My First Official Mother's Day

Sunday was what I consider my first official Mother's Day. It was the first mother's day in a long time that I didn't break down sobbing at some point. It was the first mother's day that I didn't have that overwhelming ache in my heart as I watched other mothers in action or listened to the children at church sing 'Mother I Love You' and wondered if it would ever be my turn. Mother's Day can be so hard if you are struggling with infertility. I said a special prayer Sunday for all of my sisters in the world who are struggling with infertility or the loss of a child. I hope they felt a little divine comfort and strength. It is still hard for me to believe that I really do have a baby--that the little guy sitting on my lap during church was mine, all mine! Then he started fussing a little, and I had to take him out, and I thought to myself, "What a privilege! A baby, even a fussing one, is such a blessing!" I hope to never take my blessings for granted.
Last year, we announced to our family that I was a pregnant. It was such a whirlwind of emotions! It is crazy to me that it was a year ago already. It is even more amazing to me that my baby is five months old already. Where does the time go? But believe me, I am cherishing every moment!
So, in honor of Mother's day, here is a list of the things I love about motherhood so far:
1. I love that Baby has a smile just for me. He has so many smiles--his mischievous smirk, his silly smile, his "He-ey" smile that he uses to flirt with girls, his making friends smile, his playing smile, and then he's got this special smile that he gives me sometimes that says, "Hey mom! I'm glad to see you!" It melts my heart every time!
2. I love that I can comfort my baby when he's upset. It's really true that sometimes moms just know how to comfort their child. I love that I can take him in my arms and snuggle him and make his world better.
3. I love how he makes me laugh. Sometimes the most random things will make him crack up--me trying to fix something on his swinging chair or the story SkippyJon Jones. Baby laughs are so contagious. Pretty soon everyone is laughing along with the baby...and I mean the hard laughing, with tears running down your face, holding your sides. My baby is a comedian. He knows just how to make us laugh, whether it's making funny sounds when he's supposed to be sleeping or the silly faces he likes to make. And I love how he can bring the goofy side out of anyone. A few minutes with Baby, and even the most serious person, finds himself dancing a jig and making a funny face.
4. I love when Baby falls asleep while I'm trying to burp him at night. He'll have his head on my shoulder, his face nestled against my neck with an arm wrapped around my neck on the other side. Sometimes after his 5:00 am feeding, I just put him in bed with me. I love how he will lie next to me and just stare at me or talk to me or curl his little, chubby fingers in my hair. Sometimes he'll bop me in the face with a stuffed animal--his way of saying, "Mom! Wake up! I'm too cute for sleeping! You're going to miss this!" And I am going to miss it one day.
5. I love listening to him in the morning on the baby monitor. Sometimes he will wake up in the morning and be perfectly content to lay in his crib and have conversations with Yeeha (his stuffed horse) or the cute, smiley baby in the little mirror in his crib or sometimes I think he's jabbering away with angels. I love hearing what he has to say. He loves to talk, that's for sure. And I especially love when I go in the room to get him in the morning, and he will give me this giant smile that just lights up the room and will start to squirm around for me to pick him up.
6. I love discovering this new world with him. Everything is new and fascinating to him. It is so amazing to me to see how he interacts with the world around him. I love seeing the world through his eyes. Fingers are fun to chew on; grass tickles your skin; Gus' lips are slobbery when you pull on them; water is fun to splash in; cereal feels weird when you goo it between your fingers; the world is truly a wonderful place.
7. I love that even though I'm learning as I go as a mommy and even though I make mistakes, Baby still loves me. I know that I don't always get it right, but I'm trying!
8. I love praying together as a family. We've added a bedtime prayer to our bedtime ritual, and it has made all the difference. I love how Baby is usually quiet during the prayer, but if the prayer gets too long, he'll let you know!
Anyway, these are just a few of the things that I love. I am so blessed!

