The Four Mossketeers

It's Party Time!

2012-02-06T14:37:00.003-07:00

I know I'm a little biased, but that little face just might be the cutest thing I've ever seen. I think she was pretty excited for her party! We ended up having two different parties due to calender conflicts and space constraints, but double the parties means double the fun! We got to party with my side of the fam on Wednesday and Lance's side of the fam on Friday. What a fun week!

The birthday girl by her birthday banner

Sisters!

Aunt Kate and Lexi with the birthday girl

Uncle Taylor with Sadie (I love their matching facial expressions!)

Lance was in charge of games for the party and they were a major success. First, everyone took a funny little quiz about Sadie and watched a slideshow of Sadie's first year. Then we played the donut game where you hang a donut from a string and then try to eat it with no hands. The kids loved this! We even used powdered donuts to make things a little more messy. We played Limbo and did a cake walk as well. The winners of the games got to reach into a prize box and pick a prize...be careful what you pick though, because some of the prizes were duds! Lance put some soap. tomato sauce, taco seasoning, etc. into the prize box and that made it really funny. Luckily, there were enough good prizes for everyone, so we didn't have any tears!

Abbie, Bryson, Haley, and Jackson playing the donut game

Brandon, Josh, and Lexi doing the Limbo

Present time! Sadie wasn't very interested in unwrapping most of the presents, so she got a little assistance from big sister, who was more than happy to help! Sadie got several new books, a few new outfits, and some new toys! Thanks everyone!

Bryson and Abbie helping Sadie open her presents

It took me awhile to figure out the theme for the party, but I finally settled on a pink and brown cupcake theme. The invitations were little cupcakes that I made with my Silhouette. I also used the Silhouette to make Sadie's birthday banner and cupcake toppers. Man I love that machine! haha! Not a great picture but you get the idea

I researched some tips on how to frost cupcakes and was surprised at how easy it was and how cute they turned out! All I did was purchase a frosting tip at Hobby Lobby, cut off one corner of a ziploc bag, put the tip in the corner and fill the bag with frosting. I just used store-bought frosting and it worked great! I also made the little cupcake stand with some plates I found at DI, some glass candlesticks from Dollar Tree and some super glue. Super cheap and super easy!

Here's the table. Nothing fancy, but I used root beer and lemonade to fit the pink and brown theme. I was trying to find some pink and brown candies but all I could find that I liked were tootsie rolls.

This is the cake for Sadie's party on Friday. The cake for the first party was just a one layer round cake, but she didn't really get into it much, so I tried to make a cake that looked like more fun to dig into. It definitely helped that it was three layers, but the little sprinkles on top were her favorite. She dug into this one a lot more, even though none of it ended up in her mouth.

Here's a glimpse of the first cake, she didn't really get into this one at all. Abbie ended up helping her a little bit after awhile and got a cute little mexi-stache to show for her efforts. Love my girls! Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a great birthday for Sadie!

Abbie sporting her chocolate mexi-stache

My baby is 1!!

2012-01-31T14:47:00.004-07:00

Well, she's not technically one until tomorrow, but I've got a spare minute now and you never know when one of those will come again! Anyway, Sadie is an adorable little girl who makes us laugh, scream, and cry almost every day. She's a mover, climber, and shaker! She started walking when she was 10 1/2 months and she hasn't stopped since! She also loves to climb anything and everything. Tables, chairs, beds, couches, and the toybox are a few of her favorite things to climb. She has now figured out how to climb down from most places, which means a lot less bumps and tears at our house. She loves to dance and is a great addition to our family dance parties. She loves her bottle and luckily she has tranferred over to regular milk with no problems. I was a little sad when she lost interest in nursing, but now it's nice that I don't have to plan our day around nursing her. She's sort of in limbo when it comes to solid food. She doesn't love baby food anymore, but she's also not quite ready for most table foods. So for now, her diet consists of a little bit of baby food, lots and lots of cheerios, crackers, yogurt and anything sweet. Hopefully she'll decide to eat more regular food soon since she's on the small side already! She weighed 16 lbs 3 ozs at her 9 month appointment and I would guess that she's not much more than 17 lbs now.

She likes to give hugs and she's learning how to give nice slobbery kisses. She babbles quite a bit, but the only "word" she has said so far is "ba" for ball. She's said mama and dada a few times, but not regularly. She's also finally decided to let mommy get some much-needed sleep. I hope I'm not jinxing anything, but she's slept through the night for 4 nights in a row now. All I have to say is it's about time! She also takes two naps that usually total about 3 hours. She loves playing with her big sister, even though big sister is usually not too happy about it! So far, she loves people and will go to most anyone, but I think she's starting to get a little attatched to mom. Anyway, that's my baby girl in a nutshell! We're having a few parties for her this week, so I'll post more about those later. We sure love Sadie and can't remember what it was like without her in our family! Happy Birthday Sadie Mae!

Christmas

2012-01-30T15:31:00.002-07:00

I thought I had better blog about Christmas since I feel like I can't blog about anything else until I get this one done! Anyway, Christmas was a lot of fun this year, especially for Abbie. She got into the whole Santa Claus thing this year, loved playing with our nativity sets, and LOVED opening all her presents. Lance even sent her on a picture scavenger hunt to find her big present (a binky baby) and she really loved that. I'm guessing that's going to become a tradition! Sadie had fun too, although she wasn't too into opening her presents. She was mostly into eating everything in sight. Especially anything sweet! Man has that girl got a sweet tooth! Anyway, it was a little bit of a different Christmas since it was Sunday, so we got ready and went to church, and then we had to rush to G & G Johnson's house so we could call my brother Connor who is on a mission in Texas. After that, we had dinner, then went to G & G Moss' house to hang out with them and play with cousins. All in all, it was a great day! Here are some pics of our Chrismas morning...

Daddy helping Sadie open a present

Sadie inhaling a whole piece of chocolate orange

The best pic we have of both girls by the tree

Daddy and his girls!

Abbie trying out her new doctor kit

Mommy got a serger for Christmas. Hooray!

Abbie absent-mindedly feeding her new baby doll

Christmas Eve

2012-01-04T14:55:00.001-07:00

Christmas Eve started out with the traditional breakfast with the Johnson's. We went to Granny Annie's again and it was scrumptious! Abbie had no trouble scarfing down several large pieces of bacon and a whole patty sausage. She's a carnivore just like her daddy!

The whole gang at Granny Annie's

I have to post the pics where Abbie is actually smiling cute (these are few and far between lately)

Later that afternoon, we went to the Satchwell Family Christmas Party where we ate more delicious food, read and reenacted the nativity, opened cousin presents and pajamas, and tried (unsuccessfully) to get cute pictures of the girls. I cannot believe how difficult it was to get any good pictures! They were way too preoccupied playing with cousins and their new toys. Oh well, maybe next year!

Sadie was a sheperd in the nativity. Abbie refused to participate! hehe.

Abbie with her new binky baby (the only thing she asked for for Christmas)

Sadie talking on her new toy phone

Our pathetic attempt to get a picture of all the girls in our matching PJ's (my mom made all of these! Super cute!)

Another failed attempt at a family PJ picture! Oh well!

By the time the party was over, it was already time for bed, but we couldn't forget to leave cookies for Santa and sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn. Abbie was so excited, but luckily she was so tired out that she went to bed without too much fuss.

Abbie leaving cookies for Santa

Moss Christmas Progressive Dinner

2012-01-04T14:45:00.001-07:00

This year for the Moss Christmas Party, we had a progressive dinner. It was a lot of fun going around to all the houses, eating lots of yummy food, playing games, and opening presents. We love getting together with family, especially at Christmas time.

Sadie showing off her new walking skills and her cute new boots

Haley and Jackson showing off their Micheal Jackson dance skills

The entire Moss clan

Abbie and Bryson with their cousin gifts and hats from Great Grandma Moss

Sadie and Daddy opening presents

All six Moss brothers singing to Mom and Dad Moss

Johnson Family Christmas party

2011-12-22T07:44:00.002-07:00

This year we had the Johnson Family Christmas party at Chucky Cheese. None of us had ever been before, and let's just say that Abbie was in heaven! She loved trying out all the little rides and games. Sadie had fun tagging along. Then it happened...Chucky Cheese himself came out! And Abbie screamed a blood-curdling scream that was heard throughout the land! Haha. Anyway, she was deathly scared of good ole' Chucky, but we managed to avoid him for the most part and continued to have fun. Her favorite was riding in all the little cars and playing Whac-a-mole. We also had fun climbing around on the playground stuff. I finally convinced her to go up by herself so I didn't have to stuff my adult-sized self into those little tubes. Anyway, it was a lot of fun getting to eat, play, and catch up with family.

Abbie and Sadie going on Safari

Abbie riding with a non-scary Chucky

Playing Whac-a-mole with Dad

Sadie's first horsey ride

Mommy and Abbie exploring the tunnels

Sadie had so much fun, she fell asleep in Grandma's arms

Decorating the Tree

2011-12-21T07:23:00.002-07:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving, Lance hauled all our decorations out and we got started making our house look like Christmas. Abbie was so excited to start putting ornaments on the tree. She was an expert! The one branch that she decorated had more ornaments than the rest of the tree put together! I would have left it that way, but unfortunately she decorated a branch that was within reach of the "ornament snatcher" (a.k.a. Sadie). The entire lower portion of our tree is now bare! At least all of our ornaments are shatter-proof! We had lots of fun though. We love Christmas time!

Abbie getting ready to put her ornament on the tree

Silly poses from the gang

Abbie and Sadie mesmerized by all the sparkle and shine

The ornament snatcher in action

Making sure no one saw her mischeivious ways

Abbie's Cardiology Appointment

2011-12-01T11:38:00.002-07:00

We only have to take Abbie to cardiology appointments once a year now, so that's really nice. Because we don't go very often, Abbie gets a little nervous since she's not familiar with the people or the procedures. This time around, we tried to prep her with everything that would happen so she wouldn't be too scared. Usually she has to get an echocardiogram (like an unltrasound on your heart) and in the past, she's had to be sedated for those echos since nobody expects a baby or a little toddler to stay still for 45 minutes while some strange person pokes and prods at them. Anyway, this year our cardiologist decided against the echo because he didn't want to sedate Abbie. This was somewhat of a relief for us because Abbie has to get an IV to be sedated and that is just not fun for any of us. Dr. Puchalski thinks that by next year, Abbie will be old enough that she won't have to be sedated, so we'll resume the yearly echos next year. We did have to get an EKG, which was a new experience for us. They put a whole bunch of little sticker things all over your chest, and then they hook wires to each of those stickers. Abbie did SOOO good! This was by far the best she has ever been at the doctor. She shed a few little tears here and there, but she was so good at holding still and staying quiet while Dr. Puchalski listened to her heart. Nothing new to report about the condition of Abbie's heart. There was some leakage of one valve and some narrowing of another valve, but that's pretty much the same as before. Her pacemaker is still working great and has another 6 years of battery life left, so she won't have to get that replaced until she's 8 or 9. We feel so blessed that our little girl is healthy and active and we're so thankful for the great doctors and nurses at Primary Children's.

