Done!

I'm finished with my senior classes!!! I can't describe this relief but it's great. I wrote more in the past 3 months than in my entire life - ok not true but how does 63 pages sound? Yeah that's off the top of my head. Not to mention all the immense amount of work Sean had to do as well. This semester has been actually insane. Our home has been chaos for about a month and I am so happy this weight has been lifted. Sean still has another year, I have one more semester but it just consists of filler classes that will (hopefully!) be enjoyable. As I thought about my school days coming to an end I realized just how bittersweet it is. I've always loved school but this last semester really put my abilities to the test - as far as being a mother, a wife and a student. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to go to school here at BYUH. There is no other place in the world like this. The community is awesome, my teachers are incredibly helpful and personal, and the diversity is something so unique. Not to mention it's Hawaii ;) I know that as crazy-hectic as it has been for both Sean and I to be in school and raise a family I will forever be grateful for doing this. One, because retiring to full-time motherhood will be that much sweeter after the stress of school. And two, because I've been able to share this experience with my husband we can have the same intellectual level as well as memories, something I hadn't thought of before but it is important in our relationship.

So now on to the next adventure: California for Christmas! I can't believe it's been a whole year. This will be a MUCH needed vacation. So if you're in town I hope to see you, and if not we'll be in Hawaii another year so come visit us here! Mele Kalikimaka!

Four Months

Brecken was four months on Sunday!
19.11 lbs 25.5 inches long - little hurk.

momdom

I'm usually the one taking pictures so I never get to be in them. I made Sean take this the other night with his phone (hence the not-so-great quality). Nothing else to say but I love being a mom.

Halloween

This year I had two sick boys but went out anyway. Halloween in Laie is SO fun, the entire town comes out to trick or treat on the same street, very crowded but very fun!
Here is Draco Malfoy and his owl :)

Kapolei Pumpkin Patch

Bannock and his pumpkin

Making a snowman... the pumpkins are as white as he is :)

Likin it...

... not so much

We had a lot of fun at the pumpkin patch in Kapolei! We found a couple pumpkins but since it was cash only (and we never carry cash) we thought we might have to forgo all the other fun activities; hay ride, bouncy house, bouncy slide, a couple rides and some good eats. A wonderful gentleman kindly gave us the rest of his tickets as we walked away from the bouncy house with a very upset boy (no not Brecken). So Bannock was able to joyously bounce and slide his little heart out. I definitely recommend this place to anyone on the island. I miss fall in Northern California but this trip was a little pick me up. Although since we live in Hawaii we most likely won't be carving the pumpkins because they rot super quick, but at least we had the memorable experience!

Sick Day

It's been a cloudy Sunday and we all had to stay home sick from church, so.... Bannock and I built a road in the kitchen with electrician's tape! We have a very small kitchen as you can see but there was still room for a parking lot. And no, he's not naked, just in his undies (still potty training)! We also cut out some bats, black cats, ghosts and spiders for Halloween decorations. Every time I ask Bannock what he wants to be he says "A Submarine!" so I need to get working on that ;) I get sad living in Hawaii this time of year when the seasons don't change. Fall is my favorite and I wish I could decorate for it and light a pumpkin spice candle (I don't light too many candles in this apartment because it's pretty much a wind tunnel in here and I don't want anything catching fire!) but I'll just wait until we're back on the mainland for all that. It's only temporary here so to me buying and making decorations for anything is merely just one more thing we'll have to ship, sell or toss in the free bin when we leave. I'm learning to be a minimalist, twine and clothespins are my go-to decor staples. I'll post a couple projects later. Also, before I end I must add that I can't believe we've been here a whole year already! It feels like we just got here but now we have another child and we're almost done with school! After this semester I'll be about 6 credits away from my bachelor's, and Sean will be done in Dec 2012. I feel like time flies so much faster when you have children. I try to enjoy everyday here because even though it's been tough financially I know I'll look back on this time with so much fondness, I'm going to live up the rest of our time here because it will fly by and we'll be back to California before we know it!

