Jade Can Roll Over

July 28-August 2, 2008: Jade can officially roll over. She grabs her feet and rolls to one side or the other. She can roll enough to get on her stomach but then starts to cry because one, she hates being on her stomach, and two, her little hands get stuck underneath her and she can't figure out how to pull them out. It's really cute to watch her to do.
I also went back to work this week. I worked from 6p-6a on Tuesday. It was nice to be back to work and mingle with my coworkers. For the most part I like everyone that I work with. Jade stayed home with Aaron. We actually met at the the door. Aaron walked in from work, I passed Jade to Aaron, gave him a smooch and headed out the door to work. I have a feeling this is going to be a reoccuring thing when I work. I have cut my hours down to just working two days a week. We will see how I do with that. Aaron called me a few times while I was working to give me updates on how Jade was doing. It sounds like she went right to sleep and slept the entire night. Lucky dad! I however was not so lucky. Jade got up right when I got home and was hungry. I fed her and was hoping she would go back to sleep, but no such luck. In fact, she didn't take a nap at all that morning. She was wide awake and wanting to play...all morning long. It just about killed me. I was so tired that I had a hard time keeping my eyes open while trying to watch her. Aaron was nice enough to come home after lunch and watch Jade so that I could get some sleep. What a life saver that was. He also surprised me with a going-back-to-work gift. A digital camera. I have been hinting that I wanted one for a while now. The camera that my parents bought us for Christmas is super nice but it's also a camcorder. The only problem with that is that it's super bulky and difficult to use when you need to take quick pictures. This camera that Aaron bought is super compact and will fit in my purse. That way I can just pull it out, point and shoot. It's great!
Also this week, Aaron and his men's softball team ( consisting of his and my brothers) won their game. That means they are tied for first place. They will play a championship game in August. I took Jade to their game on Thursday. She loved being outside and lying in the grass. Mara brought little Tylar as well. It was fun to compare Jade and Tylar. Jade is so much bigger than her. I have a feeling that Jade is going to be a line backer when she grows up.

Jade hanging out on the grass at the Sandy ballfield.



Jade asleep in her carseat after Aaron's ballgame.

Jade and Grandma Annie asleep on the couch together.

On Friday we packed up to go to Yuba Lake. We went as far as Mom and Dad Gunn's house and spent the night there because we weren't going to leave until early morning for Yuba Lake. Jade was really funny with Dad. She wouldn't give him the time of day. She would "talk" to everyone around her but as soon as Dad would come over, she would shut right up. It drove him crazy. Hopefully she learns sooner rather than later of who's bread she really needs to butter.
Saturday we went down to Yuba Lake and spent the day playing on the jetskis. The weather was a little cloudy when we first got there but it looked like it was going to be perfect weather to ride. However around noon the wind picked up and started blowing sand everywere. That was hard with Jade being outside. We had set up the jungle mat in the port-a-crib so that Jade would have a place to play. It worked perfectly until the wind and sand started to blow. Then it was just too hard for her to be outside. So she ended up in the car but then someone would have to be in the car with her while she was awake. She still was a great baby though. She never really cried and she took great naps so that I wasn't stuck in the car the whole time. All in all it was a fun Yuba Trip.

