San Diego!!!

When Jason and I first started dating and then every year after we got married, we liked to go down to San Diego at least once a year. Ever since Liam has arrived, we have planned on going to San Diego at least three different times and EVERY time something has come up a day or two before the trip that has prevented us from going. So, we finally tentatively decided that when we sold our house we would take a little bit of time and money to go down to San Diego with Liam. We picked a date, tentatively booked a room, didn't buy tickets, and hardly told anyone we were going since we were afraid that once again we'd have to cancel our trip! So, the day came, we loaded up the car, loaded up Liam, and Jason went to get his wallet which he found and which we soon realized, was missing his credit card. But, fear not! It was still at the restaurant we ate at two nights previously, so after an hour delay we were finally on the road!

Not sure about all this sand...

Our first stop, after the hotel, was the beach! Liam was not thrilled about getting back in the car and was very skeptical of all that sand! However, once we took him out to the water, he was SO excited. This little boy loves water. Liam went out into the ocean over and over again and was shivering like a little leaf he was SO cold! But, he didn't want to leave! It was pretty cold and windy, so finally we bribed him with a warm bath and some pizza and headed out to dinner. Sleeping in a hotel with Liam proved to be difficult the first night and we got very little sleep. We took Liam to the buffet for breakfast and he picked out his own cereal, you know those cute little boxes of cereal? He was thrilled! However, he got impatient waiting for me, so he got down a bowl for himself, plopped down on the floor of the dining room and tried with no luck to pour the cereal into the bowl all by himself. It was pretty cute.

Liam pointing to the Gorilla, who made sure to show me his "good" side.

Then it was off to our next adventure, The San Diego Zoo! It was mine and Liam's first time at this zoo and Holy Cow that is a lot of walking!! Especially when you are six months pregnant and running on very little sleep. If you've ever met my son, though, you know about his love of ALL animals. Seeing his face light up when he saw a REAL LIVE monkey for the first time made the whole trip worth it! He got pretty sad when we wouldn't let him hold any of the animals. He would coo and talk to them and reach out his two little hands, palm up in a very inviting manner for them to be cuddled, but we decided it probably wouldn't be a good idea. Especially with the giant gorilla.

Liam was just as thrilled about the statues as he was about the actual animals.

After about two hours, we left to take a drive so Liam could catch some zzz's in the car. We got some food and then went to the hotel in hopes he would take a rest there (which he did not). Then we headed back to the zoo to take in the last of the important animals, like the giraffes and the panda bears! When we got to the panda bears, there was a big crowd standing around watching the Mama and baby panda chow down on some bamboo. It was really quiet as everyone seemed to be pretty awestruck when all of a sudden, Liam very loudly exclaims, "AWWWWWWWW!" ...and reaches out his hands to cuddle them. Such a sweet boy! So, we went and bought him a little stuffed Panda at the gift shop which he was able to cuddle and rock in his arms to his hearts content. We then went back to the hotel where we got a good night's sleep. Well, Liam and I got a good night's sleep, but unfortunately my pregnant snoring kept Jason up.

Note, the elephants in the background, but Liam just really wanted to go play with the elephant statue some more!

The next morning I took Liam to the hotel pool even though it was still freezing cold, and then we headed back home. The ride home was a lot harder for Liam because my Nook had run out of batteries and so he could not play any of his cool apps and of course toys and books would not cut it! However, we made it home safe and sound and now we have some wonderful new memories of San Diego.

Changes: Baby #2, PhD's, and Mississippi

Oh, how many times have I told someone that I think I am a country girl trapped in the Southwest? However many times I said this, though, I never truly believed I would actually ever LIVE down South. I thought maybe one day I would be able to walk the streets of Memphis, attend a country music festival, stuff myself at a craw fish boil, and maybe stand on a beach with my toes in the Atlantic ocean. But, LIVING in the South never really crossed my mind as a reality. Until a few weeks ago when Jason got that life changing email inviting him to attend the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for four years in order to earn his PhD in Business Management. Previous to that email, my mind had been in New Mexico, Washington, and maybe even in Indiana. I was floored and knew my world is about to get rocked.

