New Car...well actually, cars!!!!

So we caved in and decided to get a new car for me even though we had just bought one a year ago. Last year, we decided to get a small SUV because we knew we would be having kids soon (little did we know I would get pregnant the next month) We loved having the Equinox. It was the perfect size for me and everything, only problem it didn't have rear air. But the air was awesome you could feel it all the way in the trunk. But when we got Braxton home we quickly realized not only is his carseat rear facing but it sits up high and completely blocks the air from going back there. The poor kid would sweat every time we had to go somewhere in the heat here. So I didn't even go to look at the cars but Jesse came home with the one I really wanted, a new white Chevy Traverse. I love it! I'm still getting use to it because its a little bigger than my old car. but its perfect. It has 2 rows so we can fit our 6 kids in there. HAHA JUST KIDDING ( Jesse will kill me when he reads that) But there will be more room for the kids. Jesse (the haggler that he is) convinced them to give us a 2011 for the same price as a 2010, throw in an extended warranty for free and give us the auto start for free, which is your best friend if you live in Arizona.



Then a couple days later Jesse started considering trading in his truck for something else. Because he drives so far to work (basically to the airport everyday) and he will be driving even further once we move to Queen Creek next month, he thought why not get something with better gas mileage. So he began looking at cars, he first came home with a Chevy Malibu, which we both liked but it wasn't so roomy for the tall and bigger guys. So I said, why don't you get a Hyundai Sonata like Matt (my older brother) did. He's 6'8 and a big guy, so if he can fit in it and still have room then its a nice sized car. Only problem, Dave works at the Chapman Chevy dealership...We didn't think we would be able to get one, but then Jesse found out Chapman has a Hyundai dealership too. So Jesse traded in his truck and got a 2011 black Hyundai Sonata. Its a 4 door car with a HUGE trunk. He convinced them to basically throw in the navigation for super cheap. I told him he could keep his truck, I know how much he loved having a truck, but he says he wanted to to this and he wanted me to have the car I really wanted. Don't I have the best husband ever!



So yes, we both got new cars but actually our payments are going to be about the same as they were before if not cheaper, our insurance will go down and we will save SO MUCH money on gas. So much has been going on with us, but its mainly all good. New cars, we will be moving into our new house next month, Jesse's job is going great, I finally started going back to work more and plan to work my original schedule, I have started selling really cute hats that I order from this company in LA. I am still in the process of starting by custom baby accessory business. I can't wait to start doing that. For once, it seems like everything is going good for us, for once (knock on wood) Everything except my health. Ugh. That surgery I had 3 weeks ago did NOTHING. I am still in so much pain. I finally went to see a pain management doctor, who put me on some different medications to try and she is going to do a nerve block (kinda like an epidural but they don't go in as far)She said it will hopefully help with my back pain and she said with a lot of people it also helps with endometriosis pain and intersticial cystitis pain. This is basically my last option and I am PRAYING that it works. I have this procedure done this coming Thursday and I guess the put you under with the twilight sleep which isn't as strong as general anesthesia. So thats about it for us. Braxton is doing AWESOME! He's getting bigger and cuter by the day. I will write my blog post about him next!!!

5 MONTHS OLD

Braxton will be 5 months old tomorrow. 5 MONTHS can you believe it? Last time he was was measured was almost 2 weeks ago.
His stats:
16.3 lbs (50%tile for a 5 mo old)
25 in (25%tile )
45 cm head (above 95%tile)
He is off the charts for his corrected age of 2 1/2 months with all those stats
He is a completely different baby these days. He totally has a personality and he is in to EVERYTHING! He smiles ALL the time. He laughs constantly. He loves toys and kicking and chewing anything he can get his hands on. He likes looking at himself in the mirror and he already LOVES tv. (Gee, I wonder who he gets that from) It's crazy how quickly they grow up. We are working on getting him to lift that big noggin of his that's our big goal right now. (which they did the ultrasound on and everything is normal, they were a little concerned because of the size and the rate it was growing. I tried to tell them that me and Jesse have big heads) His stomach issues seem to be so much better since we started adding the rice cereal and upped his zantac. He sleeps from about 10:30pm-6:30am every night and then eats every 3-4 hrs during the day. He usually takes a long nap in the early morning and late afternoon but he does still sleep some between every feed. We are also working on getting him out of his carseat which seems to be the only place he us use to sleeping. He does like lying on his back more so when we go home (I'll explain that in a min) we will try making him sleep in his pack n play or crib. He learned to love the carseat because of his reflux.

