A Few Pictures

New Apartment

December 12th Shaun and his family helped us move into a new apartment. Our new apartment is an upgrade from out previous one. Two bedrooms, dishwasher, disposal, and washer/dryer hook-ups. We are looking forward to our new washer/dryer scheduled to arrive the 23rd. I don't have many pictures yet but I'll post a few.

We found this apartment, looked at it once and said that's it! So we moved in 2-3 weeks later knowing there were a few things still to finish up. The day before moving in we decided to wash down the cabinets and vacuum the new carpet thinking all else was finished and ready to go. Well not so much. We came to move our things in December 12th as planned but the manager failed to get things ready. All that was changed in that 2-3 weeks was a new bathroom floor finished the day before and some parts to our stove top. I was frustrated. Things missing...? Our toilet still sat in our bathroom tub, our doors to all the rooms in the apartment were not put up, door knobs missing or not attached, no towel rack or door stops, the caulking was not finished in the bathroom, etc. Most importantly, the key she gave us did not work. We figured this out once we came back for the final and fourth load. Shaun and Brock broke into the apartment through the back door. (it was unlock so that the someone could come finish the bathroom) Luckily the kitchen window was unlocked and the boys had the bright idea to climb through. Actually we were going to send Jarom, Shaun's 4 year old nephew, through but he was terrified being lifted over the balcony. So Shaun somehow got through and we moved the rest in. Meanwhile we were making contact with the manager who was out of town in Montana for a furenal. Her husband was at work. Once everything was moved in, we of course didn't want to leave the door unlocked so we locked it up. Shaun thought he would be able to hoist himself up the balcony again. We finished up at our old apartment, returned our keys to the landlord and went home. Well, Shaun went to go climb up this balcony. I didn't have a chance to see how high the porch was and thought Shaun could do it without a problem. Meanwhile I decided to go to the front door and wait. Just for fun I played with the key the manager gave us and found that the bottom lock was unlocked, which is the one we locked, and the door was locked ontop. I turned the key and found that it unlocked. I ran into the apartment to see if I could stop Shaun from struggling up the back. To late, the inside of his bycep was black and blue. Luckily someone living downstairs helped to push him up. Just at the very moment, I opened to back door to let him in. He was so happy to see me but so speechless of how in the world I got in. Apparently, the manager called much later to tell us that her husband came and changed out the top lock to match the key she gave us. This is not a good sign to me. I hope we don't need anything important while we are living here. A few more things that were not done also include blinds. Everyone and anyone could look into our apartment. I was so dang mad. GRrrr. They also told us they would bring over our contract and have us sign it. Did that ever happen, NO!! We had to go over there and she didn't ever give us a copy. Least to say, our managers husband is lazy and doesn't do anything! They are now paying Shaun to do things they were supposed to do 2-3 weeks ago!! Overall though, I love the space and extra things in the apartment. Most importantly the second bedroom, dishwasher, and washer/dryer hook ups.

One thing that I'm worried about is that the last person who lived here didn't give back any keys. I swear I heard someone try to come into the apartment the night of December 19th. Shaun was so sick. I'll tell more about saturday but I woke Shaun up and we grabbed the baseball bat he bought me to protect myself and went to see what that sound was. We didn't find anything. Next to the front door is a tall celing to floor window again, without blinds. I hate walking passed that door at night so we decided to cover it with wrapping paper. Shaun was being optimistic and said it looked feastive. Anyway, we prayed that night together and asked for protection and the ability for both of us to get some sleep. Meanwhile, our baby girl was been sick a week with a really bad cold. It started out with a fever but now just a running nose. The doctor said we are doing everything right, just keep going! Now I think she's got a runny nose because she is teething. Maybe this time she'll get some teeth. Poor baby.

Shaun is feeling better after going to Insta Care this morning. He has some meds to take and hopefully he'll be alright for the holidays. I've been staying clear away from him and it's crazy how much I miss him. I woke up this morning crying because I had a dream that we were dating and he decided to call it off. I was sobbing still for 30 minutes after I woke up. Don't worry, we are very much in love and not braking up.

So friday was a great day for the Elegante and Nickle Famlies. Bri, Nolan's wife receive her endowment in the Oquirrah Mountain Temple and the next day, the family was sealed together in the Salt Lake Temple. Bri's sisters agreed to watch our baby girl but didn't show up until the last moment. I was panicking thinking, if they didn't get there I would say with her and Shaun would go in without me. Five minutes before the family was sitting around the altar, I handed over the baby and we walked as fast as we could to be there. Bronen was so dang cute. After the sealer finished, Bronen stood up on the bench next to the altar and said, "Ya Ya" almost like AMEN! It was so awesome to be there to support them. On another side not, Tristen, Lydia's nephew, has cancer. He's only 14. His mom died awhile ago and two of his uncles. This is not a fun time for that family. I prayed for him in the temple and had a comforting feeling that now matter what happens, Tristen while be alright. It was a very spiritual experience.

After some pictures, all 28 of us met at the Blue Iguana for dinner. They told Nolan when he called for reservations that we they could accommodate us that night. Instead we were split up into two groups and sat in completely different rooms. Nolan was not happy.

