Our Mobile Little Man

Pool Time

Our world has been turned upside down since Landon has become mobile. It is crazy how fast he is doing things. Just two weeks ago he just laid on the floor and would roll around a little bit. Those were the nice days. Now he is EVERYWHERE! He is crawling like a crazy man!

At the pool

Then last Saturday when I was at work he started crawling up the stairs... He thinks he is so funny. When we have time we sit with him and go up with him so that we can watch him. I figure the better he is at it the safer he will be. I've tried to teach him how to come down but he just thinks it is funny to slide down the stairs. Every new step he goes up he turns around and laughs and almost falls backwards. We had to get another gate so that he couldn't get up the stairs. He was very unhappy with that.

Landon selfie

Landon has also started getting up to furniture and kind of walking around. He honestly tries to be on his feet as much as he can because he doesn't love crawling. He falls often and is all bruised but he is learning. Every time he falls I tell him he is ok and to get back up. He doesn't cry as much when he falls. It is funny though when he cried because most of the time he is being a dramatic faker so it is hard not to laugh at him.

Ready for summer

We got Landon some used toys and he loves them! They make noises and they are shorter so it is easier for him to stand at them and play. Even with all the new toys he still just wants paper and the remotes. We have to keep the remotes away from him because he was leaving teeth marks on them.

Eating our food

We have taken Landon to the water park a few times this summer and he just loves it. He still isn't sure about the waves in the wave pool but he just gets so excited when he is in the water. We got him a batman pool float and I think everyone else loves it more than he does. It is entertaining to watch him in the pool. He tried to drink the water and then he coughs very dramatically like he is choking and then he laughs about it.

Another Selfie

Landon is eating so much. We were going through baby food like crazy so I decided to start making my own baby food. It is really easy and Landon seems to really like it so far. He had a hard time with vegetables before and it has gotten a little better. He really likes it when we but agave in the food to make it taste a little better. We decided he must like it because he isn't even 9 months yet and he is in 12 month clothing! He is just a very tall boy not very chunky just long. We will see later this month at his appointment exactly how big he is.

I seriously couldn't ask for a better child he is almost always so happy and smiling. Even our his bad days he is still isn't a horrible baby. Every once and awhile he will have a melt down but it isn't anything horrible. He loves getting people's attention whenever we go so he can smile at them. It is so cute! He loves looking at himself in the camera and he just smiles so big when he sees himself.

Superman in the Batmobile

Sleepy guy

Going up the stairs

This is what happens when he doesn't get his way

Standing in his crib 

There isn't much new with Keith and I we are just into our routine of work and taking care of Landon. I'm going to be taking some online classes soon to get going on finishing school. Other than that there isn't much new with us.

Just a little update

Eating Ice Cream

As I'm sitting here alone waiting for Keith to come home from working the later shift at work I realized it has been awhile since I have done an update.

Not liking the Grass

Landon has been growing like crazy! He is over seven months old now! Landon is over 20 pounds and has to be at least 30 inches long. He has started getting ready to crawl but hasn't done it yet. It is funny to see him try. Sometimes he gets really frustrated that he can't go very fast but he can certainly get around the room rolling. Yesterday I was in the kitchen getting something to eat and I hear something and then Landon crying. I can in and he had pulled the DVD player on himself. So I had to move everything higher and make sure all the cords are out of his reach. He wasn't very happy that I took his 'toy' away. Such is life. I get to be the bad guy. The other day we put him on the grass and he did not like that one bit! He was up on his toes and holding himself up so fast. We think the crawling is coming but we are enjoying him not being so mobile

Not happy he isn't moving

Landon has also stared to give high fives when you ask him. It is so funny because he gets so excited when he hits someones hand. He also talks so much! He sings in the car, will try talking to people and just talks just to hear himself. I just love seeing him advance and grow it is so much fun! He also has a favorite TV show, it is Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on PBS. It is extremely funny to watch him watching the show. He laughs, gets excited and starts bouncing. He usually watches the whole thing and is so happy.

Last week poor Landon was sick :( I just thought it was his other tooth that came in but it wasn't. We still don't know what it was because the doctor still hasn't gotten back to us... but that's a different story for another time... Landon had a fever and we were changing 6-7 poopy diapers a day. They usually called for a total outfit change... I did a lot of laundry last week. He wasn't sleepy well either. As much as I hate him being sick I do love that he is extra cuddly. He just wanted to be right next to me all week so we didn't get much done. He was still very happy though. Then all the sudden Monday everything went back to normal and we haven't had a bad poopy diaper since.

