Nate keeps surprising his mama

We've experienced a lot of NEW things in the last few weeks & I wasn't sure how Nate would respond.....

1). Road trip to Cedar City two weeks ago. Nate did GREAT.

2). Much longer road trip to SLC last week. Nate did GREAT.

3). A week in Utah without Wes (he was there for 24 hours for the funeral) and we both survived. Really, I couldn't do it alone....my mom and sisters were there to help!

4). Sleeping during the day out of my arms. So far, so good.

Nate was such a trooper last week! He slept 90% of the drive to and from SLC. He put up with restaurants, being passed around to every aunt and cousin, SHOPPING, etc. He really had NO schedule last week and while I felt bad at the time, I actually kind of think it was a blessing in disguise. You see, prior to last week, Nate would ONLY take naps if someone was holding him. The minute I put him down anywhere to sleep he would wake right up. This happened over and over and over. Last week kind of threw us all for a loop so it was almost like we got a fresh start this week back at home.

On Monday morning, I woke up knowing that today began my quest to get him to sleep anywhere but my arms during the day. He has always been on a night routine but we've struggled with the daytime. I knew the crib wasn't going to work right off so I tried our bed. I had to trick him by putting some pillows on the sides of him but it worked! Thanks Alyssa for the tip! He has taken at least one nap a day on a bed this whole week! This morning he slept from 9-12 on the guest bed. I usually lay down by him since he still wakes up quite a bit but I keep reminding myself....baby steps. We are definitely on our way to him sleeping in his own bed during the day! Yeah! I feel like a new person having a few hours to myself during the day. Unless my mom or Wes took him from me, he has been with me for the last month. I was in need of a break!

The last few weeks Nate has gone through (and is still going through) this funky eating routine, he spits up ALOT, got eczema and with the help of cortizone cream and eucerin lotion it went away, etc. It seems like he changes almost daily! Just when I think I've got something going, he manages to show me yet again, that he is boss.

This is Nate after tummy time. Regardless if I wait hours after he eats to put him on his tummy, he pukes. He usually manages to puke on his hand....and then he starts licking his hand. Yuck!

my pants are a little big on me!

our family at the funeral last week

my boys taking a snooze

lately nate likes to burrow his head as far down in your arm/shirt as you can. We aren't sure what he's doing....maybe he likes it really dark? Or maybe having his head smashed against something is comfortable? who knows. he certainly has a mind of his own.

one tired dude

This is what Nate looked like last night as he was about to go to bed. His little eyes looked so sad. I don't know how we kept him awake to eat!

grandma marz

I spent last week in Utah for my grandma marz’s funeral. I had a full week to think of my wonderful grandma and all of the many memories I have of her.

My first thought is of the amazing legacy she left behind. My grandma marz had a total of 10 children, a mixture of step and her own, that she loved and cared for. Two didn’t make it very long on this earth but eight grew up to be wonderful people thanks to my grandparents. At the time of her passing, my grandma had 40 grandchildren, 96 great grand children, and 19 great great grandchildren. Just imagine our family reunions!

It’s interesting to hear my cousins talk of their memories of grandma. We all have such different memories of her. I think the older cousins really got to know her and were able to spend time with her. I unfortunately was one of the younger cousins so I never knew her when she was healthy and able to do a lot of things. And, we were one of the few families that lived outside of Utah so we didn’t see her as often as the other cousins either. The one thing that I always remember is how her home was open to anyone and everyone. There were always people there and we always felt very welcome. We had countless afternoons with many cousins playing in their yard. They had a big yard that sat on a river/creek that was so fun to play on. My grandma was diabetic so she wasn’t allowed to eat much sugar but she always tried to rope her grandkids in to bring her jelly beans and coke. Good thing we knew that was a no-no for grandma or she would have had a lot of extra sugar!

When Wes and I lived in Utah, we tried to see grandma as often as possible. We often visited her in the assisted living home she was in and tried to take her to The Olive Garden, her favorite restaurant, as often as possible when she lived with my aunt tina. She loved the spaghetti and sausage and had our waiter put more parmesan cheese on top than I’ve ever seen! We had some wonderful visits with grandma. She really liked Wes and they gave each other a hard time quite a bit. She told us a lot about her life and what she was thinking at the time. She always made us smile and laugh.

The funeral was a beautiful service. Four of her children spoke of the wonderful memories they have of her ~ what a special lady. Her passing brought our family together…it was a family reunion of sorts. Cousins flew in from all over the country and it was so nice to have everyone together. I’m sure she was pleased to see us all together. She had been “sick” for quite some time so while her passing was sad and she will be missed, it is nice knowing that she is reunited with both of her husbands, three children, and grandchildren who have passed on. I take comfort knowing that we will see her again someday.

