Spring Break...the highs and lows

This last week was Spring Break.  It was so great to get some time off!  I always love my vacations!  I don't know how people work those jobs that don't have built-in holidays.  Anyway...I started the break off (I'm talking the Friday night after the last day of work) by doing some sleep training with Brinton.  Yes, he had been waking up in the night, and I was rather sick of it.  So I decided when he woke up that night around 1:30 or 2:00, I was just going to let him cry.  He cried for about 15 minutes and then stopped and I thought, "That was too easy."  He started crying again a little bit later and cried off and on for the next hour and a half.  Eventually, he fell back asleep.

The next morning we attended the Orem City Easter Egg Hunt with MaryAnn and her kids (Scott, Mary Ann, and Hannah also came).  I just carried Brinton around in one of those carriers that strap onto your chest.  I wasn't going to try and have him get an egg or candy...even though the youngest section is posted for 0-3 years.  I supervised Megan, since all of MaryAnn's kids were in different age groups this year.  Poor Megan was with the oldest group and I'm afraid she didn't get much.  Luckily Lauren was kind enough to share the two prize tickets that she got.  That night Brinton slept without waking up, it was a miracle!

 Sunday was Easter and we celebrated with both families.  Sam's mom did an egg hunt for the grandkids (she puts nickels in the eggs which is great for the kids, sad for me cause I have to actually buy my own Easter candy lol).  Then we went down to visit my family on the holiday.  We bought Brinton an Easter outfit, but didn't do a basket for him this year.  That night Brinton slept awfully.  He had a cold and wasn't feeling great and he got up a few times during the night.

The week of Spring Break was rather uneventful at this house.  I managed to check several items off my "spring cleaning" list and we got new windows installed (that was the highlight of the break).  I lost my "non-wedding" ring.  Sam gave me a custom made ring for Christmas in 2011.  I had been wearing it ever since Brinton was born because it was flat and silver, no poking up diamond to scratch him with.  I'm still looking for the ring and although my mom and Sam tell me it's a lost cause, I haven't given up hope.  I'm still really sad about it.  Other than that, I spent my time chillin' with my Mom, shopping, and loving my son.  Brinton has two new teeth that broke through early in the week and he is getting to be quite the fast crawler.  He loves to stand and is starting to walk around holding onto the furniture more.  He thinks he is so funny when he is going somewhere he knows I don't want him to go and playing with things he shouldn't be, like cords.  He's so big and so fun! He spent the rest of the break sleeping fine one night and then waking up the next screaming for an hour or so each night he woke up.  Fortunately (knock on wood) he has been sleeping fine the last two nights since I have gone back to work, I'm hoping that the sleep training was successful and this will now be the new pattern.   Now for some pictures!

This is Brinton playing on the toy we gave him for Easter/early birthday.  He likes the music it plays.

This is us at the Orem City Easter egg hunt.  Yes, I know we are both looking lovely.  I was trying to do a self-shot and it was hard, but all the same.  He is wearing some sweet bunny ears they were giving out.  Mostly he just liked to eat them.

This is us on Easter Sunday ( yes, I made us all coordinate our outfits). Aren't we so cute?!?

Brinton loving the Easter egg hunt at the Rosenthal's.  I love how he kept his legs up off the grass as much as possible.  He did eventually crawl on the grass, however.

I might have to get before and after pictures of the windows from Sam.  I didn't take any, but I'm too lazy to do that now so I guess those are all the pictures you get for today. :)

10 Months

I cannot believe that my baby is 10 months old!  He is so big and fun!  I'm loving this age more and more.  The time has sure gone by fast.  He's almost a year old...wow! 

A little bit about him:  He crawls and loves to pull himself to stand on almost anything.  He always crawls where he shouldn't...to play with cords, on the fireplace hearth, mess with the tv, you get the idea.  He has 6 teeth, 4 on top and 2 on bottom.  He is about 30" and weighs about 22 pounds.  He loves to watch kids play, I think he just wishes he could run around with them.  He always wants to eat what we are eating.  If I grab a snack, he crawls over and expects me to share with him (which I usually do).  He'll try almost anything, and likes almost anything...I guess he gets that from his dad, and given my choking paranoia, I'm surprised at how much I actually give him table food.  He likes to be thrown in the air and he likes when I lie on my back and fly him...if you know what I mean.  He loves being in his stroller and seeing the world.

