Oh, Silly Birth Control

So a funny thing happened a few weeks ago. Spoiler ALERT: I'm on birth control. Anyone who reads this and doesn't agree with birth control...get over it :) Anyway soooo a few weeks ago I do my nightly routine of brushing and flossing and taking my meds which include an inhaler and a birth control pill. Everything goes according to plan until I get to the birth control. Upon further inspection of the pack I realize the empty pill spaces seem off. I proceed to count said spaces and discover: holy pregnancy batman I've missed 2 pills in a row! Some at this point my think to themselves "Jeannette, the birth control would still be in your system so there's a really small chance you could be pregnant". Well misinformed reader, I got pregnant with Berick the month I stopped taking birth control so basically I am blessed to not have conception issues. At any rate I walked into the living room and informed Kenyon of the news. Let's just say he wasn't mad at me but he got remarkably worried.

Pros to being Pregnant:

• kids close in age (18 months apart)
• we're still on medicaid
• newborn cuddles

Cons to being Pregnant:

• kids close in age
• 2 kids in diapers
• non-medical expenses
• Kenyon, if accepted into the Landscape Architecture program, would be in the middle of one of the hardest semesters of schooling when baby 2 would come

The things I've just listed are merely a few points for both sides. Needless to say we were a little stressed. Well to break to suspense I am not pregnant but oddly enough I felt slight disappointment by not seeing those 2 pink lines on the test. It would have been incredibly hard to have kids that close and not planning on it and there's a chance I would have a breakdown after the baby was born but I still had gotten a little excited over the possibility. I feel like I was a little cheated of those newborn times with Berick because he struggled so much with his milk allergy. It would have been quite sweet to know what was wrong and have a sweet new spirit in the house. However it is still a relief that I'm not pregnant. I'll get more time with Nugget. Sorry this is just a "word" post but I wanted to write about this gem :) As long as we don't have anymore accidents we're still on track to try for Baby #2 in the fall. Its not too far off! Until then I'll just enjoy the newborns who are to be born soon enough around me.

9 Months Plus Videos

So my little Nugget as of January 20th turned 9 months old! I can not believe it! He's growing up so dang fast! He's quite the little handful but I love it! His 9 month stats go as follows:

• Weight: 18 lbs 15 oz
• Height: 27 inches
• Head Size: 18 1/4 inches (A funny note: at 6 months Berick was in the 31st percentile for head size and is now in the 81st! He's got such a big brain!)

His likes include:

• Pears (baby food)
• daddy time
• cuddling with mom
• standing along the edge of things
• playing the "I'm gonna get you" game which is funny because we'll say "I'm gonna get you" and move closer and it gets him all excited but then once you actually "get" him he doesn't seem to care
• loves people and flirting and going to church to see people he knows
• growling if you growl at him

His dislikes include:

• wiping his face off after he eats
• sliding in the bath tub
• going to other people when he can't see Kenyon or I
• being left alone in a room unless its nap time or bed time
• loud noises

He's a pretty awesome baby and as of today I SWEAR I can feel a little tooth coming in! He's going to look so funny to me with a tooth! I love my little man so much and I can't believe we're only 3 months away from having a 1 year old! In closing here are some cute videos of my man doing some silly stuff:

This first one is Berick giggling like crazy at Kenyon saying the word "wiggle"

This next one is Berick trying some jello...sorry for the crummy camera holding!

He's learned how to talk into this empty Puffs container...

I have more videos to upload but I'll save that for another post! Enjoy these gems for now :) Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Getting Started

Well Berick is getting bigger and doing so many cute, funny little things! I feel like I can't keep up and I'm so worried about missing something! I catch it on film when I can but alas sometimes I miss! So I've started a journal for Berick. I don't enjoy writing a journal for myself so I figured I'll write one for my children! Its basically just a compilation of the cute things he does and the feelings I have towards him and my experiences with him. I figure I'll keep one for each of our children and then when they hit a certain age say like 18 I'll give them the journals I've kept over the years so they can have them. I realize this is a bit of an undertaking but its something I'm going to give a try and see how it goes! Next week will have an exciting post because it'll be Berick's 9 month appointment and I'll get his stats and make sure all is developing well! Until then here are a few pics to appease the masses...well or the few people who read my blog :)

Yep you can squeeze him if you see me in real life...I do it multiple times a day :)

It kind of looks like he wants to fight me but don't worry I know he loves me!

Silly boy put his binky in upside down!

He can throw out some excellent faces!

 Aside from the journal writing, on Monday I'm going to start working out again. A big part of me not wanting to workout at night was that I hated leaving Berick but I'll go after 8 when he goes to bed and I won't feel like I'm missing anything! I'm not saying I'll successfully start working out on a regular basis but I'm going to try! I need to get out of the house and without all my stay at home mom friends around anymore I need it! Don't worry I'll be making more friends but until that happens I need something to get me out! I'm looking forward to the summer/warmer weather already so I can go out again without freezing and hit the Aquatic Center! That's enough ranting for now! Until next week...

