Family Time! (Long Post)

Jordan and I just celebrated our 3 year anniversary. Though I don't have any pictures for it, we had a great time. 


First we dropped Brailey off at Jordans parents house so that they could watch her for the night. This really worried me cause I haven't been away from her for an entire night before. The longest I went without seeing her or being near her was 6 hours.... I didn't know how she would do or even how I would do.... I knew she would be well taken care of, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around anyone else watching my baby for a whole night and an entire day without me there. But Brailey did good and went right to sleep without waking up on them.

Then we drove to Salt Lake, checked into the Anniversary Inn (we had the Egyptian room which was really cool. It had a waterfall that filled the tub and the shower came out of what looked like a snakes mouth. :D And we were above one of the turrets (the ones that look like a princess tower from the outside) which was pretty cool. 


After we checked in and got all our stuff up in our room we went out to dinner to Olive Garden. 


The next day we went to Lagoon which was lots of fun. Its usually a tradition for Jordan and I to go every year at least once, but we didn't get to go last year because I was pregnant with Brailey and wouldn't be able to ride the rides... so it was a special treat to be able to go this year. We definitely had a good time. 


Later that night we went to the drive in to watch Snow White and the Huntsman and The Avengers... I honestly was so exhausted that I made it 10 minutes into The Avengers and fell asleep for the rest of the time. I just couldn't stay awake. I was pretty disappointed that I didn't get to watch it cause that was the main movie we both wanted to see. At least Snow White turned out to be a really good movie. I guess I will just have to watch Avengers some other time. 


After all of this, we spent the rest of the week up camping in the Uintahs near Mirror Lake with Jordans whole family. It was lots of fun and Jordan got a lot of fishing in. I got in a day of fishing and I caught 8 fish! Woohooo!!! One was literally only 3 inches long. I thought about throwing it back out as bait for other fish, but I didn't lol. Jordan caught 20 on one of the days, which is a record for him. We also went on a hike as a family and took walks by the river. We enjoyed being able to get away from reality for a little while and just enjoy spending some quality time with family. 
The worst part of the trip ended up being trying to keep Brailey warm. It got down as low as 32 degrees up there and even after wrapping her in 2 sets of pajamas, putting a hat on her, gloves, and socks... she was still freezing.... I couldn't sleep cause I was so worried about her getting too cold so I held her hands in mine to keep them warm cause the gloves didn't work so well. The next night we moved her into my in-laws camper which was a little warmer and just stayed with her in there. She still got a little cold, but as soon as I would cuddle with her she would get warm and go back to sleep. 


Jordans mom and sister Amberly did such an amazing job of watching her and helping me with her while camping. Amberly was always willing and ready to change her diaper or feed her a bottle and always held her and took her on a walk and when Jordan and I wanted to nap or go on a walk together his mom would watch her. They were amazing and did such a great job. We owe them a lot. :) 


To end out trip we celebrated Fathers Day with my dad since he was away for the real deal... I was so happy to see my family and get to talk with them. I have some pretty amazing fathers in my life to look up to. My dad was always trying to teach me things... how to work for my money, how to become a well rounded person, how to gain a testimony, how to endure my trials, how to budget my money, and teaching me how to love another selflessly. He is a great dad and he always wanted what was best for me while growing up. He looked out for me... worried about me... guided me. He truly is a great man and dad. 


I also have my wonderful father-in-law who welcomed me into the family with open arms and a spot for me in his heart. He treats me like his other daughters and he is such a patient and loving man. He looks and listens without judgement while still remaining true to his beliefs and principles. He is a great dad who raised a great son to become a great daddy. 


My husband is also such an amazing daddy. He loves Brailey so very much and it sometimes surprises me how protective he is of her... and how worried he can get. He is a very relaxed guy, but when it comes to Brailey he is very careful and doesn't always take things lightly. I married a great man who has become an amazing father. And what surprises me even more is that he can't wait to have another one. (Well, he can wait, but he is excited for another one whenever that may be.)


Overall, we had such a great time on our trip. Its been a fantastic 3 years with my love... (7 if you count from the time we started dating). I couldn't ask for better family or a better husband to spend the eternities with. I definitely have received some of the best gifts of my life. :) 

5 Month Milestones

Well, Brailey is now 5 months old. I can't believe it. I was looking at her baby pictures the other day and I just can't believe how small she used to be. I see newborns and I have forgotten how tiny and completely dependent they are on their parents. I miss those days at times, but then when Brailey learns something new I get all excited and I just can't wait for her to get a bit older so that she will learn something new again. 


Her newest milestones have surprised me because I just didn't think she would learn THAT quickly, but she always seems to keep me on my toes. 

Brailey trying to escape her crib! Ah!

• She is an expert at rolling over now. Just one week before turning 5 months old she decided she could just get herself over if she wanted. As soon as I put her on her back she will just go right over to her tummy. I love it, but it makes it very difficult to change her diaper. As proud as I am of this new found ability, I am still scared. She will sometimes roll onto her tummy in the night, but unlike people say about how "the baby will turn their head for air" I always find her with her head face down in the sheets with her mouth being blocked by her arms and her nose almost pressed down into the bed. She is still breathing (thank Heaven), but I am worried that she won't turn her head if she ever does stop breathing. Its almost as if she doesn't like having her head turned to the side. Maybe its just my nerves as a new mom.

mmm.... rice cereal. ha ha.