I drove home that night after Shaun walked back to get the car to the Conference Center parking lot from 165 ? and West Temple. It was pretty far but he wanted to. Brock and Marie hit a deer on the way home. They almost passed the doe when she was frightened and turned around just in time for Brock to hit her head and she died instantly. Brock pulled over to turn on his flashers and move her out of the road but another car came, tried to swarve around her and totaled (sp?) his own car. He had to stay and be a witness to the accident. Brock and Ty were on their way home but were stopping at our apartment to give Shaun a blessing. Prayer and faith works wonders. Shaun is doing so much better. He had a fever of 100.4 later that night. That's when I layed down to sleep and heard someone or something at our front door. When Shaun came back, we unzipped his 22 and leaned it up against his side of the bed. I didn't think I would want to touch the gun but after that, I think I would feel safer with the gun over the baseball bat.

So there is an update over the past two days. I use my facebook page more if you are wanting to see pictures, but felt like I should post about our move and the sealing! Merry Christmas! Maybe Brooklynn while have a great first birthday with some new teeth?

Love,
The Elegante Family

PS So forgive me for what I said about our managers. They are going through a really really really hard time right now. I'm am so sorry. Their baby is really sick. We have said a lot of prayers in their behalf. All those small little things that are not completed in our apartment can wait.

Family Photos

More of Baby Firsts

Baby's First . . .

Lastnight Brooklynn learned how to hold her head up really high and then today she decided to tip over and over and over. Yes she's figured it out. Brooklynn knows how to roll over from belly to back. She just does not like her tummy time.

Happy 1st Anniversary

That's right May 10th was Shaun and my

First Anniversary and Mother's Day!

We have an almost 5 month old baby who

was born while I was only 7 months pregnant.

5+7=12 months. Crazy!

Love you CHEEKY!

Baby Blessing

Brooklynn's Baby blessing was April 20th!

We enjoyed ice-cream in the park afterwards with

about 60 family members!

Elegante Family

Register for classes fall 2009

Shaun and I are up of a challenge. We are both going to school next semester with no baby sitter. I've seen people do it so, here we go. School starts Aug 24th.

I love my daughter. She will ...
grin from ear to ear
laugh in her sleep
cuddle up to my cheeks and fall asleep
eat her apple juice and miralax like candy (or as Shaun would say like ham and wolves)
be careful don't get to close...lol
coo as she sleeps on my chest
sit in her bucket/tub as we bath her (not on her own of course)
jump if you bounce her
make the sweetest sound right before she is about to sneeze but it doesn't come out
stop crying when we change her diaper because she knows what's coming next, FOOD!
shoot poop across the room if you are not careful (oh man it was bad)
sleep through the night sometimes (twice so far)
cry alot but my mom says she has the sweetest cry
kick her covers off
struggle and grunt until she has atleast one hand and arm free
hold her own firecracker show in her pants (beause of her reflux)

We LOVE you sweet pea!

Brooklynn has grown a ton each month!

Brooklynn came home February 18

Brooklynn is home. She slept in her carseat for awhile because of her reflux and now will sleep in her crib most of the time.

She eats every four hours and just recently has a six hour time span at night. She breast feeds great now and will continue to have two bottles of formula a day until she is a year old. We give her formula at night with vitamins and prevasid (sp?) for reflux.

March 2nd she had her second doctors appointment. 6lbs 7.8ozs. A week prior, she also had 3 immunization shots and one oral. Poor baby.

Making Brooklynn's bottles can be complicated. I went to my WIC appointment and after two weeks, I realised that I have been feeding her watered down formula. I switched some measurements up without realising it. Luckily this did not slow her down. She's growing a ton. 11oz in 10 days. Babies need to grow an average of an ounce a day.

February 10- Tomorrow is 7 weeks

Brooklynn is now

17 inches long 5 lbs 5.7 ozs

She's not eating all of her feedings so she can't come home.

Yes she is still on oxygen because sometimes she doesn't breath as much as she needs to keep enough oxygen in her blood. She's doing well though.

Shaun and I are ok I guess. We just want to go home and be together as a family. We were hoping for Valentines Day but the odds are not good. We love our little girl and will wait until she's ready and doing really well in order to come home. I don't want to bring her back.

The doctors, nurses and other people who take care of our little girl have advised us not to bring her around alot of people including family. This means no visitors until after RSV season and until Shaun and I feel it is ok. Sorry guys. She's been in the hospital long enough and I'll do everthing I can to keep her home with us.

Her blessing is till on Easter but part of RSV season. I probably won't change it because so many family members have bought thier airplane tickets to come but I will still limit who holds her and how long we stay. Please be understanding

Missing Brooklynn

So I took up an offer to come home to Logan with Shaun this morning. We were planning on staying one more day but I miss my baby to much. My dad is also planning on coming around 2pm to see her at the hospital so I want to be there. Lydia is coming as well.

