Memory Monday 2

February 21st 1993

Age 10

It was nice enough to be outside playing on a February afternoon so that's exactly what Luke was doing. Luke had a neighborhood friend over named Greg Johnson and the two of them were playing with the tether ball pole that afternoon. The pole was pretty much just a tire with cement in the middle and a pole to make it stand as a tether ball anchor. They decided to tip it over and make it into an axle with another spare tire they had. So between the two of them they tipped it over. With Luke at the heavy base, Greg let go of his lighter side to pick up the spare tire so he could put it on his end of the pole. He let go and when he did, the pole snapped up and it landed right on Luke's leg trapping him between the heavy cement filled tire and the ground. Luke screamed out in pain and Amy came running. She pushed the cement tire off his leg as she pried his leg free. Luke told them to call 911, but they decided to run and get their neighbor, Joyce who is a nurse first. Joyce came running and between her and Cade, they picked up Luke, put him in the back of the car and drove him up to Lakeview hospital. When they were picking him up, his leg bent and they could clearly see that it was broken. Larry and Holly were at the temple that afternoon, but no one knew what temple they were at. At the time, the Bountiful temple wasn't built yet so his parents could have been anywhere. They had to call the Ogden, Salt Lake and Jordan River temples to try and locate them. Since Cade was 18 at the time, he was old enough to sign the waver so that they could put Luke in traction. Luke was in the hospital for 3 weeks and four days and in a {half} body cast for three more weeks.

Luke always liked to eat golden grahams for breakfast and really didn't like the hospital food.

They had to put one long screw about the size of a pencil through his shin bone. They hooked it onto a pully system so that his leg wouldn't heal short. The incision from where they inserted the screw would itch so Luke would use a Q-tip to scratch it. 

The Johnsons let Luke borrow their Nintendo so that he could play in the hospital. 

The following morning, Looney Tunes were on the TV. The episode that was on that morning was of Sylvester the cat and the dog torturing each other. They also had broken legs and were in the hospial. 

Luke was in a lot of pain. He would have muscle spasms that would cause his broken bones to tap each other. 

But he had a lot of visitors over the course of his 3 week stay. Here he is with Greg and Dana.

And Amy making a beautiful Veigel face. 

When Luke got home, he was in a half body cast where he sat around for three more weeks. He loved playing this skateboard game.

He spent most of the time on the couch playing more Nintendo. He never liked to go out because he was embarrassed about his cast. He didn't even let anyone sign it. Someone in the ward made him the candy graham poster in this picture. 

When they took the cast off, it hurt to bend his knee and his leg itched like crazy. He had a little bit of nerve damage and his leg was slightly bowed, but it straightened out after a little while.  For physical therapy, he would go walk in the water at the bubble and to help increase his range of motion in his knee, he would bend it in a tub of hot water.

This was the only bone that Luke ever broke, but he sure made it count. He broke it on February 21st and was on crutches for a while, but on May 23rd, his birthday, he was able to walk on his own.

2 Months

(Briony was in the middle of crying in this picture and Milo couldn't stay sitting up)

At two months Briony and Milo are:

-Sleeping on average of 4 hours a night. They have gone 5 hours a couple of times.

-Wearing 0-3 month clothes

-Milo weighs more than Briony, but we're not sure how much until their doctors appointment coming up at the end of the week

-Milo is in size 1 diapers. He is getting big.

-Briony is still in new born diapers, but we are almost out of those so she'll soon be in size ones as well

-Milo eats about 5 ounces on average

-Briony eats about 3 1/2 on average

-Milo has gotten a lot better about not crying

-Briony has started crying a little more, but shes still a good baby

-They both love the swings

-When they eat, they still keep their tongues on the roof of their mouth so it still takes a few minutes to get them latched

-Briony now spits up more than Milo. Clearly he is loving his food.

-Briony snorts when she cries and Milo whimpers. We can certainly tell their cries apart now

-Their nails grow super fast

-They don't mind having baths

-Milo smiles more than Briony. There have been a couple of times where we have been talking to Milo and he has smiled at us.

-Their eye lashes are now noticeable and i love seeing them grow long

-Briony is such an alert baby. She has a piercing stare and sometimes furrows her eyebrows when you talk to her as if she was thinking you were crazy. I love it.

-Oliver is convinced that they love having the music on in the car...he may just be right because every time they cry in the car and I turn the music on, they stop.

-They toot all the time

-They love being snuggled

-Went from sleeping with 2 blankets and a beanie to just 1 blanket a no beanie

- Milo gets sweaty all the time even with just a light muslin blanket. He is just like Luke and Oliver in that sense.

