Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Santa

On Monday night, we took the kids to the mall to see Santa. Kaitlyn was really excited to go. She ran all over the house saying "Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas," because that is what Santa says. When we got to the mall, Kaitlyn was a little apprehensive to sit on his lap and talk to him. Santa was very nice and they started talking about the princess stuff she wants for Christmas. Ben was cute, like always. He sat on Santa's lap without any problems. We got a cute picture of both of the kids with Santa. It was a fun family night.

December is the month of birthdays. Kaitlyn, Ben , and I took Grandma Jody out to lunch for her birthday and we had a blast. I love being able to spend time with my mom. We heard that Alexia had a wonderful Hannah Montana birthday party. We are glad she had a great day. We hope that Jacki and Jared had happy birthdays. We also wish Steven a very happy birthday.

We are still doing good. The kids keep me busy and I love watching them grow. They bring such joy into our home. I especially love this time of year. I love teaching Kaitlyn about the birth of Jesus. This time of year reminds me of how truly blessed we are and of how we need to share those blessing with others. We are trying to have the Christ Spirit in our hearts and home.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Fall

I love the fall. It is so beautiful to see all the leaves changing colors and falling to the ground. Kaitlyn loves to run and squish the leaves. On one of our walks, she found some cute leaves that she just had to bring home. I finally convinced her that the leaves would be happier outside with all of the other leaves, instead of crumpled up on her bedroom floor. (Mommy is such a clean freak.) Now anytime a leaf is accidentally brought in the house on someones shoe or the stroller wheels, Kaitlyn has to take it outside to be with its friends.

I am trying to let Kaitlyn play outside as much as possible before the snow comes. Today, we went to the Ogden Airport and watched several planes take off. Kaitlyn still loves planes, but does not like the loud sounds they make. She is absolutely adorable waving to the planes and shouting bye. She tells me all kinds of stories about where the planes are going and what they will be doing. She has a great imagination. After the airport, we weren't ready to go home yet, so we went to a nearby park. Kaitlyn and Ben had fun swinging. Lately, Kaitlyn loves to swing the entire time we are at the park. I love it because it is easier to keep track of her. Ben enjoyed the swings and I took some cute pictures of the kids with my phone.

We are hoping the weather will stay nice for a couple more weeks, so we can go to the park more. I love being able to play with my kids and watch their excitement as we do something fun together. On a side note, I am getting really anxious to go see Twilight on Saturday morning. I am going with my sisters and can't wait. I love getting away from Brandon and the kids sometimes to just have fun and relax. It will be a great "Mommy Break."

Sunday, November 9, 2008

First Haircut

Last Sunday, I gave Ben his first haircut. Brandon needed a haircut, so we got out the clippers and did it. When I was done with his hair, I suggested we trim Ben's hair. He had the cutest baby hair. The top was really long and it was impossible to get it to lay flat. Ben was such a little trooper. I had Brandon hold him , while I trimmed the hair with the clippers. He did not squirm or even get mad as I did it. I think he was more intrigued by the clippers and the cord. The only time Brandon really had to hold him still was as I trimmed around the ears with Brandon's little razor. I love his new hair cut, but was a little sad to see my baby change into a little boy. The new cut makes him look older. He is just as handsome as ever though. Here is a before shot:
Here is the finished product. My two handsome guys.

I also wanted to take the chance to mention a couple of the things I love about my little Ben. I love it when he wakes up and holds me tight around my neck. I love his cute growl and squeak. I am amazed with how smart and curious he is. It makes me so happy to see Ben light up when Kaitlyn talks to him and plays with him. I know he really loves his big sister and she really loves him. Most of all, I love this amazing spirit that Brandon and I have been entrusted with. I feel honored and blessed to have such wonderful children.

Below is a picture of Kaitlyn and Ben sitting on Kaitlyn's chair. She was reading books to him, but had to put them down for the picture. This is from Boo at the Zoo.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Happy Haloween

We hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. We did the trunk or treating at our church and then visited with a some family and friends. Kaitlyn had a blast trick or treating. She kept saying "trick or treat, smell my feet." That was all of the little jingle she could remember. Kaitlyn was the cutest princess in the world. She loved to spin in circles and sing "I"m a princess" over and over again. Ben was an adorable teddy bear. He did not care to much for the costume, but he loved it when Kaitlyn and Daddy gave him a little sucker. He made a huge sticky mess and finished almost all the sucker before Mommy confiscated it.



