Let the Games Begin!

Ahhh...I have two full weeks off with my family, my Christmas shopping is finally finished, the laundry is done (for about 2 seconds), our bags are packed and we are ready to celebrate our first Christmas with a child. Life is great! I'll keep you posted as to how all of the festivities "play" out! We wish all of you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season!

Must Be Santa

"...beard that's white, special night, cap on head, suit that's red...Must be Santa Claus!"


We took Kyler to see Santa yesterday, and he loved him. Kyler was just so interested in who was holding him that he kept looking up at him and trying to grab his beard. Luckily this was the real Santa, so I wasn't worried about Kyler pulling his beard off!

Rice Cereal - Round Two

Once Kyler got over the intial taste of rice cereal, he really seemed to like it. The other night while I was feeding him, he was getting so excited that he was reaching for the bowl, grabbing the spoon and trying to feed himself. Then when I wasn't feeding him fast enough he would start to wince and whine. We've got a porker on our hands. What can I say? He takes after both his mom and dad in that department!

Sign Kyler's Cast!

Well I decided that I can no longer beat myself up over Kyler's broken leg. "It is what it is." Right? Feelings of guilt and tears will not fix his leg.

We went to the Orthopedic doctor yesterday and she was awesome. She helped us to realize that things happen. She said that she could tell from the x-ray that this was unintentional and it doesn't look like someone grabbed his leg and twisted maliciously. We are not child abusers (there's your proof Cranson). They casted his leg and told us to come back in just two short weeks and it should be healed. Children are relentless!

"Bandaid Bickford" Jr.

In terms of Kyler, he is doing great! He doesn't even know his leg is broken, and will never know if we don't want him to. He is continuing to work on his rolling over skills even with the cast. He did, however, tell me that he would like you to sign his cast!

Happy Healing Kyler!

Trying out my new tooth!

Kyler did cut one of his bottom teeth this week. He has been doing this funny thing with his mouth as if he notices something different is in there. It is almost like he is trying to chew on it. Since he has been making this chewing motion, we decided that it was time to try rice cereal. I'm not too sure that he liked it.

Weekend Warrior

Kyler is a trooper. All I can say is that we probably take the cake for being the worst parents ever. Many of you already know that Kyler has a broken leg, and his parents are most likely the ones to blame.

On Wednesday night Kyler, Josh and I were all having some quality family time playing and laughing together before Josh had to leave for his basketball game. We were picking Kyler up by his feet and he was laughing and giggling so hard that he probably peed his pants (like he does so often). After Josh had left I had noticed that Kyler was particularly clingy so I started to explore the possibilities. I changed his diaper, got him into his pajamas, wrapped him in his blanket, and then I decided to feel in his mouth. Sure enough he was cutting a tooth. So then I got out some teething rings and dismissed it as that. He slept through Wednesday night as usual but woke up kind of cranky. I still packed him up and brought him to daycare with teething tablets in hand.

Then around 11:30 Thursday morning I got a phone call at work from Diane. She said that Kyler was really cranky and possibly running fever. Josh was able to leave work to rescue Kyler. When I got home from work we took his temperature and everything was normal, except for the fact that Kyler was still miserable. This was not like him what so ever. He is usually a happy-go-lucky sort of guy.

Josh and I decided to split Friday up - I went to work in the morning and Josh went to work in the afternoon. Friday evening I decided to give Kyler a bath, and that's when I noticed that something could be wrong with his leg. I stretched it out to wash it and he just screamed at the top of his lungs. Then I watched him the rest of the evening and he was favoring his leg by keeping it close to his body all bent up. He didn't move it at all and when we moved it for him he just let out an excruciating scream. Changing his diaper, putting on socks and pants were just a miserable exercise for him.

That's when I decided to call the doctor. We got up Saturday morning and called first thing. Luckily our doctor was the one on call for the practice. We took him in at 9:30 and she did an exam and concluded that we needed an x-ray. The whole time I just couldn't believe what was happening. Could his leg be broken? I am such a bad mother. I kept thinking these things over and over to myself.

Since it was Saturday we had to go over to another office to get an x-ray. Josh had to hold Kyler underneath the machine while he screamed and screamed. The x-ray results were immediate. We were able to see them on the computer and sure enough Kyler's tibia had a spiral fracture. I couldn't believe my eyes. My heart just sank as I looked at the picture in disbelief.

