Facebook and new email

We have had so much going on this past few months I don't know where to start. If you want to keep up with us on a more frequent basis we are both now on Facebook. We will still post longer blogs here as well on a less frequent basis (once per month). Please bare with us as we struggle to keep up with all of this new social networking technology. Socializing is not one of our strengths (especially from long distance) but we hope with our interest in techno-gadgets we can get better at it. However, please always feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call if we are falling behind. We'd love to hear from you. Incidentally, in May I will have been home from my mission for 10 years. I don't remember having problems keeping up with people through regular old snail mail from thousands of miles away in Bolivia. It is odd how much more complicated life seems now even though as a missionary we worked almost every waking hour 7 days a week. I don't think I could do it now without my 3G network!

We have switched our internet provider so our email has changed.
bdidericksen@att.net
tinadid@att.net

B&T

First Signs of Smiles

After a long nap Mya is ready to stretch out and play. It's nice to see a smile every once and awhile to know you or something is making baby happy. I am looking forward to some more interaction. If babies come with the ability to tell you when they are ticked off they should come with the ability to tell you finally did something right. I guess silence and and a sleeping baby count for a lot though. Kudos to Tina for figuring out her different cries. She is teaching me a lot. 

Family and Friends

We have enjoyed lots of visitors coming to love on Mya and us over the past month. I tried to get photos of everyone but missed out on some. Thanks everyone for your love and support!  

Bringing Home Baby

I was a little overwhelmed by all of the photos we have taken over the last month. I decided to finally download the pictures and start sorting through them. Below is the first installment.

Mya is doing really well.  She weighed 9lbs 1oz at her last check-up and she is eating like a champ. Tina is recovering well from the c-section and is taking the brunt of the no sleep schedule so I can function at work. Mya seems to be bigger every day when I get home. She is much more alert now and can follow me with her eyes. She's loves looking at the Whoozit toy Roy and Janet sent us. Although it used to freak me out when she would go cross-eyed. She's has much better control now. She likes to kick her feet and pick her head up to look around the room. She is really cute when she stretches her hands way above her head after a long nap. We enjoyed watching the Jazz beat the Celtics last night and have enjoyed snuggling during several KU games. 9-12 is my shift at night so we get to watch (sometimes we don't get to listen) lots Jay Leno and Conan O'brien.  

Mya Abbie

We were called into the hospital on Friday night at 10pm. Tina started her medication at ~ 1am Saturday and things got underway. Pitocin came next at ~1pm Saturday to enhance her contractions. Mya was born 24 hrs later on Sunday Jan. 25th at 1:38 pm during a c-section after the doctor determined she was just too big to push out.

This is our first family photo in the operating room. Tina and baby did really well although Mya had a conehead.

The doc was right...she was big. 8 lbs 13 ounces and 21 inches long although an inch of that was probably the extra cone on her head.

Baby and proud mom snuggle here for the first time.

Yep...she's a daddy's girl.

She didn't really enjoy her first bath until it was over. Then she just decided to take it all in.

She's a happy girl tonight spending some good bonding time with her mommy. She also got to meet and snuggle with Nana, Papa, Aunt Jeny, and cousin Lily. Whom she bares a striking resemblance.

Welcome to the world sweet girl...We love you!

There's a cooked baby in there and she's coming out...

Tina went into false labor this morning. I guess that means it's time. Doesn't matter I suppose cause we're going anyway. Our doctor told us to start calling and pestering the hospital tonight so we'll be heading in as soon as they have room for us. See you on the other side!

The little things in life

One of Tina's favorite Christmas presents from Santa this year was a new toilet seat.

I installed it this week . This pregnancy really wore that seat out.

One of my favorite gifts from Santa was a drool-proof pillow case cover.It's the little things in life....

Championship year

2008 was a great sports year for our family. With the University of Kansas winning the national college basketball championship 

and the University of Utah being the only undefeated college football team in the nation. 

We were a little disappointed with Tina's BYU but at least we got to attend a game in person this year in Provo. 

Because Utah pulled through for me Mya is now officially a Ute fan during football season. Tina was a good sport and had her dressed appropriately for the bowl game a few days ago. Karl picked us up some KU onesies and a lil' Jayhawk hat while he was home for Christmas in Lawrence and Kimbre sent her a KU chearleader doll. So she is set for the rest of the basketball season. 

