July 8th, 2008: Today was Auburn's 18th birthday. We met at Italian Village for dinner and had yummy pizza benders. We then drove to Weller's Farm and opened presents. We all got her things for her apartment when she goes to school at SUU. She didn't seem all that excited. I think she is just nervous to be leaving. Afterwards we finished celebrating at the drive-in theatre. We watched Wall-e and The Chronicles of Narnia. Jade did pretty good for going to her first drive-in movie. The sad thing was that Aaron wasn't there to see it. He was in California on business.
Another thing he missed was Jade finally found her hands. I thought she was hungry today because she kept putting her hands in her mouth but when I tried to feed her she wouldn't eat. I finally realized what she was doing because she would pull out her hands, look at them, smile and then put them back in her mouth. She seems to think they are tasty.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
California Trip
July 1-6, 2008: For my birthday present, Aaron took Jade and I to California. He had business that he needed to do so we tagged along and wrote most of the trip expenses off on business.
We left late evening on Monday after Aaron got off of work and drove all night long. Jade did really well. Better than we both expected. She would play for a while in her car seat and then fall asleep and sleep for 2 hours. We would stop and wake her up to eat, change her diaper and play a little bit and then back in the car seat she would go. She would play some more and then fall asleep. Luckily that is mostly her routine at home so we were able to keep to her schedule. We arrived at the hotel around 6am, just north of the San Fernado Valley. Luckily Aaron has stayed there many times before and because they know him they let us have an early check in. By that point we were both exhausted due to lack of sleep. Aaron didn't have to go in to American Copak until early afternoon so we all slept. We made Jade a little bed out of couch cushions, pulled the blinds and slept straight til noon. Aaron went to work and Jade and I lounged around while I made sure she stayed on her routine. When Aaron came back around 5pm we decided to go to dinner. Some co-workers of Aarons were there and they invited us to go to Malibu with them. So we took this spectacular scenic drive through the Santa Monica Mtns and arrived in Malibu around 6pm. We had dinner right on the beach at this fabulous restaurant called Dave's. They had some of the best fish I've ever eaten. Jade loved all the attention people gave her. She was so cute sitting in her car seat and so well behaved that people stopped right and left to compliment us on how good she was. After dinner we just went back to the hotel and crashed. Unfortunately, Jade didn't sleep very well so neither did I. I think all the sleeping that she did while driving to California kind of caught up with her. She did not want to go to sleep. So by the time Aaron got up to go to work I was just getting to bed. It's amazing how we can all be in the same room and Aaron doesn't even move a muslce when Jade cries. He says he doesn't even hear her sometimes. Lucky him!
On Tuesday, Aaron went to work and Jade and I slept in. We picked Aaron up from American Copak around noon, grabbed some great at this local Tex-Mex joint and drove to Hollywood. We stopped in Hollywood and walked along Sunset Blvd were we saw Mann's Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame.
We were there for several hours until Jade started to get a little fussy because it was time to eat. So we found a little dog park off the Blvd and stopped to feed Jade. We took the cutest pictures of her there. She was so smiley and happy to watch the trees, dogs and birds. She was very alert the whole time we were there and more fascinated in what was around her in then eating.
We continued on Santa Monica Blvd and drove throught Beverly Hills to look at the huge homes. We drove past the LA Temple and on to Santa Monica Pier. We stopped there but Jade was super fussy. I don't know if it was because we were right there on the beach so it was a little windy and cold or what but she wouldn't stop fussing. We were about to leave when we decided to give her one more shot. We found this artisan who was doing clay face sculptures and decided to get one done of Jade. To our surprise, once we took her out of her carseat and Aaron held her, she calmed right down and let the guy sculpt her face. So many people walked by and oogled at her. The artisan was amazed that she could sit there for so long. We were too. In fact, Jade sat there for over thirty minutes while the guy sculpted her face.
By this time is was dark and getting late. So we headed out and decided to get something to eat. We then drove to Culver City were we stayed in a dive of a hotel, in the middle of ghettoville. But it was cheap and only for one night. Jade slept reasonably well that night.
On Wednesday, we woke to scorching temperatures and humidity. We headed downtown to the Fashion District. I had been looking forward to this day all week and couldn't wait to find some killer bags and shoes. We got there and immediately Jade started crying. I think instinctively she knew this was something that I really wanted to do so she was going to make my time miserable. We shopped for about 2 hours and by then the heat was just too intense for her and she had it. We ended up leaving after I bought a bag and Jade a little red sun dress. I was a little disappointed. I could have stayed there for hours. Oh well. We decided to just drive to Hunington Beach were we would be staying for the next couple of days. My uncle Gregg and Aunt Cindy were kind enough to let us stay at there condo in Hungington. They were in New York at the time and so we had the entire place to ourselves. We got there and got settled in and then took a walk down to the beach. They only live 2 blocks away from the beach so it's really nice and convenient. You don't have to try to find parking. We put Jade in one of those front harnesses and she ended up falling asleep while we walked the beach. It was close to sunset and Aaron and I enjoyed the time together playing in the sand and water.
We left a while later, got some food at this quaint italian restaurant off the PCH and then went to a movie at the largest stadium seating theatre in the West. We ended up seeing . Jade loves to see movies. The louder and more action packed the movie, the happier and more content she is.
