After 11 years of marriage, I think it's fair to say I know my husband pretty well or at least well enough to predict his response to the following question: "Chris, would you like to come to the next Relief Society Homemaking meeting"? The answer would be, "No". Right? Well, here's to at least another 11 years of marriage so that I can get to know my husband better.
Tonight at Relief Society Homemaking night, Chris played guitar accompaniment to Tanja Anderson, who sang a "new" verse of Book of Mormon Stories that she wrote to "introduce" me to the Relief Society women. She started her introduction by asking everyone to pretend they were all sitting around the campfire at Yellowstone and that's when Chris began his strumming.
Tanja went above and beyond in her assignment to introduce me and Chris definitely went above and beyond in his duties as a husband. Let's just say he has earned quite a few bonus points.
I live in a great ward and am so lucky to have so many great neighbors. I am quite humbled by what Tanja wrote and hope to some day live up to her thoughts.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter 2008
Lots of "firsts" this Easter. First Easter Dress for Jorja. First Easter Egg Hunt in our Bountiful backyard. First time we've invited over family since the remodel. First Eastr Egg Hunt at Grandma Pat's. And first time the Easter bunny had to step up to the plate.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Jesse's Prayer
For the past month or so, and due to Chris's initial encouragement, our family has started to pray at dinner time. The first time we did it, I said the prayer and to our surprise Jesse tried to repeat everything I said. But usually he is pretty silent during the prayer, reverently folds his arms, closes his eyes and says Amen. Well last night, Chris invited Jesse to say the prayer and he excitedly said, "ok". I was in the middle of serving up our dishes and expecting Jesse to climb into his chair and just get ready for the prayer but instead as I turned to help him in his chair I caught him in the middle of his first sentence. He was standing in the middle of the kitchen floor with his head bowed and his arms folded. And with a sweet quiet voice he proceeded to say his prayer which was approximately 5 statements long and completely incomprehensible but absolutely sincere and heart felt. Once he said Amen, both Chris and I looked at each other with a tear in our eye. We were both overwhelmed with pride for our dear baby Jesse who had just completed the sweetest prayer either one of us had ever heard.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Jorja - 1 month old
I woke up Jesse this morning and asked him if he was ready to get up and play with momma, he replied, "No, momma, yay yay wake up play with Jorja". Well, my wish for Jorja, on her one-month birthday is that she will always remember how much her family loves her and that she and Jesse will always be great friends.
J&J's favorite things: (I will post this section with each J&J milestone)
Jesse - Age 2 1/2
Jesse loves playing with his dad at home, and at the park, when it's light & when it's dark. In the house, in the pool, anytime dad's not at school.... Jesse loves his dad "this much" and loves mom too, just a "little bit". His favorite sayings are "momma happy?" "yay yay good boy" "where is uncle Vie? Uncle Vie cut hand off?" "Yay Yay Snot Rod". Jesse is really good at saying Please, Thank you and Welcome and has learned how powerful Please is in a household of pushover parents. Jesse knows some of his colors: Red, Yellow, Orange, Blue and Black and can count to 6 (sometimes to 8). His favorite movies are Cars, Madagascar, Little Mermaid and Monsters, Inc. He also loves Sesame Street and likes to pretend he is cookie monster (monst); what a mess! Jesse likes to make cookies with Grandma Pete. He knows how to roll the dough and grandma Lydia taught him how yummy cookie dough is. Jesse likes to take naps and go to bed on momma's bed. We are currently trying to potty train Jesse by bribing him; needless to say, I ordered a potty training book yesterday since the toy we bought him a month ago is still in the window even though he knows full well it is his once he goes poo poo in the potty. Lastly, Jesse currently adores his little sister. He likes to give her kisses, hold her hand and talk to her in cutsey baby talk. The only conflict of interest we have had thus far is when baby J is laying on Jesse's blankies.
Jorja - Age 1 month
Jorja loves her momma, is enchanted by her big brother and is enamored with her daddy. She loves the soft pink blankets that grandma Pat made. She seems quite captivated by the flickering flames in the gas fireplace and the designs on our ceiling but she definitely has some angels that she is familiar with; my dad being one, evidenced by the staring contests she has with them. Jorja is definitely a cuddle bug and has quickly become spoiled; she would like to be held and rocked around the clock. Jorja drinks Enfamil Lipil and is supplemented by breast milk (yes, this is backwards and we are working on it). Lastly, Jorja thoroughly enjoys visiting with Grandma & pa Pete, Grandma Pat & Don, and Grandma Lydia & Grandpa Jess.
