I know I have not blogged in a while, but I have a good excuse. I have been super tired and sick these last few weeks because I am pregnant! I will be 11 weeks this upcoming Tuesday and my due date is in July.
So far the baby is doing well, although it is still early... The baby has a strong heart beat which is always good. We will know more at our next ultrasound. We are excited to have another bundle of joy and for Ben to have a brother or sister. Pretty soon we will need to make up another baby room!
However, i have to admit i am not enjoying being pregnant at all. With Ben I only recall being sick for the last couple weeks of my first trimester. But with this one I have been sick for the last 4 weeks and counting... I don't vomit at all-I have a strong stomach. But, the stomach pain is practically ongoing all day everyday with it being the worst in the morning, after lunch and especially around dinner time. And as if stomach issues were not enough, I have been super tired and for some reason my back has been killing me... It has definatley been difficult taking care of my non-stop toddler while feeling so run down all the time. But, I am hopeful that I will feel better in a few weeeks.
Sorry I have no pics to accompany this, but I will give you a summary of our Thanksgiving. We drove up to Utah and stayed with my sister Katie and her family. It was great to see my cute nieces! We had Thanksgiving at her place. We also got to see my brother's family and his new baby boy. We got to be there for the baby blessing which was awesome! I would love to say it was a great trip and visit to see my family, and it would have been if I hadn't been feeling terrible the whole time...but oh well. Next year I plan on being able to more fully enjoy Thanksgiving. Christmas is just around the corner for us and we are so excited. I love Christmas! I think Ben is still too young to get excited about opening gifts, but he always enjoys new things to play with, so I am sure it will still be fun!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Halloween 2011
For Halloween and our Ward party (which was tonight) we dressed up as Mario (Corey), Luigi (Ben), and Princess Peach (Me). So, I made our costumes. Above is the dress I sewed. It came out pretty good I think. It is by no means professionally done. There are a lot of flaws if you look closely. But, it was my first time sewing such a big project and my first time using a pattern. A shout out goes out to my sister Kate, who walked me through the pattern. Without her help, I would have been totally lost. In the pic there are wet spots because I took the pic after wearing it to our church party and Ben got some chocolate on it.
Here is a picture of us at the ward party.
This is our pumpkin we carved. We did K for Kashuba, duh! Behind us you can see a wreath I made too!
Here is Corey taking the guts out. Ben mostly watched. I mostly watched too. corey was doing such a good job all by himself. Oh, I did clean the lid.
Here is Ben at the Pumpkin patch, helping pick out our pumpkin. 
This is our pumpkin we carved. We did K for Kashuba, duh! Behind us you can see a wreath I made too!
Here is Corey taking the guts out. Ben mostly watched. I mostly watched too. corey was doing such a good job all by himself. Oh, I did clean the lid.
Here is Ben at the Pumpkin patch, helping pick out our pumpkin. 
Here is Ben on his first hay ride. These pics are out of order. we did the hay ride, then picked the pumpkin, then carved it, then went to the ward party. LOL.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Kindle Case
Check it out! This is my most recent sewing project and by the far the most difficult one I have tackled so far (still a beginner, after all). It is a Kindle Case. I got the pattern from www.modabakeshop.com (the bookkeeper post).Obviously, I did not do the flower part, but I can always add it later if I feel like it. I did put my own twist on it by putting magnets on the inside of the fabric, at the corners of the cover, to help keep the cover closed. I love how functional it is. Now I can put my kindle in my purse or diaper bag without it getting beat up! It did not come out as prefect as I would have liked, but for a beginner I think it came out pretty good! Now to make a cover for my laptop!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
labor day weekend
Labor Day weekend was super busy! We went camping Friday and Saturday night with some friends. It was so fun! We hung out by the campfire, played volleyball, frisbee, catch. It was a long day Saturday and Ben got super dirty. We were all super tired by the end. We also got visited by a racoon two nights in a row. The second night it was brave enough to come out while we were all still awake and by the fire. The boys chased it off.
Sunday and Monday we got to spend time with Corey's Dad. Ben got to see his grandpa from CT for the first time! We also went out to eat as a family to Native New Yorker. Corey loves their wings.
Me, Corey, Ben, and Grandpa
Ben and Corey playing football
Ben trying to grab the shovel from Corey
Matt chillin
Ben, the outdoorsman
Sunday and Monday we got to spend time with Corey's Dad. Ben got to see his grandpa from CT for the first time! We also went out to eat as a family to Native New Yorker. Corey loves their wings.
