Ty and Em

2 Months

2012-01-19T11:47:00.001-08:00

Our handsome boy is 2 months old!

Brignone Family

2012-01-13T10:20:00.001-08:00

Tyler's family was on town over New Years for James's blessing. It was so great to have the whole family together. I feel so lucky to have 2 loving, supportive, and all around awesome families! Tyler fits right in with my family and I fit right in with his. James will grow up with the best grandparents, aunts, and uncles around!

2012-01-02T11:16:00.001-08:00

1 Month

2011-12-19T11:26:00.001-08:00

Go Jazz!

2011-12-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

Poor James doesn't stand a chance. The Jazz will break his heart too.

Love this boy

2011-12-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

I think Hugo is acting out...

2011-12-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today he ate a lighter.
And half a cake.
But at least he feels bad about it.

Whoops!

2011-12-11T16:25:00.001-08:00

I guess forgetting about cookies in the oven is one of the many side effects of being a very tired new mom!

Caught One!

2011-12-05T09:21:00.001-08:00

He's been smiling for a while but I was never fast enough with the camera until now. How cute is he?!

Baby's First Bath

2011-11-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

At first he was a little bewildered, but once we poured some warm water over him he was in heaven!

James is here!

2011-11-25T13:35:00.001-08:00

James Thompson Brignone
Born 11/19/11, 2:17 PM
8 lbs 14 oz
22 inches long

He is absolutely perfect. We are so in love with him! Tyler's dad made a comment that when Tyler was born it was like a new chamber opened up inside his heart. I can't think of a better way to put it. Now that he is here, I don't know how we ever lived without him!

So here's the story:
My water broke on Friday the 18th at 2:00 PM. We checked in at triage, and I was still at a "loose 1", the same as I had been for 3 weeks. We planned on an unmedicated birth, so I wanted to avoid pitocin and an epidural. I was having contractions, but I wasn't progressing at all so they sent us walking the halls trying to get things moving.
Since my water was broken and I was at risk for infection, my midwife Kathy said she'd give me 8 hours to start progressing and after that we needed to start pitocin. 8 hours came and went, with nothing to show for it, so they added the pit to my IV. They started the dose at 4 units, and came in and checked for progress every couple of hours. Every time I was checked, I was still the same, so they would turn up the pitocin. By about midnight I was contracting hard every 2 minutes, but still not dilating. By morning the pitocin was turned up to 20 and my contractions were right on top of each other.
I hadn't slept all night and I was exhausted, plus with no break between contractions I was wearing down quickly. I was sure when I got checked this time they would tell me I was getting close. I was told I was barely a 3. It had been 19 hours and I'd only dilated a centimeter and a half. When the nurse left Tyler and I talked about what we should do and we decided that since I wasn't getting anywhere and I was in so much pain that we should get the epidural in hopes that it would relax my body and help me progress. I was disappointed to give up on having him naturally, but it felt like the right thing to do at that point. It ended up being a a good choice.
Once the epi was in, I went from a 3 to a 10 in a little over an hour. Even though I was a 10, he was still really high up in my pelvis and my pushing wasn't bringing him down at all. I pushed for an hour and he didn't budge. They decided to let me rest in hopes that the contractions would push him down. After about an hour of this, I started hearing his heart decelerate every time I had a contraction. At this point they checked his position and he was still really high and hadn't moved at all. They had me push through more contractions and not only was he not moving down, but he wasn't tolerating the contractions and his heart rate continued to drop.
Before I knew what was really happening, the anesthesiologist was back adding something to my epidural, they were handing Tyler surgical clothes and a mask, and I was being wheeled to the OR. Once they had me open and tried to lift him out, they realized that he was stuck! His head was pinned under my pelvic bone and it took what felt like forever for them to maneuver him out. They finally got him out, and I heard him cry. They showed him to me for just a second then took him away to get cleaned up and checked. Despite a bruised face and a hematoma on his head, he scored 9's on both apgars and was in great shape.
Even though his birth was the exact opposite of what I'd hoped and planned for, I am grateful for the way things worked out. James just had other plans for his grand entrance! My midwife joked to me that now I've experienced it all - natural labor, pitocin, the epidural, pushing, and a c section. I feel like we were taken care of so well and all the right decisions were made by hospital staff and my midwife along the way. We're both safe and healthy, so I'm happy!

He's a big boy!

He looks just like his daddy. I love it.

He smiles in his sleep.

He only ever cries when he's cold and he loves being swaddled.

Look What We Got!

2011-09-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

I found a piano on KSL classified for 50 bucks. I wanted to fix it up and surprise Tyler for Christmas, but he knew I was up to something and he couldn't handle the suspense. It's a little beat up and it needs to be tuned, but we're super excited about it.

Kitchen

2011-09-08T11:06:00.001-07:00

It's almost finished. Really.

