Maddox is 6 Months Old!!!

Maddox at 2 weeks old, 8 weeks old, 4.5 months old, and 5.5 months old!

My sweet little man is 6 months old today!!! It seems like just a few weeks ago we were bringing him home from the hospital and scared to even pick him up, dress him, or bathe him. Now we are expert parents! (Not!). This little boy is the light of our lives. We are so grateful to have his sweet spirit in our home! I feel so blessed to be this little boys momma. From day one Maddox has been an awesome sleeper. At least 4-5 hours at a time. Now he sleeps 9-10 hours then wakes up and has a bottle and goes back to sleep for another 2-3 hours. He LOVES to roll over onto his belly and he has learned how to army crawl across the whole house. He can get anywhere now! He has been sitting up for 2-3 minutes at a time from about 4 months old and now he can sit up for however long he wants....he just really likes to be on his belly crawling. He sleeps in his own crib...often on his belly... or halfway sitting up...and most nights he finds his way to the other side of the crib and flips a 180. When he DOES get to sleep in bed with mom and dad he sleeps width wise between us making an H shape. Luckily his feet normally go towards Josh, so Josh is the one getting kicked all night. Not me :) He likes to stand up holding on to stuff (bed, couch, etc) but he most times gets to excited and bounces up and down then falls over. He loves to bounce up and down. His "Jumparoo" is one of his favorite toys and is a surefire way to get a smile on his face. He loves raspberries and his belly being tickled. He also thinks it's pretty hilarious when he puts his finger in your mouth or even your nose (ick). I can't tell you how many times in the last few weeks i've woken up with a finger in my nose.
This boy has a boatload of hair! It's just so light you can hardly see a lot of it in pictures. I gave him a haircut about a month ago, but it has grown back even LONGER than it was before! He's starting to look like Einstein when I don't style it. Halloween costume, maybe?
He has yet to double his birthweight. He is only a whopping 13.1 pounds! He looks so big and grown up in pictures but people that see him and have a baby the same age comment on how teeny he is. Poor boy. Last week at church he sat next to a girl a month YOUNGER than him and she was already 16 pounds. She also tried to eat him (No joke)....Poor boy just smiled and flirted with her. *Sigh*. He is 28 inches long though! A little above the average 26 inches! So at least he has some height to him :)
His favorite food is pears. A close second in applesauce. He would eat pears all day every day if I would let him. He is SO good at feeding himself with a spoon. He can grab the handle of the spoon and direct the spoon into his mouth. Sometimes he just gets too excited and puts it a little to far back and gags himself :) If I don't feed him fast enough he grabs to spoon from my hand and throws it in his mouth. He also loves his afternoon apple juice while he watches a show he likes (Jake and the Neverland Pirates or Bob the Builder). His favorite stuffed animal is a giraffe Josh bought him.
He has a lot of blankies that he loves, but the only one he will go to sleep with at night is the one my mom made him. She crocheted it and used the silkiest, softest yarn you have ever felt and he LOVES it. I have tried covering him with a different blanket at night and he won't go to sleep. He has screamed and screamed until I give him his Grammy Sommers blanket (We call it his lovey). He puts himself to sleep at night time and during naps. I just give him a bottle and go lay him down in his crib with a binky and he puts himself to sleep (as long as he has his lovey). He absolutely loves to be outside, no matter how cold. He thinks his toes are pretty dang awesome. And he absolutely loves daddy's saltwater fish tank. Whenever I go check on him while he's taking a nap if he wakes up when I walk in he just opens his eyes, gives me a huge smile, and falls back asleep. He melts my heart.
I think that's about it! I fall in love with this sweet boy more and more every day. Even after he goes to bed and night I have withdrawals so I sneak in his room and kiss his face just 5 or 10 more times :) I swoon over him and how handsome and sweet he is. I love that he smiles every time he sees me and that he puts his arms around my neck and buries his face in my shoulder whenever he's sad or tired. I'm in love with this boy :) No matter how bad I want a little girl, if I have another boy and he's anything like this I will be so in heaven!
Happy Half Bday, Maddox!