Me, Corey, Ben, and Grandpa
Ben and Corey playing football
Ben trying to grab the shovel from Corey
Matt chillin
Ben, the outdoorsman
Ben, Me, and Corey out for a walk in the woods
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Aquarium
On Saturday Corey, Ben, and I went to the small SeaLife Aquarium in Tempe. It was also Ben's first outing in his new forward facing car seat. He really like being able to see Mom and Dad in the car! Ben really enjoyed looking at all the fish and sea creatures. They had some small sharks and the biggest crabs I have ever seen! They even had starfish you could touch.There is one spot where you walk through a tunnel inside onw of the aquarium tanks so you can see fish below and all around you. Ben was afraid to walk right on the tunnel at first, since it looks like there is no floor, but then he was captivated by all the fish swimming around him. It was cool to go check it out, since we had never been. I got us two tickets for $5 through Groupon, for that price it was worth it. But, I don't know if I would ever pay the door ticket price of $18 per person. It is not a huge aquarium.
After the aquarium, we went to Red Robin for dinner. Ben shared my clucks and fries with me and all 3 of us shared a milkshake. Yum!
Sitting with Dad in the restaurant.
A pic with Mom and the fishes!
He is getting so big!
After the aquarium, we went to Red Robin for dinner. Ben shared my clucks and fries with me and all 3 of us shared a milkshake. Yum!
Sitting with Dad in the restaurant.
A pic with Mom and the fishes!
He is getting so big!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Ben is One
Ben playing with one of his birthday gifts
Ben opening birthday gifts (with Dad's help)
Ben sampling some birthday cake with Dad
Ben with Mom
Ben looking at his birthday cake.Ben turned one year old today. I cannot believe it has already been a year! Time has gone by so fast. I am blessed to have such a wonderful little boy in my life. He is so fun! Today he went to the doctor for his one year check up and he weighs 22 pounds! He is in the 50percentile for height and weight so he is perfect!
He is such a lucky boy that he got two birthday parties. We celebrated with Corey's mom and her family on Saturday (the top two pics are from then) and today he ate the cake that I made him. As you can tell, he loved it. I don't give him treats like ever, so he was really enjoying that cake!
He got a lot of wonderful gifts. We got him a kiddie pool with some pool toys so he can stay cool in the summer heat. From other family members he got some clothes, toys, and books. He is such a happy little baby and so loved by his family near and far.
The worst part about his birthday was that he and I both have colds, but we still had a fun day despite our sniffles.
Love you Ben! Happy Birthday!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Yosemite/Sequioa/Vegas Vacation
Here are pictures from my family's vacation. Some are from the pool in Vegas, others are from the Sequioa Forest, and some are from Yosemite. I hiked half-dome with the cables down. There is a picture of me with my two sisters at the top of half dome.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
May Day
Ben is seeming less and less like a little baby each day. He does a lot of baby talk. He has learned that if he does not want or like the food on his high chair, he can hand it to the dog. Or, even better, he will try to hand it to me. He is very curious and has a lot of energy. He certainly tires me out. Below, there are pics of Ben with his dad, and him playing witht he dog's water bowl
Thursday, April 28, 2011
babywise
Now that I have been a Mom for almost 9 months, I wanted to take a chance and reflect on my Babywise experience. For those of you who don't know, Babywise is a book with a certain methodology on how to schedule your baby's day to encourage a happy, healthy baby that sleeps through the night. First of all, I read the majority of the book before Ben was born and agreed with the methodology quite a bit, especially since my sister recommended it. I did not read the sections on reflux and multiple births before he was born since I knew I only had one baby in my tummy and I figured, "What are the chances he'll have reflux?"
Anyway, once Ben was born I did my best to follow Babywise. I wasn't perfect, especially when it came to crying it out. But I did follow the eat, awake, sleep routine as much as possible, tried to stick to the 2.5 hour space between feedings, and I put him down in his crib, awake, with no passifier, 70-80% of the time.
According to Babywise, babies on this kind of routine sleep through the night by 12 weeks and take 1.5 to 2 hour naps during the day.
Ben was not the typical baby. Despite my efforts, by one month old Ben would only nap for 45 minutes at a time, no matter what I did. Also, he woke up every couple hours at night to eat. Plus, he would be up until 11:00 at night and would scream during feeding time. Also, he would nurse for 45 minutes to an hour at each feeding. Ben was also starting to spit up, a lot. Before I could even get him off the breast to burp him, he would spit up. And he would keep spitting up the whole time he was awake. Even 30 minutes after eating, if I laid him on the floor, he would spit up all over himself. I was going through clothes and spit up cloths like crazy.
After talking with my sister, she suggested Ben may have reflux. I went ahead and read the section on reflux and yep, Ben fit the bill. So, we switched from an attempted 2.5 hour schedule to a 2 hour feeding schedule. For about 3 months Ben would be awake for 1.25 hours, asleep for .75 hours and then up again. And, he was still taking 45 minutes to eat.
