Burgoon Bunch

Deja Vu

2009-04-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well we discovered in the last four days that Hayven shares in his brothers allergy to milk & soy. My perfect little baby began his violent, painful screaming just days ago. Fortunately his stomach pains have not been as bad as Rylans were. But anytime your baby is in pain is too frequent! Then I started noticing the blood in his stool as well. We are going to the pediatrician on Monday. My heart is truly broken because I cut the dairy out weeks prior to his birth. With Rylan it was discovered at six months so I guess by that time he had built up a tolerance to foods I was eating containing dairy. Things you wouldn't think to check, like a Nutrigrain bar. But this time I am having to micro-manage my diet. So I have to go and get special bread & read ALL the ingredients to make sure there is nothing with soybean oil, any kind of milk, or whey. I am totally bummed as I am already loosing weight rapidly. I was underweight after cutting dairy from my diet with Rylan, which for me is really bad because I am so small to begin with. But I found some really good sites & even a women who has a blog that contains recipes & food ideas for nursing moms whose children have these allergies. I figure if I have to I will make myself a schedule & just eat the same things all time. But most importantly I am concerned about Hayven. The last two days I have made sure nothing contained anything that would upset his tummy. But he is still having mucus, bloody, painful stools & gas. I am really hoping that it is not something more than dairy, such as eggs or nuts. He is still such a wonderful, sweet little baby. I feel so bad for him & it is really hard not to blame myself when I know it is my milk that is hurting him. Many people might wonder why not just put him on formula? Well, the only one that he can have would be Nutramagen & it is not only nasty as all get out, but out of our budget right now. Though if push comes to shove, & after seeing the doctor on Monday, we might be faced with making that decision. I love nursing & it would be very hard for me to give that up. I am convinced of all the benefits of nursing & really hope formula doesn't turn out to be the best alternative. (though I have nothing against those who choose to formula feed their babies, this is just a personal decision that I feel is best for my babies.) So please keep Hayven in your prayers for us.

Hayven Zane Burgoon

2009-04-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

This post is really overdue, so I do apologize! I have found that the only time in my life where I am a private person is when I have had my children. I like to take a little private time to welcome our new baby & get settled a bit as a family. So, without any further adieu, here's the scoop...

It all started last Monday, March 23rd, at 10:30pm. I had my doctors appointment that day & was at 3cm & about 60%. We set up my induction for the 30th (my due date was the 31st) but as many of you know, I was really reluctant this time to be induced. (I have no idea why, I just felt this baby wanted to come on his own.) And that is exactly what he did! So that night I went to bed & started having contractions. They progressively went from 20min to 5min apart throughout the night. I know this sounds crazy but I really didn't know if I was in labor or not so I never woke up Ben or called anyone. The contractions were getting more intense but I guess I had expected natural labor to be much more painful. I think it is because when I was induced with Rylan there were no breaks between contractions and with this baby I had breaks. So, I kept thinking I should maybe finish my bag packing, but then would decide I wasn't really in labor & I should sleep or I would be exhausted in the morning for no reason. I went to bed & of course I dozed here & there monitoring the contractions. Finally at about 4:30am I got up & thought, OK maybe this is it! So I went & got something to eat & told Ben I thought we might be going to the hospital in a few hours. But then the contractions still weren't that painful & so I went back to sleep. I remember between 4:30 & 6:30am having 3 really strong ones but the rest of the time I was conked out. So when I woke up at 7am and my contractions were 5 min apart I wasn't sure what to do. I still didn't think I was actually in labor. So I called my mom & told her they had been 5 min apart but they weren't that bad & I wasn't sure. She told me I was in labor & to call the doctor. Once again I thought I better eat! :) So I made myself some eggs & toast before waking up Ben & calling the doctor. OK, so by now I am starting to think I am in labor & that it is approaching the "too late" mark. Ben woke up at 7:30 & between then and 8:30 it was a race around the house, getting last minute things, getting the neighbor to come over to watch Rylan until my mom got there, getting a shower, etc...etc. We finally left about 8:30am (of course thinking about my stomach again, I grabbed a zip lock of honeydew I had cut up for the ride! We got 5 min down the road when a police officer pulled us over! At this point my contractions were 4min apart. I told him, "I hope you are here to give us an escort." ( imagine the traffic at 8:30am on a Tues) He was such a jerk, and long story short, I had to convince him I was not waiting for an ambulance & we had to go pronto! We arrived at the hospital at 9am. I felt like such a fool when they asked why I was there. By looking at me you would have no idea I was in labor. Like I said, it just wasn't the kind of pain or image I have ever thought of when a women is in labor. So, all the nurses were looking at me like, "Can we help you." I was like, Um...I think I am in labor." So they brought me into the same room where I had Rylan to check me, and I was at 5cm, so the nurse was like,"Ya, your not going anywhere." BTW-my water hadn't broken by this point, which maybe is why the pain was so tolerable, I don't know. Anyways, I labored for about an hour & a half and got my epidural when I was between 7-8cm dilated. I always wonder why I waited so long once I get it, but I would probably still wait again to tell you the truth. I have to be in severe pain to let them get near me with that thing. LOL So, that was at 10:30am. The nurse kept trying to break my water, but it was a no go. So I had to wait for my doctors lunch break to get things going anymore. Sometime between 10:30 and when the doctor came in my epidural started to go bye-bye! I didn't know what to do, and so I opted not to have a refresher. The doctor got there at 12:20 and broke my water, he said it would probably be about an hour & then I would be at 10cm and ready to go. About 10 min after he left the room, I told Ben he better call him back in. By this point, epidural was non-existent. The doctor rushed back in and I told him I wanted to go ahead and get that epidural again, he check me and said, "Ah, no...the only thing you are getting now is a baby!" I will spare you the details of the next 20min(how long the pushing went on) but let's just say, words can't describe that pain! At 12:54 we had a beautiful baby boy! He came out pale with the cord around his neck & not really breathing, but a few pumps of oxygen & he was good to go. They did take him for monitoring in the nursery for a half an hour but everything was fine. He weighed in at 7lbs exactly and 20inches long.

We are all doing very well so far. Hayven went straight to the breast while we were still in the delivery room. He latched right on from the get go & nursing him has been a breeze! My milk came in the day I came home from the hospital & we have already passed the engorgement phase & are doing great! I can't believe how much I love nursing! Rylan thinks it's the coolest thing & has tried to nurse Hayven with his own nipple several times now. Today he tried to pull up my shirt so he could "eat." I thought that was hilarious. He is a trip! He loves his little brother SO much. He helps us with everything & the hardest part has been keeping him from kissing him & holding him constantly. Hayven has been the best little baby too! I actually asked my mom if I should call the doctor because I thought something was wrong with him since he only eats, sleeps, & poops! He is so alert to our voices & has whipped his head around several times to see Ben or Rylan behind him. He also has the cutest expressions & smiles. We just adore him!

I have never felt so much love & happiness in all my life! It brings tears to my eyes when I think about being a mom to my two boys! I am so excited about it! I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband too. He is the most amazing person to have by my side during labor! He is so thoughtful & caring and gives me so much peace. He has been working so hard and only got to spend a few days home with us. He is such an amazing father. I love watching him with our children, you can just feel the love he has for them and the love they have for him too. Watching him with our children is one of my favorite things in this world!

My mother was here for the last week & just went home today. She actually stayed with me in the hospital too so Ben could be home with Rylan. That was a HUGE deal since she had the worst place in the world to sleep! Thanks mom! We all love you! She was a BIG help & we are so grateful she was able to come. Ben's mom is coming in tomorrow & we are looking forward to having the extra hand since Ben is working.

Thanks everyone for the calls. I think everything this go-a-round has been so much easier for us just knowing the support we have had from family & friends. We love you all
and can't wait to introduce our new family member to the rest of the world! :)

And So It Grows...

2009-03-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

I know you were thinking I was talking about myself! How dare you, as if I would be getting any bigger in my last 2 weeks of pregnancy! I have actually read in all 3 of my pregnancy books that it is very common to plateau at this point and not gain any more weight. So how is it then that I managed to gain 5 lbs. in the last week?? Well, I'll say! Textbook pregnancies are for girls! :) No, but what I am referring to is our garden! We planted our crop, if you will, on the 7th of March and 10 days later this is what we have...

We are so excited about the rapid growth of all the fruit and veggies we planted and can't wait to sink our teeth into them. As you can see it has been a lot of hard work for me...

While I have OBVIOUSLY been hard at work in our garden, Ben & Rylan had a daddy/son beach day to give mommy a little break. Here's Rylan all geared up to go...

So in my spare time I have been working on a blanket for Rylan. Odd, I know, that I wouldn't be working on a baby blanket for Hayven. But the thing is that Rylan has watched me make several baby blankets and he always thinks it is for him. Since I haven't ever made him one, I couldn't dare make one for another baby before making one for him. Plus little Hayven has and will be getting enough attention and I wanted something special for Rylan. So, justification made, here are some pics of it almost done( I still need to add the back & batting)...