Brooklynn is doing well. She now weighs 4lbs 9oz as of today. She is still eating from a feeding tube continuously. This leads to her never being hungery which means she hasn't learned to breastfeed or eat from a bottle. She has breastfeed alteast twice but not all the time. I think she does this when ever she feels like a snack but not for a meal. She also has reflex (throws up) which makes her stop breathing in order to save her lungs and probably her burning throat. They started putting simply thick in my breastmilk again to help her keep her food down. Her oxygen level is down. She's on room air which is 21%. When she stops breathing they'll give her more oxygen so they keep it on her. She was on room air most of the day yesterday but still needs it.

So if Brooklynn can learn to breastfeed or take a bottle and remember to breath or stop hold her breath, she can come home. The oxygen and reflex are ok to have at home. She has made a ton of progress and is gaining weight like crazy lately. 5 oz in the past two days.

I do miss her though so I'm going back to Brigham tonight when Shaun is off work at 11pm.

We love you Baby Brooklynn. See you tomorrow at 11am!

Brooklynn has been having a hard time remembering to breath which means her oxygen level is to low or not stable. In order to help her remember to breath they have given her caffiene. They took her off of this because they thought maybe it was upsetting her tummy since she is throwing up alot.

Well, they took her off the caffiene but she is showing signs of forgetting to breath again so this morning while we visited, the doctors told us they were going to put her back on it.

Brooklynn has also had some blood work done today to see if they could see if she is sick from something else. Her labs came back good so she's not sick from whatever they were testing for.

Today she weighs 3lbs 15oz

Update

Brooklynn was finally able to meet her Grandma and Grandpa Moyes. My dad was sick and not able to come visit. She slept and smiled alot.

I am starting to teach her to breastfeed. Right now she is only eating through the feeding tube through her nose. She's progressing well.

As of today she weighs 3lbs 10 oz.

Correction

Brooklynn was born 39 cm long which is 15.5 inches.
So that means she has grown half an inch!

She was also 3lbs but lost 5ozs and gained10oz so
now she is 3lbs 5ozs as of Jan 7 2009.

She's off her IV and on the lowest amount of oxygen
you can give.

Brooklynn needs to learn to eat and keep her own
body temperature.

In other words. She is doing really well.

3lbs 5oz 16inches Jan 7 2008

Her big tuff daddy update

Brooklynn is doing really well! She once upon a time had a heart mummer, but that is history!!!!!! At least the doc thinks so. They are going to do an eco of her heart to confirm that. If all is well, then they are going to see what they can do about getting her transfered to Logan. Her first car ride will be in an ambulance if that is the case. We are praying for that she can come to Logan so our sweet family can be reunited in their love shack, or in Brooklynn's case close to our love shack.

Jan 2 2008

Brooklynn is doing really well. All she has is her oxygen, which will come off soon, her feeding tube until she can breast feed or bottle feed, and her heart monitor.

We are trying to transfer her up to Logan soon!

When can she come home?
As soon as she can keep her own body temperature, feed with a bottle or breastfeed without a feeding tube, and have seven days without heart apnia.

She just needs to grow!!

I'm doing really well. Just a little sore is all but always a little tired.

Shaun goes back to school monday and will come back to Brigham everynight to sleep after work.

We hope to transfer to Logan really soon!

Shaun wrote:

It is amazing to see how the Lord works in your life. This Christmas has been the best in my life, as well as the most challenging. The happiest times in your life come when times also seem the hardest. Dec. 23 when I came home from work, Crystal informed me she had a head ache. I was already kind of getting nervous because it wouldn’t go away like her previous ones. Two hours later after consulting with a registered nurse I decided to take her in, probably one of the best choices I’ve made in my life. After getting admitted into labor and delivery and a whole multitude of test, they informed us they were going to transfer us to McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden. Right then I knew my life was going to change forever. After getting virtually no sleep they informed us they were going to do an emergency c-section. The doctor started Crystal on magnesium to prevent her from getting seizures and at 4:06pm on Christmas Eve little baby Brooklynn was welcomed into the world. I was so proud of her mother, Crystal, as I held her on the operation table. She went through so much and sacrificed so greatly to bring this sweet soul into our family. Later that evening the side effects of the magnesium kick in. My heart ached as I watched Crystal in agony in her bed. I gave her a priesthood blessing and then knelt in prayer, pleading with the Lord to take the pain from Crystal so she could rest. As I finished I turned around and looked at my beautiful wife who had fallen peacefully asleep. As I sat there watching her sleep in the dark for what seemed like an hour my heart was so full of gratitude to a loving Heavenly Father for extending His tender mercies to us. The next day when Crystal was finally off the magnesium we went to hold our baby for the first time. Tears weld up in my eyes as I watched her holding our little Christmas angel.
Since then we have been staying in Brigham and traveling down to Ogden to see our baby. We have had a lot of firsts, changing diapers (I make sure I give mom the morning ones, that is when she poops the most) and giving baths.
Though it all we have grown closer as a family as we sacrifice for one other. As we have done so we have grown closer to our Heavenly Father who has been with us through it all. We have seen all the miracles He has given us from bringing Brooklynn to us to calming Crystal so she could sleep. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!

Shaun