Vegas Baby!

Not even 2 weeks ago, we were resigned to staying put,

and Jacob would just substitute teach in the local district.

We'd stay in this cramped apartment,

and he would work a full schedule with no chance of benefits.

But we we're okay with it, I was even happy, 
because that meant we weren't moving again.

Well, much to our surprise,

a school from Las Vegas called and a charter school in Mesa called

with in days of each other and he did phone interviews for both.

Well on Thursday, the day after his second phone interview with the principal in Vegas,

he was asked to come in to meet the principal at the charter school.

He was given a verbal offer on the spot for the charter school.

We we're ecstatic, and ready to call and accept it, 

when 2 hours later he got the call from Vegas offering him the job there!

WHAT?! Two seemingly amazing offers in one day,

and Vegas needed an answer by the following night!!!

We were floored, to say the least. 

We went back and forth over and over, and eventually decided to stay.

 But, of course 5 minutes later, Vegas called and dropped the deal maker.

The school is a Title 1 school, meaning it is in a poorer area.

Because of the Title 1 status, if we we're to stay with them for 5 years,

Jacob could qualify for student loan forgiveness.
Holy Moly! How nice would that be to not have to pay those off!
And then we read up on their retirement program and benefits package.
It felt like the dream job you expect to get in 10 years
was falling right into our laps.
But I couldn't bring myself to say "yes."

I don't how many people know this about me, but,

I don't like change!
I like my routine, I like the idea of things being the same a year from now.
Sameness soothes me.

I hate the idea of moving somewhere I've never lived before.
(I bawled my eyes out when we left Rexburg, and I kinda hated it there) 

The idea of moving to another town, another ward,

well that just makes me anxious.

So the thought of leaving my ward here in Mesa,
I just couldn't fathom it.
Jacob has made a lot of contacts with teachers in the area
we both have awesome callings with the youth,
we found a great playgroup,
I have made some AMAZING friends,
and we finally know our way around enough that we don't get lost anymore.
This place was really feeling like home.
I was ready to settle down here, and make our lives here.

But, after an evening out with some girl friends,
I was ready to do what needed to be done.
The entire 10 minute drive home,
I spoke out loud in prayer 
that I would have the strength to support my husband in this career move.
I prayed that I could be a refuge for him,
and to not be a source of worry for him,
because I knew up to that point that 
my feelings on moving were all was holding him back.

So as I walked in the door,
Jacob and I looked at each other
and we both said, more or less,

 "Vegas Baby!"

I really hope this is our last big move for a VERY long time.

Even if it isn't,

at least I'm not pregnant this time!

Samuel Thomas Bendixen

Little man joined our family exactly a month ago this evening.

I cannot believe how quickly this month has passed!

So, I'm just gonna put it out there,

I am having a much easier recovery period with this baby than the first!

Annie will one day read this and think that I hated her as a baby,

and that's not true.

I love my baby girl, and always have, but,

after giving birth the first time, 

I was completely unprepared for the lack of sleep

and the excess of hormones.

This video is in no way an exaggeration of how my hormones 

were for those first few weeks of motherhood.

Poor Jacob had no clue what he got himself into,

and this time around he was very shocked 

when I only had one break down in the 2 weeks postpartum,

(and really anyone would cry after they saw how much my traffic ticket cost!)

But, to get to the real point of this post,

this birth story is a lot different from my first.

As you may know,

I developed gestational diabetes this pregnancy, 

and due to fear of possible complications, 

I was set to be induced on May 10th, 7 days before my due date.

We were so lucky to have my parents come into town the night before

and they were taking care of Annie for us.

Now, I had been contracting off and on for over a week,

so when we finally got admitted at 10:30,

I was more than relieved to finally get the show on the road.

I was already dilated to 4 inches,

and once they started my pitocian, 

I consistently progressed a half inch every hour.

At about 3:30 pm, my doctor came in to check in,

and broke my water, which was what put it over the top for me.

Half hour later I had my epidural done and 

I was really excited for the prospect of a nap. 

