Gingerbread Houses

Last weekend we had a gingerbread house making party at our friend's house. While Kris was busy making a house I was busy chatting with the girls and eating some of the toppings. This picture of our house doesn't do it justice. Kris was so clever to put a few gummy bears on the premises and they left a little present for all to see. He also had a little pond with a fish craved out of a Twizzler. We had a great time getting together with friends and eating treats and drinking hot chocolate and hot cider or wassail ( I don't like it but if you do you can imagine how great it was).

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we made a trip to Washington DC with Kris' parents. It took a while to get there with all the stops for feeding Denzil and for his biggest blowout yet. It took 3 washes to get it all out of his clothes. We stayed in a nice place and thank goodness for ear plugs. Denzil did really well keeping up with his trend of sleeping 7-8 hours a night. Thanksgiving day was a bit foggy in the morning and kind of chilly. We visited the Washington and Lincoln monuments as well as the WWII, Vietnam, and Korean war monuments and then we went to the Museum of American History. We discovered after a few pics and the monuments that our cameras were out of batteries.

Thanksgiving night we went to dinner at TGI Fridays. Needless to say, it wasn't like mama cooks it. At least there was some place open, I'm thankful for that.

Friday we went to the Jefferson memorial and then off to the Air and Space museum and the Museum of Natural History. We had a great time but my feet were a bit tired after all that walking and standing. There were tons of people out then too.

This is what it is like to travel with a nursing baby. I was pleasantly surprised at how well he did under the cover.

We had a great time lounging around in our hotel room in the evenings. Thanks for being a great traveler D.

Saturday we went to Mt. Vernon. I think this was my favorite part of the trip. I am so grateful for George Washington and the many other people who fought for our freedom and the creation of this great country.

This is where Martha and George are buried. George could have been buried under the capitol building but he loved Mt. Vernon so much he wanted to be buried there and his family kept to that.

And last but not least, Denzil was rooting for the Cougs in the holy war. Rah rah rah rah rah, GO COUGARS!

3 months

My how time flies. I'm now 3 months old and I am so cute. I like to talk, sometimes I even sound like I say "mamama." I'm starting to sleep through the night too. I'm a good eater and I love hanging out with mom and dad. I'm a little camera shy too so we haven't gotten any good video of me showing my skills. We will keep trying though.

Blessing Day

November 1st we blessed Denzil at church. It was really nice and we feel so blessed to have Denzil in our lives. He is getting so big and we are loving his smiles and how much he likes to talk. Sometimes it seems that he gives us a little laugh too. He is such a sweet boy.

Halloween Night

We spent halloween night at our friends for a "beer and brats" party. The Jackson's made homemade rootbeer and provided the brats and everyone else brought a side or dessert to share. We were going to go to another friends house afterward but Denzil had had enough so we just chilled at home. He was so cute in his costume for the few minutes it lasted. I decided that it is necessary to have 2 people to get the smile pictures, 1 taking and 1 to get him to smile.

Not too fond of getting this picture taken.
Our family portrait. Denzil is learning early that Reeses Peanutbutter cups are where its at for halloween candy.

Mt. Biking at Salem Lake

Yesterday Kris went with our friend Steve to Salem Lake for a little mountain biking. It was foggy and a bit wet but overall a good time.

Ward Trunk of Treat

Wednesday night we had a trunk or treat at church with games just before hand. We aren't much for dressing up but we did get another chance to wear our pumpkin shirts. I know the pants are long but the jeans are so cute!

First Hike

This week was community practice week for Kris which meant 40 hour work week and no school work plus a day off so on Monday we went for a drive to Stone Mountain then over to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Denzil went on his first hike to a little homestead in the park. He did great. It was not a very far hike but we are taking baby steps to the longer ones. The leaves were pretty but we missed the peak time by just a little bit.

2 months

After 2 months I can smile a bit, coo, hold my head pretty well, love my bath (its the afterward I'm not sure about), love my mom an dad, and snuggle up on your shoulder. I like to look in the mirror on the swing and the play mat and I'm more alert when awake. I have had a few good nights of sleep where I only wake up once too. Mom likes that. Life is good. Oh, and I now sleep on my crib at night. I like it.