We also put Ben on reflux medication. The medication did not stop the spitting up, but it did help with not fussing during feeding time. No more crying after eating for Ben, Yeah! Also, it helped him feel better so that he was more relaxed at night, and went to bed easier. It was amazing. After a week of being on the medication, he went from being up until 11:00 fussing, to waking up and eating around 8:00 and falling back to sleep practically as I fed him. It was such a change. His tummy wasn't hurting him at night, so he slept better.
Despite keeping to a strict schedule, naps did not improve until Ben was almost 6 months old.
And, there was no end in sight to night time feedings. At four months old we did crying it out to drop the second night time feeding. 6 nights of crying and no luck. So, I gave up for the time being. I decided, because of his reflux, he was not ready to go that long without a feeding.
As my husband can attest, there were many times where I thought about throwing in the towel. Despite my Babywise attempts, my baby still ate twice at night when, according to babywise, he should be sleeping 9-10 hours straight with no feeding. Eventually I came to terms and decided that Ben just was not the typical babywise baby. I had a love-hate relationship with the book. I read sections over and over again to make sure I was doing things right, but also got frustrated with the book because it was written as an ideal situation. what I needed was a troubleshooting book, not a picture of what the perfect baby would do if I did A. I needed a book that told me what to do if after doing A, my baby did B, and how to get my baby to do C. But, alas, as a new Mom, I had to figure out how to work with my baby.
Let me pause here and say Ben is a wonderful baby. He is a happy little boy and such a joy. And i love him dearly. I just really wanted good naps so I could get some stuff done during the day and some uninterrrupted sleep at night.
It has been an uphill battle, but today, when Ben is nearly nine months old, I think all of my hard work was worth it. I am still nursing Ben more than the typical nine month old should be and he still does not sleep 9 hours without a feeding, but we are getting there.
His reflux is basically gone. No more spitting up, yeah! And, no more medication, yeah! He is now going 7-8 hours at night without a feeding (80% of the time), which has been wonderful for me.
The best part of all, Ben takes two naps a day. Each 1.5 - 2 hours long! His naps are perfect and wonderful for me! I can actually work out, shower, and do my hair. All before he wakes up! It has been amazing. He has been napping well for the past 3 months (minus my visit to my moms). His naps during the day have allowed me to gain back some of my sanity and the better night time sleep also helps.
And, he can go to bed for his naps and at night without a passifier. I go through our routine, put him in his crib awake and he either goes right to sleep or might fuss for a couple minutes, but that is it!
And, I must say I think it is because of Babywise. It may have taken nine months, but scheduling is well worth it. Especially since I am a type A personality, I love a schedule. I like to know what comes next. There are still hiccups sometimes. Going to church, or doing other things that mess up the schedule, sometimes have consequences that last a day or two. But when it is a typical day, Ben is a good napper and a happy baby! Which makes me a happy Mamma!
Now, our next battles are dropping the 11:00 night time feeding and weaning...
Anyway, once Ben was born I did my best to follow Babywise. I wasn't perfect, especially when it came to crying it out. But I did follow the eat, awake, sleep routine as much as possible, tried to stick to the 2.5 hour space between feedings, and I put him down in his crib, awake, with no passifier, 70-80% of the time.
According to Babywise, babies on this kind of routine sleep through the night by 12 weeks and take 1.5 to 2 hour naps during the day.
Ben was not the typical baby. Despite my efforts, by one month old Ben would only nap for 45 minutes at a time, no matter what I did. Also, he woke up every couple hours at night to eat. Plus, he would be up until 11:00 at night and would scream during feeding time. Also, he would nurse for 45 minutes to an hour at each feeding. Ben was also starting to spit up, a lot. Before I could even get him off the breast to burp him, he would spit up. And he would keep spitting up the whole time he was awake. Even 30 minutes after eating, if I laid him on the floor, he would spit up all over himself. I was going through clothes and spit up cloths like crazy.
After talking with my sister, she suggested Ben may have reflux. I went ahead and read the section on reflux and yep, Ben fit the bill. So, we switched from an attempted 2.5 hour schedule to a 2 hour feeding schedule. For about 3 months Ben would be awake for 1.25 hours, asleep for .75 hours and then up again. And, he was still taking 45 minutes to eat.
We also put Ben on reflux medication. The medication did not stop the spitting up, but it did help with not fussing during feeding time. No more crying after eating for Ben, Yeah! Also, it helped him feel better so that he was more relaxed at night, and went to bed easier. It was amazing. After a week of being on the medication, he went from being up until 11:00 fussing, to waking up and eating around 8:00 and falling back to sleep practically as I fed him. It was such a change. His tummy wasn't hurting him at night, so he slept better.
