Disneyland

This year we went with Chad's family to Disneyland.  We've been planning it for over a year, but it feels like longer due to our brother-in-law, Tyler's, daily countdown.  "Only 156 more days until Disneyland!" 

We decided that driving 12 hours in the car with Logan was completely out of the question, and we would take our chances fighting him on a plane instead.  We came ultra prepared with snacks and bottles and toys and movies, I seriously considered bribing everyone around us with gifts so that they'd like us and find it in their hearts to tolerate us and our 15 month old.  We prayed and prayed that he'd be good and our fellow passengers wouldn't want to kick us out of the emergency exit mid-flight. Fortunately, our prayers were answered and Logan was a champ.  He was so great on the flight, and our hopes were high by the time we landed that we were going to have a fantastic week. 

Turns out...we should have extended our prayers to include the entirety of our trip and not just our flights.

This was hands down the least relaxing, most exhaustingly hard vacation we have ever been on.  Logan was a complete nightmare.  He struggled not being in his own bed, and didn't sleep more than 4 hours a night during the entire week, which means WE didn't sleep more than 4 hours a night the entire week.  He was whiny, and cantankerous, and irritable the entire time.  And less than thrilled with the magic kingdom.

Just out side of Small World Logan exhibited the worst temper tantrum he has ever had.  At one point he ripped off his shoe (I didn't even know he could take off his shoe) and he chucked it some poor, innocent,  little girls head who just happened to be walking by during his melt down.  I had to use the five point harness in his stroller for the first time and I didn't know if it would hold up to his thrashing.  After about 45 minutes of this he cried himself into a mild comma and he slept for the first time in days.  We didn't dare do anything but sit in one spot in Fantasy Land for about 2 hours.  And that little story, my fellow Mousekateers pretty much sums up our trip. 

3 days in, Chad was ready to put down an extra $500 to fly us home immediately.  He was packing suitcases and calling the airline.  Luckily, a little 30 minute power nap allowed me to talk him into letting us stay, although, I wasn't so sure I wanted to stay all that badly either.  We're glad we did though.  Even though Logan didn't really let up, Chad's parents took Logan a couple of times so that Chad and I could go to the park without the screaming child, and during those times, we really enjoyed ourselves.


  Logan decided this trip he was a straight up Daddy's boy, as you can see, I am not in a single picture, due to the fact that  Logan would not allow anyone but Chad hold him, and when I did hold him, he was less then charming for a photo op.







  Oh, oh!  I lied, I'm in one!  Dumbo.  We made him come with me...he whined/cried the entire ride.  Good times.  Good times.

All in all, it was a pretty rough trip.  With a few shinning moments.  And those shinning moments did make it worth while. 

But Note to Logan:  When you start begging us to take you to Disneyland and I refer you to this post, just realize you brought the "No." upon yourself. 

With a lot of brown nosing and a LOT of chores we MAY change our minds...when you and all of your future siblings are over the age of 15.  (It will take us at least that long to recover.)  P.S.  Cars Land...is absolutely amazing.  We thought you'd like it.  You didn't. You did enjoy the spit fountains in Bugs World, however.  Pretty much the only thing you liked.  Oh, that and the hot tub at the hotel...which you weren't supposed to be in. 

John & Cheyanne

So our little brother John got married!  He married the sweetest girl ever: Cheyanne.  These two are just too cute together.  Congratulations you guys!  We're so happy for you!

A Boy and His Bowl

 Give a boy a bowl.

 Add some water...

And you've got one happy kid.

You give a boy a hose...

 And he's ecstatic!

...and if you turn it on...

...he gets very, very wet.

 ...and he likes it.  A lot.

Oh, life's simple pleasures.

Letters to Logan

Hey Bubba!
Man, does time fly when  you are having fun!  You have grown so much over the past few months, and I've been so crazy busy that I haven't found time to document most of it!  (Terrible mom, I know. ) 

We were a little worried about your not crawling by your first birthday, but we are coming to realize that you do things when YOU want to do them.  And if any of us tries to make you do it before you want to...you sure let us know you're not happy about it.  So...until you decided you were ready you just cruised all around the furniture.  And if you weren't by any furniture you'd cry until I figured out where you wanted to.

All of a sudden you're cruising!  You are crawling everywhere, you one day decided that you were going to go upstairs...and you did.  First time.  No hesitation.  From the bottom step all the way up to the top.  No help.  I was beaming with pride...and then fear as I realized I have yet to truly baby proof the house. 