More brothers

Bannock has been very sweet to Brecken this week... Here he is "hiding" baby brother, and one of them napping together (I took it on my iPhone but if you click on the pic you can see it better) I decided today that as much as I'd like A girl (just one!), I would be more than happy if I wound up with four or five boys :)

Brothers

I love these boys so much. I can't wait for them to wrestle, build forts, shoot each other with squirt guns, play with bugs, climb trees and have amazing adventures together. I love being a mom. There is no other job on earth that is more rewarding.

Little Pudge

This is Brecken last week (6 weeks old) and he weighed 13 lbs 10 oz - the little Buddha has almost doubled his birthweight! (which we think he will probably do by two months) I love it :)

*brecken*

BRECKEN COVE OBORN
born 8.4.2011 at 8:58 pm
7 lbs 6 oz 20 inches

Its been a busy couple of months but I suppose its time to update you all on our new addition.

Here's the story, enjoy!

My due date was August 12 and since Bannock only came two days before his due date I figured I'd go all the way with this one. But I didn't want to. So I spent the weekend before his arrival walking all over town, to the grocery store, the school, climbing the stairs with laundry all day, anything I could do get something going! And to avoid giving a talk in church (unfortunately he didn't come early enough to avoid that!) I had contractions consistently for two hours Sat night but they went away, the same thing again on Monday but nothing lasting. On Wednesday the 3 I was told at my dr's appt that I was 3 cm and about 80-90% effaced. I was excited because I technically had almost two weeks to go and I hadn't progressed early when I was pregnant with Bannock. The ObGyn told me I could come in and have my membranes stripped on Friday if I wanted but my mom was due to come into town on the following Tuesday so I thought I'd try to hold out. HA. Looking back, I distinctly remember the doctor doing something funny up in there, a little swipe, that at the time I didn't think about but I started having some harder contractions on the way home from the check-up, nothing to bad though. The next day I tried to clean around the house a bit and around 2:30 I noticed my contractions getting a little bit closer and a little more uncomfortable. I thought I'd try laying down when Sean got home from work at 3, but out bed turned into an impromptu wrestling ring between Sean and Bannock, which, at some point resulted in Bannock hitting his head (not very hard I might add) on the edge of the dresser. He didn't cry too hard so we didn't think anything of it until Sean picked Bannock up off my pillow and there was blood ALL over Bannock's head, his back, and my pillow. Needless to say, I sorta freaked out, I mean the blood was matted to his head and it made it look like Bannock had a huge gash. Sean quickly put him in the tub and poured cold water over his head (which he hated of course). I saw blood all over Sean and Bannock's clothes and immediately thought "he needs to go to the ER, he's going to need stitches" so I frantically called my friend Amy to borrow her car (ours was out of commission) and ran to get her keys from her. When I returned Bannock was somewhat subdued and Sean had cleaned up his head enough to see that he had a teeny little nick in his scalp, barely the size of a nail head. So the ER was called off and I just sat with Bannock, all the while I could tell my contractions were getting a little more painful. Sean decided to help out at ward farm (yes our ward has a farm) at five and I just stayed home. I called my mom to let her know the day's events and mentioned my contractions had been about 6-7 min apart for almost 3 hours and getting more painful. I was convinced it wasn't the real thing and it would pass because it was just too early. A few minutes later my dad called and convinced me to go get checked out at the hospital, I gave in, called the nurse and she said to come in but keep calm, take a shower, get a bite to eat etc.
By this point it was getting hard to talk through my contractions so I knew I needed to hurry. And for those who don't know, we live on the North shore which is far from civilization (and about an hour from the hospital). I text Sean to come home, text him again and finally called and told him to get home NOW because this was the real thing! We took Bannock to our friend's house and were on our way by 6:30. The drive to the hospital will forever be ingrained in my memory. It was straight out of a movie. A winding, two-lane highway with a speed limit of 35 mph was not ideal for a woman who was in active labor! My contractions were coming very hard and very close together, lasting a minute each and the turns in that road were relentless. Sean was flying down the highway, honking his horn, flashing his headlights, swerving in and out of traffic to avoid slow cars, running red lights - the whole deal. It was the one time we were actually hoping to get pulled over so we could get a police escort!
As we ran a red light near the hospital, honking our way through the intersection, it turns out a nurse who had just gotten off work saw us and followed us out of concern. When we pulled up to the door (I might have let a few choice words slip when Sean suggested finding a parking spot :) I tried to scramble out and the off-duty nurse ran and got me a wheelchair. I was quickly ushered inside ( I can't imagine the spectacle I was to people in the waiting room, if I had been more coherent I probably would have spouted off some lines from Baby Mama) and met by my nurse who just so happened to be a woman from my ward! When I got on the bed they told me I was at 7 cm, and fully effaced. It was about 7:30 pm. I declined drugs because I didn't want to risk prolonging labor (like before) and I am SO glad I did it natural because it happened so fast and I was awake and alert the whole time. I started pushing at 8:30 and Brecken arrived about twenty minutes later :)
He weighed 7.6 lbs and the first measurement they gave us was 18 inches (hecka short!) but a week later he measured 21 inches so we decided he was born somewhere in the middle ;) The first feeling I had when he was put on my chest was absolute utter relief! I was so glad he was here and I was DONE. Then I noticed his dark hair and his long fingers (just like Bannock's) and his lips which are Neely lips and I was struck by what an awesome privilege it is to bring life into this world.
I am so glad we made it to the hospital in time because as we drove I could feel the baby getting lower and I felt pressure like I needed to push. I'm also so glad I did it naturally because afterward I wasn't tired and drugged up, just happy and alert. I felt so good. I can recall every moment and every feeling. Yes, it hurt tremendously (let's say, the absolute worst case of constipation ever and no matter how bad it hurts or tears that baby just HAS to come out!) but it was over so quickly and recovery was so much faster I would suggest it to anyone. I'm thankful for this beautiful little boy and I'm thankful my labor was fast and technically easy. Bannock is still getting used to a brother, he calls him "sweetie" all the time and likes to share his toys with him to make him feel better (but of course on occasion he has also dumped a cup of water on him and scratched him but we won't focus on that). Sean completely adores Brecken and the latter has a favorite sleeping place in the arms of the former. I love all my boys and I can't wait (figuratively) to have more!

