This post will probably be more for me than anyone else. We've had so much going on lately, I'll give a quick rundown.
1. Got pregnant on accident first of June. A one hit wonder.
2. Freak out. No insurance. Major hormones. Oops. Nevertheless excited.
3. Doc says baby is growing slow. Lots of appointments.
4. Brother Shane and family stay a couple nights. A visit filled with crazy fam fun and even an ER visit for nephew's stitches.
5. All four Schaefer's sleeping in bed nightly. I use the term "sleeping" loosely.
6. Had enough. Move Quincy into Avery's room. That's big for us. Cold turkey sleep training.
7. Start sleeping for first time in 3 years.
8. At 10 weeks, I joined the non-exclusive miscarry club.
9. Sad, but surprisingly okay. The Lord has a plan.
10. Dad visits. Super fun. Went to his 45th class reunion. He still isn't grey or balding.
11. Quincy turns one. We go to a park and eat cake.
12. Drive to Yellowstone and "camp" with Michael's family. Quite fun.
13. In-laws throw a birthday party for both Avery and Quincy. Their own personal Christmases.
14. I wean Quincy. That's two down in 4 months. So incredibly easy! In awe.
15. Finally start to drop a few pounds. Hallelujah-glory be.
16. Mom comes to visit. We shop. We eat. We diet. We walk. We organize.
17. Must get parents to move here.
18. Crash mom's sibling reunion. Enjoyed getting to know aunts/uncles.
19. Birthday "party" for Avery at park.
20. Go to dentist. There goes dreams of riches.
18. My maid (mom) left.
19. We go to Park City for a weekend with our good friends the Knights.

ZZZZZZZZZZ......

We got ourselves into a mess. I say that taking full responsibility. Our kids have been on a late schedule, going to bed late and sleeping in late. This gave me time to either go to the gym in the morning or sleep in too. Eventually we were putting the kids to bed so late and it was taking sooooo long to get them both to sleep, we just started all falling asleep together in our bed. When we bought it, we thought it was a king. Some of you might recall a post where we were sleep training Quincy. Well.... we went out of town and had company, etc... and were once again derailed. Plus her crib was in our room and it didn't take long for her to find us. She would chew us out incessantly. So I caved. I decided to try to teach her to go through the night in our bed without nursing. That worked and provided some relief, but soon she was waking just to snuggle. About 8 times a night. Sweet. We were a domino game of waking each other up. One night we even shifted places 11 times. I counted. As in Michael and I both ended up at the foot of the bed like dogs after playing leaf frog all night. But I realize we did it to ourselves. Well, I broke. I snapped. I decided I didn't care about the tears anymore. Michael and I moved the crib to Avery's room and we put both kids in their room, kissed them and locked the door. There were tears. Avery told us in the morning he cried because he lost his Mommy and Daddy and the lion was scary. But both slept in their own beds. We don't even know what to do with ourselves. Quincy's sleeping through the night, Avery at least starts in his own bed (now with a flashlight), we have time to ourselves before our bedtime, and we don't spend an hour putting them so sleep. I'm pretty sure I could effectively rule the free world now!