In case you are wondering why I suddenly have become quit the blogger, Rylan has decided to give up his naps this week! I am not sure yet if I am liking the change. Usually he sleeps for 2-3 hours mid to late afternoon and then goes to bed around 8:30-9pm with me. It has really been great like that b/c I am an early bird and I like having the daylight for "my time." Without naps, I have been exhausted during the day. I have learned though to tell him if he isn't going to nap then I have to work and so I get some "mommy time." But the problem is that rather than sitting down and getting my usual break (b/c he wouldn't allow that) I end up doing housework and overdoing it. Another downfall is that I have to make sure dinner time is actually on time now too. Yesterday I was a little late getting him fed so he ended up crashing in his highchair at 6:00! Today I made sure and had him dinner by 4:45, bathed by 5:30, and in bed by 6pm. On the plus side I do like being able to have time in the evenings before I go to bed, though I have found myself staying up later. So, I think there are some adjustments to be made, but I guess it is what it is. It will certainly be easier when the baby comes to not have to worry about going in and laying down with Rylan for his nap. So, we'll see. Watch, as soon as I post this he will make a liar out of me and go back to napping! (Mark my words!)

And last but not least, little Hayven will be here soon! We are all very excited! Especially Rylan! I can't believe how much he already loves his little brother! He loves going and hearing the heartbeat at the doctors with us and always cracks up laughing! He gets SO excited to hear it and then tells everyone in the office how he got to hear Hayven's heartbeat! He was telling me all day how he is going to have a little brother. And walks around saying, "Hayven is coming home soon!" And of course he is pulling the usual first sibling things like telling me Hayven is in his belly. :) I have been pleasantly surprised as well to the fact that he has not been jealous about any of Hayven's toys or things. But I have tried to make sure he knew they are his and he is sharing them with Hayven, all that sort of stuff. Plus Ben's aunt Kathy had told me to be sure and pull the baby's things out early so that Rylan had a chance to adapt and I think that has really helped a lot. Oh, before I forget to mention it, we have decided to change Hayven's middle name. Ben never liked the name Nolan and so I finally gave in to changing it. ( Ben picked Rylan's middle name, though I wasn't crazy about it) So my sister actually came up with "Zane." I think it does sound better and a little more masculine too, as Hayven could kind of go either way, boy or girl. So, "Hayven Zane Burgoon" will be, in Rylan's words, "Coming home soon!"

Blog...Blog...Blog...

2009-03-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

There have been so many things over the last few months I have been wanting to post about and then I never got around to it. So...I am going to try and squeeze in a few of our most recent life events all in one post!

"It's OK sweetheart"
Rylan has been calling Ben by his first name since he was about 18 months old.It is very ironic because Ben doesn't refer to his parents by mom or dad either. He calls his dad "JB" (John Burgoon) and his mom "Nicki B" (Nicki Burnett). Though Rylan mostly says daddy, he likes to use his first name when calling him in the store or when he is serious about something. When asked what daddy's name is he will tell you "Ben". So one day we decided to ask him what mommy's name was. First he said "mommy" but then we asked him what mommy's first name was and he said, "Honey!" Well, I have just thought this was the cutest thing ever and so I had never bothered to tell him my first name. Though I was sure he probably did know. More recently I figured I'd better start teaching him what it was in case of an emergency and sure enough...he knew. So I thought for sure I would be getting the "Faith" call more often now but to my surprise he came up with a whole other name for me all on his own. I hurt myself on something and he ran over to me and said, "It's OK sweetheart." So now if he wants me to see something he will say, "Come here sweetheart!" I just love that boy!!!

On Another Note...
I have been wanting to post about the wonderful shower/girls night that we had! Unfortunately I didn't get a ton of great pictures and so if anyone has some I would love to put them on here, let me know. Heather Menzie planned the party for us at the Olive Garden. It turned out so wonderful and I was so touched by how many people came to celebrate the up and coming birth of our newest family member Hayven! Thank you SOOOOO much to everyone who helped too, especially my mom and Heathers sister Stephanie for their contributions. I was so grateful for all of the gifts and to everyone who brought along diapers & wipes as well! Those are certainly going to come in handy! My favorite part of the night was being surrounded by such an amazing group of women. Some I have known a very long time and some just a short amount of time, but as I looked around the room I felt such a sisterhood with each and every person there. I feel so blessed to be associated with such an amazing group of girls! Thank you to everyone & I love you all!

I also wanted to mention how excited Rylan was when I came home with all of those gifts and had some for him too! That was extremely nice to have thought of him as well! Thank you!

Going Green...

So Ben and I attended a gardening seminar a few weeks ago at the church. There were well over 50 people who attended. It was given by Paul Singleton & Evan Moore. It was such a great opportunity for us to learn about gardening and how to make a raised box garden. I have always loved working in the yard, but it has never been one of Ben's favorite things...AT ALL! So I have been super impressed with his enthusiasm to start a garden. Apparently his late grandfather Burgoon was an avid gardener so we are hoping maybe Ben inherited some of his green thumb. We planted
corn,cucumber,watermelon,cantaloupe,beans,onion,squash,broccoli,cilantro,chives,basil,rosemary,parsley, jalapenos, & tomatoes! We are very excited about this! Here is the garden in the works...

Contractions...Contractions...

At my 36 week appointment I was already 2cm, which I realize doesn't mean too much other than I tend to dilate and efface sooner in my pregnancies. I was actually 4cm when I went into the hospital to be induced with Rylan, without any contractions or pain, AFTER my due date came and went! So, other than making you think that you are progressing sooner, it doesn't mean too much to me. Well, I guess it does help when labor does actually comes though since from those whom I have known who also dilate & efface sooner we seem to all have faster deliveries. So anyways, at 37 weeks he didn't check me and I really didn't care too much either way. But last night I started having contractions at about 9:30pm and they started at 10min apart and then by 12:30pm were 5 min apart. The only thing was that they weren't very painful. Just annoying and crampy. So I called my mom and told her she may need to come down but I wasn't sure. Well, long story short...I pooped, the contractions lasted another hour at 5 min apart without getting worse, so I fell asleep, and woke up extremely sore this morning! It was SO weird! My mom came down today just to give me a little break and made fun of me all day saying, "The next time you wake me at 12:30pm because you have to poop I am going to kill you!" LOL Ha,Ha, Ha! No, seriously though, I know they were contractions, just not the kind that resulted in true labor. And actually the bowel movement made me think things were getting under way. I am thankful though that they didn't because I am just not totally prepared yet. I am anxious now though to be checked on Monday to see how much I have progressed in the last two weeks. I am so baffled by pregnancies and labor and how it varies so much between women! I don't know how one person can walk around with no pain at 4cm and another be at 1cm and have excrutiating pain. So weird! I guess I am just glad I am on the 4cm side of the fence. Well, I guess we will see how tonight goes. I got a lot done today so that if & when my labor does start I will feel prepared for it, if that's possible. :)

Family Photos Slideshow

2009-03-09T12:01:00.001-07:00

This year we took our family photos along with pregnancy pictures. The pictures were taken in my mothers backyard by our good friend Nathaly Blalock from Rockledge.
(nathalyblalock@gmail.com)She did such a FANTASTIC job! We could not be happier with the way she was able to capture our family on film. Thank you SO much Nathaly for all of your hard work! Thank you to my mom too for having such a beautiful yard and a super green thumb! :)

Our Great Savings With Sprint

2009-02-13T12:36:00.001-08:00

Ok, This was just too funny not to share...
As many of you know, the current economic circumstances have really hit home for us, literally it has HIT our home. We have survived hurricanes without a single scratch, hailstorms without a single dent, and thunderstorms without a single fallen branch and yet the crashing of our economy has scratched our finances(many months completely), dented our personal pleasure funds indefinitely, and has certainly made it feel as though the branches are falling down around us! I am only hoping they might miraculously fall into a sturdy, liveable structure that we might be able to call our new home. Don't get me wrong though, as in any crises, Ben and I are teaming up to do anything and everything we can to pull our family through this difficult time. We have been presented with the inevitable question, "How can we lower our monthly bills." I have been pleasantly surprised as to how many companies have been willing to work with us and help us to accomplish this goal. To my greatest surprise came the phone call I made to our cell phone provider, Sprint. We currently have a family plan which includes 800 shared minutes, plus other features, for a total of $70.00 a month. I asked the woman with whom I was speaking if there was a cheaper plan available for us. She proceeded to tell me that the cheapest plan they currently have is for 700 shared minutes, plus other features, for a total of $69.99 a month. So for .01 cent less we could get 100 minutes less!!! I was completely floored and repeated what she had told me just to be sure I was understanding what she said. I said, "So, for the same price you are offering me 100 minutes less?" And her response was, "No, your current plan is $70.00 a month and this would be $69.99 a month." DUH.......HUH?!?! Now I know I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, the brightest bulb on the tree, and maybe even one can short of a six pack at times, but even I was baffled by this woman's incompetency! So being the thoughtful and patient pregnant woman that I am...I hung up on her! LOL

It's 2 a.m. and I'm thinking about popcorn & chocolate!?

