The Bean Reunion that ALMOST WAS

We had wonderful Bean Reunion planned to go camping in Southern Utah. All 9 of my Dad's siblings would be there with their spouses and kids. Even my Aunt and Uncle+kids from Germany! I love that family and I was excited to have them finally meet Jake and Calvin.

But we never made it.
Instead, we spent the week at Dixie Regional Medical Hospital in St. George :(

We started the trip off hanging out with my immediate family in Orderville, Utah--a small town to hang out at just a few days before the BIG reunion. Everyone but Annelise and Andrew could make it. Annelise was finishing up her last weeks of her Undergrad degree at BYUI and Andrew was settling at his new job for Toyota in Torrence, CA. I guess they were preoccupied. ;)

We stayed at a Best Western Hotel (thanks Jake!) that was conveniently located on a golf course. The boys enjoyed playing everyday we were there. Even Calvin!

Some locals at church told us about a cool hike near our hotel that would be fun to check out. So we did! We weren't exactly sure where we were going, but we figured it out together.

The red rock was beautiful! Chris and Calvin took a moment to carve their initials into the rock.

We got to a point where the only way to continue was to climb up the rock using rope. With two small children and a pregnant lady, there was no way we could continue. But of course Calvin had to try.

So this is where we ended the hike (by default). Calvin was not too excited about that.

I was so impressed with Calvin. He hiked the whole way all by himself (~3miles there and back!). When Jake offered to help carry him, he refused. He was determined to do it all on his own. I didn't mind walking slow with him (especially since I was taking it easy). Calvin ended up sleeping the best afternoon nap while we watched the USA vs. Portugal World Cup game.

Since Orderville is such a small town, the options of places to eat were quite limited. However, we discovered a hidden gem up in Zion Mountain Ranch called The Buffalo Grill. The restaurant was located on a buffalo ranch where many animals (chickens, ducks, horses, etc.) were roaming the land while we ate a fancy dinner. It was the perfect place to enjoy a nice meal while letting Calvin explore his surroundings.

We had a delightful time in Orderville. But it was soon time to head up to the campsite to meet up with the rest of the Bean clan for the BIG family reunion. 

The night before, I woke up in the middle of the night with ANOTHER fever. All weekend, I had been struggling with: 

1) fevers

2) breathing
I was having trouble taking a full breath without coughing. Overall, I was feeling fine. I figured I couldn't breathe as well due to the combination of being pregnant and being at a high altitude.

The morning of the reunion, I visited the local Physician's Assistant. We discovered that my oxygen level was low; equivalent to a smoker who smokes two packs a day. Obviously my issues with breathing was more than just being pregnant. The PA strongly recommended that I get a CT scan to see what was wrong with my lungs. She was guessing that it could be pneumonia or even a blood clot, but I wouldn't be able to know without the scan.

So Jake and I headed to Dixie Regional Medical Hospital in St. George while my family headed to the Bean Reunion with Calvin. We would be 4 hours away from each other!

After reviewing the results from my CT scan, I was admitted to the ER and placed with a mask. A pulmonologist pulled up my CT scan and showed us that my lungs were peppered with spots throughout each lung. This could be many things: bacteria, virus, fungi. But we wouldn't know what it was or how to treat it until MORE testing was performed.

I spent 5 days at the hospital on various antibiotics and drugs to treat a bunch of possible bacteria, viruses, and fungi. A medical team including a primary doctor, pulmonologist, infectious disease specialist, and a high risk maternal/neonatal specialist all ordered various tests and watched me carefully. I felt extremely well taken care of. 

Fortunately, the doctors ruled out anything contagious. Unfortunately, they still didn't have a conclusive answer. They were guessing that I had Coccidioidomycosis (aka Valley Fever). But the results wouldn't be available for about 6 weeks. 

My doctors had never worked with Valley Fever before, so they were dealing with unknown territory. Case studies that they did read about didn't end up with a good result, especially for pregnant women. 

Coccidioidomycosis is a fungus in the dirt that is found in two locations of the entire US: 

1) San Joaquin Valley of California (where Jake and I grew up) and 

2) Phoenix, Arizona valley (where we currently live). 

Knowing this, the doctors were pretty confident that I did have Valley Fever. I was discharged with the assignment to meet with the Valley Fever specialist in Phoenix ASAP. 

Although this entire experience was not so fun (especially on vacation), I was grateful that Jake was available to be by my side and Calvin was well taken care of under the wings of my parents. Calvin had a BLAST camping with my extended family. When he came to visit me in the hospital, he was covered with dirt! After he took a quick shower, he came and snuggled with me. We were so happy to be reunited.

Weeks later, back in Phoenix, it was confirmed that I did have colonies of Coccidioidomycosis in my lungs and blood. It feels good to know what's wrong and have a treatment plan in place.

Although this has been tough, there are so many things to be grateful for...

I'm grateful that Jake has really good health insurance to cover our 22K+ medical bill!!

