Bubba At 5 Months

I woke up this morning and realized almost immediately that you are 5 months old today. Has 5 months already passed? It feels like it was just yesterday that we found out we were pregnant, that that baby bump started showing and we were in the hospital anticipating your birth.

At 5 months you like to laugh, talk (baby babble), kick you legs (I think you will be a runner someday). You love splashing in your bath tub, pulling Mommy's hair and when Mommy sings the Winnie the Pooh song and the little mouse song. You anticipate Daddy coming home from work each day and you get so excited! Your favorite toys are Kevin the stuffed pink bird and Ellie the elephant.

Your hair is starting to get thicker and it has a red tint to it. You have discovered you feet and are constantly pulling your socks off. You can pretty much bend your body in half, maybe you'll be a contortionist someday.

Oh how we love you little one! Please stay young awhile longer and please stay sweet. We just love you!

You Control The Paint Brush

 I just love this quote by Oprah! It is such a good reminder that we are the ones who ultimately control our lives, nobody else does.

"No matter what challenge you may be facing, you must remember that while the canvas of your life is painted with daily experiences, behaviors, reactions, and emotions, you're the one controlling the brush." -Oprah

Grandma To The Rescue

Hey! It's me again, Bubba. I thought it would be fun to shake things up a little bit on the blog and tell you about this past week. This past week my Grandma was here. Grandma came to help out because Mommy and Daddy both got sick and well, I thought it would be fun to stay up at night.

Grandma held me in the mornings so Mommy could get some extra sleep. She played with me, sang songs, cooked food, ran errands with Mommy, went on a walk with us and even came along to our bi monthly parenting group.

You mean to tell me, you're leaving?

I'm so glad Grandma came! I cried when she left, I miss her.

Sunday was my first Easter, I'm not really sure what this holiday is about but I'm sure I will love it when I'm a little bit older. Mommy and Daddy were going to take me to an egg hunt but I fell asleep. Oops!

Well, it's past my bedtime so I really should get going. It's been nice chatting with you.

Love,

Bubba

4 Month Checkup, Illness & A Visit From Grandma

You are growing so fast little one, I can't even believe it! It seems as though it is almost a daily that you learn something new.  You have discovered your feet! You love to kick, pull your socks off, attempt to walk and bend your legs all the way up to your face - I wish I could move like that!

Mommy took you in for your four month check up and you are doing well as far as your height and weight are concerned. You are a tall little boy! 26.5 inches long puts you in the 89th percentile for height.

When the doctor asked Mommy if she had any concerns she started to mention teething, the doctor cut her off and said that he knew what she was going to say. He said that there is no research that babies feel pain leading up to a tooth coming in. He went on to say that when teenagers get their wisdom teeth you don't see them drooling and fussy; therefore, babies don't feel pain.

When Mommy mentioned that you had been up every hour lately he told her to put you in your own room and let you cry all night for 3-5 nights. He chuckled, looked at you and said, "You have no idea what we are talking about."

Mommy left the doctors office feeling pretty uneasy. She decided that it is time to find a new doctor, one that actually cares about your well being.

Daddy stayed home sick half of the week. While he was sick you decided it would be fun to keep us up all night. After several days of this Daddy decided to call your grandma to ask for advice. He told her what was going on and she said, "She wished she lived closer so she could help us" and she just bawled on the phone. The next day your grandpa called and said they were going to put your grandma on a plane to come up and help us.

In the meantime Carrie (a friend from Santa Clara 3rd Ward) came over one day and just held you. This gave Mommy a much needed break- I was able to get a shower and fold the ever growing mountain of laundry. You eventually fell asleep in Carrie's arms for about two hours, it was amazing!

Somehow Carrie holding you lead you to start taking two sixty minute naps each day, this was a huge answer to our prayers!

Your grandma got in around midnight Friday night.