I asked the doctor there at the x-ray office, "What could have caused this?" He responded rather rudely, "I don't even want to go there." As if he were trying to say that we knew what we had done. I just wanted to scream back at him, "I don't beat my child - if that's what you are thinking!" This is stressful enough to go through and I will live with the guilt for the rest of my life. What had we done? We were the ones to blame because we were playing with him. I am guilty for playing with my child and not realizing the consequences.

We took him back to our doctor and she splinted it up for us. She said that she didn't feel comfortable casting it because she didn't have much experience casting a little guy. She then gave us a number for an orthopedic doctor whom we well be calling first thing Monday morning. We will keep you updated.

Fall Family Photos

Once again we went to Shannon Conner to get our pictures taken. Here is just a sample of the many that she shot.

Music to My Ears

Now that we have a child, many different sounds are heard throughout our house. One of my favorites is Kyler's laugh. There is just something about the laughter of a child that is so innocent and exhilarating!

"Rubber duckie, you're the one!"

Warm water + bubbles + a crazy mom singing bathtime songs + a rubber duckie = Kyler's idea of FUN!

"My Sister's Keeper"

Sometimes I like to go into Kyler's room while he is sleeping and just stare at him. As I am looking at him in a daze, I think about just how lucky Josh and I are to have such a healthy and happy baby. I also think about how amazing life is. We created Kyler with just one simple act of love. He grew inside of me for nine months - everyday developing more and more. The creation of life is such a beautiful process, and I have been fortunate enough to have experienced it first hand.

This process has really changed me as a person. For obvious reasons, I am now a mother and I have a child that relies on me. But I also feel as though I have a new found appreciation for all parents, especially my own. If I would have known just how much my parents cared about and loved me, I probably wouldn't have been so horrible to them in my teen years. A parent is a very special person - you have to be in order to love someone as much as a parent loves their child.

I just got finished reading, "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult. This is a story about a sister's battle between keeping her sister alive and the right to her own body. If you have read any of Picoult's work, you know that she likes to write from the different viewpoints of the characters. To see the many sides to every story, each chapter views the story through someone else's eyes. "My Sister's Keeper" was a very difficult story for me to read for the sheer fact that I am now a mother. I probably wouldn't have really thought much about it had I not been a mother. Anna was created by her parents as a "perfect match" for her older sister with leukemia. They were only going to take the cord blood from Anna and use it to help her sister, but it didn't seem to stop there. This really got the parent side of me thinking. What would I do if I were faced the a situation like this one? As a parent who would do anything to help either one of her children, what could you do? If I had one child dying and another one suing me for the right to her own body, what would I do? This book really got me thinking about how thankful I am to have a healthy child, what I would do if I didn't have a healthy child, and hoping that I will never have to deal with a similar situation. I highly recommend it.

Thanksgiving

When I think of Thanksgiving, there are so many sights, sounds and smells that come to mind. When I was younger, Thanksgiving was a time for family gatherings, late nights with the cousins, making crazy crafts that my Aunt Mary would conjour up, but most of all a fabulous feast (including my favorite, black olives)! Then when Josh and I were dating we blended our families together by spending Thanksgiving with his family and Christmas with mine. This somewhat morphed the meaning of Thanksgivng from time with my relatives into time with the "new" side of my family. That meant we would travel to the western slope of Colorado and feast on the fixin's (including black olives) and turkey. The change was much welcomed due to the fact that I wasn't EXPECTED to help - even though I did. This year the meaning of Thanksgiving changed once again. Josh and I opted to stay at home for Thanksgiving. We did this for many reasons, which included the weather, the 6 hour drive, a break, and a time to start our own traditions with our new family. Regretably so, Thanksgiving just didn't seem like Thanksgiving this year. I'm not saying that it was a bad Thanksgiving, but there just wasn't the usual hustle and bustle of everyone trying to pitch in and find a place at the table. Yes, we did fix ourselves a feast (including black olives), but it just wasn't the same without much family surrounding us. We'll see what next year will have in store for us. We hope that all of you had a happy, and healthy Thanksgiving!

