The New Camera Face

The blank stare that used to surface when I busted out the camera has officially been replaced by a new and improved camera face...

Ta Da!!!! Get a load of that smile! And for your viewing pleasure I zoomed in on his mouth so that you could get a good look at the two teeth he has coming in through his bottom gum. One of the teeth has officially broken through and the other you can see starting to make its way up.

I must say...he is a cutie!

*please note the super handsome outfit Michael is in...Thanks Grandma Laura and Grandpa Perry!!

Turkeymas

Every year we take turns celebrating certain holidays with each side of the family. This year is the Ridge Christmas, so we celebrated Christmas with the Peterson's at Thanksgiving. (Two years ago Steven decided to name this blessed celebration Turkeymas.) While it was a really short trip, it was nice to be all together as a family. We've been really blessed this year because my side of the family has been able to get together4 times since Michael's birth.


Michael didn't have very many toys prior to this get-together and he was definitely spoiled by his Grandma Gracie and Grandpa John.

Jonathan likes this one because it's in English and Spanish

The Playskool Ball Popper thingamajig is still a little advanced for him, but he likes to play with the balls and to tip the toy over so that the air blows in his face. :)

(I still don't know how to rotate videos...)

He also got a few toys from his Uncle Paul, Auntie Jennie, and Cousin James.

His favorite thing to do with these is to watch me stack the cups so he can knock them down...

At this point I think I have more fun with his toys than he does...but Michael gets a kick out of it when I play with them with him :)

I still can't believe how fast he grows and the new things he does each and every day. He's started to make new sounds and has moved from just saying "ma-ma-ma" for everything to including ba's da's and ga's in all sorts of combinations. I've been trying to get it on video...but have had no such luck yet. He also officially has two teeth coming in which makes him a bit grumpy at times, but all in all he really is such a sweet happy boy. Our pediatrician said that pretty soon he may start to have "stranger anxiety" and freak out when someone other than I am holding him...I'll really be surprised if that ever happens. I think he may have "grumpy-people anxiety" because if you are a happy stranger, he'll smile and go right to you. :) Such fun times!

I can sit!

While crawling still hasn't been of any interest to Michael, sitting up finally is! Before Thanksgiving the best we could do independently was this:

...which would last all of 5 seconds before he plopped to his side. By the time we got back he had gotten much much better at balancing himself.


Unfortunately...mom needs to get better at moving things out of the way so that when he does topple he doesn't hit anything...I wasn't quite quick enough nor observant enough beforehand to move a box that was near him. Michael tried to grab a toy that was just out of reach and he fell to the side and bumped his head...you can see the line it made on the left side of his forehead...we had a very unhappy boy on our hands for all of 30 seconds and then he was ready to sit up and play some more.


Michael had his six month appointment on Monday. Here are the new measurements:

Weight: 14 pounds 8 ounces (still in the 10th percentile)
Height: 26.5 inches (dropped to the 75th percentile from 90th percentile)
Head Circumference (up to the 50th percentile from 25th percentile)

Sick, Sick, Sick...

When I was 17, I babysat two little girls for a sister in our ward. One of the girls was less than a year old and about an hour after I had put both of the girls down to bed, she woke up hysterical. I remember being unable to calm her down for quite some time...I finally sat down in their rocking chair and I sang to her. Right away she stopped and fell back asleep in my arms. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait for the day that I would hold my own child and rock him or her as I sang them to sleep.

Singing is part of our bedtime routine with Michael, but he gets so excited when I sing to him that it's almost not productive because he thinks it's playtime when I do. Jonathan and I limit it to one or two songs and then continue with the routine of nursing him and such. I've been sick since Monday and Michael finally followed suit yesterday. He had a runny nose and a cough and seemed warm, but every time I took his temperature he didn't have a fever. (To make things worse he's been having tummy aches because he's constipated...) At four in the morning he wasn't doing too well and we took his temperature again and it was 100.0 degrees (which I found out today isn't technically considered a "fever" for him...) He was having trouble breathing because he was so plugged up and was coughing constantly. I held him upright and starting singing to him and he immediately put his head down on my shoulder and whimpered his way back to sleep in my arms. It's unfortunate that my dream of singing my child to sleep had to come about that way, but at least I now know that Michael does find my singing comforting...

