Charmingly Cute

This week has been exhausting.  iMac crashing (I'm dying without my lightroom),  first of three bathroom tearouts, and lastly potty training.  Weirdly, I am so thankful for these challenges.  Many around me have been suffering with medical issues, losing children, and even losing faith.  So my problems are so minor compared to others struggling. 

Is it just me or is being a two and a half your old a tricky job?  Even harder, being a mom sometimes.  My sweet girl has her flustered moments, but still at the end of the day we fall back in love, say our prayers, and fall asleep happy.  What helps you work through your struggles with your kiddos?  I'm still figuring this out lately.  Heavenly Father has been the true guiding light for me in how I view my kids.  Don't get me wrong, I still occasionally lock myself in my room and scream into my pillow.  What mom doesn't?  I feel like I'm constantly being reminded to be thankful for each challenge we have to overcome.  3 years ago, all I wanted was a baby and now I have 2 precious miracles.  Children ARE so rewarding and totally worth it.

Now for the lighter side of post. 

Ava and I both have a jewelry obsession.  A couple on months ago the fabulous Cheri Holden shared her wonderful jewelry making talents with me.  You know when you just meet someone who is just an incredible gal, mother, and wife plus she's gorgeous?  That's Cheri.    I had been searching everywhere for the perfect gold bar necklace, well it so happens that she makes them.  I love supporting local businesses, plus if you meet her she's amazing.  Cheri's Etsy Shop has the most darling creations and I urge you to check it out and get your hints started for Christmas.  Yes, it will come before you know it and my sweet jewelry maker would love to take care of you.

I can't wait to get sis her own necklace one day. Ava's my best friend and I will do everything I can to remind her of that for at least the next 16 years.  

Here is a link to my necklace that Ava is wearing.

I hope each of you have a wonderful Labor Day.  Be safe. 

Jameson

A new babe & my float spa experience!

Before I get started, I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful support of our new arrival, Cohen.  He smells like heaven and is just the sweetest little babe.  I'm working on his birth story for my next blog so stay tuned.  

Disclaimer: I was around 32 weeks pregnant when I went for my spa day.  I would suggest consulting your Doc before trying anything you aren't familiar with.  

A couple months ago, I was achy, pregnant, and about to turn 30.  That, my friends, is a dangerous combo.  Tim suggested that we have a spa day.  I was looking around for a fun package and I had a friend suggest his family's spa. 

Enter InSPArations. 

A couple things about this spa: they offer traditional massages and infrared saunas, but the cherry on top is the float spa.   If you want to do a full treatment, you do sauna, massage, and then a float.  When Tim and I got there we were greeted by a friendly staff and led to the infrared sauna.  We changed into robes and slippers and sat in the sauna for about 30 minutes.  

The Infrared Sauna isn't a normal sauna.   You don't get hot, but you feel relaxed.  It's pretty awesome and I felt like it helped my body get ready for the massage.  I found a site with some of the great Infrared Sauna benefits here which include: weight loss, pain relief, and detoxification.  

Next, I headed off for a prenatal massage.   I've had many massages, but none while pregnant.  This is probably one of the best things you can do for yourself anytime during pregnancy.  The difference between a regular massage and prenatal massage is the position they lay you in.  The therapist had me on my side surrounded by special pillows to support all areas of my body.   It was incredibly comfortable and relaxing.  I felt like my prego aches were gone when she was done.  Tim had a Swedish massage and also loved every minute of it. 

Now for the main event.  The Float Spa was the part I was most curious about trying.  Stay with me.  It might sound like a fad, but it has been around for decades.   The basic idea is that you float in heavily salted water and go into a meditative state.  The epsom salts also pull the toxins out of your body, which was perfect after getting a massage.  If you know me, you know I'm a germaphobe.  Well, the salt keeps the water clean, so that wasn't an issue for me.  You can float in your swim or birthday suit.  It's really up to you.  I posted the video below so you get the full idea.  