The National Championship College Football game was last night. It was a good game but we were sad for the football season to end. And that means we are now sadly half way through the college sport season. It's time to focus completely on KU basketball now. We aren't expecting a repeat championship game this year with five of last year's players going to the NBA. But we are pulling for at least a place in March Madness. 

No other baby news yet...just waiting for her to decide she's done. Due date is 2 weeks from next Monday. 

The Nursery: Chapter 2

I always forget to take before and after pictures...I may have gone a little overboard here. However this was a big project for me, the mechanically un-adept. Thanks to everyone for all of the pretties for the room and the baby.

The Nursery: Chapter 1

Before

After

We officially started the nursery yesterday by moving everything out and ripping out the carpet. Keith and Mandy inspired us to try our hand at laminate hardwood flooring. I didn't enjoy removing tack strips and glue from the 12 year old carpet padding. It was surprisingly easier than I thought though with the help of Karl. The hardest part of the project so far was finding someone to answer our questions about the flooring. Between the know-nothing people at Home Depot and the uppity salesman at an independent flooring store who wouldn't help us because we weren't doing enough square footage for his time, we had a rotten time of it. We finally found an awesome deal on some good quality stuff with excellent service at of all places the place I said I wouldn't go...Big Bob's Flooring Outlet. 

The Princess's wardrobe had to be temporarily relocated

Karl provided the engineering support and Tina and the Kitties directed

And I had lots of fun playing demolition man...always my favorite part.

So the floor is now bare and the wood is acclimatizing in the room. Other than a small crack in the foundation slab that needs to be sealed we are ready to start. Which is good because Tina has me scheduled to put the crib together next weekend. She has been very patient. I have been holding out. Our friends had their baby Friday and we got to see him today. He was 4 weeks early so I guess I'd better get things done soon. We only have 3 weeks until we are at that point. At least I might be able to get out of putting up Christmas lights for another year!  

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Brad and I were so excited on Tuesday night to go see Sweeney Todd!!!  We really enjoyed the talented people in this thriller musical.  There were about ten characters who not only sang but also played the music for the songs, changed scenery and carried the whole show completely by themselves.  Brad and I both get a kick out of the music, Mya however did not.  She was trying to hide up under my ribs the whole time.  Every time the music got loud Mya would jump poor girl!!!  If you are interested just know that the movie with johnny depp is how should i say it.......Bloody.  After all he is a demon barber.  Brad and I both agreed the movie helped a great deal with understanding the actual musical.  The movie acts out each scene in its appropriate place.  The musical requires some imagination because scenery stays pretty much the same.  As I mentioned before the cast of 10 takes care of everything.  We both loved it so much, I am grateful we live in a place that brings quality musicals to town every once in a while.  We may not have the best stage but the cast sure did put on a great show!!!!!

Fall Colors

We are starting to enjoy the reward for enduring a long hot summer. Six months of temperatures ranging from 50-70 degrees with some rain and blue skies! Incidentally, we had a rainstorm two weeks ago, the first since February. Many of our flowers are starting to bloom again as they soak up the rain and come out of hibernation from the hot summer sun. This was new for us...we thought we had just killed them (we are still figuring out the gardening thing).

A few fun fall Bakersfield features:

1. palm trees are always green so instead we just watch the grass and brush in the fields change colors in the fall. 

2. Jacket weather is 60-75 degrees. Full on winter coats, gloves, and scarfs are come out below 60. 

3. Brad is too wimpy to ride his Harley 2-miles to work when it drops below 60 degrees. 

Fall colors in Bako

Halloweenie Teenie

Halloween has traditionally been one of our most favorite and involved holidays. Although we aren't into dressing up much...pumpkin carving usually begins in September for us. Maybe this goes back to one of our first dates carving pumpkins at Mandy's apartment at the University Village (October '99). And of course October is one of the most fun months of the year to visit Disneyland!

We boiled our Halloween down to about 3 hours of fun this year. One hour handing-out candy as "Jason" and the "great bumpkin" and two hours at dinner with friends. 

I also had fun helping put on a haunted house at the homeless shelter last week with our good friend Karl and our XYZ network group from work. Karl went as the joker. I was Jason (what a great easy costume) and got to run the strobe light and fog machine! Lots of fun but I lost my voice from trying to scare the little five year-old kids... oh and their parents too.