Pioneer Day and Weekend

July 23-27, 2008: Happy Pioneer Day! We celebrated in the usual manner by going down to Beaver, Utah. Unfortunately only half of our family was there. Aaron and Austin didn't have the day off. Xango doesn't recognize it as a holiday and Aaron couldn't just get it off. They needed him to work that week. Also Mom, Cierra and Paige had Girls Camp that same week. So they weren't able to attend. That left just Dad, Hudson, Jade and me to go to Beaver. I was able to con Dad in to going. At first he didn't want to go without Mom but after a couple of days without her, he was so bored he was willing to do anything. Tuesday, the 22rd, Dad actually came up to our house and helped Aaron and I work on the rock wall. He helped Aaron finish putting in the drip system up on the top layer. Afterwards we went out to dinner at Souper Salad. The evening was very indicitive of what life would be like if Mom were to die before Dad. He would be so lost and lonely.
The next day, Jade and I left Aaron working while we drove to Beaver with Hudson and Dad. Dad ended up driving Grandma and Grandpa Gunn down and Hudson drove Jade and I down in his brand new Mitsubishi. It was a fun drive down hanging out with Hudson and Jade did so well traveling. We stayed at the same hotel we always do, the one next to the Mexican Restaurant and were Aaron planted his tree he swiped from Pioneer Day Parades of the past. We had a great time playing cards and hanging out.
The next day we woke up early and headed to the parade. We had placed our chairs in front of the church the night prior. However we really didn't have to worry about finding a place to sit. The parade was not well attended this year, nor were the floats very good. It lacked the same carisma that makes the parades so enjoyable. For instance, the EMS didn't do anything this year. Last year they did the heart attack dance. But this year they didn't even throw candy. It was kind of disappointing. Also because Mom and the girls weren't with us we didn't go to the foot races either. We actually kind of forgot. Instead we all went to the park and had lunch. Gary, Chickie and some of their kids were there and they had packed a picnic lunch. They had packed enough that us three could mooch off of them. While we were eating Jade had an explosive pooey diaper. It was so runny that it went up her back to her neck. I had a hard time cleaning her up cause I was doing it in Hudson's brand new car and didn't want to get poo on the seats. So in desperation I held her up, butt naked, and called out for Dad to come help. It was quite a site. Dad's holding Jade up with arms fully extended so as not to get poop on him and I'm using 10 wet wipes to sponge bathe her. It sure was funny once we got it all cleaned up. I wish I would have thought to get my camera out cause that would have been quite the picture.
After the picnic we didn't play games like we usually do. It was so hot outside and Jade was hot and ornry so we just went back to the hotel so she could take a nap. We all ended up napping instead. That afternoon, Grandpa took Hudson and Dad up the canyon. Grandma didn't want to go, she doesn't like driving that canyon, so she and I stayed back. We ended up playing some card games and then drove around Beaver while she told me stories about the past. We ended up at the ice cream palor and had raspberry shakes. I had a really good time with her and learned so much about her and grandpa. It was fun to hear all of her stories. Later that evening we met up with the boys at the mexican restaurant, the Kan Kan and had dinner. It just so happens that while I was eating (I was almost done by the way) I found a dead fly in my rice. It was so gross. Needless to say we got my meal for free and no one else touched their rice. We went back to the hotel afterwards and played games until late in the night.
The next day we got up and drove home. Aaron took Jade and I to a movie that night. We went and saw the Incredible Hulk. It was okay, but Jade sure loved it. She wouldn't fall asleep like she normally does. Instead, she stayed up and watched practically the entire movie with eyes glued to the screen. What a funny kid.
On Saturday Aaron, Jade and I went down to my parents to swim in their pool. The water was so warm that we decided Jade could get in. She loved it. We lathered her up with sun screen and put her in the water with just her diaper. She immediately started kicking and would let out this scream of delight. It was so fun to watch her. She stayed in there for a good half hour. When we took her out she seriously weighed a good ten pounds heavier with all the water her diaper had absorbed. It was so fun to watch her though being outside and in the water. She is a very observant kid and is very aware of her surroundings. She sure is a great kid!
Then on Sunday, Jade did the cutest thing. This morning while she was nursing, she stopped and looked at me and started to just "talk". She talked to me for a good 2-3 minutes and then when back to eating. Five minutes went by and she pulled away again and started "talking" again. It was so funny and so adorable all at the same time. It's fun to see her start to develop and personality and become a real person. I really do love that little squirt and am so thankful she is in our family!

Jade Update!

Look at those adorable cheeks! She could hide nuts in those cheeks!


July 22, 2008: Today was Jade's 2 month checkup at the pediatrican's office. She weighs 12.4lbs, is 23.5 inches long, and is in the 75 percentile for her head circumference, weight and height. So she is perfectly proportionate! Cami Goff, her pediatrican, said she is doing well. She seems healthy and is acting appropriate for her age. She is very active for her age, follows objects with her eyes and head well, responds to noises appropriately and even recognizes my voice. She uses her hands and feet, drools, lifts her head well for her age, babbles, and smiles a lot. All in all she is progressing nicely. The doctor was also pleased at how well she has responded to the Prevacid that I give her once a day. She is a totally different baby than from when I came in a month ago. She is happier, eats better and is even starting to sleep through the night. That Prevacid is a miracle worker. (If only it were cheaper...at $50 per month!).

I also wanted to jot down some things that have happened over the last week or so:

The entire week of the 14th-20th Jade slept at least 8 hours straight. She would sleep from 10:30pm to about 6:30am. Obviously there has been a day here and there that she gets up but it's usually only once and then she goes right back to sleep.

