Cutest Baby Ever

Can I just say I have the cutest baby girl ever! She is so loving and sweet. Every morning she wakes up sees me and gets the hugest grin on her face. All day she loves to just in between my legs and play with her toys, and if she's not she'll throw a fit until she gets her way haha. It makes it hard to do homework but it's still so cute. She has been doing so much better since she was in the hospital. She is getting bigger and bigger! She started scooting the other day and is now mobile, slowly but still mobile. I love my Raeli :) (PS I made that hat she is wearing in the picture).

Kawsaki's Disease

It has been awhile since I have updated this blog. Life has been crazy. I decided to go back to school and started at the University of Utah in January. I am going to get my Masters of Education in Special Education Severe emphasis. I am already taking grad classes but I am officially applying on tuesday. I am so excited. I finally found exactly what I want to do and I can't wait! I've been super busy with school and then in the beginning of february Raeli got super sick. Around this same time I had to get some references for Graduate school so I went to volunteer at a school where my in laws knew a special ed teacher. I was going to wait until a week letter but I felt prompted to go the week before. I am so glad I followed that prompting. The day before I left to my in laws she started acting sick and that whole night she had a fever of 102 that wouldn't drop with tylenol. I went to the doctor's before I headed up to my in laws and they said she seemed fine and she came back negative for RSV. While at my inlaws her fever still didn't drop so we went into the ER and they took some tests and sent us home. The next day her fever still didn't drop and we were in the ER again. Again they sent us home. They had done tons of tests and still couldn't figure out what was wrong. The next day, so Friday she was throwing everything up and couldn't keep anything down, even her medicine so we went back to the hospital. They have been giving her antibiotics everytime we went in and fluids. Friday night a rash started and it was much worse on Saturday. Saturday night she was starting to become lethargic and stopped showing interest in even her formula so we went back to the hospital. This time they admitted her and started to load her with fluids. She started to get swollen and her left eye was swollen shut. They did a lot more tests. They even did a spinal tap and she was so sick that she didn't even cry when she had it done. I knew then that something was soooo wrong. Sunday morning they did an ultrasound and found lose fluid so they thought her appendix might have burst so they life flighted her to Primary Children's. We followed in the car and that was the longest drive of my life. I was so worried about her. When we go there she was just getting worse and before she went in for her laborscopy the anaetheseologist told us to prepare for the worst. I lost it then. I went in the waiting room and bawled on the floor for pretty much the whole time. I prayed and prayed so much for her to be ok and I know that Heavenly Father heard my prayers. In a blessing she had recieved earlier in the week it was mentioned that this sickness would be a process and that we needed to have faith for her to get better. This trial certaintly made my faith grow because the only person who could help my daughter and that moment was Heavenly Father. She did make it through the surgery and her appendix was fine. She was then transfered to the ICU and for a while they thought she was septic, but then they discovered it was Kawasaki's disease. Kawasaki's disease cause inflammation of the arteries and viens and can lead to annorisms. The symptoms are a high fever over 5 days that won't break, rash, red eyes and lips, a "strawberry" tongue (looks like a strawberry), and swollen lymph nodes. The reason they couldn't diagnose it earlier is because they don't know what causes and they just have to wait for the 4 of the 5 symptoms to show up and they finally did on the 7th day of her being sick. If it is treated in the first 10 days then that is the best time. She was treated twice with the treatment and we were discharged from the hospital. She just had an echo on her heart and one of the arteries had dialeted before the treatment and it was exactly the same but nothing else changed which is good. She will have to echo's every year of her life and take aspirin or something else everyday to keep her blood thin. I want to thank everyone who fasted, prayed, and did anything else for us. It means so much to me. I honestly believe that all the fasting, prayers and faith is what saved my daughter and I am so thankful. We are so blessed and now we are just taking one day at a time. What else has happened? Reeses died in January. He got out at my inlaws and was hit with a car. I was so sad for a couple of days because I missed him so much. Over time dakota and I decided to get a new puppy. We named him Hiro after Hiro from the show heroes (we are obsessed). He is a good dog. Getting better at being house trained and is a sweetheart. Nothing else new has really happened. Just dealing with busy life as usualy and so grateful for our amazing family.

Tis the season

I love this time of year. I have already been listening to christmas music for the past two weeks :) I know people thinks it's crazy to play Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but the way I see it is then you only get a month to listen to it, whereas I get two months of it. Plus if there was Thanksgiving music I would listen to it. haha.

Updates:

-Halloween was so much fun! We had the cutest costumes! Dakota and I were bees and Raeli was a flower. I crocheted her hat and hot glue flowers onto them :) We had tons of fun.

