Time to Give Thanks

How Did We Get So Lucky?

Well, I figured it is time to give an up-date.  Payton is doing so well. In fact she is doing so well that from her 2 week doctors appointment to her 2 month appointment she went from the 33rd percentile in weight to the 92nd percentile.  She has gotten so chubby, and it is adorable! People, say "Chubby babies are happy babies" and it is so true! She is still the most easy going baby in the world.  I don't know how Dallan and I got so lucky.

Payton has hit a ton of milestones in the past two months.  She is always smiling and has even started to giggle a little bit.  She can almost sit by herself, she can hold her head up during tummy time (of course she only does this if she wants to), and keeps trying to roll over.  Dallan and I have decided that if she didn't have such a big tummy in the way she'd be rolling in circles all the time!

Payton's most recent milestone, and I am totally thrilled with, is she has finally made the transition from her car seat (her preferred bed for the past 3 months) to her crib. AND the best part is, she did it all by herself in ONE night! My child seriously makes my life so easy! For the past 3 weeks it has been getting harder and harder to put Payton down for bed. We tried everything and finally Dallan and I just gave up and every night we would take Payton on mid-night car rides to put her to sleep. This last resort, however, had begun to fail us this week. During our car rides she stopped falling asleep and when she did fall asleep she only stayed asleep until we got back inside the house and then, BAM! wide awake again.  So last night around 9:30 I was giving Payton her evening bottle and, like usual, she started to drift off.  I eventually gave up trying to keep her up to finish her bottle and just let her fall asleep on my legs. First off, Payton, in the past, has not liked sleeping on her back, and if she ever did, it only lasted for about 15 minutes.  But last night things were different. I let Payton lay in my lap while I watched t.v. for a little while. The next thing I know, is it's 45 minutes later and Payton is out cold and snoring! So I decided to see if I could lay her down in her crib and have her stay asleep. And well, as you already know, she did! Not only did she sleep through the night, but she slept a good  9 hours! It totally rocked! 

As for Dallan and I, we are doing great! Fall is always a very busy time for us! Dallan's freshman football team at Poky went 6 and 3 this season and Dallan couldn't be more thrilled. Dallan was also pretty excited about the fact that his freshmen had the best record this season out of the J.V. and varsity teams! One sport down, one more to go!  Dallan is currently finishing up the first week of girls' basketball for Pocatello High School.  Dallan has been moved up from the j.v. team to assistant varsity coach and we are very excited!  He has done a great job so far and we are both very excited to see what this season of basketball has to offer.  

I am doing pretty well, myself.  During the course of this semester, I have been really struggling with what my occupation should be.  Prior to having Payton, I was planning on going to Dental School, but who knew I could love that baby girl so much!  So after a lot of debating and thoughtful prayer, I have changed my plans just a little bit.  I am now studying to be a High School biology teacher, and hopefully, one day, a college professor. Teaching really is one of the best careers for a mom.  It allows me to be home with my kids and when they are old enough to go to school Dallan, our kids, and I will all have the same schedules! It is just the perfect fit.

All-in-all, Dallan and I are so grateful for everything we have been given. We have a beautiful baby girl, we are able to go to school and receive an education, we have no student loans and will probably be able to graduate with no student loans, we have jobs that are perfect for each of our schedules, we are healthy, and we have the best families in the world.  How did we get so lucky?

Below, are photos and video links of Payton. Enjoy! :)

Video Links:

1. This first video was of Payton when she was about 8 weeks old. I kept forgetting to post it until now. But this is Payton making some pretty hilarious sounds while she is sleeping.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152166905968488&l=7295236098166156593

2. This second video is of Payton doing some tummy time. Payton is already a pretty strong willed little girl. She did NOT want to do tummy time and started yelling at Dallan letting him know she was unimpressed and kept trying to wiggle her way off his chest. We thought it was pretty funny. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152166707893488&l=4547429472577368055

Pictures:

All dressed up for Halloween!

She likes watching football with daddy.

 I wish I looked this cute when I wake up!

Proof Payton slept in her crib.

8 Weeks of Parenthood

Well we are 8 weeks in and starting to get a hold on things. Dallan and I are staying plenty busy between school, work, and Payton. It amazes me everyday that we are still sane. I don't know how I would get through my day if I didn't have Payton to come home to. She is getting spunky! She now recognizes me and gets so excited every time I come home.  She also has discovered if she cries harder and louder she gets her food a lot faster. (They say they don't really learn to do this for a little while, but I don't believe it.) She does not like it when I am paying more attention to my homework than her. She will fake cry until I look over at her and talk. But it is okay, I would much rather be playing with her than doing Organic Chemistry!