2009-02-03T05:49:00.000-08:00

So it was about 2 a.m. and I'm lying there in bed thinking, thanks to my pregnancy induced insomnia, about this post. Even more particularly, the actual "writing" aspect of the post. You see there are several blogs that I really enjoy to "read." Not that I don't enjoy all of my friends blogs, because I certainly do. So before I begin to shovel myself in, let me explain. In brief...it all started with Krissy Smith's Post, "It's My Party." It was discussing talents. One of her obvious talents to me is her ability to write, though she was discussing how she didn't feel as though she had "mastered" it or any one particular talent she had. This post really set me off on several thought trains, including my own love for writing and how I will probably never become a master at such a thing myself. But after reading her post I thought, you know you have talents as well, and though you may not master any of them, you can still embrace them for what they are and maybe develop them a little bit. So I came up with this analogy; writing is much like popcorn and chocolate. (and by the way, a few of the biggest downfalls to my writing is my punctuation, grammar, and lack of intelligent word usage,which actually when you think about it, makes me not a very good writer at all!) OK, so Popcorn and chocolate I say! Equally delicious, in my opinion, with different textures and well, depending on your preference, different toppings as well. I would say most people write similar to popcorn. It's yummy, salty, buttery, even cheesy at times. But oh...so...good. And then some write more like chocolate. Smooth, rich, creamy, and certainly mouth watering. Though I would love to give you a rich serving of mouthwatering chocolate, you are going to have to settle for some cheesy popcorn from me..."Yum!" Hope you brought your floss...

I am a glorified 32 week pregnant woman! My waistband has grown, amongst other areas. My hormones are raging...Grrrrrrrr. And I sound much like a bulldog in my attempts to breathe. I could continue with the aches and pains of the third trimester but what has really overcome me in the last few weeks is an overwhelming feeling of anticipation and excitement. I thought for sure in the final months of my delivery countdown I would be in a fear stricken coma. Images of myself curled up in the fetal position cooing and crying seemed more realistic than this joyful jubilee that I am experiencing. And though the birds are chirping all around me and the sun is warmly reaching down to touch my cheeks from above, I still try to remind myself that things are NOT going to be perfect. Being given the gift/curse of OCD I found this little fact out the hard way after bringing home my precious bundle of joy, that we had worked so hard for, the first time. I had such a wonderful pregnancy with Rylan and was so very fortunate to have had a pleasant delivery experience as well. With this pregnancy being very similar, I can't help but wonder, "Is the 'Bringing Home Baby' blues my rightfully given hardship? And then, "Chirp...chirp...chirp." My little bird saves me from my inner id who is telling me to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I remind myself that Rylan and I's circumstance was unusal and that things can be different this time. "MMM...the warm sun." The first year of Rylan's life consisted of (long story short):
6 months of painful screaming ( much different than a colic cry) due to a stomach virus and undiagnosed dairy allergy
Followed by:
4 months of dairy allergy discovered, mommy on Paxil, and no dairy for either of us for 2 more months
I must say the moment a mother falls in love with her child is different for everyone. Some it is at conception, some the first time they feel their baby move, and others it is the first time they hold their baby in their arms. For me it was the first time I was able to come out of "survival mode." When we both stopped crying, nobody was in pain anymore, and my baby could finally smile. I look back now and I swear it is much like reading somebody else's story because those days are such a blur to me and I'm not sure how we actually survived them. Having said that, to better explain my "fear stricken coma" envisions, I have a plan of action this go round which includes a month off of dairy PRIOR to 'Bringing Home Baby!' LOL I am also planning not to plan, and for me, this is a really big deal. I just realize now, I'm not super mom, and though I think many of my friends are, I just can't compare myself. I know that my house will fall apart and so will I when it does. I know I may not hop in my car and go anywhere for a few months out of pure anxiety. And I know that it will take a little while for me to adjust to having a baby again. But I also know that through my mothering trials I have become a much better person. I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses now more than ever and I am just trying my best to build or overcome them. I love being pregnant and I LOVE being a mother. I love the fact that I am able to be given this opportunity again and am so grateful to have a loving husband, a wonderful family, and precious friends to share it all with.
With that said...
It's time for me to go to bed
or at least lay down my weary head
though I may not actually get any sleep
I'll toss and turn as my sciatic nerve screams
I may even get up 3 or 4 times to pee
and then drink more water because I am so thirsty
turn on the light and do some Sudoku
or just lay there again making analagies out of food
Either way my pillow still calls
I hope you all enjoyed the popcorn
Goodnight to you all!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year! I was so excited to get everything out for Christmas so Rylan would have plenty of time to soak it all in and learn about the holiday and really enjoy all that Christmas has to offer. So by the end of Thanksgiving weekend we had all our lights up and tree decorated! It was a lot of fun decorating the tree with Rylan and he put the star on top! Every morning through December he woke up and would say, "Tree!" He must have thought it odd, though exhilarating, to have a live tree in our house.

He also loved helping daddy put the lights up outside! Every time I turned around he was climbing up the ladder to get on the roof. We actually finally let him go up with Ben when we were all done. He thought that was the greatest thing ever! (Not sure what our neighbors thought though, especially since we took this picture with Ben hiding behind Rylan so it looks like there is just a 2 year old sitting on the roof with his crazy mom down below taking pictures!) Hey, we thought it was fun!

Many of our Christmas' past have been spent out of town so we were really looking forward to having a Christmas at home this year. Ben's sister Cora and her Husband Christian, who live in New Jersey, and also his sister Brittney and 7 month old son Cade, who live in North Carolina, all came to stay with us for a week. We had a ton of fun together! We went to the Zoo, park, and for one of our more thrilling activities, we went box sledding at the C54 canal. Rylan thought that was awesome and we have actually even taken him back since then to do it again. But here are some pictures from our box sledding...
Rylan and Daddy
Rylan pauses his sledding for a quick pose with mom

And then he's off again with Uncle Christian...
And back up again with Aunt Eva!

Part of the box sledding crew: "Papa" John Burgoon, Aunt Eva, Aunt Cora, Uncle
Christian, & Cousin Cade

Cousin Cade decided he needed to get in on the action too
Brittney, Cade, and Uncle Ben stop for a photo

Christmas day was more than wonderful! It was so much fun to play "Santa" the night before wrapping all of the gifts and putting together the big toys. We really felt for our parents though, we were all crosseyed by the time we were done and it took Ben, Christian, and Brittney to put together the kitchen we bought for Rylan. (Thanks guys!) Rylan was so excited when he woke up. When I asked him what he hoped Santa had brought him for Christmas he said, "A Polar bear!" Ironically his Aunt Cora & Uncle Christian had gotten him just that! We were very impressed with Rylan's gift opening skills which he mastered with his teeth! My mom and Grandmother came over to join us in the morning for the gift opening and so did Ben's dad and sister Eva. Rylan was such a good sport, I thought, loving every card, book, or toy that he received. And each one received his signature, "Wow" response! LOL
Here are a few pictures of Rylan with some presents he received...

His new Quad bike

He even let Cousin cade go for a quick ride, who I think equally enjoyed it

We also got him a new little baby doll of his own, which actually came from his Mimi who sent a gift card for him (thanks Mimi), so he could start getting used to the idea of being a big brother. He immediately named the baby "Cade" but has since started calling it "Hayven", which is his little brothers name. From the get go he has loved having this little doll and likes to take it everywhere!

Including to hide in his new tent that Grammie got him

We had a wonderful dinner at our house with all the traditional Christmas day sides and Turkey. The food was excellent and we had plenty of left overs for everyone to enjoy the next day. Overall, our Christmas was a very wonderful time. It was great having family here, and I got a little taste of what I might be in for with a new baby on the way!

Here I am practicing, and looking tired too...

Thanks to all of our family who were able to spend the holiday with us and make it such a wonderful time to remember. We love you all and are sure grateful to have you all in our lives!
Thank you to Santa too!

