The Lambs

G at 10 months

2011-11-19T00:12:00.000-08:00

sooo i remember thinking that the day gabby turned 8, 9 or 10 months old would be waaaaay far away. it was! then one day i woke up and realized she is now 10 months.

the other day we went for her 9 month check up and she is:

30 1/2 inches long {97 %}

20 lbs 12 oz {75 %}

and her head was 45 cm {50 %}

we recently bought gabbers some new clothes because well, she grows like a weed, it's now cold and the only thing she was to wear is tank tops. when my order finally arrived i realized that little g is most likely too tall for her new 12 month outfits. looks like we'll be sending them back and getting the next size or letting her wear them for month. good thing Christmas is right around the corner!

gabby is now:

crawling faster than i can run

sitting up

standing up

pulling herself up

always happy

getting her top teeth

obsessed with lights

always after lemons the cat

always smiling

pointing to favorite things

waving bye bye

a copycat and will copy what you tell her to do

our favorite little girlie (and always has been)

here is gabbers playing with another sippie cup-trying to figure out how to make it work. i have bought several trying to find one that she likes she just likes to put it in her mouth but gets frustrated when nothing comes out. so i took the inside white part out so the water would just flow out of it thinking she would get the idea but that didn't work either. then she decided she would rather play with it and shake the water out. silly girl

I love you G

lazy sunday

2011-11-16T14:53:00.001-08:00

i love those sundays when you come home from church and you don't have anything to do but be lazy. of course i always have things to do but i put them on the back burner since they weren't at the top of my to do list (for once).

scottie was busy getting ready to take his last CPA test, my parents weren't having family dinner due to the nasty, achy and fever bug that i had and they now had, so that left me and gabbers to fend for ourselves. well, not really. it was one of those days when i didn't want her parading around (crawling, scooting, and eating) in her cute sunday best, so after lunch we just left her in her plain onsie. i just love taking pictures of this little girlie. isnt' she a pretty little thing??

she's quite the little poser...

i see a little auntie ames and cousin kenzie in this one...

lovin' these little teeth of hers. her top two are about in and it cracks me up already...

moment of frustration...

looking a lot of like her auntie megs....

gabby is obsessed with doors lately. she loves to swing them open and shut....

aaaand i love the disaster in the background. oh and especially love the computer cord draped over the mirror so our little gabbers doesn't chew through it...

lem lems joined in on the fun...

and more auntie megs in this one...

and then it was nap time...

after nap time we headed downstairs. gabby loves to pull over her toy bin and pull everything out. she'll be entertained for hours and thank goodness this little one loves books!

halloween 2011

2011-11-12T09:09:00.001-08:00

every year on halloween we go to the swalberg's house (adam and sinika) and eat yummy soup and then we head back to our house and pass out candy. it's funny to think we have been in our house for 2 whole years now. we moved in on halloween and met the entire neighborhood in one night! we highly recommend it.

gabbers was a kitty kat for halloween and boy on boy did i love dressing her up! can i just tell you how fun it is having a little one this time of year? i can hardly wait for christmas. gabby will love all the lights and paper. she is going to be in heaven!

grandpa steve and g

yummy soups

homemade rootbeer. the kiddos loved blowing, inhaling, smelling and waving the smoke

elliott pre-costume

ollie the kindergartener. funny how i teach his age group ( i wish he was one of my kinders)

adam the rootbeer maker

then we headed outside to snap some picture before the it got dark and the trick or treaters were out and about.

i love how this little girlie points to everything she sees

aunt sini watches gabby while i'm at school. she hadn't seen gabby for a week and was so excited to see her. she is so good with gabby and we're lucky to have her

grammy loves her gabby

can you tell she hates the grass?

ready to trick or treat

gabby with her nephews. they get so excited when i drop gabby off. they are the best!

and this little cowboy, mr lincoln, melts my heart

so serious

more serious

elliott and the bowl of candy. they got so excited the doorbell rang they all rushed to open it to show off the creepy hand bowl. once you put your hand in to get some candy, it would grab you! scares me every time even though i know it's going to do it.

spider sini ready for a night out!

happy halloween.

big girl

2011-10-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

this weekend we lowered the crib. yep, the day has finally arrived (finally meaning not a happy day). i miss my little g being so little. she is growing up too fast. she's sitting up and pulling up and crawling all over the place. i have had to make sure that every little tiny scrap is off the floor because this little one will go to great lengths to get it and swallow it before i can get to her! for example, the other day i was changing her diaper and was freaked out by the blue poop! yes in know, blue poop. that was until i looked a little closer and realized it was the corner of a magazine page! silly little girl. taking paper away from this girl is like canceling Christmas.

before i know it this little one will be in a toddler bed. GEESH!

zoopendous

2011-10-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

last weekend we went to the zoo with our friends ...

gabe

melissa

and jace man

bright eyed and bushy tailed G

this time around was a lot better than our trip to farm country with little g. She got nap her nap in on the way up so she was one happy camper.

we started out our tour of the zoo with the monkeys. it seriously is the best thing in the world when i see gabby get excited over something. like when this little guy ran up to her when scottie held her up to the window.

too cute

then we were off to see the elephants

can i just tell you how old i feel now that we are the ones pushing around a stroller at the zoo??

lunch time

hello mr turkey.....you better hide, thanksgiving is right around the corner

beautiful fall leaves

this tiger was so fascinating to watch! after starring at us he got up and decided he needed to cool off and went for swim.

these ice cream cones hit the spot! it was the perfect day

don't worry, i only had one {i don't like chocolate ice cream}

when i was little we used to go to the zoo all the time! once when i was there we got to see the birth of a baby giraffe! i wonder if that little guy is still here??

i loved how close we could get to the giraffes! Gabby especially loved it! i seriously wanted to feed this little {maybe not so little) guy.

with mom

daddy and G

watching the giraffes from the inside

melissa and G

jace man

i can't keep this little girlie dressed for the life of me! she eats her shoes, socks, headband, etc.

to end our trip we took a ride on the train

by the end gabbers was ready for a nap

overall, i think it's safe to say we had a zoopendous day.

"liquid gold" pancakes

2011-10-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

if you know my dad then consider yourself a lucky individual. and if my dad has ever made you his famous flax seed/whole wheat pancakes, then you can now pass on to the next life knowing you have reached your full potential. my dad is the breakfast king and you haven't had a good breakfast until you've have breakfast with grandpa steve.

well, gabby has been having some issues in the plumbing department (if you know what i mean) and then only thing she wants to eat is bananas...which aren't really doing the trick to get things a movin. so you can see why i got excited when i thought of a plan! how about some flax seed/whole wheat pancakes eh??? they're my daddy's specialty.

so, i asked my dad to whip up a batch and of course he was all over it because well, he loves to cook for just about anyone. well of course as luck would have it, little G can't have any eggs or cow's milk yet so my dad had to get creative. i'm sure a little bit wouldn't have hurt her but we wanted to be safe. i could see the wheels turning in his head and then, i could see the light in his eyes as he said "how about mother's milk!" so, instead of using eggs he added a little banana and instead of cows milk he added well, my milk. since i am a working mom, therefore i pump and therefore i have plenty of extra milk on hand. so much, that even my parents have a little stash in their freezer...just in case.

i know you're probably thinking.....that's a little strange? but it was actually quite hilarious! soon my dad was grinding flax seed and whole wheat in his vita mix, adding liquid gold from the my freezer stash, and experimenting to make sure the texture was just right, and before long the pancakes were hot and ready.

"liquid gold" pancake batter

grandpa steve cooking up a storm

pancakes hot and ready

I took a sniff and to my surprise, they smelled really good! so good, i wanted to try some. but i wasn't too fond of eating something i had produced, so i passed them off to little G who scarfed those puppies down so fast she had beaver cheeks goin on.

then we all had some for ourselves....don't worry ours were breast milk free.

scottie eating his pancakes as far away from gabby as possible. we call her....grabby gabby

now all we have to do it let the pancakes do their thing and hopefully gabby's plumbing system will be back on track in no time.

i love you anyway

2011-10-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

i only wanted to take a few pictures of you in the tub, G. but you're just too darn cute i couldn't stop snapping. and i love that you like to play with the non toy items more than the actual toys. but that's ok, i love you anyway.

snap shots

2011-09-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

why is it that no one is ever there to take my picture when i want one? maybe it's because i never really do want my picture taken but today for some reason i did. really i should not have desired such a thing. of all the times to take a picture, today was not one of them. gabby was up twice last night and going to bed at 1:00 am doesn't really help either. maybe she's starting to get her top teeth? not sure. i was exhausted and extra exhausted after the rotten day i had at school. sometimes i wonder "what on earth did i get myself into teaching 28 kindergartners?" no wonder i am getting pre mature wrinkles and massive bags under my eyes. but who cares. no one was home but me and G so i took matters into my own hands and let the camera take pictures of us (kinda). good thing he knows how to snap some shots by himself. i could kick myself for not taking more pictures of gabby and me earlier so here's to a new start. even though most of them are blurry or too light- who cares....it's me and G.

haha i love little g's eyes in this super blurry pic. it's hard taking a self portrait with a huge camera

love this face

and this one too

not one, but two

2011-09-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

the other day i put gabby down for a nap and when i heard her babbling away i headed up to her room. i usually keep 2-3 extra binkies in her crib and strategically place them around her after she falls asleep so if she happens to wake up (which happens a lot since she is the lightest sleeper on the block) at least one will be in reach. well i guess my plan worked because when i went in to get her this is what i found.....

not one but TWO binkies. good thing i happened to have my phone in my hand to capture the moment. you are one crazy G and i love it.

tomato heaven

2011-09-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

growing up my dad was always whipping up some new recipe. he never measured (either did my mama) they were just natural born chefs i guess. going off to college i would cook what i grew up eating and my roommates always thought it was funny when i couldn't tell them how much of what to put in. i would just shake until it looked right. well fortunately for you folks i was introduced to this yummy treat by my dad. guess it's not technically a treat, but that's what i call it because it's so yummy.

the other day i had been out picking a plethora of tomatoes from my garden and i was wondering what on earth i was going to do with them all. then i remembered how my mouth would water every time my dad made these so i rushed inside and quickly got to work.

all you do is slice tomatoes onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper (you can use tin foil but it tends to stick :-/). next, slice mozzarella, provolone, or pepper jack cheese to lay overtop. i prefer pepper jack but all i had was provolone. then sprinkle with a touch of salt.

turn your broiler on high and cook until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

walla! you are in for a treat, enjoy! i know i sure did!

right before our very eyes

2011-09-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

when did this little girl just decide to do everything??

i can't tell you how long i have tried to get her to eat anything on a spoon. really. but today I was eating cottage cheese and since she is always wanting what her mama wants i gave her what she asked for and holy crap and wanted more! FROM A SPOON!!!

nice goatee babe

all of a sudden she fits into the clothes i've been longing for her to fit into. but at the same time makes me sad because that means little G isn't so little anymore. I think she is almost ready to upgrade to size four diapers. FOUR????

she wants to stand and hold on to something. makes her feel like a big girl i guess :-)

grammy, aka special K bought little G her first Halloween costume and I think we already need to upgrade to the next size if we want her to fit into by the time trick or treating rolls around. Here's a sneak peak. she might just be a little tall for it. the tights not quite extend past the bum, whoops. and the poor thing can't quite stand up straight with the hoodie on haha.

she says mama and dada (even though she has no idea what it means) and baba and gaga. she's quite the little gabber.....literally.

boy oh boy G! We sure love you and can't believe your growing up right before our very eyes.

