tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51028298606736897872024-03-04T22:09:16.719-08:00Geekily Ever Afterwhat happens when two geeks fall in loveLeannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-35041580586293387172013-06-07T19:25:00.001-07:002013-06-07T19:30:54.805-07:00Do You Want Fries With That?<strong>RECAP</strong><br />
<br />
<u>A few months ago:</u><br />
"Mom, when is it my birthday?"<br />
"Not for a long time."<br />
"Mom, when is it my birthday?"<br />
"No really, like a lot of days away, it's not worth asking."<br />
"Mom, when is it my birthday?"<br />
"Not until summer."<br />
"Mom, when is it my birthday?"<br />
"Not until after we go swimming, and don't ask until we do go swimming"<br />
"Ohhh ok, so after we go swimming it will be my birthday?" (mostly, we still had to review in there, but mostly the battles were much shorter)<br />
"Yes."<br />
....<br />
"Do I get a cake?"<br />
"Yes, what do you want your cake to be?"<br />
"A hamburger."<br />
"Really?"<br />
"Yup"<br />
"Ummmm, ok."<br />
<br />
<u>About a month ago:</u><br />
We go swimming....<br />
"Come on Reid, let's go make a birthday countdown chain." (so that if he asks, I tell him to go count the chain)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2JuvgqFD3bbWI41iK0HRLKEgq83GzvjcXlJ9TX09QGFR3sENmQ_7Xo7gyIQY43eHfek2HidaIsTZX54_MZQf1siAbOIf3aCMgrfFXZgdJZaM9auEO4htPjoLYYEgUj4Dwsn_1OD2Jz0/s1600/CIMG6056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2JuvgqFD3bbWI41iK0HRLKEgq83GzvjcXlJ9TX09QGFR3sENmQ_7Xo7gyIQY43eHfek2HidaIsTZX54_MZQf1siAbOIf3aCMgrfFXZgdJZaM9auEO4htPjoLYYEgUj4Dwsn_1OD2Jz0/s320/CIMG6056.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He had fun taking a chain off each night, and got excited each time he got to a new color.</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<u>About a week ago:</u><br />
"Hey Reid, what kind of cake do you want for your birthday?"<br />
"A cheese burger."<br />
"So you still want that, huh?"<br />
"Yes."<br />
<br />
<u>Monday morning (party on Saturday):</u><br />
"<a href="http://www.whereisthelaughtrack.blogspot.com/">G</a> - how hard do you think it is to make a hamburger birthday cake? I've looked at it on pinterest and there are some ideas there."<br />
"I think we could do it.... I can come help. How's Friday?" (and by help, she did it all!!!)<br />
"YOU ARE THE BEST!"<br />
<br />
<u>Today (Friday):</u><br />
I woke up at 7am and baked 2 cake mixes, into 3 round cakes (2 confetti and 1 chocolate).<br />
10am G shows up and we start to work.<br />
Make a bun colored frosting and set aside some others for other colors. And here's how it went.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYQhF-zylcMpK8Ma42uMtHKGuiEnB2AaCOG00w6gEA08Ysws_v5z1_suNwCq2Y65NsW4HYFqAMqTIJPw1bHYRLS4oRMa1QYe_sYK4Csb2IUHFDVPVPOECBGQi95YYZp7U0d0h82P7B64/s1600/CIMG6086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYQhF-zylcMpK8Ma42uMtHKGuiEnB2AaCOG00w6gEA08Ysws_v5z1_suNwCq2Y65NsW4HYFqAMqTIJPw1bHYRLS4oRMa1QYe_sYK4Csb2IUHFDVPVPOECBGQi95YYZp7U0d0h82P7B64/s320/CIMG6086.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Started with the flatter of the two confetti cakes, covered it completely with bun colored frosting.<br />
Then drizzled red and yellow on just the sides.<br />
Then we cut the rounded top off the chocolate layer cake, cuz well, meat isn't usually round on top.<br />
Added the chocolate layer. (we opted to not frost the chocolate layer because it gives a nice texture to the "meat patty")<br />
After we added the chocolate layer, we filled in spots that needed more "ketchup and mustard".<br />
Added red and brown (cocoa powder) to the yellow frosting and make the cheese color. It was so realistic is kinda grossed me out to look at it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsaV29jvipwy4hBdZp82aQ5o63qLq6dvo-Bi9jC3s2RqFhOV85CW_zYxZikUZYUd-LABduj-gcg7SlHH2zxYGu4lOthLbwgKqUEpWKfq0kI6j7QKWRkhWv9k6x9Gt7_kT4EX5-4-j6Nk/s1600/CIMG6096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsaV29jvipwy4hBdZp82aQ5o63qLq6dvo-Bi9jC3s2RqFhOV85CW_zYxZikUZYUd-LABduj-gcg7SlHH2zxYGu4lOthLbwgKqUEpWKfq0kI6j7QKWRkhWv9k6x9Gt7_kT4EX5-4-j6Nk/s320/CIMG6096.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Added ruffly green frosting for the lettuce.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko3sAO_Jo96rj9OTzBTIBoEmZfubdq5KV-dR7-itUv3tfc_uPPSrN3kthx7MoF-3ROcF1unxr7Ij_fxYnP4ajNd1sr1U1OtatYM-dij1yav5hL8NUmSVpkANqQU30kgcxDwWdTHbHcNE/s1600/CIMG6113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko3sAO_Jo96rj9OTzBTIBoEmZfubdq5KV-dR7-itUv3tfc_uPPSrN3kthx7MoF-3ROcF1unxr7Ij_fxYnP4ajNd1sr1U1OtatYM-dij1yav5hL8NUmSVpkANqQU30kgcxDwWdTHbHcNE/s320/CIMG6113.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For the tomatoes - we sorted the red fruit gummies out of this, flattened them, and stuck them around the edge.<br />
To give the top bun a more lifted look, we actually covered the whole cake with green frosting and flattened gummies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TezFjt46lw4_Zcffz21K2gb6NXFIaM-vpgBmoeFv4j0kl4Oz8rYpJkXsQiFoFOyv-i5IEkl18HAykcvxXhGaK2Lc-ikQRbzhWaQjJNlCpkr33SkxzLilHtcPOBMVN7vUfaUZyWMxiaE/s1600/CIMG6097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TezFjt46lw4_Zcffz21K2gb6NXFIaM-vpgBmoeFv4j0kl4Oz8rYpJkXsQiFoFOyv-i5IEkl18HAykcvxXhGaK2Lc-ikQRbzhWaQjJNlCpkr33SkxzLilHtcPOBMVN7vUfaUZyWMxiaE/s320/CIMG6097.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Added the second confetti cake layer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfk4a1OdpDOW9cmNxL8LgJRvk057eW1uN2UXsRgVWNsuSYF7Wz2X-TyLL9KT1Pq3SSBSybkc6sg_eJmhfHyK-G7F_C2GSP4oXUCesSNI15WC70_78IQUu-eCy3nsBP0O3wqirZ1Htl82o/s1600/CIMG6098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfk4a1OdpDOW9cmNxL8LgJRvk057eW1uN2UXsRgVWNsuSYF7Wz2X-TyLL9KT1Pq3SSBSybkc6sg_eJmhfHyK-G7F_C2GSP4oXUCesSNI15WC70_78IQUu-eCy3nsBP0O3wqirZ1Htl82o/s320/CIMG6098.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting frosting on the top was tricky.<br />
So we put wax paper pieces in between the gummy candy and the cake layer while we frosted the top. <br />
She had to get it mostly smooth and covered everywhere, then we removed the wax paper.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDm1khOc9EVXggT4IEM5iO9iO9U1ZVIDbZJkTe4T3nfJFINJ0iL84hsDYQq9eq3XOgws-Ylg-aslqFBGsgSKQoSFcGq1WuejkPcFR_utSAkY8T9I8ARuH-b606v207f9Sg3kfyC-q1Wk/s1600/CIMG6103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDm1khOc9EVXggT4IEM5iO9iO9U1ZVIDbZJkTe4T3nfJFINJ0iL84hsDYQq9eq3XOgws-Ylg-aslqFBGsgSKQoSFcGq1WuejkPcFR_utSAkY8T9I8ARuH-b606v207f9Sg3kfyC-q1Wk/s320/CIMG6103.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then used water to smooth the top.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92ysQx_Blw7Ya5C31HcwdlISISTSd2eLRlesXvZHz3NldTUaZTpM2niQGfdGO_SqKb_iMp60D4RoWQ7yCtnPTvhaMmTwxTEB4v9IBRpB5u3a95RmcXNVHDnUZqvINSl7vXFk2RMr1wZI/s1600/CIMG6104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92ysQx_Blw7Ya5C31HcwdlISISTSd2eLRlesXvZHz3NldTUaZTpM2niQGfdGO_SqKb_iMp60D4RoWQ7yCtnPTvhaMmTwxTEB4v9IBRpB5u3a95RmcXNVHDnUZqvINSl7vXFk2RMr1wZI/s320/CIMG6104.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She did awesome... totally looks like a bun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKAMrmgmXtM7y5Mj8YA0g5ojTaKy2AgKYHJOe5Q5ZuIUZja-i9rOThajgsrgwG5Pe1ImVw7ElBT66tRjZJjwlYjbB5-0_Jg2RWvURNK6P7e2AOqeoYehRh0uHi6jv_WQdNQzpbs_sZbc/s1600/CIMG6109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKAMrmgmXtM7y5Mj8YA0g5ojTaKy2AgKYHJOe5Q5ZuIUZja-i9rOThajgsrgwG5Pe1ImVw7ElBT66tRjZJjwlYjbB5-0_Jg2RWvURNK6P7e2AOqeoYehRh0uHi6jv_WQdNQzpbs_sZbc/s320/CIMG6109.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Added small white sprinkles to the top for the added touch.</td></tr>
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<br />
It looks AWESOME and Reid really likes it and can't wait to eat it at his party tomorrow. Thanks so much G!!!!!<br />
<br />
Amid moving (just a couple miles away), Daddy going to be out of town 6 out of the next 8 weeks, and vacation in the middle of that. I don't have time to do much for his birthday. We're doing a really chill birthday party at the pool with watermelon, and <strong>you guessed it <em>French fries</em>! </strong> So this will be a fun way to remember his 4th birthday and I hope it feels like a special one for him, and he knows how much I absolute adore him!<br />
<br />
Happy Birthday Reid!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-79318021901733790192013-05-11T21:15:00.004-07:002013-05-11T21:22:15.602-07:00Geek or Jock?Found a fun helmet at a garage sale and all of the sudden he can ride by himself? Before we were always having to hold on to the back of the seat. <br />
(Bonus: Now I don't get dirty looks from the neighbors for letting my child ride his bike helmet-less. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQki6XL6iFWJy1R0xEiFvmcPsuKOrLqDS8qsgB0B3JqlgXOJeNVPRKGT1YQdmprGnb34WghsMoXFh7j0VL-Zr08NeMA5SLiSLkO7TXtRcT7oV28-58igF8dyn8qr7tfbN6NCrIDkiXkA/s1600/CIMG5999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQki6XL6iFWJy1R0xEiFvmcPsuKOrLqDS8qsgB0B3JqlgXOJeNVPRKGT1YQdmprGnb34WghsMoXFh7j0VL-Zr08NeMA5SLiSLkO7TXtRcT7oV28-58igF8dyn8qr7tfbN6NCrIDkiXkA/s320/CIMG5999.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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One night he just walked over and pulled it out, and perused it a few pages at a time.... Circuit Diagrams already? Really?<br />
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<br />Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-41877670871973924012013-02-25T14:28:00.000-08:002013-02-25T14:28:00.692-08:00Appendages I realized I never really 'updated' about my arm. It took about 3 full months to reach "clinically healed". I'd been doing physical/occupational therapy for ~6 weeks over an 8 week period at that point. The doctor was able to twist, turn, shake my arm and I had no pain. The X-ray showed that my bone was starting to grow back. He estimated a full recovery in about 6-7 months post injury.<br />
<br />
As for me... I'm good. I can do all daily routines again. It took about 3 months for me to feel like I was back to normal. However, carrying a child in my left arm and some things that require a lot of manipulation, pushing a stroller with just my left hand, are still hard. Although, I can do them, just not for very long. The scars are looking really good.<br />
<br />
Mentally, I am still pretty freaked out. I still can't carry Reid while walking without a little fear creepy up in my throat. Weston, I can mostly carry, and walk just fine... but still no putting them on my shoulders! And stairs, well, let's just say, between a broken leg 10 years ago, a super sprained foot 1.5 years ago due to stairs, and me having "small bones" I don't EVER rush down the stairs. For me there is always time to take it slow.<br />
<br />
About once a month, I still need to do a good rub on the scar tissue. It's still building up and probably will for up to two years. When the scar tissue builds up, I have more pain because the scar tissue pulls on my muscles/ligaments/tendons, etc. So I just have to give myself a deep arm massage, and I'm mostly pain free again. <br />
<br />
I was very surprised how hard the trial was, but I am so grateful for the love and support I've gotten. I'm so very grateful for the recovery and our super cool bodies that are self-healing!<br />
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<br />
The Battle Scars: <br />
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<br />Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-23934367507876362942013-02-21T13:47:00.000-08:002013-02-21T14:29:31.483-08:00What 18 months old looks like the second time...Weston turns 18 months old in less than a week. His time with us is flying, except at church. Sometime around 16 months, I could just tell he's ready for more than keeping quiet for 3 hours or wandering the halls. We are very excited for nursery to start, so he can have lots of interaction and playing with toys time.<br />
<br />
I am loving and still being surprised at how different two boys can be. Some major recaps of Weston's life.<br />
<br />
- Sleeps all night long. Once his teeth came in, I rarely hear a noise from him until morning<br />
- Got his teeth in the order of: Bottom right center, top left center, then the following bottom and top teeth to give him four. Then it looked as of the bottom right one was going to come in for forever, and he was so darn cranky, then one night I noticed he had a bottom left and top left molar broken through! The right molars weren't far behind. The next four teeth are kind of a blur, but by 16 months he has all four top and bottom teeth, and molars. We are still waiting on canines.<br />
- Runs everywhere, especially after big brother<br />
<br />
- Is trying to WALK down the stairs... he is super fast on his belly, but he likes to be like everyone else.<br />
- He says: uh-oh, whoa, yay! (sometimes with clapping), yeah yeah, Da-ddy, Mom-y, no, hi, bye, buh-boo (peek-a-boo) and then tries to repeat almost anything we say that is 3 syllables or less<br />
- He loves to say BYE, and wave really big. Any car leaving or person passing us, clearly need a "BYE!" accompanied by a large arm wave and opening and closing hand<br />
- LOVES to read books and make animal sounds<br />
- Still loves to play cars, especially right next to big brother<br />
- Learning how to push toy trains along their tracks (instead of just destroying the tracks)<br />
- Uses pacifier for bed time and church only (although, he is really sneaky and goes and gets it out of his crib often)<br />
- Climbs on tables as much as possible<br />
- Often goes digging in the trash can... I have to careful watch him, so he doesn't eat any of it.<br />
- Healthy eater (when he's not throwing his food)<br />
- LOVES sweets: after Reid who didn't like sweets, this kid is a pro at conning anyone into giving him dessert, and he DOESN'T stop... he loves the sugar! <br />
- Loves to dance. Any music anywhere, he's dancing.<br />
- He's VERY ticklish... and he loves being tickled<br />
- Loves to be held and cuddled while drinking milk and/or watching TV, he rarely will sit by himself (this makes for jealous sibling rivalry)<br />