My Smart Baby

So I really want my baby to enjoy reading. We enjoy reading together. Baby S has many favorite books, and it makes my heart happy to see him actually enjoying being read to even though he is so young. I got the program, Your Baby Can Read, and am excited to try it. If nothing else, I think it will help build his vocabulary and expose him to the concept of reading. The other day, I was trying to get the nursery cleaned, so I put Baby S in the chair in the nursery where I could keep my eye on him. Then I gave him one of those touch cloth books. He was so adorable, so, of course, I ended up taking pictures instead of really cleaning. It amazed me because Baby S seems to already have a basic understanding of how books work. He was turning the pages on his own and really seemed to enjoy looking at the different pages. He even held the book up to show me what he was reading! I promise, none of these pictures are posed--it was just one of those moments that probably won't happen again, but was cute nonetheless! He'll be reading Harry Potter in no time! Just kidding! =)




P.S. Here's an article from Whattoexpect.com that I really liked!

How to Read to Baby: Three Ways to Raise an Avid Reader

It's never too early to be a bookworm. Learn how to encourage your baby to love storytime.

Even though your baby is probably more interested in chewing on his books than the words and pictures on their pages, he's learning the valuable lesson that books are fun — not to mention a great way to spend time with Mommy and Daddy. Here's how you can encourage reading, even at this early stage:

• Look for…Sturdy board books that he can gnaw on, pile up, crawl over, and otherwise manhandle. Extra points for audience participation: flaps to lift or textured patches to touch and feel. Your baby also might like splashing with a vinyl book in the bathtub. Illustrations or photos should be simple (no complicated, overwhelming backgrounds), bright, and familiar: household items, animals, things that go, and especially other babies and children (try photo albums too!). As for the words, they should be simple, too, and few in number, so you can keep the pages turning quickly. You needn't read them all, or stick to what's really on the page — make changes to suit your baby's interests and mood. In particular, rhymes are music to a baby's ears — many little ones love the rhythm and predictability.
• Try to…engage him with lots of commentary and an appealing tone. Add silly voices and animal sounds. Read often, slipping in stories whenever he's alert but calm. Try after lunch, before naps, during or after a bath, and at bedtime. Some babies even like to listen to a story during meals.
• Show him…that reading is fun by doing it yourself. Let him see you enjoying a book or magazine; you can even read aloud from whatever it is you're perusing. The words aren't as important as your enthusiasm for them. Any exposure to reading helps him learn how books work and builds vocabulary.

Baby's First Vacation

Moab April 2010
This past weekend we went to Moab. It was baby's first vacation and so much fun. I learned two things though about vacationing with a baby: 1. It is much like traveling with a rock star (he had four bags, plus his pack n' play, stroller, car seat and other odds and ends while Hubs and I crammed all of our stuff into one bag!), and 2. It is a lot of work! But I had a great time. It was good to just get away from the house work, the cooking, and the day-to-day stuff and to have an adventure. Baby S was such a trooper. He pretty much slept the entire long drive to Moab. He was great at adjusting to being in a new environment. He kept his routines and went to bed at the hotel just as he does at home. We got to Moab Friday evening, had dinner at one of our favorite places in Moab (Moab Diner), and then went in search of our hotel. We were there with some friends and ended up staying in a really, really nice place called Red Cliff Lodge. It was late when we got there, so I couldn't see much of the scenery but the sky was crystal clear and glimmering with thousands of stars. In the morning, I got up and went out on our patio (yes, we had a patio, along with a small kitchen and sitting area). The scenery was spectacular!
Here are some pictures from the lodge:







They had horses! I love horses! Next time we're definitely going to play city slickers and go for a horse ride!
Baby and me on the patio:

Saturday morning we got up and went jeeping. It was good to be out in the old, yellow jeep again. With Hubs being in school, it has been awhile since we've played! It was a nice, easy trail (compared to what Hubs has taken me on before) and good starter trail for the baby. We were with a group of people, most of whom had never been jeeping before and were driving rentals. The destination was Top of the World.
Baby S mostly slept the entire time!

Though he woke up occasionally to eat...

