The day that mom was dreading has come and gone. I now only have 1 nap a day and even though mom was expecting a rough transition period, I made it quite easy on her. It took one night of me not sleeping very well, then 2 days of not falling asleep when I normally had my morning nap and that was it. Mom was also worried that she would miss the extra free time she got from 2 naps but she likes this arrangement even better. I pretty much sleep for the same amount of time (2 hours) just all at once. Mom and I love going out to do something active in the mornings and then we have all after noon to play and run errands. I am also getting better and better at playing by my self. I still need mommy loving every once in a while but my favorite things to do are look at books, crawl around with shoes and walk around with my train.
For a while now, mommy has really wanted us to get nice family pictures done, but it has been a little out of our budget. Recently however, daddy found a coupon on KSL.com that gave us a super sweet deal on a family outdoor photo session, a family portrait and Christmas cards. Because of this, mom decided it was time I got my first real hair cut. It was a little traumatic but I survived with my bottle of apple juice. It was totally worth it too because I looked so cute afterwards and our pictures turned out great!
The day after we got home from Toronto, mom was scheduled to substitute teach for the lady she student taught with. For me, mom had arranged for Brooke and Stephanie Hill to babysit me during the day. I was such a good boy for those girls and things went very smoothly while mom worked for about a week. Mom really enjoyed going back to work and seeing many children she taught 2 years ago but both mom and I were sure happy when she was done so that we could go back to our everyday life. For Thanksgiving, mom, dad and I were invited to go to Dad’s boss’s place to celebrate with his family. The food was amazing and the company was even better. My favorite person was dad’s boss’s son who was 9. He was quite a character and kept us all laughing with his creative imagination. Since the next day was Black Friday and dad had the day off, we all had a nice day of shopping. Daddy was brave enough to face the cold at 5:30am and got some sweet deals on Christmas gifts for me and my cousins. Later we went out and got really good deals on an artificial Christmas tree, lights and some other decorations. We had tons of fun making our condo look Christmas-ee.
Later that weekend was the big BYU v Utah game. Everyone was pretty pumped up for it and we decided to go to Smith’s to watch so we had people to cheer with. BYU played pretty good and in the end should have won the game. However we did end up loosing by 1 point. At least we proved that Utah is definitely over rated. Because of this, there is a very very small chance we may go to the Vegas bowl but will most likely go to the New Mexico bowl on Dec 18. The good thing about this bowl game is that we get to have a nice long vacation.
Well I am becoming such a big boy! I say about three words now: dada, momma and bear. I also can show you where my head, nose, and ears are. My parents are so impressed with me. I am also getting closer to walking. I cruise along the furniture with ease and push chairs, boxes and toys around a lot so I’m sure it won’t be long. One new obsession I have is with shoes and socks. I often try to put them on my feet but when I have no success I put them on my hands and crawl around. Check out the video.
Here is a little update on mom: 1. She got released from her two piano callings at church and got a new one. She is now the 2nd councilor in the primary presidency. She is very excited for this calling but also a little nervous. 2. She completed the 3 book Hunger Games series. She highly recommends it to anyone looking for a page turner and can’t wait for the movies to come out. 3. Her neighbor invited her to go to a Zumba class with her put on by another girl in the ward. Mom went and loved every minute and is hoping to start going up to 4 times a week.
Here is an even smaller update on dad: 1. He loves his new truck (1982 Ford F-150). It is his new pride and joy (next to me of course). Check it out: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=0&nid=443&tab=list/view&ad=3575491. BTW we did not pay the asking price which is a bonus! 2. Next semester he will be taking lots of classes again, but won’t be as busy with football which has mom and I thrilled.