Rylan Turns 2

2008-12-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful time celebrating Rylan's 2nd birthday today! I was hoping to get away with not having a party this year, since he is still young and wouldn't know the difference, but nothing seems to slip by our son unnoticed. Somehow months ago he began talking about birthday parties and so I knew he would absolutely love to have one. So we decided to keep it really small and just have some family over. Rylan was so excited and talked about the party all week! He couldn't wait for his "friends" (as he calls most people, including Ben & I) to come over. They had lots of fun playing outside and inside too. They played in the sandbox, chased bubbles, danced to some music, and played with toys in the bedroom. For dinner we had pizza with bread sticks and salad. It was very yummy! For dessert Ben and I made Rylan a funfetti cake! It wasn't the most spectacular but we had fun and it tasted good too! Rylan actually knew to blow out the candles without us even telling him and he did a really good job too! He got some really cool toys from his friends and family and said, "Wow" as he opened each one! He is very easy to please and was just as impressed with his cards as he was with his toys! I was very proud of him, as I worried whether or not he would show gratitude and use manners as he opened his gifts, but he made a big deal out of every present or card and was sure to say thank you. The party lasted until about 5:30 and when everyone left we allowed Rylan to play with his new toys for a few. Then he got super grouchy! Since the party started at 3:00pm, and he usually naps from about 2-4 now, we skipped nap time today. We got him into his PJ's as he was dosing on his changing table. He was so overtired though that he wouldn't go into bed and insisted on watching, "The Move It Song" (which is actually what he calls Madagascar.) So we tried laying him on the couch but he refused to lay down and only wanted to sit up. Nonetheless, I left to brush my teeth and within five minutes he was out...sitting up! LOL So he ended up going to bed at 6:30! He doesn't usually go until about 8:30 or 9:00 since he naps later and for a few hours. I know he had such a blast and am so thankful to those who came and made Rylan's birthday such a special day! Happy Birthday Rylan and We Love You!

Baby Name

2008-12-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

So we have finally decided on a baby name! I am so thrilled because we had Rylan's name picked out before he was even conceived and this time we were stumped! There were so many names that we did like but they were too common for us. (We like names that you don't hear often, but at the same time aren't weird either.) For instance, we really love the name Brayden, but then we came to realize how common it was and decided not to go with it. So like Rylan, which is similar to some common names, such as Dylan, we chose a name that is different and yet still similar to the popular names out there right now. And so without any further adieu, the name we chose is: Hayven Nolan Burgoon
If your wondering, "What in the world is that similar too?" Think like "Hayden" there is really only one letter difference. Your next question is probably, "Why is she trying to make her "different" name sound normal?" Well, I was a little worried about announcing the name because of what others might think. But we came to realize that we REALLY love it and are just gonna go for it! Of course you know the meaning behind Hayven, or more commonly spelled "Haven," and the meaning behind Nolan is "descendant of the famous one." Which I thought was kind of cool because to me I thought of Christ, though I don't believe famous would be quit the word he would prefer for his work, but together the name could mean a safe place for Christ. And that is certainly something I hope our newest family member will always have with him...a safe place for Christ to dwell within his heart. So, we will see you soon Hayven! :)

Our Wonderful Husbands

2008-11-24T04:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday night I had a baby shower here at our house for my good friend Heather. It was a "Girls Night" shower with a Mexican themed dinner and then we continued the celebration to the movie Twilight afterwards. With 31 ladies here to celebrate, we had a ton of fun! The dinner was so nice and several people brought dishes that made it especially yummy. Michele Richards made Heather a fantastic "castle" cake that said, "Menzie World welcomes baby Reddin to the Happiest Place on Earth." Heather got so many wonderful things for her growing family. It was very interesting having a movie be part of the shower as we had to all dart out to get to the theater. We had 20 of the 31 women go to see the movie! It was such a blast! I just wanted to thank everyone who helped put this together. And I especially wanted to thank all of our husbands for giving their wives the opportunity to join us and for the efforts they made for them. But most of all I wanted to thank my husband. He came home to a house of 30 women darting out the door and a huge mess! (sorry honey) I felt really bad going to the movie. I guess I just missed the clean-up detail of the whole night. Oops! :) So I expected to come home from the movie to this mess but instead walked inside to a house that was completely cleaned! He not only picked up EVERYTHING, he also did the dishes, and cleaned the floors! I was in complete awe, as my husband has actually never been known to do this in our almost 6 years of marriage, and couldn't believe my eyes! It was the greatest gift of the night for me! I was so exhausted and was feeling the affects of my sons cold coming on, so him having done this was such a huge relief. Then the next day he let me sleep in and watched Rylan most of the day while I laid around and even took a nap! I unfortunately have a bad sore throat and cough now. UGH! I am just glad it hit me after the shower and not before. Anyways, thank you to every ones "Honeys" and especially mine! :) xoxo

Fall in Florida

2008-11-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Before I start I have to tell you about the cell phone in Rylan's pocket. Whenever Ben or I get a new phone we take the battery out of our old one and let Rylan have it to play with. So on this morning he was laying on his changing table while I was getting him dressed, to go to Grammies house, while he was pretending to talk to her on his cell phone. When we were done he got down and told Ben, "Pocket Daddy." (He wanted the phone in his pocket.) Ben placed it in his pocket for him and he left that phone there all day and showed it to everybody!

OK, so don't laugh, but here in central Florida the closest thing we get to "fall leaves" are from maple trees. They really just turn brown and fall off of the tree, but hey, they make for great decorations and fun pictures too.

Mommy and RyRy...

And cousin Hailie and Rylan...

We had a lot of fun playing in the leaves and my mom got her yard cleaned up too! You just can't beat that!

My Three Boys

2008-11-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

We are so thankful that we were able to have another ultrasound! It was such an amazing experience this time, like I remember having with Rylan. The lady was so nice and she took so much time with us and allowed us to watch our little guy moving around and even sucking his thumb! It isn't everyday you get to watch your child in your womb! It truly amazes me that we have that ability. I even gasped a few times, out of pure joy seeing the baby move, and scared the ultrasound tech and Ben. It was an experience I will never forget.

We of course got an imfamous "alien" shot, no ultrasound would be complete without one! I think this was actually Ben's favorite of all of them. His favorite with Rylan was one that made him look like a pirate! Oh, to have the mind of a man.....

We were very excited to get a defenite on the baby's gender this time too. If you are unable to tell, just look at where the little arrow is pointing.

We have both just become smitten with the idea of having two boys. I can't wait to have our new son here and for Rylan to become a big brother. It is such an unbelieveable event, the creation of life, and the bringing your baby into this world, into your home, heart, and life. I am going to have to grow bigger physically in order to carry around my heart that my three boys have filled completely with love.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

It seems like we celebrated Halloween this year all month long! It was just too much fun! We started off with meeting some friends at the Pumpkin Patch for cute pictures and pumpkin picking! Thanks to the Menzie's we were able to get pictures, as my camera was broken. Here are some of Rylan and their daughter Mattie.

We also took Rylan to Boo @ the Zoo this year. I made him this awesome Boots costume, from Dora the Explorer, and he wouldn't wear it! It took me days. I had really wanted to show off all my hard work at the zoo and was a little disappointed. We ended up just putting him in some shorts and a skull t-shirt. We all had a lot of fun at the zoo and got lots of candy! Rylan caught on to the "trick or treat" thing VERY quickly. :)

Since Rylan wanted nothing to do with his "Boots" costume, I ended up making him a simple cape and belt. They were adorned with the super man symbol and the letter "R." He of course loved his "Super RyRy"costume! Such a boy! He was able to wear his cape to the trunk or treat at our church. We actually crashed the Melbourne Trunk or Treat and then went to the Palm Bay Trunk or Treat the next week! It was a lot of fun and Rylan loved going car to car holding his bucket up for candy. I think he was amazed by the whole thing. It is so exciting having little ones to share the holidays with. To watch their little faces light up and the amazement in their eyes. I loved teaching Rylan about Halloween as it approached. We covered our walls with Halloween arts and crafts. It will be exciting to pull out our "art" each year and I am sure one day we will get a good laugh from them!

Crazy 8's

2008-11-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by my friend Dawn, whose answers were probably more interesting than mine :)

8 Things I am obsessed about right now:
1. Heather Menzie's Baby Shower
2. Rylan, Ben & Baby on the Way
3. Maternity clothes
4. Twilight Release
5. Naming our baby
6. Not sleeping well
7. Keeping the house clean
8. Starting Family Home Evening

8 Words or Phrases I use:
1. I love you
2.You Got to Move It...Move it (said while dancing)
3.Uh...No!
4. I am going to count to three....
5. Say please
6. Say thank you
7. What do you say? (after a burp or other bodily function)
8. Group Hug/Kiss

8 TV shows you love to watch:
1. Gossip girl
2. 90210
3. America's Next Top Model
4. Take Home Chef
5. Bringing Home Baby
6. The Hills
7. Dora The Explorer
8. Diego

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Finished Invitations for Heathers Shower
2. Took a Shower
3. Went to Playgroup
4. Gave Rylan a nap
5. Watched some TV
6. Fell asleep w/ Rylan on the couch (after he woke up from his nap)
7. Woke up at 5:30pm in a daze from the doorbell ringing
8. Went up to the church, then McDonalds, which we also had for lunch!

