Playing Catch up...

So there are a few things I need to catch up on. This is a very neglected blog... I blame that on having a very busy baby that I'm trying to keep up with along with doing things around my house that are a little more important than blogging. So here we go...

1. At the end of September Jordan went to a conference in Banff, Canada. He had a presentation up there and lots of meetings to attend. He said it was beautiful though and he didn't have to share a room with anyone, so I'm sure that was nice for him. Then at the end of October he went to Washington DC again to present a poster at the AMIA conference. During both conferences Noah tummy and throat decided it would be a good time to make him miserable. In September he got sick for the first time- he had a flu and was throwing up like crazy and was super tired and cranky. Then in October, one night he suddenly got a really bad sore throat and had a fever of 103. So sad. So being a super mom, I got to deal with that all on my own... I'm thankful for the instacare and doctors who are so helpful and understanding.

 

2. Noah is a full on WALKER! He took his first steps in August (about 9 and a half months) and by 10ish months he was walking on his own. Just a few weeks ago he figured out how to stand in the middle of the floor without holding onto anything. Very exciting stuff. So now he's EVERYwhere and getting into everything. We've really had to step up our game as far as baby proofing goes. He has SO much energy. He's almost climbed the baby gate a few times but only gotten half way up before he starts to scream. Also, he now had FOUR teeth! His third tooth popped through around 11 months and his fourth came through a few days to a week later. He's pretty adorable with four teeth, though I'm going to miss his gummy grin... maybe its time for another babe? haha...

4. I've been crazy busy with projects. I've been feeling pretty crafty lately so I made a fall wreath, a stacking toy for Noah (for his birthday), and right now I'm working on an owl mobile for his room/birthday. I know I'll probably say I'll post pictures but I can't promise anything.

5. Noah's birthday is coming up!! I can't believe its been a YEAR. Holy cow.... having a baby has changed my life in more ways than I can count. And I wouldn't change anything for the world... not even being dirt poor at the moment. Its such a blessing having Noah is our lives. I feel so lucky to have such amazing men surrounding me.

6. Jordan got a paper accepted to be published! Don't ask Jordan about it because he'll just down play how awesome it is and say "well there are revisions that need to be done before its official." Well let me tell you, he's worked is BUTT off working on this paper and even though theres more research and data that needs to be added before its published and I'm so proud of him. He's pretty amazing if I do say so myself.

7. We got a fish. Her name is Dolores and we often refer to her as a him. She's so pretty though and really livens up our tank.

8. Halloween this year was SO much fun. We went to Jordan's parents house and Jordans mom wanted to take Noah to trick-or-treat at a few houses of people Jordan knew growing up. So we went to 6ish houses and Noah was figuring out that it was really fun to grab hand fulls of  candy and stuff them in a sack. He was so cute dressed up as a little blue monster.

Thats all I can think of for now. I'm really going to try and be better about this. Promise.

Ready to pull my hair out...

Yes... it stresses me out THAT much. I always go back and forth about whether or not to grow out my hair. I'll cut it super short then a few months later say I'm growing it out. So it'll get to about my shoulders (after a year of cutting it as it grows out so I don't have a mullet) and then I'll get sick of it again, and its back to being short. At this moment, my hair consumes much of my thoughts when I'm not with Noah (so basically all of my free time). Its pretty short right now and I would love to go much shorter; SO... the other day I was looking for short hair cuts and came across THIS BLOG and its something I should NOT have read. Some of you may know that Sienna Millers short hair cut is what I have now... so the thoughts that came to mind when I read this are:
"Is my husband lying to me when he says he likes my hair short?"
"Am I the same person he married?"
"I should just grow my hair out."
"Maybe men really don't like short hair and Jordan is just being nice!"
"AHHH! What did I do?!?"
...and so on. Complete self doubt and crushed confidence. The thing is, I absolutely LOVE short hair. I think it looks much better on me than long hair does (the longer hair I had a few months ago, I feel, made my face look chubby). I think it really takes a confidant person to cut their hair super short. But I just don't know what to do.

Have you ever watched Desperate Housewives? There is an episode where Lynette (who has cancer) buys all these different wigs and her husband loves it. Its a pretty funny episode. But after asking Jordan (for the trillionth time) what I should do with my hair, he suggested I just shave my head and buy a bunch of different wigs. Then I would NEVER get bored... Right?

Poor baby...

