michael + whitney

five months

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 04:02:00 +0000

A couple pictures NOT from my iphone of Paxton when he was five months old. We were in the middle of moving so I didn't get my camera out as much as I would have liked.

paxton: six months

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 03:53:00 +0000

paxton at six months (april 4)

You turned six months old on april 4! I can't even believe it has already been HALF a year! Don't grow up. Stay my baby forever! During the last month (when you were five months old):

You got pretty sick at the beginning of march. It was so sad! You had a terrible cough and didn't sleep good.
After you got better, you were back to sleeping 10 hours a night but started wanting a bottle again in the middle of the night.
You're still my little talker.
You love to eat your toes and hold you legs straight up in the air. You're our little rollie pollie.
You're finally getting a little chunkier!
You LOVE your rice cereal now (we first introduced it right before you turned 5 months old but stopped when you were sick, you weren't interested in it)! You still spill about half the bowl, but every time you see the spoon coming you stick your tongue right out.
Bath time is your favorite! You love to splash and splash and stare at yourself in the mirror. You could spend all day in the bath.
You still will eat anything and everything in your sight! Mostly my phone haha
You wake up between 7-8 each morning. Perfect baby!
You bounce so high and so hard in your bouncer. You're going to bounce right on out of it!
You sit up so good by yourself.
You can move around on the floor. Not forward yet, but you spin in circles!
You still love touching people's faces and putting your hands in our mouths.
You laugh so hard when we throw you in the air or kiss your tummy.
You like to stand on our laps.
You went through a little spurt where you just wanted to be held and played with constantly, but you're back to being ok with playing by yourself sometimes too.
You like to sit up in your car seat.
Your preferred method of communication is growling :) you and dad growl at each other. You growl at strangers and they always give me the funniest look.
You still like to blow spit bubbles with your lips!
You wrestle with my arm when I'm changing your diaper.
You try to eat my face. Literally. You suck on my cheeks and put your mouth on my nose and ears. You like my arms too.
You rest a lot. When you are on the floor you will be looking around and then all of a sudden lay your head on the floor. It's cute. (Yes, everything you do is cute!)
You can feed yourself your bottle! But I still do most of the time because I like to :)

3/31/14

I’m sitting on the bed watching you sleep. You bring me so much peace and happiness. I love when you are awake, but there is something so beautiful about you when you sleep. I see perfection in you. You are gentle. You are kind. You are loving. You are funny! You are goofy. You make me laugh. You are full of energy and life. You are my boy, and you always will be. You have such a strong personality. You love to laugh and have fun! You are so content playing by yourself too. You let me do so much and are just perfectly happy sitting on the bed. When we have to go do errands for hours you are just my happy baby the whole time. You just sit patiently and wait for me. How did I get so lucky? I want to give you the whole world. My love for you grows stronger every day. But I don’t know how I could love you more than I do right now! My heart could explode with the love I have you for you my boy. Thank you for being my everything.

^ This was when dad babysat you and needed to get some work done on his computer haha ^

^ Your new thing: putting your leg up when eating ^

^ Watching monsters inc at costco ^

^ taking a "break" ^

^ You like to try to drink your bottle sitting up ^

^ Golfing with dad in the backyard ^

^ You LOOOOOVE my water bottle and always steal it from me ^

^ You try to feed yourself ^

^ I always catch you talking to Bumbo (the big elephant) ^

^ Making faces at himself in the reflection of the mirror ^

I don't ever want you to grow up but I will admit, each day you get more fun! How did I get so lucky?!

* A couple more pictures of when you were this age here. *

four months old

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 02:17:00 +0000

I love this baby boy so much. He's my little buddy and best friend. Some pictures (not from my iphone) from four months old.

vegas and california (feb)

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 02:00:00 +0000

In February we went to Vegas for SCI (Safari Convention International). I might not be quite as interested as Mike is in it, but it's still really fun to look around at all the cool stuff! Vegas is definitely a lot different with a baby but Paxton did great and we had fun. We were there for a couple plans that me and Paxton caught a ride on the plane with my grandparents to Santa Maria for a couple days at home with my family. We had fun playing with grandma ranae and uncle steele!

^ Chillin watching cartoons ^

^ Grandma let Paxton pick out whatever jammies he wanted and he couldn't keep his eyes off these dino ones :) ^

^ It doesn't get any cooler than this ^

^ Just staring out at the world ^

^ my little man ^

^ this guy flies in style - private plane, don't mind if we do! ^

^ on the way home we lucked out with an entire row to ourselves ^

paxton: five months

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 17:24:00 +0000

paxton at five months (march 4)

In case you're confused like me, these are notes from the day after he turned 4 months old until the day he turned 5 months old:

Your personality continues to develop so much.
You have a couple go-to expressions. One: a big huge grin. Two: pushing your neck down and giving a shy smile.
You generally smile at strangers, if they aren't too loud.
You don't mind loud noises if its consistent, but startling noises scare you (basketball buzzer, blender).
You love to talk really loud... and sing even louder. You don't cry so you have to exercise your lungs somehow! You have the cutest voice and always have something to say.
You put your hands in your mouth and curl in a ball.
You're turning into a momma's boy and I couldn't love it more!
You try to sit up all the time - when you're going to sleep, when I'm changing your diaper, in your car seat. You have strong abs! About 4.5 months old you got pretty good at it.
You can sit up by yourself! But occasionally fall over.
You love Grandma Ranae! You smile and laugh at her and let her put you to sleep.
Like to sit in the bathtub (with my help) and SPLASH!
You've tried taking a few sips of water (you reach for my cup all the time) but I don't think you've actually swallowed any.
You can stand completely by yourself when leaning on something.
You love to sleep on your side.
You rub your eyes when you're tired and arch your back.
You still haven't remembered how to roll to your back (even though that's what you learned first) but you sure can roll to your stomach!
Hold your pacifier and examine it and put it in your mouth (or at least try).
Pull and eat my hair - pretty much anything you can get your hands on.
You love to cuddle with your blankets. You pull your blanket over your face (I always make sure you can breathe still!)
You're getting so active. You never sit still.
You hair has started to grow!
You watch TV sometimes while trying to eat the remote.
Your favorite toy (or at least you would like it to be your toy) is our phones. You want to eat them!
You've started to wake up earlier (6:30-7) and are a crazy animal at night! You roll all around and hold your legs in the air and rock back and forth.
At 4.5 months you started to not sleep as well during the night. You use to be on a three-hour schedule during the day but then all of a sudden stopped. Now you want a bottle to take a nap and don't nap as well. You've been waking up at 5:30 for a bottle then will sleep again until 7:30. You still are much better than most though so I'm not complaining!
You love to laugh and smile.
You LOVE peek a boo. You start laughing uncontrollably. We went on a walk and I did lunges while pushing the stroller, you thought I was playing peek a boo with you and you literally couldn't stop laughing. You couldn't breathe!
You love to chew on sophia the giraffe.
You are a slobber monster!
You like to play with our faces.
You fall asleep holding onto your rings and don't let go.
You always hold on to things. When you're sitting up under your play mat you hold onto the poles. When you're in the bath you hold onto the sides. You hold the sides of your car seat. I love that you are safe :)
You like your jumper. You were a little unsure at first though.

^ I was supervising him to make sure he didn't fall off the counter! ^

^ Watching daddy play basketball ^

^ This little girl was born on the same day as you. Look how tall you are! ^

^ I love this picture! ^

^ Trying to sit up ^

^ You always give me the funniest faces ^

* Pictures of Paxton at this age from our trip to Vegas/CA here and pictures NOT from an iphone here *

three months old

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 03:39:00 +0000

Some pictures NOT from my iphone. Now I just need to figure out how to edit them!

