The Zoo and 5 Months Old

Last Monday I got to go to the zoo with my good friends (that I never see anymore because, well I'm not really that good of a friend! lol) from high school, Sharece and Chelsea, and their cute little kids! It was so fun to see them, and even though Sophia decided that she was going to rebel against my having fun it was still a fun day!

Sophia wasn't too interested in the animals, but I took some pictures with them anyway. :) If you look in the background there is a sleeping tiger.

(The tigers are my favorite, other than the baby elephant of course) :)

Sophia was pretty grumpy all day - this was a rare moment where she wasn't crying, so I tried to get a smile out of her...yeah it didn't work, but look at the cute hat that I bought her!

Sophia looking at the leopard

My friend Sharece and cute little Jason with the leopard. You can't tell in this picture, but Sharece has an adorable little baby belly that is just so darn cute!

We found this peacock flaunting his feathers while I was trying to get Sophia to stop crying. It was really cute because Jason kept trying to get it. :)

Yes, I look enormous in this picture, but the point is that Sophia isn't screaming and there's a giraffe behind us. :)

Here's the cute baby elephant - he's so little!

Sophia's cute new hat

Jason was so cute, he was running around looking at everything and exploring everywhere! He thought this monkey was pretty cool.

Isn't he just a cutie? Seriously!

And I'm so mad that I didn't get any pictures of Chelsea and I only got two of her cute little Serena! She was absolutely adorable! She would wave at us and smile - just precious. Plus she has the most gorgeous eyes - they just sparkle! Yeah, once these kids grow up Serena and Sophia will be friends, just you wait and see. :) (Serena is about 4 months older than Sophia)

Here's Serena and Sophia next to eachother - yeah I decided that I need to bring a smaller stroller next time! lol

Even though Sophia was angry and screaming/crying/whining/etc all day, in the end I think she had fun after all, and I still love her. :)

And on another note - Sophia is 5 months old today! Man she's getting big! I measured her today and she was 25 inches long! I'll weigh her in the morning and change this sentence to say how much she weighs, but I'm almost positive she's over 14 pounds now. She's growing fast!

Here's Sophia in her bumbo chair. This is a typical "Mom's got a camera, what do I do now?" look that she gives me.

And there's the smile that she was hiding from me! Man I love this girl!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Don't forget to leave a comment!

I Just Wanted to Post Some Pictures...

So I always LOVE posts with a lot of pictures, and it just so happens that I downloaded all of the pictures from my cell phone to my computer! I don't take a lot of pictures on there - mostly because in the past I've never been able to get pictures off of the phone so I ended up losing them forever - but when I got this phone I also got a mini SD card so it's easy to transfer. Such a handy little thing. :) Anyway, these span from when I was in the hospital to a couple of days ago. Kind of fun to watch Sophia grow! :)

First night with Sophia - I couldn't stop taking pictures. :)

My Mom was there for the birth, but this is my Dad's first time holding his first grandchild! You can't see in this picture but he was soooo excited and happy! It was cute. :)

My new baby girl

Daddy and Baby (1 day old)

Getting ready to leave the hospital - proud Daddy and poor baby that is drowning in her newborn outfit! :) (2 days old)

So you can see her hair (3 days old)

At her first family Christmas party! (5 days old)

I think that this was about 1 week old - after we finally brought her back to our own house (Stayed with the in-laws the first week)

Jon never wanted to put her down - even if he was preoccupied. (For the record, that's he's trying to look like a bad dad, he even told me to take a picture while he was playing videogames and using Baby Girl as a cupholder because he thought it was funny.) :)

And the size comparison - holy cow! I think she was only 3 or 4 days old here.

This was about 1 month and some change old - This is the jumperoo at my inlaws house and it's on the lowest setting, and you can't really see it but her feet are still about 2 inches off the ground!

Right around Easter (4 months old). She's not asleep, she just didn't want me to take a picture of her. Little stinker...

See, she's awake. :) She pulls this face a LOT

And last but not least - it's Sophie Safari! This was taken Monday (as in yesterday). I finally cleaned off the jumperoo we got for her on KSL (LOVE that site!) and we let her play in it. She hasn't quite figured out the jumping part, but she likes the lights and music and being able to see things. And I just had to put that hat on her! It's actually from a build-a-bear that Jon gave me for Christmas when we were engaged!

Anyway, those were my favorites. Hope you enjoyed them, and don't forget to leave a comment! :)

Paranoid?

So I don't know if I'm just being overly paranoid or if this is normal, but ever since having Sophia I am terrified of practically everything! Like this earthquake today that some people felt and people like me did not - that scares the crap out of me! But at the same time about 2 years ago I was training a class and I got all funny feeling like my knees were giving out on me and one of my students asked if anyone else had felt the floor move, and I realized that was an earthquake. Did I panic and get all scared about that? NO! I was so excited to have felt my first earthquake I called a bunch of people and was giddy like a kid! Now though, when I didn't even feel it, I was so scared to put Sophia in bed because if something happened then I would have to go down the stairs to get her. (sigh) So yeah I don't know if it's because I'm a mom now or if it's because of all of the really big devastating earthquakes over the last year that has me so spooked, but I'm hoping I can sleep tonight!

