Sleep Tight

Out little guy is such a great sleeper... When he turned two months old (Jan. 6th) we decided we would put him in his crib in the other room and give it a try. He had just a few nights of waking up once still but since then it has been full night sleeps!

I wasn't sure how long he was really sleeping so last week I kept a log and really wanted to see how long he was sleeping... was I shocked!

MONDAY: 1/18 - 9:30 - 6:30.. a bottle.. then back from 7 - 8:30
TUESDAY:1/19 - 9:45 - 7:20... a bottle... then back from 8:05 - 9:00
WEDNESDAY:1/20 - 10:00 - 6:00...a bottle...then back from 7:20 - 9:30
THURSDAY:1/21 - 9:45 - 6:30... a bottle... then back from 7:15 - 7:45
FRIDAY:1/22 - 10:30 - 7:30... no return sleep (daddy got up with him and got him too excited!)

SATURDAY: 1/23 - 10:30 - 6:30 ...a bottle...then back from 7:00 - 8:30
SUNDAY: 1/24 - 10:00 - 8:30...had to get up for church at 9:00! 

We are so blessed to have this little guy in our lives and so blessed that at only 2-2 2/1 months old he is doing so well and mostly on his own... He is great during the day too... Sleeps some, plays some.... The best part is that because he sleeps so good I love to get him up in the mornings! He is happy, and smiles and it is the best time of the day! Lets hope that continues....

I Pledge....

Did you see the Oprah Show today? What an eye opening show. Now.. I know that most people, if we are being honest, are guilty of talking or texting while we are driving from place to place. I know that I am one of those people. I am usually good about not texting, but talking I am for sure guilty of. Well... I am taking Oprah's challenge and deciding today that I will no longer be doing so in the car while driving.

I was shocked at some of the stories on her show today. It was sad, scary, and just plain unbelievable some of the things that were pointed out on the show. Mostly, it is the fact that it is all preventable and I hope to be able to do my part. I hope that others will follow along.

Read about Distracted Driving from Oprah HERE and please take the No Phone Zone Challenge and help save lives!

Friendly Visit

Over the weekend we were able to spend some time with our friends Josh, Kirsten and their new baby Jett (who is four months old).  They use to live here in Vegas but now live in UT and just came down for a visit. It was great to see them and to be able to meet their new little guy and have them meet ours... too fun.

 

We had great whether so we decided to take the boys down to Town Square and hang out in the sun... especially since UT is so cold right now.

 

We all had a great visit and we are sure that these two boys will have lots of fun getting to know each other and end up in plenty of trouble together in the future!

Two Months Old!!

 Two months old

 

 Jan. 6, 2010

I can't believe you are two months old today! We took you to the doctor today and you got your first set of shots. Lets just say you were not excited, but you were a good boy and cried for only a little bit. The doctor said you were healthy and to "keep feeding him"... he said you were going to grow up big and strong and not to worry that you are in the 90% for your weight right now! He also said that when you were lying on the table you looked more like a 3-4 month old, not a 2 month old. That's my boy, taking after his daddy and going to be big and strong!

In the last month you have changed and grown so much. It is amazing to watch and see all of the things that you are learning and all of the things that you are able to do. You are so much more alert and so strong too.

* You are eating 4-5oz every 3-4 hours (as your daddy would say "it takes a lot of food to stay this fat")
* You have outgrown the newborn diapers (Dec. 23rd) and are now wearing size 1
* You have outgrown most of the newborn clothes and are wearing either 0-3 months or just plain 3 months. Some of the 3 months are still a little big, but that is okay.
* You are sleeping a lot longer with only once a night feeding.
* You like to swing now and you also like to play in your play mat and can focus on the toys that hang.
* You just started smiling FOR REAL now and that melts our hearts!

What a year...Saying goodbye to 2009!

We have had some challenges during the past year (haven't we ALL) but we have also had some really great times. We weren't sure what the year would hold for us. We were hopeful that at some point during the year we would get "the call" but as the months passed... it was harder and harder to stay positive. BUT... we did the things we wanted to do... and tried to have a good attitude.. and then with only a month left in the year that call finally came. Here is a look back at what we will remember about 2009!

JANUARY: Still recovering from my knee surgery that I had on Christmas Eve 2008! Also traveled to AZ for the blessing of our newest nephew Preston!

FEBRUARY: Took a trip to Joshua Tree National Forest... Saw just as many trees on the way there as we did in the actual park!

 

 

MARCH: Dan was put into the Elder's Quorum at church and is still enjoying and thriving at his calling. 

APRIL: Went to Yosemite... Stayed the first night in a placed called "The Yosemite Bug"...worst place we have ever stayed... Switched hotels and the rest of the trip was great! 

MAY: Went to Monterey Bay for Memorial Day weekend... so did a bunch of other people. It was freezing and we were not quite ready for that since it was already 100 degrees here in Vegas. We had great seafood and paid for it...that is for sure!

JUNE: Dan and Brian decided they wanted to hike the Grand Canyon. They said it smelled like wet dog and there was poo all over the place... Said it was great and asked if I wanted to go next time?!! What?

JULY:Girls Camp was finally here. I had been planning, and planning and planning. It was worth it though. I had a great week and tons of fun. Hope the girls did too.

AUGUST: We decided it was time to get some new photos taken of just the two of us (after all it had been 7 years)... Karma decided to play a joke and we used these pictures for new adoption pass along cards which arrived the day we got the call regarding Blake!

SEPTEMBER:Our big trip was finally here... We headed overseas to England, Paris and Germany. This was a great trip and we have so many great memories from it. Really once in a lifetime.

Germany

Windsor

OCTOBER: We made the drive down to California again to go to Knott's Scary Farm.. This has become a tradition and is so much fun. Scares me out of my mind..but so much fun.

