mothering adventures

the morning started out rough. i had my first bout with all the wonderful bodily functions of my adorable little newborn. it started as i was feeding him. he had a good poop that decided to come out of his diaper. (that had yet to happen...) unfortunately i didn't realize what had happened until it was too late. poop was on our comforter and his blanket and burp rag. i started cleaning it up and it seemed to make things worse. i couldn't figure out what was the problem. then i realized, i was the problem...because the poop was all over me. a bad detail to miss...

the next two hours were pretty much the same story only with spit up and out of control breast milk. by noon, the babe was finally taking his first nap. i can't believe what happens to my mind the moment i see that Carter is asleep. it's total ping pong brain. i think to myself "okay what do i do?! what do i do?!"

"do i shower? yeah i really need to shower..."

"no, i'm starving. i will eat. i should really eat."

"but i still haven't made the bed. "

"i need to put dinner in the crock pot too if we want to have a meal tonight..."

"maybe i should put laundry in first though...cause that can go while i do everything else.."

eventually, i just do all i can in the precious 2 hours i have. then the feeding process starts all over again. 

i am proud to say though that Carter and i took an adventure today. (an adventure these days consists of making it out of the house.) and out of the house we went! we took the stroller out for the first time. mom figured out how to put it up all by herself. (daron has only showed me 1,000 times. i was never really watching. so this was quite the accomplishment). we went to the mall(!!!) and ran an errand. and even had time to visit with some friends in provo. mom's hair was half done and she had a little bit of make up on. but our biggest accomplishment of the day...that was finishing dinner for dad. there was a meal when he came home. that alone is a testament that miracles do happen.

happy 3 weeks Carter. your mom so hopes you can be patient with her. this mothering thing is all so new. she has quite the learning curve. but she is doing it. she is trying the best she can. it amazes her everyday how much she loves you. thank you for making her and your dad so incredibly happy.

our first step towards christmas cheer

 christmas lights!

 

for the first time we have put lights up on our house for the christmas season and i am thrilled! daron's parents stayed with us this week to meet Carter and my father in law put lights up for hours. he was so sweet to take the time to put them up for us. i am so grateful. sometimes i will open our front door just so i can take a peek. i can't believe how much joy they bring! it's a really fast way to bring so much christmas cheer into our home. not the most "practical way" (as daron informed me more than a few times) since we won't actually be here for christmas but it sure is a fun way! ;) 

if i had it my way we  would have lights covering every spec of our house, lawn, trees, bushes, driveway... any place i could have lights i would have them. i tell daron all the time.. "one day. one day our house will be covered in lights during the christmas season." (i really hope that dream comes true)

thank you Steve, for giving us a wonderful start to this christmas season!

my holiday babe

We are busy busy here in CA with our family of 3. 

Every day Daron and I mention how we can't believe we actually 

made the 9 hour drive down here. 

Luckily this little man slept like a champ.

(as I think many newborns do)

It's been really wonderful to be surrounded by family.

chaotic at times...

but wonderful.

These days I am easily overwhelmed.

People keep telling me that will get better.

I am trusting them.

I can't count the times I said before I got pregnant that I 

"never want a holiday baby."

I must have said it a 1,000 times. 

Then, SURPRISE! you're pregnant.

and your due date is 

THANKSGIVING DAY.

I kept thinking...

"really!?"

Now our little munchkin' is here.

and i honestly can't think of a better time

for him to come.

i think about how i felt about having a "holiday baby"

and i think it is so silly.

this time of year is perfect.

my heart is so full.

i feel overwhelmed with gratitude 

and 

i get to celebrate being thankful with all those around me.

i think it's safe to say i have changed my mind.

holiday babies are the best. 

 

Introducing

Carter Lee Young

Our beautiful baby boy was born on 

Monday

November 12, 2012

at 11:12 a.m. 

He came packaged in Dani Bree size

at a whoppin'

6 lbs and 9 oz.

18.5 inches long.

We are overwhelmed with the joy and happiness we feel

for this little spirit that has entered our home.

