Ombre Lovin'

I'm not one to do my nails, or makeup, or hair. I'm all about keeping it simple. My dressing up is putting on jeans and a nice shirt. My makeup is powder, mascara, and chapstick. My hair is usually wash & go, or up in a  bun. If I were to get polish on my nails, I'd let the nail polish chip off and not give a damn. haha. I love fashion though...I can look at fashion magazines and read all the beauty tips in the world and be so fascinated, but not enough to use them on myself. I had been secretly wanting to get my hair ombred (is that a word? ha) for a long time and I had been asking around quoting people's prices and looking up their results to see if I could trust anyone to do that drastic of a coloring on my hair. I finally went out on a limb and found someone on FB...Fb of all places! My husband was so skeptical, especially since she was a mobile hairstylist and came to our house. I guess it turned out ok...jk, it turned out AMAZING (toot toot) If you're in SoCal in Morongo Basin, more specifically in Twentynine Palms, you have to contact Anna via Fb. Her page is Hair Xtensions N More. Amazing job, and she explained everything to me step by step. btw, my husband has been complimenting me ever since I got my hair did, and HE was the one who was telling me to give her a tip. Man, I should get my hair done more often ;)

Manaia's birth story

2 weeks ago while at church, I was approached by one of the newer sisters in the ward saying she was a doula in training and was wondering if I'd let her be a part of my birth. I'm the kind that can't say no, so I agreed to have her come to our home and talk to us about what her role would be and how she could help me have a good labor/delivery. Mind you, I already had it in my head that I'd get to the hospital and get the epidural right away. I had such a difficult time with Lomani's birth plan that I didn't even want to try doing the natural approach. Anyways, so she came over and I remember praying about it and I didn't get a bad feeling, so I decided, hey, what could it hurt. She met with me a few times before the big day. I felt like, okay, I'm gonna go as long as I can, but I'm gonna fall back on the epidural. Not really a good plan, but it was what I felt comfortable with. I guess I was still a little skeptical on how she could help me when the contractions were really painful.

I had been having contractions Sunday (my original due date), but they were mild and were 10-12 mins apart. 3:30 Monday morning, I felt a gush and woke up Aaron to let him know my water broke. With my other two pregnancies, my water never broke 'til I was in the hospital so it was really awkward sitting on the bed and I'm leaking and leaking and leaking, it was never ending. We got to the hospital maybe an hour later and Aaron texted our doula to meet us there. My plan was to labor as long as possible at home before going to the hospital, but when do plans ever go our way? I'll admit, I was really skeptical about having a doula at the birth 'cause I didn't think she'd be able to help with the pains/contractions. I was so wrong! She was the best thing ever! She knew places to hold me to relieve the pain and I wouldn't have ever thought to let Aaron know that's what I needed. She was super helpful and I highly recommend having a doula at your labor/delivery.

It works! Mamas Get Yo Bodies Back!

 

I remember seeing my friends on FB posting things about a body wrap that can tighten, tone, and firm in 45 minutes. Hmmm? Is this for real? Is it just one of those things that gets rid of water weight? My husband and I were skeptical.

A couple months went by and I saw pictures of people that have been wrapped and thought, ok, maybe there's something to this product. Then I saw that it said you have to drink tons of water. Wait what? So it doesn't get rid of water weight...oh it helps to rid your body of toxins. Ok, this is sounding more legit. I was 7 months pregnant at the time so I kept telling my friend that I'd try it after I have my baby. I ended up signing on as a distributor and am now selling the wraps and other products It Works has to offer.

I didn't want to promote a product I didn't believe in, so when I got my wraps in the mail, I decided to try it to see if it was something that truly works. Here are my results after two wraps 72 hours apart.

Before any wraps

 

 

Two Wraps 72 Hours later



Front View Before Wraps

 



Front View After 2 Wraps

I believe in this product and I know anyone who does it correctly can also get results, probably even better than mine after two wraps. A box of wraps comes with 4 so if you sign up as a loyal customer, you can get the products It Works offers at a discounted price and with free shipping.