Here's a picture of poor Michael from this morning...

We called the pediatrician's office this morning, and since our doctor is out of the office on Fridays, we saw the on-call pediatrician. They weighed him at 13 lb 15 ounces. His fever however was gone and the pediatrician was impressed with how active and smiley he was (HUGE contrast to what he was ALL last night...). She said it looked like he just had a cold that has been going around. I was sure he didn't have the swine flu...but in the back of my mind I was paranoid since several of my in-laws and some of the family members of Jonathan's co-workers were officially diagnosed with it recently and I know any kind of flu isn't a good thing for Michael to get...His ears were very clear, but he was extremely congested. We're supposed to keep an eye on him and if his fever comes back and is persistent this weekend we need to bring him back in on Monday. She said that for his age a low-grade fever would be 100.4.

The rest of the day Michael did really well and besides the huge bags under his eyes, his runny nose with snot that flies all over me when he sneezes, and his occasional cough...he seems to be getting back to his old happy self. I was even finally able to get his "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" on video...

Right now saying "ma-ma-ma" is his way of talking. He sometimes grunts or squeaks too...but ma-ma-ma is used most often. Hopefully someday soon that mama will refer to me :)

Anyway...I better end this. We're praying Michael continues to get better and that he will sleep through the night tonight...I don't know how much longer my body will endure this lack of sleep while I'm sick!

4 months

It's amazing how quickly these doctor's appointments sneak up on you...Michael has now been with us for 4 months and it's getting hard to even remember what it was like before he came into our lives.

4 month Stats:
Height: 26 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 12 lbs 7 oz (10th percentile)
Head Circumference: 40.9 centimeters (25th percentile)

So he's still a tall skinny little boy...I was starting to get worried that he wasn't getting enough to eat because it seems like I'm not producing quite enough to fill Michael up, and he always seems like he's hungry. We asked the pediatrician today if we could start giving Michael rice cereal and he gave us the thumbs up :). So tonight for dinner, Michael had his first rice cereal experience...and of course we recorded it so you could enjoy it with us :)

Michael and I were sitting on the bed afterward and I turned to see this...

if you were wondering...yes that is the leftover rice cereal that Michael did not finish...I feel bad feeding my child something that I won't eat, but if my husband will eat it, I guess it can't be that bad...right ;)

And since we are in video mode...Michael always gets super excited when his daddy comes home from work--he laughs and smiles more with him in the first 5 minutes he's back than he does all day with me. He's definitely a daddy's boy.

I have a cute son...

I know I still need to finish the Oregon trip...but Michael's had a few milestones this past week that I can't pass up blogging about.

1. He has officially discovered his feet and is often found with one foot either in his hand or in his mouth...

2. He has fallen in love with the snoring monkey Grandma Peggy gave him and enjoys playing with him (aka eating him) while in his bumbo.


And the most exciting of all...

3. Yesterday morning MICHAEL ROLLED OVER! (from his tummy to his back) We thought that maybe it was a fluke, but then he did it 4 more times last night when we had company over. I'm going to try catching it on video sometime this week...

...and since I don't have a picture for #3, I'll share this one...

I have such a cute son!


PS. Jennie, I finished Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, and the Order of the Phoenix...and I just started Half-Blood Prince...

Trip to Oregon continued...

It has taken me a little longer than expected to continue posting about the Oregon trip...but I blame Jennie. Sorcerer's Stone-done. Chamber of Secrets-page 164. Thankfully Michael doesn't mind me reading Harry Potter books to him instead of "The Little Engine that Could." Reading a novel aloud makes it a much longer read...but anyway, we now take a break from the Harry Potter World to post...

Day 2:

The Second day we were in Oregon, we decided to do a session at the Portland temple. The outside was covered in beautiful marble and it seemed to be hidden by the surrounding trees...completely gorgeous of course.

Steven and Stephanie were nice enough to watch James and Michael while we were inside...but as Steven put it "What else are we going to do?"

After we got home from the temple, sandwiches were made and eaten, and we made our way to the Japanese Gardens. We were a little late to catch the tour, but when we found the group we couldn't hear what the lady was saying--so we let Paul guide us through the gardens. I think he made up half of what he said ;) but regardless, he was very entertaining and informative. Unfortunately, all I really remember is the shi shi bucket...but everything was beautiful.


