PS I Luv You

Braden is on more of a schedule, so I have decided I need to get out more and meet people. The Bishopric came to visit on Sunday and the 2nd Counselor told his wife she needed to befriend me. Sure enough, Monday morning I got a call from Laurel (his wife) inviting me to attend a mother's group called P.S. I Luv You. (Pre-Schoolers I love you) They have a class for each age group (infants, ones, twos, etc) while the mother's are in a class doing projects, listening to guest speakers, discussing parenting situations. Well, on Tuesday I attended and it was so great. Mothers and soon-to-be-mothers out there I am telling you to find some group like this. It was so nice getting to know mother's who are in the same situation as me.

As for my cute little son, he is doing really well. He actually slept 10 hours last night with one feeding break. Blake and I found a new routine that helps with his sleeping. The video below shows how we tire him out and calm him down all at the same time.

He LOVES his bathtime. We all look forward to this every night. I hope he is a little swimmer. Anyways, I am having so much fun getting involved with this community. I hope to share more exciting stories with you all.

Guys Only Ladies Forbidden

Since it was sunny outside on Saturday, we decided it would be fun to go to the range and hit some balls. Plus, we want Braden to get started with Golf early. Our hopes are that he will be better than Tiger Woods and give respect to his parents (mo money mo money).

Blake contemplating his shot.

Braden watching his dad's skills.We want him to be comfortable with a driver, glove and ball.

So, Saturday morning we always spend a good 2 hours deciding what we want to do. We always determine that there is nothing to do here, so we will just drive around. Last week we drove around and found a dam. This week we drove around and found... BEARS! WSU has a bear research program they do over the summer. These bears are in an enclosure on the edge of campus. There are 6 bears altogether. It was fun watching them.

It was fun to watch the bear play around in the tub.

This is the bear out of the tub. We are literally 5 feet away from these big beasts.

8 Weeks and Sleeping

Braden had his immunizations this week which has completely screwed up his schedule. (I hate immunizations for the record.) All he has been doing since the immunizations is sleeping or wanting to sleep.

Sleeping on my lap. His hands were in the air for a good 20 minutes.

Fell asleep during a diaper change.

Sleeping in mom and dad's bed. We usually don't have him do this, but he was waking up every 2 hours. Finally at 7am we brought him into bed with us and we got a 4 hour stretch.

I just thought this one was cute. This is the face he makes when he talks to us. Imagine him saying "eeeeew." It couldn't be any cuter.

Holding Back Tears for the Great Good

Braden had his 2 month appointment today. He is officially 8 weeks old. Blake and I just realized the other day that we no longer have a new born, we have a legitimate baby. As some may know, the 2 month appointment is when they administer the immunizations. Blake and I opted not to give Braden the Hepatitis B shot at birth, so he got the first in the series today. Kelly recommended that I give him Tylenol before we go. I also got a tip to feed him. I guess this all helps with the pain. At least his pain, it didn't help me any.

When we got there he was happy as could be. (Blake made me do this all by myself as he was working.) He weighs 14 pounds now (95%) and 23.8 inches (84%). Tim told me this evening that Braden is already larger than 5 month year old Talia. I can't believe it. Everything looked great and then it came time to administer the immunizations. He had to lay down on the table (which wasn't bad) while the nurse held down his feet and me his arms. This is when my heart broke. His face turned bright red and the cries came. This was all before the shots were given. Then the nurse gave the three shots. The cries got louder. I had to hold back tears for the greater good because it benefits him in the long run. Once they were done, I got to snuggle with him. He whimpered for a minute and then fell asleep.

Tonight he has been really fussy. I feel so bad for the little guy. He won't let us put him down. We did reach a milestone last night. He slept pretty much all night long. He only woke up at 4am to eat and we didn't hear another peep from him until 8.am Yay, I hope this continues. I thought it would be cute to post a couple of cute videos. Wow, this became a long post, sorry!

Braden loves cuddling with his dad this way. He just drools and drools.

This is a video of Braden and I talking. He typically copies what Blake and I do. He just couldn't be any cuter.



Braden is also figuring out what his legs and arms do.


Mr. Standing Man (Strong Legs)

Jazz 2, Houston 0 and almost a dead baby

Well, it was the second game in the Jazz/Houston series. The Jazz started out great, but had a weak period at the last half of the second quarter and all of the third.

When the game is so close, I need to be careful not to let Blake hold our son. In the final seconds of the third quarter the Jazz were down by 2. The last second the Jazz threw up a 3 and made it, thus making them win the third quarter. When this happened Blake jumped up and down and screamed "YES!" Once this happened Blake looked at Braden and said, "I am sorry." In slow motion, Braden's little lip started to quiver, eyes got filled with tears and he let out a loud cry from his little mouth. It was so cute. I can say that because it was only one loud cry and then he was perfectly fine. I personally think he did it just to make his dad feel bad. And it worked.