You also started speaking!  You're first word:  Cracker.  Go figure.  You say it more like "kra-ka"...but you definitely say it!  You also say "go" and "Uh-oh"  and "da-da-da-da" When you see your dad.  ...The mom thing...I think  you know how to say it...but only when you feel like you REALLY need to.  You do not perform for anyone no matter how much we beg.  

You are a real Daddy's boy.  This morning when both your Dad and I went to get you out of bed you beamed with joy when Dad picked you up and when he handed you to me you instantly started crying these big crocodile tears.  ...It only hurt a little.  ;)  I cry too when people take me away from your dad!  But Dad just eats it up!  He loves that you adore him.  And he adores you back.  That's for certain.  If I had a nickle for every time your dad randomly says to me "I just LOVE our little boy!" I could pay for your first year of college!

Dad has the most random of nicknames for you.  Some of his favorite are Sanchez, Francesco, Santonio, Santorum, and let's not forget Bean-er.  I'm amazed you know you're name at all.  Especially since I have a few nicknames of my own for you:  Bubba, Lo-gie, Lo-gie-Lowgs, Bumkin, and occasionally...when your cranky, or naughty, I refer to you as Turkey Butt.  I'm guessing some of these will stick...others will change...and I'm SURE more will be added.  I'm just glad when I say "Logan" you do- in fact- turn around. 

I'm sorry to say...that I've taken a pole..and 5 out of 5 moms say you're a hard baby.  Not impossible.  Just hard.  I would have to agree. You have your moments of adorable sweetness.  But for the most part you're kind of hard to keep happy.  I'm pretty sure it's due to the lack of you being able to tell me exactly what you want.  And as soon as you can I'm almost positive that the issue will switch over to me not giving you you want. ...That and teething.  (You've got 5 visible...and 3 trying to break the surface right now.)  The last week, however, you've been an absolute gem!  So I think we'll keep you around for a while yet. ;)

You've recently acquired this terrible habit of chewing on your food and then spitting it out.  Most obnoxious thing ever.  I really don't know how you have any meat on your bones at all, because I'm pretty sure I find 98% of the food you start with on your plate in some chewed up slobbery mess either stuck to your clothes or pooled up in the bottom of your high chair.  ...Or on the floor beside your high chair.  I'm just hoping some of the nutrients from your food seep down your throat while you're gnawing on it.

I get the "Mother of the Year" award!  Turns out you had Hand-Foot-Mouth (Some terrible disease which is ultra contagious and has been spreading around here like wild-fire.  Symptoms being sores/rashes on your hands and feet and in your mouth and down your throat.)  And I didn't even know you had it until you got your cousin Abbie so sick that she went to the doctor and he told us.  Sheesh.  I knew you were sick...but I didn't realize that you had Hand-Foot-Mouth!  Poor little guy! 

Logan, you make me SO happy!  I am so happy to have you in our little family, even if you are a hard baby, I'd never trade you for anything!  I love you!

Forever, For Always & No Matter What

Mom

One Year Old

My baby is one!  O-N-E!  I can hardly wrap my head around it.  It's hard to believe that a year ago today we were flying down the free-way to try and get to a hospital 10 weeks too soon.  It's hard to believe that a year ago I didn't even know my little Logan, and now...he's pretty much the center of our lives.  And it's incredibly hard to believe how big he's getting!

Logan is quite the little spit fire.  He hasn't quite started crawling yet and if you ever try to "help" him do it he has an absolute fit.  The kind the says "Mom, you just ruined my life by putting me on my hands and knees."  In fact he won't let you help me do anything.  If you grab his hand to guide him to touch something or grab something he jerks it away with this defiant "Just because you want me to I won't." look.  Unless it's his idea to do it...it won't happen.  Pretty sure he gets that stubborn side from me.

Just like his daddy though, he prefers all food salty and savory to the sugary stuff.  And he can't stand ice-cream.  Well...correction...I think he likes the taste of it but he does not like that it's cold.  He even struggles with the cold milk.  He likes his food a nice warm temperature.  He's totally over baby food.  He wants food with substance, but he will not feed himself.  I don't know what the deal is.  He'll pick up his food, he'll squish it in his fingers and then he'll throw it.  He will not put it in his own mouth.  If I offer it to him he's good and he'll open his mouth big and wide and lean in to get it. But he won't put it in his mouth himself.  And don't even try to help him.  He'll have a melt down.  Little turkey.