Watching Daniel Tiger

Landon is eating like crazy! He wants to be eating everything that Keith and I eat but he doesn't always get to. He loves eating baby food and just chows when we give it to him. He get very upset if we don't feed him at a pace that he agrees with, which is usually as fast as possible. He is a little stinker and refuses to breastfeed during the day. He will when he first wakes up or if he is going to bed. I'm just fine with it because I got tired of fighting with him and trying to force him to eat. It makes life easier to just go with what he wants right now.

Hanging out at Church

We have a very opinionated and strong willed child. If things aren't how he wants it he will let us know. If he is done with something he will also let us know. He very much likes being the center of attention. He will yell at me if I am on the computer and not looking at him. Then when I put the computer away he will just happily go back to playing in his bouncer. He also is picky. Keith got him a pair of jeans with a snap and the other day I would close the snap and not long after he would unsnap it if he was trying to relax or when he was eating. He got very mad when I would snap it again . He may be a little spoiled but for right now I am just fine with it.

I finished this semester about a week and a half ago. It is so nice to be done for then semester. Even though I am not finished with school it was such a relief to be done with the semester. I like school but it is so hard to get things done with a baby, husband and work to worry about. I will be so happy to just be done with my undergrad when that time comes.

Relaxed baby with unsnapped Jeans

We are so excited for the summer! We have a pool pass and plan on being there often! We want Landon to like the water so we figure the more we go the more used to the pool he will be. It will be nice to just hang out and have fun with friends and family this summer. We are planning on going to Colorado to visit family but other than that we are staying home because we are trying to get out of debt as soon as we can and then start saving again for a house or something.

That is our life right now. It pretty much revolves around Landon and all the exciting things he is learning and doing!

Being a Mother

This isn't an update it is more of a rant/my view on being a mother.

Some days being a mom is really hard. Even though it is everything I've ever wanted it doesn't make those hard days easier. You question why things just don't work out and why things are happening the way they are. You wonder if you are a good mother and if you can really be this child's mother and give them everything they need. Then there are those moments when you realize why you are a mother and how absolutely wonderful that blessing is.

I was having a hard day this week, nothing seemed to be going well. It just seemed to be one thing after another, doctors visits, school, work, you name it and on top of everything I had a very upset baby who is teething. He was having a hard day and it was really hard to watch him not feel well. I was just so tired and just not sure what to with everything going on. After trying to get the baby happy by watching some you-tube videos I came across these two videos.

It is amazing how simple things can really make you reevaluate you life. Yes things were not going the way I thought and/or wanted but at the end of the day I was so blessed. First of all I have a very loving and patient Savior who knows my struggles and is there for me when I need it the most. Second, I have an absolutely amazing husband who loves me and my son. We don't always agree but I know he would do anything for me and Landon. I also have the most amazing blessing of being the Mother of a beautiful and healthy baby. He has become the center of my world. I feel so blessed to have him and be able to be part of raising him. I realize that things will not always be perfect and there will be bad days. In the end I know that I am being blessed and that I'm not doing this alone there are many people helping me. 

My heart just ache for those people who struggle to have children and are not able to. When I thought that may be us it was just so hard to even grasp. It just makes me hope that those people have an opportunity to make a difference in a child's life and experience the wonderful joy of teaching and caring for a child. I love being a mom and I just hope that those who really want to be a mom have that opportunity in some way. 

So it begins...

LOVE Him!

Ice cream was gone

Today was a momentous day in our house, Landon's first tooth broke through. I figured it would happen soon because he has been crabbier than usual and nothing seemed to help. This afternoon we found out why. He was upset so I was rubbing his gums and then all the sudden I felt his little tooth. I opened his mouth to look and make sure and it was there just peaking through. So we now being the 'fun' of the rest of his teeth coming through. It is not fun to have him upset and in pain but it is how life goes. One thing he loves that seems to help is ice cream so I've stocked up.

At the Dr.'s office

In other news we went for Landon's 6 month check up and he is 28.5 inches and 16.6 pounds. He is in the 99 percentile for height and the 34 percentile for weight. So he is tall and skinny, just like his dad. Landon had to get shots and he was not to happy but he only cried for like 45 seconds and then he was done and just wanted to cuddle with me. I do not object when he wants to cuddle. The doctor said he looked great and everything is going well with him and he doesn't see any problems.