Yesterday Noah had some epigastric hernia's repaired. Poor guy. We had to leave at 5:45 in the morning to check in at 6:20 and by 7:30 we were walking him back to hand him off to the anesthesiologist. SOOOO sad. It was one of the hardest things to watch him be taken away by a stranger and have that terrified look in his eyes. But I'm so grateful that everything went well. The surgery itself took about 20 minutes or so and he was pretty grumpy afterword. But now its like nothing happened! He's back to his happy, energetic self; it didn't even phase him.
But here's the bad news: see that little bump about an inch above the bandage in the photo? Thats the harnia they were SUPPOSED to fix. It only pops out when he flexes his abdominal muscles a certain way and when the doctor was looking at his tummy to mark where he would cut, it didn't pop out and the doctor felt other, smaller hernias below it. So he'll have to go back in a week and half for his post-op check up and to schedule another surgery. What a trooper.

What Noah has been up to...

So we went in for Noah's nine month check up today, just to see how he is growing and such. I just wanted to update on here so I don't forget! He took his first steps yesterday *tear* he's growing up so fast!! He really turned nine months on the sixth of this month but I'm the worst blogger ever so naturally I forgot to update. While I'm thinking about it and I have the paper in front of me, here are his six and nine month stats:

Six Months:

Weight: 21.6 lbs (96%)

Height: 27.75 inches (88%)

Head size: 18.3 inches (98)

Nine and a half Months:

Weight: 21.1 lbs (53%)

Height: 29 inches (67%)

Head size: 19.3 inches (100%)

He's lost a little bit of weight in three and a half months but the doctor said he's not worried because he's lengthened out and isn't going to be a chubby little boy. Also, his head is HUGE! haha But it also isn't a problem because it hasn't been a rapid change- Noah has always had a big head. at three weeks old his head was already in the 76th percentile. Anyway, as far as development goes, like I said before, he took his first steps yesterday! It was the most exciting thing ever (for me at least). Its so fun seeing all the milestones. He's going to be walking before we know it! Its sad but so exciting and fun at the same time.... I would say more so. He's still army crawling although he can get up on his hands and knees but he's just not interested. He climbs up onto everything and cruises along the furniture. Here are some of the milestones that have happened in the last few months (that I haven't updated...):

Got his first tooth May 17th (our third wedding anniversary)

Got his second tooth just after turning 7 months in June

Starting crawling May 10th (6 months)

Started pulling himself up onto things mid-July

Took his first steps Sunday, August 21st

Started getting three "solid" meals a day at 8 months in July

Is sleeping 10-11 hours a night and taking two 1.5-2 hour naps during the day

 His favorite things are:

Pulling things out of the bookcase

Opening the lid to the diaper pale and pulling out diapers

Opening cabinets in the front room

Grabbing Busters tail and feet

Playing with Buster and all of Busters super fun toys

Walking around with his rolling cart/walker

Chewing on Busters toys

Pulling out all the DVD's he can reach

Crawling into the kitchen

Buster

Standing up by himself

Bath time every night

Daddy reading books to him

Graham crackers

Swimming in grandma and papa's pool (kiddy pool of course)

Riding in the stroller while mommy runs at the park

Ice cream/popsicles

Things he hates:

Riding is his car seat

Diaper changes

Being held by strangers

Getting out of the bathtub

When mommy puts up the baby gate while he's trying to get into the kitchen

When mommy leaves him by himself

Naps in his crib

Squash

When other dogs are mean to Buster

Thats my Noah in a nutshell. Its so amazing to see his little personality coming out more and more everyday. He's such a cuddly little guy, I love it! This morning he woke up at eight and wouldn't let me put him down- he just wanted to be held and cuddled. He's brought so much joy and fullness into my life; I can't imagine it without him. He's the light of my life.

Undeniable Adult Truths...

So I know its been forEVER since I've updated... but I wanted to take a moment to post this first. I read it on a blog and laughed out loud several times. So I just had to share...

Undeniable Adult Truths   

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3.. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure we know how to get out of the neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions always make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front.. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty.. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. The first protective device, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Things that make me happy...

Whoa... two blog posts in two days.. I'm on a roll!!

So why am I posting a second day in a row you may be thinking... or not. Today I was dancing in my kitchen, trying to get my almost seven month old boy to laugh- even though I probably looked ridiculous and totally insane, it was for the sake of my little boys laughter and I loved every minute of it- his laugh is so contagious and I was laughing just as much as he was, if not more. It got me thinking: what things in my life bring me happiness... even just the little things that make my everyday a good day. I've blogged about my depression before so its no secret. I've battled depression since I was a teenager... but recently I haven't felt that hopeless grip of sadness... I've mostly felt joy. I say mostly being we all have those days when we don't want to leave the house, or even get out of bed. But those days have been very few for me recently... something that hasn't happened in a few years.

