Saturday, April 28, 2012

Happy Four Months! And Easter and Utah trip

So I'm finding I'm getting behind on blogging.  So much has happened since the last time I blogged.  First Easter:

So we had a great Easter weekend.  Stake conference was the same weekend.  We had a general authority come and speak, Elder Robins and he brought us a great message and I was grateful for the message and renewed testimony of our savior.  We went to Tommy's parents house for Easter.  Zach got some toys but I forgot to get a basket so...no basket but still, the toys are what's important.  But did I take a picture? No of course not.  But here are some photos from the day.

Uncle Matt with Zach
Zach and Grandma May
Family Photo


Happy Easter From Delainie!
 Now the story behind this cake is that at first it was supposed to look like an easter egg that had cracked.  But then it looked like pacman so I added an eye.  Than we decided to try and make it a bunny.  The result is as follows - an evil easter bunny.

On the 17th (a little over a week ago) Zach turned 4 months old!  I can't believe it.  It seems like he was just born.  He went to the doctor and got more shots (yay....).  But he pulled through well.  He didn't cry until the second shot which made it easier because he wasn't crying while they're trying to give him yet another shot.  As you can see he is 25.5 inches long (73%) and 13 lbs (20%)  So he has a body comparable to Gumby.  A very cute gumby!
 That night as we were packing, Zach started laughing when I made a weird noise.  I caught him on video but I apologize for the funny noises I make.  It's worth seeing Zach laugh though.  I can't wait for him to laugh all the time like this!
 



The next day we jetted off to Utah for Tommy's brother Mark and my brother Joe's graduations from BYU.   Zach pretty much slept for 75% of our travel time which was awesome!! I always feel guilty not meeting people or chit chatting with them at airports because you always here about people having great missionary discussions at the airport for some reason.  Well while we were waiting for our flight, I ended up talking to this really nice lady.  I was all proud of myself for being friendly and thought, "maybe we'll get around to talking about the church"  Well, she actually is a member already.  In fact, she goes to Tommy's parents' ward and we know a lot of the same people.  But it was really fun anyways getting to know someone new.  I'm terrible at that kind of stuff and since we're moving soon it was great practice.  

Zach waking up from one of many naps
Daddy and son going for a stroll around the airport
 I was so frustrated when we got to Utah because I realized I forgot my camera.  So we have no evidence of even seeing Mark and Joe.  We don't have any photos of them from their graduation or anything!! I was doing so well in Arizona too.  But we had a great time.  I never want to have our families live near each other and us have to share our vacation time with them ever again.  I felt like I hardly saw anyone including Tommy because we spent a lot of time split to give both families equal time.  We love our families and our brothers so much and it was hard not being there 100% for anyone.  But we still had so much fun!  We got to stay with my cousins the Cooks which was a blast! The kids are growing up so fast and they are so much fun! They all loved Zach and it was so nice to have them meet him.

Thursday Tommy got to spend some good time visiting with Mark.  They got to work out together and then we got to visit with my other cousin Sarah.  She has 4 boys that are great and it's fun to see what a house full of boys are like.  Wesley really liked Tommy which isn't surprising because Tommy is so funny with kids. Then we got to go see Tommy's family in Salt Lake where they got to meet Zach.  Mark made a really good lasagna dish but I spent most of my time trying to get Zach to go to sleep so I felt like we hardly got to hang out which was sad.  But we were thrilled to be with family none the less.  Oh well, other opportunities will come soon!  ;)

Friday was graduation.  I went to my brothers and Tommy went to his brothers that way Zach didn't have to sit through 4 hours of ceremonies.  Joe's ceremony went on forever...it took 45 minutes before they finally started reading names.  The Dean talked a lot... to give you a frame of reference, it only took 15 minutes before they were reading names for Mark's ceremony.  SO I spent the whole time texting Joe sarcastic comments and Zach did what he does best, he slept. 

Saturday we went to the new mall in SLC called City creek.  While we were there, Clinton from What not to wear was there! and we got to see him.  Pretty awesome.  Mark and Misty joined us but everyone ended up splitting up.  The Mays (Tommy, Mark and Misty) went one way, my mom and I went girls shopping and Joe, my dad and Zach went suit shopping.  Tommy and I came away with some pretty good clothes. One bonus to living in Manhattan is there no where to shop so I at least save us some money that way.  But when we go out of town we always try and go to a mall to update our wardrobes just a touch.

