Thank Heavens For That

First off - That face is just plain beautiful.

And thank heavens for that, because he only slept 3 full hours last night.

Rob and I are like walking zombies. 

He is finally napping in his swing, of course with Teddy to keep him company.

I swear, that Bear was the best purchase.

I've been sick, so I think Ross is getting whatever it is that I have.

A head cold or something?

I was worried about him though because he was soooooo incredibly stuffy last night that he could hardly breath.

The stuffy that you cant do anything about because its stuck in his head.

Poor thing.

That and he broke out in this really bumpy red rash, completely different from the eczema we have been fighting.

I took him to the Doctor first thing this morning.... Literally the first one there when they opened, trying to act calm, but just wanting them to drug him so I could sleep some.

Well, so he could sleep some too. I guess that would be a good place to start.

And of course, after the worst night in a very long time..

Trying every different sleeping position for him, even offering my stomach at one point.. feeding whenever he wanted.. air, no air, lights, no lights, teddy, no teddy.. the guessing game continued.

And it wasn't that he was crying his eyes out, maybe in brief moments, but it was just a constant whine. 

That is almost worse, to be honest.

Anyways, waiting for the Doctor, getting my story straight and making sure I had my questions ready in my head.

He was pretty calm too, just laying on the table, looking around.

Clearly, not my baby, so I knew something was wrong and was really glad I came.

Doctor comes in...

Completely different baby, and not in the sense that made me look good.

He was cooing at her, holding his feet and rocking, laughing, smiling...

You name any type of excitement and he was doing it.

I finally felt I had to reassure her that I wasn't making things up, that I really am not that Mom that rushes in for just anything...

And of course, nothing is wrong.

His throat is very pink, showing signs of irritation, possibly sickness in the near future I guess, and she confirmed that, yes, he was stuffy, so at least I wasn't making that up... Encouraged me to use our humidifier, which honestly I could have thought of that on my own, and just told me to watch the rash.

I hate it when they say that.

"Well, just keep an eye on it."

An eye on it? Like, if it attacks his entire body, then there is something to do?

All experienced Mothers are probably just nodding their heads right now in amusement.

Anyways... As instructed, I am going to get some Benedryl today to ensure that we have a better nights sleep tonight, but again, I could have come up with that one on my own too.

I left the office feeling like a complete idiot, but trying to reassure myself that it is better to be safe than sorry... It could've been worse had I waited, you know the drill..

Of course Ross smiled to all the reception ladies on our way out, making me look even worse. Here I look like the walking dead, and he is just grinning his eyes out?

But thats just how this works.

Having been a Mother for 5 months now, I guess I am just starting to catch on.

On my way out, I held the door for a woman holding her, ah, possibly 5 year old. He was resting his head on her shoulder, blanket over him, Mom looked just about as beat as me, and she was holding a bucket, quite possibly in case the throwing up continued.

I just chuckled in my head, confirming two of my suspicions about the future.

Yes, I will have to get more work out clothes to make me look more productive on days like this. Possibly even matching combinations like serious athletes because no one ever doubts your laziness, the pony tail, or the no make-up theme if you are continually in your perfectly put together work out clothes.

And no, nothing really changes with age. They just get heavier to carry and more complicated.

Possibly more funny when they can actually speak, but that is still up for debate.

So I will leave you now and fold my laundry, the exact laundry a gigantic centipede decided to crawl through...

Yes, that might be another story.

And hopefully today goes better.

I most likely wont shower yet again, but hey, it doesn't really count if I have a daily routine of deodorant, right?

But oh goodness, let's just focus on this face.

How I just love this face.

And Thank heavens for that.

I Hope It Stays That Way

Who needs toys when you have a crinkling bag of craisins?

It entertained him longer than elephant does.

And I was able to unload the dishwasher, do the dishes, and start up the dishwasher again, all without taking breaks for my booping clapping mixture.

It was really nice.

And this is how he was sitting today.

We cannot figure out why, but it was way too cute to watch.

And after a long day for Daddy...

There's nothing like a little love from Ross to brighten his day.

Those two are the best of buddies.

I hope it stays that way.

Love My Monkey Boy

On Thursday we had a girls lunch to make sure we had an official something with all of us leaving.

We also just had to document things to make sure we had proof that we all really were friends.

I'm also hoping Ross meets back up with one of these children in college so I can show pictures or something.

Wouldn't that be the coolest?

Of course Ross had to sit by Livi, who so graciously helped him sit up.

It is always funny getting pictures of a bunch of babies, as all the Moms are shouting and cooing their eyes out to get their attention.

Comedy moment, thats for sure!

I tried to put Ross between the ladies, thinking he would like the attention, but clearly they all just thought it was weird.

And this is one I have to save, just in case it is needed at a wedding reception down the road.