BEFORE

NOW

We have redone everything, right down to the electrical and plumbing. It is now wonderfully up to code. We still need to get switch covers, caulk around the backsplash, and install the floors.

There is, however, one problem.

Tyler hates the paint color. He doesn't know what color he thinks it should be, but he knows he doesn't like "touch of lemon". I already painted the table and sewed curtains to accent the paint color. I don't know what to do. Any thoughts?

Nursery!

2011-08-16T14:19:00.001-07:00

The nursery is pretty much done and it turned out really cute! I love repurposing old stuff so I decided to save some money and refinish old stuff for his room. The dressers were in me and Shannon's room when we were little so I fixed them up and painted them and replaced the knobs. The chair was a DI find - 15 bucks! So I painted that too and sewed new cushions for it. We found cute airplane bedding and we love how it turned out. I know we have almost 3 months before his due date but I've got the nesting instinct BAD and I can't help myself!

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Anatomy Ultrasound

2011-07-14T12:48:00.001-07:00

We got to see Baby James today for our mid-pregnancy ultrasound! Everything looks great. He is a little shy about showing his face. He always tries to hide it with his hands but we got a couple of shots. We are getting so excited to meet him!

3D face

Profile

Toes!

Foot sticking up

Baby Update

2011-06-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I haven't posted about baby for almost a month! I had an appointment last week and everything looks great! As of last week he was 11 inches long and weighed 12 ounces. We got a 3d shot of his face and he is SO CUTE! I tried to post it but every picture I take of the ultrasound photo is all reflected and hard to see...so I'll try gain next time. Our level II ultrasound is 2 weeks from tomorrow. Yay!

Have I ever mentioned..

2011-06-28T22:33:00.001-07:00

That I have a really hard time waiting to finish one project before I start on another?

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Cute.

2011-06-11T12:56:00.001-07:00

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Still A Boy

2011-06-03T08:59:00.001-07:00

We had an appointment with our midwife yesterday. Everything looks great with Baby Brignone! He is now about 6 inches from head to toe. He is a big boy, and measures about a week ahead of his due date. He is a mini Tyler - long arms, long legs, and a huge head. He's a little stinker and sucks him thumb so we can't ever get a good look at his face. At the beginning of the appointment our midwife asked if we wanted to find out the sex and we told her we'd been impatient and gone to fetal fotos and they had told us boy. She said "oh that makes my job easier!" and started the ultrasound. The first thing that popped up on the screen was a bum shot with the manhood plain as day. She said, "just in case you needed confirmation, there it is!" My belly has officially "popped" out and it is still there when I wake up in the morning rather than disappearing overnight like it used to. I feel him dancing around in there once in a while if I pay attention. I have a feeling the next 4 and a half months are going to fly right by!

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2011-05-26T17:03:00.001-07:00

Look what I got in the mail today. And yes, they each came in a separate envelope. 6 parking tickets from Weber State. Well you know what, Weber State? I bought your stupid 'W' permit since you wouldn't sell me an 'A' permit. But here's the thing, the 'W' lots are ALWAYS full. So either I'm parking in the 'A' lot and getting a ticket, or I can't go to class, because I sure as heck don't have a hour before and after class to take the shuttle from the Dee Events Center. So bite me, Weber State. I'm appealing all of these just to be a pain in your butt like you are a pain in mine.

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Its a BOY!!!

2011-05-24T10:20:00.001-07:00

There is the proof! He refused to uncross his legs for the "money shot", but according to the ultrasound tech there is no doubt that these are boy parts. Tyler was SO SURE that it was a boy from the very beginning that when she told us he barely even reacted. The look on his face was like "yeah, duh". I am so excited that he was right and we don't have to return all the boy stuff he bought! Tyler is going to be a great daddy.

This is my favorite shot. He is totally posing with his head on his hand like he is deep in thought.

He's getting so big and strong!

Here he is looking straight out at us with his hand up. He must have been curious about what all the poking was about because he wouldn't give us a profile shot. If we tried to get him to move he would do a complete turn and end up facing forward again!

Kitchen Update

2011-05-15T12:59:00.001-07:00

The top cabinets are ready to go in! The bottoms are still in boxes in the garage but they'll be ready soon. Hooray for having a kitchen again soon!

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Baby B - Second Trimester Style!

2011-05-04T11:37:00.001-07:00

Here is Baby Brignone at 12 weeks! He always has his hands up to his face so we never get a good look at his cute little profile. We refer to the baby as "HE" even though we don't know for sure what it is yet. Everyone thinks boy, so I guess I just got it in my head that it's a boy. I will be in for a surprise if he ends up being she! I was hoping that the 2nd trimester would bring instant relief from morning sickness, but so far I haven't been that lucky. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it starts fading soon because I'm so ready to eat normal people food again! If anyone has any tips for me please let me know! My next appointment isn't for 4 weeks and I think I will die if I have to wait that long. I'm hoping to go to fetal fotos in a couple of weeks and see if they can give us a definite answer as to whether I need to return all the baby boy clothes Tyler has brought home!

