Poor Katelyn Had to Go to the Hospital (don't worry she's okay) But At Least She Looked Adorable :)

So poor Katelyn has reflux and is a bit colicky and often fussy. We have been trying many ways to help: Mylicon drops, sitting her up after eating, I'm off dairy and she even takes some medicine for her reflux. Yesterday we saw a GI specialist at Childrens' Hospital and she wanted to do a procedure that would check to see if Katelyn had any kind of blockage in her rectum that was keeping things blocked up. So we took her in today and they had to stick a tube up her bottom and shoot some dye up there to make sure everything was working right. Not fun as you might imagine. She was really good about it all, though obviously she didn't enjoy it much, poor thing. Thankfully everything is okay she is just a bit on the fussy side. Before the did the procedure though they had us put her in this tiny little johnny which she looked just adorable in. Sadly I only had my phone camera so sorry for the quality but she's still pretty cute. :)

Halloween, Katelyn's Blessing and Some Other Cute Pictures

So this last weekend we were lucky enough to have my parents and Scott and Tyler's parents come to Boston to participate in Katelyn's blessing. It was so great to have them here and fun for them all to meet Katelyn. It made me excited for a time when we can live closer to family. I was even more fortunate that my parents and Scott got to stay for a couple of extra days and hang out with Katelyn and I while Tyler was at school. This first picture is my parents and Scott in front of Peacefield- the house where John and Abigail Adams lived in the latter part of their life. We also got to see the houses were John Adams and John Quincy Adams were born. It was really amazing to see all the original artifacts there and stand in the places where they must have stood. (Yes, I am a history nerd).

My mom, Scott and I outside the house where John Adams was born. Katelyn is also in the picture- can you find her? :)

Katelyn with her Dad, Grandpas and member of our bishopric who participated in her blessing.

Katelyn just hanging out and looking cute :)

I thought it would be nice to put a picture of Tyler's pumpkin on here since he didn't get to carve it until 11 pm on Halloween night

Also, not really seen on Halloween was Katelyn's adorable princess costume that my mom and I made. She wasn't in the best of moods that night and so she spend very little time in it. :)

For those of you who know Tyler very well you know that he likes to make comments when he is in class. Well, aparently Katelyn has subconsciously inherited that trait. When she is sleeping she likes to have her hand raised in the hopes that she too might get called on. :)

All bundled up and ready for a New England winter

Just hanging out . . .

Bath time!

Ben Affleck Sighting and More Pictures of Katelyn

So today my mom and I were walking to Katelyn's doctors appointment and when we got to Harvard Square I noticed there was a lot of fancy camera equipment around. As we were speculating as to the reason a women standing next to us reminded me that Ben Affleck was shooting a movie in Cambridge. Then all of a sudden this women grabbed my shoulder and said, "There he is! In the hat right over there!" And lo and behold there was Ben Affleck about 5 feet away from us talking with some of the camera crew. :) Now I do have to admit up close he still pretty much looks like most people, but still it was pretty fun to practically run into him like that. :) My mom and I contemplated sticking around to see if we could make it in as extras but eventually decided against it. Anyway, so that is our fun story for the day and now without further ado here are some more cute pictures of Katelyn. . . . :)

Katelyn Marie Lloyd

I know we haven't been very attentive to our blog this year, but I couldn't let one of the most significant events in our lives go by without some attempt to share it with others and record it for ourselves. Nicole and I just welcomed into our family a beautiful little girl whom we have named Katelyn Marie Lloyd. We were leaning toward Brooklyn Norene, but she looked more like a Katelyn to us. We still think at some point down the road we'll have a little Brooklyn as well.

Nicole's due date had been Sept. 28th, and since she was nearly a week overdue and her doctor (who is herself pregnant) was going to be done working soon, Nicole decided to be induced. Nicole's mom had come into town at the end of September to help out, and the three of us went to the hospital early in the morning on Saturday, Oct. 3rd.

Nicole developed a fever during labor and the baby's heart rate kept dropping, so after a very long 22 hours of labor and 2 hours of fruitless pushing, the doctor decided a c-section was called for. Nicole was nervous, and we were both very glad that her mom was with us, as she has had a c-section herself and was thus a great support for Nicole. I sat near Nicole through the procedure (side note: I don't do well with blood) and was impressed by how brave she was. We could hear the doctors on the other side of the screen laughing because the baby was stuck. She finally came loose at 8:33am on Sunday, Oct. 4th.

I avoided looking at the scene on the other side of the screen as I made my way across the room to watch the doctors clean and weigh the baby. She came in at 6lbs. 9.6 oz, and 18.5 inches (.5 of which was due to a rather severe conehead -- unusual for a c-section delivery, but as I said, she was wedged pretty tight). Other than her conical head, the baby was quite beautiful right from the start: she was very pink with light-colored hair and big bright eyes. It was amazing to finally hold this little baby that I had felt moving inside Nicole for the last few months. I sat down by Nicole again so she could see the baby, and I helped Nicole touch the baby's cheek with her finger. Nicole cried.