And on another terrified note, I've been nervous before when Jon goes fishing at night by himself, or during the day as well. Once he went fishing for over 17 hours when I thought he would be home in the after noon (rolled in around 11:30 at night) and I was actually ready to go looking for him because I hadn't heard from him yet. But that's the only time I've panicked. Now, every time he goes and I'm not with him, whether he has a buddy there or not, I keep going through all of the worst case scenarios and am a nervous wreck until he's home.

Then of course there's those times when I'm loading groceries into my car with Sophia in the cart (in her carseat) and I'm terrified that as soon as I turn my back to put something in the car someone will come and snatch her up. I actually will position the cart so I don't have to take my eyes off of her.

It just seems like everything is so much scarier than before! Is this normal? Is it just because I had a baby? Or perhaps I'm going crazy? Anyway, I guess I know why Mom's are always so overprotective now...hopefully I can keep it in check once Sophia's old enough to care. :)

"Seriously Mom, chill out!"

4 Month Checkup

Sophia had her 4 month checkup today - man what a trooper! Last time she cried when they checked her ears, eyes, hip joints and when they listened to her heart! This time though, she smiled and babbled at the doctor the whole time! He got quite a kick out of that. :) She had to get some more vaccinations today - same ones as at her 2 month appt - and they came in the form of 3 shots to her legs and one that was a syrup that she ate. This is where she really was the trooper - after they gave her the first shot it took a good 10-15 seconds before she really realized that she was in pain enough to cry! Then she cried pretty hard for the other 2 shots and only cried/whimpered for about 5 minutes after they finished! She didn't like getting dressed again or being put back in the carseat, but after some loves she was doing just fine and I didn't hear a peep out of her as soon as we were out of the room. To prove it, the picture below is about 5 minutes after she got her shots - see, no crying for her!



She's been a little fussy and whiney at home, mostly just snuggly though. And once her Tylenol wore off she was pretty upset, but overall this has been a MUCH better experience than last time!


All in all she's growing really well! Here's her numbers:

• Height: 24.7 inches (I must have mis-measured last time I tried because there's no way she grew 2 inches in 2 weeks!) - 60th percentile
  
• Weight: 13 lbs 11 oz - 50th percentile
  
• Head: 15.7 inches - 15th percentile

So she still has a little head, which I don't mind because it's cute, and she's growing a ton! So proud of my little girl and how well she did at the Doctor's today!

Magic of Straight Hair

So I don't know if any of you knew this - especially since I think I'm one of the few people in the world with a crazy blonde fro, though other people with fro's can appreciate this too - but when you straighten your hair, it's like magic. True story! You see, I've been feeling a little down lately, what with the pressures of money, raising a baby, trying to lose stupid flubby weight while trying to curb cravings for all things sweet and fattening, the usual culprits. To add on to that, I went to a play just over a week ago to see a friend from high school perform as the lead roll in Broadway's touring group of Legally Blonde The Musical, and of course saw others from high school there as well (along with someone I dated for a very short time). While it was so fun to see everyone, I had not had time to really get "dolled up" for the play, so I had a curly, frizzy bun thing going on (which my hair hadn't been washed in a few days, you other mommies can understand), and I was wearing a sweater that was really too small for bulging after-baby tummies but hadn't had time to do laundry so it was really all I had. The old friends I saw were, of course, still skinny, gorgeous and all dressed up for the theater, so I got all self-concious and all feeling sorry for myself. Lame, I know, but hey, sometimes it's hard to get control over those emotions!

I sort of went all week feeling that way - just frumpy, chubby, flubby, and fuzzy. Which really is silly because I've lost over 2/3 of my pregnancy weight (of course, factor in that I gained a horrible 55-60 pounds, even if a lot of it was water weight, it's even more impressive). That week I even got a few compliments from people saying that I was looking great, but I still couldn't shake off this stupid feeling that I looked like crap.

Ah, but here is where the magic comes in. Saturday I went to my Grandma's house for Easter celebrations, and the whole day concentrated on sucking in my gut and holding my chin up so that there would appear to be only one chin present. Then we went to my parent's house, and on Sunday, Sophia fell asleep while my parents were holding her and I was getting ready, and I thought to myself "Hmm, I could really straighten my hair right now - Sophia is being taken care of, I don't have to clean or do homework, Jon is fishing, I have some time for me" So I checked with my parents to make sure they didn't mind holding Sophia a little longer (of course they didn't mind!) and I went to work. I personally hadn't straightened my hair since last October, though I had a hair dresser straighten it for my in February for Sophia's blessing.

