Amelia Jane

This little angel

is the precious baby girl

who gave me the title of AUNT

and to her I am oh so grateful!

Her cousin and I are up in Iowa loving on her and spending some quality time with her Mommy and Daddy. Uncle Matt had to stay home and work, but he will get to see her soon. We won't be able to stay away for long!

I Remember

Last week Nathan and I made a little trip to the hospital where he was born for me to get some lab work done. This is the second time we have been there since he was born (my silly thyroid hasn’t quite gotten things figured out again without all those pregnancy hormones). Every time I walk into those doors, memories come flooding back.

I remember sitting in the waiting room before our ultrasound appointment. We talked about baby names while we were waiting and even finalized a girl name before we went back for the appointment. I was so nervous that we settled on a girl name so quickly. We were still completely clueless on boy names at that point.

I remember the dark room and the ultrasound tech pointing out all of Nathan’s major organs on the screen and how thankful I was for each thing she pointed out (what a miracle his little body is)

I remember the fear and anxiety when she took a long time looking at his heart and even said she would come back later to look at it again.

I remember the relief I felt when she assured us that his heart and all four chambers looked fine that she was just trying to get a good picture.

I remember when she asked if we wanted to know if we were having a boy or a girl and we ecstatically said yes.

I remember when she announced that we were having a boy and pointed out the little boy parts on the screen.

I remember the joy I felt when I heard those words and fighting back the tears. Suddenly this baby felt so real.

I remember saying “he” in the ultrasound room and laughing that we finally could use real pronouns when talking about our baby.

I remember seeing Nathan with his mouth wide open and his arm up by his face when the tech told us he was sucking on his arm.

I remember heading up to the maternity ward after our ultrasound for a tour.

I remember telling the nurse we were having a boy and Matt laughing at me because we were supposed to be keeping the gender a secret until our big reveal to our families.

I remember sitting in the parking lot after our appointment talking to Matt about our little boy and how I didn’t want him to go back to work because I was so excited I just wanted to keep celebrating our son.

Then I remember that exciting drive we made from our doctor’s office across the street from the hospital on the day Nathan was born.

I remember walking into the hospital with the realization that the next time we walked outside we would be a family of three!

I remember settling into our hospital room and watching the Price is Right and Family Feud on tv before the contractions got too painful.

I remember sending Matt out to get the nurse to tell her I wanted my epidural and how fast he acted on my request.

I remember the relief once the epidural was in and trying to get some rest, but I was just too excited to sleep.

I remember the doctor placing Nathan on my chest and how awestruck I was to see that little body outside my body.

I remember holding him up just to make sure he was in fact a boy.

I remember Matt coming back to the room after sharing the news with my parents and him telling me that I was torturing my mom by not letting her in the room yet. I just wasn’t ready to share him.

I remember how loud he screamed during his bath and the doctor’s comment that she was glad she didn’t have to take him home. I was just relieved his lungs were so strong.

I remember cuddling Nathan skin to skin on my chest and savoring those sweet, sweet moments

I remember the flood of visitors we had on that Thursday night to celebrate our precious son. I loved showing him off to everyone.

I remember the fun birthday cake our friends brought and what a thoughtful gift that it was.

I remember the exhaustion that hit late that night and how I never felt I would be rested again.

I remember Matt taking Nathan down to the nursery to rock him for a couple of hours so I could get some sleep.

I remember the next day with new visitors and how much Nathan slept during the day.

I remember Matt never wanting to be separated from Nathan. He always stayed with him in the nursery when he was being examined.

I remember how disappointed Matt was when the doctor wouldn’t let him stay in the nursery during Nathan’s circumcision and how much we missed him during those few minutes he was apart from us.

I remember that second night in the hospital when Nathan was either nursing or screaming ALL night long. The nurse even checked on us a few times, he was screaming so loud.

I remember getting Nathan dressed to take him home and how adorable he looked in his little sleeper and hat.

I remember those last few moments in the hospital just the three of us as we prepared to start our new adventure.

I remember watching Matt put Nathan in the car and how excited we both were to finally have a baby to put in that car seat

That hospital contains some of the best memories of my entire life. It will always be such a special place to me.

My Favorite Baby Products 3 Months in

Here are a few of our must haves at this stage. They make life much easier for all of us.

Swaddleme Swaddling blankets

Before Nathan was born, I was determined to learn how to swaddle him. I read the best ways to swaddle and practiced on baby dolls, but I still couldn’t figure it all out. When we brought Nathan home from the hospital I tried to swaddle him with regular blankets and I could never get it tight enough. He’s always been a wiggle worm. Then I remembered that I had some Swaddleme blankets and they are amazing. They velcro instead of just tucking the blanket in and I can get him swaddled tight enough that he can’t wiggle out of it. We have swaddled him at night since day one, and I usually swaddle for most of his naps during the day. He sleeps much better when he is swaddled and these blankets make the job so much easier.