Bath time with Grandma

It has been a bit of a roller coaster since you were born. You sleep good some of the time and terribly at other times. It's been nice to have the extra help, so Mommy and Daddy can get some sleep and a few things done around the house. You can tell your grandma really loves you.

An Act Of Faith

I have been thinking a lot this past week about the Prophet Joseph Smith. I am so incredibly grateful for the young boy Joseph who lived nearly 200 years ago. My life has been forever blessed because of the faith of this young man.

He was raised in a home where he learned to love the Lord. He had a question, he pondered on that question, he looked everywhere to find the answer to his question (the Bible, different religious congregations) and he just couldn't seem to find an answer. He decided to pray to God for an answer to his question as directed in the book of James and something miraculous occurred- He saw God the Father and his son Jesus Christ and he received and answer to the question that troubled his soul. Because of the faith of this young man the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth and that is nothing short of miraculous.

I cannot imagine what my life would be like without the knowledge of the Gospel. I know who I am, I know why I am here and I know where I want to go. I am a daughter of God. He loves me. I am created in His image. I am here to learn, to grow, to be tested and to try to become like Him. I hope in living a life patterned after his that I can return to live with him someday.

Andy's Birthday, Color Me Rad & General Conference

It's been a very long and tiresome week, Bubba. The week started off with celebrating Daddy's birthday! We had pizza, Mommy made cupcakes that turned out terribly (sometimes that happens) and we rented a movie. It was the perfect little celebration for your Dad. We sure love him!

Mommy found this picture on Daddy's phone. Apparently he likes to put garbage on your head. What are we going to do with him?

Later that night Daddy started feeling sick. He went to work the next day and came home early because he felt so sick. He ended up staying home the rest of the week.

For some reason, you decided it would be fun to be up every hour of the night while Daddy was sick and you are still on this party all night kick- it's been awful! I'm not sure how many more days like this we can handle. We feel so worn out and tired that we can't even think straight. We are in survival mode at the moment.

Back in January Mommy signed us up to do the Color Me Rad Race and it happened to fall on the same weekend as General Conference and at the same time as Daddy's illness. We figured since we had signed up for it, we might as well do it.

You're such a good little eater.

You just love that rice cereal.

We ran and walked the 5K with our friends Kirsten and Jonathan and their family- one of their little girls was having some hip pain hence the walking. Honestly, it was really nice to get out of the house, get some fresh air and enjoy the sunshine. We put the rain cover on the stroller and buckled you in. We enjoyed watching your eyes get huge as people threw color on the stroller. Eventually you got bored and fell asleep.

At the start of our run.

Look at those big eyes.

Andy and Bubba.

Andy, Bubba & Me.

The Party Crew!

Congrats Bubba! You completed your first race! Before we know it, you will be running 5K's with your own two legs- please don't grow up too fast!

We grabbed some Dickie Jo's before heading home to watch General Conference.

I just love General Conference! I love listening to the Prophet, apostles and other church leaders. I always walk away from Conference feeling so motivated, uplifted and inspired to do and be better. I hope you learn to love General Conference too one day, Bubba. Living the gospel of Jesus Christ brings so much joy to my soul! It truly is the ultimate source of truth and happiness.

Also worth mentioning, you discovered your penis. You have been grabbing it during bath time lately. Daddy pries your fingers off and you try to grab it again. What are we going to do with you?

Who me???

Nana's Green Chile Casserole

One of the things I craved while pregnant was Nana's Green Chile Casserole (it's my Dad's favorite meal). I called her to see if she could give me the recipe and she didn't know what dish I was talking about. She called me back later and asked if it could be her Green Chile Enchiladas- it was, I grew up calling it Green Chile Casserole.

Ingredients

Corn tortillas
1 can green chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup cheddar cheese + additional for top of casserole
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Line the base of the greased by with corn tortillas torn into pieces.  Mix the remaining ingredients together and spread on top of corn tortilla pieces. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes.

Nana suggest serving this along side a taco salad consisting of 1pound of hamburger, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, salsa and chips.