J&J's favorite things: (I will post this section with each J&J milestone)
Jesse - Age 2 1/2
Jesse loves playing with his dad at home, and at the park, when it's light & when it's dark. In the house, in the pool, anytime dad's not at school.... Jesse loves his dad "this much" and loves mom too, just a "little bit". His favorite sayings are "momma happy?" "yay yay good boy" "where is uncle Vie? Uncle Vie cut hand off?" "Yay Yay Snot Rod". Jesse is really good at saying Please, Thank you and Welcome and has learned how powerful Please is in a household of pushover parents. Jesse knows some of his colors: Red, Yellow, Orange, Blue and Black and can count to 6 (sometimes to 8). His favorite movies are Cars, Madagascar, Little Mermaid and Monsters, Inc. He also loves Sesame Street and likes to pretend he is cookie monster (monst); what a mess! Jesse likes to make cookies with Grandma Pete. He knows how to roll the dough and grandma Lydia taught him how yummy cookie dough is. Jesse likes to take naps and go to bed on momma's bed. We are currently trying to potty train Jesse by bribing him; needless to say, I ordered a potty training book yesterday since the toy we bought him a month ago is still in the window even though he knows full well it is his once he goes poo poo in the potty. Lastly, Jesse currently adores his little sister. He likes to give her kisses, hold her hand and talk to her in cutsey baby talk. The only conflict of interest we have had thus far is when baby J is laying on Jesse's blankies.
Jorja - Age 1 month
Jorja loves her momma, is enchanted by her big brother and is enamored with her daddy. She loves the soft pink blankets that grandma Pat made. She seems quite captivated by the flickering flames in the gas fireplace and the designs on our ceiling but she definitely has some angels that she is familiar with; my dad being one, evidenced by the staring contests she has with them. Jorja is definitely a cuddle bug and has quickly become spoiled; she would like to be held and rocked around the clock. Jorja drinks Enfamil Lipil and is supplemented by breast milk (yes, this is backwards and we are working on it). Lastly, Jorja thoroughly enjoys visiting with Grandma & pa Pete, Grandma Pat & Don, and Grandma Lydia & Grandpa Jess.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Introducing Jorja Nicole Hone
JorJa Nicole Hone
February 5, 2008
6 lbs. 6 ozs. & 20 inches long
Let's start at the beginning (or close enough to the beginning)...it was early morning Father's Day 2007 - the home pregnancy test finally confirmed what I had known in my heart for a couple of weeks; we were pregnant. I ran to Jesse's room and found a white t-shirt and "created" an announcement for daddy that Jesse could debut when greeting daddy in the morning. Chris had mixed emotions; of course he was happy & thrilled but he was also overwhelmed since he had just started a hellacious graduate school program and we were in the middle of a remodel.
The pregnancy was a "dream" relative to my pregnancy with Jesse. No Morphine, No ER visits, No warnings from the doctor that the baby may not survive. In fact, we took a family vacation to celebrate Lydia's 50th birthday by cruising the Western Carribean in October. Yes, I had morning sickness (and a small supply of Zofran) the first 4 months but lucky for me I was on sabbatical for 2 months of it so I was comfortably at home....well comfortably at our home away from home. Due to our Spring flooding and subsequent critter infestation we moved out of our home and into Jess & Lydia's the weekend my sabbatical started (June). (Jess & Lydia were gracious, loving, supportive and kind enough to let us stay until our home was ready for us to move back in (Jan 08)). So I was truly blessed to be surrounded by family during my pregnancy which kept my spirits high, my stress levels low and provided a much-need helping hand with Jesse since Chris was practically living at school his first 2 semesters of grad school.
Our due date was February 15th but since we (the dr, Chris & I) decided the safest route was a repeat C-section, we selected February 6th as the baby's due date. Well on February 4th, the doctor's office called and said the doctor has a scheduling conflict on the 6th and would like to deliver on the 5th. Well, I wasn't entirely ready on the 4th and felt I needed that extra day to get ready but of course agreed to the earlier date since it was important to have the doctor present for the delivery. In fact, this "surprise" change in the date in some respects simulated a "natural" delivery in the respect you don't know exactly when labor is going to start and the nervous energy you have trying to get everything together before you get to the hospital.
The morning of the 5th, I was still full of that nervous energy. Chris drove me to the hospital while grandma Lydia stayed home from work to watch Jesse. I checked myself in and they showed me right away to my room which serves as a delivery suite for those normal moms but served as a changing/waiting room for me. The hospital was on time and ready for my 10 am C-section. I walked to the surgery room and held my breath for the part I was most nervous about and then was pleasantly surprised when the epidurel wasn't as bad as I remembered. I was asked if I had a music preference and I chose John Mayer.
At 10:08, our sweet baby girl made her grand entrance and the first thing the doctor said was wow, she has got some hair. Chris was kind enough to stay at my side and keep my spirit's high throughout the entire process. He finally left my side to take a few pictures of the baby and then brought the pictures back to me to see. Oh, she was so tiny and so red......and she had quite a voice. I was starting to doze off (due to the drugs) but then Chris pleasantly surprised me by handing me the baby. This was a new experience for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. She definitely had a lot of hair but I was most impressed by her alertness. Her eyes were wide open and she was just taking it all in. Love at first sight.
Grandma Pat, Grandma Pete and Don were all in the waiting room and got the first peek at Jorja. I held her up and she still had her eyes wide open and was anxious to meet her family.
Later that day, the introduction I was most excited for:
Introducing Jesse Hayden Hone
Jesse's story starts as the proverbial kick in the selfish person's butt, to one of pain and preseverance, continues as the little engine that could and ends with a miracle because of all the love, faith and support from family, friends and guardian angels.