I’m not sure why mom and dad find this so funny but here it is:
Two days after mom arrived home from California, we flew to Toronto, Ontario to visit Uncle Matthew, Auntie Crystal and Cousin Wyatt. This trip has been planned for months, even before the wedding date was set so we didn’t plan on the craziness we experienced. Mom was pretty stressed the day before we left trying to transition from her road trip to flying out of the country and preplanning for a week-long subbing job. Dad says that she stressed her self to sickness because the morning of our long trip, she was up at 5am throwing up and extremely nauseous. Not the best timing! After dad gave her a blessing and some drugs, she was able to finish getting ready and make it to the airport. We had a 3 hour layover in Chicago and the nausea hit her hard again. I hadn’t slept yet at all either so between both of us, mom had to have a little break down (the fact that mom forgot her cell phone didn’t help things either). But once mom got a hold of daddy and talked to him for a while, she got a burst of courage and energy and we finally made it to Toronto. Even though the trip was hard, as soon as we saw uncle Matthew at the airport, we knew it was all worth it. We did many fun things in Toronto, but the best part was just visiting and playing with each other. Wyatt and I become friends quickly and I knew he liked me because he copied what I did like crawl and scream. We played good together especially when he introduced me to the Tupperware drawer (I’m sure Auntie Crystal just loved us at her fight when she was working in the kitchen). I love Auntie Crystal too. She is soooo good to me and introduced me to a lot of yummy foods. I can definitely see why mom loves and admires her so much! Uncle Matthew is pretty awesome too. Mom always has so many questions for him because he is so smart. Everything he says is very interesting and you can tell he cares a lot about mommy. Unfortunately, Wyatt and Uncle Matthew got sick two separate nights but it didn’t last long. Poor Wyatt was up until 4am throwing up one night. Other fun things that we did include walking around beautiful U of T campus, walking in Dundas Square (the Time Square of Toronto), walking along the coast of Lake Ontario, and going on walks to various places around their apartment. They live right in down town Toronto and so many things are within walking distance. Wyatt and Crystal often go play at parks, bookstores and community centers and mom is a little jealous that we don’t have things like that so close. We want to thank Matthew, Crystal and Wyatt again for all the fun we had! We love our family very much and appreciate their efforts to stay close. Mom did not take any pictures, but not to worry because Matthew and Crystal took quite a bit with their super nice camera. Once we get those from them, I will post them.
Alright time to catch up for all November. As you may remember, Grandma Schlenker flew back down here to babysit me because mom attended a friend’s wedding in San Diego. After mom subbed for a friend, she left with her other friends, Ashley and Camrie to head out on the road. Here is what mom had to say about her whole trip:
We first drove to Las Vegas and met Jessica (my friend getting married) and some other girls to celebrate a bachorlette party. We stayed at the Golden Nugget off Freemont Street which was a really nice hotel. The best part was the swimming and water slide. After we all got dressed up to go out to dinner and walk down the strip a bit. When we got back to the hotel, we played some “minute to win-it” games and went back out to walk down Freemont Street. Needless to say most of us did not get a ton of sleep that night. The next morning we couldn’t doddle because there was a lot to do before the rehearsal dinner which was that night and the wedding which was the next day. So unshowered and very sleepy we left Vegas for San Diego. Ashley and I (who were not in the wedding party) figured once we got to San Diego, we could have a relaxing evening and even do some sight seeing, but we were so wrong. As soon as we got there, we had to console a very stressed bride, help her get organized and welcome all the family that seem to arrive right at the same time. This made everyone late to the rehearsal, but once we arrived everything went well. The wedding was on a yaght so it was important that everyone knew where to be and what was going to happen. The rehearsal dinner was at a pizza place in San Diego’s Little Italy and I think that was the BEST pizza I have ever had. During the dinner I was able to mingle with much of Jessica’s family which was so fun because they are always a hoot. Side note: I lived with Jessica for a year and a half when I was in college. She is one of my best friends. After the dinner, we finally got to go to our super nice hotel and relax a bit. Well relax until we went to Jessica’s mom’s room and things got stressful again. We were able to get a lot of last minute things done and went to bed. The morning of the wedding went much smoother than I was expecting. Everyone got ready and even though Jessica’s stylists were running a little late, she took a chill pill (literally) so that helped. The ceremony was simple but very sweet.
One of my favorite memories from the ceremony was when they were putting the rings on, Jessica could not get Wess’s on over his big knuckle so she had to lick his finger to help it slide. After the reception, dance and pictures us girls went to Ocean Side and ate at Hodad’s and walked along the beach. The rest of the night was filled with the relaxation Ashley and I had been hoping for in the hot tub and a good night sleep. The ride home went smooth with a nice stop in Vegas to have lunch with my friend Eryn and her Husband. I was even able to make it home in time to put my little angel to bed whom I had missed terribly. I am so grateful that Grandma took time out of her schedule to come watch Houston. I am also very grateful to Papa Schlenker for letting Grandma leave him all alone for a week.
Whoooo what a week; lots of new firsts. Grandma and Papa Schlenker were in town for the weekend and they gave me lots of loving. For my birthday, they gave me a Fisher Price farm and a snow suite. It’s a good thing because I love going outside even when it is cold and I don’t want the snow to stop me. It snowed once this week which was exciting but has been pretty mild ever since. Daddy has been looking for a cheap commuter car because he can’t ride his motor bike in the snow. If anyone can help us out that would be greatly appreciated.