NOVEMBER: Besides the obvious of spending Thanksgiving with our family in AZ and my 29th birthday the biggest thing that happened in November was of course the arrival of our son Blake. We had been waiting for him for so long and are so glad he made his debut!

DECEMBER: Of course Christmas and spending it with Mike, Holly and my mom and dad as well as one extended family... but we also celebrated Blake's one month birthday too... These are all big things you know!

We don't know what the future holds or what 2010 will bring us but we are grateful for our families and our friends and for the love and support that they continually offer to us. We are so blessed to have each other, the Gospel in our lives and to be able to support ourselves in this unsure time. We look forward to the future and hope it brings us as much joy as we have been able to have in the past! 

Busy with family...Ringing in the New Year

(Blake all dressed up and ready to face the cold...too cute I just have to say!)

We have had a busy few weeks... We have had visitors (none of which really came to see us. They all come to see the little man now!), we also had Christmas and New Years! It has been fun, but also exhausting... We are looking forward to a break, but honestly we won't get one for a little bit... We have guests again this coming weekend... and the weekend after that!!! Oh, the excitement of a new baby!

(Giving daddy some kisses... okay maybe daddy is just taking them)

We spent New Year's at mom and dad's house along with everyone else that was in town for the week... My brother Robert and sister-in-law Lisa.. the girls Morgan and McKenna... My aunt Laura and her brother, Uncle Curt... It was a great night filled with food, some Wii action, and the girls were able to sneak in some scrapbooking too! Everyone.. including Blake who happened to wake up due to some crazy little girls... made it to midnight!

(Happy New Year...We look forward to a great 2010 and lots of new adventures!)

(These are the two girls (my brother's... Morgan who is 8, and McKenna who is 5) while we were taking family pictures... We needed this net earlier in the week!)

(Daddy and Blake taking a rest during family pictures... those to come as soon as we get them... Can't wait.)

Merry Christmas

Blake's visit with Santa... this was taken a few weeks ago

Christmas morning... his outfit says " Mommy and Daddy's favorite gift is ME"

We had such a great Christmas.... we were able to be joined by Dan's mom and dad; Mike and Holly. We had a great Christmas Eve dinner and night with just the 5 of us... and then Christmas day we went over to my parent's house and enjoyed Christmas as a larger extended family. Of course the shirt was true and our most precious gift, besides the Saviour, is the blessing of having Blake join our family. It really will be hard to top this Christmas. It is amazing to have him in our home we can't wait for the future when he gets to enjoy the excitment of Christmas.

We are blessed with amazing parents and family and we are thankful that this year we were able to spend Christmas with both of our families all at the same time. This Christmas it was all about a baby... Baby Blake...and hopefully Baby Jesus!

Painting Party

We finally decided to paint Blake's room! We have had his furniture for a while now so that was nice, and we actually had his bedding too but we never got around to actually painting the room. Well Blake is here now and we decided it might be nice to actually decorate the room and make him feel welcome here in our home.

I had the idea in my mind and knew what I wanted the room to look like but you never quite know what it is going to look like for sure.... I think it came out pretty close to the picture in my mind. We wanted to have some design/fun on the walls but wanted it to be easy to do so...that is where the circles came into play.

We still have a few things left to do... window valances, cushions on the rocking chair, a few pictures on the walls...but overall it is complete and we like it and actually feel like Blake likes it too. He looks around the room when we are in there and stares at the red circles on the walls...

Trying out tummy time

Tummy time is not really your favorite time of day but your are getting a little better at it and enjoying it more and more every time. You are getting stronger and stronger and gaining much more control of your head.. You don't get the concept of rolling over yet..but that will come for sure. You do like your toys, especially the ones that make noise and sing to you and you are learning to follow them and watch them. Either way, you are too cute and fun to just lay with and watch.

One Month Blake!

Dec. 6, 2009

One Month Old

Where has the time gone?! We can't believe that you are already a month old... You are growing and changing so much and we love you more each day... if that is even possible. It is so wonderful having you in our home and we can't be more happy that you have joined our family, especially during this time. You have pretty much met everyone now... It has been a busy month! We went to AZ to meet the Urbancic family for Thanksgiving, and just got back from CA where you met the Cox side of the family. There are still a few more family members that you need to meet and of course you need to go to Utah where you have tons of people waiting to se you.. but that will all happen with time.

We want to remember what you are doing right now so....

* You are still not sleeping through the night and while we love you to pieces we are counting the days until that starts to happen!

* We are watching your eyelashes grow... Mom noticed it first and then they just started to keep growin and growing and now they are long and beautiful... the girls will all be jealous!

* You don't really like your baths, but you are getting better.

* You have outgrown your bassinette and are now sleeping in your "pack 'n play", but still in our room.

* We had the first home visit with your social worker and all is well there. YEAH! 5 more to go.

* You are eating about 4oz. every 3-4 hours... and definitely growing.

* At your one month check up you weighed 9.4lbs and were 21.5in long... way to go, big man!

Over all...mommy and daddy.. and a ton of other people love you and we are all glad you are FINALLY here!

California Christmas 2009

We had a great Christmas party in California with family and friends once again this year. This is a great tradition and so much fun to get together at least once a year with people that we don't get to see since we have moved over to Las Vegas. This year of course was a little extra special because we were bringing a new member of the family and everyone was excited to meet Blake. This was also the first time that my brother Robert, sister-in-law Lisa and the girls; Morgan and McKenna all had a chance to meet Blake as well.

Ward Shower

Two special ladies in the ward were so kind to throw a "welcome party" for Blake and it was great. So many people came out to say hello and shower us with gifts for our new little bundle of joy... It was a great night and we could feel the love that our ward has for us and for Blake... Blake is definitely the ward's baby and we love it!