The next game is in Utah on Thursday. That means I get 2 free days. We pre-record the game, so it does make it more bearable because we fast forward through all the boring stuff.

Jazz 1, Houston 0

As the last post stated, the NBA playoffs have begun. Jazz are playing Houston first. For those who don't know, they play best of 7. Why it takes 7 games to determine who's best is beyond me. Obviously the NBA does this to make money, because I think 5 even 3 games could determine which team is better and has more heart to win. The first game of the series was last night (Saturday) in Houston and the Jazz came out victorious. Blake looked forward to teaching his son a thing or two about basketball and the Jazz. (FYI: The next game is tomorrow at Houston.)

Father and Son at the beginning of the game.

Braden at the beginning of the game. "GO JAZZ!"

Braden 2 minutes into the game. Takes after his mom.

This was taken this afternoon. You think after all the sleep we got during the Jazz game last night we would be wide awake, but we weren't. If you look close you can see my little juice smile from dinner. It makes Blake laugh. I love my juice!

In Honor of the Playoffs

In honor of my husband's love for the Jazz, I have changed our blog layout. Deron Williams (Blake's favorite player) will remain on our blog until the Jazz leave the NBA Playoffs. Part of me hopes they lose quickly so Blake isn't addicted to the games, however, I know it would make him truly happy if they did well. Therefore, GO JAZZ!

Braden's First Dam Trip

Who knew that just 18 miles down the road there was a dam. It was such a beautiful day yesterday we decided to pack a picnic and take a drive. It took us to a beautiful river and to Lower Granite Dam.

Blake and I messing around. I have no vertical leap skills. That's why we are laughing.

Full View of the Dam

Looking down the river. It was so nice out.

Braden finally waking up to join the picnic and dam trip

Blake eating a carrot

"Blake, you're going to have ANOTHER carrot?"

(For those who don't know this joke, please ask myself or Jamie, but yes Jamie, he ate 2 carrots

Top 10 that made my life easier

First off, good riddens Kristy Lee Cook. For some reason I couldn't stand her. I am not sad to see her go. I am hoping Carly is next.

Here is my list of things I feel are necessary for the first couple of months. Each person is different, so these are the things that have made my life easier. I won't go into too much detail on them. If you have questions, just let me know.

1. BOPPY- I completely agree with Kelly. This is a necessity.
2. Receiving Blanket- babies love being wrapped super tight.
3. Nuk (aka: pacifier)- Kelly recommended the Nuk brand and I completely agree. Most babies have a natural tendency to suck and this helps soothe them.
4. Bouncer and/or swing- Our bouncer detaches from the swing part (thank you Nicole and Chad). This is nice because we can take it around the house or outside.
5. Nightgowns- This is heaven sent at night. Trying to button and unbutton an outfit in the dark and 3am is not fun. I promise you would much rather pull up the gown.
6. Good bassinet- we had a little travel one that Braden hated sleeping in. The moment we moved him to his crib (after 1 week) he slept a lot better. A good bassinet will make the difference between a good night sleep or not.

7. Diaper Champ- your babies diapers won't smell for the first month in a half, but this truly is the best diaper system.
8. Cable- ok, this is just for the mother. Let's be honest, the first couple of months the babies don't do much. Cable has gotten me through some boring days. Just don't watch it all day, only in the mornings is my rule.
9. Travel Mirror- you place this on the backseat of your car so you can see your baby. I wasn't the person to sit in the back with him, infact, I never have unless he is really fussy. If you plan on sitting in the back with the child, this isn't necessary.
10. Bumbo Chair- I haven't gotten one yet, but the way Kelly describes it and the way Braden loves sitting up, I am sure this would be beneficial.

I will post a list later indicating things you can wait to purchase. If you are like us, then you don't have tons of money to get everything. There are many things that I have yet to use, but could see myself using them in the next several months.

Day in the Park

I know the weather has been really nice everywhere. It was especially nice this past weekend here in Pullman. We spent most of the day in the yard (trying to get that ready for the summer) and the rest of the day in the park. We have a nice city park right down the road. We decided to take Braden on his first trip to the playground. One of many I assume. It's nice because we won't need to buy a swing set for him. Everything he needs is right down the road.

Blake loves pushing Braden in his stroller (this actually was from a different trip, but I needed you to have the whole walk to the park affect).

Braden and I at the top of the slide (Blake said he was less than amused with the ride down)
Braden on a little bouncer toy (once again, less than amused)

Braden and I on the swings

Blake loved playing with this tracker thing more than Braden (he made me hold braden for about 5 minutes while he played, BOYS!)