A lot of people asked if it was claustrophobic, but Tim and I both felt like it was very spacious.  You can also float with the lid open and lights on.  I floated in almost complete darkness to get the full effect.   The floating feeling the salt gives you is nothing like I've ever felt.  The salt supports your body at every angle and you feel weightless.  This was nice, especially since I felt about 2 years pregnant.  I lasted about 45 minutes, fell asleep a couple times, and came out rejuvenated.  It's not something that makes sense until you try it out.  I would recommend trying the entire spa experience together.   

InSPArations was super affordable and located in Layton!  Check out their facebook here for location info and current specials including the $99 sauna, 1 hour massage, and float!  You won't regret it.  

If you would like to have your business or product reviewed by us, email us at individualrivalry@gmail.com

Taking On Infertility & A Little Maternity Session.

This is just part of my infertility story.  I hope this helps those who are struggling to realize it's a common issue.  Babies come in all different ways: adoption, foster, fertility help, and sometimes unexpectedly.  Also, pregnancy is a private and guarded issue for many.  I have found that most people who are struggling will never tell you, even your closest friends.  Always be mindful of what you might say to someone going through infertility, your "helpful" words might hurt.

Endometriosis

Around the time I was a senior in High School, I began experiencing intense cramps each month.  I always knew something was wrong in the back of my mind, but wasn't sure who to talk to about it.  My family didn't really go to the Doctor and my mom wasn't the most open person.  The older I became, the worse the cramping got.  There were days I could barely move, lived with a heating pad, and took as many hot baths as my water heater would allow.  Finally, my aunt talked to me about endometriosis.  She had it.  It was the cause of her infertility and she had similar cramping to go along with it.  

 Birth Control Blues

For years I would take birth control to help suppress the cramping and would only have to deal with it every 4th month.  The birth control started making me too hormonal and so I quit.  As I've talked about in previous posts, I was married before.  My ex-husband wasn't interested in kiddos (point of difference between us) and so I never went to the gyno regularly until I was 25. 

2010 Photo by Veronica Reeve Photography

I had wanted a baby for years and when Tim and I got married, we decided to start right away.  Tim's dad was a OB/GYN and his Midwife at his practice was amazing and the service was free.  I finally sat down with her and discussed my painful cramping and also how I couldn't wait to get pregnant.  The tricky part with endo is that it can't really be diagnosed without a laparoscopy.  Some women have horrible cramps and no endo, and some have no cramps and the worst endo.  After about 5 months of "trying" and many years of cramping, Tim and I sat down with his dad to talk about an exploratory laparoscopy.  Dr. Healy was a very successful Endo surgeon, delivered over 6,000 babies, and was tops in his profession.  We were not close and so I didn't have a problem considering him to do my surgery.  It probably helped that I'm not a shy person. 

Surgery Scheduled

The lap was over in just a couple short hours.  Dr. Healy burned a substantial amount of endo off my uterus.  He said I would probably get pregnant pretty soon post surgery and that my cramping should go down.  Endo is a disease that grows rapidly in some women and you oftentimes have to have maintenance surgery to clear it again.  After a few more months with no luck, we decided on a couple things.  

1. We would try basic fertility as in Clomid and hormones.

2.  If that didn't work, we would move on to adoption. 

Another Year Goes By

When all you are focused on is getting pregnant, everything seems more sensitive.  Friends getting pregnant, strangers with their cute baby bellies, and all of your negative pregancy tests, you think you might break.  Strangers will get involved with their opinions and sometimes they will sound unintentionally hurtful.  Forgive those people.  Especially if they have not struggled with fertility.  Tim would reassure me constantly that it wasn't our turn yet and that I needed to be happy for others.  I started talking more about my endo and fertility struggles with friends, only to find out that it was very common.  The cramping never went away, we had moved up dosage on the Clomid, and still no sign of a baby.  I remember sitting down with Dr. Healy and him telling me a couple things.  One in two pregnancies is a miscarriage and he also said most people never realize they are pregnant since it might just be for a couple days.  

