about Disneyland, which with Roxey meant spending most of our time in Fantasy Land.  After lunch we were able to have a little birthday party there for her as well.  The next day we all went to California Adventure.  By this point I didn't have memory space on my card nor could we find one to buy, so basically Monster's Inc. was her favorite ride there and she loved Bugs Land as well.  The next day most of my family was back at the park, but due to Jord's work schedule we needed to head back.  I let Jord plan this day, which normally I think would have been fun, but we went to a botanical garden which required more walking!  I wasn't a fan!  We were so tired we ended up just going to the airport early, kind of lame, but it did make me feel better about having to bail out on the family trip early, we were done.

Teacups were her favorite ride hands down or hands up in this case!

Roxey's birthday celebration.  My parents arranged for all of her cousins to come and decorate birthday cakes with Mickey and Minnie, it was a lot of fun.

She loved the parades!  Could have done that all day!

Our little treasure!!!

My awesome family!  I can't thank my parents enough for this amazing trip!

ROXEY'S BIRTHDAY
Roxey's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so we were able to celebrate it at Jordan's parent's house.  After having the holidays and Disneyland, I opted to just buy her cake this year instead of make it.  I think I will do that from now on! :)

BIG GIRL
With Penelope on the way, I have had fun changing our play room into a big girl room for Roxey.  It seems like it has taken forever, but on a tight budget, I've been able to do a little at a time, and she has loved every minute of it!  Her favorite thing is that on her wall it now says "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes".  I also, had my talented sister in law take some pictures of her to document her at age 3.  She is do adorable and I can't believe how fast she is growing up.

I love my Roxey Roo and have tried to do some special things with her before Penelope arrives.  We went to Build a Bear and made a special bear for Penny.  Should have taken a picture of it afterwards (duh!), but she picked out a cute Tinkerbell outfit, it was adorable.  Then I went on a Mommy-daughter date with her to the Living Planet Aquarium.  Now this weekend she and Jordan will go on a Daddy-daughter date to Disney on Ice. 

Yesterday, I had to go to the hospital to have Penny flipped because she was breech, so we packed our bags and tried to treat it as if we were going to have her because sometimes complications can arise in doing this procedure so we went in prepared. I'll be honest, in a way I wish we could have walked away with Penny in our arms, but I'm grateful to know that she is now in the right position to come when her little heart is content. There is still so much I feel I need to do to prepare, but I think after being forced to get into the mind set of her possible arrival yesterday, I am feeling like whenever she decides to come will be great! I love my husband soooo much and Roxey has been my gal pal for so long, especially with how many hours Jordan works. I hope Roxey is able to make the adjustment well to not being the only child and I can't wait for my heart to grow even more full of love for my sweet family. Early on we had some uncertainties as to if we would be able to have Penelope, so although her first name was picked long ago out of the air by Jordan, we have come to the decision that her middle name will be Evelyn which means life. Life is challenging, but we are so blessed day to day by our loving Heavenly Father to have one another and to know that there is great purpose to our lives and that we will be together forever!