This is water... This is water

Please don't hate me after this post. Confessions of myself are coming out, but nobody is perfect and I am trying to change. My husband showed me this video called "This is Water". I highly encourage you to watch it. It is 8 minutes long, but it will change your way of thinking in life. I want to better myself just because of this. I want to share it with everyone I know, just to try and make your life a little bit better.
You can find the video here.

It hit home to me. I am guilty of this self centered thinking. I fall into my daily routine. I zone out. I get frustrated in traffic and at the grocery store thinking "I have a fussy baby, i'm just trying to get out of here so I can get home to put him down for a nap." I go through my days putting my needs first to make days being pregnant and having a baby go by as easily as possible. Often times I even catch myself thinking in the grocery store line "You have a grocery cart full of crap, and I just have 2 cans of formula and a screaming baby, don't you think you could just let me go in front of you."
I KNOW that sometimes I get so centered in my own world I don't even notice the world around me. When i'm picking up a prescription at the pharmacy and the line is super long I just think "I have a sick kid at home and just need to pick this up. I don't have time to wait 20 minutes" and I don't even take a second to look at the people around me. Old men who don't even have the strength to stand in line so they sit on the bench while their wife waits in line to pick up the prescription, or even woman in front of me who could be in the same situation I am.

I love that David Foster says "You get to decide what has meaning." I can go through my daily routine bitter at everyone else in the world because they are just slowing me down, or getting in my way. Or I can realize that these people could be in worse situations than I am and have sympathy and love towards them.

"If you really learn how to think, how to pay attention, then you will know you have other options. It will be within your power to experience a crowded, hot, slow, consumer, hell type situation as not only meaningful, but sacred." 

That being said, I had another experience this week. There was a giveaway for tickets to a Time Out for Women conference. I thought it would be fun to have a chance to go, so I decided to enter. It said "Why do you need Time Out For Women?" And you entered the contest by commenting why. I started to write a comment that said "I need a time out because I have no adult time. I go to bed every night with the 'Jake and the Neverland Pirates' theme song stuck in my head, and you know you need a break when you start having dreams about changing poopy diapers." (true story dude!) Then I started reading through others comments
"Because I take care of my husband that is dying of brain cancer all day every day and I need this spiritual boost."
"I need a time out because I take care of 2 children with downs syndrome all day long and I really just need some me time."

Then I realized "I DONT NEED THIS." I don't need this time out. I have no reason why I need this conference. My life is perfect. Perfect in my eyes. I have a beautiful baby boy that is my pride and joy. He is the center of my world and he makes me smile every single day. I love singing "jake and the neverland pirates" with him and making him laugh. I love every single poopy diaper that I get to change, because it means I have a baby, and I wouldn't trade that for the world. I don't need any more adult time, because honestly, I don't feel like I have enough time with that boy. He is growing up to fast and I want to spend every second of every single night and day staring at him because time is just going by way to quickly and I know that sooner than I know he will be grown up and leaving home.
I have an awesome husband that I love to the moon and back. We have a great relationship.
We have been blessed with a nice home, a nice car, and very good jobs that help support our family and provide for us. While going to school may be hard and frustrating at times and sometimes when emergency situations drain our savings and money gets tight, it never takes away our happiness.
We are blessed beyond belief. I have no basis to complain about anything to anyone.

So this is my resolution. To continue to count my blessings, and see others through Heavenly Fathers eyes. To realize others have struggles far beyond my own. And to not complain. If you hear me complain, slap me!

Did this video mean anything to you? Please let me know! I want to share it with the world because it really hit home with me, but maybe it was just something I personally needed to hear.

Being a grown up- Credit

Ok. We applied for a credit card and were denied. Before everyone goes and jumps on us about applying for a credit card let me tell you a little bit about our long hard decision and why we came to the conclusion to apply for a credit card.
We need to build credit SLOWLY! In about 6 years Josh will be graduated from school and we will most likely be looking to buy a house. My dad has raised me well and I believe renting is about the worst waste of money. I would rather put our money away into a home. So I know the minute we find somewhere where we will be settled for years we will be buying a home. Neither me or Josh have ANY credit. We have never taken out loans, or had credit cards. Long story short, we don't want to end up 6 years down the road looking to buy a house and have to wait 2 years to buy one because we have to quickly build up our credit. I would rather put 1 tank of gas on our credit card each month for the next 6 years and have credit by the time we are ready to purchase a home.
We are in the positive in our cash flow. This credit card will not be used to pull us by through the rest of the month to be paid off next month.
As far as I know, you basically can't get much in life without credit.
I really disagree with the system. You would think you should be praised by banks for not ever having to have a credit card or having a loan, right? Nope. It's frowned upon.

