My sweet baby boy, Samuel James, is one year old. When I found out I was having a boy I thought, "What am I going to do with a boy?" LOL I didn't have any brothers so I felt like I wouldn't know how to be a mom to a boy. I have to say that the times that he reaches for me and I know I am the only one he wants at that moment...it melts my heart! Those moments don't come as often as I would like because this kid stays on the move from sun up to sun down! I try to keep him busy and plan things for him during the week. He absolutely loves his "Birds" class at The Little Gym! He runs and climbs and even screams with delight! He has a music class and a storytime that he doesn't enjoy as much. Playdates are always fun! He would play with his cousins all day if they could. He has the best time with the four of them.
A few days before his party he got the stomach flu. He threw up all day. It was so heartbreaking to see my normally happy and super active boy just look up at me while I was holding him. It was the first time he has ever been sick. Sam and I shed more than a few tears to be honest. It was so sad. His party had to be cancelled but we are going to try to reschedule it. We did give him some presents on his actual birthday and Erica got him a mini cake to play in.
I can't believe he is not a baby anymore. We threw away all his bottles so he is only drinking from sippy cups. We are going to start weening him off of the pacifiers for bedtime. I have thrown all his pacifiers away but one. The doctor gave us a good strategy so we are going to start that today.
His doctor appointment went really well. His new doctor seemed cool with his Spiderman scrubs. He is from California and moved to Utah about ten years ago. He said Sammy is looking good. His stats are weight 20.3lbs (15%) and height 30.2in (65%). He started Sammy on a Multivitamin and suggested we switch him to whole milk. He had to have four shots and he was screaming so loud. Bless his heart it was so sad. I really like this Pediatrics office. They have over ten doctors at this office and have four offices total. They have a 24 hour number where you can speak to a nurse and there is always a doctor on call until 10pm. So I am very happy with his new doctor and their office. Here is the poor guy getting his shots.
He loves his Giraffe, his cars, his ball pit, eating cheerios, and baths! He hates getting dressed and diaper changes. I feel so blessed to have had a whole year with him. I am so lucky to be his mom and I can't wait to see what he learns this year.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
One year
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 9:01 PM 3 comments
Labels: Baby, Family, Samuel James
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Six months
I missed posting his five month update. Time is flying! Here is how Sammy's day begins. He wakes up between 5 and 6 in the morning. He has a 4oz bottle and goes back to sleep until 7 or 8. I don't put him back in his room but I put him in the pack-n-play we keep in our room. When he wakes up he rolls around and laughs, squeals, and sings until Sam and I start laughing. Once we laugh he knows we are awake and wants to be taken somewhere else to play.
The rest of the day is pretty intense rolling and scooting around with his toys. He sleeps every two hours and eats every three to four hours. He has such a fun personality and he is a really good baby. He cut his first tooth on May 8th and the second one has just started poking out within the last two days. Today we let him try a bit of rice cereal. He also tried a little avocado and banana. Those are the things the doctor suggested we start with. The first time he ate it all but the second time he seemed to get very aggrivated and didn't eat too much.
I was carrying him into our room this morning and just thought to myself that he is growing too fast. I am so excited for every new thing that he learns but I just want him to stay my baby forever.
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 8:02 PM 6 comments
Labels: Baby, Family, Samuel James
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
One Month
This month has been one exhausting blurr. I didn't think it would be this difficult. I was always told you sleep when the baby does and newborns sleep for most of the day so I had no idea I would still be so tired. I really can't sleep everytime he does. I can only sleep until around 11am but he doesn't sleep much past 5am. In the afternoon is when he starts to settle down but by that time I cannot go back to sleep. Everything is piling up on me! Bills, laundry, and housework. It is driving me crazy. Even with all the "help" I have I cannot stay on top of things. I have found with few exceptions that when people say they want to help what they mean is they want to take your baby and do the only thing you want to do. They want to feed him, and change him, and hold him and they want you to go away. Taking care of him is the only thing I want to do so it has been a little frustrating.