#4

2011-09-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

last night was our anniversary. the big # 4 to be exact. I know. it's a lot. we were suppose to get married the 22 of september but we bumped it up a day. thank goodness we did because it was the last best day of the year with fantastic 80 degree fall weather. if we had gotten married on the 22 like we had originally planned, then we would have had a blistery cold winter snowstorm.

we spent the evening with little G. somehow I just can't seem to leave her behind (and either can daddy). Zuppas and Smoothie King were all we needed. nothing fancy or too expensive. after all, the only thing I need is my man. (ok, and some food....right babe. hungry me=monster)

it's crazy to think we are parents now and I can't imagine being with anyone else. you really do know me inside and out. and you also keep my finances in order which is a plus. if it weren't for you i'd still have a $500 car payment and probably be swimming in debt while eating $4 dollar bags of M&M's. but let's not talk about those days hehe. guess it's a good thing i fell in love with an accountant.

dad with little g -obsessing over the lights at Zuppas. she couldn't get enough.

me and my man

I love you babe. here's to many more.

i wish...

2011-09-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

...that EVERY outfit came in tall not just a few to appease us amazon woman.... yes that includes baby g's clothing too. i'm tired of shopping online. have you seen what they offer us tall ladies??? they should be ashamed.

...that my kindergartners were more behaved...partially my fault and perhaps the parents (did i just say that?)

....that i had the crafty ability to decorate my house like the inside of my better homes and garden magizine. my lover says i'm indecisive. perhaps that's why i don't buy anything to decorate my house because i don't know how to mix and mingle the several styles i like. any takers? i'm thinking of writing HGTV and having someone else do it for me. but where's the fun in that?

....i had more energy after a day of work. ya it's half day i know but it's a fight not to take a nap when G goes down.

....that scottie was done with the CPA. who knows?? he may just be! we're just waiting to hear the results.....like any second now.

....that it was fall/winter ALL year...yep. ya heard me right.

....that my hair would GROW!!!! anyone who knows me can tell you I've been growing it out for the last two years. and yep it's still the same length it was when i started. and that includes a pregnancy.

.... my sisters (amers and megs) lived within driving distance. i miss them.

....my mama never had another pain in her life. she's tough cookie that lady!

....that little G just for one second would change her mind about the snuggling issue. i'd give anything for a good snuggle right about now.

....i was an amazing photographer. you're welcome to teach me. don't worry i'm not going to start up my own business or anything. just want to capture "those" moments

....that people weren't so blunt. did you really not think that one through?

.... that i had Zuppas for dinner every night. nuts about berries salad with a side of wisconsin cauliflower soup to be exact. yum

....that gabbers would poop (okay we might have a little vacation constipation issue going on here....minus the vacation)

...that scottie got home from work the same time i did :-)

....ah yes. i wish i was rich hehe (couldn't resist)

guess it's just one of those days...sigh

farm country

2011-09-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Everytime G sees an animal, she goes CRAZY over it! For example, a few weeks ago we were in Cedar City for Scott's sister's wedding and while we are at the hotel this couple came in with this huge and quite beautiful dog. Even though we were clear down the hall, Gabby started squealing! She was just so excited! So we took her up to see the dog and the owners were really nice and let us pet it. Well gabby was just in little girl heaven and I don't think i have ever seen here more excited. She does the same thing with Lemons the cat and my parents dog Holly.

So you can only imagine our excitement as we planned to take Gabby to see the animals at Thanksgiving Point. We thought she might still be too little to throughly enjoy it annnnnnd we were right. haha. Probably due to the fact that we were cutting it super close to nap time but it was our small window of opportunity and we seized it!

We'll try again another time but I'm sure deep down she liked it.

i love...

2011-09-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

how you play peek a boo with me and daddy through your crib.

how you never liked baby food and went straight for the REAL food

how you snort when you giggle too much

how you smell after a bath and everywhere in between

how you can me the happiest lady on earth after a tough day with kindergarteners

how you are the loudest baby at church....not because you are being a stinker, but because you babble and squeal and laugh at everything and anything

how you dance and boogie when you are lying on your back

how you roll everywhere to get what you want. crawling is so last year.

how your daddy and i fight over who gets to give you a bath, and lotion you up, and get you dressed....and tuck you in.

how happy you always are. you spoil me rotten. seriously.

how you have your mamas toes and you are always curling them up under your feet. or spreading them out like a fan.

how you have an obsession with straws, lemons the cat and every light fixture/ceiling fan in the house.

that you look just like your daddy but have a little bit of me in there somewhere

that whenever i wipe your face with a wet wipe, you try with all your might to eat it.

it when we are both sporting our skinny jeans

how you wave both hands uncontrollably

how you smile with your eyes

that you make me want to have lots of babies. you're just that good

how EVERYTHING goes in the mouth

your toothy grin

your juicy lips

your big brown tootsie roll eyes

your dimples

and

how you love me too....i can tell.

mornings with mama

2011-09-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

every morning I wake up.....before i put on my makeup.....i say a little prayer for you.... haha I couldn't resist. just like this little girl couldn't resist exploring the water faucet. she was getting a little tired of playing with her toys as I was getting ready for work so I sat her on the counter with me and the next thing I know she had leaned over and turned on the faucet. then the curious self that she is started splashing away and i didn't mind because she still hadn't eaten her breakfast yet so I figured she could get a little wet n wild.

silly little girl. I love how you are the most inquisitive girl out there!

{gabby 8 months}

remarkable

2011-09-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

oh geez I'm in trouble! little G has all of a sudden started to do everything at once! she...

sits up all on her own (7 1/2 mo)

scoots backwards and in a 360 (7 mo)

starting to figure out those lovely little teeth she recently popped out (7 1/2 mo)
says gagaga, bababa, dadada, and most importantly mamama (71/2 mo)

will put anything food wise I give her in her mouth (hallelujah) who knows how much of it she actually eats since she still doesn't like anything on a spoon still

rolls pretty much everywhere to get anything she wants. why crawl when you can roll?

is starting to pull herself out of her car seat, bumbo and anything else she is sitting in

and

yesterday I took the trash out and left the little gabsters on the floor playing with her toys and when I came back in she was on her hands and knees!!!! no no no! this can't be! I want my little G to just stay put. but I guess for now I will be bustin out the gates and putting everything up that is at her eye level. this little girl is ready to crawl and it doesn't help that she is already miss inquisitive. the funny thing is, when she gets up on her hands and knees she starts to cry as if she's saying "what do I do now??"

Did I mention that my cat is quite remarkable too? I think forever ago I had these thoughts...

"We won't need to worry about a cat when we have a baby? I'm sure she won't last that long?"

"We won't need to worry about putting Lemons food and water dishes up because I'm sure she won't be around by the time Gabby starts crawling."

Boy was I wrong. I guess I will continue to be amazed at not only the remarkable Lemons and her ~~nine~~ fifty lives but little G as well.

so feast your eyes one this little cutie. she won't be little for long

splish splash

2011-09-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

this little girlie has sure enjoyed her bath time lately, and so have we. It seems like every night after we've eaten dinner, Scottie and I both fight over who gets to give her a bath. Needless to say we are both in there with the camera, toys, bubbles, and of course splashing of water and I just can't imagine how bath time could get any more fun with little G

millions of peaches

2011-08-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Oh boy what will I ever do when peaches go out of season??? It seems to be the only thing this little one likes to eat. The second she saw me put one in a bag at the grocery store she instantly got mad and wanted it right then! At least it's a fruit and not candy right? She won't eat anything on a spoon or mesh feeder so the only way to get her to eat anything is to cut up a peach and let her go to town. Here the proof if you can't tell...

oh how I love every inch of this sticky little girlie

i remember....

2011-07-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

.... picking out a crib and how non of them seemed to be perfect. Until we found this one.

....sitting in your room debating on what color to paint it when we found out we were having a little girl. I think it took us 20 trips to the paint store before we found the just right color we were going for. Every shade of gray turned out looking like that ugly goose egg blue that was popular when I was growing up.

.....spray painting billions of frames and then going to print your pictures and we decided on a whole new idea and ended up not to using any of them....except this one.

one day when I'm in the mood I will find the a frame for the bigger picture.

...Picking out your bedding and making sure it was just right for little G.

....picking out chandeliers and how your Daddy fell in love with this one. He has pretty good taste don't you think?

... trying to decide what to do above the crib. When I finally figured it out I ended up with several blisters from the hot glue gun and a severe phobia of it. But you were worth it.

....when I had been looking forever for a cute nightstand that wasn't over $400 and your awesome Grammy found this cute bargain at a yard sale for $25. It used to be yellow but we spent hours stripping it only to find that it was green underneath and then modge podged. Then we repainted it and now it looks like this (more to come on that story later).