Being so still while getting hooked up to the EKG machine

Wow that's a lot of wires

Just a comparison of last year's appointment. What a difference a year makes!

November fun

2011-11-28T14:45:00.002-07:00

I can't believe how fast November flew by! It was a busy month as usual, but full of a lot of fun stuff. First off, Lance and I celebrated our 5th anniversary! I got to plan it this year and sent him on a fun treasure hunt, and then surprised him with a two-night stay at the Anniversary Inn (big thanks to G & G Johnson for watching the girls!). Man was that a much needed break for us. We had lots of fun relaxing, eating, watching movies, shopping, and actually sleeping through the night for once. I also cut my hair that day without Lance knowing, and when he met me for dinner, he sure was surprised.

Hair before

I didn't ever get a pic specifically of the after, so this is the best you're gonna get.

One of our family nights in November was about being thankful, so of course we had to make thankful turkeys. Abbie is thankful for baby dolls. We had to do some persuading to get her to be thankful for anything else.

Abbie with the turkeys. Dad, Mom, Sadie, Abbie from left to right.

There were a few snowy days in November so Lance and Abbie got suited up and went out to do all the usual snow things. They built snowmen, threw snowballs, made snow angels, did a little sledding, and maybe ate a little bit of snow too.

All dressed up and ready to go

Mr. Snowman

Despite my determination to be better at taking more pictures, I only ended up with a few from Thanksgiving. I've decided that Thanksgiving is just not a picture taking holiday! Haha. Anyway, we started off the holiday weekend with Pie Night at G & G Moss' house. This has become a tradition in the last few years and it enable us to eat even more pie than normal! Then we double dipped for actual Thanksgiving. We started off at G & G Johnson's house in the morning and had an early Thanskgiving lunch. After sufficiently stuffing ourselves there, we proceeded to G & G Moss' house and stuffed ourselves there too. We had a great time eating, playing games, and visiting with family!

Our little family on Thanksgiving

All ready to eat!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-27T20:46:00.002-07:00

I know, I know...I'm a month behind. But hey, I'm trying. Anyhoo, here are so pics from our ward Trunk-or-treat and a few from Halloween. I can't believe I never got a good picture of Abbie all decked out with hair and make-up done, dress on, and sparkling with all her jewels. You'll just have to imagine how she actually looked. Not that it lasted that long, but for a few minutes, she was such a darling little Cinderella. We went to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat the Friday before Halloween and it was great. Abbie wasn't so sure she liked it though when she spotted several kids wearing scary masks. She screamed and cried for the first fifteen minutes and wouldn't even let me put her down. After a little while, she calmed down and we walked around collecting candy, but any time she saw anyone in a mask, it started all over. Oh well, there's always next year.

This is Abbie with hair, make-up, and jewelry. Not a very good shot of the make-up but man those eyelashes are LONG!

Lance and the girls handing out candy in the back of the truck.

The whole fam dressed up

Mommy and her girls

As soon as we got home, Abbie dumped out her stash and both girls dug right in. Sadie got the privelege of eating the suckers that Abbie discarded after a few licks.

By the time Halloween finally rolled around, we were kind of Halloweened out. It was my turn to take Abbie trick-or-treating so we headed out. After ONE house, she asked me to carry her. I turned right around and went to get the stroller. We lasted about 20 minutes and then we decided to head to G & G Johnson's house for some donuts and some more trick-or-treating.

My cute little giraffe on Halloween.

I got lazy on Halloween and didn't do Abbie's hair or makeup, so she looks a little disheveled. They're still cute though.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-21T15:32:00.002-07:00

No Halloween would be complete without pumpkin carving, so here are some pics.

Abbie really got into it this year and her pumpkin was a combination of pen drawings and little stab marks. Mommy helped her with the face part.

Lance was a real trooper and scooped out the pumpkin guts for all four pumpkins

Sadie was trying to duplicate the face carved into her pumpkin

Sadie also LOVED playing in the pumpkin guts. She loved squishing them between her fingers.

The finished pumpkins from left to right

Lance, Kellie, Abbie, and Sadie

Hogle Zoo

2011-11-18T11:28:00.002-07:00

The week after Cornbelly's, we decided to go to Hogle Zoo since the weather was still so nice. Abbie was in a strange mood and was really out of it, but she still enjoyed seeing the animals. Sadie did what she always does, chilled in her stroller and enjoyed the ride.

This wolf was so close to us and he kept growling at some construction workers that were right next to the fence

Giraffes are some of Abbie's favorite animals, but they sure were boring.

Abbie didn't quite get the concept that the animals were in cages and couldn't get out. She was really scared to get close to anything, especially Mr. Crocodile.

Had to put in at least one picture of Sadie to prove she was there, she wasn't cooperating for pictures very well.

Mommy and Abbie waiting in line for the carousel. We couldn't get a good picture while we actually riding it, but of all the animals, Abbie chose to ride on the praying mantis. Silly girl.

We loved watching the elephants. They were eating and drinking and moving all around. The baby elephant was even playing with some of his toys. This was probably Abbie's favorite thing to watch.

She played at the park for a little bit, but there were just too many kids, plus it was naptime. We did get her to pose for a few pictures though.

The classic pose in front of the Lion drinking fountain

We didn't get to see too many monkeys, but a trip to the zoo isn't complete without a pic in front of the Gorillas.

Cornbelly's

2011-11-15T14:51:00.002-07:00

This year we got some coupons to go to Cornbelly’s corn maze down at Thanksgiving Point. We thought it would be a fun outing for the girls and the weather was so nice. We had never been before so we weren't quite sure what to expect, but it was so much fun! They had so much stuff for Abbie to do, she was in heaven! We stayed there for 3 hours with no whining, and for a Abbie, that's a LONG time.

Sadie chilled in the stroller for some of the time, but mostly she made us hold her or walk her around.

Abbie loved swinging on these cool tire swings. She especially loved the shark one.

After several times going down the slide with me, she finally went all by herself and she LOVED it!!

We also got to go on a bumpy hay ride that was a lot of fun.

They had all sorts of trains, trucks, and busses that the kids could play on. The one time that Abbie cried was when we made her give another little boy a turn to drive the truck.

Don't let the face fool you! She loved riding the cow train. Just picture me and Abbie stuffed in that little cow with Lance and Sadie stuffed in the one ahead of us. These were not meant for adults!

We even went through the kids corn maze and let Abbie lead for most of the way. We had to "help" her at the end to actually get out of the maze, but she liked being the leader. We had a lot of fun and if we can get coupons, we'll hopefully get to go again next year!

September in pics

2011-11-14T12:00:00.002-07:00

Grandma Moss and Sadie, getting ready for the BYU vs. U of U game

We squeezed in one last month of nice weather and spent it playing outside, going jet-skiing again, and having fun family parties. Yay for summer, what a rush!

Football party

Spending out evenings outside

Fun with the cousins!

Playing on the beach

Sadie trapped under the highchair

August in pics

2011-11-14T11:45:00.002-07:00

Lance and Abbie at Yellowstone

In August, Lance and Abbie went with the Moss Fam up to Yellowstone and camped for several days. I was a wuss and didn't want to take my 6 month old camping, so Sadie and I stayed home. Abbie had lots of fun playing with cousins, getting very dirty, and spending some special time with daddy. Sadie turned 6 months old (stats: weighed 13 lbs 7 oz, height 25.5 inches), Lance went out of town twice, and there was lots more playing outside.

Abbie loved looking through the binoculars

Sadie at 6 months

Playing outside

Sandbox fun with cousins

Love dressing my girls to match

July in pics

2011-11-14T11:34:00.001-07:00

Abbie playing on the tube

I hate playing catch-up, especially when I'm so far behind, so July, August, and September are going to be mostly pictures and a few descriptions so that I can catch up fast. Plus, blogger is being a little weird on me and I have to do my posts from picasa in order to get my pictures to load, so the formatting is not great, sorry. July was full of jet-skiing, fireworks, playing outside, and more fireworks.

Sadie was tuckered out

Jet skiing with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson

Fireworks with Grandma and Grandpa Moss

Abbie's first sparkler

Summer 2011

2011-09-07T22:15:00.001-06:00

Well, looks like all of our summer adventures get to be summed up in a few posts since I was a huge slacker in the blogging area these last few months! First up is June, which was our busiest month by far!
We started off with the Moss Family Reunion, held in Beaver, UT. We actually went down a day early so that Lance and a few of his brothers and their wives could hike Angel’s Landing. They had a great time, but were very tired and sore when they returned! After the Easter fiasco (a.k.a. Abbie and Sadie deciding to rebel against all forms of sleep), we had basically resigned ourselves to the fact that we probably wouldn’t get any sleep for 3 nights. I am happy to report that the girls surprised us and actually slept pretty well. Abbie got up quite early every morning, but Lance would just take her down and turn on cartoons while he fell back asleep on the couch. Sadie loved getting passed around to all the aunts and cousins and Abbie loved playing with her cousins, especially the babies. The theme of the reunion was the Moss Family Game Show, so we had lots of fun activities like Minute to Win it, Family Fued, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, The Amazing Race, and even a Money Booth. It was tons of fun! We love the Moss reunion every year!

Lance at Angel's Landing

Abbie and Jackson in the money booth

Getting ready for bed

Next up was the McArthur Reunion in Albion, ID. We only have this reunion every 3 years or so, so it was fun to get reacquainted with family that we haven’t seen for a long time. We had lots of fun during the daytime, doing relay races, eating lots of good food, and Abbie’s favorite, playing in the hot tub with dad. The nights were not as successful this time, due to creaky floors, more people, and many other factors. I got to spend every night out on the couch with Sadie, while Lance tried not to wake Abbie up getting into that squeaky bed. We all did manage to get some sleep though, and were still able to enjoy the reunion. On the way home, we stopped at the City of Rocks to hike around a bit and eat some lunch before heading out.

Abbie loved the hot tub

Grandma and Grandpa with Sadie

The whole fam at City of Rocks

So, the reunions took up half of our month, and then Lance was gone for the other half! Well….maybe not half, but 5 days and 4 nights seems like an eternity when you’re alone with a baby who still wakes up several times a night, and a toddler who delights in trying your patience. Luckily, I only live 20 minutes from my parents, so we bummed at their house each evening in order to save my sanity. Lance went camping with the priests and teachers up at Island Park, ID and they had a lot of fun boating, hiking, and they even got to see some bears at Yellowstone National Park. Phew! One month down, two to go!