Sammy has officially met all his grandparents and all of his cousins. He has met all of his aunts and all of his uncles except Nano who is on a mission. Sam's brother who lives in Utah and his family were here for Thanksgiving. My Dad and Kathy came for the first week of December. Kathy actually made all the meals and did the dishes. That was really nice. It was so good to see my Dad and it warmed my heart to see him with Sammy. Then I had Erica here for almost two weeks! She did whatever I asked. If I wanted her to feed him, she did. If I wanted her to just make the bottle so I could feed him, she did. Sammy would always just stare at her and smile. It was so tender. Then my Mom, Ray, Natascha, and Rusty came for Christmas. That was a bit stressful because my Mom would get offended or be sarcastic when I would give her instructions for Sammy. Erica left this morning and Sam has his two days off. After that I will be on my own. I have no idea how I am going to get my wife stuff done when I am so tired.
On Christmas day Sammy was one month old. Our pediatrician, whom we love, said, "At about six weeks they turn into humans and you figure you might as well keep em." He is so funny and is such a great doctor! He is retirement age and only practices because he wants to. Like I said, we love him! He talks medical talk since he knows Sam understands so I always feel like I really know what is going on. He was really supportive when I was trying to breastfeed and understanding when everything I tried to increase my milk supply didn't work. We have called twice with concerns and he has seen us within half an hour of our call. His office is two blocks from our appartment so that is great! His one month check up went well. Sammy lost 11oz within the first week because of not getting enough to eat. The doctor put him on formula for premature babies and infants of low birth weight because it has extra calories. He now weighs 8lbs 4oz. He has chubby cheeks and his legs aren't so bony. This is a picture of him getting his Hep B shot. I wasn't holding him because the nurse told me to lay him down. When she gave him the shot his eyes got big and his arms and legs all went flailing! It scared him so bad the poor little guy.
He is starting to focus and follow things with his eyes. When I talk and smile he is starting to smile back. He sometimes laughs while he is a sleep and it is the cutest thing. I haven't learned all of his cues but sometimes I guess right the first time and that feels good. I think I have his "I'm starving cry" down pat. That cry and the needing to be changed cry are so similar. I love his other cry. The cry I hear most is for his physical needs, hungry, wet, or tired. I love the cry when he just wants to be held. It let's me know there is really a soul or a person there not just a pooping, eating, energy sucking machine. :)
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 2:25 PM 10 comments
Labels: Baby, Family, Jeanie Doll, Samuel James
Saturday, November 28, 2009
A Baby Story...the details
When I was in college I lived in the dorms of Belk Hall. Meghan was on the same floor as me. She watched TLC's A Baby Story every chance she got! lol Thus my title and here we go!
I called Sam and in as calm a voice as I could muster I said, "Sweetheart, the doctor wants me to go to the hospital." He sounded like someone had smacked him in the face! After I explained that I was not in labor we agreed to meet at the apartment and head over together. When Sam got home he ran around in a panic asking me a zillion question even though I had already explained that I had packed my bag weeks ago and wasn't forgetting anything. At last we were ready...well after Sam jumped out of the already moving car to double check that he had locked the door we were ready. When I got to the hospital they were expecting me but didn't know why. The doctor that was there was the one that did not want to induce me so I thought she was going to send me home. They gave me another ultrasound, this time the fluid levels read at a 5. So they gave me some medicine to start dialation and mild contractions. They were mild too, Sam and I watched TV and were very excited to watch the contractions on the monitor. "Ooh, that was a big one!" (Little did I know that it was NOT a big one!) After 10 hours they checked me. I had not dialated at all, not even a little. They would have to start again. I started to cry and my whole body ached! I had never had cramps for that long without taking medicine to stop the pain. They gave me another and said they'd check it in 8 hours. It fell out after 5 and they checked but there still wasn't the slightest change. They decided to give me the whopper drugs! These contractions felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. The nurse told me to take deep slow breaths but the pain was so bad I felt like I could not breath! After a few hours on that medcine they checked me and yet again...no change. I was too drained to even cry. I was immediately falling asleep after each contraction only to be ripped from sleep a minute later. The contractions were back to back. They had given me something to take the edge off of it but I finally heard those glorious words...epidural! The anesthesiologist came in and Sam held me while I got it because I had two contractions while he was giving it to me and wasn't supposed to move.
