Baby, You're "Dino"-mite!

Bryant got a new work schedule for the summer and now has Tuesdays off, so we decided that Tuesdays are now our date night. We also decided that since our dates have become a little routine, usually involving dinner and a movie, we are now taking turns picking something that we are interested in, that the other may not be, in order to be more involved in what each other likes to do.

It was my turn this time, so to start things off, I chose to go to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving point. I had only been there once, but it was a lot of fun and I have a thing for museums. It's the history student in me...

This is petrified lightning. Apparently, when lightning strikes sand, it creates a glass tube. 

Art in nature. Its beautiful.

The T-Rex is really scary, until you look at his arms. Then, not so much...

The museum is really interactive and it's geared towards teaching kids, like Bryant!

Afterwards, we decided to go to the cheesecake factory for dinner. Strangely, both of us have been there before, but neither of us have eaten there. It was super yummy and the cheesecake was to die for! But we've decided that it's a once a year kind of place. A once a year with tax return money kind of place hahaha!

Also, congrats to my little brother Sawyer and his friend Matt Brocious for getting in the local paper! If you live in PG, pick up a Pleasant Grove Review and check it out!

And, I'm just going to throw in a couple pics of Savannah...

Because seriously? I've got the cutest baby ever...

Even when she makes faces that indicate an impending diaper change...

Easter Weekend

It was such a busy, crazy and slightly stressful weekend (as you can tell, seeing as it's Tuesday and I'm just barely getting around to writing about it.)

Saturday, I went to my Grandpa's wedding.

That was probably the most stressful day. Not only am I not a fan of his new wife and her family (they are a little rude and she wanted her whole family involved in the wedding, but none of my family. But in the spirit of Easter, that's all I'm going to say about that before I run my mouth).

I think that I was stressed because Bryant had to work and this was going to be Savannah's first big day out, and I was worried that Murphy's law was going to work in full force, everything that could go wrong, would, and I wouldn't have Bryant there to help.

I don't know what I was so worried about, seeing as I have the best baby ever. She slept the entire ceremony, only waking up twice to eat, once before the ceremony (and I chose the mothers room downstairs that my grandpa's wife decided to use to change. That was a little gross...) and once after the ceremony when they were throwing the garter (I'd seen too much 85 year old leg that day. Thank you Savy for being conveniently hungry at that moment) And we only had one accident where when I went to change her, she piddled all over her new dress. But 10 points for me for bringing a change of clothes for her!

The afternoon went decidedly better, my family went out to eat with a few of my aunts and uncles and cousins at a yummy little Mexican restaurant.

 

(My Brother Colter with little miss Savy J)

 

(My Uncle Blaine)

That night, we were all a little drained and needed to unwind. My parents introduced me to the book Water for Elephants a few years ago and it's one of my favorites, so my parents, my Brother Sawyer and I decided to go see it. Bryant didn't want to come so he and his brother Tyler, who was staying with us for the weekend, decided to stay home and babysit (and play video games haha!). I was worried the movie was going to slaughter the book, but it was actually really good! Maybe I can convince Bryant to go see it with me when It goes to the dollar theater.

Sunday, of course, was Easter! We all got up pretty early since we have church at 9, and did Easter baskets.

Little Savannah definitely got spoiled.

 

I got her a rattle, some pacifiers, the movie The Incredibe Mr. Limpet (If you've never seen this movie, you should, it's super cute!) and a couple of outfits. I had a few newborn outfits for her and a lot of 6-9 months clothes, but very few 3-6 month and she's getting so long that we needed some more! They are all really wide on her since she's still really skinny, but at the rate she's growing she's going to need a whole new wardrobe soon! Ahh!

 

 (Savannah in her Easter dress!)

After Easter baskets, we got ready for Savannah's first day at church! I decided to only take her to class and relief society because I didn't want her in Sacrament with all the kids, since RSV is still lingering around. Plus, she's been cluster feeding the last week and 3 hours is a long time for her not to eat.