Last Saturday, BYU played and we ALL went. Unfortunately the first game mom decides to take me to, it pours rain. Luckily it only lasted a little while, but it definitely made finding parking and staying warm a challenge. I was pretty good for the whole game but afterward, mom’s arms were pretty sore because I prefer her holding me to anyone else. After saying goodbye to Grandma and Papa, we had a pretty quiet week. It’s a good thing because once November arrives, things are going to get crazy, at least for mom and me. First mom is heading to California for a friend’s wedding and Grandma Schlenker is coming back to babysit me. Mom is getting pretty nervous about leaving me for 4 days and hopes she will enjoy this nice break she gets. Two days after mom gets home, her and I fly to Toronto to visit Uncle Matt, Auntie Crystal and Cousin Wyatt. That trip is going to be so much fun! Then a day after we get home from that, mom is substitute teaching a music class for a whole week so I will be getting babysat all day by a friend of my moms. My mom is also nervous about that but at least she gets to hang out with me at night and put me to bed. When that week is over, it is Thanksgiving! We are super sad that we will not be able to go to Daddy’s home in California this year. BYU has a game that weekend and Daddy just can’t get away. We will still plan to celebrate either with Smiths or with Daddy’s colleagues. Yesterday, mom and dad took me to my first BYU basketball game. I enjoyed it much more than the football because of the squeaky noises and people running around. Plus it was much shorter. Well I continue to learn really fast and mom figures I learn to understand about 1-2 new words a week. Mom and dad love my new communication abilities and figure I’ll be walking and talking in no time. We aren’t doing too much for Halloween this year. Mom thinks next year will be a good first year to go trick or treating but this year I will just look cute while mom and dad hand out candy.
Me stuck in the stap on mom’s bra.
Mom found this message via diaper the morning after daddy put me to bed.
My eye/foot coordination is only getting better. Check it out.
Since Hotel Springville closed for a little while, things have been pretty quiet around here. Except for me… I am jabbering up a storm. Mom and I talk all day and along with a few signs (for drink and eat) I feel we are really communicating. I am also crawling like a big boy. Now that I realize how much more efficient this is, I rarely go back to my army crawl. When mom takes me outside, I love exploring. The weather has been perfect lately so we go outside everyday. Not only I am crawling everywhere, but I continue to climb up on everything and even transfer from one thing to another. The thing I love to transfer to most in my mom though. Hopefully soon I will lean to walk to her. Now that I am no longer eating from mom, I LOVE my bottle. I sign for it many times a day but mom has to hold strong and only give it to my at meal times or else I doubt I would eat anything else. So far I am having a decent transition to table food. Many things feel different in my mouth and take a long time to eat because I have to chew so much. Mom and I are being patient during this transition and I am sure I will get better soon. Here are some pictures mom took to say thank you so everyone that got me gifts. Cute shirt from Cousin Marissa
Drum from Great Grandma and Grandpa Campbell
Wagon from Great Auntie and Uncle
Train from Grandma and Granddad Wilcock and cute shirt from Kate, Kent, Afton and Kent
Yesterday was my official birthday so I am now 1 year old!!! It is surreal to mom and dad to think they have only had me for a year because life is just hard to imagine without me. I am pretty much the best baby! About a week after my last post, I started napping again and have been sleeping through the night ever since. I am a much happier baby during the day as a result and mom and I have so much fun. Mom doesn’t know what to do with all of her new found energy. My awesome schedule permits mom to go to an institute class twice a week at UVU. Her friend Shelly invited her and she loved it so much she decided to enroll for the semester. The class is on church history and the teacher is really engaging. So far I cooperate so well and mom is hoping it lasts through the semester. Dad is still super busy with school and football. BYU has not been doing great, but our last game showed a bit more promise so I guess that is good news. Even though mom loves BYU, she wouldn’t be heart broken if they didn’t make it to a bowl game this year so that we can have a nice long Christmas holiday with family. Dad travels with the team to Texas to play TCU next weekend. The past two weekends have been so fun because we have been celebrating my birthday. We have had 2 out of 3 parties so far. The first one was really big. As you may remember it was a pirate party so mom, dad and I dressed like pirates and mom made me a treasure chest cake. Lots of family and friends came and I received so many awesome gifts: a walker train, a cell phone, lots of books, 2 drums, a popping vacuum, blocks, cute clothes and shoes. Grandma Cari, Granddad Wilcock, Great Grandma and Grandpa Campbell and Uncle Derek were all in town from afar to help me celebrate. This weekend, Great Grandma and Grandpa Cooper were in town so we had another, much smaller, party today. They brought be a read wagon from my Great Aunt and Uncle and Grandma bought me a “slap chop” so mom can make my meals easier. For both parties I was offered cake, tried it and turned my nose up. There are worse things to not like and at least I liked to play with the frosting. Papa Schlenker is convinced that he can get me to like sweets so we will see when they come at the end of the month.
