Temple Square

We really wanted to go to Temple Square to see the lights before Christmas.  So the day before Christmas Eve we trekked down to Salt Lake.  It was actually a really great night and wasn't horribly cold.  We walked around City Creek a bit, got some dinner and then walked around Temple Square.  I love watching Jacob and showing him the temple and telling him that that is where our family began.  

Jacob loves the lights so he was pretty much in heaven.  He loves to walk and we just carried Sarah in her carrier and so it was great to not have to worry about a stroller.  I love this little family of ours and feel so blessed to have each and every one of them. 

Moving

Moving...not fun.  Not fun at all.  To describe our moving week in one word = stressful.  Mark was in his last week of his rotation and was working on getting things done for his portfolio and so couldn't really help much and I was trying my best to pack while taking care of two small little kiddos.  It was stressful.  

We also decided to load the truck a day earlier and so everything just felt really rushed.  It was crazy.  We were so blessed to have Darlene come and help us with the last of the packing and cleaning of the apartment.  We really could not have done it without her!  We also could not have done it without the help of the Rowleys, our great friends in Denver who not only fed us dinner but helped load our truck!  We could not have done it without them either!

The kids were so patient throughout all of this!  We could not have asked for better.  It was a crazy time and honestly it did not really allow us much time to let things settle in - to really feel what was going on.  

We drove through the night and then slept for a couple hours at my parent's house and unloaded the truck the next day.  It was crazy trying to balance unpacking and getting things ready for Christmas.  We finally feel like we are not living in chaos though so things are looking up!

I made Mark promise that we would never move at Christmas time again!  It was hard and I feel like the season has come and gone and I never really got to fully enjoy it.  It kind of makes me want to cry to think that we will have to pack and do this all over again in six months but it is my very sincere hope that we never have to move again.  I don't know if that is even possible but a girl can hope, right?!

Mark and I still feel like it hasn't really settled in that we have left Denver.  It is definitely bittersweet.  Denver was hard in a lot of ways, more for me than for Mark.  I never felt like I belonged much there.  We did make some good friends and I am grateful for them.  But it was an isolating time for me.  There were definitely some low points there.  But there were also some incredible highs.  Both Jacob and Sarah were born there and we were able to see our family grow.  Mark and I are best friends and we really had to rely on one another in a wonderful way there.  In many ways, it was a beautiful time for our family.  I am so proud of Mark and how hard he has worked over the years to excel in school.  But even more than that, I am proud of how he has been as a husband and father and balancing all of those roles together.  He is an incredibly good man.  

It is sad to see our Denver Chapter come to an end but it is exciting to be moving forward as well.  Living here in Draper will bring it's own challenges and highs and lows but I am confident that we can face them together as a family.  Ready or not, our Draper Chapter begins!

Hearing Screening #6

Last Thursday we had Sarah's sixth hearing screening.  We scheduled this screening as close to when we were moving so we could give Sarah time to clear the fluid that they believe is affecting her hearing.  

I was so optimistic going into this appointment.  However, I am sad to report that Sarah is still not passing her hearing screenings in her left ear.  The results are coming back the same - not worse but not better either.  

Hearing the results was really discouraging.  The last month inbetween her appointments I just felt really calm about the situation.  I just felt like it was all going to work out.  I have to remind myself that it still can.  

It's hard that we now have to continue this journey here in Utah.  We are now on the search for a pediatric audiologist here.  We are still hopeful that her hearing will right itself.  We've decided that the hardest part of all of this is just being in this in-between period - not really knowing what's going on.  We are at the point where we just want to know.  If she has some sort of permanent hearing loss we just want to move forward with it - or if it is nothing we just want it to clear up and be nothing so we don't have to worry about the alternative.  It's just hard not knowing.  

Everything is just so uncertain.  I asked our audiologist how sure she was that it was fluid in her ears and she says that she couldn't say for certain and that is just what makes the most sense.  I also asked if there would be any language delays and it was the same story, most likely there isn't as long as one ear is functioning properly but she can't say for sure.  It's just hard.  

As for Sarah she is just the happiest little thing and we just love her to pieces.  We are grateful to have such a sweet little girl who has been so patient throughout all of these tests.  We love you, little one.   

3 Months

This sweet little girl is three months old!  I cannot believe it.  She melts my heart and I love her so much.  

Sarah is growing so quickly!!!  She is two feet tall (75%), weighs 14 pounds 7 ounces (91%), and has a head circumference of 41 cm (79%).  She is in six month size clothes and we are crossing our fingers that she stays in them for awhile!  We are loving her little rolls though!

This little cutie loves to smile.  She is becoming more and more animated every day.  And her dimples just kill me.  She kind of has me wrapped around her little finger.  

And to top it all off - Sarah started giggling this last month.  Oh my goodness, is there a sweeter sound in the world?!  We still aren't like full belly laughing yet but it is still just as cute.  