100 Things (I stole the idea)

1. I used to love New Kids and even went to a concert. I'm not thrilled about their attempt at a comeback.
2. I love music, esp. loud, emotionally heavy music.
3. I cannot sing, but in heaven I plan on knocking my own socks off.
4. I played softball (first base) in high school. I still love it.
5. I used to be cold all the time. After having my second child, my thermostat is normal.
6. I have a lot of musical respect for Rob Thomas and Phil Collins. They seem to put it all out there in their work.
7. I took a bus of FLDS teens on a tour at the Liberty Jail while on my mission.
8. I would believe anything that came out of Alton Alexander's mouth. Anything. He was my Visitor Center Director.
9. While pregnant I heard the name Avery on an episode of Gilmore Girls. Then I found out that its root word means Alfred, my Dad's name.
10. I picked the name Quincy from a college class I took with a girl named Quincy.
11. Ears are the best thing in the world to touch, molest, fondle.
12. Michael has the softest ears a grown man can have. That's why I married him.
13. He did however pull a fast one by pretending to enjoy my ear play before we got married.
14. My children and parents are quite patient with my ear play. They might even like it.
15. I have a history degree from BYU and an English minor.
16. I wish I had a useful degree, but I went through college in my late teens and early twenties before I acquired common sense.
17. I taught a high school Special Ed class for a semester in Hawaii.
18. I make a killer baked broccoli, thanks to Ollie.
19. I have only a minimal verbal filter. I like to think its part of my charm :)
20. I used to think I'd marry a fat boy to make myself feel skinny.
21. I didn't.
22. I'm not into chick flicks or flowers.
23. I am the ultimate bargain shopper.
24. I don't have health insurance, although my family does. Denied.
25. I enjoy reality television more than I should.
26. I cannot and will not dance. Won't do it. I refuse to be the person others whisper about.
27. Laundry is the bane of my existence.
28. I love eating out at exotic restaurants. Don't usually enjoy American style.
29. If we own a pet ever, it will be a hypoallergenic dog or a hairless cat. Maybe a fish for the kid's sake.
30. I hardly ever cry. That emotion tends to disguise itself as anger.
31. I absolutely love thrill rides and water parks.
32. I'm very into make-up, but not so much into shoes, hair, jewelry, or fashion. I try to be. Something doesn't click.
33. I fake tan my legs for church.
34. I love Florida thunder storms. They might be what I miss most.
35. I used to be terribly organized and responsible. Now I seem to be much less so. I don't care.
36. I have very little idea of why I'm fat. It pisses me off.
37. I could never get plastic surgery after watching Dr. 90210. Gruesome.
38. I absolutely loved BYU, esp. my years at Chatsworth with Bishop Shippen.
39. I wouldn't trade my mission experience, but I'm not sure I'd go again. Pretty sure I wouldn't. That's not an apostate statement. Its part of my bluntness.
40. I can't stand the sound of vent fans in bathrooms or over stoves.
41. I enjoy deep, emotionally draining, thinker movies.
42. I know very little about politics. I trust my dad's obsession to lead me to the proper opinion.
43. My freckles and sun spots on my face drive me absolutely crazy.
44. I'm super fertile. So is Michael.
45. I like to think I have supernatural people reading skills.
46. I have more patience than I thought I could with my kids.
47. My mom wouldn't let me have Barbies.
48. We have one car and I am finally used to it.
49. Its a grandma car, and that too I'm finally used to.
50. I think drinking would be a vice if I wasn't LDS. It sounds fun.
51. I excelled in school, and at the same time hardly attended. Not worth my time.
52. I worry about autism with my kids. Just paranoia.
53. I think Michael has a fabulous physique.
54. I seem to acquire black clothes more than other colors.
55. I grew up with an extremely open door policy.
56. Not sure what I have in common with my 2 brothers but I love them.
57. I hope that my children will be best friends.
58. I nursed Avery until he was 2 and a half.
59. I plan on weaning Quincy close to her first birthday.
60. I seriously pray for my parents to move to Utah.
61. My Dad actually applied for jobs here. Now that's a great Dad.
62. I don't have a green thumb or a crafty bone in me.
63. I enjoy writing. Not much into reading. I get too distracted with life.
64. I used to relish listening to loud music alone in the dark. Alone never happens any more.
65. Shopping gives me a sense of accomplishment.
66. I only get ready for the day if I have somewhere to go. That's new. Not proud of it.
67. I give my son "gum kisses" when he wants the gum I'm chewing. Gross, I know.
68. I am not a germaphobe. ie: I like buffets.
69. Michael was my first serious boyfriend. Not my first kiss.
70. I'm grateful that the current style allows for maternity style shirts.
71. My 6th grade English teacher made me the official "class complainer." It took me ages to figure out that was a technique to keep me quiet until the end of class.
72. My parents both have brown hair.
73. It takes something special to get me to like a country song. There are a few.
74. The news is harder for me to watch now that I have kids.
75. I'm 30.
76. Neglectful and abusive parents make me furious.
77. I've been known to chew a few out.
78. I chased a woman down in a store for giving my mom the bird. I called her a special name.
79. I want to travel to see cultures completely foreign to what I know.
80. I'm still confused on why caffeine free diet soda is unhealthy.
81. I have a new goal of having family meals around the table.
82. I have constant goals of reading scriptures, saying prayers, losing weight, and exercising.
83. I am a pushover when it comes to children, including my own.
84. I have 2 blood clotting disorders. That's pretty rare.
85. I also have eosinophilic esophagitis. That makes it hard to swallow apparently from food allergies that I didn't know I had.
86. My son Avery was allergic to milk and eggs.
87. Quincy seems to be allergic to eggs and cashews.
88. I used to be a harsh movie critic. Now I pretty much like anything I get to watch uninterrupted.
89. I could only hope to be as close to perfection as my parents.
90. I'm fairly good at math when I take classes.
91. Science and foreign languages are foreign languages to me.
92. Poor (speaking) english is a major pet peeve of mine.
93. I begged my parents to get a dog when I was dating Michael but staying with them because I missed him. They did. I was only home a few weeks. I think they're glad they're glad to have her.
94. I've paid tithing my whole life.
95. My brother Brad called my Scummer growing up.
96. One of my special ed students (and later others) pronounced my name as "Hermer."
97. My mom called me Lady Bug and Sister Poo.
98. Today's Special was my favorite show for much of my early years.
99. I also watched Pinwheel, You Can't Do That on Television, Kids Incorporated, the standard TGIF shows, etc...
100. I was pretty good at Super Mario Brothers 1-3 and Tetris.