And to pose and be adorable for the camera. Basically, it was business as usual!

Here's the view from on Top of the World. It was so incredible! Pictures don't do it credit! And let me put a little political plug in here: It will be really sad if the government decides to zone all of these areas as wilderness instead of public-access. People will miss out on some beautiful places! I think for the most part, jeepers and four-wheel drivers are very responsible and take good care of the trails because they appreciate what's out there and want to keep it beautiful. (Okay, Pres. Obama?) =) Okay, enough of my political soap box, here's the picture!

And here's our family Moab picture (if only Gimli and Gus had been there, it would have been the perfect family picture! ):

It was a little windy up there, so I guess Baby S was worried about his hat blowing away?! =)

Me driving! Good thing there were no pedestrians (I don't think there were, anyway)!

This is Hubs pretending not to be worried about my driving!
Our friends, Clay and Drew.
Baby S was picking up on girls even up here! He is such a flirt!

After we got back to the lodge, Baby and I decided to call it a day. Hubs and his buddies decided to go hit some more trails. Baby S and I lounged around, went for a walk, took more pictures, and had a DELICIOUS dinner at the restaurant the lodge with our friends, Leigh, Max, and Leigh's parents. Then Sunday it was time to come home and crash! Vacations are fun but exhausting! But as far as first vacations go, I think it was a huge success!
Out on a walk.
My little rock star! Uncle Clay gave him this cute Metallica onesie!


Baby S digs the hotel life. Here he is lounging on the bed after a nice warm bath!
Daddy and his boy in their hats!
Hangin' out with the Duke! Apparently, a lot of movies have been shot in this area, including a few with John Wayne, Back to the Future III, City Slickers II, and Thelma and Louise.

My Soundtrack

Maybe I've watched too many Disney movies in my life, but sometimes I wonder, what song would be playing right now if my life were a movie? And I have been known, despite the fact that I can't carry a tune in a bucket, to spontaneously burst into song. So, here's an assignment I used to give my students that I would like to throw out to all of you blog buddies: If your life had a soundtrack, what songs would be on it and why? Think of at least ten songs. If you want, you can post a picture and quote that would be on the CD cover!
Here's my soundtrack:

• *I Am a Child of God-LDS Hymn: My faith and my knowledge of who I am are very important to me and have got me through a lot of tough times.
  
• *Star Spangled Banner: First, my dad is a veteran and always taught us the value of freedom and patriotism. Second, my best friend/horse was named Banner and this was her song!
  
• *Famous in a Small Town-Miranda Lambert: I grew up in a small town and this song is a little too true!
  
• *Happy Ending-Sugarland: I'm a big believer in happy endings! My life is a fairytale!
  
• *Small Town Girl-Kelly Pickler: Another small town song!
  
• *Rodeo-Garth Brooks: I used to rodeo and still love being on the back of a horse.
  
• *Dream Big-Ryun Shupe: I am a big dreamer. My head is always up in the clouds.
  
• *Girls Just Wanna Have Fun-Cyndi Lauper: I'm an 80's girl (I once had the hot pink clothes, big, dangly earrings, and claw bangs) and I'm a girl who likes to have fun.
  
• *Small Things-Blink 182: I'm only 5'o tall but dynamite comes in small packages!
  
• *Fire and Ice-Garth Brooks: I'm a mix of good and bad--"she's kind of crazy but it's nice..."
• *When You Wish Upon a Star-Pinocchio (Disney): First, I love Disney and fairytales, and second, I'm a wisher and a dreamer.
  
• *Jolene-Dolly Parton: This song inspired my parents and saved me from being named Arlus.
  
• *Redneck Girl-Bellamy Brothers: I'm totally a redneck in so many ways and proud of it!
• *I Saw God Today-George Strait: With Baby S, I feel like I see evidence of God's love for me every day.
  