8 Favorite Places to Eat:
1. Island's Fish Grill
2. Melting Pot
3. Olive Garden
4. McDonald's
5. Bluberry Muffin
6. Big Island Burrito
7. Cold Stone
8. Jason's Deli

I tag:
Heather Menzie
Jill Terry
Sarah Markos &
Janet Tobler

Candy Too!

2008-11-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

So tonight we were driving home and asked Rylan what he would like for dinner. He has gotten really good at telling us what he wants and it is often the same, in his own words, "Chickies, French Fries, Ketchup, and Pickles." Since this is the usual response, and often times he doesn't eat it, I turned to him and asked, "Is that really what you want?" And he replied, "Candy too!" Ben and I just cracked up laughing. I know it probably seems awful to many that my 23 month old knows his "french fries" and "candy" so well already, but you have to cut us a little slack as the candy thing is fresh from Halloween. I have no excuse for the fast food thing, I love it myself, so I try to limit us to once a week! :) LOL

Ultrasound Appointment

2008-10-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am sure many of you would like for me to just get to the point and say the sex of the baby, but your just gonna have to wait, or cheat and scroll down. :) When I scheduled my appointment they sent me to the Palm Bay Community Hospital, which I thought would be nice because it is really close to my house. I should have thought it a little weird though when they said I checked in at the ER, sometimes we just don't see those red flags, ya know! Anyways, the beast of a woman finally called us back, BLADDER FULL....DON'T WANT TO WAIT...HELLLLLLOOOOOOO. She took us down a long hall and barely said two words to us. The whole way Ben and I were both hoping she wouldn't be the one doing our ultrasound. When we got into the room and I realized she would be, I tried to crack some jokes and get her to warm up a bit. She was a little friendlier but was totally confused as to why we were there for our ultrasound as she normally only did ER stuff. I told her that was where they scheduled me and she thought it was because there was something wrong with the baby. I had to explain to her that it was just the normal 18-20 week ultrasound to check the baby, get measurements, and that we were hoping to find out the sex. She was so irritated, it was obvious, but she preceded with the ultrasound getting measurements, etc. The whole time she kept the monitor away so I couldn't see and she wouldn't even talk to us! She kept saying "he" though and so I started thinking if maybe she knew something. As I was totally convinced by my husband that there was no doubt this would be a girl, you can imagine my surprise when I was overcome with a warm feeling that this was a boy! I hadn't even seen the monitor yet, but I knew. Ben was actually positioned where he could see the baby on the monitor the whole time and later told me that he felt like it was a boy the minute he saw the baby. Finally I was able to see the monitor and though the pictures were blurry and the ultrasound tech could not make out the baby's gender, Ben and I both knew. She was eventually able to see between the legs and give us a 90%, no guarantee, that it was a boy. It is very strange because I had warmed up to the idea of having a little girl even though I initially wanted another boy. But I had gotten so many "girl" responses that I was excited maybe it would be a girl. Though I can remember telling people and thinking, "Ya know I just want to hear it is a girl so I can go and buy a dress and then if it turns out to be a boy I really won't care, I just want to buy a little girls outfit!" LOL But immediately I was excited to pull out all (5 tubs) of Rylan's baby clothes and sort through them and started remembering all of my favorite outfits I had for him and could use again! When we got to the car it really hit me and I was terrified (thanks to pregnancy hormones I am able to change emotions very quickly.) I started to get nervous and feeling like I would be replacing Rylan and that I loved him so much I had thought having a little girl would make it easier for me to love her too. (Maybe for people having a bunch of kids they don't think about this, but for someone who only wants 2 it is a little weird.) So I started crying thinking I had replaced Rylan and Ben was trying to ask me what was wrong but I really didn't want to say how I was feeling out loud. Finally I just said, "I don't need another boy to love." Ben turned to me and hugged me and said, "Well, maybe this little boy needed you." Bursts of laughter and joy broke through my tears, to which Ben was totally confused, thanks again pregnancy hormones! Ben began laughing too and then asked why I was laughing. I told him he was right and that I knew that was true and that had been the very feeling I had gotten when I first felt in the ultrasound, having not even seen it yet, that it was a boy. I am so very thrilled to have loved Rylan so much that we have the honor and privilege to be parents again and to feel like we are worthy of having another child of God to love and to have love us. I am so glad that things go differently than we may have had planned and to know that Heavenly Father knows us and our needs better than we do. We have actually scheduled to have another ultrasound on the 10th of November (at 20 weeks) so that maybe we can see the baby better and get better pictures. I am going back to where I had my ultrasound with Rylan. They were awesome! I had the doctors office re-order the measurements and due date too just in case the wacko didn't get that right either! She did say that everything looked good though and my doctor will get those results in a few days. Ben and I are both REALLY looking forward to another ultrasound and a much better experience, with better pictures too! :)

Always My Baby

2008-10-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

So tonight is the big night that we get to go and see our little one still in the belly and we are both very excited! But before I make a big deal about the new baby and my ultrasound, etc, etc. I wanted to make a post all about Rylan. (I actually saw one on my friend Happy's page about her daughter, and thought how cool!) So here we go:
Rylan has always been a very affectionate little boy. Even when he was a baby he would never want us to put him down, ugh...remembering those days. :) Now he is full of hugs and kisses. My favorite is when he will just run up to me or Ben for no reason and yell, "Mommy or Daddy" and throw himself around our legs and give us a big hug. It is the best thing ever! Every night before bed he asks for a group hug and a group kiss. We love it!
Though Rylan is very much close to Ben and I and always wants to stay close, like we hold hands everywhere,(even walking around the house) he is also very outgoing. He says hi to strangers we pass by and loves when new people come over so he can show them all of his toys. He also loves playing with his friends and asks for them. His BF's right now are Mattie Menzie, Lucious Dahle, Sawyer Graves, and Dahlia Graves. Oh and he loves his cousin Hailie! He always asks me if they are going with us to the park or if they can come over. He loves to play games with other kids. And is usually really good at participating in group activities.
Rylan tends to get bullied by the bigger kids and it really breaks my heart. He is such a sweet little boy and loves to watch the big kids play. I have found though that most bigger kids don't like little kids even standing by them. Rylan has been shoved, pushed, hit and here recently had his foot stomped on. It is so hard as a parent to watch your kid getting bullied all the time and I sometimes wish he were the bully instead because of it. I am hoping we will be able to teach him to defend himself better and when to recognize when another child is not friendly, so we are working on that right now. Of course, Daddy would love to just "handle" the bullies himself. LOL
Rylan impresses us everyday with his intelligence but it hasn't been until recently that I have become completely aware of just how smart he is. Really I thought he was normal until other people and parents have been making remarks to me about his language and his intelligence. I truly have NO idea where he gets it from as Ben and I are not accelerated in any area as far as education goes. As a matter of fact I am probably behind. So Rylan can count to 15 and can recognize any number up to 10. He knows his whole alphabet and can recognize every letter except for (W) and (V). He just started showing and interest in spelling out the words in his books and so I have been working on spelling simple 3 letter words with him. Right now he can spell out loud and recognize "CAT" and "DOG" as words. He knows animals that I don't even know what they are and is probably one of his favorite things to read about, talk about, or pretend to be! His favorite color,he says, is pink. LOL His imagination is starting to really take off and it is so much fun to watch him pretend!
Of course Rylan is a thrill seeker like his parents! He is a terrific climber and loves to jump. He likes to ride the skateboard with Daddy and anything that goes fast! We have a feeling broken bones will be in our future, maybe even sooner than we think. But let's hope not!
As far as food goes, he loves pickles, pizza, fresh fruit and water! He loves candy but really he just likes to walk around with it in his hand. I often find it an hour later uneaten just sitting there and I'll ask him if he's done with it and he says yes. It is kind of cute. I try not to buy anything with corn syrup or sugar in it though. He doesn't really eat any vegetables, but french fries, so I still buy him the stage 2 vegetables, like the sweet potatoes and squash stuff. It is the only ones he will eat. Well, he does like my mashed potatoes too.
Well, I think that about sums it up. I am so excited for him to have a little brother or sister. He loves baby's so much! He always wants to kiss every ones baby he sees. I am hoping he will embrace the role he is about to have as a big brother and we are going to try to do everything we can to make it a positive experience for him. We love you Rylan!

Baby Burgoon II Poll

2008-10-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

We will be going to have our ultrasound on Thursday, October 30th @ 6:00pm. So let us know what you think about the babies gender by placing your vote now!