The kick
I was the selfish one. My priorities were work, school, work, Chris, work, self, work, fun and then work, family. Admittedly focusing this much time on work resulted in some accolaides that made me proud and provided me opportunities such as travel, a new house and graduate school. But it also started to define me and skewed my priorities. Thankfully I'm married to my best friend; someone who knows me better than myself sometimes. So although having kids wasn't anywhere in my personal spectrum at the time and definitely not something that fit into my schedule; my best friend reminded me that it used to be something I really wanted and some things are more important than the things that "fit" into my schedule. Approximately a year later, and after probably a dozen home pregnancy tests, I was brought in on a little secret at 5 am in the guest bathroom of our new home. I was so excited but didn't want to just wake up Chris and tell him; I wanted this secret for myself or just until I thought of how to surprise him with the news. That night when Chris got home, he was greeted at the door by a big stuffed ape and the following note:
The pain and more pain
Approximately 4 weeks later I had my first doctor's appointment. I was anxious and excited for this appointment to ask my questions (like why was I showing already?) and learn more about this journey I had just started but unfortunately was a little disappointed and let down by my first visit. The midwife was a little surprised by the fact I already showing and noticed that I was "firm" where I should have been soft but didn't have the answers as to why and referred me the doctor. The doctor also didn't have any real answeres but did identify that I seemed to have a large uterine fibroid but again couldn't explain what this meant for my pregnancy. So I took upon myself to find a new doctor. The first doctor I met was great but was kind and honest enough to explain to me that the size of my uterine fibroid was unusually large and that I should see a Maternal & Fetal Medicine Specialist. And that is how I met Dr. Esplin & Dr. Porter. They too were surprised by the fibroid's size and how quickly it was growing. Before I was pregnant it was probably the size of a pea, at my first appointment it was the size of a walnut, after another month it was the size of an orange, and by month 4 it was the size of a canteloupe. At each appointment the doctor spent time with Chris and I explaining his concern that the fibroid would prevent the baby from growing or that my body wouldn't be able to handle the stress and pain of the "situation". By month 4 my situation included 1) daily nausea and vomiting which was so severe that I was only able to keep down 1 fruit smoothie (made by Chris) if I was taking my daily allowance of Zofran; the strongest anti-nausea prescription that lasted 4 days and cost $50........ to be continued.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The kick
I was the selfish one. My priorities were work, school, work, Chris, work, self, work, fun and then work, family. Admittedly focusing this much time on work resulted in some accolaides that made me proud and provided me opportunities such as travel, a new house and graduate school. But it also started to define me and skewed my priorities. Thankfully I'm married to my best friend; someone who knows me better than myself sometimes. So although having kids wasn't anywhere in my personal spectrum at the time and definitely not something that fit into my schedule; my best friend reminded me that it used to be something I really wanted and some things are more important than the things that "fit" into my schedule. Approximately a year later, and after probably a dozen home pregnancy tests, I was brought in on a little secret at 5 am in the guest bathroom of our new home. I was so excited but didn't want to just wake up Chris and tell him; I wanted this secret for myself or just until I thought of how to surprise him with the news. That night when Chris got home, he was greeted at the door by a big stuffed ape and the following note:
The pain and more pain
Approximately 4 weeks later I had my first doctor's appointment. I was anxious and excited for this appointment to ask my questions (like why was I showing already?) and learn more about this journey I had just started but unfortunately was a little disappointed and let down by my first visit. The midwife was a little surprised by the fact I already showing and noticed that I was "firm" where I should have been soft but didn't have the answers as to why and referred me the doctor. The doctor also didn't have any real answeres but did identify that I seemed to have a large uterine fibroid but again couldn't explain what this meant for my pregnancy. So I took upon myself to find a new doctor. The first doctor I met was great but was kind and honest enough to explain to me that the size of my uterine fibroid was unusually large and that I should see a Maternal & Fetal Medicine Specialist. And that is how I met Dr. Esplin & Dr. Porter. They too were surprised by the fibroid's size and how quickly it was growing. Before I was pregnant it was probably the size of a pea, at my first appointment it was the size of a walnut, after another month it was the size of an orange, and by month 4 it was the size of a canteloupe. At each appointment the doctor spent time with Chris and I explaining his concern that the fibroid would prevent the baby from growing or that my body wouldn't be able to handle the stress and pain of the "situation". By month 4 my situation included 1) daily nausea and vomiting which was so severe that I was only able to keep down 1 fruit smoothie (made by Chris) if I was taking my daily allowance of Zofran; the strongest anti-nausea prescription that lasted 4 days and cost $50........ to be continued.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Introducing Our Family Blog
Simply, this blog is going to serve as a family journal where we will record family anecdotes of all sizes. Initially there will be several significant postings to play "catch up" with a goal to be "caught up" by year end 08 (i.e. when Chris & Amy met, 10 yrs of marriage, blurbs on extended family, and most importantly Jesse 0-2). A secondary goal of this blog is to prevent recent events of losing journals from happening again; use this as a friendly reminder to archive/back-up all electronic copies of family photos & journals.
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