We have been pretty busy the last few months. Brandon is doing very well. He had to do a vision and a hearing evaluation. He did very well on both of them, and the doctors only noticed small problems that should improve with time. He also did a driving evaluation and did very well on it. He is extremely excited that he gets to drive again. He doesn't feel like such a prisoner anymore; he can go out for a drive without having to ask me to drive him. We are also thrilled that he gets to go back to work on Monday. The doctor has agreed to let him start back on a part time basis. Brandon is relieved to finally go back to work, even of it is only part time really easy work.

Kaitlyn is still doing great. We have started doing a play group with some kids from church. Kaitlyn loves playing with the other kids and she does surprising well sharing and interacting with the other kids. We have some really great families in our neighborhood. We are still working with her on potty training and she is doing pretty good. Her new love is bedtime baths. She loves to play and soak for at least thirty minutes. By the time she is done, her hands and feet are so wrinkled it is adorable. She has also got some fun princess barbies and horses and loves to play with them.

Ben is my little monster. He is completely mobile now and gets into whatever he can reach. He does really well at crawl dragging himself to anywhere he wants. He really loves to find cords and pull on them or try to eat them. I have had a much harder time trying to baby proof my house with Ben than I ever did with Kaitlyn. He is such a busy baby and has to explore everything we are doing. He loves food and eats a ton. If I am eating, he thinks he needs to be eating with me. Last week, he developed a rash on his tummy and back. I took him to the pediatrician and was relieved to find out it was eczema. I was freaking out thinking he was having an allergic reaction to some food he had eaten. Anyway, she gave me some oil and moisturizing lotion to put on him. The rash cleared up in a couple days and Ben was back to his curious active little self.

I have been doing well. I keep busy with the two kids and husband home all day. I have spent a lot of time canning peaches, grapes, tomatoes, pears, and miscellaneous other stuff. I enjoy canning even though it is a lot of work. Brandon and I have also been doing a few projects around the house. It was nice to get some of my honey do list done. I am going to try to set aside a specific time each week to post, so that I wont take quite as long in between each post.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

We are still here...

I know it has been a while since I've posted. It seems I am even busier having a husband home all day than I was with just two kids at home. By the end of the day, I am too tired to get on the computer.

Brandon is doing very well. He went back to work for a week and then the doctor took him back out of work. He was discharged from his therapies. We just have to do several other tests, then hopefully, Brandon will be able to return to work in early October. He is getting very anxious and really wants to work again. He has improved so much since he came home from the hospital. Most of the time you can't tell he was injured. He still has some minor memory and cognitive delays, but those are improving everyday. We are really blessed that he is doing so well.

The kids are doing wonderful. Kaitlyn gets cuter all the time. She talks nonstop and is a great little helper. Ben continues to grow a lot. He is adorable and a big mama's boy, he loves to touch my cheek and give me baby kisses. He has started solid foods and loves them. So far we had tried rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and carrots. His favorite so far has been the carrots. He also rolls all over the place and has been trying to crawl. He is growing up way to fast.

August was a fun month. We went to Brandon's moms trailer in Ogden Canyon several times. It is such a beautiful and peaceful place. Kaitlyn loves playing in the river. We went to Peach Days, which is a parade and carnival. Kaitlyn had a blast going on the rides with her friend Sierra. She loved the big slide. Most of the time, we just stay home or go to the park. I have been playing a little tennis with Brandon. Neither of us are all that great, but we enjoy doing it. Anyway, we are doing well and continue to work on getting even better.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

I hope they call Jeanne on a mission...

I am really excited. Yesterday, my younger sister Jeanne finally received her mission call. She will be going to the Texas Dallas Mission. I think she will have tons of fun in Texas. I know she will be a wonderful missionary. We are all very proud of her.

We are doing okay. Brandon continues to work with his therapists and is doing well. Kaitlyn is so cute and watches carefully over Daddy. She also told me that she has a headache like Daddy, so I need to let her go everywhere with Daddy. Ben is getting even longer. We had his four month check-up on Monday. The doctor said he looks great and is a healthy happy baby. Of course, he was being extremely cute talking to the doctor during the appointment. Ben did good while he got his shots, he only cried when they did the shots. As soon as Mommy picked him up he was good. It was Brandon's first time being there for the shots for either of the kids. He did not like watching the nurse do it. He absolutely hates needles. Oh well, that is what brave mommies are for.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

New Computer

I am really excited. Yesterday afternoon, we had a little birthday party for me with my family and Brandon's parents. My family gave me a new computer for my birthday. They are so wonderful and will never know how much I love it and appreciate it. Brandon helped me set it up last night and it works great. It is tons faster than my old computer and does not freeze, which was causing me loads of stress. I constantly lost info or had to stop doing something because the computer would just freeze. Anyway, I have already been using my new computer to work on some genealogy. I am really becoming passionate about doing genealogy. It is an amazing feeling to find a name or date I have been searching for. This is a picture of me uncovering my marvelous new computer.














