Three Months

 Jenny is three months old today.

She is one-fourth of a year old.

How did that happen!?

Time is going so fast and she grows every day!

I swear, every morning I look at her she looks bigger than the day before. 

At two months she weighed 12.10 pounds and was 22 inches long.

I'm thinking she is now around 14 pounds and 23 inches long.

Double her birth weight, little chunk.

Girl loves to eat.

She got that from her daddy.

She is still wearing 0-3 month clothes, but i've had to put quite a few things away. 

Every time she grows out of something it makes me so sad.

She will never be this little ever again!

She sleeps a full 8-10 hours every single night.

Hopefully I don't jinx that.

She is seriously the best little sleeper.

Except for nap time.

She is the queen of cat naps.

She'll fall asleep during the day and i'll put her down, thinking I have time to do the dishes or the laundry, and 5 minutes later she's up and ready to play.

She's the silliest little thing.

She caught her first flu bug this month.

It went around the whole family before ending with her.

It was the saddest day, all I could do was snuggle her and kiss her baby cheeks.

Speaking of baby cheeks, she has the BEST kissing cheeks EVER.

They're so chubby and squishy.

I could seriously kiss them all day.

She found her fingers and literally sucks them off her hand. 

She won't take a paci, which kills me sometimes, but she will sure suck those fingers.

She can almost  roll from tummy to back.

Getting her to do tummy time is a struggle because she prefers laying on her back.

We'll get there.

She loves to see herself in the mirror.

We have a carseat mirror and every time we go in the car she stares at herself the whole time. 

It's like she knows she's adorable.

She loves to talk, and she's getting rather loud at it.

She's always got something to say.

She makes the funniest little facial expressions like she's telling a dramatic story.

Sassy little lady.

She absolutely loves bath time.
She can be super fussy and i'll put her in the bath and she immediately calms down.
She loves to splash around and pee in the water LOL.

Her hairs are getting longer and soon i'll be able to pull them into a tiny ponytail! 

I always said I wanted a chubby baby with lots of hair.

And I got a very chubby baby with tons of hair.

She has grown up so much.

One morning James and I were both looking at her and we both said that she got so much bigger and grown up overnight.

I have to keep reminding myself to cherish these times because one day i'll wake up and she'll be all grown up and independent, and then she'll be married and have a family of her own.

Jenny and I have such an amazing bond.

I'm so grateful for that because it didn't come from the beginning.

Every morning when I go to get her out of bed she looks up, sees me, and smiles the biggest smile.

I know she knows me, and I know she loves me and I hope with all my heart that she knows how much I love her.

She is my greatest blessing and accomplishment, and my favorite tiny little person ever.

Happy three month birthday Jenny bug!

Two Months

Happy two months of life Jenny Grace! 

This month has been SO much better on my part.

We are all sleeping better and our home is a little happier now that I feel like I somewhat have my life put together.

(lol yeah right)

I am so grateful that life is full of do-overs and second chances.

Anyhow, I can't believe I have a two month old!

My pregnancy seemed to go by so slow and I always wished time would speed up so I could meet my baby.

But now that she's here I really wish time would slow down.

Or maybe just have a pause button.

We still have our days.

Newborns are hard because there is no way to tell what they're thinking or what their needs are.

Thankfully I have a pretty easy baby and as long as she's fed, changed, and loved, she is usually happy.

She recently started sleeping through the night.

Like i'm talking 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. every single night.

From a mama who loves her sleep, it's been great.

Since she doesn't wake up at night to eat anymore, she eats a ton during the day.

She'll take anywhere from 2-4 ounces every 1-3 hours.

She's so random.

Silly girl.

She started smiling SO much this month and every time she flashes me that gummy grin my heart breaks.

I love her so much it hurts!

That smile makes all of the hard times absolutely worth it.

She also found her voice and loves to hear herself talk.

She will coo and smile the cheesiest grin because she knows she's cute.

She got her 2 month shots this month and I cried more than she did.

She was such a little trooper.

Thank goodness for infant tylenol.

She is 22 inches long and weighs 12.10 pounds.

