Lion House Rolls

Tomorrow I have a work party so I made these lovely rolls!!!!

Here is the link for the recipe.

Now, I worked in a bakery for about two years. When it's cold and dry outside like Utah weather is quite often things don't rise as fast. In most bakeries there is something called the Proof box. It's basically just a big humid warm box that allows the yeast to grow. That's how they get the french bread to rise four times it's size in about an hour and a half.

So, how to get this at home? I will tell you. Turn on your oven to whatever degree you want and leave it on for about 5 minutes. Then turn it off. After you turn it off grab a pan whatever size you want and fill it with warm water about a half inch to one inch. Then stick the pan of water on the bottom rack and then put your bread above it. Close the oven and leave for about 30 minutes.

If you have two pans that don't fit alternate every 15 minutes until you get the desired size you want before baking. If you have questions leave me a comment!

Halloween 2014

This last weekend was a lot of fun for our little family. I think this will be one of the first Halloweens that Abby will remember. She was so excited to dress up and be part of the festivities.

We started off the day getting Ari's 4 month check up. Here are his stats:

14lbs 30% 

25inches 45%

Growing up just great! He's eating some solids, but not really interested yet.

After that we came back home and rested for a bit before taking Abby to school. After she'd been there for a while we went back to see her in the parade which was outside.

Brooklyn had no desire to stand and watch so we got to play on the swing for a while. She loved it. 

After that we went to my mom's where we enjoyed trick or treating with her ward. The night before we went to our ward party and had a wonderful time. Abby dressed up as Queen Elsa. My mom did a beautiful job with the costume and Brooklyn was a fairy this year. Ari is a Shark.

We hope you had a wonderful and happy Halloween! 

Ari is 4 months old!

In 4 months Ari has 

Rolled over

Giggled

Doubled his birth weight
Ate rice cereal and Oatmeal
First Halloween
Started sleeping through the night
Sleeps most of the night in his own bed

We are insanely blessed to have him in our lives right now. He's the best little guy in the world. 

Aryeh is 1 month!

In just a month Ari:

Tipped the scale at about 9lbs

Had his very first ultrasound

Smiled

Enjoyed some bilirubin lights

Got kissed daily by his sisters

I can't wait to see how he will go in the coming years!

My husband has aspergers and that's okay.

Each day is a challenge for us as a family. Parents can't agree and sometimes a child doesn't get what she wants. (We have one very young boy who usually gets what he wants).

But doesn't that sound like anyone's home?

It does.

Living with a husband who has Aspergers isn't always a simple thing. Sometimes I don't say things exactly or clearly enough. Sometimes I misunderstand what he's saying. A lot of times our parenting style is different and a bit confusing to myself.

What is challenging for our family is a piece of cake for yours. Communication has always been an issue for us. However, we have learned that despite miscommunication it is always best to move forward with the best plan.

For example, today I made a mistake. I told husband that we needed to get groceries. I thought I had explained that we needed a big grocery trip. He didn't hear me. So midway through our trip I got the, "Are we done yet" question. Of course, we weren't even close and that was a problem. I compromised. I sped through and left a few items so we could get home.

My life is about compromise. I go through my marriage compromising and sometimes completely giving up my wants. But that's not so usual is it?

For parents out there who wonder if your asperger child will ever have a spouse or children. I am here to tell you that they can. It has never been easy for me. It's something I struggle through almost daily, but I haven't regretted the lives I've created and loved.

My life is full. The different perspective that my husband is able to bring to this family has been lifesaving. The times his aspergers is helpful make up for the times it's debilitating.

My hope in writing my thoughts is that others can understand that they can lead a normal and happy life. It takes patience and practice, but mostly, it takes a lot of love. My husband is my hero. He lifts me up when I'm down and helps me feel like a fabulous queen. I hope that other's who have aspergers can find the happiness that we have found together.

Welcome Aryeh Stephen Thomas Holt!

We'll start back to Monday 06/23/2014. I was miserable and trying my hardest to get through each day. For over three weeks I had been dealing with on and off contractions that would occasionally regulate then go away when I rested or drank a bunch of water. I was uncomfortable and I always knew Ari was going to come early. Part of me thought he was close to 8lbs or at least would be by the time I had him. I was scheduled for an induction on 06/30/2014. I went to my regular Monday visit where my doctor told me that I was 3cm 80% thinned and baby was very low. Knowing my previous labors which have always been quick (2 hours and 6 hours respectively) I opted to stay home that day and see how things went. As the day went on I felt worse, but things never regulated and I went to bed exhausted. Tuesday I woke feeling pretty great and felt some cramping, but nothing really different. Went to work and put in a good seven and a half hours before I felt terrible again. Cramping and contractions that couldn't regulate. Came home and relaxed.

