Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Summer Internship - Wahoo!
I'm happy to announce that after sending many applications and attending several interviews, Derrick has accepted an internship at Dish Network headquarters in Denver, CO! We're so excited about this great opportunity for Derrick and are looking forward to spending a lot of time with my very generous parents.
One Trip After Another...to the Doctor
Because of one thing after another we have been finding ourselves at the doctors' office more than once a week. I've gotten pretty far behind in pretty much everything. Hopefully after next week we'll get a break.
1st visit - Zach was sick about 3 weeks ago and was acting like he might have an ear infection. As a worrying first time parent and an ASLP major who learned all the detrimental effects of an untreated ear infection, I took Zach in. Diagnosis: Just a cold.
2nd visit - Later in the week (Friday 13th) I went to urgent care due to the unpleasant symptoms of mastitis so I could start on the antibiotics before the weekend.
3rd visit - The next Monday (16th) I went in for the follow up appointment for the mastitis.
4th visit - Three days later (Thursday - 19th) I went to urgent care again. Just as the mastitis cleared up I was hit with a pretty nasty flu-like bug. I couldn't keep anything in me at either end. I threw up more times Wednesday night than I did my entire pregnancy (5). I was so dehydrated and sick by the next morning that I figured I needed some help. After being put on an IV for awhile I left still feeling absolutely miserable. Derrick stayed home from work and class when he could and Melissa came over to help some as well. I was out of commission for about 5 days and had so much trouble eating that I lost more weight. This is a problem since I've been having trouble with losing too much weight on since I had Zach. I no longer had enough in me to breastfeed Zach so I had to wean him a couple months earlier than I planned. Thankfully I'm doing so much better now and Zach didn't have any difficulty switching.
5th visit - The next Monday morning (23rd) (while I was still sick) I had to take Zach into the doctor because he had a really bad allergic reaction after eating some goldfish for the first time the night before. He had a rough night and in the morning was covered in hives. The poor little guy was bright red all over his body and his face and ears were swollen. He was put on a steroid, Benedryl, and we had to buy an epi pen jr.
Yet to come:
6th visit - Zach's 9 month well baby appointment is tomorrow morning. Thankfully the term well baby can be applied here.
7th visit - Next Monday I take Zach to visit an allergist to figure out what exactly caused such a violent allergic reaction.
In addition: Derrick and I finally got around to going to the dentist during the last 2 weeks as well. I hadn't been in over 2 years and Derrick hadn't been in over 3 years. I had one cavity so I was back there this morning for the filling. Derrick has 7 yet to be taken care of. Too bad student health insurance doesn't cover dental care.
1st visit - Zach was sick about 3 weeks ago and was acting like he might have an ear infection. As a worrying first time parent and an ASLP major who learned all the detrimental effects of an untreated ear infection, I took Zach in. Diagnosis: Just a cold.
2nd visit - Later in the week (Friday 13th) I went to urgent care due to the unpleasant symptoms of mastitis so I could start on the antibiotics before the weekend.
3rd visit - The next Monday (16th) I went in for the follow up appointment for the mastitis.
4th visit - Three days later (Thursday - 19th) I went to urgent care again. Just as the mastitis cleared up I was hit with a pretty nasty flu-like bug. I couldn't keep anything in me at either end. I threw up more times Wednesday night than I did my entire pregnancy (5). I was so dehydrated and sick by the next morning that I figured I needed some help. After being put on an IV for awhile I left still feeling absolutely miserable. Derrick stayed home from work and class when he could and Melissa came over to help some as well. I was out of commission for about 5 days and had so much trouble eating that I lost more weight. This is a problem since I've been having trouble with losing too much weight on since I had Zach. I no longer had enough in me to breastfeed Zach so I had to wean him a couple months earlier than I planned. Thankfully I'm doing so much better now and Zach didn't have any difficulty switching.
5th visit - The next Monday morning (23rd) (while I was still sick) I had to take Zach into the doctor because he had a really bad allergic reaction after eating some goldfish for the first time the night before. He had a rough night and in the morning was covered in hives. The poor little guy was bright red all over his body and his face and ears were swollen. He was put on a steroid, Benedryl, and we had to buy an epi pen jr.
Yet to come:
6th visit - Zach's 9 month well baby appointment is tomorrow morning. Thankfully the term well baby can be applied here.
7th visit - Next Monday I take Zach to visit an allergist to figure out what exactly caused such a violent allergic reaction.