After it kicked in everyone around me started moving fast and talking even faster. The baby's heart rate and my heart rate both dropped after the epidural and before I could even ask I was being wheeled in for a c section. Everyone was in such a rush that it made me ask if I was going to be ok. As soon as I spoke someone would get calm and reassure me but with everyone else scrambling around them I didn't know what to think. I kept asking for Sam and they told me he was changing. When he got to my side he looked upset. I asked if he was ok and he shook his head no. I saw a couple of tears so I knew he was worried. "Ok we have a hand." Then I heard him cry which made me cry. Finally, he was here. It was the sweetest sound I have ever heard.
I wish I could say that everything was perfect from then on...it wasn't! I held Sammy for less than a minute and they took him. I told Sam to stay with him. So my baby and my husband were both gone. I was all alone. Then they moved me into a dark room where I sat for two hours. It was depressing. When I finally got back to my room I was so angry. Three different nurses were talking to me but none telling me what I wanted to hear. I just kept asking, "Where is my husband?! Can someone bring me my baby?!" Three hours after he was born sammy was finally in my arms. I only know of one friend that had a c section and I don't know how it compares to a normal delivery but I hated it. I could barely move. I couldn't get up on my own and couldn't even change Sammy's diapers for the first day. I just sat there as everyone walked around happy and pain free. It was really hard for me. They usually release you 3 days after a c section. The first thing I told my doctor was I wanted to go home. I got to go home a day earlier than usual. Now I am happy! Now I can change his diapers and now I can give him a bath. Every nurse and family member has an opinion but now that we are home I can do things the way I want. So I know I look like total crap because I sure as heck felt that way but this is our first picture together.
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 10:29 AM 9 comments
Labels: Baby, Family, Happily Ever After, Jeanie Doll, Samuel James, SillySuperSam, Tenderness
Monday, October 26, 2009
Mr Ern wins the lottery!
Anyway, my Dad used to grumble to himself as he paid bills and it is seriously one of my favorite memories of him. You'd repeatedly hear, "Aww sh** and Son of a bi***! The best was when he got something in the mail from Publisher's Clearing House because here is what you'd hear, "You lying sack of sh**!" If you were ever close enough to ask him what was wrong he'd tell you he was "gonna kick Ed Mcmahon's butt if he don't hand over my million dollars!" Well sadly he never got his million dollars.
Since Erica and I moved to Utah and then I got married and moved to California my Dad has been saying he needs to win the lottery so he can afford to come see us. Now that I am pregnant he keeps telling the guys at his work he has to win so he can go see his Grandbaby. Well, it came time to plan the trip and still no luck. They bought tickets to come visit the first week in December. I cannot wait to see him and to watch him hold Sammy.
I called him on Saturday and told him the update from the week by week book like I always do and he got all fired up talking about what he heard on the Glenn Beck show like he always does. Then he goes, "Oh I almost forgot to tell you, I finally won the lottery." That's right folks, Mr Ern had a $500 ticket which covers his $480 plane tickets to California. He didn't seem all that surprised because...as he said, "Well, I been tellin the boys at work I had to win the lottery to come see my Grandbaby." LOL
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 10:19 PM 9 comments
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Final Inning!