-We have taken them out in public and to families homes more often...but still not very much

-They are both happy babies and we love watching them get bigger and fatter everyday

I really can't believe that it has been 2 months since they arrived. We love them so much and love having them both in our family. Soon we'll be blessing them and taking them out more and more as it gets warmer outside. We have been pretty paranoid about taking them out in fear that they might get sick. I'm sure our families and friends are sick of it, but as long as they stay healthy, that's all I care about. 

Memory Monday 1

I've been wanting to start memory Mondays on the blog for a while now. We have so many memories that we want to record before the good old blogging days. Every week I will post either one of my memories or one of Luke's. So, without further adieu, here is our first memory Monday post.

With Conference just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to take a look at our family at temple square.
Growing up, we would always go to conference. It was with in walking distance of our house. Once there, I always remember walking up the winding ramp to go see the Christus Statue. I loved the blue mural of the planets and stars that surrounded the room behind the incredibly white and huge statue. I would just sit there staring at my surroundings feeling like I was actually in the presence of Christ. We would go there all the time as kids and now looking back, I'm so happy my parents would take us there.

Another thing I remember about conference was that during conference weekend, usually after one of the Sunday sessions, we were always on the lookout for my Aunt Dora, Uncle Mario and all their kids. We would sit outside on the flower bed walls and be on the look out for them coming out of the dark tinted doors of this building where I'm sure they were listening to conference in Spanish (At least that was my understanding as a kid). Sometimes we would even bring a blanket and snacks and sit on the grass listening to conference blazing from the speakers at temple square.

 We were also fortunate enough to attend our Stake Conference in the Tabernacle. I loved going there as a child even though we had to sit on the very small hard wooden benches. When I heard that not everyone got to attend stake conference there, I thought it was so strange. Being there, I loved looking up at the light fixtures and trying to figure out the awkward spiral staircase ( I think that's what it was) that always sat to the right of us in the balcony. We always sat in the same spot. The balcony, straight across from the stage. It was so fun to look around at all the stake members and try to figure out where my friends were sitting. I loved having to go use the bathrooms too because that bathroom had so many stalls and the bathrooms were located in their own building. My mom wouldn't let us get out of our seats very often, so when we did have to go to the bathrooms, somehow it was a special treat.

Phia, helping me get a drink out of the drinking fountain just north of the tabernacle.

Now days, when I go to Temple Square as an adult, I feel like it is home. Every time we would walk to the mall, we would always cut through temple square, we would always go see the lights during Christmas. It was where I was baptized  at eight years old and where I would later have many many Mutual activities. We loved going to talk to the missionaries that were serving there. My parents had visitors from out of town stay at our house so that they too, could enjoy going to temple square. Conference time was a joyous time for us. We usually got new Easter dresses that we got to wear and my mom was big on dressing us all the same and making sure we were dressed in our very Sunday best to attend not only church, but conference. It was important to my parents that we frequent temple Square. After all, it was even the place where my dad had officially proposed to my mom.

Insta-Update

 I'm not super awesome at blogging anymore and I wish I had more interesting things to post, but I don't except for my life...which probably isn't all that interesting come to think of it. But I thought I would record what my life has been like these past couple of weeks anyway.

On the 20th, my dad would have turned 69 years old. This picture was taken {obviously} on my wedding day. One of my favorites with him. 

 My family met up at his grave to visit and sing happy birthday. It's so strange to have the Bakers sing Happy Birthday normally....dare I even say reverently. 

 We had two birthdays in our book group this past week so we celebrated at Nielson's. Happy birthday Bria and Kristin. Also, the vanilla custard with cookie dough topping may just be my new favorite. 

The night before St. Patrick's Day, Oliver made a trap to catch the Leprechaun. We found a box, set up the gold on the table and Oliver said that we would catch him because the Leprechaun would see the gold, trip on the foam roller and fall into the box. I'm not really sure why he put all the shoes in front of the door. Love how his little mind works.

We didn't catch the Leprechaun. Fortunately for Oliver though, he still left some gold coins, treats and a rainbow door. 

The Saturday before St. Patrick's day, we went to a fantastic dinner party at the Maudsley's where we had Corned beef and cabbage. I look forward to this meal every year and love the company. Thank you O'Maudsley's!

My mom also watched Briony and Milo so we could go out. It was the first time having her tend at our house and she did such a great job...but I wouldn't expect anything less from her. 

Luke went out of town for work training. It was a long week at home without him, but thankfully I have good family and friends that took care of us. 

(Climbing the walls during his break)

Oliver and I went to all three hours of church for the first time in months. It seemed to last a really long time, but we made the most of it. I don't know how we are ever going to last the whole time with two babies. Oye!