Day 3:

On Saturday, August 29th we all wore our matching shirts and hiked Multnomah Falls.

The whole group in our shnazy shirts.

Me and my boys

sista love :)

At the bottom it said it was 1.0 miles to Multnomah Falls--lies. When we hit the 1 mile marker we were not there. Once we started hiking it also said there were 11 switchbacks--more lies. They sometimes counted 2 or 3 switchbacks as 1--very rude if you ask me...giving first-timers a false hope making them believe they're almost there when really they're not! Luckily it was worth every extra step :)

in the wilderness

Proud Papas

hugs!

kisses!

At the top!

Mom made it to the top a little later. Baba managed to get to switchback #3 (which is pretty impressive had you seen the steep climb she was making with her cane) before she had to stop. Mom waited until Steven and Stephanie came back down to take her place and be with Baba so she could venture up too.

Jonathan decides to cool off in the freezing water...

James ventures in too...

The way down was much quicker of course but also much more taxing on the knees and hips. When we got home everyone was ready for a nap, but only Jonathan and Michael got one...

The fun of course couldn't stop there! Later that evening we decided to pick some blackberries and play some baseball. Jennie warned us all that the blackberry bushes are rather prickly, and so in order to prevent my accident prone self from losing my hand to a bush--I picked a total of 3... :)

notice Jonathan in the bushes behind my mom...I think he's eating as he's picking :) sneaky sneaky!

Instead of playing an actual game of baseball due to the lack of gloves, Paul pitched to each of us and we scored a number of points depending on where the ball was hit. Paul's team was getting massacred...and had it not been for James picking up the slack in the end, they would have lost...


Okay, I need a break (as I'm sure you do as well if you made it this far)--Back to Harry Potter...

Trip to Oregon

The much awaited trip to Oregon has come and gone. It was tons of fun to have everyone on my side of the family together yet again this summer. Unfortunately it will be the last time for a while :(.

Day 1:
Jonathan, Michael, and I drove through the night last Wednesday and arrived in Beaverton, Oregon mid-morning on Thursday. Michael was such a trooper with the 11-hour car drive. We only had to stop twice to feed him, but each of those times he immediately fell back asleep. Had it not been for the sun coming out I think he would have slept the rest of the time. That evening, we watched Paul and Jonathan play softball. It's been quite a long time since Jonathan has played ball and he quickly learned that he's not as fast as he used to be. He got a nice lump on his shin to prove it. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it...but here are a few from that night:

I don't know what Paul is looking at...

Jonathan manages to hit the ball...

...and get on base. Please notice how dirty he manages to get...

The rest of us just watched and ate snow cones. James however made a new friend at the park:

And Grandma Gracie took great pleasure in getting in as much Michael time as she could...

Paul's team was pretty much masacred in the first game, but they managed to win the second one. I definitely miss watching Paul play ball!

Coming Next:
Day 2: Our visit to the Portland Temple and the Japanese Gardens
Day 3: Multnomah Falls, blackberry picking and a pick-up baseball game at the park
Day 4: The Oregon Coast, Tillamook Cheese Factory, and a visit with Adam
Day 5: Pool time at the hotel and Mariners vs. Angels at Safeco
Day 6: Being Tourists in Seattle and visiting the Whatcott Fun Center

Michael Laughs

I know I just posted a few hours ago...but I couldn't pass up posting this cute video of Michael. He's been giggling more and more, but the first time he seriously laughed was the weekend of his blessing. Of course, the only person who heard it was Jonathan. When we were in Oregon, he put on a show for Paul and Jennie, but I wasn't able to catch it on camera. He's done it a few times since, but I found his weak spot today...

hehehe...too cute.

We're Back!

We just got back from a wonderful Family Vacation in Oregon and Seattle. But...before I post any of those exciting adventures, I first need to catch up with the fun visit we had with Claire a few weeks ago...

You see...Claire had never been to Utah. I've lived here now for 5 years and she's never come to visit--sad day. It took having a baby to get her out here. Had I known that that is what it would take, I would have considered having a baby sooner! (JUST KIDDING) Actually Claire's been all sorts of busy with her most recent accomplishment being that of graduating with her bachelors and getting accepted into a masters program at Chapman University. So she decided to take one last adventure before selling her soul back to school.

