110 DAYS

My sweet baby boy has been on the Earth for 110 days and am so grateful that he is all mine!!! Yes, I can't even hardly believe that he will be 4 months old on Christmas day! What a blessing he has been in our lives. He is getting such a sweet personality and I can hardly wait to see what an awesome person he grows up to be.

The last time I posted, I hadn't gone back to work yet. On October 8th, I took the plunge and got right back into my work schedule. Without any major melt downs even! I am so grateful that Noah can spend the time that he is not with me with family. He is with Tyler on Mondays, and he loves his time with his daddy. After a pretty rough start, just because they were still getting used to one another, Noah spends his Tuesdays and Thursdays with Tyler's mom. He is with Tyler's sister Melissa on Wednesdays and with Tyler's dad for most of the day on Fridays. Now that they have kind of figured each other out, Noah gets along with pretty much everyone. He still has his days, but doesn't everyone? He loves to be snuggled because that's what I do with him when I get home from work. I can't get enough snuggling in because he is just so snuggable!!!

He has already experienced 2 major holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving) and let me tell you, those were some really interesting experiences. He came to school with me on Halloween and that was one of the worst ideas I have ever had. I thought it would be so fun, but let me take you back and explain the situation a little further into detail. You will understand. So I decided that I would breastfeed Noah from the very beginning and so far it is going really well. Even with having to pump at school, I still manage to keep a pretty good supply going. (Sorry if that is too much information). But anyways, the breastpump that I am using, we are renting from the women's clinic in Orem for 50 bucks a month. It is totally worth it, because it saves a ton of time and pumps really awesomely. However, we found out that our insurance would pay 100% for a pump. We jumped on that pretty quickly, because not having to pay the 50 dollars a month would help us save a little bit. We got the new breastpump over the weekend and I tried it on Monday and it worked really well. So we decided to take the other one back. Bad idea. On Tuesday, I could hardly pump anything which has thrown my entire schedule off since then. So I wasn't able to pump enough for the next day, so we decided to give up on the new pump, and I would go in the morning (the morning of Halloween) at 8:30 and get a the pump that we had been renting back. I left the house with Noah and we got to the Women's clinic. They said they opened at 8:30, and I think we got there around 8:45. It was locked. I was frantic. I called while we were standing in front of the door and nobody answered. I had 10 minutes before I had to be at school, and it wasn't looking like I was going to be able to pump more for the day. So I tried to call Tyler like 6 times and he didn't have his phone with him. So I called my Mom. Of course she would be able to do something about it in Colorado...She was able to just calm me down, told me to call Melissa and have her get the pump, and just breathe. I headed back to school, and when we got there, Noah started fussing because he was hungry, he wouldn't eat from his bottle, the Halloween parade was starting in our classroom, I didn't have my costume on all the way, I didn't have Noah's costume on yet...needless to say, I was having a rough morning. I owe my life to Deanna, one of the secretaries/does everything else at our school. She took over my class while I got Noah settled down, and then took my class after Melissa came and dropped off the pump and picked up Noah while I went and pumped. I learned to never take a 2 month old to school for Halloween. It will never work out.

Thanksgiving was a lot better, but it was actually the day after that I am referring to when Noah and I packed up and headed for Green River without Tyler. He had work and homework to attend to and he keeps telling us that we always distract him away from his homework. So we left for the weekend so that he wouldn't use us as an excuse. :) The morning that we left was a disaster because I wanted to feed Noah before we left so he would sleep the whole way, so I fed him at 10 even though I wanted to leave at 9, and I was actually already in a bad mood because I didn't really want to leave Tyler home. I wanted him to come with us. I needed to fill up my car with gas and fill my tires with air, which I didn't want to do by myself. But I begrudgingly headed to the gas station. Long story short, the parking lot was packed, I forgot which side my gas tank was on and the hose wouldn't reach to the other side of my car so I had to turn my car around which is when another wonderful person decided they wanted to try and steal my pump, and then I dropped my credit card in between my seat and the middle part. Bad morning. But after all of that and we got on the road, everything turned out fine. The trip wasn't too long and we stopped in Lyman to see Grandma and Grandpa Bluemel and some of the aunts and uncles and cousins...and feed Noah. Everyone loved him. In Green River, we got to go visit with my Grandma and Grandpa Baker, and they just love Noah. We loved staying with Papa Rob and Grama Ella and Noah slept so good in the pack n play. We even got to spend some quality time with Kimberly and Ruby!!! Noah and Ruby are in love. We had a good visit, but were so excited to get back to Daddy!!