....the day I tried to justify spending $1,200 on a swivel/glider chair from Pottery Barn (haha). Then your Daddy talked me out of it. Then the next day he stumbled upon this cute Pottery Barn chair on KSL for $40 bucks. He ran and borrowed your Grandpa Steve's truck and picked it up for me because he knew how bad I wanted a comfy chair for those sleepless nights.

...when Grammy kept asking me over and over "Are you sure you are going to name her Gabby?" and "How sure are you on Gabby?" or "How are you planning on spelling Gabby?" she wanted to be sure so she could surprise me for Christmas and make these cute block letters for your room.

.... going to every furniture store in the world trying to find a dresser that was just the right height for your 6 feet + parents. You'll thank us one day for your height....I promise!

....but most of all I remember coming home from a long day of teaching school and sitting in this room after each addition slowly appeared. And when your Daddy came home the first thing we wanted to do was go sit in your room and talk about our day and how we would spend hours past bedtime just hanging out and talking about what you would look like and what it would be like to be your mom and dad. And now looking back I remember how much I thought I would love you but somehow I was wrong, because I love you much much more than I ever thought I would.

Love you Gabby Girl

picky eater

2011-07-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

At 5 1/2 months Gabby was grabbing at everything I would eat. She would give me those puppy dog eyes like she wanted what I was eating and I started to feel as if breast milk was just not cutting it. And so the intro to solids began....

I knew she wouldn't like it at first and it would take some time.

But this little one refused:

rice cereal mixed with b. milk

oats mixed with b. milk

cereal in a bottle

green beans

applesauce

bananas

sweet potatoes

you name it. she did not like it

I would wait a few days then try it again and each time I got this....

and this...

and this....

bitter beer face

Until one night I was eating an orange and I thought what they heck maybe she'll like it? So I let her suck on a slice and she went to town!

Then the next day I was so excited that maybe she was finally catching on to the whole solids thing so I gave her an orange again. And she wanted nothing to do with it.

Then today when I was eating strawberries and yogurt, I noticed she wanted some. So I chewed up a strawberry and put it on MY spoon. I didn't even dare put a bib on her for fear she would catch on to what I was trying to do. So it looks like little G likes strawberries and she cant't get enough.

Funny thing is I gave her strawberries on my spoon about two weeks ago and she loved it so I gave her some more the next day using a plastic spoon and she wouldn't have anything to do with it. So much for buying plastic spoons? I guess if it helps her eat her solids and sleep through the night I'll do it!

online shopping

2011-07-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

I love it when I'm lying on the floor with G and she gets excited because I have my computer out. Well one morning I could tell she was just fascinated with the clickity click of the keys so I pulled up a blank Word document and let her try it out for herself.

Some how she managed to pull up the internet and before I knew it Macy's popped up on the screen. Apparently she decided to show me the new bedspread that she wants for her future big girl bed.

Who knew someone so little could have such a distinct taste already.

I'm in trouble because.....that makes TWO girlies that like to shop.

just can't get enough

2011-07-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

I remember before I had Gabby thinking to myself what it would be like to be a mom. I knew I would love this little girlie, but oh my goodness do I love her! My mom and I talk about how funny it is that she came one day and BAM we fell in love with her. And there is no going back. She has stolen my heart (and her daddy's and everyone else for that matter) and she has us wrapped around her little finger. I seriously can't believe she will be 6 month this week. Time really does fly and I want to remember this fun stage. Every little piece of it. She is a doll and I don't think I could ask for a happier baby. I mean really have you ever seen a happier baby? I love her!

half work, all play

2011-07-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to "Half Day Fridays" during the month of July at Scott's work, he got to come home early and spend a little extra time with his little Rue Rue. They had lots of fun if you can't tell...

He just loves her to pieces. Now, if only every day was a half day Friday and that it was summer vacation for me all year round.....then I'd sure be a happy camper.

luncheon with my ladies

2011-07-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

It seems to be a tradition in the making with these ladies. Every summer after we've all had a chance to wind down after the stress of teaching, we I congregate at the fabulous Kneaders and eat some yummy french toast (to die for actually) and catch up on some girl talk. I love these girlies.

chelcie & camille

me, mr will, and mama mair aka christine

french toast divine

finished product

familiar faces

2011-07-06T22:04:00.000-07:00

Look what I found...

I think I've seen this person before? But who does she remind me of???

Could it really be? A resemblance of.....me?

Eat your heart out Scottie. I'm on the up and up.

peek a boo

2011-07-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went in to get Gabby after her nap. I thought I'd take my camera in and snap some fun pictures of her expression when I snuck in and surprised her. She was in all sorts of laughter and giddiness. I just love this little girlie.

Oh my I can't say it enough. I LOVE this little girl!

big sister lemons

2011-07-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Lemons after she lost a tooth

Three years ago Scottie was quite the busy man spending long long LONG nights at the library studying his brains out trying to endure the awful Junior Core, Well me and my lonesome self had had enough with being lonely. If you were to ask any wife of an accounting major in the Junior Core they would agree. It's pretty grueling. So in order to cure my loneliness I decided I needed a furry friend of some sort to stay by my side. Since Scottie hates dogs, take that back, despises them, I knew that was out of the question. So we opted for a cat. I know most of you are probably thinking "Really? A cat? You couldn't think of something else like... a hamster?" No friends, I wanted something that would curl up on my lap and cuddle up. You know, fill the void. Don't worry I'm not one of those people that has cat posters and cat calendars, cat mouse pads or kitty slippers. No no I just wanted something lovable to keep me company.

So since my parents were our landlords at the time, they agreed we could get an animal under certain circumstances. It had to be declawed, female, litter box trained, spade, etc. And so the search began. KSL was the means by which we came across an animal that met all the requirements and so we looked into it some more. She looked like a really cute kitty and apparently this cat was very friendly and needed a good home because the owners were never home and felt that she needed more attention. It was a match made in heaven and did I mention she was FREE?

We later arranged to pick up the cat at around 9:00 at night. When we arrived we knocked and anxiously awaited to meet our soon to be cat. The owners opened the door and invited us in. From what I remember they failed to turn on the light in the entry way and the only light that was on was the kitchen light leaving us standing in the dark. After the owner shouted to the kids to get the cat, they came running in barely able to hold the thing all the while the cat was meowing all sorts of hysterics. You could tell it was not happy. Then the owner said "Oh by the wasy, she does NOT like to be held. At all.". Really lady? I would call that false advertising right about now since you said the cat was very friendly. From the looks of it I think you are lying to me. But what was I to do? After all the cat was free?

When the kids brought the cat closer to me the glare from the kitchen light lit up the cats greasy fur and I was beginning to wonder what on earth we had gotten ourselves into. Ya this cat was free but obviously not free of disease. I'm sure at that point the owner could tell that I was worried by the frightened look on my face. That's when she told me that she had tried to clean her up before we came with a cat wipe but it ended up making her fur stick together and appear to look greasy. Sure lady, keep on telling me what you want but I'm still not sure about this cat. But honestly what was I suppose to do? "Sorry lady I just remembered that we never checked with our landlord about making sure we could have pets. We'll have to get back to ya."

Before I could decline they had thrown the cat in the cat box handed me her extra cat food and water dish. I didn't know if I should thank her or not but before long we were in the car headed down the road with this moaning cat in the back of our car. I thought it was a cat but I couldn't be sure. After all, was that the reason they didn't turn the light on? Had they been trying to get rid of this creature but had no takers so they decided that they would deceive us into thinking it was a cat? For all I knew it could have been the huge rat off The Princess Bride in my back seat.

As we made our journey back home it really hit me that we were now cat owners and I contemplated putting her back on KSL for free. Maybe even offering a small cash prize for the taking. Poor thing, I hadn't even been with her for 10 minutes and I was already planning to give her up like a step parent who wanted to ship their new found children off to boarding school.

Finally we arrived at our house, we opened the door and let her out of the box and to our surprise we were quite shocked at what we had just brought home. This creature was nothing like the animal I saw online. The animal I saw online was a sweet little kitten about ten years younger but this, this was something else. It was balding, it tail was chopped off and bent in every which direction you could bend it, it looked as if she had had 10 litters of kittens due to the tremendous furry flab of skin dangling from her belly and when she ran it swung from side to side. Her front paws were all mangled and looked as if someone watched a You Tube video on how to declaw your indoor cat. Serious? How am I suppose to love that? I was concerned.

Since Scott's family was there for the weekend they began to laugh hysterically and I couldn't help it either. This wasn't a cat? It was a poor excuse for a cat. Next thing I knew we were running around chasing the thing all the while thinking of what to name her. Obviously you had to give it a name that had something to do with its looks or personality and since this cat was lacking some serious personality we decided to go with looks. That's when Scottie decided that we should name her Lemon. You know, like when you purchase a car and it isn't all you hoped for and falls apart the second you drive it off the lot? Well that's how it came to be. And Lemons it was.

Later on we came to the conclusion that this poor cat must have been a victim of abuse from previous owners. No wonder she didn't like to be held, or that she would shutter when you brought your hand up to pet her. She was terrified. Day by day Lemons slowly started to come around and eventually started to jump on our laps and let us pet her. She was making leaps and bounds!

After having Gabby I was worried about all the horror stories I had heard about cats laying on top of babies and suffocating them. Well, not big sister Lemons. The first night we brought her home she slept by the bassinet like a watch dog and now that Gabby is getting older she if fascinated with Lemons. She loves to touch her and Lemons just sits there and takes the brunt of it.

Gabby & Lem Lems

the infamous tail that's about 6 inches too short

lemons and her flabby belly that we love so much

Though Lemons may not be the most attractive cat you've ever seen, there are a few reason why this cat is a conversation starter. Maybe it's that fact that whenever a child sees her the first thing they ask is "Is your cat pregnant?" or maybe it's the fact that she likes to sleep in the dryer if it's open and ends up going for a ride. Maybe its the fact that when you scratch her lower back she waddles like a turkey. Or maybe its because when I'm sleeping at night she jumps on the bed and stares me straight in the face and when I open my eyes she decides to sneeze. Maybe it's the fact that she tries to jump on the bed and in mid air finds out that she is getting too old and occasionally flat out misses the bed. One thing's for sure, we are quite entertained at our hilarious looking cat. We love our cat. We have no idea how old Lemons is or how much longer she'll be with us but we can say that she is our friendly feline, big sister, silly Lemons.

