Family Pictures

We had family pictures taken last week before our big move. Kourtney Adams, a friend from Jr. High and High School, has started a photography business. She was doing mini-sessions for an awesome price that I just couldn't pass up. Ben was a good sport about doing pictures and Chase at least didn't cry during the photoshoot. Even though he wasn't super smiley, Kourt was still able to get some cute pictures of him. I love the way they turned out! Thanks Kourt!

My little sweetie

Here are some pictures I took of my little sweetie this last week.

I love this little boy more than anything.

His little smile is my favorite.

We just did his four month doctor's appointment, about two weeks early because of our move.
His perfectly healthy. He loves doctor appointments, I think he feels like the star of the show.
He smiles at the doctor the whole time while he's checking him out.
The only thing is...our kid is tiny. Seriously, he's now up (seriously, up) to the 5th percentile in weight. He's on the 25th percentile in height and head circumference.
I don't know where we got him.
Ben and I are not small people.
At least he's healthy. The doctor assures me he's still normal.

This is a classic Chase face. He looks so surprised/confused. It makes me laugh every time.

10 lbs 8 oz
23.5 inches of pure cuteness

Kate's Art

My old roommate Kate Hanks (now Kate Allen) is a fabulous artist. She is really creative and I love her style. She painted us a gorgeous painting for our wedding that we absolutely love. She recently opened an etsy shop CinnamonInk where she sells these adorable children's prints. She made this cute airplane print for Chase's nursery.

Here is another sampling of her darling work:

When I have a baby girl I'm going to buy this one for her room.

Anyway, I love her art and I think it's awesome that she opened her own business.

Our Awesome Weekend in Provo

This weekend we took a break from our normal life to spend a weekend in Provo with some of our favorite people! I had a baby shower for my friend Caitlin from nursing school on Saturday. It was so fun to see my nursing friends and cute Caitlin with her big round belly- can't wait to see pictures of that sweet baby Cole! After the shower we headed to our old neighborhood and spent some time with the Bennetts!
We have sure missed our friends since we moved to Kaysville. We love the Bennetts and were so glad to get to spend some time with them! Chad and Alyse are so good with Chase! He loved them.

Chase pretty much decided we were done there- he melted down. So we gracefully excused ourselves and got the babe a little calmed down. Then we headed over to Caldwells for the rest of the weekend. Ben made pizza, which was fabulous, Meghan and I talked and talked, Ben and Mike chilled together, Ethan investigated Chase, and Chase sat around still completely oblivious to Ethan. So far Chase much prefers adults. Oh well, I assume that will end as he gets older.

We put the babies to bed and did something really grown up- watched the latest Disney movie Tangled. I actually loved the movie. We enjoyed our little slumber party and went to bed way too late for people who have to get up in the middle of the night to feed babies. We have to enjoy these people while we are still living in the same state!

All the boys in the morning

Ethan is so cute with Chase. He kept wanting to touch his head.

On Sunday we got to go back to our old married ward in Provo, that we haven't attended in over a year due to our calling in the singles ward. It has changed so much, we hardly knew anyone there! The highlight of church was seeing our friend James Daley walk into sacrament meeting with his wife Shawna. James has been serving our country in Afghanistan since last June. He's just back for two weeks of leave, then he goes back for another few months. It made my day to see him there.
Chase held it together through church (he had been pretty fussy all weekend). He slept in Ben's arms through the whole meeting. After church we went to Russell and Ashley's sweet baby girl's blessing. Their sweet two year old Brookie sang I am a Child of God (probably the sweetest thing ever) and little Kynlee looked beautiful. I told Chase he should snatch her up, she's beautiful and I'm sure she'll be smart, sweet and funny when she grows up, and he'd have awesome in-laws. Chase, however, went back to being fussy and Ben had to take him outside.
At that point we called it a wrap for the weekend and headed back to Kaysville. My parents sure were happy to see Chase again. We took him to the doctor Monday to check out why he'd been so fussy all weekend. Ear infection. Lovely. The little guy is on antibiotics (which he loves, laps it up like candy) and after just a few days of the antibiotics he's already a different baby.

We were so glad to see all our friends this weekend! We love you all so much! Thanks for putting up with our fussy baby!

A few of my favorite things

For all of my friends who are soon-to-be mommy's, I thought I'd make a list of some of my favorite baby items. When I was pregnant I liked asking anyone and everyone what stuff they liked. Most of these aren't completely essential. I've found that only a few things are absolutely essential: a few clothes, diapers, a few blankets, and some way to feed the child. These are things that have made my life so much easier with my babe.

A carseat cover:
My mom bought this for me for Christmas and I love it! The little loops keep in it place, and this one is thick with cute minkie fabric on the inside, so it keeps the cold and wind out. Especially since Chase was a winter baby, the few times I did take him out it was nice to just keep him covered. Even now when we are running errands and he is sleeping in the carseat it keeps everything a little quieter and darker.
Sleeper Nightgowns:
My brother is completely disgusted that I have Chase sleep in a 'dress', but I love these sleepers. They make middle of the night diaper changes so much easier! These are Carter's brand. You can find them at Kohls, which I've found has some of the cutest baby clothes at the best prices I've found anywhere.
Travel System:
We bought the Chicco travel system and I've been very happy with it. We liked the neutral green color and actually picked it out before we knew if Chase was a boy or girl. It's really sturdy and the stroller rolls really well. When we researched it we found that this carseat is rated one of the best "bang for your buck" carseats- it's not too expensive and has excellent safety ratings. The only downside is that the carseat is on the heavy side. I'd recommend it to anyone.
Swaddle Me:
I got this as a gift from my friend Rachel and it is one of my favorite things. Chase loves being swaddled and this keeps him very tightly swaddled. He sleeps in it most nights and when he was brand new I'd put him in it to feed him because he couldn't figure out what to do with his hands and they just got in the way.

