More pics of our sweet baby

Bathtime!

This week marks the anniversary of Jason's fourth (and hopefully final) heart surgery. At the time that he had the surgery, his cardiologists were concerned that it wouldn't fix the problem and we would be facing open heart surgery at some point in the future. We went ahead with the surgery knowing that it would be a waiting game and that it was likely not the last time he would be in the operating room.
Well it has been a whole year and so far Jason is doing great. He still tires out easily some days, and he'll never again be able to lift much. But we are so grateful that he is doing as well as he is. We were definitely not looking forward to open heart surgery! He has improved so much since his diagnosis in August of 05. When he first got sick they thought he would need a heart transplant, and that has proven not to be the case.
We feel so very blessed as we celebrate a whole year without a surgery! Woo-hoo! It's been a nice change for us. :)

Family Pictures

Ahh, the car seat

So for those of you that don't know, my sweet baby girl DESPISES her car seat. Most little kids can easily be put to sleep by taking them for a drive. But not my little one. You think at some point she would cry herself to sleep, or at least realize that she wasn't getting out of the silly car seat. But she is stubborn, just like her mother. She will scream at the top of her lungs relentlessly until someone removes her. Not only that, but she has a rather unfortunate 6th sense that provides her with the ability to promptly awaken from even the deepest sleep when placed in her car seat.
Today I had a doctor's appointment in Murray. I fed her and got her to sleep, but when I attempted to buckle her into the infamous car seat, her little blue eyes flew open and the screaming commenced. I had to listen to her heart-wrenching cries all the way down to the doctor's office and all the way back. It's amazing how difficult it is to drive with her so upset the whole way. It is truly exhausting.
When I finally turned onto my street, the crying suddenly stopped. She has such great timing! She had fallen asleep. I thought I should commemorate the moment - my daughter was actually asleep in her car seat! Aw, relish the moment with me.... even if it did come about two hours too late.

Emslee's Photo Shoot

I'm officially a SAHM!

When we found out we were expecting, Jason and I decided that I would continue working after taking some time off for maternity leave.
During the pregnancy, I tried to decide if I was okay with continuing to work. I love my job, and I love the feeling of working. It makes me feel productive. I felt like returning to work was definitely something I wanted to do.
Not so fast.....the day we brought Emee home from the hospital I was sitting on the couch holding her and just staring at her. Call it the postpartum hormones, call it me being a basketcase, but I started crying. Sitting there with her I realized that I simply didn't have it in me to leave her with someone else. Jason found me with tears in my eyes and a quivering lower lip. I tried my best to explain to him what I was feeling. It's more than just not trusting someone with her....I want to be there when she takes her first step, when she says her first word, and when she does all those cute little things she's bound to do. I want to teach her the alphabet, how to count, her colors, and how to read. I can't imagine leaving all these things up to someone else. I suddenly felt very compelled to accept this new job with zealous ambition and determination.
For me, it was as clear as could be. This is where I needed to be. For the first time, this is where I wanted to be. I never thought I'd be one of those women who wanted nothing more than to take care of their children and their homes.
It's definitely going to be a struggle financially. Until Jason finishes school, we'll manage to scrape by....somehow. It will be difficult but I can tell already it will be worth it.
I'm sad to quit my job because I feel like I'm giving up a part of myself. I'm sure I'll still be obsessed with teeth, and a person's smile is still the very first thing I'll notice. Eventually I hope to go back to the dental office and that part of my life. But for now I'm excited for this new journey I'm about to embark on.
Wish us luck!

Emee has the hiccups!

Finally, pictures with her eyes open!

The "New" Love of Our Lives!!!

Emslee JoRene Gast, born March 21st, 2009. She was born at 1:44 am and weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces, and was 21 inches long.

How She Arrived:

Well on Friday morning around six, Jill woke me up and informed me that her water broke. As soon as I came to (which was almost instantaneously) and asked her how she knew that her water broke. She pointed down and I saw a spot on our sheets, and then I heard a huge splash, (like a water balloon that just hit the pavement). Then I rushed in to wake up Karyn, (Jill's younger sister, who is living with us) to tell her the good news. After calling her midwifes, Jill found out that she had a few options of what to do next. Her choices were to either come in right then and be examined, or she could wait at home until she felt enough contractions to go to the hospital. She decided to stay home. Finally after six frustrating hours with no contractions, we decided to go to the hospital to get ready to welcome our little girl.