A Father's First

2011-06-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

the other night I came home not feeling so great. I'm not the type of person to throw up. I will do ANYTHING to get around it if possible actually. So when my tummy started to feel the urge I knew there was nothing I could do. Of course naturally the next day was Father's Day. Thanks to the food poisoning or stomach flu (not sure which) I spent all night with my best friend the garbage can. Since we didn't want to get Gabby sick, Scottie's Daddy skills kicked into action and he quickly thawed some milk he found in the freezer, fed Gabby, dressed her in her PJ's and rocked her to sleep. Too bad for him it was one of those odd nights when Gabby didn't sleep well and was up again at 1:00 and didn't want to go back to sleep till 2:00. I was so grateful for him while I was sicker than a dog. The next morning things continued as they had and I still wasn't feeling good which was sad because I was planning on making Scottie breakfast in bed but instead Scottie again, fed Gabby, gave her a bath, dressed her for church, put her down for a nap to prepare for the primary lesson, then off to church he went. When he came home I was finally feeling better. I felt so bad that of all days I happened to get sick on Scottie's first Father's Day. Lucky for me he told me that he really enjoyed getting to do everything for Gabby and that he loved spending all day with her. Boy oh boy did I find a good one. He really is the greatest dad to our little G. Every morning when he is getting ready, he always wants to be the first to go get her out of her crib and when he gets home from work I hear the same phrase over and over about how cute his Gabby girl is. Sometimes when she is asleep for the night he asks me if he can go wake her up so he can play with her and for a bit and while he's at work he wants the update on how shes' doing and wants a daily picture text. He really loves his little "Gabba Rue Rue" and I am one lucky girl. Happy first Father's Day of many to come babe. I promise next year will be better.

And a Happy Father's Day to my Fabulous Daddy. Scottie always tell me how much I am like my dad and I find that as the best compliment I could have. I love you!

Oh, by the way Scottie, I think I see a hint of Gabby in this picture. I knew she was in there somewhere.

Urban Challenge Anyone???

2011-06-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

Urban Challenge for MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION

have you heard of the Make A Wish Foundation? They make DREAMS come true for children with life threatening illnesses. well i know what your thinking....pretty cool, right? My mom is a Wish Grantor and gets to work with these kids first hand and make it happen for them.

Make A Wish foundation is asking for the communities help by putting on a Urban Challenge (June 25th) that YOU can participate in! kinda like the Amazing race except everyone who signs up gets to do it! AND you don't have to be in shape to win the grand prize. did someone say "GRAND PRIZE??"

drum roll please...

A TRIP TO AKUMEL MEXICO!!! for 4 people!!

click here to find out more!

next part is- MY MOM AND DAD WILL SPONSOR THE FIRST 20 TEAMS TO COMMENT BELOW OR CONTACT MY MOM AT karenswalz@gmail.com.

each child gets to raise a star after their wish is granted.

meet my sister's sweet friend Brigham. he had a wish granted to him. read his tender story below.

the witching hour

2011-06-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

Bedtime at our house starts at 7:30 (for Gabby that is). But if she doesn't go to bed between the magical hours of 7:30-8:00 it's a lost cause. Well one night we were out running errands and didn't get back in time for bed. So consequently Gabby was laughing up a storm and was squealing in delight! I had never seen her like this before and it was quite hilarious. We eventually put her in her crib and thought she'd go to sleep. I at the time was being a paranoid new mom and noticed that she would nuzzle her face into her bumper and I was nervous that she would fall asleep all relaxed and suffocate. So I pulled the bumper up around the crib so there was a gap where her mouth and nose were. After we put Gabby down I went to check on her and this is what I found....

She just couldn't get enough of her new view and finally fell asleep an hour later. Silly girl.

The Connection Game by Scott Lamb

2011-05-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

If you have ever spent time with Christie in new circumstances you may have noticed her playing what I like to call “The Connection Game.” It drives her absolutely crazy if she cannot find common ground with her new acquaintances. A typical conversation would start something like this:

Christie: Oh so where did you go to school?

Christie: You went to SUU. So did I. (Let me preface that you will instantly become Christie’s best friend if you attended SUU)

Christie: So where did you live? Oh really I didn’t know anyone living there. So who were your roommates?

Christie: Interesting I didn’t know them either. Who did you date?

Christie: Really I don’t know any of those guys either. So what classes did you take? Maybe I saw you on campus.

Christie: Oh I never went to that part of campus. Maybe I saw you while eating lunch. Where did you eat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?

Christie: Yeah I don’t really like Chinese food so I never go to Panda Express. Do you like chicken salad? Maybe I saw you at Rumbi’s. Do you go to Rumbi’s?

The questions will continue until Christie finally makes a connection. The connection doesn’t have to be strong. Maybe you were a friend of a friend of a friend who was friends with one of Christie’s friends? Maybe you served her fries at Wendys? Or maybe you share a friend on Facebook. The important thing to note is that the sooner Christie finds a connection the sooner you will be able to steer the conversation in a new direction.

If Christie hasn’t met you yet (maybe she saw you in church for the first time) she starts playing the connection game with me.

Christie: Babe. See that girl on the third row next to the guy with the bushy eyebrows and the woman singing slightly off key. I think I know her? I wonder if she went to SUU.

Scott: Babe you think everyone went to SUU.

Christie: No I don't. I take that back. I think I may have played basketball against her. I wonder if she went to American Fork High school.

Scott: Babe you think you know everyone.

Christie: She doesn’t look tall enough for basketball. This is going to bug me. I have to figure out how I know her before we meet so its not awkward. Was she in our old ward?

Scott: Babe I don’t think you know her.

Christie: Oh…I know how I know her. She looks like my hair stylists sister-in-law. Babe…I told you I knew her.

Scott: You’re right babe. Apparently if she resembles someone you know, then you know her.

Of course I take every advantage to tease her and to point out the flaws in her connection game. Christie took the game to a whole new level when she desired a physical/visual connection when we found out we were expecting.

When Christie and I found out we were having a girl she was beyond ecstatic. She couldn’t wait to be a mother. As mothers often do she started to imagine who our little girl would be and what she would look like. Soon she started soliciting my thoughts and would ask me every night what I thought our little girl would look like. Our conversations would go something like this as we sat in bed while Christie envisioned our little girl and I watched TV.

Christie: Do you think she will have blond hair?

Scott: Sure

Christie: Do you think she will have blue eyes?

Scott: yep

Christie: Do you think she will be friendly?

Scott: Chicken.

Christie: Babe were you listening?

Scott: Of course I was. I meant ….um….yes.

After answering these questions week after week I realized Christie was describing her own attributes. I didn’t mind humoring my wife considering I find her beautiful inside and out. In fact, I started to believe she would look like her myself. Apparently my reassurance wasn’t enough. Christie wanted visual confirmation. About a day after having an ultrasound my wife presented me with the following two pictures and said with a straight face said “Don’t you think she looks just like me?”

Viewing the photographs side by side I was overcome with laughter. Not taking Christie’s feelings into consideration (or at least that is what I was later told)I blurted out “She looks more like Casper the friendly ghost than she looks like you in that picture.” Like a Sunbeam realizing the answer to every question isn’t “Jesus” I could see the disappointment engulf Christie’s face. Although she didn’t think it was funny at the time, looking back, we both chuckle when we remember this moment.

On January 11, 2011 our beautiful baby girl Gabby Lamb was born. We all were very excited for her arrival. As friends and family came to visit and take a peek at our new bundle of joy, my wife and I kept hearing the same reoccurring comment “She looks just like Scott.” Our friends and family might as well have put a dagger straight into Christie’s heart. Weeks went by and Christie continued to desperately search for a physical connection. Christie started looking for other similarities that may not be as obvious to the untrained eye. She set the record straight with a blog post titled “Bits and Pieces.” Apparently, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, Gabby and my wife share similar fingers and big toes. This was enough to appease Christie’s need to find a connection.

We have been married for four years and my wife still plays this game. Although my post light-heartedly pokes fun and maybe even embellishes Christie’s need for a connection, its one of the many reasons I love her to pieces. You see, Christie inherited a compassionate heart for anything that walks the earth from her father Steve. The reason Christie wants to make a connection is because she cares about you and wants to make you one of her friends. So if you ever meet my wife for the first time let me give you some advice. Tell her you went to SUU and that her baby is the spitting image of her mother. She will never question these comments and you will have a friend for life.

mama & me

2011-05-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

It's so strange to me that last year on Mother's Day I discovered that I was going to be a mama. It was really a fabulous unexpected surprise since that very day we decided that it was time to start a family when little did we know, it was already in the works. I can't imagine going back to life without Gabby. She really brings so much joy to my life! Right this minute she is sleeping and I really want to wake her up so that I can snuggle her and give her lots of hugs and squeezes. And at this very moment I think about all the things I have to learn. Boy it's a good thing my mama is just a phone call away and I can ask her for her motherly advice.

I am so grateful for my mama. I sure wish I would have taken notes along the way as to how she handled every situation that came her way. Like back in the day when I was in the 11th grade, I walked into health just in time for the teacher to announce that we were "going to be pinching each others fat and finding out our body fat percentages". Sweet. I couldn't wait to get out of there! What a great day to ruin any high school students self esteem. So right after the teacher took the roll I darted out the door. Clever me, she would never know I was missing. There was no way I was going to be pinching my fat or anyone else's for that matter.

Therefore, I met up with my friends and together we ditched 3rd hour. We kicked back at my friend Lanae's house since her parents were out of town. Life couldn't get any better. I had fooled my Health teacher. That is until I got home and my mom said

"So how was school today?"

"Good", I told her. How could she possibly know?

"So what did you do in health today?"

HUH??!!! How did she know??? NO? She couldn't have? I quickly dodged the bullet. "Ah, you know not much."

"Really??So what did you do instead of going to Health?"

Apparently I had forgotten about the school wide absence calls that went out if your child was missing one or more classes that day.

