Devin- 2 Months Old

Mommy has been very busy lately. She feels very guilty for taking so long to update this journal about my turning two months old! Mommy is the busiest lady I know in real life. She doesn't have a lot of time these days and I'm tired of waiting on her to journal, so I thought I'd do it myself.

I became two months old on December 11th. Everyone says the time is flying by quickly. I really can't tell. All I do all day is eat, sleep, poop, eat, sleep, poop...you get the idea. My days are quite boring. I was a fussy baby for a while there. Mommy says it lasted from about week four to week seven. Mommy cried a lot during that time. But we seem to have survived it nicely.

Now I am a joy most of the time. Everyone tells Mommy that I am the cutest thing ever. Why they say it to her and not to me...I don't understand that. I am the cute one after all. She is just the mommy. I have very squishable cheeks. I always hear people saying that.

I have a very funny hairline in front. It looks like an inverted widow's peak. I get comments on it a lot.

I have finally outgrown my puberty stage. I shouldn't hit that for another twelve years or so. I no longer smell like an oily old man all the time, and my cradle cap and acne is cleared up. I look like a baby again instead of a teenager.

I smile all the time, especially for Mommy. All she has to do is raise her voice to this silly level and I smile really big. She talks really funny too when she does that.

Somehow I acquired the name "Mr. Moo". I guess it is because I like milk so much. They even wrote a song about me and I always hear someone sing it to me first thing in the morning. It is to the tune of "Happy Birthday" and it goes like this-
Good morning Mr. Moo
You live in a zoo
You look like a monkey
And you smell like poo poo
I always smile and squirm when someone sings this to me, especially when they sing it in that funny high pitched voice.

I fit perfectly into size 3-6 month clothes.

I had my two month check up on December 14th. Dr. Allred said I am a cookie cutter baby like my siblings. I don't understand what he meant by that. I weighed 12.5 pounds and I was 23 inches long. I don't know why they care so much about how big I am. Dr. Allred asked Mommy about my eating habbits. I like to eat a lot. I mean, A LOT!! Mommy makes really good milk. In fact, when I hear her voice I start looking around until I see her. And it's not because she has a nice face. It's because I know she has milk for me. I love milk.

I got shots at that check up. That was an experience unlike any other! I cried a lot. My brother and sisters got flu shots that day too. Mommy and the nurse had to both tackle my brother on the ground to give him a shot. I don't know why he cried so much. He only got one shot. I got four shots. They all got suckers. I didn't get anything and I got the most shots of all! I don't understand that one.

I like to watch people when they talk to me. I like to watch their mouths and I try to move my mouth to do what they are doing. When I do that, my chin starts to quiver and people think I might cry. But my chin doesn't quiver because I'm about to cry. It's just that I'm concentrating really hard. I think I am pretty smart to watch people so closely.

Mommy is my best friend. We always fall asleep at night together, sometimes holding hands. I like her smell and I nuzzle in closely to get a better smell of her. No one in this world can comfort me like she can. I hope she knows how much I love her. I want to take her to my prom one day. And I will let her come with me to college. She is a good mom. I wish every baby had a mom as good as her.

Now maybe she will have some time to journal about me at three months. I might have to do it again. We'll see!

Excited For Christmas

Ethan made this chain at school and he wanted to hang it in the living room for all to see. Each night we take off a link and when we get to the gold one, that means Christmas day is here! He has reminded me of that that EVERY day this month. The chain is one of the many great ideas his teacher comes up with for them to do.

Today has been a cold and snowy Saturday. Cody had to go to the store this morning and he came home with bread bowls. He suggested eating chili out of bread bowls for dinner. What a perfect cold night meal! After dinner we made and decorated sugar cookies while we watched "The Polar Express" on TV. I'm not a fan of that movie. Cody and I find it creepy, but the kids really love it.

Cody also had the idea of camping out with the kids in the front living room by the Christmas tree. So he and Ethan set up "camp" then we had our family prayer and read Christmas books together down there. It took them a long while and lots of threats before they finally settled down, but things are quiet now so I assume the kids are all asleep. Devin is in the swing sleeping by me. The night is calm. This has been such a fantastic day!