 

She did really good at church too and slept the entire time. (Also, after being in the ward for 2 years and having maybe 5 people ever say Hi to me, I bring a baby to church and suddenly I'm noticeable! Geeze, I should have had a baby ages ago! hahaha)

After church, Bryant and Tyler went back to their video games so Savannah and I spent the afternoon cuddling up for a long nap. That evening, my Mom made us a big turkey dinner (I made the rolls, but they ended up being rock hard. I'm not sure where I went wrong...)

And then that night my grandparents stopped by to bring us some cupcakes!

So it was definitely a crazy weekend! But Easter is always special to me. I know that without Christ's atonement, I wouldn't stand a chance. Because of him, I get to be with Bryant and Savannah for the rest of eternity. I owe him everything and I am so grateful for his sacrifice and love for everyone. Even for little old me. I know that every heart ache, every pain, every moment of suffering I've gone through, he's felt and experienced for me.

I Hope you all had a great Easter weekend!

3 Weeks

I decided to do another update on Savannah for her grandparents since shes growing so fast!

 

(In her bonnet and booties Aunt Kimber and Uncle Clark sent her! The dress was mine when I was a baby that my aunt Lynae made. They match perfectly!)

Friday she was 3 weeks, which means she will be a month old this week! It's weird because some days, it seems like time has gone by so fast, and others, it feels like I've been a Mom forever. 

 

(She's the cutest thumb sucker in the world!)

She's changing every day and she's learning more and more everyday too. She recognizes mine and Bryant's voices and I love when Bryant comes home and she can hear him talking in the kitchen and she will start moving her head and eyes around looking for him.

She's really good at focusing on things, especially your face. Her favorite things to look at are lights, windows, faces, TV's and the wall above my bed where I have black and white photos hanging up.

She is getting more and more smiley, but usually only when she's asleep, or falling asleep. I've even got a small giggle out of her 3 or 4 times when she was asleep.

We are starting to get a bit of a routine established, and she's finally switching her days and nights. During the day, she will be awake anywhere from 1-4 hours at a time, as opposed to just last week when she would only be awake for an hour at most. She's also sleeping much better at night. She usually wakes up at 4 and again at 8 and I change her, feed her and then she has no problem settling down back to sleep. This is really nice because I get a fairly decent nights sleep and she wakes up on her own now, rather than me setting my alarm every few hours, then struggling to wake her up and keep her awake long enough to eat.

 

She still doesn't like to sleep alone. Even just laying her down anywhere other than my bed or her swing and she immediately wakes up and starts fussing. We'll get it eventually.

She's been growing a ton! She's definitely a lot longer than she was even a week ago and I can tell just from holding her that she's steadily gaining weight. I'm interested to see how much she's grown at her next appointment!

Overall, she's a happy, healthy baby and we love her to pieces!

Sunday Afternoon

 Today was such a beautiful Sunday.

Bryant and I missed church unfortunately, thanks to little miss Savy J, who never cries, except for last night at 1am when she discovered that she's got some pipes on her and screamed to kingdom come.

Needless to say, 8am rolled around bright and early, and we got up, looked at each other with weary eyes and crawled back into bed.

But once we did get up and going, I decided that I didn't want to waste my day inside, especially since it was so beautiful and warm outside. My little brother Sawyer suggested we go out to my grandparents house to ride horses, and I, of course, was all for it! My parents couldn't come because they were working on their taxes, so Bryant, Sawyer, my little sister Sage and of course Savannah and I all packed up and headed out.

 

 Sawyer is a natural on a horse and was having fun on Apache

 I didn't ride (still recovering from those stitches. I don't think they would be too comfortable while riding a horse...) so I enjoyed wandering around and taking photos

 

 Bryant is super handsome on a horse. He rode Rio and did a pretty good job

 

My Grandpa

 

It was really nice of my grandparents to let us come out on such short notice. My Aunt Nichole and Uncle Brad came out too and my grandma made a big dinner for all of us. 

I was nervous about taking Savannah out all day, but she did really well and slept most of the time. 

Overall, it was a perfect day.

It's always nice to spend a Sunday afternoon with family.

Blondie

Do you know what I love?

I love getting my hair done.

Like, really love getting my hair done.

Why? you ask.

Well:

I love that it's 2 or 3 hours of getting pampered.