15th percentile for height, 75th for weight.

She's short and fat.

My little oompa loompa. 

We are so grateful to have Jenny in our lives.

She has brought so much joy and love into our family.

We seriously can't imagine life without her!

Happy 2 month birthday baby girl!

One Month

Jenny Grace is one month old already!

Her perfect little self has been on this earth for four whole weeks.

The first month of her life flew by so fast I can hardly believe it.

Being a new mom is hard.

So fun, but so hard.

I never realized how honest people were being when they told me I would never sleep again.

Jenny's first night home from the hospital was the longest night of my life filled with cluster feeding and trying to soothe a crying frantic baby. 

We must have gotten less than an hour of sleep that night.

Insert new mom panic.

How on earth was I supposed to do this every night?

About two weeks in and after meeting with three different lactation specialists, I realized that nursing was not going to happen for us.

As natural of a thing as nursing should be, it doesn't come natural at all. At least for us it didn't.

She couldn't latch for the life of her.

Not even the nurses or lactation specialists could get her to do it.

So after several tries and failed attempts, and a screaming baby every time I tried to feed her, I decided I would pump and feed her breast milk from a bottle.

Insert new mom guilt.

I felt like a failure for not being able to nurse my baby.

Around this same time I realized that my emotions were definitely not in check.

I felt overwhelming feelings of sadness and longed for my old life with my husband, before baby.

I cried over everything and over nothing at all.

And I cried a lot.

I love this baby, I wanted this baby, I planned for this baby.

So why was I feeling this way?

I talked with my doctor and immediately felt a weight off my shoulders when he reassured me that what I was feeling is normal.

I often questioned why no one had ever told me the truth.

Why didn't anyone tell me that I would really never sleep through the night again?

Why didn't anyone tell me that i'm not a failure for not being able to nurse my baby or how exhausting having a newborn really is?

That I would never have time for myself anymore.

That those first few weeks are spent constantly meeting the demands of a needy baby.

I felt helpless and lost and genuinely sad.

I felt inadequate to give this baby everything she deserves in life.

I have never had to rely more on my Heavenly Father.

Things slowly started to get better each day as I started to figure Jenny out a little more each day.

She started sleeping longer through the night and was taking her bottles like a champ.

Pumping started to become more normal, and even though I hate it, it has worked its way into our daily routine.

I felt myself slowly starting to feel happier and more like myself again.

My love for Jenny grew as she grew.

Around her fourth week of life she began to become more alert and aware of her surroundings.

My heart melted when she flashed me her first big smile.

It made me feel as if I must be doing something right.

She loves to be swaddled for bedtime and naps, and always sleeps with her arms up above her head.

She usually goes to bed around 10 p.m. and wakes up around 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. to eat.

She makes the cutest faces in her sleep. She smiles and makes sad faces.

It makes me wonder what she dreams about.

She LOVES to stretch and makes the funniest little grunting noises when she does it.

At first she wasn't sure about bath time but now as long as she's fed she likes her bath, especially when we wash her hair.

She likes to hang out in just a diaper, and has gotten really good at tummy time. She can hold up her own head a lot better now and has the strongest little legs!

She hates her car seat but seems to like the car once it's moving.

She will not take a pacifier which I have mixed feelings about, but I guess when she's older i'll be grateful for that.

She loves to listen to music and look at pictures on the wall.

She weighed 8.5 pounds at her 2 week appointment, 1.3 pounds more than she weighed at birth.

She likes ceiling fans and story time.

And she gets prettier by the day.

Adjusting to having a baby was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

But now that things are better and we have found a new normal, I can honestly say that having her was the best decision we ever made.

She is the source of most of our joy in life and the topic of most of our conversations.

She is so silly and makes us laugh so much.

Happy one month birthday Jenny Grace.

You are loved beyond measure!

 

Bumpdate: 24 Weeks

How Far Along? 24 Weeks.

Size Of Baby? A cantaloupe! I really can't believe she's that big. She is about 13 inches long and weighs 1.5 pounds.

Symptoms: Itchy belly and swelling in my face and hands. My wedding ring is starting to feel more snug than usual. The doctor says I retain a lot of water.