He's currently learning to wave, and give "high fives", and he has seemed to pick up on the fish face.  Hahaha  Cracks me up.  I'll look over and he'll just be standing there with his little cheeks sucked in and his little lips puckering up.  So adorable.

He thinks it's hilarious when people say "ka-ka"  (Like you would if you were to tell your child that whatever foreign object they are about to put into their mouth is gross.)  ...It doesn't work well with him because when I say it...he laughs.  And that foreign object remains in his mouth.

He is weighing in at 20lbs 7oz.  That's just about 17lbs more than when he started. So he's starting to catch up.  Although he is only in the 45th percentile for his weight and 25th percentile for his height (a shorty), he's making up for it by being in the 90th percentile for his head.  Hahaha.  The kid comes by that honestly.  A true Pack.

We took him back to the hospital today to get ice cream at the cafeteria and to visit some of his nurses.  Those women...they will always hold a special place in my heart.  I know they help hundreds of people every week...and to them I may just be another mom...but to me...those women became some of my closest friends while we were in the NICU.  They were the ones I would talk to all day everyday and they were the ones how calmed me down when we were having a rough day.  They kept me sane.  And most of all...they loved my baby.  I think we'll make it a tradition to go back every year on Logan's birthday.  Just because.  It was one of the hardest times of my life, but it most definately changed it for the better.

We had a pool party for Logan's first birthday, with whales, and fish, and water galore.  Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate with us and it was pretty cold to be out playing in the pool.  Boo.  But we all had a pretty good time despite the cool temperatures.  We had so many friends and family come it was a wonderful reminder of all the good people who were there at the beginning.  

Our little Logan has brought us more joy then I ever thought possible.  We thank our Father in Heaven for him every day, and we pray that he continues to grow and develop as well as he has been.

We had a Pool Party for Logan's First Birthday !  Grandma Sue made this sweet fruit salad!

Happy Birthday Logan!  Your momma sure loves you!!!

All Too Familiar

Look who found himself back in the hospital...

 Yeah...not even a year old and he's already acquired two of these little bracelets. 

On Monday morning Logan was cruising around our ottoman and decided to throw a temper tantrum.  He buckled his knees and fell hitting his chin on the ottoman and sending the only two teeth he has into the bottom of his tongue. 

Your average baby boo-boo.  I picked him up, cuddled him for a bit, and he was good.  I set him down to play while I did some dishes.  A few minutes go by and I look over at him and he had a little blood on his lips and drooling down his hand that was in his mouth.  I check it out and think, "Man, must have got his tongue harder than I thought." 

I wiped off his hand and mouth and went back to business.  Look back up..and more blood.  Wipe again.  And again...and again...and again...and again.  After about 3 hours I decided maybe I should call the doctor.  The nurse calls me back a couple hours later and says there really isn't much I can do about it. We just have to wait it out.  So we wait.  And wait...and wait...and wait.

 The kid acted completely fine all day long.  He just looked AWEFUL.  I put him down for a nap, and when he woke up I went in to find a vampire baby.  With blood red lips and dry blood smeared all over his face.  It was like he got in a fight where I'd hate to see the other guy.  Plus, Logan recently decided spitting was funny.  SO in addition to having to wipe blood of his chin...I was wiping blood off of EVERYTHING in our house because he would spit and it would splatter.  Our house looked like the chain-saw massacre.  (In hind-sight I wish I would have taken some pictures...but in the moment pictures were the last thing on my mind.)

By hour 12 we're still wiping up blood.  Chad called the on-call doctor and he said "Yeah...that's too long.  You'd better take him in.  And you might as well go straight to Primary Children's because odds are they are going to have to sedate him to stitch up his tongue."  Great.  At 10p.m.we found ourselves in the ER. 

They put the bracelet on...and I winced a little.  They hooked him back up to the monitors and I just about lost it.  I never wanted to hear those beeping sounds ever again, let alone before he even had his first birthday.  Memories of the NICU came flooding back.  goo. 

We waited for about an hour and a half in the Suture room and about 5 minutes before the Dr. came in...the bleeding stopped.  On hour 13.  The bleeding stopped.  I was both relieved and slightly annoyed.  Logan was perfectly pleasant during the whole experience.  If I didn't know any better I'd say he'd planned it just cause.