One other thing, and then I will be done. So, probably a month ago I did something really hilarious that I want Noah to read about when he's older. This story tells about how much I love him and how dedicated I am to wanting him to be the happiest and most loved baby ever. It starts out sad though, but kind of funny. So I noticed that he was getting super dry, so I started using this moisturizing lotion on him after his baths. I started on a Tuesday and noticed that it wasn't really helping but I wanted to try again on Wednesday to see if it would help at all. However, on Wednesday, I decided to look at the bottle of lotion I was using to see the ingredients, and lo and behold, it said Baby Wash on the bottle, not Baby Lotion. So basically I was putting soap on my sweet baby and leaving it on over night, which of course we know dries you out like crazy. I have not done that since. But the story continues...So Noah's skin has still been super dry and he started to get a rash on his face, the back of his head, and a little bit on his chest. We hoped it would go away, but it didn't really, so we decided to take him to the doctor and see if it was something more serious. This was last Monday, December 3. The pediatrician unfortunately decided that it was Eczema and that it might be a food allergy from something that he is getting through my milk. So Tyler a little too excitedly told me all of the foods that I have to avoid for 2 weeks...Dairy, Wheat, Eggs, Citrus, Soy, Chocolate, and Nuts. What a horrible diet huh. Then after the 2 weeks are over, I can start introducing those things back in one at a time. What a great way to start out the Christmas season right? But, like I said, I love my darling baby so much. I am willing to give up all of those wonderful things so that I don't have to give him icky formula. Breastfeeding is free, mostly convenient, and very nutritious for Noah. So many other benefits, but anyways...

My big boy is growing so fast though like I said, and here are some of the things that he loves to do:
--Roll from belly to back, and almost back to belly
--Giggle and laugh when we tickle him/breath at him/talk to him
--Stand with lots of support still
--Lay on his play mat and kick and wiggle at the lady bug that sings to him and talks to him
--Sleep from 10:00 PM to 7:30 AM
--Still be swaddled when he sleeps, his arms for some reason like to swat at him and and wake him up
--Hold his pointer finger
--Listen to Mommy and Daddy sing while they cook in the kitchen
--Go on walks in his Moby Wrap
--Take baths
--Talk to Grandma and Auntie Espinoza on Skype/Facetime
--Snuggle and snuggle
--EAT AND EAT AND EAT!!!
--He still hates his carseat

Oh, Tyler and me you ask, we are still in love and happy. He is still working at Goldenwest Credit Union and going to school full time. He isn't playing basketball as much anymore, not because he doesn't want to, but because we don't live as close to the church he was playing at. So he plays Racquetball with his dad on Monday mornings at 7:00 now and is loving that. I still teach 3rd grade and am loving my class. They are crazy and funny and little stinker heads. Then I come home and love my sweet baby boy. Sometimes I make dinner and the rest of the time Ty does. He loves me. We are excited for Christmas. We are heading to Green River again for some fun!!

He's Finally Here!!! (5 1/2 weeks ago)

At my last doctors appointment on the 21st of August, my doctor asked if I wanted to be induced. I really didn't know how I felt about inductions because I kind of just wanted him to come when he was good and cooked :) But my doctor thought I was ready because even though I was only at a three, he said my cervix was really thin. He also said he would be surprised if I lasted until Saturday. So we set up my induction for Saturday the 25th. So crazy. My baby was finally going to be here!!! I was nervous and excited and I was ready for him to be here.

I was still teaching school August 21st through the 24th. The first week of school. I was still feeling very good... but huge. My classroom was all set up, I knew who all my students were, and I had all my sub plans ready just in case. I made it through the whole entire week! My parents even came to Utah on Wednesday night because they thought I was going to have him early. I proved them wrong. I knew I wanted to make it through the whole first week of school so that I could just accomplish that goal of mine. I was up against a lot of people who kept telling me that I was going to have him early though. I knew I wasn't, and I definitely proved that. And who knows if I would have even had him by my due date. All I can say is that I am so glad that I was induced. I would totally do it again.