In addition: Derrick and I finally got around to going to the dentist during the last 2 weeks as well. I hadn't been in over 2 years and Derrick hadn't been in over 3 years. I had one cavity so I was back there this morning for the filling. Derrick has 7 yet to be taken care of. Too bad student health insurance doesn't cover dental care.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Zach Makes Me Picture Happy
It seems like within this last month Zach has grown up so much. For one thing, Zach has started pulling himself up using whatever he finds. This ends up being a problem when that something is too light to hold him up and he just pulls it on top of himself or when that something has wheels. Also, Zach has now discovered the fun times that come with pots and pans:
Now that Zach can pull himself up I always find him in a standing position when I get him up from naps and when he's fighting us in our attempts to put him to bed. Here's a picture after a nap (sorry it's so blurry):
The reason for more blurry pictures is Zach's reaction to the flash. He can be doing something really cute and then when the flash goes off his facial expression turns into something like the drugged-out look below. My best chances for a good picture are to turn off the flash and hope that Zach stops moving for a second which doesn't happen too often :).
After a bath the other night, Zach's hair randomly dried in this curl:
A new favorite toy. Zach figured out how to open up our dominoes. We often hear a crashing sound as they're pulled off the shelf and dumped all over the floor. Zach has also been known to carry them into other rooms.
We hung out with our friends Lukas and Casey the other night, and Zach had his first shot at playing Guitar Hero. He loved playing with the drumsticks. Now he just needs to be able to reach the drums...
Along with getting introduced to Guitar Hero Zach got to have fun with DDR. He loved it when I held him and moved his feet up, down, and side to side in time with the arrows.
Zach loves Cheerios and the Gerber Graduates puffs. At first he'd choke them down when we gave them to him. Then we found that he'd chew them when he was the one to put them in his mouth. It's been fun watching Zach learn how to handle the small cereal pieces. He will pick up a piece with one hand and then switch it to the other so it is easier to shove in his mouth.
On a final note for this post, we've been working on helping Zach sleep through the night. This has not been a fun process. Until early February he was waking up every 4 hours to eat. We decided that before getting Zach to sleep through the night we needed to help him learn to go through the night without eating. I started feeding Zach more often during the day so he wouldn't be so hungry at night.
Habits are hard to break and I've lost a lot of sleep from being kept up for sometimes an hour at a time. We've now got him to the point where he can last 8-10 hours during the night without food. Now we need to help him learn to sleep through this whole time period or calm himself down when he does wake up.
Here's a picture Derrick took one evening while he was working on homework. Losing hours of sleep in the middle of the night wears you out!
For the last picture on this picture-happy post, I really like this picture I took while Zach was sleeping. He uses the pacifier while falling asleep but we can tell he's really asleep once he spits it (or in this case pulls it) out of his mouth.
Now that Zach can pull himself up I always find him in a standing position when I get him up from naps and when he's fighting us in our attempts to put him to bed. Here's a picture after a nap (sorry it's so blurry):
The reason for more blurry pictures is Zach's reaction to the flash. He can be doing something really cute and then when the flash goes off his facial expression turns into something like the drugged-out look below. My best chances for a good picture are to turn off the flash and hope that Zach stops moving for a second which doesn't happen too often :).
After a bath the other night, Zach's hair randomly dried in this curl:
A new favorite toy. Zach figured out how to open up our dominoes. We often hear a crashing sound as they're pulled off the shelf and dumped all over the floor. Zach has also been known to carry them into other rooms.
We hung out with our friends Lukas and Casey the other night, and Zach had his first shot at playing Guitar Hero. He loved playing with the drumsticks. Now he just needs to be able to reach the drums...
Along with getting introduced to Guitar Hero Zach got to have fun with DDR. He loved it when I held him and moved his feet up, down, and side to side in time with the arrows.
Zach loves Cheerios and the Gerber Graduates puffs. At first he'd choke them down when we gave them to him. Then we found that he'd chew them when he was the one to put them in his mouth. It's been fun watching Zach learn how to handle the small cereal pieces. He will pick up a piece with one hand and then switch it to the other so it is easier to shove in his mouth.
On a final note for this post, we've been working on helping Zach sleep through the night. This has not been a fun process. Until early February he was waking up every 4 hours to eat. We decided that before getting Zach to sleep through the night we needed to help him learn to go through the night without eating. I started feeding Zach more often during the day so he wouldn't be so hungry at night.
Habits are hard to break and I've lost a lot of sleep from being kept up for sometimes an hour at a time. We've now got him to the point where he can last 8-10 hours during the night without food. Now we need to help him learn to sleep through this whole time period or calm himself down when he does wake up.