The doc came in...looked at us with this..."Really?  You're wasting my time for this??" kind of look.  And then Logan threw up this bloody pool of spit up.  Gross.  I know.  But it was the proof I needed to validate our trip to the ER. 

Little punk.  So glad it worked out.  I doubt I could have handled watching the methods described to us had we needed to stitch up his tongue.  I really account it all to the priesthood blessing Chad gave Logan when he got home from work.  So grateful to have a worthy priesthood holder in my home.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Mom says I need a hair cut. 

Do you think I need a hair cut? 

I think I look great.

A hair cut!?  I wonder what it would be like.  I've never had one.  They sound terrible!

NO!  My mind is made up.  I won't have one!

You can't make me!

What's that you say?  You'll give me a sucker?

Hmmmm....

I like suckers.

PG-13

CAUTION::  This may be a tad inappropriate...but Chad and I thought this was worth sharing.

 I got out the camera.  Logan was cool with having his picture taken.  ...For a while...  ... But as I kept going...   ...I think he changed his mind.

Sorry bud, I'll take the hint next time.

Letters to Logan

Dear Logan,
I'm getting a short window of opportunity to write to you because you are sleeping so sweetly right now.  Some much needed sleep might I add.  I have to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of your 3a.m. freakout last night, Mr.  But then this morning you wake up and look at me with those blue, wide, innocent eyes and give me the most adorable little smile that I forgive you almost instantly for the sleepless night I had.

Then

& Now

Oh my little man, you are growing up SO fast!  I can hardly believe how big you are!  Your little personality is starting to manifest itself more and more every day.  I've come to learn that you are impatient like your mama.  I will put you on your belly on the floor with toys all around you and within 2 seconds of not being able to pick up the toy the way you want to you will give this whiny little grunt of frustration and then start to cry until I come and hand you the toy you couldn't successfully pick up yourself.  Drives me nuts.  ...but again...the second I hand you the toy you smile up at me with a "Thanks Mom!" kind of smile and I get suckered in all over again.  I worry everyday that I'm spoiling you  rotten.  I'm going to have learn to become more immune to your charms, bud, or you're going to turn into quite the little manipulator.

You have this thing for Baby Einsteins right now.  We pull it up for you on an internet site called YouTube and you love it so much that when ever dad or I even OPEN then computer you instantly start to get excited in hopes that we are opening it to turn on Einsteins for you.  Your favorite is Baby Mozart.  There is this silly little dragon puppet on there that you can't seem to get enough of.  You see it and you start to flap your little arms in excitement.  Hahaha  It cracks your dad and I up every time.  I can't help but feel guilty for getting you so addicted to media so quickly.  If there is a cell phone that lights up, an iPad that turns on, or a computer up and running you're completely enthralled.  Even the thermostat that has a glowing green screen on it gets you all sorts of excited.  You sure love your technology.  I'm sure this is going to cost me thousands of dollars in the future.

Other things you seem to really enjoy are tub time, being naked, getting lotion rub downs right before bed, a little cow toy that has a bell in it that you love to swing around and make all sorts of noise with, playing with my hair, pulling on your dad's chin, the song "How much is that Doggy in the Window" and your nursery rhyme book.

You hate it when I put you on your belly, when the cat comes on the screen during baby einsteins, when baby einsteins is over, being startled, having to put clothes back on, and mom and dad putting you down to play on the floor.  You expect us to entertain you a lot of the time...hopefully a phase which  you will quickly grow out of.

A couple of weeks ago you went on a "let's pee on mom" kick.  Every day.  For a whole week.  I got peed on.  Thanks for that, by the way.

Some of my favorite things about you right now.  #1.  Your hair!  I love, love, LOVE your hair!  When I get you out of the tub it goes all froofy, and I absolutley love it.  You have so much of it!  Your dad likes to comb it into a faux-hawk like his, and you look ADORABLE!  I LOVE your hair!!!  I love it when you cuddle up to me right before nap time.  I love it when you reach out and touch my face with those cute little hands.  I love how you jabber.  Your laugh is like my payday.  Best sound in the whole world.  If I could make you laugh all day every day...I totally would.  I love the way you look at me while your daddy is holding you.  And I can't get enough of the cute little dimples that show up above your upper lip when you smile.

You are so special to me, and you have brought so much joy to our home.  I sure do love you my little man.  Forever and always and no matter what.

Mom