baby BOY

Yay!  We're having another boy!  After my last miscarriage in June I felt so frustrated and overwhelmed I knew I needed a break.  We decided that we weren't going to try to get pregnant again for a few months to give me some time to focus on me.  I was physically and emotionally a wreck.  My hormones were all screwed up from the 3 pregnancies and miscarriages and the fertility medication I was taking, and my body was just as screwed up.  I swear every time I started taking another cycle of Clomid I would instantly gain 10 pounds.  I decided I would dedicate the next few months to some much needed me time.  I really focused on getting healthy again.  I was exercising regularly, and eating better, and really focusing on being grateful for the blessings I have in my life right now.  Our family was able to go on our trip to Hawaii and visit Yellowstone for the first time, and just spend time being in and focusing on the now.  In October me and Zac decided I was back in a really good place and that I could handle all of the stress and pressure of trying to get pregnant again.  I had one refill left on my Clomid, so we decided to give it one final try and if it didn't work then we would start the IVF process after the holidays were over.  Clomid is usually prescribed for people that don't ovulate on their own.  I ovulate just fine, but my fertility specialist still had me take it because one of the side effects is an increase in progesterone which is the hormone needed to sustain pregnancy.  Well, it worked!  We found out I was pregnant again the end of November.  Of course we were excited, but I honestly thought I was just going to miscarry again.  This was my 4th time being pregnant in less than 15 months.  My doctor started monitoring my hcg levels right away.  We were cautiously optimistic when my first 48 hour results came back and showed that my level had more than tripled in 3 days.  I then had an ultrasound done at 6 weeks and they were able to see the fetal pole and yolk sac, which was another great sign, but the heartbeat wasn't visible yet.  With all of my miscarriages, I miscarry so early on the doctor's have been calling them blighted ovums.  Which basically means that once the egg is fertilized, my body starts to produce pregnancy hormones and my placenta starts to grow, but the baby never even starts growing.  So in an ultrasound, the fertilized egg is still so microscopic because it hasn't grown, that a fetal pole can't be seen.  This is also why we thought IVF would be our best option.  That way the fertilized egg is grown to an embryo before it's implanted into the uterus.  Anyway, seeing a fetal pole was very encouraging, but without a heartbeat we still didn't know if the pregnancy would be viable.  Needless to say, I was basically a basket case of stress the entire month of December.  I felt like everything might work out, but I didn't want to get too excited and end up heartbroken again.  And at the same time, I felt guilty for not showing more excitement in case it did work out.  At 8 weeks all of our prayers were answered when we finally got to see our little peanuts heartbeat.  I just cried and cried as we sat and watched that little flutter on the screen.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude that I can't explain, and for the first time in over a year, I finally felt like I wasn't a failure of a woman and mom.  We got to see the heartbeat again at 9 weeks, and that's when I finally decided that it would be okay to start taking Zofran to help with my nausea.  When we made it to our 13 week appointment, I felt relief that I honestly can't put into words.  We got to hear our sweet baby's heartbeat at that appointment, and my doctor told me I was in the clear.  At 16 weeks we had another ultrasound and that's when we found out that we were having another boy.  I am so excited for Zion to have a little brother to play with.  I can't wait to watch them grow up together.  To watch them build forts, play ball, get dirty, wrestle and just be boys and best buddies.  I love being a boy mama!  Meeting our second little boy in July can't come soon enough!

new year's

New Year's was kind of a bust, but we made the most of it.  We had plans to spend it in Lake Tahoe at our friend's Brett and Juliann's family cabin, but I was just too sick.  We were majorly bummed because we had so much fun there last year and all of the same families were going.  I knew that the 9+ hour drive would be miserable for me and that once we got there I would be a party pooper and pretty much be in bed the whole time.  Zion also started to get sick a couple days before we were supposed to leave, and he ended up with some sort of nasty cold that had him up about 5 times a night for the next two weeks, so I guess it's a good thing we didn't go.  Me, Zac and Zion went to Wing Nutz and got some wings to take home and eat while we watched the New Year's Eve show.  Zion fell asleep in the car on the way home, and me and Zac weren't too far behind him.  We pretty much ate dinner, and celebrated New Year's with the East Coast and then went to bed.  Yep, we were that pathetic.