Aden and Anais swaddling blankets

Even though I don’t use these blankets to swaddle Nathan they are still great to have around. They are so big that they are perfect for him to lay on when he is playing on the floor. They are also light weight which is perfect during the summer when Nathan needs something to cover up his bare legs but nothing really heavy. They are my favorite blankets that we have.

Wubbanub pacifier

This lovely little pony has been great. Nathan loves his pacifiers and usually needs them when he is tired and ready for sleep. However, he is still not super about keeping it in his mouth. I got the idea from a blog I read to use this pacifier. I can swaddle him with the stuffed animal so that the pacifier doesn’t fall out of his mouth It’s genius He falls asleep so fast when he is able to keep the pacifier in his mouth. I usually only use this specific pacifier at night and he naps with his regular pacifiers during the day. It has been a huge help.

Boppy Pillow

I love my boppy and use it for every feeding while we are at home. It makes it so much easier to support Nathan while I am feeding him and gives my arms a break. Eventually I’m sure I’ll use it for tummy time and for support for sitting up when Nathan gets a little older. We’ve even used it as a prop when we’ve taken baby pictures. My mom knows how attached I am to it that she bought one for her house so I have one when I feed him over there.

Medela Breast Pump This Is probably my favorite baby item that I have. When I got pregnant, Matt and I decided that it would be best for me to breastfeed Nathan exclusively for at least six months (if things continue to go as well as they have, I’m sure I’ll continue past six months). As a mom, it is important to me to know that I am providing the best possible nutrition for Nathan that I can, and research clearly shows that the best nutrition for babies is breast milk. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages for choosing nursing over formula ( I read ALL about both types of feeding before he was born). The biggest advantages of breastfeeding in our opinion are the superior nutrition and the cost. However, there are disadvantages with nursing, and the one I was most worried about is the fact that Nathan and I are pretty much handcuffed together. Most of the time that’s not a big deal because we are together almost all the time already, but there are definitely times when I need a break and having a breast pump gives us a little longer leash. For me the breast pump means date nights and nights of mostly unbroken sleep (when daddy would take the middle of the night feeding). It also helps when we are out doing something where I don’t want to be isolated by myself for 30 minutes to feed him. I’m also able to still work a little and plan on starting again in the Fall. Nathan has always taken a bottle like a champ, and although we aren’t planning a week long vacation without Nathan until he is weaned (not like I could leave him for that long anyway at this age), we are able to get out and do things with more flexibility because of this handy contraption and the stash of frozen milk I have in the freezer.

On Becoming Baby WiseThis has probably been the most helpful book I have read about babies and feeding and sleep and schedules. I don’t follow everything strictly because Nathan is a unique baby, but there are several principles that I worked hard to implement and they have really helped:

Utilizing the feed, wake, sleep cycle so Nathan doesn’t become dependent on nursing to fall asleep

Laying Nathan down for a nap while he is still awake, so he learns to fall asleep on his own (I usually still rock him mostly to sleep at night, but put him down when he is drowsy during the day)

Focusing on getting in full feedings (no snacking) to stabilize metabolism.

Saving long stretches of sleep for nighttime even If it requires waking Nathan up from a nap to feed him during the day.

The authors state that when the Babywise principles are followed most babies will begin sleeping through the night (9-10 hour stretches between feedings) by 7-9 weeks. Nathan started sleeping through the night at 8.5 weeks. We still have had a few nights where he wants to eat in the middle of the night but for the most part he sleeps wonderfully at night. I credit part of it to my incredible son, but also give credit to the principles in this book. I reference this book all the time for information about length of nap times, number of feedings, length between feedings, etc. as Nathan grows. I plan on pulling out Babywise II in a couple of months when we get ready to start on solids.

My God is So Big

We ran into the two year old Sunday school teacher at church last week. She mentioned that it wouldn't be long until Nathan was in her class. I'm not at all ready for Nathan to be two, but we thought we better start practicing, so he will be ready for her class!




We sing songs together every morning. It's one of my favorite things to do with Nathan at this stage

Another Great Weekend

We had another really fun weekend this past weekend. On Friday night after dinner, our friends Matt and Erica came over to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1. We had plans to see the final Harry Potter movie the next day and decided it was a good idea to get caught up from the first movie. Nathan was great during the movie and slept almost the whole time. We weren't ambitious enough to watch all seven movies before seeing the finale, but seeing the seventh movie definitely got me ready for the conclusion.