Liam and the soon to be Dr. Owen

Even before we received confirmation that we would be moving across the country for four years, we were delighted to learn that we would be having a second child! We got this news in December and soon after went in for an ultrasound to see how far along I was. The ultrasound revealed... nothing, and we were sent home with the news that we should expect a miscarriage in the next couple weeks (Christmastime, of course.) After much crying and worrying, no miscarriage ever occurred and I found myself back in the doctor's office looking at a new ultrasound with a small white bean on it. When the heartbeat was found and sounded over the speakers I could not believe it. I have NEVER been so happy to hear a heartbeat! On March 21 we found out we're having another little boy whose name is still to be determined.

Can not wait to have another cute little boy around to brighten my day!

The amazing part of all of this is that it will ALL be happening in August. All of it. Baby is due August 16th. Jason needs to begin his drive across the country August 16th. We're in the process of selling our house to investors who will let us rent the house from them until, you guessed it, August.

How am I feeling about all of this? Depends on the day. Excited, apprehensive, nervous, happy, sad, scared, you name it! Frankly, I just wish it were October already and my baby was here and we were all there and on with our lives. It will be a grand adventure for us, that is for certain!

Easter egg hunting with Mama

January 2013

January was a fun month for us. Everyone finally became healthy again and the weather became warmer again!

Liam enjoying apples dipped in peanut butter and Nutella! Yum!

Jason continues to write essays, fill out applications, and stress about getting into a PhD program. He has also started a Calculus II class to help prepare him better for a PhD program and because he just doesn't have enough to worry about already.

I turned 25 which seems to be a good age to me. I mean, I don't feel much younger or older than 25, so I think I will just stay 25 from now on! My mom babysat for us on my birthday and Jason took me out for dinner to Geisha, my favorite hibachi restaurant. We then went home and watched the Rebels beat San Diego State at San Diego State. Thanks for the awesome birthday surprise, Rebels! The following week my friends, Aubrey and Katie took me out to get a Pizzookie (pizza cookie) from BJ's and it was delicious!

Liam practicing his ball skills for his future stint on the Runnin' Rebels team.

Liam has been associating things this month. For example, when he has a sippy cup of water, he periodically walks over to our water dispenser, pretends to fill up his cup, and then resumes drinking. He also likes to throw TRASH away now which is much better than throwing away our favorite toys. He steals tissues in order to "wipe" his nose. He figured out how to open doors. He brings me his shoes and jacket when he wants to go play outside and he can show me where his nose, eyes, ears, and belly button are! Basically he's the smartest one year old I know.

 

My little adventurer playing in the dirt.

We went as a family to see Disney on Ice because Jason got free tickets and it was at the Thomas and Mack Center which is where we go to watch basketball games. As we were walking up, Liam was getting excited and telling us, "Ball!" But, when we got inside and instead of a basketball court, there was an ice rink and giant castle, he kept asking, "Ball, go?... Ball, go?" He was super confused, but I think it was somewhat entertaining for him as well.

Super confused at Disney on Ice.

The Year 2012 in Review

 

I say this every year, I know, but I really would like to get better at updating this blog. So, I'm going back through 2012 and it was pretty uneventful, other than the fact that Liam grew from a little baby into a walking/talking cutie pants. I will do my best at covering the big events from 2012.

The year started off with a very important event, the birth of Liam's cousin, Hannah Pauline Rich. This is significant because just a few weeks later, Liam and I would begin babysitting her Monday through Friday from 7a-3p while my sister taught school.


In February, I came to my breaking point with Liam not sleeping through the night. He was still waking up every 2-3 hours and I couldn't handle not sleeping anymore. I went to the doctor basically in tears and she recommend the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth. This book completely changed my mind about letting my baby "cry it out" and even gave tips on how to ease into it. After about a week to ten days, Liam was only waking up ONCE a night and I felt like a new woman! Two months after that, when I weaned him, he began to sleep the whole night. 12 HOURS. One of the things the book teaches is that if you put a baby to bed earlier, they will sleep later. I used to put Liam to bed around 8, but once I started putting him to bed closer to 6 he slept 12 hours through the night. I could seriously go ON about how incredible this book is, but you should probably just go read it.