- Is a thrower. I'm wondering if we have a soccer player (Reid) and a baseball player (Weston) in our family, because wow, they very much do one or the other.<br />
- Has just started showing interest in coloring<br />
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<br />
<u>Things that are different with the 2nd one:</u><br />
- When he screams because he doesn't get what he wants, I am much more calm<br />
- He is tricky, he wins over the hearts of everyone by being SO SNUGGLY!, but then when he is hungry and I try to make dinner, he will stand at my feet and scream because he needs snuggling<br />
- We are much bigger suckers for the cute stuff. When I go get him out of his crib, he usually puts down his pacifier and elephant and monkey stuffed animal blanket things. On occasion, he'll hold on to one of them, and just give you this "please I can keep holding him" look, and he wins everytime<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKoc1EWzN1EwZJChvknHyaTnp1OFH6j3Wrn7ShstmxPCI4jAdWvxboYQ_oGHRV5JIeCmRtk939yiPGADZuUJx0EL2LCsYagzHO4Z7mCYb_o6VhXXo-GM_CDQKwbzF3BvO_fGR-icsB6A/s1600/CIMG5832edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKoc1EWzN1EwZJChvknHyaTnp1OFH6j3Wrn7ShstmxPCI4jAdWvxboYQ_oGHRV5JIeCmRtk939yiPGADZuUJx0EL2LCsYagzHO4Z7mCYb_o6VhXXo-GM_CDQKwbzF3BvO_fGR-icsB6A/s320/CIMG5832edit.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The oh so loved monkey (and blue elephant) that he loves to carry around</td></tr>
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- All the bad things that brother does, he immediately mimicks<br />
- Is easier in some ways because it is was big brother does, so he automatically does it too. It's kinda nice.<br />
<br />
But regardless of any struggles or pains, we love having him. His smile is infectious. His laugh is too much to take. Reid does enjoy having a playmate, while it is often one-sided, there are multiple times I LOVE to hear them giggling together, and I confess to even letting them get away with something they shouldn't do a little longer, just because they are bonding and having fun together. Weston is so tender and gentle, he's much kinder to the dogs, and will some day be a great big brother to some one else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltjd1qI4BPEe0iN9bwmxhPosTbe79en4fKRxvvW0Ym7xhLw2qnPMYGVusnrPS7GBRLIHGZMK_sFBdK6U7fpBGxHlduRidHE-APFL2BeCIbiTi5av7ViZWuC5EDU6OW_H6cYp26CRi5XU/s1600/CIMG5948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltjd1qI4BPEe0iN9bwmxhPosTbe79en4fKRxvvW0Ym7xhLw2qnPMYGVusnrPS7GBRLIHGZMK_sFBdK6U7fpBGxHlduRidHE-APFL2BeCIbiTi5av7ViZWuC5EDU6OW_H6cYp26CRi5XU/s320/CIMG5948.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because who doesn't love a bum in the air sleeping pic (I actually think he was awake and was hiding)</td></tr>
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<br />Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-59482077326677149542012-12-08T19:46:00.000-08:002012-12-08T19:46:02.197-08:00The Moments of a 2 year oldThis was also written in August:<br />
<br />
Reid turning 3 made me realize how much I have a <i>preschooler </i>and not a <i>toddler</i>! So before I forget I want to document some precious moments:<br />
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He loves to sing. A song he must of learned in nursery (at church) is: "Row Row your boat, Gently down the street, Merrily Merrily life ... a ... dream"<br />
He also taught us a song with a monkey and crocodile. Too fun! <br />
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A quote (misquote) from <i>Iron </i>Giant movie is: "I TOLD YOU, I'LL COME BACK TOMORROW, NOW STAY, no following (waving finger at you), good" Then walks away, if you chase it becomes a game.<br />
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Reid says this all time, but I never find out what the idea is: "Mommy, I have a idea"<br />
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I'm glad he's a sweetheart, he snuggles with me and hugs me and kisses me. Sometimes he likes to play a kissing game, where we kiss then as we back up, we open our mouths really big... this is called BIG kisses.<br />
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He gets this angry look - kinda reminds me of my nephew and that scene in Star Wars right after Anakin's mother dies where he makes the evil eyes. Sometimes Reid even gives me the crazy eyes, where they go side to side.<br />
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Reid loves to play a chasing game where he says "chase me" or "you get me" or "Reid get you". We just run in circles around the house and laugh and laugh.<br />
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The other night, when Matt was at some church meeting, I tied a blanket around my neck so I had a cape, and he called me Super Grover, we proceeded to run around the house for about 20 minutes with our arms in the air like we were flying. <br />
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Funnny words - sanwiounch (sandwich), forkhead (forehead), seghettis (spaghetti)<br />
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While Reid is taking pictures, he'll instruct you to "Say Cheese, show a happy smile"<br />
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For his birthday we ate pizza and opened presents as a family. Reid got a Big Thomas, a Buzz Lightyear rocketship, a toy computer, Cars puzzle, and 2 movies.<br />
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For a party, we did a combine party with one of his besties... she did a great job documenting it in this blog <a href="http://whereisthelaughtrack.blogspot.com/2012/06/triple-pool-party.html">post</a>. It was a blast. I actually felt like I got to have a blast at his party too!<br />
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One of the highlights for us was that we got floaties for Reid. He loved being free in the pool! He swam for about 3.5 hours that day. Then he crashed on the couch before we could make it home.<br />
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Just to show some of Reid's personalities here are some fun photos of the last year: <br />
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Reid really got into puzzles in the last 6 months. He loves to sit there and do them. (although that is getting harder with a mobile little brother)<br />
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My friend generously gave us a bike that is too small for her son. Reid immediately accepted it and asks constantly to ride Reid's bike. We've only been out a few times, but he's getting better. Unfortunately he still learning that backwards means brakes, not go backwards. :) <br />
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BROTHERS! Ever since Weston learned to crawl, Reid has decided he likes Weston. He wants to play with him or get him involved in his latest plot. Sometimes they don't get along, but overall they are good. I love how much they love each other! </div>
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<br />Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-87105126691373144282012-12-08T19:24:00.002-08:002012-12-08T19:24:36.927-08:00No more Baby #2: 1 year old means Toddler timeWeston was 1 year old at the end of August. Here is the post I wrote back then, but never quite finished: <br />
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I can hardly believe it. It flew by so fast. Regardless, I have slacked a little on the posting, so I need to write these things down before I forget.<br />
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<b>Crawling</b> - 7 mo 4 wk old<br />
He figured out how to get up on his hands and knees, then slow would do a couple crawl steps, then one day, he went more and more, and was across the room. It was over at that point.<br />
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<b>Teeth </b>- 1st tooth 9 months old, 3 weeks later 2nd tooth. The top two took their sweet time, they came in just shy of 11 months old.<br />
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<b>Stairs</b> - at 10 months old Mommy broke her arm, so we started practicing stairs because carrying him down the stairs was hard and scary. By 11.5 months he had it down, just not reliably. Now he's a pro.<br />
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<b>Walking</b> - 11.5 months he was taking 2 or 3 steps then sitting down. I thought for sure he wouldn't walk by 1 because this was taking forever. Well, we went on vacation and 1 week before his birthday he walked across Grandma's kitchen, and just kept going all night.<br />
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<b>Talking </b>- at 11 months, his big brother taught him the word "uh-oh" because Weston always throws his food on the floor and Reid always says "uh-oh". It was cute, but I know it will become a game lately. He still plays the game of making the same noises as you do and you both repeat it over and over. He has starting saying "mamamamama" when he comes to me, so I know it's coming, but personally, I'm trying to teach him to stay "dada"<br />
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Weston is an absolute crack up. If you give him any individual attention, he laughs... so LOUD. It makes church hard, because I have to play with him and give attention but NOT too much or the whole room will know.<br />
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He thinks it's funny to shake his head no at anything. He loves to have your nose rubbed into him while you are shaking your head, then he tries to do it back. It's a fun game.<br />
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Now that he's walking, he's rarely holding still. He loves to just go around and around the house.<br />
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Weston loves to sit on big furniture. He'll sit on a couch and kinda squish and wiggle into it. Making sure it's all comfy for him.<br />
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He loves the dogs, and is quite fascinated with them. Sometimes he gives them a little too much love.<br />
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He's an expert diaper changing escaper.<br />
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Weston loves Reid. They often wrestle and play. Sometimes Weston will choose to follow Reid over me. He's learned how to drive trains on their tracks and make car noises from his brother. "Waaa waaa waaa" It's hard to type, but it is cute.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 months old - loving bean burritos! (gotta have a food pic)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The magic of Daddy's lap, days before his 1st tooth broke through (almost 9 months old)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0rVQII6XIpbFNNF-dijQRlaK0yFxF18wm2RNETAreJAI_whOEXkmghDoLCFlQTUqw2AnAu-g1yMrTHMEIeaSibyJnlSkcYYGXUaW-GcLWeornm3TyWH3AXiZXULbQeoT2rflbpr_ja4/s1600/CIMG5553edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0rVQII6XIpbFNNF-dijQRlaK0yFxF18wm2RNETAreJAI_whOEXkmghDoLCFlQTUqw2AnAu-g1yMrTHMEIeaSibyJnlSkcYYGXUaW-GcLWeornm3TyWH3AXiZXULbQeoT2rflbpr_ja4/s320/CIMG5553edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the water splashes? He loves it! (10 months old)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 months old - trying to get monkey out of crib</td></tr>
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11 months old, sadly is not documented well, it was all I could do to survive being a mom of two small kids with a recovering broken arm!<br />
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY WESTON! We sure love him, and are so grateful that we get to have him in our family. He brings so much laughter and joy to my life!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not so sure</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdw_taiCQmlw7yW_uWIcdAOsCcEepH25JbodR0xffRxFB5kN-QXGNo6QKZT-sAmPKBLbBs5vbZa78GQUEmiDkPSTokC6K-XhZ3j3JXagfbz6wZ7sEw2h1Zz7KJ7MqvSbhh0GqGirR7bTQ/s1600/CIMG5656edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdw_taiCQmlw7yW_uWIcdAOsCcEepH25JbodR0xffRxFB5kN-QXGNo6QKZT-sAmPKBLbBs5vbZa78GQUEmiDkPSTokC6K-XhZ3j3JXagfbz6wZ7sEw2h1Zz7KJ7MqvSbhh0GqGirR7bTQ/s320/CIMG5656edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking it out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXegCy8saLS4BFecXOxFxSjoFnxTsQo2QcRB50rKDO6CFJ5uNtLAHktQuGXNkBCYoWBq26Hu4C8IxLLxhyphenhyphen7slNrnvnJlUSA2qBXf9pIHWEtMh5D3zmQzRb-5SWeO9Hdai-CbiYNvp_0g/s1600/CIMG5660edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXegCy8saLS4BFecXOxFxSjoFnxTsQo2QcRB50rKDO6CFJ5uNtLAHktQuGXNkBCYoWBq26Hu4C8IxLLxhyphenhyphen7slNrnvnJlUSA2qBXf9pIHWEtMh5D3zmQzRb-5SWeO9Hdai-CbiYNvp_0g/s320/CIMG5660edit.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm... I could get into this</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6EA0BIarc6yjTidHk_Vc17jWdSvuJcL3bU3zui5jcvQ8g_qNXrGwjFeAkt3Nh8sa2bwmGmeJfALA_hYIFhjPlKel_3fplKnTGRfi7jMEpLc-cjj3c6cmL5zQvAQbpwW_nKFpDpce_hw/s1600/CIMG5667edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6EA0BIarc6yjTidHk_Vc17jWdSvuJcL3bU3zui5jcvQ8g_qNXrGwjFeAkt3Nh8sa2bwmGmeJfALA_hYIFhjPlKel_3fplKnTGRfi7jMEpLc-cjj3c6cmL5zQvAQbpwW_nKFpDpce_hw/s320/CIMG5667edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup, I'm a fan!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTC_WW43Gn7rggUL-07J1HBVnuw-ok5nTJpKlqgD9gZHxbVDiBoD3L1qKKjPaN1Jz5EsYyaP5mcSvu3YiBPiEt0MGHW3UVGNJmH5_4cVrQgXKhJlKIGr9OHUK5bfjupqbJx8YkzTCMFyA/s1600/CIMG5690edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTC_WW43Gn7rggUL-07J1HBVnuw-ok5nTJpKlqgD9gZHxbVDiBoD3L1qKKjPaN1Jz5EsYyaP5mcSvu3YiBPiEt0MGHW3UVGNJmH5_4cVrQgXKhJlKIGr9OHUK5bfjupqbJx8YkzTCMFyA/s320/CIMG5690edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing what I do best!... making a mess!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyLGWkrBeLTTifoAgMlf14LAT3W698AXV4LOD9j2s9bSiY91VCDVSjA3GEnAHR2dtkFOD_k22Iwjf7g2MpaeFf0t5lF7noLqHbd4XffB3c9J9EiSRDHv49G8ZHNXJXsrmKIY9IS1f3Qc/s1600/CIMG5691edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyLGWkrBeLTTifoAgMlf14LAT3W698AXV4LOD9j2s9bSiY91VCDVSjA3GEnAHR2dtkFOD_k22Iwjf7g2MpaeFf0t5lF7noLqHbd4XffB3c9J9EiSRDHv49G8ZHNXJXsrmKIY9IS1f3Qc/s320/CIMG5691edit.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clean up! It was surprisingly hard to get the cake to wash down the tub. :)</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>STATS</b><br />