After we arrived at the hospital, we found out that she would need to be induced to start her labor. After she was induced she started to feel a few contractions. She really is an amazing person, after going through what seemed like an eternity (which was in fact six hours) Jill had enough of the pain and decided to have an epidural. Oh and after that she was in heaven. She couldn't feel her pain anymore and was just ready to have her baby. And then we played the waiting game. And we waited, and waited and waited until just before 1 am when Jill told the nurse it was time to deliver our baby. Push after push, Emslee was finally here. Oh and what a miracle it was watching our baby girl being brought into this world. And for being two and a half weeks early, baby Emslee is just fine. And the next day, after talking with the doctors, and having Emslee go through all of the tests they finally let us go home.

Currently the baby and mommy are doing great, with no problems. Emslee is the first to join our family and we welcomed her with open arms. She truly is a miracle from God. And to be honest after looking back at everything that went down in the past few days, things couldn't have gone better. She truly is beautiful. Our little Angel from up above in heaven is finally here. We love Emslee and we can't wait to see what the future has in store for us!

37 weeks today!

Today marks my official "to-term" date. My midwives say I could have this baby any day now. I cannot imagine better news! It could still take another 3 weeks, but hey I say we try to be optimistic!
At times I feel like this pregnancy has flown by, and then at other times it seems to have lasted an eternity. Thankfully it has been rather uneventful, other than 7 months of puking nonstop. I've started up with the whole nausea, vomiting nonsense again. Can I just verbalize what an annoyance it is when otherwise well-meaning people say, "Aren't you supposed to be over that by now?" Gee, you think so? Thanks! I'll get right on that! (Like I'm doing it by choice.....hmm maybe I do just want attention.)
Jason and I went and toured the hospital where I will be delivering her, and it made it all seem so much more real. I'm actually really excited about the hospital that we chose. It's up to date with all the new medical advances and tons of perks both for the mother and the "support persons." (aka, Jason and my cute mom.)
At first I was overwhelmed by the very thought of giving birth, but at this point I can't wait! I'm ready to do this! Keep your fingers crossed for me - I would love to have this baby early! (With my luck, she'll come super late.)

I'm gonna be a mommy...?

With only 5 weeks left to go, I've had the chance to really think about what lies ahead for myself and my little family. I'm so excited to have a baby and to be a mother. This last weekend my mom helped me get the cradle all ready with the new sheets, pillow, bumper pad, and quilt. It is so CUTE! And so very PINK! I finally feel ready for little Emslee to join our home. It's amazing how attached you can become to someone you've never even met. But she and I have certainly spent a lot of quality time together....especially at 3 a.m. when she decides it's time to start kicking mommy as hard as she possibly can.
Jason is so thrilled to become a father. Who would have expected that? He has never been around kids much, well until he married into my family, that is. Lately he's been like a little kid at Christmas, who can see that wrapped present under the tree and just can't wait to open it.
It's amazing how something you never expected or planned for can change your life in such a positive and exciting way. It's true that a baby changes everything. But I wouldn't go back for the world.

Pregnancy Insomnia

I am so sick of not being able to sleep anymore! I know every pregnant woman on the face of this planet has felt this way at one point or another, but I just had to voice my opinion. I can't get comfortable, my tummy is huge and I constantly have to get up to pee. I only have six weeks left and I keep telling myself I can do anything for six weeks, right?
This lack of sleep is causing some weird reactions....like headaches, racing heartbeat, dizziness, and just overall weakness. Or, maybe that's just from being pregnant. What do I know? This is my first ride on the merry-go-round! It'll all be worth it in the end, right? I'm such a wuss!

Perhaps the GREATEST Game Ever!

So for those who don't know us very well, we are huge basketball fans, and we love our Utah Jazz. Ever since the season started and I found out that the NBA Champs Boston Celtics were coming to town I told Jill I wanted to go. And she would give me the response of "Maybe, we'll have to see".