So today, after dancing like a maniac while my little guy squealed with laughter, I took a few pictures around my house of things that make me happy... here are a few of the little things...

Chocolate milk, strawberries, caffeine free Diet Coke, Arrested development, the new fabric I got this past week, the orchids I've been taking care of, Harry Potter, my Kindle, my sewing machine, and The Hunger Games trilogy :)

 And of course, the biggest things in my life that make me happy :-D....

Projects...

Well... I've started a new hobby. After years of trying my hand at things like jewelry making, cake decorating, baking, etc, etc, etc.... I'm getting into sewing! Yep, very exciting. A few weeks ago, I found a cheap, beginners sewing machine on amazon (we had a $50 credit and it only cost us $35!) and I started my whole new adventure. My first project I made without my awesome new sewing machine and it turned out pretty good... I made a monster doll for Noah! I will post a picture when I get around to taking one. And thats when my love for the hobby started. Since then I've bought five patterns for skirts, pants, and bags and I'm so excited to get started... well... I HAVE started but am currently stuck on a skirt pattern...

Yes, I know it looks super easy... well its not. Believe me, I'm totally stuck on the waist band part... luckily I've already sewed the zipper on. Anyway... here are a few others I'm super excited to start...

Cute right? I'm very excited. Hopefully I can start getting good at this before I start losing interest... for some reason though, this feels different. This feels like something I could really love. Anyway... In other news...

Noah is almost seven months! I can't believe it. He's growing up so fast! Its always so amazing to see the little things he learns every day. He's now a pro at crawling and is trying every day to get up on his hands and knees. He has a new fascination with Busters toys and tried to get them every chance he gets. We're also going to have to put up baby gates soon because he follows me into the kitchen and loves going towards Busters food bowl and even the garbage can... gross.... luckily he hasn't made it far enough to get into either of those things. He is becoming more vocal everyday and loves to yell and make funny gurgling sounds with his tongue... my favorite is his laugh; I could listen to it all day... he's so cute... I love him so much. Did I mention he's getting a tooth? Its ADORABLE!! Its not huge yet but it pokes out just enough so that you can see it when he smiles so big or throws a fit.... and I can certainly feel it when he bites while breastfeeding... that part isn't so fun. Ouch!

Also, Jordan is building a coral aquarium (he's such a babe... and soooo freaking smart... it blows my mind)!! Its looking great so far and I will post pictures when I get a chance... or when I get better at blogging. Baby boy doesn't like to take naps without me so at the moment finding a moment to myself is hard unless its 11:00 at night and I don't get distracted by my new obsession with fabric.. haha. Anyway.. Until next time...

PS- We're getting family pictures taken by the fabulous Erica Thurman next week!! See her amazing work here... she took my maternity photos... can't wait!!

Question for Nursing moms....

Here's a little background:
Noah breastfeeds. I don't supplement with formula right now but might in several months when he gets closer to his first birthday. He doesn't do well taking a bottle so I never try... the only times he has is when I've been gone during the times he eats but that has only happened a few times.

My question:
When is a good time to start weening him from breast to bottle then to sippy cup or regular cup? Like I said, he's not very good at drinking from a bottle (I think it might have to do with suction) but I think it would be a good thing to try and get him used to a bottle or sippy cup since I don't plan on breastfeeding past 12 months. He's only six months now and I have this guilt about not exclusively breastfeeding. He'll have to learn sometime right?
Also, Noah has a tooth coming in so I'm wondering how thats going to affect breastfeeding? Would now be a good time to start introducing him to bottles and cups?

A very neglected blog...

Wow... I don't even know when my last post was! HA! Thats shows you how bad I am at blogging. Oh well. I've been thinking about posting something for a long time but just haven't gotten around to it. The only time I really get on the computer is when Jordan is home (even then, its rare) or when Noah is napping (again, rare because I like to catch up on my shows or do housework). So here we go... I'm sure its been several months.