I fessed up. It was the only day in my WHOLE entire life that I had been grounded. My parents never did ground us. They just didn't believe in it or something. I don't know why exactly but I could have cared less about the grounding issue. The worst punishment BY FAR was knowing that I had let my mom down. I had never felt so bad. I knew that she expected more out of me and I had let her down. And from then on I never wanted to disappoint her again. It was not the only time that I knew my mom loved me and wanted the best for me. She had always made that a well known fact in my life, and still does to this day.

Another time back in my college days, I had started dating this guy that was definitely not marriage material. I don't know how she did it but she never told me what to do or that I should have dated someone more appropriate. She just listened to me and somehow guided me to make the right decision to loose the guy. I guess she knew that it had to be my decision, not hers.

Or how about her clever tactics to get us to give her a back massage? Oh how sly she was! There she was sitting at the computer and I just loved to play with her hair. Before you knew it, the rest of the kids had somehow all gathered around her and she would say "Ah, my shoulders hurt." So I would start to rub her shoulders and before you know it she was going off about how I gave the greatest back rubs in the the world! That no one could give them as good as I. Well that's when my sister would step in and try to out do me. And well, I couldn't be defeated so I wanted another turn and then she would want to do better than me and before long my mom had a full out hour and 1/2 back massage. Clever mom.

So hopefully I did learn a thing or two while I lived at home. I sure hope I can raise Gabby and the rest of the little lambs like she raised me. Love you Mom!

mom and me on the first day of pre-school

mom and me at Disneyland

Grammy and Gabby Girl

And who can forget this moment???

I love being a mom

blessed

2011-04-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

We finally blessed our little G on Sunday April 10th. Scottie gave such a sweet blessing and I am so grateful to him for honoring his priesthood so he could be the one to bless our little girl. Afterwards we headed back to our house to celebrate her big day with lots of family and friends.

Auntie Megs and Unlce Tanner with Gabby

Mr. Lincoln can't say a whole lot of names yet, well ok maybe just his brothers, but loves to point and say Gabba every time he sees Little G.

Ethan and Elliott. Elliott is my nephew and his best buddy from school just happens to live right behind me and I sure love his mama Joy.

Chelc and Tyler

Grandpa Steve

Daddy

Lacey and Nate

Yummy cookies

lots of warm yummy goodness

Grandma Jo

Poor little Gabs was so tired. She fell asleep just as sacrament meeting was getting out and then she woke up as we put her in the car seat. Then as we got home she never had a chance with all the hustle and bustle. As I was holding her she kept yawning and head bobbing and then all of a sudden she just collapsed on my shoulder and she stayed that way until everyone left. I sure enjoyed the snuggle time.

I on the other hand was tired as well. I don't know why I always tell myself that it won't be that hard to make several food dishes and make it to bed at a decent hour? I finally went to bed at 2:00 and you can definitely tell in this picture just how tired I was. I was secretly excited to take a nap when it was all said and done!

you can never get too many kisses

Gabby in her blessing dress.

In fact, she wore my blessing dress

My sister Amy's blessing dress

My niece, Kenzie's blessing dress

AND

My little sister Megan's dress

That's right we all wore the same blessing dress. My mom also was so creative and timeless to stich all of our names and blessing dates on the inside of the slip.

just a little bright out...

Scottie, me, Gabby, and my parents: Grammy Gramps

Scott's brother Uncle Tommy was up for some training at Camp Williams and was able to swing by for a bit. Too bad he leaves for his second tour of Iraq in June :-(

Gabby was ready to get out of her dress and take a big looooong nap. And indeed she did. After everyone left and she was in her lounge clothes she took a four hour nap!

We love you little G and yes, we are so blessed to have you!

sleeping beauty

2011-04-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is how my little G likes to sleep.....

she must have been playing the piano in her sleep hehe

and remember this little rockstar aka Little G?

It never seems to fail! She just has to wiggle those little armies up and above her head or right by her face. Guess that's why the swaddle just never worked for her. Even the nurse at the hospital

{who I am very sure was a pro at the swaddling technique}

could not get her arms to stay down. For some reason she just had to wiggle them free like so.....

one time I went to check on her while she was asleep and found this....

I just stood there and stared for a minute thinking "what is wrong here?? Something just doesn't look right?" Then I realized that her hands were down at her sides. She must have just been super tired and had zero energy I guess.

So maybe that's why towards the end of my pregnancy I always felt like my lower area was a punching bag. She was just a wigglin those armies free!

But I don't mind because for one thing, I think she's adorable and second of all...

She's a sleeping beauty

mobile

2011-04-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Every morning (it seems like lately) I walk into Gabby's room when I hear her morning calls and I find this little girl has scooted and cornered herself. But she doesn't seem to mind...

...and now when I put her on her belly for tummy time she rolls over! I couldn't believe it the first time, it just had to be a fluke. So I put her on her belly again and again and she kept doing it!

...and then there's the need to stand. She just loooooves to stand!

I love that she is getting so....mobile, but at the same time it's bittersweet. For some reason every time she does something new, I think what??? Already? I guess I just can't get over the fact that she is no longer a newborn but a THREEEEE month old and that everyday she is getting closer to new things. My goodness they grow fast.

Slow down little girlie!

bits and pieces

2011-04-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

This little girlie has...

Long fingers like her mama. Yes, I may have longer fingers than Scott but his hands are bigger.

Big eyes like her mama and auntie megs. I have to be careful because this little girl could ask for anything she wants and flash those eyes and I'd instantly give in. Boy if looks could kill.

Long leggies like her, well both mom and dad.

Luscious lips. I remember looking at the ultrasound thinking boy oh boy will I have to fight of the boysies when this one gets older! Question is, where can I get some chops like those because she sure didn't get them from me or her daddy? People pay good money for lips like those!

And toesies like her mom. I have nice big spaces in between my toes that when I go get a pedicure, they don't even bother putting toe seperaters in my toes? They are naturally spaced haha

But get this! Even though Gabby has bits and pieces of me....she is a spitting image of her daddy.

Who would have thought?

Gabby is 4 months

2011-04-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

gigi enjoying herself some tummy time.

Oh wow! Where has the time gone? Little miss Gabby J is 4 months already and absolutely lovable.

Length: 27 in 99%

Weight: 15 lbs 78%

Head: 41.4 cm 60%

(looks like she has caught up a bit in the head and weight range hehe)

Just a few things G can do

roll from her tummy to her back (3 1/2 months)

roll from her back to her tummy and prefers to stay that way ( 41/2 months)

smiles and giggles all the day long

sleeps from 7:30/8:00-7:00 ish give or take a few minutes

takes three naps a day.... maybe a fourth little cat nap to get her by till bed time

only goes to sleep once she has scooted her head into the corner. So we just put her in the corner now and bam! 10 minutes later she's out!

steal our hearts in a matter of seconds with that smile

Helping me and Grammy make strawberry freezer jam

making me jealous of those eyes and lips....no I did not put lip gloss on her

enjoying some bath time with mr. duckie

love you gabby girl

little will

2011-03-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

My sweet sister Amy had her baby! I can just tell he is a sweetie and I can't wait to meet him!

Will Marion Hughes

March 23, 2011

7lbs 6oz and 20" long

look who's 2 months

2011-03-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

Goodness gracious I can't believe how fast time flies! I could have sworn I just had a baby like, yesterday but unfortunately little gabby is already 2 months old!

Little G is as happy as can be and so are we, so we have some stats to report!! Here she is after getting her shots, band aids and all!

Weight: 11.6 pounds = 25%

Height: 25 1/2 inches (wowzers she grew a whole 5 inches!!!) = 97%

Head: 39 cm =25%

Gabby Loves to...

*Take her nightly bath....except when she has to get out and shivers from head to toe due to the cold air

*Befriend the hairdryer after her nice warm bath, which warms her up from head to toe

*Hold her head up all by herself. In fact this little girl was holding her head up all by herself at 3 weeks. I hope this doesn’t mean she is going to be a strong headed child....

*Sleep with her hands above her head

*Sleep through the night. Yes that's right 10:30ish-6:00 on weekdays and till about 7:30 on weekends. Hopefully she will sleep in a little longer once school gets out for mama. I hate waking her up at 6:00 to eat but I sure do enjoy the playtime before I go to school.

*Smile, Smile, Smile!!!! She's a straight face kinda gal until you put her on her back and then she is all smiles and we just can't get enough, even when she has an extreme occasional blowout....

Yes, that is poop all the way down in her feet???? Don't ask how it got all the way down there?

*Coo, ahhhhgooo, bawwwwizzzz, & snort (yes she is our little piggie) and we are shocked at how much her little vocab continues to expand each day!

*Watch mom make a fool out of herself while trying to get her to smile and laugh!

*Make big wide eye looks like “what the heck are you doing mum??”

haha I can't get enough of these faces!

*Face out so she can see everything. Just like her mama. Doesn’t want to miss out on anything.

*Fall asleep with the blanket against her cheek. It’s a must.

*Be held on the left side, sitting on your arm, so she can look to her left. Occasionally the right but the view from her left is the best apparently

Nicknames:

Little G

Roo Roo

Gabbaroo

Baby Girl

Gabalicious

Gabba laba ding dong

$ G Money $

Shnookums

Gablam

Baby G

GiGi

Detests:

*“The kissing machine” Scottie just can’t resist and he gives her these loud fast kisses, 20 per second to be exact, that send her into a mad fuss!

*Being held on her back, unless she is about to fall asleep.

Other loveable tidbits:

*She snorts like a piggie if she gets too worked up.

*Pretty sure that I could stare at her luscious little lips all day long! They are so perfectly heart shaped!

I remember when I went in for her ultrasound and the tech snapped a shot of her lips. Sure enough she came out and wowie! I’m gonna have to fight off the boys when this little one gets older.

*Love her little dimples that show up when she smiles.

*Has the funniest little sneezes in the world! She winds up and sneezes like an adult who just inhaled a pound of pepper. One day I will get it on video. It sends us into hysterics every time.

It's funny to think that she has been with us for 2 months already. I feel like its been years. How did we ever get by without this little girlie? I'm not quite sure?

Everybody Loves Christie (By Scott Lamb)

2011-03-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

This post is by Scott not Christie. Yes….I know it may be strange for a man to be posting on the family blog but I decided I would do it anyways. Let me explain the motivation for my willingness to post even if it means risking a piece of my manhood. I view the blog as a way for our children to get to know Christie and me before we become old, wrinkly, and incoherent. After reading through the posts of Christie sharing with the world all my good qualities (and I thank her for her crafty editing), I thought it would be a tragedy for me to not share how I and the world feel about Christie. To sum it up in a sentence I would say without a doubt that….Everybody Loves Christie.