So here are the few photos I collected while I was there. 
Boston and Zach hanging out

Nana, Zach, and Me at Graduation
Zach and Coach.
I love this photo of Z.  It seems so poetic
I love this picture because I have one of Delainie doing the same thing
See!


 Friday Night Tommy and I got to go on an impromptu date.  We ended up in a toy store!


Zach's face when uncle Joe started reading him a story
Zach started warming up to Joe's story


Zach does not like cold water....

Uncle Joe and Zach!
Matching colors.  Not an accident...
Well we made it back from Utah and Zach has already changed so much in the one week since then.  He loves being on his tummy.  He went from only hanging out for about a minute before he started fussing to about 5 minutes.  It helps to have a mirror for him to look at himself with.  Does he get that from his aunt Shellie?  

Zach is also learning to roll. I put him on his belly one time and he rolled to his back.  However he really could care less for the most part about rolling.  But we're working on it.  He has been discovering his feet this week as well which is helping him to roll, even if it is involuntary!  

We've also been working on his standing.  At first, we would stand him up and he would try and sit right away.  Now he's pretty solid.  Most babies wobble a lot but he just stands sturdy.  I'm thinking he got his dad's legs. 

We have been working on cutting down Zach's pacifier time to only naps and bedtime.  I feel like it was becoming a crutch for Tommy and me more than it was for Zach.  It was a bit frustrating but I learned how to understand Zach and what he needs more so I don't feel bad about limiting it.  He is also finally growing out of his swaddle.  He was fighting us too much on it and is no longer waking himself up with his arms.  So we felt like we could unswaddle him.  I'm glad to be done with it because I was never any good at getting a good swaddle anyways.
So we have been wanting to get Zach one of those toys he can stand in so he can strengthen his legs.  We got a huge blessing and were able to go to this huge baby garage sale where people all over town donate or sell their used baby stuff.  The biggest blessing is that a friend of ours was kind enough to give us access to the pre-sale the night before which is only for the sellers and volunteers.  But I found that there are 3 presales that day.  So basically, if you don't get to the presale, you're wasting your time. We were not only able to get him the standing thing but My dad asked us to pick a gift out for Zach as well.  We were able to get him three toys that normally would have cost us between $25-50 each and got them plus a baby gate plus a pair of shoes (normally $10-15) for $44!! I'm not ashamed to say I bought this stuff second hand because they were all practically new! Plus, they're plastic and easily washed and disinfected.  Thank you Stacey!

Enjoy the photos!
Mirror Mirror, on the wall...
it took him all week but he can now grab both feet at once!
A great close up

We can't forget Brady! Such a cutie!  Shellie said in her text, "He has all these toys and all he wants to look at is the fan"


Bye bye swaddle!

Possibly my new favorite photo...

Thanks Coach!

His new standing toy!


Lastly,  I am done working at Medical Search Associates.  I'm pretty sad to say good bye to the people I work with.  I learned so much at that job not only about recruiting but about myself.  Due to a series of events and some spiritual promptings, we felt like it was time for a change in careers.  I feel completely at peace with the whole decision which I think is the biggest indicator that we made the right decision.

Okay, one more last thing, we started packing!! We just finished patching up holes and painting over everything.  We feel like we started a little early but with all that's going on I'd rather be the tortoise than the hare. 