^ I told you sometimes he falls over :) ^

^ He doesn't mess around when it comes to sucking on his finger, hand, or handS ^

paxton: four months

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 03:20:00 +0000

paxton at four months (feb. 4)

In case you're confused like me, these are notes from the day after he turned 3 months old until the day he turned 4 months old:

Just a couple days after you turned 3 months you rolled over! You started rolling over from your stomach to your back. You did this for awhile first but now you can roll from your back to your stomach nonstop1 Every time we put you on your back you quickly roll to your tummy. Only problem, you start to fake cough and sound like you're being tortured once on your stomach haha and you "forgot" how to roll back over! What happened my friend? So, I help you back over, only to have you immediately roll back to your stomach. And over and over we go. Silly goose. When you're sitting up on the couch you sometimes fall over and will roll onto your stomach and then to your back and keep going.
You talk to me so much.
You're camera shy! You smile and laugh but once I pull out the camera you stare at me with a blank face. But you do love to stare at yourself in the mirror or when I turn the camera around so you can see yourself.
Stare at our food - someone is getting ready to start eating!
You're getting really coordinated with your hands. You play with toys so well.
You laugh and smile like nobodies business!
Don't nap a lot but we're working on it! You sleep through the night great though (you go to bed between 9-10 and wake up between 7-7:30) You toss and turn sometimes but if I put your pacifier back in your mouth you go back to sleep.
Fall asleep best when sucking on your pacifier or fingers
You LOOOOVE sucking on your fingers still - not your thumb, just your fingers and fists. And sometimes even BOTH hands at the same time.
You interlock your fingers and its the cutest.
You like to have your head tickled when falling asleep
You stood up all by yourself! Only for a second, but still!
You have the sweetest smile that melts my heart.
You try to eat everything... the remote and my phone mostly, oh and my fingers! You chew on them and then will start sucking so hard.
You're absolutely perfect. Everyone comments on what a great baby you are and how lucky we are.
You try rolling over in the bathtub and when I'm changing your diaper. It makes it kindof hard!
You can almost sit up by yourself! When you're sitting on the couch you always lean forward and fall over though.
Follow a pretty good 3 hour schedule - wake, eat, play, sleep, eat, play, etc.
You can hold your paci in your hand and have even put it in your mouth.
You love curling up with your blanket. You hold it close and put it up by your face.
Your hair is still a masterpiece. It went from baby mullet to baby fuzzball. It's short and sticks straight up. We laugh but we love it.
Side note: I'm down to pumping five times a day now (four during the day and once at night) I feel grateful that I haven't had to worry about a low supply.

1/20/14

You are so advanced! It is crazy to me. You can completely roll over both ways. Whenever we lay you on your back on your play mat, you immediately roll to your tummy! Dad and I looked up when babies can roll over last night.. 4 months for tummy to back and 5-6 months for tummy to back. You are barely 3 1/2 months! You are already an over-achiever :)

1/22/14

You make my heart smile. You are my sunshine. You are my happy place. I was looking at you while you were asleep last night and my heart about burst with the love I felt for you in that exact moment. The look on your face - I have never seen anything sweeter or more innocent in my entire life.

2/2/14

You were blessed today (read about it here)! But it is truly YOU that blesses our lives.

^ That SMILE ^

^ He's perfect ^

^ Love this cheese ball ^

^ He's already sticking his tongue out at me, great! ^

^ I about died when I saw this on instagram while I was gone one evening ^

^ This is what I wake up to. He just lays there waiting for me to get up :) ^

^ Like I said, he loves to stare at himself ^

^ Rollie pollie ^

^ Another infamous picture I got sent while at the gym one night ^

^ Mike's the best babysitter haha ^

^ Sweet dreams ^

^ He rarely does this anymore so I was soaking it up big time! ^

* Some more pictures from this age NOT from my iphone here *

paxton: three months

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 02:44:00 +0000

paxton at three months (jan. 4)

By three months old you: [incase you're confused like me, these are notes from the day he turned two months old to the day he turned three months]

Have great head/neck control. But to be honest, that started way back during month 1 and it got significantly better a couple weeks before turning three months old.
Run, run, run! On your back that is. It's so fun to watch you move your legs so fast. It looks like you are so excited!
Still love eating your fingers. You try to stick your whole hand in your mouth. Sometimes it's just one finger, sometimes it's a couple, and sometimes you stick your entire hand in there! Recently we started to think you were maybe teething a little. You love to suck your fingers but you also love to CHOMP on them too. You prefer your fingers to your paci at the moment.
Make me laugh when I change your diaper. You hold both arms straight up in the air, with both legs sticking straight up as well - all fours in the air! And then you roll back and forth. It makes changing your diaper quite the adventure. You love to get your diaper changed though - you talk and talk.
Right after you turned 2 months old you started to roll onto your sides. You look like you want to roll over!
You're becoming more aware of yourself in the mirror.
You still kick your blanket off most nights.
Sleeping through the night! By week 8-9 you started sleeping about 8 hours in a row and even get up to 10 on occasion. We love you!
You love everybody. You make everybody feel special and loved. Everyone always says, "he liked me so much!" but secretly we smile because you really just like everyone :)
You smile and talk all the time. I love our conversations.
You try to laugh and make squeaky noises. It's my favorite. You fake cough sometimes too.
You like to be carried up against my shoulder now (unlike when you were a newborn). You can look around now.
You have the strongest legs and LOVE to stand up. It's your favorite position to be in. I think you must be getting tired but nope, you never want to sit down.
Your favorite toy is shine a light freddie that grandma ranae bought you. You could stare at it all day (and do). You immediate start to kick and talk (and pretty much spaz out) when you see it. It always cheers you up. You can grab at it and can sometimes get ahold of it! You can pull it into your body and hold onto it.
You're getting a lot better hand-eye coordination.
You hold your arms up in the air and just gaze at your hands. You're fascinated by them.
You're now a drooler and have started to lick things.
You can (somewhat) push your paci back into your mouth.
You're in your 3-6 month clothes. You are sooo long but a little skinny.
You make everyone happy!
Sleep on your side.
Love to sit up on the couch.

12/27/13

I can’t believe how blessed I am to have you as my baby. You are about as close to perfect as I can imagine. You did wonderful in Hawaii, even with the time change. We shared a room with your cousins Gwen (4) and Reese (2) and you did better than them sleeping through the night (no offense to them - we LOVE them)! You never complain and are so mellow. You let me do the things I need to do and sit so patiently waiting for me. You entertain yourself (with your hands) and are so low-maintenance. Every now and then you like to be held after you’ve been laying down for awhile and that’s about it! It made me so sad one day when I was taking a shower while you were in your car seat. You got a little sad so I picked you up and you quickly got a big smile on your face. You just didn’t want to be forgotten about! Little boy, you will NEVER be forgotten. You are more loved, by me, your dad, your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, your cousin Gwen… then you will EVER know. YOU ARE LOVED. My heart is more full than I could have ever dreamed. I never knew I could feel so deeply and so much for someone so tiny. You are my world and my everything. I want you to stay my little baby for the rest of your life. But I know that with each day my love for your grows more and that as you grow we have even more fun together. But I will never forget the sweet tender moments we have, just me and you, talking, playing, laughing, and just gazing into each other’s eyes. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the greatest gift of all - you.