So here comes opinion time. How do we get our credit built up enough to be able to apply for a credit card? I already checked with our landlords and they don't do anything to work rental payments in with credit companies. (I've heard that some landlords will). Soooo....what is a young couple to do?
And we are not looking for the answer "You should never have a credit card and find a way to build credit another way." We have done our research for months, talked to multiple people, and realize that you can put yourself in a very bad situation with a credit card, but you can also put yourself in a very good situation with one.

Shark Night!!!

Really the title of this blog should be turned into "Ramblings of a crazy lady on bed rest that has way more energy than any human that is pregnant and has a baby should have at 11pm."
Anyway, back onto the main topic here. Netflix has been my go to. Unfortunately the past 24 hours have been filled more with searching for movies more than actually watching them. Tonight I stumbled across this beauty...

SHARK NIGHT!!! (In 3D...which I don't even know how that works on Netflix). Anywho, This is the description of the movie

A weekend of beach-house debauchery turns into a nightmare for a group of friends when they discover that the waters are infested with vicious sharks.

Soo... What is   the nightmare? They can't have a relaxing weekend in the water? So unless the sharks are growing legs and walking up onto the beach and into their houses to attack them, the logical thing to do is to not go in the water....right? But we all know that this is not how that movie will go. They will keep trying to swim in the waters and as a result keep getting eaten...Basically i've solved the mystery for myself from just reading the description. Here's my movie summary...

"Teens go to a beach house for a fun weekend. They start swimming. A shark swims up to one of them and "Chomp" he's probably not dead. Just lost an extremity and everyone swims to shore. The next day one of the teens says "Hey lets go swim again". And this same story line will go on and on until most of the teens have been attacked  or eaten..with the exception of one or two. And then after they have lost limbs and friends they finally decide "Maybe we shouldn't go in the water anymore""

The end. 

I really need something more productive to do with my time. 

Too much time, not enough to do!

I never thought I would be saying that as a mom! Geez! Today we had an ultrasound and the Dr. put me on strict bed rest indefinitely. I don't even get to shower every day! How gross is that? I get a shower every 2 days. Ughhh. I can't pick up my baby. I can't lay on my side. I can't lay on my belly. I can't even get up to go to the kitchen to get food or a drink. Basically I feel like i'm in time out. I'm only 7 hours into my first day and I'm already going a little stir crazy. Netflix is boring. I'm tired of Facebook and Pinterest. I think I need to find a good book to read. Luckily Josh has been an angel today and basically been me for a day. He is amazing! I also have an amazing mother that is driving up here as we speak to help us through the rest of the week while Josh goes to work and school. I am so lucky to have such amazing people in my life right now! I have been battling a range of emotions today. I have felt guilt, making my husband watch the baby and do the chores around the house. I have felt guilt for having my mom drive all the way up here when she just got home from Europe 2 days ago! I feel guilt for not being able to be the most attentive mom to my baby. I feel stressed for this tiny baby i'm pregnant with. I feel helpless barely being able to take care of myself and having to rely on others. Through all of this though I feel closer to Heavenly Father. This day has been filled with prayers and priesthood blessings. Begging and pleading. And whatever the outcome is it has strengthened both mine and Josh's relationship with God. I feel so grateful that my family has been sealed in the temple and I know that we will be together for eternity.

Anyway, I need to find something to do to pass the time so I don't go crazy! Anyone have good suggestions on netflix movies/shows? Books? How to find the black market and sell things on there? :)

What I have learned as a mom...

These are hard lessons I never thought I would come to terms with...but lo and behold, I sit on my couch writing this post.
I may not be a veteran mom like some of you reading this, but I have learned many valuable lessons being a mom of 1 and pregnant with another. Let's list a few...