• She is now eating rice cereal. We still have a bit of time before she gets used to swallowing correctly, but she seems to like it a little bit... she will sometimes reach out for it just like she does with her milk bottle. I currently have to feed both my own milk and formula because I got food poisoning and lost a lot of what I was making and haven't been able to since. So when I use a bottle she suddenly gets really excited, starts making noises, and reaches like crazy for the bottle even if that means she might fall out of my arms... which she has tried, but luckily failed. 

Yummy... Toe

• She has figured out how to suck on just her thumb, but weirdly enough her favorite appendage to stick in her mouth is her big toe! lol. She just pulls it and bites, bites, bites. It must taste good or make her teething feel better cause I just don't understand.

• She is starting to pull herself towards objects... not always, but she has tried a couple times and actually succeeded at moving forward a couple inches. 

• She reaches for all her toys or anything that is around her. She wants EVERYTHING. ha ha. Papers, hair, toys, food (not her own), cups, bath soap... anything. She just wants to hold it and put it in her mouth. She is so interested in everything. 

• She is such a mover.... she is a "go to it" girl as I call it cause she just wants to be moving all the time. She kicks, and rolls, and twists, and reaches, and goes all over the place... if she could crawl already I wouldn't be able to keep up with her. 

• She loves people who hum or sing... Even if she is crying as soon as Jordan or I start humming or singing she will calm right down for a little while and just laugh or smile.

Giggles :)

• She is a bit of a drama queen when she wakes up from naps... she will cry for really no reason even after I pick her up and change her diaper. She smiles like crazy in the mornings though.

• I have found that one of her special "quirks" is that she HAS to hold onto something when she is eating. She will reach for my face or shirt and she will grab then let go, grab then let go.. her hand and arm will just fly everywhere and she will do this until she is satisfied... Usually my finger ends up being the thing that she is finally satisfied with and she will stop moving her hand and arm around so much. She has done this since she was a baby.. at first I thought it was a reflex, but now I know its just cause she wants something in her hand. I love it cause its part of who she is. 

• She can sit up for moments at a time, but still not completely. I usually just either sit behind her or I put pillows all around her.

• She is always babbling and squealing. She wants so badly to talk so I make sure to sound out words for her and read to her.

• She loves being outside. She does SO good on hikes in my little carrier for her. She just loves being able to look around and see new things. 

• She HATES cold water... all I have to do is put her feet in a cold river and she gets angry almost immediately. I think she will do good once she understands things better, but for now I don't think she is interested in swimming in anything but warm water... I don't blame her though. lol

• Speaking of swimming, she has this current reflex going on where she will just kick one of her legs over and over and over out of nowhere... and its almost like she has no control over it. Jordan looked it up and around 4 months they start to develop a reflex that is meant to be there if they are ever put in water... its to help them swim. lol. She sometimes gets frustrated with this reflex cause it just doesn't seem to stop at times... especially right before bed time when she is most tired. 

• She loves to see other kids and babies... she can't figure out what they are or what they are doing. She just stares at them.

Smiles for Daddy!

• Her daddy is one of the best people to get a smile out of her... he can always manage to get her giggling or smiling if she is in one of her weird moods. Very few can actually do this... Sometimes she won't even smile for me, but Jordan can almost always get something out of her.

• She loves to get her bum changed... don't ask me why, but she is always smiling and playing when we change her diaper. Maybe she just likes being clean. lol.

• She is starting to turn when she hears her name. She knows who she is. Her Great Grandpa Smith calls her Little Bright Eyes over and over when we go to see him... He just kept mentioning her bright blue eyes and her tiny feet. lol. It was so fun to see him with her for Fathers Day.   

She is such a fun, silly girl and it is SO crazy to see other newborns around her cause she looks big compared to them. And its hard for me to remember that she was that small once upon a time. She's gonna be in elementary school before I know it. We love her more and more every day and love that she is growing into a beautiful, active girl. We think she may just be a soccer player like her daddy cause she is always moving her legs and kicking everything. lol, but she is also flexible so she might just do tumbling as well. ha ha.. We shall see what she wants to do in the future. We are gonna try and let her choose, but we are definitely gonna make her do at least one sport because we want her to be active and healthy... not a couch potato.

She is our precious gift from Heaven above.

4 Month Marks :)

Brailey had her doctors appointment today, which went great up until the shots. She smiled at the nurses and was playing with the doctor and she didn't cry or get fussy like she usually does. Her 4 month stats (even though she is 4 and a half months old) are: Weight: 13 pounds 9 ounces, 32nd percentile. Height: 24 inches (2 FEET!), 23rd percentile. Head Circumference: 16 inches, 25th percentile.


Dr. said she is growing right on track and looks perfect. AND he said I can start her on rice cereal if I want. Jordan and I haven't officially decided, but I think I want to look into it. She is going to be 5 months at the end of next week and its right in between the two months that people say to start your baby on solids. I am excited and sad all at the same time. Sad that my baby is growing up so fast and she is already old enough to eat foods, excited that she is able to do something new and I get to help her learn to try it. :) Love my little girl and everything about her!