Saturday morning we woke up at 5:30 with a phone call from the hospital calling to tell me that they wanted me to come in by 6:15. We got up, got dressed, grabbed our bag (not knowing if what we were bringing was even relevant), went and woke up my Mom and told her it was time to go. Of course we stopped at McDonalds on the way because they told me to eat before I came. I got an egg and sausage mcmuffin and some cinnamon bites and some orange juice. What a great pre-delivery breakfast. It was totally what I needed for an energy boost. We arrived at the hospital around 6:30 and went upstairs. This was the calmest morning ever. I was feeling so happy and ready. My nerves hadn't even kicked in yet until we were in the labor and delivery waiting room  getting all checked in and we heard this woman screaming coming up the elevator. Her significant other was pushing her in a wheel chair and she looked like she just wanted to die. That's when I realized how glad I was to not have gone into labor on my own already. It sure looked painful.

We got all checked in and by the time they had me hooked up to all the monitors and IV's, it was probably around 7:30. Our nurse, Lesley, was so nice and really helpful through the whole delivery. I really appreciated everything she did and how relaxed she helped me to be. But what I wasn't expecting was the first question she asked me after I was hooked up to the machine that watches for contractions. She said, "You are already having contractions about 5 minutes apart, are you feeling them?" I was so shocked. I told her that I hadn't been feeling them. The pitocin just helped to move those contractions right along though, because by 9:30, the first contraction that I felt was in my back and I knew that I definitely didn't want to feel that again. I asked for the epidural right away. The anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural and as Tyler held my hands as I laid on my side, I was so nervous that I started crying. There was so much pressure, but I am so glad that I got the epidural. The thing that I didn't like though was how tingly my legs and feet got. My mom would rub my feet and legs and that helped a ton.

The hours flew by and by 10:45 my doctor had come in to check everything out. He decided to break my water at that point and after that he said that he thought that in about 7 or 8 hours we might have a baby. What he didn't realize was that my baby was not going to wait that long. I was at a four at that point and for the next hour I was really starting to feel some pressure. My mom was getting concerned and so she said that she was going to go get the nurse and have her check me again. At about 11:30 the nurse came in and checked me and I was at a ten!! She said, "You are at a ten! I am going to go ask your doctor if he wants me to have you start pushing." That really got my nerves going. It was beginning to feel more real at that point. I was going to be a Mommy soon. She came back after a few minutes and said that we were going to start pushing. She told me that I would push three times through each contraction. After two contractions and six times pushing, she said, "If you push again, you are going to have a baby. I am going to go get your doctor." He came in and Lesley was right. The next time I pushed, my baby was here! It was the craziest thing ever! And I am so glad my mom was there, because she really helped me and Ty stay calm I think and she encouraged us to watch the whole process in the mirror. I am so glad we listened because watching my baby being born was really beautiful and magical really. What an amazing experience.

Our sweet baby boy was born on Saturday, August 25th, 2012 and 12:27 pm. He was 8 lbs 7 oz and was 20 inches long. He had so much dark hair and still has it! We don't know exactly where he got that dark hair from, but we are sure he is going to either lose it soon and be bald or it is going to lighten up a ton. We love our sweet boy though. He is perfect in every way.

We stayed at the hospital until Sunday night around 8 o'clock and decided that we could probably head home then. It was so nice having the nurses there. It was really nice to be able to have Noah stay in the nursery during the night except for when he needed to be fed. Then they would bring him in to me to feed him. Breast feeding was really challenging at first and I was really sore for several weeks. I feel like we are really getting the hang of it though and what a neat thing to be able to do for my baby. He got a really horrible yeast infection on his bottom the first week though and it was practically tearing his skin every time we would wipe his poor little bottom. He would cry and cry and it would make me sad. It took probably a week for us to realize that it was a yeast infection and finally we were able to get an ointment to clear it up. He also got a clogged tear duct, which hasn't cleared up yet, and his baby acne flared up really bad and has really made his face super dry. I am hoping that goes away soon. 

I decided last week that in his first month, these were the things that he doesn't like: being in the car, sleeping through the night, baths, getting his diaper changed, or sitting in his bouncer while we eat dinner. My baby likes: eating. That is all. I am almost positive. However, as of Saturday, he doesn't mind the car so much anymore, he sleeps from around 11 to 6 and then goes back to sleep for a few hours after he eats, his bum isn't sore anymore so diaper changing has totally gotten better, and we can eat dinner without him needing to be held the entire time. Also, he is getting so strong and loves to try and stand while I am holding him on my lap. He started smiling after he eats and he loves to talk now. His smile is so cute and I can't wait till he can make eye contact and smile at me and Ty. He is getting too long for his newborn onesies, but his 0-3 month onesies are still a little too big. What a weird transitioning time. I have convinced him that snuggling is one of the best things in the world and we cuddle all the time. That is actually one of the things that I wasn't sure if it was ok, because I want to be able to put him down when I need to, but I really could just hold my baby all the time and be perfectly fine with that. I love him and he is mine, so I should be able to do whatever I want with him. So I do. :)