I love that I get a free coke to enjoy while I sit under the warm dryer.

I love that the stylist is always chatty. And if you know me, that's right up my ally. In fact, I learned that the stylist that did my hair is:

Married to a marine

loves the Hunger Games books

Is taking golf lessons to be more involved in the things her husband enjoys

Is planning on going to St. George next month

Possibly Las Vegas too

Wants to wait a few years to have kids

Has a sister-in-law who is pregnant 

her sister-in-law and brother lived in London for 18 months

And lots, lots more.

I love getting my hair colored and trimmed. It's like spring cleaning for my head

And, what woman doesn't love getting her hair washed?

Seriously

Getting my hair done is like a mini-vacation.

In hopes and dreams of summer arriving soon, I decided to go for a blond weave. I like it. Please excuse the mess behind me. It's what tends to happen when you have a baby...

Happy Birthday Mom!

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday!

When we asked what she wanted to do, she said "I want my kids to throw me a big party with streamers and confetti"

So that's what we did!

I wish I would have snapped a picture of the living room. Bryant and I traded off watching Savannah during church, so he went to the first half and I went to the second. While he was home and everyone else was gone, he decorated my parent's living room with streamers and balloons! It was adorable.

Bryant has been on a "Tangled" kick lately too, so when I sent him out to buy streamers, he came back with Tangled party favors too.

He's too sweet and cute.

My Grandparents came over and brought spaghetti for dinner too. Yum!

We had a great time together and I hope my Mom had a great birthday because if anyone deserves a special day, it's her! I think I feel more confident as a new mom because I have such a great mom!

I love you Mom! Happy Birthday!

(Sorry this is a short post, but I'm tired and it's freezing in here, so if anyone needs me, Savannah and I will be curled up in bed taking a nap, then catching up on our "House" episodes...)

2 Weeks!

It's Savannah's nap time.
(Well, most of the day is her nap time, but I'm saying it's now because it's really MY nap time)
So this post will be short and sweet (hopefully).

Today, she is 2 weeks old! I can't believe how much she has changed in just these two weeks. It's also amazing how I feel so comfortable being a Mom these days. I though it would take a lot of adjusting, and for certain things, like planning when to take a shower or getting around to making lunch or getting a half hour in just to run to the bank and the store, it has taken some major adjusting.

But the truth is, I feel like I was made to be a Mom and I couldn't be happier.

Anyways, we went in for her 2 week checkup yesterday morning and everything looks great!

(Savy J with her Grandma)

She is now 7lbs 6 oz (25th percentile)
20 1/2 inches (75th percentile)
and I can't remember her head circumference and I'm too lazy to go get the paper that they wrote it down on, but I do remember that it was in the 50th percentile.

So she's 2oz shy of her birth weight and the doctor said that was perfect considering she is mostly breastfed (we still supplement once or twice a day with formula if she seems extra hungry) and she's grown 2 1/2 inches in just 2 weeks! So when she was born, she was short and chubby, and now she's long and skinny.

The doctor said he was impressed with how good she was doing. He said most babies are in a "chaotic stage" the first 4 weeks and tend to flail around and cry at every little thing, but that she was already in the "quiet alert" stage where she could sit and be observant, and most babies don't get to that stage until 4-6 weeks.

He was also impressed with how well she could lift her head, coo, and smile, which are also things babies don't normally do until 4-6 weeks.

Overall, we have one healthy, happy baby.

(now I know why people brag about their kids...)

Also, last night my parents were gracious enough to babysit for a couple hours while Bryant and I ran to the mall. We decided to stop at Kay jewelers to get my wedding ring re-sized. Now that all my pregnancy swelling is gone, I went to put it on and it was so close to fitting but not quite. I know I have some weight to lose still, but its been about 4 or 5 months since I could wear my ring and I get it re-sized for free anytime I want, so I figured I might as well do it now, then hopefully in a few months I can lose a bit more of this pregnancy weight and I can always size it back if I need too.

Once we dropped my ring off, we decided to walk around the mall (the Disney store is so much fun when you have a little girl to buy things for) but unfortunately, we realized we were broke (payday is today! woo!) and Bryant's not much of a window shopper, so we plopped down on a bench and just talked for about an hour.