Firstborn updates

OK, I really am excited for a new little baby but this boy will always be my baby too and I just wanted to share couple (more) tidbits about him :)

This past week we've introduced Big Boy Undies, and Bannock couldn't be happier! I told him if he did well going on his potty he could get Cars undies and since he's been pretty good I gave in. And I must admit his reaction was fully worth it. He wanted to wear every pair the first day. The moment we put them on he went to the mirror, put his hands on his hips and just smiled ecstatically. We went to visit Sean for lunch and he tried to pull his pants down and show him saying "Daddy I'm a big boy!" So far not too many accidents but I will admit he loves his undies so much he got pretty mad at first when he found out that he had to take them off in order to even use the potty, he got over this when he remembered he gets a sticker and a special treat for using his potty :)

The second pic is Bannock winking, which he is very proficient at doing. We call it his pirate face to which he responds with "yaarrgh". It's pretty awesome. We think he inherited this ability from his Nahnah Charlynn who can successfully close one eye without using any face muscles and the result is somewhat creepy :)

And it was also requested that I add that the whole Oborn family (all three of us) woke up around 5 AM the morning of the space shuttle launch to watch the Atlantis take its final flight into space. It was neat to watch a shuttle launch and experience that for the first and last time.

27 Days to go...

I am now in the final month, thank goodness! I wake up every morning feeling like I ran a marathon the day before... it's about time to be done. This little guy is actually painful when he moves now, which he does more frequently than a 36 wk baby probably is supposed to. One more week and I'll be full term - then it's time to run up the stairs, clean like crazy, and pretty much do all the (safer) things I can to induce labor. I'm so ready to meet this little boy! Yet at the same time I feel so less prepared for this one (uh we have a couple onesies, a bouncer and a moses basket... seriously, that's it right now) I'm not sure if we'll ever be "ready" for him to come. And on top of that we have no clue what to name him! I feel so neglectful this time around... it's not as exciting and momentous as the first, and I feel guilty admitting that, but it is still exciting to bring a little person into the world, no matter the circumstances. I'm so thankful this guy is strong and healthy and I truly am happy to be bringing another boy into our family, I just hope he comes out with a name tag!