Let me start off with some antidotal evidence I have witnessed firsthand. In January our new addition Gabby J arrived. We were fortunate enough to have Gabby’s newborn pictures taken a week after she was born. As any proud parents would do, we plastered our little girl’s face all over the internet via Facebook. As I got ten maybe fifteen comments on Facebook I was feeling good that I thought I had many friends congratulating us on our new addition. As I shared some of the comments left on my Facebook page my wife was eager to share the comments left on her page. As I opened up her profile I was astonished to see over 50 people had commented and that wasn’t including all the likes and pokes. I thought to myself…..”Is this a regular occurrence or are the comments so high just because we had a baby”. It seems, and I may be exaggerating a little, that Christie can post any mundane experience like “it’s snowing, I ate an apple, I found a quarter” and at a minimum she will have 5 comments and 5 likes. I told her I wanted to start posting on her account so I too could enjoy the instant gratification of receiving multiple Facebook posts instantaneously…..later she changed her password.

This post is not just based on Facebook. Have you ever tried to go to Wal-Mart with Christie in Saratoga Springs? It is like a pizza walking into fat camp. People cannot get enough of her. We are stopped in every isle; pictures are taken with past first graders, and let’s not forget about the strangers who stop her to ask “Who does your hair?” In fact, it’s gotten so out of hand we have to make packs in the car before we ever step into Wal-Mart that she is only allowed to talk to anyone she knows for 1 minute or less. So far she has failed miserably keeping the pack.

Not only is Christie great with people….but did you know she is the animal whisperer as well? We have a cat named Lemon. If you are friends with us you probably have heard the story of our poor unfortunate cat. In fact, I think Christie did a blog about the poor animal. Every night, just before we go to bed, Lemon the cat jumps on the bed for her nightly rub down. She slowly nestles in between me and my wife with her face pointing towards Christie and her butt pointing straight towards me. I have tried petting, cat food, turning her around by force but despite my best efforts the cat always returns to the same position (well maybe a little further from me but facing the same way) giving me the shaft. It’s an insult since I am the one who cleans her litter box (is it true that pregnant and/or nursing women can’t change the litter box or is Christie taking advantage of the situation?) feeds her, and lets her out. However, Lemon’s infatuation with Christie has its advantages. I do not wake up throughout the night by Lemon’s belly dragging back and forth across my head; I do not wake up with Lemon licking my hands; and I certainly do not wake up with Lemon lying on my chest. I keep telling Christie it is a small price to pay for your popularity with the cat.

So why is every living creature enamored with my wife? It’s probably because has a heart of gold…..let me explain. Christie is the type of person who says she is sorry after beating you in scrabble. She is the type of person that will chase you down in Wal-Mart to say hello and ask you how you are doing. She is the type of person who cries during animal planet. She is the type of person who leaves you notes on the door wishing you good luck. She is the type of person who makes anyone she meets feel like they are the most important person in the world at that moment. I know she has won me over….I am just tired of sharing her with everyone else. So watch out Ray Ramono……….because I believe you have been replaced. In my eyes…..Everybody Loves Christie.

just... gabby

2011-03-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

When little Gabsters was in the belly, a lot of people would ask me what we were going to name her. I seriously don't think we could have picked a better name. It just seems so right and it fits her personality, and of course....we just love it. Obviously we named her Gabby and she has PLENTY of nicknames that go along with it. But I always found it funny whenever I would tell people "we are going to name her Gabby, just Gabby", they would then say as if they didn't hear the "just" part and respond with a "Oh so her full name is going to be Gabriella or Gabriell right?" No people. Just Gabby. After a while I got smart and when people would ask me what we were going to name her I would say "Just Gabby, not Gabriella or Gabriell....just Gabby" and then I would still get the response of "Why not just name her Gabriella?". Apparently they just didn't get the picture. It's not like I don't like those names. Believe me I think they are cute. But for some reason I didn't think that it rattled off the tongue so well when paired with Lamb. Too many lala's I guess....

Anyway, when we were getting close to the big day, Scottie and I would talk about it all the time and if we really wanted to name her Gabby. I knew, about 99.9 % sure that that was the name that I wanted but I wasn't oposed to the idea of taking the list of names we brainstormed to the hospital, just in case she came and the name just didn't fit her.

Well that all changed when the first thing I said when I got to hold her for the first time was "Hello Gabby Girl!" it just seemed right and that was that.

Now flash back to when we came up with the name. It was our anniversary, September 21st to be exact, and Scottie and I were meeting up with my parents to go to dinner and a play. While we were at the restaurant and just waiting for my parents to show up, I decided to make use of the time so while we were sitting in the car I found a random piece of paper and started asking Scottie what names he liked. I jotted them down even if I wasn't a fan and then I put the names that I liked down as well. That way we could look at it and think about it and refer to it several times. That's when I said I liked the name Gabby. Of course Scottie thought about it and didn't hate it and actually thought that it was okay so I wrote it down and then I fell in love with it. We tossed around the idea over dinner and then it became my number one favorite.

So Gabby it was.

Weeks went by and then before we knew it we were both naming off nicknames to the babe in the belly and it felt good to have a name that we both agreed on. Let's face it. I really thought we would be that couple that couldn't come up with a name and were fighting in the hospital trying to decide what to put on the birth certificate besides "baby lamb" let's be honest.... that joke gets old and yes I've heard it a million times.

Well the day after we had Gabby, Scott got an email from his sister in law Michaela. Michaela was married to Scott's brother Justin for three months and then he passed away suddenly due to a blood clot in a work related accident. She was later sealed to him a year later on September 21st. When Scottie and are were planning to get married we had no idea that that was the day they were sealed. And strange enough it was the same temple. In her email she wrote...

Congrats Scott!! I am so excited for you and Christie! She is adorable. I just thought I would tell you something that you probably didn't know about the name Gabby. When Justin and I were together he got his cat and named her Gabby....

(If I could add a sound effect as if there was an abrupt interruption to a movie, this is where it would be. Funny I know, your probabbly wondering where I am going with this...hang in there I'm getting to the point.)

.... he really liked the name and he had always said that when we had a baby girl of our own he wanted to name her Gabby. So in some weird way, that name means so much to me and I find it sooo special that you two chose that name for a sweet baby that probably left his arms yesterday! I am so happy for you two. Congrats.

Michaela

I seriously cried after hearing what she had said and I knew that there really was a reason that both Scottie and I agreed on the name after we couldn't agree on anything. So all in all, I am so grateful that my little girl is named.....just Gabby.

94 days

2011-03-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the babymoon is over. I swear I just had a baby? Where did the time go?? I can't tell you how much I dreaded going back and leaving my baby girl. I guess I was completely in love with snuggling and holding and kissing that little girl of mine every waking moment of the day. Just ask Scottie. Anytime the topic of me going back to school came up I immediately felt a huge knot in my stomach and got teary eyed at the thought. I was completely in denial even up to the weekend before I had to go back. I just knew there had to be some way I could stay home with Gabby. But unfortunately Monday rolled around and I found myself packing her up and yes bawling my eyes out getting ready, don't know why I even bothered putting on mascara, then bawled some more as I put her in her car seat, then I put her in the car, bawled my eyes out some more, dropped her off at my cute sister in laws, bawled again, and then drove my lonely self to school....all while you guessed it, bawling my eyes out. The second I got to school I was totally disoriented!! The second I saw this I was once again in tears.

It had then hit me. I was really back. But I could not for the life of me remember my routine or daily schedule, and entering into my classroom that was occupied by my wonderful sub for two months for some strange reason just didn't feel like my classroom anymore. As I hurried to get things ready for the day, I finally pulled myself together and walked out to the back to pick up my kiddos. Thank goodness they were so excited to see me because I sure did not want to be there. But their warm hugs, smiles, cards, chocolates, and teddy bears (for me and the babe) brightened me up and as the day went on I eventually started getting back into my routine. By the time lunch rolled around I headed to my classroom to pump (yes I felt like I was a cow on a dairy farm ...something about pumping just doesn't feel right. Maybe it was the fact that I was afraid some peeping Tom was lurking outside my window trying to peak through the blinds I made sure were shut completely or maybe it was the fact that I was in this huge classroom worried the whole time that the door didn't lock and my kids would come barging in because they forgot their coat only to find their exposed teacher.....not a sight I'm sure anyone would like to see. I so much would have rather been in the comforts of my own room snuggling my little babe. Thank goodness for my darling sister in law, Sini, who is a fabulous mother of three adorable boys, who then sent me a cute picture of my baby girl.

(can you tell she just loves these jammies? I think I have a million pictures of her in them haha)

Oh how it made me so excited to get home to see her. And don't you worry. The second that school bell rang and I could go home, I raced out the door and sped out of the parking lot just as fast as my maternity leave came and went! I sure was hoping that every cop in the area was turning a head as I zoomed by them and pulled into my sister in laws driveway. I didn't even get a chance to knock, when she opened the door to greet me with my baby girl in her arms! Oh how lovely it was to finally hold her! I can't believe how much I missed her! Finally the knot in my stomach and the feeling that I was forgetting something or I had lost something all day, was gone! One thing I am extremely grateful for is my loving family. While I am at school I know my little girl will be snuggled by the best parents in the world: My mama, my sister in law, and my mother in law. I couldn't ask for better babysitters. They of course love her just as much as I do so I know that she will be taken care of and that they will snuggle her and kiss her and talk to her while I am gone. I sure love my baby G and I do love my first graders. In fact my friend Natalie told me one thing that helped her when she went back to school after having her baby was knowing that one day her little boy would be going to school and that she would want a teacher that cared for him as much as she does. So in return, one day Gabby will be in first grade and I will one day be one of those parents who wants the best for her. So I will try to be the best teacher I cab while I am at school and the best mother when I am at home. But lets hope it goes by fast because I really can't wait for summer break! 94 days right? I can do it! I can do it!

my girl

2011-02-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

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}

2011-02-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-02T04:33:00.001-08:00

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.