 I love the warm weather and the fact that we can play outside and go for walks.  He is so fun and I love spending time with him.  He has become so much easier to take care of and he is almost always happy.  (We still struggle with the nights...doesn't sleep through the night and has a hard time falling asleep.  Guess I'm a softy.) 

Here are a few pictures for you...not very good ones.  He doesn't sit still and just tries to grab the camera, but hey, they're still cute.

Six Months

Brinton's 6 month birthday was this last Thursday.  These last 6 months have gone so fast (at least looking back on it...there were times it felt slow).  I can't believe how big Brinton is now.  He's eating solids, and liking it...mostly, he rolls over...but only one way, he loves to use his voice...sometimes by screeching in your ear, and he loves his parents.  He has the cutest laugh but not very many people get to experience it...he is fairly conservative with his smiles and most definitely with his laugh.  He enjoys music.  He loves "Popcorn Popping," and "Happy Family."  I'm not sure if it's the songs he likes or the actions.  I know "Happy Family" doesn't have actions but I sign it to him when I sing it.  There are other songs I sign when I sing, but not as consistently as I do that one.  He loves to suck on his fists and anything else he can get in his mouth.  He likes sounds of all sorts and he LOVES to blow raspberries, which is less fun when it happens during his feedings.  I tried to have some pictures taken of him on his actual 6 month birthday, but despite my made-two-weeks-in-advanced-appointment, it didn't happen...yes I'm bitter about it.  So all I have from the actual day are a few pictures I took myself, with my phone.  Hopefully we'll get some real pictures one of these days...can't wait too long.  So here are a couple of pictures of the big boy:

And just for a fun comparison, this was taken the day we got home from the hospital.

 And this is from the Fourth of July (obviously), so he was almost 2 months.

 We love our cute little boy, it's hard to remember life before he was here.  Now if only we could get him to sleep through the night....

4 months

Brinton turned 4 months old yesterday.  He is such a fun baby...most of the time.  I certainly cherish the time I get to be with him, since it is less often than  I would prefer.  He loves to hold things now, especially my shirt.  He sometimes will grab his toys and blankets, but when he's being held he likes to hold on to whoever is holding him.  He loves pat-a-cake and smiles or laughs when I play that with him.  He loves to suck his fists and sometimes his thumb.  He hasn't rolled over, but when he's on his belly he scoots around in circles with his legs.  He is doing well at the daycare, and at Mary Ann's.  I love when work is over and I get to see him, and I live for the weekends.  I'm very selfish with the time that I have with him.  Here are a few pictures from yesterday and today.  He is such a cutie!

3 Months

So, Brinton is now 3 months old.  He is a much easier baby now.  He is fun and social, at least with Sam and I.  He smiles at us a lot and does a funny little laugh.  He is so cute.  He loves to look at our ceiling fan and smile at it too.  He also loves his baths, he splashes like crazy when he is taking a bath, gets water everywhere.  He still likes to be moving often, but will also just sit and be content.  He loves to suck on his fists...I think he might turn into a thumb sucker, but he hasn't quite figured out how to get just his thumb in his mouth (not that he necessarily tries to). 

Tomorrow I go back to work (my first full day back).  It is going to be really hard to leave Brinton for the whole day.  I don't know how moms can go to work, I guess you do what you have to, but it is hard.  I know that being a stay-at-home mom wouldn't be easy either.  But I would much prefer that to working.  I hope that this school year will go by as fast as the summer has. 

2 months

I know I am a little slow in writing this...Brinton is almost 3 months now.  I can't beleive how fast this summer has gone!  It is very depressing to think that August is here.  I must admit, at first this summer seemed super slow, but now that it's almost over it was fast.  It's been a challenge adjusting to being parents...not that the challenge is over, but I guess it's getting easier.

Around Brinton's 2 month birthday, we had some pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids. He was blessed on July 8, and the pictures were taken shortly after that.  He is wearing the outfit he was blessed in for the pictures.  I think they turned out cute, so here are some of the pictures for your viewing pleasure!