 

Here's a fun FYI, the wraps aren't just for your stomach! It can be used on any part of your body below your neck, yeah, so you can rid your body of that cellulite on your legs, you can use it on your arms, on your calves, on your back fat. I plan on using the wraps on my thunder thighs next. ha! Just go through the shop and see what other products that can work for you.

 

Mamas, get yo bodies back! Bring sexy back. Feel good, look good.

 

 

https://760wraps.myitworks.com/Shop

Lomani Joe's birth story

We have two kids now...we have two kids now...it's still a bit surreal. I am so proud to introduce to the world our little Lomani Joe Mokofisi Larsen. Born Sunday, June 9, 2013 at 7:30pm. 7 lbs 3 oz 19 inches.

Pregnancy

This pregnancy was so different from the last one. I didn't get sick. I was way more active. I taught a HOT HULA fitness®  class from the beginning of my pregnancy 'til I was 2 days shy of being 40 weeks. I felt like this labor/delivery was going to be so easy. Because my recovery with Leone was so horrible (I had an episiotomy) I did my research and felt so good about going natural. The benefits of going natural was that you could move around more which lets the baby come down easier, you could be in a more natural position to deliver so there are less risks of tearing/episiotomies, and recovery time would be cut down to a minimum.

Because I was already coming up on my due date, the dr kept monitoring the baby's heartbeat and my contractions (which I wasn't having) and asked me what I wanted to do. I said I'd rather let it happen naturally than have him induce me. On my due date, I was still having no contractions and the baby's head was high, so the dr wanted to induce me the next day. I asked that he wait it out just a little longer before going that route. He said he'd give me 'til Monday then they'd have to induce. I prayed and prayed that the baby would come before Monday so we wouldn't have to induce.

Birth Plan

I went to the hospital to have an NST on my due date and I was so glad that I'd be able to ask the nurse about my birth plan. My birth plan said that I wouldn't have an epidural, I'd like to have mobility, I'd like to use the shower/bath, I'd like no pain meds, I'd like to be in a squatting position. I was so set on my birth plan. How disappointed was I when the nurse said that they do constant monitoring and that I wouldn't be able to move around. I was so devastated. I didn't want to be confined to the hospital bed through the worst of the contractions, so I decided that I'd go as long as possible without the epidural, then get it. I also got the strep b test that came out positive so I couldn't be in early labor at home just in case my water broke. I was so overwhelmed that nothing was going as planned.

Labor/Delivery

3 days past my due date early labor began around 1am Sunday and I went in around 330am 'cause I didn't want my water to break before getting the antibiotics. I was dilated at a 2-3 for a while then a 4 for a long time and nothing was progressing. I thought I could handle so I told the nurse I'd go natural. My mom in law came to be with me and she was so amazing, rubbing my feet and helping me relax. I felt like Yes, I can do this. Then, around 3pm the pain was getting so unbearable and I still was at a 5-6, so I decided to do the Pitocin. I was contracting every 2-3 minutes and I was still stuck at a freaking 6! So I gave in and asked for pain meds which the nurse said would just take off the edge, but I'd still feel contractions. Worst thing ever! I felt so not in control of anything, loopy, groggy, and still feeling the pain! I finally asked for the epidural and finally was able to rest. They upped the Pitocin 'cause I still wasn't progressing and finally things started picking up around 6pm. They broke my water for me and the baby was still high. This little booger was so stubborn!

645pm I started freaking out. I felt like I couldn't breathe and my anxieties were kicking in. I asked Aaron for a blessing and I just kept praying and praying that the feeling would pass. I started shaking uncontrollably and needed to throw up and Aaron kept asking what was wrong and I remember the nurse telling me that that was a sign that the baby was ready to come so I called her in, and everything happened so fast. She checked me and called the Dr in. They started setting everything up for me to deliver and I remember thinking finally! Thank you HF for hearing and answering my prayers. They had me push a couple times just to bring the head down a little and the nurse said, the next contraction I'm going to have you push two times and that baby will come. I just thought, yeah right, it's not going to be that easy. Sure enough, one push, two pushes, out comes baby! Relief! I cried when I saw my baby boy. So many different emotions from this one and the last one. Leone's labor/delivery felt so easy and this one felt so difficult. As of now I don't even want to think about having another one, but I'm super grateful for the two boys Heavenly Father blessed us with. I love my boys :)