-I am going back to school!!! AHHHH!! In January I am starting Masters Program in Special Education. I am scared but I know I need to get this done now

-Erika's Bridal Shower was this past Saturday and it was a success. I am so grateful for Corey, Haley, and my husband for helping. We somehow pulled it off and I hope everyone had fun

-This Saturday wer are going back to Washington for a week. I am so excited :) I can't wait to see everyone.

-Next weekend is Erika's wedding and I can't wait to have a mini vacation with Dakota in Oregon.

PS. I love Glee Christmas music :)

A lot to tell...

So I know it's been forever since I've update this, and I am truly sorry. Being pregnant is not a cake walk though and I was super sick for pretty much all of my pregnancy, and I have been busy with my beautiful baby girl. I did graduate however in July with my bachelor's in psychology:) I am going to go back though and become a Special Ed. teacher but I am proud of myself!! I was 8 months pregnant when I finished :) So I am going to update the last couple of months with pictures of course :) The last time I posted we found out we were having a girl and I was 4 months pregnant. Here is a picture of me at 4 months.
I was still working with Devyn at school and doing thearpy at his house. I was still very sick with morning sickness. I would throw up water sometimes I was so sick. Thankfully I had a nausea pill they give cancer patients that I would take twice a day which helped a lot. Some how I survived work and school being so sick. I did live off of popsicles and crackers for months though haaha. And I don't know how I gained any weight my first 6 months.

Here is me and Devyn:

I finally stopped having morning sickness around 6 months. So to be honest besides work and school, I wasn't doing anything up until the month of May. Dakota was so sweet and good with me. There were many times I would throw up and he would clean it up for me :) He was still going to school full time and working full time, and was stressed. We went out for dinner on our anniversary in April but I was so sick afterwards I almost threw up the delicious food from The Cheesecake Factory, and I went to bed at 7:30 that night. hahah. In May, Dakota's old roomate Corey got married to Haley, who happened to be from my stake back home. They got married in the Salt Lake Temple and it was beautiful :) They are the cutest couple. We were extra excited because they were going to move in with us the end of August.

Here are some pictures of their wedding:

The rest of May was pretty boring. Dakota and I started spring courses and we were both working. It was my last semester and because I didn't have morning sickness anymore I was going to campus. Walking around campus when your 7 months pregnant is not fun. I did like my classes though and it was a fun last semester. May was hard though because I was still working at Devyn's school plus going to school, and I was tired! The end of May brought Devyn's school getting out for the summer so less work for me :) I was still working with Devyn at his house but it was less hours so less stressful, which was good because I was starting to gain 2 pounds a week and getting so uncomfortable, and hot!

Here is a picture of me and Reeses in the end of May:

June was a good month. Less work, still in school, feeling better, and Derik (Dakota's brother) and Jessica got married. They got married on June 4th, the same day as Dakota's parents anniversary:) It was a beautiful wedding and I cried like a baby (I blame that on being pregnant). I love having Jessica as a sister in law. She is so sweet and so fun and a perfect addition to our family :) They had such a pretty wedding and reception. It was fun to set up for the reception. I couldn't help much because I was pregnant but I did as much as I could. Dakota and I ran one of the refreshement tables which was fun, but hard work. I had to sit a lot because I was so tired, and my feet got really swollen. All in all it was a beautiful day. Here is a picture of Derik and Jessica on their wedding day:

In the end of June, my aunt (the one we lived with) moved out of the top part of the condo and Dakota and I got to move up to the top of the house! Moving was hard because I was huge!! I couldn't lift anything too heavy either. While Dakota would go to work and school, I would pack up everything I could that day. After two weeks and lots of help from our family we got everything moved in to the upstairs. I was so grateful for all of the help because I couldn't do much but pack and unpack. It was a true blessing and we were so grateful to have more room for when the baby came. I also cute my hair in June, really short. I don't like it to be honest, I miss my long hair but it is quick and easy which is convenient with a baby. Here is a picture of me with out empty house since half of it was moved:

So by July we were all moved in and I was done with school and just working about 15 hours a week. I was getting super uncomfortable and big as well. My feet were huge and I'm glad it was summer because they could only fit into flip flops. Twice this month we had to go into the hospital because I had some bleeding and was freaking ut about the baby but everything ended up fine. With so much free time I took on another Applied Behavior Analysis(ABA) therapy job. This boy's name is Dallin and he was 5. He had barely been on the ABA program for a couple of months so a lot of his programs were the basics, which was fun for me to learn. Devyn is more advanced so it was fun to learn the basics. Dallin was a lot of fun and he was super cute :) he loved Ritz crackers and nature valley bars, the snacks I would bring to work. In the middle of July we drove up to Haley, Idaho for Dakota's cousins Kai's wedding. They are a super cute couple and it was fun to be together again with all of Dakota's family. I especially missed Dakota's cousins Devan and Jade, it was fun to see them. My doctor didn't really want me to go because I was 35 weeks pregnant so every hour we were driving we had to stop and I had to walk around so I didn't get blood clots in my leg. It was a fun trip and I'm glad we got to go to the wedding. Here is a picture with Dakota's cousin Devan and me. We were somewhere outside of Haley, Idaho driving through the beautiful mountains. This is a picture of Dallin, the other boy I worked with. It's not the best picture but it's the only one I have.