Just had to add this one cause she's so dang cute!

Sadie-4 months old!

2011-07-16T18:03:00.002-06:00

Disclaimer: Yes, I know this post is a month and a half late. I've had it typed up for awhile, I just never got around to posting it. So here it is, so I can remember what she was like at 4 months.

Little beached whale - she can't get her arms out!

Chillin' in the bumbo

Pose for the camera! What a cute swimsuit model!

She loves to stand!

Our litte Sadie Mae is 4 months old! I can’t believe how fast these months have gone by! (Even though the days often drag! Hehe). She weighs 12 lbs 5 oz. and is 24 inches long. She is such a happy, social baby and gives smiles and coos to everyone, even the doctor! SO different than Abbie at this age! Sadie LOVES to talk and is constantly babbling, gurgling, cooing, and screaming (happy screaming most of the time). We finally moved her into her own room and she is now sleeping well in her crib. She still usually wakes up twice in the night to be fed. She is a very considerate little girl and gave me presents for both Mother’s Day and my birthday by skipping one of her night feeds on those nights! She rolled from back to belly at about 3 ½ months and from belly to back right at 4 months. We have tried some baby oatmeal, and she seems to like it, but we’re taking our time with solids. She still has LOTS of hair, but is now starting to get the lovely bald spot in the back! She spits up and drools constantly, so she gets to wear several outfits a day. She’s been giving us a hard time with naps and will rarely sleep more than 45 minutes and usually only 20 minutes at a time. Hopefully this is a phase that will end soon! We love our happy little baby and are so glad she’s a part of our family!

Dress-up

2011-06-14T14:00:00.003-06:00

Abbie isn't really into playing dress-up much, but every once in awhile we pull out the dress-up box and have at it! We decided to make it a family affair this time. Abbie even helped Sadie participate. We love nights like these where we all get to be silly and have fun together!

My two little island girls

Help! I'm being attacked by an ugly black wig!

Hmmm...don't know what to call this one

Nerdy Jamaican meets Hollywood icon?

The movie star!

Easter 2011

2011-06-14T10:55:00.003-06:00

I know Easter was forever ago, but since this blog is supposed to be a famliy journal of sorts, I've got to blog about it so we can remember it years down the road! As per tradition, we went down to Beaver since Lance's grandma goes all out for Easter. It was nice to see some family that we only get to see once or twice a year. This was our first overnight adventure with both kids and we were a little nervous about the car ride, sleeping in a different place, and messed-up nap schedules. We rode down with Lance's brother's family; Derek, Sarah, and Bryson. Taht's four adults and three kiddos in carseats, so we were pretty squished, but the kids did well watching movies and eating lots of snacks. Then it was time for bed. I was dreading it because Abbie hadn't been sleeping very well at home anyway and Sadie woulen't sleep in her crib at home so I didn't know what we were going to do with her. We put Abbie on the floor in a sleeping bag, and Sadie slept in the bed with us. Abbie lasted a few hours before she woke up and stayed awake from midnight to 3 in the morning! During this time, the power went out, so we didn't have any light to read stories, and no TV to try and lull her back to sleep. We finally got Abbie back to sleep for a few more hours, but Sadie would not sleep anywhere but in our arms. Needless to say, it was not a fun night. And because of the events of the night, Abbie was exceptionally whiny the next day and we were exceptionally exhausted. Abbie was excited for the Easter egg hunt though and decided to be happy for at least a few minutes so we could snap some pictures and she could snag some goodies. We were planning on staying one more night, but since neither Bryson or Abbie slept well, we decided to head back home a little early.

I found one!!

Kyler, Abbie, and Bryson

We wanted to have a little Easter celebration with G & G Johnson and Uncle Taylor too, so we invited them over on Monday for a little Easter family night. We dyed eggs and hid some more for Abbie to find. All in all, it was a good Easter!

Abbie and Uncle Taylor dying eggs

Abbie with her Easter basket full of eggs

Had to get one pic of Sadie enjoying her Easter

Sadie's Blessing & 2 month stats

2011-04-13T21:00:00.005-06:00

We got to bless Sadie on Sunday and it was a very special experience for us. We didn't get to bless Abbie in church because we chose to bless her when she was about 10 days old, the day before her big open-heart surgery. That was a very special experience too, but I think I was a little too overwhelmed with everything to fully appreciate it. Anyway, I am so thankful for the Priesthood and for my wonderful husband. There's just something about a precious little baby all dressed in white, so fresh from heaven, that touches your heart!

Abbie's blessing day

Two sisters all dressed up and ready to go

Sadie, Mom, and Dad

We had a little get-together afterward with friends and family. Thanks to all who came and who helped with the food! Sadie was a little tuckered out because of all the attention and I had to snap some pics. I thought she looked like a little angel! She was so happy when she woke up and I was able to get one of the first good smiling pictures that we have of her! (PS - I didn't fluff her hair like that on purpose. It has a mind of it's own!)

Sleeping angel

Happy baby!

Abbie and Bryson - mischievous little smiles!

Enjoying one of Grandma M's chocolate chip cookies

Showing off her awesome coloring skills

Sadie had her 2 month appointment the other day (a little late). She was 10 weeks old and weighed in at 10 lbs 10 ounces (34th percentile) and 23 inches long (64th percentile). So apparently she is tall and skinny, though her thigh rolls tell a different story! Anyway, I had to take both girls with me, and if you read my last post, you know that the doctor's office isn't exactly Abbie's favorite place in the world. After explaining and repeating over and over that this appointment was NOT for her, I thought she would do ok. She started crying in the parking lot before we even got out of the car! So I proceeded to stumble into the doctor's office carrying a crying toddler, a diaper bag, and a car seat. Then I had to try and undress Sadie while Abbie was crawling all over my lap begging to go home. Fun stuff! Abbie finally calmed down when the nurse left and turned on Happy Feet for us. Dr. Eberhard came in a little while later and gave Abbie a sucker and some stickers. He also let her shine the little light in Sadie's mouth and listen to her heart with his stethoscope. She did fine the rest of the appointment until Sadie started screaming after her shots. Sadie was a trooper. she screamed for a minute or two and then calmed down and fell asleep. We'll see how the next appointment goes!

Catch Up

2011-03-22T13:46:00.006-06:00

Believe it or not, I'm having a hard time finding a spare moment to update the blog these days!I am finally getting around to posting about Abbie's 2nd birthday (over a month late), plus a bunch of other random things that I think are blog-worthy. Here we go...

Abbie's 2nd Birthday

I already posted a little blurb about Abbie's birthday but I didn't have any pictures so here they are.

Opening presents

Abbie's first Barbie

Blowing out the candles

Playing with the cousins!

Mom and Dad with the birthday girl!

Abbie's 2-year check-up

We took Abbie in for her well-child check up and boy was that fun! She started crying as soon as we walked into the waiting room, and every time a nurse would open the door to call for someone, she would scream bloody murder! Basically she cried the ENTIRE time we were there. Her poor little body was shaking by the end. I hate taking her to the doctor! It almost makes me want to cry too. Anyway, she weighed in at about 24 lbs and was 34 inches tall. That puts her at around the 10th percentile for weight and the 65 percentile for height! Even though she doesn't weigh very much, she's maintaining her percentile, and we're grateful that we don't have to mess with the feeding tubes anymore.

Abbie's First Haircut

Abbie's hair was getting pretty long and pretty stringy on the ends. so I decided it was time for a trim. After our experience at the doctor's office, I figured that going to a salon was out of the question. (She also has a lot of stranger anxiety) We were over at G & G Johnson's house for Uncle Taylor's birthday dinner and I asked my mom if she would have a go at it. So, we put Abbie up on the bathroom counter with some toys and started cutting. She really did pretty good unless she saw the scissors, but it was pretty easy to distract her again and we got through it with only one big tantrum. Thanks Grandma J!

Before

During (playing in the sink)

After

What a cutie! (sorry, no pants! hehe)

Sadie is almost 2 months old now! We can't help but think that it was about this time that we were finally able to bring Abbie home from the hospital! I can't believe how different this 7 1/2 weeks were compared to Abbie's first 7 1/2 weeks of life. We're so grateful for our two, healthy little girls and the joy they bring to our little family

!Abbie at 7 1/2 weeks

Sadie at 7 weeks

One and Two

2011-02-28T13:17:00.003-07:00

Sadie will be one month old tomorrow! I can't believe it's already been that long! We love having her as part of our family and we're slowly getting used to being a family of four. Abbie still has a hard time since it seems like Mommy is constantly feeding, burping, changing, or rocking the baby. Mommy still has a hard time since it seems like Abbie is constantly whining, throwing, crying, or hitting. And Daddy still has a hard time because often he comes home from work to a messy house, a screaming toddler, and a scary wife. I just have to keep telling myself that this time won't last forever and we need to enjoy the good times and not focus on the hard things. Sadie has such a sweet spirit and really is a pretty easy baby so far. She only cries when she's hungry or messy and she usually loves her binky. She loves to be cuddled but will also chill in her bouncer or swing.

Abbie just turned two years old! We had a fun party with lots of family, but I couldn't find my camera so I don't have any pics to post right now. I'll have to post some when I get the pictures my mom took. Anyway, Abbie is our little chatter-box. She pretty much talks non-stop. We understand about 85% of what she says, and she gets really frustrated when we can't. She also loves to sing and dance. She's definitley a toddler and likes to do everything on her own. She loves all princesses, but mostly Cinderella. We feel pretty blessed because if you didn't already know, you wouldn't be able to tell that Abbie had such a rough start in life. She's a very healthy, active, normal toddler and we couldn't ask for more.

A few weeks ago, I had pictures taken of the girls and I just got them back. They are soooo cute! So since I didn't have any pics of Abbie's b-day to post, I'll post a few of their portraits for your viewing pleasure. And don't worry grandma's and grandpa's, we'll be getting some printed for you soon!

The Fourth Mossketeer

2011-02-11T15:53:00.006-07:00

The Fourth Mossketeer

Well, it's been quite a busy two weeks for our family! There have been some challenges like lack of sleep, a toddler who throws about a million tantrums a day, and that same toddler learning how to climb out of her bed at 1:30 in the morning on our third night home from the hospital! But mostly, the last two weeks have been amazing! We never got to have the "newborn" experience with Abbie since she was in the hospital for her first 7 weeks. We feel like first time parents and are constantly amazed at how wonderful it is just to be able to carry Sadie around the house without being tied down by a bunch of wires and tubes. She is a champion eater and a champion pooper! haha. Abbie LOVES her little sister and is a big helper for mommy and daddy. She does have some issues now that she isn't always the center of the universe. Luckily, she takes her frustrations out on us and not Sadie.