Past, Present, Future

Well its 2012! Huzzah! Before I talk about what I hope 2012 has in store for us, I first want to look back on this past year :)

January: I was a little over 20 weeks pregnant and all was well! Coincidentally it was the last time I'd go to the Temple before little Bean was born!
February: We celebrated our last Valentine's Day alone. Kenyon surprised me and took me to a hotel for a relaxing stay! We went to the restaurant there and just relaxed and he took me to breakfast the next day!
March: Kenyon turned 24 on the 6th and we went to AZ for Spring Break! Let's just say we had so much fun that that month I gained 11 pounds! Luckily for me what I didn't know is Berick would be here sooner than expected :)
April: The 20th brought the man that would change me life forever :) He looked like this:

He rocked our world and is still rocking it today!...but we'll get to those pics in a bit :)
May: Kenyon and I celebrated 2 years of wedded awesomeness on the 29th! My parents were in town seeing Berick and watched him while Kenyon took me to some Italian dinner :) It was also the first time I left Berick and I kept checking in on him the whole time! I also celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mother :)
June: I turned 21! It wasn't anything too crazy but I didn't need that! Calm was good!
July: We took Bean on his first road trip to Arizona! We visited Brian and Beth and their family and had a hoot! I didn't eat nearly as much food as I had in March ;) Berick wore his first pair of swim trunks and was adorable and looked like this:

August: Kenyon and I started school! Kenyon rocked the semester and it was my first time back since forever ago!
September: We took Berick on his first over night camping trip! It was interesting but all around fun :) Berick enjoyed himself and looked like this doing it:

October: Berick turned 6 months old! I was a good enough parent to keep him going for half a year! He learned to sit up that month! Here he is in the tub sitting up by himself like a big kid:

November: We celebrated Berick's first Thanksgiving! It was fun seeing him enjoy the food and what not! I took some pics of him outside in the beginning of November before the snow hit Logan and here are some from that shoot :) :

He was really digging the leaves :)

December: Christmas time! Berick got tons of presents! I may have to take a pic of him in his Christmas jammies because I forgot to! I was so wrapped up in watching that cute little man dig all the wrapping paper :) We also spent lots of time with family which was great too!

We have hit the beginning of 2012! Here are some current pics of my little Nugget! Sorry I don't put many up of myself! I'm generally taking the pics and well...Berick is just more fun to look at :)

Enjoying some puffs :)

This kid will wolf down a pizza crust like its his job!

Faux Hawk: No my baby is not obese :)

One of the most handsome guys on this planet!

Who doesn't love a good box?

Real men just take a bite out of the bell pepper!

Yep, I get to kiss this guy everyday!

Well for the future of this Petersen clan, we've got a lot going! Kenyon applies for the Landscape Architecture program in March and that will determine a lot for our future! Little Nugget will turn 1 in April! Then this summer we're looking into getting a modular or manufactured home of our own! Fall we'll be trying for the next little Petersen :) Those are our plans but who knows what will really happen or what the Lord has in store for us! A lot has happened this past year and I look forward to what is to come! Right now I'm just enjoying my life, caring for Berick! I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I love my baby, I love my husband and family and great friends and LOVE the gospel of Christ! This year I'll have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for 3 years! They've so far been the best 3 years of my life!

That's all! New Year's resolution for the blog world? POST MORE! Thanks for reading :)

6 Months and October Fun

This post was a little late but that's mainly because Berick's 6 month appointment was 6 days after he turned 6 months...ANYWAY!


Berick is a gigantic bundle of awesome and it keeps getting better! His stats go as follows:

• Weight 16.4 lbs
• Length/Height 26 1/2 inches
• Head Size: he's now in the 31st percentile for head size so his noggin' is still little but that's ok!

At 6 months Berick can now officially sit up on his own! Its pretty stinkin' cute however he gets upset if he sits for too long...maybe it hurts his little abs?...He also likes:

• talking to himself
• fake coughing
• playing with toys that aren't really toys ie. the box that we keep the toys in
• being outside
• cars and trains
• anything he can shove in his mouth
• baby fruits
• examining things thoroughly like he's a scientist
• blowing raspberries
• breathing in and out really fast when he's excited which is generally accompanied by extreme leggy kicking
• cuddling with mom
• playing with dad: correction he LOVES dad! I swear this boy could be having the worst day and as soon as Kenyon walks through that door its all smiles on the Western front!

At 6 months Berick dislikes:

• getting his arms put through the arm holes of clothes: when I do this he will try to squirm and scoot away
• shots at the doctor
• strangers and certain women: he's in the beginning stages of stranger anxiety where he gets scared and cries if someone he doesn't know holds him and for some reason certain females really get him upset
• sitting up for too long because he can't figure out how to lay back down
• too much tummy time
• most baby veggies
• not being put down when its nap time

This funny boy lights up my days and is learning so much! He's silly and sometimes whiny but I just can't get enough of him.