I did, however, find a 10 dollar bill in my back pocket that was just screaming to be used to buy shakes. So we ended up at Iceberg on our way home.

It was a short date, but nice to get out.

And I'm pretty sure my parents had a great night with Savannah.

Spare Time

I knew having a baby would be time consuming, I just didn't realize that having a baby who sleeps 95% of the day would be so time consuming!



I guess it's because when she's sleeping, I'm sleeping. Yesterday, I was able to get a load of laundry done. And today, I was able to get in the shower before 4pm and right now Savannah is quietly sleeping in her swing and making adorable cooing noises (and some not so adorable noises that indicate I will be changing a diaper fairly soon...) which allows me some time for a coke and to crank out a new post.



Savy J is about a week and a half old and everything is still going great! I'm feeling pretty confident that her jaundice is pretty much gone. Her body is no longer yellow, she's eating better and she's finally waking up every 2-3 hours on her own, rather than me spending a half hour at a time trying to wake her up to eat.

She sleeps really well at night, usually getting up twice between midnight at 8am to eat. The only problem we have with bedtime is that she hates sleeping in her bassinet. She will be sound asleep and as soon as we lay her down in it she starts to fuss and cry. Then, as soon as I lay her between Bryant and I, she's out cold. I have been able to get her to sleep a bit during the day in her bassinet, so hopefully, she can make the transition. I know I should just put her in there and let her cry it out for a couple of nights, but by that time, Bryant and I are exhausted and just don't want to deal with it (I know, we are terrible).

I also have trouble keeping her on her back. She loves to sleep on her side and is strong enough already that she will roll onto her side as soon as I lay her down. So I spend the first 20 minutes of her being asleep, rolling her back onto her back. She even tries to roll in her swing, which is harder for her to do and she gets really frustrated.


She's amazingly strong for a newborn. She can already lift her head up and hold it up when you put her on her tummy. She also tries to look at whoever is talking in a room. The other night, my Dad was holding her and I was sitting on the opposite side of the couch and Bryant was sitting across the room and when we were talking she kept moving her head to see me or her daddy.

They also say babies don't smile until they are a few months old, but I have one happy baby. She grins mostly in her sleep and it's unbelievably adorable! I can't get over how cute those gummy smiles are! Today, she was trying so hard to wake up from a nap and her eyes kept fluttering, then she's give me a big old smile. I really need to keep my camera handy for those moments.

She's also been really fussy when she's awake and she's had a lot more dirty diapers than normal so I think she's having a bit of tummy trouble. We go in tomorrow for her 2 week checkup so I'll be sure to mention it to the doctor.

So that's all for now. I think I need to go change that diaper...

1 Week!

Savannah was 1 week old yesterday.
Is it weird that I already think she's growing up too fast?
I take pictures of her everyday because she changes everyday. It's been the best week ever.

(She makes the best faces!)

I'll try to finish this post tonight because Savannah is washed, diapered, clothed, fed, burped, cuddled and soundly sleeping next to her daddy while he sings her beautiful music and I surprisingly have a tiny bit of spare energy (thanks to a brief nap) so I decided to write about our week before I crash and get woken up in an hour and a half by her. But you never know with babies, any second she could have a diaper blow out, a screaming fit or need to eat again.*

But I love it.

This first week of her life has been a fairly eventful one. Starting Monday, the day after we brought her home, we have had to go to the hospital every morning to get her heel pricked for blood samples for a biliruben test because she's been jaundiced. The first day she was a 9 and they said that was a little high, but nothing to worry about. The next day, she had jumped to a 16. This was a huge jump, but still not enough to need to take any action. They had me come down to the pediatrician to get her looked at and the doctor said she was a little yellow and a bit lethargic, but nothing to worry about yet. He also had me make an appointment with the lactation consultant for the next day because I mentioned that I've been having a hard time keeping her awake during feedings and she had gone from 7lbs 8oz, to 6lbs 12oz. That was roughly 10% of her birth weight which is normal, but we just didn't want to risk her losing any more. He also told me to start supplementing with formula just to get her weight gain going.