I was FINALLY able to get some head bands on her. Although, she still gets tired of them pretty quick. But this weekend she kept them on long enough for me to get some cute shots of her.  

One of the head bands I got on her! And of course her tongue is sticking out. It is never in her mouth!

This is some snap shots we got while at Grandma Cooper's 70th birthday party.  Poor Payton, she has some crazy parents! :)

I got her all dressed up for Reece's game against Skyline High School. She looked so cute in that head band and it was the head band that has stayed on the longest.

Okay, so it didn't last forever. She kept trying to take it off. I thought it was hilarious, she, however, was unimpressed.  

Welcome Baby Payton!

Payton Elsie Parker made her debut July 24, 2013.  She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  The first time I held her I knew my life had changed forever.  She was so perfect and I was terrified that I was now responsible for this little person.  They say a baby can recognize it's mom as soon as it's born and it is so true! The entire time they were cleaning her up and giving her, her shots she screamed and cried.  As soon as they gave her back to me and I whispered to her "I love you" she immediately stopped crying and just looked up at me. It definitely is the closest to heaven you can get.

Payton is the best baby ever.  She is so content and just happy to be here.  She hardly ever cries and only does so when she is hungry or tired.  Other than that she just hangs out and just looks around.  And she is the funniest sleeper! She will coo and make little squeaks as she sleeps. It is so funny.  Dallan and I are convinced once she starts talking the coos and squeaks will evolve into sleep talking.  

Dallan and I are so blessed to have this little sweet heart in our lives.  I don't know what we ever did to deserve such a perfect baby but I won't complain.  We also think we have the cutest baby ever. :)  We love this little girl and are so excited to see her grow up!

  

Baby Bump

Well since I am now about 4 weeks away from having our baby girl, I figured I should post some pictures of the baby bump (Although, it is starting to feel more like a mountain than a bump!).

Here are some poorly done snap shots of the belly and our nursery that we are still working on. 

Here is our nursery-in-progress.

Just a general idea of what it will look like. As you can see, still a ways to go!

Showing off the baby bump in my "Princess in progress" t-shirt! :)

The very flattering side view of the bump/mountain belly! 

Spring Break 2013: St. George, Ut

This post is a little late, I know, but better now than never!  

This year my family and took a trip south to St. George, Utah for spring break.  It was a much needed break and we were all very disappointed when we had to finally return home and get back to reality.  We went hiking in Zion National Park, played tennis, ate LOTS of food and just had a blast!

Here are some snap shots from our trip:

Dallan and I in front of the St. George temple. 

St. George Temple

Look out spot near our rental home in Hurricane.

Reece tries to look his best when we go out in public.... hahaha!

Hiking in Zion National Park!

More hiking...

It was so pretty!

Rex keeping it classy on the hike...

We reached the end!

The end of the hike.

Yes, I will be buying this for my baby, because lets be honest, it's going to be the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen! :) (I may be a little biased. Just a little, though.)

This week is the first time I have been able to feel my baby move. And I don't just mean I just feel little flutters every now and then but I can put my hand on my tummy and get a good solid kick from my baby girl! Yes, I am assuming they are kicks and not punches because how could I not produce a soccer player?! And besides, if those really are kicks, she is going to go far in soccer because she has got some power.  

It is so exciting for me to actually start to feel her move.  I am still in the awkward stage where people cannot tell if I am pregnant or have just put on a little weight, so it is nice to get to the point where I can get a daily (and now almost hourly) reminder that I have a little person growing in me and that I am not just "letting myself go". 

I am already at 21.5 weeks! I am over half-way done! Even though I still have a ways to go, I cannot wait to meet my little angel and hold her in my arms.  :)  

Mixing It Up

So, I found this recipe on the best site ever created (pinterest).  Dallan and I have a bunch of ramen noodles we keep on hand for food storage purposes but don't really love them all that much. So I got on pinterest to see if there was a way to spice them up so we could eat them some time.  Well, I found the best, easy recipe ever! It is a quick Pad Thai noodle variation.  All you do cook the noodles like usual, add in the seasoning packet (I used chicken flavored), then add 2 tablespoons of chunky peanut butter (I only used about 1 tablespoon), 2 tablespoons of soy sause, and 2 tablespoons of a sauce called sriracha sauce (add more or use less depending on how spicy you want to make it).  Other than it is a little high in sodium content it was good! Not something I would eat every day but it is good to mix it up once in a while and try something new!