I'm grateful for my Mom, our family ER nurse, who encouraged me to get checked out and was a great resource for medical advice. 

I'm grateful for my Uncle Greg, my OBGYN family doctor. Thank you for making connections with doctors in the St. George area to make sure I had the best medical care possible for me and the baby.

I'm grateful for my cousin Jason driving up the mountain side like a maniac to help my Mom and Uncle Greg find cell phone reception in order to communicate with me. His speed racing skills were quite handy!!

I'm grateful for the many prayers that my family said for me at the family reunion. I was definitely comforted during a trying time.

I'm grateful for the priesthood. I'm grateful that Jake, Uncle Greg and my Dad could step up as worthy priesthood holders to give me a blessing of health for me and the baby. Many things were said in that blessing that gave me great comfort and guidance during many medical decisions.

And I'm grateful that our baby BOY is doing perfectly fine. The last day we were in the hospital, an ultrasound was performed to evaluate the baby's anatomy. During that time we found out that we're having another boy!! Yay for healthy baby and for another boy!

From Tarzan to Dapper Dan - Calvin's first real haircut

Jake and I decided to let Calvin's hair grow out to see what it could do. To our surprise, we found out that its got some wave & curls to it. However, when he woke up from his nap looking like this...

...we knew it was time for a haircut. What a mess! 

In the past, we've bribed Calvin with candy, movies, toys, and anything he wanted during a haircut. But we still ended up having Jake hold down Cal's body and arms in his lap and I would hold his head still while my cousin Brooke cut his hair. We always hated that. He would kick, scream and fight the whole time but we'd finally get the hair cut done. It was a traumatic experience for all of us.

Jake did a great job at explaining to Cal what the clippers and scissors do and how it was important to stay still so we didn't accidentally cut him. 

This is the face he gave us when he understood. He's not too excited about getting his hair cut but he was certainly compliant.

Calvin's least favorite part was getting sprayed with water. He kept telling Jake, "Stop! Stop it! Stop it Dad!!" (Sometimes giggling, but mostly yelling.)

A lollipop solved all his problems. I'm so glad that something so simple can help him sit still and distract him enough to cut his hair.

Jake and I were not sure what we wanted to do with his hair. We just knew it needed to be short on the sides. Soon enough, Calvin expressed that he wanted his hair like Dad's. We did the best we could!

Calvin was good about sitting still while Jake went at him with the clippers. I'm glad I didn't have to hold him down like a straight jacket.

Calvin was very worried about hair getting on his lollipop...

...and hair on his body. 

My job became washing his lollipop and dusting off the hair on his body with a towel.

Jake and Calvin had a great time cutting hair, eating lollipops, and watching spider-man cartoons. 

What do you think? Not bad for our first time cutting his hair!

Thanks for cooperating so well, Calvin! We hope you feel cooler in this heat!

Our Birthday Weekend

Jake's Birthday: June 13th

We enjoyed Jake being home after work/post-workout to enjoy some birthday celebration. For his birthday dinner he wanted a SALAD. Did you here that folks? A healthy, chicken salad. I guess turning 26 makes him older and wiser about many things, including food choices. 

After dinner, we enjoyed some cupcakes that were made by our little man, CALVIN! Of course, I helped him measure the ingredients, but he did the rest. He's a great little helper. He especially had fun licking the batter and putting sprinkles on the frosting. Calvin loved setting up for Dad's party with lots of balloons and wrapping his presents. He was really excited for Dad's birthday.

Our 'Tween Day: June 14th

This day has always been fun for Jake and I to celebrate because it's the day between our birthdays. We usually do more celebrating on our 'tween day than on our actual birthdays. It's fun sharing the fun festivities with my best friend :)

In the morning, we went to a movie showing hosted by Disney through Jake's work (Best Western). It was fun taking Calvin to a kid-friendly movie where he played with glow sticks and ate lots of popcorn & fruit snacks. 

...Unfortunately, the movie was a bit old for Calvin. 2/3rds way through the movie, he was ready to get up and move around. He and Jake discovered the arcade and played there through the rest of the movie.

After the movie, we headed to our favorite burger restaurant: Zinburger. We all know how Jake LOVES hamburgers: anytime, anyplace, any day. However, I'm not at all the same way. Jake discovered Zinburger near his work and knew that I would love it. And I do! Those burgers are the best I've ever had. Unfortunately, I can never eat a burger anywhere else ever again.

While we waited to be seated, Calvin loved exploring the shopping area. He ran through the overhead misters, played in the water fountains, and collected lots of leaves. This is Calvin so excited to show Mom a cool leaf he found.

After our delicious lunch, Chris and his girlfriend, Brittany, took Calvin to an awesome pool/splash-pad for kids while we shopped for maternity clothes for my birthday present. A much needed trip! In this over 100 degree weather, I needed some clothes that fit well and were more breezy than my Utah maternity clothes. It was so nice browsing and trying on clothes without chasing a toddler around the stores. Thanks again for helping out with Calvin, brother!