I am finally over my ear infection. It took longer than expected however because I had an allergic reaction to amoxicillin and had to go on some other stuff. That stuff tasted much better and worked to heal me. I am back to normal… well not quite. When I was generally back to myself, mom was having a hack of a time getting me to go down for my afternoon nap. I would just endlessly cry and cry. She was sad thinking that I was already transitioning to one nap a day so she tried keeping me up for more of the morning but that didn’t work either. I got to the point where I was pretty much not napping AT ALL. Mom was going crazy especially because dad was busy and out of town two weekends in a row and couldn’t get a break from me. Mom still does not know what changed in me because I was napping so well a few weeks ago. Hopefully I will go back to normal soon! My latest development is clapping! I love clapping especially when mom and dad do it. I simply love making noise so this gives me another avenue to express myself. Another development that has been getting worse is eating off the ground. Literally anything that fits in my mouth will end up in my mouth from cereal to bobby pins. The scariest thing mom has scooped out of my mouth is a nickel. When I first started doing this, I put up a fuss anytime mom tried to get the object out of my mouth but I am better about opening up and letting her fish. As many of you know, I am turning 1 on October 9th! Mom is so excited to put a party on for me. We are actually having two parties: one on October 3rd from 12-2pm and another on October 24th, time TBO. If you will be around and want to come to our Pirate Party, let my mom know. We would love to have you!! Here are a few videos from you tube. People have shared them with my mom and they have brightened her day so maybe they can bring a smile to your face as well.
I find him sooo funny… check out other videos by him.
I think the same people must have made this one.. Thanks Mark!
Mom was a little frustrated this week because I was not sleeping well during the day or night. On Thursday we discovered the reason: I was getting my first ear infection. Wednesday night I woke up multiple times very stuffed up and the next day I got a really bad fever. When my fever got to 102.8, mom called the doctor and he said to bring me in. At the doctor, my fever was over 103 and he determined that I had an ear infection. They got me on some amoxicillin so hopefully that will help me feel better in the next couple of days. I have not been myself for the past couple of days; really drowsy and weepy. I am also very cuddly and am happiest when I am in my mom or dad’s arms. Mom and Dad have been giving me lots of extra love and snuggles and are asking that you keep me in your prayers so I can be comforted during this very uncomfortable time. On to some happier news…on Thursday, mom had the opportunity to substitute teach for a friend’s music class at a Provo elementary school. It was only for half a day but she loved it! She taught choir first thing in the morning and then two 3rd grade classes. Daddy was able to babysit me this time but mom hopes to find a babysitter at some point so she can sub again. The crappy part of this is that mom doesn’t get paid very much. Even with degrees and teaching licenses no teacher really gets paid great in Utah, but subs have it really bad at least in the Provo school district. Also, the first BYU football game is this Saturday! If you are watching it, look for daddy on TV. He will be on the side lines the whole time. Mom got tickets but when she found out I was sick, she decided not to go. However, Auntie Richelle offered to come watch me so if I am feeling a bit better, mom might still go. BYU is playing Washington so it should be a good game. If you have not heard, BYU football decided to get out of the Mountain West Conference and go independent like Notre Dame (not until next year though). This should bring a lot more national exposure to the team and more money too. All the other BYU sports will play for the West Coast Conference.
Last weekend we had a blast celebrating daddy’s birthday. He worked most of the day but when he came home we played and then went to reveal his surprise. Mom had invited 9 of daddy’s friends out to play softball! They had so much fun and afterwards went out for a nice manly meal. Mommy got dad a new FOX shirt because she is sick of sewing up holes in his other FOX shirt that he wears ALL the time. I think he liked it a lot. Back to me... Well some may not call it crawling, but it is good enough for me! Check out the video. A whole new world of discovery has opened up for me and mom and dad are having fun watching me move around and find new things.
I also started climbing. I mostly climb to my feet on mom or dad and in the bath. Mom watches me very closely in the bath and is always scared I’m going to fall.
Another new thing I am doing is grinding my teeth. It makes mom shiver and clench her jaw. She hopes I do not do it for long and I am just exploring the feeling of having teeth on the top and bottom. Can you tell I’m thrilled about this picture?!? Mom has been working with me this week to help me learn to feed myself better. She is using small pieces of grape which I love. Most of the time I am pretty good, but some times I get lazy and eat this way:
Finally… the Ashley Lake post. The trip up actually went pretty darn good. Instead of doing it in one day like we usually do, we left after dad’s work, stopped about half way and stayed in a hotel. This way we could all get good night sleeps and get to the lake around lunch time the next day. I was a much happier baby doing it this way. Mom and dad made a bed for me in the little room with the bathroom sink. It worked out great and I slept very soundly. After we got there, mom, dad and I took a ride on the boat. I wasn’t that enthused about it at first, but then dad hit some waves and it made me laugh. Dad had never been out of the little section of lake where all the Canadian Cabins are so this boat ride opened his eyes to how big the lake is and how many people enjoy it. Uncle Mark, Aunt Laurel and Cousins Ashton and Nick arrived the same day as us. I had so much fun playing with Ashton and Nick. Nick is very gentle with me and we can entertain each other for a while. Mom and Aunt Laurel really liked this. Ashton still loves to hold me and show me knew things. He thinks it is really funny when I “talk”. On Saturday we had amazing weather and we really took advantage of it. We were outside clearing trees and swimming and in the boat, skiing, wakeboarding, surfing and tubing all day. I even got to go on the tube with mom and dad.
