Baby Blessing

Tommy was blessed this Sunday, July 19th. My mother flew out a week early to help me with the baby as John and I still try to turn our house into a home. My mother was very helpful and even organized the kitchen for me! Even now she knows where things are better than I do. My father joined us late Friday evening and on Saturday helped me install our over the range microwave. It shouldn't have taken long, but like everything in this house problems arose as we went. But thankfully it is up and working now!

For his blessing Tommy wore an adorable outfit which Rick and Nicole purchased for their little boy, Caleb, and it will be used for any future blessings of the boy cousins. They also have the first little girl blessed so they are generous enough to get the dress for all the girls. The blessing was done after the sacrament, which worried me a little as Tommy had been very content up until that time and I thought he would be crying so loud you couldn't hear the blessing. Thankfully our little angel child was silent the whole time.

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After the blessing is said it is customary for the dad to hold up the baby so that everyone can get a good look at the baby. John, being the proud father he is, decided that simply holding the baby as you walk back to your seat wasn't quite enough for how adorable Tommy is. John held up Tommy in front of him and then raised him up high. Think Lion King.

After John sat back down Tommy was sleepy and was passed around from Maren to Keilani and then to Sherrie. Tommy has a habit of one large blow-out or near blow-out every morning so I brought a change of clothes for him. After sacrament was over Sherrie still had Tommy and John told me to bring my parents and aunt Johnnie and uncle Jim (who came down from Spokane for the occasion, featured in the picture above on the right, my parents are on the left) to Sunday School, therefore not getting a chance to change him. Poor Sherrie. Not only did Tommy leak all over his cute little suit, but he got it on Sherrie's skirt! I guess he knew it was a special occasion and celebrated in the only way he knew.

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Everything with Tommy is an adventure!

8 weeks

Yesterday Tommy celebrated his 8th week of life by sleeping from 9p until 7a!!! I of course woke up at 5a wondering when he was going to wake up to eat. Then this morning he didn't wake up until 8a!! I also discovered that he was sleeping and sucking on his thumb, what a silly little boy. I think he woke up only when the dream where milk was coming out of his thumb stopped. I have my fingers crossed that this sleeping through the night will continue...

Michigan Adventures

Tommy took his first out of utero trip to Michigan. He had been there twice before, Thanksgiving when we told my parents about him and in January after a business trip to Atlanta I surprised my mom and had a baby shower. While we were gone John and his family painted, fixed up and moved us into our new home. They did tons of work and I very much appreciate all their efforts.

Thomas got to meet my father for the first time while there.

My little brother, Benjamin, got his eagle scout while we were there. (The reason for the trip, congratulations Ben). All the family except for two spouses were able to make it. Unfortunately, mine was one who was unable to come. As my mom promised though, I had tons of help with Tommy. Being the youngest and cutest grandson, no offense Jasmin or Kelly, made for many willing hands.

We even took a shopping trip to Great Lakes Crossing. That was a nice change for Tommy because the majority of his shopping trips thus far have been either to Lowes or Home Depot. Lacey enjoyed being in the back with Tommy and Charlie. During the trip we made and gave my father his father's day gift. Jasmin and I had a tough time with the three youngest handprints, but surprisingly we got all the handprints without paint on clothes!

I enjoy traveling. It's just too bad that airlines make it a horrible experience. Tommy was very happy on all of the flights and I had no problems with him, thankfully. We left Michigan for Washington on Wednesday evening. The flight from Detroit to Salt Lake City was delayed, so of course we missed our connection, the last flight of the evening. Thankfully I had enough diapers and wipes in my diaper bag as this is all we had. We were offered a hotel, but instead we called up John's grandma who lives downtown SLC, Edna Wolfgramm, and spent the night with her.