Despite keeping to a strict schedule, naps did not improve until Ben was almost 6 months old.
And, there was no end in sight to night time feedings. At four months old we did crying it out to drop the second night time feeding. 6 nights of crying and no luck. So, I gave up for the time being. I decided, because of his reflux, he was not ready to go that long without a feeding.
As my husband can attest, there were many times where I thought about throwing in the towel. Despite my Babywise attempts, my baby still ate twice at night when, according to babywise, he should be sleeping 9-10 hours straight with no feeding. Eventually I came to terms and decided that Ben just was not the typical babywise baby. I had a love-hate relationship with the book. I read sections over and over again to make sure I was doing things right, but also got frustrated with the book because it was written as an ideal situation. what I needed was a troubleshooting book, not a picture of what the perfect baby would do if I did A. I needed a book that told me what to do if after doing A, my baby did B, and how to get my baby to do C. But, alas, as a new Mom, I had to figure out how to work with my baby.
Let me pause here and say Ben is a wonderful baby. He is a happy little boy and such a joy. And i love him dearly. I just really wanted good naps so I could get some stuff done during the day and some uninterrrupted sleep at night.
It has been an uphill battle, but today, when Ben is nearly nine months old, I think all of my hard work was worth it. I am still nursing Ben more than the typical nine month old should be and he still does not sleep 9 hours without a feeding, but we are getting there.
His reflux is basically gone. No more spitting up, yeah! And, no more medication, yeah! He is now going 7-8 hours at night without a feeding (80% of the time), which has been wonderful for me.
The best part of all, Ben takes two naps a day. Each 1.5 - 2 hours long! His naps are perfect and wonderful for me! I can actually work out, shower, and do my hair. All before he wakes up! It has been amazing. He has been napping well for the past 3 months (minus my visit to my moms). His naps during the day have allowed me to gain back some of my sanity and the better night time sleep also helps.
And, he can go to bed for his naps and at night without a passifier. I go through our routine, put him in his crib awake and he either goes right to sleep or might fuss for a couple minutes, but that is it!
And, I must say I think it is because of Babywise. It may have taken nine months, but scheduling is well worth it. Especially since I am a type A personality, I love a schedule. I like to know what comes next. There are still hiccups sometimes. Going to church, or doing other things that mess up the schedule, sometimes have consequences that last a day or two. But when it is a typical day, Ben is a good napper and a happy baby! Which makes me a happy Mamma!
Now, our next battles are dropping the 11:00 night time feeding and weaning...
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Easter
Easter morning was fun at our place. Ben got his first Easter basket. He got a couple toys and some teething biscuits. You can see him enjoying one of his biscuits in the pictures. The Easter bunny brought mommy and daddy some candy too!
Of course, Easter is not all about candy and toys. It is about the sacrifice Jesus made for us. I am so thankful that I know about the Savior and what He did for us, especially when I think about Corey and my baby boy. Life is more precious and important because of what I know.
Of course, Easter is not all about candy and toys. It is about the sacrifice Jesus made for us. I am so thankful that I know about the Savior and what He did for us, especially when I think about Corey and my baby boy. Life is more precious and important because of what I know.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Fun with Ben
Ben is more and more fun each day. He is also more and more active each day as he becoems more mobile. He loves to get into everything!
Ben loves the dog's stuff, including her bed.
Ben and I
Climbing the stairs all by himself
He loves to pull himself to stand on anything, including the fridge.
Ben loves the dog's stuff, including her bed.
Ben and I
Climbing the stairs all by himself
He loves to pull himself to stand on anything, including the fridge.
Texas
Ben and I went to Texas during Spring Break to visit my family. It was a lot of fun. While there Ben learned to crawl and went on the swings for the first time!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Ben is on the move
The past couple weeks for Ben have been huge. Ben and I have been in Texas visiting Ben's grandparents. Ben got to play with his Uncles James and Matt and Aunt Lauren. It was great to hang with the family. Ben especially loved being spoiled by his grandma. While we were in Texas Ben learned how to crawl, sit up on his own, say "mumma", and pull himself up to standing (depending on what he has to hold on to). Now that we are home, he is crawling all over the place! And anything on the floor is fair game for going in his mouth. I guess it is time to baby proof the house. It is amazing how quickly he is learning and it is so fun to watch.
We miss Grandma and Grandpa, but it is so nice to see my hubby again and be back home.
We miss Grandma and Grandpa, but it is so nice to see my hubby again and be back home.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Ben
Ben has been able to roll over for a few months, but this past week he has become a pro. He is starting to move around the room by rolling. He is such a smart little boy!
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