Sunday was crazy because the rest of the family arrived. First came Grandma and Grandpa Schlenker along with Uncle Derek and Pseudo Uncle Andrew. Then came the whole Smith clan excluding Larissa. It was time for the super fun times (and crazy times) to begin. Monday was another amazing day weather wise but a sucky day as well because it was time to say good bye to daddy. He had to drive back to Utah to work. Mom and I were really sad to see him leave, but also happy he finally got to experience “prime time” Ashley Lake. The rest of the week was so fun and I’ll let the picture slide show do the talking.
The ride home was probably the worst ever. Our only ride back to Utah was with the Smiths. Lucky they had brought 3 vehicles so there was plenty of room. We got off to a rocky start when Auntie Richelle’s car wouldn’t start once at the lake and again in Kalispell. Then we kept hitting lots of construction which slowed us down even more. We left at 8:30 that morning and we pulled into our place at 11:00pm. Needless to say I was very tired and kind of a wreck. Daddy was so happy to see me and mommy and we had a great weekend together.
Sorry I am behind a couple of weeks. I have been working on gathering Ashley Lake pictures for the Ashley Lake post. I will hopefully post that in a couple of days. For now, here is an update since we have been home. Now that I am ten months old, mom decided some changes needed to occur. In the recent past she has still been nursing me 5 times a day. Apparently typical babies my age nurse only 3 times a day (or so they say) which she was not aware of. Ten months old marks the age, mom felt, that it was time I started sleeping through the night. She knows I am capable but we have developed some habits. So far it isn’t going that bad. I still wake up in the early morning hours once but many times I just sing myself back to sleep. Here are some cute shots of my sleeping. Mom and dad have a silly habit of racing like little giggly school girls to check on me before they go to bed. They are so embarrassing.
Today I had a rough day because my two top teeth are coming in. My gums are pretty swollen and I like to suck on ice. Hopefully this will not effect my night sleeping improvement. They are a little hard to see so maybe I’ll post a picture next week.
One thing my parents have noticed since I discovered my feet is that I am very coordinated with them. This video shows a couple of examples of how I use them.
I am still not “crawling” but I am starting to make ground other ways. Check it out.
One reason this week has been a little sucky is because the BYU football team started fall camp. Dad has been gone all day, everyday. Mom and I are sad that we rarely get to see him and when we do he is super tired. It is going to be a long month, or season rather. We are grateful, however that he is working hard and learning. He makes us very very proud!
This weekend, Grandma Cari came to visit me and my parents. On Saturday we played, shopped, ate lunch at Zuppa’s, swam and played some more. Grandma is pretty impressed with all my new tricks and abilities. She even bought me a house warming gift for my new room. I think they are trying to get me to like baseball. What do you think? True Fans
Tomorrow (Wednesday) Mom, Dad and I are driving up to Ashley Lake again. Dad is staying until the weekend but mom and me will be staying until the end of July. I am so excited to see some of my cousins, aunties, uncles and grandparents. The weather is supposed to be pretty nice so hopefully we can play outside, in the water and in the boat. Mom and Dad really hope I travel better this time but are prepared to stop for the night in a hotel if I can’t sleep in the car. Yesterday I had my 9 month doctor’s check up. I am still average for weight (21 pounds) and still knocked height (31 inches) and head circumference out of the park. So far I either have Schlenker or Cooper height which is awesome! The doctor said I was healthy as could be! I enjoyed this doctor’s appointment extra because I didn’t have to get any shots.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Ready for church.
Ready to ride.
Snuggles with Daddy.
On Thursday daddy had work off but instead of going motor biking or shooting (what he usually likes to do in his free time), he babysat me while mommy went to a movie that she has been waiting to go to. She thought Eclipse was SO GOOD but as much as she loves to go to movies, she loves coming home to see me even more. Daddy was able to get his biking fix on Saturday morning when he went riding with his old boss. They woke up super early to avoid the heat and had quite an adventure. They even made it to the top of the mountain on the west side of Utah Lake!!