Here's a picture Derrick took one evening while he was working on homework. Losing hours of sleep in the middle of the night wears you out!
For the last picture on this picture-happy post, I really like this picture I took while Zach was sleeping. He uses the pacifier while falling asleep but we can tell he's really asleep once he spits it (or in this case pulls it) out of his mouth.
A Laundry List of Updates
So I've been meaning to blog for awhile now and since it's taken awhile to get around to it things have piled up. Here are several random updates about what's happening with Derrick and me.
- Derrick's freelance job - Derrick started a freelance job last August with a company called EscrowTech. This has been quite a project and has lasted longer than we originally thought because they really liked Derrick's work and requested to add more tasks to the contract. This job has been a blessing to us because it pays very well and they've paid Derrick a few pieces of the final check along the way. Also, it gives Derrick great work experience related to the field he's going into. This last week Derrick finished the last task and will be done after making sure everything is set up at EscrowTech. It looks like they will potentially ask him to do other things in the future.
- Jen and mastitis - I started getting mastitis on Wednesday and by Friday morning the whole left side of my body really ached. I was having trouble even lifting my arm and could no longer handle it when Zach tried to nurse on that side. I'd read about the symptoms of mastitis and was pretty sure I had it.
So Derrick watched Zach while I went to urgent care (Friday morning). For us the co-pay for urgent care is only $5 more than a scheduled appointment and I wasn't going to wait all weekend before getting antibiotics. At urgent care my self-diagnosis was proved true and I was prescribed antibiotics. According to the doctor it's supposed to be most of the way better by tomorrow morning but it's looking like there might be a minor complication. I'll find out more on Tuesday.
In the mean time I've been feeling pretty sick from this and sleeping a lot. Derrick's been great helping me with Zach this weekend and even stayed home from work on Friday. I've had to pump the one side so lately Zach's feedings have been half regular nursing and half with a bottle. I can't wait for this to be over.
- Health kick - So Derrick and I (especially me) have been on a health kick lately. I blame the nutrition research I've been doing while I've been deciding which kinds of baby foods to make Zach. We love fruit smoothies (and green smoothies), fruit parfaits, and have been stocking up on all sorts of fruits and veggies. I've also had fun searching for healthier recipes to experiment with for Derrick's and my meals.
- Derrick's freelance job - Derrick started a freelance job last August with a company called EscrowTech. This has been quite a project and has lasted longer than we originally thought because they really liked Derrick's work and requested to add more tasks to the contract. This job has been a blessing to us because it pays very well and they've paid Derrick a few pieces of the final check along the way. Also, it gives Derrick great work experience related to the field he's going into. This last week Derrick finished the last task and will be done after making sure everything is set up at EscrowTech. It looks like they will potentially ask him to do other things in the future.
- Jen and mastitis - I started getting mastitis on Wednesday and by Friday morning the whole left side of my body really ached. I was having trouble even lifting my arm and could no longer handle it when Zach tried to nurse on that side. I'd read about the symptoms of mastitis and was pretty sure I had it.
So Derrick watched Zach while I went to urgent care (Friday morning). For us the co-pay for urgent care is only $5 more than a scheduled appointment and I wasn't going to wait all weekend before getting antibiotics. At urgent care my self-diagnosis was proved true and I was prescribed antibiotics. According to the doctor it's supposed to be most of the way better by tomorrow morning but it's looking like there might be a minor complication. I'll find out more on Tuesday.
In the mean time I've been feeling pretty sick from this and sleeping a lot. Derrick's been great helping me with Zach this weekend and even stayed home from work on Friday. I've had to pump the one side so lately Zach's feedings have been half regular nursing and half with a bottle. I can't wait for this to be over.
- Health kick - So Derrick and I (especially me) have been on a health kick lately. I blame the nutrition research I've been doing while I've been deciding which kinds of baby foods to make Zach. We love fruit smoothies (and green smoothies), fruit parfaits, and have been stocking up on all sorts of fruits and veggies. I've also had fun searching for healthier recipes to experiment with for Derrick's and my meals.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
We Have an 8 Month Old!
It's crazy to think that Zach is 8 months months old now. He's only 1 month away from being out of me as long as he was in. 8 months old is such a fun age. Derrick and I love just watching and playing with Zach. Here are some of the updates and lots of pictures:
Derrick cut Zach's hair for the first time on 2/28. The hair by his ears was curling over them. (We figured the curls were part of the reason he'd been mistaken for a girl not long ago.) Zach's so wiggly that we had to get creative in order to keep him still. Once he started getting a little tired we put him in his booster seat and put it in front of the TV. We turned on Baby Signing Time which fascinates him every time. This plan worked great!