However, I never got that nap. 

Little boy was now so low that 

the only way they could find him on the fetal monitor

was for me to lay with my legs at like 90 degrees apart,

with a big peanut shaped ball in between them.

After we finally got that figured out, 

I was ready to nap except for the overwhelming feeling 

that I needed to go to the bathroom. 

It was uncomfortable enough to keep me awake,

and when I eventually called the nurse in to see what we could do,

she checked and I was fully dilated.

By the time my OB came in 5 minutes later,

he was crowning and they started turning the room over for delivery.

As this all was happening, 

I just kept thinking out loud that I never got my nap!

After about 15 minutes of pushing,

our little man joined the world at 6:35 pm.

We are so in love with him,

and his big sister likes him more and more each day.

Samuel Thomas Bendixen

In just one month, this little man has changed our lives

so much for the better.

He has made his sister more loving and sharing.

Daddy and I may be exhausted,

but we are so in love with him! 

He is a calm, happy baby,

a great sleeper, an awesome eater, and a pro at this growing thing!

(He gained 3lbs already!)

So excited to see how much he changes in this next month!

Welcome Little Boy!

Oh my goodness!

I can not believe that is has only been a week since my baby boy 

came into this world, and brightened up our lives!

Right now, he and his daddy are in the bedroom,

taking a well deserved nap.

On nights like last night, daddy ends up with only 4 hrs of sleep,

and gets up with Annie to let mommy sleep in. 

I really don't have much time to make this a long update,

baby boy and I have our first social engagement out of the house

in just 2 hours, and who knows if I'll be ready to go on time.

But while I have Annie confined to her high chair for lunch,

I though I'd just quickly give his stats 

and share some pictures!

(Hopefully sometime soon, when things calm down, 

I can sit down for a bit longer and tell you his birth story)

Samuel Thomas Bendixen

Born May 10, 2014 at 6:35 pm

Weighing 8lbs 2oz

21 inches long

To Do List

We are heading into the home stretch of this pregnancy, 

with a little over 3 weeks to go to my official due date, 

and I really don't think we will make it that far. 

Really, I think we'll be lucky to make it 2 weeks.

So with my gestational diabetes, they aren't completely sure 

they want to let me get to my due date, 

just because they don't want him getting too big 

and having to resort to c-section

(and I don't really want a c-section so I'm all for early).

I went into an appointment on Tuesday and I was 

already dilated to 3 cm and effaced 70%.

Most women can stay at 3 cm for a few weeks,

but with my effacement and the fact that 

I have prep contractions keeping me up at night,

I think that this little boy has maybe 1.5 weeks left

before he really starts trying to make his debut. 

Luckily for us, my grandma will be here in a week 

to be Annie's personal nanny/my personal assistant

for what will probably be the last few days of my pregnancy.

YAY! 

This means I can actually get things done before he comes like:

make sure the laundry doesn't pile up,

or prep some freezer meals before hand,

or finish re organizing the kids room!

And there is now a good possibility that 

my house might not be a complete disaster when I leave for the hospital!

But, what I am really excited for is that 

I won't have to take advantage of my good friends generosity for much longer!

I feel like I have used up and now owe so many favors 

just for friends that have watched Annie for my bi-weekly doctors appointments.

I will never be able to repay them,  but I'm sure gonna try.

So here's to making sure that this little boy stays where he is,

at least long enough for us to get through our to-do list,

which includes, but is not limited to:

cleaning out the car and putting in the car seat,

finishing Annie's big-sister gift, 

packing Jacob's hospital bag,

finishing the "suck up to the labor nurses" gift,

stock up on multiple sizes of diapers,

move Annie into her toddler bed and re sleep-train her,

and make my hospital gown 

(because the ones they provide are never very comfortable or feel sanitary).

Wish us luck!!

Oh! And I completely forgot we just had Easter!

Here's a look at the Annie's Easter dress I made,

and the closest thing I got to a nice family picture!