First family picture

Abbie's first time meeting Sadie

Sisterly love

Labor and delivery went much better than expected. Sadie waited just long enough to let Mom and Dad know that she did not want to be a January baby! I started having contractions just after midnight on February 1st. I paced the closet for about an hour and when I decided that this was definitely it, I woke Lance up, called my parents to come stay with Abbie, called my doctor, and packed my bag (yes, that's right, I still didn't have a bag packed, even though is was a few days past my due date). We made the three minute drive to the hospital and were all checked in by 2am. I was already at 5cm and got the epidural at 3am. My water broke a few minutes after that and I was 6cm at 3:30. My doctor told me to try to rest and she would check back with me in a few hours. With my epidural, I couldn't feel anything, but I couldn't rest either. Lance dozed a little, and when my doctor came back in at 6am, I was 10cm and ready to go! I seriously couldn't feel a thing. No pressure, no pain, and nothing from the abdomen on down. Needless to say, this made pushing a little difficult! I tried on my own for about 35 minutes and then with a little help from my doctor, Sadie Mae Moss came out screaming at 6:47am. It was actually an amazing experience. I had a c-section with Abbie and didn't even get to see her for 4 hours. With Sadie, they laid her on my tummy right away and I got to feed her as soon as she was cleaned up. It was wonderful. And the recovery has been much easier than a c-section recovery.

Right after Sadie was cleaned up

So far, I've had lots of help, and have only been alone with the two kids for one day. That was about a week after Sadie was born, and let's just say it wasn't one of my best days! Tomorrow, I start my real journey as a mother of two, and although I know it will be hard, I also feel so blessed to be entrusted with the care of our two beautiful girls! Abbie's birthday is on Sunday, so stay tuned for another post soon!

Introducing Sadie Mae Moss

2011-02-06T11:52:00.003-07:00

Sadie Mae Moss made her debut on Tuesday, February 1st at 6:47am. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 ozs. and was 21 inches long with a head full of beautiful dark hair! We left the hospital on Thursday and are so glad to be home. Mom and baby are both doing great! More to come soon!

Milestones

2010-11-20T20:24:00.004-07:00

We've had several big milestones lately and I just wanted to take a minute to record them.

#1 - Lance and I celebrated our 4th anniversary! I can't believe it's already been 4 years! We got to celebrate by taking a short road trip down to Las Vegas while Grandma J watched Abbie. We were originally supposed to go on Wednesday and come back Saturday night, but my poor pregnant body just couldn't handle all of the walking and those oh-so-comfy hotel beds, so we ended up leaving a day early. The big highlight of the trip was going to see Blue Man Group. Man are they bizarre! We also hit a few of the classics like the foutains at the Bellagio, the volcano at the Mirage, and of course we had to stop at the Coca Cola Factory to sample different drinks from around the world. All in all, it was a great trip and we had fun getting to spend some time alone together.

Blue Man Group

Coca Cola Factory

We drank all but 4 that were REALLY nasty

#2 - Abbie is now 1 and 3/4 years old! Hehe. To celebrate this significant milestone, we moved Abbie into a big girl bed! I can't believe it! It really feels weird that my little baby is not in a crib anymore, but we thought it was a good time to make the transition. It's been a week now and she had done amazing! She doesn't try to climb out (she never tried to climb out of her crib either) and she is still the great sleeper she was before. Knock on wood. We should also celebrate that Abbie now loves nursery! No more screaming or tantrums! Yipee! She's still doing well with eating and Mom and Dad love not having the tube! She talks constantly and repeats almost everything she hears. She loves to help Mommy sing songs, her favorites at the moment being Twinkle, Twinkle (she can almost sing the whole song by herself), Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam (or sunbeep as she sings it), and Once there was a Snowman. She is our little sweetheart, and we can't believe how much she is growing and learning!

She's such a big girl!

#3 - I am officially 30 weeks pregnant! - I feel a little bit bad because I haven't said much at all about this pregnancy, but there really hasn't been too much to say. Things have gone pretty smoothly, and I am only now starting to experience some of the third trimester woes, like mega heartburn, discomfort due to my increasingly large abdomen, and difficulty sleeping. One of my favorite things about pregnancy is being able to feel the baby move. I thought Abbie moved a lot but wow, this little girl is crazy! I swear she never sleeps because I feel her ALL the time! We're getting really excited to have her here but it still seems like a long way off. Abbie loves to give my belly kisses, and when I ask her if she wants a little baby sister, she nods, but I don't think she really understands. I think she will adore the baby, just maybe not all of the attention that the baby gets. And as a special treat for all of you who get this far, I'll post a picture of my ever-expanding belly! Wahoo! What? Aren't you excited?

Only 10 weeks to go!

Halloween!

2010-11-01T14:19:00.004-06:00

We had such a fun Halloween this year! We had a little bit of a rocky start to the spooky season on an innocent trip to Macey's grocery store. I took Abbie down the "Halloween" aisle so I could look at the candy, when suddenly she burst into tears! She had looked up to see these freaky skeleton ghouls hanging from the ceiling. Needless to say, the rest of that shopping trip didn't go so well and I quickly learned to avoid the "Halloween" aisle at any store for the month of October! Because of that experience, I wasn't sure that Abbie would be too keen on trick-or-treating, but she did great. I think her favorite part was waiting for the doorbell to ring so she could hand out candy to the kids. We had a Halloween party to go to so we tried to come up with some sort of costume. Basically, we just used what we had in our costume box and tried to match our costumes to some recognizable figure. Lance's "Injun Joe" was awesome, but all we could come up with for my costume was Kevin Jonas! Oh well, I guess it was funny.

"Kevin Jonas" and "Injun Joe"

Cutest little Panda

Of course we carved pumpkins this year, and Abbie got to participate a little bit more than last year. She picked her own, and was so excited that she got a Mickey Mouse on hers. We tried to let her help with a little carving, but ended up switching the little carving tool for a pen and let her go at it. Lance and I carved too but I didn't get a good picture of our pumpkins. Anyway, hope you all had a great Halloween! I can't believe its November already!

Yummy!

Trying to carve

Decided to draw instead

Mickey Mouse!

Daddy hard at work

NO MORE TUBE!!!!

2010-10-23T16:59:00.005-06:00

I don't know if you can tell from the title, but we are very excited that this day has finally come! In order to give you an idea of why this is such a big deal for us, I'm going to dip into Abbie's history for a little bit. If you're not in the mood for reading, just skip to the end to read about Abbie's latest. For those of you who don't know Abbie's story, getting her to eat and drink has been a struggle from the beginning. She wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything by mouth until she was three months old, due to her multiple surgeries, recoveries, and some aspiration problems. She's had some form of feeding tube since birth. Her first tube was just an IV. She then graduated to a tube that went through her mouth and down to her intestines. This one was especially hard for us to see because she would gag every time she moved her head! Luckily, this one was only for a few days when she was a newborn.

Anderson Tube (through the mouth)

The next tube went through her nose and down to her intestines. She had this one till she was 3 months old. While this one wasn't nearly as bad as the tube through her mouth, we had to watch those sweet little baby hands to make sure she didn't yank it out! The next tube still went through her nose, but we finally graduated to a tube that actually used her stomach!

NG Tube (the yellow one going through her right nostril)

First day home from the hospital, hooked up to her feeding pump

Little stinker! Pulled out her tube in the middle of the night!

We also got permission to start trying to feed her by mouth. I figured that it would take some work to get her to eat enough to get the tube out, but wow, I had absolutely no idea of the journey we would take over the next 18 months. I won't go into all the details of our feeding attempts. I'll just say that over the next 4 months, we were happy if she drank a tablespoon of diluted formula a day. Because of her agonizingly slow progress, we decided to put in a more permanent feeding tube. It was a hard decision, but by now, Abbie was 8 months old, and it was impossible to keep her little hands away from her tube. Her poor little cheeks were raw from yanking the tape off of her face, and my nerves were shot from having to pin her down while Lance put the tube back down her nose. Anyway, it was a relatively simple surgical procedure to get the gastronomy tube put in and we finally got to see her beautiful face with no tape and no tube. The G-tube was a LOT better than the nose tubes, so we had a lot to be thankful for.

Poor little cheeks after Abbie ripped her tube off her face

The lovely G-tube, all bandaged up right after surgery

Finally, what a precious tube-free face!

We made some good progress over the next 8 months, and on May 17, 2010, Abbie had her first day and night of 100% oral feeding. Even though Abbie was now eating and drinking on her own, we still had to keep the tube in to make sure she could maintain a good weight gain. Finally, after 5 months of not using her tube, we got permission to get it removed!!! On Friday, October 22, we made the familiar trek to Primary Children’s Hospital and checked in for surgery like old pros. Abbie knew the drill too, but for her that meant start crying at the sight of anyone in scrubs! She was ok once we were in the waiting room and she got to play with all the fun toys.

Not so happy after the nurses took her vitals

When it got closer to our surgery time, the nurses gave her some medicine for “separation anxiety” which basically makes the kiddos unaware of what is going on around them. It’s nice for me because I don’t have to watch her cry and scream for her mommy while being taken away by a complete stranger. I thought it was hard to send her in for surgery when she was a baby, but it is soooooo much harder when they know what’s going on!

Abbie "smiling" for the camera after taking her medicine

Anyway, the surgery was only about 30 minutes and Abbie was a champ as always. We were home a few hours later and besides a little bit of soreness, she is back to her normal, crazy self. It will be so nice not to have to worry about her tube catching on the edge of a chair and getting yanked out and I can finally teach her how to go down the stairs on her stomach! We are so grateful for Abbie's amazing journey so far and can't wait to see what life holds next!

Yay for Ultrasounds!

2010-09-07T22:20:00.003-06:00

Can I just say that I have been terribly spoiled with both of my pregnancies! I probably got 5 or 6 ultrasounds with Abbie and I've already had 4 with this baby. I just love getting to see the little fingers and toes and lips and nose, although my favorite image is the spine for some reason. I just think it looks cool because you can see all the little bones. Anyway, enough blabbing. We met with a perinatologist (high-risk pregnancy doctor) who did an ultrasound to make sure that everything was ok with this baby's heart. It was just a precaution because of Abbie's condition. Drumroll please.......everything looks GREAT! I saw 4 little chambers and 2 valves just pumping away! It was a relief to know for sure that everything was ok. Oh, and we confirmed that Baby #2 is definitely a little girl for those of you who hadn't heard ( I forgot to post after that ultrasound). Anyway, we are very happy with the results and are looking forward to having a more "normal" baby experience this time around.

29, 6, 3, & 14

2010-07-31T11:52:00.002-06:00

Wow! I can't believe July is already over! This summer has gone by in a flash of family reunions, holidays, camping trips, and lots of fun in the sun. I have a lot to catch up on and it will probably take me a few posts, but at least I'm starting.

