Monday, November 29, 2010

Shutterfly Cards

Hello everyone! Today I'm writing about a site I've found, Shutterfly, and some of their amazing products! If you haven't gone yet, Shuttefly is a great site with many options for turning your photos into gifts, prints, cards, etc. They often have free gifts and deals. In fact, you get 50 free prints just for joining and I got an 8x8 hard-bound photo book completely FREE from a recent deal they were doing.

Anyway, I thought with the holiday season coming up, I would share a little about this site. They have not only a TON of great gift ideas for parents, grandparents, etc., but also great Christmas card options. You can have photo greeting cards, photo stationery cards, or the most common flat photo cards. http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery
A great gift idea for the holidays: a photo calendar! My mother-in-law received one of these for Christmas last year (perfect timing for a new calendar!) and she LOVED it. I love how useful it is and personalized--they can see your beautiful pictures all year long! It's easy to make them cute without having to be a master scrapbooker. http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

Another great idea that will be applicable in the coming months is a photo graduation announcement. What a great idea! Make your own personalized invite with a picture built in! (no more getting the same old invite and adding a 4x6) http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/announcements/graduation-announcements

There are many other options for turning your pictures into something neat, and they are pretty affordable. Right now, I'm pretty sure they have 20-30% off almost everything and options for free shipping.

Also, if YOU have a blog and would like 50 FREE Christmas cards, you can do what I did and write a post, etc. Just go to http://bit.ly.sfly2010/. It's honestly very easy and worth it! I plan on creating fun photo cards to send out to all my friends/family, I can't wait!

Good luck with your preparations for the holidays, I hope this gave you some ideas!!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Baby Blessing, Military Ball, and Baby Smiles!

My little guy is growing up! I wanted to add a few updates and pictures.

About a week ago, Nov. 7th, we had Thomas' baby blessing. We were thrilled to have so many people able to come and support him/us! With most of both of our families and many friends, we had about 60 people! It went very well, both the blessing and the luncheon afterwards. He was so good during Sacrament meeting and looked cute in the outfit John was blessed in as a baby. Thanks to all who made an effort to come and pitched in for the yummy soup/rolls/dessert potluck! It was great! We know not all could make it, and we appreciate your love and support from all over the country. :)

Saturday night, John and I were able to attend the Military Ball on campus. (Thanks to John's little brother Dallin who missed the USU basketball game to watch little Thomas for us!) John was dressed in his "dress greens" and I (for a lack of anything else to wear that fits post-baby) wore my old choir dress. :) We got all spiffied up and enjoyed a classy date night with live bands, dancing, and people. It was fun!

Well, I mentioned in my last post that Thomas has just started to smile. This has literally benn within the last week and is still a pretty rare occurance. However, I was able to capture some pics and video while he was in a particularly smiley mood this morning. Enjoy! :)






Friday, November 5, 2010

One month later...

Hello! Well, it's a month later and we're still alive! (that's a good sign) Though there have been many sleepless nights and some days of frustration, it's been a wonderful month. Our little Thomas makes us smile every day and we STILL can't get enough kisses/snuggles!

Some things we've noticed about him: He smiles in his sleep. He also frowns and does little scowls and a soft cry. VERY cute. He also really likes to be held. I know all babies do...but he seems to even more than normal. If he falls asleep in your arms or while eating (which he usually does), he jumps at any flinch. No matter how sound asleep he was, usually he wakes up within 1-2 minutes when you put him down. Mostly now he gives me 2 or 3 hours at a time to sleep at night, though he went 5 1/2 hours once! (hallelujah!) We have also noticed that Huggies diapers are NO BUENO. At least not for him. Almost every single diaper leaks all over him, and many times the diaper itself is dry. (grrr!) We tried to work with it and tough it out, but we give up! (Several loads of baby laundry later...) We've gone several places like to my house (2 1/2 hour drive) and to the cabin (3 hour drive) and he's been very good to sleep the whole way. (We try and time it right). He also slept through all of church one week! He likes showers but not so much getting out. He makes lots of funny faces and grunts. He eats A LOT. Like A LOT. Some afternoons, I feed him all afternoon with short breaks in between. He's sure a snugglebug! A couple of days ago, he gave me his first real smile! (IE: not in his sleep) He was looking right at me and gave me a wide-open smile with those little dimples! SO cute. One of those a day and I can forgive every poopy blowout and down-my-shirt puke! Can you believe he is almost 7 weeks old??

On another note, John had an interview and got the internship he was hoping for! That means we'll be moving to Elko, NV this summer and he will be working at Newmont Gold Mine in an underground mine! It is an excellent opportunity because it will look good on his resume, give him applicable work experience, pay him great money, we like the location, and the company has promised they will hire at least 2 of their 5 interns, so it has potential afterwards. Hopefully we'll be able to find somewhere to live! :S


Yesterday was Veteran's Day and John was asked to give a speech for the school's program along with a World War II vet. His mom and brother came and we went to watch him. He did GREAT on his speech! I'm so proud of him. Later that night, we went to Texas Roadhouse with some friends to take advantage of the free military meal, it was delicious.