Weight Gain? I have gained 7 pounds since my last appointment on February 11th. When I saw the number on the scale I about died, but the doctor said it's normal to gain 1-2 pounds a week.

Cravings: Peanut butter captain crunch, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ice cream, and water. (super healthy for baby, lol)

Mood: Impatient. I just want this little one to get here!

Nursery: I ordered the last few things I need for her nursery, so it's almost done! Now I just need to finish painting her bookshelves and get to work on sewing her crib skirt. 

Movement: She's gotten into a pretty regular sleeping pattern. She mostly kicks in the morning and at night, and right after I eat anything. It is still hard to feel her sometimes with my dang placenta in the way! 

Sleep: The past two nights I have woken up hysterically laughing because my dreams are just way too hilarious these days. 

Anything Making You Queasy? Surprisingly no! 

Best Moment This Week: Seeing her nursery come together. Now all I need is a little baby to put in it!

New Developments: Baby gained about a quarter of a pound last week in bones, muscle, and fat, so she is finally starting to fill out and really look like a tiny little person! Her hair is also gaining color this week. I can't wait to see what she looks like.

Looking Forward To: My 25 week mark. She will be here in 15 weeks or less! 

DIY Hot Air Balloon Lamps

It amazes me how creative some people are.

When I first saw these on pinterest I knew I had to make them.

They were just too cute to pass up!

Also, they were so easy to put together.

I just think they add a darling touch to baby girl's nursery and they look so cute turned on at night! 

You can find the original post here.

Materials:

-Ikea vate rice paper lamp

-Scrapbook paper, fabric, or washi tape

-Tin can

-Twine or string

-Hot glue gun 

-Scissors

-Small screwdriver, or something sharp enough to punch holes in your can

-Ribbon, buttons, ect to decorate 

First, measure out your paper or fabric so that it will fit your can. If you're using washi tape, just wrap it around your can in the pattern you'd like. I thought paper was the easiest, and you can find some really cute prints!

Once your paper is cut out to the right size, secure it to your can using your hot glue gun.

Next, poke four holes in the top of your can to secure the string.

Tie a piece of string through each hole. I used a little bit of glue to ensure the knots stay put. Make sure you leave enough string to secure to the lamp.

This is how these lamps are supposed to be used, but flip it upside down and you have a hot air balloon! 

Poke 4 holes into the base of the lamp and secure the string.

This is what it will look like when you're done.

Then you can decorate your lamps using whatever you'd like.

You have to get a little creative hanging them up.

I used fishline and wrapped the cords around it, and then used filler to make clouds to cover the cords.

I just love how they turned out! 

And the best thing is they can be customized to any color or theme.

Happy crafting!

Bumpdate: 22 Weeks

How Far Along? 22 Weeks.

Size Of Baby? A papaya. Almost a foot tall and almost weighs a pound!

Stretch Marks? The other night I had just taken a warm bath and when I got out I could notice some stretch marks had formed on the sides of my belly! Talk about a breakdown. But that's okay. This little girl inside me is all I have ever dreamed of!

Symptoms: I got my first ever Braxton Hicks contraction yesterday... and all I can say is I am so not ready to birth this baby. My headaches are still frequent and my blood pressure has been in the 130 range, so the doctor is keeping a close eye on me. Babies just cause so much stress! I am hungry literally all day long. Just put a plate of food in front of me and i'll eat it.

Cravings: Hamburgers and fries with fry sauce. Blue raspberry sour punch straws. Anything savory and/or spicy. Lots and lots of water.

Mood: Grumpy. Haha my poor husband. I have been having the worst mood swings ever this week!

Nursery: Baby girl has a crib, a mattress, some animal friends, blankets, more clothes than she'll ever be able to wear, a dresser to put them all in, and a changing pad. I have also started working on some fun projects for her nursery (which is 1/2 of our bedroom in our 1 bedroom apartment, we make it work) that I will post as soon as they are finished! It's starting to come along and looks so pretty! 

