Landon is 4 months old!!!

Our sweet little Landon turned 4 months old yesterday. I'm not sure how it's possible, but he just gets sweeter every day! He really is such a good baby. Most of the time he only cries if he is overtired or if he is hungry. I'm finding that it is very empowering as a mother when you start to figure out what the different cries mean and what he needs. The first couple of months I kept finding myself puzzled. The last couple of months have gotten easier with reading his cues. He nurses really well (sometimes he's a sleepyhead) and he's a great napper. I sometimes have to wake him up from a nap to feed him during the day. As for the night time sleep, it's hit or miss, which is okay at this point. Sometimes he wakes up a few times at night, sometimes not at all. On average I feed him 1-2 times per night and he goes right back to bed. Yes, I am tired. But most new moms are, right!? I've read several books (Babywise; Baby Whisperer; Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child; What to Expect...; Baby Center...; don't worry I only bought a couple, I make good use of the library) and I've applied what I like from them. I'm trying to figure out a good routine for him and I find this all very interesting (and a little confusing at times) so I have another couple of books on the way. I'll let you know if they are good resources.

Anyway, I just love being a mom to this little guy. He really does make my life seem more complete. His smile warms my heart and being with him helps me focus on the present because I want to cherish every minute with him! Brad and I can't imagine our lives without him.

Landon had his 4 month check-up on Monday. Here are the stats:

* Height: 24 3/4 inch (50th %)
* Weight: 14 lbs 5 oz (50th %)
* Head Circumference: ? (25th %)

What he can do:

• sit in his Bumbo for up to 10 minutes
• lift his head during tummy time
• let me know very clearly when he is ready to be done with tummy time:)
• bat at his toys on his activity mat
• entertain himself for a bit so mom can get some studying or cleaning done
• giggle with delight when we play patty-cake or peek-a-boo
• wriggle his way into the corner of his crib
• kick his legs the entire time I am changing his diaper or dressing him
• suck on his thumb or entire hand
• soothe himself to sleep (such a blessing!)
• stick his toys in his mouth
• make gurgling and growling sounds
• make mom fall head over heels for him with his sweet smile and big blue eyes

Here are a few pics I took today:

Our smiley boy
Big blue eyes
Everything in the mouth
His favorite toy...the activity mat from Grandma Roper

Treadmill, Finally

Shanna has wanted a treadmill for a long time. We finally decided to take the dive and buy one. We both did a ton of research on treadmills in our price range. We shopped and shopped until we dropped the money and bought one. We have loved it so far. It has been great for Shanna's surgery recovery and getting into shape for PTC(personal training certification). With it so cold out it is hard to run/walk outside and now with Landon it makes even more difficult. I have to admit that I have only walked on it a few times for maybe a few minutes. But in my defence I have already dropped 20+ pounds just from working since August. Not to say that that is the only reason to use a treadmill. Anyway here is a picture of our trusty treadmill.

Halloween Fun

With Shanna being so busy studying for her Personal Training Certification and taking care of Landon, I thought I would write a little on this cold snowy Sunday morning. We had a great Halloween together this year. We went to our church for a little neighborhood trunk-or-treat on the 30th, since Halloween was on a Sunday this year. Thanks to my job I have access to two big banana suits, so we decided to dress Landon as a monkey. He was the cuties monkey ever, as the pictures prove!

For actual Halloween I spent the night hanging out by myself. Shanna and Landon went on a little 2 week vacation/surgery and recovery. Shanna will have to tell you the name of the surgery because my brain doesn't register such large complex words :) But basically she had her acid reflux fixed. This was a planned surgery, since we had met our deductible we decided to go ahead and get this taken care of. It was a huge success. She shouldn't have to take any more reflux medications for the rest of her life. We found it interesting that they do this surgery for little kids now. When Shanna wanted to do this surgery as a young teenager they wouldn't let her. It's amazing how fast technology and medicine has change in just the past 10-15 years.

It is nice to have them home with me again as we go into this great time of year. I always love spending time with Shanna thinking about the past year and the many things we have been blessed with. This year we are especially grateful for Landon. As most parents would say about their kid, he is the best baby ever. We are also extremely grateful for my employment. It was a difficult move to make having a bachelors in mechanical engineering and taking a job in management but if given the chance again I would make the same decision. I have loved this job, it has given me so many skills that I would not possess had I not taken the job. I find myself being nicer to people at businesses. I always notice if I am welcomed into the store or not. I have met many people and talked to many people that I would not have had I not taken this job.

So as it snows outside in this beautiful little town I express gratitude for my family and this life we have been blessed with.