And a Baby Makes Three

2011-04-24T16:16:00.001-07:00

We are expecting Baby Brignone in November! Getting pregnant has been a long road for us and we are thrilled! Our midwife has advised us to expect a hyper kid, as the baby is having a dance party every time we peek in for an ultrasound.

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Hugo

2011-04-16T09:10:00.001-07:00

How cute is he?

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Why yes, that is our kitchen.

2011-04-06T09:48:00.001-07:00

Meet our amazing two headed cat!

2011-03-11T21:47:00.001-08:00

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Tyler's big break!

2011-03-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

I made this sign for the Jazz game we went to and Tyler made it on TV!

And here's the video. If you turn it up you can hear them talking about the sign.

2011-03-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

I patched some giant holes Tyler made in the wall and what thanks do I get?

Tyler: "You look scary, honey."

All of Tyler's wildest dreams have come true

2011-02-26T09:38:00.001-08:00

Well, it happened. Tyler bought a motorcycle. It looks like this, sans windsheild and saddle bags which he promptly sold. So if you see him on it, please yell for him to slow down for me.

Valentines Day

2011-02-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

Do you like the flowers Tyler got me? He's my creative valentine.

Bonnet Boy

2011-01-23T12:34:00.001-08:00

My mom thinks he looks like an astronaut dog.

Hugo

2011-01-19T08:53:00.000-08:00

I look our dog/child Hugo to the vet last weekend because he was shaking his ears a lot and I wondered if they needed to be cleaned or if he had an infection. After a quick look into his ears by the vet, I was told that he had a very serious ear infection and was in a lot of pain, and that if he didn't get it taken care of he would go deaf. So one 600 dollar surgery later he was home with a cone and a bag full of medicine. He has to wear the cone for 2 weeks to keep him from flapping his ears, and he had to take a sedative, antibiotic, and antihistimine among other medicines. We went and bought him a "comfy cone" so he doesn't really mind it. Because the cone only has to cover his ears we fold it back so it looks like a bonnet. He looks so cute and pathetic. I'll post a picture of the "bonnet" tonight.

Something to blog about

2010-11-29T18:02:00.000-08:00

Weeeee're back! I have friends whose blogs I follow, and it drives me crazy when they don't update for a long time. So....I figured I should update ours. We've been trying for a baby for more than a year now, and I've come to the conclusion that while I definitely want to keep trying, I need to find ways to focus my attention elsewhere to stay upbeat. So, much to Tyler's dismay, I've taken on a few projects around the house. I'm going to post pictures of the progress. This is our current basement. I didn't think to take a picture at the very beginning, so I guess you'll just have to imagine what the green carpet and stained wood paneling looked like. The pictures start post-demolition. Can I just say...I LOVE breaking stuff.

Truman has the right idea here staying upstairs. It's terrifying down there. As you can see, there is a random wire dangling across the stairwell. The previous owners were masters of jimmy rigging.

The basement is the only part of the house that hasn't been updated. The heating duct on the left side of the picture is part of an old and super inefficient wall heater that we have not run at all because it would probably burn our house down. It's coming out.

Here's Tyler after pulling off the paneling. I always trick him into helping me. It might be a little bit before real visible progress happens because the next step is adding some electrical switches and adding ductwork to connect this room and another room into the main heating unit. I can't wait!

The many adventures of Shannon

2010-01-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

I have to share this crazy story that just happened to Shannon. She has a season pass to Snowbasin, and she spends all her free time in the winter skiing. The gondolas at Snowbasin go pretty fast and they need at least 3 seconds to decelerate enough to safely stop. So she was in the gondola with 3 of a friends and a stranger when their gondola suddenly stopped due to a computer error. Because it was moving so fast when it stopped, the gondola swung way up over the tower, throwing them all out of their seats, then fell back down with so much force that they dropped 35 feet and actually smashed into the ground before being bounced back up. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt, though they did get thrown around and banged up. According to personel at Snowbasin, if the gondola had been at full capacity, or even just had one or two more people in it, the entire gondola would have been crushed when it hit the ground, probably killing them. Of course, Shannon and her crazy friends thought it was awesome and skiied down to where the gondola hit the ground and took pictures of the crater.

Ready. Set. School.

2010-01-02T12:08:00.001-08:00

Thanks to our tax credit from our new house, Tyler is starting school again! So starting Monday, we will both be full time students at Weber State. We just bought our books online, for a surprisingly cheap total of $430 (No that is not sarcasm, we were expecting to pay way more). Hopefully now that Tyler has his own homework to do I won't get so distracted and I can be more diligent with mine! Here are our classes for this semester.