Immunizations

Baby S had his four month check-up yesterday. He's doing really well. Doctor says that he looks healthy, happy, and smart. He's 25 inches tall and weighs 12.1 lbs. He's in the 10th percentile for weight (he's a skinny baby, but the doctor says he's looking good), the 45th percentile for height, and the 80th percentile for head circumference. He has a big head like his daddy! It's a hard head like daddy too because he's (baby not Hubs) head butted me a couple of times and it really hurts! The doctor probably thinks I'm one of those crazy moms because I ask all kinds of questions and I write everything down. Last time, he said, "We have a print-out of all of this for you." And I replied, "That's nice," and continued writing everything down. It's just how I am!
Anyway, Baby S also got more immunizations yesterday. I think shots are the hardest on the mom. Hubs always comes to the appointments and he gets to be the one to hold the baby for the shots. I seriously almost tear up every time! Baby is a trooper though. He'll holler when they do the shot but calms down pretty quickly. I'm a sucker for the quivering lip though. If he holds onto that ability, I'll be buying him a brand new car when he turns sixteen! So it all went well. This time, I gave him a little baby tylenol before the shot and that seemed to help keep him calm and happy for the rest of the day. Last night he was a little fussy but not too bad. But this morning he woke up with a fever. He was hot to touch from his head to his little toes. I took his temperature and he was at 102.2. Again, he was being such a trooper. Even though he wasn't feeling good, he would stop crying and give me one of his million dollar smiles and then start crying again. I fed him, gave him some more tylenol, put a cool washrag on his head, and let him sleep. I was wishing I hadn't used all my potatoes on Sunday though. Whenever we used to get fevers, my grandma would put sliced potatoes on our heads, and, I kid you not, it would draw out the heat. She also used to rub vinegar on our chests when we had a cold or congestion. That also worked but I don't know if it was the treatment or the fear of getting the treatment that made us get better. It stunk so bad!! Anyway, Baby is doing much better. He still has a bit of a fever but he's napping right now and not fussing. I wonder a little about the immunizations though. The books say that this is fairly normal, so I'm not worried. However, last time he got immunizations, we didn't have any problems or side effects. He was a little fussy for a few hours but that was it. Later, we found out that our insurance didn't cover two of the immunizations and we had to pay out of pocket. (Don't get me started on insurance!) This time, the doctor's office said, "Oh, in that case, we'll just give you the state shots this time." These shots are covered by the insurance. So, I'm left wondering what the difference is between the two? Obviously, there is a huge price difference. But is there a quality difference (you get what you pay for)? It makes me a little suspicious. I know that any state approved immunization has been tested and deemed safe, but is what's good enough according to the state, good enough according to me? I know I'm one of those bull dog moms. I'm just a little defensive about my little one! Looks like another research project is coming on!

To my husband-A Late Valentine

Don't want to miss a thing!

I am amazed at how much Baby S learns and grows each day. As an adult, there isn't a lot of change from day to day, typically. You look back over a year, maybe, and think, "Wow! Look at how much I've learned this year. I've made a lot of changes!" But as a baby, everything is in hyper drive--learning and growth comes minute to minute. For example, just today suddenly Baby S is holding his head up like a pro. And when I put him down for his nap today, he suddenly learned how to scootch from one end of the crib to the other. Just today! Smiling, laughing, turning to look at you...these milestones just keep coming everyday.
Today I spent a little time doing the clothes exchange--changing out the clothes that don't fit him anymore for the bigger outfits. Again I am amazed. His favorite dinosaur jammies fit him just fine two weeks ago. When he wore them the other night, he couldn't unbend his legs and stretch out. I enjoyed going through the clothes and remembering when Baby S fit in them (it's not hard to remember something that was only weeks ago!), but it was also kind of sad to realize that my baby isn't a newborn anymore, that he is an infant and well on his way to becoming a toddler. Will the time always go this fast? I feel like crooning along with Steven Tyler: "Don't want to close my eyes. I don't want to fall asleep. 'Cause I'd miss you babe. And I don't want to miss a thing..."
My baby's growing up right before my eyes! If I even blink, I might miss something! It is truly amazing!