Well, I never thought November would get here! Here it is the last week of October. I am 36 weeks pregnant and ready for to meet this little guy. I have the car seat installed, the hospital bag packed, and his room is all ready for him to come home. My insurance problems have basically been a nightmare so here I am at nine months switching to a new doctor who cannot see me until November 3rd. I haven't been to the doctor in 3 weeks but I am keeping track of all the times I feel the baby move. According to my book he should be turned by now and in position. I really want to go to the doctor just to make sure that he is ready to come or to figure out what can be done to get him ready. I hope y'all will keep me in your prayers during these last few weeks. I hope all my questions haven't driven you guys too crazy. Hopefully, one day I will have someone asking me so I can return the favor. Sam and I are so excited and nervous. Everyone asks us if we are ready and I guess we are as ready as you can be when you are on your first. Sam is terrified one of the nurses will run in during surgery and tell him I am in labor and he will mess up while he is trying to finish. I am hoping I go into labor while he is home. Anyway, I will keep you posted!
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 9:31 PM 6 comments
Labels: Baby, California Adventures, Family, Fat Girl, Jeanie Doll
Monday, September 28, 2009
Winds of change...
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 11:21 AM 10 comments
Labels: Baby, California Adventures, Jeanie Doll, Newlywed Moments
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Falling off the wagon

Today I went to the address of a Motherhood store that I located online. I needed to get a few maternity items. When I show up it turned out to be a Babies R Us with a few racks of maternity clothes and no dressing rooms. What a joke! I looked through all the super cute Halloween costumes sort of wishing my little one would come early but at the same time thinking about next year. That led me other places in the store and I started seeing things I had never thought about getting before now. Oh I do need a changing table. Wow, I better make sure I get these safety plugs for the outlets. I have to have one of these mirror things for the car so I can peek at the baby in the back seat. "What to expect: The first year," I need that for sure. Now what was the name of that pillow Elissa said to get? I wish I had my notes from Lacey about dos and don'ts for the crib. What was that thing Meghan said worked good...a sleep sack? My head started to spin! Where are my friends? I miss my sister! I want my Mommy!!!! LOL Ok I was being dramatic on that last one. I sent text to Erica and some of the new mommies I know. Just like the true blue friends that they are they all reassured me. With the panic still in my system I decided to get some comfort food. I stopped at K-Mart and bought four bags of candy. The poor unsuspecting cashier, "Are you stocking up for Halloween?" I cut her my fiercest Ragin Cajun eyes and snapped, "NO! I am pregnant and don't know which candy I want!" Then I headed to the snack bar for nachos and an Icee. I had eaten most of the nachos, drank half of the icee, and ate four small Peppermint Patties before my tummy got mad at me. Then I sent Sam a warning text, "I am having a bad day!" After that I popped in a Disney movie and took a nap. Now I actually feel much better. I just wanted to document my falling off the fat girl wagon.
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 5:18 PM 8 comments
Labels: Baby, Fat Girl, Jeanie Doll, Ragin Cajun
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Prenatal Peek
I have been looking forward to getting one of these 3D ultrasounds since I first heard about them. It felt like I would never make it this far into my pregnancy but it is finally here! Sam and I went to Prenatal Peek for a 3D ultrasound. These are just a few of the pictures. We didn't tell them that we knew it was a boy. We wanted to see if they would confirm. As you can see his little twig and berries are easy to make out. :) It was actually they first thing the technician saw because Sammy was sitting straight up. He was in a bad position for pictures and asleep. So she told me to walk around and go eat some ice cream and come back. When we walked out side there was a 711 next to a Del Taco. So I went and got a delicious Blue Rasberry Icee and ate some french fries. When we got back he had changed positions and was awake. At first he was tucked too high then he was tucked too low. It was so crazy to see his little face. He has chubby cheeks and a bunch of hair! The technician commented on his cute little nose and then said it looked like my nose. So she continued to make the dvd as the soundtrack of tear jerking songs played. We got a good shot of his heart and we heard it as well. He was sucking his thumb a lot and at one point we saw him holding onto his foot. The one shot of him sticking his hand to his mouth made the technician and I both go, "Aww!" Sam had to laugh at us. It was so awesome! I can't wait to meet him.