29 - We celebrated Lance's 29th birthday last week!! Only one more year until he's officially old! Just kidding. Life starts when you turn 30 right? Anyway, Lance has been wanting to go to Rodizio Grill for a long time, so we left Abbie with Grandma and Grandpa and headed off to stuff ourselves silly with all kinds of meaty goodness. When we got back, we opened presents, ate cake and ice cream, and played games. I forgot my camera so sorry for the lack of pictures.

6 - We met with our pediatrician to see when we could look into getting Abbie's feeding tube taken out and he told us that he would like Abbie to go 6 months tube-free before we take it out. So we're looking at mid-November for the day we've been looking forward to since Abbie came home from the hospital! It's going to be a great Thanksgiving for us this year!

3 - This is the number of Sundays left until Abbie goes to nursery!! Wahoo! I think she will love it, so we're crossing our fingers! It's not going to be much of a change for me since I teach primary, but Lance is very excited to feel like an active member of church for the first time in a year!

14 - As exciting as all of those numbers are, this is the number we are most excited about. As of today, I am 14 weeks pregnant with baby #2!! The little squirt is due at the end of January and we're excited for Abbie to get a little brother or sister. Hopefully we'll be able to find out the gender at my next appointment on August 17th!

P.S. Sorry for the complete lack of pictures!

Success!!

2010-06-17T13:34:00.004-06:00

I love chili!!

Abbie has officially gone one entire month without using her feeding tube!! We are so excited and so happy with her progress! She's still on the small side, weighing in at just under 20 lbs, but she's still on the growth charts and she's still gaining weight (very slowly, but at least she's gaining). Her favorite foods are Mac'n'cheese, chili, jam sandwiches, green beans, broccoli, chicken and rice, and cheese. She's really not very picky, but it takes a lot of effort every day to make sure she gets enough food. Hopefully things will continue to get better and she'll start eating more by herself, without so much help from mom. As for the drinking, she is doing excellent! She drinks 2-3 cups of milk mixed with pediasure from her sippy cup with no problem. Sometimes, I think back to the days when we were happy because she drank one ounce from her bottle and I can't believe we finally made it to this point! We don't know how long Abbie will need to go tube-free before they'll take the actual tube out, but that's not really a big deal for us right now.

Yummy mac'n'cheese!

On another note, Abbie had a cardiology appointment a week ago and everything was just great. In fact, the doctor took Abbie off of her last medicine, so we are officially medicine-free! Yipee! So Abbie is pretty much a normal, happy little girl. We are so proud to be the parents of such a little fighter! We love you Abbie!!

My sippy is my best friend!

First Trip to the Zoo!

2010-05-14T14:37:00.003-06:00

Abbie would NOT look at the camera all day!

About a month ago, Lance took off early from work so we could go on a little outing to the zoo. Abbie loves animals and we were so excited to see her reaction to the animals at the zoo. It was a little dissapointing because a lot of the bigger animals, like the elephants and zebras, weren't outside. We did get to see lots of monkeys, which were definitely Abbie's favorite. We also got to go inside the giraffe house and Abbie was fascinated with them.

This little monkey loved Abbie and wanted to kiss her!

Wow, look at that tongue!

Abbie liked the animals but she was more excited to be able to get out of the stroller and play at the little park. She liked going down the slide and sitting on the play animals. She also loved playing in the fountain. All in all, it was a fun little trip. We're looking forward to lots more adventures this summer.

Gabby Abbie

2010-05-14T13:58:00.002-06:00

Lately, Abbie has been jabbering a lot. And by a lot, I mean nonstop all day long! It's so cute because she acts like she's really having a conversation with us. She has started saying several understandable words like mama, dada, ball, dog, bye-bye, cheese, shoes, pants, bath, box, dance, and outside. Of course, to most people they still sound like jibberish, but we can tell. She also enjoys making animal noises and has about 6 or 7 animals in her repetoire. She likes screaming, growling, and using her tongue to make silly sounds. This is a little video we took at dinner when she was making sure her utensils knew that she was the boss.

Easter Fever!

2010-04-05T10:13:00.004-06:00

This picture is from Easter last year. Abbie was still in the hospital but it was just that morning that we recieved the news that Abbie would be going home the next day!! What a wonderful Easter miracle that was! This is one of the few times she wore clothes while in the hospital, but it wouldn't be Easter without a pretty Easter dress! We've come so far and we feel so blessed that Abbie is doing so well. This year, however, Easter didn't quite turn out as we expected. We had planned to go down to Beaver for the weekend for the Annual Moss Easter Egg Hunt. We were so excited for Abbie to run around with her cousins and find eggs. I guess she had different plans though, when she decided to have a fever, and do nothing but sleep and cry for four days. Poor thing! We had to nix our Beaver plans and have a quiet weekend at home instead. She was starting to feel better late Saturday and Sunday so we did get to do a little Easter celebrating. We decorated some eggs and tried to have some Easter egg hunts but she didn't really have the energy to walk around to find the eggs. Luckily, we had a ward Easter egg hunt the week before so she still got to have that experience. We also had a nice Easter dinner at G & G Johnson's house and then went to visit Great Grandma Johnson. Abbie even let us enjoy most of General Conference. Overall, it was a good Easter. We really missed seeing all of our family down in Beaver but fortunately we'll get to see them in a few months for the Moss Family Reunion! Yay! Hope everyone had a great Easter and Conference weekend!

Here are some pics from last weekend:

Abbie wasn't quite fast enough at first

She got one!

Calling her girlfriends to tell them about her pretty Easter dress

Now some pics from this weekend:

This is what she was doing for 85% of the weekend

What a hairdo!

Abbie's version of egg decorating

Visiting Great Grandma J

Family Easter Pic

Pigtails: Attempt #1

2010-03-19T10:01:00.003-06:00

So Abbie's hair is getting kind of long, but only in the back. She looks like she has a mullet. Anyway, I thought I would try my hand at some little pigtails. Poor little thing had to suffer through her mother's lack of hair-doing skill. It turned out cute enough but I don't think Abbie will ever let me do it again. Plus, it made her look like a boy from the front because you couldn't even see the pigtails. Oh well! We'll try again someday!

From the Front: You can't even see them and it looks like she has boy hair

From the Side: Cuter, but see how she has no hair on the sides?

From the Back: Cutest. I think they turned out pretty good (at least from this view)

St. Patrick's Day Memories

2010-03-17T21:42:00.003-06:00

For some reason, I have a distinct memory of last year's St. Patrick's Day of all days. I probably remember it because Abbie's nurses made her all of these really cute bows and I was so excited to use the pretty green one for Abbie's first official "holiday" St. Patrick's Day. Anyway, I just thought it would be fun to do some comparison photos from last year to this year.

The famous green bow

Sitting up in a chair for the first time

One year later...man what a difference a year makes!

Hope everybody had a great St. Patty's Day!

Happy Birthday Abbie!!!

2010-02-21T17:09:00.005-07:00

Birthday Girl loved the balloons!

Yesterday Abbie got to celebrate her first birthday with lots of cake, balloons, presents, and family! We had pizza for dinner, cause what's a party without pizza? Abbie loves pizza crusts, so it worked out great. Next, we opened presents and she loved every one of them. It took awhile, but you can't expect a one year old to open a new toy and then just move on to the next present without playing with it first. She got some cute new dresses and outfits for Spring, new books, some stuffed animals, a beautiful toy chest (made by Grandpa J), some cool new toys, and a play tent. After presents came the cake. She took a couple of swipes at the frosting and decided she didn't like getting messy. Oh well! More undamaged cake for the rest of us to eat! Here's a little video of Abbie going at the cake.

While we were eating cake, we watched a couple of slideshows with pictures from Abbie's first year. The kids were kind of bored so Abbie and her cousins went to play with her tent. I was sitting there, watching the slideshow when I noticed that it had gotten kind of quiet and both of Abbie's cousins were sitting there watching too. I asked Haley where Abbie was and she said, "I think she's trying to climb the stairs." Yikes! We all got up and ran to the stairs. Lance's brother Ren was the closest but we were all just a little too late. We don't really know what happened, but I think she fell from the 2nd or 3rd step up and bonked her head pretty good. She had a big goose-egg and was crying pretty hard for a few minutes. We knew she was okay though, because after the initial scare, she wanted to get down to play with her new toys. Poor girl! What a birthday present!

Can you see the red bump on her forehead?

Anyway, thank you to all of our family for making Abbie's birthday special. This year has been a challenging one for us, but we are so happy to have this sweet little angel as part of our family. She makes us smile and reminds us that life is precious. Happy Birthday Abbie! We love you!

Loving the party hats!

Playing in her tent

Long Day, but Good News

2010-02-17T12:33:00.004-07:00

Getting checked in. Not a happy camper!

Abbie's heart cath was yesterday and boy was it a long day. We arrived at the hospital at 9:30a.m. only to be told that somebody had told us the wrong check-in time. We weren't supposed to be there till 11a.m. and Abbie's procedure wasn't scheduled to start until 12:30p.m.! That left 3 hours for us to try to keep Abbie entertained and somewhat happy. We managed, with lots of help from the toys at the hospital and a little nap. So 12:30 rolls around and we still haven't heard anything. We asked the nurses in the waiting room to call the cath lab to see what was going on and found out that they were going to be delayed. We ended up waiting almost 5 hours before Abbie was finally called at 2p.m.. The procedure itself took 3 hours, and then we had to stay at the hospital for 5 more hours to make sure Abbie was ok. We ended up leaving the hospital at 10:15p.m. Yikes!

Making lunch for mom and dad while we wait

Abbie taking a nap in a wagon

Anyway, that was our long day, now on to the good news. The pressures were a lot lower than before and it doesn't look like there are any other big problems. Abbie's heart is definitely unique and it's just going to have to be monitored to make sure it is growing and working properly as Abbie grows. So, bottom line is nothing is changed from the original plan and Abbie is doing well. Here are some cool x-rays of Abbie's heart. I just thought it was neat to see the pacemaker and the lead wires that are attatched to her heart. You can also see how her sternum was wired shut after her open heart surgery.

Abbie's procedure

2010-02-12T11:36:00.002-07:00

We have an appointment set for February 16th to get Abbie's heart cath done. The procedure itself is supposed to take about 3 hours and afterwards, Abbie has to stay flat on her back for 6 hours!! Hopefully she'll be somewhat sedated or else that is going to be a torturous experience for all of us! Anyway, just wanted to let you all know. Any thoughts or prayers on that day would definitely be welcome!