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Cow or Giraffe! You decide. By tommy

     We have all seen those movies where the impossible happens.  Where the 40 year old ball player shows up the younger athletes or a bunch of bows, arrows, and wild animals defeat advanced military technology, and other such movies.  These movies inspire us, they keep the hope alive that the little man can win, the right will win out.  I am here to tell you that those endings belong to the movies, they don't happen in life.  Let me explain.
      It is a well know fact in our family that Chelsea is always right.  Not that she is stubborn and demands to be right but that legitimately she is factually right all the time.  I am no idiot, in fact, I feel I am rather intelligent, yet when we disagree about a bit of information she usually wins.  What is more degrading to me is that I insist on proving that in each instance I am right.  Do you see the problem in this, she continues to be right and I continue to challenge her only to learn that I am still wrong. It's a maddening, destructive cycle.
Zach's toy is the one pictured on the left, see how cute and cow like it is?
     So here is where or story begins.  We recently bought a new toy for Zach, it has an animal in a hot air balloon and when it is pulled it plays one of three different songs.  Zach loves the toy and smiles when he hears it play.  One day we are setting up his play mat and Chelsea asks me to get his Giraffe toy.  I replied puzzled, what Giraffe toy?  She says the one with the giraffe in the hot air balloon. I kindly explain that it is a cow not a giraffe, because of it's big nose; she agrees and life goes on.  Three days later she decides, while in Wal-Mart, "I think I am going to decide that it is a giraffe and not a cow."  What?!  Your going to decide?! No one can just change reality, it's not possible!  But she did change reality!!
     From that point on we began asking random people to identify the animal in the hot air balloon.  First was the Wal-Mart cashier, he studies the animal ponders and replies, "I have never seen a yellow cow so that is a giraffe."  Seriously!  A giraffe!!  Next thing I know we are taking pictures of it with our phone and sending it to all our family asking them to identify the animal pictured.  Wouldn't you know it, people begin to respond that it is a Giraffe, Moose (Misty my sister), Arthur the Aardvark (Colby my brother-in-law), and a Jay Hawk (my father-in-law).  Let me say if it was a Jay Hawk I would burn it in the mouth of an active volcano then break my own leg for purchasing it for my Wildcat son!!
    I decide to end this and pull a play from the Modern Family play book, I call the manufacturer.  Unable to take my call, I leave a message.  The weekend continues in the same pattern, we ask everyone we meet what type of animal it is and 70% reply that it is a giraffe, 15% say cow, 15% some other creature.  Even my Mom who loves giraffes says it's a giraffe.  Yet I am still convinced that ever one is wrong!  Finally Monday morning I get the call from the manufacturer and sure enough Chelsea has changed reality, it is a giraffe.  I humbly text her and admit defeat.  I can't believe I was wrong, I can't believe I pushed the issue either.
     I will say this though, when Chelsea is right she doesn't gloat and on the rare occasion that she is wrong she admits it.  Yet I still try to challenge here in a losing battle.  So there is no such thing as the little guy winning or the underdog arising in triumph.  Also if you want reality to change, have Chelsea make the decision and it seems the universe will adjust to her view.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

3 Months and Arizona!

Happy 3 months to Zach!  I may be 2 weeks late...but it's the thought that counts? Okay so the reason I'm late is because his real 3 month day landed on Saint Patrick's Day and the first day of Tommy's spring break.  On that day Tommy ran a 10 k in honor of Zach!

Tommy after his run!  he finished in about 46 minutes.
 Then that week was pretty depressing because it was the first time since Tommy and I have been married that we were going to be apart.  I know, I know, people do it all the time but you know, I'm pretty pathetic when it comes to being away from my best friend.  I don't think I will ever get used to it.  So we hung out a lot and I may have cried once or twice before Tommy went off to Michigan to look at housing and I went away to Arizona to see my sister Shellie's new baby Brady!

Zach and me hanging out at home
My little homie...no his clothes don't match because he peed through his diaper before we got to the airport

My travel buddy! My dad, sister and bro-in-law flew out with me

Cousins!

Cousins! On the day of Brady's blessing

Brady's blessing outfit.  He looks so cute!

Uncle Joe and Zach


Zach loved looking at Brady


We all accidentally wore the same colored shirt

Uncle Spencer helping out with Zach!

What?! I may be pushing an agenda in this picture...

Delainie and Gpa!

Brady loves laying like this

Delainie was trying to play with Zach here

Brady already smiles!


our little cutie!!!

Passed out

Mini me.  My dad hates that hat

JAMBA JUICE!! A major downside to living in KS is a total lack of j.j.

me and my broseph

Zach with Nana.  He was watching tv here
Tommy got me flowers and Zach a book for coming home.  I LOVE HIM!