I go back to work on Monday, and have actually gone to parent teacher conferences already this week. I feel that it will be a pretty smooth transition, because we have some awesome people helping us out with our sweet baby. Tyler is actually going to be taking work off on Mondays so that he can be with him and also get some homework done. Tyler's mom Marilyn is going to be watching him on Tuesday and Thursday. Tyler's sister Melissa is going to be watching him on Wednesday. Tyler's dad is going to watch him on Friday. Hopefully this system works well. And I am only away from him from about 8:30 to 3:00, so that will work out great and I will hurry as fast as I can after work to get him and snuggle with him and love him so that he knows who I am and loves me the most :) I am looking forward to raising such a good baby. He is such a sweetheart and Tyler and I were really blessed to get such a wonderful baby boy. We love our Noah Morgan and can't wait for more fun things to come!! My next post will include pictures of our new house that we moved in to on September 22nd, because unfortunately I haven't taken those yet. We love it though and I can't wait to share just how much!

4 Weeks To Go!!!

This is my Papa. He just recently passed away on July 11th at 91 years young. I love him very much. Tyler and I were able to go to Green River for his funeral on the 14th. I told my Dad that there were a few things I would definitely remember about this wonderful man. First, that I don't think he ever worked a day in his life (because he had already retired by the time I was born, so really, I never saw him do anything, haha). Second, that he always made me comb his hair whenever we would go visit him and my Grammie. I would sit on the back of the couch and comb his hair for what seemed like hours. Now my dad loves the same thing, although I think I am getting too big to sit on the back of the couch. Third, that you could always find my Papa either inside stretching out on the green carpet while watching The Price is Right, or outside lounging on the swing watching my Grandma do her outside work. And last, that I was scared of him, and whenever my brother and I would go on trips with our grandparents, and I had to sit in the back with Papa while Grandma drove, I was not a huge fan of that. Now, I am just so happy that he and my Grandma are back together. Love you Papa!

My parents just sold their big beautiful house in Green River. They started building it after my Sophomore year of high school. We have some really amazing memories in that house and in that beautiful backyard. I feel so lucky that I got to have my wedding reception and baby shower there. I am proud to say that I helped lift 9 of those 5,000 pound gray blocks (ok, so they are not 5,000 pounds, but they sure feel like they are). I got to walk down the beautiful staircase and feel like a princess going to Prom. I got to paint my bedroom walls with green, blue, and purple stripes. We had parties in the basement in high school with friends. We had fun jumping from the hot tub, into the snow, back into the hot tub during the winter. I will miss this house a ton. I am sad that my children won't have the opportunity to play in this backyard like my nieces and nephews got the chance to. But my parents are excited for their new project. We will just have a new house to make fun memories at.

My mommy came to visit!!! She came for 5 whole days! We had a ton of fun and I am so glad that I just got to spend some of the best days of my summer with just my Mom. She is the greatest in the world!!!

When Tyler and I went to Green River, we stayed with my Grandma and Grandpa Baker! I love staying with them. We had a really great visit. I got to pluck my grandma's eyebrows and paint her toenails so she could show them off on Thursday at golf :)

Today is my sweet husband's birthday!!! He is turning 23 years old. We celebrated with his family yesterday, so we made delicious chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with mini reese's on the top. They were delicious!! We have an exciting day ahead of us today though...we have our 4 weeks till our due date baby doctor appointment, we are both going to go get our eyes checked at the eye doctor, we are getting a couples massage (yay!), and Ty wants to go get free lunch at Firehouse Subs! Doesn't that sound like just the funnest day ever!?

I mentioned that we are going to the doctor today for our 4 weeks until baby Noah is due appointment, and I wanted to write just a little bit more about that. I am so excited. This little baby in my belly just seems like he is ready to join our world already. Most recently, some of his favorite activities are: hiccups, burrowing, and just getting bigger. We decided to get some pictures taken of us before he comes. We haven't seen our photographers pictures yet, but Ty took some on his fancy shmancy new Iphone, and this is one of my favorites.