Because of Nicole's fever, our baby had to undergo a series of tests to ensure she did not have an infection. I went upstairs with the baby to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit while Nicole's mom took my place at Nicole's side while the doctors sewed her up. The baby was really good throughout the tests and hardly fussed at all, despite being hooked to dozens of different wires and tubes (it was a rather sad and horrifying sight). Over the next few hours I went back and forth between the NICU and the room where Nicole was recovering, and eventually grandma and daddy got some sleep.

Nothing really significant happened the rest of that day or most of the following day (Monday). Nicole and the baby were finally able to be together, although Nicole wasn't strong enough to hold her for very long. It was at this point that we decided on the name Katelyn Marie, and I discovered (over a long sleepless night) that she shares her daddy's fondness for Billy Joel songs.

Monday night at about at about 10:30, after Nicole's mom had returned to our apartment to get some sleep, Nicole started to hemorrhage. We didn't realize how serious it was at first, but within a couple minutes we had at least a dozen nurses in the room. I heard them muttering to each other their amazement at how much blood Nicole had lost (repeat: I don't do well with blood). As soon as Nicole's doctor arrived with a rapid response team they wheeled Nicole away to another operating room to try to find and stop the bleeding. I was left sitting in the hallway outside the operating room while Nicole and the doctors went inside, Nicole's mom jumped in a cab heading back to the hospital and my mom jumped on a plane headed to Boston. This was probably my low point in terms of feeling alone and afraid. I remember gaining some measure of comfort by humming the tune to Families can be Together Forever.

Nicole's mom arrived shortly, and soon enough Nicole was back out of the operating room. The surgeon that I had been pestering for information the whole time told us that the bleeding had stopped on its own, but (mixed blessing) this kept them from identifying the source of the bleeding. They decided to monitor her overnight on the labor and delivery floor. We made them pull a second cot into the room, and the three of us had a short family prayer and bunked down for a somber slumber party.

At about 7:30 Tuesday morning, Nicole hemorrhaged again. As they prepared to wheel her to the operating room again, I remember regretting that I had not given her a blessing after the previous incident. Nicole was shaking terribly (a side-effect of the anesthesia made worse by her obvious fear) and crying, as was her mom. I think this was their low point, and I may have been more in shock. It was a difficult moment.

When they brought Nicole back the second time, they reported that again the bleeding had stopped on its own and again they couldn't identify the source. This was obviously not satisfying news. They took her a third time to try a procedure which amounted to inflating a balloon inside her uterus in an effort to provide pressure and stop the bleeding. They quickly returned with more bad news: the balloon kept slipping out, and they were running low on options. The doctors were concerned that another massive bleed would put them in a position where removing Nicole's uterus would be the only way to ensure that she did not die of blood loss (she had already received three units of blood by transfusion).

The final attempt to avoid a hysterectomy would be by a team of Interventional Radiologists. They explained that they would, under the guidance of x-ray, inject into the arteries on either side of Nicole's uterus an agent which would significantly impede blood flow to the uterus. They called this the "shot-gun" approach, since it affected the whole uterus without any attempt to identify a particular source of the bleeding (I think they felt by this point that the bleeding was from multiple small sources). The downside to this approach was that reduced blood flow to the uterus posed a risk of infection in the short-term and possible impairment of future pregnancies. This was obviously preferable to a hysterectomy, let alone a risk to Nicole's life, but was difficult to take nonetheless.

I had called my home teacher to come and help me give Nicole a blessing, and to his credit he came right over even early on a weekday. Unfortunately, the combination of Boston traffic and hospital over-security delayed him until just after Nicole was taken for her fourth trip to the Operating Room. Just before they wheeled her out I asked for a minute of privacy and gave her a priesthood blessing. Without going into too much detail here, I will share that I felt directly prompted to command Nicole's body to heal and respond to the treatment. The doctors were also blessed to operate with skill and inspiration.

After Nicole left for the procedure, her mom and I immediately began calling everyone we could think of to ask for prayers in her behalf. Thank you to all of our friends and family who prayed and fasted -- I know you made a difference. After that we were back to the waiting game. When the doctors finally came to give us the news, they were pleasantly surprised with how well things had gone. The shot-gun approach had turned out to be unnecessary, as the x-ray revealed almost immediately the elusive source of the bleeding.