 The pics below are from Berick and I's time at the Pumpkin Walk here in Logan! It wasn't as good this year and Berick wasn't 100% interested but whatevs! Kenyon had to work but we have hopes he'll be with us next year!

My baby and me :)

He's really excited to be there...

Berick as some weird bunny candy man...

Nightmare Before Christmas

Despicable Me

Candyland!

Berick as Buzz

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

I got the inspiration for this post from a friend with super cute twins :)...Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. As pretty much all of my blog followers and friends know, I myself had a miscarriage last year in March. It was probably one of the hardest, if not the hardest thing I've ever gone through. I won't go into detail but the gist of it was I was 8 weeks pregnant but the baby stopped developing at six weeks. We saw the baby on the ultrasound which was not a good idea because although we saw it, there was no heartbeat which coincidentally left me heart broken. In retrospect it brought Kenyon and I closer together and we learned how to get through tough times.

After that ordeal a few months later I got pregnant with Berick and its completely changed my life. The entire time I was terrified I would lost him but month after month he kept growing. When I first laid eyes on him and they placed him on my chest I started bawling because God had given us such a miracle. Now when I'm having a tough time with him or a sleepless night I just try to keep in mind how blessed we are to have him when other mothers out there are struggling or have gone through losses. A woman I know gave birth to her baby 2 months early that sweet spirit passed away a day later. I can't imagine what the family is going through but I know if they turn to the Lord he will see them through it.

I get so excited when I hear about my friends who are pregnant and pray that everything goes well. Heavenly Father entrusts us with these little miracles and its our job to raise them and love them. I thank God everyday for my little Bean and I love him so much. I know that Heavenly Father loves me because I can feel it when I think of how much love I have for Berick. Its so amazing the how instant the love is and how intense.

Berick, I love you with all my heart and am so grateful to Heavenly Father for him sending you to Kenyon and I. You light up my day every morning even if its early. Your little smile could turn my darkest days bright. You give everyday new meaning. Your laugh makes me cry because its just so precious and to see you with your dad puts everything into perspective. I pray that I will raise you right and with gospel standards. I one day hope to see you serve the Lord on a mission and then marry a sweet woman of your choosing in the Temple. Know that I will always love you and do literally anything to see you happy. You're my sweet, handsome guy and I love you with all of my heart and soul.


                                                                                                                 Love Always,
                                                                                                                             Mom

Blessings

Soooo let's just say things in the Petersen home have been a little bit hectic lately. I'm not saying that things have been unbearable but for sure stressful at times. My dad has moved in with us for a bit while he gets things together to go to rehab here in Utah. Its been hard for a lot of different reasons but especially monetarily. Kenyon's hours have been less since he started school and we weren't sure how we were going to make ends meet especially with a certain baby boy whose formula costs almost $30.00 a can and goes through about a can a week. I was really starting to get worried because Kenyon was starting to get worried. Kenyon is the type to stress only when things really start getting bad.

So what does any faith based Latter Day Saint family do in times of trial and struggle?...pray, pay tithing, and turn to the Lord for guidance and strength. Needless to say we did just that and things have truly come together in ways such as:

• We are still on medicaid so Berick's doctor visits are covered
• WIC came through again so Berick's formula and baby food is covered
• Food stamps came through again so we can buy plenty of food for ourselves (for the record we aren't people who believe on living off the government for life but we've been paying into the system since we were 13 so why not benefit from something we've put into for so long)
• We've been healthy and haven't had any medical needs
• Everything with my dad has for the most part worked out and come together (we prayed about him coming to live with us and got the revelation that it was the right thing)
• And most recently and AWESOMELY Kenyon just got a new job that will compensate for the hours he lost when school started so we'll be able to get off food stamps quicker and pay our bills without feeling so stressed!

I know that there are many worse things that could be going on in our life but when you begin to worry about how you'll afford essentials, things appear to be a bit hopeless. Thankfully we have faith and trust in the Lord and know that He will never give us anything we can't handle and if we follow Him he will provide for us. I love my family and I love my Heavenly Father.

In other news, Berick is working on sitting up on his own which is funny to watch and he giggles ALL THE TIME! I love him more and more everyday! He keeps me busy and happy. I find myself waking up in the morning at 7 wanting to go back to bed but as soon as I pick him up and see his little smile I get over the fact that I'm tired :) He's growing sooooo much and sooooo fast and it makes me tear up a little. I love watching him develop but I hate the thought that he'll never be the age he is now ever again. His little personality is coming out and he's starting to eat some baby food! He quite likes the fruits :)

Kenyon and I are just going to school and trying to enjoy life as it comes! I love seeing Kenyon with Berick! Every time Kenyon comes through the door Berick will look over at him and get this huge grin on his face knowing that it s play time. Kenyon is such an amazing father to our boy and my love for him just intensifies when I see him play with Berick.

Life is coming together and I'm trust trying to keep up with everything! I'll get some more pics of Bean up soon but if you're really itching to see him either come see me or check facebook! I've just discovered how to upload pics from my phone to facebook! It's pretty cool!