I remember like it was yesterday...

...it is really true what they say, that time flies.
Five years old.
Wow, my baby is five?

It is so hard to imagine that for the first three days of his life we weren't even sure if he was going to make it. I feel so blessed that Kyan is in our lives, he is the sweetest human being I personally know! This morning we were looking at his baby pictures and talking about when he was born (he loves to hear his story), without realizing it, big tear drops were falling out of my eyes (and not that I am emotional over him turning 5, I was last year when he turned 4 for some reason?), just emotional, because,ummmm, that was absolutely the most difficult thing I have ever had to go through in my life and it has been awhile since I reflected on it (and I am not entirely sure that I have ever done a post about it). So, for my old friends and my new friends, here is Kyan's story...

...my mom called about 8am to tell me that my cousin's wife had her baby, his name, you know, to rub it in that they had the baby and that I wasn't having mine. Just kidding, she wasn't rubbing it in, just giving me the news, I was just a little bitter because the night before my doctor called me and told me that she was not going to be inducing labor early, as the baby's (we didn't know the sex of the baby at this point - Chad likes surprises, so we didn't find out, with either kid actually) lungs weren't ready. I had an amniocentesis the day before to check, as I had a cyst on my tailbone, putting me on bed rest the last month of pregnancy and in incredible amounts of pain, I figured that I was 36 and 1/2 weeks, the kid had to be ready right, so what was the harm in having it done? Yes, I knew that a risk could be that the needle could induce the labor even if the baby wasn't ready, but I was in so much pain, and I really thought that the baby would be okay. I was wrong, but I don't regret my decision, I think almost anyone would have done the same thing, had they been in my shoes. Okay, back to my mom calling, while I was learning about my new second cousin (I think that is how I am related) my water broke - UH OH!

It was too early, Dr. Johnson told me last night that "it" wasn't ready. However, I wasn't panicking. I called my mother-in-law (Chad just started a new job, so he had already left for work) as she had taken the day off anyway, I think everyone was anticipating Kyan's arrival. I jumped in the shower to try to clean up the best I could, called the doctor, and headed to the hospital, where my water continued to leak (even in Donna's car) and finally burst right at the front entrance check-in - EMBARRASSING! I just kept apologizing, to everyone.

The last picture we took as just the two of us, before becoming official "parents"

Because of the cyst on my tailbone, I had to be given the epidural almost immediately, as I couldn't sit on my backside to save my life. Even though my water broke, I wasn't having contractions, so I was given meds to start labor. While dilating at pretty normal rate, family and friends stopped by to visit and check to make sure that I was doing alright. Close to pushing time, I asked Chad to check my catheter to make sure it was in the way it was supposed to, I didn't have any feeling down there, but something wasn't right. As soon as he lifted up the covers it reeked! OMG, please tell me that I didn't go poop on myself with everyone in the room, this was my first baby, and I had heard stories of that happening, but I was praying that it wasn't me, it couldn't be. So I made everyone GET OUT (little did they know I was going to start pushing after that and they wouldn't be allowed back in the room to get there stuff for 3 hours) as I was so embarrassed and the nurse came in to check, asking if I was allergic to the penicillin that they had to give me for my fever during labor (I couldn't stop shaking - it was crazy) because at first she thought that I had diarrhea from that. Did I tell you how embarrassed I was feeling - how I am feeling writing this - well, now it is kinda funny, but it was NOT at the time! She looked closer and figured out that it was not poop (thank you God!) but that my cyst had burst and that it was infection coming out, that might be more disgusting actually. So as soon as that was taken care of by the anesthesiologist (who was a former surgeon) of all people, it was time to push.

By this time my epidural has almost worn off and I felt the entire 2 and 1/2 hours of pushing (but I still love you son). How do I know that I pushed for two hours? Well, West Valley Hospital puts clocks in the stupidest of places in their labor and delivery rooms, on the wall smack in front of the patient, it stared at me the entire time! Yes, Chad and my mother-in-law did a great job encouraging me, but geeeeeeeezzzz, give me a break! Two and a half hours of hard core pushing, not fun, but thank you to my leg holders, I know that must have been tough!

There were lots of "special people" in the room, as we knew there would be, and after a few minutes of them checking to make sure he was ok, I was able to hold Kyan for just a red hot second before he was whisked away to the nursery, where they could watch him even closer. Chad was able to spend a little bit of time with him there and got to hold him for just a little bit longer.

By the time the epidural wore off and I was able to walk to go see him, things were getting worse. He was in an incubator and they prepared us that if things kept going downhill, they did not have the equipment to take care of him and that he would need to be transported via helicopter to another hospital that could give him the support he needed.

Around 7am, the next morning, I heard it. The call for Airevac. I knew that the call was for Kyan. It took almost an hour for the Pediatrician to come in and tell us that things had gotten much worse overnight and that they were already in the process of getting Kyan ready for his first helicopter ride. Panic set in. I asked to be released from the hospital right then and there (I still hadn't even showered and was still in incredible amounts of pain with my cyst) but I couldn't let them take him and have me be in a different hospital. I wouldn't. So Kyan was Airevac'd from West Valley Hospital to Phoenix Children's Hospital NICU that morning. We arrived around the exact same time that he did, two very scared parents.