Noah is now *almost* SIX MONTHS!!! Crazy crazy. They say time goes by fast when you have kids... oh you have no idea!! Its really insane. Even though he can't crawl yet, the kid seriously gets around!! He rolls everywhere and when he needs to turn around he'll scoot. He's getting so big and its so amazing to see him grow and develop. He's now up to two solid meals a day, something I started doing when he turned five months. He now gets into everything! The other day he pulled our one and only VHS tape down right onto his face and gave himself a nice little scratch on the nose. He still loves bath time and his love for Buster grows everyday... Buster in the most fascinating thing in the room anymore. He's much more interested in watching Buster than even eat dinner! Noah has brought so much joy into our lives and I can't imagine life without him. Before I had Noah I was so afraid of having PPD but I think I'm much happier with him around. Here are some super cute pics of our little (big) guy!

He wears a sleep nest to bed and one night his foot found its way out and through the bars of his crib... he fell asleep like this. :)

Always so happy after a nap

Sideways bink

Loving bath time

He's a side sleeper just like his momma!

<3

Other than taking care of little Noah bear, life has been pretty good. Jordan has just ONE year of school left and he'll finally have his PHD. He's been talking about maybe doing a post-doc (more research but higher pay) in Germany; we've been seriously thinking about it but would need to find out more details. Also, Jordan would have to decide whether or not he would want to do more research or go work for a company. If we did go to Germany again it would be for years and instead of months this time. We think it would be pretty exciting.
As for me, I'm still doing massage at Canyon Creek assisted living but have recently switched to once a month instead of twice a week. Its just too slow and gas is too expensive. I am going to be starting at Prana Yoga in Trolley Square, doing massage as an independent contractor; the pay is really good and it will be a really layed back job, which is what I'm looking for. I decided that I hate working for other people; especially in the Spa industry, there's too much drama and there are a lot of people with control issues. So I'm really excited about this job. Matthew Landis is the studio manager and it will be really great working for him.

Thats pretty much where life is right now. I'm going to try really hard to update the blog and do more little posts about projects and events that are going on with us. I've recently acquired an Orchid and Jordan is going to start a salt water coral tank soon so I'll keep you posted!

Noahs Room...

After six months of working on Noah's room, it's finally finished! So my vision of his room came after we went to Germany and saw the style of all of our friends homes there. I wanted to make his room light and colorful with lots of shapes and textures. The style in Utah seems to be very traditional with LOTS of dark wood and dark colors. But for my baby I wanted his room to be happy and light. Here is what I came up with!!

I made his name out of foam poster board and scrapbook paper. The crib was given to us by my parents and the bedding is Migi Little Tree crib bedding.

The big picture on the wall above the hamper is made from fabric we bought from ikea and a wood frame that Jordan built. The chair (Poang), hamper, and dresser are from Ikea also.

The small pictures on either side of the window were also homemade. I bought wood frames at ikea, painted them, and framed  pictures I drew and colored myself.

We found the changing table on ksl and the star light is from... Ikea of course.

And a post wouldn't be complete without a picture of my adorable baby :)

Lately...

Heh once again I'm the worst blogger ever. And I can't believe its already March! So crazy. Having a baby has really made time go so fast and Noah is already four months (almost.... this Sunday). Its been so amazing watching our baby boy grow and develop more and more every day. He's such an amazing little guy.

My handsome boy at almost four months:

-Loves his nightly bath time

-Loves taking naps with mommy at 3:00.

-Loves sitting in his high chair.

-Loves being carried around by daddy.

-Loves playing with and getting kisses from Buster.

-Loves reading books before bed time.

-Loves laying on his tummy.

-Loves sucking on his hands, especially his left thumb.

-Loves laughing at Buster.

-Loves riding in his car seat.

-Loves standing and sitting up (with help of course).

-Loves being carried around in the Moby Wrap.

-Hates when mommy disappears behind the shower curtain while taking a shower.

-Hates bottles.

-Hates switching sides while breast feeding.

-Hates being babysat.

Noah is getting sooo big. At his two month appointment he weighed 15 lbs. 8 oz. (the 98th percentile) and I'm sure he weighs close to 20 by now. He's so big!

I've been a stay home mommy since Noah came along and I really love it. I hear a lot of my friends say that they wouldn't be able to stand staying home all the time but its been so great for me. I love being the one to take care of Noah and be there for him all the time. I did get a super part time job though that I'm excited to start... by super part time I mean its only four hours a week (two hours on Friday and two hours on Saturday). I'll be doing massage at an assisted living community and I'm sure it will be so rewarding. The elderly are the people that need massage the most so I'm really excited to give them what they really need.