We made it home on Thursday afternoon. It's interesting that my luggage spent all night in the airport yet couldn't make it on our flight in the morning. My mother-in-law, Sherrie, picked us up and brought us to our new house. I must admit, when I first walked in I was very overwhelmed by all the unpacking left to do. But I was impressed that all the painting was finished and progress was being made. Not that we had doors or working bathroom sinks, but who needs those right? Unfortunately, we will this weekend when my mother comes to visit...

John was very happy to have the two of us home and I know Tommy was glad to see him again. Tommy wanted to give his daddy a haircut when we got home, but since I wouldn't let him have the scissors he opted to brush his dad's hair instead.

Good Aim

I was very fortunate to find a nice diaper bag with many pockets. I've claimed only one pocket for my own stuff on the outside of the diaper bag. Usually there resides some lotion, my sunglasses, lipgloss and my cell phone. This morning Tommy woke up crying. He had a messy diaper when it's usually just wet. I was changing him on the floor since I'm at my parent's home and I turn around to grab the pacifier. I face Tommy and see that he is peeing directly into the diaper bag pocket with all my stuff in it.
Of course after he finished peeing and pooping again (don't worry, that was into the messy diaper) he was all smiles. He knew that he peed where he shouldn't. What a silly boy.

Our New Home

It's official, we own our own home! It was nice being debt free, but we just felt way too un-American, so we decied to put up our first born as collateral on the loan. Don't worry, Tommy is worth much more to us than the house. :) The home isn't far from where we live right now. We were supposed to close on the 12th of June, but if you've ever purchased a home you know what a headache all the logistics can be. There was a real rush to get the home appraised since there is a large demand right now, then our home owners' insurance company wasn't responding but all that got worked out and it was the money that held it up. After getting misleading information from the Title company, my bank didn't transfer the funds until 3p on Friday, which apparently is too late.

The frusterating part is that we lost a Saturday that we could have been working on the home. Instead John went up to Silverwood, a theme park in Idaho, with his siblings and I was at home with Tommy. Of course that is the afternoon/evening he decides to be more fussy than he has ever been in his life. I survived and graciously, John took care of Tommy most of the day on Sunday to give me a break.

We will be cleaning and fixing up the house the way we want it and then John will finish moving us in at the end of the month while Tommy and I are in Michigan. It will be the best move yet.

Also yesterday, the 15th, Tommy turned one month old! He seems to be growing and gaining weight each day. I have heard that the reason why women have more children is that they can't exactly remember just how painful childbirth was. That is true for me, I remember it hurt really bad, but every time I hold my sweet boy I forget a little more just how painful it was.

First Pictures

I guess I better get some pictures of Tommy up on the website since he is the reason why I started this post. This was taken when he was three weeks old. A very handsome boy just like his father!

I took Tommy to a doctor appointment yesterday so they could take a look at his heart. He has a slight murmur, but nothing beyond the normal newborn. They weighted him and at three and a half weeks he had gained over two pounds since birth! He was 10lb 15oz! What a gigantic baby! Also during the appointment while they looked at his heart on the ultrasound he had a major bowel movement and I changed him after they were done on the exam table. Just as I was reaching for a wipe he starts peeing and got himself square in the face! I know he was aiming for me, but he was a little off. :)

First Blog Entry

I guess that it's about time I start my own blog as I have been asked many times if I have one. I am starting this at a really fun time of life. Our little Tommy is three weeks old and we absolutely love having him. He is a very happy baby besides the time when his gas is bothering him, then he lets you know he's in pain by wimpering and tearing my heart out when I hear it. So Tommy and I took a walk to the drugstore this morning, 1 hour 20 min (!), and got him some gas drops. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they work.

This week is really exciting because John is no longer working 80 hours a week. The outage isn't over, but his part in it is. Last night he kept thinking that it was time for him to go to bed while it was still early. Also, on Friday we close on our home! We're not moving immediately because we want to make some changes before we get in. I'm still trying to pack a few boxes here and there while Tommy is asleep.

Short post, but Tommy is no longer happily occupied...