His stay at Phoenix Children's NICU was shorter than what they expected, but scary nonetheless. Because his lungs were not fully developed, they did most of the breathing for him, and it wasn't until day 3 where they assured us that he was going to make it. Until then, even they didn't know. Finally on day 6 we were able to hold him. What an incredible feeling. A feeling that a mommy is supposed to have when they are first born, I had waited so long, he was so sensitive, at times, too sensitive to even talk to (that wasn't allowed either for several days), I never wanted to put him down. On day 9, we got to bring him home, lungs fully matured, he just needed a little bit more time to cook! It was just out of my belly. The doctors assured us that he would not have problems in the future as far as his lungs were concerned unless asthma or something ran in the family, which it doesn't.

To this day, we have a wonderful and healthy little boy and I am forever grateful to the wonderful doctors and nurses at Phoenix Children's Hospital!

That little boy spent much of his morning on the phone, getting birthday wishes from grandmas, and grandpa, and aunties too!

He shared his birthday cookies with kids at school - not a single crumb came home. And he wanted his family birthday dinner to be at Ah-So tonight, where he enjoyed his two favorite things in the world (besides cheeseburgers), soup and steak!

He is extremely in to WWE right now and his world revolves around it. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he was very sure that he wanted three things:
1. The Undertaker
2. The Big Show
3. The Cage
Tonight he got #1 and #2, and the promise of #3 if we can ever find it in stock anywhere!
He was beyond happy!

He not only loves WWE, but he has a love for those cards that sing (and boy, they are expensive) but they are just one of those things that I have to buy for him, as I don't remember not getting a singing card from him since he has started picking out cards for me! Both he and his sister loved the dancing hamster card!

One last special present from his daddy - here Chad is giving Kyan the "big" news. He bought tickets for him to go to Wrestlemania when they are in Phoenix in March. I don't know much about it, other than it is like the Superbowl of wrestling, so everyone is going to be there. Kyan couldn't believe what he was hearing (especially since he thought he had to be 9 to go - I have no clue how he came up with that number either, but that is what he thought). He is over the moon excited! Dinner conversation revolved around which guys they were going to see and who might fight who!

His last little surprise of the night, was a little birthday cake! What a way to end a delicious meal! He was sweet enough to share with all of us!

When we got home, it didn't take Kyan long to bust out his wrestling guys and start a match. Where he went crazy was when Chad showed him how to play the opening songs of each of the guys on his XBox360 Wrestlemania game! Kyan went bananas! It was hilarious to hear him!

Happy 5th Birthday to you, my sweet boy, Kyan Alexander Roseland.

A Rainy Day is perfect for making COOKIES!!!

Today it rained and it poured! Perfect weather for cookie making! Especially since that is the treat that Kyan wants to bring his preschool class for his birthday (a part of me was hoping that he wanted the store bought cupcakes or something, as they don't require a whole lot of time to make, but he insisted on mommy's homemade chocolate chip cookies)! So today, we baked about 8 dozen of these bad boys, 4 dozen for school, 1 dozen for auntie Candis' belated birthday present, and 3 dozen left overs to eat and bring to the birthday party on Saturday (if they make it that long)...
The recipe? That is a secret? But, if you email me, I just might give it to you!!! You will have to tell me who you are baking them for and why you must have the secret recipe! They are the most delicious cookies that you will ever taste! (Just ask my friends - there is a reason that they want that as their birthday present instead of an actual gift every year!!!).

As for a birthday cake/cupcakes? Kyan wanted none of that either - brownies please! So yes, more baking on Friday night, on the menu, brownies! Kyan's only request was that I write a big 5 on one of the pans with colored icing, easy enough (and tastier than those store bought cupcakes)! I can't believe he is going to be 5 in two days! Time flies, that is one thing I know!

Page Turners

Since getting my Kindle for Christmas, I have been a reading machine, in a genre that I don't get to touch all that often, adult fiction! It has been amazing and I have found three very wonderful books worth writing about for sure! If you get a chance to pick up any of them, I highly recommend each of them in their own special way! Nicholas Sparks has been my favorite author since I can remember, but I haven't read these last two books of his, not really sure why, but so glad that I finally did. Mitch Albom had me at Tuesday's With Morrie and I have been a fan ever since. I would say that each of these books will require tissue, as each is emotional.


Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alientated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels--first love, love between parents and children -- that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.

This one is a tear jerker and I was crying for a good 50% of the book. It hit close to home.

In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life.

After U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman buried in the dirt during his tour of duty in Iraq, he experiences a sudden streak of luck — winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph — his lucky charm.

