Gilroy Gardens

About a year ago, one of my best friends, Catherine, moved to Utah. (Insert sad face here)  Then a couple months ago, our other good friends moved up to Gilroy. (yet another sad face)

Well a month after they left, we found out Catherine was coming down for a wedding.  Where would she be?  No other place than Gilroy.

So, since we already had tickets to Gilroy Gardens from a scout fundraiser, we planned a  little day trip.

 With Bryan, there wasn't too much we could do, which was fine with me.  This trip was before my shm days.  It was the week after I went back to work, and I was totally happy watching everyone go on rides and snuggling tight with my little guy, whom I hadn't gotten nearly enough of the whole week.  It also may have been my age, but I also really just wanted to go for the sights.

 We took a bunch of pictures by this waterfall.  We were told by our friends, that went the week before, that we would get a little wet going under the tunnel to get there. How about a LITTLE understatement!  So glad I had covered Bryan.  It was nice and refreshing, though, for such a hot day.

 The story of how the three of us became friends is rather simple.  They started out as my visiting teachers, Though Anna and I had known each other since before both of us were married.  They came over, and we just sorta clicked.  We started doing dinners, Family Home Evenings together, and a couple girl nights.  Catherine and I started ditching going to a health class together.  We had so much fun together.  I miss them a lot.

 So this little show about fruits and vegetables was cute.  Honestly, I was a little too excited to see it.  As you can tell from the lettuce, they all had eyes, sang and, made fun of the poor little onion.  I was hoping that it was going to be an educational thing, since that is what Gilroy Gardens claims it is.  Unfortunately, all I know is that oranges like to sing California sun, and, while tomatoes taste good, they are very mean.
While it wasn't very educational, there is one thing that I did learn.  Gilroy smells fantastic!  Honestly, I would consider moving there just for that wonderful aroma of garlic everywhere.

One of my favorite parts of our trip? Catherine came home with us.  We went to church in our old ward and had a skip-bo night with my mom and sister.  I loved getting caught up with her.  It was fun to see her and Bryan.  This was back when he wasn't the happiest of babies, but he lit up when she would talk to him.  It was one of the first times he had warmed up to someone other than us, and he did it immediately.  

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, with wonderful people.

Picture catch up

seeing as I went a whole 4 months without posting anything, then didn't really do much the whole month after that, I still have so many pictures of this cute little guy to share. Plus a little more updating to do.

Bryan makes the funniest expressions sometimes.  It's one of those things that is different between being an adoring mommy, vs doting Aunt.  Watching my nieces and nephews grow, I  don't think I noticed all of the different faces they made as babies.  I remember the bigger actions, like Sarah grabbing her feet, but I don't remember the look of concentration as she attempted to grab them (or grab them and pull down the umbrella with them.)

I recently chopped all my hair off.  It was getting pretty long. and in the way.  Before we said bu-bye to that long braid, we snapped a quick pick of what could have been Baby's Mario Bros. costume.
B also loves his little chairs.

 He really does like that saucer.  A lot.  It gives him full access to watch me do dishes, and watch the pups play.
 I discovered is that B prefers to chew on the back of his pacifiers.  I have a theory connecting it to teething. He rubs the hard plastic on his gums.

Something that really melts my heart is watching my family with him.  Especially the boys.  My brothers are so sweet with him.  Sometimes, just sometimes, he is even sweet back.

The ultimate, though, is watching my husband grow into his new title of "father."  He works hard so that I can stay home and do the thing I've wanted most, then comes home to play, sing songs and take some of the night time shifts with B.  He also doesn't get mad when I go crazy mamma bear on him for feeding baby the wrong thing.

Nothing hotter than a father.

This is a newborn picture for my Aunt Heidi.  See the diaper

Whew.  All caught up...I think.

I know you enjoyed the adorable pictures.  I know that I catch myself staring at them often.  Though, lucky for me, when he wakes up, I get to see the real thing.

Food, Glorious Food

We finally made the jump to solids.  After weeks of Baby Grandpa watching us eat and drooling over our food, we started him up on rice cereal. We use Earth's Best organic rice cereal.  Mainly because my SIL gave us cereal from the same company.   I like to keep things the same if I can.

 It was definitely different for him.  Even though the box of cereal says to start out thin, Bryan hated it.  Which, in my opinion, if it is going to be thin, why not just give him breast milk on a spoon.  After trying it thinned out, I added a little more.  Turns out, the thicker, the better with this guy.

 He decided he was done early the first time, but was still trying to eat daddy's hand.  I tried again five minutes later, while they were skyping with his Abuela, and he ate everything.  That itself was pretty great because she got to see him eat.  I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but she lives in a different country.  Any thing she gets to see is a big deal.  (Really makes you think and appreciate the little things)

The final verdict is:

Next stop: Peas

5 Months

Time keeps getting away from us over here.  We had a crazy couple of weeks there but, now that things are simmering down,  I have been able to just sit and enjoy motherhood.

 Crazy that our Baby Grandpa is 5 months (I know it will just get crazier the older he gets)

Look how big he is next to Ollie.  Though his size isn't the only thing that has changed

 His hair and skin has gotten so much lighter.  With the pictures side by side, I can finally tell that he was a bit yellow.  His eyes are now completely brown, though a lot of people in our family are hopeful they will turn back to a blueish color.  It is hard to see the changes day by day, but he looks like a completely different baby now.

 He is almost always smiling now.  That smile completes my world.  Our favorite things to do are playing and giggling together.  Play "Ride-a-Horsey", sing songs, and love rolling around on the bed.

please excuse the mess in the back

 Though there is a little less rolling than that implies, we still have a blast.