Also, mom got a calling today. Word spread pretty fast in the ward about her piano abilities partly because she is looking for piano students. So she was not surprised when she was called as the Relief Society pianist. Mommy isn’t thrilled about this for a couple of reasons: 1. she will be nervous every Sunday which makes it hard to enjoy church and 2. She wanted a calling that would help her interact with people on a regular basis. She is happy to hopefully improve her sight reading skills and simply be forced to practice on a regular basis. I love to make noise! The more noise a toy makes the better and the more I play with it. I am also learning to imitate people. For a couple of days now, every time daddy says “dada” I copy him. Also when mommy whispers to me, I whisper back. Mom and dad find this very entertaining and can’t wait for me to really start talking.
Sometimes it takes me a very long time to eat because I love to peek at daddy on the couch.
The count down is on! Grandma Cari is coming to visit me on Friday and I am so excited!!
I think my daddy’s first father’s day went pretty great. You’ll have to ask him to know for sure but I think he will agree. He woke up to mommy and me bringing him the Sunday paper and his gift. For his gift, mommy had two matching silver plated coins engraved with some scriptures on one side and a family coat of arms on the other. Since one is for me and one is for dad, these coins will always be a symbol of our special bond. A little while later, mommy made dad’s favorite breakfast, biscuits and gravy. I didn’t get any but it looked super good. Then we went to church and mommy made dad steaks (well he is better on the grill so he actually made them himself). Later in the week, dad found out that he got almost a week off of work so we decided to head up to Ashley Lake and spend some time with Grandma and Papa Schlenker. The drive up was pretty rocky. We left late after dad’s work and it is at least a 10 hour drive (more with me) so much of the drive was during the night. Since I am almost too big for my car seat, I was not able to get comfy enough to sleep for long periods so that was a little stressful. Once we got there however, it was amazing. Mom took me on walks and down to the dock. This is the first time I have seen this place in the summer and it is pretty nice. I can tell why mommy and daddy love it so much. On Friday, Grandma Schlenker drove down from girl’s camp but our reunion was less than ideal. Since mommy had just chopped off the tip of her thumb chopping lettuce, she was ignoring me and I was crying. Luckily Grandma was there to save me from my neglect and daddy came to assist mommy’s impairment. My favorite part about being at the lake was the mornings. After I woke up and was fed, mommy took me up to wake Papa and Grandma. They think I am the best thing to wake up to. Then she would leave me with them to snuggle and play in the bed covers while she went back to bed. I think this was everyone’s favorite part. I was really excited to go for a boat ride and see mommy ski but the boat wouldn’t start so I’ll have to wait until the end of July when Mommy and me are going back.
Also while we were at the lake, we celebrated mommy and daddy’s 4 year wedding anniversary (July 5). In the morning they exchanged gifts and then cleaned and worked on the boat (how romantic). They stick to traditional gifts and this was year fruit and flowers (easy for daddy for not so much for mom). Dad got mom some beautiful pink Cyclamen flowers and some candy peaches. Mom got dad some fruit flavored starburst and mike ‘n ikes, and made him a key lime pie from scratch. They both LOVED their gifts. Later that day they went for a romantic quad ride up fish creek road while grandma babysat me. I am so happy that my parents are so happily married. I can tell that they love each other very much. We all have so much fun and can’t wait until our family grows even bigger (well maybe mommy can wait). On the 9th, I become yet another month older. My parents cannot believe that I am 9 months old and will be celebrating a birthday for me soon. I am definitely moving around more but still not crawling. Papa Schlenker tried to help me learn but I am still not ready. Instead of crawling, I sort of dig my toes into he ground and then use my head to maneuver my way to my destination. It is quite a sight. I haven’t quite figured out that my ARMS are the key to moving more. I still only have two cute little teeth but my hair is growing thicker although it is much lighter than mommy was anticipating. I will go to a new doctor soon to see how much I have grown. I forgot to mention that mommy finished my room. It isn’t much, but I love it. The bed, dresser and quilt were gifts from Grandma and Papa Schlenker, and the rocking chair was a gift from Grandma Cari and Granddad. Mommy worked very hard to put the furniture together, sew the curtains, stain the shelves, paint my name, and find cute wall decorations. When mom sees me smile at the decorations it makes her very happy. She was finally able to fulfill her nesting needs! Check out the slideshow below.
The only real big thing that has happened this week is that I got cuter and more fun. Just when mom and dad thought it wasn’t possible, I prove them wrong again. You’ll see in the 3 videos what I am talking about. Mom usually puts me in the jolly jumper while she is making dinner. She hooks it up to the panty door frame and I usually end up jumping on stuff in the pantry (broom, plastic bags, pop boxes, etc). Check out my innocent smile.
While mommy was ironing, I was playing on the floor and discovered how much fun tissue can be. There is that innocent smile again.
Daddy and I love to read the news paper together on Sunday mornings. Apparently we were reading about some pretty funny stuff.
One of my favorite times of the day is bath time! I get so cuddly afterwards when mommy wraps my up in my hooded towel. Another miracle that happened this week was me sleeping through the night with out eating. I cannot begin to tell you how happy mommy was. However she had a feeling it was a fluke week and since the past two nights I woke up hungry around 4am again, she might be right.