Pregnancy Update

2008-10-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

So this is actually kind of a boring update really. I just thought I would jot down some stuff though anyways. With Rylan I kept a pregnancy journal and took pictures and measurements EVERY month! With this baby I have taken 1 picture, no measurements, and I have 2 journal entries so far. I feel terrible and can only hope my second child doesn't feel less important by it. I find comfort in thinking that maybe when they are having their second child they may understand. (Hey, whatever makes me feel better...right?!) I have had a pretty easy pregnancy though. Of course I was tired my first trimester but had a HUGE advantage as I was able to nap with my son every day, who takes 3 hour naps! That was an enormous help. I can remember being so exhausted and in pain when I was working and pregnant so I have to say the first trimester was easier this go around. After the tiredness passed I had about a week of headaches and bad indigestion but those have since passed as well. I am now at 17 weeks and have gained a little over 10lbs. I am starting to get a lot of back pain, which I got with Rylan even earlier than this, but luckily I had bought a good maternity back brace when I was pregnant with Rylan so that has helped. I also just started getting some round ligament pain. I forgot how scary that feels, but at least this go round I know what it is. I think any pain during pregnancy kind of freaks you out though even when you know what it is. That is another good thing about a second pregnancy, with Rylan if I felt a pain I would monitor it all day and think about it all the time. Now I feel it and then get so busy I forget about it and by the time I remember it is gone. I go on November 3rd for the BIG ultrasound. (2 weeks away) And I had my Quad screening test today. That test makes me a little nervous. It is amazing though that they are able to do it and detect things so you can prepare for different circumstances should they be there instead of having it be a big surprise when your baby is born. I do plan on taking some more belly pictures soon but Rylan dropped and broke my camera recently so I have to fix that first. (Good excuse, huh?) I can't wait to find out the sex of the baby and even more so to have them here with us. I am so excited for Rylan to be a big brother. We talk about him playing and reading to the baby all the time and he loves to rub my belly and kiss it. I tell him the baby wants to talk to him or play and we'll sit there and "play" with him/her. It is so much fun! Oh, and the baby's movements are getting stronger now. I can feel "it" kicking me. I can't wait for Ben and Rylan to share that with me. I can only imagine Rylan's response to the baby kicking his hand! I'm sure he will think that is pretty funny. I think my nervousness is equal to my excitement which is odd because I wasn't nervous at all about Rylan and then BAM it was llike I was hit by lightening...every day....for a year! :) Seriously, Ben and I are both a little nervous after what we went through with Rylan. Sometimes I wonder if having difficult babies is my punishment for having such wonderful pregnancies. Nah! I just pray everyday that we will have a good, healthy baby that we will be able to enjoy. We loved Rylan, but it was the most difficult thing I have ever been through. At least now Ben and I know we can overcome such a challenge. But I do hope that it doesn't have to be that way this time, at least not for so long. :)

150 Beats Per Minute

2008-09-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the OB today to hear the heartbeat for the first time! It was really awesome. He was able to find it right away. Ben was holding Rylan and told him that it was the babies heartbeat we were hearing and Rylan got the biggest smile on his face. It was so cute. The doctor said there were 150 beats per minute, and that "old wives tales" would say that meant it was a girl. I'm not really a believer in those though because Rylan's heartbeat was really fast, and well, he is definitely a boy! Plus the doctor even said he hasn't found that to be true either. But we are still hoping for a girl and if you ask Ben it IS a girl. If you ask Rylan he will tell you the opposite of whatever you say it is. For instance, on the way home, I said, "Is mommy having a little boy or a girl?" And he said, "A boy!" And so I said, "No, a girl!" But then I said, "OK, Mommy is having a boy." So he said, "No, a girl!" He has been teasing me about this for some time now. It is really cute. So everything else is going very smoothly. It is getting harder to hold Rylan now and I have gained almost 7 lbs so far. I already "look" pregnant and I am only 3 months! My clothes don't fit right and my maternity clothes are all still too big so that is a little annoying, but I had actually bought some larger sizes ( not maternity) when loosing the baby weight with Rylan so I have been able to wear those. My next appointment will be at 17 weeks ( 4wks from now) and then we will be setting up the appointment for the BIG ultrasound! I am very excited and can't wait to find out what we are having!

Nickelodeon Hotel

2008-09-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

My sister got a room at the Nickelodeon Hotel in Orlando for my niece Hailie's 10Th birthday and invited us over. We went over Friday afternoon and stayed until Saturday afternoon. We had such a great time! The hotel has two amazing pools with tons of fun for all ages. Rylan especially loved swimming in the pool and playing in the little kids area where they had a little slide. He was so funny going down on his bum, his belly, backward, forward, you name it! He is such a little daredevil! They have lots of characters roaming around the hotel and Friday night we went down to the "mall", it's basically a big food court with some stores and an arcade. Anyways, Blue (the dog) from Blues Clues came up to Rylan while his Papa was holding him and apparently freaked out and hit Blue! I was ordering food and didn't see it, but hey, I was glad if someone got too close he didn't want to he would know what to do. :) The hotel has different things and shows for the kids all day and up until midnight at night! We took Rylan on Saturday morning to a Kinder music class. It was much like our Gymboree classes we do here but with more toys and singing. He loved it and it was a lot of fun for Ben and I too. It is amazing how much bonding you do in those classes. We also took Rylan into the arcade and he had a blast. He loved the Dance Dance Revolution and the best part was that we didn't even have to play the game for him to jump and dance on it! But his favorite game was the one where you roll the ball up the lane and then it hits the bump at the end and goes into a different circle for points (sorry, bad description, but I can't think of the name). Well he loved chucking that ball and often times it went into the other lane. So ultimately Ben and I were the ones scoring points. I forgot how much fun that game can be! We were very grateful to have been invited over and had a really great time. Happy Birthday Hailie & Thank you! :)

Baby Picasso

2008-09-17T13:04:00.001-07:00

So my mom gave Rylan this really cool art set with paints, markers, crayons, etc. We have played with it every single day since we brought it home. He especially loves the paints and, I think, for his first painting he did a pretty darn good job! But I am bias! We have also been attending the art class at Gymboree and I am going to have to start an album with all his creations. It is going to be hard for me because I am NOT a collector and when I think of the years of "art" albums ahead of us I can't help but think I should just throw them away. (Don't worry, I won't, well I did throw away that glittery one the other day, but it was making a HUGE mess in my house!) I guess one day he could show them in a gallery next to his masterpieces! :)

9 Week Ultrasound Photos

2008-08-25T11:19:00.001-07:00

Today was our 9 week follow-up ultrasound appointment. I am so happy to report that everything looks great! The baby is about 1 inch long (from rump to head) and has a really good heartbeat! We took Rylan along this time and he did OK. I had told him, "We were going to see the baby today" and he was excited and kept saying, "Baby...baby," but in the middle of the ultrasound he said, "Done!" He is infamous for letting us know when he is "done" with something! So now we won't go back for 4 weeks and at that appointment we will be able to hear the babies heartbeat. I am so thankful and feel so extremely blessed to be able to have two wonderful pregnancies without complications (knock on wood). I never could have imagined having that after 3 years of heartache and pain of trying to conceive with Rylan. I just feel so fortunate and grateful that my pregnancies don't have to be as complicated as my getting pregnant! To anyone who has had trouble, my heart completely goes out to you!!! I have seen such strength and love in the lives of several of my friends who have had difficulties and I am so excited for those who have had success stories and pray diligently for those who need their success story too! I know it is difficult, trust me I remember, to hear sometimes when others are getting what you so badly want. But I also know that you will have a wonderful conception story to tell one day and beautiful children to tell it to, so hang in there and take the opportunity to share in the joy of those around you! Lots of love to everyone!! xoxo

Tropical Storm Fay Brings Flooding & Fun!

2008-08-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

Well the rain finally took a break yesterday, right as Ben took the last sand bag out of the truck! Go figure! But we were very thankful, as were most of the neighbors! It seemed the whole neighborhood came out to enjoy our "river" here in Palm Bay. Rylan had so much fun walking through the water and riding the four wheeler down the streets. People were out paddling surf boards and canoes. We had several people get stuck in the street whose cars were flooded. It was a terrible shame. We were so glad to see some relief from the showers and luckily our street lost the water over night. We hope everyone were as fortunate as us and were able to make it fun.

We Have Upgraded Our Home...We're Now Waterfront!!!

2008-08-20T07:00:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Tropical Storm Fay we are now able to list our home as "Waterfront." These pictures were taken yesterday afternoon. One of our neighbors, unaware of the flooding, was trying to get home and got stuck! Ben had to go down, as well as a few other neighbors, and push him out of the water, which was above knee level! We also saw a rare and funny moment where a cat went swimming right across the street! We couldn't believe it! It wasn't panicked or anything, it just calmly swam from one side to the other and then got out! Of course some neighborhood kids enjoyed walking through it and a few even went through on their four wheelers. I was very thankful that the rain let up a bit last night so that the water has gone down today but it seems as though it may be on the rise again. Other than that though we have been safe. My Grandmother, who lives in a manufactured home, came to stay with us last night and Rylan has enjoyed having time with her. We hope everyone else has been able to be safe and that the people this storm will soon effect will also be blessed with safety.