Here are also a couple cute pictures from the party. Kaitlyn and Callie were having tons of fun playing together and pushing each other in the stroller. Kaitlyn looks really cool in Grandpa Jay's sunglasses. Craig had a blast holding Iron Man Ben with Grandma Jody.



As I promised, here are some cute pictures from when Brandon was released from the hospital. Kaitlyn was happy to see her daddy, and Dotty was relieved to finally be with her human again. She has hardly left Brandon's side since he got home. She sleeps right by his feet all the time. Brandon is doing exceptionally well. We know that our Savior Jesus Christ watches over us and continues to help our family. We feel deeply blessed to have Brandon home and doing as well as he is. He still gets tired really easily and rests a lot. He is anxious to return to work. I think he is bored. I am trying to find a new hobby for him, if anyone has any good suggestions we would appreciate it. He has become an expert at napping, and Ben and him are getting some good naps together. We will continue to enjoy our time together and work on getting Brandon's strength and endurance back.


Sunday, July 20, 2008

Happy Birthday to me

I am thrilled to be home for my birthday. Brandon was released from the hospital yesterday morning. We are just relaxing and enjoying the time together with our family. Kaitlyn loves having Daddy home. Ben has been rolling around all over the floor. So far it has been a good birthday. We went to church this morning and everyone was glad to see Brandon doing so well. After a nice nap, we visited Brandon's grandparents and parents. We plan on taking it easy for the next couple of days. Thanks for all the visitors and the messages from friends and families.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Zoo

We had lots fun at the zoo today. Here are several cute pictures.







Going home

The doctor has agreed to release Brandon tomorrow morning. We are extremely excited to be going home. Brandon is thrilled to get out of the hospital. He has been doing really well with his therapies. He still needs to relax and take it easy for a while. Kaitlyn is happy to get to see her daddy. It will be nice to go home and get back into some kind of routine. I have really appreciates my family and all of the help they have given me, especially my mom and my sisters. It was great to know Kaitlyn and Ben were having fun while I was at the hospital with Brandon. I think Kaitlyn will miss playing with Callie and Grandma. She has had a blast. I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Rehab

On Wednesday, they moved Brandon to the Rehab floor. They will focus with him more on physical, occupational, and speech therapies. He continues to improve everyday. Hopefully, they will be able to release him on Saturday. Yesterday, we went for a walk outside and Brandon loved getting some fresh air. He is doing much better walking unassisted. He still has some balance problems and trouble with stairs. It is worse when he is tired, which happens very easily. Anyway, he continues to be in good spirits and is anxious to go home.

We are excited, because we are going to the zoo today. I am going to take Kaitlyn and Ben. We are going with my sisters Jeanne, Jasmine, and Jessi, my brother Jordan, my niece Callie, and my nephew Craig. We are sure to have a great time.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Walking and stairs

Brandon has been doing very well the last two days. He was moved out of ICU late Sunday night. He was glad to be out of there. The physical therapist has been working with him twice a day. He is getting better every time. He still has problems with balance and orientation, but we are hopeful those will improve with continued practice. Today they did stairs for the first time, and the therapist said he did okay. He just needs time to strengthen and use his muscles again.

He is still having some memory and cognition problems. They have a speech therapist working with him on those. Everyone is hopeful that he will continue to recover quickly and are impressed with the progress he has made.

We feel deeply blessed by the love and support we have been show by our family and friends. Brandon loves to hear all the comments and it helps cheer him up. Thanks

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Update

Brandon had a good day. He was talking a lot more. He has started to remember more and understands where he is. The last day he remembers was July 8th, so he lost a couple days. He may never remember what happened. He was asking lots of questions and was really worried about work. He even asked the doctor to release him so he could finish his route, always a workaholic. He is in good spirits and appreciates all the messages from family and friends.

They are trying to keep his pain level down, but not over medicate him. The pain medication was making him to sleepy and that made it difficult to work with him. The doctors want him to get up and move more. He had the physical therapist and the occupational therapist working with him a little today. He sat up for ten minutes and took a couple steps around the room. He did some other small exercises and was usually cooperative. We hope he will be up for walking around more tomorrow.

Since he started to comprehend more what happened to him, he has been very sweet. He is really funny to talk to and makes some pretty amusing comments. We are truly thankful for all the progress he has made. Hopefully, he will continue to be cooperative.

Kaitlyn and Ben had fun going to the movie with Grandma Jody, Aunt Jeanne, Aunt Jessi, and cousins Callie and Craig. They saw "Horton Hears a Who." Kaitlyn feel asleep during the movie, but said she enjoyed the part she was awake for. She loves elephants. Later, they went swimming at my uncle Clint's house. Kaitlyn loved going down the water slide. They tell me Ben had a blast playing in the water.