While we were out and about, we got 2 flat tires. What the heck?! The first tire had a nail stuck in it that was slowly leaking air. Jake put on the spare, but then after a few miles that old spare tire blew out completely. Unfortunately, all tire places around us had already closed up shop for the weekend (even places that were supposed to be open). That was annoying. However, we managed to get home just fine. Jake put the tire with the nail back on and added more air. As long as we kept air in the tire, it was good to drive on.

Unfortunately, due to all this tire drama, we missed out on playing soccer at our favorite indoor place: Barney Sports Complex. We were really bummed, but we made the most of it.

Brittney's Birthday/Father's Day: June 15th 

(Yay! I'm officially 19 weeks pregnant!)

By the time our 3rd day of celebrating arrived, we were pretty exhausted. We spent the morning at church and the afternoon relaxing at home. For dinner, all my family in Arizona (Uncle Brad, Aunt Janet, Cousin Teig + family, Cousin Brooke, Brother Chris + gf) congregated at Grandma and Gramdpa Campell's house for dinner and cake. It was nice to be around family for my birthday and to celebrate fatherhood to all the Dads.

After cake, we video chatted with Annelise, Jeff/Alyssa&Elizabeth, Mom/Dad&Nick. It was fun chatting with so much family in one evening.

We are so grateful for our friends and family that made us feel special this past weekend. Thank you for all the birthday wishes! 

Calvin's Potty Training Adventures

I was sooo nervous to start potty training Calvin. Why? I guess I thought it would be a huge fight between parent and child to get him to do it. So I prepped myself with supplies before we started:

books about going potty in the toilet

a little toilet just for Cal

a box of CapriSun juice

stickers

m&m's

and a handmade chart

A week or two before we started potty training, I read him books about going potty in the toilet to help prep his mind for the idea of trying to go on the toilet. I looked up amazon reviews about which books are the best for potty training boys these days. These were the top three books: 

I loved The Potty Book for Boys by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. It goes through the whole experience of wearing diapers, trying to go in the potty, having accidents, and picking out underwear at the store. I especially like how it talks about feelings and that it's okay to have accidents as long as you keep trying to go in the potty. 

Calvin loved the book Even Firefighters go the Potty by Wendy Wax and Naomi Wax. It goes through different characters (fireman, policeman, baseball player, doctor, astronaut, etc.) showing what activity they are busy doing. They all take a break from what their doing to go to the potty. On each page there is a flap designed like a bathroom door that Cal can open and see the character in the bathroom. 

With both of those books combined, I think it helped Calvin understand the step-by-step process of going potty as well as the importance of taking a pause in whatever your doing to make sure you go to the potty when you feel like you have to go. 

The third book, Pirate Potty by Samantha Berger wasn't that impressive to me or Calvin. The setting and wording was in pirate lingo which made it fun but unrelatable for Calvin. I wouldn't recommend it.

POTTY TRAINING TIME!!!

Once all the diapers were used and gone out of the house, we started potty training the next day. I planned it that way so I didn't have the temptation of reverting back to diapers if it was going poorly. When Calvin woke up I told him, "Oh no Calvin! All the diapers are gone!! No more diapers. Where are you going to go pee?" He looked at me with an adorable concerned face, took a moment to think and said, "Hmmm...potty!" YES! I was so glad he came to that conclusion on his own. I showed him his little potty that he could use. I explained to him that each time he goes pee in the potty he would get a sticker and an m&m. Cal was really excited about that. So I gave him as many CapriSun juices as he wanted (so he could feel the urge to pee more frequently) and kept his bum naked (so he didn't have to worry about pulling clothes down yet...just focus on getting to the potty in time). 

Calvin did great! Day 1 and 2 were learning experiences, but overall he got the hang of it. 

Calvin was excited about his new potty. He wanted to sit on it and read his potty books :)
Initially, I kept the potty out in the main kitchen/family room area so that he could visually see where he had to go and he could get to it quickly. 

We made sure he went to the potty before he went to bed hoping to encourage him not to pee while he slept. But he still wore "pull-ups" at night just in case.

I noticed he was having stage fright about going #2 in his potty. So I thought watching a movie while sitting there would help him. Nope! He just watched a movie.

After a week of keeping the potty in the main kitchen/family room area, he was ready to move his potty to his bathroom. He liked the idea of having his own space and being able to help out with the clean up.

In this picture below, Calvin is telling me to take a picture because he's a "big boy." I was so proud, he went straight to the potty when he woke up. But he had to bring his comfort items: Snowflake and Pillow.

Lately, since he's so good about telling us that he needs to go potty NOW. Thanks to Dad, he's even mastered going pee on a tree when toilets aren't available.

I'm so grateful Calvin was so excited and ready to be potty trained :) That made my life a lot easier. Thanks kid!