The Big Debut of Baby Burgoon II

2008-08-13T10:45:00.001-07:00

"It" is finally here....well there! We are so happy to announce that our baby is safely implanted and, at 7 weeks, has a great little heart beat! The doctor said that all looks well but wants to perform another ultrasound at 9 weeks, which of course makes me nervous, but I am just going to try and focus on the fact that I get to see my little one again really soon! I have been feeling great. This pregnancy has been very similar to Rylan so far, as I haven't had any sickness, just fatigue. I do suffer for indigestion probably every night and my stomach always feels like I ate something yucky. I was the same way with Rylan though. I am so grateful to Ben that I am able to be home with Rylan, especially being pregnant. What a world of a difference it makes! I am lucky to be able to nap with Rylan and somewhat take breaks. I kept a pregnancy journal with Rylan and at this point I was suffering a lot of back pain and was SO much more tired and I know it was my job! I have never been able to say that being home was easier than working until now! So I am truly grateful to him for working so hard so that I can be home. I will keep you all posted on the next ultrasound and post the pictures...of course! Thanks to everyone for their support and excitement for us! We love you all!

Hubby Tag

2008-07-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

1. What is his name? Benjamin Moroni Burgoon

2. Who eats more? Ben does, except when I am pregnant we argue over the last roll!

3. Who said "I love you" first? Ben did and I followed a day or two later

4. Who is taller? Ben

5. Who is smarter? OK people, this isn't fair to ask me because I truly have NO book smarts AT ALL! Which forces me to say that my husband is smarter than I am. I recently took a silly IQ test on face book (not a real one) and scored an 89, Paris Hilton apparently got a 117! Seriously, history, geography, ya, I'm dumb! In my defense though, I went to 21 different schools from kinder garden until 12 grade! No school was ever on the same page!

6. Who is more sensitive? Me!

7. Who does the laundry? I do, except he does his stinky work clothes! And I despise folding and putting it away so it sits on the couch forever! One time we were folding them together and he thought he was done because he finished all the ones on the couch. So when I told him there were some on the chair still he was like, "Where did those come from?" Ya, those had been there for like a week! He didn't even notice, that's how much Ben helps with laundry!

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Ben does

9. Who pays the bills? Technically I write the bills but Ben brings home the dough so I can!

10. Who cooks more? I do. I LOVE to cook and Ben has actually learned to cook a lot and doesn't mind helping. Oh and he loves to bake.

11. What meals do you cook together? Stuffed shells, desserts, a lot of stuff actually.

12. Who is more stubborn? Ben is! I give in too easy.

13. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? We both do. We never stay mad long.

14. Who has more siblings? Ben does. He has 3 sisters, 1 brother, and 1 step-sister. I have 1 brother and 1 sister. I do actually have step brothers and sisters too but they live in Utah and I don't really know them.

15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? I would say Ben. He always seems to get his way. I don't know when I became such a pushover. I think when he first smiled at me!

16. What do you like to do together? Everything. We love theme parks and the water a lot. we like to travel and snorkel and fish.

17. Who eats more sweets? Ben! Ben! Ben! I find him and Rylan sitting on the couch just eating candy or sweets all the time!

18. Guilty pleasures? He loves anything candy! Really!

19. How did you meet? At a YSA activity in Ellsworth. I think it was a fireside.

20. Who asked out who first? Well, I kind of tricked him into thinking I was going to a dance alone when really I had a few people to go with. He rode with me that night but didn't "officially" ask me out until a week later. As a matter of fact I think it is funny how many of us had to push our husbands to ask us out! I called Ben and said that I wasn't sure if the message on my machine was old or new, (I knew it was old) to have an excuse to call him since it was like 3 or 4 days after the dance and he still hadn't called! Ugh, Men!

21. Who kissed who first? Ben kissed me first. But it took him awhile. Once he did, I couldn't get him to stop! I remember standing on my moms doorstep and having the worst neck aches from kissing for so long!

22. Who proposed? I did, J/K Ben did.

23. His best features? His smile and his eyes! I love his eyes.

24. What is his greatest quality? His ability to forgive and to be understanding. Ben is also one of the most unjudemental people I know. I love that about him because that is my biggest peeve, people who judge.

I tag Happy, Michelle, and Janet!

Look at that belly...I'm only 5 weeks!!!

2008-07-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

I started my pregnancy journal for our new baby and I like to take a picture each month and record my weight and measurements. I did this with Rylan and I love going back and watching my belly grow and reading all the fun stuff. It is especially helpful now that I am pregnant again too. I knew my belly looked "bloated" but I had no idea how much until I saw the pictures! I really haven't been eating much more than usual but I have gained a few pounds already! I gained 63 lbs. with Rylan and though I am not one who cares AT ALL about my weight, especially when pregnant, I do think it was a bit hard on my little bones carrying around so much weight towards the end there. So I am hpoing to not get SO big this time, but like I said, I probably won't do anything to stop it cause I like to give in to my desire to eat more than I care about how it will make me look or feel! :) At least Rylan loves my belly! I've been explaining to him there is a baby in there and he loves to kiss the baby! He kisses my belly everyday. The other day he lifted his shirt and instead of saying, "belly" he said, "baby." So I don't think he has quite grasped it yet but we are working on it! For now though I guess he is gonna have a baby too.

The Best Birthday Present Ever!

2008-07-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

So we got home Sunday afternoon, being that it was my birthday I wasn't sure if I should take a pregnancy test or not. I mean let's face it, I have "thought" and "felt" pregnant many times and wasn't. So although it would make for a good day to find out I was pregnant it would also make for a bad day to find out if I wasn't. All weekend though I was starting to "feel" pregnant and even went as far to say that I thought I was! (Which I know better NOT to do, and anybody who has ever had trouble conceiving will understand what I am talking about.) But being that I am never one to wait for anything I decided to go ahead and take the test. Now mind you this decision really didn't take long being that Ben was still unloading the car when I did it! Right away there were two lines but since I was only on day 28 of my cycle, (if any man reads this he is going to be like, "What is she talking about?") anyways, one line was much lighter than the other, but I knew that didn't really matter, if there was a line at all, your pregnant! I had Rylan bring the test to Ben and he was a little confused by the light line but I told him it meant YES! We were both SO happy. It took us so long with Rylan and I knew with him that I needed to explore more medically to get pregnant. But this time I KNEW we would be able to get pregnant and I was so thrilled to have done it the second month we tried! I know, it's SO irritating to hear that when you have been trying a long time, so please forgive me for saying so, I just feel like I deserve to say it since I paid my dues the first go round. I guess I forgot to mention that I had been on the Clomid for 2 months and was having a lot of trouble with it. My doctor suggested that I may need surgery again but I didn't feel that was necessary this time so I decided to see the acupuncturist again. It is so weird b/c the month I got pregnant with Rylan I was on Clomid and got acupuncture for the first time. So to get pregnant again the first month with acupuncture just amazed us both. I really attribute our success though to the Lord! I am so thankful to have the gospel in my life and to be able to have the spirit to prompt me in the things I should do. It has certainly NEVER failed me! Thanks to everyone for their support again and I love you all!

Family Vacation

2008-07-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well I wasn't sure our little family vaca was going to happen after the week Rylan had but by Thursday morning he was almost back to normal. So we decided to leave that night for Tampa. Ben's Aunt Shannon and her husband Gene live in Tampa with their two sons, Joe, who is serving a mission in Poland right now, and John who is currently still in High School. They are always so much fun and we were really glad to be able to stay with them. On Friday we took Rylan to the Florida Aquarium which was a lot of fun. They had so many different species of fish and we all enjoyed it very much. That afternoon we took him to the park and it decided to pour down rain the minute we got there. As I mentioned in a previous post, if there is water...Rylan is in it! So sure enough he went to the first puddle he saw and laid right down in it. I was OK with that, it was the part when he started licking the water I had to call it quits! So he ran around, soaked of course, but had a ball! Then on Saturday we went to Busch Gardens and Ben's Aunt's family came with us. Despite the heat we had tons of fun. Ben was really glad to have someone to ride the roller coasters with and Rylan LOVED watching the people on them! We stood under Sheikra for awhile because Rylan was having so much fun saying, "Wwwwwhhhhhhooooooaaaaaa" every time the coaster went by. It was so cute! I avoided the coasters reluctantly just in case I was prego. (Which you will find out more about in my next post.) Rylan really enjoyed seeing all of the animals and Ben and I remembered how much we love Busch Gardens! By the evening we were all pretty tuckered out and enjoyed a quit night at the house. We had such a great time and are so thankful to have shared it with family. Sunday was my birthday and we just headed home, but I came home and received the best birthday present ever...... (to be continued)