Back home in Colorado, Thibault can't seem to get the woman in the photograph out of his mind and he sets out on a journey across the country to find her. But Thibault is caught off guard by the strong attraction he feels for the woman he encounters in North Carolina - Elizabeth, a divorced mother — and he keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate love affair, his secret soon threatens to tear them apart — destroying not only their love, but also their lives.

Filled with tender romance and terrific suspense, THE LUCKY ONE is an unforgettable story about the surprising paths our lives often take and the power of fate to guide us to true and everlasting love.

I accidentally downloaded this onto the Kindle as I wasn't sure it was going to be my cup of tea, so glad that I did, things happen for a reason I guess. Great book!

What if our beliefs were not what divided us, but what pulled us together?

In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight year journey between two worlds – two men, two faiths, two communities – that will inspire readers everywhere.

Albom’s first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie was published twelve years ago, Have A Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an 82-year-old rabbi from Albom’s old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy.

Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he’d left years ago. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor – a reformed drug dealer and convict – who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof.

Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Mitch observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi, embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat.

As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Mitch and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers and histories are different, Albom begins to realize a striking unity between the two worlds - and indeed, between beliefs everywhere.

In the end, as the rabbi nears death and a harsh winter threatens the pastor’s wobbly church, Albom sadly fulfills the last request and writes the eulogy. And he finally understands what both men had been teaching all along: the profound comfort of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Have a Little Faith is a book about a life’s purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man’s journey, but it is everyone’s story.

A 75th Birthday to Remember!!!

Grandpa Shipe, Chad's grandpa, turned 75 this month and we went to celebrate his birthday over at Donna's house, Chad's mom, on Saturday. We saw cousins and aunts and uncles that we haven't seen in years! I was sad that Chad had to work, I didn't realize how many people were going to be there until we showed up to a full house!

Lola, as well as all the kids, love grandma's toy bin - drive thru specials!!! There wasn't a thing in there that didn't make some kind of noise!

The birthday boy!

Makin' a wish!

Grandpa with all of the great-grandchildren that were able to make it!

Those things kept the kids entertained for at least an hour!

Opening presents and his favorite card below!

My princess!

Grandpa and Grandma wanted a shot with each family that was able to make it out - here is ours (and no, I don't take my UGGS off! I love them, Chad asked me if I was going to wear EVERY outfit that I had with them! HA! He made me wait 5 years for these bad boys, I have some time to make up!!!)

I love this picture, after our family picture was over, Kyan stayed cuddled up to Grandpa!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Grandpa Shipe - we love you and hope that you had a very special day!

We're Back...

...at the Little Gym! We signed Lola back up for classes on Saturday mornings at 8:45! She was so excited to start this weekend! Kyan took classes at the Little Gym until he was almost 4, he occasionally still goes to a camp day here or there, but it gave him so much confidence, we decided that it would be good for Lola too! Kyan patiently waited in the lobby, filled with lots and lots of toys to keep him busy for 45 minutes, while mommy and Lola went into class! When it came time to play with the balls, she wanted Kyan to come in and play with her, so we grabbed him from outside and he was so good about only doing a small part~even though I am sure he was tempted to play on everything, but who wouldn't be, the place is awesome!

While Lola will be playing at the Little Gym Saturday mornings, Kyan has elected to do baseball, so now it is off to find a league for him to play in on Saturdays as well. Good thing Chad works on an occasional Saturday, so I will only have to split myself into two people every six weeks or so!

Meeting New Friends...

...in this blog world, yes, it can happen, and it did to me.

Come on - how many of you blog hop? You know, someone you don't know leaves a sweet comment on your friend's blog, and you wonder who they are and why you don't know them so you sneak on to their blog and look at what they are up to, find out that you might have lots in common (or not), but NEVER leave a comment! OR you are crazy obsessed about buying Mia Joie shoes and you check her blog all the time to see if she is offering anything new coming up or any great deals via the blog instead of the etsy shop and she writes amazing posts, but what is more amazing is that there are incredible woman and mommies on there that leave just as amazing comments, and you want to know who they are, so you blog hop to their blog, but again, usually don't leave a comment!

Well, Amy must have been doing that one day, because I got a comment from her and I had no clue who she was other than I had seen her name on MJ every once in a while (and I think I might have went to her blog a time or two)! I have to give her credit for starting our friendship, and I really do consider her a friend even though I have never personally talked to her - just comments, emails, and mail!

She is doing a giveaway on her blog and I wanted to let my blog friends know about it! She is getting ready to start her own etsy shop and wants feedback! So if you skip on over to her blog and leave her some feedback, you are entered in to win one of her cute sweatshirts!

This one is my favorite!

This one too!

I love them all, but have my two favorites picked out! Lola and I are going to be sporting one soon, fingers crossed! If you don't want to leave feedback, just comment and say that you are a friend of mine and that you would love to win one of her cute designs! She is one of the sweetest ladies I know!

Last thing...do you blog hop? If so, I would love to hear that I am not the only one. Or, if you are guilty of it right now, be brave and leave a comment!