Friday, July 11, 2008

GREAT News!!!

This morning when I visited Brandon there was no real change. They said he had responded a little last night, but he was not wanting to respond when I got there. I left to get lunch and take care of the kids for a little bit, and when I got back I received the best news yet. The trauma doctors had decided that Brandon was alert enough to remove the intubation tube. His nurse was trying to get him to respond using his hands, but he did not want to. The said that when he asked Brandon if he wanted the tube out Brandon opened his eyes and nodded his head. So they removed the tube, and Brandon started trying to talk.

When I arrived at the hospital, Brandon was pretty alert. He would talk a little and answered some questions. He knew his name and he recognized me. The longer I was there the more alert he became. He started getting agitated because he wanted the arms and upper torso restraints removed. He keep yelling at me and the nurses to stop arguing with him. I have never been so excited to see him get this feisty. It was great to see him responding and expressing his thoughts. He has no memory of what happened yet, and we had to explain to him many times that he was at the hospital.

When he was calm and understood that he could not remove the IVs or the monitors, the nurse took the restraints off him. He was glad to move around a little and said his back was stiff. He seems to be in good spirits and is resting now. All the excitement of this afternoon wore him out. We are thrilled that he is responding well and talking to us. The doctors say this is a great sign and that his scans all look good.

The kids are doing well and having lots of fun with Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Thanks again for all the prayers and support.

Emergency

Yesterday morning I got the phone call that no one ever wants to get. My mother-in-law Ann called at about 9:15 to tell me that Brandon had been injured at work. She did not know how bad, but was told he hurt his head. The police had called my in-laws because they could not find my number. She also said she and Earl (her husband) were on the way to pick me up and take me to the hospital. I immediately called Coca-Cola to find out if they knew anything. Their receptionist Cheryl got me in touch with the police in Evanston. The police dispatcher told me that Brandon had fallen off the back of his work truck and hit his head. She also said he had a seizure and wanted to know if he had a history of seizures. I told her no and gave her some more medical information. She said he was on his way to Evanston Regional Hospital.

After talking to her, I called a couple more people and arranged for Kaitlyn to spend the day with her friend Sierra. Ann and Earl arrived and Ben and I went with them. On the way, the hospital called and told me they were lifeflighting Brandon to Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City. We rushed to the hospital and arrived a couple minutes before Brandon. We watched them unload him from the helicopter and rush him back into the emergency room. We waited for several more minutes while they got him ready for surgery. Then a social worker took us back to see him. He was heavily sedated and they had to put a breathing tube in. He was hooked to all kinds of machines and had IV's all over his arms. I talked to him and waited with him while they finished getting the operating room ready. The doctor said that he had an epidural hematoma on the left side of his brain, which means that blood was collecting between his brain and his skull. He needed immediate surgery to remove the blood and the pressure on his brain.

My parents arrived just as they were getting ready to take him to surgery. My dad Jay and Brandon's step dad Earl gave him a blessing and then the nurses took him away to surgery. We waited in the surgical waiting room. The surgery took about two hours. One of the doctors and a nurse came and told us that the surgery went well. They removed a piece of his skull and removed the blood. The doctor told us that his brain looked good and was not swelling too bad. They believe they removed the blood in time to prevent too much damage but we will not know the permanent effects for several days or weeks. They took Brandon to the ICU Trauma area and got him situated in his room.

Finally, I was taken back to see him as he was coming out of sedation. When I went in the room, he was just barely starting to move. He was really agitated and started trying to pull out the tubes. His hands were tied down. His vitals started to go crazy. The nurse tried to get him to respond and follow some simple commands. He was not responding and just kept thrashing around. They decided to sedate him some more and he calmed down. The rest of the day he pretty much rested. They were going to try to slowly bring him out of sedation over the evening and see if he responded better.

This is a brief explanation of the events, but I think it gives people most of the information needed. He had checked in with the restaurant and went out to unload their product. About five minutes later, one of the employees went out to empty the garbage and found Brandon on the ground unconscious and having a seizure. From what his co-workers have deduced, since no one witnessed the accident, he was moving product around in his truck and did not realized he was that close to the back of the truck. He slipped off the back and landed on his head. His left shoulder was also pretty bruised.