Family Pictures

About a week and a half ago, we got some family pictures taken and also some really cute shots of our sweet little Landon. We had my friend, Bethany Cook (Set in Time Photography), take the pictures. You can see more of her work here . She did a great job and we are very happy with how they turned out. He was a little fussy/sleepy during the family pictures so his eyes aren't open in any of those pics. That's just how it goes with an infant. He was really good, though. Here are some of my favorite pictures for your viewing pleasure!!!

Landon in his blessing suit--10 weeks old

2 Months Old

Landon had his 2 month checkup with his pediatrician yesterday. He is growing and developing well and he seems to be one healthy little boy. He does have cradle cap so the doctor gave us some instructions to help with that. I was wondering why his forehead was so dry! That explains it. He got some immunizations. I was so glad that Brad was there to hold Landon's arms during the shots. He's never screamed so loud! It broke my heart. Luckily his crying only lasted a minute. He did seem a little fussy later that evening and again this morning, but he seems to be okay. Here are his stats:

Height: 23.75 inches (75th-90th percentile)

Weight: 12 lb 5 oz (75th percentile)

Head Circumference: 15.25 inches (25th percentile--the dr. said this is okay because it's always been in the 25th percentile--guess he has a small head like his dad--this is no indicator of brain size of course:))

I finally caught his smile on camera! He's been giving us such cute facial expressions. And he gets his legs going so fast sometimes it's like he's riding a bicycle. I love it!

As a side note, we are all super excited for Julie and Ryan. Little Sophie Rose joined their family yesterday. Mom and baby are healthy and well. Sophie has super dark thick hair! I can't wait to get to I.F. to hold this precious bundle!

Landon's Blessing Day

Our sweet Landon was blessed in church on Sunday. It was a very nice blessing. I was relieved that he didn't fuss at all during the blessing. We really enjoyed spending the day with family. Thanks to all who came to be with us on this special day!

Brad and I had fun cooking together for the dinner. We made Cafe Rio style salads. I think it all turned out great. It's so nice to have a husband that can cook!

Here are a few pictures from the day. Landon has been smiling so cute for us, but for some reason he didn't smile much on Sunday so we couldn't capture his cute little smile on camera. Smile or no smile, he's still dang cute! My parents gave him this cute little blessing outfit. Unfortunately it didn't fit so well, but my amazing mother came to the rescue and altered it. It fit great and I love how it turned out. He did spit up pretty bad on the vest just before church, but that's just real life, right!? The cute little booties were made by our Aunt Becky.

He was going for the peaceful look. What a doll! I'll be taking him in for a photo shoot soon so expect more pics. We love our Landon!!!

5 weeks old!

Our sweet little Landon passed the 5 week mark yesterday. He's already survived his first cold. He sure seems to be a healthy and resilient little boy. He's just as sweet as can be and we've really been enjoying him. Don't get me wrong, he has his feisty moments and there are plenty of times when the only thing that will console him is being held. But that's to be expected, right? We are still feeling so blessed to have such a sweet little spirit in our home. Landon is weighing in at about 10.5 lbs. That means he's gained 2.5 lbs. since he was born. His next doctor visit is at 2 months, so then I'll have the official stats. Here are a bunch of recent pictures. There are so many because it is so hard to choose when they are all cute! As you can see he's filling out nicely.

Most of the time, he likes his swing:) If he's not in the mood, he lets me know it!

I'm keeping busy with housework, paying bills, appointments, running errands, taking care of the babe, and taking care of myself. I'm still feeling pretty sleep deprived. My mom came for a little while and then Brad's mom, Tammy, came for a few days. They were both so helpful and I can't imagine keeping up with everything without their help. Thanks to both of you!

Brad's still keeping busy managing Jamba Juice. So far the store seems to be doing quite well and Brad has learned a lot from the experience already.

We are liking it here in Twin Falls. The people in our ward have been friendly and helpful. We also have been enjoying our house, except for Landon's room. The whole house will be a comfortable temperature most of the time, while his room is either burning hot or freezing cold, depending on the time of day. Does anyone have any ideas in dealing with a poorly insulated room. We bought curtains that are meant to keep out some of the heat. Then for the early morning when it is cold I'm going to get a space heater with a thermostat. Any other ideas?

That's all for now! I'll try to post more regularly since I have such a cute subject for picture taking!

p.s. I chopped my hair off. It's an A-line bob. One of these days I'll take a picture when I'm looking halfway decent and post it:). Oh and I turned 26 this week. I had a nice and relaxed birthday.