Finally August came. I was ready from the end of July to have the baby, but Raeli had a different mindset haha. I worked up until the thursday before my due date, and my mom, sister and brother Alex came that weekend. It was tons of fun having them here. I miss my family tons, especially Alex, who was only 4 when I moved out of the house. We had fun playing games, and watching Toy story 2 over and over and over again! hahaha. The saturday I was due August 14 I started having contractions but they weren't painful at all, my stomach would just constrict. This went on until the day I was induced. I walked a ton and did everything I could think of to get that baby to come but she didn't want to. The tuesday after I was due, my doctor said I would be induced that thursday the 19th. We went into the hospital at 7:00 and they put a low dose of the drug to induce me. I slept that night and the next morning around 7:30 my water broke, strangest feeling in the world. As soon as that happened my contractions go super painful, and just my luck the anesthesiologist was in a C-section, and then he went into an emergency C-section. Boy was it painful and poor Dakota, I was yelling at him a ton to find the "drug doctor" haha. I got my epidural and was already at a 6 (just in time). An hour later I was fully dilated. So from 7:30-11:30 I was fully dilated. Then I pushed for three hours! She has a super big head, in the 95% and I just couldn't get her out. So finally around 2:30 the doctor used fourceps and with one push she was born!! It was the most amazing feeling in the world to see her finally. I bawled and when I got to hold her I felt so much love for her. I didn't know you could love this much. It was the best moment in the world. Here are some pictures of us in the hospital.

She is such a beautiful baby and I love her so much. Araeli Kim Atkinson born August 20th at 2:46 pm, weighed 8 lbs, and was 19 1/2 inches long. I am so grateful for all of the people who helped me through my delivery, especially my husband, mom, and Dakota's family. It was amazing. It was a hard recovery but well worth it. We left the hospital on Sunday and those first few weeks are kinda a blur haha. I was so tired from lack of sleep. After two weeks I couldn't breast feed anymore because my milk ran out so she has been on a soy based formula because she threw up a lot. After we figured all of that out she was about two weeks old. We then had her blessing at Dakota's home ward and so many people came. We are truly blessed to be apart of an amazing family. It was an amazing blessing and a great day. I loved having my whole family there and I was so sad when they had to leave. I bawled like a baby. The night before her blessing we were up at the Atkinson cabin having a barbecue with my family and his. Dakota was cutting kindling to fast and he chopped his finger. He cut down to the bone and cut some of the bone off. My dad, Dakota, and I rushed to the hospital and poor Dakota was in so much pain. All he did was sing and pound his fist on his leg but I knew he was in pain. I didn't throw up seeing it though, and he got it stitched up. So when he blessed Raeli he had a huge bandage on his finger. After the blessing we had a huge family gathering with lots of yummy food and I have never been happier. I loved seeing my family and especially my grandpa who drove down from Teton, Idaho. This is a picture of us and Raeli on her blessing day and my family.

After the blessing Dakota and I drove back down to West Jordan. Dakota had started school that past week and was back to work. My mom stayed with us for another week and a half and then went back home. I loved having my mom here and she really helped me more than I can say. She was such a blessing and I am so grateful she was able to help. Around this time Corey (Dakota's old roomate) and Haley moved all the way in to the basement :) It has been amazing to have them here. We have our privacy but it's nice to have a built in couple to do things with. We already do Sunday dinners and walks. Haley learned how to crochet over the summer and watching her do it made me want to learn, since I have had ton of free time. She had this book she learned from so I borrowed it and learned. I have made a scarf and hat for my sister in law Jessica, a hat for my brother's birthday, and two hats for Devyn and his brother Corwyn (their birthdays were one week apart). I will pictures of those at the end.