Special Delivery

2011-01-22T22:45:00.000-08:00

If you can only imagine that the same person (me, Christie, soon to be mama) wrote the previous post and this soon to be post you'd be quite shocked! Lets travel back to January 10th, 2011 and allow me to explain...

This morning I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and rolled out of bed (literally rolled) with a quiet heave to go to the bathroom while trying to be oh so careful not to wake my hard working husband. I looked at the clock shocked that it was already 6:00! I was expecting 4:00 or 5:00 for some reason. Then my mind starting wandering about how this is about the time I wake up every morning to get ready for school. Then I thought to myself "This is my LAST day of sleeping in!! I need to go back to bed and live it up while I can." as I tucked myself back in to bed, the realization hit me that this was going to be my last day of being pregnant and that sometime today I would be getting a call from the doctors office telling me what time I should come in to be induced tomorrow. I then knew that I would not be going back to sleep no matter how hard I tried. I had too many thoughts running around in my head to try and sleep. Then my stomach started to growl so I once again, rolled out of bed and went downstairs to eat an orange and string cheese. Then I planned to get back into bed and try to live up my last moments of uninterrupted sleep. Just as I got back into bed, I noticed it was 7:15. So much for sleeping in. I laid in bed until 8:00 and then said goodbye to my hubby as he left for work. I told him I'd call as soon as I heard from the doctors office.

Well the day dragged on and I never did get back to sleep. So around nine I got up and went downstairs to get started on my day. At 10:00 Scott's sister Audrey came up to meet her soon to be niece that would be arriving the next day. She took me to breakfast and then we went to run some last minute errands before the babe arrived. Later on we went over to my mamas to do some passing of the time while canning some good ol' applesauce. I was trying to be patient the whole time knowing that sometime soon I would be receiving an anticipated phone call. Well, time went on I started thinking that maybe they had forgotten about me. I've never had a baby so I didn't exactly know how this whole process worked. Then the phone calls and texts started coming from family and friends and everyone was just as anxious as I was and wondering what time I was going in to be induced in the morning. After talking to my sister she told me that I should just call and find out. I didn't want to be the annoying first time mom so I waited till 5:30. I then called the hospital, since I figured my doctor's was most likely closed, and talked to the lady at the scheduling desk. I explained the situation of how my doctor had scheduled to induce me tomorrow but I hadn't heard anything yet. She then asked me for my name and looked me up only to give me the awful news that I wasn't on the schedule! I was VERY disappointed!! How could this happen! Then she asked me if I was sure that I was suppose to be induced tomorrow or maybe if it was Wednesday instead but I knew for a fact that he said Tuesday 1/11/11. I remembered that date because it was my original due date before they moved my due date up because I was measuring big, and it was exactly a week since I saw the doctor. The conversation I had with my doctor a week prior ran through my head. I remembered every detail even the fact that he said he would be on call and that he would be the one to deliver me if I hadn't had her before then. Was I dreaming? Did my pregnant mind dream it up? I knew I was right. I was for sure on the date. She then advised me to call my doctors office after hours line and talk to them since she couldn't do anything about it unless they heard from my doctor.

Well, since I am 41 weeks plus a day prego, a little, no scratch that, WAY emotional I instantly burst into tears the second I hung up the phone. I was beyond upset!! I was outraged! This whole nine months I was preparing for this and was freaked out of my mind each day that grew closer to my due date and when I finally accepted the fact that I was having a baby and that everything would be ok, they tell me "just kidding your not having a baby tomorrow!" My mom came rushing over to me to see what was the matter and I told her the whole story of me being overlooked. Since I couldn't calm down she took matters into her own hands and asked if I I wanted her to call the doctors office for me. Of course!?? There was no way I could compose myself to even talk about the issue. So, she called and explained the situation (while pretending the whole time to be me) and then hung up. She informed me that the doctor on call at the hospital would call me to tell me the new plan.

Ten minutes later, my phone rang and I finally had calmed down enough to hide my tears on the phone. I explained the situation about how I was suppose to be induced tomorrow but no one ever called me so that's when I called to find out what was going on only to find out that I wasn't on the schedule. His response you ask?? Well that little tird thought that I had misunderstood the doctor because Dr. Watabe wasn't even on call tomorrow but he was on Wednesday so he must have meant Wednesday the 12th not Tuesday the 11th. I then told him that I remembered exactly what he told me. I wasn't even on Wednesday schedule either so there must have been a goof somewhere. Well, that's when Mr. on call doctor said the wrong thing and asked the overdue prego girl "Are you sure you aren't just trying to be induced because it's 1/11/11. I know it's a popular date and a lot of girls are trying to have their babies that day." ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! I was beyond annoyed! If he was sitting in front of me I would have reached over and slapped him in the face. He then told me that he would put me on Tuesday's AND Wednesday's schedule and that I should call the doctors office at nine the next morning and figure out what to do from there. Great, that's awesome news? I was depressed and realized that I would most likely not be holding my baby girl the next day.

About 15 minutes later, the scheduling nurse called and asked me about the situation again. I told her the whole story and then she had the audacity as well to ask me "Are you sure you're just not trying to be induced because it's 1/11/11?" Really people??? How dare you! She told me that she could put me on the list to be induced tomorrow but they would most likely not get to me because I would be last on the list, or she could put me down for Wednesday and I would be number 3 on the list and for sure get to have the baby. She also said I could think about it and call her back. Seriously folks??? I don't care if it's Friday the 13th or New Years Day! You told me I was having a baby and now you're turning me away! Are you dumb?? Yes I would at least like to try and get in tomorrow so put me down and if you don't then Wednesday it is!! Geez!!

That night I went to bed with the worst headache ever. I had just accepted the fact that come Wednesday I would finally be a mom, or if I was lucky I would put myself into labor due to all the annoying people I had to deal with. Then I grew jealous that some lady who got to PICK her induction date was going to be walking in to the hospital bright and early probably before she even reached her due date while I was sitting at home 8, soon to be 9 days overdue. I had expected a call the next day from the hospital telling me when to come in but I was not ready when I received a call at 7:30 a.m. The second my phone rang I knew exactly who it would be and what they wanted so I was irritated that they w0uld call so early to tell me that they would most likely get to me around midnight or something. To my surprise.....they told me to come in at 8:30 in the a.m.!!!! Holy crap!!! Did the 70 people on the list before me magically pop out a babe in the middle of the night so I could come in? Luck was definitely on my side but I wasn't about to get my hopes up when I got to the hospital so I told my hubby to be prepared to get turned away once we got there. We quickly got up grabbed everything and rushed out the door to be sure I was on time just in case. Scottie wanted to call everyone and tell them that we were finally on our way to the hospital but I told him we should wait till I actually had a room, a bed, a gown, and some freaking pitocin, because I was not going to get hyped up over nothing.

We finally reached the hospital, parked and walked up to labor and delivery. The second I walked in the door they greeted me and asked to my surprise "Are you Christie?" All I could think of was YES! They really are expecting me!!! They walked me right down to room number 2 and told me to gown up! I was shocked! This really was going to happen today! I really was going to be a mama and hold my baby girl!

Last picture of prego me!

Family of 2 soon to be 3!

After I gowned up the nurse came in asked me the last time I ate. I was sad to tell her that I didn't even think to eat this morning so the last time was last night! I was starving!!! I really wished I had eaten because I knew it was going to be a LONG journey ahead of me and I wouldn't be able to eat anything but Popsicles and jello till baby G arrived. Blah. She hooked up my IV and at 9:05 my doctor came in all out of breath. He explained the whole situation about how he was totally planning on me coming in to be induced but his office didn't get the schedule over in time. He apologized from head to toe, but I on the other hand didn't care one bit at this point because well, I was having a baby today no matter what! And so the adventure began!!!

9:15- Doctor Watabe broke my water and started me on pitocin. Sadly enough I was only 90% efaced and dilated to a 1 1/2 still. No news to me since I was still a 1 1/2 at my last doctors appointment.

10:00- Pitocin was increased and I was having a few contractions with a little pressure but no pain...yet.

2:09 - Making big progress now and dilated a.....2. I was getting really sleepy and wanted to enjoy a cat nap before I was a mama. I realized that I couldn't relax and since I was planning on getting an epidural I decided to call the anesthesiologist in to get rid of the nasty contraction that seemed to last for 45 minutes straight. I knew pitocin would make the contractions stronger but I didn't think it would make them last for 45 minutes straight??? So that's when we called in Mr. Rick....I think that was his name? And he sat me up to start me on the epidural. To my surprise the pain stopped completely and I wondered if I should wait longer to get the epidural and just move positions. That's when I realized that I was just too tall for the stupid bed and there was no way I was going to get comfortable no matter how hard I tried so I said screw it just hook me up I'm takin a nap! Lame I know, couldn't even make it past a 2. But I know myself and I didn't want to have an extreme anxiety attack once the contractions really kicked in.

3:06- Making even bigger progress now haha and I was then dilated to a 3. I know. Huge progress right?

4:00- Finally things started kicking in and I went from a 3-6 in less than an hour. The nurse was shocked she thought it would take a lot longer!

4:15- Massive contractions and I started breathing as if the oxygen in the room was slowly running out. I knew that I would feel pressure, the anesthesiologist told me that, but it felt as if I was about to give birth to an elephant and I wanted to push like no tomorrow!!!! My back was killing me and the nurse decided that she should call the anesthesiologist back in to take a peek.

4:30-Mr. Rick walked in he said "Oh, you shouldn't be breathing like that??" Then he gave me a shot and said it would completely numb my legs for only an hour and then wear off. After about fifteen minutes I felt like a renewed woman and became soooo grateful for the genius out there who invented the epidural. Ahhhh :-) Big thanks to Scottie for letting me squeeze the crap out of his hand.

5:00- Dilated to a 7 and was getting feeling back in my legs again.

5:55- I had arrived at a 9 1/2!!!! It slowly hit me that my little girl was on her way and it wouldn't be long until I got to hold her in my arms. I then got to order some room service so that I could eat right away before the kitchen closed!! I can't tell you how hungry I was I think I could have ordered everything on the menu if they would have let me!