It's a Miracle! Thank you Thomas!

Powered by GoodWidgets.com

Some of you might remember my disturbingly candid blog about tandem nursing. My plan was to nurse Avery until Quincy was 1 and I weaned them both. Well, a few weeks ago, I just came to a point where I COULD NOT take it anymore!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!! If I looked down during a "session" I started to have thoughts of "Boy! You are too big! Your cheeks don't have that baby pudge and you speak complete sentences!" We would even argue over who's boobies they were. They're MY boobies! No, they're MY boobies!
So we took Avery to see Thomas the Train when he visited Utah. Of course after that Avery wanted every Thomas train that exists. So I stocked up on trains and made him some deals. In the morning, I would say, "You can have this AMAZING new train, or you can have booby today, but not both." And with a shiny new train smiling right at him, his 2 year old paws couldn't resist. Inevitably, each day he would regret his decision. He'd scream, cry, or whimper in my arms. "I want Booby! I HATE Thomas the Train!" I would reassure him that he could choose booby the next day instead of a train. But the groundhog of a morning would come and he'd choose the next train.
The saddest moment came when Avery wasn't feeling so well and was adamant about wanting to nurse. He threw a fit to end all fits. So much so that he fell asleep in my arms crying, "I'm NOT a big boy! Avery's still a baby!"
I'm not sure how the train thing faded, but it did. And although its been a few weeks and he continues to ask daily, I have not caved. That is saying a lot for me. So the requests are getting farther apart and not so urgent. And I'm pretty sure he's going to make it! And now I know that I will too! I'M FREE!!!
Now for Quincy!