Look how I have grown!! Click on it to see the whole picture. Left: 2 months, bottom right: 4 months, top right: 8 months.
Well sadly this awesome week has come to an end and Daddy starts work tomorrow (Monday). Luckily he won’t be really busy until August. He starts most days at 6:30am which is great because then he comes home early to play with me. Mommy and I hope to go visit him sometime this week so we can see him work. He is a little nervous because he has not taped any body parts for a long time but I think he will catch on again pretty quick. I offered to let him practice on me but he said I was too small. I am like the size of some of those football player’s thighs. As you may remember, last weekend I got a little flu bug. It lasted a couple of days so mom and dad decided that driving up to Montana probably wasn’t the best idea. We were all sad that we couldn’t really vacation but we were able to get a lot done here at home. We unpacked and found a lot of furniture. It is starting to look pretty good around here. All we need now is a desk, an end table for the living room and a dresser for all of mommy and daddy’s close that are on the floor of their room. Mommy ordered me a new crib and dresser and it should be arriving in about a week. I am so excited to sleep in a real crib and not a pack ‘n play. Mom is excited for it to arrive so she can organize and decorate my room. Mommy is thrilled because I have been sleeping so well. I have graduated to only two longer naps a day which means I am awake and happy for longer periods of time. This allows mommy to have sort of a life and get some stuff done. We have been swimming almost every warm day which really poops me out so I think that helps. I am also getting better at the Jolly Jumper which is also tiring. I am still not very close to crawling. The closest I get is when I am sleeping or falling asleep and my knees tuck under my body making my butt stick up in the air. One thing mommy has noticed lately is how I smile and laugh at things other than people. A funny noise or song, a new texture, the sunshine; I find lots of things quite funny. Daddy is still the funniest of all of course as you can see in the video.
Instead of the guys doing their annual quadding trip down in Rexburg, they decided to quad a bunch at Ashley lake. This way the women and young’ns were able to come too. Mommy and me got to drive down with Uncle Derek. I was such a good baby and slept most of the way. I had tons of fun play with Cousins Ashton and Nick at the lake. They loved bringing me toys, singing to me and having dance parties. I was able to see Ashton ride his new quad around a lot. He is a really good driver and I hope he can teach me someday. > Papa let me play with his chocolate cake, but mommy wouldn’t let me have any… it was torture!
In this video, Ashton and Nick are singing “I Am a Child of God” to me. This little scene brought both grandma and Papa to tears.
When we arrived at the lake, Grandma Schlenker noticed that I had teeth cutting through my gums!! Mommy was in shock because she had no idea (I guess that is a good thing that I wasn’t extra grumpy or anything). Mommy doesn’t make it a habit to stick her fingers in my mouth but will try to check more often. Everyone thinks my new teeth make my smile even cuter. After the long weekend at the lake, Mommy and me said good bye to daddy who went back to California to work and drove up to Medicine Hat. I had a great time playing with Grandma and Papa Schlenker. They take such good care of me. I also was able to spend a lot of time with Great Grandma and Grandpa Campbell. Grandpa has great music to listen to and grandma can always find a new toy for me to explore. Later in the week I was able to see some of mommy’s friends as well as Auntie Deb. Mommy loves showing me off. One of my favorite parts about the trip was when Papa took mommy and me to the Leisure center to go swimming. I was so chill the whole time floating in the bubbles. Mommy is so happy I like the water.
My other favorite part was my introduction to the jolly jumper. I still have not caught on totally but I am getting there. Mom likes that it keeps me busy and tires me out. When our vacation was over, mom and I flew to Utah and met daddy who drove from California. Daddy starts working with the football team on June 14 so we needed to come find a place to live. After a couple of days of searching, we found an amazing place in Springville. It is a new condo with 3 bedrooms and we even have access to a pool which I’m sure mom will take me to often. Mom and dad spent a whole day loading all of our stuff from the storage until into a big u-haul and then unloading it into the condo. While they were busy I was able to play at the Smiths. I am just like a new shiny toy to them and they take very good care of me.
We were hoping to head up to Ashley Lake on Friday for one last vacation before dad gets really busy but I got my first fever Thursday night and the brakes on our car were making funny noises so we will postpone it a day or two.
Well as you read earlier, Mommy, Daddy and I recently babysat 3 kids in their home while their parents house hunted. It was an interesting and tiring 10 days but overall we agree that it was a good experience. Mom said the worst part was changing the two year old's diapers and the best parts were learning about her and daddy's parenting styles and developing relationships with the kids. Fortunately, mom and dad's parenting and disciplining styles are very similar, at least for those kids. Daddy might be more of a push over for me though. All those kids sure loved me. The 10 year old and 2 year old were great at making me laugh and the 7 year old girl loved to play and sing with me. It was different acting like the baby of the family but I think I will prefer being the big brother.