^ Your smile melts my heart! ^

^ Your cousin Gwen LOVES you ^

^ You were so happy to see dad after we were away from him for a few days ^

^ You weren't too amused with pictures ^

^ One of my favorite pictures. You are so cute! ^

* More pictures of Paxton at this age from Hawaii and Christmas in California here *

paxton: two months

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 03:00:00 +0000

paxton at two months (dec. 4)

My sweet baby boy, you turned TWO months old today! Here are some notes from when you were one month old. During the last month:

You got sick for the first time. You were so mellow and we could tell you didn't feed good. You struggled to breathe because of your stuffy nose and you had a cough. And yet, you still were the sweetest baby and never complained by crying. You just layed there and were peaceful.
We still keep your hands covered to keep you warm (you don't like to be swaddled so your hand are free and were getting so cold at night). You are starting to put your hands in your mouth so your sleeves are often wet.
You're starting to be more aware of things. You look for us when you hear our voices. You stare at your toys and love sounds. You are already smart!
You have found your hands! You clinch your wrists and examine them close by your face. You struggle to fit the whole thing in your mouth, but you try :) You sometimes try so hard that you hit yourself in the face.
You are the definition of a HAPPY baby.
You are strong! You lock your legs and love to stand up (umm what, you were only a month old doing this!) You are always moving your head and neck around. When we lay you on your stomach you can hold your head up high.
You love to explore and look around. You observe everything.
You smile and talk all the time. Especially in the morning.
You love to play and be talked to. When you're fussy (which is rare) you usually just want to be picked up and then you're happy.
You can follow things with your eyes.
You have frequent "dance" parties where you kick and move around like crazy. We love it and think it's the funniest thing. I'm just worried you're going to hurt yourself!
You are so active. But you can be so mellow too.
You smile a ton at people, but always at your dad.
You still looooove to stretch out your arms above your head

Two Month Old Stats:

24.25 inches - 96%

11 pounds 12.5 ounces- 44%

15.5 head circumference - 64%

11/14

You are a traveling boy! A day after you turned one month, we hopped on a plane with dad and grandma and grandpa weekes and went to Florida! I was so worried how you would do on the plane because I didn’t want you to get sick. I was right, you got sick on the way home :( You did awesome on the plane though! You slept some of the time (it’s a LONG flight!) and the rest of the time you just stared out the window and looked around. You love to explore. You were great while we were there. Grandma kept saying how amazed she was with what a happy, easy baby you are. Thank you my sweet child!

11/16

Dad left us for the first time since you were born! Luckily he just left for about 36 hours :) You woke up so much last night, I know you’re still not feeling good. I’m tired but when I look at you, it all goes away. We’ve been getting up around 6:30-7 and we lay on the floor and read books and play with animals. You make my life better. You make my life happy. You are my everything! I look forward to every day with you and am so blessed to get to be with you all day. You are my best friend and I can’t wait for the many years and memories we have to come. I can’t believe I get to be your mom and that you are my sweet son. Dad and I can’t believe you came into our lives this perfect little angel. You mean the world to us. I was a little worried about being overwhelmed and getting the baby blues because I’ve heard so many people get it. But Paxton, I have never been sad or depressed. I get tired and yes, sometimes I feel like it’s a lot to do (mostly because I have to pump too), but you make it so easy on me and make me as HAPPY as I’ve ever been. I could look at you all day every day (and I do!). I love you. I want to be the best mom in the entire world to you. You deserve everything. You are the perfect cuddledr! I never want to put you down! You fit so perfectly in my arms. I hate that I have to pump after I feed you. Otherwise I would hold you forever. Last night was night two of about three hours of sleep for me. As I changed your diaper at 5:30 you layed there with your big wonderful eyes and gave me the biggest smile. It made everything better. You're already taking care of me. Thank you for giving me just what I need.

11/18

You are so big. I can't believe how much you have grown. Please stop! Stay my little tiny baby forever. I already know the time is going to pass by too fast. But I am excited to continue getting to know your personality and spend forever with you. This morning during tummy time you were holding your head so high! You are strong. I'm so proud of you.

12/4

You're two months old today. You have grown up so much and so fast. On the plane ride home you were perfect once again. I was staring at you and your beautiful spirit and my heart wanted to burst with the love I have for you. Nothing like flying to Florida and to California before you were two months old! You've been coast to coast! The last two months have been the happiest of my life because of you. You are kind, sweet, gentle, playful, loving, and so very wonderful.

^ You first flight! The day you turned one month ^

^ Only a month old and already tired of my pictures ^

^ You already have a personality and I love it ^

^ Still sleeping with your arms up above your head ^

^ The many faces of Paxton ^

^ I'm glad someone is happy waking up for the day at 5 am ^

^ The first time you found your mouth! ^

^ I die ^

* More pictures from Florida and Thanksgiving in California here *

paxton: one month

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 19:04:00 +0000

paxton at one month (nov. 4)

Paxton turned one month old! Here are some notes from Paxton's first month of life.

You like driving in the car. Sometimes you fall asleep, sometimes you look outside at the world. But you never complain!
You sleep really well in your car seat.
You don't like to latch on during your feedings. We're working on it but in the meantime I'm pumping breast milk for you.
You make it easy on us, we don't have to warm your bottles up! You drink them just fine at room temperature.
You're starting to find your hands! You haven't started sucking on them yet, but you will put them on your mouth.
You rarely curl up tight like most babies. Instead, you stretch out as far as you can.
You are so animated! I love your many faces.
When you fall asleep after you're done eating, you sprawl out and have your mouth wide open. It's easy to say you're in a milk coma!
You love your dad. You cuddle on his shoulder all the time.
Around three weeks you started "coo-ing". I like to think you're talking to me!
When I lay you on my lap, you kick my stomach and push yourself off. You are so strong!
You have the strongest little newborn neck in the world. At one week, you were moving your head all around! When we lay you on our shoulders, you ALWAYS look up at us. And you lift your head up and turn it side to side.
You stare so deeply. It's as if you're looking into our souls. I know that you know us.
You grip my fingers so tight.
You cross your eyes (but we still love your silly face!)
You love to put your arms straight up in the air when you sleep and eat.
You have the biggest and cheesiest smile! But we usually just get to see it when you're asleep :)
Just like when I was pregnant with you, you get the hiccups a lot.
You're just like your dad and love water. Bath time is your favorite, as long as you aren't cold!
You rarely cry.
Being a new mom, I get scared bringing you places but we have tried to take advantage of the weather before it gets too cold and go on walks. You love your car seat and stroller so you usually just fall asleep.
I never get anything done because when you fall asleep on me, I never want to move you! I just want to soak in that moment forever.
This past month has been a blur, but it is easily the best month of my life. But with you baby boy, I have a feeling I'm going to say that every month :)

Three Day Old Stats:

8.27 pounds - 71%

21.7 inches - 99%

14.5 head circumference - 95%

Two Week Old Stats:

8.82 pounds - 59%

22 inches - 97%
14.5 head circumference - 85%

10//11/13

I laid awake last night next to you on the couch and just stared at my precious boy. As I looked at you, I couldn’t believe that I was your mother, and you my perfect son. You are so content and so happy. You rarely cry. When you do, it’s always your dad’s or my fault (changing your diaper, bathing you). Your favorite thing to do is open your eyes big and bright when you’re on our shoulder and stare up at us. It’s my favorite thing in the world. We lock eyes and just gaze at each other. We always have to be careful though because you are SO strong and love to move your head around and look out at the world! You impress us so much and you will never know how much your dad and I love you.