PErmanEnt Damage

Powered by GoodWidgets.com

Gotta take the good with the bad, right. In the spirit of disclosure and laughing at my expense, I'm going to once again lay it on the table. Once upon a time I had a normal bladder. Then I gave birth. Out comes Avery and thanks to drugs, I'm feeling peachy keen. He was born around 6pm and at about 3am I decide to sneak out of my hospital bed to use the bathroom. As I roll off my bed, 'water' starts gush-gush-gushing out of me. I cannot over exaggerate this story. And my legs were still not working, so I stood balancing with my bed and soaking the floor. Michael arouses on his couch and sees me pee-ing on his flip-flops. Side-note: Michael has a germ phobia and is especially particular with feet. He never lets his feet touch the ground. He wears these special flip-flops, even in our own house and at all times. And I was peeing on them. So he wakes and says groggily: "Uh, you're peeing on my shoes." Brilliant Michael. So he reaches to the nurse call button and says, confused, "Uh, my wife has a leak?" I'm trying to make myself feel better, so I assure myself that this is just one of those things about birth that you don't get told. So when the nurse comes running in, I say, "You probably see this all the time." She looks disgusted and says, "Uh, no." So she strips me right there and walks me to the restroom. Humiliating. Seriously humiliating. Then a nurse arrives to check things out the next day and catheterizes me. She freaks out and starts yelling for the doc. She is told that the doc is in surgery, but she insists the doc see this (whatever THIS is). The doc arrives and acts calm, but soon informs me I'll be going to physical therapy. I get home and have zero control over my bladder. I still don't realize that this is far from normal and consequently I don't ask enough questions. For the first couple days, I literally couldn't change direction when walking or ... gush. Then it got a bit better. I just couldn't walk fast or sneeze or be startled, etc. After physical therapy (which by the way was shock-zzzzz- therapy), I could walk fast and even sneeze sometimes pee-free. I learned to deal. Bringing extra 'just in case' underwear or wearing a pad to exercise. Although running and jumping were out of the question. Then I got pregnant with #2. Couple pre-existing incontinence with pregnancy and things get ugly. Sometimes I'd have absolutely no warning and then just be peeing. And forget about bending over without prep. Soon I was wearing pads DAILY and I hate hate hate wearing pads. Life seemed weird like this until it became normal. After Quincy's birth, things were so much more tolerable, but still not good. Now I'm back at the point of not running or jumping for sure and hoping for the best with the sneezes, coughs, startles, and loud laughs. Hmmm.... I guess its on my mind a little extra lately for a few reasons. First, I'm tired of sitting out on life and I've decided to run in the mornings at the gym. So I just wear a pad there. Second, I have hay fever lately and those sneezes are too strong for me to handle. Third, I'm starting to strongly suspect that I was mishandled in the hospital with Avery. I didn't use the bathroom until 3am in the hospital after Avery arrived, so I overextended and damaged my bladder, but I didn't know I had to go because of the drugs. The nurses are supposed to know this stuff and help a sister out! Its standard! So now I have permanent damage via my stint in Hawaii (I don't think it would have happened elsewhere). Hence, you gotta take the good with the bad. Sweet. Such is life. HA!

My Dad Caught a Shark!

Powered by GoodWidgets.com

Seriously! He did! And I just might think this is cooler than anyone else does. He tugged on the 200+ shark for 45 minutes straight, not knowing it was a shark. They didn't bring the shark into the boat because they would have had to beat it to death (ech). I have to say that every girl thinks of her dad as a hero and the strongest man alive, so I think its pretty cool that my dad caught a shark.
Certain ideals of family are so sweet to me. Like how I always wanted my mom to be my BFF and she is. I just wish we could live closer and shop all the time. And I always wanted to snuggle through the night with my husband and Michael is a fabulous snuggler. And a handyman, like my Dad. Not to mention I'm obsessed with ears and he takes the prize on soft, squishy ears. And I always pictured a handsome mischevious son who could get away with most anything with a witty remark and a smile. Let's just say Avery is a little too cute for his own good. And then there's Quincy. I couldn't wait to dress a little girl in dresses and bows and this just might be more fun than it should be. Its everything I imagined it would be.
I'm sure a lucky little lady!

That's 2 for 2!

Powered by GoodWidgets.com

Easter '06. Avery's about 8 months and just starting solid foods. We're in Florida at my parents house. Michael, Avery, and I are playing with Avery's Easter Basket and Avery is giggling like crazy. Good times. We intermittently feed him some of Grandma's homemade mashed potatoes. Avery's laughing and laughing. We're beaming. Laughing. Beaming. Laughing. Beaming. Pause. Wait. Eh? PUKING. Puking all over. All over Mom. Long story short. We soon discover, via multiple episodes of vomit coupled with hives, that Avery is allergic to anything made with milk or eggs. Luckily many outgrow those allergies and Avery (phew) was one of the lucky ones.
Mother's Day '08. Getting ready for church. Michael (good man) made french toast for breakfast. So far, our little foodie daughter showed no signs of food allergies... until then. Within minutes after breakfast, she was covered head to toe in hives. Happy Mother's Day. I'm assuming it was the egg on the toast and hopefully not the wheat bread. Sheesh!
WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY CHILDREN?!!!