Thursday we got up early for the 4th of July parade. Instead of taking the stroller we decided to just carry Jade in her carseat because we didn't think there would be enough room for her big stroller. We also didn't realize how far away the parade really was until we walked what seemed 50 blocks in scorching heat. Poor Aaron had to carry her the entire way. I ended up being the pack mule and carried all of our chairs and umbrellas and other misc gear. By the time we got there we were hot and exhausted. Not to mention late. So we didn't get a good seat. It was fine though because the parade really wasn't that spectacular. Just a lot of Boy Scout troops walking in uniform. Our parades in Utah are much better compared to Hungington Beach's. Needless to say we left a little early. When we got back we were so tired from the heat and having to carry all the stuff that we all took a nap. It was great. We then packed up all our beach stuff and hit the beach for about 4 hours. It was a nice and hot day, not too windy. Jade did really well for a couple of hours. She was so cute in her little blue, red and white swimsuit. She liked to watch all the people running and playing nearby. However, the wind picked up a bit and she doesn't breath very well with the wind blowing. She didn't like being confined to her stroller and so ended up crying the rest of the time. We finally had to leave early cause she was having a break down.
We got ready, got something to eat for dinner and then drove down to the pier to watch the fireworks. They shot them off from the ocean. It was fun to watch. We then walked around around for an hour watching the night life party and then headed back to our condo. It was a very fun day.
On Saturday we decided to try the beach one more time. However it was windier than last time and Jade didn't want to have any part of it. I think she was a little off sorts because she really seemed to cry the whole day. It was probably because we were at the end of our vacation and she was tired. We tried to keep her on her schedule and she did a pretty good job but I think she was ready to return home to her routine. Hey, what can you expect? She's only two months old! We had planned to go to the Anaheim Stadium and see a ball game that night but as luck would have it, the game was sold out. It was probably for the better because Jade had one of her "evening issues" (she seems to break down in the evenings because she is tired) and cried the entire evening. It would have been miserable at the stadium. We ended up driving to our hotel in Corona and getting ice cream at Coldstone. Jade was so tired from not napping well during the day that she slept really well that night. It was a good thing too because I was ready to strangle her if she hadn't.
On Sunday we woke up and went to early church and then drove home. Nothing eventful happened except for we saw a guys car go up in flames on the side of the freeway. Jade did really well all the way home. She is such a cruiser. We got home early enough that we were able to stop in at Grandma and Grandpa Gunn's house for dinner. Grandma was amazed to see how much Jade had changed in just one week. She said she was bigger and more aware of her surroundings. I don't know who had more fun, Jade or the grandparents. We finally rolled to our house around 11pm. We didn't put anything away. We just got Jade to sleep and then crashed ourselves. What a vacation. It sure was harder with Jade, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It was great training for our next family trip.
We left late evening on Monday after Aaron got off of work and drove all night long. Jade did really well. Better than we both expected. She would play for a while in her car seat and then fall asleep and sleep for 2 hours. We would stop and wake her up to eat, change her diaper and play a little bit and then back in the car seat she would go. She would play some more and then fall asleep. Luckily that is mostly her routine at home so we were able to keep to her schedule. We arrived at the hotel around 6am, just north of the San Fernado Valley. Luckily Aaron has stayed there many times before and because they know him they let us have an early check in. By that point we were both exhausted due to lack of sleep. Aaron didn't have to go in to American Copak until early afternoon so we all slept. We made Jade a little bed out of couch cushions, pulled the blinds and slept straight til noon. Aaron went to work and Jade and I lounged around while I made sure she stayed on her routine. When Aaron came back around 5pm we decided to go to dinner. Some co-workers of Aarons were there and they invited us to go to Malibu with them. So we took this spectacular scenic drive through the Santa Monica Mtns and arrived in Malibu around 6pm. We had dinner right on the beach at this fabulous restaurant called Dave's. They had some of the best fish I've ever eaten. Jade loved all the attention people gave her. She was so cute sitting in her car seat and so well behaved that people stopped right and left to compliment us on how good she was. After dinner we just went back to the hotel and crashed. Unfortunately, Jade didn't sleep very well so neither did I. I think all the sleeping that she did while driving to California kind of caught up with her. She did not want to go to sleep. So by the time Aaron got up to go to work I was just getting to bed. It's amazing how we can all be in the same room and Aaron doesn't even move a muslce when Jade cries. He says he doesn't even hear her sometimes. Lucky him!
On Tuesday, Aaron went to work and Jade and I slept in. We picked Aaron up from American Copak around noon, grabbed some great at this local Tex-Mex joint and drove to Hollywood. We stopped in Hollywood and walked along Sunset Blvd were we saw Mann's Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame.
We were there for several hours until Jade started to get a little fussy because it was time to eat. So we found a little dog park off the Blvd and stopped to feed Jade. We took the cutest pictures of her there. She was so smiley and happy to watch the trees, dogs and birds. She was very alert the whole time we were there and more fascinated in what was around her in then eating.
We continued on Santa Monica Blvd and drove throught Beverly Hills to look at the huge homes. We drove past the LA Temple and on to Santa Monica Pier. We stopped there but Jade was super fussy. I don't know if it was because we were right there on the beach so it was a little windy and cold or what but she wouldn't stop fussing. We were about to leave when we decided to give her one more shot. We found this artisan who was doing clay face sculptures and decided to get one done of Jade. To our surprise, once we took her out of her carseat and Aaron held her, she calmed right down and let the guy sculpt her face. So many people walked by and oogled at her. The artisan was amazed that she could sit there for so long. We were too. In fact, Jade sat there for over thirty minutes while the guy sculpted her face.
By this time is was dark and getting late. So we headed out and decided to get something to eat. We then drove to Culver City were we stayed in a dive of a hotel, in the middle of ghettoville. But it was cheap and only for one night. Jade slept reasonably well that night.