The other worst part about the babysitting experience was the little fall I had. It was Friday morning and mommy was busy getting breakfast ready for the hungry mouths before they went to school. Mom had sat me in the bumble seat on the counter like she had done every other morning. She was only about 2 feet away from me but her back was turned when she heard the crash. I fell onto the linoleum and burst out into tears (which was a good sign). Mom immediately picked me up and ran me to the bedroom where daddy was just waking up. Mom was so grateful he was home! Mom was crying and shaking so much that daddy had to hold me and try to calm me down. As he did this, he checked my body. The only thing they really noticed was my swollen eye but they decided to take me to the hospital just in case. As soon as the two older kids went to school and grandma cooper came to watch the 2 year old, mom and dad took me to the hospital. After the doctor checked out my body, he decided it was better to get an x-ray and CT scan just to be safe. I was such a good boy for both (I think the ib profen they gave me helped a bit). As we expected, the results were normal and we went home. Mom pretty much held me the rest of the day. The next day, mom noticed I started crying every time she lifted me up by the arm pits and some swelling on my left shoulder. When the swelling went down, mom noticed a bulge on my collar bone and dad thought it would be a good idea to take me to the doctor again who recommended I get another x-ray. This x-ray revealed that I had a fractured collar bone but the bulge meant it was already healing. It never bothers me any more and mommy is amazed with how fast I healed. Even my black eye went away probably twice as fast as an adult's would have. I wanted this mother's day to be special for mommy because it is our first one together and she had been working so hard with the babysitting. Daddy and I set out her gift so she was able to discover it in the morning. We gave her a nice card, a cute book about a chick and his mother duck, and a beautiful necklace with a setting of my birth stone (opal for October). She loved all of it and I think we made her feel pretty special. After a hellish morning (trying to get everyone ready for church on time) and church, a lady (bless her heart) from the ward took the kids for the rest of the day so that mom could have a break and we could attend the family party that was planned. We had a great visit with the family playing games and eating good food. So I am pretty sure my parents love me very much. My mom started singing "You Are my Sunshine" during my nap time routine and almost every time she sings it, she gets choked up at the end. At least once or twice a night, daddy comes in and just watches me sleep. Sometimes he even pats my little bum that is sticking up in the air. They are always hugging and kissing me and look like they are going to explode with pride every time I learn something new. I sure love them too!!
We were able to make it to a couple more A’s games before our time in California came to an end.
On Monday I had my 6 month doctor check up. Once again everything looks good. Now that I am 6 months old, I can start taking low doses of children’s medication so that means we can get rid of some of my allergy symptoms. I now weigh 18 pounds, 3 ounces and am 28 inches tall and am as healthy as ever. The worst part as usual was the shots. I think I am getting tougher though because I only cried when the nurse game them to me and slept the whole way home. This Sunday, mom, dad and I are embarking on quite the adventure. We have agreed to watch 3 kids for 10 days while their parents go house hunting in southern California. The ages of the children are 10, 7 and 2. The 2 year old will obviously be quite a handful and mom is a little nervous about watching both of us all day. Luckily their mother has arranged many of her friends to help out as much as possible. The older children seem to be real helpers and well behaved so that should make things easier. I will try my best to sleep as good as possible for mom’s sake because she won’t have much time to take naps during the day. Wish us luck… o the things my parents will do for $500. Sheesh.
This week mom decided to introduce me to some yellow veggies. It didn’t go so well. First she tried squash. As you can see in the video, my whole body shuttered when I took bites and I eventually choked up what I had eaten. I was not a happy camper. Later in the week mom tried to feed me sweet potatoes which had a similar result. Because of the craziness we will be experiencing next week, mom decided to stick with cereal until she can take time to slowly ease me into the new food. Plus I eat cereal super fast so that will be a benefit when she is trying to feed 6 hungry mouths.
The best part about this week was my first time swimming in a real pool. Auntie Anne had Friday off work so she got us into her work out club so we could go swimming. My parents bought me special diapers and a cool frog floaty thing. Like I react to many new things, I had little real emotion or reaction at first; just a mellow fellow. But after I got used to it I started kicking and splashing with my arms. I had to be pretty tough because even though the pool was heated there was a breeze in the air. Mom wasn’t sure how my bathing suite outfit would work because it is for an 18 month old but it seemed to hold up just fine. Daddy was sad he couldn’t be there so I am sure we will go again as soon as we can.
On Saturday daddy drove to a national park to go ride his dirt bike a bit. On Friday he was so giddy and excited. But when he got home he was very tired and very sore. A little more practice and he will be a pro.
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