Five Fabulous Months

Today Kyler is 5 months old! Can you believe it? I can sit here and tell all of you just how time flies, but you already know that especially if you have children of your own! Kyler is doing so many things now. He is rolling all around, smiling at all sorts of things, giggling, singing, and practically sitting up on his own. The other day, while I was working out in the basement, I decided to put him in his baby papasan chair to see just how he has grown. Here are the two pictures side by side so you can see:
Kyler the day we brought him home from the hospital (June 28, 2008). The chair dwarfs Kyler.

Kyler at 5 months (November 26, 2008). He is almost too big for this chair now - Kyler dwarfs the chair!

It is so hard for me to imagine just how tiny Kyler once was. And this is a great way for me to see just how much he has grown, and in such a short time!

A Pleasant Surprise

The other day, Josh and I went to check the mail for the first time in about a week. As I was thumbing through all of the junk mail and bills, I stumbled across a hand addressed envelope. I really get excited about hand-addressed envelopes because I rarely get them and they usually contain exciting news. This particular one was quite odd in that it didn't have a return address written on it. I proceeded to open it and it contained a short note that read, "Sorry this is so late! Congratulations on your little one!" I thought this was very nice considering it also held a $35 gift card to A Children's Place. As I was thinking about what a generous gift this had been and how it just made my day, I realized that there was no signature. We still are quite puzzled as to who would have done such a great thing. We would like to personally thank the person who did this, but can't since there was no return address or signature. So if you are the mystery person and are reading this, thank you so very much for your anonymous gift; we truly appreciate it!

Cool Cousin Kyler

Today I recieved a phone call from my older brother, Brian. He didn't want to talk to me, but he did ask to speak with Josh and Kyler. I questioned this because he had called MY cell phone. He said that he had some information for just Josh and Kyler and not me. He and Courtney had just gotten finished at the doctor's office and found out that they are expecting their second girl in April! Brian didn't want to share this infromation with me because I decided I didn't want to find out the gender of our child until the day he was born. Congratulations Brain and Courtney!

Thankful

The other day at work, as part of a "morale building" project, we were asked to write down 5 things that we are thankful for. What am I thankful for? Geeze, what kind of question is that, and to only limit me to just 5 things - was this some sort of joke? Then it got me to really thinking, "What am I truly thankful for?" I am thankful that I have friends and family such as you. I am thankful for my health and that of my family. I am ever so thankful for my wonderful husband. I am thankful for my job (although it is hard some days). As I was listing these things out to myself, I was thinking how many of the things that I am thankful for stem from three main things: family, health and job. If it weren't for my family I wouldn't be here, Josh wouldn't be here and therefore Kyler wouldn't be here. If it weren't for my health there are many things that I wouldn't be able to do and or remember. And if it weren't for my job I wouldn't have met my very best friend and I wouldn't be able to afford the things that I like to do. After all of this thought put into what should have been such as simple exercise, I finally wrote:
1. My husband
2. My healthy and happy family
3. My friends
4. My job
5. The memories that I have created

Cameron Cuties Reunite!

This morning Kyler and I packed up and headed over to our friend, Kim's house for a little play date. It brought back very fond memories of all three of us (Kim, Angy and myself) waddling our pregnant bodies around the halls of Cameron Elementary School, as well as Kyler's "First Official Play Date." (My, how they have all changed!) Unfortunately, Kim no longer works with us (trader), but we have a created a friendship that will last far beyond the walls of Cameron.

November 8, 2008

July, 2008

Update (in pictured order):
~Abby was born in April, she currently 6 months old and weighs about 16 pounds.
~Lanie was born in July and she is 3 1/2 months old and weighs approximately 13 pounds.
~Kyler was born in June and he is 4 months old and weighs approximately 16 pounds.
~Luke was born in April and he currently 6 months old weighs about 13 pounds.
Yup, Kyler is the fatty of the bunch.