We started babysitting Hannah in March which kept me nice and busy with two babies on my hands. Liam was SUPER jealous of Hannah right away, but after awhile the three of us settled into a good routine.

In April, Jason got put on a permanent contract with UNLV for his job, which meant we could breathe a sigh of relief about his job security for the next few years. Woohoo! Liam also started standing up, but wasn't interested in crawling, walking, or being mobile in any other way. He was pretty content with an array of toys around him and a Baby Einstein video on the TV.


When the summer began, I had the opportunity to go to Girls Camp with my church again as the Camp Director. We stayed at a cabin in Duck Creek, sang songs, learned about God, played games, made crafts, acted silly, and had a great time. I missed my baby boy something fierce, though, and was glad he was in good hands being taken care of by his Daddy and my sister (Hannah's mom). 



Liam began to scoot in the summer. I call it his "monkey scoot" because he literally looked like a little monkey using his arms and legs to scoot along on his butt. He spent most of the summer absolutely filthy because of this. He also loved to go swimming in the neighborhood pool and in his baby pool in the backyard. 

In July, we finally got our backyard landscaped with grass, trees, honeysuckle, and flowers. What a difference it made! Liam loves playing in the backyard, now, and Jason and I spent a few summer evenings out there sipping lemonade and talking about our day.

Also in July we went to the Elton Family Reunion at Zion Ponderosa Resort near Zion National Park in Utah. We camped, swam, hiked, cooked, ate, talked, laughed, played, read, and had an awesome time with our family. It also rained a lot while we were there, so we were a bit damp a lot of the time. Luckily our tent stayed warm and dry. Liam was not used to sleeping in a portable crib or having Mama and Daddy in the same space as him while he slept. So, around 2 in the morning each morning he would wake up, see us lying there and insist on curling up in our sleeping bags with us. He would then lay there in between us, talk and talk and talk and talk and then LAUGH and talk and talk and talk some more. It was possibly the cutest thing I have ever experienced, albeit very tiring. He would eventually fall asleep and somehow simultaneously kick me out of my sleeping bag in the process. Needless to say, we have not been camping or on any other kind of trip since. 

After the reunion, ANOTHER cousin was born, Charlie McGregor Elton and we were so excited! It was also time to celebrate Liam's first birthday! On his actual birthday, Jason took the day off work and we took a day trip to the nearby Spring Mountain Ranch. It was about 20 degrees cooler and we picknicked, played in the grass, and took the tour of the Ranch House. About ten minutes away is Bonnie Springs, so we took Liam to the petting zoo there. While he seemed to enjoy it, it was unbearably hot and we didn't last long. We then took our birthday boy home to open his presents. It was a fun family day.

That Saturday I threw a birthday party for Liam so that all the family and friends that wanted to celebrate with us, could. We rented out our neighborhood clubhouse so that our house would not be destroyed. I made some super cute monkey cupcakes, decorated with monkey decorations, and provided a banana split "bar" for the kids. I blew up balloons which Liam and the other kids loved playing with and then he opened all of the presents that were so generously given to him. It was a fun party for a sweet little boy. 

In August, Jason started getting some really bad headaches that didn't seem to go away, so we decided to forego our yearly trip to San Diego and instead get an MRI done. It was then revealed that Jason had a "brain tumor" Jason went to the doctor alone and came back with this diagnosis. (I should have gone with him.) After some swift googling, the "tumor" which appeared on his Pituitary gland, didn't seem to be somethng we should worry about. While I was googling, Jason was telling his entire family and some close friends that he had a brain tumor. I had not told anyone as we had a follow up appointment with Jason's ENT in a week, and I wanted to wait until we had further answers. So, unfortunately, the information spread like wildfire, and soon we had too many people concerned about this "tumor" and I was frustrated that Jason had told so many people and Jason regretted saying anything. Long story short, we go to the follow up appointment (together this time) and it turns out it is a cyst, not cancerous, and is probably not an issue. By this time Jason's headaches were long gone and we had to go back and do damage control. Jason will now have bloodwork done to be certain there is no concern, but we are pretty sure there is nothing to be concerned about.