I will try to update the post regularly with information on his status and progress. I figure this will be one of the easiest ways to keep family and friends informed. People wanting more information or to send well wish can email us at bwoch@wildblue.net. I will try to respond as soon as possible. Family and friends are also welcome to call me on my cellphone at any time. The kids and I will be staying at my mom's house in Salt Lake for a while, since it is only a couples minutes from the hospital. Thanks for all the concern and prayers we have received so far. We really appreciate it.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Minnesota

We had a wonderful vacation. It was great to visit with Brandon's extended family. I really love them all and appreciate how they have welcomed me into the family. We kept pretty busy for most of the vacation. To start, Kaitlyn LOVED the plane ride. We took a red eye flight on the way there and I thought she would sleep most of the time. She was so excited that she did not fall asleep until I forced her to in the Las Vegas Airport. (We went from SLC to Las Vegas to Minneapolis.) While the plane was taking off, Kaitlyn was sitting in her car seat looking out the window saying cute stuff like "WOW," "WEE," and "FUN." The pressure change did not even bother her. Brandon thinks she will be a pilot someday.

Brandon and I went to a Minnesota Twins game on Wednesday night with several of his family. It was lots of fun. The Twins won by a lot. Some of our other fun activities while in Minnesota were going to the Mall of America, visiting Brandon's uncles dairy farm, having lots of family dinners, and going to Kim's wedding (Brandon's cousin).

The mall was a adventure. Kaitlyn got to take her picture with Dora, which made her whole day. Kaitlyn also got to build a cute bunny at Build a Bear. She named her Princess and absolutely loves her. We also went to the underwater adventure at the mall. We got to see all kinds of cool animals, like sharks, turtles, and fish. At the end, we even got to touch a stingray and a little shark. They felt really weird.

We really enjoyed going to Ken and Jeanette's house and getting a tour of the farm. The dairy is interesting and so high tech. Who knew getting milk from a cow was so complicated. Kaitlyn was thrilled to see all the animals. She got to pet a baby cow, a deer, a horse, a dog, and several adorable kittens.

The wedding was beautiful. Kaitlyn and Ben did pretty good sitting through the ceremony at the church. Ben slept most of the time. Kaitlyn got a little restless, so Brandon took her into the children's room towards the end. Kaitlyn loved blowing bubbles on Kim and Ryan as they left the church. The reception was really neat. Brandon's aunt Sue put bells all over Kaitlyn so she jingled everywhere she went. She was absolutely adorable. She was the friendliest kid and had tons of fun dancing with whoever would dance with her. I think she was the cutest kid at the reception.

Overall, the trip was very enjoyable and we look forward to visiting again. Brandon's family were all very friendly and loving. We really appreciate their kindness, especially Sharon for letting us stay at her house again. I think it is really important for us to spend time with Brandon's extended family as much as we can. I will try to post some pictures as soon as I can, my computer is still acting very weird.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Vacation

We are really excited to be leaving for Minneapolis tomorrow. We all need a good vacation. Kaitlyn can not wait to ride on an airplane. She has been talking a lot about it the last couple of days. I will try to post pictures of Kaitlyn at the airport in a couple of days. It will be nice to visit Brandon's extended family. I am looking forward to going to his cousins wedding.

We have been doing great. I have been busy getting everything ready for our trip. Of course, Kaitlyn had to help me pack stuff. She got to pick out which clothes to take and put them in the bag. She also help me pick out some new toys and books for the airplane ride.

Ben is as cute as ever. He has started to smile all the time. On Saturday, Brandon even got him to laugh a little. It was the most adorable little cooing sound. He still has such a mellow disposition and is an easy baby.

Stupid insomnia, I better get to bed. Our plane leaves tomorrow night at 10pm.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Twilight

Last Sunday, while we were at my mom's house for Jeanne's big announcement, Jasmine convinced me to read the Twilight series. On a side note, I am really excited that Jeanne plans to go on a mission and I know she will be amazing. Anyway, it took me a week to read all three books. I loved Twilight, who doesn't enjoy a little vampire love drama. Edward and Bella are both very interesting and engaging characters. New Moon was good, it annoyed me a little in the middle, emotional teenage girls. Eclipse is so far my favorite in the series. I absolutely love the Alice character, she just seems so fun and mischievous. After reading the books, I am now extremely excited for the movie to come out in December. I do not now how I will wait that long. I want to read Host now, and hopefully I will enjoy it as much as Stephenie Meyer's other books.

The kids are doing great. We went to the doctors last week for Kaitlyn's 2 year check-up and Ben's 2 month check-up. Kaitlyn is starting to grow and catch-up to kids her age. Her weight and height are average. She was such a good little trooper when they gave her a shot. She cried for a couple minutes and then when I asked her to be brave for Ben, she stopped crying at once. Ben is a monster and is in the 90th percentile for his height. He weighs almost thirteen pounds now and is getting good at holding his head up. He has started to roll over (he has done it three times on his own), and my doctor said that it is a little early for that, but it is probably because he is so big. He is also starting to smile. Kaitlyn and I love to tickle his feet and see his face light up. Kaitlyn and I call him our handsome boy.

