Saturday, October 25, 2008

What?!?!?!?!?!?!?

First of all... as most of you know, I have spent HOURS on the phone over the past 4 months talking to LG, the manufacturer of our incompetent dishwasher trying to get them to give us a cash refund... or to replace the dishwasher with another brand, since I have little to no faith in LG and they have been unable to fix the dishwasher we have! I even shed a few tears over this due to my unintentional flow of emotions as a result of my hormonal and somewhat unstable state of mind due to pregnancy and even post-partum blues! And all of this was completely in vain, and not one person had any sympathy on me whatsoever! They kept saying, they couldn't change their policies. But because our dishwasher cannot be fixed, LG finally agreed to replace the piece of junk with (in my opinion) another piece of LG Junk... So, our current options are to go into Best Buy and pick out one with "compatible technology" that still falls within the price range that we paid for our original dishwasher. And if there is not one available within the price that we originally paid, we will have to pay the difference. great options, eh?

So, Mike waltzed into Best Buy the other day to pick out the dishwasher... and said that he did not want to exchange it with another LG, but wanted something else. He had to pay a $60 install fee, but he ended up with a Whirlpool! It was that easy!

Although I'm very happy that I don't have to see another LG Dishwasher come through my front door... I am very confused and disappointed that I spent so much time haggling and debating over this... and they were very firm about not letting us get anything but LG. And then Mike (a man) walks in and says literally 7 words and 5 minutes later, he got what I have been trying to get for months!

I'm trying not to be bitter and loose sleep over this... but really, what's up with that???

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

We're hangin' in there!

Every week Josh is supposed to write out all his spelling words and then use them in a sentence. Last week one of his words was "clog". Here is the sentence he wrote: "I can clog the toylite." (translation... toylite=toilet) He said that his teacher laughed pretty hard at that one! Classic!

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As for news... we are all doing pretty well and we're starting to adjust to life with a newborn again! Although it's difficult to predict things.... Here are the top 5 things I've learned and am more prepared for the 3rd time around... in no particular order.

1. Never trust a burp.
2. Never trust the containment quality of a diaper.
3. Never trust a boy without a diaper on... even for a second.
4. Never trust a 3 year old in the same room with a newborn... even for a second.
5. Never expect to get 4 hours of sleep... if it happens, it's a pleasant surprise!

Here are Brooks' greatest achievements for the past 2 1/2 weeks of his little life!
1. Can lift up his head... and look around
2. Focuses on objects and is more alert
3. Has smiled a few times... and shown us all his cute little dimple!
4. Has slept 5 consecutive hours a couple of times... we're hoping the "flukes" eventually turn into habit!
5. Manages to poop his pants immediately after getting a fresh diaper... this is his classic move... I know he thinks it's hilarious! Our record was 3 diapers in one changing.
6. Has mastered the binky... but he's also mastered flipping that sucker right out when he doesn't want it.
7. Has gained weight like a champ... last time we weighed him he was 10 lbs. 8 oz... but I'm sure he's pushing 11 lbs by now!
8. Has captured all our hearts... including Josh and Caleb... and we just love him to death!

As for pictures... I've been so slow at downloading my camera! oops! So hang in there... I'll post more soon!
I'm out!

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On a side note... 4 months have gone by... and we still don't have a working dishwasher! Although LG has finally agreed to replace it, I'm not breathing a sigh of relief until it's installed and can successfully wash a load of dishes! Word to the wise...

NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!!
NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!!
NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!!
NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!!
NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!!
NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!!
NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!!
NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!!
NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!! NEVER BUY LG!!!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Forgotten Posts

"First day of First Grade"
Josh was very excited for school and rode the bus on he first day! His teacher is Mrs. Burke, and he is enjoying everything! And his reading has improved dramatically (and he is actually enjoying reading), even within the first month or so! Way to go Josh!!!





"Dentist Appointments... Caleb's first visit!"
Permanent molars for Josh... plus 2 new permanent teeth!
Caleb's first dentist appointment... and once again he was chatting it up with the hygenists!

Both boys were cavity free! HOORAY!


Caleb's Comments


My mom has been here since Oct 4th, and we are loving every minute of it! While Grandma (my mom) was holding Baby Brooks, Caleb wanted to play with Grandma... Caleb said, "Grandma, you can put down Brooks, he won't run away!"

He's just full of them!!! The other day we went to get the boys hair cut... and while Josh sat quietly in the chair and hardly said a word... Caleb was giving his stylist an ear-full of the latest town gossip! Never a dull moment with Caleb around!!!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Brooks Wesley Trentadue

It is true... babies do come out eventually!!! ... I have to admit, I was starting to wonder!