HOT HULA fitness® certified

I remember hearing about this new craze, HOT HULA fitness® and I was excited about it because my friends had taken a class out in SLC and told me how fun it was. I had forgotten about it and continued to gain lbs and be a fat pig. I realized though that I needed to do something 'cause I didn't feel good about myself, especially from gaining so much weight from being pregnant and not working out after my pregnancy. I needed to join a gym, so I did with Planet Fitness, and it was the best $10/month I spent.

I was going to the gym maybe 3-4 times a week working on the treadmill and elliptical. Between doing that and taking Visalus, I had dropped 20 lbs from February to September. The only thing is I HATED going to the gym. I dreaded it. I would have to talk myself into going. It was terrible.

In August, my aunty had posted her sister's schedule for HHF and I decided to go check it out. Oh my goodness!  I was sweating GALORE and my legs were burning. A fire was lit. I wanted to attend as many classes as I could, but unfortunately the only classes were in SLC area and up north. I couldn't justify driving to SLC multiple times a week to attend classes when I knew gas prices were so high. So whenever I could, I would attend. I'd ask my husband if he needed to do anything in SLC, and if he did, then I'd get to go :)

 I remember after my first class, the instructors told me that Anna-Rita (the creator of HH) was coming the end of September to certify people. I was considering it until she told me that it's a full day, like 7 hours. I told my husband, heeeeeck no. I'm not about to spend a full day certifying when we're supposed to be moving to Cali the next day. So I forgot about it, but kept getting this feeling that I should get certified and I even had a weird dream that I needed something to fall back on, just in case. So I registered but didn't pay yet 'cause I was still unsure. The week before certification I finally went ahead and paid for it.

The day finally came to certify. I was soooo nervous! I was kind of scared to meet Anna-Rita since everyone said that she works you and you need to take pain reliever after. Oh dear, but Anna-Rita was freaking hilarious! I loved her from the moment I met her. She started speaking in Samoan to me and I was like, oh, I'm Tongan/Fijian so the rest of the day she kept saying "Bula" to me. haha. Anyways, they weren't joking when they said she works you. I was sore 3 days after. It was surprising too that she auditions on the spot. By the end of the day though I was so tired I just wanted to get it over with. I'm glad that I got certified though 'cause it was such a good experience and now I love working out. No more treadmills, no more ellipticals, no more dreading going to the gym. I'm in love with HHF and all that it does for my body.

I'm now an instructor in Twentynine Palms, CA at Luckie Park (racquetball courts). I teach every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday at 6pm. I also teach my RS sisters at our chapel on Thursday at 730pm.

Here's more info on HHF for those of you who may be interested.

HOT HULA fitness® is a fun, new and exciting dance workout. It provides a “total body workout” in 6o minutes. HOT HULA fitness ® isolates your larger muscle groups, increasing strength and definition to your core with specific emphasis on the abs, glutes, quads and arms. Inspired by the dances of the Pacific Islands,HOT HULA fitness® incorporates easy to perform dance movements set to the sounds of traditional Polynesian drum beats fused with funky Reggae music, resulting in a modern, hip fitness workout. All ages and fitness levels will enjoy HOT HULA fitness®.

anna-rita.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjFSkDpjnwM&feature=player_embedded

Fam Pics 2012

I always love the work my SIL Martha Kristi does and so I was extremely grateful that she did our pictures. I wanted to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and get Leone's 1st b'day pictures (Carnival theme) and our family photos done at the same time. We seriously took these in 20 minutes and I think Kristi did an amazing job.