This was me napping yesterday or should I say meditating;)

Adorable

This was so precious yesterday getting ready for church. Everyone loved the tie. Cute little man.

I just wanted to put some more pics up here of our sweet little Denzil. He has started to smile some, mostly when I am feeding him or changing his diaper. It sure is cute.

Summer Research

Over the summer Kris was involved in some research at the school. Last Wednesday they had a day where they presented their posters at school and they were judged. Denzil and I went over their to support our man. Kris looked great and we are very proud of the work he did.

Happy 30th Birthday

So today (the 13th) is Kris' 30th birthday and I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish him a Happy Birthday and to let him know how much I appreciate and love him. Most of you know that Kris has been the cook in our family basically since day one. I have made a few things but I'm sure they could be counted on my fingers and toes. We'd be eating a lot of boxed things I'm sure if he didn't make such good food for us. He is the best. Also, even though he is busy with school stuff he still takes the time to give my arms a little bit of a break every now and then when Denzil is crying and I'm tired. Also, thanks for taking him in the morning on the weekends so that I can get just a few more minutes of shut eye. I hope that this next year will be great for you Kris and remember, Tiako ianao!

Update

Isn't he just so sweet! I love it when he sleeps with his hands under his face like this. He is a cutie.

So lately there have been lots of new babies among the people that we know and there are still more to come. This is Denzil's new best friend Lucas. They are 5 weeks apart. Funny how Denzil looks so much bigger than Lucas but Lucas weighed almost 2 lbs more than Denzil did when he was born. We are super excited!

Our friends Steve and Elise joined us for a few of the sessions of conference. Kris got us some cables so that we can connect our computer and our TV. It was pretty sweet.
This is one of the positions that Denzil likes when he is having his fussy time...right around 6-7 pm each day. Kris is so good to hold him when I'm starting to get frustrated because I'm just not doing it right.
Denzil was so nice to let me play dress up with him today. The Jackson's borrowed us this sweet monster costume and I wanted to see how it fit him and if I wanted to take him to get some halloween pictures taken. I think he looks adorable. Maybe one time he will smile for the camera.
The other night I had given Denzil a bath and Kris came in the room because Denzil was crying due to being cold and he doesn't really like it when I put lotion on him. Well, as we were putting his jammies on Kris tickled Denz' tummy and he totally smiled and he seemed to laugh too. Of course I ran to get the camera and we tried it again but all we got was 30 seconds of video of Denzil's straight face. Oh well, we'll catch it sometime. At least we were both there to witness it. It sure was cute.

One Month

I stole this idea from Randi but I think it is a good way to have a picture each month to see the growth and changes Denzil makes. Well, after one full month at home things are starting to be a bit more normal. I still am feeding him quite often which apparently is what happens for the first few months. He has been getting it down pretty well but we still have our moments or days. He is becoming more alert during his awake hours and starting to check himself out in the mirror above the swing. We haven't had any official smiles yet but hopefully soon. He is starting to fit better in the 0-3 month clothing. He's still a bit small but I guess that is why they are made to cover several months so that they can grow into them.
This is the one and only newborn size sleeper and it now fits him just right. I tried to put him in it the first week we were home and it was HUGE on him. I guess we'll have to have him wear it several times this week to get some use out of it before he gets too big.
He always does the cutest things with his hands. He is so sweet!
This is just to show that he has gotten bigger and filled out more. Check out the previous picture we took of him laying on this blanket. Keep up the good work Denzil!

Visitors

"I'm so cute!"

We were fortunate enough to have my mom come visit us and help us out about a week after Denzil was born. I felt bad because we didn't go and do too much but it was nice to chat and have someone else in the house with me while I figured things out. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of my mom with the baby but he loved to snuggle with her and to have her sing songs to him.

This is a picture of Denzil's first bath. He didn't really like it a whole lot but each time gets a little better for him.

The day after my mom left Kris' mom came out to visit for another week. We were so spoiled to have such help.