Brooks Wesley Trentadue arrived on Friday, Oct. 3, 2008 at 4:04 p.m. He weighed 9 lbs. 11 oz. and was 21 inches long! Both big brothers are very excited and have been a huge help... putting in the binky, fetching diapers... and just being cooperative and playing so great together! We're also lucky enough to have Grandma (my mom) here with us! phew! And although we're still working out the kinks, Brooks could not be much easier. he's already sleeping great at night (sometimes 4 hours at a time) and is so laid back and content. LOVE IT!!!

Now for those of you who want a little more details (I promise not to get too gorey)... keep reading... if not, just check out the pix of our lil' dude!




"Awesome Big Brothers" - they painted these t-shirts themselves and were so proud of their creations! They even made a little shirt for Baby Brooks! ("Awesome Lil' Brother!")







I know, I know... check out that hair! he has the "do" of a baby chick... and despite the combing, it likes to stick straight up!






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A few more details....
For those of you not so fortunate as to hear my complaining... I had been pretty uncomfortable for the past couple months. lots of back pain, fatigue, and pressure from a moving, ever-growing baby... the usual pregnancy stuff. But the last several weeks were especially hard since I was continually having contractions/braxton hicks. By 37 weeks, I was 3 cm... so I was encouraged that things were moving along.

My last drs. appt was scheduled for Oct 3 at 9:00a.m., so I got Josh off to school, and went to my appointment. I was feeling a little "sluggish", but nothing out of the ordinary... so when my doctor said that I was definitely 5 cm, I was a little more the shocked. At this point, she couldn't let me go home like that... so they wheeled me in wheelchair over to the hospital. (a little embarrassing, I might add... but they wouldn't let me walk by myself... despite the fact that I drove myself to the hospital and walked in there by myself. that's how us Alaskan women do things, ya know!)

Anyway, the nurses were a little more then surprised when I "waltzed" into my room at 5 cm and feeling no pain. go figure! But they broke my water, and I started making a few calls... first and foremost, calling my husband to come in immediately.... calling the school to arrange for Josh to be picked up... calling my mom and sisters... and settling in to watch "Regis and Kelly". Things got moving a little bit, but they gave me a "whiff" of petocin to get things going a little faster. I was toying with the idea of doing this without an epidural, but it didn't take much back-labor before I felt completely out of control at 7cm... in fact, I remember breaking down at one point and crying to the doctor that I just couldn't do this anymore... not my best moment.... and that I was ready for that big 'ole needle! So, a few contractions later, things eased up a bit, but the contractions never completely went away before it was time to have a baby! I felt a "little" (the term "little" is used rather loosely here) more then I had expected (which turned out to be a good thing), and 3 contractions later, Brooks was born!

My mom flew in the next night... and I got to see her on Sunday morning, when they all (Mike, Mom, Josh and Caleb) came to take me and Brooks home!

Since then, we've been working out the kinks of having a newborn again... and after tweaking a few things, Brooks is sleeping great at night... and is pretty content during the day! We all love him very much and are enjoying spending time with our "big" guy!

Thanks for all your emails and words of congrats... it means so much to us!

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Holy Cow... it's been 9 years!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!

Today is our 9th Anniversary... it's hard to believe that it's been this long... and here we are, about ready to have our 3rd baby! Crazy how fast it goes! Although I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't done much reflecting on the day we got married, because I'm pretty occupied with having a baby these days. poor Mike... I didn't even buy him a gift!

But we have plans on going out to dinner tonight for the last time before having a newborn, so you can imagine how excited I am. I just hope I don't go into labor at the restaurant!

Anyway, here's a few fun things about Mike that I love!... His personality! ... his sense of humor, and sometimes his sarcasm. I appreciate his work ethic, and never worry about him taking care of our needs! He loves our boys....and is pretty darn proud of them! I love that he loves sports and that he gets pure joy out of watching Josh and Caleb perfect their "baseball skills"! He gives great gifts... and it's usually the talk of the neighborhood! He does have a sensitive, but he's not over the top mushy, which would drive me CRAZY... and on occassion he has been known to be even romantic! :) I love that he loves my family...
And honestly, I could go on... but overall, I'm very to have such a fun guy for a husband! So cheers... to 9 years... and many more to follow!!!



Outside the Anchorage, Alaska temple.



just being silly!


Here we are NOW!!!... me, I'm a little chubbier... but I'm 7 months prego in this pix!