Started learning how to drink out of a sippy cup and small amounts of water from a regular cup. Obviously he's still in the learning process.
He's getting into everything - pulling things off the shelves and pans out of the cupboard - so we've had to do more baby proofing. He's starting to try to pull himself up on things so we'll soon have to find a new place for our DVD tower.
One of Zach's favorite games is to lift up the rugs and look under them. He'll pick up a corner, drop it, and repeat.
He crawls after us everywhere we go and tries to climb up us once he catches us. He loves attention and is always checking to see if we're watching him.
Zach has such a happy personality. He's laughing more all the time. Not too long ago he watched and laughed at me the entire time I was brushing my teeth.
It's fun to watch him as he explores everything in our apartment. He's so curious! The only problem is that he still hasn't learned cause and effect. He's constantly crawling headfirst into the chair legs and the futon. He gets upset but after we calm him down he heads straight for them again. We have pillows lining a lot of the gaps.
Zach's babbling sounds are increasing. The "ma" and "ba" sounds are his favorite.
We recently got a new vacuum which scared Zach. He was okay as long as he was in his walker. He did get back at the vacuum later by having a wrestling match with the hose.
Whenever we lay Zach on his back he flips over as fast as he can. This makes changing his diaper a battle every time. We have the changing pad on the floor and have to strap him down and distract him with toys. Even still, if we're not fast enough he manages to flip over and try to escape.
Derrick cut Zach's hair for the first time on 2/28. The hair by his ears was curling over them. (We figured the curls were part of the reason he'd been mistaken for a girl not long ago.) Zach's so wiggly that we had to get creative in order to keep him still. Once he started getting a little tired we put him in his booster seat and put it in front of the TV. We turned on Baby Signing Time which fascinates him every time. This plan worked great!
Started learning how to drink out of a sippy cup and small amounts of water from a regular cup. Obviously he's still in the learning process.
He's getting into everything - pulling things off the shelves and pans out of the cupboard - so we've had to do more baby proofing. He's starting to try to pull himself up on things so we'll soon have to find a new place for our DVD tower.
One of Zach's favorite games is to lift up the rugs and look under them. He'll pick up a corner, drop it, and repeat.
He crawls after us everywhere we go and tries to climb up us once he catches us. He loves attention and is always checking to see if we're watching him.
Zach has such a happy personality. He's laughing more all the time. Not too long ago he watched and laughed at me the entire time I was brushing my teeth.
It's fun to watch him as he explores everything in our apartment. He's so curious! The only problem is that he still hasn't learned cause and effect. He's constantly crawling headfirst into the chair legs and the futon. He gets upset but after we calm him down he heads straight for them again. We have pillows lining a lot of the gaps.
Zach's babbling sounds are increasing. The "ma" and "ba" sounds are his favorite.
We recently got a new vacuum which scared Zach. He was okay as long as he was in his walker. He did get back at the vacuum later by having a wrestling match with the hose.
Whenever we lay Zach on his back he flips over as fast as he can. This makes changing his diaper a battle every time. We have the changing pad on the floor and have to strap him down and distract him with toys. Even still, if we're not fast enough he manages to flip over and try to escape.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Homemade Baby Wipes
For awhile now I've been making Zach's baby wipes. They're a little cheaper in quality and a lot cheaper in price. I also like that they smell nice and Zach gets less diaper rash with them :).
My cousin Emily posted the recipe on the Jones family recipe blog. This is for you Kelsey!
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Emperor's New Throne
Though we've been feeding Zach solid foods for almost 3 months, we had yet to get him anything like a high chair. Usually I'd have him sit on my lap and feed him from behind. Sometimes, when both of us were home, one of us would play the role of high chair and hold Zach in place while the other would do the feeding.Since we have a pretty tiny apartment and a college student budget we weren't sure what we'd do for a high chair and as a result we just kept putting off getting one.
While at Walmart last night we found this booster seat for Zach and are loving it. Some reasons include: (1)It fits our extra chair with arms so the seat is on securly, (2)Zach really enjoys sitting in and is fascinated by it, (3)it doesn't take up much extra space in our apartment, and (4)I can use both hands while feeding Zach! He has a secure place to play and watch while I make dinner. Oh the possibilities...
Valentine Weekend
I had a great Valentine's Day weekend with my Valentine. It's definitely different trying to plan a romantic day when you've got a 7 1/2 month old tearing up the apartment.