Tyler
Education 1010
Political Science 1100
Psychology 1100
Spanish 1010

He'll probably breeze through his classes...I'm not so sure about mine.

Emily
Astronomy 1040 (I've been putting off this general forever, its finally time)
English 3080
Spanish 3060 - With native speakers and return missionaries....help!
English 3280 - Biographical Writing, I'm excited for this one.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T16:06:00.000-08:00

Love, the naughtiest cats in the world.

Disneyland!

2009-12-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

Last Winter, Tyler and I were hanging out at Zach and Kara's house when they told us that they were planning a trip to Disneyland for December. Tyler told them how jealous he was and how much he loved Disneyland, and Zach suggested we come along! So almost a year and more than a few dollars later, we made it to Anaheim! Here are some pictures!

Pretty Christmas time castle

After we took the picture Tyler said, "I wanted to stand next to the princess."
While we were waiting in line at the cafe, the mad hatter grabbed us and made us play musical chairs with Alice and Peter Pan in front of everyone. Tyler and Zach got out first. Me and Kara made it down to the end, but we lost because Peter Pan kept stealing chairs.
Do you think this trend will catch on?

Crazy Main Street after the fireworks. The giant crowds made me get anxiety!

The 4 of us goofing off in the hotel elevator.
We were disappointed they wouldn't let us on the pirate ship!

New Kitties

2009-11-07T20:50:00.000-08:00

We got 2 new kitties, a brother and sister named Riff and Apple Drop. Riff is really naughty and friskie. His purr sounds like a jet engine. Apple Drop is smart and inquisitive. She likes hiding in cupboards.

Family Room

2009-10-14T16:33:00.001-07:00

Spare Bedroom/Office

2009-10-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

Future Baby Room?

Kitchen & Laundry Room

2009-10-14T16:22:00.001-07:00

Look how cute our stackable washer and dryer are!

This is where our next tax return is going.

Music Room

2009-10-14T16:19:00.001-07:00

Bedroom & Bathroom

2009-10-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

New House!

2009-10-14T16:03:00.001-07:00

We love it our new house! We've only been here a couple of weeks, but it already feels like home. We are so grateful for everyone's help in getting us here. Owning a home of our own is an awesome feeling. More pictures coming soon!

2009-01-27T17:48:00.001-08:00

Shannon comes home from her mission in 10 days! I can't belive it! I am so excited to see her, and her kitty that she accidentally adopted while out there! She has changed and matured a lot, but she's definately still the crazy Shan we love! Start the countdown!

Giant cupcake!

2009-01-26T17:54:00.000-08:00

So Jane got me this awesome giant cupcake mold for Christmas! Its so much fun!

The Many Faces of Tyler

2009-01-25T21:32:00.001-08:00

Underwear head.

Contemplative.
Doing his hair.
Tough Guy.
Nobody knows.

Playing fetch in our tiny house.

2009-01-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

Truman

2009-01-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

Truman is the best dog ever. His pastimes are snuggling, playing with squeaky toys, riding in the car, and unraveling the carpet. He loves his awesome mommy and daddy and his two brothers, Vinny (our cat) and Nick (his actual brother who lives with my parents). He doesn't like to be alone, and he tries to sneak to work with us. He's a big dog in a little dog package. We love Truman. He's really hard to take pictures of because he's all black. He just looks like a black poofy thing in most pictures. Best dog ever.

Vinny

2008-06-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

Vinny is our cat. He thinks he's a person.

For Jane!

2008-06-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

We got blogs because we miss you! We're

sorry we haven't given you pictures yet.
We're the worst! Here's a little sample though!

2008-06-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

Blogging?

2008-06-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

I guess blogging is the thing to do these days.

Ty and Em

2 Months

Brignone Family

1 Month

Go Jazz!

Love this boy

I think Hugo is acting out...

Whoops!

Caught One!

Baby's First Bath

James is here!

Look What We Got!

Kitchen

Nursery!

Anatomy Ultrasound

Baby Update

Have I ever mentioned..

Cute.

Still A Boy

Its a BOY!!!

Kitchen Update

Baby B - Second Trimester Style!

And a Baby Makes Three

Hugo

Why yes, that is our kitchen.

Meet our amazing two headed cat!

Tyler's big break!

All of Tyler's wildest dreams have come true

Valentines Day

Bonnet Boy

Hugo

Something to blog about

The many adventures of Shannon

Ready. Set. School.

Merry Christmas

Disneyland!

New Kitties

Family Room

Spare Bedroom/Office

Kitchen & Laundry Room

Music Room

Bedroom & Bathroom

New House!

Giant cupcake!

The Many Faces of Tyler

Playing fetch in our tiny house.

Truman

More posts!

Vinny

For Jane!

Blogging?