We have just been up to the usual things. We go to the park, play with friends, garden, take walks, read books, and go see airplanes whenever we can. On Saturday, we went to the Ogden Airport to see a B-17. They were letting people pay to ride in it. Kaitlyn loved watching it take off and land so close to us. She also git really excited when she got to touch it, she even had to give it hugs and kisses. It was hard trying to get her to leave, but we all had a great time.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Misc. thoughts

We have had a busy week. Sunday was Ben's baby blessing. It was a great day. We had lots of fun visiting with family and friends. Here is a cute family picture. I am trying to convince Brandon to get our family picture done professionally so we can try to get one with all the family smiling, or at least Kaitlyn smiling.

We have gone to the park a couple times. Kaitlyn still loves the slide and has discovered how much fun the swings are. I had to push her for thirty minutes before we could go home for naps. Kaitlyn also got to go play with some of her friends. She had lots of fun playing with Sierra and was so excited that she is back from her vacation. Sierra has a cute little Barbie Volkswagen car. Kaitlyn loved driving it around her backyard. Later, she got to play with Jaxon and his new swing set. Brook (Jaxon's mom) said she had a blast and Brook really enjoyed playing with Ben. Brook watched the kids while I went to the doctor for my mommy check-up.

Brandon had a good birthday. We went out to dinner at Sizzler and Kaitlyn was so cute telling him Happy Birthday the entire meal. This week I finally broke down and let Brandon buy a grill. He has wanted one since we got married. We agreed that during the summer Brandon will cook dinner a least once a week on the grill, so I can have a break. I am excited and look forward to eating lots of yummy grilled foods.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Airplane Overload

Sorry I have not posted for a while. My laptop is broken and my other computer is going very slow. Anyway, yesterday we were going to ride on the new Frontrunner. The wait was three to four hours, so Brandon suggested we go to the airplane museum. Kaitlyn had a blast. She was so excited to see all the planes. She could hardly hold still and did not know which plane to look at first. She loved being able to touch the planes outside and told everyone we saw that she touched the plane. When we went inside, she had to sit in the stroller and could not touch the planes. She was so mad that she could not run around and play on the planes. Overall, we had a great time and I know where I can take Kaitlyn during the summer when we just need to get out of the house.

Kaitlyn had a great second birthday. Kaitlyn and I made sugar cookies and frosted them. She got blue frosting all over her and had fun with the sprinkles. When Brandon got home, we went to a cute little deli at the Ogden Airport. Kaitlyn loved watching the planes take off and land. She is so fascinated with all the planes. On Friday, Grandma Jody, Jeanne, Craig, and Callie came to visit. We had a fun visit and Kaitlyn loved getting more presents. Grandma gave her princess sheets and a princess quilt. I put them on her bed that day, and Kaitlyn was extremely excited to go to sleep that night.


Ben is doing wonderful and gets bigger all the time. He keeps getting longer and is going to be tall like his dad. He is more alert everyday and loves to look at faces. He is starting to sleep for about five hours a night, hooray for mommy. Kaitlyn is starting to help me even more. She has decided that it is her job to wash and rinse off Ben's body. I wash his face and hair so she doesn't pour water all over him. We are definitely having tons of fun with our two little angels.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Springtime...

We have had a fun week. On Wednesday and Thursday, we got to spend some time with Grandpa Jay and Grandma Jody. Kaitlyn had tons of fun and loves her airplane toys. She also liked playing hide and seek under the coffee table. It was nice to visit with my parents. I am glad they got to spend some time with their grand kids.

On Saturday, the weather was so nice that we spent the day outside. We worked on the yard a little. Kaitlyn had fun helping Daddy split some wood with a little log splitter we borrowed from Grandpa Earl. She thought it was so neat to help push the button and watch the logs slowly break. She also got to jump on the trampoline while I weeded the yard. Kaitlyn loves jumping all the time, and especially loves the trampoline. She was having such a good time that I had to drag her off the trampoline when it was time to go inside. I can't wait for the weather to get nicer so we can spend more time outside. It will be nice to get out of the house more.

Ben is doing great, and he gets cuter all the time. He has the cutest little ringlets on the top of his head when his hair is wet. He also enjoys bath time and likes laying in the water. Kaitlyn loves helping me wash his body. Ben is starting to stay awake more during the day, and it is fun to watch Kaitlyn play with him. She is constantly trying to hold his hands and enjoys reading books to him. She is such a sweet big sister. Today, Kaitlyn even put her airplane toy in the bassinet with Ben so he could see it, which is a big deal because she absolutely loves her airplane toy.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

My baby...