Love you, grandma.

we're spending a week in utah

Nate and I are leaving tomorrow to spend a week in Utah. My grandma marz passed away on Friday night so we are going up for the funeral. I will have a lot of time this week to think about my grandma and all of the many memories I have of her so I will post about her & the funeral when I get back.

Wish me luck on our adventure! Nate did so well last week on our road trip that we decided to double the driving distance to SLC! We'll see how it goes! We're driving up with my mom and then Wes is joining us on Tuesday night. I decided to stay up there with my mom through Saturday since Wes is going to be out of town next weekend anyway with the Scouts.

Hope you all have a nice week!

Five sets of hands are better than one

While I posted about Nate's blessing, I didn't say much about our weekend with The Griffeths. Wes' parents and our sister-in-law Leigh came last weekend. I thought it was pretty cool that even though Wes' brother Spencer couldn't come, his wife Leigh came anyway! It was great to see them & it was SO nice to have extra help. I was able to get a few things done without him in my arms. Like I said, five sets of hands are definitely better than one when a baby is involved.

We didn't do a whole lot....just enjoyed each other's company. We went out to eat a few times & took them to Golden Spoon. We also took them to Ethels Chocolate Lounge at the District for some fondue and we walked around so Nate could be outside ~ one of his favorite things. We played games & hung out around our house. Next time they come we'll try to have a few things planned. :)

Leigh is the BIGGEST Tennessee football fan so on Saturday we watched the game with her as we ate pizza and wings. Yum. I had to put Nate in his orange and white to support the Tennessee Vols.....even if Nate will grow up being a Georgia Bulldogs/BYU Cougars fan.

Sunday was spent with the actual blessing and then we went to my parent's house for a few hours in the evening so The Griffeths could see the remodel and we enjoyed sitting outside in their yard....something our house is lacking.

Thanks Robert, Doreen & Leigh for coming to spend time with us. We can't wait to see you guys again soon.

Nate playing with his two crazy grandmas.

He actually slept ALOT while they were here! Of course he behaves for company! If only he'd be on his best behavior when it's just mom.

Road trip to the mountains

Nate went on his first road trip this week. Wes was out of town for work and when I heard my mom was going to Cedar City this week....I let her know that Nate and I would join her if she was up for the adventure! She was thrilled to have us come.

The reason for our trip is because my parents are building a cabin in Duck Creek, just outside of Cedar City. They very recently spent a weekend up there with our dear friends, the Earls, and fell in love with the place. Within three weeks they had been back 3 times and found a lot they liked, a general contractor, and the foundation will be poured next week. This is VERY normal for my parents to do something so quickly! We're excited to have somewhere within a few hours away to escape the heat and enjoy our family's company. We met with the general contractor & then enjoyed the mountains. We can't wait to be mountain neighbors with the Earls!

I was a little concerned about how Nate would behave on our little journey. He sometimes sleeps in the car & has never slept anywhere but his crib so there were lots of uncertainties going on here but I figured we'd have to try it out sometime and if it's not going to be with Wes it might as well be with my mom! He was WONDERFUL! Or, as my mom would say, "he's a prince!" He slept 90% of the time in the car, did fine in the pack-n-play at night & loved being outside. It was fun to bundle him up ~ he looked so cute! We lucked out because we stayed at The Big Yellow Inn, a great bed and breakfast and we were the only ones in this part of the house so I was able to put Nate in the bedroom next to ours so we didn't have to hear all of his crazy noises that he makes at night. I think he could win "loudest sleeper" award for newborns.

It was great to have a change in routine and to be able to spend a few days with my mom. It's so great to see her with Nate ~ she just loves him to pieces and is such a great help when I'm with her. We missed Wes a lot and it was great to see him tonight.

HERE IS A PICTURE OF OUR LOT....

Nate's Blessing Day

We blessed Nate on Sunday. What a neat experience it was for me to have Wes bless our first child. He gave Nate such a neat blessing. It was so great to have Wes' parents in town as well as our sister-in-law Leigh. It was their first time meeting Nathan so it made everything even more special to have them here with us.

Here are a few pictures of Nate with his grandparents who love him sooo much.

It was great having so many wonderful family and friends with us on such a special day.

We had a great weekend with the Griffeth's in town. I will post more pictures of our weekend with them soon!