Since I was feeling much better by then we were able to get out a little bit more. We made a trip up to Mt. Airy (Mayberry) where Andy Griffith grew up. We went on Labor day so most of the stores weren't open but it was fun to walk around a bit and to eat a nice big ice cream cone. Denzil did great in the baby bjorn.

Today I took him to JC Penney and got some pictures taken of him. He did really well considering he hadn't eaten in about 3 hours. By the end he was a bit too cranky but we were able to get a couple of cute ones. Next photo shoot will be in his blessing outfit but I think it might be a bit big on him just yet. We'll have to see when the next fast Sunday is to decide when we want to have him blessed.

Denzil went to his first BYU football game when they played Oklahoma. We watched it over at the medical school in one of the lecture rooms because the school has access to ESPN360. He did really well and was able to sleep a little bit. I was surprised that he didn't get startled or upset when we cheered for the Cougs.

I just like this outfit. He is starting to fit into some of his clothes now. I have been pretty worried that he wasn't getting enough food even though I have a plethora of milk to go around, so yesterday I took him over to the hospital to the lactation people just to have him weighed. Just in case you forgot, when he was born he weighed 6 lbs 12.6 oz. When we left the hospital he weighed 6 lbs 7 oz. When we went for our first appt just a few days after leaving the hospital he weighed 6 lbs 9 oz and at his 2 week appt he was 7 lbs 10 oz. You may think I'm crazy thinking he wasn't getting enough but sometimes he doesn't seem to eat very much but what do I know. So yesterday he weighed in at 8 lbs 12 oz so my fears/concerns were calmed and I'm realizing that he is getting bigger each day. Hopefully my muscles are too.

Our Birthing Story

Well, I know I have told some people how the labor/delivery of Denzil went but seeing as how I haven't written in my journal since last Thanksgiving and there isn't any record of me ever being pregnant in there I think I should at least write the story down so that one day I might be able to recall it again. So, on Friday August 21, 2009 my water broke at 2:30 in the morning. I hadn't experienced any big contractions or anything but I woke up before it broke and I knew something was going to happen. Anyway, I wasn't prepared at all. I hadn't packed a bag for the hospital yet and of course who can think straight at that time in the morning. Well, I woke Kris up and his comment was "are you sure, this isn't a joke is it?" After gathering a few things we were off to the hospital. Good think the night before we had taken a tour of the place so we knew right where to go and what to do. When we got to the labor and delivery floor the nurse wanted to make sure that my water had broken before they gave me a room and then we were taken to our room and the waiting began. The nurses tried 3 different times to put an IV in my arm and then they decided to call Anesthesia to have them do it. After 2 more times I was hooked up to the IV fluids and some penicillin because I had tested positive for Strep B at the beginning of the pregnancy. The first time they "checked" to see how dilated I was it was a 3. Several hours later (like 6 hours or more) I was at about a 3 or 3.5. After talking with the Dr. they ordered Pitocin to try to regulate the contractions and get things moving along. Shortly after they started the pitocin (around 1:30 pm or so) I got an epidural. It was fabulous. I had considered going natural but I didn't want to spend the money to take a lamaze class so I just opted for the medicine. It worked great. Around 6 pm a couple of ladies from work came by with some flowers and chatted for a little while. When I told them I thought I was going to be sick they quickly left and the nurse came in shortly after to see how I was progressing and finally she said I was ready and that the pushing would begin shortly. About 7:30 pm when the new nurses came on duty the pushing began. It was hard but mostly because every time I took a deep breath to push again my ribs hurt so bad. Finally at 8:50 pm little Denzil came out, with the help of Dad and the Doctor. It all went really well and the only thing that I can complain about was that I was STARVING! Note to anyone having a baby, eat something before you go to the hospital because water and popsicles don't do much on a hungry belly. I will try to post more pictures soon. I'm just a bit lazy right now;)

The Man

The first week has been pretty good, he is a sweet kid and he (and mom) are figuring out the feeding business. My mom came Friday to stay and help, and our friends here have been wonderful. His first pediatrician appointment went well, he said that he is doing great.
Just hanging out on a blanket.

I think he looks pretty big in this one.

You talkin' to me?