3 Weeks

So, on Tuesday,June 5, Brinton was three weeks old.  It was also my unofficial due date.  Crazy to think that he was due this week.  I had him weighed on June 7, the due date my doctor gave me.  He was 6 pounds 13.5 ounces.  That's up 13.5 ounces from 8 days prior, when we were at his two week check up.  Can't believe that he gained so much weight in such a short time.  Sam says he eats like his dad.  We're really grateful that he is doing so well, gaining weight, and mostly letting us sleep some at night.

He wasn't too happy when I was trying to take pictures of him.  I wanted to try to get one of his feet, with his whole body so you could kind of see how big his feet are compared to the rest of him, but it didn't work out too great.  Anyway, I think he's pretty cute and looking a little chunkier, but these pictures don't do him justice.  

Brinton's Arrival

It's been a while since I've blogged.  I decided now would be a good time. (My baby is sound asleep for hopefully another hour.)  Anyway, many of you already know that I had my baby last week.  I'll just summarize quickly what happened for those of you that may not know.  Last Monday, May14, I had an appointment with a specialist to talk about turning my baby (he had been breech my whole pregnancy due to my "heart-shaped" uterus).  Sam and I went to the doctor and they started with doing an ultrasound.  When the tech was pretty much finished with the ultrasound she said that our baby was estimated to be weighing 4 pounds 14 ounces.  That's really, really small for being almost 37 weeks along.  So, the doctor came in and told us that my regular doctor and she was concerned about the size of our baby.  She talked about a few reasons why he might be so small and then she said, "Do you have a car seat?" I responded in the affirmative.  Then, "Is your house ready?"  Again, I said, "Yes." (Fortunately Sam and I had finished getting his room ready over the weekend.)  Then she said, "Are you ready to have your baby tomorrow?"  I hesitantly said, "Sure."  It was a shock, to say the least.  She told me to call my doctor and they would schedule a C-section.  They thought that the baby would grow better outside of me than inside since it appeared my placenta was failing.

 The following day Brinton was born at 12:49.  He weighed 5 pounds 9 ounces (so their estimate was a little off), and he was 18 inches long.  He was in the NICU for a day and half, because of breathing problems.  We were discharged Friday, May 18.  We are just very grateful that Brinton didn't have to stay at the hospital and that he got to come home with us.  It is definitely an adjustment having a baby, but we love our cute little boy.

This is me at 36 weeks...

This is the morning before Brinton was born, so  37 weeks.  I don't think I'm that much bigger than
I was at  36 weeks, it;s just a close-up picture.

Brinton on Sunday morning.

The next two are Brinton on his week old birthday.

We also celebrated our three year anniversary today.  It definitely was overlooked due to our new arrival, but my mother-in-law came over and watched Brinton for about 45 minutes.  We had a very romantic 45 minutes by going to the Sprint store to pick up Sam's phone (it had been behaving crazily), we drove down University Parkway to see the new CFI (continuous flow intersection...or something like that), and then we went to WinCo and bought some candy from their bulk section.  It was the first time I've really been out of the house since being home so it was nice to get out...even though it really wasn't romantic.  Brinton slept the whole time we were gone.

You can thank Joy

So, last Thursday I had my 28 week check up.  Due to some irregularity with my uterus, I was having an ultrasound as well as the normal doctor visit.  Sam and I went in to the room where the ultrasound technician was and she, Joy, asked if we were just checking that irregularity.  I responded in the affirmative.  She proceeded with the ultrasound and practically the first thing she said was, "There's the boy part."  I sat up a little and looked at Sam, wondering if I had just heard what I thought I had.  He had a shocked looked on his face so Joy said, "Isn't that what I told you last time?"  I said, "No.  You didn't tell us last time because we weren't going to find out."  She apologized and continued with the ultrasound, and apologized many more times.

We were pretty bothered the rest of the day, but what can ya do??  So we told our families on Sunday by presenting them with some blue-frosted cupcakes.  We were disappointed to find out what we are having earlier than we wanted, but are excited for our son.  And, just FYI, he is measuring a little small for how far along I am, but nothing to be concerned about, and not enough that they would change my due date.  So, for any of you that were just dying to find out what we are having, you can thank Joy for the early revelation.