I told everyone I would write the top 10 things I think all new mother's need. That will take place tomorrow or Friday.

For those girls who didn't want boys

This post is for all my girlfriends who are pregnant. More specifically, for my girlfriends who so desperately wanted a girl but found out they are having a boy. I know you wanted to have a girl so you could dress her up all cute, but you tell me this isn't a cute little boy. Look again tomorrow. I will be posting pictures of our day in the park. And I guess the poll says that Braden looks more like Blake. I posted some pictures of us below. I think there are definite qualities of both of us.

This is my new favorite photo of Braden. He is now 6 weeks old. He can pretty much sit up by himself. He needs a little help so he won't fling himself backwards.

A nice lady in my ward gave me the cutest outfit. He looks like a little train conductor. It comes with a jacket too. Look at the other photo below.
He has been sleeping in the funniest positions lately. This is his macho man one. He is flexing his muscle. Watch out Talia and Baby Stevenson.

This reindeer outfit is what we brought him home from the hospital in. It was way too big, now it is too small. I needed to get a photo of him in it before I had to box it up. Tell me this isn't cute!

You always need a good photo of mom and dad. My arms are burnt from working in our yard all day Saturday.

Blake's face is red from working in the yard too. This is a great photo of my two cute boys.

Trip to Boise

Braden has his first little trip this past weekend. My sister and brother-in-law were going to Boise to work at the Big Boy Toys Expo. Somehow she convinced me to come and play with them so she could see Braden. In turn, I convinced Lyndzi & Jace to come and visit. Here are some pictures from out fun filled weekend.

Braden was an absolute pleasure in the car. It was about a five in a half hour drive. He slept the first 3 hours and then we stopped to feed him for about 20 minutes. After he was feed he just looked around and played. This is how it was the way to and from Boise. It makes us more hopeful for vacations.

We stayed at my brother-in-law's parents home. This is Braden with his Aunt Mallory. Mallory would come get Braden every morning at 8am. This gave Blake and I an extra hour to sleep. Thanks Aunt Mallory.

Although Brent has other neices and nephews, he loved playing with Braden. Braden is just laughing with Uncle Brent. (This is Brent's favorite nephew, I just know it.)

Uncle Brent, Aunt Mallory, & Braden

Braden was full of smiles this weekend
Braden was just listening to conference like all guys do. He couldn't help it, he was in Lyndzi's arms.

Dad and son playing at Lyndzi's house

Suprise, Lyndzi has a child that she keeps hidden in Boise. Just kidding! This is her niece Madison. She liked Braden. She had to warm up to him first.

We loved our trip and want to thank Mallory & Brent, as well as Lyndzi & Jace. The highlight of the trip was dinner out to Red Robins. Blake and I really miss good food. Granted, we all had stomache aches the next day.

Cute Boy

I look at Braden each day and can't believe how big he is getting. Here are some photos taken over the past two days. Quickly on a different note. Braden is taking his first trip this weekend. We are headed to Boise to visit my sister and brother-in-law. It's about a 5 hour drive. The other reason I am so excited about this trip is because I have convinced Lyndzi (and Jace) to go visit her mom this weekend, which means I get to play with friends! I will make sure to post pictures of the weekend trip.

Braden loves to sit up. He does need back support, but he can already support his own neck. I absolutely LOVE this picture.

This is just Blake and Braden chilling on the couch. They are looking up the Jazz score.

Braden sleeping in dad's arms. Look at his chubby cheeks. I LOVE chubby cheeks.

He is starting to look at a lot more stuff. He is awake a lot more than asleep now. Like I said in the last post, he is very observant. This is a picture of him sitting in his swing looking at the toys above. I wish I had a wiggle worm he could play with.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. For pictures of Braden's first trip, tune in on Monday.

Little Moments

As parents you do funny things with you kids. Here are some cute pictures we have taken. He is now 5 weeks old. We measured him yesterday and he is 23 inches. We don't have a scale to weigh him, but he doesn't fit in any clothes under 13 pounds.

My mom got Braden the cutest little dinosaur outfit. It is a cozy little outift. It matches his boppy perfectly.

Yesterday morning I taught Braden his ABC's. At night Blake and I spend an hour reading books. Braden wanted to join in. The ABC's really stuck. There was a point where he had a question about the book he was reading.

He was disgusted with the answer.

This was a cute picture. We were talking with Grandma Barnett and Braden kept moving his head so he could hear her talk. He spent a couple of minutes chatting with her.

We love him so much. His head is getting a lot stronger and really like to sit up. Obviously he has to lean against stuff in order for him to do this. He is staying awake a lot more and loves to look around. He is a very observant little boy. I can already tell he is going to be a sweet and tender little boy. He loves his mommas kisses and hugs.