Movement: This little girl is unpredictable. Some days she likes to relax and not move a ton, and some days she will not hold still (I like those days). She tends to move in the morning when I get up and have just eaten breakfast. And then it's random throughout the day. Her little kicks and punches are getting so much stronger and I love it! Nothing brings more comfort than feeling her little body moving in there.

Sleep: Better this past week. Minus the fact that baby girl rests on my bladder all night long.

Anything Making You Queasy? Honestly no. The nausea has been almost entirely gone this whole second trimester. And I am soooo thankful for that! 

Best Moment This Week: Really starting to get the nursery underway and feeling my baby kick so much! And also realizing that February is over and this baby will be here in 4 short months!

Looking Forward To: Baby shower plans. And springtime!

Bumpdate: 21 Weeks

How Far Along? 21 weeks. 6 days.

Size Of Baby? The size of a pomegranate. 10.5 inches long and 12.7 oz.

Weight Gain? 9 lbs. at my last appointment. The doctor says I can expect to put on about a pound a week.

Symptoms? Stretchy belly! I can literally feel it stretch, and it gets so itchy!

Maternity Clothes? I love my maternity pants. It's like wearing sweats.

Sleep? Sleeping is good some nights and not so good others. It depends on how comfortable I can get before I fall asleep. And pregnancy dreams really are as disturbing as they say.

Best Moment This Week? Feeling my baby girl move SO MUCH. She never stops! And I am not complaining. I wish I could feel her 24/7. Also, James and I finally came to an agreement on her name! At first we were set on another name, but that changed and we were stuck for a while. But I think this baby has an official name. Which we won't be disclosing just yet.

Weird Pregnancy Moment? My belly is starting to get in the way of everything! I even have a hard time standing up once I've sat down. 

Movement? Yes. This baby will be a gymnast one day I swear.

Food Cravings? Anything I can get my hands on. I feel hungry all.the.time. 

Aversions? Not really. Raw meat is pretty gross though.

What I'm looking Forward To: Getting her nursery going! If I had hundreds of dollars to spend, you can bet I would spend it all on her nursery. Way too many cute things.

Bumpdate: 20 Weeks

It's funny how the second you look at that pregnancy test and see two lines, your motherly instincts kick in and all of the sudden you worry about your (unborn) child for any or no reason at all- all the time. The night before my ultrasound I told James that I was worried because I hadn't felt the baby move all day. So we googled ways to get your baby to move, and, after drinking cold water, juice, eating sugar, laying on my side, and poking around at her to try and get her to wake up, she just wasn't moving. Of course my mind jumps to the worst conclusions. I don't think I slept very well that night. The day of my ultrasound we had to wait until 1:00 to see her, which seemed like the longest morning ever.

When the ultrasound tech put the probe on my belly, searching for baby's heartbeat, my heart sank a little. Right then baby started wiggling, and we found her healthy heart beating away. I had never felt so relieved in my entire life, knowing that my child was okay. That she was alive and well. Hearing her little heart beating was the greatest comfort to me. And that's when I realized that I am a mother. And I will be a mother for the rest of my life. I have so much to do to be ready for this baby. And sometimes I feel inadequate to be her mom and to give her everything she deserves in this life. But I'm so thankful that Heavenly Father has sent her to me. I already feel like she is my biggest blessing, and I have yet to meet her. 

Everything on the scan looked perfect. 

2 arms. 2 legs.

2 hands. 2 feet.

10 fingers. 10 toes.

heart rate 144 bpm

and measuring right on time. 

June come faster!

How Far Along? 20 weeks.

Size Of Baby? Baby is the size of a banana- 10 inches from head to toe. She's getting so tall!

Weight Gain? Just 9 lbs. so far! Except it feels like I've gained 100.

Symptoms? Headaches. And i'm so worried about baby that I will not take ANYTHING for it. Not even if the doctor says it's okay. So I just suffer through it.

Maternity Clothes? It's all I wear. My sweet friend Mollie was so kind and gave me some of her old maternity clothes, and my sweet grandma bought me some as well. So thank you for that or i'd probably still be trying to squish into my regular clothes.