So for the past week we have been living at my parent's house. I had surgery unexpectedly last friday, well it was unexpected, just a little sooner than I had imagined. I had my 4th laparoscopy for my endometriosis. My dr went in and lasered all my endometriosis out, cut out all my scar tissue he found and did a D&C because I had alot of internal bleeding. They are hopping this well help with all the problems and pain I have been having lately until we can get pregnant again. Looks like we will be having another kid a little sooner than we had planned but I'm hoping this helps with my pain until then. Ugh. Its been horrible. We have been staying here because I am not suppose lift Braxton for 2 weeks. I was doing ok for a couple days but now I am in pain again. So B has gotten A LOT of bonding time with Mimi and Papa especially Mimi. I don't know what I would have done with out her this week. She has basically taken care of him 24/7 and is going to have to help out a little longer than we expected. Looks like we will be staying here through the weekend for sure and maybe next week. I feel so bad for our dogs they have been neglected for like the past month. Jesse of course is doing well. Just working away and doing great at his job then comes home to take care of me and B. I don't know what I would do with out him. He is such an amazing husband! Anyways that's about it lately.

Braxton's Blessing

The Rucker Family - Jesse, Braxton & Mallory

Braxton in his blessing outfit

Marci & Asher (still in belly due Jan 14th) Kallie & Easton Me & Braxton = BFF's

So Sunday July 25th, 2010, we were finally able to bless Braxton. Jesse gave him such a special blessing. I had tears in my eyes the whole time, but they were tears of joy. We blessed him in my parents ward because we feel more at home in that ward. (The bishop of that ward was the bishop who married us) It was so nice to have all our family and friends there to support us.. especially because it was at 8 AM!!!! So thanks to all of you guys that came! We also had a little get together at my parents house with Krispy Creme donuts and Debbie's homemade cinnamon rolls... so yummy! It was nice being able to catch up with family... especially all of Jesse's extended family side since we don't get to seem them as often. I just can't get over what a special day this was. It meant so much to me and Jesse that we were finally able to bless him. It has been difficult with him in the hospital so long and then he wasn't suppose to go out in public for a long time... we have been wanting to do this forever. So thanks again to all of those family and friends who came to support us.

Newport Beach 2010

Braxton ready in his beach gear

Check out his new kicks for the beach

The Rucker Family at Newport Beach

B all bundled up at the beach.... it was REALLY cold!

What I do best.... Facebook/texting

B wearing Emma's crown. I just had to see what it would look like on him (he doesn't look too happy and neither wad Daddy)

Jesse and I after Dinner at PF Changs! Mmmmm

B on the car ride home... he did so well in the car both there and back!

So our Newport Beach trip was definitely a little different this year for a couple reasons. 1. We stayed in a different house and little further down than we normally do (Probably because we decided at the LAST minute to go to Newport this year, we were suppose to go to Utah). 2. We went in July instead of the end of June, so for once we weren't there on Jesse's Birthday. (We were there on Emma's instead) 3. This was our first vacation with a baby. We quickly learned that vacations with babies aren't really vacations at all. It's your normal life just in a different state. Don't get me wrong, it was still nice to get away to California for a week and get out of the heat, but it just wasn't the same. I think we made it to the beach a total of 2 or 3 times partly because of him and partly because of the cold weather, so I didn't get the tan I was hoping for. Boo. We did still got to hit up our fav restaurants, the outlets, my fav nail place, Irvine Spectrum, and all our fav places.

This year the OC Swap Meet was closed, but we still met with "The Baby Guy" and got some stuff for Braxton. We also talked to him about selling his products here in AZ and I think we are going ahead with it. I am trying to get everything ready and waiting on the fabric swatches. I already have a business license and company name "Posh Baby", I am just trying to work out all the details. I am really excited about this. I hope it does well... and if it doesn't, oh well. We still have our other jobs. I just thought it would be fun to do from home. Plus his stuff is SO cute! So we would be selling: infant/toddler carseat covers, highchair covers, shopping cart covers, lovies/blankets, hooded towels, 3-hr bags, travel changing pads, diaper/wipe travel cases, toddler/infant bibs ALL OF WHICH ARE CUSTOM!!! So once I get everything up and going I will let you know. So spread the word! If you have friends with babies or you have babies. They are also great baby shower/birthday presents.