 

I saw the CUTEST family photo of my friend Sarah's sister's family and they all wore plaid jackets. I was inspired to do plaid, but unfortunately I did everything last minute and so we didn't match. haha. Oh well, I thought it still looked alright. My arm looks extremely huge in this, but I promise it's the shirt :)

 

 

 

 

 

Leone's 1st Birthday Party

It's like 2 months after the fact, but here are some pictures from my son Leone's Carnival Theme Party. I had been getting ideas from Pinterest for months before and tried my best to put my vision into it. We had a bouncy house provided by my brother Ma'afu's boyfriend Shaun's family, and I'm so grateful to them for coming through with that. It was pretty much the only thing that the kids were wanting to play in even though I had games (it wasn't quite as organized as I would have liked), but we had games. I asked my friend to do the signs and I had already decided what games I wanted before we actually had it, so when she brought her signs, it didn't match any of the games, ha! I was so stressed trying to put on his b'day and worrying about moving to Cali the following weekend. I knew what I was getting myself into though.

I'm so grateful that Leone made it through his first year of life safely. My mom was freaking out 'cause I did Leone's party 4 days before his actual birthday and I guess in the Tongan culture, that's a big no-no. They think it's going to jinx the baby. I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of worried 'cause I too am superstitious. I know, I know, but when you have a mother who is constantly reading into everything because of how she was brought up, it tends to be passed down to their offspring. I'm going to try my best not to do that to my children.

Another thing that happened the night of Leone's party was that we ran out of food! I couldn't believe it! I was so embarassed! Luckily there was a grocery store and little ceasar's up the street so the hubby got more food. Someone else went to get food without our knowledge. One thing that no one knows about my brother Heinrich is how sweet he is. He comes off as mean 'cause he does kinda look scary, but like a good big brother, he went to the store without telling anyone and bought more food. I seriously wanted to cry because of his kindness. He's always helping us out and I'm truly grateful for him and his wife Kristi.

The happy birthday boy

 

My cute nieces. I taught them a hula and they had never danced before, but they did so well!

 

The prize table that the kids kept stealing from (mostly my nephews). hehehe. We bought most of our prizes from WalMart and the dollar store.

 

Here was our "photo booth" that my wonderful friend Sarah Levao helped me with. We bought some props from the dollar store and here's my cutie cousin.

 

The happy birthday boy with his elmo cake. We got this from WalMart for $30. I was kinda pissed off 'cause it was supposed to come with a smash cake they include for a 1st b'day and when my cousin went to pick it up they said they weren't told to make the smash cake. Pretty soon I goin' smash them. Oh what?

 

Our good friend John Fanene and his cute enormous son Rock who's only 6 weeks older than Leone, but looks like he's 2 years older than Leone.

 

 

I love these letters my SIL did. It was supposed to go on Leone's high chair but because we were running late on eeeeeverything I didn't get a chance to display it.

 

 

All done. Super long day of partying and opening gifts.

 

Thanks to everyone for coming to his b'day and for all his gifts and to those who came and helped with the decorations and food. We love you guys!!!!!

 





Halloween 2012 Larsen Style

This year's Halloween was super last minute. I had been looking online for costumes for our son, Leone, but nothing stood out. We had gone to thrift stores and other stores, but to no avail. Two days before we went to the dollar store and found some armor and a helmet and wanted to dress Leone as a knight. We were pretty excited about our decision, then the day of we changed our mind. Ha. Even our costumes were figured out the day before, but not Leone's. We decided we wanted to be a zombie wedding couple (because Aaron wanted us to be scary, not cute). I would've preferred to do a cute family costume but was surprised at how well our costumes turned out.

Here's our costume

 

 

I got the dress for $3 from the thrift store and the head piece/veil was from a yard sale we went to a couple years ago for some yard decor aaron did for Halloween. All of Aaron's clothes were his and the wig was $3 from the thrift store. The makeup we got half off 2 days before Halloween from Rite Aid. I know right? Who would've thunk, the day before Halloween things would go on sale already.

For Leone's costume I literally said the hour before let's just make him a baby bum/hobo whatever you want to call it. So we put him in clothes he already had and we used my SIL's beenie and just drew on his beard. I thought he looked so adorable. We got the idea from Pinterest, so I'm not trying to take credit for it.

 

 

This is part of the trunk or treat at our church that my SIL's decorated.

 

 

The Fly and The Burglar? Perhaps?