On Wednesday, we woke to scorching temperatures and humidity. We headed downtown to the Fashion District. I had been looking forward to this day all week and couldn't wait to find some killer bags and shoes. We got there and immediately Jade started crying. I think instinctively she knew this was something that I really wanted to do so she was going to make my time miserable. We shopped for about 2 hours and by then the heat was just too intense for her and she had it. We ended up leaving after I bought a bag and Jade a little red sun dress. I was a little disappointed. I could have stayed there for hours. Oh well. We decided to just drive to Hunington Beach were we would be staying for the next couple of days. My uncle Gregg and Aunt Cindy were kind enough to let us stay at there condo in Hungington. They were in New York at the time and so we had the entire place to ourselves. We got there and got settled in and then took a walk down to the beach. They only live 2 blocks away from the beach so it's really nice and convenient. You don't have to try to find parking. We put Jade in one of those front harnesses and she ended up falling asleep while we walked the beach. It was close to sunset and Aaron and I enjoyed the time together playing in the sand and water.
We left a while later, got some food at this quaint italian restaurant off the PCH and then went to a movie at the largest stadium seating theatre in the West. We ended up seeing . Jade loves to see movies. The louder and more action packed the movie, the happier and more content she is.
Thursday we got up early for the 4th of July parade. Instead of taking the stroller we decided to just carry Jade in her carseat because we didn't think there would be enough room for her big stroller. We also didn't realize how far away the parade really was until we walked what seemed 50 blocks in scorching heat. Poor Aaron had to carry her the entire way. I ended up being the pack mule and carried all of our chairs and umbrellas and other misc gear. By the time we got there we were hot and exhausted. Not to mention late. So we didn't get a good seat. It was fine though because the parade really wasn't that spectacular. Just a lot of Boy Scout troops walking in uniform. Our parades in Utah are much better compared to Hungington Beach's. Needless to say we left a little early. When we got back we were so tired from the heat and having to carry all the stuff that we all took a nap. It was great. We then packed up all our beach stuff and hit the beach for about 4 hours. It was a nice and hot day, not too windy. Jade did really well for a couple of hours. She was so cute in her little blue, red and white swimsuit. She liked to watch all the people running and playing nearby. However, the wind picked up a bit and she doesn't breath very well with the wind blowing. She didn't like being confined to her stroller and so ended up crying the rest of the time. We finally had to leave early cause she was having a break down.
We got ready, got something to eat for dinner and then drove down to the pier to watch the fireworks. They shot them off from the ocean. It was fun to watch. We then walked around around for an hour watching the night life party and then headed back to our condo. It was a very fun day.
On Saturday we decided to try the beach one more time. However it was windier than last time and Jade didn't want to have any part of it. I think she was a little off sorts because she really seemed to cry the whole day. It was probably because we were at the end of our vacation and she was tired. We tried to keep her on her schedule and she did a pretty good job but I think she was ready to return home to her routine. Hey, what can you expect? She's only two months old! We had planned to go to the Anaheim Stadium and see a ball game that night but as luck would have it, the game was sold out. It was probably for the better because Jade had one of her "evening issues" (she seems to break down in the evenings because she is tired) and cried the entire evening. It would have been miserable at the stadium. We ended up driving to our hotel in Corona and getting ice cream at Coldstone. Jade was so tired from not napping well during the day that she slept really well that night. It was a good thing too because I was ready to strangle her if she hadn't.
On Sunday we woke up and went to early church and then drove home. Nothing eventful happened except for we saw a guys car go up in flames on the side of the freeway. Jade did really well all the way home. She is such a cruiser. We got home early enough that we were able to stop in at Grandma and Grandpa Gunn's house for dinner. Grandma was amazed to see how much Jade had changed in just one week. She said she was bigger and more aware of her surroundings. I don't know who had more fun, Jade or the grandparents. We finally rolled to our house around 11pm. We didn't put anything away. We just got Jade to sleep and then crashed ourselves. What a vacation. It sure was harder with Jade, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It was great training for our next family trip.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Ace Wrap
Jade sleeps better when we swaddle her in a blanket. However with the temperature rising as we get more into the summer months, I feel bad swaddling her in this heat. My cousin Allison, recommended using an ace wrap. That's what they do with their little girl Davis. So we tried it. It works great! It works just like swaddling but even better because it keeps her hands in and yet isn't sufficatingly hot!
Slept 5 hours straight!
June 26, 2008: Jade slept for five hours straight last night! She slept from 10pm-3am. I couldn't believe it. I actually thought something was wrong with her and got up at the usual 1am to see if she was breathing and okay. She was and I returned to my bed kicking my heels. I think there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully this isn't the only time she sleeps this long. Here's for hoping.
Acid Reflux
June 23, 2008:
I took Jade to her pediatrician today, Cami Goff. I just couldn't handle the fussiness anymore. She is always crying like she hurts, especially after eating...if she will eat!
The pediatrician diagnosed Jade with acid reflux and put her on Prevacid. I have to give her half a tablet everyday until she is about 6 months old. This should help her be able to eat. She says Jade displays classic symptoms of a baby with acid reflux problems. She won't nurse cause she's lying down, she spits up constantly, she has a runny nose after spitting up, she screams and pumps her legs alot after eating...etc. For the next several days while we wait for the Prevacid to kick in I have to give her Maalox. Let me tell you, I gave it to her tonight and there was an immediate change. She didn't fuss after eating and she nursed well for the first time ever! She still spit up but she didn't scream and kick her legs. I think this Prevacid thing just might work. That would be awesome if it did.
Also they weighed Jade while at the office and she is now a whopping 10lbs 15.5 oz. She is getting so big!
I took Jade to her pediatrician today, Cami Goff. I just couldn't handle the fussiness anymore. She is always crying like she hurts, especially after eating...if she will eat!
The pediatrician diagnosed Jade with acid reflux and put her on Prevacid. I have to give her half a tablet everyday until she is about 6 months old. This should help her be able to eat. She says Jade displays classic symptoms of a baby with acid reflux problems. She won't nurse cause she's lying down, she spits up constantly, she has a runny nose after spitting up, she screams and pumps her legs alot after eating...etc. For the next several days while we wait for the Prevacid to kick in I have to give her Maalox. Let me tell you, I gave it to her tonight and there was an immediate change. She didn't fuss after eating and she nursed well for the first time ever! She still spit up but she didn't scream and kick her legs. I think this Prevacid thing just might work. That would be awesome if it did.