blurry cell phone pic capturing the excitement for the night

christmas 2012

Well... after Zion I swore up and down that I would NEVER be pregnant and in my first trimester over the holidays again.  I was 10 weeks pregnant with Zion on Christmas, this year I was 8 weeks pregnant with our second baby on Christmas.  I guess that's what I get for trying to pretend like I'm in control of my life plans.  I was pretty dang sick on Christmas, and I was too scared to take anything for it but we still had an amazing holiday.  Zac worked the morning of Christmas Eve because we had so many clients that wanted to come into the gym, so me and Zion went to the cabin with my dad for the Houtz family Christmas party.  My mom, Heather and Zac all joined us later that afternoon when they were done working.  We had fun relaxing and spending time with all of the family, and Zion had fun playing in the loft with his cousins.  This was the first year without my grandpa Houtz.  In years past, each of us grandkids make a special ornament that represents something about ourself or something that happened that year, and we give it to grandpa on Christmas Eve.  Without him here, we decided to have each family do one final ornament that represented grandpa.  My dad made the ornament for our family.  He cut the word "DAD" out of wood and put a really nice finish on it.  My dad and grandpa spent so many hours working in the shop and building stuff together, that this was the perfect ornament to remember him.

After the Houtz family party we went over to Gary and Leesa's for a little party.  It was fun for us to see some of the family that we never get to see.  Leesa's son Justin and his wife Cecile and their kids were able to make it up from Vegas, and so was Zac's brother Isaiah his wife Sharee and their little boy Cooper.  It was fun to just have some time to just catch up with the adults, and let Zion play with his cousins that he doesn't get to see very often.  After that we went over to my mom and dad's to open our Christmas Eve jammies from my parents and hang out for a while.  Me and Zac were so excited to get home and put Zion to bed so that we could play Santa.  We bought Zion an awesome train table and we were so excited to put it together.  I took a couple pictures of the set up before we went to bed.

Zion is in love with trains right now, so he was beyond excited when he came downstairs Christmas morning and saw it.

 He wasn't very happy when we pulled him away to try to get him to open other presents, but once he started opening them he was totally fine.  I'm kind of sad we didn't get a picture of Zion with all of his presents after he was done opening them.

After we opened all of the presents we made breakfast for my family and granny Houtz.  I love having them come over Christmas morning.  Zion was so excited to show them all of his new toys.  Later that afternoon we popped into Gary and Leesa's house to wish them a Merry Christmas and then we finished off the night back at my parent's house.  This was by far my favorite Christmas to date.  Zion was so much fun, and me and Zac just felt so blessed to have another baby on the way.  We love Zion and being parents so much that nothing could possibly mean more than knowing we get to experience that kind of love again.

family pictures december 2012

We had our family pictures taken the first week of December.  We decided to try a new photographer this time, and I am in love with how our pictures turned out.  She was so good with Zion!  I'm sure we will stick with her in the future!  If you want to check her out her name is Heather Telford Photography.

PS... there are actually 3.5 of us in these pictures.  Baby Price #2 will be here in July, but I'll write about that later.

thanksgiving 2012

We celebrated Thanksgiving with all of my Houtz extended family this year.  The weather was amazing so all of the little cousins were able to play outside while the adults finished the food prep.  Thank goodness my uncle Paul and aunt Carrie have such a fun backyard for all of the kids to play in.  We had fun visiting with family and eating way too much.  We have so many amazing things to be thankful for and it was nice to have a day to just reflect on those things!  I realized after we got home that we didn't get a single family picture.

Zion & Aunt Cyd having a lawn mower race

Jumping on the tramp with the big kids

Just a small fraction of the Houtz Family

My mom and sisters

After the feast football and naps