The Ghost of Hallow Eve's Past

This time of year marks the beginning of our journey with Kyler. It was at our annual pumpkin carving party last year that I had announced, to many of our closest friends, that I was pregnant. Just reliving the memory by writing about is bringing the butterflies back to my stomach. I was only 5 weeks along and wasn't entirely sure that I was expecting when we were planning our annual pumpkin carving party. As the party was quickly approaching and I still hadn't gotten my period, I was beginning to wonder what I would say to people when they would ask why I wasn't drinking. I thought of buying some O'doul's and pouring in into a beer mug, or even making some sort of mixed concoction that looked alcoholic just to make people believe that I was drinking. In the meantime, I had taken another home pregnancy test (the first 2 were negative) just to see what was going on. The third time's a charm, because this one had shown positive. Josh and I were elated. We just started laughing a somewhat nervous yet excited laugh, and held each other tightly. Then we came back down to reality - How were we going to tell our parents and what was I going to do for the party? Well, at this point, the party was just a week away and we still hadn't come up with a plan. The only thing that we wanted to be sure of was to tell our parents first. We just had to find a way to do so in the next week.

I had convinced my mom that I needed help cleaning my house for the party, in reality I did not, but it was a ploy for her to meet up with me in person. I had gotten a "brag book" that said, "My Grandkids". I emphasized the s on the end of the word and put a picture of my pregnancy test on the first page. She was elated! Since we couldn't meet up with Josh's parents in person, we had e-mailed them the same picture of our pregnancy test then quickly called them. Josh instructed his dad to check his e-mail. Once he did, Gerald jokingly said, "What does that mean?" Josh told him to go and get Rita and that she would help him to decipher it. Once they did, they too were elated! Then the party rolled around. I didn't want to tell people as they arrived, rather I wanted to make a big announcement. As our friends slowly arrived to our house, many of them asked why I wasn't drinking yet. I told them that I didn't really feel like it now, but maybe I would later. Later came and went, and I still didn't have a drink. Once the majority of our friends had arrived, we did make the announcement. One of our friends told me he felt like such a jerk when he had previously asked why I wasn't drinking.

Baby's First Halloween

This year, pumpkin carving was a bit of a different story for me. We had many of the same friends over this year and they were glad to see me back to my old self again.

Family Fun!

Let me just sum it up for you:
~25 of our close friends (whom included: Superman, Lois Lane, Elvis, Michael Phelps, Mary Tyler Moore, a sheep, a monkey, two pumpkins, Teen Wolf and a couple of football players)
~two babies and one on the way
~3 dogs
~336 trick-or-treaters (my next door neighbor kept a tally)
~2 bottles of Jagermiester
~Just shy of 100 bottles of beer
~one bottle of wine
~2 pans of gringo enchiladas
~a vegi tray
~lots of chips and salsa
~a pan of brownies
~8 carved pumpkins
~one big trash can filled with pumpkin goop and seeds
~12 rounds of Guitar Hero
~and Josh singing karaoke
Needless to say, we had a great night!

We are already looking forward to next Halloween. Josh and I were just talking about it, and by then Kyler will be walking and saying a few words!

More Fun

Without anything really planned this weekend, Josh and I had loads of fun just "flying by the seat of our pants" (no pun intended). Thanks to Jaime, we discovered the website www.yearbookyourself.com, and just look at the fun we've created!
We could have been quite the couple back in the 80's!

"Time flies when you're having fun!"

Today Kyler turned four months old. I guess the old saying, "Time flies when you're having fun!" is true. Time has been flying and I have been having so much fun watching Kyler grow into his own little person. He is now cooing more than ever, rolling over from his front to his back, smiling back (when he is in a good mood of course), holding his head up totally on his own, giggling, pulling away from Lucy when she approaches to kiss him, and most importantly, sleeping through the night! He simply amazes both Josh and I every single day. Kyler goes in for his four month wellness check-up and immunizations on November 13, so we'll post his latest stats then, but sure has grown!

Ahh-mazing!

That is the only word I can use to describe this weekend. Without any obligations to uphold, this weekend has been so refreshing. This is the first weekend since I have been back to work that I didn't HAVE to do anything, an boy did it feel great! Friday night was spectacular due to the fact that I received the greatest compliment about Kyler since he was born. We were out having a few drinks with our friends, the Cransons (who are expecting their first child in March), when Jaime turned to me and said, "I can only hope that my child is as happy as Kyler." This comment made my heart melt. After I got over the emotional part of the compliment, it got me thinking about what someone else told me when I was expecting. Our friend, Lynn, said that Kyler is extremely lucky to have such wonderful parents. I can only hope Kyler does feel lucky to have Josh and I as parents and that is the reason he is such a happy baby. I sure feel lucky to have him as our first child.