10 WEEKS TO GO!!!

Tyler and I have had some really fun adventures lately, and it doesn't seem like things are going to slow down any time soon! We had a really fun opportunity to house sit for one of my mother-in-law's friends  while she and her family went on vacation for a few days. Our instructions were to feed the cat (who became very fond of Tyler, (I can't say that Tyler became much of a fan of him), water the flowers outside, eat the food, and swim in the swimming pool!!! It rocked! Plus, it gave us a little taste of what life is like living on our own again! We are so excited to move!

On the 16th, we went to the zoo and met Shantel and Grandma Ella with the grandkids! They were dropping off my niece Peighton at the airport so she could fly to Texas to help my sister Erin with her kids on their drive to Wyoming. It was so fun to see Coleton, Afton, Nathan, and Shadie! Man do I love my nieces and nephews! I even got to see Aiden, Hannah, and Brielle on Erin and Peighton's drive through Orem! It was so good to meet Brielle! She loves me :)

The baby elephant!

They have a new sea lion/sea otter exhibit!!!

There was a fly swimming in the water by the sea lion. It looked funny, so we took a picture of course!

The new polar bear exhibit is really neat too!!

Tyler, Afton, and Shadie got stuck in an egg shell!!

There was a parade in Orem for Summerfest and Goldenwest Credit Union, the credit union that Tyler works for, got to be apart of it! Melissa, David, and I volunteered to help out with the candy! We had a lot of fun even though it was super windy outside! We made the best of the wind and I even got to see some of my kids from school with their families!

Tyler still goes and plays basketball at the church on Wednesday and Thursday nights! I still go watch him. There were a few weeks where I was just to sick or tired or both to go watch him, but now I try to go often to support my hott husband! He is really quite amazing at sports and I learn so much about dedication and how practice really pays off from him. And in return, he goes and plays tennis with me so that I can show off my mad skills :) We have a lot of fun together, and it's so nice that we enjoy the same activities! It's almost like hanging out with myself sometimes. And I am awesome, so it's a win win situation!

On Friday night we went to the Orem Owls baseball game with our Pass of all Passes! It was so much fun, even though the temperature outside was probably a million degrees! It was so hot! The Owls dominated the Raptors 14 to 7 by the end but this first picture was the score after the 7th inning. 13-1...It looks like somebody needs to practice a little harder. We even got fun stadium snacks! Tyler got sunflower seeds and I got a yummy frozen lemonade (my craving for the past month or so)!

We were super sweaty and hot in this picture. Good memories :)

Tyler won free tickets from work for the new movie Brave, but the only stipulation was that the theater that the tickets were for a theater in Ogden. So last night, we drove to Ogden to see a fun movie! I even got a nap in on the way there! Way to go me! And the movie was super short...the previews started at 7:00 and we were walking out of the theater at 8:50.

This morning, and really I mean earlier than I even really want to say, even though waking up at 6:55 is something that I should be used to by now, but I am not, we went to go watch my dedicated cousins Chelsea and Greg dominate their Half Marathon! Greg beat his goal by 3 seconds or something like that, and Chelsea beat her goal by 6 minutes! Way to go you two! What a pair! We also got to see my Grandma and Grandpa Bluemel, who told us that my grandpa is making baby Noah a cradle! I am so excited! He really makes beautiful things with wood and I will proudly display our cradle and our bookshelf that he built us for our wedding in our new home!

Speaking of the new home, we still haven't closed yet. They wanted to check on a few more things just to double check to make sure everything is ready. Then we will have the carpets cleaned and hopefully, emphasis on the hopefully, be able to move in the first week of July! What better way to spend our anniversary than by moving in to our first home!! Still so many exciting things happening, this summer is just going to be a blast!

Things still to do this summer:

1. June 25-27 Travel to Green River for my baby shower

2. June 29-July 2 Family reunion at Bear Lake

3. July 2 ANNIVERSARY!

4. First week of July Hopefully move in to our new home

5. July 9 Pick up my mom in Wyoming and bring her back to Utah

6. July 10 Baby Shower in Orem?

7. July 11 2nd Ultrasound to see how baby is doing

8. July 12-14 Take Mom to Colorado

9. July 14 Maternity pictures with our amazing photographer Kali

10. July 16 American Idol Concert with Dad and Mom Slaughter

11. July 17 Kimberly's baby shower in Green River

12. July 30 Tyler's birthday bash

13. August 1-2 More collaboration with my awesome teammates for school

14. August 3-4 St. George Trip with Marilyn, Melissa, and Jennie

15. August 20 Back to School Night

16. August 21 School Starts?

17. August 27 OUR BABY BOY IS DUE!!!