I love my little stinky bum.

The Woes of Colic

I had mentioned that Baby Grandpa was colicky.  While he has been doing so much better, the last couple days this week have reminded me a lot of the first couple months.

Any one with a colicky baby knows.

This poor baby was so gassy he cried almost 24/7.  He only slept being held because, once we would put him down, the gas would start moving and wake him up.  He would wake up every half hour, grunting and crying.  It was heart breaking.

I got so tired, at about 7 in the morning, I would give up on trying to put him in the bassinet and just cuddle with him.  Then I finally started putting him in my bed at the beginning of  the night (*gasp* we co-sleep, oh no.) just so I could get a little sleep myself.

He likes to play in the crib

but never sleep

 My poor baby was always in so much pain.  His Dr. said to give him gas drops, but that didn't really help.  People had suggested that I cut things out of my diet, so I cut out chocolate, peanuts and cut back my dairy (I couldn't cut milk cold turkey.  I love milk) Then I started staying away from wheat.  Nothing worked.  At our two month appointment I talked to the pediatrician.  His advice? Colicky babies are just colicky.  Some people blame foods, most of the time, it is just how it is.  I was told not to worry about cutting things back and to just make sure to rock him and burp him and to not get frustrated.

What did I do when I got home?  That's right.

I ate a giant piece of chocolate cake with a large glass of milk.

Then, no more colic.

ok, so I got him to sleep in it twice. But he hasn't let me put him in it ever since.

 What?
I'm still trying to decide if  he just grew out of  it, or if all he wanted was some chocolate.

We love our snuggabunny swing. A.K.A. nap-time

While dealing with a fussy baby was so difficult, we are really lucky that it only lasted 2 1/2 months.  I have heard of some mommies that have had to deal with it for 9 months.  I am also glad that even when he is fussy, now it is usually just because he is tired, and not because he is in pain.

We Now Have A 4 Month Old

Today, my little man is 4 months.  I have been a mommy for 4 months already.  It feels like it hasn't been that long at all.  Though a lot has happened in the last 4 months.  

Trying to adjust was interesting.  The Baby Grandpa(we call him that since he is named after his papa) was  colicky, so that made adjusting extra difficult.   In that last week before going back to work, I had finally figured it out.  I had dinner ready every night at around 6:30 and my house was getting clean.  Once I went back to work though, it all went out the window.  

Going back to work was one of the hardest things I had to do.  I remember that first week, I was in the kitchen bawling my eyes out while washing dishes.  Why was I so upset? because I was stuck washing dishes, listening to my baby laughing and playing with the Auntie Nanny.  I was so tired from getting up early for work, my house was trashed, and I felt like I didn't get to spend enough time with my family, and after my sister started school, I would just be working to pay for child care anyway.  So we decided I wasn't going to do it anymore.

As of Friday, I am officially a stay home mommy. 

 I've been at it for only one day and I already feel so much better. My house isn't sparkling yet (I've decided to give my self a week of just baby/mommy time before I try to turn myself into super SHMom)  but I have been able to get so much cuddle and play time in.

Here are lots of pictures. Enjoy his cuteness! 

Our little giants boy

He looks so much like his daddy.

I love this outfit.  You don't even know

Just chilling in Granny's chair

Nomnomnom

I am so grateful to my wonderful Husband and loving Heavenly Father that I have the opportunity to stay home.  It was a decision that I struggled with.  Now, there is no doubt in my mind that I am doing what is best for my family.

More updates soon.

I Am In Love

Even though I didn't really keep track on the blog as much as I had planned, today, I would be posting about my 29th week of pregnancy.  It would have been an excited post about only having one week left to meet the little man.

Except I have already met him.  Meet Bryan.  As of Saturday, he is 1 week old.

just like the song, he is sleeping all day staying up all night

 I really don't have much to tell about his birth story.

Except that my labor was awesome.  I am not even being sarcastic.

The reason it was so awesome was because I had no idea I was even in labor. 

Friday was my last day of work before I went on maternity leave. (I didn't even make it for the disability leave part of it)  I said good bye to my coworkers and went to my regularly scheduled appointment.  When the doctor came in to talk to me, she asked the routine questions. Asked if I have had any contractions.  Yes, but not a lot.  Where there any that made it hard to talk, breath, or move? Nope. I really barely even noticed them.  Then she checked my cervix.  Um, hello 6!  She advised me to go to the hospital in an hour to be re checked.

So I went and did my taxes.

An hour and a half later we decided to head over there just in case.  I still felt nothing.

when they checked at the hospital, I was still a 6 so my midwife told me to go shopping or to a movie, eat and then come back to double check.

When she checked again two hours later, I was admitted.

I still felt next to nothing.

I didn't have any pain till 4 in the morning when I was 9 cm.  I am pretty sure I only felt it then because she broke my water.  I knew I was going to want an epidural for the delivery and had one coming before I even felt my first contraction.  

Seeing how Painful recovery has been, I'm so glad I got the epidural.

I pushed for about 2 hours, with an hour break in between.   I remember thinking tiredly every time they told me I was doing so good, that if I was doing so good, catch him already.

Then suddenly he was there.  

My little cheese covered baby

8 lb 1 oz.  could you think if he had waited another two weeks?  Ouch.

I am so sleep deprived, hungry, and useless(as far as house work is concerned)  That being said, I love being a mommy.  I love giving him little kisses.  I love having him snuggled into my chest.  I love watching him smile in his sleep.

I am more than grateful for the gift I have been given from my heavenly father.  It is also making me realize more and more that I will never be able to fully understand his love for me.  But I do understand it a little more every day I spend with my little man.