Lastly, the first day we got there I was able to drive to LA with Braxton to go and meet up with two of my best friends, Dominique and Tara and their daughters, Everleigh and Aubree, that I hadn't seen since middle school over 10 years ago. It was so much fun catching with each other. Its crazy how much has changed, we're old and have kids now! Crazy! It was also fun cuz I got to meet Dom's fiance, who is an actor. His name is Cam Gigadet but you might know him as James from Twilight or The OC, etc... It's neat to be able to say I met a famous person! Here is a picture of us girls: Me, Dominique, Tara

4 Month Check-Up

Well first off, Jesse is FINALLY home! I got to pick him up from the airport on Friday! I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life! So the whole 2 weeks he was gone we kept bragging about how good of a baby B was... yeah, he came home to devil child! I think it was him just getting readjusted to our house and Jesse. He is back to normal now.

Anyways so Braxton had his 4 month Check up today. His stats are:
Weight: 15 lbs 5 oz (which is like over a lb from last week)
Length: 24 in
Head size: 43 cm (which is a cm bigger than last week)

Our pediatrician couldn't be more happy with Braxton. She says he is doing everything a "normal" 4 month old should be doing and technically his corrected age is a little over a month. He now coos, smiles, laughs, rolls over. He plays with toys, watches tv, the fan, lights and he even follows me with his eyes. He is OFF the growth charts for his "corrected age" and he is actually in the normal range for his "actual age" except I think his head size is a little higher. That was her only concern because his head is growing so rapidly and is so big (but is actually in proportion to his weight and length) I tried to tell her he comes from big heads on both sides of the family!!! But she is still going to keep an eye on it. They are thinking of switching how we thicken his formula so he gets a better consistency and doesn't get the extra calories of the rice cereal. It seriously takes me both arms to lift him in his carseat now. How sad is that! He gets his monitor downloaded at the end of the month and then it should be GONE FOREVER! yay! He will also be working with a physical therapist (because he was a preemie they have this early intervention program that comes to your house to evaluate and work with your child... its pretty neat) We met with them once and they are just having us do neck stretches with him since he tends to lay his head to one side and they don't want it to end up flat and have to wear a helmet to correct it.

Other news, we leave for Cali on Friday. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I have never traveled with a baby. I have no clue what it is going to be like. Is it even going to feel like vacation??? And 6 hrs in a car??? I pray he does well. At least he loves car rides. Maybe he will sleep the WHOLE way there. Ya, right! Anyways well I will post pics from Cali! Oh and his baby blessing is Sunday, July 25th,2010 at 8:00 AM. It is at the Page Ward which meets in the building off Guadalupe in between Higley and Recker. We will also be doing a little gathering with food at my parents house directly after! Call if you have questions 480-235-2227 or 602-284-7483

The Scorpion Queen

So I decided Saturday that I was going to take Braxton to church for the first time on Sunday to my parent's ward (since I am still staying with them) But after he slept in longer than normal (he's usually my alarm clock these days) I got him ready and partially fed... but 8:00 rolled around and he still wasn't done eating and I hadn't even gotten dressed let alone done my hair or make up. I just thought I would post a pic of him in his church outfit. He looks so cute!

So everyone is at church and I walk out of my "old" room and there is a scorpion in the hallway. I freaked. I mean I like get panic attacks, hyperventilate FREAK OUT. So let me give you a little background on me with bugs (of any kind)

1. When I lived on my own for the first time in Texas. I saw a spider... or maybe it was even a cricket. I was so scared I didn't know what to do, so I called my Dad ( who yes was living 3 states away in AZ) and asked him what I should do. His reply " I don't know, kill it with something" He goes there is nothing I can do about it. It took all I had to kill it.
2. At Junky Trunk, there was a huge cockroach in the backroom. I once again started freaking out and having a panic attack at the thought of getting close to it to kill it. So what do I do, put a trash can over it. Call Jesse and make him come all the way to the store to kill it. (keep in mind... this was only a couple months ago)
3. I was about to start some laundry and out of the corner of my eye I could see this huge black thing kinda floating right next to me, I knew it was a black widow (we get those at our house) I slammed the washer shut. Shut the laundry room door and prayed it was still in there until Jesse got home. Luckily it was, but even those scare him.
4. Any and ALL bugs inside or outside are killed my Jesse. I will NOT touch them and he is NOT allowed to kill them with anything belonging to me. Like my shoes, flip flops, notebooks etc... if he does, he gets yelled at.

So now you know the background... So there's a scorpion in the hallway about an inch long. I don't know what to do so I grab a plastic cup to cover it up with. The I just in vision in my head my parents cats batting at the cup and the scorpion going free. So then I grab my dad's sandal.. but then I keep thinking some how I will miss and it will get me. So I grab the kids stepping stool and smashed it wish it. picked up made sure it was smashed, left it there with a sticky note that said "Scorpion" I later found out it was still alive when my dad went to throw it away.