Saturday we got up early to help our friends Brandon and Mindy move out of their apartment. Nathan didn't mind waking up early. He zonked right back out as soon as we put him in the car. We had a great turn out from our Sunday school class, and I was proud of our class for coming out at 7am on a Saturday morning to help. Matt carried lots of things down their three flights of stairs. Nathan and I took it a little easier and stayed upstairs visiting and helping with some cleaning. Everything was so organized that it was a breeze to move. We got a chance to visit with them and enjoy breakfast together before they had to leave. We are going to miss Brandon and Mindy a lot. They only lived in Tulsa for one year for Brandon's pharmacy school rotations. Someone said on Saturday that it was a temporary move to Tulsa but they developed permanent friendships and that is definitely true. We can't wait to visit them and meet their new baby. Nathan is hoping for a little boy. He has lots of girlfriends in our Sunday school class already.

We got back home around 10, and relaxed for a couple of hours (in between Nathan's feedings). I got a tiny nap on the couch before we headed out for our date night. We dropped Nathan off at Grammy and Papa Joe's house and then met up with Matt and Erica at the movie theater to watch Harry Potter. I thought they did a great job on the final movie. They definitely changed things from the book and left some things out, but it was still a really good movie. There were times I leaned over and told Matt, "I'm glad I know how this ends, because I'd be scared right now if I didn't." I really enjoyed the Harry Potter series. I finally finished reading all the books right before the seventh movie came out, and I'm glad I read them because the books are always better than the movies. It was fun to have a book and movie series that Matt and I both liked. We usually have pretty different tastes in books.

After the movie we all went out for dinner. Lately during date nights Matt and I have been trying to match our dinners out with the theme of the movies we see. When we saw Kung Fu Panda 2, we ate at a Chinese buffet and after Cars 2, we ate at Steak and Shake. We put Erica in charge of finding a restaurant to match the Harry Potter movie and she found a great little English pub. I've never been to England, but the restaurant seemed pretty authentic. Matt and I ate fish and chips. It was fun to eat somewhere different. We had a good time talking and eating during dinner. It's always fun to visit with Matt and Erica. We usually end up talking about college and OSU. Erica and I actually lived in the same dorm at the same time, but we didn't know each other at the time.

While we were on our date night, Nathan was having fun at Grammy and Papa Joe's. I'm pretty sure every time he sees his grandparents he gets a new toy or a new outfit. I always give my mom a hard time about spoiling him, but then I got to thinking that my brother and I had a whole basement full of toys at Granny and Grandaddy's and a whole patio full of bikes and scooters and outdoor toys, and we loved it and have so many great memories of playing in Granny's basement. Nathan got a new toy this time, and he was crazy about it. He just stared and smiled and laughed at it the whole time. We caught a little on video when we picked him up.


Matt said we'll probably have to borrow it when we take his 3 month pictures so we can get some good ones of his big open mouth grin.

Sunday was pretty normal. Here's our cutie ready for church. Remember all those little girls he needs to impress at church :).


After church we ran a few errands and came home. I fed Nathan and handed him off to Matt and took a nap. Oh I just love Sunday naps! It seems lately we've been busy on Sunday afternoons and I haven't gotten a good nap and before that Nathan was eating so often that I could only get in 45 minutes to an hour nap. But Sunday I slept close to 2 hours and it was wonderful. Sunday evening after the sun went down, we all went on a walk/jog. That night we finished week four of the Couch to 5k program. Only five left until we finish the program.

We are really enjoying these summer weekends!

Our Weekend

We had a fun and busy weekend. It seems like this summer, our weekends have been full and really fun. I think having a baby makes them seem busier than they really are. It seems like I go to bed exhausted on Sunday nights and need all day Monday to recover and get the house and everything back in order.

Our Friday night was pretty low key. We had dinner, went on a walk/jog, and then came home and watched Kung Fu Panda. We saw the sequel a few weeks ago, and it made me want to watch the original again.

Saturday morning, Nathan and I went to a baby shower for our good friend Mindy. She and her husband are moving next weekend, so the shower was a little bittersweet. We are really going to miss them. Thankfully they are moving to a town just outside of Weatherford, so whenever we go to visit family in Weatherford, we will get to see them too. Their little one is due in September, and the gender is a surprise.

There were lots of little ones at the shower. I caught a picture of a few of them. Thankfully there were also lots of willing arms to hold the babies.

Mindy and Brandon have become such sweet friends to us this year. It has been a blessing to get to know them and spend time with them. We laugh so much when we are around them. We're praying we can stay close and our babies will become great friends.
I noticed that Mindy's niece Brayleigh snuck into the picture. Watching them together at the shower was so cute. It got me really excited for baby Amelia to get here. I'm ready to have a sweet niece to spoil!