 

I'm not sure if next year will be planned or will be on the fly again. Whatever we do, I'm sure it'll turn out fine :)

Torticollis Graduate!

At Leone's 6 month appointment, his pediatrician noticed that Leone's head tilted to the side. I had seen baby do it before in a picture, but Aaron and I thought he was just being cute. We were referred to the Orem Pediatric Rehabilitation and the therapist told us that Leone definitely had torticollis.

Torticollis is a condition that happens to babies when they exit the womb and their neck may get caught in a position that tightens the muscle in their neck that causes that slight tilt. We were told that if we don't take it seriously and do his stretches that he could eventually have scoliosis (curvature of the spine) which would eliminate him from being able to play contact sports. Of course we wanted to do whatever needed to be done to help our son get better.

We started going to his therapy every week, then two weeks, then three weeks, and today was our final visit, yay!!!  It's amazing seeing how much Leone has grown in the past 3 months, let alone the past 3 weeks. Our last visit (3 weeks ago), he couldn't crawl on his hands and knees (he was scooting on his stomach). He couldn't roll over. He couldn't pull himself to a standing position. Now he's doing all three of those things plus traveling along the furniture. It's a freaking pain now that he's more mobile, but I'm so so so grateful that he's developing and that he no longer has torticollis.

Moms, if you do have a baby who has a slight tilt where he/she favors one side more than the other, ask your pediatrician about it 'cause it's better to be safe than sorry!

Leone's faces

Don't mind my annoying voice and faces I make, but Leone is hilarious at 9 months old. I love my little feti.

Stares Galore!

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liwd-AjsLpU

^^ This link above is from ABC's What Would You Do program. As we watched this, we weren't surprised at all because when Aaron and I go out, we usually get stares. At first we thought we were being paranoid, then we thought it was the height difference (hehehe), then we realized people were making it obvious that they didn't approve. I say, middle finger to you all! hahaha! Guess what, black doesn't need to go with black, or white with white or what have you. To that old woman in Brigham City, you should be ashamed of yourself. How dare you refer to the young man as THAT as if he weren't human. If anyone else feels like that old lady, you need to slap yourself right now!

Aaron's "Inventions"

I came home from running errands to find my baby like this

He was actually asleep, but I woke him up and he was totally content. Aaron said he kept crying and nothing was helping so he figured since Leone likes to stand, he'd make something for Leone to stand in without him falling. Yes, Aaron is some kind of amazing.

Here's another thing he made because he didn't want to buy the floor gym from the store

Creative or ghetto?

Texting with Aaron

My SIL Leisa lent us her jumper for Leone to use, so I put him in it and this was the picture I took and sent to Aaron



P: Nevermind using his legs

A: Haha it takes more work to hold his legs up.

P: It's hilarious

A: He's tryin to be a rebel

P: Gets it from his dad

A: There's a difference between rebel and gangsta

P: You're neither. Anyhoots my mom's patient went to the ER so I'm gonna have to pick her up when she gets back

A: Pick up ur mom or the patient?

P: blah blah blah

Texting this morning:

P: I smell ur scent on ur pillow and I'm missing you like crazy

A: What scent? Like poop?

P: Way to kill the mood.

Tithing brings blessings.

Why are Mormons asked to donate 10% of their income to their Church? (Mormon.org)

Gordon B. Hinckley, prior President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said: “Our major source of revenue is the ancient law of the tithe. Our people are expected to pay 10 percent of their income to move forward the work of the Church. The remarkable and wonderful thing is that they do it. Tithing is not so much a matter of dollars as it is a matter of faith. It becomes a privilege and an opportunity, not a burden. Our people believe in the word of God as set forth in the book of Malachi, that the Lord will open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings that there will not be room enough to receive them (Malachi 3:8-10). Moving and touching is the testimony of Latter-day Saints throughout the world concerning this the Lord’s law for the financing of His work.”

We were running pretty low with our funds and still trying to help out family yet Aaron and I both decided that even though we didn't have much, we still  needed to pay our tithing. Best decision ever! Like they say in the church, the Lord doesn't need our money, He needs our faith. My faith was definitely tested and the Lord came through. I don't know how it makes sense, (looking at our bank acct), but it does!