Thursday
- Derrick surprised me by working it out with Melissa and Nate to come over and babysit Zach. He had to be sneaky to get me to feed Zach a bit earlier than usual and still not suspect anything (I was expecting something on Friday). We went to the dollar theater to see Tale of Despereaux and then to Cold Stone for ice cream. It was so nice to be out on a real date (as in without our favorite little guy) especially since we probably haven't been on one since Zach was born.
Friday
- Derrick brought me these beautiful roses when he came home from work.
Saturday
-I gave Derrick a homemade card complete with the usual crazy stick figure drawings (by his request).
-Zach got a Winnie-the-Pooh valentine in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa Bowen. He got really excited when he saw it and tried to eat it. We saved Winnie-the-Pooh though.
-Lots of food. We made strawberry/banana crepes with a delicious creamy vanilla sauce on them. For those who are interested we found the recipe for the sauce as part of this recipe. For lunch we then went to Sunflower Farmer's Market where we got sushi and stuff for the green smoothie that appears our the last post. And then with dinner we made baked potatoes, shrimp scampi, almond-crusted salmon, ceasar salad, and artichokes. We were so stuffed that we had to wait awhile for dessert which was fondue (it's become a tradition). The leftover creamy vanilla sauce from breakfast made a great dipping sauce along with some chocolate fudge. Like I said, lots of food. Derrick and I love cooking together and enjoyed spending the whole day together.
Thursday
- Derrick surprised me by working it out with Melissa and Nate to come over and babysit Zach. He had to be sneaky to get me to feed Zach a bit earlier than usual and still not suspect anything (I was expecting something on Friday). We went to the dollar theater to see Tale of Despereaux and then to Cold Stone for ice cream. It was so nice to be out on a real date (as in without our favorite little guy) especially since we probably haven't been on one since Zach was born.
Friday
- Derrick brought me these beautiful roses when he came home from work.
Saturday
-I gave Derrick a homemade card complete with the usual crazy stick figure drawings (by his request).
-Zach got a Winnie-the-Pooh valentine in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa Bowen. He got really excited when he saw it and tried to eat it. We saved Winnie-the-Pooh though.
-Lots of food. We made strawberry/banana crepes with a delicious creamy vanilla sauce on them. For those who are interested we found the recipe for the sauce as part of this recipe. For lunch we then went to Sunflower Farmer's Market where we got sushi and stuff for the green smoothie that appears our the last post. And then with dinner we made baked potatoes, shrimp scampi, almond-crusted salmon, ceasar salad, and artichokes. We were so stuffed that we had to wait awhile for dessert which was fondue (it's become a tradition). The leftover creamy vanilla sauce from breakfast made a great dipping sauce along with some chocolate fudge. Like I said, lots of food. Derrick and I love cooking together and enjoyed spending the whole day together.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A couple of videos
At the grocery store yesterday the person checking us out thought that Zach was a cute little girl (weird that people still get his gender wrong) and had the bagger get him a balloon. Zach had a lot of fun with his Tinkerbell balloon.
Recently I found this recipe for a health smoothie on a friend's blog. We've made it a few times and really like (though we do add a bit of yogurt and sugar to the original recipe). Zach really wanted to try the smoothie and was really entertaining. He looked so disgusted every time but kept climbing into my lap begging for more. Here's a video from the second time we made the smoothies since our camera battery died the first time.
Recently I found this recipe for a health smoothie on a friend's blog. We've made it a few times and really like (though we do add a bit of yogurt and sugar to the original recipe). Zach really wanted to try the smoothie and was really entertaining. He looked so disgusted every time but kept climbing into my lap begging for more. Here's a video from the second time we made the smoothies since our camera battery died the first time.
Our Little Crawler
At the beginning of this month Zach started army crawling and has been getting more coordinated and faster all the time. Now he can entertain himself on the floor a lot longer. This does lead to greater messes and random toys being shoved under the couch.
Along with learning to crawl Zach has started exploring more throughout our apartment. It's funny to be in another room and hear Zach coming - It's kinda this excited grunting sound. He's learned to crawl under the kitchen chairs to get into the kitchen.
Along with learning to crawl Zach has started exploring more throughout our apartment. It's funny to be in another room and hear Zach coming - It's kinda this excited grunting sound. He's learned to crawl under the kitchen chairs to get into the kitchen.
Monday, February 16, 2009
He Got In!
My little brother Garrett got accepted to BYU Idaho the other day!