Bannock

Bannock's "crab" he made

I just love this little boy. He's so stinkin smart I could create a blog just for him and the things he says and does. This video was on a day when he was sick and had a fever of 102. He was so pitiful. Early that day Sean had said to me (while Bannock was in the other room) "Mama somebody wants watermelon, he was asking for it while you were asleep" and then, some four or five hours later I came upon bannock in the kitchen and this is what I found (if you can't understand him he's saying "mama, somebody wants watermelon") so sweet, and yes, he did get some watermelon :)

Other fun things:
- We made milkshakes the other night and Bannock said "Want red milkshake!... actually, no, want GREEN one!"
- Lately I have him take showers with me to keep him out of trouble and he's the biggest water hog! He used to play with toys but now he just stands under the water and if I move the stream or get under it he backs up until its hitting him again (or if I'm in the way he says "no mine!" and pushes my legs)
- he's learned to tell us what he likes = "I yike orange juice" or "I yike green" and the other day in the car listening to music "I yike Journey"
- He can count to ten
- he knows his letters and colors
- he can tell a pteranadon from a triceratops and a t rex (and can say the names too!)
- he felt "baby brother" move for the first time and now points to my belly saying "baby brother moving in there" or "shh baby brother sleeping" or else he just blows raspberries on my tummy
- when he sees something similar to someone or thing he says "that's like you!" (i.e. he saw a baby in a magazine and said "baby Brooke, like you!" - Brooke is our neighbor's baby girl)
- if I drop something he says "mama I'll get it" or "mama I'll clean it up!"
- he likes to keep his hands clean and asks for napkins after he says "mama have dirty hands!"
- he says please, thank you, welcome and "s'cuse me!"



Anyway, I'll stop but I like to have this stuff on some sort of record. I love this little guy, I know he'll be a sweet big brother and I'm so lucky to have such a sweet little boy who loves his mama so.

Preggo updates...

Yikes this is a horrible picture but it's the most recent (as in today). I'm now 34 weeks - 6 weeks or 42 days to go, I don't count by months any more ;) I figured I haven't really given any pregnancy updates other than our first ultrasound. But I'm mostly doing this as an excuse to vent! I think I'm smaller this time around, or at least I haven't gained as much weight as I did with Bannock - albeit I started off about 10-12 lbs overweight with him so I was a bit more "fit" in the beginning with this one. And this one is incredibly active! I thought for sure he'd run out of room but that doesn't stop him. He kicks and wiggles and squirms all day, there are no sleeping times for him, or times when he's more active. I can even feel his squirming and kicking while I'm walking, which I didn't with Bannock. I suppose it's a comfort to know he's strong and healthy.

It's been hard with a two year old, he keeps me active but I get exhausted so easily. I am also anemic which doesn't help with the tiredness. I have a complete lack of energy to do anything... like pick up the house, cook dinner, even blog. I feel lazy but at the same time I just don't really care to do anything about it. I should be preparing for baby, especially because I'm not taking classes right now and will be when he's born, but again, the no energy thing just takes priority.

I feel more worried about labor with this one for some reason. With the first I just decided to see how it went, how I felt, and make no finite decisions on a birth plan. It wasn't ideal. But I don't have a plan with this one except NO epidural. It was pointless last time and I don't want to be in labor as long as I was before (36 hours anyone?). I've also become extremely nervous about c-sections. Now, I don't want anyone reading this to think that I think they are bad - not at all. But I have been hearing birth stories from SO many women lately who get induced (typically too soon) and the baby (nor their body) is ready and they wind up with emergency cesareans. It just makes me nervous because I'd like to avoid that if at all possible. I hope I don't eat my words on this...

I commend you if you read this whole thing, thanks for hearing me out! There are many other gripes I could include but I'll save those for my fantastic husband's listening ear ;)

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the most wonderful man!
I know this is belated but I still want to share my gratitude for my wonderful husband and the amazing job he does as a father. While he is definitely the disciplinarian in the house, Bannock still adores him and they have so much fun together - wrestling, reading, watching TV, going for walks, playing at the beach or the playground - they're buddies. Bannock wanted to wear his (only) tie to church on father's day so he could be just like daddy - he actually said "wear tie, daddy like you!" so cute. I'm so very excited for Sean to have two little boys who will want to be just like him and I am so thankful for the example that he is for our children.