Weight: 20lbs (10-25%)<br />
Length: 30in (50%)<br />
Head Circ: 46cm (50%)<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(same percentages as Reid)</span>Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-5480843328701199132012-08-06T14:18:00.000-07:002012-08-06T14:18:00.753-07:00Becoming a Better MeSo a couple months ago (a.k.a. almost 6) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_B_Beck">Julie B. Beck</a> came and spoke to the women of our church. She has now been released as the leader of the women's organization of our church called the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relief_Society"> Relief Society</a>.<br />
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It was a challenge for me to attend. I was struggling with myself a lot and I was going through the trials of figuring out that Weston wasn't getting enough food. I look back now and realize that I think I was in some postpartum depression... not heavy, but a little. But I'm grateful for friends who invited me to go with them and made feel like someone cared if I was there.<br />
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While there, Julie B Beck said some things that just rang out in my head and heart, and I realized I wanted to change. Here is what I heard:<br />
1) We are living the dream. We believe that before this life we chose to come here... we wanted to come here to this earth to have these trials and experiences. Thus we are living the dream and we need to love it!<br />
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2) In our church we get assignments of other women to go visit once a month and share a lesson by the leaders of our church. It's kinda like have two people assigned to be your friend. Which sounds lame until you are in desperate need of help and you automatically have two people who are happy and willing to help you, because you are <i>their</i> assignment. I think its the greatest thing ever. She told us to focus more on the needs of our women versus visiting them with a lesson.<br />
For instance in my case, the women assigned to me helped get me meals and someone to help me clean my house the week I came home with a broken arm. They didn't have to do the work, they just made sure my needs were taken care of. I am so grateful for that.<br />
But on the flip side, I need to be better at being in tune with the women I am assigned to need. I have one amazing friend here who just manages to always be more thoughtful and know exactly what you need. So as I was trying to be better at this, my thought was, what would she do... (kinda like what would Jesus do)... and an idea came to mind, so I did it. <br />
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3) Generous thoughts are never unwelcome. No one is ever going to dislike someone being generous to them. So we should never ignore a generous thought. This is a big change for me.<br />
Over the last few years we've had some different circumstances that made me and Matt take on too much. Then we took a step back and needed to evaluate what we were giving to others because we could see it was affecting us individually and our marriage. Looking back some of the problem was our attitude, some of it what the way it all happened. Either way we were bitter and didn't want to reach out to others very much. <br />
Since we moved we agreed as a couple we wanted to be better people. We've met some amazing people in this world that I think so highly of, and I would like to try to be more like them. So as I listened to a horrendous story of Sister Beck's (we call each other brother and sister in our church) talking about packing up hungry small children in a car because she felt she needed to help another... I realized that there are times I have ignored those generous thoughts, thinking that surely being a young mother is a hard thing and I couldn't drop everything to go help. But really, I should! The Lord needs us to help one another and we need to listen in the moments that he prompts us to do it... regardless of the small children and their struggles.<br />
That right there made me realize that I could be generous. I could help others. Because I too have received help.<br />
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I'm sharing this not to get pity thoughts or anything. Mostly because this my journal for now and also because I want to let others know that this is hard, but we should try to help one another out and serve each other. Because if we lighten others loads, our load will be lighten also, and we'll all make it together! So starting in March of 2012 I vowed to be better, better to myself and to others. I was going to stop feeling sorry for myself and starting looking at others and how I could help. I'm still not perfect and still do not feel like I am very thoughtful all the time. But I am trying, which is more than I was doing before.Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-36171422308139825812012-08-04T13:39:00.000-07:002012-08-03T13:39:46.686-07:00Who Needs Sleep?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One night Reid woke up and came to my bed. (don't remember where Matt was) Well, he was up for a while and didn't go right to sleep, so he slept in. When I woke up, this is what I saw. We're ya reading? Or was it just to bright? </div>
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZA7yRuwurJvFf75l0ZDENGmTbHGnWo-r6s9GOl0LeJ5wSYW_Zq1pPfcRPQTHV57YwHx2_TtnuvNIHO_M__0xJ8zS42LYJxSgmIQGtg8sBNozk6AYOWpGDyAzuu2NYoL5OvULx8HE58Q/s320/CIMG5155.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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Weston is my snuggler, but I think I just wanted to document if he ever slept on his tummy. But he always has his pacifier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9e1Q9eA5Qq7UP5THwyctHXoNU_sXlebsT9ojdB3ggcrfmRmgim9E-1l0wuebQTnuyb-_3iLSA6DyjZX9dJ0Wyfp5uAhmmFLuKL_ELpqORoZJ_lP9o2CM5rTIxUZk4EiAxwJiXgIGNhp4/s1600/CIMG5317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9e1Q9eA5Qq7UP5THwyctHXoNU_sXlebsT9ojdB3ggcrfmRmgim9E-1l0wuebQTnuyb-_3iLSA6DyjZX9dJ0Wyfp5uAhmmFLuKL_ELpqORoZJ_lP9o2CM5rTIxUZk4EiAxwJiXgIGNhp4/s320/CIMG5317.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I'm not sure how Reid wrangled UNDER the blanket with the cars perfectly balancing on the edge of the bed, on TOP of the blanket.<br />
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Love the foot crossed on the leg.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWksMhBbsa0lBAsvpqRb14VyoYtUvab4alBzRwDYN-Fy0AXauk-4-mGk0EAb62TFA3XrVOdtdaNlmA2CcvA2KeYJVXP4-PWpgmYhe1tzflwj_bbdLMjFJ4L4d2LKLJ9pcPbiXgMHfT6nk/s1600/CIMG5395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWksMhBbsa0lBAsvpqRb14VyoYtUvab4alBzRwDYN-Fy0AXauk-4-mGk0EAb62TFA3XrVOdtdaNlmA2CcvA2KeYJVXP4-PWpgmYhe1tzflwj_bbdLMjFJ4L4d2LKLJ9pcPbiXgMHfT6nk/s320/CIMG5395.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I'm loving learning how different and individual my kids are. The number one obvious thing is Weston LOVES to snuggle stuffed animals, blankets, any soft thing. And it is <b>adorable</b>!<br />
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<br />Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-79848261750082226732012-08-03T13:32:00.001-07:002012-08-03T13:32:09.783-07:00Family Fun - TX style #2In March we used his last extra day to go up to the Waco Zoo. We haven't heard good things about Austin Zoo, so we wanted to check out Waco.<br />
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It's an easy drive. We ate lunch in the car once I knew we were close. We got there at about 11am, just as we were heading in, this couple asked if we have jumper cables. We do, so Matt moved the car and tried to help. To no avail their battery was D-E-A-D. So Matt parked the car, and as he passed the guy gave him free passes and said they were gonna use them anyway. Score for doing our good deed for the day!<br />
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Here's some of the fun we had:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCESxpmN3Kun_AmgcCohGTXie7CFHGYKwMgY2sXdfM2fG9xcJE8eE6RfH8RwnGUh2gWiWVH8dhJfz8vO4oG0Qecg_XGEwJdjnOFhO7W7fujrstAIJpUKs_8PfAi1zukaYuTfFhUV7rQ_U/s1600/CIMG5258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCESxpmN3Kun_AmgcCohGTXie7CFHGYKwMgY2sXdfM2fG9xcJE8eE6RfH8RwnGUh2gWiWVH8dhJfz8vO4oG0Qecg_XGEwJdjnOFhO7W7fujrstAIJpUKs_8PfAi1zukaYuTfFhUV7rQ_U/s320/CIMG5258.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elephant came to say hello!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up view (yes there is glass there)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSqn12dlZ3UpLxUT4LSwThYdVnQ79CjEUdO_Fp3xyFcdByqPJzL9WERYhcfkq99D-7ggBHIttKwsvoub_4vzwg0EC2yniaG55uKO76yNGk9u9cBYu7phkAzRkwT8i_5nmOoEO49PLT2Q/s1600/CIMG5301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSqn12dlZ3UpLxUT4LSwThYdVnQ79CjEUdO_Fp3xyFcdByqPJzL9WERYhcfkq99D-7ggBHIttKwsvoub_4vzwg0EC2yniaG55uKO76yNGk9u9cBYu7phkAzRkwT8i_5nmOoEO49PLT2Q/s320/CIMG5301.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We wore this kid out</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved this slide! It went through the otters habitat.</td></tr>
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<br />Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-85811329688793992622012-08-03T13:23:00.002-07:002012-08-03T13:24:10.361-07:00Family Fun - TX styleMatt worked a lot of overtime at the end of the year... so he got a couple extra comp days he was supposed to take in first quarter. Here's what we did in February:<br />
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We decided to check out the botanical gardens at the park here. Well, not that exciting in February (maybe we should wait until the 2nd quarter of the year for this one), but Reid had a blast pushing a stroller around.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I know, you are jealous of our 2.5 year old photographer!)</span></div>
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That afternoon we went to a movie, Reid's FIRST in a movie theater : <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1430607/">Arthur Christmas</a></div>
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We even brought Weston, he did good for most of it. I even tried nursing him (with a cover) and that helped, but by the second half, he'd had it. So I went out in the hall, let him spread out a little, he happier, but I wasn't. So I went back in and sat on the floor in the back. He was happy there with a little toddler girl playing.</div>
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The next day we slept in and were lazy. After naps, we went to Kiddie Acres. It's a fun little "amusement" park for kids. Mostly just a few carnival rides, and a TRAIN. Reid was in heaven!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little flying planes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reid insisted mommy ride too! hahaha!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weston was less impressed with the train.</td></tr>
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We weren't fancy, but we sure did relax and have fun!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-11716777532530367332012-08-01T20:47:00.000-07:002012-08-01T20:47:44.562-07:00My Current Excuse (WARNING: pictures may disturb you)You know, I'm not really sure where I've been. <br />
I have a list of posts that I need to do, like my baby growing up, my child's 3rd birthday, self-improvement ... etc. But really, I'm not sure. Some of it is swimming, some of it is summer fun, some of it is .. well, <a href="http://us.battle.net/d3/en/">Diablo III.</a><br />
And then there's always workout group which by the time I get the kids in the car, to the time I get them home out of the car, it's usually 2 hours, but who goes home after they sweat profusely? NOT ME! No no, I go to the grocery store and share that blessed smell with all. Because, I'm a mom of TWO small children, and I am going to maximize my time out of the house! Then we go home for lunch and nap time, while I do my house chores, then dinner is here before you know it! And then I feel like my night is over. Busy life of a mom.<br />
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Anyways, the other news... in case you haven't heard... I went on vacation to visit my brother and attend my family reunion. While carrying Reid (now 3 years old) on my shoulders, I mis-stepped and took a fall. While trying to brace myself and my child, I heard a crunch when my hand hit the pavement. When I looked over, this is what I saw:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me at the ER... I'm in pain, don't look at my face, these are possibly the worst pictures of me EVER!</td></tr>
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Here's the x-ray:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmoq4t3RlT2xxbCS3hVBeZ8jtCkchkjvqPewP-1ux803TmHu6BG456SHYI-sePtN5NwIXEzTdqTvhzRwntsuPD_hVZb4A7hZGt51QLZC9-LNsTqKmcYD9iWZ3WX7k3C-xGG-GpDVbKqk/s1600/Leann+X-ray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmoq4t3RlT2xxbCS3hVBeZ8jtCkchkjvqPewP-1ux803TmHu6BG456SHYI-sePtN5NwIXEzTdqTvhzRwntsuPD_hVZb4A7hZGt51QLZC9-LNsTqKmcYD9iWZ3WX7k3C-xGG-GpDVbKqk/s320/Leann+X-ray.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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After surgery here's what it looks like now.<br />
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1 month later, here is what my scars look like:<br />
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I promise to update more later, but that's it for now!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-29833305549799330912012-04-24T12:43:00.000-07:002012-04-24T12:53:35.367-07:00Baby 2: 6 and 7 months<br />
<b>6 Months</b><br />
- This has been all about figuring how to sit up. That's all he does now. He rarely chooses to fall over and explore on his belly, unless he can't quite reach <i>that</i> toy that he wants.<br />