Unusually Proportional

According to the growth chart, Leone is 59% for weight

54% for head circumference

51% for length.

Yeaaaaah, not as big as other poly babies, but that's ok :)

Can't wait for him to start eating solids but kinda nervous 'cause I know they can get constipated the first few days. We've dealt with him having constipation before & it makes me sooooo sad :( He's being a champ right now after having his shots, but I fear he'll be sore and crying the next few days. Other than that, our baby's growing well! We love our chubby boy!

Conversations with my mom.

This is my mom, Mikaela. I love her to death, but she's an interesting woman.

Growing up, my mom always corrected my grammar, and I always thought her English was impeccable...until now. She also told me not to let anyone call me Pasi, it had to be Pasimata. All of you who know her now, know what I'm talking about. Her voice echoes through everyone's heads PASIMATA, PASIMATA, PASIMATA.

On our wedding day while I was getting ready, she came to my hotel room and looked at my dress and said, "You're wearing that? It's not white, you're a weird girl. Pasimata, you're a weird girl." When I got out the temple she kept making comments that my dress was too form fitting and not white.

When Leone was born, he came 2 1/2 weeks early on a Monday and my baby shower put on by my cousins was scheduled to be that Saturday. I walked in with my newborn and my mom kept telling me I needed to lose weight. Yes, FIVE days after giving birth she said I needed to lose weight. Never mind that I just gave birth and all my swelling hadn't gone down yet, but that's Mela for you :)

Today with my mom didn't bring on any criticism, instead it brought on Fob-ism. She came over after work and was looking through all our pictures. She came across a picture of Aaron's great grandmother, Fono Salave'a. She kept saying, wooooow, she died at 39, I wonder what happened. She showed me the picture and said, "She doesn't look 39." I told her that I was pretty sure she wasn't 39 when she died. I read the back of the picture and I said, "Mom, she was born in 1900 and died in 1961, so she was 61." Looking confused, she said, "No, she's 39." For 5 minutes I kept trying to explain to her that she's not doing her math correctly. Then she finally caught on. I was pretty amazed!

While we were taking her home she saw the sign for the Lindon exit and proceeded to tell us that she went to Lindon to get a couple horses...for those of you who know Tongans or are Tongan, know where I'm going with this. She said that while they were getting the horse, the family asked if they'd take good care of the horse and my mom said, yes, of course. She turned to her husband and said in Tongan, take care of them in my stomach. OH DEAR!

Best of friends.

Ever since we were little, Ma'afu & I have always been the best of friends. Even though he was 5 years older than me and even though in the Tongan culture brothers aren't allowed to hang out with their sisters, we were still close. I remember everytime we'd visit my grandparents in Laie, as a child, I'd always want to be around Ma'afu 'cause I thought he was the most hilarious person ever. Those of you who know him, know what I'm talking about.

Moving to California was an easy decision at first. I wanted to be someplace new, away from private schools that my mom was forcing me to attend. I didn't realize though how much I'd miss my cousins. When we moved to Fallbrook, I threw the biggest tantrum (I was 12, don't judge). I was overly dramatic and thought I wouldn't survive. Then, I received the most exciting news! My cousins/brothers from Laie would be moving in with us! Hallelujah! The funny thing is, even though it was against the culture to be around my brothers, my dad would always let me tag along with Ma'afu wherever.

Now that we're older, we still are close. We've had our ups & downs, but I still love my brother. We've started a tradition a few years ago to celebrate our bdays by doing lunch/dinner since we're only 2 days apart. Let me rephrase that: We're 5 years & two days apart for those of you who think we're the same age 'cause I know we've been mistaken for being the same age, eh! haha! jk ma'afu, you just look really young. I pray that we'll have many more bday lunches/dinners together! CHEERS!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Our little man is 3 1/2 months old. It's so much fun watching him grow & develop. I actually saw a video on FB of some friends (Sharlene & Tonga Tukumoeatu) playing with their cute son. Tonga would make a sound and his son would mimic what he was doing. I thought it was so adorable that I tried to do the same with Leone. For weeks I kept trying to get him to copy me and for weeks I could see his little mind going to work trying to figure out how to do it. Finally, two days ago, he did it! Now that's all he ever does when he talks and plays with us.