10/30/13

It amazes me how I grow to love you more and more every day. Every night as Mike and I sit on the couch and watch you peacefully sleep, I can’t help but repeatedly say, “I just want to eat him alive!” I have never seen a more beautiful baby boy. I give you so many kisses! I want to squeeze you and love you all the time! Your little personality is developing more and more by the day. You are sweet, peaceful, playful, calm. You make my life so easy! You like to wake up a lot at night (more so when daddy watches you - but I think it’s because he sneaks and puts his suckers in your mouth!) but you sleep up to four hours sometimes. You are the most marvelous thing to watch when you sleep. I love cuddling with you! You are the best cuddler in the world - it’s easily my favorite thing. You bring me so much joy and happiness. People say having a baby is the hardest thing you’ve ever done. It is hard sometimes, but I don’t think of it like that at all. You really are an incredible baby.

^ The many faces of Paxton ^

^ We love these BIG stretches! ^

^ I can't believe you're already getting too big for my lap ^

^ Always dreaming sweet things ^

^ Admiring the pretty trees up Provo Canyon ^

^ Halloween! We dropped the ball on costumes. But when you're as cute as you, you don't need one. ^

^ Your first BYU football game ^

^ Sundance ^

^ Leaving the hospital vs. 3 weeks old ^

you've had a birthday; shout "hooray!"

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 04:35:00 +0000

we want to sing to you today. one year older and wiser too. happy birthday. to you!

This handsome man turned 20 on June 10. Instead of celebrating here with family, he is out serving the Lord and the people in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

My faithful brother has been in Mexico for 11 months! He is a bright light in this world. If you've ever met him, you know there is something special about him. He is so handsome and yet so humble! He has the biggest heart and cares so deeply. He got a big birthday surprise and was called to be an assistant! As we like to say, he is truly RUNNING and we couldn't be more proud of him and his example. He makes me want to be better, and the world a better place.

God be with you till we meet again!

fresh start

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Thu, 29 May 2014 22:03:00 +0000

Life is full of adventure! And often one thing leads to another and we start to slack on things that we want to do. Keeping a record of our lives is one of them for me. We moved (after a long year and a half process) and are settled into "normal" life again. It's time to play a little catch up and start fresh!

#nofilter :)

Paxton Michael Weekes

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Thu, 29 May 2014 21:59:00 +0000

Michael and I welcomed our angel, our everything, into the world at 6:41 a.m. on October 4, 2013.

Baby Weekes was 8 lbs 9 oz and 22 inches long.

A look back...

At my 39 week appointment on Monday I still wasn't progressing and barely dilated. Our hopes of having this baby early had pretty much withered away. As Mike would say, "I'm over it. We're never having a baby." We were so excited to meet him and he just did not seem to want to come! My mom had all of my siblings and I at 37 weeks or earlier. I was told at 35 weeks we'd having a baby sooner than later. Baby boy was always measuring ahead of schedule at my appointments. We thought for sure he would be here early! But all things worthwhile take time :) And he was definitely worth the wait!

I had been keeping somewhat busy and always getting out of the house before week 39. But for some reason on Tuesday everything kind of hit me and my body needed to rest. So... Tuesday and Wednesday were spent doing pretty much nothing at all. I had only experienced a few minor contractions and nothing close enough together to give us hope that "this might be it." But I was experiencing more and more pain in my stomach and my back pain intensified. Mike noticed our sweet babe started to drop in my stomach. During our evening walks, I definitely started to feel him lower and lower and so much pressure down below. But at the same time, he was still kicking away at my ribs! We always knew he would be a big boy (Mike was just shy of 8 lbs and I was a nice plump 9 lbs and 22 inches long) plus my doctor shared the same thoughts - he'd be nice and long and at least 8 lbs.

After two lazy days, I decided it was time to get some things done on Thursday and be somewhat productive again. I got ready and headed out the door. My sister text me and asked how Paxton was doing. Before I drove away I said he was a little too happy in my belly and not coming yet. Little did I know! Right as I pulled out onto the street I felt a big gush of water. Some people say it can feel like you're going to the bathroom. There was no doubt in my mind that my water had just broken! Water was everywhere. I quickly turned around and ran back to our apartment. I sure was glad I wasn't out and about when that happened! I came in and told Mike. My heart was racing and I was a little in shock. After so many days of saying, "he's coming", he really was coming! After the initial "shock," I quickly calmed down. It was 12:15 and I realized I hadn't eaten anything. I knew once everything started at the hospital I couldn't eat so we stopped at Jamba on the way - I later wished I would have grabbed a sandwich or something a little more substantial! My tummy was rumbling by the end!

Of course the day I went into labor was the busiest day at the hospital! We waited in an overflow room before they officially admitted me. There was no question about whether my water had broken - an hour and a half later and it was still pouring out! It is the weirdest feeling. I finally got moved to a labor & delivery room and was checked to see if I had dilated anymore - nope! At 3 p.m. they started me on pitocin. Let me tell you - that stuff works fast! Because my water had already broken, my nurse warned me my contractions were going to really hurt (not that they don't always!) and to not hesitate to get the epidural. She also offered to give me pain medicine in my IV if I wanted to wait on the epidural. I started getting terrible contractions 30 minutes after they started my induction and they progressively got worse and worse. Mike and his dad gave me a blessing that Paxton and I would be healthy and that everything would go well during labor. It brought such comfort, especially with it being our first baby and having no idea what to expect. By 5 p.m. I was having a 60-90 second contraction every 1-3 minutes. They turned down my dose of pitocin because I was contracting too often. I have never been in so much pain! After you go through labor, your idea of pain is never the same. I broke down at 6 p.m. and got the IV with pain medicine, which helped for all of 10 minutes. The only thing I could muster out of my mouth the whole time was "why would anyone do this without any epidural?!" "HOW can anyone do this without an epidural?!" fair enough to say an epidural was on my mind! Every time my nurse came in she asked me if I wanted it yet and I said I wanted to wait as long as possible until I had dilated more. When she came in at 7:30 p.m. she pretty much told me to get it and that worse case it prolongs my labor an hour - but better to endure that extra hour in comfort. I caved. I will thank that nurse forever for making me feel ok with getting it so soon! I am not a fan of needles. Probably because every time I get my blood drawn, an IV put in, anything, something goes wrong and they have to stab me again (it happened when they drew my blood when I first got there, when they put my IV in, and of course, with my epidural) but at that moment I would have let them stick anything in my back to take the pain away. I didn't feel a thing! After the first try sent shocks and tingles down my right leg, they tried again and all was well! It worked quickly and effectively and labor was so much more comfortable. I could breathe. Props to those out there that can do it without a little extra help - but I am definitely not one of them! I commend you.

My mom made it to the hospital - all the way from California - around 9 p.m. I was so happy she was able to be there. We visited for awhile and my sweet niece Gwen came to bring me band aids to help me get better :) She wanted to put them on my stomach but settled for my hand. She even brought one for Paxton. She was a little confused as to why he wasn't here yet though! She had been eagerly awaiting his arrival, it was the cutest. I wasn't able to sleep at all that night. My blood pressure monitor and the heart rate monitor kept slipping so the alarm would sound every now and then. Nurses would come check to see where I was dilated. And Paxton's heart rate was moving around more than anyone wanted it to, so I was constantly told to move positions to help. At midnight I was still only a 2. We were told it wouldn't be until late morning at the earliest that our boy would be here and that the goal was to have him by noon or we'd have to talk about a possible c-section because my water had been broken for so long. As the night moved on, I started to feel a lot of pressure down low and my contractions again. A short two hours later at 2 a.m. I was elated to hear the nurse tell me I was dilated to a 6! They checked again after two hours and this mamma was ready to go at a 10 at 4 a.m. Unfortunately, right then I spiked a high fever and my body was not feeling good at all. I could tell something was wrong with me. I had an infection. I was put on antibiotics and had to wait an hour for them to run their course. The NICU was alerted to be on call in case something had passed to Paxton. At 6:10 a.m. I was told it was go-time. A short 30 minutes later Paxton Michael Weekes was born. It was the most surreal moment and one that changed our lives forever, in the very BEST way.