{Our Spring Break}

So Jacob was home all this last week for Spring Break, 

and it could not have come at a better time.

We both needed to go to the dmv to get our new driver licences,

and Jacob had a lot of work to get done on his work sample for student teaching.

It was so nice having him here to help with Annie,

and help keep the house in order whilst I have been somewhat distracted.

Last week I got a call from my Dr's office 

to give me the results of my most recent blood draws.

It turned out that I was anemic (shocker),

and that I did not pass my blood glucose test. 

*If you've never heard of a blood glucose test, they give you this gross sugary drink,

and then tell you you can't eat or drink for an hour and then they draw your blood 

at the end of that hour, and test the levels to see how you body reacts to a spike in sugar.*

So, on Monday, I spent 3 hours at the Dr's office, 

had to fast 8 hours beforehand, drink another gross drink, 

and have my blood drawn every hour to get a better look at my sugar levels.

I finally heard back Thursday morning

that 2 of my 4 draws came back high, 

which  earned me a diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes.

Yikes! The D-word! 

Gestational Diabetes a form of diabetes that affects 5% of pregnancies in the US, 

where a pregnant women has become insulin resistant

due to the hormones that the placenta is producing.  

That's pretty much the easiest way to explain it. 

If you know me well, 
you know that in high school one of my nick names was
the CARB-ivore.

Bring on second breakfast!! 
Pancakes, Belgian Waffles, French toast, I could eat them for every meal!
And when I am pregnant, there is just about NOTHING
that can keep me from sweets!
(Heck, I would plan dessert before dinner every night, just ask Jacob!)

So when someone tells hormonal me,
'You can only have x-amount of carbs per meal,
or you could endanger yourself and your baby,'
All I hear is 
'No brownies, or your baby could die!'
Yes, that is over reacting just a bit, 
but I'm pregnant, sue me!

So here I am, 
eating the way they are telling me to for the health of my son.
I am doing my best to keep from temptation,
hiding the baking supplies in the back of the pantry,
avoiding certain aisles at the store,
and I have stopped following some of my favorite celebrity chefs 
and even some friends on pinterest, 
all to avoid the nagging urge to fire up the oven 
and throw myself face first into a full tray of brownies.

I haven't quite figured out if I will be able to
manage my glucose levels with diet alone, 
without medication or regular insulin injections,
but all I want is to know that my son will be healthy.
I may not get that peace of mind until he is physically in my arms,
but I'm going to fight and pray for it.
And I am not to prideful to ask for prayers
in our behalf, especially now when I am still transitioning.

{31 weeks Pregnant}

I don't know if I have really expressed this to you all yet, but, I LOVE being home with Annie again! My Annie has been the most independent little girl I've known since she was able to get herself around. It was a blessing and a curse; I didn't have to entertain her constantly and I could get things done easily, but when I wanted to sit and cuddle with her, she wouldn't have it. Just in the past few weeks though, I have noticed that she had been having some separation anxiety, insistent on cuddle time and being right by my side whenever we leave the house. In this picture, we were sitting and watching Sesame Street and she yanked on my arm until I can and laid down practically on top of her. 

I just passed my 31 week mark, and I am just plain tired. Luckily for me, I think Annie is going through a growth spurt! Which means she is taking naps again, which, in turn, means I can take a nap if I so desire! (We stopped putting her down for naps after we moved here because it was a daily struggle once she figured out climbing out of the crib) It also means that she is constantly hungry like me also, so I have another excuse to keep the pantry stocked with easy snacks like gold fish and fruit leather, yum! And the picky eating we experienced shortly after we moved in is slowly but surely dying down. 

{The Grand Canyon State}

So today I feel like we officially have arrived in Arizona.

Last Friday, I spent an hour at the DMV (yes only an hour), 

and got our license plates switched from Idaho. 

The next step is to go back and get our actual licenses switched.

There is no going back after that.

Arizona has really started to become home.

We are in a wonderful ward that has welcomed us with open arms!

Our favorite wards have been the ones where we felt needed

and felt a sense of responsibility right away. 