- Reid and Weston play all the time! I love it, it reminds me why I wanted more kids! If Reid is running, spinning, riding a truck or anything... it cracks Weston up. Occasionally they will play on the same toy... assuming Reid doesn't just steal it. They often laugh at the dinner table. Reid loves to help Weston bounce when he is in his bouncy seat or jumper, and while we worry that he is being too rough, Weston cracks up. He will more happily sit on the ground as long as Reid is running around doing his thing, just as long as he can watch Reid.<br />
Reid likes to play chase, and if you are carrying Weston and he can see Reid, he thinks it is a GREAT game too.<br />
My favorite was the other day he grabbed Reid when he tried to walk away... he's got a strong grip!... so as not to lose his buddy.<br />
- He is a vegetable boy, much like Reid (I wonder if he'll hate desserts like Reid does too). Hates bananas, doesn't care much for peaches. Carrots were a no on the first try, but we just tried them again and they are a yes! We're gonna try green beans again. I just got a baby food grinder from a friend, so I'll be trying table food real soon here.<br />
- Weston still struggles with naps. He is moving around more and has a lot more strength, so swaddling isn't work so much anymore. So there is some crying at the beginning, we're working on it. So far we've had a couple times he's cried more than an hour, by that time, its time to feed him again, so I just go get him. I'm hoping he'll eventually learn to calm himself down.<br />
- He sleeps about 10 hours at night, then eats and sleeps another 1.5-2.5 hours.<br />
- Can fully roll around, but usually doesn't choose... I guess I don't put his toys far enough away.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(trial run of hair for our family photoshoot)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Our family photoshoot, I think he's 6 months 1 week here)</span></div>
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<b>7 Months (well a little past)</b><br />
<u>Mobility</u>? Almost....<br />
- fully sits up and then started leaning to a side to get toys<br />
- which then moved to kinda leaning over one leg to reach a toy<br />
- now he fully leans over one leg, with the back leg supporting with his knee then he can kinda sit back down, swing his legs around and has actually moved 4 ft. I'm sure he could go more, but always get what he wants by then<br />
<u>Eating</u>, he's a super eater! <br />
- He LOVES table food, he's had roll, french fries, spaghetti, stroganoff, tunafish, rice (with various sauces), quinoa salad, grapes, and a bunch of other things. Hasn't rejected anything.<br />
- Still will eat bottle vegetables with a little cereal, but only squash, peas, sweet potates or something that contains those (mixed veggies or carrots&peas)<br />
- He eats cheerios or my cereal for breakfast, then I let him snack whatever we're eating for lunch (pot pie, PB&J sandwich, grapes, crackers, etc), then for dinner he gets as much jar food and cereal as he will eat, then its all table food after that<br />
- He also loves to drink water from his sippy cup... its hard to get it away from him at times.<br />
<u>Growing up</u><br />
- Matt has never been a baby person, but I am realizing 6+ months is my favorite age, they aren't causing too much trouble, but still have lots of personality<br />
- He is SOOO ticklish, even his back!<br />
- He has the cutest belly, that I just can't resist zberting it all the time!<br />
- He loves to have conversations with us, he'll grunt or squak or yell, and if we do it back, he'll do it again, such a fun game!<br />
- He loves big brother! But big brother likes his space. (Reid is finally learning about personal space)<br />
- He takes two naps (see below) and sleeps ~12 hours at night, sometimes with a 6am feeding to finish out his rest<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(waking up from a nap! I love how happy he is!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(snuggling in his sleep with his monkey)</span></div>
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<br />
TRIALS - I am documenting these, not to complain, but because this was frustrating and I want to remember how I got through it with the next kids.<br />
So around 5 months I was struggling with his nap schedule, and then he seemed really interest in table food, so we started solids. That first week was awesome! He slept so much better. Then it slowly tapered off again. And we continued to struggle with how many naps, sometimes 2, sometimes 4.. what? I didn't know what to do. <br />
Also, he has started doing what all babies do, easy distraction from nursing. He seriously would latch and unlatch without even sucking. Look all around, and do that for a while, until he got fully frustrated and would start crying. Yeah frustrating for me too, cuz then I was struggling with my let-down, which then made him have to keep trying to suck longer.... it was a downward spiral.<br />
So around 6 months, I started wondering how much milk he was getting... I started pumping during the day and bottle feeding. I even added in a pumping late at night before bed, and I started taking fenugreek, which is supposed to help your production. Fenugreek helped a little, but I was still only getting 18oz at most for the day, and that just wasn't enough. <br />
Because I was doing all this, I was getting more and more stressed. It felt like it was all just piling on top of each other. So then after a couple times of being too stressed to even get let down, I lost it.... tears and all. After a conversation with my hubby, we decided me being stressed out worse than forking out the money for formula. <br />
So I stopped the fenugreek and the extra pumping at night, and started supplementing Weston's meals. He still nurses first thing in the morning (when i'm full), then for the 10am, 1-2pm feedings I add at least 2 oz of formula to the milk I pump (making sure it's at least 4 oz a feeding), plus whatever solids we feed him in between. For the 4-5pm feeding it just depends, cuz he gets dinner shortly after. Then for bed time I nurse and then give him 4-6 oz of formula.<br />
After doing this for a few days, he's napping peacefully at 10:30am and 2:30pm and the naps just keep getting longer!<i> Hallelujah!</i> I thought I was losing my mind! He's been so much happier and less needy. He does still very much have a bed time. He wants to be drinking those bottles for bed by 8pm or he is NO fun!<br />
We EVEN had someone watch the kids from 5pm-11pm and they said he was easy! That was a first! Thanks to good friends for a fun night out, and here's to figuring out that your baby really is hungry!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-25919734877136099942012-03-19T12:57:00.000-07:002012-03-19T12:57:57.018-07:00Baby 2: 5 months going on 9<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Where? Where did this last month go? He is growing so fast, and loving life that I just can't believe we are at the end of January!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5XRpyhPqC8jNMwVZAA9Lygld2ggcDD12stiSfppEX7QtC48MKHYVNYpS9FgXvsqcLtoZScRNe_RIyh4upy93b1tknE3vUqk_Oodb7Z3Q6HxWHlCeKxDosfriT515B9DEZi2gWLLeWBw/s1600/CIMG4973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5XRpyhPqC8jNMwVZAA9Lygld2ggcDD12stiSfppEX7QtC48MKHYVNYpS9FgXvsqcLtoZScRNe_RIyh4upy93b1tknE3vUqk_Oodb7Z3Q6HxWHlCeKxDosfriT515B9DEZi2gWLLeWBw/s320/CIMG4973.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- Weston is constantly rolling from his back to his tummy. He has rolled from tummy to back a few times, but I'm assuming those were on accident, cuz lately he'll just lay on the floor face first screaming.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9X0yHTX0c1uJXI1WTqaBQbWnN5ntTNy5Eqt6L3LEvwPTS2PzoAzDNSicQYr006fWGIrJ_LrkfK7p6HD8wmT0Jh-pKPihiK5RqcsDi3qq-npzJGIIpmaKxcKgqLsKJNg58s-XuX0ARFCI/s1600/CIMG4996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9X0yHTX0c1uJXI1WTqaBQbWnN5ntTNy5Eqt6L3LEvwPTS2PzoAzDNSicQYr006fWGIrJ_LrkfK7p6HD8wmT0Jh-pKPihiK5RqcsDi3qq-npzJGIIpmaKxcKgqLsKJNg58s-XuX0ARFCI/s320/CIMG4996.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxCJpwZEulGuPEbB8HIXbS-2ZUGhC0vH4DGQjLjKKeIaFqFIxer9NOIaInacxT4d8YR-52N1akcu4fSrkJgBET8tS2T0V0yQfNw8VjoceBz7eQGVw1pjMqJEBz__iS3miPUr4O-1TkqU/s1600/CIMG4987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxCJpwZEulGuPEbB8HIXbS-2ZUGhC0vH4DGQjLjKKeIaFqFIxer9NOIaInacxT4d8YR-52N1akcu4fSrkJgBET8tS2T0V0yQfNw8VjoceBz7eQGVw1pjMqJEBz__iS3miPUr4O-1TkqU/s320/CIMG4987.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1H0NVqFKY4tmJXMvtR7_ONRSaTCNTgQ6Cp_ruLZjCSA1QPbVj8nZjnpTda2XNQqDviM05Bnypb8cGc9Bb6EbkhaomA8rXXkWGez0f1aT3rpWrnjxws3krB8w7aLhezabosX87lHYIBI/s1600/CIMG5008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1H0NVqFKY4tmJXMvtR7_ONRSaTCNTgQ6Cp_ruLZjCSA1QPbVj8nZjnpTda2XNQqDviM05Bnypb8cGc9Bb6EbkhaomA8rXXkWGez0f1aT3rpWrnjxws3krB8w7aLhezabosX87lHYIBI/s320/CIMG5008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- He LOVE LOVE LOVES to be hung upside down, especially if you kiss his cheek and squeeze his legs at the same time.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- He loves when mom, dad, and Reid pay attention to him. Some strangers he likes, some not so much.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- He is not a bath boy. Reid loved baths, but Weston has decided he's ok with them, but not loving it yet. (I wonder if this is cuz I rarely have time to sit and play with him in the bath like I did with Reid)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- He has been the happiest boy. He got easier all of the sudden. It seems like he is more content now that he can play with toys and maneuver things a little more.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- He has started that hard stage of dropping naps. Sometimes he sleeps in between every feeding and sometimes he's not tired at all. It is mostly hard cuz it makes my day less predictable.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- At the beginning of the month he got really congested, I think he might have allergies here. Every time we went outside his eyes would water and his nose would just run. Well, I couldn't give him anything, so we brought the stroller in his room and he slept in that for a week. The significance of this is that he now sleeps in his car seat... in PUBLIC! My non-social homebody is finally doing better with sleeping in public and being happier in his car seat. Halleluhah!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- He's already starting to grow out of some of the 6months clothes. Bring on the 9 month clothes... this younger brother is gonna be the tall one!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- He rocks himself. No really, if you put him on your knee, he'll kick his legs forward, then throws his back towards you, then kicks his legs, and then shifts his weight. It really is comical. But he keeps him happy for long times, so there really are worse things, right?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- We started solids! We were eating rolls and he grabbed my hand and put it in his mouth and kinda sucked on it. He seemed happy, so I broke off a tiny piece and gave it to him. Oh man, he wanted more! Then after acting hungry a few afternoons, I broke down and finally started the cereal. So far he's had a little roll, a few puffs (not quite ready for these, had to break them in half), and oatmeal cereal (with formula for flavor). He is definitely interested and hasn't rejected anything yet.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcv7Xn6dp9bb-oI1IOaBfyvDhtxbYFRt18Lbj9cOWkWSC3CfRAzaB0CNYMbmYo9F2gnaYJLeBqCZgOomocZrYlUeE93ydH9fDs-LP4tyIUmwndlWIHs2Juqbmr7Vzjhh0q3togKTVb8s/s1600/CIMG5015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcv7Xn6dp9bb-oI1IOaBfyvDhtxbYFRt18Lbj9cOWkWSC3CfRAzaB0CNYMbmYo9F2gnaYJLeBqCZgOomocZrYlUeE93ydH9fDs-LP4tyIUmwndlWIHs2Juqbmr7Vzjhh0q3togKTVb8s/s320/CIMG5015.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- The other day I tried to show Reid how Weston can't sit up on his own by placing him on the floor... well, he proved me wrong and sat there for like 8 seconds before toppling over. I've started doing this more, and he's getting better and better. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- Weston very much knows my face. He lights up when I walk into his view. I am surprised how special it makes me feel each and every time.</div>- He loves to jump and bounce and rough house. He loves to be tossed in the air, or swung by a leg and arm, or spun around... all crazy things that a baby can handle.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">- Weston is grabbing and reaching for toys, and gets frustrated when they don't stay when he knocks them. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdG6AFT8sxLPfIbthzmTcNC9efP48hyloo_ipDWDIygp904eIyWD1CMlzk-oDRFOYr1oEvECpr_UFuY-BSsJDUdKZZ-6YihIwhzicqQn7NrIhV9hDvANAmMiESOH2GndcmVLwIrDrYeNM/s1600/CIMG4958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdG6AFT8sxLPfIbthzmTcNC9efP48hyloo_ipDWDIygp904eIyWD1CMlzk-oDRFOYr1oEvECpr_UFuY-BSsJDUdKZZ-6YihIwhzicqQn7NrIhV9hDvANAmMiESOH2GndcmVLwIrDrYeNM/s320/CIMG4958.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74TRsbEDsjBBftyRwM08zZ_XzatM62yE_sknUONzNBd7hCGC2O9gz5u9Mb6LyaRG9WLnLmc-lo98b1MdFvcym4LM227jMOSiDf9nNZSpiioXWjgts98gxyicPu8XPPqPPVI000D9qrhg/s1600/CIMG4896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74TRsbEDsjBBftyRwM08zZ_XzatM62yE_sknUONzNBd7hCGC2O9gz5u9Mb6LyaRG9WLnLmc-lo98b1MdFvcym4LM227jMOSiDf9nNZSpiioXWjgts98gxyicPu8XPPqPPVI000D9qrhg/s320/CIMG4896.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4Bh6WJ5Vtq_ywPkN5A_etHu19ujeHz1mNgwmiPHVFQrMj8tixZJBbOaw520-CHKvN_j8X8ZudFZE8fXkSgVYu0AFWB9E3xI_EaMZ9573idp8WZnSdD7J6opdDD9vJI6dvObtmOM8IEI/s1600/CIMG4965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4Bh6WJ5Vtq_ywPkN5A_etHu19ujeHz1mNgwmiPHVFQrMj8tixZJBbOaw520-CHKvN_j8X8ZudFZE8fXkSgVYu0AFWB9E3xI_EaMZ9573idp8WZnSdD7J6opdDD9vJI6dvObtmOM8IEI/s320/CIMG4965.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-77584859492806865162012-01-25T12:19:00.000-08:002012-01-25T12:19:00.192-08:00Birthdays of 2011So this post is quite late... but I want to document it anyways.<br />