So the big game was yesterday (actually it was last night) and while I was sitting at work I debated about going. So I decided to start looking on Ksl.com to see if there were any good seats that were for sale. And I came across some really good seats. (Front row/center of the upper bowl). So I called Jill and told her about the seats and she said "Ok, go ahead and call to see if the seats are still for sale." Originally the tickets had been sold, however the person who sold them told me that the guy who bought them had somehting come up and he could go. So I called him and confirmed that he indeed needed to sale the tickets. So we bought them. (Funny story about this, the guy who I bought the tickets from, happens to be the husband of one of Jill's co-workers. Small world huh!)

So finally, Jill and I arrived at the ESA for the game. There were a ton of people there wearing both Jazz and Celtics jerseys. We found our seats and they were amazing! We had such a great view of the game. We had the time of our lives. We had Great seats for a Great game. And believe it of not, we beat the Celtics 90-85. It was a HUGE win for the Jazz. It is the best game we've ever been to! Go Jazz!!!

Valentine's Day!

My husband is truly the greatest guy ever! This last week I have been super stressed about getting everything ready for our baby to make her arrival into our lives. When I first found out we were expecting, I decided to make all of our baby girl's bedding by hand. Last Thursday night Karyn and I went to Preston to begin the sewing process with my very skilled mother. I was in such a hurry when we left, I left my house in quite the uproar. It was a mess.
We were at my parent's house until Saturday afternoon, and I was dreading coming home to the mess I had left. To my wonderful surprise, when I walked in the door my house was spotless! The bathroom had been cleaned, the floors vacuumed, and all the laundry was even washed, folded and put away. Jason had even put together our new stroller for Emslee. It was amazing!
As if that wasn't enough of a Valentine's present, in my bedroom I found a dozen red roses, an adorable pink teddy bear, a balloon, and chocolate covered strawberries! It was the most amazing Valentine's Day yet!
To top the day off Jason, Karyn, our friend Tyler and I went to dinner, bowling, went out for frozen custard, and then went for a drive to admire all the amazing homes on the east side of Bountiful. It was so much fun!
I am so grateful to have a husband that somehow keeps me level-headed and sane even when I feel the pressure and stress making my head want to explode. He is so thoughtful and kind. I have decided in this last week that I truly don't deserve him. But I'll keep him - he's the best ever! I love you babe!

J. Harvey Tanner

My grandfather, J. Harvey Tanner (he went by Harvey most of his adult life), was born November 6th, 1916 in Burlington, WY. He was the 12th of 13 children. He was a well-educated man, receiving his bachelors from the University of Wyoming and his masters from Utah State University. He made a living teaching school alongside his wife, Wamoth, in Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, and Brigham City. He served in WWII with the Pacific Naval Contractors rebuilding Pearl Harbor and then with the Navy Fleet Hospital Unit in Guam.
He and my grandmother had five children; one boy and four girls. They raised them in Brigham City, Utah where he lived with my Grandma until she passed away in 1990. He continued to live in their home until 1997, when he married his second wife, Germaine. They then moved to Perry, Utah.
On Thursday, January 29th my Grandpa was released from this earthly life and was reunited with his eternal companion and many other loved ones, including my older brother Nathan. He was 92 years old.
My Grandpa is one of the greatest men I have ever met. I had the great privilege of living only an hour from him most of my life. Some of my most treasured memories involve going to his house and splashing in his flood irrigation water. In his basement he had a giant chest freezer that always had big buckets of Farr's ice cream, which of course he allowed us to eat at will. :) He was always happy and joking with us - one of his favorite things to do was sing silly little songs that would get stuck in my head for days afterward.
He raised a great family including someone who I hold in the highest esteem - my father, Harvey. It is amazing the legacy one man can leave behind him. I am so grateful for the life he lived and the way he raised his son so that I could be born into the Gospel and be surrounded by the most incredible parents and siblings a person could ask for.
I will miss him dearly, but a part of him will live on in each of us. Thank you, Grandpa, for everything. God be with you til we meet again.

Drama, drama, drama

This weekend was pretty rough for our family. A few weeks ago, my grandpa had a stroke and although he was recovering from it, his speech was slurred and he was really exhausted. When his physician gave him the choice of going to a nursing home and being rehabilitated or going home and having hospice come in as he lived out the remainder of his life, he chose to go home. We all knew he wouldn't last much longer.