We thought we'd add some pictures and a video for y'all. We have posted all of our pictures on our picasa site if you want to see them all. (picasaweb.google.com)


NAKED!
Ready for church! An ADORABLE outfit...
Halloween



Daddy time!

At 4 weeks old...
Grouchy!!
Tummy time



Cuddle time with daddy

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Picture Update

For some reason, pictures wouldn't work when I uploaded my last post......but I have since added some, so enjoy! :) I also have most all of them posted in an album on facebook and will shortly have them on picasa for anyone interested. Thanks for being patient!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Thomas Heber Kimball

It's time to blog about the newest edition to the Kimball family!! On Monday, Sept. 27, 2010, we welcomed new little Thomas Heber Kimball to our family at 11:01 PM. He was 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 inches long, despite being 2 weeks early!

Ok, here's the detailed story (beware, it's long):

Monday morning I woke up with my water broken. John was already at school, and since I wasn't having contractions, I waited for him to get home and we got things ready to go. We had to stop by a few stores to find a good carseat (I know, we're procrastinators!) before heading to the hospital. By the time we got there and got checked in, etc. It was about noon. After the checkup and waiting to see if I would go into labor on my own, they decided to start me on pitocin at about 2:30. I was dilated at about 3 cm upon arriving and at about 6:30 (after hours of hard contractions), I was only at a 4. Frustrating! John was calm through all of this--almost too calm! He read a book and we attempted to watch Letters to Juliet to help distract me. It only kind of worked.

I got the epidural at about 6:30. It worked pretty well except for what they called a "hotspot" where the epidural didn't take and I felt the full contractions. Ouch! Unfortunately, this didn't go away for most of my labor, but it was much better than no medicine at all. I had an oxygen mask put on for a short while when Thomas' heart rate looked a little stressed, but that fixed the problem and soon had it taken off.

Like the nurses predicted, things really started going after I got the epidural. When they checked me about 2 hours later, I was dilated to a 9.5! A short while later, I was fully dilated and they got things ready to start pushing. I was lucky and only pushed a few times before they said to hold on while they got my doctor. When she had gotten set up and ready, it was again only a few good pushes. They brought a mirror out for the end so I could watch my son being born and it was an amazing and yet strange experience. I was surprised to see a head full of hair! Once he was born, then put him on my stomach and began wiping him off and taking care of things. John cut the cord and watched as they took him off to make sure he was ok.

I was almost in shock while he was on my stomach, trying to grasp the idea that this was MY son, the one that had been kicking at my ribs for the last several months! It was a while before this really settled in and became real, but it was an amazing, happy experience just the same. When they took him away to get him cleaned up and make sure he was ok, I felt a little anxious to get him back! I delivered the placenta and got stitched/cleaned up as they took his APGAR scores. (8 and 9 out of 10). He was all the way across the room and John was able to be close and take pictures, and the nurses kept cooing and commenting, but I could hardly see! Apparently he was grasping for anything and ended up rolling over and holding onto the side of the bassinet.

They eventually had John bring him back to me and I held him in my arms for the first time. What a sweet spirit he has and we both were elated. I stared into this new little face, his eyes open and taking in the new world. We knew at that point that he was definitely a Thomas, and so his name was set. I unwrapped him and put him against my chest for some skin-to-skin contact and it was so neat to have him so close and warm. His sweet little body with soft skin and peach fuzz all over just made my heart melt!
Soon after, I did my best at the first breastfeeding attempt. I felt like I was all thumbs! It was awkward and half-worked. The first few days of breastfeeding were ultra painful and somewhat difficult. Luckily, with the help of a lactation specialist, nipple shields, and some practice, we have since gotten pretty good at the process.

I finally had something to eat (I'd only had a bowl of cereal and 2 pieces of toast that morning) and got through with checkups, etc. and then moved down to the recovery room. I was able to move my legs and even stand up so I could go down in just a wheelchair. John promptly fell asleep on the couch, but I couldn't sleep--I was just too excited and riled up! I just sat there thinking and happy for most of the time between the millions of checkups, etc.

My mom and John's parents came to visit Tuesday morning and brought beautiful flowers and gifts. Later in the day, my sister Candace and my dad visited with more flowers. We spent the day getting used to our new son, getting some rest, letting everyone know the good news, and kissing and snuggling our little man to death! We couldn't (and still can't!) get over how sweet and cute he is!