Also they weighed Jade while at the office and she is now a whopping 10lbs 15.5 oz. She is getting so big!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A Rock Wall and a Cranky Baby!
June 21, 2008: Today my mom and dad came over and helped us finish our rock wall. Last summer we pulled out the large hill in our backyard and made rock walls to that it would extend our backyard and add some grassy areas. Originally our backyard was just one large hill didn't leave any flat areas to play on. Aaron has a friend, Shane, that owns his own excavating equipment and he helped us dig out the hill and place the large rocks for our rock wall. That took up all last summer and so this summer we needed to pull out all the weeds that had grown in between the rocks, add some top soil and plant some plants and flower in between the cracks. It was kind of a daunting project to tackle, especially with a baby. So my parents being the nice people they are, offered to help us out. My dad and Aaron worked on the drip system and placing all the dirt while my mom and I picked out the plants. It was so much work that we only ended up finishing the small rock wall. However it looks fabulous! If we can get the larger of the walls finished soon along with the waterfall that we plan on installing, we will have the best yard on th block.
Things actually would have moved a little faster had Jade not have been so cranky all day. She was so congested that she couldn't eat, breathe or sleep very well. Besides being congested, she seemed more gassy than normal. Nursing was a disaster today. It always has been difficult with Jade but today she didn't want anything. Luckily I have been supplementing her with formula so she's getting the nutrition she needs. I think I will call her pediatrican on Monday and schedule an appointment. This is ridiculous. We need to find out why Jade is so gassy. There's got to be something we can do.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Jade's Baby Shower
June 19, 2008: The ladies from Jordan Valley Hospital ER threw me and Jade a baby shower. Amy, Joy and Kelli put it together as an open house at Amy's house. We had a potluck dinner, cake and ice cream and opened up presents. It was so much fun. Jade did really well too. I was a little afraid that she would be super fussy because I think she's starting to get sick again. She has a runny nose and is more fussy than usual but she actually did really great. She loved the attention that all the ladies gave her, she would smile and coo while the ladies passed her around the room. She really was quite fun. She started to get a little fussy but only because it was time for her to eat. We had a wonderful time and appreciated everyone's hospitality and friendship. It's funny how I find the majority of my friends to be my co-workers. They really are wonderful people and I am really lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.
Here are two pictures of Jeannie and Michelle. They were at the party. There is video of the whole event on the camcorder.
Here are two pictures of Jeannie and Michelle. They were at the party. There is video of the whole event on the camcorder.
Happy Birthday/Happy Father's Day!
June 15, 2008: Today is my 27th birthday. Today also happens to be Father's Day. We spent the night over at my mom and dad's house. All the girls woke up early, including Jade to make the men breakfast. To my surprise Jade woke up and gave me a HUGE smile. What a wonderful birthday present!. We had french toast and opened presents. We got my dad a Magic Bullet so he can make smoothies and I bought Aaron a softball mit. For my birthday my parents got me...wait, this is so exciting...a SEWING MACHINE! Just what I always wanted (this is said with some sarcasm.) Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the gifts my parents get me but this wasn't exactly a long awaited gift. Infact I hate sewing and do everything I can to avoid it. So I wasn't exactly thrilled to get the gift. My parents understand though, especially my mother. She doesn't like to sew either, but I guess in order to be in the Mom Club you have to own a sewing machine.
After we had breakfast with my family we went back up to West Jordan for church. We teach the 5 year old CTR class. We have been for the last two years and really enjoy it. (Sometimes.) We then went over to Aaron's parents house and celebrated Father's Day and my birthday. Roanne made her famous lasagna and breadsticks and they gave me $100! It was great!
(There is video on our camcorder of the whole event.)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Summerfest
June 14th, 2008: Today was Summerfest down in Orem. This was Jade's first experience with fireworks. She actually did really good. The loud bangs didn't startle her, in fact, she seemed to be quite facinated with the loud bangs and the bright lights. She watched them all curled up in a blanket for several minutes and then fell asleep. Can you believe that? She seems to really like loud noises. The louder the better it seems.
We also spent the night over at Grandma and Grandpa Gunns because we planned on getting up early and making breakfast-in-bed for Aaron and my dad to celebrate Father's Day. Jade slept so well for staying in a strange bed. She was also really cute and happy for once. She didn't seem to be gassy at all. She actually smiled for the first time. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera to take a picture. I'm sure I'll have another opportunity :)
Death Water!
