Playing Catch Up

I went on a blogging rampage and just finished about 10 new posts. If you're a picture person be sure to scroll down. You can click on the collages to make them bigger. I don't usually do this, but lots of people have been asking what I'm doing now, so I thought I would give a little update on my blog since I'm notoriously bad at texting, and returning calls and facebook messages. I guess technology really is destroying my personal interactions.
We moved back to Utah so JP could finish up his last license and begin flight instructing. I was looking for a job, but wasn't having any luck. The day before we moved, a friend from grad school told me about a PRN position at the hospital where she works, so I applied and got the job. It's really close to where we live and is pretty ideal for our situation right now. I began working there when I was 8.5 months pregnant (I couldn't believe they hired me either) and went back to work when Brecken was only 3 weeks old. It was not fun and WAY too early, but everything sort of fell into place after that. The outpatient speech-language pathologist who had the job I wanted so badly unexpectedly quit and I got to take her job. It was a crazy whirlwind for awhile because my employers flew me to Texas (JP and Brecken got to come too) for a specialized training (LSVT) that only takes place a couple times a year. It was a pretty crazy couple of days, but I got to see my BFF Mary and her husband Jared while we were there which made the whole trip worth it! I actually really enjoyed the training. JP and I, true to form, missed our flight coming home, but in our defense it was early and we got no sleep the whole time we were there. We were on standby for about 10 hours and almost had to spend the night, but JP ran into a guy he recognized at the ticket counter in Denver (what?) and he said we were airline employees to get us on the last flight of the night. How's that for a run-on sentence? Brecken didn't make a peep the whole day (the flight to Texas was not the same story). Sooo, now I work primarily with patient's who have voice disorders secondary to Parkinson Disease. I'm a big believer in the therapy program and have already seen it change lives which takes a little bit of the sting out of leaving my munchkin everyday. JP is able to watch Brecken most days because his schedule is pretty flexible. He adores her and is better at changing diapers than I am. I'm always entertained by the outfits he puts her in, but he is so good with her it makes up for it. That's the story of my life right now. Any questions??

Saint George 2009

 

Brecken had a big week! She got blessed, stayed in the hospital for three days, turned three months old, went on her first road trip, and had her first kiss (she's starting young, I know!). We took a quick trip to Saint George with Scott, Des, Isaiah, Tiffany, and Lance. JP and I split up so one of us could ride while the other watched Brecken. It was SO fun. Tiffany volunteered to watch Brecken the next day so JP and I could take a ride together. Poor Tiff! Brecken had a major blow-out and it got all over her hands and clothes. JP and I had a great ride and loved riding together. We'll just have to return the favor when Tiffany has kiddos of her own (if she still wants them:).
Isaiah and Brecken shared a pretty cute moment. I was changing Brecken and Isaiah walked up and kissed Brecken on the lips. She giggled, cooed, and smiled at him. Then Isaiah put Brecken's binky in his mouth, sucked on it a few times and stuck it back in Brecken's mouth. They just laughed and smiled at each other the whole time. Des and I were dying! I'm not so sure this relationship is going to work out for long though because Isaiah is so small he doesn't even make the charts, and Brecken hasn't been weighed recently, but I'm pretty sure she's tipping the charts in the opposite direction. Maybe they'll balance each other out?!

Hospital

 

Brecken woke up with a little fever the day of her blessing, but we thought it would go down quickly. By the end of the day it hadn't gone down, so we called the pediatrician to see if we needed to bring her in. He said yes, and we both thought he would check her out and send us home. Little did we know that we were going to spend the next few days in the hospital. After running a bunch of tests with negative results, the doctor sent us to the hospital for more tests. The first few hours were awful. The nurses had an extremely difficult time placing the IV because Brecken is so little and chubby. They poked both her hands and feet multiple times before calling the NICU nurses to finish. The only vein left was on her little head. It was the saddest thing I've ever seen. Brecken cried so hard she threw up. Placing the catheter was almost as bad and they had to call the NICU nurses again. I hate to even think about it. We got there at 9:30 and they finished poking her at 2:30! My dad came to visit us the next day and we were all sleeping. He took pictures of us and left and we still didn't wake up! They determined that Brecken probably has a UTI, but since they're so uncommon in infant girls and her fever didn't go down with the antibiotics, we have to take her to Primary Children's to get an ultrasound and run more tests to find out if something is wrong with her anatomy. She also has to be on antibiotics for SIX months!!! JP and I are still a little confused as to why she had to stay in the hospital for three days, but better safe than sorry. Brecken was such a trooper and smiled and giggled most of the time. I was really glad that we got to be with her the whole time and it was actually kind of nice to take a break from work to be with my baby.

Halloween

 

Can you guess who got to pick her costume this year? If you guessed JP, you guessed right. I guess I get next year's costume. I tried to girlify it by adding colorful sequins to the beanie. She's destined to be a tomboy, but I guess I'm okay with that.

Hiking and biking with our babe

 

We love to take Brecken on hikes and bike rides. Isn't she cute in her little chariot? JP trail runs circles around us while Brecken and I hike. It's a pretty good system and Brecken gets a good little nap in.