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 10:36 PM 8 comments
Labels: Baby, Family, Happily Ever After, Jeanie Doll, SillySuperSam
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Follow Up
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 11:19 AM 3 comments
Labels: Baby, Fat Girl, Jeanie Doll
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Goals
I kept thinking that once I stopped working I could finally do the things I wanted to. I would exercise everyday, practice my Spanish, read the Book of Mormon again, and I would set a schedule so I was organized. I have this opportunity to take a month or so off of work and my first week I did none of those things. I packed one day, I did laundry one day, went grocery shopping one day, paid bills, ran errands, and then Erica came for a visit. Don't get me wrong I got a lot done but now it is the middle of week two and I feel bored and lazy. So I am going to write down my goals and then I am going to report to my blog meaning myself and my few readers. Like I said when I was trying to quit drinking Coke, "Don't be surprised if absolutely nothing comes out of this." Actually, I told my friends not to be surprised if they saw me injecting Coke directly into my veins with a syringe but you get what I'm saying.
1. I want to read the entire Book of Mormon out loud (for the baby...well read it for myself but out loud so he can hear) before he is born in November. On the mission we read 5 pages a day and finished in 100 days. I have 94 days, roughly, until the baby is here. I think I can do it!
2. I want to practice my Spanish, at least on the five days Sam works during the week. I have to learn Spanish! I am sick of not being able to fully understand what is being said at my inlaws. Plus, I want little Sammy to be fluent. Today I sat with my Rosetta Stone and did all the reviews for Level One. I didn't forget much but when you don't practice it takes you longer to recall things. So I want to do a lesson a day and practice translating the Spanish children's books that we borrowed from Sam's Mom.
3. Sigh, I want to exercise. I am so not a fan of exercise but I really don't want to gain too much. Even though I am still overweight I am actually very happy with my size. On the hospital paperwork they labelled me as moderately obese and I was happy! LOL So I am going to try to join a gym and take a water aerobics class. The only exercise I ever stuck with was a water aerobics class. I went to two classes a day and I really liked it. Maybe because it was mostly old ladies and super fat ladies so it wasn't like I was trying to keep up with the skinny girl wearing make up on the next treadmill over. I'd love to say I would walk on Sam's treadmill...but I most likely won't. I would like to say I'd take Flojo for a walk...but I won't. I would really love to find some sort of pregnant girls exercise class and take that. We will see. Since this is the goal I am the least excited about it may take longer to get going.
Now next week I will let y'all know how it is going.
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 1:52 PM 6 comments
Labels: Baby, Fat Girl, Jeanie Doll
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Happy Father's Day

Erica and I were Daddy's girls no doubt about it! The three of us were best friends! I miss my Dad a lot and I wish that I saw him more often. He was a great dad! He could make me laugh until I pee...in fact I think years of being tourtured by "The Claw" is the reason I am still so ticklish! Whenever I would start to fan my eyes to keep from crying he would say, "Come here boo." I'd crawl over and just let it all out while he would rub my back. He wasn't afraid of getting puked on. Erica and I always would lay on his bed to talk. When he'd come in we'd scream and giggle and hid under the covers,even in our twenties, and he'd always pretend he was mashing lumps out of his bed. He watched New Kids on the Block videos and Nsync concerts with us and we've even catch him singing along some times. :) I always knew the stories he'd tell and the jokes he would make. He used to sing a song my Grandpa sang to him, "Once upon a time in a nursery rhyme, three little kids got lost." When we'd ask him to finish he always said, "I can't, that's all my dad knew." LOL
Now with Sam's first Father's day I wanted to do something special, that he'd never forget. So I scheduled an appointment at this special ultrasound place to find out the sex of the baby. We were planning on going for their 3D ultrasound when I was further along anyway. So when I consulted my Dr....Meghan, she said she was worried he might want to be there so I text some of my guy friends. They all agreed they would want to be there. After talking it through I decided on having the doctor write the sex in an envelope and letting Sam tell me. Sam went off to the library to study and I drove all the way to Newport and got the ultrasound. The baby was being shy always turning away from the camera and crossing it's legs. After she made the ultrasound DVD she tried again to find the sex. She made me walk around, lay on my right side, jiggled my belly, lay on my left side. Finally, she got a good shot and she then verified from a few different angles.