Weekend Wonderland

Once again, we have had a fun-filled weekend. We started the weekend a little bit early due to the fact that we didn't have students on Friday. On Thursday night we went out to Old Chicago and met up with some friends after the Greeley West football team beat Longmont. It reminded me of the good ol' college days - drinking on a school night - oohhhhh! Then on Friday night Josh and I stayed up late watching a movie along with some shows that we had recorded eariler in the week but didn't have time to watch. It was nice to kind of relax and enjoy each other's company. Saturday was an extremely busy day. We started out the day by going to the grocery store. It was going to be a quick trip, but we ran into so many people that we know that it ended up taking almost twice as long as we had anticipated. Oh well, it was good to catch up with some people that we haven't seen in a long time. After the grocery store, we headed over to our old stompin' ground - UNC - for a wedding reception. It was neat to be on campus once again and the reception was in the same exact room we had our wedding reception, needless to say, it brought back many extremely fond memeories.

Congratulations Erika and Brandon! (Jeff, Jaime, Erika, Brandon, Me, Kyler and Josh).

After the reception we went home to take a little snoozer and then we were off to Angy and John's for dinner. They made terrific green chile and burritos! It was one of the first times that I could actually drink more than one drink in a sitting due to the fact that I have, unfortunately, given up on breastfeeding - bittersweet. So, I indulged a little. Thanks friends!

Today was just as busy. Josh and I got up around 8:00 and he started in on yard work right away. I baked a lasagna for our pot luck dinner tonight. Then we got Kyler ready and went down to Longmont to hang out with Brian, Jillian, Adam and Crystal. We went to Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Patch to scope out the scene.

Soaking up the sun!

Fabulous Family Photo!

Cool Cousins

After dodging all of the small children at the pumkin patch, we loaded Kyler back into the car for the trek back to Greeley. We had to hurry home to re-heat the lasagna for the pot luck. A quick stop home to feed Kyler, pick up the food and we were off again. This time we were going to hang out with a bunch of kids Kyler's age. We reunited with the folks from our childbirthing class that we had taken in the spring. Kyler was one of two boys - he was set!

Kyler with all the cuties!

Wow! What another amazing weekend!

Coffee Talk

Every morning on my way to take Kyler to the babysitter, he and I "talk" over coffee. My car is usually filled with cooing coming from the back seat, Jack Johnson or Nickel Creek playing in the background, and the aroma of a fresh cup of coffee. Ahhh, life is good on the way to work (it's a different story when I step foot into school). I was telling Josh the other day that I wish my drive to work was a bit longer so that I could spend more time feeling a little more "zen".

...and the little one said, "Roll over, roll over!"

What a great Saturday morning (like I have mentioned before, I live for weekends)! This morning after giving Kyler some "swimming lessons" in our big soaker tub, we were just hanging out on the bed having a little "tummy time". And look, Kyler decided he was going to try rolling over! What an exciting moment!

"

Silly Mommy

Now that Kyler is in childcare, we take every opportunity to spend quality time with him. The other night we were getting changed into our pajamas and having some fun.

Family Fun

This weekend we were able to kind of get away. We all (Kyler, Lucy, Josh and I) hopped into the car and went to the western slope of Colorado. We were headed to visit Josh's parents as well as attend his 10 year high school reunion. It was Kyler's first adventure in the car for an extended amount of time and I was a little worried about the drastic change in elevation, but he did wonderfully. After 6 hours in the car, we got there around midnight on Friday night/Saturday morning. The reunion was on Saturday. It was nice to catch up with some of the people that Josh went to high school with and even meet some new faces. Other than the weather (it was cold and rainy), we had a great time. Then on Sunday, we headed over to meet up with some friends that live in Montrose. Lindsay and Ryan graciously fed us lunch and played with Kyler. In our down time, we just hung out on the farm with Mom, Dad and Jake, Josh's brother.


Lucy loves it there too! She plays so much that she tires herself out. When it was time to leave she sat on the couch as if to say, "No I will not!" Just like the defiant teenager that she is.