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October 2011 - Leann's birthday happened amidst a 7 week old infant, and brother's wedding and a trip to AZ, a baby shower for much awaited little nephew, Matt's insane work hours, and a baby's blessing. So needless to say my birthday got a bit overshadowed. My parents were still very kind and got me a ice cream cake (my favorite), and sang to me. I enjoyed the moment and just let it pass as I didn't have much time to focus on that.<br />
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November 2011 - Matt kept trying to find out what I wanted to do/for my birthday, albeit a little late. I finally decided what I wanted was a dinner out. A really nice dinner. No work, no kids, just us, and some incredibly delicious food that I didn't prepare. And I wanted nice.... not so nice that the portions are teeny tiny and the food is prettier than me... but nice in that it was quality food with <b>lots</b> of flavor. I LOVE going out to eat and since quitting work, we don't go out very much, so this is truly a treat for me.<br />
However, this month Matt was getting calls for work at night and on the weekends. I did not want my evening of relaxation to be ruined by work... so I told him to wait until work wasn't so crazy, so I could enjoy it.<br />
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Naturally I put my friend G up to the task of helping me pick a restaurant. We discussed prices and food amounts and food tastes and such. Finally landing on a choice of Mainstreet Grill. She even offered the perfect set up. Come to her house, feed the baby and then leave, so as to maximize the worry free time allotment when it comes to babies you aren't certain will take a bottle.<br />
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So now to picking a day. We found one, early December...<br />
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December 2011 - We got to go on our date. We dressed up for each other, we dropped off the kids and headed to our little getaway. And let me tell you, it was HEAVEN! It may have lasted only 1.5 hours, but it was perfect bliss for me! The salad, oh the salad with bleu cheese and candied pecans, strawberries, and balsalmic vinegarette, the fried avocado for an appetizer, the steak and veggies prepared to perfection and with delicious seasonings, and then the ice cream sandwich that was seriously pure heaven, trust me this ain't no cheesy ice cream sandwich, we are talking pastries worthy of European origin on top and bottom, delicious cream ice cream rolled in candied nuts, drizzled with chocolate fudge yumminess... oh man, I'm drueling just remembering it. I felt like my taste buds were doing that little dance from <i>Ratatouille</i>, where Remy is trying to explain flavors to his brother. My mouth was singing. I loved it!!!! My birthday was a success. (also need to thank my kind brother for helping pay the bill by giving us a gift card after they came to stay with us)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(G's kids love Weston while we were gone! Can you blame them? He was very loved that night)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLySCJzNiZScGhnAfQ8TyqWK1LlwyfTVb5ka6K-gJ9G4_vIeDzvzuGEmc5mh6gQBVJ5DWtDPBQLzGZiHdLdJS3-rqS8CPXnSa2LnvyaADiOdaiggBEtM7B1aNcdPveqnWbPfcIz-YOXA/s1600/DSC09169blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLySCJzNiZScGhnAfQ8TyqWK1LlwyfTVb5ka6K-gJ9G4_vIeDzvzuGEmc5mh6gQBVJ5DWtDPBQLzGZiHdLdJS3-rqS8CPXnSa2LnvyaADiOdaiggBEtM7B1aNcdPveqnWbPfcIz-YOXA/s320/DSC09169blog.JPG" width="291" /></a></div><br />
Well, Matt's birthday is also December. And he loves to celebrate on the day. So we made plans with friends to bbq and put kids to bed and play games all night. Matt still wanted to go out to eat... so we started searching. Found a community magazine and checked out some restaurants in there. Matt decided he wanted mexican food. Sounded good to me. So we found one, and decided to try and head out the night before his birthday. No luck with babysitters, so we trekked the kids with us this time. They were champs! No complaining, just happy eating and smiles! We enjoyed our dinners... good classic flavors for a good cheap price... I love mexican food! I mentioned it was his birthday, so when it was time, out came the sombrero and the delicious dessert. <br />
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The dessert was good, but the true entertainment was the hat. This thing was so huge, the girl in the booth behind Matt, had to duck to not get hit by it. It was awesome!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(If you look close, you can see her ducking)</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ASdN5-CWdmKTuj-7Qo9txB4yk45arkaoPL6PBxDRE7PKN9U3PSZSLzV4vAhAVRlx9bQrrIIT3MuK8T6x9pECEBuXkdzBEHEb5QEVzxFmiklpCRE5MMx1REFxL_KmeiYQX7NMDWdSa2s/s1600/CIMG4868_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ASdN5-CWdmKTuj-7Qo9txB4yk45arkaoPL6PBxDRE7PKN9U3PSZSLzV4vAhAVRlx9bQrrIIT3MuK8T6x9pECEBuXkdzBEHEb5QEVzxFmiklpCRE5MMx1REFxL_KmeiYQX7NMDWdSa2s/s320/CIMG4868_blog.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
The next day Reid came down with a terrible fever. Matt and I were still recovering from something as well. So we cancelled our bbq, and stayed in. I still made a cake, nothing extravagant as I don't know how to do sick kids and still do everything else, but it was a yummy cake. (win for the recipe on the back of the Hersey's cocoa powder) But considering all it was a good cake. In spite of feeling terrible, Reid love singing Happy Birthday... he loved it so much, we did it again 3 days later for family home evening.... candles and all! A little ridiculous, but when they are 2 and running fever, why not?<br />
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Happy Birthday to us!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-83272996378454651832012-01-24T11:55:00.000-08:002012-01-24T11:55:00.180-08:00The Sweetest 2.5 Year Old- Reid started singing songs with us. At first, he would just say the last word, but now he knows almost whole songs. His favorites are: Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, John the Baptist, Christian Soldiers, Country Roads, Love is Spoken Here, and the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song. Truth be told, Country Roads is the cutest.<br />
- Reid is starting to learn about sharing. According to nursery leaders, he's pretty good most days at sharing. Other than the Lightning McQueen car, black train and his ride truck, Reid is good at sharing his own toys here at home.- Reid has mostly adjusted to having a brother, but I think one thing that helped was that her learned how to ask to have mom to himself. "I need a mommy hug.... No, Weston down... need a mommy hug". I try to support his need for some mommy attention, but trying not to baby him... it's a tricky balance.<br />
- Reid is starting to learn cause/effect. So we are trying to teach him consequences. Reid spilled his drink the other day, so I went through the motions of helping him get a rag and clean it up, and what to do with the rag afterward. I was pleasantly surprised when the next time he spilled and I told him to go get a rag... he did!<br />
- Reid is starting to like his brother. When Weston sees him, he always smiles and Reid gets excited that he can make him "happy" or "smiiiiwwing" (smiling). He will often share a car with Weston, and we've started teaching him about asking for a toy and then trading for another toy.<br />
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- Reid has really starting understanding and responding to our requests. He understands that we want something, or when we explain why he can't have what he wants. His comprehension has expounded.<br />
- We have constantly worked on colors, but had no luck, until he started asking for me to draw Thomas (with a blue crayon), or James (with a red crayon), or Percy (with a green crayon). Success! Our child is not colorblind! So, we worked on it for just a bit, and then BAM! he knew all of his colors all of the sudden. Pink and purple still need a little help (but well, we don't use them much, they are girl colors), and orange and yellow are a little confusing, but he's getting better.<br />
- One of my favorites is that like every 2 year old, Reid whines. But we have talked about being happy and saying things in a happy and nice voice. He gets this cheesy closed mouth smile and tries to show mommy that he can be happy, so he can get what he wants. I love the face... I can't help by smile myself.<br />
- Ever since about a week after Christmas (when Reid got really sick), he takes Lightning McQueen to bed with him. This was such a surprise, cuz Reid does <b>not </b>like stuffed animals, so I thought he would never want a toy in bed with him. Well, Lightning McQueen has won the cherished place of bedtime with Reid.<br />
- Reid goes through phases of bringing his blankets out of bed. We started with him leaving his bed blankets on mommy's bed, and slowly moved it to his bed. But occasionally he still likes to bring them to mommy's bed. But it is comical now, because with the colder weather we have added a full twin size blanket on his bed and watching him drag it to our room makes me smile. But then I ask him to put them back on his bed and he does it right away.<br />
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Reid shows his love unconditionally for mommy and daddy. He is my friend and buddy right now. He is behaving so well and rarely gets in trouble. If he does, its to the corner and before his 2 minutes are up, he's in the corner apologizing or saying what he should have done differently. I know this won't last forever, so I am enjoying every moment I can. We made it through the months of adjusting to moving and then adjusting to a baby brother, and now we are just enjoying being us... at home.... and he's the sweetest boy. I want to never forget these precious moments.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Reid helping Daddy play "robots"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">a.k.a. Daddy doing his robotics hobby by tearing </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">apart our broken DVD player for parts) </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoNBjkt9zSyCQBjFydJpdPdhGp7WgEJf6tTJB7WoeVdtM6ZQIb2-123fjoRlKXmeIvH4qwkrpm5jZGCTbcjn98K7TOHWdRjlJsyPILdymhvYvkt4GMUQXigp9d59-IqYEDfWJmwM0XvQ/s1600/CIMG4859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoNBjkt9zSyCQBjFydJpdPdhGp7WgEJf6tTJB7WoeVdtM6ZQIb2-123fjoRlKXmeIvH4qwkrpm5jZGCTbcjn98K7TOHWdRjlJsyPILdymhvYvkt4GMUQXigp9d59-IqYEDfWJmwM0XvQ/s320/CIMG4859.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-47572310013039193002012-01-23T12:04:00.000-08:002012-01-23T12:05:21.652-08:00Play Trains / ChristmasWe had a great Christmas! My Christmas started a little early around 5am when Weston woke up to eat, but like the champ that he is, he went straight back to sleep. Then just before 7am a little toddler came in. Matt and I did our best to be excited to get up. Reid still didn't quite get what Christmas morning was all about. Well, it didn't take long, he was so sweet to wait his turn while Mom and Dad took turns opening presents. He was happy to play with the toys he had already gotten in between each new present.<br />
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Our extended family was so generous with our gifts... we even spoiled ourselves a bit with a new Blu-Ray player and the entire Harry Potter collection on Blu-Ray. But the main event was the train set! Santa (with the help of my sister) gave Reid a basic figure 8 train track set. Little did we know Grandma was also in cahoots with Santa and she gave Reid a Thomas and a James train! He was so happy. He played with the trains ALL day on Christmas. We even tried to watch the new Cars movie and Reid lost interest in about 10 minutes and went back to the trains! He's a boy in every aspect. The most common phrase in our house that week was "Play Trains?"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfJDJZuuf2NYZL6QHikTVjAO0WWAPStakfyn_GxRkTGqtIfEviwIfgJCfNgoSXRiztkTPwz9fQgPw7uJGMx3DxrxzEK9U5bSD4SLKdi_c3cqlvBL0HMmBF13QWYYnht46BG66tUMmw0c/s1600/CIMG4841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfJDJZuuf2NYZL6QHikTVjAO0WWAPStakfyn_GxRkTGqtIfEviwIfgJCfNgoSXRiztkTPwz9fQgPw7uJGMx3DxrxzEK9U5bSD4SLKdi_c3cqlvBL0HMmBF13QWYYnht46BG66tUMmw0c/s320/CIMG4841.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzBCngEt5z_1piZmD_wUt0uJyTv7YM4kiP5Ezt5l17e7CZ-OPeL2HET8GG_neZxdI0AM7T4FhNlB3iUzpTfjClpqB6XBJbeC4RyCeJ5-hu1cpFQRYYE0osC9iW4_pmYob48EG3tQ1sms/s1600/CIMG4844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzBCngEt5z_1piZmD_wUt0uJyTv7YM4kiP5Ezt5l17e7CZ-OPeL2HET8GG_neZxdI0AM7T4FhNlB3iUzpTfjClpqB6XBJbeC4RyCeJ5-hu1cpFQRYYE0osC9iW4_pmYob48EG3tQ1sms/s320/CIMG4844.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Weston woke up when we were close to ending, and we opened up his presents as well. Then we took some time to enjoy our breakfast casserole that I made the night before and then headed upstairs to get ready for church. There was some protesting when it was time to get ready for church and to leave for church... but he got through it. Church was great and it was fun to see all our friends dressed up so spiffy for the Christmas day.<br />
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When we got home he played a little and then it was nap time for all. Except Weston didn't get that memo and didn't let mommy get her Christmas afternoon nap. But alas, all is still well.<br />
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Then we had a yummy dinner of pork roast, cheesy potatoes, salad, and strawberry jello. Shortly after we finished dinner, our friends came over to wish us a good Christmas and leave us some "brownies from a jar".<br />