The rest of September I took easy. I cleaned, looked after Raeli, crocheted, and slowly healed. The next big thing we did was go to my cousin Ethan and Taiya's wedding. It was in Heber on a lake and it was beautiful. Taiya was gorgeous and it was beautiful. Dakota and I had a horrible cold so we didn't stay long but it was fun to go. Here is a picture of Raeli and I before the wedding. That flower on her headband I crocheted :)

Now it's October and the past couple of weeks have been fun. Conference weekend we went up to Idaho and took family pictures with Dakota's family. We haven't gotten them back yet but when we do I will post them. Raeli was pretty good for it. She did cry towards the end though because she was done haha. Conference was amazing and it was fun being with family. This past weekend we carved pumpkins with Corey and Haley which was tons of fun. My favorite part is the pumpkin seeds which turned out amazing! :) I have already eaten a ton. I can't believe so much has happened just in the past couple of months, and there is so much to look forward to. We are going to washington for Thanksgiving and to my friend Erika's wedding in Portland. I can't wait for that I miss my family a lot and I can't wait for Erika to get married. Her fiance Zech is super nice and they are perfect for each other. I am so happy to see her so happy. I love being a mom. Raeli is the cutest baby ever and she has started to smile this past week. She smiles whenever she hears my voice and sees me. She grows so much each day and I love those precious moment's I get with her. Life is amazing and I am so grateful for it. Well here is the long awaited update and I promise to be better about updating. Now for some pictures :)

Some of the things I have crocheted. Devyn's hat looks like the blue and gray one but it's red and gray.

The pumpkins we carved:

Dakota's is the superman one, mine is the one with the A. Raeli's is the one in the middle. Corey's is the FOX one and Haley's is the one on the far right. I am signing off for today :)

It's a girl

IT'S A GIRL!! We had the ultrasound on tuesday and it was so fun! She moved so much that they were having a hard time getting a good picture. hahah I knew she moved a lot. I can feel her already. We are so excited!! This is the first grandchild on both sides of the family, and the first girl in Dakota's family. His mom had all boys so she was overjoyed when we told her!! Here are some names we like so far:

Araylie Kim Atkinson: this is probably the one we like the best because it's different but pretty
Emmaline
Lyla
Isabel
Charlotte

Dakota loves Araylie so I think it might be it but we aren't sure.

So I was watching Lost the other day (love that show) and I just thought of something in psychology that is interesting to me. So in the show Jacob states he brings people to the Island so they can learn from experience, meaning they can learn about the island themselves. Now the bad dude, whatever his name is, the black smoke, just wants to get off the island and thinks it's stupid that Jacob brings people to the island. So now the bad dude has taking over John Locke's body. Now in psychology John Lock was a famous empiricist, which means he though learning came through experience. He believed we were born with a blank slate and that we filled our minds as we learned. I find it completely ironic that the bad dude, who is against Jacob bringing people to the island to "learn from experience", has taken over John Locke a symbol of learning from experience. haha I am such a Psychology nerd.

PREGNANT!!

Wow. So I need to be much better at updating this, at least once a month. Well a lot has happened since the last post. The biggest news is we found out in December that I am pregnant!! Came as a shock but we are excited :) We actually get to find out what we are having on tuesday. I think it's a boy, but I would love it if it was a girl. We actually have good girl names, it's boy names that are hard to come up with.

Christmas was a lot of fun. We spent the first part of it with Dakota's family. I was super sick from being pregnant though. I was throwing up 6 times a day, so I didn't too much but lounge a round. Then we went up to my parents house and I still felt pretty sick. It was so nice to see my family thought, I miss them tons! One day we went to Seattle which was fun, and we went clamming. I tried to do as much as I could but morning sickness was all day sickness for me so I took it pretty easy.

After we got home from Christmas I just got sicker and sicker. I got nausea pills which helped but I couldn't go to school. So I have been doing online classes and won't graduate until June now but I am finally starting to feel better and I am 18 weeks now. :) So that is good. Other than that we are just excited for this baby to come in August :)

20's Flapper :)

It's been a long time since I last updated this. Dakota and I started Fall semester end of August and have been super busy. We both did really good in our summer classes :) But through that we discovered what we really want to do. Dakota wants to be a High School teacher, probably history and spanish, maybe biology. And I want to major in Special Education. I only have one more semester until I gradutae from BYU with my Bachelors in Psychology so I am just going to finish and then go back for my Post Bachelors in Special Education. I love my job and working with Devyn. He is the sweetest little boy and any accomplishment he has makes me SOOOOOOOOOOO happy :)

Last week Dakota's grandpa turned 100!!! He is still lucid and can walk with a cane!! He is an inspiration really. There is so much to learn from him. He had a party to celebrate it and sooo many people came. It was like our wedding reception all over again haha :)

Also we got a dog!!!!!!!! :) He just showed up at Dakota's grandpa's house. He is a german pinscher, 10 months old, and we named him Reeses because his coloring reminded us of the coloring. He is a very sweet dog, house trained, and NEVER barks!!! I love him so much :)

Tonight we had a halloween party with some young married couples in our ward and we went as people from the 20's. I was a flapper girl :) I wore the dress I wore to tolo back in my junior year and it still fit :) hahahah

All in all life is amazing :) more next time :)

My camera isn't working right, but here is a picture of what german pinscher's look like.