I couldn't believe he was finally here. I just stared and stared at him while the doctor and nurses took care of him. Little baby boy had a hard time breathing and because of my infection, he had to go to the NICU. While he was laying on the table, he opened his eyes for the first time and starred at his dad. It was the sweetest moment and one we will both cherish. He knew his daddy :) It was amazing how alert he was. I was able to hold him for a quick minute before he left. I just remember not believing that he was my baby boy. I was a mother! I will never forget that moment when I held him in my arms for the first time and just looked down on my baby. When he initially had a hard time breathing, I just kept thinking to myself, "please cry. please cry." I wanted to hear it. Those few seconds seem like an eternity. It was such a relief once I did. After that though, I felt calm and knew he would be ok. Mike went with our son to the NICU and I just sat with my mom trying to take it all in. It was all a little bit of a blur, and I was definitely a little in shock. With no sleep and just giving birth, I was exhausted. I got some food and was able to walk a little before being moved to a recovery room where I finally got some sleep. When I woke up I got to be reunited with Paxton in the NICU. It was heartbreaking to see IV's in his hands. He was so calm and peaceful though. He was so strong and we were so proud of him! We loved holding him and feeding him over the next couple of days while he was in the NICU. I hated saying bye at night. On Sunday he was finally released. It was so sad to see the other babies in there that had more serious illnesses. It made you realize how precious life is and how much can go wrong. I was grateful Paxton was as healthy as he was.

As Mike and I drove home from the hospital with our sleeping babe in the back, we both knew that this moment was when our life really began.

Pregnancy and labor are a miraculous thing. I always thought that, but when you go through it you really realize how special it is and what a miracle having a baby is. I had the best experience with both and it definitely didn't scare me away for the future :) While I'm glad to give my body a break and a little "normalcy", I'm looking forward to going through it all again. But for now, I'm soaking in every sweet moment with Paxton! Every day my heart grows a little bigger to make room for how much I love him. It is more than I ever could have imagined. If having Paxton in my life wasn't enough, I get to see Mike be a better dad than I could have ever hoped for.

Paxton's baby blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 05:33:00 +0000

Paxton was blessed on February 2 in front of a crowded room filled with our dear family and friends. Paxton is so loved! We are so grateful for the effort so many made to join us on our special day. Mike gave our sweet boy the most beautiful blessing and one I am so excited to share with Paxton when he's older. As cliche as it is, it's true: Paxton may have been the one being blessed, but he truly is the one that blesses us.

^ Mike's cousin Preston and Paxton's two-year-old buddy Everett ^

^ Grammy and Pop with their great-grandson ^

^ We're hoping Paxton grows up as athletic as these two! ^

^ Our dear friend, hero, and example Scotty Zwick ^

^ Paxton loves his aunt Shelby and already looks up to her :) ^

It was a beautiful day with our beautiful baby, family, and friends.

christmas 2013: part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 05:06:00 +0000

After we got our tan on in Hawaii, we jetted back to California on Christmas Eve. The Christmas season is truly my favorite time of year. It is the happiest, most joyful, MAGICAL time of year. I love the lights, treats, decorations, the spirit of giving, being together with family, and remembering the true meaning - our Savior's birth. I can't wait to start traditions with Paxton!

^ Christmas Eve. We were a little tired after flying all night the night before. ^

^ You'd never know I fed him based on how much he chomps on his fingers! He's an animal! ^

^ Christmas morning! At just 2.5 months old, Paxton wasn't all that into Christmas this year. BUT, he sure was entertained with the wrapping paper. ^

^ Paxton loves to be held up in the air. He thinks it's the funniest thing! ^

^ This silly baby is always making funny faces ^

^ By far the best Christmas present was getting to see my incredible brother Chad. Elder Brooks has been faithfully and valiantly serving the people of Cuernavaca, Mexico since July. It was my first time seeing him since then and his light has been been brighter! ^

^ THAT SMILE! I love him!!! ^

^ Christmas dinner with my beautiful sister and her sexy new hair ^

^ Laying in bed, stretching our legs. He loves to stand! What happened to my little cuddly baby?! ^

My Papa (dad's dad) had some health complications and had been in the hospital for a couple of weeks. So we made the four hour drive to see him while we were home. We use to live in Patterson, where they still live, and grew up around them. Unfortunately, we aren't able to spend as much time with them now. It was so nice to see them (and for them to meet Paxton!) and we are happy Papa is out of the hospital and doing great!

^ My silly family ^

^ Forgive the tired eyes, but I sure love my stud of a brother ^

New Year's Eve with my baby! We loved celebrating a wonderful year where we were blessed with the best little bundle of joy ever and many more incredible years to come with him by our side! To top it all off, we celebrated Mike's birthday!

^ He loves my kisses :) ^

^ That chunky smile! ^

^ My sweetheart ^

^ Paxton has the sweetest laugh ^

What a wonderful Christmas it was!

christmas 2013: part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 04:15:00 +0000

We are so lucky when it comes to Christmas. Mike's family has a long-standing tradition of spending Christmas break in Hawaii. As a result, they celebrate Christmas before leaving. So... we enjoy Christmas with the Weekes and a week stay in Hawaii before venturing back to the mainland to spend Christmas and New Years with my family in California. I feel very fortunate and lucky to share the holiday with both our families! We get the best of both worlds. Even though Paxton had already been to Florida and California, I was still worried about the trip to Hawaii with him (he was 2 1/2 months at the time). But once again, he proved I had nothing to worry about! He traveled great on the way there and back. He slept most of the time and the rest of the time was perfectly content and happy. We lucked out (again) with being able to take his car seat on. We didn't have it when flying to California for Thanksgiving and it was fine, but for the long flight it was definitely a wonderful and welcomed commodity. We always enjoy our time in Hawaii and while this trip was definitely different then years past with a baby in tow, it was just as wonderful. Our favorite thing was just being able to be outside! It was great for Paxton's soul to soak in the warm ocean breeze! Another highlight of the trip - Paxton started (somewhat) sleeping through the night! When we first got there he went to bed around 9 and woke up between 1 - 2 for a bottle. By the end of the trip, he was making it all the way to 5 without one! By the time we got back to Utah (after 10 days in California) the little man was done with his middle of the night bottle. He just keeps impressing us with one thing after another! I'll write more in his monthly update posts, but this little guy makes our life WAY too easy. We're already counting down the days until next year's trip to Hawaii for the sand, sun, and the best food in the world.