25th Birthday

I turned 25! Hard to believe I am now a quarter of a century. My special day was somewhat uneventful... but I was spoiled by Sean in the evening so that made up for it ;) After getting a manicure and pedicure Sean took me out to eat while our awesome Smart friends watched Bannock. We went to my favorite Thai place in Haleiwa called Haleiwa Eats. It's the most delicious place and we have not been disappointed by anything we order! We had the company of a bright green gecko on the window by the table but, alas, no pictures because I was on the phone with relatives and Sean just didn't care enough to snap a pic. Oh well. We spent the rest of the night wandering Haleiwa and then got some shave ice back at Angel's in Laie. On Saturday our wonderful friends Jozie and Tommy treated us to more babysitting and we caught a double feature at the spectacular Laie Palms Cinema. Anyway, it was generic birthday fun but much needed date time! Still can't help feeling old...

Family Pics 2011

Click here to view these pictures larger

May 2011 Highlights

Our friend Julie Hawke took some awesome family pictures for us, I love them so much I might just have to have her do our family pictures forever. We went to a couple different beaches at sunset and it was perfect. I also might just have to come to Hawaii whenever I want family pictures because it's such a perfect place for them. Thank you Julie!!!

The other part of May was spent in class but now Spring term is over and I finally get a break (Sean is taking a couple Religion classes and one online as well) We're hoping to finally spend more time at the beach and work on our tans.

April 2011 Highlights

In April my mom came to visit and she treated us with a stay in Waikiki - a little mini vacation which was much needed. Most of the pics I took were with my phone so, alas, I don't have them on here yet. But these we took while walking down the street - one of those crazy street entertainers stopped us with his parrots and took an endless amount of pictures with my camera. Probably one of the only times it was actually worth tipping! So now we have fond memories of birds sitting on our heads in Waikiki.
We went out to dinner alot while she was here, which was heavenly because we hadn't been to a real restaurant in months (unless Taco Bell counts). The first picture is Bannock feeding Sean a chip (which turned into chip after chip after chip and it was pretty cute - Sean is such a good sport).
We also moved into TVA in April which was definitely the highlight of the year for us (so far...). Our new apartment is two bedroom, upstairs in one of the newest buildings in TVA (and did I mention way cheaper than our last crappy places?). We get an amazing breeze all the time and it has been an unbelievable blessing to be here. So I can now officially invite anyone who wants to come visit!!! I'll post pictures soon, once I make it a bit more homey.

March 2011 Highlights

Bannock turned 2! We celebrated his b-day by going to the aquarium and dinner and then opening presents and skyping the grandparents. The next day we had a BBQ with a bunch of friends and ate cupcakes... which Bannock enjoyed doing without his hands (my camera is crappy and this was the best picture that came out!) Anyway, it was fun and laid back and I can't believe my little guy is two.
-He is a genius - the most intelligent little person I've ever met. At the time of this photo he had over 200 words (we counted) but as of now he's a total chatterbox - the only two year old I've ever known to be able to say "Transporter truck" , "mini excavator"and a myriad of other phrases.
-He also knows all the basic colors (red, yellow, blue, purple, green, orange, pink, gray, black) as well as ALL his letters (I'm very proud of him for this) - we're working on counting to ten now and he's on his way.
-He loves Cars and Nemo and knows the names of all his favorite characters on all his favorite shows (he can recognize all the engines from Thomas - yes Bertie and Toby too - something I can't even do) I suppose he watches too much TV but some of the more educational shows I approve of because he learns so much - I think Super Why is the reason he knows all his letters.
-He asks me to sing songs when he goes to bed and the top ones are "Child God song" (I am a child of God), "Popcorn tree" (popcorn popping on the apricot tree), "Temple song" ( I love to see the temple), "Lets go fly kite", "Sunbeam song", "Sunshine song" (You are my sunshine,which leads to him asking for "Love you Bannock" song - which I made up to the same tune), "Row Row your boat"and "Twinkle star".
-He knows all his friends' names from nursery, as well as all some of their parents! He also knows our names and his grandparents and uncles and aunts names.
I'm always amazed at how much information this boy's brain retains (He sometimes asks "Go Target, get trucks, buy em!", Or shouts "Let's go right now!" when we're about to go somewhere) I wish I could list it all but I'm sure you'd rather not listen to a mother praise her child so much ;)