Tina had lots of fun and wore herself out. Although this may have just been from a sugar coma induced by the chocolate chip Pizookie we at BJ's at dinner. A Pizookie is a very large cookie cooked in a small mini-pizza deep dish pan. It is brought out hot and gooey with vanilla ice-cream on top. That's goooooood stuff. So Tina passed out and Karl and I finished the night watching Resident Evil: Apocalypse (much better than the first). I love fall....a fun holiday every month! Got to start getting my stomach in-shape for Thanksgiving. 

Rock-a-Bye Baby

Bonnie and Joe thank you so much for the wonderful rocker-glider.  We (Brad) finally put it together this week and it is the first thing we can add to the nursery.  MYA IS GONNA LOVE THIS THING(and Mya's mom)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bailout or Rescue?

It is Thursday morning. Do you know what your Congressman or Congresswoman is thinking? Better yet do you know what your Senator was thinking as the Senate passed the bailout plan yet again? 

They have come up with a "rescue" plan. Only it is the same "bailout" plan as before only they added things like more FDIC insurance to your bank account and tax breaks to "green" companies to create more jobs to try to give "Main Street" warm fuzzies so we would stop sending congress hate mail. And since they had a bit more time to consider this deal they added hundreds of pages of earmark provisions to make sure every Senator was compensated in some way for their vote.

Things like (I am not kidding!), "Puerto Rican and Virgin Island rum producers get $192 million so they can make more booze!" or Section 113, increased funding for black lung disability fund. click here for more  

"Sen. Dianne Feinstein, from California went to the Senate floor to urge that the modified bailout be passed, despite receiving "more than 50,000 calls and letters, the great bulk of them in opposition to any form of meeting this crisis with financial help from the federal government." click here for full article 

"Sen. Barbara Boxer, from California says without the bailout, California may not be able to borrow money to pay bills." click here for full article

Whether you agree with me or not it is time to stand up and tell your Congressperson what you think. This is a defining issue for my generation. This affects the stability and freedom for us and our children. I believe the government needs to take some kind of action to prevent the greed that has occurred. However, the market needs to correct itself and $700 billion in government bailouts funded up to 30% by the Chinese will not change that. It may delay or soften the landing but capitalism dictates there will always be corrections. It is what makes the system fair and balanced.

What do you think? It only takes a minute to either call the offices of your Congressperson or email them through their website. You can find out who represents you in 30 seconds by googling it and then have their contact info in another 30 seconds. I did this last week before they voted on the first bailout and my Congressman Kevin McCarthy listened to his constituents and voted no. I just finished emailing him again. You can see my email below. The House of Representatives will be voting on the plan tomorrow probably around noon eastern time.

"Congressman,
Please stick to your principles and do not vote for the new bailout (rescue) plan coming before you on Friday. This is still a horrible solution to a horrible predicament. Changing the name from bailout to rescue does not change the underlying flawed principles of the plan. Adding pages and pages of pork spending provisions and only nominal protection for taxpayers only meant to bolster short-term confidence are not a long-term solutions that will protect my family and my daughter's family into the future. Let investors take responsibility for their actions. I am upside down on my house by almost $100,000. However, I am willing to take responsibility for my investment by continuing to make my payments and to re-think my other investments. I am willing to do what it takes now to pay for the market correction. Giving incredible amounts of money to Wall Street and now every other imaginable industry only delays the correction and adds a lot to the tab we leave for the next generation. I don't want them to be slaves to national debt held by other countries. That is not freedom or capitalism. Please stand up for us and deny the passage of this new plan. Demand better solutions from our statesmen. We are America, land of the free and home of the brave. Give us the opportunity to prove that by not taking the easy way out. We will continue to watch your vote closely. Good luck and thank you for representing us."

Baby Stuff

For those of you who would like to know I have know idea the magnitude of stuff that I need.  I need mostly everything but I don't know what that everything is yet.  So I decided to tell you the things I have, the few things I know I want, and well everything else I guess.  So here we go:

THINGS I HAVE                             THINGS I WANT THINGS I NEED

Glider rocker     Snap n' Go stroller by BabyTrend Everything else

crib        Fisher Price Aquarium Take along swing    

bathtub   (available on toysrus.com or ebay)

exersaucer  A stench proof diaper pail 

car seat               (We are going to try clothe diapers after 6 weeks or so)

crib bedding set Disposable diapers to last 6 weeks

bottles                    1 or 2 WAHMIES one size diapers

breast pump                                                (Best deal I have found is on kellyscloset.com 

pack n play                                                    they come with the insert which I will also need)

blankets galore                                       A babysling that will fit both Brad and me.

some clothes                                           A contoured changing pad for the dresser/changing table

One bottle of baby lotion

Victory

I never thought could have more fun than when I am on my 883cc Harley Sportster. The torque, the acceleration off the line, the symphony of loud pipes echoing all around me, the maneuverability through the twists and turns, the adrenaline rush, and the feeling of freedom as you fly through the air. Then again I felt different things for Tina's fun little scooter and my Enduro or dual-purpose KLR-650cc bike that started our motorcycling back at the end of 2006. I guess it wasn't more fun that I had that day earlier this month, when Darrell and I test drove two new Victory motorcycles, it was just a different kind fun.