Sarah is getting stronger and stronger and can hold her head up really well.  She is also about as close as you can get to rolling over without actually rolling over.  We are expecting it any day now!

But perhaps the most exciting thing that has happened is that Sarah JUST started sleeping through the night.  Oh happy day!  We decided to call it the day she turned three months because she had slept three nights in a row and we are still going strong!  She is now sleeping in her crib in the same room as Jacob. 

 

We love you sweet girl!  We can't wait to see what the future has in store for you!

Prince of Peace

A couple days ago I needed something.  I just felt like I needed a boost.  And it was one of those "a-ha" moments when I looked over and saw the new Ensign.  The kids were playing on the floor and so I sat down next to them and began reading.  

Every month this last year the Visiting Teaching message has been about a different role of the Savior.  I have absolutely loved it.  And this month was so perfect for me.  It was about the Savior's role as the Prince of Peace.  

The last couple of months have been stressful.  There have been so many things that have been going on and it has just been rough.  Sarah is not a very good sleeper, I feel like I spend every day just sitting down and holding her.  This has created many sweet moments but it also allows me an enormous amount of time to think and stew.  I have way to much time to over think every anxiety going on in our lives which only leaves me feeling very anxious.  This is pretty much the opposite of peace.  

These were exactly the words I needed:

"'The Savior is the source of true peace," said Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  "Even with the trials of life, because of the Savior's Atonement and His grace, righteous living will be rewarded with personal peace."  Understanding that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace can help us find inner peace and increase our faith in Him.  

Jesus Christ said: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."  Bearing testimony of that truth, Linda S. Reeves, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, said: "The Lord has been merciful to me and has helped make my burdens light.  He has helped me to feel great peace."

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: "The ideal place for...peace is within the walls of our own homes, where we have done all we can to make the Lord Jesus Christ the centerpiece.'"

Reading this alone brought so much peace to me.  I realized how much I needed peace in my life.  I know that my Savior, Jesus Christ, is the true source of peace in our lives.  I know that when we pray for peace and help in our lives that it will come.  It doesn't mean everything will be perfect but our burdens will feel lighter.  And I am grateful for this time of year where I can reflect more on my Savior and His role in my life - and especially right now as the Prince of Peace. 

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving this year was just spent together as a family.  Mark went in the morning and played some football and then we all helped cook our Thanksgiving feast.  We ate our scrumptious Thanksgiving feast but most importantly we were able to reflect and share with one another some of what we are most thankful for.  

I absolutely love this little family of mine.  I count my blessings every day that we were all brought together.  Mark is the best thing that every happened to me.  He supports me in every way and never fails to tell and show me how much he loves me.  He is my best friend in every way.  I would be lost without him.  I will love him forever. 

Jacob and Sarah have given me what I always wanted - to be a mother.  They are the sweetest little ones.  They make my every day special.  I love watching them grow and learn.  I love being a mother.  I am so grateful that I get to be home with my children and spend every day with them.  It is truly a dream come true.  

And I am grateful for a kind and loving Father in Heaven who has given me all that I hold dear.  He has given me a family and a promise that if we live worthy - we may spend forever with one another.  He has given His Son, Jesus Christ, who showed the way and has provided us a way to return to our Heavenly Father.  I would not be who I am without this knowledge.  It has lifted and sustained me throughout my life.  I am grateful that I feel God's love.

This year has been filled with blessings.  I am thankful for this time of year that allows me to reflect more on them.  

Hearing Update

On Wednesday, we had another appointment to check Sarah's hearing.  This was a big one.  There needed to be improvement or else there was going to have to be some intervention because of concern about her having problems with her language development.

We have good news!  After performing the many different tests that they do, Sarah passed in her right ear!  This is so wonderful for many reasons!  First of all, she can hear completely in her right ear!  Also, because she passed in her right ear, no immediate action needs to be taken to prevent any language delays.  PLUS, her passing in her right ear is very encouraging that the left ear will follow.  

Because of how she is responding to sound, it is still most likely to be fluid that is still in her ears preventing her from fully hearing.  

I told our audiologist (whom I've gotten really close to) that our family will be moving to Utah next month.  So we will be having another appointment right before we move and crossing our fingers that she passes completely and it is not something that we have to continue in Utah.  

If Sarah doesn't pass, when she turns four months we will begin considering putting tubes in her ears to help drain the fluid.  I know that this is a really common surgery but it is still something we really would rather not have to do.

We are feeling so much better about this situation though.  It has been an emotional ride but I feel like we are finally settling down.  We feel so blessed for our wonderful family, friends and doctors and how supportive and helpful they have been throughout this process.  We love you all!

We are thankful for our sweet little girl - for being such a trooper throughout all of these long and tedious visits.  And we are grateful that we know she can hear our voices.