On Friday I received a phone call from my mom that his kidneys had shut down, and according to his hospice nurse he wasn't going to last more than 2-3 days. Jason, Karyn and I rushed to Brigham to see him one last time before he passed away. Katie and her family drove down from Soda Springs, Nick's family came from Shelley, and Abe even flew in from Alaska. It was an emotional day for all of us. Grandpa was still lucid and knew who we all were, although he did tell us he was ready to go. It was painful to watch him struggle to talk and breathe. I cried a lot on Friday.

We spent the weekend hanging out with our family, and it was so good to be able to see Abe. On Sunday as I was preparing for church, I realized I hadn't felt my baby move for several hours. I laid down on my bed and Jason tried to get her to kick him. She wouldn't respond - which was odd because normally the mere sound of Jason's voice gets her going crazy. She is already so attached to him! I tried everything I could think of to get her to kick me, but she wouldn't. I finally called my doctor and told them what was going on. They instructed me to go to the hospital. Karyn drove us down there, and we were admitted so they could make sure everything was okay. My little stinker of a child perked up the minute they put the fetal heart monitor on her! At least she's okay. She just thinks she's quite the tease and I suppose she's right.

As of right now grandpa is still hanging in there and we're grateful to have him around, although I do hope he is able to go soon so that he is no longer in pain. He has lived a good life and raised an amazing family, and I am so grateful to be able to call him my grandpa.

Jason practicing to be a daddy with our beautiful niece Sevanna....thanks to Katie for allowing him to hold her and get used to having a little one around!

Karyn's Moving to Utah!!

Today I got the wonderful privilege of accompanying my Karyn (yes, she's mine and none of you can have her!) to Davis Applied Technology College. She was in town to take the admissions test, register for her CNA class, and buy her books. We spent about two hours on campus - getting her all set up and ready to go. Then we went into the bookstore and I found the CUTEST dress! Yes, I know, I'm a dork. I bought a dress in a bookstore at a tech school. So what? It's Downeast and I love it! Plus, Jason gets to use it as a Christmas gift to me. Less shopping for him so we're all happy!
So it's official - Karyn is going to be joining our happy little home here in a short while. I can't wait to have her! Plus, I'm really just thrilled for her to take this next step in her life!

We had our first ultrasound back in November to verify the due date, make sure the baby was healthy, and determine the sex, of course!
As you've already heard, we are having a girl! Everything looked really good in the ultrasound, except that my little girl is just like her mommy and loves to lay on her stomach. They were unable to see all 4 chambers of her heart, no matter how much pushing and prodding they did to try to get her to roll over.
Last Tuesday I went back in for another ultrasound, hoping that this time we would get a clear shot of her heart. Unfortunately, she was just as stubborn as she was before! I laid on that table for 45 minutes with the ultrasound tech pushing and shaking my tummy, trying to get her to move. At one point they even had me roll onto my side, hoping that that would convince her she wanted to lay on her back. She refused. Instead she would kick her little legs in protest and settle back into her original position.
Third time's a charm, right?? I am scheduled again on January 6th for yet another ultrasound. We'll keep our fingers crossed that maybe this time she'll cooperate! (But knowing that she's my daughter, we won't hold our breath.....)

Our 2 year anniversary

For our two year anniversary, Jason surprised me with tickets to see Phantom of the Opera in Vegas. We road-tripped it down to Vegas and had the time of our lives! It was the best anniversary ever!

I don't know if you all have been awaiting this quite as anxiously as Jason and I, but Tuesday we learned the sex of our baby. I'm sure you've already guessed - but it's a girl! We're right on track for our scheduled due date, and she is growing perfectly. She seems to have a lot more energy than I do...she was kicking those legs like a crazy marathon runner!
We are still trying to come up with a name. Our tastes are not very similar - so we'll see what we come up with. We have until April 7th to decide! We are so thrilled!

We're Pregnant!?!

Just Recently we have found out that we are going to be adding either or little boy or girl to the Jason and Jill Gast Family!!!! We are soooooooo EXCITED! and we can't wait until November 12th when we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl!