6 Month Check-Up

Mike and I took Jaxson in for his six month check-up earlier this week...I can't believe how big he is getting! He is still tall and thin...he weighed in at 15lbs 9oz (13th percentile) and is 27.5" long (80th percentile). Jaxson was totally showing off for the nurse and doctor during his appointment because he kept flexing his muscles and was just so friendly and good. They both commented on what a great baby he is.

I love watching Jaxson grow and develop. It seems like he is learning something new all the time. He has gotten really good at sitting up and has started scooting. He also looks like he could be getting close to crawling! He is able to pull himself up on all fours, and last night he moved one knee forward before stopping. Jaxson also loves to eat! He loves applesauce, bread, and pretty much anything that he sees us eating. It has gotten to the point where he starts to get angry if he sees us eating and we are not sharing anything with him. He is very vocal about the things he likes or wants.

Sometimes it seems crazy to think that Jaxson is already six months old, but at the same time it seems like he has been part of our family forever.

The Tulip Festival

We decided to take advantage of one of the "nicer" spring days a couple weeks ago and head out to Thanksgiving Pointe to see the Tulip Festival. I took Jaxson and went with my mom and sister, and then Mike's mom met up with us later. I absolutely love going to see the tulips. They are my favorite flower, and those gardens hold a lot of special memories for me since that is where Mike and I had one of our first "real" dates and also held our wedding reception.

Anyway, I am so glad that we went, because Jaxson seemed to have such a great time. He loved looking at all the flowers and was so good, even though it started to get a bit windy and cold. It made it hard to get any good pictures of him because he was always turning to see the flowers and kept trying to grab them.

My sister, Beth

As you can see, Jaxson was much more interested in looking at the flowers

Jaxson with Denece

Jaxson and my mom

I LOVE this picture...thanks so much to Camille and Kelly for helping with the editing :)

Easter Weekend

We had the opportunity to escape the cold and head down to St. George to spend Easter weekend with Mike's family. It was SO nice to get away, enjoy the sunshine, and spend time with everyone!

While we were down south, we took the opportunity to take a driving tour of Zion's National Park. I had never been there before, so we figured it would be a good way to enjoy the outdoors with Jaxson. I was a little bit nervous that the car ride would be too much for him, but he did a great job. He loved being in his stroller and being able to look around.



On Sunday, Jaxson had his first Easter and was able to "participate" in his first Easter egg hunt. Good thing he had dad and grandpa to help him! Jaxson got his first sippy cup, a new outfit, and a movie in his Easter basket, and then found another sippy cup, toys, and a Utes t-shirt during the egg hunt.



I had to include this picture of Jaxson. I took it right after he finished eating his dinner. You can tell he is a happy boy!

The Verdict Is In...

...and we're having a girl!!!!

We are so excited to welcome a little girl to our family! She wasn't feeling very photogenic today, so we couldn't get a good profile picture, but she definitely wasn't shy about letting us know that she is a girl. Everything looked great, and my due date is still September 2.

Tell PETA: Infertility is Not a Joke

I realize that most of the people who read this blog have not had to deal with infertility, but PETA's current campaign made me so upset that I had to share. You can also check out these websites/posts: From IF to When and Hannah Wept Sarah Laughed.

PETA is currently running a campaign where if you get your animal spayed/neutered, you can win a vasectomy. While this in and of itself might not be so bad, they are advertising that they are doing this in celebration of National Infertility Awareness Week, which is occuring later this month! Their website advertises:

"...It's a two-fer: Get your animal companion fixed, and get yourself fixed too! Human overpopulation is crowding out animal life on the planet, and dog and cat overpopulation is creating a euthanasia crisis that is a crying shame. Disappearing wilderness, vanishing water resources, and pollution is the price that future generations will pay for more human births, while losing their lives is the price that millions of homeless dogs and cats pay when guardians neglect to "fix" their companion animals.

"Every year in the U.S., an estimated 6 to 8 million lost, abandoned, or unwanted dogs and cats enter animal shelters. The best way to combat the companion-animal overpopulation crisis is to have your cat or dog neutered. And with a global population of almost 7 billion humans, more of our species could use a (voluntary) snip too.

"Now, one lucky man can be reproduction-free, free of charge, just like his pooch or feline friend. In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week (April 24 to 30), PETA will give one free vasectomy to a man who has recently had his companion cat or dog neutered..."

I'm sorry, but how does this honor infertility and the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide who are suffering from this disease? Infertility is definitely not a disease that people choose to deal with, and it offends me that it would be treated this way and that PETA thinks they can honor it by letting someone win a vasectomy. Isn't getting a vasectomy the OPPOSITE thing that most people with infertility want??? I am sure that PETA wouldn't chose to target other diseases in a similar manner in an effort to "control the population". Maybe I am over-reacting, but I really do find this to be shameful and insensitive. I would encourage anyone who finds this offensive to SIGN THIS PETITION or e-mail PETA directly at ingridn@peta.org.

Lots of Movement!

We are definitely seeing a lot more mobility at our house lately. Although Jaxson started rolling over a while ago, he has really stepped it up lately. He now LOVES to roll over. He is really good at rolling from his back to his stomach, but is still working on going from his stomach to his back. Once Jax has rolled onto his stomach, he does a great job of propping himself up on his arms.


Once he is up on his arms, Jaxson will bring up his knees and try to scoot/crawl. So far he isn't too good at going forward, but he is really good at moving around in circles.

It has been so much fun to watch Jaxson learn grow. He is so smart! I know that he will be moving even more before I know it!

Besides Jaxson moving more, his little sibling has been moving a lot, too! I started feeling the baby move a couple of weeks ago, and I am loving it. It is so reassuring and it makes this pregnancy seem even more real. Sometimes it seems so surreal and it is hard to believe that I really am pregnant and will be having a baby in September. But whenever I feel those little kicks, it brings it all home and it is such a great feeling. This pregnancy is going by SO quickly. We go in for our big anatomy ultrasound next week, and Mike and I are excited to find out if we will be having a boy or a girl.

Just the Same

I saw this poem in April's Ensign and LOVED it, so I thought I would share it here:

Just the Same
By Diana Lynn Lacey

Sometimes—
God sends rain
Straight from the sky
To nourish the young flower
and it grows.

Sometimes—
God sends rain from the sky
To the mountaintops,
Then over hills and through valleys
Until it reaches the flower and it grows,
just the same.

Sometimes—
God sends a child
Straight from His realm
Into a mother’s arms
and love grows.

Sometimes—
God sends a child
From heaven to another’s arms,
Then over hills and through valleys
Until he reaches the arms of his mother
and love grows, just the same.