Wednesday, John headed off to some of his classes and I had a good friend Nicole visit for a while. It was fun to talk and show off my baby. :) I was able to get up and get a shower and get ready for the day and it felt great. I tried to get some rest and was somewhat successful. That evening, John came back from class and we gathered our stuff and our son to leave. While at the hospital, Thomas had finally passed his hearing test, passed his biliruben test, and gotten a lot better at breastfeeding. I also had gotten a flu shot. We dressed him up all cute and went for our very first ride in the new car with our new son in his new carseat! We stopped to get my prescriptions and arrived at home. It was so neat having our new little guy in our old setting and I started imagining the new life we are getting on to.

The next day (Thursday), John's mom came to visit/help since John was going back to school. She stayed overnight and went with me and Thomas to his first dr's appointment. He had his biliruben checked and found it was a little too high, so we would go back to the hospital to check it Saturday morning. He also was circumcised and was VERY brave.

Carol left soon after and my parents and little brothers came up that evening. Once again, it was fun to show off little T. :) We watched Conference with my family Saturday and went to the hospital to have his biliruben levels checked again. (They poke his little foot every time and get a vial of blood). :( Luckily this time he passed. We also gave him his first bath! (Which he screamed through, of course) My mom and I went shopping after the guys got home from Priesthood and had a successful trip.

Sunday, my parents left, but my sisters Candace and Angela visited with Matt, Candace's boyfriend. We had a nice visit with them before they had to go and we enjoyed the rest of the Sunday and Conference.

On Monday evening, my sister Christine and her son Sammy came to visit! I SO appreciated her help cooking many meals for the fridge and freezer to get us really stocked up. She also made us a delicious cake, sewed some peepee teepees :) and burp rags, helped me go grocery shopping, and did a MILLION dishes! I was so grateful for her company and help. They were able to stay Monday and Tuesday night and left Wednesday evening.

On Thursday, we had John's brother Trevor and his wife and son visit. We had dinner and once again showed off our little guy. :) It was a nice visit as well.

Throughout this time, we had 2 meals brought to us by the Relief Society from complete strangers in our ward. I am amazed the service people do for those they don't even know. I look forward to getting to know both of them better, they will make great friends. John has managed to keep up with school and ROTC. We also have been for a couple short walks and had fun at the park behind our apartment.

Now it is Friday and we are looking forward to a nice weekend not going anywhere and relaxing. :)
We love our little Thomas with his funny grunts and squeaks. He is a brave little boy who doesn't cry much and has a head of ADORABLE light brown hair. (It's hard to see in pictures) I was so happy when I noticed he has his momma's dimples and nose and with hair and face like his daddy's. He's a snugglebug that scowls his little eyebrows and LOVES to be held. Despite a couple of frustrating nights with his little midnight parties, we love him to death! Welcome to the family, little guy!!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Baby Showers, New Car, and More!

On Sept. 11th, the Kimball gals all got together for lunch at Garcia's, a yummy Mexican restaurant in Layton. It was fun, all the local sisters/sisters-in-law (7 out of 10) and my mother-in-law were able to come, as well as my cousin-in-law! It was fun to have an excuse to talk and eat good food together! Their generous gift (a cash pool) will be WONDERFUL in purchasing a carseat/stroller soon!

On a funny note, we all caught a glimpse of a yellow-bellied marmot (I kid you not) that had climbed into the engine of one of our cars and refused to leave! It was hours later when a somewhat inexperienced animal control worker sedated and removed him. Mean little bugger!

This weekend, my best friend Sunni threw me a baby shower at her place. It was fun to have a couple of good friends and my mom/sisters show up and once again have an excuse to talk and have lots of fun! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera out, but I know pictures were taken and those might be up later. Among the activities were a book to write down the "virtues" each guest wanted to "bestow" on my baby (like Sleeping Beauty!), guessing the girth of my tummy with lengths of yarn, and eating goodies! There were prizes, treats, a "cake" made of diapers, blue decorations, many cute/useful baby gifts, and lots of talking and laughing. I had a great time!
On another happy note, we have made our biggest purchase yet and bought a new car! (Well....new to us!) After several weeks of research and looking into a couple of duds, we found what we think is a great fit for us as well as a good deal. It's a 2006 Saturn VUE. It is a small SUV with a 4-cyl. engine (less power, but better gas mileage), has 53,000 miles, and is in great shape! Also, we bought it from a nice couple that just wanted out of the payments, so we had a lot less hassle. So far, we really like it!

Recently, I was able to help my mother-in-law can some peaches from her tree (delicious!) and she let me keep some. It's fun to learn the trade from someone with all the equipment and a lot of experience.
This is the most recent picture of my preggo belly, I thought some of you from far away might like to see. :) As of today, I only have 3 weeks until my duedate! I'm still attending a childbirth class and getting the baby things ready... I'm anxious, excited, and nervous!
Hopefully we can keep up with all the things going on--errands, school, work, cleaning, preparations, etc.--while getting ready for the start of this new phase in our lives with the coming of our little Kimball kid!