June 12,2008: My poor parents! They had a scare of their lives today. With Jade being as fussy as she has been for the last week and especially yesterday (which the fussiness continued throughout the night. She hardly slept and neither did we) my parents offered to keep Jade overnight so that we could get some sleep. We were estatic. So we dropped her off at Grandma and Grandpa Gunns house for the night and headed back up to West Jordan in time for Aaron to play his men's softball game. Aaron is on a team with his brothers and my brothers and some old friends. They won and we went out to dinner to celebrate. While we were eating at Goodwood with Jen, Jeremy, Ethan, Boston, Austin, Hudson, Aaron and myself, we got a phone call from my parents. My dad started the conversation by saying, "We are at the ER with Jade but don't worry, everything is fine." Come to find out, Jade had aspirated on some Gripe Water (Gripe Water is a home remedy made up of fennel and licorice juice. It is meant to help babies with colic and stomach gas. My aunt Chickie recommended it to my parents after my mom told her that Jade cries a lot for no reason and that she kicks her legs and screams a lot. Chickie said that she gives it to all of her grandkids and it immediately helps. My parents had bought some about a week back and it seemed to help her)that grandma had given her and started to turn blue. She wouldn't breathe so my parents rushed her to Timpanogos Hospital, just down the street. By the time they got there she had started to breathe again. However they decided to have her checked out. Dad called me right after the doctor had examined her and decided she needed to have a chest xray done. I asked my dad if we should rush down there and he said to wait. She was doing well and they would just wait for the results of the xray and then call us back. He did call us back but by then we were on our way down to Orem. We had decided to go down anyways and make sure she was alright. My dad said that the xrays had come back and that it looked like she might have aspirated some of the gripe water and that the doctor wanted to either send her up to Primary Children's Hospital via an ambulance or send her to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center via POV to be admitted for observation. We got there and Jade was sleeping on the stretcher hooked up to the monitors. She looked great but the doctor was really uncomfortable with her going home. So instead of paying for an ambulance fee we decided to take Jade to the ER at UVRMC ourselves. By this time it was around 11:00pm. When we got to UVRMC the ER doctor examined her and felt like our coming to the ER was a waste of time. Jade was breathing well, her oxygen sats were normal and therefore there was no reason to admit her for observation. So he sent us home. Needless to say my parents didn't end up babysitting her for the night. We took Jade home and watched her really carefully. I kept getting up and checking on her to make sure she was breathing well. So instead of getting a good nights sleep I hardly slept at all that night. The only one that really slept well was Jade. She was exhausted after her long night in the ER. Since then we have stopped giving Jade "Death Water" and my parents won't even go near a syringe or even be in the same room if I have to give medicine to Jade via a syringe. They are scarred for life!
Monday, October 27, 2008
1st Baby Photo Shoot
June 11, 2008: Jade's first photo shoot was today. Our neighbor Peter Loosli is a professional photographer and he gave us a free photo shoot as a baby gift. So we scheduled the shoot for today. I thought it was going to be a great day because Jade slept so well and was so happy when she woke up in the morning. However, after getting her out of the bath she just cried and cried. I couldn't figure out what her problem was but she was NOT happy. Peter came over to our house and started to take pictures but Jade just wouldn't cooperate. Peter ended up taking 650 pictures and was here for two hours trying to get a good picture of Jade. Unfortunately we only got a handful of pictures that could be used. The funny thing is that as soon as Peter left, Jade immediately stopped crying and fell right asleep.
I would say it was because she didn't like having her picture taken but in retrospect I don't think she was feeling well that day because after her nap she cried and cried for 3 hours straight. I must admit that it was the first time that I actually had to set Jade down in her room and shut the door so that I could have a few minutes to cool off. She had been crying so much that I just became super frustrated. I felt bad that I was having these feelings about this sweet little girl but I had reached my limit with her that day. I let her cry for about 15 minutes and that was enough. That gave me time enough to reassess, say a little prayer of help, and cool off. That didn't mean she stopped crying. Oh no, she continued to cry until Aaron got home that evening but at least I was able to handle it a little better. I felt so stupid when Aaron got home cause there I am rocking Jade with a tear-stained face and Aaron walks in the door and she stops crying immediately. I just laughed...it was either that or cry again. :) Oh post baby hormones, you've got to love them.
I would say it was because she didn't like having her picture taken but in retrospect I don't think she was feeling well that day because after her nap she cried and cried for 3 hours straight. I must admit that it was the first time that I actually had to set Jade down in her room and shut the door so that I could have a few minutes to cool off. She had been crying so much that I just became super frustrated. I felt bad that I was having these feelings about this sweet little girl but I had reached my limit with her that day. I let her cry for about 15 minutes and that was enough. That gave me time enough to reassess, say a little prayer of help, and cool off. That didn't mean she stopped crying. Oh no, she continued to cry until Aaron got home that evening but at least I was able to handle it a little better. I felt so stupid when Aaron got home cause there I am rocking Jade with a tear-stained face and Aaron walks in the door and she stops crying immediately. I just laughed...it was either that or cry again. :) Oh post baby hormones, you've got to love them.
Grandma Sorensen
June 9th, 2008: Jade stayed with Grandma Sorensen for a few hours while Aaron and I went to the Blaze Arena Football game on a double date with Cade. Jade loves to hang out with Grandma S because she holds her the entire time. This is a pic of Grandma S and Jade sleeping on the couch together.
Post Mother's Day Photo Shoot
June 8, 2008: Because Jade was born on May 5th and Mother's Day was that next Sunday May 11, Mother's Day was the last thing on my mind. So when Mother's Day rolled around I completely spaced it. And as Gunn children we really didn't do anything at all to honor our mom. So we decided to do a post-Mother's Day celebration a month late. For a present we "payed" Dad to take a picture of us kids, framed the picture, everyone wrote her a love letter and then we took Mom out to dinner at China Lily's (one of her favorite restaurants). It ended up being a very nice evening and I think Mom really liked it.
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Sorensen Cousins
Cousin Tylar Grace Sorensen is the daughter of Austin and Mara. Tylar was born 15 days after Jade. It's great that Jade has someone her own age to play with while we are at Grandma Sorensens.
Boston is Jeremy and Jen's little boy. He is 9 months old. He's got tons of hair, super long eyelashes and chubby cheeks. I guess big cheeks are a Sorensen trait.
Ethan is Jeremy and Jen's oldest boy. He is three and a super smart kid. He currently loves to play transformers. Bumblebee is his favorite.
Aniston is Tylar's big sister. She is 2 years old and super adorable. She knows how to make the noises of lots of different animals. This is a pic of her lizard face.