On 06/25/2014 I woke feeling great. Had a great night sleep and the night before had even got some cleaning done in the kitchen. Not a whole lot, but enough where I felt good about it. Went to work. Around 10am I started to feel a little weird "Out of body" feeling. I wasn't feeling contractions or anything yet, but I had a feeling they were coming. I drove home and decided to give a good ride on the exercise bike a try. Did that for about 15 minutes and felt pretty good. Decided to head on home where we all went to our pharmacy picked up our medications and decided to run to Target. We were trying to find a good summer hat for Ari that would fit him right away. We never found one in the right size. He may end up wearing the pink one that we have. Poor little man. After that we came home where we had lunch, Tuna for me and two big glasses of water. Ten minutes after we ate my contractions started. I had downloaded a timer onto my phone that allowed me to time the contractions. They were about 5-7 minutes apart at that moment and lasting about 1 minute. They weren't hurting, but were causing a lot of discomfort. Decided to drink more water and take a walk to see if they went away. They didn't. After about an hour of that we called up Jaron's sister and her husband to watch our girls. I wasn't sure if this was labor or not as I had never actually started on my own. With Abigal I had cervadil which put me into a quick labor that dialated me to complete in about 10 minutes. Her labor was extremely painful and very quick. Brooklyn I was induced and had an epidural right off. Her labor was 6 hours and was painless. I honestly had no idea what real contractions would be like. So we went to Orem community to find out. I didn't tell a lot of people at this moment only my Mom, Jaron's sister, brother-in-law and one friend of mine knew.

After getting to Orem Community Hospital we were admitted into the observation room where they determine if you are in labor or not. If you are they will move you to a labor and delivery room. The nurse had me sit on the bed monitoring baby for about an hour. She then came back to check and said that I had progressed from a 3cm to a 3.5cm and had gotten softer. According to her that wasn't progress enough. She seemed to be encouraging us to head home. As I was saying I would rather be home she seemed to change her mind. She was a frustrating nurse. Kept telling us that the doctor wouldn't admit us because I wasn't progressing at least 1cm in an hour. I was feeling contractions at this point. They were still 5-7 minutes apart, but lasting 2 minutes. We waited another hour and when checked again I had gone from 3.5cm to 4cm. Still the nurse wouldn't admit us. I asked to walk around and she told me that I couldn't because baby needed to be monitored which I knew that they didn't really need to watch him if I wasn't being admitted yet. Once again she told us that the doctor wouldn't allow us to walk around. She would also not allow me to go home.

A half an hour passed and 6pm came. This is where the nurses switch shifts and we were blessed with one named Ana (Like Frozen). She told me to get up and go on a walk around labor and delivery. So here Jaron and I went. Walking around, me bawling my eyes out while sucking on my ice chips. We checked out the cute little babies that were in the NICU and reminisced about Abby's NICU stay. Orem Community Hospital has a newer NICU than from when Abby was there. Where there is a wall there used to be just a curtain. It looks super nice now. Anyway, Jaron and I took a few walks around Labor and Delivery all the while nurses were looking at me with sympathy. Probably thinking I was an all natural mom. I didn't want to be, but first nurse wouldn't give me anything for pain as I hadn't been admitted yet. They did offer morphine, but I knew that could harm baby's lungs so I dealt with the pain. I have a higher pain tolerance so Jaron knows that when I'm bawling then things are not good.

After our walk Ana came into the room to check and she said that I was a very close 5cm, but she was just going to call it a 5cm and admit me. She told me that as a 3rd time mom she didn't want me leaving the hospital because I could go fast and possibly have a baby on the side of the road. So I was finally admitted into the hospital! YAY! Got the life saving Epi at about 8pm which saved me. I was so exhausted by that point and I really didn't think I had anymore in me to deal with the contractions. That did slow me down a bit, but I slowly progressed to a 6cm around 11pm and then at 11:40 or so I went from 6cm to 10cm and water breaking in less than 5 minutes. My water broke right as Ana went to see where I was at. So she ran out to call the on call doctor.

At Midnight I felt massive pressure and had to do everything not to push. Let nurse know and she started to get the room ready. At this point I was still in the admitting room because the hospital was so busy that all of their 25 other rooms were completely full and they hadn't discharged anyone yet. I was set to get the next room. I guess people have a lot of babies in the summer! Who knew as I've only ever had winter babies. About 12:20 the doctor walked in and told me that he's glad he wouldn't let me leave because he knew that I was going to have a baby quick. Here I was thinking the whole time I wasn't admitted was because of him! It wasn't him, it was that first nurse! They were joking around in the room and being pretty funny about how if the doctor is here less than 10 minutes then they don't really count him there at all. The on call doctor that delivered my baby is a good friend of my OB which mad me feel more comfortable. I really enjoy my OB because he is calm and he's more willing to let my body do it's job. The doctor that delivered Abby never gave me that chance.

He told me it was time to push. When I started he was joking with Jaron and the nurses. Someone said something funny and I started to laugh. Doctor yelled, "Keep laughing." So I tried my best and ended up pushing Ari out in one push/laugh. I became a legend at that hospital as the women who laughed her baby out. At 12:29am Aryeh Stephen Thomas Holt joined this world at 7lbs 1oz and 19 inches long! He is super cute and totally strong. Can lift his head up by himself already, but is still a little floppy about it. He totally took to breastfeeding and bottlefeeding perfectly. He is a little lazy breast feeder so we'll probably stick with bottle feeding. Either way, we are all totally in love. Especially Brooklyn who loves to call him "Baby" and thinks Ari is HER baby.

For those of you who don't know Aryeh (pronounced R-E) is hebrew for Lyon. He is named after three of Jaron's good friends who have made a difference in his life. Jaron was named after his father's two best friends and so he wants to carry on that tradition. Aryeh is for formal records like medical, birth and drivers license, but he will go by Ari for most of everything else. We are so excited to have the final member of our family here! We love to love him and snuggle him.