This is a picture of Jade sleeping in her carseat. She always kinks her neck to the left, no matter what I do to prevent it.

Also we've decided that Jade is a major movie buff. There have been quite a few really good movies that have come out recently that we have wanted to see. So we decided to take Jade to see them. Last week we saw the midnight viewing of Hellboy 2. Jade slept through the entire movie. We also went to see The Black Night. Jade once again slept through it and was a perfect little angel. That movie however, was very disturbing!

Tylar Grace Sorensen's baby blessing was also this last Sunday, July 20th. It was a very nice blessing and afterwards we went to Mara and Austin's place and had lunch. It was nice to meet Mara's extended family. Tylar looked adorable in her blessing gown.

Sleeps Through the Night!

July 14, 2008: Jade finally slep through the night! She slept from 10:30pm to 6:30am. If only I hadn't been so nervous I could have slept as well. I was a wreck the entire night because I kept thinking she wasn't breathing, that's why she wasn't waking up. I would wake up in this panic, look at the clock and see that it had been longer than ususal and that Jade should have been up by now. I would race into her room to check on her but everytime she would be sleeping peacefully. I think I did that at least three times. Needless to say, I was still exhausted come morning but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I swear, this waking up every 3 hours to feed is much harder than staying up all night. You never can get into the REM sleep before you have to wake up again. I feel so exhausted all the time. So this sleeping for 8 hours straight seems like a gift from heaven. Hopefully she keeps it up. The Babywise book that I am reading says that my 8-12 weeks she should start sleeping through the night. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Grandpa Gunn's Birthday

July 12, 2008: Dad's birthday was today. He turned 52 today. To celebrate we all went to Utah Lake and jetskied. It was so much fun, even Jade had a blast. We put her under the jungle mat and covered it with a mesh to protect her from all the bugs. We placed her in the shade under the canopy and she seriously stayed there for 3 hours. People would talk to her and play with her under the mesh but for the most part she layed there almost the entire time we were at the lake.

Journey Concert

July 11, 2008: Today we surprised Dad aka Grandpa Gunn for his birthday and took him to a Journey Concert. They were playing at the Usana Ampitheater and grass seat ticets were only $25. So we all got tickets and went! It was so much fun. The band has a new lead singer who sounds exactly like the original. The only problem was he was a goofy dancer and could only say "Hewwo Sawt Wake City" (said with Chinese accent). Other than that he did a great job. They played a lot of their old songs that all of us knew from growing up listening to dad's music. They also played some new songs that we had never heard before that were pretty good. We also had really great grass seats. We sat pretty close up for being on the grass and spread out several large blankets so that we had plenty of room. We played games and drank brewskies while the old girl band Heart played the opening act or when there was a slow Journey song. Dad stood glued to the stage with his binoculars the whole time. Afterwards he said he loved he concert. He even bought their new DVD/CD album. All in all it was a great time had by all.

PS Jade stayed with our neighbor Bobbi Loosli. She did really well. We didn't think she would have enjoyed the July heat or the loud music so we didn't take her to the concert. I did end up buying a play mat for her and Bobbi said she loved it. That she played with it the whole nigh. Ours is different the the grandparents. It's definately not as cool but it wasn't as expensive either. This way she can practice tummy time which she really needs. She doesn't really like laying on her stomach. Everytime I put her on her tummy she lasts maybe a minute then starts to cry. It might be because she still can't lift her head off the ground when on her tummy. However she needs to start practicing because she is getting a rather flat head on her right side.

Grandpa's Jungle Playmat

July 10, 2008: Today Grandpa Gunn convinced Grandma Gunn to splurge and buy Jade a toy. They bought a jungle playmat. Jade loves it! We tried it out today while we were over there and she seriously layed on the mat for 45 minutes watching the blinking lights, listening to the music and looking at the animals hanging from the poles. She tries to grab at the hanging animals but doesn't quite get how to move her hands in a coordinated fashion in order to actually grab them. She does kick her legs though and will occasionally hit a rattle and it sends her into fits of smiles. Jade loves it so much that I am thinking I might have to invest in one. Anything to keep Jade occupied. Unfortunately she is so aware of her surroundings that she constantly wants to be sitting up and looking around, or at least be entertained. I feel like I am constantly holding her so that she can see. If she's not sitting up she gets fussy! Luckily for me though, the jungle mat seems to help and takes away the need to be sitting up in the middle of things all the time. Halelujah!!!!!