Kylee is actually an aunt...not a cousin. But I thought I would add her to the mix. She is 11 years old and a great babysitter. All the kids love to hang out with Aunt Kylee.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
One Month Old- June5, 2008
Jade is one month old today! She is so cute but she fusses a lot. I think it's because she has lots of gas, either that or she has colic. She is growing really well and starting to fill out, especially in the cheeks. Occasionally she will smile on her own and not just because she has gas. She tracks people that she recognizes with her eyes and can turn her head from side to side when on her tummy. Her head is still to big for her to hold up on her own but she is working on it.
We have been following the Babywise plan so that hopefully one day soon she will be sleeping through the night. Babywise is an infant management concept that uses parent directed feeding to help create structure and bring security in a baby's life. It teaches parents how to guide their baby's day rather than be guided or enslaved to the infant's needs. By putting the baby on an eat, play and sleep schedule it helps babies learn to sleep through the night by week 9-12. We have yet to get to that point but by putting Jade on a schedule it has helped both me and her to understand each other better.
I really love our little Jadester. I can't believe she is growing so fast and that the time is flying by so quickly. Pretty soon we will be sending her off to college. JK.
Jade's Baby Blessing June 1, 2008
Jade's baby blessing was today. It was a little short notice because I couldn't make up my mind when I wanted to have it so not many people were able to make it. However it was still a nice event.
RoAnne made a gorgeous blessing dress and my mom made a beautiful afaghan. Little Jade looked so adorable. We weren't able to have everyone in the circle that we wanted due to how large our families are. There ended up being Aaron, Clair, Austin, Jeremy, Cade, my dad, Austin, Hudson and Brother McKenna. Unfortunately Grandpa Gunn wasn't able to make it because they got lost, as did many members of my family. (That stupid fork in the road at 7800S messed everyone up and they ended up at another church.) Aaron did a great job with the blessing. He kept to the plan of naming her Jade Leighla Sorensen, not something like Jade Jubaca Sorensen or something ridiculous like that. A couple of things that I can remember him saying was he blessed her with the ability to discern the Spirit in her life and follow the promptings that she received. He also blessed her that she would find a righteous husband and children when the time was right. He also blessed her that she would be a good example to those around her.
After the meeting we all went to the park next to our house and had lunch of cold cut sandwiches and potluck salads. The weather was great, there was a playground to play on for all the kids and there was enough food for everyone. And of course the star of the show, Jade, slept through the entire thing.
It really was a special day and we appreciate everyone's support and love. Thank you to everyone that came and participated in this fabulous day!
Auburn's High School Graduation-May 30, 2008
We went to Auburn's high school graduation today. Because she is the Senior Class VP she had a part in the commencement. She did fabulous and she looked amazing. I can't believe Auburn is old enough to graduate. Pretty soon she will be going to college! Crazy!
First Movie May 26, 2008
We took Jade to her first movie, Ironman. I was a little nervous taking her to a movie theatre for fear it would be too loud for her and she would cry the entire time. However, Jade LOVED the movie. We got there for the 10pm show a little early and I fed her so that she would sleep. She was just finishing up when the movie started but she just sat there and watched the screen. She finally fell asleep and we watched the movie without any problems. It was great. We loved the movie and think we will be doing this again.
Brian and Aubrey's Wedding May 24, 2008
Brian and Aubrey Bills were married today in the Provo Temple. Our family was invited (except Jade of course) to the temple ceremony. Seeing Brian and Aubrey sitting there in the sealing room looking excited, nervous and sooo very young made me remember my own wedding day. I can't believe it was a year and a half ago. In some ways it seems so long ago because so many wonderful things have happened and yet it seems like just yesterday Aaron and I were in their shoes.
It was fun to have Mom, Dad, Grandma Bills and Austin in the sealing room together with us. Afterwards we took pictures outside the temple and then went to a church nearby for the luncheon. We all had a nice time and it was fun to see the Bills family again. It sure has been a long time.
It was fun to have Mom, Dad, Grandma Bills and Austin in the sealing room together with us. Afterwards we took pictures outside the temple and then went to a church nearby for the luncheon. We all had a nice time and it was fun to see the Bills family again. It sure has been a long time.
Jade's First Sleep Over May 23, 2008
Grandma and Grandpa Gunn (my mom and dad) took Jade over night so that Aaron and I could sleep. Besides having to get up to pump, I was able to sleep for 10 hours. It was awesome and really needed. This whole getting up in the night 3-4 times is killing me. I never got sick while working at the hospital where I was surrounded by germs but just 3 weeks after delivering Jade I have been sick twice.
Mom and Dad said Jade did really well. They only got up 3 times during the night. :)
Mom and Dad said Jade did really well. They only got up 3 times during the night. :)
Jade Caught Her First Cold May 19, 2008
Jade has caught her first cold. It's all my fault. I started getting sick a couple of days ago, then Aaron got it and now Jade. It was inevitable. We tried everything to keep her from getting sick. We wore masks whenever we held her, washed our hands constantly and drank lots of Xango. But nothing seemed to work. She woke up yesterday morning with a fever of 100.3. It really made me nervous because at the hospital where I work, when little babies under 3 months come in with a fever over 100.6 we have to do a complete septic work up. That means a spinal tap, urinary catheter and IV. I didn't want to have to do that. I don't think I could have handled it mentally and emotionally, to be quite honest. It's one thing to do it to other people's kids but to do it to your own is another. This morning she is super congested and is having a difficult time eating because she can't breathe through her nose. I try to suction out her nose but I don't get much. It's too high up into her sinuses to suction. Plus she hates it when I suction her out.
Anyways, we are all miserable especially because we aren't getting any sleep. We are tired due to being sick and then to make matters worse Jade is cranky because she doesn't feel well so she isn't sleeping very well either. This mother business sure is tiring. I don't think I will ever sleep a full nights sleep again.
Anyways, we are all miserable especially because we aren't getting any sleep. We are tired due to being sick and then to make matters worse Jade is cranky because she doesn't feel well so she isn't sleeping very well either. This mother business sure is tiring. I don't think I will ever sleep a full nights sleep again.