Sleep? I've been sleeping better through the night but my dreams... are so weird. 

Best Moment This Week? My 20 week anatomy scan! Baby has all 10 fingers and toes and is measuring right at her due date. 

Weird Pregnancy Moment? Crying. About everything. 

Movement? YES. When I lay, sit, stand, I feel her so much! Such an active little thing.

Food Cravings? Mexican food.

Aversions? Thankfully no.

Gender? The radiologist confirmed she's a girl. So i'm going with girl.

What I'm looking Forward To: Giving this sweet baby girl a name! And for time to quickly move along so I can meet her.

Bumpdate: 19 Weeks

How Far Along? 19 weeks. 6 days.

Size Of Baby? The size of a mango, about 6 inches long and weighing about 8.5 oz. 

Weight Gain? I'm not really sure. I try to ignore it.

Symptoms? Headaches almost every day. And I can feel a cold coming on. It's fun knowing you're getting sick and you can't take anything for it.

Maternity Clothes? Yep. I had a breakdown this week because my bra doesn't fit and most of the shirts in my closet don't cover my belly. Thank goodness for maternity pants and dresses.

Sleep? This is the first week my sleep hasn't been so good. I toss and turn so much and wake up every couple hours. I guess it's my belly making me uncomfortable.

Best Moment This Week? Feeling my baby girl move! The past few nights she has been moving a ton. Already a little wiggler!

Weird Pregnancy Moment? Realizing it has gotten quite hard for me to get up once I've  sat down. Also, that I need to move waaaaay slower. If I turn too quickly or stand up too fast I get these awful sharp pains in my pelvic area. 

Movement? YES!!! Every night for the past few nights. I can only feel it when I lay on my back, but she's crazy in there! 

Food Cravings? Still toast. The great value brand white bread from walmart makes the best toast ever, in my opinion. Soft serve ice cream. Woody's drive in has cones for 25 cents, you're welcome. French fries with fry sauce. And lots and lots of water!

Aversions? The smell of raw meat. I made meatloaf this week and thought I was going to die.

Gender? Still girl up to this point! I have my 20 week scan next week, so hopefully they see the same thing as fetal photos and the doctor!

What I'm looking Forward To: More movement from my baby girl. And my 20 week ultrasound. And being HALFWAY!!! 

2014

I still can't believe how fast this past year flew by!

James and I had a pretty amazing year filled with many life changers.
BUT we are so, so very excited for what 2015 will bring.
We will experience our biggest life goal, and probably the hardest, most rewarding thing we will ever go through. We are going to be parents, and I still can't wrap my mind around that and i'm not sure I have really realized the reality of it all... but I can hardly wait for this little one to get here!

January:

Moved into our neighbors house to live there until it sold. 

Loved pretending we were actually homeowners for a month. 

February:

Moved back to James' parents house.

Celebrated our first Valentine's as a married couple with Rodizio and a spa day. 

March:
I honestly remember nothing... haha!!!

April:

Decided to start trying to grow our little family by one more tiny person.

May:

Stood front row at Ellie Goulding's concert.
Took a spontaneous trip to St. George/Las Vegas.

June:

Celebrated James' 22nd birthday. Found out ON his birthday that he got hired as an officer. Best birthday surprise ever.

July:

Celebrated this beautiful country.
James started the police training academy.

August:
Watched one of James' favorite mission companions and his wife get sealed in the temple.

September:

Celebrated my 20th birthday. Worked up the courage to ride the sky coaster at Lagoon.

October:

Celebrated our one year anniversary with a relaxing weekend in midway.
WE'RE PREGNANT.

Found out we are expecting a sweet little baby!

November:

Moved into our very own tiny first apartment!

Spent our first thanksgiving away from each other while James had to work.

First ultrasound. Saw and heard baby's heartbeat for the very first time!

December:

Spent christmas eve AND christmas day apart while James had to work.

Third ultrasound. Saw baby moving around like a little dancer.

It's crazy how fast your life can change.
All that can happen in a year's time.
I'm grateful for everything I learned and for the ways I grew in 2014.
And cheers to 2015!