After his shots

After the doctors I went to get things for his first Easter. I really wasn't sure what to get a 6 month old. Honestly he could care less and just likes to play with the plastic eggs. I've decided that for the most part he has enough clothes so we are are working on building a little library of books for him. I ended up getting him so books and I found some superhero wall decals for his room (those are more for his dad but Landon don't care). We also got him a cute outfit for Easter and I'm excited for him to wear it on Easter.

Hanging out with his eggs

It is so much fun to watch Landon learn new things and try new things every day. He has started to wave to people. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does it is so cute! He loves making eye contact with people in the store and is not satisfied until they smile at him. It takes a lot longer to get through a shopping trip because we get stopped by so many people because he gets their attention. He is also working on being able to get up to crawl. He can get up on his knees but then his head falls to the floor. He gets upset but it is hard not to laugh at. Recently we ask him to give us a kiss and he just opens his mouth wide. He doesn't quite have the concept but we are working on it.

Everything is his

Not much has been going on for us. We have just been working and taking care of the baby. I've got a few more weeks of the semester so I've just been doing homework and tests with the free time I can find. I still this it is funny that I thought I would have a lot of free time to do school. I don't; it is a lot harder having a child and going to school than I thought it would be. Luckily I have an amazing husband who helps out whenever I need it and is very willing to do anything I ask or need him to do without complaining. I give so much credit to those mothers out there who are doing everything they can for their child when they do not have support for the baby's father. I couldn't imagine raising a child on my own.

Eating dinner

Our little family is doing well we are just busy with life. We are slowly getting our place to where we want it. It is starting to feel more like home. We got pictures up and that really does make a difference. We are almost done unpacking. There are a couple of bins and a box or two that we still need to go through but I was tired of unpacking so I stopped for awhile. It will be a good day when everything is finally unpacked and has a place.

Such a good sleeper

Our Baby is almost 5 months old!

Love this Baby

This last month has been so crazy and busy! Time has been going by so fast! I really can't believe that tomorrow our baby is going to be five months old! Time has been going so fast! It doesn't seem like it has been that long since I had him. He is the most amazing thing in this world! I love spending time with him and seeing him grow day by day.

Spending time with mom

Since the last blog post things have changed a little... First and biggest thing is that we moved! We were without internet for awhile so I wasn't able to post for awhile. We found a place to rent in Provo. It is a three bedroom with two and a half baths. Keith is about 10 min from work and I am only 2 min from work. It is so nice to be on our own again with all of our stuff. Moving really make you realize how much stuff you actually have... it is crazy how much stuff is accumulated in just a few years. We have slowly been unpacking boxes and we have fond a lot of interesting things... Keith has unpacked all of his movies and he is so excited. He is almost done putting them where he wants them (he has them all organized by gene and then alphabetical). 

Some of Keith's movie shelves and they are full now

Since we have a place now and Keith got a bonus from work we decided to get some things at a local furniture store's President's Day sale. The one thing that I've been wanting lately is an upright freezer. We got one on sale and I love it! It is bigger than the fridge that is in the apartment but that's ok... We are going to be keeping it for a long time so I went with the bigger one. We also bought some furniture for the living room and a dresser for Keith (we both have a lot of clothes one dresser just wan't enough). It is so fun to get our place together and how we want it. When we get things completely together I will post pictures. 

Another big thing that has happened is we got a car to replace the one that was totaled. We wanted a bigger car to help carry all the baby stuff that comes with the baby. We finally found the perfect car. It is a 2004 Buick Rendezvous. It was a bit older than we wanted but it is in very good condition. I love it so much! I love Buick cars; they are such good cars and cheaper to fix. We were a little worried about the new car being a lot more for insurance but it was not much more so that was good news. It is so nice to have the extra room and being able to fit bigger things in the car and the baby.

Thinking he is so big!

I love watching his sleep...

He is so fun!

His new thing is eating his feet.

Love this smile!

Another thing that happened was Landon went in for his four month check up. He was 15 pounds and over 27 inches! He is very tall and skinny like his dad. He was in the 99 percentile for his height. I kind of figured that would be the case. Everything else looked good and he wasn't to bad when he got his shots. I know it hurts him but I love how cuddly he is after. Since he is getting so big I had to put away all of his 3 month clothes and even some of his 6 month clothes are getting too small. he is just too long for things. However he is so skinny some of the pants have a hard time staying up. I feel like this is going to be a problem for the rest of his life.

Hurray for being 22!/ Past Due Update

I started a post on my birthday in December and then the baby woke up and wanted my attention so I stopped writing and just haven't gotten back to finish it... I will do that and then do a little update on our lives right now.

Cuddly Boy

Post in December...

As I think about this last year and everything that happened I wound not change anything. In the past year I found out I was pregnant, celebrated my one year wedding anniversary and had my beautiful son. I could not ask for a better life. There have been many ups and downs through the year but I would not change anything.   As thankful as I was to be pregnant I am very thankful that it is over. My pregnancy was not fun at all. I don't know how some people say they lover being pregnant and they feel better pregnant than not.

The best thing about this year was getting the opportunity to become a parent. It is the best thing in the entire world! I love waking up every morning to see my wonderful son. He is such a good baby! He is so calm and relaxed and just goes with whatever needs to be done. It is so much fun to have him. It is so amazing how much love you can have for one little person. Every time he smiles at me my heart just melts.

Twins!

It has been so wonderful to have my amazing husband by my side to help me with Landon. He is such a great dad. I love sitting and watching them interact. The way Landon looks at Keith you can see how much he loves him. They are so cute together and have a very good relationship. Keith is so wonderful and does so much for me and Landon. He never complains about changing a diaper or holding him if I need a break even after a long day at work. I honestly couldn't ask for a better father for my son.

I've been asked lately if I regret any part of my life and I honestly can say that I don't. I feel that for every person there is a time and a place for things. I honestly never thought when I graduated high school that I would be married and have a baby before I finished college but it was my time to be a wife and a mother. I know that I can finish school and I still think that is very important but I also feel that being a mother is also very important. If I would have waited there is a very good chance I wouldn't have Landon and that just kills me. I see some of the really cool and interesting things people I know are doing but I really love my life as it is.

Update on Us

First Swim

This past few weeks have been very crazy and interesting. The Christmas season was very busy for us. We were able to go down to St. George to a family party and we took Landon swimming for the first time! He wasn't so sure about it.

Christmas Eve

I was going to start back at work on Christmas Eve but they didn't need me so I got cancelled which worked out really well because there was a terrible snow storm that day. So Christmas Day was my first day back. Luckily I only had to work a half day and was home by 1 p.m. It was good to be back but it was hard to be away from my little boy. It wasn't terrible because really the day was no different for him other than he got a new toy. We were able to just spend the day with family, relax and have good food.

Christmas Toy

After Christmas I tried to spend as much time with Landon as possible because I felt bad about having to leave him when I went to work and I also knew school was starting back up. Unfortunately Keith got sick for New Years so we were in bed by 10. I know we are boring but hey such is the life of a parent. Particularly parents whose child decided it wasn't fun anymore to sleep through the night and it was much better to wake up two or three times a night. He is getting better.. some nights are better than others.

Rice Cereal, Our Work in Process

After a few weeks of Landon not sleeping through the night we decided to start rice cereal to see if that helped. He likes it more and more very time but it takes some time to keep it in his mouth... He is usually wearing quite a bit of it by the end of his feeding. It has helped a little bit but we found that if he is able to cry a little bit before he goes to sleep he sleeps longer. I'm not sure why but if it works it works.

It has been interesting be a mother, wife, student and working part time. It is a lot going on at once but Keith and my family have been so wonderful about helping where they can. It makes it a lot easier knowing Landon is with people who really love him. I just can't do day care. I understand that many people have to because they have no other choice but I'm just not ready for that. I only have class one day a week at the BYU Salt Lake Center and I love it! The classes there are so laid back and the teacher is just amazing! I wish I would have taken a class there earlier!

Keith's Car (passenger side back tire)

Last week Keith was in a car accident. He was driving to work on the freeway and a car in front of him lost control so he slowed down and he lost control and in the process of straightening the car out another car ran into him. He is ok he was a little sore but nothing that he couldn't get fixed by the chiropractor. The insurance agency deemed the car totaled so now we are looking for a new car. It is probably one of my least favorite things to do...