I'm so excited he got in since he's been working so hard the last while to get his grades up and to do well enough on the ACT. It's crazy to think that the youngest kid in my family will be off to college so soon.
Zach loves his Uncle Garrett
I'm so excited he got in since he's been working so hard the last while to get his grades up and to do well enough on the ACT. It's crazy to think that the youngest kid in my family will be off to college so soon.
Zach loves his Uncle GarrettTuesday, February 10, 2009
Appliquéing
Last week my cousin Jessica (Prestwich) came over to our apartment to teach me how to appliqué and watch Elizabethtown with Zach and me. Since I had a baby shower to go to this week, I decided to try appliquéing some onesies. The baby's gender is unknown so I went with a bug theme. Here's how they turned out:
Thanks again for teaching me Jess. We'll have to hang out again soon!
Thanks again for teaching me Jess. We'll have to hang out again soon!
Water Aerobics
This semester my friend Ruth (in my ward) invited me to do a water aerobics class with her. It's so much fun and Derrick's great to watch Zach so I can go. I love having something active that I can look forward to three times a week.
BYU has a bunch of workout classes for $44 dollars a semester which are open to pretty much anybody.
I never thought I'd be taking a water aerobics class since I've only ever seen old ladies at the rec center doing them. It's funny how here at BYU half the class is pregnant :).
BYU has a bunch of workout classes for $44 dollars a semester which are open to pretty much anybody.
I never thought I'd be taking a water aerobics class since I've only ever seen old ladies at the rec center doing them. It's funny how here at BYU half the class is pregnant :).
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Just Keep Swimming...
Here are some pictures from swimming with Grandpa Jones and Uncle Garrett in CO. We went to the Lafayette Rec Center.
Modeling the Finding Nemo swim diaper:
Walking down the ramp:
Trying to grab the water:
To show how much Zach has grown in half a year, here is a picture of Zach wearing the same swimming suit back in August:
Fun times in the water:
We only took pictures at the beginning and then put the camera away so it wouldn't get wet.
Other adventures include:
- Zach went down the baby slide with me. The splash at the end scared him so much he started crying. He did calm down pretty quickly. We only went down once.
- We rode the lazy river. Zach would only stand up on my lap in the tube.
- A geyser thing surprised us by going off when I happened to be right over it. Zach escaped with minor spray to his face.
Thanks again for taking us Dad/Grandpa!
Modeling the Finding Nemo swim diaper:
Walking down the ramp:
Trying to grab the water:
To show how much Zach has grown in half a year, here is a picture of Zach wearing the same swimming suit back in August:
Fun times in the water:
We only took pictures at the beginning and then put the camera away so it wouldn't get wet.
Other adventures include:
- Zach went down the baby slide with me. The splash at the end scared him so much he started crying. He did calm down pretty quickly. We only went down once.
- We rode the lazy river. Zach would only stand up on my lap in the tube.
- A geyser thing surprised us by going off when I happened to be right over it. Zach escaped with minor spray to his face.
Thanks again for taking us Dad/Grandpa!
Surprise Trip to CO
Zach and I spent Monday through Friday of last week with my parents and Garrett in Colorado. My mom had knee surgery two Fridays ago (1/23) and at about 5:00 p.m. that evening Derrick and I were booking my flight to Denver. For fun we decided to make it a surprise for my mom (also because she'd probably try to get things ready for us and defeat the purpose of us coming).
After a hectic run through the SLC airport at about 6:30 a.m. while holding two bags and a car seat with a 20 pound baby, Zach and I made our flight. Luckily for me the flight was pretty empty so Zach got his own seat. He slept most of the time :).
My dad picked us up from the airport and the look on my mom's face when we just walked into her room was priceless. She hadn't heard the garage door open so she didn't even know anyone was home. Her mouth dropped and she just stared at us for a little while. Apparently her first thought was that her pain meds were making her hallucinate :).
Zach and I had fun playing with and taking care of my mom during the day and being joined by my dad and Garrett at night.
Crazy times with Garrett
One thing that was really cute was that every time I brought Zach into my parents' room I'd have him peek around the door and watch as he'd get this huge grin on his face from seeing my mom. We had a lot of fun in Louisville but definitely missed Derrick. It did help that we "skyped" with him every night and got to talk with him on the phone.
While in Louisville:
- Zach cut his 2nd tooth (on the bottom)
- He had his first experience swimming in a swimming pool (I'll do a post of pictures from that since this one is getting long).
- We found out that he loves chewing on apples.
- Zach got to play with some toys I played with when I was little.
- I found that I really like the Narnia movie Prince Caspian - Thanks Garrett.