28 weeks

This is mostly for Shannon.  She wanted to see a picture of my pregnant belly.  So, here you are:

Guess I can't complain for being 28 weeks along.  So far, I've only been using my belly band, when I wear my skinnier clothes.  Usually I just wear my fat jeans or gym clothes or elastic waist skirts.  Can't believe I'll have a baby in less than 3 months (or there about).

Cute, modest swimsuits:

http://www.hapari.com/modest-tankinis/

2012

I can't believe how fast time goes by.  Wow!  Another year gone.  I know I have been totally slacking in the blogging world.  And this post will be as boring as ever.  I have no pictures so if you'd like to read some rambling, feel free.

We did do some things this past year...I'm just not sure what they were.  I know we visited some family.  Made another trip to DC (it was great as usual).  We didn't do any major home improvements (much to my dismay, I wanted to paint downstairs and do some fixing up there, but it never happened).  I suppose all in all it was a good year.

This next year should bring some fun and exciting changes.  Two of my sister-in-laws are pregnant (one is Sam's sister, the other my brother's wife), and come June our family will have one more as well.  No, we are not finding out what gender our baby is prior to birth, and yes, I think that we will be able to prepare just as well.  I'm getting excited...although it's definitely taken some time to get used to the idea that I'm pregnant.  I'm not sure I'm there yet.  Perhaps it would help if I was showing...maybe.  I obviously don't know when it will be real to me, since this is my first time.

Anyway, I've definitely made some resolutions, but none of them are too exciting or impressive.  Mostly they are just personal improvement goals...boring for you, but I'm glad to report that I've already made a good start.  At least this year I DO NOT have the resolution to lose weight!  I guess that might become a mid-year resolution.  Maybe the next time I post I'll have some pictures of something....

June!

Yay!  It's summer and it actually feels like summer.  It is great!  I guess I will write about our anniversary, not that we did anything too awesome.  It is hard to believe that I've been married for two years.  Weird.  Anyway, we just went to dinner at PF Changs...we never go there.  It was good, I could make that a tradition.  And then we went to a movie after that, oh yeah, the new Pirates of the Caribbean.  Pretty good show,  I liked the new X-men movie we went to for Megan's birthday better.

As for that wood project I want to make later on this summer, I think it was some sort of table like chest.  I haven't looked at the magazine that had the plans for a while.  But, i was going to paint it black, and distress it and use it for a coffee table in our front room.  If it turns out okay, that is.  Other than that not too much is going on.  I'm loving the warm weather and Sam and I went for our first swim of the summer last night.  Yay!  Of course, right as we got to the pool the wind picked up and so it was kinda cold getting out, but not too bad.

Yeah, yeah, I know this background doesn't go all that great with my heading and what not, but you have to admit it is so me.  Gotta love the yellow!

Another year gone...

I can hardly believe that this school year is over.  It goes so fast.  Crazy.  It's been a good year.  I did take pictures of dinners Sam and I made one week, but of course I'm way too lazy to actually put them on this blog.  I know it's not that difficult.  But, you know. 

I mean, it's taken me this long just to get a post going.  Not too much has changed in our lives.  We had a good Spring Break in Vegas.  Went to the Beatles Love show...I would recommend it to anyone.  It was awesome.  Now, I'm in school and although I only have two classes, it does manage to consume a lot of my time.  It's good to be back in school.  Maybe Sam will start going the second half of the summer like he says he will. 

Other than that things are really about the same.  I'm excited for the summer and for this semester of school to be over.  I'm hoping to make a wood project.  Sam said he would help me, other than that I have some sewing projects and there's always the task of catching up on scrapbooking.  Good times!

So I was talking with my parents and my brother, John, tonight after the priesthood session.  We were talking about reading classic books and I now have a new favorite quote from John.  He said, "I didn't have to read any classics because I watched 'Wishbone.'"

 

What is "Wishbone," you ask.  Well, it was a PBS show about a kid and a dog.  The kid would be going through some situation in life and the dog, Wishbone, would find a classic book that fit the situation and then act out the book.  Yeah, it was pretty sweet....