 I love the weekends. Mostly because I get to sleep. Luke, being the amazing husband that he is, will take all the night feedings all weekend long so that I can get a full nights sleep. On Sunday, not only did I sleep the whole night, but I also got a Sunday nap.  

Our dear friend, Barbara moved away to St. George this past fall. We would house/pet sit for her and we became close friends over the years. We were so excited to see her pull up in our driveway one day. She came to meet the babies and she even brought all the kids a little Easter treat. We sure miss her and I even miss that Mr. Attitude of a dog, Lester. 

We have enjoyed cuddling our babies. They are getting so big and I know that soon enough, we wont be able to hold them like this. 

 We love their fat cheeks. 

 Most of my days are spent sitting on the couch with the same view of the neighbors house. I feed these babies every 3 hours and so the living room has become the place where I am most of the time. Sometimes I find time to shower, but It's no surprise to Luke anymore if he comes home and I'm still in my pajamas...on the couch. Oh and I follow a strict TV schedule that goes a little something like this...

7ish-9:00 The Today Show

9:00-10:00 Live with Kelly and Micheal (I really enjoy this hour because usually Amy is feeding with me and we get to hang out for a little bit)

10:00-11:00 Kathy Lee and Hoda

11:00-12:00 The Price is Right

12:00-1:00 The Chew

1:00-2:00 Studio 5

2:00-3:00 Queen Latifa show

3:00-4:00 Ellen

By this time I am sick of the TV until the 6:00 feeding where we watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

 I may not look happy in this photo, but I really am. I wouldn't trade the monotony of my life for anything else right now. This is my new normal. 

How could I not be happy...just look at her. 

 And him.

Some days, I get to have lunch with these two. 

What I would do without these two is beyond me. LOVE them. 

And this boy. 

People ask me all the time if he helps out a lot. My answer, He helps out a lot just because he is a good kid. I'm so glad that he is so easy going and understands (for the most part) that the babies need me a lot these days. He seems to be okay with that. 

(Cheese pizza with 4 packs of Parmesan cheese at Sam's Club)

When the days have been nice, we have been trying to go on walks. The babies seem to love it as long as we keep moving. Oliver does not (such a home body...or flat out lazy), so we have to make it fun by looking for worms, checking to see if the water wheel has been turned on and finding cool sticks along the way. I was so excited when one day, he was the one with the idea to go on a walk. 

It's amazing what a little sunshine can do for the soul.

Speaking of getting out. The whole family loaded up and we went up to Park City to do a little shopping. It was so nice and we scored some killer deals to boot.

 We even ate here. 

And I also went out twice with Lindsay. Both times, shopping in PC followed by lunch/dinner. 

(Banana Republic Dressing room)

Ahh it's good to get out and have some girl time. 

I am so happy that spring is officially here and that the days are getting longer and warmer. Can't wait to be outside every day. 

Love my life. Love my Family. Love my friends. 

The Story Behind The Names

We decided early on in our pregnancy that we would keep the names that we had chosen for the babies pretty quiet. We had a few names picked out with whatever combinations the babies would be. I think people were surprised when their names were finally announced. 

Briony Bee:

Briony (pronunciation) Bry-uh-nee/Brian-y 

Of Irish or English Origin. 

Name meaning: Flowering vine 

Commonly known from the protagonist role in Ian McEwan's novel "Atonement"

I watched/read the movie Atonement years ago and I instantly fell in love with the name. After I watched the movie I decided to read the book where I saw the spelling of the name and loved it even more. I knew that if I ever had a girl, I would name her Briony. It took some time for Luke to warm up to the name, but once he did, we were totally set on it. Bee is memory of my dad. I have always loved bee's because of him. He was a bee keeper growing up and I thought that was one of the coolest things about him. I remember feeling so proud to call him my dad when he would come to our elementary school to show us his bee presentation. He taught us not to fear such a hard working and important insect and showed us the true beauty behind them. Growing up, we would always play among the bees, get excited when he's get a phone call to go rescue a hive and we had an endless supply of honey. Now in my own house, I can constantly be reminded of him with the simple symbol of a bee or in the name of my daughter. 

Milo William:

Milo (pronunciation) My-lo

Of German/Greek Origin

Name meaning: Mild, peaceful, calm (German) or apple (Greek)

Commonly known from movies such as "Heart and Souls" and "Milo and Otis."

Luke first suggested the name a while ago. I didn't give it a chance being that Trent and Amy use to have a dog named Milo. Over time I grew to really love the name and with just a couple of months left of our pregnancy, we decided on the name. William is also in memory of my dad. That was his first name and I love the classic name. We knew all along that if we ever had another son, his middle name would be William. This name was fairly easy to agree on. 

Briony Bee & Milo William

(Photo Credit  http://ko-photography.blogspot.com)