With a standard 100 or 106 cubic inch (1639-1737 cc or cubic centimeter) smooth v-twin engine, 97 hp, and 113 ft-lb of torque, and a 6-speed transmission. This was a fun ride. With the additional standard option of an ultra fat 9.84 in. (250 mm) rear tire and being manufactured in the good ol' US of A these bikes have character. This was the cruiser my small sportster could never be.

Now I know why people have car and motorcycle collections. You can't have all of the fun with just one. Unfortunatley, this little worker bee only has room in the garage and in the pocket book for just one at a time. Anybody want to buy a sportster?

Passing the time - 4 months to go

There has been a lot of stuff "passing" in addition to time around here this month. I'm proud of Tina. She has taken it upon herself to practice for the pain of childbirth by passing as many kidney stones as she can every day. Ouch.

Ironically, it all started on Labor Day and here we are three weeks later. She keeps telling her body she is done practicing but it isn't listening yet. Maybe this week. On the other hand I'm sure Mya is having fun. Reminds me of that dumb movie "look who's talking" when the baby gets high from the epideral and is waving his hand and seeing all kinds of colors. She must like it cause she is turning flips and kicking Tina's bladder. She always stops cold when we start talking to her though. The cats have enjoyed all of the napping with Tina. Although we have started forcing them to go outside and get some excercise.

We went in for the official sonogram this past week and all of her fingers and toes are there and shes is developing right on schedule and is heallthy. It was a relief to "pass" that milestone! And yes they verified that indeed she is a girl.

I had lasik surgery in my right eye about a month ago. I'm sure it will be well worth it after a few more weeks. I had to really careful not to disturb my eye for the first week. I had to wear those protective glasses when I slept and some protective goggles during basketball. But it is great now. I just can't rub my eye yet. The surgery was quick but I never new I was closterphobic. I'll admit I almost hyper-ventulated but the doctor gave me a stuffed bunny-rabit to hold and I felt better. What a wimp huh!

We have been watching BYU and KU "pass" all kinds of football records this season. All of mine (KU and Utah) and Tina's (KU and BYU) teams are in the top 25 this year. We just watch or listen to football all Saturday long. Our friend and fellow KU alumni Karl has been helping us "pass" the time by showing me how to handle a charcoal barbeque. We had steaks last weekend during the KU game and hamburgers and chicken this weekend during the KU win. We have also grilled up some corn-on-the-cob and asparagus. Mmmmm! Desert is always fresh fruit smoothies.

We are just practicing for the KU basketball season. We watched every televised game last year. I am addicted to DVR. Dog the Bounty Hunter is currently my favorite show. I get 5 or 6 new or old episodes to watch every Wednesday on A&E. His autobiography is incredible if you ever get a chance to read it. That guy really understands and practices the atonement. He is one of my heroes.

We went to the Kern County fair on Friday. It is probably twice the size of the Utah State Fair. There was a lot to do and eat. We had barbequed ribs and fried smores. We visited all of the prize livestock and even saw a pig race. It was fun to hang out with our friends Karl and Jeremy and Stephanie from Utah who live here.

So that is how we have been "passing" our time (besides going to baby stores over and over again).

Torture

We ended up doling out plenty of torture to the family as we started telling people what we were going to have. It wasn't intentional, we just wanted to tell as many people as possible in person starting with the Grandparents. Dad and Celeste received the news by mail the same weekend. We packed a onesie in a box with an ultrasound picture and a letter. The onesie was pink and said "100% baby girl" on the front.





It was fun to see the response as most (as indicated in the poll) thought it was a girl. We were also able to visit with Ben and Jeny, Lance and Callee, Nate and Dusti, and Mandy and Keith that week to share the news and ultrasound pictures with them. It is fun to be able to relate to our siblings and parents on a whole new level now. They all have been through this excitement many times and they have been so loving, supportive, and excited for us.