Needless to say, I was a little rusty, but after a while my tresses became smooth and shiney, and I began to see what I looked like without a poof-ball on my head again. It was glorious. Then I finished, flipped my hair back and forth, ran my fingers through it, held it in various ponytails and updo's so see how it would look, and finally smoothed it down and left it to drape my shoulders. With a touch of mascara, I felt like I ruled my world again. I felt pretty, happy, and confident. I dared people from my past to come and see me! I wouldn't be intimidated or jealous of them anymore! Sure, I still had a few extra pounds on me (okay a lot of extra pounds from high school), but I was a rockstar at that moment. For the rest of the day, I felt great. Then we went home, Monday came and I kept my hair straight. Still happy! I didn't even leave my house, but it didn't matter, I felt great, and the day was so much better than it had been in a while. Today is the last day that my hair will be straight, because I can't go any longer without washing it. However, even tied up in a bun on top of my head I feel great.

People have always teased me for spending a lot of time on my hair - especially when I would straighten it and put it immediately into a pony tail. But you see, the magic straight hair is what keeps me going sometimes, and what makes me feel good. Just like my mascara comment in the previous post, it might seem shallow or narcissistic for me to take so much pride in my straight hair, but I don't care. It makes me happy. Plus, I haven't found a hair dresser in the world who can get my hair as straight as I can. :)

So that is the tale of the magic that straight hair can have. I know that this is a long and silly post, but I'm in a really good mood right now because of my hair being straight. You never know how wonderful it is to brush your hair until you can't anymore. :)

Things That Make Me Happy

So I finally got a chance to read some other people's blogs and I've been tagged by my friend Heather to write down some of the things that make me happy. It got me thinking about what really does make me happy right now in my life, and how different this list would have been had I been asked to write the same thing 6 years ago when I was about to graduate high school. It's a little scary. Lucky for you, I'm only putting down my current list! :)

This is in no particular order as I am currently holding a whiney baby and typing one-handed, so I'm not going to waste brain/concentration power on ordering these. :)

• Jon
• Sophia
• My family
• His family
• Primary Songs
• Music (playing, listening, all types, I LOVE music!)
• Smaller numbers on my scale every week
• Dressing up nice
• Straight hair
• Almond Fudge shakes
• Going to the Temple
• Old friends
• New friends
• Mascara (I know I know, but really my eyes are much more attractive with it and that makes me happy!)
• Summer/warm places
• Fitting into smaller clothes
• Cache Valley
• Driving with the windows down and the music loud
• Bills being paid and having money left over (okay so that doesn't really happen much, but it would make me happy if it did!) :)

Anyway, it might be a strange list to some, but those are some of the things that make me happy right now. What are some of your favorite things? I tag....Chelsea, Sharece, Jalynn, Lila and Laura (either Laura will do!) :) Oh, and anyone else who wants to play as well. :)

Sophia's 4 Month Pictures

So every month I try to get a picture of Sophia so that I can see her grow. This is the first month I've actually taken pictures of her on the right day! But yeah, as of this afternoon when I weighed and measured her, she was 13.4 pounds and 22 1/2 inches tall! Crazy! Anyway, here's just a couple of shots of her that I took. She's just so fun, I just love her! Happy 4 months Sophia!

Just doing some tummy time.

I love her face in this one! She loves to stand and actually doesn't like it at all when you make her sit or lay down. :)

This is so you can see a height comparison - she's still really small, even after growing 4 inches in 4 months. :)

Height comparison next to me - Even I had to stoop down to hold her up! :)

Mommy and Sophia

Oh I just love her so much! I also have another video of her when she's on tummy time - she had been happily gabbing away but then she started to get distressed and tired. I don't know, I thought it was pretty cute anyway. :) Enjoy!

Anyway, I know I've done 3 posts today now, but hopefully you enjoyed them! Don't forget to comment! :)

Emily is Here!

My new neice Emily Lauren Hunter is here! Amber (who is one of my four favorite sister in laws!) ;) went in this morning and was induced - and everything happened in less than 2 hours! She was checked in to be induced at about 9:45, the broke her water about 11:00 I think, and Emily was born at 11:58 after only about 2 pushes! (Sigh) I'm not jealous or anything, really. ;) Haha, just kidding, but everything went really well! Emily is 7 lbs 9 oz, and 21 1/2 inches long! She also has really thick dark hair. Oh I just love her already! Anyway, here are some pictures! (I didn't take a lot because I was busy oggling over the baby) :)

Little Emily!

You can see a tiny bit of her hair poking out of the hat here.

With her Daddy (doesn't Josh look so proud!)

Her beautiful Momma!

And of course with her favorite uncle Jon!

And her favorite aunt Mindy! Ha ha, yes I'm already brainwashing her into thinking that I'm her favorite! :)

It's so weird to hold a brand new baby after yours has grown up so much! I mean just the difference in weight is hard to believe! Little Emily is so light! While Sophia is 13.4 pounds! (We just weighed her today). I can't wait until we can get a picture of these two next to eachother - Sophia will look like a giant! Ha ha, anyway that is my adorable new neice! :) Congrats Amber and Josh!