Happy Birthday Grandma!

Peter has two wonderful grandmas who have shown so much love in his first few months of life. Today was Grandma Teri's birthday. In honor of her birthday, Peter wanted to do something really exciting to show off for her. I thought we could take a picture of him holding his head up, which is our recent trick and accomplishment. Here are some pictures from yesterday.





But Peter had something else in mind. He decided he was going to roll over today. He practiced his roll three or four times in the morning, and then was exhausted. He decided to rest until later that afternoon when Grandma came to visit. And when she did, he rolled over for her (a little begrudgingly)! He's now a pro!

Our three-month old rolls from front to back, and I couldn't be more excited! He loves to chat and smile. He lets out these squeals and exasperated sighs that just crack us up. Of course we love to copy everything he says. I'm sure that frustrates him. How would you like it if every time you spoke to someone they just repeated what you already said? The conversation goes no where!

The best part of his rolling over excitement is that Scott was working from home today, so he got to see Peter do it for the first time! Peter was on his belly, wiggling, and he started to rock to the side a bit. I hollered at Scott to come in, and we were both able to watch Peter's first roll. I'll have to watch him a little more closely from now on. He's learning fast, and I don't want him to wiggle himself off his changing table.

Peter loves looking at his mobile (trying to whack the animals that go around it), listening to music and singing, reading stories, and standing up. He thinks he is all grown-up and ready to stand on his own. He is getting big! He wears size 6 month clothes now (he's actually almost already out of them!), was 14.5 pounds last time I checked (two weeks ago), and is 26 inches long. We'll go for an official check the first week of January. We love this little guy, and we are so happy to have him in our lives. I can't even remember what is was like before he came to our family. It must have been very boring, because Peter provides all the entertainment around here. I love him more than I ever thought I could love anything.

Just Woke Up

I've started putting gloves on Little Man whenever we leave the house. Not because it's cold outside (which it is), but because I can't get his hands out of his mouth and I'm worried about all the germs that come with that lovely little habit. This little guy doesn't just suck his thumb, he goes for the entire fist. It's way too cute to watch.

Nov. 6th

We blessed Peter Scott on November 6th in our avenues ward before we started going to our new ward. I loved every part of this day spent with our families. Scott gave Peter a beautiful blessing, and I am so proud of both my boys. Scott and I had the opportunity to express our gratitude to our friends and ward members for all of the faith and love they showed on our behalf. We have been unbelievably blessed.




Someone should have reminded me to take my apron off sooner... and for Peter to lose the bright green bink.

Did I Mention?

We bought a house! And we LOVE it. We are enjoying a life filled with fun new beginnings. We just finished painting and having new carpet installed. So we will be in right after Thanksgiving!

Too Big?

I'm learning about the blog world. Today's tutorial... big pictures. Look at those beautiful eyes!

Peter's Real First Days

Kirsten called yesterday to tell me that 4 year-old Ben still blesses Baby Peter and me when he prays. I'm so happy that Peter has such wonderful cousins who love him so much. He is one lucky boy.

These are pictures from his first days. I remember being in the ICU right after surgery. The doctors and nurses weren't sure if I had brain function at that time due to the lack of oxygen after I arrested. They were updating each other on my case, waiting for me to wake up. While I couldn't move or make sounds, I could hear everything they said. I could hear Scott and the anesthesiologist giving me a blessing. I could hear them talking to me, asking me to move my foot or open my eyes. I couldn't do any of that. All I could do was listen and lay patiently until I could find some way to communicate to them that I was alright (I finally caught Scott's attention with a wiggle of my tongue. I'm glad he's so observant!). I heard a lot of things during that time, and I had some wonderful feelings and experiences as I lay there that are personal to my husband and me. But one thing I did hear was that Peter would be going home with my sister until I was well enough to go home myself. I felt such overwhelming peace knowing that my little boy would go to the most loving home he could, where he would be well-taken care of. I knew my sister would do everything in her power to make sure he was cared for as I would care for him if I could have (maybe even better!) She did a wonderful job. She surrounded him with love, kept him safe, and did the practical things that she knew would be important to me (ie: making sure he learned to sleep in his bed instead of being held constantly, picking the best formula and bottles since the option to breastfeed was no longer available to me, making sure everyone washed their hands till they were raw before touching the baby, making sure her kids "only touch his toes", and showing him pictures of Scott and me so we could still feel as though he knew us even though we were away... she even had newborn photos taken!). Each time a family member or friend came to the hospital and told me of their time with Peter, I felt the strangest mix of feelings. I was happy that Peter was so loved, but I was sad and insecure that everyone else was developing a bond with my baby before I could. But even with that insecurity, I never for a second felt apprehensive about his stay with Kirsten. If Peter couldn't be home with Scott and me during those first couple weeks, then I couldn't imagine a better place for him to be. I am so grateful that Kirsten, Nick, and their whole family made the sacrifice to help me in a way that they only could. I am so grateful for their Christlike gift. I love them all so much.

First Days (for me)

I wasn't able to be with my baby for the first 11 days of his life... so while these weren't his first days, they were MY first days WITH HIM.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from those first few days/weeks.

How about you... you...you...?

Going to the zoo...zoo..zoo...

One of my first outings post ICU was a trip to the zoo. This was about three weeks after I was discharged, and I just loved it! It was such a joy to walk around the zoo in the beautiful sunny weather. I was so happy to spend time with the little people, and I loved having my own little person to push around in his stroller. It felt great to get out and get moving... and of course I had to have my little fill of dip n' dots (that's the biggest reason to go to the zoo). This is Peter's first trip to the zoo! It will be so fun next summer/fall when he's old enough to enjoy it!