my girl

It's times like this that make me dread the days of going back to work.  My first graders will survive right? This little girl has seriously wooed us over and has us wrapped around her little finger.  I could snuggle her up all day long!  I just want to freeze these moments forever.  love you baby girl  sigh....

gabby j

I just have to show her off....

Don't you just want to kiss these lips??

This little girl slept the ENTIRE TIME!!! Most likely because she was only 8 days old, and a little jaundice never hurt either.  Thanks mom and dad for the BEST Christmas present EVER!!

this thing called love

in celebration of valentine's day it got me thinking about my lover and about the first time we said the "L" word and it brought back some good memories.

When Scott and I met, he was on leave from Iraq and I was living in Cedar City at the time doing my student teaching.  I was crazy about him but he returned to Iraq with only two more months so I figured I could wait it out.

After he returned home I was dead set on things going somewhere but in his mind he was just getting back and finally returning to his normal life so it was no wonder he wanted to scope things out instead of getting serious with a girl like me.

Then I moved back up north and started teaching and then the roles switched and I was wanting to scope out the new guys in the area while Scottie wanted to get serious.

I don't know how he managed to stand my indecisiveness but I am SO glad he did.  It was one night when I think he had finally had it with me and my wishy washiness about getting serious and really wanted to tell me how he felt to let me know that he was serious about this whole dating thing.  That's when he busted out the "L' word and I didn't know what to say except "I know".

and so we ended dating other people.  

ya...i'm pretty much the worlds worst girlfriend.

Later on I got a little jealous that there were other women (one in particular) after my man.  I still felt that he was mine even though we weren't together.  I then realized that Scott really was a great catch and I should give up the whole game and give things a go again.

After about a month of being back together we were snuggling late one night and I admitted to myself that I really did love this great guy.  He made me happy and I felt content every time we were together.

From what I remember we were snuggling, half asleep and out of it but I wanted to tell him.  So I whispered it so quiet I wasn't sure I heard it myself.  I was shocked that I actually said it and a little freaked out at the same time that those three little words had really just escaped my lips!!! There was no going back now and there was no need to take it back.  I meant what I said but for some reason I didn't want him to know.  I think Scott was shocked too so he turned his head and said "What did you say?"  he must have needed the reassurance since he too was shocked as could be. 

"Huh? What did I say?  I didn't say anything?" he kept asking me what I had said and I think he knew but really wanted to know for sure.  So he kept asking me "No really, What did you say?"  and I kept telling him that I didn't say anything and that he must have been dreaming.  This went on for a few days and each time I told him I didn't say anything!  And then there was never any more talk about that little conversation and eventually it became something that we said on a frequent basis.

It wasn't until we were officially husband and wife and were sitting at our wedding luncheon watching our wedding video when the truth finally came out.

In our wedding video the videographer interviewed each of us separately and I then and there told the story about the first time I told Scottie that I loved him.   So as we were sitting at the head table in front of our wedding party he had finally heard the truth about what I said that night.  He was pretty shocked to know that that night I really did say those three little words and glad that he wasn't dreaming it all up. 

And I am very glad I did say that little word because....

I really do LOVE you babe.

2 weeks old plus 2 weeks behind

Oh my goodness where has the time gone!! My little girl will be FOUR weeks old tomorrow and I don't know how I feel about it.

Actually I do.....depressed.

Before I know it she is going to be two years old! So I thought I better record these bitter sweet tidbits before I forget!  Sorry for all the other details, I just wanted to make note of what it was like being a first time mama so I can look back and remember for future reassurance that everything eventually works itself out.

Two week check up stats:

21 3/4 inches long- 90% for height

7 lbs 9 oz- 25% for weight

Her height, well I was expecting that. Two tall parents calls for one tall girlie. But her weight actually shocked me and I felt bad that she was most likely starving!! Poor thing was at 8 lbs 2 oz when we left the hospital, so I was expecting her to be above that and so was the doctor when we went in for her 2 week appointment.  She came in weighing at 7 lbs 9 oz.  I was so worried.  He suggested I meet with a lactation specialist to figure out this mysterious weight loss program that she decided to start.

So off we went to meet with the lactation specialist two days later who advised me to feed her for 10 minutes on both sides then pump for 10 minutes after wards to build up my milk supply.  Then if I felt that she was still hungry to top her off with what I pumped from before.