As it turns out, some time during the c-section one of the surgeons nicked an artery (maybe a vein - I'm not a med student) in Nicole's uterus. This vessel had been swelling with blood and then releasing it in bursts, which accounted for the strange on/off pattern of the bleeding. The radiologists were able to repair the cut vessel and were very optimistic that Nicole would experience no further problems (other than the usual discomforts associated with labor, c-section, and multiple trips to the operating room).

We spent the next few days in the hospital, and Nicole got stronger every day. On Friday we all came home, and now we are enjoying the pleasures and challenges of being first-time parents with a new baby. I'm so proud of Nicole and how tough she has been throughout this whole ordeal. I'm grateful to her mom and to mine for being here to support us. I'm in love with my darling little baby girl. And I am humbled by God's mercy, his mindfulness of us, and his power to bless and heal.

We'll keep you posted on Nicole's progress in healing and try to supply a steady amount of adorable Katelyn photos. Enjoy these for starters:

Go Cougars!!!

Just wanted to post quickly about what an amazing game BYU had last night. The defense looked awesome, the O-line held their own, Hall, Kariya and many others had great games and overall we looked like a team that belonged on the field with the #3 team in the country. Hurray for BYU- GO COUGARS!

We're Back!

We are back in Boston. Sadly, my already lacking blogging skills only got worse over the summer. But, we had a great time in Spokane and even got to spend some really fun time in Arizona. It was nice to be back West for a while and have a little breathing room. Tyler really enjoyed his internship at the Washington Attorney General's office and I had a great time doing stuff with my mom. :) We also got to go to Glacier National Park with my family and Lake Powell with Tyler's, both places are gorgeous. A couple of weeks ago we were lucky to get to go to Tiffany's (Tyler's sister) wedding and everything was beautiful. It was a really nice summer. As far as pictures go I am still working on getting better at that as well, but I do have a couple of pictures of the fire pit that Tyler and my brothers built in my parents backyard.

Tyler personally chiseled all of these lava rocks out of the wall in my parents' house where they used to be a fireplace that my mom hated. :)

This is the whole firepit area that all the boys built together. It was really fun to get to use a little before we left.

Tyler after a few very long days of hard work with his masterpiece.

Other than that we are just looking forward to the arrival of our little girl in about a month. :) We got to pick up her crib that mom and Dave gave us (it's beautiful thanks!) and we will post pictures of her room soon once we get it all put together. This last picture is just one of my and my ever-growing middle since I always want to see those kind of pictures of everyone else when it's their turn. :) So here it is . . . :)

My one and only contribution to our blog...thus far.

Since this is my first time posting, I guess I'd better introduce myself. I'm Tyler - the lesser half of the Tyler and Nicole blog. Anyway, I've received a few requests for a poem I wrote a few years back, and thought this would be the easiest and most accessible way to share it. Feel free to use/share/take credit for as much as you like:

Precious Above All

By Tyler Lloyd

From far away I saw the tree,

And grasped the iron rod,

And pressing forward through the mist,

The narrow path I trod.

But faltering along the path,

I must have dropped my gaze.

From shining light I turned and saw

A building through the haze.

It towered high above the ground,

And people fine and proud,

From ev’ry doorway beckoned me

To come and join the crowd.

It seemed both great and wonderful,

Yet filled my heart with dread.

I turned away and fixed my view

On path and tree ahead.

But ever as my feet moved on,

My thoughts dwelt on the crowd,

Which mocked my struggle down below,

In voices harsh and loud.

The mist pressed close around me now,

I felt its tender strands,

That pulled so softly at my feet,

So gently at my hands.

One strand sang sweetly in my ear,

A soothing melody:

“Why walk this path so long and hard?

Come with us and be free!”

Relaxing grip upon the rod,

And view upon the tree,

I slowed my pace and looked around,

Intrigued by what I’d see.

The fog obscured the distant scene

That I could not resist.

I soon had left the pathway and

Was walking in the mist.

The threads of shadow pulled me on,

My face and skin felt cold.

Yet warmed I was by thick’ning cords

That now took greater hold.

And now and then from distant tree,

A beam of light would shine,

And I perceived these gentle cords

Were chains of dark design.

Before the beams the chains gave way,

Defeated by the light.

But fearing now to lose their touch,

I turned into the night.

I stumbled down my unseen path,

Uncertain and confused.

O’er rocks and pits I fell until

My hands and knees were bruised.

The cords that led so gently once,

Now pulled me to a race,

And tripping down one final slope,

I fell upon my face.

Then glancing up my eyes beheld

A river dark and deep,

And kneeling on that sandy shore,

I soon began to weep.

I shuddered at my bitter fate,

Afraid and lost, alone.

Why had I wandered from the path,

And left the truth I’d known?

I stood once more on weary feet,

And summoned all my will,

Determined to retrace my steps

Back up the treach’rous hill.