^ Mike is the best dad. He loves his son so much and it brings me more happiness than I can explain to see them together. Mike was stretching his legs before we departed and sat in the empty exit row seat and insisted on taking his little friend with him. ^

^ The MOST beautiful sunset I've ever seen! I wish it showed up better in the picture. ^

^ The view from our room. AMAZING! ^

^ nothing better than napping on the beach... ^

^ or napping naked (notice his favorite way to sleep) ^

^ he will nap anywhere! ^

^ Paxton loves his aunt Mckenzie! They are our roommates when on vacation and we wouldn't have it any other way! ^

^ The Grand Wailea is one of the most incredible places I have ever been. Everything about it is beautiful. ^

^ He discovered his fingers - his favorite snack! ^

^ the way he looks at me melts my heart ^

^ Paxton's cousin Gwen is the best cousin ever! She always asks me "Can I feed him? Can I babysit him? Does he like this toy?" She was even nice enough to share her balloon with him - by clipping it onto his pacifier :) ^

^ the entrance to the grand wailea - christmas! ^

thanksgiving 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 23:43:00 +0000

^ i have the best family ^

Just a few short weeks after getting back from Florida, we were off again! This time in the opposite direction - California! Paxton traveled coast to coast by 1 1/2 months old. He is a champ! We were planning on staying in Utah but at the last minute couldn't pass up the chance to go home. My cousin Walker had also just gotten home from his mission so we wanted to see him. Call us crazy, but we flew out on Thanksgiving morning (like I said - it was last minute!) and had another great trip. Paxton is the best flier. Every time we get on a plane (and we've been on a few with him now) someone around us makes a comment about the baby and occasionally jokes about him crying during the trip. Little do they know he usually makes less noise then them! (up until recently anyway - now he likes to chat and laugh when he's awake) I was so happy to be home but was definitely missing my brother Chad, who is serving an LDS mission in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Thanksgiving was the first holiday we've had without him. The trip was the first time my dad and brother Steele got to meet Paxton and they were smitten (along with the rest of my family.) He smiles at EVERYONE! He won everyone over instantly - just like he did us!

^ Paxton wasn't too into the flash on the camera ^

florida: november 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 23:28:00 +0000

The day Paxton turned one month old we jumped on a plane and headed to Florida. I was extremely hesitant at first. Mike was going for work, along with his parents, and they suggested Paxton and I tag along. I was still adjusting to everything and getting on a long plane ride and taking my baby to a new place wasn't super appealing at first. BUT, in the end we ended up being brave and going and I'm glad we did.

The plane ride was great! I don't know what we did but we lucked out with getting a great little traveler. He couldn't have been better. He didn't make a single noise during the long flights. We were fortunate enough to be able to take his car seat on all four legs of the trip (there and back) because of empty seats and it made such a difference. He sleeps like a baby in it :) Honestly, the hardest part of the entire trip was figuring out my pumping schedule! [he never quite figured out how to latch on so I exclusively pump]

^Paxton was so interested in the windows. And yes, we had to represent BYU all the way in Florida^

It was right around the time Utah was getting cold so it was so nice to be in the warm weather! We went on walks and got to enjoy not being bundled up. We ate (waaay too much) yummy food, played in the sand, water skied, fished, saw manatees, played with sharks at the Tampa Bay Aquarium, explored Longboat Keys, and enjoyed a week together in paradise.

^ Paxton's first time to the beach ^

^ Sleeping while dad water skied on the river ^

^ Enjoying no pants weather! ^

^ Helping dad work. He is so alert for a month old baby! ^

^ Sleeping like a baby :) ^

^ Tampa Bay Aquarium ^

^ Lunch on the beach in Longboat Keys. It is absolutely beautiful! ^

Paxton was just the best little buddy during the trip. He was still getting up in the night and was up a little too early for my liking in the morning (especially with the time change) but nobody is perfect ;) Mike's parents couldn't believe how good he was. He's up for anything! The only hiccup we had was the day we got home, Paxton got a little cold for a few days. Weather in Utah is not quite as good as in Florida!

pregnancy update: weeks 38 & 39

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 17:39:00 +0000

Week 38

Still no progress at my weekly appointment... dang it!

I had a feeling I'd have him this weekend (end of 38/beginning of 39), but I was wrong and am now convinced I'll be induced at 41 weeks.

Pregnancy is finally starting to hit me. I feel exhausted. My belly is so tight I don't know how it's going to get bigger. Every time little boy moves I feel it so prominently because there's not much room left in there! I've been having bad cramps, pains and aches all over my stomach and back. I've never broken my ribs, but I think I got a taste of what it feels like this week! I almost had to pull over the car because I couldn't breathe it hurt so bad.

Still no stretch marks!

And still living off cereal!

Mike and I have been going on walks during the evenings. It's definitely not what I use to consider "exercise" but somehow I still manage to feel tired after them now. Sometimes we go on short ones, sometimes we venture all around town and are gone forever. I love them and look forward to them because it's special time with just Mike and I before we have our baby. We spend most of the time laughing. He will always make me laugh.

Mike's latest joke is "why don't you just have the baby already??" As if I had any choice in the matter! But he can joke about whatever he wants because he got me ANOTHER prenatal message this week. He takes such good care of me. I can't wait to see him with our baby.

BELLY! I got bigger... again.

Week 39

(At least part of it - I only made it halfway through the week. Baby boy is already here but I thought I'd finish the final week so I'm playing a little catch up.)

The weekend came and went and I finally gave up my hopes of having the baby anytime soon. At my 39 week appointment I still was barely dilated and we made plans to make plans at my next appointment to induce me the follow week (Week 41). That seemed FOREVER away but at the same time it was pretty cool to realize that no matter what, I would have a baby in two weeks.

Another frequent saying of Mike's this week was "I'm over it. We're never having a baby" haha poor guy had gotten so excited that we would have him early and then lost hope.

Life really slowed down for me this week. Mike and I kept going on walks but my body was tired. Before Tuesday I had really kept up a semi-normal routine with getting out of the house, doing things and keeping busy. I stopped working with the BYU football team the end of August but I work(ed) part-time for Mike's dad also so I still had things to do. Tuesday was when I really noticed a change and didn't want to move (I didn't really - oops!) After another lazy day on Wednesday, I decided it was time to be productive and get some things done on Thursday. Little did I know the day would have something entirely different in store for us!

My back and stomach pain picked up a lot this week. I had little contractions here and there but nothing significant and nothing that lasted long enough to even flirt with the idea of me being in labor.

I slept good this week. Probably because I wasn't really doing anything! I'd stay up way too late with Mike and then sleep in half the day (I had to take advantage while I could! There will be no more of that!)

Still no stretch marks. I know gaining weight is normal and healthy during pregnancy but I had a goal to lose X amount or less and I'm happy that I was able to stay under that. I definitely enjoyed the foods that I wanted to but tried to not "pig out" and "let myself go" completely. I wanted to stay healthy and while I know I could have done a better job, I'm happy overall.

Another thing I don't think I'm mentioned in any of these - prenatal vitamins are amazing. My hair has always been really long and healthy (I've never dyed it), but it has only gotten better since being pregnant and has grown really fast! After a couple months of being pregnant it was down to my bum and I chopped off 4 inches. For me - that is HUGE (I hate cutting my hair). But luckily it keeps growing back! Pretty please don't let my hair fall out after the baby!!

The last two pictures of my bump. The top was taken two days before I went into the hospital.

baby shower

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 05:11:00 +0000

My amazing sister Shelby (with help from my mother-in-law and a couple incredible friends) threw me the BEST baby shower! I was in the hospital the day before so I was grateful to be able to make an appearance at the party :) Thank you so much to everyone who made my night so special!

The cutest elephant cookies I have EVER seen! Thank you Shelby!!

My sexy sister Shelby!

We had so much yummy food - topped off with a frozen yogurt bar! My favorite!

pregnancy update: weeks 34-37

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 19:06:00 +0000

Week 34

I have three words for you. Heartburn. Heartburn. Heartburn.

No more cough! (for the most part)

Baby boy is head-down.

I'm out of breath a lot. It's embarrassing.

I'm sleeping ok. Some nights I toss and turn a ton. But I did notice two nights that I didn't wake up once!