Groundhog's Day

2010-02-03T13:02:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was Abbie's first Groundhog's day! I know that sounds funny because nobody really celebrates Groundhog's day. Well, we do. Since we've been married we have a little tradition. We make special Groundhog cupcakes that are chocolate cake with green frosting and half a twix sticking up in the middle to represent the groundhog. We build a fort and pretend to be "underground" like a groundhog, and of course, watch Groundhog's Day. We didn't have time to watch the movie this year, but we did the other stuff and Abbie loved the fort! She crawled right in and started playing peekaboo. Anyway, just a random little tradition.

Mom and Abbie in the fort

Abbie playing peekaboo with Dad

Cardiology Appointment

2010-02-03T11:56:00.004-07:00

A few days ago, we took Abbie to Primary Children's for her cardiology check up. It's kind of sad when your baby starts crying before anybody even touches her because she knows exactly what's coming. I hate having to hold her still while some stranger is jabbing a needle into her arm. I made Lance do it this time, but she just kept looking up at me with those sad little eyes saying, "Mom, how could you let them do this to me?" Anyway, she was sedated and then they did an echocardiogram and a pacemaker check. As of right now, her pacemaker battery should last another 5 1/2 years which is awesome. We thought it would have to be replaced in the next few years, but now she won't have to have that surgery until she's over 6 years old. Her echo looked good but when her cardiologist talked to us afterwards, he was just a little bit concerned about the pressures they measured. They couldn't tell from the echo where the high pressure was coming from. If it's coming from the left atria, everything is just fine, but if it's coming from the right atria then that's a problem. Dr. Puchalski told us that his gut is telling him that everything is just fine, but he wants to make sure. So, in the next few weeks Abbie will be getting a heart catheterization. This is where they insert a long, flexible tube called a catheter into a vein in the leg and thread it up to the heart. With this procedure, they can measure heart pressures a lot more accurately than with an echo. We haven't scheduled it yet but we'll let you know what happens.

Back to Reality

2010-02-03T11:14:00.004-07:00

We've been back from our vacation for over a week now and as much fun as we had, I'm so glad to be home! I missed my baby and being away from her for over a week made me realize how much I love being a mom. Anyway, the cruise was awesome. We had a week full of great food, fun activities, lots of time together, and no responsibilities. Lance finally got to go scuba-diving and he loved it! We saw some cool ruins in Belize, went ziplining through the jungle in Honduras, and went snorkeling with the stingrays in Grand Cayman. Abbie had lots of fun and was such a good girl for both of her Grandmas. She almost didn't want to come home with us! Anyway, here are a few pics of our trip.

Getting ready for his first dive

Exploring the ruins

Lance ziplining through the trees

Kissing the stingray for 7 years good luck

The dining room where we stuffed ourselves every night

Wow!

2010-01-13T12:22:00.006-07:00

Yay for Christmas!

I cannot believe that I didn't post a single thing the whole month of December! I guess I'll blame it on weddings, holidays, parties, and just general business. Anyway, it was an awesome month and it's such a shame that it has to be all summed up in one post.

Not another picture!

At the beginning of the month, we made the trek down to Beaver, and from Beaver to St. George for Lance's brother's wedding. Abbie did a lot better on the car ride then we expected, mostly because Aunt Sarah was good at keeping her entertained! I was a little worried to leave Abbie with her Uncle Dev and Uncle Cam while we went to the temple, but they did a great job and I was glad that I got to be there for Tyler and Lachelle's sealing.

I love playing with my cousins!

Then of course, there were many family parties where we had way too much fun to stop and take many pictures. Abbie is getting to the age where she loves, loves, loves playing with other little kids, whether or not those kids want to play with her! She had a lot of fun playing with cousins and entertaining aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

Unwrapping presents

Christmas was so much fun this year! Abbie loved ripping her presents open, and we loved watching her eyes light up when she saw her presents. Her big present was a little musical table that she loves. She also got a doll, a little kitty, some clothes, and some sippy cups. Mostly she just loved the attention she got all day long.

Christmas PJ's

So that was our December in a nutshell. There were a few other little things like finally training Abbie to go to sleep on her own at night! It was a rough couple of nights, but it was well worth it! Not only does she go to sleep on her own, but we don't have to get up with her at night anymore!

Sound Asleep!

Usually, January is a dreary month, the big let down after all the fun of the holidays. So this January we decided to change that, and go on a cruise! Wahoo! We're leaving Abbie with grandparents and taking some time to just have some fun as a couple after the stressfullness of this last year. I'm nervous about leaving Abbie but she loves spending time with her grandparents and they love her so i'm sure she'll be fine. We leave on Saturday!

Growing up way too fast!

2009-11-29T20:37:00.004-07:00

Our attempt at a family picture!

Abbie is now 9 months old! She's learning and changing every day and always keeps us on our toes! She weighed in at 16 lbs 9 oz and was 27 inches long. Abbie has become a lot more mobile in the last month, learning to crawl, pull up on furniture, stand on her own, and even take a few unsteady steps! She likes to wave at everyone and learns new sounds every day. And last but certainly not least, she is making tremendous progress with her eating! She was drinking 1-2 ounces of formula a day and now she drinks 16-19 ounces a day! We don't even hook her up to her pump in the daytime anymore which is awesome! She uses a special bottle that is made for cleft palate babies that is very responsive to the slightest suck. We're still working on solids. She has determined that she prefers real food, not that nasty pureed stuff! And who can blame her?! She likes grilled cheese sandwiches, mac'n'cheese, bread, potatoes, beans, and little pieces of chicken, turkey, and salmon. She just needs to eat a lot more than what she does. Anyway, that was an Abbie overload, but let's face it, that's pretty much our life! Here's a little video of some of Abbie's first steps. Can you tell we're first time parents?!

Halloween Fun!

2009-11-02T21:46:00.003-07:00

Well, I guess it's about time that I posted something on here and Halloween gives me a nice excuse not to have to think too hard about what to post! Abbie is just over 8 months old now which is crazy, but not quite old enough to appreciate Halloween. We did our parental duty though and found a super cute costume for her. What a cute little giraffe she turned out to be!

Am I cute or what!?

Lookin' Good!

The giraffe, the zebra, and the mighty hunter

We carved pumpkins a few days before and Abbie wanted in on the action. She had to help me clean out my pumpkin since I think the slimy stuff is disgusting. She didn't seem to mind! In fact, she liked it so much that she decided to have a little taste as well! Yuck!

Anyway, on Halloween, we went to visit Lance's brother's family so Abbie could hang out with her cousins. She loves Haley and Jackson and now that she can interact with them more, they're starting to have a little more fun with her. Next, we drove to Fruit Heights to show Abbie off to her grandparents, all of whom oohed and aahed over her cuteness, as proper grandparents should. Abbie was starting to get crabby at his point so we called it a night. It was a good Halloween but I think next year will be more fun for all of us when Abbie will actually be old enough to go trick-or-treating.

Haley, Jackson, and Abbie

Now you don't!!

2009-10-03T22:16:00.004-06:00

Sweet sweet freedom! I don't want to sound conceited and I know I'm biased, but I think she's pretty darn cute! Of course, she was cute with the tube in, but now you can see her whole beautiful face! Now she can rub her eyes, suck on her fingers, and play with her ears without us worrying that she'll yank her tube out in the process.

At last! No more tube!

Abbie's surgery went very well on Monday morning. She was in and out in about an hour. We stayed until Wednesday afternoon and I'm pretty sure I never want to spend another night in the hospital, ever again. Anyway, it's nice to have the ng-tube out but the g-tube isn't without it's difficulties. It takes about 2 months to heal and we have to be very careful with it at least until then. We have to change the dressing and clean the tube site every day in order to prevent infection, irritation, and other problems. Abbie certainly doesn't enjoy this time of the day and I can't blame her. She's healed well though and is pretty much back to her normal crazy self. Now that the surgeries are over, we can shift our focus back to getting Abbie to eat. Thank you all for yout thoughts and prayers for Abbie these last few weeks.

Abbie's G-tube

What a cutie!

Now you see it...

2009-09-27T20:47:00.003-06:00

It's finally time! Time to say goodbye to the ng-tube and hello to the g-tube. Lance and I are so excited to be rid of this tube, but I think Abbie is looking forward to it the most, if her constant grabbing, pulling, and clawing are any indication. We go back to Primary Children's tomorrow morning for the g-tube placement surgery. The surgery is pretty simple and quick but we may be in the hospital for several days to make sure that the g-tube is working properly. Anyway, the next time you see us, Abbie's face will be completely tube-free! Wish us luck!

Home Sweet Hospital!

2009-09-18T21:46:00.003-06:00

Being back in the hospital brings back a lot of memories for us from Abbie's first few months of life. It seems like such a long time ago that we called Primary Children's our home away from home and I'm so glad that this trip is only a one night stay. Anyway, Abbie is doing awesome and is just resting now so she can get back to her normal crazy self.

Here's how our day has gone: We jumped in the car to head to the hospital at about 11am. Our surgery was scheduled at 1:30pm but while we were driving, we got a call informing us that the surgery was postponed and that we didn't need to be at the hospital until 2pm. So we turned around and headed back home. Finally, we got to the hospital and checked in. We waited in one room, then got called back to check Abbie's vitals and get her dressed in her little hospital gown, then we waited in another room until the surgeon was ready. When Dr. Kaza (our surgeon, who worked with Abbie when she was first born) and the anesthesiologist came to get her at about 4pm and we kissed her good-bye. Luckily, she was asleep when this happened. I don't think I could have handled it if she was crying as we handed her over to the doctors. Anyway, then we waited in another room for 2 hours. Dr. Kaza came in to talk to us when the procedure was finished and told us that Abbie did very well. He also told us that the skin on the spot where Abbie's pacemaker was had eroded and was very thin. He said it was very close to eroding all the way through the inscision scar and something like that would have been catastrophic. He echoed our thoughts when he said that God has a plan for all of us, and He knew that Abbie would need this surgery, even though her parents were trying to avoid it. Then we got to go and see Abbie and go to our room in the Children's Surgical Unit. She has been mostly sleeping and hopefully will continue to sleep through the night. We should be able to leave tomorrow morning sometime and then we'll come back in 10 days to get her g-tube placed and finally be rid of that rotten ng-tube (the one in her nose). Here are some pics of our little hospital diva.

Abbie modeling her hospital gown

Playing with toys, waiting for the surgeon to come

Finally, she gets to rest in peace

Surgery Date

2009-09-11T21:20:00.002-06:00

We just wanted to let everybody know that Abbie's surgery is set for Friday, September 18th. We'll be at the hospital most of the day on Thursday for a full sedated echocardiogram, chest x-ray, and lab work to make sure everything with her heart and her overall health is good enough to undergo surgery. We don't know what time the surgery will be on Friday, but hopefully things will go well and we'll only have to spend one night at the hospital. Any thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Time for an Upgrade

2009-09-06T20:26:00.004-06:00

It's amazing how small a car can seem when you have to put a bulky carseat in the back, and a big stroller in the trunk. After 6 1/2 months of pushing the front passenger seat all the way up in order to make room for Abbie's carseat, and struggling to push and pull the stroller in and out of the trunk, we decided it was time to upgrade to something bigger.