This morning while I was feeding Ben, Kaitlyn decided she wanted to be the baby. When I finished feeding Ben, this is what I found...

Kaitlyn is laying in Ben's bassinet, which is at the foot of my bed. She looked so cute in it that I put Ben down in the crib, so Kaitlyn could stay in the bassinet. She also has his pacifier, she pulled it out of her mouth before I could get a picture. It is amusing because when she was a baby she would have nothing to do with a paci. Ben has been sucking on his hands a ton lately, so we tried a paci with him, and he loves it. Since Ben started using a paci, Kaitlyn thinks it is her job to take the paci from Ben and walk around the house with it in her mouth. Usually, if Ben starts crying, Kaitlyn will give the paci back to him. Anyway, I think Kaitlyn was just having a jealous morning and needed a little extra love. After I laid Ben down, I let Kaitlyn cuddle with me on the bed while we watched cartoons and ate cereal.

Later in the morning, we went to the doctor for Ben's 2 week check-up. He is growing well, and weighs 8lbs. 8ozs. now. The doctor said he looks very healthy and is doing wonderfully. She also said I can start trying to get him to sleep for longer at night. I informed her that he already sleeps for one four hour period at night. I am very lucky that he is such a mellow baby. I hope he stays that way for a long time.

We had a great visit with Jessi, Craig, and Callie on Friday. Kaitlyn loved spending time with them. It was nice to have some kids to play with. She also loved the princess outfit they brought her and had to put it on right away. It was fun to watch Kaitlyn play piano with Callie. Callie and Craig are such cute kids, I am glad Kaitlyn has such cool cousins to play with. I am also lucky to have such a kind big sister, Jessi is awesome. Thanks for everything. (Jessi has some great pictures of the kids on her website.)

Finally, we are excited to see Grandpa Jay and Grandma Jody this week. Kaitlyn wants Grandma to tell her all about her airplane ride.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Update

This will be the last post for today. Sorry, it is hard to get on the computer to post everyday. On Sunday, my family came to visit and meet Ben. I love seeing family and spending time with them. It was fun to watch Kaitlyn jump on Uncle Jared, who is now really cool in her book. I am glad they got to come hold Ben. My mom has some pictures of the different family members with Ben, so I will post some as soon as I get copies.

On Monday night, we made homemade ice cream for our family night treat. Kaitlyn loves to help Daddy turn the ice cream and watch it go around. We have an old fashioned ice cream maker that makes you work to get the ice cream. She is also good at adding more salt when Daddy needs it. Ben and I even helped turn the wheel for a couple of minutes. When we were done, we had some delicious peach ice cream, with plenty of extra to last us for several weeks. It was a really good family night activity.

The rest of the week was spent just hanging out at home and watching whatever movie Kaitlyn picked out. Kaitlyn has been a little sick this week, I think all of the stress of the new baby has got to her. She started out throwing up and had a fever on Monday. On Tuesday, she just had a cough, runny nose, and a scratchy voice. She seems to be feeling a little better today. I had to watch her and Ben very carefully as we do not want Ben to get sick. Daddy did buy Kaitlyn the Chipmunk movie to help her feel better. She was really amused by the singing and dancing chipmunks and would dance along with them. That is pretty much everything for now. Ben is awake and wants to eat again.

Tons of fun

On Saturday, Brandon went pheasant hunting with some friends. The season ended March 31, and Brandon has not been hunting for over a year, so I decided to let him go. He had lots of fun and by the end of the hunt he was exhausted. He took Dotty with him, and based on what Brandon tells me, she had a great time. It was a really windy, and the dogs had a hard time finding the birds. Overall they did not get many birds, but Brandon said it was worth it to let the dogs get out and run. Anyway, on Sunday, I noticed that Dotty had some blood on her front leg. I pointed it out to Brandon, and he looked it over. Sometime during their hunt, Brandon suspects that Dotty ran in to some barbed wire. He said he did not notice anything during the hunt and Dotty did not act injured. We cleaned the wound and hoped that it would start to heal. Dotty can't seem to leave the wound alone, and she keeps making it bleed. Finally, we decided to take further steps to make sure the wound heals. Dotty absolutely hates the cone, but has not yet figured out how to remove it. Kaitlyn, our ever vigilant little helper, has tried several times to take it off, but always gets stopped by the evil Mommy. The wound is starting to heal and hopefully we can take off the cone in a couple of days. Until then, Dotty will just have to be the silliest dog on the block.