Baby boy is getting bigger. I can tell I'm slowing down a lot. My belly is weighing me down!

I'm still hungry all the time, but I can't eat as big of portions. I feel sick from eating [sometimes].

My feet aren't swollen anymore. I think it's because I stay off of them a lot more than I was before.

Week 35

Well... this week was interesting! I woke up Tuesday and had a little scare (I'll save the gory details) so I called my doctor just to be safe, thinking worst-case situation they would have me come into the office for a check-up. Nope! I was told to hurry to Labor and Delivery. I knew I wasn't in labor, but was just worried about baby boy. I called Mike on my way to the hospital (he was in Florida and wasn't coming home until late that night) and told him that everything was ok and not to worry, but that I was driving to the hospital, and told him the story. You could tell he was a little in shock and didn't know what to do or say! I reassured him I wasn't going into labor and he wasn't going to miss his first son being born :) Mike's cousin works as a nurse at the hospital so it was nice having her there to keep me company! They just hooked me up to the monitor for a couple of hours to watch his heartbeat and my contractions (that I didn't know I was having - why can't they stay painless forever!?). They didn't want to check to see if I was dilated because they didn't want to kick-start any labor and wanted my uterus to "settle down". After about four hours, they finally let me go home and said my body had started the process of labor, that my uterus was extremely irritable (based on the pretend contractions I was having - I can't call them real just yet because I know when I really start having them they are going to HURT), that I could go into labor any day up to a couple weeks, and to take it easy. Crisis averted!

After watching the monitor and seeing when I was having contractions/Braxton Hicks, it's been a lot easier for me to recognize them. Some days I have quite a few, other days I don't recognize any. Some are painful, some don't hurt at all.

My body is definitely starting to get more and more uncomfortable as each day passes.

It's crazy to feel him move around my stomach... still after all this time. It's getting pretty dang tight in there so every time he moves, my entire stomach moves. You can see him move his arms and legs across my stomach. Sometimes when I'm resting my arms on my belly, he pushes against me and my arms will move up and down haha he's a ball full of energy!

We got most of all our baby stuff finally! The nurse at the hospital asked me if I was ready for a baby and I said "Yes I can't wait to meet him!" and she replied, "No, are you READY to have him. Do you have everything you need." We decided it was probably time to go get some things :) Mike spoiled his baby (and me) and got just about everything we need. It made me feel a lot better! I like being overly prepared so it was killing me not having everything (or anything for that matter haha) ready. After months of looking online, it was fun to finally go buy things. Thank you Mike!! He helped me put together the bigger nursery items also. I could hang out in there forever! It's crazy to imagine a baby in the crib.

My sister also threw a baby shower for me this week! I will write about it with pictures in another post.

The week kept getting better and better, after the somewhat rough start, and I "worked" my last BYU football game. (More on my final BYU days before my baby adventure later) It was so fun seeing these friends of mine that I hadn't seen in so long!

Week 36

Here come the weekly doctor appointments! To everyone's surprise (according to the hospital incident at least), I'm not dilated at all. So here's to another few weeks of the bun in the oven! Mike came with me to my appointment and when we left he said "I'm kindof bummed." Someone is getting excited for his baby boy to get here :)

I wake up, without fail, between 3:30-4 every morning. My bathroom trips are becoming more frequent during the night.

I've started to noticed a lot more pressure on my bladder and down below, so I start thinking that maybe he's dropping and getting lower. But whenever I think that, I'll get a nice big kick to the ribs. Either he's not getting any lower or he's taking after his dad and is one looooong little dude.

My wedding ring is off :( I can still get it on but my fingers swell up at random times during the day and I don't want to risk it getting stuck!

Still no stretch marks! Keep those fingers crossed!

Week 37 - FULL TERM!

Still no progress at the doctor appointment. Where are you baby boy?!

He's feeling lower and lower and it's having a severe effect on my bladder!

Some days I have so much energy and others I'm incredibly tired and don't want to move.

Hello outie belly button! Yikes. I feel like I went through a growth spurt this week. I feel so much bigger than I was before. My bump is a lot more pronounced and sticks out a lot further!

I have completely LIVED off cereal this week.

Mike has been so dang sweet and got me another prenatal massage - it was heaven!

I've been going on a lot of long walks to hopefully "walk" this baby out of me!

Mike took me to my first football game in three years as a true "fan" on Saturday. It was fun sitting in the stands, especially with Mike, but I will secretly always miss being up in the box.

I still can't believe that we will be parents so soon. Even if I go the "full time," he will be here before we know it. Less than 2 weeks until I'm 40 weeks! My little niece told me on Sunday that our baby has been in my tummy "FOOOORREEEVVEEEER" and I couldn't agree with her more :) And yet at the same time, part of this STILL feels so surreal. I look down at my now very large bump, and feel him move, and can't believe I actually have a baby in me. It's truly a miracle. I've started writing my baby boy short letters that are more personal to me. I look at my little (I've got to stop saying that since they are both bigger than me now!) brothers and my heart wants to explode with how much I love them. I can't imagine the love I will have for my little boy. I will always hope to have a girl someday, but I am beyond grateful for boys and am so happy that he will be my first.

newport beach + a month at home + chad goes on a mission

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 23:49:00 +0000

Way back when (time to play catchup).... We took a family trip (we missed Mike!) to Newport Beach. It is one of our favorite places! It was one last hooray with Chad before he left on his mission. We had the best time riding bikes, surfing, laying out, playing basketball, having game nights, stuffing our faces with the best food... the works. We stayed right on the beach and had a party!

Yes, we were that hillbilly family that decided AFTER we left the beach, to go to Capital Grill. We got lots of lovely stares :)

We rode bikes everywhere and I LOVED it!!

As hard as I tried, I just couldn't keep up with these two on our runs!

Rocking a 27 week baby bump! I had a great big growth spurt right before we got to the beach, just what I wanted :)

I still can't believe Steele is the same height as me now

(well, I think I still have about half an inch on him!)

Apparently my siblings got all the ABS genes!!

My brothers are STUDS! I can't believe how much they have grown up.

Our trip wouldn't have been complete without a trip to Rain Forest Cafe. Yes, the food isn't that great, but it is so fun! We surprised Chad (who had his 19th birthday a few weeks before) with a birthday cake. He was in shock and it was hilarious. I was so disappointed that I missed him putting his face in the cake though!

We thought the muscle man represented him well ;)

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to the Newport Beach temple while we were there. It's stunning. There's no place I'd rather be than at the temple with my family!

On our way home we went through the temple together as a family (we're just waiting for you Steele!). It is a day I will cherish for the rest of my life. It was the first time I went through with Chad. We had an unforgettable experience. I can't wait until we get to go again when he gets back from his mission!

Tryg and Shelb were married in the LA temple three years ago.

Tryg's parents, Ole and Marty, were so sweet to join us. We had a great day at the temple and then capped it off with Ruth's Chris. Our favorite! Ole shared the best mission advice with Chad.

Those close to me know how dear I hold my brother to my heart. He is everything in my eyes!

The next day, Chad gave his farewell talk. He did such a wonderful job! I wish I had a copy of it. It was more than just a "I'm going on a mission" talk. He uplifted, inspired, and edified all of us. As he has his whole life.

Tryg and Shelby had to go back to Provo, but Mike traded places and finally was able to come out. We had a great last week with Chad and enjoyed one last 4th of July with him.