A Specialist

I decided since it had been over a year since my previous surgery and the pain seemed to be getting worse that I would find an Endo specialist.  This led me to Dr. Arrington.  We went in for a consultation and he thought for sure that my endo was back.  We scheduled surgery, this time on my Birthday.  This surgery took about 5 hours.  He told me he would be cutting away the diseased areas instead of lasering/burning them off.  He explained that cutting it would cut down the chances of it spreading so quickly again.  After surgery he told me that it was worse than he had anticipated since I had the same surgery a year before.  It had spread throughout my abdomen, twisted an ovary and attached the ovary to my abdominal wall, and last but not least spread to my appendix which he took out.

And Then We Waited

I healed.  Cramping lessoned, but was still painful.  February came and Tim's dad passed away.  

A sweet little memorial that Davis Hospital put together for Tim's dad. 

A couple more months went by.  We tripled my remaining Clomid and decided after it was gone that we were done with fertility.  We had also been looking at adoption agencies for a few months.  We had finally chosen one to use and started working on our paperwork and were trying to figure out our home study.  A couple more months went by and then it happened.  I felt my stress about not getting pregnant start to lighten and thoughts of adoption replace the need for pregnancy.  After all, I just wanted a special babe to join our family and I was OK with any means of that happening.  

 If you talk to any girl who is anticipating pregnancy, they will all tell you that each month they take many, I mean tons of pregnancy tests.  Mine always ended up negative followed by my period a few short hours later.  So when July came and I refused to take a test for a few days, I knew what had happened.   After a few days of being "late"... I caved and it said positive.  I was in total disbelief.  

On God's Time

I surprised Tim with the news before a concert we were going to in Park City.  He was even more shocked and excited than I was.  Everything we had been praying for finally came true.    

March of 2013 we welcomed our perfect baby girl, Ava.  We became parents.  I became my sweet Ava's Mom.  

A Baby Boy

I knew that I would probably have to have another babe within a couple years of Ava.  Pregancy temporarily stops endo and then it will continue spreading.  I had two potential options, if I waited a few years to have another babe, I might have to have a lap again.  We decided around the beginning of the year that we were ready.  This time after a few months, we were having our next babe.  He will be born in March of 2015.  My kiddos will be almost exactly 2 years apart.  

Be Careful What You Wish For 

I longed so much to be pregnant that I didn't realize that pregnancy can be a rough business.  There are those of you that were like me, waiting, and I'm sure you are muttering to yourself "Jamie, shut up and don't complain."  I wish I could tell you that pregnancy is glowing, beautiful, and that you only get pregnant in your stomach.  Nope.  Not for me.  My booty gets bigger, thighs touch, I puke everyday, and you may or may not get stretch marks.  My pregnancy with Ava was rough.  I even threw up on the operating table during my csection.  As a girl that envied pregnancy so badly, it wasn't the perfect 9 months.  I've learned that lesson twice.  

I'm so thankful everyday for my sweet babies and the miracle it is for me to carry them.  I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father that helped me through the hardest times.  I know so many people that long for a baby and some will get pregnant and some will adopt.  Everyone will have their opinion, follow what route is best for you.

I decided this round of pregnancy that I would have my sweet husband do a few pics for me.  It's so important to document these moments for yourself and your babes.  It's such a blip in your life that leaves the best memories. 

  XoXo, 

Jamie

For questions or comments related to this post, please feel free to contact Jamie at individualrivalry@gmail.com  

Happy Thanksgiving & blessing others with KINDNESS!

Happy Thanksgiving Lovelies!

We just wanted to take a few minutes to let you know how thankful we are for each of you.  We know we have been blessed to get to know so many of you through this site.  We are grateful for our families, warm homes, and the blessings we experience each day.  

We wanted to highlight Matt Tribe and his website www.randomactsofpasta.com.  He decided when he bought his all-you-can-eat Olive Garden Pasta Card, he would use it for good. He used it 125 times to bring warm food to others including friends and even hungry strangers on the street.  Matt, thank you for being a blessing to others.  I'm sure each of them is thankful for your generosity.  

What can each of us do to help someone this holiday season?  I guarantee not only will someone be thankful for you, but you too will be thankful for the experience.    

Have a safe & Happy Thanksgiving!