Jordan is doing well in school and I'm SO proud of him. Every year there is a conference that you have to be nominated to go to and Jordan is was of only four students that gets to go from the U! And the best part is that it is in Germany. Although I'm super jealous because I don't get to go this time, I'm so excited for him. He really works so hard and HAS worked so hard over the last eight years, so he deserves this. It will be so fun for him. Hopefully he can visit our friends while he's there too! Also last month Jordan turned 28. It was a really fun day! We spent the day before with is family going to dinner, playing games (he got Dominion and Carcassonne for his birthday), and just hanging out with is fam. On his actual birthday I made him breakfast, brought him Five Guys for lunch and made him some amazing homemade meatball subs for dinner while his friends from Provo came over and played Dominion with us.

I've been thinking about my life lately and I feel so blessed. Noah is so healthy... he hasn't gotten sick once! And Jordan and I couldn't be happier.

I'm so glad that I chose to get married here:

so I can be with these guys:

Forever.

Noah laughs... :)

....The best sound ever.

WANTED: Professional Organizer...

Lately I've started to have mini panic attacks just from looking at my house. Its a disorganized MESS! Last night I had to put Noah in his crib, shut the door, go into my bedroom, and scream as hard as I could into my pillow.... Thats how stressed out I was (and still kind of am). My kitchen has been a mess for about a week and it still smells like the oil burning incident we had a few nights ago... long story short, Jordan left a burner on that had a pot of oil on top of it and it started on fire and we didn't notice until our kitchen was filled with smoke. My bedroom has piles of maternity clothes and other things that don't fit anymore and I don't have a clue where to put them. Noah's room still isn't organized and done yet and we're starting to pile up clothes that don't fit him now too. In every corner I look there is just a huge mess and I can't seem to find the motivation or the time to clean or organize it. AND on top of all that, I'm the worst laundry do-er there ever was. True story. At this very moment my washer and dryer are filled with towels and clothes. Ugh... I'm just a stress case waiting to explode.
Also, last night I had to go get an eye exam and am now waiting for my two pairs of glasses to be finished so I can pick them up. I've never worn glasses before so that should be fun.
And you may be wondering why I'm blogging instead of going to clean up my disaster of a house... good question... but its too late now because my Noah just woke up and needs to be changed and fed and paid attention to. Thats one thing I can do without complaining about. Maybe later today I'll find some motivation somewhere.................

Life goes on...

So I've been trying to figure out how to customize the header on this thing and can't seem to find the html I need to change to do it (if you're reading and have a cute, customized header on your blog, do share :D)... so for now my blog is kind of ugly. haha oh well.
So its a new year. Not much has changed except that I'm now looking for a new job. I just have to say, job hunting sucks. Its been over a year since I've had to apply for a job and its not very fun. I hate that thought of being rejected and I admit, I'm not the most confidant person in the world. In the past I've always gotten the jobs I've applied for... always. Buts thats because I've only applied for the ones I knew I could get. For example... Ottavios (2006)- one of my dads accounts; Claires (2006-07)- my best friend at the time worked for Icing and recommended me; Payless (2007)- same story; Remedez (2007-08)- I'm a really good massage therapist and had the right qualifications; Sanctuary (2008-09)- Knew the product line from working for Remedez and I'm a great therapist; The Spa at Hotel Park City (2009-10)- My sister worked there and recommended me.
So now here I am.... jobless and looking for work. Its so intimidating looking for a job! Yesterday I was getting ready to go out and get my resume to a few places and I was desperately trying to find an excuse not to go. Luckily I have a husband who is super encouraging and understanding (and has this way of making me want to be better and try harder). So off I went. Into the world to try and find work. I haven't heard from anyone yet but I still have a few more places to apply.
Other than trying to find work, I'm just trying to keep my head above water. Trying really hard to stay happy and positive that things will get better. Not an easy task I might add. Having little Noah helps a lot... his smiles keep me from totally breaking down everyday. Knowing that I have him to take care of and relying on me keeps me going. Not everyone is as understanding as my husband and my son are as to what I'm going through. One thing I learned in 2010 is that I have to be very careful of the things I write on my own blog because I know a few people who get offended by pretty much everything. In fact, they'll probably get offended by that very sentence.
I'm hoping 2011 will bring some new and exciting things to our lives. 2010 was such a great year, I'm not sure 2011 will even compare! Here are some highlights from our year...

February: Jordan turned 27 (his birthday dinner at Macaroni grill). On the same day that this photo was taken, I found out I was pregnant! Happy Birthday baby! haha

February: Buster turned 1 year old!

March: 10 week ultra sound... our first picture of our baby boy!

May: Two year anniversary

May-August: Germany Adventure 2010

February-October: Pregnancy

November 6th: Noah

My family in 2010