The week came to an end way too fast and it was time to go home. Chad was entering the MTC on Wednesday so I decided to stay and fly back to Provo with him then, while Mike had to get back on Sunday. Tuesday night came and I decided I needed another couple of days with my mom and Steele. My mom was in charge of all the food at our 4-Stake Youth Conference that weekend (yes, just the DAY after Chad left!) and while she could have done it all along, I wanted to stay and help drive Steele around while she was busy (we live 30 minutes out of town). She did an incredible job by the way, the best food those kids have every eaten I'm sure. Everyone kept complimenting her on it. My mom is wonder woman.

The day Chad entered the MTC I saw this most beautiful sunset driving home. I know it was Heavenly Father smiling down because one of his elect was answering His call to serve.

My silly little cousin was being so funny one day at the office. Of course I had to capture some of his faces and he wanted to see them after. All on his own, he goes "Send this one to Chad!!!" It was so sweet. But the one he picked just absolutely cracks me up. The second one is my favorite.

I had my flight to come home on Sunday but Mike decided to go to Florida for work. So.... instead of going back to Provo and being alone for the week, I figured another week at home wouldn't hurt anyone :) My two-week vacation turned into a full month (plus a couple days) at home. BEST "babymoon" ever. Thanks to my mom and Steele for letting me invade for so long!

Finally at the airport heading back to Provo.

pregnancy update: week 32-33

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 03:38:00 +0000

Week 32

Spent this week still sick, despite being on antibiotics. I started getting a terrible cough and it made my stomach contract so much each time and let me tell you, it hurt!

My acid reflux/heartburn started making a reappearance, along with minor backaches.

Baby boy is one active little dude! I love it though because it reassures me he's still in there doing good! Sometimes he jolts so much that my whole body sort of compulses. It kind of makes me laugh.

The heat is killing me, I feel like I'm living in a sauna!

My rib cage feels like it's been turned into a punching bag. It is so sore!

No contractions, braxton hicks or anything of the like (at least that I know of). Occasionally I'll get a short bout of pain/cramping but then it'll go right away. I think this is just round ligament pain?

I've been having a hard time sleeping, but I think that's due to being sick more than pregnant right now.

Week 33

I have elephant feet. Nice, big, swollen elephant feet :)

No stretch marks. But my belly has gotten BIG. I had another "growth spurt" this week. My belly button is slowly flattening out. My sister finds it hilarious for some reason haha

Someone had a dance party on my bladder one night this week. I'm not exaggerating when I say I had to get up and go to the bathroom every 15 minutes for an hour and a half.

I sleep fine. I toss and turn but nothing like earlier in my pregnancy. I'm noticing with each day I get more and more tired as the day goes on. The evening hits and I'm ready to sit now and never get up.

No cravings. I'm just hungry. all. the. time.

I'm noticing there aren't quite as many kicks coming from him lately. He just "wiggles" around. We like to play hide and seek :) I love feeling around my belly and finding where he is. It's never hard. I'm pretty sure he is one big boy.

I'm finally feeling so much better. I still have a cough but I can handle that.

I'm a girl. And I'm pregnant.... which means there's definitely some emotions flying around and a need for some extra loving! Luckily Mike is on top of that :)

I have definitely had pregnancy symptoms/pains, but overall, I can't feel grateful enough for how well things have gone.

pregnancy update: weeks 23-31

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Oops. Time to play catchup after my month-long vacation in California and being sick! I wasn't keeping track or writing down anything during the weeks so here's just a condensed, mashed-up version of some symptoms the past couple of weeks (two months!).

Weeks 23-31

My back pains aren't as bad as they were! But I've traded it off for bad leg cramps at night.

My little boy hiccups like crazy! And moves, and dances, and does cartwheels, and kicks :) I wouldn't have it any other way. I love feeling (and watching) him move. It makes everything so much more real to know he is there right with me. It's a crazy (and amazing) feeling. He is one STRONG boy.

My four-year-old cousin came up with a nickname for my baby. "Me gunna call him dragon! He gunna be sooooo cute!" haha I love that little kid!

I started getting heart burn/acid reflux around 27 weeks. It's gotten better now thankfully and it's pretty much gone away!

I was on my feet for three days straight helping at Youth Conference while I was at home. My feet and ankles got SO swollen! Now I know why they suggest taking it easy when you're pregnant! My feet and hands are getting more and more swollen. I retain water to begin with so I knew this was going to be a little bit of a problem. My wedding ring is starting to get tight in the mornings and when I workout :(

I'm starting to feel the tiredness kicking back in.

My bump doubled in size over the last month! I'm starting to grow a basketball. Around 25-26 weeks it went crazy. I gained a few pounds and it grew a ton. I felt humungous. But I haven't gained any weight since then and I feel like I'm staying around the same size, so I'm starting to get more comfortable with my basketball belly.

I don't think I ever mentioned this before... one thing that has stood out during my pregnancy is how carsick I get. When I was younger I use to get it bad, but then it kind of just went away. It's BACK!

Baby boy is starting to smash my ribs and lungs... and they hurt! I'm really starting to feel the stresses and strains of my stomach, with everything moving around in there and getting a little cramped.

I finally got REAL morning sickness at 30 weeks, more than just a brief stint of it (or at least I think that's what it was ha). At least that's what I think it was. It started one night and I could NOT sleep at all and kept getting up because I felt so extremely nauseous. It continued the next day and all I wanted to do was sleep (which is what I did!). My whole body ached, I had a headache, I couldn't eat or drink anything, I was getting the chills... I just felt miserable. Thankfully it only lasted a day and a half. I'm so happy I didn't have that during the first trimester!

Week 31 was spent with no pregnancy symptoms! They were all washed out by being extremely sick. It's funny to me how I've had the best pregnancy except I keep getting sick-sick. Dang it low immune system.

Some days this whole thing doesn't seem real to me. Other days I start to panic and can't believe that our baby boy will be here before we know it. But one thing is for sure, I'm so excited (and Mike is too!) that I could burst with happiness. Here's to a great big new adventure!

I think he was sticking his bum out for the camera or something :)

Yes - my bum and thighs are the recipients of a lot of the weight I'm gaining!

At the beginning of 32 weeks, I still look somewhat like the last picture. Like I said above, I doubled in size from 24 to 26 weeks and now have stayed around the same. I'm curious to see what the next "little" growth spurt is going to have me looking like!

trip home

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 20:33:00 +0000

I've been falling behind on life outside of pregnancy (although that is pretty much it lately). We hosted the MPSF conference volleyball championships and won [way back in April]! We earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and I went with the team to UCLA for the national championships [in May]. It was a neat experience being down there with them. I love those guys! Don't get me wrong, I love working with the football team but the guys on the volleyball team are incredible. They are always brightening my day! They are the friendliest and so accommodating to all my requests (even though I'm sure I drive them all crazy). Anyway, we won our Final Four match and made it to the National Championship, but unfortunately lost a hard-fought, and heart-breaking, battle. I've never seen a sadder sight that than guys. They worked so hard and deserved it, but still accomplished so much and had an incredible season. I couldn't have been more proud to work with them this season!

I got to spend a lot of time with these two superstars and they have such bright and promising futures ahead. You'll see Taylor again in the 2016 Olympics, and there's a good chance Ben will be teaming up with his former teammate once again! These two are the reason I'll be a lifelong volleyball fan. I can't say thanks enough to them for making my job so easy all year long.

Because I was already down in LA, I got to go home for a couple days (which turned into a lot longer luckily!). There is no place like home. Mike came out too. Whenever we go home we never want to leave. And always stay a few extra days :)

This perfectly describes us. Chad goofing off. Me drinking water. Steele being perfect. [actually, he's usually the one goofing off :)]