Go Utes!

My good friend Katie made these beanies for the boys. They are so cute in them! Makes me want to go to a football game and cuddle under a warm blanket while drinking a thermos of hot cocoa. Go UTES!!

Generosity

Ethan loves his baby brother so much. He is really big into comic book super heroes, and yesterday he lovingly says to me while he's holding the baby and stroking his head "Mom, when Devin gets old enough I'm going to give him my Wolverine underwear." It was such a kind gesture, but I about dropped to the ground laughing.

Ward Christmas Party

On December 3rd was our ward's Christmas party and dinner. It was really nice and very well done. I had volunteered to bake over 40 potatoes in my oven for the event, and our house reeked of potatoes for days! But is was a wonderful evening and the best part is that I could sit and enjoy myself because I was in charge of NOTHING, but my own family of course. The activities committee did an awesome job, and at the very end a surprise from the North Pole showed up! The kids were so excited to see him. Lauren was scared, and Devin just looked at him like he was crazy. But Ethan and Hailey were thrilled.

Trimming the Tree

On the same night that the elf brought the presents, we trimmed the tree in the front room. A few nights before for FHE, we all went and found the perfect tree together. Well, we all thought it was the prefect tree, except Hailey. She was sad because she found a pathetic little Charlie Brown tree that she thought was so "cute". She was a pretty sad girl when we didn't take that one home.

Devin of course slept in his swing during the festivities. And of course Mom ended up fixing the arrangement of ornaments after kids went to bed. (They all seem to cluster them in only one sport at eye level.)

I just love going through the box of ornaments. When Ethan was a baby I started putting a framed family picture ornament for each year on the tree. We have quite the collection of them now, and it feels like the tree is more of a scrapbook than a decoration. All of the ornaments mean so much to me. Little souvenirs of our years together, of our life.

We ended the night with hot cocoa in the kitchen. Ahhhh, this time of year is so magical!

Christmas PJs

On December 1st we had a fun surprise at our house. While Mom was upstairs cleaning the dinner dishes and Dad was downstairs playing with the kids, an elf sneaked in and left us some presents! Mom called the kids upstairs and they discovered these pretty packages sitting on the front room couch.

They were a little bewildered and tried to figure out just how that elf got in the house! Hailey came to the conclusion that he must have crept in when Dad opened the front door when we got home from work. Hailey assured us that elves are very small and that he could have come in with no one knowing it.

Well however he got in, he left these presents. Inside were PJs for each of the kids, and instructions that they are to wear these special jammies all through December (except when they needed washing, of course.) They were so excited about them, and we could think of no better way to kick off this fun month of Christmas!

Thanksgiving in Idaho

We headed to Idaho very early on Thanksgiving morning to spend the holiday. It was a really nice and relaxing weekend. Lance and Courtnee and crew were there also and it was nice to not have anywhere to that we HAD go and nothing we HAD to do. The meal was incredible and the kids had so much fun playing non-stop for FOUR days together.

No, we did not hit black Friday morning, but Cody and I did hit a few stores that night while Grandma and Grandpa babysat. We got some Christmas shopping done and there's no way we could have ever gone together if it weren't for his parents. Thanks Jane and Allan!

Courtnee made the kids some super cute Indian vests to wear during the big meal. But sadly they only lasted long enough to get some pictures.

I'm thrilled that Devin did so well. He had been so colicky and I was afraid he would disturb everyone at night with his screaming. But he was such a good baby and didn't give us any problems, even on the 3 1/2 car ride there and back. Way to go Dude!

Thanksgiving School Crafts

Holidays are especially fun when you have kids in school. I just love the class parties and all the fun crafts they bring home during the month. They have the most creative teachers and they are always coming up with the best ideas for the kids.