• Sometimes your house is just going to smell like poop even after you take out the diaper garbage, and that is OK. 
• You may be cleaning your house and find a bottle of chunky milk, that has been under the crib for who knows how long, and gag while you wash it out. (Tip: Vinegar gets the rotten milk smell out of plastic)
• Your rug has seen it's last days by the time your baby comes along and there is no way to prevent it. Spit up happens, spilled milk happens, and poop happens all too often. 
• The cost of diapers, formula, and baby food are most often going to double the bill it takes to feed you and your husband for a month. 
• Everyone and their dog has an opinion about how to raise your baby (Some old lady in the grocery store told me it's not safe to put your carseat in a cart? I'm pretty sure he's not going anywhere lady) and you can just nod politely then move on and tell your husband that your kid is still alive, right? What else do people want! Geez! 
• Babies are sturdy. They get bumps and bruises when they are being naughty (Clarification...I don't recommend beating your children. They do that to themselves). But even a good knock on the head doesn't require a trip to the Dr. or emergency room. Kids survive. Remember how our parents survived lead paint and no carseats during their baby years? Even though it might explain a lot, they survived! And our kids are way safer than that. 
• Your baby will learn how to roll one day when you are not looking and he is somewhere he should not be rolling. And again I emphasize, every bump and goose egg does not require a trip to the Dr....it's just a really good excuse if your kids get bad grades later on in life ;) 
• Babies like to eat everything. I mean EVERYTHING! Our magazines, books, remotes, cellphones, pillows, blankets, and extremities have seen better days. Just make sure they don't eat anything potentially hazardous. 
• Kids love to prove you wrong. Don't believe me? Go tell your kid something and I guarantee they will quickly start doing the opposite! "My baby has been sleeping so good! 9 hours straight each night!" That night your baby sleeps in 20 minute increments and wakes you up for the day at 5am. Then the pattern keeps going for endless months! 
• Kids aren't fooled by reverse psychology. They are smarter than you think. So if you are considering using the previous tip to your benefit, good luck! 
• You will most likely smell like spit up, vomit, and poop for the next 10 years. Accept it. Try to fool your husband into thinking it's the latest and greatest Ed Hardy scent.  
• You will see mom's out there that are always put together. That work out every single day and have rocking hot bods, are dressed unreasonably fashionable, their children are perfectly put together, and they have their hair down because some how there babies don't rip it out in chunks if it's not in a ponytail! Who know's how these woman do it, but even though they do it doesn't mean you're not a good mom and wife if you don't match up to their looks. As long as you get a shower in at least once a week (or more) consider yourself just as put together as them. 
• Bottles, caps, pieces to toys, baby socks, clothes, etc will go missing. Don't waste your days searching for them. There is some little house elf that steals them and takes them away and you will never find them once they are gone. It's their way of messing with your sanity. 
• Accept that part of your mind is gone and you will inevitably forget things. Just don't forget the baby somewhere important :) 
• If the house isn't clean, FINE! Our children only have a few short years that they are children. We will have plenty of time later on in life to have our house's perfect and at OCD standards. But for now play with your children. Take time to put down your phone, get off Facebook, and play with your baby while you can (I write this as he sleeps, so no hypocrisy here!) 

There are plenty more lessons learned. Mainly I have learned to chill. Everything works out. Kids are sturdy. The only thing that being uptight, perfect, and on a schedule kept to the second, will bring you is tiredness, stress, and overall unhappiness. Slow down and enjoy your kids :)

Being pregnant the second time around

Being pregnant the second time around is nothing like the first. It's not that it's not exciting, but it's not as new and fun as it was the first time. Last night I turned to Josh and said "How far along am I? Do we even know?" Josh: "Like a 3 months? Idk". I had to sit on my phone and do the calculations to figure out how many weeks along I am. Then I put a week by week in my calendar so I won't forget again :) Basically I'm afraid one day I will go into labor and be like "Is it April already?! It can't be!" Actually, I had a dream about that last night. haha.
What I do know is, I feel sick, my bladder lasts about the same amount of time as a 1 year olds attention span, I feel fat and bloated. I'm sure people look at me and say "That lady has totally not lost her baby fat from that 4 month old baby" When in reality I have and now there's just another baby brewing in there. I really just need a shirt "Not leftover baby fat, i'm just pregnant again".
Me and Maddox are enjoying our days he has left as an only child. We love to play together and sing songs, and his favorite game is peek a boo. We are excited to have #2 join our family. Hopefully we just don't forget when s/he is coming :)