(She was smiling in her sleep and my Mom and I were trying to get a picture but we kept missing it. This half-smile was just as cute though!)

The lactation consultant was great! She showed us a few tricks to keep her awake while I fed her and she gave me her home phone number just in case I had any other questions and she invited me to come back any time I needed any help. She said that I was doing exactly what I needed too and that Savannah was doing what she needed to do, just the jaundice was wearing her out and that she would do better once she got over it. She also said if we had to use a phototherapy light that that would make her even more tired because it would be just like sitting out in the sun all day.

Well, sure enough, the next day her levels rose to an 18 and the nurse called a home hospice care for me to bring whats called a biliblanket. It's a biliruben light on a paddle that straps to her back and shines a light, and she would need to wear it 24 hours a day. Poor Savvy J was so tired and worn out and I was really worried about her. That afternoon Bryant's parents and brother wanted to go to lunch with us while my Dad and brother and sister babysat and I was all for it until 5 minutes before we left and I kind of had a breakdown. (dang hormones!!!) I was so upset about leaving my sick little girl. Poor Bryant felt so bad. He kept telling me that she would be just fine and that out of any problem we could have had with her, this was probably the easiest because it was extremely treatable and she wasn't in any pain. I told him that I just couldn't leave her and that he should just go, but my dad cheered me up when he said "for crying out loud! I've raised 4 kids, she'll be fine for an hour!"

So we went to Jason's Deli for lunch and it felt so good to get out of the house for a bit.


So we started her on the biliblanket and kept her on it for 2 1/2 days. I got a call from the nurse saying her numbers went back to a 16.9 and to go ahead and take her off the light. So today we took her in one more time to get tested (thank goodness! I don't think I could take much more of watching people prick her poor little heel) and the nurse called me saying that it went down to a 14.7 which means she's getting better without the light. So we don't have to test her anymore and I can tell that she has so much more energy and instead of being awake for 5 minutes at a time, she's awake for up to an hour and a half at a time. This has also really helped in our feeding times. She's eating more and for a longer period of time. The doctor wanted her to gain 2 ounces by Thursday and she was up to 7lbs so she had gained 4 ounces!

She's also had a lot of visitors this week. My friends Janine, Shaun, Hettie and Katie have all stopped by and brought her presents (and Shaun brought me a pack of cokes! Thanks Shaun!) and our good family friend Fred came over ("grandpa Fred") my aunt Lynae and her husband Daron, my aunt Kris and her husband Dan, and my grandparents have all come to see and cuddle her too. My youngest Brother Sawyer has even brought a bunch of his friends by over the week to show her off hahaha!

And lets not forget her Grandma and Grandpa Stokes were here all week! I wish they had been able to stay a bit longer because the next time we see them she'll be 3 months old!


(Savannah with the biliblanket. She looks like a little glow worm! And she sleeps like her daddy with her arms up above her head. When I swaddle her, I have to keep her arms out or she gets fussy and wiggles them out!)

My neighbors little girl who loves to tease our chickens and chat with my dad came by today and when she saw Savannah she said "she's got a big head... is she zero?" When I asked "Zero what?" she said "you know, Zero years old?".

Haha, yes, she's Zero years old I guess. Then she grabbed a cookie from the kitchen and sat and watched a bit of snow white with us.

It's been an amazing week. A tiring, stressful, eventful week, but the best week ever! I'm already bummed that I only have 5 more weeks before I have to go back to work. We are hoping that I will only have to work 1 day a week. Bryant is trying to convince me to be a full time stay at home Mom, but during the school year he won't be able to work as much so I'll probably need to pick up a couple of days. I think it will work because he is usually home in the evenings and I usually work nights during the school year. Plus, my parents are looking for any reason to get us out of the house to babysit.

(This was the last photo of me pregnant. I took it the night before I had Savannah and It was also the night before I was 39 weeks pregnant to the day. Can you believe that just a week ago I was pregnant and HUGE!?)

*This post was finished an hour ago, I just needed to put a couple more photos in it, but Savannah woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep. She's now sitting in her swing, happily sucking her pacifier and watching me as I finished this up. Lets hope she falls asleep soon because the last bit of my energy is now officially gone...