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Such a fun holiday. We did miss seeing our families, I did call my parents and talk to my brother and sister, and Matt's family skyped with us the night before. However, staying home and taking it easy allowed us to rest and reflect on Christ and why we celebrate Christmas. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(our small hand-me-down tree with all the presents)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY09JsSq2PFBiucWglYUCljXTz7TGMx32bydYkI1IoDo34-UjCL38pj_6KWXOXEGupTpPEOo06aQkK1VVXIHlAajJLkVnV_5LoPYyggnICvDajbdy0GlDpfQ3SrRQf5WclttmrJuv5RE/s1600/CIMG4811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY09JsSq2PFBiucWglYUCljXTz7TGMx32bydYkI1IoDo34-UjCL38pj_6KWXOXEGupTpPEOo06aQkK1VVXIHlAajJLkVnV_5LoPYyggnICvDajbdy0GlDpfQ3SrRQf5WclttmrJuv5RE/s320/CIMG4811.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Matt gave a beautiful the Christmas story lesson on Christmas Eve)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHejM9Y-861GozNMV5yp8WmTQnsVAeEVft3KmBx1PsxnrS_y4ylkWyJuleOEQ3BiTfZliaR_oZrQAHjHdZ-ByY1qOUoKcZ0vRNBltWumm9kCYMNHe_NZcnqsQn7VS_ko_SnF2jVmnLWWE/s1600/CIMG4816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHejM9Y-861GozNMV5yp8WmTQnsVAeEVft3KmBx1PsxnrS_y4ylkWyJuleOEQ3BiTfZliaR_oZrQAHjHdZ-ByY1qOUoKcZ0vRNBltWumm9kCYMNHe_NZcnqsQn7VS_ko_SnF2jVmnLWWE/s320/CIMG4816.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (the after math)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfQC7gFuuFGYvJr-PGF_NYAM0mK0MzOvUeBUgDHNJZBe6ggcl3tiBlvNLvC5ZjmuYDPt39rs8aOOmzewD4mv9vaQx04VpfRPp-tWrdguqio9ygiVqYKiLgIZS7vFhRxRjNrQkS2WziEM/s1600/CIMG4842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfQC7gFuuFGYvJr-PGF_NYAM0mK0MzOvUeBUgDHNJZBe6ggcl3tiBlvNLvC5ZjmuYDPt39rs8aOOmzewD4mv9vaQx04VpfRPp-tWrdguqio9ygiVqYKiLgIZS7vFhRxRjNrQkS2WziEM/s320/CIMG4842.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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It was a wonderful day!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-38431734559456738952011-12-31T12:50:00.000-08:002011-12-31T12:50:03.313-08:00Baby 2: 3 and 4 Months OldWeston @ 3 months<br />
- Weston has started to giggle, specifically when you change his clothes. I don't know what is so funny, but he just cracks up.<br />
- He loves being tickled on his cheeks and neck.<br />
- He loves it when he gets attention<br />
- He will not sleep unless his arms are swaddled. (That works ok for these cold months, we'll see how next summer goes.)<br />
- Weston outgrew most of his 3 months clothes! I can't believe I'm already putting 6 months clothes on this guy. We compared pictures of Reid and Weston the other day, and Weston is definitely in bigger clothes in the pictures of the same age.<br />
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Weston @ 4 months<br />
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- He's gone 10 hours straight sleep multiple nights, but sometimes goes back to 7-8 hours, then back to 8-9 hours.<br />
- He has really started responding to us, he loves to plays games. If he makes a sound, and you make a sound, then he makes a sound, he starts to really smile for you. If you start to tickle him, he'll giggle each time, then if he hears you laughing, he'll start giggling too, even if you aren't tickling him.<br />
- He's a home body. He doesn't sleep well out in public. And is only ok if he can see mom. (wondering if the car seat cover is going to last much longer)<br />
- He also loves the quietness of home. When it is really noisy and chaotic, he can't seem to settle down at all. From the time he was born he couldn't sleep with loud noises. Some people claim you can train this out of them... but he has always been this way.<br />
- Comments from others:<br />
"Wow, he looks just like Reid"<br />
"He sure looks like your family"<br />
"Reid and Weston definitely look like brothers"<br />
.... Sure I hear the obligatory, he's cute, but he really is!<br />
- He's a momma's boy. Both my boys are which is tricky.<br />
- Weston is eating 6 times a day, giving me "present" diapers once a week (but he's cranky if he goes that long), and still is spitting up a bunch (some days not so much, other days it never stops)<br />
- He's adjusting to Reid noises. He actually has calmed down a few times once Reid starts making a racket with his toys or stomping, but he seems to know when if there are strangers around making noise too<br />
- Gives the BEST smiles when you go in to pick him up after sleeping, super open mouthed<br />
- Starting sticking his tongue out. I can decide if it feels funny or he's trying to be silly<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's cuter than this, I promise... still trying to get cute pic of it</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBQDe9k69x2eVyBhiwJaeWMkfe96_123De0ek1HBCf7TikVq5GK8lZL0aN0i0Bv_m2jUntcvvq49cDFLx4eMf_-OwO-ZURZ5Yjk4ZBg_ZsPUOIfCgj5O4yhLycZZDuavsOi9rYrHr7Bg/s1600/CIMG4799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBQDe9k69x2eVyBhiwJaeWMkfe96_123De0ek1HBCf7TikVq5GK8lZL0aN0i0Bv_m2jUntcvvq49cDFLx4eMf_-OwO-ZURZ5Yjk4ZBg_ZsPUOIfCgj5O4yhLycZZDuavsOi9rYrHr7Bg/s320/CIMG4799.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>STATS:<br />
Weight: 14lb 7.5oz 50%<br />
Height: 25.5in 75%<br />
Head: 41.5 cm 25-50%<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Official 4 month pic (even though it was a couple days after)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgaSkIOY9hTEI9O_R2XPD7ohiyA8hopeCoW7mtTC1ol1mpiNSEcn5r9-GSXWip8M3ylqR3r0BPstebmT-qWkygRcSae_w27fG1EijAZk5Z2y8bZXckXhHGD1TS4E4dH4XHT5N0p7KYBI/s1600/CIMG4853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgaSkIOY9hTEI9O_R2XPD7ohiyA8hopeCoW7mtTC1ol1mpiNSEcn5r9-GSXWip8M3ylqR3r0BPstebmT-qWkygRcSae_w27fG1EijAZk5Z2y8bZXckXhHGD1TS4E4dH4XHT5N0p7KYBI/s320/CIMG4853.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Weston is a good and mostly predictable baby... I'm grateful for his spirit and I truly am so glad he's here, it sounds weird but I really think I missed him. The more I get to know him, the more I wonder how I felt at home without him here. He's such a comfort to my heart. He loves Daddy and Reid too... he smiles for them almost anytime they want one. We love you Weston!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-80999647682831760882011-11-05T14:34:00.000-07:002011-11-05T14:34:00.144-07:00Halloween 2011Well, it was our first big Halloween... here's how it went. <br />
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We missed our church party, but went to our friend's, but Reid still didn't like it much... partly cuz of the costume drama. We made this super cool Mater costume last year, but then Reid got super sick on Halloween, so we didn't use it. He didn't even want to put it on. Then about a month ago, we got it out and he drove Mater all over the house. "Sweet!" I thought, "my kid actually likes the costume this year." So we thought we try it again. No, he didn't want to use it. So we carried it around and trunk-or-treated at the church party.<br />
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Since that didn't go well, the day before Halloween we got out Reid's Halloween bucket and had him go "trick or treating" to each of us, so he could practice and get excited. Well, he asked about it for the next 24 hours!<br />
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On actually Halloween was a Fall Festival for little kids at a local park. I wasn't about to carry Mater, a baby and a sad toddler, so I put on some hole-y jeans and a flannel shirt and Reid's tool bet and called it good for the morning. He ran around and had a blast... feeding a lion, putting into a nelephants trunk, and riding on the hay ride ("tractor ride"). Went to lunch with friends and came home and napped. <br />
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I was foolishly still hopeful that Mater would be selected for the evening, but NOPE, he wasn't. So we grabbed the tool belt and he was ready. Our neighbors invited us to go with them, and I thought that would be better for him to see how it worked with other kids. They had a blast. Reid loved having other "guys" (non-adults) to follow. He would say "ick o TREAT"... always screaming the treat part... it was hilarious. He was also very good to say "thank you" and sometimes even a "bye" or "see you later". He was the hit of the night. He also got very excited about the moon, and saying hi to fellow trick or treaters that passed us.<br />
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Unfortunately, after the first scary house (and it was actually scary), he required mom to go with him up to the door from then on. For the first few houses after a scary house, he would ask, "Scary?" and we would all reassure him it was ok. I never made him go up to the door at the scary houses, but he still knew if it was a scary house just by passing it. And some houses that weren't scary, but had Halloween sounds, still made him very cautious.<br />
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About halfway through the night he started slowing down, I finally figured out it was because his candy bucket was too heavy! I started carrying it for him in between houses, and then he perked right back up. But by the end, my neighbors, Reid, and I were all tired. Matt stayed home with Weston and the dogs to hand out candy. Weston was a champ and slept the whole time, doorbells and all, can't say the same for the dogs. :)<br />
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When we got home, he asked for some nerds, which he loved and milk duds, which didn't last, and a lollipop. Then he happily sat down watched Thomas while I got Weston to bed, and then he went to bed quite easily.<br />
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It was such a fun time for us to see Reid as he's growing up, interacting and participating more. We had a great Halloween!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-72399449612747129212011-11-02T15:24:00.000-07:002011-11-02T15:24:00.255-07:00Is It Two Months Already?!Well, month two was much more exciting! <br />
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The first week were just enjoying getting back to normal life and even took it easy with General Conference weekend. We just used the air mattress we had blown up for company and sat on it while we watched conference on the computer.<br />
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The following weekend my brother, his wife and four children came to visit. They were here for 3 days total, but I think we had a lot of fun. We visited, played games, went to the Nature and Science Center where we got to play in the dino pits, we rode on the train in the park downtown, we even were able to fit in seeing the bats come out at night.... and one of those days was Sunday! I was very humored by my nephews who are 5 and 7 and all the questions they ask. I gotta get ready for that age when kids absorb everything. We are so grateful they took the time to come visit and meet Weston, it was a lot of fun!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">(who would've thought watching bats come out at night would be so impressive)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMvig9LZ-Xtw6uxVST-cJ75bByO1J3GCMFPYePMAr64EwPGSdaeLF-Jzu9V88GVZ_EwPPmW0DgEhxvM5k2UQ1NXKnTg0G0aNLzHQilUuYHFbNt3pSCYFXbM2_4zvbW7q5EtSrEs9eZkQ/s1600/CIMG4670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMvig9LZ-Xtw6uxVST-cJ75bByO1J3GCMFPYePMAr64EwPGSdaeLF-Jzu9V88GVZ_EwPPmW0DgEhxvM5k2UQ1NXKnTg0G0aNLzHQilUuYHFbNt3pSCYFXbM2_4zvbW7q5EtSrEs9eZkQ/s320/CIMG4670.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(and yes, you do get "dropped on" we had a run for it when the flight path changed)</span> </div>They left on a Tuesday morning, so we began the craziness of packing for a week and a half, and left for Arizona the next day. Matt's brother was getting married on Friday. We planned to do it in one day, but gave ourselves two days, just in case. We did make it in one day.. one very long day. It was rough from the first hour on, including missed turns, stressful pit stops. Then the afternoon, things calmed down, but by evening Weston was DONE. So we nursed, changed him, and drive into the sun with a crying baby. Eventually he fell asleep, but the poor kid was just sick of the car seat.<br />
Friday was the reception and the wedding, thanks to my sister who watch Reid all morning and my parents who came up to the temple to watch Weston. That evening was a beautiful reception and lots of friends and family to visit with.<br />
Saturday was Matt's sister's baby shower which was a blast, lots of girl time. Plus our friends drove down from the Safford area and hung out with us all day.<br />
Sunday was busy because we were able to bless Weston with all the family in town for the wedding. Matt and I were busy being hosts, Weston was in heaven being passed around and loved, and Reid got to play with his best buddy Ryde. It was so much fun, we had so many loved ones there, it is times like that that I realize how blessed I am. I had tons of people there, and a bunch more who couldn't come. I am so grateful for all the love and support we have.<br />
<br />
Matt couldn't afford another day off work, so we stuck around all week. Monday was a recovery day. Tuesday - Friday were about trying to make visits, take care of our rental house, let tired children recover, and other various errands that just seemed to make the week fly.<br />
Saturday we drove home and Weston slept and slept and slept! We made great time, and it went really well. Reid had been asking for about 3 days to go home, so he was a very happy boy. Regardless of the craziness, we were so grateful for parents who hosted us and social things at there houses so that we could make the best of this trip with a 6-7 week old.<br />
<br />
I don't know where last week went, but between playgroup, church callings, tired boys, Matt's long hours at work, doctor appointments, laundry and all that comes from a trip, the week flew by. <br />
<br />
This week is full of fevers, running noses and lack of sleeping. I knew it would catch up to us, I am grateful that it waited until the craziness was over.<br />
<br />
<u>Weston's 2 month stats:</u><br />
Weight: 12lb 4.5oz<br />
Length: 24in (although, it wasn't quite that if you ask me)<br />
Head: 39.5in<br />
(I looked it up, Reid was the same weight, but over and inch shorter)<br />
Sleeps 8-9 hours at night!<br />
Thanks to cornstarch the diapers are no longer stressful, and I usually only get presents once a day! <br />
Smiles always at mom, especially when he's crying cuz he's hungry and mom picks him up<br />