She sleeps like a baby

Brecken loves to sleep with her arms out, straight up, or behind her head like she's just kickin' it. She can wiggle out of the tightest swaddle in the world if it frees her arms up.

Bumbo Time

 

Brecken loves her Bumbo, sticking out her tongue, munching on her fingers (have you ever seen a baby suck her two middle fingers?), sleeping with her arms out, and wiggling like CRAZY!!

Camera Happy Mama!

Yes, I know I'm crazy...and no, these pictures do not even put a dent in the many hundreds of pictures I've already taken of her. She will have a well documented life. I can't help it. I grew up with my whole life on camera too! We could probably make a flip book using the pictures we have of her.

Just cause I think she's so stinkin' cute!

Baby Capri

Meet the 4th little Bulkley monster, Capri Claire. Isn't she beautiful? Look at all that hair! She was born on November 3 at 8:55 am, rivaling Brecken's birth weight at 8 pounds, 15 ounces. Hollie says the little cousins are going to be sumo wrestlers for Halloween next year! I love her already.

 

 The beautiful mama. Seriously, how does she look so pretty 9 months pregnant on Labor Day?

Brecken's Blessing

 

JP blessed Brecken Skye on November 8th at my parent's house. JP gave her a beautiful blessing and little Brecken was a sweetheart the whole day, even though she was definitely not feeling well. Thanks to everyone who came!

Our little family

 

Hanging out with our little one. We love everything about this girl!

Baby Breck

More of Liz's work (ltbphotography.blogspot.com). She had a pretty cute model, don't you think?  Brecken was a little bit of a stinker, literally. We wanted to get a couple shots of her naked bum, but she pooed at least nine times during her little shoot. Good thing we had a patient photographer! Thanks again Liz! 

 

Maternity Pictures

Obviously I'm doing  little backtracking, but I had to post some maternity pictures to show you what a great photographer my SIL Liz is, and now you can see for yourself how big my belly truly was. JP told me today that he thinks I have most people beat in the big belly department. Anyway, if you're looking for an awesome photographer definitely check out her blog at ltbphotography.blogspot.com and book an appointment!

Brecken's Birth

It's been seven weeks since Brecken's big debut, so I guess a new post is way past due. My water

  broke and came in torrents at about 1:30 am on Monday, August 10. I was having pretty bad pains

    in my back, but didn't really know about back contractions so I wasn't sure if I was in labor yet. The     nurses told us we had an hour, so we went to Burger King (it was the only place open). My fluid

    would not stop coming and by the time we reached the hospital my Crocs were full of fluid (TMI?).     I dumped my shoes out just before I reached the hospital entrance, and when I walked in the nurses

    were laughing and told me they all just watched me dump my fluid out on the surveillance camera!

    I was known as 'the girl who dumped her fluid out of her shoes' for the next two days. Other than

    that, labor was pretty uneventful and our Brecken was born 10 hours later.

JP waiting for our newest addition-still not sure about this girl business

Before the epidural :(

After the epidural :)

 

 

 

She's already got her dad wrapped around her little finger and now he claims he wants ALL girls

First Family Picture

Getting ready for her first car ride home!

Last Days in Oregon

I think 99% of you know this by now, but for those who don't, we moved back to Utah in June. I had a pretty huge list of the things I wanted to do while we were living in Oregon and I am happy to say we accomplished most of them. I was a little bummed because I REALLY wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride and see Silver Falls, but knew we probably didn't have time or money before we moved. Believe it or not, we got to do BOTH in one week. JP's co-worker at the airport is a hot air balloon pilot and hooked us up with a early morning flight. We got to fly right over the Willamette. It was awesome!

A big balloon in a big balloon! 

Then, JP flew us above Silver Falls which was even better than hiking them. It was so pretty! I just had to pretend that I wasn't about to puke. JP is an incredible pilot, but I'm still getting used to flying in little planes. Don't worry, I kept my cool (barely!). It was such a fun week and the greatest way to end our short affair with Oregon.

These last few pictures are of my lifesaving friend, Malia. She is pretty much the only reason I made it through my not so fun first year as a speech therapist with a massive caseload. I swear our first meeting was fate. On the second day of living in Oregon, I walked into my first work meeting of about 500 people and didn't know a soul. Malia walked in at the exact same time, came right up to me and asked if i knew anyone and if I wanted to sit by her. The room was full of people from all different professions (only about 30 were speech therapists), and Malia just happens to be a speech therapist too.  She spent the next few days driving me around Oregon, helping me with work stuff, and planning fun activities.  We floated the Luckiamute River (her idea- and she didn't even know we are huge river floaters) the week JP and I moved to Oregon and the week we left (when I was 8 months pregnant). 

The next picture is us at a drive-in movie theater, but we pretty much talked the whole time, and the one after that is us saying goodbye at her house :( I can't wait to see her at the next speech conference in Cali if I can afford it!

(awesome that my font went from underlined to not and I don't know how to change it AND I don't know how to write a caption under each picture. It sucks to be technologically challenged).