It was nice to get away and leave all my worries here in Greeley - we need to do that more often! Unfortunately it is now back to reality.

Got Milk?

The other day when I came home from school I needed to pump my breast milk because Kyler had just eaten at the sitter's. Once I was finished, Kyler distracted me (as he so easily does) and I had left my milk on the the floor of his room. About 15-20 minutes later I had remembered that I had left the milk just sitting on the floor and went in to pick it up. As I entered the room I noticed Lucy was in the corner where my pump is and she was drinking my breast milk! Gross, but true story. Doggies like milk too!

What a Wonderful Weekend

Now that I am back to working full-time, I live for weekends. Since Kyler is in daycare all week long, I have come to appreciate all of the moments that we share as a family (just like many people told me I would have). This weekend was spectacular!

It all started on Thursday with Kyler turning three months old. Can it already have been three months since Kyler was born? I just can't believe how time is flying, although I should be able to since so many people had warned me about this happening.


Then on Friday we went to the Greeley West vs. Greeley Central football game. This is a huge rivalry in the city of Greeley, plus Josh works for Greeley West so we had to be there to cheer on his students. The Spartans pulled it out (as usual) with a 49 - 21 victory over the Wildcats. The Greeley West staff then met up at the Reynold's house for a little celebration. Kyler was the hit of the party.

On Saturday morning (my birthday), I was awaken by my husband whispering, "Happy Birthday" into my ear and offering to cook me breakfast. We slowly got up and got ready for a big day. Josh took Lucy to the vet to get her ears checked out (they're doing great by the way), while I stayed home and got ready to go to Idaho Springs. Josh's cousin, Tim, was getting married there. We took Lucy over to the Kinyon's house to hang out with her buddies, Buzz and Chip, then we headed up the hill. The wedding was great, and we got to catch up with that side of our family. They all loved Kyler, of course.

Congrats Tim and Angela!

Today we just hung out here at the house and watched football. My brother, Adam, came up from Denver to wish me a Happy Birthday and recreate "old times" (he used to live with Josh and I).

Go Broncos! (Too bad they lost to one of the worst teams)
Crazy Uncle Adam
Silly Adam Bumbos are for kids!
I think I will end this weekend with nice relaxing bath and a bottle - I mean glass - of wine. Next weekend is too far away!

Back to School

Ug! I thought taking care of two babies at once was hectic. Today has been one crazy day. Let me give you a little synopsis:
Woke up at 4:30
Fed Kyler
Worked out
Got myself ready for work
Ate breakfast
Got Kyler ready for the day
Dropped him off at daycare :(
Went to work
Dealt with 30 of other peoples' children all day
Went to a meeting after work
Picked Kyler up from the sitter
Finally made it home
I was far too tired to even think about cooking dinner, so Josh went out for Subway sandwiches. And I have to do it all over again tomorrow! I have decided that I need to leave work at work and spend every precious moment that I possilby can with my dear Kyler.

New toy, new fun!

We splurged and pruchased Kyler a bouncy exercise/learning center. He seems to love it. He just hangs out looking around at all of the fancy toys and bright colors.

Poor Lucy

Not only has Lucy gotten a lot less attention since Kyler was born, but now she is sick! I took her to the vet today and found out that she has ear infections in BOTH ears! The doctor thinks that they were caused by a "late summer allergy". Because she is sick, she will finally get some of the attention she deserves.

Poor Lucy

Introducing the Amazing Cooing Kyler!

Kyler has found his voice. Josh and I absolutely LOVE it! Instead of crying in the morning, he now wakes us up with a beautiful song. Josh and I just lay in bed enjoying the delightful sounds of happiness coming from the child we've created.

It sounds something like this:

Last Lunch Date with Daddy

Boo Hoo! I wanna cry! Today was our last lunch date with daddy. When Josh returned to work at the beginning of August, I have devoted our Friday lunchtimes with him. Kyler and I would go pick something up (usually Subway sandwiches or Qdoba burritos), and meet Josh at his school for lunch. Today was our last one due to the unfortunate fact that I will be returning to work on Monday.

Even though we were sad, there were many people happy to see us (as usual).