Loves to smile and laugh instead of eat<br />
Loves kisses and zberts on his cheeks and neck (I even got a full blown giggle!)<br />
Is cooing and talking all the time<br />
Has a fussy time of day (dinner to bed time)<br />
Weston has become the sweetest boy ever and just chills and is patient with me<br />
Doesn't love tummy time<br />
Sleeps in his own room<br />
Loves to watch his big brother play and will even give him smiles<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">(2 months old)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yPOOFHIsGPr_TlzFRlChYEVxV7_WoHOv8cHUIsx9MQH14B-v2C_o_n1s_8KUIhZamguZV9GuU1REUGttM0SmFNq0AiOqBq1sS_QR4LKYFuiRsrOI_kSsj8qzYY2CcYgI8Urb_M5Xum8/s1600/CIMG4743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yPOOFHIsGPr_TlzFRlChYEVxV7_WoHOv8cHUIsx9MQH14B-v2C_o_n1s_8KUIhZamguZV9GuU1REUGttM0SmFNq0AiOqBq1sS_QR4LKYFuiRsrOI_kSsj8qzYY2CcYgI8Urb_M5Xum8/s320/CIMG4743.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrUG7DDZNClXJ4d6unFRMTcrtPQUI_R7p_TuLPbl388HupjwfKVa0aFrNpOvnUZ002enVw-gIKP51kRTc9UWJXlDQYcBk2K4FnwZn4q5-if8mjWSUPQfcQVMs6rvSGY4rHjYOQZJOsP0/s1600/CIMG4741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrUG7DDZNClXJ4d6unFRMTcrtPQUI_R7p_TuLPbl388HupjwfKVa0aFrNpOvnUZ002enVw-gIKP51kRTc9UWJXlDQYcBk2K4FnwZn4q5-if8mjWSUPQfcQVMs6rvSGY4rHjYOQZJOsP0/s320/CIMG4741.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> (smiles for Grandma, 7 weeks old)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDGDad7CRc6F8w82UHjpzzwiseTLyer5L-q-vsVOyJ3IhaG1S99X8Z1hJSHnn42P73f9CsIt15OTZA32F9cicUsSwXk1P6PF_Xaq8wQDh38QbXn2q_OSXsDolnw2QLGDEbs_w1UD1xrM/s1600/CIMG4719_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDGDad7CRc6F8w82UHjpzzwiseTLyer5L-q-vsVOyJ3IhaG1S99X8Z1hJSHnn42P73f9CsIt15OTZA32F9cicUsSwXk1P6PF_Xaq8wQDh38QbXn2q_OSXsDolnw2QLGDEbs_w1UD1xrM/s320/CIMG4719_edited.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Reid's done some new things this month too: </u><br />
<ul><li>With new visitors with different vocabularies around him for a month, his talking has improved so much. Not only does he say more complete sentences, he is getting better and pronunciation (which really is a shame, I'm going to miss "nin-nows", a.k.a. windows).</li>
<li>He has started copying us... we are learning that we have to be careful what we say around the house!</li>
<li>He is now learning how to say prayers, which brought tears to my eyes the first time. (always has been good at folding arms, now we are working on closing our eyes... very tightly! hahaha!)</li>
<li>He is becoming a more experienced and brave climber on furniture, playgrounds, it doesn't matter, he'll climb it.</li>
<li>After going to a play date, he learned about Thomas the Train, and now it is ALL about trains. He loves them... he spends hours each day making car trains, or toy trains, or something that isn't a train into a train. He still loves cars too though. He pretty much like moving vehicles.</li>
<li>He has started asking for diaper changes when he actually needs them. Oh boy, guess I gotta figure out how to potty train!</li>
<li>The jealousy is just beginning. Mom is the favorite right now, and there are times he wants me when I'm holding Weston, but cries until I put Weston down and pick him up. It is sweet but hard. </li>
<li>But on the up side, he's very sweet and always tells me when Weston is crying or if he is sad, and then he'll let me go take care of him. Such a good big brother!</li>
<li>He can count to ten and is getting better at counting to twenty</li>
<li>He knows almost the whole alphabet in capital letters, we are now working on lower case.</li>
<li>My favorite is that he has started to sing songs. Sometimes just a word or two, but he just sang 1 entire line from Bob the Builder all morning, it was so cute!</li>
</ul>So that was month two... Phew! I think I need a nap. :)Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-68948876844566283312011-11-01T13:33:00.000-07:002011-11-01T13:33:16.074-07:00The First Month with TwoThe first month of Weston's life was full of all the normal adjustments and recoveries required with child birth and additions to family. We survived it thanks to AMAZING parents! My parents were able to stick around for two weeks and cook, clean, babysit, purchase absurd amounts of food, and repair various things around our house! Matt's parents only had a couple days, but I still got laundry folded, meals cooked and paid for, and entertainment for Reid! It was a blast. We even had a special visit from Matt's cousin who had a business trip here, which is fun cuz he was MY friend in high school, before I even met Matt.<br />
<br />
We are so happy to have Weston here and have been working on adjusting, so this is late, but I want to write a few things down before I forget them.<br />
<br />
1 Month Stats:<br />
Weight: 10lb 2oz<br />
Length: 22in<br />
Head: 38in<br />
Sleeps 5-6 hours at night (bless you child!)<br />
Smiles but not always at us<br />
Great eater<br />
Spits up a ton<br />
Gives me presents in his diaper almost every diaper change <br />
Had the worst diaper rash and I struggled to figure out the trouble. (at this point I tried changing my diet to help, but nothing)<br />
Reid liked to tickle his toes and hands<br />
Reid would check on Weston first thing in the morning, but other than occasional tickles, he didn't really care. <br />
Everything else is a blur :)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> 3 weeks old</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bxC4KfnGKpN4OxNBrbChcFZvPEgA8lsuBZq7PF8UbJpo9tPFf4hl7uVD18P5Rp2d9ssw1-VUoRG0RwobHVylT9lQHyXjmEUm5nDjoHkTyugKJq7H9F7v8A7-sW5e42uTZ4e5HsPj86s/s1600/CIMG4610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bxC4KfnGKpN4OxNBrbChcFZvPEgA8lsuBZq7PF8UbJpo9tPFf4hl7uVD18P5Rp2d9ssw1-VUoRG0RwobHVylT9lQHyXjmEUm5nDjoHkTyugKJq7H9F7v8A7-sW5e42uTZ4e5HsPj86s/s320/CIMG4610.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBYrGux-u0RF-Z4uT8httIvv4vGO8T3sPIDvoNZb_0nKnMnk9IhTstd_An8jzX5d6oaTE0k3O9uO5y-Sy_6SwEPIg_eb8aBw4RqAuZP3eAAKWVCYF6P-JuNjpygPrqRT_1dQL2_5LK0M/s1600/CIMG4614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBYrGux-u0RF-Z4uT8httIvv4vGO8T3sPIDvoNZb_0nKnMnk9IhTstd_An8jzX5d6oaTE0k3O9uO5y-Sy_6SwEPIg_eb8aBw4RqAuZP3eAAKWVCYF6P-JuNjpygPrqRT_1dQL2_5LK0M/s320/CIMG4614.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 month old</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bIaLnXjNF_6AQ8-kKHoN-E4sdqSRuknMeASxaT2pNlPM-yqdyfSOluMVS7ey7_vvjcj5Wn2IfU4E70CQlxZnsIBywynTbI9o4vjLydNUvjtL8Wa1EOOx3wYBIcllHjvXh6QNei53eZQ/s1600/CIMG4626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bIaLnXjNF_6AQ8-kKHoN-E4sdqSRuknMeASxaT2pNlPM-yqdyfSOluMVS7ey7_vvjcj5Wn2IfU4E70CQlxZnsIBywynTbI9o4vjLydNUvjtL8Wa1EOOx3wYBIcllHjvXh6QNei53eZQ/s320/CIMG4626.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>One super fun thing we were able to do with Matt's parents (which completely wore me out though) was going to the Old Pecan Street Fall Festival. Legos had a station there were you could race your cars. Needless to say, Reid LOVED it. There were some great naps had that day. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROVKIGP4jBl2gey8W9BNiWdL0AJK8qxMg30J-ymkzcxcpCkYjovQh_GoKlCWGP0KrdEkINJU9lHylf5jZUVWeHmZxwBelMp_4PaDUnSSvI3nEBxGY_TH1FpwA3c6eY7ukYgwBm0hWX6Q/s1600/CIMG4630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROVKIGP4jBl2gey8W9BNiWdL0AJK8qxMg30J-ymkzcxcpCkYjovQh_GoKlCWGP0KrdEkINJU9lHylf5jZUVWeHmZxwBelMp_4PaDUnSSvI3nEBxGY_TH1FpwA3c6eY7ukYgwBm0hWX6Q/s320/CIMG4630.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-20886338485539279422011-09-05T13:37:00.000-07:002011-09-05T13:37:06.618-07:00Welcome Geek Baby #2!August 26th 2011 @ 1:16pm Weston Cade was born! He weighed in at 7lbs 15oz and was 19.5 inches long. I was induced, but still was able to labor and deliver naturally.<br />
We are really enjoying him and adjusting to our new life. I hope to write the story down soon. But for now pictures will have to do.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">A few hours old </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrswTFqvAQ1ei_CdrBzQsobdQhqwMKnBCCr3WdorLt4uTYpx8WpmEWUyGgAq2jM9vKhOOm1NjzIWt7wW5aF8eQfzHfpY-oMiyCrRPNdRISqFXGUodDBiV4UWQ0Yv6ks_O9R9NTtXzIeQ/s1600/CIMG4550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrswTFqvAQ1ei_CdrBzQsobdQhqwMKnBCCr3WdorLt4uTYpx8WpmEWUyGgAq2jM9vKhOOm1NjzIWt7wW5aF8eQfzHfpY-oMiyCrRPNdRISqFXGUodDBiV4UWQ0Yv6ks_O9R9NTtXzIeQ/s320/CIMG4550.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Getting his hearing test (he looks like he's jammin')</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZv-bklVsjBQnUxtDhV290wlgTQaIRR04Y9XeZb2ygJxbjP-r5AyAe2SmgtooY3mM00pTV_i3d8-O8DMGRutKe0OTDjqMkWLcHrzodLm1rUN1J7NAgEt6fga-NDwDxb-yS0c9HCrmgUI/s1600/CIMG4555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZv-bklVsjBQnUxtDhV290wlgTQaIRR04Y9XeZb2ygJxbjP-r5AyAe2SmgtooY3mM00pTV_i3d8-O8DMGRutKe0OTDjqMkWLcHrzodLm1rUN1J7NAgEt6fga-NDwDxb-yS0c9HCrmgUI/s320/CIMG4555.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> 5 days old </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3cgq03JYgb6bkUZhyphenhyphenFjYlxcf5SFqo4fv_3o2vUPyDHcU1iKGve91i8zg5gAq2BwxvdiYuSjIaHudIQXA6t48_mVjRoYJM5bBlCIiY0X87256aXIKx1kqDZTpFJI7xYVmES1ijtKrixk/s1600/CIMG4557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3cgq03JYgb6bkUZhyphenhyphenFjYlxcf5SFqo4fv_3o2vUPyDHcU1iKGve91i8zg5gAq2BwxvdiYuSjIaHudIQXA6t48_mVjRoYJM5bBlCIiY0X87256aXIKx1kqDZTpFJI7xYVmES1ijtKrixk/s320/CIMG4557.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-74723446836670779262011-08-17T13:56:00.000-07:002011-08-17T13:56:20.804-07:00Why Two Year Olds are GreatBecause when you are busy stressing and counting contractions...<br />
They come up to you on the couch, and start bopping you on the nose saying, "Boing, boing, boing!" <br />
<br />
I totally lost all my concentration and that contraction time was off a little bit... but I sure did get a really good laugh!<br />
<br />
(p.s. the contractions slowed down later that night... so no baby yet)Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-72392705549293284962011-07-29T19:08:00.000-07:002011-07-29T19:08:00.163-07:00Thoughts of Soon to be Mom of TwoLately, I just find myself staring at Reid, wondering when did my baby get so big? I remember when he couldn't do or say anything. And now he can almost always clearly explain what he wants, and when I check to verify, he accepts that as a "yes", and then I have to disappoint him and tell him no. Thus begins the tantrums. But really, his tantrums are fabulous as far as tantrums go. He'll either drop his head and shoulders and stick out his bottom lip in the most perfected pout you have ever seen, or he'll let out the most pathetic cry and then throw his face on the couch/automan/chair/etc. Give him a minute or two and he's over it. I am grateful that these tantrums aren't bad. But the testing of the limits, OH! I'm so tired of saying no, and saying no to the same thing! But really, can I blame the kid for wanting more fruit snacks/juice/M&Ms/popcorn/etc. No, not really. I just have to be a mom and do what is good for him.<br />
<br />
Then there are the truly sweet moments, when he grabs my head and snuggles it up next to his. Or when he wants to play "dark again" (hiding under a blanket), so we can giggle together. He always gives me and his daddy sweet kisses. He jumps for joy when Daddy or Mommy come home when they have been gone. He loves his independence, as long as he knows where we are. And the trust my child shows me is amazing. I was overwhelmed one day at a beach entry pool, when I was trying to show him that the water went deeper, and he just kept walking towards me, even though the water was completely over his head. I love this little boy so much, and I can feel the love that he has for me.<br />
<br />
So how could anything be wrong? Well, in church a few weeks ago a friend gave a lesson about how scary it was to have another child coming into her family. And it hit me... that is what I have been feeling! Will I love this 2nd baby enough? Will I still be able to show my 1st baby all the love and attention he needs and deserves? Will I end up abandoning the older child, because the baby needs more? How is my 1st child going to adjust? How am I going to adjust? Will I be able to give everyone what they need? All these fears have hit me like a ton of bricks.<br />
<br />
Deep down I know this is the right thing, and I am so excited to meet this little guy inside of me. And I would never want to deprive Reid of the love you can feel for and from a sibling. So I know this is the right thing, but man am I scared for them. Will I be enough of a mom for BOTH of them?<br />
<br />
I am grateful for the comforting words of my best friend who told me that I'm normal in all this, and shared some very reassuring thoughts and feelings from her experience of having multiple children. But I still find myself crying every time I read those "baby is coming" books to Reid. I ache for him and the change he is going to have, and the challenges that this little boy will have to soon face. And I just want to help him and make it easy, but alas... I need to let him go through this, as much as I need to learn how to be a mom of 2.<br />
<br />
I have tried to make the most of this summer, spending time with Reid, letting him learn and grow and experience all that he can. I have tried to bond with him and show him my love. I have tried to teach him about shapes, colors, and Jesus Christ. I hope that through all of this, he knows that I love him, and come what may, we are a family forever.Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-1305693922387662752011-07-11T20:48:00.000-07:002011-07-11T20:48:13.203-07:00Driving, Vacations and MoreWe survived our long vehicular summer vacation, super prego, sprained foot, toddler and all.<br />
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<b>What summer vacation, you say?</b><br />
Well, Matt's family had a reunion in Utah. So the question is... what is the quickest way to get from Texas to Utah? Flying of course! Well, it sure wasn't the cheapest. So we looked at other options. If we went to Colorado and stayed with my brothers instead of driving straight there, we'd add only 100 miles to our trek. So thus began our fabulous vacation.<br />