My Babys Sick :(

2008-07-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

So Rylan was super fussy Sunday and by Sunday night had developed a cold. By Monday morning he was running a low grade fever and I gave him some Tylenol, which helped. We spent the day indoors playing and doing arts and crafts. I had forgotten how long a day can be when spent indoors and realized how much Rylan and I both enjoy being entertained elsewhere. But we made the best of it and had fun. Monday night Rylan started running a high fever and I began rotating the Tylenol and Motrin every four hours. I couldn't believe how hot he was! He is SUPER uncooperative when it comes to getting his temp taken so I just tried to get it as long as he'd let me and I never got an accurate reading. To say the least, our night was much longer than our day had been. Then in the morning he became extremely hot and could barely walk. He was stumbling around and his eyes were barely open. I finally forced him to let me take his temp after he started pointing at the tile and telling me there was a "hole" there and he wouldn't step on it! It had risen to 104 degrees even with having rotated the meds all night. At this point I was a wreck and Ben was at work. I quickly got in a timid bath with Rylan and that helped a lot! In the bath he opened his eyes and was talking and everything. Ben came home and we took him to the Dr. She said there is a viral thing going around causing alarming fevers and as long as it didn't get to 105 degrees it was ok! (I just can't believe that, especially after seeing Rylan at 104 degrees and hallucinating!) But anyways, Ben gave him a blessing and within a few minutes he was doing much better. I still haven't been able to kick the fever completely and as of a few minutes ago it was 102 degrees. I would normally freak at that temp but after this morning I am just thankful it isn't any higher! I really hope he feels better soon and have worried about him so much. I never knew how scary being a mom could be! At least for now he is sleeping soundly.

Ben's Other Love

2008-07-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

When Ben isn't spending time with his family or working you can be sure to find him somewhere in the waters of Central Florida! Be it the ocean or river he is always in search of a good wave (I would say perfect wave but I seriously doubt he's looking for that around here) or a nice wake! Pictured above, Ben takes a run at the wakeskate ramp, courtesy of Brad Gilger and Ryan Vorwaller, in the Indian River Lagoon. Rylan shares in his daddy's love of the water and for him, be it the hose, bathtub, or ditch out front, if there's water there HE'S IN IT!

Fourth of July 2008

2008-07-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

We had SUCH a GREAT fourth of July. We went to our friend Hayes and Carrie's annual party, where we have gone the last couple of years. It was as always a fun filled event. Complete with tenderloin steaks and crablegs as the main dish, the food was out of this world, which nothing less is expected from Carrie's cooking. The men, well boys, funny how fireworks bring out the "boy" in our men, anyways, they all had fun lighting off the fireworks and didn't even try to take out the stop sign this year, which trust me, is very impressive! Rylan LOVED the sparklers, which impressed me equally since I was afraid of them up until last year! But he wasn't too keen on the fireworks. I think they were a little too loud for his liking. He cried and wanted his Dada so Ben couldn't let off any more fireworks but I think he enjoyed Rylan wanting him over me! We were actually able to see the Melbourne Causeways fireworks from her house which is nice b/c you get the show w/out the crowds. All in all it was a fun time to be had by all. It was great to share our independence with our friends and are so blessed to have our freedom and live in a country where so many are willing to fight for that for us!

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream!

2008-07-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

We Burgoon's are big Ice Cream fans!

Mommy's Little Helper

2008-07-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Rylan LOVES to help me around the house! I discovered this little secret when he was about 12 months and have put him to work ever since! His favorite chores are: helping with the laundry, which he helps to sort, put in the washer/dryer, and he always puts the dryer sheet in for me and closes the door; he also likes to load the dishwasher and now every time I put ANYTHING in there he gets under the sink and wants to throw in one of the washer tablets! I have to hide them so he can't try to wash one dish at a time in there. He is a very good sweeper and duster but makes far too much mess to keep up with it most the time. Really anything I do he wants to help. I wanted to catch it on film and I don't think I could have gotten him in action any better than this. He helps me get the chores done and we have a lot of fun doing them! Rylan likes to "relax" after all of his days hard work, as you can see in the last photo!

Could Not Ask For More

2008-06-17T19:33:00.001-07:00

I am lovin my new "mommy do" and was inspired by Carley Rice to share my photos too. (Even though I did already send out a mass e-mail with the big announcement a few weeks ago) But hey, I am gonna be thirty next month and I am SO excited and I feel more beautiful than ever, and I don't mean just physically, I mean in every way possible. Turning thirty brings such an empowering feeling to your life, well, for me anyways. In Sunday school they asked who would want to go back 10 years from now and live it again? I was so surprised at how many people would! I am so happy to be here right now, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else! It's like Sarah Evans said,"Right here in this moment is right where I am meant to be...it's all I have waited for, and I could not ask for more."

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

2008-06-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Baby, don't worry,
about a ting,
cause every little ting
is gonna be alright!

Poo Poo Mama, Poo Poo!

2008-06-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

So most days Rylan wants to shower with me which is fine because we have a nice walk-in and there's room for him to play. But it is what happens after the shower that I am going to have to re-think. Typically I would get out, dry off, and then get him out and dry him off. But here lately he runs from me and so I dry him off the best I can and then off he goes running bare bummed through the house. So I go back to the bathroom and try to make myself decent enough to wander the house myself so I can get him dressed, only today he came running to me first, "Poo poo mama, poo poo!" I thought oh crap, literally, that's not gonna be fun to clean up. Only when he arrived to me he was just covered with wet stuff. So I told him to show me the "poo poo." He brought me out to his play area where he had actually "peed" not "pooped" and when he peed it ricochet off of a Tupperware tub full of matchbox cars and then sprayed him from head to toe! I couldn't help but laugh. I threw a towel on it, which I think is still there, oops, and cleaned him off with a wet wipe.(Who new I would ever be so laid back) Needless to say, I truly need a better game plan post shower time.

Rylan & Dada @ Swim Lessons

2008-06-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

Rylan has been having a great time this spring/summer with his swim lessons. We have been doing them since April now and he has shown much improvement since then. His favorite part is still the "free play" at the end and he refuses to float on his back but he is warming up to the noodle and amazes me at how well he kicks and moves his arms in the water. He loves jumping in and can climb out at the ledge all by himself. We are really proud of him and so happy he loves the water as much as we do!

Moments In Time

2008-06-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Wet-N-Wild

2008-06-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Those three words pretty much describe our families behavior most of the time. Both Ben and I love the water and Rylan seems to be following suit! We took him to the water park this week and had a blast! He loved the kiddie area that was complete with it's own miniature versions of the wave pool, lazy river, and even 7 water slides! Rylan was brave enough to go down one of the bigger ones all by himself. He went down it twice, and probably would have gone more, but the second go round this huge bucket dumped right on his head as he was going down! I couldn't beieve it. Here I sent my precious little man down the slide and then BOOM! It scared me to death because it was A LOT of water but I had to pretend to be excited about it as not to scare him. Naturally he handled it better than me.

Our Baby Boy Is Born

2008-06-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Expecting Our First

2008-06-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

We are finally pregnant!!! Ben and I never "prevented" having a baby from the beginning of our marriege. After a few years I grew suspicious. Once I finally found a good doctor, and I went through a few to find him, we were on our way to getting some answers. To make a long story short, After rounds of unsuccessful tries with fertility meds I had a procedure done, that I am not even gonna try to spell, but basically they found that both my fallopian tubes were blocked. In January of 2006 I had a laproscopic surgery to unblock my fallopian tubes. The doctor found that most of my reproductive organs were covered with scar tissue, a result of endometriosis. He was able to remove a lot of the scar tissue and unblock one of my tubes. In March of 2006 I went back on the Clomid and also took a try at acupuncture. That was weird, and I am deathly afraid of needles! It took a lot of focusing to get through it! But it was worth it because that month I got pregnant. When Ben came home, and luckily he was around the corner from the house when I took the test, he knew right away. The next day was April fools day so when we called everybody to tell them nobody believed us! It was so funny!

Newlyweds

2008-06-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

Once married Ben and I lived in a small duplex across from the beach in Indialantic. We loved the location but quickly outgrew the little space. After two years we built a house in NW Palm Bay. Ben worked as a laborer on a framing crew and was working towards getting his Residential Contractors license while I worked as a dental assistant. Things were just perfect. We quickly built a perfect little marriage with a perfect little home, but there was one little thing missing and we both new it. It was time to share our lives with a baby!

2008-06-01T10:35:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our Wedding Story

2008-06-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

I thought I would go back and start from the beginning of our "Burgoon Bunch." Ben and I met at a YSA activity in Ellsworth, Florida. After a few persuations and maybe a few small white lies he was mine! :) (I convinced him to ride w/me to a dance because I had no one to go with when really I had several people lined up as backups. Then after he didn't call me for a few days I called him and said I wasn't sure if the message on our answering machine was old or new, of course I did know, it was old.) Hey, my persistence paid off!
Two months later we were engaged and after dating for four months we were married! And they say floos rush in....BORING!!!!