Kyler with "Aunt" Jane

Double your pleasure, double your fun!

Today I had "Double the pleasure, double the fun!" Lanie came an hung out with Kyler and I all day. Unfortunately, Lanie's Grandpa Chuck (he watches her during the school day) got sick and was unable to care for her. Fortunately, for us, we were able to have a friend stay the whole day with us.

At first I kept thinking that it would be a rather hectic day, but it truly wasn't that bad. They were on opposite schedules pretty much all day. While Kyler was sleeping, Lanie was awake and vice versa. There was only one time in which they were both crying. Lanie started to cry and Kyler didn't know what it was, so then he started to cry. It seemed as though it was their first verbal interaction with each other.



12 diaper changes, 6 loads of laundry, 3 outfit changes, 3 times being spit up on, 2 crying fits, 3 story times, 10 rounds of children songs, and 8 hours later I was exhausted! All I have to say is, "Bless mothers of multiples!" (Kim and Mariah you guys are AMAZING!)

Date Night

Last night my mom babysat Kyler while Josh and I went on our first official date since he was born. We got all dressed up (my mom said we had to "Woo" each other), and went out to Loveland to eat at Bonefish Grill. It was nice to be freed from the worry of having Kyler with us. I was even a little nervous in the beginning. The company was great and the food was amazing! We had a terrific night out on the town (thanks to my mom)!

Company Galore!

Over the past couple of weeks we have had lots of company. The first week in September my mom and stepdad, John flew in from Washington D.C. to help me out during my last few weeks of maternity leave. My mom has stayed for a couple of weeks and has been VERY helpful with everything from babysitting Kyler to washing all of the vent covers in my house! Thanks mom!
Sleeping with Papa John

Snuggling with Mema Mohr


Then the second week in September my dad and his wife, Penny came to town from Massachusettes to meet Kyler for the first time. Since Penny is from England they were able to experience Colorado by going to Estes Park, a square dance, and a Colorado Rockies ball game.
Kyler and Grandpa Bickford

Off to a Square Dance!

In between all that we even got the chance to meet up with a couple of friends. Billy, Mariah and their boys were in town and stopped by one afternoon.
Brekin, Mariah and Kyler

Brekin loves Kyler

An of course there is Lanie, Kyler's girlfriend. We went to The Kinyon's house to watch the incredible Broncos beat the Chargers. All in all, we have had a busy couple of weeks filled with family and friends!
Playtime for Kyler & Lanie

Just hangin' out!

Playing Peek-a-boo

Kyler is just starting to get to concept of peek-a-boo, and beginning to recognize Josh and I.

More Thoughts on Motherhood

When we were engaged, many people gave us wedding day advice to, "Just take time to soak it all up." When we decided not to have children right after marriage, many people told us to, "Take time to enjoy one another." Then when I found out I was pregnant many people told me to, "Enjoy every moment of your pregnancy." Then when Kyler was born we got advice to, "Enjoy them; they grow up all too quickly." (see post from May: "Much Needed Parental Advice"). Are you noticing a trend? Because I am. This morning I was sitting with Kyler on my lap just admiring him and his little facial expressions, when it hit me that I need to do this more often. There have been many instances where I wish that I could just freeze time in order to "take it all in". I am finding that it is so easy to get caught up in the "hustle and bustle" of everyday life that we don't leave time for the ones we love. (And I haven't even returned to work yet!)

"Motherhood Means Always Giving 100%"

I saw this commercial the other day and thought that it summed up motherhood quite nicely.

Kisses from Cousin Jillian

Jillan is awed by her younger cousin, Kyler. Everytime we get together she says, "Baby baby" while pointing to Kyler. Usually that would be all that she would do. She really didn't want much to do with Kyler...until the other day!


We were out to lunch with my mom, stepdad, brother Brian, sister-in-law Courtney, and Jillian. Brian asked Jillian if she would like to give the baby kisses and she nodded her head, but still had an unsure look on her face. Brian then picked her up and she gave Kyler a smackeroo right on his forehead. Now she can't give him enough kisses, which is probably a good thing since Brian and Courtney are expecting their second child on April 9, 2009! Yah!

Vote for Kyler Urich!