In September, we started babysitting Hannah again and they had to get used to each other all over again. Hannah was crawling by this time and insisted on following her big boy cousin EVERYWHERE which Liam found exasperating. However, they have since gotten used to each other and sometimes even play together! 

In October, we did all the normal Halloween activities. We carved a pumpkin, which Liam was too grumpy to care much about. Liam had a super cute Batman costume, which were actually jammies from Walmart and a homemade cape by Yours Truly. He looked uber cute in it! We took him to our church's Trunk or Treat where he ate copious amounts of candy corn and stayed up way too late. On Halloween, we took him Trick or Treating to about 5 houses, which he was fascinated by. He wanted to hold all of the candy in his hands and not put it in the bag! He got to eat a piece of candy before bed and then Jason and I stayed up to watch Clue.

Liam (on left) and his friend, Will

In November, Jason's sister Karalyn was able to adopt her first child! Italia has been with our family since birth, but she officially became Liam's cousin and it was a very joyous day for everyone! Italia and Liam are close in age, so it is fun for them to now be able to grow up together.

This year we bought four season tickets to the UNLV Rebel basketball games. Two for us, one for my dad, and one for Jason's brother. It has been a blast going to the games and Liam loves going to watch "Ball!" It is also fun to be able to see my dad so much.

My sister, Maggie, and her family came to stay with us for Thanksgiving weekend. The whole family was here (aside from my brother, Pete's family, who camps for Thanksgiving each year). We were all spread out at three different houses so we split up the cousins based on age/friendship rather than who they belonged to. The cousins loved it and we were able to get our cooking done without whining about wanting to be with "such and such" cousin. We then convened at a church for the whole dinner. I think the head count was around 30. We held dinner in the gym where Liam found a basketball and would not THINK of doing anything but play ball (and not eat one thing). After dinner, several games of basketball were played and the cousins put on a play for us. We ended the night by going to Jason's mom's house for some (more) dessert and more family time. 

December was, unfortunately, a month of sickness for our family. It began with me getting the Stomach Flu which was TORTURE for me to be away from my sweet little boy for a day, but I didn't want to get him sick. Jason began studying for the GMAT which we decided he should take this year instead of next year. We managed to keep him somewhat healthy until after the test, which was a great blessing, except he did have a cold. After the test, Jason then got the stomach flu. On Christmas Eve, poor little Liam got the stomach flu! On Christmas day, we had Jason's mom and stepdad and his brother, Jared over for breakfast and we all opened presents together. This turned out to be pretty overwhelming for Liam, who was pretty over it after just a couple gifts. Later we went over to Jason's mom's for dinner and then spent the rest of the evening at home. 

Liam and Hannah both started walking towards the end of the year and it is so cute to watch them waddle around my house together. Jason has been applying for PHd programs for this coming Fall and I have simply been trying to keep my sanity (ha!). We are grateful for all the new friendships we have forged this year and for all the friends who have been there for us through it all! We hope you all have a wonderful new year!

"Hey"

"One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents." -Boyd K. Packer

It is easy as a parent to forget what really matters as we go throughout our day just trying to keep our head above water. We look forward to nap time, when we'll be able to get things done, except we instead fall onto the couch in an exhausted heap and look at the mess around us. It's easy to lose sight of what's important as we carefully draw out a budget and plan a grocery list. We try our best to keep dirty dishes in the dishwasher and messy hands out of clean hair. It's easy to forget what matters when we worry about folding laundry and mopping the floor.

It's times when we forget that our children teach us.

Today while I was doing the dishes, I stopped for a moment to go check on Liam who was quietly sitting on the back patio. I look out and see him fold his arms, bow his head, and say, "Hey."

Love filled my heart as I was reminded of the love of God, the love He has for us, and the time we need to spend each day bowing our heads to speak to our Father in Heaven. To thank him for what we have, thank him for our children, and put all of our trust into His hands. My son may throw multiple tantrums each day, he may not be able to walk, he may not be able to talk, but my son knows how to pray. Today he reminded me what is really important. My son taught me what really matters.