FURTHER MARCH NEWS:
We finished the (craziest) semester. It was stressful and anxiety ridden and broke and busy but we finished (and got good grades might I add!).

we also found out our next little peanut is a BOY !!! So we'll have two little troublemakers around the house come August, we're very excited. We would've been happy either way but were leaning more towards a boy so Bannock would have a playmate:)

babies...

Little Peanut

So this awkward Ultra sound is of our little squirt on her/his hands and knees like a little animal. But it's really in there! I went in to my first prenatal visit last friday thinking I was about 10 weeks (2 1/2 months) pregnant and the doctor goes "no, your about 4 months along" I was shocked (first, because this means I conceived sometime in November and I took 4 preggo tests -including a blood test at school - the beginning of Dec and they were all negative), I am about a month and a week further than I thought I was. So according to the Doctor I'm due around August 12 (according to the ultrasound pic I'm due the 10th). Our baby had an irregular heartbeat though so we're going to do a more advanced ultrasound next week to see if there are any problems. I'm a little concerned but I also know that it's a new heart and the kinks are getting all worked out still (also, I read caffeine can affect it as well and I had drank a coke before the appointment so....) we'll see. We might even be able to find out the sex, which is pretty darn exciting!

In other news - we got into TVA (married couple housing) for Spring term so we are incredibly excited that our rent will be dropping $400 a month (phew!). Bannock is about to turn the big 2 - and he's preparing us for it everyday. Last Sunday he made the worst mess he's ever made - we woke up to find an entire carton of raspberries smeared into our carpet, couches, kitchen table and not to mention Bannocks hands and feet! We were pretty pissed - but how do you discipline a two year old who doesn't think he's done anything wrong (or won't react to consequences like time-outs, etc.)??? Anyway - life is getting exciting and with that comes lots and lots of stress. Sean and I are due for a much needed vacation, or at least a date night!

A new addition...

I'm Preggo!
It's official now. We found out while we were in California ( I was sick pretty much the entire two weeks) but we've been waiting to share the news until I was farther along. I'm now almost 8 weeks and my due date is around September 10th. I've been wanting (and trying) to get pregnant for a couple months and now it's perfect timing. Bannock and the baby will be exactly 2 1/2 years apart, which is what we wanted. I've been feeling pretty crummy most days, not too much vomiting but just nausea a lot of the time. Smells make me gag and I have extreme cravings. This is totally opposite my pregnancy with Bannock, where I had no symptoms whatsoever. I'm just happy to be joining the masses of all my other pregnant friends! I'm so excited to be a mommy again :)

Sean's Birthday and the Zoo

So Sean turned 26 on friday! He's now closer to 30 than he is to 20 - weird. We celebrated with a delicious breakfast of french toast, some time at the beach and then a little date courtesy of our friends Natalie and Mark who offered to watch Bannock. We went shopping for his birthday then out to dinner (the Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki is crazy on a friday night! So we had to settle for Old Spaghetti Factory, which was good. I forgot my camera that night but we did have fun!
We continued his birthday into saturday with a trip to the Zoo (and some more shopping). Bannock had a ball at the Zoo - he was able to practice his animal names which so far consist of "Peacock", "Giraffe", "Monkey", "Zeeba", "Hippo", "Gecko", "Fish", "Phent (elephant)" and we're working on some more. There was a bold peacock walking around the playground with about 30 kids and it couldn't have cared less. Bannock also learned how to say "cheese!" for the camera and was eating it up, the two pictures up there are the best I could capture with my crappy camera, but, suffice it to say, his faces and hand gestures were hilarious. It was so fun to watch Bannock absorb everything - yesterday he was telling me all about it, the "two phents" he saw along with the "beeg Hippo!" and "hippo beeg mouf!" I love seeing him grow and learn every day. Its so rewarding. I love being a mom!