Well, a few days later everything started falling into place! Not gonna lie it was a little difficult getting there since little G was going through a growth spurt and wanted to eat every 2 hours instead of 3.  So needless to say I felt like a feeding machine!!  By the time I finished feeding and pumping, it was time to do it all over again!  But I can now say that it was so worth every little minute of frustration and panic. 

The doctor wanted me to come back for a weight check a week later to make sure she was at least 8 lbs and if not we would have to intervene.  Well the big day for our weigh in came and little G weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 10 oz!! She had gained a whole pound in a week!  I was so excited!  Who knew you could be so excited about weight gain?  At this point she started sleeping through the night only to wake up at 5:00 to eat and then she would go back to sleep and wake up at 8:30.  It was so nice knowing that she was finally gaining weight, sleeping well and even better, I felt like I had accomplished a great deal knowing that I was finally providing for my little one.  Oh, and the sleep was nice too.

Now at four weeks I am proud to say that she is...

sleeping from 12:00-7:30 give or take a few minutes

holding her head up and keeping it up for minutes at a time

starting to coo and almost grinning from ear to ear

eating like a champ

and we are enjoying every little second of her!!!

1 1/2 weeks old

2 weeks old

 

3 weeks old

Getting ready for bath time

Ahhh she's perfect!

{dedication}

If you were to walk into my kitchen everyday for the past two months, this is what you would find...

...my hard working husband who I swear never leaves that table until its time for bed

Yes, he is very dedicated to passing the 1 of the 4 sections of the CPA in which he is taking tomorrow.

I remember my days in college where my version of studying was going to the library and sitting down only to find myself looking around for some social interaction.

So, good luck babe! You will do great! Gabby and I know that you have put in plenty of hours to study for this nasty section of the CPA so you should have no problem passing it! Good Luck!!

Job Change for Mr. Lamb

Six months ago my fabulous husband started his first job since graduating from BYU with his Masters of Accountancy, at Overstock.com as their corporate accountant. Wow, that was a mouthful. Well anyway, since graduating, his first choice of career opportunities was to go into public accounting but as luck would have it, the job market stunk. He had recruited with firms but they were always looking for someone with 2-3 years experience. One of the accounting firms that he interviewed with was Tanner. We both really liked everything the job had to offer but unfortunately they were also looking for someone with 2-3 years experience. He decided that he would study and get his CPA, and then apply again for other jobs while working somewhere else in the meantime. That's when he got a job offer from Overstock.com as their corporate accountant. We were very excited and he started work right away. It was a great job but Scottie was looking for something more. After six months of working at Overstock, he one day, the day after Baby G arrived to be exact, received a call from Tanner, one of his first choices of employment. They said that they still had his resume on file and were wondering if he would like to come in for an interview because they were looking to hire. Fortunately enough my bedazzling husband wooed over the men which he was interviewing with and landed his dream job! We are so excited for this new move and I know that he will be fantastic at any task he is handed. Great job babe! Gabby and I are so proud of you and wish you good luck as you start your new job at Tanner on February 7th! We love you!

Mother of the Year Award...ya not so much

The other day Gabby and I set out on a wild adventure to the UPS store. I know, pretty exciting right? But I haven't wanted to take her anywhere public for fear of coming in contact with some illness so it was a big step. After pulling into my garage I was texting on my phone and checking my email and then I started collecting everything and putting it into the diaper bag to take inside Then I set it on the passenger seat, keys and phone included. Well since I am extremely tall, I slide my seat back all the way which makes it quite a task trying to get the car seat in and out on my side, so instead of taking Gabby out of the car on the drivers side, I walk around to the passenger side to take her out. Well, when I got around to the other side I went to open the car and found it was locked. Strange but no biggie. So I walked around to my side again and opened the door. When I hit the unlock button I wondered if I hit it the right way so out of curiosity I shut the door to see if it unlocked. Duh Christie. To my shocking surprise I hadn't unlocked the car I had LOCKED the car and my phone, keys, oh yes and the babe inside. After I realized what I had done I began to panic!!! Why didn't I just grab the spare key inside my house you ask? Well, I don't have another set of keys to my car!!! I can't tell you how many times I have thought to myself about getting another set for times like this but I was seriously kicking myself now! What kind of mother locks all things important to her (ie. baby) in the car?? Well I knew that little G would be waking up at any moment to eat and I knew she would be crying all alone in the car. My heart started to feel so sad for her knowing that I wouldn't be there when she woke up starving. I started to cry. I ran over to my neighbors house thinking surely he has busted into a car some time in his life. I tried to compose myself and explained the situation. So he grabbed his hanger and ran over to see if he could get the job done. To our dismay it was quite impossible so we resorted to the other option which was either calling a locksmith or the cops. So cops it was. We figured that if they knew the situation (considering the babe) they would understand and come rushing to my aid. Fortunately enough they did arrive about five minutes later to rescue a mother in distress. I felt like such an idiot when neighbors started wondering why the cops were in front of my house. Thanks goodness the cop was understanding since he had locked his child in the car once too and got right to work on breaking into my car. Of course as luck would have it, my car has a anti theft system so he had a difficult time breaking in. After me shining the flashlight into the car and guiding him towards the unlock button for quite a while, we eventually broke in and to my surprise, baby G was still asleep. I thanked Heavenly Father a million times that day that I did not have a baby in the middle of the summer heat. I would have panicked for sure and broken the window. I'm just grateful that she had no clue as to what was happening while she was sound asleep. But hey, it makes for a great story right? Mother of the year right here!!!