Jaundice

We have had an eventful week. On Saturday, Kaitlyn and I took Ben to the doctor to get his Bilirubon levels checked to see if he was getting jaundice. They were higher than the doctor liked, so we decided to try the Bili Lights with Ben. We had to do the lights with Kaitlyn when she was a newborn, which made it a little easier to handle this time. It is the worst feeling in the world when your child is not completely healthy, and I know in my family that is not uncommon as someone is always sick. Kaitlyn hated having to leave Ben under the lights, which we called his tanning booth. She kept climbing up on the side of the crib and turning the lights off. She then would tell me to take the baby out. She is already such a protective big sister. On the positive side, Ben's Bilirubon levels came down after two days, and he does not have to use the lights anymore. Also, he looks soo cute laying in his little tanning bed.
Kaitlyn checking on Ben
Ben under the Bili Lights
Kaitlyn under the Bili Lights

They look so similar it is the cutest thing. I love how they both look so annoyed.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Our newest addition

We are thrilled to welcome a new little angel to our family.
Benjamin Adon Wochnick was born March 25, 2008, at 2:30am. He weighed 8 pounds and 2 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. He is such a cute little guy, and we are excited to finally have him here. Ben is doing great and is resting comfortably at home. He has the sweetest cry and makes the cutest noises. I love having a baby in the house again. He truly brings a good spirit into our home. Kaitlyn was anxious and jealous at first, but has really started to like Ben. She tries to kiss and hug him all the time, and we even caught her trying to pick him up. She watches him very closely and alerts me anytime Ben makes a sound. She gets very concerned when Ben cries and has become a good little helper. I am feeling pretty good, just a little sore and tired. We are looking forward to our new lives with Ben in our family and love him more everyday. Brandon and I feel truly blessed to be given two precious little spirits to watch over and protect. I love being a mother.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone! We hope you have a wonderful day.
We have had a fun couple of days. Yesterday we went to the Dinosaur park to hunt for Easter eggs. Kaitlyn had a great time. She just loved to pick up the eggs, shake them, and then open them. Of course she had to eat all the candy. It was cute to listen to her try to make different dinosaur sounds.


After the fun at the Dinosaur park, we got to visit with Grandma Jody and Aunt Jeanne. Grandma brought Kaitlyn some fun presents. Kaitlyn loves princess stuff right now and loved the princess blanket and towel that Grandma gave her. She also likes the Ariel doll that she got and had to have her sleep by her last night. We had lots of fun playing with and talking to Grandma Jody and Aunt Jeanne.

This morning we woke up and let Kaitlyn find some more Easter eggs. She had a blast searching the living room for them. We had a great time at church. After church, we had lunch with Grandpa Earl and Grandma Ann. Kaitlyn just loves to play with the dogs, especially their Shitzu Lisa (who jumps all over Kaitlyn anytime she sees her). We have had a great Easter so far and hope that everyone else has a good day.


Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Bubbles

Kaitlyn absolutley loves to play with bubbles. We have had some nice weather on and off the past couples of days. So when it was almost 60 degrees outside and sunny, we decided to go outside and play. We have Kaitlyn's friend Sierra over today, which makes playing with bubbles even funner.

They had tons of fun chasing the bubbles all over the yard. I just love to watch them run and laugh. It is very cute. They were having so much fun that we even had to let Dotty out of her kennel to play with them. Dotty was not to fond of the bubbles or the bubble machine, but she did love the freedom and running around the yard with the girls. This is what they looked like after about 30 minutes of bubble mania.





Sunday, March 16, 2008

Fun Day at Church

Today we had lots of fun. I got to substitute in Kaitlyn's nursery class at church. It was exciting watching Kaitlyn interact with the other kids in her class. She is such a sweet and kind girl. I was surprised to see how quiet she was while playing. At home, Kaitlyn is a very energetic and loud girl. She loves to talk and tell me everything she is doing and everything her dolls are doing. Overall, it was really neat to spend time with her in the nursery.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Welcome to our blog

Welcome to our blog.
We are excited to start blogging. We hope this helps our family and friends keep up to date with the happenings of our family.
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our second child, a little boy due March 31st. Hopefully, he comes soon.
Kaitlyn is so cute whenever you ask her about her baby. She is excited to be a BIG GIRL. She has been doing really well sleeping in a twin bed, and continues to improve everyday with her potty training. She likes to copy whatever you say and has the cutest personality.
Brandon is still working hard for Coca-Cola and looks forward to the vacation he thinks he is going to get when the baby comes. Little does he know that he will be very busy taking care of Kaitlyn while I sleep and take care of the baby. I also have a list of projects for him to complete while he is home.
I will try to post several times a week, but I cannont guarantee anything.
Have a wonderful weekend.
P.S. Happy Birthday Jordan!!! We love you.