Jade's Two Week Check Up May 15, 2008
Jade went to her 2 week check up! She is 7.0 lbs and 19.7 inches long. That means she only lost 2 ounces her first two weeks which is pretty good for a baby that is nursing. However she seems to have shrunk since she was born. The nurse at the hospital originally measured her at 20.5 inches but at the MD's office she measured 19.7.
Jade goes to the Families First Clinic in South Jordan. Her doctor is actually a nurse practioner and her name is Cami Goff. She is fantastic. She listens to what I have to say and is easy to get a hold of when I have a problem. I really like the clinic and would refer anyone to them!
Jade goes to the Families First Clinic in South Jordan. Her doctor is actually a nurse practioner and her name is Cami Goff. She is fantastic. She listens to what I have to say and is easy to get a hold of when I have a problem. I really like the clinic and would refer anyone to them!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Jade's Belly Button May 18, 2008
Jade's umbilical stump fell off! She's officially a human being. :) I know it's gross but I thought you would like to see it!
(Disregard the fact that I'm in my G's)
Mother's Day May 11, 2008
I can't believe I'm a mother. It seems a little surreal. To think that I am now the full time care giver of a cute little girl. It makes me both proud and a little nervous to think of such a responsibility. I know that I have great examples of mother's in my own life, my mother, my grandmothers, and even my mother-in-law. I just hope that I can do as good of a job as they have done.
Mother's Day was Jade's first day at church. I gave her a bath and dressed her in a cute little white dress with a pink cardigan. She looked so adorable. People were surprised that I would bring her to church only a week old but I figured the weather was nice enough that she wouldn't be at risk for catching a cold and I just kept her covered up the entire time so she wouldn't catch any germs from people. She did really well. She slept the entire time. Didn't even cry once. I was hoping she would wake up so that I could take her out of her carrier and show her off but alas she was way too good.
Later that day we went to my parent's house and celebrated Mother's Day and my Grandma Bills' birthday. We had our cinco de mayo party a little late due to Jade being born. The food was fantastic-mexican food of course. Then our favorite tradition, the pinata. It was very fun. Dad has a film of it, it's classic.
Mother's Day was Jade's first day at church. I gave her a bath and dressed her in a cute little white dress with a pink cardigan. She looked so adorable. People were surprised that I would bring her to church only a week old but I figured the weather was nice enough that she wouldn't be at risk for catching a cold and I just kept her covered up the entire time so she wouldn't catch any germs from people. She did really well. She slept the entire time. Didn't even cry once. I was hoping she would wake up so that I could take her out of her carrier and show her off but alas she was way too good.
Later that day we went to my parent's house and celebrated Mother's Day and my Grandma Bills' birthday. We had our cinco de mayo party a little late due to Jade being born. The food was fantastic-mexican food of course. Then our favorite tradition, the pinata. It was very fun. Dad has a film of it, it's classic.
First Week Home May 5-10, 2008
The first week home has been very eventful. We were discharged from the hospital on May 7th. On the 8th, Jade had her first doctor's appointment so that we could check her bilirubin levels after being under the lights for 24 hours. Her levels were still elevated and so we had to go back the next day for another check. Luckily this time her levels appeared to be lowering so we were able to take her off of the lights. However we still had to go back to the doctors the next day to make sure her levels weren't increasing. They were just fine.
It was quite the learning experience my first time out. I wasn't used to how many things a baby requires. There is the diaper bag and all the things that are involved with that, lots of diapers, extra clothes, wipes, bottles, formula, etc, etc. Luckily I had my mom there to help me remember all the things I needed. I don't think I could have done it without her.
Speaking of help, my mom only lives about 30 minutes away from my house. That meant that she could come up and help me as often as I needed it. I must admit, I needed her a lot. Babies are a lot of work!. She was kind enough to come up each day and help me out with things around the house, like cooking meals for me to freeze, doing my laundry, or grocery shopping. She would also watch Jade while I took a nap in between feedings.
She also recruited my dad, brothers and sisters to come up and help us with our yard. We had the curbers come out to our house a couple of days before I had Jade but we still needed to plant bushes and flowers in order to finish up our backyard. My family helped us do just that. I went out with my mom and picked out shrubs and flowers while my dad and Aaron laid the drip system and top soil and planted all the plants. I'll remind you that this was 4 days after I delivered Jade. It was good to get up and out of the house. It kept me from really being moody but I sure felt it afterwards. We actually got the entire front yard completed. It looked fantastic!
Also Mom and Dad helped us finish up the nursery. We had finished painting the nursery and setting up all the furniture before Jade was born but didn't have anything else in the room. I had tons of clothes to hang and wall coverings to put up...you know...cutsie stuff, I just wasn't able to finish before Jade came along. Thankfully my parents helped us put the finishing touches on the room besides everything else they did that week. It looked really cute when we were done.
We really appreciate all the things my parents did to help us out that first week. I'm sure we would have survived without their help, but it made those first days very enjoyable. We had a lot to get done and they really helped us out. We are very lucky to have such wonderful parents (grandparents) in our lives. We love you and appreciate all the things you do for us.
It was quite the learning experience my first time out. I wasn't used to how many things a baby requires. There is the diaper bag and all the things that are involved with that, lots of diapers, extra clothes, wipes, bottles, formula, etc, etc. Luckily I had my mom there to help me remember all the things I needed. I don't think I could have done it without her.
Speaking of help, my mom only lives about 30 minutes away from my house. That meant that she could come up and help me as often as I needed it. I must admit, I needed her a lot. Babies are a lot of work!. She was kind enough to come up each day and help me out with things around the house, like cooking meals for me to freeze, doing my laundry, or grocery shopping. She would also watch Jade while I took a nap in between feedings.