The day that school let out for the Thanksgiving break Ethan and Hailey each had Thanksgiving "feasts" in their class. Hailey's class celebrated like Charlie Brown, eating popcorn, jelly beans, and a bunch of other silly and random food (just like in the show). Ethan's class did a friendship salad and each kid brought a can of fruit to add to the mix. Ethan took pineapple. Hailey made a headband and an Indian bead necklace, while Ethan also made a headband and a vest with a papoose...and a carrier on his back! I about died because it was so cute.

Now Christmas is upon us and the stuff they're bringing home is so fun. I love having little kids for a lot of reasons, and getting into the spirit of each holiday with them is a big reason for me!

The Smothers

This boy doesn't get a moment's peace when his sisters are around. I know they mean well, but they love him a tad too much- and too forcefully. These girls are close in age and already compete for everything. Sadly, that includes the attention of their baby brother. He's gotten to wear when he sees them coming, his body tenses up because he knows he is in for something unpleasant.

The other day I was getting out of the shower and I heard him crying. I had left him in his swing and when I came out, the girls were on either side of him, each tugging on one of his arms. Good thing I came out when I did or they might have ripped his arms off! You like how in this picture the girls look like they are marking territory. And they are. It's a good thing Devin has Ethan in his corner to ward off the girls. Otherwise he would REALLY get smothered!

Love, Hailey

Daddy Loves

There is nothing cuter to me than seeing Cody love on our new babies.

He never gets terribly involved during the pregnancy. He doesn't show a lot of interest in feeling my belly or anything like that. I honestly think part of it is fear. What if something goes wrong? A lot of what ifs. Plus he is a guy and he is visual. Most guys have to see something to feel anything for it.

But once our babies are born, Cody can't seem to let them go. The only perk to having a c-section is that Cody is always the first to hold the baby. That is special for him. And then when I'm all loopy from pain medication and still getting over the anesthesia, he sits in the room and loves on the baby while the nurses and staff tend to me. I love it that he has that time with the new one...all to himself.

He is a huge support to me. People tell me quite often how rare it is for a guy to be so hands on with his small children, especially infants. I think if Cody could breastfeed he would. Okay, not really. But he really loves to be a part of the new baby experience. Since Devin has been so difficult lately, Cody is always right there to help me out.

Last night I could not get Devin to quiet down and it was really late. Cody needed to get to bed, but instead he stayed up past midnight to help calm his baby boy. I sat on the couch and watched Cody cuddling with him, talking sweetly to him, all while walking the floor. He stays so calm and patient.

And yesterday morning when Devin and I had BOTH had a hard night, Cody held him almost all morning while I got much needed stuff done for Primary and got the rest of the family ready for church. I snapped that top picture right before I had to leave. Cody said he wished he could give him a bottle because he wanted to stay snuggled like that all day while the kids and I went to church. But since I'm the only one who can feed him, I took him with me. Cody then quickly got ready and met us there.

I have an amazing husband. I grow to appreciate him more and more everyday. I've said it before and I'll say it again. He is not at all perfect. But he's great and I don't think I could have found a better daddy for my children if I searched for one hundred years. I am blessed.

Swaddled

What an enigma!! Figuring this kid out has been a real challenge. He gets so worked up and has a terrible time calming himself down, especially when his sisters are around to bother him.

The other night it was really late and Devin was SCREAMING. He was so worked up that he couldn't even eat. Cody suggested I swaddle him. It took me by surprise because Devin hated to be swaddled when he was brand new. In the hospital the nurses would always swaddle him before they handed him to me, and he would immediately protest.

But on this particular night I was completely out of gas and ideas, so I tried it. He squirmed for a few seconds, but then calmed down. It was amazing! I plugged a binky in his mouth and he was asleep in a couple of minutes. It has worked almost every time to calm him ever since. I've found the best way for him to take a nap during the day is to put the swing in our QUIET bedroom away from the kids, turn on the fan for white noise, plug his binky in, and swaddle him up nice and tight. It works!

What do you know- baby #4 and I'm still figuring things out. Each child is so different and what works for one doesn't always work for the others. I have to go back to the drawing board with every new baby.

Cody, you are a genius!