But though I tried to climb the bank,

The cords would give no slack,

And whipping at my arms and legs,

They roughly pulled me back.

Then wrapping ‘round my chest and waist,

And strengthening their hold,

They dragged me down the sandy bank,

Into the water cold.

These chains, not soft but sharp and hard,

Now muffled out my scream,

And laughing in my ears they pulled

Me ‘neath the murky stream.

Then sinking down into the depths,

My mind caught on the tree,

And straightway from my heart I cried,

“Dear Savior, rescue me!”

Then suddenly a light appeared

Above me on the sand,

And Jesus, kneeling on the shore,

Reached down and took my hand.

And as he made to raise me up,

My heart was filled with peace,

But still the heavy chains would not

Their rightful prize release.

I wondered then “what could He do?”

I knew the law’s demand.

But reaching down he grabbed a chain

With his almighty hand.

The razor edges cut Him, but

The chain broke with a crack,

And lashing back in fury left

A gash upon His back.

He reached again and broke once more

A heavy chain of sin,

It too recoiled, biting deep

Into His precious skin.

And each strong cord that He undid

Sprang back with all its might,

And threw upon His arms and back

The fullness of its spite.

When I could bear no more I cried

“I don’t deserve such grace!

It is not fair that you should bleed

And suffer in my place.”

With no response, He carried on.

I heard one final crack.

He lifted me, from bonds set free,

And placed me on His back.

Then slowly climbed back to the path –

His blood mixed with my tears.

Somehow His love had conquered sin,

And banished all my fears.

I hoped that He would take me to

The tree with no delay.

Instead He put me on the path

Where first my feet did stray.

Then very gently placed my hand

Back on the iron rod,

And for a while walked with me

The pathway home to God.

And someday when I’ve reached the tree,

I’ll fall down at the feet

Of Him who drank the bitter cup,

And made this fruit so sweet.

Yes, Even at Harvard

So this will just be a quick post but I just had to relate my story of coming to work today. . .

So I was walking through Harvard Yard on my way to work this morning (Harvard Yard is the big area enclosed by the main dorms and buildings that make up Harvard College). Normally at quarter after eight there are some students milling around but it is more or less quiet. This morning however there was a big gathering of students who seemed to be formed into groups and were each wearing matching colors and holding big signs and banners. Needless to say I was slightly intrigued about what would bring these students out on a cold morning. I quickly found out. As I stopped to watch for a minute, a group of about 20 students burst out from the middle of the pack and began a lap around the Yard. . . in speedos and bikinis, yikes! :) I can only assume this had to do with some sort of initiation or something for the campus Frats and Sororities since they were chanting something I did not understand as they ran. Anyway, it was about the last thing I had expected to see but could only think, Yes, even at Harvard there are students who will run around in almost nothing in freezing temperatures. :)

Yeah, it's been a while

So it has been quite a while since our last post. And because we are lame we didn't even get our camera out during Christmas break. (I suppose in Tyler's defense he was studying for his first set of finals so it was probably my job to take the pics, oops). So here are some more recent things that have been going on in good ole bean town. Last Monday, Tyler and I got to go to the Celtics/Suns game at the Garden (thanks Mom and Dave!!). It was a lot of fun especially since Tyler is a pretty devoted Suns fan and I am quickly becoming a devoted Celtics fan. We even each had a t-shirt for our team.


You can kind of see our T-shirts here. For any of you who didn't watch or hear about the game, Tyler is making that face because, well, it wasn't such a hot night for the Suns. Luckily though, they won a game last night and have a chance to take out the Spurs this week so hopefully they can redeem themselves. :)

This is a picture of the scoreboard at halftime. You can't see it too well but the score is 64-34 and for the Suns it didn't get much better from there, but for any of my fellow Celtics fans-Go Celtics!



These next pictures are from Saturday when we went Candlepin Bowling with some of the other 1L (first year) law students in our ward. Candlepin bowling was actually invented here in Massachusetts and is actually a pretty big thing here in New England and Eastern Canada. It is mostly the same as regular bowling except for the pins are skinnny and straight up and down and the balls are much smaller. The place we went to has actually been around since the 1930's so it was a fun thing to get to do.

Here is Tyler in action he actually did really well, despite the fact that he would usually use his other arm. As you can see there is only one pin left.

Here's me also in action, though for anyone who has seen me at regular bowling, I am just as bad at this. :) This is a good shot though to show the size of the ball.

Here is a pretty bad picture of the pins, because the place is so old it doesn't have amazing lighting but I think you can kind of get the idea.

This is the group that we went with, all of the husbands are 1L's at HLS and one of the other girls also works at HBS with me. The girl in the middle works with molecular biologist at BU as a research assistant. Anyway, it was a ton of fun and for anyone who comes out to visit you'll have to give it a try!