After the shower, Nathan and I ran home to meet Matt and my parents and headed to a picnic/open house at Matt's work. FlightSafety recently built a brand new HUGE building that we got to see for the first time.

It was such a fun picnic. They had great food and tons of games and inflatables for the kids. I hope they continue to do it every year. Nathan will have a blast in a few years. They also had popcorn, cotton candy and snow cone stands. Matt got to show Nathan off to several of his coworkers and we toured the new building. Man, it is big! We were walking upstairs and I think all of us except Matt (who was holding the map) thought we had walked the entire length of the building. Turns out we weren't even half way through it. Matt's going to get his exercise walking around there.


After the picnic, we all three came home and rested. We took a little family nap. Then I fed Nathan and we ran to the mall to pick up a few things. It was Nathan's first trip to the mall. I hope he liked it, because I'm sure we will make lots of trips there in the future. We grabbed some pizza at the food court and stopped for frozen custard on the way home. We came home, went for a long walk with Rhapsody and called it a night. I was tired from the busy day.

Sunday after church, Nathan and I took a Sunday afternoon nap. That evening my parents invited us over for dinner. Barry has a new smoker he wanted to try out. We told him he can experiment with new recipes anytime he wants with us. We ate, visited, played with Nathan and played a game of rook.

Weekends are a lot more fun this summer having Matt in town instead of in Florida and having another special somebody to spend them with.

4th of July Weekend

We had the best weekend to celebrate Independence day. It was so much fun spending time with some of our favorite family and friends. Matt was sweet to take Nathan's middle of the night feeding on Friday so I could get some rest. That started my weekend off on a great note.

Saturday Laura, my college roommate and her husband Steve stopped by to visit for a couple of hours and to meet Nathan. They live in Colorado and I don't get to see them near as much as I would like. They were in town visiting family for the long weekend, and it was so great to see them and catch up on everything that is going on in our lives. They are one of my favorite couples ever.


Steve and Laura are naturals with babies. Nathan loved all the attention he got. We have to get up to Colorado sometime soon to see them again. I never realize how much I miss my friends who live out of state until we get the chance to catch up.

That afternoon after I fed Nathan, I asked Matt what he wanted to do the rest of the day, and he said he wanted to go on a date to see the new X-men movie. My mom was free to babysit even on the short notice, so we got a little time alone that evening. We are thankful for date nights and that my parents are so willing to babysit. We're both glad they live so much closer now. The movie was really good. It exceeded both our expectations. Matt's not normally a fan of prequels, but this one was really well done. We just came home and ate a quiet dinner at home and then picked up Nathan.

Sunday morning, we went to church and that afternoon my grandparents came into town to celebrate the 4th with us and love on baby Nathan.
That evening we all went over to my parent's house for dinner. They prepared a feast for us of steak, baked potato, salad, corn, and bread. I was so stuffed. Look at the size of Matt's steak. For once he didn't eat it all. It was just too big for him.

After dinner we visited for a little while and then came back to our house. Granny and Grandaddy babysat for us so we could go watch fireworks with our friends Brandon and Mindy. I remember asking my grandparents when they got to our house that afternoon if they wanted to watch fireworks with us or babysit. I think it was an easy decision for them :).
We had a lot of fun watching the fireworks and visiting with Brandon and Mindy. They are moving in a couple of weeks, and we are going to miss them so much. The weather was so nice too. It was such a fun night.
Sunday night also marked Nathan's milestone of sleeping all night for the first time. He stirred a little bit around 6:00 on Monday morning. I rocked him for just a minute and told him that he had to sleep until 7:00 to count as sleeping all night. He must have understood me because he fell right back asleep for another hour. I got up Monday morning and told Granny they were moving in with us, because whatever they did on Sunday night while they babysat must have worked :).

Monday afternoon my parents fixed everyone lunch. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, chips and baked beans. It was perfect food for the holiday. After lunch Mom, Barry, Matt, Granny and I played three games of Settlers. It was Granny's first time to play and she did really well.

Love my little family

While we played, we caught Grandaddy and Nathan doing this:
My mom made everyone strawberry milkshakes for dessert. We ate way too much that weekend.
For dinner, everyone came back to my house and I made chicken spaghetti and this festive dessert.
Monday night was pretty low key. We just visited and watched fireworks on TV. Nathan slept all night again! Tuesday morning my grandparents got in a few last cuddles with Nathan and then headed home. Poor Nathan is having to readjust to not being held all day, and I'm missing the help I had. Hopefully we will get to see Granny and Grandaddy again soon.