Forget about McCain or Obama, if you want this country changed you need to vote Kyler Urich. He will smile, coo, and drool his way into the Oval Office.
I am Kyler Urich and I approve this message.

Sleepy Boy

I don't know if Kyler was just trying to sleep off all of his shots or what, but last night he slept for 7 hours straight! I actually woke him after the 7 hours because I was afraid that something was wrong. When I did wake him, he was happier than a pig in mud. Good sleep does = good mood!

Stinkin' Shots

Today we went in for Kyler's two month check up, and everything looks and sounds great! I wasn't lying when I said that Kyler is growing like a weed! The circumference of his head at birth was 14 1/2 inches and is now 16 inches (75 percentile). He weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces at birth and he now weighs 12 pounds 11 ounces (75 percentile). He was 20 1/2 inches long at birth and he is now 24 3/4 inches long (95 percentile)! Daddy was happy to hear that one! If you haven't voted on the poll, you might want to consider voting for a professional basketball player.

Then came the painful part. Kyler had to have three injections into his legs and one immunization by mouth. He only screamed at the initial shock, but once in mommy's arms all was better. I think that it was much harder on me than it was on him. When we go back for more in just two short months, I think I'll make Josh take him.

Too Cute at Two Months

Wow! I can not believe just how quickly time is flying! Kyler is already two months old. It seems like just yesterday we were going to the hospital to deliver the little guy. Not only is the time just wizzing by, but Kyler is growing like a weed! I took him to the clinic today and he now weighs a whooping 12 pounds 6 ounces! He has gained nearly 4 pounds since his birthday. He is starting to get more sturdy by holding his head up a lot more. And the thing that I love the most are his precious little smiles and coos that go along with them.

Kyler and Lanie sittin' in a tree...

Last night we had the Kinyons over for dinner, and we got Kyler and Lanie together. This is the first time that they have been together and actually seemed to notice each other. We put them on the Baby Einstein mat and they were kickin' and punchin' away. At one point Kyler was trying to stick his thumb into Lanie's mouth.


It is so great to have such close friends with children so close in age!

So Fresh and So Clean Clean!

One of my favorite activities with Kyler is bath time. There are the times when I just put him in his tub and just bathe him from the outside, but then there are the times when I put on my bathing suit and take him with me into our large soaker tub. This is when I train Kyler to become the next Michael Phelps. I help him to kick his feet and splash with his arms. I also dunked him once and it scared the crap out of both of us - I probably won't be doing that for a while. Kyler seems to be enjoying bath time much more than he did the first time (see blog from Friday, July 11 "Two Weeks and Lovin' Life").

Michael Phelps and Kyler have so much in common!

Good Sleep = Good Mood

Last night was the BEST night we have ever had! We put Kyler to bed at 9:30 and he didn't wake until 4:00! Yup, that's right, 6 1/2 hours of sleep! It was so great that I woke up at 3:00 in a panic and had to go make sure Kyler was still breathing. Then, of course, I couldn't get back to sleep waiting for him to wake up. This gives me hope of being able to sleep through the night once again!

Since Kyler slept so well, he was in a great mood this morning. He is starting to smile and coo a lot more.

Loving Motherhood

Like I have previously mentioned, nothing can prepare anyone for parenthood. That is one thing that I absolutely love about being a parent. Up until now, my life has been pretty structured, and I have been a bit of a control freak. Having a 8 week old has made me become more flexible and easy going. It has also made me learn to slow down and enjoy the moment, because memories can be easily lost.

Other things I love about being a mom:

When I walk into Kyler's room and he stops crying.
Reading to Kyler.
Singing to him to soothe him (he must be tone deaf like his mother).
Watching him learn to smile.
Watching his million different expressions.
Breastfeeding.
Watching him change on a daily basis.
Watching Josh interact with Kyler.
Bathing Kyler.
Listening to his little grunts and coos.
Watching him grow.
Seeing how Lucy interacts with Kyler (usually kissing him all over).
Watching him sleep.
Meeting his needs.
Seeing the effect he has on perfect strangers.

I'm sure that this list is an ever changing one, just as Kyler is ever changing.

Ready to face the rain!

Cheers to puppies and babies (or should I say babies wearing puppies)!

Tummy Time!