- Derrick (back in Utah) had a successful interview for a job internship and made it to the second round. In the next couple of weeks we'll see how that turns out.
Zach was pretty antsy on the plane ride home. I had to get creative and finally resort to holding him high so he could just stare at all the people behind us.
Zach playing on the plane at the beginning. He liked sitting sideways in his seat.
We had a great trip but were very excited to be with Derrick again.
After a hectic run through the SLC airport at about 6:30 a.m. while holding two bags and a car seat with a 20 pound baby, Zach and I made our flight. Luckily for me the flight was pretty empty so Zach got his own seat. He slept most of the time :).
My dad picked us up from the airport and the look on my mom's face when we just walked into her room was priceless. She hadn't heard the garage door open so she didn't even know anyone was home. Her mouth dropped and she just stared at us for a little while. Apparently her first thought was that her pain meds were making her hallucinate :).
Zach and I had fun playing with and taking care of my mom during the day and being joined by my dad and Garrett at night.
Crazy times with GarrettOne thing that was really cute was that every time I brought Zach into my parents' room I'd have him peek around the door and watch as he'd get this huge grin on his face from seeing my mom. We had a lot of fun in Louisville but definitely missed Derrick. It did help that we "skyped" with him every night and got to talk with him on the phone.
While in Louisville:
- He had his first experience swimming in a swimming pool (I'll do a post of pictures from that since this one is getting long).
- We found out that he loves chewing on apples.
- Zach got to play with some toys I played with when I was little.
- I found that I really like the Narnia movie Prince Caspian - Thanks Garrett.
- Derrick (back in Utah) had a successful interview for a job internship and made it to the second round. In the next couple of weeks we'll see how that turns out.
Zach was pretty antsy on the plane ride home. I had to get creative and finally resort to holding him high so he could just stare at all the people behind us.
Zach playing on the plane at the beginning. He liked sitting sideways in his seat.We had a great trip but were very excited to be with Derrick again.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I made the Deseret News
I went to the BYU Career Fair yesterday, won an iPod Shuffle, and got interviewed by the Deseret News.
oh baby.
oh baby.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Lots of Little Things About Zach
Zach's been changing so much lately that it's been hard to keep up the blog updates for journal writing purposes. This blog has ended up being really long and probably will only be appreciated by Zach's grandmothers. (Just to warn you).
Some recent and random firsts:
- Dec. 26 -- Zach had his first trip to the zoo. It was really fun since the Denver Zoo puts up tons of Christmas lights every year. More to come on this when I finally get around to blogging about Christmas (another first for Zach :) ).
(We had to keep fixing his hat which would turn to cover Zach's face as he looked around)
- Jan. 19 -- Zach found a fun new game: empty out the toy basket one toy at a time and taste each as he goes. Now his messes with the toys are more of his own making rather than from us setting the toys out for him. This opens the way for another new game: basket rides.
- Jan. 19 -- I forgot to mention that this was the day Zach first swallowed something he shouldn't (as far as we know). He managed to swallow a piece of York Peppermint Pattie candy wrapper before I could finger swipe it out of his mouth. So far no negative side effects.
- Jan. 21 -- Zach managed to "throw" food on the floor for the first time. (Trying to feed Zach solid food when he's tired is not a good idea. A spoonful of carrots decorated the floor until I got Zach down for his nap.)
- Jan. 22 -- Zach had his first "real" bath in the regular bathtub. The word to describe the experience is "slippery". He was able to flip between his front and back but if I hadn't joined him with my pants rolled up things would have been out of control.
- January -- There's not really a specific day for this but Zach has been getting a lot more ticklish which is a lot of fun for Derrick and me. His ribs and thighs seem to be especially vulnerable :)
Other fun things we don't want to forget:
- Zach has been extra giggly lately. His laugh is so contagious!
- Zach gets this intent look on his face when we're changing his diapers and he pumps his legs like crazy. Sometimes it looks like he's trying to pedal a bike. This makes changing his diapers a bit tricky at times. It doesn't help that now he's started trying to roll away. It's a good thing our changing pad has curved edges.
- Zach showns that he definitely knows me and likes to be with me. I love seeing him hold his little arms out and lean towards me.
- Zach has started leaving one toy in his mouth while using both hands to play with other things.
- Zach loves playing with tags. Often while he's playing with his toys, burp cloth, or blankets he'll find the tag and it will grab his attention until he's fingered and tasted it for awhile.