The Best Advice I've Received as a New Mother

When you become a mom, everyone has advice for you. Whether they are a man or a woman, whether they have children or just know children, and whether it is solicited or not. You become quite adept at smiling politely while thinking in your head, "Oh, please shut up." Because the truth is NOTHING can prepare you for how your life will change. How you wake up
one day and discover that you no longer do anything for yourself, that you are suddenly thrust into a world that completely revolves around this new 6lb bundle in your arms. A bundle who somehow dictates how you will spend every waking minute of the rest of your life.

I am a young, confident, and independent woman. Well, I was an independent woman. And I was proud of that! I was proud of the fact that I had a job and I was well educated and I had a few talents. I have been an Aunt since I was 7 years old and by the time I found out I was pregnant my siblings had blessed me with 23 nieces and nephews! "A child?" I thought, "piece of cake." The child I got has completely disarmed me. He has brought me to tears, he has made me feel incompetent, and has brought me to my knees in prayer almost daily. He also has warmed my heart, made me smile and laugh, and brought me closer to God. In saying that, the best advice I have received may surprise you.

Liam was only a couple weeks old when I read in a magazine advice that a woman had written in suggesting that no matter what, every day you need to get ready for the day. That means, no being lazy in your pajamas all day long. But, to actually shower, brush your hair and get dressed! Why, you may ask, is this so important?

You may not leave your house all day long, so why would you need to be dressed? Because, it is something you do for YOU! Remember YOU? That young, confident, and independent woman that you used to know? That woman that used to go anywhere and do anything with no boundaries? In order to feel like YOU again, you need to get dressed.

It makes you feel good, it makes you feel clean, and sometimes it can even make you feel awake! Reiterate... sometimes. You might not be able to sit down to dinner without one arm wrapped tightly around that cute baby; you might not be able to jump in the car and go without first changing a diaper, packing a bag, and wrestling a child into an inconceivably heavy car seat; and you may not be able to chat with your girlfriends on the phone without shouting over a baby's wailing. But, you CAN get ready for the day. And in getting ready for the day, you will feel a little bit normal again. Notwithstanding, spending ten minutes of your baby's nap time slowly curling your hair can be very therapeutic.

Feeling normal will help you remember to smile back when your baby squeals at you, it will help you remember that this baby will not always be a mewling infant, and it will help you remember that you can DO this! So, moms, get off the computer, go pull on some jeans, find your hairbrush, and swipe on some mascara, because I promise, you will feel 110% better and if you do nothing else today, you will feel like you did something productive.

Liam's First Christmas

On Christmas Eve, Liam turned 5 months old!!! We could hardly believe it. Unlike most parents who are "so sad to see how fast their children grow", J and I are ECSTATIC that Liam is getting bigger, interacting with us more, and obtaining his own little personality. It's much more fun than the colicky infant we brought home from the hospital. While the colic is over, the teething has begun. Ugh. So, we get what sleep we can before our poor baby wakes up screaming and arching his back in pain. We were hoping for his two front teeth for Christmas, but did not get them, so we continue to wait patiently. Anyway, back to Christmas.

Christmas Eve was spent with my parents, my Uncle Mike, my sister Amy, her husband and 3 girls, and my brother Pete, his wife, and their 8 kids. Liam was bombarded by cousinly love. However, when I tried to take a picture of my sweet nephew Oliver playing with Liam, he immediately played dead so you're going to have to take my word for it. Liam loved the attention (for the most part) and a good time was had by all. We spent the evening at my sister's house where her girls told the Christmas story and Emma sang a ROUSING rendition of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Then we took our overly exhausted baby boy home.

Liam woke bright and early Christmas morning to open his presents. Can you just see the excitement in his face???

The truly exciting part was eating the wrapping paper. After opening our stockings, we went to church where I took part in singing in the choir for the Christmas program. It was a lot of fun and Grandma and Grandpa Bello came to hold Liam for me. Afterwards, we loaded up all of our gifts and went to J's sister's house for a brunch of cheese on toast which is Owen family tradition. We opened presents while the babies took naps (sort of took naps, I should say). We had to take Liam home for a real nap before heading over to J's parents for a BIG Christmas dinner with loads of family members to boot. It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas and I think we wore Liam to the bone, tired. As a disclaimer: this did not mean he slept through the night... Ah, well.

Hoping your Christmas was filled with just as much family and love!