We have been waiting to hear about a condo we put an offer in on but we still haven't heard anything and everything else we have put an offer in on fell through. Now we are going back to renting for a little bit until we get things back to normal. It have been a blessing to live with my parents for this time. It was very helpful to have help when I had my various surgeries and just to have someone around when I needed some extra help. We just feel like it is time for us to be on our own again. It will be nice for the baby to be in his room with his crib and everything. We are excited to get his superhero bedroom and bathroom going!

Little Landon is getting so big! He is four months old today! He is so long just like his dad. He is smiling all the time and laughing sometimes. He get very bored with things quickly and they aren't funny anymore. However,  he loves Little Einstein movies. We are working on the whole sitting thing... he is very close. Landon is not interested in the slightest with crawling. We have tried to put him on his stomach and he just get angry and refused to do anything but kick his legs and not look at me. He is very good at standing. If he is leaning on something he can stand on his own for like 30 seconds. Maybe we are just overly excited first time parents but that is just fine we love it! He is teething and can get a little crabby at times... I do my best to make him comfortable and entertain him. I really just can't believe how big he has gotten. We go in next Monday for his check up.

Officially 4 Months Old

Cute baby!

Working on sitting

Eating is a little messy...

Church Outfit

Hanging out after Church 

Surprised Baby

Watching Little Einsteins 

Update on our lives

Landon with his friend Carson

Sleepy Baby

We have made it past the two month mark! Landon is such a good baby! He has his moments but don't we all. For the most part he is sleeping at least 6 hours a night. That is a whole lot better than him waking up every 2-3 hours. He has started smiling and laughing at us. It is so much fun to have him around. He is getting a little chubby and it is so cute! He loves being held and he has plenty of people to hold him. He has started to become quite opinionated and he will let us know if things are not to his standard.

Smiley Boy

Last Monday we had his two month appointment. He is now 24.5 inches and 12 pounds 8 ounces. He is in the 96 percentile for height, no surprise there. He got his shots and he was not a very happy baby but he was super cuddly and just wanted to be held and be next to mom and dad. I felt bad for him but it was nice to have him so cuddly. He was overall healthy and the doctor said there was nothing to worry about with him. We were a little worried about his heart since Keith and I both have had heart issues but the doctor said he still sounds great.

We saw the new doctor at the family clinic we go to. He is good but he just doesn't understand me yet. He is very conservative about things and very reserved about doing anything. He just finished residency and I feel that is where his reservation comes from Landon has been having a hard time having a bowel movements regularly and the doctor said he did not want to do anything about it right now. I listened to what he said but as Landon's mother I'm going to do what I feel is best. Right now that is giving him a few ounces of apple/prune juice once a day. I fully believe in the doctor's abilities I just am with Landon everyday and I know how uncomfortable he can get. So far what I've been doing has helped.

Landon before his blessing

We were able to have Landon's baby blessing on the 18th of November. Keith's parents were able to come out to the blessing and the week of Thanksgiving. We were able to spend time with Keith's family and Landon was able to meet his other Grandparents and his uncle Mark. It was fun to be able to spend time with them during the holiday.

My heart procedure went well. The doctor did everything he could and there he could not get my heart to go into SVT so he did not need to do an ablation. I was able to go home a few hours after waking up from the procedure. When I went to see the Surgeon this week he said everything looks great and that unless something else happens he doesn't need me to come back and it would be just fine if I got pregnant again, not that that will happen anytime soon.

Thanksgiving Baby

A little bit before Thanksgiving we found out that Keith got a promotion and a pay raise. It was very good because our insurance went up since we added Landon. Keith is also happy that he is getting more responsibility at work.

During the week of Thanksgiving we found out that since we asked for an extension someone came and bought the condo we were waiting for. We were not very happy but we just decided that there had to be a reason and that we needed to look somewhere else. There are a few places out there and we hope we can find a place sometime soon.

Before his Two Month Appointment

On the 5th I go in for a surgery to get the hardware removed from my foot. Hopefully this is the last surgery for awhile. It is a very simple surgery and shouldn't take more than 30 min start to finish. I'm hoping that they can just numb the nerve instead of putting me under general anesthesia so I can still feed Landon when I get home. If not I have a good stock saved up for him.

This month should be very busy and exciting. We are so happy and thankful to have Landon with us. We love him so much and could not be happier to be parents. He is the best thing that has ever happened to us. We will do our best on keeping everyone updated on Landon's first Christmas season.