- Zach loves watching Baby Signing Time. When we need to get something done we just put him in his walker and turn on the DVD. While watching he'll often lean forward with his arms hugging the top part of the walker.
- So far Zach has only figured out how to move backwards in his walker.
Some recent and random firsts:
- Dec. 26 -- Zach had his first trip to the zoo. It was really fun since the Denver Zoo puts up tons of Christmas lights every year. More to come on this when I finally get around to blogging about Christmas (another first for Zach :) ).
(We had to keep fixing his hat which would turn to cover Zach's face as he looked around)- Jan. 19 -- Zach found a fun new game: empty out the toy basket one toy at a time and taste each as he goes. Now his messes with the toys are more of his own making rather than from us setting the toys out for him. This opens the way for another new game: basket rides.
- Jan. 19 -- I forgot to mention that this was the day Zach first swallowed something he shouldn't (as far as we know). He managed to swallow a piece of York Peppermint Pattie candy wrapper before I could finger swipe it out of his mouth. So far no negative side effects.
- Jan. 21 -- Zach managed to "throw" food on the floor for the first time. (Trying to feed Zach solid food when he's tired is not a good idea. A spoonful of carrots decorated the floor until I got Zach down for his nap.)
- Jan. 22 -- Zach had his first "real" bath in the regular bathtub. The word to describe the experience is "slippery". He was able to flip between his front and back but if I hadn't joined him with my pants rolled up things would have been out of control.
- January -- There's not really a specific day for this but Zach has been getting a lot more ticklish which is a lot of fun for Derrick and me. His ribs and thighs seem to be especially vulnerable :)
Other fun things we don't want to forget:
- Zach has been extra giggly lately. His laugh is so contagious!
- Zach gets this intent look on his face when we're changing his diapers and he pumps his legs like crazy. Sometimes it looks like he's trying to pedal a bike. This makes changing his diapers a bit tricky at times. It doesn't help that now he's started trying to roll away. It's a good thing our changing pad has curved edges.
- Zach showns that he definitely knows me and likes to be with me. I love seeing him hold his little arms out and lean towards me.
- Zach has started leaving one toy in his mouth while using both hands to play with other things.
- Zach loves playing with tags. Often while he's playing with his toys, burp cloth, or blankets he'll find the tag and it will grab his attention until he's fingered and tasted it for awhile.
- Zach loves watching Baby Signing Time. When we need to get something done we just put him in his walker and turn on the DVD. While watching he'll often lean forward with his arms hugging the top part of the walker.
- So far Zach has only figured out how to move backwards in his walker.
Some more pictures of Zach just for fun:
Jason and Cassie Wedding
My twin brother Jason married Cassandra Conrad on Jan. 17th. That's the 4th wedding in my family since Apr. '06. Four weddings in less than three years - my parents are becoming pros at this.
The wedding took place at the Salt Lake temple and was performed by my Grandpa Jones who's a sealer. It was the first time our entire family was together since the two babies were born. It was freezing outside the temple during pictures so we left as soon as we could. As you can see, Zach didn't appreciate the cold.
The reception ended up being a real party with crazy dancing and really good food. Here are some more pictures :)
Zach was really cute in his sweater vest that matched the wedding colors. I can't believe how grown up he's looking!
Zach was also a big hit with the ladies...and the photographer, and other random strangers. (The dance party went past his bedtime, hence the jammies)
Jason's friends lifted him up in a chair during one of the songs. It was amazing he didn't fall off.
The wedding took place at the Salt Lake temple and was performed by my Grandpa Jones who's a sealer. It was the first time our entire family was together since the two babies were born. It was freezing outside the temple during pictures so we left as soon as we could. As you can see, Zach didn't appreciate the cold.
The reception ended up being a real party with crazy dancing and really good food. Here are some more pictures :)
Zach was really cute in his sweater vest that matched the wedding colors. I can't believe how grown up he's looking!
Zach was also a big hit with the ladies...and the photographer, and other random strangers. (The dance party went past his bedtime, hence the jammies)
Jason's friends lifted him up in a chair during one of the songs. It was amazing he didn't fall off.
Wedding Flowers
My brother Jason got married last Saturday and I was in charge of all the flowers - bridal bouquet, 2 corsages, 9 boutonnières, bridesmaid roses (just had to tie a ribbon around them), and the cake flowers. It was a lot of work but I had fun doing it. Thankfully I had some help taping and wiring from my mom, Derrick, and a few people from Cassie's family. We didn't get many pictures but here's a few to show how they turned out:
The Supplies
Coming out of the temple
Up close (at the end of the day)
The Cake
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)