I warned her that this adventure would be rather uneventful considering we are rather boring people...but we tried to keep her busy with some vicious games of Uno, Racko, and Monopoly.

We also went on a hike one evening with Diana and Jeff...
I think the trail was called Twin Falls, (Diana, you'll have to correct me if I'm wrong.) and it was absolutely gorgeous. On the way down we picked a flower for Derek since he was generous enough to let me steal his wife for 5 days.

We also discovered on Claire's visit that Michael does much better on long car rides when he has someone in the back seat to keep him company. (This knowledge definitely came in handy on our road trip to and from Oregon...)

On the Thursday she was in town we decided to be touristy and go to Temple Square. We watched the Joseph Smith film and walked around the grounds.


While we were there I also got my first parking ticket....grrr. I figured free parking was the best route to take so I parked behind the Conference Center. It was only 2 hour parking so after we watched the Joseph Smith film we moved it to the other side of the street which was also 2 hour parking. An hour later we went back to the car so that we could pick Diana up so we could all go swim and visit Grandma Peggy. As we approached the car though we saw a not so nice envelope under my windshield wipers...not a happy moment. About 10 minutes prior a ticket was written because it was first chalked and recorded on the other side of the street and then chalked and recorded on this side of the street more than 2 hours later. I was very frustrated and being the pansy I am I was just going to pay the $15 ticket (It was $55 if paid after 10 days). Anyway, Claire gave me the courage to drive the four blocks to the courthouse to dispute it. When we arrived we spoke to someone and found out there was no way to argue it because the person writing the ticket has no way of knowing we moved it to the other side of the road. We also learned that there are 2 ways parking enforcement does their job. One way is to chalk tires, and the other way is to record the car electronically. If it is chalked you have to drive enough for it to come off (or wipe it off) if you are going to park in the same vicinity. If it is recorded electronically, you shouldn't park in the same vicinity for at least 2 1/2 hours after you move it because if they record you at the end of the 2 hour period you were there and you go home or drive to the airport and come back in less than 2 hours you can technically get a ticket. The annoying thing is that you have no way of knowing which they are doing that day or in that area...RIDICULOUS... Anyway the lady we spoke to reduced the ticket to $5 since I had never had a parking violation in the area...Claire and I rationalized that had we parked in any of the lots in the area it would have been a minimum of $6, so the ticket was the better deal :(

Well after taking care of that we picked Diana up and went swimming in Riverton at Grandma Peggy's complex. The water was a little more pleasant this time for Michael, but it didn"t take long for him to start shivering...so we got out and had a nice visit with grandma.

The following day we had to drive Claire to the airport and say goodbye :( It was a really fun visit...and I hope it doesn't take me having another baby for her to come back! ;)

Michael's Blessing

This past Sunday was Michael's Baby Blessing. It was wonderful to be able to have so many family members there to share in this special day. Michael must have had a nervous tummy because during the opening song he decided to load his diaper. Jonathan and I were praying that it wouldn't go through and onto his nice white outfit...thankfully it didn't...at least not that time. Right as church was ending, there was a repeat offense and it went through the diaper, his onsie, and his new outfit. But it gets better...after I managed to get those off of him, he decided to pee everywhere. You'd think that by now I'd be quick enough to get the diaper on him before such things could happen...but no.

After church we made our way to North Canyon Park for a picnic with the family. Here are a few pictures of those present at the park:

Peterson Family

Ridge Family

Whatcott Fun Center

Patti and Chad (Jamie was at the Blessing, but couldn't be there for the picnic)

Chevalier Family

Grandma and Grandpa Whatcott

Thank you to those who took the time to prepare different dishes for everyone to share. The food was great!

Since we had spent most of the week with the Ridge's with everyone being in town for Dustin and Amy's wedding, we decided to spend the rest of Sunday Evening with the Peterson's. We played a vicious game of Uno and ate yummy leftover Chocolate Birthday Cake.

Jonathan enjoyed hanging out with James and Michael:

And Grandma Gracie did some tummy time with Michael:

The weekend went by much too fast. We were bummed to see both sides of the family leave, but we're excited to see the Peterson's again in a few days!