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We started out bright and early on a Saturday morning. We were thrilled to just be out on a vacation, it didn't matter where. About two hours into the drive, we got stopped on the road. The man that stopped our car said, we have to stop traffic because they have to land a helicopter on the highway. (how cool is that?!) Then he continued for accident victims. (ok, that's a bummer) So, while waiting, I figured, let's eat something. I pull out a mango we hadn't managed to eat before leaving. I brought paper towels, a knife and a bowl, surely I was prepared. HA! That sucker was so juicy that it got everywhere. And did you know that mango is super slippery?! Yeah, went right down into that place by your seatbelt and the console... that teeny whole that you hate wedging your hand into on occasion when you drop some item that CANNOT be left behind? yeah, that one. Well, I might have let it go, except for the <i>GIANT </i>wasp that flew into the car through our open windows! AHHH!<br />
So, I'm trying to get the food cleaned up, with my totally mango juice covered hands... in the mean time, Matt's trying to wave the wasp out of the car, with his mango covered hands. Oh and let's try and keep the wasp out of the back seat, because I do NOT need a wasp stung toddler on my hands while we drive for 14 more hours!<br />
Thanks to a cheezit box and quick automatic windows... we managed to get the wasp out of the car. But then it was chasing Matt around wanting the cheezits! So he jumps in the car, and we sit there breathing trying to pretend we did not just run around like crazy trying to get a wasp out of our car.<br />
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After that we were grateful to get going on the road and had a wonderful drive to Colorado. Reid made it 12 hours before we put a movie on! I couldn't have been more proud. (don't worry, he didn't make it more than one hour by the last trek of the drive)<br />
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In Colorado and had a blast with two of my older brothers' families. We had an ice cream tasting contest (which me and my 9 year old niece won on a team effort!), we played hours of games while it rained and poured, we thoroughly enjoyed the cool nights, we toured <i>geeky </i>things like <a href="http://www.boulder.nist.gov/">NIST</a> and <a href="http://www.boulder.doc.gov/events/noaa200/index.html">NOAA</a>, played an hour or two of tag (which was pretty hilarious), and got spoiled as my dear sisters-in-law fed us and let us relax for a few days!<br />
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After that, we headed to Utah for the family reunion. To give us a little time to rest up, we stayed at my aunt's house for one night. They have a gorgeous home and are so gracious to share it with us. They fed us and even watched our son so we could attend the <a href="http://lds.org/church/temples/salt-lake?lang=eng">Salt Lake Temple</a>. (something we both have wanted to do for years!) <br />
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Then with a little grocery shopping, it was time to head to the family reunion. Matt's aunt found this beautiful huge cabin in the mountains east of Salt Lake. It was so nice! Tons of rooms, big open social areas. Not to mention sand volleyball court, tether ball, hammock, two playgrounds, fishing, fire pit, lovely front porch and lawn, Oh and the gorgeous Utah air! The only bummer, which isn't completely bad cuz it was beautiful, was the creek that was a raging river due to all the snow melt. We got to share our room with Matt's sister, and I hope she slept ok with a toddler in the same room! (she was polite if she didn't) The funny thing is that it was on the 3rd floor, so all the heat of the day was in there by the end of the day, and I was sweltering by the time I would put Reid to bed. So I did my best to open up the windows to cool it off... and man, that's so fun to just open the windows and enjoy the beautiful cool night air, and even be quite chilly in the mornings!<br />
A family favorite at these reunions is playing Rook. It is hard to play Rook with just me and Matt, so we did our best to get all of the playing in that we could. Matt's cousins and aunts and uncles are quite skillful at this game... so it is a fun challenge.<br />
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Then after a few days there, we headed back to Arizona for a quick stop in. The best part of the travel was carpooling with Matt's parents and sister, so we got to have some great chats while driving out on the open road. Reid was struggling by this time, but other than his break down when I didn't realize how late it was and how hungry he probably was... he was a pretty good sport.<br />
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In Arizona, we visited with a few friends (the dentist included for me) and family. I enjoyed getting my <a href="http://www.eegees.com/">Eegee</a>'s and <a href="http://frostgelato.com/">Frost</a> cravings satisfied, and visiting with great people! Reid really enjoyed some one on one time with Grandma and Grandpa A at the house he mostly remembers as home. <br />
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We only stayed for one day, just to break up two super long days of driving. Then we headed back to Texas. This drive was painful and hard, and altogether worthy of forgetting. We got stopped twice in the last couple hours because we had a headlight out.... which we knew about, but what can you do?<br />
(When we got home I am proud to say that my husband manned up and saved us $100+ by changing the headlight himself!)<br />
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A great family vacation with lots of family visited and enjoyable times had!<br />
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<b>Super prego, yeah how's that going?</b><br />
Yes, I figure we drove about 52+ hours on this vacation. I was 30 weeks when we left, 31 weeks when we got home. Just got this trip done in the knick of time!<br />
I am now 33 weeks and I'm not allowed to leave town once I'm 34 weeks. I'm starting to get ready for this baby. Car seat covers are being washed, birth plans have been updated, hospital bags are being packed, and labor/birth education courses are being reviewed.<br />
This baby is measuring 70%+, and so am I. I guess that belly measurement they do shows me as big. It makes sense to me, because I was over 8lbs at birth, and Reid didn't even make it to 7lbs until he was a week old. So this baby may be getting the taller genes in the family... we'll see!<br />
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<b>Sprained foot! What the ...?</b><br />
So 2.5 days before it was time to be driving out of the driveway, I was rushing down the stairs and rolled my ankle. Yeah, that's to be expected. I don't have the greatest ankles, and I'm all loosy-goosy from being prego. Well, the sprained ankle I can deal with.... it was the other foot that I landed on that was killing me!<br />
After a rough night involving me at the church with 8-12 year olds, nail polish, Matt home with Reid and a power outage, and LOTS of pain... we sent Reid off to an air conditioned house and headed to the ER.<br />
Can I just tell you how frustrating it is to feel like you have broken a bone? In the same general of your body as the ONLY other broken bone you have had? And getting this injury on the same apparatus as before? Yeah, its frustrating. And no one in the ER wants to give a 29.5 week pregnant woman painkillers without checking with the doctor first... so wait we did.<br />
Of course it wasn't broken! GRRR. But it was pretty badly sprained. So basically I went to the ER to get some painkillers to make it through the next few days.<br />
My tailbone also hurt some, so they sent me to labor and delivery to double check that all is well with the baby, and it was.<br />
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We finally got home @ 2am, and thank goodness to amazing friends who made it possible to sleep all day long while she kept Reid at her house. THEN she came over the next day and packed for me! LIFESAVER!<br />
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So as if tredging around on vacation while super pregnant isn't fun enough... I was also sporting a big black ortho boot and donut pillow. If I got a dollar for every look that said "ohhhh", "poor her", or "oh man!" I would be a very rich woman. I really did look pathetic.... plus, I was still dealing with pain because I couldn't take pain killers because I needed to help drive. Oh man, was that fun!<br />
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3 weeks later it is finally getting better. I no longer wear the boot, but I am currently still sitting on my boppy pillow because let's face it a bruised tailbone takes like 100 years to heal! Really I'm doing just fine, I have to admit... I'm wondering if a bruised tailbone is gonna make labor hurt more? Anyone know?<br />
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So, that's our summary for now. Add in doctor appointments, playgroups, church callings, work, and pregnancy exhaustion and that's what kept us busy this summer. Hope your lives are a little less crazy!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102829860673689787.post-65647537695885486382011-05-23T14:01:00.000-07:002011-05-23T14:01:22.684-07:00Summer is Off to a Good StartWell, I've had a few requests for a new post... so here you go.<br />
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Pregnancy:<br />
I swear I'm bigger than I was at this time. I am currently 26 weeks, and I think I look like I did at 30 weeks last time. This little guy is carrying super high, he is already in my ribs all the time. Matt has felt him kick multiple times, but I can't seem to get Reid to wait long enough to feel it. <br />
I've had some back pain this time, so I asked my doc, and she recommended a maternity belt. So now I'm strutting to the groovy belt under my clothes. So far I think it has helped.<br />
Sleeping - well, I can't. I toss and turn about every hour or two... if I get 3 hours, I feel awesome. It just makes me laugh, cuz I know I'll be more tired later!<br />
In spite of all that, I'm grateful this little guy is healthy and kicking and that I am able to continue to function at all while pregnant.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkubg-CZV6_utykTZfV4oqH3fXoIa5f4TSNb0evnCv3kLQzibqcdUb0SCL18L3nAxAt5sQZIEZmukmy4U60DJQoSU-IRrw3lK__4qH4Fj2lSKMh3R2crMuOpn77fhzFj4KQWCnnFHQ7oI/s1600/CIMG4387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkubg-CZV6_utykTZfV4oqH3fXoIa5f4TSNb0evnCv3kLQzibqcdUb0SCL18L3nAxAt5sQZIEZmukmy4U60DJQoSU-IRrw3lK__4qH4Fj2lSKMh3R2crMuOpn77fhzFj4KQWCnnFHQ7oI/s320/CIMG4387.JPG" width="240" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(me at 24 weeks)</span> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQGcXw_xvd4SBLg7G9w0XIRS_cHmkePainVkAcA9lG-VErFZChz1JjzEmUfTXYOZszceWPwbFuQN6vaDH_CnGnWE7WUjKREVQv4bWlQibZ0brQ6eOEAaWF410S-AK-7wgFGluGYt2zSI/s1600/CIMG4382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQGcXw_xvd4SBLg7G9w0XIRS_cHmkePainVkAcA9lG-VErFZChz1JjzEmUfTXYOZszceWPwbFuQN6vaDH_CnGnWE7WUjKREVQv4bWlQibZ0brQ6eOEAaWF410S-AK-7wgFGluGYt2zSI/s320/CIMG4382.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(my 20 week 3D ultrasound of this little boy)</span> </div><br />
Reid:<br />
Is a crack up. He is less of a baby and more of his own person. He says the funniest things. My favorite right now is "Ready, Set, GO!" (sounds more like re-ee, se, go)<br />
He FINALLY got some more teeth. It has been almost a year since we've had teeth come in. But his canines are making an appearance, barely before he turns 2.<br />
Reid got a nasty cold and gave it to us. Reid's lasted almost a week, but then I think the lingering was just teething. Matt's lasted 2 days, and 3 weeks later, I think all symptoms of mine were gone!<br />
Reid has also learned about movies. His favorite is Joo-joo. Can you guess what that is? Yeah, it took me a while too. <i>Incredibles</i>! He LOVES it. <i>Wall-E </i>is also another fav... but really he loves most cartoons at all.<br />
We've been working on colors and letters. He can pick out the letter "o" (because he has learned about circles), and sometimes can find the "h", but we're still working on all the others. Blue is the color he gets right the most... but RED is his favorite crayon/pen/marker color to draw with.<br />
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On goings: <br />
Matt's brother got home from his <a href="http://mormon.org/faq/#Missionaries">mission</a>! Welcome home! So Matt went home for a visit. It ended up that the cheapest tickets were to be gone for a WHOLE WEEK! I didn't know what I was gonna do without him, until my sister called and said she is coming to visit me!<br />
So my sister was here for 4 days to play, while Matt was gone. We had a blast. We mostly went shopping, out to eat, and watching chick flicks while Reid was alseep for the night.... but we also went down to the park and rode the little train. It was so much fun. I would've been bored out of my mind... and I love hanging out with my sister. It was so fun!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgV8IMEjdriSEj55qUEgWTHvQ7Oud19n-riughZ8fwmwq37PCRfh99AE_QOivViABFkvnAoF8T4wUAD95tdW79QJLOi1OYDKsyTdF7CH-QHWPpxm7D_Nwf-ylUDOq5w8hdiM72vkgkRkw/s1600/CIMG4378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgV8IMEjdriSEj55qUEgWTHvQ7Oud19n-riughZ8fwmwq37PCRfh99AE_QOivViABFkvnAoF8T4wUAD95tdW79QJLOi1OYDKsyTdF7CH-QHWPpxm7D_Nwf-ylUDOq5w8hdiM72vkgkRkw/s320/CIMG4378.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(someone brought bubbles on the train, Reid's trying to grab them)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Other than that, we're just plugging along. Trying to get more organized, getting ready to move Reid to a toddler bed, and swimming as much as we can!<br />
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Hope everyone has fun summer plans!Leannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13922434257985888646noreply@blogger.com3