It was a really nice lunch though, and Ross was in heaven.

All the babies were crawling around and he was just on his tummy, playing with toys.

Yesterday he tried scooting, and he was getting pretty good at it. I think it was because he wanted to be like all the other babies.

It has been so fun knowing all these wonderful women, and I know we will stay in contact through the years because of the memories we have created here.

Friends are such a nice thing to have and I am so grateful for them.

Lori is the first to leave us, driving off with their trailer next Friday..

And then its Diana, after the 4th... Jaime the 15th? or somewhere near there?.. and then us, the 23rd.

Poor Orchid is staying here without us, but I know she will find even better replacements!

We all met each other before we had babies, we all encouraged each other through pregnancy, and then we have been cheering each other on through babies.

What a fun experience to share with them.

It's only fitting that we see these babies grow up, so I am making them keep me as their facebook friends!

On other news... This little guy is soooo close to rolling over.

Its driving me crazy!! 

I want to help him so badly, but I know he has to just do it by himself.

Even at the lunch, everyone was cheering him on.. Ross, Ross, Ross, Ross..

When he realized they were cheering him, he stopped and just started smiling like crazy, completely forgetting what he was doing!

But his face is just the cutest.

And I am starting to think he thinks his feet are two additional hands.

Love my Monkey Boy.

Go Me!

This little man got in trouble yesterday.

And when I told him No, with as stern a face as I could muster, this was the face I got in return...

I couldn't stop laughing.

He looked so silly, trying to be serious too but having no idea what the word meant.

Why did he get in trouble?

Because this little man started spitting his food at me.

The more I laughed, the more he spit. 

And I honestly believe nothing got swallowed.

He learned to spit, learned Mom thought that was funny, and I couldn't get him to stop.

I finally cleaned him up so that food wasn't getting anywhere, but he was so fascinated with spitting that we spit all day long.

I love this face so much, it kills me!

So thankfully he is only 4 months old and disciplining isn't even on the table yet, because if it was supposed to be something you did, I would have failed miserably!

And I had a gig yesterday!

My first photo victims.

It was just for fun, but I think it turned out pretty good!

Go me!

He Is Truly My Favorite

Well, not only was today the first Father's Day for Rob..

But it was my first time having to be in charge!

Now I know how much goes on behind the scenes...

As a kid, I just did what my mom told me to do while adding a cute hug and kiss or love note in there.

And sure, Dad's eat that stuff up..

But someone has to make the meal.

Someone has to plan the love notes.

Someone just plain has to plan something.

And I felt so much pressure this year because...

A. It was his first Father's Day.

B. We are moving soon and don't really have the place for scrapbooks or picture frames that will just be packed up and stored.

C. He does not have an office where he can show off his kids with something creative.

I just was at a loss.

Thankfully Rob is not hard to please, and at the end of the day, just wants to know that we appreciate him and everything he does for us.

But a Dad has to have something to show off his Fatherhood and so I thought I would go the "techy-creative" route.

Yes, that is his iPhone lookin' much better with Ross on it.

I was so nervous about ordering it online because I didn't know the quality..

But I was pleasantly surprised, and when you guys see it in person you will be oh so jealous.

In fact, after Rob put it on his phone and everything he said, "Do you know who's going to want one of these?"

I honestly couldn't answer.

But once he said my Mom, I felt stupid that I didn't think of it.

Christmas gifts? Just maybe.

Here is Ross in his Father's Day church outfit.

I know Mom, he already is fitting in this!!

Rob taught in Elder's today, so I had the little guy..

And let's just say that it was one of those Sunday's where I was trying to figure out why I went to church in the first place.

I missed the sacrament, but heard maybe 10 min. of one of the talks.

I guess the choir sang and a member of the Stake Presidency spoke as well, but I wouldn't know.

I missed Sunday School entirely.

And then I caught the last 20 min. of Relief Society... tithing maybe?

But he's cute, right?

And what Father's Day is not complete without a delicious meal.

I cooked all of his favorites.

A man meal with meat, potatoes, peppers, a gravy, and a salad.

Leftovers for a week in other words.

And we ate this delicious meal on a really cute picnic table that we got for our wedding.

It rolls up and fits in this shoulder bag.

It seriously was perfect.

We did a linner to make sure that Rob could get in a good Sunday nap.

Regardless of it being Father's Day, he needs it... Bad.

But it was also perfect because Ross went down for his nap right as we were about to have dinner, so we actually got to sit together and talk and be cute at our cute little table.

It was perfect.

And we are just so thankful for Rob.

Our little family would not be complete without him, and I am certainly more and more grateful for him the more days we have under our belt.

I couldn't do this without him and he is seriously such a great Dad.

He is truly my favorite.