She also recruited my dad, brothers and sisters to come up and help us with our yard. We had the curbers come out to our house a couple of days before I had Jade but we still needed to plant bushes and flowers in order to finish up our backyard. My family helped us do just that. I went out with my mom and picked out shrubs and flowers while my dad and Aaron laid the drip system and top soil and planted all the plants. I'll remind you that this was 4 days after I delivered Jade. It was good to get up and out of the house. It kept me from really being moody but I sure felt it afterwards. We actually got the entire front yard completed. It looked fantastic!
Also Mom and Dad helped us finish up the nursery. We had finished painting the nursery and setting up all the furniture before Jade was born but didn't have anything else in the room. I had tons of clothes to hang and wall coverings to put up...you know...cutsie stuff, I just wasn't able to finish before Jade came along. Thankfully my parents helped us put the finishing touches on the room besides everything else they did that week. It looked really cute when we were done.
We really appreciate all the things my parents did to help us out that first week. I'm sure we would have survived without their help, but it made those first days very enjoyable. We had a lot to get done and they really helped us out. We are very lucky to have such wonderful parents (grandparents) in our lives. We love you and appreciate all the things you do for us.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
First Days of Life Slide Show
This slide show contains several different pictures of the first two days at the hospital, Aaron, Austin and Hudson's Cinco de Moustache, and her first day home spent under the bili-lights.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Jade Leighla Sorensen
I went into labor with Jade around 4pm on Sunday May 4, 2008. We got home from church and I went upstairs to take a nap and felt a little crampy. I brushed it off not thinking anything of it. When I woke up an hour later I realized that the cramps were a little stronger. I remember my mom saying that labor pains felt like the worst cramps of your life and I figured I was probably in labor. However my worst fear was going to the hospital and being sent home because I wasn't really laboring. So I decided to just watch things and wait till the contractions were closer together. I packed my hospital bag just in case. We were on our way to American Fork, to Gary Gunn's house, to break the our fast for Grandpa Gunn. We got to American Fork and my contractions were about 7 minutes apart but I held out. We started dinner and I ate a little bit but I hurt so bad by this point that I couldn't sit still long enough to eat. Finally, dinner finished and I turned to Aaron and told him I just couldn't handle it any longer. My contractions were 5 minutes apart and they were really starting to hurt. So I rounded up my Dad, Aaron and my brothers and they gave me a blessing, I said my goodbyes and we were out of there. I laid the seat of the car back while Aaron drove. I'm not quite sure how fast he was driving but we got to the IMC hospital in Murray pretty quickly. I didn't mind though because by then I was hurting so bad I couldn't sit still. The contractions were coming about every 2-3 minutes and would last for about a minute. We got to the hospital but because it was a Sunday there wasn't anyone outside to let us in so we had to be buzzed in by the lady sitting at the desk. I rang the bell and I could see the nurse looking at me but she wouldn't let me in. I stood there for what seemed like 5 minutes, doubled over in pain, until finally another nurse saw me and let me in. I then stood there for another 10 minutes waiting for the same nurse to get off the phone and get my paper work started. Needless to say I was a little angry and a few choice words were uttered. Finally I was taken back to my room. My nurse immediately came in and saw how much pain I was in. She checked me. I was dilated to a 7 and completely effaced. She looked at me in shock and said we should probably get things rolling. She called the doctor,Dr Irion, and the anesthesiologist and in about 20 minutes I was out of pain, the doctor had come down and checked me and I was getting my first dose of antibiotics. By this time it was around 8pm. The time went really quickly after that. I watched a little tv and Aaron took some home videos. My family came up and hung out while we just waited for the antibiotics to go in. I kept telling my nurse that I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom. When I finally got her to realize that I REALLY needed to go she looked at me and said that I was probably ready to push. She checked me and sure enough I was fully dilated. This was around 10:30p but by the time the doctor got down to see me it was close to 11pm. I asked him if he wouldn't mind waiting til midnight, that way Jade would be born on Cinco de Mayo, the same day as my Grandma Bills. He wasn't too pleased but finally consented. At around 12:30am, after I had my 2nd dose of antibiotics in, the doctor came down and I started to push. It took a while. The nurse said I was a rookie pusher. But by 1:30am Jade was born. Aaron says the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck a couple of times and that the doctor had some trouble getting it off. She also had swallowed some meconium and so they called the NICU and had a nurse come to suction her out really well. She weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and measured 20.5 inches long. She was sooo tiny and adorable. Nothing like the little ogre I had feared. She did have a slightly squashed nose but other than that she looked perfect. We did have a little scare about 30 minutes after she was born. She started to struggle while breathing and her core temperature was a little low. The NICU nurse took her and resuctioned her and then they had me hold her against my skin to help warm her up. That seemed to do the trick and we didn't have anymore problems. My family came in shortly after and were able to hold her. They then took us up to our room on the 2nd floor. They took Jade and did her first assessment and Aaron was able to help give her her first bath. They then had me try to nurse her. That didn't work out so well. I struggled to get her to latch on the entire time I was in the hospital. I finally had a lactation specialist come in and help me. It gave me a little more confidence but Jade still won't latch on very well. The specialist told me it was because she was a lazy sucker. It got to the point that Jade wasn't getting enough nutrients to help flush out the bilirubin and she became really jaundice. The next morning when the pediatrican came in he told me that we needed to start supplementing her with formula. She seemed to love it but she was so jaundiced by this time that she had to go under the blue lights. Thankfully by the time we were discharged from the hospital her levels had started to return to normal. However they sent us home with lights and she had to be under them for another day at home. Aaron and I quickly learned that as new parents you don't sleep very much. But we wouldn't trade it for the world. We love our little Jadester and are so glad she is part of our family. We are so thankful that her birth went so well and that she is a healthy and beautiful baby.
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