We put an ad on KSL Cars for our '96 Nissan Sentra and a few days later, got one call, and Lance, our resident salesman, was able to sell it on the first try. The guy didn't even try to get a lower price. I got a little bit sentimental since I've had this car since high school, but we did get time to say our goodbyes. Hehe. Lance helped me feel better by letting me hold the cash for a little bit.

After a little more searching, we found a car that we were both excited about. We ended up getting a 2003 Nissan Altima that has a huge trunk for the stroller and a lot more room in the backseat for me and Abbie.

Just a quick update on Abbie. While the progress she has made with her feeding has been good, it just hasn't been enough. As much as we don't like to admit it out loud, this is going to be more of a long term problem than we had anticipated. Abbie has now had a tube down her nose for almost 6 months and she has let us know, in no uncertain terms, that she does NOT want it anymore. Unfortunately, this means another surgery. Normally the procedure to place a G-tube (a feeding tube that goes through the abdomen directly into the stomach) is very simple and quick, but nothing with Abbie is ever simple! Abbie's pacemaker happens to be right over her stomach so it will have to be moved to the other side of her abdomen. We don't know yet when the surgery will be, but hopefully it will happen within the next few weeks. We're not looking forward to the surgery but I think after she recovers, she will be so happy that she doesn't have a tube down her nose and layers of itchy tape on her face! We'll let you know when we have an actual surgery date.

Abbie riding her new car

Where to Start?

2009-08-23T20:35:00.004-06:00

I hate when I get behind on the blog because we have so much to catch up on and then I get overwhelmed and then I put it off because I don't have time to catch up and then there's even more to catch up on because I put it off! Whew! Finally, it's Sunday night, Abbie is sleeping soundly in her crib, and after messing around with blog designs for awhile, I've decided I can't put it off anymore, so here goes!

Over the last several weeks, we've gone to three family reunions! We've had a great time introducing Abbie to her relatives, playing at the park, running around like idiots doing silly relay races, taking Abbie swimming for the first time, and just having fun!

A little hesitant at first, but I think she liked it

We've also been to several doctor's appointments in the last few weeks. We had a cardiology appointment and Abbie is doing awesome! Her oxygen saturation level was 100% meaning her little heart is doing a great job, pumping plenty of oxygenated blood to her body. We don't have to go back for 6 whole months! We're also still seeing a feeding therapist once every two weeks to try to help Abbie learn to eat. We've been trying some solids but she's not too keen on that just yet. She does drink a little bit of diluted formula from a syringe which is good. I'm trying to be patient and concentrate on the progress she has made instead of getting frustrated with the speed of her progress. She's starting to get really aggressive with her tube now and likes to yank it off, tape and all, in the middle of the night. Her poor little cheeks are so red and irritated from her constant rubbing and pulling and our constant retaping to prevent the yanking.

Teasing Mommy by pretending to drink from a bottle

The last doctor's appointment we had was for Abbie's 6 month check-up! Our little baby is growing up! She weighed in at 14 lbs. 10 oz. and measured a little over 26 inches long. She did have to get several shots and she wasn't a happy camper for a few days afterwards. She's keeping up with most of the developmental milestones and is just starting to sit up by herself. She's still pretty wobbly and can't do it for very long but we're working on it.

Abbie showing off her red cheek and her newly acquired sitting skills

Well, I guess that wasn't so bad. I'm sure I've missed some things but this will just have to do. Hopefully it won't take me another month to post again!

Mommy and Abbie ready for church

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-26T10:50:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Lance’s 28th birthday! We had spent the previous 3 days at a cabin near Oakley, UT going four-wheeling and jet skiing with my family. This was Abbie’s first ever overnight adventure. I was a little worried that she wouldn’t sleep well in a strange place but she did very well. She loved being up in the mountains with all of the trees. She has a funny fascination with leaves and loves to watch them flutter in the wind. She also loved going on stroller bumpy rides with Grandpa, chillin’ in the hammock with Daddy, and splashing in the water at Rockport Reservoir.

We got home Saturday afternoon and Abbie helped Lance open his presents. Then we dropped Abbie off at Grandma and Grandpa Moss’ and Lance and I went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We’ve never been there before but the food was great, especially the all-you-can-eat rolls! I accidentally let it slip that it was Lance’s birthday so he got to sit on the saddle while the waiters did a lot of yelling and yee-hawing. Poor Lance! He was a little embarrassed but he was a good sport and even forgave me after a little while! Anyway, I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband who is such a good Daddy to our little girl! We love you Lance! Happy 28th birthday!

5 months old!

2009-07-20T20:35:00.003-06:00

I can't believe how fast time is flying! The days go pretty slowly but the months just whiz by. Our little Abbie is now 5 months old! She is doing really well in everything but the eating department. We thought we were progressing for about a week when Abbie started actually sucking on things but now she's kind of regressed to the point that she cries and whines when she sees the bottle, before it even gets to her mouth. Oh well, we'll just keep working. She is throwing up a lot less than she was before which is great! So, in honor of her 5 month birthday, here are 5 pictures of our little cutie!

Our little ballerina!

Helping Daddy with the laundry

Trying her best to enjoy tummy time

She already has a sweet tooth! (Not that she'll eat it, she just wants it because Dad has it)

And finally, one of her few perfectly peaceful moments. What an angel.

Catching Up

2009-07-04T21:41:00.001-06:00

Life has been pretty busy for us these last few weeks so this will be a catch-up post. We've taken Abbie on a few adventures lately. Last week we went jet skiing at Pineview Reservoir. We had a blast and Abbie had fun chillin' in the shade and getting lots of attention from Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Connor.

Lance and I went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house a few days ago and we decided to take Abbie with us. She slept the whole car ride there and was pretty well-behaved during the tour, but on the car ride home she let us know that she had had enough. She was hot, sweaty, and tired and she screamed and cried for half an hour. I hate when she cries like that in the car because there is nothing I can do for her. Anyway, the temple was beautiful and we are so blessed to know that we will be a family forever.

This 4th of July was pretty interesting for us. Abbie started the day off with some fireworks of her own by yanking out her tube yet again. Despite the rough start, we were excited to head off to the airport to meet Lance's brother Tyler who just got home from serving a mission in Mexico. We're so glad to have him back and we're so proud of him for his willingness to serve the Lord and share the gospel with the people in Mexico.

We've had a few new developments with Abbie in the last week. We've started seeing a new feeding therapist and I think this one is going to be a lot more helpful. I feel like Abbie is already starting to make some progress. She still won't suck but she's doing a lot better at letting the bottle be in her mouth and swallowing small amounts of water or formula. We are also seeing a GI (gastro-intestinal) doctor to see if we can get Abbie's acid reflux and vomiting under control. We're just taking one step at a time to see what works and the first step was to increase the dose of a medicine that Abbie takes to help her stomach empty faster and to help the food move through her intestines. She's only been on the higher dose for a few days now but it seems to be helping. We'll keep seeing our new therapist and probably start Abbie on some oatmeal soon to see if she handles that better than the bottle.

It's what Fun is!

2009-06-22T10:13:00.005-06:00

Wow, it's been a busy week! Lance and I got to go to Lagoon, Abbie turned 4 months old and had her 4 month check-up, and we celebrated Father's Day of course!

So first things first, we got some discount passes to Lagoon and we were so excited to go, especially me. I wanted to go on some roller coasters so bad since I was pregnant last summer when we went to California and Lance got to go to Six Flags. Anyway, so we get to Lagoon and went immediately to Wicked before the line got too long. It was a pretty sweet ride! Only a few short rides later, Lance was feeling nauseous, I had a killer headache, and we were both tired! What happened to those carefree days of youth when we could run around, going on ride after ride, and never get tired? We couldn't believe how old we felt! We even had to take a break and go to my parents house to take a little nap! Oh well, we still had fun, even though it didn't turn out to be the day we had imagined. Abbie had a fun day with Grandma J going on walks and being spoiled! Thanks Mom!

I can't believe Abbie is 4 months old already! She gets cuter and cuter everyday and she's doing well developmentally, despite her rough start in life. She weighs 12 lbs. 12 oz. (30th percentile) and is 24 1/2 inches long (60th percentile). She had to get some immunizations and she was a little cranky, but a little bit of Tylenol, a cute new dress, and some stylin' sunglasses, and she was as good as new. The most common question we get about Abbie is "How much longer will she need her feeding tube?" We have no clue! We are trying to work with her but there is only so much we can do if she won't suck. We're going to make an appointment with another feeding therapist (I didn't feel like the first one was helpful at all) and see if that helps.

And last, but not least, Lance got to celebrate his first Father's Day on Sunday. He is such an amazing Daddy! He's so good at taking care of Abbie and he's not afraid to change a dirty diaper! Abbie loves her Daddy and always has a smile for him! Thanks for being such a wonderful husband and father!

Fun Weekend

2009-06-15T10:11:00.004-06:00

It's 10 o'clock in the morning and Abbie is STILL sleeping! So I thought I'd take advantage of it and do a little blogging. It's always a little sad when the weekend is over (especially because Lance takes the Abbie night shift on weekends!) but I love the weekdays when Abbie and I get to relax in our PJ's all day. Anyway, we did have a fun weekend. Lance and I got to go on not one but two dates thanks to our wonderful parents. On Friday night we left Abbie with Grandma Moss and went mini-golfing at Cherry Hill where Lance proceeded to give me a good walloping.

Saturday we did a little shopping while G & G Johnson watched Abbie. We love our little baby but let's face it, it's nice to have a little break sometimes. Saturday night we had a BBQ with Lance's family and Sunday night we had our monthly family night with my mom's side of the family. It was a pretty full weekend but Abbie gets cuter every day and we love watching her grow and change and showing her off to friends and family.

Just Another Day

2009-06-10T15:46:00.004-06:00

I guess it's been awhile since our last post but there hasn't been that much to post about. There still isn't that much to post about but here goes. We've just been getting into a little routine around here, Abbie wakes up anywhere from 6-8 and is usually pretty happy in the morning. Sometimes she even lets me get a load of laundry in! The rest of our day consists of short periods of Abbie taking cat naps while I try to sneak in some breakfast, lunch, and rest. When she's awake and happy (which doesn't happen very often some days) we try to work on bottle feeding. She still won't suck on anything but at least she'll let the bottle into her mouth without throwing a fit. Lance gets home at around 4 which is so nice for me because that is generally when Abbie starts to get crabby. It's nice to be able to switch off when our muscles and joints are aching from bouncing and rocking and jiggling. She usually goes to bed at 9 which gives Lance and I a little time to watch a movie or play a game before our eyes start to droop.