Leone Bruce Larsen's debut

Read at own risk!

I started having mild contractions Saturday 9/24 at 1:45am and I kept thinking it would pass, especially since I wasn't due til October 13th, but it kept happening throughout the day just not enough to alarm my midwife.

Come Sunday morning, I passed my mucous plug & called my midwife and she wanted me to come in to the hospital to check the movement of the baby & make sure he was ok. I went in at 11am and she checked my cervix, which I had been worrying about 'cause I heard it was painful, but it wasn't at all. It probably didn't hurt 'cause the contractions were painful enough. I was dilated at 3cm and totally effaced. My contractions were coming on stronger, but not close enough to be active labor. She wanted me to stay in the hospital a little bit longer 'cause I was 100% effaced but I chose to just go home & wait it out & shower ('cause I knew it would be a long night) til my contractions were closer together. So we went home & Aaron had to work so I told him to go in but to make sure his phone was on him. I got home & my contractions were still not close enough, but they were getting suuuuper strong and when they finally got 5 minutes apart I texted Aaron to hurry and come home & take me to the hospital. I know, who sends a text when you can call? I didn't want him to hear the pain in my voice i guess. I told him not to talk to me when I would get a contraction, I know, so mean, but if he did talk to me I would've just bit his head off.

I had been going back & forth on how I would go about with the delivery, if I'd go unmedicated or have an epidural. After taking our childbirth classes, I decided that I would DEFINITELY have the epidural. Lucky for Aaron that I got the epidural or I would've spent these past two weeks apologizing for my demonic behavior had I not gotten it.

We went back to the American Fork hospital at 5pm and I was 5cm and I originally told them I would wait til I was close to a 10 in pain to get my epidural, but right when I got there, they asked if I wanted them to call the anesthesiologist then and I was like, ok. hahaha! I LOVED the epidural! I felt soooo good & so calm and I was so grateful I got it! My midwife kept saying maybe i'll have the baby before midnight, but he was still high and my water had not broken yet. So at 9 1/2cm she broke my water and when it came time to push it only took 15 minutes and out he came just after midnight. It was so surreal! I think out of the whole experience, I hated pushing, only because the nurse that was counting kept getting distracted. She would talk to the other nurses then come back counting where she left off. I felt like I was holding my breath forever! Thank goodness I didn't have to push long. There is no kind of modesty once you go into labor. It's crazy how you don't even care that your legs are wide open & there are a bunch of people in the room, all that's on your mind is that your baby comes out ok and is healthy.

When he came he had the softest cry. He sounded like a mouse, it was so cute. The midwife said he sounded like a girl, haha! I'm so grateful for the midwife I had. She was amazing! I'm grateful for the nurses that helped as well. Loved my experience but not loving the recovery process, that's another story to tell.

born: 9/26/11 at midnight. 7 LBS 1 OZ 20 INCHES

Took us forever to figure out his name, but when we finally came up with his name, it felt so right...our mothers told us so so we know it's his heavenly name :)
Leone is my dad's middle name and Bruce is Aaron's dad's name. He is named after strong, compassionate, loving, God fearing men.

After being scrubbed clean.

Here he is at 1 week with his yellow jaundice eyes, that have gone away yay!

here he is at 2 weeks getting tummy time. When we left the hospital, he lost weight and was at 6 lbs 9 oz but at his 2 week appt he got back up to 7 lbs 11 oz. Our baby boy is growing :) WE LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!

Cutting Down on Costs

I love the Nate Berkus Show, especially when he gives great tips. Here are some via learnbest.com:

1. Wash laundry loads in cold water.
You can save up to $60 every few loads and it extends life of your clothing.

2. Put a regulator on your thermostat.
Regulates heat and a/c and is only a few dollars to buy. It takes 20% off your electricity bill.

3. Make one trip to the grocery store a month.
Throw everything in the freezer.

4. Comparison shop.

Now I just gotta do!