Mr. Billi

After little Gabsters was born we were anxiously awaiting the day we could leave the hospital. The day before we were scheduled to go home tests came back that showed her billirubin was a little high at 12.2. The doctors said that if her levels had come down after being on the bed the whole day we could take her home that night. After lots of time under the billi lights, her levels went up to 14.4. I was so sad :-( So daddy and I were then released from the hospital but were boarding in our room as if it was a Motel 8. The next day her levels came down to 12.2 so we were able to take her home but she would need to stay under the lights at home. Poor little Baby G had to be in the Billi Bed instead of snuggling in our arms a little longer. We absolutely HATED this thing for several reasons...

Reason 1:
Baby G is a wild little sleeper who used to enjoy being swaddled before she met Mr Billi Bed, but since she had to lay in the bed in nothing but a diaper all the day long, she discovered her new world of wide open spaces and her frantic wild movements of flailing arms and legs would constantly wake herself up....who could blame her after she checked out of her tight stay in the mini bed & breakfast she was rooming in for the past 9 months. She would also kick her blankets right off of her which would make her cold and unhappy. In fact, in order to get any shut eye at night we ended up loosely pining her blanket to the top of the bed so she could kick freely but still be warm. Now, let me clarify, I TOTALLY knew that having a newborn would result in a lot of sleepless nights but I was literally awake ALL night. The WHOLE night!!! I knew that if I could just swaddle her or dress her in something warmer than a birthday suit + diaper, she would sleep a little more than well, anything more than what she was sleeping. Let's just say that since that bed is now gone and I can dress her up in PJ's and wrap her up in warm blankets, she wakes up only once at night making me one happy mama.

Reason 2:
Baby G has an adorable wardrobe that was awaiting her. Since she has to be stripped down to nothing but a diaper, that fancy wardrobe had to wait until we could say buh bye to the blasted Billi Bed.

Reason 3:
Poor little babe was suppose to put her arms through these fancy sleeves...

and be constricted in a straight jacket at all times , it prevented her from sleeping like she has since exiting the womb....


So we resorted to leaving her little dainty arms out and covering her with just a blanket.

Reason 4:
Along with the Billi Bed comes the daily trips to the hospital for heel pricks and blood work. It's so sad when you walk in the the receptionists and nurse know you on a first name basis and say "Your back again??" They were always really sweet and I know they meant well because they would then always tell me "We love to see you, but we hope we don't have to see you again"

Reason 5:
Since we have to go to the hospital lab daily we also get daily calls from the doctors office calling to check up on Gabby's status of how many messy/wet diapers and how often she is eating. So while I would love to take a nap because I've been up all night, I spend an hour on the phone waiting to talk to the nurse who called me but I missed it since I was feeding the babe. Then by the time I get off the phone, my lovely little girl is hungry again :-)

Reason 6:
After several days of being on the bed, her levels came down into the 12 range which is actually normal and nothing to really be worried about. But since her mama has a genetic blood disease known as Speherocytosis, the doctors were worried that she might have it as well but it's too soon to tell. So, we needed to keep her on it just to be safe.

I don't want to complain or sound ungrateful for this little bundle of joy by all means. I love my little girl and anything that comes with it......except the blasted Billi bed. We are so glad to have it gone so now we can snuggle her, dress her up, snuggle her some more, and enjoy every little piece of her from head to toe!

See ya later Billi!!! Hopefully we will not have to be reunited in the future.