I drove home and picked up a few things to put in with my surprize. Sam of course knew I'd give it to him right away so he was ready for it. When he got to the bottom I had wrapped the packet from the doctor. I said, "Before you open this I want to explain." I told him what I had done and that the envelope contained the baby's sex. His face light up and I have never seen him so excited! It was great and I watched as he went through it. "Ok here's a CD, here's an ad, a picture, a.....AHHHHHHHH!" He was yelling so much and I was like, "What?! What is it?!" "A son, we're having a son!" I started bawling because I had never seen him so happy! It was the best and then we watched the ultrasound DVD. It was one of the best days of my life! It was such a perfect moment and I will never forget it!
His name will be Samuel James Rivera. James is my Dad's middle name. We are thrilled! My mom has to return all the girl clothes she already got. :) I am on my way to Babies 'R' Us to pick out stuff for my baby boy on the way!
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 5:22 PM 8 comments
Labels: Baby, Family, Happily Ever After, My Daddy, SillySuperSam
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Blueberry baby

Well, I am eight weeks pregnant. According to my book the baby is the size of a blueberry. Here's a little insight into my day. I think most of you that read this have either gone through this or had a friend or wife go through it. This blog is merely to document for myself and perhaps get a little sympathy and pep talks!
I wake up in the morning feeling exhausted and nauseous. Toothpaste makes me sick. I cannot eat anything until I drink a little sprite. Then whatever I eat immediately makes me feel sick so I can only eat a little bit of whatever it is. A few hours later I start feeling weak and nauseous because I haven't really eaten anything. This usually makes me get extremely hot and my skin starts to get clamy. I usually fight that with a cold wet rag on my forehead. After ten minutes I usually get so cold my skin aches and I have to use a space heater for the next few hours. I get down a little lunch and feel sick for the rest of the afternoon. I am so tired all day that my eyes burn so I take a nap after work and wake up when Sam gets home. I make and eat some dinner and feel sick again. I drink some sprite in order to calm my stomach enough to take my vitamins and then I toss and turn all night. People keep telling me it is just for the first trimister, I sure hope so. :(
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 5:59 PM 7 comments
Labels: Baby, Family, Jeanie Doll
Sunday, March 15, 2009
"One day maybe we'll find that baby makes three"
I am pregnant! I can't believe this! Sam and I have decided to start our family. He's almost done with school so the timing is perfect. Thanks to Meghan's advice I bought an ovulation test kit and also some pregnancy tests. I googled how to get pregnant. I mean...I had an idea but I was wondering if there was any tips I should know about. I stopped taking birth control in February and was supposed to start my period around March 14th. Today, on the 15th, I hadn't started so I took a test. Results come in 3 minutes but after 10 seconds there was a big purple plus sign. For some reason I thought that meant not pregnant so I started to cry and climbed back into bed. I told Sam it was negative and he pulled me closed and I just started bawling. I really believed that I was pregnant. I was so heartbroken. Sam reminded me that we read it usually takes 3 months to get pregnant after getting off birth control. I cried and cried while Sam assured me that we'd have a baby soon.
After I had calmed down Sam got up to go to the bathroom. I'm still hurting when Sam says, "Babe, I think you are pregnant." I got up and realized that the big purple plus meant pregnant! Sam hugged me so tight and we both cried. :) I still can't believe it. I took another one after breakfast and and another one Monday morning. All three came out positive too. It was one of the best days of my life! We took pictures of the tests and with the tests. I peaked at them everytime I walked past and I saw Sam doing the same. :)
Posted by Jeanie Doll at 8:33 PM 11 comments
Labels: Baby, Family, Happily Ever After, Jeanie Doll, Newlywed Moments, SillySuperSam