XoXo,

Jamie & Sheena

A Temple Fit for a King

Whether or not it is the first time, another time, or the last time you will attend an LDS Temple, it is definitely a trip worth making. The Ogden Temple is truly a masterpiece. A Temple fit for a King.  I love the fact that our church allows to de-mystify the Temple and let anyone who want to see welcome inside before the dedication. So come! Come see what us crazy Mormons are doing inside these super secret walls! ha ha… Although sacred, it is not secret people. 

We took our kids to see it yesterday and I was reminded why there is an age requirement to attend Temple sessions. Listen- don't get me wrong, I am 1000% happy to see my entire family in the Temple for the first time. That was amazing. But that was hard. Let's just say that hudson decided to make himself at home right inside the President's office. Pretty much doing all but licking the stain glass windows.  However I heard through the grapevine that a child had gotten a bloody nose in the celestial room so I left with the great attitude of "It could have been worse". If you haven't heard about the Celestial room, it basically is a room made up of beautiful crystal chandeliers, white carpet, white everything really, and pretty glass adornments that are similar to a bull seeing red for children. 

Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it. Heavenly is more like it. 

We parked out car and made out way to the Tabernacle, which has also been redone. After waiting in a short line we were ushered into a room where we watched a 10min video on the history of Temples and some commentary from The Quorum. (Church Leaders)

After that it was time to see the temple. The boys immediately noticed Angel Moroni. (The gold statue that tops LDS temples) The tour allows the public to take a look into where Baptisms for the Dead are performed, Temple Sealings, Inititory Rooms, Offices, Endowments, and all the details that went into making the Temple a place of true beauty and peace. I fell in love with all the artwork that lined the walls. The pictures of Christ had a way of making you feel right at home. The whole tour from start to finish took about an hour. 

Even though it was hard for my littles to understand the "no touching" concept, I am so glad that they got to walk through hand in hand with their Father and I. I can only imagine after our time on Earth is finished that our family with be joined once again in a place of such beauty. A place fit for Kings and Queens. 

To reserve tickets to view the Temple Open House go HERE

(If you don't have reservations you can still go! They have a stand by line that doesn't take long. Just make sure you try to be there earlier in the day because security shuts the doors at 8:15 sharp!)

If you aren't able to attend you can view pictures of the inside of the Temple HERE

To learn more about the LDS faith go HERE

XoXo-

Sheena

I had a dream the other night.

It's summer.

It's almost 1/3 of the way over.

Yep.  Count your weeks parents.  Before you know it, you can ship the kids back to school for a few short hours a day so you can drink your rockstar in peace. 

You thought I was going to say the opposite right?  Enjoy your kids while they are home all summer... blah blah blah.  I mean that too of course.  But, sometimes you need a break with just adults.  As my grandma tells me, you can love your baby all you want- but love yourself too.  

(insert lovely dreamy music here)

Sometimes I imagine I AM a rockstar.  I walk out on stage, the crowd screams, & I hit the perfect pitch every time.  Not to mention I have stellar dance moves & if you have heard me sing or dance we all know how far from perfect I am. 

(exit lovely dreamy music for loud alarm...  reach for the snooze button...)

When One Republic adds a Salt Lake show to the list, I'm there.  And for a few short hours, I can pretend all the above with 10,000 other people around me doing the exact same thing.  I've now seen them more times than albums they've released.  I'm that girl that knows way too much trivia about the band & all the obscure lyrics.   They rock my world.  Any chance I have to sing live with them-yes-I said "with them."   

That love yourself time for me involved a babysitter, a couple redbulls(never again), & some of the best friends this chick could ask for.  Basically, Sheena & I took our husbands & the Hassells along for our ride.  My music-filled, friend-singing, stranger-dancing night was pure perfection(minus the cluster to get in & out of the venue).  

Music is my passion.  Everyone loves a good song.

Sheena only knew a few songs & stuck with me the entire time.  That's true friendship.  I promised her she could pick the next concert which I'm guessing will involve something country.  Get your spouse/bestie (or both) & find a summer concert, dance your a$$ off and sing like you think you can. If you don't, you will only regret not having a much deserved kid-free evening.  
No mommy guilt for this girl.

Thanks One Republic for an excellent show!

xoxo

Jamie