In other news, Abbie has finally graduated! Since we came home from the hospital, Abbie has been seeing her pediatrician every week to make sure she is gaining weight. Well, yesterday, after Abbie weighed in at a whopping 12 lbs 2 oz, our pedi told us that we didn't have to come back for TWO weeks! hehe. Well, we have to celebrate the little things! Heck we celebrate when she only throws up twice a day instead of the usual 4-5 times. Lance went on a short business trip this week. He was only gone 2 1/2 days but wow it seemed like a lot longer than that! Abbie and I missed him and are very glad he's home now. Well that's about all that's been going on with us. We're excited for nice weather and a fun and laid back summer. Here are some random pics just for fun.

Abbie's new talent

Abbie's funny hair after her bath

Sunday Night Drama

2009-05-25T15:42:00.002-06:00

Ninja Warrior

We should have known from this picture that Abbie had lightning quick ninja reflexes, but we were fools and turned our backs for one minute. In that one minute, Abbie managed to do this:

Yes, she pulled out her feeding tube! The feeding tube that we tried so valiantly to keep in! And you can tell she was pretty proud of herself! (ok, this picture was staged, but isn't it perfect?). Anyway, we had to call a home care nurse to come and watch us put it in since we've never done it ourselves. We had to try three times to get it all the way down her nose to her stomach and little Abbie was not a happy camper! I have never seen her as upset as she was last night! We felt terrible, but of course she was just fine a few minutes later. Now if she pulls it out, we can put it back in all by ourselves, not that it's a happy event, it'll just be nice to not have to call a nurse to observe.

3 Months Old!!

2009-05-20T08:57:00.005-06:00

Wow, I can't believe my little baby girl is 3 months old already!

3 things Abbie loves

1. Being rocked to sleep

2. Watching American Idol with mom and dad

3. Going for rides in the car

Dad rocking Abbie to sleep

3 things Abbie hates
1. Getting strapped in her carseat
2. Getting her nose suctioned out
3. Right now, her binkie :(

3 things Mom loves about Abbie
1. Dressing her up all cute
2. She sleeps through the night!
3. Her big smiles!

Abbie's favorite sleeping position

3 New things we've tried with Abbie this week

1. Going to church for the first time

2. Going to the feeding therapist

3. Getting a new tube (an NG-tube that goes to her stomach instead of her intestines)

Abbie sporting her new tube and a new hat. Isn't that face priceless?!

Mom and Abbie chillin' after church

Abbie's History

2009-05-19T10:35:00.006-06:00

This post is for those who do not know about Abbie's condition or those who want a refresher. For those who have kept up with Abbie's progress, you already know most of this stuff.

Before Abbie’s birth, we found out (in October 2008) about the heart defect that she would be born with. It is called an Atrio-Ventricular Canal or AV Septal Defect, meaning that there is a hole between the atria (upper chambers) as well as between the ventricles. The hole between the atria is larger than the lower hole, but they both allow for oxygenated blood (from lungs) to mix with non-oxygenated blood (from the body), and the two valves (mitral and tricuspid) were basically meshed into one valve.

Happy Birthday Abbie!

When Abbie was born on February 20th, 2009 at 4:16 a.m., she weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20” long. She was breathing room air immediately, and her oxygen saturation levels, measured in her hand and foot, were in the high 80s to low 90s, very good considering the AV Canal. Abbie was sent to the Primary Children’s NICU later that day because doctors found through echo-cardiograms that there were a couple of other problems with the heart.

After appearing to progress and get feeling better for several days, Abbie’s health took a turn for the worse on Sunday, March 1st. She continued to breathe very rapidly and build up too much fluid in her lungs.

After some decision-making processes by teams of doctors and nurses, they agreed that Abbie needed heart surgery sooner rather than later. Friday, March 6 was the day, and it was a miraculous success. We most definitely felt the prayers and thoughts of all of our friends and family. In speaking with the Dr. Hawkins, the surgeon, we have found out more about the condition of her heart, and realized how much of a miracle this really is. Besides the Atrio-Ventricular Canal that they needed to fix, there were also some veins going into the wrong chambers of the heart, and an extra piece of tissue that needed to be removed in the Aorta. But in just a few hours, the surgeons were able to “fix everything” in one surgery, and it worked extremely well right after they put the heart back in and started it back up.

Abbie after open heart surgery

Abbie’s own heart rythym didn’t come back after her first surgery, so on March 19th, Dr. Hawkins inserted a pacemaker into Abbie’s abdomen, with leads up to her heart. This type of pacemaker is quite sophisticated, and it has a lead up to the top chamber and the bottom chamber, only giving electrical pulses when she needs them. We found out recently that her heart is requiring one of the pulses about 95% of the time, and about 5% of the time is requiring both pulses. There is nothing wrong with this – the pacemaker is just doing its job, but it’s probably a good thing they decided to put it in.

On the 2nd of April 2009, Abbie had another surgery, called the Ladd’s procedure, which was to prevent rotation and cutting off of intestine functions. Part of Heterotaxy Syndrome, which is what she has been diagnosed with, is the possibility that the baby has a condition called “malrotation”, which translates into Spanish as “bad rotation”, of the intestinal tract. The surgeons basically just have to move part of the intestine to where it should be, to avoid the aforementioned twisting and cutting off of the intestines. They also took out her appendix because of its odd location, so she’ll never have appendicitis.

Abbie's surgery scars

On the 13th of April 2009, the day after Easter Sunday, we got to bring Abbie home (after 7 ½ weeks in the hospital). She was on 5 medications and an NJ feeding tube, but we have loved having her home. We visit at least one doctor or care-person every week, but it has still been a joy to figure this real “parenting” thing out.

Our happy little girl

Abbie's Baby Blessing

2009-05-15T16:02:00.006-06:00

On March 5th, 2009, we gave our daughter a name and a blessing. Obviously, we named her Abbie Lynette Moss.

The reason we chose to do the blessing in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Primary Children’s Medical Center was because she was going to have open-heart surgery the next day. We know that blessing and naming of children is not an “ordinance of salvation”, since little children are already saved through the Atonement of Christ, but we still did not want to miss this opportunity if something were to happen during her surgery. We had faith that nothing bad would happen, but even the surgeon seemed quite nervous about the whole procedure and gave us some statistics about survival rate for a surgery of this kind. The hospital and nurses were very kind to let us close the curtains around Abbie’s bed for some privacy, and to allow the family to come back altogether, which is not normal visiting policy.

Anyway, I want to share some of the things that Dad (me/I) was inspired to say to Abbie as part of her blessing. We blessed her to be healed and to make it through the surgery(ies); we let her know that many many people were praying to Heavenly Father for her benefit; we blessed her with reverence, with the ability to build a strong testimony of the Truth, with the ability to make good friends, and with the gift of discernment between right and wrong. She was quite peaceful through the blessing, and it was a privelege to bless her.

Those that were available to participate were Dad (Grandpa) Moss, Dad (Grandpa) Johnson, Bishop Justin Reynolds, and Lance’s friends, Dave Hamblin and Mike Kennard. It was a wonderful experience. The Spirit was felt very powerfully, and we are so grateful we got to do that, even under some stressful circumstances.

Back when we found out about Abbie’s heart defect that she would be born with, I had asked a member of my bishopric if people ever do naming and blessing in their own homes, and he said it’s been done for special circumstances, but he didn’t recommend it. We just thought it might be necessary considering her sensitivity to sickness and infection, but I think my question came across as a request to avoid doing it in Sacrament Meeting because of irreverence or pride. We didn’t mean it that way. Later, after we gave Abbie her name and blessing in the hospital before the big surgery, Kellie asked me if I was relieved or disappointed that we didn’t get to do the name and blessing at Church. I’m not really sure if I was relieved, but I wasn’t particularly disappointed. I was just so grateful for the great experience that it was to bless my daughter with true sincerity in a moment when we really might have been preparing for the worst case – and then we were blessed with the best case.

I'm a WINNER!

2009-05-13T14:41:00.002-06:00

So, I'm probably a little out of the loop but I just barely heard about this site called giveawaytoday.blogspot.com where they give away a different thing every day. Anyway, yesterday was the first time I had ever entered to win and guess what? I WON!! I won a $25 gift certificate to Baby Bintz. Isn't that crazy! I never win anything so I was pretty excited. So, if you haven't heard of this, go ahead and enter. Maybe tomorrow will be your lucky day!

Results of Swallow Study

2009-05-13T13:43:00.002-06:00

Well, Abbie had her swallow study yesterday and she did pretty well. She doesn't aspirate (swallow down the wrong tube) anymore so they gave us the go ahead to try feeding by mouth. This is great news but just because we CAN try to feed her, doesn't mean Abbie WANTS us to try and feed her. They practically had to force her to swallow. She fought it every step of the way and pushed most of the liquid out with her tongue. We're supposed to try and get her used to having liquid in her mouth by dipping her binkie in formula and getting her to suck on it. I have tried several times since our appointment and she just keeps pushing the binkie and formula out with her tongue. It looks like we're probably going to have to find a feeding therapist that specializes in oral aversions if we want to make any progress with her feeding.

We are going to move her tube up from her intestines into her stomach within the next few days and we'll see how she tolerates that. Despite the fact that this is going to be a long road, she is progressing and that's really all we can ask for. Even though this whole process has been challenging, we are so happy that she is part of our family and we love watching her grow and change each day!

First Cardiology Appointment

2009-05-12T09:40:00.000-06:00

Before

Abbie has been out of the hospital for 4 weeks now! Yipee! We had our first cardiology check-up yesterday and everything went really well! It was a busy day for Abbie with a chest x-ray, a pacemaker check, an echocardiogram, and a blood draw. Poor little girl! She was a trooper though. Our cardiologist, Dr. Puchalski, said that everything looked good. Her heart function hasn't gotten any worse, and may have even improved a little since we left the hospital. Her pacemaker is working great, but no signs of her heart rythym coming back on it's own yet. We're still hoping that someday it will and she won't need the pacemaker anymore. Anyway, we don't have to go back for three whole months! Wahoo!

We have another appointment today for a swallow study to see if Abbie can handle feeding by mouth yet. If the test goes well, they will probably move the feeding tube up into her stomach and we will probably be able to try bottle feeds! It would be so great not to have her tethered to her food all the time! We'll let you know how that goes when we find out.

After

Lance & Kellie Moss Family Blog

2009-05-03T11:34:00.000-06:00

We have wanted to start this blog for a while now, particularly to share Abbie's progress with friends and family. Here are a couple pics to share to start with.

Lance & Kellie (& Abbie)