Jacob and I got calling about 3 weeks in, both with the youth. 

Jacob teaches Sunday school with the 13 yr olds,

and I am the secretary in the Young Women presidency.

This last weekend was the Cultural Celebration and Dedication
for our brand new Temple in Gilbert. 
With my calling with the Young Women, 
I was able to help them prepare for their performance the night before the dedication. 
There was limited space at the event, but I was lucky to get a ticket.
These wonderful kids, all 13,000, are never going to forget their experience there.
They sang and danced remembering hero's from the scriptures and more modern hero's 
like the pioneers and their Native American and Latin ancestors.

We had gone the past 70 days with out a drop of rain, 
and a downpour was forecast for the day of the performance.
The field went from a dust bowl to a mud bowl immediately!
But with the Prophet in front of them, and the temple at their backs,
we sat in the grass in the rain and just soaked in their excitement
and love for their new temple!
Only love and testimony could have empowered them
enough to stay and dance for hours in the rain,
Just as only their leaders love for them kept them there to cheer them on!

The top two are from the celebration,  the yellow shirts on the right being the youth from my stake!
If you look at the lights above the field, you can get an idea about how much rain was coming down on them!

The next morning, after we thawed out and dried out,

We made our way to the broadcast of the dedication. 

I feel so blessed to have come to this wonderful area at this time celebration new beginnings.

We were very nervous starting over in a brand new place where we knew no one,

but our new ward has been so welcoming and inviting. 

Annie and I have made a lot of new friends,

and just about every other day we are lucky to spend time with them. 

Arizona has been great to us so far!

I love being home with Annie Jane everyday again,

and Jacob is doing so well with his student teaching assignment.

We have said that we will go where the job is, wherever it may be,

but we are really hopeful that we can stay here.

{Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes}

So let me start by correcting something from a previous post.

We did not move to Arizona last summer.

We were getting ready to go, started packing, 

put our notice into our apartment and Jacob's job,

and the job that I had lined up ahead of time fell through.

We had to pull out of our apartment in Chandler,

and beg Jacob's parents to let us come home!

Jacob walked in graduation and we left within a week.

My very generous in-laws let us come home

and take over pretty much their whole upstairs

with all our stuff and boxes. 

I was very lucky to get a job at my mom's work,

in Orange County,at the front desk, 

working alongside my childhood adoptive cousin. 

While were there,

Annie turned 2, we  celebrated our 3rd anniversary,

we found out that was expecting our next tiny,

we got to spend time with my brother,

who was on leave from his 2 yr LDS mission

for a ruptured ACL,

 spend time with old friends,

and really give Annie a chance 

to get to know her extended family!

After living away from home for 2.5 years,

it was really nice for us to see our families on a regular basis,

giving us a chance to re-acquaint with our grown younger siblings,

and give our families a chance to watch how much

Annie grew in the short period of time.

Annie had a simple birthday at Chuck E Cheese. She loved her new bike, and her uncles loved the excuse to play racing games. 

We were in Corona from the beginning of August 

through December and New Years. 

We sent Tommy back out to Idaho

after a super fun Halloween,

and shortly before we left for AZ,

we found out we are going to give our parents

their first grandSON!

Annie loved the pumpkin patch and her first solo horse ride. 
She was Boo for Halloween and took 5 adults to keep her safe during trick or treating. 

Christmas we got to see Taylor and Taylor,

and meet Annie's only cousin, Kaia Mae!

Annie didn't seem to notice the baby

(which is why there is only one picture of them together)

even when she was all dressed up for her blessing,

in the same dress that me and all but one of my siblings 

were blessed in. 

Annie's princess side really came out 

with her love of all things frilly shiny and pink. 

We talked to Tommy and told him about his nephew,

just a few hours after everyone else found out. 

That's  about all I have time to update you on today.

Dinner is on the stove, and I have to be at mutual in 40 minutes.

More on our lives here is Mesa later,

I'm hoping to be a lot better about blogging 

now that the changes have slowed down some.