So hours later at 11:00 pm, Braxton is screaming cuz he's hungry. I get up to make him a bottle open my door and immediately feel a sharp pinch or stab to my foot. I thought I stepped on a nail or tack... so I look down, nothing there. I'm in so much pain so I look at my foot thinking it must be stuck in it, nothing there. I look directly in front of me and there is ANOTHER FREAKIN SCORPION! Same size and everything.( I bet it was out to get me for killing his friend.) I had never been in so much intense pain in my life. I couldn't even walk. I made it back to the bed grabbed my cell phone and called my parents (who were in their room across the house) I was beyond in pain I just kept grabbing on to my foot. It must have stung me either on the bottom or side of my pinky toe. I think my hysterical crying scared Braxton cuz he actually stopped crying. I took some benadryl just in case I was allergic and I happened to have some pain medicine anyways so took one of those and put a bag of frozen peas on it. My mom fed B for me so I could calm down. But my whole foot was tingling and numb, by 1:00am that sensation had gone all the way up to my mid thigh. I got scared so my parents called poison control. I guess they said that's normal. It can travel anywhere in your body through your blood stream. Even to the other side, your face, etc. anywhere. They said the initial pain should go away in a couple hours but the numbness and tingling could last a couple weeks. Sure enough I woke up this morning with it still numb and tingling. Its now only about up to my mid calf, so hopefully it keeps getting better. Its hard to walk though. It feels like I am stepping on pins and needles. So I try to stay off it, but that's hard with a baby. Luckily, my parents have been helping me. I now turn the lights on and look wherever I walk and wear flip flops constantly. I don't want to get stung again. I'm just glad we don't have scorpions at our house, but we do have black widows. I don't know which is worse. At least we have only found 1 black widow inside. My parents get scorpions all the time because of their citrus trees in the back yard. Ugh, and I guess the new house we are moving too gets some scorpions but not this bad.

Basically the moral of the story, go to church and maybe you won't get stung by a scorpion.

WE HAVE OUR OLD BABY BACK

So since seeing the GI doctor Friday. I feel like we have our old Braxton back. He doesn't really spit up anymore (except the time I forgot to put the rice cereal in his formula.... oops) He is not really fussy, its great! It seems like he has a schedule at night now. His really awake time is from 6-10pm and then he sleeps from 10:30-6am He is done that since Friday. Then he scarfs down 6 oz and most of the time goes back to sleep around 7:30 for another couple hours. Its great. Now I just need to get him on a schedule during the day. Have certain awake times and certain nap times. That's my next goal.

The Early Intervention people came to evaluate him yesterday. They are a state run program that come to your house and monitor his developmental skills. They said he was doing great. His only problem he loves his head to the left. That's how he lays, sleeps, sits in his car seat. If you try to move him to the other side he doesn't like it. I guess this isn't good cuz then their muscles get tight on the other side and there heads can become misshaped and if that happens he would have to wear one of those helmets to shape his head. So they gave us exercises to work with him. They also said we need to get him out of the habit of sleeping in his carseat. That is my goal when Jesse comes back cuz it is going to be hell. Although, his stomach has been better so he doesn't mind lying flat as much.

He saw his Apnea Mgmt doctor today. They weighed him... now keep in mind this doctor is at the same office as his GI doctor that he went to on Friday. They use the same exact scale. He know weighs 14 lbs. That means he gained 9 oz in less than a week. Holy Cow! Anyways well the GOOD NEWS s is he DIDN'T HAVE ONE SINGLE EPISODE the whole month of June! BAD NEWS because his more serious episode was at the end of May, they want to keep him on it 4 more weeks just to be safe. So looks like B will be hitting the beach wires and all. Hopefully, July will go just as good as June and then he will be machine free! Yay! Finally!!! As nice as it is going to be, its kinda scary at the same time. Since the day he was born he has NEVER once been without a monitor. So it will be a little nerve racking to know an alarm isn't going to sound if he stops breathing or his heart rate drops. But I guess if the rest of the normal world can do it, so can we.

I got his Bumbo chair today. He looks so cute in it! He's still a little to young to use it... he can't hold his head up the entire time sitting in it but he's getting close!


Jesse has now been gone for 5 WHOLE DAYS! I'm dying. Even though I am staying at my parents and they are helping me out, I still miss him SOOOOO much. I don't know how people have their husbands travel all the time. Like how did my Mom survive when my dad was traveling every other week basically. I couldn't do it. 1 more week until he is home. I can't wait. I send him pictures of Braxton every day and have him talk to him. We both just miss him so much and can't wait for him to come home but we know this is a great opportunity for him. So please let this week go by fast... then we will head to Cali in 2 weeks and get to spend some r&r as a family!!!!