Right now, we are trying to soak in every moment of this special time

and adjust to a very different but beautiful life.

yummy autumn

we drove the alpine loop last night.

something i had never done before.

it was incredible. 

fall is incredible.

i, like everyone that lives in a state with a gorgeous fall season,

am obsessed with this time of year.

how could you not be!?

daron took these wonderful pictures and

i love them. 

all i kept thinking is how delicious they looked!

i had to concentrate on not gasping

so that i wasn't gasping at every turn.

i loved watching daron take pictures.

he wanted to stop at every turn too. 

he is, by far, the photographer in this family/ 

the creative one/ the better decorator/ etc... the list goes on.

he has a lot to teach me ...

i am so grateful for him.

there will be someone who can take descent pictures of our little guy.

who, by the way, is a whoppin' 32 1/2 weeks.

oh, how i just want to kiss him ...

can i kiss him already!?

a 30 week baby bump

oh how this little fella' is growing. hopefully big and strong. do you think frozen yogurt and resees peanut butter cups help with that? i am hoping so! :)

this belly is a very funny thing.

i will feel it stretching 

(literally. i feel my insides pulling.)

every time it does ... i have a panic attack.

then, a week or maybe 10 days will go by and

i don't feel anything and i get used to my belly.

then i start lookin' in the mirror thinkin'
"dang girl, your belly is tiny!!"

then ... the process happens all over again.

 i stretch for days. panic. 

adjust. 

stretch.

panic.

adjust.

it's kind of a fun game.

daron is prob glad that there is an end in sight though ...

tradition has started that every night daron and PAT

have, what we call,

"tummy time"

we are both obsessed with trying to figure out what body parts

we are feeling. 

daron thinks he knows ...

i can't tell at all.

constant hiccups are PAT's new thing ...

those haven't been my fav. 

but daron keeps telling me it's a good thing he is hiccuping.

i'm not sure why.

i just feel so bad for the little tyke.

i mean, who likes the hiccups?

with all the good and bad, i can already tell i am going 

to miss being pregnant.

the experience, thus far, has truly been surreal

and more than anything i could have imagined.

it really has exceeded my expectations

in all aspects.

i've never been more proud to be a woman

than at this time in my life right now.

i am so incredibly grateful.

3rd trimester insomnia. let the "no sleep" preparations begin!

(daron giving "PAT's" stroller a test drive)

last night i couldn't sleep. like ... really couldn't sleep. as in, i was begging for morning to come and looking at the clock multiple times wondering when daron would start stirring and the sun would come up. this never happens to me. ever. i sleep like a rock. always have. i felt one CA earthquake all growing up because it happened to be at recess. the others, that were actually newsworthy, all happened in the middle of night. i slept through every single one of them.

i have always been so proud of my ability to "die" (as my sister shalice would describe it) at night time. but oh, how things are changing. for the past 2 weeks i have gotten up multiple times a night. a good morning is when i wake up remembering only getting up 2 or 3 times versus  8 or 9. i now am experiencing what it is like to lay there in bed with only your thoughts. i think it's possible i am also getting just a small glimpse of what it is like to be a parent ... ? 

there was one thing that helped me get through the agonizing "why aren't i asleep yet" hours ... that was daron. lately, along with insomnia, at 30 weeks pregnant i am extremely hot all the time. daron says he can feel me even when i am a foot away from him while laying in bed. let's just say this doesn't motivate him to cuddle with me at night time (especially since the desire to is pretty small to begin with ... ) but last night he lent out a small gesture that at least let me know he was trying. 

i was laying on my side with my feet curled up facing away from him and he gently held my foot in his hand. i know i really love this guy ... because just him grabbing my foot instead of my hand (which is too hot) uplifts my spirits. it sounds odd as i write it. and sort of ... pathetic. but i loved every second of it. i didn't want him to let go. there is something about feeling him next to me that is so incredibly comforting and a feeling that is irreplaceable. it's like the moment i feel him all my little worries and irrational thoughts find a little hiding place where i forget about them and i breathe a little easier. 

(to demonstrate how irrational i am ... i have this overwhelming thought that i am going to die in my 50's and so daron and i won't grow old together ... and it makes me really upset. because i really want to grow old with daron. like in our 90's old. i know i will be with daron forever because we were married in the temple. but i want to spend this whole life with him too. needless to say, if someone were to ask me my biggest fear ... this would definitely be it)

i don't know what causes me to stress about hypothetical situations that aren't even possibilities at the moment. maybe it's my personality. maybe it's the baby in my belly. maybe it's the hormones. maybe it's just me. but when the crazy thoughts do come, i am grateful i married a man that can calm my fears by the simple act of holding on to my foot while he sleeps ...