6:30- Nurses switched shifts and Miss Jaclyn came in to announce that she would be my nurse! I absolutely loved her! I was so pleased that she would be helping with the delivery.

6:40- Miss Jaclyn gave me instructions on what to do. I just loved the way she described it "Ok honey, we're going to have you put your chin to your chest, curl around your baby like a C, grab the back of your legs and take a big deep breath, then your gonna push like you have been constipated for the past 2 years, Ok?" haha easy enough! I was ready!! I sure loved her!

7:05-After 25 minutes of pushing...
Little miss Gabby Jean Lamb arrived on her original due date 1/11/11
Weighing 8 lbs 10 oz
A long, lean 20 inches!

It was one of the greatest moments of my life getting to hold her for the first time.

Our family of three

Daddy and his little girl

Auntie Megs and Uncle Tanner

Grammy and Grandpa

Getting scrubbed down by the nurse with the massive tatoo down her arm.... a little inappropriate don't ya think?

Finally all cleaned up and back in my arms

We are absolutely in love with this little girl and couldn't be happier parents! I couldn't have asked for a more smother delivery! So like I said in the beginning. If you can imagine that the same person wrote the previous post you'd laugh. I can finally say that after all my worries and woes and being terribly frightened to go through the whole labor and delivery process, wouldn't you know.....I would do it ALL over again in a heartbeat! Welcome to the family Baby G!

hormonal anxiety

2011-01-07T09:42:00.001-08:00

Last night was quite a roller coaster. Let me explain My handsome husband Scottie is getting quite anxious for this little one of ours to arrive. So throughout the past few days he is always texting me at work asking "How are you feeling?" "Any contractions", etc. Last night he was really wanting to get things going because he just couldn't wait till Tuesday. He has taken me to eat spicy food, laughed with me while I did lunges and walked fifty flights of stairs, hung out with me while I walked on the treadmill etc. etc. etc.... and still nothing.

Well, last night while I was cooking up a scrumptious din din, I was having a few contractions here and there (like always) but they weren't consistent or getting worse or closer together. Nothing to worry about, I kept telling myself. So when I told Scottie that I felt pretty crappy, he asked me if he should go get the car seat ready and grab the hospital bag haha. I think he was just so excited that he couldn't take it anymore and from that point on he kept trying to get me to try new things to get our baby girl here. Me on the other hand was not having it. I think the realization of it all had finally hit me. Nine months is a long time but last night it all came crashing down. After a while he realized how nervous I had gotten about the whole transition of prego to mamo, ANNNND all the scary things of getting to that point (aka: contractions getting worse, labor, pushing, and the the whole recovery and zero sleep I will soon be getting). Just as he put his arm around me I started bawling!!! Unfortunately, Scottie was just being sweet and getting excited about his baby girl, but I on the other hand had a hormonal, terrifying, breakdown!

Scott laughs at me because he knows how frightened I am about pain or the fear of the unknown. I DO NOT like being in pain. In fact when I know it's coming, it's as if everything in my body shuts down. So you can understand what I mean, I will give you a little flash back....

About six years ago I got really sick and I found out that I had a blood disease that runs in my family. My dad, sister, grandma, uncle, and great grandpa all have the same blood disease known as Spherocitosis. After many doctors visits, we found out that I would have to undergo surgery to remove my spleen, gall baldder, & appendix. Due to the fact that my spleen was 8 lbs and the size of a small loaf of bread, I have a massive scar down the middle of my stomach so they could get it out. After returning home from the hospital my stomach hurt where my incision was. I figured it hurt because well, hello?? I had just been sliced down the middle and was missing three organs. No wonder it hurt? Well the only thing that made it feel better was to kind of hold my incision together and lean over. For some reason it offered relief.... until I noticed that my shirt was really wet. We called the doctor and he had us come in to have it checked out. From just looking at my incision he could tell that I needed to have it re-opened so he popped the top few stitches out like popcorn, while a 1/2 cup of puss came draining out. I had developed a staph infection. Sweet. He then told me that I would have to pack it with three feet of gauze twice a day using a long q-tip to reach to the bottom of my outrageously sore wound to prevent it from closing up while I doped up on antibiotics......for the next two months. Needless to say that he sent a home nurse to do it for me so I could understand the correct way to do it. I think her name was Betsy or something and even though she was really sweet she was NOT my favorite person. She would usually call about a 1/2 hour before she arrived to stuff my like a turkey and instantly I would have panic attacks because it hurt sooooooo bad. Due to my overwhelming reaction to the nurse's torture methods I was given a Valium to calm me down. This made life a little easier but those were probably the worst two months of my life. Hands down.

Now back to my story. As I was freaking out I resorted back to my old ways but this time I couldn't exactly pop in a Valium. I started taking deep breaths and blowing them out slowly. In order to slow down my breathing I do this weird thing with blowing my lips like a motor boat. That's when Scottie told me to just let it all out and indeed, I LET IT ALL OUT!! My small tears turned completely to loud sobs which turned into what I think was laughing and crying at the same time because I knew I was being ridiculous, but really I was scared to death. Poor Scottie didn't know what to do? I probably scared the crap out of him! He is now, I am sure, thinking of telling the doctor to knock me out and wake me up when the baby is here. I eventually calmed down after about 45 minutes and a whole roll of toilet paper. Hopefully it will be a smooth process and all will go well. I just have to remember that I'm not going through all of it with nothing in the end. I will eventually be holding my little girl in my arms which I am sure will make it all worth it. Until then I DO NOT want to hear anymore horror stories about labor & delivery.

Baby G Update and Belly Review

2011-01-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

14 weeks

19 weeks it's a girl!!!!

21 weeks... twins maybe??? haha

25 weeks

27 weeks along

28 weeks

35 weeks along

36 weeks

38 weeks haha I look like a giant yellow gourd??

39 weeks

40 weeks

My due date has come and gone and yes....I am still prego. Not that I can blame the little girl, seeing that it is a whopping 18 degrees outside an all. I would want to stay inside where it's nice and warm too! So, I can't blame the baby girl for wanting to stay an extra few days. She is definitely her father's child on the cold issue if that's what is keeping her, but definitely her mama's child if it's because she's getting ready and running "just a minute" late. Buuuuut unfortunately her eviction notice is on its way. As of Tuesday 1/11/11 she will officially be here if she hasn't decided it's time to come greet her anxious parents to be!

On Tuesday I went in for my 40 weeks + 1 day appointment. I was still the same, dilated to a 1 1/2 almost a 2 and 80% efaced. I was hoping that I had made some sort of progress but sadly the new news was old news. The doctor then stripped my membranes and set up a date to be induced which is now my original due date 1/11/11. When I went in for my first ultra sound they said she was measuring big and moved me up 8 days. Scottie was quite excited because that put us closer to having her in 2010 which meant that we would qualify for the tax credit. Accountant minds :-). Me on the other hand knew better. Hello we're both 6 foot plus so maybe that's why she's measuring big??? hmmm oh well I'll take a early due date any day.

My doctor then told me that he was pretty sure that she would come before Tuesday but if she hadn't come by Friday I would have to go into the hospital for a non stress test to make sure my baby girl is still cooperating. Afterwards I went home feeling nervous that maybe it would kick things into action. I was ready and all, but then the reality hit me that maybe this was it! For the rest of the day I felt crampy and had lots of contractions. So that night I started making sure that everything was still in order. I tidied up the house (not that there was much to do anyway, due the fact that I have cleaned every nook and cranky, organized every drawer, closet and cabinet in this house) and checked my pre-packed bag to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Then I went to bed and woke up with NO contractions. Dang. Guess she still has a few things to do on her to do list before she checks out of her mini bed and breakfast.

Overall, I really can't complain because I'm still quite comfortable and sleeping well. Still only need to get up once a night to go potty and yes, I can still button my jeans. Don't worry though, my hair has seriously stopped growing. Maybe that will come back after I'm not pregnant anymore. Who knows though, it will probably grow super fast and then just end up falling out. Joy.

I have everything done that needs to be done before she gets here so now.....it's just a matter of time. Lots of time for me to think about what it will be like. I would love to say that I'm not nervous but truth be told I'm scared to death! I have read everything and heard everything to expect now all that's left is to experience it for myself. Last night Scottie gave me a blessing and it really helped calm me down. I'm so grateful for that and his support and also that he is a strong priesthood holder. I'm also grateful that he has been very good at putting up with my hormonal emotions lately. The other night he came upstairs to find me in tears on the bed. He eventually got it out of me as to why I was in hysterics. I was just thinking that I only have a few days left of being prego. I have LOVED being pregnant and I will miss the little movement and kicks I feel throughout the day. It's been wonderful being so close to my little girl that I'm sure it will be an adjustment to having her in my arms rather than in my belly. So now you can see why I am very lucky to have him for a husband, 100 %.

The only thing that has been on my mind the most at the moment is that well, when we first found out we were pregnant, I thought it would be a girl. Then I had dreams of a little boy so I changed my mind thinking that this little bun in the oven was a boy. The day of the ultra sound came and we found out that we were having a girl. I was soooo excited! Then down the road, I started having dreams that I had a boy! For example the other night, I had this strange dream that I had the baby and went right home. The next day I went to the hospital to pick up my baby and when I got there I was shocked to see that my baby (which I was now seeing for the first time) had three inches at least of thick, black hair!!! I was then noticing the fact that she didn't look anything like a newborn but more like a 6 month old baby and I knew instantly she was NOT going to fit into the cute outfit I had picked out for her to wear home. That's when the nurses told me that they had clothes that she would fit into. So they started dressing her in boy clothes! I kept telling them, NO NO NO it's a GIRL not a BOY!! Since then I have had several people, five as a matter of fact, that have told me they had a dream about me and that I had a boy???? Whu? This better not be something in the works that I don't know about because really....I'm all ready for girl! Pink bedding, a girly chandelier, pink curtains, and a wardrobe that is pink, pink, pink. Oh and name of course! Not sure what I'll do if I have to bring home a baby boy in girl clothes and go through the stress to think of a new name?? Let's just say that it's my wandering mind dreaming of crazy stories in the middle of the night and leave it at that.

Anyway, it's nice to know that there is an official end in sight though. And hey, 1/11/11 really would be a pretty cool birthday! Can't wait to meet you baby G!