Pack N Play:
My mom bought me this pack n play as a baby shower present and I love it. This one is Graco brand. It's really easy to set up, packs up really small and I love the attached changing table. It makes traveling with Chase so much easier. Also, Chase loves mobiles, and this mobile has little bears that are facing him while he lays in it. It's also nice that when we are traveling Chase is sleeping in something familiar. (Actually- I'm not sure he knows the difference yet, but it sure makes me feel better). It's going to be his bed in Dominica.
Some more favorite things:

• Blankets- I swear you can never have too many. There have been some weeks where almost every blanket we own is dirty. We got a big variety of blankets as gifts- big, thin ones for swaddling, soft, fluffy ones to keep him warm, and I love all of them! I just bought him the Aden and Anais swaddling blankets for Dominica, so I can wrap him without him getting too hot. They are big, thin, soft and gauzy and I think will be perfect for the heat!
• Rocking Chair- We decided early on the a rocking chair would be a luxury and we would buy it if we had enough money left at the end of the pregnancy. Ben found one on Craigslist for a really good price and it was basically brand new. I love it. I'm so glad we got it. I spend a lot of time there, rocking Chase to sleep, reading him stories, and nursing.
  
• Boppy Pillow- I sent Ben out to buy this when Chase was 3 days old because nursing was so difficult. I didn't buy one before because I know some people don't like it or think it works very well, but I have loved it. I'm sad I can't take it to Dominica with us.
• Books- I love reading to my baby. He started really liking story time when he was about 6 weeks old and could sit up supported on my lap. He gets really excited looking at the pictures and I feel like it's good 'quality' time with him. The older he gets, the more engaged he is in his books. He doesn't really like toys yet, but thinks books are great.
  

General Conference and BFSC reunion

This last weekend was awesome for two reasons:
1. General Conference- I love listening to the apostles and hearing their inspiring words. I feel so uplifted after listening to them. With all the big changes coming up in our lives, it was nice to hear the perspective and wisdom of our church leaders.
2. The Bradens were here! This isn't news really, they always come for conference weekend. It's a huge party. I love their family. We've been family friends since we lived in Boise when I was 3. I love that we've been able to stay close to them. Jana, the sole daughter in the Braden family, has been adopted as a sister/cousin into our family. Hence, Jana, Heidi and I refer to ourselves as BFSCs (Best Friends/Sisters/Cousins). We all had a fabulous time lounging around watching conference, watching Community episodes between sessions, staying up late laughing, eating my mom's delicious cooking, and enjoying a night out at Fat Boy's.
Chase especially enjoyed the weekend because I don't think he ever got set down, as shown in the pictures below. Let's just say it has been a rougher week now that he has just me to hold him all day, and occasionally I do have to set him down.



I love this picture of Chase and Ben. Chase was a little overwhelmed with all the people and noise. He's used to a really quiet, calm house. He looks like his clinging onto to Ben for dear life here. He did have huge eyes the whole time taking everything in. I think, in time, he'll warm up to the Bradens:) (Also, he loves loves loves Pam. I wish I had a picture of them together!)

THE BFSCs

Heidi and Chase reading People magazine.
His dad and Uncle Will were not too happy when they saw this picture.

Then Heidi introduced Chase to "silky one". It's her little blanket (that actually started as my aunt's bathrobe) that she loved when she was little. Chase was excited I think.

3 months

My baby turned 3 months old on Monday! I can't believe it- in some ways it feels like it's gone really fast. In other ways, Ben and I feel like he's been in our lives forever. We sure love this boy!

I've been taking a picture with Chase and his bear every month. He hasn't actually grown as much as this makes it look, mostly he's learned to stretch out his legs. But I love to see the changes in his little face, he looks so much older now!

Brand New

One Month Old

Two Months Old

Three Months Old

A few things about my sweet boy at three months:
He is not a fan of tummy time, but when he is being cooperative he either rolls over or just sits there with his head up looking. This kid has a really strong neck.

He rolled over for the first time at 7 weeks. Technically that was a "2 month" thing. He's better at it now though:)

He loves story time. He always has, but he's more interactive about it now than ever. He sits in my lap, makes noise and kicks his little arms and legs around in excitement while we read. It's one of my favorite things to do with him.
He's not a huge fan of the car seat, but will tolerate it usually if we are going on a walk or driving in the car. He usually falls asleep during both activities.
He smiles all the time now, which is the best! Nothing makes my day like my little baby smiling back at me.
He loves to be held like this when he's ornery. My brother Will was holding him like this at church a few weeks ago, walking around the halls with him because he was fussy, and someone came up to him and said, "You don't look like you are being very careful with that baby!" He just likes to be held like that, okay?!?!